For this particular blog post, I decided to do a recap of how I spent the year, 2022. No, I will not talk about my resolutions for 2023 - so boring and soooo predictable! Nor, do I plan to bore you with the details of how I evolved and became a new person (I did evolve in many new ways, though, but that I’ll share with you via my instagram posts:) Instead, I thought it would be fun to make it about numbers and places. Bear with me and read on and you’ll know what I mean. Disclaimer: This is NOT a let-me-brag-about-my-life post but is in fact, a fun way to share my year with you. I prefer to clarify here so as to not come off as a “humble” bragger/jerk/insensitive show-off. Or, in other words an asshole, which I know I am not!

TRAVEL - 19

That’s the number of times I traveled in 2022. 8 of those trips were within the country and yes, 5 of them were to New York to see Isaad and Lyali. Although, two of them were for work, it’s always a huge bonus, of course, when I get to see my babies. The remaining 11 times I traveled for work/vacations/going back home to see my mom and my sisters. In fact, I visited Karachi twice and plan to do the same in 2023, inshallah. While visiting Pakistan in November, I travelled to Lahore after 20 years - the city where I went to college and where my two BEST friends now live. Those 36 hours in Lahore literally took me back in time to when I attended art college there in the mid 90s. Seeing our college cafeteria (obviously much snazzier since my time) brought back many nostalgic reminiscences of the past. Memories of us sprinting with steaming cups of “doodh pati chai” (tea boiled with milk, sugar and cardamoms) from the cafe to our History of Western Civilization lectures, having stayed up the previous night to put the final touches to a photography or design assignment. I miss those days and nights of reckless abandon but then I wonder that it is probably much easier to say so in retrospect? At that point in time, we had our own plethora of worries and stresses, so the days weren’t really as reckless as they may seem now! Needless to say, that other than Pakistan, my all time favorite country to visit is France, and it was definitely part of the 11 spots I spent my time in last year.

INSTAGRAM - 275

That’s how many times I posted on my feed. And out of this, 120 was the number of times I posted Reels videos. So, roughly about 5.2 times a week is how often I posted a pic or a video. And of course, there were countless Instagram stories as well. Hmmm…. brace yourself folks because I’m going to try and post more, say about 6 times a week on average. Don’t pretend you don’t like hearing that, because I know you love my social media presence, right?

CLIENTS - 47

I endorsed 47 brands/products/services in 2022. Some were clients I had worked with in the past while some brands sought me for a second or third time. My aim is to continue being selective about who I choose to work with as a client. And, to promote products that I truly believe in - myself as well as for the demographic that primarily represents my followers. I have been offered paid partnerships in the recent past that I voluntarily chose to decline. I either did not believe in the mission/message of the companies that approached me or I felt that the products being marketed were ones I would never use. Moving on to 2023, I have a few exciting projects coming up so, please do stay tuned. And in case, you don’t follow me on Instagram, my user name is @sobiaashaikh!

FRENCH - 75 to 80

The number of hours I studied french. Honestly, I think it may be more but who’s counting. I even took in-person classes with a teacher in Paris in October. I can read the language pretty well. My pronunciation is rather kick-ass too;) But, when it comes to speaking French, I hesitate tremennnnndously! No, that is not a typo - I’m just trying to emphasize my point! Michel, my french teacher, says it’s pretty standard to be tentative initially, so I’ll take his word for it. I will say, though, that I successfully manage to string together a few coherent sentences with Michel and feel a great sense of accomplishment after the fact:)). However, my pet peeve is when I tell people I’m learning french and they start rattling off their french AT me. Please STOP! It causes me an inordinate amount of stress - seriously! Of course, while in France I make every attempt to practice the language and it’s always well received. Well, not that this is a resolution, but I will continue my lessons into the new year and assess again in a few months. I’ll circle back with a report too … hopefully in french!

ENERGYWORKS (THERAPY SESSIONS) 30ish

The hours I spent in my EnergyWorks sessions. Every few weeks, I have an hour long session with Kim Bellisimo, who is my therapist/life coach/dear friend and who has taught me how to clear stuck energy. She believes, as do I now, that when you move energy through the heart, the heart transforms anxiety, doubt, fear, negativity etc. into a new way of being. A way of being that creates a smoother flow in your life. Having followed this method for the last 14 years, I feel transformed in my approach and philosophy towards life - my relationships, my fears, my doubts and so much more - but it’s tough to put it in writing. And, while I acknowledge that I have worked very hard on myself I still believe I have a long way to go.

50th BIRTHDAY - 1

An epic birthday party that I threw for Nadir and by the time I got done saying hello to everyone it was time to start saying my goodbyes! Ok, I’m totally exaggerating:) That’s just my way of saying that there were a lot of people at the party and that my hubby is obviously loved by everyone. The food was sooo good too but I was too busy to eat:(

PROM FOLLOWED BY GRADUATION - 1 of EACH

Both were for my Lulu, as she graduated from high school and started at college in August 2022. We have never been prouder of Lyali. I will not wax poetic about how life has changed as N & I have become empty nesters. Suffice it to say, it’s different, fun too, of course, and busy in a way that I had not expected. Maple, of course, is the object of my affection to the point where he may be plotting to run away as I write this blog post!

BOTOX - 2

As in twice a year appointments for those pesky forehead lines and that weird chin area that I need to have addressed now and then. May be heading to three times a year soon #gettingoninyearsmuch?

FILLERS - 2

Same as above, as in twice a year when I get numbed, wince in pain, swear never to do it again, ice my face, pop some tylenols, recover from the trauma and return for more six months later. I have not, as yet, subjected myself to a Thread Lift - a minimally invasive procedure done to visibly ‘‘lift” your skin - but I’ve heard that it hurts like a motherfucker, so I’ll hold off on that one for now. But, I do dream of getting a facelift one day, soon!!! Although, not sure about that dream ever materializing given my very, very, very low tolerance for pain. A girl can dream:)

LASER BURN - 1

Talk about hurting like an MF’er!!!! I got second degree burns on my face from a laser that was set WAY too high for my skin type as well as for the kind of treatment that was being performed. It burned for almost 60 hours and I literally cried non-stop. I still have scars on my face but I chose not to take any action because I hate being vindictive and refuse to spend my energy negatively. Plus, the damage was done and getting embroiled in a shitty situation would not take my burn marks away. The marks have faded a fair bit but my dermatologist, who rocks btw, is continuing to help me with my treatment. Happy to share my derm’s contact info if any of you are interested. Also, the dermatologist’s office is NOT where I got burnt - it was elsewhere!

Hope you all enjoyed my 2022 recap and I really hope you’ll leave a comment or two below to let me know your thoughts! Also, I’d LOVE to hear from you guys about what kind of a blog post you’re interested in reading in the future. Always happy to hear your suggestions and ideas. Au revoir - à la prochaine!

Thank you for visiting & reading my blog post!

A VERY, VERY, VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!