This is a frog. I like it because it’s not real. Once, in university, a friend’s boyfriend went out to grab our dinner, and returned with two paper bags. Standing…

We each have a learning style. Mine, I am exactly equal parts visual, and tactile. (Auditory learning only works sometimes and in very particular situations.) Meaning that first, I learn…

These dead leaves are one of my favourite things about the Fall. They line the streets with gold and scarlet; what’s not to love? Staring out at them, I spotted…

This is my study nook in Montreal. No one should be surprised that I chose a place with white lights. They play the softest music here and the clientele are…

It looks like a normal street, except it isn’t. It takes me to her and for the last while, Thursday nights have somehow become sushi nights in Montreal. She might…

This photo might lead you to believe that behind this door are things calm and gentle and hippie-ish, as the heart suggest. Total lies. I have been to three cafés…

I really love studying. Like, really really love it. In fact, every couple of years, I take a Masters-level course to refresh my knowledge. I nerd OUT and take matters…

Isn’t he the CUTEST? I found him hidden between the flowers and bushes and he is the tiniest little gnome around. I imagine he gets peed on a lot, poor…

“Is there a time that you miss? That you could go back to?,” she asked. There is. There is one particular moment to which I would love to return. This thing,…

There is lovely ‘velo’ (bicycle) art all over the neighbourhood, such as this one. Though hard to discern from this photo, Canada’s begun to cool down, so all windows are…

This is Jules, first of two cuddly companions until Sunday. He’s the fatso who, as soon as I get up, hauls his massive bottom over to where I was and…

I had to place a reminder in my calendar that today is the third of four (but really five) sunsets on marker dates. First and second pieces of this particular…

They are a married couple named Mary and Joseph, both in either their late 60s or early 70s. When I met them, Joseph was bleeding from a cut on his…

I most definitely didn’t bake or ice it. I also haven’t purchased a birthday cake for anyone in years, and apart from celebrating my own birthday in 2017, I’d not…

This image is unfiltered, and it is the view from my bed, which I can only describe by referencing an Arabic saying – it opens your nafs, with ‘nafs’ meaning…

I’m sitting in Foley Square writing, after having come from the Brooklyn Bridge, and on my way for good old fashioned pasta in Little Italy. Another beautiful day here, but…

Still talking, and still confused by the camera. When in New York, make certain to visit the Tenement Museum for their Under One Roof tour, a beautiful homage to the…

Jum3a mubarakah, friends. I spent the better part of my day in Harlem, following the spirit of El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, better known still as Malcolm X. I decided to complete…

Isn’t this the perfect spot to spend time reviewing 2e group verbs (made even more perfect by the three French people sat to my right)? We had ideal weather here…

Funny thing about this photo, which began before I arrived at the Wall. See wall? It’s full of life. Clever, innit? When I arrived at the theater, the lovely Natalia…

I bet I got randomly selected! You did! How did you know? Because I’m Muslim! The Immigration officer was not as amused as I was. And this is how my…

There recently was a dust-up on Twitter (the hellscape site) after a man posted some awful meme instructing that if a woman won’t be with you when you’re sleeping on…

I really love Ottawa’s mood this close to Fall. Cooking tonight, I thought how I forgot to tell you a story that still has me a little bit confused about…

That’s how they start. A blank canvas, and then a very simple outline, around which I complete my doodling. I don’t have a technique, I just create dark doodles around…

The sun has set on another marker date. Hurrah! As mentioned in the first part of this particular thread, there are four marker dates spanning until the 15th of September….

Her aesthetic is in fact my favourite. Just look at this – If I were to move into the home of one of my girlfriends, it would be Alexandra’s. That…

I don’t believe in it, but I enjoy it when it presents, which it did tonight. I believe that the same energy courses through everything, and so there are answers…

When you hear a Muslim describe a thing as Sunnah, what they mean is that it was the way of our Prophet (sAws) – things that he did, means by…

These three beauties? My cousins. I think of them as chickens because I am the eldest on my mother’s side, so everyone after me is a chicken. From left to…

I mean. Not only is she a stunner, but she’s also the perfect date. Tonight, she got to see me pressure cook, and was PLEASANTLY surprised by what happens to…

I’m a little notorious for my t-shirt messages and couldn’t be happier about it. Also, last year I decided to stop buying magnets. I failed really well. We watched a…

I spent the day by cool waters, shaded by trees full of birds. It’s a good jum3a. A few friends have asked about the first part of rose-water syrup’s Acknowledgment page….

I haven’t been sure whether I would mark out certain dates. Upon reflection however, I recognize that it’s important for me to appreciate new beginnings and all amazing and unexpected…

There’s only two men for whom I would ever consider trekking. Jake Gyllenhaal (gee-why-double elle-eee-enn-aitch-double eh-elle. How is this hard?) because he can grow a beard like no body’s business….

You’ve read about Natalie on a few occasions during The Sabbatical. The fella behind her is Joel, her husband, and an excellent photographer. Even the randomly captured by him are…

This city’s sky was a real mood tonight. One of the things I cherish most about myself is how trusting I am. I think that’s rooted in what some identify…

You’re getting three photos of us because who doesn’t like spam? My lovely day was spent with family – momma and Ranoosh. We began by waking up at the unGodly…

Third photo of my head in a row. And guess what? Tomorrow there will be a fourth, only with others because it’ll be Eid. Nothing is better than natural lighting,…

I felt it would be a good idea to bookend this trip with the same sort of images. Today, though it started off quite rough, has ended in a far…

Gavin. One of the few people from work I’m interested in seeing while on The Sabbatical. I would have taken a photo of him purchasing rose-water syrup, but I forgot…