"Who Would Jesus Bomb?"

That was a bumper sticker I saw the other day when I was on my way home. Pretty powerful message, no? I thought so...

Anyway, I finally spoke to the nurse today to find the results of my throat culture and she said it was normal. Hunh? I thought I had strep? But, apparently, I didn't. She said something like it could have been some viral something or that it was or wasn't bacteria or whatever. I don't get that science mumbo-jumbo. Hehe. Anyways, she said whatever my deal was, my body must of resolved it itself, that it could have been allergies or whatever. Whatever... I feel better. I should be happy. And I am.

But now I gotta write papers. Boo... I don't wanna. :(

Oh, today I went to a mass in Arabic. This pastor of the Lebanon Maronite church said mass. It was done partially in English and Arabic. And what's cool about Maronite services is that there are parts in Aramaic. That's one of the important characteristics of Arab Christians. They carry on the traditions of the old churches. The Palestinians, for example, are, like, the descendants of the disciples of Christians. They have this continuity that some one like me can only be almost envious of. So, yeah, there were parts in an ancient language. The Bishop who presided over mass pointed out how they include in their services the actual language that Jesus spoke. Neat. And I thought the singing was nice. I wonder how it would be to really go to the mass completely in Arabic. Perhaps I'll go to one when I return to the Arab world one day. Until then, the Vietnamese mass I attended over a year ago was the best by far!

Anyhoo... I hope I get to meet this Puerto Rican hottie Friday. *crossing fingers* hehe... I should get back to research. Peace out, B's!

I overslept yesterday. I thought I had set my alarm for 10am. Enough time to study before I met with my class at 2:30 and do whatever else I had to do. I woke up several times throughout the morning, but I just kept going back to sleep thinking, "I'll just wake up when my alarm goes off." Well, when I finally did decided to "get up-get up," I saw that it was just about 2:30. D'oh! Usually, I can pull of a "out the door in 10 minutes" bit, but it just didn't work this time. I knew it was posta be hot, so I wanted to wear something different. And I just had trouble with the outfit I picked, but I was determined to wear it. So, I didn't leave the house until about an hour later. I got to class all late, missed everything. But I was there in time to fill out the evaluations, which is what the prof wanted.

Anyhoo... I'm still experimenting with fashion. I mean, I don't really have an extensive wardrobe, so, I can't really wear the things I want, but sometimes I try stuff... If I had money, I would re-vamp my wardrobe. And I don't have a particular style. Just like my music tastes, so are my tastes in clothes. Yesterday, I was more punk casual or something. And today, I don't know whatchoo call it, but it's attracting attention. Everyone's staring at me. I don't know what the girls are thinkin', but the blue-collared workers like it. Hehe... Walkin' down the street to campus: *honk honk* *woo woo* *hey hey* LoL... And this one guy was like, "When can I take you out to lunch?" or "What time you want to go to lunch?" Silly man.

I'm such a slacker... I'm just wastin' time. Should do some research. But I really don't feel like it... Hope I get to go somewhere this summer...

Celebrity Sighting

Beautiful weather tonight. Sunny, breezy, cloudless. Went to campus today. Thought I'd try to get some work done then head to mass. I wanted to find a spot somewhere to plug into ethernet. But to no avail. Everybody was inside and outside. The white kids all sun-tanning everywhere. Wait just a few more years when they have skin cancer and saggy skin and sunspots all over. See if they think it was all worth it. If you are pigmentally challenged or melanin deficient, accept it! :-P

So, anyways, when I was walking to the library, there were chairs set up as if they were having commencement and a few cops and an ambulance (for just-in-case). This one police lady was directing people to walk around whatever was goin' on to get to the library. I was confused cuz we ain't done the semester yet, so I couldn't understand why they'd be having graduation right now or any kind of practice like this. As I was walking behind it all, at the top of the stairs of this one building to get to the graduation stage appeared a few figures and someone announcing the President of the United States and the president of the university. Well, whatever name the announced for the U.S. President, I was like, hunh? But I kept walking...

I was moving around and about on campus. Then I saw a flier on a bulletin board that was for a lottery to be an extra in the filming of the "West Wing" for today's date. So, then I figured it out. And that's why I didn't recognize the Prez's name. Hehe... And check this, I was like 15 feet away from Martin Sheen. They were allowin' some students to take pics with him. He's mad short. Wish I could've spoken to him, give him props for bein' the activist that he is. He's the man. :)

So, after mass, which was longer than usually because there were a few initiates (I don't know what they're called - the people who are formally becoming members of the Catholic Church. In other words, converts) and confirmation candidates there, I went to the shopping district to look around. I wanted to check this one shoe store, but it was closed. But I went into Urban Outfitters and this other store with punk kinda stuff. I'll hafta go back sometime. Figures I would decided to not bring my money and credit card, when I usually always have them on me. But that's okay. Maybe it was for the better. :-P

But anyways, now I'm home and waiting for the number one show on ABC to come on: "Alias." =) 25 more minutes.

"Idolater, your soul is required in hell!"

That was a quote from the 1991 film "New Jack City." I just now saw it for the very first time last night. Took me long enough. I usually find time for things I really don't have time for when I have lots of homework to do. It's one of my procrastination techniques. Heh... But yeah, this quote was said by the old man to Nino Brown. And I believe it's applicable to much of the Bush administration. :-P There were some murders in the film. But you know what? So were there in the city of my birth. Goodness, Washington is back at number one in terms of homicides. It's murder rate has increased, making it once again the Murder Capital of the World. What an honor, right? And damn, in my homestate of Maryland, Baltimore placed a lofty number three. Greeeattt.

But, ah... that's what America's all about. Then I'm reminded of all those people who say America is the greatest country in the world and I'm like, riiighht. The murderers are on a roll these days. In the D.C. Metropolitan area, while the President has his compound safely guarded, just short distances away, people are getting killed, there are homeless people loitering around, there are hookers. It just doesn't make sense. I think three people were shot at a playground in the suburbs of D.C. last week or so. And there was some other shooting at a tavern before then. And just over this weekend, I believe, a father killed his three sons and then himself. Then there was an attempted murder-suicide at a parking garage on the campus of College Park. And then another man kills his estranged wife and in-laws in the county where I grew up. What the fuck? I guess that's democracy for you. Every one can have their guns and are free to choose their victims. Man, I need to go see Michael Moore's "Bowling for Colombine" where I hear he talks about our gun problem.

I think I should become a Dixie Chicks fan. They were talking with Diane Sawyer last night. I can't believe the backlash they've received. Kinda makes me wanna go out and buy their records. I like to support people who've got something good to say. One of the members of the group recited a quote by ex-President Theodore Roosevelt: "To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." (I also found this quote in an article, which is relevant to my views.) How is it that in this country, the KKK by law is allowed to "peacefully" protest knowing full well what they feel about your and my peoples, but the Dixie Chicks can't voice an opinion, on foreign soil, even, without getting harrassed. Something just ain't right.

Enough of that crap... I've got a soar throat. I hope I don't got the SARS. Syke. Went to the doctor's yesterday and he said my tonsils look terrible, my lymphs were swollen or whatever. And my temperature was a little high. Ninety-nine something. He did a throat culture, but I gotta wait 'til Monday to find the damn results. Dr. Walsh said it's probably Strep since I'm not exhibiting any of the other symptoms associated with cold viruses. But he also told me if it wasn't strep, the next thing they would check is to see if it's Mono. Ewww... I don't want it to be mono! That's the kissing disease, ain't it? Well, damn. That's probably how I got it. Note to self: beware of handsome, over-confident Dominican men. But dang - he knew he had it goin' on. LoL. Mmm... those Latinos. I think I'm in a Latino phase again. As much as I got love for the Middle Easterners and South Asians and stuff (haha - and "stuff"), I don't know... Latinos just have this... sabor! ¿Sabes? Hehe... My friend, Shireen, asked me, "What is up with you and Latin men?" I'm like, come on now - she GOT to know. Who isn't drawn, at least initially or for some kind of split second to a fine man? :-P And my girl, Nadine, when I was tellin' her about some Latino guys, she was like, Sheena, I can see you with an ethnic man; I can't picture you with anyone else. Hehe. Me neither! And there's that comment crackhead Tara made, "Look at your most recent track record. They've all been Ricky Ricardos." D'oh! Whatever. ¡Viva la Raza!

Happy Easter to the Western rite Christians! and next week for ya'll Eastern Orthodox peeps! :)

Kelly Clarkson on why she would never go the anorexic Hollywood route: “What? Don’t eat carbs? I’m gonna eat bread. Jesus ate bread. Eat bread! Shoot, I ain’t got this ghetto booty and big cheeks for nothin’.” Puwahaha. That made me laugh. I don't know how badly I misquoted her, but I saw that on one of them shows like ET or Access Hollywood or sumfin' last night.

I saw "Anger Management" with Tara and Taneka last Monday. It wasn't that good. I was rather disappointed with how stupid it was. And how there were idiots in the theatre laughing all hard, stompin' their feet during parts. It was really not all that funny. Wait for it to come out on TV to watch the subliminal messages in this film. They kept showin' this one billboard I swear was a recruitment for the Army. They even mentioned twice in the airplane scene that our country is going through a tough time. Hmph. We shoulda gone and seen "Bend it Like Beckham" or whatever it's called. I only heard that movie earlier that day from my translation professor and my Pakistani classmate cuz they were discussing it as we were on our way to visit this Arabic translator at the World Bank. Then I asked one of my other Pakistani friends if she'd seen the movie. She had and she said it was good. Wish I woulda gone and seen that one instead. Ah, well...

The next night, Tuesday, I went and saw the Afro-Cuban All Stars. Some may be familiar with the Buena Vista Social Club, a famous Cuban band. Well, a member of the BVSC started the ACAS. His name was something like Juan de Marcos Rodriguez. And the Afro-Cuban All Stars is an inter-generational band. It combines old and young members playing traditional music with contemporary innovations. It was cool. They played about 2 hours. The one guy who played the violin was cute. Most the girls in the group I was with agreed. Hehe. I went with people from my undergrad institution. I've still got my old e-mail address and I'm on this e-mail list and I saw there were free tickets to this show, so, hey - free's the magic word. They were actually posta have this show a while back, but after all 9/11, because of whatever security concerns, the concert was cancelled.

Anyhow, since I went with peeps from my old uni, I saw two of my old Spanish professors. I caught Dr. Schneider and Dr. Bell on what I was up to. Professor Schneider was happy to hear about what I was doing and curious as to what I thought of everything. You know, Iraq crap and what not. She was telling me how she holds peace protests/vigils around her neighborhood and occasionally you get the cars that drive by yelling at them. She said that one time this guy starts yelling at them. She had to leave early, but some of the other women stayed and were able to get this irrate man to stop and talk to them. In the end, do you know what he said? That fool said something along the lines of: "Well, after September 11, we had to go after somebody, right?" Arghh! Isn't that the kinda stuff that makes you wanna pull out your hair? To think, he is not alone in how he feels. Stupid Americans...

And Dr. Bell wants me to e-mail him my info cuz he wants to publish a little sumpin-sumpin' 'bout me in my old department's newsletter. He also told me how he wants to form an Islamic Studies program there. He said we owe it to the UMBC community, with all it's diversity and given the current situation. He said he's working in conjunction with another one of my old professors in the Poli Sci department. Dr. Bell would take care of helping institute the Arabic language aspect of the program (since he's in the language department) and my ex-prof, Dr. Cantori, would handle the Islamic studies, since that's more his area. I think that's cool if they get this goin'. But they still need more contacts cuz it's gonna take some more people to be able to run such an endeavor. Yup...

So, what the heck is up with "them" putting in Garner as the interim leader of Iraq? What kind of sense does it make to put a pro-Israeli butthole in charge of an Arab country like that? Oh, how sensitive the US is to other people's feelings. Jerks. Got some Zionist tellin' them what to do. I'd be mad if I were Iraqi. Actually, I kinda am. That was something we talked about in my one class: how General Garner was appointed interim president and that he was pro-Israeli. He signed public documents that testify to that. And he was also president of a company that manufactured missiles. So, where the heck are those weapons of mass destruction we were posta find over there? Could it be cuz that's not even the real freakin' reason we bombed the hell out of them? Well, it's not. Check out this article by Arianna Huffington. She's someone I wanna check out now. Her latest book is "Pigs at the Trough." Maybe I'll check it out along with Michael Moore's "Stupid White Men."

Anyways, I'm gonna go chat with Tara 'til I start to get sleepy. It's 10am and I should go to sleep soon. Heh - told y'all - I'm a vampire. :-P

:*(

I just got off the phone with my mother and found out that my favorite priest died: Father O'Meara. He suffered a stroke and was in the hospital, unable to really respond. He was an elderly gentlemen with a lot of spunk. I think he was a lot older in age, but he didn't act like it. He may have been in his 80s. 86, maybe? He was from the old school and he spoke his mind. He always said what some people didn't wanna hear. But that's because the truth hurts. He would tell it like it is from a Catholic perspective. I admit I was a tad scared of him, but I respected him. He would always say what he thought. The Catholic Church today is quite lax, I think. It's more or less "come as you are," so, oftentimes people are wearing things like jeans and t-shirts. Just dressed very casually. But I remember when Fr. O'Meara was gonna preside over the mass the following week, we would be warned beforehand to make sure we came in our "Sunday Best." lol, cuz Fr. O. would complain about coming to church dressed as bums. Like I mentioned before, he was from the old school, when life was harder, yet simpler, and things were just stricter.

Fr. O. also once made a comment about how a young female in another mass he said was dressed. He was talking about how this young girl was wearing an inappropriate outfit and how he was thinking, wow, does this girl's mother know how she's dressed? And then he sees his answer: this girl's mother is dressed the same way. He would just tell us these things. One time around Valentine's, I think this was last year, how he was in the mall and he passed by Victoria's Secret and saw the underwear with hearts on it, and he stopped and added, "I'm a priest, but I'm not blind." hehe... That man. I loved him. I hope there are still plenty of other Church leaders like him left. This world we live in is just way too liberal and I need some more strong moral guides.

I remember once I forwarded Fr. O'Meara an article about the dwindling population of Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land. He wrote me back with this response:

Sheena,

Before your piece, I knew about the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant populations in Israel. Five years ago I was subjected to Israel "security" during my visit to the HOLY LAND. At the airport, a padre companion and I, in our clericals, were grilled about our intensions in visiting and our relationship. After our first night in Jerusalem, we were boarding a bus with other tourists, when two truckloads of young
Israel troops suddenly appeared, cordened off the street, pushed people up against walls, surrounded the bus with pointed rifles and demanded our documents. All the places and shrines were closely policed by Israelis. They were the conquerers

I applaud your efforts to separate the US and Israel. Tanks against rifles is hardly a "level playing field". Compare the number of Palastinian fatalities with the Israelis. Israel cannot be trusted to accept agreements. Nuff said!

Blessings,

Fr. O

May you rest in peace, Father O'Meara. You will be missed!

God Bless America?

On one of the websites of which I am a member, there's a message board where people talk about a variety of issues and, also, a lot of nothing. Naturally, people voice their opinions on many topics. One of the forums had a post entitled "God Bless America!", from the end of February. It was some bullcrap forward one of the members received and enjoyed. One of those forwards that brings out the psuedo-patriot in some idiots. In other words, propaganda. What came thereafter were many responses expressing different persuasions. What follows is one of my responses to some of the things that were said. The opening quote is actually what one of the stupids in the forum said:

Monday Feb 24, 2003

"ain't noone coming to shoot you and your family"
say what?? i fear for my life more on an American street than in some strange country. shiet - u can get shot by one of ur fellow americans for ur nike air jordans. what kinda b.s. is that in such a 'civilized' country?

and i grew up on a military installation and know people who have been, are, or went into the service (including my dad and sis). i can tell u that a good number of them are NOT patriotic (unless they get brainwashed enuff). they go into the military out of need - not any desire to serve this country. they go cuz they can't pay for skool or whatever other reason. so, while our government officials are safe in their mansions, my friends and family are gettin' sent over to fight some war that they don't even want. and whatever happend to the hunt for osama and what israel's pullin' on the palestinians? this war propaganda sure is takin' our minds and eyes off these and many other issues.

and hey - iraq is guilty of killing iraqi kurds and the U.S. condemns 'em for it. but turkey has killed an even greater number of its kurdish population, yet we're givin' the turks money so we can use their land for this stupid azz war. well, good for turkey for gettin' the U.S. to give them extra dough for use of their land. (and too bad for us tax-payers.)

and in this 'great' country of ours, did ya'll know that about 40% of the wealth lies in only 1% of the population?? yeah, stuff that in your pipes and smoke it, you warmongers.

and please - never-ever tell someone if they don't like amerikkka to F'in' leave. thass bullcrap right there. we complainin' about our government for bein' so cruddy. so that means we should leave? well, if that's the case, people like martin luther king, jr. should have been told to get the hell out this country for complainin'.

finally.... GOD BLESS AMERICA????? fukkkk that --> God Bless EVERYone!!!!! :)

Mommy Didn't Abort Me!

What is up with this weather? I hate it. It's so fickle. Before I went to London, I was hopeful that Spring was well on its way. It was sunny, cool, and fresh. There were dozens of little Robin Red Breasts feeding in the grass. Yet we even had some snow after the first day of Spring had already passed. One weekend I looked outside and saw sleet. Another evening I was walking home from school through an extremely light snowfall. I don't get it. We have these beautiful spring days intermingled with cold fall/winter-like days. Last week I wore a skirt and t-shirt and needed no kind of jacket. Then the very next day I've got my gloves on. I wish the weather would stay warm already. This week is rainy. Rain depresses me. In conjunction with gray skies - I just don't like it.

Know what I also don't like? The way this country works. Last week, MSNBC gave foreign correspondent Peter Arnett the axe. Again in my one class on Global Terrorism and Islam we talked a little about this. Professor was saying how that when Mr. Arnett had initially made his comments to Iraqi TV, they were applauding him for giving his analysis on the American military. The next minute, they've retracted their approval and fired Peter. (Mr. Arnet is now working for the British "The Daily Mirror." At least the Brits' media isn't as censored as ours). Yet, on this same note, widely disliked Geraldo Rivera discloses sensitive info that the Pentagon says could have given the Iraqi army an idea as to the location of American troops. He potentially reveals the position of the Americans, possibly giving the Iraqis a slight one-up, endangering our troops. But does this man get the boot? Nope. So this Jewish man releases classified information and he's just told to leave Iraq, while a sharp man like Arnett who speaks the truth gets fired. Our professor also had told us that MSNBC got rid of Phil Donahue for being too pro-Arab. So much for freedom of speech. Bastards.

Now, I've got no problem with Jews. I just dislike the blatant prejudices demonstrated by Zionists and the favortism that America shows for Israel. You know how espionage is punishable by death. Well, several years back, this Jew, Jonathan Pollard (check out Court TV's Crime Library to read about Mr. Pollard, the American who committed treason), stole stacks of files from the Pentagon to give to Israel, files he was not really privy to. But hardly got punished. He got away with it. Had anyone else done that same mess, all hell woulda broke lose. The double-standards are just unbelievable.



Thus, modern, mature democracies representing the end of ideology have, in effect, separated ethics from politics; and modern ideology, in so far as it continues to exist as a force in society, is nothing more than a cynical propaganda cover for the specific self-interest of competing groups. (from "American Politics and the End of Ideology" by Stephen W. Rousseas and James Farganis).

"Bombs Over Baghdad"

This U.S. war sucks! I hate the talk I'm hearing from some people. Pretty much I'm isolated from the outside world, I don't follow the news or anything like that. But occasionally I hear these people all proud to be Americans for the WRONG reasons! Bastids... I'm tired of warmongers. If there was really some kind of justice, it would be you fawkin' jingoists that we would send to the frontlines. Argh! So, hopefully, despite the fact that most of the world despises the arrogant American administration, they will get rid of Saddam this time. Gosh - why didn't they just take care of things in Gulf War 1? Stupids.

We were talking about in one of my classes how the U.S. was one of the countries originally pushing for an International Criminal Court. Yet they, along with Israel, refuse to be consignatories to such a court. The administration (Bush, Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, and Perle(?)) all cite international law. They talk about fighting fair and clean on the one hand, yet on the other, they do not accept the laws that the U.S. helped develop. This war that everyone says is an illegal one, the U.S. tries to justify. They say that a preemptive strike is allowed because we are living in a "new world." WTF?? Why does the oligarchy get to define everything? And only to their terms? (How do you think the colonized felt? They had a "new world" imposed upon them. >:-( ) This country also redefines how we can treat detainees, even including some amounts of torture. (Those Afghans in Guantanamo Bay are detainees, by the way, as opposed to POWs, which would mean the Geneva Convention could be applied to them).

Also in this class of mine, which is lectured by a professor well-known for his expertise on Islam and the like (he's an Italian-American from Brooklyn), we discussed the notion of "just war." The professor said that most mainstream religious leaders in this country say this war is not just. But if you take a poll of Americans, many will choose nationalism over their religious leaders.

I dunno... I think it would serve the U.S. right if the Middle East, which possesses about three-quarters of the world's known oil reserves, busted out the oil weapon, a là the 1973 Oil Embargo. Too bad all these governments the world over are tainted with corrupt leadership. My mom was complaining to me last night about her job; about a couple of her co-workers, specifically. She was tellin' me how some people act when they're at a certain level. That is, when they have higher ranks, like title of manager or superviser. They get these attitudes. They act like their position gives them the right to certain privileges and to disrespect people, and double standards and what-have-you. And I was thinkin' how this is at such a micro level. Imagine what goes through the minds of leaders of nations with all the power they wield. What potential differences they could make in people's lives in positive ways! Yet people get greedy and selfish and only work to benefit themselves and their friends and family. Just makes you sick. I guess a lot of it centers on part of a verse cited in the Bible: "For the love of money is the root of all evils..." (1 Timothy 1:6). Sad, but true, right?

And while I was looking for the exact location of this verse, I saw another that kinda made me shiver. Though we don't know exactly when this world will end, check this out: "But understand this: there will be terrifying times in the last days. People will be self-centered and lovers of money, proud, haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious, callous, implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, as they make a pretense of religion but deny its power. Reject them." (2 Timothy 3:1-5). I dunno... but I think that last verse of using religion as a pretense may be applicable to the likes of Bush and bin Laden and Saddam... :-/ But actually, many believe that Bush truly believes in what he says.

Ugh, I hate this crap... I once asked a professor of mine why is it that the U.S. supports Israel so much (it's only the size of Jersey or Vermont, with about 5-6 million friggin' people) versus 22 Arab countries. My teacher didn't have an exact answer, but he said other people have asked the same thing. Hmm... I wonder if I could do a research paper on it. I wasn't gonna do a thesis... But would this be a feasible topic? I mean, I don't plan to graduate this semester, although I ought to be done with all my coursework come May, so, I've still got time. I was gonna take the comprehensive exam (or "comps," as we call it). But since I don't think I'm ready for it, I'm delaying my taking it... And starting with my incoming class, the thesis option became available in lieu of the comps. That's something for me to think about...

Speak English!

Spring Break has already come and gone and, yup - I left the country. This time I traveled to the United Kingdom. London, England, to be exact. And of course, I had to eat at McDonald's there. So, I think that makes the 6th country outside the U.S. in which I've eaten Mickie D's. But I really shouldn't support that business , though. That was bad of me. Ah, well...

I was in London about 10 days. All I gotta say about the Brits is: they talk funny and drive on the wrong side of the road! LoL. I'm telling you, I sometimes could not understand what they were sayin' and I thought we spoke the same language. :-P It's funny how the language has evolved. For example, the word "Asian" refers to South Asians, whereas here in the States, I believe it has the connotation of East and Southeast Asians. But if you wanted to refer to "our" Asians, you would say "Orientals." But that's politically incorrect in these parts. For those who don't know, I've heard that "oriental" should only be used to refer to inanimate objects, such as an oriental rug. But figures those Brits would still actively use the term "Orientals." They're the original Orientalists. (see: Orientalism by Edward Said).

And crossing the street - gosh! I already have enough trouble crossing without getting killed enough as it is. But this time, I didn't know which way to look. I couldn't keep straight from which way traffic was coming. Luckily, at some crosswalks they have painted on the ground "LOOK LEFT/RIGHT".

The weather wasn't the greatest when I was there. It sucks 'cause my friend there told me before I left that it had been sunny there. Then the day I get there, it's cloudy and eventually rains. And if it wasn't rainy, then it was rather cold/windy. Figures the day I leave it would be sunny and relatively warm. :-/

I went to Buckingham Palace a couple times tryna see the Changing of the Guard ceremony. The first day I got there, they were just finishing with it. Then later a few horse-drawn carriages go by and inside are some Arab men. How do I know they were Arab? Well, they were wearing those headresses that the Saudi family wears. I also saw Big Ben and the House of Parliament. Actually, I didn't see Big Ben itself since "Big Ben" refers to the actually bell, but I did see the clock tower. And the architecture to the House of Parliament is awesome. It's neo-Gothic. I visited Westminster Abbey, as well. And I was on a riverboat in the Thames. I went to Westminster Cathedral, which is the big Roman Catholic church there. What else did I see/do...? I went to Trafalgar Square and the British Museum. At the museum I got to see the famous Rosetta Stone. I didn't finish looking around in there, so, I'll hafta stop through there the next time I go to London. Yeah, I'd go back there. I liked it. It was maaad expensive, but nice. But sooo expensive. Sheesh. :-P

And I thought the U.S. was pretty diverse. But London has so many different peoples. The area I was staying in was like a Pakistani area or something. All these people in their Muslim garb, mixed in with Black and white people, as well as others. In some of the little shops owned by the South Asians they sold Mecca Cola and Qibla-Cola. Yikes. And why did this one guy say to me as I was walking by him on the sidewalk (I think they call it the "pavement" there) something about him betting I had a "tight poom poom." OMG! For those who don't know, it's Jamaican, referring to a certain part of, uh, the female anatomy. As vulgar as that statement was, it did actually make me laugh.

But about the diversity - the white guys actually look at non-white girls there! See, the white guys here are either too scared or not interested or something. But there, it was cool. I liked that. :) And I've never seen so many interracial couples of the kind: Black girl/white or other guy. I saw so many of them there. 'Cause you know how in the U.S., if anything, it seems to be a Black guy with a non-Black girl. Ya know? Anyhoo, it's cool. I like to see the races mix like that. =D

I went out a little bit there. I went to the Ruby Lounge and that was okay. I also went to 10 Rooms, which is supposedly THE spot. Celebrities go there. My friend was telling me how Ms. Aguilera and Mr. Timberlake were there recently. (Not together, I don't think). When we went, there were some celebs there. But local ones, so I didn't really know them: Mysteeq, Blue, and a couple guys from "Pop Idols" or one of them kinda shows (you know, American Idol kinda stuff). It was a nice atmosphere. I also went to this nice lounge-type place that's actually called "The Spot." The girl I was staying with went to sing 'cause they have this open-mic stuff. Most people sing, backed up by the live band they have. Some do spoken word. This one cat from D.C. was there rappin'. Another guy from Philly was there reading poetry. Man, I leave America so I don't hafta be around Americans. :-P

The friend of mine there... I met her the same way I met the people from my Winter Break adventure. She actually knows the guy who invited me to that New Year's party. Kinda weird I went all the way over to stay with someone I only recently "met" and I stayed with her. But it was all good. She's nice and all. Actually, after corresponding with her for a while, it turns out she remembers seeing me at that New Year's party. And I, in fact, spoke to her girl when I was at that party. I saw her this last trip, too. Oh, and I ended up meeting one of her Jamaican friends who's actually staying and going to school around my neck of the woods. He was just in England on some business. He was nice. I met him as well as some of his Jamaican friends who live out there. Funny, the one girl asked me if I was Jamaican. That's another race I can pretend to be since a real Jamaican thought I looked it. :)

There was this one bagel shop close to where I was staying. Actually, it was a "beigel" shop. And it had some good bagels, as well as some pastries. I wouldn't mind a bagel with cream cheese right about now. Supposedly, this is a famous shop. My friend tells me it's been around since the war (WWII?). And one of her roommates said that Mariah Carey goes there. Cool.

So, yep... that's my trip in brief. Met some cool people that talk funny. LoL. Hey, mates - what in the bloody hell are you chatting about over there? I fink you guys are mad! :) And I didn't meet any guys. Saw some cute ones. But you know what? I think I'm attracted to gay guys. Well, I'll be damned if the guys I thought were cute turned out to be gay! Doh! :-P Reminds me of how in undergrad, me and this girl Tia would say there was always a catch with guys we liked: they were either taken, assholes, or gay! Anyways... There were still some things I didn't get a chance to do, so, I have some things to do when I go back one of these days. I doubt I'll go back this year, but some day. And I only wish, as with my other trips, that I had someone to travel with. Traveling alone can be just that - lonely. *sigh* But overall, it was a good trip and I'm glad I went. Thanks, Sofía, for hosting me!

"Wa qad karihtu nafsii wa tamanaytu ul-mawt."

That's a line from one of the Arabian Nights stories we're reading in class: "And so I hated myself and wished for death." I'm not having any suicidal thoughts or anything, but I'm definitely under some pressure. I wasted away the weekend and now I have to do way loads of cramming for a freakin' midterm, which consists of a take-home essay on "Muslim Extremism in Egypt," and in class - IDs of important/prominent people, organizations, and events, and some short essays. Ugh. In order to study for this, I just may not get to the readings for two of my other classes. This sux. But after Wednesday night, I'll be able to let out a sigh of relief for the time-being. Then I can start packing for my next trip...

This class I got a midterm in... We had a paper due a few weeks ago, which I turned in late, not to mention, missed the actual class session in which we were posta hand our papers in. But that's cuz I was still working on the paper. That's what I get for waiting last minute. But I did manage to pull off an "A" and the comment: Excellent paper, Sheena. Cool. I wonder if the comment belonged to the T.A. or the professor. Who cares. I got an "A." That makes me feel good considering my grades from last semester. *blush* Hope this stupid midterm doesn't bring me down. No sleep for me. :(

I've slept so much these last few days. Just slept for the heck of it, knowing I had academic obligations. I'm such a lazy ass. But that's because I have nooo motivation. That's sad. But one of these days. When I find what it is I really enjoy doing, or find something that comes close, maybe then I will be motivated.

I really shouldn't be on this here comp. I should be studying for this test. I will. But first, lemme play an MSN game "right quick"... :-P

R.I.P., Mr. Rogers

Fred Rogers (1928-2003), an icon of children's television programming while many of us were growing up, passed on to that great neighborhood in the sky this past Thursday. He died of stomach cancer at the age of 74. He will be greatly missed - especially by his wife, two sons, and two grandsons. If only more people were like him, with such huge hearts and caring souls. [It seems that good people always die. And as my mother says, the bad/evil people you want to die, never do!! For example: Saddam Hussein. Or even worse: Ariel-fucking-Sharon!] To this day, on the rare occasion that I flip through the channels and see "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood," I will leave the station there and watch.

*sigh* - the brevity of life... We never know when we're gonna go, for tomorrow is not promised. (Especially with people like stupid-ass Bush trying to get us all killed with his asinine war rhetoric! >:( ) I need to get my life right before it's too late. I was looking at some Scriptures that affected me. In the Catholic and Orthodox Bibles, we have some books not accepted by most, if not all, the Protestant sects. The ones included in the Old Testament are not considered divine by the Jews either, although many Jews, such as rabbis, quote extensively from these texts. We call this collection the deuterocanonical books. Or as the Protestants call it, the Apocrypha. Anyways, there's this particular book I like. It contains many things on moral instruction and it is the book of Sirach. The particular chapter that spoke to me the other day was chapter 5, which is as follows (the numbers indicate the verse):

1 Rely not on your wealth; say not: "I have the power."
2 Rely not on your strength in following the desires of your heart.
3 Say not: "Who can prevail against me?" for the LORD will exact the punishment.
4 Say not: "I have sinned, yet what has befallen me?" for the LORD bides his time.
5 Of forgiveness be not overconfident, adding sin upon sin.
6 Say not: "Great is his mercy; my many sins he will forgive."
7 For mercy and anger alike are with him; upon the wicked alights his wrath.
8 Delay not your conversion to the LORD, put it not off from day to day;
9 For suddenly his wrath flames forth; at the time of vengeance, you will be destroyed.
10 Rely not upon deceitful wealth, for it will be no help on the day of wrath.
11 Winnow not in every wind, and start not off in every direction.
12 Be consistent in your thoughts; steadfast be your words.
13 Be swift to hear, but slow to answer.
14 If you have the knowledge, answer your neighbor; if not, put your hand over your mouth.
15 Honor and dishonor through talking! A man's tongue can be his downfall.
16 Be not called a detractor; use not your tongue for calumny;
17 For shame has been created for the thief, and the reproach of his neighbor for the double-tongued.

I think many of us, even if we consider ourselves believers, live in this way - as if we had no one to answer to, as if there are no consequences for our actions, as if we can get away with anything because God will forgive us. For anybody of the Abrahamic faiths, as well as some others, if you're looking for a good code of conduct to follow or to just remind you of how we ought to live, I recommend the Book of Sirach. I think even if you're not religious in the least bit you could find some verse that you might like.

Snowed in...

Only today did all the neighbors come out and start clearing the snow beyond their driveways. It's nice to see group effort like that, how something like a snow storm can bring people together. I just watched from the safety of my window. LoL. Nah, but it's cool to see the neighborhood dynamic. The suburbs aren't like they used to be. It's no longer a tight-knit community as it once was. Well, at least not in my experience. I don't know if that made sense. I mean that I never experienced the closeness. Back in the day, people used to know their neighbors. I barely even see mine. I don't know any of their names, really. Anyway...

Damn the man! My university is open tomorrow. Granted, it's liberal leave, but I feel obligated to go. Plus, I did skip last week and these classes are only held once a week. But I dunno how I'm gonna get there. Don't know who can take me or when or how the roads are where I am. Oh, well. I guess I'll just find out...

You know, I think I used to think, as a child, that we, as humans, hibernated. hehe... I have this memory from around the first grade, I suppose, of waking up while we were receiving snow. No one else in my house was awake and it was already daylight, so I figured, oh, we must be hibernating now. So I went back to sleep. D'oh! Haha... anyways...

Mind off the snow - Spring Break is comin' up. And you know what that means! Yep - I'm takin' my ass the hell away from my daily surroundings. No plans are in effect as of yet, but there is a chance I will be making my way across the Atlantic again. Since nothing's definite, I will keep hush on the possible location. I realized that everytime I talk too much about something that has to do with the immediate future, it never works out in the end. Don't wanna jinx myself too badly. :-P

Well, guess I'm gonna go watch some TV with my mom, practice knitting a couple rows, and maybe do some homework, which has been sitting in my bookbag since I dropped it on my bedroom floor Friday evening. :-P

Let it snow...

The mid-Atlantic region is covered in snow. The governor even told the people to stay off state roads until 4am. The cars on my street are all buried. My mom wants me to wipe off her car. Ha. Nope. I ain't goin' out there. Hehe... Besides - it's Presidents' Day. My day off. Hey - are we celebrating the birthdays of men who owned slaves? Amerikkka would do some f*cked up shit like that. :-P

So, last weekend when Tara and I hit up the bookstore, I ended up purchasing three CDs and three magazines. What was I thinking? The grand total was a lot higher than I had expected, even with the $20 worth of coupons I had. I bought three magazines (Latina, Elle, and Blender) cuz my girl, Shakira, is on the cover of all three. And the CDs I bought are all in different languages. I bought a Spanish one by Rosana. A Brazilian one by Antonio Carlos Jobim. And I purchased an album in Hebrew. I kinda didn't wanna buy it 'cause I was thinkin' I would some how be supporting the Israeli economy if I did so. But I also like all kinds of music and want something that could potentially help me learn the language, so, I freakin' bought it.

I'm trying to learn how to knit. Just tryna get the basic stuff down-pack, like how to start off and do the basic stitch. But there are so many complicated things about it to learn. I wish I could do like my mom. She taught herself to knit and crochet just by merely looking at the pictures and I bet she can crochet and knit better than anybody. Heh. I can't do that... We'll see how long I stick with this. 'Cause everytime I set out to do something, I never finish. It's always so short-lived.

Anyway, I think I'll go practice right now and see if I can find anything to watch on TV...

Valentine's, Schmalentines :-P

So it's Valentine's Day. So what? Fuck a Valentine's... LoL. Just kidding. I'm not bitter or anything. No, seriously; I'm not. :) I'm not mad that I'm not celebrating just another capitalistic holiday. Besides, I have a Valentine's. In fact, I have two! 'Cause my mommy and my sis sent me cards. :-P

Remember the Simpsons episode where Lisa gives Ralph a pity Valentine? And Ralph goes: it says i choo-choose you and there's a picture of a train on it. :)

Currently listening to: my "Aladdin" soundtrack. Dang - I can't believe that movie came out over ten years ago! We're so old... I should go watch that movie later. I think I'll look at it differently now that I know more about Arab culture. And the fact that I'm taking a course on the Arabian Nights, although we won't be reading the story about Aladdin.

Anyway... I need to buckle down in school. I'm still the number one slacker. I waited last minute to start this 5-page brief for my class. I ended up skipping my most busiest day of classes because I was still tryna write the damn paper. I ended up handing the paper in the next morning. Wonder if or how I'll be penalized. The professor had sent out an e-mail with the subject "absences." He said something about us reviewing the syllabus on the policy on unexcused absences. Oops! One of my other friends was also in the same situation as me. That is, not done writing the paper and skipping class. But she, being Muslim, could use the excuse of her holiday. Anyway... We'll see what happens.

I'm gonna try to watch 20/20 tonight. I think it's the Christina Aguilera interview. I'm no longer a fan of hers, but I'm interested in seeing what she has to say. I will no longer support her financially. Nope. But I did acquire her latest CD. Bootleg. :) It's actually quite hot. It's a confessional and it demonstrates her talent. She gets props for it. I think she has a great voice, but I don't particularly care for it when she belts out tunes. I don't like the way her voice sounds. You know, if you listen to some of her songs when she was under the control of her rec execs, you can hear how her voice resembles Leann Rimes. Yup. Just listen to the two sometime. But, yeah, I like when she sings ballads and stuff. The album consists of a mix of styles. She's even got a couple songs that are more like alternative-sounding or punk rock or whatever the hell you'd call it.

The songs I have taken a liking to are "Walk Away" (kinda jazzy/soulful), "Infatuation" (Latin-infused), and "Loving Me 4 Me" (R&B-ish?). And of course you've probably heard "Beautiful" on the radio. And I believe "Impossible" is out, too. (I dunno since I don't listen to the radio.) "The Voice Within" is also nice. Sometimes Christina sounds like she's coppin' Mariah Carey's style. Oh, speakin' of Mariah, I remember I was a fan, then I stopped liking her (not her music) around the time she got with old-ass Tommy. Then I think I like her again. I cried when I saw her "Through the Rain" video. Like every time I saw it. :-P Back to Christina - I also really like her song called "I'm OK." I also cried when I heard this. I think, like, each time I listened to it. Yeah, I'm a crybaby. But it's so sad. In it, she's speaking to her father. It's about how her father used to beat her mom when she (Chris) was little. :( And the fact that she's actually sorta crying on the track as she's singing, that adds to the effect.

And finally, before I go plop myself in front of the TV - about the song "Walk Away." I like the first verse: "I was naïve/Your love was like candy/Artificially sweet/I was deceived by the wrapping." And I especially like the breakdown part. It starts with "Everytime I try to grasp for air" and right up to the part where she goes "Begging, pleading no more," then she kinda screams or something. I love it. Check it out!

Anyhoo, it's time to watch 20/20. And screw you and your Valentines. :)

We be clubbin'!

Went to the club Saturday night. Saw people I knew. Gave out my number. Baby-sat Tara. LoL - that girl was actin' the fool. Well, she does that anyway, but with some drinks in her and in a club setting - it's magnified! Damn, legs all up in the air, guys circlin' around her. And on top of that, she was screamin'! Sheesh. Can't take her no where! Haha. On top of that, she wanted to drive me home drunk. Whatta dumbass bitch. Oops. My bad. :-P

We had fun. But I didn't wanna dance with everybody. And why do guys hafta grope you as you walk by? I mean, I don't need you grabbin' my hands, arms, elbows, and ASS!! Shit.. I can do that myself! J/k... But seriously, if you're not cute, that kinda tactic doesn't work and you hafta go on just your presence and demeanor. Anyway...

I asked the guy sellin' roses in the club where he was from 'cause I've met a couple who were from Jordan. This guy was like, "guess." And I really didn't know what part of the world he was from, but I was just like, "the Middle East?" And yup - he was from Lebanon. So I bust out a ahlan wa-sahlan! on him and he smiles and gives me a hug. I was practicin' my Arabic on him and he said I was good at it. He asked me when I started to learn and I told him only about a year and a half ago and he was impressed. Go me! It's my birfday! (That one's for you, Tara. lol)

We went to IHOP afterwards. I had not been to one in ages. I don't even remember the last time I went. There were eleven of us and we all had to sit in separate places. But it was fun. Tara and I were sittin' at a table with our old friend Phillip and we had a good time jokin'.

I ate a lotta burritos this weekend... Mmm - 7-Layer Burritos from Taco Bell - minus the tomatoes. It's what I always get. I kinda want one now. I've been eating a lot lately. Eating's fun. I was thinkin' that I could never go on something like a Slim Fast diet where you drink a couple cans to substitute some meals. Yeah, right. I enjoy eating too much. Nope couldn't do that. But I don't need to go on a diet anyways. I don't have the best eating patterns, but I don't eat lotsa bad foods on the regular. I mostly need exercise. And so does the rest of fat ass America.

We've got such an unhealthy populace. I read an article on how Asian-Americans who came to this country like 20 years ago were heavier and had more health problems than new Asian immigrants. And then there are people in various industries that like to exploit on Americans' poor health and dietary habits. One of my old friends from undergrad is currently in med school in Lebanon (she's Italian, by the way, and very smart) and she sent some people this presentation she and a couple of her classmates did on the cruddiness of the pharmaceutical, tobacco, and food industries. Their presentation was entitled: HOW A FEW PEOPLE ARE GETTING RICHER WHILE THE REST OF US ARE GETTING SICKER. It was quite interesting...

Anyway, I need to go get something with my laptop fixed... Gotta go find the repair center.

CHUC MUNG NAM MOI!!

Today marks the first day of the Lunar New Year for us Viets. (As well as Chinese, Koreans, and who knows who else.) I hear it's the Year of the Goat on the Vietnamese calendar, and Sheep on the Chinese one. Anyhoo...

I went out with some friends Wednesday night after my long day of classes. We went to this place that had salsa lessons and dancing in the downstairs. I don't think I'll never in my life master that shit. I can do the basic steps after you show me. But then you try to bring in all those complicated moves, then you've lost me. And I'll eventually forget the basic steps for the next time. But I'm not into all that anyways. I prefer the mainstream Latin music when I'm out dancing - like pop and rock and what-have-you. Whatever. At least I got enough rhythm that I don't look like a total fool as I step on my dance partner's feet. LoL.

Think I need to get me a Latin boyfriend who can teach me some moves. And to practice my español. But then I need me an Arab man so I can work on my Arabic. I'm workin' with so much Arabic this semester, my vocabulary will surely improve. But I wanna be able to start putting it to use. I need to hang around my friends at school, a good number of whom are Lebanese, so I can pick up a dialect. And then once I get good enough with the language, it'll help for when I lie to people as to what is my ethnicity. Hehe...

I need some advice. I don't like to lie, but I feel telling the truth is not always the best approach. What I'm referring to (and I think I mentioned it a coupla blogs ago) is when guys try to talk to you. Like the other day I'm walkin' home from campus and this guy that's standing nearby says something to me. I go, "Say what?" He asks me my age. And I tell him as I continue to walk. Then he asks me where's my man. I just smile and keep on going. Like, I know if I say I don't have one, which would be the truth, he would proceed to try to talk to me or something. If I say something, like, he's at home, that still doesn't guarantee that that would get the guy off my back. Believe me. I know. But I was thinking that the next time a guy asks me, "Where's your man at?" I'm gonna respond with, "Which one?" LoL... Heh... But I know that could spark even more shit. It's a Catch-22. One reaction I'm trying not to do so much anymore is to straight up ignore people. Although it can work. Act like I didn't hear. But then they sometimes still get mad and call names. Here's a funny story - I had this guy on the bus try to talk to me last year. Not cute at all. I was mindin' my own business, readin' a book. This guy was rude since he interrupted. I mean, he said, excuse me, or whatever. But can't you see I'm frickin' readin'?? I don't got time for your non-readin' ass! Haha... Anyway, back to the story... I look at him eventually and he's all like, do you speak English? I guess it was due to the way I didn't really respond to his scrubby self. So, when he asked me this, I just shook my head. Buwahaha! That got him to get off my nutz. teehee...

Well, tomorrow (which is really today) I guess I'll be going to the gym. And I need to try to squeeze some homework in there somewhere because before I know it, it'll be the night before classes - or the morning of - and I'll be panicking, trying to get shit done.

And I'd like to do a lil somethin' for New Year's. That's not likely, but I'ma try to hit up one of my Viet friends to see if she's gettin' into anything.

And then... I'll be going clubbing again. Wow. I'm getting out quite a bit lately. Let's see how much action I get. ;)

"Git ur freak on..."

We made it to the gym yesterday. But we took it easy, stayin' off those bikes and cross-trainers and whatever the hellz you call 'em. :) We went to the gym without sleeping from our night out. Two weekends in a row for me going to the gym. That's a record. Now let's see if I can start getting myself to go during the week at school. I mean, I should since I'm paying for it anyway. We have to pay a mandatory fee to use the facilities on campus, whether we plan to use them or not.

Anyway... didn't do anything last night. Pretty much wasted the day sleeping and doing nothing really productive. Well, except for watching my favorite show when it finally came on after all that stupid sports crap. "Alias" was good last night! A lotta crazy things went down in that episode. I wonder what's gonna happen next! Jennifer Garner - she oughta be my motivation for trying to get into a gym routine. I'm gonna learn to do what she does. Hehe... And I think I wanna go see that movie she's starring in with Ben Affleck - "Daredevil." I also wanna see that movie with Queen Latifah and Steve Martin. That looks like it'll be funny.

And tomorrow - the second week of "American Idol." I hope this season will be as good as the first when one of my colleagues and I would watch it religiously. I wonder what's goin' on on the Spanish version of the show. I saw some of it during winter break. It's called "Operación Triunfo." It was quite different than "American Idol" and I didn't fully understand how it all worked.

So, I think I got my answer from the subject of last Tuesday's blog. And the answer was more or less in the affirmative. I think. I dunno... there's much to work on and work out. ¿Me oyes, papi? :-P

Okay... I've got a LOT of catching up to do with my school work. I gotta try not to sleep so much because there's just too much that needs to be done. Dammit. Why do I always procrastinate?

Bad start to the semester. I'm already slackin'. But what's new, right??

Well, part of my reason for not doing my work is that I've been getting out more than I usually do. It's probably nothing for most everyone else, but I usually don't leave the house 'cept to go to school.

Friday, I made my way back to my parents' house, then ended up going out with Jeannie and some of her friends to a club/lounge in the city. We got there hella late, so, we weren't there too long. It was a nice place. From the outside, kinda looks like a hole in the wall. But on the inside, it was rather spacious, nicely decorated - that is, modern-looking - and there were some trendy (and some not-so-trendy) people in there. Afterwards, we went to Double T Diner. I got home around 5 in the morning.

Then... I got my sleep, then Tara and Jeannie and I made it to the gym again. Oh, my abs were still burning from the last week. We were posta go to the gym again today, but I dunno if I'ma make it cuz I just may wanna sleep. Jeannie got me to go to the club with her and the guys (the same ones from the night before). I was making all kinds of excuses for not going - like that I didn't have no club gear (cuz most my stuff is at my apartment, not my parents' house). And Jeannie was like, we'll get you some clothes. And I'm like, I got no shoes. So, me, Tara, and Jeannie ended up going to the mall for bubble tea and looking and clothing. Got me some pants and a top to match the shoes I was already wearing.

We headed to the club mad late. I thought we weren't even gonna get a chance to enjoy it. But we were there for a good couple hours, I guess. I ended up seeing this dude from my undergrad there. I remember when I used to go clubbing regularly, I used to always see this cat at the club. And though we didn't really talk on campus, save for greeting each other, we would always dance with each other. So, he spots me last night and we dance and fill each other in on what we're up to these days. He tells me I've taken care of my self since the last time we seen each other... asks me if I'm single... Sometimes I wish lying came easy to me, or that I just knew how to be honest cuz, although this guy is cool, I'm not interested in him in "that way." So, I coulda lied and said I was seeing somebody. Or I coulda told him the truth that I didn't have no man (which is what I did)... But then I didn't tell him I wasn't tryna get with him or anything 'cause he was obviously feeling me. But I did end up exchanging info with him.

I also met this Indian guy from Great Britain. He's a medic. Hmm... lemme see whassup with that! LoL... Nah... He seemed nice enough. Don't think I'd be interested in "seeing" him in a romantic way or whatever. But he was okay-looking. And if I wanna go to England before the summer, I hafta let him know cuz after that, he'll be in the States. Heh... I'ma hafta think about that one! ;) We did swap e-mail addresses and telephone numbers.

Met some other guys... not particularly noteworthy. Or I'm just too lazy to re-cap. :-P My friends were jokin' about what a mack I am. Hehe... I'm not really a mack. I'm just a jerk magnet. LoL - nah. These guys weren't jerks. Oh - and on the way out... kinda rubbed shoulders with one of the doormen right quick. Italian-American. But I had thought he was Arab. That's why I had talked to him. Hehe...

Then we ended up going back to one of the guys we went with - to his house for a minute... Then back to Double T Diner... And long story short, I got back in the house at 8:30am. Tara wanted to go to the gym this morning, and earlier than we usually go. But I dunno... Jeannie and I are deliberating on the matter on IM right now. LoL. We're like, if we go, no cardio today if we go or we'll be no more good. Let's see if we even go...

And it's Super Bowl Sunday. I've never done anything for that, but I'm tryna see if something's up. If I don't do anything, ain't no thing. But I'm also down for almost whatever...

I went to the gym again on Sunday. But it was all for nothing, considering what I've eaten since then. Hehe. My fat azz needs to eat! Ha - I actually wish my ass was fat. Can someone give me some tips on how to increase my butt size and get some child-bearing hips? I don't wanna hafta resort to the butt implants. LoL... I just wish I got more of my Black side when it came to distributing the butt genes. Unfortunately, I have my mother's behind from her youth. Well, it's not so bad - she can testify how it draws "the brothers." And I could, too. hehe... But still - it's just not the same. It's not round enough!

Enough about butts... after the gym on Sunday, I went with my mom to her friend's house for a minute. Then I arranged a date with one of my best guy buds, Robert. It took some convincing to get him out, but we finally hung out. I haven't seen him in a while and we haven't talked in a long time. We had a nice time, doing a little bit of catch-up. I took him to the place where my current object of affection works. But Bert didn't know that until a little bit later in the evening.

But, argh! I think it's time I entered a convent. I'm not making or finding any more meaningful relationships with the opposite sex and it's killing me! Okay, no, not really. I'm exaggerating. But it is frustrating! I can't seem to find a guy that I like, who likes me back, AND is worth the time! It's always me liking someone who's off limits... Or someone liking me and me not feeling the same. Or just some other really stupid reason. >:-O

And my current obsession - I just don't get him. I mean, I don't know what the deal is or where we stand. I'm just ready to give up on him. That's my problem: I crush too hard. I think with my emotions, ignoring all my rational thoughts. But that can only last for so long before I snap back to reality. So, if homeboy is as pressed as I am right now, he better act like it. It would work to his advantage if the feeling is mutual for him to stop giving me mixed signals. He may not think he is, but that's how I'm seeing it.

Cuz, shiet - he's interfering with my game. LoL. Nah, it's just that I'll be shootin' down other guys' game for his sake 'cause I can only have a 'serious' crush on one guy at a freakin' time! Dammit. I'm so confused. :-S

My mom would yell at me if she knew how I was behaving for a stupid boy. She, being old-fashioned, says a guy should chase a girl - not a girl chasing after a guy. I think she's right. And I have another friend who's like that. And she's much more strong-willed than I. For this guy who wasn't giving her the same attention she would give him, she was like, "scratch that!" That's the approach I need to take.

Damn American boys! More reason for me to want to move to another country... If I keep throwin' myself at you and I don't feel that you're being responsive enough, I'll eventually learn to say "fuck it." So, you better watch out, Mister! :-P

Alright. No more of my little girl anguish. Wait - one more thing - boys suck! :-P hehe... Okay, I'm done now. :)

I really need to hit the books. I'm already slacking and it's only the beginning of the semester. Sheesh. What the f*** is my problem? Well, honestly, part of its the damn male species. Grrr! But anyway...

I'm auditing Hebrew again this semester. But I'll only be able to attend one of the two classes a week since it conflicts with my Introduction to Arabian Nights class. In that class we'll be reading a few of the stories in Arabic. I'm a little intimidated of the native speaker who's in the class. But my teacher says not to be and to go to him whenever I have a question. Kelly's also in that class. She's the non-native speaker who's married to an Arab. So, she has help at home. All these unfair advantages. It does intimidate me.

I'm also taking a class on Global Terrorism and Islam, one on Contemporary Arab Society, and an Arabic Translation Workshop. I was hoping for a light semester in terms of actual work. But I can see these courses as being time-consuming. Ugh, I hate school.

Last night I went with Justin and Tony to Border's to do some homework. I got a tiny bit of work done. We were there about two hours until it closed at 11. Then we eventually went out for some drinks and talked until that place closed at 1. Then we headed to the liquor store, bought some Malibu and pineapple juice, chilled at Justin's place for a bit. Then we headed to Denny's for some food. I got back in the house maybe around 4am. Had a teeny-weeny hangover feeling. But I feel fine now. I just need to get some homework done. But I lack motivation. *sigh*

Get me to a nunnery...