Category: Life

Life, Opinion, Writing

The 25 best stories for women this year – and mine’s included!

Raidah Shah Idil

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I’m thrilled to share that Daily Life has included my first article on their list of 25 best stories for women this year!

Working as a freelance writer isn’t easy. Anyone who tells you it’s a piece of cake is either well into the trade, or trying to sell you something. Writing for Daily Life was one of the best writing decisions I’ve made, and I’m still figuring out the right kinds of article to pitch! I’d like to thank Sarah Oakes, the Daily Life editor, as well as Candice Chung for being so encouraging and for helping me shape my articles into what they are today.

Some stories, like Clem Ford’s opinion piece on Jill Meagher and victim blaming, became national talking points. Others, including Raidah Shah Idil’s essay on what it’s like to wear a hijab, stayed with us because of their frankness and steadfast bravery.

Perhaps most importantly, each of these fresh female voices reminds us of the joy of sharing good writing. They inspired, challenged, and artfully reflected on the female condition in a way that only women could.

And another one…

What it’s really like to wear a hijab , By Raidah Shah Idil 
“I wear a hijab so when I’m in the public eye, I am unmistakably Muslim. If you look at me, you’ll see that I’m Asian. If you talk to me, you’ll see how much I love fantasy novels.” Shah Idil reminds us that the rest of the world, there are layers to her you can’t immediately see.

Thank you, Daily Life team, for brightening up my day 🙂

 

Health, Life, Opinion

Postnatal Depression Happens To Men Too

Raidah Shah Idil

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I recently this article on Daily Life, My husband was diagnosed with postnatal depression. I was genuinely surprised, and then realised that this makes perfect sense. The entry of a newborn baby into the lives of couple changes everything. I used to think that only mothers could get overwhelmed from the demands of a newborn, but it only makes sense that a father could be too.

I did some research, and found an article titled Fathers at risk of postnatal depression. Here’s a quote from the article:

…postnatal depression hits fathers and mothers equally in the first 12 months of a newborn’s life.

Young fathers are particularly vulnerable, with those aged under 30 facing a 40 per cent increase in the risk of developing postnatal depression compared with fathers aged over 30.

Again, the emphasis on younger parents having it tough! Hm. Food for thought. I hope that with the passage of time, there’ll be more research and advertising campaigns which highlight that fathers can suffer from postnatal depression. Talking about mental health issues makes it much easier for people to get the support that they need from healthcare providers.

The world has come a long way when it comes to recognizing that mothers do suffer from postnatal depression. The Black Dog Institute describes that one in seven mothers will suffer from postnatal depression (PND). I hope that new fathers will get similar levels of support.

If you know a loved one – male or female – who fits this description, and if you’re in a position to offer genuine advice, please encourage them to seek help.

 

 

 

Book review, Life, Opinion

Eulogy for a library & Last of The Mohicans

Raidah Shah Idil

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I loved this piece on Daily Life, by Alecia Simmonds: Eulogy for a library.

As much as I enjoy my Kindle and the ease of accessing all kinds of books, there will always be a place in my heart for the sacred silence of a library.

In my brief time at the University of Sydney, I also have fond memories of Fisher Library. I remember borrowing an ancient copy of The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. It felt like I was touching a piece of history – the musty tome, the yellowed pages….that book took me back to 1757, to the wildnerness that was America. I discovered that it was a very different story to the movie adaptation, but no less powerful. My favourite parts had to do with descriptions of the Native Americans, the lush descriptions of the rugged terrain, and, of course, the doomed love story between Uncas and Cora Munroe – not Alice, as seen in the movie.

Spoilers ahead!

In the book, Cora Munroe is actually not the all-white American heroine seen in the movie. Her mother is African American, and she is described as the stronger of the two sisters, compared to her waif-like sister Alice. Uncas and her fall in love, but back then, interracial marriage was a complete no-no. The solution? Killing off Uncas and Cora, so they could be together in the afterlife!

I was really shocked to read that America only legalized interracial marriage in 1967! Prior to the Loving v. Virginia case, it was literally illegal to marry someone of a different race. This boggles my mind. I’m of mixed ancestry (Malay, Indian and Chinese), and my future children will be too.

Islam, Life

Being Part of the Minister’s Muslim Reference Group

Raidah Shah Idil

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I had the incredible opportunity last night to speak at the Ministers’ Muslim Australian Reference Group.

My role was to give feedback on the CRC Youth and Religion Conference, which was held on October 21st at the ParkRoyal Hotel. I was one of the youth speakers there. I really enjoyed hearing  the stories of young people from the Egyptian Coptic, Sikh and Hindu faith. I only came in for the afternoon session, and I missed out on the talks given by Catholic, Jewish, Christian youth, as well as another Muslim youth. Interfaith dialogue is so critical in today’s world. Humanising the face of religion makes such a big difference.

Last night, I met the Hon. Victor Dominello MP, Minister for Citizenship and Communities and Aboriginal Affairs. He’s really cool! He spoke a bit about his parents coming in from Italy when they were children, making him a second-generation Italian migrant. It’s heartening to see someone from his background making his way in the world, and helping to generate positive change for the rest of the community.

I can only hope that with the passage of time and positive government support, the Muslim community in Australia will have an easier time co-existing with everyone else.

 

Book review, Books, Life, Opinion

When The World Ends, NY Times Fiction Piece

Raidah Shah Idil

799138_battle_begins_iiThe New York Times ran a great fiction piece today: When The World Ends, by Elyse Pitok.

Elyse’s piece is short and powerful, much like a punch to the gut. It really makes you think – what would happen if we were at the end of the world? All these luxuries that we take for granted will vanish. We’ll all be stripped down to the basic act of survival. How will that change you?

She very cleverly juxtaposed the protagonist having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) with, well, the world ending. That takes mastery. One of my favourite lines:

But you realize that there is so much healing to be done, and no more. Tomorrow you will still be skinny. The next day you will still be obsessive. The day after that you will still be compulsive. No amount of therapy or medicine or patience is going to change that, but somehow you will find a way to coexist with your neuroses.

Her piece reminds me of Cormack McCarthy’s The Road, a novel which disturbed me for weeks. At this point, I wouldn’t re-read it. I have no intention to watch the movie, either. But was it a good book? Yes, so good I think it might have given me nightmares. Apocalyptic fiction is not for the faint of heart. The scary thing is that at the rate humankind is burning up resources – how far away are we from the point of no return? It’s a harrowing thought.

As one of my teachers taught me – tread lightly upon the earth. It’s the only one we have.

Islam, Life

Young mums have it tough

Raidah Shah Idil

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I read this article, It seems younger mothers are having it tough, and it got me thinking. Here’s a quote from the article:

But it was the younger parents who seemed to be suffering the most. They were more likely to have more negative memories of their experiences of being a parent, and nearly a third of them remembered feeling like other people were coping better than them, or having excessive worry and sadness.

For as much as there’s pressure to marry young and have kids quickly – is it really that good an idea? Statistics tell me otherwise. I got married at 28, and I’m in no rush to repopulate the earth.

In some Muslim circles, being the ‘older’ mum seems to be the faux pas. But for everybody else, it’s the in thing to do. Mothers are getting older and older. Check this out – Science beats fertility clock. Now I’m not a proponent of freezing ovarian tissue in your twenties so you can party hard and then settle down and have babies at forty. I just think this option is fantastic for women going through chemotherapy or other health issues. It’s amazing to see science offering hope for women to conceive, when once, it would have been impossible.

Seriously, times are changing. You don’t know when you’ll end up settling down, and rushing to get married to ANYONE so you can have babies is a very bad idea. It’s all about balance and priorities. I’m lucky that my family and in-laws aren’t badgering me to provide the goods (i.e. babies), and if they were, that wouldn’t sway my decision to wait in the slightest.

True story. I bumped into a friend of my family’s at a local mosque, and asked me how I was. I smiled and said I was busy being a housewife and working from home. She gasped and said, “Housewife? You’re not a housewife until you have babies! What’s life for?”

I answered, “To know God.” That just rolled out of my mouth – probably from the blessings of being in a mosque. Her face just changed, and she nodded solemnly. Now that is one way to put an end to the baby question 🙂

Gaming, Life, Opinion

My First Gamer Article, Front-Page Featured on Bitmob!

Raidah Shah Idil

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Great news! I wrote my first gamer article on Bitmob, and it got featured on the front page!

I’m so thrilled! Thank you, Layton Shumway, for featuring my article 🙂 That gives me a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling that hey, I do belong somewhere in the gaming world. And, of course, it gives me a great incentive to keep gaming and writing about it lol. What XBox/Playstation/Wii games are you playing right now?

 

freelance, Life

Being a video game journalist

Raidah Shah Idil

While I was searching for more writing/editing projects on elance.com, a thought occurred to me – what’s it like being a video game journalist? Imagine being paid to play and write about video games! Inspired by the thought, I did a quick google search and came across this handy article – How To Become A Video Game Journalist.

The article makes the good point that to be a video game journalist, you still have to be a good writer. This gives me hope. I’m writing almost every day, whether it be opinion pieces, fiction, or my blog, and I’m a firm believer in Malcolm Gladwell’s ten thousand hour rule. To achieve mastery in anything, you you to put in ten thousand hours of practice.

From what I’ve read, Bitmob sounds like a great place to start writing about video games. They have this great series: The Skyrim Collection. I’ve only just gotten back into playing Skyrim after almost a year away, so I’m planning to write and pitch a Skyrim article to the Bitmob crew. Stay tuned!

A bit about my gaming: I use the XBox 360, and am currently playing Skyrim, the latest in the Elder Scroll series. In my previous games, I had bought a house in Whiterun, at least two horses (my previous one leapt to its death over some jagged cliff – this made me sad), I was the Harbinger of the Companions (oh, and also a werewolf). What’s not to love?

Fun fact: The peak of my Skyrim experience happened in the lead-up to my wedding, early this year. There’s nothing like taking down fire-breathing dragons when it comes to reducing wedding planning stress.

Another fun fact: My husband isn’t a gamer. But I’m sure he’ll be more partial to my video games once I start getting paid to write about it. lol.

Books, Life

Finding Jamilah is getting published!

Raidah Shah Idil

I have wonderful news! Finding Jamilah is going to get published! Yesterday, I met with Belal Taha from MyLegacy Publications to hash out the details. Stay tuned for a print edition with a brand new cover.

Belal told me that he bought my eBook, really enjoyed it, then he contacted me about putting it in print. As a self-published author, this is a dream come true. The world of self-publishing is a tough one – finishing my story and putting it on Amazon was the easy part, but marketing it, getting it into print and into bookstores was the hard part. I’m really glad that now I have a publishing house to back me up, and to help me get my story into homes around Australia, and elsewhere.

For all aspiring authors out there: Believe in yourself, believe in your story, and keep writing! Thank you MyLegacy Publications and to my family and friends who believe in my story. May this be the beginning of many, many more.

Life

Overland journal

Raidah Shah Idil

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How exciting! I just emailed my essay proposal to John Marnell from Overland journal. A good friend of mine posted the Overland call for Muslim Essayists onmy FB wall on Friday, and I’ve put something together over the past few days. Big thanks to my husband, family and Lisa for proof-reading my essay proposal. I haven’t written an essay proposal or anything vaguely resembling an essay since my university days, so writing for Overland was a fantastic exercise in reawakening dormant brain cells lol. I think it’s awesome to see Overland encouraging Muslim essayists to write. Everyone else loves talking about Muslims, and a lot of it is inaccurate, to say the least. If we don’t do the talking ourselves, who will?