Ramblings: The Twelve Benefits of Unemployment

Salam ladies=)

Today, I want to talk about what seems to be at the heart of my life but that I cannot for the life of me obtain: a job. For nine months, I've been looking here and there, I've sent emails, called, shook hand, all in vain. I've been through many stages and have experienced a wide range of emotions, from hope to despair, not mentioning anger and sadness. However, these days, I'm in a different state of mind. I'm actually contemplating the benefits of being unemployed. Here's a list of how I use my spare time- it's more like my days=)

1. Pray on time. Thank God for that, because it's tough sometimes to come back home after a day's work and catch up with all the prayers except for Fajr and Subh.

2. Work on my spirituality. To me, Islam is way more than a halal/haram dichotomy, so I try to dedicate more time to remembrance and meditation.

3. Study the deen. I'm feeling really curious about the deen these days, so I try to get as knowledgeable as I can, mainly using books and online resources- even though I think serious knowledge requires a shaykh and years of hard work and dedication.

4. Think about my goals & motives. These nine months gave me A LOT of time to think about what I really want in life, both on professional and personal grounds.

5. Talk with my stepdad. He's a great person, and I talk about anything with him, from politics to philosophy and silly things- lots of them=)

6. Bonding with family & friends. More free time=more time to chill with friends and bond with fam.

7. Watch movies. As I've mentioned here, I'm tired of stupid movies, I'm more into films that I can benefit from. Molière aside, I've been watching Al-Ghazali: The Alchemy of Happiness, which is a must-see. Also, I planned on watching The Class, as well as Persepolis and Of Gods And Men. Feel free to join me=)

Hijab & Hair

Salam ladies, I hope everyone's going great=)

I'm back with a "Hijab &" kind of article, hopefully it will benefit someone out there Insh'Allah!

As modest women, we have to cover our awrah, which includes the hair (duh!). In order to do that, we try and use bonnets, scarves, pin and whatnot... Sometimes, it might not necessarily be done in the best, healthiest way for our heads of hair. Therefore, using my short -but intense;)- experience, as well as a few comments and remarks here and there, I came with a do's lists that will allow us to remain modest while having beautiful hair=)

1. Wear loose hairstyles. Gathering hair and putting it in a tight ponytail or bun puts pressure on the hair. When it undergoes too much pressure, it breaks, turns into a bald spot, etc. Try doing a little looser bun/ponytail next time.

2. Check your hair tools. Really? Yes, hair tools can actually damage you hair. For instance, I wouldn't recommend using hair ties with the metal part in the center, and dragged, 'naked' hairclips/bobby clips, because it snaps at the hair, and often ends up with breakage. Try using rubber-covered pins and hair clips and 'scrunchies' instead.

3. Avoid tight underscarf/scarf wrapping. It might sound like a 'duh statement', but wrapping scarves too tighly is no good, I tell you. Doing it too tighly too often will cause headaches, hairloss/bald spots. Try tying it a little looser, you'll instantly feel better=)

4. Use 'organic' fabrics. Cotton let the scalp breathe, won't irritate it and absorbs sweat, silk and satin don't absorb moisture like other fabrics would and is not be harsh on the hair.

5. Wash scarves regularly. It's something that I forget about sometimes, but washing your scarves -especially underscarves, is crucial. We walk around with them all day long, so we need to wash the product residue, sweat, possible dirt and bacteria away so that the gunk doesn't go back to our scalps.

6. Pick scarves weather-wise. A little sweat is okay, but we don't want our hair to marinate in it all day, it'll end up irritating the scalp and not smelling really good either =s. In order to stay cool, wear lighter scarves in the summer, and heavier for the winter season.

OOTD -- Going To The Masjid

Salam=)

Yet another masjid outfit ladies!

 Black maxiskirt, black tee, jean jacket, tan belt

 

Brown scarf, tan crossbody bag, bronze earrings and black sandals

Sorry for the bad lighting guys. I basically wanted an outfit with black and tan, since I find that they compliment each other well. Since the weather was warm, I picked a black maxiskirt and tee and threw on my trustee jean jacket and have added these brown/tan accents to warm things up.

Also, I added these earrings and I made them peak out LOL, using YaztheSpaz's method. I love dangly earrings and I want to wear them out more Insh'Allah=)

Musical Crush + a Surprise

Salam,

The past week, I wasn't in the best of moods, but I found a few things to make me smile=)

First of all, Nolwenn Leroy's Le Cheshire Cat Et Moi. She is the former winner of the Star Academy contest (French version of X Factor/American Idol)  and her latest album Bretonne, has received great public acclaim over here. Because she came out of a TV singing contest, I pre-judged her, thinking that she'd be singing crap- to be 100% honest. But I stumbled across her album the other day, and I'm glad I have=) 

The music's good, it's more on the pop/folk side, the lyrics are really good, Nolwenn Leroy's voice is great. The album is fresh, sweet and soothing. My favorite songs off the LP are You Get Me and Amis de Jours de Pluie, they make me feel bubbly=).

Faut-Il Faut-Il Pas live

Next, Selah Sue! Mademoiselle M has featured a blogpost on her, I first was intrigued, then I totally forgot about it. One day, while I was in my living room, a documentary popped up on TV about the Belgian singer, and her song Raggamuffin aired. I've liked it as soon as I heard the first notes, it has crazy vibes=)

Getting To Know Me=)

For some reason, this article was deleted, I had to re-write, re-edit and all, which literally took days for me to do the first time, but anyways, there you go!

Salam=)

Haute Muslimah just featured an article with a few questions about herself, I actually thought of doing one before, but she got ahead. Let's follow her lead ladies and gents=)

Where were you 3 hours ago? I was in my living room sleeping the heck out of me LOL.

Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you? A lady's shirt on TV=)

What are you wearing right now? I'm wearing a dress from Mauritania that my aunt gave me. It's long, A-lined, with short sleeves, and with detailing on it. I love it so much=)

Looking like little boats and dried shrimp hehe

What are the colors of your bedroom walls? The upper part's light yellow, the bottom part is dark blue, with a yellow/blue/silver line across. It might sound crazy, but it's really cute=)