I've Moved...

So I'm going to be blogging at WordPress now, instead of here. You can visit my new blog here! I've transferred all of the old posts and comments, and I hope I will still see all of you there! =)

Long Live Palestine

So it's been too long again... I'm just generally pissed off at the world these days. It's been 19 days and over 1000 Palestinians have been murdered by Israel, including over 300 children and 100 women, and more than 4000 have been injured. I don't even need to tell you all about how there is no aid to help these people in Palestine.

Yet, what action has been taken against Israel to stop them? Nothing, really. Yeah, the UN has met a couple of times, blah blah, all meaningless meetings really. When the US wanted to stop Japan in World War II, what did it do? It nuked the country. Well, I'm not saying we should nuke Israel, but something needs to be done to make Israel stop. I am so damn sick of it. And there are still idiots out there who support Israel. Well, guess what, Israel broke the ceasefire first, not that it even matters at this point. Over 1000 dead compared to the 14 Israelis dead? What an absurd ratio. Not to mention most of the 14 are SOLDIERS who died while killing innocent civilians. And for anyone who wants to use that ridiculous argument that Israel is in constant danger by the rockets, blah blah. Guess what? More Palestinian children have been killed in the past two weeks alone than the number of Israelis that died from rocket attacks in the past 4 years. Another unproportional response by Israel meant to exterminate the Palestinians as though they are nothing but bugs... They are HUMAN.

My blood just boils with outrage everyday. All these world-wide protests might be raising some awareness, but how much of a difference can it really make? I'm gonna be cynical, or realistic, and say it isn't making much of a difference. For as many people there are out there protesting against Israel, there are MANY more ignorant people who still believe all the Muslims should be wiped out and they are cheering on Israel. Just take a look at these racist groups on Facebook, like "1000 Against Jihad." The group is full of hate speech against Muslims and Islam. There are over one billion Muslims in the world, and how many of them are terrorists? Not even 1%. When will people stop being so damn ignorant? sigh.

Just utterly depressing. I don't even know what to say anymore. Neturei Karta has the right idea, and I hope more people will open their eyes. I hope more people will come to see that Israel is MURDERING innocent people, committing a genocide as we speak. The same people who suffered a genocide themselves are no longer the victims, but the victimizers. For how long will they use the Jewish Holocaust as an excuse to commit such atrocities? Absolutely despicable. They are the so-called chosen people in their own eyes, but do they honestly believe that God would approve of their actions, of them murdering innocent people? How can they honestly believe that any Just God would approve of this? Sickening.

I really don't have anything to say that hasn't already been said. But I am just so frustrated and exhausted. We live in a very unjust, depressing world.

Animal Abuse

So someone brought it to my attention yesterday that I may have freaked out people with my venting against animal abusers. Do I truly believe that animal abusers should have their limbs cut off and that they should be burned alive? No! That would indeed be horrific. I need to learn to control my anger a bit better and stop saying such things when my blood starts to boil every time I read or hear a story about animal abuse. Anyone who knows me knows that I wouldn't harm any living being, whether he or she is guilty of a crime or not. I wouldn't want to be responsible for inflicting pain on anyone. Do I believe animal abusers should be punished though? Yes, with jail time, community service, etc. etc. The problem is that in America animals are viewed as "property," which is why people can get away easily with abusing animals and inflicting pain on them, even for "valid" reasons, such as de-clawing.

De-clawing is illegal in a few European countries, yet it's allowed in America. I had a long discussion about de-clawing with my cat's vet, and unfortunately it doesn't seem as though the laws will change in America any time soon. There are many other options available! First of all, get your cat a scratching post, that will prevent him/her from scratching any furniture or carpets, and then you can also trim your cat's nails, which is very easy. And there are also "soft paws" which you can put on your cat. There simply isn't any reason to put an innocent animal through so much pain... which weakens their muscles, leaves them completely defenseless and makes it extremely difficult and painful for them to even walk.

Anyway, I went off on a tangent. Back to the point... Anyone who knows me would know that I don't wish to see any living being harmed in any way. I simply state such things out of anger when I feel so helpless, because I know things won't change any time soon. Should I be surprised that people abuse animals? No. When humans, who are supposed to be the most intelligent species on earth, are capable of torturing and killing one another for reasons of race or religion and a multitude of other reasons, then I shouldn't be surprised that humans are capable of inflicting pain on a completely defenseless and innocent creature. A part of me, though, assumed that since animals can NOT talk back, since they are of no particular religion or race, that humans would be able to respect animals and treat them kindly. But sadly, many people lack a conscience and feel no guilt about hurting an animal that cannot even speak for itself...

Which is why I try to speak for them. Someone has to. I shall try to hold back any anger from now on and not wish such painful punishment upon animal abusers. I still do believe they should be punished, though. Five years of jail time, minimum, and community service.

Alright, I guess that's all. So if I've managed to freak anyone out, I apologize. I am the kind of person who watches where she walks to avoid squashing an innocent bug. So I can assure you, I would never actually want to see any human suffer such an awful death. I'll try to find other ways to vent my anger from now on... =)

Black Friday Birthday

So I used to always blog on my birthday... Missed it this year. Well, it was certainly the most uneventful, boring birthday anyway. No one was in town to celebrate with, so I mostly just slept, spent time at Borders, or watched TV.

It was Black Friday. Spent Thanksgiving at my friend Amanda's house. I had fish while everyone else had turkey, but my fish was very good, too! All of the food was really great. Played Guitar Hero and games on her brothers' Wii, which was quite fun! Woke up with a very sore arm! Amanda thought we should check out the outlet mall an hour away on Black Friday, as they would have huge sales at midnight. My first Black Friday experience. And never again! I figured that since it's midnight, there would be hardly anyone there. But I was wrong... It was extremely crowded and everyone looked so wide awake and energetic, which I also could not understand. I was sleepy, uncomfortable and I thought I'd die of a heat stroke a few times (though it was cold outside but crowded and extremely hot in all the stores). I did end up buying stuff... But I am not gonna do the whole Black Friday thing again. Didn't get to bed until 4 AM on Friday the 28th, my birthday!

I am truly sickened by the behavior of some people. As everyone knows by now, a WalMart employee was trampled to death in Long Island after the doors opened and hoards of people ran in, running over him... This is what has become of our society. People are so into consumerism that they don't care about the safety of a man on the floor who is being trampled to death? My goodness. Absolutely sickening. I hope the people who ran through those doors are extremely ashamed of themselves and I hope they feel very guilty for what has happened. One would think that living in the 21st century that people would know how to behave in a civilized manner. Unfortunately this is proven wrong time and time again... How could a few people not stop to help this man? *sigh* Shameful...

So while sitting at Borders on my birthday, I was near two people who were on their first date, or they were at least having their first meeting after having met online. They were into Fantasy RPG and they were both Pagan. It was quite amusing listening to them and watching them get to know each other a bit better. The girl was clearly nervous, but that didn't stop her from speaking loud enough for everyone in the cafe to hear her. Everyone learned a lot about her cat. I wonder if they'll end up married, hmm....

So just two weeks until this semester ends, and THANK GOD! I am so damn exhausted. Can't wait for this semester to be over and I can start applying for jobs. But next semester will indeed be worse, because I'll have my master's exams to take as well, which requires a crapload of reading... *sigh* Anyway, shall not think about next semester yet when I have so much work to do in just the next two weeks... Blah....

Oh, speaking of Borders... I was complaining to mum on the phone about my depressing birthday, and a guy sitting next to me overheard me and said "Happy Birthday" to me as I got up to leave. A stranger's kind gesture can make a huge difference. I thought it was very sweet of him to say Happy Birthday, though he didn't know me but he thought it might make my day a little bit brighter. And it did. :) Well, another year older (26 now, gosh...), and hopefully wiser!

Exhausted !

It's been a long time... again. I'm just exhausted. I have so much on my mind, but I wouldn't even know where to begin. I just feel mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted right now. I could use a relaxing vacation. Not a vacation where there are so many historical places to see (though I do love that), but a vacation where I can just chill on the beach for 3 days, watch the waves crash to shore, and just listen to nature, while I breathe in clean air and clear my head of all the random thoughts that fill it right now....

So I just came back from the annual Middle Eastern Studies Association conference! It was in Washington D.C. this year. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Especially since so many of my professors, past and present, were there. I had the pleasure of running into one of my favorite professors from undergrad. I absolutely love that man! He's a brilliant Ottoman historian, and just one of the sweetest people. Running into him had to be the highlight of my trip. I was really hoping to see him. He told me I looked more elegant than ever! lol Which was very sweet of him! Then we talked about what I've been up to for the past few years... I mentioned how I'm a bit confused about things right now, about where to go next... He told me it's the perfect time to be confused...

Though I love academia, and I really do, being at the conference reaffirmed how much I just love the academic world, I just don't know if I can go for a PhD right now. I feel tired. Not to mention, I completely went into the wrong field. I love the Middle East, but I should've gone into Political Science and focused on the Middle East in that discipline, rather than entered a graduate program in just regional studies, which as a former professor of mine would always say, is completely and utterly useless.

So what to do now? Well, I'm going to be applying for jobs, hopefully in Human Rights or Foreign Policy, InshAllah... and if I feel up to it, maybe I'll come back for graduate studies in Political Science. I guess a year long "break" of working might do me some good...

Back to MESA. Attended some interesting panels, one about International Relations, which I felt was very relevant to today. There are not enough people who specialize in the Middle East writing in International Relations journals, which can influence the actions our government takes. This needs to change! I'd like to be someone someday who helps to change this...

Anyway, I'm tired. So I shall go for now... But I hope to start blogging again regularly... Because I'm a politics junkie, and there was so much I had to say during the whole presidential election... But I just never got around to writing about it. But there's always something on my mind, and I seem to have an opinion about everything... so I guess I shall write more often, InshAllah...  :)

It's Been Too Long...

Wow, what has happened to me. I used to be someone who would blog at least once or twice a week. And now if I blog even once a month, then that's something! *sigh*

So Istanbul was absolutely amazing. I am going to tell everyone I ever meet to go there lol... Istanbul had the most beautiful views imaginable... I did so much there that to blog about it all would take way too long... so some of the highlights in brief:

--Chasing a con artist who got away with $400 through SultanAhmet

--The Blue Mosque at night... absolutely gorgeous! And feeding *Zeytin* at the Blue Mosque (their resident stray cat)

--Sailing on a private yacht (courtesy of my sister's fiancee) on the Marmara to one of the Princes' Islands, which are beautiful and so serene...

--Chilling out at Taksim Square everynight, smoking hookah, playing either backgammon or poker (yes, I totally kicked butt at poker hehe, no real money though)

--BURGER KING! Not sure if the meat was actually halal or not, but I just assumed it was lol and had a few whoppers and crispy chicken sandwiches, and they were AMAZING! I wish I could go back just to eat there again lol

--Eating at some of the most luxurious places in Istanbul (courtesy of sister's fiancee's friend who lives and works in Istanbul) with the most amazing views...

--Becoming acquainted with all the stray cats I would come across... I love them all :)

--MADO Ice Cream... so delicious

--The donner kebab stands, cheap but good and filling!

--The Hospitality... The people were just so nice and hospitable!

I will upload my SLR photos when I get a chance InshAllah on Cafe Jupie. I just haven't had the chance, because after I came back, my Intensive Intermediate Azeri course started, and it's extremely exhausting... I've been so busy! :( It's 5 hours everyday... and at least 3 hours of homework everyday... 3 weeks down, 5 to go! *sigh*

Oh, and Budapest... Beautiful, but way too expensive and not tourist friendly at all! I wouldn't recommend putting it high on your list of places to see! The 2nd or 3rd largest Synagogue in the world is in Budapest, and it has Moorish influences in the architecture. That was definitely the main highlight of Budapest.

Ok, I'm going to try to blog more often from now on. I miss my blog... hehe. Toodlez for now!

Summer 2008!

So the semester has finally ended! Yay!! It was a busy semester, hence I haven't blogged much at all! So I leave for Turkey in 15 days. :) Return to NY on June 3rd. Then return to Indiana on June 7, and begin my Intensive Intermediate Azeri (Azerbaijani) language class on June 13! It's really intensive! Five hours daily, beginning at 8:30 AM for 2 months! What a summer... lol

My sister will be graduating from med school in 2 weeks as well! That's exciting. I can't wait till I finish school and begin life!!

Oh! And I'll be going to Iran again InshAllah in November!! I'm really excited about it. There is an academic conference on Religion, Peace and Media. Two of my favourite professors will be going as well, InshAllah! And hopefully I'll be able to get a travel grant since it's for an academic conference, otherwise I probably wouldn't be able to afford going... But I reallyyy miss Iran and want to go back so badly, so this is the perfect opportunity to go back!! It's for two weeks. I'd miss two weeks of classes, but it would totally be worth it! So I hope that InshAllah that works out... Keep your fingers crossed for me! :)

So I came across this video while searching for Orlando Bloom on YouTube lol.... "Orlando loves spinach *lol* EAT SH*T AND DIE!!" It's just hilarious!!! You guys have to see it if you haven't seen it yet!! It's funny how people pretend to be someone they aren't on the net, or they pretend to know someone they don't know lol... Do they honestly think other people will believe them? Anyway, it's just way too funny... and Orlando's laugh is funny too lol

So lately I've been having a lot of bad luck. First I got a speeding ticket, which I shouldn't have gotten, as someone in front of me was going MUCH faster than I was but he got away, damnit. Yes, I was speeding, but still, why couldn't the cop have gotten the dude who was going faster? Grrr.... Then I slammed my finger in my car door (accidentally of course, no one does that on purpose! lol)... Then I locked my keys in my car and had to pay $30 to get them out :( First time I ever did that, and at the worst time possible when I really need to save money! And then I had to get an oil change for my car, which took 10 minutes, but I had to wait another hour and a half because they couldn't close the damn hood of my car!! It was VERY frustrating. Then on Wednesday I tripped while walking to my car and fell, and I bruised one of my knees really badly (it's still all blue and purple) and I got a few scrapes on my hands and face lol... Someone even saw me fall, it was a really bad fall, and he didn't even ask if I was ok!! So all this bad luck so far seems to be related to my car in one way or another. I'm just scared of what's left to come... eek! Hopefully the bad luck streak is over though!!

So I read an article the other day in the paper where two guys were debating Global Warming. One guy was convinced there is just contradictory evidence and so global warming isn't a problem that needs to be dealt with, blah blah. The other guy believes that it is a problem and countries should do whatever they can to help stop Global Warming. I honestly don't understand people who say Global Warming doesn't exist. Ok, let's assume for a minute that it doesn't (but it does!!), is it really going to kill someone to take the effort to do things that are good for the environment anyway? Like why wouldn't you want to help the environment anyway whether you believe it is a problem or not?! How selfish can some people be! God!!!!

Ok, when I get back from Istanbul and Budapest I'll have tons of blogging to do for sure :) And of course I plan on keeping a travel journal so I'll remember what to write in my blog hehe, and lots of photos to come as well!! :)

Hope ya'll have a great summer!

Still in Purgatory

Wow... So it's been forever since I've blogged, eh? I guess I just haven't really been in the mood. There's always stuff on my mind, that's a given lol... and I always think, "man, I need to blog about this!"... But then I just don't seem to be in the mood later on...

Anyway, this semester will be over in a little over a month!! Yay! Papers to write, exams to take, blah. But then on May 18 I'll be leaving for Istanbul with my sister :) We'll also be going to Budapest for a few days. Why the hell Budapest? I really don't know why... lol... I personally would rather have gone to Athens or Florence instead, or even Paris again! But at one point, we decided we'll JUST do Turkey and that's it. And after we bought our plane tickets, my sister decided on Budapest, and without really thinking it through, I agreed. And only later did it occur to me that we probably could've gone to Athens for the same price anyway lol... Oh well, we'll hit Italy and Greece next year, InshAllah =D If I have any money, that is!!

So after this semester is over, two more semesters to go. God, seems like FOREVER. At one point I was seriously contemplating getting a PhD. Who knows, maybe someday later in life. But for now, I've had enough school. I'm 25 and I feel like I've been in school foreverrr. I just want to get my damn master's and move on!! I want to start living a real life. Graduate school is like being in voluntary purgatory, for real. You're not an undergrad enjoying college, with a major that you believe will lead to a career (if you are not planning on going to grad school)... and you're not in the real world working, earning real money that you can use to enjoy life! Instead, you are stuck in this limbo, feeling like you are too old to be doing homework every night, taking quizzes, etc. It's seriously purgatory. I just can't wait till I finish in May 2009 InshAllah.

If only it weren't for the way the stupid NELC department at IU is set up, I could be done sooner. But oh well... Maybe something exciting will happen next year that will have made it worth it to be here for one more year lol... Let's see.

So, I hope you all are doing your part to help the environment. Recycling, even if it's inconvenient. Trying to cut down on your purchase of water bottles... 60 MILLION water bottles are thrown out EVERY DAY. Can you imagine what a difference it would make if people used re-usable bottles instead?? Or how about getting a water filter for your faucet? :) And use cloth bags when you go grocery shopping! And quite frankly, they are much better than paper or plastic. They hold more and are sturdier, so you wont have any more accidents if they put too much stuff in your plastic or paper bag and everything falls out while you are walking to your front door. :)

So, to those very few who still come to my extremely dead blog, thank you :) lol... Oh, and before I forget, Happy Nowruz to all the Persians out there!! And this year, I don't have a problem saying it because it does not conflict with Muharram :) Although I still have a few qualms about Nowruz being celebrated as an Islamic holiday, and ya'll know about that lol, so I won't start blabbing on about it here... hehe

Hello, 2008.

Well, winter break is almost over. It flew by so fast, I really don't know where all the days went. On the 17th of December I went to Baltimore with my sister. I'd never been there before. It was ok... The harbor was pretty. I took some photographs, which I shall post once I get back to Indiana! Also went to the national aquarium on someone's recommendation, but it really wasn't that impressive. The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago is nicer! Other than that, I spent all my time at home, but I still feel like I've been here only just a few days. *sigh* Going back to Indiana on Friday January 4. I'm just praying and praying that I do not have a miserable day traveling  like I did when coming to NY. Just pray that the weather is PERFECT so there are no delays whatsoever!

It was very nice to be at home with family. I am going to be so depressed again when I go back to Indiana! *sigh* Saw a few movies: "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" and "I Am Legend." I loved National Treasure! I thought it was just as good as the first one!! "I Am Legend" was so depressing.... Had some good pizza while in Binghamton from Tony's Pizzeria. There seriously are no good pizza places in Bloomington!! and of course went to Whole in the Wall, which I love. And nothing can compare to mum's cooking, yummy.

So.... It's 2008! I have no resolutions for 2008. Well, I am going to try to save some money. Meaning, I really need to stop buying DVDs. I bought way too many this past year! So definitely need to stop wasting money so I can save enough money for Turkey! I've already bought my plane ticket. My older sister and I will be leaving on May 18 for Turkey and will return on June 3, InshAllah :) We plan on seeing Istanbul, Edirne and Ephesus. We still need to do some more planning as to what we will see and for how many days, etc. Should be fun, InshAllah! I was hoping to go to Athens and Florence as well, but we decided it's just easier and cheaper to go to just one country! So yes, must save money for accommodations and food and sightseeing and whatnot! =)

Hmm... So this coming semester, which begins on Monday, I am taking Persian and Turkish of course, and "The Cultural History of the Ottoman Empire and Turkey." So I should be pretty well prepared for my trip to Turkey come May!

I really wish I could've finished my stupid master's degree by this coming May. But I have to spend another year because they require you to have 3 years of your main language, and Persian is my main language and I did not come into the program with any experience in Persian. So I HAVE TO stay another year if I want to finish my degree. But I'm just accumulating more and more debt... student loans are killing me. I just wish I could be done with this year and get a job and move on with my life already *sigh* Grrr.... That reminds me of a resolution I do need to make. I need to stop making decisions without thinking through EVERY little detail!!! I need to stop making bad decisions! Well, hopefully I'll find a good job when I do finish and can pay off my loans in my lifetime! InshAllah!

Ok, I guess that's all... Will blog again once I am back in depressing ol' Bloomington, Indiana. Au revoir for now...

Day from Hell !

So yesterday I was scheduled to arrive in Binghamton, NY at 4:30 PM. The day started out fine. I left Bloomington at 11 am. My friend Zohra picked me up to drop me off at the Indianapolis airport, which is an hour away. I was a bit worried because it had snowed overnight, but the roads were fine. Dobby and I reached the airport at around 12:15 PM.

My first flight from Indianapolis to Detroit was delayed. It was originally scheduled for 1:20 PM, but delayed to 2:25 PM. We boarded the plane at around 2:20 PM. The plane did not even take off until almost an hour and a half later. There were some mechanical issues (something about the engine and the APU). When we finally DID land in Detroit, we had to sit on the plane for another 40 minutes or so (even after our hour long flight), because there wasn't an open gate for our plane to go to.

By then, I had missed my flight to Binghamton, which had also been delayed. Had the plane from Indy been able to dock at a gate sooner, I wouldn't have missed my other delayed flight. So when we finally did get off the plane, there was a long line at the counter with lots of angry people who had also missed flights (the guy sitting next to me missed a flight to Denmark). Luckily I had some nice company in line, a few students from IU.

First, the lady at the counter said there is nothing she can do to help us if there is nothing available with NorthWest because our delay was due to weather. The rule is that if it was a mechanical problem, they have to find you a flight even if it is with another airline. But lots of people protested when she said this, because of course it was a mechanical problem, the pilot even told us a few times to mention this at the counter. So finally the captain came out, and we all asked him to talk to the lady at the counter and explain. He said, "They lie all the time." How reassuring. But after a while, he was able to convince her it was mechanical and that they need to help us out.

The other students I was in line with could not find any flights to their cities, even on other airlines. And they were all headed to major cities, so I was worried I might not be able to find anything. So they had to spend the night at a Hotel. One of the guys was actually happy about this because he was dreading going home lol, he was pretty excited to spend the night in the hotel! So there were no flights to Binghamton at this time on any airline. So I found a flight to Syracuse, which is an hour away from Binghamton. I was currently in concourse C, and the flight was leaving from Concourse A at 7:00 PM! She told me I had to run as fast as I can to catch my flight. She called them to tell them to wait for me.

Now, I was wearing a wool sweater, a wool coat and carrying my bag and Dobby. So running from Concourse C to A was HORRIBLE. They are quite far from each other. But I ran as fast as I could. It took me around 10 to 15 minutes to get there even while running. When I finally did reach there, I was all hot and sweaty, ew. And I was quite upset because the flight hadn't even started boarding yet! So I had time to go to the restroom and try to freshen up a bit... and still had to wait in line for another 15 minutes or so before boarding. There wasn't any need for me to run.

We landed in Syracuse at around 8:30 PM. I waited around for the luggage, and of course mine was not to be found. So I had to wait in another huge line with angry people whose luggage had also been lost. She took down my info, handed me a toothbrush and toothpaste, and that was it.

I had to borrow clothes from my sister to sleep in because I had nothing at home to wear! I REALLY need my luggage!

So the weather was quite bad. Upstate NY was expecting a bad snowstorm, and the roads were pretty bad on the way home from Syracuse. We left the airport at 9:30 PM and arrived at home in Binghamton at 11:30 PM! *sigh*

Quite honestly, I wasn't concerned for myself the entire time. Yes, I was inconvenienced throughout the entire day. But I was more concerned for Dobby. He had gone to the bathroom at around 9 AM, I put him in his carrier at 11 AM, and he'd been in there since then! I was so worried that if I couldn't find a flight to Binghamton or Syracuse, poor little Dobby would suffer even more. He'd been cramped in there all day with no food, water or litter box! And what would I have done about him if we had to spend the night at a hotel? Where would I find a litter box for him? So I knew I should ask about Syracuse, and thank god there was a flight going there.

It was a LONG, miserable and exhausting day, but luckily we made it home and Dobby got to go to the bathroom and eat some food. Yay! I called the airport today, and my luggage SHOULD be arriving in Binghamton at 4:30 PM today. So let's see. It better come, because I need some clean clothes to wear!!! And I'm heading out to Baltimore with my sister tomorrow!! So I desperately need my luggage.

The entire time I couldn't help but think how I could've already been at home by 4:30 PM if there were no weather delays or mechanical problems. *sigh* What a sucky, sucky day. I am never flying with NW Airlines again!

So now I have to pray that my luggage will arrive today, or else I have nothing to wear tomorrow...!!

Anyway, it's good to be home. :)

Must Become a Vegetarian

So I should be working on my gigantic paper right now, but I'm distracted by too many things! And I made the mistake of visiting the PETA website today, and that's just depressed me immensely. *sigh* I am going to do my best to become a vegetarian. I don't eat meat that often as it is, maybe like once every 2 to 3 weeks. I was aware of how brutally animals are treated in slaughter houses in America, but even in India... The things I've read about today are just horrific. These poor innocent cows have to march miles and miles without rest or water. And if they stop, chili peppers or salt is put in their eyes to force them to get up and keep on moving! Animals are treated so horribly! Animals in China are skinned ALIVE for their fur, most of which is exported to America. MARS, which produces candy such as M&Ms, is currently doing animal testing on mice and rats, etc., which results in their deaths! Chickens are thrown into boiling water while they are still alive! The list is truly endless of how brutally animals are treated everywhere in the world. Where is the compassion for these living, breathing creatures? I suppose if humans are able to kill other humans without any remorse, they obviously have no problem doing the same to poor innocent animals. *sigh* I'm so disgusted.... I will make sure that I never buy any product ever again that contains wool. The way these poor sheep are treated... It'll make you cry! And I shall never buy leather again.... I've never bought anything containing fur, and of course I never will. And I shall do my best to become a vegetarian for good.

Winter break is almost here... another reason I'm distracted. I keep on thinking about the freedom that lies ahead that I can't get my work done right now. This winter break I will be going with my sister to Maryland and Boston for her residency interviews. I haven't been to Boston in a few years, so definitely looking forward to that! And I'll be visiting a friend in Manhattan. I go to Manhattan often enough, but it's been a long time since I've been in the city during Christmas time, so I'm really looking forward to that. I love Christmas season! And I plan on having a "The Office" marathon! I have seen each episode at least 3-5 times, but I want to vegetate for 2 days straight just watching all the seasons of The Office. Really looking forward to it!

Ok, must try to get some work done now...

Happy Birthday...

...To me! So I am now 25 years old. Yes, TWENTY-FIVE. One of those round numbers that is really freaky. Just 5 years until 30... I am a quarter of a century old... *sigh* Twenty-five is such a grown-up, adult age. Yet I am still in school and I still feel like a kid. Just the other day I bought a sweatshirt with monkeys all over it. Should I be wearing stuff with pictures of monkeys, frogs, cows, etc. on it? Hmm... well I think it's cute.

So I had classes for the first half of the day. My Iranian Civ. class was really quite interesting today. The professor was discussing Shi'ism, and brought up some points without really clarifying things, leaving the students thinking absurd thoughts about certain Shi'a practices. I raised my hand to answer a question another student asked, and the professor shot me down! He literally took two fingers and motioned to me that I put my hand down! lol... Maybe I'll get my chance to do damage control on Monday. He's really nice and understanding, so hopefully I'll have a chance to clarify certain points then!

I went to dinner at Turkuaz (Turkish restaurant) with two friends. It was quite nice! Saw a few other classmates there as well. The owner of the restaurant was VERY flirtatious and VERY talkative. The experience reminded me of "The Sopranos"...where Tony tells Artie that he just needs to shut the hell up because people just want to eat their food and not be bothered by his talking to them ALL the time. That's how it felt at the Turkuaz. This guy would just come by like every 5 minutes, and it was bordering on the edge of uncomfortable lol... But he was nice, he brought me out a peice of cake with candles. I can't remember the last time I had to blow out some candles! It was nice overall :)

Anyway, so another year older... and since the existence of my blog, I always make a post on my birthday. And although I do not blog that often anymore because I don't have the time, I just had to make time for this!! The semester is coming to an end... and I am SWAMPED with work. But hopefully afterwards I shall come back and babble on and on about what is on my mind! hehe...

Oh, and Dobby wished me a happy birthday this morning. He pawed my face and meowed a couple of times. And as usual, he completely hogged my pillow at night... But I always forgive him because he's so damn cute! hehe Toodlez for now! :)

To Anonymous

To whomever posted this comment on a post from a long time ago [Venting(I)]: "Some people just go into washroom stalls to change clothes. So no need to wash one's hands ;)"

I must disagree 100000% percent. If you go into a stall to change your clothes, chances are you touch the door in order to close it and you touch the lock on the stall door to lock it. And you know who else touches it? People who actually used the restroom. Hence, you are touching GERMS. So if you do only go to change your clothes, washing hands is still an absolute MUST! Also, use a paper towel to open the door of the bathroom when you are leaving, otherwise the purpose of washing your hands to begin with is defeated.

*****

Hmm, It's been a while since I've posted! Not too much going on. Same ol' same ol'. Went to a Middle Eastern music concert on Saturday night. It was pretty awesome. It was a local band actually, Salaam, but they do concerts nationwide. They were VERY good. I was quite impressed! Quite enjoyable! Anyway, I'll rant on about some stuff later on.

Why People Suck

So last night I should've been studying for my Persian midterm, but I was distracted by two puppies running around in the parking lot of my apartment complex for a few hours. It had been raining on and off, there was a Tornado watch, and these poor little dogs are just running around in the dark, playing. It'd been over 2 hours and people just kept on walking by the dogs, not paying any attention to them. It was clear that these dogs did not have an owner around. So I finally went out at around 8:30 with a bowl full of cat food for them. They ate it in literally a second! The poor puppies were so hungry.

So these dogs had collars, but no tags! I went around from door to door asking if the dogs belonged to anyone or if anyone knew anything about them... but no one cared! Everyone seemed indifferent to these poor stranded puppies. I thought white American people would've cared more, but they didn't. I called animal control, although I didn't want to, but they were closed. So I called my apartment's emergency number and told them to contact Ray, the head maintenance guy, who I know takes in stray or abandoned animals and raises them. He has raised baby raccoons several times (I even got to hold one of them!). But they couldn't get a hold of Ray. So finally after knocking on some more doors, one girl was nice enough to take the dogs for the night. I couldn't, because of Dobby. He'd have a heart attack if I let two dogs into the apartment! Dobby was watching everything from the window!

So the girl took the dogs and returned them to me at 7 AM. We tied them up outside and Ray came around after an hour or so. He fell in love with the puppies. They were quite cute! He was playing with them a lot. And then all the other maintenance people came over and were playing with them. They said they'd find the puppies a good home, InshAllah.

So this is why people suck. I am so sick of people getting cats, dogs or any other animal without realizing how much care animals require. ANIMALS ARE NOT TOYS!!! For God's sake, do NOT get an animal unless you've done research and realize how much time and love you will need to devote to care for the animal properly!!! I am so sick of people abandoning their animals, abusing them, killing them... God, I hate people. *sigh*

My Persian midterm went not so well. It probably would've gone worse though if the dogs weren't taken care of, because then I certainly wouldn't have been able to concentrate at all because I would've been so worried about those poor puppies. I'm so glad they will find a good home, InshAllah.

But there are so many other innocent animals that get abused and die EVERYDAY. *sigh* I really hope that all animal abusers and murderers die the most horrible, brutal deaths, InshAllah! They deserve it for harming poor, innocent, defenseless creatures.

Save the Polar Bears!!!

So today is Blog Action Day! Anyone and everyone with a blog who cares about the environment should dedicate a post today to the cause of saving the environment! And that is what I intend to do! Of course, I have quite a few blog posts already about Global Warming, saving endangered animals, etc. etc.

I don't understand how some people can be so incredibly selfish and not do their part to help the environment. Is it really THAT difficult to recycle? Get off your lazy butts and recycle, people! A little effort now will be better than suffering later on. And if you say, "I won't be around in 70 years, so global warming doesn't affect me," then you are a selfish jackass! YOUR descendants will be around! Do you want to leave them a earth that has higher temperatures than it should, that has less wildlife than it did years ago, that is so polluted that finding a place to breathe clean air becomes a huge feat? Stop being selfish and start doing your SMALL part to help.

Imagine, if EVERYONE on the earth did even a TINY bit, it would make a HUGE difference. If only we could get everyone on the earth to care about this planet and the wildlife that is suffering. Yes, wildlife is suffering everyday. So many animals are on the endangered species list, including polar bears! Polar bears are drowning because of Global Warming! There are so few pandas left in the world. *sigh* How depressing. Just imagine what it would be like to have to show photographs of these animals to your grandchildren (if you have any, and if you live long enough to see them), instead of being able to take them to a ZOO and show them the real thing, because the animals are EXTINCT!! Is that what you want, people?!?!

And don't listen to those idiots out there that say Global Warming isn't real, that the earth goes through climate changes every so often and it's completely normal. Yes, the earth has gone through climate changes in the past, but the RATE of the current climate change is ABNORMAL. It is NOT right, and it is ruining our earth and endangering the lives of MANY species!!!

So PLEASE stop being a lazy bum and do your SMALL part to help the earth. Start recycling, no matter how inconvenient it seems. Try to minimize use of heat in the winter and use of AC in the summer, etc. etc. There is so much you can do, which I possibly cannot list here, but it's a click away. Just google and start saving your earth. :) The polar bears, seals, pandas and all the other animals will love you for it!

Please Moisturize!!!

So there is this guy in my Persian class.... and his hands are extremely dry!! All last year, I told him to moisturize! I recommended Aveeno to him, cause I honestly think it's the best moisturizer out there. He always said he'd go and get it himself. If you look at his hands, you can see how incredibly dry they are. It makes me cringe, especially as we almost always end up sitting next to each other. I even offered him my Aveeno that I carry with me everyday, and he refused to take it all last year! And he PROMISED he would buy moisturizer and start moisturizing. Again, this semester, I see the same dry hands... and AGAIN I reminded him to get some moisturizer! And he said he would. Today I took out my Aveeno, as always, and told him to take some, but he just wouldn't!!! WHY!!!!!!! My head is going to explode. I don't understand people who do not moisturize! He said "It's because of the weather." I don't care WHY his hands are dry, I just want them to be moisturized!!!!!! I apply lotion after EVERY single time I wash my hands, and I've had many people comment on how soft my hands are. And that's the way they should be!! Who wants rough hands!! Gosh... If only you could see this kid's hands... It would make you cringe too. I know he won't moisturize... even though I always offer him Aveeno in class, he just refuses. What to do... *sigh* One of these days I will just lose it in class. What can I do to make him start moisturizing? I am tired of seeing his utterly dry, chapped, scaly-looking hands!!!!

Anyway... so I finally watched the BBC/A&E "Pride and Prejudice." I really enjoyed it. I can't say which I like better, though, the 2005 P&P or this one. The A&E one is great, because it's longer and is more true to the actual novel, and you can see the progression from indifference to liking. But I enjoy the landscapes, costumes, colour, etc. from the 2005 one more. I am torn. Well, no reason I can't love both! :) And it's hard for me to say which Mr. Darcy I like better, because I like both of them in different ways. I wish the 2005 movie were longer...*sigh*

A Bit Obsessed...

So I haven't blogged in a long time. I've just been very busy. This semester I've decided to stay active and do things that I enjoy. So last week I went to my first ever fencing lesson. Fencing was something I've wanted to learn for a long time now. And then when I found out that James McAvoy is a class-C fencer (Wow!), I decided it's about time I learn! So on Tuesday I went... and I cannot believe how difficult it is! Suppose I won't be going to the 2008 olympics afterall lol... It's quite a workout!!! I am not sure if I will stick with it this semester. I might pick it up from the beginning next semester, because I had already missed a few lessons this semester, so I am not up to par with the rest. But I had no idea how much is involved in fencing. It's really quite difficult! But fun! :)

Then I decided to pick up with tennis, as I hadn't played in a few years. I am happy to say that my serves and backhands are still good! My forehand needs a lot of work though lol... But it was quite a work out as well. I am just out of shape!!!

Anddd I have been getting used to my new SLR. I've taken quite a number of photos, mostly at a graveyard. There is a very nice graveyard right on campus, near a chapel. It's the perfect place for me to practise with my camera!! I shall post some photos tomorrow on Cafe Jupie! So stay tuned! :)

Lately I've become super obsessed with movies based off of Jane Austen novels. I'd seen "Pride & Prejudice" before and liked it... so I bought the DVD and have watched it twice in one week! Then I got "Sense and Sensibility," which is also sooo good! Love it! Alan Rickman is wonderful in the movie. I love his character. I ordered the A&E version of "Pride and Prejudice" and am anxiously awaiting for it to arrive! And I was just so impatient, that I went ahead and ordered "Becoming Jane" from the UK. Quite unfair that it's already released there but a release date hasn't even been set for the US! Unfortunately my DVD player only plays region 1 DVDs, so that will be an issue... lol... Maybe my laptop will play it! I certainly hope so! Because I could not wait until 2008 to watch the movie again! That's just too long!

Anyway, so this brings me back to the same old question. Where is my Mr. Darcy!!!!!! Do such men even exist anymore?! Well, I certainly will not settle for anyone less than a Mr. Darcy (or Tom LeFroy) of my own! I really wish I lived during those times... When gentlmen existed... and there were lovely balls to attend... and the way men and women interacted was so lovely. Today everything is so blah. I was born in the wrong era. *sigh*

Anyway, Mr. Darcys aside... classes are going well. Learning about Ancient Persian history right now. We started at around 5000 BC. I wish I could go to Iran again. I feel I was not as appreciative of all the ancient architecture and whatnot I saw there several years ago as I should've been. I remember even sitting in the van a few times because it was too hot outside, and I missed out on several ancient engravings, sculptures, etc. Now that I've studied it... I can't believe I passed up on such opportunities! It's so amazing to be in the presence of something thousands and thousands of years old, wow! I'm glad that I did see Persepolis though!! But I really want to go back to Iran again someday, InshAllah. And of course to practise the Farsi I've learned thus far! Turkish is going quite well as well. I have the best professors. They are all so adorable!

Anyway, I really must update my other blogs. Dobby's blog has been neglected for so long, I am so ashamed. I must tell him to get off his lazy but and type!! =P He needs to stop waiting for Jaspurr, who, by the way, came by two days ago!! And I must update Jupie-Vision as well!!!! And of course, I will definitely upload photos tomorrow, InshAllah, on Cafe Jupie! :)

Toodlez for now!

Edit: Some photos have been posted!! :)

Mr. LeFroy

So classes start tomorrow!!! I'm not so sure I'm looking forward to it right now. There is so much crap I have to take care of. And I'm starting to feel anxious about my application, which probably hasn't been reviewed yet... and I'm already feeling anxious about all the student loans I'll have to pay off someday... Because sometimes I feel like all this studying will lead to nowhere, at least not to a decent career with a good salary! lol... We'll see, eekola.

I wish I lived in simpler times. Or do I? I don't know. I was wondering the other day, after watching "Becoming Jane," what life would've been like if I'd been born in that era in England? I love all the movies that take place in that time period, such as "Pride & Prejudice." I love the dresses the women wore back then... the balls they attended... how men and women interacted... everything was so lovely! The men wore nice suits and were gentlemen, like Mr. Thomas LeFroy!

I'm in love with Tom LeFroy! hehe... I've seen "Becoming Jane" twice. It's such a great movie. Definitely on the top of my favourites list now. True, the story might have been fictionalized. Although it's hard to tell how fictionalized it is... Because apparently, Jane Austen asked her sister to destroy letters containing any mention of Tom LeFroy upon her death. Why would she ask this to be done, if it was just a mere flirtation, as some say it was when critiquing "Becoming Jane"? That doesn't make sense. But fictionalized or not, it's a great movie and I love it. I wish men like Mr. LeFroy or Mr. Darcy actually existed! If only...*sigh*

James McAvoy is such a great actor. He played the doctor in "Last King of Scotland." He's just so adorable hehe :$ I'm not a huge fan of the movie "Starter for Ten," but he was adorable and quirky in that as well. Oh, and we can't forget him as Mr. Tumnus in "Chronicles of Narnia!" hehe:) He married a woman who is 9 or 10 years his senior! I think he should ditch her and marry me instead. lol Well, one can dream! hehe

Oh my goodness! I almost forgot! So I made an impulsive decision and finally bought a digital SLR. I am now the owner of a Canon Rebel XTi. Digital photography is much more complicated then regular ol' film photography. I haven't learned how to take proper photos with my camera yet. Before, all the extra work would be done in the darkroom. But now, I need to learn how to use all these buttons to get an image as I want it. *sigh* I should probably take a digital photography course...

Vices

So it's been a while. I found a job, thank God! At the local Kaplan Test Prep center. :) It's a good job. I don't have to clean up after messy customers, fold clothes and all of that crap. I've had jobs at banks before, and they are good part-time jobs, but I couldn't find such a job here in Bloomington. So Kaplan is good enough!! =) I register students for their classes, answer phones, stuff like that. Pretty easy stuff. Nice working environment.

Anyway, I need to learn how to start saving money. I've managed to get addicted to eBay again. I go through phases, where I am either on eBay a lot, or I abandon it altogether for a few months. Well, right now I'm on it a LOT, stocking up on Harry Potter collectibles lol... There are some HP collectibles that I bought many years ago, in 2000, that are selling for quite a bit on eBay now. I think it's a good investment! My two vices: Handbags and Harry Potter. Too many purses/handbags and I just can't seem to get enough Harry Potter stuff....

It's horrible, I know. But someday when I have my own house InshAllah, I'm going to have a room (preferably a study or library) where I will display all my Harry Potter stuff. :) I have run out of room in my apartment, so some of the stuff I'll just store until I have a house someday... hehe.

Classes begin on the 27th. I'm taking my 2nd year of Persian, 1st year of Turkish, and a class called "Prophets, Poets and Kings"... Iranian history. Should be interesting =) I still haven't heard from the CEUS department. The secretaries here are apparently very incompetent, and because of them, everything is messed up *sigh* So I haven't yet been accepted to CEUS, so I haven't yet been able to apply to SPEA, and that really puts me behind schedule. I am quite upset, but I haven't gotten to the point yet where I am fretting about it day and night. Once it hits me, I'll be a total nervous wreck, I know it. But for now I am trying not to think about it...

Anyway, I suppose that's all for now. I doubt anyone is reading this anyway =P But someday when I'm 80 and hopefully if I still know how to use a computer and this blog still exists, I shall come back and read about what my life was like many years ago....

Mysterious Gorilla Deaths

So... Another reason I have lost my faith in humanity. Humans are the worst creatures that God ever created, I am sure of that! Humans are just terrible, terrible beings. Humans kill each other for the stupidest reasons... as if that isn't bad enough... They kill innocent, defenseless beings for no reason at all. I am so sick of humans.

So there was an article in Newsweek about these poor innocent gorillas being shot in Africa for no apparent reason at all. They were all shot up-close, experts say, so it was not a mistake that these gorillas were shot. Some were burned alive after being shot. For what reason? No one knows. They were left just to die. They were not being killed for food or for their fur. One of the dead gorillas was found with it's baby clinging to its body. How incredibly sad.

I am so sick of humans!!!!! Especially because of all the animal abuse that goes on around the world, both wild and domestic. I was absolutely sickened when I went to San Francisco and saw ivory sculptures being sold left and right. Are no police men walking around the streets seeing these ivory sculptures being sold?! Is ivory not illegal? If it isn't, then I am even MORE disgusted!! Ivory should be ILLEGAL in the US!!! And if it's not, then I am seriously, seriously, seriously ticked off. I can't express how angry I am that people are disgusting enough to kill innocent elephants for their ivory. I HATE HUMANS!!!!!!

We have so many beautiful creatures in the wild that are endangered, all because of stupid, disgusting humans. And then all the poor innocent domestic animals that are neglected, abused, starved, etc. I'm so sickened!!!!!!!! It makes me feel so sick to my stomach and makes my blood boil! If it were up to me... I'd have ALL people who abuse animals, neglect them (when you adopt an animal, you have to realise what responsibility comes with it), starve them, kill them, etc... SHOT. Yes, I think such people deserve DEATH!!

A while back I was reading an article in Reader's Digest about this man in Colorado who rescues wild animals that have been taken captive. People buy (ILLEGALLY) wild cats and other wild animals for their own sick stupid pleasures, and these animals suffer when they get older, no one wants them when they aren't cute and cuddly anymore. The man in the article entered one house where he found so many baby cubs in freezers, dead all over the place, lying in their own waste, etc. Reading the article made my heart sink....

GOD DID NOT CREATE ANIMALS TO BE ABUSED AND USED FOR HUMANS SICK PLEASURES. I would just like to say to all those people who are thinking of adopting a cat or a dog... DO NOT UNLESS YOU HAVE RESEARCHED THOROUGHLY AND KNOW WHAT RESPONSIBILITIES COME WITH HAVING A PET!!!!!

That is all I have to say now. *sigh* I hope I become successful enough someday, InshAllah, so that I will have enough money to put into the cause of rescuing animals and teaching people responsibility, etc.