After Breakfast

Later in the day, we went to a mall and did a lot of shopping. That's pretty much all we've been doing here. Shopping, shopping, and more shopping.  Then we went out for dinner and now we're at home. I think I'll sleep even earlier than usual because I have a bit of a headache. Hopefully, I'll remember to blog tomorrow! 

Before Breakfast

I just realized that yesterday I completely forgot to blog. So to make up for it, I will blog twice today.  Yesterday we had breakfast at Denny's and then spent the rest of the morning and afternoon shopping. Things here are a lot cheaper when it comes to clothes and things like that.  Anyway, I came back tired from all that shopping. Then in the evening, we went walking in Hog's Back Park. It was fun and we took a lot of pictures of the trees and things like that as if we were tourists.  Now, I'm going to have breakfast. 

Yesterday and Today

We started off our day yesterday by being late. Well, we weren't late at the very beginning, but our driver for the airport shuttle bus took us through a route that was crowded so we were late to the airport. Fortunately, we were able to check in on time.  Then at the next airport in London, we were also late. The plane landed later than it was supposed to, and we had to run in the airport to get to our plane on time.  So the time at the airports was short and rushed. Then on the plane, I felt sick. I normally feel unwell during the landing, but yesterday I felt unwell for quite a long time on the plane. It wasn't the best trip in the world. But, the food was pretty good! Now, it's Thursday, and we're at Tim Hortons waiting for my dad to come so we can have lunch. Later on we'll be going to my mum's cousin's house for dinner, and I think it'll be fun.  So although yesterday, when we were on the ground, we were stressed and rushed, we now have two weeks of relaxation ahead of us, which I'm looking forward to! (And, on a good note, the dogs seem to be doing fine!)

Internet!

We're in Canada now and I'm extremely tired. So, now I'm going to bed. The good news is that we got a router so we'll have Internet! I'm so glad we got it working! I've been away from the Internet for almost 24 hours, and I really didn't enjoy it! Anyway, time for bed!

Packing

Our flight is tomorrow morning, so right now we're all doing whatever we need/want to do before we leave. I think my dad's packing our stuff, which shouldn't take long because we are light packers. (All of our stuff is on our parent's bed, but we leave it to our dad to put the items in the suitcase.) Well, we're light packers when it comes to clothes, but when it comes to electronics or books, we - and especially I - tend to try to take as much as we can. So I, personally, end up having a heavy hand-bag which is a nuisance in the airport.

Anyway, I'm kind of excited now, because I am a person who generally likes to travel.* But I am really upset about leaving the dogs, and I hope they don't do anything drastic when we're not around.

Hopefully, I'll have some time to be able to blog tomorrow. If not, sorry. :P

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*Although, to be honest, I am a person who also likes to stay at home.

Saying Bye to Family

When I was a kid, coming to Egypt for holiday was the best thing in the world. All of us would be really excited and cheery as we were on the plane to Egypt and even before then, when we were preparing for the flight. So, as you can imagine, leaving Egypt was the opposite of that. My siblings, mum, and I would all be in tears as we would wave good-bye to our grandparents and other family members. We would be depressed on the plane, and wouldn't be looking forward to going home at all.  Now, as we prepare to leave Egypt to Canada, but this time the situation is the opposite (Canada is the place we're going for a holiday), oddly enough, we're all still sad. Today, was the last time I see my grandparents, cousins, and aunt before we leave, and I was very sad about saying good-bye. My grandma was crying, and I felt like doing the same, even though the trip was only for two weeks.  I don't know how we were able to live in Canada and be away from all of my family for so long, if when we're leaving for only two weeks we all feel sad.  But, on the bright side, I'll be seeing my paternal grandpa and some of my other relatives in Canada, so I'll still have some of my family around me. 

.......xP.......

So the results for the elections came out today, and the new president is Morsi!....

I was quite depressed when they announced it, but now I'm a bit more positive, because we never knows how things will turn out. Maybe he'll turn out to be a good president....or not.

Anyway, tomorrow will be the last time I see my extended family before we travel, and I'm sad about that, because I will really miss them. But I'm sure they'll all be depressed tomorrow, so it might not be that the funnest gathering, but at it's a chance to see them!

I really don't know how I'm going to blog anything on Wednesday, unless I blog in the morning. Or I find wi-fi in England. But, I'll find a way. I don't want to miss a day. ;)

Canada :)

So, I'm travelling to Canada in a week, and a part of me really doesn't want to go, but then another part does.

The reason I don't want to go is the dogs. I'm really not comfortable with how we'll be leaving them, but I don't like to mention that because there's no other way we can leave them. And Christopher is already very expressive about his disapproval, so I don't want to stress my parents out by disapproving also.

Another reason is that I'll really miss my family, even if it's just for two weeks. How will I cope on Friday's without seeing my whole family?

But then I really want to leave because I really want a break. I'm not getting into it, but I think it'll be nice to be around just my close family and my grandpa - who is really a darling.

Now, I'm all worked up, so I'm going to end this now! BYE

Hmm

It's interesting how people are very similar to their parents or to any of their relatives. Sure, we all have those relatives who seem completely foreign to us, but we also have those who are very much like us. Anyone who knows Christopher, my uncle Maged, my mum, and me, always says that we are very similar - Christopher like Maged and me like my mum. But actually, the four of us, in general, are very similar I think.

We all have things that set us apart from the rest, and the way we express ourselves is different, but I think that we have characteristics that are fundamentally the same. Anyway, I think it's very interesting to see how people are the same. 

Sometimes the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree.

Waiting

The results for the presidential elections were supposed to be announced today but they've been postponed. I'm a bit disappointed because I really wanted to know the results, but I guess I'll have to wait.

I've never really been into politics. I always thought of it as a boring thing and I don't know if my sudden interest is because it's the first time for there to be an election where I am older and more aware of what's happening, or if it's because I've just become interested in politics in general.

But then again, I'm not that interested. I'm not interested enough to watch the news or watch speeches, but I like to know what's happening around me.

Anyway, the reason I'm talking about politics now is that I have nothing else to talk about. But I hope the results are received by the people nicely, even though I know that no matter who wins, people will be pissed. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.  

Maybe

I don't know why I never blog in the morning. I should start doing that for days like today. Now, I'm so tired that all I can think of is sleep, but I have to write this. So, this will end here, but maybe tomorrow I'll blog early and have a lot to say. Maybe.

Worry

Sometimes I think I over worry. I mean, I guess it's to be expected because I come from a family of worrywarts, but most of the time, I don't even get why I'm worrying. I worry about small things like if we left the house door closed when we leave home, and about bigger things like, well, it doesn't matter like what.

I wish there was a cure to worrying, but unfortunately there isn't. But, I think I'm good at making sure no one sees when I'm worrying, which is a good thing. I wouldn't want someone to worry like me, now would I?

Anyway, I hope you've all had a worry-free day!

Pictures of Dogs

I'm not that depressed today even though everyone around me was. Anyway, I'm not really in the mood to write because I'm starting a headache and I'm tired. So, this will be short, so here are pictures of my dogs.

Music is Relaxing

Today was the last day for people to vote for the rerun. Unfortunately, many people didn't vote, and some people boycotted by checking both boxes. To be honest, things are not looking very good right now.

Anyway, so I've been kind of depressed as the votes are being counted. Sometimes I feel encouraged, but most of the news is discouraging. I guess we'll just have to wait until Tuesday.

I think I'm just worked up a bit and need to relax. So I'm listening to music and trying to get as into it as possible. If I was good at dancing, I would be dancing right now. Just kidding of course: dancing doesn't help me relax. I could be reading a book though, but I'm too tired to do that.

So music it is then.

Anyway, I hope you've all had a great day. :)

Books And Family

Yesterday, I bought Christopher Hitchens' book 'Good is Not Great' on my kindle. So far it's really interesting, but I'm not going to talk about the contents of the book right now. I was reading it today when my aunt and grandma were at my house because reading is what I do when I'm around family.* My aunt saw me reading, but because I was reading from my Kindle, she couldn't see what book I was reading. So she asked me and I didn't know what to reply.

My aunt is what I would call very religious - or at least very religious compared to me. And, normally, I would love to get into a debate with her about religion, but today I didn't feel like it. So when she asked me I thought of three scenarios by which I could answer her: a) Tell her the title and face the consequences, b) remove the 'not' from the title and seem as if I was getting to be a little bit interested in religion, or c) make up a whole new title.

Because I didn't want to lie, b and c were out, leaving me with a, which I definitely didn't want to do. So instead I replied by saying, "I'm reading a book."

She laughed and said, "You don't say," but thankfully didn't press on the subject, which I was sure she was going to do.

I don't know what this says about me, but I thought it was a funny story, and, till now, I don't know how I got out of it.

______

*That's not true, but I do read a lot when around my family, but not ALL the time.

Indoor Baseball

When I lived in Canada, my family and I would often go visit our relatives who lived in Toronto. We would stay with my dad's cousins, and we would always have such a good time with our relatives.

One of his cousins had a huge basement that had walls which were painted with Loony Toons characters, which was ironic because they never had any children. Anyway, it was a huge basement and we would always have fun running around down there. And when some of our other cousins would come to stay there with us, we all used to play indoor baseball with them.

Now, for those of you who don't know what indoor baseball is, I'll explain it. Basically, you use your hand as the bat, and a small soft ball - or even a stuffed toy - as the ball. Then you would place four pillows on the floor as bases. And the rules were the same rules that applied to real baseball.

We used to have so much fun playing indoor baseball, that when Nadeen, Christopher, and I would go back home, we would play it in our smaller, less open-spaced basement. But, of course, it wasn't as fun because we would only be 2* or 3 people playing, so we would always play it with out friends when they would come over.

Anyway, that was just a game that I enjoyed as a kid, and I'm grateful to my cousins for teaching it us. Oddly enough though, I never actually played real baseball. I guess I'll just have to stick to playing it indoors.

_____

*Because sometimes Nadeen wouldn't play with us!

Writing

I wrote a short story yesterday. Like an actual story with a beginning and an end. But I don't really like it, so I won't post it for you guys, but I plan to write more short stories and maybe one of them will be good enough.

Also, I wrote a bit on one of my longer stories, and I have no idea where that's story's going. I don't know where most of my stories are going actually. I have this one story which is the longest one I've written so far, but I have no idea how to end it. Or, in fact, how I can move from where I am in the story. But it's my favourite of all my stories, so it annoys me that I'm stuck.

Another thing I want to do is edit my previous NaNoWriMos, because they are all finished but just need major editing which most of the time I can't be bothered to do. I would just really love to have one story completely finished though.

Basically, what I want to say is that I plan to write and edit a lot this summer, but then again, I never end up doing what I plan. 

Be Kind

You know those people who have kindness in their heart and you can almost see that kindness. And even if you completely disagree with them in everything they stand for, you still feel sort of like you could have a decent conversation with them. Or you are able to sympathise with them?

The reason I'm saying that is that I just watched a debate. And although, from the start I was clearly for one side, when the other side lost, I ended up feeling sorry for one of the debaters. I wasn't sorry for all of the debaters, just the one that I thought was genuinely sweet.

People have this idea that if you're sweet and kind, you'll get used and abused, which is true, but at the same time, kind people do have privileges. If that debater could have gotten me to sympathise with him just because he was kind, that says a lot.*

Basically, my message of the day is be kind, deal? :P

_____

*I don't normally sympathise when I disagree completely with what a person's saying. 

People

Sometimes, I really don't understand people. By that I don't mean that I can't understand what they're doing, or what they're thinking. I mean, I can't understand why they do certain things. I know that everyone is different but sometimes people's actions are just so strange to me. 

People, for all their insignificance, are pretty complex. That's what makes them interesting even if I can't understand them all the time.

Puzzle?

I want to make a puzzle. Like really badly. I love puzzles, but I don't get to make that many. So, I think I will make one now!

That's the only thought that came into my mind right now. So, what do I need to do? I need to find a puzzle that isn't that big so that I can finish it before I sleep (it's 12:30am now). That's basically it, really.

Such an interesting blogpost right? I seriously come up with the best things. I bet you all are sitting on the edge of your chairs thinking, 'Will she make a puzzle? Will she finish it in time? How many pieces will it be?' If you're not thinking that, well then, why aren't you? These are hardhitting questions!

Okay, so I'll end this before it gets even weirder!

Monkey!

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5dee6C6BT1r3gb3zo1_250.gif

I love this GIF. Isn't it just the cutest thing ever? I want a pet monkey!

I'm too tired to write a proper post, so you'll have to make do with this.

Talents

I always wished I had a talent. I mean, sure, I can play some instruments, and I can do a bit of art, but I'm not talented in either of those things. Basically, I can do a whole bunch of things on the well side, but I can't do anything excellently. So, I have no talent.

I'm rereading An Abundance of Katherines, and even though Colin's main talent which is anagramming isn't all that useful, at least he has talent. I wouldn't mind having a useless talent. In fact, most people with talents end up having useless talents. For example, some people are talented in drawing, but because they never did anything with that talent, their talent became useless. 

I don't know why I am suddenly remembering my lack of any talents. I just want to have something that I'm really good at. And I feel, in a way, that I can write this here because none of you really know me. So you won't be able to argue my saying that I'm talentless to make me feel better, because you won't be able to say, "But you read fast!" because you don't know if I do or don't.*

Anyway, I think everyone has at least one thing they're good at, but only a handful of people have actual talents. I hope those people really use their talents!

__________

*Not that reading fast can be ever seen as some sort of talent. It's just the only thing that popped into my head. 

A Mix of Stuff

I don't know why lately I've been in a weird mood. I feel like people suddenly expect a lot from me, and I won't be able to fulfill their expectations. But, when I think about the vastness of the universe, I start to feel better. So, that's why a few days ago, I wrote that weird post about how insignificant we all are. And yet, I can't help but focus on my problems.

Anyway, I want to watch a lot of videos that have to do with science this summer. So, I'll be watching a lot of the SciShow videos by Hank Green, and just any videos I can find that have anything to do with science or anything interesting, really.

I'm just really afraid of not doing anything this summer except for watching series. I really want to start learning things outside of school. I mean, I already do, but normally I take a break in the summer. Maybe, I can make myself a schedule. Oh, who a I kidding? I never follow a schedule.

I wonder if anyone can guess anything accurate about my personality from these posts. Sometimes I feel that I give too much of myself away, while at other times, I feel like I don't give enough away. Either way, it doesn't matter, right?

I hope you haven't minded this weird post and that you have a nice day without thinking about the vastness of the universe.

Summer! (again)

Today was Christopher's last day of school which means that now it will really start to feel like summer. I don't have anything specific planned, but I want to do a lot this summer. One of these things is read more, but since May, I have been reading a bit everyday. I really hope I can continue doing that. Today was also a fun day, but I am quite sleepy now. So my bed awaits me! Have a nice day!

Ramblings about the World

Sometimes I think about how insignificant my life is. It's so insignificant, that all my small problems are made to be minuscule, and I just waste my time worrying about them. But I don't mean only my life. Everyone's singular life, in the bigger picture of the world, is insignificant.

The universe is so vast, that no matter how much I accomplish, in the long run - and I mean really long run - I will not matter. One day, there will be no more humans on this planet, and it would be as if none of us even existed. In fact, by a hundred years, the majority of us will be forgotten, which is basically the same thing as if we had not existed.

You're probably thinking that I'm being a downer, but I'm not. I'm just really in awe of all this. If we stopped focusing on the small things in life, maybe we would all contribute more, but at the end, everything will be gone. This planet will probably outlive us and be fine. People always say: Save the Earth! But the Earth isn't what needs to be saved, it's us!

At the same time, all of us matter now. At this moment, everyone who is alive is important. Maybe we won't be important after we die, but we need to live in the present because that's tense people can live in.

Anyway, again, I just think the world we live in is just so extraordinary! And the more I think about it, the more I am in awe and the more I realise that my everyday problems are really nothing at all. Which, if you think about, is a really comforting thought.

Politics and Using My Laptop

People are once again protesting in Tahrir Square. The thing is that they're not getting much attention, or they are from the public, but the big figures, are not paying much attention to them now. And both Shafiq and Morsi are campaigning, but a lot of people are still going to spoil their votes. Oh well.

I'm really anxious for the elections. I personally think Morsi will win, but we'll see.

But enough about politics, how are you all doing. I'm doing fine. I can't wait until Thursday, because then Christopher would have finished school, and then it will really start to seem like summer holidays! Also, Tarek is feeling better today which is great.

You know, that yesterday, I didn't use my laptop which is a very weird thing for me. I normally use my laptop at least once a day, but I had no time. I don't know why I'm writing this down.

Anyway, I'm going to go now. Bye

My Day

I woke up feeling sick today. And then at around 11am, I felt really sick. To make things worse, I learnt that one of my cousins was sick, and so I wouldn't see both my adorable cousins like I normally do on Mondays (we all have lunch at my grandparents'). So, today started out as a bad day. Luckily, things started getting better from there. For the first time in a while, I played the card game Cas (spl?) Tete with Christopher. It was really fun, and I won both games. Then, I went to Azza's (the newly wed) new house to help set things up before Azza and her husband, Ahmed, come back from their honeymoon. And that was also quite fun. I really love Nour's family. And when we came back, I decided that I would get ready and sleep because, man, am I tired. But, naturally, before I sleep I have to write this! So, that's what I'm doing now. So goodnight everyone and have a great day tomorrow!

Traffic?

Wow, I have nothing to talk about. At all.

You know, the traffic was good today. I never could understand how traffic would be bad if there was no accident or someone doing something to disrupt it. But sometimes there really is no cause for traffic.

Anyway, I'm kind of all worked up, so I'm trying to write something that won't show my anger, but that's proving to be really really hard. So, I guess I will just end it here. Bye!

Relaxing Weekend

So yesterday was my great-aunt's birthday. We used to go to her house every Wednesday, but about a year ago, she stopped eating and had some heart problems and she had to go to the hospital. Since then, she's had a live in nurse and luckily, she's doing fine now, but she can't really have guests that often, especially over for lunch. So now, we just go every blue moon to see how she's doing.

Anyway, we went to her house and so did my great-uncles. I hadn't seen most of them for a while, so it was  nice. But I always feel awkward in family gatherings because whenever someone talks to me I just smile back.

After that little gathering which maybe lasted two hours maximum, we - and by 'we' I mean my mum, grandma, and Nadeen - went to my grandparents' house where we had lunch. The rest of the day was like a normal Friday.

As for today, I went grocery shopping with my family and then came back to have a lazy day. I don't feel like doing anything productive, so I won't. I think I'll start doing productive things next week. This week, I just want to relax. 

Okay, this is going to be short.

Today, was a pretty good day. It was a nice way to start of my holiday. But now I need to sleep, and I won't be able to write much here. I will write more tomorrow and talk about my day today.

Anyway, good night!