My Love Affair With London

Since my London dream is almost coming to end, I thought I would share some hidden and not so hidden treasures of London; the places I discovered and slowly and instantly fell in love with.
From hidden streets in Covent Garden, the bustling markets of Spitalfields, Gothic Piercing parlors in Camden, Victorian tea rooms in Highbury, highstreet madness of Oxford street to so much more this city can offer. London is truly and absolutely an amazing place to live in your twenties and I most definitely had the opportunity to exploit it.

When it comes to food, my most favorite cuisine is Thai. That is why I slowly but surely fell in love with Banana tree, specifically the Angel branch. My favorite dish on the menu being the Ying Yang Laksa (yum), and to all my Muslim readers, it is indeed halal!
(Some Images Taken from Direct and Indirect Sources)

Next up is another great restaurant again in the heart of Islington; Gilgamesh. Located in the trendy streets of Camden, this diamond in the rough is a favorite with the young and fabulous of London. London Evening standard has even accused it of being "Incredibly fresh and attractively presented". This place is a perfect start to a glamorous night out.

I only recently discovered this, and I am so gutted to have been just before I left because I enjoyed it so much! The Comedy Club is such a good night out. More so on a Tuesday because they have a comedian from Kenya (of course I'm biased!). Students get a discount, but otherwise it is so affordable and honestly such a laugh, I definitely recommend it to everyone. However, some may find it crude and offensive, but that's just how comedy is now, but you have been warned.

Again another food related place with all thanks to beautiful Naima for introducing me to this sanctaury. Pretty pricey, but probably the BEST Lebanese food in all of London. I don't know why, I just absolutely love Levant, the location, setup, decor, food and ambiance are stupendous. I would recommend it for a birthday outing, plus its Halal ;)

Now If you're like me and are totally crazy about Jo Malone and free stuff, you will love what I'm about to tell you. I spend so much time at Jo Malone Covent Garden, and they honestly have the nicest staff I have ever come across in any designer store or perfumery. They are so helpful and bubbly and they let me in on a secret; Jo Malone provides certain regular customers with a personal invitation for you and a friend to enjoy a complimentary hand massage. They are pretty short but so amazing! And you walk out smelling delicious. If you ring up the Covent Garden number on 08701925771 they will be more than willing to book you in for an appointment, don't forget to mention 'Living the London Dream'. It's a nice way to spend an afternoon and have a good catchup be it girls or guys and then just spend the day in Covent Garden afterwards. I love Covent Garden! There's so much to see and do, especially on a sunny day. However, do not go with someone who wants to spend their time in Burberry trying on Trench Coats (yes, I went there ;)), enjoy the performances, ice-cream and market.

One of the things a lot of British Asians in London love to do is, of course, Shisha! Now I have been to my fair share of Shisha lounges in London, but by far the best and most classiest is Mia Lounge. Although it's a bit of a commute from central London in Swiss Cottage, it is most definitely worth the commute. Not only are the Shisha, Food and mocktails good, but so is the crowd and ambiance.

One of my favorite things to in London was to simply get lost. My friend Pallavi and I would usually take this route from Wateroo (I lived there in second year) to Westminster, cross the bridge to parliament, walk through Green park hitting Hyde Park, then of course we couldn't be rude and not visit the Queen at Buckingham Place and from there straight to make a wish on the Lions of Trafalgar Square, and finally ending it with m&m world. This route is so scenic and just so relaxing and fun at the same time. It would be good to take this journey as well on bicycles. Infact the picture below was taken on that specific day we took this memorable walk around London three years ago. Ah memories!

What a freshy right?

London has a lot of vibrant places to offer, some are artistically shabby yet tasteful, while other places like the Duck and Waffle in Heron tower offer a classy and elegant set up and have the 'wow' factor. Located on the 40th floor, the view of Central London and Docklands is absolutely breath taking. And the lift; don't get me started on that...it's like being on a rollercoaster! Although it is quite expensive, including Sushi Samba downstairs, It is a good place to go for a special occasion because it is indeed a special place.

Another pretty hip and funky thing to do is go to a market, be it in Camden Town, Spitalfields, Covent Garden, Walthamstow, Borough or Petticoat Lane, these markets always have pretty unique and awesome finds. The food markets sometimes make me feel sick with the smells, but the Whitecross Street Food Market in Barbican is not that bad in terms of dead animals and bad smells. I love going to Markets, I find them so much fun and such a different outing experiencing such a vibrant culture in London. Plus you sometimes find antique Gems.

Lastly, when living in Arsenal, my usual commute to university would take me through Highbury and Islington, and then through Upper street. These places are Uber cool and have the funkiest restaurants and Patisseries. I would have to do a blogpost on just that Road itself one day, but I thought I would share with you mine and my previous flatmate, Prateesha's, favorite place for tea. The Highness Tea Room is this small quaint tea room that is just so cute! The decor is minimal with little details like using a sewing table as a coffee table going a long way. If you are like us and love these little cute tea rooms you should give this place a visit.

There are a lot of fun and interesting things to do in London, you just need to be adventurous and open minded. London is always about trying new places because this city has too much to offer to go to Nandos all the time. As I have enjoyed and Lived my London dream through all these places with some pretty amazing people, I urge you to do the same. Leave nothing left untouched and Unseen.
Until next time, Keep living that London dream, dreamers.

#hope4Zayn

When we look around at people near us we think that everyone is blissfully happy and life is going as smooth as can be for them. There is a falseness of self suffering that we all tend to feel. "Why is this happening to me?" is the one thing we always fall back on when any obstacle comes our way. This is not the truth of reality. In reality people have mastered the key to courage and bravery. Bravery is not saying one is unafraid, bravery is acting and overcoming fear through hope and belief. Everyone is suffering in their own course of journey we call life, but the driving course for every single day, or every drying hour is that flickering candle in the pitch black night called Hope.

Hope for a better tomorrow, Hope for ever lasting happiness and Hope for a Miracle. 

Many people define bravery as war soldiers or bull fighters, indeed they are, however in everyday life we meet so many "ordinary" heroes and heroines that are or have battled so many hardships or obstacles and in the process made this world a better place. 

Today's heroine is Nadia Slatch.

Here is a story of a woman who's battling the hardest struggle a mother can go through. Here is her story about how she came to learn of her son suffering a rare disease, how they are dealing with this reality, what she is doing for awareness and charity, and how her faith and hope will never waver, but remain strong.

When I found out I was expecting naturally I was over the moon and after a normal pregnancy, and birth with no complications I started to enjoy life with Zayn. It was when Zayn was 4 weeks old I noticed he was considerably yellow all over so went to see the GP who referred me to Milton Keynes hospital immediately for tests, after impatiently waiting for hours was informed his bilirubin levels were high & I was admitted into hospital with him for a few days for further tests. After a scan was complete it showed Zayn had an enlarged liver & spleen & thought it was a liver function problem. 

Living with the unknown was very difficult but I always remained positive and after being transferred to the liver unit at Birmingham children's hospital I knew the specialist would get to the bottom of a diagnosis for Zayn. It was on the 7th February 2014 when Zayn was 3 months old that our world came crashing down & we were told Zayn had Niemann pick Disease type C, we were upset of course and in complete shock. 

Niemann pick disease type C is an extremely rare metabolic condition causing a breakdown in the central nervous system. A build up of cholesterol causing structural & functional damage in cells & tissue. 

Once the neurological side deteriorates the outcome is loss of speech, loss of motor skills, seizures, dementia, stop swallowing and eventually lose their lives. 

It is fatal and children with this disease don't usually live beyond early childhood. 

Unfortunately there is no cure at present. 

As this disease is extremely rare we were told with Zayn current status he may not live beyond 2, that's the hardest thing for a mother to hear. We pray and live in hope everyday but at the same time the harsh reality is we may never see Zayn go to school, graduate, get married or have a family of his own. I would trade my life in any day if it gave Zayn a chance to live a happy normal life, that's all any mother wants. 

There are currently only 75 reported cases of NPC in the UK & the bizarre thing is 2 others are in my home town of Milton Keynes. Hollie and Joshua give me hope as they are older than Zayn and are doing very well. 

I have set up a fundraising page called 'hope4Zayn' which I'm hoping people will take the time & donate. Donations go direct to the Hope for Hollie Foundation, they are a charity that supports individuals living with NPC and provides grants for specialist equipment as well as aiding research with Niemann Pick UK into finding a cure. 

Zayn is now 20 months old & even though he is smiley & happy he can't do normal things children his age can do like sit up, crawl, talk or walk. 

I'm going to do whatever it takes to give Zayn and other children fighting NPC a chance. 

"Our children only have a childhood to live a lifetime"

Zayn's story is indeed one filled with heartache, but on hearing Nadia's story, rather than being saddened deeply, I was filled with a sense of positivity and  optimism; grounds for hope. There are so many people that suffer all sorts of different diseases ranging from Cancer to NPC, you would think that everyone would have a sense of utter despair and self pity, but these patients are so full of happiness and positivity, and most importantly they are very grateful for everything they have been given in life.

 Let us today join in prayer for #hope4zayn, keep this trending, spread the awareness, donations and more information may be found here, learn from Nadia's bravery, sanguineness and positivity and in the process be thankful for everything we have been given in life.

You Need Uniserv

In my previous blog post labelled ‘In a Career Frenzy’ my main aim was to target students pursuing their A-levels and deciding which University to attend and which subject to choose. Today’s blogpost targets a subject much more close to home. A lot of you, like me, have just finished our exams and are soon to graduate. I congratulate and salute you on a job well done whether you have received a third or a first, it is still a massive achievement which we should all be proud of (Allhamdillulah).

I noticed that it had not even been a week since I had finished my exams where people were constantly asking me ‘So Aniqah, what next…what do you plan to do?’. For many people this question is left unanswered because they had spent all their academic time focusing on crazy coursework deadlines, or having constant exams.

Well friends, I have found a saviour for you. Unsure about what you want to do next; Masters? Second degree? Work? Year out? Charity work? It is a tough time deciding but we all know how difficult and taxing applications can be. Here is where Uniserv London comes into the picture. I have been in touch with the charming people at Uniserv London, specifically Alima Sethi who I have learnt will provide constant direction and support not only at undergraduate level, but also for further studies and professional examinations.

During this absolutely crazy time where you are juggling summer commitments (socialising in the sun), family commitments (barbeques) and holidaying, you don’t want to have the hassle of stressing about applications and follow ups. Uniserv London will, and I kid you not, DO YOUR APPLICATIONS FOR YOU! All you have to do is sit in bed, give them a phone call or a diminutive email with your details, grades, and specific requirements and they will set out and find the best options for you and put forward your application. It gets better; this is not only for the United Kingdom, but for international institutions as well. Moreover, through Uniserv London you have the opportunity to receive Bursaries upto £1500 partnered with Universities as prestigious as Imperial London.

Uniserv London will help you throughout the process and give you good advice and counsel; they cover workshops, personal statements, UKCAT, LNAT, study skills and visa guidance. Even if you are not considering doing a masters, give them a ring or visit them and have a good therapy session about your future. For more details check out their website here or give them a visit if your ever in the Wembley area. 

Hopefully, with this information, you can sit back, sip your mojito (virgin of course) and enjoy your summer!

Spring Beauty and Fashion Must Haves/ Wish List

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These Are The Best Days

This is it!

We have reached the final week of university. My years of being an undergraduate student are soon to be gone. Now all that looms are the ending dissertation and exams and before you know it, degree in hand, I’ll be riding into the sunset of endless opportunities of tomorrow.

However, as optimistic as I am of the future and ecstatic, for now, to be done with long lectures, there’s this sense of melancholy and nostalgia bubbling inside of me.

Winter was what I mostly saw of university, short days filled with endless laughter, banter, fights, food and accents. The memories that I hold are memories that stay with one forever, no matter how simple or exciting they were.

I met a boy called Jay. Panic building inside of me, first day of Uni, "Aniqah, you’ve got to wow them all". Building up the courage, thinking “he seems normal enough”, I walked towards him, “Hi, I’m Aniqah”. I had him at hello. Ever since then, we have been the best of friends. We’ve laughed, boy have we laughed, we have fought and we have talked about everything from life to Bollywood (sometimes confusing the two) and mostly about our dreams and our fears. A brilliantly smart loving guy, but just so lazy! And we all love him for it, I know he’ll always be a part of  my life as I make sure I am in his!

On the same dreaded “first day of Uni”, with that same nerve and courage, I saw a group of girls standing outside one of the university buildings, my love story with them was not as quick as it was with Jay however. On introductions, Hazra was the sweetest girl I had ever met, and oh was I so deluded. Sameeha, a very quiet and simple girl, yet again, so so deluded. My friendship with these two girls grew gradually and in second year Hazra and I would have these one off dates and moments where we would just have endless things to talk about, mostly boys and books. We have the funniest relationship, but I treasure it because she is a million colours, not a single dull one though. Sameeha, what I like to call Samu, ended up being one of the bestest friends I have ever had. She went to Spain for a semester and when she came back, she and I would just always end up sitting next to each other in Lecture and talking, and then talking on the phone, and after one sleepover and a summer apart we just could not stay apart. Sam is so giving, demanding, loving, honest, accepting, and a tad bit cynical but she's not just a friend, but family too. She lives up to what a bestfriend should be. She's my soulmate. We have planned our whole lives together and I know, we’ll be as close forever.

On meeting Jay, I saw him later on with a bunch of his highschool friends and plucked up all the courage I had and pulled another “Hi guys, I’m Aniqah”. Enter Priya. We clicked as soon as we met. This smiley sweet Tamil girl that reached my waist had such an impression on me. I have never met such a sweet person in my life. Priya has always been there for me and she has definitely seen the good, the bad and the ugly. We are both so weird and so made for each other. Our banter and private jokes are endless, and the one off emotional conversation when we're both down have been a strength.

During the first week of Uni, we had a seminar and I was late, I ran in and got the first chair I could see and sitting next to me was this foxy vivacious girl with her long straightened hair, animal print top and blackberry in hand. Aksa was your typical east London girl. At the end of the seminar, me being the friendly cookie that I am asked her if she knew anyone in the course, Aksa gets up puts her bag on her shoulder and says “Yeah” and walks off. Everyone on first impression thinks Aksa is the world’s biggest b****, as did I, but she is so far from that. Aksa is the most genuine person I have ever met. She is always up for fun, is such a sport and always so supportive. Smartest one in the group on paper but so ditzy in person, but we all love Aksa.

All of the smarty pants were in a different Math group than I because I had not done add/ pure math and generally just hate it. Here I met this super goofy funny guy called Babindip. What we call Babin. Everything he would say would make me laugh, even if he didn’t intend it as a joke. We would sit together in lecture and not pay any attention at all. Then we would end up in the library having deep life talks, giving each other advice, and from there I called him my brother. As big as Babin is, is as big as his personality is.

Lastly, as the semester progressed, I had five hours of continuous lectures on Fridays. As did this girl I hated for having the same name as me resulting in people calling me QAH. Anika. We started off by sitting next to each other, gossiping about all the smart losers sitting at the front, then we’d take turns to bring snacks to lecture, then the lunch dates began and before you know it, we were on the phone 24/7. I have never spoken to anyone on the phone as much as I have to Anika. We became the same person and would call ourselves Aniq(k)a(h) squared. Some of my favourite Uni memories are with this girl. Anika changed me, she made me a more accepting person and to try and see the good in everyone.

University made me meet some amazing people, so many more people that have not been mentioned. You have already met Naima and Lyla in one of my previous blog.  And everyone else I met along the way has left a mark on my life.

I will always treasure the good times we’ve had, however, this is not the end of the book, but the beginning of a new chapter.

In A Career Frenzy?

For a very long time, my friends and I were in the same situation where it was nearing the end of second year and we didn’t know what on earth to do with our lives. If you’re anything like me, at eighteen, you barely knew anything about yourself, about life out of your little world and what exactly it was you wanted to be.

We worry about the future, job opportunities, university requirements, internships, graduate schemes, extra-curricular activities and flooding our CVs with enough rubbish to make us “stand out”. In this rat race of who has the better grade, or who got the better position, does anyone stop to think if they really enjoy what they are doing? Does money and prestige hold more weight than happiness?

I know many people who have graduated, worked incalculably hard (and still are) for the position they are at. However, there is always the question of “is this really me?” “am I doing what I love?” and the very common “I hate my job”.

Many people fall into the degree or profession they are in, mainly because of their family’s pressure and because of what they assume will be a high paying job. These are decent reasons, but remember it’s a question about the rest of your life, so I do not believe them to be good enough.

There are two ways of approaching this. Firstly, you have got to do your research! You need to meet people in the profession you are considering, read, research, probe, discuss, think, explore and seek counsel. Do not make the mistake I did about being lazy and too laid back about my degree choice. When you fully do your research you will realize if this degree or career choice is indeed the right one for you or not. Question if you would excel at it and reach your maximum potential, or if you would end up hating every moment of it. It will not be an accurate decision making tool, you may still not enjoy it when you are knee high in it, but this is certainly helpful. 

Secondly, you have got to be rational. If you are going to invest a lot of money into an education, it is important that you invest in an appropriate practical one. The reason why I say this is because people go to university to study degrees such as adventure and “what if harry potter was real” (these are actual degrees, google if you doubt). Everyone has something they are good at and in the wise words of Mr Mandela

“There is no passion to be found in playing small- in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living”

My advice to everyone confused about their prospects, speak to career councillors and student support teams, they really do help, trust me. Do not take your future lightly because at the end of the day you will only have you to blame for not having taken the stand for what you actually wanted, and in essence, not taken a stand for your happiness.

For my Kenyan readers, check out  http://uniserveducation.com/site/. They are very helpful and for my British readers try http://sevencareercoaching.co.uk/, I have read many good reviews on them.

I hope this has helped someone.

She Is You, She Is Me, She Is Great

I know I’m a couple of days late, but HAPPY WOMENS DAY ladies!

Although there is a specific day dedicated to women, I strongly believe that every single day is women’s day.  As a woman, we battle through every day. The strength that a woman holds is unimaginable. Men may not agree or believe this, let me enlighten you.

We feel everything. If we like we love, if we laugh we split our sides, if we are upset we cry our eyes out and if we protect, it is till we die. A woman struggles through life trying to find herself within the midst of being a mother, a daughter a wife and a sister. She is a soldier in the battles of every day’s hardships and every feeling she feels.

Society demands us to have our hair tamed, our faces pretty, our figures slim, our clothes extravagant and our manners delicate and respectful. It is with these mannerisms that we are granted a husband; a man who will be that knight in shining armour. Marriage happens, then what? We become a cleaner, a cook, a carer, a sex machine, a hostess and a trophy. It is what we have been training for our whole lives right? So why should we complain?

Enough.

Do not be subjected to what society deems as how a woman should behave and what her life is to be. Protect yourself from this stereotype. As a woman we do have certain responsibilities to our families, but do not be bullied by this. I know of so many women that get married or get into relationships and make their other halves their life. God willingly they will not face hardships, but if they do, who will help them? They have relied so much on this man that they are simply broken and vulnerable. My parents always told us to get an education, build a career and have dreams and when you get married make the marriage a part of your life, not the end cause of your purpose on this earth. Probably the best advice ever.

As a woman you are capable of so much. Have an opinion and never be sorry about it because it means that under that perfectly styled keratin hair you have a brain. Want to be someone, not to be owned by someone.

If I gave you a handful of diamonds, would you throw them around exposing them to everyone? A rational person would keep them safely guarded and safely kept away from the eyes of potential threats. In Islam, women are Allah’s diamonds. That is why we are asked to protect ourselves. There are evil people out there and as a woman we can be subjected to the worst form of punishment for having that beautiful smile, those dazzling eyes, that inviting figure and luscious long hair. As unfair as it is, that is society.

I have seen women oppressed my whole life, yet they claim to be so “liberal” and so “free”. Reflect on what you are doing and whether you are reaching your full capabilities as a woman, or are you just a pretty face in a crowd?

Till next time ladies, keep living those dreams.