Shocks and Shoes

Journal Your Ramadan – Day 17 (And an Outfit Post!!)

9:58:00 pm

The prompt of the day – YOU.

And here I present myself :-P. Ok, it’s been ages since I did an outfit post, so I thought I might as well click some pics of myself before I rushed out for errands. ‘Rushed’ being the operative word here, since that should explain the quality of my pictures, shot awkwardly by posing in front of the mirror and trying to avoid the camera strap being visible.

I went for my go-to errand outfit – kurta with jeans.

My recently bought star necklace and my brown stole accessorise my upper body.

My trusted brown bag. I love, love this bag. You can see better pics of it here.

White Kurta: Westside

Blue Jeans: Wrangler

Brown Bag:Add Ons

Star Necklace: Westside

Brown Stole:Pantaloons

Watch:Gift (Fastrack)

Enough about me. Let’s talk about you guys now. How are all of you doing?? Those who are fasting, how has it been so far?? My top tip: nothing beats Oats for Suhoor.

Are you guys watching the Olympics?? Our TV was out of service for two weeks, and is back now, it’s insides all operated upon. So I managed to watch Mary Kom win the Quarterfinal Boxing Match. You go, Mary!!!

Image Source: london2012

I’m not that into sports, so I just watch random events occasionally (and of course, all Indian participants :-)). Are you guys following any specific Olympic sport??

Personal, Ramadan

Journal Your Ramadan - Days 15 & 16

10:11:00 pm

So here we are in the second half of Ramadan, and the days seem to rush by now. This rush sort of abates during the last few days, when everyone starts counting down to Eid :-).

Day 15 – Sunrise

Like I mentioned here, I have sort of cheated and done the original Day 15 prompt, Sunset, on Day 1. So here I do Day 1’s prompt.

That is actually the moon, even though the picture was taken at sunrise. The moon does play quite a starring role during this month!

Day 16 – What are you reading

I’ve got onto the Hunger Games wagon recently and now that I’ve finished the first and second books, I can’t wait to get my hands on the third. If you’ve read these books, you know how the author has left the reader hanging by the end of ‘Catching Fire’ :-). Can’t wait to find out what happens next!!

Personal, Ramadan

Journal Your Ramadan - Days 13 & 14

9:43:00 pm

Day 13 – Mother

This pic of my Mom and me was taken when I was about five, I guess. Of course, this picture has nothing to do with Ramadan, but when I saw this prompt in the list, I just felt like looking at some old photos. So my sister and I dug out the dusty old albums, and my Mom joined us. It was fun going through those old discolored snaps together, and I picked this one for the blog :-).

As far as Ramadan is concerned, my Mom is my signal for beginning Ramadan preparations. She’s the one who reminds me that it’s time to go Ramadan shopping; sends me a big load of frozen samosas, cutlets, spring rolls and the like; even checks on what I’m wearing for Eid (and I’m 30 :-)).

Day 14 – A for …

…Almonds.

Love these little gems. I put them in my muesli for Suhoor, and it lasts me wonderfully through the day. Blend them with some dates, milk and honey and I have a healthy, yummy drink to break my fast with. These are really a perfect food for fasting days.

Here is a pic I clicked when I woke up for Suhoor (about 4:35 AM). The moon was full and bright, and light was flooding into our bedroom. It was really magical and I couldn’t help but capture the moment.

Personal, Ramadan

Journal Your Ramadan - Days 11 & 12

7:00:00 pm

I guess Lazy Me has really liked the idea of combining two Ramadan Journal posts into one :-). Well, whatever works, right?? :-D

Day 11 – ‘Grocery Bill’

This is my grocery bill of the week. We already had a lot of stuff leftover from last week, so this week was light on the groceries. It did feel a wee bit weird, dumping groceries on the table, hunting for bill, then camera and immediately clicking a picture before I forgot :-).

Day 12 – ‘Prayer/Forgive’

This is a poster that has been with me a long time. I really like the words on it. It seems to cover any problem that you might have – past regrets, worries about the future or difficulty dealing with the present. Short, but succinct.

Links

Link List - July

12:11:00 pm

The link list has been missing for a while now, hasn’t it? So let’s not waste any more time and jump straight into it!!!

1. Imogen at Inside Out Style has a very useful post about choosing a necklace to work with your neckline. Honestly, she thinks of everything!!

2. Ever wanted really cool shots of yourself in your stylish outfits but don’t have a dedicated photographer? Elycia has some tips at Shrimp Salad Circus.

3. Alka from FreeBird points out the problems Munni and Chikni Chameli create regarding objectification of women.

4. If you’re the type who empties her wallet shopping for clothes and still has nothing to wear, J from J’s Everyday Fashion comes to the rescue.

5. For those times when we’re overwhelmed and don’t have time for anything – a great post about blog-life balance on IFB.

6. You’ve heard how To Do lists make life easy. Prerna guest posts at Work Your Way, about how a ‘Not-Do List’ can also help.

7. Sal at Already Pretty discusses what it means to wear clothes belonging to another culture.

8. Are you a Mom who’s going nuts with no time to rest? Intentional Homemaker has the solution.

9. Jenny from Babblings of a Mommy shares some nifty little tricks to tidy up your home and recycle at the same time.

10. Still struggling to find that elusive ‘personal style’. Allie at Wardrobe Oxygen has some very useful tips to lead you on the right path.

11. Finally, here’s a fun test for you to do. How well do you think you identify shades of colors?? No more guessing with this Online Color Challenge at x-rite.

So how did you find this month’s links?? And how did you score in the color challenge test? Let me know in the comments!!

Food, Ramadan

Journal Your Ramadan – Days 9 & 10

10:27:00 pm

Today we complete the first third of Ramadan. It’s been okay so far by God’s grace and I hope it stays that way.

Day 9’s prompt was ‘Love’. Here is what I’m loving right now:

I can’t really think of anything more refreshing than lime juice to break a long weary day’s fast. Of course, this differs from person to person, but for me, lime juice is my love. No soda or salt, just lime, cold water and sugar. Blissss!!!!!!!

And for Day 10 – ‘Dish of the day’. On the menu today was Wholewheat Naan and Healthy Butter Chicken.

The Naan is an amalgamation of my Mom’s and my recipes, and the chicken recipe is from here.

It feels real good to take food photos in Ramadan, I wonder why :-). Anyway, 10 days of Ramadan Journalling are successfully done!!

Personal, Ramadan

Journal Your Ramadan - Days 7 & 8

9:34:00 pm

Lazy me has combined yesterday’s and today’s Ramadan Journal prompts into one post :-).

Day 7 - ‘You are grateful for…..’

I’m grateful for Automated Adhan Systems such as this clock. Also for smartphone adhan apps. Not all areas have mosques and that’s where these softwares and apps come to the rescue. This clock tells you the current time and date as well as when to expect the next prayer. And of course, when that time comes, it gives the call to prayer. Especially significant during Ramadan.