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Day 4 in St. John, USVI: South shore snorkeling, sunset sailing, and slowing down 🌅🌊

Day 4 in St. John, USVI: South shore snorkeling, sunset sailing, and slowing down 🌅🌊

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Day 2 in St. John: wildlife, wind, and learning to snorkel 🐢🌊

Day 2 in St. John: wildlife, wind, and learning to snorkel 🐢🌊

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Happiness - Annu's version

I thought I knew what happiness meant.Until last week, when I decided to take an actual break. Not the kind where I tell myself I’m taking a break but end up doing things anyway.But a real one — where I just exist. I’m grateful I could do that, because it reminded me what the happy me sounds like, and what she feels like. I read books, telling myself just one more chapter.I listened to music —…

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Fragments, 25 September 2025

I am scared that life is slipping.I am caught between my own ambitions and my parents’ expectations.I have not read a book in two months.I have not slept without an alarm in years.Despite the alarm, I wake from nightmares of not doing enough.I am always either anxious or burnt out.Burnout feels safer than anxiety.At least then my heart rests.I regret being an ‘overachiever’.It feels like a weight…

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The Arranged Marriage Connundrum - Why Was I Always Asked to Be Better, but He’s Good Enough for Simply Existing?

On the double standards in raising daughters vs marrying them off TW: Suicidal ideation, anxiety, coercion Where do I begin? I am a 28-year-old “older” daughter with MBBS and MPH degrees, and a full-time job in a field I absolutely love and feel deeply passionate about. I’m preparing for my USMLE steps while juggling a full-time job, my health, meals (often meal-prepping), cleaning, doctor and…

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📚 Book Review: Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green — A Curable Disease, a Deadly Injustice 🦠💔✨

I’ve been reviewing books on this blog for a while now, but Everything is Tuberculosis wasn’t just another title on my list. Tuberculosis research has quietly become the heartbeat of my work. It’s not just what I study, it’s how I see the world. A lens that colors my understanding of justice, equity, and health. I could not not read this book. I’m a physician by training.I stepped away from…

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Bungalow by Vikas Khanna NYC Review: Fine Dining Indian Food with Heart

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📚 Book Review: The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore by Evan Friss – 5/5 ⭐ | A Bookworm’s Dream ✨📖☕

In my ✨ highly ambitious and slightly chaotic ✨ project to read every 2024 Goodreads Choice Award winner (because why not torture myself with genres I usually avoid 😂), I stumbled onto The Bookshop by Evan Friss…AND OMG 🫶 THIS. WAS. THE. BEST. DECISION. EVER. As someone who loves spending hours in cozy book cafes ☕📚 (and who may or may not secretly plan to open one someday with fairy lights and…

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I Watched “Adolescence” for the Plot, But the Pain Is What Stayed With Me 💥😭

If you’re diving into Adolescence on Netflix thinking it’s your next juicy murder mystery… well, think again 👀. This British psychological crime drama is less about whodunit and way more about what comes next — the messy, painful aftermath of a tragedy. 😢💥 Created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, and directed by Philip Barantini, Adolescence delivers an unforgettable, gut-punching look at a…

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Book Review: Cold Clay by Juneau Black – 3/5 | Cozy Vibes, Cold Plot & Predictable Twists 🕵️‍♀️🍂❄️

I returned to the charming little woodland town of Shady Hollow, hoping for more cozy vibes, more critter drama, and maybe a sprinkle of murder—and Cold Clay definitely delivered (with a few bumps along the trail). Goodreads Blurb: The second book in the Shady Hollow series, in which some long-buried secrets come to light, throwing suspicion on a beloved local denizen. It’s autumn in Shady…

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“The Residence” on Netflix: A Cozy Mystery With a Presidential Twist 🏛️🔍🐦

If you told me there was a murder mystery set in the White House starring a birdwatching detective, I’d say, “Where has this been all my life?” Because let’s be honest — I’m absolutely the target demographic. Cozy mystery? ✅ Eccentric lead? ✅ Birds 🕊️? ✅ Say less. Netflix’s The Residence swooped in just when I needed it — light, sharp, just the right amount of weird, and absolutely bingeable.…

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📚💔 Book Review: How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang – Messy, Moody, and Not for Me

🚨 SPOILER ALERT 🚨 This review contains major spoilers – including the ending, key plot twists, and character arcs. Proceed only if you’ve read the book or don’t mind having the story revealed 🫣📖 👀 A Little Intro: As part of my personal mission to read beyond my usual comfort zone (aka: trying out genres I tend to side-eye 👀), I picked up How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang—Goodreads’ 🏆 Best…

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Shady Hollow by Juneau Black Review - 4.5/5 | Cozy Mystery with Woodland Creatures and Murder 🦊🌲

Life has been lifing lately, and I haven’t had much time to read. I’ll admit, the reader in me has been feeling a bit guilty, but I was craving something cozy and fun to dive into. If you’re in the same boat, I think Shady Hollow might be exactly what you’re looking for. This cozy mystery hit the spot for me, offering the perfect balance of charm, excitement, and that “feel-good” factor we all…

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The Wedding People by Alison Espach 💍📖 - 3.5/5

Introduction: In an effort to step outside my usual reading preferences, I decided to dive into The Wedding People by Alison Espach, after it won Best Fiction at the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards 🏆. Romance isn’t typically my genre, but the buzz around this book had me curious. As someone who rarely reads romance novels 💔, I figured it was time to give this one a fair shot. Now, here’s my honest…

The Wedding People by Alison Espach 💍📖 - 3.5/5

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Exploring Junoon NYC: Michelin-Star Indian Food That Feels Like Home

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I visited the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in Mid-April 2025

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A Cozy Christmas Getaway in Portsmouth, NH 🎄✨

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