My Ramadan Plan

Salam=)

Ramadan is right around the corner! I got out of my cave and realized it just now, so I knew I had to hurry and come up with some resolutions for the blessed month! Let's go through it, shall we?

1. Finish the Qur'an. This is something I've never done during Ramadan-nor during any other time, I must say, but I'll try this year Insh'Allah. I think it would be a great way to push myself during the holy month and establish a Qur'an reading routine throughout the year.

2. Seek knowledge. I'll try and hunt for knowledge, through websites such as SuhaibWebb, Sandala, and Sheikhy Notes. Book-wise, I plan on finishing sections from Imam al-Ghazali's Ihya ulum ad-din revolving around repentance and meditation.

3. Do extra remembrance. I try and do dhikr regularly, but I want to increase my practice.

4. Do extra contemplation. Ramadan will be a great time to meditate and think about events that have occurred, the place I'm at and where I want to be in life.

5. Fast with all members. I'll try and avoid any unnecessary and harmful talk, such as gossiping and backbiting. Also, I'll try and dilute some things I like, which means less music, less makeup, etc.

6. Cook! There are several reasons for this: a. it will make my mother happy; b. I'll give her a hand, which will make her even happier; c. spare time and food are the only sadaqas I can afford; d. it will get me into the Ramadan spirit of conviviality; e. I don't have much to do anyways!

7. Eat smart. I'm so tired of iftar overeating! What is the point in fasting in order to purify oneself in the day, and eat the heck out of oneself at night? The only thing it can do is making you feel lethargic, too lazy to perform Tarawih and possibly gain extra pounds. No more binge eating for me Inch'Allah!

Here's my Ramadan plan, hopefully I'll keep up with it. Please let me know what your resolutions for this year's Ramadan are=)

Musical Crush

Salam=)

Long time, no post, I know, but I'm having some guests coming over for the holidays, that's why I've pushed my little bloggie aside!

As most of you must know, Amy Winehouse was found dead in her apartment. When I got the news, I was shocked! You might think I was being naive, everyone knew she had issues, but I always thought she would somehow overcome her problems and make a come-back. 

She was so talented, she brought soul back to the game and inspired many other artists. Her music definitely was different from what was/is aired, so soulful and real. Such a shame.

 Cruel irony :'(

 One of the rare cheerful songs she performed

This week, I also saw that Chris Brown also decided to pay tribute to MJ. I'm not necessarily a huge fan of his, but I have to say that the song's good. It's halfway between SWV's Right Here and Michael's Human Nature, but with a modern twist. The video is cool, the moves are 90's, which I love=) Slightly cheesy lyrics, but hey, it's a regular 2011 R&B song LOL!


Don't you just like his outfit at 2:51?

Musical Crush

Salam=)

This is my 30th blog post YAAY!!!

MsDieynaba here with another music-related post=) MsDieynaba is not feeling like job-seeking these days, so you might get lots of posts coming in this week!

This post will be about Ryan Leslie. I've been listening to his music for a few years now, and I've stumbled across a few of his songs today. Boy, how I love re-discovering good music! I just found out that he's a very smart person, he actually graduated from Harvard. What I did know though, is that music wise, he's a real genius. He plays at least 5 instruments and has developed an amazing sense of music. 

He's definitely got skills. His beats are innovative but not too crazy either, it's fresh and good, just what today's R&B needs, instead of these soulless, overheard tunes we get. Oh, and the vocals aren't bad either^^

Comment if you like the French at the beginning hehe


This makes me want to dance so bad!


A genius I tell ya!

Please listen, and if you don't nod your head for even one sec, then there's nothing music can do for you! Okay, a little too dramatic, I'm just playin' =D

OOTD -- Coffee Time!

Salam ladies=)

Another outfit of the day. My friend Ly-Sing had kindly invited me to have some ice cream. I wanted something simple and cute, not too casual, and not too dressy either.

The scarf was at the center of the outfit. This one is brand new, I loved as soon as I saw it. There are interesting detailings on it and it has this great vintage feel to it. 

 Scarf close-up

To balance it out, I thought of a kinda laid back outfit, that's why I opted for jeans and a tank top. I added on the waterfall jacket, to add to the casual chic vibe. 

 
 Grey waterfall top, camel tank top, bootcut jeans and scarf


The weather was cloudy, so I threw on my trenchcoat. Added my brown leather bag and wedges, and there you have it!

Hijab & Traditional West African Clothing

Salam ladies=)

Here I am, trying to make a consistent, to-the-point, interesting and hopeful (maybe?) article to the Hijab & series.

As you can see from the title, this one will be about traditional West African clothing, YAAY=)This idea popped into this little of mine after reading some hijabi posts featuring gorgeous traditional Asian outfits.

This article will mainly focus on 'boubou' (bubu). Boubous might be Africa's most renowned piece of clothing, there's one for every occasion, from weddings to weekend cleanings -literally! You can get different cuts, fabrics, patterns, textures, possibilities are endless!

The outfit consists of 3 sections: 
  • Boubou: the top piece used to cover the upper body, with variable lenght, width and cut
  • Pagne: a wrap-around skirt that goes from hips to ankles, unvariable lenght, widht or cut
  • Headscarf: long, narrow scarf to wrap around one's head, unvariable lenght, widht or cut

     
    A type of boubou called demi-saison