BRB.

I remember reading in a book once that the best way to feel better is to 'fake it till you make it'. Just keep pretending you're okay until eventually, one day, you realise you're not pretending at all and that you are, in fact, okay.

And, you know what? It really works.

Try it.

Next time you're feeling down - smile. You might feel like an idiot but that'll just make you laugh, and hey, laughter is good, right? Next time you want to just be left alone and really, really don't want to join your friends for lunch - go anyway and suggest you all get dessert after. Next time you don't want to talk to anyone - call up your bestie and talk her ear off about nonsense. (You might find yourself with a face ache, a tyre around your waist and a phone bill with more digits than your phone number, but, trust me, it works.)

The more you surround yourself around those you love and enjoy being with and the more you do things you love and enjoy, the easier you'll find it is to be ok. I don't know about your friends, but mine refuse to let me mope about and it's not long before they've got me laughing and forgetting all my worries.

But, there comes a time when it's just too exhausting to pretend. Sometimes you just need to not feel okay for a bit. And, that's okay.

For me, that time is now. 

There's only one word to describe how I feel right now and that word is: sad.

Just sad. No fancy metaphors or complicated and poetic imagery coming your way, I just simply feel sad.
  
There's a rhyme and reason to all of this and I'm pretty sure after some time I'll be able to appreciate what I've gone through. I know that in time I'll look back at what I've experienced and be able to see things more clearly and from different angles and draw meaningful conclusions. In time I'll learn important lessons and build character and come out the other end stronger. In time I'll discover the silver lining to this dark cloud and things will get brighter and better. In time I'll be ok.

But, for now, I want to stop pretending. Just for a little while I want to be sad.

I think it's only until I face it for what it is that I'll be able to move on. There will be tears and sleepless nights and times when I'll want to just sit there and do nothing ... I say bring it. I'm ready to take this thing head on and I know that after I'm done being sad I'll be ready to welcome all the good things to come and be able to appreciate all the blessings that come with it.

Until then, I'm going to take a break from blogging. I think it's best that I take a moment to focus on myself and concentrate on making it without faking it.

I'll still be active on the facebook page and my twitter and possibly my food blog, This Baker Girl Blogs (I think cupcakes might help speed up my recovery), and I'll still be surrounding myself with all the wonderful people in my life -  I don't know if you've heard but I have the most awesome friends. Everyday I am constantly reminded of how incredible they are and how blessed I am to have them in my life.

I'm not sure how long I'll be absent from this little corner of mine on the web, but ... I promise I'll BRB.

There's a light at the end of this tunnel. I'll meet you on the other side (real soon) happier, stronger and better :)

How (I Like) to Eat

The first semester has ended and I can finally breathe ... well, almost. I'll probably be spending the next 3 weeks playing catch up (and if you'll be doing the same and need some revision tips then check out this post.)

To celebrate our (very) short freedom from lectures and labs, my friends and I decided to go out for lunch on our last full day together.

I'll eat pretty much anything and have a long history of mixing up various foods during get togethers. Immature, I know and I always regret it in the end.

It always unfolds the same way - I scan the table for various foods that just shouldn't be eaten together (chocolate frozen yoghurt aaaannnddd ... coleslaw? Sure.) My attempt is always met with protests at first, and then various YES DO IT!'s. So, I do it. Of course it tastes vile and I end up screwing my face like I've eaten a sock or a lemon but I'm a champ and force it down. And, because we're a bunch of 12 yr olds, we end up daring each other to try different combinations.

Chocolate frozen yoghurt with ... houmous? Ketchup? Hot sauce? Fanta? Bread? Veggie Burger?

All of the above were tried.

Students, eh? 

I went home with the worst stomach ache (I never learn!) but I discovered two things:

1) Chocolate forzen yoghurt should be eaten alone. Don't try to mix it up. With anything.

2) My friends and I have stomach's made of steel. Or, something equally resistant.

We're thinking of turning it into a kind of initiation test. Want to be our friend? Eat a spoonful of chocolate frozen yoghurt with chicken first and then we'll talk ... Yeah, I don't think we'll be making new friends any time soon.

It got me thinking that while I'm not too fussed about what I eat, I am quite particular about other things, such as how I'm eating it. Here are my top 5:

[EDIT: I've just read through this list and I want to let you know that I'm fairly sure I don't have a 'problem'. I should probably get myself tested though ... just to be sure.)

1. Got milk? I discovered at the age of 17 whilst away at a residential study retreat with my classmates that you're 'supposed' to eat your cereal with cold milk. Just imagine my surprise! I turned a few heads when I rocked up for breakfast, took my place at the table, poured milk into a bowl and exclaimed "It's gone cold. Ew." Apparently it's meant to be cold. I tried it with cold milk and you know what? It tastes disgusting. I think I'll stick to popping my milk soaked cereal into the microwave for a couple of minutes - I like it hot and mushy. But, I don't actually like to drink the milk, I just like it hot, and so I eat my cereal with a fork ...

2. Toasted. I love my buttered toast and eat it pretty much every day, but it has to be prepared and eaten in a certain way ... The bread has to be buttered before placed in the toaster and the bottom crust has to be cut off once toasted. As to eating it - the remaining three crusts are eaten first and I slowly work my way to the middle ... Don't give me that look. It's not that weird.

3. Legs or breasts? On a chicken, that is. I like to eat chicken but you'll never find me eating the breast. Why would I when the leg is so much more moist? I have permanent dibs on any chicken legs in our kitchen - The rest of the family are normal and will eat any part.

4. Like Clockwork. I don't do this all the time but sometimes (only sometimes!) I like to order my food in the order I'll be eating it. Clockwise. I don't usually eat the entire thing of one particular food on my plate in an entire go - so if I'm eating burger, fries and peas, I'll arrange this clockwise and have a little burger, some fries and then a few peas. And then rinse and repeat.

If the above examples haven't caused any eye brows to be raised then this one probably will. I've saved the best till last ...

5. Washed out. I'm not a huge fan of crisps (or chips, if you're American) and usually stick to flavours like Ready Salted or Cheese and Onion. But, you know those days when the weekly food shop hasn't been done and you're starving and so raid the cupboards for anything edible? Well, if I'm having one of those days and the only thing my search gives me are crisps, but it's not the Salted or C&O flavour ... then I usually place the crisps in a glass of water and let them soak for a bit. Yep, I WASH MY CRISPS! This is the one that most people find really gross and always gets me weird looks. In case you're wondering - 1) I only do this at home (like that makes it ok?!?!) and 2) No, I do not drink the water afterwards. I don't think you should knock it till you've tried it - it actually tastes ... pretty ok.



----
Am I alone in all this? Have any weird food habits yourself? Is washing my crisps/chips really that gross?

P.S. I'll be doing a sponsored climb of Mount Snowdon on february and would love for you to sponsor me! The money raised will go towards Islamic Relief's Water4Life project which aims to provide clean and safe drinking water for Africa. Pretty please sponsor me by clicking here (I know times are hard but any donations, no matter how small would be really, really appreciated) or to learn more click here. Thank you!! :)

P.P.S. All sale items on the facebook page are now back in stock and 10% of all sales will go towards the Water4Life project! :)

Climbing Mount Snowdon for Charity. Help!

So, I did something crazy yesterday.

I signed up to climb THIS:

Mount Snowdon: the highest mountain in Wales at an altitude of 3560 ft above sea level and the highest point in the British Isles, outside Scotland (thanks, Wiki.)

When I told my friends; they laughed. When I told my family; they didn't believe me. I'll admit it's pretty ambitious for someone like me but I reckon I can do it. I've always been the kind of person that likes to see things through and now that I've committed myself to it I'll be determined as anything to get to the top.

Also, I've already told a looot of people so I kinda have to do it now...

While I think mountains look pretty on postcards, I am not the kind of person that likes to go hiking or climbing for fun. (Although, it could be kind of fun. I've never done it before so what do I know?) So, why am I going to put myself through this? ...

I'm doing it for water.

Yes, water.

So simple and basic and something which you, and I, probably take for granted every day while there are millions of people suffering without it.

Through Islamic Relief - an international aid and development charity aiming to alleviate the suffering of the world's poorest populations - people have been undertaking a no. of challenges to raise money for their Water 4 Life project. Climbing Mount Snowdon is just one of them.

They have already achieved a lot but in comparison to the percentage of population in need, they've only scratched the surface. There's so much more work to be done and they need our help to do it.

This video explains their efforts so much better than I would ever be able to. Please watch to see what these people go through every day and just how much of a difference your money could make to their lives.

             

I've never done anything like this before and I am super excited! Sure climbing a mountain will be hard but after watching the above video I'm convinced it's nothing compared to what those people go through every day.

I'll be climbing Mount Snowdon on February 2nd to raise money to help provide the people of Niger with clean and safe drinking water ... But, I can't do it without your help.

I would love it if you would sponsor my climb (pretty please!). I know times are hard but any donations, no matter how small, will be really, really appreciated :-)

Let's act now and help change and save so many people's lives - our brothers and sisters in Africa need us! You can sponsor me by visiting my Virgin Money page (click here). (Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! :-))

Also, never underestimate the power of prayer and please remember all those suffering in yours. 

To learn more about the cause click here and please help spread the word.

Thank you.

... and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind ... [5:32]

Let's Stay Connected!

Hey, guys!

I need a little favour from you. It requires you to get all click-y with your mouse but it'll only take a minute and in return I promise unconditional love and cupcakes.

There are a number of ways you can stay connected with the blog and the majority of you have chosen facebook. But, here's the thing! It has come to my attention that a looooot of you don't receive my posts or status updates. It's all to do with algorithms ... or something. I don't know. What I DO know is that if you aren't so active on the page then the chances of you receiving my posts are even less :(

Buuuuutttt, I learned of a couple of new features that turned my frown upside down. :) You can add ThisGirlBlogs to an 'Interest List' to make sure you receive ALL my posts and updates or you can select 'Get Notifications' and you'll get a notification whenever I post something that hasn't shown up in your news feed.

I'd love for us to stay connected and get chatty and both ways are perfect for ensuring that! You can do one or the other, or even both ;)

I love interacting with you guys and don't want any of you to miss out on all the fun that's to be had. So, here's where you grip your mouse and poise that finger over the left button - I need you to hover over the 'like' button and get clicking! Like this:

Twitter is also a great way to stay connected! My handle is @thisgirlblogs. Can you tell it took me AGES to come up with that? ;)

But, if you really want to make sure you don't miss anything then the best thing to do would be to follow this blog through Google Friend Connect, or even better - subscribe through RSS Feed or by simply entering your email into the subscribe box. <---- It's all over there!

Thank you all so much!

Now, as promised, here are them cupcakes :D

P.S. In talks with a super talented girlfriend for an upcoming giveaway - all will be revealed very soon and trust me, you don't want to miss out on this! ;)

Smoky not Smudgy 2012

Last month, as part of Charity Week (a non-profit organisation dedicated to raising money for orphans and needy childen through a national inter-uni competition) the highly anticipated Smoky not Smudgy event took place. An event packed with all kinds of girly fun - clothes, make up, fashion shows, food - and all for a good cause. This year they raised an awesome total of £5890! I think that deserves a round of applause, don't you?

I've been eagerly awaiting the event ever since I found out about it and spent the days leading up to it preparing for my stall. I'm a compulsive list maker and let me tell you now, this list was looooooooooooooooooo - (not there yet) - oooooooooooooooooooooooooooongggg.

Hey, it was my first event and I wanted it to go well.

There were a few problems along the way which left me a little frustrated - like my brother letting me know the day before that he WOULDN'T be able to drive me down there. But, thankfully my dad came through for me in the end and helped me get there in one piece.

Armed with business cards, merch and a smile, off to South Kensington I went! :D

I bribed my younger sister with promises of food and clothing and dragged her with me to the event to help. Which was a brilliant decision on my part, if you ask me, because she was a huge help (thanks, sis!)

The number of people who showed up to the event was insane and I got to meet a whole bunch of awesome people. I loved getting chatty with you and some of you girls have already said Hi on twitter! If you're new on here then check out this lil intro. :)

The stall holders arrived first and while I was setting up my own, I caught a glimpse of a bunch of others. My stall neighbour and the first person I met was Farrah from Bespoke Henna. I was instantly drawn by the works of art displayed and couldn't resist taking a closer look ... LOOK!

Each design was so beautiful and intricate and as a lover of handmade goods I was especially interested to learn each one had been hand painted ... with henna! Check out her site and facebook page for the full range or you can even get her to create a custom piece.

It was great to meet the uber talented Farrah herself, who was super lovely. She kept me company and would pop by every now and then to see how things were going. We got chatty and she was full of great advice and useful tips. (Thanks, again! :))
 
With so many awesome things on sale I couldn't resist treating myself and snagged a clever little pen atomizer from Al-Rehab. These things are pretty ingenious! It's non-alcoholic and contained within a pen which you can pretty much carry around with you anywhere. Because, let's face it, there really is no room in my bag and it's pretty handy for a quick spritz on the go. They also do pocket perfumes which are just as cute and take up just as little space.

Throughout the day I also met a bunch of other awesome people like the sisters from Hijab Candy (who I thought were the same person at first, sorry!) and the team from Aquaini. There were also a few popular faces from youtube hanging around in the form of Dina Tokio, Aalia from Princess Rocks, Nabilla Bee and Saima of SaimaSmilesLike.

While money was changing hands and things were getting busy down in the souk area, there was plenty of action happening upstairs with workshops, makeovers, food and the main event - the fashion show; showcasing a range of clothing and designers, hosted by SaimaSmilesLike (who I hear did an awesome job!)

Nabilla Bee looking super stunning. I WANT THIS! ...And I'm not even getting married ...

Don't they make it look so easy?

A lot of hard work and effort went in to making the event a success and it really showed. With so much going on I wondered how they would manage to fit everything in and avoid chaos at the same time but the SnS team had it all under control. I don't think I even saw any of them wipe down a sweaty brow. 

By the end of the day I was pretty beat but it was obvious to see everyone was having tons of fun while raising a ton of money for charity. An awesome experience for an awesome cause and if Smoky not Smudgy decide to go on for a 6th year - I'll be there :)

Dear Little Auntie

Last month, I was chosen to become one of the newest contributers to Dear Little Auntie. What's that, you ask?

Dear Little Auntie is basically an agony aunt type of advice blog for sisters on absolutely anything and everything... But, why don't we let the 'original' Little Auntie tell you more!

Why did you start DLA?
The short story of it is that while I was searching for some hadiths and things on the Internet, I discovered that there was a lot of "good Islamic advice" for Muslim teens written "badly (in a way that definitely would not have clicked with me when I was a teen)", and a lot of "bad Islamic advice" written "well" (or very convincingly).  I remember stumbling on a question where a Muslim girl said she was in love with a Jewish boyfriend....she was asking whether she should marry him or apostate since marriage with Jewish men was not acceptable. I couldn't believe the advice people were giving her...and my thought was: I wish I could talk to her.  And so...DLA was born :)

What is the purpose of DLA?
The purpose is to provide our Muslim sisters with a comfortable zone where they can ask any question they have without being judged..It's meant to be a community where we share our experiences and help encourage each other on the path to jannah. And the last purpose I had in mind was to let any sister out there- who feels alone/ small/ insignificant whatever- know that she has an "older" sister out there who believes in her and prays for her.

Aaaannd, how does it all work?!
Good question! Well, we have a contact page which we put up in the beginning of the month to allow readers to submit their questions anonymously. All that they should write is their nickname, question and email (so that we can write back to them once we've finished answering their question with the link/ answer). We accept 10 questions per month. Once we've received the 10 questions, we remove the contact page from the blog :)

I'll be honest. I only recently found out about this brilliant site myself. There was a recent search for new recruits and after spending 10 minutes (yes, just 10!) I decided to apply.

What made me do it?

Well, there were lots of reasons ... the first thought I had as I browsed through the loooooong list of previously answered questions was "Wow, I wish I had this when I was growing up!" As I scrolled down the list I couldn't help but smile at questions I too had asked at one time or another. Here were sisters who were in the same position as I once had been. With questions I had once asked. The only difference? A team of sisters working to answer those questions and a forum bursting with support.

We all need a little help every now and then and growing up I needed a lot of help. My story is a complicated one and kinda looooong (you'll find snippets of it scattered around the blog) but the short version: I felt stuck. I became un-stuck (is that a word?) through the help of a lot of wonderful people and I feel like I've learned a lot over the past few years. DLA seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to do that for someone else. If the advice I give helps clear something up for someone, or motivates, cheers, inspires or helps someone else even just a teeeeeeeeny tiny bit then I'll consider that a job well done. Bascially, I'm paying forward all the help I had received by trying to help others in return.

I've only answered one question so far and I quickly realised how seriously I was taking it all. Because it IS serious. I wanted to make sure I did a good job, that whoever had asked the question (and others who I'm sure have asked the same) would benefit from my answer. I wanted my facts to be right and my opinions to be honest. I didn't know the questioner but I could sense how distressed she must have felt and I wanted to help. It took time. It took effort. It took research. It took several drafts and involved me repeatedly bashing the backspace key. In the end I can only hope my words are helpful and do some good.

What makes me qualified to give advice? Absolutely nothing. Not ones of us 'Aunties' are professionals or scholars, we're just a group of girls with good intentions, who care and want to help. We each have our own share of experiences and sometimes it helps to have an outsider take a look at an issue you might have with a fresh perspective. The comments section is also there for others to offer their two-cents on the issue aswell.

All questions are anonymous so there's no need to feel embarassed about anything. There's no such thing as a silly/stupid/bad question! We won't laugh or cringe or scoff or roll our eyes... Promise :) Besides, you'll never find out the answer if you're always too embarassed or too afraid to ask..... So, what are you waiting for?

My pen-name is TheSisterInSearch and you can read the response to my first question - can Muslims be friends with non-Muslims? - by clicking here. Let me know what you think! Also, what started off as just one little auntie doing her best to help, has now grown to a total of seven - see who the rest of the crew are and drop by the facebook page to stay updated :)

An Introduction

I realise I've never really done a Hey-Reader-Hows-It-Going-Let-Me-Introduce-Myself type of post before but I kind of wanted to touch base with and virtually high five all you old TGBers (Hi, guys!) and give a big warm welcome to all my lovely new readers!

If you're new on here then it's most probably because we met at this years Smoky not Smudgy event. (By the way, how insane was that?! For those of you who couldn't be there: don't worry, you'll get the chance to live through it vicariously on here. I'm still trying to recover from all the fun that was had but once I have you'll definitely see a blog post about it.)

Ooooorrr, some of you may have met my younger sister who had generously offered her time to help me ... Ok. That was a lie. I totally bribed her.

Anyway, welcome! Hi. My name's Nazia and this, right here, is my little corner of the world wide web! Relax, put your feet up and let's take a look around shall we?

I started this blog just over two years ago after I had watched Edwards Scissorhands with my friend for the first time in 10 years since I had been scarred by the movie. If you're also thinking of starting a blog or even if you already have a blog be sure to check out my top 11 tips for noobs. Guaranteed success or your money back ... JK! There's no money changing hands here but I like to think the tips are quite helpful. I don't know. You decide.

Back to Scissorhands - now, before you get all "What now, girl? That's not scary!" I know, I know. It's not scary. It's actually pretty adorable but I was only 11 at the time, I had just been mentally scarred from witnessing my very first cat fight between 2 (questionably) grown women, it was the middle of the night and the lights were out ...

I'm just making excuses, aren't I? Fine. I'M A BIG SCARDY CAT.

There. I said it.

I am intent on changing that though by watching my very first horror movie. An ACTUAL horror movie. At the age of 21. Better late than never, right? I'd love it if you could point me in the right direction with suggestions. Nothing too gore-y, be nice and ease me in, ok? Drop 'em below in the comments section, thanks! :)

I recently got over my fear of rollercoasters by riding on stealth as my very first - 205 ft high and one of Europes fastest rollercoasters going from 0 - 80mph in under 2 seconds. Twice. *Dusts off shoulder*

Horror movies and rollercoasters may not scare you but my right arm might. I fell off a chair at the age of 4 and landed on my elbow. The result: an arm at a 45 degree angle. It tends to gross people out but I think it's pretty cool. I don't really notice it much anymore and the benefits of having such an arm have far outweighed any disadvantages. 

My brother was supposed to drive me to SnS but let me down at the last minute. I would have driven myself but I haven't sat behind the wheel in almost 2 years and I'm worried I may have forgotten how to drive. People keep telling me it's like riding a bike - once you learn, you never forget. I would feel more inclined to believe them if I could actually ride a bike. Then at least I could test that theory, right?

While on the subject of things I can't do - I also can't swim. I spent 2 years worth of swimming lessons hopping around the pool on one leg with floats on. I thought it was pretty clever of me and I would even switch legs to make it look more convincing during the tests but our instructor, Bob, wasn't fooled.

But, attending a university within walking distance from home means I don't really need a car. I study Biomedical Sciences and last year this involved sitting on the library floor, breaking lab equipment (by accident!), drinking a loooot of coffee, daydreaming in lectures and working with dead bodies and rat guts. Most of my experiences have been positive (even with the intense work load!) but I'd be lying if I said it was all FUN FUN FUN because the truth is the number of times I've fazed out of a lecture and into a daydream tips the scale. (If you'll be starting uni soon then check out my list of must-knows!)

I work part time as a private tutor (with exams just around the corner you might want to sharpen your no.2 pencil and take note of my top 8 revision tips.) You would think being self employed would have a lot of benefits like being able to sleep in and picking my own hours but I have a problem saying No to people and often end up taking on clients even when I don't have anymore hours left in the week. This means waking up at a ridiculous hour and having lunch on the go. Have you ever tried to munch on a cheese burger while power walking? Yeah, me neither. I imagine it's not any easy task to perform which is why I stick to resealable junk like chocolate.

Speaking of food - a few months ago I decided to take on this crazy challenge to teach myself to become more competent in the kitchen by working my way through the stack of cookbooks I have hidden under my bed. I have yet to set anything on fire or cut myself (although that might have something to do with the fact my mother hoardes knives and refuses to take them out of the box.) I recently gave away 2 copies of Bake Me I'm Yours ... Whoopie Pies and shared the recipe for their Vanilla Whoopie Pies filled with Vanilla Buttercream and decked in plenty of Glitter and Glamour. For more fun giveaways and recipes check out my food blog: This Baker Girl Blogs.

So, as you can see my life revolves a lot around education. I want to be a teacher so I mean that quite literally. It's not the career choice I had in mind growing up ... My Primary School days consisted of killing the class pet and walking around with a toothless grin thanks to a crafty 'tooth fairy'. I spent my Secondary School days dressed like a librarian and looking like a Smurf... and Uni? I've run around campus with a giant teddy ... The makings of a great teacher, eh?

Anyway, I think I'll end the introduction here because it's getting a little loooong. Please, stick around (I hope I haven't scared you away!) and tell me about yourself. Did we meet at Smoky not Smudgy? I'm good with names so if you told me yours then I'll remember you. If you found me through someone or something else then let me know who/how!

Be sure to stay connected! How do I do that, you ask? You can subscribe to both blogs either through Google Friend Connect, RSS Feed or by simply entering your email address in the subscribe box. All of which can be found on the right hand side bar (Pssst, over there <-----). This way you'll stay posted on any new blog posts and fun things like features and giveaways. (I've promised a giveaway to celebrate the 2 year mark of TPGB so expect that very soon!)

I also like to get chatty on the facebook page and some of you have already said Hi on twitter (Hey, girls!). Let's hang there, too, ok? :)

Is It A Bird? Is It A .... Wait. Yeah, It's Just A Bird.

When my brothers and I were younger we begged our parents to let us have pets. We spent countless months trying to convince them that it would be a decision they wouldn't regret and even promised we would clean its poop (a decision that took a lot of effort to reach.)

We spent long afternoons thinking up names of these non-existent pets and daydreaming of trips to the park. 

I was convinced they didn't love us and wanted us to suffer a deprived childhood when they refused to run out to the local pet shop. 

However, there were several reasons why my parents were reluctant:

1. Despite promising we would do ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING for it and that they wouldn't even have to lift a finger (so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BUY US A KITTY), my parents weren't convinced we actually would. To be honest I can't say we would have made good on that promise, either.

2. Having 5 kids to look after was enough - did they really want to add small, helpless and dependant animals to the list of their caregiving duties?

3. My brothers and I were terrible at sharing and just one pet wouldn't have done. They would have to buy us at least three to maintain a peaceful household. That's three more mouths to feed and three more bottoms to clean.

4. Pets get dirty and they bring that dirt in with them. My mother cherished her leather sofas and her curtains and the mere thought of muddy paw prints on her carpet was enough to get her heart racing.

5. Cats cough up hair balls and like to scratch. Fish eat their own poop. Birds go tweet tweet during the night. Snakes eat mice. Frogs are slimy. Rocks are boring.
 
We begged, pleaded and cried and when that didn't work we moaned, whined and sulked.

3 years and 0 pets later, we gave up.

Kids 0 - Parents 10488285696

However, I didn't put up much of a fight because despite looking glum and disappointed, inside I was sighing with relief.

Over the years my desire for a pet had waned due to a few traumatic animal related incidents - being chased by a bulldog in our block of flats, by a herd of sheep during a school trip to the local farm, by a chicken on a different farm, by a cow on my grandparents' neighbours' farm (why do I keep going to farms?!?!?!?!) and by a flock of pigeons on a family day out to Trafalgar Square.

If you have a pet and you invite me round your house - I'll still come. But you might have to lock it away in its cage. In the garage.

I was convinced animals were out to get me (how else would you explain the attraction?) and I wasn't about to bring an enemy into my own home. That would just be stupid. 

But, fast forward a few years and we finally have pets. Plural.

But it's not what you're thinking. Believe me.

These pets don't really belong to us. Although, I think their loyalty to my mother gives her a sense of ownership over them.

These pets don't live with us, either. Although, I suppose sitting on our roof all day can constitute a certain degree of 'living with us'.

These pets, ladies and gentleman, aren't really pets.

They're pigeons.

PIGEONS!

Hands up if you've watched Home Alone 2! ... Remember that bird woman in the park? Yeah, that's my Mum.

Ok, she's not the actual woman in the movie, but she is the role the woman is playing - the bird woman.

My mother is our neighbourhood Bird Woman ...

Now, who has heard of Pavlovs' Dog? For those of you who haven't, here's a quick lesson on what's known in the scientific and psychological world as 'Conditioned Behaviour'...

Pavlov had a dog. Whenever it was time to feed his dog he would ring a bell and place a bowl of food for the dog. After some time, the dog began associating the ringing of the bell with food, so even when Pavlov would ring the bell without any food being present the dog would still salivate.

Well, that's kind of what my Mum has done. She has conditioned the pigeons.

Everytime our front door opens, the pigeons descend onto our front yard, thinking it's my mother bearing bread crumbs.

So, you can only imagine what happens everytime (without fail) when I open the front door to go out. I'm attacked (yes, ATTACKED!) by pigeons.

Sometimes when I come home I find them casually sitting in front of my house. Waiting.

Once, there was a pigeon sitting on the welcome mat. Right in front of the door. He was obviously a greedy one.

I don't know what's worse - having pigeons stake out my house all day or the fact that my mother has chosen to side with the enemy. 


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Are you an animal lover? Would you like to adopt one of our pigeons? Or ten? They're free.

Here's an idea! Post pictures of your cute (or not so cute) pets on the ThisGirlBlogs facebook page to try to help me overcome my fear. Or, you know, for fun. 

P.S. I've got a GIVEAWAY running on my food blog This Baker Girl Blogs. Check it out! 

Untraditional

If you asked me what I thought I would be doing this Eid, I would have told you that I would be doing what I've been doing every Eid for the past 10 years.

I would tell you how my Mum would go all out for breakfast, sticking to traditional food where the majority of ingrdients are sugar and oil. And, how I can never stomach the stuff that early in the morning and always end up trading it for a bowl of cereal instead.

I would tell you how Baby Sai would cry because we would be too busy getting ourselves dressed and leave her till last.

I would then make my way to my grandparents - homebase for the extended family - and be the first to get ready.

I would finally be able to stomach the food and help myself to platefuls (gotta eat, right?) and then take a bajillion family pictures.

I would then, as I have done every year for the past 10 years, make my way downstairs with my cousin to visit a close family friend.

We would then visit various other friends before eventually making our way back to my grandparents for dinner.

However, this year all traditions were broken.

I didn't have my cereal. Baby Sai was the first to get dressed (she still cried because we 'never make her look nice'.) I wasn't the first to get ready. I didn't get to eat much of anything. I didn't get to visit that family friend or any other houses. And, we didn't regroup at my grandparents for dinner.

Instead I rushed to get dressed and then made my way to university. While the rest of the family were busy celebrating, I was stuck in a lab coat and goggles, conducting experiments on blood samples for diabetes.

Going to school on Eid isn't something I'm used to because all my life school has always closed for Eid due to the fact there are a lot of Muslims in our school communities...

I was in such a rush to finish that I messed up one of the samples. My lab partner wasn't too happy. But, it's ok. She had to forgive me because a) she's my friend and b) it was Eid. Ya know?

Not exactly how I thought I would be spending my Eid and even though it wasn't the tradition I was used to, it wasn't tooooo bad either. I mean, I got to hang out with my friends during lab and ended the night with my family and chocolate cake. (Cake makes everything better, right?)

Whatever you did for Eid, I hope you and your family had a wonderful day, too. Eid Mubarak :)

Get Beautiful for Charity with Smoky not Smudgy

Charity Week is fast approaching and Imperial University's 5th Annual Smoky Not Smudgy event is taking place on 17th November... That's just a few weeks away!

I'll be honest; I didn't know about the event until they approached me a couple months ago and after hearing about last years event, I was all YES PLEASE! 

A ladies only event dedicating a whole day to feeling beautiful - filled with pampering sessions, fashion shows, workshops, a souk area and yummy food - and all for charity!

Charity Week is a national inter uni event where students from different universities compete to raise money for charity. Last year the Smoky Not Smudgy team raised over a whopping £5000! That's insane! Well done, girls.

All the money raised will go towards helping orphans and needy children worldwide through Islamic Relief. Help them match last years funds, or even better, help them beat it!

Check out their promotional vid below, or head over to their website and facebook page to find out more.

Trust me ladies, this isn't an event you want to miss! It's going to be tons of fun and with so much going on there'll be something there for everyone. Aaaaaaand, did I mention it's all for charity?

Here's some important info coming your way. Pen and paper ready? Put it in your diary. Now.

Location: Imperial College London, South Kensington
Date: Saturday 17th November 2012
Time: 12-5pm

I'll be hanging out in the souk area so make sure you come over and say Hi! I'll be selling LittleBee stuff at insanely discounted prices and giving free hugs all day. I'll also be blogging about the event (obviously) so don't forget to say 'Cheese' if you see me sticking a camera in your face. 

Get your tickets before they sell out. I hear they're selling like hot cakes! (And, yes, there will be cakes there, too.)