The novel I read today with skepticism is ‘The Hindi-Bindi Club’ by Monica Pradhan. Lately, I read novels by asian muslim writers and all of it has left me appalled and disgusted. Everything about Islam has been written in a negative light, and with each sentence, my anger grows because I can refute all those issues these writers find demeaning and backward. What ‘gets my goat’ even more is there euphemism ‘culture’ for Islam. It’s almost as if they have created their own Islam, and bundled away all the things they don’t like under ‘culture’. First and foremost, I want these readers to look into their hearts and realise that they can’t change Islam and that they have to submit to Allah under all conditions which means accept all His laws. I wish there were more of the educated writers who could make the world more aware of how truly wonderful this religion is.

Coming back to the ‘Hindi-bindi club’ novel, I was pleasantly surprised. Although I am only halfway through, I find this writer’s reasoning and thinking very deep and profound. It’s about the early Indian immigrants who came to the USA and lived the American dream. Now it’s the third generation going and the novel talks about the differences in cultural and moral values between the parents and their second generation children. She has written in the first person for all the main characters and so we get to see both the sides of the story. Monica has given a fair account of arranged marriages, agreeing that it has a huge success rate and love does indeed happen after marriage. She has also touched on the issue of Hindu-Muslim conflicts in India. In Sri Lanka, we never learned in our history lessons about the Indian Partition and what the Muslims and Hindus would have gone through during those times of bloodshed and intolerance. Now I begin to get the drift and can imagine how it would have been. Although Monica is a Hindu, I noted with approval that she never blamed the Muslims for it but instead explained with diplomacy that each person would have a different story to it.

That is just a part of this novel, and there many interesting insights. I dearly wish there were books of this quality on diverse topics than the usual islam-is extreme-trash that give people the wrong information. Of the great things I got to know in this book is that Hindu women following the traditional culture behave in a similarly modest way to us Muslims. Whereas for us its religion, for many of them it is culture and thus easily changed. As always, I find that Islam will always be the greatest religion in the whole world.

Update: I read another good chunk of the novel and I am nearing the end. There were some Muslim characters in this novel [there again!] having a distorted view of Islam. The girl Saira doesn’t cover her head  and looks every bit a non Muslim. Her views are falsely interpreted, claiming that she gets her opinion only  from reading the Quran. I wonder whether the writer had actually met Muslims of this kind, and so I find it hard to criticise her. I believe she must get the benefit of the doubt because she is not a Muslim herself, and her sources could have been the ones to blame.

One thing that someone I know hid [and what I found out later through a small slip on her part] was that she drank carrot juice everyday. I remember her having a glowing, golden yellow face- seriously! The downside to this is that you will be left with hands with yellow palms, not permanently though.  I decided to follow this beauty tip but unfortunately was unable to follow through- imagine peeling and blending carrots every single day? It gets quite monotonous and I hate yellow palms anyway!

Thinking back, I think I have always been obsessed with healthy and radiant skin. I don’t know about you but the first thing I notice about someone is their face and when see someone with clear skin, I just swoon over in admiration. I remember paying a visit to my school as I was invited to judge the grade ten’s debate. After it was over [In the middle of it I kept experiencing flashes of me in the dreary bottle green uniform arguing quite passionately - can see the silliness in that seriousness LOL] I strolled into the old classrooms and happened to see a 15-year old girl with the clearest skin ever! She had this brown-yellow skin and it looked moist [like cake batter] and glowing without a single tiny bump Masha Allah! I and the 24 year old teacher there spent the rest of the morning in a whispered discussion over which student had the best skin.

Although my obsession with clear skin had waned a bit and have realized that as cliche as it sounds, being beautiful on the inside is what matters in the long run because physical beauty can only mesmerize you for a short time. Recently I was surprised to be disgusted with the fake behaviour of a stunningly beautiful celebrity. She actually annoyed me with her made-for-TV accent and laugh. It goes to show that ultimately what sticks with you is integrity and good heart. 

However I still think keeping up a good appearance matters and that it also contributes to being self confident. I would like to share with you some simple things that worked for me. I have sensitive skin and so had made a careful note of what works for me and what doesn’t.

Home remedies that DIDN’T work for me: Applying tomato, cucumber, aloe vera and/with lime or lemon juice on the face only resulted in pimples.  Neither did gram flour pack or any with lentils work for me. Even when added with yoghurt or curd. And applying olive oil at night only made things worse!

Home remedies that work for me: Applying potato juice [squeezed from grated raw potato] made my skin look fresh and I think it also toned it. Rice flour with curd was also a good pack, especially because it had scrubbing involved. Applying plain honey didn’t bring a difference to my face but it didn’t bring out a reaction either. Rubbing ice cubes on face made it look better but there was no noticeable difference.

Some products that I use:

This is the only shampoo I know which has no harmful chemicals in it.

I try to apply hair oil BEFORE shampooing because otherwise you are left with dry and brittle hair. I also read in a magazine that we should wash our hair every other day to maintain clean and shiny hair.

Shahnaz Hussain's Kajal: Doesn't come out as dark as the one below but this is better for the eyes.

I use it rarely as I have heard it to have harmful effects.

I use this as a base when applying make up to prevent clogged pores and acne flare-ups.

Sometimes I only apply this when going out and it keeps my skin fresh and for the most part oil-free.

This made a huge difference to my face few years back.

That’s it folks! I may have more products and tips to share but these are just off the top of my head and so will add more when I remember. Till then, share with some things that work for you?

It was my turn and I got on to the bike tentatively. The first thing I noticed was the heaviness of the vehicle; don’t be fooled by its slimness…or maybe its just me! It took me a few seconds to get a balance and then Dad showed me how to use the handlebars. I made sure I kept a hand on the brake! The first time I  switched on the ignition I unconsciously twisted the handlebar and it leaped forward and so did my heart! I started to sweat and thought, Man it doesn’t look easy as it seems!

But a couple of minutes later I found the right balance and didn’t accelerate so much;  I went at quite a medium pace. At first, I had my feet hanging on to the ground for support and then got a bit daring and put my feet on the floorboards. And that’s when the magic started! I felt a sense of freedom [that only bikes can give] as I sped around my garden. By the time I finished, I was covered in a sheen of sweat but was grinning in exhilaration. It felt great even if it was just in my garden. I have planned to don my Abaya and give it a try in an open space somewhere. I love the feeling!

My younger sister wanted to know why I am uninterested in driving a four-wheeler. My explanation is that I am just too chicken. My sister always tells me off for acting like an oldie when I am in a car or van because I wince quite noticeably every time my Dad cuts across. I even close my eyes sometimes and these are not good signs for a driver. LOL  But I wonder whether driving a bigger vehicle might give a  deeper sense of power and excitement…Hmm now I somewhat get why men obsess over vehicles!

Looks somewhat similar to this

]]> http://alishablogs.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/one-of-lifes-simple-pleasures/feed/ 6 Alisha kinetic-flyte http://alishablogs.wordpress.com/2011/04/02/oh-whos-gonna-win-the-world-cup/ http://alishablogs.wordpress.com/2011/04/02/oh-whos-gonna-win-the-world-cup/#comments Sat, 02 Apr 2011 07:07:42 +0000 Alisha http://alishablogs.wordpress.com/?p=656 ]]> Right this minute this is the question that’s creating so much of excitement and suspense in the minds of most individuals, especially the people of the two countries playing in the Finals today: Sri Lanka and India.  All of us are waiting in nail-biting anticipation for the few hours to trickle by and then the game will begin!

First off, I would like to confess I am no ardent cricket fan. Years back, I remember rolling my eyes in irritation when my sister and cousin used to argue – for hours- about who was better: Rahul Dravid or Kumar Sangakkara. They supported India and Sri Lanka respectively and please don’t ask me why my sister played the traitor role- I still don’t understand the lack of love.  But anyway, I digress.

I still don’t see the point in watching a match for hours- really, if there is no drama in it, what could possibly be interesting? But believe it or not, the matches that determine the team that’s selected for the semi-finals and finals can be quite thrilling, especially the last set round of overs. And it would be of even a greater intensity if your country is playing. So you can conclude from my observations that I have indeed watched the last few matches and found myself enjoying it and the high it gave me [Yep, psychological viewpoint] . Sri Lanka played fairly well…honestly speaking, they could improve in some areas but all round they are,  in cricket speak, good form! I am sure they will prove to be a tough team to compete against…Insha Allah.

For your amusement I would like to jot down some interesting stuff that happened:

1. Even though this is a  sports game I love to see even a faint display of emotion. During the semifinals [New Zealand Versus Sri Lanka] Mahela scored a duck when he got out for the first ball and the camera panned in on his wife. She was holding her cheeks and her mouth was open in disbelief. I hope she comforted him because he looked like he badly needed it:  he is a terrific batsman and he dashed all our expectations and so must have had it on his conscience! These things happen…

2. There is a cricketer in our team who flaunts quite a bit. .. overall, I find him quite a bit of a show-off; but what the heck, who cares about mundane stuff as this when he plays excellent cricket?!

3. Since some of the matches were played here, people flocked over to buy tickets. I come across numerous pictures on facebook of people [even people I know] waving flags and donning t-shirts/wigs/facepaint as a support to our team. There was even someone who was spotted on camera and had statuses and pictures plastered all over facebook announcing his 15 seconds of fame! That reminds me, Indians will have the upper hand today because the Mumbai stadium will be crammed with 99.9% of fans supporting India and there will be no one to cheer our lions when they score a six or four. Hmmph hopefully they’ll block out the negative emotions and will not be discouraged; we are cheering in front of our TV. You would think with economy being so low, people would think twice about buying these tickets but then again, everyone needs a break!

4. There was a guy in the audience sleeping. Sleeping in all that din! Note that I didn’t say amidst the excitement because he could very well be like me and could have found the match boring [50 overs is a long, long  stretch of time to watch]. He was sleeping quite deeply and I wonder what his reaction was when he later saw himself going ‘ZZZ’ in the middle of a cricket game. Haha!

5. I felt a tug of sympathy when Afridi apologized to his country at the presentation for letting them down and that too with a smile on his face. It must have required a lot of willpower because who wants to go back home, defeated? But I guess failures make them more of a man and will come back and play better [Am I the only one who can see the irony in the seriousness of losing just a game where...men...are playing?]

However trivial it feels to me , I love watching it with the family and voicing our disappointment and happiness along with the rest of the Sri Lankans and you realise that in all this, what makes this game so special comes down to an emotion too…UNITY!

After that, my sister brought her home and an idea came to her head. She will cut her daughter’s hair! So she made her sit with the bathroom mirror on the bed and snipped away for almost an hour. All this while, my niece sat without a single sob escaping from her lips and when asked why she had explained that she didn’t want ‘Aunty’ cutting her hair. Wonder where she gets the stubborn streak huh.

So do you want to see how good a job she did? Here it is:

I hope she wont sue me for publishing this without her permission!

After the photo shoot, my niece had complained that she was tired and with good reason! My sister emailed the pictures to me with the message ‘Took her to the salon, she threw a fit, so took matters into my own hands!’ and called to ask how it looked. I showed it everyone at home and all of were surprised at my sister’s hidden talent!  What they say is true:

“Necessity is the mother of invention!”

 

Have a library full of books like these!

I remember during my childhood years there were some books which I passionately loved. My early years of reading was limited to Enid Blyton books and I loved her stories and the fantasies she wove. Although I didn’t believe there were such things as fairies it was still nice to imagine them. I guess it’s do with the age because how much ever I try reading it- I feel that it’s a pack of nonsense [I know that was a stupid experiment so don't shake your head]. And she also had a way of making cakes and bun sound very enticing- I remember eating a lot of cream buns then and few years later recognised this when I saw my younger sister having a glass of milk with chocolate cake with a E.B book in hand!

Later, I loved books like ‘Pollyanna’, ‘What Katy Did’ and ‘Anne of Green Gables’. It could possibly be because all the characters are lively and happy. I used to search high and low for the other books in the series and managed to get hold of it except for the ones of Anne. More than a decade passes and my sister brings in the books- so I think to myself  ‘Better late than never’ and settled myself on the couch and began reading. And what shall I say? I didn’t like it as half as much as I used to. I hadn’t noticed how everything seems to fall into place for her and that’s why she was so happy and who wouldn’t be?! Although there  are tragedies like  the death of Matthew, Captain and her baby girl, no proper explanation is given. Months pass and she is back to normal!

Even though the story has many loopholes I still find it…what’s the word…nice. I like the fact that she enjoys nature so much- it is true indeed, nature gives you immense pleasure and satisfaction. My mother had started up gardening again and the plants are all in full bloom. It gives such a feast to the eyes and mind, I tell you. It even made me get up and potter around the garden. Maybe because it gives such peace to the soul that we have gardens in paradise…

On an entirely random RANDOM note, the weather here is unbearably hot. March and April are the hottest of the summer months and it is pure torture to be outdoors. However I am far from complaining…compared to what the people in Japan are going through this is nothing. I just read how a baby was saved from under all that rubble…it really is a miracle alhamdulillah.

Now I really don’t know how to end the post. So this is THE END!

It’s not because someone had finally commented but because it made me realise what lengths my husband would go to make me feel happy and I was touched. He was baffled that I found out and wondered how I knew: my answer was that the words he had chosen were just typical him! We had a good laugh over it and not only did it make me feel better but helped me see this from a different perspective. I no longer care if I don’t get comments even though I would be delighted if someone does [Who wouldn't? ]. But what I write and how much would not be according to the feedback I get.  I will write because of what first inspired me: To make my ideas, beliefs and views take the form of words. To contemplate and find a place to write it all down. If it strikes a chord with others so be it and if it doesn’t I will carry on regardless until I feel like quitting. So there!

As always I will be writing mostly topics related to Islam because it is what that matters at the end of the day and what we should hold dear to our hearts. There is nothing better for our souls than a reminder every now and then. I am also thinking about posting some recipes, which will also serve another purpose by saving my cooking expeditions for me! Having said all this, I cannot promise to post regularly but I will do so whenever its possible. Take care until then!

Hello everyone! My deepest and heartfelt apologies for going AWOL on you. I am surprised that a whole year had passed since I last blogged…I mean, how did that happen without me writing a single post? One can think that I must have been up to my ears with work that just couldn’t be interrupted for even the time it takes to write a  quick post- just one hour, tops. But I had my reasons, readers. Reasons I am too lazy to divulge in, to be honest.   It was more the combination of too much of time and too little to say. That’s not to say that 2010 was a quiet year for me when it was in fact a year when many things happened, among which my marriage! I guess in all that excitement,  I decided I needed a little more time to gather my thoughts before writing…which unfortunately had dragged on to a year.

So anyway, I have come back. Though not promising any insightful and worldly-wise posts, I have compared to the last year Alisha , come to know a lot about the funny subject called life. Maybe my interest in the blog will fade away in the same way it appeared, but for now I am brimming with ideas and am sure I will be checking for comments every hour from the moment I hit the publish button. Yes, I am immature like that so humour me with a comment or two.

I looked up in surprise, flushing slightly. I was stacking some files into the class cupboard when the  male music teacher popped this question. Although what he said was true, it still felt odd coming from a male, that too someone whose a non-Muslim. Luckily, the question was directed at the other Muslim teacher, whose expression I sadly missed as I was having my back to them. I heard her say ‘Hmmm’.

These questions are one of the many that we both answer, being the only two Muslims in the entire school. In Sri Lanka, Muslims are a small minority and we try hard, at least the people whom I know, to appear friendly and approachable. This is not really difficult since almost all the Sinhalese and Tamils would have known at least one Muslim through school or business. But sometimes, Non-Muslims get the wrong idea about Muslims because the Muslims they meet may not be all that conservative and they instill the wrong idea about Islam in them.

So I consider it my duty to make sure all my colleagues know Islam for what it is, the perfect religion. There was no need for me to give unwanted lectures about it because they themselves were curious and asked me many whys and hows. Some of their assumptions made Kansul and me laugh. Most of them thought that we didn’t remove our abayas even at home.  Then there were the less funny ones where they thought that the Muslim girl gets to see who her husband is only after they get married [Reminder: Must invite them for my wedding, whenever that will be]. Some of them came out with the less popular prohibitions than alcohol and pork, such as no insurance and lottery.

Alhamdulillah everyone asked with curiosity and interest and never with scorn. But even as I answered their questions, I knew that it would not actually make an impact unless I act it. My cousin who worked there before spoiled this  because she had liked the music teacher and actually told him so, and he had refused. She had neglected her prayers when she stayed late and also encouraged teachers to have boyfriends. Personally, the worst part for me was when she had asked him to bring a ring like his, with the christian cross in it, for her. She had then given him the new ring and asked for his ring. Although it’s clear that she wanted the ring just so she can have his and nothing to do with another religion, I think it was a barrier she had crossed.  After she left school, she deeply regretted all of it and has turned over a new leaf. She even prays tahajjud and seems much better, Alhamdulillah.

But she made a bad impression at school and I am determined to change that. When there is a minority, people always tend to label the whole race after dealing with just one or two of them. So Kansul and I try our best to be on our Muslim model behaviour.

Last week there was a big issue in school about older children bringing in bad pictures to school. Teacher wearing sari, felt uncomfortable to go to those classes wondering what sick thoughts were going through those children’s minds when they saw them. One teacher covered herself with the fall of the sari before a class. The teachers were all saying then that they wished they had an abaya and to bring an extra if I have one. Although they were joking it still made me happy to hear them say that. And then, there are times I see teachers start gossiping when the dancing teacher’s sari starts revealing more as she bends and sways. Then there are other times when fathers of students start to get a little over- friendly with the teachers. I see these, and I thank Allah for guiding me. I have always felt safe in abaya, it’s almost like I have a shield. Men who sit next to women in the school van never think about sitting in even the same aisle as me. There is respect and dignity.  I just love that.

I just pray to Allah to make me be an example of a good Muslimah and friend to all at school. Insha Allah, I hope they get to know more about Islam and what a wonderful religion it is, through Kansul and me.

Fate had it that I would be choosing my career in teaching kids. I never had the faintest notion in my head that I would do so in the past; my plans and dreams were big then : I wanted to be a doctor. But unfortunately things just didn’t work out. I couldn’t do it due to several reasons, no way of transport being on top of the list. Besides, there is no private medical university in Sri Lanka so I would have had to go abroad to study and that, I just couldn’t do. I had to decide what I would do and it seemed at that time the best thing  was to do Montessori.

So I enrolled for the course. Before I started I wondered whether my lack of passion in teaching kids would show when compared to all the others who signed up for it. I mean, they were doing it because they loved kids, right?

No. Not at all.

Every one of them did it with the money in mind. Teaching Montessori can be quite rewarding, financially. The majority of them were ones who had plans to go abroad…someone actually flew here from New York just to do this course. So I was surprised to see that many of them didn’t really like doing it. I thought that people who did this ‘loved kids’. I was wrong.

Although I had no preference to choose this path, it didn’t mean I hated it. I actually found myself liking the subject, the theory seemed interesting. But I always had this fear that when it comes to actually teaching the kids, I might find out that it’s just not my thing. I wasn’t a great a lover of kids, so to speak. And I had heard too many horror stories where teachers quit unable to cope with the children. My cousin studied Montessori and taught abroad but after a while she said that she found she didn’t have her heart in it so she switched careers in the end.

I had a 30-days training at a Nursery as part of the course but it wasn’t in actual fact like teaching. You just had to tag along with the ‘real’ teachers there and just do the minor stuff. So I really had no idea whether I would be a good teacher or not, whether the kids would love me or hate me.

I never found the right time or place to teach, until a few weeks back. Now it’s been 3 weeks since I started and guess what…it’s lovely.

I was surprised and pleased to see that I in fact did have my heart in it. I have chosen the right career. Let me tell you one thing: the kids are no perfect angels. They make a lot of noise and if you let it get you worked up, you would have grey hairs before the school term ends! The key is to tune it out.  Also, you have to teach them, sometimes even show how to be quiet and do what they are asked to. If they look like they are not listening, usually a stern face face and voice will do the trick. So yeah just tune it out, and practice discipline, that’s all.

The first few days are the worst. The children find the new environment frightening and miss their parents. You will have to answer thousand times and more whether their parents will come to pick them up. But eventually they get used to it and you find them doing their work with cheerful faces. That part makes us so proud, like we have achieved something really big. Only yesterday a parent asked me how her child is doing and I said, not without a note of triumph in my voice, that she does not cry saying that she is sleepy but now yells out the rhymes in joy and has become perfect [as a 3 year-old can get ].

There are times when you feel like giving a good whack to their bottoms or you even fear that your voice might just disappear forever with the hoarseness all the shouting brings. But then, they come out with something really innocent and funny, making us teachers look at each other and burst into laughter. That makes up for it and when you get home, you have such funny stories to tell.