My new "casual" hijab style

Okay, I don't have a camera, so I can't show you. However, I will do my best to explain.

In my attempts to find a style of covering that doesn't look specifically Muslim, I found a pretty casual way of wearing the shayla scarves. For this, it is better if you have longer hair that you can put in a bun.

First, you center it on your head with the ends hanging in front of you (like you would if you were going to pin it at your chin -- but you don't pin it!).

Then you pull the ends tightly from the front, so that they hang down your back like a ponytail. Don't let them go, or you'll have to start over!

Then you twist the ends at the nape of your neck so that they hold the scarf in place, and pull the ends in front of you so that they hang like pigtails. I leave them hanging down, since the weight helps keep the scarf in place longer. They can get in the way, so I don't recommend using a very long scarf.

The end that starts on your right will be on the left, and the one that starts on the left will be on the right. It's very simple, and the small excess of fabric that is left in the back covers your bun. Do a double check in the mirror to make sure it's covered, though -- it can be sneaky and just sit on top of your bun.

The only downside is that I have to redo it several times a day, as it slips up and starts showing my hair. : P I haven't tried wearing an underscarf, though, so I'll give that a shot and see if that helps. : )

Still, it is very comfy.

Sick.

Hi, gals. Sorry I haven't been around. I started my new job last week (yay rent money!), and then I was sick all day yesterday. Some weird, unexplained dizziness, which prompted nausea a couple of times when the world did back flips and somersaults. I'm okay now, just confused about what was going on yesterday, and peeved that I missed my Saturday to go shopping. : ( There was a lady in my class who was out both Thursday and Friday because she was sick, so maybe I somehow got it from her? Who knows.

Loving all the posts you gals have been busy with. LK, loving the "hijabi-fied" Utena and Anthy, but, like I said, I could totally see Anthy as a gorgeous niqabi. : )

I can't believe Monday is almost here already... *weep* My weekend was an almost total waste.

On a happy note, I got letters last week from a couple of friends I hadn't heard from in close to four years. I just randomly decided about three weeks back to send letters to friends I hadn't talked to but wanted to reconnect with. I'm glad I did, because they were both excited to hear from me and said that they'd thought of me many times in the last few years.

Epic cool Army commercial.

Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlzdZqSVbJ4

It's an epic cool Army commercial from three years ago, when they debuted the "Army Strong" slogan (which replaced the "Army of One"). Almost enough to make you want to sign up, huh? I like watching it because it reminds me of all the good things that happened during my time in. I actually miss it, but I can't and won't go back. I'd end up crippled if I spent another four years there.

Anyway.... I already feel like I need a vacation from my job! So much information....brain hurts....can't...contain....it all.... LOL!

Amber, that Star Trek bloopers thing was hilarious. I love the new Star Trek film! I can't wait till the DVD comes out next month. : D

New job, day 1.

Today was the first day of my new job. There wasn't much to it --- just orientation. Still my first impression was good, and the cafeteria has yummy food (which we all know is epic important). LOL Everyone was really nice, too.

I'm looking forward to going home and hopping in bed with my kitties. I'm kinda tired... : P

Fire

Sorry I've been gone. Very busy preparing for new job, and there was a fire in my apartment complex last night --- friends called me and told me about it, so I went flying home from Walmart after begging them to go to my apartment and check on my cats. They said everything was fine and that the fire was on the other side of the pool -- close enough to smell smoke but no real danger to my babies. I still rushed home and cuddled kittens for a little while. I think that the thing that worries me most about living in an apartment building is a fire breaking out and me not being home to save my babies.

Boy, was I tired after that adrenaline rush! : P How are all of you doing?

Amethyst

I wanted to tell you all about a cool series that I got started on after finding a couple of random issues in the quarter bins at a comic store back home: Amethyst Princess of Gemworld.



This is a little-known, under-appreciated "girl comic" maxiseries (12 issues) from the early 80's. It was expanded to an annual, a special one-shot, a regular monthly series that ran to 16 issues, and finally a 4-issue miniseries in 1988. It details the adventures of Amy Winston, a 13-year-old girl who learns on her birthday that she is actually the Princess Amethyst, heir to the throne of the Gemworld. She was sent to the Earth realm as a baby to save her from the planet-wide civil war on the Gemworld. She gains magical powers through the amethyst pendant (her birthstone) and grows to the age of approximately 20 when she travels from Earth to the Gemworld (time runs differently there). Surprisingly mature, but also a lot of fun.

Interesting note: Amethyst and the Gemworld, though little-known, are one of the three roots (for lack of a better way to explain) of the DC comics universe. So, if you ever see any of these comics, I recommend that you get them!

Favorite comic books, part 1.

I've already posted my favorite manga/anime, now I have to share my favorite comic books of all time. The next post will be my favorite comic book series.

Number 1: Batman #503



I love this book (actually bought 3 copies) because the writing is SO GOOD, especially the first few pages, when pseudo-Batman Jean Paul becomes obsessed with Catwoman and wonders why the real Batman never arrested her.

Number 2: X-Men Unlimited #1



I love this book. The artwork is gorgeous, the storyline is solid. This is one of the first X-Men comics I remember reading (waaaay back in third grade, if you can believe it).

Number 3: Uncanny X-Men #289



This is one of the first comics I ever remember buying. Storm has always been my favorite "X" character, and "Knots" was a hard story to read. I was actually pretty devastated that Forge ended up taking back his proposal in the next issue and left the mansion with Mystique, all because he thought Storm would refuse him. I've been wishing for years that Marvel would do a "What if Forge and Storm had married?" issue. Of course, I was epic peeved when they made Storm marry the Black Panther. Grrrr... That's not the way that was supposed to end! //end rant// Now, that leads to my next comic...

Number 4: Uncanny X-men #186



Lifedeath! The second issue featuring Forge, and it details the start of his on-again, off-again relationship with Storm as he cares for her after she lost her powers. They don't make 'em like this anymore, folks. Just check out the quality of the artwork on the opening page:



Gorgeous.

Number 5: Catwoman #1 (Jim Balent series)



Okay, so her costume is very tight and her endowments are... ahem, well-endowed. This is Catwoman as we all love her: strong, sneaky, and sassy.

Number 6: Catwoman Annual #4 (Pulp Heroes)



I don't know who drew this book. Definitely not Jim Balent. However, it has Egypt and mummies and the cat goddess Bast. I love the awesome mythology in this story. A plus: when Selina changes on the plane before landing, she changes into an abaya, hijab, and Saudi-style niqab! Cool. : )

Number 7: Amazon #1 (Almagam)



This was part of the Almagam line that was done by DC and Marvel after the big DC/Marvel crossover in the mid-90's. Amazon is a combination of Storm and Wonder Woman, and I think it turned out awesomely. The only downside is that the stories were one-shots, but they were ended with cliffhangers. No me likey. Still, the art was very pretty. : )

Number 8: Magik #1-4 (miniseries)



Very cool miniseries from the early 1980's starring Ilyana Rasputin, sister of X-Man Colossus. The artwork isn't great, but it's good, and the storyline - which I didn't like intially - really is awesome: Ilyana's struggle to choose between good (as represented by Storm) and evil (as represented by the demon lord Belasco). This was reprinted in oversize graphic novel format last year.

My top three favorite manga/anime

Okay, Amber, you spurred me to this. *grin* I now give you three of my favorite manga/anime.

Number One:



Revolutionary Girl Utena. This manga/anime is awesome, beautifully drawn with a complex and surprisingly spiritual storyline that seems to do more backflips and somersaults than an acrobat. Not to mention, it's just plain cool. The film is beautiful, as well, but since it's a wacky synopsis of the television series, you won't get it if you haven't seen the show (and maybe not even then, LOL).

In this photo, Utena is taking the Sword of Dios from the chest of the Rose Bride, Anthy. Hovering over them is Dios himself. Utena fights duels with the academy student council members (the playboy council president Touga, the abusive vice president Saionji - whom she first fought upon arriving at the school -, the disillusioned "prince" Juri, and the sweet, naive Miki) for possession of the Rose Bride, who does whatever the victor desires. Through her, the final champion will obtain the power of Dios, and access to eternity and the castle in the sky. Wild, huh?

Number Two:



Vampire Princess Miyu: the story of a centuries-old vampire who is the guardian of the Earth realm, which she protects from the Shinma (demons). Her job is to find them and send them back to the darkness. Larva (tall handsome guy with the mask) is a Western shinma who became Miyu's servant when she drank his blood. He helps her capture free-roaming Shinma. Shinma usually prey on the weaknesses of humans, and people die as a result. Miyu lives on the blood of the human victims --- her bite sends their souls to her own shadow realm, where they take up residence in one of the many orbs that float in and around the trees. The souls stay forever in a place that made them happy in life. For one character, it's caring for her flowers in a greenhouse. For another, it's his apartment and his beloved pet cat. Creepy and epic cool.

Number Three:



Sailor Moon. This is the first anime I ever saw. It's a fun "super girl team" story. Basically, Sailor Moon and the scouts, plus other characters, are reincarnated versions of themselves. They fight the evil Negaverse and its minions, seeking to restore the Moon kingdom and prevent the destruction of Crystal Tokyo (the future/past Tokyo), wearing really cool sailor costumes that change as time goes on and accumulating new powers. Yeah, it gets confusing, but it sure is pretty. : ) Interesting note: Kunihiko Ikuhara directed the Sailor Moon anime, and he also directed the "Utena" movie and series.

Winter Sonata, Korean drama

On a lighter note, I just found out that they're doing an animated version of my favorite K-drama, "Winter Sonata". It stars these two lovlies: Bae Yong-Jun and Choi Ji-Woo. I admit, I have a bit of a crush on the handsome Yong-Jun. He's a huge star in Asia, and has a massive following in Japan. ^_^

Continuing discussion

LK has a most interesting entry in her journal, entitled "I guess I'm not a Christian", and since I had some more thoughts, I figured I may as well do a post on it. : )

Like LK, I believe in evolution. I also believe in creationism. As circumstances (particularly environmental ones) change, everything has to adapt in order to survive.

This was my initial reply to her journal entry:

"In regards to your "nobody went to heaven before Jesus"...statement, I guess, is that the reason sacrifices were performed prior to Jesus' death was to obtain God's forgiveness of sin. Jesus is often called "the Lamb of God", and that pertains to his role as the final sacrifice. After He died, animal sacrifices were no longer necessary."

As far as the concept of "original sin", I'm like LK. I don't believe in it. That's why, in the church I was raised (the Church of Christ), baptism was a choice to be made by the individual when they were old enough to understand the need for it. Babies are born innocent, and young children can't really sin because they don't have the sense of right and wrong that adolescents and adults do. *Knowing* the difference between right and wrong is the key. Once you have that knowledge and wilfully do wrong, that's when you have sinned.

I've met many Christians who believe that Jesus IS God. I was always taught that He was the Son of God, the final sacrifice which would atone for our sins for eternity, if we were willing to believe in Him as the Son. As a man, Jesus experienced sorrow, anguish, love, fear, hope, etc. That's why He prayed in the garden for God to take the burden of the cross from Him. However, that was the reason for Jesus to be on Earth, and He submitted to the will of God, although He knew that He would be tortured, that the Father would turn His face from Jesus when the Son assumed responsibility for every sin that had been or would be committed, and that He would die. But He also knew He would rise on the third day.

The Christ I have always believed in was a man of peace and hope who delivered miracles and the message of salvation. For me, Christianity has always been a very simple faith to follow, because all that is required is that you believe. However, that is not carte blanche for you to do whatever you want and then say "Oh, I'm a Christian, so I'm forgiven." It doesn't work like that. Salvation is a gift that is freely given by God out of love for us, his children, but you try to be obedient to God's commandments and do good works AS A RESULT of salvation, not as a path TO salvation. Does that make sense?

I do believe that Jesus was the Son of God, sent by a loving God to be our savior, the final sacrifice. I don't believe that doing good works will get you into heaven -- as the verse says "for we all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God". It is only because of my loving Heavenly Father that I can be redeemed.

Well, I guess I could never be Muslim.

This has been an interesting journey. My searching for understanding in Islam has helped me to become a more spiritual person with a deeper, stronger faith than I have ever had in my life.

* * *

Okay, that's all I seem to have to say tonight. I've got some more "job preparation" stuff to do tomorrow, so I'll check back with you guys then. Have a good night!

I love Saturdays

I had left-over garlic bread sticks and sweet tea for breakfast. Yummy! Took my foster kitty to the vet -- I thought she had a fever and worried about her being dehydrated, but she's fine.

You guys will notice I deleted one of the posts I made up. Your comments were interesting, and you definitely read more into what that lady had to say than I did. My thought process (which, being up late last night, wasn't exactly in the best working order *LOL*) was very simple, and based upon something I read once: that women need to be shown that they're loved in order to feel loved (you know, hubby doing something sweet and thoughtful to show he cares), and men need to feel respected and needed (but not TOO needed, there's a balance, as with everything) to feel loved. Okay, I didn't get that quite as the person wrote it originally, so I'll see if I can find where I read it.

I'm not going to say that I agreed with everything (let's face it, I always have something to say about virtually everything ^_^), but there were some things that I did like. I do agree with you guys that marriage should be an equal partnership -- my mom and stepdad are like that, and they've been happily married for somewhere around 18 years.

My dad's marriages have not been like that, because it is "his way" or else you're wrong -- that includes with me and my brother. That was a huge problem in his marriage with my mom -- he was the man, the boss, the head of the household, he was controlling (which I now see), and he didn't like the way the Episcopal church did things; he thinks only the Pentecostals are right. His family is fairly fundamental -- being mostly men, they all go for "the man is the boss" stance. Since two of my aunts (by marriage) believe much the same, those marriages have worked (did work -- one uncle passed away at 44 from liver cancer my senior year of high school, but he'd been with my aunt for 30 years -- the only woman he ever dated), and both parties have been happy. My dad's one sister is something of the boss in her marriage, I think, but I've never spent enough time around her to really know for sure. My grandparents were married for around 40 years, until my grandfather passed away when I was 12, and my dad said they loved each other, but they argued all the time.

All in all, my dad's family isn't the best example to follow, so I look at my mom and stepdad, and the wonderful marriage my grandmother and grandfather (mother's parents) had. I've never seen two people love each other as much as my grandparents -- my grandmother loved my Poppy, and he adored her. A few months before she passed away, I asked her if she and Poppy had ever argued -- with my dad's parents being like they were, the fact that I never heard either of my mom's parents raise their voices at each other stood out in stark contrast. She couldn't think of a single time they'd argued, which is extraordinary.

Of course, I don't expect that for myself -- I've seen enough with my dad's many divorces on one hand, and my mother's 18-year marriage on the other. I also know that I can be difficult sometimes, so I'll need a hubby with patience and lots of love for me, even when I'm a brat. ^_^

But God is good and knows me better than I know myself, and he already has picked out the man for me, so I just have to trust Him to point us towards each other when He decides it's time. Of course, I won't be sitting around doing nothing in the meantime. : )

I will say I didn't write down everything that I think on this topic, but I'm too lazy. Lots of typing = aching knuckles.

Anyway, on to more frivolous discussions. : P Are you guys having a good weekend? So far I've slept in and sat in the vet office for 3 hours. ^_^

Friday night...

Wow. It's Friday night and I have nada to do. Totally dead here. I guess I could always go home, order pizza and bread sticks and watch "Winter Sonata" (my favorite Korean soap opera). Pigging out sounds really good... ^_^

Hope you're all having a fun Friday!

Covering

I just randomly thought: Out of all the different ways to cover my hair, why did I choose hijab?

After all, there are all sorts of things for that purpose: hats, snoods, random-things-that-I-have-no-name-for, etc. I guess the fact that I cover Muslim-style is because I was reading about Islam. I like the fact that you can be super-mysterious in all-black, or you can be stylish with jeans and pretty printed scarves but still completely cover.

Some of the more "American" ways of doing so are...to be perfectly honest....in my opinion....are frumpy-looking and/or have "weird cult" connotations. You know, like "compound in the middle of nowhere" cult. Still others that partial-covered just didn't work for me. I was like, "What's the point of covering only a little bit of my hair?" It was a cover-it-all or not-at-all thing for me, but I didn't want to look like I was wearing my granny's clothes. I'm (chronologically) young and I want to look like it, darn it!

Work clothes.

Eek. I didn't think finding hijab-worthy work clothes would be so hard... But it is. Particularly skirts. I want a long black skirt (the "crinkly hippie style" that I've seen quite a few girls wearing over the summer). It would match any of the nice dressy shirts that I have. Problem is, I can't seem to find one anywhere. I guess it's because that's a summer thing and stores are stocking winter clothes now. *sigh*
Yes, they have lots of long-sleeved stuff, but most of it is WAY too tight-fitting for comfort. Or too sheer. What is the point of making something long if you make it tight and the fabric is so thin that it will not keep you warm? I guess you're supposed to layer it?

I hate shopping for clothes. I think I was absent the day they handed out that gene to all the other girls. : P

New job!

I got the job! *dances around in a circle* I need to call my mom and let her know she doesn't have to fret anymore.

And then I'm going to start looking for a second job to work on the weekends.

But first... I must go shopping! ^_^ Got to get some good, hijab-worthy business casual outfits. Most of my clothes are blue jeans and t-shirts. : P