Sunday Musings

Pakistanis don't long for summers. For one, those are suffocating, mostly humid, unbearably hot, and drag on till the end of the year. But there are more reasons for my severe aversion.

There's a lot of green where I live, which means I get to have frequent encounters with scorpions, snakes, lizards, flies, and a variety of other insects. Secondly, we don't usually have centrally heated or air-conditioned homes in Pakistan. We install separate units in bedrooms and living rooms, which means kitchens are super hot in the summer, and I get temperature-induced headaches while moving around the house, especially after coming to an air-conditioned room from the kitchen.

This is the reason I am sipping tea right now and jotting down the list of things that don't let me enjoy summer. I will read this post again in winter if I dare to miss summer. 🤭

Ok, I should stop ranting about the weather and write about other things that are on my mind.

(It was 43°C today and the temperature is going to increase by 1-2 degrees every day for the next 10 days according to the weather app on my phone. 😭)

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Smartwatch Update

I tried ordering Garmin's Venu Sq, but the colour I needed was out of stock, and the retailer didn't know when it would be restocked. Then I thought to get one from a local brand, zero-lifestyle, which has surprisingly great features for one-third of the price. But again, the colour I wanted was out of stock. Then Huzaifa was kind enough to review his watch, which was also promising but not what I was looking for. The features were great, but being a woman, I can't help wanting a watch with great features that can also serve as a great statement piece. So, for now, I have ditched the idea and the money is safe. 😂

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Social Life

I am not a social bee, but you have to follow certain norms when you live in a small community. I had to attend a farewell party for two ladies of our ladies' club. It was a fun evening with Maan and other friends. I don't know what's with farewells, even if I'm not close to the ones leaving, they always make me emotional.

Maan and I got to attend another lavish dinner hosted by our mutual friend. I won't go into the details of the day, but I can't resist sharing the beautiful spread because it was the highlight of the week for me. I don't encourage it, but I love and appreciate it so much when someone puts effort into cooking for friends or family.

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Steem Oasis

I love Steem, but I don't remember it giving me laughing attacks like Steem Oasis does. Although the seed was planted 2 years ago, it has only started blooming now. It has become my favourite retreat spot. There are days when STEEM can become overwhelming, not just for me; it can happen to anyone.

So we gather at the Oasis and beat the heat by mocking what bothers us and trust me, it does make you feel lighthearted and cool you down.

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Steem Update

I don't usually read the "community curator" or "engagement challenge" updates because I don't participate in any. But since I got the hint from the team that they might agree to loosen some rules and halt some initiatives, I opened the community curator update, half hoping to see something different, and there it was—some definite changes. 😊

• no team-burn or team newcomer
• no rules except the prohibition of AI and Plagiarism
• smaller teams
• low SP requirement

I think it's a good step that will discourage scammers from abusing the newcomer title. Since there will be no special burn team, I expect to see very few people burning, not that I'm against it. Smaller teams mean higher competition and low SP requirements mean, we will finally get to see new faces as curators.

I wasn't planning on applying, but a healthy invitation and no rules made me say yes. I don't care if we get selected or not, but I am excited to see what these changes bring to the table - hopefully less abuse.

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With this, I close my Sunday journaling and dread Monday, which is going to be super busy.

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^{All gifs are from giphy.com.}