I miss reading

I mean I miss reading my fiction books (I'm not the biggest non-fiction fan, apart from autobiographies, I love them).

All I've been reading for the past few months is journals related to my uni work.

They suck.

I don't understand 70% of them.  The 30% that I do understand are still so waffly and complex that it would be blatantly obvious that I was plagiarising if I was to just copy and paste it into my own work.  A little something like this:  

I met Barney, he iz a purple dinosaurs. He haz a green tummy and likes to playz with tha kid-uz. 

After conversing with Barney, a painful truth had become apparent to me.  Barney was dead, dead behind the eyes.  Physically he was alive, yes.  His heart beating, his tiny arms frantically moving rhythmically to his hypnotising melody.  But his eyes....It was in his eyes.....

He. Was. Dead.

And he made me spaghetti with some meat balls that tasted like kitty poop, but I ates it anyway cuz Barney looked depwessed. Then he slit his chubby, purple wrists.

  

My darling dissertation.

I know it seems sad to take a picture of a piece of work, but when you invest so much time and energy into something, it's kinda hard to let it go! 

You go do me proud dissertation! Lets hope whoever's marking it is slightly intoxicated and a very generous marker.

We went to watch The Avengers Assemble the first day it came out, last Thursday.  I knew it would be busy, but I didn't realise how busy!  We had to queue outside the screen, and when we were allowed in every seat was filled, and it was one of the bigger screens!

I love watching movies when there are loads of people.  The atmospheres great, everyone seems excited and happy, but there's always that one person who laughs a little to loud, for a little too long, and claps at times when there's no reason to clap!!  Why must you torment us, oh annoying movie geek!?!

The movie was AMAZING! My fav character by far is Iron Man, and I don't know if it's purely because of Downey Jr, or just cuz Tony Stark is so sarcastically awesome.  I don't think another actor could play Stark as well as Downey Jr does.
All in all, the story was good, the fighting scenes where brilliant and the comedy timing was superb! Hulk is pretty darn adorable in this movie at times.  

I wasn't too impressed with each individual Marvel movie.  I liked Iron Man 1 and 2, Hulk was good, but Thor was booooring and Captain America was a big let down.  Thankfully The Avengers Assemble didn't fail to impress :)  

We got some bad news during the movie though.  My cousin txt me to tell me my Mums uncle passed away that day :( 

He was only 64, but he was very ill for a very long time, so it was kinda expected.  We went to Middlesborough on the Friday for his funeral.  We got to see his body, and he looked very peaceful.  His granddaughter said that he seemed fine, and he was talking normally one minute, and then just went the next.  I supposed it's a good way to go.

Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilayhi Rajioon
'Verily we belong to God, and to God do we return'

I'm not gunna lie and pretend I was close to him, most of my memories of him are from when he was ill and we never spent much time together.  But he meant a lot of things to a lot of people, so I just pray that he is granted the highest level of Jannah (heaven)-Ameen. 

Back to the book front.

I'm currently in the middle of 1Q84-part 2 by Haruki Murakami.  The book itself is fascinating, and is definitely one of the more original story lines I've read in a book, but I've not had the time to sit down and enjoy it properly since the uni works started to get heavy.

I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but when I know I have work to do, I feel guilty when it comes to reading books, going to the movies or just generally enjoying myself! Stupid, I know, but I suppose it's kinda motivation to finish my work.  The I can just relax and enjoy the book once and for all! 

I came across this hilarious post about the worst book covers and titles and just had to share some of them!

You can actually buy this books if you click on the above link!  There are loadsss of these weird books, but here's a choice few;

very very creepy on a first glance!! Freud kinda shizzle here

yup yup.  Rihannas S&M was inspired by this

Mister Poops pants suggest he's Scottish, however his hat implies he is French?
What's up with the weird dog/wolf doc?

This one makes me want to cry

I don't understand the significance of Jack and Jill.
Do they represent his testicles?

Heads up

No, we're SUPERHUMAN you douche bag.
Oh wait, the Author's a woman!!? what the?

Come one, come all

Really? WHAT ADVANTAGES!?

LOL! Self explanatory

Double entendra? 

Golly! I just cannot wait till the end of May when my work will be over and I can enjoy all of these wholesome, entertaining books!

*eye roll*

    xo

Every finish line is the beginning of a new race

I tried to google the person whose quote that is, and the most popular result was Lil Wayne, who said it in the J.Lo song 'I'm into you'.

That can't be right, can it? I'm sure weezy was quoting someone else!  If you do know who originally said the above title, please do share :D

Friday the 20th was my least ever day on placement at Dewsbury hospital :(
I spent a whole year working there last year to clinically train as an Audiologist, and went back on March the 19th for a final 5 week placement.  It was really sad to leave, as it's probably the last time I'm ever going to spend proper quality time with them now, and I've made some very very good friends whilst working there!  I have to thank monsieur Zuckerburg at times like this as facebook will probably be the main way of keeping in touch with most of my work friends :)

We got Claire, our placement co-ordinator a massive bunch of flowers as a a thank you gift, as she's been so good to me and my mate Jess who was on placement with me aswell, and she started to cry! The Jess started to cry...and I just stood there with a stupid smile on my face....
I was really sad to go, like honestly my heart was hurting and all that cliched sad stuff, but I'm just not a cryer when it comes to seeing off people! I blubber when watching a film all the time though.

Claires flowers

Mine and Jess's thank you cards.  I like the little thank you man on my card :D

Do you remember in this post I told you about my friend Jane who makes sock monkeys and made my amazing Bobo? Well in that post I was talking about how I asked her to make me a socktopus- cuz lets face it, a sock octopus would be amazing now wouldn't it!?!
Well Jane was always adamant that she would never make me a socktopus cuz she thinks it would look fugz (fugly)....well guess what she went and made me as a leaving present!??!

My Socktopus! and Jess's sock monkey :D

 Yaaaay I got a socktopus :)
Now my sock monkey is called Bobo, but I don't know what to call my lovely socktopussy friend.  I was thinking Klaus? Purely because of that German octopus who predicted which country was gunna win whatever football match last World Cup, remember? I couldn't remember it's name so I thought Klaus would do, very German, ja?

So that's the end of one massive chapter of my life.  I'm so gunna miss the Yorkshire accent. I reckon I were getting pretty good at it to! <<<<*my last feeble attempt at being yorkshire :P*

For those of you not familiar with the Yorkshire accent, here's a taste:

DISSERTATION IS COMPLETED!!!

well....almost.  I just need to reference it and and make a title page and job's a gud'n! <<(see, I'm still being yorkshire)

We've found out our graduation date: July 13th.  Can't wait :D
So I still have a 3000 word essay, a vestibular exam and two presentations to do for the middle of may....and I've started non of them :/
But I'll be ok I reckon, I think I'm doing well in terms of timing.

I've been quite the culture vulture these last few weeks.
Last weekend I went with my mum, M-dawg and her mum to see Phantom of the Opera...and it was AMAZING! I was a bit hesitant at first.  I've never seen it and was worried it might be a bit boring, but it was so interesting, the songs were good and the stage production was awesome!  Would highly recommend it to people :D

And then on Friday my friend Sophs invited me to see JLS with her at the MEN arena.  Now I don't particularly like JLS, but a free ticket is a free ticket! She won the tickets through work, and I was flattered that she asked me to go with her considering she only had one free ticket, so who was I to say no?  After a hard 5 weeks of working 8-6pm without getting paid, the first thing I did was eat some delicious, unhealthy takeaway!

My chicken pakoras and chips and Sophs chicken donner on naan, NOMZ

 So JLS were pretty good.  I got bored halfway and tried to get in a comfy poisition to nap, but it was kinda hard with thousands of screaming teenagers making so much noise.  We ended up leaving early to beat the rush, and cuz we just lost interest.
Don't get me wrong, it's not that they wern't good, they just don't tickle my fancy. The concert itself was pretty cool, they had lots of fireworks and hanging from the ceiling on wires and shirtless dancing etc. etc. but I just didn't really know any of there songs so found my self singing Frank Ocean to Sophs.

pretty big concerttttt

Oh! I also have a Job interview at Liverpool Royal Hospital next Wednesday!  I was in two minds as to whether to mention it in this post, as I thought it would be awkward to be like 'darn I didn't get the job, womp womp' but then I remembered the whole point of me doing this blog was to share stuff about myself.  Would be pointless other wise!
I wondered if I should put on  scouse accent at the interview, but then thought It would probably offend and shock them.  So normal mancunian accent it is then!
Again, if you're not familiar with the scouse accent (liverpudlian accent) here you go!

Ok, that's a a bit of an exaggeration! The puppets supposed to be Wayne Rooney :P
I do love the scouse accent, but then again, I love any accent that's different from mine!

But yes, that's the latest in my little world.
To conclude, I thought I'd leave you with this funny pic I found.  I've done pretty much everything on this! especially the public boner :/

xo

The wind and the sun

I read this article from Al Jazeera: Europe's failure to integrate muslims a few weeks back and found it really interesting.

My first thoughts after reading it were 'Thank God I'm British'- not because Britain's the home of peace and love and is a magical land where racism/stigmatisation/ignorance is non-existent (the BNP and EDL can vouch for that), but Britain is tolerant, for the most part anyway...

So this article basically talks about Frances passing of the Assemblee Nationale bill which is basically about reducing Islam's visibility within ethnic minorities across Europe, e.g. the anti-bruqa law passed in the Netherlands, headscarf restrictions in France and the German supreme court banning Muslim prayer in public schools.

I think one of the problems preventing Muslims from integrating into society is everyones fear of  talking about things like the burqa, hijab, halal, haraam etc. and there's a lot of misconceptions, misunderstandings and misrepresentations about Islam and it's beliefs.

So, I thought I would try and clarify and explain a few things about Islamic teachings and practising's, cuz I read a lot of weird and crazy stories about supposed muslim teachings and blah blah.


So first things first, lets address this issue of Jihad, terrorism and Islamic extremists. 

Ok, so Jihad basically means 'struggle' in Arabic.  Jihad can be subcategorised into the terms 'Greater Jihad' and 'Lesser Jihad'.  Greater Jihad refers to a persons everyday, internal struggle against temptations that may prevent a person practising their faith as they should (like the devil whispering naughty, tempting things into your ear like 'eat that bucket of KFC.....it doesn't matter if it's not halal etc.).  Lesser Jihad refers to a Holy War, or a struggle where Islam is being defended.

Now if you hear practising muslims talking about jihad, they will be referring to 'greater jihad', but most of the western media use the term jihad in reference to something about bombings and what not.  Most muslims will slap the palm of their hand in their face when hearing how the term Jihad is used, or mis-used, most of the time.  

*facepalm*

So that's the distinction between the two Jihad's.

Now a lot of terrorists throw the word Jihad about to justify their actions and the stupid things they do.

Firstly, there's something you must know.  These so called 'muslims' who go around bombing buildings full of innocent people and buses/cars/whatever else is bomb-able, are like the hill billy's of the muslim world (sorry hill billy's, but references about you in american TV has led me to believe you are an embarrassing and weird bunch of peeps).  Don't let these stupid people tarnish your view on  the rest of us REAL muslims with enough sense to practice our faith correctly:

"On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people. Then although there came to them Our apostles with clear signs, yet, even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land.  (The Noble Quran, 5:32)"

I could go on about this all day, but hopefully you'll get the message from that!

Then there's this big deal about burqa banning and hijab prohibitions in certain public places in countries like France, Denmark and the Netherlands etc.  

Now I think there's a tremendous irony in this ban, but before I talk about that, let me just define the difference between the different veils:

  In Islam, it's compulsory for a woman to wear a headscarf or Hijab.  Hijab's must be worn in front of men you are not related to, so basically, anyone who you can marry, so it does not have to be worn in front of the men of your family.

To explain it simply, the purpose of a Hijab is to stop ladies being checked out by guys! I could've worded it better by saying it's designed to protect a girls modesty, but basically, that's the reason, and only so that a woman will be judged on her personality, abilities and knowledge, as opposed to having physical appearance influence someones judgement of you.

(and when I say judge, I don't mean mean it like they have the right to tell you how and how not to live your life, but their opinions on you.  To quote one Tupac Shakur-'Only God can judge me')

I'm very aware at how cliché this sounds, but the idea of hijab is to tone down your outer beauty so your inner beauty can shine!

Sorry, cheesiness over now. 

Boy's, don't get your nose pierced.

So Hijab is compulsory, but niqaab and burka is not obligatory for muslim women to wear, that's optional.  Now I wear a hijab, but I don't, and don't think I ever will wear a niqaab or burka, simply because I don't think it's necessary.  And it would be a crime against humanity to hide this beautiful face *bat's eyelids*.
But, saying that, I've got no problems if a lady wants to wear a niqaab or burka.  A person should have the freedom to express themselves however they wish.

But, the fun-loving Taliban and other extremist leaders force ladies in areas in Afghanistan and Iraq (maybe Iran? not sure) to wear niqaabs and burkas.  A woman is publicly punished and humiliated if she doesn't conform to this ignorant ruling.  You cannot force someone to wear or do something against their will.  It's a oppression.


Oppression is also denying a woman of her freedom by banning her from wearing a niqaab or burka if she wants to wear one, and stop a woman from wearing a hijab in certain places, despite someone labelling it as liberation.
One thing I wonder about the Hijab ban in some bits of France is whether Sarkozy has done this just for Muslim women, or whether this ban extends to Christian Nuns as well, who essentially cover the same parts of their body as Muslim women who wear Hijabs!

Now hijab is, and always will be a controversial topic when talking about muslim integration in western society.  I wear a Hijab, and I feel like I integrate into society just fine! I have friends that  belong to a variety of religions, or belong to no religion at all! And friends whose personal beliefs completely contrast with mine, but who gives a shit?  Will the fact that I wear a headscarf change your opinion of me and my blogs?
Black, White, Muslim, Jew, Christian, Atheist, Gay, Straight....we all bleed the same blood, we all breath the same air, why can't we all just be tolerant of each others beliefs and agree to disagree!?

What kind of a world would it be if we all believed the same thing?  Would maybe be a bit more peaceful, but then again maybe not?

The article I mentioned above talks about an old fable by Aesop called 'The wind and the sun'.  It's basically about a man who is wearing a jacket, and how the harder the wind blew, the closer the man held on to his jacket- the harsher laws are in singling  out a specific group of people, the more closely and tightly they will hold on to their traditions and see you in a hostile light.  It was only when the sun with its warm rays increased the temperature created discomfit in the man, and he removed his coat- If a less hostile approach is taken, people will be more willing to accept and join in with what you are saying

Peace and Love <3

xo

The gyaldem and the mandem

I read this article the other day about this 27 year old woman who has been with her boyfriend for three years, and he has never, NEVER seen her without make up once! 

They live together and everything, but 'Lady A' is so paranoid about the way she looks without make up, that every morning she sets her alarm so she wakes up a bit earlier then her boyfriend, pops to the loo to put on her 'concealer, bronzer, blusher, eyeliner, mascara and tinted lip balm' 

I didn't exaggerate that list, that is word for word what she reported she does in the morning.  Some minutes later her man wakes up and sees her looking 'Immaculate', as she so modestly described herself.

Her little make up routine in the morning is more than I would wear if I was going to a wedding or a party or something, seriously.

Plus, her logics a bit silly.  She should just sleep with make up on throughout the night, cuz I'm pretty sure there's time where he gets up in the middle of the night to pee or something, and he probably will see her without make up!

Now I very rarely leave the house with any make-up on...at all...ever.  I'm not saying that with my head held high or anything, like 'I'm so gorgeous that I don't need make up darling' or something. 

I mean, I really should wear a bit of concealer or something to hide my horrendous bags and occasional spots, but I really couldn't care less to be honest.

I do regularly regret making this decision when I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror and think 'Balls! Is that really what I look like!!?', but my resilient spirit and my short concentration span  mean that I am soon distracted from my fugliness and instead concentrate on ways I can prank my office workmates. 

This isn't me....honest 

Quick notice:

Before I get bombarded by 'you're not fugly!' or 'even though I've never seen pics of you, you don't sound fugly' comments, you must understand, I don't actually think I'm fugly.  Us females occasionally have days when we look at ourselves and think 'My goodness I look great today', followed the next day by 'My God WHAT IS THIS THING ON MY NECK!?! Oh, it's just my face :/'

It's the hormones

(don't hate me super feminists, you know it's true)

Ultimately, it's about how comfortable and secure you are with yourself.  

I'm pretty comfortable in my own skin, so I don't really worry about leaving the house without make up and worrying about what others think, as opposed to Lady A whom I talked about above, who says 'This isn't just a vanity thing it's about feeling secure in myself'. 

I don't know why I keep referring to her as Lady A! Her actual name is Catherine Maughan, but Lady A is easier to type. 

Islamically, when choosing a spouse, the first thing you should look for is piety, then beauty, wealth and status can follow accordingly.

So I might not be rich, I mean not be a princess, but babes, you know I'm pretty pious ;)

Mr Bean's pretty fit you know

*sigh* Imagine

 

Back to the make up lady, fair do's to her.  To each there own at the end of the day, if waking up at the crack of dawn to cover your face in make up makes you happy, then it makes you happy.  If, like me, you roll out of bed just in time to brush your teeth, wash your face and dress yourself so that your clothes are on the right way round so you can jump in the car and pray you don't get stuck in traffic on the way to work, therefore have no time to worry about how aesthetically pleasing your mug is, then so be it!

Speaking of traffic, I was stuck on the M62 for 6 hours on wednesday :/

The motorway was closed because three lorries had overturned due to the severe weather conditions. 

Pic during my traffic jam experience

Quick question to the boys out there, just for my own curiosity:

Do you lads worry about the way you look?  And have you/would you ever consider wearing some man make up!? 

Don't touch your eyebrows though please, It freaks me out when I see a guy with nicer eyebrows then me!

That's hubby right thur

Do your really even love me? 

If you do there is no pain
Do I really even love you?
Or do I really love your brainnnnnnnn