NEW YEAR NEW STRUGGLE

First I'd like to apologize for the lack of posts these last two weeks. I've been so busy with an exam on the 24th which went well and a few other urgent matters that just had to be taken care of before the end of this year. But now I'm hoping to have a reasonable schedule that won't require me to wake up at 5 in the morning and go bed at midnight. Outfit posts for the past two weeks will be up next week.

Now 2012 is here with us!! I'm so excited for this year. I haven't quite thought about what goals I want to set up for myself but I will have it all done by the end of today. I've decided not to call them resolutions because making a big change in my life cannot happen automatically. I have to set goals over a short period throughout the year so that by this time next year I will have achieved much more. Also I cannot expect a whole new me on 01/01/2012 at 0001h. Hence the title of this post, new year, new struggle instead of new year, new me.

There are many things that happened this year that I would like to forget completely, and believe me when I say that I have become quite good at suppressing bad memories. But looking back at where I was this time last year and how the year began and proceeded, I cannot complain as I sit here now sipping a soda and eating Katha Meetha. I am not going to make a list of everything that went wrong but instead I’m going to focus on all the positive things that have happened to me.

For starters, I met someone who turned out to be a dose of reality and positive energy in my life. Even though we are perpetually fighting, without him I don’t know where I would be. Thank you, baby. He showed me that there is no problem on this earth that cannot be solved. I have learnt how to be patient, to go through the process of achieving my goals even when they seem to be taking more time than I would want. I have learnt to love and to allow others to love me back. I have learnt to be independent and be my own self, to manage my own affairs and not depend on others to do them for me.

I am happy to have started this blog, one more step towards figuring what my love for fashion could mean.

And to crown it all I bought and read Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. I recommend this book to everyone!! Pursue your destiny!!! I’ll feature a post on my thoughts on it next week. This book was the perfect way to complete 2011 and to begin 2012.

So next year, 2012, is going to be filled with wonderful things. I’m going to continue this positive outlook no matter what the situation is. I am grateful for my family, my friends and to all the people who I met and have influenced me in one way or another.

What are some of the things you've managed to accomplish and where do you want to struggle in the new year?

A labour of love: Long days, bee stings and a global premiere

“Amkeni” roughly translates to “Rise Up” in Kiswahili. This is the call of Chambuko Amkeni, a community-led conservation group involved in mangrove restoration and protection. In 2025, I had the honour of working with them to document their journey on women’s leadership in coastal and marine conservation, climate change adaptation and the blue economy, for a collaboration between Mission inclusion and the BBC StoryWorks' for the Living Legacy Series . This was my first time working on a project of this magnitude not to mention one that would have a global audience. To say this has been one of the highlights of the last two years is an understatement. Just thinking about it, my heart swells with pride. I feel like a mother watching her baby grow and come of age (please don't tell my daughter this!). With members of the Chambuko Amkeni Group Leading the production of Amkeni with my amazing colleagues was a true labour of love. A vision come to life thanks to the support o...

Rediscovering myself

A few blog posts ago I alluded to struggles I'd been facing for a few years now. I said that I would address these issues here soon but honestly, I didn't know when would be a good time. So I thought that today is as good a day as any. Last year I was diagnosed with trauma. It had been years in the making, a result of an emotionally abusive relationship and years of challenging events with seemingly no respite in sight. Although I had eventually gotten out of the relationship, I had unconsciously allowed this person's opinions of me become so ingrained in me that I had lost all knowledge of my former self. I lacked self-confidence. I blamed myself for many things that had happened in my life. I was perpetually sad and struggled to find even the smallest things to smile about. I had no motivation to do even those things that I loved. I would take photos and see my smiling face but deep down I knew that was just a front. I was broken, a shell of my former self. Now I'm no...

Blogging Challenge Day 13 | 5 Ways I Learned To Be Happy (No Matter The Circumstances)

Like everybody else, I began this year on a very positive note. I hoped for a better year than I had had in 2017. I had a plan that I laid out and I was determined to accomplish a lot of what was on my 2018 list. I once heard someone say that sometimes you plan and it doesn't work out not because you haven't put in enough effort but because God has other plans for you. So the first three months of 2018 were completely upside down for me. Everything seemed to be going wrong. I won't lie to you and tell you that I carried on happy in spite of everything that wasn't working. I struggled to smile, to wake up in the morning, to face my day, to be around people. However, I was determined to find lasting happiness. I wanted to find a way that would ensure that I remained happy even when life seemed to be going against me. I did my research and tried out a few things and found the 5 ways listed below that I have now been putting into practice for the last four or so month...

Grounded Narratives

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