Darn you morals

I really need a new bag.

Ok, maybe I don't need one as much as want one.... but still.....

I really need a new bag.

Lately all the bags that seem to catch my eye are leather satchels.  Leather.  I like leather.  Like brick likes lamp.  

I'm pretty in love with this leather beauty from Topshop

But then I felt a bit hypocritical.  

Whilst I enjoy the feel and smell of a new leathery bag (I'm joking, I don't smell my bags.....honest...), I'm very much against fur, real fur bags, jackets, rugs etc.  I don't agree with animals being hunted and killed for their fur/skin.  

I think there are some cases where it's acceptable, like those miraculously small tribes who seem to be untouched and unaffected by the modern world.  For them, fur would be a way for them to keep warm and stuff.  And I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have a sewing machine to create  fabulous coats and neck scarfs with, to sell on at extortionate prices.  

But here is where I try to rationalise my love for leather....

Cows are slaughtered everyday for meat, so I suppose using their skin for leather isn't exactly the same as being hunted (Imagine a cow hunter!) 

Vegetarians out there are probs thinking 'What a horrible woman! Killing animals for their tasty, tasty meat is just as bad as hunting an animal for it's fur!!'

My response would be:

Firstly, how do you know that I'm a woman? I could be lying about my gender and really be a man, you sexist.  (I'm not lying, I am a lady).

Secondly, is killing animals for their meat really as bad as hunting an animal for it's fur?

I don't think so, but that's just cuz I loves meat.

'Nuff respect for the vegetarians out there though, it takes a lot of will power to stay away from meat.  Personally I'm not a very big fan of beef and lamb, I could easily live without them, but chicken....Oh chicken.  Chicken.is.the.best.thing.EVER. 

Anyhoo, back to the point.  Yeah, so is wearing leather just as bad as wearing real fur? or is it different as cows are slaughtered regularly for meat anyway? 

I dunno weather I should boycott leather or not.  Not boycott, that's not the right word to use.  Leather is not an organisation...Or is it!?  

No, it is not.

Jean-Claude Van Dammes anti-fur campaign poster.  Possibly one of the most frightening posters I've ever seen in my life (look at his face!! I think he's supposed to be sad, but I just read psycho). 

What are your opinions? Yay for leather and nay for fur, yay for fur and leather, or nay for both? 

Israeli soldiers told to 'cleanse' Gaza

Watch:

Boycott the horrible Zionist regime:

If you don't support the zionist agenda, educate yourselves and the people around you. 

I know it's easier said than done (my heart broke a little when I saw Nestle, EVERY good chocolates Nestle damn it!), but remember, 'A man who stands for nothing, will fall for anything'- Malcolm X

Do your bit.  

xo

Is this a democracy or a dictatorship?

My very talented family friend Rhys has recently started a blog highlighting major and minor injustices alike, without over analysing or over complicating anything.

I highly recommend you to check it out and see what you think: http://www.a-raw-deal.com/
It's a mix of political and social stories, articulately written by Rhys, who has the ability to make even the most obscure of stories incredibly compelling.

The lovely Rhys asked me to post a few bits and bobs on his site, and my first post in the forum was titled 'Is this a Democracy of a Dictatorship?'  It's based on the idea of the current coalition government completely ignoring the people who are most important, us, and carrying on with there silly plans because they're so darn adamant on privatising the whole land and bleeding the country financially dry (in my opinion anyway).  Check out the post here: Is this a Democracy or a Dictatorship?

The site is in it's very early days, but please to check out 'A Raw Deal'.  With a talented chap like Rhys behind it, it promises to be honest, compelling and inspiring, so take a gander and spread the word if you like what you see.

Well done Rhys old fellow!

Subjectivism

It's funny how two people looking at the same colour will never see that particular colour exactly the same.

Two peeps looking at a blue couch for example, due to the differences in the processing of signals by our individual brains, will see the same blue couch in an ever so slightly different shade.

Unless your colour blind.  Then it'll be brown or something. 

But we're all in sync, 'cuz we're taught what colour is what from a young age. 


.....Rainbows are lovely.....

I'm writing you a 4 page letter

I wrote a proper, written letter a few days ago for the first time in...well...for the first time ever actually!

When we were younger, my mate GM and I used to write little fun letters to each other, like friendship letters! (Check out GMs deep, thought provoking, and just generally sick blog here http://gaping-mind.blogspot.com/p/gaping-mind.html).     

Apart from that I've never had to write a hand written letter to anyone!  Actually I've written a few letters disputing parking tickets that've been unjustly issued to me!! (They usually get dismissed mwaha)

As you can see, GM has always been as articulate as she is....

Some call it mean, others, character building.....

So I was writing a letter to my friend Josh.  We've been friends since college, and he was actually one of the first people I met and befriended!  We had philosophy together in the first year, and immediately hit it off.  He dropped out of Philosophy a few weeks later (too much deep thinking for him apparently.  Plato and Aristotle didn't float his boat).  So we still saw each other around college and had a good chuckle.  

I became Josh's token asian friend.  Just to clarify for the american readers (My stats thingy informs me theres quite a lot you guys reading....or it's just the same one american...pressing f5 over and over....(I don't mind, continue)), anyway...just to clarify, in the UK when we say Asian, we're referring to Southern Asians, like Pakistanis and Indians and Bengalis etc. where as in the states you guys use the word Asian to refer to Chinese people right? (Or so american TV shows and stand ups have led me to believe!). 

Anyway I was Josh's token asian friend, and he used to think it was ok to openly shout things like:

 'THEIR NOT SERVING CURRY IN THE CANTEEN TODAY AYESHA HAHAHAHA'

He would usually do this when the canteen was at its busiest, and the best thing about the whole thing was other peoples reactions to this!  I went to a Catholic sixth form, so the majority of the students where white (which is actually a no brainer since it's England, but you'll be suprised in some areas where the majority of students aren't white!) I'm getting carried away again! *Concentrate woman!!* 

So people would look mortified when Josh would shout his seemingly racist blah blahs at me, and 'cuz i was usually by myself in the queue and people would all gasp for air like they do when something shocking has happened, I would struggle to think of a suitable, non-racist reply that would not result in me getting jumped by the white majority college.

I couldn't think of anything, so would just flip him the bird. 

So Josh is a Mormon (I think you use a capital M for the work Mormon.....yes?).

My limited knowledge of mormons (can't be bothered with the capital letter now, no offence peeps I'm just lazy) came from watching a few snippets of the show 'Big Love', which I can't comfortably watch, (even though Islam allows polygamy and stuff, I just find the idea of a bunch of wives chilling together weird).  

Josh assured me that the faith he practices is nothing like that.  But anyway, when guys in the Mormon church reach a certain age, they go on a 'Mission' kinda thing, where they get re-located around the globe to spread the good word o'the Lord.  

Josh, after a million and 1 mishaps, was eventually ready to be re-located and go on his mission.  He was expecting to go to some exotic, foreign land, expecting to be the mysterious Caucasian male who would captivate the heart of women and children (mainly the women, not so much the men) and make a real impact to the society he was delivered to, where Mormonism (spell check isn't disputing the authenticity of that word...) was a strange new compelling religion....

Instead he was sent to Scotland.

Although throughout the letter I kept asking 'How's the weather in Ireland!?!'

I know the difference between the two, It's just that I was convinced he went to Ireland until i read the address I had to send the letter to!

Well anyway, on the mission which Josh started about 4-5 months ago, you're not allowed to take your mobile, use the internet or ring people!! You're only allowed 2 phone calls in the year, I think one for Christmas and another just for funsys.  I suppose it's all so he can focus on proselyting and being spiritually connected to God (which you can still do via downlading the bible app on your phone, mr Mormon rule maker), But I get the sentiment of it all.

My letter should have reached Joshy by now, and I am eagerly awaiting a reply from him :D 

If you guys fancy writing a letter, why not write him!! You can tell him I told you to (I told him I blog now :D and gave him the web address, even though he'll probably never get the chance to use it while he's away mwahah) but just incase.  

Here's his address:

Elder Joshua Riddett 
32 Mossgiel Road 
Ayr
KA7 3DL 
Scotland

I think this is so true! Pinched from my friends FB :P 

I'm pretty sure he'd be super chuffed if he received a bunch of random letters, so go for it if you have a chance!! (Keep it clean and abuse free though gang, lets be semi-mature adults here)

If you're cheating by surfing the net in a seedy internet cafe Joshy, then I miss you and will see you soon :D 

xo

Seriously?

So everywhere I seem to go online recently, there seems to be some kind of drama about one of my fav new artists, Lana Del Ray.

People seem to hate her 'cuz she's some millionaire heiress, who didn't successfully make it into the music industry as herself; 'Lizzy Grant', and claim she's had all sorts of surgery on her face to re-invent herself.

Now although I'm not an advocate of plastic surgery, to each their own, and the fact that people are dissing her because she's kinda re-invented herself instead of sticking to her old guns, well isn't that what a lot of successful artists over the last 30 years have done?! David Bowie and Madonna where notorious for changing their image over time, and most recently, Lady Gaga is the latest global phenomenon to become famous for playing a character completely unlike her pre-fame self.

So personally, I don't get what all the hating and trolling is about.  I'm a bit embarrassed with how celebrity obsessed our culture is, quite frankly, and how listening to music is no longer  about how amazing a persons voice is or how beautiful the lyrics/composition are, but about the person themselves, what they look like and how they came to be.  Seriously? Who gives a shite.

I certainly don't.  As long as the beats good and the lyrics are meaningful, then I'm on it.  I get how a persons actions can kinda influence how you feel about them and their music, but Lana Del Rays is hardly in an R.Kelly situation where you sit back and think '.....Ew.....Really?'

I can't say that I'm surprised though, we live in a world where it is now easier to judge the lives of these idols and megastars instead of focusing on our own bloody lives and sorting ourselves out!
I remember a while back, there was a whole uproar about Cheryl Cole leaving the UK X-factor to become a judge on the US version, and then she got sacked and blah blah, and I kid you not, for about 3 months, every papers headline was 'Cheryl Cole this' and 'Cheryl Cole that', and around the same time I read an article that a woman in Congo gets raped nearly every minute.  I found this out when generally browsing online, not mentioned in the News once, not in one paper, meanwhile Cheryl Coles bloomin' 'Crisi' was shoved down my throat every which way I turned!
Click here to read the Congo article via the Daily Telegraph     

So trollers, don't hate on a perfectly good songstress for no real reason, and get over your obsession with celebrities and pick up a bloomin' book.

Here's my fav Lana Del Ray song (it's a remix, bit more upbeat than original)

Is there an artist you particularly dislike for no reason? If so let me know! You might get a whole post dedicated to how wrong you are ;)

xo

If we remembered how we remembered all the things that we remember, then we wouldn't remember all the things that we remember.

Are there too many 'remembers' in that sentence?....

I can't take credit for that wonderful statement.  I'm Pretty sure I heard David Mitchell off of the telly say it once ....I think, or maybe I did think of it but can't imagine myself putting together such a meaningful and coherent sentence?
Bah, either way, 'tis a good point, and my inability to remember if I plagiarised it or not introduces what I was gunna talk about in this post anyway!

So I was reading one of esbbostons lovely blogs about memory and stuff which you can read here (you're welcome for the shameless plug esbboston :D), and coincidentally came across this article by the guardian on the same day about memory titled 'The story of the self' (click the link to read).  It basically talks about how our memories are little stories we kinda make up ourselves, attaching certain emotions, feelings and even adding extra events to certain memories, as that's how our present selves would expect our past selves to be feeling/acting at that moment in time.

"autobiographical memory" is about the narrative we make from the happenings of our own lives. It is distinguished from semantic memory, which is memory for facts, and other kinds of implicit long-term memory, such as your memory for complex actions such as riding a bike or playing a saxophone" (Fernyhough, C. 2012)


It's funny how impressionable our memory is to our own exaggeration.  It's quite strange to think that a particularly vivd memory we might have, may not be as vivid as we actually think.  Is it a coping mechanism?  Our subconscious minds way of making us feel better by adding a bright sun, and clear skies to enhance a positive memory? Or a rainy day to a bad memory to enhance our self pity, adding extra negative emotions we may not be sure were present, but assume we would be feeling, so add that to a memory too?

Everyones recollection of the same event will be different in some little way.

My autobiographical memory and semantic memory are both dreadful.  A lot of my childhood memories actually come from me vaguely remembering something, but with someone telling me the details of what actually happened.

Luckily for me, my mum documented my life extremely well via photographs and videos!  My mum was, and is, photo mad.  She carries her digital camera around in her bag, just incase a kodak moment may happen at any time!  I complain about how embarrassing it is at times, but truthfully, it is lovely to look back at family meals and birthdays and little get togethers a few years on, and recall funny things that might have happened (Thanks mummy :D).  One such memory comes from one of my little cousins birthday parties, where the stool i was sitting on BROKE whilst I was eating.  I will look back on that day with pride (I didn't spill any food, and got up like a graceful pigeon..which DO exist...somewhere...).  There's not much point of my subconscious trying to repress that moment, I have enough people around me to re-surface that wonderful moment (yay for me!)      

 

My earliest memory is of me making the number 4 with my legs and saying to my mum 'Look! I'm four, *pointing to my legs* number four!!'

What's your earliest memory?

xo

Happy Birthday Jizzle!

My oldest brother Jizzle (again...not his real name) turned 26 today, so I thought it only fitting to dedicate a post to him, being my biggest fan an' all!

for anyone who is curious to see what Jizzle looks like, here is a snap of him below:

JOKES.  This is a catfish silly billy (although there are striking similarities between the Catfish and Jizzle)

We went out to celebrate yesterday (which was saturday, for the intellectually impaired out there...) so we could chill and not have to worry about work/uni the next day! We ventured out to an Indian restaurant called Nawaabs in manchester (I say Indian, it's actually Pakistani, but it doesn't sound as good saying 'I ate Pakistani food', so we'll stick to Indian, even though it's the same!).  Nawaabs is one of the most popular restaurants in Manchester, well the UK actually, so upon arrival we had a 1 hour wait :/  Wasn't too bad, most if passed by with family banter, which usually consists of everyone picking on my Dad, bless him (I don't pick on him though :D)

So anyone who's been to Nawaabs buffet knows how huuuuuuge the variety of food is, here are some pics I pinched from the website so you can get the jist of how ridiculous the variety of food offered is;

The long buffet with a kitchen right behind, so you can see the food freshy being made.

I've always been very close to my brothers.  Growing up, I wanted to be just like them, which resulted in me having a little tomboy phase (there's a picture of me and my brothers when we were little, where my mums friend mistook me for a boy and said to my mum 'I didn't know you had 3 boys!'.  "Nope, not 3 boys, thats my little girl" my mum replied with a mixture of pride and embarrassment....)

But yeah, growing up we'd always be playing on the playstation or in the park, but mine and Jizzles sibling love grew a notch when he introduced me to the wonderful word of WWF.  I was obsessed with The Rock, freaked out by Goldust and Bluedust, and liked to immitate the actions of  the Trple X crew (anyone familiar with there actions knew that this was not appropriate for a little girl....).  That love was taken down a notch when Jizzle used me as his wrestling dummy; Clotheslining, power slamming, and even body slamming me on occasion (I'm not even joking).

But I'll never forget the day he broke my heart...when he blurted out that wrestling was fake in an angry fit of rage (we were probably fighting over who gets the remote....which we still seem to do....).  It was like someone telling a kid that Santa didn't exist!! (Or how i imagine it would feel...being Muslim, santa was never really a big deal for me).

I eventually forgave him as it's hard to stay mad at Jizzle.  He has a sweet, boy-ish charm about him, and I don't know whether I actually mean that, or if I'm just saying that because that's how he describes himself quite often (It's imprinted in my brain now.....)

But yes, heres to my lovely, funny, intelligent but incredibly stupid all at the same time brother Jizzle.  Inshallah you have many more bdays to come and stay blessed in wealth, health and happiness, ameen xoxo

Jasims Manchester United birthday cupcakes :D

I've lost a lot of sleep to dreams...

I'm quite indifferent about 80% of the music I hear on the radio, TV etc.  I don't like it or dislike it, but I'll probably know all the words to the chorus as I've heard it that many times on the radio!

I like about 15% of the stuff I hear from the same sources mentioned above.  My personal definition of liking music is wanting to download it, so i can burn it on a CD and listen to in the car, or on my phone.

That leaves about 5% to songs I actually Love.  And to be honest, these songs hardly get played on the radio- and if they ever are played I get super excited and start singing/dancing in the car with excitement *Happy Dance*.  

I'm quite fussy with music.  there are very few songs, and whole albums actually, that I'll listen to for the whole duration.  I usually get bored and change songs after the chorus (even for songs I like).  This is due to my poor concentration span (I'm rubbish like that).  When I first hear a song I love or really really like, I'll listen to the whole song, but after I've heard it a certain number of times, it'll join the category of 'change after chorus'.

I'm not really feelin' any of the music made nowadays, it all sounds the same.  At the moment it's all pop dance drivel, and before that it was all pop RnB drivel.  But i s'pose pop music just goes with the flow really, a kinda full circle thing.  Everything just repeats itself in popular culture really- in terms of fashion and music I mean (I can't really see my self going back to my old school  nokia 3330 anytime soon).

I think music was better when I was a kid in the 90's, early 2000.  Dance (primarily house), RnB, Hip Hop, Garage (the little niche phase), Indie and Alternative rock, even pop!...all of it was better then (That's just my opinion anyway! to each there own).

Very few songs move me; I don't really think I can explain what I mean by 'move'...like, songs that  kinda make me think really, really deeply, or feel super profound for no reason at all! Actually, I kinda feel de-tached from myself when I hear something that really moves me.
I'm sure you kinda get what I mean when I say a song moves me?  If you don't then whats wrong with you!?! You need to start listening to more deep shit.

A short list of songs that have 'moved' me, or made me feel a bit funny inside:
'Sail to the moon'-Radiohead (they had to be on the 'moved' list, right!?
'Strange and Beautiful'-Aqualung
'Inside my love'-Minnie Ripperton
'I Remeber'-Deadmau5 (the full version, not the short radio edit)
my minds gone blank now....

Sorry folks, no Adele.  Don't get me wrong, I loves me some Adele, she's bare deep an' that, but not really moved me.  I s'pose it's quite an individual thing really.

The latest song to turn me into a deep philosopher, questioning every little thing around me is 'Sleep' by The Roots, in fact their whole album 'Undun' is pretty fudgin fantastic!

Also give this a listen, 'tis beautiful:

On another note, I discovered my big brother Izzle (not his real name) is pretty deep and cultured!

It began with him dramatically turning to me, and saying 'Today....You'll be a man my son!'
I found this is highly offensive, seeing as I'm NOT a bloke.
Just before I was about to slap my brother across his face, he told me that it was a line from the poem 'If' by Rudyard Kipling.  I'm not really one for poetry to be honest, but this is a pretty awesome one! (I mean you know a poem is good when it's described as 'awesome'! How often does some say that about poetry?)

If If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or, being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise; If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with triumph and disaster And treat those two imposters just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to broken, And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools; If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breath a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on"; If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch; If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run - Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!  Rudyard Kipling.   xo

Pondering.....

Yesterday I went to uni to hand in three of my assignments whoop whoop! Three down, 1 more assignment and presentation to go, then I have some time to chill before starting my 5000 word monster dissertation :O (well it's monstrous for me, MSc and Phd students are probably thinking I'm a lucky so and so right now)

So yeah... The essay I'm doing now is all about how we would progress in our careers as Audiologists once we've graduated.  Doesn't really seem that bad, until you look into and realise the government have completely changed the way audiology will be studied from next year and the way to advance in your career..... yay for me! <<(sarcasm....)

These kind of assignments I Loathe, as they require me to have an opinion on...like...everything.  I mean, I am opinionated and like to have my say on things, but things I know about (or want to know about). My other assignments have all be research based, which I prefer, as it's just taking in findings and research from a bunch of other scientists on a particular topic and spewing it out into my own words and biggin' it up or slaggin' it off.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
An essay requiring me to use more of my brain than I would prefer to is nicht to mein liking.

Anyway enough self pity for a moment.  Whilst I was doing some research for my assignment, I stumbled across an article on the history of Audiology.  Interesting fact (for audiologists anyhoo): Audiology only came to be a certified profession after World War 2, as a result of treating veterans hearing losses due to excessive noise exposure.

It got me to thinking: the profession I intend to develop my career in came about as a result of war.  Now I've always been a bit hippy-ish in my belief that War is baaaaad, even though World War 2 was..well...a War involving a lot of the western World, not just a petty little bikker.
But I never associate anything positive coming about as a result of war.  I usually just think about the unnecessary  death and destruction it causes.
Actually I've never really questioned the UK's involvement in WWII, I just remember learning about 'Trench foot' in history, being extremly grossed out, and never giving it a second thought.

Hadhrat Abu Hurairah Radi Allahu anhu reported that the beloved  Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhu wa Sallam said: "Ad-dunya sijnul mu'min wa janaatul kaafiri." "The world is a prison for the believers and a paradise for the disbelievers."

But an extremely useful profession came about as a result of WWII.  The Audiological advances in hearing aid and cochlear implant technology is amazing!  To think that an adult/child born with a profound hearing loss can have the opportunity to hear!  Granted they will not hear things with the same clarity that a normal hearing person will, but they're hearing non-the-less!

I think its a modern day miracle! (or maybe I'm just over emotional!)

Here's a touching video that will soften even the iciest of cold hearts.  it's the turning on of a cochlear implant on an 8month old baby :D

Breaking News!

Mum has lost interest in getting a parrot :( I knew this would happen!! (Read the parrot post here) I had already planned on naming it Napolean if it was a boy.  I couldn't think of a nice girls name for a parrot, Polly's too obvious.  I'm open to suggestions (even though it's a bit pointless since we're not getting one anyway *sniff* still, go for it!)

My cousin Tee named her kitten Frodo.  I think naming a kitten after a hobbit is a bit daft... but she likes it :) I can't really talk as I suggested it should be called Jigga.  Jay-Z would be proud (yessir)

xo

Your hat looks ridiculous.......I MUST HAVE IT!

So I've know Liz since I was like 14 or something.  We went to the same high school and college, but she decided to abandon me in university, and left to study the art of directing in California (cool right!?).  I look out for her in episodes of 'Keeping up with the Kardashians' incase she comes punches one of them in the throat.

Any who, me and Liz pretty much bonded instantly (well, not instantly, she kinda BLANKED me when i first spoke to her....more about this later).
You know when you just click with someone?  Well me and Liz just clicked.  I think our relationship blossomed primarily because we both have warped imaginations, and are just as silly as each other.

So as Liz studies in the states she usually comes back to Manchester for the holidays, and if she gets a chance, she squeezes me into her oh so busy schedule :)
So Liz and I share a mutual love for Sherlock Holmes, which began in our English classes when we read 'Hound of the Baskervilles'.  Now I don't know whether it was because of the book, or because of the way our long limbed, slightly hunched, white haired and intelligent spectacles wearing teacher Mr Watson would read excerpts from it.  He would read it like it was an epic Shakespearean play (but to be honest, that's the way he read everything...and spoke, come to think of it!).  And another thing that was lovely/creepy about him was that he NEVER made eye contact with the class....ever.  I don't think it's cuz he was shy or anything.  Maybe he just despised us so much that he couldn't even bring himself to look at us.

So me and Liz decided to imitate the morphine loving, occasional cocaine abusing Holmes and Watson (just to clarify in case my mother is reading, we didn't actually take morphine or coke, I just find it funny that the respected Holmes took drugs recreationally!)
Naturally, I took on the role of the genius, socially inept Holmes, and assigned Liz as the lovely, limpy Watson.  Liz was not happy with this, and so sometimes with her deluded thoughts states that she is in fact Sherlock.  A few christmases ago, I felt sorry for liz, so I got her a Sherlock hat and pipe to make her happy (although this was a mistake, as it further deepened her insane belief that SHE was Holmes, and i was Watson.....)

Ghost Sherlock: Liz brought the hat and pipe to wear during the movie :D

But it has become our tradition to see Guy Ritchies adaptation of Sherlock Holmes together, so we went to watch the sequel together and had a lovely lunch after as well.   During lunch, we came up with an amazing movie idea, titled 'Mouse Trap Euthanasia'.  As you can tell from the title, it will be a romantic comedy about and old lady who wants to die (not in a depressing way, she's just really really old and a bit fed up).  It's kinda based on a true story........
watch this space for the movie anyway.    

So to conclude this loving post dedicated to Liz, here's the story of our first 'conversation' (you'll see why it's in inverted commas...)

School has finished and everyones waiting outside for their buses/lifts home etc.  I spot the new girl, Liz, standing on one side by herself.  I walk up to her, thinking that a bit of small talk with the new girl couldn't hurt anyone:

Me: Hiya!

Liz: Blank stare.......

Me: Erm... How was you're first day? This schools not to bad eh?

Liz: *awkward expression like 'why is she talking to me?'*

Awkard eye contact and looking around for a few seconds (which felt like eternity) from both of us.

Me: *walks away slowly*

END SCENE.

There you go Liz, that can be your directorial debut, the scene when we first met!
Liz says she was shy, I say she was stush.  Either way, I loves her and look forward to seeing her work when she's a big shot director making 'Rocky XII: Rise from the grave for a final crappy fight'

xoxo

P.S.  Watch season 2 of 'Sherlock', the BBCs modern version of the classic detective :D (and season 1 if you haven't)  It's so bloody good.

Me Likey

So I downloaded that 12 days of Christmas app for my iPhone, and i have to say, it's bloody pants!  The only good apps to have come from it (in my humble opinion) are:

1) Snapspeed- This awesome cam app that allows you to edit/manipulate photos.  It's by far the best pic editing app i've got from the app store.  

2) 30 Rock and House pilots- unfortunately I've already seen these.  I LOVE 30 Rock, and I've seen a few episodes of House, which is good, but for some reason I don't really wanna get into the series.

There were a few good games like sonic and need for speed racing ones, but they're not really my cup of tea.

I shouldn't really complain, mind, considering they're free apps! 

But anyhoo I got excited by this Snapspeed app and went and took some snaps around the house with my cam and got editing! Here are some of ze results:

 Dressing table

 Bangles

 Love this one as it looks like a painting or something! A little bronze shisha I got from Dubai

 Pilloooowwwwws

 I think this looks quite vintage *smug smile*

 Blur

 Some people collect stamps, others butterflies.....my mother- bags!

  

M-Dawg

On the subject of things me likey- I should talk about m-dawg.

now when I first started blogging, I texted a few friends and asked them to check out my blog.  I'd say about 2% of them actually checked it out (Thanks for the support guys *sobs* I'd like to thank  God and my parents...) 

But yeah.  One of my good chums M-dawg informed me that she had not even graced my blog with her cyber presence.  This news saddened me.  WARNING: This is the part where I guilt trip M-dawg.  Considering the amount of time we have know each other (about 18 bloomin years), I thought M-Dawg would have been one of the first keen little travellers to jump on my blogging bandwagon, but nay.....this was not the case.  

Her first question in regards to my blog was 'Do you talk about me?'......*facepalm*

M-dawg and I came to an agreement.  She would read my blog if i dedicated a post to her.  Her lack of immediate interest in my blog and narcissistic assumption that my blogging topics revolve around her have demoted her from having a whole post to her self, to sharing a post with the crappy 12 days app (womp womp).

Heres a few things about M-dawg you may like to know:

1) She has graduated from university with a degree in Law (You go girllllll)

2) She is UH-MAZING at giving dirty looks at will (By that I mean she gives daggers, like mean looks, not kinky dirty looks!).  She gained notoriety in our local area after making a dog weep just by giving it a dirty look.  this is where the name M-dawg comes from.  

3)She practically lives in Pizza Hut.  One time we went and a member of staff asked 'Do I know you from somewhere? Oh no, it's just that you come here a lot......'  I initially thought M-dawgs love for pizza hut was sad, until it got us an extra scoop of ice cream with our cookie dough! GIRLS GOT CONNECTIONS!

  

Thats enough M-dawg info.  I'm pretty sure you have fallen in love with her after a reading that brief summary.  

Now to ring M-dawg to arrange our Phantom of the Opera tickets ;)

Love you M-Dawg xoxo

Stephen Lawrence: How he changed the cultural face of Britain

For those of you who aren't UK natives (or are, but don't watch the news!) here's a quick summary of the Stephen Lawrence case:

He was an 18 year old lad from London, who one day, whilst waiting for his bus, was stabbed by a gang of 5 people back in 1993.  The reason? Because he was black.

So his best friend who tried to run away and get Stephen to run away (Stephen didn't want to run away, he tried to stand up against the boys but didn't realise they were carrying knives) called an ambulance and the police.  The police arrived on the scene, and instead of trying to stem Stephens two 5 inch deep wounds and reduce the loss of blood, as they should have done, they drove to the local pub to see if anyone knew what was going on, despite Stephens best friend telling them what had happened and in what direction the gang went (the pub was in the opposite direction).  He died on the way to hospital.

It took the police 12 days to call in the suspects for questioning, despite Stephens friend and various other locals telling the police who committed the crime.  After various trials, the boys were deemed innocent due to lack of evidence (Because of the polices crappy job collecting evidence, witnesses and calling the suspects in for questioning).  This continued for about 5/6 years.  They were called for trial and acquitted every time due to lack of evidence to hold against them, despite Stephen's best friends testimonies and other the boys characters (they were proud racists).

Now the remarkable people in this story are Stephens parents.  Stephens parents took the case privately and never gave up on getting justice for their sons untimely murder by a bunch of racists.  They prosecuted privately and accused the police of being institutionally racist.
A new chief inspector in scotland yard took over, and took the case seriously (as it should have been taken in the first place).

Stephen's amazing mum and dad, who never gave up on getting justice, inspired the then Prime Minister, good ol' Tony Blair to change the law....thats right CHANGE the law against double jeopardy.  In the past, if you where acquitted from court you could not be prosecuted again.  This law was CHANGED, changed so the Lawrence's could attempt to get justice again.

If you haven't watched the news or read the papers about the 5 men accused of this hate crime, you will not fully understand what disgusting human beings they are.  Some of the racist things they were caught saying by a hidden cameras about black people where just...disgusting.

Basically, thanks to the amazing development in forensic technology, and the polices changed attitudes in actually trying to get to the bottom of this, two of the five guys were found guilty yesteday: David Norris and Gary Dobson.

It took 18 years for the Lawrence's to get some justice, 18 years.
It took 18 years to solve a crime that could've been solved in less than half the time if the murder victim was white (sad, but true)

The whole point of this post was to state that Stephen Lawrence did not die in vain.  His death, his parents fight for justice and the nations backing of these heroes has changed the cultural face of Britain FOREVER.  Ethnic minorities are not just second class citizens who do not deserve justice or to be treated the same as others.  Britain is now the diverse, embracing, multi-culteral country that it is because of Stephen Lawrence and the legacy he has left behind.

But honestly, the hero's of this story are Neville and Doreen Lawrence, Stephens parents who DID NOT give up.  They are true inspirations.  They fought and stood up for their sons injustice, and have succeeded (well halfway, theres still 3 to go...).

It took 18 years.....18 years to get some justice.

But i want to say thank you, thank you to Neville and Doreen, who FORCED the police force to sort themselves out and shake out the lazy, bigoted coppers who did not give two shites about this, or any other hate crime, simply because of the colour of the victims skin.

I wonder if they fully understand the cultural impact they've had on this country? Eh, i'm sure someone will right a book telling them they have soon :P

'All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action' Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). 

Racism stems from ignorance and lack of understanding, and I think in some respects fear, fear of something that is unknown or unfamiliar to a person......

Either way, if you ever encounter a racist, throw a Bob Marley CD at them and scream 'ONE LOVE, ONE HEART, LET'S GET TOGETHER AND FEEL ALL RIGHT' (then sprint as fast as you can).

PEACE! x

2012 continued!

I knew I'd forgotten somethings when i published my last post!

In 2011 I also learnt a new language, British Sign Language (BSL).  I loved my BSL classes, made a bunch of lovely friends who i hope to keep in touch with (the wonders of facebook  eh!).  I'm really worried that I'm gunna forget how to sign though, because the few deaf friends I have, I see very rarely! so sometimes I just sit there having mock conversations with myself while my family look at me with a concerned expression on their face (They don't know whether I'm border line crazy, or all the way there.....I like to keep them guessing)

I also started volunteering for Action on Hearing Loss, a voluntary organisation that aims to help hearing impaired/deaf people with their hearing aids or for general advice in disadvantaged areas where help is not readily available.  I'm quite enjoying it.  We mostly see old people, who have some pretty interesting stories and some not so interesting (Like a little ladies story about how the neighbours dog 'bullies' her plants)
You may get a werthers original sweety if you prove yourself useful.  It's usually a loose sweet, without the rappe,r dug out of a deep, dark, mysterious pocket....but hey, a sweets a sweet.

So the Deaf community got pretty lucky this year, a double dose of moi for them to enjoy!

    Rainbow Cake!! Baked by L in BSL class :D nom noms

2012!

I remember being a kid in primary school, standing in the playground, staring at the sky, thinking 'Why is time going so SLOWLY!?' and then I realised that the older I became, the faster time flew!  I suppose it's because you have more responsibilities and have more things to do when you're older, so the free time you have seems short-lasting.

Subhan'Allah.  Pinched this pic from: http://www.islamicthinking.info/

I honestly sit looking at the sky sometimes, and get freaked out by how fast the clouds are moving past me, as that means the worlds turning faster and so time is moving faster! (In my simple little head anywho).

Then I wonder if the clouds that I perceived to be slow moving when I was a kid in primary school where in fact moving fast for someone who was my age, then, at the very same moment?

Then my head hurts and I go eat a biscuit.

I think this year (or last year...) has been pretty eventful for me, but I struggle to recall what notable things I've actually done!!  I think thats more down to my bad memory than actually not doing anything all year!

2011
So in March I went to Marrakech with my family for my 21st, and it was BEAUTIFUL! I really want to go back to Morocco at some point in my life.
Also in March, my beautiful mam and dad threw me a suprise 21st Bday party :D was lovely!

 Above: A pic from the beautiful hotel we stayed in and the stunning Katoubia Mosque below after I added a few effects :D

 Mint Tea (my new love)

 Katoubia Mosque at night from Djema El-Fna square

 Camels! (scary mofos to get on and off from.  NOT like riding a horse at all!)

 Garden Majorelles, above and below.  Beautiful <3

 Room dedicated to YSL! The Blue house in the pic above was his house.  they turned his property into a public garden after he died (I think....)

 Spice Souks

 Madersa Ben-Yousef.  One of the oldest Quranic schools in the North Africa

The Courtyard in our hotel.

In June, I finished my year placement and returned to university which was bitter sweet!  It was bitter as I miss the lovely bunch of people i was working with (some who I know i will know forever :D) and I miss getting a wage!! Sweet as I don't have to get up at 6am to get to work for 8am and finish at 6pm!!

In September I went to Barcelona, which again was beautiful!  Loved the Catalonian way of living, so relaxed and chilled (and so clean compared to the dirty UK streets!).

 Paper flowers from la Ramblas

 La Sagrada Familia

 Park Guell

 View of Barca from Skycar

Van Gogh mask in Picasso museum 

Camp Nou in Barca and below my UH-MAZING birthday cake!! Mini me and Goofy!!! 

So yeah.  lets hope 2012 is as eventful!

Hope everyone has a good year :D