It’s Been a While…

…since I posted here. The whole of spring and summer were spent going through some big changes in life. I wish I had posted here though, I would have loved to check back and see through my words my emotions.

Aside from job changes and all that, I have been trying out new recipes which I am very excited to share here. My only problem is my Canon DSLR camera isn’t working anymore and I haven’t had time to get it fixed or replaced. It is the second time that my camera has been giving me the exact same issue so it’s very frustrating. In the meantime, I might have to try taking photos with my iPhone.

And for the first time ever, I am enjoying autumn and looking forward to winter!! I don’t know what changed in me but I am glad to be feeling this way. I am looking forward to dressing warm in cozy jumpers. Spending more time indoors means I will have more time to write here which is another thing I am looking forward to do. Glad to be back :)


Photo by Simon Matzinger.

Birthday Weekend

Last week I celebrated my birthday! There was no big party because I like to keep things small and intimate. To celebrate, I just wanted to eat a very nice slice of cake with some tea. I prefer going somewhere for a slice than ordering a big cake for 2 - 4 people, and then having cold leftovers. A bit of sleuthing led me to find this place called Lady M. I was sold as soon as I saw the pictures of the cakes on the website. The store was even better! It is so chic and feels like such a treat to eat there. The cakes were absolutely delicious. Soft, melt in your mouth cakes with a cup of delicate Jasmin tea. It was such a perfect way to celebrate my day.

What Are You Looking Forward To This Fall?

Every season has its pros and cons. I am not a big fan of cold weather, but its arrival is inevitable. The thought of being in the long cold season depresses me to the point of minor anxiety. For me, the arrival of the cold season doesn’t only remind me of short sunny days but also end of the year. For the last couple of years, the end of each year has been the hardest for me to come to terms with. I often feel the year that went by, went by too fast to do anything significant. 

To prevent myself from feeling terribly sad about the changing weather, I am going to reflect on the pros of fall in hopes it helps me and perhaps some of you reading this. Fall is an amazing season, and I am so glad we have it! Going straight into winter after summer would wreck havoc on our bodies and mind. Here are 5 things I am looking forward to in fall…

The changing colours of the trees, of course. I will be photographing it just like I did for spring.
The crunchy leaves on the ground. I love walking on those.
Wearing cute sweaters and cardigans.
Warm hot chocolate while watching a movie! I crave dark chocolates when it’s cold.
Not having to feel icky and sweaty after a long walk or run.

The top photo is a screenshot from Far from Heaven. 

Do You Like Phone Calls?

I realized something, umm…scary, last night. Phone calls give me anxiety. Is that normal? Am I the only one?

How’s Your Summer Been So Far?

Sorry for the lack of action here… I have been spending my summer weekends doing nothing, and it has been so relaxing. I just go to a nearby open scenic place and sit. Watching the sun going down, feeling the wind, and people pass by. Just life happening around me while I observe, being amazed.

Last weekend, I went to the Brooklyn bridge park and spent the whole afternoon there. No books, no phone. Just me and a friend, maybe an ice cream too. The weather was really nice, and the gentle sunshine was so soothing. You might wonder, aside from the Brooklyn bridge itself there isn’t much to see, but you would be surprised how much you notice when you actually want to.

Before the start of summer, I like to plan a bunch of activities for myself, in the city I live, and if I do travel anywhere. Because summer here is, sadly, very short, I try my best to fit in as many things to do as I can. It does get a little exhausting because it feels as if I am running a race with nature. Trying to win the race, which by the way I never, I forget to actually enjoy summer.

Growing up in Dubai, winter is the season that everybody enjoys. Because the weather in winter is so pleasant, everyone likes to spend as much time outside as they can. My parents love to go to the park for a BBQ picnic. We go in the afternoon, bbq, have lunch and then just relax until sunset. Of course, when I was a kid, I would be running around playing, but as I grew older, I would relish the time just chilling with my parents.

I have adopted my parent's way of chilling, and so far have, I have been to the park and beach. It has been great. I also tried to take it a step further and disconnect from social media during the weekend, but it proved to be quite a challenge. It is so strange that something you don’t grow up with can become such a big part of life. I would love to try disconnecting from social media for a weekend, but maybe, that’s for another time.

Photo by nikaela peters.

7 Beautiful Lines I Have Read

Have you ever, while reading a book, come across a line that resonates so much with you, you reread it multiple times? Sometimes I reread it because I had thought about the line a few times but the author just wrote it so beautifully, I am almost jealous I didn’t. I love those moments, and that book always ends up on my favorite books list. Here are some lines I read recently that I find so beautiful…

“I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world.”

- Albert Camus, The Stranger

“I responded to the gravity of an inside moon at my core, and I undertook journeys I had not expected to take.”
- Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist

“The thing about love is that we come alive in bodies not our own.”
- Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin

“Is love stronger when it let’s go or when it holds on.”
- Kamila Shamsie, Kartography

“We say of something that they can’t be forgiven, or that we will never forgive ourselves. But we do--we do it all the time.”
- Alice Munro, Dear Life

“He said, "people wait their whole lives for the kind of happiness we have.”
- Melissa Banks, The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing

“Alone, I am nothing. I have nothing. We have power. But we will never know it, we will never see it work. Unless we come together to make it work.”
- Ayi Kwei Armah, The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born

Photo by ian dooley.

What Are You Bad At?

I am terrible at spelling. When I was younger, I assumed I would outgrow this weakness, but here I am in my mid-20s, and the problem still exists. The good thing is nowadays I do most of my typing on the laptop or phone where wrong spelling is pointed out. But whenever I write on paper, I sometimes have to check my phone for spelling of certain words. I used to find this problem embarrassing in my college days, but not so much anymore. There’s a term for people who have poor spelling skills, and it’s called Cacography. While researching this topic, I came across a list of historical people who were known to be terrible at spelling, and here are a few that surprised me…

Learn Something New

There are two things I would love, and aim to do every year regardless of my age; one is to travel for a holiday, and second is to learn something new, either a skill or a subject. These two things, I believe, can really help us relax and unwind. Take our minds off some of the daily stress, hustle, and bustle. We should be striving for learning new things constantly to keep us and our minds energized. This year I am going to try to fulfill my aim. I have decided to alternate every year with a skill and a subject. If I am doing, let's say pottery one year, the next year I would love to go for a subject such as architecture.

While the traveling part might not be as challenging, especially if you can get some days off, learning a new skill would require taking time out of your daily life. The good news is you don’t necessarily have to enroll in classes to learn or practice a hobby. There are many videos on youtube you can watch and practice along, or read books about the subject. There are also numerous online classes available which make lives easier for people who can’t leave their families. Because I graduated not too long ago, I have decided that this year I would start off by learning a skill, and I have narrowed down my list to three…

Calligraphy: I love calligraphy, and I would love to learn to write in English and Farsi. In Farsi especially, it looks stunning. I have already started learning by practicing with writing the alphabets and numbers. I feel like I am in kindergarten but so far I love it.

Water Colour painting: Watercolour painting is so stunning, and some of my favorite painters work to look at it is of J.M.W Turner and Georgia O’Keeffe. I love to just sit in my living room and paint anything that comes to my head. But so far, it is a bit of challenge as I think I haven’t figured out the ratio of paint to water. So this particular skill is high on the list for enrolling in a class.

Cartoon drawing: I have always been interested in art, and I have won and participated in many painting and drawing competition as a kid. But I had never attempted to make cartoons even though as a kid, I used to love to read Peanuts and those political cartoons in the newspaper. Recently I did try to make one for this blog. I would love to learn how to draw cartoons that are funny and make a statement.

I’d love to know, what you would like to learn or if you’re learning, what is it? Are you enrolled in any classes for the summer?

Photo by Quino Al.

How Do You Cheer Yourself After a Rough Day?

Whenever I am having a rough day, due to any minor reason, I always want to cheer myself up so I don’t think about the issue too much and end up crying. During days like that, I have three trusty ways that always distract me and lighten up my mood.

The Best Thing My Mother has Done for Me

On mother’s day yesterday, I was thinking about some of the greatest things my mother has done for me. It was so hard to narrow it down to one. But the one that I will forever be grateful for is what she did to make me fearless.

As a kid, I was the quiet shy one so naturally, some of the kids I played with would hit me. My mother was unaware of this, until one day I was playing outside and my mother saw a kid hit me, from her bedroom window. That made her furious! She immediately called me back home and told me to go out there and hit the kid who hit me. I was very reluctant but she said I should never be the first one to hit, but if anybody hits me she has given me permission to hit them back. I went back and hit the kid. Not as hard as the kid had, but it was a start.

Then one day, a couple of weeks later, my younger sister and I were on the school bus coming back from school, and the bus bully hit my sister. This bully would often push my sister but this day she hit her! I immediately hit the bully back and warned her from ever hitting my sister. I was so proud of myself because I didn’t even know I had the courage. I couldn’t wait to go back home and tell my mother. That kid never hit my sister again. Soon enough I realized, I had not only learned to stand up for myself but others too. I am ever so grateful to her for teaching me this important life lesson. Stand up and be brave :-)

Photo of my sister and me.

What Do You Think Of Silence?

I am a big believer in silence. I like to listen and watch more than speaking. Unlike most people, I don’t find it awkward to be sitting amongst my family or friends and there be a moment of silence. We all need a moment to think after all haven’t we been told to think before we speak. It’s always better than those awkward small talk such as the weather. Nowadays, whenever I get angry, I force myself to keep quiet and take a moment instead of quarrelling. Surprisingly, I always feel better and realize that the problem didn’t need me to be angry at all. It keeps me from saying things I would regret later and I love that. Here are some of my favourite poems and quotes on silence;

“A day of Silence can be a Pilgrimage in itself.  A day of Silence can help you listen to the Soul play it’s marvellous lute and drum. Is not most talking a crazed defence of a crumbling fort? I thought we came here to surrender in Silence, to yield light and happiness, to dance within in celebration of Love’s victory. ”
-Hafiz

“Silence is an ocean. Speech is a river. When the ocean is searching for you, don’t walk into the language river. Listen to the ocean, and bring your talky business to an end traditional are just babbling in that presence, and babbling is a substitute for sight.”
-Rumi

“Only in Silence, I find myself. Life in the city is so hectic that you lose that right perspective. It’s important to know that our biggest resources are in our heart.”
-Tagore

“Surely Silence can sometimes be the most eloquent reply.”
-Imam Ali

Happy Nowruz

Happy Nowruz to everyone celebrating. Nowruz is a Persian new year which is celebrated on the first day of spring! Nowruz means a new day and it’s one of the most important days for people celebrating. The exact time the new year starts falls on the vernal equinox when the sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day. This year, the new year began on 20th March at 6:28 am so I was up bright and early to mark the occasion. In my family, we sit together and begin the new year with prayers, love and best wishes for our family and friends. We set the dinner table with Haft Seen, sweets, fruits, candles, mirror and Holy book.

The days leading up to Nowruz involves a lot of hard work. To begin the new year, we believe that the house should be cleaned inside out, something like spring cleaning. So we start cleaning about a week ahead; clean, wash and paint anything that needs to be. This is the time that we wash our curtains, rugs, sofa covers and anything else that doesn’t get washed often. Once the new years begins, the whole day or week ahead is celebrated with friends and family going to the park or beach depending on where you live of course! My favourite season is officially here and hoping for a happy new beginning. xo

Photo of Haft Seen on my dining table. 

International Women​‌’s Day

Happy International Women’s day to all women in every corner of the world. I am so thankful I am a woman and nothing makes me prouder of that fact than today. I am the eldest of 4 daughters and no brothers. Growing up, my parents were constantly told by some relatives how a son is so important for the family. My amazing parents were not bothered by these talks, that but there were times when my mother couldn’t take it. I would feel so bad for her for having to listen to these things. One day, my father told us about one of his colleagues whose child was going to undergo sex reassignment surgery. I was too young to understand why kids would want to change their gender, but I immediately told my mother that maybe I should get it done so she won’t have to listen to anyone tell her she doesn’t have a son. My mother hugged me and reassured me that none of those talks fazed her and she can’t be more proud of us.

As a young girl, being told that my sisters and I were not enough for our parents and having a son would complete the family would make me very angry and sad. But I didn’t see myself as anything lesser than a boy and that is thanks to my parents. They would always tell us we can do anything a boy or man could do and we would do it better. My amazing parents were so instrumental in making me believe that even when I heard otherwise around me. I was the first girl in my family to graduate and while it has been a few years, my grandmother can’t stop mentioning this to all her friends and family. I feel incredibly lucky and so thankful for my family. So while this day is for all women, I am celebrating my strong mother and grandmother.

Women​‌’s March

Did you attend the women’s march today? Looking at the photos and hearing some the speeches made me so emotional. I can’t express happy and hopeful that makes me feel. Looking at the crowd size clearly tells us that good outnumber the bad and kindness outnumber hate. Four links from the web regarding the march.

How adorable is this protest sign.

The best and nastiest signs from the march.

Ariel footage of the march from all over the country.

Pictures from the women’s march on every continent.

Photo via here.

Under the Weather

The weather, in the past few days, has been bitter cold here in New York. On Saturday, I went out to stock up the fridge and it was snowing the whole day with below freezing temperatures. I went to the farmers market, and Olivers & co to buy olive oil. While I love the snowfall, as soon as I got back home, I started feeling sick. After spending the whole of Sunday in bed with a terrible headache, I'm feeling much better today. Hoping for less frigid weather in the coming days.

Valentine’s day

Happy Valentine’s day to you all. Tomorrow my friends and I are going to an Opera show called Don Giovanni at the Met Opera. I am so excited about it because this is going to be my first Opera show. I have wanted to go to an Opera show since I moved here and I’m so glad it’s going to be on Valentine’s day. What are your plans? Wishing you all a lovely day. 

Things to do on Valentine​‌’s Day

What are you doing for Valentine’s day? I have put together a list of 5 things you can do for valentine’s day. My idea of spending a special day with your loved one is doing something that will stay with you for a very long time. Going to movies or just a casual dinner is what we would do every other weekend so it doesn’t really make it special. The goal is to do something that we won’t do every day. Here are some of the greatest things you can do in New York City;

1. Ballet show at the New York City Ballet. 

2. Dinner at the Fine Dining restaurant, Eleven Maddison Park Restaurant. 

3. Opera show at The Metropolitan Opera. 

4. A day at the Hunter Mountain Ski Resort. 

5. Theater show at BAM Brooklyn. 

Letter Writing

Yesterday I sent a letter to my little sister who is 10 and lives in Dubai with my family. I wanted to write her a letter because I think it would be exciting for a little girl to receive a letter. Not many kids receive letters nowadays, especially in Dubai.  I am hoping she likes the idea of being my pen pall where we will write a letter and postcards to each other once in a while. I am very excited and cannot wait for her to receive it.

Family Traditions

One of the things I love to read on blogs is any family traditions that people have. I have read so many family traditions and I think it’s a fantastic idea to have at least one or a few. It doesn’t have to be anything dramatic like building a tree house. Small simple ones that are easy to follow are also really great. Family traditions can do so much in bringing a family together. 

In my family, we have a tradition where we go out for dinner every Thursday evening (unless there’s a special occasion). The reason why it’s Thursday because the weekend in Dubai is on Friday and Saturday. It is the only time we get to eat out and we all look forward to it very much. Another one that I love is every Friday my father cooks lunch for us. He always makes it special by making something traditional. We eat lunch together and it becomes a wonderful time to catch up on the week gone by and just relax with family. Friday was always a family day for me. I rarely went out to meet friends. I love these traditions that my parents follow and I hope to share it with my family when I have kids. Do you have any family traditions? I’d love to hear them.

Photo of my family having tea in Sri Lanka.

The Launch

Hello! This is very exciting and new to me. I am generally a very private and shy person and to start sharing bits of my life online is a big step for me. I hope my blog grows from a little bud to something very beautiful and honest. I would love to read back when I’m much older to get a sense of my thoughts in my 20s or 30s, and I think a blog would be a place for that. Welcome to my journey.