Potterific July is hosted by my sister & Butterbeer buddy @saraallie ••• The photo challenge is open to all wizards, witches, and Muggles! Enjoy Potterific July and do visit Sara’s profile for her mind blowing photos! Use #potterificjuly to get featured and follow the hashtag to enjoy photos from the Potterhead family all over the planet! Fun magical discussions are also happening in Sara’s Stories everyday!
••• No doubt about it! ••• I live the Potterhead Pride ••• I share the magic with my sister and bestie for life, Sara Ali @saraallie ••• We raise our wands together and we are Butterbeer buddies ••• We live for the thrill of the Wizarding World and Potter merch! ••• We believe in the Harry Potter universe (good vs evil, patience and forbearance, sacrifice and power of love, and friendship beyond all relationships!).
Enjoy Potterific July and do visit Sara’s profile for her mind blowing photos!
••• I’m unmistakably Gryffindor. Yes! I’d be able to pull Gryffindor’s sword from the Sorting Hat! Featured today is a shot of my pin board dedicated to my Wizarding World trips where I stay at the Cabana Bay resort and spend a week of unbelievable dreamlike awesomeness.
••• My favorite witch and wizard couple! I chose to get their student version Funko Pops because that’s where Ron needed the MOST rescue 😂 and despite the threats and scolding, Hermione was ALWAYS at his side!
Barbecues, Fourth of July, pool parties, blazing heat, and Potterific July (hosted by @saraallie ) is here! FYI I figured my sunblock is ruining my day look by dulling complexion. Toss! ••• I’m working on a backyard bash for the nieces to kickoff July ••• Next up, some serious heavy trash has been scheduled for pickup! Brother’s punching bag and boxing 🥊 gloves need to go! ••• Perhaps I’ll visit my dentist too! ••• Hopefully I’d sell a property this month as well. Profits of course will earn me some Harry Potter merch from the Wizarding World! ••• I am also going to get my hands dirty and attempt repotting my Hydrangea, and my tiny Moon Cactus 🌵 ••• Some new recipes I’m trying would make it to the blog ••• Annnnnd I’d have landscaping and home repairs taken care of before the end of this month InshaAllah (God Willing) •••
It was somewhere past the mid of Ramadan season when Aladdin (2019) hit theatres. I was fasting and there's no joy in being at the movies without popcorn, okay! So, I waited --- waited patiently ---
As soon as I was done celebrating the Eid festival, I rushed with Magic Carpet speed to the theatre to feast my eyes on this sensational Disney phenomenon that had taken the world by a storm.
The universe was split between critics (I seriously feel they need to get themselves medical attention!) and fans going insane. There had been wild speculation whether Will Smith would do the genie better than Robin Williams? There were doubts if the Egyptian newbie actor Mena Massoud would fit the Disney bill. And, if Naomi Scott would do justice to the strong-willed Jasmine.
I was going MAD looking at the premiere festivities. I had followed the cast on social media and promotions were driving me nuts by the hour. Twitter was breaking! While the majority was loving it --- there were seriously weird comments circulating. Jaffar and the Sultan are invisible, no distinctive acting. Abu and the Magic Carpet were said to be falling short of character. My brains were a mess!
My opinion? --- I could NOT stop smiling for one second through this movie. From the instant it began, there was no dull moment. Thrill, drama, suspense, comedy, music, dance, romance --- one after another so much unfolded on screen before me! I was sucked into the parallel Disney universe as usual.
One minute I was jumping through the streets and alleys of Agrabah with Aladdin and Jasmine, and the next minute I was flying through the landscapes with them on the Magic Carpet. One minute I was spellbound by the Cave of Wonders, and the next minute I was moved to giggles by the Genie of the Lamp. One instance I was despising the bond between the Sultan and Jaffar; they shamed down Jasmine and her strong opinion, and the next instance I fell in love with Prince Ali / Aladdin who gave her the wings to fly.
Everything's been so perfectly recreated and improved to fit modern day demands of cultural and cinematic diversity! There's so much color to this movie, so much emotion, and so much meaning than the cartoon version.
Aladdin, to begin with, is costume and personality wise much better crafted. He's a smooth criminal! The acting is more believable, more strong on an emotional level. Mena Massoud has brought some seriously good acting to the Disney screen, let me tell you that. He's got this intense Bollywood feel going on about him.
Naomi Scott's work as Princess Jasmine is super brilliant. She's broken all standards of comparison if you ask me. Unlike the cartoon character, Princess Jasmine of the movie Aladdin (2019) has a mission and vision not just to get married for love but to rule Agrabah as a wise, just Sultan. Yes! This girl wants to be queen for all the right reasons.
🧞♂️✨👑 Disney hangover! And @MenaMassoud was the perfect Aladdin & a magnificent Prince Ali! The movie is definitely a Number 1 with a superstar cast! Will Smith! Best genie ever! Naomi Scott Jasmine girlpower for the win. If there’s anyone saying otherwise #GetYourOwnJampic.twitter.com/yxZbqTPUIl
OMG! Jafar, the royal vizier, has got to be one of my fav Disney villains. Marwan Kenzari is an amazing psychotic, power-obsessed Jafar! Wait till he starts becoming a total badass in the movie! Also, the Cobra staff is to die for! He is a lot more big in the movie than the cartoon original. This guy is planning wars and mass evil.
Another aspect is the relationship between Jasmine and her Baba, the Sultan of Agrabah. There's a lot of good, wholesome conversation going on beyond the "when will you choose a suitor". Jasmin is into the politics and welfare of the people. She's brought more perspective from her visit to the marketplace than just meeting a boy from the market. She speaks about the people.
Aladdin (2019) is pure joy from the start to the finish. The Disney parade and Bollywood / Arabic fusion of dances and sequences will keep you spellbound. Keep moving your eyes around the screen to look at everything! Lanterns, carafes and kettles, ottomans and poufs, carpets with tassels, feathers and silk, color and glitter. There is so much going on. When they said "visually stunning" they really meant it.
I am not a fan of any of the Disney princes but I have brought back the fandom for Prince Ali! Majestic, stylish, intense, smooth, and incredibly goofy ... this guy takes away the limelight for sure.
••• Eid cleaning has begun 😩••• Happens when you have guests coming over for dinner ••• Enjoying the last of the festivities before the beautiful month comes to an end ••• Sara and I are “arranging” for our Eid gifts ••• 🎁 Our real estate agent sent Amazon gift cards (thanking gesture for recent property purchase), and we’ve taken that as a yet another Eidee (Eid gift money) ••• Ramadan crafts are having their last few days of display, Mannee's birdhouse is complete ••• P.S. Aladdin is the highlight of the month, Ramadan release! I am trying to get the stars to align and go see the movie for Eid ••• Sara's Baked Creations is making its final desserts ••• We're taking the time to enjoy the blessed odd nights ••• The nieces are on full blast energy mode and keeping us on our toes all day ••• Our little humorous bits continue.
🌙🌴🕌RAMADAN DIARIES🍉✨📿 Day 17 ••• Still Strong! ••• well, I crash at the end eyes 👀 rolled up into the sockets and tongue 👅 hanging out limp ••• It was restock day today ••• fruits and milk ••• keeping the engine running ••• I’m getting the down in the dumps feel lately ••• normal female ••• so I’ve increased prayer 🙏🏻 time ••• Chai time with the Llamas is definitely my favorite part of the day ••• And of course when the clumsy sister spills Chai ☕️ we make a Llama 💩 joke out of it •••
••• Odd nights have begun ••• Heavy duty kabab cooking’s been going on for two days ••• I have lost my liking for Kabab suddenly ••• A trip to the Pakistani store happened, last Ramadan restock I guess ••• Staying up during odd nights •••
Okay, my energy levels are becoming extremely low and its affecting my ability to do anything. I still managed to put food on the table for the army 💪 I’m practically living from bedroom to kitchen to lounge and back again! ••• This year, for the 80 year old Titanic lady possessing my 32 year old self, Ramadan is very tough!
🍌🎂The Birthday Cake Banana Bread (featured in the photo above, besides the Demiguise on my tee) was Sara's Baked Creations new bake. Gooey moist, topped with a crusty sugary glaze, this reminded me of the sticky toffee pudding at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Those are the very beautiful Ramadan decorations from Party City. They are the most talked about decor items this season because hello! we needed Ramadan on those aisles! They're pretty inexpensive at $3 and $6. I personally love the glittery lanterns because I am a lanterns fanatic!
HALFWAY!!! ••• Days are going TOO slow for me! The nieces are quite the handful MashaAllah and I spend time taking shifts between work and playing with them chubbies. Fancy Nancy was throwing an Iftar party today. Then there was a live sing and dance gig happening mid afternoon! 🎵 ••• Mannee also improvised a Ramadan song at Iftar after we opened a yet another surprise KitKat! ••• Major project cleanup has begun for me, considering nobody gave me the time to attend to my own pLace in the house ••• Another activity is my Quran study which is rolling at a very slow pace.
🍎 🍌 🍐 🍓 🍇 Fruit Chat! The most glorious invention of the Desi culture. We don’t do Ramzan without it!
We’ve started the second half of the fasting season. The super early morning hours, eating and drinking at 4:30am 🕟 have become somewhat routine now ••• aha! Does that mean my muffin top has become more elastic?! It had to! It saw giant Parathas and multiple ounces of water coming! ••• The days are a challenge, why? Because cookery on an empty stomach and a thirsty dry throat is TOUGH ••• Sara made Blueberry Crumb Bars ••• Dessert of the day •••
