January 2012
99 posts
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I still love this song and the story in the video
I have so much love for this song. A Classic.
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I'm an incredibly open person
There isn’t much I hide about my life. There isn’t much I obfuscate about myself or twist and manipulate to present myself one way or another. I’m pretty much “what you see is what you get”.
I’m not saying I’m not deep. There’s a difference between being open and being shallow. I can talk about myself, my thoughts, my ideas for hours on end. I will...
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korakaghaz asked: I really enjoy your blog, and came it across it from Ahmad's blog (kosmosis). Your experiences are fascinating, and I'm also quite interested in teaching in some capacity for a portion of my life.
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vrm17 asked: King Saud University - Preparatory year ? I could recognize these classrooms in a second, oh the time I've spent just staring at these walls out of boredom!
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pbrsmash asked: I adore your vlogs! you are looking great. I'm feeling as jealous as you as the semester starting and people going back to uni. I really hope you go back!! how do your parents feel? I know u are 30(right?) but I'm sure the. have feelings of it. take care talk to u soon
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What have you fought for?
Have you ever fought for anything in your life? Have you ever been faced with anything bigger than yourself; when you knew that you had to fight to survive; when you knew that you had no option but to resist?
I’ve been thinking about the Arab Spring a lot today - especially Egypt - and how so many millions of people literally put their lives on the line to go out in to the world and fight.
...
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I can't help but think of Ryan Gosling driving...
The last one from the Drive soundtrack, I promise.
I saw on the Youtube comments for this that parts of it sound like Optimus Prime singing in the shower and I couldn’t help but laugh!
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I've been really nostalgic today
It’s partly because a bunch of people started to reblog a photo I uploaded around this time last year. I realised it was because it’s the first anniversary of the Egyptian uprising. The picture I posted on 28th of Jan last year got over 1000 notes. I’ll reblog it after I finish writing this post.
Anyway… it got me thinking about all these other things that were happening...
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I don't know why but I've found myself listening...
This one is the one that’s been on loop today…
If you were here beside me instead of in New York If the curve of you was curved on me I’d tell you that I loved you before I even knew you ‘Cause I loved the simple thought of you If our hearts are never broken and there’s no joy in the mending There’s so much this hurt can teach us both And there’s...
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I told my boss I'm quitting.
I told him I’m going to go and see him on Sunday and give him some news he’s not going to be happy about. He asked me if I’m resigning and I told him yes. He asked me why and I told him that I’d tell him when I saw him on Sunday.
Sunday is the 29th so I’ll work my one month notice up to the 29th of February and then leave Saudi on March 1st. It’s 37 days from...
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I'm a terrible son
I go weeks and months without talking to my parents. Today the timer reset to zero. I woke up from a nap and my first thought was to call my mum.
I can’t remember the last time I called my parents. I think it’s been a few weeks.
It always breaks my heart when I talk to them. They’re both getting older. Mum was in an accident a few weeks ago and she’s still not 100%. My...
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Anonymous asked: I wish I was born in the 80s, so I could meet my grandparents. I've always wanted to know how it feels to have grandparents.
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korakaghaz asked: I really am fascinated by the Indus Valley civilization. I'd like to travel back to probably 1800-1500 BC, be able to decipher their written language, and find out precisely what it was that caused their civilization to suddenly disappear.
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Anonymous asked: well, maybe the day i was born and be dead instead of breathing..
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I write one of these post every few months...
So many people on my Tumblr dashboard are back at college this week and it’s making me damn jealous. I really, really miss school. My own students start back on Saturday and I’d much rather be in their place with school starting for me on Saturday.
I wrote a post like this a few months ago and was waxing lyrical about my time as an undergraduate student. The thing is, I didn’t...
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Replies...
manalsmusings replied to your chat: Running with Waq
awwe, bromance
No teasing, Manal :P Our love is pure!
bermudianabroad replied to your chat: Running with Waq
higher, faster, better, stronger! (dundundun»»>!!!!!) french pop)
Is there any kind of pop music that is better than French pop music? Daft Punk FTW!
suburbias replied to your chat: Running with Waq
I’m the worst person to go...
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Running with Waq
Waq: Come one... just 500m more
House mate: I hate you
Waq: You can do it. Just keep going.
House mate: I fucking hate you. Shut up.
Waq: We're nearly there. Stronger. Faster.
House mate: You sadist bastard.
House mate: *makes it to the end of the run*
House mate: Awwwwww yyyyeeeeaaaahhhhhh
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If you could travel backwards or forwards in time...
(try to tell me a time/place that isn’t of religious significance because I know most of my followers would say Mecca 1440 years ago)
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It's a big Sunday of football today/right now
I miss my brother. I would ALWAYS watch the football with him. It used to one of our things. When we didn’t go to Old Trafford to watch United we’d always take over the living room and watch the games.
Today it’s Man City v Spurs (happening right now - 0-0 at half time) and then it’s the big one, Arsenal v Man Utd.
I want the first game to be a Spurs victory or a draw and...
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This song is even better... It sounds as good as...
Love it!
A Real Hero - College
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I watched the movie Drive and have this song stuck...
It’s a total GPOY.
Also.. Ryan Gosling… :O
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A few years ago I went to Rome for the Champions...
Whilst I was there I met up with a BBC News production team and they filmed me, my brother, and my friends. You can watch the video here.
If you laugh too much I’m not going to be happy with you guys… They asked us all to ‘act up’.
We’re in it from about a minute in and until the end.
Enjoy.
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I read every word on my dashboard
I read every post. I listen to every song. I click on every link. I watch every video. I read every quote.
Every. Single. Post.
I feel like I owe it to the people I follow. I don’t follow all that many people. When someone follows me I go through about 10 pages of their blog (or try to at least) and if they reblog a whole lot more than write their own thing, I won’t follow them...
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dansmesbras asked: I'm almost crying for joy, I am so so so happy and proud of you! :)
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Oh my God, I'm so tired
My housemate ran his first mile! He was amazing tonight.
Instead of covering the normal 12km/7.5miles we actually ended up covering 14.5km/9miles.
He hated me at the time but he thanked me when he got home. We’re really loving this running/walking thing. He’s improving every single time we go out and he’s pushing himself so hard to get fantastic results.
A week ago he...
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korakaghaz asked: While on the subject of life in Saudi, do these rules apply to non-Muslim diasporas as well? I was under the impression that there are sizable minorities from the subcontinent and elsewhere who work in Saudi, but didn't know if those women also have to wear abaya.
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Anonymous asked: I've gone through about ten pages or so of your blog and love everything so far. Sorry if you've been asked this or something similar before (I haven't been through everything just yet) but could you tell me what life really is like for women in Saudi Arabia? I mean you here all these things in the US, where I live, but what is actually true if you don't mind sharing? Thanks...
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Anonymous asked: Tumblr meet ups in Riyadh WHAT details please?
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I should be studying...
but I can’t bring myself to start just yet.
I’ve been thinking a whole lot today. It’s strange because it’s like I have all these things and opinions within me but it seems like I need other people to bring them to the surface for me. I feel like I need people to help show me a path.
Anyway… I was made to think about the way I make friends with people - real and...
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One of my favourite ever songs...
Sucker love is heaven sent. You pucker up, our passion’s spent. My hearts a tart, your body’s rent. My body’s broken, yours is bent. Carve your name into my arm. Instead of stressed, I lie here charmed. ‘Cause there’s nothing else to do, Every me and every you. Sucker love, a box I choose. No other box I choose to use. Another love I would abuse, No...
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I'm letting myself think of England...
and the things that will need to be done when I get back. I’m thinking about the route my life will take. I’m thinking about my family. I’m thinking about my friends. I’m thinking about the person I need to be when I step off the plane.
When I stepped off the plane and landed in Saudi Arabia I made a few promises to myself and, alhamdulilah, I kept them.
I have promises...
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Alhamdulilah. I feel like a burden has lifted.
I performed istikhara with isha tonight. I’ve been meaning to do it for days and weeks now but I’ve been avoiding it. I think I wasn’t ready to really know what to do. I don’t think I was really ready to step forwards and know how to proceed. I didn’t want to perform the istikhara because I was scared.
For those of you who don’t know the istikhara is a prayer...
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Such a perfect song... shame he's a Scientologist
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I'm so tired right now.
I wish I could sleep for 12 hours… or forever. Waking up doesn’t appeal to me at all.
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Today was memorable...
I’ve hardly slept in the last 24 hours. Work was deathly boring and I couldn’t come home because I actually had work stuff to do.
My house mate was loving the attention from yesterday’s post about him.
After I got home from work my day certainly picked up. Now I know why tumblr meet-ups are all the rage. I had dinner on the terrace of one of Riyadh’s tallest buildings and...
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“You miss a person the most when you have something to share with them, to tell...”
– Paraphrase of something someone once told me.
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Another post about my house mate... (with...
So… I’ve been talking about my house mate a lot on this blog for the last few months. I’ve used all sorts of adjectives and superlatives to describe how great a guy he is and how much I love him. He’s a 24 years old British-Pakistani, has a law degree, and currently has a great job in Saudi Arabia. He’s very religiously knowledgeable, he’s super-smart, sensible,...
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Oh my God... What a brutal song... Those eyes at...
Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
I thought I saw a man brought to life He was warm - he came around like He was dignified He showed me what it was to cry Well you couldn’t be that man I adored You don’t seem to know - don’t seem to care What your heart is for No I don’t know him anymore There’s nothin’ where we used to lie Conversation has run dry ...
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My house mate is amazing...
I’m so impressed with him today. I’m actually shocked too.
I wrote yesterday that we’ve started walking/running a few days ago and today he ran even more than yesterday in the walk cycle. He actually managed 1km of running non-stop. If I told him he’d manage that a week ago he would have hit me and never believed me. I told him that I’ll have him running the whole of...
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Turn up the volume to full, get up, and dance!...
Jimmy Eat World - The Middle
Hey Don’t write yourself off yet It’s only in your head you feel left out or looked down on Just try your best Try everything you can And don’t you worry what they tell themselves when you’re away [Chorus] It just takes some time Little girl, you’re in the middle of the ride Everything, everything will be just fine ...
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My house mate and I have started an exercise...
It’s pretty simple really. Everyday, after isha, we go to this place, not too far from where we live, at Prince Sultan University and walk laps of the university. Each lap is measured at 4km so we knows exactly what it is we’re getting.
We started walking on Friday evening and since then we’ve kind of got the buzz for it. It takes us around 2 hours to walk 12km/7.5m and...
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Do you ever get that feeling when a memory is so...
When you have a picture in your mind but it’s more than just the image, you also have the feelings in your fingertips, the smells, the sounds, everything?
I have this image stuck in my mind of a morning not too long ago and I can’t shake it. It’s like that moment was seared in to my memory and when I close my eyes I see it.
Everything is so clear. Everything is so vivid....
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I'm "home"sick
Today’s been really tough. It’s been an emotionally brutal day. I’ve just been going through the day in zombie mode and just thinking about everything.
I’ve been missing moments and things and… yeah. Some made me sad and others made me smile and the ones that made me smile made me feel even worse.
This is all so hard.
I talked to my sister for a while and that...
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educationisliberation asked: I just spent the last 20 mins replaying Scientist and crying....O.o Thanksalot! haha
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Today's music is a double whammy...
Coldplay - Trouble
Oh no I see A spider web it’s tangled up with me And I lost my head The thought of all the stupid things I said Oh no what’s this A spider web and I’m caught in the middle So I turned to run The thought of all the stupid things I’ve done And oh I never meant to cause you trouble And oh and I never meant to do you wrong And oh well if I...
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