R@nd0m :)

Life has been so hectic lately that I've often found myself pondering over what to include here. So, for this entry, I decided to include some random moments over the past few days as a random entry are better than no entry, right? Anyhows, here we go!
--------

Today's outfit, though to be honest the focal point is probably the sun glasses :D

I purchased the bag and sunglasses not too long ago and this was my first time wearing them. I'm not really into sunglasses much, as I think they makes me look a little..well..mean haha. I do, however, think that it went well with this particular outfit. The abaya I'm wearing has a really pretty arm design, but is otherwise just plain black abaya.

I also finally received this cute Disney stitch case for my iPhone today. I know, even I can't believe I ordered it! I have a few cases that I like changing up, though definitely not as bold as this one, but I can safely say that it did raise a few eyebrows whilst I was out in public. The front looks really cute but the back is a little questionable. So far it's ok, and the ears fold up which is useful, but it does make the phone look really big!

--------

Lately we've also been preparing for my friend's wedding, which is this Saturday inshaAllah. Me and mumzy have been making some small nibbles for the occasion, including homemade biscuits and some traditional Somali pastries (though to be honest mumzy is the one who's been doing most of the hard work). Anyhows, here's a batch of biscuits that we were making today :)

So exciting! Hopefully I'll be able to a post about the whole occasion inshaAllah :) But yh, I hope everyone has been well! 

Until next time, toodles~

Sunshine lollipops and family candydrops.

This picture says it all! My two lovely sisters having fun against a sunset backdrop. Alhamdullilah, I thank God everyday for my family.

Yesterday the sun came out from hiding, so I decided to have a mini picnic with the family and make the most of it. Even though I didn't really have time to go out and and buy a few treats for the picnic, I luckily managed to find a few goodies (including ice-cream) lurking in the fridge.

The atmosphere was really nice..and it was nice to the sky looking so blue. Even the cotton-candy looking clouds looked so awesome that I just had to capture it on camera haha~

We took quite a few snaps, although I look quit awkward in most of them I must say. I'd only arrived home 4pm and as sunset was around 5.30pm we didn't really have long to get ready, get the food ready, and go out to enjoy the last remaining specs of sunlight. Nonetheless, spontaneous outings can be fun and it's always nice to have a have a little get together ^^.

Plus, I had this entire tub of ice-cream to myself (although I must add I didn't eat it all :D), which had cookie dough chuncks inside and chocolate chip. Not the best I'v ever tasted, but definitely lovely.

Finally we went to the children's playground area where I sat feeling rather old haha. It seemed like only yesterday when I used to climb the jungle gym and play on the swings (although the swings aren't totally crossed off my list just yet, let's just say >.<). Really awesome day.

Till next time inshaAllah, toodles :)

Chinese parasol and the colour purple.

  

I was rummaging through my wardrobe today and noticed this cute pink parasol that I brought during the Chinese new year festivities hiding in one of the corners. Upon finding it I decided to take some photos with me wearing one of my favourite colours..purple! 

The purple and white hijab I'm wearing is actually the one I wore for my university graduation ceremony and I've kept it stored away ever since. I've since decided to start wearing it more often, although I think it's a little too fancy for everyday wear haha.

I teamed up the hijab with a purple dress (for some reason it looks blue in most of the pictures! agh). 

I've had this purple dress for a few months now, but I've been unable to wear it as it was unbelievably a little tight. I've since lost some weight (around 7kg) so it fits a bit better but there's still quite a bit of work to be done before it looks just about right. 

I have to say I'm quite happy now that I'm starting to see results with my weight loss. InshaAllah when I've reached or am closer to my goal weight I will make a post about it :) 

Talking about weight loss and healthy eating, these past few weeks I've been so focused on healthy eating that I've even given up my favourite treats. Today, however, my lovely mumzy brought me this divine cake that I just couldn't say no to. 

Nomnomnom

Too awesome for words :)

Until next time inshaAllah... toodles!

Update, beads show.

Man o riley, I haven't been here in so long! I wouldn't be surprised if you guys totally forgot about this blog. My excuse? Well, to say life has completely engulfed me lately would be an understatement. I've just been super busy the past few weeks, which also means that I'm now backlogged with posts so hopefully some of the future posts will make up for it :)

Also, heads up: this post might not make too much sense as it's 01.46am and I'm officially knackered- but I told myself that there's no time like the present so alas, I'm finally making a new entry. This entry will be split up into sections ^^

------
After my last post, the weather has thawed out a bit and it's been increasingly warmer. Before everything melted though, I did managed to take a few pics~

Pretty, no? I find that snow makes a really pretty backdrop, so most things tend to look better.

-----------

A few weeks ago I was asked by my awesome friend Adekemi to help her take photographs for a fashion/beads show she was holding. She's set up her own line of beads that she hand-makes, so definitely feel free to check her out! (Facebook: ravishing beads, twitter: @ravishingbeads, website coming soon!) 

Here are some of the pics I took that evening:

The hall the event was hosted at

Behind the scenes preparation

A sample of some of the beads

Below are some shots I took of the models with the beads on: 

 

It was a really fun evening, and to be honest I haven't even gotten round to looking at the footage for the actual fashion/beads show yet! Perhaps I will do a part 2 to this entry? We shall see!

Anyhows, for now I'm off to snooze inshaAllah so until next time.. 

...toodles!

Shepherd's Bush Market

I went to Shepherd's bush market the other day, which holds many fond memories for me, and was pleasantly surprised by some of the items I saw. 

Initially when I got there, the place was practically deserted. I can't remember ever seeing it so empty, which was an added bonus as it meant easy shopping :)

As with most markets, you usually have to take everything with a pinch of salt as far as quality is concerned- but for a hijabi, this market certainly delivers in certain areas.

What caught my attention in particular were the hijab accessories, mainly the under-caps and brooches, which were very reasonably priced. I managed to get these three brooches pictured below for £5 (bargain), whereas usually I'd have to pay £10+ for one when buying from a department store. The quality, from past experience, is rather good as well.

What do you guys think? I wasn't too adventurous with the colours, but I figured I should take ones that would suit some of my favourite hijabs the most :)

I also brought quite a few bonnets as my bonnet collection has dwindled considerably over the past few months. They weren't very picture worthy though harhar  :)

Hope everyone is well. A rather short post today, so until next time inshaAllah..

Toodles ~

Snow + Day out shopping.

This was the view near my house this morning. Awesome or what?

Here in London we've been having some unusually cold weather lately, which was topped off last night with a light dusting of snow. Personally, I don't think it was a lot of snow, especially as there's been heavier snowfalls in recent years, but since snow isn't  a very regular occurrence here, people tend to get overly panicked and things generally stop to a halt or run really really slowly. For the older generation, it's probably a bit more of a nuisance, but as it's a weekend and snow is generally loads of fun, I've noticed a lot more adults getting into the swing of things and enjoying themselves for a change! :) 

Snowman time.... \(*^_^*)/

It wouldn't really be a proper snowfall unless we built a snowman, so I build this rather slim looking fella with some of my family. 

Obligatory snow pic~

---------------------------------

Okay, so say you have some cash for shopping purposes, what would you buy? Do you know the first thing that came to mind the other day when I went out to shop?....

Yes..BOOKS!

Gah, it's been a while since I brought books, and I have to say it was a rather interesting trip.

After spending what seemed like infinity looking for some books for me to read, and then heading to the cutesy section with cupcake decorated notebooks, I decided to get some books for my younger brother as well. I thought to myself, "Why not?"- I mean that way, we both benefit!

So off I went...

I finally got to the teenage section, which seemed rather alien to me as it has been a while since I browsed through those sections. After only a matter of seconds I instantly noticed 2 things...

1) Over 70% of that section was laced with romance themed books for teenage girls, most of which had cute covers and..

2) Of that 70%, almost all of the books there were vampire themed.

Upon seeing this, I just thought to myself- wow! I mean, has creativity completely dissolved? It looked to me as though almost all of the book there were descendants of that Twilight saga... which seriously made me sympathise with the younger generation (and yes once upon a time, to my shame, I read all 4 of the Twilight books.. *bows head in shame  >.< harhar)

Anyways...

Seeing as there were very few "boys" books for me to choose from, I ended up going over and over certain ones as I couldn't choose. I generally felt very helpless haha. I mean, since when did I get so old? I felt as though I could no longer distinguish between a good, "cool" book that my brother would like to read, and an average book that I might as well not have brought.

But.. as luck would have it, I only needed to loiter there for a few minutes- my pleas were heard and in walked in a teenage boy that could easily pass as Justin Bieber's twin. Hair-flick and all.

At that moment I thought, should I ask him for any recommendations? But then I heard myself and decided not to- though this obviously didn't stop me from keeping an eye on what he was picking out. After a short pause, he picked up 2 books,  which led me to follow suit and "casually" pick up the same ones. I mean, the section was so small that we were practically standing side by side anyway. Ha! Even I'm face-palming myself as I'm typing this.

So obviously, the boy saw me picking up the same books and decided to strike up a conversation. It's very rare nowadays for a teen, especially a boy, to initiate a conversation- particularly when stranger are involved. But he was so incredibly respectful, that it made me feel a great sense of hope for the younger generation.

He said to me, "Those books are really good! I've been waiting for this one to come out for ages, it only came out today! Definitely get it!"

I then replied, "Ah really? Is it really good?" adding, "I want to get some books for my younger brother, but I'm a little stuck," so that he knew the reason for me standing in the teen boys section. Haha.

He then proceeded to give me several recommendations and told me how much he loved reading, pointing out his favourite authors. He was very articulate and the fact that he loved to read "All the time" made me say to him, "You know, it's refreshing to see someone your age so passionate about reading, it's not often you see that these days".

Apparently, they have no T.V. at home as his parents don't like it, so instead him and his sister read to entertain themselves. I have to say, I was really impressed. It's obviously making a positive impact on their child's life, so kudos to them!

After thanking him and walking to the Cake-themed aisle, I came across this adorable recipe organiser:

I do a lot of cooking and love to cook, so I felt that this would be a great thing to have. My aunt in particular has taught me a few specialties over the years and as I don't make them often, I sometimes find myself calling her and asking, "self raising flour or plain flour? What else do I have to put in it?!" This should hopefully bring and end to that, and keep everything in one place. Wheee!

Anyhows I have a few more things I want to post but will leave it for another day.

Until then, toodles! ~

Almost 22

Before you read this post- this entry is a little different in that it is a little deeper from my usual musings, so you have been forewarned :)

Anyways..

I'm going to be turning 22 in a couple of months time, and this number has got me to reflect on several aspects of my life.

Why is it so significant? To be honest, the number itself isn't very significant- rather, the fact that I am standing here at almost 22 years of age, and feeling a million light years away from where I want to be in life. Yes.. we are going down that avenue.

Now, I do thank God for all the things/people I have in my life- admittedly probably not as much as I should, which I'm working on- but even I can't block out the fact that lately I haven't been making much of an effort in many areas of my life. This, of course, has left me in limbo, and right now the scariest thing about it is that I seem have lost my sense of direction in life (insert emo vibe here [check]). 

To put it into perspective, I recently graduated from university with a Scientific degree, and up until this point I had it all mapped out. The interesting thing about life, though, is that it doesn't always work out the way you planned. It's to be expected- everyone goes through hardships and setbacks, and I always say to myself, "When the time is right, things will fall into place."

This does not, however, absolve me of personal responsibility... and that is something I really need to work on. Not tomorrow... not later.. but right now. I need to take responsibility for myself and focus really hard to move closer to my goals in life (inshaAllah). Of course, I'm not 100% certain of where life will take me, but who in this world ever is? I've witnessed so many lives change in the blink of an eye lately, and I no longer want to take whatever precious time I have in this world for granted. 

And then tonight of all nights, I finally had that moment. I wouldn't go as far as to say it was an epiphany, but whatever it was, I can honestly say I've never felt such conviction before. It really made me think about where I am in my life at the moment, so from this moment on, I want to better myself as a person and to work hard in changing my current circumstances (inshaAllah). I want to finally get around to making those important decisions that will move me closer to my goals. 

Whatever happens though, I'm sure that from this moment on, I'm going to do my best to make every second worthwhile. 

I will end with my favourite latin quote- *Ad astra per aspera * ~To the stars, through difficulty~

:)