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.