History - Our world view and how it has changed.

In Extension History, we've been learning about What is History, and more importantly, who are the historians? Taking a look into the historians, we've taken a look at one of the first historians in the world, a Greek man by the name of Herodotus (c. 500 BCE), which I urge you to look up.

Herodotus wanted to preserve the past, and more importantly; ask questions how certain things came to happen. More specifically, the Greek-Persian conflict. Two empires at battle for land expansion.

And so it led me to think about how our world view was, and how it is today, In a nutshell, how it's changed.  It's just slightly strange to think back then, they did not have the knowledge we do today. Of course, maybe back then they were more hardworking which required them to use brainpower seeming as they did not have technology to help them like we do today. But back then, that world was all they knew. It's not known whether if they knew there was more to be discovered or not, but they did not know certain people existed, for a fact, as you think about it, no one knew until they were discovered by European powers. (Aborigines in Australia, Native American Indians, Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas in the Americas, and so on. Many new people also evolved, many new nationalities evolved with interracial breeding and such, but that probably swerves towards our modern time with immigration etc.) Many things such as events, materialistic things, even countries as well as certain peoples (see above) did not exist back then.

Today we have an array of new things, such as new concepts, new history and so on. Today we have technology, we have transport technology, electronic technology, gaming technology, war technology and so on. Of course you're going to get things like the internet with these technologies. We have new history, such as the holocaust, WWI, WWII, colonisation of certain countries and so on. We have new concepts such as religion and science. Well religion came shortly after that time, but religion is a constantly changing thing so it's fair to say it's new.

But with all that we have today, are the answers we have not enough? Of course not. We still think there's more to be discovered, with all that's been discovered. We're still searching for answers. With new history comes new unanswered questions. Both old and new unanswered questions. Some of us still ask why ancient history events happened, and what profound effect has it had on the modern world? I believe history usually happens through a chain of events, not necessarily always but it does impact certain things. A modern world event that lead to another event could be September 11, for example, which lead to the Iraq war. If that had been prevented, many lives would've been preserved today. Not as many refugee camps would've established and so on.

History is an interesting thing when you think about it. It's one thing in your life that's always going to be relevant. Everyone makes history. This blogpost will be a part of my history once published, as well as a part of this blog's history unless deleted, but not really as it'll still remain as something that once happened i.e. this blog. History is certainly something that leads us to ask: Who are we? Why are we the way we are today? and Where did we come from? It poses really good questions towards life, unless you're someone that's just like I am as I am, and I couldn't care less about where I came from.

So yes, I hope this post has truly made you think, and maybe it shed some light on our past.

Year 12

So this post was due a little while back, but I'm finally writing it!

It's been a few weeks since I've started, and man I'm already freaking out. I have 1 exam and 2 assignments due all in the same week - in 2 weeks. Excuse me while I freak out again. I envy those who do not have to worry about getting ATAR as they are not going to uni because they don't have to work as hard, all they have to make sure to do is pass.

Yes, it sucks our assessments go towards HSC, and that they determine your ranking which initially could affect your mark.  I will work hard and get through this year. I just need to spend less time on the internet, and less time procrastinating.

If this is me now worrying and such, then imagine me in the middle of the year. Crap. But yes I shall get through this.

What do I want to do, you ask?

Well I want to do Journalism at UTS and for that you need an ATAR of 91.6 (as I recall), and you need get high band 5's and 6's for that, so now you understand my dilemma. Some people already have their live sorted out, so they're lucky. If I don't get that, I'll probably go to a different uni, then transfer later.

Maths, Legal Studies and English are probably what I am most worried about, particularly because for Maths and English, we're getting new teachers halfway through the year (for maternity reasons). Legal just has too much content, and I'm very afraid I won't remember it all.

Insha'Allah (God willing) I get a good ATAR though.

I also can't wait til school and HSC is over, I mean, I'm going to miss school and my friends, but freedom will finally be here, also considering that I will be 18 then too.I get to spend all the time on the internet, go out as much as I want, watch ALL the tv shows, and spend a lot of time with my friends (if I have any by then) without feeling guilty, and by guilty, I mean as in procrastination. It's also four months of holidays before uni. Imagine how much you can do in that time. I'm also hoping to get a job by then too.

So yeah, year 12, please go slow but quick at the same time.

Stupid Usernames

All my posts have been pretty serious and/or quite personal so there's no harm in having a rant/comical post. This post is all about... you guessed it! Stupid usernames! This post is also inspired by Romy.

Here are the kinds of stupid usernames (I hate) that you find online.

(P.s. these are made up examples, but you are guaranteed to find these on sites like YouTube, Twitter, and possibly Tumblr etc.)

A lot of numbers:
E.g. Kowth53647625264

The ILoveCelebrity names:
E.g. Ilovehazzastyles69

The band usernames:
By this I don't mean lyric puns or band name puns because they're actually good if funny (like my old tumblr URL 'putawentz') I mean the band name completed by your name type of usernames.
E.g. AllTimeAmy
AndreaMeAtSix
OfMiceAndStacey etc.

They're not necessarily cringeworthy because they're bad, they're cringeworthy because its too common and everybody does it.

The fandom name name:
E.g. HustlerrrKelly
Dedicatedbelieber35

There are probably more out there, but these are just a few to begin with.

Death

Death is such a frightening concept. You think about someone being there, and then... all of a sudden... they're not.

I guess everything that has a beginning must have an end, and usually we return to where we came from. We came from the Earth, thus we return back to it. (Or if you're religious, like I am, you could say we return to God, our creator)

But death. It just comes unexpectedly. I have a few theories to do with death, but how accurate are they? They are of no relevance anyway.

Look after yourself. Be healthy. Be careful in what you do. Most of all, be good. Be remembered for something.

On Friday came the horrible news of a girl in our year and her passing. Obviously because it had been a Friday night, I found out from Facebook which isn't the best way to find out realistically. The week before, my grandfather passed away too. He was 96. She was 16. 3 months shy of 17. His was expected, hers wasn't. They were both very ill. Now while I'm sad about my grandfather because the last time I saw him was 2007, and because he is family, I think I'm more upset about her.

Like I mentioned, she was ill. She was born with a severe condition called cystic fibrosis (look it up). She'd always been in hospital most of the time, and now recently.

While we didn't have many good moments in the past couple of years, just listening to Amelia by Tonight Alive, and looking at photos and statuses just wants to bring me to tears.

Also, while I thought back then, that she'd eventually not be relevant to me, here I am writing nearly a whole blog post about her. I never really liked her, but I realised she was a good person. Also out of all those not so good moments, there has to be a good one in there somewhere right?

I also guess that when it's somebody's time to go, it's their time to go. But why does life have to take away the good ones, but I guess only the good die young.

I actually wish she was still here at school taunting me for whatever, rather than gone.

She was really strong, and while we may not have been the closest of friends or even friends at all, I miss her. She'll be safe up there in heaven, and with no pain, I'm sure.

R.I.P. Brooke (1996 - 2012)
R.I.P. Grandfather Abu Hussain (1917 - 2012)

<3

Recent events:

Thursday (4/10/12): went out to churros with Chantal which you can read all about here! http://brain-to-the-net.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/churros-and-window-shopping-with-kool.html

Found out about terrible news that my grandfather had died too. (Allah yerhamak)

Sunday (7/10/12):
Birthday. Didn't do anything for obvious reasons.

Monday (8/10/12):
Started year 12!

Friday (12/10/12):
Found about death of classmate at school. Shocked. Rest in peace.

So yeah, my life isn't interesting but I haven't written a post in a while, and I thought I ought to update. Couple of new posts coming soon.

Community

Community is one of the greatest shows ever.

If you're a political junkie or pop culture enthusiast, then you will definitely like this show. Not to mention, it's insanely hilarious!

You should all watch it, oh my god.

Women

I had no intention on writing a blog post about women, but I just had to share this post to my readers that my friend Chantal has written. I wholeheartedly agree.

http://brain-to-the-net.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/society-and-women.html

Hate.

I was going to make a post on Islamophobia as a whole, but screw that. After what I've seen, I feel as if a post on hate is necessary. People really disgust me with their ignorance.

We all hate. Admit it. You do it, I do it even the cat does it.

We are lucky enough to have something called 'Freedom of Speech.' However is it really freedom of speech when a few out there abuse that right, By inciting hatred for various groups, whether it be religious groups, certain races and the like, it is simply not acceptable.

You may have heard in the news about the recent riots, that is not acceptable either but then again you do have moronic fools who are simply ignorant intolerant that do provoke these kinds of behaviours. Ignorance is definitely exhibited though.

Islam isn't the only subject here. We're talking about xenophobia and racism. I've seen on Facebook hate groups against Christians. Why? We don't stoop to this behaviour. Atheists / agnostics, I know you don't believe in a deity or multiple deities, but please have the decency to respect those who do.

Or if you're a Christian, Jew or Muslim, please have the decency to respect one another. After all we're all 'Ahlul Kitab' (Family of the book) All Abrahamic religions.

Don't mistake the actions of a few for the majority.

I really don't understand how anyone has the right to tell someone to 'go back to their country.' Little hypocritical, don't you think? I mean, hey you may as well go back to Europe but anyway NO. This is not acceptable either. There are a lot of bigots out there.

Like Martin Luther King said: "We've learned to fly the air like birds, we've learned to swim the seas like fish... And yet we haven't learned to walk the earth as brothers and sisters."

I think people could really learn a thing or two from him.

I could point out so much more like people and their racist views or whatever, but where's the fun in that? I think after reading this, I'll leave you to decide for yourself whether hate is an abuse of freedom of speech or whether it is accepted. Remember racism and xenophobia does not only exist in white people only.

You know as long as you respect my faith, nationality or whatever, I'll respect yours.

Peace out.

Exams

Exams are finally over! I had my last one today, yay.

Can't wait til holidays.

Ironically, I think I did worse in my best subjects, and better in my worst subject, or maybe I just did really badly overall but we'll see what happens.

Right now, I'm just going to sit down and relax before the start of year 12.

Labels.

I often wonder why labels exist.

There are multiple labels out there in society. 'Emo', 'Fat', 'Ugly', or even 'The girl with the big nose.'

NO! Why should labels exist? I don't like them. Honestly, who really cares how someone is. Just let them be.

There was actually a good quote by Sue Sylvester in Glee, although I can't seem to find it, but those who have seen the show will know what I'm talking about.

We were just talking about this in English the other day. How everyone has a certain thing they're known by, which becomes their label. At school, I was known as 'the crazy Paramore obsessed fan', or simply 'the girl who loves Paramore.' Now I'm probably known as 'the short one.' It doesn't necessarily have to be negative as such though.

But seriously, they do get annoying sometimes, and in my opinion, labels belong on packaging and boxes, not people. You all get the point.

Boycott and BDS

Following recent news, Lebanese indie rock band Mashrou' Leila have dropped off Red Hot Chili Peppers Tour in The Middle East following recent BDS calls. The bands were scheduled to play Beirut on 6th September.

Good on Mashrou' Leila! This is their super claim to fame, although they refused to play. Although shame on RHCP for rejecting BDS calls. They'll still continue to play in Tel Aviv on September 10. Guess I know who I'm boycotting now. They wouldn't have played Sun City in (then) Apartheid South Africa back in the 60's.

The UN actually led a cultural boycott for artists not to play Sun City in apartheid South Africa. Why can't they do the same to Israel?

BDS (Boycott, divestment and sanctions) are a really important movement running in order to put pressure on Israeli government, and hopefully change things.

Boycotting is good. It doesn't really make much impact, but it's spending and not spending your money ethically. Now I'm all for Palestinian rights, although I spend a lot of money on McDonalds, PepsiCo, or any American company as a matter of fact. A lot of those profits go to the American government (in tax money) which then transfer them to the Israeli government which is still funding apartheid. Which is why I don't eat at Max Brenner. Max Brenner has been known to fund the IOF. It's originally an Israeli company.

Three / Four years ago, in the midst of a Gaza massacre, I started a 3 month boycott. But of course it was for a good reason. Why would I spend my money at places where my money would eventually be used to purchase rockets, and guns to kill the innocent?

Boycotting is Punk rock. Punk rock is standing up for what you believe in. It's like going on hunger strike for a good cause, without going on an actual hunger strike. You should all try it sometime.

Also I'm sure you would boycott places that supplied money to those who killed innocents where ever in the world it may be.

I'm thinking of starting this boycott again sometime soon. Hopefully, soon I shall.

Take action! BDS now!

Suicide

So, this is something that happens all the time. Every day, every minute.

Today I had just heard about a suicide that someone jumped in front of a train at St. Mary's station, like holy crap that's near me!

Someone also did the same thing 2 weeks ago by jumping in front of a train, except this time it was at the city.

People kill themselves all the time. It's a problem. A big one. It's something we can prevent though.

When life gives you lemons, simple. Just throw them back at life. There's no point ending your life over a problem that is temporary.

Like Hayley Williams says, "Suicide is no solution. Keep fighting." Also, "If someone tells you, you're no good, they're no better!"

If you follow me on tumblr, you'd know I said it over and over again that if you need to talk, I am here! Always. Even if I can't help, I can listen, and it does always help to vent. My ask box is open. (Anonymous is activated.) I'm pretty much always on Twitter. I'm here. Just putting that out there. (I've put the links below)

If you don't want to talk to me, you can talk to professionals. If you feel you have depression, there is REACHOUT and BEYONDBLUE.

If you are a teenager, the kids helpline is available and if you are an adult, Lifeline Australia is available.

LIFELINE AUSTRALIA - 13 11 14

THE KIDS HELPLINE - 1800 55 1800

Remember, a few kind words or even a smile at someone can make them change their mind! :)

tumblr - putawentz
twitter - kowth

Journalism

Have you ever noticed how downhill Journalism has gone?

From station to station, paper to paper. The media. From airing part of the story, to hiring biased bigoted journalists to even airing unimportant stories before those important ones. The list goes on and on.

I still want to study journalism though in the hopes of righting it, and telling people the truth. Like the music industry, the journalist one is corrupt too. Most only care about sales or viewers, which leads back to money, which is a problematic thing.They'll choose what to air, and when to air which leads me to my next point.

Some stations will be very pro-whatever, so most of the time they'll choose to only show one side of the story, or even interview those that they choose, rather than getting the story from both sides.

Or another thing even, most will choose what to air and when to air. 

Por ejemplo: 6 pm news begins. First headline of the evening: ONE DIRECTION IS IN AUSTRALIA!!!!111 NO. No one cares. Meanwhile a news story about dying kids in Afghanistan, or even a car accident in NSW will be shown at around 6:15 - 6:30/ I guarantee you. MOST would have turned their TVs off by then, which shows that some news stations need to get their priorities straight. 

Or let's take a newspaper example. The Daily Telegraph or whatever paper it was showed an article on Syria on page 35 while front page news was... The Shire. THE SHIRE. Really, Australia, really?

There are probably many more flaws within this industry. I just can't think of them.

This picture pretty much sums this post up:

If you want an unbiased news source, I highly recommend SBS, Russia Today or Al-Jazeera (English). 

The X Factor

Apparently, I'm jealous that I can't sing because I hate X Factor...? What a joke.

Last year, I used to watch all these talent programs, but now they're crap and boring.

The X Factor is nothing but a manufactured show. It is a big fat fake hoax. I don't even know if you can call it a 'reality' show anymore.

It's honestly the biggest joke. Screw Simon Cowell. It's honestly part of the reason for the industry's downfall. Sometimes, they may even pick the wrong people. They might have below average voices, yet will still get picked because of how good looking they are.

Also, these people honestly have no hope if they're going to sell themselves out, from the beginning. I don't get why you would even bother trying again if you've had a washed up career in the past. You might as well build yourself up. That's where real respect for a musician begins.

Also, it's not really so much X Factor but the aftermath of it. Your career ends up being washed up in a few years anyway. I'm going to quote Josh Franceschi from You Me At Six here, and validly say he has a point.

"No, because we are the exact opposite of what the X Factor wants. The X Factor is a machine that will put a singer into a studio with loads of writers, churn out a few shitty albums and that’s their career done. They don’t even have to do any hard work, just turn up, get put on morning TV, mid-afternoon radio slots, and get everything put on a plate for them." (When asked, if You Me At Six could win the X Factor?)

Everything about these shows is just rigged. Even if the votes are fair, the show is still rigged because everybody pretty much votes based on looks. I highly doubt it's about the voices.

Which brings me to my next point. One bloody Direction. 5 fine-lookin' lads (according to all those girls out there) that have average voices put together in a boy band with songs not even written by them. What's the point of all this? MONEY. We're going to sell looks to get money. NO. So, it worked. They became #1 around the world.

In attempt to succeed, Australia tries to re-create this. Of course, they want to create a manufactured boy band. They want to put together 5 boys. NO. STOP. WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?

Join the revolution! Boycott the X Factor!

Languages

Namaste / Hello / Hola / Bonjour / Guten Tag / Ciao / Merhaba are just some of many ways you can say hello in many languages.

I love languages. Probably why I decided to pick up Spanish in year 9, and yet I still continue with it currently, and will be through to year 12 (although now I have no choice.) I currently speak 3 languages. English, Arabic and Spanish pero yo hablo un poco espanol. (But I speak a little bit of Spanish.) Although I'm getting there hopefully.

I'm not sure what it is, but something about different languages fascinates me. Learning a new language is great. It apparently increases your IQ too, as does playing a musical instrument, which I do both of. Learning a new language is really beneficial though. For those that only know English, get out there and learn something new please. It's for your own good, I promise.

Learning a new language actually opens you up to many new things such as more opportunities for jobs and travel. You get to become familiar with your own language too (like when I first started learning Spanish, I found it had so many words similar to Arabic and English, it was great.) You also get to learn about different cultures too.

When I get to uni, I hope to continue Spanish or even pick up a new language. I'd love to learn Italian, or Turkish even. It just opens up your mind to a whole new world, and branches out to a whole lot of other things.

Yeah, I quite love languages. They are amazing. Sometimes, I wonder how they work. I'm not sure how, but they just do. It's amazing. After follows the accents which makes things more intriguing and interesting

I was just wondering about this last night and I just saw people on twitter talking about languages which reminded me to make this post. Anyway, this post has been more structured as opposed to the last few, so I hope you have enjoyed reading it.

Eid

Ramadan is over NOOOO :( I mean, I'm glad I can eat again but...

Anyway, we finally can eat! Eid is basically like the Muslim Christmas (festivity wise). We visit people, eat sweets, wear new clothes and vice versa.

I love it because presents and money. I hate it because too much effort to clean and stuff but I'm just lazy. Anything else to say about Eid? Not really, except it's also a great excuse for a day off school.
Also, I kinda wish everyday was Eid.

Um, yeah this is short. It wasn't an educational post like the Ramadan one, but more of a general one. I'm going to go eat now! Adios.

Multiculturalism

You know, I'm really glad I live in a multicultural society. Although the downside is the racism that comes with it.

But no, it is a great experience. You meet all these new people that are from different countries, and different nationalities etc. It's awesome. You get to try different food, and learn new things about different countries and cultures, while still being able to feel at home due to the diverse multiculturalism.

I mean, thanks to Australia, I get to eat meatpies and such. Thanks to the Arabs and the Turks, I get to eat Kebabs. Thanks to the Mexicans, I get to eat Tacos. Thanks to the Spanish, I get to eat Churros!

The thought of not knowing what Churros are haunts me. If I lived back home in Palestine, I never would have tried them for obvious reasons but being born and raised in a society like this is great.

I know, I talk too much about food, so let's move on. Diversity! Diversity is always great. We have a special event at school called Carnivale. It's a day where each ethnic group, there being Australians, Middle East, Pacific Islanders, Asians, Africans, Northern Europe, Latin and the Mediterranean and Sub-Continent. (I hope I didn't forget anyone) Anyway, they each have a room where they decorate it, bring in food, whatever to put their culture on display, and it's actually quite fun. I FINALLY GOT TO TRY A FORTUNE COOKIE! Anyway, yeah that's quite brilliant.

I think what inspired this post was that ad for that segment on Today Tonight about Multiculturalism taking over.

Oh, I also love the different accents! Not for the accents, but for the sake of imitating them. I think Indian is probably the best to imitate. The best though is when you meet a Brit, and you get to hear them speak, although one of my friend's dad is Scottish, and his accent is particularly quite strong, I couldn't understand a word.

I'm not sure what I also like about Multiculturalism, but it's definitely a positive in society, minus the racism.

Speech on Injustice: New and Improved

I was supposed to post this Thursday night, but I forgot. The original speech was good enough to get me placed as a finalist, so I slightly reworked it. It didn't earn me first or second unfortunately, although I blame that on my poor public speaking skills but I thought I'd still share it anyway!

I recently came across a post about Injustices which prompted me to ask this question. Why are we blind to what’s going on in the world? And even if we pay the slightest attention, why is it to only some of the injustices but not all of them? Doesn’t that make us hypocritical in one way or another? That some of us seem to focus on non-local issues, rather than local issues or maybe even the other way around?

You might have heard recently on the news about the killing of Muslims in Burma, the shootings in America, or even the recent bloodshed in Syria along with other events currently happening in the world. There are also injustices amongst us as people such as poverty, discrimination, equal rights and so on.

Us, as Australians, as well as our government often question what goes on in other countries, and we often criticise it without having a look at what’s going on in our own backyard. Think about it. I have a point, right? We look at how citizens, particularly women are treated badly in third world countries, and we shame it. If we claim to be a democratic first-world country, why is same-sex marriage not legal yet? Why are there still homophobic attitudes towards homosexuals? Even in a prominent society like ours, we still have sexist and racist attitudes… Even if those that do are usually the minority, however those that hold homophobic attitudes remain a fairly big portion of our society.

What about injustices happening overseas such as Poverty? We sympathise with the poor Africans who have no food yet we are quick to turn away the boats that come from these poor countries. Little bit hypocritical, don’t you think? Once the boats enter Australian shores, most of these asylum seekers are detained and thrown into detention centres, where they get treated horribly, possibly more than they did in their country
.

Just imagine, what if you were a refugee? Hypothetically speaking. What if war broke out in your country, and you had no option but to leave if your life was in danger. The next thing you would do is hop on a boat, right? Particularly to what you would imagine a place full of luxuries, a place with better resources, a place for a better life. Of course, most of these being third world countries, they have limited resources, as well as limited education, so they are unaware of what actually happens to illegal refugees like themselves.

We should also try to combat the common problem of homelessness in Australia, as that is a very prominent issue. 

In schools, we learn about the Holocaust. We often feel sympathetic towards Jews who were mistreated in those times, yet we totally ignore those injustices going on in Palestine, currently done by Israel. Those that are often resistant militant groups are called ‘terrorists’ when in fact they are freedom fighters, but I guess like the saying goes “Another man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.” Which brings me to the point of how most Muslims are stereotyped as terrorists, which is an example of the racist attitudes I mentioned earlier. As you know the event of 9/11 led to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and as an ally of the U.S., Australian soldiers went over there which obviously led to Iraqi refugees in Australia, yet they still get the racist backlash from Australians. My point here is how can we sympathise with people that we don’t know so easily, yet treat those around us so badly?

 Which also leads me to another point. The rejection of Multiculturalism. Australia practically thrives on Multiculturalism. It was partially built on it too. Look around the room. We’re all different nationalities. The school is built up of people from all over the world. Also, without Multiculturalism we wouldn’t have the opportunity to learn new things about other countries from people around us, or even try new foreign food. We still have racism towards immigrants, who’ll actually come in and do the jobs that us as Australians are too lazy to do, yet we still complain about the amount of people coming in and taking up all the space.

Even speaking nationally, we seem so concerned about what’s going in other states such as Queensland, Victoria and so on, yet we seem to disregard the current issues in New South Wales, which we should give more regard to, as it concerns us the most.

Another thing is people seem to pick through issues that only suit them, not due to their sincere humanitarianism. Of course there are more issues to be looked into, but I’d be here all day if I were to explain them all, so the ones I have explored in this speech are probably the ones you’d be more familiar with.

Why can’t we just focus on all issues? Of course, we’re more likely to focus on issues that concern us or that we’re interested in, but to be clearer, why don’t we take a look at ourselves first, and fix the issues faced by our people in our country, while still turning our direct attention to what is happening overseas. To conclude this speech, I just want to say that I hope it’s left you thinking. Thank you for listening to my speech.

Friendship

From a case of "I hate everyone", it's turned into a case of "I love everyone (apart from the odd few)". This year I've seen friendships happen that I never thought possible.

I wouldn't say I've met new people (although I have), but it's more about striking new friendships with old acquaintances, or even improving relationships with others. This year, I feel close to a lot of people at school, and it's great. I'm not lying. I'm telling the truth here.

Last year, I used to avoid socialising with people. I still kind of do, but not altogether. Just to some extent, although can't help it. When it came to making new friends, it was all about having common interests and whatnot. This year, I'm just like who cares as long as you get along y'know, and it's proved effective than ever. Once you get to know someone no matter who they are, you'll realise these common interest come naturally. I used to favour my internet friends over my real ones, which to a certain extent, I still do, but as much as I love them, I can't sit around waiting forever to meet them. We're all still young, so it'd take a while! Anyway, I'm totally more friendly towards people now. I talk to everybody etc. I'm not sure whether it's because of my sudden attitude change, or the fact us as a year group have become closer, as we're due to leave school soon. Who knows! Or maybe even the new friendships, because of our new classes too.

Socially, my friendships still suck. At school, I'd say I'm totally content.

Moral of the story here? What a person likes doesn't matter, but who they are does.

Speech - Injustice.

Presented this speech tonight at Toastmasters, and people liked it. I was proud of it so I thought why not post it here?

Inspired by this post.

I recently came across a post about Injustices which prompted me to ask this question. Why are we blind to what’s going on in the world? And even if we pay the slightest attention, why is it to only some of the injustices but not all of them? Doesn’t that make us hypocritical in one way or another? That some of us seem to focus on non-local issues, rather than local issues or maybe even the other way around?

You might have heard recently on the news about the killing of Muslims in Burma, the shootings in America, or even the recent bloodshed in Syria along with other events currently happening in the world. There are also injustices amongst us as people such as poverty, discrimination, equal rights and so on.

Us, as Australians, as well as our government often question what goes on in other countries, and we often criticise it without having a look at what’s going on in our own backyard. Think about it. I have a point, right? We look at how citizens, particularly women are treated badly in third world hcountries, and we shame it. If we claim to be a democratic first-world country, why is gay marriage not legal yet? Why are there still homophobic attitudes towards homosexuals? Even in a prominent society like ours, we still have sexist and racist attitudes… Even if those that do are usually the minority, however those that hold homophobic attitudes remain a fairly big portion of our society.

What about injustices happening overseas such as Poverty? We sympathise with the poor Africans who have no food yet we are quick to turn away the boats that come from these poor countries. Little bit hypocritical, don’t you think? Once the boats enter Australian shores, most of these asylum seekers are detained and thrown into detention centres, where they get treated horribly, possibly more than they did in their country

.

Just imagine, what if you were a refugee? Hypothetically speaking. What if war broke out in your country, and you had no option but to leave if your life was in danger. The next thing you would do is hop on a boat, right? Particularly to what you would imagine a place full of luxuries, a place with better resources, a place for a better life. Of course, most of these being third world countries, they have limited resources, as well as limited education, so they are unaware of what actually happens to illegal refugees like themselves.

In schools, we learn about the Holocaust. We often feel sympathetic towards Jews who were mistreated in those times, yet we totally ignore those injustices going on in Palestine, currently done by Israel. Those that are often resistant militant groups are called ‘terrorists’ when in fact they are freedom fighters, but I guess like the saying goes “Another man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.” Which brings me to the point of how most Muslims are stereotyped as terrorists, which is an example of the racist attitudes I mentioned earlier. As you know the event of 9/11 led to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and as an ally of the U.S., Australian soldiers went over there which obviously led to Iraqi refugees in Australia, yet they still get the racist backlash from Australians. My point here is how can we sympathise with people that we don’t know so easily, yet treat those around us so badly?

 Which also leads me to another point. The rejection of Multiculturalism. Australia practically thrives on Multiculturalism. It was partially built on it too. We still have racism towards immigrants, who’ll actually come in and do the jobs that us as Australians are too lazy to do, yet we still complain about the amount of people coming in and taking up all the space.

Even speaking nationally, we seem so concerned about what’s going in other states such as Queensland, Victoria and so on, yet we seem to disregard the current issues in New South Wales, which we should give more regard to, as it concerns us the most.

Another thing is people seem to pick through issues that only suit them, not due to their sincere humanitarianism. Of course there are more issues to be looked into, but I’d be here all day if I were to explain them all, so the ones I have explored in this speech are probably the ones you’d be more familiar with.

Why can’t we just focus on all issues? Of course, we’re more likely to focus on issues that concern us or that we’re interested in, but to be clearer, why don’t we take a look at ourselves first, and fix the issues faced by our people in our country, while still turning our direct attention to what is happening overseas. To conclude this speech, I just want to say that I hope it’s left you thinking. Thank you for listening to my speech.

Soundwave

!!!!

What an amazing lineup, oh my god! I really want to go.

That is all.

Injustice

Last year we learnt about Justice and Injustice where we studied To Kill A Mockingbird.

Injustice exists everywhere, whether it be The Middle East, Africa, Asia or even the USA and so on.
Following recent events, Egyptians were murdered in Egypt today, or the killings of Muslims in Myanmar, Burma, also possibly a little less bias here, you've heard about the recent shootings in both Colorado and Wisconsin. Wisconsin being the most recent of course.

Why does it exist? Why? Not only in certain countries, but here too. Not only by the government, but amongst the people as well. You see the smaller injustices like discrimination, poverty, etc. It shouldn't excist. Period.

I still cannot fathom as to why injustice does actually exist, but I guess without injustice, we wouldn't have justice, but we wouldn't really need to in these kinds of situations. People often complain about it too, but yet commit these acts. Shame on them. Humanity disgusts me.

Shame on those who support Injustice.

P.s. I've linked the events with news links for those who are interested.

Blink-182

Blink 182. Frickin' Blink 182. Pop Punk legends. Blink 182.

They are coming to Australia next year for Soundwave ahhh!!! I'm so excited. This would be the first time in 9 years that they'd be here. I mean, I love pop punk, and I love Blink, seeing them would be an amazing experience! It would also cross one more thing off my non-existent bucket list. Tickets are going to go in no time! I would cry if I don't see them.

Speaking of Soundwave, I'm so keen for the lineup announcement! I hope it's a good lineup like last year's!

Anyway, I've just felt a rush of emotions last night / today because of the Blink announcement!

But here, enjoy this video of when Blink played Big Day Out in 2000!

What a relief!

I just love the relief of having no assignments for a while now, except two due in exactly two weeks, eek. I still have plenty of time, however but it's still nice to de-stress! School just kills my life.

This has been a post.

Politics

I love music with all my heart, and I'm surprised I haven't written a whole blog post on just the topic of music alone, but I'm sure that will come soon enough. Yet lately music has been dead, and so I have found something new to engage myself in.

A most recent thing that has recently interested me lately is politics. I've always liked discussing politics, but over the years I found myself to have lost interest in it, or maybe I became too occupied with something else...

Anyway, I love, love, love it. If you follow me on Twitter, you'll often find me ranting against Australia and its screwed up government, or even America and their screwed up policies towards 'peace in the middle east', and such issues like that. I even have a seperate Tumblr dedicated to nothing but politics. 

Moving on, screw Australian politics. That crap doesn't interest me too much although I would say, I do know a fair bit about it (Abbott sucks). Foreign politics is more my area of speciality, particularly issues in The Middle East like Syria, Palestine, Egypt etc. It scares me how much a person my age knows about this stuff.

I just love a good open-minded debate / discussion about these kinds of things! It probably explains why I do Legal Studies as a subject! As well as Modern History, I love History so you'll always find me researching further into political past events, such as revolutions etc.

Which leads me to my future choices... I'd love to be a journalist and a political activist. I'd love to show the world the truth instead of the stupid bias and celebrity gossip, as well as make a difference in the world by getting involved in rallies and stuff.

Yeah, politics is great. It doesn't interest much people, but if you know much about it, then I do applaud you. Anyway, this was probably boring but kudos to you if you read all of it.

Oh, Love!

I may be a little young to be addressing this right now, but getting to the age of 17, I guess it's normal.

So, love. What is love? I don't know but I want to know. Maybe not now, but later, maybe sooner. Maybe when the time is right.

Of course, it must be amazing. I mean, hearing numerous stories, I think it really must be.

Today, our Spanish teacher was telling us of her past romances, and it was cute! Also sad though. A girl I know also just got engaged. Having cousins who are engaged, knowing people in long-term relationships and so on...

So, of course, it'd be amazing to feel it as long as you can get past things like the heartbreak etc. I mean, like true love, not teenage puppy love. That stuff's fake. I mean, c'mon. It doesn't last forever. Most (key word: most) teenage relationships consist of lust, and not love, but we'll save that for another day now.

So yes, even though I don't want to get married for a while now, and by a while, I mean ages, I can't wait to find someone who loves me as much as I love them (apart from my family) etc.

Also to all those people out there who think they're "forever alone", you're not. Your other half may be on the other side of the planet, or even next door. They might be right in front of you even. You'll find someone eventually who loves you for who you are, so don't give up hope.

P.s. This post is a little all over the place, I had it planned out in my head but I forgot most of it, but yeah.

Selflessness (Karma)

Selflessness: altruism: the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others


So, a few people have told me I am too kind, and of course this is a good thing, and well you're welcome. I love being nice to people, doing little things for them, it just makes you feel good about yourself. Not only that, but you earn people's gratitude.

It also brings about good karma. I mean, those that you do good stuff for are going to owe you, and while they may not show it, they will end up showing it in the long-run when you'll really need their help.


However, thinking and thinking, sometimes being too kind can be a bad thing, as people can use that kindness to their advantage, and I guess it does kill you inside. People do suck though, and eh oh well. What can you do about it?

I can't help but put others before myself though. I just don't know how to do it. I always put others needs before mine. Someone teach me please?


I guess, at the end of the day, it's not your loss but theirs. If they don't want to appreciate it, then who cares. Karma will strike them back, and also being a selfless person will earn you good deeds and a good reputations. I love being nice.

Trips

This thought is on my mind like all the time, so it's not really a daily thought but maybe an all time thought? I don't quite know.

Anyway, I always think about how I'd love to go on a trip. Whether it be somewhere for a while. or even interstate. By trip, I mean holiday obviously. If I wanted to take a trip, I'd just trip over something haha!

On a serious note, I have a lot of online friends, and most of them do happen to live interstate. I'd just really love to go and visit them. Not for the sake of that, but also to take a holiday away from here. I just want to go somewhere, enjoy the atmosphere and to clear my mind and just relax.

The last time I actually took a trip was in 2007 when I went overseas to visit family. On the way, we stopped in Singapore for 1 night, and 2 days. However it was unintentional and we just happened to stay there because we missed our plane and it was all QANTAS's fault. I loved it. We were just lucky we got to spend a whole day therefore we took a tour and saw everything. Singapore was amazing. Love to go back one day.

A trip to visit family is still a trip but not really a holiday, I guess? I mean it is, because you get time off everything else happening here (since we went to a different country) and school, but no. Yeah, you get to see your extended family, but people still get all up in your hair and stuff, it's quite annoying. Besides, it's the same old place. I mean, nothing quite exciting about the village that my parents hail from...

Anyway, on the way back... my dad decided to take a stop into China. However, it was horrible. China was good, except NO ONE spoke English! It was hard to get around, but my dad knew this guy over there who could speak Arabic so it was okay. On the other hand, we were sick too, and that was horrible.

So yes, the last trip I took was in 2007. Five years ago. Unless you count that trip up the stairs a few weeks ago at Parramatta Station. Oh, how clumsy I am. Seriously though, I'm just itching to get out of Sydney. I mean, it's the same old thing everyday.

I really want to go to Spain or South America even to visit, as well as have a go at actually using my Spanish speaking skills properly. I'd love to go to Europe! I'd love to go back home to Palestine. I'd love to go to other places in The Middle East like Dubai etc. I'd love to go to the U.S. I'd love to go to the U.K. ugh, I just want to go everywhere!

Take me somewhere! Take me anywhere! Everyone has all these plans to travel and stuff after school ends, and I'm just like Hi, I want to travel too but I highly doubt it's likely that it'll happen... I don't know man, I just have to go somewhere soon.

Anyway this has been a relatively long blog post, I hope I haven't bored you with my rambling..

My Blog Title

You're probably wondering what it means. If you've been guessing, then you're probably right. Bittersweet Dreams. That's exactly what I means.

Dreams that are bitter and sweet. Whether they be dreams you have in life or asleep... it doesn't matter. Most of us use our dreams as an escape, so I've been thinking what's the let down? Dreams or Life?

Most argue life... some argue dreams. I used to think life myself, but life aint all bad when you look at it from a positive view. We really make our problems out to be bigger than they really are and so, thus you get too many first world problems.

In fact, in my opinion... Dreams are the let down. I mean, your dreams and fantasies make you happy, but they also give you high expectations, so you have an amazing dream... but then wake up to life disappointed. Life isn't the disappointment here, Life is just.... life. 

If we're talking dreams as in aspirations here, then I'd say they definitely give us something to look forward to, but one of the main lessons in life is you can't just get whatever you want handed to you on a silver platter. You have to go through life, and endeavour all the hardships to come out as a stronger person, and actually make what was once a dream a reality.

Dreams are great however because they offer something life cannot especially as a child or a teenager. An escape, and I do wonder why people enjoy day dreaming. 

I just wanted to get something out there, and so I couldn't think of anything, but one thing turned into another, so voilà there you go!

Public Speaking

So at school, we had to do two speeches for Studies of Religion and English. I had one earlier for Legal Studies too. I have one due for Modern History soon as well. 4 speeches a year? I know, ridiculous. isn't it? It's what I get for doing mainly History / English subjects I guess.

Moving on, there's a program at school for Public Speaking called Toastmasters. We have to do 2 speeches. One on ourself, and a persuasive speech. No idea what I'm going to do for that. Writing a speech about myself however? No problem, except I'll need to make it real good after some of the ones I heard tonight.

Cutting quite to the chase though, I have a lot to say, but I suck at saying it. Particularly speaking it. Oh, and a speech? Assignment or not. Still suck. I get nervous. Last year, I was shaking from head to toe while delivering my speech for English. I have a really bad speech structure too, which I'll need to work on. I wrote my English speech that was due today in a massive essay structure. I don't even know though. The whole assignment would've been better as an essay.

Anyway, this has been a post. I hope you've enjoyed reading it. Not that interesting, but oh well!

Ciao!

Ramadan

Kul 'am wa intum b'khair / كل عام و أنتم بخير (May you all be well every year)

This is a Ramadan greeting along with Ramadan Mubarak / Ramadan Kareem.

This post is to tell everybody what it really is, and I felt like talking about an important month to me. This is not only an important month to me religiously, but to my heart and soul as well.

Muslim or not, read on. It's interesting, I promise.

Ramadan is not just about fasting. It's more. It's becoming closer to Allah SWT as well. It's perfecting your imperfections in religion too. It's about fixing your mistakes.

To a non-Muslim reading this, why do we fast? We fast as a means of salvation, as well as to feel for the needy and the poor. Like I said though, there's just more to it. We give charity too.

We believe during Ramadan, the gates of Jannah (heaven) open up, and the gates of Jahanam (hell) are locked, with the devil inside. So there's no one to whisper into your ear to do bad things. If it's done, it's purely out of desire or habit. That being said, it's time to get rid of all the Haram in your life, and make room for more Halal. Did I mention you earn multiple the amounts of good deeds for the good things you do? 

I think though, no matter who you are, no matter what your situation is, it shouldn't stop you from being nice to anyone. It shouldn't stop you from doing good things either. There are some really greedy, heartless people out there. Don't be one of them. See a homeless on the street? Give them a few dollars. It won't hurt you. See, a person down that needs help getting up? Help them. See a person that needs help with a simple task? Help them. List goes on, and on.

We take the time to do prayers, dua, and read and listen to more quran every day. Some people totally think it's okay to do this in Ramadan only. No, do it every day. Do good things every day.

I like Ramadan. It teaches you one main lesson in life. Appreciate Always. Appreciate the luxuries you have. Some people have nothing at all, and it just breaks my heart. Appreciate God and what he gave you, and if you don't believe in God, appreciate what the world gave you. You have food, clothes, a warm bed and a roof over your head.

Jews and Christians have similar variations to this, also known as Lent and Yom Kippur. Anyway this has turned into more of an educational post rather than a general one, but I hope you've enjoyed reading it.

School, school, school.

I am sick of the word 'school'. I am sick of everything to do with it. I am sick of just waking up early in the morning for it. Although that last sentence would be the thought of a lazy person, which I'll admit I am.

I have literally got a pile of assignments to do, although I'm slowly getting through them, and working as hard as I can, really. I wish I could drop out but I can't, and I guess school is better than home. Home is boring, and my friends all ditch me anyway so going out would never happen.

Keeping to the relevant topic here, this term should be good... because it's just handing in assignments, and no assessments until week 9 / 10 which is when our yearlies begin. Fun times. Then the pressure truly begins, as we start year 12. So many more fun times. So many more assignments, I look forward to it. (Not really.)

Moving on to year 12. I'll have to try really hard, by using both wits and effort. I can't rely on brains and knowledge alone. I'll have to ace my HSC, otherwise it's repetition or TAFE for me which is where I don't want to end up, or even UWS but I'll pass, thanks.

The thing here though is the future isn't guaranteed. Never. Yeah, we live in Australia where there are multiple opportunities, but still. I mean, who knows... what if I don't get into the course I want? Something along those lines. I guess there is always the other option of being in a band, but with the amount of piracy these days, as well as the rock / punk genre being on a decline, we're not really going to get much out of it unless we're Paramore or Fall Out Boy or something. It's not about the money, but you know, you guys get what I'm saying...

I'm rambling, I know. I'll just cut to the chase. The point here is trying never hurts. All I have to do is just try my best, get good marks, and this ride won't be as painful as I probably make it out to be in my head.

Speaking of school, I'll have to get back to assignmenting. Keep checking back for more posts.

¡ Adios! :)