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6 Things I Learned in 6 Years of Blogging

Advice for new bloggers and bloggers to be.

I launched my blog in early 2014 after design, content ideas and preparations with my web designer in 2013. I started when the word “blog” was a foreign concept to locals, with a few exceptions who were already establishing themselves in various domains. I created it along with my revamped Instagram page (it was previously solely for personal content and motherhood) to reflect the life of a new mother who cares for her family and herself. I meant for it to break the image of perfection, to reflect truth, vulnerability and real life. Along the years my content evolved and spanned wide, and included personal style, travel, beauty and skincare, culture and thoughts. With time I learned a lot and they were all tough lessons, I didn’t have a mentor to guide me so I tripped, fell and stood back up. At the end of the day I owe every successful step, every failure, every media appearance, every rejection, every branded campaign, every stab in the back and every brand ambassadorship to myself, and solely to myself through my hard work, persistence and dedication. And this makes me proud. read more

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How an Unfortunate Accident Helped me Refocus

It was a Friday like any other. In one word, hectic. My Fridays resemble Mondays because I try to squeeze in as many errands and work as possible so that I can be free during the weekend to spend it fully with my children without any distractions. I began my day with the usual, woke up the kids, prepared their water bottles, snacks, and milk, dressed them and got ready myself, drove them to school and walked them to class. I was on a high that week, the road closures in Lebanon became scarce and I had finally decided to continue my work, and I was planning so many interesting collaborations and shoots for the upcoming week. I came back home for a cup of tea while I caught up on my correspondence and went back out to a series of banks, meetings, sanitary showroom visit, warehouse visit, and even a couple of supermarket stops before arriving home with barely enough time to arrange what I had purchased on the shelves, and ran out to pick up the kids from school. read more

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Nature is Always a Good Idea

When we enter into adulthood and especially parenthood we get caught up in a cycle that doesn’t stop. From work to traffic jams to relationships to managing a household to caring for our little ones, these daily actions accumulate to create stress that is sometimes unbearable. If you add to that the fact that our generation is technology oriented and places importance on being connected all the time, the result is not ideal and cannot be handled for long periods of time.

We sometimes forget to get back to basics, nature! read more

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Why I Love Star Wars

And why you should too!

My perspective on being a female in the fandom.

I get asked a lot about why I love the Star Wars franchise or why it causes worldwide pandemonium. For those of us who are part of the fan base, this needs no explaining, not Star Wars day, not the Comic Cons, not the cosplay, not the movie or series releases, nothing needs explaining because it is being felt. All this is innate and reverberates from one fan to another, the same way that we are adamant that “Han shot first”, the same way we love the cantina music, the same way we all tried to re-watch the movies in the “machete” technique. But for those who haven’t seen a single movie or have tried to but couldn’t get through, this all doesn’t make sense, and for a female nonetheless to be so into this universe is surely something that isn’t understood. read more

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Not Your Typical New Year’s Resolution

New Year’s resolutions are bull.

That’s what I thought because why would people make a list of changes on a random day of the year and hold them so high when they know that they will be broken during the first week. I refused to give in to any form of social pressure and never cared much for New Year anyway. I spent year after year going through the motions of a new year but it wasn’t until lately, after a series of experiences (you can read about them here and here) that I have been feeling that I can take life by the neck and carve my path. My journey of inner peace, focus and instability that led to me finding (or trying to) find myself came together same time last year, right before saying goodbye to 2018. read more

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Ibn Al Bahr Dubai

Ibn Al Bahr is a traditional Lebanese seafood restaurant at Club Vista Mare in the upscale Palm Jumeirah area of Dubai. It is known as the local hotspot for a fancy meal that doesn’t lose its marine authenticity.

The decor is reminiscent of a fisherman’s boat, with blue and white being the main colors including decorative elements made of rope. It happened by coincidence that I was dressed to match the theme!

Prepare your appetite because you wouldn’t want to miss a bite out of the dishes ranging from traditional cold fresh salads like tabboule and fattouch, to mezza (appetizers) such as hommos and fish tajin. read more

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Brambles Dubai

Brambles is a bohemian inspired cafe in Barsha Heights Dubai that serves fresh wholesome items in a perfectly dainty atmosphere.

The details are what make the cafe unique, from the green elements adding an environmental touch bringing the outdoors in, to the faded pink that is integrated in the furniture and the tableware.

I am following a diet and eating out is sometimes a challenge, which is why I gravitated towards Brambles because it serves healthy and vegan options. I was very mindful of what I ordered, and decided to balance my food intake between trying new items while being aware of the quantity. The menu is wide and it’s quite a conundrum to decide what to order. That being said, you can’t go wrong with a guilt-free avocado pizza that has a rich vegetable based topping, including delicious cilantro. You can add an egg or chicken if you want a non-vegan option. Make sure to add appetizing salads to your table, a smart way to keep the calorie count low and the tummy full. read more

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The Truth About Being a Freelancer

*Cover photo taken by the producer of the radio show on Dubai Eye station, part of Arabian Radio Network during my on-air interview about modern motherhood and being an influencer.* Click here to listen to the podcast.

The reason why I opened my entry with the above is because once you believe in yourself and the message you have to relate to the world, nothing can stop you!

The moment I decided to step out of the corporate world two and a half years ago and shift from a traditional work environment with rigid hours and no self fulfillment (click here to read) to a more flexible setup from home, I didn’t know what to expect. I took the leap, forgoing the security of a monthly salary and all the benefits to an unknown territory. At the time it was impossible to know if I had made the right decision, but the amount of personal growth I have gone through and the essential business material from entrepreneurs I have read and listened to, have made me more confident in my present lifestyle as each day passes. However external factors throughout these years in the form of unsolicited advice or opinions haven’t stopped, and some people choose to undermine my work and take a jab at freelancing and entrepreneurship to make themselves feel better at being stuck in a rut they don’t have the courage or ability to get out of. Others judge at face value and think that things come easily without hard work. read more

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Jumeirah Creekside Hotel

Jumeirah Group sets the bar high in the hospitality sector and gives luxury travel a new meaning. I had previously stayed at Jumeirah Emirates Towers (click here to read about my experience) and was excited to discover another property, Jumeirah Creekside Hotel. Even after the perfection that was JET, I was confident that I would find something fresh this time around, with the architecturally intriguing Creekside structure that boasts a location that is close to DXB airport and multiple attractions. read more

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Izmir and Antalya

All great adventures begin at the crack of dawn, and what better reason to wake up early than a flight to explore a new destination? I went to the airport and finished my check in procedure to find myself in the comfy seat on board Wings of Lebanon with Nakhal. After my previous trips with this renowned travel agency to Antalya and Fethiye (click here to read), I was excited to see what would be in store. The destination was Turkey and the first stop was the Antalya airport to catch the connecting internal flight to Izmir. To my delight, the team had prepared for each of the travelers a kit with all the needs of the hotel, including room and towel keys, bracelet for the purchases if any, and the luggage tags all in one pouch. read more