life lately ; 12 - a new start!

   Hi, its been a while.

A little over a year ago I spoke about not posting here because I simply didn't want to talk about all the bad things going on in my life, and to be honest? The past year has definitely had some dark moments. Dealing with rejection or unexpected loss can take a toll on the mind, but I'm glad to see the other side of it. Actually, despite those bad moments, I've had a pleasantly good year so far! So of course, I'm back with what seems to be an annual roundup of my life lately. 

   

After years of watching my favourite bloggers migrate to new spaces, I have finally decide to make my own new ventures on different planes of the internet. mirare minae has found it's home on Substack.

mirare minae is a place where I can talk about the more intimate thoughts clouding my mind, think pieces, and content that resonates with me on a deeper, more personal level. mirare (/miˈra.re/) can mean many things; to aim, to wonder, to look at something with admiration or interest. I want to make this new blog a place where I can freely talk as eloquently or ghastly as I see fit, and I hope it can become a place where other substackers (is that what they're called?) feel comfortable engaging with my thoughts and content. I also like the ability to privatise some content. I guess it's just another way of monetising your content, but I've always struggled with ways to grow into a 'content creator' who mainly posts about myself and doesn't particularly provide any benefit to readers lol. Maybe this could be a turning point? Who knows, I'll have to a/b test it lmao. In any case, I'm looking forward to having a new place on the internet to ramble on.

I'd appreciate it if you could support me on substack.

I will still like to post here too. This blog isn't something I'm ready to let go of yet. I have a few drafts written up that I plan on posting real soon, particularly regarding idols, so please look out for them :)

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life lately ; 12 - a new start! 

"If not now, when? If not you, who?" 

This quote has become my mantra of the year, as I try to become the 27 year-old I've always envisioned myself to be.

Back in January, I got promoted within in the company, moving from an Assistant Store Manager and Visual Merchandiser to a Digital Marketing Assistant at the head office! I've been spending the last few months learning all things digital and going insane over frequency policies and excel reporting. I had lost both of my line managers during this time, so there has been a lot of tiresome and frustrating days, but I can honestly say I'm enjoying the role so much and I've already learnt a good deal about marketing in the fashion industry. I'm hoping that I can progress pretty quickly, learn more and become someone who is more reliable and trusted within the team. I would like to become a recognisable face within the company and 'leave my mark' if you will, so I'm enjoying documenting each part of the work week. It's already so cool that I can see little bits of work I have done showing up in stores too!

This new job has enlightened me to all the things I don't know, and that's something I want to improve in the next year or so. The first few months were for settling in and understanding the company process and planning, but now I've been here for half a year, I now need to focus on my performance. Since I don't have a line manager to help me with this, I've been talking to the directors to get me on some courses to improve. I would love to learn more about Paid social (which surprisingly was never a huge topic in my masters course...) and although not specific to digital marketing, I want to improve on my coding skills. Speaking of my masters degree, I passed! I graduated! My graduation ceremony is next week. :)

💼 Work goals for the next year or so. 
- Learn more about Paid social 
- Create a successful marketing strategy for the brand
- Gain new skills through online courses

After my quarter year crisis last year, I had a feeling of really wanting to change my mindset and routine to a much more healthier version of me. I began following a weekly workout routine with the goal of feeling less achey and sluggish throughout the day. I would do one gym workout followed by two home workouts. I kept that up for a sold 8 months or so before I got a new job and had to change gyms. I opted for a more premium (and definitely more expensive) gym with great facilities to help my keep my goals in check. Before I knew it, I became one of those gym girls you see on tiktok grinding to get that desirable gym bum and insane waist-to-hips ratio. 

I workout 3-4 times a week, do pilates bi-weekly, and take a random class bi-weekly too, whether its yoga, boxing or spin classes. I got over my fear of the big weights area thanks to watching Kim Jung Kook's Star Gym videos, and overall I'm having such a fun time making gains. I try not to focus on what the scales are saying as it fluctuates each time I build muscle, but seeing myself looking more snatched and FEELING myself have more energy makes this journey so much more rewarding for me. I haven't changed my diet too much as I've always been a healthy eater, but I make sure to include more protein and keeping it in line with my carb intake because you guys know how much I love bread.

💪 My full-body workout routine (1hr 30mins)

Other workout days I'll focus on glutes/legs, arms/back, or core/abs. 
Warmup

Strength training with various weights 4kg-20kg
Lateral raises 10x3
Superset x2 - Chest press 10, Closed chest press 10, Plate pass crunches 10, In & Outs 10
RDL 10x3
Pulse squats 10x3
1 random exercise (depends on my mood)
Glute hyper extension 10x3

Finish off the workout with a 15-30 minute cardio session on the treadmill. :)

I've been curating my wardrobe to find my personal style, as I felt as if I was re-wearing the same clothes over and over again out of comfort and not because I enjoyed the look itself. It gets to a point where being an outfit repeater does become a criminal offence. Ever since I moved to the head office, I realised that my 'work uniform' I used in the store could be changed as I was allowed to dress more freely. It's still weird to me that I can now wear open toe shoes to work! 

Going through everything to see what I intent to keep and Marie-kondo'ing the fuck out of the wardrobe has been exhausting, I wont lie to you, but it's nice to see a more streamlined concept of the outfits I like to wear. Now I can focus on expanding on statement pieces, and filling in the gaps on the basics so that I can create multiple outfits through the styling of each piece. Here are a few things I really love the look and fit of, and would like to by more of (without trying to overconsume).

👗My wardrobe wish list 

- waistcoats 
- Baby doll tees
- flared long sleeves (gives me a witchy vibe)
-Skirts

There isn't too much for me to say on my current reads as of late. Unfortunately it's been a little underwhelming, with some of the books I almost dropped but instead pressed on like a soldier at war. There were some good moments tho, I realised that I do enjoy the standalone whimsy fantasy love stories with no particular world-building and plot, especially when I don't have much time to invest in a multi-series story. That being said, I do think my next book will probably be one with a bit more substance and hopefully one with a more gripping story with high stakes and incredible character arcs.

 

 

📖 What I've been reading lately

A Thousand Threads: A memoir by Neneh Cherry - currently reading
An interesting look at her bi-racial nepo-esque upbringings and cultural impact.

A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon - 4/5
The title says it all. Extremely cute, cringe, and smutty. A nice palette cleanser.

Moonlight Market 2/5
The moonlight market was the most interesting part of the book, and it was focused on for only a few pages.

The Cloisters 3/5
Dark academia will always have my heart but oh man, this one doesn't grip me like it should.

Since I'm officially an office girly, My schedule is a lot less flexible as I do 9-5, but it actually works out perfectly for me because I don't have to do long shifts until late in the evening! This means I can get to work early, go to the gym and get home all before 6-7pm, which still gives me a few hours to play video games in the evening if I'm up for it! 

 

Since building my first PC, I can finally play those heavy duty games that my poor 10 year old laptop couldn't manage. I've been playing Marvel Rivals which is toxic af but still very fun lol. I've made strides to flatten my Animal Crossing island and I'm almost ready to pull the plug and start removing areas that don't suit the new theme I have for this playthrough. I would be lying if I said completely restarting the game didn't cross my mind, but I have so many items I want to keep a hold of, so I think flattening and going by each area little by little is the best choice for me right now.

🎮Gaming commentary 

Marvel Rivals - I genuinely wish they would give us more strategists and STOP BUFFING DIVES. I can only take getting destroyed by Wolverine, Black Panther and Iron Fist so much before I rage quit. I would include spidey too but he's my ride or die. 

Animal Crossing: New Horizons - It entirely goes against the chill, feel good vibe of the game, but I wish they had a "restart: moving" mode, for when you want to start fresh but still keep the items you have.

Idol Manager - I've restarted and I'm loving the new group I've got right now. There has already been scandals and concerts and awards given out, so it will definitely be an interesting group to watch. 

Speaking of idols, Ever since Hello!Project finally started uploading older songs to Spotify, I've been going down nostalgia lane. There has been a lot of things the last few months that have made me feel like a veteran idol fan. 

A hag fan, if you will.

SHINee World VII concerts and the release of Poet Artist back in May for their 17th anniversary was pure joy. G-Dragon released an amazing album which has become my album of the summer. Just over a week ago, the last 9th generation member and my oshi Eripon, graduated from Morning Musume after almost 15 years in the group. Earlier this week, Super Junior promoted 'Express Mode' for their 20th anniversary. 

And just yesterday I was hit with nostalgia as my AKB oshi Acchan returned with other legendary OG's to promote AKB48's 20th anniversary single. It's all really put into perspective how long I've been a fan of idols for. Sorry mum (and dad, and aunt, and best friends and teachers), but it was not a phase, and I'm probably in this for life. 

I've been dwelling on the thoughts of having a shelf life on being an idol fan, especially with the idols increasingly being younger as I grow older, so I can't really look up to them as I could in the past. But ultimately, I think being an idol fan has made my life so much more interesting. There is always something to look forward to and something to enjoy. I'm grateful some of the groups I've supported have stuck around for so long. I have so much more to say about this, so keep an eye out for an upcoming post.

Currently listening 🎧

SHALL WE LOVE? - Gomattou
An iconic song 20+ years later, the girl crush and yearning still hits the soul.

ALL I CAN TAKE - Justin Bieber
The entire SWAG album got added to my work playlist. It's chill, so my style.

Ghosts - YUNGBLUD
Not as popular as Zombie but I really love how he does soft grunge like this.

Seasons Call - HYDE
I've been back on my alt-rock/punk grind. This early 2000's one still a banger.

Express Mode - Super Junior
This right here, is a 100% certified slapper. lmfaoo. 

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Writing this out made me realise that I have so much more to share with you all, but this post is already much longer than I had anticipated, so I want to say stay tuned for more, but I'm also not sure when I will next post. I do hope it's soon. I want to share my trip to Barcelona, Edinburgh and York, seeing TAEMIN live twice, and Ben Barnes live with you all! I would appreciate if you gave my Substack a subscribe if you're active on there, so we can stay connected! Please also check out my other socials for my daily rambles if you're interested, I'm also active on tiktok, IG and twitter :) 

Until then,