It's a number thing

∆ 1.57 billion muslims in the world, making up 23% of the world population

∆ 158 days to 2011 ∆ 114 Surahs in the Quran ∆ 99 beautiful names of Allah ∆ 65 posts on my blog (66 including this one) ∆ 54 days to my eldest nephew (Ben10's) Birthday and my youngest brothers wedding. ∆ 33 x 3 beads on the mesbah (muslim prayer beads) ∆ 16 days to Ramadaan ∆ 15 gorgeous muslimahs following my blog - excluding all the silent ones. ∆ 13 amazing people that make Blue pearl's life a beauty (my mama, my papa, my 3 brothers, 2 sister in laws, 1 future sister in law (inshallah), 2 nephews, 2 nieces and Mae). ∆ 7 the most loved number in islam mainly because of 7 heavens...Mae's favourite number too. ∆  6 days - Allah created the heavens and the earth in Six Days (Verse 7:54). ∆ 5 pillars of islam (Shahada, Sawn, Hajj, Zakaat, Salaat) ∆ 5 daily salaat (Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Mag7rib, Esha) = 1825 opportunities in a year. ∆ 5 gorgeous friends (Navaz/Nawi, Tanya, Candice, Jenni, Zareena). ∆ 4.5 days to weekend *chuckles*. ∆ 3 is often the number of times a muslim repeats an action such as in wudhu. ∆ 2 beautiful hands to help yourself, others & to give thanks to Allah (salaat) and blog:) ∆ ...and only 1 heart, 1 life & 1 amazing perfect Creator, Allah without whom, nothing is possible.

...Make the best of it

When I...

When I am about to lose hope, you step in and let me know You are there 

sending me unknown knockings of hope on my door.

When I silently converse with You, asking you for something I really want

You sometimes give it to me but mainly You make me wait instilling patience on me 

because You know what I asked for is not right for me just yet.

When I receive some bounty, you send me a test to see if I remain true

putting me through a trial.

When I am imploded with pain and my mouth cannot convey the words held in its heart

you give me tears to heal the pain.

When I need a change in my life, you coach me into a new place with new people and influences making sure that I am in the right place to take the next step in my journey.

When I think I am alone, you send me reminders of appreciation showing me someone less fortunate than I am so that I maybe thankful.

When I lose inspiration, i need only to turn to your creations all around me to see beauty in its element. My favorite, the rose, my most beloved in this world. A reminder of the one I love, when it is placed in my palm, I can give appreciation a countless times with its beauty and texture alone, leaving me encapsulated, all thanks to You!

My dear Allah, You are always there for me...

Have a great week ahead, dear ones

Lets support the "Help Aalia Fund"

Dear all,





A "Help Aalia Fund" has been set up to assist a dear muslimah, Aalia who has been through a tough few months and really needs some help to get back on her feet. To read more on Aalia's story, please go to Livin in Layla Land: Help Aalia Fund

Alternatively, click on the "Help Aalia" gadget on the right panel of my blog to donate. 





Dear Aalia, I hope all your good dua will be accepted and may Allah grant you the strength and patience in overcoming your trials, Inshallah. I know when things are hard its not easy to hold hope but please do hope, place your trust in Allah, be patient in your planning and thoughts, smile and appreciate where you are now and take positive confident steps in re-constructing your life. 

Have a great weekend, ladies

Poetry of the week

Blue Pearl Poetry (c) 2010 

I would like to thank Ajjah for the picture used in my poem. Thank you!

A bit of this and that

As if beauty sleep is key to beauty, I really over-indulged on it this weekend but strangely still woke up looking the same. :) Mental Note: I might be doing something wrong. The weekend was quiet and somewhat thought provoking while otherwise filled with movies. MBC MAX is a life saver and offers a good continuous set of movies. I do concede some have drowsiness side effects with 1 to 2 hours down-time, just in time for the next movie! *grin*.





I been lazy to blog this weekend, in fact after spending almost the entire weekend in my apartment (save a few hours or so), I can proudly say I spent minimal time on my laptop - sadly I just think being absorbed by the internet and all the Googling might just cause my grey matter to start leaking with excitement, so I have ordered some self-restraint. 





Bits and bobs floating in my head:

• I have to do a post on the sunshine award I received - thanks Khadeeja, Zarina and Hopeful.  I appreciate it and promise to do the post very soon. 


• I cooked, yeah in between all the napping I made some chicken stir fry last night - the left overs are in my lunch box today. Yum! *this post was written yesterday*


• There are only 22 days to go to Ramadaan - with Shabaan here, I been trying to keep some fast to cover up for the ones I'll miss in Ramadaan. 


• I have a sore tooth - I need to do something about this. Interim measure: no chocolates and lots of clove sticks for numbing the pain.


• Ben10 and I had the longest conversation this weekend - he is just getting so smart!


• Now that Harrods is owned by Qatar’s sovereign-wealth fund, you'll find the DAS abaya collection available in store. Thats great news  - I love the DAS collection. Also, Qatar recorded the highest temperature (in 40 years) last week, hitting a record 50.4 degrees. See, I told you it was hot here.


• Mars is visiting us it seems - seriously, don't laugh. "The encounter will culminate on August 27th when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles of Earth and will be (next to the moon) the brightest object in the night sky. It will attain a magnitude of -2.9 and will appear 25.11 arc seconds wide."  As if that makes any sense!  I think its just best to look out for something red next to the moon. NB: Dont miss it, because you won't be here in 2287 to see it come around, again.

And thats a wrap for today. Hope you all had greater weekends...please do share:)

Qatar's fashionable Sauna

Qatar's hot runway is nothing shy of steamy sunglasses and sauna red days this summer. Just step out into the blazing 48 degrees sun, and watch your sunglasses steam up in seconds while you melt away in its sauna weather. No pun intended at all, with the temperature warnings of it going higher next week, the steamy humid days are here and I'm left wondering if it will cool down before Ramadaan starts. 

On the upside, you learn how to cope with day hibernations, mini fire extinguishers in the car, air conditioning which is a given, night outings and the best one being the thobe and abaya. The thobe or kandoura (long dress) is worn by male nationals in white - it keeps them cool while protecting them from the suns harmful rays. The abaya is black and even though it makes  you perspire much more (as black absorbs heat), it protects you from the heat provided you choose UV protected fabric options.  Both also provide excellent ventilation. The Shayla (head covering) for ladies and the Ghutra for males is the genious as it protects the neck and head from the heat. . So thankful for my abaya! 

By the way, I was once asked why I wear the abaya because it is worn by arabic women only - not true! Maybe it originated in gulf countries but it is worn in many countries around the world, differing in colour and style. South Africa is no exception with black being the popular color if it is adorned as it is not compulsory - it is also very simply designed and some even wear niqab or choose colored ones

FInal happy thankful note: The traffic is calming down as people fly off on vacation. 

Dates, (تمر) in Qatar

Remember in my previous post, "Hot in Qatar", I mentioned the delicious fresh dates hanging from the trees? Well, as I drove home today, after work, I just had to take photos to share with you. How inviting they look and ready just in time for Ramadaan - what a treat! I just love dates! I normally love keeping them in the fridge for a day so that they get a little soft with a rich sweet taste. My post seems to have clashed with a Qatar newspaper's coverage of this yummy topic...So I have edited my post to include their article - take a look at "Gulf News post"

Dates hanging from the tree on Ramada Junction, Doha, Qatar

Nice view of the palm trees and afternoon traffic, while driving home

Dates hang in bunches - looks a bit out of my reach though

R

Thankful for Mae

There is never a dull moment with Mae and certainly not so last evening when I had the pleasure of spending a hilariously memorable time with Mae (and little brother who is visiting). We laughed so much or rather should i say I was entertained by them playing fun dress up and poses that I swear my cheeks were hurting from all the laughs.

Thanks Mae for always making me smile or laugh. I would be lost without you. You rock!

Trading wants for needs (Challenger)

It is often my concern that people are becoming far too self-engrossed piling up on worldly offerings. A change in mindset would admittedly be difficult to do, but over time, the benefits will override and you will notice how you stepped out of others into a person that only buys for a real need and never for a lustful want. 

Understandably, sometimes a want equals a need but on every other occasion what we want is not what we need. Do we really need ten handbags?  No! We just want ten handbags.

A reversal of that mentality, using the handbags, one should say, “I only need 1 handbag and when it tatters then I’ll get a new one.” Rather than have 9 other bags sitting on the shelf collecting exclusive dust, the cost of those 9 handbags can be used to gift other people, help someone or saved for the future. 

I cannot stress on the internal satisfaction derived from not wanting just for the sake of it – the act of taking yourself back to simplicity is an almost healing sanity that our soul just digs into like a scoop of ice cream. Diverting your wants into appreciation is a success, for example,  on your way to work each day, look up at the sky, the clouds and check out the trees and birds – they are so beautiful to look at and admiring tastefully designed craftsmanship is giving thanks to its Creator who loves to be admired.

My challenge to all of you is to hold back on buying something you really want and rather take that money and do something for someone - if you decide to do it or already have, share your thoughts with me?

My bery first blog award

                      

Amira, consider yourself hugged for this wonderful award. I love it. 

So part of this award means I have to tell you where I see myself in ten years and pass it on to ten others...

Well, Alhumdulillah, all I can say that whatever Allah pleases for me is good enough for me. Before I carry let me just say how fortunate I am to have the most beautiful people in my life, i.e. my family, Mae, Nawi, Tanya, Candice, Jenni, some of my current work friends and ofcourse you guys, my blogger pals.

1. I want my family to be well and with me (if I am still alive) Inshallah

To be just as family orientated and close as they are today, taking care of other and content with whatever little they have.

May Allah make it possible for my parents and brothers who have not completed their hajj, yet, to do so, Inshallah.

2. Mae is an extension of my family who holds the fondest place in my heart.

I want to see all the good dua I make for Mae, materialise and I want to be there to see my dear one happy, achieving everything I hoped for.

I want you to smile, worry less, forget your thoughts, be happy get everything you want in life and be confident always, as you are right now.

3. To complete my hajj, Inshallah.

4. To make as many people smile/happy as I can, Inshallah.

5. To help as many people (and the two cats:) ) as I can, Inshallah.

6. To spend time with orphan'ed children, Inshallah.

7. To always be a good servant to Allah and be loved by Him, Inshallah.

8. To be content with everything I have, appreciating my moments with Mae and the family, Inshallah

9. Ten years from now when I go down memory lane of the last ten years, I should find the same non-greedy, patient, happy person and I hope to see my family and Mae get the things I asked for them - Inshallah.

I am passing on this award to the following 11 people with this award (only because I love odd numbers), in no specific order:

1. Crafty Muslimah (love the haiku's and middle eastern memoir posts)

2. Amber (Sisters who blog - cause I think you doing such an amazing job)

3. Zaufishan (Muslimness - great articles, keep it up)

4. Khadeeja (Girl Talk 786 - love your real world thinking posts, especially "Special you")

5. Jaz (Born Confused - love your honesty)

6. Mustika Sari Sayuti ("As You Grew Older" was really a good post)

7. Amatullaah (Veiled in Hayat - so loved the post "The Beauty of Mornings")

8. Xo Xo (Xo Xo..Sweet Success! You never takes comments and I just love your daily thankfuls)

9. Jennifer Khan (Hoping for Paradise - good religious content)

10. Hopeful (Staircase to Jannah - I think your blog is cute)

11. Frutiful Fusion (With Saudi Accent- love your posts)





Well done on great blogs - hugs & kisses