DD-21: welcome back!
Hi, I’m so happy you’re here! I know I’ve been gone for a while; life has been increasingly hectic and busy (I’m a wife now!)
But I’m hoping to revive this little newsletter by making it easier for me to keep up with. To start, I’m giving the weekly R.E.P.O.R.T trend a try by putting my own spin on it, making it more long-form, and turning it into a newsletter.
I hope you like it!
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✨THIS EDITION’S VIBES
🎟️ WEEKLY R.E.P.O.R.T
📖 READING
“You Could Be So Pretty” by Holly Bourne (2023)
—Genre: Dystopian Fiction
—Summary: “In Belle and Joni's world, there are two options for girls: One, follow the rules of the Doctrine like Belle: apply your Mask, work hard to be crowned at the Ceremony, [and] be Pretty. Or two, fight the rules like Joni: leave your face bare, work hard to escape to Education, [and] be an Objectionable. But maybe there is a third option...Change the rules. Reclaim your power. If you can...What would you choose?” - via PRH
—Thoughts so far: It feels so weird reading this because of how realistic the events can actually be. I’m sure, as women, we’ve felt like either Belle or Joni at some point in our lives (and often more than once). The book actually makes my skin crawl to think about how truly messed up and toxic society can be, which is a mark of good writing imo. I’m looking forward to following everyone’s story and seeing how it all plays out.
🥐 EATING
Ham, cheese, and egg bagel bites for brekkie.
Honestly, these are the most perfect breakfast food. So yummy and packed with protein + healthy fats. Also, some dietician on TikTok said to make 2024 the year of the bagel—so here I am.
🎯 PINNING
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⭐️ OBSESSING OVER
Colorful home decor. Because being a sad beige house is just not the vibe anymore. There’s just something so magical and fun about a colorful house where nothing really fits together but somehow still looks coherent.
It’s a decorating skill I would love to have and am working on in our own home, slowly but surely.
🗣️ RECOMMENDING
I have not stopped talking about this book since I finished reading it over the weekend, but Funny Story by Emily Henry really just is that girl!
It’s an absolutely perfect 2000’s rom-com-vibes book with loveable characters, great banter, and a super sweet plot (literally, who cares if it’s predictable!).
I rated it 5/5 stars, and it’s definitely going to be one of my new comfort reads.
If you haven’t already, I definitely recommend reading Funny Story. Especially if you need a little pick-me-up or want to get out of a slump.
🛍️ TREATING
If you know me, you know I love a good matcha latté. But they are just so dang expensive to get from coffee shops all the time. So, the natural solution was to buy good quality matcha powder and learn to make them at home.
I found one on sale on Takealot and have been loving having matcha at home.
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Still fine-tuning my technique, so I’d love some tips in the comments if you have any!
🏎️ SPORTS(ING)
Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be Nicola’s newsletter if I don’t yap about sport. If you don’t know this already, I’m obsessed with Formula 1. In fact, if I could somehow combine my love for reading and motorsport, and then make a career out of that, I would. I so would.
But until then, here’s a little recap of everything that happened this weekend, for the F1 girlies.
—Race: Austrian Grand Prix aka The Red Bull Ring.
—Vibes: 💨🏞️🫣💥😬🌞🧡
—Rating: 5/5⭐️ (one of my favorite tracks and races every season, mostly because it’s always a notoriously chaotic race)
—Rundown: This was a sprint weekend, which basically means there is a mini race (lasting for about 100 km) on the Saturday before the traditional Qualifying session—that sets the grid for Sunday’s race.
In previous seasons, the Sprint race results acted as the Qualifying session, but this has changed for 2024.
On Friday, Max Verstappen qualified on the pole for the Sprint and also went on to win it on Saturday. He then also made pole for Sunday’s race (the main event) where he was leading the race for about 60ish of the 71 laps before chaos ensued.
He and Lando Norris (currently second in the championship and, arguably, Max’s biggest competition on track at the moment) had some nail-biting battles and eventually ended up colliding. This left them both with punctures and damage to the car, with Lando ultimately having to retire.
Max ended up placing 5th, with George Russell from Mercedes taking the win. It’s the first time Mercedes has won a Grand Prix since Brazil 2022 (which was also won by George, coincidentally!). The top three were rounded out by Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), with Fernando Alonso taking the fastest lap.
As always, the post-race interviews were sooo spicy and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on the news to see what happens between the two drivers and teams (Max and Lando are pretty close friends outside of F1, so this was all pretty wild to watch irl.)
Anyway, was one of the most exciting races so far, and I was literally on the edge of my seat while watching. Next up: Silverstone GP! 🇬🇧
Thanks for catching up with me. Next week, same time, same place—see you there?
Nicola