Posts in Family & Personal

Hello, Hello Everybody! Remember Me?

Business, Tech & Workplace Family & Personal

I’ve been MIA for nearly a year, and it is all because of this major shift in my professional life. Before you all get too excited, the shift is merely a change of time zone but to me it was more like the ground shifted beneath my feet. Between balancing work and family time, personal projects, additional learning, and even my blog got pushed to the side. And I’ve no one to blame but myself.

I’d like to believe, it was a struggle adapting to a new sleep-cycle (which it was) but it was more of me being the lazy cow that my brother (aptly) calls me. I genuinely wanted to fight the urge to leave the couch but add a Kindle to the mix, and what you’ve is 1 Ifrah, and a dozen alibis against everything I stand for — productivity, productivity & productivity. And I promise you, FRIENDS or THE IT CROWD in the background aren’t accountable for my 6 months of ‘Moo-ing Weekends’.

It hasn’t been a complete loss, I completed quite a few home projects; discovered my first gray hair; freaked about my age for the first time in my life; said goodbye to a couple of toxic relationships; overcame 3 very suspicious viral infections; purchased a new phone (Thank God before the recent economy crisis); got rejected by a suitor who was planning to leave Facebook and move back to Pakistan because hired help is cheaper here); and purchased my-very-own Netflix. So, technically, I’ve not been a couch-potato – entirely. At the risk of over-using the term ‘Burnout’, which at the same time, I think isn’t said enough, I think I also reached a saturation point after 11 years in the workforce. Ideally, I would’ve wanted to take a break, take a family vacation but who has that kind of passive income?!

Having said that, there is but one domain that I feel terrible about ignoring this past year. And that is ‘Learning’. My personal growth with respect to my field has always been extremely important to me. I feel my skills in 2022 are just about the same as they were in 2021. Work thankfully has been good, well at least that’s what I’m assuming, given they added a whole new department to my unit. But what about learning a new language? Or learning a new Stack? Or simply indulge in a Feature, I’ve never shipped before. I’ve been too occupied in delivering what I know best that I’ve managed to overlook what I don’t. And that has been bothering me lately. But fret not folks, I’m here to overhaul this situation, and of course the first, logical step is to revamp my website (for no particular reason). What do you guys think? It still needs a couple of bug fixes, and every website design I pick looks about the same but I love it. Furthermore, I’m going to enroll in a certification course to get myself out of this rut (for crying out loud, stupid SEO, stop with the red emoji, I don’t need sub-heading distribution in a personal rant, and I’ve no intentions of improving my SEO score).

Where was I. Ahhh, yes, getting out of a rut, and spending less time on my Kindle. Wait strike that. Getting out of a rut, and focusing on personal + professional development. So, here’s to a mid-year adjustment, saying yes to experiences, no to cold drinks and expanding my portfoilo. On that note, need a web solution, a mobile application or digital content? Hit me up. Maybe your project can motivate me to leave my reading couch — often.

Hope to see you on the other side of these terrible times and failing economy. Ciao!

Positivity Journal – Magic, Faith or Boohaki?

Family & Personal 2 Comments

I’ve come across a belief-system which dictates that if you continue to focus only on good things for 2 whole, weeks your brain re-shifts. This results in full-blown positivity which reflects in your decisions and day-to-day life. And if you happen to know me, you’d know the skeptic-me would be saying: Boohaki.

Nonetheless, I told myself, if I am trying out this whole, new perspective on my career why not do this as an experiment. Which will entitle me to advocate against it but with facts. All you need to do is write down 3 things/activities/experiences that brought you happiness that day. And in just 14 days, you will become a happier and a positive human being <insert eye-roll emoji here>. However, be mindful that a positivity journal is very different from a gratitude journal. The former creates a positive outlook while the latter teaches one compassion and appreciation.

I want to start this with January 14 as it just felt right to document my birthday. Here goes nothing:

  1. I had the best, birthday breakfast ever with my best friend.
  2. My girlfriend surprised me with the most thoughtful of experiences.
  3. My Mom had Ras Malai after years and savored every mouthful.

And that’s it, I’ll continue to document 2 weeks at the end of which I will share my findings with you all. Happy Weekend Everybody!

 

Isolation Diaries: Hello, Brave New World!

Books & Reading Business, Tech & Workplace Family & Personal People & More

Is it just me or did June fly by? Another month bites the dust as COVID-19 ravages through human civilization and we find ourselves between uncertainties upon uncertainties.

June was particularly difficult at home, June 17th meant Anas had been gone for 6 years. On the 18th, Areeb’s birthday as always was extremely awkward and soon it was Father’s Day!   

The precariousness of our times, leads to many wise and a few foolish decisions, for example, I decided not to buy more books up until I am absolutely sure of my finances. And then I decided to wax my underarms all by myself; I am sure you can filter the wise against the foolish on your own.

Work has been – well – when everything around is unprecedented, the one constant in my life has been my work and I am so grateful for it. Many of us continue to struggle with ends-meet and I feel privileged to be able to continue earning a living for the comfort of my home. Privilege – this word should hold new meaning in this ‘Brave, New World’ (thank you Aldous Huxley for that adequate term) for all of us.

For the last 4 to 6 weeks, there has been a constant inflow of information in regard to the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Although I come from a family where caste, creed and color does not decide how you are treated, sadly my culture dictates otherwise. 

I live in a country where daughters are weighed against the color of their skin and sons are measured against their monthly income. Structured Ignorance and Organized Racism prevails under the name of norm/tradition in Pakistan. And while Unilever – Fair & Lovely tried to address its brand name, Netflix shifted $100 million to Black-owned banks and the English Premier League printed ‘Black Lives Matter’ on players’ jerseys; our Mothers continue to hunt down the fairest maiden in the land. 

As businesses re-open across the country, my nation fails to pay heed to what the government and the WHO say. We can change democracies, ace Oxford/Harvard, beat England/Australia/South Africa/New Zealand at cricket, fight extremism, print 5.2 billion square meters worth of textiles but we cannot breathe through a mere 3 gram, non-woven polypropylene mask! When I see women in designer Lawn using iPhones at a Supermarket queue with no mask on, I feel compelled to stop and point. And I’ve done that on a handful of occasions but it still doesn’t seem to make an iota of difference.

Everyone is in a hurry to get back to the normal but what we fail to consider is that our negligence is only going to stretch this test further. I understand the economic downfall, I know we cannot stay at home any longer but would it hurt to wear a mask while doing groceries? Would it be the end of the world to let people pass through a narrow passageway and wait for your turn? Is it completely insane to maintain social distance in offices?

On bright side of things, Liverpool was crowned Champion(s) of England, I gave up on clean eating, organized my bookcases, watched all of Mahesh‘s movies, found a new favorite book and now TAX season is finally upon us, and as we say goodbye to a scorching June, we can only hope and pray that July brings what we call Herd Immunity.

I’d like to take this moment to acknowledge my privileges both in personal and professional capacities. And I vouch to continue to educate myself in and against Cultural, Economic Institutional, Sexual, Physical, Religious and Racial Discrimination in hopes that one day my daughter would not be required to send in her best-photograph for a match that is already made in heaven.

P.S. I broke my book-buying-ban of 3 months on June 18, 2020 but don’t worry, I donated 25 titles from my personal library and then bought only 5 new ones. But as Areeb says, “Sis, that justifies nothing…”. How is that my 22 year old, baby brother holds the sum of all that is true in the world today – nothing justifies, nothing! 

Isolation Diaries: PK8303 and Eid-ul-Fitr | Lockdown Day 64

Family & Personal People & More

Dear 2020,

Have you had enough already?

Amid a pandemic and global crisis, my nation is now bearing a national tragedy. And that too right before Eid-ul-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. We lost many precious lives and for some out there, it was a loss of a lifetime. Eid this year was different to begin with, many of our traditions were to be held at home, online and in quarantine.

In my household, it has not been the same for many years now. After I lost my father to Multiple Myeloma in 2012 and my brother, Anas to a bike accident in 2014, Eid is more about prayers and missing them even more. So for my family, it wasn’t of a big change anyway. We washed, put on clean clothing, offered prayers, and made Pa and Anas’ favorite repast. And honestly, we prefer the simplicity and the essentialism of Eid.

I’ve been reading, some nasty comments on social media, criticizing people who dressed up for Eid. As long as you stayed indoors and were not responsible for an unnecessary congregation, who cares! To each with its own, we are already at the mercy of an outbreak, and we must do everything in our hands (literally) to keep our overall well-being at best. If you stayed in your pajamas all day long and binged Ertuğrul, that’s okay and if you wore a pair of 6-inch stilettos and posed for that perfect sun-kissed selfie up on the roof-top, that’s perfectly fine as well. Be kind. It is very easy to pour out negativity hiding behind a handle/username and it is impossible to comprehend an individual’s personal life from the outside.

In fact, my baby brother and I spent the day, splashing around the inflatable pool all afternoon and that was okay too. Although I think that made us miss Anas a whole lot more. Not to mention, the Biryani spread, reminded us of Pa’s annual Eid Day Party for our extended family. So, yes, it wasn’t perfect but it was everything to be grateful for.

Its been 64 days of lockdown, Mom is itching to go outside for things that do not involve life-saving drugs and pantry items. Areeb cannot focus on his curriculum anymore and I am scared to think the world might have switched to remote for good. Do you think our work-life will never be centralized again? shudders

 

Isolation Diaries: 18-hour Shifts, Epilators & A New Favorite Book | Lockdown Day 41

Books & Reading Business, Tech & Workplace Family & Personal

Hello! Long time no see. It has been completely manic lately and I feel utterly blessed. Its been 7 weeks of lockdown and while on one hand, we are finally accepting the ‘new normal’, lack of funds and resources are driving people off the edge.

In the midst of these uncharted times, I feel blessed beyond measure that I have some kind of work to earn a part of my livelihood, I know its not the same with everyone. During a Pandemic, business owners and/or product owners wear multiple hats; earlier as my role as a supervisor, I now find myself splitting my day into 11 different functions across 18 work hours which is definitely challenging but also gives me the opportunity to learn new crafts. Turns out, I can build tech products and tabulate a P&L report as well!

When I am not lost among a bunch of metrics, invoicing and Kanban moves; I occupy my breaks with helping around the house. Now that we are home all the time, I decided to finally give my mother what she always wanted – a daughter who can do more than just boil the water. I try to prepare Iftari – Blessed Meal and take care of mopping and dishes. But it doesn’t help much with Mom taking it easy, she feels that tenacious need to do-over everything I just did. May be I am not doing it right or may be she is just being a Mother.

As I scrub down the floor, my baby brother often walks by and elucidates on how I am turning into a Gorilla thanks to all the extra ‘fuzz’ on my body. Two more weeks and I’ll be growing a beard. Years ago, my father was wonderful to get me a Braun Silk Epil that has continued to be my savior but once you go Wax, nothing else comes close! And as much as I hate to admit it, I miss my brow-lady and that familiar feeling of smooth, smooth underarms.

So work is erratic, TV is down, my Tech Lead wants “Flexible Hours”, vinyl gloves are running out, new books on Kindle are $10.99 a piece, Mom thinks I need to get married during Quarantine (as it would be easy to take a leave of absence from work *facepalm*), Areeb wants to have a BBQ party with his friends up on a rooftop which of course Mom forbids and I have absolutely no idea what to do about my growing love handles! All in all, we’ve air in our lungs, potatoes in the pantry and free movies on YouTube, couldn’t be more grateful.

And just when I thought my inability to concentrate on a book was spiralling out of control, I found a new favorite book! That’s right, imagine me advocating a book which is not ‘Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl’ or ‘Animal Farm’ or ‘Ghachar Ghochar‘ or the ‘Cormoran Strike Books‘; I fell completely in love with ‘A Gentleman in Moscow‘ by Amor Towles. This book is inspiring, smooth and sparkling filled with hope, perseverance, ingenuity and impeccable manners amid isolation. It felt like the most appropriate story for these testing times. I got my copy from Liberty Books and it is also available on Kindle, highly recommend it. And now back to our regular scheduled whining…

As Rachel said, “The nights are the hardest. But then the day comes and that’s every bit as hard as the night. And then the night comes again…”; I think that’s the one feeling that we all share right now, all it took was 1 pandemic to bring the human race together like never before. Everyday we wake-up, work, eat and sleep in the same surrounding and yet we are confronted with life’s greatest challenges – ranging from tackling the bills on the counter to deciding Saturday night’s movie/film pick.

If you are still reading my babble, I hope you are taking care of yourself and I pray that this ordeal will soon come to an end with nothing but the good and pure remaining.

 

Isolation Diaries: Tough Times, Tougher Decisions | Lockdown Day 12

Business, Tech & Workplace Family & Personal People & More

It has been close to 2 weeks to a lockdown in my province and things are not looking up. New cases surface every day, few people understand the meaning of social distancing and the rest can’t help but grapple with daily existence.

It has been difficult for both ends of the spectrum; tough decisions for employers and tougher realities for resources. I had to take a few unpleasant calls and come to terms with what I like to call “my career choices”. After all who needs a career in a recession right? (I’ve already stocked up on Potatoes and Condensed Milk). The very first step is to obviously tabulate savings against spending habits, followed by some serious but futile thought-process.

The good thing is my panic-attacks don’t dwell for long, I am able to quickly look away and engage in something productive like updating my resume, hunt for opportunities, watch Tutorials on Software Development or most likely open my blog and start writing.

Sweet lime juice, yoga, my TBR pile, YouTube tutorials and the fact that my baby brother and I watch cartoons every night at 07:30 PM continues to soothe my senses. If only reading made you money, am I right? I thought this would be my time to read everything that I had been putting off but turns out, when you are under constant trepidation of a draconian future, reading seems more like cheating on your responsibilities.

I’ve been utterly blessed with a family who is grateful of the fact that I am home, and my Mom constantly tells me to shut-down my laptop and instead read on the couch. But it doesn’t help with noggin and the constant thinking; the overthinking, never-ending planning and freaking out scenarios!

As soon as I am done posting this blog post, I am going to go down, fight over the remote with my baby brother, have a wholesome, home-cooked meal and then read into the afternoon but that constant “Where will the next paycheck come from” feeling doesn’t go away. Do you feel the same way? I am not really expecting an answer but just sending out my thoughts into the universe, is it the same for everyone out there?

No one knows when this pandemic will end and we cannot even begin to comprehand the lasting financial impact. We can only control what can be controlled, like discretionary spending, prioritize and do what’s best for our family. Right Pa?

Isolation Diaries: 3 Things I Will NOT be Doing Amid COVID-19 Pandemic | Lockdown Day 8

Family & Personal Movies & Entertainment People & More

Yes, its dark and daunting, yes we’ve all the time in the world and yes its all about mental well-being but here are 3 things that I refuse to indulge in, no matter what!

Join TikTok

No. Nopes. Nada. Never! I will not be joining the infamous, video-sharing social networking service unless ByteDance decides to donate billions worth of canned food or fund mass production of COVID-19 vaccine.

Binge Watch Netflix

I no longer harbour the patience and perseverance required to watch a complete TV show. Those 15 minute compilations of ‘Top Olicity Moments’ over atYouTube are enough to quench my thirst of angst!

Redecorate

I will not give in to a home renovation project – irrespective of what my mother thinks! Do not have the head-space or the money to do so. I will leave furnishings and ornaments to the expert influencers over at Instagram.

Let me impose the gravity of the situation on to you (my reader), we are NOT STUCK inside, we are choosing to save lives. And we can do just about anything to keep ourselves occupied, entertained and in good spirits. But that does not mean that you will see me in a lip-sync video anytime soon!

P.S.

Work from Home Day: 12
Lockdown Day: 08
Books Read during Isolation: 9
Books Read in March: 12
Recipes Tested: 04
Floors Mopped Day Count: 08
Exercise Day Count: 07
Old Movies: 04
New Movies: 02
Breakdowns: 04

 

 

 

 

Isolation Diaries: 16 Things I Am Grateful For | Lockdown Day 06

Books & Reading Family & Personal People & More

Yayyyy! It’s the weekend, as if I had an erratic work-week with no time for myself. In the midst of dark, dark times, I cannot help but feel blessed and grateful for basic necessities of life which we often take for granted. More often than not they seem “just because” or “obvious” but can mean the world to others.

Here are 16 things that I feel blessed and grateful for especially when my province in under a lockdown and there is no hope of a future paycheck.

Mom’s Health

My mom is a diabetic of 22 years and during these uncharted times to to see her hold-up is nothing short of paradise; SHUKARALLHUMDULILLAH. ✨

My Patio

We spend our evenings out on the terrace away from public and close to nature. 🌳

My TBR

At the beginning of the lockdown, I had 23 books on my “to be read” pile and under these circumstances, I couldn’t be more proud of my hoarding (with respect to books only). 📚

Parents’ Medicine Cabinet

Since I can remember we’ve had a fully-stocked medicine cabinet, a habit that has helped us multiple times during our isolation. 💊

Brother’s Spanner

My baby brother is studying to be a CA at the moment but just like Pa he has this natural inclination towards ‘fixing stuff’; during a lockdown his skills have come mighty handy especially when the water pump refused to start! 🔧

PTCL

I have been repeatedly told to chuck out PTCL Broadband and go for a private net provider but boy do I love them or what. Imagine not having internet connectivity; how else would I unleash my negativity onto the world? 📡

Savings

And not I am not referring to what I saved over the years. With pandemonium around us and no frequent visits to the bookstore, think about all the money I am saving during this lockdown. 🙈

Yoga

I have this tendency to gather weight on my cheeks and my yoga mat has been helping me to keep the mass at bay. ☯️

YouTube

And to all those beautiful souls who upload old, murder mysteries… 💻

Tomatoes

Undoubtedly the most versatile vegetable ever – after potatoes obviously. Did I mention I’ve perfected my Shakshuka? 🍅

Zero Maintenance

Bushy brows for the win! 👍

Vitamin D Supplements

If it wasn’t for Osnate-D, I would literally whiter away in my egregiously built room. 💀

To be Brown

Imagine all those young men and women who are isolated inside an empty flat/apartment right now; I am never going to complain about smothering parents. Ever! 👩‍👧‍👦

Babies

And how one big baby living next door is compelled to annoy me every 30 minutes without fail. 🐣

Techy Bae

Need I say more? 💋

Will I Start Sagging TODAY? 🆓

Isolation Diaries: Top Tips for Mental Health | Lockdown Day 04

Business, Tech & Workplace Family & Personal Movies & Entertainment People & More

All right, time to showcase a tiny bit of positivity, and believe me its not something that comes natural to me. Here are my top 3 tips to boost mood, build resilience, and improve your mental well-being when the world outside is changing dramatically.

Tip 1: Start your Day with Movement

I could not recommend this more; you know all that crap you read on the Internet about the benefits of exercise, and how when you exercise, your body releases chemicals called Endorphins which result in feeling happier – turns out its all true. Before those 30 minutes on my Yoga Mat, I see the future collapse right in my living room but soon after, I am ready to take the world head-on. Start with a 15-minute stretch and gradually find your groove with a bit of help from YouTube.

Tip 2:  No Social Media Past 09:00 PM

They say in today’s day and age the constant consumption of information can be overwhelming, well what do you know, they were right about this too! Honestly to let go of mindless scrolling down one’s Twitter feed or Insta stories is nearly impossible especially when you know very well there is nothing else to do. However I’ve personally experienced the difference in the way I approach isolation as well as my sleep patterns when I forbid myself from social media. I understand that in uncertain times you cannot completely forsake your phone but try to limit the use of social media throughout the day and disconnect before hitting the hay.

Tip 3: Do Something You’re are Good At

Dedicate a part of your day when you are not looking for jobs online and calculating your savings. Impossible, right? But take my word for it, do something that comes naturally to you, something that you know you cannot fail at; opt for doing something that you absolutely love and it will do wonders for your mental health. Indulging in an activity you’re good at, and achieving positive results boosts self-esteem and helps you focus better on the things that need your attention for the remainder of the day.

Start with may be one and slowly venture into the world of bliss! And feel free to share your tried and tested formula to a positive mind-set. Kudos!

 

 

Isolation Diaries: Lockdown Day 03 & My Daily Routine

Family & Personal People & More

“I am not going to talk about it…”

That seems to be the starting point for each and every content creator nowadays and ultimately ends up donating at least 3 minutes to it. But I chose to address it! And why wouldn’t I?

It changed the very shape of this planet, how can you NOT address it? But first as you all know I am a Type-A control freak so let us begin today with a quick, smart lesson:

First of all people – it’s not a “Coronavirus” pandemic!

Coronaviruses

are a family of viruses that range from the common cold to MERS coronavirus, which causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and SARS coronavirus causing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

What the world is fighting today is caused by a “Novel Coronavirus”, which brings me to my second point; the virus is called “SARS-COV-2” that causes the newly discovered, infectious disease we know as Coronavirus Disease 2019 or more commonly called as COVID-19.

Now that we are clear about the names, let’s “address” the situation at-hand or as my brother puts it: Its Pandemonium I tell you Sis, Pandemonium!

I am sitting here in my PJs on a Wednesday morning trying to explain to people what is COVID-19 and on the inside, I am screaming knowing very well that I might not be getting my next paycheck. These are uncharted times, nobody expected World War Z to actually happen, did they? Whether you talk about local businesses like Liberty Books or giant corporations like McDonald’s, doors are sealed-shut everywhere you turn. And of course it was need of the hour, the only way we can fight this pandemic is to stop the spread as much as humanly possible. #StayHomeSaveLives isn’t just another trending hashtag on Twitter, it’s our reality.

The path ahead is dark, dubious and daunting, practicing social distancing and keeping the bills on the side is the best we can do. It isn’t a solitary fight, it is a global combat and whether we like to admit it or not, we are in it – together.

We often find ourselves complaining over how quickly a weekend turns to a Monday morning and here I am freaking out on Lockdown Day 03 only. Just goes to show, we as humans cannot be contained and cannot be satisfied.

If you are reading my thoughts from the comfort of your home, trying to look on the positive side, I might not be helping you. Think about it, many of us have already lost our jobs while the rest are pondering on how to scale back operations, announce pay cuts or even lay off resources. A 120 nm virus changed the way the world works and will have changed buying habits of 7.8 billion inhabitants once this is all over.

Instead of mumbling into nothing, should I focus on how the air seems to be a little less polluted? How these dire circumstances have brought us closer together? Or should I be worried when my baby brother declared earlier today, “Sis, I am bored, I just want to blow-up the world and get it over with…”

You (yes, I mean you) are probably lying in bed, reading my anxiety-induced-piece and wondering why you ever clicked the given link but do you know what you just did my friend? You helped #PlankTheCurve / #FlattenTheCurve and we all are playing our part but is that enough? The pandemic will end but our lives will never be the same again. Right now this very moment, we’ve people trapped with an abusive partner or families with zero financial cushioning praying the virus would be far off better. And it horrifies me to my very core to think about the world soon after. We will all have to adapt to a new way of living and working, some of us will lose more than others and will result in intensely vulnerable conditions.

These and so many other questions leave me wondering through the night so what do we do about that. We try to stay calm (or in my case pretend in front of Mom that all is good), try to maintain a daily routine and prepare for a draconian future because for an indefinite period of time, this will be OUR NEW NORMAL.

In order to better grasp the circumstances, I’ve stuck to my daily routine and have made use of all the time we have been blessed with. Majority of us are either working-from-home or self-isolating or even under a lockdown and with uncertainty comes uninvited mental deterioration; implementing a daily routine is proven to help with our overall mental health and productivity. Daily routines can look particularly different from person to person, the end objective is however the same; here’s what my day looks like, feel free to share with someone who might be in search for some motivation.

My Typical Lockdown Day

Wake-up: 06:00 AM

Get Fresh & Make the Bed: 06:15 AM

Chug a Glass of Water: 06:20 AM

Open the Laptop & Put it on Charge: 06:30 AM

Yoga: 06:35 AM

Breakfast: 07:00 AM

Office Work + Personal Blog: 07:10 AM to 12:00 NOON

Chores: 12:00 Noon to 02:00 PM

Lunch Break: 02:00 PM to 03:00 PM

Check Emails & Wrap-up Work: 03:00 PM to 05:00 PM

Me Time (Mostly Spent Reading): 05:00 PM to 07:00 PM

Dinner: 07:30 PM to 08:30 PM

Telly Time with the Family: 07:00 PM to 09:00 PM.

Reading in Bed (And Attempt to Not Scroll through Twitter): 09:00 PM to 10:00 PM

Get Ready & Hit the Hay: 10:30 PM

Ahhh! Feels good to get it all out, doesn’t it?

Time to mop the floors; catch you later!