2019 Here We Come – Do We Have Time To Reinvent Ourselves in the New Year?
Another year comes to an end. As we count down the year-end and begin 2019 with resolutions, celebrations and good wishes … I have to say, I need a dose of reality to begin MY new year. 2018 has shown me how online success is linked to several factors that tie in with our ability to evolve, connect and engage with the times. I seem to have not jumped on the bandwagon too many times, and might have just missed the bus to make it big this year … AS WELL!
1. I didn’t start a blog. And perhaps, never will.
2018 was the year of the blogger – Lifestyle, makeup, fashion, mothers, love, health coaching, mindfulness, photography, food … the list is ENDLESS. Everyone who’s anyone writes a blog and has managed to engage a band of followers who follow them in their virtual world, where life is perfect, food is delicious, travels are scenic and clothes fit the man/or woman like a glove. I surrender. I have yet to crack the formula here.
I love to have one-to-one conversations with people I can see, feel, hear, and to whom I don’t have to divulge my inner secrets unless of course, they’re my nearest and dearest friends and/or family. I cannot find time to call my mother every day, let alone reply to the multiple comments that pop up on a post as followers scramble to show their love … or hate, in the virtual world. I prefer to write on my laptop in my pajamas early morning, no makeup, untidy hair, just me with my trusty cup of coffee by my side and my Coke Studio playlist. No glam pics here – I have lost out on being blogger mom, wife, foodie or any kind of blogger in 2019
2. Selfie Queen – I am so not!
I ask others to click the photo. My selfie-thumb or finger fail to catch anything beyond my very big face up close, let alone the people in the background. If anything, I lose control of the phone and it ends up slipping from my fingers. Selfie queen I am so NOT. All the people I know, my friends included, snap instant selfies with a pro-selfie-click-thumb that leaves me in utter remorse.
3. Insta stories, FB stories, Snapchat stories
The only stories I tell are the ones I read at bedtime to my son. The insta stories make me run a mile away with tech phobia. I thought boomerang was something you threw in the air and if you were good at it, you got it back too. Stories are something you write or read, or maybe, come up with in school when you haven’t done your HW or when you’re cheating on your spouse or partner. The rest … I dunno what you’re talking about!
The only stories I tell are the ones I read at bedtime to my son.
4. What’s new on Netflix
What’s new in my life? I don’t know. I’m just hooked on Fresh Prince and Friends reruns and you’re talking about Bojack Horseman? Is that the title of a new comic book, a superhero that escaped my radar or a serial on Netflix? I am so not in tune with the newbies. I JUST started following Brooklyn 99 and you tell me about Indian Web series??? I didn’t know they existed!
5. Prebiotics, Cannabis and Kefir
So I’m just over telling everyone about why probiotics are sooo good for me? And here I have people telling me about the health benefits of Cannabis, Prebiotic Foods and something called Kefir (which is not the same as the Kaffir Lime Leaves that I use for Thai cooking btw.) This Kefir does something magical to my gut. And I didn’t know about it and perhaps, by the time I incorporate it into my life, the next best thing would have hit the shelves!
I am still trying to get used to Probiotics, while ppl have moved on to Cannabis and Kefir
6. Early morning Gym Workouts, Protein Shakes, Personal Instructors and Kick-boxing classes.
I am still trying to get off Mc Donald’s fries and Lindt chocolate. I have to admit though, that in THIS department, I have made some headway and 2018 has introduced me to healthier food options, thanks to my ahem, health coach. Yes, I have one too! BUT I’m still eons away from reaching my ideal BMI (Body Mass Index) and if I post a picture of a double-chocolate fudge cake or Frappuccino on my Insta feed, I end up LOOKING like one of them too. I cannot eat one thing and look another. For most people, that seems to be pretty normal. That hot chocolate oozing with double cream, those cheesy fries, that doughnut ice cream that you post so happily on your Insta feeds? Well … I simply don’t know where it goes! Mine is stuck right here. On me. Right where it was supposed to go … except, others seem to defy the rule.
7. Online Shopping – Zalando
Buying clothes, shoes, anything that needs to be tried on needs a dressing room for me. You will never see me happily toting a Zalando box back to the post because I ordered 3 sizes, picked the one that fits and returned the other 2 by post. ‘It’s free shipping AND you get the refund? Why not?’ implore my friends!! ‘WHY? Say I! when I can walk into a store, feel the clothes, see the colors and select the one that fits; not too high, not too low, not too snug and not too loose?’ WHY do I need to virtualize my shopping experience too!
Do I really HAVE to reinvent myself in the new year? Do I HAVE to jump on the bandwagon?
8. Makeup Queen
Foundation on before, or after sunscreen. Almond oil or serum, or both? Concealer? What is it for? Green, blue colors on my face? Are you kidding me? NEVER! I know my lipstick, eyeliner, mascara, a hint of eyeshadow and blush. I have JUST got to understand what an eyebrow pencil is used for and when to use a highlighter … still not sure where! Tell me, are you on the latest Huda Beauty Overachiever something or Farsali Oil? Or what are those colorful beads for anyway??? NYX is pronounced NIX or N.Y. X? I DON’T KNOW! I give up … I stick to the basics, till someone gives me a very good reason to complicate my life and why, when top-of-the-line filter apps are available to do the rest?
Do I really HAVE to reinvent myself in the new year? Do I HAVE to jump on the bandwagon? No, actually I don’t. BUT, I DO have a new year resolution… It is to do what I’m doing, but EVEN better! To write more, to spend more time with my children, to squeeze in date nights with my husband, to laugh with friends, to plan ‘alone time’ and travel, to love a little more, laugh a lot, take long walks, be thankful … and if anything will change … it is perhaps … to call my mother every day! The rest … well, I’m just going to sit here, at my laptop, in my pajamas, and drink the best cup of coffee ever, which is brewed by me, in my own kitchen. No pics here, I’m sorry, and no selfies.
So my mantra for the New Year – LOVE what you did in 2018, do more of it in 2019, and if you DO want to change anything, start by calling up your mom every day? The rest, as they say, will follow.
Aangan will not be showing on YouTube and here’s why we think this is a good move! Read full story here: http://fuchsiamagazine.com/watch-aangan-netflix/
Shazia likes to pen her thoughts when she feels passionately about a life experience, a person or an event. She is mother to 3 lively boys and along with her husband, attempts to settle in her new country by taking German lessons so she is able to soak in the culture, language and spirit of the region.
“Wake up in the morning, take a deep breath and exhale! Keep on living with a passion that inspires others! “
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