23 things I'm currently loving: 2025 edition
Blue skies with a few clouds and a streak of light coming from the upper left.
It’s my birthday today (woohoo!). To mark the occasion, I’m making a virtual time capsule of 23 things I’m currently loving.
Before we get to the list, I want to mention that there are many things that bring me joy — spending time with hubby, catching up with family and friends, taking leisurely walks on warm spring days, the list goes on. These are steadfast, dependable ways for me to access joy. But I’d like to write a new list of things on every future birthday so I won’t be sharing my timeless loves here.
This time capsule is for mostly-frivolous things. It’s a snapshot of new things I’ve discovered since my last birthday or things that I’m generally into — for right now, but not necessarily for always.
Let’s see what I’m putting into my 2025 time capsule!
No-plans week. I discovered no-plans week last year and it’s currently my favourite way to celebrate my birthday. The idea is simple: I take a week off and I don’t make any plans. I try to leave my entire calendar open so I can do what I truly feel like doing during the week. No pressure, no commitment, no obligation.
Coworking week. My sister and I recently had a coworking week at my place (our 2nd one ever!) and it was such a joy. It was lovely to hear my sister typing away in the next room and to chat “at the water cooler” throughout the day. I’m also way more productive when she’s around, which was a nice bonus.
Cozy colouring books. My sister introduced me to the world of cozy colouring. The illustrations and puns in the Have a Slice Day colouring book are delightful. I’ve also been making my way through the Little Corner colouring book using some new-to-me art supplies (see next item!).
Alcohol markers. Alcohol markers are huge in the world of cozy colouring and I tried them for the first time recently. I have this pastel set (the price at my local HomeSense in Toronto was $24.99 + tax) and they are very satisfying to use. The streak-free finish is a beautiful sight to behold.
Rage colouring pages. Colouring is definitely a theme this year! As much as I love my colouring books, sometimes they activate my perfectionist tendencies. So I created these rage colouring pages, which I can print out and colour repeatedly without a peep from my inner critic.
Arcadia Puzzles. Arcadia Puzzles is a new-to-me Canadian company and I purchased three puzzles as an early birthday gift to myself. The quality is fantastic. I’ve solved all my new puzzles already and Toronto In Motion was my favourite.
Villager Puzzles. This is another Canadian puzzle company with stellar quality! I have a 500-piece beauty called Paradise Book Club (no longer available on the Villager website).
Duckpin bowling. I went duckpin bowling for the first time last month and it was so much fun! No bowling shoes, smaller bowling balls, 3 rolls per frame. 100% would do again.
Priorities. This is a getting-to-know-each-other game that I first played with the writing studio a few years ago. Our team played an online adaptation recently, which made me think, “I really love this game!” I ended up making a version in Google Sheets so I could play it virtually with family and friends. A bunch of us tested it out last week (including my sister in Australia!) and it worked so well. 😄
Cryptic Killers Murder Mystery Game. I bought the Murder at the Movie Theater game for hubby last Christmas and we played it a few weeks ago. It was a lot of fun to sort through the evidence together while munching on takeout. We plan to buy another game to try as it was a perfect rainy day activity — collaborative and entertaining.
Good Pizza, Great Pizza. My sister introduced me to this game last year and I’ve been playing it nonstop! It’s fun making the pizzas but the thing I enjoy the most is decorating my shop.
Screw sorting game. I also can’t stop playing this screw sorting game. I find it sooooooo relaxing.
Daily Waffle. This is a sweet little word game that my friend introduced me to. It’s reminiscent of Wordle but it’s also entirely different.
Hot Docs Film Festival. I’ve been buying passes to the Hot Docs Film festival for several years now but I especially enjoyed our selections this year. My favourites were Spreadsheet Champions, Saints and Warriors, and The Dating Game. These might not be widely available so I’ll also recommend Hidden Letters (streaming on CBC Gem for another week or so), which I learned about during a post-film Q&A with the director of The Dating Game.
Sinners. Sinners is the best movie I’ve watched in a long time. The soundtrack is pretty great too.
So Close to What. Tate McRae has become one of my favourite artists and her new album dropped in late-2024. I listened to it on repeat pretty much exclusively for several months and it’s still a go-to.
Mayhem. I was SO excited when Lady Gaga released her new album earlier this year. I listen to it whenever I need an energy boost.
Monk and Robot. I rarely buy fiction anymore but A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy have been on my list since I read them last year. They were only available on hardcover and they were quite expensive so I was thrilled when the duology was released in a beautiful paperback on May 6th. I snapped it up right away.
Book reviews. I’ve been wanting to keep track of the books I read in more detail but I find it tedious to type out my thoughts. Instead, I started recording book reviews for my YouTube channel where I chat about my overall impressions and react to reviews on Goodreads. It’s been a great way for me to pause and reflect on what I just read, rather than immediately moving on to the next book.
Royal No. 9 Milk Tea. My friend told me about a promotion at The Alley where you can get the Royal No. 9 for 50% off on the 9th of the month. This happens to be my favourite bubble tea so of course I take advantage of this offer every single month!
Poulet Rouge. Hubby and I tried Poulet Rouge for the first time when we were in Montreal earlier this year. There are a few locations in Toronto, and one just opened up very close to our home. We’ve been going there quite regularly, much to the chagrin of my cholesterol.
Soft Dough Co. A few months ago, I was shopping for hubby’s birthday cake and came across the Basque Cheesecakes at Soft Dough Co. We’ve since tried a couple of the cake boxes (very fresh and delicious!) and we’re really looking forward to trying some more flavours.
Pepero strawberry snacks. My sister brought over these snacks for coworking week and boy were they delicious! I’m planning to stock up.
Wow, I didn’t think it’d be that easy to come up with 23 things I’m currently loving but this list feels very fresh and true. I’m so pleased to have this little snapshot of 2025-me.
This month’s reflective question
What are some of the mostly-frivolous things that you are currently loving?
Closing the time capsule for now,
