On my flight this morning, I was seated next to this guy that had been in a coma for seven years. 

Seven.

Years.

He’s been in a coma since, like, 2002.

And he was telling me all this crazy stuff about how airport security seems triple what it was back in the day (even post-9/11), and kids these days never make eye contact with him and walk around with their noses in their fancy iTablets and smart telephones (his words), and he feels so lost because the world nowadays is so tense and fast and angry.

Idk where I’m going with this, but talking to a man who had seven years stolen from his life really made me sit back and thank God for, like, everything. And I still have problems and struggles and challenges, but at least I’m not in a coma, ya know?

I’ve fooled a lot of people into thinking I’m smart but this morning I got toothpaste in my eye and called 911

How to break in your new heels: A memoir

• Put them on and admire yourself for a couple hours minutes
• Walk out the door feelin fresh to death
• Trip over the garden hose. Girl get up. No one saw you.
• Spend ten minutes readjusting the driver’s seat to accommodate the extra inches of mashallah on your feet.
• Do your thing, look good, etc etc
• Get blisters because it’s 80 degrees out ugh what was I thinking
• Rush to Target and get some blister pads and that little no-friction stick
• Rub that no friction stuff all over your feet. This stuff is magic, wow just wow
• Cry a bit
• Reward your fortitude by getting a drink from Starbucks no respectable man would be caught dead with
• Cry more
• Only a couple hours til you get home, you can do it!
• I think I fainted somewhere during the day, not entirely sure
• Get home, take those suckers off and realize they’re a half size smaller than what you usually wear
• Get your life together Ainnie
• Blog about it

Anonymous asked: I look up to you for your bravery, sucker punching that man. im so timid, like how do you get past the fear of hitting a dude??

Have brothers. Live the first seven years of your life idolizing your older brother, talking like him, walking like him. Play cricket and soccer and absurd made-up-on-the-spot games until dusk with your cool older cousins. Secretly play house with your baby cousins. Throw a tantrum when your parents tell you you’re not a boy, you can’t ride your bike three neighborhoods over like your brother. Learn to act like a girl. A very rambunctious, slightly obnoxious (don’t worry, it’s just a phase) girl. Be the smart kid at school but get into fights when people don’t agree with you. Wise up and only get into fights when a little voice in your heart of hearts tells you you have to, otherwise you won’t sleep at night. Be troublesome. Get arrested, suspended, thrown out. Do really, really badly in high school. Give your parents a couple gray hairs, then spend the rest of your life making up for them. A week after graduation, be in an empty parking garage in the middle of the night and run into a man that tries to teach you what it means to be a woman. You break two ribs that night but he breaks four. Be forever cautious with men, but lose the fear of not being able to fight back.

Fight for yourself. I don’t know what else to tell you.

thalamtnafsee:

im at this froyo store and this couple is standing in front of me. the guy keeps putting his hand in her pocket, and she twitches. or he tries to kiss her, and she backs away.

its just like, dude, if she doesnt wanna be touched, dont fucking touch her. is that hard to comprehend or?

THANK YOU!

I didn’t realize it until recently, but before I wore hijab, men were constantly touching me without my permission. Constantly. Touching my arm or shoulder during a casual conversation, even with a stranger. Putting their hand on my waist when opening doors for me. Resting their hand on my leg when they sat next to me. I remember once I was with a group of friends, and this guy, who I had just met, put his head in my lap. Completely uninvited. I pushed him off; he told me I was too uptight. I graced him with a beautiful black eye  don’t read that.

Lesson to be learned: if you don’t let men touch you whenever they want, there’s something wrong with you.

Anonymous asked: ooooo what lippy are you wearing in your last picture?????

Tom Ford in Crimson Noir. The color itself is gorgeous in person but I don’t recommend TF—even with lip liner and setting powder it feathers like crazy!

We walk around with this constant amnesia, forgetting and ignoring the fact that we were never infinite, we are not endless. Neither are our parents, our brothers, our sisters. Our stories were written before we took our first breath.

1. I’m not a realist. In fact, I’m an optimist to a stupid degree. I had a very difficult childhood, as well as some rough years as an adult, and the only way I prevented coming entirely unhinged was to adapt. So I did; I learned to see the bright side of almost every situation, and believe wholeheartedly that it will come to be. And although this unwilling hopefulness helps me keep faith in God and in people, it gets in the way when making life decisions. I can’t weigh pros and cons; I see only the pros.
2. I have crooked smile. Like, crazy unsymmetrical. But people tell me it’s endearing and approachable, so whatever. I’ll keep it.

Anonymous asked: where u been girl? I expect mucho pictures of you hijabbing it up.

I been sick, hella sick. I’d love to post vain pictures of myself but I’m in a hospital gown, so maybe next time!