By Venessa Anthony
Mohamed Aaliya is a happy-go-lucky city girl with a serious job. She’s a fashion designer by profession currently working as a design lead for MAS, and in her free time, she loves exploring new places to eat, spa days, travelling, and spending time with good company. Aaliya also owns the Instagram blog and website “The Urbane Grub”, which primarily focuses on food, with a little bit about travel and lifestyle.
Since the holidays are synonymous with food, travel, and a generally cheery lifestyle, we thought Aaliya would be the perfect fit to have a seasonal chat with. The Morning Brunch reached out to her to talk about her plans for the season, any New Year’s resolutions, and her overall look on Christmas.
Here’s what she had to say.
With family! Always. We always get together on this day over a huge and certainly delicious Christmas feast, and it’s a heart-warming reunion. It’s my favourite time of year and I cannot wait till Christmas rolls around this week – counting down the days!
What would you say Christmas means to you?
I absolutely love Christmas! Even though I don’t celebrate it from a religious perspective, I studied in a Roman Catholic school and have grown up embracing the spirit of Christmas since childhood. Christmas isn’t just a day to me – it is a feeling! It’s the most wonderful time of the year and I truly believe it’s for everyone to enjoy and celebrate regardless of race or religion. That’s what Christmas is all about anyway – peace, love, and unity.
What’s your most unforgettable Christmas memory?
I don’t have one in particular. Every year is special.
The holidays aren’t stressful to me; they are just incredibly busy! I’m always flitting around from event to event, meeting friends, shopping for the season, catching up with family, and preparing to chow down on a delicious Christmas feast! In my case, I absolutely love hosting people, getting dressed up, and celebrating, so I don’t see it as stressful at all.
What would your perfect Christmas look like?
In my opinion, there is no such thing as a perfect Christmas. I’m just grateful for what it is every year (I say this because each year, it only gets better!).
What is the best gift you’ve gotten, and the best you’ve given?
That’s easy. The best gift I’ve received and given is being able to celebrate this day with my loved ones so consecutively and not feeling like I’m missing anything. This to me is truly a blessing. I love every precious moment I spend with the people that I hold so dear to my heart.
Any New Year’s resolutions?
I really need to work on controlling my appetite and spending a tad bit more responsibly!
What’s 2023 looking like for you?
I usually don’t like to plan too far ahead because life is quite unpredictable, but here’s hoping 2023 will be a prosperous one with good health, wealth, and happiness.