Silver Lining People

HELLO!
A legitimate greeting and never-overused part of conversation.

So I feel I should address the elephant in the room *Refrains from writing 'turns to elephant and says 'hello' *

I know. I apologise profusely for my extreme lameness, but it seemed funny when I thought of it... *hangs head*

Well.. I guess it's not an elephant to anyone but me, but still: So the taking part in November's National Novel Writing Month failed, since I failed to even initiate an attempt to write a novel. This was not due to laziness, more...lack of any ideas for a novel whatsoever, and also, a lack of time in which to live my life, due to some stupid uni course I'm doing ¬_¬ Pfft.

So yeah, now that that awkward explanation is out of the way...

Most significant event in my last fortnight: 4 DAY WEEKEND AT HOME! HELL YES.
Most significant addition to event: WOLVES CREW HIJACKING OUR HOUSEHOLD FOR EID.

Yes! So the 4 day weekend was spent eating, eating, eating, eating and eating. And the quickest Eid-clothes shopping trip ever was had with my mum: we drove to Bradford, walked into a shop, saw a dress, agreed it was nice, paid for it and walked back out. THAT is how Bradford shopping trips should go. In fairness, my mum and I spent an extra half hour on the way back being lost and ending up near Huddersfield before we finally gave up and used the Sat Nav, but that doesn't matter. All the fun's in the journey anyway..

Monday was night-before-Eid frenzy: I started out baking willingly, because I thought I should at least try to have some enthusiasm. So I told my mum I'd try it, which was a pleasant surprise for her as she is aware of the hate-hate affair that is me and baking, and let her go to pick the brother up whilst I made a start. And it started well! I made some awesome chocolate buns, decorated them to perfection... and then had a sudden stress meltdown when my chocolate brownie mixture overflowed and coated the inside of the oven. This was the end of all forced-enthusiasm. My mum walked back in half an hour later:

Humaira: THIS IS IT. THIS IS THE END.
Mum: Erm... what?
H: I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF BAKING. I DO NOT WANT TO BAKE NOW OR EVER AGAIN.
M: But you said-
H: I WAS LYING TO MYSELF
I dramatically threw down my oven gloves as my mum looked around in a puzzled way, having noticed the newly chocolate-coated kitchen. I announced (again, for dramatic effect) that this was the end, and flounced (awesome word) out of the kitchen.

I think I have a mood swing problem :/

The day was not a total disaster due to the arrival of the wolves crew in the evening, which consisted of:

• Hasan giving my knees a thoroughly good hug and telling them he had missed them.
• Baby Bear...just...being adorable in various ways (in pyjamas *melts*)
• Me refusing to put mehndi on anyone because I was waaaay too sleepy and just pfft.
  

Eid day then!

• I finally resolved to carry the black and silver handbag which my aunty got me about 5 years ago- I've never in my life carried a handbag (more a satchel person..ahem), but since it's a gift and it's pretty, I had intended to carry it on at least one special occasion. The two occasions in the past where I've decided to use it were somehow jinxed, and for some reason or other I was foiled both times. So this, I thought, was the day. My clothes were black and silver, it matched, nothing could stop me!

... Except, it seems, my complete lack of knowledge of how to be a girl. Yes. I am unaware of how to carry a handbag (it's one with a short strap), so I felt (and looked) like a complete plank. Therefore I carried it for the minute it took me to leave the house and get in the car to go to my grandmas, and the bag spent the rest of Eid lying in a corner. Yes. So that was a fail... or a win. Well...being a girl fail, but dignity win. I never want to even attempt to carry one again. Just eww. Satchels all the way!

• Every single Eid we say we want to go to White Rose (just for something to do), and every single Eid, talking about it is as far as we get. But this Eid, Aunty Em was here, and she said NOT THIS TIME. And so she pulled some strings (or rather, shouted at everyone to get out of their food-comas and get ready), and within an hour, nine of us girls were on the road, thoroughly overdressed and still in semi comas! The walk around White Rose lasted 45 minutes, most of which was spent in Dorothy Perkins (new favourite store EVER), in which time I acquired an AWESOME new scarf. Yay!

• The drive back consisted of me repeatedly saying 'I'm going to miss my train', and my mum speeding. We screeched to a halt outside my house, I ran upstairs, changed my clothes and packed in seven minutes flat, then ran back down so we could rocket-ship over to my grandmas. I speed-hugged everyone in my family in under a minute, and then me, the parents and the brothers hopped into the car. It's the first time I've had a full family send-off from the station, or at all actually, and I've got to say it was an awesome end to an awesome day :D
  

So I've been back and working and working and working and working- *snaps out of loop* since last Tuesday. In other news:

• Crosswords are awesome, and not lame in the slightest! (But only when your brain is not failing to remember that English is your first language and therefore you should probably know some of it).
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Or Harry Potter and the Death as it came up on the cinema timetable screen) is actually a decent film! I mean, I know they get better each time, but that hasn't stopped them from being shit films. Finally, however, they have made one that isn't exactly great, but has at least passed the acceptable mark! And it only took them 7 attempts ¬_¬ Gits.
  
• Some people are getting snow and this is totally not fair ¬_¬
• I am a silver lining person. Yep.
• I started having salad! Alongside other food, mind, I'm not being a complete herbivore. But I have taken a great liking to lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and sliced avocado.

And that is all I have to say!
This is awesome, and dedicated to Aunty Em, for the nostalgia :D
*WAAAAVES*
:)

The art of properly expressing the word 'Grotesque'.

So yes, hello! I am blogging due to overdue-ness, and also a desperate comment from my Aunty Em on the previous blog post, pleading with me to post another rambling mess of verbal diarrhoea. Yes, in those words. :)

So what has been happening in life, the universe and everything? Or rather, what can I remember?

• BIRTHDAYNESS!
  

I turned 20! This event, which has alwas been highly unlikely, and thus generally viewed with a sort of scathing disbelief, marks the end of my hellish teenage years! Nothing particularly felt different on the day (I always expect a huge life-changing feeling on my birthdays and am always slightly disappointed at the lack of internal drama), so it was hard to really 'feel' 20, until my grandma was sending the kids out of the room because the women were having some secretive discussion about marriage. My grandma sent each child out, finally looking at me and going, 'You too, H-.... actually, no, you can stay.'

The moment was felt by everyone. It is a pivotal point in life when you're allowed to sit in on marriage related discussions that the kids shouldn't hear. *Nods*

Some AWESOME presents were received, including (the purple/shiny) half of the stock of Dorothy Perkins, all of which I love :D Further awesomeness included a book by Michael Chabon that some randomer sent that is proving to be brilliant so far (Thank you randomer, whoever you are :) ) And a DVD set that has yet to be watched. Oh, and I should mention the many Penguin related items including a Snowcone maker in the shape of a penguin, and a HUGE very huggable penguin, who remains unnamed as of yet. I think being obsessed with things makes you very easy to buy for. THANK YOU WORLD.

Wow. Materialism win :) Still, *warm and fuzziness*. It was nice to be home. And it feels nice to not add 'teen' to the end of my age. That was getting old. I always kind of hoped I'd be a shiny happy brand new person by the time I was twenty, which isn't really working out, but baby steps and all that.

• 2 Home Weekends in a Row.

Is always a win! It was a last minute decision but I am definitely liking it :) And have been overfed and have definitely counteracted the weight loss that has been gradually occurring over 6 weeks. Loving that Eid is approaching and it looks like most of the family will be reunited for it, which is a win also! :D YAY (Though I lack Eid clothes...ah well)

• Paranormal Activity

Was watched last night, with the dad and brother. And I lost about 3 lives watching it. I ended up pulling the blanket over my head and blocking my ears for the last ten minutes because I found it far too scary. Though I can see why some people just found it laughable- it depends on how far you let your imagination run away with you. I slept with the lights on.

• Revision

Coming up with novel ways to remember the functional groups on amino acids is fun! :D

• Cake

Yes! I made cake for my mum's birthday, from scratch, and am proud, even though it looks a mess! So I have photos:








Yay for untidy sandwich cake which manages to look slightly like a mushroom!!

• Random fact:

Hypoglycaemia can be mistaken for drunkenness due to it causing confusion/disorientation, which means that junior doctors could make a potentially fatal error in not recognising that the quiet drunk who comes into A&E could be on the verge of slipping into a coma :| Ouch.

• DAMMIT there was something else! *thinks*

• ......*Thinks*
• OH, Due Date!

Is funny, but not as good as Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Usually I hate it when people compare two films like that, it feels unfair. But Due Date seemed to have taken certain scenes from PT&A (yes, laziness), word for word, so clearly they should've just marketed it as a remake. And since they were trying to be a remake, it's fair to say they weren't as good. I'm just hoping Robert Downey Jr doesn't go down the Will Smith road of appearing in shit films and saving them due to his presence. :| Still, watching Due Date was fun due to it being a housemate trip :D

• 24 Hour Tech Hotlines

Are great, and much needed when it comes to anything that involves electricity.

• Sheltered lives.

Apparently- no, wait, okay, I accept that I have lived in a bubble my entire life, and have no general knowledge, and even less current affairs knowledge. All the things I know tend to be specialised around things I am obsessed with. I AM HAPPY LIKE THAT. I would rather spend my time writing stories in my head and daydreaming than thinking about politics/the world. Escapism is where it's at ¬_¬ No, this was not aimed at anyone in particular. Nor was it defensive due to people continually making me feel stupid. Ahem.

• Pickled Chillis.
  

Are nice with anything! As are avocados. *General food love*

I feel that I am done here. We just can't go on like this etc :)

See also: My lack of chances of survival in a potential fight to the death, "Back the shit up!", new baby cousins, "Yeeeeeaaah", "Nasty", "Totally", "Self-loathing", Deer in headlights, Facebook Politics, Topaz birthstones, and just for the nostalgia, "It makes my heart flutter".

Over and out! :)