The Good From 2013 Continued…

“Everyday may not be good but there’s something good in everyday.”

A continuation to this post:

24/08/2013 – Received a pink jewelry set from my cousin Shakira.

31/08/2013 – My brother’s marriage. He’s wanted to get married for so long that I am glad it happened and seeing him happy makes me happy.

3/09/2013 – Had a jewelry re-sale and made a bit of money from it.

04/11/2013 – Simply Shanah is three years old!
                   - Exchanged numbers with a boy I really like. I last exchanged numbers with a guy I’m into four years ago, I think. Much as I like him, it is blatantly obvious it’s going no where.
                  - My maternal Grand Father’s death anniversary. I’m grateful to my family for the memorial prayers they hold in his stead every year.

6/11/2013 – Positive friends who listen when you need it and give advice when you least expect it.

11/11/2013 – My girl Claire’s generous soul.
                  - Brainstorming sessions with my friend Ama. These get the creative juices flowing and I lover her for her unwavering support.

20/11/2013 – Made a pair of rings out of stones for a necklace. Second time I pimp up a ring or two.

21/11/2013 – Cut my hair into bangs or a fringe.

22/11/2013 – Made a necklace out of black squares from my sister’s dress.

24/11/2013 – Need to nurture my accessories design and see how far I can go with it.

01/12/2013 – New month, wonder what it has in store.

06/13/2013 – Woke up to news of Nelson Mandela’s death who died on 5/12/2013.

08/12/2013 – Attended my cousin Farida’s wedding. Happy to have been there and see it happen.
                   - Love the gifts from Farida’s in-laws.

10/12/2013 – Nelson Mandela’s memorial service. A fitting farewell to Africa’s purest heroes.

12/12/2013 – Grateful for beautifully fierce and its subsequent social media pages. Maintaining it and the pages gives me a sense of purpose.
                 - The possibility of attaining a new phone looms in the near future.
                 -  Hearing from my friend Ossy who I haven’t seen since November.
                 - Time; being in peace and at peace with everything so far.

15/12/2013 – Seeing the Nelson Mandela funeral telecast reminded me of my maternal Grand Father’s funeral.

16/12/2013 – The Whatsapp text from one of my oldest best friends, Joy, made my night. It reminded me of our friendship in primary school then the one at University. I can’t wait to see her after years.
                  - Sighted a butterfly and I remembered  The Alchemist. They are good omens and we should believe in them.

19/12/2013 – Catch up session with my friend Malcolm. A really old friend from Primary School and University.

20/12/2013 – My uncle Uthman’s 40th birthday celebration. I love family gatherings like these because we get to be together in one place with the cousins and catch up on everything as we are all at different stages and paths in our lives.
                  - One of my creations found a new home. I am glad it went to someone who really loves it.

24/12/2013 – I received pretty little accessories from aunt; a little pink purse and a huge cocktail ring.
                   - News from Chingy about her departure from the country. She’s wanted to go for so long that I am glad Allah finally made it possible for her.

29/12/2013 – My aunt Saudah’s graduation dua. So glad to see this was done for her for she has achieved quite a lot. We’re so close that I hardly refer to her as ‘aunt’. I love moments like these because I get to see some of my favourite people in the world like my girl Smooch. Seeing her and catching up with her means the world to me, then there is Shaffy and Baker.

30/12/2013 – What a day chockfull of surprise visits! First my girls Smooch and Baby Jara ( I was aware of their pending visit) then Leila (baby on board) and Shaffy! These are what memories are made of. The thing about family is; however long you’ve taken to see each other, there is always something that binds you and makes the eons of distance slip away.
                - I have been so creative this year that I am proud of my artistic talent. This is one of my best highlights.
                - My uncle Omar made Haj and the one to whom I am best niece is in the process of preparation for the trip. I pray God makes it possible for him and glad for it to have happened for Uncle Omar (both of these are faithful readers)
                - Grateful to God for my life, family and friends. Y'all are everything to me. 
                - Totally unrelated but I am so glad that Justin Timberlake is BACK on the music scene. Yup, this was his year along with Eminem and Robin Thicke.


On that really nostalgic  note; Happy 2014 Everyone. Be Safe.

The Good From 2013.

“Everyday may not be good, but there is something good in everyday.”

At the beginning of this year, I made this one little resolution – to start a jar/journal of gratitude where I’d note the good that’s happened in a particular day as a way of not focusing on the things that went wrong. Let me say; it worked. And for me to say this means a lot because I am 60% pessimistic. I chose not to believe something good or exciting will happen until it does. Keeping this gratitude journal and maintaining it has helped me focus on the positive unlike before where I would dwell on the negative.
As the year is coming to an end, I’d like to share with you what I think was memorable and made me happy in 2013 plus the things I am grateful for.

01/01/2013 – Re-connection with O.R. He helped me practice my French like no man’s business.

07/01/2013 – Drew a couple of drawings – I love it when artistic inspiration strikes.

10/01/2013 – Return to work in a new location. Love the location.
                   - Ran into Ayeisha, an old friend from High School.

01/04/2013 – Death of my phone which made me resurrect writing in a journal.
                   - An unexpected  offer from my friend Chingy.

02/04/2013 – Watching my dad bustle around in the kitchen making us (me and him) breakfast.

09/04/2013 – Seeing my friend Ron the Engineer and hearing all about his accomplishments. We’ve been friends since High School.

16/04/2013 – Thoughtful aunts.
                   - Miss the friends I left behind but grateful for new ones.

18/04/2013 – Seeing my friend OR and catching up. We last saw each other at University. This is why I am grateful for technology and social media.

19/04/2013 – Friendships are easier maintained than let go of. Sometimes, its best to look at the bigger picture than act rashly after a moment’s hurt.

22/04/2013 – Ran into my cousin Shamilla after a few years. Seeing her was such a pleasure.

07/05/2013 – Grateful for friends, both old and new.
                   - Grateful for this other blog that I derive a lot of pleasure from.

11/05/2013 – News of my brother’s pending return who apparently got me new crutches without knowledge of my fall and breakage of the third leg.

22/05/2013 – Birthday! Got hair accessories as gifts from my sister and news of my oldest best friend’s upcoming wedding.

26/05/2013 – Grateful for my brother’s generosity and willingness to help even with the little he has.

01/06/2013 – New month, wonder what it has in store.

6/06/2013 – Met the most charming man. A real life humpty dumpty. Tall, potbellied with a bald head. He made quite the impression because he talked with me while looking into my eyes and with a smile. It’s rare finding people like that who let you know their attention is on YOU.

8/06/2013 – Trip to the cinema and lunch with my girls Emma and Claire to watch my honey Tony Stark in Iron Man 3 as a be-lated birthday celebration.
                  - Caught a glimpse of my best friend and her family from a distance.

7/07/2013 – My brother’s return home after 3 years and my new legs.

22/07/2013 – Made my first sale for mum at the new location excluding the time I sold for aunt.

23/08/2013 – Bought myself two pairs of neon hoops: one pair in lemon green and the other hot pink.

And this shall be continued…

Nelson Mandela: In His Own Words.

"Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe I have made that effort and that is, therefore, why I will sleep for the eternity."

I don’t know if you caught the live/repeat telecasts of Nelson Mandela’s memorial and funeral services but I did and live at that. I saw a lot and learnt a little like Graca Machel is the only woman in history to marry two heads of state – and she was so poised and such a lady through out both ceremonies, Obama met Mandela when he was still Senator not as President and Bill Clinton woke Chelsea up to witness the prison release of Nelson Mandela in 1994 – they were right to bring her along for the memorial service, let’s not forget that moment when Obama shook hands with Raul Castro. Yeah, I saw that…And that time he took a selfie with the British Prime Minister David Cameron and the lady with that big ole grin on his face.
Obama’s speech though, I was enthralled. The man definitely has the gift of gab. Both ceremonies were a fitting farewell for one of Africa’s purest heroes and liberators. Really, it is the end of an era with Nelson Mandela’s death. Like Obama said, ‘we will never see the likes of Nelson Mandela again.’ In the spirit of remembering a hero, I found some of his quotes to share. Hopefully, we can all learn from who he was and everything he stood for.

Naomi Campbell with Nelson Mandela

“I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society … it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."

"Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies."

"A fundamental concern for others in our individual community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamed of."

“I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

“To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” From his 1994 autobiography Long Walk to Freedom

“Let freedom reign, God bless Africa!” At his 1994 inauguration as South Africa’s first black president.

“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” From his 1994 autobiography Long Walk to Freedom

‘‘They are my heroes ... This is one of the greatest moments of my life.’’ on meeting the Spice Girls in 1997.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”

"One of the most difficult things is not to change society - but to change yourself."


Mandela was such an enigma and a sad loss to Africans and the world. May his soul rest in peace and may God protect his memory.

Life Is A Celebration.

What an eventful week the previous week’s been. Paul Walker kicks it off by dying then I wake up on Friday morning (06/12/2013) to news of Nelson Mandela’s death. I have only seen Paul Walker in the Fast and Furious movie franchise and for me, they are all about Vin Diesel. Obviously, his death is a sad loss to his family and everyone else. But Nelson Mandela?! OK, it was only a matter of time considering his age and the many ailments that assailed him in his 90s it is a little hard to know the man is gone.
We read about him in history and I admired the person he was and everything he stood for. To me; he was the last of the purest revolutionaries Africa and Africans all over had the pleasure of knowing. It is a sad loss for us as Africans. You know what seeing history being made is? It is being there to witness both the Libyan and Egyptian revolutions which toppled Hosni Mubarak and Muammar Ghaddafi (men whose rise to power we read about too) respectively and also witnessing the death of an African hero. This is what seeing history being made is and I’ll be proud to tell my kids all about it if they at all study the history I studied.
Ok, with all the sorrow and  black shrouding everything from TV station logos to endless news of Paul Walker’s death, I am glad to say something good happened to remind me life is a celebration not a funeral. My cousin Faridah got married on Sunday (08/12/2013) and I was there to see it happen. She made a beautiful bride like I predicted she would and seeing her so happy, dancing etc.  made me wish I were giddily in love too. May God bless this new journey with lots of love, happiness and good health. Amen.

Faridah

PS: I think I should be serious with my man hunt since most of my friends and family are either having babies or getting married.