A poem dedicated to my cousin

White Sheets

Clear and crisp;
they fill me with peace.
Like a blank canvas,
you lay on them
and start drawing your dreams.
But now,
I think of you.
I imagine you wrapped in these sheets
Sleeping a deep sleep.
These white sheets,
hold a thousand stories.
Some untold
some just memories.
As I succumb to slumber,
a whisper I can hear.
A whisper so comforting,
But the words unclear.

These white sheets,
hold a thousand stories.
Some untold
some just memories.

In loving memory of Ridwan Rahman

My dearest paternal cousin, Ridwan Rahman, passed away on December 14th. He was 26 and the brightest amongst us cousins. He looked like a prince and had a twinkle in his eye. I have no words to express how I feel about the sudden and untimely death of my beloved cousin. I pray and hope that he is resting in peace with the angels above. Allah, take care of my little brother.

Marks and Spencer Food

Loveee the food section at Marks and Spencer...check these goodies out! Of the pics I've posted, I've only tasted the shortbread squares...it is divine! I believe you can find similar shortbread cookies at Trader Joes.

 I've had Manuka Honey once and the taste is quite distinct...I like knowing that its so good for you and at the same time can be used as a sweetener. I must buy this the next time I go there.

 Buttery, crumbly, buttery squares of goodness. I can eat the whole box at one go.

 This might have been a holiday special. It says: Delicious butter rich shortcrust pastry mince pies filled with our fruity classic mincemeat, bursting with juicy sultanas, vostizza currants and raisins.

Yet another holiday special, All butter Cherry Genoa Cake: All butter fruit cake made with plump, juicy sultanas and glace cherries. hand decorated with glace cherries, cruncy brazil nuts, pecans and almonds.

I lose control whenever I see the words 'All Butter'. 

Throwback: Christmas lights in Vitruvian Park

Vitruvian park is a 12 acre park in Addison, TX, and we chanced upon this quaint little park while driving by it last December. During the holiday season, over 100 trees are wrapped in multicolored LED lights. And because these trees are lined on the opposite sides of a creek, you can see their reflection in the water...It's like a glittering wonderland and Its absolutely spellbinding! 

Desi Fried Chicken : Recipe Pictorial

 Marinate chicken in garlic, ginger, soy sauce, black pepper and salt for few hours! Not more than 5 hours.

 Make a batter of cornflour, flour, salt , pepper.

 Dunk chicken into the batter. Shake off excess.

 Fry! Fry! Fry!

Crispy, slightly chewy, spicy delicious!

Recipe: Pancit Canton

Pancit Canton is a weeknight favorite in our house (My parent's house that is; my hubby prefers Bangladeshi food over anything else, even if it is occassional!). Pancit Canton is a filipino dish, the noodles are referred to as 'flour sticks' and can be found at most supermarkets (in Oman at least because there's lot of Filipinos here :) The beauty of these noodles is that there's no pre-boiling required, you just cook up some vegetables in somewhat soupy broth and then add the uncooked noodles, which then beautifully absorb all the liquids and become soft and delicious! Here's how I make it :)

1 bag pancit canton
1 small red onion (chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (smashed)
1-2 dried red chillies
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 green and 1/2 red bell pepper (chopped)
Half head of a cabbage (julienned finely)
1 carrot (cut into sticks)
Couple of button mushrooms (sliced)
2 eggs (fried separately and then crumbled into pieces)
1 bunch of scallion (chopped)
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp vinegar (optional)
Salt to taste
Oil

Heat a large wok and add oil. Add 1 crushed dried red chilly, followed by the garlic. Immediately follow with the onion, red pepper, cabbage, carrot and mushroom. Add salt, pepper and soy sauce. Let the vegetables cook well until all moisture has been released (approx. 10 minutes). Add the noodles to the wok and add additional water if your vegetables look dry. Cover and let it cook for 10 minutes. Once, the noodles have absorbed all the liquid, crumble in the fried eggs. Turn off the stove and add the vinegar. Garnish with chopped scallions. 

Painting supplies...

I've been into art and drawing ever since I was a kid...none of that overly intricate stuff...stuff that is easy to draw, easy to paint...that kind of stuff. I look at painting as a relaxing hobby, not something thats gonna make me pop a nerve (yeah I don't do complicated sketches where you can see the different shades of the different strands of hair...or maybe I just cant :)! So anyways, I bought these acrylic colors today and am thinking of painting up a storm (not literally)!

Carrefour

One of the many things I love about Oman is Carrefour. It's a hypermarket chain of a multinational retailer that has its headquarters in France. Carrefour means 'crossroads' in french. It has everything. Groceries, clothing, knicks and knacks, and a drool-worthy bakery, etc. I also love how its always adjoining a mall...so whenever we go to the mall (City Center), we can also get our grocery shopping done in the end. Some of the things I love in particular are the baklava assortment, seafood selection and the spice market...Here's some pics:) Also, interesting fact; courtesy of Wikipedia, Revenue-wise, Carrefour is the second largest retail group in the world and the third in profit (After Wal-Mart and Tesco)

Papparoti

Today  I went to see the 2nd installment of the Hunger Games series: Catching Fire. My sister and I quite enjoyed it. I love Jennifer Lawrence...she's a great actress, she's real and she has hooded eyelids (yay!). I get excited anytime I see a celebrity with hooded eyelids because I have hooded eyelids and for those of you know, having hooded eyelids has its fair share of downs...but then again, mostly due to the way media has been portraying women with double folded eyelids since time immemorial. Anyhoo, my sis took me to Papparoti for some tea and bun. She has been raving about the place ever since I've been back so I decided to give it a try. It's a malaysian franchise and their signature combo is a cup of tea with a bun. It sounds rather normal but omg, it is truly divineeee. Fellow Bangladeshis, its the kind of tea your mom made when you were in 12th grade...frothy with tons of milk and little to no tea...Its just that kind! The bun was pretty epic too...Crunchy on the outside and gooey and chewy on the inside...I almost thought they used some kind of rice flour (maybe sticky rice flour?). It was wonderful overall....a bit pricey, but totally worth it! Here are the pics :)

5 Makeup Products I can't live without!

I've been playing with makeup ever since I was 15...The minute I realized that filling in my brows and adding a tinted lip balm could make a world of a difference to my face, I was hooked. Today, I love makeup just as much as I did when I was a teenager. Nothing makes me happier than when I walk into Sephora and lay my eyes on all it has to offer...from luminous highlighters to creamy lipsticks. they all hold a special place in my heart. Can I buy everything I want? No. Absolutely not. I am not a makeup hoarder (although my hubby thinks so!). I mean, my relationship with makeup has changed in the sense that I now realize that I only have so much eyelid space, so much skin on my face and so much lips...buying too much makeup would mean I would have to throw some out after a few years. Buying makeup makes me happy but I try to justify a purchase by saying that I really need this color or I ran out of this product. I try to use products in a way that keeps me looking like me with an added bit of flair. Finding happiness in makeup doesn't have to mean anything negative, as long as it isn't consuming you and is just something you enjoy dabbling in a little more than usual :)

Here are my 5 products I can't live without (not in picture):

1. Eyebrow pencil : Anastasia Brow Wiz in Ebony
This eyebrow pencil can double as a subtle eyeliner hence the lack of eyeliner in my top 5.

2. Peach concealer: MAC Studio Finish Concealer NW35
Amazingggg product for dark undereye circles. I usually use two shades of this product. A peachy one to counteract purple/blue circles and a lighter one to higlight. However, the peachy shade is a must-have as it totally neutralizes the dark circles.

3. Pressed powder: Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent.
Superb product to keep your face looking matte and fresh.

4. Mascara: Maybelline Falsies Mascara
This mascara is a god-send. It adds volume like no other and is a staple in my makeup bag.

5. Lip stain: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balmstain in Sweetheart
This product is nothing short of amazing. It can be used lightly to add a light stain and can be worn in full strength as a beautiful pink shade.

Youtube Vlogger: ItsJudysLife

Ok... ever since Web 2.0, I've been watching YouTube like regular TV...Ok that analogy didn't fly too well. I mean't I browse for content how I would on a TV. I browse for interesting people who make interesting videos. Some people don't get it and don't find it intriguing to watch a regular (or what seems like regular) person talking about banana milkshake! I just love watching them...especially how-to videos (read: beauty and makeup tutorials). One of my favorite vloggers is Judy Travis of Itsjudyslife. I have to watch her vlogs everyday as she uploads daily. She basically chronicles her daily life with her husband and 1 year old child. My hubby enjoys watching their vlogs too! Go and have a see!

Thank You :)

I've been noticing quite a bit of traffic on my blog.There's approximately 30 views in a day...could be from 30 people or could be from a few people who view my blog multiple times. Whatever the case, it does make me smile :) I don't get paid or any ad money from this blog. It's just a personal diary where I share stuff about this and that, here and there. You taking the time to visit this blog says that you care about me so a big, BIG, Thank You!

Picture source: http://www.npengage.com/nonprofit-management/how-thank-your-board-sing-their-praises/

Dumb Ways to Die

A young friend of mine introduced me to this game called 'Dumb Ways to Die'...It is the funniest game ever! They even made a song for this game..It's quite catchy and the lyrics are hilarious! Here are the lyrics:

Set fire to your hair
Poke a stick at a grizzly bear
Eat medicines that’s out of date
Use your private parts as piranha bait

Dumb ways to die, so many dumb ways to die

Get your toast out with a fork
Do your own electrical work
Teach yourself how to fly
Eat a two week old unrefrigerated pie

Dumb ways to die, so many dumb ways to die

Invite a psycho-killer inside
Scratch your drug dealer’s brand new ride
Take your helmet off in outer space
Use your clothes dryer as a hiding place

Dumb ways to die, so many dumb ways to die
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsty.com/tangerine-kitty-dumb-ways-to-die-lyrics.html ]
Keep a rattlesnake as pet
Sell both the kidneys on the internet
Eat a tube of superglue
“I wonder what’s this red button do?”

Dumb ways to die, so many dumb ways to die

Dress up like a moose during hunting season
Disturb a nest of wasps for no good reason
Stand on the edge of a train station platform
Drive around the boom gates at a level crossing
Run across the tracks between the platforms
They may not rhyme but they’re quite possibly

Dumbest ways to die ie
Dumbest ways to die
Dumbest ways to die
So many dumb
So many dumb ways to die

Be safe around trains. A message from Metro 

Picture source: http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/interactive/2012/11/dumb_ways_to_die.jpg
Lyrics source: http://www.lyricsty.com/tangerine-kitty-dumb-ways-to-die-lyrics.html

One of my favorites: Due Date

Screenshots of some of my favorite scenes from the movie Due Date. Love Zach Galifianakis!

Bangladesh Night 2013

Did I mention that I recently took part in an event called Bangladesh Night at the University of Texas at Dallas?I took part in two dances, one of them was a 'mujra' dance which is predominantly inspired by the Mughal era when this kind of dance was performed to entertain royal patrons and such. I had a ball of time with the girls I performed with. All of them such sweethearts!

A bit late but Happy 43rd National Day Oman!

The King (Sultan) of Oman, Sultan Qaboos Bin Said's birthday is on November 18th, which is celebrated as Oman's National Day. He turned 43 this year making it the 43rd National Day! The city is adorned like a bride all the month of November...the colors of the flag, white, red and green are used to decorate the city.  This thing is getting justified in a funky way...the alignment.

 The Royal Oman Police allowed car decorations for National Day. People put stickers on their cars and are allowed to keep it on from November 18 until the end of November. How cool!

 How beautiful!

 Lamp posts decorated so beautifully! Reminds me of a headpiece on a bride!

Royal Opera House, Oman (haven't visited this yet but definitely will!)