an Old Letter

Dear Reader,

News Bulletin: I've recently updated my 2011 Reading Challenge page. So check it out. Despite my lack of reading during the exam period, I still seem to be on target :-). If you, dear reader, think my cause is worthy and would like make a safe and secure donation online, then there is a link to it in the side bar. --->   Please help me complete this challenge, it is all for a good cause. 

Anyway, now on to the main topic of this post: The Letter. If you've been following my blog for some times then you'll remember that around this time last year, I thought up an idea for a historical novel set in the early 1800's England. (If you don't remember, click here - it begins in the second paragraph of that post.) I've fully fleshed out the plot of this story and I've realised that it's actually not much of a romance at all. It's more like a Victorian story about the acceptance of change with a little tea spoon of romance to sweeten it up. ;-) Aside: by the way this ISN'T the " top-secret-novel-idea" that I spoke about in my last post.          

So yesterday, I was gazing at my calligraphy set when I got the idea that I should write a letter. I've always loved the dying art of letter-writing-for-pleasure, and this sort of correspondence features heavily in the historical story that I was talking about above. So, obviously, my mind put two and two together and I decided that I should write one of those letters that my main character Rosalind, would have written to my other main character, Lionel. And you, dear reader, are incredibly lucky as I present to you a 192 year old letter:     

The pen in the picture is the one I used to write the letter. 

The back of the letter, complete with fake wax seal. 

Those unfortunate fingers are mine!

And, finally, the letter itself.

Confession: At this early stage I didn't really know exactly what they would write to each other, so what is actually written here are the lyrics of a song that I felt fit a certain point of the story quite well. The song is called Taboo by Jonas and Plunkett. I can't seem to find those lyrics online now but if you're really interested , let me know and I'll add them to my next post. 

Anyway, I was quite upset to the lack of response to my Question of the Week, last week. but I'll try again today. If it doesn't work out then I'll stop. So this weeks Question: if you had to write a 'old style' letter, who would you write it to? If you think that's too personal then what would you write in your letter? Leave your response in the comments section below.   

That's all I have to say for now. I can't wait to read you're responses.

Nida 

I'm FREE and I'm BACK!!!!!!

Dear Reader,

I'm sorry. I know I promised to write a blog on the 20th of May, the day after my last exam, but what happened was that I was too busy enjoying my new-found-freedom to remember to turn on my laptop. I slept a lot, Allhumdulillah. I spent the entirety of Friday with my university friends and then Saturday was devoted to spending time with my family and helping my not-so-little-brother-any-more with his GCSE English revision.     

Image courtesy of Toronto Public Library

So now that I'm back and free of exams, being the compulsive list-maker that I am, I've made a list of things I want to do:

1. Blog regularly again (1 per week at least)
2. Prepare for the month of Ramadaan - I can't wait to start fasting again. 
3. Re-read the Noble Qur'an with Tafsir 
4. Spend at least a week with my university friends before results come out (plans for this are under process and the dates have been set).
5. Give my final "Sisters' Circle" talk at uni before the younger years break off for summer.  
6. Finish my applications for Masters. 
7. Write at least another 40,000 words of my novel Life in Conversations. 
8. Begin doing research for my new top-secret-novel-idea.  
9. Go to the Lake District, Cumbria with my family.
10. Read at least 30 more novels for the charity Reading Challenge. 
11. Watch the last Harry Potter movie with my Sixth Form friends.  
12. Cook at least once a week and garden a lot more.
13. Attend my convocation ceremony. 
14. Learn to drive and pass my driving test.
15. Get a job? maybe, if I have time. 

I think that these points are an achievable target for the next four months, InshAllah. I'll keep you updated as I check them off my list. I've also been writing a lot of poetry lately, but that's a post for another time, InshAllah. 

My brother Codename: The Monkey, suggested that I start asking you, my dear reader, a question once a week. Question of the Week: what will you do in your summer holidays? (if you are still in education. If not then what will you like to do in your next vacation?) Leave your answers in the comment section below. 

So that's all for now. I'll write to you next week InshAllah. Until then, take care.

Nida 

FOREVER contest Entry

Dear Reader,

I know I said I'm on a blogging hiatus, but this competition was too good to not enter and the actual entry requires me to post this amazing book trailer on my blog. Which I'm more than happy to do. 

The trailer is for the upcoming book in Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy, Forever by the extremely talented (to the point of great jealousy) Maggie Stiefvater, whom I met sometime last year. (I know, I know, that's a lot of links in one place.) Not only has she written Best-seller-novels, she also made this stop-motion-trailer herself, composed and played the music. She's also a brilliant painter/artist, though you could probably tell that from this video. How can one NOT be jealous? But anyway, all that aside, I hope you enjoy it!     

    

If you're as excited as I am for this book eagerly anticipated finale and can't wait to dig your twitching fingers into this book, then click HERE. If you're sufficiently interested in the series and want to know more, click here. Aside: The book comes out a few days before my birthday *wink*. 

So until May 20th (I truly mean it this time),
Nida

click-Click charity

Dear Reader,

I have some good new, one single tiny little piece of bad news and just some general book-related news.

1) Because I'm an optimist I'll start with the good. I finally manged to set up an online means to donate to my charity campaign, the 2011 Reading Challenge aka BORN TO READ. There's a link to it in the 2011 Reading Challenge page and there is also a widget in the side bar ---> where you can see all the donations made online - currently it's at £0 :-( Make sure you check it out and donate whatever you can, it'll make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

2) The bad news is that I have my ultimate-final-my-whole-degree-depends-on-them-exams in just slightly more than two weeks time. So I really need to get my head down and focus and concentrate and drink lots of tea/coffee. This, unfortunately also means that I'm take a blogging and reading hiatus until the 20th of May. So,  NO MORE DISTRACTIONS for me. Awww please don't cry. I will be back. But in the mean time, I'll miss you, dear reader, quite a lot. 

3) My reading hiatus actually doesn't come into force until I finish my current book, Rebounding by Jamilah Kolocotronis. It's the 2nd book in the Echoes series. I only have six words to say about this. I love this series so far. It's absolutely amazing. Not only does Jamilah Kolocotronis write really well, she has also opened up my eyes to the realities of life on the other side of the ocean.  Her characters are so real that I keep expecting them to leap off the page and walk right into my life. And over the period of one-and-a-half books I've come to care for them as I would care for my close friends or friendly cousins. Also, the plot is fast paced, the narration is incredibly personal, what more could you want from a light read? The titles of all five books also have a running theme. Let's see if you can figure it out:

1. Echoes
2. Rebounding
3. Turbulence
4. Ripples
5. Silence

The only think that slightly irritated me about Echoes (the 1st book) was the self-pity of the main character Joshua Adams, and the way he kept repeating  the events of his past to everyone he met. But I guess this also adds a sense of reality because, we as humans are prone to self-pity and our past only happen once, so if we're going to be honest with people, we can only tell them the same thing, right?

 

Anyway, I'll probably finish the series after my exams are over. I'll probably write to you next then, as well. 

So, until the 20th of May, take care.

Nida     

a Poem of Importance

Dear Reader,

It has come to my attention that France's ban of the burkha/niqab will be coming into effect this Monday, despite many protests against this. Rather than going into a lengthy sermon on how incensed I am by all this, I thought I'd share a poem with you. It's not directly related to the ban, but I thought it expressed my opinions on the subject quite well. I hope it makes you think, but also enjoy:

My Hijab
2010
  

My rightful Dignity.

Modestly t                 hrown over

my head,                                     a cover

for on                                                 ly one  

to dis                                                      cover.

It’s Fre                                                         edom

in a cl                                                            oth of

pure Sim                                                            plicity,

my hija                                                               b is my

Inte                                                                         grity.

I’m only                                                                 judged

by what                                                              I say and

 what I do,                                                        rather than

the way I                                                       look to you.

A symbol of                                                  my Identity,

it means such a                                     great deal to me.

A form of worship it                      truly can be. I wonder

why some people don’t understand, isn’t freedom of expression

a form of Liberty? Yet they chose to deny me, this common courtesy,

constantly telling me, that I’m oppressed, repressed, depressed. Telling me that I

need to be freed. Freed by commercial ideas of Beauty, a doll of desire, what they call womanly.

Outward appearances seem to rule their ideas of Civility and Popularity. Don’t they know that it is what’s inside that counts. That one day we’ll all be called to account, for all our deeds and 

Impropriety. Why can’t they see, that this pathway is the life I chose for me?

 And though I know people still talk and glare, question my Sanity,

I will always stand by what I heartily believe.  

Because this is my Hijab,

that I wear so

proudly.

Nida