Stop. Drop... And Stay As You Are?

Never!

*ahem*


Hello again!

You know something? It seems like time has started going fast forward...eerily! I mean, it was just last Thursday that I met Garry, and today I met him again for my before last tutorial with him. @_@

Today we discussed some oints that I'm going to be working on by next Tuesday, let alone my critical essay -__-" The good thing was that his comments weren't negative. No. He actually wanted me to expand.

I've used some verse from the Qur'an as reference to the marriage issue, how it is not allowed between Muslims and non-Muslims. He said that he wanted an essay, not a sermon... he had a point. I guess I somehow got carried away >////<

He says I need to explore my approach in the creative writing aspect of my project, indicating my message through my main character who is a young Muslim woman.

Ah well.

There's so much to be done. The thing is, to get it done. I've only got less than three weeks for submission. May Allah aid me in doing so.

Last week, I learned a new prayer from a Libyan friend of mine here.

اللهم بارك لي في وقتي

Translation: O' Allah, let me make good use of my time.

It's not a literal translation, but its got the general meaning.

I've been up to a lot of work lately, at Uni, and at home. I somehow resorted to Wednesday as cleaning day of the week. I'd dust, mop and clean the WC. ^_^

But yesterday's work really got me tired and ending up with a backache T_T

Moving on! \(>o<)/

As I said previously, I'm thinking of starting another blog. Well, not just one. Two!

Heehee

The voice inside me says, "You're not even coping with this one, you're starting two others?!"

"Yes!" Says I (feel free to think that I've flipped out), "Variety is good! Change is good!"

I can't wait to get myself out there, in the world! Thee world of non-students! << 'Thee' was a typo, but I guess it served the purpose hhhhhh

*sigh*

I'm thinking of taking up a language course. ITALIAN! Mamma mia!

Yup. Wow! I feel a sudden rush of optimism, that my neck hurts...

So, I'll be back with s'more... just stay tuned... my humble followers of 10 ^_^


Till next time,


Sparkle xxx

The: What? Where? When? 7allah ...

OoooOOookaaAAaaaay...

So, it's been almost 12 days since the beginning of Ramadan... and it was only two or three days ago that I've made the discovery of my life.

Don't worry, I'm not adopted! hhhhhhh (no offense here)

I've had the praryers' timetable printed out for the whole year 2010, and according to it, Fajr praryer was around 3 a.m. this month.

It was till I checked the grand mosque's website that it was totally different...changed??!! @_@ That instead of 3 a.m. it was 4:30 a.m.

-____-"







Yeah, yeah, yeeeeaaaah... urgh!

I've been fasting for like 18 hours when it shoulda been, 16 or so.

mmmmmmm

Anyway.

We've had very nice weather... warm relatively, and then rain rain rain, especially in the late afternoon. *sigh* Reminds me of summers in Switzerland. Whenever the temperature exeeded 30, it had to rain at night... heavily! ^_^ love it!

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

Last week, I told you I was gonna meet with Garry. And I did on Thursday.

Bleeh!

In addition to two typos in the whole script (-___-" sheesh!) he gave my script an extreme "feedback"-over... as in, comments and notes everywhere.

Note to every fellow reader: I totally have no problem with notes, criticism, or whatever on my work :)

The thing is, the thing that reeeeaaally p***ed me off, was that he commented on stuff already there for like, ages! and this is when he decided to notify me about them...

Grrrrrr!

Is this where I have to hate him?

Deadline's due on Sept 13th, and here I am gaping at my script... not knowing what to do with it...

That's where all the WHs came to mind...

T~T

Now I not only need to re-edit my script, but also start with my freakin' critical essay...

GASP! Which reminds me! How many words should it be??!! o_O

Puff. It's not there!

I hate my university email.

***********

Moving on.

My brother's been on a serious retail therapy. And the thing that I've noticed? I get to feel better when he's shopping. Even though I'm not buying anything.

ROFL

Man, we're so weird hhhhhhhh

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

Okay. Calling all girls.

I'm sure you're tuning into at least one or two of Ramadan's series on TV/internet.

My sister in Libya (let's call her Deedee ^_^) told me about an egyptian soap opera called:

عايزه اتجوز

Translated: I want to get married.

Hmmmm.

Like, I thought I had enough of that topic so far. But when I checked it out on mbc.net, I changed my mind. It's totally hillarious! >_<

It's about a single egyptian woman in her late 20s early 30s, striving to get married in a time when a decent groom is a hard catch... -__-"

Today, Deedee sent me a link of the writer's blog, on which the series is based.

WOW!

Her name's Ghada Abdelaal, and her blog carries the same name as the series. Like, Da! lol

And here's the link if you're interested. I skimmed through it, and believe me, you're in for loads of fun! Her style is both light and entertaining.

http://wanna-b-a-bride.blogspot.com/


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

I need to rap up now. But before I go, I think you deserve to know what's going through my mind.

Nyahahaha3!

I'm thinking about starting a rant. Yes. A R-A-N-T. Like, I got so much on my head, shoulders, back...everywhere. (Heart included ^////^)

And I really need to get myself to write more. And since, to me, this seems like the easiest, most private (who am I kidding?) means to do so... then so be it.

Be back for more... B-D


Love out and about to everyone!

Till next time!


Sparkle xxx

Okay...um... Salamu Alaikum

Ahe Ahe heehee -___-"

^ That was something you'd very likely hear from Maroco (ماروكو؟)

I've been lazy enough to add an entry around here...bleh!

Lazy? Or busy?

Yes, busy's the word... I've been working like mad on my research project. The one I've been blabbering about for some time here.

On my last tutorial with my supervisor (did I mention his name's Garry?) Anyway, he said all was fine...yadda yadda... but it was getting too long, outta hand -__-

As a writer, you need to get into grips to not allow yourself to over-write. But, you know, in my case, I like to over-write... coz that always makes it easy to cut cut cut!! (Schnitzen in German... right) heehee

However, since I'm a very obedient student (.....) I did as I was told and cut out a huge amount of scenes from my script @_@ It's not so bad, you know. You get to realize that some stuff don't actually belong there in the first place... you know the voice inside that says: "Cut the crap, will ya?"

Yeah, that kinda thing.

Following my last blog entry, I solemnly inform you that I stuck to exercizing... for like 2 weeks or so... -__-" ahe ahe aheehee

I got busy!! Gimme a break!! T_T *sniff sniff*

But not to worry (tadaaa!) I just discovered recently - like, two months ago >///<- that a new sports center was opened on campus. There's this cool swimming pool that I drool at whenever I pass by it. I went to the center's website and it shows the pool's timetable and stuff. There are two hours for women only: one on Tuesday morning, the other on Friday night.

I got hyper when I learned about this... but then, there's the part where the pool is see-through... how's that ever gonna work? Bum-er...

Until last week when my brother came for a visit from Libya, it all turned around. (he's staying till after Ramadan btw ^_^) Just to make sure he never got bored whilst I busy myself with finishing my research, I took him to the center so he could go for a swim whenever he wanted. He's 16, and I'm sorta kinda overprotective of him ^_^... so I asked the lady at the front desk if I could chaperon him inside (I actually wanted to see what it was like inside- as in, the changing rooms and showers... safety measures- over and out).

It was all A-Okay :) and what's more, I turned and saw the lady catching up with me to say: "There are hours for women on (ditto above) and the blinds are lowered to cover the windows."

Oooooooh praise the Lord!! *sniff sniff* It was like she threw a life-buoy at me... I was saved!!

Ahem, exaggeration...

So, last Monday, I went with my friend Julia to buy a swimsuit. I got one from JJB (a sports shop) for only 12.99 pounds ^_^ , black, and Addidas XD

Of course I wore black tights under it and a tight black vest as well. And I went yesterday ^_^ *sigh*

Can you imagine? The last time I went swimming was in 2007, when I went with my folks to a summer resort in Libya T_T loooong time.

I feel rejuvenated, and happy that I get to stay in ship-shop shape XP woohoo!

So, now it's not just the walking. It's the walking and swimming B-D heehee

Now, back to work.

I'm almost finished with my third act. Garry says that I'll only be able to submit a minimum of 60 pages of the script T___T gaaaa!! but I need to finish it nevertheless just to get a better sense of the whole story. *sigh* After which I need to start working on my critical essay (which I'm sure I've mentioned something about in an earlier post here -__-)

It should have a topic, says he. Then he suggested I write about the impact of the western world on Muslim women...the singles, that is.

And I was like, "Okay... I think I can do that..."

^_^

Well, it's off to work for me now. Loved coming back !!

Happy Ramadan and may you all be well and happy! Maybe I'll get to do what I did last year on my blog. Like a day to day entry of how it's going for me during the holy month.

Will leave it to God's will :)

Salamz


Till next time,


Sparkle xxx

PS: I solemnly cut down on the fries !! ^_^ yippeee!

Ship.. Shop.. Shape!! @_@

Is it 'ship shop' or 'chip chop'?

I can explain that though.

Ship: coz I'm thinking of travelling!!

Shop: well, ya know >///<

And Shape: I gotta get into shape again.

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


Ahem, anyway..


Well, hello again... :)

So today I stayed at home... and proudly did nothing on my project. I've noticed lately that it's been a long while since I last worked out -__-" Maybe two or three weeks ago??

I hate myself!!

Coz last week, as I mentioned, was terribly outta control and I hardly had time to cook something to eat... so I had to eat take outs or have these ready meals that you heat in the oven... piece of cake, huh?

Yeah... and when you're England, whatever it is you're having, it's gotta come along with fries.... *danger music in bg*

*sigh*

I was about to opt out of writing about this, but I had to... have to! I even drew this silly scetch of a person on my timetable who's working out and having a hard time with it. This, my dear friends, is what I call: self motivation.

How?

Everytime I'm gonna see it, I'll be reminded of what I've gained lately and what a lazy beans bag I've become...

So, the plan?

- Work out everyday except weekends :D heehee

- Cut down on the freakin' fries!! > x <

- Make sure I stick to it for the coming month

Period.

*sniff sniff* I hate to think... I just hate to think!! I don't wanna go back to what I used to be.

I wasn't obese, but I was ...rounded (?) And it made a lot of people throw comments at me... I'm sure you know the rest.

So, there you go. It's like a New Year's resolution, except this one's for the summer lol ^_^

I'll let you in on this... for motivations sake!!!

If you got any experience or stories, do share :)

Till next time xxx

Don't feel like it...

Hello again ^_^

Very-hot-weekend. Period.

Yesterday, I had a tutorial with my research project supervisor,Garry. Since I've worked mainly on my script treatment for like... ahundred times! He said that now's the timeI needed to start with the writing. I told him, "About time!I feel like I don't wanna work on it anymore!!" rofl

I still need to work on a few details in my story line, but I'm sure it'll all clear out once the actual writing has taken place.

Here I am now at Uni... wanting to get started :D ... But, I suddenly don't feel like it... the working part. I guess I'll give myself some more time (?) and do some reading while I get my drive back and kicking -__-"

Baaaaaah!! Where's my inpiration gone!! *sniff sniff*

...


......

Yaaaaaaaaaaaawn! \(> o <)/

Heehee cute one, huh? I learned that my Taiwanese colleague on facebook ^_^ It's just similar to it though -__-

I need to finish Act I in three weeks time before my next tutorial.

And to those who don't know what an Act is, lemme brag a bit then hoohoohoo

Every story has a beginning, middle and end to it. Those three parts are referred to as acts in plays and film scripts, and the usual number is three: Act I, Act II, and Act III.

In Act I of a film script (which is my case here) is where the main characters, the setting of the film and the genre need to be introduced. In Act II, is where the major drama and conflicts occur. And in Act III, we see the solution to these conflicts.

So, in other words:

Act I: The Beginning = Set Up

Act II: The Middle = The Confrontation

Act III: The End = The Resolution

Every story has to have a plot, without which it doesn't move forward. In a script, there are two major plot points. The first is at the end of Act I; the second (the climax) takes place at the end of Act II. These points are the twists in the story that cause the obstacles that make it difficult for the main character to get to his goal easily.

The standard length of a film script is basically 120 pages,each page equals one minute of film...so, ultimately, that's what makes a 2hrs movie ^_^

Some movies are longer, and great examples of that are 'Gone With The Wind' and 'Titanic'... it just takes ages @_@

Now, let's try and put those basics to practice, and take a simpler example to demonstrate :D

Since I'm a huge fan of 'You've Got Mail' then I'll just use that ^_^

Catheline Kelly owns a small bookshop in New York and she thinks she's happy in love with her boyfriend/journalist, Frank. Moreover, she's online with somebody else. Joe Fox is a successful businessman who wants to expand his family empire by opening a mega bookstore, and happens to be that 'somebody else'.

Now this is the set up of Act I. We get to know the main characters, what they do and what are their main goals.

Plot Point #1 / The beginning of Act II

Joe Fox opens his bookstore right opposite Catheline's tiny shop. This causes the first twist in the story. Competition, Rivalry. Now we want to know more and how Catheline's going to react to this.

Plot Point #2 / The Beginning of Act III

Catheline seeks the help of Joe online without knowing who he really is. They arrange to meet, but when Joe sees who she is, he doesn't show up. Second twist. Catheline fights to save her shop from going under, while Joe's shop takes over. The confrontation. But at the same time, they establish a love relationship online and he gives her tips on how to deal with 'Joe Fox' (himself). hehee

The final part, (Resolution), Catheline's business shuts down and she's in deep grief. She hates Joe Fox for that, but is in love with him at the same time. Joe feels bad about himself and tries to win her over as his real self. They arrange to meet again, and she discovers the whole truth.

The End :)

Wow! And I thought I felt like doing nothing today!! heehee

Hope that was useful and interesting to you guys!

Till next time...

Love is Just Around The Corner...Any Cozy Little Corner...

Ever heard that song? Frankie? ^_^ so cute!

Anyway... man it was a hot week! *poof*

I was very busy at uni most of last week to hand in my short story and critical commentary yesterday. Glad that's off my shoulders...

So, now I gotta focus on my research project... and ugh it's so hot to do anything *sniff sniff* it's even hot to be on my laptop right now typing!! It actually shut down all of a sudden earlier due to heat.., poor baby... now I'm fanning it with an envelope from time to time...

Yeah, I spoil my devices >/////< so sue me!! lol

wait lemme fan it some more...



......



Okay!


Oh! I bought a netbook a couple of weeks ago ^_^ wow! I'm loving it!! It's 11" and definitely a blessing to have especially when you're the type who can't stay put in one place... heehee..... I dunno what got into me lately (???)

Wednesday night, out of the blue... well, not really... but it just happened that I was going to sleep and said my athkar ... and added a prayer... my usual prayer, perhaps, for a good husband :)

That night, I had a dream.

I dreamt that I was with my husband... and he was good n_n

The funny thing was, he came in two versions. As in, once he was one guy, and the other he was somebody else. And they were both soooo in love with me...

Gaaak!! Why am I talking about this >///<

Okay... I know both guys... both are Arabs but from different countries. The first was my colleague whom I hardly talked to, the other was my student.


lol don't worry he was a language student and older than me... the bummer here is that he's married -__-"

Blaaaah!!

So, that was it... don't ask for details ... they're rather sloppy :-S
But I woke up feeling good. Even when I went to uni and saw this girl who hasn't been very nice to me lately sitting in a corner... I made sure I went the other way... coz I was in a good mood... and if I came across her, she'd probably zing me >:(

Grrrrrr!!

PEOPLE!!!


Guys... thanks for reading ... and thanks to those who've chosen to follow my blog ^_^ v Hope you find it both enlightening and entertaining!


Till next time...

P.S. I Hate You!!

Grrrrrrr!!


Sniff sniff T_T

Why meeeeee? why meeeee?

Ok.

A week ago, I heard bad news. I went online with my sister in Libya and she told me that my brother had had an accident at school. @_@ Gasp! Shock!

He appeared on webcam... oh my dear God... he had a serious cut on the eyelid of his left eye -_= He had fallen on the edge of a set of lockers outside his class and WHAM! it split in two....ugh!

He was taken to hospital later on and got his eye stitched (is that how they say it?) and now he's fine thank God... -__-" it was a major scare for the whole family. My Dad wasn't present through all this... he was in Tripoli (work) and he was so enraged.

Yup. Just wanted to let you know why I wasn't around recently. Yeah... like I'm a regular in the first place!! >///<

Anyhoo

P.S. I Hate You...

Sounds good for a story title, eh?

But this is real life, and it's what I really wanna tell someone. Do consider the "P.S." thingy... like, being angry in a polite way lol

I wish I could say this to Julia's husband... he's totally getting on my nerves *Grrrr* Two months and the baby's still with no name, till Julia finally gave up and told him to choose whatever. She wanted Daniela.. he wanted Adriana...

I mean, Adriana? Puh-lease! Sounds more like a name from a history book.

That's not the real point. He's been saying no to all the name she's come up with (in addition to my suggestions) and he's like: "Nah, it reminds me of someone..." "Nope, my ex-wife's cousin's daughter is called that and she got pregnant at 19..."

Seriously?

I could slap him! *smack smack*

Eventually, and after getting on our nerve like Hell, they finally registered her as "Daniela" woohoo!

Yeah, right. He still doesn't like the name and doesn't called the baby with it, still calling her "Little". And the other day he said to Julia that he only did it coz he didn't want to make feel more depressed... i.e. accusing her of postpartum depression??

*Sigh*

It makes me really sad whenever she tells me, "Enjoy your singlehood as much as you can!"

I know not all guys are jerks... but how come all that I come across are like so?

God with us all...


Till Next Time fellas!!