Over what seems like a hundred bot emails in the past few days, what the ...!
Anyway - hey Salaams people! How are you all?! Hope you're all in the best of health and happiness iA.
Happy randomings!
Mint
Sunday, 7 October 2012
Saturday, 14 January 2012
Butterfly heaven
just how tempting are these beaus? so tempting, Ive devoured 3 in the past 24 hours. healthy eating just took a rain check. yum yum.
Saturday, 18 June 2011
The longest twenty five years
As I sit here in my living room in front of the amber flamed fire, I find myself sharing this note that I randomly came across, a one-off journal/diary/rant note. I wrote this note back in September, 2010 or 07/09/2010 at 16:00 to be precise. Definitely a day of dark clouds and depressing thoughts.
18 years of getting an education. I am 25 years old. Almost 4/5th of my life and more than two thirds of my life has been spent in schools, colleges and universities. I have a decent enough CV, so i think, that would lead me to my chosen profession, or vocation as i would like to believe.
Yet, despite all of this so called learning, i still wait anxiously to greet some good news. MintfreshMuslim, you’re just what we’re looking for, with all the right qualities we require for our school. We feel you have the potential to make progress for yourself and more importantly for the children here who will come to see you as a positive role model. Please start as soon as possible, yes the job is full time and yes, it is yours to keep for good.
If only.
Ever since i left my first and last full time post, i have been hopeful that i will find something suitable. A school that needs me more than it needs me. In reality, things rarely work out how you want, the way you have it sketched out in our mind, or how you dream them up in your subconscious.
My parents had their hopes and expectations of education paying off for the hard work we put in during our growing up years. Don’t give people reason to disgrace us my mum would say. Why it is that this particular command remains constant in my mind and how did i become the one who would ultimately feel humiliated for not being employed.
It hits at you. Picks at you. The get up and go spirit has vanished and is replaced with a demoralising sense of failure. The failure on my part to be able to make something of myself. Despite all the years of sweat and tears to enable me to potentially do something useful with my life.
I pray and pray and pray. and i wait. Trying to wait patiently.
But it is testing. Very testing. My day is full of hopelessness and grey clouds.
And here I am, at the other end of the field, the lighter and brighter side. Well actually, there are still dark clouds, but only the ones in the sky outside my bay windows. Difference is, I now have the inner strength to see the bright blue sky hiding before the clouds, reminding me that nothing stays the same, saying "watch, just watch and find out". Life can change in moments and the thunder you once feared tests you to use the strength in your bones to see the fear through. It can empower you to be more determined in not giving up and to always hold on to the faith passed on through your parents. The faith to have faith in Allah subhanawatallah.
I am still 25 years old, though I don't feel it. I feel somewhat older, after everything that has been going on in my life recently (I feel I am at least 26 years old!). This year has steadied on as a progressive one mashaAllah, where no two months have ever been the same (not that they ever are, huh). And I truly have been blessed to have the support and love of my best friend and confidante, my darling hubby who has helped me get through what felt like some of the darkest months of my life. And of course my dearest and loving family, especially my mother and sisters who have been the backbone of my strength in the past ten months.
For now, I am deeply grateful to Allah for opening the right doors and windows in the events of my life this far and pray that He continues to be in my heart. My life is still happening and I need Him more than ever. I hope that I can continue in my attempt to stick to my New Year's resolution of finding happiness in whatever Allah puts me through, because like everything else preceding it, it too will pass. InshaAllah.
*25 moments in a year of being aged 25 to be noted soon.
18 years of getting an education. I am 25 years old. Almost 4/5th of my life and more than two thirds of my life has been spent in schools, colleges and universities. I have a decent enough CV, so i think, that would lead me to my chosen profession, or vocation as i would like to believe.
Yet, despite all of this so called learning, i still wait anxiously to greet some good news. MintfreshMuslim, you’re just what we’re looking for, with all the right qualities we require for our school. We feel you have the potential to make progress for yourself and more importantly for the children here who will come to see you as a positive role model. Please start as soon as possible, yes the job is full time and yes, it is yours to keep for good.
If only.
Ever since i left my first and last full time post, i have been hopeful that i will find something suitable. A school that needs me more than it needs me. In reality, things rarely work out how you want, the way you have it sketched out in our mind, or how you dream them up in your subconscious.
My parents had their hopes and expectations of education paying off for the hard work we put in during our growing up years. Don’t give people reason to disgrace us my mum would say. Why it is that this particular command remains constant in my mind and how did i become the one who would ultimately feel humiliated for not being employed.
It hits at you. Picks at you. The get up and go spirit has vanished and is replaced with a demoralising sense of failure. The failure on my part to be able to make something of myself. Despite all the years of sweat and tears to enable me to potentially do something useful with my life.
I pray and pray and pray. and i wait. Trying to wait patiently.
But it is testing. Very testing. My day is full of hopelessness and grey clouds.
And here I am, at the other end of the field, the lighter and brighter side. Well actually, there are still dark clouds, but only the ones in the sky outside my bay windows. Difference is, I now have the inner strength to see the bright blue sky hiding before the clouds, reminding me that nothing stays the same, saying "watch, just watch and find out". Life can change in moments and the thunder you once feared tests you to use the strength in your bones to see the fear through. It can empower you to be more determined in not giving up and to always hold on to the faith passed on through your parents. The faith to have faith in Allah subhanawatallah.
I am still 25 years old, though I don't feel it. I feel somewhat older, after everything that has been going on in my life recently (I feel I am at least 26 years old!). This year has steadied on as a progressive one mashaAllah, where no two months have ever been the same (not that they ever are, huh). And I truly have been blessed to have the support and love of my best friend and confidante, my darling hubby who has helped me get through what felt like some of the darkest months of my life. And of course my dearest and loving family, especially my mother and sisters who have been the backbone of my strength in the past ten months.
For now, I am deeply grateful to Allah for opening the right doors and windows in the events of my life this far and pray that He continues to be in my heart. My life is still happening and I need Him more than ever. I hope that I can continue in my attempt to stick to my New Year's resolution of finding happiness in whatever Allah puts me through, because like everything else preceding it, it too will pass. InshaAllah.
*25 moments in a year of being aged 25 to be noted soon.
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
New beginnings - 21.05.11
Light rushing in through the bay windows, surrounding us with warmth and happiness – yes, we have moved into our new home. Alhamdulilah.
After ten months of living in a brand new city, alien to us both, the hubs and I have finally found the house of our dreams. And we feel humble and ever so grateful to the Almighty for blessing us with this piece of land, this house and home which is now ours. Such a strange feeling. It almost feels unreal and yet here we are, in the midst of settling in, with packing, unpacking and rearranging taking over our minds. It is real.
We picked up the keys from the seller on Wednesday and walked the short distance from her friend’s house to ours. Err, umm, is this actually happening, we both thought with probably an unexplained screwed up and perplex look on our faces. We stepped in, breathing in Allah’s name and carried a copy of our Qur’an in hand. A quiet trio we were, with strength and happiness, the Almighty, the hubs and I. And a trio we shall remain until the day we finally have a family of our own, little mints filling the house with noise and busy-ness!
Best comes to those who wait though, and so I shall because patience really is a virtue that cannot and should not be dismissed. Everything happens in sequence and takes its own path, I look forward to that day.
**
I wrote this post a while back just a few days after we had moved in. Sadly, our net connection is still in process at the moment (BT have a funny way of welcoming new customers) and I am posting this from our beloved flat. Strange feeling having my possessions all over the place! I am supposed to be doing some school work and packing but the blogosphere has sucked me in!
After ten months of living in a brand new city, alien to us both, the hubs and I have finally found the house of our dreams. And we feel humble and ever so grateful to the Almighty for blessing us with this piece of land, this house and home which is now ours. Such a strange feeling. It almost feels unreal and yet here we are, in the midst of settling in, with packing, unpacking and rearranging taking over our minds. It is real.
We picked up the keys from the seller on Wednesday and walked the short distance from her friend’s house to ours. Err, umm, is this actually happening, we both thought with probably an unexplained screwed up and perplex look on our faces. We stepped in, breathing in Allah’s name and carried a copy of our Qur’an in hand. A quiet trio we were, with strength and happiness, the Almighty, the hubs and I. And a trio we shall remain until the day we finally have a family of our own, little mints filling the house with noise and busy-ness!
Best comes to those who wait though, and so I shall because patience really is a virtue that cannot and should not be dismissed. Everything happens in sequence and takes its own path, I look forward to that day.
**
I wrote this post a while back just a few days after we had moved in. Sadly, our net connection is still in process at the moment (BT have a funny way of welcoming new customers) and I am posting this from our beloved flat. Strange feeling having my possessions all over the place! I am supposed to be doing some school work and packing but the blogosphere has sucked me in!
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
Dear Bloggie
Dear Bloggie
Even writing this one sentence seems to be an unusual feeling at the moment, it really has been forever since I was last here. I even forgot my password the first two attempts I tried logging in just now - thank God I finally cracked it, yes, you'd be correct in thinking that I felt something of a hacker logging into my own personal blog account, silly but there you go.
So what brings me here you may ask. Or perhaps equally as intriguing, why was I ever away for this long in the first place? Hmm.
Hmm.
I have, contray to what you may think dear Bloggie, been a frequent visitor on these shores. From checking through other fellow bloggers updates, to pondering over my own blog, I have been here, just not seen nor heard.
And to be perfectly honset I didn't mind that, not one bit. Plodding along with life has suited me just fine. But a written record of my life's account is something worth coming back here for. This place also suited me just fine when I was experiencing some of life's highs and lows so why should I not carry on with it?
So without going into the ins and outs of my life for the past year, I just want to say hey/hola/warup and check in before I make myself comfortable. It may not be immediate or even tomorrow when I sign in and wave my hand again, but just know that I am here with the intention to share my life with you, just a bit more ;-)
Fatty
Even writing this one sentence seems to be an unusual feeling at the moment, it really has been forever since I was last here. I even forgot my password the first two attempts I tried logging in just now - thank God I finally cracked it, yes, you'd be correct in thinking that I felt something of a hacker logging into my own personal blog account, silly but there you go.
So what brings me here you may ask. Or perhaps equally as intriguing, why was I ever away for this long in the first place? Hmm.
Hmm.
I have, contray to what you may think dear Bloggie, been a frequent visitor on these shores. From checking through other fellow bloggers updates, to pondering over my own blog, I have been here, just not seen nor heard.
And to be perfectly honset I didn't mind that, not one bit. Plodding along with life has suited me just fine. But a written record of my life's account is something worth coming back here for. This place also suited me just fine when I was experiencing some of life's highs and lows so why should I not carry on with it?
So without going into the ins and outs of my life for the past year, I just want to say hey/hola/warup and check in before I make myself comfortable. It may not be immediate or even tomorrow when I sign in and wave my hand again, but just know that I am here with the intention to share my life with you, just a bit more ;-)
Fatty
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
Jib jab ouch
Does the thought of sticking needles into ones body NOT scare any body? Clearly the nurse who stabbed the TWO big fat needles into my arms has become immune to them herself! "It's nothing!" she grinned. NOTHING is not mega painful m'dear :-S
/rant over.
I have had a heck of a day, seriously. But who wouldn't think that after being on the receiving end of three injection needles???
After three weeks of thinking I would be relatively pain free following a temporary emergency tooth filling, I accepted pain would be back in full force after I accidentally swallowed my filling. Yes folks, swallowed it, gulped, not chewed mind, whilst munching on some grub last week. I had been avoiding sorting the sensitive tooth issue out for several reasons, all which I baaadly regretted today when the tooth pain struck again. Hot, raging and intolerable was the pain and agony I was in. All whilst in school after enjoying eating a packet of crisps :-(
I called the emergency dentist people who thankfully fitted me in for an afternoon appointment. I had to leave school, hoping the office staff would be kind enough to arrange cover for my lessons, which thank fully they did. Twenty minutes after much cleaning, drilling, treating, filling and polishing, not to mention the injection to numb the area, I was fit and ready to go. Alhamdulilah, I am now relatively tooth pain free, at least for now anyway :-)
Couple hours later, I then hopped along to my doctors surgery for my travel immunisation jabs. On getting there, I was informed my childhood jabs had expired and I was now in need of four jabs in total, including the one, the only one that I was expecting! Part of me actually felt cheated, I honestly believed my childhood jabs would protect me forever more. But apparently not :-(
Three injections later, and two more to follow in a weeks time, all is not doom and gloom. The weather in this patch of my world, is glorious. Sunny bright and HOT! And if that wasn't good enough, the English World Cup football team have brought back some pride, we won! England 1 : 0 Slovenia.
Yaahey!
/rant over.
I have had a heck of a day, seriously. But who wouldn't think that after being on the receiving end of three injection needles???
After three weeks of thinking I would be relatively pain free following a temporary emergency tooth filling, I accepted pain would be back in full force after I accidentally swallowed my filling. Yes folks, swallowed it, gulped, not chewed mind, whilst munching on some grub last week. I had been avoiding sorting the sensitive tooth issue out for several reasons, all which I baaadly regretted today when the tooth pain struck again. Hot, raging and intolerable was the pain and agony I was in. All whilst in school after enjoying eating a packet of crisps :-(
I called the emergency dentist people who thankfully fitted me in for an afternoon appointment. I had to leave school, hoping the office staff would be kind enough to arrange cover for my lessons, which thank fully they did. Twenty minutes after much cleaning, drilling, treating, filling and polishing, not to mention the injection to numb the area, I was fit and ready to go. Alhamdulilah, I am now relatively tooth pain free, at least for now anyway :-)
Couple hours later, I then hopped along to my doctors surgery for my travel immunisation jabs. On getting there, I was informed my childhood jabs had expired and I was now in need of four jabs in total, including the one, the only one that I was expecting! Part of me actually felt cheated, I honestly believed my childhood jabs would protect me forever more. But apparently not :-(
Three injections later, and two more to follow in a weeks time, all is not doom and gloom. The weather in this patch of my world, is glorious. Sunny bright and HOT! And if that wasn't good enough, the English World Cup football team have brought back some pride, we won! England 1 : 0 Slovenia.
Yaahey!
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
After weeks of hunting, comes the foul and then the granted pray(er)
The hubs and I have been spending the last year mulling over the prospect of relocating. We have spent the past month or two eyeing up suitable accomadation, weighing the ups and downs of complex A vs complex B, will the apartment be too small, too noisy, too happening? Just some of the questions we've been debating over.
Alhamdulilah, I am glad to say we have found what seems like the ideal city centre apartment for us, and gosh I AM SO VERY EXCITED! Thrilled would be too much right now, but I'm kinda close to it :-) A little haven, a love nest just for the two of us. Without giving away too much about the exact location details to the whole wide but small world, our little apartment will be ready for us to move in to after we return from Umrah (another big YAY) in July. This is what it looks like from afar:
After viewing close to dozen or so flats, countless looong and late conversation between the hubs and I, we decided to snap this one up before the renting population of B'ham swallowed it up! Super excited.
So that was the hunting, and the granted prayer bit. Part 1.
Part 2 is where the foul takes place.
Ever since the hubs and I got married, we talked a great deal about making the Umrah pilgrimmage when we both would be ready for the next leap in our lives. With the significant changes that took place in our lives, just less than a year ago, we decided to do Umrah Hajj before moving out and flying the marital nest. Living together, just the two of us, in an unknown town does seem quite daunting, especially since we will not have any family, or close friends physically within reach of us. And so we figured we could do with strengthing our imaan and our bond with the Almighty, and ultimately seeking His blessings and love before finally moving out.
March/April was when the official search for Umrah deals began and quite shortly we realised how pricey the deals can be around July time. We came across an agent who claimed to offer some of the cheapest deals on the net, and after some enquiries went ahead with it. Since then, this so called agent has been nothing but a constant pain in the neck. Two months after paying a third of the whole payment, numerous sleepless nights and days of being sick and tired of waiting for him to send some sort of confirmation through, we realised the incompetent agent was nothing more than an unprofessional and unreliable travel agent who was more interested in fobbing us off than sorting anything out for us. Enough became enough and we decided to cancel the deal with him, despite his promises of sorting something out soon.
By that point, I had reached melting point, distraught and confused by what had just happended. I had set my heart on going to Umrah for such a long time so why is this happening right now? Doesn't Allah want me to visit His sacred and holy site?
My prayers were answered the next day, a Friday alhamdulilah, when after much hunting for a reliable and decent priced travel agent, I found one who could offer us a tailor made package on the dates that we required. SubhanAllah.
We are also expecting a refund of the deposit soon iA. *clears throat*
Moral of the story folks.
Anyhoo, I'm gonna be off to help myself to a cool, sweet and milky white Magnum. For now, check out the cute ickle ducklings the hubs and I came befriended near our soon to move into apartment:
Peace and love!
Alhamdulilah, I am glad to say we have found what seems like the ideal city centre apartment for us, and gosh I AM SO VERY EXCITED! Thrilled would be too much right now, but I'm kinda close to it :-) A little haven, a love nest just for the two of us. Without giving away too much about the exact location details to the whole wide but small world, our little apartment will be ready for us to move in to after we return from Umrah (another big YAY) in July. This is what it looks like from afar:
After viewing close to dozen or so flats, countless looong and late conversation between the hubs and I, we decided to snap this one up before the renting population of B'ham swallowed it up! Super excited.
So that was the hunting, and the granted prayer bit. Part 1.
Part 2 is where the foul takes place.
Ever since the hubs and I got married, we talked a great deal about making the Umrah pilgrimmage when we both would be ready for the next leap in our lives. With the significant changes that took place in our lives, just less than a year ago, we decided to do Umrah Hajj before moving out and flying the marital nest. Living together, just the two of us, in an unknown town does seem quite daunting, especially since we will not have any family, or close friends physically within reach of us. And so we figured we could do with strengthing our imaan and our bond with the Almighty, and ultimately seeking His blessings and love before finally moving out.
March/April was when the official search for Umrah deals began and quite shortly we realised how pricey the deals can be around July time. We came across an agent who claimed to offer some of the cheapest deals on the net, and after some enquiries went ahead with it. Since then, this so called agent has been nothing but a constant pain in the neck. Two months after paying a third of the whole payment, numerous sleepless nights and days of being sick and tired of waiting for him to send some sort of confirmation through, we realised the incompetent agent was nothing more than an unprofessional and unreliable travel agent who was more interested in fobbing us off than sorting anything out for us. Enough became enough and we decided to cancel the deal with him, despite his promises of sorting something out soon.
By that point, I had reached melting point, distraught and confused by what had just happended. I had set my heart on going to Umrah for such a long time so why is this happening right now? Doesn't Allah want me to visit His sacred and holy site?
My prayers were answered the next day, a Friday alhamdulilah, when after much hunting for a reliable and decent priced travel agent, I found one who could offer us a tailor made package on the dates that we required. SubhanAllah.
We are also expecting a refund of the deposit soon iA. *clears throat*
Moral of the story folks.
- Cheap does not always = cheerful.
- When booking flights through agents, make sure they are at least ATOL protected.
- Having one's imaan checked and tested is vital and prerequisite of life, always seek the guidance of Allah.
- Pray and then hunt for the prey :P
Anyhoo, I'm gonna be off to help myself to a cool, sweet and milky white Magnum. For now, check out the cute ickle ducklings the hubs and I came befriended near our soon to move into apartment:
Peace and love!
Saturday, 29 May 2010
A year old already!
It's been a while folks but I hope you're all well iA! I just realised right now that it's already been a year since I started this thing called a personal blog. A year!! And what an eventful year it has been. I have realised how nostalgia can both be a blessing as well as a curse, and having a written account of some of the significant and insignificant moments of my life is definitely something new for me. From feelings of embarrassment after reading some of my ishtupit remarks, heeheehee, to feeling better realising that my journey in life is one that is moving along, slowly but surely alhamdulilah. Alhamdulilah. There is no hiding from the fact that I do find it difficult to actually click on any post link about my dad though, I don't think I'm strong enough to be able to read it fully without bursting into tears. I do want to add though, that this blog certainly has done something to let me release my fears as well as expressing the joys I have felt throughout this rather turbulent year. I love my dad dearly and although I rarely mention him in my blog posts these days, I cannot go without thinking/making a reference him almost every hour of the day. Perhaps it's okay to not always blog about something that lives on so deep within your inner being.
So yes, it has been just over a year and to be perfectly honest, I really do love reading through countless number of blogs every(other) day, perhaps even more so than writing my own! Thank you to all of you who have followed my blog, whether openly or otherwise ;-) and to all of you who have kindly remembered me in your prayers :-)
Here's to another year of blogging iA!! Wooot!
So yes, it has been just over a year and to be perfectly honest, I really do love reading through countless number of blogs every(other) day, perhaps even more so than writing my own! Thank you to all of you who have followed my blog, whether openly or otherwise ;-) and to all of you who have kindly remembered me in your prayers :-)
Here's to another year of blogging iA!! Wooot!
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
She's always a woman to me
I've fallen in love with this song. The "woman" seems so happy go lucky, makes me want to be like that again!
Thank yousie John Lewis
She can kill with a smile
She can wound with her eyes
She can ruin your faith with her casual lies
And she only reveals what she wants you to see
She hides like a child
But she's always a woman to me
She can lead you to live
She can take you or leave you
She can ask for the truth
But she'll never believe you
And she'll take what you give her as long as it's free
She steals like a thief
But she's always a woman to me
She is frequently kind
And she's suddenly cruel
She can do as she pleases
She's nobody's fool
But she can't be convicted
She's earned her degree
And the most she will do
Is throw shadows at you
But she's always a woman to me
Thank yousie John Lewis
She can kill with a smile
She can wound with her eyes
She can ruin your faith with her casual lies
And she only reveals what she wants you to see
She hides like a child
But she's always a woman to me
She can lead you to live
She can take you or leave you
She can ask for the truth
But she'll never believe you
And she'll take what you give her as long as it's free
She steals like a thief
But she's always a woman to me
She is frequently kind
And she's suddenly cruel
She can do as she pleases
She's nobody's fool
But she can't be convicted
She's earned her degree
And the most she will do
Is throw shadows at you
But she's always a woman to me
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
I got sunshine, in a bag
A song can often simply sum up our complex feelings, and this song's chorus totally does that.
I ain't happy, I'm feeling glad
I got sunshine, in a bag
I'm useless,but not for long
The future is coming on
I ain't happy, I'm feeling glad
I got sunshine, in a bag
I'm useless, but not for long
The future is coming on
It's coming on
It's coming on
It's coming on
An update on yesterday: the job ain't mine.
The Headteacher called me in the evening to tell me that although I had a great lesson and interview, I was a "strong close second". Despite possessing a strong classroom presence, making the boring topic fun and engaging, good classroom control and a confident and enthusiatic manner in the interview which helped me answer questions well...I didn't get it! But hey, I was up against an internal canidate who had been there since September on a GTP who had informed the other 5 candidates that we had been shortlisted from a string of over 40 applications for the post! Why am I always pinned against an internal candidate - story of my life! LOL Oh well, Allah knows best and I'm sure better things are in store, inshaAllah :-)
I ain't happy, I'm feeling glad
I got sunshine, in a bag
I'm useless,but not for long
The future is coming on
I ain't happy, I'm feeling glad
I got sunshine, in a bag
I'm useless, but not for long
The future is coming on
It's coming on
It's coming on
It's coming on
An update on yesterday: the job ain't mine.
The Headteacher called me in the evening to tell me that although I had a great lesson and interview, I was a "strong close second". Despite possessing a strong classroom presence, making the boring topic fun and engaging, good classroom control and a confident and enthusiatic manner in the interview which helped me answer questions well...I didn't get it! But hey, I was up against an internal canidate who had been there since September on a GTP who had informed the other 5 candidates that we had been shortlisted from a string of over 40 applications for the post! Why am I always pinned against an internal candidate - story of my life! LOL Oh well, Allah knows best and I'm sure better things are in store, inshaAllah :-)
Sunday, 9 May 2010
Here goes...
Salaam World
I'm feeling a little anxious. Why? Well because I have been invited for an interview tomorrow at a school I may wish to work in. I gave up job hunting, as in formally applying for jobs a few months ago when I registered with a few agencies to help me find supply teaching work from September onwards. Since then I had accepted that it would take nothing short of a miracle for me to successfully get a full time job before September for a couple of reasons:1) Impracticality - I am currently living in a different town to where I will be working/living in Sepetmber (iA) and so arranging the travel is very impractical, especially when I and the hubs are working through the week.
2) I have no personal contact with any of the schools - which although does not automatically equate to me getting employed by the school, it does help in getting to know the staff and students which can only be a good thing.
3) ... there was a third reason, but I'm incapable of remembering it right now.
Am I moaning? *nods* *grr*
I really shouldn't be because alhamdulilah, I have got a back up plan in-case I don't have a permanent job by Sept - which is to do supply. And did I mention some of the fab benefits of doing supply? No bringing work home, no stress of planning/marking etc (unless temp-perm) as I'm expected to just teach (or sometimes supervise/babysit) the lessons I'm covering for.
And so, anyhoo I should be okay even if this interview is one from hell. Buuuut, who knows right? It's all part of His plan and I'm happy to go along with it. Wish me luck peepz!
Dear Allah, The Most High Creator, if this job is good for me please allow me to have it and if it is bad for me please remove it for me.
Friday, 7 May 2010
Election day - just hang us upside down!
If you've switched on the news or surfed the news pages recently, you will know that here in the UK our political parties have been crazy off their feet with the elections which took place yesterday.I'm not a very political person myself, but have admittedly been sucked into watching the live political debates (first time ever to be featured in history) for the past three weeks. Nothing however could really prepare us for this messed up outcome.
The three main parties - Labour (currently in power), the Tories and the Lib Dems are now fully under the spotlight, probably in equal measure since none of the parties have had a land slide victory. In fact, although the rightist Tory party have gained the most seats in Parliament, they actually haven't got just enough to be accepted as the victorious party. As such, Mr. Brown is still Prime Minister, for now, until something called a hung parliament is arranged.
For my sake, please don't ask me what that means, just yet anyway, as like proabably every body else in the UK, I haven't got the faintest of what is going on.
Oh Lordie.
Monday, 3 May 2010
Food Entry: Rosh Pitha
What is a phitha?
A pitha is similar to a pie. Pithas are hugely popular in Bangladesh and some parts of India, where they are made on special occasions such as Eid and Pujas as well as during other times where they are served as special treat.
What is a rosh pitha?
Well, I'm not entirely sure as I only came across the recipe on a website earlier today. From what I can gather, the rosh pitha is a sweet and juicy type of swirly pitha made from milk and flour.
What do you need to make it?
For the pitha:
Half a pan of milk
Plain flour (no measured quantity, sorry, just add as you go along!)
Grounded rice flour (same as above)
Pinch of salt
For the sheera:
Sugar
Cardamom
Bay leaf
For frying:
Oil
How do you make it?
I followed the recipe as provided on the website, but in short it sort of happened like this for me:
Making the dough
Fill half a saucepan with milk and boil it. Once boiled, add a pinch of salt and lots of plain flour and rice flour, more or less in equal quantity. Keep stirring. If the bottom of the pan catches the heat, remove the saucepan. Continue to stir until you have grounded most of the lumpy flour - BEWARE: it gets seriously lumpy. The desired consistency should be of a doughy one, so add more rice flour and plain flour until the ideal dough is reached, again making sure the lumps are broken down thoroughly.
Making the swirly pitha
Once the desired consistency and low temp has been reached, rub a little oil onto the palms of both hands from a small bowlful. Pinch a round of dough and rub into a dough ball shape. Roll out the ball further to obtain a long and narrow shape. When satisfied with the shape, swirl the dough into a small shape on the palm of your hand. Your swirly pitha should be secure and tightly coiled.
Frying the pitah
In a shallow frying pan, heat some vegetable oil before gently dropping the pitha in. As the pitha cooks, make sure it doesn't burn but achieves a golden colour. Flip the pitha over and fry the other side to get the same colour on both sides.
Making the sheera
In a separate pan (milk or saucepan), add about one to two cups of sugar with some cardamoms and a bay leaf. Pour in some kettle boiled water and allow the sugar to fully dissolve. Check by dipping in a wooden spoon to see if all the sugar particles have dissolved. When satisfied, gently drop in the fried pithas and allow to soak for five minutes or so. The longer the pitha swims in the sheera, the more the sugar will penetrate the dough.
How delicious are they?
Well and truly delish, I'm eating one as I type. I will have to go easy with these swirly treats though, oil and sugar - baaad bad combination.
Easy to make?
Have a try yourself and find out! This was my first attempt and I have to say, it was much easier than I thought it would be!
A pitha is similar to a pie. Pithas are hugely popular in Bangladesh and some parts of India, where they are made on special occasions such as Eid and Pujas as well as during other times where they are served as special treat.
What is a rosh pitha?
Well, I'm not entirely sure as I only came across the recipe on a website earlier today. From what I can gather, the rosh pitha is a sweet and juicy type of swirly pitha made from milk and flour.
What do you need to make it?
For the pitha:
Half a pan of milk
Plain flour (no measured quantity, sorry, just add as you go along!)
Grounded rice flour (same as above)
Pinch of salt
For the sheera:
Sugar
Cardamom
Bay leaf
For frying:
Oil
How do you make it?
I followed the recipe as provided on the website, but in short it sort of happened like this for me:
Making the dough
Fill half a saucepan with milk and boil it. Once boiled, add a pinch of salt and lots of plain flour and rice flour, more or less in equal quantity. Keep stirring. If the bottom of the pan catches the heat, remove the saucepan. Continue to stir until you have grounded most of the lumpy flour - BEWARE: it gets seriously lumpy. The desired consistency should be of a doughy one, so add more rice flour and plain flour until the ideal dough is reached, again making sure the lumps are broken down thoroughly.
Making the swirly pitha
Once the desired consistency and low temp has been reached, rub a little oil onto the palms of both hands from a small bowlful. Pinch a round of dough and rub into a dough ball shape. Roll out the ball further to obtain a long and narrow shape. When satisfied with the shape, swirl the dough into a small shape on the palm of your hand. Your swirly pitha should be secure and tightly coiled.
Frying the pitah
In a shallow frying pan, heat some vegetable oil before gently dropping the pitha in. As the pitha cooks, make sure it doesn't burn but achieves a golden colour. Flip the pitha over and fry the other side to get the same colour on both sides.
Making the sheera
In a separate pan (milk or saucepan), add about one to two cups of sugar with some cardamoms and a bay leaf. Pour in some kettle boiled water and allow the sugar to fully dissolve. Check by dipping in a wooden spoon to see if all the sugar particles have dissolved. When satisfied, gently drop in the fried pithas and allow to soak for five minutes or so. The longer the pitha swims in the sheera, the more the sugar will penetrate the dough.
How delicious are they?
Well and truly delish, I'm eating one as I type. I will have to go easy with these swirly treats though, oil and sugar - baaad bad combination.
Easy to make?
Have a try yourself and find out! This was my first attempt and I have to say, it was much easier than I thought it would be!
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
A Picstory: Honeymoon
For a long while now, I've been meaning to do a post on my honeymoon from two years back. Crikes. I've sat down numerous times to start writing something about it, anything, but have always put it off. To be honest, I don't think I could ever really write a proper account of what this honeymoon was for the hubs and I. The two weeks were spectacularly amazing and full of discoveries about not just a country we had only previously heard and read bits and bats about, but also quite importantly about ourselves as a newly married couple.
So, why Malaysia? Well way before we got married, the hubs and I picked Malaysia over all the other common honeymoon destinations for one main reason - the huge distance! We figured that it would be a seriously long time before we'd get a chance to fly out so far out and so Malaysia was booked! The four s's: sun, sea, sand and shopping - hah also helped clinch the deal! Other factors such as religion, halal food and the Grand Prix circuit the hubs wanted to visit also helped to put a stamp on our decision.
In total, we spent two weeks there, landing there on my birthday (as sweetly arranged by the hubs) in August. The pic-story will sum up what we saw and did much better than I could ever explain. There really is something very powerful about still images. Captivating snapshots of time, kept safe forever.
I can't actually remember a day when one of us (the hubs and I) don't mention something about Malaysia. Whether it's the delicious ALL HALAL food, politics, education, property or even the hijabs unique to Malaysia, we loved and still love it all. Not forgetting to mention the beautiful and warm people of Malaysia who made our stay there very pleasant. To the extent, actually, where we have a real strong desire to move out there one day. Seriously. One day soon, please God :-)
But that's a story for another day.
For now, I hope you have as much pleasure in looking through the collection of snaps as I did putting them together. Yes I am foodie, so be warned in case the pictures reduce you to salivate.
On a nicer note, Aimie darling, a personal thank you for making me write this post which has brought endless smiles to my face, reminding me of probably the most special time in my life yet. I actually felt quite sad uploading the last picture but inshaAllah, there is a whole life time of discovery left :-)
So, why Malaysia? Well way before we got married, the hubs and I picked Malaysia over all the other common honeymoon destinations for one main reason - the huge distance! We figured that it would be a seriously long time before we'd get a chance to fly out so far out and so Malaysia was booked! The four s's: sun, sea, sand and shopping - hah also helped clinch the deal! Other factors such as religion, halal food and the Grand Prix circuit the hubs wanted to visit also helped to put a stamp on our decision.
In total, we spent two weeks there, landing there on my birthday (as sweetly arranged by the hubs) in August. The pic-story will sum up what we saw and did much better than I could ever explain. There really is something very powerful about still images. Captivating snapshots of time, kept safe forever.
I can't actually remember a day when one of us (the hubs and I) don't mention something about Malaysia. Whether it's the delicious ALL HALAL food, politics, education, property or even the hijabs unique to Malaysia, we loved and still love it all. Not forgetting to mention the beautiful and warm people of Malaysia who made our stay there very pleasant. To the extent, actually, where we have a real strong desire to move out there one day. Seriously. One day soon, please God :-)
But that's a story for another day.
For now, I hope you have as much pleasure in looking through the collection of snaps as I did putting them together. Yes I am foodie, so be warned in case the pictures reduce you to salivate.
On a nicer note, Aimie darling, a personal thank you for making me write this post which has brought endless smiles to my face, reminding me of probably the most special time in my life yet. I actually felt quite sad uploading the last picture but inshaAllah, there is a whole life time of discovery left :-)
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Good Morning Bloggies
Salaam and Good Morning world
Gosh, it feels like almost forever since I last signed into Blogger and typed out a post. I feel kind of guilty, even sorry for not updating my blog over the past couple of weeks...buuut, there has been tonnes going on, not to mention my laziness habbits too :-S
Anyhoo. I'm currently on my hols, got the rest of this week off for Easter! When I'm not busy procasitinating, or cooking or cleaning or just generally relaxing, I will be busy with marking...grrreat! :-)
Terminator voice: I will be back!
Ciao!
P.S. The title of this thread came about when the hubs spotted me playing around with the blog layout this morning. Instead of saying the usual "good morning sweetcorn" he instead greated me with "good morning miss bloggy"! Hahahaha :-D
Gosh, it feels like almost forever since I last signed into Blogger and typed out a post. I feel kind of guilty, even sorry for not updating my blog over the past couple of weeks...buuut, there has been tonnes going on, not to mention my laziness habbits too :-S
Anyhoo. I'm currently on my hols, got the rest of this week off for Easter! When I'm not busy procasitinating, or cooking or cleaning or just generally relaxing, I will be busy with marking...grrreat! :-)
Terminator voice: I will be back!
Ciao!
P.S. The title of this thread came about when the hubs spotted me playing around with the blog layout this morning. Instead of saying the usual "good morning sweetcorn" he instead greated me with "good morning miss bloggy"! Hahahaha :-D
Monday, 15 March 2010
Word up
Salaam world
My apologies for not writing anything in ages. Today, I'm having a go at writing a different style of post because quite frankly I don't feel up to writing a full and proper account of anything in particular.
Music: Jamming – Bob Marley
Location: Bedroom – shame on me for bringing the laptop into our boudoir, heehee!
Mood: Happy and mellow, alhamdulilah.
Feelings: A long one. Rather relaxed. I'm at home today as I don't work Mondays and Fridays, unless called in for supply work. Tired - as it's my TOM. Annoyed – parents evening tonight from 7 to 9pm, why so late?! Also annoyed at certain types of people whom we're all bound to meet in life. I'm talking about the gossiping and insecure types who make other people's business their own i.e. they don't think twice about passing judgment on your life, yet turn a blind eye to what's going on in their own lives. Anyway, I'm sure I'll get over this one inshaAllah!
Thoughts of wonder: (more utter randomness be aware)
- The sky is so beautiful when it's mostly clear blue with soft woolly clouds. Reminds me of marshmallows, which in turn reminds me of hot chocolate, yum yum!
- I wonder how things will work out for the hubs and I went we move home to a completely different place. Birmingham. I don't even like the sound of it, and nor do I have any love for the Brummie accent, but it seems to be the best place to be moving to compared to other expensive and resourceful cities such as London and Manchester. Apologies if I have accidently upset any Brummie readers! I am not a snob!
- I wonder how much stuff I'll actually manage to take with us and squeeze into our one bedroom flat! I don't have enough space where I'm currently living with huge wardrobes and ample (I'm a big hoarde!) storage – hmm.
- I hope we all have a fun time in Turkey – less than 3 weeks away, can't wait!!! Yes, we as in me, the hubs and all my siblings! Yay!
- Umrah hajj. Lots of questions more than thoughts at the mo. More to come later.
Food: Not feeling up for anything 'cept for a sweet cuppa. Mmm. Just finished cooking tarka daal, that's tomorrow sorted!
What's next? An afternoon nap, oh the joys of working part time eh! Larve it! ;-)
Anything else? Sorry to everyone that has been replying to my posts. Thank you so much, it's great to know that you guys are still there and reading on. Let me also mention that I habitually read pretty much all the blogs on my list for updates and entertainment ;-) Please don't think I'm being an awkward so and so just because I'm not commenting as much as before. Truth is, I cannot be bothered to log in. I'm actually writing this post direct from Word so as to avoid logging in. I don't know why, but I prefer writing like this!
As for now, ciao amigos!
Friday, 5 March 2010
Testing testing – straight outta Word 2007!
Salaam world!
I've always logged into Blogger to publish a post but today, since randomly finding the "blog post" feature in Word 2007, I've decided to give it a shot. I'm not sure how this will appear when published since I can't see the usual blog post template but let's wait and see!
Ciao
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Two posts in one go, woohoo!
Thank you to all of you who have wished me all the best during my difficult Master's dissertation times! I can gladly say that I have now graduated and that this chapter is forever closed, alhamdulilah :-) Alhamdulilah again just because I really truly mean it!
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