Everwood

I am compelled to introduce to you all the awesomeness of Everwood. I am not saying compelled lightly either- I have just been writing this blog post in my head for possibly the last half hour, planning to write it up in the morning after my post-Everwood fest rest. But it's 6.17am now and I clearly can't sleep without doing this so...

I'm no good at blurb's so perhaps my own story of how I discovered Everwood will explain enough. It was just a couple of happy accidents that made the show catch my eye. Kam-X's doppelganger is known as Amy Abbott and I wanted to know what this TV version of Neelofer was like. But that odd Tuesday evening showing couldn't hook me- it was only when I stumbled upon the day/nightly 1.50-2.40am slot that the obsession began. Friends and family can testify- I became hardcore after only two nights. I'd stay up late for it (which played merry hell with my body clock) Or I'd more sensibly take a nap beforehand. At MD's house I even sacrificed a perfectly serviceable bed to crash on a non-sleep friendly sofa for it.

Yet all this time I was on my own- seen as a lone fanatic by those I raved to. All that has now changed. I was overjoyed to receive my ebay-pirate Season 1, and I'm now delighted to declare I have company. The Kalam clan, most notably a certain Fendi-flogging Dentist, embraced Everwood to the same unhealthy degree that I did. Of the past 72 hours at least 20 have been spent in Everwood fests- the last of which ended for me roughly an hour ago. The Designer, sorry, Quality-loving Dentist has already taken on the mission of acquiring Season 2 (new dvd released today in the US which is clearly fate. Also 3.25am showings from next Weds on Livingtv, and the download option) as well as of introducing her Gold-Trafficking Mama to it all.

So if any of you is curious to know what the fuss is about call me and we'll work out when to have our next Everwood Fest. I'm afraid it must be a Fest for reasons that will eventually become clear. And believe me this is worth it- I haven't been killing myself (and missing lectures) over nothing. I can't explain the story to you or even begin to give you a hint- I'm not the person to sell it to you... but I guarantee you would appreciate.

Wow it's 6.59 now.

Totally Tubular!

I might be wrong but Tubular is something the Ninja Turtles said instead of cool right? Well I just googled it and yes it was so this works as a title. Because my trip to London was totally tubular and I'm a sucker for puns.

Tube-wise it wasn't so great though cause half of them were shut down for repairs. Also I felt kind of like a rat scurrying through huge (hot!) drainpipes which is always a nice feeling. But they led to very cool places that I'd not discovered on previous touristy trips. The Aladdin's cave of make-up that Diva briefed me about was discovered in Covent Garden to be Lush's sister company B never too busy to be beautiful. A silly name but don't let that put you off- this is everything you ever dreamed of when you dreamed of glitter dusts, powders and pouting. The pictures below are a small sample but are nothing to the reality of it. And each little pot of beauty stuffs we bought was popped into little gold organza bags and tied with a ribbon before being put in a bag.... ah, so much specialness...

Mrs C was practising her baking skills for BB's wedding as well as for her future role as our cafe's patissiere extraordinaire. The sugar roses took us (Me, Mrs C and Mrs C Snr) the whole first half of Gone With The Wind to roll out- we only had 18 between us after 2 3/4 hrs of deriding the pathetic saddo cad Ashley. I was NOT impressed with that guy at all! He could have nipped all Scarlett's nonsense in the bud when she was a kid but instead he gives her all these dying mooncalf looks. Idiot. Anyway the next day we (Mrs C, the two Miss Cs and me) began the Great Cake Experiment. Well Mrs C ran the operation with the rest of us as her minions though I must say I was the most alert, being used to Mrs-C-minionship. Our main obstacle was the lack of a sieve - but we resourcefully unearthed three tea-strainers and for about 40 minutes a patient tap-tap-tapping prevailed. We were happy to leave Mrs C out of this drudgery although she did return from watching wedding videos to stir the flour in occasionally. It was all we asked for. The result as you can see were some very glossy and smart cupcakes. Mrs C Snr did worry that her flouncy style of rose were too large but they turned out as beautiful as the rest. The dark chocolate and cream ganache topped cakes were extremely rich but, balanced with ice-cream, deliciously so. I didn't mean to write so much about cakes but it's done now and if anyone's mouth is watering come to BB's walima.. you might just get lucky.

Somehow the London atmosphere or perhaps all this whooshing through subways left me even spacier than usual. Case in point: after being dazzled by the above shop and Pout, Mrs C took me to Urban Outfitters where I bought a dinky little table for my halls. On paying Mrs became enamoured of two lip glosses temptingly stacked on the pay counter. The first did smell deliciously cinnamony - but there is an embargo on new lip gunks and goos since the long-suffering Mr C bought the whole set of juicy tubes and firmly said "that will suffice." To her credit she did resolutely put it down saying £9 was too much and gave me the other yearned for 'Fat Lips' tube to buy instead. I innocently went to pay for table and tube- but when the assistant put the gloss at £12 I thought, as any right-minded person would, No Way, and told her to take it off. That was the first of a series of mistakes that built up sadly to make me known as an utter disgrace throughout Urban Outfitters. The last one was leaving my debit card in their machine and having to be chased after by the mean assistant...

Anyway on a happier note this is pretty much what my gorgeous cake stand looks like:
Only I don't have a small top one and mine is more beautiful.
I'm going to the kitchen now to admire it so more.

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 :)