10 Things I've Come to Terms With

There are a lot of things in life you'll face in every part of your life. You'll feel out of place in a crowd, you'll have a bad day at work, you'll have to accept certain shows being knocked off the air, and your favorite products being discontinued.

Here are 10 things I've come to terms with:

I am not going to graduate college in 4 years. 
The reason being is because I am double majoring in Computer Science and Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and minoring in Economics. With these heavily weighted subjects and the fact I'm taking 6 classes every semester is why I've come to terms with it taking me longer to graduate.

Pumpkin flavored Iced Coffee is only served in the Fall.
Why Dunkin' Donuts must you take away the only thing that makes me happy?! But, I've come to terms with it, I swear. (Okay, maybe not completely...)

They cancelled that show Jane by Design on ABC Family.
I know it happened 2 years ago, but I've finally gotten over it.

I lost one of my favorite zebra print socks, but I still have the other to remind me it's gone.

Miley Cyrus was once my role model. NEVER AGAIN.

My most comfortable white capris no longer fit my waist. 
I'm not going to lie, I still keep it in my closet in case I ever become a size 0 again. EVER.

Public Transportation.
It sucks and everyone deals with it.

Paying for business services.
I've been running my Fragrance business for 3 years, but refused to pay money to business services such as storefronts, email marketing, and a business phone line because I did not make enough money to be able to afford it, but I've established a balance and am willing to pay for services that I have no experience in so I could do what I do best.

Going to work early and coming home late so I can have Fridays off.
This will pay off in the end, right?

Not eating Frozen Yogurt every day.
It's been my summer tradition since 2013 to have Frozen Yogurt on every summer day - rain or shine. Not anymore. Too much sugar = so not fitting into those white capris.

7 Things You Probably Didn't Know...

I am usually not one to link-up to blogger prompts created and shared by other bloggers. Sometimes I feel as if my answers/response to the prompts aren't as interesting as the others or if I may be repeating something another blogger has said which is usually the case if the prompt isn't personal. But, this time I discovered an interesting prompt two of my favorite bloggers linked up to so I quickly joined the party.

So here are 7 things you probably did not know about me.

- I have a weird dislike towards eggs. I love omelets and I love little pieces of egg whites in my vegetable fried rice, but I absolutely hate eggs boiled, scrambled or sunny-side up.

- I often get told that I talk too much and too loudly in person, but in my high school marching band I was known as a quiet band member who was switched from playing the trumpet (a loud brass instrument) to a euphonium (a low brass instrument) because my voice didn't project. Strange? Maybe.

- I worry far more than I should about how I am perceived by others. (I hope I am not the only one.)

- If you ask me if like country music, I would say "Heck, no! I'm more of an alternative/indie rock type of person!" and act slightly offended. The truth is, some songs that fall into the country genre happen to be some of my favorites. One I love listening to on repeat currently is "What I Love About You" by Logan Mize.

- No matter what happens on any given day, you'll find me smiling anyway. It's not a staged smile, I'm always exuding positive energy.

- My best friend's name is a secret, but it will be relieved soon and I cannot wait to share that all with you. (HINT: I'm not sure you're prepared for this).

- I hate the phrase "I'm busy" and I try not to use it at all. Everyone seems to use it as an empty excuse and even though I have been guilty of using it as well, it's not a good excuse and shouldn't be used as one. I get it. No one has time to commit to yet another obligation, but has hours on hand to post photos on Instagram and tweet nonsense.

I hope you learned more about me!

Is there something about you I probably didn't know? Leave me a comment! I'd love to learn more about you!

This Summer I Will...

After my high school graduation, this will be the first summer that I am free to do as I please. Throughout high school, every summer was dedicated to Marching Band and last year it was both Marching Band and my first work experience/internship. This summer all of this ends so I made a list of some things I would like to accomplish this summer and before I go start college in the Fall.

This Summer I Will...

• Officially launch my website design business (A name and more information will be released soon!)
• Hopefully finish my novel (or come pretty close to finishing), Within the Bindings
• Really get down to business with Fragrance Essence and take it to the next level
• Catch up on writing journal entries from 12' (I am pretty far behind, aren't I?)
• Create my first Windows App for Fragrance Essence 
• NETWORK! NETWORK! and well, just make new friends. 
• Go on an adventure with my family!
• Start driving on my own
•  Attend my first conference
• Take a trip to NYC on my own!
• Spend a day with my best friend doing something out of the ordinary (go bowling, laser tag; etc)
• Get back to freelance writing
• Start focusing on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript Coding
• Develop my own portfolio website!
• Spend lots of time with my family! 
• Buy lots of maxi dresses!

As you can see this summer will be focused on my businesses, my professional career, and my family! What will you do this summer?

Being Friendly VS. Being a Friend

A recent Instagram Photo. Follow me on Instagram: @ZobiaAlvi

If you know me in person, you might think I am reserved. If you read my blog or get to know me beyond the "need-to-know" basis you'll realize I'm not so reserved after all. You'd also know that although I play nice in person, I don't have too many friends.

If I blog about my friends, I usually talk about my best friend (who is my only true friend) or my "so-called" friends who really aren't so true to me at the end of the day.

On a daily basis, I am pretty much a friendly person. I'll converse with you, share insights, help you out as well as I can, and try to please you in any way I see fit. You can come to me with one problem, a million problems, or just say hello and I won't push you away. Trust me, I like knowing I could be useful to someone by just being an ear to listen.

And if nothing else, I like talking to people. Sometimes people actually have something interesting to say.

Being a friend means sharing the mutual feeling of comfort, trust, and loyalty.

Being friendly is a means that could lead to being a friend, but simply doesn't cut it to the edge.

I have always been friendly, not often that I become a friend.

Are you always being friendly or being a friend?

Accepting That Life is Not Perfect...

One of the hardest thing a perfectionist comes to learn is that life is just not perfect no matter how hard one tries to make it so.

Being a perfectionist, I've come to the conclusion that life will not be perfect, but I have found a loop hole.

All these imperfections that get in my way on a daily basis do not have to be looked upon as negative drawbacks.

So what if I miss a deadline? Who cares if my "so-called" friends decide to cancel on our plans last minute, for the tenth time? Or that I stayed up so late that my eyes are too swollen to put my contacts on the next morning?

It happens.

These little everyday imperfections shouldn't take me aback on my strive to be perfect. They should be given more credit.

If I look at it this way then life is perfectly imperfect...and that is how I accepted that life is not perfect. ;)

Letting Things Go...

Recently, while speaking to a few people that I confined in, I realized a lot of what I do (owning a business, writing a novel, and blogging) has several aspects that I have no control over. Of course, I run my business my way, write what I want to write, and make my blog as personal possible. But, I have no control over how long it will take until my business becomes successful, how many people would actually read my novel, and how long it will take for my blog to become known.

One of the hardest things to do in life is accept that not everything is in your control. As the insanely insane borderline workaholic I am, accepting this is like paying $100 for a new pair of shoes and having no idea what they look like or what size they are. What kind of madness would that be?!

That madness is the real deal when it comes owning a business, writing a blog, writing a book, and any project that requires numerous amounts of effort from you, but also a really long unnecessary period of waiting for what you don't have control over.

It isn't easy having big dreams and goals and working your hardest to achieve them only to have to wait for the next step, but everything takes time.

One quote that really stood out to me about this topic is the following "I will hold myself to a standard of GRACE, not perfection." -Emily Ley

Last words: "Perfection is patience combined with tolerance." -Wise words from yours truly.

A Valentine's Day Post

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays next to New Year's. Every year I aim to make both of these holidays special for my loved ones. However, in a way I always sort of expect something alike from those who love me...especially on Valentine's Day. I hope that doesn't sound like I am complaining because I am not. I am just a tad bit disheartened on the subject knowing that nothing even a tad bit special ever happens on these specific holidays.

This year, was a bit different. Valentine's Day fell in the middle of a five day weekend off from school (plus, work for me) and everyone was recovering from the snow storm that happened the day before. My family decided to spend the day buying furniture for my bed room and then grocery shopping which was perfectly fine. All we saw were couples and people buying flowers, chocolates, and giant teddy bears-it was enough to fill my heart with a little glee.

As far as Valentine's Day gifts go, my best friend bought me a little Valentine Wiener Dog and I named him Wendell. It was a really sweet gesture!

Hope your Valentine's Day was great! I'd love to hear how your day went! 

I LOVE My Nokia Lumia 1020!

Last weekend on Saturday, January 18, 2014. I said goodbye to my old iPhone 4 and made a new home for the phone that has been on my wishlist for months! I finally bought the Nokia Lumia 1020! 

 

Here are my favorite key features on this Windows 8 Phone so far:

Camera

41 mega-pixels and incredible high-definition zoom. Awesome!

Camera Apps 

I can create animated photos, shoot high-definition videos, create panoramas, and edit my photos while I am taking the photos so I can get the best shot, every time!

Uncluttered

Another one of my favorite features on this phone is the fact that it is easy to organize. I can organize all my photos and contacts the way I want to without having the iPhone forcing me to create separate albums and still store all my photos on my camera roll.

Oodles of Space

32 GB of Storage. Take that 16 GB iPhone 4!

Total Personalization 

I love being able to create the start menu the way I want to. I also love how easy it is to do so. The iPhone 4 made it impossible to save your contacts on your home screen or hide your apps. With this phone, I have no limits.

Better Blog Photos

I am now saying goodbye to my average to decent iPhone photos on my blog and finally moving on to good and great! 

I have so much more tech specifics to discuss, but I will save that for my technology blog. Read the detailed review of the Nokia Lumia 1020 on It's Technologic. 

A little list...

A silly picture of my little munchkin & I. 

Eating// Lots of grilled chicken, especially in sandwiches & wraps.
Drinking// Hot chocolate and chai tea lattes. I've held off on coffee for a short time and these substitutes are perfect for the upcoming winter!
Believing// As I wait on for college acceptance letters, I keep believing the school of dreams is only a good college essay away! 
Dreaming of// A peaceful day without any tasks to complete, just me, my hot chocolate, and my little sister watching movies.
Anticipating// Fixing up my business, Fragrance Essence. A new site design is on it's way!
Wearing// My new favorite pair of boots and rose earrings. 
Achieving// Getting accepted into the college of my dreams. 
Watching// Do you think I'm going to miss season nine of How I Met Your Mother?!
Enjoying// The fact that I now have iPhone 4 screen fixed. 
Hiding// I don't hide things, or do I?
Feeling// Cozy in my blanket and turtle neck sweater as I type up this post. 
Making// Chocolate Chips cookies for dessert tonight.
Reading// I was reading a non-fiction novel for school, but I'm not a fan of the novel. It isn't worth mentioning really. 
Purchasing// Hopefully, new clothes and Christmas presents.  
Loving// My family and my best friend. 
Planning// To redevelop Fragrance Essence's business plan, get more exposure for my design company, and launch my book's ebook version. 
Obsessing over// Gyros from a bistro near my place of work. They were delicious! 
Adventuring// Black Friday sales could be an adventure. Couldn't they?
Working on// My novel, my fragrance shop, my design company, and of course blogging more personally. 

Check out Freya's list! 

When You Only Have 100 Years to Live

Ever hear that catchy song called "100 years" by Five for Fighting? If the title doesn't sound familiar, you probably heard it and had no idea what it was called. This song is in several 90s movies and I'm sure you've all heard it at least once.

This exact song has been playing in my head every day for the past week. I have been unsuccessful at time management since I was born. I work slowly, but efficiently. I take my time, wander around in my own thoughts for a while, and then get back on task.

Thing is, all these things that I have been doing (school work, work from work, blogging, businesses, novel writing, school activities/clubs) take up so much of my time that if I procrastinate I wind up sleeping at 2 AM on a school night, waking up at 6 AM, and hating myself for the amount of tiredness I feel the whole entire day.

Strangely, just last year this routine was normal and the most efficient for me. I had realized I think more creatively and more efficiently when I am tired and it's late at night.

This year, that is not the case.

I have grown tired of this tiring routine. I no longer have as much energy as I used to. I realize I am still pretty young and this type of tiredness can only happen when someone is bad at time management and  that's me-Ms. I'll get things done even if it kills me.

Today I stopped and really thought about it. You only have a few decades to live and if you think of it that way, it's pretty scary. If you thought life was too short everyday, you would quit your job, leave school to become a freelance writer, spend the rest of your life traveling the world, and making a name for yourself one philosophical piece of advice at a time.

Then you realize you can't do any of that unless you have a job, money, and an education so you learn to manage time and make time to live out your 100+ years the way you want to.

I only have 100 years to live and the time to fix my time management issue is today.

Everything Has Meaning...A Reflection

As each day goes by, I don't have time to reflect on myself. I'm usually the girl caught journaling in public, trying to schedule and plan out everything, and trying to reflect on myself as I go along, but frankly I can't remember the last time I really sat down and thought about it all (you know...all of life).

Yet for some reason, tonight my best friend fell asleep while talking to me and my whole family shut their lights off at 11pm. It was all quiet. No one had the sense of urgency to talk to me, no had anything they wanted to spend time with me before bed, and it wasn't even a tiring day. But, I am not complaining, I thought I could use this peaceful serenity.

That's until I logged onto my best friend's Netflix account and finished up watching season eight of "How I Met Your Mother" and as I just nearly finished- I realized everything has meaning. I was not craving to see how Barney and Robin end up where they do in season nine, I was not trying to fill up my little young heart with the adventures of the married couple, Lilly and Marshall, but instead I wanted to feel like the main character Ted.

I wanted to feel hopeful, I wanted to feel as if I still had something to reflect upon, and as if I still had a story to tell. That is why I have been so obsessed with this show. I just wanted to think and even feel what my own story is and if this show let's me explore even just the tinciest part of it while I am going about my usual days, then yes I might even buy all nine seasons on DVD.

No, I am not trying to praise the show for what I think it is. I am just amazed that although I have not been able to reflect upon things the way I am used to, subconciously I decided to find different meanings in this show as a form of reflecting.

Heck, isn't that why we watch American television? Because it tricks us into thinking we need entertainment when really we either need to reflect, find meaning within ourselves, or fill in a small missing void we might not even know exists.

So when those days arive when you just want to watch a movie or catch up on a TV show while you're alone and there's nothing else to do, do nothing, but take the opportunity.

Scrapbooking with my Little Sister

Lately, I have been seeing some really great scrapbooking and project life ideas. Although, I love making digital photobooks on Shutterfly and Snapfish then simply just ordering them, there is a big sentimental difference when creating them by hand.

So when my little sister decided to pull out her small scrapbooking kit, I decided to help her put it together.


Isn't our little scrapbook adorable? If any of you have scrapbooked before or have started your own project life binders, please do share! I'd love to hear some tips!

The Snail Mail Collective: Meet Emily!

Last month I participated in an online event known as "The Snail Mail Collective". This event is hosted by Melyssa from The Nectar Collective and Chelsea from Lost in Travels. Basically, you sign up, get paired up with a partner, get to know each other through e-mail, and then after two weeks you send the person a small package and that person sends you one as well.

I was paired up with a lovely girl named Emily Collins. Emily is from the west while I reside here in the east. It was pretty strange to see how much we had common and knowing that we live so many miles apart. We're both the same age, both looking for colleges, and beginning to discover all our talents. I also found out that we both love watching "How I Met Your Mother" and find each other's interests very fascinating! Emily wants to be a journalist one day for magazines such as the National Geographic and I think that is so awesome!



Emily sent me a notebook, a multi-colored pen, and a handmade greeting card! I was so excited to receive her package and I loved how she personalized a card just for me! She also left me a note on the first page of the pretty patterned notebook! I now carry around this notebook everywhere and jot down notes and ideas I have on my projects. :)



The Snail Mail Collective was a great experience and I hope to do it again sometime! Beyond that, I made a new friend! We'll still e-mail each other even though the collective is over we'll still keep contact. Emily does not have a blog yet, but will soon and then we'll be blog buddies!

What I'm Into Now...

Everyone has phases and times in their lives where they are attracted to certain hobbies, movies, shows, music, people, food, books and of course style. This year I have been all over the place. I've gone from watching "How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days" a hundred times to watching marathons of a show about a detective called "Monk". Last year I  refused to wear colorful jeans, but this year I bought my first pair of mint colored skinny jeans. Last year, I hated days where I was forced to wear my eye glasses instead of my contacts, but now I'm glad that sometimes I'm able to go back to the old me.

"Time does not change us. It just unfolds us."
- Max Frisch 

We have different views of things from time to time. Some things that I have claimed to always hate somehow made it to my favorites list and certain things that I have always claimed to love, I no longer do. 

These little things we love at a certain time in our life actually make a difference. These things define who we are. No matter what definition that may be at the time. 

Here's a list of things that define me at the moment- things that I'm into now.

Frozen Yogurt - For some reason I just can't seem to have enough of it. I have tried almost every flavor at my local frozen yogurt place. I've had about fourteen ounces of Mango & Coconut yogurt with chocolate turtles, nerds, white chocolate, and sprinkles every day all summer. Probably not very healthy, but oh well the summer is almost over.

How I Met Your Mother - A couple years ago, I was stuck on watching every episode of Friends. I would stay up all night trying to find out if Ross & Rachel ever ended up together. (Spoiler Alert) They did. This show is basically my new "Friends", but much more modern and funnier. HIMYM is the perfect combination between heart-warming life experiences, hilarious moments with your friends, and how destiny and the people we meet in life are significant in our lives. Barney Stinson played by Neil Patrick Harris (also known as my favorite gay person) is my favorite character. A guy who always wears a suit, has a blog, and is completely awesome (HIMYM joke). Plus, the new season starts in September and I cannot wait! This will be the first sitcom I'll actually see end.

My Polka-Dot Wedges - Shoes are very important to style any outfit. Seriously. I do not joke about shoes. This particular pair of wedges has been perfect for me this summer. I could wear them with jeans, capri(s), tights, skirts, and dresses. They are extremely comfortable too!

My Awesome New (unbranded) Headphones - Okay so they aren't THAT awesome. My new headphones have no brand, but I am really glad I decided to bid on them on eBay. Who knew generic headphones would work so well? I have had several music phases growing up.When I was twelve I thought Britney Spears was the best singer in the world (of course I had no idea what her songs meant back then). When I was fourteen, I decided I was going to be a rocker chick and started listening to alternative rock bands such as All Time Low, 3 Doors Down, and others I can't remember. I wasn't ALL THAT of a fan, however, I still do listen to an alternative rock band named SafetySuit whose new song "Never Stop" is my ringtone. Then I just stopped listening to music for a while. It became pointless to me. That's until I bought these headphones. Something about them makes me want to wear it all the time even if I am not listening to anything.

My New Short Layered Haircut - I was feeling a bit rebellious a couple weeks ago so I chopped my hair in half. Actually, my hair stylist did and cut it up pretty nicely. I was glad I finally made a change. My hair has always been so long and dull. It's perfect now. I want to keep it this way for a while.

As of right now, these are the five things I'm into now. I wonder what everyone else is into right now. 
xoxo,

Show Me Some Positivity

 

Everyone gets tired and overwhelmed sometimes. It's only because we're human and no matter how much we love to do our jobs or be busy for own sake, we all need some sort of a break. 

Whether it's a break from your daily routine, people you have to deal with everyday, or all the things cluttering up your to-do list that you are told you have to do (all the things I'm tired of)...a break is very well needed.

I took this photo via Instagram yesterday and even captioned it "Perhaps smiling for an Instagram photo will help make feel a bit better and even brighten your day too!"

I actually try to smile through everything and I'm rarely ever not smiling. I try to keep things positive. 

I understand we all have stuff to do deal with, but what makes your problems bigger than mine? And what right do I have to say that I have more problems than you? How can one measure another's life with their own? 

My point is, we all should try to be positive no matter how tired we must be with the battles we face in life. It keeps others around us happy. It makes your life easier as well as others and well being positive is a good thing. We need more positivity in the world we live in.

xoxo,

The ABC's of Thankfulness

Picture belongs to rightful owner. Buy this print on Obaz.com.

I have always been an optimistic person, but like most people I seem to lose my way sometimes. After coming across a post on Simply Clarke about 26 alphabetical things to be thankful for, I decided to write my own post with 26 I'm thankful for.

A

Abby. My little sister who always tries to bring out the little kid in me. 

B

Best Friend. My best friend is someone I am very thankful for. This person always patientily supports and encourages me to be the best person I can be.

C 

Coffee. Iced Coffee to be exact. It helps me calm down and keep my sanity almost everyday. 

D

My Dad. Of course I would be thankful for my Dad, he's a wonderful human being that I look up to every single day. 

E 

Electronics. I use at least one gadget each day and I wouldn't be able to function if I didn't.

F

Failures. Without things that I have failed to do in the past, I would never be able to move on to bigger and better things. I keep all my failures in my back pocket in case I need a laugh. ;)

G

Google. Thanks to Google, I learned stuff about the world of technology and the world itself without even knowing what I was supposed to be looking for. 

H

Home is where the heart is.

I 

Inspiration. There are many different things that inspire me to do what I do and if I didn't have that, I would have no sense of direction.

J

Jell-o. Who doesn't love some Jell-o?

K

Kite. As in the novel, "The Kite Runner" which is one of my favorites.

L

Love. It surrounds us everyday, in different forms and different people.

M  

My Mommy. She taught me the difference between right and wrong. She taught me how to be strong.

N

Nail Polish. A different color/style for every mood I'm in.

O

Omelets. I really don't like eating eggs, but an Omelet I will definitely have.

P

Pizza, Pancakes, and Pens. Who doesn't love Pizza? How can you go wrong with Pancakes? And a Pen is simply essential for me to carry around in case I have an outburst of ideas.

Q

Quick stops at a food fuel on a busy highway while being on a road trip. The food is more expensive and there's too many people, but it never fails to be part of a funny road trip story!

R

Restaurants. Dining out is always fun!

S

Subway Sandwiches and Shoes! I like shoes and I like Subway. That's all.

T 

Tabi. My younger sister that I hope to guide with my wisdom although I know it's her wisdom that inspires me instead.

U 

Ups that are longed for after those really downing moments. You can't get back up, unless you've been down.

V

Vacations. We all just need one every now or then.

W

Wendy's. There's no other fast food place I'd prefer more.

X

X-Tra whip cream on my Iced Coffee, please.

Y 

Yoohoo! Yes, the chocolate milk drink. 

Z

Zobia. My name is just well...the best. ;)

Thanks for reading! What are some things that you're thankful for? 

xoxo,

My Favorite Black & White Photos!

I have always liked taking black and white photos. Black and White photos usually are considered classy and so I hope this little post of my favorite black and white photos added a little more class to your day!

(From Top Left)

1. Being a Business Teacher for day! 
2. One of those, "I need a new profile picture" photos.
3. Just adding another smile to my Instagram account.
4. How about a second smile for Instagram as well?!   

xoxo,

Lost & Broken

     This morning I lost a small key chain that I received from a friend who recently traveled to Europe, I didn't think I needed it because I had many other key chains tied to my keys so I saved it. Trying to find it this morning, I realized I had no idea where I had placed it. Usually, my key chains are all saved together in one place, but this one wasn't. It's no big deal, of course not -it's just a little key chain, but for some reason it really gets to me every time I lose or break something of mine. 

    I searched for it all morning, going through my stuff and almost all my handbags and still I could not find it. I stopped searching after I thought how crazy it is of me to make such a big deal out of losing something so small. Then, I started thinking, am I actually this materialistic?

    Thinking about the significance of losing little trinkets and stuff we usually just put aside, perhaps I'm not so crazy. This little thing reminded me of how life seems to be. One day you lose or break something that you thought you would always have, but it never comes back. I bet everyone has a little thing they lost and wished they could one day find again, but forgot about it as days went by.

     I am not crazy (I'm not exactly normal, but that's another story), I came across a theory that relates to my own personality and explains how us humans can relate the little actions we take to the way we deal with the big things in life.

xoxo,