When I Felt Secure...

Last Sunday the 25th, the time here went back an hour. i.e. darkness falls before 5 pm...

Now, at school on Mondays and Tuesdays (that's when I have lectures, which are 3:30- 20:00 pm Monday and 16:00- 18:00 pm Tuesday)I need to come a little earlier than that in order to pray either Assr or Maghreb.

Last Monday, I inquired about Muslim prayer room and was directed to the "Green Room" they call it. Guys, you can't imagine how blessed I felt I was... the place was magnificent. Not big, but totally convenient for our practice.

It looked more like a flat to me. There was a small room for prayers, just like that in real mosques, a small kitchen with everything that is usually found in a kitchen (lol)What I liked about it was that there was a small fridge with drinks and baskets next to it with cakes, sandwiches and packets of meals (eg. rice with chicken) everything is enlisted in a list on the wall with their prices, and there's a small piggy-bank safe to place your payment.

What I was surprised to see was the toilets, made the islamic way.

Isn't that neat or what!?

I'm sure other sisters feel blessed as I do... to be taken care of and thought about whenever we might be in need. I felt so relieved and safe... the atmosphere was so complete.

When you climb the stairs to the room (one thing I hate about it is the stairs lol... breathtaking! :P) you find notes and posters of prayers and athkar you can say whilst you're on your way up... yeah, they know it's a long way hehe

This week is charity week at Uni. Muslims and Arabs volunteered. A couple of guys dressed in funny costumes and stroll around with buckets to collect money, and campaign for the cause. Others held booths that sold doughnuts, clothes and other stuff. One booth offered to apply ornamented Henna for girls ^_^ cute...

Last Monday, after my 3:30 class, my colleagues and I gathered in a cafe oposite our Uni. We had a pretty cool time together, and I was glad that they weren't hard to get along with :)

Alhamdulillah for his blessings and gifts upon us... and may we all be forever gratefull to Him...


Amen


Till next time ;)

Writing Like A Maniac...

Jello again ^_^


Jello as in Jell-O...





:D





Anyway...



So, if you're ever thinking of entering the writing business... think twice... thrice... even more if you can... the more the merrier ^_^

But why am I saying that? Of course all course has this kind of perplexing anxiety department in its building... get it?

I might not be making any sense... that means I'm overloaded and my mind is occupied with a hundred thousand territorial ideas... for my writing that is.

Last week I was drowned in an assignment- which I happened to have procrastinated (gosh I hate writing this word!!) for quite a while- of 3000 words... happily it was merely a first draft, but, you know, good impression's the key here... or is it?

So, now I'm up against another deadline next week... a 5000 words portfolio of short stories (or story), also a first draft. I dunno if they're being generous with this "first draft" thingy!! or is it just to get on our nerves ... and as one of my colleagues said, "Let the writing begin."

I felt like slumping on the table before me... -__-


Hehehe


Every Tuesday, we meet for a reading session. We read a play. Our tutor runs the event... and ever since day one.... he insisted that we act the play... and I was like @_@ ahee ahee hee...

Not that I got a problem with acting (I think I'm pretty good at it XD ) The thing was, I didn't know anything about the play, plus it was in British English!! Plus the dialect!! AARRGGGHHH Seeing that we were short in cast we had to all take more than one role... bummer! And when it was my turn, I read out like an American robot ... here's one of the lines that went horribly wrong LOL:

From Edward Bond's play "The Sea"

THOMPSON (ME hhhhh): My life. I was sweatin' back there. I was certain-shar Mrs Rafi'd come through. Juss the sort a notion she'd git took in her hid. She gave me the sack doo she find me here."

Bleeeh?

OMG... that was a nightmare! Good thing it was a comedy, so I sent a wave of laughter among my colleagues, one of whom has a roaring laugh that's soooo contageous (yak yak yak)

The weather these days is gloomy and rainy... I like this weather ^_^ hehe ... yeah, welcome to my realm of the weird!


So, 5000 words by Monday (the next)... an initial scene treatment of my screenplay by November 6th... how delightful! ^_^

Believe it or not, I'm gonna have to collaborate with another student to direct my script- which my tutor keeps telling me to keep on a low budget- well, da... it's not like I was thinking Pixar or 3D...!!

lol jk


OK...focus! I have one short story finished (500 words) which makes 4500 words to go.... yaaay how comforting... *whimper* I do have an idea for a tragic story, and another which is sorta sci-fi...

I hope I don't sound pathetic... cos I do... lol ... OK, middle age crisis on the way. But I'm glad I get to ramble on about it here... to save what's left of my sanity. Believe me, it's really good to write like a maniac... at times :D

Give it a go... and the true you will-- show!

^_^


Till next time ;)

EXHAUSTION... DANGER... DO NOT APPROACH

To Be Cont....

Once Upon A Stage...

You really wanna know? Like you really wanna know!?

lol

Ok Quest, here's what happened.

**********







Yesterday- Writing for Stage and Screen class- 15:30

I've been preparing, like, all of last week for this lecture... reading about the damned 'Theatre of Catastrophe'... trying to get myself to understand what it stands for... blaa!

Our tutor asked us to read about it and react to it "even if you think it's rubbish, say so, and say why" ...


Well, he asked for it...


hehehe

Omg, I should be expelled!!

*exaggeration*

I'm not a bad student. I was just trying to get things straight... in a way or another. Cos, I hardly know anything about theatre, let alone Theatre of Catastrophe... it's like a Catastrophe on its own!!

So, he asks us what we thought... One of my colleagues expresses that he thinks it's absurd. I thought: "Ok, good. A negative perspective, so I won't be the odd one out."

Like that's some kinda justification to that type of thinking?! Puh-lease

Tutor turns to me: what have you to say?

Me: I agree with James, and think that it's unreasonable to presume that an audience would want to go and attend a play and subject themselves to pain and torture- which is what this type of theatre often explores- let alone the fact that we as humans don't appreciate the exposition of our lives in front of us (dunno where I got that from)

Tutor blinks: Well that's the main purpose of most plays is that they exhibit our lives before us.

Me: True. But the idea of wanting to go and witness what might be disturbing is quite absurd.

Tutor (his face turning red to his ears): So, if you were told to go see Macbeth or Henry V, you wouldn't go see it because of the violence within it?

Me (Ooops): Surely I would go see them as their being a classic...

Fortunately, the discussion shifts to another route.

********************


I dunno what happened there, but it kinda gave me the sense that I wouldn't get it. Unless I try mega harder. I'm an Anti-Complication type of person, if that makes sense.... hhhhh

But I spoke later on to my program manager, who is an incredibly nice man, and expressed my concerns about the module, and whether I'd be able to follow the pace. Luckily, I'm not obliged to write a stage script, rather a script for screen, which is kinda my thing, cos I get to write the story... as a story- hence imagining it as a movie- and then would transform it into script format.

Yippee... case solved hehe

Well, at least I went through the trouble of finding a suitable pic for my post... Who other than Tuxedo Mask (from Sailor Moon) would better serve the purpose *batting her eyelashes*

Today at the Short Story Workshop, we practiced writing in 1st, 2nd and 3rd person narrative. 3rd is great and a piece of cake. 1st is something of a challenge but is tolerable. 2nd... mmmmbbaa. lol quite out of the ordinary I must say. Never done it before, unless within dialogue.

NB: for those who are unfamiliar with this:

1st person: is when the main character is the narrator "I said... I did..."

2nd person: is when the narrator is indicating YOU lol "you ate your breakfast...etc"

3rd person: is when the narrator is the viewer of events, the one looking over the characters shoulder if I may say "he said... she said..."

Later after that, we went to our main building screen room to watch a documentary about two British citizens who carried out a bombing attack in Telaviv back in 2004. Shocking I must say. My program manager is one of the researchers on the case for the documentary, and we held a discussion about it.


Well packed day... and a rainy one too ^_^ beautiful weather when it's raining... I tend to feel better.... and calm.


Loads of writing to do.. and loads of stuff to start reading about (if you know what I'm sayin' ) lol


Till next time ;)

L' automne

Fall is Here


Helen H. Moore


Fall is here.
Another year
is coming to an end.
Summer's finished,
Summer's gone,
Winter's round the bend


Fall has come past me for years and years now, yet, I never seemed to think about it much.

I guess the only thing that I ever encounter during this season is the fact that winter is drawing near... winter is my favorite month... it's when snow falls... even though not in most countries, but it snows in my head and it fills me with joy.

Now, Fall. Hmmm... Fall is beautiful. We can say loads of stuff about this time of year: colors of trees, the rustling wind through the flailing leaves, the rainy mornings and misty nights... It is a grey month... but grey's not bad. At least it's not black! Who would want that?

It was sooo windy today outside. I couldn't go out...wasn't really inviting (plus I had loads of stuff to do...) but a thought popped into my head.

Although the majority of regions around the world go through the same season with every coming months... it struck me as to how we are all united in witnessing the same change in climate. Just like Ramadan and Muslims... except this one has a wider range... it includes millions and millions...

And it's not just us humans... it's all the creatures around us... they get ready to hybernate... such a busy season...


Sub7an Allah...

Isn't it beautiful that most of the world starts school in this season? How many of you thought about that? How many things could you think of that integrates us without us knowing so?


Wow!!

Autumn


Charlotte L. Riser


When the trees their summer splendor
Change to raiment red and gold,
When the summer moon turns mellow,
And the nights are getting cold;
When the squirrels hide their acorns,
And the woodchucks disappear;
Then we know that it is autumn,
Loveliest season of the year.



What's your favorite season? ^_^


Till next time ;)

Big Girls Don't Cry...

I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I

We've got some straightenin' out to do

And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry

Fergie-Big Girls Don't Cry


Yesterday, my folks headed back home. We all got up early (not my cup of tea...lol) and went to the train station, from where they'd taken the train to the airport in Manchester. And they left at 8:55 am...

I must go along...

I went to a cafe to have a decent breakfast, cos earlier I couldn't eat anything. Then I decided to head back home... wasn't a good idea. They had rented the apartment beneath mine, and the moment I set foot into the building... no comment.

So, I ran upstairs, grabbed my homework and laptop and headed to the University. I sat in the Grand Hall and did some of my homework... watching from time to time the passers by, wondering what makes them happy in their lonliness...

It's time to be a big girl now...

I know we're not used to be living so far apart for a long time... but their visit sure filled my life once again. I had someone to talk to for real. I had a brother to joke with (fist fight when neccessary lol)a mother to guide me through my life here... a father to push me harder ahead... a family.


Clairty, peace, serenity

Well, I'm glad they're home safely now and will be getting on with their lives... and so will I. Of course I'm listening to Big Girls Don't Cry as I write this.

But it's time for me to go home...It's getting late, dark outside...I need to be with myself

Julia called me later yesterday afternoon (she knew they were leaving, we spent the evening as a whole the night before and my folks met her husband) and suggested that we go out to a cafe (the usual lol). I'm so blessed with friends like her. You know, the type that would know you're distressed and would do stuff to get you out of it? yup, that's her.

And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry


Till next time ;)