I’ve been so so busy the past few weeks that I haven’t even had time to think – its 1.40 a.m and I just got back to my hostel room. Had to write something because my brain was saturated with fragments. There’s so much that I want to write about – my trip to Ulu Yam, our 4-day study trip to Cameron highlands and Kelantan, My crazy schedule, the SRC Elections, Studio, Friends, The semester in general, my cat, Our trip to the orphanages, Debate and presentation skills, etc. The rest can wait, but The SRC Elections are on Thursday, and this time ar ...
President Obama’s Inagural Address
President Obama's Inaugural Address"...For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, ...
Sit. Write. Run
Taking a short break from my working drawing assignment - don't even know how to proceed with that.Finally saw the deans list pinned up behind the lift, and most of the 2nd year architecture students who were on it were in my section. Cool. This semester all those who were on it are in our section too, I think. Also cool.Had a daytrip to Ulu Yam yesterday - very fun. Went hiking up some mountain/really tall hill there and there were about 100+ of us and the peak of the mountain was about the size of a hostel room, with steep drops all the way dow ...
Surprise…
I'm not sure if I'm particularly fond of surprises. Like an 11th hour text determining that my weekend is officially and so so so frustratingly ruined.Painted the studio today and it took a whole lot longer than expected because of repeated coatings and fickle minds maybe. The colour chosen (not by us) was dark brown and a pale beige-ish yellow. First coat - beige. 2nd coat - beige mixed with a tinge of brown producing a shade uncannily similar to that of a blushing piglet. Cute though, I guess. 3rd coat - a darker mix of the beige and brown for ...
New Year’s Resolution – revised
This is the first time I've actually bothered to do a list, but if writing them out and broadcasting them to the public will help me get them done, then thats what I'll do. In no particular order,1. Read more Qur'an - and try to understand it too.2. Work on my fitness/energy level - Hiba and I are planning to do some sort of physical exercise every week at least - keep me honest Hiba!!3. Gain some weight - Now I weigh almost 45kg (!) gunning to gain at least 2kg which would put me in the 'normal' BMI range. which entails eating more I guess. And ...
Ta-dah!
Well, I changed my blog design again. Its pretty much based on my soon to be defunct trial site, but this one was a lot harder to make. Its a lot less polished, and I couldn't figure out how to make the smooth drop down navigation menu thingy. Anyone know?We didn't get to paint our studio, in the end, because they didn't buy the paints yet.Long Holiday!!! Happy New Hijri Year everyone!!
Week 1 – Not So Bad
Week one of My 2nd semester of my second year of university is fast coming to an end. So what have I gotten from it? Well, here goes.Firstly, the newbies this semester are non-existent, or much less conspicuous compared to before. Either that, or my eyesight is really beginning to fail me. That said, its harder this semester to really see what's going on in uni because of the huge green barrier that separates and thus blocks our vew of the bridge. Also, I haven't been doing my usual rounds at the library and ITD so I don't pass the more densely p ...
And to Him we return
What do you say to those who are left behind? To those who tried their best to help?Al-Fatihah for the late Dr. ShukriI realised something today, something devastating. What if I had committed any sins towards arwah Dr. Shukri? What if I had inadvertently slandered him, thought ill of him, let fitnah worm its way into my mind and out of my mouth? What if i'd done this to other s as well? Who am I to apologise to now?So to everyone reading, and to all those not, please, forgive me for any wrong that I have ever done to you in the past, present, an ...
Of refugees and the four seasons
Our friends the Joneses came up for a short visit on the last leg of their summer vacation, so I spent the day with Ayesha and cutie Maymuna. Ayesha wanted to see Tr. Murad - so I thought hard and recalled he worked for the rector. So obviously he must be in the rectory building. But where? Just by luck, we stepped into the elevator and level 4 was already pressed. might as well get off there. turns out he was on level 4, and he was shocked to see Ayesha. We had a nice long conversation about a wide range of topics, from refugees, fake passports, ...
So this is what a credit card might look like
I've been testing out this service on squarespace.com, its a 14-day free trial (no credit card number required for the trial), at the end of which, I can either opt to continue, but if not, then all this will simply be deleted. Too bad - just when I start falling in love with the flexibility and simplicity of all this. I could very well ask my dad for this as a birthday gift - but hen I'd have to explain. Too much work. Unless there's some other way to pay for this? Anyone know?Ah well. If you actually checked this out, then congrats, you'll be o ...
In my backyard there is a dinosaur
In my backyard there is this majestic, beautiful place. No, not Batu Caves, but Bukit Tabuh/Tabur/Taboh. My sister and brother climbed it a few days ago, but I couldn't join in the fun because I was bedridden with some weird stomach flu.You can read about their adventure and see pictures here.I used to call the ridge "Stego" bfore I knew what it's proper names were, because it reminded be of a stegosaurus. Others called it white elephants or Dragon's backbone.But I find it really sad that the local authorities don't see it as something of value. ...
Music/Movies
Does a soundtrack make or break a movie, no matter how good the movie is? Not sure myself, but I've come to realise that the movies I list as my favourites all have elements of music in them, more than just the soundtrack. In fact, you could almost say they are musicals. Firstly, the is the magnificent Phantom of The Opera. If there's one thing that fascinates me more than music, its multi-talented individuals, in this case, its actors/actresses who can also carry a tune quite impressively. Among my other favourites are Les Choristes, Paris je t' ...
You suspect there might be something wrong with yourself when…
You suspect there might be something wrong with yourself when, looking through your brother's A-Levels Mathematics exercise book, you have this wild craving for mathematics that hits you so suddenly and shockingly you almost fall out of your chair. Remember the days when you used to say, you HATE math? Absolutely loathed it? That it made no sense whatsoever to study something you won't be using in your daily life, ever, EVER?Now you look back, as a wizened old student of architecture, and sigh. Those were times when things, however ridiculous, st ...
Flabbergasted…
*editI've never been so glad I was wrong - turns out it wasn't wikipedia that let me down, it was person doing the subtitles, and me of course. Anywyas, as many of you have pointed out, yes, my spelling was wrong, its in fact spelled synesthesia or synesthaesia like I suspected, and here is the wiki link where you can read more about this fascinating condition. oh and the people who have this are called synesthetes.original postI can't believe it, but wikipedia has let me down, and not on some random obscure topic either. I wanted to know more ab ...
Tutorial9 Gift of Knowledge Giveaway
Tutorial9 is having an awesome giveaway, which you can read about here. This is a community effort to raise money for the Save The Children Organization, and everyone has a shot at winning tons of great prizes along the way. Save the Children Organisation strives to create lasting positive changes for children in need in The USA and around the world. Personally, I don't think I'm capable of creating a post to be published on Tutorial9. According to them, "it can be a tutorial, a resource you’ve created, a roundup of your favorite design books, o ...
A day spent not bumming around, And Luna Smiling
Have you ever been sent on a wild goose chase? well, today, I did just that. Hiba and I wanted to go watch the Royals Debating Championship in UIA but we had no idea where the venues were - note to organisers, you might want to put that information on the numerous posters you put up - so after searching through the Admin building, we decided to ask SPICE where the venues were. They said it was in AIKOL, Econs, and KAED, but they weren't sure which one was the English debate. so we decided to go east across the river to KENMS and AIKOL but Econs w ...
Observations, 2
Finally got out of the house yesterday, since my sister wanted to go see the exhibition at Central market about Palestine. It wasn't much, but still worth checking out.Things I saw that caught my fleeting attention:Waiting (forever) for public transport in front of my house, a guy in a Manchester United shirt walks by. I started thumb wrestling with Muhsin, as I alsways do when I'm bored. The guy suddenly starts reading surah Al-Ikhlas in a really loud and deep voice, and then goes on saying how its not permissible to shake hands with someone who ...
Demashita! PPGZ
I burned my tongue today, rushing upstairs because my sister was shouting at me to come and see something. What I saw horrified me, it was just so sad.The TV was on, set at cartoon network. (yes I do still watch cartoons. a select few only)But instead of the PPG I loved and expected, it was an atrocity, a new series called Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z, you can read about it came about here.I was really horrified. Just to show you how bad it is, these are the girls, for you to compare.Before&AfterNo sugar, spice, or anything nice here...*puke* ...
Sometimes, this is how I feel
Lenka - Anything I'm Not (click to listen)I will never be, I will never be tall, noAnd I will never be, never ever be sure of it allOh, why is the world so cruel to meWhen all, all I ever want to be is anything I'm notGimme a break, a little escapeI am so tired of being meI wanna be free, I wanna be new and differentAnything I'm notI'm notI will never be, I will never be you, noI will always be, I will always be me, that I knowBut oh, even though I'm happy being meI want to get away from all this harsh reality, ohGimme a break, a little escapeI a ...
“Quotes”
"Apparently, the more success you have, the better looking you get" Roger Federer, blushingly commenting on him being featured in People Magazine's List last year.