Only memories on the walls

It seems like it has been ages since I have not really been myself. I tried to do thing I enjoy, but somehow I just end up looking at the sky and wondering why. Friends seem to be having the most fun and even when I am with them, it just doesn't feel right. I don't even know the reason for this temporary melancholy. I try to get inspired. Poetry. Strawberry tea. Good books. Affirmation. 

Anyhow, I did have some good times over the last few weeks. 

The largest floating library "Logos Hope" was visiting Male' the other day and a few friends and I visited there. It was such a good experience and I wish I had enjoyed it more | We had a fun photo shoot for DYMag at Traders with really good company | Mick got her very first trophy and she was very happy about it. My parents have some cool traditions | Went to watch Hunger Games dressed as a Capitol person and had a blasting time there | Work photo-shoots are always fun and working with such talented people make me very happy indeed | Spent a lot of time my myself trying to be inspired by nature and finding little things that make me happy like greenery in the most unexpected places. 

I am currently reading a rather depressing book and trying to watch NCIS. Life is overall stable and I am looking forward to some things and also not looking forward to others. How are you doing dear readers?

How To Crash A Wedding

A couple months back, some of my very good friends spontaneously decided to take me to a wedding that none of us were invited to. I have always wanted to crash one, but me being me I was freaking out. I'm so glad they didn't listen to me when I asked them to just take me back home so I can buy a gift or never go, hahaha. I still think that we should have left a gift for them. I've learned a couple things from that one wedding.

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Choose wisely | It's important to choose a wedding that you want to crash, possibly some where you don't know the bride and groom or the bridal party. Go to major wedding venues like Dharubaaruge and other restaurants and check the names and generally look around the guests. 

Sending a Spy | One of the most important things is to send one (or maximum two) people beforehand so they can easily slip and check out if the party is worth crashing and give you the green light to go in. Meaning check on the food, guests, where the bride and groom are standing and if it's possible to easily get in and get out while blending in with the crowd. 

Making a low entrance | The best kind of weddings to crash are ones where there are a lot of people going. Find a crowd going in and sort of blend in with them and while they go take pictures with the bride and groom, you can easily slip beside the cameras and make you way inside. This is the hardest part because you need to be very very careful not to seem like outsiders. Don't keep looking at people, but try to make some convo with your crashing team about the decor or some wedding related stuff like "finally they are getting married, remember when we went to *some obscure place* and joked about *some obscure event*". DON'T PANIC. This is most important. 

I wished we could have taken a gift, but because we were on a spontaneous one, we didn't (also because the guys think taking a gift is such a "Shaha" thing to do) so we has to tag with some people carrying a gift so it looked like we were with them. 

General Behavior | Always try to stick with your friends and keep making convo throughout, especially during the line at the food counters and choosing a table where you can sit together so you don't have to make small talk with other guests. People get intimidated when there are big crowds and usually refrain from chatting you up. Also, if you see or happen to bump into someone you know, try not to talk about the wedding and just generally say hi and be on your way. DO NOT SIT NEAR OTHER GUESTS THAT YOU KNOW unless they are cool people. 

Easy Exit | Try to make a very casual exit, say hi to the flower girls giving favours and casually write in the guest book and just exit. DO NOT MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH THE BRIDAL PARTY and most importantly, DO NOT STEAL THE GUEST BOOK. One crime is enough for a night. 

There, I hope that was helpful if you ever wanted to crash one. It's such an adrenaline rush, or maybe just for me cos I was freaking out inside the entire time while trying to manage being composed, haha. Another thing off the bucket list! It helps to have good friends who do crazy things. 

Have you ever crashed a wedding? What are your wedding crashing Do's and Don'ts? 

DYMag November Issue

Seems like I'm always one month late in posting these things. :| Apologies for that but I hope you have read the November issue because it is fantastic. 

The November issue celebrates the campaign for Elimination of violence against women and kids y bringing lots of articles about the issue. The Nightmare Within is a story that I hope will make you think twice. Little Manhattan's review by Abo makes me want to watch the movie so much! In DYM Recommends, we look at movies, books and songs talking about violence against women and related issues. 

Pretty in Prints was such a fun photo-shoot and I'd like to thanks Onme, Odds&Ends and Finesse for lending us the wardrobe. We hope it inspires you. Nails with Naal is a new segment that has a nail tutorial, Naal is super duper talented, don't you think?

The cover people, Luna, Azzam and Zaain are such great people that they amaze us everyday with the things they do. I loved reading about their life. Ainth from Finesse, our wonder woman is the most brilliant person ever, seriously. She has been a great source of help and inspiration for DYMag from the start. 4:1 is the article of the month! Filled with great research and written well, it is an article not to be missed. 

Moving on the the theme, how to make the orange ribbon, youth profiles and catharsis, a thought provoking article by Alana is definitely things you need to check out. My article, 10 Free iPhone apps is something that all iPhone users can check for some cool apps. Thihnan, our health writer writes about Alopecia and choosing different kinds of berries. 

Bloodwritings poetry always makes me think twice, such painful words, such emotion. Literalyrics by Sharky is one of my most favourite columns. Try finding some hidden fun things. Under the Dome tells the age old story of love, with a new twist. The poems, what makes it worse, because brutal is reality, love song for the mistress and what had changed is just words woven into amazing-ness. 

Overall, I think it was a great issue. Have a read over HERE. 

Meanwhile, we are working super duper hard on the December issue! See you soon. 

NaNoWriMo

At the start of this month, I set aside to take on a challenge of writing a 50,000 word novel throughout November and I was doing great till the 7th day, I think. I wrote about 6377 words before I let myself fail. 

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It was most definitely my own failure, my lack of attention to the goal, and me trying to please other people on other areas of my life that led to this and I'm disappointed in myself a bit, but at least I tried. I wrote 6000 words, which is more than I have ever written a fiction. I'm glad I took on the challenge, and Insha Allah I will do next year and the year after that. I have made a couple good pen pals through Nano and I have managed to introduce Nano to so many people, I feel proud of that. Also, I get to cut down one goal from my life list. Next year, I shall add "Win NaNoWriMo" to my life list. 

What did I learn from this? Here are a couple things. 

People care This is a major lesson. I was going to quietly do my Nano just because i didn't have enough confidence that I could win, but then I realized that it's not about winning, it's about setting with a goal in mind. I told a couple of my friends and facebook friends about it, and I was surprised by how many people wanted to help. So many people, people I'm not even very close friends with volunteered to read and give me advice and so many people called me or said hi and asked about my Nano. It was truly overwhelming to know that people were cheering for me. It was wonderful and I'm so thankful to everyone. 

Prioritize The one thing I am terrible at. I always tend to think of people before thinking about me, and while this is nice in general, it often leads into disappointment and things going wrong on my end. I really need to learn to say NO when needed and focus on myself first. I sometimes get really carried away in trying to please people, and this is a habit I need to control. Focus on things more important at the moment than dealing with other people's drama that I have absolutely nothing to do with. 

Plan and stick to it The golden rule is to have a goal. But that's not enough, because I had this goal for ages but I didn't have a plan. I didn't write a chapter outline, or had any idea for an ending which led to so many nano freak out that some of my close friends had to deal with which believe me was not pretty. I should have made very precise plans, had an ending in mind and generally have been more prepared for it. 

Don't be lazy This is of course a given. I can be lazy so many times. I really need to cut down on my screen time and generally plan my day better so I can be more productive. Also I try to find loopholes within my rules so I can justify to myself why I am doing what I do. This gets a bit unhealthy with time. 

Anyway, I'm glad I took part in it and that it made some good changes in my life. Some great things that happened include finding great friends, learning to trust people with my ideas, standing up for my ideas, learning to take negative comments and not let it ruin things, sending my first ever post card, and even licking a stamp (ick!). It was a great ride and I'm happy I did it this time. 

On Nice-ness

I consider myself a generally nice person. Not because I have an obligation to be nice, but I like being nice, it's become so much habit than anything else at this point. Of course, I have my moments, where I am not at all nice, everyone has a tipping point, a point where they just feel so frustrated and hence, nice is the last thing that they are. 

It's all part of this being human thing. I tell myself that I don't expect people to be nice to me just because I am to them, but in reality I do, because if I didn't, today wouldn't be so sad. So, something horrible happened and now I'm rethinking on my choices (I know, I am so vague here. I don't want to emphasis on what happened, but more on my reaction and I sort of need to write this down because it is bugging me a lot). So many times I have been let down by so many people I love. 

My friends, ah friends. I have some of the best people but so often even when I am with them, I feel so alone. Like I don't belong. I don't think I even belong in this century, haha. So many times I've been so disappointed, I almost get to that tipping point, but never have I ever created any drama. So many times I am in dark, and I've come to accept that maybe that's just the way things are, and that if I continue being me, being nice things will get better. 

Other people. People disappoint. They do so many terrible things. They don't understand. But people are also good. Man is kind, nice and great. Most of the time, it's not even their fault. Situations happen and there really isn't much they can do. I forgive, I try not to forget (but because i have terrible memory I often forget) and honestly, I'm just really disappointed. 

But I'm not going to let that affect me much. I think I have a little bit of an idea why people turn to the dark now. I will continue to be me, and this is just a little down that I have to get up from. I just wish that people were there for me without me asking them to be. I guess that is too much to ask for. 

Have a good day readers, and I hope that things are better at your end. I'm sorry if this post doesn't make any sense or if it's too sad. Sometimes the clouds cover the sun and everything seems grey for a moment. This is one of those times. 

Currently - November

Sometimes I tend to watch way too much series and completely forget to read. I have yet to master a healthy balance of reading and watching. This month is a mix of a lot of very different things. 

Personal Taste This is a Korean series that I cannot stop loving. I am a huge K-drama fan and these are definitely my guilty pleasures. Another thing I love is how Koreans always tend to look really well kept, and their houses are just, WOW. Especially the girl's house in this series, it has this very nicely done architecture, and I totally want my house to look like that complete with the sliding doors and all. 

The Lying Game Started watching this a couple months back and lost track. I don't much care for Emma or Sutton but Laurel is my girl. Since I started watching it, I thought I should finish it. 

Animal Farm This is a wonderful little animated movie and I definitely want to read the book. Being a business major, I have a tendency to love things that show leadership, conflict of power and such so this is a fantastic movie. I haven't watched till the ending yet. I really have to stop keeping movies half watched. 

How to Disappear Completely - David Bowick Started reading this yesterday in a very crowded ferry on my phone and I did like the beginning. Not sure if I follow completely yet, but I am very interested to find out what the title means and how the author is going to continue with this. 

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen Started reading it at the start of the month mostly because it's a much hyped nano novel and I thought it would give me inspiration to write nano. Sometimes it is very very interesting and other times, it falls flat. I am not sure if I can relate with Jacob. I can relate with his younger self at circus in some way, but his older self seems very vain. 

Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus I know, I know. I do love this girl a lot and her voice is just golden. I also like the lyrics and it has this sense of mystery and melancholy to it that is just the right amount for me.  

Suggest me some good songs because I have been listening to the same songs lately. Also, what are you watching, reading and listening to?

DYMag October Issue

Last month's DYMag was one of the hardest, but also the one we got a lot of help in. It was the one with the most content so far. We covered two young footballers and the cover shoots were terribly fun. One day it was blazing sun and we didn't have a good place to shoot so when the cricket team was taking five minute breaks, we would rush and snap snap snap and then again wait for them to take a break. The other day it was rainign cats andn dogs and we had to work through muddy pools of water trying to get the shots. It was definitely hard work. 

Abo, our critique extraordinaire, got the chance to go see a preview of a Korean movie, thanks to Bridge Club Maldives and he reviewed it brilliantly in his own fashion. The highlight was of course, Abo's music review of Tay's album "Red" which is one of my personal favourites as well. The fashion shoot was based on Kurtas with great photography by Toby, styling by Shuma and as always amazing modelling by Sam. 

The cover interviews were done by Sifr, Hassan and Ahusam and I think they brilliantly asked some very interesting questions to our talented cover people. Wonder Woman Bags by Mary's article is just a ray of inspiration for all girls and women out there that you can follow your passion at any age, any time if you really have a drive. We love her creativity and her motivation to keep going forward. 

Eyes of a Child by Jin is a light article that takes us back in time to the nostalgic tales of childhood, making us feel silly and good at the same time. Luna's article about patriotism talks about having a love for country bigger than yourself and we salute her for her love. No magazine is complete without some serious talk, and what's more serious than electoral corruption and violence? Zainal explains all this in laymen's terms making it so clear for all of us. 

The Fame Monster by Moony is the highlight article of this issue which is written with such raw passion that it makes us question ourselves, makes us second guess things and want to change how we view the world and the way we live. Thihnan, our health gal is always on the track, bringing us information about the serious stuff, this time it's about strokes and keeping out teeth hygiene perfect.Girl in Toque is always bringing us yummy recipes and I really want to try the blueberry whipped cake. Also Mahid's science article is the first of its kind in DYMag and most definitely so well written. 

Bloodwritings features yet another enchanting poem which just makes us read it twice, it is that good. You are an Insignificant Speck by Munzir give weight to your place in the universe, such a good read. What is Love by Shiyaz makes us feel giddy and sweet and the last poem, Girlfriend makes us cherish our sisters and girl pals so much more!

All in all, another fun issue done and so much hard work but seeing the comments, it makes it all worthwhile. We've just finished the content for November issue and it will hopefully be out very soon! Fingers crossed.

Read it HERE. Let me know what you think.  

Who run the world? Girls!

Hello! I have been super duper busy since November started it's crazy. So many things, so much to do, so little time. AHH. 

I've started writing my Nano and being already about 10,000 words behind schedule (I shall blog about this more in a separate post), and my day job has been super busy with lots of exiting things. DYMag is also taking quite a lot of my time, but side projects are always the best eh and DYMag is the best side project ever. I also have couple other projects that I'm working on at the moment including a fashion related one and a gym! Both of which take quite a lot of my days and nights and so my schedule is jam packed. 

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This weekend, I am taking a break from social media to focus on myself and to just have nice chilly weekend (don't you just love all the rain? I know I do!) watching my favourite series and eating lots of yummy food. I did however login to instagram last night because I was locked out of my house in a weird incident and I was upstairs at my aunt's apartment using up her wi-fi and I forgot and commented on a few pics. Gah! Don't you just hate when that happens?

So far the weekend is great. I put my phone on silent, put in on my bed and didn't even look at it, except to do my daily Lumosity challenges (always good to give exercise to brain, :D) and I haven't even checked my mail or anything. It's fantastic! Seriously, one of these weekends, I am going to take a break from technology and just spend some time gazing at the nature! I really need a break from all this distractions. 

I've just finished catching up on Doctor Who and cannot wait for the 23rd of this month! Apart from that, I've sent a couple post cards to some new pen-pals, had great conversations with good friends, had good food and just amazing company all week long and today's been brilliant spending a lot of time with cousins and just being great.

What have you guys been up to lately? Do let me know in the comments below!

Project Unbreakable

I stand for and against so many things in life and one thing that I am proud to stand against (but saddened that it even happens) is victim blaming, especially in cases of sexual harassment and rape. There are so many people out there who are working to make people aware of this and to stop it, and one of the notable projects in regard to it is Project Unbreakable. 

Started on 2011 by Grace Brown, it has reached such a wide audience and it is such a great way of healing for the victims, the survivors. The idea is that she photographs survivors who hold placards where the words of the rapist/words from people is written. Every photograph is filed with such disgusting thought, stories, it makes me so sad, so disgusted, and yet so liberating that the survivors are so strong, so courageous and they never give up. 

Personally, I know a few people who have gone through such trauma including some people who are very near and dear to me and I'm so inspired by their strength, in their journey to live. Victim blaming is such a horrific thing to do and no matter who you are, if you are blaming the victim, you are wrong. 

This is the terrible reality of our society. Once a neighbor of mine was a victim of sexual harassment and the whole neighborhood was saying things like oh she was hanging out with boys, wearing mini skirts, etc etc. You know something is wrong with the society when it tries to shift the blame from the rapist to the victim. Her clothes, her friends, her family, her being out at night, or her having a boyfriend is not her asking for it. Not at all. Not even close. No. 

I'll leave you with this video of Kalki and Juhi about victim blaming. The humour angle is refreshing, but we all know rape is no joke. Let's hope that it has at least one person out there thinking how stupid victim blaming is. 

What infuriates you the most about victim blaming? Check out Project Unbreakable! All images from PU. 

Monday Playlist: Paris and London, baby you can take.

I have not done a Monday playlist in such a long time. I have been listening to the same songs everyday, and eventhough I do check out new music every now and then mostly for DYMag, I just stick to the old favourites. However, here are some songs I haven't talked to you guys about. 

Royals - Lorde

This song has been my main song for days, even since I first hear it. I have watched countless covers of it on Youtube, sang it way too many times and generally just loved it. My favourite line is we aren't caught up in your love affair, it's such a John Green line and I am so much in love with this song it's crazy. Love this PTX cover. 

Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus

I know how everyone is super controversial about this song, ditching Miley and all, but I have always been a fan of her. I love how completely funny she is, she never takes herself too seriously and she's great. I especially love the lyrics of this song, the part about falling under the spell is my favourite. I sometimes feel like a wrecking ball. 

Gives You Hell - All American Rejects

Since I first this song on Glee when Rachel sings it to Finn, I loved it and found it and has been loving this. It's very oh-you-suck kinda song and I love those kinda songs. But if you listen to it on repeat, you might have a bad time, just saying and I just watched the video and I think it's super cool. 

Cruise - Florida Georgia Line

This slightly pop country song is my favourite form the band, but then again, it's also the only one I heard. Seriously, it makes me feel like I'm in a southern Road Trip movie, sipping lemonade wearing a silk scarf and hanging out with cowboy hat wearing heartbreaking boys. 

Busted - Phineas and Ferb

Phineas and Ferb is one of my favourite cartoons ever and they ave some very cool songs each epiode and this one's a favourite among us sisters. We love Candy and how she's always trying to bust the brothers. This is such a fun song. 

I Love New York/New York New York - Glee Cast

This is the best song mash-up ever. Last year for our International Marketing Class, we did a presentation on New York and it was THE BEST! Seriously, we played this song, chilled and generally had a great time and we got really good marks for it and I know everybody was talking about it. We were like some sort of crazy presentation five-o. 

Stereo Hearts - Gym Class Heroes

How amazing is this song? Very. It reminds me of the days when I worked in radio and those days were pretty fantastic. It's a great upbeat song for when you are exercising or in the mood for some good upbeat music. 

What's on your playlist?

Let's have a toast for the douchebags

Ah, hello everyone. I had a slow weekend all alone by myself. I didn't pick up any phone calls and watched old episodes of Friends all day long. Best kind of weekend eh. 

During Eid I made a couple headbands and ate a LOT of desserts. I really need a trip to the dentist, I feel super guilty about it but it was yummy. Mom, Hipster Sister and Mick went to Himmafushi to celebrate Eid but I could not go because I had office and other things. So Dad and I were staying and since Dad is mostly out I was all alone in the house and the first day it was super scary but I was enjoying being alone the second day. 

On Wednesday, I hosted DYM's Eid Scavenger Hunt which was a blast. There were 5 teams and we ran around finding things, videoing ourselves and generally having a great time. Everyone was a great sport and in the end team Batman won and all was great.

Overall, it was a good week with lots of resting, watching good things, reading good books and spending time with good friends. I did miss Mick and she was really sad that we didn't tag along but she had a great time with cousins playing Eid.

How was your weekend?
Currently Listening: Runaway - Kanye West

The iPhone Post

Most of my close friends and generally all of my friends already know that I have an iPhone now. I know, I used to be that girl who was so anti smartphone! (in some aspects I still am. You would NEVER find me on my phone scrolling down in a coffee with friends, nope. But you might find me reading on my Kindle. That's a whole different story) It was a very rash decision. One day I woke up and I told myself, you know what Shaha? I bet this is a great day to get yourself and iPhone and that's exactly what I did. 

I chose an iPhone 4 because my friend Queen and I had this pact in college when the iPhone 4 came out that we'd both buy it. Of course he got it right then and I waited a couple years, but a pact is a pact. I also love the covers for iPhone 4, the size and most things about it. I still haven't got a cover though. Or iOS 7 installed but whatever. 

What I love most about the smart phone is that it's super easy to organize things. I still use my Filofax to make appointments, for DYM uses and I do have a journal for journalling and a Kindle for reading and all, but I have all these cool apps and I'm trying to find the best way to utilize it. 

Yes, I only have two screens because it's easier to scroll this way. I am super duper organized and obsessed with making lists and alphabetically organizing things so every screen is organized from A to Z and even the groups are alphabetically organized. Call me crazy, but I like things a certain way. The notifications did used to bug me, but I thin I've grown to accept them. As you can see, my most used four items are the camera, messages, music and phone. For the obvious reasons.

 In the first screen, I've got the apps that I use the most. I like Appsfire, because it gives me pretty useful free apps and who doesn't love free apps eh. My favourite game is Blitz and I used to have a sleeping/alarm app but it used to drain all the battery so I stick to the Clock. Simple, no fuss, clock. I am looking for a good expense mapping app but haven't found the perfect one yet, and Expense List is the next best. I like that it shows subtotals of each category so I know exactly how much I spent. I no longer use my Filofax for this, so yeah. Obviously, I love Goodreads. I am always leaving my laptop at work so whenever I finish a book, I just mark it as read and write a quick review and it's so easy. The list is the best to-do/list app that I have used. I use it for so many purposes. All the DYMag content work is done through that app and it's fantastic. I used to use the simple Episode Tracker App but found the TV Show Tracker to be more useful. I know, I have 57 episodes of TV shows to watch, it's crazy. 

I am a calculator freak. Serious. I used to love DrawFree but haven't played in weeks. Also, FrameMagic to put outfit posts on Instagram. I do have a couple books on iBooks but I prefer a tablet/kindle/actual book. I find the phone screen too small and have to turn the page every five seconds so that's sad. I do like to read poetry on it. Perfect size. I am planning to upload my entire life list into iWish so I can have it with me anywhere anytime. Newsstand is there because I can't seem to put it in any groups. -.- I am also looking for a good panorama app and so far, this is the best one I have found. I like the 360 angle thing. It's pretty rad. Starmaker is just the best karaoke app ever. Hipster sister and I love singing mainstream songs on it. The only two unlocked songs I have are Jai Ho and Chasing the Sun, haha. I ofcourse love Style.com, instantly being able to check all the fashion shows, screen cap my favourite ones, so good. 

Then of course I have the grouped apps. The first three groups are named after the 9th, 10th and 11th in that order. Eccleston has some of my absolute favourite apps since he is my favourite Doctor. Dreamdays is great for counting down to days (like my birthday!) and Free Light for reading books in the middle of the night, haha. Keeper to keep all my passwords safe and remember them easily and Plates is the best thing ever! Seriously. TinyScan is also very handy since I'm always jotting things down and need to scan them. 

Tennant has some random apps that I sometimes use like news, celebrity gossip, a yoga app and a ringtone maker. Just your general weird app collection. Smith has some apps I sometimes like to use. Dhingana is great for streaming Bollywood songs since I am a Bollywood freak and I'm checking the waters with iTranslate. Nakaiy Nevi because I feel like the app is very close to my heart since I was super involved in promoting the app. Skyview is nice as I am very passionate about constellations and stars. Teen Vogue because why not? haha.

Then I have the four Hogwarts houses in alphabetical order. Gryffindor has my least favourite system apps, things I don't use very much. Apart from contacts (which I use on the Phone app) and YouTube, I have never used the other apps, ever. Hufflepuff has all the games on my phone which Hipster sister and Mick uses so often. Revenclaw has some apps that I sometimes use, like Pages and Calender and Slytherin obviously has my favourite personal apps like Blogger, Bloglovin, Drive and Pinterest. 

So mainly, that is everything on my phone and I named my phone Perry after my favourite Playpus. I know, super weird. I just made that up. -.- 

So, are you a smart phone person? What are your favourite apps?

Currently - October

I'm always watching, reading (at least two books at a time!) and listening to all sorts of things. Here's what's on schedule for October

The Secret Circle I think I watched up to Ep12 and then stopped for some reason and now that it's cancelled and I have the whole series, I wanted to watch again but I forgot the part I watched so I started again. I really like Casey and her room. 

Schindler's List I seriously need some time off this movie. As much as there's great buzz around it, the movie itself is boring. There are some great parts of course, but I think I should just have read the book instead. Been trying to watch this three hour long Oscar winning movie for almost a month now. 

Your Grammar Sucks - Jacksfilms I love love Jacksfilms, especially him as Intern 2 in My Music. This however is the most hilarious thing ever. It makes me chuckle so much. When I am at work/home and feeling sad and in need of laughter (which I have been feeling a lot lately) I always watch this and instantly I'm laughing all the way to Alaska. 

Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi I just started reading this on my Kindle and so far I'm liking it. Not a lot but it's good. I've heard great reviews of it so I'm looking forward to finishing this book soon and hopefully reading the remaining books in the series. 

There are Reasons Noah Packed no Clothes - Robert Jacoby This book is very page turning, interesting and so full of meaning. I like reading about Richard and his struggles in life. It deals with dark topics such as self harm, suicide and depression. 

Pure Heroine - Lorde This album is seriously fantastic and so is this girl. Ever since my friend Moony introduced me to Royals, I've been listening to the song non-stop and I checked a lot of the songs on the album and all of them are simply amazing. This is on repeat when I work, play, surf the net and generally go about the day. 

Wishing all Muslims a very blessed Hajj and Eid. May Allah bless you and your family. Tell me what you're reading, watching and listening to lately?

100 Fans Giveaway

I'm s excited that my Facebook Fan Page for the blog has reached a 100 people. I know, it's not much but ah to even have 100 people who for some reason likes the things you write is a big accomplishment for me. 

So, to celebrate this, I'm giving away two bracelets from Rings & Things which are so pretty I want them for myself! A major thanks to Shamma for sponsoring the giveaway. 

There are three ways you can enter. 

You can comment on this post stating which bracelet you prefer OR you can head to the Facebook page and comment on the post OR you can ReTweet my tweet about the giveaway! 

Super simple, right? The giveaway will go on till end of this month and I'll choose TWO winners. 

Good Luck! 

DYMag September Issue

AHHH. I am so late in blogging this, I know. It's October now. Everyone who was sleeping is up, since September has ended and all that. ha, what a month it was. 

This cover was the best. Seriously, it was such a fun shoot. These guys were super duper amazing. Totally funny and awesomesauce! Also, we said goodbye to our veyr own Wuffy Duffy as the content director (who loved Corel Draw and perfection was his middle name, but didn't know what justify was. Ah, that was his hamartia.) but we also welcomed the nicest person on earth, Imysickle as the new content director and he was super duper great to work with and he even threw a mockingjay in my letter which I think is so well done! Design wise I mean obv. haha

Sifr's editor's picks are very serious, big topics that he really likes the magazine to talk more about. I'm more like OMG DESIGN, APPLE, FASHION, MILEY haha. It's fun to have people who think different in a group. I did love the quotes he chose, and as you all should know I'm a quotations junkie. 

Abo's music review of Ellie's Halcyon was so brilliantly written it gave me the chills. He was sweet enough to send me a few songs which I liked mostly because it reminded me of this great writing. Next is DYM Recommends by me, where I tell you the stuff you should be reading, listening to and watching! 

Ish writes a heartfelt and down to earth article that is inspirational, heartwarming and a gentle reminder to stay strong. Moony's noblesse oblige talks about taking responsibility, being your best self and is filled with motivation. Jin brings sports in a light to talk about a more deeper issue in the society and how sports brings us together as a country. A great read indeed. 

I cannot keep talking about Literallyric, because it is all sorts of amazing. This kid is going places! Shaam writes about a campaign of DYM, Faahaga which was a great fun campaign. We also featured one of my favourite people, Shamma who is truly a wonder woman. Each month we will be featuring a great woman from our society as inspiration to all. 

Next is the feature of the issue. The cover interview with none other than the fantastic Space Parade! These people know how to have fun and they don't disappoint! They talk about their lives, Space Parade, the country and inspirations and is sure a fun read. 

My life list column was about Random Acts of Kindness which is a concept I believe and practice. I hope that it serves as inspiration to be your kindest self and be nice to people all around. Liam's poem is so earth shatteringly beautiful. I wish I could write poetry that good. 

Thihnan is great because she can tell you something about a disease and make you understand it simply. She gives facts in a great way that makes you want to research more. Arthritis and cholesterol and two things she's written about and here's hoping that you now know a little more than your started with. The issue ends with two regulars. Shifraz's beautiful poetry and Fazu's beautiful poetry. Ah poets! They make the world go round and round.

Read it HERE. 

And as October issue comes near a finish, I hope that this issue was a great read. See you soon! Enjoy. 

The Fault in Our Stars

Yesterday was a terrible day for me. Even a bit today. Even though people die everyday, when you really think about death, the whole notion of not existing anymore, it scares you. Like Gus, you fear oblivion. 

I try not to think too much about negativity, think of positivity. There's a sadness, a melancholy. But it's not depressing. It's the kind that is more poignant and romanticized, like the sadness from a Midsummer Night's dream that Shakespeare talks about, or like the sadness in not being able to name someone like in the poem that hipster sister likes so much. 

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I had some time yesterday to be engulfed in this sadness. I read the Fault in Our Stars. I have heard so many good things about this book and it didn't disappoint me even in the slightest. It was so tear jerking, heartwarming, falling in and out of love. Hazel and Gus make you think of life in ways you never chose to. Sometimes I think about stories and people around me, and I want to know their story, how it ends, what happens. But I never try. I never think of asking. Hazel and Gus did, and maybe it disappointed them, and maybe from that disappointment, they got some contentment. 

The book was so well written. I fell in love with the words, the people, the okays. There was this one line that Augustus often used, "I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasures of speaking true things" which I really liked. Sometimes I wish my life was that poignant. That some silences meant more than words itself, that the light humour was nice, that the way the stars danced in the night I could see. 

Reading is the closest to this feeling. In reading, I find pleasure, laughter and sadness. Maybe it'll go away and I'll soon be a part of universe itself. Maybe I'll stop thinking of this story and how it had affected me so much. Maybe one day, it'll all be back to normal. The thing is, I don't know what normal is anymore. I'm so conflicted between the demons in myself, I don't think I can ever stay. 

But yes, I'd recommend this book to everyone. It's so hauntingly beautiful. So simple yet so strange. So fun yet so otherwise. Maybe it'll make you think a bit more, maybe not. But yes, reading it feels nice. 

Rating: 5 stars. 

We aren't caught up in your love affair

Hello! I know I have been like Waldo lately. Been head under water wrapped up in work, seriously. My day job seems to be taking over my life. *sigh* but oh well, I love it so dah-dah. 

Here's what I've been up to in the last few weeks.

 

Made some cards for the little one to give her teachers. I'm rather glad of how they turned out. Also, love how she signed her name with a heart, so cute! | Celebrated Breast Cancer Awareness month at work. The launching ceremony was very fun and throughout this month, I shall be wearing the pink ribbon to work | Went to Koakaa Foakaa Cinema with the nameless guys. It was really fun and later we hung out a bit. 

 Got way too excited seeing a Doctor Who reference on a wall (also a Space Parade reference) when I was on a work event at Villigili. My co workers probably think I have a thing for wolves | Saw a Oyster Card from last year when I went to London on one of my winter jackets. I'm sure it wasn't mine cos I returned it | Went to Fahi Dhuvas of MNU and got these pretty bookmarks and later had ice-cream with the dudes. 

DYMag's October cover shoot went rather well. It was a blast working with these guys | Hung out with the pizzaforpresident gang a lot. We treated them once and Nonns and Timmy treated us this week. It was the best | Took this little girl to see her favourite Teletubby, Po. She was super shy though, haha. 

So basically, that was a lot of the things. I also did a LOT of crazy fun stuff that I forgot to Instagram, haha. When you're having fun, who has time to instagram, eh?

Also, I'll be doing a mini giveaway on my Facebook Page (I KNOW, I now have Facebook page, so classy eh! Maybe give a like. plax ) when I reach 100 fans, so be sure to keep on the look for it.

 How were you guys? Had any fun lately? 

Currently Listening: Royals - Lorde

Happy Birthday Wuffy!

Today is one of my bestest and most fun friend and recently neighbor, Wuffle's birthday. He's super duper awesome, and the best part? we are the same age!

So here's wishing you all the best for today and the future. You are amazing, a humble, great, integral human being who sees the positive in the world. I'm glad to have you in my life.

I know it's a terrible photo but these were such fun days. <3

Thanks for being the crazy weird guy you are, for always taking about hot people and eating good food and complaining about bad service. Thanks for the endless deep talks, crazy adventures, dance sessions and for doing stuff to piss me off like going to Abbey Road and Platform 9 3/4. Thanks for wearing hipster clothes and not giving a fruit tart. Thanks for countless photos, pancake memories, random dance sessions all over the world and for everything. 

You rock!

Also, if you don't do the scavenger hunt/random acts of kindness/something fun this weekend, I might take back everything I just said. Just saying. 

But ofcourse, I love you boo. 

Have a great 21st! Don't do anything Miley Cyrus wouldn't. 

Hipster Sister's Birthday

Remember my sister Myra? Well, she's rather hipster and we have this inside joke. So, from now on I shall refer to her as hipster sister. It's a term of endearment of course.

It's was her birthday yesterday. She turned 13. She was one of those people who were born in 2000 so remembering her age is real easy. Last year on her 12th, I wanted to give her a Hogwarts Acceptance letter and she declined it. She deems Hogwarts too mainstream. HAHAHA. 

She probably doesn't even read my blog (because even though this blog is very hipster, it's not hipster enough for her, haha) but here's wishing you a happy birthday kiddo. 

Despite everything, I hope you have a good day, and I'm so so sorry but also I'm glad that you're here. Without you, life would be dull. There'll be no person to read Sonnet 18 to, no one to mock of the things I love and no one I can talk absolutely any pop culture thing about. Also no one to take outfit pictures, and no one to hate my hijab style, haha. Our relationship is very weird but then again isn't it the same with all sisters.

I love you boo hoo, and you be good. You be very good because you are awfully amazing. You with your love for orange and hate for everything too known. You with your super long hair and flawless face that you never let me experiment make-up products on. You with your messy bed and your fear of Vshta Nerada

Oh you brilliant thing, if only you knew how amazing you are!

Have a blast, stupider sister. 

I could really use a wish right now

I moved to a new place last week and have been super duper busy moving things, organizing and wearing the same flats with everything because my shoes were hidden in a box labeled utensils. ugh! Moving is depressing but also happy. Leaving the old place, the palm trees, the pretty little trees that grew on the side and the good neighbors who always gave me yummy desserts. I am going to miss Pictionary nights under the stars and baking with neighbors. Dates in the joalifathi and people calling me Sasha. 

There are good things at the new place too. Relatives as neighbors and more space for shoes. Spiral staircase and pretty ceilings. Rain on my windowsill and Mick's playhouse. 

I spent the last week also watching and loving Doctor Who, missing not having internet, but I got a lot of reading done and cleaned up a bit. Got sad over broken dream-catchers, and taught Mick some simple spells. Tried making something from the cookbook but didn't make it halfway through. Life is good, Insha Allah and I am hopeful about a lot of things. 

As for elections, I did go vote yesterday but forgot to bring my ID card so had to call my cousin and have him bring it. It was hilarious because I brought The Sandman Tales to read while waiting but forgot the most important thing, haha. 

Any fun incidents yesterday? I would love to hear how your week went!

Exterminate!

My friend Moony is always posting this Doctor Who posts on Facebook and I got quite interested so I read up on it and turns out it might be my kinda show. A few weeks back, he brought Doctor who for me and I started watching and am in love with it now. Seriously. It's so fantastic!

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I watched season one in three days and LOVED Eccleston as the Doctor and also it took me a minute to like Tennant as the 10th! Amazing guy! Not such a big fan of Rose but she isn't half bad. 

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I can probably go on an on about how much I love the Tardis and the Sonic screwdriver and everything to do with the series. Everything is so brilliant. 

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If you haven't, I would highly suggest you to watch it, you will not regret. 

DYMag August Issue

It's so hard to believe that it's been four months already. It almost seems like we were planning the first issue yesterday, haha. I am super happy about this little pet project of ours and so far I've gotten great feedback. I just hope that it inspires at least one person. 

So, August issue is so far one of my favourites. The cover band Turtle Theory is such a fun bunch of guys and their interview was so fun. It felt like we all knew each other for ages even though we were meeting for the first time haha. These guys know how to have fun! Also, they are so talented, seriously. 

Inside this Issue:

DYM Recommends by yours truly which is super fun to write letting you guys know which movies and books we are into each month. Dholhas and Sifr's story is a bit fun, a bit weird and a whole lot of interesting. I can't wait for the next part of the story. 

Next is my absolute favourite part, the lookbook. We did the photo-shoot in just under three hours. Four wardrobe changes and all. Sam was a great sport and looks gorgeous. Shuma as usual just know what goes with what and our lovely assistants Luha and Thoopi made the whole experience so much better. The best part is the photographers, Shanan and Toby who waited for an hour for us to come and then were super duper fun and we had a blast making jokes and taking great pictures. Also Dapper (the store, which has some amazing stuff) was super nice and let us use their fitting room to change between shots. Best. Photoshoot. Yet. 

Shuma's shoe spread featuring Finesse shoes and Navin's photography is always a refreshing addition. Also, you can see me modeling for the awesome Hijab tutorial by Niu with photos by Shuu. Sadly, getting a model in this town is hard work. The cover interview of TT will make you laugh and laugh a lot more, while Andhu's Dhivehi articles always make me feel so patriotic. Going more into patriotic theme, Shanaz and Isham's articles will make you wonder where this country is headed. 

Nasif writes about celebrating diversity and Shaayan's article makes me want o buy a hat! Shaam's blog-post is featured which shines some light on voting. Thihnan, our health expert tells us about a disease I've never heard of - Psoriasis and also given tips of reducing hair-fall! Amazing stuff there. 

As usual, girl in toque gives us another nutty recipe and our resident poets Naael, Shifraz and Mh blows us away with their words. Overall, this is our most rich in content issue yet and we hope that you enjoy it. 

Also, September issue is going to feature a group of really cool people whose work we love and makes us laugh plus a LOT more amazing content, so stay tuned!

CLICK HERE to read the August Issue!

A Wish

So, this life is so small, yet the longest thing we'll ever do. It's fun, exciting, sad, boring, sometimes even melancholy. If I had one wish for you, I would wish upon you happiness and courage. Happiness in the forms of people that love you, care for you and things that makes your heart flutter. Courage to face the battles, to go after your dreams and to chase the sun.

You and I, we are finite. We live for the day and we are gone. The little time we have, we must do everything to leave a mark, a legacy so our friends, family and those fortunate enough to have children can look up to. 

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People tell me that my life list is filled with stupid things. I agree. They are stupid, but they are mine. They make me happy and that's enough. One life is a very short time to please everyone. For when you are I are gone, what is left? 

This blog. I hope that people will read it, and know that somewhere in a little part of this big globe, there was this one girl. They would read about me, my almost mundane life. Maybe I won't make a big difference. Maybe I'll just be that one blog in the corner of the massive internet that has a giant life list with so little crossed off. I don't know. People often say that when you die, everyone listens to you. Maybe then they'll listen to the words I write here. 

I am a bit scared, a bit nervous, but not melancholy. Sure, there's a sadness of not knowing what is coming, but also doubt and prayers. Maybe I'll be brave. Maybe I'll cry a lot but at the end of the day, it's the standing up from the tears of your soul that builds you up. 

So my wish to you, is that you live your life. Don't wait for what's to come, embrace it! Time waits for no feeling. Make a life list, try to live everyday in ways that makes you happy. 

Little Things

I am a big fan of little things. I'm a noticer, maybe not of people but of things, of nature, of shoes. (you know that was coming, ha!) I walk a lot (when you don't own a bicycle and love the environment then there aren't much choices but to walk everywhere) and often I walk the same roads but everyday there are new things to find which amazes me so much. Seriously, one road - it changes a lot everyday but it still stays the same and that just blows my mind. 

When I walk down Majeedhee Magu, I notice the little plants (weed-lings mainly) that just spruce up in the sidewalk reminding us that nature can just surprise us in so many ways. Then in this one road that I so often take, there is this house that seems to be abandoned, it's called Comrade and that just makes me smile. Every single day I just have to look at that house and that makes me so happy it's insane! It started when I was reading The Time Travelers Wife and there's the mention of the word Comrade, I can't even remember who or in what context but ever since then, that house is a constant reminder of the story and how I was so happy when reading it. Ugh, I know it's probably just me. 

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Then there's the whole rush. People rushing everywhere in their fancy cars and bikes, their fancy heels and sneakers always running, always rushing to get to the next minute, to get somewhere and I'm just in the middle of all this blurry rush looking at the sky at the colours of the sunset in between the buildings, looking at how beautiful the lights of the vehicles look when reflected in the puddles on the road. I just can't fathom how people don't see these things. How can you not be inspired? That texture of the tree on the second street that I pass by, the chipped paint on the fourth building to the right and the dusty car that is always parked next to it. It all tells a story. If these things can talk, they would have more interesting stories than you and I. 

Maybe I'm just being all cheesy and mushy and sentimental about nature but today I woke up and thought about death. How we are so rushing to get everything we want, we hardly think about death. It scares me how close we are to it, the mystery of it all but it's also a reminder of who we are, of what we have become. 

Maybe we all don't have all the time that we think we do. Maybe we all just need to notice the little things, mend broken relationships and keep our faith strong. So dear readers, I'm sorry if I sound rather dull, I assure you I am not. I can't say that this is clearest I've thought but I feel the wind and I feel like it's telling me a story and I wanna listen. 

Maybe today's not my day, but it's a beautiful day and you're all beautiful human beings and sure once in a while we have sad days, depressing days, etc but we also have great days and amazing days. Life is a lot like that. 

I have a lot of things to worry about, and the lest of my worries is happiness. May you live in interesting times, and may you find what you're looking for. I think I'm very close to find what I'm looking for. 

My Music

I am a big fan of the Fine Bros and I was quite surprised at why I hadn't watched My Music earlier. I saw the first episode a couple days back and spend the entire last week watching all the webisodes. I absolutely love the show, it is so funny.

My favourite is Idol, her voice is hilarious and her sad face gets me every single time. Also, Intern 2 is super handsome and clearly the only one without a brain malfunction there, ah!

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L to R: Dubstep (who only talks in wubs), Hip Hop, Techno, Idol, Country (new girl in Season 2), Intern 2, Scene, Metal and the head of My Music, Indie!

Basically My Music is a music company that makes records and shows and all employees have a particular taste in music according to which they are named (with the exception of Intern 2 of course). There are other members of staff including the most notable Scarfman, Bigfoot and Rebecca Black! Also other people include Guess guy (who is so annoying, haha) and the running guy (who will always take the cylindrical pen drive), Rayna (Metal's daughter) and Tina (Metal's wife)

Recurring gags include burning of My Music several times, yelling "Shut up Intern 2", rat man, posers and Indie's hipster culture. I absolutely love this show. 

Also, apart from the main documentary, there is The Mosh where the stars answer questions, My Music News and much more! If you aren't subscribed already, make sure you subscribe to the show and follow all the characters on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus. 

What other web shows do you watch? I'd love to start on a new show so let me know the good ones!