Ghurabaa

It's extraordinarily quiet at work today so I thought I'd take the (sweet sweet) time to explain our Vision. I say our but it is really MD's original Vision which I and BSE are helping colour and solidify. I'm tempted to introduce in the manner of Harry Zidler- all Spectacular Spectacular! Because insh'allah it will be...
But the basic premise is a not-so-humble cafe. A place for the Muslim professionals and discerning students to either converge and chill, while perusing the cafe library, holding their all-important isoc meetings if need be, or delighting in some of the more unusual aspects of the cafe. And there will of course be a hijab+men-free zone.

But all that isn't the exciting part of the plan... Last night's sugar-rose rolling experiments with Boroapu (will insert pic of my beautiful effort) inspired me to include an exquisite cake boutique, presided over by Atia naturally. Atia is building her skills in baking sugarcraft as we speak and will be ready to supply us with unsurpassed cupcakes and cookies, as well as managing a magnificent wedding-cake operative, insha'allah. Those London hotshot hotels think they're so brilliant icing cookies to look like the latest catwalk fashions... all it is is a colourful stripe of icing. Huh- these people rip you off because we don't realise how easy it is.
Every week seems to bring fresh inspiration. Last week Giddy, Nuss and I discovered a cafe that somehow brought ultra-cool and comfortable together to make it the perfect chill-out (with free wifi to boot and an impressive array of innocent smoothies) Nuss also described some magical-sounding beauty parlour caves she discovered in Covent Garden, and I am taking a trip down to London to scope them out for potential. I'll post pics of my findings so y'all can give feedback.

There must be a theatrical stage. I am continually lamenting that people don't know how to build as they used to- that we spend huge amounts these days with far uglier results. These bare, plastic , conference style rooms don't suit my constitution. Give me a theatre and I'm gazing about me- a lecture room and I'm asleep. Fortunately I have my dear aspiring architect Fle to execute and elaborate my plans... let it be Morrocan, Chinese, Roman, French, or anything, just let it be beautiful!

This place will be my ultimate interior design project in which my motto shall be realised: Don't buy it, make it. That goes for Venetian masks, cake stands and parasols, especially parasols. Inshallah I'll be able to call them all projects for an art course and learn to do them as I study. Apart from art+interior design study I will need to do carpentry and possibly plastering courses. I want to join the Craftsmen's guild. That would be way cool. People think I'd get no money but insha'allah I have every possiblity of minting it if I'm any good. Much better than being a writer which I know are ten-a-penny (still love you tab).. I wouldn't have the patience or the drive to get noticed writing. But people get so impressed by visual stuff because their mass produced wallpaper is so tragic. [cuts out long rant about how people make things ugly for no reason- like insist on stupid pointless souvenirs as if they do anything for memories of a place]

The cow wants a rooftop gym as far as I recall, though tell me if I'm wrong BSE... and all in all the place is sounding more like a club (think White's not Ibiza). Not exclusive to rich socialite people- just those who appreciate the place's wondrous nature enough to be a subscribed member. Uni isocs, for example, might find it an advantage to be subsribed so they could get deals on holding events. You might say this is all jumping the gun but I'm just expounding (i found the word I think) the Dream.

Once Mariam's a moneyed dentist and businesswoman and I've learned how to make everything necessary, and MD does whatever she needs to- we're (inshallah, inshallah, inshallah) in business!! I'm thinking ten years, which will let the plan mature as well. Feedbackand ideas most welcome :)