In short, they will be Swedish since that will be the stronger culture do to the place of residence, not to mention mothers have more influence on their children regardless of how good a dad he is. In any case, this is counting your apples before the harvest, since children are not guaranteed. Best of luck to the happy couple B, you forget, for the practising Muslim, as many Somalis are and this being a Somali forum, religion IS hugely influential to one’s existence, other forms of identity following behind, but then again for this Somali man it is entirely different because if it was a huge factor he would not be marrying a non-Muslim woman.

A&T, happiness is not everything, happiness compromises small moments of joy that are captured and remembered. One should aim for contentment, more lasting. I agree with Serenity.

loool@screaming Alshabab.

^^ I agree

Ibti dear, travelling is the new cool and has been for some years now. Firstly, if you are waiting for me to tell you some sort of hippy-babble talk of just-drop-everything, just fly away etc. you may as well stop reading now . If you can go, and you just need a little boldness, go for it. If not patience will keep you sane. If you are honest with yourself you will find there are very good reasons you chose the path you did, eg. going to uni. There is this feeling that all of life’s excitement & pleasures must be had and done with, in your case, all the travels completed before your 25th birthday. Come on, all of life should be one big excitement and one should have great things to look forward to throughout their lives. You make it sound like its youth, travel, excitement, marriage then a long pause, then death, Acudibillahi. This idea that certain things are tied to certain ages is absurd. Who says you will be able to enjoy a sunset more at 25 than 32 or 58? Yes you may die tmwr, that's just too bad. So maybe you can’t take off a year and travel the world, but perhaps you can do two big trips/experiences each year and tick of your list? Very few Somali men and women are free of heavy responsibility. Most are burdened down by duty, a lot of hopes rest on each and every one of us, unlike our native counterparts. You must somehow, on your own terms achieve your personal hopes and aspirations along with this. It’s also best done without trying to compare yourself with others. So Ibti, what’s done is done. If you can take some time off to do what you long for, by all means go for it, if you can’t at the moment don’t beat yourself up over it. Take action & plan for it, plans keeps dreams alive. This is idealism in a realistic way. Since I know you, for what it’s worth, you’re doing exciting, impressive things as it is. In any case, it’s not a bad thing to be aware of one’s own mortality, life becomes more urgent, more precious. I have not yet done even a fraction of the amount of travelling I would like to, and I really value travel, but it doesn’t worry me at all, as I am quiet certain, with God’s help I’A, that I will get it done in the very near future. For me personally, there are bolder dreams to be chased at the moment and travelling is a thing to be done along-side them. Val, no wonder there is such a thing as a quarter life crisis to begin with! There is a lot of pressure on young people these days, graduate, travel, be hip, be an eco-warrior, get a great job in the city, party away or be seen as a lively person, get married to a stunning, hugely successful man/woman with perfect teeth, have a great home, beautiful 2.5 kids (of which one at least should be a genius), drive a great car, look glamorous & fit, always be perfectly dressed, take weekend trips to Europe and blast the photos on FaceBook. So much nonesense bombarded to us until one forgets what they really wanted or what they were told they want.

Ngonge, I mean you, SS, Juxa, Ibtisam, and anyone else who always goes on about language!

LoooL@Ngogne, I doubt that very much. Ibti, shiny. Anyway people, it may seem smart to boast about how amazing your Somali is but as an adult Somali it is expected, not an achievment of some kind so keep it zipped.

Ok, now that I am thinking of the owl, I never got the mean link between the spinster and owl though!

Ngonge, where you after the word gumeys (owl)in Somali? I am sure someone has supplied it? Afternoon folks.

^^And if you're just arrived at your office it's unlikely lol. Let me know anyway. I'm off now, have a good weekend all.

Juxa are you back in your office? You're unreachable these days!

Hi Buuxo, It was from Pret, I asked for cheese and tomato mozorella crossant. I saw it as soon as I bit into it. LOZ, that's horrible. It's like this so called Halal chineese restaurant that serves buffets, and there is pork next to the halal meat tray, something is fishy there... Some ppl think eating sea food is vegitarian.

LooL, it was horrifying, had to wash my mouth for like 10 mins. I think it's the first time in my life I bit into anything with bacon, it was cheewy and salty, yuck!

SS, nabad Legend, havent had lunch yet, it's a gorgeous sunny day out...might go for a walk along the river. How's your eve?

Hello Legend, whats up?

Zack, about Baladweyne, Che said was , since the war it might have a bigger majority of certain clans but I know many people from different clans who lived & were raised there. Even today there is some diversity, don’t just look at the ones that shout the loudest. p.s. not everyone has the need to wear their qabil on their sleeve Yes, another one born in Mogadishu. I dont get why it's a suprise so many people were born there?

LooooooL@Castro. This is a terrible idea. Better to rent a private villa? The whole point of holidays is for families to spend time together, not apart.

^^ Peace of mind, some shreds of remaining dignity. Better mental health? C&H, of course it’s an outrage. EDIT: forget the imam, I believe you need two witnesses, end of story. It’s a basic human instinct to change that which is causing you difficulties. Secondly, your house is your own space, wacdigooda banaka ha la joogan? I don’t understand why one would wait a couple of years either, it's a sort of acceptance of the situation. This mentality that divorce is worse than death is a sickness amongst Somali women, hence why so many of them accept the unacceptable. In any case, Ilahey ha u sahlo.

I blame the woman and she deserves what she gets.

There is a huge difference between apathy and nosiness. If my neighbours’ homes have been broken into I would get an alarm system or move out of the neighbourhood. I wouldn’t go around playing action-hero or accusing people of theft. It’s not practical being an alarmist or fearful. I have no patience for these mass hysteria views of which amongst yours there are many, ciyalkiya jail kuwada jira, nimanki aa yaraday (biggest rumour in decades), gabdhihi waa wada garoob, nimanki wa wada loosers, Taliban bey nu wada noqonay, diinti ba laga tagay, dhaqanki ba la illoway ...I mean really, put a sock in it. If everyone just focused on their own sh*t we would see some progress. You worry about your own house, everyone is accountable for their own lives. Why does it burn you to see single, independent, older women? Why do you fear them? Like it has been said a billion times before, men do not seek the sisters that would gladly enter into a polygamous marriage, rather they get some kind of ego kick out of forcing this as an acceptable option on those who would never consider it. Anyway, I have said enough on these recycled topics.

^ I find this idea that we are morally and socially responsible for every Somali, one among 10-12 million, totally outrageous. They want to grow old alone? Fine. They want to marry reverts, fine. They want to spend their life in crime and piracy? Fine. They want to become atheists? Their choice! Why is it mine or your business? I don’t want to hear about it, let alone care for it! Khayr, I take it you probably have no problem seeing 2 or 3 wives, supported by other people’s tax money? When more Somali men first start supporting their own families we might be able to have this discussion. Even highly successful professionals are struggling to provide fully for one family, and if you are Somali, add your parents and contributions to your extended family to that list, you may as well forget it. That reality check should stop your fantasising in its track. Castro & Adam, right on!

p.s. Sheh, I have found the girls at Fenwick Bond Street to be very friendly, it certainly isnt as busy as other stands and you get a lot of attention.

Sheh, Luminous Skin Colour 50ml/1.7 fl oz pump bottle A combination tinted moisturiser and sheer foundation, Luminous Skin Colour visibly improves the complexion, yet looks incredibly natural on the skin, offering skincare, makeup, and sun protection in one ingenious product. Contains anti-oxidant vitamins, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic ingredients with a broad spectrum SPF 25+. Combines broad spectrum SPF 25+ to protect against over 96% of both UVA and UVB rays Contains anti-oxidant vitamins A, B, D, and E to aid tissue repair, increases collagen renewal and moisture holding capacity, while simultaneously protecting against pollution and free radical damage Contains soothing anti-inflammatory and antiseptic ingredients Can be applied with a foundation brush, fingertips, or a brush Make-up Artist Tip: Additional moisturizer is not required as this is an excellent moisturizing foundation, however serums and additional moisturizing cremes may be used if desired. The above is from their website. Like Juxa said, try Becca, it’s an Australian international Brand and it can be purchased from Fenwicks. Personally it’s the best tinted moisturiser I’ve ever come across, about 80% moisturiser, 20% colour for glow. You might think £33 for a bottle is expensive, but it will last you about 8 months since you only need a little bit of it each time. The only thing is I don’t know how it works on oily skin but it’s excellent for normal- dry skin. It’s very good for sunny days, I think we all underestimate sun damage to our skin, even in cloudy winter UV light rays make it through. Black women are less likely to get wrinkles younger but that doesn’t mean we’re immune to discolouration and pigmentation marks. I feel the majority of Somali girls have great skin that doesn’t need to be covered in layers of foundation, tinted moisturiser or concealor around the eyes to even out skin tone should be enough, even for special occasions. Brownish blusher also evens skin out since most have lighter cheek area. A good tan will do just as well of course, I love the natural look. The only other thing that I would recommend is MAC looser mineral powder pot. As for eyeliner, if you’re wearing it on top of your eye-lid, put a little powder on first. If you’re wearing it inside the eye-lid, I really have no clue... C&H, I love Vaseline, applied sparsely. I have only ever come across one lip-gloss that wasn’t sticky, I can’t stand sticky lip-glosses. If I had to choose 3 things I would go with eye liner, vaseline, tinted moisturiser or concealor depending on the state of the eye area.

Red eyes= extremely bright/harsh sun= no sunglasses= damage to the eyes? I’ve noticed this in young & old people in Somalia (well form the TV that is).

Ibti, I actually think the beading on the top is a bit weird, there is already enough going on with the bold prints. Let’s see how it looks when it arrives at their store. lol@cook baris in it, I think that will be a challenge with an evening dress, but I do agree what cant be worn outside will certainly be appreciated inside