Sharks in Jeopardy

I'm sure many of you know of 'shark finning'. Shark finning is the process of cutting off the shark's fins from its body and it is often reported that shark finning happens when the shark is still alive. After the fins are obtained, the finless shark is thrown back into the sea. I was wondering why they would do shark finning while the sharks are still alive. One of the main reasons is so that the fishermen have only the fins to transport.

"Sharks don't cry" is a very sad clip about a young tiger shark. The scenes were all shot secretly by hiding the camera. The film is part of the "Stop Finning" campaign from Sharkproject to call everyone up that butchering of sharks is a threat to our ecosystem. "

Shark fins are in demand mainly for the making of Shark Fin Soup. Many species of sharks have declined due to shark finning itself. As sharks are higher in the biological food chain, the decrease in their numbers disrupts countless ecosystems and will strongly affect biodiversity. There are many different ways you can help to stop the exploitation of sharks. These are the 4 ways you as an individual can do as suggested by Oceanic Defence :

1. Refuse to eat in restaurants that serve shark fin soup or any other shark products
2. Do not shop in any grocery stores that sell shark - All sharks are endangered on a global level.
3. Tell as many people as you can about the wrongful act of shark finning.
4. Open your mind and understand these magnificent creatures.

To know more about shark finning, there are countless articles and websites you can check out online. By simply using search engines such as Google. Please try not to consume any shark fin products, you can help save not only one species but many others.

Thank you to Hanna Phas for sharing this video by Shark Project. And thank YOU for taking your time to read this post.

For the Bruneians, Brunei has started it's first ever Ban Shark Fin movement, click here to find out more!


Much love, Ainul.
x

DIY Raya Ideas

Selam everyone! Hi!

Sorry I disappeared for a few days. Well today, I just had an idea I'd like to share with you! Raya is coming, so don't forget to make use of your last week of Ramadan to the fullest! Speaking of Raya, if you girls were thinking of buying new accessories to vamp up your Eid outfits, take a step back and check out these tutorials! If you were going for neon colors or even pastel colors these DIYs might be just for you!

For those with plenty of old or worn out arm candy:

For those who loves to create:

There is honestly one more style that I was looking for to share with you but I currently couldn't find it. When I do I'll definitely put it up. For now, hope you enjoy these and find them inspiring!

Big thanks to Chriselle Lim, Mr. Kate & Anneorshine for these awesome DIYs!

x

Tuckered out Ainul

Hi guys!

The past few days has been rather busy for me. I haven't been home all day for three days. Mom and Dad made use of their parental power to drag me everywhere! I have to admit it's been a lot of fun! Friday, Mom brought me out in the morning to check on the house, then we did some grocery shopping and I even got to meet the dearest kittens. I then went on another super market expedition with Mizzy (UK supplies) and we dined at the new Pizza Hut branch in Airport Mall. They also had a promotion of 50% off. My verdict? Service was good, there was a salad bar (plus points), the pizza was nice although the lasagna rolls I got did NOT have any beef in it. I'm not sure if that was a mistake or they were going for a 'healthier' direction. All I can say is that I'm not a big fan of it. Carbonara (this time Mizzy ordered) was quite good! Oh we had the steak pizza with thin crusts and it was great!

Saturday afternoon, Mom brought us out to shop for supplies for a charity dinner hosted by Pusat Tingkatan Enam Meraggang Sixth Form Centre (PTEM). The charity dinner was lovely. The students from PTEM were very proactive. They helped out a lot during the event, setting up tables etc and especially making the visitors feel very comfortable. I even got to catch up with Fadli who I ran into during the event. The main course for me was the sizzling plate. It was my first ever sizzling anything and it was very filling! It was a very good night. Well done PTEM!

So, here we are! I had the best sleep after a long night when Mom and Dad woke me up at 7 in the morning to accompany them furniture shopping. We went to (I lost count) probably 5 - no it felt like more than that- furniture stores in Brunei. First up was Court, Mom got her super king sized bed (I think it was 'super' because I'm sure it was much bigger than the normal 'king' sized bed). After a gajillion failed attempts to find my sisters' bed, a few hours and a ton of stores later, we finally found the perfect beds and both of them from the same store YEAH! I felt very satisfied with myself (even though Mom and Dad were paying for it I just felt happy because I sort of helped to pick them). We arrived home around 2 and I went to start making some pudding with our youngest, Rashah. Right after that, Santi was in need of a consultant to help her pick out an outfit for an important dinner tomorrow night. Alhamdulillah, we found her the perfect dress and Alhamdulillah, the boutique belonged to Mom's childhood friend! She did us some favors. Right about then, my feet felt like slime and as I couldn't take any more walking, Mom decided to bring us cutlery shopping. We did grocery after that too and unfortunately we forgot it was 'No Plastic Day' during weekends, I walked to the car with two Hello Pandas on my armpit and cabbage in my hand.


I am exhausted. I will be back being myself soon I promise. Have a goodnight everybody hope your day was great.

x

August Favorites

This is so far my favorite gel liner. The Lasting Drama creamy gel liner by Maybelline New York allows smooth lines without crease. I especially am impressed by the quality of brush it came with, it was accurate on application and for my first time trying it, it was very user friendly. I would recommend this to everyone. The color I got was in 01 Black.

Drop me a comment and tell me what you think!

x

Go Fashion Go Green Ideas

Good morning! (or afternoon, depends on what you're feeling right now)

Anyways! I was just on Facebook, and I'd firstly like to tell you that my inspiration for this post is my friend Hanna. Hanna is 18, she's a world leader in the making and she's also the founder of Ban Shark Fin Brunei (click here to find out more!). She posted this link on my wall about the Top 10 thrift stores located in Istanbul. A thrift store is basically a shop that sells second hand clothing or house hold goods and the money raised is usually donated to charity.

Here's the link she posted on my Facebook wall http://www.greenprophet.com/2012/07/a-new-trend-emerges-in-a-very-old-city-istanbuls-top-10-secondhand-shops/ and I swear girls and boys who are into vintage clothing or just gorgeous and slick outfits check it out! It will not disappoint! (Probably the only disappointing bit is that it's so far away from Brunei, but no worries guys, who knows one day you might get a chance! So definitely, check it out and pin it as one of the must go to's on your trip around the world map!)

Consumerism is a big thing in our society. It's become not just a trend but a way of life up to a certain degree. Kaka Fatin reminded me of Annie Leonard's advice, that we all need to cut down.

In the words of Kaka Fatin, "Focus on what you really NEED."

Personally I love clothes and I have more than I could possibly need to survive. It's definitely not easy to adapt to a big change in your lifestyle but what you can do is to take small steps. You know what they say! (something like a journey starts with one step but I'm not too sure what the real quote says).


So here's an idea for you clothes junkies on how to get NEW clothes from your OLD clothes! I call it The Transformation Technique! The best part about this is that you're applying one of the 3 Rs which is RE-USE!

Below are tutorials on how to transform your old tees into edgy tanks by The Sorry Girls:

Enjoy!

and big thanks to my bestie Amal R.M. for introducing me to these awesome tutorials!

To my hijabelles, inners are wonderful inventions that let's you rock out a tank anytime of the day! Do check these Fun Fashion DIYs!

x

Lace Vintage Look DIY

Hello guys!

It's Ramadan and Eid is coming up around the corner. I'm sure everyone, especially the girls must have already sent their baju raya to the tailor for the making! I'm sure there must be Hari Raya sales at textile shops around! And if you're planning to go, I suggest you to check out their lace collection!

Take the sale opportunities to make yourself a fab lace box top tee!

And pair it up with a vintage looking charm!

Big thanks to BoatPeopleVintage & Mr Kate for the fantastic DIYs x

Calling all future Leaders!

A friend of mine, kaka Fatin posted this link on facebook! I thought it would be lovely to share it with you!

To all ASEAN young leaders, if you're having a gap year or have just graduated and are planning on finding work experience or internship before continuing your higher education, this could be perfect for you!

Check what's in store for you here: http://www.aunsec.org/site/main/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=118&Itemid=119&lang=en

Gift Ideas

Good morning!

So, as usual I wake up early (considering I'm on holiday break). I can't stand my air conditioner because it's really cold (mind you I've complained before about how hot it was before it was fixed, it's definitely bipolar and like they say "be careful what you wish for") therefore I looked for other places to hang out for a little bit after doing morning laundry. I tried staying in the living room, it was yet a bit too warm for me. Now my body being heated up, I then moved myself back into my icy room just to cool off. After I couldn't take anymore cold air, I migrated to Lily's room. She's very neat and tidy and her desk isn't covered with junk (lucky me) !

Just as I was about to settle down, I saw a little blue book lying on my left hand side.

" TEACHER A New Method for learning The Noble Qur'an Through Pronunciation & speech Parts (30) With a Brief Explanation taken from the Pious Ancestors Al-Baghawi, Ibn Kathir, As-Sa'di & Others "

 Curious, I had a flick through. It's basically a guide on Muslim prayers which covers how to read arabic text in the Qur'an to daily practices (e.g. how to greet a Muslim and how to recite the prayers before eating). I think it's quite handy, and from my own experiences sometimes I am unsure how correct my prayers are, being accurate is important although some say that it doesn't matter if you get every word correct as long as your faith is in the correct place.

I don't know where Lily got this from or probably somebody lent or handed it to her. I would sure be very grateful to have a copy! So to my Muslim friends, I'm sure this would be a great idea to give that special someone.

" From 'Umar ibn al-Khattâb (radiyAllâhu 'anhu) who said that Allâh's Messenger (salAllâhu 'alaihi wa'sallam) said: Actions are but by intentions and there is for every person only that which he intended. So he whose migration was for Allâh and His Messenger, then his migration was for Allâh and His Messenger, and he whose migration was to attain some worldly goal or to take a woman in marriage, then his migration was for that which he migrated." (7) 40 Hadîth on the Islâmic Personality Shaykh 'Alee Hasan 'Alee 'Abdul Hameed

Green Love

Hello everyone!

This is my first ever Green post! Brunei Darussalam is a sultanate located in the fringes of the great island Borneo. A country with very rich tropical Flora and Fauna, Brunei Darussalam has been very involved in preserving our green treasures! Going Green is the term used for welcoming the environmentally friendly movement and there are so many ways to do that in Brunei! To find out more about the Go Green activities and information please do check out the Green Brunei facebook page and awesome site! Come & join the Green Community!

• Green Brunei Facebook Page right here! https://www.facebook.com/GreenBrunei

• Green Brunei site over here! http://www.green-brunei.com/
  
  
  
  I shall end this post with this beautiful quote:

"God is in the water of the lake; he is also in the cracked bed of the lake, when the lake has dried up. God is in the abundant harvest; he is also in the famine that occurs when the harvest fails. God is in the lightning; he is also in the darkness, when the lightning has faded... Brothers and sisters, you pile up stones to make shrines, imagining that God will make himself present there. Then you are surprised when these shrines do not ease your cares and worries." From "366 Readings From Islam," translated by Robert Van der Weyer. 

Fun Fashion DIYs

So I feel so much more creative this Ramadan! One of this year's big fashion accessory is the peter pan collar. It's a cute look that can instantly color your outfit to become classy and fun! Other than that, Miu Miu pop up collar was one of my to-die-for list ( I think about a while ago). I recently found this tutorial by The BoatPeopleVintage. They are amazing! I swear! If you're a DIY junkie you just HAVE to check them out on YouTube and also ceck out their website.

This is a DIY by BoatPeopleVintage. I just wish I brought back two of my white school tees or else I could have made myself one of these babies right now!

Check out their website store and blog here for more wonderful goodies:
http://vintage.boatpeopleboutique.com/

Fashion Turban

Hello!

Arm candy: Instagram store @handcraftedbyenya 's The Azul Ojo & Evil Eye 1st edition.

Nearing the approach of Ramadan I have started to reinforce myself to cover up from often to everyday. There are so many hijab stores and fashion going around in recent years, giving so many choices for Muslim women and girls out there to keep the modesty of the hijab and head coverings.

Some of my favorite stores are the Hijab House (Australia), Inayah (UK) and our local El Jumana (Brunei).

As fashion repeats itself, the fashion turban has yet again come to the surface as a big fashion statement.

If you think you can work the vogue turban, below are the links of YouTube tutorials that I personally think are easy and helpful!

Enjoy and Have a good sungkai later ! x

First Iftar

Yesterday afternoon, Mizzy volunteered (not really) to help me get started in preparing myself for moving to the UK (where I will attend university). We crossed of probably half of the grocery list which is a good start! Unfortunately though, it was a day after payday and the roads were massively packed with eager Bruneians excited to spend their money away (I'm not sure in a good way or bad, in my case I had my money saved up!).

Mizzy & Me

About 6pm we went to Fratini's and I ordered my all time favorite Fettuccine Carbonara while Mizzy got Beef Spaghetti. We agreed mine was a better order so we split half half. The service was good, I'd say 4/5! Best part of our dining experience? 50% off all pastas and pizzas!

Alhamdulillah we even made good timing, Mizzy even attended his Tarawih !





Selam gorgeous! x

hello hello

Hi everyone! Welcome to @nononollie's first offical blogspot.