I’m not gonna lie, 2016 was NOT the year I thought it would be. 2015 ended on a great note, and I was so beyond excited for 2016, thinking it would be my year! However, as many people can say, 2016 was Felicia, and to her we say BYE. Okay…maybe I’m exaggerating just a little, but I do feel this to some extent.
As I was thinking about this new year, I saw something on Instagram (s/o to Subhi Taha though) that said (paraphrased), “If you complain about how 2016 was, you were obviously blind to the 365 days or just ungrateful for everything”. This really struck a chord with me. Here I was complaining and just thinking about how I was so ‘miserable’ because 2016 ‘sucked’ and how I’m just not doing anything during the winter break except working. This really opened my eyes. Alhamdulilah. Praise to the Almighty. For I have been able to breathe, sleep, rest, study, learn, laugh, love, and LIVE these past 365 days that encompassed 2016. And for that, I must be eternally grateful.
Hence, I really wanted to compile a list of 16 of my favourite things that happened in 2016. They are in no particular order, but coming up with this list really made me happy and smile at all of the wonderful times 2016 has brought. Obviously, these are the good things that happened. I’m not overlooking the fact that there are days for you and days against you, and both of these days are a test for you (Imam Ali (as)). A lot of things happened in 2016 that I wish didn’t – I lost a lot of loved ones in my family, friendships have left (but new ones formed), and just a lot of things I wish I could have been more positive about. This upcoming year inshallah, I can work on being more positive about every situation.
For now, I hope you can enjoy reading my list and I encourage you to come up with your own. Some of these things are so minuscule, yet have just made me genuinely happy. Alhamdulilah, Alhamdulilah, ALHAMDULILAH :))))))))
Just because this is number 1, I should start with JANUARY 1, 2016! I spent the entire day with my eldest brother in Central London, UK and we had a blast! We explored random places, these Nigerian girls in the elevator told me I was very pretty in hijab, and we were able to catch up after being a part for so long. – January 2016
When one of my bff’s Kulsoom invited a bunch of us over to watch Documentaries. Random, kinda? Awesome, totally! It’s honestly so nice to have a good group of friends where you can laught and chill but also talk about serious issues. It’s so refreshing, honestly. – January 2016
Our annual Family Day celebration at my uncle’s house (yes, Family Day is a real holiday in Ontario, Canada). It was the big family celebration and if you know my family, we can definitely get loud and crazy. We are good at games and even better at cheating.
And, it was with my Late Uncle (please remember him with a small prayer or Surah Fateha) – Feburary 2016
MIST Toronto Regionals – It was my first time being Competitions Manager and although it was very hectic, it was also super fun. I learnt a lot about myself, how I work in teams, especially as a head of a large team, and things that stress me out. All of which, has helped me become a better person – March 2016
Hitting 10K followers on Instagram on HijabiHeroes (currently at 16.6k) because 10 GRAND is a lot of people and I’m just a little girl – April 2016
Spent the weekend with my Grandma and cousins from Orlando and went to a volleyball tournament and Demetres and of course, to MODAH! Honestly, that weekend was just nostalgia of my childhood – May 2016
Getting my braces off! #BraceFaceIsFinallyBraceFree after 3 very loooooong years! HALLELUJAH – July 2016
IMFDF and interning backstage for Cover Me Beautiful by Hakeemah, a muslimah stylist! I was her intern for a REAL LIFE fashion show, and I got to hang out with so many cool ladies on a yatcht! – August 2016
Random Bashosh cousins reuinion dessert with some lovely FL and UK cousins. We pranked our cousin’s husband by telling the waiter it was his birthday and having everyone sing him happy birthday. The snapchat vids were lit – August 2016
My Brother’s Engagement and the entire Orlando, FL trip because BEACH. I went to the beach after 5 long years, ate italian ice, and many Wawa runs. Oh yeah, and I gained a sister #TRUE – August 2016
Okay, last Florida Moment – Playing Carbles (mix of Cards and Marbles with a super cool board) with my cousins, sista sista, and a bunch of my brother’s friends until 5 am because, why not – August 2016
Road trip to Washington D.C. and visiting all of the National Monuments. There was so much history there and it was so awesome to see – August 2016
Philly, Philly, Philly! Stop 2 of the #SibsTakeTheUS trip did not disappoint. Love this city and of course, their cheesesteaks – August 2016
Passing my exams (with A’s alhamdulilah) for Semester 1 of 3rd year of University because YA GIRL was stressing and I had no hope and even less motivation – December 2016
Last but not least, I guess a favourite would be last night. New Year’s Eve. We didn’t watch any fireworks and we even missed the countdown to 2017, but honestly, it didn’t even matter. Because last night I laughed like crazy and I’m thankful for the friends I could do that with. And I bussed from work to my friend’s house, and from her house straight back to work today. Oh yeah, and tricked some people on my Snapchat that I was at the airport for a one day getaway heheheh – December 2016
Thank you for sharing these moments, and every other moment with me in 2016, and the years before, and inshallah the years to come. Thank you for allowing me to share my life with you all and of course, my outfits 🙂
I cannot express my gratitude enough to everyone for supporting HH, and inshallah, we can keep growing from here.
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