-I just finished my exams!!! i'm relieved.. yet i can't help but feel that i just studied too hard for nothing!! i didn't do so great on 3 of them!! or maybe i just didn't study in the way ur supposed to.. whatever way that is.. on one of them,, i wasn't sure if the answer i was writing was the answer to question 1 or 3!! i usually know more or less how i did on the exam when i'm done.. this time,, i have noo idea.. i guess i'll have to wait till July and c
-on another note, i just got my first ever pay-check.. since this is my first ever real job!! it's a good feeling!! the thing is,, i'm not quite sure what to do with the money.. i don't just want to go shopping.. or spend it on something stupid.. i kind of want to frame the check!! how stupid does that sound?!!
-i wanted to thank everyone for their supportive comments on my last post.. and give u a bit of an update on my progress.. i have a counter to show how long it's been since i quit.. but it's not that accurate because i cheated!! i had three cigarettes over the past 12 days.. not bad compared to what i used to smoke.. but i joined the NHS "together" programme which is this support for people who want to quit smoking thingi.. and they told me that i should give myself some time to process the thought of quitting and set a date when i REALLLY won't ever have a ciggi again.. so i did.. i chose the last day of exams which was yesterday.. maybe i should change the counter on my page.. they r really helpful and they send u all these supportive text messages and e-mails and stuff.. it's cool..
-my brother and sister are all back in Saudi, i haven't been alone in the house for over a year.. well i'm not exactly alone, i have my cats :) (the most beautiful creatures in the world).. it was strange in the beginning because i kept hearing noises and doors being opened and i was getting all paranoid.. now i'm just reeeaaallly enjoying the peace.. i forgot how much i like living alone!!
-i just realised that my family are probably reading this.. so this is just a clarification.. that doesn't mean i don't miss u guys!!! i'll probably get bored of the quiet in a few days.. haha
i'm off to do... ummm.. something.... i'm not sure what yet.. but something that is not study related (FINALLLLY)
ciao
Thursday, 29 May 2008
Sunday, 11 May 2008
an opinion anyone?!..
i was reading this post (To you, women of arabia..) by trevelyana on (http://trevelyana.wordpress.com/) and it got me thinking.. although what i have to say has'nt much to do with what she was saying.. i realised that the problem lies mostly within our society.. if the majority do this, then u must do the same..
since i was a little girl at school. i have never been asked for my opinion, if you take a look at the Saudi educational system, it is mostly based on memorising texts, and reciting what you have learned (word for word) at an exam. ur opinion is not of any interest to your markers. when i went abroad to study, i found that analytical skills were of the essence. in order to pass an exam, you must show understanding of the topic, and have AN OPINION, rather than reciting the author's opinion from the book you used to study.
Thankfully, my thoughts were not completely neglected growing up. as my opinion would be taken into consideration in the house were i grew up.
However, on the larger scale, as a society i am sorry to say that the majority of people need guidance before taking any steps. more distressing, people need to be guided on how to think. examples of this may be seen socially; what is socially accepted and what is not, does not necessarily make sense, but it is what u have been taught to think. even when it comes to religion, people will not take any actions (even minor ones) until they get the approval of a scholar (despite how dodgy his/her background may be)
as an Arab, u also learn to blame ur problems on other people or factors,, so today,, i have decided to blame the educational system in Saudi..
p.s. on the educational note, froggy ur right, exam time is the best time to blog!!!
p.p.s. sorry i don't know how to link the post
since i was a little girl at school. i have never been asked for my opinion, if you take a look at the Saudi educational system, it is mostly based on memorising texts, and reciting what you have learned (word for word) at an exam. ur opinion is not of any interest to your markers. when i went abroad to study, i found that analytical skills were of the essence. in order to pass an exam, you must show understanding of the topic, and have AN OPINION, rather than reciting the author's opinion from the book you used to study.
Thankfully, my thoughts were not completely neglected growing up. as my opinion would be taken into consideration in the house were i grew up.
However, on the larger scale, as a society i am sorry to say that the majority of people need guidance before taking any steps. more distressing, people need to be guided on how to think. examples of this may be seen socially; what is socially accepted and what is not, does not necessarily make sense, but it is what u have been taught to think. even when it comes to religion, people will not take any actions (even minor ones) until they get the approval of a scholar (despite how dodgy his/her background may be)
as an Arab, u also learn to blame ur problems on other people or factors,, so today,, i have decided to blame the educational system in Saudi..
p.s. on the educational note, froggy ur right, exam time is the best time to blog!!!
p.p.s. sorry i don't know how to link the post
Tuesday, 6 May 2008
Numbers.....
The Cyclone that hit Myanmar today has killed over 22.000 people
(update: death toll has risen to 100.000)
There are THOUSANDS still missing
The death toll is rising.. the numbers are rising
It's strange how human beings with their own lives, family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, work places, hobbies, stories, pictures, houses, pets etc etc.. become NUMBERS..
May God be with them..
To him at least, they will not be just NUMBERS..
(update: death toll has risen to 100.000)
There are THOUSANDS still missing
The death toll is rising.. the numbers are rising
It's strange how human beings with their own lives, family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, work places, hobbies, stories, pictures, houses, pets etc etc.. become NUMBERS..
May God be with them..
To him at least, they will not be just NUMBERS..
i would like to know
-i would like to know where in my brain did i hide the books i have read in my life?! i remember the times i was reading them,, but i don't remember what they were about or even what they were called!!!
-i would like to know if moments that embarrassed me in the past were to happen all over again now, would i still be embarrassed?!!
-i would like to know if i have ever seen the lady sitting next to me on the bus anywhere before and just don't remember because i just don't care???
-i would like to know what it would be like to live in Japan..
-i would like to know how some people can just leave without saying good-bye?
-i would like to know why i am so scared of spiders when others think they r tiny harmless creatures??
-i would like to know why is it that when i'm angry at someone i can never remember why i was angry in the first place and i end up apologizing for something i don't know!!!
-i would like to know why i don't write poetry as much as i used to!!
-i would like to know how it would feel to know everything!!!
-i would really like to know what the hell i am going on about?!!!!!
-i would like to know if moments that embarrassed me in the past were to happen all over again now, would i still be embarrassed?!!
-i would like to know if i have ever seen the lady sitting next to me on the bus anywhere before and just don't remember because i just don't care???
-i would like to know what it would be like to live in Japan..
-i would like to know how some people can just leave without saying good-bye?
-i would like to know why i am so scared of spiders when others think they r tiny harmless creatures??
-i would like to know why is it that when i'm angry at someone i can never remember why i was angry in the first place and i end up apologizing for something i don't know!!!
-i would like to know why i don't write poetry as much as i used to!!
-i would like to know how it would feel to know everything!!!
-i would really like to know what the hell i am going on about?!!!!!
Sunday, 20 April 2008
An artist today. Maybe a legend tomorrow!
He was a young boy when he made his first portrait. It just came naturally to him.. With tiny fingers wrapped around a brush which seemed just too big for a hand that small, he had it, the world!!
He was barely 17 when one of his scribbles was called a master-piece and people from all over the country came to see it. And the ones that didn't, surely wished they could..He was given a crown, a throne to sit on. They waited anxiously for anything he would create..
As he grew older, he had many shoulders to help him lift the world.. Friends, family, loved ones, and even strangers who loved him for being him.. They were all there..
As time passed everyone by, he decided to face time. He did not want to be passed by. He challenged time and decided to live in different times at once, to have his own world where he could create many worlds. He needed to stand out!
Bit by bit, the shoulders began to fall.. They could not carry his burdens anymore, they needed more space for their own weights.. The human being is only as kind as he can get.. Here comes humanity!!
He told me once that in order for him to absorb reality, he needed to make some space within him.. At first, he dropped playing cards with his friends.. When there was still much more to take in, he dropped even seeing his friends.. Gradually, he dropped running, he dropped reading, he dropped laughter until one day, he dropped painting!
At first, his subjects still had hope, they clung to whatever they could find of him.. But none of them was strong enough to knock on his door and lend him a shoulder..
He was empty inside, trying to absorb life.. His lack of being him made his world go still.. The dust was settling, he did not care to push it off.. What was the point? He thought.. The people have left me to my solitude and no one would be there to see what lies under the dust.. I am still here, he said.. But no one listened..
A funny creature, the human being is..
Don’t let the dust cover beauty.. Why do we need to wait for ages until we are appreciated?!! The painter will have his day! He will become a legend! There will be people who would have wished to see him.. Tomorrow, that is.. Today, people will just let time pass them by..
He was barely 17 when one of his scribbles was called a master-piece and people from all over the country came to see it. And the ones that didn't, surely wished they could..He was given a crown, a throne to sit on. They waited anxiously for anything he would create..
As he grew older, he had many shoulders to help him lift the world.. Friends, family, loved ones, and even strangers who loved him for being him.. They were all there..
As time passed everyone by, he decided to face time. He did not want to be passed by. He challenged time and decided to live in different times at once, to have his own world where he could create many worlds. He needed to stand out!
Bit by bit, the shoulders began to fall.. They could not carry his burdens anymore, they needed more space for their own weights.. The human being is only as kind as he can get.. Here comes humanity!!
He told me once that in order for him to absorb reality, he needed to make some space within him.. At first, he dropped playing cards with his friends.. When there was still much more to take in, he dropped even seeing his friends.. Gradually, he dropped running, he dropped reading, he dropped laughter until one day, he dropped painting!
At first, his subjects still had hope, they clung to whatever they could find of him.. But none of them was strong enough to knock on his door and lend him a shoulder..
He was empty inside, trying to absorb life.. His lack of being him made his world go still.. The dust was settling, he did not care to push it off.. What was the point? He thought.. The people have left me to my solitude and no one would be there to see what lies under the dust.. I am still here, he said.. But no one listened..
A funny creature, the human being is..
Don’t let the dust cover beauty.. Why do we need to wait for ages until we are appreciated?!! The painter will have his day! He will become a legend! There will be people who would have wished to see him.. Tomorrow, that is.. Today, people will just let time pass them by..
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Edge of Arabia
Hello people
I just got back from a great weekend in Paris. It was a business trip but it was very very interesting.. I am volunteering at an educational company called The Offscreen Education Programme (http://offscreened.com/). It is based in London and it basically offers a new kind of arts education for kids in school. basically what they do is educate through real life experiences rather than studying the arts solely from books and trips to museums. They fly kids out from the West to the East and vice versa in order for the kids to experience their counter-parts education first hand. It is a great way to create lasting ties between the cultures and broaden the younger generation's horizon.
At the moment, we are organising an exhibition for contemporary Saudi artists to be held in the UK in October 2008. The exhibition is called 'Edge of Arabia: Art and Identity in The Land of The Prophet'. To all the people out there who don't really know much about Saudi Arabia other than the stereotypes of oppressed women and terrorism; you will be amazed with the talent we have found in the different corners of this massive country. And for the Saudis who are going to see this, you will be very very proud!
The artists include both male and female ones. We have sculptists, painters, photographers and everything you could imagine. From the different parts of Saudi, not restricted to one social class, gender, religious, or even professional back ground; we have come to create a ground breaking exhibition which is the first of its kind in London!!
These artists include regular people like you and me. We have a Police-man from Khamees Mushait who is really into the environment and works with that to create his art. There is also a doctor from Abha who uses X-Rays as art. Also, we have a female photographer who is the creative director at ARAMCO. As you can see, these are samples of the diversity within the artists we have chosen for this exhibition.
The exhibition will also include a book which is unlike any other exhibition book. It will not only look at the work of these artists but it will go further in looking into the lives of these people who created the art. What inspired them? Where they are most inspired? and their day to day routines. It is nothing like you have ever seen before coming from Saudi Arabia and i hope you will all be able to visit when the exhibition is on between October and December 2008.
I will leave you with some pictures of the art
I just got back from a great weekend in Paris. It was a business trip but it was very very interesting.. I am volunteering at an educational company called The Offscreen Education Programme (http://offscreened.com/). It is based in London and it basically offers a new kind of arts education for kids in school. basically what they do is educate through real life experiences rather than studying the arts solely from books and trips to museums. They fly kids out from the West to the East and vice versa in order for the kids to experience their counter-parts education first hand. It is a great way to create lasting ties between the cultures and broaden the younger generation's horizon.
At the moment, we are organising an exhibition for contemporary Saudi artists to be held in the UK in October 2008. The exhibition is called 'Edge of Arabia: Art and Identity in The Land of The Prophet'. To all the people out there who don't really know much about Saudi Arabia other than the stereotypes of oppressed women and terrorism; you will be amazed with the talent we have found in the different corners of this massive country. And for the Saudis who are going to see this, you will be very very proud!
The artists include both male and female ones. We have sculptists, painters, photographers and everything you could imagine. From the different parts of Saudi, not restricted to one social class, gender, religious, or even professional back ground; we have come to create a ground breaking exhibition which is the first of its kind in London!!
These artists include regular people like you and me. We have a Police-man from Khamees Mushait who is really into the environment and works with that to create his art. There is also a doctor from Abha who uses X-Rays as art. Also, we have a female photographer who is the creative director at ARAMCO. As you can see, these are samples of the diversity within the artists we have chosen for this exhibition.
The exhibition will also include a book which is unlike any other exhibition book. It will not only look at the work of these artists but it will go further in looking into the lives of these people who created the art. What inspired them? Where they are most inspired? and their day to day routines. It is nothing like you have ever seen before coming from Saudi Arabia and i hope you will all be able to visit when the exhibition is on between October and December 2008.
I will leave you with some pictures of the art
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)