What is Bread And Oregano?

Bread and Oregano is a small cafe in Leyton, which is described to be a ‘friendly and relaxed space’.

What I Ordered And My Opinions On It:

Chocolate Cake

This cake cost £4.10. This was not freshly made so it was pretty quick to serve. It looks absolutely delicious as the chocolate is smooth on the cake. However, in terms of taste, I found it to be too sweet and I have had better cakes than this. I rated this a ⅗.

Mocha

The mocha was £2.45. This was a mocha that looked really nicely decorated, with the powder on top. It did not take too long to prepare. I rated this a 5/5, because it was delicious and warm with the perfect mix of coffee, chocolate and milk.

The Place:

The shop is beautiful as it is composed of the colour blue which made it unique. There are seating areas outside and inside and due to COVID-19, we could only sit outside. They also provided heating, which we realised afterwards. It is quite a unique experience to sit outside. When we went, there were a moderate amount of customers.

The Service:

The service on the branch I went to was good. The waiter was helpful and took the time to explain to us the menu (and beware that some food is not Halal in the shop). The waiting time was also not too long.

Would I Recommend It?

Yes, I would recommend trying this shop because it is beautiful in the interior, sells delicious mocha with a reasonable price and the experience was quite nice to sit outside with my sister and have some food. I think this is an underrated cafe.

My Rating: 3/5 

My Rating System:

⅕ – was below average and would not recommend even trying once

⅖ – the food was average and would not recommend trying

⅗ – the food was delicious but would recommend trying once

⅘ – the food was really good and would recommend trying here

5/5 – the food was outstanding and is one of my favourites!

This was my short review or diary entry about Bread And Oregano. These are my opinions about this place. Make sure to check out my other restaurant reviews.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

• My 2023 Reflections As A Medical Student 
• My First Term of Medical School | Exams, Essays and Events 
• My First Month of Medical School | Moving Out, Freshers And Workload
• The Ultimate Guide To Ace Year 12 | Revision, Friendships And Supercurriculars
• How I Got All A*s At GCSEs | 10 Tips Every Year 11 Student Should Know

What is Caffè Concerto?

Caffè Concerto is a restaurant chain that runs restaurants in 18 different countries. It is very popular and quite posh. It is an Italian restaurant.

What I Ordered And My Opinions On It:

Hot Chocolate with whipped cream

This drink was very nicely decorated with a lot of skill. It looked very smooth and appetising. The taste was phenomenal as it was creamy with a rich chocolate flavour.

Chocolate Gateaux

This cake was expertly done with chocolate flakes on top. There were distinct layers with chocolate filling in the middle. It looked very appetising and again it tasted rich with chocolate but at the end of the day, chocolate always tastes the same, so it wasn’t very memorable.

The Place:

We went to the Northumberland Avenue branch and probably since the food is quite expensive and it was COVID-19 times, there were no customers except my sister and me. The shop is beautiful and clean, but you can feel uncomfortable being by yourself in this large shop.

The Service:

The service on the branch I went to was good. The waiter was helpful and I was impressed with the way the Hot Chocolate was made. The waiting time was not too long.

Would I Recommend It?

Yes, I would recommend trying this shop because it is beautiful in the interior, sells delicious food and drinks (specifically the hot chocolate) and the pricing is reasonable for its global reputation.

My Rating: 5/5 

My Rating System:

⅕ – was below average and would not recommend even trying once

⅖ – the food was average and would not recommend trying

⅗ – the food was delicious but would recommend trying once

⅘ – the food was really good and would recommend trying here

5/5 – the food was outstanding and is one of my favourites!

This was my short review or diary entry about Caffè Concerto. These are my opinions about this place. Make sure to check out my other restaurant reviews.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

• My 2023 Reflections As A Medical Student 
• My First Term of Medical School | Exams, Essays and Events 
• My First Month of Medical School | Moving Out, Freshers And Workload
• The Ultimate Guide To Ace Year 12 | Revision, Friendships And Supercurriculars
• How I Got All A*s At GCSEs | 10 Tips Every Year 11 Student Should Know

Fast forward to today, Marcus Rashford has been awarded an MBE, is popular amongst many and has helped millions of children get food. He has also published his own book aimed at 9-11 year olds.

Here is my review of his book:

What this book is about:

This book is a positive and inspiring guide for life on how you can achieve your dreams. It is packed full of stories from Marcus’s own life and also some advice that every child/teenager should know.

What it has taught me:

Despite the lessons being quite simple, they can be hard to implement at times, so Marcus has broken it down and used his own life experiences to help individuals understand it.

• Remember to only compete with yourself. This is quoted from the book: ‘You are only in competition with yourself, so stop comparing yourself to other people’. 

• Sometimes, to achieve your goals, you need to step out of your comfort zone. One of Marcus’s coaches told him and I quote: ‘If you’re not outside your comfort zone, you’re doing something wrong.’

• Marcus teaches us that your voice is important and can be used to bring about change as he says in the book ‘You have a voice that has the power to change the world.’

• It is okay to doubt yourself at times but you need to remember to doubt your doubts and remember that your thoughts are not facts. You can also treat your doubts as temporary visitors and you can carry on planning how to use your voice with them in your head.

• You need to take pride in the journey because that is what is growing your soul and reaching your goals does not happen overnight.

What I like about this book:

I like that it had a lot of lessons with lots of experiences from Marcus’s life.

I also liked that it was really easy to understand for children and teenagers.

It also had action points at the end of each chapter for the reader to reflect on their own life and the main lessons they could acquire.

What I didn’t like about the book:

In my opinion, this book for me was a great reminder of lessons that we should all follow. The lessons weren’t anything new to me but it was nice to read it from one of my role models and also I think these lessons are perfect for its target audience – 9-11 year olds.

My rating:

⅘

To conclude, I would recommend this book to children, to learn some great lessons and also for teenagers as adults if you are a fan of Marcus Rashford like me or if you want to be reminded of these key lessons. So, thank you Marcus Rashford for your amazing book!

Where to buy the book from:

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article. This link is not sponsored. Comment down below whether you have read the book too. If you enjoyed this article, check out my other articles too:

http://surobiscribbles.com/category/book-reviews/

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

• My 2023 Reflections As A Medical Student 
• My First Term of Medical School | Exams, Essays and Events 
• My First Month of Medical School | Moving Out, Freshers And Workload
• The Ultimate Guide To Ace Year 12 | Revision, Friendships And Supercurriculars
• How I Got All A*s At GCSEs | 10 Tips Every Year 11 Student Should Know

Just around one year ago, I took the decision to start my very own podcast. It was a revolutionary decision as it brought new experiences, taught me many skills and ignited a passion for podcasting. In this article, I will be sharing all you need to know about my podcasting journey and how you can start your own podcast too.

What is a podcast?

A podcast is a downloadable audio file which you can listen to from different apps. The most popular podcast platforms which offer a wide range of free podcasts of different topics are Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.

My podcasting timeline:

• The idea of a podcast came from my older brother, who knew that I love to talk and give advice to others. He recommended me to start a podcast. 
• In April 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, my sister and I decided to start a podcast. This podcast would be about discussing all girl problems and their solutions. 
• After my sister and I decided on the name (which was originally ‘The Chat Library’) we then started creating podcasts and uploading them on an app called Anchor.
• My sister promoted it on her social media. For me, I felt hesitant to promote it since as a teenager who goes to school, it was a bit awkward to see my friends seeing this. However, I was and am confident to promote it.
• We got quite a lot of positive feedback, but we did realise that some individuals who were supposedly our ‘close friends’ didn’t say a word about it.
• In October 2020, after consistently posting podcast episodes, I received hate/constructive criticism from people at school.
• Fast forward to January, the podcast hit over 1000 streams and it is still growing.
• My sister and I changed the podcast name to ‘Girl, How?’ now.
• My sister and I have been posting one podcast episode every week and we have listeners from over 52 countries, and we have learnt so much about this podcasting world. It has been a great experience.

What I learnt:

1. Firstly, I learnt that creating a podcast isn’t as hard as some may think – it is all about researching and keeping consistent.

2. I also learnt that when you start something new that no one else in your community has (such as a podcast), you can instantly see the reactions of people near you – those who actually support you, those who keep quiet and those who are secretly jealous.

3. I also learnt how to stand up for my own views. Since my sister and I discuss controversial opinions, some people may have disagreed with them, but I kept my head high and learnt to debate.

4. Articulating and bringing clarity to my thoughts was something I also learnt to do with this podcast. It also allowed me to give my own advice in this big Internet world.

5. Dealing with hate was a major but significant thing I learnt (which now also means that my teachers know about my podcast too).

6. And of course, it has taught me the power of consistency.

Tips to start podcasting today:

1. If you want to start a podcast, go for it. You need to be confident in yourself and just get started. Don’t let perfectionism or judgements from others stop you.

2. Have a good motivation and aim for the podcast e.g. ‘I am starting this podcast about the Indian culture so I can represent Indians.’

3. Use a good app to start. We chose Anchor which is completely free and easy to use.

4. You need to research quite a lot to figure out how to host your podcast in other platforms. 

My final thoughts:

• Just get started.
• Be enthusiastic about starting it.
• You will learn a lot from podcasting if you remain consistent.

That was my detailed article about one year of podcasting as a teenager. I hope you enjoyed this article and gained some insight on podcasting. Please check out my podcast, welcome to all girls out there:

Girl, How? on Google Podcasts or search up Girl, How? on any other podcast platform.

P.S I also do have another Islamic podcast which I also do weekly with my sister but we remain anonymous there.

• My 2023 Reflections As A Medical Student 
• My First Term of Medical School | Exams, Essays and Events 
• My First Month of Medical School | Moving Out, Freshers And Workload
• The Ultimate Guide To Ace Year 12 | Revision, Friendships And Supercurriculars
• How I Got All A*s At GCSEs | 10 Tips Every Year 11 Student Should Know

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

What is The Harry Potter Shop At Platform 9 ¾ ?

The Harry Potter shop is a shop for those who want to buy souvenirs related to Harry Potter. It is next to Platform 9 ¾ which is a fictional railway platform in the Harry Potter books and possibly the most famous fictional railway platform in the world!

What did I like about The Harry Potter Shop At Platform 9 ¾?

• The shop itself was closed, but it was nice to take photos of it outside (and both I and my sister are not Harry Potter fans).
• The platform was very unique and popular and I felt good taking photos in front of it.
• It was good for taking photos.

What didn’t I like about The Harry Potter Shop At Platform 9 ¾?

• There isn’t any activity to do on the platform and since the shop was closed due to COVID-19, we don’t know exactly what it looks like inside.

Would I recommend it?

Yes, I would recommend it because it is so popular, it is good to take photos in and even though I and my sister are not Harry Potter fans, we enjoyed it.

This was my short review or diary entry about The Harry Potter Shop At Platform 9 ¾. These are my opinions about this place. Make sure to check out my other articles. 

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

Costa is one of my favourite cafes. In March 2021, my sister and I ordered from Costa Coffee Bakers Arms, where we ordered the brand new ‘Ruby Hot Chocolate’. However, was it as good as it sounds?

What is the ‘Costa Ruby Hot Chocolate’?

The ‘Costa Ruby Hot Chocolate’ is an Instagrammable beverage made of ruby cocoa beans, which makes it pink and gives it its fruity taste. It has a hint of berry flavour and coated with sprinkles. 

What I Ordered And My Opinions On It:

• Firstly, my sister and I ordered two mediums of this delicious drink.
• Altogether, it was very different to all the other Costa drinks I have tried before. It was creamy at the top and it had a berry flavour. The presentation was great. 
• I did like this drink as it was sweet and was unique but I didn’t find it outstanding, because I am not a huge fan of berry flavoured drinks.
• My sister quoted this as ‘amazing, delicious and sweet’.
• Each drink cost £3.35.

The Place:

Costa Coffee Bakers Arms was pretty good, but during this COVID-19 pandemic, it is currently not dine-in so there is a limited amount of space and you just take it away.

Would I Recommend It?

I would recommend this drink because it was very different, it tasted pretty delicious and the presentation was amazing. I would especially recommend it to those who love berry flavoured drinks.

My Rating: 3.7/5

This was my short review or diary entry about the new ‘Costa Ruby Hot Chocolate’. These are my opinions about this place and drink. Make sure to check out my other restaurant reviews.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

During this COVID-19 pandemic, everyone has been told to stay at home. However, where I live, it is still okay to go out for exercise or essential travel. So, for my February 2021 monthy hobby for the ‘body’ I decided to go out for a walk every day. In this article, I will share experience, evaluation, advice and rating for this hobby.

My Experience:

• I would take safety precautions of COVID-19 and go out mostly in the mornings by myself and walk around my neighbourhood.
• In the mornings, when I went out it was quite tranquil, gave me time to think, time to spend in nature and see the sunrise. It was also very quiet.
• If I was going out in the afternoon, it would mostly be with my mother, so I got to chat with her.
• It definitely helped in some ways e.g. change of environment.

What I Learnt/What Went Well:

• I had quite mixed emotions to this.
• I could listen to something outside when I was by myself and when with my mother, I could have my own private conversation with her.
• It lets you be around nature which usually makes one happier.

Even Better If:

• I didn’t do it consistently for 30 days which is completely fine.
• It may have been nice to stick to the same time every day to walk.
• I could have had a certain playlist to listen to when going out.

My Advice:

• Incorporate some time in your routine to go out and add it to your daily to do list.
• Make a playlist so you know what to listen to when you go out.
• Reduce the friction to go out by having everything ready e.g. your face mask.

My Rating:

I would rate this hobby a 3/5. 

It is a very simple habit!

I hope you enjoyed today’s article. Comment down below if you go for daily walks!

If you want to see more advice-related articles, click here.  

If you want to see more of my experiences, click here.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

I wanted to share my own experience of 2020 and the lessons I learnt. We are taught to learn by venturing out into the world, but this time I learnt some lessons from the comfort of my own home.

So here goes… 20 life lessons I learnt in 2020, a revolutionary year.

Be more accepting of mistakes

As much as perfectionism may make you work your best, it can sometimes be detrimental to your health. Therefore, I would suggest remembering that no one is perfect and everyone commits mistakes and you have to accept and learn from these mistakes. Mentions go to Smile2Jannah who posted a video with Hamza Tzortsis a few years ago and Hamza mentioned something like this.

Create an identity of who you want to be.

This year, I really questioned my goals, ambitions and my purpose in life which is pretty good because it really allows you to carve out your own future. As Tim Han (the CEO of Success Insider) suggested, you should create an identity of who you want to be and then pretend you are that identity.

You don’t need to have an issue to have a story

I remember watching this TED talk from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie saying that she sometimes lied to people saying that she had a terrible childhood as it may sound ‘inspirational’ or because other writers do it, when in reality she had a wonderful childhood. This is to show that you don’t need to come out of a dark past to be successful in the future.

Don’t be afraid to stand out of the crowd.

This year, I stepped out of my comfort zone by creating my own podcast and promoting to people around me. This may have been difficult in the beginning, but now I am happy and thriving in terms of my podcast Alhamdulillah.

You will always get haters.

Speaking of my podcast, I then realised that some people were not very supportive when seeing me create my podcast and doing something a bit out of the ordinary. You just cannot please everyone and there will always be people who may be jealous or insecure about you. You can’t fear hate as if you do, you may regret reaching your deathbed having not accomplished your goals.

Be cautious of strangers

Do not trust strangers blindly, even your best friends, as once upon a time, your best friend was also a stranger. Even your closest friends can leave you. Don’t panic but be aware of what you tell people.

Learn to have fun

Nowadays, it seems that the only way of having fun is by using your phone and scrolling through social media. That may be one form of entertainment, but there are so many other forms of entertainment to check out, such as playing games, chatting to your family and friends, exercising and even organisation.

Have other extracurriculars

This year, I really broadened my horizons and introduced some extra-curriculars into my life such as my podcasts and my Instagram pages ‘@surobiscribbles’ and ‘@thechatlibrary’. Again, this helped build my brand, kept me busy and helped me to have something to do alongside academia.

Don’t be a passive reactor, be a creator.

Another lesson from Tim Han that I learnt is to not just depend on your emotions based on your environment and current circumstances, but instead take control of your thoughts and almost have a strong mindset to determine your emotions based on what you want your brain to think. You control your brain, not the other way round.

When uncertain, list out the pros and cons.

There may be some decisions you have to take in your life, and I realised that you may need to put your thoughts in pen to paper. If you want to make a decision, make a ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ list or a ‘for’ and ‘against’ table and list out all the factors. This helps you to see exactly your thoughts in front of you.

Everyone fakes it till they make it.

Everyone who you see is faking it till they make it. So do the same. 

Learn to forgive yourself.

In Islam, it says to not let guilt eat you up. Forgive yourself for any mistakes you have made in the past. Seek Allah’s forgiveness. And then just move on. This can make you feel quite peaceful. If you are finding it hard to see the positives and forgive yourself, speak to someone and get help.

You are not missing out on anything in life.

Do not ever think you are missing out on something in life. For example, if you have taken the decision to study instead of party with good intentions, just believe in Allah’s plan. Don’t think you are missing out on anything in life.

Accept yourself unconditionally.

Self-acceptance is vital. This was also mentioned in one of my favourite books so far which is known as ‘You Are A Badass’ by Jen Sincero. Self-acceptance helps with self-belief and self-love too.

Life is short, simple and sweet.

Life can have many obstacles. But, also, life is not that hard. If you live with the mindset that life is extremely hard, then it will be hard. Always believe that life can be beautiful and everyone is trying to make the most of it despite their problems. 

Always thank God.

As soon as you lose gratitude, it can impact everything. Please do stay grateful and thank God for everything you do. An example of this is when one of my posts in ‘@thechatlibrary’ Instagram page was liked by ‘@salamgirlpodcast’ who are two quite famous podcasters. Also, they reposted one of my posts in ‘@surobiscribbles’ on their story. I thank Allah for that.

Consume positive content.

This year, there was a lot of negativity in the news and people going through hardship. However, you must ensure you do not get consumed in it, however hard it may be. Listen to motivational videos, read self-help books and stay with positive people.

Have a good support system.

Speaking of positive people, you need to have a good support system especially if you are a teenager going through a lot or someone who is quite busy. These people can be there to help and support you and obviously, return the favour. Being giving really makes you feel better.

Don’t be ruled by the ego.

The ego is sometimes one of the biggest enemies for humans. If someone attacks you, you may immediately feel like you have to respond something back or gain revenge. Just relax. Don’t take anything personally.

Emotions are a temporary state of mind.

Remember that if you are going through a low day, your anger, frustration, nerves or sadness is temporary. Similarly, if you just achieved something, that happiness, thrill or excitement will not last forever. You need to remember that life moves and life is too short not to enjoy it.

These were some of the lessons I learnt this year. These are my personal lessons, and if you have any lessons that you learnt, comment down below.

Please check out my other articles!

Thank you so much for reading, and have a lovely day!

It feels quite sad to me that in the day and age of the 21st century, when more people are supposed to be happier and healthier due to all the medical advancements, networks and facilities, there seems to be, in fact, more sadness. More people, even young teenagers feel lonely and helpless and don’t know who to seek help from. This is extremely saddening and loneliness is what can cause the downfall of many minds.

Especially with this COVID-19 pandemic, many people feel even more lonely than ever before.

But please do not think you are alone. You got this. You have neighbours right next to you, help at your fingertips and people to help you within a few seconds or minutes. Do not ever think that this is the end of the world. I am telling you, there have been many who have gone through the worst of the worst and have come out of it, so you can do it. You got this.

This problem is temporary. You just need to stop panicking, and work step by step. Gain help from others. And it is possible to get rid of problems.

You can be the first one to smile. You can be the first one to compliment people. You can be the first one to spread positive energy. You can be the first one to build a community of happiness.

You Got This.

If you need to, feel free to contact any of these helplines (help is not too far away):

https://www.childline.org.uk/

https://www.mind.org.uk/

https://www.kooth.com/

Please share this short, motivational reminder to anyone and everyone. 

What does productivity mean to you? Comment down below.

Please check out my other articles relating to Islamic content, My Experiences, Teenage Advice, Book Reviews and Poetry.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

Figure out how you will be receiving work 

Firstly, find out how you will work from home. Will you have to join live classes from home through Google Meet, do tasks the teachers set you or just revise independently? I had to do all three so figure out when you will do all of these. 

Make a good routine 

For me, waking up early worked best. Stick to your school timetable as much as possible, and make sure that you try to get all the work done within that lesson. This will add structure to your routine and make it feel like you really are going to school.

Make to do lists

Have a piece of paper with all your tasks for each of your subjects, and then tick off or highlight when you have finished it. You can then add other tasks you want to complete such as schoolwork.

Have a post it note for questions

If you will be returning to school soon and you want to ask some questions to your teachers in person, I would advise getting a post it note or even a small notebook dedicated to writing down all your questions. You won’t forget to ask all the questions you have!

Get organised

Make Google Drive folders and keep your notebooks tidy.

Try to have breaks without the screen

Many people are used to going on social media and being in front of a screen after just spending hours on front of another screen. This is not only harmful for your eyesight, but also for your concentration levels. Instead, take regular breaks in which you leave your study space and do other activities such as talking to your family, which will leave you feeling replenished.

Change environments

When you are in school, chances are that you are moving to a new environment every lesson and this may subconsciously make you feel more productive. Therefore, do the same thing at home and after every lesson, go out of your room for a break or for your next study session, study somewhere else in your room. It’s you tricking your brain into thinking you are ‘commuting’ when really you might be in the same room.

Have other extracurriculars 

If you have online classes, you may feel like you are studying continuously all the time. However, if you incorporate activities that will also add value to your life but not necessarily be academic, you will feel accomplished in other ways. You can do this through an extracurricular activity such as making a podcast or starting a YouTube channel. 

Have someone that will keep you accountable

If you want someone to be there to motivate you, you may need that one person to do it. I would advise having someone in your life that will check that you are working. For example, if you have an older sibling, they could check every hour to see if you are working. Alternatively, you could have a friend whom you send your to-do lists via social media every morning and in the night, you could check if you completed all those tasks (make it a friendly little game). 

Have a positive mindset about online classes

If you tell yourself that you hate online classes, then you will hate it. So please try to keep positive about having online classes and try to enjoy this new experience. Remember, that there are many people who do not have any access to education at all but at least, we still have access to education, whether it is online or in school.

If you do online classes, make sure to tell me in the comments down below! 

This pandemic is testing everyone so do not think you are alone.

Now get working!

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!