Finally

My sister ROCKS! She just got me this today. Yay me! Now, I just need to find the Pyramix and I'll be set! =))))

Love you sis! Thanks!!

College Football Upset!

The undefeated OSU (Ohio State Univ) Buckeyes might be ranked #1 in the polls right now, but it's another OSU (Oregon State Univ) that caused the uproar today. Oregon pulled a great upset by handing the #3 ranked USC Trojans their first loss!

Trichotillomania

When I was younger, I used to play with my eyelashes. My mom kept telling me to stop, so I finally did. My hand just moved from my eyelashes to my hair though. I started to play with my hair, cutting it from its split ends, or sometimes from the roots. I never really understood why I did it. Didn't even notice that I was. Somehow, my hand just found its way and started on its own.

It's digusting. It's a nasty habit. But it's just that, a habit! Something that happens automatically, without me even realizing that I was doing it. It took me years to try to get past it. Al7mdl'Allah, since I put on the 7ejab, it's a lot easier now. I don't have access to my hair most of the day. That managed to curb the temptation.

I just discovered today that it's an actual 'disorder'! It's called Trichotillomania. Here's the definition according to Wikipedia:

Trichotillomania (TTM) or "trich" is an impulse control disorder characterized by the repeated urge to pull out scalp hair, eyelashes, beard hair, nose hair, pubic hair, eyebrows or other body hair. It may be distantly related to obsessive-compulsive disorder, with which it shares some similarities.

80% of those afflicted are female.

Sleep Deprivation

Will someone please tell my body that sleep is our friend? I love sleep. I enjoy sleeping just as much as everyone else. I had finally managed to fix my sleeping pattern before Ramadan, only to get it messed up again.

Now, instead of it getting better.. it is getting worse! I sit there chatting to family and friends in the US & UK until THEY tell me that they're going to bed. Do I take that as a sign and get myself to bed?? Nope. I just look for something else to do to kill time.

It is now 9 am. I am still awake. I will go pass out for a few hours. Hope to resolve this matter tonight when I will ATTEMPT to go to bed early!

Wish me luck.

*update: ok so I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is, checking the aggregator, I discovered that I'm not the only one who couldn't sleep tonight. Shakl el meshkila 3aweesa with others as well. The bad news? =) It's now 10 am and see, I found another way to stay awake longer. Khallas I promise I'm going to bed now.

Mirai

I'm not a fan of Japanese (or Thai) food, but I finally caved in and went with a friend to Mirai tonight. I think I was the only person in Bahrain to not have tried it yet!

Starters: Edamame & Shrimp Popcorn.. those were yummy!

Main: I ordered the Chicken Teppanyaki (it wasn't that great) and she ordered Maki - California & Tempura (that was actually good.)

Dessert: I ordered the Chocolate Explosion & she had the Crisp Apple Strudel. They looked AWESOME, but didn't taste good at all :(

The decor was warm. The atmosphere was nice, mainly dependent on whether you're lucky enough to have a good crowd turn out the day you go or not. All in all, it wasn't bad.

Solutions

"The shortest distance between a problem and its solution, is the distance between your knees and the floor. The one who kneels to Allah can stand up to anything."

If A Man..

This applies to both genders.. just replace man with woman where appropriate:

* If a man wants you, nothing can keep him away.

* If he doesn't want you, nothing can make him stay.

* Stop making excuses for a man and his behavior.

* Allow your intuition to save you from heartache.

* Stop trying to change yourself for a relationship that's not meant to be.

* If a relationship ends because the man was not treating you as you deserve then heck no, you can't "be friends". A friend wouldn't mistreat a friend.

* Don't settle. If you feel like he is stringing you along, then he probably is.

* Don't stay because you think "it will get better." You'll be mad at yourself a year later for staying when things are not better.

* The only person you can control in a relationship is you.

* Always have your own set of friends separate from his.

* Maintain boundaries in how a guy treats you. If something bothers you, speak up.

* Never let a man know everything. He will use it against you later.

* You cannot change a man's behavior. Change comes from within.

* Don't EVER make him feel he is more important than you are...even if he has more education or in a better job.

* He is a man, nothing more nothing less.

* Never let a man define who you are.

* Never borrow someone else's man.

* If he cheated with you, he'll cheat on you.

* A man will only treat you the way you ALLOW him to treat you.

* You should not be the one doing all the bending...compromise is a two way street.

* A relationship consists of two WHOLE individuals...look for someone complimentary... not supplementary.

* Make him miss you sometimes...when a man always know where you are, and you're always readily available to him - he takes it for granted.

Epiphany

"In this age of mobility emotions are expressed for the moment, and just that moment, because in an instant you'll find yourself somewhere where that emotion is no longer applicable. "*

* Waterlilie

External Hard Disk

I'd like to buy an external hard disk. Any recommendations? I'd like something in the 200+ GB range.

Find Time

We're in the 43rd week of this year. That means, there's only 9 more weeks left to 2007. Yes, 2007?!?! Where did time go? Last I checked, people were still freaking out over the Y2K "crisis"!

Can someone please tell me where the last 7 years went?

I'm Fine.. Everything is Fine

When something goes wrong, there's bound to be someone who says to you, 'Don't worry; everything will be fine.' That sentence is said so often, that you find yourself start using it, 'Yeah, I'm fine.'

When you get hurt, or when you lose someone, someone tells you, 'It's ok, everything will be fine. Don't worry, life goes on.'

Yes, life does go on.. for others.. for everyone else. But what if for you, it stops at that moment. You try to move on, but nothing makes sense. It all goes back to that one moment.

Everything is not fine.

Miss Me?

Yes, I'm back. It's nice to see that people whom I didn't even know read my blog leave me comments!

Here's what I did, for those of you wondering. I turned off my laptop.. for days! Ok, so it was only like 3 days, but you have to understand that to me, that's like eternity. I used the computer at work only. Even there, I didn't really have time to mess around on the net.

Once I got home, I looked at my laptop, but resisted the urge to turn it on, knowing that the minute I turned it on, it'll be over for me. The result? I slept more. I spent more time with family and friends. I read more Quran. I had more time for prayers. And best of all, I proved to myself that I can do it.

I've got a vacation from work coming up.. so now I know that I can go without wasting my whole time on the computer/the net. I can actually enjoy my life like a "normal" human being again. Addictions; can't live with them, can't live without them. I just love to hate them! :)

I was gone for a week.. but ready or not, I'm back!

Till Next Time

I keep telling my brother to get offline and go out, live his life. I think it's time I took my own advice. My laptop has me sucked in! If I'm not online, I'm playing some new game trying to get the highest score possible. If not a game, then I'm watching episodes of one of the many shows I'm hooked on. I am glued to my laptop. No wonder it's been acting weird. Even IT is telling me to leave it alone! :/

I've got a list of things I've been wanting to do. I keep complaining that I don't have time. I do! I have just been wasting it. So, no more!

What does this mean? Goodbye for now. I'm not quitting and I'm not going to delete my blog. I'm taking a much needed and overdue break. Should you miss me, feel free to contact me through the other 'normal' means! :)

College Ball

Ahh, a nice day for college football. Some potentially good games ahead. Boy do I miss the days when I'd be on my couch right now, watching game after game, ordering pizza for lunch cuz I'm too lazy to go outside. Besides, who needs to go out when there are great games to watch indoors? The only reason to go out, is if I'm actually going to attend one of those games.

For now, I'll have to settle with my newly found best friend, the AFN.

(Would've loved to post some pics for you, but Blogger isn't cooperating!)

Laptop or Blogger?

I've been experiencing some problems recently when I try to add pictures to my posts. I click on browse, select the image, click ok, and then everything freezes and my browser decides not to respond anymore.

This happened last week (Wed & Thurs), worked fine yesterday, and it's back on the fritz again. Is it my laptop that's the source of this problem, or is anyone else experiencing similar problems with Blogger?

:(

Yehya's First Appearance

I'd seen the second episode with Diane Lane, but this is the first time I see this one. This guy is just naturally funny! Ye7ya, or as they call him, YAYA!

Template Change

I couldn't fix the FireFox problem with my template, so I had to grudgingly change it now! :(

** Update: I have found a way to fix it and my old template is BACK!

So for those of you using FF 1.5, please let me know if you can view my template now (with the blue background/title showing, as opposed to the white one that used to appear). Thanks.

FireFox Help!

I just upgraded my FireFox last night to version 1.5.0.7. I used to be able to view my blog's template just fine. Now, after the upgrade, I don't see any of the blue in the background nor the header! I do see them when I use IE though, but I refuse to go from FireFox to IE.

Does anyone know what the problem could be or how I can go about fixing it? I can view all other blogs are fine, except those using the same template as mine! :/

An Ooopsie

There's a colleague who's hated me from the minute I joined the company. He's made it clear on more than one occassion, in more than one form. Today, was his biggest OOPSIE though!

He meant to send an email to another coworker saying bad stuff about me. You guessed it! He accidentally sent it to me. Of course, the minute he did that, he immediately tried to recall the message a few times, unsuccessfully!

I'm sure his first heart attack was when he realized he accidentally sent me the email; his second, when he got my read receipt.

Have a good weekend. Last 10 days of Ramadan. Use them wisely.

Benitez's Boys

Bahrain Backing for Benitez's Boys

"As everyone knows, being a Liverpool fan is neither a hobby nor a part-time activity but an all consuming passion and a way of life – supporters come in every shade and colour but the bond that ties those wearing red can never be rivalled."

Series Junkie

Last night was Prison Break, tonight was Grey's Anatomy, Season 3 - first 3 episodes. What I love about Grey's Anatomy is that it covers everything. You've got your drama, your comedy, your tragedy, your failures, your successes... a bit of everything really. It's real, and the morals behind their stories apply to most of us, in one sense or another.

Season 3 looks good so far. Nice to know at least one of these shows is starting off the season on the right foot.

Prison Break - Season 2

**NO SPOILER**

While Prison Break's first season had me glued to the screen, I was disappointed with the first 4 episodes of Season 2. It just didn't have the same level of excitement and suspense as the first season.

That is, until I just watched episodes 5 & 6. All I can say is, YIKES! Action is back on! Now I need more.. I'm not used to this watching a few episodes at a time business. I'm used to watching a whole season at a time :/

Gemini

Being a Gemini isn't the easiest task in the world. We're two in one, which confuses a lot of people - ourselves included.

SO, to all you Geminis out there who've had to deal with it, and for all of you non-Geminis who have had to deal with us, welcome to a new blog: The Twins of the Zodiac

Check it out.

Shadows

"To the untrue man, the whole universe is false-- it is impalpable--it shrinks to nothing within his grasp. And he himself in so far as he shows himself in a false light, becomes a shadow, or, indeed, ceases to exist."

- Hawthorne, "The Scarlet Letter"

V for Vendetta

Although this was originally a movie I wasn't looking forward to watching, many people told me that I should. I finally got around to watching it last night, and I'm glad that I did. I'm impressed that they actually made a movie about this and even more impressed that Natalie Portman was a part of it! The movie brings up a lot of current day issues in a futuristic approach and offers a light of 'hope' for those who still believe that there is some to be passed around.

MashAllah

I got this in an email and I'm speechless. Check out this link of a young boy reading Quran. His voice is absoultely amazing, mashAllah.

My New Best Friend

I was trying to switch between MBC1 (channel 6) and LBC (channel 10) tonight, and accidentally clicked channel 80. How? No clue. It must've been fate though, because the result is my new best friend!!

Turns out that channel 80 is the AFN (American Forces Network) and right now "The NFL Today" is on. I'm in HEAVEN! I can finally watch my NFL and get my fix.

Do you know what this means? It means I can watch as much American Football as my eyes will allow me! THANK YOU TV MASTERS!! Bills vs Bears game is about to start :D WOHOOOOO!! I want to be there!!

As Always

As I lay in bed, my mind drifts. I think of how we met.. how our friendship developed over time. Amazing how not long ago you were a stranger. I had no idea you existed in the world. Then suddenly, not only did you enter into my life, but you became a cherished close dear friend.. one who occupied a big part of it.

We just clicked. Sounds so cliche, but that's what happened. We got along, shared laughs, tears, problems, frustrations. It was nice because I knew that I could always be myself around you.. my good self and my bad self.

I close my eyes and wonder what happened to you. Why do I suddenly feel that you've changed? Why has my sixth sense been acting up lately warning me about you? Have you indeed changed? Or worst yet, have you always been this way?

Sometimes, people exit our lives, just as quickly as they entered into them. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Not everyone is here to stay. Time has a funny way of revealing things.. the truths we hide today, eventually surface. Until then, I remain, the same friend I promised to be.

Memory Lane

A few posts ago I wrote that one of my favorite 15 things is: memories. Apparently, when I wrote that, it must've triggered something in my brain because ever since then I've been having extreme flashbacks!

You're sitting there one minute, the next your mind takes you back 15 years. You smile at the memory and move on. I can't even remember what I ate two days ago.. but some memories, even a lifetime can't erase. Somehow, your brain stores it, and throws it back at you years later!

Last night I had a flashback of something that happened back in 1991. So I went ahead and emailed the person involved in that memory. Ironically, today, I get an email from another friend with regards to a memory that occurred back in 1992!

Most of the time though, the memory remains as that.. just a memory. You remember someone, you think about it for a minute, and that's the end of that. Doesn't it make you wonder sometimes, if there are other people who remember you and you don't know about it?

Commitment

Last year I fell in love. I couldn't get him out of my head. I had to go see him every day. He was so good looking. So simple. So powerful. So slick. So.... so beautiful!

Everyday I would look at him tenderly and whisper "I Love You." I know he felt the same way too. He just looked at me in a way that made me speechless. It was mutual. It was strong. It was real. BUT, I couldn't commit. At the end, I walked away, empty handed and broken hearted.

I never forgot about him. I've just been delaying the inevitable. Latley, he's been on my mind a lot and I finally think it's time. Time for me to buy a new laptop! =)

The one I fell in love with last year was the Vaio FJ270. Now I'm thinking of getting either a Vaio (FJ series) , Dell or Toshiba. Any users out there with some good recommendations?

It's All About Preparation

You want to buy a new car, you save up. You want to buy that new dress, you save up. You want to go on that long awaited vacation... you save up!

You want that promotion you've had your eye on, you work really hard for it. You want to graduate with a high GPA, you study your brains out. You want that business of your's to bring in high profit... so you work really hard to earn it!

You want to have fun, to hang out with your friends, to go to a movie... so you clear your schedule and enjoy yourself!

What about judgement day? What have you done to prepare for that?

Moment of Change

One of the interesting things is that we never know what tomorrow holds. We could be happy one minute, not realizing that in a moment our whole life could be turned upside down. Or vice versa, we may feel hopeless only to wake up the next day to find that our life has taken the happiest unanticipated turn.

Thing is, you never know when that moment of change will hit you. You never know when you turn that corner, if there's good or bad news waiting for you. You won't know till you actually get there. But don't rush things. In order to 'get there', you sometimes have to cross a few bridges, a few rivers, and even a few mountains.

Do you ever wonder if you had turned a different corner, how your life would be different today? This reminds me of the movie 'Sliding Doors'. Do you believe that eventually, you'll still end up in the same destination, but the journey would be different? Or do you believe that your destination changes based on the decisions you make on a daily basis?

15 Favorites

Istas has tagged me. Although I'm not a tag fan, I couldn't say no to her. So here are 15 of my favorite things. They are not my top 15 necessarily. As you know, I'm a Gemini so nothing is constant! ;)

1. Cotton Candy
2. The complete insanity in our family gatherings
3. The feeling I get after completing Al 3esha prayer
4. Getting a gift from someone close that shows how much they know me
5. Ramadan
6. A young kid's hug as he/she wraps his/her arms tight around my neck
7. The smell of fresh cut grass
8. Seeing someone go out of their way to pray on time
9. Going away on vacation
10. Seeing someone close after a long time apart
11. Getting a phone call you've been praying to get
12. AlWeqoob bi 3arafa
13. Freshly baked anything (cookies, brownies, bread)
14. The sound of a rainy night (+ thunderstorms + lightening!)
15. Memories

I tag anyone who wishes to be tagged =)