Out with the old, in with the new

Whoa. It has been such a long but also short year. 2013 has kind of been a low year for me. I had lots of terrible things happen but Insha Allah I also had lots of great things happen. Here's a bit of what happened and what I learned.

Achieving Goals

I was able to cross a substantial amount of things from my life list (some even unknowingly, haha) and it was definitely a really great thing. I also bought myself an iPhone which definitely is a huge thing for me, haha. Going on blind dates, made mixed CDs, graduated college with some very lovely people, had some good food, worked in a magazine, participated in NaNo, crashed a wedding and so much more. It was just good dozes of good things which made my life rather manageable and a bit happy.

 New people

I have made some very very good friends this year, re-found some amazing people who I cannot imagine living without and also kind of lost in touch with some people as well. All in all, it's kind of a roller coaster even now. I have recently been finding that I might not actually be the easiest person to get along with. But I am thankful to Allah for the current group of friends I have. I feel like I can be the most of myself with them, even if not whole. Special mentions to Moony, a friend who became sort of my emotional mentor (and seriously, I know how bad I am at being human, haha and you are amazing) Jin, Abo and Hisham (the zombie crowd who basically is my going out people and I love these three and they get me like no other and do not judge my total weirdness and fandom obsession) DYM crowd, especially Pots and Wuff who are just two people I love so much and so glad I have them in my life and also Hoodh who is super classy and we have such similar thinking sometimes it feels like I am him, ahaha. Also DYMag crowd, my colleagues who are super nice, and other people I have met in most unexpected ways. Special shout-out to my best pal, Mh. You are always a highlight of my every year since I met you.

Family time

I have learnt to prioritize things so much this year. My family has become my strength and my weakness in just about 12 months. I have has so many struggles, trying to keep my family close to me and to give them everything I possibly can. Insha Allah things are getting better and we are surviving and learning so many lessons together and I am so so happy to have my family in everything I do. Mick and Myra are my loves and they make everyday a bit brighter. My mom and dad are amazing and they are doing so much I owe everything to them and day by day we are just growing as a family and learning to trust each other to go forward. I have had to change a lot of my plans and they are the best reason to change them. I have also become closer with my relatives and Thutha and family always make my days when they visit (they are here for new years and I'm so excited)

Work

It's been a whole year and whoa the last year has been just great. I don't usually talk about work for ethical and professional reasons but I am so lucky to be working where I am and I have had a year of lots of character growth (hahahaha! sometimes I talk like I am a character in a book) and learnt so many things. Not to mention, I had the pleasure of working with so many talented people and I love being able to do what I love doing. I have also made lots of mistakes and had the privilege of learning from the best and working with a team of really dedicated and fun people and also a company that has similar values to mine such as integrity and passion. 

DYM

This is one of the best things to ever happen to me. DYM got registered this year and we have had so much fun and done so much it overwhelms me. We carried out several important and also fun projects and continued to do what we do best, make people laugh and think. I have had the pleasure of discovering talented people and being able to tell their story through our outlets just makes me one happy girl. Also DYMag is one of the best things to happen to me this year and we have had brilliant 7 issues over the year which was lots of work but definitely worth the effort. We also have a really amazing team and I'm proud to be part of it. 

Melancholy

I have seriously had some very terrible days that I hardly talk about because those are for my journals and therapist (ahahaha) but I have felt very very down this year. For every good things, there has been an equal (and sometimes even more) number of really bad things happen which has actually made me very cynical about life. It's a sad but necessary trait this year. There was lots on unhappiness at the start and I almost went  into total depression; the worst kind because I didn't even know that I was actually depressed until people started noticing and I had to take medication and it was just a very low point in my life and if it was not for my very good friend (you know who you are!) I would have totally lost myself. I have begun to gather pieces up ad started to rebuild my life again and while I am still not completely myself (I hope one day I can be), I am gathering up enough courage everyday to just live and be happy. Masha Allah I have had the support of so many good people and I feel very blessed. A lot of dreams didn't happen but life goes on and little by little, I try to make the time I have count. 

Other Things

There were a lot of good books, lots of tea (current favourites are lemon, vanilla and strawberry), movies, DOCTOR WHO (seriously, this show has helped me so much!), winning some fun things, organizing scavenger hunts, going on trips, baking cakes that crumble, making a page for my blog, going to fashion shows, modelling and so much more. It has been overwhelming how much life has thrown at me and I am looking forward to some things next year. 

I wish all of you a very happy new year and may your year be fruitful and bring new adventures your way!