Move to the city; lose all your heart

music/photos/quotes time!

better than happy meals.

enjoy!

p.s. still searching for a new site with music codes.

tell me whether or not the song works cos this player is really bipolar

The Rumble Strips - Girls and Boys in Love

"Lost love is still love. It takes a different form, that's all. You can't see their smile or bring them food or tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor. But when those senses weaken another heightens. Memory. Memory becomes your partner. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it."

~ Mitch Albom

(Eddie's wife, The Five People You Meet in Heaven)

Grown-ups like numbers.

When you tell them about a new friend, they never ask questions about what really matters.

They never ask: “What does his voice sound like?” “What games does he like best?” “Does he collect butterflies?”

They ask: “How old is he?” “How many brothers does he have?” “How much does he weigh?” “How much money does his father make?”

Only then do they think they know him.

~ Antoine de Saint Exupéry

The Little Prince

“Being alone, it can be quite romantic
Like Jacques Cousteau underneath the Atlantic

A fantastic voyage to parts unknown

Going to depths where the sun’s never shone
And I fascinate myself when I’m alone”

~ Andrew Bird

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales.

If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."

~ Albert Einstein

The saddest kind of sad is the sad that tries not to be sad. You know, when Sad tries to bite its lip and not cry and smile and go, “No, I’m happy for you”? That’s when it’s really sad.

~ John Mayer

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What?! You too? I thought I was the only one!"

~ C.S Lewis

"Who has never killed an hour?

Not casually or without thought, but carefully: a premeditated murder of minutes.

The violence comes from a combination of giving up, not caring, and a resignation that getting past it is all you can hope to accomplish.

So you kill the hour.

You do not work, you do not read, you do not daydream.

If you sleep it is not because you need to sleep.

And when at last it is over, there is no evidence: no weapon, no blood, and no body.

The only clue might be the shadows beneath your eyes or a terribly thin line near the corner of your mouth indicating something has been suffered, that in the privacy of your life you have lost something and the loss is too empty to share."

~ Mark Z. Danielewski

House of Leaves

“People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that’s bullshit. Love hurts. Feelings are disturbing. People are taught that pain is evil and dangerous. How can they deal with love if they’re afraid to feel? Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they’re wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio. You feel your strength in the experience of pain. It’s all in how you carry it. That’s what matters. Pain is a feeling. Your feelings are a part of you. Your own reality. If you feel ashamed of them, and hide them, you’re letting society destroy your reality. You should stand up for your right to feel your pain.”

~ Jim Morrison

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

We ask ourselves,

Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

We were born to make manifest the glory that is within us.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

~ Marianne Williamson

"The running boy is inside every man."

~ Mitch Albom
The Five People You Meet in Heaven

"When you don't fit in, you become superhuman. You can feel everyone else's eyes on you, stuck like Velcro. You can hear a whisper about you from a mile away. You can disappear, even when it looks like you're still standing right there. You can scream, and nobody hears a sound. You become the mutant who fell into the vat of acid, the Joker who can't remove his mask, the bionic man who's missing all his limbs and none of his heart. You are the thing that used to be normal, but that was so long ago, you can't even remember what it was like. "

~ Jodi Picoult

Nineteen Minutes

"If you're trying to show off for people at the top, forget it. They will look down on you anyhow. And if you're trying to show off for people at the bottom, forget it. They will only envy you. Status will get you nowhere. Only an open heart will allow you to float equally between everyone."

~ Morrie Schwartz

(from Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom)

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Danya + Kitchen

= not a good combo.


I nearly burnt down the house two days ago.

I was home alone and I was starving. I suddenly really wanted French fries. So I decided to make some.

Like I said, I was starving, and hence even more impatient. So I set the stove on high and waited for the oil to heat up.
And then…
The phone rang.
So I went to answer it and it was my dear friend JJ who, much to my dismay, tends to talk a lot. Not that I don't talk a lot. Just not on the phone. It's irksome.
Anyway. 5 minutes later I remembered the oil and I ran to the kitchen.

It was bubbling and smoking in the pan.
I freaked out and quickly grabbed the pan to take it off the stove…
And I accidentally spilled most of the oil on the stove.
And then…

WHOOOSHHHHH!

There was this huuuuuuge colossal fire all of a sudden.

(I may be exaggerating just a wee bit but.. come on.. put yourselves in my house slippers..)

(It was pretty big though.)

Anyway. I gasped and stared at it in shock.

I cannot even begin to tell you what was going on in my head, but it was something along the lines of…
CRICKET. SHIT. I TOLD MY DAD A THOUSAND TIMES TO BUY AN EXTINGUISHER. I mean, THIS WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN. I KNEW IT. WHAT DO I DO?! Water?! No I won't be able to carry enough here so I'll just fuel the fire and make it worse! Sand?! No.. that's too far away and what will I carry it with?! Oh man I don't even know the fire department's number! Oh my god if this fire doesn't kill me my dad sure will he's practically married to this house I mean we just moved here.. I wonder if maybe I get a few third-degree burns he'll feel too sorry for me and won't kill me…

I think at that point I began to realize that the fire was getting smaller and smaller until eventually it died out.
I sat on the floor and shivered for maybe 10 minutes.

I'm a survivor.

But anyway my cousin and I made steaks for lunch today and I successfully managed both not to burn the house down and keep all my fingers.

Awuppah!

Although I did have a little accident while peeling the potatoes but what's a little skin on my thumb…


My cousin enjoyed teasing me with the knife and laughing at me cringing away from it.

She thinks my fear of knives is illogical.

Illogical?

Excuse me?

Illogical?

Let's see here.

Is it sharp?
Check.

Is it lethal?
Check.

Has it been used to kill people?
Check.

(Just ask this dude)

I mean if someone were to point a gun at you, wouldn't you freak out? Why not a knife, then?
Clearly my fear is perfectly excusable.

As one last loving note, I must demand that you watch this video.

Now I won't torture you for long. Just watch it until about 0:35 when Miley starts to "sing." What made me laugh till I nearly died though was this comment someone left on the video:
"i love how patronisingly rihanna looks at miley."
God I love YouTube comments.

Sure they make you lose faith in humanity sometimes, but they are so amusing.

(p.s. Miley gets even worse around 1:30)

Okay that's it.
Thanks for reading and take care =)

Oh p.s. seriously, are you scared of knives, too?

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And we’ll fill the metro skies with country air

September 21st was the International Day of Peace.

I'm kind of bummed that it went by without anyone here really making a big deal out of it.

I completely forgot about it until today. I knew something seemed familiar about the date, but for some reason I thought that peace day was on the 24th of October... but that's UN day! (And my friend Fatima's birthday). Stupid!

I saw an ad on TV for Peace One Day (the organization that helped officially kickstart peace day).

It had kids defining peace. It was really lovely and it made me tear up. They really hit the nail on the head, those kids. They see things more clearly than we do, sometimes.

I tried to find it for you guys but I couldn't :[ So I don't think it's an official Peace One Day ad, although they did show the logo at the end.

You can catch the full Peace One Day documentary here. I'm watching it now; I'm about 20 minutes through it.

This guy is really inspiring. I can't say I've seen many people as determined as he is. And he faced a room full of Arab politicians :p with the issue of Palestine bound to arise, it was pretty brave of him, if I do say so myself - no matter how bad he think he did.

I'm determined to find out as much about this as I can.

On a brighter note, is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen?

Nizlopi - JCB song

It made me smile like I just had Botox and my face was fixed permanently into a wide grin.

OPTIMUS PRIME!

And noticed Mary Poppins at the end?

I've been going around singing, "I'm Luke, I'm five, and my dad's Bruce Lee! Drives me 'round in his JCB!" and annoying quite a few people but I don't care.

I also saw the most amazing fireworks display I've ever seen earlier tonight.

I swear it was like diamonds in the sky.

Whenever the fireworks disappeared they re-appeared two seconds later like twinkling diamonds. I'm not exaggerating; that's what it looked like.

I was in awe.

So ok that's it for today.

Happy late peace day.

On second thought.

Happy peace day!

Cos everyday should be peace day.

Yes I'm corny but I promise eventually you'll learn to deal with it.

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Dear World

Dear left ear,
Seriously, when are you going to stop ringing?

The constant beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep in my head is getting rather annoying.

Now I know you're doing your best,

and you're getting better,

but would you mind getting better faster?








Dear new housekeeper,
You're weird.

Does your diet consist mainly of socks?

Because I can't seem to find any of mine since you got here.

Actually, I can't seem to find many of my things since you got here.

Pens, headphones, headbands, bracelets, rings, tank tops – what do you do with them?

I know I'm not the neatest person, but it still drives me crazy when I can't find my things.

I know my room can be a mess sometimes, but it's a neat mess, I always know where everything is.

Until you got here, that is.

(The sad thing is, I'm too scared to confront you. Have you seen the size of your muscles?)








Dear AP chemistry,
Thank you for inviting me over for dinner.

However, next time, it would be nice of you to let me know that I'm going to be served as the main course.

You are feeding on my soul.
Please stop.









Dear dad,
Thank you for being the most amazing dad ever. I love you.
P.S. I had to go pee after I saw this old photo of you.

Never let Auntie Raja'a fool you into blow-drying your hair again.
Not that you have much left of that…
:P You know I love you.







Dear world,
Why are you so fascinating?
And why can't I drop everything and visit every nook and corner of you right now?

Dear former incarnation of me,
I'm pretty sure you were African... or Chinese.

Because these photos made my day.

Dear metabolism,
Admit it, I'm being really nice to you, aren't I?
I'm not eating as much as I used to, aren't I?
I'm just showing you that I appreciate you.
So please keep making everything I eat disappear into that little Mary Poppins bag of yours. Don't give up on me any time soon.
(However,I would still like to gain those 3 kgs.
My collarbone looks all anorexic-like.)









Dear somebody,
(**readers, brace yourselves, this is an angry one...)
Your endless strive to be perfect and control everyone sickens me.
It is so satisfying for me to watch things not go your way.
The imperfections in your life make me giddy with glee.
And I am so, so, so happy to be one of them.










Dear bookstore in Bahrain,
I'm still waiting for you to call me and tell me my copy of Everything is Illuminated has arrived. You told me it's going to take 3-4 weeks.
It's been 3 days.
Shame on you…






Dear readers,
Hi :)
Leave me a small Dear (something)!
Take care!

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Meet Jeffrey the Robot + my bookshelves

so about a couple of weeks ago, i was watching the fireflies music video for the million and first time, and i thought to myself,

man i'd love to have a robot in my room.

and then, a few hours later, when i was on my bed, slowly drifting into sleep, i jumped up and thought,

why the heck not?!

and so i shared this dark dark secret with my dear cousin alia.

and we decided to make a cardboard robot.

he's not complete yet.

i have big plans for him.

but i am impatient and i want to show you guys.

so, guys,

meet...

Jeffrey the Robot.

he still needs arms and legs.

and we're going to glue a bunch of nifty gadget-like stuff to his torso.

+ a couple of other surprises you'll see later.

but yes.

isn't he awesome?

on another grand note,

guess what?

I FINALLY HAVE BOOKSHELVES.

(click to enlarge)

we moved a few months ago, and we haven't really officially settled in yet.

i hate my room.

mainly because i didn't choose the furniture myself.

my parents got sick and tired of waiting for me to find something i liked

(it's not my fault i want my room to look like a flea market and we don't have that kind of stuff here it saudi -_-),

so one day they surprised me by coming back from furniture shopping and telling me,

oh hey danya, guess what? we bought you furniture.

awuppahhh!!!

not.

it's all darkwood furniture, which sucks.

except the bed.

it's kinda cool.

it's japanese-style.

plus they failed to get me any bookshelves or something to store my stuff in.

BIG problem, with me being the pathological junk-hoarder that i am.

(that's why alia and i managed to make Jeffrey a bit quickly. i had a collection of toilet paper tubes. don't ask why)

so yeh that's why i'm a bit psyched about the bookshelves.

but anyway.
i discovered that i don't actually have as many books as i thought i did.

and you know what this means?

i need to stop borrowing stuff from the library.

cos i like to actually own the books i read.

plus the librarians are starting to think i have no social life.

pshaw.

i so do.

well not currently.

thanks to AP chemistry.

but anyway. here's my favorite part:

my jodi picoult collection!!!

and here's my least favorite part:

my torture tools collection.




annnd that's it for today.
hope you're all well.
tell me about your day, etc.


**p.s. blogger seriously needs to do something about photo options. some technologically-challenged people like yours truly really don't have the patience to go through flaming hoops just to post good quality photos.



take care :)



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deafening silence

aloha! how are you kind people doing?

here's something new i wrote for my shnovel.

shnovel cos it isn't an actual novel, but, here we go :p

-

The world is full of paradoxes and oxymorons.

Deafening silences.
Military intelligence.
Unbiased opinions.
Natural make-up.
Wars against terror.

And feeling like a stranger in one's own home.

As I lay here on my bed, on the covers I've owned for six years now, covers that I've outgrown, covers that aren't being replaced no matter how many times I ask my mother to – I listen to the sounds of "my family's" chattering and laughter.

Me not being with them is akin to me being there.
What difference does it make?

I keep waiting for someone to knock on my door, to wonder, "Where the heck is that girl?"
But my waiting is in vain.
Because everyone knows I don't belong there, with them.
I should know that better than anyone.
If I go out there, I'm only going to end up running back here.
The only place where I don't feel claustrophobic. The only place where I don't feel like a fraud, like a sore thumb sticking out. The only place where I don't feel like clawing my way out of my own skin.

Because in here, I don't have to be anyone. I don't have to play a part. I don't have to laugh at all the right jokes, gasp at all the right places, smile at all the right stories, I don't have to tell any of my own.
I don't have to watch as people scramble to fill empty silences with empty words.

In here, silence is the language everyone speaks in.

In here, silence has a sound. It pulses from the very being of the room, from the off-white walls…
It's okay, it whispers to me.
It doesn't all have to make sense.
You belong here.
And you don't even have to try.

-

fin.

so, tell me something interesting; i'm kind of bored.

p.s. i need a new website to post music from. the one i've been using sucks. i just found out all the stuff i posted before doesn't even play anymore.

what the cricket?

so yes. any suggestions would be handy dandy.

see you!

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A how-to and a really really really cool video

Okay so!

For those of you who asked how I made those polaroids from.. 2 posts back..

Go to this website http://www.poladroid.net/ and download the software.

It's seriously simple to use.

I am the most technologically-challenged person ever, and I was able to work my way around it.

Advice: Don't wait for the final result photo, cos the final result tends to be a bit too contrast-y that it doesn't really look like a polaroid. So what I basically did was, I right clicked on the photo every 10 seconds or so while the colors "set in," and I clicked "I want a sample now." Then, after the polaroid was completely done (there's a magic "DING!"), I opened the My Pictures folder, and chose the polaroid with the best colors.

You'll see what I mean when you use the software, sorry if I confused you.

But anyway, here's what the photos looked like before:

(I'd edited the contrast and the vignette options beforehand using PhotoImpact and/or Photoshop)

Ta-da!

OH and as promised, here's the really really really cool video:

Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world - (song is Please don't go by Barcelona) from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

*Watch it here if the vid's being stupid. But the quality on Vimeo is better.

Please, please, please be patient and give it time to load before you watch it so you get a smooth playback.

It's worth it.

I've watched it at least 10 times already, and I'm not sick of it.

It's called the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium.

It's in Japan.

It's the second largest aquarium in the world.

And umm..

I really wanna go there.

So yes. Be good! Take care =)

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promises and ceiling fans

hey folks.

you know something?

insomnia sucks.

it really does.

so here's something i just wrote.

it's very sappy, and i can't believe i'm posting it.

but i surprise myself everyday.

-

They lay on their backs on the uncomfortable bed, knowing very well they'd rather be there than anywhere else in the world.
He traced an "I love you" on her thigh, and she felt it in her heart before anywhere else.

She inched closer to him, rested her head on his chest. She synchronized her breathing to his.
We are one now, she thought.
I'm yours, he thought.

She listened to the low whir of the turquoise ceiling fan; she listened to his slow breathing; she listened to his steady heartbeat…

Until his heart was the only thing she could hear. It pounded and echoed in her head like thunder, blocking out all the peaceful sounds from just a few seconds before.

She pulled away abruptly and lay down on her back again.

"Are you okay?" He asked, finding her hand and holding it.
"I'm fine," she said.
"You don't seem fine…"
"It's nothing," she laughed apprehensively. "It's just…" And she fell silent.

He watched her for a bit, sensed her embarrassment. He gently placed two fingers under her chin and made her look at him.

"It's me," he whispered. "Tell me."

"It's really nothing. I've always been just a little spooked out by the sound of a heart beating. To me… it sounds like a time bomb ticking away… A reminder of how easily things could go wrong. Like it's counting the seconds we have left on this earth… Until one day, we'll hear it beat for the last time."

He was quiet for a long time, until she was certain she had scared him. She cursed herself and her inability to hold her tongue.

And then, finally, he spoke.

"You may be right… But to me, it's just a reminder of how vulnerable we are. We humans have grown too cocky; we think we are invincible. We do hard drugs, drive fast cars, smoke lots of cigars - and death always hits us like a brick wall; it always shocks us. I think our hearts just serve as a reminder of how fragile we are… But also a reminder of how strong and otherworldly love can make us."

He took her hand and placed her palm on his heart. She stared at him for what could have been an eternity, or maybe just a second.

And then she rested her head on his chest again, and listened to the heart she knew she'd keep safe for the rest of her life.

-

extra cheese for me, please.

also, i realize it's in third person, unlike the other excerpts i've posted, but... i'm having trouble deciding whether i should do it in third person, or first person.

i think first person is the right way to go, since i'm planning on writing from other characters' perspectives, too.

i dunno.

decisions, decisions.

so in my next post i'll tell you how i made the polaroids from my last post.. for those of you who asked.

thanks to all of you who told me they liked them.

i like you too.

take care

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