weeding the garden...

Unfounded reality

2010-08-16T20:45:00.000+02:00

They say I’m cold-hearted, almost reptile. I believed it once. It’s strange really how you change, how your opinions change, how you (seemingly) suddenly grow a heart. Well, that’s what it seemed like anyway. Being brought to tears by the inaction of an Israeli soldier wasn’t on the itinerary. She walked through the metal detector and back again, hoping desperately that this time it wouldn’t sound. Her outer calm seemed out-of place. The Israeli official behind the counter put on a face of obvious oblivion. Did he derive amusement from seeing her go back and forth like an out-of-sync pendulum? Perhaps it was the normalcy of the episode that kept her so. Moments later, on realizing the futility of the yo-yoing she bends to take off her shoes and tries again. The queue behind her was building up. Some Palestinian, some foreign, some Israeli. We watched in silence, while others chitchatted among themselves. Moods ranged from the festiveness of Jerusalemian weekenders to the bitter annoyance we felt growing at our own subjugation. The crowd turned their backs to her as she removed her studded bodice from underneath the purple coat. Without a change room or wall behind which to perform the task at hand, fellow female travelers stepped forward to shield her from public view. Providing moral support for what, in any other world, would be deemed a wholly unnecessary humiliating circumstance, was the least they could do. To my own great relief, she manages to go through the detector, now without causing it to buzz. Then, almost robotically, she gathers her belongings and walks off; her head still high, her Palestinian pride purportedly unhurt.

What sound is this?

2010-05-03T20:50:00.000+02:00

"Look at my Kids. Ready to learn." I say with a smile on my face

Tumelo and Aslam the twelve year old pair that I'd come to tutor on Saturday mornings were ready and waiting for today's dose of tuition. These grade fours are amongst the 37 children that live at a shelter in bonela, just outside my own, middle class suburb. Today was the day we would start learning to read. I opened a story book, "Mr Happy and friends" and attempted reading. The book, that should be quite manageable for a grade four proved to be far too challenging with words like "always" and "grumpy" too complex. Dissapointed but not nearly ready to give up we packed away the english and continued with maths.

A week later, armed with flash cards and renewed motivation we approached the task of reading for a second time.

"What sound is this?" i ask, pointing to the letter 't' in the 'tall' flashcard i held out.
"t", Tumelo sounds out
"t", Aslam repeats

A few minutes later, having completed a cycle of the six or seven cards i held, i give Aslam a chance of answering, this time without Tumelo's help.

"What sound is this, Aslam?" i ask pointing to the 't' again,
"d"
"Are you sure?"
He gives me a blank look.

Children schooling in Bonela, a township that is not even mildly rural and completely accesible are suffering from a large gap in their knowlede of 'the basics'. Its harrowing that these and the thousands of other south african children, in their situation and worse will be deprived of 'making it in the world' because of a inadequate education system and teachers that simply can't afford to care.

deception

2010-02-15T20:48:00.001+02:00

"Aap ka naam kya hai?"
"Maya"
"do you go to school Maya?"
"Nahi"
"How much are these?"
"50 Rupees"

The Delhi gate, a war memorial attracts thousands of visitors each day during India's peak tourist season. In a country where the majority live well below the poverty line, a western construct of 1.25 dollars a day, the street vendor must count his blessings.

my visit to the Delhi gate afforded me the acquaintance of a 10 year old bracelet vendor, Maya. Despite the tour guides' warnings of 'don’t look, just walk' we still do. And when an innocent 10 year old is asking you for a mere R7 its hard to resist.

"i'll take 4 bracelets, let me write the names for you"
"okay, just wait 5 minutes now"

Some ten minutes later, post family-picture taking session in front of the gate, Maya, Maya's six-year old sister and their even younger cousin return with my plethora of bracelets, which, by now had upped themselves to seven.

Maya starts counting, then half-mouths, half hand-signals a price of 400 rupees per bracelet.
"But Maya, you told me 50 Rupees"
"Nahi"
She points to the heart-shaped bead at the end of each bracelet, "100 rupees", the string, "50 rupees" and each alphabet, "5 rupees"

A few minutes of arguing, angry walk-offs and in-toe trailing brings the price down to 100 a piece. Surprise surprise.

One's initial sympathy for an underfed little girl, trying to make an honest living is morphed into a mix of awe at her ingenuity and anger at the world. A different place and time and Maya could have been a great salesperson, manager, marketer or even actor.

Walking home from school

2010-01-09T18:06:00.002+02:00

Found my matric short story the other day. 88%

Walking home from school

My older brother Thabo is always talking about how good life would have been if he were white. To be honest, I don’t understand why he would want this. According to mama, white people can get skin diseases much more easily than us black people. Thabo says that I will understand when I am a bit older but I still don’t think that I, Phindile Maseku, would ever want to have a pale skin that burns easily in the sun.
Anyway, let me introduce you to my family. My father Sibusihlo works on a farm in Mpumalanga so we don’t see him very often. My mother is Precious Dlamini and she works nightshift in a shoe factory near our house. My parents are not married since the Lobola price was too much for my father to pay. But my parents do not mind that they are not married. They say that there are many Zulu people who are in the same situation as themselves; besides, our family is not any different from any other family just because they are not married. They still love each other and love us. Then there is Thembikile (Thembi for short), my older sister. She works for a white family as a domestic worker in the Transvaal so we only see her once a year, at Christmas time. After Thembi, there is my brother Thabo. He finished school last year and now has a day job in Mr Peterson’s garage. Then, of course, there is me, Phindile Maseku. I am in standard two at a Bantu school ten kilometres from our house in Umlazi central.
Today I stopped by at Mr Peterson’s garage after school. Mama does not like me walking home by myself and Dolly with whom I usually walk home was absent from school today.
Thabo and Mr Peterson’s son, Richard Peterson, were in the workshop.
“What’s your damn sister doing here again, mister? I warned you about this before. If she keeps coming here and distracting you from your work I will have to let my father know that you are not fit for this job.”
“Sorry, but I…”
Thabo was cut off by Richard. “You know, there are lots of godamn darkies out there who could easily replace you.”
“I’m warning you, Richard. Don’t talk about my people like that. We didn’t ask for dark skin anymore than you asked for white skin.”
“Listen here you brainless thing. God made me white and you black so deal with it.”
Unsure of what I was supposed to do I stood, motionless. I was confused afraid and nervous. I did not know whether to make a run for it while I could or whether to go and save my brother.
But before I had time to make up my mind Richard started again,
“You know I’m not scared of you Thabo” with a smirk on his face he carried on. “I’m in charge here so I suggest you watch you step you black retard!”
After a stony silence Thabo awkwardly blurted out, “Stop it! I’m not a retard, okay! Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
“So you think you are a big boy now, Thabo? Well, I have news for you. You had better stop wasting my time and get back to work or you’re fired!”
“I’m not going back to anything. Not until I get an apology from you, anyway!”
“Mmmm. A white man apologise to a godforsaken, worthless darkie. You amuse me Thabo. God, you are pathetic!”
I was tense. Thabo looked angry. I closed my eyes, wishing that I had just walked home by myself. I did not know if Thabo would ever forgive me. I was helpless.
I opened my eyes in time to witness Richard giving my brother a firm slap across the face. I screamed at Richard to stop it but he yelled at me and told me to shut up.
Then, in anxious anticipation, I watched as my brother stood up straight. He looked Richard in the eyes and confidently said, “I quit. Yes Richard, I quit. Now you can go and find one of your plenty darkies to replace me. I’ll be surprised if you can find one that can speak English half as well as me.”
Thabo was right. There weren’t many natives in this country whose English was as good as ours. This was thanks to my grandfather’s overseas education. We learnt more from him and his books than we could ever have learnt from school. The Bantu education system was very limited.
Thabo was uncontrollable. After a hurried breath he carried on, “Tell your father that he can keep my week’s wages or even give it to you. In fact, I don’t really care what he does with it. I don’t want his or your money”
“Stop trying to be smart, Thabo! You know you need this job. Anyway you can’t just quit like that!”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I can do what I want and no one is going to stop me.”
Through the confusion and surprise I was beginning to feel proud of Thabo for being so daring. But I was worried. What would mama say? What would baba say? Would Thabo be able to get another job?
After giving Richard another penetrating stare Thabo turned around, walked towards me, took my hand in his and we walked off. Not full of disgrace or humiliation but full of pride and triumph.

Operation Zim

2009-01-08T17:10:00.005+02:00

I find the human mind a strange embodiment. A few weeks ago, perhaps just days I was somewhat angry, somewhat emotionally involved in the plight of the Zimbabwaen. And now, however it's the plight of the Palestinian (or Gazain specifically) that's bothering me so. How is it that we, as human beings are able to attach and detach so quickly when it comes to that which is close to home, yet not close enough.

Some weeks ago, around the time of Eid-ul-Adha my family made a trip up to Zim, the main objective of which was to oversee a Qurbani operation in the region. This was of course around the same time that Zim seemed to be making daily headlines with the cholera induced death toll standing at some 300 persons reported and further still those unaccounted for of the more rural regions. One's initial reaction, my own included to an optional journey into a famined, economically unstable region is skeptism, uncertainty and then curiosity.

we stocked up with food, incredible amounts of water and a 'jerry can' of reserve fuel- basically sufficient supplies to keep the 8 of us going for a week, (tho we only planned to stay 5 days) and enough petrol to drive beyond a border no matter where in the region we happened to find ourselves. The departure from Durban was hassle-free, we drove via jhb, pit stopped at polokwane and then to musina. Musina being the closest town to the SA-Zim border was swarming with bulk-buyers. The scene was like no other town we had driven through that day. Besides the overcrowding on the main road, there were ques of people at the local spar, clothing stores and furniture retailers. Buses, trucks, bukkies and even the regular family-mobilia were piled with goods ranging from crates of bread to fridges and freezers.

The border-crossing took some 3 hours, a bribe (or persuasion fee as we've come to call it) and a considerable amount of patience. The contrast between the two sides of the border was more than apparent. While the South African side had tarred roads, painted buildings, flat-screen workstations and efficient clerks; the Zims were exactly the opposite. On route to Harare we found ourselves dodging potholes and offering confectionary to the policemen at every roadblock. We had arranged, prior to our departure to stay at a pilgramaging- relative's empty house in Harare. Here we assumed the position of only a few privleged Zim occupants.

A once thriving city centre was now the hub of the barterer, the underground forex dealer and the unlucky jobseeker. The car showrooms were empty, the chain stores had minimal items on their shelves and the supermarkets had even less. It was evident that the finding one's daily supplies, running a business or even holding down a job had become one of life's major uncertainties. With the price of bread ranging from R10 to R30 a loaf depending on the day, time, place u were at and an average salary of R2- R5 a month it is would not be surprising if civil war were imminent. The Zimbabwaen people, a truly amazing creed of people, however are patiently praying for relief instead of looting the shops, assassinating the president (if u can call him that) or resorting to violence. Among the unemployed are doctors, engineers, teachers and many other highly qualified, highly able Zimbabwaens. All of whom, now look forward to a loaf of bread for supper, a ripe tomato is their back garden or a day when this man-made economic crisis will be over. "The end is near" they say, hope in their eyes - hunger in their minds.

hijabed like her

2008-11-17T04:10:00.007+02:00

every so often i, along with just about everyone else with half a claim to humanity, takes some time out to 'observe' those around me. Whether one is at a coffee shop, waiting in a que, taking a study break or simply hanging on the beach, one can't help but notice those around you. one quickly attaches a personality, a lifestyle, a background, a social circle and even a potential future to the observee. i dont think its so much judging the person as trying to complete the entire puzzle with just a single piece. its a sort of game we play, without ever making a conscious decision to do so.
Anyway here's a bit of one of my games, that was perhaps played over a considerable period of time and is yet to be over.

The Hijabi Observed:

Hijabi no. 1: the first group of hijabis are those that don the cloak, a black scarf and black shoes. Now this Hijabi, probably comes from a family of 'cloaked hijabis' and does not want to draw unecessary attention to herself. She is probably a 'hari poiree' that will one day get married, have the cutest kids possible and will always be satisfied with her lot.

Hijabi no. 2: the second group of hijabis are the 'colourful cloakers'. these hijabis wear black cloaks (or abaayas if u'd prefer the term) with a brightly coloured scarf. The scarf usually matches the shoes and possibly a handbag too. This hijabi often wears make-up, with the eye shadow matching the accessories. She is probably the sort that enjoys dressing up but will only do so within the shariah. She is also fashion concious and if purple is the new pink, then purple it is! (she takes the easy way out - see hijabi no. 4 below)

Hijabi no. 3:
the third group are the 'i wanna be arab too' lot. these hijabis wear long floor-sweeping abaayas, the matching abaaya scarf, worn dophata style but with the 'aristocrat' bulge on the top of the head, that is, a bulge on the top of the head created by the up-tied bun. a common characteristic of this group is plastered foundation, thick eyeliner and often, especially with the younger generation an ashlee-simpson sidesway fringe sticking out the front. This lot is especially fashion concious and will wear nothing but the latest designer abaaya costing some R5000. the dubai airport is definitely the place to check these kids (along with their commonly practiced, commonly acclaimed air of superiority) out.

Hijabi no. 4: the 'layer people' are those that wear regular clothing in such a manner that it fits within the bounds of hijab. This group wears jeans, tshirts, make-up, jewellery, and anything in fashion. in their quest to wear anything they want, they will wear up to four layers of clothing; a long under-top to increase the lenght of the top, a long-sleeved top for sleeves (duh) and the actual focul top. these are the people you find wearing mini-skirts with jeans underneath, jeans a size too big and many other bizzare or unconventional combinations of clothing. they also always seem to be dressed a bit too warm for the weather! Quite the revolutionary bunch me thinks... brave!

Hijabi no. 5: the next group are the 'scarved' hijabis; a flexi hijab style. this group feels that as long as they have a scarf on their head they can be identified as muslim and thats cool with them. this hijabi wears regular clothing; short/long sleeved t-shirts, jeans, skirts; all with a scarf to match. She isn't that big on the loose clothing or the non-transparent scarf but is definitely on the road to self-development. she's trying isn't she?

Hijabi no. 6: the 'part-time hijabi' wears hijab when she feels like and when the occasion is right... basically she is still getting there. Her head-covering varies; be it a beanie, a bandenna, a mexican hat or a shawl. her scarf is often serves the purpose of a neckwarmer, or fashion accessory (or becomes one as the day progresses). She will wear her hijab to any 'islamic' event/gathering, on fridays and without doubt, in Ramadaan. This hijabi is still experimenting.

Hijabi no. 7: Hijabi no. 7... who is she?
(okay, i'm going to leave this blank for now, im pretty sure there's someone i've left out.) <Edit Here>

Found this pic [click on it to enlarge] on google someplace, actually the URL is on it (if ur interested). Thought it quite apt... Plus its not my opinion, its someone else's :-D

** This post was not in any way intended to be offensive to anyone, be they hijabi or not-hijabi. Furthermore, most hijabis, including myself may (or may not?) fit into more than one category at one or more times of their lives.

respect the yes men

2008-11-14T09:27:00.001+02:00

front page of yesterday's daily news: NEW YORK TIMES SPOOFERS END WAR

yes, the yes men, all hail the YES MEN have managed to release a fake edition of the New York Times. The front page of the fake newspaper sports a convincing headline "IRAQ WAR ENDS". I am both amused and in awe. Who fakes a newspaper? I'm all for pranks, give me a chance and i'll send you a fake wedding invitation. But a prank on this scale. im incredulous. the fake is said to have taken 6 months to produce and is dated July 4, 2009. that is, post dated by a whole 8.5 months. They, a nameless organization of pranksters at this point recruited volunteers to distribute 1.2 million copies of the paper. so besides the fact that they thought up the idea, carried it out with such precision and secrecy (6 months of planning and production!) and funded it themselves, the articles all seem to be very well-written and could definitely pass for the original. And what, with the recent election of Obama very good timing too! Perhaps it is their prediction of next year, the US admitting that no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq and calling their troops home. aah, wouldn't that be great.

I respect them, the YES MEN (that is, if that is really who they are)!

On the other hand, also on the front page of the daily news is an article titled, "Research shows women get less bitchy after the age of 50". LOL. Who researches stuff like that? anyway, it says that researchers at a London univertisy have found that women who had reached menopause are more likely to admit that another woman is "attractive" as compared to their younger conterparts.
Further proof of my lack of femininity! If a girl is pretty i have no problem admitting it... why not, i have nothing to lose :-P

soon

2008-11-14T09:00:00.006+02:00

soon? did i say soon?
soon is to be redefined, soon.

:D

get back to your toys now kids...

change

2008-06-17T22:09:00.005+02:00

so i just attempted to change my blog's url, only to find that my three potential adresses were all already taken! how is it even possible that some other person desires exactly what i do? and three times over?

Option 1: weedingthegarden.blogspot.com - my title, so naturally i tried it. I really don't place all that much worth on my blog, but this guy's blog was just random pics - that didnt have all that much to do with weeds or gardens or the earth or or... grr

Option 2: myearth.blogspot.com - this one was particularly annoying - the person's blog was empty - just a blank screen.

Option 3: mygarden.blogspot.com - okay so i wasnt that keen on this one, but still it wasnt availabe either

sigh. i'm going to smile and move along. coz thats just what i do. :)

** a more significant post coming soon

9 months later

2008-06-03T10:48:00.005+02:00

so i'm back. the temptation was just too great. So, i had quit because i had nothing to say. do i now have something to say? probably not!!! oh well... we'll wait and see.

so facebook has recently moved up the ranks and become one of my favourite means of procrastination of late (about the past 3 weeks), its a bit concerning... blogging, gtalk and facebook all at once. this could end up in a complete annihilation of the real me by the usurpment of the virtual one... and all this to coincide with exams???

considering that i havent blogged in a whole 9months im pretty much guaranteed that nobody comes here any longer - pretty awesome by me, now i can post utter trash if my mood dictates. its like that song, nobody's listening... only i am not repulsed by the idea.
so this is my journal of nonsensical musings. now the thoughts in my head can have a place of their very own. :D
yay!

This blog is inactive until further notice

2007-09-05T02:54:00.000+02:00

so this blog has been pretty much dormant of late . i really just dont have anything to say anymore! i guess im lacking inspiration or something of the sort. :-/
but here i am, 3am ... doing that insomniacing thing, hmm... i havent has one of these all-nighters in a while.
so i gave in to popular culture and did a tuesday night at pav (some hours ago)... me and my just-about-married-to pal, Rae ended up going with the masses and watching Knocked UP. it was like a chic-flick- wannabee American Pie but not halfway there in humour. Not my kind of movie. damn and why was the age restriction only 13???
if you're doing movies soon, try Evan Almighty. i know Bruce might have been a bit eeek... Jim Carey scared me off with ace ventura all that time ago. but after watching Evan im in awe of NOAH!!! building an ark... in the middle of nowhere. incredible stuff! My HERO man.

speaking of entertainment i went to MAKE LAUGH NOT WAR along with half the middle to upper class muslim population in durban. bleh... it really annoys me, seeing so many ppl i know in one place. like a wedding... without the fancy clothes or the manjra's chow. on the whole it was good enough though. i laughed ;-)

Riaad Moosa- i love this guy! definetly the best of the lot. he has this whole 'nice guy' + 'funny guy' thing going for him... awesome entertainment

Rastien- the dude from Bunny Chow- was dissapointing. maybe he was having a bad day. he tried too hard to make his jokes relate to islam/ muslims.

Afzal Khan - Past his sell-by date!!! eee! i evidently did not think much, if anything of him. Stand-up comedy's not his forte- someone should tell him.

Azhar Uthman- the reason i paid R130 for a laugh. despite his somewhat scary street-tablighi appearance i found him quite affable :P

the palestinian dude (Muhammad something) - needed to broaden his topics a lil.

Preacher Moss (token black guy???)- has an awesome stage personality. loved the way he laughed at his own jokes.

Mo Magic - quite a talented guy... he's an electronic engineer from UKZN. intersting...

so this is it... until some time when i feel the urge to post random bits of my life on the net.

ciao
later
peace
shalom

IM OUUUUTTTTTTTTAAA HERE

tariq rocks

2007-08-18T14:10:00.000+02:00

just got back from tariq's workshop. he is just plain AWESOME!
Today's Conclusion: I am a Refomist Salafi muslim with madhabi tendencies:-)

So, Thursday evening Tariq Ramadan gave a talk at Westville Campus Senate chamber, i was impressed. Today he held a workshop at the bat centre- I AM IN AWE!!!

Now if u dont know who tariq ramadan is then please do go and JUMP IN A WHOLE, off a cliff, mtb, science block... somewhere.. something. be inventive!

OH... ya thats him by the way.

and just incase some unenlightened individual thinks that i've gone wayward or something of the sort... a salafi, in the correct definition of the word, is one who goes back to the source, interprets it, and contextualises it.

Later folks... taz is feeling inspired :p

Mj is awsome for lending me Harry Potter

2007-08-09T20:55:00.000+02:00

I've cracked it!!! (or well saw living proof of it) Rainbows dont end with a pot of gold. hmmm... did you really think that Rumplestilskin filled up an AMC pot every time the rain and sunshine coincided and left it there for some random hobo, or Robbin Hood for that matter to pick up and distribute as they wish??? that'd be a bit generous on his part dont you think? especially since neither of the above have their first born children up for offer.

Its a church!!! A holy place!!! ofcourse ofcourse. it makes sense now. thats where God would choose to project his lovely Rainbows from! :-)

Now that was a pic taken by ME on Wednesday morning on-route to campus. Its great to be driven around by the err.. younger brother sometimes. you get to enjoy the little bits and pieces of morningness, that would otherwise just be roadside peripheries. Sheer awesomeness!

Another idea for when i become a DropOutEngineer - Photographer :)

p.s. the title of this post was an instruction and has nothing to do with rainbows, robbin hood, rumplestilkin, the victimed hobo, the church on Everton Rd or myself. I do love Harry Potter though!!!

and i'm Back

2007-07-28T12:52:00.000+02:00

ships of the dessert...
yachts of the sky...
i want to be a nomad! yes, like Ibn Batuta, that guy travelled the world for TWENTY NINE YEARS! how awesome!

Topkapi palace /museum, Istanbul

the Blue mosque, from our hotel rooftop in istanbul

bank of the bosphorous, Bosphorous cruise, istanbul

Alhambra palace, Andalusia

westminster, London

aah. what a holiday!

blogging is like painting a picture in food colouring...

2007-06-12T12:29:00.000+02:00

this is a post that was going to happen, and then not going to happen. blehhhh. Anyway a lack of anything better to do, the surpassment of all study-worthy exams, the constant desire to display symptoms of PIS (Priority Inversion Syndrome) or an uncanny addiction to blogging and the virtual world has led to me to re-enkindle a random thought that ocurred some time last week and then got shoved out of the way by more important stuff.
So first it was the Britney Spears - Madonna - Christina Anguleira smooching session at the MTV movie awards in 2003 that made headlines and now two guys have stooped to that level too! unbelievable!!!
Monday evening... i flick through the Daily News and inbetween all the awards and the sapa rantings there's this pic of two guys snogging. The caption brings light, "Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen (had this been a girl/dog i wouldnt have been so uptight about it!) share a moment after accepting the award fot BEST KISS in Talladega Nights at the 2007 MTV Movie awards yesterday" (well, not yesterday anymore.)

Gross! Yes, taz is old-school, conservative. Humans stepping sideways is a total No Go! especially not on television. And dont give me that whole liberalism thing! its a free world, you have a choice. bullshit. i may indulge in liberalism in other respects but this, NO, its totally unnatural. just not meant to be. They're polluting our minds. and what about all the kids...
You cant just go and Get It On with your fellow woman or fellow man. What posseses people??? ok maybe the women's perspective i'd attempt to understand. All guys are Full of Shit. Like 99 percent of them that is. (yeh taz is in the mood for some guy bashing today. Anyone want a fight??? BRING IT ON :P) but still. Grotesque!

Sigh Sigh Sigh. Our world is Effffed ( attempt at euphemising the F word!)
Other Awards: Best Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest (isnt this the second one?). Havent decided if im gonna watch the third or not. But now i think i might just. 14th June... will be a good way to celebrate the end of exams, anyone wanna come??? oh wait. i lie. i already got a date. (with a chic! i love that girl!!! shoot me, shoot me.) oh and Johnny Depp also won best performance. doesnt that guy just rock!
Best Kiss: as mentioned above
Comedic Performance: Sacha Baron Cohen in Borat... hmm. i never watched that movie. not after both my brothers came back with warnings of its grotesquety (my word). but now im curious!!!!
blehhh... i cant remember what the other awards were for.

now for some err... arb facts, day in the life, random info, inconsequential junk
---- i.e. if you have something important to do then this is where you stop reading!!! ----

* So i have a call limit on my contract and i reached it yesterday. yet again! had to humble myself and resort to prepaid. anyway the most amazing thing happened. i check airtime and i have R7.56 and then do some mxit-ing and wiki-ing and check again. i have R9.11. What the hell? aah the beauty of prepaid!!!
* Oh and i learnt on wiki that Lambhorgini (dont ask how i got there!) was initially a tractor making company! hehe
* my older brother has confessed to reading my blog. who gave him the URL??? please own up.
* i just ran 1km on treadmill (in 9min 50secs.). yeh ok. thats verrrry litttlllle. but im a lazy ass nigga! so if v=s/t and my initial displacement and velocity was zero then thats an average speed of 1.69m/second (6.1km/hr) and an average velocity of zero. and if w=FxS then the the total work done was zero! all seems quite pointless doesnt it? im such a geek! :)
* its 1:07pm and i'm still in pj's. i also havent eaten breakfast yet!
* my blog apparently has a 'sinister' look about it. hmm. i need to make it a happier place.
* im bringing pancakes to blogger braai. i think i think. :p
* My exam tomorrow is postponed coz of countywide strike! grrr. (or maybe its cancelled. in that case YAY!)
* dad left the browser open, he was googling "Cheap Accomodation" for the holiday. What the hell does he think of us??? okay, i dont expect 5star (not in euros that is), im no spoilt rich kid! but i found it quite amusing.
* I was not on my Google talk just now. then i logged onto MXIT and saw it was Online! HACKER ALERT!!!! how does that happen? then again maybe Gmail's just a bit screwed!

EDIT: * I havent eaten breakfast still. its 2:07pm. time for lucnch!
EDIT2: * I had a shower, i used shampoo. i straightened my hair. Its soooo long! Aah. the holidays... the vanity...

henceforth Unto Paradise!

2007-06-08T21:03:00.000+02:00

"Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of the night and the day; in the sailing of ships through the ocean, for the profit of mankind; in the rain which God sends down from the skies, and the life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead; in the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth; in the change of the winds, and the clouds which they trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth; here indeed are signs for a people that are wise" (Qur'an 2:164)

I am lying low....

I have reason to believe that there are few thesedays that read the Quraan in english (presuming that english is your first language). I experimented today by quoting through the mediums of sms and instant chat messaging the above mentioned verse. My candidates ranged from those who i thought to be in need of enlightenment, those who i thought would share my enthusiasm and those who i consider good friends. (i know that some of you will read this, to you i say: Go figure!!!). The reactions i got were not very satisfying.
So when you so dutifully read the quraan twice over in ramadaan, do you not get curious??? what is it that keeps you in your state of oblivion? ignorance? fear? a sheer lack of motivation? naive complacency? Blind followership?

Would you read Romeo & Juliet in Latin?
Would you read Harry Potter in Xhosa?
Would you read The Faraway Tree in Spanish?

it doesnt make any sense, does it?

Perhaps it is my upbringing, my family that has kept me in the light. My parents have always emphasised reading the translation along with the arabic text. They Rock! :p
I doubt that the true essence of your prayer will be fully realised if you havent the slightest clue what you're saying (and im not trying to pass judgement here). Tragic it is, that we do not speak the language of the Quraan. Isnt that verses' imagery just awesome? GO on, explore. There's an unimagineable more where that came from!

* I am by no means implying that reading the Arabic is unimportant. Duh. We gotta read it in Salaah. And everything comes with its due reward.

** this is such an un-taz-like post. let it be!

ps. the quraan was sent to us as a guide. to make use of a guide you've gotta understand it first!

study break

2007-06-08T00:25:00.000+02:00

I have jumped on the bandwagon!
I have given my blog a makeover!
not sure if i like it...

found some cool-looking templates on google but the damn things dont work (or maybe i just havent a clue what im doing), so i've settled for this :/

BEFORE:

AFTER:

little things

2007-05-29T19:25:00.000+02:00

how often have you thought of something and went Woah! brainwave, i should blog about this. But by the next time you get to the pc you've forgotten what exactly that brilliant idea was (couldnt have been that brilliant, right). Hmm.. I have no brilliant ideas today. But lets just run through my day (i am currently on a study break, Ecos 2A tomorrow)... so i get up all amped for My drawing exam this morning.. get to campus and there's like 50 students toytoy-ing ( baaaad spelling. i think.) so we're thinking its gonna end in like half an hour. our exam will just start a little later.
a little bit of waiting leads the 1st years to start playing thani, one of them gives e-news a call, and taz attempts to sleep on the grass. so the police arrive. then the riot police. and bang bang. they throw some of those rubber bullet hand grenade thingamajigs.
"WTF was that???" goes someone
"Hide behind the car, hide behind the car, dont run!!!" someone else.
we hide. riot police throw four of the thingamajigs. strikers and other innocents who had nothing to do with the whole thing whatsoever start running. Reminded me of the Soweto uprisings. ok ok. on a MUUUUUCCCCHHH smaller scale. but work with me here, unarmed students and the police open fire.

Exam is postponed. We go home. Brilliant way to start of your exams.
Welcome to UKZN!

on a totally different note... little things that irritate me. Yeh i enjoy listing junk :-)
1. on mxit, certain individuals putting their status on "dnd" (that stands for do not disturb, for the non-mxiters) and their mood on "in love". Yuck. Like get a room people. i dont wanna know when you're horny and when you're not!
2. keeping with the mxit idea... when you're on Mxit late at night and people are on "away" and "sleepY". yeh they are SLEEPING. wth? just log off! we dont need your sleeping presence.
3. people only greeting you and showing concern for your wellbeing when they need something. Dont Bother Faking the iNterest! just ask for whatever it is that you so desperately want!
4. the Supper table: when mum or gran decide to start cleaning the table while you're still eating and pick up your plate/ glass. I want another serving dammit.
5. when the siblings/ parents/ grandparents dont close my bedroom door when they come in and go out again
6. Virgin Mobile TV ADS! i watched a few of these on Sunday while i was watching Lord of the Rings. hmm. you should see them if you havent already. atrocious.
7. girls getting married too young! ok, maybe this doesnt exactly qualify for a little thing. but a good friend, 5 days younger than me has also recently decided to go over to the "dark side". no offence to any of you married ppl, k.
8. oh yah... hooting! i hate it.
9. the ATTitude OF first years
10. Getting distracted by totally worthless activities like blogging.
this study break is soo over!

peace.

For arb's sake...

2007-05-26T22:27:00.000+02:00

i have neglected my blog. so now im posting something totally arb.

that was us, the goof troop two weekends ago, post spiderman sleepover (post blogger bowling). yes, taking a walk down ridge road in our pj's and blankets. it was bloody hot.

hmm... i just loved the stares the muslim/indian aunties gave us! no marriage prospects for me... heehee

the no. 1 way to piss taz off

2007-05-24T17:34:00.000+02:00

i am currently highly pissed off, annoyed, frustrated, angry, irritated. grrr. hrmmmph.

why do people hoot??? there are certain people, most note-worthy of which are my moulana-cousin and my dad's widower-uncle, when they come to visit they hoot for +- 23.5 seconds until someone opens the front door and acknowledges their presence (who do they think they are anyway). grr. why in the fliiiiping world dont they just get off the car and ring the damn doorbell. thats what its there for. right???
arent hooters built into cars for the purpose of getting someone's attention on the road / giving a warning, in high-risk road situations?.
Coolies. no sense of residential respect.
Now if they had just hooted once, to announce their arrival or something of the sort, i'd tolerate it. But NOT 10 times over!

and to make things worse they both have oldish toyotas. irritating hooters. Now VW or Merc hooters i can handle. Better still is Renault , they dont quite invade your peace and quiet.

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr................

I'm gonna put a NO HOOTING sign on my gate

J.M.

2007-05-04T10:58:00.000+02:00

A failed attempt at doing a Physics Buoyancy problem has sent me blogging… I need a life.

Got the most ARB (there really is no other word to describe it!) Jummah Mubarak message today. Don’t seem to get many of those thesedays, not since mxit anyway.

The SMS:
A hen lays 3 eggs. She makes dua 2 be blessed wit pious chicks. When da eggs hatched, she found da first 1 reading salaah, da second making zikr. She waited 4 da 3rd, but instead heard a little voice from inside da egg saying “ma don’t worry, I’m in itikaaf” Jummah Mubarak.

I Laughed Out Loud when I saw that! Who in the world makes up that stuff??? But maybe, just maybe its better than the one’s wishing u auspicious, blessed, beautiful days. etc. etc. when they ask you to remember them in your duaas... do u ever remember the person? i dont. its kinda like when the relatives from glencoe or newcastle or greytown come to visit after three years and everyone's greeting at the door at their departure and you say please come again. U dont mean it! so why bother?

Oh... how i wish

2007-05-02T12:49:00.000+02:00

this deserves a moment of silence...

2007-04-23T19:30:00.000+02:00

i just made an immensely, incredibly, unbelievebly, tragiclly unfortunate discovery.
the pro20 world cup is something i've been looking forward to for a while now. live cricket rocks. i love it!!! so today i randomly searched the fixtures:
1st match: 11th September 2007, JHB
2nd match: 12th September 2007, Durbs
Final: 24th September 2007, JHB
all in all there would be 8 matches in Durbs. Check for yourself!

More Fixtures:
Sighting of moon for Ramadaan: 12th September 2007
First fast: 13th September 2007
i cant even go to the 1st match! will be taraaweeh'ing.
what IMperfect timing. sigh.
*taz is now angry*
*taz is now grumpy*
*taz is now sad*
*taz is now offline*

tripping down the lane...

2007-04-23T12:19:00.000+02:00

was having an angry day. listening to angry music. then i shuffled and came across this. made me smile... & want to sing along...

DuckTales

Life is like a hurricane here in Duckburg
Race cars, lasers, aeroplanes
It's a duck-blur
Might solve a mystery or rewrite history

CHORUS:
DuckTales (oooh ooooh)
Every day they're out there making DuckTales (oooh ooooh)
Tales of daring do bad and good LuckTales (oooh ooooh)

When it seems they're heading for the Final curtain
Cool deduction never fails that's for certain
The worst of messes become successes

CHORUS

D-D-D-Danger! Watch behind you
There's a stranger out to find you
What to do? Just grab on to some DuckTales

CHORUS

D-D-D-Danger! Watch behind you
There's a stranger out to find you
What to do? Just grab on to some ...

CHORUS (Twice)

Not pony tales or cotton tales, no
DuckTales (ooh ooooh)

aah... dont the ducktales rule!

cartoons these days just do NOT compare.

damn. wish i could somehow post the mp3 up.

myNewMotto ('',)

2007-04-22T03:53:00.000+02:00

LIFE IS A MUD PIE. EAT IT.

i

2007-04-22T03:42:00.001+02:00

1.I need a new labello. Stranger saw me using it in the library last Thursday and asked to borrow. I lent. Havent used it since.
2.I need a heart. The step mother of my father’s mother passed away. I felt nothing. When someone over the age of eighty passes on, is it still tragic?
3.I need to watch a good movie. Arb movie line from Crank (watched it couple of hours ago): My boyfriend kills people.
4.I need to purchase an umbrella. Where do you get those things???
5.I need to pass ECOS2 and be the 2nd after Chuck to pass it on the first shot.
6.I need to figure out HTML, cant fix my sidebar. It either displays only three-quarters of my pics or has screwed up eastern borders.
7.I need more glory moments. Went to Jolly Grubber with aunts today. I wanted debonairs. So asked the manager dude if I could bring my debonairs in. he said “No, read the sign mam” I say: “Well we’re all going to debonairs then”… empty threat. Went back to table. Told mum & aunts my story. They say “lets go somewhere else”. YEAH baby YEAH!!!
8.I need to get over my obsession and order something other than the Spanish Style Chicken Pizza from 2go.
9.I need to vent some anger. Has anyone been to wimpy recently and seen the FUNKY FRISBEE that they give when the kids order the POWER MEAL??? Its this soft, squashy, jelly-ish, egg-shaped (that’s a sunny side egg at that) thing with a flashy light in the middle. How on earth are you meant to throw that thing to someone else? Heloo… physics? Poor kids. Trash food. trash cartoons. trash toys. Grrrr…
10.I need to learn to cook some REAL food. My attempt at supper was Fish& Chips. I&J Fish. Hmm. It was tasty though. 
11.I need to make mud pie.
12.I need to get through my forward emails. I have 342 unread.
13.I need a life.
14.I need to sleep.
15.I need to post something more consequential and non-arb next time.

sharing

2007-04-11T13:39:00.000+02:00

so its half one in the afternoon and im still in pj's. having a totally lazy, wasted day. just had luch. kari-kitchi, aloo fry and pumpkin. i am still indian! woke at ten this morning, the latest i've woken up this holiday. had a beacon easter egg for breakfast. i love those things. anyone who says its not halaal should just go JUMP IN A HOLE. parents are becoming all strict on me for some reason. (ok, its coz i've been going out too much...hmm) im supposed to be on florida rd somewhere... they wont let me go out. they seem to think that i've become one of those hardcore socialites, slightly plastic even. always with the in-crowd, at the 'happening' places. they have no idea! not taz, not taz at all! ... little brother taught me to play soduko today. the concept is simple. but playing the game actually gets kind of complicated. thats a bit paradoxical. but yah... i couldnt get it right! ... started reading the mail & guardian. an attempt to become less 'blonde'! everyone seems to have an opinion on zim.
so now i've resorted to blogging. hmm. why do i even have a blog? i cant even write properly. english was my lowest mark in matric! (someone might wanna hit me for this).

i havent driven in a month. i think i'm developing a driving phobia. i got my license in december and havent driven manual since! i have women drivers syndrome! yeh. i'm not in denial anymore. i cant drive for jack! my younger brother drives me around! already bashed the car once. :O i need a chauffeur! or what about cars that drive themselves? surely our chinese tech freaks are capable of developing something of the sort. like that movie herbie... i want i want!

ok so now im bored... is flickr, ringo or facebook better? everyone seems to have different one's. photo sharing is a great idea though. u cant ever loose ur pics like that. my family went on this awesome holiday some years ago. took all our photos with a digicam. got home and uploaded them to the pc. the pc crashed! then two years ago was cousins wedding. they're slightly on the 'holy' side so a professional photographer would have been a bit dodgy. took all the pics with our cam. the cam got stolen! shwak. technology always seems to be up against my family. some months ago things were so bad that, to access a CD on the pc upstairs we had to put it in the pc downstairs and use the LAN connection. we still havent fixed the CD-rom!

this is such a mish-mash-arb post...
peace. im out.

heirlooms

2007-04-07T23:27:00.000+02:00

OMG. this is so unfair. Bangladesh so whipped our asses today! bloody lighties on the team! i am in mourning. i need chocolate & sleep asap! soo over this world cup now, blogging seems to interest me more! :(

so mum got me up at around nine this morning to do the annual 'clean up'. Yah, so she was getting all regimental on us. We teased her that after the two eids, this is her favourite day of the year. Mum is a neat freak of note! she gets this weird kind of satisfaction out of seeing everything in order. soo beyond my comprehension! we had to clean up the garage and the spare/gym/study room. Brothers and i complained the whole time, dad, who is a bigtime stasher and trash collector, kept going on about how we need to earn our place under in his roof, do a little something for the household... blaah. why dont they just tell us that we HAVE TO help. stop trying to motivate it! we're your kids. we're meant to listen to you!
so inbetween all the junk we found this whip leather bag thing. it bears the letters 'JR' on it and the buckles are all rusted and broken. Mum wanted to throw it away, duh, but we've decided to make it a family heirloom. i love all this ancient stuff! only the brother thought it would make a rad home for his mini-hukka. :O... so i gave in, let him have it... for now.

so i finally got down to watching that oh-so-talked-about movie, 300. bloody hell, they just kill. and kill. and kill. cant they give us a few moments to rest our eyes here and there? now im not a softy or anything. i loved Gladiotor. but this was just a bit too violent for my liking. however, that scene at the end, everyone dead, arrows everywhere, the camera zooming out... makes an awesome pic!

had camminettos after. yup, on a saturday night, safs. apparently its suicidal. so i phoned to check if our order was ready before we picked it up. shockingly, it was not only ready, the correct order and waiting for us but it had already started getting cold! why do we not have faith in camminetos service?.... hmmm

aTotallyRandomPost

2007-04-04T21:39:00.000+02:00

today is just one of those random days, i have nothing to say, but seeing that blogging has become my next favourite procrastination method after mxit, here i am. so mum made the bro and i go shopping today. dont you just hate it when you choose the wrong que! there's only two people infront of you... but it takes forever and three days to get to your turn. the guy infront of you runs out of cash and has to use his credit card, or the teller runs out of change and has to get the manager person to come and put more in, or the CRT tape runs out and someones gotta come and put a new one in, or the price on something is missing/wrong and then they have to ring a bell for someone on the floor to come locate the price (best thing to do here is volunteer to go find the price yourself, they take forever to find it otherwise!) or the teller is just horridly thick and messes up (ok, everyone makes mistakes now and then but why does it have to be you???). anyway, i think the fruit and veg place should have an express till thing, i only had three things! also their smoothie/juice/icecream/fruit salad bar thing is very strategically placed. you're forced to stand in the que for atleast 2mins. and whats looking directly at you? all this nice looking fruit! if i was a fan of smoothies or if the brother hadnt been waiting in the car for me, i would SOO have had some!!!

so while we were at home centre we bought four more budgies, now we got seven! have a bloody aviary in our lounge! like who does that??? unfriendly creatures. took me more than an hour to get the one back into the cage! grr... dont ever buy birds with unclipped wings. bad bad bad. but its the little guy's 8th birthday in the morning... so we had to get him something :)
i want a tortoise!!! ... parents dont love you when u pass the age of ten. i've been going on about a tortoise for the past few months. but no one listens! :(

back to the weekend. went to MSA braai @paradise valley on saturday. engineering people totally outnumbered by all the BA people! why's everyone doing arts? :O... braai ended up being quite fun, after i started running (actually it was more like snailpacing behind some arb indian family that were infront of us, the womenfolk were wearing heelS, what the hell?) through the bush like pochahantas. just scared more people off by letting out my inner beast... :) ok ok, just me being normal-crazy-talkingCrap. but now i managed to shatter the poor girls goody-decent image of me. damn! no more deception! had a 10min conversation about MXIT with random people i've never spoken to before. ended up quitting mxit for a whole 3 days that night! and i lived. think i'll make it a monthly thing. :)
went to another braai that night at aunts house. was soo bloody PIG OUT! told cousin about my blog. she wants to disown me! heehee. was speaking to aunt, we got to that oh-so-contentious topic of marriage. told her im marrying a chef-turned-surfer... she said she'd make dua that i find a nice decent boy that would fit into our family! yah right!

ooh... its holiday from friday! yay! but i bet it'll be one of those over-before-you-know-it one's. was jealous of the school kids the whole week! bloody mxit msg saying 'schools out' didnt make it any better!

happiness

2007-03-28T16:28:00.000+02:00

so i just read some kinda depressing blogs. shwak . u can be great friends the one day. and just stop talking the next. it doesnt make much sense. but anyway, thats life. deal with it.

so getting back to me and my world and my life. random thought processes today led me to stumble across something i had heard in a lecture some time last year. the formula for happiness. okay... coming from an engineering student that probably sounds a bit well... what... shame... i dunno. my brain is malfunctioning today.
nevermind

The Formula for hapiness:
Happiness = Reality / Expectations

(happiness equals reality divided by expectations)

so this is how it works... if u keep ur expectations low then reality will always exceed expectations. so url always be happy. so when i got home from campus today i wasnt expecting anything for lunch. then my gran made me toasted cheese. reality exceeded expectations. i had a good lunch.
i went to check my applied maths mark, i was expecting 60%. i got more than that. i was ecstatic.
u get my drift... how happy you are depends on your expecations.... so just keep them low! think about the vagabond guy on the beach. how does he manage to smile? or what about the guys that clean up the streets? the simple life. they dont expect much!

however, this theory like all others is flawed. if u have low expectations can u still aim high???

Milo

2007-03-28T16:00:00.000+02:00

i have developed an addiction to MILO!!!

vanilla ice-cream + 3 teaspoons of milo + half a glass of milk

that is some goooood shit!

:)

Yummy

2007-03-24T09:57:00.000+02:00

so this is a bit late... but the effort of bluetoothing the photo's from my phone to the pc is what caused the delay. apologies. :P

so that was tuesday evening. it totally rocked. i LOVE dessert! i made OREO dessert, it was the BEST, no doubt. I have a good few people to back me up on this. :) now i'm not taking the credit for it or anything. i got the recipe from someone else. but please do yourself a favour, TRY THIS AT HOME.

the what..

2 fresh creams (250 ml each)

2 boxes of Oreos

1 Nestle Caramel Treat (its a canned thing)

about one and a half tablespoons of cocoa
half a flake

the how..

beat the caramel treat, leave it aside. beat the fresh cream till its thick, but dont over-beat it. put the cocoa in. beat a little more. put the beaten caramel treat in. mix it all up. crush the oreos (break each one into plus-minus five pieces) then put them in. mix it all up. put in a serving bowl thing. put some flake on top to make it look nice. stick it in the fridge. overnight is good. the oreos need to get soft...

oh man, i sound like a regular indian muslim aunty! sharing recipes! what is happening to this world? (but nabila & nooreen asked for it... so now i've given it to them, right)

other desserts on the table: something with romany creams (2nd best), barone cake (always good).. it had polka dots on it. only the handiwork of R! :)... malva pudding. (the 1st time i tasted this... wow... it was good. but i've had too much of it now). Woolworths carrot cake (one of the guys brought this. lazy!)... some other cheesecake kinda thing.. no offence to the chef but im not a fan of cheesecake... and a selection of icecream. oh and choc eclairs.

ps. this recipe was origanally sourced from my friend, fatima. shot.

pps. nabila- dont make this too often, im afraid the novelty might die off

Tag

2007-03-21T18:05:00.000+02:00

so now we're playing games. i've been tagged, by r. dont know if thats a good or a bad , or what.

but here goes...
5 things you dont know about me:

1. i have middle child's syndrome, yes, i know. there's FOUR kids in the family. but i was the middle child for eleven years. got accustomed to it. and then the little one came along. he is 12 years younger than me! laat lammetjie. doesnt count. i am seriously the least loved in the family. :p. or maybe its got something to do with the fact that im the only girl... who knows

2. i am shy. yes, i still am the shy, timid, quite one. even if i do come across as rowdy, crazy and springlewendig (yes, thats afrikaans) now and then. under everything... im still shy. all my reports from primary school used to say something along the lines of... "she is a quite, concientious worker who needs to participate more in class discussions"... hmm. i had issues.

3. i wanted to be a boy. was grade five, oh boy i seriously wanted to be a boy. i was a tomboy. was angry at the world coz i thought i was stuck in the wrong body. the result of having only brothers, i guess. always thought my parents favoured their 'sons'! i never wore pink, dresses, skirts, makeup, jewellery... anything girly. i had a remote control boat. (i asked for it, my bros had cars, i thought it was unfair). guess some of that has changed. i've got used to the idea that im a girl. :). i wear pink!

4. when i was younger, i contemplated running away from home. yes. freaky. i had a note and all. was written in CRAYON and stuck on my bedroom door. thank god i got cold feet! dont remember my reasons... but i had a whole 'plan of action'. small bag, sleeping bag, food. wonder how long i would have lasted. there was also a brief, very brief moment of suicidality. but lets not go there. i dont exactly need counselling or anything! i was very, very young. definetly couldnt have been pms'ing!

5. i have a crush on....
ok im just kidding. but this is getting a bit hard now. number 5. i'm stuck.
....
i dont brush my hair!!! think i might brush it like once in three weeks... if i decide to blow-dry it or something. but other than that no, i just leave it. no brushing, combing, anything. luckily my hair doesnt get tangled and shit. so its cool. plus it gets covered by the scarf. :) on that note... i do brush my teeth. like five times a day. i'm a bit obsessive! thats the only problem i have with ramadaan and fasting. i cant brush my teeth! damnit.

yeh.. thats 5! :)

and i tag...

nabila

nasiha

shyt... who hasnt been tagged yet

ok... i cant find any1 else...

Scary SHTUFF

2007-03-19T19:14:00.000+02:00

didnt believe it... until i saw these

will someone please explain to me how this happened???

i thought we lived in durban so couldnt get hit by this stuff, arent there no tectonic plates on our coast? ... guess my grade nine geography teacher lied!

when someone told me last week about a local, respected moulana having a dream about a tidal wave hitting dbn i kinda just laughed it off... now im in shock.

and apparently the worst is still to come... later tonight. ouch to everyone who lives by the beach... maybe evacuation is in order!

i'll be waiting for the storm... while i study Applied Maths. writing tomorrow. grrr!

custard

2007-03-14T12:08:00.000+02:00

so my gran made ghawjoo (or maybe ghojoo or ghawju, i dont know how to transliterate) custard yesterday. now if you're not in my family you'd be totally clueless.

back in the day, when we were kids, some 13-14 years ago (yoh... im old) when the cousins came home every weekend. yes. the good old days! Gran used to make something special for us to eat on saturdays, her 6 grandkids, she adored us then. so the one day, she decided to be all inventive (who says you cant teach an old dog new tricks) and made custard with chocolate and bananas in it. now my cousin zi, takes one look at the 'custard' and starts crying. "mummy, custard ghawjoo che!" . i translate : Mummy, the custard is dirty. for some reason the kid used to spend a lot of time with his other gran and picked up on the ghujrathi very fast. he refused to eat the custard. the poor kid. :)

i love ghawjoo custard!

infected

2007-03-13T10:58:00.000+02:00

so i thought i was over this blog thing, havent posted in a little while. but now im seriously bored. was feeling sick this morning. i got swolen glands or something (in my neck), an infection, i really hope its not contagious... so anyway i didnt go to campus. missed a prac. and a test. :( got another test this afternoon. think i'll pitch for that. i need to study! im doing the PIS'ing thing again... damnit
but i got umm... 6 hours till i write :)... there's hope.
so this weekend started off with a pro20 match at kingsmead. dolphins vs cape cobras. we won! yay. by one run too! hehe
but the match was awesome. our yellow umbrellas and matching tshirts (the YLA ones, designed by umm, me & co), our spot on the grass (which we are now reserving for every match), the lack of people coming there just for the fashion show, the lovely rain, the atmosphere, the company, was totally cool. cant wait for september! pro20 world cup! i had a great time! thanks peeps. yeh, MJ we should have taken pic! damnit! oh oh... and we only paid ten bucks!!! i can still pass for a scholar... heehee

saturday, i watched Music & Lyrics, didnt think it was all that. y'd the guys like it & not the girls? interesting... decided that i really dont like salt and vinegar popcorn!
sunday i went to the beach (if i had any legislative power i would soo ban speedo's, especially especially on 50yr old white males with big beer bellies! eee!) , then i got sick and slept. maybe this is a way of paying for my sins...

my blog is now turning into a journal, but hey, i dont know what else to say, lacking inspiration i guess.

pics:

left: some of the guys doing a 'pile up' there's about 8 of them i think

right: our crew on friday night, there's people missing from the pic tho

peace. im out. (G) <- my fav mxit smiley

flowers...

2007-03-04T16:21:00.000+02:00

i like this song...

I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker

[Chorus]
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
In 77 and 69 revolution was in the air
I was born too late into a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

When the head of state didn't play guitar,
Not everybody drove a car,
When music really mattered and when radio was king,
When accountants didn't have control
And the media couldn't buy your soul
And computers were still scary and we didn't know everything

[Chorus]

When pop-stars still remained a myth
And ignorance could still be bliss
And when God Saved the Queen she turned a whiter shade of pale
When my mom and dad were in their teens
And anarchy was still a dream
And the only way to stay in touch was a letter in the mail

[Chorus]

When record shops were still on top
And vinyl was all that they stocked
And the super info highway was still drifting out in space
Kids were wearing hand me downs,
And playing games meant kick around
And footballers still had long hair and dirt across their face

[Chorus]

I was born too late to a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

hakuna matata

2007-03-04T09:06:00.000+02:00

Yawn yawn yawn...
so we finally did it... Movie marathon. well, it ended up being a night of chick flicks... but hey... it rocked. started at eleven thirty pm, indian time... hmm.... john tucker must die... the guy that plays his bro is so cute. :) She's the Man... ummm...
then we got to The Lion King... its tragic. i feel no emotion anymore. when mean uncle scar killed mufasa i was totally unmoved. simply carried on eating flings. safs, i think i also run on a mechanical pump thesedays, im heartless. :(
so we ate, talked crap and watched movies, i think there were three of us that lasted the whole night. i had a 25 hour day... no sleep whatsoever. its NOT a good idea!
so after the movie marathon my cousins pitch up form PMB, nice hot day, they wanna go to wet 'n wild. i feel compelled to join them. that ninety degree slide is totally overated (and its not ninety degrees, thats like jumping off a cliff, someone obviously never did physics, or maths for that matter.) YAAAWWWNNN. entertainment is kind of expensive. R70. and you're not allowed to bring your own food into the gates. but we're indian. managed to smuggle some coke and chips. but still. its expensive. you cant go out thesedays without spending atleast R80. think i'll stay at home more often. i do have too much of a social life for an engineering student anyway! now i'm not a hardcore socialite or anything. but i need to do some work. damnit.

so i survived 39 hours on the 2 hours sleep. then i slept for 12. so it comes to the same thing i guess. You're not meant to survive without sleep. i declined going to the beach with the family this morning. i'm in regret. :( they're all at the beach. i'm blogging. maybe i'll go later. get even more burnt. a1 grand prix plus the beach last weekend. sunblock doesnt work. i hope it rains next weekend. i dont want temptation coming in my way.

arb things i heard this weekend:
while we were watching lion king someone says "simba is hot for a lion".... ummm... ok ppl
on the lazy river at wet 'n wild some lil guy says "i lost my boat" heehee... its a tube dude
my 7-year old bro at w 'n w "the last time when we went to the beach we saw a jelly fish skeleton".... sweet... and i didnt bother trying to explain the diff between a skeleton and a carcus. i've resolved that i'm going to be a pathetic mum... if i ever get there that is!

oh oh... i forgot to say.. i did end up jumping off the pier, two weeks ago, sunday. lil bit over rated. was fun though.

See post: things i have to do before i die
and i also went to all my lectures this week. ok ok. so we skipped our physics tut. but hey, its a tut, not a lect and you dont have to sign for it. plus i did the work... well, most of it anyway :P
and oh yeh, i started learning to play thani, in science block... ahem ahem

pics:
left - tasy's popcorn machine... yeh its totally healthy. no oil. hence the salt doesnt stick! (saltless popcorn... i'll pass, thanks)

right - dipping our feet in the pool at sunrise after movie marathon... the rest of the crew was either sleeping or being photo phobic again.... geez ppl... its just feet

Happy Autumn!

2007-03-01T22:34:00.000+02:00

why do people only wish u for spring?
what about all the other seasons?
i like autumn.
:)

P.I.S.

2007-02-24T08:52:00.000+02:00

Dont you have something better to do with your time? You shouldnt really be reading my blog. There's work to do, sleep to catch up on, chores ... you should learn to prioritise. you get my point. You're currently involved in a highly futile exercise!

So u're asking. What's P.I.S? or maybe you arent? u really dont give a banana peel about it. but Let me explain anyway. its a disorder that most of us have. the Priority Inversion Syndrome. its when you do everything BUT what you should be doing. no, its not medically proven, but maybe in my next life when i do psyche or something medical i'll prove it and write a paper on it. ok ok... i'm kidding. there's no next life here. just the aakhira. but if anyone wants to research it for me. then do go ahead. i might patent it though. :)

so yah, the Priority Inversion Syndrome is a condition that many, most, maybe all of us are suffering from, one of its symptoms is procrastination (a term to which i strongly object), there is no cure for it, its probably genetic, but can definetly be aquired. people have tried both homeopathic and conventional therapy. Ever went to a workshop/ course on time management? well, that was someone attempting to cure you. and if my own experiences are anything to go by, it didnt help!

so face up to it... you're not performing at your optimum, you're plagued by this disease called P.I.S. you have a problem. but do not despair. we're all in it together. be strong.

so what should i be doing at this moment? definetely not blogging. i should have had a shower, breakfast and started reading University Physics by now (or maybe i should clean my room, we're getting visitors tonight. braai. yay yay yay - i love braais )... but no! my priorities are all messed up. i'm PIS'ing! damnit!

cupid does it again !!!

2007-02-14T16:10:00.000+02:00

Why???

I attempted to amuse myself today by counting the number of people who wore red to campus. its incredible. got to thirty-four in science block... then took a walk through the rest of campus. gave up counting at around sixty

i'd give best dressed awards to the following... pity i couldnt get pics... but err... im not exactly paparazzi.

Girl - black and red 3/4 polka dot dress with red belt and red rose pinned at the top. and red headband, and high heels... hmmm.... she had time

Guy - red kurti top, formal black pants and formal shoes... gosh... its campus not a bloody wedding! oh and he also had those BIG sunglasses on :P

Thanks for trying the rest of you, but unfortunately there arent any consolation prizes :)

for bazzle

2007-02-11T16:08:00.000+02:00

a cloak, three scarves, a pair of pink socks, two south african flags, a malaysian flag, a sling shot (think it belongs to my seven year-old brother), my zen charger (ipod kinda thing), nokia charger (i have a samsung), my id, an english pocket dictionary (the one i was supposed to start reading. note. it does NOT fit in my pocket), sunblock-stained wallet (reminds me, i should buy a new one), money (the little bit i have left… 12 weeks of holiday has really run me dry), a bangle thing, a half-made scoobie (not mine), a comb, some stray hairs (i think im going bald), a lecture time table (shyt… campus starts in like 16 hours), a pencil case, a nearly-empty liquorice allsorts packet (all that’s left are the round coconut things… who eats that stuff. they should really just be replaced by more jubes!), a nail clipper, another bangle thing, a heart-shaped-furry blue cushion (prezzie from nabs :P ), a clipboard (still bearing all our records from the wamy stall at the souk! hmm), a calculator, a stapler bearing the words “the mighty staple” (like who names a stapler?), the tonight section of the daily news form about two weeks ago, my UKZN student card, my matric physics text book (don’t ask), my empty zen box (been around since august), a price tag, another price tag, hangers, a book titled “islam and science” (i read the first two pages), the engineering faculty handbook, a pair of jeans, two tshirts (both worn on friday), some university correspondence, a cotton reel (my attempt to patch up a pair of jeans), instructions for setting up ITV (where did that come from?), my cricket ticket (from wednesday), two empty glasses (i drink a fair amount of water), an empty dessert bowl (was used to eat my version of marie biscuit fridge cake topped with vanilla ice cream – good stuff), a mug-now-turned pencil holder, two rulers…

so last night i took a few moments to observe my surroundings before i went to sleep. my room’s quite a mess… i mean it usually is… but i think it’s gotten a lot worse of late. mum’s always going on about the ‘pig sty’ we live in... maybe she’s right (don’t tell her i said that). she used to have this rule… that we weren’t allowed to go out unless our rooms were tidy… it never worked. hmm. i really would put things in their places… but not everything has a place! i’m not altogether an untidy person. i have fairly neat handwriting, my notes are usually neat… and i don’t go around dressed like a disheveled hobo (well, not often anyway)… but for some reason. my room just doesn’t stay neat!

so i awoke at seven this morning, a little flustered… jumped out of bed (well… not really)… brushed my teeth, washed my face. started cleaning… folded the three scarves. put the cloak back in the cupboard. went back to sleep. got up three hours later. where’s the hope? the motivation?
i console myself… its organized chaos… and my bro’s room is worse than mine... well i like to think so anyway :p

think i’ll re-attempt my clean up tonight, when i’m getting all depressed and miserable about campus starting tomorrow. should suit my solemn mood just fine…. the day before campus is sooo much worse than school! and who would have thought!

p.s. that's a pic of my room/desk at seven this morning

p.p.s. nabila – i hope i met your deadline :p

p.p.p.s. <-- can u have that??? this is the second time im typing this thing out! damn technology!

the beatles

2007-02-10T22:16:00.000+02:00

its raining its pouring
the old man is snoring
he went to bed
he bumped his head
and he couldn't get up in the morning

so i'm sitting at home. its 10.10pm. its raining and lightening and thundering. the storm seems to have calmed down a little bit. but i was really freaked out just now. really loud thunder. and the lights trip (not Eskom's fault, surprisingly). now i dont usually get freaked out by this stuff. but the whole house was dark. and eveyone else is either sleeping or not at home. i go downstairs and there's a decently sized puddle on the floor. then the door bangs! oooh!

reminds me of a song...

Bang, bang,
Maxwell's silver hammer
Came down upon her head
Bang, bang,
Maxwell's silver hammer
Made sure that she was dead

Bang, bang,
Maxwell's silver hammer
Came down upon her head
Do do do do do
Bang, bang,
Maxwell's silver hammer
Made sure that she was dead

ok ok, no one is trying to kill me (well, i hope not)... but those words are now stuck in my head!

142 to win...

2007-02-08T23:58:00.000+02:00

Predictions by a few non-bloggers: 2010... its the final. Ronaldhinio is lining up to take the deciding penalty... the crowd's cheering is defeaning... The LIGHTS GO OUT!

My prediction: Having learnt their lesson, Eskom purposely puts out all the lights in JHB (is that where the final supposed to be?) so that the Soccer stadium is guaranteed of having uninterrupted electricity! Ronaldhinio cant see in the dark... to hell with the rest of you poor folks trying to watch the match on ur tellys!!!

So besides the 12 minute blackout which was a little exciting for about the first 2 mins... yesterday's cricket match was somewhat boring. After lights out we completely gave up the idea of initiating a wave (again)... the cricket thesedays is sooo losing spirit. There was only ONE mexican wave the entire match! ... even if it did go around seven times.

I still remember, back in the day when the drunk indian bullie, clad in his south african flag (and all) used to take the field and entertain the crowds. This time the entertainment during the break consisted of some 'ball-throwing/catching' excercises. Why were all the participants from either clifton or chatsworth???.... i sense some foul play. oh, and why were there no girls? (just an observation - im not big into feminism or anything :P )

So i sat on our little spot on the grass from 2pm till 10.30pm (didnt leave even once! i refuse to do the WALKAROUND)...
its unfathomable (is that a word??) that we had to go home after 40 overs just because we got beaten sooo badly by Pakistan! i'm still in shock! it might as well have rained! or err... maybe not... my green nose and blue cheeks would have started running (dissolving/smudging/ whatever you call it) - the handiwork of one of my fellow bloggers, r!

So that was the cricket. and now i got my very own SA Flag! YAY! ... stole it from some little girlie - she didn't look the patrioitic type - my not-so-active conscience is clear :)

Whoo-pa-dee-doo-daa

2007-02-06T17:32:00.000+02:00

i find it quite fascinating what the 'information age' has done to us. We seem to be lacking that 'personal touch' in our interactions. (blaaah.....)
We cant even laugh properly anymore...
some time ago, when mxit (the godforsaken cellphone application that has turned us all into highly proficient procrastinators. damn it!) was just coming into the market, i think. someone said or should i say 'texted' the following accronym to me LMAO. So taz, the brightspark thought the 'someone' that i was talking to was calling me a "LAME OU" ... u're probably laughing your head off right now (or should i say ROFL) but thats really what it sounded like to me.
i mean people do have hideous laughs ... but who on this freaking earth sounds like that? ... laamaaoo!

The 'hipppest' ways to laugh:
LMAO - laugh my ass off
ROFL - Roll on the floor laughing
ROFLMSAO - Roll on floor laughing my sexy ass off
LOL - Laugh out loud (or is it lots of laughter?) ... people seem to use this one quite often.

someone: What u up2?
taz: i'm going to the beach.
someone: lol

God help, but did i miss the punch line??? :O <-- confused Mxit face

and more...
PIMPL - Piss in my pants laughing
SAT - Smile at that .... i like this one, think i'll start using it :)
LMFAO, LOKL, ROFLMFAO.... go figure

no offence to the hardcore mxiters... but i prefer the conventional - old-school stuff
heehee - immature girly laugh i.e. nabs laughing (thats AQ's two cents, by the way)
hehe - what kind of laugh is this?
hahahahahaha - regular laughter
hahahahahag - laughing-so-much-i-end-up-choking
muhahahaha - the evil laugh ... nadia is famous for this one!

now stop laughing at me!!! :P

savourer!

2007-02-03T10:12:00.000+02:00

SO i was watching Over the Hedge in the early hours of this morning (vodacom GPRS was down, i was bored). I'm not a fan of animations although i did enjoy Shrek/Madagascar & Finding Nemo. So anyway... the movie was quite sweet.. had a few laughs here and there... some incredibly corny jokes! SO whats that oh so cliche'd line... we live to eat or eat to live??
Well according to the 'animals', us humans live to eat.
Its scary!
Ever been to a social gathering where there wasnt any food? We do popcorn at the movies, ice cream at tharaweeh, as for weddings there's no need to elaborate. So bottom line, life revolves prettymuch around food. FOOD FOOD FOOD!
Take Eid day, you meeting up with a whole lota cousins, aunties, uncles who you havent seen in ages. You dont have that much to talk to them about. Your interests differ (totally). The only cousin your age is this aalima chik- already married, at 19.. then there's you... umm.. actually did matric.. now at university (its beyond them that your parents allowed this, they should have found you a nice haro poyro by now)... you're like really immature, naive (in comparison)... you get excited once a month when you cook something... you're still going on about how you're not going to get married! you make scoobies with your 7 year-old brother...
so you don't wanna go on mXit... it's a bit anti-social, rude and you don't want mum giving you a talking to. so what do you do...
contingency plan..
You talk about what each of you had for Eid breakfast (Chicken, Kebaabs and badaam-milk.. every year... hmm)... atleast you're having a conversation...
"Who made the sojee?"
"Must be Barikala, she always makes good sojee." (i Love sojee, i even learnt to make it! yum!)
You should listen to the aunties... wow... FOOD FOOD FOOD... oh wait, i lie... there's often a breakaway to talk about magimixes (food-processor thing), washing machines and toasters (ahem!)

And still... i do LOVe Food :)

chickenetto pizza from camminettos (worth the wait!), Manjra's halwa, SOJEE, braai stuff, Brownies (from 45th Cutting woolworths-engen), Magnum death by chocolate, muesli (de-raisined) + Albran + chocolate pronutro + brown sugar = the PERFECT breakfast, butter chicken, mangoes, burfee, suter finnie (stuff that looks like old lady's hair), bar-one cake (nestle! damn), chocha mocha milkshake from milkylane, mozart symphony + cappucinno on sugar cone, the Patel's malva pudding, that oreo dessert thing (compliments to the chef, Fats), hot chocolate from the nescafe machine (or the Belgian hot choc from 2go - back in the day- before they started using beacon chocolate!), calamari rings from Ocean basket, the 'jubes' from the liquorice allsorts.... and i could go on... :) :) :)

ps. savourer = enjoy in French

spelling

2007-02-02T17:49:00.000+02:00

So I was on mXIT the other night… found myself trying to spell the word ‘thorough’. Really couldn’t figure it out (you can't use the dictionary on a samsung while on mXIT). It’s scary to think I’ve got this far… and I still can’t spell!
I was convinced at some point that I was suffering from dyslexia. I battled to spell “beauty” in trials!
Throughout school our teachers taught their age-old (ya right!) heuristics to make the daunting task of spelling easier.

In Junior primary this is how we spelt “eight” – a fatty – and a thinny – and a g, h, t

“because” was – Betty Eats Carrots and Uncle Sells Eggs – I must admit, I used this little trick up until not so long ago :)

And then it got a bit more complicated – ever been confused with your i’s and e’s. Here’s the rule: “i” before “e” except after “c”. I still use this one… receive or recieve???

Afrikaans…never mastered this one. How do you spell adress??? This is what mevrou preached “jy dra een rok en twee skoene” (you wear one dress and two shoes) so that makes it one “r” and two “s”… but what about the “d”???

I do give up!!!

pG

2007-02-02T10:29:00.000+02:00

people doing
people seeing
people singing
people sinning
people fearing
people feeling
people listening
people learning
people loving
people leading
people following
people smiling
people dreaming
people thinking
people praying
People Living.
God watching.

Things I have to do before I die…

2007-02-01T14:01:00.000+02:00

So I was telling some of you of how I was going to buy a book and write down all the things that I want to do before I die. Well, the book never got bought. Yeh, me being slack again! So here’s the start of the list… will need some updating

1. Bungee jump – was too young the last time
2. Scuba Dive – January 2003 – Hurghada – the Red sea... awesome!!!
3. Jet Ski
4. Jump of the pier – noor , there’s external forces acting against us on this one
5. Make a wave at the cricket – 22 November 2006 – we rock nabs!
6. Go out in PJ’s – 9 January 2007 – Pavilion & Musgrave - Safs, Nabs… I owe url!
7. get married…. Believe it or not!
8. Step foot on each continent - well maybe not antartica - 2 down... how many 2 go?
9. Cook a meal of biryani and halwa! yummy
10. Cut a sheep on bakri eid... I'm deprived
11. Go on a road trip... damn if i wasn't a girl
12. Snowboarding
13. Do a full week of lectures - no bunking!
14. make a million (minus the inflation)
15. Get a degree!
16. go on a cruise
17. Have a makeover - August 2006 - Rae, Noor.. thanks for bullying me into it, now i don't ever have to do it again :)
18. Perform Hajj
19. smoke a cigarette... so i am a goody-2-shoes
20. go for a rugby game... even if i don't understand the sport
21. learn to play chess... I'm deprived... yet again
22. read the dictionary - cover-to-cover... my vocab is horrid
23. quit mXIT forever - not any time soon... no stress
24. learn to play THANI... don't believe I've been at westville campus for a whole year AND I'M STILL CLUELESS
25. do a movie marathon...
26. did my bit for the world - habitat 4 humanity - december 2003
27. teach someone to read
28. I made a blog. LOL. - January 2007
29. Climbed table mountain... (i'm sooo unfit!) - April 2006
30. Swim the midmar mile... shyt... i should start training
31. donate blood... its quite unfortunate... i'm only 3kg away from the minumum weight and they won't let me donate! (im reallynot anorexic or anything... min is 50kg)
31. ummm....

the beginning...

2007-01-31T11:55:00.000+02:00

so i now have my own blog! yay.
so i really dont know why im doing this... but i recently discovered that people do actually have blogs! its not just some stupid thing we read about in IST . so to all my pals from the techno-dark-ages... a blog is "a public web site where users post informal journals of their thoughts, comments, and philosophies, updated frequently and normally reflecting the views of the blog's creator" (courtesy of google define)
my blog: an online journal/scrapbook for me to write down all the junk i usually share with url via mxit/sms/mms. (i can just imagine rae thinking... NOT AGAIN)
Don't know how long i'll be able to keep this blog thing up, but i'd like to look back at it one day when im old and grey (eee!)...
so lets just see how it goes :)
oh oh by the way... the addy www.tazgivesup.blogspot.com... just couldnt find something that wasn't already taken... dont look too deep... ok :)