A Cup of Shai

Hello:) Muslims use 'Alhamdulillah'  as a statement of Gratitude to Allah, and means 'Praise be to God.' Below is a list of what I have said 'Alhamdulillah' for recently :) 1. Seeing loved ones get married happily. 2. Lavender shower gel. 3. Going back to work after the half term holiday. 4. Baking a chocolate and vanilla sponge cake...and devouring it with family. 5. A relaxing foot soak in Eucalyptus Bath Salts. 6. Seeing my sister after she'd gotten married. 7. Impromptu yoga sessions at home. 8. Eating out with friends. 9. Burning a candle and snuggling up with a blanket whilst it was cold outside. 10. Watching the fireworks snake up the sky and BURST into a thousand stars :) 11. Playing Laser Tag. 12. Great colleagues who also became friends! 13. Attempting a zip-wire challenge even when I was scared to climb a ladder. 14. Having the opportunity to take school-children on a residential trip with colleagues. 15. ...and enjoying ho...

I sit here on the soft prayer mat. A mysterious hush...  ...as the sunset prayers are offered to the Greatest. A melodious ringing through the dusky air. Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar! The familiar heavens Turned whimsical indigo from a strong blue. As if Allah switched it from paint to chalk. A gentle flutter of birds trailing across the canvas. Sharp twittering, and then- Nothing. Nothing but stillness. Mystery. Peace.

I popped into town at the weekend and I came across these beauties. Check. These. Ouuuuut. New Look had a sale on in their homeware section, so naturally I moosied on over and started to mentally visualise my beautiful dream colourful living-room. They're fruity. They're fresh. And just so cool. They give off chilled vibes, a cheery burst of colour and a touch of fun! I've added links with all the products, so do check them out.  1. Watermelon Mug.  How adorable is this little mug? It adds a fun and fruity touch to your home, livening up an otherwise blank workspace or shelf. Use as a mug, or else turn it into one of those 'charity pots' to collect your coppers in. Either way, style with other metallic wiring (maybe a mug tree or a hook) for that modern feel.  2. Tropical Gold Wire Planner. Literally a gold wire mesh with beautiful tropical prints to bring the lovely Caribbean to your home. It already comes with beautiful colourful prints which y...

Hello all :) Here's some descriptive writing inspired by my sister's wedding.  Twinkling lights and sparkling material had adorned the walls of that home. Each garland of flowers a pretty decoration and a witness to all of the festivities. The silky syrup from the mithai and bakhlava flowed as smoothly as the silky sweet conversation the girls were having.  "Salaam! Ahhh!! Look at her! So pretty!" Tears gathering like precious diamonds in the corners of their eyes. A splash of duas and trickle of love running down their faces.  Gulab Jaamuns were squashed against cellophane, like a toddlers' fat cheeks pressed against a window, thinking "Argghh! Let me out of here." Chunks of pink, green and orange sprinkled with silver foil and lime coloured pistachios, sprinkled with icing sugar and desiccated coconut stood to attention. Tables laden with trays of baked goodies neighbours and friends had brought. If you looked upward, red and gold ...

Hello people! The time has finally arrived now, and the Big Sister will officially be tying the knot in just three weeks time. It feels surreal that she’s actually getting married and no longer just a giggly fantasy two sisters had cooked up over lunch! Below are ten tips I've been using to help me stay on top of my game :)  1.      Have a box for each area. I used plain white cardboard boxes to organise my decorations for the different days. Label the box’s use e.g. ‘Wedding Day’, and also list every item that is inside that box: ‘Pearls’, ‘Clips’, ‘Flowers.’ You can split this further down into areas. So have a ‘Guest book table’ box, a ‘Head Table’ box and so on. It means multiple people can get on with prepping these areas without getting in each other’s way. 2.      Split your stationery. Collect all the stationery you have in the house and then split them out between the different boxes so everything’s at hand. This m...

Hello people! How have you been? I decided to try this blog post as I wanted to attempt something fresh. It's basically like a Gratitude List, and I'm already feeling delighted! :P  “Alhamdulillah” means a declaration of gratitude to Allah. It literally means being thankful for any tiny thing, to major things. It literally means “All Praise be to Allah.” So, without further ado, below is a list of the 20 things I said Alhamdulillah for in the past month!  1.   The different people who supported me. 2.   The hot weather followed by the refreshing rain. 3.   Signing up to the Snowdon Sunrise Challenge for August. 4.   Saying goodbye to my friend as she leaves for Hajj. 5.   My class children chatting and giggling on the school trip. 6.   Ice cold water trickling down my throat in the heatwave. 7.   Having a massive declutter in my bedroom. 8.   The end of the school year. 9.   Friends checking up o...

Let me share this whole new world with you. After having watched Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin , all I can say is that I would indeed flock to the cinemas again to watch it, and I’m sure the anticipation would be tenfold because of the excitement of what I know is about to come. Ritchie doesn’t reinvent the wheel; rather he stays true to the original Disney film with a few tweaks here and there, which only enhances the production. The film is far from perfect. But let’s talk about the flying carpet moments first. This Jasmine (Naomi Scott) has got spunk. Not only does she stand firm against the patriarchy (Baba, Jaffar and Hakim), and have those kohl-lined eyes set on the lovable Aladdin, but she also wants to be Sultan. Chuck in the solo ‘Speechless’ whenever Jasmine’s feeling passionate, and we have transformed the 1992 Jasmine into a modern woman because her life broadens beyond romance.  Of course I admire her autonomy and her self-actualisation, but then it also begs...