Tuesday 22 November 2016

Localtrotting: Tea on the Thames

The great thing about living in London, or what I mean to say is that in the four months that I've come to live in this road rage capital, there is so much to experience aside from the reckless half-wit drivers you encounter every passing day who are determined to hospitalise you as you drive!

 On a lighter note, as part of our Eid together as a married couple (yup, more details on the wedding to come!), my family gifted us with an afternoon tea for two on the Thames! Now, me being me, I love my cottages, remote countrysides, period dramas, Louisa May Alcott, china teacups, homemade lemonade, Wuthering Heights and most importantly....CAKES. Call me pretentious all you like, but secretly (to the knowledge of most people) I love the idea of living in a picturesque cottage in Cornwall or Devon, fishing on the weekends and running my own vintage tea shop. I often joke with my friends that I was born in the wrong era.

So, on a sunny, slightly blustery day, the hubby and I decided to take the trek to Tower Bridge and embark on our tea for two! I've always loved the concept of afternoon tea, way before it became on-trend, and always thought of it as a very delicate and appropriate way to consume treats. Taking the hubs along, I was very interested in how he, being a consumer of large 'manly' portions, would take to this, and to my amusement as our platter emptied away, he looked around casually, trying to catch the attention of one of the waiters: "Time for a re-fill," he announced!


Sunday 13 March 2016

Review: Moon Boutik- Urban Chic Abaya

As much as I love loath wedding shopping. Or what I really mean to say, as much as my family: mum, grandma, aunts, bestie and all enjoy wedding shopping, I cherish the moments when I can enjoy everyday 'normal' shopping. Be it buying bread from Tescos or socks from Primark, normality is a relief when you're plunged into wedding frenzy!

So it's time out from wedding shenanigans and onto an abaya review!

 Following on from my Marina maxi dress purchase from Moon Boutik, I was curious as to what else the online shop stocked. I'm always on the lookout for a good everyday abaya that's smart enough for work but still casual enough for the weekend.


Saturday 5 March 2016

Contemplations: "My worst enemy was living between my very own ears..."

My recent article for Sisters Magazine

When I graduated from uni in 2014, like many other graduates, I struggled to get into the job market, and this bought me really down. I wrote this article at the time to fully explore my attitudes and emotions and figure out how to turn this negative into a positive! Now it serves as a reminder whenever I think life is not going to plan!

Image from Sisters Magazine
I’ve always thought of failure as the biggest flaw in life. I saw a lack of success as breaking down your credibility and exposing you to the dark underbelly of misery. Yes, my perception of failure was extremely simplistic, to the point that failure to pass my first driving test resembled a funeral procession in my mind on the way home and a B in my mock GCSE’s resulted in a classroom meltdown. But having failed my 11 Plus (primary school exam) as a child, I always felt that I had to constantly prove myself, and any failure led me back to that dark time in my personal history, when I opened that brown envelope to reveal that I would not be joining my friends at grammar school.

Thursday 18 February 2016

Wedding Diaries: Dress Shopping - Part 1

Because no wedding is complete without a BIG dress!

What big day is complete without a ginormous 4 figure wedding dress encrusted with enough bling to make your eyes water and a 10 ft train long enough to drag all 20 bridesmaids in tow?
  
To be honest,  I've been dreaming about my wedding dress as a little girl. But seriously which girl doesn't? I've prowled the internet meticulously saving images of glorious designer gowns dripping with everything  but the kitchen sink.

 As my friends and cousins started to get hitched, nothing bought me more joy than going bridal shopping and pulling out the heavy arm-wrenching yet undeniably gorgeous lenghas and dresses, knowing one day in the distant future it would be me trying them on!

Sunday 31 January 2016

A Beautiful Beginning to a Beautiful New Year

Ah yes, all have guessed. One has officially become two!
 This mention is long overdue, and as the first month of 2016 comes to an end, it also signals 1 month since this Miss became, dare I say it, a Mrs. 


Yes, I've relinquished my singleton and acquired a husband or as I really say it...hoosband (don't ask but it always comes out that way). Although we've had our Nikah - Muslim ceremony (more on that later), we've still got the big main wedding party/Walimah to look forward to.

So beware, I'll warn you in advance, as you're in for one bumpy ride, as I tackle wedding planning, husband managing, trousseau packing, honeymoon foraging all while carefully preserving my very sanity!