Month: August 2016

My accidental no make-up day

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The morning of the fateful day was a hectic one for me. In fact, any day that I need to leave the house by a set time in the morning is busy. Trying to feed two girls under 5 and myself, dressing us all to look presentable to the world, packing bags with nappies and spare clothes, locating shoes, debating whether it’s “dress day” or “pants day” with my eldest, deciding which toy to take with us and so on and so forth. That morning though I needed to be out of the house by latest 10:30am and somehow do all of the above whilst cooking a meal for a friend who had recently had an operation. I managed to get it all done on the condition that my personal grooming time was as minimal as possible. BUT, the only clean and comfortable shirt I had needed to be ironed. An extra 5 minutes went to that. Then I couldn’t find Z’s (my younger daughter) shoes. 5 more minutes was wasted. Basically it was 10:35am …

Great kid’s book

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There are a plethora of kid’s books out there, though not all are equal. Here on The Modest Life we’ll be sharing our favourites for children (and adults as well), in terms of educational value, pure enjoyment, endearing qualities and beautiful illustrations. Our first book in the series fulfils all of the above criteria and more. Written by T. J Winter (otherwise known as Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad) and illustrated beautifully in a style that is rare these days by Anne Yvonne Gilbert, this ‘Book of Rhymes’ is an incredible collection of seemingly nonsensical, humorous, moral and didactic rhymes and stories.  There are rhymes that instruct children on vices that they should watch out for, such as greed and disobedience while simultaneously providing inspiration, relief and guidance. As it is in a nursery rhyme form, the lyrical quality of each rhyme is guaranteed to be met with enjoyment by younger children, and be memorised by older children. Reading it with my eldest has been very effective, as we discuss the meaning and lesson of each …

Best on the Net

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I cannot believe that we are in the last few days of August, and that September is just around the corner. How did we approach the end of the year already?! It is simply incredible how fast time is flying. Here are some of our favourite links from around the web this week: A photographer captures breathtaking photos of the milky way mirrored on the world’s largest salt flat. Speaking of time, and photos, here are 15 photos that show how our planet is changing.  I saw this video just before I went on holiday overseas, and I promise I made a conscious effort to get in those photos. There is hope after all… the burkini ban is overturned. My favourite cake baker made the most extraordinary wedding cake this weekend. Profound reminder on parenting by Ustadh Amjad Tarsin. The best advice for homeschooling parents. 

Rosa, Meet Siam

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Written by Sevgi Yildiz.  At approximately 6pm on the evening of Thursday, December 15 1955 in the heat of American racial segregation, a woman by the name of Rosa Parks finished her shift at work, paid her bus fare and sat in the first row of the allocated ‘coloured’ section of her bus. When the white section filled up however, the White bus driver (whom Rosa had experienced friction with in the past) moved the detachable ‘coloured’ section sign behind Rosa’s seat and asked all four occupants of that row to move. Three of the coloured passengers moved, Rosa, bless her heart, did not. Her refusal to vacate her seat for a white passenger and defy a 55 year old law, a law older than herself by 13 years, a law she was born into and had been her norm her whole life, a law she didn’t know better than, made her one of the most crucial figures of the civil rights movement thereafter. Years later in an interview, she said “When that white driver …

The floral print jacket

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With Spring around the corner here in Sydney, what more groundbreaking way (yes, this is sarcasm) to step into the season than with floral prints, in the form of a jacket of course, rather than a maxi dress or skirt. Seriously though, I’m loving these stylings of the floral jacket and can’t wait to try out my own pairing in the upcoming season… *click images for source. Featured image via Zara.

Reflections

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I have always been insecure about my appearance. Being of Uyghur/Uzbek descent, culturally Turkic groups located in Central Asia wedged between China and Russia, my features are decidedly ‘Asian’. I carry my ethnicity on my face, for all the world to see, to puzzle over, or to label prematurely, ignorantly. I grew up in the 90s and early 2000s. The stock standard ideal of beauty was colored, wide eyes framed with long lashes, luscious hair and perfect skin. We idolized Britney Spears in her early, innocent, breakthrough years, the Spice Girls, Disney Princesses and Barbie was the doll of choice. Diversity was not really there. Growing up in an Anglo society I was surrounded by people who mirrored the idols we looked up to. All green and blue shades of wide eyes, set in white skin. I have small brown eyes, with even smaller eye-lids, two front teeth that jut out slightly, beauty spots dust my face. My excruciatingly shy self coupled with crushing insecurities and a need for approval by friends was a formula …

Best on the Net

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Hi all! Here is today’s Best On The Net. From beautiful things coming out of very difficult situations to a book that teaches your little one (or you) ‘how to code,’ and something musical too. Enjoy <3 1. Strangers at Home: Uyghurs in the land of the Hui “However, Fatima and Mohammad reflected a new kind of story, one that I hadn’t been familiar with before my journey to China. They showed me a life of a middle class, Chinese family whose home was not free and whose freedom of worship was restricted. And while they found home in their faith, because of their (Uyghur) ethnicity their faith didn’t find home where they live.”   2. The Secret Food of Afghanistan  “She hopes that this book will help change perceptions of the villages, towns and cities of Tajikistan and Afghanistan, focussing instead on the many cultural riches – and delicious dishes – to be found.”   3. Rio 2016: First ever refugee team ‘have already won’ “I’m very proud to be here,” Rami said.   “But I feel a bit of sadness that …