[ Dry flowers ] If I could I would decorate my home with fresh flowers everyday. The fragrance, the freshness and the colours of a fresh flower is a source of instant happiness around the house. Unfortunately in my everyday commute, I don’t have any flower shop, I have to go out of my way to get some fresh flowers. It is quite troublesome to get flowers frequently. So I decided to dry the roses I flaunted few days back. I loved them so much that I wanted to keep them for the longest time. I have always admired dry…
[ Egyptian mint tea ] For our honeymoon we went to Egypt. There was a roadside cafe near our hotel in Ciaro downtown. When we went there for an evening shisha session they offered us “egyptian tea”. First I thought it will be something exotic, totally different from anything I have ever tasted. However, I admit I was little disappointed but I loved the freshness. I have had mint tea before several times. Thus, it wasn’t something very different, rather it was very known and very much favourtie. Since the first day, where ever we went, people insisted that we…
[ Stitched dreams… ] Bangladesh is a tropical country, with a mild winter and humid summer. In the northern side, the winter is stronger than the rest of the country. The span of winter is also very little. Thus the use of heavy blankets is limited to only few days of the year. Rest of the year we use Katha. Katha is a light sheet made of 6 to 8 sarees together. Making katha is an art like American quilt, only difference is, we didn’t market it as we should have. The art of Katha could have been a national…
[ Fairy-tale Anniversary ] Today is my parents’ 39th wedding anniversary. I have been thinking a lot how to make their day memorable. My brother and I have been planning from small forest gate away to boat rides, dinner to family photo sessions and so many other things. We are still planning on the mode of celebration but just to make the day special I made my parents a fairy tale wedding cake and their favorite almond cookies. I paired it with a bouquet of flowers, something I know my picky father will love. When they got married no one…
[ Oozy Boozy Classic Christmas Cake ] It is almost 30 days to Christmas, and time for the perfect Christmas cake. This has been a ritual in my home to make cake and cookies for Christmas. In Bangladesh, not many people bake Christmas cakes. But my love for cakes has just given me another good reason to dance around in my kitchen and prepare the ultimate fruit cake infused in orange juice or brandy. My friends come over on Christmas Eve and we eat together and cut the cake with a bang. I love to decorate it with whipped cream…
A reflective exploration of aromatherapy for sleep and how scent gently guides the body back into dream, rest, and inner stillness. There was a time when sleep came like rain—uninvited, effortless, and complete. One could lie down anywhere, at any hour, and slip quietly into a dream without negotiation. These days, it feels different. The body hesitates. The mind lingers. You may notice how, once a familiar bedtime is missed, sleep does not return easily. It waits at a distance, as if asking for a gentler invitation. In these moments, the word dream begins to feel less like something that…
[ Scarf it up ] Winter is technically here in Dhaka, it is November already. The official season for scarves, shawls and stoles is here finally. Though we Bengali women wear scarves or stoles everyday with Kurtis and we call it Dupatta or Orna. There are so many ways you can wear the scarves. Scarves add value and style to your fashion. Be it a contrast scarf or a matching one, a nice scarf can be gorgeous. I prefer to just loosely hang it from my left side or wrap it around my neck when I wear it with my…
[ Rapunzel’s secret ] Yet another post starts with confession, I have only shoulder length hair that too not very thick. Though today I will be giving you one of the best beauty gems I found, for great hair. This post is also a request from my good friend Eva. I am very fond of herbal or natural remedies, be it for hair or stomach. The best thing of using herbal remedy is, the side effect is actually negligible and you also get a pleasure of DIY projects. Hair fall is a common problem all over the world. Due to…
[ Hemanta…. or Late Autumn ] All of my seasonal posts will begin with my favourite poet and his songs… Here is what Tagore says on Hemanta or late Autumn.. হেমন্তে কোন্ বসন্তেরই বাণী পূর্ণশশী ওই-যে দিল আনি॥ বকুল ডালের আগায় জ্যোৎস্না যেন ফুলের স্বপন লাগায়। কোন্ গোপন কানাকানি পূর্ণশশী ওই-যে দিল আনি॥ আবেশ লাগে বনে শ্বেতকরবীর অকাল জাগরণে। ডাকছে থাকি থাকি ঘুমহারা কোন্ নাম-না-জানা পাখি। কার মধুর স্মরণখানি পূর্ণশশী ওই-যে দিল আনি॥ Voice of spring in autumn The full moon does carry As if paints floral dreams Moonlight on Bakul stems What secret whisperings The full moon does carry…
[ Clean the brushes ] Cleaning makeup brushes is as boring as cleaning the face after a party is. I love putting make up, getting dressed but I dread cleaning the face when I come back home tired. As we clean the face no matter how tired we are, we must also clean the brushes because this might give us acne break outs with other skin rashes on our faces. The brushes need to be cleaned in every 10 days or so. There are solutions available in the western markets but in Bangladesh, I haven’t seen anything like that yet.…
