Halloween? More like 'NoThanks'ween!

Hajj and Eid took place only a few days ago and so it would be foolish for any practicing Muslim to take any part in this Pagan holiday ...Right?

Majority of people are unaware of the origins of Halloween and kids grow up thinking it's mandatory to dress up and to be given treats by total strangers.
Sorry kiddies, I won't be responding to your taps on the door and cries of "Trick or treat!"

But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the little perks such as reduced candy that is available afterwards! Why let all that sugary goodness go to waste :D
In fact today I bought these doughnuts for just £1


They're covered in little sugar "vampire" bats but I prefer to see these as Batman doughnuts!
Soak them in milk chocolate and there you have it: Cavity on a plate...YUM

Now excuse me while I get fat :)

Eid Al-Adha!

(Image from: http://alivepakistan.com/tag/eid-al-adha/)

So yesterday (Friday) was the day of Eid Al-Adha which is a day celebrated by Muslims.

This event takes place after the Hajj pilgrimage. An animal is sacrificed in the name of God, following the traditions of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him).

Eid is always the same for me every year. We have our Eid shower, pray and then head of to my Grandma's house. You'd think I get fed up with it and yes sometimes I do, but I still love seeing my family and I am lucky to have them with me for every Eid. 

My Aunt told us about her friend who has no other family here apart from her husband & kids, and how lonely it gets for them. Also I realise that once I get older and probably have a husband and kids of my own, I might not get to see my family as much and so I should take advantage of these circumstances. 

And so should you!

More importantly we should look out for those who are less fortunate than us whether it's a friend you know who doesn't have family to be with, or donate to someone living in poverty (such as an Eid gift to an orphan)

So the best part of Eid for me?...

I can eat as much chocolate and junk without feeling guilty because HEY, it's a celebration after all!!

Craft Corner: Paper stars!

I learned how to make these cute little paper stars

At first I thought these used a complicated origami process, but it's just simply folds and pinches!

All you need is a long strip of colourful/sparkly paper (about the length from your fingers to your elbow), make the folds so you end up with a pentagon shape.

and pinch in the sides to create star points

They're very pretty and simple to make. Although it may take some practice to perfect them.

If you want the full tutorial, I learnt it from 'Paper Pastels' on YouTube as she made these especially for her two year channel anniversary: How to Make Paper Stars

Imaan & Beauty bracelets

Imaan & Beauty is an online Hijab and accessories company founded by two sisters who go by the names; Sister D and Sister M.
I remember this company being reviewed by Dina Tokio and so I decided to check them out on their facebook page. They must have been in the early stages of their business as they had few 'likes' on their page (the more likes you have, the more successful you are apparently!).

Soon the sisters introduced their Imaan & beauty bracelet range consisting of gorgeous wooden bracelets with Arabic calligraphy written on each wooden segment.
And I wanted one...

Eventually I bought one but only because for their Ramadan special, they were offering 2 bracelets with every order. So basically I got 3 for 1 which is awesome :D
I was skeptical about getting the 'names' bracelets as it included Allah's name along with a few others, and I didn't feel comfortable about sporting something like that. So instead I purchased the 'Bismillah' one which felt like a safer option.

The beige one is the prettiest but I gave it to my cousin as an Eid gift :)

At first I LOVED them and I wore the bracelets all the time. But then one day, my younger cousin asked if they were pictures of flies. It kind took me by surprise, but then I noticed how actually the calligraphy print was very squished together and hard to read :(
It would have been nicer if it had a square border to fit the wooden segments rather than having them as ovals. Maybe then there would have been more room to space out the calligraphy and make it less 'fly like'

I still love the bracelets though but maybe not as much as I did in the beginning.

Top buy: Batman USB flash drive

YES you've heard that right! It's a USB flash drive/memory stick in a Batman casing. The parts are very sturdy, and takes quite a tug to pull them apart so there's no issue that the legs will fall off and get lost.

(about the length of my thumb)

(The Headless Hero)

I was in need of a USB stick to back up my Uni files (because we know how unreliable technology can be at times!). So I started to look at stores such as Ryman and WHSmith for the best deals when I remembered that during the cinema release of The Avengers film, a collection of superhero USB sticks were made.

(image source: http://www.gadgetreview.com/2012/05/the-avengers-usb-sticks.html)

According to the site, these sticks can reach up to $1000, and yes they also sell them on Ebay for about £18.80 which is no doubt cheaper but you still wouldn't want to spend that much on just 8GB would you?

So I went through all the other related items on my Ebay search when I came across a bunch of these chibi superhero flash drives for just under $10! After reading the product description and contacting the seller to check whether it works on Windows 7 (and it does), the hardest part was deciding which design to get... 

(Top row: Captain America, The Punisher, Hulk, Wolverine and The Flash.

Bottom row: Dare Devil, Green Lantern, Spiderman and Batman.)

In the end I decided that I loved the Batman design more (evidently!) so I went ahead and bought it in the 16GB. It took about 2 weeks to arrive all the way from China, which is reasonable and so worth the wait.

A complete must have for superhero fans :D

Heart to heart: Daddy's girl

Growing up I was pretty close with my dad, but as the years progressed we had started to become distant to the point where we didn't even communicate. Now don't get me wrong, we didn't do this on purpose but it became that kind of situation where we didn't have anything to talk to each other about.

However, recently I've found that we started to talk to each other more and more, and nothing gives me greater joy than having that good relationship with him again.

Then a few months ago my mum bought my dad a ticket to Hajj. Only him. I would have went too but I have university so he would be going on his own which was fine.
My dad was due to leave on Friday 12th October so on that day we all went to the airport with him. Now me and my dad never really hug each other or anything but that day he sat next to me and asked if I'd miss him. Of course I said yes and he put his arm around me and I put my head on his shoulder.
That's when the silent waterworks started.
That was our little father/daughter moment that I had been craving for.

I realised how much I'd miss him, probably even more than I missed my mum when she went away. And for the rest of that farewell I had to force myself to choke back the tears and hide it from the rest of my family because I didn't want their comforts. I just wanted my dad to come back soon and as safe as possible.
Later on in the evening I was preforming my usual prayers and made a mental note to pray for my dad at the end. As soon as I thought about my dad I burst out crying. I just couldn't help it but I think I just had to let it out after holding it in all day.

So what's the lesson that we can all learn from this?

Treasure your parents as much as you can, be good to them because one day they'll be gone for good and you'll regret it...

♡

Got mail!

So a few days ago my package from clothing company, Statemeant.co.uk arrived in the post!

I seriously LOVE it as you might be able to tell if you follow my Tumblr and Twitter.
Props to the guy who started this company and maintains it. He sells a range of apparel from T shirts and hoodies, to jackets and sweatshirts.

The idea behind this brand is about clothing with a meaning or as their slogan states:
"Say something, Mean something, Stand for something"
..and that's not even the best part. All their garments are produced in ethical condition and a percentage of each sale goes to charity.
On top of that the quality and fit is brilliant. Perfect for the upcoming autumn/winter season (Y)

I will definitely order from them again as I have my eye on the 'Peace be upon you' printed hoodie, and maybe this time I'll be a little bit adventurous with what colour I get!

Be sure to follow Statemeant on Twitter! @statemeant

Being a fresher

So yes three weeks ago I started university, and my goodness does the time fly by or what?
I believe that I have settled in quite well. The location is close to home, the course is obviously very new to me and the people are interesting.
But I won't pretend that I was completely ready for university life. In fact it scared the hell out of me. I'm a person who isn't too keen on change and after 7 years attending the same school and seeing the same faces, the prospect of being pushed into a new environment was daunting.

I mean I actually GOOGLED 'How to make friends' because I was sure that no one wanted to be friends (I sound like an 8 year old with confidence issues-although there's truth in the latter). I don't know how I even came to that conclusion before I had the chance to start the course but I guess that's negativity (and being an anti-social) for you!
Also I found that freshers week helped people to come together but these events mostly consisted of ravings and other expenses. That for me was a no-no!

So HOW on earth would I get to know people?

Well all I can say is don't seclude yourself from everyone. For example, don't sit by yourself in the huge lecture halls. Try and find another 'lonely' person and take a seat with them, and smile if they acknowledge you. That's what happened to me anyway and now I can safely say that I have made at least 8 friends or 'familiar faces'

It just takes time.

Blogger Wannabe..

Hello and welcome.

My name is Nasima, and I am a wannabe blogger that wants to share inspiring and interesting things via a combination of letters that is produced with my very own fingers.

I don't know if that sentence was even necessary or makes any sense but I'll leave it at that.

TTFN

Signing off.....with a fancy signature!



‏@ThisIsNasima