British Blogger, Desi Dreamer, Mad Muslimah
// September 7th, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog
Found a group of the same name on Facebook. From the list of 48, these are the ones i actually identified with (not sure whether to be happy that i'm not alone, or scared that the problem is so widespread!):
You know you've worked too long in a lab when…
// August 31st, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog
Not sure if anyone has noticed this in all the months that i've been blogging, but i have a terrible habit of correcting typos and doing general editing, after i've published the entry for all to see. I don't know why i don't notice the mistakes beforehand – even though i must read through the post a gazillion times before pressing the Publish button.
With poetry, it's not about mistakes so much, but rather trying to perfect the flow. So, after reading it a few times, i'll think: “Hmm, i think this word would sound better here”, or, “I've used that word twice – it's gotta go”, etc. Sort of a poetic nip n'tuck.
So, i suggest that if you ever want to see the “finished product”, as it were, leave at least a day before you click on my name in your feed reader. Or just check back every so often, and make it into a 'spot the difference' game.
I've been quite embarrassed about this odd behaviour, cos i'm sure i'm the only one who does it (at least, i haven't notice any other sufferers), so my crazy idea was to tell all my readers about it, in an attempt to destroy the stigma, at its root – or something.
Yeah, it makes no sense, i know. I'll be quiet now.
(& you just know i've done the same to this entry, right? Sigh)
// August 11th, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog
Feel free to steal them.
(Update: the erroneous comma has been removed! Jazakallah Faraz)
// July 26th, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog
Can cats see Malikul Maut (the Angel of Death)?!
BBC News: US cat 'predicts patient death'
A US cat that is reportedly able to sense when a nursing home's residents are about to die is baffling doctors. Oscar has a habit of curling up next to patients at the home in Providence, Rhode Island, in their final hours. According to the author of a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, the two-year-old cat has been observed to be correct in 25 cases so far.
Hmm…. Is anyone else suspicious that this kitty is more than a casual observer to these tragic events? I mean, if he had been a (human) nurse, he'd have been arrested by now! Could this be the first documented case of a feline serial killer, preying on the old and infirm? Only in America, people – only in America!
// July 21st, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog
I've been thinking about this little tag of mine: poetry.
It's a rather strange, little tag; whenever i go to select it, it gives me a funny look, as if to say:
“What? Me? Are you sure you want to click me? I think you're mistaken. I just read your entry; you should definitely reconsider.”
I respond with a scowling glare, as if to say:
“Look, this is my blog, and if i want to label this entry as “poetry”, it shall thus be labeled! Alright?”.
Usually, the verbals end there, but tonight, the little tag surprised me with a curious retort:
// July 12th, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog
I was watching this mental video on Sharique's blog, using my iBook. When the footage reached the “instant replay” stage, my screen suddenly went blank, though the audio was still working (in time for me to hear the “Nooooo!”, which was what i was thinking!). This has never happened before, which lead me to conclude that my iBook was so aghast by the act of Applocide it was being forced to display, it broke down in pain.
Poor babe… i'm sorry. This world is a cruel place! But you know i love you, right? {hugs iBook}
// June 13th, 2007 // 20 Comments » // Blog
I am not even going to try to defend this entry… i just couldn't resist.
At the moment, i am using two different computers, in two different parts of the house. I have my trusty iMac, which lives in my bedroom, in the loft. And now, i have brought home my iBook from the office, as most of my data is on there. As i am the worst procrastinator (or is it, the best?), i decided to use our relatively new conservatory as the space for writing my thesis – no TV, no phone line, lots of natural light, and a lovely view of the garden in full bloom, māshā’Allāh. However, i still find excuses to come upstairs about ten times a day, such as for salaat, and/or sneaking off a few e-mails. It's good exercise… ahem.
Anyway, to the point!
I came down from Asr prayer today to find my mum grinning at me. She asked me to check my laptop… she said that she had touched it, and wanted to make sure everything was in order. My mum is not a computer person, so i wondered why she even went near it. She said that she was curious about how it worked, and so she pressed one or two buttons; she made these little gestures with her fingers, and made a funny face. I just smiled confusedly, and thought nothing of it, and helped her lay the table for dinner.
After we ate, she reminded me to check my computer. I found it with the lid closed. When i opened it, it asked for my password, as per, but my keystrokes were not being accepted. Then i noticed that Numlock had been activated. “Why did she press that key?”, i wondered. So i deactivated it, typed in my password, clicked enter, and the Word document i had been previously working on popped up. Except, it wasn't quite how i had left it…
Just in case you hadn't realized, all the stuff in black, bold underline, was my mum's little contribution to my thesis (all except munohistochemistry, which is one of my subheadings… it should actually be Immunohistochemistry).
I stared at the screen for a few seconds, having no idea what i was looking at. Then i just started laughing, and laughing, and LAUGHING. I heard my mum giggling like a naughty child, in the kitchen. She joined me in the conservatory, and we laughed even harder.
“WHAT DID YOU DO?!”, i asked, with tears in my eyes.
“I'll tell you later, when you tell me everything is OK”.
I checked the document, and apart from that weird jumble of characters nothing was amiss, Alhamdulillah.
Anyone want to guess how she managed to make such a mess? :D
// May 23rd, 2007 // 20 Comments » // Blog
Word of the Day for Wednesday, May 23, 2007
redolent \RED-uh-luhnt\, adjective:
1. Having or exuding fragrance; scented; aromatic.
2. Full of fragrance; odorous; smelling (usually used with 'of' or 'with').
3. Serving to bring to mind; evocative; suggestive; reminiscent (usually used with 'of' or 'with').
I am really liking this word, and i thought that i would share this random thought with you all. It's such a beautiful word, don't you think? In both sound and meaning. It kinda makes me happy! Strange me.
Has anyone noticed my Dictionary.com Word of the Day RSS widget in the side-bar? I have been subscribed to their e-mail service for years, yet i'm not certain that i have learnt one single word in all that time! I do read the e-mails, but unless you make sure to use a new word on a regular basis, it won't be stored in your memory. Words are like men – they have commitment issues! *badoom tish*
Another word that i liked recently, but one that is not so nice in sound or meaning:
Word of the Day for Wednesday, May 2, 2007
termagant \TUR-muh-guhnt\, noun:
1. A scolding, nagging, bad-tempered woman; a shrew.
2. Overbearing; shrewish; scolding.
Don't ask why i kept this e-mail… i just can't seem to delete it! I think it's like a small reminder to myself: do not become such a person. No idea. Maybe i'm looking for some cool put downs: how to insult people without them realising it. Evil genius me.
// May 22nd, 2007 // 13 Comments » // Blog
This is what happens when you spend too much time on my blog. Unique has fallen victim to an acute case of iMuslim-mania. She just can't get me out of her head, apparently. She has also taken liberties with my username, by adding 'ah' to the end. This is a sign that the disease is getting worse, as that is my lesser-known YouTube ID (some highly unoriginal brother stole “iMuslim”, cha).
In her defense, the patient claims that she was simply doodling while she was on the phone, and this all happened “subconsciously”. These kinds of delusions are to be expected from sufferers of iMuslim-mania. It is obvious to any healthy individual, that bloggers are quite incapable of using the phone; Skype is much preferred over a hard-line connection. Besides which, bloggers are notoriously geeky, and are thus unlikely to have any friends to talk to.
Poor child… we can only pray that her sanity is returned to her intact.
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