Lessons Archives - Kia Abdullah

I have a sinking feeling that the vegans might be right

28th April 20211st December 2019 by Kia

If we were to make a list of the most joyless words in the English language, it’s likely that ‘vegan’ would rank somewhere near the … Read more

How I deal with trolls

1st October 2019 by Kia

(A super-quick post this month thanks to the flu that’s floored me this week.) I recently ‘joined’ Instagram. I say ‘joined’ because in truth I … Read more

10 things that make me proud – and one that does not

11th May 20211st September 2019 by Kia

I’m a list maker. I know it’s not glamorous but I make lists for all sorts of things, from short-term plans to long-term life goals. … Read more

On the joy of mediocrity

28th May 20231st May 2019 by Kia

Making the case for not going pro “Nobody achieves anything great by being happy and cozy,” says climber Alex Honnold in Free Solo, the Oscar-winning … Read more

I’m exhausted by my (and your) opinions

11th May 20211st April 2019 by Kia

I learned of the Christchurch mass shooting last month as soon as I woke up on the morning of 15th March. I was still in bed, my head still on my pillow. I reached for my phone and saw that my sister had forwarded a video to our WhatsApp group chat. I pressed play, but stopped the clip as soon as I saw the barrel of a gun go up – in POV as if I were a player in a first-person shooter game.

The lesson I learned from Dr Christine Blasey Ford

15th February 20191st October 2018 by Kia

Wallflowers aren’t weak; they’re just trying to stay safe Sometimes I wonder if I’m a bad feminist. I get angry when women act like wallflowers, … Read more

The bootstrapping myth

19th June 20201st September 2018 by Kia

My Kindle clippings are a huge great mess of things: information I want to keep, scraps of prose that make me weep, and words I’ve … Read more

Oh! The drama

14th February 201917th February 2013 by Kia

“People don’t want their lives fixed. Nobody wants their problems solved. Their dramas. their distractions. Their stories resolved. Their messes cleaned up. Because what would … Read more

7 tips for travelling alone

14th February 201921st July 2012 by Kia

As someone who lives alone and who has spent much of her career freelancing, it’s safe to say that I’m pretty comfortable in my own … Read more

Things I know at 30 I wish I knew at 20

14th February 201929th April 2012 by Kia

A 30th birthday is a peculiar creature. For some, it’s a day of genuine celebration; for others, a time of wistful reflection. As mine fast … Read more

The fourth decade

14th February 201920th November 2011 by Kia

Is there a term to describe an abandoned blog? Perhaps it entered the vernacular a few years ago and has now become obsolete because everyone … Read more

In pursuit of happiness

14th February 201931st December 2010 by Kia

I should probably be heading to bed but I wanted to write one more entry before the year is out. It’s that time of year … Read more

Five by Five

14th February 20192nd June 2009 by Kia

We all have problems, right? Some of us are riddled with neuroses, others with egotism. Some of us feel a need to be needed; others … Read more

Older? Yes. Better? Erm…

14th February 201913th May 2008 by Kia

I know I haven’t written for a while – I’m sorry. To get you started, I’ve written a piece for the comment section of the … Read more

Great expectations

14th February 201925th January 2007 by Kia

Anytime I’ve been asked to give advice to youngsters, I tell them to follow two simple rules and they’ll be okay: Stay in school Don’t … Read more

The classics

9th February 202431st May 2006 by Kia

Read

Lord of the Flies William Golding
Lolita Vladimir Nabokov
To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee
Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
Brave New World Aldous Huxley
One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Nineteen Eighty-Four George Orwell
The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald
Dracula Bram Stoker
Frankenstein Mary Shelley
Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte
The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger
Catch-22 Joseph Heller
Rebecca Daphne du Maurier