Author: Layla

002. I’ve been sick, and it’s not cute: reflections while in the sickbed and others in between

Published by Layla

  Well, hello there. Been pretty ill, and it was not exactly a great sensation. Returning to work felt like having a pair of jelly legs: just feeling wobbly overall. There are times that it felt like my body was in one place and my mind in another. But despite that, I am grateful for the end of each work day, as I get to tick one box for every task accomplished. I have been feeling on edge about something I couldn’t explain, but I am slowly working out through the kinks. Since I have been ill for the most part of the first week of the new year, I have not been able to restart myself where health  (mental and physical) is concerned. Hopefully, I can establish some sort of rhythm: one that’s not so rigid, one that’s a little more forgiving. During my four-day convalescence (I speak as though I am some Victorian maiden wasting away on some mysterious disease), I was able to reflect though. About who I am as a person, …

001. Starting over is always difficult, but…

Published by Layla

It just needs to be done. For the most part of 2022, I was on a prolonged radio silence–partly because of my poor mental health (which is slowly on the mend), and for the most part, I was dealing with work and academic struggles. They never end. The excuses never end, too! But after some thought, I thought that I’d write here on this blog, and give it another go. But I decided that with all the fancy bells and whistles that have been part of my blog layout, I have decided to pare things down, simplify things. Also, I did a spring cleaning of entries–because I needed to face it–reading some of my older entries, I realised that something was off. I felt like I sounded like I was such a dick. Like a huge know it all. I know I need to work on that.   I’m going to try not to do that dick energy in my blog this year. And I hope that I write more often, too!   See you …

Why I’m keeping my to-be-read list short, and my Goodreads book challenge update.

Published by Layla

Note: This post is a tongue-in-cheek explanation why I don’t have a long to-be-read list. I see a lot of people on my Goodreads feed  have a to-be-read list as long as their arm. While I can only look in envy, I know that I cannot read over 20 books in one year. I don’t even know if I can complete my Goodreads reading challenge of 15 books. But we shall try. So, let’s get into it! Recently, I have visited Goodreads, and a lot of my friends have joined the 2022 reading challenge. They have listed as much as 75 books for their to be read challenge. Holy guacamole. It made me yearn for the days when I was still able to read as many books in a year. Fast forward to this year–it is already a treat when I don’t read a journal article! Also, I want to “curate” the books I read, which I split into two categories: books that I enjoy reading, and books that I can learn from. So far …