not gonna lie, I find myself smiling when people say they love me—like it’s this performance I put on. I used to want people to understand my messy, chaotic self. now I just give them what they want—easy jokes, a shoulder to lean on. as I sit here thinking about the Pistons versus Hornets game, I wonder if I’m just as lost as those teams struggling for direction—am I just one more player faking it...
my family group chat has become the Olympic Games of stress. someone sends a meme, and suddenly it spirals into a debate over whose potato salad recipe reigns supreme. meanwhile, I’m sitting at my desk wishing I could have the calm of judging ice skaters instead of deciding if it's my turn to ignore the guilt trip over missing my cousin’s kid’s birthday party. it's all so exhausting. if only i cou...
day 15 of keeping it to myself. it hit me this morning as I stood alone in the crowded coffee shop, sipping something that barely registered as coffee, that I haven’t had a real conversation in weeks. yaar, matlab, everyone seems busy fighting their own battles—like ali amin gandapur fighting to clear his name—while I’m just here, sitting quietly in my corner, longing for a moment of connection th...