The good old man who sits on his plastic chair

The good old man sits all alone
On his white plastic chair
Feeling uncherished and unloved
Thinking about all the days that have long gone
When his children played around his knee

Every time he listens closely
He could still hear their laughter echoing
Tears kept falling down his already wet cheek
And his tender heart breaking
As he lift up his hands to wipe away the tears

And he thought to himself, my children gone
A boy to his wife, a girl to her husband
Too busy to hold my hand
Too busy to listen to my whisper
I may not smell my best now at my age
I get so lonely here at home
Will you spare some time
And spend them with me?
That was his silent plea

The good old man
Sitting on his white plastic chair
Out in the front yard
Staring at the open blue sky
He says to himself
Oh grown daughters and sons
My time won't be too long
one day it will be too late
For your apologies
Your neglect to me is unkind
I will still forgive the unkindness you've shown
To this good old man
Who sits alone in his white plastic chair

A sad rainy morning

To my Indian family as they move back home to India.

It was a sad rainy morning
This was it
It was happening
A change not welcomed

On this sad rainy morning

As I saw you all for the last time
My heart felt heavy
I wished i could keep my favorite little girls with me

This was a sad rainy morning

Not only because it felt sad
But also because there was already silence
This was a sad rainy morning
Not only because there was silence
But also because next door
Will not be next door again

Yes it was a sad rainy morning
And as I stood afar to wave goodbye
I knew it wasn't good bye
It was the beginning of a new start

It was a sad rainy morning
With the silence everywhere
Somehow i convinced myself
All was well
Because I know all will be well

Sachin, Nimisha, vera and paridi lived here.
Lagos Nigeria.

A VISIT TO THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET LEKKI

Situated near Lekki beach Lagos, the Lekki international market also called "oba elegushi international market" is the best place you can get beautiful authentic African traditional arts and crafts like, wood carvings, paintings, African jewelries e.t.c.

Finding the place was a little stressful but in the end it was a good day out. We had so much fun exploring and also practicing on our bargaining skills. I also got to interview some dealers. Visit my YouTube channel (modern Arewa) to watch the full video. 

To Nimisha, am happy I did this with you. I wouldn't have done it better with anyone else. It was our own little quality time and this will be a memory I will cherish for ever.

The Lekki international market Lagos is worth a visit especially if you are a foreigner visiting Nigeria and you need souvenirs to take home.

THE BREATHABLE NAIL ENAMEL

One of the common questions asked by Muslim sisters is whether or not nail polish is permissible in Islam. Whether nail polish is halal or haram.

There is nothing wrong with wearing nail polish or the nail polish itself. But the issue here is that when applied on the nail, it becomes a barrier preventing water from getting underneath. So when a Muslim woman needs to perform ablution to pray or needs to perform the spiritual bath,(ghusl) it is considered incomplete without removing the nail polish first.

Most Muslim women uses henna as substitute, but then again henna is not the same as nail polish fashionably and also the urge and excitement for wearing the nail polish is on the higher level.

As a muslim woman, i am very excited that finally I get to fabulously polish my nail not only during
 my period. I always wished I would be able to have my nail polished at all times and I can't believe its actually happening, all thanks to Inglot cosmetics for their 02m breathable nail enamel that allows oxygen and moisture to penetrate to the nail.

On hearing this good news, I did not waste anytime in rushing to the Inglot cosmetics store at the Palms Lekki here in Lagos to purchase a few. I also asked the sales girl a few questions just to confirm and be clear. Again i did my own experiment at home as she advised I do. (Visit my youtube channel to watch the videos here) Let me happily say my nails will never look the same I've found me my newest obsession. Lolz!

 

 

MY FEELINGS FOR YOU

My feelings for you is not like a trading place 

Where you buy for less and sale for more to make gains

My feelings for you is that I am obliging to give it all

Not caring what I get 

I feel what I feel and if these feelings are wrong 

Then I choose to be wrong all my life

A prisoner of her own desire

He was all she could see and feel

She became confined in her own desire 

Like the blood in her veins life without him was not an option 

Her worship of him was intense and her lust for him occupied her 

It never filled her it only consumed her

But she was in love

An obsession insanely torturous 

She positioned him in a place 

Only God should be

Lazy Sunday turns not so lazy, plus know L'maril

Based on request, i decided today to share my lazy sunday turns not so lazy day with you as i also tell you more about me. For those who requested I blog more about me I hope this makes sense.
            
I like to call my Sundays lazy because I always thought Sundays should be for lazying around. Like spending the whole day laying down in your pyjamas, watching a lot of tv or staying glued to your phone and yelling at  the kids as they make a mess throughout the house e.t.c.

           
                                                              #knowl'maril

I have an interesting persona,  I am very feminine but I can be a Little bit tomboyish sometimes. I also wear and executive personality, i may also look very intimidating but when you get to know me, I am the friendliest human being ever!. I don't really wear make ups, I don't even own an eyeliner or a lipstick. I just don't have the believe that painting my face can make me  more beautiful. I dont want to wear any mask. I like to feel free in my own skin and comfortable at all times.  I make cloths, so my clothing are always simple because i like to feel free and at peace. You don't have to suffer to look beautiful. No offence to those of you who love make up, this is just my opinion.
            
                                              #lazysundayturnsnotsolazy

for some reason I find myself doing more of cooking on lazy Sundays than I do any other day.

I may still be hanging around the house in my pyjamas on lazy sundays, (which by the way I look fab even in my pyjamas lolz, am just saying *winks*) holding on to my phone, but I still do get busy in the kitchen. I usually wake up not so early on weekends. We all know no body does, (you know how we all like to snuggle in with Bae, *winks*).

My kids and hubby love smoothies so I make sure I make them some almost every morning. Oatmeal is mine and hubby's favourite cereal  especially with almond nuts sprinkle. Yum! This happens to be my first assignment every lazy sunday mornings.

                                                                  #knowl'maril

Growing up I watched my mum do a lot of cooking. My mum is like a kitchen freak, she is always  in the kitchen cooking, she feels at peace when in her kitchen its like her little sanctuary. Being half Algerian and half Mauritanian, my mum makes all this mouth watering Arabian dishes you would literally want to live in my house if you were  a guest visiting. I remember how people use to troop in and out my house for my mum's food.

Even though I have kitchen phobia and I am not that passionate about cooking, I still do find myself in the kitchen not too often thou, but I sure do cook great dishes because there is still a little bit of my mum in me. I am slowly becoming a gourmet. Lolz! My hubby proudly displays his lunch in the office and invites colleagues for a taste. I mean How cute is he? Lolz!

              
                                           #lazysundayturnsnotsolazay

Let me take y'all through today's lazy Sunday turns not so lazy dish. I made a "potato mafsus" as my mum will call it, and a spinach/avocado/broccoli and chicken salad with boiled plantain and gravy  sauce to go with it. Ingredients as follows....

.Potatoes
.Chicken ( shredded)
.Broccoli
.Spinach
.Avocado
.Shallots
.Celery
.Carrots
.Lemon
.Plantain
.Mint leaves
.Basil leaves
.Onions
.Garlic
.Pepper
.Vegetable oil
.Spices
.Seasoning

First you bring the potatoes to boil, then heat up little amount of veg oil, add some chopped onions, garlic and pepper, stir a Lil and add the boiled potatoes, now carefully stir continousely as you add spices and seasoning. Then sprinkle some mint, basil and celery leaves.

For the salad. You need to steam the spinach, curly flower for just 2 minutes then add some onions, avocado and sprinkle some mint, basil, shallot and celery leaves. Don't for get to also sprinkle a little bit of lemon juice.

                                                      #knowl'maril

Growing up I was taught only how to be good all my life, and I have always been a good girl. As I grew older especially when i turned the dirty 30, I realised being good all my life is no fun so I guess being a little bit of a bad assy sometimes should hurt no one. Lol! (just joking)

I am not a writer I am more of a talker. I am passionate about speaking, especially to a large group. I think I got that from my dad, as a politician (retired now) this is what he did throughout his career. I recently started motivational speaking and am already loving it. I dont write for the sake of writing, I write from my outline.

  

                                               #Lazysundayturnsnotsolazy

For the gravy, what you need is pepper, onions, garlic  curry, spices, seasoning stir fry for few minutes add small amount of chicken stuck and add white flour to thicken it.

Hope y'all enjoyed going through my blog?  Isha Takeem and Hanan hope you are happy i did this? Comments are always welcome. Have a lovely week ahead. Xoxoxo

WRONG CRAVINGS

Days I got consumed feeling so good 

In my inventive imaginary space 

Alas! I was imprisoned by my wrong cravings 

But I had to be wrong just so I be right

It has been a lengthy dark corridor 

But to this mysterious struggle I finally say goodbye 

Importance of good neighbours.

I always knew that it is important to have good neighbours and very important also to have good relationship with your neighbours. Especially when you have other families with kids same age as yours. Because then your kids and theirs get to play interchangeably throughout each others household, or mostly in a shared space where we as parents can just listen to them play and don't have to watch. And when it's time to come home we can just easily holla from the door or window for our kids.

I love how neighbours are always there in those little tiny moments in life when you need a hand with something or the other. Living without extended family around or other support to call on, like you know how sometimes you suddenly ran out of matches, or you need to urgently send an emergency email and your wifi is not at its best behaviour? Or you need to borrow a bigger pot to cook for Eid celebrations, Or even an emergency run to the hospital? no worries your neighbour got your back.

The other day my next door neighbour was running late to pick up her kid from school because her driver was yet to come and she couldn't drive. I had my car with me and i could drive, so of course i happily took my neighbour on the passenger sit while we drove and picked up that little kiddo from school.

Once my car broke down just when i was about to pick my son from school.  But of course a neighbour with whom her kids goes to same school as my son, happily took me along as we drove back to the school for my son even though she just got back home from school run.  These incidents made me believed the saying "it takes a  community to raise a child".

We all know there are some neigbours that can be a bit unpleasant, so if you have good neighbours consider yourself blessed because a good neighbour looks out for others. Being friendly with your neighbours and building a good relationship is like having a second family.  Remember you are a neighbour too.

#shecooks

Ok so lately i noticed i was becoming a gourmet. Even though it is making me gain a little more weight and on the other hand making me procrastinate on my excercise schedules, i am glad i am saying bye bye to my cooking phobia.

SO this first dish is all sea food, well at least almost lol!. so i did a mixture of calamari, prawns and jelly fish sauce and added some potato, green pepper cabbage and carrots just to give it that rich flavory feel.  And a bowl of crab soup to go with it. mmmm yummy!

I was trying to get a little creative with dish number 2 it is actually my favorite because i love me some sweet potato always. It is a sweet potato grilled and salad built around my bowl of spicy chicken soup. Yum! Yum!

And our number 3 is as simple as it can get. I made a  delicious shredded chicken and veggie sauce buttered rice. with a sprinkle of lime or lemon and you are good to go.

Now this next one is a little tricky and takes a lot of time as you can see there is a lot going on right there. I made a chicken biryani, boiled potato, fish nugget, again shredded chicken veggies on the side and to top it all up a delicious mouth watering home made samosa as you can see its huge, home made samosas are always huge lol! Tnx to nimisha for teaching me how to make biryani. This dish is amazing.

Now when kids come home from school i have snacks and fruits waiting on them. Kids usually come home from school full and so they don't really need serious food, we can save that for dinner time. A simple snacks like sandwiches and home made fruits punch will do just right. the filling for the sandwich can be anything, from eggs to veggies to nutella jam and butter it doesn't really matter.

Flag off 2016 MNCH week Kebbi state.

Yesterday, the wife of the president of the federal Republic of Nigeria Aisha Muhammadu Buhari Flagged off Maternal and Newborn child Health (MNCH) week. She Commissioned Birnin Yari primary Health centre Jega and Jega General hospital named after her.

Her excellency Aisha Buhari was hosted  by the first lady of Kebbi State Dr Zainab Bagudu. In attendance also was His Excellency the Governor of Kebbi State and other dignitaries of the state.

Kebbi State first lady Dr Zainab Bagudu is one woman full of passion and is determined to rise the Health sector in the State to the highest standards making sure all the maternal mortality is curbed or reduced to a 0 level. 

The people of Kebbi State welcomed this Idea with enthusiasm and commended her for this initiative. I most say Her Excellency  Dr Zainab Bagudu never stops, she is indeed a pace setter amongst her peers. She's definitely a force to be reckoned with. 

We pray that the Almighty Allah continue to guide and protect her so she can keep doing what she knows how to do best. I personally cannot get enough of her. Your Excellency Thank You for Being You.

Religion and Us

The other day myself and Nimisha
Were having a conversation about how my Northern culture is a little similar to some of their Indian culture. And also how diverse in Culture both countries are (Nigeria and India).

We then brought up the religion topic. She was feeding me on the different religions in India and I was telling her more about Islam as well. We like talking about both our cultures and how things are being done in our traditions and religions because we always draw lessons from such convo and things always made a lot of senses every time. Because at the end of the day, all religions have one thing in common, the believe that there is a higher power.

TALKING TO GOD

Prayer is probably the only way to talk to God. It is simply having a conversation with God. When talking to God you may have to have a quiet room in your house to use even though it doesn't matter to God wherever you pray but a quiet place and having a consistent time for prayer will help you focus. Don't make prayer complicated. Pray with respect as God is the King of creation.

Sometimes we make religion what we want it to be, we exaggerate and paint this picture of religion to suit or satisfy us. It doesn't matter what religion you and I practice. At the end of the day we are all humans and we all believe that there is God, a higher power.  Religion really is to make us all better persons in the society. Using common sense, reasoning, living in peace, loving one another, distinguishing between right and wrong, just believing in Humanity as a whole is part of religion and should be our focus i believe.

Dealing with criticism and judgements

Even though I feel like criticism should make you a better person and you can learn from it, I still feel like before one criticise others they should first be able to do better. You don't just call an alligator big mouth until you cross the river.

Before judging others, first look at how clean your own heart is. For example I do not have any right to judge someone say because they are vegetarians and I eat meat. Or judge someone automatically because his faith is different from mine. Or even judge one based on how they choose to dress.  Does doing things differently makes me a saint? Certainly not. It doesn't make me better or make them less human.

I do not believe in making assumption, unfairly stereotyping or negatively pointing a person is a certain way when I can't read their minds or see their hearts. Even if I could, I am not in the position to judge.

I beleive in humanity. At the end of the day how other people chose to present themselves, what they choose to eat, what their beleives are and basically how they live their lives is not my business. And it is not for me to judge. We may not agree on everything but we can definitely agree to disagree.

Sometimes people judge or critise you just so they can put hurdles on your path, throwing hash words so they can make your journey to greatness a difficulty. Well guess what, you should know they are doing you more good than harm, because their criticism can only build up your energy and make you even stronger.

If you are not being criticised, then you are not saying anything, doing anything and being anything.

Woman crush Wednesday

Ok so there is something about tall and slim women that makes me have some insecurities about my own hight and weight. Yes you all will agree that some of us have insecurities about our looks and mine happens to be my height. I feel like if I was taller, I would do much more stuff. Like have more confidence, fit in some cloths, walk  a little faster and things like that.

So my number one woman crush Wednesday for today happens to be my very own Sister called Atika. She is tall and her figure is to die for. I remember growing up i always wished i could grow taller like her...and she would help me do so many crazy things to see if i was going to get taller. She would help pull my legs every day to see if I would have longer legs, I remember one time wje even  bought a magazine with an article on how to grow taller. We would read it and try to follow the steps on how to grow me taller.  Lolz!

Atika always looked good in everything she wears, she could make the worse clothing ever look beautifully wearable. Even when she wears uniform to go to school she always killed it.

My second woman crush Wednesday is also A tall wonderful  friend of mine DR Kemi who lives in the same estate as me. I mean she makes every simple clothing look elegance. I like when she wears Ankara skirt with a simple tshirt and when she wears those hipsters trousers you would literally want to snatch her body off of her. You can never in a million years tell she's got three kids especially with her flat tummy.

I feel like tall women generally stands out. And the fact that they always look confident and makes any kind of clothing looks good and flatering makes it a plus for me to admire them even more. Well I always wanted to be taller. But I am glad i could use my Flaws positively and not forgetting am beautiful in my own way.

To my women crush wednesday Atika And Dr Kemi keep standing tall, love you always.

Staying in love with the Husband

Recently I have been talking to some women on how they feel about staying in love with the Husband even after years of marriage if at all they think it was possible. One woman said to me it is possible to love your husband but it will be difficult to stay in love like the early days when both of you gave each other butterflies. She added that things changes after years of marriage like having kids and just getting carried away in other life activities basically takes love excitements out of the way.

But I believe that one can still stay in love or even further fall in love with their spouses with each passing year. If you want it you definitely make it happen. You just need to make the effort and pay attention to your love life and make it a priority. Women make mistake of believing that showing a man he is needed  will turn him off. But we should know that men also want what women want. So dear wife, go all the way in showing your husband how much you love him and how much he is needed. I may not be a love guru but I sure do have a little experience. Here are some tips in staying in love with hubby even after years of marriage.

The most important step in keeping the bond and strong connection with your husband should be the "us time". The more you get quality time the stronger the relationship gets and the further the love grows. Both of you may spend a lot of time Together but ask your self is this time quality time? Even if you are too busy, make sure you spare time where you can focus on him. It may be difficult sometimes especially when you have young kids, but you should still try your best to make it happen in some feasible  form. You could take him out on dates (which of course he will pay the bills, lol) and when you do go out, Make sure to not talk about the kids or any othe family issues don't talk about your days at work too, remeber it is the "us time" just keep the focus on yourselves.

Try new things together with your Husband. Make him laugh and be silly at all times it can create the some chemical bond of intimacy. Keep the connection throughout the day, send short romantic messages or email to let him know you are thinking about him. Or you could just call him up at work and remind him how fun and enjoyable last night was and how you cannot wait for him to get home. Always praise his physical appearance, it will be really nice and helpful for your man to know that you still find him attractive.

And while your spouse is away, show him how much you miss him. When hubby travels and you miss him a lot. Every night while he is away, sleep in his pyjama or his  t-shirt so u can have a little feel of him, it will help you deal with his absence and comfort you a little bit ( I do that all the time) And you could also keep a little piece of you in his luggage like a hand lotion or a perfume you wear all the time so he can smell you while he is away. This will keep both of you connected.

A great marriage is build on little daily practices that adds flavours to husband and wife relationship which helps both stay in love forever. There is no greater  feelings like the feelings of staying in love with the Husband.

Sex and love making, the difference.

What is the difference between sex and love making? I have been curious about this for quite a long time, so recently i decided to dig into the topic. After doing a little  research on net and based on people's opinions as well as mine, this is what I found best answers this question. Hopefully it will make sense to you.

Sex finishes once the physical act is over.
Sex do not require you to love or even  like the person you are having it with. It is more about your "getting off" rather than pleasing your sexual partner. Sex is  usually hard, hot and nasty.

But love making begins long before we make it to the bedroom. When it reaches the bed room, it is the end result like the 'cherry on top' of a day lived in a loving way. Love making can be experienced throughout the day and  throughout a relationship.

Sex describes a physical connection that leads to sexual pleasure. Sex can take place between a couple irrespective of the fact that they share love or any bond between them. Sex is just an urge for intercourse.

Love making is a feelings of affection, being intimate with your partner not only physically but also mentally. Making love pleases a person's physical, emotional, sexual and mental urges. Love making can also mean having slow and tender sexual intercourse.

You can also simply make love without having sex. Like making your partner a cup of tea, stealing a kiss, sharing a passionate look across a dinner table, snuggling and cuddling while watching a movie e.t.c.

Let me also add that most religion and cultures forbid sex before marriage. like Islam doesn't allow sex or any physical relationship before marriage because it gives it a form of an esteemed status by limiting it to husband-wife relationship.

Love making is the deep emotional connection and affection you have for that one person you truly love and care for, while sex is more about the physical relation.
There is no better way to experience love making than waiting for the right time, doing it the right way and with the right person. If the time is not right for you then abstinence from sex is the healthiest option. It also helps avoid the risks that comes with it.

There are other ways two people in a relationship can become closer and build trust without sex. e.g listening, sharing, respecting each other's thoughts and feelings and enjoying each other's company.

I hope that these answers helps you choose what is best for you.