NaBloPoMo

After not posting for very long periods of time, I'm going to attempt NaBloPoMo again! For those that don't know, this is basically a challenge to post every single day of the month, starting from Jan. 1st.

January's topic is: Beginnings. Here's what the blogher website says about this topic:

BEGINNINGS

January 1st is a blank slate, and you can make the year anything you want it to be? Leave your job and embark on a new career. Open that blank document and start that novel you always wanted to write. Join that online dating site, signup for a new class, or close your eyes and point to a place on a globe to plan your next vacation.
Beginnings can be scary, but as the adage by Lao-tzu goes, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." You can take a single step, right? And after that, it's just putting foot before foot, taking your new journey slowly and letting it unfold at its own pace.

It's not necessary to stay on topic, so we'll see what direction this goes. Last time I tried NaBloPoMo the topic was Beautiful and I didn't quite finish :( hopefully I can post something daily this time!

If you wanna sign up for NaBloPoMo, you have until Jan. 5th! Sign up here.

See you on New Years Day! :)

ماریہ

ps. The url of this blog will stay lavendarclouds throughout this month...I'll see about changing the URL one day :) 

 

Life in Pictures :)

Since the blogger app refuses to let me properly arrange pictures with text, I'll just use a numbering system! Yay!

1) Pink Tornado? :) Actually, it's a tritation lab we did in Chemistry. We used a magnetic stirrer (how cool is that? A little magnetic cylinder thing just turns and turns!). For those who took chemistry way too long ago, tritations are when the molarity of one liquid is equal to the molarity of the other. A...something I forget what it's. called (winter break!) changes the color of the solution when the solution reaches the equivalence point pH. So, this was originally clear, and turned pink! Yes...that's amazing. Maybe it's the science/math genes in my family.

2) new iPod case says: "manufactured in a facility that also produces smiles." I can't decide if that's cheesy or cute...haha

3) Newspaper staff secret Santa! For favorite candy day my secret Santa got me Ferrero Rocher, Dove, and Swedish fish. Needless to say, I was very happy.

4) That says Haley, or at least it symbolizes Haley :p A friend & I made a club called "South Asia Club" at our school, & in the past meeting one of the activities was writing your name in Urdu. My Urdu isn't that good, but shhh! Don't tell anyone! :) everyone was happy, so it's cool (the other activity was Ludu, and food, awesome right?)

5) Arthur! Winter break means free time and doing fun stuff like watching childhood cartoons! Arthur is an awesome cartoon, just saying.

6) Chai! That's called a heavily edited picture...but I was sick for a long time & hot, freshly made Chai is an awesome cure! I fail at making chai normally...I think my mom made this one :)

That's it! Enough update after such a long time? :)

ماریہ

Shopping Spree! :) (not really...)

(Considering my awesome iPod has a camera now, I should really post more...)
I went shopping today! :) I guess I shouldn't feel too bad about spending a bunch since my birthday is soon...right?

Purse is from JCPenny -- $40 originally, and ~$34 with a 15% off coupon (every receipt from Penny's has a survey code, take the survey & print out the coupon! Yay!) I normally don't spend so much so quickly, but my sister said it suited my personality. (my sis makes an appearance on this blog a lot, didn't she? :)

I bought a bracelet & ring from Charlotte Russe recently (not today) on a 2 for $10 deal :) the ring may be overdoing it (humongous!) but goes with the personality, right? Haha

I may just do a "life in pictures" blog post following this...if I can figure out how to get the Blogger app to post my pictures accordingly! :)

Mariaaa

Ninjabi

Just came across this hilarious comic cartoon site today!































































Ninjabi is made by a Muslim girl who I guess is trying to break stereotypes... :D I went through the archive and found them very funny; they make fun of stereotypes/common questions/etc. for muslim people in the western world. And the drawings are so cute!










































I would certainly check it out! :)

-ماریہ
ps. URL change? will get to it, eventually :D

The random stuff I've been planning to blog about... :D

Hello people!

It's been forever since I've blogged...yah...that. Schooleosis is no fun when I go crazy-asian-nerd mode :D haha

Anyway, a looongg time ago I took some "outfit of the day" pics, the other day I finally transported them onto my computer, and now I'm posting. (this process will be sooo cut short by the white ipod touch i shall be getting in a few days that has a camera and blogger app! yipee!)

Anyway, the picture?

I can't say much about the prices, since most of the stuff is from Pakistan. But the scarf's from Target (it was like $3...really light and fragile scarf though). I think this was a color combination suggested by my darling sister :D and it works pretty well with white sleeves. I'm not a fan of these particular sleeves because they are SHORT, but they come in a longer size too and you can buy them from most hijab sites, Islamic conventions, and my friend just bought them from eBay. :)

Next up is...Pakistan Independence nailpolish! haha I didn't realize I hadn't posted this yet, but Pakistan's Independence day was August 14th, and I had some fun using my Sally Hansen nail art pen to 'celebrate'.

Pakistan's flag!

Random stars-- my favorite one! after the flag :D

 

All the other ones :)

Next! :DI just love the variety of scenery where I live. Sometime in the last couple months I got this perfect sunset gradient. Then, my mom and I were out and the sky was extremely blue against the bright green cornfields and grass = perfect moment! :D It was a very isolated road so my mom slowed down so I could take pics...hehe

The sky were more blue, but camera + editing doesn't capture nature perfectly :)

This is basically exactly how it looked :D

And if you are wondering, it did start raining right when we got home. I saw this time of wonderful colorful weather again recently, and it rained again, so I guess that's linked :D haha

Currently the leaves have changed colors and fallen, and I should probably get some pictures of that because it is absolutely beautiful! :)

Next up is something school related! I did this fun little project about religions and we made paper dolls! This is the Islam one:

There were little flaps that open up with facts inside, and we had 5 other dolls so they were joined by holding hands! :D This reminded me of a book I read in 2nd grade called Flat Stanley (I was searching for an info link for this and I realize how this "Flat Stanley project" has far amplified since I was part of it) it was something about a little boy that becomes flattened and then does stuff? This was forever ago, but I remember making a paper person and sending it to my friend who had to take a picture of doing something with Flat Stanley :)

Yay! I finally posted all the stuff I planned on :D

On another non-picture related note, I was thinking about changing the blog name. I guess it would mess up anyone who regularly comes to blog...I wonder if it links to a new name? Mainly because my younger self messed up the spelling (haha) and I guess it doesn't represent the blog or myself very much.
soo...I will most probably change it to sonrisamaria.blogpost.com in the near future :) explanation will come with the change...

that's it! have a fantastic day! :) -ماریہ

PS. the heart tree no longer exists since the leaves fell :( but I guess the leaves and then the snow will be a prettiful enough sight for now :) and maybe it'll reappear in the spring? :D

Heart Tree

Hello! Assalam Walaikum! Hola!

Yesterday I picked up my phone fully knowing it was my dad and said, "Hello?". My sister's like, "What?!" :D It's like involuntary now, pick up the phone and say Hello?! hehe

Anyways...you are probably wondering what's heart tree...or you may not. But I'm going to tell you anyways because when I showed this picture to my sister she was not interested, at all. :( Maybe random people who possibly read my blog are more interested? :P

Now, all of you may not be as randomly amused by everything in this world as I am, but do you see what I saw when I was closing my blinds the other day? IT'S A HEART! FORMED BY LEAVES.


You don't see it?


:(

Here, I'll point it out for you.

Now I know what you're thinking....that in the dark the shadow falls and it makes things look like other things. But, it looks like a heart in the daytime too!!! :D

Yes, I know, it's not a PERFECT heart. I mean, there are other branches and leaves in the way. But I think it has a pretty prominent outline.

:D As long as there are leaves on that tree, I am pretty amused by this every morning & evening when I open and close my blinds/curtains.

In other news and things I am amused by, guess what I found at Meijer yesterday!?!

It's a FLOWER PEN!! No, I didn't buy it :( it was $2.99 for a pen, and as much as I loved it I didn't feel like wasting money on it. :D

Not only was there a pen, but there was other flowery things too!

This is a "vase" with the flower on one side and a cleaning brush on the other :)

A kitchen sink (or bathroom?) thing, with a place to put soap, a cleaner thing, and a flower brush!

When I have my own little kitchen INSHALLAH, I think I will get something like this. :D


Yes, I get amused by everything. It was hot outside today and when I stepped inside my home I was like, "AIR CONDITIONERRRRR!!!!". :D hehe...

That's enough of amusement today...well enough blogging amusement :P. 7 Days till Ramadan!!! 24ish until school start :( and a bunch of homework still left to do....I think I'll just stare outside at the heart tree :D

Brownies, Crackle, Ramadan, and...homework? :(

Hello!
A couple things to mention :)

I ate all of mine before taking a pic :P This pic is from here

1) I have been eating this amazingly amazing brownie! It is from Panera Bread! They have this deal where on top of any lunch/dinner meal, you can get one for $0.99. Today I got it FREE (yipee! lol true desi style :D) because I joined MyPanera and they give you free stuff periodically. This brownie is literally like the best brownie I've ever had! Hehe...I love Panera Bread :D

*this isn't my picture, it is from here

2) Today while at Ulta, I tried some random nail-polishes, including China Glaze crackle. I have Opi shatter in black, but after trying China Glaze, I would highly suggest buying it over Opi. The brush is easier to spread (unlike Opi, whose brush/thickness makes it really hard to spread evenly) and it cracks very nicely. The price difference isn't much between Opi and China Glaze, but quality wise I think China Glaze is amazing.(I did Ulta yellow nailpolish with China Glaze black mesh crackle, and it looks very similar to the picture at right)



3) RAMADAN IS COMING UP!!! :) I'm trying to finish work before Ramadan, but it probably won't be possible because I have sooooo much summer homework! It's horrible :( yah. But I do fun things in between...like put on mehendi...and watch tv. oooh have you guys seen Jago Pakistan Jago on Hum Tv? It's hosted by Fahad Mutafa (and Kiran Khan, but she's currently on vacation). Loving that morning show! But yesterday they showed an older episode because Karachi's halaat (environment? saftey?) isn't too good these day :( Just hope everyone stays safe...I've also been downloading new songs. Bol and Patiala House have some nice ones :)

Lost the numbering by subject matter on #3, but that's okay :P hehe ...it's interesting how my "writing" style has changed over the years. I was searching for a post about Panera Bread and came across some old posts...they were interesting.

Okay, that's it for now. Hope you all have an amazing rest of July!

25 Random Questions :)

I haven't done a tag post in a looong time, but I was watching amenakin's video on this tag and found the questions interesting. :) As she did, I tag anyone else wanting to do it! :D


1. Do you have any pets?
Currently, no :( Long ago we had 3 goldfish, but we weren't too good at taking care of them and they all passed away. Then, I tried to convince my dad to let me get a rabbit (a lot) but that didn't go too well. :D Now, I looove cats...maybe I'll get one some day? :P hehe

My Ipod home screen :)

 2. Name 3 things that are physically close to you.
<-My iPod (the thing I am ALWAYS with :P), chocolate (which I've had a lot of recently), and...um...I'm taking this question as a materialistic thing but obviously- family, friends :) (another "nonliving" thing would be my laptop, which I have to use a lot for drivers ed and summer homework :D)

3. What's the weather like right now?
Very nice...I think. Yesterday evening it was PINK outside (it was so cool!) I think it's supposed to be really hot but I don't think it is (doesn't look like it). It's sorta grey-ish, nonsunny, but I'm sure it feels awesome :)

4. Do you drive? If so have you crashed?
As of right now, I've driven twice :) I got my permit in the mail just today! yipeeee!!! hehe...I'll be driving a lot more soon, because I need 50 hours before I can get my license next year. And I HOPE i don't crash :D

5. What time did you wake up this morning?
Um..................................................................desi standard time? Okay, I slept like REALLY late and I am in no mood to write when I got up... :D hehehe

6. When was the last time you showered?
Creepy question...last night...

7. What was the last movie you saw?
HOP...me and my sis were trying to find Kung Fu Panda (1) because she hadn't seen it, but we couldn't so I just downloaded HOP. It was a Christmasy-style Easter movie...not amazing not horrible :)

8. What does your last text message say?
"We are visiting people in Ohio" <-- friend telling me about her one week vacation :)

9. What's your ringtone?
I don't really have a phone, so no proper ringtone. But we got a several handset landline phone yesterday and the one in my room is currently on a very generic beep-beep tone because the rest of the tones seem like 2 year old cartoon songs :P

I rode one of these camels on the seaside in Karachi, Pak :)

10. Have you ever been to a different country?
Yep :) Pakistan!! And if you start counting airports...well then that's a long list :D (I've also been to Bahrain...like outside the airport and around the city :)

11. Do you like sushi?
The sushi I had once had cooked fish, and that was pretty decent. Don't know about raw fish sushi :)

12. Where do you buy your groceries?
Depends...Walmart, Meijer, Aldi... :)

13. Have you ever taken medication to help you fall asleep faster?
Nope :)

14. How many siblings do you have?
3; 2 brothers and 1 sister, all older :)

My Laptop looks something like this :)

15. Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop?
Laptop! :) I like the 'movability' of laptops...in the day time I'll sit next to my window and at night my desk. Or I'll take it downstairs if I want to watch TV or my sisters room...etc

16. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
The same as this question :)

17. Do you wear contacts or glasses?
contacts! looking at old pictures, I realize glasses look horrible on me. So contacts it is :D

18. Do you color your hair?
nope...unlike most people, I don't care much for my hair, especially after wearing hijaab. Plus I like the color they are :)

Online drivers ed logo :D

19. Tell me something you are planning to do today.
Eat :D And finish 3 hrs for Drivers-Ed, like every day this week :)

20. When was the last time you cried?
Hm....a very long time ago? I seriously can't remember a distinct event where I cried recently. I am brought to tears that stay in my eye VERY easily, but actually "banh-banh" crying hasn't happened recently :D

Yummmy! :D

21. What is your perfect pizza topping?
PINEAPPLE! Here in US, you can basically have cheese, pineapple, and vegetable. So I love Pineapple. Chicken Tikka in Pakistan is pretty good too :)

22. Which do you prefer-hamburgers or cheeseburgers?
Haven't had either, same reason as above. But my mom said the "hamburger" in some Pakistan place was AMAZING so I told her I MUST have it when we go there next :)

23. Have you ever had an all-nighter?
Depends on what you call an all-nighter. I have stayed up VERY late studying/doing homework and had to wake up at 6/7am for school the next morning, but I've never actually stayed up the entire night and not gone to sleep until the next night. (Been up till 6/7 in Pakistan :D hehe) I'm sure I'll end up doing that in college though...

24. What is your eye color?
Brown. But I LOVE green eyes and color-changing eyes :)

25. Can you taste the difference between Pepsi and Coke?
Yes...very much. I think they have two distinct tastes, and I prefer Pepsi, though I don't like Pepsi very much either :P

That's it! :) Have a nice day! :D

Card Making!!!

Hello!

The school year ended this past Monday! That means the last week has included well...finals (aka exams) (-_-) and studying (or revising as said in the East) ...but also CARD MAKING!!! Yipee!!!

Making flowers :)

This actually isn't as "fun" of a task as I'm acting like :P Here's the short/sweet deal: After spending 180 days with teachers, cards are a good way to reflect on the school year, what I liked about the teacher, and what I'll miss.

Card #1! :)

And since I've been making handmade cards since as long as I can remember (Before it was marker drawings on computer paper for my parents and siblings :P) I just make them all to make it more special. But it takes FOREVER!!! I made 8 cards this year, and it took me a good part of a Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Saturday, Sunday.... :) And then writing in them...another story :P

the right card was a 2nd version of the left card I made a couple years ago

My rule of writing is complete honesty, so I write in pen so I can't go back and change stuff (not always the best thing to do! :P). This year they were super colorful because I used my felt tip pens which are a bunch of different colors.

card #2- this card involved A TON of measurements-- which me no like :(

based exactly off a book's instructions :)

surprise!! :D hehe

Mostly, I take a design from a book and change it up a bit to suit my supplies and card-making-personality.

Card #3- the pink ribbon was supposed to go all the way around to make a flower, but I ran out :P hehe... so i messed around with the other ribbon I used for the +. I was so surprised the Elmer's glue stuck the ribbon though!!

If any glitter is added- that's surely by me! hehe....most of these designs are from a professional adult-ish book, and they wouldn't be using glitter! :P I actually bought a pack of glitter for this year... I love glitter :P hehehe

card #4- glitterr!! it took forever to find something (a big needle :P) to puncture the star (cardboard colored black with marker)

the glitter wasn't dry, that's why it has so much 'height'

  I'm actually posting these up for any other card-makers. It's always fun to get ideas on what to do... I use books. It's hard to find easy-to-make ideas online :/

Card #4! Loved how much this one POPPED OUT! :D

surprisingly, even with all the weight, it stood upright!

 :)

Card #6!!

this was 4 my geometry teacher, so on one of the circles i put "r=1 inch" :D

card #7!

and...card #8. my least favorite :( but my sis likes it

all of them together! :)

the main book I used-- see the flowery one in the 3rd box? 

this was used for card #2 :)

and that's it! hope you guys liked it! :)