I can’t believe time has flown by this quickly, I am literally weeks away from turning the big 8 in Blog years! That makes me feel ancient compared to those new bloggers out there who merely turned 1 or 2 recently! But I am proud of every single day of it!
Image via
I know I mentioned this quite a bit but I am loving my “Years Ago I Wrote” Widget in the sidebar simply because I was active for 8 years! Years ago I wrote pieces of art, years ago I wrote poetry and creatively, years ago I poured my heart out to the internet and got some response back, years ago I was a different person than who I am today. And years ago I was Jackie!
[Image cerated by the most awesome blogger Gigi who has long since been absent from the Blogging Sphere]
Some of you who have recently joined the Couch Avenue bandwagon want to know what’s the story with “Jacqui” and why do I spell it that way? Well I will give you the cliff notes version.
I started blogging on May 17th 2004, with the nickname Jackie (by now all of you obviously know my real name!) I liked that name simply because of my weird obsession with Jack the Ripper after Johnny Depp starred in the movie “From Hell”, I also loved the name Jack regardless of its association with anything. Later on came the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and I fell in love with Jack Sparrow as well. But that’s not the main reason. You see in high school back when Hotmail was flourishing I had to create an email handle and I was wondering as to what it would be and because even back then people were popular I was only able to get an email address that featured my initials JAG (I was simply Jaggie) That hotmail address has disappeared a long time ago so don’t even try it. Anyways, I have a love for Jaguars ever since my Uncle got an XK8 in the late 90s and so that added to the fuel.
Once I started blogging I was someone cool, happy, friendly, and dare I say it innocent to the world of the internet. And as I started to establish myself in the world that is university and internet life I discovered that I had an evil side nicknamed “Jacqui” (pronounced Jaaaaaacqweeeee) and in 2006 I started to duel with myself hehe the good vs the evil side of me until eventually evil won and I became the awesomeness that you see today.
But “Jackie” is not really dead you see, she still exists and because of her “Jacqui” is awesome today. She gave “Jacqui” those awesome personality traits and made her be the person that she is today. And that in the most simplest version is the story of how I became to be known as “Jacqweeeee.”
No, I am not an evil witch or being, and no I do not bite but I like being bad-ass and having the ability to stand up for myself with this new persona and to tell you the truth years ago “Jackie” would have never had the courage to do the things that I do today. I was a very very shy person back then and now I am, dare I say it, a bit more social than I was before.
I’m trying to think of a cool way to celebrate my 8th year this May but currently I’ve got nothing on my mind, anyone has something cool to suggest? I’d love to hear it!
I wanted to update my TV Show list and check out what I’m watching; what’s been cancelled and what’s been renewed and I came to a realization that I am truly addicted and it’s not a really healthy addiction.
The results of the “Planning” (this is a preliminary table of course as some shows will be cancelled or renewed in the upcoming weeks) but I found out that from Summer 2011 – Spring 2012 I have downloaded and followed 128 TV Shows of which 24 are saved for later to watch; 17 were cancelled already or have ended or will end; and therefore it brings it down to 104 shows that were actually watched in that time frame.
I still can’t believe it.
104 TV shows!
Seriously one of my friends suggested that I go into rehab for this but if I were to attempt that I would probably kill myself before I quit watching TV. Some might wonder how I have the time for all of this well I’ll tell you one thing.
Some shows are summer shows.
Some are fall to spring shows.
And some are mid-season shows with only a handful of episodes a year.
Therefore multi-tasking the watching of these episodes is really easy. Summers are when I get to catch up with most that I put on hold and the rest of the year is spent just watching episode by episode.
My selection process is quite intricate of course I try to follow my favorite stars on those shows not to mention I fall in love with comedies and period dramas and well the others are given a shot if they catch my eye then they stay on the list until they are cancelled or they end.
So what do you think? Do I have a problem? Do I need rehab?
Color Map:
Green: Recently Renewed Shows
Orange Shaded: Not up to date but are constantly downloaded
Red: Cancelled
Black: Undecided
Yellow Shaded: In danger of being cancelled
It’s been a hectic week I’ve had one engagement after another (no not the ring kind but another kind, get your minds out of there!) I have a few posts lined up for this week but of course if you follow me on Instagram/ you will know what I will talk to you about here, I think I share too much of my life there (note to self: limit time online (note to other self: don’t listen to the first self)) so yeah back to the main topic, I haven’t felt this pushed to the limit in a long time hehe and it’s kind of nice but tiring at the same time.
One of the things I’ve been disliking about this week is the fact that I wake up really early (i.e. at 9/10AM yes that’s early for me!) and I get home late because of things I have to do during the day. When that happens I come home and barely am able to chillax in front of my sexy 27″ Cinema Display (read: it doesn’t have dead pixels but both of yours will!) watching the latest shows of the day, having dinner right there, and afterwards continuing the TV-athon on my Display of course while skimming blog posts on “Reeder” (the app on my iPad) and checking instagram afterwards. I sometimes get too exhausted and decide to give up but by the time I head to bed it’s almost 4/5AM and that’s sad because a few hours later I’d have to wake up!
I can’t wait for the weekend to arrive simply so I can catch up on some sleep and since “The Vampire Diaries” is on a break I will definitely get a chance to do that. Gosh darnit I’ve missed this place! I missed having a chat with you little Bloggie! You know what we’ve been through thick and thin these past few years I’m glad you’re always here when I need you!
Yes if you have reached this point in the post I believe you have realized that this post does not contain any advertisements, reviews, or anything that might “benefit” you guys really. It’s my place to vent I am having fun at the moment sharing my thoughts with dear ol’ bloggie! But if you did and enjoyed this part then be a dear and say hello :P It’s fun sometimes to reconnect.
So the main subject of this post is that I am tired, exhausted, and sleep deprived after this hectic week but otherwise I’m peachy fine! :D
Toodles!
P.S. Back in the day this is how I blogged, just words no pictures and allowing you the reader to imagine my life. Yes I am cool like that! :D
Warning: This post is uber-personal and gives you a glimpse into my crazy head. If you are looking for an ad about the latest thing to buy go elsewhere please. Otherwise enjoy and share your thoughts and memories.
All of a sudden this thought popped up in my head and I felt a need to jot it down for once instead of procrastinating and waiting until it has disappeared. I was just thinking how amazing my life has been so far, there have been many ups and downs but it’s shaping out to be very lovely.
One of the things I’m extremely in shock over is the fact that growing up with two completely different parents helped shape up the addict you see today. Don’t get me wrong, I meant Techie addict. You see, my mother has majored in Computer Science and worked in the Ministry of Education as a Computer Teacher and has gone on to be a Computer Supervisor. She was the person who got me interested in computers and all that jazz. I remember owning a “Sakhr” computer back in the 90s and it was so cool back then. I remember taking turns with her to learn how to use it and play games but I don’t remember the details unfortunately. Then came the age of the Internet in 1996. (Fun fact: My little 7 year old cousin doesn’t believe anyone existed before the year 2000, he asked me when I was born when I mentioned ’83 he said no no 2000-what?:P) Back to the point, the best thing about growing up in the 90s was the fact that we knew the meaning of sharing.
I remember very clearly how we had one internet connection and one computer. We would take turns using it and logging onto “Yahoo” since that was our search engine of choice, checking our “Hotmail” emails (it was insanely cool to have a hotmail account back then!) And I wanted to meet more people so I started having pen pals from abroad. It was fun unlike what we see today.
That was all what my mom passed onto me. My father on the other hand, was the artistic one, he majored in Fine Arts and went on to work at Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah (by now everyone knows this so why not talk about it). From a very young age I would go with him to the museum (pre-1990) and play around with the cats while he would work. I remember the planetarium and the big boat (unfortunately the Iraqis destroyed these beautiful things in the war) He gave me the artistic eye (although he claims he didn’t) and not only that but both parents nourished the love I had for gadgets in my later years.
I became a crazed in the year 2005 when my younger sister went to the US to pursue her Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition Sciences and that was when I purchased my PowerBook G4 12″, prior to that I had already owned an iPod and gotten in on the band wagon. But ever since I got that laptop I went nuts and my obsession went into high gear.
I am the person I am today because of these two different but very alike individuals.
My parents, may God give them a long and healthy life provided for both my sisters and I an insane educational experience and supported us with everything. This could be ideally timed especially with the fact that Mother’s Day is right around the corner. But I just can’t help feeling nostalgic!
Think back to your childhood (if you’re an adult now) and see what made you be the person you are today. If you are still young then think as to what your parents are doing to shape you into the person you will be in the future.
Thank you Mommy & Daddy (I know I might not be the perfect daughter and might get on your nerves, get angry with you, make you angry with me, and so much more) but I love you with all my heart. Sometimes it’s better said late than never said at all!
When I woke up this morning; little did I know that I would be getting my lower braces put in when I visited my dentist for my monthly check-up. I guess it’s because my teeth have been fixing themselves and moving around (the naughty little buggers) and so I was able to get the lower ones put in at Bayan Dental.
Knowing myself; the minute I heard “Lower Braces” my heart sank to the pit of my stomache and I got nervous all over again. I knew it wouldn’t hurt much but something about hearing the words makes it seem real and scary. The process is not scary at all it’s just that I hate dealing with all of this that I get scared sometimes. A short while later and everything was installed and ready and I started feeling the pressure again on my teeth.
So now my old plan of using my lower teeth to eat food has been blown out the window and I’m back to soft foods again until I learn how to deal with the pressure. Which ideally means losing another 5 kilos (hurraaaay!) but still I will miss my favorite foods!
Sister #4 (N) has been calling me “Brace Face” ever since I got them back in December and well little did I know that was an actual TV Show/Movie thing for kids and the girl you see above is “Brace Face” so now I am officially completely a brace face until further notice and let’s see a thinner me soon.
Toodles!
It’s been a few days now that I’ve been semi-off the grid, you know not as online as I was before. I logged in today to check my Google Reader since I haven’t done so this past weekend and I found 1000+ Google Reader posts to go through! Luckily I got them down to 410 for now but I hope to clear them out today! By the way, it’s Leap Day today!!! Happy Leap Day! We just got an extra day in February to do everything and as Leap Day Williams said in “30 Rock” this past weekend “What happens on Leap Day, stays in Leap Day!” Seriously so we get an extra day and anything that happens just doesn’t count anymore. Not that I want to do anything extra but I’d love to have just one extra day in February it would be totally cool.
So why have I been a bit M.I.A. in the blogging world specifically well it’s because I am undergoing another Project Bedroom Redecoration version 2.0, which kinda means that my bedroom furniture stays but different things will change (aka color, changing the format of the closet, library, etc.)
Every Sunday you can check out my Technology page in the (English Version of course) and well I’m proud of it, I love doing it. Picking out the awesome stories that you see, choosing the (it’s based on what I think would trend or something you guys miss out on not necessarily based on anything else).
This week I just loved how the page looked and thought I’d share it with you! With an . You know you guys should pick up this newspaper whether online via the website or physically it is cool. During the week I prepare the Entertainment news and I instill as many TV newsbits as I can! [Check out the online ]
So don’t miss out. Seriously don’t or else!
I’m not kidding.
No seriously I’m not!
Bon nuit :D
I am trying to get off my lazy bum and start posting again and so far in the pipeline (the one which I have to post about this week or so) I have 10 posts some of which events I have attended or shout outs to things that are important.
I am in the process of developing the photos that I took (makes me feel as if I am actually in an old school dark room with the equipment everywhere.. no but seriously I needed to edit some before posting especially resizing them and such).
Anyways, so I appologize in advance for the flood that will soon appear here (and hopefully it will help get some of you off my back *cough*Marzouq*cough* since I am trying to be as active as I can.
To those of you who are new around here, I say Welcome to my humble abode, and to the old peeps, get your stinky feet off my coffee table :P No seriously enjoy and don’t forget to snack on some popcorn here and there. I bid you all adieu!
So far 2012 has been an awesome year. I know it’s too early but things are going nicely o enshalla they don’t mess up! My favorite year of them all was 2006 it was the absolute best one and well I think 2012 will follow in its footsteps :) Anyways, the reason why it’s awesome is because it happened again!
Nina Dobrev (aka Elena/Katherine) from The Vampire Diaries commented back to me on Instagram! Seriously! That’s like 2 out of the 3 main actors of the show!!!
Isn’t that amazing! It was her birthday (January 9th) and well I wished her a Happy Birthday and mentioned that it was my Mom’s birthday as well! Luckily enough she replied and I had a huge smile on my face the whole day!
Next on the list is getting Paul Wesley to reply and then I can say that the cast of “The Vampire Diaries” loves me as much as I love them!
P.S. I know this post is a bit toned down in comparison to my Ian Somerhalder post but then again you know why! :P
Last Year I wanted a lot of things and well the problem with that is that you don’t focus well. So wheras last year I had 10 resolutions this year I am cutting it down to 5.
- Lose Weight & Be Healthy Fit [Not Achieved]
- Eat Healthy Foods and cut out Junk [Not Achieved]
- Stop Stressing Out
- Be Positive
- Make Better Decisions
- Be Patient
- Save Money & Spend Less on Gadgets (hard one) [Not Achieved]
- Reconnect with Friends
- Be Happy, like genuinely Happy!
- Live Life to its Fullest! [Not Fully Achieved]
So this year I am focusing on the following 5.
- Get Braces & Fix my teeth [I started the path already]
- Lose Weight & Try to be fit (at least walk daily)
- Get a full time job & Start to focus more on my passions!
- Have more “me” times and reconnect with friends, reading, life in general.
- Get a new car & Try to go to Hajj.
a 28 year old Kuwaiti Gadget Freak who is obsessively in love with Apple Products so much that she probably has everything made by Apple. Currently she's being a lazy bum and putting off writing and everything else but when she does this is her space where she likes to vent and release everything, so welcome to it.
A blogger for the past 8 years and still loving it.
