Bloody Brilliant Bugger!!

Can't believe my ears right now... CANNOT believe it!!
Friend has just told/shared news of the friiend of this friend. And the news is MAJOR! So, this friend of a friend has just been accepted into YALE (yes- the one in the US), and get this- its for a Commercial Law degree. And get this- it's a scholarship!!! And finally- believe this: friend of a friend has refused !!!!!!!???
Can you tell that I'm shocked & dumbfounded??
Obviously, friend of a friend is a Bloody Brilliant Bugger. BUT, friend did also tell/share the reasons for such an inexplicable refusal. Friend of a friend wishes to pursue Islamic studies in Egypt & elsewhere. Friend of a friend also has many responsibilities (won't go into details), AND friend of a friend has just decided to get hitched.
My friends... I wish them all the happiness... and I wish they'd let me take that scholarship instead (except I'm lacking the much needed brilliance & the will to go to the US) *sigh*

This only highlights the absolutely horrendous results that I've had to show to my Dad, who (needless to say) has given up on my ever making anything of myself.

And now for the million dollar question/s: How do those people do it? What is it they have that I don't have?
If it's money, then I'm doomed. If it's determination, then I'm doomed double-time.

***

And on more doom & gloom news- have just realised that I'd completely forgotten about the first anniversary of a dead friend. I hadn't seen said friend for 5 yrs.
Died last year- can't even remember the exact date. Shows to go how self-centered my little world has become & how easily I forget those I once called "friend". *shudders*... I'm scaring myself here.

Ah well- worry not, my friend, you deserve serenity... but is that your destiny?

I've got the baton, now... what next?

So Dazey's handed the baton to me, and the only complaint I have is that I'm actually going to have to use my brain & try to remember some of this stuff from 5/10 years back. Whew! I need me some of those marshmallows....nothing like brain-food to get the ol' wheels chugging along.

Right-o... now, where do I start?


10 Years Ago: My first step into my new home. I was a little 8-yr-old, not a care in the world, and not a care as to where we landed, as long as my parents & sisters were there with me. I can still remember my first impression of New Zealand: FREEZING!! (and it wasn't even winter). Aside from the cold, there was the green. *sigh*... ain't never seen green like NZ green.

5 Years Ago: My first step into my new home. I was a bit older (13-going-on-4), confused, obstinate, not really believeing that I was going to leave all those friends behind and move, yet again, to some unknown ( and frankly, unwanted) place. And I can definitely remember my first impression of the land down under: BLOODY HOT!! And I'm tellin' ya- hot doesn't explain the half of it... 'twas mid-December, temperatures of 40+ degrees C, towards the end of ramadaan, and the highest temperatures I'd EVER experienced (in NZ) was close to 30 degrees. C.

Middle School: In other words, Intermediate (which is what it's called in NZ)... OH-MY-GOD! Those were the days of my stupidity... the peer pressure I succumbed to, the parties (wild- for 12/13 yr olds- & totally inappropriate for me), the weird fashion-phases I went through & have yet to understand, some of the most AMAZING and some of the WORST friends (all of whom I've lost contact with) &, in essence- a time of my life I'm glad is waaaay over, swept under the rug, never to be spoken/ thought of... EVER again (I hope). *shudders*

5 Bands & Artists: Sami Yusuf (good voice), Evanescence & Celine Dion (amazing voices, but I'm trying to get over them), Dawud Wharnsby, Native Dean & a guy with the most serene voice, whose name I don't know, but who sang an arabic song I heard only once, fell in love with & can't find again, though I've searched EVERYwhere... I don't even know what the song was about :(

5 Things I'd do with £100,000,000: Pounds?!? Wow!! That's like double in OZ $$!! So I'm thinking more along the lines of what to do with AU$200 million.
WOWZER!! How about buy an entire (teeny) island as a refuge for Muslims & oppressed people in general?? (Actually, I might need more that a teeny island... and in that case, more that a couple of hundred million).
Failing the island-buying scheme, I'd give about 70% to extended family so that they can have a comfortable, but not lavish, existence, pay off some loans, etc, etc... insist that their kids (all my cousins & what-not... the young'uns) get a decent, authentic education on Islam (preferebly overseas... can't see much decent islamic education happening in BD).
Repay any loans that my parents/ sisters/ grandparents may have (the others can fend for themselves :P). Hmm... what else?
Oh, definitely give like 20 million to YMSA & others like it (in OZ), 20 million to orgs overseas (esp in non-muslim countries).
Heaps towards advancing Islamic educational material + Islamic media (dunno how much... say another 20 million).
Is that 5 things yet??

5 Places I would run away to: NZ (anywhere), Japan, Morocco, Dubai, 1 friend's place (won't metion who).

5 things I like doing: Writing, reading, sketching, cleaning (say nothing people... it can sometimes be very therapeutic... it caaan!!), skating (ice or otherwise), oh and sometimes shopping (but mostly, I hate it).

5 things I will never wear: Blue/ green eyeshadow (unlessI'm at a costume party dressed as a freak)
A pink scarf (detest the look that colour gives me... esp on my head).
Socks with sandals (I think that's a BD thing... me Mum made me when I was a kid... eeewww- I've been traumatised since!)
Skinny jeans/tights (I thought that was done & over-with in the 60s/70s, those hideous things!)
Rings/bars/studs anywhere except my ears (not even my nose, thankyou very much).

5 Movies I like: Gladiator,
LOTR,
To Kill A Mockingbird (yeeees, I did like the black & white film, and I loved the book too),
Home Alone (the forst one only... and although I'm a bit enbarassed to admit this one, I loved the cute little Caulkin with his ingenious & over-the-top ideas... and it's funny!),
and any other movie with meaning + Will smith/ Jim Carey/ Russel Crowe/ Jhonny Depp...

5 People I'd like to meet: The prophet (saw)- that's a given,
'Isa... aka Jesus (as),
Helen Keller,
& my Dad's parents.

5 biggest joys at the moment: No Mum & mostly no Dad to "supervise"/ keep track of my second-to-second activities
No Uni in such horribly humid/hot/inhuman/ugly conditions (and it's only getting worse... ugh!!).
Loads of time to myself,
Food, food, gloooorious foood.
My YMSA girls (and friends)... so enthusiastic!


Weeeell, that's it.
It seems that I have to pass the baton on... and I choose: Dagz & Tea Biscuit.

The A**** Family Traditions??

Just had a little chit-chat session with Snowman & me Mum (have yet to chat to the Anxious Ash- will explain below).

Seems that Ash, youngest khala, BSE & more of extended family sped off to "see"/ meet/ be introduced to Mr. & Mrs. C (mainly Mr. C, seeing as he's our errrmmmm- Bhai? Dula-bhai?? Sounds sooo foreign coming from me). At any rate- they're down right evil, they are... making the poor man believe all sorts of crazy and kooky things. Here's a glimps (from what my Mum told me)...

Actually- let the glimpse wait- shall speak to Ash on the phone then get back to you lot about the "evil" masterminds that my family are proving to be
:D

ok- NOW I wish I were there... I hadn't before, but...
Ok- time to fly to the phone.
Will update soon (possibly tomorrow).

Just one last thing before I log off:
BSE, "A bonny lass"??!!?? Ahem... Snowman quoted you, and I'm just wondering...what the??

Innocent Eyes

Splash of Life
I miss those days and
I miss those ways
When I got lost in fantasies
In a cartoon land of mysteries
In a place you won't grow old
In a place you won't feel cold

Seems I'm lost in my reflection

For the little girl inside who won't just hide
Don't let me see mistakes and lies
Let me keep my faith and
My innocent eyes

Sketch Book becomes Saviour from Insanity

Stuck my foot in my big pie hole today... SOOOOOOO embarassing!!
I can be amazingly stupid & clueless at times... sheesh! Argh! Betroot-red doesn't do justice to my face, I tell ya.

Anyway... finally, my baking frenzy has come to an end, with Ash out of the country.
To explain: I baked 3/4 different kinds of cake for Ash to take to BD, so she could feed Snowman & me Mum some actual food. 'Twas somewhat fun, but I wouldn't rush to do that again in a hurry. Ah yes, and Ash leaving (by herself)has caused me Ol' Man to almost cark it! He almost lost it because she didn't take her mobile, and hence we'd have no way of contacting her beyond the boarding gates & after her arrival.
And now, of course, matters have only become worse, since he has nobody but Flynn to exercise his "Parental Instinct" on.
Scrap that GPS tracker, I've been sentenced to incarceration... within the confines of my own home!! Won't be needing tracker or both pairs of Ishi & EMu's eyes, thanks all the same.
Bless my sketch book, without which I would have destroyed half my home... and possibly my psyche along with it.

BUT- Ishi, (Kid-Nid?) Rabz & myself have planned to re-visit school (on Friday, if I remember correctly). Why isn't Emu coming along?? Emu, why aren't you coming along???
Anyway, that should give me some respite from my psychotic, do-nothing days.
Maybe I should cook some more.

I can't believe it- I have so little to do that I'm actually thinking of soiling my hands with housework! *makes a sour face* blrgh... Heeeeelp!!

Oh and how could I forget? Insomnia sems to have me well in its grasp... can't seem to wriggle free.

Ishi & Emu- if you can make it to my place 1st Jan. (Sunday) from about 10:30- 3:00 (or whatever time), then let me know.... having a little party-thing for my girls... nothing huge- just small-time "us-girls" type event.

On other news: Ash & I & Dagz met a suprisingly open-minded, decent, forward thinking, (and perhaps, understandably, a slightly pessimistic) girl/woman today (Fresh Off Bd- lol... just kidding ;)... she wasn't typical F-O-B material... refreshingly different, thankfully). Spent a few odd hours chatting away about topics ranging from the Hijaab to suing to some downright deep issues affecting humanity (especially in BD).

Oh, and just last night, Ash and I spent another few good hours chatting away to a friend of hers (from Uni)- Maryamary- about loads of other things (eg- people going overseas, family, friends, events, life, etc). Last night was more light-hearted banter, compared to tonight's deep discussions...lol. Oh, and some of the things Maryamary said, Ash! LOL!! *rolls on floor*... 'twas goodgood, not just good :D

Ah yes, how could I forget that the night before, Ash's other friend came over to say g'day & probably g'bye before she took herself off to BD? Flynn didn't spend much time chit-chatting that night... 'twas mainly Ash gas-bagging away about Lord only knows what.

Speaking of taking off... yep- Ash is finally leaving day after tomorrow (Tuesday). Yay! Another visit to the airport!! Anyone want to come along??
Actually- sorry- you aren't welcome... y'know it's exclusive visitation rights for Ashes in Avilion
:P

And on some pathetic news: I am still dirt poor & already 19 (but not as poor as Ash, who spent every cent for BD-visit preparation).
At this rate, I'll be an old, frail crone before I can afford that laptop & new mobile & Echo/Rav4/Barina & digital vid. cam. & new printer/scanner & ... oh yes- there's my Uni fees & the money for textbooks & so forth... not as important as the above-mentioned, but perhaps just as necessary

To Hell... not back yet

This abomination we call weather down here NEEDS to be mentioned.

Is it just me, or did people feel as though they were wading through foggy-lava?? Even at 5PM, I was walking home and, By George, the heat was trying to literally shove itself into my system!! The HOTTEST day in a DECADE- yes, that's 10 Years for the laymen who don't know.

Sheesh, I may as well have taken a swim through the swamps of HELL (have yet to emerge)... there's NO WAY I can survive this heat.

Bugger me, it's gotta be at least 45 degrees C!!
Anyone for Flynn Filet (that'll be Freshly Fried too!!)??
Well, that's how it is- I'm so cooked, you could eat me!!

And just to reinfrce the idea of a hot, HOT, HOT day, I've typed in red :D.
Aren't I brilliant? :P

PS- And there's the small matter of my turning 19 today, which I would rather not have because I liked being 18... and in a limbo, of sorts. Drat- why did I have to become older??!! :( :S

Claustrophobia resurfaces

Feeling restless & mildly claustrophibic again.

I need something... anything... to fill up almost every second of my time (and I can only read for about 6hrs continuously, at a time).

So, any ideas??

Oh, and here are a couple of other "Kodak moments" from that day:

The wonderful plant in Ishi's kitchen... who had the brilliant idea of taking a pic of the plant anyway??

I can't believe we ate this stuff... but really- it tasted better than it looks.. seriously!!

Especially for Disaffected College/Uni Students

Dreams are like rainbows. Only idiots chase them.

If you're attractive enough on the outside, people will forgive you for being irritating to the core.

The best leaders inspire by example. When that's not an option, brute intimidation works pretty well, too.

PS: I canNOT believe I've neglected the editing (I can't believe I've forgotten... even with the thousand and 1 reminders on my mobile). Flynn is much Sorryness...please, oh please accept my infinity minus 1 apologies, but I completely forgot! Believe it or not, I actually have so much to do, even though I anticipated a nothin-to-do holiday.