All posts tagged people

The $100 Start Up By Chris Guillebeau

For This Man, The World Has Come To An End.

April 6, 2013

chris-sydney

 

Image Credit

For a rare breed of men, the world is exceedingly boundary-less. Today,  I am talking about a 35 year old man named Chris Guillebeau, for whom the world has literally,come to an end.

Chris is the founder and architect of the Art of Non-Conformity and bestselling author of the book  - The $100 Startup, which is at #3 on Amazon in the entrepreneurship category. Chris started on his travails quite early in life.  He volunteered with Mercy Ships, which is a medical charity in West Africa for years, right after graduation from The University of Washington. This experience turned out to be the corner-stone of his philosophy around traveling, community service and fundraising, which he has written profusely about in his blog.

In 2006, he decided to travel the world, officially and visit a hundred odd countries in a couple of years. And then in 2009, when he finished travelling half of the world,  he promised himself to push on and visit ALL the countries in the world. Day before yesterday, he tweeted this -

 What an inspiration and what a journey! Go on and read his blog, its full of great reads like How To Be Awesome . Coming to think of it, I have traveled a few countries myself, but even the thought of traveling the whole world feels surreal.

What do you think? Do you have a dream to one day travel the world ? Have you achieved part of that dream?

For those interested, I just discovered while researching this post that Chris was also a keynote speaker at the Austrlian Pro Blogger event in 2012 so if you were there, I’d love to hear what you thought of Chris’ talks?

Chime in with your comments below! 

 disclaimer : This is NOT  a sponsored post or paid endorsement for Chris Guillebeau , I think his is a fantastic story which had to be shared.

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dpcon13 gala dinner

DPCON13 Two Days, A Castle And Inspiration Unlimited.

March 29, 2013

Last week, around a 150 Australian mum and dad bloggers came together over two days at the Digital Parents Conference 2013 aka DPCON13. Not only was it a great occasion to learn more about emerging trends in the blogosphere, mingle and network with peers, seek mentorship from some of the best but also to be inspired, humbled and touched by  the most heart breaking and  moving stories of  loss,heartbreak, love, hope and strength.

Also, for so many of us first timers,  DPCON13  presented an opportunity to finally be able to meet in person with so many of our favourite bloggers/friends. I must admit, the lead up to the event had been a very messy one for me, very messy indeed! So I may have been part consumed with mother guilt for those two days in Sydney.

Feeling overwhelmed, excited, proud, nervous all rolled into one, I made my way into the nothing short of magnificent Curzon Hall that first day.

curzon hall

What a grand venue!

Being greeted so affectionately at the registration desk by the very lovely Tina Gray of TGDM was such a perfect way to kick off the conference.

dpcon13

Once inside the main hall, the anxiety of being a first timer slowly peeled away. The ambience, warm, happy and vibrant. Smiles everywhere you turned to look. I knew I was amongst my own. I also knew for the next two days, I could be glued to my phone/laptop/social media streams and it wouldn’t be considered rude. Win!

tweeting away at dpcon

And so I tweeted and tweeted and tweeted.

wake up sydney kindness cards

Not at all limited to these but some of the sessions that I enjoyed incredibly  were :

Can Blogging Increase Kindness – Jono Fisher from Wake Up Sydney  kicked off the conference with a great keynote on the power of kindness. How a simple  act of giving has the  potential to go a long way. Pay it forward, make kindness contagious!

Blogging Through Adversity – 3 strong women and their stories of heartbreak and loss. How do you find the strength to cope with losing the ones you hold dearest? Hats off to these women for baring their hearts and souls.

The Myth Of Having It All –  Asking the question , what does “all” really  mean? A fantastic discussion with some great thoughts all around . I will share a couple of sentences that were said which struck a real chord with me.

Make what you have matter rather than trying to have it all.

Most women give up their powers because they think they don’t have any.

Thought provoking stuff!

Speaking of girl power, here are some uber awesome chicks I got to hang out with at the conference!

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clockwise : Rhianna from AParenting Life ,  Salz from Salz Dummy Spit and Dea from Mama Stylista planning cheeky exits, Dea,myself, Ang from School Of Mum and Salz, Catherine , myself and Salz,Dea and myself at the photo booth, beautiful room with a stool, Salz and Dea pretending to read, Johanna from Strawberry Communications and CJ from 10%inspired, The castle in all its glory.

{Guys, I wrote this piece very late into the night and never got around to asking if it was okay to feature your pics but if anyone would like to have their picture removes, please feel free to email me – Thanks :) }

Another great session was My Blog, My Story. I was a bit late for this one but so glad I made it. This is where bloggers come  on stage and share a post on how they began their blogging journey. Some regaled us with their humour and brilliant expressions while others were courageous in sharing stories so close to their hearts, they reminded us to be so grateful for all our blessings and then some.  By the end of this session, I doubt that there would have been a dry eye  in the hall.

Sometimes life gives you a pretty crappy hand but we  must learn how to play it well..

Through tragedy, I found my path.

Two other sessions I found particularly impressive were to do with monetising your blog :

Charge your worth.

Marketing to Digital Parents. Win / Win / Win Collaboration with Brands

Some fantastic tips there too!

dpcon13 gala dinner

The event came to a final close with everyone getting together for a grand gala dinner preceded by some exquisite canapés and drinks at the castle rooftop garden. Great company, delicious food, awesome  music and guess what ? My kids have renewed respect for me thanks to the  DPCON13 harlem shake ! I promise you it makes us mummy and daddy bloggers look like rock stars.

dpcon13 belkin charger

Alright! So what did I learn from DPCON13? Let me try and sum it up in 5 I mean 8 short points.

  1. Kindness is a way of life.
  2. Blogging is not broadcasting, it is communicating ( Thank you Nikki Parkinson – Styling you)
  3. Sometimes people aren’t who they seem to be and sometimes they are much more than you originally thought.
  4. You may lose track of day, time and significant  political happenings while engrossed at a Bloggers Conference. Hey at one stage, we thought Julia Gillard wouldn’t be PM anymore.
  5. Every time you stumble, every time you hit rock bottom, remember that there is someone else out there who has had worse than you. Be strong, be courageous, stand tall. Be YOU.
  6. Never, never, never give up.
  7. You do not attempt to wing cupcake decorating. Ever.
  8. Purple iPhone chargers are the best thing to happen to iPhones. No seriously.

I came away from DPCON13  even more overwhelmed than I had felt while going in. So many emotions, so much to take back, mull over, countless inspiring stories and a head buzzing with ideas on how to go forward. It has taken me a good 4 days to finally emerge from my dpcon13 happy bubble but I come away deeply humbled and grateful, much more aware of my weaknesses but also my strengths. I come away more determined to go places. And I suppose that’s not such a bad thing after all!

So thankyou DPCON13 for this fabulous celebration of the blogger community. Brenda Gaddi, Melissa Gassman and the rest of the team , great show guys!

I leave you today with a picture that is special to me. She exudes warmth and humour in her words.  She surprised me with her considered compassion as she hosted the very emotionally charged Blogging Through Adversity session and she had me in stitches when she spoke of  Defriending Grandma.  She’s funny, she’s witty and a truly wonderful girl inside out, I am so glad I got a chance to hang out with her for a bit.

dpcon13 -1

The lovely Grace from With Some Grace

Linking up with Grace ofcourse for FYBF.

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pakistan with flag

A New Pakistan, My Pakistan.

March 24, 2013

I particularly appeal to our intelligentsia and students to come forward and rise to the occasion. You have performed wonders in the past. You are still capable of repeating the history. You are not lacking in the great qualities and virtues in comparison with the other nations. Only you have to be fully conscious of that fact and to act with courage, faith and unity.

- Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah

pakistan flag

73 years ago on this day 23rd March 1940, a resolution was passed at the grounds of Minar-e-Pakistan - Lahore  for a secular muslim state. 7 years later,  on 14th August 1947, Pakistan was born.

66 years on, my Pakistan has been plunged to the depths of despair. Corruption, bad leadership, selfish, ulterior motives have all taken a toll on our country and it’s citizens. Hope is faint but the only straw we clutch to for this monumental shift. Hope and Imran Khan.

They say all great changes are preceded by chaos.

Imran Khan, cricketer extraordinaire turned politician is catalysing a sweeping positive change in the mindset of the average Pakistani.

Close to half a million people are gathered at the same location TODAY, Minar e Pakistan waiting to hear Imran Khan speak his message of change for Pakistan. He comes with the promise and hope of a Naya Pakistan (New Pakistan). God willing.

My thoughts are with my country and fellow Pakistanis. May this be a day of great, positive change for Pakistan.

Today, from the core of my heart truly prays and wishes for a peaceful, prosperous, strong and new Pakistan. A Pakistan that dreams, breathes and lives fearlessly. A Pakistan with a vision , full of hope and possibilities for the future.

So here’s to a new Pakistan , My Pakistan.

Have you ever experienced a political uprising in your country?

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sharing instagram

Food, Conversation, Inspiration {Canberra Bloggers Meetup}

March 16, 2013

So as much as I love Canberra , there isn’t a major blogger community presence here. And unfortunately, whenever there has been an event, I haven’t been able to go along due to personal commitments. I decided that was going to change this year. Partly because  as a blogger or any other craft for that matter,  not everyone “gets” blogging and therefore  meeting fellow bloggers is kind of good for your blogging soul. It gives you the reassurance that you aren’t the only crazy one doing crazy things! And partly because I am totally envious of those cool blogger meetups that always happen in the bigger cities  followed by pictures all over social media.

Over the past couple of months, I have been lucky enough to get to know two lovely Canberran bloggers Vanisha from Vanisha’s Life In Australia and Maddy from the newly launched Mummawoosah . Having our own Canberra social was inevitable , so last weekend we met for brunch .

Here is  what followed over the course of the morning in pictures and words.. Enjoy :)

Where there are bloggers, there is food.

foodies

And foodie pictures galore !

Resolutions

blogger resolutions

 Maddy had been tossing up about going live for the past few days, she went away  on the day saying she would. And she did ! Well done Maddy – Read her first post here :)

Conversation and Inspiration

blogger conversations

Great food, amazing coffee and fabulous company. 

One of the things we discussed was how important it was to keep it real when you are blogging. That no one has a perfect life. Vanisha went away and wrote a heart warming post about how she has been feeling these past few weeks. You can read it here :)

Happy Snaps

canberra bloggers

The Spoils

the spoils

Maddy brought along some uber gorgeous Nigerian jewellery to show us.

Instant Sharing

sharing instagram

You Facebook it, I’ll instagram it.

And that’s how we roll!

Inspiring stories, Brand new friendships

canberra bloggers 1

It was so refreshing to meet these beautiful, like minded girls and learn more about their life stories. Food, conversation and inspiration, does it get any better ?

Do you ever feel like normal people don’t “get” your blogging ? What has been your best blogger meet up experience?

Image credits : Thankyou Vanisha for sharing your pictures from the day.

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To Canberra, With Love.

March 11, 2013

Canberra Bashing - noun: 1. the act of criticizing the Australian federal government and its bureaucracy. 2. the act of criticising the city of Canberra or its inhabitants.

Canberra has time and again copped a lot of criticism for being a sleepy city , boring, predictable and political. In other words, “Canberra Bashing” – the word is now officially being added to the National Australian Dictionary. Sure enough, Canberra life is nowhere nearly as fast paced as say a Sydney or a Melbourne but I strongly refute the charges of being boring and predictable. 

The BBC published an article last Saturday, a week ahead of Canberra’s official centenary ; Canberra – Deathly Dull at 100 which has perturbed many a Canberrans. We love our city, how dare someone so flippantly refer to it as “devoid of soul” . The writer is grossly mistaken because our  Canberra is all about soul, thank you very much.

There is so much to love about Canberra and I always say to the nay sayers including my skeptical little sister who went to the ANU , “give it a year, the city grows on you.” 2 years and a masters later, she has converted from “I can’t believe I chose Canberra to study, I am escaping to Sydney every second weekend to have a life ” – as you do to ” I love Canberra, it is so peaceful, no one cares what you do, it’s simple, it’s safe – I was so happy there” Well, thanks for listening to big sis yo.

We have such an amazing, close knit, vibrant community spirit. We are diverse, we are cultural, we are tolerant. People actually stop to say hello and smile at you, yes random strangers will smile at you in Canberra. Majority are public servants which means a relaxed, balanced pace of life with most if not all the trappings of a developed metropolitan. Well architected and thoughtfully set out, excellent schools and universities make Canberra a perfect city to raise a family.  Fine, we don’t have trains yet but then with everything literally 20 minutes away, you can’t really complain can you?

Canberrans experience all four seasons, our autumn and spring are particularly stunning so if you are heading this way in the next few months, make sure you capture some of that gorgeous autumn foliage.

We don’t have beaches but we have beautiful lakes and lovely parks, Bateman’s Bay and the snowy mountains are just a short drive away. And if that’s not enough, Canberra with its panoramic skyline is home to some of the most breathtaking sunrises and sunsets in the world.

What’s there not to love? And mind you, this was just a teaser.

I have lived here for 9 years and have never once regretted it. No, I am not a spokesperson for Visit Canberra , just one seriously happy Canberran.

So all you Canberra Bashers, scram!

Leaving you with a collage of all my favourite shots of locations around Canberra over the past year. While it has been a weekend of centenary celebrations for Canberrans, that too a long weekend – be jealous rest of Australia!,  the city officially celebrates it’s 100th Birthday tomorrow :)

canberra collage

Happy 100th Canberra :)

Much Love.

So tell me , where do you live? How old is your city now?

Linking up with the totally awesome Jess from Essentially Jess for IBOT.

disclaimer : All images used in this collage are my own. Phtovisi.com was used to designn the collage.

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Happy Birthday Mumchic.

March 1, 2013

Sisters are amazing. I don’t talk much about mine here on Mumchic but quite honestly, I would be lost without her. She is my biggest and most honest reality check.

Sometime back in early February of 2012, clearly under the influence of some delicious meal I had cooked for her, she said

“You have such great recipes, why don’t you start a blog?”

“But I had a blog, remember?”

“Err yeaah in 2006 or something?”

That came with the look that spells “wtf” in not so many words…. it’s a special wordless exchange that happens between sisters, you won’t understand.

Anywho back to the blog suggestion , I have a feeling she had wind of my floundering ways and thought I was wasting too much important brain space on watching melodramatic Pakistani plays and needed to do something constructive with the little free time I had.

You see, this isn’t the first time someone has suggested writing again but this time around the idea stuck with me. Longer than usual.

And thus out of a random conversation with my little sister, Mumchic was born. Once I had decided that that I was going to start a blog, we agonised  over the theme and a name for weeks eventually deciding on Mum Chic – a hub of all things delicious and chic for but not restricted to mums.

And this little baby is exactly a year old today!

Happy Birthday Mumchic.

Nothing worth having comes easy

Nothing worth having comes easy.

What a journey it has been.The highs, the lows, the joy of creation. If there is one thing I have learnt this past year, it is this. When you love what you do, when you are passionate about what you are building, no hour in the night is too late, no dream futile, no vision too big. Yes it takes courage to do something out of the box and a lot of willpower because as with any uncharted path, there are tests.But that is when you persevere, that is when you give it your best shot.The results might just astound you.

I started blogging as a complete rookie, I had the words but I also had a lot to learn about the game I was playing. Scheduling posts, linkies, PR, coneferences, social media… you name it! So much to take in, I felt overwhelmed. As my readership grew, my goals changed too – I now had plans for this blog but I also had a pressing need to understand the space better.  The trouble with the business of blogging is, the bigger it grows, the bigger you want it to grow. I reached out to people asking for mentorship. Some were extremely gracious and generous, some not so much but I learnt from it, either way.

But having said all of that, my greatest take away of all  from the past year has been the beautiful bloggy friendships I have found along the way and all the mind blowing stories I have been able to read. I feel previleged to have been able to share mine with you.

And last but not the least, the love and untiring support of everyone out there : fellow bloggers, readers, followers, family and friends – Mumchic would not have been here without your support :) . Thankyou for putting up with me for a whole year, I promise as I did at the start of the year to bring you better and more exciting things in the year to come.

And before I forget, a special thank you to the person who waved her magic wand and made it all happen!

Thank you little sister. Love you.

P.S I still watch above mentioned melodramatic Pakistani plays, only difference is nowadays the usually play in the background while I write. A girl’s gotta keep up with her plays right?

P.P.S I am writing this post past 1am under a heavy influence of chocolate. If it seems to sappy tomorrow morning, you may blame the chocolate, or the clock or both.

Have you reached a blogging milestone? How did you celebrate?’

Is there something you would like to see more of here on Mumchic over the coming year?

Linking up with the wonderful Grace at With Some Grace for FYBF.

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The Promise.

January 20, 2013

pandora ring

“Some people don’t understand the promises they’re making when they make them,” I said.

“Right, of course. But you keep the promise anyway. That’s what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway.”

 - John Green

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What Happens When You Look Fear In The Face?

January 8, 2013

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You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Image Credit : Fabulous Son 2

Location : Cockington Green Gardens, Canberra

Link up : Linking up with Twinkle In The Eye Blog for Wordless Wednesday

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Top 10 Annual Promises To Self – Made To Be Broken {Mostly}

January 1, 2013

New Year's resolutions

New Year’s resolutions , we all make them and more often than not, break them. How is 2013 going to be any different? Here’s a quick snapshot of  my annual promises to myself in no particular order.

1.At 7 & 9, these are the years the Fabulous 2 need me most so on the top of my list is to spend more time with my children. I will actively seek ways to work out of home so I can be around them as much as possible.

2.Save, save and SAVE without going too overboard. I am an accountant, I have some sort of absurd saving image to uphold. I think.

3. Take a mad amount of pictures. Even more than I did in 2012. Especially sunrises.

4. Give up chocolate… Nah scratch that, it never would have happened anyway!

4(a)Read.More.Books.

4(b)See my friends. Often.

5. Grow  Mumchic bigger and better in 2013. More inspiration, more food and more stories on parenting. A new layout is already in the works and will be up and running very soon. YAY!

6.Limit gadget use and more digital free time with the family. As much as we love our gadgets,  at times we tend to overuse them here at the HQ so for example, at dinner time, we will pass around a basket and everyone will hand in their phones, hand-held consoles, Ipods and have a good old family time. The same for dinners at restaurants. In fact a great idea came from my sister – everyone keeps their phone at one end of the dinner table when dining out, the first one to reach for their phone has to pay! Pretty cool eh ?

7. Begin planning my trip to Europe (the one I need to do before I turn 35) – Which is solely dependent on the success of point 2.

8. Grow more veggies, herbs, flowers and fruits. Since moving to the new apartment, I have been actively gardening and thoroughly enjoying it! I don’t know a lot and neither do I have a green thumb but I feel that its a wonderful hobby to cultivate in the New Year and I can’t wait to learn more.

9. I need to learn how to take naps and breaks to rejuvenate myself to prevent burn out. I need to allow others to help me… especially those who want to help and trust them others with things.In short, I need to chill out.

10. Continue having 20 minute chats with the fab 2 before they fall asleep, amazing how wonderful those sleepy conversations can be!

Apart from the above, there are the usual yearly resolutions like getting fit, staying calm, eating healthy, getting and staying organised ,adhering to a budget, less shopping , err nevermind!

And with that, its an official wrap of 2012 for me. A year that has tested me in a myriad ways. I think I have come through unscathed, mostly. Also a year that has given my life a brand new direction with this blog.

 2012, it has been a journey indeed. 2013 , it’s time to shine!

What are your resolutions for 2013? Share with us here your top 3. If you have written a post on your resolutions, feel free to share the link in the comments section of this post.

Here’s to a positive, happy, safe and prosperous 2013.

Happy New Year All.

Much Love,

Sabeen

Image Credit : Some-ecards.

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A Wish From Us To You.

December 25, 2012

Christmas wishes

Thank you for your fantastic support over 2012, thank you for helping me  make Mumchic a dream come true. We have some fantastic tie ups coming up in the New Year including a couple of great giveaways. Stay tuned for details.

But for now, here is a wish, from us to you. 

Hope you have a wonderful time celebrating with your  families, friends and loved ones. May it be a time of great happiness, warmth and laughter for you all. May 2013 be a year of wonderful new beginnings, may all your hopes and dreams come true.

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