Late Night Thoughts...

...
I love sitting near the fire...
The room is so calm, and warm, and relaxing...
I still have Math homework to do... This is not good.
I wish I could spend the night writing...
I don't want to go to school tomorrow.
I just want to grab my novel and cuddle and read.
The internet is so slow!
I really need to check this email.
If only our TV was working.
My leg hurts, I think I need to sleep.
The flavor of my gum faded.. I need new gum.
I think I'd really enjoy a career in Graphic Design.
I need to use the washroom.
I miss grade 11.
I can't wait till English class tomorrow!
I hope our Biology teacher corrected our exams.
We have Math first thing in the morning. What a joy.
I feel like having oranges.
We don't have oranges.
Can I be a graphic designer and an architect at the same time?
I can't believer I made that silly mistake in Physics today.
My glasses need cleaning.
A cup of tea would be nice now.
I finished writing the post and the picture didn't upload yet!
It's almost 11 and I'm still blogging rather than studying.
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How do you usually spend your nights? :]
Good Night!

Guest Post | 10 Best Harry Potter Quotes

Hi!

It's Leen, Sena's sister, big Harry Potter fan! (I'm sure Sena mentioned this on her blog before)

Harry Potter is the best series there could ever be, so here are ten quotes from the book:

It was very hard to only chose 10 quotes, and that is why I will add an 11th one:

And... that's it. Bye! :)

@KhateebLeen
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Thanks to Leen for taking the time to write this post! I'm a huge sucker for quotes! ("The Hunger Games" is the best series, though. Really, no kidding! :P)

If you would like to guest post on my blog, contact me via:
Facebook: Snapshots
Twitter: @SenaKhateeb
Kik: @SenaKhateeb
Email: sena.khateeb @ gmail . com
Or by commenting on my posts!
I hope you all had a great weekend! :]

A Million Bucks...

This blog post is written by me and Leen; the question discussed is pretty simple:

Each one of us wrote 10 things she'd do with the money. (And it's good to note that each wrote her part on her own)

First, Leen's 10 Things:

1. I would buy books, lots of books
2. Buy a Canon camera
3. Visit "The Making of Harry Potter"
4. Visit the "Dahl Museum"
5. Visit Disney Land
6. Meet J.K Rowling
7. Build an 'ADT' place
8. Go to Antarctica 
9. Buy many glasses, each one a different color and style
10. And put the rest in my Gringgotts vault :)

Make sure to like Leen's Facebook page ADT

And my Facebook page too, of course (Snapshots). Because one does not promote his sister's Facebook page without promoting his own lol.

Then... My 10 Things:

1. I would buy a MacBook Pro and an iPhone 5s
2. I would buy a book. Or two. Or a hundred. Or more.
3. I would give money to charity, and I'd like to help build a new school somewhere in Africa
4. I would treat my family to dinner and cocktail
5. I would buy a good camera
6. I would buy lots of art supplies
7. I would go to Paris
8. I would not worry about paying for my university fees
9. I would buy a customized blogger design (Because, no, I am not currently willing to spend $300 bucks on one)
10. I would put the rest in the bank because I won't spend all the money and because this list only contains 10 things I'd do with the money so I can't go on forever

What is something you would do if you had a million dollars? :]

(& Leen too, in this case!)

10 Reasons Why School Sucks

Okay, so maybe 'sucks'  is a very strong word (because I personally don't think school sucks all that much except for the obvious things) but I can't really find a word with a similar meaning that is not as strong. Anyways, you get my point and so.. to the 10 reasons.

1. Having to wake up so early in the morning: Especially in the winter when it's cold; it's a struggle. Have you ever tried to leave your warm and cozy bed only to wash up with cold water? If you've been through that, than you know what I mean. (I feel ya!)
2. Delusional people: I can talk about this forever; I mean it. It pisses me off, so damn much. From the boys who laugh and stupidly say stuff like have you ever seen a man do the dishes? No way! *ha-ha-ha* Let the women stay at home and clean if men have to start doing chores!" (I do not tolerate any form of sexism, or sexists) to the girls who have nothing to talk about but the girl with the stain on her shirt or the girl with the weird hijab on. 
3. Cold classes. You CANNOT get comfortable while writing when your hands are freezing (it really becomes hard to hold the pen), and it gets harder to move well because of the 4 shirts, 3 sweaters, and jacket you're wearing.
4. Exams. It's not really the examination part which 'sucks', it's the studying for the exam part.
5. People who don't smile/ say hi back. I thought "a smile is a universal language everyone can understand?". I guess not everyone does...
6. People who don't appreciate the beauty of philosophy, writing, science... Really, imagine life without those stuff. (I tend to get nerdy sometimes). I often get comments like "What are you doing [reading this novel]?" or "You actually watch/ read abut such things?". Not cool.
7. Chairs that make your butt go stiff; so you finish the year with a flat bottom and an ache in your back.
8. Teaching methods. The teachers practically stand in front of the class and talk. The lazier ones just sit on a chair.
9. The schedule. Our schedule for Saturday goes like this: Physics- Physics- Physics- Philosophy- Chemistry- Chemistry- Chemistry. Retarded, I know. Can you imagine fitting that much chemistry and physics in one day? I bet your head hurts already. 
10. Teachers who expect you to remember the answer to part c, question 4, page 64 from your fourth grade book. Hon, I don't remember what I had for lunch yesterday, so bear with me.

I should be studying for my math exam anyways; I don't know how I'll solve the problems now. My eyes hurt and I need sleep :(. Wish me luck (I really mean it, I'm not just trying to conclude this post by saying that. So wish me luck if you haven't done that by now!)

What are the major things that suck about your school/ work?

(btw, picture is not mine; I only did the writing on it. So credit to whoever took the picture!)

Happy (?) Eid

Eid, at least for me, usually lasts no longer than a few hours in which we visit our relatives. But that’s not how it should be. That’s not how Eid should be.

The most exciting thing about Eid shouldn’t be comparing the number of Eid greetings you receive on WhatsApp or Facebook, or what relative has the most delicious chocolate..

I think a family dinner to gather all the members of the extended family would be a good idea, or even a small family dinner would be nice. We could even arrange for a family movie night, or a trip to the mountains. There should be some sort of family ritual to decorate the house, at least to make the little kids be engaged in the holiday spirit. The town should be decorated and cleaned (they do that in Zahle on Christmas, and people volunteer to decorate the streets and trees). Those things can even be done in addition to the regular visits we usually do on Eid. 

Eid is slowly becoming less and less exciting that it was before. Maybe it’s because I’m growing up; but I sure used to get more excited for Eid at my sister’s age than she does now.

There isn’t a person that told me they had a good Eid when I asked. Eid should be the day in which we celebrate, have fun, enjoy ourselves… What really drove me to write this post was an innocent comment from my sister, when she told me that Christmas seems like a nice holiday [because families have dinner together and decorate pine trees, I suppose].

Don't get me wrong; I, and a lot of people, look forward to Eid. But what is it we really look forward to? New clothes and good chocolate and a break from our work/ school. Not that we shouldn't look forward to those things, but there should be more meaning and depth in our Eids and holidays..

Happy Eid to everyone who celebrated, hopefully your Eid was more exciting than mine was!

Life of An Architect: A Blog

Man, do I love this guy's blog! In case you don't know this, and you probably don't, I'm seriously considering majoring in architecture. So a while ago, as I was randomly googling something about architecture, I came across Bob Borson's blog, Life of An Architect. I then came across it again two days ago, and stayed up till 1 AM reading (and rereading) blog-posts. And if staying up late is not enough, the next day (yesterday) was the first day of Eid and I needed all the sleep I could get because I had to wake up early.

Anyways, Life of An Architect covers various aspects and topics concerning architects and architecture. Architects can relate to Bob, students studying architecture/ aspiring to become architects can benefit from the posts, and if you don't happen to fit into one of the two categories, then you might just enjoy Bob's posts!

Below, I included some of my favorite posts from Life of An Architect:

1. Top Ten Reason NOT to be an Architect
2. Top Ten Reason to be an Architect
3. Design Studio: Top 10 Things You Should Know This post discusses architecture and design studios (yeah, yeah. I know it says that in the title). However, I think every student can benefit from this post as it has some pretty useful advice.
4. What Does an Architect Do? In this post, Bob talks about a variety of tasks/ different fields of architectural work.
5. 10 Tips to Conquer Procrastination If you tend to procrastinate sometimes (like I do), then check this post out!

Aaand, because who doesn't like to take a sneak-peak into other people's working space:

• Architecture Students Work Desks
• An Architect's Desk
• An Architect's Office (This is Bob's office, and it's everything you'd want an office to be!)

What really struck me about most offices and work spaces in those posts is how well lit and clean they are. However, some desks were literally covered by papers all over, and I don't know how people can focus on their work on such messy desks.

Did you visit Life of An Architect? What did you think about it? And what are your thoughts on Architecture? :]

TGIF (?)

From Mondays till Thursdays, I anticipate the arrival of Friday. Fridays mean I don't have school, I don't have to wake up at 6:30, and struggle to keep up with teachers while I'm half asleep. Fridays mean I can have a proper breakfast (instead of the apple I have every other morning, or the single piece of gum I chew when there are no apples and I'm late), I can sit and read or draw or watch TV... But to what extent is that true?

Being in grade 12, I'm supposed to study each and every single lesson the day I take it, not stack them all up until the exams. What I do is that I postpone the studying till Friday. I postpone homework till Friday. I postpone copying notes till Friday. I postpone cleaning my room till Friday. I postpone blogging till Friday. And then....

Friday arrives. With so many things to do.

I do have a relatively healthier breakfast. I do wake up a little late. I don't struggle to keep up with boring teachers. But then, I get my school bag (which probably weighs more than 10 kg with my books in it), and spread my notebooks and pens and graph paper and calculator on my desk. (It's not a nice thing to look at).

That's Friday for me.

TGIF, I mean it. Thank God it's Friday, even though I have so much homework to do on Fridays.

The bright side is that, even though I have to study, I can do it in the warmth of my own house (not too far away from our fridge. I can still text my friends and sing and scribble and doodle..
    

Thank God it's Friday.

Arabs Got Talent- Where You Might Just Lose Your Dignity

     Arabs Got Talent, the infamous talent show almost everyone I know watches. I won't lie, I love the show, and every Saturday at 9 o'clock, I turn the TV on to MBC4 and watch it.

    On yesterday's episode, a Syrian dude, named Ayman, went on stage to sing and... let's just say that singing is not his thing. That's not what I want to blog about though- the boy's lack of talent- but the judges reaction towards this gutsy guy.

    They laughed, they teased him, and humiliated him on TV. One of the judges, Nasser, told him that he (Ayman) is the first person he sees that sings horribly but with so much passion. And he said it sarcastically. They even gave him another chance to come up again and sing, and then act.

   They do not get people on this show to humiliate them. Or do they? It's not the first time, either. I remember the first or second episode, where they similarly made fun/ laughed at other people. It is not professional, not humane, and it's disrespectful.

   Although, this time, Najwa (another judge) whispered something in Ayman's ear when the other two judges told him to sing again, and it was later revealed that she told him not to sing because if he does they will only laugh at him. It was, at least, a kind attempt to save him the humiliation.

   I respect Ayman's courage, the guy has got some serious guts to go on stage, over and over again. I laughed, and I think everyone/ almost everyone who watched that episode laughed, too. But this is not the purpose of the show. The purpose is not to make people laugh at other people, it is to give talented people a chance to reveal their talent, and this should be done in a professional, polite manner, not a rude, vulgar one.
   Did you watch yesterday's episode? You can check Ayman on Arabs Got Talent in the video below (in Arabic).
   What do you think of what the judges did? Is it justified? Are they qualified to do that? 

Dear My Facebook Friends (some of you)

I'm so glad I got over the phase when I was obsessed with Facebook. I do occasionally open it, but it feels like "Wooh, I'm not obsessed. Good Lord."

Anyways, the Blogtember topic for the 27th of September was to write a letter to your Facebook friends without using any names:

Friday, September 27: An anonymous letter to your Facebook friends. Be as snarky as you'd like.

Dear My Facebook Friends,

Below are some of the things I wanted to scream out at some of you...

• Please, I beg you, stop sending me Farmville requests. No, I will not send you a goat (or a log of wood, either) so please, just don't.

• Don't writing pathetically sad quotes about your broken heart and miserable life. It gets nauseating after the 100th post.

• And really? You think you're cool because you "smoke all day" and know how to make 'smoke circles' (or whatever they call them) with your hookah? Get a life.

• You know, you can say hi to me in real life. I don't bite (except if you try to physically harm me. In that case, I can't guarantee you won't get a flesh-deep bite plus a permanent scar).

• And, a piece of advice, you don't have to post 33547 pictures of the time you went to the local park with your hubby. Or another 9001 pictures of your child's 'adorable little blue shoes'. It's cute when you post one or two pictures, and very far from cute when you practically spam the world with photos.

• Don't post a pic I'm in if I look weird. Please don't.

• You can post on my wall and like my pictures and Facebook page, I really don't mind. I might just return the favor someday. (Ever heard of the Bank of Favors? When you do a favor to someone, he/ she has to return it back to you someday. So yeah.)

• There's a reason why I'm offline 99% of the time on Facebook, and it sure as hell isn't because I want to open a conversation with you that basically goes like "Hi" "Hi" "How are you?" "Good. You?" "Good." (+ just keep repeating those questions in various ways over and over again).

• Do you really think I'm interested in "I Will Love You Forever", "Cute Grade __ Students", "Tears of Love" pages? Just don't invite me. (Except if it's a page about John Green or The Hunger Games, then I won't mind being invited).

• Don't, just don't, send me a message to ask me why I read so much when I don't have school. It's an insult, even if you don't realize it. 

That's pretty much it. I love all my Facebook friends (almost all of them). And some of them are pretty cute actually.

What would you want to say to some of your Facebook friends if you could? :]

The Book Thief

Topic:

Tuesday, September 24: Review a book, place, or product.

I decided to review a book I recently finished reading:

Title: The Book Thief

Author: Mark Zusak

Paperback Edition: 554 pages

First Published: January 1st, 2005

GoodReads Average Rating: 4.36/5 stars

The Book Thief tells the story of a girl, Liesel, who lives near Munich in Germany during World War II in 1993. Liesel learns how to read and write with the help of her foster father, and soon becomes so attached to books that she steals them. She is friends with a boy named Rudy, and soon becomes friends with Max; and Max is a Jewish man who hides at their house in fear of being caught by the Nazis.  It also shows the indecency and brutality of war and of the Nazis, it reveals the torture Jewish people (and anyone who sympathizes with them) faced. Liesel loses so many people she loves during this war, and there are very hear-touching scenes; such as when her foster father gets whipped after throwing bread for the Jewish, or when she recovers the dead bodies of Rudy and her foster parents... Overall, the book is very emotional (I read too many emotional books!), and something I really liked about it was the fact that it was narrated by Death. (yes, Death.)

The book is very well written, the events are realistic, the characters are easy to get attached to.

Check my GoodReads review of The Book Thief here.

Lately, I...

Topic:

Monday, September 23: A "life lately" post. What you're up to, how you're feeling, how you're doing on your goals, etc. 

Hmm... Life lately...

• I've been eating healthier for a while now, so no more chocolate and cakes during recess time, but carrots and cucumbers instead. I used to walk (twice everyday, actually, in the morning and afternoon) as part of the healthy lifestyle I'm adapting, but I stopped. I don't even know why.
• I bought new glasses, and that is actually a huge relief because I don't have to take my glasses off whenever someone talks to me while wearing them (that's how old-fashioned my old ones were!).

• I started school a few days ago (I'm still getting used to waking up and getting dressed in the morning. It seems like no matter how early I get up, I'm always a little late).
• Today was our first history period and it was such a letdown. I usually love history, but this period was seriously boring. The "I-would-rather-sit-and-watch-an-empty-living-room-for-45 minutes-than-sit-in-history-class" type of boring.
• I have to study well and concentrate in all classes because this is a critical school year. I actually feel nervous and a little scared when I come to think of the official exams I'll have to go through, but I guess that is just normal.
• I have to take my SATs as well, and I should have studied for them in the summer. So I feel bad. (It's not a nice feeling FYI).
• I'm still working on Rawafid's library wall, coloring it is taking so much more time than I thought it would take! But it's loads of fun.
• My room is neat, (really neat. It was never this neat before.) And not because I'm forced to clean it by my mom, but because, apparently, I'm neat right now. Kinda.
• Our two kittens died not too long ago, Fluffy was sick and Beaky was hit by a car. :(

• I haven't worked on the book I'm writing for a while now, and I miss the characters and I miss writing, but it just feels like I need to be in a specific mood to write. And I'm caught up in so many things, and working on my book is not one of those things.
• I'm happy that Fall is here! I love the rain and chilly weather, hoodies and sweaters...
• I recently finished reading The Hunger Games Companion and The Book Thief. I want to start on The Host or Me and Earl and The Dying Girl, both books seem nice. I miss being able to read all day long and not have anything else to do. :(

• Internet has been exceptionally slow, and it keeps coming and going. It is such a struggle. 
  
  

Really, I could go on forever, but I think that's enough LOL. How has your life been recently? 

Comfort

Topic: 

Friday, September 20: React to this term: comfort

What is comfort to me? Comfort is...

...Time spent with family,

TV with my dad,

Cracking jokes with my mom,

Nights on the balcony with Leen,

Taking silly pictures with Amin,

Drawing with Rafah,

Singing with Yaman,

Friends I can trust,

And people I can discuss ideas with..

Comfort is...

....Books, books, books,

Sitting near the fire in winter,

Hoodies and pajama bottoms,

Autumn and rain and red tree leaves.

Doing what I like,

Coloring, Reading, Writing, Drawing..

Knowing that there are people there for me.

Comfort is living healthily and positively,

Comfort is envisioning a bright future,

Comfort is dreaming..

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What is comfort for you? What comes up to your mind when you hear the word comfort? :]

Thursday To-Do List (Updated)

I started school today. Did I mention that I started school today? Anyways, I did. I was supposed to start on the 22nd but I changed schools. I'm back to my old school! Tomorrow's to-do list:

1. Buy a school uniform. (Update: Can't. They don't have my size and won't get the new uniforms before the end of this month. This sucks, because wearing a uniform is so much easier than getting up every morning and looking for something to wear.)
2. Cook for kiddos (not exactly, mom got everything ready and I just need to put water and put the pot on the stove).
   
3. Remind mom to pick glasses up at 2 o'clock by calling her. (I'm SO excited to finally get rid of my old glasses. Pathetic I know.) Done! Here are my lovely glasses:
   
4. Buy school supplies. (notebooks and pens)
5. Start copying school notes (The school started about a week ago and so I have so much to copy. Sigh. Any help in copying the notes is highly appreciated! LOL)

I'll update the list tomorrow. (Updated.) What are your Thursday plans? :]

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

Yes, I realize I haven't blogged in like... 6 days. Mainly because I was too lazy to charge my laptop, and because I've been reading The Book Thief (you should definitely check this book out), and because I've been going to Rawafid.Anyways, here is today's Blogtember topic:

Wednesday, September 18: Only photos

(Yes, I know, I know.. there should be no writing, only pictures. Aaannyywayss, below are some of my favorite pictures by Leen- No captions, because.... A PICTURE SAYS A THOUSAND WORDS! :])

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