Assalamualaikom everybody and I hope you're all having a great day/evening/night! This is a new series I decided to start as I am getting used to cooking now - or so I like to believe - and therefore I can share with you some yummy recipes I am cooking at home.

For this blogpost, i'll share with you the simplest and easiest salad you can make, as well as the delicious 'Greek' chicken platter I made yesterday ~


(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ Green Salad :


This salad is the easiest to make - seriously. All you need is your favorite vegetables, chooped and tossed with lemon juice, olive oil and salt! The portion and dressing depends on how much you eat and how you like it.. My husband and I usually have one tomato, one cucumber, and about five leaves of lettuce, with the juice of half a lemon.



(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ Greek Chicken Platter:


I found this dish online and instantly wanted to make it as it looked so delicious! All you need is:
❃ Chicken - I had 7 skinless chicken drumsticks.
❀ Potatoes - I cut two big potatoes into quarters and smaller pieces.
✿ Garlic - for the seasoning, I used about 6 cloves which I cut very small
❁ Olive Oil - for the seasoning, just to mix everything well.
✾ Lemon juice - for the seasoning, I squeezed half a cup of lemon juice which was about two and a half lemons.

Salam peeps! I'm back with another DIY project, one in which I really love and wanted to share with you <3
Melting crayons has been a trend for quite some time on the net, and my friend, Jana, and I once created beautiful canvas using the technique of sticking bare crayons on the top of our canvas and a quote of our choice using foam core board the way we wanted, and melted the crayons vertically using the blow dryer... Mine's on the left, and Jana's on the right:




The end result was quite adorable, not so perfect though, but it doesn't matter! It was so much fun to make that I decided to create another canvas using a different technique, and this is how I did it ~







The things I used were:

(☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞ A background to work on as this project is a bit - very - messy. I first used a black A2 paper, later to find out that I needed more coverage of the floor as the crayons splashed everywhere!
☜(⌒▽⌒)☞ A canvas, of course.
☜(ﾟヮﾟ☜) Crayons, and I used the colors green of different shades, same with the red, and white.
☜(⌒▽⌒)☞ A plastic knife to hold the crayons in place as I heated them.
(☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞ I chose to have the word 'DREAM' on my canvas, and so I traced and cut it from a foam core board. I also doodled a little bit on the letters, but you'll see how I changed that later on.
☜(⌒▽⌒)☞ Finally, of course, a blow hair dryer..








☜(ﾟヮﾟ☜) It truly looked beautiful especially as I tried to blend in the colors together, but I then decided to use the previous method as well to add more color and direction to the canvas. So I placed the colors in the direction I wanted and heated them up, later to remove the pieces and place the letters in their positions to hide the traces.
















☜(⌒▽⌒)☞ At first I was happy with how the letters looked, but then I decided to carry on with the flowing concept I had created and drew dripping shapes on the letters.

I then filled the shapes with glue using a hot glue gun to create a 3D effect and painted the letters in white acrylic paint.

Alhamdulillah, it turned out beautiful as I set it near my bed on a wooden holder I got from from a cheap Japanese store called Daiso.





If you liked this DIY make sure to try it yourself and tweet me your creations! Until the next blogpost, keep dreaming x

The start is always the hardest part, they say. Whether it was fear holding us back or uncertainty, taking the first step into the unknown becomes a challenge that holds us back... or maybe it is the past and old memories that haunt us and generates our hesitant steps? Either way, once the first step is taken, there is no going back.



I got married and moved to Dubai, moving by that to another university to study in. I won't be talking about the beginning of marriage life and its responsibilities, nor the beginning of a whole social life which I have to create for myself as I moved to another emirate, but the beginning of a new university life, and let me tell you this - it was terrifying.
Other than the uncertainty on my behalf of whether i'll be capable enough to balance my wifey-responsibilities, studying journey, and social activities, I entered a new atmosphere which I have never experienced before, and for the first time in a very long time: I felt lonely. The whole atmosphere was different, and being new made it all harder to adapt to...

I have already experienced new starts; once when I moved with my family to Syria for five years when I was 10 years old, and another time when I entered my old university at the age of 17, but never previously have I felt this nostalgia and loneliness! I guess the only reason for that is because I grew older, and as I did, I became more attached to my surroundings... Which apparently is bad.
I have also experienced being in friendships that came to an end, ones which included me getting very attached to others, as well as getting attached to places as I felt I simply found myself in, and then traveling to some other place or country. Therefore, I should - by now - be able to control my emotions and attachment to my surroundings! But I guess things are easier said than done.

I know I'm harming myself by being an introvert in this new environment, but I just can't help it! I can't help missing my friends whenever I'm in the bus alone, or the library, or even the classrooms. I keep telling everyone of how important it is for yourself to let go in order to move on, but why aren't I doing that?!

....

Writing this has taken me a week. I've given myself 7 days to put my feelings to the test and see whether they have changed - and they have, very slightly, become more positive.
Yes, I still do feel alone, and I miss my friends TERRIBLY! But I have somehow came out of my shell and made some new friends... I've also decided on how I want to spend the rest of this year here; I will try my best to adapt and move on, but stay focused on what's already in my hands: my house and amazing husband, my duties as a young Muslimah growing up and is ready to learn and give back to her religion and community, and most importantly, focus on my studies. I'm actually looking forward to this semester and year, hoping massively that I'd one day look back at this post and find it weird and amusing how I could actually think of such thoughts and be negative.

I mean, t's just the first week that's hard and terrible.. right?

A new chapter of your life begins as you enter the university campus in awe.. You start thinking to yourself and wondering how you'll manage to prove yourself in classes full of strangers and whether you'll be able to familiarize yourself with your surroundings and make friends - you start scaring yourself before you even start! However, once you actually start attending classes and getting to know the people, you realize how your fears and concerns shouldn't have been there in the first place; slowly you'll grow to like the major you have chosen and become more confident, and whether you liked it or not, you'll make a group of friends that you'll hang out with whenever you're free.

In the previous blogposts, I have spoken about choosing your major and university, however, in this blogpost, I shall hopefully help you, beautiful people, to meet the right type of people and make the right type of friendships as who you will meet in university will be of every type and background, of good and bad qualities and intentions..

First, be welcoming and pleasant.. Introduce yourself to the student sitting next to you or the one that attends many of your classes so you'd have something in common to talk about and start a conversation; slowly, you will make friends with everyone in your classroom and be able to tell apart hard-working students from lazy ones and who you should stay friends with and who you shouldn't.

However, keep in mind that not everyone around you may be as welcoming as you, and they either need time to familiarize themselves with their surroundings or are very introverted. Personally, on my first day of university I met a girl and started talking to her. but she was so quiet that I thought she didn't like me or didn't want to make friends at all! Sure enough, she started opening up and we became very good friends.

Second, make friends with those that will benefit you as you will benefit them. Such friends will be willing to help you whenever you're unsure about something or you needed help, and you in return will help them whenever they may need your help.. Such friends were very important to me in my studio and drawing courses; my friends and I would lend each other an pen, an eraser... but most importantly, an opinion. Hearing different points of view really helps in polishing your ideas, and hearing them from those that share your same set of rules but different imagination is absolutely wonderful!

Third, assume the best about people, but beware of the worst. The people you will encounter on a daily basis are from different natures and personalities; some are nice, while others are mean.. Some are selfless, while others are needy and greedy... etc.
Therefore, try to be as nice as you can to everyone and offer your help as long as it doesn't become a standard or unappreciated by the other, and hold yourself from becoming too attached fast as it may hurt you.

Fourth, have your limits and learn to say no.. Don't get carried away helping people who are unappreciative, but also don't be too greedy to offer any help. Don't count too much on people and depend mostly on yourself because if you're too dependent, people will get sick eventually and probably start avoiding you or making excuses to helping you! Which is a feeling I personally have personally developed towards a friend of mine, and it hurts to think that I wouldn't offer her help or even sit around and talk to her, but I just can't! ><'

Last but not least.. Most importantly.. BE YOURSELF. I don't really have any explanation to this as it is self-explanatory, but always keep that in mind as start applying that from day one ;)

Also, a very important word to put out there is that friends make your days at uni much happier and easier, and I'm saying that because not everyone is actually willing to put themselves out there and make new friends.. Sure, your old friends mean everything to you but it doesn't always happen that you're all together at the same place and time. They might be in a different university in your country or even abroad! So don't limit yourself to having only them, but meet new people, and enjoy everyday as if it's your last day, as well as staying in touch with your old peeps. Be ready to take chances and explore, make new memories with new people and be kind to everyone around you <3

Ramadan has swiftly passed, and all the beautiful meanings and blessings it left in us will sure be missed; unless we ourselves try to maintain them as much as possible ;)
Anyways, EID MUBARAK beautiful people!! Hope you had a great first day of Eid with your family and friends - I sure did, alhamdulillah.. I spent my day with my cousins and aunty and uncle, as well as my in-laws, and this is what I wore throughout the day:

Salam! I'm back with another University Series part; WHERE to study for university?
In case you've missed the first part about WHAT to study, check it out here, but for now, i'll leave you with this hopefully not as long blogpost - hope you benefit from what you read!

Whenever you ask someone about university, they tell you that it's a whole new life that you get to experience and live for at least three years, and where you study  totally plays an important role in this experience. In fact, what actually matters about a university is its academic performance, status, atmosphere, location and fees - and unless you choose wisely and subjectively, you might regret your choices later on and enter the storm of changing university, which can either be easy or become a mess!

After choosing what major you want to study, look for the universities that teach it and are convenient for you and list them all down - gradually you will start to cross down the least convenient ones and hopefully you'll reach you conclusion easily. A university being convenient for you means that it offers your choice of major with high standards, yet is still reasonable money-wise and location-wise, as choosing the best university that offers your program would be a great addition to your CV later on, but may cause you many hardships in registering, paying, and even living.
Look for universities that also offer good discounts or scholarships that apply to you, and consider the opportunity of living in dorms or transportation wisely.

After looking and listing, start collecting data and reviews from students who attended this or that university or were considering your options. Call campuses,ask and even visit! Ask about facilities, recognition, fees, transportation.... and every single question that pops into yours - and your parents' - mind! What students may tell you will also play a big role in making the decision, as they probably considered your same options and decided, or experienced some of your options and so they have positive or negative feedback. However, don't take everything bad you hear from them negatively nor every good thing positively - what you find unbearable might be okay with them, and what they find very bad may not even matter to you, so be wise and reasonable.

A very important factor to your decision would be your confidence in your abilities and what you can do:
- Think about whether you'll be able to live in a dorm room, alone or with friends or even strangers
- Consider whether you'll be able to handle the pressure of transportation, for example, or tight schedules as not all universities offer the same system: some universities would allow students to create their own schedules, whereas other universities would give their students an already planned schedule.
- Balance between the pros and con of every option personally, and with the help of others..
- Be realistic, especially when you're considering travelling or studying in your country.

An important thing to keep in mind is that having your friends with you in university might be a good thing - you should, however, keep in mind that even though  you're in the same campus, you might net even meet or see each other very often according to each's major and schedule, so do not limit yourself to where your friends are.. you will get busy, have different time schedules, meet new people...etc.

My final tip to you would be to seek the answer from Allah.. I have mentioned the same thing in the last Uni blogpost but I'm re-mentioning it here because after all, without His guidance, where would we be? ;)

Hope you find the information here helpful and if you have anything more to add, feel free to type it all doooown! ☟☟☟☟☟

Salam lovies! I'm back with an outfit blogpost for ya'll and I hope ya like it! I just love this outfit and how elegant it is..

Top: Promod Wide Pants: Stradivarius Belt: necklace from Aldo Shoulder Bag: Shoe Mart Necklace: online from Amazon Eyeliner, mascara, blush and lipstick: Maybelline... hehe Concealer: H&M Watch: Aldo Perfume: Dior Shoes: Aldo