As always the holy and blessed month of Ramadan is here. It was only yesterday I was talking to my sisters how exciting it is and here we are with the 4^th fast upon us so quickly.  Most people and by that I mean, girls, have done their shopping already which is good avoiding rush at the last hour.

The fact that we should pray during our fast is necessary or else it’s just dieting for all you know.

I just realized I should stick to the topic.

Including all the past Ramadans and my days as a ‘rozedaar’ I have realized how important a samosa is in my life.

1. It got me closer to my friends.

Sharing and eating from the same plate, a samosa, which holds so many memories, I have come to know how they bring a smile to our faces. The constant riot we created with a samosa in our hand, it is just unforgettable.

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Osama Com Laude

When you pop your hip to the left and back while continuously doing that with the beats of the song, you my friend are doing the ‘Desi Thumka’. It’s very popular among all the Desis that is Pakistanis, Indians and others. The trend of dancing has been there since before the 18^th century and it still continues. People dance especially on Pakistani weddings to upbeat and famous songs ranging from Punjabi style to pure English songs. Young girls and boys practice well before the wedding atleast 3 months before, but planning starts a year before.

Which songs will be ‘in’ during the wedding, the clothes, everything is planned.

Although there are other styles of dancing other then Punjabi style such as crumping, breakdancing, hip hop, I personally like Punjabi with all the thumkas with the ‘latkas’ and ‘jhatkas’.

A song ‘Desi Thumka’ has also emerged which is sung by Nouman Khalid feat. Osama Com Laude. Although both of the singers come in the category of ‘pretty’ boys and most girls will call them ‘cute’, well I’m one of those girls. Anyway when you listen to the song you expect the video to be full breaking the stage kind but the actual video is very classy and subtle. I personally thought the video was restrained. Overall the song is very addictive as well as very popular nowadays having more than 6 million views on YouTube.

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Humanity. This is the basic training you can give to your child. Showing kindness towards others is a habit very difficult to adopt. Being selfless, that’s a tricky one. A child should be taught to be happy, relaxed and satisfied first and then make others happy. They should not be guided wrongly that make yourself uncomfortable when trying to help others. You should be at ease yourself first if you’re going to be useful for someone in need.

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Benefits Of Mango

If you never had the pleasure of sipping mango lassi or had the taste of fresh mango chutney do not forget to have it this summer. The mango fruit has been cultivated in Asia for thousands of years. Not only the foods made of mango have a delicious taste, but they are highly nutritious and healthy. Therefore mango is also known as a super fruit. The numerous benefits of mango are:

1. Helps to boost the body immunity.

Mangoes contain high quantities of beta-carotene a carotenoid that is abundantly present in carrots also. This constituent of mango is helpful in enhancing the immune system of the body and making it strong. Beta-carotene is then converted to vitamin A inside the body. Vitamin A is an antioxidant vitamin and protects the body against the many free radicals that harm the internal system. It thus help to prevent many diseases.

2. Acts as an anti aging food.

Mangoes contain high quantities of vitamins A and vitamin C. Vitamin C plays a significant role of aiding the production of collagen protein inside the body. This helps in preserving the blood vessels and body connective tissue, thus slowing down aging process of the skin.

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Turmeric Mask

In traditional Ayurvedic and Asian medicine, turmeric is purportedly useful for the treatment of many ailments and skin problems such as acne. To make a turmeric mask, you can combine 2 tbsp of oatmeal flour, 11/2 tsp. of turmeric powder and enough water to form a yogurt-like paste in a bowl. Apply the mask to your face and wait at least 15 minutes before removing it with cool water. Applying turmeric to the skin may help with pimples that cause skin inflammations. Based on limited research findings, turmeric and its active compound curcumin may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, according to the website MedlinePlus. However, more research is necessary to determine turmeric’s true efficacy as a treatment for this or other conditions.
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1.  Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods. You need more than 40 different nutrients for good health, and no single food supplies them all. Your daily food selection should include bread and other whole-grain products; fruits; vegetables; dairy products; and meat, poultry, fish and other protein foods. How much you should eat depends on your calorie needs. Use the Food Guide Pyramid and the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels as handy references.

2. Enjoy plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Surveys show most Pakistanis don’t eat enough of these foods. Do you eat 6-11 servings from the bread, rice, cereal and pasta group, 3 of which should be whole grains? Do you eat 2-4 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of vegetables? If you don’t enjoy some of these at first, give them another chance. Look through cookbooks for tasty ways to prepare unfamiliar foods.
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It has been about a year and a half since we moved back from the US to Pakistan. A family of 5, 3 young children (5, 3 & 6 months), the immediate fear of moving to Pakistan with American born children and the thought of the dry summer heat was what if my 5 year old says: Ammi there are too many mosquitos (machar) in this country or how come we never have any light. I was pleasantly surprised and a little relieved when my 5 year old’s reaction when summer came was: Man, these mangoes are great. And every year after that she kept waiting for the “aam” season to arrive again and every few months we would hear a holler of: is it aam season yet! The heat and problems of the summer in Pakistan on one side and mango season on the other, the latter enveloping the prior.

Once again it is the mango fiesta season. We see streets filled with crates and piles of sweet luscious mangoes.
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Midlife Crisis – Are you Having One?

More than just a cliché, midlife crises is experienced between the ages of 40-60. Psychologist Carl Jung was the first to identify it and calls it a normal part of the maturing process. Most people will experience some form of emotional transition during that time of life. Traditionally seen as a male domain, (I can just hear the women say: thank God, men are humans also. They “feel” also!) it can happen to women also.

“We call it a midlife crisis, but actually it can happen at any age, to any gender,” says Anne Devlin, a Sydney-based clinical psychologist. It could be triggered by divorce, a serious illness, redundancy, an empty nest, the loss of a parent. Or it can just occur out of the blue. The important question is: why does it occur? What are the deep-rooted factors that cause many of us, between the ages of 35 and 55, to go through what can be a long, frightening and isolating transformation? Read more…

“He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything.” -Arabian Proverb

1. Move extra: Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body. Climb stairs if given a choice between that and escalators or elevators. Play with your kids; throw balls with friends, trim the lawn. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it’s a stress buster. Think ‘move’ in small increments of time. It doesn’t have to be an hour in the gym. But that’s great when you’re up to it. Meanwhile, move more.

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