SOME THINGS / 6

1. my phones screen saver of late. read it how you want to. love yourself so you can love others well. or love others so you can get love back.

2. empty pools. there’s something about the surrounding colours, angular lines and cavernous space that appeals to me so.

3. i have this thing with shadows. shall i hashtag that?

4. posted this on instagram the other day and i think it deserves a repost here. it’s a good month islamically to give as well, so it’s a nice simple reminder to myself to give more and more. and iA the riches will follow.

5. last week i was living at lowes. this week i’m praying for seedlings (grass seedlings) to sprout. should i just bail on this plan and opt for a fast growing ground cover? this post from a lazy toronto environmentalist (his words, not mine) are really making me think twice.

6. niyya got a new dolly from her dadi for her birthday a few weeks back. and at first glance thought, “cool, i’ll just go and exchange it for a darker haired doll.” you know, one that looks more like us. but then, as i got to thinking, changed my mind about that completely. the point of a baby dolly is to love and care for someone other than yourself. and i thought, why not love and care for a blonde haired blue eyed baby? even though she doesn’t look like us she is still one of us. in the human sense. right? so baby ina is here to stay and we all love her so.

7. one of many likes on instagram this week courtesy of u_issa.

8. there’s a new path i discovered in my forest the other day and those 6am walks in there with the sound of my thoughts, breath and the leaves on the trees are just the best.

9. finally read thru mr. steve jobs commencement address for the graduates of stanford from a few years ago. wow, there’s a lot of good insight in there. click to read the speech in its entirety, or if you’re a mac user and into a hunt, find it tucked away in the hard drive of your computer.

10. christina norberg art is nice. her work explores places “where everything intersects. where everything feels right.” my kinda girl.

 

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some things is my musings post. i share photos and ideas of things that i’ve been up to lately, or that i just want to share.

i share and discuss more on my instagram, pinterest and twitter. follow along and see.

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SHOW LOVE / TV ROUNDUP

The Design Confidential Home Tour // My Vintage Vixen Family Room Reveal

here are a few of my favourite things to watch.

mase and i watch together, its our thing, and its about the only tv time i put in. if you have netflix, i suggest favouriting a few of these before the sun starts shining more and more and all you’re going to want to do is be outside!

netflixing : binge watching by way of netflix.

here goes,

  1. marco polo / we took this in over the holidays when it came out and loved it. the dialogues is so rich and there are so many layers to each scene. at least that’s how i felt. some, see here, and here, have other things to say about this show that don’t align with my view. but ah well. to each their own. i think in terms of a quick broad-based history and cultural lesson of a time i would have otherwise not known about, it’s good stuff. and worthwhile to take in. it’s a big budget netflix original set in the court of kublai khan’s asia, so you can expect gorgeous costumes, beautiful scenery and some very interesting takes on life, kung-fu, and the set-up of the mongol empire.
  2. the honourable woman / this came highly recommended from some of the blogs i follow. it’s a bbc series that is now airing on the cbc and american netflix starring maggie gyllenhaal. and its timely, political, humanitarian, and real. to me, it blurs the lines on the whole palestine-isreali conflict. it shows a human side. it shows that sometimes there is no side. but people. and lives. and experiences, like real-life experiences, that shape each individual over time and in different ways. it’s raw and unforgiving at times. we are not done, so don’t spoil anything here, but watch this with me.
  3. house of cards / if you’re reading this its too late. no im just kidding. but seriously, if you haven’t heard of or started watching this show than which rock have you been hiding under? lol. netflix got us hooked in season one and shook in season two and again we are still watching how season three unfolds (no time to binge-watch this time around.) the underwoods are a compelling little family to say the least. this show is very political, literally taking place in the inner walls of the white house and very sinister. it will make you feel yuck, but its done so well, you will only want to press play again and again. good to know, not to aspire to. ok?
  4. the walking dead / it took us a while to get to this show. but we caught up really quick. this is more than a show about zombies. it’s a what would you do in a situation like this type show. to me it uncovers many truths about the human condition. and how we wold react in situations. this situation is extreme of course, majority of the population has been taken over by some sort of disease turning its victims into flesh-hungry zombies, but the lessons can apply in our day-to-day. for example, by any means necessary survival, but at what cost and trust, faith, brotherhood, family, community, loss and hope. i would never have expected myself to enjoy such a show, but i truly do and think you might just too if you look beyond the zombies. ps. when we started niyya used to make these sounds just like the zombies and it was so funny. maybe you had to be there. lol
  5. orange is the new black / funny, and light. a little far out there, but entertaining and intriguing to see a point of view of the inner-workings of america’s industrialized correctional facilities. we watched this on one of our vacations almost a year ago. ps. the real deal piper kerman is on tour by way of unique lives and experiences. she’ll be making a stop in toronto too. watch the show, then go with all your questions. lastly and of course,
  6. game of thrones / i don’t have much to say except that it will reel you in hook line and sinker starting with the theme song. literally. it’s so good. a bit fantasy, a bit royalty, a lot of strategy, power and personality. it’s based off a series of books and is the first time i’ve ever heard people say that the show does the book justice, if not more. that’s pretty huge. if you’re a reader like me, you’ll understand. i never read the books, but am all over the show. catch up on past seasons now because the next one is coming out soon and will be the talk at the water cooler every single monday. i mean, if people still talk at water coolers that is. i wouldn’t know.

just as a disclaimer. i will not judge you for the tv you watch, so please don’t judge me. these are adult shows, with thought-provoking themes including adult ones. take what you take from this, by all means. just enjoy and watch responsibly!

what are you watching these days?

x

tahs

ps. we are comfy cozy watching in our own family room, but i wouldn’t mind watching in a room like this too. check out the full room tour here.

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show love is a feature i write about the shows, events, plays, movies and other things i’ve seen that i think you should too. putting on a show? let me know. i’ll save the date. talk to me on instagram fb, or twitter.

like what you see? subscribe and never miss a post.

ANOTHER YEAR WISER

speaking of my birthday, it was just this past sunday. march first.

it’s a good day to have a birthday.

not that i had much of a say in the matter. i now know so many people who share this birthday it’s not even funny. like katie and christine. even this last birthday a new little one joined the club as a friend just had a baby girl.

my nanabapa gave me a photo once long ago as a card, i have it to this day, with a horoscope taped to the back. it was more of a “if you’re born on this day” type thing than a horoscope. anyway it said some pretty reflective things about march first babies that i think really hold true. to my personality and interests at least. cool, huh?

anyway, my birthday was spent simply and very nicely with family and friends. mase made breakfast, my lifer treated me and the girls to some fun family-style yoga, the girls and I napped and snuggled and we met up at los chicos brasa with my mom and siblings (well, most of them) for dinner followed by some yummy treats at home.

thanks for the soup, saj!

some have asked me, do you feel older? or how does it feel to be… gasp!.. 34? to me it’s just a number. i don’t feel it. in my heart at least.

young heart old soul.

my body is getting older. and that’s just the way it goes. so i’m very cool with that. what i love about getting older is the wisdom it has afforded me. i feel so comfortable in this skin of mine now, and that likely has something to do with the fact that i’ve been sitting in it for so long! i’m more at ease with my decisions, relaxed about my chosen path, and happy with my various roles for the most part. although i’m still working out the kinks a little (aren’t we all?), i feel so good. i know what i want more and more and and what is important to me and i really believe that is the special treat that comes with age and experience. one of my favourite toronto bloggers, coco, wrote a post about aging recently. it seemed to have come at the perfect time! read more here.

for those of you who hoped for it, thank you. it was a good day.

x

ps. the circle of joy family yoga we went to was really awesome. you should come to the next one. it will be on april 5th at indigo yoga barre in richmond hill. $45 for a family of four. if you’re coming let me know. you know where to find me.

A LONG WALK / SPORTING LIFE 10K

i just registered for my first run. it’s something i have wanted to do for a while, it just kept getting pushed to the back-burner. that, and the fact i am not a runner.

not yet, at least.

more of a wannabe. and truth be told, i’m just barely a walker. it gets really bad in the winter months. it’s all car, car, car up here. and that’s ok because it’s freezing out. hello -30.

but i really want to/need to get moving. and outside at that. it’s around this time every year, in the thick of this unbearable cold, that i long for warmer and sunnier days. and this run comes at such a good time for me. there are 16 weeks until it and therefore 16 weeks to train. and i’ve been encouraged time and again that it is very doable.

and not to fear.

to just do it.

so i’ll be going on a lot of long walks in the next little bit to warm myself up a bit for this run. and i may walk, jog, run or even stroll at times along the way. i’ve decided not to put too much pressure on myself in this regard. i’m going to do what i can. as long as i’m striving i’m doing something worthwhile.

join me, on a long walk or in the run. it’s the sporting life 10k and i’ll be doing it with a few of my favorite gals on mother’s day. it seems like a fun thing to do for ourselves on our day, no? come on, let’s do this! you have one month until the prices go up again.

x

ps. while writing this post i was calling this 10k a marathon, then realized that it is definitely NOT a marathon. that would be crazy town.

pps. this photo and so many other insprirational ones comes from nike women. they make working out look so so good.

THE POWER TEN / 9

This spicy, luxurious lamb stew comes from a recipe shared by Lahore home cook Fazilat Alamgir.

hey hey! here are some links and things that have been clogging my phones safari quota. had to clear some out for the eventual new and thought i’d record them here/share a few with you.

have a warm and wonderful weekend.

x

1. the soup exchange is set for jan 24th. have you got your tickets yet? wouldn’t this nihari be an awesome soup to add the to mix?

2. a new-ish shop on the block.

3. came across this website the other day. so much natural goodness here. think I might try making this for me and some friends soon.

4. we love oliver jeffers in our house. daani recieved the day the crayons quit for her birthday this year and it’s pretty freakin hilarious and very imaginative if you ask me. since we have the alphabet on our brain lately, this one might just become our new favourite. note. the day the crayons quit was only illustrated by mr. jeffers, but his hand is sooo nice. 2015/01/img_9709.jpg

5. it’s a vice for a reason.

6. i am equally scared and hopeful for the future when it comes to my girls and their (and my) realtionship with tech after watching this movie.

7. a stunning look at turkey. not the gobble gobble kind.

8. the secret’s out. this trail is where you want to be on a cold winters day. so sharpen those skates, pack some hot chocolate and bundle up. it’s the canadian thing to do. DAVID DELFIN HOME / tahsin, the good GREATER THAN EVERYTHING PRINT / CUSTOM COLOURATION / LIGHT+GOOD / tahsin, the good.

9. psa! prints in the shop can be customized. don’t let all that pink deter you. your home is filled with nudes and greens and blacks, no problem. just add a custom colouration item to your cart and select which colour you’d like.

10. laugh out loud, trust your gut, and find time for a little solitutde and reflection this weekend. http://lalalovelythings.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/wordstoliveby_lalalovely.jpg

PATIENCE & FAITH

our visits to the hospital have been happy of late.

alhamdulillah.

we watch videos, eat in-season fruit, talk about life, and cheer on baby steps and big strides. yes, my father in law is doing so much better.

some may call it luck.others, the natural course of science and the body at work. but i call it a miracle. and i don’t mean to be blunt, but my father in law was on the brink.

and he came back. and i have seen my fair share of family at this point with no return, or who have suddenly passed with no explanation.

that’s God’s will.

and work at hand. He only needs to say “be”, and it is.


still, we were so scared. but i think hopeful and patient at the same time. is that what faith is? i’m beginning to think so.

i need to continue incorporating this into the fabric of my life.

i worry about work.

and what i’m contributing to the world. a lot. and i more often than not come down on myself for not doing enough. not bringing in enough. not living up to my abilities enough. and then that leads me to question the effects this will have on my kids. and there begins the dance.

and i know that that is not a good way to be. not the routine i want to be in.

so i’m going to remind myself that it will all be ok in the end. to have faith that He is taking care of us.

its funny, i got an email about the concept of tawakkul, or having complete trust in God’s plan, at around this time of flux. and it’s a relieving thing, you know. when you fully give in to His will, every outcome is ok. it just has to be.

المقيت the nourisher.

الوالي the protecting friend.

الرزاق the provider.

but i also know that it takes work to get there. so these are my reminders and maybe they can be yours too as we’re all in this a little bit alone and lot a bit together.

x

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