G’bye!

It was nice knowing you 2010, and thanks for leaving as fast as you came. It’s pretty odd when you realize it’s the end of a freakin decade. I was only 12 in 2010, and if somebody told me that I’d pretty much kill the next years, I think I would been devastated, especially since I did visit the most amazing place in the world, and that really should have changed me for the better. That may be why it’s good that we don’t know the future and maybe it could help to forget the past in some instances.

I used to be pretty chilled about money related stuff. I don’t spend too much anyway, and it doesn’t take much effort for me to limit my spending to chocolate and the occasional lip gloss.  (Although the hat in Wal-Mart could cause me to splurge.) Then I woke up one day and somehow noticed: my parents aren’t young anymore.  Jee whiz, what a genius.  So, I spent most days this year wondering, what the heck am I goin to do with my life if all my plans don’t fall through?  I don’t have an answer yet.  We’ll just live it one day at a time but try not to chill too much.

My mother’s method of course is the opposite.  She definitely does not chill.  Her perseverance never ceases to amaze me.  Even when it lands me up in a 36 hour road trip through the canyons, rockies, and sprawling mid-West.  The road trip was amazing, and since we never travel just for the heck of it, at least we had the excuse to make the road trip.  We hated it in the moment, but at least looking back, I am grateful.  What is more surreal is that we literally fled from there, and following us was the heavy clouds.  The hail stones hit in the colorful state, but we tuned in later to find out that Allah really saved us from a scary flood in Dorothy’s land.

With a state in a crappy budget, never take 50 cents for granted.  Yes, the library will make a block on your account and prevent you from signing up classes.  But I did learn to cook as a result.  And made a lot of soy milk.  What could be more fun?!  (I am not being sarcastic.  Soy milk vs. Statistics, you do the math.  Haha. Ha. H..a..)  Stuff happens, and much worse than this has happened, so no regrets.

Eid was cool this year.  Both of ’em.  Eid al Fitr was the only Eid I ever had alone with just my parents.  It was weird, but fun.   Eid al Adha was the only Eid I ever had that many sweets.  It took a month to finish.  But it was awesome.  At least we make it different every year.

Dear Neighbor…

…please shut your stupid car alarm off.  It shut off once, and I got happy, then it started up again.  Then it shut off again, and I got happy again.  Then it went off again and then when it shut off, I’m anxiously waiting for it to start up again.  And you know what?  It did!  Stupid conditioning experiment.

Oh my.  I wrote those words out, and he/she actually shut the stupid car alarm off!  I think this is a sign that I must blog more.

Everything Wet

We shall forever have good memories of you.  Rest in peace lil tree.Mmm…the wet earth smells so nice.

The Rain Stopped…

…just long enough for me to take this picture.

Cuz Muzlims Also Believe In….

2011’s Goin To Be Awesome

Only a day and then this year is completely history.  Pretty fun year, but really it was also a crummy year.   There’s nothing worse then having time and wasting it.  I would most probably cry, but that’s just also a waste of time.  So I’ll just blog.  I’ve got some plans for 2011, only one of which I will reveal, and if I so complete the others, I’ll reveal it in exactly one year.  Maybe as the year goes, you’ll be able to figure out what my goals were. [I also think it is important to mention, the name of the color of the font I’m using is called cranberry jello. I just saw that, and it made me giggle. Damn, I am stupid.]

I was watching this amazing video the other day.  You most probably heard/watched it already, but here it is.  A poem on Jannah read out by brother Ammar, and if I read correctly it is based on a poem by Imaam ash Shafi’ee (Rahimahullah).  It is beautiful, and touching.  And least importantly, it’s made using kinetic typography.

So, yes, one of my goals this year?  Get a few headaches as I wander down the confusing road of learning kinetic typography.  This could very well backfire and I won’t work this whole thing out, but if there’s anything Obama taught me it is: Yes we can!  (But heck, really…should we?!)

I’m a picky eater

My mother makes the most terrifical pumpkin and rice.  It really truly rocks.  When I was a kid, I once told her if she made it every day, I’d never get bored of it.  That still remains the case.  Same goes for pasta and doughnuts with milk.  That’s quite a variety there, in my books.  Apparently, I’m very much into starches, and I’d like to think I’m not a very stiff person, but who knows…

Although I don’t really hate any specific food, excluding pork but it’s pretty obvious why I’m averse to that, there are very few things I can’t stand to put in my mouth.  And when they do land up in my mouth, like a larger than life, slithery slice of cooked onion, I will go wide-eyed and then proceed to grab a glass of grape juice to wipe that taste out of my memory.  I will also poke around my plate ensuring that such a horrific occurrence does not repeat itself.  I don’t care if it means I’ll be at the dinner table longer than everybody else, the onion was simply not meant to be eaten.  But I don’t hate it.

There are some foods that are just too bland for my liking, and though are not bad, they just aren’t likeable enough. Like eggplant.  I attempted it once, almost eleven years ago from a street vendor in a foreign country, in the city of my dreams.  Although I forgot the taste, I know I wasn’t impressed, and if the city of my dreams couldn’t alter my perception then I guess nothing will.   The same would go for tofu.  It’s great for non-meat eaters, but I eat meat, so why oh why would I eat a bean cheese?  Meat is meat, cheese is cheese.  When I want them together, I make a cheeseburger.  Duh! 😉

The only thing I have never eaten, thankfully, and never want to try is sushi.  I’m not particularly into fish as it is, but I will eat it for all it’s fishy goodness, but the idea of raw fish just has me at a loss for words. Literally. I sat here for five minutes thinking about I could put into words what I feel about raw fish, and I just can’t.

But at least I have my pumpy umpy umpkin, and that’s all that matters at the end of the day.

Red n Brown Rock

Craving: Doughnuts

I’m not sure how it happened, but somehow I landed up on the Krispy Kreme website.  It’s the holiday season, and it’s to be expected that they have a doughnut to fit the holidays.  Chocolate cake doughnuts!  My grandmother makes wonderful cake doughnuts, and my sister too, but add chocolate in the mix and that’s just brilliant!  Naturally, I was nervous it would not turn out, mustered up the courage after a week and just did it!  It was overall pretty easy, but the frying got me.  Note to myself for the future: make sure the oil is just the right temperature so the doughnuts can blow nicely and cook through rather than having it cook quickly and potentially slightly burn!  A duh moment, and my mother saved the night.  Live and learn. 😉

Ingredients
10 oz all-purpose flour
4 oz unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp butter, melted
6 to 8 cups vegetable oil for frying

In a bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, buttermilk, and melted butter to blend. Stir into dry ingredients until well blended.

Chill until cold, at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours.

Scrape dough onto a generously floured surface. With floured hands, pat dough out to about 1/2 inch thick. With a 3-inch doughnut cutter, cut out doughnuts. Pat together scraps of dough and cut again. (Alternately, shape dough into ropes about 5 inches long and 1/2 inch thick; join rope ends to form doughnuts.)

Place doughnuts on a well-floured baking sheet. Meanwhile, fill an electric deep-fryer to the fill line or pour about 4 inches of oil into a 5- to 6-quart pan; heat to 375F (190C). Place one doughnut at a time onto a wide spatula and gently slide into oil, frying up to three at a time. Cook, turning once, until puffy and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes total (to check timing, cut first one to test). With a slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts to paper towels to drain. Repeat to fry remaining doughnuts.

When cool enough to handle, dip the top half of each doughnut in warm mocha glaze or dip completely in sugar glaze. Cool on cookie rack. Let stand until glaze is set, about 5 minutes.

Yield: 26 (approximately)

Not perfect, but still love mine better than Krispy Kreme.

Just because I’m 22…

…doesn’t mean I have act it.  My cute slippers rock.