“I must have a prodigious amount of mind; it takes me as much as a week, sometimes, to make it up!” ― Mark Twain

Recently I was faced with making a decision between two jobs. Now it wasn't a huge decision like you see in the movies, where the protagonist gets offered their dream job, but unfortunately it's thousands of miles away from their loved ones, and they're torn between chasing their dreams and staying put. No. It was a lot less exciting.

Nevertheless, it got me thinking about the choices we make in our day to day lives. From the small decisions about where to grab a coffee from that morning, or the slightly more important choices, about which school or university you'll attend. Isn't it bizarre how these sometimes seemingly insignificant decisions can shape huge aspects of our lives? 

For example, when I was trying to decide between these two jobs (my extremely indecisive nature did not help), I sought the help of friends and family. My tutor at the time also tried to advise me, and gave me an example from her own life. She said that when she was around my age, she was offered three different jobs on the same day, one of which was abroad. It turns out, she opted for the latter, and ended up meeting her husband there (who she now has a child with).

I couldn't quite wrap my head around the fact that if on that day, her instinct had told her to stay in the country, and choose one of the jobs closer to home, she would not have met the man she is now married to, or even have had her son!

Similarly, you never know where choosing that particular coffee shop, or university, or that path to go for a walk down, can lead to. You never know who you might meet or what might happen, which is so unnerving but exciting at the same time.

Luckily for me, I am a firm believer in predestination which saves me from the dreaded 'what if?' But sometimes it is interesting to think about what could have been, if you'd said yes instead of no, and so on.

P.s. The book (and film) One Day by David Nicholls, kind of explores this idea, which is why it's one of my favourites!

'I have a theory that every time you make an important choice, the part of you left behind, continues the other life you could have had' - Oranges are not the only fruit, Jeanette Winterson. (P.p.s. Not only is this a fantastic quote but isn't it an amazing concept for a book or film?!)

:) x

Fifteen of my favourite feelings

1. Crossing things off my to do list
2. My phone being fully charged
3. Getting into my pyjamas
4. Getting into bed
5. Taking off a full face of makeup after a long day
6. Finishing a TV series
7. Being so gripped by a book, you can't put it down
8. Looking out of the window in the morning and seeing that the sun is out
9. Hearing my 3 year old niece laugh uncontrollably
10. Submitting an assignment
11. Managing to get your eyeliner symmetrical on both eyes (pretty much impossible)
12. Eating a food that you've been craving for ages
13. Wearing a new piece of clothing and feeling amazing
14. Making other people laugh/smile
15. Laughing until my stomach hurts

 :) x

Always look on the bright side.

Recently, where I live the weather has perked up and the sun has decided to make an appearance.
Spring seems to finally be arriving after a winter that felt like it was never going to end!

After waking up and seeing the blue skies for a few days in a row, I realised how something as simple as the weather has the power to completely change my mood.

Seeing the sun shining, even if I'm indoors or at work immediately makes me smile as though my mind and body want to mimic the brightness of the sunshine! (Almost like pathetic fallacy for all my fellow English students/graduates).

What changes your mood for the better?

:) x

Battling for balance.

Recently, I've been feeling as though there just aren't enough hours in the day to sleep, study, work, eat, read, write, blog, stay up to date with current affairs, stay in touch with friends and family, and finally, relax.

My life at the moment seems to be a constant battle between fitting all of the above into a single 24 hours. 

Is it even possible?!

'Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.' - Thomas Merton

^ And that is what I seem to be lacking.

Condemnation.

To the numerous amounts of people on social media asking where the Muslims are when it comes to condemning the Charlie Hebdo massacre,

Of course I am disgusted and horrified by the atrocity in Paris. And yes, I condemn the horrific actions of those people. But not because of the fact that I'm a Muslim, but because I think we should all condemn this kind of violence. 

Regardless of faith.

Condemning because of my religion, would be to admit that these individuals acted in the name of my religion.

My Islam that teaches me to pray 5 times a day.

My Islam that teaches me to respect my parents.

My Islam that teaches me to give a percentage of my wealth to charity every year.

My Islam that teaches me peace, love, and compassion. 

#Notinmyname

Syria to Sydney.. Peshawar to Paris.

For days I've been reading around what's happened in Paris, trying to wrap my head around what's gone on, and trying to think of how to respond. 

Unfortunately, this seems to be becoming a common occurrence. From seeing and hearing about the terrible news in Syria, Pakistan, Australia and now Paris, the words 'Muslim extremists' seem to have been heard so often, that they've become almost arbitrary. 

Now in terms of Charlie Hebdo in particular, I want to start by saying I am ALL for freedom of expression. When you start limiting what can and can't be said, you're going down a very slippery slope! 

However, when some people in France are stopped from wearing what they want to (i.e. the hijab and/or the veil) then does freedom of expression no longer matter? Is it exclusive to certain groups? If so, how is that fair? 

Secondly, once again, the media coverage between these sorts of events is unbelievably disproportionate. It seems that they don't even attempt to be discreet or covert in their attitude that some lives (western lives in particular), are more valuable than others.

Penultimately, what baffles me each time these sorts of events occur, is why hardly anyone seems to be interested in uncovering why these keep re-occurring. 

I don't claim to have the answers, but if we pulled together and stopped creating situations in which terrorism thrives, maybe these events would become few and far between as opposed to increasingly frequent.

Finally, to those spreading hatred. And I mean on both sides, those who are approving of the Charlie Hedbo attack, and those who got the 'Kill all Muslims' Hashtag trending, you are part of the problem. When in fact we should be striving towards a solution.

14 things I know as of 2014

1. Almost everything tastes better with Nutella (Excuse the unintentional rhyme)
2. All relationships require effort from both sides
3. There are certain things that we have no control over
4. Happiness is an emotion that fluctuates. Not a permanent state of being
5. Being alone and being lonely are two completely different things
6. Change isn't necessarily a bad thing
7. Success and achievement take time, hard work, and dedication
8. Plans are subject to change, nothing is set in stone
9. Chocolate has the ability to fix almost everything
10. Faith can keep you going even when you're at breaking point
11. Where you are born determines the quality of your life
12. Although I love reading fiction, I can't write it to save my life
13. You can control/change who you associate and surround yourself with
14. Optimism shouldn't be mistaken for naivety 

:) x