Muslims are terrorists: Is this a misnomer?

"Some men manipulate her and use her for greed,
Kill in her name, but her name comes from peace,
So I stand by her pillars proud, she keeps me grounded.
Reminds me to be humble; through her are all the answers,
To every question even worth asking,
And to love her, you must be able to love all human beings.They deserve to hear her words and learn of her teachings."

-Boona Mohammed, For the Love.

I have made a promise to myself before starting this very blog that I will never touch on politics but following the recent outcry of the Boston bombings, a lot of media has attacked muslims with their bigoted "intelligible" thoughts claiming that Muslims are all vile which has certainly upset me. And leading this blame game would be none other than the US. To most Americans, they must have thought that all perpetrators of terrorist acts nowadays are Muslims. Well, there's the Fort Hood massacre, the shoe bomber... and the 9/11 attack and guess what? they're all Muslims. Some of you may say that this is a fair conclusion. 

However, Islam really has nothing to do with any of these attacks as these acts are frowned upon in our beautiful religion. They have used Islam as just an excuse and a cover. The Great Prophet Muhammad SAW pbuh of course did teach us to wage a jihad against those who are inhumane- NOT against all and sundry.

To imply that these terrorists represent all Muslims is like saying the KKK represents all Christians. Get your facts right and don't be an idiot. 

Draw my life

Nowadays I can't seem to sit still and dive into my functions. Here is a little something that I have put together, fueled up by my weakness in the face of impulse to study. The amount of hours I have put in to making this video would tantamount to finishing the whole judgement made in the "Snail in the bottle" case (which I have yet to read).

forever procrastinating,

N°33

Uprooting to a new country is not in any way akin to being on holiday, especially when you're only a student. Everything else was completely foreign, including your new home. And then winter arrived, I was already comfortable with my new place despite it lacking spaces. (Although, I'm not completely sure where home is these days, I do like the perspective of me no longer feeling like a tourist living in a tiny space i.e. my room). So today I want to welcome you to a little tour of my bedroom.

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Almost every student I know sleep on a single bed and complain how they are too big for their bed. Exceptionally, I revel in the cosiness that this tiny bed of mine brings.

I like to store everything as visually as possible. I love being able to see my clothes and accessories at a glance. It saves me so much time when getting ready.

One glance at my jewellery collection and it becomes apparent that I have a pretty solid uniform of chunky accessories. 

I like to keep my perfumes together with pretty things. Details make me happy! The vintage camera is a little souvenir I got from Camden market which I managed to score for £35 and the name tag is a small token that I've walked off with from this year's Law Ball (I paid £45 for the Ball surely I deserve something).

My study table also functions as my vanity table. Needless to say, I rarely use this table for the former purpose.

My mini mood board where I pin almost everything. I like to keep photos and details changing as often as possible.

I don't have a proper make up organiser at the moment, so for now I keep all my make up in one place. I think lipsticks are so beautiful so instead of hiding them I like to display them on my study table. Also, displaying them out in the open is the best way to make sure they get worn.

And ordinarily, the table would be cluttered with the usual things I use daily. 

xx,

UK diary: LDN

2 days in London seems like a grim sentence, because there is no way you could do so much in 2 days especially when you've brought your mom along. Babu's idea of spending those 2 days in London would be braving the wintry conditions exploring every nooks and crannies of Oxford and Regent Street. So I asked her and my sisters to watch the Jersey Boys with me because a trip to London is not complete without ever attending a musical. 

If you have been following my blog, you might have caught wind that a piece of my heart belongs in Portobello Road, which is where we went the very next morning. We ambled through the great lengths of Portobello Road, stopping to rummage for little treasures and got ourselves little treats from Hummingbird Bakery. 

Afterwards, we strolled along the mansion-lined streets of Notting Hill fantasizing of living in a pastel house with climbing roses and a glossy front door, got a kwey tiaw fix at Oodle Noodle and stared longingly at yet more gastronomic porn displayed in the windows of Westbourne Grove road. And after we had our other senses filled, we head back to the apartment and  slept through the afternoon.

And for me, these are all the ingredients to spend a good time in London.

Anatomy of a confused spring outfit (a.k.a my default it-shouldn't-be-7-degrees-outside uniform)

Have a lovely Easter break,
A.

UK diary: Bicester round 2

Retail therapy is probably one of the best ways to counteract a stressful week and the dreariness of pre-Easter break. Given the fact that I've just gotten myself 2 bags from Bicester a few months back, I really should get over my penchant of spending like I can grow money in my backyard- I don't even have a backyard to begin with.

Me and my sister have been pressing our noses against the windows of every shops there were. We popped into Ferragamo, Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors (for more bank balance torture), and then to Busaba Eathai for lunch.

With the somber mood that usually comes with the winter weather we've been experiencing lately, I always feel more inclined to wear the brightest colours to blind everyone. Speaking of winter, when is Spring really coming?

#Shopaholic101: When there is not enough room to store your goods, cook for your housemate and see if she can let you use her space.

xx,

Gluttony

Last weekend was such a weekend, one so filled with wonderful meals, snowy sights, and wonderful company that I feel I can hardly do the memories justice in simple linguistic devices. The surest way to convey the same delight and happy atmosphere would be to recreate it in more decadent lunches, suppers, and afternoon teas, of course! (yes to more good meals every weekend!)

I started off my Saturday with a much needed afternoon tea at Mrs Bridges with the usual girls and Aziimah. I had the Florentine eggs benedict complemented with a hot cuppa. 

And the prolonged wait for the lamb steak for dinner at Toro's nearly made me and Aziimah die of food-induced joy. The words 'juicy' and 'steak' are essentially bedfellows in this case. I can never fault Toro's lamb steak in any respect. 

So I am pleading guilty for not going to the gym at all last week and having to end my weekend with this...

Forever hungry,

Lessons from my father

Like my mother, my father has had an extraordinary impact on my life and has taught me more valuable lessons than I can possibly count. Many of which I have blatantly ignore (Wear sensible shoes, save money, jangan boros), some were my first life skills (how to read a book), and others remain my most vivid early memories of fond moments spent with him (learning to play golf until I cried my eyes out because I was really horrible at it, playing kaki tiga with my little siblings). 

He has lived a remarkable life (with amazing children ehem) and is a downright genius, but it is the most basic of his lessons which have left the most lasting impression on me. And because I think fatherly wisdom should be shared amongst everyone, here are my few favourite lessons from my own babah:

1. Above all, pursue intellectual enrichment. By filling your mind with knowledge, you have a thirst for life and a constant craving to learn new things.


2. You can not substitute money and material things for tenderness. Do not get caught up with meaningless consumerism that don't make us truly happy. Many people go through life just looking for material goods that will never fill the hole that loneliness creates. 

3. Explore. Wander often, and when you do, really see each new places with an open mind. Learn about other cultures and different perspectives on living. I was extremely fortunate to spend the last 4 years travelling to the most exotic countries, and each trip taught me more about humanity than an entire semester in class. 

4. Be kind, generous and charitable towards others. I struggle to think of many people more charitable than my own father. And while 'charity' in today's society mean a self rewarding act i.e. to feel good about yourself, it is far more rewarding to do good deeds simply to help others.

5. Act as you wish to be treated. The energy and behaviour you put out will be returned to you many times over.

6. Family comes first. Never distance yourself from the ones you love.

What did your father teach you?

I love you so much babah ♡
love,