Assalamu Alaikum wr wb, It’s difficult to describe my cultural background because it has had many diverse influences. My parents are Sri Lankan Muslim (both with different mother tongues). In my childhood, I lived as an expat, went to an international school (western) in a non muslim environment in Singapore. Alhamdulillah, I was blessed with parents that prioritized a strong Islamic foundation at home. My parents married and traveled away from their home country, so I grew up around just nuclear family, and Alhamdulillah I'm close with them. But having been raised away from extended family, and steady/constant communities (we moved a lot) I tend to be quite socially awkward, and it usually takes me some time to settle and get to know people. I was married and living in Australia for about 5 years between 2016 and 2022, and since then have been back living in Singapore. I started to work as a private tutor for Qur’an and Tajweed in 2022 and have been trying to improve in my own tajweed as well as trying to learn some arabic at the same time. As a 35 year old woman with a history of infertility and PCOS in my late 20s, I want to be realistic about the prospect of me having children one day. Ideally I would want someone who is not opposed to children but would also be happy with the idea of not having any (more?). Alhamdulillah, I find that since most women my age are mothers, I find myself with a lot of time and have interests that in comparison are maybe a little juvenile, I still enjoy playing video games especially with my two younger siblings, enjoy watching the occasional tv show and would still say yes to going on a roller coaster. I also love spending time with cats. I also try to make sure I listen to Islamic lectures both to increase in my Islamic knowledge as well and try to be positively influenced by them when I need extra motivation or reminders. Just to give an idea of the kind of Islamic context I like to watch, my favorite series include Yaqeen’s 30 for 30 series, and I have really enjoyed the late night talks with Omar Suleiman and Yasir Birgas on Ibn Qayyim’s works in particular, though in general I’ve really benefited from Yaqeen’s content. I also love the names of Allah series by Ustath Hisham Abu Yusuf. I also find speakers like Dr. Haifaa Younis, Mufti Menk, and Yasir Qadi to be really beneficial to listen to. Something that is very important to me is reading and reflecting on the Qur’an. Although my hope is that I get closer and closer to Allah in this life, I don’t know that my trajectory is always in the right direction, but my hope is that I get back on track everytime I swerve away. And I don’t feel like my journey truly started until I started to make a practice of reading and reflecting on Allah's words.

A practicing Muslim who at least does not abandon the five salaat even at the lowest points of Iman A person who actively seeks to improve themselves before Allah, and sees efforts to work on themselves and their relationships in the dunya as a part of their ‘ibadah. Someone who is intentional about the social media they consume/create as well as the time spent on it. I also think cultural gender roles play a critical part in marriage, and I would want to really understand someone's experiences and expectations regarding them. I think no one will be someone else's Ideal, but I also think it is important that the ideal version of you matches as much as possible with your spouse's ideal version of you and vice versa.