time with tash [chaos in cairo]

happy naw ruz!

2010-03-23T20:28:00.001+11:00

i am still here. i am also deciding whether to blog or not to blog.

new visa, new life

2008-02-06T07:02:00.000+11:00

home is a funny word. i've always associated it with the house i was born and raised in.. but as soon as i stepped off the plane and back onto cairo soil, after just a month of being away from this place, i felt the word home creep into my mind (luckily, very soon after, an egyptian man attempted to charge me 5 times the amount for a cab fare from the airport back to my "house" in maadi.. and any euphoric feelings towards egypt/egyptians/cairo/cairoans quickly dissipated). nevertheless cairo does feel a lot like home now, in an odd way. i think it may be my subconscious attempting to brace myself for a few years of life here. but either way, its a nice feeling. and its nice to have nima back here with me.

in more exciting news, in a very lucky feat, i got a one year visa granted!! so i'm well and truly on the road to settling in cairo.

i've become a wife

2008-02-06T06:50:00.000+11:00

around a month ago i became nima’s wife. it’s really a lovely feeling, being a wife that is. i always thought the step into wifeness was a major one. i thought that marriage was this awfully big commitment, fit only for the awfully brave.. but i now realise how wrong i was! maybe it's because nima is absolutely fantastic in helping with the transition, but whatever the reason, being married is really wonderful. i liken it to being 5 year old kid who is allowed to eat chocolate icecream for breakfast everyday (bar any serious health repercussions).. it's fun! it's like always having your best friend around.. that works for some people. it certainly works for me!

i'm happy.

on love, in egypt

2007-12-14T23:23:00.000+11:00

and the girl looked at me and said,

"i belong to my love, and he wants me."

also! i got hit by a car again today

2007-12-10T20:56:00.001+11:00

a taxi this time.
and he yelled at me too. rude.

i have essays due

2007-12-10T20:43:00.001+11:00

(which is why i'm procrastinating)

definetely one of the most fascinating bonuses of living here has been experiencing a true middle eastern education (excuse the "American University Of" part of the institution). despite the american style classes, don't allow yourself to be fooled! the university is very much tied up with egyptian beaucracy. after all, if egyptians are running an american university, its going to become an egyptian university, right? right!

that aside. i never really felt challenged in my undergraduate studies. i did the commerce part, i did the law part and i got out there. this, i'm finding is a VERY different experience!

par example. i'm currently (trying) to write a paper on classical islamic law. i can't just write it. i'm trying to really understand it.. but i can't just understand it. its very dense. i'm a very stressed little bunny.

i'll finish this post later

sunset over tahrihr square

2007-12-07T21:53:00.000+11:00

most days i ~~hate~~ find it challenging to be in egypt. i find it terribly difficult.

so why oh why why why do i stay?

it's all about the "melting moment".
egypt, no matter how much you hate it, always manages to find the perfect time, your melting moment, to charm you.. she never fails with her graceful timing.

example. a month ago, shoving through the hoards of people in tahrihr square, having just had my visa denied, lost my new scarf, been groped by a man on the metro, and down to my last 20 pounds, i was spent. done. i was packing my suitcase in my head. then i glance up, and there it was...

HOW does she do it?!

two peas in a pod

2007-12-05T07:41:00.000+11:00

they were kittens born to a street cat, and then they found an aussie girl to give em a home..

introducing:

BAILEY

and

MOZA

reflection of the day

2007-12-03T02:07:00.000+11:00

spotting a pyramid at a distance, late at night, is really very eery.

11 months ago, i met a boy.

2007-11-19T09:23:00.001+11:00

i don't exactly remember the first occasion. but i started seeing him around. i'd heard of him because he was roomates with a good friend of mine years back.

6 months ago, i started to get to know the boy.

i liked him. he was really funny, but kinda shy. he was always around people, and had a sparkle in his eyes. he was never clean shaven, but his clothes were always perfectly ironed. he understood persian, and spoke with a very aussie accent. he laughed a lot, in the humble sort of way. he was the best listener i'd ever met. he opened the car door for me once. he had pet lizards, which i found refreshing. he had a younger brother who looked exactly like him. he never called me "tash", always "natasha". he worked really hard, but took time out to play. he took me out for chinese food, and refused to let me pay. he was enthusiatic when i wanted to run devotionals, and he helped me pick readings. he shared his views on spiritual topics and i shared mine. he let me drive his car.

then he proposed to me, and i get to marry him in 5 weeks time.

and because we didn't spend much time in the same country, we have but a handful of photos together.. and this is one of them

i can't wait to take a few more.

i hate it

2007-11-19T09:15:00.000+11:00

yes. "i hate it" has become my new mantra.

i realised this yesterday after both nora (my gorgeous german/egyptian friend) and linda (my equally gorgeous italian/australian roomate), on two seperate occassions, shouted it in the same irritated and naggy tone of voice that i often shout it in.

and the truth is, i do hate it.

egypt hasn't been a walk in the park for me. it's been a struggle. i've found it all hard, from the culture, to the food, to the vast oceans between it and my fiancee.

this explains the lack of enthusiasm for my blog. i've been afraid to start complaining, because i know the complaints won't stop. and being a generally non-complainy person that generally tries to enjoy life, its been hard to adjust.

but i've unpacked my emotional suitcase. i'm here for the long haul.. and dammit, i'm going to start to enjoy life in this crazy beautiful city.

cairo and its special ways

2007-09-04T05:21:00.000+10:00

i’ve been to egypt a few times over the years. i have family here - aunties, uncles, cousins. i’ve seen the pyramids, sphinx and great library of alexandria. heck, i’ve even done mount sinai and sharm el sheik. i’ve eaten falafel three times a day, and chewed on leb in the streets. i’ve caught the tram, and taken a felucca across the nile. all very awesome.. but when you’re just passing through, all the idiosyncrasies of a foreign country are a novelty. they’re fun, exhilarating and endearing. enter long term residency.

these are the things about cairo that never seemed to bother me as a tourist, never even crossed my mind, until recently when i’ve had to call this chaotic place home..

1) the traffic: it’s a nightmare. a life-threatening nightmare. a 5 minute car ride can easily blow out to 50 minutes, if you make it alive. and don’t get me started on crossing the road..

2) the involved masses: it doesn’t bother me that there are A LOT of people in this city, it’s more the fact that everyone is involved in every facet of your life in any given time. everyone ~~on my street~~ in my neighbourhood knows exactly why i’m in egypt, how much rent i’m paying and my fathers full name. there’s even an old lady on the corner of my street that often suggests how i should carry my bags, and criticises the grocery brands i prefer. i often think of my fellow australians that have the luxury to assert “that’s a personal question!”, and I try to imagine the reaction such retort would get if used on a local egyptian.. i’m thinking either a snigger and/or a slap across the face.

3) the cab drivers: who freely decide what fare they deserve depending on their mood.

4) the english disadvantage: the instant people find out you speak it, everything becomes 5 times more expensive.

5) the “maalesh” (or “nevermind!”) attitude: which always manages to appear when you urgently need something done.

6) the water: that leaves you feeling itchy after a shower.

7) the staring. the constant staring.

now reading over this i realise i’m being quite the sook. egypt is a beautiful place – obviously, otherwise i wouldn’t be here. and i’m not having a bad time.. it’s fine. but i am finding that i'm either having the best or the worst time of my life at any given time.. never anything in between. it's either amazing or horrible. and i’m just surprised that i’ve never noticed these frustrating things before? maybe it’s fear hitting me. fear that this is my fate for the next couple years.. adjustment tips welcomed.

disoriented and far far from any comfort zones,
tash

currently craving

2007-09-03T20:27:00.000+10:00

i haven't been a happy lil vegemite lately :(

in teta's backyard

2007-09-03T20:02:00.000+10:00

Alexandria, Egypt

family

2007-09-03T19:49:00.000+10:00

whom without, the last couple of weeks would have been proven to be ~~impossible~~ ~~unbearable~~ very difficult.

ch-ch-changes

2007-08-22T03:57:00.001+10:00

they say good things come in threes.

change one: quitting the job

i wasn't the most attached corporate lawyer out there, but it still wasn't the easiest decision. i only lasted 17 months in private practice. is that a little embarassing? maybe. but i'm actually quite proud of myself!

change two: relocating to the middle east

so, this is the big one. along with the job abandonment came the search for new career opportunities. having an interest in the middle east and it's melting pot of exciting issues, my desintation was clear. i applied for a masters program in international and comparative law at the AUC, and that was it. the decision was made.

change three: new blog look

well, this change was a natural step in my head. new country, new blog look - makes sense, yes?

see you there

2007-07-31T14:41:00.000+10:00

i'm an aunty

2007-07-31T13:45:00.000+10:00

and i'm probably biased, but she's gorgeous..

i've served my time

2007-07-13T08:00:00.000+10:00

it's my last day in private practice.

it has been 509 days since i started, bright-eyed and bushy tailed.

(accordingly, it has been 508 days since i have been bright-eyed and bushy tailed.)

so, technically, i've served:

43,977,600 seconds or

732,960 minutes or

12,216 hours or

72 weeks or

(this is the important one) 122 160 billable units.

and quite frankly, that's all the corporate world is getting out of me.

in the words of fall out boy: thanks for the memories.

no but really, thanks for the memories. i have learnt so much. too much. and i know that i will take that knowledge with me into the unknown (the unknown is sometimes referred to as the middle east).

your legal practitioner signing off,
tash

ps i've never understood why lawyers measure life in 6 minute units. admittedly, i'm quite content that i will no longer be plagued by this confusion.

baby, i'm being patient

2007-07-12T10:52:00.001+10:00

but i'd really like to meet you.
do you think you could get out here asap to give aunty tash a smile?
i miss you already.

born to love

2007-07-11T09:12:00.001+10:00

A PUPPY chihuahua has been born in Japan with a large, clear, love-heart-shaped pattern in his coat.

read article here.

NO! i'm not moving to egypt because i'm egyptian.

2007-07-10T16:07:00.000+10:00

stop asking me that!
i'm an aussie okay. i know nothing of this egypt-place.
and stop calling me an arab.

offt

2007-07-10T15:43:00.000+10:00

i love the smell of spray-and-wipe on the surface of an empty shelf that once housed volumes and volumes of legal correspondence that i never have to think about again... mmmm

there's a camel in my front yard!

2007-07-05T10:45:00.000+10:00

assuming i'll have a front yard..
which i don't think is likely.
but one thing is certain:

shortly, i'll be seeing less of this

and more of this

because

i am moving to egypt in 34 days.

only 6.5 days left in a commercial law firm.

2007-07-04T11:28:00.000+10:00

will i still be called a lawyer?

closure [clo·sure]

2007-07-04T11:14:00.000+10:00

n.
1. the act of closing; the state of being closed.
2. a bringing to an end; conclusion.
3. a sense of psychological certainty or completeness.

my energies last year were spent looking for closure. i needed a chapter of my life closed, done, finished. so i tried searching. in vain i tried searching, waiting and it never arrived. a few times i thought i had it, only to realise it quickly disappeared.

and then, i stopped searching. instead, i started (unknowingly) writing the next chapter of my life. and it was only last night that i realised i'd unwittingly received the closure that just the previous year i'd been aching for. i'd received it long ago and didn't even notice. and yet, here i was again, battling another chapter of life requiring closure..

so i'm thinking, is life just a constant series of beginnings and endings?

because if it is, i like it.

my blog is suffering from MCS

2007-07-03T12:25:00.000+10:00

my theory goes that your blog is a microcosm, an online reflection if you like, of your life. in times of order, the blog gets regular updates. in times of joy, the posts are upbeat and frequent. in periods of popularity, the blog gets comments and praise. but when you're busy.. the blog gets, well nothing.

when i'm busy, my blog gets less than nothing. it gets a puzzled "time with what.. oh that."

it's sad, but the blog becomes likened to a middle child. it gets neglected. it's just not important enough. it doesn't demand your attention. it's just – well – in between.

and it's not until someone starts with the "marcia, marcia, marcia" that you realise what a neglectful parent you've been.

those crazy vegetables

2007-06-22T11:08:00.001+10:00

and yes. i'm still proud to be a vegetarian.

who's back?

2007-06-21T10:18:00.000+10:00

it's been so long i forgot my login details

2007-06-21T10:15:00.000+10:00

i'm not even trying to be funny! i mean it.

a few minutes ago i was staring blankly at the blogspot login page.. my brain refusing to comply. luckily i finally convinced it to cooperate, it churned out my password and here we are.

it really has been too long. i feel like i've been in rehab. i've been recuperating from the blogging community, cleansing and re-finding myself. but alas, the blogging drug is quickly refilling my veins - i can feel the adrenalin rushing to my fingertips, woooosssh. must type faster. think quicker. more posts needed. put up more posts. another hit. i need another hit... okay settle down tash, settle down. woah.

now that we've had our moment, where do i begin?

actually just this morning i stumbled across this quote:

the secret of being a bore is to tell everything.

so to avoid the risk of being boring, i may just keep up the mystery and tell you the bare minimum. ready?

* shireen moved back to alice springs: i'm not sure why, last i heard it's still a very red and hot place to live.

* kate and jase are still pregnant: well just kate is, don't be fooled. and my baby niece is seriously the cutest thing ever. she's so lovely. i can't wait to tell her in person.

* i met a pop star. well, i met someone in this years Australian Idol top 100. well true, that didn't really merit its own dot point. he was a great guy though.

* facebook is an addiction arguably more severe than blogging.

* i quit my job. only 16 days, or 120 billable hours to go.

well i have many more saucy stories to come. but i am currently at risk of disappointing my elders in the workplace. so i best get back to it.

in summary, i still love you. i'll never let go jack, i'll never let go.

yours,
tash

life is beautiful

2007-05-14T13:48:00.001+10:00

more to follow.. promise

sweetest farewell

2007-05-07T10:52:00.000+10:00

Well that's me done - i would say it has been a pleasure meeting you - but it hasn't.

See you,
D.

a person who made an ever-so-oh brief cameo appearance in my life headed back overseas on friday, and since we didn't get the chance to say adios, he left me this note.. which left me in stiches.

admittedly, the most bittersweet (more sweet than bitter) farewell i've encountered.

and that's something.. considering my passionate dislike of goodbyes.

courtesy of shabs

2007-05-04T00:08:00.000+10:00

why did the computer cross the road?
because the ~~chiken~~ chicken programmed it to

why is the world so big?

2007-05-03T09:51:00.000+10:00

predictable tourists

2007-05-02T09:57:00.000+10:00

i'm happy to confirm that my cousins (kate, jase and shireen) are well and truly predictable travellers.

forbes traveller has compiled the 50 most visited tourist attractions in the world, with times square (pictured above) reigning number one and boasting over 35 million visitors a year. much like the 35 million before them, my cousins are currently on a US road trip, making their way to the big apple to see what all the fuss is about.

personally, i found the study quite interesting, and had a little giggle at the confirmed "tourist industry truisms":

A) americans love to travel, but they prefer to stick within their own borders.

B) wherever Mickey Mouse goes, he conquers.

C) paris is the unofficial cultural theme park of the world.

D) niagara falls isn’t just for lovers anymore.

racking through the list i realised what a diverse and beautiful world we live in. moan, groan. cheese. i know. but it's true! we are very lucky humans.

among my favouritist of the 50 most favourites are definitely:

number 9: Notre Dame de Paris, Paris, France

12 million visitors a year

number 38: Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia

more than 4 million visitors per year

number 39: The Coliseum, Rome, Italy

4 million visitors per year

number 47: Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

3 million visitors per year

and i can't believe it's in the 50th spot!

Taj Mahal, Agra, India with 2.4 million visitors per year

anyway, if you're planning a holiday, i guess this list is a fabulous place to start.

ps take me with you please?

travel bugged,

tash

john mayer wisdom

2007-05-02T09:53:00.000+10:00

belief is a beautiful armour
but makes for the heaviest sword

walking ghettopedia

2007-04-30T13:29:00.000+10:00

some moments are too priceless not to publish on a blog.

tash: hey ads i was wondering, in the ghettos of harlem, what does "fo shizzel my nizzel" mean?

adrian: uhhhhhh seriously i don't like to take my work home..

fo - derives from the traditional English word "for" which literally means "for"

shizzlal - is a type of ghetto device used for fossicking for gold. it has a barrel, sometimes two, a trigger and is loaded with magic beans made from metal.

my - is a common grammatical mistake, the word should be 'ma'.

nizzel (haha i dont mean to laugh at you but I think you mean nizzle) - this word is the word used to describe immigrants from an African country called Nizzleria.

Grammatically rearranged and interpretted from the original language the sentence reads:

"Hey my fellow Nizzle, have you seen my gun. Look its got two eye holes for you to look into.. BAM Yo' dead fool, good day to you."

Any further requests should be sent to Macquarie University to the department of homeygee'ology, not given to me in my free time.

tash: [still laughing]

this is faith

2007-04-27T12:34:00.000+10:00

To walk where there is no path
To breathe where there is no air
To see where there is not light
This is Faith.

To cry out in the silence
The silence of the night
And hearing no echo believe
And believe again and again
This is Faith.

To hold pebbles and see jewels
To raise sticks and see forests
To smile with weeping eyes
This is Faith.

To say: "God, I believe" when others deny
"I hear" when there is no answer
"I see" though naught is seen
This is Faith.

And the fierce love in the heart
The savage love that cries
Hidden Thou art yet there!
Veil Thy face and mute Thy tongue
yet I see and hear Thee, Love,
Beat me down to the bare earth
Yet I rise and love Thee, Love!
This is Faith.

a poem by Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum

should i or shouldn't i?

2007-04-24T17:40:00.000+10:00

i'm not fond of t-h-e-s-e type of decisions.

just because II.

2007-04-24T17:36:00.001+10:00

a dyslexic guy walks into a bra.

just because.

2007-04-24T17:29:00.000+10:00

a mushroom walks into a bar
and the bartender says "we don't serve mushrooms here",
to which the mushroom replies "but why?! i'm a fungi!".

(very) hot topic

2007-04-24T17:24:00.000+10:00

NASA releases 3D images of the sun.

A mosaic of the extreme ultraviolet images of the sun captured from NASA's STEREO telescope. Photo: Reuters/NASA

so silly, yet so loved

2007-04-23T22:12:00.000+10:00

healing, how all can help

2007-04-23T10:48:00.000+10:00

The work of healing the sick, however, is a matter that concerns not the patient and the practitioner only, but everyone. All must help, by sympathy and service, by right living and right thinking, and especially by prayer, for of all remedies prayer is the most potent. “Supplication and prayer on behalf of others,” says ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “will surely be effective.” The friends of the patient have a special responsibility, for their influence, either for good or ill, is most direct and powerful. In how many cases of sickness the issue depends mainly on the ministrations of parents, friends or neighbors of the helpless sufferer!

J. E. Esslemont

i have suprised even myself!

2007-04-23T10:43:00.000+10:00

i can totally relate with the Professor.
sure, i've been a lawyer for well over a year now, but whenever legal knowledge exits my brain and passes through my lips, i'm always slightly dumbfounded.
i feel like i still know nothing. nothing.
but on those occassions where i can whip out some specialised knowledge, i must say i even surprise myself.

i heart friday

2007-04-20T10:15:00.000+10:00

i wish i could chop friday up and spread it evenly across the week.
it's just delicious.

what's even better is friday evening.
oooo God was kind when He allocated humanity with that timeslot.
we're so lucky with all that unconditional lovin' we get.

okay less of this and more of this,
tash

crisis averted

2007-04-20T10:12:00.000+10:00

i was about to alert the authorities..
but it's okay.
lieal don't ever deprive me of your love again. ever.

it's business time

2007-04-20T10:05:00.000+10:00

then you go sort out the recycling
that's not a part of it
but it's still very important

faces

2007-04-19T20:03:00.000+10:00

a vahdat black and white affair

2007-04-19T19:43:00.000+10:00

it may have lacked colour, but it definitely didn't lack lustre.
happy 21st times mons.

friendship

2007-04-18T12:27:00.000+10:00

in the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

martin luther king jr.

missing misr

2007-04-18T09:32:00.000+10:00

my cousin in egypt sent me photos from a trip last year, and they've made me feel..

SOOOO

nostalgic.

fishy business

2007-04-17T12:51:00.000+10:00

i love it when steve gives sharon a small peck on the cheek.

hey, God? socks please

2007-04-17T10:59:00.000+10:00

dinosaurs struggle too.

virginia tech, tragedy, prayers

2007-04-17T10:03:00.000+10:00

The whole world is suffering, it is sunk in misery, crushed beneath its heavy problems. The task of healing its ills and building up its future devolves mainly upon the youth.. So their task is very great and their responsibility very grave.

Shoghi Effendi

i'm struggling to concentrate this morning following news of the virginia tech shooting. another tragedy which is too difficult for the heart to bear. another symptom of a humanity which is in dire need of its spiritual physician.

..the whole tree of humanity is sick, and every leaf on the tree shares in the general sickness. Even the purest and holiest have to suffer for the sins of others. Healing is needed—healing of humanity as a whole, of nations and of individuals.

J. E. Esslemont

with prayers and thoughts focused on love,
tash.

happiness + diamonds

2007-04-16T10:44:00.000+10:00

well, cubic zirconia.
it does exist.
i love my new necklace.
that makes me a bad person doesn't it..

things on my mind this moro

2007-04-16T10:14:00.000+10:00

1) whether my baby niece will be born blonde.
2) my jellybean.
3) the euphoric buzz which comes with viewing 3 hours of repetitive landscape on the road to canberra.
4) my camera, because i can't remember whether it's in my car or on the floor at hotel hayati.
5) why scary looking creatures, particularly the sloth, roam the earth.
6) the frustrations associated with falling asleep while trying to watch gray's anatomy.
7) whether people actually still use myspace.
8) whether machines actually think like this.
9) why lovefromleila isn't working. why.
10) whether this deed on my desk can draft itself.

watch 300. do it for iran.

2007-04-12T12:50:00.000+10:00

forgive me for alluding to their egotistical inclinations - but if a movie mentions that it will somehow, however remotely, involve persians, then you can be certain that my persian male associates will insist on watching it in the name of "iran". so that's how i found myself in a movie theatre, centre row, wedged between at least 15 persian boys watching 300.

sure the film was inspired (somewhat loosely) by the historical battle of thermopylae, where 300 spartans demonstrated courage and honour in the face of persian king xerxes and his hoard of evil persians - but this didn't seem to phase my associates. despite the movie revolving around the persian's demigoddess arrogance, and portrayed the persian people breaching every form of human dignity, my associates continued to ooooooooo and aaaaaaaaa at the battle scenes. i must admit this amused me.

unnecessary violent, raunchy scenes and political statements aside, i very much liked the look and epic feel of this film. the virtual backgrounds made for a breathtaking setting. i'm still amazed that we have technology that can do that! those movie guys can do anything. but i must admit it was very reminiscent of gladiator. in fact during the movie i found myself in this discussion:

persian male associate #1: [whisper] hey tash
tash: mmm
persian male associate #1: [whisper] do you think the gladiator would kick the king of sparta's butt if they went head to head?
tash: [whisper] i was just thinking the same thing.

jen the journalist

2007-04-11T17:04:00.000+10:00

i get all excited when my friends are in the press.. but when they actually are the press - well that's excitement on a whole new level!

my favourite up-and-coming journalist, the delightful miss jenna, tackles the issues surrounding the skeptical world of psychic phenomena here.

hmmm, i'm getting a vibe.. hmm it's quite a strong vibe.. hmmm wait wait.. hmmm yes yes, i definetely see you clicking on the link and reading her article.

albi makes me laugh

2007-04-11T12:19:00.000+10:00

Now get your hand off my tail. You'll make it dirty.

i'm feeling a little confused..

2007-04-11T09:16:00.000+10:00

this morning.
so i'm going to let my favourite dino man do the talkin'.

what a crazy t-rex.. he's crazy.

not paris, angel place

2007-04-11T09:00:00.000+10:00

so it's not the best feeling in the world to be at work well after the sun has retired for the day..

but there really is nothing like watching the sun melting into brillant bright oranges, reds, pinks and yellows over a spectacular city.

i heart sydney.

busted! fluro-spray-can bandit

2007-04-10T16:24:00.000+10:00

you should see his tag.

i can't waaaaaiiit

2007-04-05T15:30:00.001+10:00

for the long weekend to begin.

just ask!

2007-04-05T12:49:00.000+10:00

click to bigify.

meanwhile i love this concept. thanks t-rex!

i mean, why didn't i think of that?

why not just ask someone to fall in love with me?

next time, i think i will.

SALAM PISHY!

2007-04-05T11:38:00.000+10:00

for zu.

although she's changed her current country of passion, i'm sure we can still reminisce.

Source: REUTERS. A woman makes a flower arrangement with carnations decorated in the form of the Hello Kitty cat.

sister in deformity

2007-04-04T10:42:00.000+10:00

halle berry on receiving her star on the hollywood walk of fame:

"I want to officially state that I am an emotional retard," the 40-year-old said. "I am so emotional ... as soon as I saw the crowds of people and friends here, I started to cry."

from one emotional retard to another, that was perfectly put.

for example. just yesterday as i was logging off at work, i flicked over to love from leila, and this post made me sob. like actual embarrassing tears, all the way to the bus stop.

little miss habibi

2007-04-03T09:03:00.000+10:00

for the full experience, click on the photo to make it bigger..
especially that first one. she's toooooo cute!!

the afshar's

2007-04-03T08:20:00.000+10:00

and their first-born, cocoa.

aren't they adorable?

don't you just wanna kick them?
really hard? in the head?

imagine if..

2007-04-02T09:45:00.000+10:00

sheda had a blog.

how CRAZY would that be..

same goes for me

2007-04-02T09:38:00.000+10:00

"You have permission to call me anything you want — except sir, all right? Lord of lords, your demigodness, that'll do."

U2's BONO upon receiving British knighthood on Thursday.

Source: Time Magazine.

wowee weekend

2007-04-02T09:18:00.001+10:00

i had the best weekend i've had in a long time.
relaxing, fun, uplifting.. heaven rolled into two ordinary days.
perfect.

the only thing that could've dampened things would've been coming into work and finding sharon belly up, and steve's still corpse under my desk.. but i didn't!

it was just a nightmare peeps.

the weekend-feeder block thing worked, and despite bets that s&s would be dead within a week, they've pushed through day 8 in tash's custody and are swimming live and well.

still making me laugh

2007-04-02T09:15:00.000+10:00

click here for more naghdy shenanigans.

wild thang

2007-03-30T17:00:00.000+10:00

so i've been a little wild this week! see usually my work-week involves arriving home around 8pm, and then either sitting in on a telemeeting (which of course, i've never fallen asleep during) or if i'm lucky, kickin back with my ~~cooky~~ kooky scrubs family.

but not this week; not the week of the wild.

i've taken it upon myself to breakfree of the reclusive zone of the young professional work-week, and have made a point of partying hard every night. thus, of course, the outcome: i'm exhausted.

but at least good times have been had! here are some very (very) dodgy photo camera pics to prove it.

don't play with the nose stud!

2007-03-29T15:49:00.000+10:00

it falls out
you end up having to repierce your nose with the stud
as blood oozes out
and you're trying not to faint!!

* end traumatic experience *

tea for me

2007-03-29T14:41:00.000+10:00

i'm about to make a cuppa.
would anyone like one?

also, you may be happy to know that mr shank is back in action.

sharon and steve settle in

2007-03-29T11:01:00.000+10:00

why i love march 28

2007-03-28T10:51:00.000+10:00

because the sun is high in the sky
i feel like one of these:

and i'm allowed to have one! i can even have TWO if i like.
ahh instant gratification post fasting-trauma.. there's nothing better.

shaz and stevo

2007-03-28T10:42:00.000+10:00

sharon and steve are moving in tomorrow.

if steve keeps up the attitude, he's not getting fed anymore!!

i'll show you photos of them when we're all settled in.

probably the worst joke i've ever heard

2007-03-27T10:54:00.000+10:00

what did Caesar say to Cleopatra?
toga-ether we can rule the world!

madrian, were you responsible for this?

the plot thickens

2007-03-26T15:27:00.000+10:00

watching telly last night i experienced a type of deja vous. i was sure i'd seen that storyline somewhere else before, but i was sure it was on another tv show. a bit of goooogling later, i discovered the reason. apparently, as mere mortals, we are constrained in the types of movies we produce and the books that we write because - there are only so many ways to construct a story.

according to the internet public library, one theory is that there only 7 possible types of plots, and they are:

1. [wo]man vs. nature
2. [wo]man vs. man
3. [wo]man vs. the environment
4. [wo]man vs. machines/technology
5. [wo]man vs. the supernatural
6. [wo]man vs. self
7. [wo]man vs. God/religion

but what about like.. harry potter.

8. wizards vs evil wizards (who shall not be named)

see? muggles know nothing.

ham in tel aviv

2007-03-26T10:52:00.000+10:00

my pseudo little brother. doing big things abroad.

we miss you!

light reading

2007-03-22T12:16:00.000+11:00

read this a loooong time ago, but i'm still thinking about it. that's a good sign.

i really enjoy jodi picoult's novels, so i just had to share.

slovak jellybean

2007-03-22T10:12:00.000+11:00

po has escaped to slovakia to get in touch with her roma roots.
to help ease the pain of seperation, i'm going to be tracing her journey here.
please feel free to join me.

certitude [cer·ti·tude]

2007-03-22T09:49:00.000+11:00

n.
1. The state of being certain; complete assurance; confidence.
2. Sureness of occurrence or result; inevitability.
3. Freedom from doubt.

certitude to me is a very rare thing indeed.

most of the time, things aren't black and white.

i've always viewed certitude as a type of luxury, something we all crave.

but what happens when you're trying to make a big decision, an exciting decision, where your heart is torn in two directions.. and both of the unique paths at the end of the fork in the road seem equally right. and then all of a sudden, in a sweeping act of inevitability, you're robbed of one of the alternatives. what remains? certitude.

and despite my original conceptions.. sometimes certitude hurts.

Happy Naw-Rúz!

2007-03-21T11:19:00.000+11:00

"With hearts set aglow by the fire of the love of God and spirits refreshed by the food of the heavenly spirit you must go forth.. order your lives in accordance with the first principle of the divine teaching, which is love.

Service to humanity is service to God.

Let the love and light of the Kingdom radiate through you until all who look upon you shall be illumined by its reflection.

Be as stars, brilliant and sparkling in the loftiness of their heavenly station.

Do you appreciate the Day in which you live? This is the century of the Blessed Perfection! This is the cycle of the light of His beauty! This is the consummate day of all the Prophets!"

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

the significance

2007-03-21T11:10:00.000+11:00

Naw-Rúz in the Bahá'í Faith is the first day of the Bahá'í calendar occuring on the vernal equinox, around March 21.

to put it simply, it's our new years!

fo shizzle ma nizzle

2007-03-20T09:11:00.001+11:00

so don't change the dizzle, turn it up a little
i got a living room full of fine dime brizzles
waiting on the pizzle, the dizzle, and the shizzle
g's to the bizzack, now ladies here we gizzo!

whaaa? i've got it in my head oright.

your visualDNA

2007-03-20T09:02:00.000+11:00

http://dna.imagini.net/friends/

which came first?

2007-03-19T15:55:00.000+11:00

orange the fruit, or orange the colour?

have your guess then.

ready for it?

well, i was fascinated to learn that the colour orange was actually named after fruit.

before the name for the colour was introduced to the english-speaking world, it was referred to as geoluhread. how shockingly ugly is that?

ye olden day knight: madam, that geoluhread gown looks delightful on you.

ugh.

then apparently, the fruit orange arrived from some african country, and the old english people got a clue!

ye olden day nobleman: oh! why that fruit is a delightful shade of geoluhread. wait, we should rename the colour all together. no one's ever liked the word geoluhread! oh ha ha haa!

- the end

glad tidings, glad tidings!

2007-03-19T12:43:00.000+11:00

only one more coffee-deprived morning to go!
yee haa.

the king

2007-03-19T10:46:00.000+11:00

who would've thought that perth, nay cottesloe,

could muster up such sweet street art?

i very much liked it.

thank ya, thank you verry much.

hallucinations

2007-03-16T17:03:00.001+11:00

4 things fasting has made me hallucinate today:

1. that the candle on my desk was a cupcake.

2. that the optometrist asked, "okay natasha, can you eat the bottom row of letters?".

3. that the coffee machine hissed seductively at me when i walked past.

4. that my colleague called me mash (potato mmmm).

why is it called 'the Fast'?

2007-03-16T09:31:00.000+11:00

when it's actually quite slow.

controversy [con·tro·ver·sy]

2007-03-16T00:26:00.000+11:00

n.
1. A prolonged public dispute, debate, or contention.
2. Disputation concerning a matter of opinion.
3. Contention, strife, or argument.

no, i'm not talking about eminem, obama running for president, zu living in afghanistan or the price of ipods in brazil (seriously though, move to canada).. i'm talking about something a lot smaller (literally) and a lot more insigificant.

the past week has proven to me that controversy is very, very subjective indeed.

as the saying goes: one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

what am i talking about? well, when i went to get the tiny diamond stud inserted into my nose a week ago, i guess i was being my own freedom fighter. turns out that i'm actually a terrorist.

in carrying out an act which i've wanted to do for years, i've effectively stirred a major who-ha amongst my family, few colleagues and my ultra-conversative (ahem) friends.

who would've thought that it's controversial for a corporate lawyer in private practice to have a nose stud. unprofessional? whaaaatttt are they talking about. it's a tiny tiny stud. i must not succumb to the peer pressure. i must fight these overwhelming urges to remove the little spec on my nose as a sign of me waving a white flag to say "i'm conforming! i'm conforming! please forgive me, i'm conforming!".

well. would you like to see the tiny thing that has caused this big kaffufle?

can you even SEE it? i thought not.

advice welcome.

progress

2007-03-16T00:04:00.000+11:00

elastic bands are rapidly becoming a rare commodity in my workplace..

uplifting read

2007-03-15T22:18:00.000+11:00

short, sweet and the ending made me cry.

who could ask for anything more?

this is my next post

2007-03-14T21:23:00.000+11:00

nav.

location situation

2007-03-14T15:24:00.000+11:00

my absence has a straightforward explanation.
it's just a location situation.

the past five glorious days, i've been in perth! sunny, hot, organised, friendly, thoughtfully-planned perth. the city with black swans wandering the streets like they own the place.

the reason i was in perth?.. well. there are many reasons, but it can pretty much be summed down to:

1) wanting to visit my zaz for her birthday,
2) needing a holiday, and
3) craving the west coast (and gelares).

well.. i didn't get any gelares in the end, but i certainly did get everything else i'd been hoping for!

i have a million and one photo's but let me start at the very beginning (a very good place to start).

zaz and tash flying up, up and away

work in progress

2007-03-02T14:30:00.001+11:00