Another thing off my Bucket List

Do you have a Bucket List? For those of you who don't know what a Bucket List is, here goes:


It is a list you make where you write down and later catalog all the things you want to do before you die.
In 2007 a movie by the same name with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman came out where these two dying men make the most of life before the "kick the bucket". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0825232/


Well, honestly I don't really have a Bucket List. I find it slightly macabre! I would rather take every experience for what it is as opposed to something planned and foreseeable.


But I did do something yesterday with my friends that I didn't think I would be doing ever. And it may come as a shock for some people or maybe not...but up until yesterday, I was a SUSHI VIRGIN!! That's right! Up until yesterday I had never had sushi. I am not sure what the reluctance was. I think it may have something to do with "raw". 


My friends who were the experts would not let me take it slow, ie. start off with California rolls. We started off with all kinds of complicated things. I took pictures that you can see below. But here is a 101 sushi lesson for the rest of you novices out there:


Sushi: Japanese cuisine consisting of cooked rice combined with various forms of seafood. Some cooked and some not so much.

Nigiri : consists of an oblong mound of rice that the chef presses into a small rectangular box between the palms of the hands, usually with a bit of wasabi, and a topping draped over it. Typically fish such as salmon, tuna or other seafood.

 
























Sushi is usually eaten with condiments, such as soy sauce. We had sweet soy and salty soy. Depending on the roll, I preferred one over the other. I think this is a preference thing for sure.  The soy may be flavoured with wasabi, an innocent looking green paste made from the grated root of the Wasabia japonica plant (I know because I checked it out on WIKIPEDIA). Now this VERY green looking paste is NOT AT ALL (Thank you Curtis!) innocent and a is good to eat raw if you have blocked sinus issues or your horizon is slightly tilted. Wasabi will clear all this up in an INSTANT! Proved fact!!!! However, when mixed with the soy sauce or added to the sushi roll, it isn't as potent. 

And here are images of my escapade. We went to this really nice place in Calgary called Kinjo, located in Dalhousie NW. I would recommend for the atmosphere, the food and definitely the candy sticks at the end of the meal...:-)

  

Bon Appetit!!!

And a new week begins!!  Some times it can really boggle my mind how fast time flies. We get so wrapped up in our daily run-around that we forget that time is slipping through our fingers.

Last week I shared some of my favourite books that I read over the summer. One of them was "The book of Awsome" by Neil Pasricha. I love this book! I can pick it up and feel better ANY TIME!!
Well, this morning I got this email with things that can make ANYONE fell good and I would love to share them all with you. So here goes;


1. Falling in love. 

2. Laughing so hard your face hurts. 

3. A hot shower. 

4. No lines at the supermarket. 

5. A special glance. 

6. Getting mail. 

7. Taking a drive on a pretty road. 

8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio. 

9. Lying in bed listening to the rain                        outside. 

10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer. 

11. Chocolate milkshake (vanilla or strawberry). 

12. A bubble bath. 

13. Giggling. 

15. The beach. 

16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter. 

17. Laughing at yourself. 

18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you 

19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours. 

20. Running through sprinklers. 

21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all. 

22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful. 

23. Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS 

24. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you. 

25. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep. 

26. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner). 

27. Making new friends or spending time with old ones. 

28. Playing with a new puppy. 

29. Having someone play with your hair. 

30. Sweet dreams. 

31. Hot chocolate. 

32. Road trips with friends. 

33. Swinging on swings. 

34. Making eye contact with a cute                        stranger. 

35. Making chocolate chip cookies. 

36. Having your friends send you homemade cookies. 

37. Holding hands with someone you care about. 

38. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change. 

39. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you. 

40. Watching the sunrise. 

41. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day. 

42. Knowing that somebody misses you. 

43. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply. 

44. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think. 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really like the last one. It has happened to me once or twice, believe it or not....:-)
Have a great Tuesday everyone!

TGIF

Hello everyone!

So after all the encouragement and sweet response I got from my first video blog, I went out on a limb and did it again.

One of my many loves include BOOKS! They have mesmerized me for years and their magic have had a lingering effect. They have saved my sanity on more than one occasion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_WaRfOmci8

I realize that the video gets blurry or adjusts itself to the light at times. It's because we are having some BEAUTIFUL weather and the sun is shinning in from the back. Once it is dark and dungee again that shouldn't be happening.

Here are some of the links for the things I spoke about today:

http://1000awesomethings.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Guernsey-Literary-Potato-Peel-Society/dp/0739368435
http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/eatpraylove.htm

Have a  great weekend!!

My Favourite Fall Thing

Happy Monday everyone!!

I usually start my Monday mornings with Monday Morning Yoga at my local gym. Unfortunately, I woke up with a head full of snot and a pounding headache. So the first thing I did was pop my vitamins and wrap myself up in my favourite scarf. Since I had no yoga to do, it got me thinking about my all-time favourite thing about fall - SCARVES!!

I love scarves in any shape and form. I love how they can complete any look, sweater or fancy dress alike. I love the functional fashion statement that it is. You look fabulous and you are kept warm and cozy at the same time.

I made up a collage of some of the ones that I am in-adore with these days. The only one I couldn't add was the one that joined my collection most recently. My friend, Darla gave me a really pretty one that is just wow. It's a knitted one  in grey and brown tones. It's a cowl scarf and I am itching to wear it out soon. I love how it layers around my neck! I will post pics when I wear it the first time.

Here is a link to a video from Sweet Life on how to wear your scarf in 3 unique ways.3 Unique Ways To Tie a Scarf

Anyway, I hope I feel better soon and that you all have a wonderful week.

TGIF....

So I made a trip to Sephora  a while back and as a thank you for my purchase, I was gifted something I am not sure what to do with.

So it comes all nicely zipped up and looks all professional and then you can unzip it and fold out to be ...SURPRISE!!!!....a shopper.

Now am I supposed to carry this thing around for that one moment that I may desperately need a shopper?? The thing is that it is kind of flimsy. It won't carry the milk, eggs, fruits, frozen peas etc that I usually get from the grocery store. And if I am carrying a shopper to Sephora for my "monthly" loot, then please it is time to have serious talk with me. And if you are that one shopper who needs a shopper for your monthly Sephora loot, please call me and this brand new zippy shopper is YOURS! :-)

This is how I spent my Friday...TGIF!

:-)

P.S: take with a pinch of salt...I am the mother of not ONE..not TWO but THREE boys...Sometimes I just don't get plain and simple girly things...:-)

what's for dinner?

Do you all struggle with this question..."WHAT'S FOR DINNER???" I am seriously in-hate with this question. It is something I struggle with everyday. Maybe I put too much pressure  on our meals too. I want a meal that is nutritious, the kids will eat, is yummy and easy to make! No pressure, right?!

Well, I do have one recipe that I like a lot and that the kids will eat and the man will eat too. It is healthy and easy to make. My most favourite Aunty in the world gave it to me and I always send her a little prayer when I have this meal.

I call it:

AUNTY LADO'S YUMMY-IN-MY-TUMMY CHICKEN DISH
3 lbs. (1.5 kgs) Chicken breast/ thighs, boneless and skinless
Salt, as needed
Chilli powder, as needed
Black pepper, as needed
4-5 tbsp. Soy sauce
4-5  tbsp. Lemon juice
Garlic, as needed
2-3 tbsp.Vegetable oil

4-5 mixed belle peppers, diced
1 tray mushrooms, sliced
3-4 tomatoes, sliced
2-3 onions, sliced
pineapple, optional


Marinate the chicken in the salt, chilli, black pepper, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic and oil. Refrigerate overnight for best result. You could do it in the morning and cook in the evening too.
Take chicken out and pout into large baking dish. Bake in the oven at 425F/250C until it is slightly brown.







 Saute veggies in a large frying pan or wok.

Once done, put them on top of the browned chicken and place the tomatoes on top and put it back in the oven.  Broil for 10-15 minutes.

Serve it with boiled rice, noodles or buns.
So easy and so yummy!!













I would love to hear what you like to make on a day when you don't feel like standing in the kitchen for hours...

First Video Blog EVER....

First of all a BIG shout-out to my FIRST follower....(blood is thicker than water hehehe)

So here is my very first video blog ever. Please be kind and don't rewind (?)...I would love to hear feedback. What did you like, what would you change and what subject should I cover next?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR6meKB7rRQ

Here is where you can find all the styles I showed today, http://www.stelladot.com/sites/ayisha

Thanks everyone...

~ Ayisha

Where were you?

I want to stop for a moment today, in particular. Today is September 11th 2011. For most people we associate it now with the Twin Towers in New York coming down in horrifying blaze.
I want to tell you where I was on 9/11 2001. I have a need to tell, really.

I was in bed when Shafique turned on the radio as he does every morning. And all of sudden he jumped out of bad and yelled to me "Something happened!". Esa my beautiful baby boy was sleeping peacefully next to me, and I got out of bed and took him with me downstairs where on TV, we were watching a building on fire. No one knew really what was going on but we could all see that it was serious. And in between the channel switching, trying to figure out what was going on, I was feeding Esa and sitting on the edge of the sofa. They had a live feed of the Tower One burning when I saw a plane behind the towers. I am thinking to myself  that it's odd that this is not a no-fly zone at this moment. And as that thought passes, the second plane flew into the other tower. A tower filled with fathers,brothers, mothers. I sat there all day on that sofa, watching and listening. The plane that went down in Pennsylvania, the one that went into the Pentagon. It felt like the world as we knew it was ending. I sat and watched as people were jumping out of the window. I watched as President Bush told the world that he would get these people "dead or alive".
More than anything I knew the world is never going to be same ever again. I knew that Esa would grow up in a world different than the one I grew up in.
The blood trail that started in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania went further into Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan.

I pray for all the lives lost, for the families who have lost a loved one. May Allah grant us all peace and solace. Ameen

TGIF Tip

I usually am the last one to give beauty tips because honestly, who am I to tell you what is great and what new product out there is going to make you look fabulous! But I had to share this one. 


A few months ago I took Accutane for my on-going acne issues (more on this later) and one of the side effects is dry lips. I don't know what they said dry lips...it's more like watch-out-Sahara-dessert-you-got-competition lips!
I never realized how annoying dry lips can be. So I went on the hunt for the BEST lipbalm/lip care kit out there money could buy. I was willing to spend what I had to get relief.


I started off in Shoppers to look at their selection. Here I got Blistex. They claim that

"Blistex DCT combines moisturizers, vitamins and protectants to provide a daily maintenance regimen for your lips."

I can't say it is a blatant lie but it wasn't true either. My lips would stay moisturized but only if I kept applying the balm WITH my fingers. I found that ICK, esp. because it was would get stuck under my nails.  

http://www.blistex.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53&Itemid=81

So off I went for the search of the perfect lip balm again. I ended up in Sephora, Make-up heaven in case you haven't been. I love this store. I could spend hours in here looking at all the pretty things in there. Here I found two lip balms, both came recommended by the sales associates. The first one was the Rosebud Perfume Company's Rosebud Salve in a Tube. This one is always featured in InStyle by different models and actresses as the one thing can't live without (whatever happened to OXYGEN...priorities ladies!) Honestly, I had apply this stuff every five minutes. I find that super annoying!!! Of course, my lips will stay satin soft if I have rub it on every two minutes. But the most annoying thin was that I felt like my lips were getting wax'ier for every application. The only good thing about this one was that I loved the way my lipstick would look after I applied this on. The price is okay, too

https://www.sephora.com/secure/user/login.jhtml?_requestid=27267

The other one I picked up was, CAUDALIE LIP CONDITIONER. It was worse than the one above!!! It was so waxy and just not it at all!! But heck, it was environmentally friendly and it stayed that way all the way BACK to Sephora. That's the one thing positive; Sephora has GREAT customer service and the associates are always so good about helping and answering questions.

http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P6034&categoryId=C11727&shouldPaginate=true

A few months back, I met this really sweet lady, Rosa. She works from home with Mary Kay. Now in all honesty, I am skeptical of home based beauty products. I have always had such sensitive skin that I am SO careful about what products I use on my face and body because I never know what is going make me break out in zits or rashes. Anyway, I was talking to Rosa and she was telling me about their Satin Hands treatment (a Three-Step beauty routine that leaves your hands silky soft for days!!) and I asked about lip conditioner and she told me about Satin Lips. It's a kit which comes with a lip mask which you apply for about two minutes (you need a TINY bit, things I have learned the hard way...more on this another time) and then you gently remove it with your finger with a scrubbing motion. (??) Afterwards you apply the balm. I usually put on the mask and scrub it off in the shower and apply the balm afterwards. This thing is HEAVENLY!!! Your lips are so soft and stay like this throughout the day. I don't have to apply again and again. I love this stuff!!

http://www.marykay.com/skincare/lipeyecare/10031559/10031559/default.aspx

 

Now because of the Accutane, I wasn't able to apply the mask part too often, as my lips were seriously chapped and split. But throughout the Accutane treatment this is the only lip balm I used and it saved me from insanity! Okay that may sound intense but I had  REALLY dry lips...:-)

Can't say my lips are better but the relief is nice.

Enjoy Friday Everyone!!

5 Tips to Build a FAB Jewelry Wardrobe.

I recently came across an article in the September issue of People StyleWatch by Ali Galgano. She is the founder of the website, http://www.charmandchain.com
So here goes: (I am para-phrasing here people...:-) ):

* START WITH GOLD EARRINGS:

Ali recommends that we should start off with gold. She thinks that "hoops, chandelier and buttons are timeless styles:. Also gold is making a big comeback on the runway this season. So it is a great way to build your collection and also being trendy. My Stella & Dot recommendations would be the Chantilly Lace Earrings http://stelladot.com/sites/ayisha/productcatalog?page=productdetail&sku=E152G and the Essential Ball Stud earrings in gold http://stelladot.com/sites/ayisha/productcatalog?page=productdetail&sku=E128G.  


* GO FOR A STATEMENT NECKLACE:


It's not like you need a while closet full of these. You can make do with just one. It can really dress up a bland shirt. A colourful one can have a great impact. My favourite from the Stella & Dot Fall 2011 Collection HAS to be the Pegasus http://stelladot.com/sites/ayisha/productcatalog?page=productdetail&sku=N219. And for a more colourful one I am in love with the Contessa Jade, http://stelladot.com/sites/ayisha/productcatalog?page=productdetail&sku=N224

* MIX AND MATCH BRACELETS.

Layering bracelets, need I say more?! Ali recommends to stack up thin bracelets and wide cuffs and so much more for a fun look. http://stelladot.com/sites/ayisha/productcatalog?page=productgroup&productGroupId=83

*COLLECT PERSONAL PIECES

Things that you would wear daily and have some sentimental value. I love to stack my large and growing collection of Pandora bracelets with the stacking bracelets, like The Bardot Spiral Bangle. http://stelladot.com/sites/ayisha/productcatalog?page=productdetail&sku=B101S

* TRY A TREND

Finally, Ali recommends to try some of the must-have looks for Fall which are the 70's inspired long pendants and tassel necklaces. Green is very popular this season and H&M http://www.hm.com/ca/ has some great pieces. I love the Camilla Ring, http://stelladot.com/sites/ayisha/productcatalog?page=productdetail&sku=R113 and how it combines the trends of the 70's and the pop of green!

I would love to hear what you all have to say about this post. I love tips like these, as it isn't implied that you HAVE to buy a certain brand or you have to shop at a certain store. A FABULOUS wardrobe, clothes, jewelry or other things, consists of things that show off YOUR style and you do that by collecting pieces over the years that you cherish.