From 2013 to 2014

It is February already and life have taken me away from writing that I'm posting my 2014 wishes after one month or so..*sigh* This is a short self note on what I feel regarding flipping the last page of the year of 2013 and how I want 2014 to be without any clear plans written here:

A year had come and gone.
2013 had so many life changing events ..
Everything just happened in a blink of an eye, if I take a few moments I get surprised by the number of things changed within one year!

I graduated, I got my first job, I got married and now I'm getting over first year difficulties..

With lots of things twirling around my world I found myself really down yet really excited at times. How I can lead everything to the way I dream it to be? I admit its impossible sometimes to plan every step, and I do miss those days of doing nothing but lay on my bed. Myself and I got those confessions of getting sick of having changes all at once. Why can't I achieve all of this from building a family to finding the perfect job when I get enough of life?.. when I no longer feel like there is something more to give me goose bumps? .. maybe within 6 more years or so..

why all now or never?!

But its god's will that Amna starts building in the year of 2013 the harsh way. 2013 was a long self disciplinary lesson. A challenge around fast adaption. A leap of perspective change. and a initiative of priority setting.

I changed.

Once in a very long time I didn't greet a new year with a regular plan. I greeted 2014 with wishes and dreams. I don't want as much tangibles from life as before. I slowed down that urgency of time within me. I don't need to be the fastest to get this or that. College years are over with its childish competitions among friends. Its now us and how we want to draw the lines in our lives.
No wrong and no right.
No right time and no very late!
yet a fire must be kept burning within us to move on and the ambition is the fuel.

In the past I used to control myself and my own world only, now I hold a life of man and possibly a life of children who all depend on my shoulders to carry them in this big world. I need to widen my dreams net to conclude all of their dreams too because right now what's theirs is mine. We are a family. A very supportive one.

However, the year didn't only bring sweat and tears but was generous enough to give me the greatest gift of life. On my birthday month, November 2013; I received the news from god. I will be carrying a soul within me. I had intentions of crying for days if a news like that came across my ears but instead there was a bundle of joy blown inside of me. And NO! it was too early for the hormones to play in this equation but I believe its impossible for a woman to feel total sadness with a life beating within her. For this little baby all your plans and worries get on hold without regret. That how the series of sacrifice begin within mothers..

2014 I'm not delaying my future, I'm making one right now. A one more meaningful and more happier. I will be living and growing though my coming child. All I sincerely want for 2014 is a normal childbirth, a healthy baby and a healthy mother for him/her to take care of the world. I can't wait for our memories to be written down in our book of life.


love,
Amna

Welcoming 2013 !

Happy New Year~

2012 is not the end of the world and I'm still alive :D haha in ur face you.. donno know whoever was claiming its the end lol ~

I know its kinda late but there was no way I'm gonna be able to write a decent blog after arriving on new years  to my home country 

The tiredness, cultural shock and formalities kept me from having any fruitful time with my blog

Now that I'm back on my feet again I thought I'd write a new post before January passes by!

First and before I spill out my plans I wish to thank 2012 for being a year filled with adventures and a year that is a blissful gift from god. I met so many new people, learned a lot of things, visited new places and become a satisfied calm person

in 2012 I started writing in this blog more seriously and I'm willing to keep it up during 2013 :)

In 2013 I wish to be the change for every single day

I want this year to be more organized and awarding

 and for a change I want to relax and let life take the wheel from time to time :)

so for the time being I'm on vacation and I came up with this list to fill my time and plan well for the coming year! There are many interesting stuff over the internet but I loved these the most and started applying them myself !

1- 2013 Diary/Planner

Yes its a must and it works amazingly well for busy people like me! 

technology cannot replace written papers! I find it more enjoyable to hold a book in my hands instead of an electronic reader

I can edit my notes much faster 

& I can flip back and fourth to feel the sense of time with papers !

so go to the nearest bookshop and pick your one !

Tips: 

• choose a light weight diary if you will carry it in your bag and always pick an elegant one that you will love to open every single day

• avoid super fancy tho and never buy the most expensive out there.. in the end its just a planner !

• oh and always check the paper pattern from inside, diaries comes with different style! I rather get those with enough space for each day (almost half page) and I love the maps attached at the back it gives me a space to dream about traveling to places I've never thought about :) *childish lol*

2- Happiness Jar

I've seen so photogenic pictures of Dreams Jar but I didn't like it as dreams should be written clearly in front of you not folded into a jar ! However this year I heard of the happiness jar where you can place all the happy moments you had through the year and then by the next year you can talk about and review all the happy moments in the past year !

Tips: 

• you can get the shape and size you prefer or which you think will fit perfectly on your desk. Nice cheap jars are hard to find in bookshops so I suggest visit the kitchenware section in any homecenters you will find plenty, colorful and cheap jars !

• decorate you jar with ribbons, stickers and writings this will not only makes the jar beautiful but enchanted~

for my case I went for simple cylinder shaped plastic jar so it won't break if it fell from the table :3 

3- Pictures on the wall

I've always appreciated pictures as a happy thing in life. I'm not into buying very expensive professional heavy cameras to take a picture of a tiny bug ( although I admit its worth the quality). However, I believe that no matter how ugly or hilarious you look in a picture it will never matter in the future when you look back at those pictures ! So with the growth of my gallery I wanted to keep my dear ones around instead of piling them in harddisks that I only check every couple of months

and I know I kept bragging about Korea so much now but honestly those people know how to design their cafes and restaurants with photographs, art crafts & simple antiques !

and it got me wondering why mom is so obsessed with white walls? if you can utilize the white spaces in a right way it will not look beautiful but will have a touch of personality and uniquness !

and so I'm filtering some pictures this weekend for printing and gonna buy some ropes and nails to get the work done !

Tips: 

• Don't stick to colored pictures even black n white ones will give you a sense of elegant vintageness! 

• if burning images in studios are expensive print them at home! 

• for more crafty touch you can design paper frames around your pictures and leave a little cute note !

 4- Books, Books and more Books !

We are a nation that reads, maybe the past decades weren't our best but that's only because our grandparents didn't get the chance for proper education and worked hard for their family survival. No matter how developed we get or how many technologies we invent the book is still a valuable piece of knowledge that won't be replaced.The beginning was tough with books for someone who started reading late but now its a daily pleasure.   

Tips: 

• take your time when you want to borrow/buy books, the secret to love books is to follow your field of interest. I realized this late cuz I depended on others' choice at the beginning.

• Novels are wonderful source of amusement but read an educational or inspirational book for a change.

• When you're done reading a book write a review for it, give it to a friend or neatly put it on a shelf for others to read ! 

• Some book fairs and libraries allow books donation or exchange so make use of such places if you didn't like a book you poses or read it many times !

5- Own a business 

University is the best place to test your capabilities of running a business. Of course people would say that the real world is completely different from this controlled environment but where else can you try your skills in marketing without being punished ?! After many presentations, workshops, projects maybe you can make use of your knowledge to go for the next challenge of opening your own business ! Currently I've been enrolled in a small business with a group of creative local ladies and I hope we will establish the company we dream of soon enough :)

Tips: 

• Always keep yourself inspired by attending talks about others success story and find the time to think about what you want to do after graduation. 

• If the road is not clear ask your friends for ideas you will be surprised by their responses or maybe you will find a person with a gold worth idea but was waiting for a strong person like you to take the lead !

• A business doesn't have to be an individual work it can start with the hard work of a group!

• Focus on what you are familiar with as its a strength point for you! Innovations and ideas can come running after you formed a strong basis for your business 

All in all, never give up to the depressing routine always find a way to appreciate, love and change ~

Be a person who lived every single day and tried as much things as possible than others from your place !  

Happy New Year Everyone !

Amna ❤

p.s: let me know about your 2013 plans, your opinion about my blog and what you love to read in the future ;)