Saima Says

Baking + Adobe

2010-02-24T01:17:37Z

Adobe Photoshop Cook from Lait Noir on Vimeo.

Happy New Year

2010-01-21T17:07:37Z

I'm still meeting people I haven't seen since last year and having to say Happy New Year to them. It feels nice actually, kind of like extending the festivities if you will.

One of the first things people ask is whether I had a good break over Christmas and New Year's and if I have any resolutions for 2010.

Yes, I had a lovely long break. I had time off between Christmas and New Year's and those ten days for the price of three felt great. We went to my parents' house for Christmas dinner and my sister-in-law's for Boxing Day. We avoided the sales though, sales are for suckers.

The period after Christmas was rampacked with events as two of our friends got married. Not to each other. Between the dholki nights, mandhis (yes, MANdhi) and wedding receptions we were exhausted by the time we had to get back to work.

So New Year's resolutions? I'm hoping 2010 is going to be a great year for us. As I enter my 30s (yikes, that sounds awfully grown up) one of my priorities is my health. I've already started eating right and exercising more frequently and it feels great. Of course I will have some cake come January 28th :)

Oh Happy Day

2009-10-28T22:26:13Z

I knew it would be quite a grumpsome day when I was awoken five minutes before my alarm went off. I hate that. I work on my own schedule dammit.

I got up anyway and once breakfasted and ready we made our way to Bedford for my sister's graduation. Unfortunately, I had to get back to work for meetings so we only had time to get photos taken and didn't actually get to see her go up on stage and collect her degree. It was her second degree however and I was there for the first so I guess a 50% strike rate isn't too bad.

I said to Sol I'd drive home so he could get a bit of kip before his long drive to Brighton later on. He was wearing his eye mask and I'm pretty sure many people thought I was kidnapping him or something from the weird looks we got. Though how they thought I overpowered a six foot massive bloke is a conversation for another time.

Two hours it took us to get home from Bedford to London! Traffic was mad and all those loathsome average speed cameras were dotted along the roads, jeering at me, "You can't drive fast, nah nah nah nah nah nah!" Bastards. To make it worse, I was feeling sleepy. I'm pretty sure it was that extra five minutes I was deprived of this morning that did it. I had to resort to listening to cheesy pop in hopes of keeping awake and not crashing the car. Though if I did plough into something I'd hope it'd be one of those average speed cameras and that would recompense as some sort of sick silver lining.

When we did get back I was straight to work for back to back meetings until about 8pm. In most of the meetings we talked about the unpopular changes we're going through right now and I got a general feeling that none of us knew our arses from our elbows.

Before jumping onto the cross trainer for my daily exercise, I popped the chicken Sol had marinated last night into the oven. We have a Tupperware box full of dry chappati flour for when we make roti that normally lives in the grill above the oven. I checked to see if it was in there before putting the oven on of course but couldn't see it so assumed it had been moved. I assumed wrong. When I went back into the kitchen after half an hour, I smelled something weird...burning plastic? Shit, the damn box was hiding at the back of the grill and now was melted all over the bottom and back of it; an annoying obstacle between me and that delicious chicken. I tried my best to remove it without getting burned and was somewhat successful.

When I finally had the chicken it was really nice and I didn't even need any Nando's sauce with it. All's well that ends well.

Armstrong and Miller - RAF sketches

2009-10-16T22:43:43Z

No matter how many iterations of these sketches I see, I always find them funny.

A Brighton Monday

2009-10-14T13:11:06Z

So you know that palaver every Eid where you don't know what day it will be and you feel like a right tit explaining to your boss why you might have to take Monday off but then again you might not? Well this Eid that worked out well for me.

Eid may have been on Sunday or Monday so I booked the Monday off work anyway. It ended up being Eid on Sunday so we drove down to Brighton that night and spent all of Monday cycling around the most bike friendly place I've been to. (By "we" I mean me and husband, Sol. By the way, have you met Sol? Say hi everyone.) I'm not sure how many miles we ended up cycling but according to my bum, it was quite a lot. This was also our first time cycling on roads, with other much scarier vehicles so hooray for us. Plus, just days before Sol had surprised me with a basket for my bike and this was great for carting around my camera.

I've been to Brighton many times before (see Flickr sets from 2005 and 2006) but each time I visit I enjoy it as much as the last, if not more.

Lowlights: There weren't many. Only that the hotel we stayed at on Sunday night stank like a pet store. Take note Travelodge Brighton Seafront. Also, I guess I could count seeing an old man's junk as a lowlight but it served us right for sitting on the border of a nudist beach.

Highlights: The Lanes are a great place to explore but of course navigating a bike around the tight corners isn't really ideal. We chained ours up and explored the area, stopping off for lunch at Henny's in Brighton Square and then buying some amazing cupcakes from Angel Food Bakery. They were the best cupcakes I've ever had (even if they were a bit squished by the time we ate them) and I've recently been to Magnolia in New York so that's saying something.

In the olden days (2005) we would have at some stage popped into a random fish restaurant for dinner and then moaned about the sub-standard service and food. But this is 2009! So we Googled the best fish restaurant on the BlackBerry and then cycled over to Bankers for fish and chips with mushy peas and tartare sauce. It was well worth the Googling I tell ya. We also happened upon Octopus stores, the same chain as Pylones that I had seen in New York except this one was much cheaper than the one over there. I ended up buying these bad boys.

By the time the sun set, we had purposefully made our way to the old burnt out pier as I thought it would set the scene perfectly for some good pictures. I wasn't disappointed and took a bagillion photos as the sun set rather rapidly. We grabbed some fresh hot doughnuts and then made our way home. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Thursday Night with Jonathan Ross

2009-09-03T22:45:35Z

Today we went to see the recording of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross that will be airing tomorrow. Not only was the line-up great, contained my two favourite things on telly (comedy and cooking) but it was also fun watching how these shows are filmed. The compere was pretty funny too and kept us entertained throughout the whole process. The only downside was being told off in front of three hundred people for trying to take a picture. I wasn't even taking a picture of the set, just the hundred and fifteen (yes, I counted them) heavy duty lights on the ceiling. Harrumph.

The show is filmed at BBC Television Centre on Wood Lane. You know, the one they showed at the end of some episodes of Blue Peter? That place. We got there mega early as the friend who kindly gave us the tickets told us the queue can get long and as they give out more tickets than there are seats there can sometimes be a chance of not getting in. We joined the queue at 4.45pm and gave our two spare tickets to a couple who were originally there for Ready Steady Cook. The woman said on the way there she was saying how she really wanted to see the Jonathan Ross show and now they had tickets. I told her she should have wished for a million pounds.

There was much waiting around as the filming didn't start until 6.45pm but when everything kicked off it was worth the wait. The first guest was Jamie Oliver, talking about his new programme Jamie's American Road Trip. As with anything he does, he was very passionate about his experience over there and he certainly sold me the idea of this show. I'll be watching out for it on Channel 4. Then he cooked bollocks. Literally, bull's balls.

The next guest was 23-year old cricketer Stuart Broad, fresh from the Ashes victory. I didn't know who he was but he came across as a lovely young man. Did you know it's called the Ashes because the trophy is a little urn with Ashes in it? Someone at work told me that and then looked at me a little funny when I asked if the ashes were of the founder of cricket. Apparently this is not the case.

The piece de resistance for me was the appearance of Ricky Gervais. He's one of my favourites, just favourite people in terms of everything he does. And he was on fire tonight but then you wouldn't expect anything less. He talked about his new movie The Invention of Lying which we've been long anticipating and is out October 2nd.

Oh, at the end Mika performed and that's all I've got to say about the matter. Except that they made us dance to it. Bastards.

Catch the show tomorrow at 10.35pm on BBC1. Hopefully you won't see me in the audience.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival '09 - Richard Herring

2009-08-30T16:25:19Z

We were on the flight to Edinburgh when we first heard all about the controversy surrounding Richard Herring's show Hitler Moustache from our friend. Apparently, a writer for The Guardian claimed Richard Herring hates Pakistanis and labelled him a big ol' racist. I hadn't read the article at this point or Richard's right of reply but was pretty certain that the show must have been taken out of context. "Let's get t-shirts for the show that say "Pakistanis love Richard Herring!" I said and that was that.

We never got time to make the t-shirts so turned up to the show without them. (At this point I should mention that we were wearing other clothes.) My husband bumped into Richard when we got to the venue and told him "Pakis love Richard!" making him laugh and then they had a big old man hug. I told him off for using the word "Pakis" not because I find it offensive in that context but because it can sometimes make others feel uncomfortable. I once induced a collective gasp when I used it in front of colleagues and I was merely quoting a scene from The Office.

So, the show itself: fantastic. You'd have to be an amoeba to think it was in any way racist, in fact quite the opposite. Richard challenges racism and the ideas racists hold, revealing them to be ridiculous. Comedy is such a powerful format for delivering that kind of message, much more effective than me saying, "Racism's bad, mmkay?"

Edinburgh Fringe Festival '09 - Late 'n' Live

2009-08-27T20:02:57Z

Late 'n' Live is exactly what it says on the tin; it's three live comedy acts, one music act and it starts at 1am. You have to be pretty well regarded to get a slot at this event so we knew the comedy would be of high quality and it was. Okay, so the compere, John Bishop (shortlised for if.comedy Edinburgh Comedy Award) made a joke about Muslims and then asked if there were any "Mussys" in the audience. But I raised my hand so whatever.

Jamie Kilstein - Loved the letter to the US Army

Kevin Bridges - Hilarious and naturally funny. This guy could say anything and it would be funny. Shortlisted for Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer.

Axes of Awesome - Their four chord song is one of the best things ever.

The whole evening was even more hilarious because some couple kept rowing and the woman would storm out followed by the man. That's just pure comedy fodder.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival '09 - Lewis Schaffer

2009-08-24T17:48:09Z

Guess what? We were late to this show too! And Lewis said to us as we walked in, "I'm warning you! I'm a pro-American Jew boy!" The whole crowd laughed and it pissed me off a little, I must admit. It didn't detract from the rest of the show though, really very funny. It was a free show too so can't complain.

We did run into Lewis later on that evening. Twice. We ended up chatting to him for quite some time and I told him his comment earlier on had annoyed me. He explained though that he makes fun of EVERYONE, no matter who they are and that it's all done in jest. There's a big debate about racism in comedy at the moment (I will be writing more about that when I talk about the Richard Herring show) but I'm of the opinion that it's not comedians using it as an excuse to be offensive, more to make us think. Also, Lewis said I was "too pretty to go see the Chippendales" so I guess I'll have to forgive him. I'm so easily won over.

Anyway, do go and see Lewis Schaffer in Edinburgh this week if you can or when he's back in London.

Southend-on-Sea or not to be

2009-08-23T23:50:30Z

Today we planned a trip to Southend-on-Sea but then this happened:

We made the most of the FOUR hour wait by taking in the sunshine and scenery (there was a horse) and shouting back at the arsehole drivers who felt the need to jeer at us as they drove by. There was also some singing involved (Bohemian Rhapsody). We didn't make it to the seaside but sometimes you don't need to get to the seaside.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival '09 - Isma Almas

2009-08-22T19:45:40Z

The first show we saw at the Ed Fringe this year was Isma Almas. We were late and she said "The Asians are late, typical!" And that was the high point of the whole act. She has some good ideas talking about growing up in Britain with Asian parents but I just didn't think it was that funny. Early days yet, I'm hoping that she'll improve with experience. **

The NEW Argos Catalogue

2009-08-21T20:44:05Z

In Liverpool Street Station ne'er a day goes by when there isn't something being given away to the thousands of passengers that pass through. I've seen all sorts from food items to stationery to the Argos catalogue...umm, what?

Yes, that's right. Today there were about five or six people giving out bags with a copy of the Argos catalogue in it, all shouting "get your Argos catalogue here" whilst thrusting the bags into our hands. Like it was the most exciting thing you'll ever get. Like you can't pick it up from Argos in your own time. Like you can't visit their website if in fact you do need something from Argos in a real hurry. One of them shouts, "Get your catalogue here, ABSOULTELY FREE!" Like you've ever actually paid for one!

This shouldn't shock me of course, Argos is the strangest store since Index.

Is it just me...

2009-08-20T10:00:38Z

...or have the Dragons been eating too many beans?

Revival

2009-08-19T13:53:16Z

I miss this blog, I miss writing on it. I've somehow convinced myself that I have nothing interesting to say but we all know that's not true! ;)

So I make a pact. I will write something every day. I can't promise it will be interesting but it will be at least one post every day. And it will be more than 140 characters!

My Tribute to Michael Jackson

2009-06-26T16:10:54Z

Back in February this year I was at my mum's house and my best friend of 20 years came to visit. The topic got onto Michael Jackson as it inevitably does with her since besides my sisters and me, she is the biggest fan I know. She left after dinner but the girls and I carried on the conversation and we reminisced about the days when we would rent Moonwalker on video everyday, £1 a go. I told them the first time I heard of him was when my cousin showed me a tape of the Thriller video and though it frightened the bejeebers out of me, I was hooked. Even spending a lot of my childhood out in Pakistan didn't curb the fandom, everyone out there loved him aswell. I've mentioned him once or twice on this blog. My sisters shared similar stories too, especially the youngest (she's seventeen) who the MJ hysteria could've easily bypassed but didn't. Finally, I expressed how sad I was that I will never get to seem him in concert. "He's never going to tour again, it's so sad," I said. We resolved to go watch Thriller Live: The Musical as recompense.

Cue 3rd March. I read in a free London paper that he's touring. I freak out. Get in touch with sister. She freaks out. Lots of freaking out amidst a whirlwind of phone calls, emails, text messages and Tweets. 5th March: the day of his press conference at the O2 Arena arrives and I try to get out of a meeting to attend but can't. Then the meeting gets cancelled last minute and I bolt there and miss it by seconds. The atmosphere is electric though; so many fans and press are there and the dates are revealed. Ten dates, THIS IS IT.

11th March. Now a scramble for tickets. We get plenty of pre-sale codes and are up early (6.45am to be exact) and coordinate our attack. We're going to book the first lot of tickets that come up on Ticketmaster just so we don't miss them by hesitating. We manage to book four (for me and the girls) but there's my best friend to think about. I spend the next few hours trying to book more as new dates are announed. I manage to get them. HURRAH! We're more excited about this than the upcoming trip to New York. It's all we can talk about. Finally, we will see the King of Pop, live. There is talk of him struggling with the schedule and many people say we're lucky we have the early dates as he might not have the energy for the later ones. Who knew?

And then yesterday. I had been offline most of yesterday evening so hadn't heard about him being taken ill. I'd left my phone in the car so didn't even get the messages and missed calls. I log on to Twitter close to midnight to see the latest posts and wait...Jeff Goldblum's dead?? (This turned out to be a hoax.) Damn. First Farrah Fawcett now him...wait someone is saying something about Michael Jackson. Is this some sick joke? Then I read my sister's tweets. She's talking about it too. My husband came up and I tell him. He knows as his friend sent him a text message but he didn't want to tell me. I spend the next few minutes feeling numb. I go to get my phone and realise that I've left it in the car. Fetch it and see all the messages and missed calls. At this point I sent my sisters a message saying I've only just found out. One of them calls me and is in tears. "It's just so sad", she cries. I spent last night hoping it wasn't true. Stranger in Moscow (I song I previously professed to dislike) is playing on repeat in my head and I can't sleep. Please don't let it be true.

I awoke this morning still clinging on to that hope. But it was true. I called my mum and she tells me she's never seen my youngest sister like this before. The girl we call "robot" because she never expressed her feelings. I then called my best friend and we talk about him, his sad life and how he once said he was a "very, very, very lonely man". I tell her that back in the day I used to wonder how I'll feel when Michael Jackson dies but I didn't think it would be this soon. I've always been sad that I would never get to see Jeff Buckley live but this is on another level. This is a lifetime of love and to be so so close and have it snatched away at the last minute. It at time feels silly to be this sad, I'm not a friend or family. But if someone has been with you all your life, though only through their music, and then suddenly they're gone, what else should you feel? Shows how powerful music really is.

Allow me to be a bit soppy here. No matter how much his face changed, his smile was always the same and always infectious. I think this clip on Anil's blog sums up a lot for me. A sad childhood but somehow he could still smile. A genius but unhinged, two things that often come hand in hand it would seem.

When 26th July rolls around, instead of getting ready to go see him in concert we'll be sitting at home, remembering the man, the legend. He will never be gone for us as his music is here and it's alive and wonderful. The true King of Pop. Goodbye Michael.