The Cappucino Series: Episode 1

Summer vacation has given us the luxury most biology students don't have a lot of: time. Now, one would assume that any normal 20-ish year old would be out doing cool things (I'm not sure what these things would be--I'm not cool) with their free time. Not us! Most of our summer nights are spent reading fashion blogs, watching Youtube tutorials on how to do a perfect french braid, or scrolling through documentaries on Netflix.

While I was doing my nightly documentary scan, I came across this film in the 'quirky documentary' section. It was called 'The Perfect Cappuccino." Anyone that knows Hera and/or me, is aware that we are very passionate about coffee and coffee-like beverages--actually, scratch that, we like ALL beverages in general. We're constantly on the hunt for new and cool drinks that we can try. Thus, this new series was created. Every couple of weeks, we'll try a new coffee place and share a review with you guys.

instagrammed pictures of our coffee

"The Perfect Cappuccino" is a documentary about a woman who was just as passionate about coffee as we are. In short, it made us realize that Starbucks, our most favorite place in the world, was a sham when it came to real, authentic coffees and expresso based drinks, like the cappacino. Of course, finding out that our whole lives had been lies up until now had been drastic, but we got over it. So we took our enlightened selves on the lovely Internet and searched for local coffee houses that served real, authentic coffee.

It wasn't easy. You would think that, being near Indy, we'd have a plethora of options. Alas, that was not the case. We tried some coffee shops but we still weren't getting the real coffee house taste or experience we were looking for--until we tried Soho Cafe & Galley.

Soho is the closest we've come so far to a coffee house feel. It's homey and the decor is kitchy and eclectic. Besides that, the most important part, the coffee, is excellent. We both tried cappuccinos and they were amazing. Once you order your drink, it takes about 5 to 10 minutes to get it because they make it from scratch. You also get your drink in a real mug--imagine that!-- if you don't take it to go. The foam is also mixed in correctly, so you never get a mouthful of just foam. Basically, Soho is the farthest thing from the cooperate, mediocre taste of Starbucks coffee. You really don't know the difference unless you've tasted the real thing.

before...

gulp gulp gulp

after

super cute interior! a great place to hang out

If you guys are ever in the Indy area or better yet, live in the Indy area, be sure to check out Soho in Carmel. They even have live shows in the evenings and an art gallery from local artists if you're into that sort of thing.

As always, remember to subscribe and comment!

Happy coffee drinking!

Naz

Ps. If you're a foodie, consider watching "The Perfect Cappcaino" yourself. Here's a link to that information: click here

rawrr: outfit of the day

Today, I met up with some old high school friends at the mall. It was a casual meeting, catching up on life, etc. I only keep in touch with a few of my high school friends and it's always interesting to see where we all are heading.

I wanted to keep the outfit simple and comfortable, but still a statement. So I paired this neutral animal print top (you know how much I love the animal print) with some bright colored jeans and my oxfords! Colored jeans are such an easy way to make any normal outfit into something a bit more cooler. And I love oversized button down shirts; they're so perfect for hot summer days.

And if I was wearing the wild cat print, I couldn't forget to bring the wild cat with me so I threw on my favorite ring. :)

Enjoy,
Hera

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The Unsung Hero: Dr. Hawa Abdi

Dr. Hawa Abdi. Do you recognize the name? No, right? I didn't at first either. But you should. We all should. I am thankful to have learned about Dr. Hawa Abdi's story and see her at ICNA. And now I would like to share her story with you all.

Dr. Hawa had a difficult childhood in Somalia. When she was twelve, she lost her mother. With her father's help and encouragement, Dr. Hawa pursued her dream to become a doctor. At the age of 17, she won a scholarship to study medicine in Ukraine. In 1971, Dr. Hawa returned to Somalia having completed all her studies. During this time, Somalia's civil war had not completely erupted. About 12 years later, Dr. Hawa decided to open her own clinic in the outskirts of her town, focusing on treating rural women. 

Fyi, Somalia on a map.

In the meantime, distress in Somalia increased between the people. In less than ten years after opening her clinic, Somalia was fully submerged in a brutal civil war; a civil war that is still ongoing today. Dr. Hawa kept her clinic open and provided free treatment to all patients to came to her clinic, no matter what tribe they were from. 

Men with large weapons from one tribe showed up to her clinic, ordering her to stop treating all patients from the other tribe or they would kill them all. And here's the amazing part. Instead of surrendering (like any normal human being would probably do. I mean come on, being held at gun point is no fun and life seems quite precious in that kinda situation) and allowing these "soldiers" to take patients from the other tribe to kill, Dr. Hawa stood her ground and simply said no. She stood up to those men with large, scary weapons (I repeat, LARGE WEAPONS) and said to them that she will continue to run her clinic and provide free care to ALL those who needed it, regardless of any threats she received from anyone. 

You must be thinking, crap, this woman is a gonner! But no, her intentions were pure and God was with her. Those hoodlums left. They just left. Without one gun shot. Without killing one person. Those men don't have real courage, and when faced with someone with true bravery, they couldn't do anything. Suddenly, those giant guns and whatnot had absolutely no power.

Dr. Hawa Abdi with her two daughters, Deqa and Amina.

It's been many years now, and the civil war in Somalia is still raging. Dr. Hawa still runs her clinic today, along with the help of her two daughters who are also doctors. 

Although Dr. Hawa has been doing this work for nearly two decades, she is finally receiving some recognition for her noble work. In 2010, GLAMOUR Magazine gave Dr. Hawa the title of "Woman of the Year," which is an understatement. She is now nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, which she very well deserves.

Dr. Hawa and her daughters at the Glamour event.

Sometimes, in our race of a life, we forget what we really are about. We forget our motives and ambitions, and lose our true intentions. We know what are goals are and we plan out every detail to go achieve that goal but we forget why we set those goals in the first place.

After hearing Dr. Hawa Abdi's story, I remembered why I initially wanted to become a doctor. We don't do our jobs to make a name for our self and make some money; we become something so we can leave a positive footprint in our society and make it a better place. We need to create peace, not remove it. We need to remember that we can only live a peaceful life if we help each other and those in need of help. Today, everything is just a race; who is better at blank than blank. If we continue to treat life as a competition, the chaos will forever be present.

Thank you, Dr. Hawa, for reminding me of my true intentions. Thank you for giving me the motivation to make sure those intentions are fulfilled, insha'Allah.

Hera

For more information on the work of Dr. Hawa Abdi and her daughters, and to contribute in any way, visit their web site at www.dhaf.org.

Dr. Hawa Abdi at ICNA

(new york) city life

You all probably know by now that I went to New York for a short vacation. If you don't, now you do. Well, it was AWESOME POSSUM. New York City is so amazing. It's like a completely different world. The people walk with a purpose and everything seems to happen at a fast forward rate. It's so different from any other city I've been to.

Times Square at night is quite the sight. We took a walk around at around one in the morning and it was quite interesting. The street artists had taken cover to sleep and the drunken people were wandering around the streets. It was kind of like zombie land almost.

You'd actually be surprised by how small Times Square really is. Standing in the middle of Times Square looking out, you can see the complete darkness that surrounds it. It's quite cool.

horsey

I'll do an outfit post on this outfit soon!

During the day, it's completely different. It's about 100x more crowded and people are rushing everywhere. Stopping to get a picture proved to be quite a difficult task. Traffic is ridiculous; walking or taking the subway seems to be the best mode of transportation.

Broadway!

The M&M store is the only place where I actually bought something...

The new World Trade Center! It's so prettiful.

Brother and I.

Many of you have probably been to and/or live(d) there, but for those of you who have never been there, I definitely suggest you go there at least once in your lifetime. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it is definitely a place everyone should experience. Like I said, it's so different than any other city I've been to and I hope to go there again soon!

Hera

Open Housing

It's that time of year again!
...and I don't mean when all of your favorite TV shows are coming to end. Graduation season is here and well on its way. This year one of our good friends graduated high school and since she is one of the last of our group to graduate, Hera and I were super excited. We moseyed on over to her house for some open house fun. I have to say, it was quite enjoyable--but then again, what kind of a party with cake pops and a teal venue wouldn't be enjoyable?

Sine it's(relatively) horrendously hot in Indiana at the moment, Hera and I went with simple outfits; her opting for a loose abstract design tunic and jeans while I went with a maxi dress that I had picked up while shopping with Hera several weeks back--yes, we spent way too much time together.

Not to toot my own horn, but this was a purchase I was really pleased with. The pattern of the dress is something different and I love all the mixing of the colors. Often times I don't think I look that great in bright colors, but Hera convinced me to give it a go and it worked out perfectly. Of course I paired my ensemble with a huge purse because I absolutely love big purses. Mostly because they make me feel important, even though I usually don't have that much stuff I need to carry around.

The grad girl and me--I'm the awkward one on the right.  

Congrats to our friend and the rest of the class of '12 for graduating! Stay classy and we wish you the best with your future endeavors. :)


With Love,
Naz

Birds Giveaway Winner!

Hey guys!

So we've picked the winner for our latest giveaway and the lucky winner is...comment number #17, Stephanie H! Congrats! We will be mailing you your beautiful birds bracelet. Enjoy it!

Thanks to everyone who entered our giveaway. We'll be doing another one soon so keep your eyes peeled! Meanwhile, please remember to enjoy our other posts and tell your friends about us!

Love,
Naz

for the sake of a better self and society

A couple weeks ago, I attended the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) convention. At the convention, I heard many fantastic scholars and knowledgeable people speak (I will put a list of them all at the end of this post if you're in checking them out), and they really got me thinking about myself and my actions. 

Whether you're Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Jew, Atheist, or what ever other religion/denomination, we all live together in the same society. As citizens of any society, it is our duty to keep things civil and peaceful amongst each other and to also treat each other with respect. However, this is not possible unless we better ourselves. We must expect more of ourselves and less from others.

After hearing many lectures on the Prophet Muhammad (S)'s way of life and daily actions, I realized that I, too, could make myself into a better human being by changing little everyday habits. So I have decided that I will try to change three "bad habits" that I catch myself doing. I want to share these with you guys so I have more pressure on myself to complete them. No, this doesn't mean that I only have three "bad habits" so to say. I know there are many more, but it's difficult changing so much at one time so I'm going to take it a step at a time.

1. Quit the backbiting/gossiping: It is TOO easy to fall into this trap! Seriously, I think it's human nature to talk about other humans, which is totally fine if it's all positive. I never intentionally gossip badly about anyone. Sometimes I get annoyed or angry with someone, and instead of letting it out on them, I go to my best friends and vent, and sometimes that venting turns into backbiting. One thing is, my best friends and I never let the gossip go beyond us. Everything stays between us. And although that does not make it any more valid to backbite, it's better than those who go around telling the whole world everything. So my goal is to not backbite/gossip at all, even if it is just between me and my best friends.

2. Stop complaining and be more thankful: I'll be honest, although I don't complain openly, I complain a lot in my head. In reality, I really don't need to be complaining about anything. I have a wonderful family, a house, a car, awesome friends, an opportunity to get an education, the option to become independent, etc. Literally the list can go on forever. So why the heck do I complain? How do I even manage to find something to complain about? I get to go to school and live on my own, which is a great experience and one that many don't have. It doesn't even matter how well I'm doing in classes, because there has never been a course that I've completed and not have gotten from it. I always learn something and gain some sort of knowledge, and many don't even have that option. And even as I live independently, I still have a family that I know I can always depend on. I have friends that I can have a grand time with when I'm feeling low. So why am I spending my time complaining about how I can't get a pair of Ray Bans? Beats me. From now on, before my mind complains, I will stop myself and say alhamdulillah (all praise is due to God); thank God I have all that I have because there is nothing else I really need.

3. Be kind to strangers: I really don't acknowledge people around me, whether it's the person behind me in line or the cashier taking my order. I think, hey I'm never going to see them again so what's the point of paying attention to them. But it is important. I mean, maybe the person behind me in line is having a terrible day and all they need is someone to smile at them. Or maybe the cashier is struggling at work, trying to deal with a mean boss so she make some money for her kids, and all she needs is one compliment. Our society would be so much better if we were all just simply nice. Also, let me just clarify that I am not mean to strangers. In case some of you were wondering.

It's hard for people to find their own actions "wrong," which is why it is important to understand completely why something you might be doing is wrong before you go about changing it. Otherwise, your intention may not be clear and it'll just be harder and more frustrating to go about the changing. 

Well, I'll leave off this rant with some pictures from the convention below! I'll also put the list of the speakers I heard with links to their Facebooks if you're interested. A lot of these speakers talk about the actions that make one a better human being in society, so it is applicable to non-Muslims as well.

Thanks for listening as always,

Hera

so many people!

The stage was beautiful.

Imam Siraj Wahaj

Sheikh Yasir Qadhi. Probably one of my favorite lectures.

Nouman Ali Khan. He's never not amazing.

Another favorite: Wisam Sharieff

List of speakers:

• Wisam Sharieff
• Sheikh Yasir Qadhi
• Sheikh Suhaib Webb
• Imam Omar Suleiman
• Sheikh Abdul Nasir Jangda
• Nouman Ali Khan

Ladylike

Hello lovelies,

 Ever since we've gotten back from college, it's been nonstop go go go. Afternoon lunches, tea parties, dinner parties, mini vacations, amusement park days, summer classes, we've already done it all already. That's the reason we haven't been updating as much. I've finally started feeling so guilty, I thought I'd share a quick OOTD with you guys that Hera and I wore today at a brunch we were at. If you follow our Facebook page, you've already seen these pictures. I'm so sorry for double dipping on post material but desperate times call for desperate measures. If not, please read on and enjoy.

I love brunches. They make me feel so proper and elegant--so I thought it fitting to wear polka dots in order to achieve the dainty effect. My Jeffrey Campbell dupe shoes also came in yesterday in the mail so I couldn't resist pairing those with the whole ensemble--more on those later. My outfit, coupled with Hera's two toned maxi made me feel that we looked very ladylike. If only we had the British accent to top it all off. I guess you can't had it all though, can you?

Hera has also been on some adventures on her own so keep your eyes peeled for some of those posts!

-Naz