Imitation-Gulfy WIN

I know im late but wow wow wowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowooooooooooooooooow!! So deconstructed beautiful! RAD-BOB!!!! Never imagined the look could be so elegantly laid out like that! Gorgeous center, soft, un-"ethnic" flow, perfect highwaist comfortable pant pleats, the drama and super stackable armful of gold! Its so perfect its sooo perfect!

This is amazing as well. The first incredible 8itra influence ive seen in fashion. EVER! The swirling, pristine water-demon-bride vibe topped with a crown of brass spikes? RESCUCITATION KIT NEEDED! Ricardo Tisci (Givenchy), why do you do this to me?

Love Lily Chanel!

The new ads for Chanel starring Lily Allen. Fantastically pop!

Okay, let me get personal with you guys...

There are three things in the whole world i cannot live without. Very literally. These are:

1) My mother

2) Books

3) Water

I cannot live without reading. Just cant. Its a lifelong obsession and i hope to God that i shall be preserved from anything that may befall me in the future that could potentially diminish my will or capacity to read. Because quite honestly i would spiral into depression and that would be the end of me. My first push to read came from my mother. I would have special fruit books for the

Port-a-Potty, waterproof books for the bath (seriously, Sesame Street. Inflatable.) and the all-important Riwayaat al Rosol for bedtime. Every night i would get a new rasool. Since that early time in my life, reading was a Need, not ever an option. I went through so many Babysitter's Club books in the third and fourth grades that my fourth grade teacher banned them from class. Upon my honour, she banned me from bringing another "BSC" book to Drop Everything and Read (DEAR)! I would take advantage of my "half-an-hour daily "homework" to read (you know how teachers always tell you you must read for half an hour?) and would lie on my bed for hours and hours and using that excuse on my mother when she came to inquire why i hadn't opened my bag and started my homework. Middle school exam weeks were punctuated by my mother shouting, trying to force me to study for science or 3arabi or wtv as i obstinately locked myself in my bathroom for four hours with my Harry Potter books which i read over and over. Every London trip results in 20 kilos of excess weight. All books. This trend continues to this day and i become a very nasty person indeed when i dont have the time to read. I want to start recommending a few books to you guys on the blog because i despair at how lost most people are at finding good books and how they settle for horrible "ethnic and interesting" New York Times bestsellers and utter rubbish like Danielle Steele novels which offer people just about as much mental stimulus as a peice of cardboard! Reading is so much fun and it would be such a waste, such as shame if you didnt open yourself up to that beautiful world! A book gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself completely into a world led by the author but otherwise of your own making. You create the details, you put on the final touches. A movie is a set thing, its the same every time, while in a book, each time you read it, you discover something different. I'm going to end this monologue now.

I just finished King Solomon's Mines today. Fantastic book. Fantastically racist as well (it was the 1800s after all) but really a testament to the "unputdownability" of Lost World and Adventure fiction! Alain Quatermain has reached middle age as a skilled elephant hunter in the Colony of South Africa. A nobleman Sir Henry Curtis and his friend Good are looking for Sir Henry's lost and estranged brother who was rumored to have set out to Solomon's mines, legendary diamond mines from which no man is said to have come back alive. Sir Henry asks Quatermain to join them on their dangerous expedition. Mortal peril, civil war in uncharted mountains, ancient superstitions and the world's greatest diamond mine all come together easily in this marvellously entertaining story by H. Rider Haggard.

Extreme Makeover: THE GREAT REVEAL!

I am so happy to present to you..... the sparkling NEW NANNIES' ROOM! Hooray!

This post is heavy on pictures! Here you go 7aneen...

Simple modern lamps, a dark wood cupboard/side table (to keep all their STUFF in and which we assembled ourselves btw!) and happy flowers in a small off-white vase did the trick!

Photos of happy times.

Hammered golden bowls to put more STUFF in.

Big clock and iron-holder. Beans flashing a peace sign.

I chose this mirror because it really makes the room feel bigger

These large wicker basket-trunks were placed at the bottom of both bars to combat the problem of the STUFF.

Red leatherish storage boxes in the middle and cream ones on both sides.

BEFORE: Horrible east wall.

AFTER: Same wall, repainted in a softer shade. Carpet replaced with navy cross-hatch Dutch carpeting. These are their old toilette tables stuck together and replainted. We assembled the IKEA stools and a new white wicker garbage bin.

New pillow shams with their names on them. Beans' pillow.

BEFORE: Horrible giant cupboard. Useless, ugly and took up much more space than was necessary.

AFTER: Smooth, compact, sliding glass-front dark wood cupboards. One for each so thats three cupboards in all. An ingenious idea of my own, to put bars between the cupboards for them to hang their clothes, giving more space and removing the need for extra cupboards

BEFORE: West wall.

AFTER: Nice and clean. I thought those cream outdoor lamps were cute in a small room such as theirs. Chandeliers would look out of place.

This is what it looks like with the lamps on. So relaxed and comforting.

So? Shraykom?? Extreme Makeover naji7?

This is going to be playing on the radio for a looong time

Cobra Starship feat. Leighton Meester (Blair from Gossip Girl. Obviously)

Who loves shower caps? I do!

I love everything in my life to be lovely. You're thinking, who doesn't, right? But sometimes people dont care about the really small things that i do. It can actually be very annoying that i care so much. Its not that im picky, its just that i love to be surrounded by pleasing things (beautiful or purposefully ugly, they must be pleasing) all the time. People don't care about

shower caps. In fact, i don't understand how some people dont even have shower caps. Thats so impractical and strange. Okay, what do you put on your head to take a body shower? If i dont put anything then the humidity will fill my hair and enter my scalp and then i'll feel disgusting and sticky. Ew! And i cant take a very good shower because i wouldnt want to wet my hair and then i wont feel squeaky clean. Ew again! Thats why people wear shower caps. An

d somehow it makes me feel happier to wear a white cotton lace-covered shower cap than one of those transparent hotel ones. So i started looking on the internet for nice ones and here's what i found. Many weeds, veery few nice showercaps

This is for one of those "dark" days when you're sad and angry and you need to take a shower and already feel like you're covered with a black cloud of dangerous thoughts and then you go all "let me put on my black lace showercap" and feel dangerous!

This one, the one above and the one below are all from So Pretty Showercaps. Not all of them are "so pretty" btw :s

Thank God, this one didnt have a beaded heart button on the ribbon! Its sweet and simple. Like a lemon meringue.

This one is the happy Wallpaper showercap from Posh Pyjamas.

Lost in the UK? This showercap will help you find the way! BARNET! Okay, thanks. By the Showerhat company.

A work in progress...

These are reeally old pics. ITS ALMOST DONE!!!! Im so excited to show you the final result.

This is the window guy who replaced their million-year-old window with a new white aluminium one.

This is Beans wearing my favorite white headphones to block out the noise of the "9aroo5".

Remember, they weren't actually sleeping in this room, even though this is officially their room. They just kept all their tons upon tons of STUFF there (I an proud, however, of how i fixed the STUFF (everything from 6 shampoo bottles each to 10 boxes of discount dinner sets!) problem). Fixing it up was more work than i expected but it was so much fun! And now their room is so sweet and pretty and organized. Coming soon!

#8: THE PENGUINS

I haven't been to the Scientific Center since.. God knows when but was very surprised to see the place absolutely packed yesterday! My two cousins and i went to the see the newly-arrived penguins yesterday and had a blast. I had already seen them in their natural habitat in South Africa. So cute. It all started with igloo ice cream, then Happy Feet and suddenly penguins are the new Habba. Thats it.

There's even this foam cut-out thing (you know the kinds where you stick your head in the hole and take a picture?) and they built a viewing platform for visitors. We sat and waited like idiots thinking there was going to be a show.

We also watched Galapagos at the IMAX. Such a good film. But they cut it right at the most interesting part and after we waited 10 minutes they said it was due to "technical difficulties". And we didnt get to watch the rest. Sucks. Im so going back though. The crowd, OMG!!! Seas of mitna8bat in 3D glasses with their families of eight, throwing popcorn and screeeeeeeeaming at the top of their lungs! And spiky haired, fisfori-wearing geezies and yogurt cups (??) All the kids were grabbing at the air (li2ana 3D) and kicking the chairs in front of them and their parents had no more respect (please dont ask if they shut them up). This kid next to me kept screaming "YUBAAAA 6ALI3 BA7AAAAAR YUBA BA7AR!!!!!! ABBAAAAI IL SIMACH YAY 3INDY!! DHUB DHUB YUBAA 6ALI3!!! 6ALI3 HATHY IL BNAYA ILI GA3ID TAMSHY SHIFTHAAAAAA?? AGOOLIK HATHYY... SHGA3DATSAWY AL7EEEEN???" Good God, i wanted to wrap her up in duct tape and throw her somewhere. I told the father very politely that i was trying to listen to the movie and he said "oshhh" once and never paid attention again as the kid continued with her loud commentary.

Speaking of loud kids, we entered the aquarium. Comepletely ignoring the DO NOT TOUCH WINDOWS signs the kids were banging on the windows (about the fish "3abood: LAISH MA YIT7ARAAAK?? 7amood: NAYIM NAYIM! GAWMA YALLA!") and running around playing catch as their parents shoved their camera flashes at the tank windows with the staff's consent. We then entered the large viewing room (the one with the sharks) and there were three Indian kids. One of the funniest displays of idiot kiddery that i've ever seen. There were three little kids: one (Ashoo) was 1 cm taller than the other girl and boy. All of them were banging on the glass and screaming as their parents sat. Ashoo make the smaller boy stand against the seats so he could take a picture. (Not against the fish la7thaw).

Ashoo: Stand straight! Put your legs together! Noo nooo not like that! Head straight. okay. i will take a pictuh. Dont move!! (he holds up his phone) *chik* Again!! *chik* This is horrible its too daak in here!!

run around, pushing each other. Suddenly nisma3 smaller boy "F*** you!" Girl "hahah no F*** you!" Ashoo and comes and pushes them all "F*** you!!" and this goes on for a while wil ahal mo mla7theen waaala shay. Ana o my cousins ba6eenha thi7ik! It was so ridiculous and it didnt help that the kids were so cute. They start climbing all over their parents (who are infront of us) and sticking their shoes in our faces and falling all over us. Screaming "DADDY ASHOO IS BEATING ME!!" Ashoo: "Shut up! A shark will eat you! Oh look, i found a CAAVE! (ya3ni the control room behind the pillar or whv that thing is) and they all start running toward the cave. Then the smaller boy falls. "AAAAAAAAAH DADDY I FELL!!!"

and his father: "Lion King Lion King, be strong!"

Oh hahahahahahhahahahahah. Gotta love em! Ill take the Scientific Center over Avenues anyday!

DILEMMA!!!

My mother's birthday is coming up really soon and i have no idea what to get her!!! I always want to make it nice and special and this is what i end up dooing at the last minute.. freaking out!

BRAINSTORM:

Frette Bedsheets ???

Something a bit more extravagant from Yves Delorme or is Yves delorme too clinical for mothers?

Exotic Flowers from Armani Fiori (i swear im not being pretentious they really are very cool exotics) (of course, she loves flowers more than anything in the world) but thats an add-on not the actual present

or just a large cute bouquet?

Something silver engraved with her name??

A super-elegant robe?

I know if i get her bath products she never use them and just keep them in a cupboard somewhere. So thats out of the question?

What would she use???

She never has time to read the countless coffee table books i've gotten over the years

something useful, you know...

slippers and ......

Oh God!

i've looked through all of Vivre.com.. nothing

WHAT DO I GET, HELP MEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

M.I.A. Me

Hyper-colored graphic leggings from Unique and this super-soft blue leopard-print racerback are the only things i liked at Topshop yesterday. After Paris, i think "more more MORE!!" will be my attitude towards color for the rest of my life! Check out Beans working my vintage purple Emmanuelle Khanh sunglasses with my pistachio Charvet bowtie, banana necklace, Mario chain and squeaky Mardi Gras duck beads. Cute!

For futuristic laughs:

Polyvore and More

Legging Love in Technicolor by missghesquiere featuring Reebok shoes

I finally created a Polyvore account! I know, i know, mo nag9eeny fora9 alahy nafsy 3al internet bes here you go! Its a more interesting approach to shopping and seeing the latest fashion. People on Polyvore create moods and contexts. This, in my opinion, is better than just seeing the magazine versions because you can make a look yet more personal by creating your own, or admiring somebody else's contexts!

And this is really my style cause i already have the purple Emmanuelle Khanh glasses, the Bapes (in a diff color and a size too small) and the giant Ground Zero trompe l'oeil t-shirt.