My most anticipated releases of 2024

So, I was watching the trailer of the second season of House of the Dragon and thought to myself, “Man, I can’t wait to watch this!” Then I was watching a trailer of live action Avatar: The Last Airbender and thought, “Man, I can’t wait to watch this too!” And so it went on for a few other trailers. My point is, there’s a lot of stuff coming out this year that I’m pretty stoked about, so I thought, why not make a list? Lists are good, they’re fun, right?

Anyway, here’s the list of my most anticipated releases of year 2024

House of the Dragon Season 2

Coming out of the high of Game of Thrones (despite the lackluster ending), House of the Dragon perfectly filled the void and quenched my thirst for more epic fantasy. An adaptation of the novel Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin, many were glad that the source material was complete so there won’t be any disasters like season 8 of GOT. And it delivered! I got so invested in these characters and their relationships. It was all beautifully executed.

I plan to do weekly reviews when the season 2 starts airing because there will be so much I would want to talk about. The war is on and I am all Team Black!

Avatar: The Last Airbender

This is the second live action adaption of the beloved animated series. Although we don’t talk about the first one because there is no such thing in Ba Sing Se. By the looks of it, however, I’m glad to see that the creators of this show have managed to stay faithful to the original TV show and might just deliver a good show. I think Netflix did well with shows like Wednesday and One Piece, so I think they should be good here as well.

Arcane Season 2

God, it has been over 2 years since Arcane season 1 came out. And season 2 is still almost a year away! I watched Arcane when it came out because of the hype around it and it was a very well-deserved hype. It is an excellent show and I’m hyped for season 2. I just hope it comes out sooner rather than later.

Dune: Part Two

Even though I used to be a Timothee Chalamet fan, but ever since he showed his ugly Zionist face, I cancelled him. Dune: Part One was an excellent movie, no thanks to him, and I will watch part two because of the awesome story and cinematography.

Joker: Folie à Deux

A sequel to Joker 2019, a musical starring Lady Gaga as Harley Quin. Cue me instantly hyped and excited.

The Penguin

A TV show set in the Batman 2022 universe starring Collin Ferrel as Penguin, with a mafia style story. Yeah, I’m intrigued.

So that’s my list. Share down your most anticipated releases down below. Thank you for reading. Allah Hafiz.

My favorite books of 2023

The year 2023 was pretty good for me as a reader. I had been going through a reading slump for a few years and this year, I finally got my old reading mojo back. I started the year by reading light, easy-to-read books; by the end, I was reading full-on fantasies! How cool is that?

Not all books I read in 2023 were good though. I read a total of 18 books (I know, I know, a small number) and I have found out that only 10 of them left a lasting impression.

So, let’s dive into my favorite books that I read in the year 2023.

The Green Bone Saga Trilogy by Fonda Lee

Starting with the best one first: The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee. It is a Godfather-style series of fantasy books in an Asian-inspired setting that spans decades of storytelling. I started Jade City a couple of years ago but kept dragging it. Thankfully, seeing how much Booktokers adored this series encouraged me to resume the book.

Once I resumed reading Jade City, it captivated me. By the end of book one, I was addicted. This series consumed my body and soul and I just could not put it down. I rarely give books 5 stars on Goodreads. And to have all three books get 5 stars for me has only happened once or twice before.

The best part of this series is the characters. They are all so unique and incredibly complex. They’re not good people. But they’re not evil either. They just live in a violent world and know how to play the game to survive.

Oh, and good luck trying to figure out who your favorite character is. God knows I couldn’t. Sometimes it was Shae, then Wen took over, then Hilo, then back to Shae and it just kept going round and round. So I guess they’re all my favorite.

These books are also very well-plotted. Many times throughout the series I found myself on the edge of my seat, terrified for these characters and extremely anxious about what was going to happen. It was nail-biting. It was thrilling. It was heartbreaking. It was PERFECT!

Yeah, I called this trilogy perfect. That’s how much I love it! Go read and decide for yourself.

The Sword of Kaigen by M. L. Wang

This is another Asian-inspired fantasy I read which I absolutely loved. The Sword of Kaigen is a story of a woman named Misaki who left a life of sword fighting and violence to raise a family. No one, not even her own husband knows about her past. Things happen and she finds herself picking up the sword again to protect the people she loves.

This book has elemental magic in it like Avatar: The Last Airbender, yet it is a very contained, very personal story. I wish this book gets an anime adaptation because reading it very much felt like I was watching an anime. Great book. Highly recommended.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

Divine Rivals is a story of two young rival journalists who start communicating over magical letters without knowing who the other person is. This is a very loose, very glossed-over summary of this book. It is best to go in blind. It is a beautifully written romance between two people who live in a world at war. I could not put this book down and by the end, I was in love. The next book “Ruthless Vows” is out now and you bet I will be reading that too

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King

This particular comic came to my attention after James Gunn declared it an inspiration for the Supergirl movie that will be coming out a few years from now. And I can see why he would want to turn this into a movie. This comic is a movie! It read like a script for an action-adventure movie with emotionally packed punches to the gut. The character of Supergirl was also brilliantly written. She was reckless at first but duty called, she was a fighter and an absolute badass. If you’re into reading comics, I highly recommend reading this story.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Ah, where do I begin with this book? The story begins a few hundred years into the past. There’s a girl. She’s being forced to marry an ugly old dude. She makes a deal with the “devil” to get her out of this. He does. But it comes at a terrible price. Centuries later, she is alone, invisible, until one guy remembers who she is.

This book has become extremely popular ever since it came out. Here’s your chance to jump on the bandwagon too because it really is an incredible book. Victoria Schwab is a well-established fantasy writer and she knocked this one out of the park too.

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Whenever I’m struggling to read or finish books, I switch to contemporary romances as they’re easy to follow and light reads. I read some good romances this year but this one book, Yours Truly, stuck with me. Many people voted Happy Place by Emily Henry as their favorite romance, and I respect that choice. But my personal favorite is Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez.

How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Micheal Schur

I watched the show The Good Place this year and it instantly became one of my favorite shows ever. Since then I have rewatched it countless times. It is a comedy yet very intelligent and very philosophical show. It explores the concepts of morality and what it means to be good and bad. When I found out that the creator of the show, Micheal Schur had written a book discussing the very themes highlighted by the show AND that the original cast had participated in the audiobook, I had to read it. And it was great!

I highly recommend both reading this book and watching the show The Good Place. You don’t have to watch the show to read the book but watch the show anyway because it is glorious.

The No-Show by Beth O’Leary

People have a love/hate relationship with The No-Show. It is a story of three women who got stood up on Valentine’s Day by the same guy. I think the writer brilliantly executed the story that she wanted to tell. And I found it to be not only well-written but also very daring. I don’t want to say much as I want to avoid spoilers but do read this book and decide if you love or hate it. I, for one, loved this book.

So, these were my favorite books of the year 2023. I hope to read many more books this year. Do share your favorites in the comments below. Thank you for reading. Allah Hafiz.

This Reader Recommends Spy X Family

So as you might NOT know, I am a huge anime/manga fan. I have watched pretty much all (amazing) anime out there and have read some really great manga. For the uninitiated, manga is basically comic books, and anime are “cartoons”, both from Japan, and both extremely popular all over the world.

Recently, there has been a new anime that has taken much of the world by storm, and that is Spy X Family. I started watching the anime after seeing some posts about it online, and it hooked me right from the first minute of the first episode! It is soooo GOOD! GAH!

The Premise

The premise of Spy X Family is pretty simple yet extremely interesting:

We have Loid who is a spy from a neighboring country and goes by the codename Twilight.

He is assigned a long-term mission that requires him to gather a fake family. Meaning he needed to get a fake wife and a fake child.

Enter Anya, an orphan girl that Loid adopts from an orphanage. But, she has a secret. Little Anya is actually a telepath! Her ability to read people’s minds generates so much fun drama and is a huge part of why this story works so well.

After getting a fake daughter, some events happen and Loid is able to find a woman who is willing to become his fake wife.

Enter Yor, who is a government servant and works in City Hall. But, she actually has a secret of her own. The truth is that she is a badass assassin who kills for the government!

So basically, both Loid and Yor work for the opposite teams and are pretty lethal at their respective jobs and only Anya knows their secret. How cool is that?

That’s a real power family right there.

I won’t say about this anime any more than that. But I highly, highly recommend this series to anyone who is interested in watching fun yet thoughtful and intelligent storytelling. Spy X Family is just that.

There have been a total of 10 anime episodes so far. Naturally, I have watched all of them. I have also started reading the manga as well and it has been an awesome experience so far.

That’s it for now. If you have other anime recommendations, comment them down below. Thank you for reading. Allah Hafiz.

All the things I’ve Read/Watched – 2022 Edition

Wow, it has been YEARS since I last posted here. I don’t know what happened. Maybe I got burnt out or something. Or maybe I grew out of it. I hate growing out of things. I should be writing more.

Anyway, I am only writing this small post to give a quick update on things I’ve been reading and watching and what I think about them. Here goes:

Maala by Nemrah Ahmed

I only recently started reading Nemrah Ahmed’s new novel Maala after a rather forceful recommendation by a friend. I didn’t finish her last novel Haalim because I didn’t like it. But this one, my God, this one is really good. Maybe I will write reviews for new episodes but can’t promise anything. I do like it though and highly recommend it.

Hum Tume drama on HumTV

Guys….. GUYS! Watch Hum Tum if you’re not already. It is a Ramadan special by HumTV and it is absolutely heartwarming and wholesome. I usually don’t watch Pakistani dramas because of their typical Saas-Bahu BS, but this is such a breath of fresh air. I was really surprised by the quality of its script but then I found out that it is written by Saima Akram Chaudhary, who is a really good writer. I have read her book Shahrzad and it was amazing. Hum Tum is checking all kinds of boxes for me and I am absolutely loving it.

The Batman (2022)

Being a huge Batman fan, it was only natural for me to head to the cinema to watch the new movie of the caped crusader. It is a solid first movie in, hopefully, a new trilogy. Everything about it was great, the action, the dialogue, the plot, Robert Pattinson as Batman, the Riddler. But what I ended up loving the most was the Bat and the Cat, much to my surprise. Here’s hoping the sequel is as good as this one.

Severance (AppleTV+)

I cannot stress enough how good Severance is. It is a thriller show by AppleTV+ that deals with the idea of dual personalities in a way never seen before. After completing season one, it left me thinking about it for days. I kept asking myself questions about what I would do if I were in this position and I still don’t know the answer. I just … gah!! Just watch it, alright? Trust me.

So, that’s it I guess. Well, not really. I also watched Peacemaker but wouldn’t really recommend it. It’s not my kind of humor. I also read A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, which was pretty good.

Will try to be more regular on this blog InshaAllah. Need lots of prayers. Thank you for reading. Allah Hafiz.

My Favorite Movies of All Time

I’m just gonna throw this out: I love movies. I love cinema. I love how this medium is used to present epics as an immersive experience. Honestly, if I had enough money, I would’ve produced or directed a movie of my own just for the love of it! Now, I’m not a movie-holic or a screen junkie or anything. I don’t watch movies 24/7 or spend my free time watching movies. I’m actually very choosy in picking up movies. I have a specific taste in movies and I always want to make sure they’re worth my time because, let’s be honest, there’s a lot of junk out there.

Just like every person ever, I also have a list of favorite movies that I like for different reasons. Instead of presenting a Top 10 list like many do, I have decided to present my favorite movies from each genre i.e. action, romance, comedy, horror etc. It’s more fun that way.

Enough with the exposition. Let’s go!

Favorite Action Movie

The Matrix

I love movies that question the very existence of our lives and present their own perspective on “What’s out there?” question. Matrix is not only awesome for its unique story-line (for that era) but also for its breathtaking action scenes, dialogue and characters. Its action scenes especially have become a standard in Hollywood. And its story-line has many layers and symbolism that can spark endless discussion. A near perfect movie in my opinion.

Honorable Mentions: Mission Impossible Fallout, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Raid.

 

Favorite Teen Movie

Mean Girls

I love, love, love, love, love, love, LOVE Mean Girls. I LOVE IT! It’s so Fetch!

I love how it has remained one of the most relatable and quotable movies since its release. I love the depth of its plot and its three-dimensional characters and the genius comedy. Also, you MUST checkout Mean Girls and Harry Potter crossover memes. It’s uncanny how much parallel these two movies have.

Honorable Mentions: Freaky Friday, Easy A.

Favorite Drama

The Social Network

I remember when I watched this movie in 2010 and the immediate effect it had on me. I was BLOWN away by it. I was blown away by Mark Zuckerberg’s story. And being a Software Engineering student myself, I was super motivated for doing something similar, i.e. backstabbing my friends and make a billion dollar company. Look at how that plan turned out! heh.. *cries in a corner*

Honorable Mentions: A Few Good Men, Molly’s Game, Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Favorite Crime Movie

The Godfather

Godfather is not only my favorite crime movie, but one of my favorite movies of all time period. It’s among the top 3 for sure. Why? Where do I even begin with why. It has a great plot. Or plots! It has complex characters grounded in reality. The amount of grey in every character is astonishing actually. The realism in this movie also reaches new heights. Just to give you the idea of how great this movie is, The Godfather is one of the most plagiarized movies of all time! Its plot is recycled time and again by other film industries *cough* bollywood *cough* It set standards for Hollywood like no movie had done before it. And, most important of all, it’s entertaining!

Honorable Mentions: The Departed, Pulp Fiction, The Godfather Part 2.

Favorite Animated Movie

Frozen Series

Damn, this one was tough. There are so many animated movies I love that I think I need to make a separate list of just my favorite animated movies. Anyway, many animated movies will come and go, but I’m sure Frozen 1 and 2 will always remain on top. Not because these movies have great plot (pretty average, actually) but the unique execution of the plot, the characters, the siblings relationship and the amazing music is what makes me and everyone else love these movies! I just love how it presented female characters WhO dOn’T nEeD nO mAn! My favorite character is Elsa, thank you for asking. Although my personality is more like Anna if I’m being honest.

Honorable Mentions: Shrek 1 & 2, The Lego Movie, Every Pixar Movie Ever, Spider-Man: Intro the Spider-verse, The Lion King, and more. Much, much more.

Favorite Fantasy Movie

Harry Potter Series

Although Harry Potter books are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy better than the movies, like they’re so much better that I could make a separate post just about it, the movies are pretty good too. Except for Order of the Pheonix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows Part 1. I have my personal grievances against these ones. But as a whole, this is a pretty good series that, for most part, managed to be faithful to the source material.

Honorable Mentions: Lord of the Rings, Stardust, The Chronicles of Narnia.

Favorite Science Fiction

Interstellar

Interstellar is a grossly underrated movie. I has gained sort of a cult status over the years but it needs to be more popular than that. It blew my mind when I first saw it. It has amazing score, visuals, and a jaw-dropping twist. It’s a must watch for sci-fi fanatics. I’ve seen this movie so many times, and it gets better each time.

Honorable Mentions: Edge of Tomorrow, Gravity, Inception, Back to the Future.

Favorite Horror

Conjuring 2

I gotta be honest, I cannot watch horror movies. I get scared way too easily and I mostly just close my eyes entirely when a horror scene comes. Yet, oddly, I still love watching horror movies.

I watched Conjuring 2 in cinema and it scared the sh*t out of me. There’s this one scene where the possessed girl is being interviewed and she turns into an old man so subtly. I almost cried out of fear during that scene! The utter darkness and silence in the cinema also added to the terrifying experience. And then there was the infamous Nun! AHHHH! So SCARY!

Honorable Mentions: The Conjuring, The Ring, Lights Out.

Favorite Romance

The Notebook

I love romance movies. But I have a very peculiar taste and not many romance movies are able to satisfy my romantic heart. Most of them are insta-love and cheesy and bland. Thankfully, this isn’t the case with The Notebook. It not only stars two of the most beautiful people (Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams) but also entails a truly heartfelt story about love both lost and found. I gotta be honest, this movie made me cry. It was beautiful. It is my favorite romance movie ever.

Honorable Mentions: A Walk to Remember, Jerry Maguire, Say Anything….

Favorite Superhero Movie

The Dark Knight Trilogy

If you ask me about my number one favorite movie of all time, I would reply with The Dark Knight with zero hesitation. This is not just the greatest superhero movie, but also one of the best movies of all time. The other two movies of The Dark Knight trilogy are also great. The entire trilogy is a wholesome experience that makes you return again and again. A truly classic trilogy in the superhero genre.

Honorable Mentions: Wonder Woman, Iron Man 1 & 3, Avengers Endgame, Spider-man 1 & 2.

Favorite Mystery

Gone Girl

I watched Gone Girl because it was the talk of the town when it came out. I watched it because I was curious about what the all hype was about. And boy did it live up to its hype! It’s a story about a man who is arrested for seemingly killing his wife. The twist will destroy your mind and will make you question everything ever! This is a great mystery released in a time where there aren’t enough mysteries anymore.

Honorable Mentions: The Prestige, Arrival, Wind River

Favorite Comedy

The Heat

The Heat is an underrated comedy movie that doesn’t get enough love. Well, I hope my love for it is enough because I had a blast watching this movie. Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock had an amazing chemistry that elevated it’s simple premise and presented a great comedy. It’s also a very re-watchable movie. You can watch it again and again and never get bored.

Honorable Mentions: Bridesmaids, Pitch Perfect, Mrs Doubtfire.

So there you have it folks. My list of favorite movies from each genre. What are your favorites movies? Do share because I would love some recommendations. Thank you for reading. Allah Hafiz.

 

Words my young desi self mispronounced

Have you ever heard a word on TV or movie or some audiobook and exclaimed in shock, “Wait, THAT’S how you pronounce that word?!”

Well, I have. I remember some very significant words that I thought were pronounced a certain way when I was young and then found out that wasn’t the right way at all. Now, from someone who isn’t a native English speaker, this is understandable and even expected. After all, we ain’t some angrez ki aulad who can tell the difference from desert to dessert and meat to meet. We’re desi people. And desi people, sometimes, make very desi mistakes.

Here are some words that I had been pronouncing very wrongly when I was young and was shocked to find out their correct pronunciation. Also, side note, there should be a better, shorter word for pronunciation because this one is too damn long and I can’t write it without taking help from spell check.

Anyway, here goes…

Word # 1: Archive

Meaning: A depository containing historical records and documents

How I pronounced it: Ar-cheev

Correct pronunciation: Aar-kIve

World finds ways of getting you out of ignorance. I distinctly remember hearing this word in the movie Night at the Museum and having a realization like, oh-oooooh! THAT’S how you pronounce it! Gotcha!

Word # 2: Midget

Meaning: A person who is markedly small OR Very small

How I pronounced it: *sigh*  … mid-get

Correct pronunciation: mi-jit

I’m super embarrassed at admitting to this crime of mine. I mean, mid-get? Really, Tahreem? C’mon! Anyway, I heard someone say the word in a video and that’s when I wanted to die with shame.

Word # 3: Tomb

Meaning: A place for the burial of a corpse (especially beneath the ground and marked by a tombstone)

How I pronounced it: to-mb

Correct pronunciation: toom

Okay, I think I’m not the only one who mispronounced this word. I’m sure y’all watched and loved the movie Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie when you were young and maybe played the game too. I know I did. So I had a shock of my life when I learned the correct way of saying this word. It was like, my whole life had been a lie!

Word # 4: Asthma

Meaning: Respiratory disorder characterized by wheezing; usually of allergic origin

How I pronounced it: ass-ta-ma

Correct pronunciation: az-ma

This one I wasn’t so much shocked by, rather I was surprised. I realized not only me but everyone else had been pronouncing it wrong. Ever heard of phrase “So wrong it’s right”? This could be the case with this word. Everyone says it wrong so why not keep it that way, am I right?

Word # 5: Genre

Meaning: A kind of literary or artistic work

How I pronounced it: jen-er

Correct pronunciation: zhaan-ra

Such an obvious mistake that one. Turns out, this French-origin word ain’t said the way we thought it did. Shame.

 

I think five words are enough for this post. I can’t really think of more. Share the words that you’d been mispronouncing for a long time down below. Thank you for reading. Allah hafiz.

 

PS: I almost named this post “Words my young desi a** mispronounced” but then I decided to keep things PG.

Alif by Umera Ahmed Episode 8 Review

Bet you thought I was dead. Well, I came close. Close to not writing anything again, ever. Which is pretty close to being dead if you ask me. But then I had a moment of enlightenment and I said to myself, “No way am I abandoning my blog!” It might not be the most inspiring thing someone could say to motivate themselves, but it worked for me. So here I am. Again. Writing reviews. Again. Let’s hear a round of applause for my determination *gets up and starts clapping*.

Man, what a sad and depressing episode to for a comeback review. I got a headache from reading it. It’s SO depressing. So dark. And most of that depressing vibe comes from Momina being at her most ungrateful and sad. She refuses to let herself catch a break. She refuses to let the past go. Okay, so her younger brother died. I know. It’s tragic and God forbid it happened to anyone. But at some point you have to move on. Everyone does. It’s part of life.

But Momina doesn’t seem to think that. She’s got money now, she’s got a house, she’s got a rising career. Even for a non-materialistic person, there’s at least gotta be something in it to be grateful for. Something to smile at. Something to appreciate. But NoooOOooOooOoooOOOoooo. I aM a loWly acTreSs wHo dOnT dEsErVe tHis sUccEss i WisH I waS dEaD iNsTeaD. Chillax woman! Just. Chillax.

You know who’s completely justified for their bad mood, though? Qalb-e-Momin. The dude’s getting rejected left and right. Nobody is on board with this spiritual movie idea. Nobody wants to invest in his project. He has turned into a joke. And to top it all, the woman he rejected is now a successful actress who’s on everyone’s radar. No amount of ice can heal that burn. He’s mad and disappointed and, for now, quite defeated. Not to mention the call he received at the end of the episode that hints of his grandfather dying. I felt for him in this episode. He may be a self-centered jerk but he’s a lost kid. He needs direction. And I kinda want him to succeed.

But I don’t see that happening anytime soon. I do, however, see his paths cross with Momina Sultan soon-ish. If not for professional reasons then definitely for personal. After that heartbreaking backstory of Talha and Husn-e-Jehan, we know now the bigger role Sultan has in this story. He has something of Husn-e-Jehan that he needs to give back to her son. He only knows his name and just that he might be living in Turkey.

Okay here’s something that happened in this episode. Whether it’s funny or downright ridiculous, I’ll leave that to you. Momina’s father tells her to find Husn-e-Jehan’s son who’s name is also Qalb-e-Momin. And she easily brushes off the possibility that it might be the same Qalb-e-Momin who humiliated her a while ago. Because Qalb-e-Momin is only the most common Muslim name in the world right after Momina and Husn-e-Jehan. I mean, what are the odds, right? Um… I don’t know, 9.99 to 10? A detective she is not.

So, Momina is tasked by her father to find the son of his lost unrequited love. To give him back something of Husn-e-Jehan. We don’t what that is so far. Could be a letter. Could be a painting. Could be something of a deeper meaning. I don’t know. I ain’t a mind reader or a wizard. All I know is we have to wait to find out. Right now we got a bigger problem: the (possible) death of Momin’s grandfather. The last of his family gone and leaving him alone in the world. I wonder if that will bring him to revert.

Share your thoughts on the episode down below. How’s your experience going with this story? Mine consists of a lot of heartbreaks and headaches. And, well, what’s new in this, am I right? It’s just Umera Ahmed being Umera Ahmed.

Thank you for reading. Allah Hafiz.

 

2018: Rewind

Rewind is all the craze these days and I’m jumping the bandwagon. People were pretty disappointed in YouTube rewind, but then again, we’re always disappointed in just about everything. Well, fear not, folks. I’m bringing you my own textual version of rewind of my own life in the year 2018. Beware, this has potential to be the most incredible rewind of all since I’m living such an incredible life. I guarantee all readers complete satisfaction and zero disappointment. (Minus the occasional eye roll and cringe)

2018 was an incredible year for me. Just how incredible though? Well, remember 2016? Remember how it’s considered the worst year of 21st century so far? For me, 2018 was the total opposite. It might have been the best year for me in many many years.

You must be thinking, just what happened to me in this year? The answer might not be as flashy or awesome as you might be expecting. No, I did not fall in love or get married or travel the world or find hidden treasure or make a billion dollars. Things that happened to me are much more subtle than that.

This year, I found myself.

What? Found yourself? What does that even mean, Tahreem?

Pffft. Boring.

ThIs iS a lAmE rEwiNd.

Okay you sensitive people, what’s so wrong with finding yourself? Discovering yourself? Knowing yourself? And no, I don’t think we truly know ourselves until we’re put into situations where we finally do. And that’s what happened to me. I went through tests. Super subtle tests, mind you, that completely changed the way I saw myself.

See, I didn’t have much regard for who I was before. I had degrees. I made money. But I never once thought I’d earned what I received. But 2018 changed that. 2018 challenged me. It challenged what I thought I knew about myself and displayed a whole new side of me that I wasn’t aware existed. Long story short, I was put through hell and I emerged victorious. I emerged a better person. A stronger person.

2018 not only changed how I saw myself, but also how I saw the world. I studied history. I studied people. I studied cultured. I studied politics. I studied system.

I studied.

Period.

And that’s how I changed.

Also, I ended some toxic relationships that were sucking away my happiness like dementors, and I’ve never been more relaxed and happy ever since. It was a hard thing to do, but I did it. The year has ended with me being a little more confident about myself than I was a year before.

Sooo.. that’s as far as I’m willing to go about my personal life. I get uncomfortable sharing intimate details of my life with anyone. I actually had to edit out an entire paragraph because, like, woah, too personal for the internet. Let’s talk about fun things now.

Cool Stuff I did This Year

1. I did Paragliding. Jumped from the top of a hill, remained in the air for about minute and a half and landed on the ground face first in soil. It was a little humiliating but thankfully nobody was around to watch my fall of shame. And it was Oh-so worth it!
2. I also did Cliff Diving.  Jumped from a high cliff, straight into the lake. I swear to God it is much more terrifying than it sounds. It was NOT easy jumping from such a height into the water. Even after 5 attempts, I couldn’t get over my fear so I didn’t go for sixth time. Will do it again next time, though, if given the chance. #FaceYourFears
3. Laser Tag. If you don’t know what laser tag is, check it out on YouTube. It’s FUN. Like, the maximum amount of fun. It’s awesome I did it twice this year.
4. Horse Riding. Are you impressed so far? If not, here’s the final one. This girl can ride a horse y’all. I can both trot and cantor. Trotting is where you make the horse jog. Cantor is where the horse runs. I didn’t do Gallop where the horse makes a full sprint as it is for pros and I ain’t one.

Favorite Movies of 2018

This is getting random at this point, but, what the hell. I gotta do what my heart wants me to do. Here’s the list, in no particular order cause I’m too lazy to rank ’em.

1. Upgrade
2. Avengers: Infinity War
3. Black Panther
4. Aquaman
5. A Quiet Place
6. Searching
7. Teen Titans: Go to the movies
8. Tomb Raider
9. The Death of Superman
10. Mission Impossible: Fallout

 

Favorite Shows I Watched in 2018

Shows I watched in 2018 but weren’t necessarily released in 2018.

1. Castle
2. Downton Abbey
3. Heirs (K-Drama)
4. Brooklyn Nine Nine
5. Pinocchio (K-Drama)

 

Favorite Books I Read in 2018

Books I read in 2018 but weren’t necessarily released in 2018.

1. Verity by Colleen Hoover
2. The Lies of Lock Lamora by Scott Lynch
3. Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness
4. A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
5. Yaaram by Sumaira Hameed
6. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

That’s all I guess. This article went awry real fast, didn’t it? o.O

Share your experiences of 2018. Was it as eventful and impactful for you as it for me? Also share your favorite movies, shows and books.

Thank you for reading. Allah Hafiz and a very happy new year.

Alif by Umera Ahmed Episode 5 Review

This month’s episode of Alif had a theme. A theme of finding old love and losing it again. In a way, both main characters, Qalb-e-Momin and Momina Sultana went through a similar journey, albeit under totally different circumstances. It is because the events surrounding these two characters were so similar in vibe and I had to put them under a same theme: love gained, love lost.

As always, the story moved both forward and backward in this episode, with the depiction of past and present events. Another glimpse into Qalb-e-Momin’s childhood revealed that his mother, Husn-e-Jehan, after returning to Pakistan, had moved back to her old lifestyle. Being an actress, she spent her time partying and dancing, , much to Little Momin’s chagrin. He was angry at his mother for ignoring him and doing things that he did not approve of. To make things worse, he lost the friends he had made in school once they found out who his mother really was. Her bad reputation took a toll on his social life.

We still don’t know what happened to Husn-e-Jehan, but we do now know that she went missing and was never found or heard from again, even by Momin. And the grown up Momin is still lost to as to where had his mother really gone. Still picking clues and trying to put together missing pieces, even after all these years.

Coming to the theme of this episode, Momina reconciled with a guy named Faisal who had been interested in her, like, six years ago, when Momina’s life wasn’t as chaotic and disrupted. He event sent his mother to her house with a marriage proposal but his mother wasn’t impressed by her family and rejected her. Of course because Faisal could tell Momina about it, Momina herself rejected his proposal to retain some dignity and everything. Six years later, he was at her doorstep again, with another proposal again.

*sigh* I don’t know how to put this in words, but Momina dared to hope that this time she might finally have found the love of her life and that she could maybe start a new life with him. Even the guy’s mother was onboard this time. But, things weren’t as same as they used to. Momina was an actress. Faisal knew that of course, but he had assumed she would leave her profession after marriage. Momina wasn’t a fan of that idea since she had debts to pay. And when he promised to take care of every debt of her life, Momina ended their short engagement.

Momina reminded me a lot of Aks in this episode. She is strong, so incredibly strong and fierce and just keeps on going without breaking down because she has no time to have a break down. Yet, the decision she made in this episode of letting the guy go can be seen as both right and wrong. Right, because her profession and her history would always come in the way of happiness after marriage. And her problems were, after everything, her to take care of. She could see that this marriage may end some of her problems but start many new ones too, and so she ended things before they could more forward. Wrong, because Faisal genuinely seemed like a good guy who really wanted to take care of her and Momina, selfishly, couldn’t let another guy be the hero of her story. Or be her Knight in Shining Armor, if you may. And so she ended things. The consequences of her decision? Just that she’ll be moving forward with her big Hollywood debut and pretend this engagement never happened.

Meanwhile, Qabl-e-Momin, who hasn’t shared a scene with Momina in forever, dumped his fiance Neha in a spectacular fashion. He led her to believe he was giving her boyfriend a role in his next film and made a fool out of both of them when it didn’t turn out to be the case. Neha felt humiliated, of course. But she didn’t go down easy, no sir. She is now hellbent on ruining Momin’s reputation and even saw some success after posting his private photos online. In his arrogance, Momin might have underestimated just how petty and revengeful Neha could become. Anyway, the war between them is on.

Momin left to visit his Grandpa after dumping Neha and had another argument with him. His grandpa would like Momin very much to continue his family’s tradition of Quranic Calligraphy but he’s no longer into it. Instead he makes movies that objectify women. In another display of arrogance, Momin made a bet with Adbul Ala that he can make a soulful film without vulgarity and still get love from people around him. And if he fails to do so, he will have to obey his grandpa. Momin will be fighting two battles on different fronts and my fingers are crossed!

We’ve had much interaction with all other characters but Momin’s father remains a mysterious character. Still, I really like the idea of him being a Whirling Dervesh, where a person is so entranced in the love of God that they start dancing, with no regard of their surroundings. I do not quite understand how love can make you go round and round, but I do find it fascinating nonetheless. Everyone has their own way of expressing love and Whirling Dervesh are a centuries old order that expresses their love of God with their dance. It will be interesting to see how this concept integrates in this story and the role Momin’s father plays in all of this.

That’s all from me. Share your thoughts on the episode down below. Thank you for reading. Allah Hafiz.

PS: Qalb-e-Momin and Momina need to interact soon. I’m getting impatient.

Alif by Umera Ahmed Episode 4 Review

Yes, I’m late, I know, no need to rub it in. Let the review begin!

My God, what an episode! It hit me hard on so many levels. I couldn’t read the episode without taking a break after every page or so because there was so much I needed to take in before moving on. There was so much depth in every paragraph, every sentence. So much that left me ponder on life; mine and others. I even teared up at a couple of moments. Only Umera Ahmed could do that to me. I started reading Alif because of her. But now, I’m genuinely invested in this story. I’m all in. Buckle up, everyone! A great novel is in the making.

All characters in Alif, so far, have been well created and well placed. Each one shines on their own. Starting with Momina Sultana, the girl of steel. She has gone through so much in  her life. She became the breadwinner of her family, had to the the “haram” job to pay her brother’s medical bills. And when things were finally starting to look good, she lost her baby brother.

Even after her brother’s death, the cruelty of fate wasn’t done with her. Momina didn’t even get the chance to mourn. She had other issues that needed her attention right away. She needed to arrange huge amount of money that she didn’t have to get her brother’s body out of the hospital. The writer depicted an ugly face of our society, of the exploitation of the poor by the corporations.

In her time of turmoil, the lowly, misfit people of the society helped her. They contributed anything they could so that Momina’s brother could have a proper funeral. One character stood apart in this regard: Jhoomer. A shemale who “worked” and earned the kind of money that “nullifies a person’s right to a funeral”. He gave away his “haram” money to help Momina. At that moment, he stood higher than all self-proclaimed pious people. He proved that we can never, ever know all about someone, or have any right at all to judge anyone. That’s God’s job. Not ours. Because He knows. And we don’t.

This episode was mostly about Momina’s latest struggle and turmoil, but that doesn’t mean Qalb-e-Momin went backstage. We saw a little of his childhood early in the episode, where, after learning Taha’s demise and suffering an attack, his mother brings them back to Pakistan. Husn-e-Jehan, the former actress who left everything behind for love, had returned to her origin. This gave me major Alif, Allah Aur Insan vibes. I would love to know more about her. Also, I don’t like that Kubra Khan has been cast to play her in the drama. Just putting that out there.

The relationship between Momin and his grandfather Abdul Alaa has dwindled a little bit. In last episode I pegged him to be the world’s most chill grandad for not judging Momin over his lifestyle. Turns out, he wasn’t chill, just oblivious. And he lost it as soon as Shakoor, Momin’s.. butler? and a total BBC, told the grandpa everything. He then confronted Momin which let to an argument and he went back to Turkey without letting Momin know. “Impending Repentance” is written all over Momin’s profile. It might be triggered by none other than his own grandfather. Or Momina could play a role too. Isn’t that always how it goes? Whenever people talk about Ishq-e-Majazi  and Ishq-e-Haqiqi, they never mention any parental love but the love of a woman that leads a man to the path of God. I’m pretty mixed about this concept, but that’s how it is.

Neha turned out to be a real biatch for manipulating Momin by lying to him. She is involved with the guy she wants Momin to cast in his next film. Seems like she has always been involved with him and had been only using Momin. I think Momin is on to her because he knows her real face. Can’t wait to see the drop-scene of their short lived engagement. In next episode, hopefully.

Also, what’s the dealio with Master Ibrahim, the cobbler slash mystic slash the-guy-with-mysterious-connections. He knows Momina and he knows Abdul Alaa. Will he play the role of the bridge between two different people? Guess we’ll have to wait and see now, won’t we?

Tell me your thoughts on this episode. Did you love it as much as I did? Or did it still leave you unimpressed? Share your thoughts down below. Thank you for reading. Allah Hafiz.