The Great Hugh Jackman !

The Prestige - Hugh Jackman

So tomorrow I am off to NYC for the weekend ! Back in August I bought tickets for the play “A Steady Rain” starring Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig. I am a huge Hugh Jackman fan ! I have loved him since “Someone Like You,” but my favourite films of his are “The Fountain,” “The Prestige” and “Australia.”

A friend of mine went and saw the play last week. She was able to meet him and get a photo taken with him! She saw the play Friday night and stood outside the stage door at around 5:30 PM, which is when he shows up, to prepare for his 8 PM show.

Now, here is the problem! I am seeing the 8PM show on a Saturday, and he also has a 2 PM show on Saturday, so I doubt he will exit the theater and re-enter at around 5:30. So he will probably instead show up at the stage door at around 11:30 AM to prepare for his 2 PM show. But I am not able to go there at 11:30 AM on Saturday as I have plans… So I am going to NYC tomorrow (Friday) even though the show I am seeing is on Saturday, and I shall stand outside of the theater tomorrow at 5:30 PM ! It’s supposed to be cold and rain ALL weekend long though, I am not looking forward to the rain… Well, let’s see if I get my chance to meet the great Hugh Jackman ! If not, I must console myself and hope there will be other chances. He does, afterall, live in NYC, and I am sure it won’t be the last time he’s doing a play on Broadway!

Well, do wish me luck ! I basically have one shot this weekend–Friday 5:30 PM!

Hello, Blog!

Wow, it has been AGES since I’ve blogged. So much has happened, I wouldn’t know where to begin. A quick rundown:

-Graduated with my M.A. (Near Eastern Languages and Cultures) in May 2009 since I decided that I definitely didn’t want to do the PhD

-Decided in June to pursue law, and I began studying for the LSAT exam

-July I spent mostly studying, packing and entertaining my friend Rima from Australia! She was visiting me, for about 3 weeks. And we took a trip to Chicago together which was a LOT of fun!

-On August 8 my sister got married in Baltimore, MD. It was the best wedding I’ve been to! Not just because it was my sister’s, but because it was the most beautiful decorated and fun wedding I’ve ever seen. And I gave a speech, Michael Scott style ! If you have seen Phylis’ and Bob’s wedding, then you will know what I’m talking about.

-September, mostly been bored out of my mind. Then the infamous day came, the day of my LSAT, September 26. I spent a LOT of time studying and preparing, but I had a total nervous breakdown on the morning of my exam. I couldn’t eat a single thing, because my stomach was incredibly acidic. I almost vomited at least 10 times because of the acidity. I cried a lot. And it didn’t help that the night before I got NO sleep whatsoever, even though I had taken nighttime TheraFlu to knock me out–it didn’t work!

-Now it’s October. Since June, I’ve been interning at the World Policy Institute, without pay. I do work for them when they ask of it. Mostly I am helping with this new non-profit organization, which seeks to create a more tolerant society in the Middle East via education and media. So now and then I have been going to NYC to show them what I’ve done. Now it is my task to organize a big fundraiser concert, for the END of October. I really don’t feel like it’s going to happen. I’m not sure what to say to my boss. But he didn’t give me much to work with, very few details, yet he wants me to find a big venue, for free. Hmm…

-So I’ve been looking for a paying job, but unfortunately with this incredibly sucky economy, I am having no luck whatsoever. I actually have a job interview for sales associate at a retail clothing store. Not something I am TOO thrilled about, as I shouldn’t have to go back to retail when I have a master’s degree! But… what can you do ! I suppose my MA isn’t all that useful anyway, unless you want to work for the CIA….

-So I’m REALLY into those movies about the Victorian age in England. I love “Pride and Prejudice,” “Sense & Sensibility,” “Becoming Jane,” and recently I have discovered “North and South” and “Wives and Daughters,” both of which I absolutely love!! I hope to buy them on DVD. Unfortunately, when it comes to these types of movies, I don’t read the book first. But before watching “Cranford,” I’ve decided to read the book first ! Unfortunately I fell asleep on page 4 yesterday… Will give it another go today! “North and South,” “Wives and Daughters” and “Cranford” were written by Elizabeth Gaskell. Do check out the BBC adaptations, amaaazing!!!!! <3

So I’m going insane waiting for my LSAT score. It is absolutely nerve-wrecking. I hope to have all of my law school applications in by the end of October, as all law schools admit on a rolling basis, so the sooner I submit my apps, the less competition I’m dealing with ! Please remember me in your prayers everyone ! I shall let you know how it goes… :)

Ignorant Twits

I haven’t blogged in ages. Good reason for that. I am so incredibly busy ! In a nutshell : Graduated in May with my M.A. from Indiana University Bloomington. Was looking for a job. Went home to NY. Visited sister in Charlottesville, VA, which was awesome ! Loved Thomas Jefferson’s house–Monticello. Then NYC (job interview) and wedding. Got a job at the World Policy Institute. Start even as I am back here in Indiana (given a few assignments to work on). Am supposed to move to NYC in August, but I am having second thoughts about this for  a few reasons ! We’ll see what happens. I’m back in Indiana to pack up everything and move out of here for good. We’ll see what happens !! Will post about all that has happened when I get time!!

But just one thing I have to say. I am sick of seeing people giving their opinions on the whole Iran situation (most people in America), when these same people probably couldn’t even locate Iran on a map prior to this election crisis, and nor did these same people probably know that Iranians speak Farsi as their main language (or other dialects such as Azeri, Baluchi, etc.) and NOT Arabic ! Stop acting like experts on something you have no clue about. I am sure most of these people don’t even know what Wilayat al-Faqih is, and here everyone is suddenly an expert on Iran. Let Iran take care of itself, please. And people are so damn quick to label the Iranian government as being evil, but take a look at what your own government (the United States’ government) has been responsible for in the Middle East and Latin America and Asia ! I could say a LOT more, but I must go now. Blah.

Ahmed and the Magical Elephant / *Z*

So I lost a contest, sort of. So now I must write a story and make my friend Ahmed the hero of the story. I’ll be making up the story as I go along… So here we go… :)

Ahmed and the Magical Elephant

It was an eerie night. The people of Goolumpawomp all felt a weirdness inside the pits of their stomachs. But little did they know that this feeling indicated that something magnificent was about to happen. In the Goolumpawomp Zoo, Percie the Elephant, was in much pain. She was stomping here and there and moaning, keeping the rest of the animals wide awake. The zookeepers did not realize that she was pregnant until it was too late. Percie gave birth to a healthy human boy. The zookeepers named him Ahmed.

Ahmed grew up speaking the languages of all the animals. He would spend an equal amount with the birds, the reptiles, the African mammals, the Asian mammals, and so on. He loved all and was loved by all. Ahmed was raised by Percie with the help of the zookeepers, so Ahmed was no stranger to humans. The mystery of his birth had yet to solved. Everyone just accepted it without asking questions.

Ahmed attended school during the day time with the rest of the human children of Goolumpawomp. He received top honors in all of his classes. His graduation from high school was quickly approaching, and Ahmed had yet to decide what to do with the rest of his life. Would he return to the Goolumpawomp Zoo and spend his days with his aging mother, Percie? Or should be explore the world and use his multi-lingual skills for good? He couldn’t make up his mind. He knew he had a gift, but he just couldn’t bear to leave Percie all alone. Ahmed was Percie’s only child.

To be continued….

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I was tagged….

10 Things/Words I like That Begin With the Letter Z

Zebras

Zippo Lighters

Zippers

Zoos

Zoro

Zodiac

Zoom Lenses

Zuljenah

Zara

Zilch

A Few Istanbul Pictures (May 2008)

Cat in Grand Bazaar, Istanbul

Istanbul

Jewelry Shop in Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey

Zeytoon the Cat at the Blue Mosque, Istanbul

Binghamton Bloodbath

So as you all have heard by now, on Friday April 3, 2009, a Vietnamese man (though I wonder is his ethnicity really necessary to report?) entered the American Civic Association in Binghamton, NY (my hometown) and killed 13 people before killing himself. It was quite shocking to see my hometown all over national news. Well,  Binghamton is finally on the map, eh? Though anyone who follows the Mafia would have known about Binghamton before hand, or any major IBM or carousel fans out there!

What is up with all of these mass shootings going on in the US? Can anything be done to stop them? Lately there have been just so many murder-suicides that I believe we are becoming desensitized to such news. Other than the economy improving, what can be done to prevent such murder-suicides again? How do you know if someone is about to go ballistic and walk into any random building and start shooting people? Really, you just never know if you are safe anymore. That’s just a very scary thought. You really never know when your time is up.

I’d been in that building several times before, for relatives. Eerie. Though the victims have not yet been reported, I heard from my mum, who still lives in Binghamton, that there are a few Muslim victims, including a Kurdish immigrant, a mother of 6. Sigh.

One should really live life to the fullest, because you just never know when it’s your turn to go! I hope the economy improves, for everyone’s sake, including my own (so I can find a job!!), and that these senseless shootings stop!

The New Strawberry Shortcake

So I was browsing around the internet wasting my time as usual, instead of reading about Iranian and Middle Eastern history as I should to prepare for my exams. First I spent about half an hour reading about Sylvia Plath’s life, then I came across an article about how Dora the Explorer is getting a more mature, older look to appeal to tweens. Then I came across the new Strawberry Shortcake. Her image has been updated as part of a “fruit-forward” makeover. She’s thinner, trendier, and no longer carries her calico cat, but instead a pink cell phone. How wonderful.

I am so glad I grew up when I did, at a time when kids were still kids. Nowadays kids grow up too fast! And everything is becoming more and more mature at an earlier age. I don’t like it. And people wonder why there are teen and pre-teen pregnancies! Sheesh. I loved the old Strawberry Shortcake. She was sweet and innocent and cute. I loved the old Care Bears, Smurfs, and all the other cartoons I watched. Things were innocent back then. Sigh. What do you all think about the Strawberry Shortcake makeover?

Seattle, WA – Spring Break!

So for spring break, March 14-18, I went to Seattle, WA. I had always wanted to see Seattle, thought it might be a really chic, trendy place to visit. Not the best place to visit for spring break. It was very cold, windy and rainy. My last day there, Tuesday, it was sunny, but still very cold. So I was supposed to go with a friend, but she had to cancel last minute, so I ended up in Seattle alone… so here’s how the trip went:

Day One – March 14

So I arrived to my hotel, refreshed, and was out and about by 3 PM. I decided to go to the Space Needle as it was close to my hotel. It was cold, rainy, gloomy. So I was waiting in line, and in front of me there were these three guys who seemed to be having a bit too much fun. They were even drinking vodka from a water bottle while waiting in line to buy tickets for the Space Needle. I mean seriously, who does that, right? lol It was amusing. They asked me if I was here alone, I said yes, and explained why I was alone… We chit-chatted for a bit and they said it was a sucky situation for me to be in, but they commended me for still coming out to Seattle alone. So anyway, while I was up in the Space Needle, one of them approached me and gave me his number, saying I should go out with them at night. I gave him my number as well.

So I head back to my hotel room and I’m just sitting there depressed, thinking it was a really bad decision to go to Seattle. So then Jamie, one of the 3 guys, sends me a message about a houseparty. I didn’t think that was a good idea, as I didn’t even know these guys. So I declined, but asked them if they were going out to dinner, as I hadn’t eaten yet, and they said yes. So we went to a nice Thai restaurant called “Racha.” They turned out to be really cool and hilariously funny. I had a really good time with them at dinner. And they treated me to dinner, which was very sweet of them! They ended up not going to the house party, instead we went and played pool after dinner. It was nice to have some company =) My umbrella is one of those long umbrellas that you could use as a walking stick if you wanted to, so they referred to me as “Mary Poppins” lol

Day Two – Sunday March 15

Another very cold, rainy day in Seattle. I headed to Pike Place Market. Unfortunately my point-and-shoot Nikon Coolpix broke a few days before my departure, so all I had on my trip was my SLR, so I couldn’t take pics too easily, oh well. Walked around Pike Place for a bit, saw the original Starbucks. The logo for the original Starbucks is different than the one you see in Starbucks anywhere but there. The original logo is a bit more graphic! Anyway, I can’t remember what else I did on Sunday. It couldn’t have been too eventful I guess!

Day Three – Monday March 16

I went to Pioneer Square to go to on Speidel’s Underground Tour of Seattle. It was very interesting! And I recommend all Seattlites to go on this tour as well. You learn so much about the history of Seattle, from it’s founding to present-day. My tour guide, Shane, was very knowledgeable and funny! It was really worth the $12 ticket =) Afterwards I went to the International part of town, didn’t see much of it though. But went to the huge Asian market place and had some Vietnamese noodles! Yummy! Then in the evening I decided to head downtown. It looks cool at night. But honestly, Seattle’s downtown isn’t that great. There doesn’t seem to be much to do or see. And even at 9 PM most places were closed!

Day Four – Tuesday March 17

I went to the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) where I got into trouble twice. First, for taking photographs. Apparently not even non-flash photography is allowed, because most of the peices are privately owned and only lent to the museum, so I was told to delete all of my photographs, which I did, except for one of Elvis painted by Andy Warhol! And then as I was wandering through all of the sections of the museum, I knew there was a guy following me, but I couldn’t figure out why. He never stopped me or said “Excuse me, miss,” but instead he just kept on following me from room to room to room, until I finally stopped and then he spoke. Apparently I made it past security with an umbrella and no umbrellas are allowed! So I had to go back down to coat check to check in my umbrella. SAM was pretty cool. There was one pieice of work made from thousands of dog tags. That had to be the most interesting piece!

Later in the day I met up with Carl, one of the friends I made on Saturday, who is a student at U. of Washington. We were going to go to an Ethiopian restaurant for lunch (met a lot of Ethiopian taxi drivers in Seattle, so thought it might be cool to try some Ethiopian food), but they were closed, so we went to a cute Mexican restaurant, “The Cactus.” I had a Butternut Squash Enchillada, which was very good! And there were some ducks outside of the restaurant which were really cute, so I fed them some tortilla chips. Afterward, Carl showed me some areas of Seattle I missed. We drove through some of the posh areas of Seattle, got to see really nice, expensive houses! Saw Bill Gates’ house! We saw a lot of beautiful lakes and beaches. Visited some of the trendier areas of Seattle. Got to see the Freemont Troll (unfortunately I did not have my camera at this time!), the University of Washington. Saw some of the most amazing views in Seattle, absolutely gorgeous. I can imagine it would be even better to see in the summer time. We chilled for a bit in the area which he’s from, the name of which I can’t remember. Then towards the evening saw a bit of the sun set over a lake with mountains in the background. Then when it was completely dark he took me to this high point in Seattle, where there are a LOT of amazing beautiful homes, and we had the perfect view of Seattle before us! Simply breathtaking! I really wish I had my camera with me then. Someday I’ll have to go back during the summer and enjoy the natural side of Seattle a bit more.

Overall, it was a good trip, and an adventure! I’m glad I went, though I was alone for the most part. But Carl, Jamie and Andrew (my Seattle buddies) made the trip worth-while! :)

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Now I’m back in Bloomington, Indiana. There are 6 weeks of classes left (including finals week), and then I am ALL done, granted I pass my M.A. exams in April lol… Which I have a LOT of preparation to do for, since I’ve been putting it off all semester long. My exams are April 17-18, 6 hour exam. Please pray for me! =)

So I’ve been inspired from my trip and the people I met on my trip to be a bit more adventurous in life and try new things. I want to travel alone more often, meet new people more often, see more of the world, etc. So I can’t wait to be done with school, find a job InshAllah (please pray I find a job), and start living life!!! =)

$500 for a Facebook Flower?

So today is Valentine’s Day. Facebook is selling a virtual multi-colored rose for $500 (50,000 points = $500). Go check for yourselves if you don’t believe me.

Seriously, what the hell is Zuckerberg thinking? One might argue it’s all relative to income. I don’t care what your income is. Whether it’s $30 k a year, or $30 billion a year, spending $500 on a facebook flower is an utter and total waste of money.

Some might say it’s a sweet gesture, can make the recipient feel loved. For $500, you can buy a plane ticket, you can send over more than a dozen roses across the world, you can do so many other things that would make the person feel loved.

This is just outrageous. We’re in a recession. In my opinion, anyone who spends $500 on a flower, regardless of his/her income, is a bit insane and stupid. It’s a freaking Facebook flower for God’s sake. All it’s going to do is  sit in a tiny box on someone’s profile. You can’t smell it, you can’t literally feel it, there’s really not much you can do with it. It’s just a little drawing of a rose.

Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about love. How about using that $500 to feed some poor people? Or giving that $500 to help someone pay his/her rent so they are not evicted? There are at least a million other ways in which this $500 can be spent, which would be a million times better than spending it on a JPEG file. Absolutely outrageous.

It might be a smart business move on Zuckerberg’s part because there will be rich people who are stupid enough to buy it… But a generous move would’ve been having a link to some charities for donations. I hope people can use their heads and consciences and do what is right.

The Amazing Race!

So I’m finally doing something which I’ve wanted to do for a very, very long time. A friend and I are applying for the Amazing Race!! I’m so excited. Of course there is no guarantee we’ll be chosen, but just applying in itself is exciting. There’s a possibility. Who knows! It would be a dream come true. Keep your fingers crossed for us! I feel we have the perfect pitch. She’s American, served in the Army in Afghanistan… and I’m a Muslim American girl. They haven’t had a Muslim female on the show. So let’s see!

So as I stated in my last post, I normally treat myself to a Valentine’s Day gift, but this year decided not to. I had shown a good friend the necklace I was thinking of getting myself online, and she suggested I save my money for Seattle instead, and I agreed. The very next day a box arrives from UPS, and I wasn’t even expecting anything! I opened the box and saw the Fossil tin… and I was thinking “Did I order the necklace accidentally?”… Then it occurred to me that my friend got me the necklace!! Being the girl that I am, I got all teary eyed. This is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me. It was just so sweet and thoughtful of her… I still can’t believe someone would do something so sweet for me. I guess you don’t have to have a significant other on Valentine’s Day to feel loved after all! =)

The weather for the past week has been simply amazing. Beautiful sunny, warm days, in February! I’ve really enjoyed it. Sunny, clear days really cheer me up and make me feel optimistic about the future! If only the weather would stay this way… But sadly, it will not… and it’s supposed to snow tonight!

So anyway, keep your fingers crossed for me and Amanda!! Pray we make it on the Amazing Race =)