Fashion Inspiration

I never really put a label on myself, as who do i look for as an inspiration when dressing up. Ive always thought im a little more to Rihanna side, but after much research, i found that im more to a Sarah Jessica Parker.
Pictures speak a thousand words.
Leggo.

Definitely a boho chic.
I really do not mind walking on the streets in this outfit.
I love this outfit.

Of course, im also one of the boys.
But with a little on the feminine side.
And this outfit says it all. Love.

And on rainy days like we are having now, i will definitely put this on.
Leather boots and leather jacket.
Leather up babes.

Lastly, every girl wants her own white wedding dress.
This is mine. Period.

"Heat" is coming

Ramadhan. In Arabic, literally means the hot month.
"If you think Singapore is hot already, boy you should be in Syria during the fasting month," quoted by Ustadz Fizar Zainal, Education Manager Masjid Al Iman.
Speaking at an event organized by SyababSG, mainly targeted to our younger generation, the Terawih Cup was held at Masjid Sultan in conjunction of welcoming the month of Ramadhan which is around the corner with its main goal in mind; to help prepare our youths for this 'quest' or 'journey' to match with their ever so busy lifestyles as a student or even working aduts.

Ustadz Fizar defined Ramadhan as a "Summer Institute". Just like a normal institute, you need classes, teachers, mentoring, remedials, mock exams and of course finally the real exam itself. The human body needs time to adjust when one is fasting, therefore in the month of Syaaban or more so during Nisfu Syaaban, Muslims are encouraged to fast. It is also to commemorate Nisfu Syaaban, where
"It is the special night of seeking forgiveness and repenting to Allah, remembering past sins and sincerely settling the mind that one will never commit sins in the future. All the deeds that are against Shari’ah must be totally avoided so that our Du’a and Istighfaar, hopefully, will be accepted." - Wikipedia.

Ustadz Fizar also shared to his young audience why do Muslims need to fast.
For 3 simple reasons:
1) "Laallakoom Tattaqoon.
As it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.
2) Laallakoom Tashkuruun.
Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for your hardship and wants for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for which He has guided you and perhaps you will be grateful.
3) Sin Eliminator.
"Whoever prayed at night out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah then all his previous sins will be forgiven." - Abu Huraira."
He then posted a question which left many several doubtful faces in the audience,
"Is fasting special for Muslims?"
Many nods and uncertain "yes, it is,..." were heard from the audience.
And Ustadz Fizar simply answered,
"No, fasting is not special for us. Other religion fasts as well. Christian, Hindus, etc. So fasting is not special, our solat is,"
and then there was an outburst of "ahhhhhhs" from the audience in enlightenment.

So how do we maintain our daily routine while fasting? Just like a battery, we need to 'charge' our body in order to carry on with our daily routine while fasting.
Ustadz Fizar gave us 3 keys to keep in mind of: 
1)Physical Recharge - to purify the body.
This means to get rid or to stop bad eating habits such as eating fast food, smoking, etc.
2)Mental Recharge - to discipline the mind.
With our body purified, now comes the mental challenge to remain purified. Challenges such as the urge to smoke, time to eat and lowered gaze will be easily overcome when we achieved a purified body state.
3)Spiritual Recharge
Now this stage is the most difficult. Spiritual Recharge can only be achieve through practices of patience, perseverance, prayers, ibadah, etc. This is what keeps us close to Allah.

He also cautioned the member of the audience of the challenges from within that one will face. As they say, during the month of Ramadhan, all the Syaitans are tied up; so why are there still wrongdoings occurring in this holy month?
Hence, he explained to us that it is the forces of Iman, Taqwa and Ihsan playing a huge role for this to occur.
Iman - is the remembrance of Allah; where is He in our heart? And the constant "what will Allah say?" before doing a certain action.
Taqwa - the fear of Allah. This fear is nothing but the conscious mind thinking of wanting to do good deeds so as to be placed with whom Allah love.
Ihsan - the absence of sympathy/ insensitivity. This Ustadz Fizar explained with an example.
"Its almost break fast and you have a Ramli Burger, chicken murtabak, air katira and nasi pattaya. And there is a guy sitting next to you and he can only afford a loaf of bread or even a glass of water. And you do not even care about that guy. Now that is absence of ihsan."

To sum up his speech, Ustadz Fizar gave us 6 tips for us to make full use of during the Ramadhan.
1) Do not see what displeases Allah.
2) Do not speak of what displeases Allah.
Always chant "I am fasting, i am fasting" to remind ourselves to not speak ill.
3) Do not hear of what displeases Allah.
4) Do not do of what displeases Allah.
5) Avoid overeating.
6) Look to Allah with fear and hope.


"Dating in the month of Ramadhan is allowed. Date with who? With Allah, Quran, terawih and Lailatulqadar," said Ustadz Fizar as he ended his speech.

Now that is a lot of tips and reminders for us to take note of. In Islam i believe, it is never difficult. Islam is easy; easy to understand, easy to do. If you do not know, ask. If you do not understand, seek knowledge. So friends, let us prepare ourselves with the challenges that we might meet in Ramadhan and let us use it wisely by performing terawih and reading of the Quran. And hopefully our deeds performed will be accepted by the Al-Mighty, Insyallah.

Source - Terawih Cup, SyababSG

Lauched and away

I have just 'launched' out my new blog dedicated for my DIY sessions. So most probably any DIY sessions that i will be having in the future will be updated there. Im nervous excited because i really hope people would atleast visit that blog. I have put in so much effort to find out about advertisements and whatnots these famous bloggers does. Because personally i have been keeping a private profile of having a blog because its an alternative platform of ranting that i can turn to. So with this other blog, i hope it will have a great turnout. That friends, strangers, would visit to have inspiration or be inspired by my works. Of course i still have alot more to learn and improve. Like for instance the way i blog about the session. I need to start taking pictures of every step. Lets see how it goes. More pictures means more. Thats what ive learnt. I mean im only glued to the words if it has an interesting title. There you go, ive learnt something new again. Fret not, you can visit it at http://sparkledinspiration.blogspot.sg
With love.

Rantsss

Goodbye June. Hello July.

This year June was the worst June i ever experienced. I will remember 2012 June forever.
A month engulfed with disappointments and anger.

Despite the fact i get to spend my birthday overseas, it did not turn out that well.
One, it was my uncle who initiated the 'pizza-cake'.
Two, my dad was in his room while everyone was in my grandmother's because she was sick. Obviously he had no clue about the 'sing a birthday song for azi night'.
Three, i was 'bullied' on my birthday; which of course nobody cared because they already 'celebrated' the night before with the pizza. I cried hours before it ended.
Four,... im just too disappointed to write it down because ... well just because.

So from this month on, i made a vow to myself; that i will never celebrate anyone's birthday anymore. I owe it to myself the very least. The fact that i went all out for other people's birthday only to be treated as such. No more. Thank you God for showing me; that only You matter on this Earth and the very purpose of me existing here is to do deed to You. I am grateful that i am lucky enough to be able to go on a trip even though i just started working. I am grateful i have such a united family. I am grateful i have such wonderful friends. I am grateful to You for showing me this light that they do not care about me other that You. So thank you.

If you're wondering why im such in a pissing mood, this is why. Its been bottling up inside for a while and im just waiting for June to end so that i can rant this out. Because time will never go back and no one can ever make this up. No one.
I so glad i am a person who can is comfortable in her own skin and go anywhere or do anything alone. I so glad i bought stuff for myself. I am so glad about everything that i did despite the fact that its not sensible of me to do so. I am so glad i have this blog to convey my feelings to.
I am glad.

Common intention.

They came in all shapes and sizes, colors and patterns. But all with a common intention. Some may say its a responsibility, a must. And some will say its because of love. For me, i belong to the latter. I found peace in my suffering, light in my darkness, a shelter in the thunderstorm. Sometimes i feel like a kid getting candy, or having to witness a rainbow after the rain when my doa are answered. And at that very moment i knew He will always be there for me; even when i forget Him, MasyAllah. He never forgets.

Fashion Sense

Im not sure if any of you have read this, but it is such a shock for me. Ive always though that Singapore is such a fashion centered country, i wouldnt think anyone would pose negative comments of how we dress here in Singapore.

As quoted from designer Roland Mouret during his visit here in May,
"You have an amazing balance between architecture and greenery. I think it's one of the most beautiful cities, I've been travelling and I really love it - but the flip flops and the cargo pants."
He said this after seeing instances of men in cargo pants and flip flops in hotels. He also mentioned that the government should impose a law for such fashion 'disasters'.
Can i love this man and hate him at the same time? Singapore is so humid, therefore the cargo pants. But i personally flip flops in town, i would say il have my moods for them as well. Usually they will be for the beach or lazy days outside of town. I mean of course we have our own fashion extremists out there, i would say they add flavour to our quite conservative Singaporean. With the many races, cultures and religion, we ought to be mindful of everyone. 

He also added,
"Tomorrow, if the worst catastrophe arrived in front of our door, we would never go out naked to look at it. That's the reality of fashion, we're covering our face with our clothes and we're creating a way to talk with our clothes."
Wow. Salutes to you mister. I would never have express fashion in such a way. To be able to create something out of nothing is such an amazing feeling.

So lets us all be engulf in fashion, its nothing wrong in having to look good. But be tactful, with the Great Singapore Sale going on we all tend to fall for those 'cheap' prices.
Il leave you with a quote from Roland Mouret,
"I realize that in Singapore there is a love of shopping and fashion. It's a place where it's perfect for that. You have the weather, you wake up in the morning, if you don't shop, it's because you want to kill yourself."

TGIFF!!
Everyone at work is already in the weekend mood that no one is in their workstation. Must be sneaking for a shut eye somewhere. So here i am! Shhhhh

Well ive just been bloghopping and found awesome new bloggers to follow. For instance, June Paski. She is a great stylist who sometimes sew her own clothes (like me!). Im so inspired so i kept on reading her blog and found out that she has her own hand-made shoeline called June+Julia. I AM SO IN LOVE WITH HER SHOES!!! So trendy and just simply gorgeous. Oh, did i mention that she's a gorgeous girl too? Well she is! Check her out!

So reading on, i came across one of her entries about Ugg Boots. Ah! I love this comfort boots! What else is there to say about them?? I had one myself but they are so old and worn out i had to throw them out!! Although ive been said i look stupid in them especially here in Singapore or look like a farmer in them, who cares! For someone who loves comfort in my outfit, these pair of footwear is definitely a keeper! I look so great in them! Look!

So please Ugg Boots! I WOULD LOVE TO WIN A PAIR! THANK YOU!!!

  

To be Given

Little did i know that putting on this piece of cloth would mean putting an end to certain things, cutting off certain ties that i havent had the heart of doing so and activities that ive always considered them as old bad habits of mine. At first i growled and become mad at myself for making this change. Acceptance was far and bleak. But Alhamdullilah, thanks to the Al-Mighty, i prayed to be given patience to this small-hearted being, water to diminish fire from within and a stronger iman in which im sure He has plans for me in the future. I prayed to be given opportunities to constantly seek knowledge, to open up my heart to better receive criticism and be closer to Him; all in all i prayed to be a better person than i am everyday.
Needless to say, at times i fail. No one was created perfect except for Him. And so i prayed to seek forgiveness and to be far away from evil deeds and wrongdoings.
Notice how many times i asked Him for something? He gave, but what have we given Him?

An encounter

It was my first time there. I was not that familiar with the place so i did what every newcomer would do, blend in and follow. But what do you do if there is not a single soul to follow? Explore the damn place, fast.
So i did my deed (in the corner of the room) and quickly recompose myself while letting my eyes to the exploring. Loud murmurs from the outside surrounding filled the partially enclosed area. As i got up ready to leave the place, my feet took me to another direction; the mirror. Unexplained, i adjusted my hijab and a lady entered. We exchanged smiles and i thought that was the end of our encounter. She stood next to me and offered a hand. Respectfully i returned her a hand and said, "Waalaikumsalam," As our hands separate, my eyes gazed down unintentionally. I saw that she has only one arm. I looked up and saw her smiling at me, and i smiled back at her. I went back to adjusting my hijab and she got herself ready to do her deed.

March Bargains

Hello! Long time no see. Well, yeah. Im actually having DinaToki-o's accent in my head right now as i type. So if you do not know who she is, you can look her up at Youtube search engine for Dina Toki-o. She is such an inspiration. I think ive talked about her in my previous entries. I think i did, didnt i? hmmmmm...

Anyway, news update first. IVE GOT A NEW JOB! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Estatic as i am really, its all the way up in the west side of the island. Im quite lucky i start a little bit later. But hey, SMRT has been such a bitch if you know what i mean and i really do not want to be caught in the maddddd rush in the mornings, which really i cant run away from. (this is so annoying, imma switch back to Azirah mode yeah. teehee)
So, im think im going to take my license and pass them as soon as i can. Not that i have a car or anything. No one is supportive of me taking a bike license (pfffttttt....) which costs way lesser and i can actually afford to buy a bike by the time i start working and stuff. We'll see how things go yeah...

Right, so i apologise for the lack of update. My creative juice hasnt been really working, I havent been up with my DIY project for such a long time. Im not going to force it. Let inspiration come on its on yeah :)

So since i do not have any project updates, i shall update you on my buys for the month?
If you must know, i am such a "cheap thrill shopper". There you go. Ive created a new word. So those who feel they belong in this category, please try to beat me. Huhu.
So far the only person that beat me is my super annoying one third of my Charmed Ones is none other than Liyana Fairuz. Shall not put her full name. She'll probably kill me.

So i got these 2 shirts at Bugis Street; my hood (lol...). Oh, if you havent been to Bugis Street, they have opened up a new section and a new floor! So now there's 3 floors instead of 2! Its bigger and yes, allows you to roam around more therefore makes you spend more, yes? How clever are they huh?
In my opinion, Bugis Street is one of the many cheap thrills that you can get in SG. My other favourite place is Far East Plaza in Orchard Road.
I totally forgot the name of this shop. Its located at the new section on the 3rd floor of Bugis Street. They sell all kinds of shirts; denim, vintage, short and long sleeves. They even have flannel shirts for men. I loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee this shop. I got them at 2 for $30. It was such a bargain! Love it!

Another bargain i got is not based on impulse. More of a need because the shirt i was wearing was totally soiled from work and i had to change into something else. So i got these t-shirts at 2 for $10!!! Need i say more? Loveeeeeeeeeeeee it! And the fabric is so awesome, both are now my new favourite t-shirts! 

Glitter-fied!

Apologies for not updating as frequent! I know i was suppose to update you(whoever that is reading this) on my weekly DIY creations last week, but i didnt have the time as my work schedule was jammed pack! So here goes!

Last week DIY creation was something i picked up from one of the videos from Youtube. I loveeeeeeeee glitter/sequins shoes so i decided to make one myself! I had a pair of unworn heels; bought it because my knee-high leather boots was wearing off and my date forced me to replace them(boohoo!!).
Its an easy DIY session i must say; its just glue and glitter. But its requires much patience and organizational skill to make it look really nice!
Here goes! Sorry didnt model them heels, no time! :)

Let's Fika!

Hello lovelies! Its the weekends! YEAYYY!!
But im actually home updating my blog when i should be out!! What is fucking wrong with my like seriously!

Oh wells, since im here might just update my entire week of the March Holidays for those who are schooling. TOO BAD SCHOOL STARTS NEXT WEEK! IN YOUR FACE GODDAMMNIT!! HAHAH!
Ive been privileged enough to spend time with the Charmed Ones in the beginning of the week. They were so sweet to squeeze me into their busy schedule. Hehe! We went to my 'hood', Arab St, and had dinner at Fika. Awesome atmosphere with awesome company. What more do you need eyy? We all learnt something new that night. Fika means to have coffee, or to take a break. So the next time you want to have a starbucks, use Fika instead! Its an awesome ice-breaker dont you think? I think it is.

The Charmed Ones

Ive finally stepped up my sewing skills (YEAYY!!) yesterday. And while sewing up my DIY Tribal Vest, i managed to squeeze in another DIY project; Summer Top made from a shawl. This i have to thank Dinao Toki-o for her tutorial online but i made some minor adjustments since my shawl was not that big unlike hers. THANKS DINA!
What ya think?

Summer Top

Season of Red

Ola! Its 1:15am 10th of March 2012. Im wide awake. Thanks to the Mr.TehTarik i had earlier from lepak(chill out) session with my 2 favourite boys, Nash and Nas. Literally they are my favourites because i can shut my mouth without the pressure to speak when im with them. Love it.

Anyway just so you know, ive been sending out resumes in hopes for a new fulltime job. I havent been successful and im wondering whats wrong. I hope one comes in soon, Insyallah. And i also do hope that its something i enjoy doing. I have an offer though.

Its an arts company, CreativeHalo. They do projects for schools such as Clay Illustration, Sand Animation, Scrapbook Making, Digital Photography and etc; they offered me a 5-months contract before becoming a permanent with them. This is basically because i have no arts background. From there they will access me and see if im 'worthy' to be in their team. Im thankful, but im having second thoughts on this mainly because im not confident i can do it. Therefore, searching for alternatives. Insyallah.

So this week's creative project i did; a vest! Recycled from a dress which was too big for me(only bought it because it was a bargain,hehe). It has lovely tribal patterns and striking colors. Love it. For a first try in making a vest, i would give myself a 5/10 mainly due to my sewing techniques. Yes, still suck at it. But im much more confident with the cutting; its really nerve-wrecking to cut out a piece of garment because once you cut,THERES NO TURNING BACK!!
Well, what ya think? =)

Fashionly Inspired

Okay, so there was a crazy massive Cotton On Sale in the north part of the island. So as broke as we were, bestfriend and i still managed to get something out of it. Its awesome to be girls, well sometimes. One of the Charmed Ones was stuck at work so being the true ultimate bitch that we are, we decided to send pictures to make her jealous. "We, girls just wanna have fun!" as we females always say.

Been up to nothing most of the time so Youtube and Twitter has become my favourite company. Fashionly inspired (im not sure if thats an actual word) ive been trying to make my own. So far ive managed to design 2 dresses and im very much proud of. Frankly i need to brush up on my sewing skills on the machine. My hand sewing is fab-o-lous. #justsaying.

Ive also been stalking awesome names on Facebook and Youtube like Hana Tajima and Dina Tokio. They are amazing designers and stylist. And their hijab style, just Masyallah. Beautiful women indeed. Im so inspired i decided to try them on myself! Check it out!

Dina Tokio

Hana Tajima

This is my latest DIY item. Its called a 'scrunchie'. Hijabis wear them in their hair to create this volumised effect which you can mostly see on women in the eastern part of the world. There are varied response to this look but personally i like it alot. Dina Tokio is one of the example of those women with this look. Just Masyallah, beautiful.

Scrunchie - Selling at $2!

Dina Tokio

Jan Feb Photo Diary

So i celebrated a few January birthdays. I must say its quite a handful. The fact my dad made such a big fuss because of my absence at home during the weekends.
January was bitter sweet. February was just well... bitter. Therefore the haircut. Which i really love despite the fact it was wrongly cut by the hairdresser. And now i cant wait for it t grow!!!

I was on my normal TV routine having the house to myself whilst everyone is at work and i came across this.



A reminder from the past; how much love one can feel from another being by just simply being himself. What more can one ask for? And if thats not enough, then i guess its just not for you.

Tell me actions speak louder

But there's something about her words that hurt

Closing up and it's so late and

I'm the last one still waiting for you to lock the door

On our way home, I realize

There's some kind of storm

Brewing in his eyes

Only veiled by a thin disguise

Now that I've done my time

I need to move on and I need you to try

'Cause we're out of goodbyes

We're out of goodbyes, out of goodbyes

Never asked you to change

But sadly you don't feel the same about me

I wonder does your man still shudder

When you touch his hand like this man

And on our way home I realize

There's some kind of storm

Brewing in his eyes

Only veiled by a thin disguise

Now that I've done my time

I need to move on and I need you to try

'Cause we're out of goodbyes

(Out of goodbyes)

We're out of goodbyes

(Out of goodbyes)

We're out of goodbyes

(We're out of goodbyes)

A little less.

I miss being able to do this whenever i want in public without having to be stared at or just me thinking ive let down the entire female Muslims and our beliefs. Im not complaining about the fact the hijab restricts me from how i am, i just miss being able to be well... me. I admit i am much of an ang moh-minded person in my pious family. But my parents have taught me well and impaired me with the knowledge of my origins that is of a Muslim. Hence, i will always feel a sense of guilt and consciousness in my actions and what the consequences it will have for me, religiously. Nevertheless, i still cannot help but feel a little less of me since ive been hijabified.