Life is but two days..

Death literally strikes out of nowhere. And when it comes no one is left unscathed.

Yesterday, an entire community was left in complete and utter shock when a dear and close friend was murdered. And with this loss of this very young girl we see an entire community and a heartbroken family grieve and suffer and cope with the aftermath.

Death sometimes comes when we least expect it and just proves to us all how short life really is.

As the Islamic saying goes and serving as a constant reminder to all:

to God we belong, and to God we return.

And may God help us all.

Ameen.

Will you Friendship me?

My phone started ringing while I'm in the library. It's not anyone I know but I pick up anyways. Do you guys pick up numbers you don't know? I do. I like to tell the person on the other end that they have the wrong number and get it over with instead of that person calling repeatedly. That does not work in India, my friends. It just doesn't work. This is an example of what may happen if you do pick up:

Me: Hello?
Him: Halo?
Me: Hello?
Him: Halo?
Me: Yes, I can hear you. What?
Him: Halo?
Me: What?
Him: Halo? *insert some words in Telugu here*
I hang up.

He calls back but this time I don't answer because I can't stand conversations like that. It'll be the same thing over and over again. And I mean, the American accent and me hanging up should give the guy enough of a clue that it's the wrong number. Then the text messages start.

9:26 am: Hi r u sandya.
9:28 am: Hi r u sandya.
9:43 am: Hi r u sandya.
10:44 am: Hi r u sandya.
12:45 am: Hi r u sandya.
2:57 pm: Hi r u sandya.
2:59 pm: Hi r u sandya.
3:03 pm: Hi r u sandya.
3:14 pm: Hi r u sandya.
3:14 pm: *insert Telugu joke here. I don't speak Telugu.*
9:54 pm:
()""()
.( 'o')
(>@<)


let me pray

()""()
.(-.-)
((""))

Dear GOD, plz let my crazy Friend have Nice Dream...! Good Night.

Can you guys make out the bunny thing praying? Yes, I got sent this. El oh el.

-------------------------------------------------

He calls again the following afternoon. I picked up but didn't say anything. He stayed on the phone for 47 seconds saying, "Halo? Halo?" He mumbles something in Telugu and hangs up. I get a text a few seconds later.

Him: Hi. Can I know who is this.
Me: I am not sandya. {I didn't want to reply but felt bad. What if it was an emergency and he HAD to contact this chick??}
Him: But why r u not talk with me
plz give me answer
Him: 2 lovers in a park. Girl:Dear! Nxt week is my Birthday/Boy: Advnce wishes & ask what do you want/ Girl: A ring./Boy: From landphone or cellphone?/G N8 {good night}
Him: Hi can i know who is this. Tell me ur name plz plz.
Him: 10:50 pm: Hey can i call u now.

Ok so he wanted to talk to Sandya. But he knew it wasn't her later but still tried talking me. Apparently that is what the male species does here. They get a little...excited(?) and try their luck with the stranger on the other end. The question is, do people actually reply to them??

So he kept calling early morning late night etc. I had someone take care of it for me. All you have to do is hand the phone to a guy and they run away. Problem solved.

If we can't talk straight in a barbershop, then where can we talk straight?

If we can't talk straight in a barbershop, then where can we talk straight?, originally uploaded by Rabujee.

Hello folks. I am here with a segment on good news/bad news from AL's world.

Sheesh, why did I choose that stupid bloggy nick name?

It always reminds me of WEird AL....or Tim-the-Tool-Man Taylor's sidekick AL.

Grrrrreeaaat. All you guys probably picture me as a plump, bearded man who wears flannel =\ .

Well, I assure you, I DO NOT wear flannel. OKAY?

Anyways, let's not delay this.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Bad News ....

I have this professor that talks a mile a minute, covers the blackboard with multiple pages of notes, and then lets it all register for about 0.0008 seconds. THEN he erases it all away and starts doing PROBLEMS which becomes a big PROBLEM for me because he likes to call on people and put them on the spot.

Not a good idea for someone like ME with a short-term memory. Sometimes I cry when I think of poor Dory from Nemo, her life resonates so well with mine.

But I digress.

The other day, the proff. got done presenting some bit of material, then turned to the class and started questioning us. He pointed to the kid behind me who couldn't answer the question, at which point he turns to me and says "Go ahead"

and this is what goes on in my brain:

Why does he sound so confident in me? "Go ahead".....???

Oh God, Oh GOD...I'm not even sure I heard the question right...

Anyways, the answer HAS to have a "t" in it, this much I know.

*Trying to come up with an equation*

Oh wow, everyone's waiting for me to answer.

Ok remember, something with "t" should get you in the ballpark.....

*Open my mouth and out comes*

"Y?"

What the heck? WHAT the heck was that?

Needless to say, I think the proff. has given up on me since that day.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More Bad News is when....

the graduate students taking this same class as a "refresher"
giggle every time I make a stupid mistake like that.

Thanks guys.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even MORE Bad News ....

is the girl on campus who was wearing short shorts ....with knee high furry boots. What. the. Frick.
She made me feel hot and cold all at the same time. That's what I call fashion of the lame.

But of course...she probably thinks I'm lame too, for wearing long sleeve tees all throughout the summer.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good News ....

is when I listen to my voicemail today and hear CC's voice saying:

"eh..wiiee....oh. UGH. FAIL!"

CC I have no idea what that was about, but it made my day. Thanks =).

Mirror, mirror on the wall who's the cruelest of them all

Once upon a time in a far far away area of a little ghetto town where people were afraid for their lives and stray pit bulls liked to chase innocent civilians, lived a beautiful maiden by the name of Constructive Attitude. And a beautiful maiden was she. (Masha'Allah).

This story is not about her beauty though, because, well, it's besides the point.


Upon the request of her authoritative figures a.k.a. her parents, Constructive Attitude was sentenced to spend the rest of her eternity with 27 three feet dwarfs.

The only way she could be released from such a harsh sentence were if she were to become betrothed to some non-American from a far far far farrrrrrrrrrrrrr away place that reeks of fish and is near an Ocean.

This damsel was in real distress.

Do you think she would want to do that?

So rumor had it, that this striking beauty settled for a life of torturing children.

Aside from all of that though, as frightened as she was of the three feet dwarfs, CA put on a courageous face and marched into the classroom every single day as if she were a drill sergeant, with the hopes of teaching those 27 dwarfs how to act like polite and respectful human beings.

Yes, she may be using methods that can be relatively comparable to torment and approaches that all of humankind may not agree with, such as taunting the dwarfs with candy and eating eat in front of them and telling them that she might take it all home and eat it all by herself.

Or barking, "What?" when they raise their hands.

And asking them, "Why are you in my face?"

Or giving the irritating kid a piece of candy that she knew he wouldnt like and then taking it away from him because he was being unappreciative.

And giving them only five minutes for recess.

And making them practice the fire drill ten times.

And not tolerating any form of talking during instruction.

And tearing up assessments if they were caught talking/whispering/looking at a paper other their own.

And laughing when they tell her they have received "O dollars".
(Students are to receive "money" as a positive reward from the teacher. And if you dont have any money or have "0 dollars", it will OBVIOUSLY prevent you from buying anything from the the school store) HAHA

And provoking them to get angry and throw tantrums (Children who throw tantrums are sent to the office.A certain number of pink slips in the office will result in expulsion from the school. )

And apparently scaring one kid so much that his mom was going to come to the school and change his class ASAP. Such a good Samaritan was CA, that she beat the mom to it. That kid was no longer in her room.

And making the dwarfs who cannot participate in recess because of poor behavior sit at a bench and watch as everyone else has fun.

And laugh at the kids who cannot have fun and watch as bumble bees attack them (For some reason, all the bumble bees are by those benches. How ironic)

But so long as the job is getting done, that is all that matters.

Constructive Attitude will make a difference in a child's life.

One day, maybe not anytime soon, the world will thank her.

And she will say, You are welcome!

And then ALL of us will live happily ever after.

And it will be because of her.


The End.

The eye of the beholder

I thought up this whole post I was going to do about health care reform after the Presidents speech, then Baccus introduced his bill and everything went into the crapper. So in essence, I'm going to post about sh*tcare when I'm comfortably numb and semi comatose.

Moving on. Today was Jummah, Friday prayers for those of you who don't know is like the Muslim holy day of the week. So I went and listened to the khutbah or lecture, and I had a freaking epiphany. There's a very well known tradition set down by the Prophet where he said basically, paraphrasing, find 1000 excuses for your brother. ie when someone comes over later then they said they would instead of your first instinct being to rail against them, find excuses for them. If someone hurts you, thank them for the pain that they caused you because it was actually god's will and there is a lesson that could be learnt from it. Basically find the positive aspects in those around you and appreciate them for the contrast that they have provided in your life. This wasn't actually what the khutbah was about, I zoned out for that but this thought just came to me :).

The Khutbah, the part I was cognizant for, was about how God said, 'I am what my servant thinks I am'. If you think God is compassionate and loves you ten thousand times more than a mother loves her newborn, then that is what God'll b for ya! On the other hand if you believe that God is vengeful and spiteful, then that too is what God'll be for ya. It's all about how YOU percieve God, I really do love how Islam is so personal. It's really just about YOU and YOUR relationship to God. Noone can decide for you nor be able to tell you how to express it. So if you percieve God as your best friend, looking out for you and always doing what's best for you, then wouldn't life be absolutely wonderful?? Think about it, when your on a rollercoaster and your plummeting downwards, isn't it exhilirating and terrifying and amazing all at the same time?? Don't people go on those rides for that feeling? Life is supposed to be like that, there are ups and downs but when you know that your always going to come back up in the end then life is exhilirating! It is so worth LIVING!! When you have trust that God's got your back, through all of it, then there is nothing to fear for all of your trust is in the Supreme. Speaking of which, as a Muslim, it is a tenet of our faith to have absolute trust in God! There are so many people who look at their problems and are acrambling for a way out when all they have to do is trust that all will be well, that when the time comes an answer will be provided. How many times has something not gone right and then something even better opens up down the road? Personally for me, MANY times.For how can one percieve light without ever experiencing darkness?

-- Post From My iPhone

Ouch Ouch...Haaaaaa!!!!

I was bored today. But then I went to Imnotbenny's blog. And I'm happy again. I discovered that he yells like a girl.

My hand is wrapped in medical gauze.
Why?
Cuz it freakin hurts. (like somebody else's hand)Especially when I'm typing. Like right now. I couldn't even hold the toothbrush this morning.
And I discovered that I yell like a guy.

I feel like I have arthritis and osteoporosis. I hate milk. Ok no astaghfirullah (sorry God)I don't hate it. I um. dislike it. So I don't drink it.
But I've been having multiple problems lately so I scared myself into eating a bowl of cereal yesterday. Cereal, I like.

Then last night even -she-who-also-must-not-be-named-ever-except-maybe-as-CC's-secretary-/-vice-president (CA) said that I probably have osteoporosis. I mean, never mind the fact that you get it when you get older. That was so uncalled for.
Then she said I need to stop complaining and apparently I complain too much and need to express more gratefulness. She sounded like my mom.

Only my mom would end with this sentence, "God loves those who are grateful to him", which is kinda funny because she can bring everything back to that sentence, not that God doesn't like those that complain like me. But he probably appreciates it more when we do thank him.
So anyway CA made me say alhamdulillah (praise to God) that I at least have a hand...that I can complain about.

Ok. So maybe I should tone down my complaining. But seriously I have all these problems.

And I have this fear. Probably an irrational fear. That there is something wrong with my body causing all my daily problems. And it's some rare disorder. And no one's going to find it until it's too late. At which point I will yet out, "I TOLD YOU SO!"
Only I never did tell anyone out loud. Just in my head.

I wrapped my hand myself. And when I look at it, I get all happy. Why? Because I feel like one those cool fighters that have their hands wrapped in white tape, and can punch really hard.
Like I keep picturing myself punching through some glass, in slow motion, with glass shattering all cool like.
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Did I mention it gets me happy?

Anyways, I have a more important topic to write about. But I'm not ready with all the information yet, so wait for it.
It'll come soon.
insh'Allah (God willing)


-she-who-must-not-be-named-ever-

BREAKING NEWS

Something shocking events have been going on in the world of Falling Up. What has occured has left me stupefied, dumbfounded, speechless and very very giggly.

Controlled Chaos called me "Jaanu"!

Jaanu is an Urdu/Hindi word which basically means "darling". Darling. DARLING. D-A-R-L-I-N-G. And I was called it. By CONTROLLED CHAOS. We throw it around loosely. Like calling our friends "ho" or "slut" or "B****". But obviously in a nicer way.

A little while ago I suggested we start calling her sweet nicknames like cutie pie or whatever because it's fun to see her get so rigid and so, so, so uncomfortable. She claimed to not like the idea. But here she is calling me Jaanu in my posts on a public blog. She even gave me a "::smilesmile::" Oh. em. Gee. Even Artistic Logic voiced her surprise. And I quote, "Whoa".

Then later she emailed me and told me she missed me! Eek! I feel my world spinning.

Controlled Chaos generally doesn't express her feelings as freely as the rest of my friends. She will probably hate me for this post and be all stoic around me from now on. But I don't care. Deep down I know she truly hearts me.

I'm so excited. I need my inhaler. ::puffpuff::

Mrs. Cullen: The Biker

Dear Friends,

I want to buy a bike. I don't know how much they cost or if it would be wise to buy one since its autumn. But I want to buy one. I have wanted one for a while but I had a dream last night. My mom had bought me a bike in my dream. It was a black bike. I was so excited. But then I woke up. Then I started picturing myself bike riding everywhere and have really toned thighs and hamstrings. Basically I picture myself looking like Jessica Alba. But I'll probably look like a sweaty little Muslim girl. I don't even know where I would ride the bike to. Not school, not the grocery store (not that I even go to the grocery store), not anywhere. I just want one. Would it be lame if I rode my bike to my babysitting job? Its not that far from my house. It takes me about seven minutes to get there from home. So I am guessing it would take 45 minutes to get there on a bike. Hmm. I think I'll tell my mom to buy me a bike! Yay. This is so exciting.

I used to have a bike when I was little. My family lived in a different city, that is 25 minutes from where we live now. It wasn't a dangerous city but there were gangs. Anyway, my daddy had bought my sister, my brother and myself Huffy bikes. My sister had a green one. My brother had a red one. And I had a pink one. I was jealous of my sister's bike because it was green; my favorite color at the time. Anyway, one night, just a few weeks after we had bought the bikes, the neighborhood gang stole our bikes. We woke up in the morning to find them missing. My grandpa thought our neighbor stole them because my bike was in his backyard. So, we called the police. It turns out, when my neighbor was coming home from work at 4 am, he found my bike in the middle of the road. The gang-ers left it there since my bike was broken and they couldn't ride it=) Sigh, I was still quite sad for my siblings. Five years later my brother ended up buying the same exact bike. My sister never brought one. She figured out new ways for losing weight; by starving herself. JOKE. That was a joke. I really don't know why she never bought another bike. I have to go. I'm baby sitting.

Yours for the sake of Peace and Sisterhood,

Mrs. Cullen

Yay or Nay??

First things first, HAPPY EID EVERYONE!!!!!!

May God bless us all with many more great eids insh'Allah (God willing) Ameen.

Ok so I watched this video and had a question for all of you, that someone brought up in the comments.
There's this guy that tackles a robber to the ground. And Kudos to him.
But then this lady comes over and kicks the robber.
Do you think what she did was okay?
I'm not asking whether or not she should be arrested for kicking the guy (but you can include your opinion if you want to share)
I'm asking whether you think what she did was fine or whether you think it was wrong?

Okay yeah. Her kick is pretty weak. But if it was a much stronger, painful kick, would that change your decision???

Yay or Nay?

Traditions

6:30 a.m.. Wake up, pray Fajr (early morning prayer), climb back into bed.
Doze off and start dreaming again.
Hear mom rushing in, moving here and there in a frenzy and in your sleep, catch her saying things like:

"Wake up!" ....
"...uff you're still asleep"....
"...its late...did you pray???
Are you listening to me?".....
"breakfast"...."hurry!!!"....
"....Eid"

wait...what was that??? OH Sh!* ...it is EID!!! Rush out of bed. Meet the family for breakfast. Shower. Get dressed. Go to the mosque for prayer. Listen to the Imam's lecture. Pray in the congregation. Yay prayer's done, time to meet and greet.

Hug*. "Eid Mubarak" Hug. "Happy Eid!!"Hug. "So nice to see you!!" Hug x 3. Hug again. Hug as many people around you as you can. Sigh, even the lady you usually run away from because she's been eye-ing you for her son. Fine, fine she's forgiven for the day. Pry yourself away when you realize she's held the hug for too long. Make some excuse..."Umm my friend is calling...I have to go meet her. She's right there, see!" *Point to any random girl*

Back away slowly, all the while praying she doesn't follow you to meet your friend (cause even though she eyes you, don't feel special, any single girl is a potential target...for the son of course). Whew, safe.

Resume the hug-fest.

OO food!! Oh crap, such a huge crowd around the food. Maybe I can just make my way through. "Excuse me... Pardon me... Coming through..."

Oh, I've moved just an inch. Fine, fine I give up!

Spend the rest of the time, watching people flock to the snack table, dive in like birds, and then just as quickly resume their mingling, leaving just a few crumbs behind...and maybe a particle of dust floating in the air.

Spend another half hour or so like this. Quite amusing.

Meet up with the family again outside the mosque. Spend the rest of the day with the extended, extended family. When I say extended, I mean extended (stretch limo style). Eat. Try to make conversation over a gajillion other conversations. Eat some more.

Thank Allah for the big, loud family you have. Begrudge the fact that you have to go to work tomorrow.

All in all, quite a nice Eid day in AL's family. =)

Happy Eid to all our Muslim followers!!

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*Hugging is the official greeting for Eid and saying "Happy Eid" or "Eid Mubarak." But I thought I should mention, there's no cross-mingling among the sexes, so when I say hug I mean ladies/girls hugging among themselves and likewise for the men. If we were to hug any men it would be of the family: father, grandfather, brother, husband, uncles and the like.

End of Ramadan Blues.

Hey, everyone.

I was breaking my fast at my cousin's house the other day. We ate a lot of good food. I thought I died and went to heaven.

At one point my cousin was telling my sister and I about the children at the school her family is involved in. I don't know if they started it but that's besides the point. The children at the school come from really really poor families.

There are three siblings who attend that school. The family doesn't have enough to give each of them a lunch everyday. So one child has lunch while the other two go hungry that day. Then they alternate. I'm sure some kids don't even take a lunch at all. These people are usually part of families where the husband is a drunk with no job who sends his kids and wife out to work so they can buy him more alcohol.

That's how my old maid's family was. She had to work to provide the booze. If there was no alcohol in the house, her husband couldn't sleep. If he couldn't sleep no one was allowed to sleep. They hid the fact that they were sent out to work from the rest of their family. Women and children working is a shameful thing in India. It's like saying that the man of the house can't support his own family and he needs help. In this case the man is too busy drinking to care about his family.

Thankfully, India started a Mid-day meal programme where they provide lunch to kids at school. 1/3 of the daily calorie requirement with 1/2 the daily protein requirement. This is for two reasons: one is to feed the kids. Second, is that a free meal encourages parents to send their kids to school. At least they get some sort of education. We take cases in the hospital and I have to say that more than 75% of the patients are illiterate. Maybe a handful got past the tenth grade.

But it just got me thinking...

Ramadan is here to humble ourselves, to get a feel for how the poor feel. Even though I will never really know. I guess the satisfying feeling when you break your fast serves as a reminder that we at least get to eat something. There are many out there who don't know when they will see their next meal. We will never know how the poor feel because we have never starved. Fasting during the day doesn't mean you've starved yourself. Your body isn't feasting on itself. I don't know what starvation feels like. I am blessed.

This makes me feel guilty. Not because I have food. For that I am grateful. But that I haven't done anything to feed a hungry person. I could excuse myself and say, "who has the money?" But really, I could afford to not buy something I want and donate it instead every now and then. That's better than nothing.

Fun fact: Back in the day like centuries ago people were so generous there would be no poor people in need of money. People would donate money to the mosque and the poor who needed it would take it. But there were so many people donating that there was no one to take the money. How cool is that? {Anyways someone with details on this please elaborate in the comments.}

Anyways, I am no Saint and am not trying to be holier-than-thou. I just feel a pang of guilt right now and thought I'd share. There are some sites like http://freerice.com/ and http://freeflour.com/. I wish they wouldn't be so monotonous, though. And I'm not good at geography so I suck at freeflour. lol. If they were more fun maybe all the unsmart people with ADD like me would play more??

Fiance is also a doctor so it's not like I'll have to work. The money I make will be extra so hopefully I'll do something good with it. For now I can't do anything big, but maybe donating some of my allowance every month will add up. Watch me forget all about this in a hour. I suck.

On another note, I didn't take as much advantage of Ramadan as I should have. I pray that I live until the next Ramadan so I can hopefully get a second chance and get the full benefits of this blessed month. Amen. DEAR GOD, I NEED ONE MORE SHOT. Don't let me die for a while.

Anyways, I think I just pooped on the Eid party, huh? I didn't mean for this to sound so solemn. Eid ul-Fitr is tomorrow. It's the celebration at the end of Ramadan. So

Happy Eid, everyone!!

Even Cheryl's DEAD hamster thinks she's awesome!

As if we dont have enough people writing for this blog and confusing the hell out of you...

Recently, I begged the lovely Cheryl to guest post on Symphonic Discord because Controlled Chaos and I are semi obsessed with her.

That and also because I'm using her to gain more followers.

I kid you not.

Hopefully this plan will work.

So yeah dont just read Cheryl's post and leave, read some of our old ones down below and go through our endless labels list thingymajigger.

Please.

But anyways, without further ado and the real reason you all are here....

I present to you...

CHERYL!




So the other day I opened my inbox to find an email from CA asking me to guest blog for Symphonic Discord, and she included a blog topic, a deadline and everything and for ten minutes I just stared at the email and thought, “man, this is like going to work” except that CA is not paying me at all, so it’s not like work so much as it is slaved labor, which is fine because I live in China and work in a sweatshop, obviously.

Anyway.

My assigned topic is something to do with Muslims, Islam, or how much I love CA and CC, which, let’s face it, isn’t happening (the first two, I mean. I love CA and CC, but not in the creepy Stephen P. Morgan way) because despite spending the last 4 years studying Middle Eastern Politics, I’ve learned nothing except how to make a sling shot out of hair ties, and shoot peanut M&Ms at the idiot asking dumb questions infront of me. Also because talking about Islam is a touchy subject, and I avoid all topics on religion, except for Scientology, which I’m pretty sure was meant for whack jobs, Trekkies, and people who never graduated Kindergarten, but have a lot of money. I mean, the founder of Scientology reportedly said that "you don't get rich by writing science fiction. You get rich by starting a religion" at some alien convention. That should tell you something, except that it doesn't, and everyday completely sane and normal people follow in the footsteps of nut jobs like Tom Cruise and John Travolta, who worship aliens, and who will probably end up killing themselves in some sort of mass suicide like that Heaven's Gate cult that killed themselves because they wanted to survive death by being carried in some UFO or something equally mindless. Like, really? That's how you're going to journey into another world? Well I mean, I guess they sort of did.

Journey to Hell.

But the one religion that surpasses Scientology and all the others on the “this shit is so ridiculous” scale is probably Raelism, which, let’s face it, can’t even be classified as a real religion, and if you don’t know what that is, it’s pretty much a UFO religion founded by some sports-car journalist who, at one point, probably got hit by a car, thus becoming impaired in the brain, and believed that followers received instruction from some aliens who really liked to watch people have sex, and had some super duper machine that could make them appear all godly.


Sex and Godliness? It doesn’t shock me one bit that this religion was made up by a man, who is probably also a rapist.

But no, I avoid all topics on religion.

Sort of.

Oh and I love CA and CC!


If anyone else would like to guest post, you are more than welcome to contact us at symphonic1discord@gmail.com !!!!

Supercalifragilisticespi....something something

No one's posted in a while.

I've been waiting for a post by Snake Charmer to go up.

But it's just sitting there. Saved in drafts. I figured it's never going to go up and I want to post.

And to our followers, we have a surprise for you guys tomorrow. So make sure to come check our blog tomorrow.

MAKE SURE TO COME TOMORROW.

You won't regret it. Or you might. But I don't think you will. And that's all that matters.

Anyways, I have a couple of things to say,

1. THIS is a GROUP blog. Not an individual blog owned by just Constructive Attitude(a.k.a CA). Even though it seems like that since she's the one the comments mostly on other people's blogs . (promise I comment from time to time). And my name is Controlled Chaos a.k.a CC. And ANY award that you got is from ALL of us, not just the person that wrote the post!!!

2. Yes, I agree the rest of us authors pretty much suck for not commenting more on your blog (But PROMISE I do it...) You can hate on them (or me) in my comments.

3. If you're kinda new to this blog and want to understand the authors on here, please click on this VERY supercalifragilisticespialladocious link. But be warned, something will jump out at you when you click it.

4. I'm getting annoyed with how we refer to ourselves or each other with our initials.
So I'm going to rename myself as -she-who-must-not-be-named-ever. And I'm going to rename CA (your favorite author) as -she-who-also-must-not-be-named-ever-except-maybe-as-CC's-secretary-/-vice-president

5. Before CA started her crazy job as a full time teacher, she would be like my secretary. She made sure I remembered people's birthdays, that I stayed on task, helped me with all my crazy projects I would start (like this blog) etc etc. She became /vice-president because she demanded I give her the title or she would quit her job.

6. Nothing is going to jump out at you from the link in number 3. Except maybe a reason to quit this blog.

7. Let's hope not.

8. I'm going to write a mini, more serious post below:

As you guys might have gathered, this is the Islamic month of Ramadan. Basically we also follow the Islamic calendar which is based on the lunar calendar. It is also made up of 12 months, but has 354 or 355 days. Ramadan is one of them.

During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn till dusk. Fasting means, no drinking, no eating, no smoking, and no other stuff. Your also supposed to stay away from evil thoughts and cursing.

Our holy book, the Quran, was revealed during this month.

And so we increase our worship during this month, during the nights and days. There are extra prayers, and people try improving themselves. Many of us refrain from time wasting activities that we normally do, like watching the television, because one is supposed to use that time for better things. And Ramadan is the best time to get into those better habits.

The hunger or thirst we feel during the day is supposed to teach us humbleness. So we know what it is like for a poor person to go hungry. Granted most of us can never truly understand, but it is still very insightful. We are also supposed to learn self-discipline and controlling our desires. Not being able to eat that cookie, even though no one else is watching. Not watching your favorite show, even though it's just 30 minutes from your entire day.

And more importantly it's simply to get closer to God, cleansing your sins, and enhancing yourself spiritually. A good deed holds a lot more weight.

And we break our fast at sunset (called Iftar), usually with a date or water. And have our dinner. There's also a tradition of eating a pre-dawn meal (called Suhoor), but once the time for the pre-dawn prayer (fajr) starts, your fasting must begin.

There are instances where you are exempted from fasting, like when one is sick, pregnant, nursing or traveling.

If you accidentally eat while fasting, you keep fasting.

If you break it on purpose then it's much more serious. To make up for that fast you broke on purpose you have to A. Fast for an extra 60 consecutive days or B. Feed and cloth 60 needy people.


105432. I have nothing more to say other than I did not mess up with the numbers. I just always wanted to use a ridiculously large number on a list.

Idiotic Moments

I've decided I can start a regular posting dedicated to all the idiotic things I do/say. If I get to keep it up, then lucky for you, because it proves I am continuing successfully as an idiot...more or less for your humor. If I don't have much material to write on this, then lucky for me...but the probability of that happening is slim...to none.

Anyways, on with the good stuff so you all can have your laugh for the day and feel better that you aren't me.

This morning, I got into work to find my time-sheet for the previous work week still laying on my desk. With all the excitement of the last few minutes of a Friday, I must have forgotten to slip it into the HR office. Wasting no time, I grabbed it off my desk and made way to the other side of the building, slipped it in under the door, and turned back to find the VP of the company a few feet away. Now this is THE man to know, he's a real social guy, and he's in charge so getting to know him can get you a long way. Too bad he's an electrical engineer and I can't ever work with him (me being mechanical), so these kinds of run-ins are probably the best way to get noticed. RIGHT.

So of course I try to be as smooth as possible and start making my way back to my cube, getting ready to put a huge smile on my face and greet him. It's all going well and just as he turns and says "Good Morning," the button on my sleeve gets caught in the cube wall I'm passing and two things happen:

• I get yanked backwards
• The cube wall wobbles forward ....and continues....to wobble... for the next ...5.... minutes!!!

So much for smoothness. I stood there for the next...idunno...eternity trying to get it back in place and get my sleeve free, all while maintaining some shred of dignity. And throughout this I realize he's watching me and sort of laughing. LAUGHING!!

Sigh. Fail first thing Monday morning. Not a good sign, people.

Anyways, at least he asked me "Are you ok?" (between chuckles)

Noticed I wanted, and noticed I got.

More to come...I'm sure sometime soon...

Ok. Don't Panic.

I have been successfully salvaging the last scraps of my summer "break" (which is officially over, but I've somehow managed to ignore that fact) by doing some good ol' reading. I used to be an avid reader...when I say used to ... I mean back in 5th grade. So yea its been a while. That's why what I'm managing to do these days is record-breaking, astounding, fantastical news for me. My coworker, last week, very kindly lent me all her Shopaholic series books (by Sophie Kinsella). There are 5 (as far as I know) and I just finished the 4th one. (I know, I know for some of you book worms, this may be pretty light, slow reading).

So, here are some things I've been thinking while reading:

1. "Blimey" is a word.

2. "Blimey" is, in fact, a very fun word.

3. I will start calling everything "blimey" from now on.

4. The British drink alcohol at pretty odd hours of the day.

5. In the case there isn't any alcohol available, they drink tea.

6. For certain very special occasions (or no reason at all), they drink concoctions of alcohol and tea...together.

7. "Quid" isn't just some weird lingo that reminds me of some nerdy game from Harry Potter (surprise surprise, I'm not a fan *hiding from angry Harry Potter-ish mob...led by CC*).

8. "Quid" is in fact a word, and in my mind likens to "buck" in real English...which is of course... American English. Example: "That was the easiest 50 bucks (quids) I've ever made."

9. Mostly everyone in England is royalty, related to royalty, or just plain very rich.

10. Luke Brandon is the first gazillionaire who keeps a "budget."

11. Wouldn't it be fun to marry a gazillionaire?

12. There's only one correct answer to that. Yes.

13. I want to go on a world tour for my honeymoon.

14. Sigh, books and movies depress me because everyone ends up getting exactly that job they wanted. For instance, if in a book, you were an aspiring fashion designer, eventually you would be found and become an overnight hit.

15. If that were true in real life, someone should have found me on this blog right now and hired me as a photographer.

16. Or an architect. Or an interior designer. Or a pastry chef.

17. Ok the pastry chef was an exaggeration, I'm not that gifted with decorating cakes and such.

18. In the end, the lesson is, it pays to be well connected.


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*I hope I didn't offend any British people in my list. Of course, I was being silly.

** Since this post was first written, I've completed the fifth book of the series and am hoping there will be more. But there probably won't be because I'm always too late getting into the pop culture scene and by then everyone's moved on.

***If you've read the books you'll understand the title of this post.

Be nice to me, I might be your doctor someday.

You know what's really annoying? Patients' families. Especially when the whole extended family is there. This I do not have a problem with. I have a problem with me talking to the patient and asking them questions and getting rude, sarcastic remarks from his or her family. It's so annoying. Please don't do this if you find yourself in a hospital, God forbid. Unless they're being a jerk to you.

I understand it gets very frustrating when you or your loved one has a certain condition that makes all the med students crowd around and stuff. That I can understand. What I can't understand is why people would get annoyed at the crowd of med students when they know that the hospital is a teaching hospital. Seriously, if you want privacy, pay for the private room. Or go to a different hospital.

I'm a med student. I need to see cases. That's the only way I will learn. Books aren't enough. If the students weren't allowed to look at patients then how are we going to get experience and take care of people in the future. We are your future doctors. Be nice.

I don't have much to say. This is an update for Controlled Chaos. I lover her to death so maybe I'll update more instead of use my breaks on fb.

ps- I'd appreciate all your prayers. One that I pass first attempt on my final final final exams as a med student. Two that my health improves. it's been deteriorating as soon as I stepped on Indian ground this past June and for some reason it's just getting worse and worse. Or so I feel. I'm a bit of a drama queen but I honestly have never been getting sick so often. Prayers are always appreciated. :)

WTF: Teaching Edition.

Started the official teaching job this week with the kiddies. I was pessimistic like no other thinking things wouldnt be the way I wanted them to be, but slightly hoping that in the end things would look optimistic.

Yeah.

Nope.

That SO didnt happen.

Here's the WTF is going on in the world of teaching list:

• My last name starts with a "Q" and has lots of vowels in it, and ends with an "M". This kid called me Mrs. Cumin.

• Another called me Mrs. Kwa Kwa.

• People keep calling me Mrs. I've corrected them multiple times. It's still happening.

• I used to have a telemarketer voice, now I have a teacher voice.
  

• I leave my house before roosters are Cockadoodling.

• I'm used to staying after school now.

• It's so hard to keep a straight face when being mean to the kids.

• I fought a kid over hand sanitizer. YES, hand sanitizer. He left my room kicking and screaming and saying "Don't touch me" because THREE people had to CARRY him out of my room. He would not sit down and DEMANDED that I give him his hand sanitizer back. I thought he was going to punch me in the stomach.
  

• Apparently this is a regular occurrence with this kid.

• He's in my class for the entire school year.
  

• He's not going anywhere.

• The VERY first thing I encountered on the VERY FIRST DAY, when I was EXTREMELY nervous was a hysterical first grader crying non-stop and causing a scene and saying " I want my mommy"

• Me, my sisters, CC, and Mrs. Cullen have spent the past two weeks preparing my class and keeping it organized. It is no longer organized.

• I cannot wear heels. I just can't do it anymore. I feel like my life has lost its purpose when I came to this conclusion.

• I practiced the fire drill TEN times with my kids.

• WTF (Why the freak) do kids cry when they CHOOSE to break the rules.

• I cant deal with all these tears. And I dont. I tell them to suck the tears back in. I DONT WANT TO HEAR IT!
  

• I was called mean. This is a WTF for the kids. Not me. This makes me happy!(I'm not a witch, I'm just being firm and setting the bar. Dont hate me)

• Lastly, time goes by SUPER duper fast. But this is a BML. :)

Goodbye summer vacation, Hello school year!

Interesting tidbit(s)

If you've read my earlier post, you know that I have an iPhone app that has like 6000 drinks stored on it. So I thought I'd share another recipe! It's called Lava Flow and it is suuuuuper yummilicioussss!!

◆ 4 oz. Light Cream
◆ 3 oz. Pineapple Juice
◆ ½ Banana
◆ ½ oz. Coconut Cream
◆ ½ cup(s) Strawberries

Blend all the ingredients with ice -except strawberries- until smooth. Put the strawberries at the bottom of a parfait glass and add the blended mixture. Serve immediately.

Did any of you hear about the proposal to have STD screenings and treatments in public schools starting in DC? Since DC has the highest rate of HIV infections the city is considering a proposal to have the screenings/treatments without requiring parental consent. I think it's an interesting concept and will be watching if and how it plays out in the school systems there- it could be a viable way to combat STDs that other states might adopt. I mean ignoring the issue that younger teens have STDs is not going to make it go away.

Also a female Sudanese woman was fined but not flogged, as several feared she would be, for wearing pants in public. She has to pay $200 or face jailtime. Two other women were also captured in the raid and were flogged. The journalist said she's not going to pay the fine and is going to take this opportunity to document conditions in prison. I say you go girl.

So Obama gave this huge speech to school kids, a speech I might add filled with hope and encouragement- despite the GOP's insistence that it was some sort of indoctrination campaign. BULLS***. His speech was peppered with his life experiences as a kid and other examples of other kids who triumphed. Basically he was saying- regardless of your circumstances, there is no excuse for not trying, and when you give up on yourself- you give up on your country.

:)

-- Post From My iPhone

Hello

Hello all of you beautiful people! I love Ramadan. It seems like it's the only time of year that all Muslims come together- striving for the same thing. It's the only time I truly feel connected to the Muslim community, like we're all one big family. One thing I would like to see more of, during this incredible month, are uplifting and inspiring lectures. Because another thing about Ramadan is that it is packed full with Khutbahs and halaqas and dars', which are all fancy words for lectures :p and sometimes the people giving them leave me incredibly depressed. And that is not a fun experience.

Ok um on to the meaty stuff? I haven't done a news update in some time so I guess I'll do that today, did any of you hear about the Cali fires being arson? The fires were one of the worst wildfires the state has ever seen. I really do NOT want to be in the shoes of the person(s) who started it.
The hotly contested elections in Afghanistan are going into run off elections because President Karzai only got 48% of the vote and the former minister Abdullah Abdullah had 30% of the vote- one of them needed to get at least 50% to win outright. They actually cannot go into run-offs until the election fraud committe concludes their investigation- which doesn't look like it'll be anytime soon. The EFC declared that around 430 polling stations' ballots will have to be thrown out due to fraud- there are about 14,000 polling stations in Afghanistan.
This week marked the opening of dolphin hunting season in Japan. During the six-month season, thousands of dolphins are corralled into narrow coves and captured for sale to aquariums or amusement parks. Those not captured are killed for meat. Disturbing, I know. Last year filmakers went to the small village of Taiji and covertly filmed the hunting and killing of the dolphins in the documentary "The Cove". So this year the village was flooded with international journalists and activists and has been put front and center in the media spotlight.


So this post was kind of like a test post to see if I could blog from my phone- I can :D and it is awesome :)). So I guess I'll leave you with my miniscule reflection of what's on my radar!

-- Post From My iPhone

A bit TMI for my liking, but here you go!

It's the month of Ramadan!

Yeah, you already know that.

Everyone's fasting..ie. not eating from dawn til dusk.

But I havent been fasting for the past week.

I'm not a sinner though (or at least not in this sense).

I had my monthly visit from youknowho for the past week.

So why couldn't I fast, you ask?

Well, fasting is a form of worship. And just in case you all didnt know, fasting is also one of the five pillars of Islam, therefore its mandated and obligatory on Muslims.

However, when performing acts of worship one must be in a state of cleanliness and when whatchamacallit visits every month, you're really not in the most cleanliest state,now are you? So Allah has made it permissible for us women, during that horrendous monthly visit, to be excused from things like praying the five daily prayers and fasting.

Anywho, to get to the point of this post, while not fasting this week, I realized that I appreciated food much more. Weird, huh? I just realized that the company that you have when you break the fast and the food that you break the fast with tastes sooooooooooo much better when you couldnt have it for a long number of hours as opposed to always having it.

And this my friends, is the whole point of Ramadan. To be appreciative. To be humble. To be patient. And most of all, to be thankful for what you have.

It's a bit sad that I've come to this conclusion now. Many, many years later. But at least I finally came to it.

Better late, then never, right?

Love Letter(s)

Dear University,

Thank you for being so efficient. I appreciate all the billing statements you send me every semester---after I've paid tuition. Really, don't worry about the panicked confusion it causes me, especially when you send it after the "due on" date. And you also don't need to worry about ME worrying about Lucy at the cashiers counter who was filing her nails when accepting my payment. I'm sure she entered "Bill Payed" into the right students account. I just wonder why you still keep sending me statements. Perhaps its your ever uncommunicative administrative system, I mean I've only called so and so department so many times just to be transferred to the next... and to the next.... and to the next....each person telling me "we don't handle this."

Also, Uni, I can call you Uni can't I? I mean I've had a good, steady 5 year relationship with you, right? We're friends right? I haven't left you for anyone else and I've kept up with all my commitments. It should be two sided, no? How come you decided to chuck the "start-fall semester-after-labor-day" deal we've had going for so long? And why did I receive an email about classes starting the night before? I was expecting the same pattern as the past 5 years and would have shown up to class next week. Why couldn't you keep things simple...especially for a senior like me who is now too comfortable to check every date and deadline? Its OK, I guess, that WAS my oversight...

I'm waiting for your apology now.....

What's that? You aren't going to?

FINE.
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Dear University Parking Director (if you exist, but knowing University, your position probably does exist)

Did you know I pay for your livelihood? Good, now that we're on the same page....might I ask you plan a more efficient way to direct parking on the first day of the semester?

For instance, why can't you just designate ONE parking structure for incoming freshman. Everyone's lives would be easier if you kept the panic-stricken, confused, young'ns out of our hair (or Hijab in my case).

I also don't appreciate you shutting down all the convenient parking lots that I always frequent. Don't you know I pay $2.25 everyday JUST to leave my car there for a couple hours? I think I deserve a little more attention. Its rather annoying to see the sign flashing FULL when you and I both know there's an empty spot there.... and there.... and there....and look THERE. Times like these I wish I drove a Hummer so I could just drive OVER your stupid barricade, park, and get on with my life.

Again, did you know that signature on your paycheck should technically be mine? I'm JUST saying...
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Dear Last-Professor-I'll-Ever-Have-in-Undergrad,

I'm just writing to let you know a little bit about me. I'm AL and I'm in your class.

But perhaps most important, I'm jealous.

Jealous of all my friends who show up on the first day of classes and get to leave after being handed the syllabus. Apparently, there IS something called a "free day." But I guess we at the College of Engineering wouldn't know about that would we? Three pages of notes ... was that necessary?

I especially felt hurt when you said "I usually don't teach on the first day...." but then reached for the chalk anyways.

P.S. Thanks for using the chalk and chalkboard. I truly appreciate that (no I really do, no sarcasm). The Chalkboard Makers of America ALSO appreciate that. Apparently, their product is not going obsolete...thanks to you.
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Dear Facebook,

I'm sorry but I really hate the "sidebar" ads you allow. They're distracting. REALLY distracting. But then again your whole site is distracting. Do you and my so called "friends" have some vendetta against me? I mean, why WHY does everyone update their pictures and all that fun stuff, the night before my exams. Why not in the lazying days of break? Anyways, that's not why I'm writing to you. Back to your ads.
I just don't appreciate seeing things like "Try a DSLR for free...and KEEP it!"








or an orange iBook. I would really like a DSLR. Or that orange iBook. OR an orange DSLR with an iBook.
I don't appreciate you rubbing salt on my wounds like that. That is SO not cool.

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Dear Future Husband,

Please re-read the above letter. That should be enough hints for the type of gifts I prefer.

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Dear Rushed Drivers Everywhere,

I think I've been pretty nice to you. Don't you feel the same? I mean, whenever I'm not in a rush myself I try to be courteous enough to watch out for your needs. Like, I let you get ahead of me when there's a lot of traffic and you wouldn't be able to make that turn until next year. And when I move over on the highway because you seemed to be in a rush. Those are pretty sweet gestures right?
I'd just like to know one thing, how come you never give me "the wave?" You know, THE wave-- the one that means you acknowledged me. Yea, that one.

All you Rushed Drivers must have some secret society to keep things uniform amongst you al, because I have yet to meet one of you that knows about the Wave. Can I be a guest demonstrator at your next meeting?
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Dear Family,

It's 6 am and the house is pitch dark. Why am I the only one awake? Don't you all have to go somewhere too?*

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*This post was written at 6 am, so technically I can leave that in. =)

Double you tee eff!

There's FML, MLIA, and BML.

But I WONDER if there is a WTF.

I dont think so.

I hope I created this idea, and everyone thinks I'm like a genius and I can totally copyright it and I'd be so freaking cool or something and famous and then I can be on some morning talk show.

(If there IS a WTF website, well whatever! It's not as big as FML is it? SIGH)

So here are my WTFs:

(By the way, it stands for What the freak or What the frick or What the freaking {hell} or What the fudge or What the funk but NOT What the ::beep:: K?)

1. I asked my sister to bring me some food and she brought me some salad. WTF

2. I got excited to find a parking spot that I didnt realize that I hit the curb. WTF

3. The McDonald's employee gave me only three ketchup packets for two large fries. WTF

4. I went to a fancy hotel and was served burnt eggplant risotto. WTF

5. WTF is risotto anyways?

6. Blogger keeps deleting my list of blogs I follow. WTF

7. My old phone used to dial numbers randomly. . WTF

8. My new phone doesnt have some of my old numbers. WTF

9. I quit a job that I was at for three years and no one cared/cares. WTF

10. Every year at the end of the summer, last week of summer vaction, I have uncontrollable sneezing fits. And itchy throat. And red, burning eyes. WTF

11. A coworker of mine keeps saying that Arab and Indian are the SAME thing. And that I'm both. WTFFF

12. That's all I got. I thought I would have more wittier ones. WTF.

Care to share some of your own?

uhhh

I have no idea what to write about. Originally I was going to do health care, but that just pisses me off everytime I think about it. Yup still pissing me off. Sooooo um anybody see inglorious basterds? I've seen like three trailers for it and each one was sooo completely different like one of them it seemed like the movie was a comedy and the other one seemed like it was action and the OTHER one seemed to be a dark serious drama. I think i'm going to see it just see what the eff the genre is.

I haven't gotten my license yet and i'm 19. GOd i'm such a loser. My excuse was that I stopped because I got scared (almost got into accident, dad yelling, blah blah blah), but that was like 4 yrs ago. Now i'm just lazy. BUT I am taking steps, lol, i'm going to the secretary of state tomm to get my permit so I can PRACTICE. Now I just have to get off my butt and PRACTICE. I feel like i'm going to need a drill sergeant on my behind.

What to talk about....oooh i downloaded this app for my iphone from the appstore which I guess was made to help bartenders pass their exam- now i have 6,000 drinks i can order virgin, its one of my favorite things to do :D I think i'll share one of them with you guysss: it's called Acapulco Gold- it has coconut, pineapple juice, coconut cream and whipped cream...it's soooooo goood. Seriously. Try it.

Oh true fact, there was a study done that showed that if you hurt yourself, like stubbed a toe or walked into a wall- cursing actually relieves the pain. But they also found that if you normally curse in everyday situations- it is less likely to affect the pain.

I guess thats it. My next post, hopefully, will be more substantial-maybe. I make no promises.