Just writing

A Blank Page

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I’ve just started writing this post with no clear idea or topic in mind.

I’m just wondering how it will go, and where it might take me.

Have you ever experienced this before?

I mean the moment when you grab a pen and a blank sheet of paper, stare at them, and wait?

You wait for any inspiration to flutter around you, or for a current of some thoughts to flow into your mind.

By the way, isn’t the idea of using pen and paper so classic?

I mean the image itself seems like a piece of history. 

Of course pens and papers haven’t disappeared yet, and I really hope they won’t end up as museum antiques any soon.

But using notes on your device is also a good way to write.

Tapping on your screen or your keyboard doesn’t carry your unique handwriting, but at least it still carries your thoughts and feelings.

So, now, a blank page can be filled after all.

With blank-page-thoughts,

Nahla

P.S. the cute cat photo was taken at the Cats Café in Malaysia.

daily prompt

Can it be a book?

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What’s the last movie that made you cry?

I didn’t watch movies much but I used to, though.

The recent movie I watched was Toy Story 5  which of course doesn’t make anyone cry. 

Me and my daughter watched it just for a change, something different to do during the summer holiday.

But that’s all.

I love reading more.

So, instead of a movie, my recent reading book is really what can make a reader weep. 

It’s such a book that stirs tendre emotions; fear, horror, sadness, compassion, mercy, love, hate, injustice, and even moments of happiness.

But… honestly, I didn’t technically cry. 

It just made me feel like crying.

This is the book; Before We Were Yours

With no-movies thoughts,

Nahla

daily prompt

The Conspiracy Theory of Seagulls 

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What’s a conspiracy theory you actually find believable?

I used to believe seagulls were fish eaters.

Really.

And I never imagined they could be that big until I moved to 

the UK many years ago

But they’re not only getting bigger, they’re multiplying. 

And… they don’t seem interested in fish anymore.

They have changed their diet to human food, any kind of food, even the discarded leftovers in the food waste bins.

Apparently they have changed  their own conspiracy theory about food hunting over the years. Everything changes, so why shouldn’t they?

So, according to my humble observation, their updated theory now consists of two components.

First: the secret agents, the ones positioned on the rooftops, cars, buses, and those who walk side by side next to humans along the streets. They try to look cool and cute and well-behaved which is the most important part of the plan to support the second half of the theory.

Then comes the critical part, the job reserved for their professional leaders. When the right moment arrives, the gull commanders launch into one of their marvellous scuba-dive shows. But neither the dive nor the show has anything to do with marine life. Those big commanders plunge from the high sky, straight, strong, committed, towards their target: human hands. They snatch a poor human’s long-awaited meal. 

Yes, they snatch, gulp, swallow any kind of food, you, human, might be enjoying at that very moment.

And you, poor human, are totally oblivious to those gulls’ conspiracy theory. 

But recently, It seems that humans finally decided to form their own conspiracy theory against the gulls.

Yes, some old men in a public park were joking about having roasted gulls for dinner.

I only wish they would consider the difference between the wild gulls and the trash-eating ones.

Otherwise, their conspiracy theory does them no good.

The gulls will multiply, and those funny old men will be extinguished. 

With seagulls- conspiracy thoughts,

Nahla

daily prompt

Shakespeare and Uncertainty

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How do you deal with uncertainty?

To be or not to be, this is the question.

Doesn’t this line certainly evoke uncertainty?

I once read that there’s some uncertainty surrounding Shakespeare’s writings. According to some researchers, he may have been supported by other writers who added much to his literary works.

Now I’m really uncertain about this news.

But I’m certain that Shakespeare was a main, heavy course during my BA studies years ago.

But again, I’m uncertain whether my lecturers and professors back then were aware of this information.

Anyway, even if there’s uncertainty about his works, I’m pretty certain that no one cares much this piece of news.

With uncertain thoughts,

Nahla

Just writing

Play the Adult

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What’s a moment when you realized you were officially an adult?

I was the youngest of my siblings; my sister was the eldest, my brother was the middle, and the youngest was me.

So I didn’t have to play the adult much. 

It wasn’t until I cradled my first baby in my arms that I felt both the beauty of motherhood and the weight of its responsibilities. And since that day, I realised it was time to play the adult.

As a full time mother, I played the adult with its different characters, moods, and shapes.

Yes, I played the kind nurse, the angry doctor, the mad teacher, the patient counsellor, the strict inspector, the loyal lawyer, the secret keeper, the watching owl, and so many others.  

But the youngest sibling in me always finds a time and a space, to laugh, to play, and to have fun with family, friends, and even her own-self, with no adult roles to play.

With play-the-adult-role thoughts,

Nahla 

Just writing

Reading Challenge Fulfilled

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At the beginning of 2026, I set my reading challenge target to sixty books.

A month or two later, I reduced it to thirty.

I thought it was better to achieve the target than to lose track of it.

This wasn’t cheating, was it?

But at least, I’ve been honest with myself.

So over the last two, no three, days, I finished a wonderful book, and it happened to be the thirtieth one. 

This means my 2026 reading challenge is officially fulfilled.

Now I can read more, without any pressure.

My best reading challenge score was seventy-eight books in 2023, 

and I was so happy with that big harvest. 

But honestly, I’m not sure if I had followed the same strategy back then.

I mean if I had started with a target of thirty and ended up finishing seventy-eight books.

Things didn’t work with the same enthusiasm over the last few years, though.

Why? I wonder sometimes.

But, I do know why.

Mainly because of my stubbornness.

Once I set my mind to read a book, I want to finish it; even if I don’t like it, even if it gives me a headache, and even if it bores me to tears.

And I discovered another reason; the high target I set for myself.

Whenever I planned to read more books, I ended up reading far less than expected.

But we do learn from our mistakes.

So, I will stick to my old strategy; start with less and end up reading more.

And perhaps, for stubbornness, I’ll pretend to forget about the books I don’t like until the end of the year. Then I can say, “sorry but your time is out.”

So… well done, me, for achieving my reading target in August. 

And I will let you know how many more books I finish by the end of this year.

Or you can simply have a guess.

With happy- reading thoughts,

Nahla

Just writing

A Stranger on the Road

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What’s a moment when a stranger completely restored your faith in people?

Well… it’s becoming quite rare when a stranger offers some help on the road.

But of course, one should be careful; not every stranger offers help out of kindness.

So, one day, about two years ago, we got onto the train to make a short visit to our new place, the very place where we live now. 

We walked from the station to our B&B, hoping for a bit of rest and a good meal before going out to explore the city.

But less than an hour later, we left the B&B and booked another room in a hotel. 

Why?

Simply, because the first one was terrible.

Tired as we were, we decided to walk because the weather was one of the best spring days.

It wasn’t until a steep hill, a long steep one, stood waiting for us that I decided it was time to call a taxi. 

And what luck… non of us had a signal.

“Let’s have a little rest and walk again until we get a good signal,” my son suggested. 

But there were no benches around, not even bus stops.

Our one and only option was to keep walking.

But then, a yell and a cry rang behind us.

Our feet stopped, and our heads turned back towards the sound.

A lady stood beside a small parked car, waving at us.

She called out, “Can I help you?” 

We turned to one another and decided to cross the road to ask her for a taxi number. 

She was all smiles as we drew near.

After thanking her and briefly explaining our dilemma, she said she wished she had a bigger car to give us a life to the hotel. 

“Thank you, that’s so kind of you,’ I said and asked again if she knew a taxi number.

She did, and then, unexpectedly, she offered to drive me and my daughter to the hotel instead of waiting. “It’s on my way,” she said, smiling.

I was just about to accept the offer but then a dog started barking from inside the car. 

I looked from the dog to the lady, feeling full of embarrassment.

There was no way my daughter or I could sit next to her dog.

We might smile at a small one on the road, say how cute it looks, but getting any closer especially to a big one is impossible.

The lady smiled, fully aware of our hidden terror.

“I’ll wait with you until your taxi comes,” she said.

And then, in the blink of an eye, the taxi arrived.

We hugged, and I thanked her from my heart.

As I waved to her from the taxi window, I felt as if we had met before. 

For a moment, she reminded me of someone I couldn’t quite place.

“She looked like my friend’s mum,” my daughter said, and I nodded with a smile. 

Could you believe that a stranger on the road might be that kind?

Sometimes kindness appears out of nowhere, just to restore your faith in people.

With faith-in-people thoughts,

Nahla

daily prompt

Was it a dream, or a good omen?

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If your future self could send you one sentence, what do you hope it would say?

I dozed off after a long, hot, busy day, until a cool breeze wafted towards me.

Before I opened my eyes, I heard a voice, my own voice, speaking to me.

‘Hey there, I’m your future self.’

I didn’t respond; ‘this is a dream,’ I whispered.

My voice gave a light laugh.

‘Listen they just told me to send you a message.’

‘Who told who?’ I asked, wondering why the cool breeze had disappeared. ‘Did anyone shut the window.’ I wondered.

‘WordPress told me, your future self, to send you a message.’

‘WordPress… it will be still there in the future?’

‘Yes, it will. And now just let me deliver the message before I forget it.’

‘Message from you, or from WordPress.’

‘Of course from me, your own future self.’

The cool breeze wafted back, and just before I dozed off again, my future self whispered into my ears and said:

“Write more. Write every day. Your writing will shine, day after day.”

When I woke up, my future voice was still echoing in my ears.

Perhaps it’s a nudge to write something today.

Or maybe it’s a good omen. 

With my-future-self thoughts,

Nahla

holidays

A Sound, a Lizard, and a Big Laugh

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Well… I wish they had taught us how to practically deal with insects and reptiles at school.

Science classes always give scientific information about different creatures, but they don’t teach students how to practically handle any of them in real life.

Schools focus mainly on scientific facts so students can be well informed and prepared for their exam grades. As for the practical part of how to deal with these creatures, schools leave that task for parents to handle at home.

Some parents were raised with good practical experience, enriched by old folk knowledge and techniques. 

Others think and behave exactly like school children, lacking any practical experience except the running-away strategy when they come face to face with those crawling creatures. 

So… one night on our recent holiday, and after a long day exploring different places, my daughter and I snuggled into bed and grabbed our iPads to scroll for a bit before sleeping. 

It was all quiet.

My eldest son had fallen into a deep sleep after finishing his running routine.

Why running in such steamy hot weather and on holiday too? I wanted so much to argue with him, but of course a man in his twenties wouldn’t listen. 

My middle son had already left for Thailand for a couple of days. “Well, Mama, it’s cheaper than flying from the UK.” 

Again a man in his twenties, once sets his mind on something, nothing will change it.

And my husband was out having dinner with one of his acquaintances.

That was why the night felt so still… until a strange hissing sound broke the quiet nearby.

I paused and looked around, wondering whether it was coming from the AC. 

Then it stopped.

I looked back down at my screen and started scrolling again.

A few moments later, I heard the same sound but louder.

This time my daughter heard it too, and we both turned to each other at the exact same moment.

‘Did you hear that?’ We asked together.

‘What could it be?’My daughter whispered.

‘Is it outside or inside?’We whispered to each other, then stood up on the bed, staring around the room in every direction.

Then I remembered I’m the mother here, and I have to find out.

I jumped down, grabbed a slipper, and tiptoed around the room.

I looked down every bed in our big room, under the chairs, and in the bathroom. 

Nothing.

So I climbed onto a chair and started hitting the curtains with my slipper weapon.

“It’s a lizard’s sound.” My daughter said, her eyes fixed on the screen she was holding tight.

That was what I had guessed too as the day before we saw a long one crawling out of the bushes in one of the parks. 

‘How do you know?’ I asked, still standing on the chair but no longer hitting the curtains. 

‘AI,’my daughter replied, ‘he said it’s probably lizard crawling on the outside walls.’

I sighed in relief, grateful for the AI’s generous help.

Then my husband came in.

‘What’s wrong?’ He asked and I climbed down from the chair while my daughter quietly sat back on the bed.

We told him the whole story.

‘Oh yes, they say it’s normal to see things around.’ 

‘Thank God the windows are always locked.’ I whispered. 

The following day, as we were waiting for the taxi to start a new adventure, I told my son the whole story and he couldn’t believe he had missed such an interesting episode. 

And just before getting onto the taxi, my daughter and I heard the same sound again.

We turned immediately towards the source, wondering how long the lizard would be this time.

But it wasn’t a lizard.

It was just one of the hotel porters pushing a big luggage trolley into the lift.

Me snd my daughter looked at each other and burst into laugher until tears flooded our faces.

With funny-moments thoughts,

Nahla

Daily thoughts

Reading Update

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I’ve just finished the second book on my reading list for this month. 

Such a big achievement after a few months of slow reading rhythm.

At the beginning of 2026, I lowered the number of books I hoped to read.

It feels better to meet the target than to miss it. 

So, for my reading challenge, I decided to keep my feet on the ground and my head in the clouds.

Soon, I will announce the good news of fulfilling my reading-challenge goal.

But of course, I will keep reading.

I’ve returned to fiction over the last two months.

Fiction is intriguing and interesting but that always depends on the book.

When you read a good book, you reach for more by the same author.

And if most of the books turn out to be so good, it becomes hard to turn to another author.

But then, at some point, you have to pause and tell yourself that it’s enough.

It’s time to discover a different world with a different author.

I’m already happily stuck with Lisa Wingate, and I don’t think I’ll turn away any time soon.

With reading-update thoughts,

Nahla

P.S.

Even cats love reading.

The photo is from the Cat Café in Malaysia.