In Jan 2020, I embarked on a journey to solve problems that I was facing. Though short-lived as a result of the pandemic, I attempted solving these problems by building solutions (as well as working on a number of other things / up-skilling).

Problem — Procrastination:

One of the problems I wanted to solve was that of unnecessary, excess procrastination. I get frustrated at myself for procrastinating (watching tv series, movies, scrolling on social media, etc.) more than I should. Though I believe that fundamentally procrastinating isn’t an issue as procrastination can often be a form of rest and can…

This is part of an article I wrote in 2018. I am sharing it as a follow up to a previous article I wrote (which can be found on my medium page.

In December 2017, street protests hit Iran. The tens of thousands of protestors who took to the streets represented “the most serious and widespread expression of public discontent in Iran since mass protests in 2009”. Central to this was social media. As the instant messaging application Telegram was used to organise some of the protests, the Iranian government called for the founder of Telegram to close a group…

I spend an exceptionally egregious amount of time on Twitter. After falling into the abyss of continuous scrolling, the search for my next dopamine hit is reflected in my choice to refresh the timeline — a process Twitter has made all too easy. Feeding on our insatiable curse to want more, Twitter has become unparalleled in its ability to keep you craving. Subtly surfacing your followers’ likes on your timeline or injecting a random person’s tweets onto your feed, Twitter has developed numerous ways to keep you engaged and searching for more content. …

As I drew closer and closer towards the sounds of thundering footsteps and almost mystical chants, I was mesmerised by the sheer number of people walking towards Brixton, hoping their actions would shed light on a situation the black community is all too familiar with.

Slowly my strides began to match those of the advancing crowd, with their placards and phones in the air, and the sound of hundreds chanting “BLACK LIVES MATTER”. Almost instinctively, my lips mouthed the chants, and as I began to blend into the crowd my voice rose to the same level as those around me.

…

In the post on “self-discovery” (read here), I explained an approach of mine that helped me learn more about myself and put experiences into perspective. As a result of this, I was able to clearly see existing commonalities and trends (whether positive or negative) between the person I was and the person I am. Having established that, I began working towards creating an updated version of myself.

With “self-discovery” out of the way, we move to “principles and values”. This process is still a work-in-progress, so bear with me.

Establishing pre-existing principles/values:

My first step was to establish pre-existing principles/values…

This piece has been written with the intention to make sense of this approach, and with the hope that those who have had a similar struggle as I will find some understanding and purpose using this method. I was writing this for myself, but as usual, I thought it best to share my thoughts with the world…

For a number of years I knew my ‘foundation’ was rooted in my experience of others and how their interactions (with me) moulded me. My mother, for example, had instilled values in me — whether via my observation of her actions or via…

Trying to treat the thoughts through therapy, but a tomorrow with you never comes. Today remains my reality. A today without you. A today in which you don’t exist.

“I want to see Nana”, your 2 year old grandchild says with a beam as bright as your aura, and my heart shatters a little. I want to see you too.

Mentally stuck in yesterday, I kept everything of yours the same. Nothing’s changed in the room, so to me – and maybe to him – you’re still here.

Your wardrobe, untouched, silently – yet saliently – stares at me every…

Wearing a dark-blue and white checked flannel shirt with blue jeans, suede boots and her shoulder-length curly hair bouncing as she sat down for our interview, Joanne’s bubbly attitude is mildly infectious. In a cheerful start to the conversation, she begins by expanding on how her day was, fidgeting and swinging on her chair.

Possibly nervous, or out of habit, Joanne kept her replies quite brief, brushing over some topics. So when I asked what she had been (self-) diagnosed with, I was unsure of how much she would reveal to me. …