So it’s Eid today. For years before now, it’s been a day of heartbreak for me. It used to be the one time in the year when everyone in the family was together; so many siblings and nieces and nephews running around; so much excitement and banter and happy noise. We would think for weeks …
Some months ago, I wrote this post sharing the fact that I have experienced honour abuse. I was told in no uncertain terms by relatives that legal action would be taken if I continued talking about this on a public platform. I have encountered a range of reactions from others, from messages of support and …
Whew, so here we go: I am a survivor of honour abuse. Only those who have been through it can understand what it’s taken me to write that sentence in public. I’ve been gathering the courage to speak out about my experiences for some time now; a couple of years in fact, and it feels …
A friend recently asked me if I could give her some advice about mindfulness and meditation. It’s something I’ve been meaning to share for quite a while since practicing mindfulness has had an incredible impact on my wellbeing.
For the first time today since I started doing Korean Thai Cross (KTX) Kickboxing at Premier MMA, I took part in a ‘friendly’ sparring competition between the academy’s separate clubs. Last week the owner Chris Foran told us that we would learn more in three minutes of fighting than we would in three months of …
Tartan Tantrum takes GOLD at Premier MMA inter-club competition! Read More »
I look out into the garden, at the soft beams of warm afternoon sunlight breaking through the branches of tall fir trees. I used to play there when I could, daydreaming at the foot of that long line of tree trunks, gazing up into dizzying green heights. Often I would find the eyes of King …
Every writer knows that time is always more precious than money, and like many others out there, I’ve spent a hell of a long time developing the kind of career that will allow me to focus on my ‘passion projects’ whilst covering the bills.
It has, as ever, been a busy old week. I’ve stepped a little bit closer to my dream writer’s routine by negotiating a part-time contract at work so that I get more time to write and to start building up my freelance projects too. Very exciting and I can’t wait to get stuck in. I’ve …
So I spent the other night at The Watford Colosseum, where Kayo-MMA hosted an epic event with a fight card made up of amateurs, semi-pros and pro fighters that ended with a dramatic, blood-soaked title fight that had me on the edge of my seat shouting for more. I’ve been training in kickboxing at Premier …
Without realising it as I danced and sang along to Lil’ Kim’s lyrics at the age of thirteen, I had found my first feminist role model. An unlikely candidate perhaps for a Scottish Pakistani teenager, but at the time Lil’ Kim’s music perfectly encapsulated my feelings of gender-imprisoned rage, as well as delightfully shocking me …