What You Tend To Find In A House In Bangladesh

Hi

Before I start, apologies for not posting on Wednesday. I arrived Bangladesh last week and settling down has been tough. Now it's fine and still adjusting as time goes by. Either way I'm back now and I shall be posting blogs every week with new Bangladesh adventures that I will explore. Today is about content you'll find in a house in Bangladesh. Without further ado, here's what you'll find...

Old/broken toys. Usually it's from when we were young or when our oarents were young.

Manual sewing machine. It's typical for a lady to have a sewing machine from the 90s when they used to stitch their kids' or grandkids' clothes. Yes, my gran used to stitch clothes for me too. Best thing about this is that you don't need electricity, just the energy and force of your leg.

Old furniture. This is also something I have been seeing from when I was young. The only thing that changes of these old furnitures is their location and their state, it gets worse.

Personalised cupboard. These designs are choosen by whoever will use them and made by the people in furniture shops. It's really easy to get made your own customied furniture or cupboard.  Hence why the old furnitures end up in the balcony.

Dressing table. It is essential for a house to have these. Most of the time people will have their makeup and everyday stuff adorned on top of it. If you ask why it's empty, well... There are 2 small kids in the house so... Not so ideal to keep them in front of the kids.

Toilet with no seat. Yes, that's right! A toilet with no seat. Just a hole. If you're bengali or a country that has these then you know. If not, let me explain. These are called "pan" (pronounced pen). You take off your trousers half  way or full and sit like you are doing squats and do your business. Current families don't have it anymore as they have seats. But some toilets have it which are normally for guests.

Canvases. Asian families love to decorate their houses with canvases. They have pretty images in some but some of them are so strangen. They'll have an image of "London" or some other known place. My gran has a huge canvas of ALL THE FRUITS IN THE WORLD. I'm not kidding, it has so many fruits that the canvas is huge. I will try to share it on my Snapchat or Instagram

Decorating cupboard. These cupboards are designed to hold little cute stuff they may have received as a gift or cute kids' toys. It's been there for years and the content is also really old. You might as well go and ask your gran and she might say it's a gift from my uncle's wedding from 8 years ago.

Telephone. This telephone is extremely old. I don't remember how old but it is strangely old. You might think that it's broken or it's a toy telephone now. NO!

This telephone still goddam works. I have seen people talking on it still now. It's so strange.

Fancy household cupboard. This cupboard is different from decorating cupboard because this one holds fancy household content such as dinner sets and cup sets. Do these items get used. No! Only in case of emergency. Aka when a very important guest comes. 

Steel furniture/ cupboard. By now you should have realised that bengalis have a lot of cupboards for all uses. These cupboards are really safe and secure. But because there are so many new ones that now they hold people's old clothing and accessories for bedding.

Hope you enjoyed this post and let me know what posts you would like to see that are Bangladesh related.

Take care,

Yours, Nafiza

Depression

Hi!

At some point in our lives, we may have experienced depression. It could have been short term like a few days or long term like months or even years. Sadly I have experienced depression but just for a few days and if you know me, I am a really cheerful and self motivated person. Sometimes there is no escape but that does not mean you cannot get away from it. I am here to help you to the best of my ability.

1. What is depression?

A mental state with a lack of happiness and and lack of hope. It can also arise anxiety or mental breakdown from it, disturbing you to have a normal life.

2. How does it feel?

Simply, not good.

You are constantly sad about everything. You are laying in bed all the time thinking about your downsides and failures in life. You ignore people and don't want any sort of communication or human interaction. You try to feel good or happy but you can't and also with people as well. You even go to the extent that you wish to not to live anymore because you serve no purpose. Some people can approach self harm. You feel like no one understands you and you don't have anyone. If you do tell someone they will not know how to react or respond and you get something like "Awwh" or "Don't worry it will be fine". Let me just say that it does not help but thank you for your concern. You cry for no reason.

I found this article and it explains in greater detail of how it feels when you're depressed. Check it out!

What does depression feel like?

3. Why do people get depressed? / Do you need a reason or a cause to be depressed?

There are thousands of reasons to be depressed. It can start from family matters to friends, work, education, your future, relationships, reality check or even truth and lies. Not to forget that depression and self hatred is highly linked. You probably think you are over sized or undersized or short or tall (just remember that you are perfect the way you are and those reasons should not make you hate yourself) or anything.

Do you need a reason to be depressed? Not necessarily! Yes that's right! You don't need a (valid) reason to be depressed. Just as how you can get depressed at anything, you can also get depressed at nothing. I am not making this up because I have experienced depression but there was no reason and it sucks. When you have a reason to be depressed you just slowly calm yourself down and convince yourself that things happen for a reason. If there is no reason, how will you convince yourself to be happy?

4. How to overcome depression?

There are tons of ways to overcome depression, or at least reduce the degree of depression.

Don't stay alone. Have a friend around or family and chat with them. Do not keep it inside because it is going to get worse otherwise. If you deeply trust your friend, be open with them. You can also speak to your parents, especially mum because your mum gave birth to you and raised you so of course she cares a lot for you.

You are in control in this battle against depression. You control your body and mind. You have to motivate yourself and improve your mood by yourself as much as you can. No matter how much you share your depression to others, they will not be able to do a lot. This is because they are busy and have their own life. Also not everyone likes to get involved in such emotion related stuff. As harsh it sounds, it is true. You are in control so you will fight this battle alone and I believe you will win.

Depression starts little by little, so at the primary stages you need to be aware of this and boost your mood as soon as possible. Do not think about it, do not worry a lot, go outside and socialise. Do what you like, as long as it is safe. Some people like to have hobbies or interests. People bake, cook, paint, gardening, shopping, write blogs online (Me! hehehe), be creative and write poems and stories, help others, do voluntary or charity work, anything you fancy. The key is to keep yourself busy You can also try to meditate. In terms of Islam, turn to Allah! He will ease your pain and discomfort in sha Allah.

Eat foods that are high in serotonin. Serotonin is known to make you feel good. Food such as spinach, tomatoes, nuts and seeds, legumes, salmon, berries etc. Do not eat junk or fatty food. This will make you feel worse and it will deteriorate your health.

At the end, if it does not help by trying alone or with friends and family, seek professional help. I know it is scary but seriously. Seek professional help. They are there for a reason. Look online for professional help or find other people with depression, get to know them and share your stories with each other.


I hope this post has helped you and I wanted to make this post for so long because I have had depressing moments and I know people who are really close to me also have dealt with depression and is still dealing with depression.

I might not post a blog on Wednesday but that is uncertain but otherwise, make sure to check back every Wednesdays or Saturdays.

Take Care,

Yours, Nafiza

Leftover Frosting Cookies

Hello!


Story time!

The other day I had to bake and decorate some cupcakes to sell for work. Unfortunately after I finished icing and decorating my cupcakes, I had a lot of buttercream frosting left. Seeing that it made me really sad and I did not want to let it go to waste. I am the kind of person that will not throw food away until it is inedible or toxic. I left it in the fridge and took me a few days that frosting is just sugar and butter; the basics of all bakeries. Then checked some recipes and came up with this amazing cookie recipe. These cookies are not like your basic cookies, they have a slight cakey texture inside and note that my frosting contained caramel so it gives that extra flavour. This recipe makes 35-40 decent sized cookies.

So here we go, my ultimate leftover frosting cookies!


Ingredients:

- 600g Buttercream Frosting (the amount I had left)

- 600g Plain Flour

- 1 Egg

- 1 Tsp Baking Powder

- Pinch of Baking Soda

- 100 ml Milk

- Filling of your choice: I went for 2 handfulls of dried papaya, raisins and mixed crushed nuts. You can also choose chocolate or anything you fancy; no rules in here.


Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 C or 350 F or gas mark 4.

2. Take your buttercream frosting out of the fridge and leave it to soften.

3. Whip it really well to make sure it is creamy.

4. Add the egg and beat really well.

5. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and milk and with a wooden spoon mix it well until really incorporated.

6. Add the fillings and give it a final mix.

7. Line your tray with baking paper.

8. Take a scoop of cookie dough and form it in a ball. Place them into the tray. Ensure you leave enough gap between each other because they expand in size.

9. Bake them for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

10. Leave them to cool in a cooling rack.


Serve!


I'm really glad I found this amazing and delicious way to prevent throwing spare frosting away. It made me really happy and they taste really delicious. If you do end up with spare frosting, give this a try. Let me know how it goes and don't forget to show me pictures. I made a lot so I am taking them with me for my grandparents since there is a lack of such ingredients as far as I know.


P.s. Saturdays blog post will be up on Friday for personal reasons and I may not blog next Wednesday, but this depends on whether I will be able to have access to internet or not. Bear with me!

Take Care,

Yours, Nafiza

Gift Ideas For Everyone

Hello!

Often times I get asked "What do I get for this friend or that friend?". Not only that, I also get in the same dilemma of what to get my friends and family for an occasion. So here it is! A gift guide relevant to most people.


1. Cosmetics

Makeup for women or men who like makeup nowadays, or perfume for both. It is not for everyone but should be fine in general. Of course you need to know beforehand if the person is into this kind of stuff. This is from personal experience as I LOOOOOVE makeup. It makes me really happy.


2. Gift Cards

In my opinion, you cannot go wrong with a gift card for something like Amazon or their fave store. Can you imagine how beautiful it would be to receive £30 gift card of your favourite store



3. Money (in a greeting card)

If you are old and trying to find something for someone young. I can assure young people will not mind getting fresh cash from the bank and spending it their own way. It is very generic as it is not personalised but it is useful.



4. Personalised handcrafted content

Really good idea if you are attached to the person and want to do the most you can. Or honestly, best if you are short in budget. A nice card with something handmade. There are tons of ideas on pinterest or make your own thing if you are creative enough.



5. Hobby sets

The closest thing I can think of is a baking set, as I can relate to this. There are other hobby sets such as gardening starter kits or sewing kits for the beginner fashion designers. If someone hates gardening just don't turn up with a gardening set of "Plant your own chillies".



6. Books

Not everyone is a book worm, but it is not useless at all. At some point in their life they will be thankful for the book. Books are such that they are never useless or old/expired. Also there are books about almost everything in life so of course it will be helpful at some point.



7. Toys

Bear in mind this is mainly for kids or teddy bears/soft dolls for the more girly women. I think it is quite cute to give. Although I must admit it is a little useless but it is cute. I have not tried to gift someone a toy so not sure how that would go.


Remember: Do not gift clothes unless you think they will like it. Most of the time it does not fit or they don't like it or appreciate it.


What would you recommend as a good gift for someone? Let me know in the comments!
Thank you for taking time out of your day and don't forget to check back every Wednesdays and Saturdays (although I may change some stuff so stay tuned for any announcements soon).

Take Care,

Yours, Nafiza

Kew Gardens Gallery

Hey All!

At the start, I said I will be posting different content in my blog posts. So this is no exception. I thought I would give this a try. I don't have much to say. I took my childhood friend from Spain to Kew Gardens and we saw most of the garden (may have missed some stuff to see). Note that the weather is very rainy and horrible. These are the pictures from Kew Gardens for your aesthetical pleasure. Enjoy!

This is not part of the garden, but I found it attracting as it looks like the Fillmore from Disney's Cars the movie.

Where would you recommend me to go next in London? Let me know in the comments. Don't forget to check back every Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Take Care

Yours, Nafiza

Mascara Reviews & Recommendations pt.1

Hi


Here I am back with another review/recommendation post about another category: Mascara!
I have been so obsessed with mascaras the past few months, I cannot even explain.
Note that these reviews are my honest opinions about these products. No one forced me to love or hate any of these. This is what I think:


1. L'oreal False Lash Sculpt - £9.99

http://www.superdrug.com/Make-Up/Eyes/Mascara/L'Oreal-Paris-False-Lash-Sculpt-Mascara-7ml/p/599000

It is an amazing mascara hands down. It does what the description says: it fans out your lashes, giving you instant lift, length and volume. It also says it tightlines the top, however don't try that because it will leave you with watery eyes, making it worse. The brush is really different from the typical ones and so it is very intriguing also the reason to leave your lashes so nicely done in 30 seconds. 

Rate: 9/10

2. L'oreal False Lash Telescopic - £10.99

http://www.superdrug.com/L%27Oreal-Paris/L%27Oreal-False-Lash-Telescopic-Mascara-Magnetic-Black-9ml/p/382251

It is a really good mascara for lengthening your lashes instantly. It is mainly a lengthening mascara, some volume may be achieved after a few coats. This was actually recommended to me by a friend of mine and she loved it so I had to give it a try and she is right! The wand is quite long for easier application and the brush has small bristles to pick all the lashes and coat them. Also suitable for lower lashes.

Rate: 9/10



3. Maybelline The Falsies Push Up Drama - £7.99

http://www.superdrug.com/Make-Up/Eyes/Mascara/Maybelline-Push-Up-Drama-Mascara-Very-Black-9-5ml/p/602015

Fairly good mascara for its price. It is a volumising mascara, so it gives a lot of volume to your lashes. Be careful not to overdo the coats as it may end up looking clumpy and not nice at all. The brush is fairly sized, neither too big, nor too small. The brush has a few short bristles, which gives its volume.

Rate: 7/10

4. Maybelline Lash Sensational - £7.99

http://www.superdrug.com/Make-Up/Eyes/Mascara/Maybelline-Lash-Sensational-Mascara-01-Very-Black-9-5ml/p/348705

Pretty good. It is a lengthening mascara. It gives the same impression as wearing natural false lashes, which is good as you get to stay away from the hassle of actually wearing them. It is not much of a volumising so it does not have a lot of drama in it. The brush is shaped as a crescent moon as you can see. The inside has short bristles and the outside has long. The outside bristles serve no purpose in my opinion.

Rate: 7/10

5. Revlon Ultimate All-In-One - £9.99

http://www.superdrug.com/Make-Up/Eyes/Mascara/Revlon-Ultimate-All-In-One-Mascara-Black-8-5ml/p/606805

As the name says, it is an all-in-one. It is volumising and fairly lengthening. I know all the mascara colours are generally black, but I feel like this black has more pigmentation than the other ones, making it more noticeable. I have the waterproof formula and when it says waterproof, it really means waterproof. I tried to use oil, water, cream, everything to take it off still could not remove it all. The brush is like a small capsule and there are a few very short bristles. For better results, curl your lashes.

Rate: 8/10

These are just half of the ones I want to review, so this is part 1. I will post part 2 in the sometime in the future as they will the ones I am not so keen of. The ones above are the ones I approach mostly as they are really good, especially the first one. It is my go-to.

Hope this helped and stay tuned for part 2 of this post and check back every Wednesdays and Saturdays. What is your favourite mascara of all time?

Take Care,

Yours, Nafiza

How Bengalis Celebrate Eid

Hey!!!



Eid Mubarak!!!

First of all, I would like to apologise for posting this a day later than my schedule since Wednesday was Eid so I was making notes to post this and "celebrating" it as well.

Different cultures celebrate Eid differently, and my culture or family is no exception. This is how my Eid went.


1. Preparation

Since Eid is often on an odd day, preparation starts quite early, like in the weekend. People do their shopping, groceries and etc. It is also the time to wish everyone "early eid mubarak" and to invite them. Normally their answer is "I will have guests at home but I will try" or "I have guests at home sorry I can't come" or rarely "Yeah I will come".

The day before Eid is hectic. Even more if your parents work, because the pressure is upon whoever is free at home, i.e. me. From the time you wake up till night, non stop you are doing all the house chores like cleaning, cooking prep, making sweets and snacks, etc. By night time, you wish you could have a day to rest.

2. The Day

Sadly, in our area there are no mosques or places where they hold prayers for ladies. Therefore, my mum and I don't go. I already went to sleep at 3:30 am after working so much the day before and at 8 am I can already hear so much noise. It feels like someone is banging your head with a hammer. It is horrible. On top of that, they will be asking you for stuff they can't find in your sleep and you can listen to them but it is physically unable to open your mouth and answer them.


What do you do then? You give up and get up. Shower, get ready, pray at home, get ready a bit more and wish your parents. Get some Eidi (money you get on Eid by people, also called salami in bengali) and have some food. Then back to working. You help mum make food and other people start to come. You might or might not get some more Eidi, depending on the generousity of the person. In my experience the really close cousin brothers try to get you something. Everything is done and it is time for the "photo shoot". You are mentally getting prepared, thinking of good poses to make sure that extra pound isn't showing or that pimple from the breakout. You proper take some photos and post them on social media to show people you are also having a good day...but are you?


All the Eid formalities are done, so now it's waiting time. You are waiting just to realise that no one comes. You keep on waiting and waiting but no sign of people. You can't leave home just in case anyone ends up arriving. Often times no one comes. That is the boring time.

Until evening when you don't even realise that the house is full of people and kids. This is the racing time. There is so much pressure in that moment. They ask you to take their pictures, solo, couple, family, more family, strangers, etc. You heat up the food, decorate it, serve it, wash dishes, feed people and so much stuff. There is not a second to take a break. By night time, everyone is gone and you are left with so much spare food and dishes to wash. Why so much spare food you ask? BECAUSE ONLY A FOURTH OF THE PEOPLE CAME from all the people that were invited and wanted to come. What do you do? Cry yourself out on the inside because of how tired you are and do the work. Finish and Goodnight!

Disclaimer: I may have sounded like my parents made me do all the work. This is not the case at all. It is my wish to work at home and help my mum out and she has done way more than I have yet treated me like I did all the work. I love them unlimited ❤ and huge respect to my mother and all the mothers around the World for handling their household so well for so many years. My mum has been doing this for 26 years!!!

After all, I am not going to lie, I had a great day! How did you celebrate Eid? Let me know in the comments because I literally love to know how people celebrate occasions like this. Snapchat is a great place to see that. I hope you also had an amazing day if you have celebrated it. Everyone's pictures on social media got me like 😍

Take Care,

Yours, Nafiza

End of Ramadan: Reflection

Hi guys!




It is a sad but happy time currently. It is sad because it's the ending days of the month of Ramadan but happy because Eid is coming in a few days. Personally, this year, Ramadan felt different and it was pleasant. The environment I was surrounded by was quite nice and heartwarming during this month. So, I thought I might do a little reflection of this amazing month that passed by.


Fasting:

From the start, it has not been too hard. Not eating during the day made me feel lighter (or not full or bloated like normal days). Although, it does start to get me at around 7 pm but it is not too bad anyway. Only advice I would give is to avoid going grocery shopping because you end up everything and it gets wasted at the end.

Prayer:

Unlike outside Ramadan days, you do not feel that laziness to pray. It is easy to pray as much as you want and like always, it gives me a sense of peace when I am praying. Talking about Taraweeh, it is a blessing that we get the energy to pray Isha and 20 rakats (8 if want to) of Taraweeh after spending daylight time not eating. It is such an amazing blessing from Allah, Subhan'Allah!

Health:

It is not anything's or anyone's fault that I have spent it quite sick and healthy very little days. I started Ramadan with a horrible cough that disturbed my prayer. It was quite bad. So, I recovered by taking medicine after 13-15 days. Then constantly a feeling of weakness and dizziness which feels quite bad and interrupts my daily life. Although now I feel better Alh.


Food:


Main Goal: NO FRIED FOOD! Did I achieve this goal? Almost... This year I wanted to absolutely cut the fried food at home and the amount of food made. Since I have a younger brother at home who fasted everyday (Masha'Allah), my mum ends up making some fried food for him. I tend to avoid it and stick to my dates, drink, rice flakes (poha or chira with toppings) and some snacks and fruits. With an exception of few days, mostly it made me feel light and not painfully bloated.



Daily life:

Since this year, all my lectures and exams finished ages ago, I was able to spend it at home. You eventually get bored at home of doing nothing. It is a great time to spend the time in good deeds or do things you have been wanting to do through the year. Somehow at the end you get quite busy preparing for Eid and stuff. If you are a busy person, it is even better because you are entertained with something and it does not feel as bad. Basically it is not hard and it feels amazing.


Before I go, I would like to give a shoutout to a friend who has started to write really good stories in wattpad. Check them out it's really good! These are the links:

https://www.wattpad.com/story/57293730?utm_source=android&utm_medium=com.whatsapp&utm_content=share_writing&%26wp_page=create&wp_uname=MohammedSaleh8&wp_originator=2WHQXsVSugxdYeOigUyR1OSH7IFoltOBfglBBV9Vc5iK1EDJQUhC%2BKmzwbcr99sHYtFJM3Z6Dw%2BCFYy97x1uHsX1p85FTBh9%2FgGdvjYcXz7sPz9wsHBK5PJ4iMbfo5Fr&_branch_match_id=277857394638887718

https://www.wattpad.com/story/24522223?utm_source=android&utm_medium=com.whatsapp&utm_content=share_writing&%26wp_page=create&wp_uname=MohammedSaleh8&wp_originator=4L3ppYrOSv3ej%2BF6c7GHgJa9hhy3UwVhK%2BO9UclOjK%2F9ODXNc3i%2F51i9%2FKT2S1MPn0zyjg6uOvjTownytK5zABWvcY4dh%2FPfaDOXImuWL5MyvLsWV8P2YHsmnKndxqIY&_branch_match_id=277857394638887718

Hope you enjoyed it and you made the most of this amazing month! Don't forget to check back every Wednesdays and Saturdays!!!

Take care

Yours, Nafiza