Faith Friday: One of Many Favourite Dua's

I have been busy lately so I haven't been able to blog like I usually do but it's Friday and I wanted to share one of my favourite dua's from the Holy Qur'an - verses 191 - 194 of Surah Ali-Imran. Incidentally, I've noticed that Imams like to recite this dua after the Friday prayer khutba so it must be significant one way or another.

What I like most about the last few verses of Chapter Ali-Imran is that it reminds us everything which exists today has a purpose, everything in the Universe, everything on Earth. It is also a reminder that everything happens for a very good reason. He is the Best Helper and Protector and Allah's Wisdom encompasses everything in the Heavens and the Earth. At the end of the day, He has promised Paradise for those who do good, inshaAllah. 

Sha Elaiza & Yaz the Spaz

Today I finally interviewed Yasemin Kanar a.k.a. YaztheSpaz for MB Muslima magazine. I said 'finally' because ya'll have no idea how technical difficulties almost stopped this from happening! FYI, Yasemin was voted the 3rd most inspiring Muslim sister in an MB Muslima poll called 40 under 40: The Stories of 40 Inspirational Muslims. 101 brothers and sisters were nominated and more than 7000 votes were casted, alhamdulillah. 

I'll definitely let you know when the full interview is up on MBMuslima.com.

For now here are some behind the scenes pictures and video recordings from Saturday and today. 

TAKE ONE!

I was really hoping the video camera would work for our Skype interview. 

Style Sunday: I Scream, You Scream

♥ Favourites ♥ 

This ensemble has almost all my current favourite fashion elements and colours. I'm really into nude and browns these days but I still love me some loud leopard print and bright fuchsia. 

"I Don't Understand White People"

One word: HILARIOUS.
p.s. I'm pretty sure she's not referring to ALL white people so don't take it personally.

"What Camera Do You Use?"

That seems to be a very popular question directed towards me in the last few months so I thought I'd write a review about my "baby" - the Canon Powershot G12 (please don't give my baby the evil eye, say mashaAllah, thank you ;)). 

I'm an amateur photographer. I don't know much about cameras but I do love being creative and photography is a form of art that allows me to capture moments of my life that I want to remember. The photographs I take are also a glimpse into how I view my environment and the world we live in. I also aspire to be a writer/journalist someday, inshaAllah, therefore it's important for me to have a grasp of what it's like to see the world through a lens. 

Auckland Winter Garden

I know I haven't been blogging much lately. Let's just say I've been working on the art of chillin' out.
It's not as easy as you think, you know. 

Anyhoo, I was going through the photos on my camera when I realised that I haven't shared these photos with you guys. 

While mum and I were in Auckland, our family friends took us to the Auckland Winter Garden in Auckland Domain. 

 From the outside it looks like any other botanic garden...

But once we stepped inside it felt like we were in a fairytale.

Cherry and Lemon Cake

Class of 2011

Nobody wants it to rain on their graduation day. But it did on mine, as predicted. Thankfully it wasn’t raining cats and dogs. Just one of those light drizzles which is very typical of Dunedin weather. The day began with a morning tea session with the staff and fellow graduands of the Department of Media, Film and Communication Studies. It was our chance to congratulate one another and introduce family members to our lecturers. I handed my supervisor a gift bag of roti canai and a ‘thank you’ card. He is a Singaporean Indian so I figured he would appreciate some food from home. Well not quite but close enough. It was the least I could do after all the support and encouragement he had given me. I’ve come to realise that there are two types of lecturers in this world – the ones who make life a living hell for students and the ones who want to change a student’s life for the better so they can succeed. My supervisor, who is also the Head of the Department, is the latter. Alhamdulillah.

Faith Friday: Ehsan

Would we treat people better? Would we think before we speak? Would we become more honest with ourselves? Would it purify our intentions and change the way we lead our lives? 

We always want the best of everything in this life. The best grades. The latest gadgets. The most beautiful clothes. I don't think there is anything wrong with that because God wants the best for us in this life and in the Hereafter. Therefore, he has made it our nature to have a desire for excellence. 

But how much do we desire to achieve excellence in our faith? How much do we desire to achieve ehsan? 

What is ehsan? It is the greatest rank in the deen, the desire of the learned and the struggle of the pious. When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was asked to define ehsan he said: 

"That you worship Allah, as though you see Him, for if you do not see Him, certainly He sees you." 

{Sahih Bukhari}

As we are still in the early days of the new year perhaps this is something to consider in our list of resolutions and aspirations. 

Jumaah Mubarak everyone. 

Life Lessons at 21

While packing my things I found a piece of paper inside one of my table's drawers. I remember writing this note to entertain myself during a boring lecture. I was 21 when I wrote it. I'm 24 now and I don't feel it at all.

Life Lessons at 21

1. Don't trust people who say bad things about others behind their back. It will be just as easy for them to do the same to you. 
2. Although it may be hard, try your best to leave anger and hatred behind. Live life with self-respect and courage. Most times we are stronger than we realise.
3. Love your parents, especially if they have given you nothing but love all your life. Remember, they make mistakes too and that doesn't make them any less your parents. 
4. When you think you know everything that's when you know nothing at all. Be humble. Nobody looks that good with their nose high up in the air. 
5. Learn. Learn from your mistakes. Learn from other people's mistakes. Learn from a child's innocence. Because life doesn't get any easier as the years go by. 
6. Happiness is a choice.
7. Blood is not always thicker than water. 
8. You can judge a book by its cover but that's too easy. 
9. One of my biggest mistakes in life is not believing in myself. I doubt myself too much. Imagine where I could be right now if I never held back when it was important for me to believe in myself the most. 
10. Don't feel pressured to be in a relationship. There's nothing wrong with waiting for the right person. Especially when you're only 16. Boys will take whatever they can get. Do you really want to be "whatever"?

Now here's a random video just for fun!