Moving...

Hey loyal readers,

Just a quick update to let you all know that I've been working on bigger, better things YAAAY :)

Unfortunately, I wont be updating this blog anymore. However, I will now be using my new blog as a platform of communication.

Here is a link to my new blog:

https://londontulahore.wordpress.com/

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/londontulahore/?hl=en

Thank you for the loyalty x

Updates...

So life has been a little quiet....

Firstly, a very very belated Ramadan Mubarak and Eid Mubarak.

Life has been busy and now wedding season is in full swing. Academic results are on the brink of being published and education is on the finishing line. There's plenty of photo's which need to be shared with you all, it's all a matter of transferring them on to my laptop. 

Ramadan has been warm and long. In the UK, the fasts lasted 19 hours eeek. Heatwaves were upon us and dehydration was seeping its way in, but Alhamdulillah :) we made it. Eid-ul-Fitr followed, with joyous celebrations and plenty of colourful outfits and a variety of fooooood. I'm sure the fodd wasn't enjoyed though as everyone was pretty much still in their Ramdan routine and couldn't eat too much. 

I will and I will, share a post soon of photos....it will hopefully make up for the long gap. I haven't forgotten all you loyal readers and I am ever so grateful to those who have e-mailed me to see if I'm well. I will reply to all your e-mails soon.

Until next time xoxo

Ooops I did it again...

Yeah, so I did it again *hides* I have been MIA for a while, well since July. A lot has gone on in these past few months. From sitting my final LLB exams and a quarter of my Maters exams to starting my Masters degree.

As you all know, well as I always complain about in each and every post, my Masters degree is very time consuming. I have the intention to carry on blogging but struggle to find the time to. I will make more time, I will.

I went away for three weeks in September to Pakistan. The holiday was ok-ish, I will write more detailed posts on it another time. What I loved, was the SHOPPING! What more could a girl ask for, other than lines and lines full of sparkly clothes and accessories. We also went wedding shopping and bought bridal outfits from Pakistan (although this wasn't the purpose of our visit). We have a family wedding in 12 days time :-o see I care about you all, I still made time to blog amid the wedding planning :-D

I will be sharing wedding photos, although I can't show much because of privacy issues. But, will make sure to show photos of features and outfits etc. A lot of planning has gone on, but from an unhappy family (with the brides decision) to a beautiful wedding in 12 days time god willing we have turned a leaf, hah.

Righto, I will carry on searching google for the last minute features. Until then cheerio.

P.s Look out for the Pakistan posts which will follow, as well as wedding posts.

The wanderer returns...

:) So I'm back. I am grateful for the e-mails showing your concerns and wishing me the best. I realise I have been MIA for a while now, around 7 months or so I believe. Let me give you a quick run through whats been stopping me form blogging.

I have just finished my 3rd year at Law school, that should explain it all. Life has been hectic for the past 7 months or so. Uni work has been piling up, as have assessments and exams. I have finally finished my exams and assessments for the year, and I'm awaiting results, Please keep me in your prayers. 

Between the last time I blogged up until now, Ramadan has also started...so...

Ramadan Mubarak

Ramadan is a blessed month for Muslims all around the world. During Ramadan, Muslims fast during the hours of sunrise. Here in the UK, fasts are 18 hours long. What awaits after the 29/30 days of fasting (depending on moon sighting) is EID!!! And after Eid, we're back to reality. It's bittersweet how Results day is a day after Eid. So yah, I wont be having a day of relaxing, rather it will be the day where nerves kick in. 

Although I have been missing for a while, I have still been taking snaps. So I will share snaps etc with you all pretty soon. I have lost the mo-jo to blog. BUT, I will do my utmost best to look for that mo-jo and keep it safe this time :-p

And a Happy New Year to all my lovely readers!

'Tis the season to be jolly' passed us in a flurry. There were many sparkles and glitters that joined us in joy. Although I don't celebrate Christmas I have been brought up to respect other religions and to respectfully enjoy special occasions. Yes, this is different from celebrating Christmas. During the work-up leading to Christmas there's plenty of shopping for sparkly things which will come in use during the year. Best of all, some may say, is the TV. The TV sometimes has more importance in my sisters life than I do. Thus, she has to buy a TV guide which will see her through Christmas and the New Year. Christmas day is usually a family day. There's the TV (ahem!) banter and best of all...food, to enjoy. We have a Christmas dinner on Christmas Day. In my neighborhood, there are a lot of people who celebrate Christmas as opposed to people of the same beliefs to myself. Therefore, we buy our neighbours presents and usually a tin of biscuits or chocolates etc, however we opted for something a little more creative this year.

I was asked to bake some cupcakes for a Christmas party, the party was for children. The children came from disruptive backgrounds and the party was for them to enjoy. Therefore, I opted to bake for them and bought them a cupcake stand. Other people volunteered to make the party bags and the local church was donating presents to them . The aim of the party was to make the children happy, so that they didn't feel left out. There were some of the traditional games and plenty of smiles. This is what I baked....

The day before the party, I was at uni and left shopping to the last minute, typical. So, during my break I went into town and shopped to my hearts content, not really, in the rain I must add. I bought a pretty cupcake stand which was decorated in gingerbread men and Santa Claus. I then went to Sainsbury's and filled my basket with baking goods. Then I remembered I needed to get back into the uni library, but there's a no food policy. So I loaded everything into my cotton book bag and in I snuck.  I went home for about 6pm and baked the night away :) I didn't go to the party in person as I had uni to go to. But, from what I heard the party was a good one. Kerching! The cupcakes were enjoyed and I was contacted with another 'order', however I had to turn it down as I had three formative assignments to do :(

As the cupcakes were a success, I decided to bake my neighbours some cupcakes this year. They were unique and pretty to gift. I made the same cupcakes as for the Christmas party, but opted for different boxes and added some sparkle. 

Again, the neighbours rung back to comment on how they were ever so grateful and how they were too pretty to eat :) So this Christmas was a success, heres to a good year and even better Christmas for 2014! 

Windyyyy

The clocks just turned to 9am, maybe some minutes past 9 by now. The wind is howling away and the gloomy weather makes we want to climb back in bed and close my eyes. But, I’m in the library. Yeah, I’m an early bird nowadays. It’s still ever so dark outside, and the wind has probably reached 90mph. I battled the wind and made my way in. Its called dedication, I need to be motivated to be dedicated. So I am armed with a fruit salad and pomegranate and blueberry juice. The windows, so called “double glazed” ones, are trembling as the wind hits them. To make matters worse I am sat at a computer near the window. So it gives the impression of shattering any second. Sirens are blaring as emergency services race to the rescue. The ring roads are full of chaos. Umbrellas are unable to take the force thus people would rather get wet. Yeah, it’s raining and its ever so windy. Too windy, rain can be dealt with, in moderation though. There’s no way to get rid of the wind.  A cyclist fell off his cycle this morning, he looked hurt. He didn’t actually fall but was blown off by the wind. Just imagine the chaos….

I walk over a bridge and past shrubs to reach uni, I usually bump into a squirrel or two in the uni gardens. Today I didn’t see any :( I wonder where they hide in such horrendous weather. They obviously have natural habitats, but the wind is ever so overwhelming. Trees and bushes have fallen, heck a cyclist fell. I try to get a glimpse of the view outside, but the landscape has disappeared amongst the fog and mist.

I shall write a more colourful post, sometime soon. I have some ideas lined up.

Cheerio till then :) x

A day in the life of...

It been a while…again. I haven’t had the time to write, nor have I had the time to take some snaps. I’ve been pretty busy lately and boring. So I thought I’d write you all a day in my life post.

My day begins at around 7pm, when the sun creeps in through the blinds in my bedroom. Other than the sun awakening me, my brother does as he scuttles around getting ready for work.  My mum can usually be heard encouraging him to hurry up. He sings in the morning and comes into my room, usually to just annoy me. I can’t sleep after that. I tend to check my phone on in my bed and sometimes browse the web.

I get up at around 7.30, by which time my brother has usually left the house. I make my way to the bathroom and the coldness of the tiles run through my body. I obviously pass the bathroom slippers, as that’s just like another chore. I then head back to my room, where I’m tempted by the warmth of my bed. I check the time and realise I’ve spent longer in the bathroom as intended. After slipping my contact lenses in I look for my hairbrush. I brush through my hair and decide what outfit I’ll be wearing. I have to do so ever so quietly though. And I can only use the light of the lamp because my sister is still sleeping, as its half term. I rush around and get dressed and then take out some unnecessary documents out of my files, I put my books into my cotton bag and head to the kitchen. I can hear the budgies chirping away in the background as I make myself some breakfast. I had a cup of coffee with toast this morning.

My elder brother wakes up at around 8ish, and has offered to drop me off to uni this morning. I have a professional conduct class at 9. The name of the class says it all, I have to be on time or the lecturer asks why I’ve kept my client waiting. Yeah, it’s to put into practice professional conduct. Which includes time keeping, something I’m generally good at. As I rush into uni I see that the campus is busy today, student helpers walk around in orange t-shirts “Student helpers” at the front and back. It dawns on me that it’s a university open day. I rush past the hurdles of people and make it to class just on time. Meanwhile my friend is rushing into class and texting me at the same time.

We sit through professional conduct for 2 hours. I check my e-mails which to my delight are about my next session; wills and probate. Wills and probate has been cancelled due to the open day. So I have a two hour break. I head to the library and work my socks off. It’s becoming a regular occurrence *sigh* I wait for my friends as I collect my printouts and watch the clock.

Finally, we head off into town for lunch. But I only have an hour before my seminar, I had to make do with a sandwich which wasn’t the best :( I hurry back to uni and attended my seminar. The tutor goes on about writing letters, but I spot the dirty windows. The windows took my mind off letter writing and seemed to amuse my friend.  Rather than amusement, I found them dirty in terms of hygiene. Like I said to my friend, they didn’t exactly make an effort to impress future student, since it was open day. I drafted out my letter, tutor exclaimed it was neat and how he loved neat work.

After the seminar, I headed to the library to get some work done. But here I am drafting a blogpost. So far this is today in my life…

Random antics

Evidently, my blogging has significantly decreased. Partly due to an undiagnosed disease called laziness. I drafted a few blogs, which I thought I would add photos to and then publish. But...I lost all the data on my phone before I could save it on cloud. I was devastated; my phone had an error during software updating. So, I was left with nothing on my phone. No friends or memories. All my birthday photos hadn't been saved on cloud yet either. I should write a post on my birthday antics, maybe I will.

Elsewhere, I have started my 3rd year at uni! Whoop, just another year to go after this. But, there’s a long journey until I graduate yet. My workload keeps me busy, to the extent where I'm doing a 9-5 stint in the library on my day off. Eid’s next week, so there’ll be a lot of prep to do for that on the weekend.

This Eid our plans are slightly different, we plan to go out in the evening. I think we’re improvising, no specific plans have yet been made or announced should I say.

Remember my post on Citizen Khan last year? The second series has started; the second episode should be aired tonight. But, I stick to my guns – my thoughts on the whole sitcom still stand the same as last year. Anyway, I’ll update you all as to what I got up to on Eid in due course. I am making no specific promises though :) x

Day 2

I know its a little late I just haven't had the motivation to blog. I've had a lot going on, some good stuff and some bad. But anyway, I'm here now...

Day 2, Day 2, Day 2....I had a sleep in for day 2 of Eid, some of it had to do with having a late night after the first day of Eid and also to do with the tiredness from the Eid prep we did the night before Eid. We left some prep to the last minute due to some unresolved decisions concerning the day on which Eid falls. We celebrated Eid on Friday, others celebrated it on Thursday. Thus, we managed to keep 30 fasts. Anyway, day 2 started off with a Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks :) then my grandma rung and wanted to spend the day at ours. So we didn't get up to much other than catching up on some family wedding films. And just generally spending time together, as you should on Eid. As I was having a laze about day, my outfit fitted my mood. I wore jeans and a long kurti from Janan. I just love all the beauties which Janan is sooo full of. I really need to write a post and share some of my recent buys.

 

I added a little sparkle to my clothes with a lime coloured bracelet, which fitted the occasion appropriately. Here's a snap of my outfit...

 

 The kurti is more or less plain aside from the border at the bottom and some embroidery to the neckline. I will post a better shot of the kurti on its own when I write up a blog on my recent buys.

In other news, preparation for our next Eid outifts is underway. Helping a friend prepare for her wedding has also kept me on my toes. I will share some nice photos of potential lenghas in due course.

*All the above images are property of Tutu's & Glitter, unless otherwise stated.

Eid :)

Taking a trip down memory lane, the memories I hold of Eid are all sparkles and dull of sweets. As a child that's all you need to put a smile on your face. However, Eid changes as you grow up. As some say it gets boring, you just dress up and sit around stuffing your face. However, I think its up to you change that perception. The excitement of Eid differs form being a child for obvious reasons. But for children Eid's associated with getting loads of "Eidi" (a fiver feels like loads when your 10)  buying sweets and still managing to get some change. I can remember being that child and running to the shop with my brothers in my fancy clothes and shoes.

 

My best friend text me at 5am, wishing me and the family Eid Mubarak. She wanted to be the first to wish me Eid Mubarak. Yeah we have that kind of relationship, we can call each other an idiot and tell each other right from wrong without taking offence. I replied to her text and fell back asleep. To be bombarded by more texts at 8am, which I didn't bother to read. My not being bothered-ness coming from having received the text I was expecting. But I was awoken by the usual hustling and bustling though, which is usually my mum trying to wake the guys up to get them ready for mosque. So I was in and out of sleep until my cousin didn't stop pestering me. "Oi are you still asleep, I need to talk to you" I mean excuse the fact that its 8am and her lack of punctuation :-P I finally gave in and woke up, about half an hour later and rung her back.

 

Anyway, as usual we all meted and greeted each other once the guys got back from mosque, That's when the Eid money starts flowing in :-D I dropped my cousins Eid clothes and presents off at hers, while I was still in my pj's :-D

 

Came home, showered and started getting dolled up. Until I had a dilemma, what do I do with my big wig. I don't tend leave my hair open, it just gets in my way and I end up tying it into a ponytail with a knot (yeah, its long enough to be knotted) in the end I needed my mums help. We had some good food Alhamdulillah :) and had a fairly good day. We visited some family, had some relatives coming over. We even managed to go to another city, which is Pakistani orientated, just for some fun and desserts. Enough of the talking for now, here are some pics of my day 1 outfit...

I promise it's nicer really.

Here's a front and back view, which is taken at a much closer range...

 

And some more close ups... check back for a post on day 2 :)

 

 

Ramadan :)

It's that time of year again when the blessed month of Ramadan has arrived. I wish all my readers and their families have their prayers answered during this blessed month. It's been a while since I blogged, and unfortunately blogging will be the last thing on my mind during Ramadan.

The days are long and tiring :( although I can't fast I try to keep up with my prayers during Ramadan. I have been meaning to blog for a while now, but Ramadan has kept me on my toes. The weather has been on its best behaviour, unfortunately we haven't been able to enjoy the best of the sunshine.

 

Eid preps are underway and Ramadan is flying by. I will keep you all updated on the Eid prep, and share some Eid snaps. In other news, I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of a friends baby niece :-D Just waiting on some good news. Elsewhere, a future King was born last week :)

 

 

The party...

Firstly, today I have received my results :) I have passed my second year at uni and have progressed onto the four year route!?! So am all smiles today :D

In other news, the much awaited party post....

We held the little one's party on Saturday, and it ran smoothly as per plans.  we had opted for more of a tea-party rather than a full blown on party, we had to encourage her it was more grown up as she was turning 15! We went for a Minnie themed party....

We had a candy bar...

And had the chocolate fountain out, with rainbow fruit kabobs....

Some party decorations...

The last minute birthday cake...

And finally the party favours...

I'll share some snaps of presents later, enjoy :) x

More Cuppycakeys

As I am in the process of drafting the big birthday party post, in the meanwhile I will leave you some pretty cupcakes to look at. Since I hugely believe in practice making perfect, I thought I'd get some more practice in the bag. Perfection was important for me, as my next post will tell why.

I didn't really decide to go with this colour scheme, but it just went well together. 

A close up

Here are some snaps of some more I made, a few days later. I preferred the purple one's though. 

I went with different colours, and added some butterflies.

I should have the Birthday part post up soon, cheerio till then :) x

Let the sun shine....

So when the sunshine's and little people are around, there's only one solution....Ice Cream! Can put a smile on little people's faces. So this will be a post on our ice-cream adventures. We improvised and made an ice cream bar on the dining table. We set out all our goodies...

Including the ice-cream scoop

We took out our ice-cream bowls and matching little spoons. And the adventures begun...

When it was finally my turn, I digged in :-D

Mmmm

This put a smile on the kiddies faces and even the big boys wanted some then. Elsewhere, the birthday preparations are keeping me occupied. I have a lot of shopping to do today, and I also need to collect some more resents for the birthday girl. She finally chose and bought her birthday outfit today..phew. I get my second year results in 18 days :-o , keep me in your prayers :) x

Tales of a perfectionist

Perfectionism, it's a big word with a bigger meaning. I happen to be a living definition of the word, apparently. As a perfectionist, not only have a I finished reading the book which I started reading yesterday, I've also kept myself busy with some baking. But being the perfectionist I am, The kitchen has to be spotless before I start any cooking or baking at all. Today I spent the morning giving the kitchen a good scrub, and then went on to bake...

I have been given the task of making the cupcakes of Queenie's tea-party, although I know my way around the kitchen, it's always better to bag a little more experience before the arrival of the big day. 

The pink spatula speaks perfectionism!

I decided to make some simple cupcakes with vanilla icing. I took photos of most of the steps, but I realised later I'd missed some steps out. I started with this...

The ingredients.

I then set the cupcake cases out onto the baking tray and pre-heated the oven. The mixing came next, not only is this the noisiest part of the process, its also the most important. I creamed the margarine and sugar together, until it became light and fluffy. I then proceeded to mix the eggs into the margarine and sugar. 

The curdled egg doesn't look the greatest.

I forgot to take snaps of the flour and baking soda which were folded into the above mixture, I then added the mixture to the cupcake cases which were sitting ever so patiently in the cupcake tray. 

And patiently waited...and waited. I don't really time how long they've stayed in the oven till, I just take them out when they look ready. That's what experience does to you, the instinct kicks in. While I waited for the cupcakes to bake, I started cleaning my work space and washing up. I tend to keep washing to a minimal, and get it over and done with as soon as possible. So I started working my magic on this pile...

It didn't take very long, I'm used to washing more than that, and then ta-da...

Perfectionism?

The cupcakes were ready to be taken out of the oven, and cooled. 

I think they could have done with a little more mixture.

I then waited for them to cool down and set out to decorate them. I kind of cheated as I used the good old Betty Crocker's Vanilla Icing. 

I put the largest nozzle I had into a disposable piping bag, before icing. Here was the result...

And the verdict....they were better than ever! Enjoy :) x

So she returns...

I'm back! :)

A lot has gone on since the last time I blogged. I have had exams, as previously mentioned. These were the biggie exams, they will determine whether I can complete a Masters in Law and Practise - Which is a four year degree. As opposed to the classic three year LLB course. I reallllllly want to complete the 4 year degree, so pray for me guys :) This will also be my first set of exams which contribute to my classification, when I graduate. Makes me think last year was just a waste of space. So hopefully, if I do get onto the 4 year degree, I'm already halfway there to the big graduation! Eeek, I can't wait! 

I haven't been up to much - other than revision - But I do have some meaningful snaps to share with you all, which I will - All in good time :) I get my results next month, and then I'm officially on "holiday" mode. I will be blogging more and keeping you all updated. Until then I have the Queenie's birthday on-goings to plan. I say on-goings because I'm not sure whether there'll actually be a party, it might just be a girly tea-party. Still, I suppose we still have to stick "party" in there, somewhere. 

Since I had my last exam on Thursday, I am soooo bored. I feel as if I'll have nothing to do for 4 months! I'm used to being so busy, and I think I actually enjoy being busy and occupied, rather than sitting and twiddling my thumbs. I have bought a new book, which I'm in the middle of reading, it's Nought and Crosses, by Malorie Blackman. I've been meaning to read Malorie Blackmanas series, for ermm quite a few years, just procrastinated and stuck to Law, I suppose. Now I have some time on my hands, it's time to dig in! 

Cheerio for now :)

Toodle-oo

I'm taking a hiatus, I have revision to do and exams to complete. Hopefully, I should be done by the 16th of May, after which I promise to update you all. Remember me in your prayers :) x

Something short and snappy!

The weather is so deceiving, on the face of it the sun is shining. But when you step outside you're frozen, it is ever so windy and cold. My lesson of the day was that I should have worn my coat. But that didn't stop me from buying a ice blast! During my shopping trip I saw plenty of colourful and quirky jewellery. I took a snap of something which I found to be really unique. 

It's a bunch of hair ties around a foam ball, and in a cupcake. Looks are deceiving, eh. Here's another quick snap of it.

As you can make out, there's a blue owl brooch on the left, along with other brooches. On the right are some  compact mirrors. Once I had walked around and shopped some more, I didn't quite feel the cold hit me. Maybe because it was a shopping centre, packed with hundreds of other people. So I decided to grab a hot drink. When it came to my turn of ordering I opted for a cold Ice Blast rather than a Caramel Latte. 

What a terrible mistake I made, anyhow it was a nice drink and I would definitely buy it again. I had a Caramel Latte from Costa last night, but I found it too sweet, Perhaps because the Barista decided to put 2 sugars in it! I can only squeeze in half a teaspoon of sugar, which I shouldn't be eating in the first place. Back to revision for now :) x

A new folder

I needed a new folder, so I went to buy one. As you do! But when I got there, I wasn't spoilt for choice, I was rather disappointed. As much as I like colour, every folder was plain. There wasn't a design and nor a cute flower in sight. I contemplated on going elsewhere, but I didn't have the time nor energy to do so. But, I was in urgent need of a folder, my ring-binders tend to fill up really quickly, and the lever-arch folders are to bulky. I'd rather have more than one ring-binder than a lever-arch  As my disappointed face showed such disappointment  my sister told me to get a plain folder and decorate it myself. At first I was quite hesitant, because an A4 sheet of paper is more difficult to decorate than a corner of my notebook! After having another look around, I decided to go with my sisters idea. So I went along and bought this...

I think it's made of recycled cardboard or something.

I planned and procrastinated for days on end, I couldn't understand how I would decorate such a big folder. Finally, I was brave enough to let the tip of my pens touch this. This is how it looks now, as though I didn't finish it off...

Here are a some close up's

I haven't yet finished and probably won't finish it, but adding a little splash of colour to this boring and plain folder gave it a little life. These are the pens which I used to decorate this folder...

It's too cold outside!

It's been a while, crocodile. But better late than never, eh. For the past few weeks I've been running around like a headless chicken. I gave my final assignment in on Thursday, while the rest of the family went to a wedding. The sacrifices you have to make for an education! So this year, I've finished 7 pieces of assignment, each 2,500 words long That's a total of 17,500 words that I've written! Aside from my uni workload, I've also had a birthday party, for which I had to do my fair-share of organising and baking for. I will share the party photos later. Finally, when I thought I've got this weekend to myself and then it's time to start revising, we get buckets of snow! 

The snow is estimated to be 3ft deep, the top left photo shows the humongous sized icicles. I find icicles pretty! So instead of having the weekend to myself, I'm housebound...again. Rather than procrastinating I decided to organise my books and folders, and et my revision brain into gear. Rather than some pictures from planned outings, all I have is...

I did plan on playing outside in the snow with the little one's, but the plan soon changed as the cold winds escaped the front door. I cannot just sit and do nothing, so I decided to start planning my revision, I should hopefully have a revision timetable by the end of today! During my breaks away from revision I should hopefully blog more often, the biggest misery of all (my assignments) has been accomplished :) x