Currently: March

This month has been pretty low on the watching things part, mostly because I had been rather busy with work and starting a new project but I have been able to keep up with the TV schedule, so that is good. 

Saving Mr Banks I am a huge fan of Disney and this was so good, seriously. I was so looking forward to watching it on Schwack but they stopped showing it. Finally after watching it, I am just so happy. Oh, the clothes, the set, everything. It is so amazing, I wished I was in that set. 

Celeste and Jesse Forever Ah, people have been just raving about this movie and I kept it on my watch list and I am looking forward to it. Romantic and Comedy? You bet I'd watch that. 

Rules of Engagement S2 I don't know why I started watching it but it's nice. It has OK jokes, and I have an OK time watching it. I like that it's completely ordinary, nothing special and I can just watch it without feeling any emotions for the characters. Everyone needs one show like this in their life. 

The School for Good and Evil Again, Goodreads have been going crazy about this book for a couple months and I like the premise, the whole fairy tale setting with a twist. I'm big on that, obviously. Looking forward to reading this soon. 

Life After Life A big winner of several book awards last year, this book's premise is also great and so far I've been having a nice time reading it. It's a bit slow placed but I think I'll read it till the end.

Waiting for Superman - Daughtry Ever since watching My Music and seeing how everyone hates Daughtry, I was wondering if all their songs were terrible, and I didn't check but I came across this song today and the music video is amazing, so is the song! Beautiful. 

What's keeping you entertained this month?

It's Always Parties and Alek's Always There

I wake up watching Fifi on TV. She’s so pretty, a forget-me-not. I dress Chloe and take a shower. It’s almost twelve. Dad comes home and I go and grab a cupcake and make myself a cup of tea. Mom has baked four dozen cupcakes which we need decorate for tomorrow. Hannah and I help her do it and we have the best time decorating cupcakes, talking about random things and just being a family. I thank god for moments like these and I feel blessed.

It’s almost evening when we finish. I have to go see a futsal match of former office mates in the evening. Mom did the laundry so I help her put out the clothes. I then realize that I haven’t had to eat anything for a long time. I drink milk to give myself some energy to finish the laundry.

I eat something. Chloe and Mom go to a birthday party and I take a shower and wait for Zoe to come so we can go to the futsal ground. She comes soon and I take a few cupcakes on the go for friends. We meet Zoya and Teri and see many former office mates. Apparently, the match has been postponed to six and we have almost forty five minutes to spare. We girls buy some water and go to the fair on the next ground. As usual we meet Kyle and Tilda. I give the last cupcake to them and we head to check some stalls.

Yule is at the kids stall and I win an apple (which I later find is an orange) after answering a question. I also meet Vance who asks about the futsal match (I don't know how he even knows)  and he also offers to help with my Chemistry. At the Little Stars stall, I try to help Zoya through the minefield but fail. Then we try at some feet things and despite many tries, I can’t do it. We put our coupons in the box and it’s almost time to go to the match and the place is playing Gangnam Style over and over again which is annoying.

The match is about to start and Brian is there. It’s so much fun as we try to support our team.  Rue and her cousin also show up and we laugh so hard at Earl’s jokes. It was the best match. My voice is all screechy because I screamed and shouted and laughed all the way. I come home and help mom out, send invites to tonight’s party. 

Ryan is the first one to arrive and we talk. He is not feeling too well about life and wants to resign from his post jobr I try my best to talk and not come off as too over demeaning. Kyle and Tilda are next and they seem to be going well. We talk about life and start playing some games and are joined by Kevin and Ivan. Rue and her cousin are also here and Kevin is talking of buying pizza for everyone.

We order pizza and drinks and Alek join us. While Kevin and Ivan are out, we have some rounds of Truth or Dare which is so fun! We are all having a lot of fun and time passes away. Rue and her cousin are the first to leave so Ryan joins with Kevin. Kevin has to leave too since he has workl tomorrow so Alek joins Kevin and Kyle and Tilda are ahead while Kevin, Alek, Ivan and I are at the same spot. We stop because it’s getting late.

I check Facebook and see that Tiffany had planned to hang out with the guys and I was also tagged but since I did not see it, I was unable to.For now, my hair is almost dry and it’s almost 12 30 so I’m calling it a night since tomorrow is a work day. 

Birthday Blues

I am 28. It actually feels a lot different than yesterday. I am sad, even melancholy of some sort. I’m sitting at the office. I have been changed from my usual spot to a spot at the back. Everything looks different from here. I don’t hate it though, I’ll probably grow to like it. I already have my day planned. After office, I am going back home, and doing what I do every day; watch an episode of 24, an episode of Lost and go through some more instagram pictures, maybe read a book. It saddens me that I’m doing this today but at the same time it reassures me because of the consistency.

Last night I told myself that this year I’m gonna be more honest, especially with myself and Hannah. I know I’m being dishonest by keeping Hannah from so many things about her friends. But I don’t know. I am afraid what Hannah might think again. That she might not understand. It took all I had last year to tell Hannah about George and she was not happy. I know, it is for her own good, but I am already too tangled up in her life.

.

I got a message today from the office about the promotion. I am very excited for this. It’s another happy news today. I’ve been looking forward to this for some time, I called the girls and I even talked to Yule about it. Mom and Dad are super happy and they got me tickets to see a Hindi movie I've been meaning to go watch. I don’t know what I did to deserve such good parents.

Mom even gave me a present. Five book, she knows I’ll love and read them and I do. I never know whether to be real or not. Like yesterday everyone at gym was saying how I should give them all treats and when I told them today that I’d like to, they are indifferent. I guess it’s because I am being nice to them. I can’t help it, but I feel like I have to. I don’t know who I am any longer, or maybe my current self is contradicting with my old. .

Some guy from the other party texted about another party. I ask Alex and he suggests going. I tell him yes, even though I still have not decided whether I would or not.  Everybody I meet keeps asking me what plans I have for the day; the only year when I do not have any plans. There is something which could rescue me from that, a party. I want to join, but not if my friends are not joining. I tried to blend in in the last one and even though I knew most people, I couldn’t. I can’t do it this time. I don’t have all that strength.

Maybe it’s all the sadness talking. I need to cheer myself up. For now, I’m waiting for the clock to tick four, and I’ll be on my way home.

Alex and Susie drop by with cake, just like how Ryan, Edith and Alex went around on my birthday last year too. It was a much happier day then. Everything today is just a mess. Dan came with his girlfriend and we all eat cotton candy and the cake that Alex brought and laugh at our own jokes. It’s the most fun I’ve had all day. I’m glad for these guys. Later, Dan and his girl has to go and we are joined by Tiffany whom I’ve grown to like overtime.

It was a beautiful year and I’m happy for myself. I still have a long way to go, but I’m proud of myself and I won’t beat myself up.  I also accidentally deleted all the songs I’ve been working hard all these days to collect. Self-note: Do not shift delete. Always use the recycle bin. 

<3

Here is a little update to tell you that you are great, wonderful, brilliant human being who deserves good things. 

You are loved, you are someone's wonderwall.

You are capable of so much and if you only knew how much of a great person you are and how big an impact you can make in someone's life, you'd never again doubt your abilities. 

You are not what the society tells what you are and you are not a doormat or someone's punching bag. You are more than the clothes you wear, more than the friends you have, and more than the worldly pleasures. 

Maybe you already know this but in case you forget or in case you want to hear again, or just because; here's to let you know that you are made of stars and you can do everything you set your mind to because I believe in you! And so do so many others and maybe people don't always tell you that but believe me when I say that people are going to write you beautiful eulogies when you are gone but they should be telling you all those things now because you need to hear them so you will always be sure whenever you start to doubt. 

You are true. You are not just a shade of blue and most importantly;

You rock! 

Side Projects

When you finally start to become an adult (what? no more candy floss or barbie dolls? Sigh), you get sucked into this world of responsibilty. You got to find a job, study on your own, pay your own bills and stilltry to have an ounce of social life you ca fit between 9 to 5 and sleep. What a lot of us don't realize is that your day job, your nine to five is not eerything. While it is great and probably your job and in a lot of cases your career path, you also need something else to focus on. A side project.

DYM is my baby, you all know that and while I love DYM projects and everything, because of my job I can't spend all my time and energy on DYM so I've been more concentrating on the magazine and it's pretty cool. Here are some reasons why you need a side job.

It opens your mind to so many creative ideas and it actually helps in keeping your brain healthy!
You feel a sense of accomplishment whenever you have a little success in your side project.
You really start to feel better about yourself and honestly we all need a bit of self love don't we?

It doesn't have to be a really big project. It could be a creative hobby. Something other than watching back to back episodes of teen shows. Something that makes you think, makes you want to do it and makes you feel good. 

Bop To The Top 100

EDIT: This was something I did around five years ago. New answers are in RED. 

WHAT WAS YOUR: 
1. Last beverage = Coke.. Yay Water
2. Last phone call = Zai.. Arky
3. Last text message = Ishfah.. Mh
4. Last song you listened to = I Wanna Know You - Hannah Montana ft David Archetula Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men
5. Last time you cried = Today Last week while reading Where'd You Go Bernadette

HAVE YOU EVER: 
6. Dated someone twice = Nah No
7. Been cheated on = Nah No
8. Kissed someone & regretted it = No
9. Lost someone special = Not Yet.. =] Yes
10. Been depressed = Many a time Yes
11. Been drunk and threw up = Nooo No

FIRST THREE FAVORITE COLOURS: 
12. Yellow Yellow
13. Pink Pink
14. Lavender Blue

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU: (2009) (2013)
15. Made a new friend = Yupp.. (oh, and if you havent known, that's my hobby) Yes
16. Fallen out of love = Haven't even fallen in it.. =P No
17. Laughed until you cried = Yupp, many times.. Yes
18. Met someone who changed you = Yeah.. I guess Not yet
19. Found out who your true friends were = Yupp.. And they are the best buds.. Yes
20. Found out someone was talking about you = Yeah.. What's new in that? =S Yes
21. Kissed anyone on your friend's list = Nope No
22. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life = Everyone.. About 99%
23. How many kids do you want to have = Haven't really planned that far.. 2 or 3
24. Do you have any pets = Right now, its only Cookie, (Sparkles has been "geyn nerelaafa" after it's attempt to murder two of my flip flops..bad rabbity =@, and Ruby flew away.. Duh) No
25. Do you want to change your name =Nah.. It has the best meaning.. "Certificate" No
26. What did you do for your last birthday = Oh, Went to school, Had a blast at home, met most of my pals, and went b day shopping.. =D Work, Party, Shopping
27. What time did you wake up today = 12 30 pm.. (my plan on being an early bird failed.. Duh) 8:15AM
28. What were you doing at midnight last night = Watching some award show.. Watching H2O
29. Name something you CANNOT wait for = to fall in love, atleast for once.. =P Scavenger Hunt
30. Last time you saw your Mother = Just now Just Now
31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life? = Wish I was born in 1994+ so I could go to Billabong High.. Now that'll just remain as an impossible and crazy dream *sigh* Wish I had been a better person in middle school
32. What are you listening to right now = See You Again by Miley Cyrus background noise
33. Have you ever talked to a person named TOM = Yeah.. He was a scout I met in a camp in malay.. their tent was next to ours.. =T Not lately
34. What's getting on your nerves right now = Exams.. Arghh.. Economics
35. Most visited webpage = Twitter, Fb, Blog, Youtube, Poly, Student Room (exams)... Facebook, Twitter, Blog
36. Whats your real name = Shahaada Ahmed Shahaada Ahmed (duh)
37. Nicknames = Shaha, DiaryGirl, Dhonthi... Shaha
38. Relationship Status = Single ^.^ Single
39. Zodiac sign = Must be Aquarius, Or Pieces.. Somebody Help Me!!! Sometimes Pieces, Sometimes Aquarius
40. Male or female? = Female.. Female 
41. Elementary? = RS, Ifthitaah, Ahmadhiyya..(yes, I was girl on the move.. =P) Same as before
42. High School = CHSE.. CHSE
43.College/University = Hopefully Princeton University.. *sigh* MNU
44. Hair colour = Black, tints of brown.. Black
45. Tall or short = Shortie.. Finally accepted I'm short
46. Height = 5 ft.. Shortie again.. still 5ft. 
47. Do you have a crush on someone? = Yes, If u donno that yet.. *Sigh* Yes
48: What do you like about yourself? = Im talkative, my handwriting, my name, my blog.. and almost everything about myself.. yes, I have a high self esteem right now.. =P I like that I am genuine when it comes to people
49. Piercings = None.. =D None
50. Tattoos = None.. None
51. Righty or lefty = Rightie.. Mini says righties live 9 years more than Lefties.. Yay Mini.. Right-handed

FIRSTS : (all firsts are still the same, sigh)
52. First surgery =None yet.. 
53. First piercing = None.. 
55. First sport you joined = Volley.. 
56. First vacation = India, bak when I was 9 years.. 
58. First pair of trainers = Reebok.. I still have that.. yes, Im a memories person.. =] 
59. Eating = Mom says i ate nestum.. Right now, im eating Chipsmore.. Nothing
60. Drinking = Coke.. Nothing
61. I'm about to = learn the art of doing nothing.. =P Sleep
62. Listening to = Womaniser - Britney...(no, Im not a fan of her, my mp3's on shuffle!) background noise
63. Waiting for = Thuttha to come, so I can get my pizza (yes, she passed.. so i must get a pizza.. right?) Something exciting

YOUR FUTURE : 
64. Want kids? = Ofcourse.. Yes
65. Get Married? = Yeah.. =S Yes
66. Career? = Business plus Fashion Designing, after I get a degree from Princeton.. *sigh again* Marketing

WHICH IS BETTER : 
67. Lips or eyes? = oh, those bewitching eyes.. Eyes
68. Hugs or kisses? = Hugs.. Oh, Hugging Judge, where are thee? Hugs
69. Shorter or taller? = Shortie.. heh.. Both
70. Older or Younger? = Err, Oldie than me.. =P Both
71. Romantic or spontaneous ? = Romantic.. Romantic
72. Nice stomach or nice arms? = Hah.. Both.. Stomach
73. Sensitive or loud ? = Right in the middle.. =P A bit of both
74. Hook-up or relationship? = Relationship.. Not looking for any atm
75. Trouble maker or hesitant? = Kinda both.. Again, a bit of both.

HAVE YOU EVER : 
76. Kissed a stranger? = Nah Not really
77. Drank hard liquor? = Noooo No
78. Lost glasses/contacts? =Yupp.. Oh, Some stupid person stole it.. Arghh.. Yes
79. Sex on first date? = No.. No
80. Broken someone's heart? = Not that I now of.. I guess
81. Had your own heart broken? = Not yet.. Kind of
82. Been arrested? = Nah.. No
83. Turned someone down? = Yeah, I guess.. And did regret it, He died.. *sigh* Yes, still regret it
84. Cried when someone died? = Not yet.. Yes
85. Fallen for a friend? = Confused.. Im not sure Im falling for him, or what? Ahh.. Life is hard.. Yes

DO YOU BELIEVE IN 
86. Yourself? = Yes.. Yes
87. Miracles? = Yupp.. Yes
88. Love at first sight? = Not until it happens to me.. Not really
89. Heaven? = Yupp.. Yes
90. Santa Claus? = Ho Ho NO No
91. Kiss on the first date? = Nah.. Not really
92. Angels? = Yupp.. Yes

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY: 
94. Had more than 1 girlfriend/boyfriend at a time? = Nah.. No
95. Did you sing today? = Yupp.. A lil birdie told me it was good for health.. =P Yes
96. Ever cheated on somebody? = Nah.. No
97. If you could go back in time, how far would you go? = Till the shakesperian time.. Time of Moosa (PBUH)
98. If you could pick a day from last year and relive it, what would it be? = May 11th.. Dont ask me.. Graduation day
99. Are you afraid of falling in love? = Oh No.. Im wishing of it.... Wishing hard.. Yes
100. Posting this as 100 truths? = Nah..No

5 Most Used iPhone Apps

Besides the usual messaging, phone and music apps of course. 

Ever since getting the phone, I have been getting new apps and deleting unused apps like crazy! My previous rules was to have two screens but since I have too much apps I have moved on to three screens, *sigh* My current use is to not have above 100 apps! I know, 100 is a big number but I just need all those games and fashion apps. *another sigh*

Daily Yoga

Did I mention I got into a yoga routine during my social media break? Yeah! It's crazy. I'm also following this 12 day course, as well as learning basic poses and doing a complete meditation all of which equals to about an hour of yoga every day. It's really good for me because I can concentrate and while my preferred time would be in the morning but I can't wake up in the morning, not even for yoga. So, I end up doing it right before bed, which works fine for me. I love how easy to follow this app is and a lot of the content is free so you can enjoy it till you reach advance levels. 

NextDraft

Some days, I'm so busy I can't even spend five minutes on BBC app (which is must-have for everyone!) and this comes in so handy. The best thing, it's hand picked by this guy named Dave who really knows what people like. The articles are mostly related to tech, sports and general news with lots of good hearted humour. In a nutshell, YES!

QuizUp

Oh man, what was I doing before I discovered this app? perhaps spending too much time trying to get above 10 points in flappy bird. This app is so addictive and competitive. It's like trivia and the best thing, there are so so many topics to choose form. Education, entertainment, sports, etc. I am really big on Taylor Swift, colours (I started it thinking it would be to identify colours, but in one level I got best in the country so I kept playing so I can sure my rank, I know - so lame) and Bollywood. Good thing, it's now also available in Google Play for you Andriod folks. 

Style.com

What would I do without my daily doze of high fashion? I can keep up with fashion week finally! Everyday, I love checking up on different seasons, saving my favourite ones and just being bewitched by the beautiful art created by the likes of Badgley Mischka and Zuhair Murad. It's also fun to rate which seasons are better and also to check on what the stars are wearing and so much more. Basically, I no longer have to go on style.com on my laptop. 

TV Show Tracker

This is my life. Seriously. I used to have an excel sheet and several different methods to check which episode I last watched on a series and this makes everything SO SO much easier. Really. I can add all my shows (which is about 45 shows, sigh) and check which episodes I have watched and it would even remind me 15 mins before an episode airs. Now the challenge is to reduce my unwatched episode count to st least 500. It's at a peak 2340! 

What are your favourite apps? I still have room for about 6 apps. 

Cos he wasn't raised right before you

This last week has been kind of fun, mostly because I had finally gotten back online and met my friends and had a really good time just being happy, planning fun things and getting exciting news, Masha Allah. 

Here's a little rundown. I met with the zombie crowd for lunch on Tuesday and we had a great time talking about fun things and about social media breaks. These people are amazing. Things are good at work, as always. I love work. 

The highlight of the week was my gorgeous friend Nattu's wedding. She's absolutely fantastic and her wedding was gorgeous. Niu and I were pretty late because I had a class but we went and it was gorgeous! She has lights, and dream catchers all over! She made it all by herself. It was just so amazing. We met Houdini and had a blast talking pictures at the photo-booth and admiring all the things. 

Tell me if it's the prettiest wedding ever? Sigh. I wish Nattu and Shahin an ever beautiful marriage and hope that they have their happily ever after! 

The Mandatory Party Scene

I woke up cos dad asked me to iron some clothes and I was just doing that when mom took over. She is just in a really good mood. After a shower, I had some pancakes and talked to Chloe a bit. I go and clean my closet. I have way too many clothes. I try to make some sense of it and try to reduce the number. So far, my efforts are almost non-existent.

Mom is making cupcakes today because she apparently has too much margarine. I watch some episodes of Grimm and then it’s time to put the icing on the cakes. Hannah, Chloe, Mom and I (even dad!) try our hands at doing just that. At moments like these, I feel really happy. We make around three dozen cakes and they look really good. Even Hannah does real well. She is a wonderful artist. 

I have called and texted Owen but I don’t think he wants to get out of the house though. He activated his Facebook back which means there’s some progress. I am watching YouTube videos and waiting for a call. I feel like cancelling it, but since I will have to go to theparty tonight, there is no way I can sleep early.

Dan calls me later but since it is too late, I tell him visit him later. Dan just really gets on my nerves sometimes. 

I got to the party in the glumest of the moods. I meet this handsome guy with really brown hair who tells me the party's on the terrace. He tells me I'll have to wait till his friend comes so we can all go up. I don't even know this guy but if he's cute his friend might be too so I wait. Turns out, his friend is Hannah's teacher so I awkwardly stand in the lift and check my phone to pretend I'm not awkwarded by this whole thing.

We go to the terrace  and find a lot of people, most of whom I’ve seen but don’t know the name of. I see the girls and we chat about the cake which looks wobbly and a bad entrance into the Cake Wrecks blog.

Then the birthday boy comes, he cut the cake and there’s the outburst of the confetti which is new. Next, he makes a really boring speech about how all of us are his rocks, sometimes I wonder if this guy is even real. There was food afterwards. Spaghetti, fish and salad. I just eat the salad. I’m not in the mood. I just want to get home, watch the rest of the Grimm and sleep maybe.

There’s entertainment of course. The popular guys all come and play songs and dance. I’m just staying at a corner, like a wallflower, totally unamused even though they play really good songs and I do want to dance but the moment I do, it’s over. I just can’t. I hope no one brings me up and I just blend into the background. Dan is not picking his phone so I text Kevin to see if he’s busy. He texts back saying he’ll be free in ten. Then comes the longest ten minutes of my life. Thankfully, he comes soon and we head home. 

I call Rue because Kevin wants to see her tomorrow night and he’s buying pizza. The whole Kevin-Rue thing is fun.I feel like a third wheel in their terribly one sided romance. 

Alek's Girlfriend Debacle

It’s another day at office. I wanted to get up early to have breakfast before I came, but still got very late but did manage to grab some breakfast before dashing out the door to make it on time. Dad thinks I am always late and I am just hoping I make it on time everyday this month so I can show him a perfect punctuality record.

After breakfast, it was continuous trail of updating Facebook, chatting, checking mails and trying to stay on schedule. I’ve gotten quite used to this routine. There is a meeting at 11 with the Google team. They are as usual mildly enthusiastic and already have an idea. There were lots of talk about posters and the guy even asked me if I had music posters on my room. I did remember the one about the commonwealth flags but didn’t mention it.

Ian called while I was working and I didn’t pick up. Something happens every time he calls. I’m not sure what it is but the only other time I’ve felt it was before I had the talk with the girls. I am not ready to analyze it. Alek texted me just about then so I had this thought that Ian might have told Alek about me not answering my phone but he just wanted to tell me he is sorry and wanted to talk something personal apparently. He then went on texting about how he should get a girlfriend.

I called Ian. He says “Guess who showed up at work? That girl!”. I’m confused. Then he says that Zoya (who got a job in Ian’s workplace yesterday) is actually in Ian’s department, the most boring department in the also boring workplace. We talk about it and I make a few jokes. We talk about Zoya, I tell him about Alek and he mentions that I might know this new girl and that he wants me to advise him. Sometimes talking to Ian is just so nice but other times, not so much.

I start watching Go On at home since I cannot fathom what’s happening in Made in Jersey. Matthew Perry is his funny self as usual and I think I’m gonna like it a lot.  I drop by the shop near my place where a friend’s brother work and since the sale we have been saying hi and smiling to each other whenever we meet. I made the bad decision to go inside and tell him how busy I am and that I don’t wear ready-made things. I was going to buy a bracelet or something but none they has were nice enough and I really like the moustache shoes so I asked for my size and to my surprise two other people came in so he got busy. I used the time to get out saying I had to go to office but made the mistake to tell him to keep it and that I’ll be back later. This is what I always do.

Every day on my way home, I get a call from Kyle about the most random things and today was no different. It’s good because it keeps me distracted while walking. I come home and talk to Hannah about some Harry Potter things, I have tea with sandwiches and search online for tablets. I have my eyes on a Nexus 7 but as usual, I do not have the funding for that.

I watch Better off Ted and I’m paid a visit by Alek. He looks different and he brings me a sandwich which is kind of weird. We make small talk and then dive into the topic to whether he should get a girlfriend. I can’t help but laugh. I can’t seem to take anything that he says personally. We talk about it for a while, about people and then he tells me he already is dating a girl which is quite shocking. His story with the girl is almost similar to the one I'm reading and it creeps me out a little bit. Mom asks me to go fetch Hannah so we part ways, but I am thinking that this conversation is not over.

Later at night, I watch Grimm which I think I will like. It gets late, and I make it on time to bed to get a good eight hours of sleep. I think of the shoe in reserve but I can’t lose my sleep over something insignificant like this.

Note: This is a part of a story I'm writing called The Journey Journals. I hope you guys like it. 

Why you should consider taking a social media break

image credits

Every year (for the exception of last) I have taken technology breaks for at least a week. Ofcourse back then it was simpler times and I had real books to read and wasn't obsessed with too much TV shows. Last year was a whole different story because my work revolves around social media and also because I think at this point in my life I depend too much on tech to give it away. This year, I found a loophole and didn't sign into any social media platform on my name, only on my work name and only used it for work. No Youtube videos, no tweets, no Instagram, no Viber, no Facebook, no nothing. 

A week of me and myself, not even phone calls. I kept my phone in Airplane mode and didn't check it. It was very difficult the first two days but eventually I was actually loving the no pinging mobile phone, no drama to deal with, no one calling to ask useless things. It was seriously, amazing. Ofcourse it's very selfish and sometimes once a year you deserve to be selfish for just 7 days. You deserve to spend time on yourself, on doing things that you told you'd do. 

I finally got into a yoga routine. I read two more books (out of five this year) and wrote a couple poems. I redesigned my Filo, became a lot better at managing things and focused more on my actual paying job. It felt really good. I know on the other hand I was kind of running away from responsibilities but I knew I'd eventually get back to them and honestly, I was just glad to have taken the time off. 

I was also having lots of personal difficulties I guess and on the verge of becoming someone I didn't even recognize. Anyways, the point it that sometimes when the going gets tough, going back to simpler times and just focusing on being you helps. At least for me. 

10 reasons you might be a Bernadette Fox

I just finished reading Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple the other day and I was up at 2 AM laughing out loud and realizing that it was late and I was the only soul awake in the house but still going on because it was good. Oh, did I mention it was a work night? Yes, it was THAT good. 

image credits

Bernadette is seriously the modern lady. She is talented (very!), fun, a bit antisocial (okay, maybe a lot) and fashionable. She makes Kat seem like Brenda. Seriously, she's great and I loved the book so much. Here are 10 reasons why you might be Ms. Fox!

1. You would rather have someone over at India get everything you need from outside than actually get them yourself. Good thing: They are efficient, and costs 0.75 per hour. Not so good thing: You don't even know if they are who they say they are. 

2. You hate parents who are extremely social and volunteer in everything and get annoyed when you don't. Can't they realize you have better things to do? Is the money you're paying not enough? 

3. You have serious problems with sleeping. What if someone robs me while I sleep?

4. You love to pull off disappearing acts. If you could be invisible when you go out, that'd be great. 

5. You have famous TV hosts. All they know how to do is waste money and throw parties and have people on your driveway and then later ruin your life. 

6. You think Microsoft is evil. You don't even know why they have candy machines everywhere/

7. You name your daughter something weird in the spur of the moment. Hashtag is a perfectly acceptable name, you can shorten it to Shta and no one would even question it. 

8. You are actually a genius. People just don't understand you and they can never be your level. 

9. You hate pesky neighbours. They are gnats who come with their gardener and try to ruin day and judge your life decisions. 

10. Even with all your problems, you love your family, you daughter and you would cross all oceans and live in Antarctica for them. 

It's seriously a must-read. Filled with so much humour, it's comprised of narration, exchanges of letters, e-mails, notes, faxes and reports because sometimes real life is like that. 

Have you read it? What did you think?

Eugene

You all probably know that I'm a huge fan of Miley Cyrus since her Hannah Monatana days and one of my favourite Miley Cyrus performances ever is when she brought her band for The Backyard Sessions and she covered some songs and this one song in particular, Jolene; originally sung by Dolly Parton just tickled my fancy. It was so so beautiful. I've had that song on repeat so many times. 

Isn't it just *sigh* so amazing? This girl, and her vocals. Ahh. 

Anyhow, As always I kept singing it all around the house and got Mick interested in it (even Hipster Sister who first said she hated it but later confessed to having watched the video and deemed it "alright" which means pretty good in her book) and she unintentionally said Eugene instead of Jolene and one thing led to another and we all started making a song for Eugene. 

If you don't know who Eugene is, maybe watch Tangled? If you haven't watched it yet, this might come off a bit of a spoiler. From Rapunzel, to Eugene

Eugene, Eugene, Eugene, Eugene 

I'm begging of you please take me to see the lights

Eugene, Eugene, Eugene, Eugene

I've always dreamed of seeing it one day

Ever since I was young

Trapped in this big tower alone

The lights have been my only escape

You came along like a breath of spring

With your satchel of pretty jewels

And I ask of you only one thing, Eugene

She must not know that I'm gone

Or I'll forever be banished again

Even Pascal could not make me much happy, Eugene

Maybe I don't understand

How this world really works

but I want to see them lights up close, Eugene

Eugene, Eugene, Eugene, Eugene 

Take me away from origami and Gothel

Eugene, Eugene, Eugene, Eugene 

I don't care even if you are a thief

You could have all my hair

With it's golden healing power

As long as you take me to the lights, Eugene

I know I put you in a cupboard

And hit you in the head with a frying pan

But you should know it's the best day ever, Eugene

Eugene, Eugene, Eugene, Eugene 

I'll make the bandits believe in dreams

Eugene, Eugene, Eugene, Eugene 

Everything's gonna be all right when I see the lights, Eugene

I know the song doesn't really rhyme but we did it in under ten minutes and I'm pretty psyched about it. Hahaha. Have you ever wrote a song about a fictional character?

NOTE: THIS IS A SCHEDULED POST

Spoken Word

Ever since I was young, I have had a sort of a love affair with poetry. I used to by-heart Maldivian poems, mostly Lhen and my family would have "baithu baazee" competitions and I would always win, because I was really passionate about it. Even when I was very young and would not understand the hidden meaning behind some of these poems.

Growing up, I didn't really read much into classic poems and I guess somehow I moved onto other forms of words, mostly  books but the last few years, I've regrown into the comfortable hands of written and spoken word. 

It was about a year ago, that I heard this beautiful poem by Hollie McNish and I remember replaying it again and again because it was so intriguing and ofcourse since then I moved on to Sarah and Phil, and a lot of other spoken word poets that I enjoy but a couple weeks back I saw another Hollie McNish poem and it just reminded me again why I really love words spun together. 

Here are a couple of my favourites.

Mathematics - HollyMcNish | Immigration

This is the very first spoken word I heard, Mathematics. I think we also have this problem and I guess we fail to realize that two plus two is more than four.

I Will Not Let an Exam Result Decide My Fate - Suli Breaks | Education

This is something I've probably shared more times than I can count. I loved school, I honestly did and I loved learning and everything related to it so maybe I don't completely get on what he says but nevertheless, it is such a true poem for many people.

Point B - Sarah Kay | Life

This poem is my favourite of all, I have by-hearted it and I quote it several times a day to Hipster Sister and while she always disagrees, I think part of her also finds inspiration because who cannot? This is the poem I want to teach my children!

Shrinking Women - Lily Myers | Women

A problem very much real in our society. Our women also shrink in comparison to the society and her words really hit where it hurts.

To This Day - Shane Koyczan | Bullying

This poem makes me cry every time I hear it. It's so emotional, so true and everyone needs to hear this at least once in their life.

So, what are your favourite spoken word pieces?

NOTE: THIS IS A SCHEDULED POST

DYMag February Issue

Lo and behold, yet another issue of DYMag. No matter how much we do this, the very day it comes out is always a milestone. This issue was another difficult issue because our team is very diverse and we all have jobs and responsibilities and this magazine is something we do as a hobby and so sometimes when the going gets tough, it's hard to fully commit to deadlines but somehow we always manage. 

With this issue, there's a lot of change in the layout, even the cover. Imy keeps outdoing himself and I'm so glad. We also added a new member to our team, Jin. From a team of three, becoming a team of seven is both exciting and scary. 

Starting the issue off with a story by S, Between two worlds which is haunting and yet beautifully written. Abo set himself up with the task of reviewing the very first rap album released in Maldives. We would like to thank Symbolic Records and Naanu for giving us a free copy to review. For this month, I tried getting a mix of books, music and movies that falls into the theme of old and new. 

The three page spread on Shinzou Con, for which DYM was an event partner showcases some of the beautiful costumes and competition winners. The look book, beach blues is focused on breezy and fun looks that shows the more tourist-y side of Maldives with shell bracelets and sarongs. In time for Valentines Day, Naal created a lot of ideas that you can do on your nails. This girl can do wonders with nails and I can't even properly paint mine with just one colour, haha. 

The cover girl, Mishy is seriously one of the most down-to-earth people I have ever met. She's really friendly and nice and fun. The first day we went to meet her, we ended up talking for two hours about everything from baking to the social problems in the country. I really love the photo-shoot Toby did because it shows her as the total kick-ass lady that she is. Her interview, you'll find is really sweet and yet her personality shines through from her singing. 

Next comes the serious articles. One about bullies and the bullied by Isra will make you think twice about our generation while the second part of Fallen Woman by Thyma shows the second part to the analysis of women in literature which we can easily apply to our society and how it sees women. A brand new addition, a new comic called Guardian showcases the talents of two mangaka, Mathyn and Rooba. I for one, loved the art style. 

Health and fitness columns are always interesting and informative to read. Atrial Septal Defect tells us how to work towards preventing birth defects. Naanu's poetry makes us think every single issue and so does his layouts. We love that guy! Malika writes an article that would benefit those of you thinking of investing on an e-reader. Thihnaan again writes about something that would help those of us couch potatoes wanting to start running by telling us some tips to keep ourselves motivated. A very informative read about Sexual and Reproductive Health focuses on the types of STD's and what problems youth faces in this area. 

Jin writes about his experience at YLP which takes me back to the time I was there. Ah, good times. Munzir's poem A knight's tale talks about a brave hero, the kind we all love which wraps up the magazine. Yet, another informative and fun issue which we hope you will enjoy a lot. 

As always, you can leave feedback on our twitter, or mail us or Facebook us. Really, there are so many ways to reach us so don't keep it to yourself. We really appreciate all the readers and comments and we try to incorporate everything you want. 

Until next time, Cheers. What was your favourite article from this issue? 

NOTE: THIS IS A SCHEDULED POST.