Things I Love Lately

Happy New Year!

It's been a while since I've posted a "Things I Love Lately" update. Despite this great period of time, I would confidently say that my interests have not changed radically. Rather, I have found new ways to further preexisting interests. This post is the first of 2022 that I will write and also marks the first post in my eight-year blogging journey, one that I began in middle school out of a desire to record my thoughts, revelations, and realizations. So here we go, things I love to start off the year. 

Business Breakdowns Podcast. Business podcasts have consistently been a go-to genre for me and for several years now, I've been a regular listener of "What's News" and "The Journal" from the WSJ and "Planet Money" from NPR. Yet during my first semester of college, I began to feel that these podcasts were lacking. Though short in length, joining the student investment fund has shown me how much more in-depth companies and businesses can be broken down. I found myself drawn to lengthier podcasts about business and finance, from "Invest like the Best" to "Capital Allocators." Nevertheless, I still enjoy "Business Breakdowns" from Colossus the most because an expert/insider leads in-depth surveillance of the company, breaking down the top lines of the financial statements, multiples relative to other businesses in the industry, and macro trends driving growth. The episode that originally got me hooked was about the NFL. 

Jeans. I don't know why I'm back with jeans. Before COVID-19, I wore jeans on a regular basis. I rotated out a few pairs every week and all were skinny leg, in dark washes, with no rips or frays. Once COVID-19 hit, I stopped wearing jeans and I bought my first pair of sweatpants. I thought I'd never leave them and even went on a brief sweatpant craze. But now that in-person classes are resuming, I'm realizing I need to reconnect with jeans. And I have been on a jean-hunt for the past month. I'm exploring the world of jeans in a way I've never before, trying new brands, light washes, frayed hems, and new cuts that aren't skinny (apparently that's not so trendy in 2022 LOL). As I write this, I'm still eyeing a pair of cropped straight-leg jeans. 

Ankle weight workouts. I have been practicing Pilates since COVID began, but I never added ankle weights. In October, I invested in my first pair of 3 lb ankle weights and now cannot imagine working out without them. My movements have metamorphosized into a blend of Pilates and Barre, which leaves me sore, sweaty, and feeling amazing. 

Bad Blood/The Elizabeth Holmes Case. There have been few major white-collar crimes in the last 10 years until Elizabeth Holmes and the Theranos case arose in 2017 through WSJ reporting. In a nutshell, Holmes is a Stanford dropout who started a company that vowed to revolutionize the blood-testing industry by requiring only a drop or two rather than an entire vial. Theranos was worth $9 billion at its peak before a series of WSJ reports and interviews with former employees showed that the company's blood-testing device didn't work, that it used modified machines produced by Siemens to test patients blood, and that it bullied any employees who might have revealed that Theranos' technology didn't work. The Theranos test wrongly indicated that a patient had cancer and told a pregnant woman that she wasn't pregnant. 

I've included this case in my Things I Love Lately post not because I love the idea of defrauding investors and patients but because I find the entire scheme intriguing. In particular, I find Holmes to be a fascinating character. In the book "Bad Blood" by John Carreyou that explains the entire case, he begins by introducing Holmes as a very driven person who from day 1 cared about nothing but getting rich. I find the story of her success acquiring funding from investors to be remarkable considering her product didn't work, which how far her driven personality got her. In fact, she was the sweetheart of Silicon Valley when she founded Theranos in 2003, and Holmes was frequently compared to Steve Jobs. I've been following her sessions in court this past month, which is perfect timing considering I finished "Bad Blood" in August. The book was recommended to me by a friend and I highly, highly recommend it to anyone interested in the story. 

Cotton Candy and Jam Grapes. I've never really liked grapes until this past fall. But last semester, the Georgetown Club Tennis team hosted a brunch party where these normal-looking green grapes were served. When I tried one, I actually spit it out because I thought I had accidentally consumed cotton candy. But my teammate who was hosting the brunch told me it was a cotton candy grape, which explained why I seriously thought I had consumed cotton candy. Since that brunch, I have purchased cotton candy grapes whenever I see them at the grocery store and I've also ventured into Jam Grapes which taste like jam unsurprisingly. But I love these grapes and they've been a staple in my breakfasts the last few months so I thought I'd share that.