Sometimes I just miss me, my thoughts, and what it is to be happy. This cup of black coffee, strangers I could have run into, places I could have been in now. But now I am here with the perfect kind of black. The smell, the freedom. I can be everywhere. I can be everybody.  

I stare into bottom of my cup. Black is never a sad color. Although it’s worn in funerals. In big ceremonies. I think people wear it to stand out. It shows a contrast against their skin. They want to be noticed but subtle. I hate this word, subtle. It’s delusional and charming. Maybe it’s why I’m always drawn into black. Maybe I should love white instead.

I could wear white. All white. It’s even a trend now. I could order a cup of hot white chocolate instead of coffee.  I could stare at the clouds. Weave weird new faces. Laugh at them and the way they surprise me. The shapes… I could handle the white page of my notebook I have to face every morning. Color it up with white words. Foamy and plain. But white scares me. It’s just very white. Black is purer. Black is more human.

I thought about the black and white pictures I used to admire. They are never black and white. They are grey.  Just different shades of grey. Exquisite and dreamy. It’s the way I remember every building. Every special face. The optimistic spice seller with  Mashmoom flower tucked to his right ear, the Madame in high heels in a feeble attempt to catch the train, high school couples. Clouds of smoke, the sound of coffee machines, my feminist grandmother. Grey faces. Grey buildings. Grey memories. Grey sounds. It’s a world of truth, here.

I love to write about it. It makes me want to listen to Phillip Glass. Draw my own world of glass. But I will always wonder about the next wild party. The new friends. I just love people as much as I love this. To write.

Star Wars in style

Hello Beautiful people,

So, as promised today will be featuring my friend Hend who was been helping out with photos lately. We have chosen this theme, as the Star Wars trend seems to be back in Tunis these days with the Happy from Teteouine video featuring Pharrell Williams. I know it's a bit overrated this" happy" thingy. Don't you think?  I never liked the song. I mean I guess it's an Ok beat. I just don't know why everybody is obsessed with it. I hope it's just a phase. 

 Ok, lets go back to the cool kids talk now, there was also a fundraising event in Tunis for a New Star Wars movie. A great opportunity to wear this Star Wars shirt, right? In this post, Hend will be showing you how to style this shirt and make it look edgy but at the same time casual.

Much love as always,

Oumayma 

 Outfit details:

Blazer:Thrifted

Shirt: Pull & Bears

Over-sized pants: Zara

Snearkers: New Balance

Bag:Thrifted

Necklace:Tally Weijil

Sunglasses: Police

MOKA for Life... Style!

Hello folks,

We are back with a post about a very special place, for you hungry creatives living in Tunis. Moka Cioccolatah is a new lifestyle store located  in downtown La Marsa. If you are itching for a new fashion adventure and want to escape the city's hustle on a Sunday morning, Moka is the place to be. Yes, we call it Mocka because the name is too long for us, or lets say it's a form of endearment for our favorite lifestyle store in Tunis, there aren't many anyway..

When we first got in, we  thought it would be a place for food and drinks -as the name suggests- , but we found out that it is a newborn Tunisian lifestyle brand ...food for thought maybe ? Definitely! We loved the diversity of items and eclectic style which is a rare combination of modern and classic; with minimalistic furniture, vintage wooden tables, ethnic ornaments and home accessories ranging from your gramma's sewing machine, wooden prayer beads, to that retro typewriter you could have seen only in black and white movies or maybe in your little niece's Tumblr.

When it comes to fashion, Moka combines both authentic and trendy in its choice of colors and fabric. We absolutely love their summer shorts collection bringing Tunisian traditional  fabric to life. Dresses and clothing reflect the zen ,bohemian free-spirited flower child trend yet with an edgy, and unconventional outlook.

 Myriam, the founder of Moka told us that the brand also stands for a social cause, through collaborating with women from under-developed regions in Tunisia. We have also met Amina, known in Instagram as Amoniak. We haven't talked much with her mainly because she was a -shy-don't want to talk about myself- kind of person. So adorable right? But we could sense that she is a is a well traveled introverted creative type who loves to color her world with cute little things. We love both Myriam's outspoken nature and Amina's positive outlook. They both  remind us of Emma and Elsie from  award winning blog A Beautiful Mess.

Come and join us at Moka store if you'd like to meet new people and discover a unique brand. Here are some photos of our favorite items at the store. They also have a cozy youthful  music, if you're into Arabic indie and rock bands.

Much love,
Oumayma

Photo Credit: Hend Hassasi

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THE CONSONANT OF SOUND

 

Words on the tip of her tongue, string breaks in Arvo Part’s Fur Alina, blank.

It was almost 3 am. She just couldn't think in words, sentences or even utterances. There were only images, scents and impressions of a so long abandoned memory. It was a strange and liberating sentiment. She wanted a break from words... things... and concepts...Oh those big fat concepts! They are everyday on TV, in the news, at university, at work, even in Plato's ancient book. Oh Concepts, - the word-shaped illusion of morality - have you ever imagined life without them?

Concept-less... Life included.
 
Only drops. Eyes closed. No center

Do you speak the language of drops? Resonant silver liquid drops. It's the only language that could be practiced by listening, and cannot be perceived by the sarcastic. After all, things are different when you're the beholder. You allow yourself to be consumed by something greater than yourself; your worries and perspective. You connect with the kaleidoscopic side of things; like in love or literature, and any kind of art. It's a beautiful human affinity.

Resonant silver liquid drops…She loved the way they made her feel; surreal and lingering, as in the first days of spring, when rays strike her pale skin. Trees wake up in blooms and buds, turning grays into pastel. She slowly rubs her eyes, maybe waking up to Vivaldi (Concerto for Strings and B.C. in D minor), or Beethoven's Spring Sonata.

Eyes still closed. Only drops. No center.

She looked at the clock. It was a little past 3 am. She hated this state between sleep and waking, when time slows down, almost stops. Life seems to work in slow motion and events move so fast. As if there are certain things that need to be lived, until life starts going back to normal again.

The stopping of time...Very cliché, right? But things are no longer cliché, only when they are real. They become the exact opposite; rare and personal. Have you ever been next to a person in coma and wondered what would be on their mind while they sleep. Or have ever wondered what would be in the mind of a few month-old baby. How things are represented in their pretty little head; the simple things he knows best, things that are completely foreign to us. She has always wondered what would be like to spend some minutes, hours in somebody else’s life. It is something that strikes her fancy.  

Soft and sonorous drops, they were silent, comforting. They absorbed all the words frivolously, the noise too. Alina could see the dull offices and pallid rooms, in a new light. A different brightness, coupled with a pale hue of blue. The track went lower and lower as she sank into oblivious sleep. 

WINTER INK 

Winter is such a graceful season,
Nature in its most vulnerable form.
Trees are bare to the bone,
Prolific branches,
Grey veins,
Beating roots,
Patient sleep.
How can something which seems so lifeless,
Bare so much life?

No, I don't like winter,
Spring and fall are my friends.
Spring excites me, too much
Fall is all.
But I'd like to write about winter,
Winter is mysterious to me.
Silent and sometimes fierce,
Like the dreams of a beginner,
An amator of the Art of life.

February still,
The tree is still there.
The tree is still bare,
But February is not still.

Dreary wind,
Foolish drops.
I will dream of Aleppo,
I will sing with the poet from home.

No I won't.
Poets are sad
Poets are bitter.
No I can't be bitter,
When I can play.
Frosty Splendors,
Here I'll stay.
I'll be good, I swear!
Can you please take me there?

Artwork: Breaking by Marinella Boicu.

I have always felt powerless about the humanitarian crisis going on in Syria and with children refugees. Ashamed, even. For now, this is what I could do to raise some awareness about the topic. You can follow the #NOLOSTGeneration tag platform if you'd like to share your story. The online campaign is initiated by UNICEF and aims to draw again the world's attention to the existent crisis.

Much Love,

Oumayma

UNCHARTED

"Publish what makes your heart beat and your eyes gleam. Publish your moments of clarity. The moments where your words aren’t merely wind, but a force of nature. Whatever happens to you tomorrow—if you have the best day of your life, if you come up with a great way to improve college, if you become disillusioned with social justice, or if you have a thought that keeps nibbling at your consciousness—write an article about it. You’ll be thankful you did."  Matt Saccaro

This year has brought a new blog with a new sense of purpose, a more creative redirection of my energy and new journey to rediscover an old source pleasure. Writing, creating, sharing inspiration and learning more and more in the process... It’s more about learning and challenging myself than anything else.

One of my goals this year is to be more daring about doing the things that interest me. It’s OK to be unsure of how to start, but the most important thing is to ACTUALLY START. Doing things that “make your heart beat and your eyes gleam”, in a way that you might get little scared and nervous, a little unsure of yourself… Doing things out of curiosity… and passion… That’s how I welcome 2014. I am curious and excited.

A hearty thank you for stopping by and Happy New Year to all of you hungry creatives out there.

Yours truly,

Oumayma