For Your Reference: February 2025

Award season watches, nostalgia reads & sweet winter indulgences.

Starting the year in January, in the middle of winter feels like waking up and immediately jumping into a cold shower. And though it may feel like a transformative time for many, due to the lack of warmth and sunlight, I am still trying to optimize comfort at this time of year. That’s why I usually consider my birth month, February, as the true start of my new year. If that doesn’t go as planned, I turn to spring, historically a more natural and logical time for renewal, as my fresh beginning. All this to explain that this is my first edition of ‘For Your Reference’, a monthly recap, because as I said my year has just begun.

Every month I will share with you my happenings and favourites in the following categories:

• The Watched List – This month’s watches

• Bookmarked – This month’s reads

• Objects of Affection – Products I’m loving

• Points of Interest – Places I’ve visited

• On the Menu – Food favourites

• Recent Acquisitions (occasionally) – Things I’ve recently purchased

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The Watched List

I’m bending the rules a little this month to include some older watches. Over the holiday break, my husband and I made a point to catch up on all the movies we hadn’t had time to see ahead of awards season. Our marathon included Anora, The Substance, and Wicked.

1. Of the three, we both liked Anora. It offered a fresh take on the rags-to-riches story without the conventional happy ending, set in a part of New York City that’s rarely shown on screen. The tense storyline kept us on edge just enough to be enjoyable, unlike similar films like Uncut Gems, which can be outright panic attack-inducing.

2. The Substance was another great watch, though I'll warn you not everyone has a stomach for its absurd body horror. Focused on our fixation with youth and beauty, the movie centres around a character going to great lengths to restore her lost vitality, at any cost. The film's modest budget works in its favour, giving it a raw and campy edge that makes the watch even more unsettling.

3. Now for my more controversial opinion, I did not particularly enjoy Wicked, at least not as much as everyone else. Yes, the movie was good, but I often found myself bored during its 2 hours and 40 minute run time. I think both Ariana and Cynthia were great leads with strong chemistry but nothing about the movie wowed me. I should share that I have not seen the Broadway musical and did not know the plot before watching the movie. Perhaps that led to really high expectations, because I have heard such amazing things about the production for years. I can see why it would be amazing on stage, but as a film, it fell flat for me, much like the critiques about its colour grading.

4. I watched Conclave on the plane ride to Rio and loved it. The story was compelling and original and I love a movie that teaches me something. Ralph Fiennes really shined and it only made me further regret not seeing him portray Robert Moses, in Straight Line Crazy. The real standout for me though were the visuals. Conclave is one of those movies that is really just a series of conversations set in just a few similar locations. The visuals did an amazing job of bringing the narrative to life. Honestly, of all the nominated movies I watched, Conclave was my standout favourite. And as I write this (a few days before the Oscars) I hope it wins best picture.

Stills from Conclave (2024)

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Bookmarked

1. At the end of last year, I read and finished The Coin by Yasmin Zaher. I shared a review online and several people recommended If An Egyptian Cannot Speak English as a similar book in the MENA category. I finished it in January but my disdain lingers for it still. I really did not like this book. I like to think I don’t have many polarizing opinions, and I always encourage people to consume media and form their own thoughts but this might be an exception. I can respect experimental storytelling, but the format was frustrating and made the otherwise compelling narrative difficult to follow. Additionally, the author used a gimmick at the end to preemptively dismiss what I consider to be valid criticisms, which felt disingenuous. To me, reading this book felt like a waste of time.

2. My New York-native, basketball-loving, streetwear savant husband sent me The KITH Knicks and New York Fetishism, and while I know very little about basketball, I was left with raised eyebrows and a dropped jaw at how blunt Minh Tran was about the city’s culture being actively commodified. A great read!

3. Bit bias here but I helped capture the photos for the latest instalment of the Garmsrace newsletter, profiling some super cool kids in Rio.

4. I am a sucker for nostalgia so here I give you two almost opposing reads. The first, Millennials Were The Last Generation to Have it All by Liz Plan, which I loved because it is so unapologetically nostalgic, such a glorified reminder of the past! As someone who lost a good chunk of their 20s to the pandemic, this one hit hard in the best way.

5. And then second, Nostalgia Only Tells Half the Story, a sobering read from Amrita that reminds us not to give into the tricks of nostalgia and to continue to live every day as one that we will look back on.

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Objects of Affection

1. I’m an obsessive hand washer, probably washing my hands every hour, at minimum. With already dry skin, this makes my hands even drier, so I’m always on the hunt for the best hand creams.

   1. Everyday Essential: Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream – A staple in my bag year-round.

   2. Winter Saviour: Soft Services Overnight Treatment – The moment I heard about this, I knew I needed it. The formula has noticeably improved my skin, and the sleek, refillable container is a beautiful addition to my bedside table.

2. On the topic of hands, on a particularly cold winter day this past December, while walking to the subway, I realized I needed gloves. In an effort to minimize the length of exposure to the cold, I googled ‘woven leather gloves’ and bought the first pair that came up, retreating my phone and hands back into my coat’s pockets as quickly as possible. When they arrived I was thoroughly impressed and have worn them all winter long. They are a great addition to my growing collection of woven leather goods.

3. As a Pakistani, I drink chai year-round, but especially in the winter, nothing beats a warm cup. While in Iraq last November, I noticed that every hotel stocked Ahmad Tea’s Cardamom blend and since then, I’ve been hooked, making it almost daily. I raved about it so much over on Instagram that Ahmad Tea even reached out to send me some other teas to try. Please try it yourself, and tell me if you love it as much as I do.

4. Every trip I plan includes one outfit that I deem the outfit. For Brazil, that was Helsa’s Godet Dress, which I wore the day we visited the Museum of Contemporary Art. I’ve been obsessed with godet silhouettes since I saw Tory Burch’s Colorblock Tulle Dress in the Resort 2023 collection, also worn by Meghan Markle on the cover of The Cut’s Fall fashion issue. I’m still searching for that dress on resale sites, so if you have any leads, let me know! I digress, a white dress, as they say, hates to see me coming, and one that has godets and is modest? Sign me up.

5. Basma Beauty sent me 4 of their foundation sticks but in the depths of winter, I was too pale for all the shades (21, 24, 26, 10). So I brought them with me to Brazil, knowing I’d get a nice tan and I am glad I had that foresight. These foundation sticks melted into my skin, felt lightweight yet natural and were perfect for the hot and humid weather. Now that I’m back in New York, my dry skin has returned, but I’m still using them religiously and they’re still cooperating! They’ll definitely be a staple for me this summer.

6. The biggest change to my everyday essentials has been my work bag. Last spring, I bought the Dragon Diffusion Santa Croce Big Tote bag, mistakenly thinking it would fit my work laptop. Long story short, it didn’t, which meant I was often juggling both that bag and a separate laptop bag on the subway five days a week. And though I love that bag and will continue to use it, I’ve been searching for a work bag replacement for a while now. While shopping for sunglasses at Miu Miu, I came across the Aventure Nappa Aviator Bag and instantly fell in love. After a month of contemplation, I finally purchased it during the holiday break, and it has accompanied me to work ever since. The leather is soft, yet the bag is sturdy and spacious enough to hold both my personal and work laptops, plus my planner, notebook, whatever book I’m currently reading + a long list of other items I carry with me every day.

7. My top fave for this month would have to be my new Fujifilm X100VI. There was a time in my life when I would carry around my 5D Mark II and 24-70 f2.8 lens on every single trip abroad. Now I get similar results with this comparatively tiny and lightweight camera. The film presets are fun, but I love that I can go down to an aperture of f/2 with this little thing. The Bluetooth functionality is especially useful when offloading photos on a trip without needing to pack a computer.

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Points of Interest

1. Travelled to Brazil this month, you can read my full guide here and my Niemeyer specific guide here!

2. I love the New York City Ballet, I love the Lincoln Centre and I love The David H. Koch Theatre, designed by Philip Johnson. We try to go to the ballet at least once a quarter and this time it was to see Swan Lake. I was indoctrinated to be a Tchaikovsky fan by the Barbie movies of course, so seeing The Nutcracker and Swan Lake over a few month stretch has been such a treat!

3. Not to be an "I knew it first" type of person, but I was a fan of One Direction before they were even One Direction. During my obsessed-with-everything-British phase in high school, between episodes of Skins and Misfits, I would religiously watch The X Factor using shady streaming websites online. I was there when the boys were put together in a band, when they performed every week, and even when they lost. Of course, I was locked in for every moment after too, and when they announced their first tour stop in Toronto as openers for Big Time Rush (literally left as soon as 1D finished performing), I was on Ticketmaster READY. That was the first time I saw the boys live, and I haven’t missed a One Direction tour since. So when Zayn Malik, my favourite of the five (duh), announced his tour, of course, I was going to be there.

   The concert was quite the experience. Zayn was amazing live, but the crowd was the worst I’ve ever encountered. I am way too old to be on a GA floor, but my best friend and I had a great time regardless.

4. I went to my first Knicks game recently while my friends from Toronto were visiting, and it was such a fun experience! Again, I know very little about basketball, but watching in person was exciting and Madison Square Garden was a fantastic venue. 10/10 would do again.

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On the Menu

1. Four Corners Co. sent me their monthly sampling box to try and we shared it at a family iftar. Our fave flavours included Thai tea with housemade salted caramel, saffron vanilla bean with caramelized white chocolate rosewater ganache and the matcha sponge with matcha white chocolate ganache.

2. Minetta Tavern saw me twice this month. They offer halal meat options and as someone new to steaks I was a big fan of their steak frites. After my own birthday, we made a second reservation to take my brother for his because he loves a good meat-based dish.

3. I had a month long cinnamon bun fixation and after a few mediocre Cinnabon orders via Uber Eats, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Used this recipe more times than I would like to admit and they were perfect every time.

4. I come from a big family of talented cooks. Every Rajab, we make Meethi Tikyan for Koonday ki Niaz which involves preparing and distributing food, often sweet dishes like kheer (rice pudding) or other meals, in ceramic or clay bowls ("koonday" - clay pots or bowls). Though this practice is not a compulsory part of Islamic teachings, many families including my own observe it as a recommended act of sadaqah (charity).

   Meethi Tikyan are sweet, crispy fried biscuits made from a simple dough of semolina (sooji), sugar, ghee (or oil), and cardamom. My family always adds some coconut too. The dough is rolled out, cut into round cookie-like shapes and deep-fried until golden brown. I wait all year for Rajab to eat tikyan prepared by my mom and khalas.

5. El Cedro is our go-to takeout spot at the moment. In their own words, El Cedro is a Mexican & Lebanese restaurant in Brooklyn, NY, offering a fusion of flavors with shawarma tacos, unique salsas, and innovative dishes. We love the Crunchy Tacos with Ground Beef Sujuk, Labneh Crema, and Citrus Herb Slaw.

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Maybe it’s the Aquarian in me (though I’ll admit, I don’t know much about astrology), but I love how February stands out. The shortest month, with an extra day every four years. I also love that it fully embraces the cold, unlike the hesitant transition of the months that follow. Excited to keep sharing these! Let me know what you're loving this month and what you'd like to see more of here. Also Ramadan Mubarak to those who observe!