You, Yourself and You

Have you ever felt like you have everything, but not enough? There’s always something missing.

Self-fulfilment. To fall in love with the people around you is the best gift you can give yourself, but to fall in love with yourself is the biggest accomplishment in your life. We are children, siblings, parents, spouses, friends, workers and individuals in this binding society. However, before that, we are individuals. Your individuality and uniqueness is what defines you and gives you your sense of perseverance. I strongly believe that who we are matters the most not to others, rather, to ourselves.

If you ever feel like giving up, you feel weak and cannot do it, think of what you have done, what you gone through and what you accomplished. Find that ‘thing’ that completes you. Being in your twenties is such a trivial time where you have to figure your life out and make decisions that affect you in the long run. All these decisions must be made when we barely know who we are. It’s difficult, and it’s scary.

This is where you should follow what your heart wants. A definite cliché, and it is probably harder to do than it sounds. Sitting at that office job day in day out when you’d rather be flying planes or having your day in court is no one’s fault but yours. Be brave enough to take a stand for what you want. Fight for your self-fulfilment.

Look to your family and friends for advice and counsel. They are the best people to talk to because these are the people who believe in you and see good in you no matter what or who you are. Hold these bonds close because they are sacred and underwrite who you are today.

Starting up this blog has been one of the best things I have ever done. It has given me a way to express myself, and helped me decide what it is I want to do in life and who I want to be. With my family and friends supporting me I am on my journey to my happy ending (InshAllah). It was scary at first, thinking I couldn’t do it, thinking was I good enough, thinking what would others say and think of me. These mean nothing. These fears are just you being unfair on yourself, not anyone else. Look past them, and take decisions that make you happy. Being a little selfish in your dreams isn’t always a bad thing.

Who is writing your story? Take that stand for you. Live your life dammit! Trust God and happiness is yours for the taking.

Wedding Poem

Usually, in the Pakistani culture, we have a ceremony known as the 'sehra bandi' before the wedding. In this ceremony, someone writes and recites some poetry relevant to the occasion and the family. It is usually in Urdu, but we decided to change things for my brother's wedding and so I wrote and recited it based on Maya Angelou's work. I hope you enjoy it. 

Today we can feel Allah’s presence,

We know He is here.

For what falls on today,

We, indeed, know blessings are near.

Like the silver lining on the darkest cloud,

In all blackness you bring light.

As this auspicious moment falls upon us,

We give our worship to you from morning till night.

The sun has come, the mist has gone,

We see in the distance our long way home.

Hamza will carry the candle of his love,

A prayer of all prayers, against all, his love will rise above.

In the battle of everyday challenges and fears,

He found a rose who will bring faith throughout the years.

Saman’s love hurdles all distances and time,

She says “I was always yours to have, and you were always mine”

A journey they together start,

Side by side, enduring all, never to part.

The sun has come, the mist has gone,

We see in the distance our long way home.

Idris a man who’s goodness of heart shines off his face,

So proud of his son, through Allah’s grace.

All of his children so very lucky and glad,

That for others he is Idris, but to them, he is dad.

Shalina, her courage and beauty of heart, can cure everything and all,

Always managed to catch her children when they would fall.

Since the moment we entered the world, you cared for us like no other,

There is only one way to describe you; the perfect mother.

The sun has come, the mist has gone,

We see in the distance our long way home.

What of Sidhra, Samra, Sarah and Aniqah?

They say with welling hearts, dearest Hamza;

When the first stone looked up at the blazing sun, and the first tree struggled from the forest floor,

We had always loved you more.

Though we fought and had our rows,

Between it all, with us, love always and always grows.

The sun has come, the mist has gone,

We see in the distance our long way home.

Aunts, uncles, cousins and friends,

To you we say a big thankyou, as your love showed no ends.

You may have seen us bludgeoned by circumstance,

Lost, injured, hurt by chance.

We screamed to the heavens, loudly screamed,

Allah sent you, to change our nightmares into dreams.

You stood by us in bad times and good,

We pray for forgiveness for you, as you would.

The sun has come, the mist has gone,

We see in the distance our long way home.

Yakub, Hamida, Alaudin, Khursheed, Rahseed, Mehboob and Farzana,

Jewels we lost to the almighty and wise,

Forgotten are you never for our heart still cries.

You gave a share of your soul to us, when and where your course was run,

You left nothing left undone.

Do not remember them and think that they have gone,

For their memories, legacy and love still lives on.

The sun has come, the mist has gone,

We see in the distance our long way home.

We live everyday as the messenger would,

So humble, so loving, so pure, so simple, so good.

Hamza and Saman, be the best Muslims and people you can be,

In your marriage let Islam, love, happiness, respect and patience be key.

Let it be a strong fire burning through the year’s every day,

And not a dream that faced with reality fades into grey.,

May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

The sun has come, the mist has gone,

We see in the distance, our long way home.

I Heart Fashion

With one day off from all things Economics, I thought it necessary to have some fashion therapy. So I finally caught up with all the designer collections predominantly the spring-summer collections. My main sources being fashion shows, Vogue and Marie Claire. Dior, I am in love with your shoes. Pointed with strappy sides in an array of different colours, yummy!

Think of quality streets, and now picture a dress. From Dolce and Gabbana to Gucci its all about the metallic cocktail dresses. Dior has this beautiful metallic jacket maintaining its signature light pink colour in its collection of silhouettes that is necessary in every girl’s closet.

Another big trend is the daring tweeds especially by Chanel, my favourite being the bright pink sleeveless coat, its so over the top yet toned down by the fact that it is tweed. For spring, another obvious standard print is florals, but this time, its florals in massive prints. From Versace to Christopher Kanes it’s all about the big roses and bold tulips and daisies. Wearing floral isn’t girly anymore; it’s for the independent daring woman.

Another fashion trend is monochrome. This screams chic and classy, a definite win win for the modern woman with a touch of femininity. Perfect for the workplace. We learnt this all from Victoria Beckham with taking block dark colours and using that to the advantage of your figure.

Looks like the 90’s are back in fashion. Remember when it was about the illusion strap slip dresses? Well, get them out of the loft, dust them off and throw on a pair on converses and you will look like you’ve walked off the runway, believe it or not. DKNY and Mui Mui are guilty of bringing what Alicia Silverstone wore in Clueless back in fashion.

With accessories, the bolder the better, from massive statement necklaces to outrageous sunglasses, it’s all about being noticed. As Marie Claire puts it “rule of the season: avoid anything subtle”. For shoes, the new trend is the bent heel. From Dior to Alexander McQueen, the curved stiletto heels defy gravity and all rules of geometry, but still look so damn good!

The one fashion trend I absolutely hate is the tassels, especially on bags, it didn’t look good in the 90’s on the jackets, and it doesn’t look good on the bags now, Valentino, we are not impressed!

Keeping up with fashion doesn’t mean you have to spend hundreds and thousands of pounds on clothes and shoes. Retail stores like top-shop, Zara, River Island, Primark and many more are there to help you look fabulous and still have enough money for rent! And the best thing to do is mix it up, old is always coming back in, so some of those outdated sweaters or dresses paired with a bold accessory could go a long way. Don’t forget, vintage shops hold the best gems sometimes.

Till next time, keep strutting them heels dreamers.

Breakaway

Hey all you dreamers. It's that time again, time to leave home, my family, my friends and my Kenya. I do it almost three times a year and you'd think it would get easier, but I think it just gets harder. What hits me the most is that this is the longest I'm going to be away from home for. No matter how much you love your life and how much of the London dream you are living, home will always be home, especially when it comes to your parents. But there's one song that always make me optimistic. Optimistic that I'm breaking away to make a change. So anytime you feel scared of breaking away from everything that's comfort for you, just remember that life starts outside your comfort zone.. Here's the song by Kelly Clarkson;

Till next time, keep living those dreams :)