My hot takes from 2024

2024 has been a year of exciting discoveries for me, and while the following hot takes aren't exactly complex, they have made their mark on my 2024:

1. The Dirty Martini: Oh, the dirty gin martini. Where have you been all my life? This cocktail has quickly become my new obsession. The salty, briny olives perfectly complement the crisp gin, creating a flavor explosion in my mouth. I have found my favourite martini spot, and also learned to make these at home.

2. Thrifting is key, and I'm really good at it. Online scrolling instagram? Nope, I'm here picking out my favourite wishlists on Vestiaire Collective, The Real Real and Beni. Here are my secrets.

3. Coffee needs must be met at home, without paying $5 USD for an average latte. This is the best espresso machine which won't cost you your left kidney.

4. Podcasts are my entertainment. This year I discovered the Prof G podcast. He is smart, weird, a bit odd, and often crude, but it's so, so good. I will continue to be a listener in 2025. To dial things back a little, I'm still plugging my "besties" on Life Uncut, and will forever remain a Lifer - we love love!

5. Travel upgrades are a game changer! I have done a few long haul flights this year, and on a packed flight from New Delhi, the last minute upgrade to premium economy was a blessing I did not know I needed. Say goodbye to the cramped back of the plane! With priority boarding and access to lounges, my travel experiences have become significantly more comfortable and enjoyable. Am I a bit too bougie for my own good? Probably.

6. Skincare is now a real obsession of mine - I love my HeyDay membership for a monthly facial, and my latest favourites for at home treatments are Image Ageless Resurfacing Masque and this cheapy from Sephora that paints on some glowy skin.

7. Press on nails are elite, and saving me $$ but also time - who has hours to spend at the nail salon each month? Not me. These are my favourites and I get compliments on them all the time.

8. Wise (formerly Transferwise) now allows you to accrue interest on savings, and then convert currencies when the exchange rates look good. For an expat, this has been perfect to allow my money to sit in a kind of intermediary account which doesn't take 5 days to process when I do actually want to transfer it to AUD (yes, US banks are that ridiculous).

9. Zing makes workouts easy - you can customize your goals, workout type, duration and body part you want to train, and they formulate a workout for you, including the weight to lift (which I often forget and therefore just tend to do the same old comfortable lift, or get wildly embarrassed when I can't even pick the bar up off the ground! This app clears that debacle for me, and there's also an AI body scan which I'm slightly skeptical of, but its a cool feature. This app makes me feel good that I'm not doing useless workouts.

   
   

And finally, this is not exactly a hot take, but I am loving the thrill of 35. I've embraced this new chapter with open arms and have realized that getting older is truly an opportunity to enjoy the little and big things, in any area I want. I'm shamelessly living my best life and I'm pretty happy about it.

What were some of your biggest/most fun/interesting discoveries this year?