Hands Together Now, and Pray.

I can't bring myself to blog about the acceptably fine weather in London, meeting Robert Pattinson, the joy I feel every time I find myself lost in the streets / tubes of London when MY FRIENDS OVER IN EGYPT ARE STILL IN EGYPT.

For the people who are uninformed about the situation in Egypt. Then... Shame on you.

Last Friday, when I left my house in Alexandria, Egypt for Cairo, I didn't inform what's left of my housemates (2 of them, another is in Malaysia) that I was leaving, coz all of us had a late night, and I didn't want to have to wake them up. I figured that they know where I'm headed, so all will be okay.

However, later on whilst I was on the train to Cairo, I wanted to let them know, only to find out that there was no reception. I thought it was because I was in the train and, oh, I don't know... The place that we were going through wasn't populated or something. But oh boy oh boy, was I wrong.

It turns out that Egypt's government had shut down phone lines COMPLETELY. And to make it more interesting and 'intriguing', they decided to shut down the INTERNET as well. So, in other words, there exists no method of communication in Egypt, unless you've been secretly training a pigeon to play postman.

Luckily enough, I was able to call my housemate the next day and was informed that both of them had personally evacuated themselves to the MARA building in Alexandria. BIG FAT SIGH OF RELIEF ON MY PART. Coz only God knows the amount of frightening situations they were in that I've imagined in my mind. 

Alhamdulillah.

My parents are against me going back to Egypt. I never wanted to. Revolution, or not, honestly. EHEH. So most probably, I'll be staying here in England for a while longer, before hopping on a flight home to Malaysia. 

And I can only pray that my friends over in Egypt would be able to do the same. Coz at the moment, I'm entirely baffled by the time it takes for our government to make the decision to bring Malaysians home. I mean, HONESTLY, and pardon my language: What the FUCK is there to even think about??

Buildings are being burnt to the ground (The airport in Alexandria is just a pile of ashes now, and how long before they burn Cairo's), students' homes are broken into, ATM machines don't effing work, phone line's down, internet's down (I can't imagine the state of parents who are having problems to reach their children there), PRISONERS RUN FREE:

(Source: Hanis Zalikha's Twitter)

DUDEEEE 700 PRISONERS ARE ROAMING FREE AMONGST THE PEOPLE. DO WE EVEN KNOW WHAT THESE PEOPLE ARE CAPABLE OF? It doesn't even matter, coz as of now a whole country is behaving like criminals. So having these people 'released' into public makes very little difference to the already critical situation that Malaysians face there.

:'-(

I can only pray that my friends are okay amidst all this. I mean, I support the Egyptian wanting to break free from a clearly dictatorial government, but not up to the point that it potentiates this much harm to the people I care for very much.

I, of course, along with everyone else, wishes for everyone to be safe. But I can't help but be a little biased. So help me God, save these friends of mine, coz they mean so much to me and have been playing sunshine to what would've been my cloudy days in Egypt. I also hope You provide protection from any harm, the people I have known and love oh-so-dearly for about 6 years: Hasif, and especially especially Wina, coz I can't seem to get a hold of her.

**Update: I hear the Malaysian government is working to evacuate Malaysians to Egypt's neighboring country. Alhamdulillah.

Though I'm still sightly pissed that they can't just send a chartered flight and ship the students home. I'm sure that is what everyone prefers.

But this is good enough. At the very least, they would be away from all the mess.


***Update 2: Turns out the airport in Alexandria is fine and dandy. Not burned down. But might as well be coz there ain't any flights coming in or out of there ATM.

England Bound.

Well, hello you guys. I am once again, in less than 3 months (might I add); in London. And my love ain't depleting y'all. If anything, I fall more and more in love with this place with every visit.

But then again, I have a feeling that I'll like it less if I were to live here. Coz to be completely honest; the weather is frustratingly unpredictable. And, I like how with every visit, I discover something new. So almost everything is an exciting new experience. But... then again... I guess I'll never really know unless I've actually lived here.

Okay, so I arrived on Friday, 8 pm local time. And heckkk it was not a smooth and easy-going journey. No it wasn't.

Let me starttt from the time that I finish my exams. Yes, I would very much like to refrain from writing about my exams because... I sucked. And because there is far superior explanation behind my sucky-ness other than "I didn't study", and "I slept like nobody's business when everyone else was busy staying up late". Its just that I don't like announcing something before every thing's in place and confirmed. Because yeahhh I kinda believe in jinxes. Sorreh.

Okay so after my papers, my housemates and I headed to the train station to send out one fellow housemate, to Cairo. So that she'd get to catch her flight the next morning. Afterwards, the three of us headed to (Surprise!); no other than Green Plaza to catch a movie + have dinner. Coz we were so blooooddyyy hungry, not even kidding. 

The original plan was to watch 'Tangled'. Had that up in my immensely long list of 'Upcoming Movies to Watch' like... ages ago. BUTTTT yeah. It just HAD to stop screening already lah kan.

So the only other movie that we had any desire to watch was Tron. Oh yeahhhh. Okay I know ! Like, sooo behind already lah. LOL. But who caressss man. I no longer feel the need to prove my cool-ness by admitting that I watched the movie on its premiere date, and snicker at someone when they caught the movie a little later than I did.

Oh puh-leaaaseee. We've all done it. Theres no need to be ashamed. Now wipe that I-am-appalled look on your faces. :-)

The movie ended around midnight, and I hadn't even began packing. AT ALL. So basically I stayed up till three because of it. And though this should've been something so easy for me to do (coz I like to stay awake during the night, and sleep after Subuh till about 9 am. I'm an owl like that yo. BUT that night, all I wanted was to just lie face down on muh mattress and fall into a deep sleep slash comatose state.

The next morning I woke up at 7.40, and (I'm not proud of this actually) that I started my day by chanting "Sh*t" and "F*ck this" all the way from my bed, throughout my shower, all the whilst I was packing some last minute stuff... Up until I realize that I had a pretty hefty amount of time to waste.

Proceeded with heading to Hasni's home, coz thats where I'll be headed to the bus 'terminal' from. Andddd ended up cursing halfway through her house as well, coz the cab dropped me off, like, a gajillion metres away. I mean... DUDE. So uncool man. Thank god my luggage runs on four wheels, or else Imma smack you yo.

I'm going to skip the excruciating details of my breakfast, and head on to the devastating frustrating news that we received after we waited for approximately half an hour for our bus, at the dump, oh wait, at the bus 'terminal'; Our bus was canceled.

At first we didn't believe it coz some guy said that the bus hadn't arrived, even though some other guy said that the bus ain't coming. 

But then another another guy explained to us that there isn't going to be any buses or taxis that'll be going into Cairo. I don't know whether if it wasn't allowed, or if its because they didn't want to take the risk of getting involved in the middle of the riot that's been taking place very recently in Egypt.

I think I woke up on the shitty side of the bed that morning, coz Sh*t was undeniably the most overused word of said day. 

Without any second thoughts, my friend and I jumped onto a cab and headed straight to the train station since it was the ONLY mode of transportation going into Cairo available at the time. Unless we decided to hire a car for about 400-500 egyptian pounds.

Unfortunately, the earliest train ticket that I was able to obtain was scheduled to arrive at 12:11 pm. And the journey takes about 3 hours. And our flight was at 5 pm. Even if we made it to Cairo at 3, we'd have only 2 hours left to spare. Which, logically is a pretty sufficient amount of time to make it to the airport, check-in, and get our asses on board a plane. But heckkk thinking about it again, Cairo's traffic is THE WORST I have ever encountered, and what with the riot being held, who the hell knows what to predict.

Luckily enough, a good samaritan (although I doubt he was trying to be) told us that the train that had just arrived at the station was bounded for Cairo. So of course lah the first thing that crossed our minds was: "We need to get on that train... NO MATTER effing WHAT wey." Missing our flight was NOT an option. Most definitely.

So what I initiated, and what my friend followed after was to beg shamelessly to the train conductors to let us on board despite it not being the train we had tickets for. It was embarrassing. But absolutely necessary. And most importantly: It worked. We even got to sit for the whole journey. LOL. Coz earlier when they agreed to let us on, they said we had to stand up the whole way. And even though we agreed to it (desperation gets you to agree to almost anything, apparently), I don't think it was possible for us to stand for the next three hours. 

Alhamdulillah. We were very thankful for the considerably 'good' luck that we had.

Reached Cairo around noon, and headed outside the train station to hail a cab. The train station in Cairo was under construction at the time, so when my friend and I first felt something prickling our eyes, noses and throats, we were quick to assume that that was caused by all the dust / dirt everywhere.

We were proven to be EKKKKK; Bloody WRONGGG. Coz halfway to the cab-hailing-centre, that initially painless prickling sensation, turned, well: PAINFUL. People started signaling for everyone to head back into the station, coz (according to the noise) the RIOT had already began. And what we mistook for dust, was actually tear gas.

I honestly feared that I was going to collapsed coz I couldn't breathe properly at the time, and my throat felt like I threw a lighted match into into my mouth. But Alhamdulillah, yet again, that both of us managed to escape everything, got out the station from the other side, got a cab (though expensive, we simply didn't have 'argue' as an option, coz for all we know, there might not be another cab. PLUS the riot could only be getting worse), and headed straight towards the airport.

Thank you God, for guiding us safely throughout everything. We almost literally kissed the airport grounds once we reached there, coz, we made it even though the universe obviously wasn't on our side that day. :-)

Alhamdulillah, for we reached London in as perfect in condition as the time we left for it.

Dear Diary.

Okay, so, I've began writing a diary. Part of it is because I SERIOUSLY need to start using the notebooks I buy. I'm addicted. I can spend about forever looking at pretty notebooks / planners / organizers / diaries, etc. Anddd the other part of it is because I've forgotten how beneficial it is. Just as long as it doesn't fall into hands other than yours, that is.

I used to write diaries in the past. When I first began to, the thing I did most was bash on my sister Lisa. Coz she kept reading it. And she had the nerves to get angry at me coz I bashed her in my diary. IN MY DIARY. Dude. So uncool. But I love you now, so. Haha. 

Well, for one, I like the idea of being able to read back on the days you've had. Even better when you write about your day in excruciating detail. And by detail I mean, up to the point of reminding yourself that your armpits smelled funkaaayyyy that one day. Okay y'all. We've all had bad armpit days kay?

Sure, a blog is almost like a diary. With the exception of a thing called P-R-I-V-A-C-Y. LOL. I know I'm allowed to write whatever the hell I want on my blog. And I do. But, out of courtesy for the people reading (I know you are, you sly dawg you), there exists an invisible line of restrictions. Okay, honestly, I don't understand what that phrase I just wrote even means anymore. Hah. So what I'm trying to say is, although you are permitted to write whatever you please on your blogs, you can't help but feel restricted sometimes.

I mean, I wouldn't want people to think badly of me if I was too expressive. So I try to keep myself in check. 

NOT that I'm putting on a mask and writing lies here to make people like me lah. Theres a difference between telling a lie, and just simply not exposing the truth. Mmmkay?

On another note, my last few posts make me seem like I'm beating around a bush. And I am. Some may have figured it out, but some... well, you're better off not knowing what kind of bush it is that I'm hitting at. Coz I'll be revealing it once everything is in order. Its something big, of course. FOR ME. 

Sorry lah for sometimes thinking that I'm sooo bloody important that everyone should care. Give me a chance. LOL.

Other things, though offers to be of no significance whatsoever to your life, I'm going to share anyways:

(1) Watched Scott Pilgrim VS The World again today. So ridiculous + Michael Cera = Win / Win situation for me.

(2) Am I the only one who thinks The Clash at Demonhead's cover of Metric's 'Black Sheep' is better than the original?

(3) Strange urge to watch 'Where The Wild Things Are'. Anyone has a copy?

(4) Pissed off at people who seeks every possible opportunity to point a finger on Islam. ATM I'm talking about the Egyptians protesting to end the 30 year old reign of Hosni Mubarak.

(5) Kuku of jari telunjuk tangan kiri is sooo friggin' ugly right now thanks to the guitar. Still trying to perfect Scott Porter & The Glory Dogs's 'Pretend'.

(6) Which reminds me that I watched 'The Good Guy' the other day. Starring Scott Porter.

(7) Watching THAT makes me wanna watch 'The Bachelor'. WTH is up with me and movies??

(8) Wondering WHEN ON EARTH 'Beastly' is going to be released in theatres.

(9) Imagining Justin Bieber holding up his middle finger to his male haters (well, I assume they're all male.) in Malaysia coz his RM400++ tickets are sold out. I'm betting that most girls up front will be the ones who hadn't even hit puberty yet, and made their moms buy the tickets for them. I'm not a JB hater, GOD no. But I assume that teenagers aren't crazy enough to spend that much money for concert tickets. Because SERIOUSLY. RM400++ What the efff.

(10) Contemplating on ordering the whole set of Scott Pilgrim's graphic novels off Amazon.

(11) Thinking whether I'll still have my dignity as someone who promised not to ask my parents for anything else if I ask my dad whether I could charge an Olympus Pen E-PL2 on my credit card. I mean, it defeats all purpose of saying that I won't ask for anything anymore. -____-"

(12) Thinking, then again, I am too desperate, plus am already shameless, so I'm going to ask Ayah anyways. EHEH.

(13) I wanna play Final Fantasy yo. Am not kidding. Especially pissed off coz I already played the one with Squall Leonhart up to the point where I have to beat like, The Boss of Bosses. But then when I wanted to continue where I left off, I found out that my brother AKMAL had deleted it off the memory card. I SERIOUSLY WANTED TO MURDER HIM. And if I had that bigass sword thingy that Squall has, I would've. No doubt. I mean HUWEIII siapa tak sedih wehhhh. 

(14) Oh before I forget, SKIN CONDITION RIGHT NOW IS THE WORSE EVARHHH. Not exaggerating. Nope. Not even a little bit. I mean, WHYYYYYYYY??? What could've possibly caused this? I don't think its because I don't use facial wash. Coz honestly, I hardly ever. 

(15) Realizing only NOW how ridiculous the idea of going to Disneyland in the winter. I mean. Are the rides even open during this time of year??? Okay, let me rephrase that. Are any of the awesome outdoor rides even open during this time of year???? I mean. Obviously the ones involving water will be out of the question. URGHH. JUST PLEASE have some gooooddd smokin' hot churros around. Oh yums. Coz churros available at Malaysia are crappp. I WANT CHURROS CHURROS CHURROS!

(16) Slightly ashamed that someone of my physique is thinking so much about food. Hahhh I do not careee. Food FTW. LOL.

I can honestly write more of these, but I think its wiser to stop. Well, later! 

P/S: Whose reading my blog from the US? Coz my traffic (even as little as it is) mainly comes from Malaysia, followed by the US. Just curious coz I don't really have friends over there. 

Younha - Peace, Love & Ice Cream.

Have no idea how I discovered this song months ago, but I'm going to sleep with it on tonight. Finals tomorrow! YIKES. 


Not that it'll matter in my coming future.

Thoughts.

I have absolutely NO idea how to break the news to them.

Them only. 

The others? Oh well. It wouldn't matter as much.

And by the time I leave, I guess word will spread by itself.

Stacks.

Homemade pancakes for breakfast:

Smothered in maple syrup.

Oh yes. I am one jolly jolly fat kid.

*smiles*




After 5 minutes:
Okay, I'm gonna go ahead and pat myself on the back, coz... DUDE. This is probably the fluffiest batch of pancakes that I've made.


In the forever adorable words of Agnes:
ITS SO FLUFFY I'M GONNA DIEEE!!!

This Is What Happens When You're Sleep Deprived.

Books are the plane, and the train, and the road.

They are the destination, and the journey.

They are home.

- Anna Quindlen.

I miss reading. So much, that I've stored all the books I have (textbooks not included) into a box, so that I wouldn't feel the need to reach over and READ.

It so happened that a few days ago, I got mega-bored with studying. Okay, so it was less than an hour, so maybe I was just peri-bored. Errr... No idea what that means, but I'm gonna go with... blogging at 0430 hours in the morning makes your head and thoughts a little groggy, if not entirely fogged out.

So what I planned was to innocently go through a few pages of Charles Dickens's 'Tale of Two Cities'. What I ended up doing was totally immersing myself in it for the next two hours. Though two hours only got me through a few pages, coz thats just how it is with classics. I need to read a line more than once to fully grasp the meaning of it all.

I love when that happens though. The moment you open a book, and you read the words, you unconsciously get sucked into this whole other dimension, where its only you, the contents of the book and... oh, whatever your head is rested against. Teehee.

I can't wait till I'm done with exams, so that I can comfortably snuggle with a good book, and SHUT MYSELF AWAY FROM THE REAL WORLD.

To love to read is to exchange hours of ennui for hours of delight.

Oh and how I NEED to exchange all of this ennui for delight. In case you didn't already know: Ennui means, something like, a lack of excitement / dissatisfaction. And where did I learn this word from: Gilmore Girls. HAHA. The show's not just witty, and funny, and has JESS MARIANO in it, it is also proven to have broaden my vocabulary thus, can be deemed as; educational.

Amazing, isn't it?

Exactly why I cringe upon seeing the download bar to Season 2. -_____-" 

See how I want from books to Gilmore Girls? Which comes to this: HAVE you even watched Gilmore Girls? I mean, you totally should. Aside from this:

Jess Mariano drenched by water from water sprinklers...

the show is also witty, funny, filled with epic wordplay, fast-paced, educational, with a lot of literary and theater references, and... all of which I had mentioned before. -____-"

Okay I obviously just need sleep. And this post is a result of fatigue with a hint of crankiness. JUST AN HOUR TO GO BEFORE SUBUH PRAYERS AND BEFORE I BURY MYSELF IN MY COMFORTER AND NOT COME OUT UNTIL ITS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.

Just so you know, the closer it gets to exams (since I came here), the more nonchalant I become. Yes, that, in other words mean that: While others are pulling their hairs out from frustration and stress, I sleep. And sing along (badly) to Amy Winehouse and Cee Lo Green. And doodle. And eat Maggi Goreng coz I'm out of snacks. And because I dislike having Maggi laying around, so thats what I do; I try to finish my supply as fast as I possibly can, so its not just lying around. I hate Maggi BTW coz I believe it slowly rots your brain. And drink tea. All FOUR of them. Namely: Herbal, Green, Earl Grey and Wild Berry tea. And dance like nobody's watching, coz NOBODY is, since everyone in my house is either at the library or sitting still, studying. And attempt to do cartwheels, thus leaving me with the inability to flex my wrist. And proceed with practicing the most ridiculous yoga poses, when I  should really begin with easy ones. And play Scott Porter and The Glory Dogs's 'Pretend' on guitar, and getting frustrated coz my I can't change chords fast enough, plus my fingers refuse to exert more pressure on the strings thus making it sound like I'm playing with a bunch of rubber bands, PLUS the increasing numbness from the temporarily useless wrist.

Okay bye.

Schedule.

24th January: Module 9 Finals.
27th January: Module 8 Finals.
28th January - 8th February: Great Britain / Paris trip.
8th February and so on: Just wait and see.

Timer.

Its never easy to get life to work the way you want. So a lot of people just go with the flow. You may never really know what I'm talking about exactly right now. But I tried to go with the flow. And its proven to become such a tiring task to me. Its draining me out emotionally. And as much as I don't mind to continue being pushed along in the direction of the river's current, I think what I really want to do is swim towards the bank, despite how raging the waters are.

Coz sometimes in life, you have to take a leap. Even when you risk a lot of good things. So I'm taking that leap. I don't know which path I'm heading towards next, but I'm pretty certain that I'll be a lot happier there.

A goodbye is coming soon. But sometimes, at moments when its inevitable, you are forced to become selfish. I'm not saying its impossible, but surely, not everyone can pave their way in this world all the whilst never failing to please others.

S-Tumblr-ing.

Cheating on Blogger,

coz for some reason, Tumblr had always been easier to be honest on.

Changing my Tumblr URL. 

So if you haven't followed me (only 9 person have, LOL) then thats one less person who knows my innermost thoughts.

What Else is New?

Activated my Tumblr.

Perk-ed.

Hate it when I find out about an amazing book, only when it's become a movie.

Like Flipped. And THIS!

The Perks of Being A Wallflower.

The movie: MUST WATCH. The two main actors is reason enough.

The book: Orders from online bookstore / Amazon.

Pen-ding Wishlist.

I'm guessing I've already made it known that I'm in dire need of a perfectly functioning camera. And I was targeting on getting myself an Olympus Pen E-P2 even though I should really get an E-PL1 since its an obvious upgrade on the former camera. But I loved the retro look that the Olympus E-Ps presented so much, I failed to care.

The E-PL2, on the other hand... I'm IN LOVE. Okay, I know it just recently got released, and there aren't any (good) reviews written about it yet. Preferably a hands on review. But IDK. When I love something, most of the time its without any particular reason. Or, there is. But I'm not entirely, or at all aware of it. 

But, come on, isn't love suppose to be like that? Hahah. Okay. Okay. I understand. I wouldn't know coz I am severely lacking in that department. 

SMEXY.

Would prefer it to not be in black, but if I get one in silver/gray, its gonna look similar to my Canon right now. And I see no point in having two cameras of the same colour.

And those tentacles you see? They're little lightbulbs used for macro shots. Awesome possum. I will now be able to take pictures of the zit(s) on my face with maximum C-L-A-R-I-T-Y.

Zo yeah.

Other colours:

That I strongly feel I'm going to hate / find a ridiculous reason to hate on it once I get it.

If I EVER get it, that is.

I'm saving up, fo sho. But approx $500 in Egyptian Pounds is well... I'd say around LE 5000. Which is insaneeee. 

I mean, yes, I spent approx LE 1000+ on a Nintendo DS, but thats another story entirely. I mean, I COULD PLAY POKEMON ON THAT. You just can't fathom how much that means to me. It means so much to me... that I even left it at home. Coz I swear to God, if that thing was around, I'll be walking my Pokemon World avatar all over the Johto region, catching 'em all into a variety of Pokeballs, Super Balls, okay... its starting to sound a lil wrong.

So okay. Enough Pokemon talk.

I think I'd have to ask Ayah for a green light on this one. Then its only a matter of swiping through a card reader and CHA-CHING! 

Mine to lug around and boast about. Me = Spoiled brat? I know. But I promise I'll photograph almost every possible aspects of my life if I get my hands on this. ARGHHH going crazyyy.

SO MATERIALISTIC CAN DIE! -____________-"

PS: Roommate weirded out by the fact that I watch videos on fast cars as early as 7 am in the morning. Can't help it y'all. Been in love with cars for as long as I can remember. Be it Hot Wheel miniatures and whatnots.

I was watching THIS the other day:

I mean, I don't even know why ANYONE would bother putting a Bugatti Veyron and a BMW M3 in a strip race together. But WTH. Bugattis are awesome and it is forever entitled to show its awesomeness. I want one. 

Sultan Brunei.... PRETTY PLEASE.

I shall end this post with two pictures of two things I want to eat.

SO BADLYYY.

PAVLOVA !&#!^%(*# 

Been craving for this like !!*#*)()_!)#

This one is from Alexis @ Bangsar.

FROYOSSSSSSSSS. Which stands for Frozen Yogurt for any of you who don't already know.

OhGodOhGodOhGod, with gummy bears, lychee and rainbow sprinkles.

DIE.

Oh, okay, plus one more thing:

Macarons. 

Forever relevant to me. 

I mean, boys, screw Ferrero Rochers (my whole family has something against this chocolate) and teddy bears, and roses, and bleughhh all those other stereotypical gifts. Get your girlfriend these instead.

Easy peasy. You;

(1) Buy.

(2) Put pretty bow on top.

(3) Watch girlfriend grow horizontally.

LOL!

BTW, is it safe for someone of my physique to be asking for a pastry chef husband?

HAHAHA. K bye.

But seriously now, IS IT???