The whole world is on your side

“Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. Live in the faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you!” — Christian D. Larson

Erasing Fears

I so want to set this up somewhere. On my bucket list.
Which reminds me, I have to prepare a bucket list. On paper.

Apparently, this whole thing is part of some "Burning Man" annual festival in Nevada. The tickets are like $360. Fuck capitalist art, and they call this 'freedom of artistic expression'? My ass.

Anywho. I wanna go hardcore on this blackboard, and someday when I'm stinking rich, I'll indulge myself in this.

Not.

Great minds

"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds
discuss people."

— Eleanor Roosevelt

Lack of Inspiration? I think not!

"I've found that when you do something with all of your heart, it's beauty in it's own entirety; it never fails you, particularly if it's something to do with creating-- creating ideas, creating art, creating expression. Therefore, it's never the inspiration one lacks-- it's the passion that needs to be rekindled."

-Arfah S. Siddiqi

Aal Iz Naat Vell

I strongly disagree with the idea of conducting formal examinations to test students' proficiency in a particular field. I think it is rather unnecessary.

I believe that it's laughable when people try to pass exams just to get the marks, myself included. We're all chasing after a false reality because in the end, our knowledge is what is really put to test in the real world, not our marks.

This is not my conclusion after watching 3 idiots, because TBH, I was thinking about this for quite some time now, after my move to Cambridge, to be precise. 3 Idiots just happened to further reinforce these thoughts in my head.

I believe the whole education system is deeply flawed. I mean c'mon! Look at it!
Every single thing that i've learnt so far from grade 1 uptill now, overlooking, let's say grade 9? I've forgotten all of it! I can't even answer basic scientific/geography questions unless I've recently read about them on my own. That's because we've always been taught to get the highest marks in school and be ahead of everyone else in the race, whilst turning a blind eye to what really matters: KNOWLEDGE!

I mean what's the point of learning everything, solving a paper, taking a huge sigh of relief after you've passed and then forgetting every single thing that you've learnt, the next academic year? I frankly don't remember a thing that was taught to me.

I believe the American education system is still somewhat better than the British curriculam that I study in. That's because it's visual/practical learning applicable practically, and not just limited to theoretical "knowledge". Theory-oriented curriculams have a lot of implications; maybe some people can't seem to write that much in a limited amount of time. For some, there is the language barrier. Some people can't explain themselves through the right choice of words. There are many problems that hinder you from getting the marks that you're capable of.
What really matters, or rather SHOULD matter, is that we remember this knowledge later on and are able to put it to practical use.

Knowledge should be such that it hones our capabilities and makes us much more intelligent. Everyone is capable of achieving brilliance in whatever they are capable of.

However, the sad reality is, the whole world relies on the grading system, overlooking practical intelligence. Infact, we've all become victims to the modern civil education system. Schools are breeding brainwashed robots that have no idea how to apply their knowledge in the real world, myself included.
And I feel ridiculous about it. It's easy to show in the movies how, without studying, you still rank highest in university. Dear reader! That's not how it works in the real world. Atleast that's not how I've witnessed it work in this world ever in my 17 years of existence.
In this world, you get turned down for jobs even when you've had a consistent 4.0 GPA from a renowned university in USA.
In the real world, babies that are still-born don't come alive when you say "aal iz vell".
It's just now how it happens.

What we need is a revolution-- someone to change the whole education system, the whole concept of success, the whole concept of knowledge and brilliance.
Knowledge does not equate to straight As.
Success does not equate to a Harvard education, a Ferrari and a private jet parked on a priceless property in some exotic location.
Brilliance is again, not scoring As consistently throughout your education.

Those are not the definitions in my world, but sadly, they are in the real world.

The real question is- HOW?
How do we bring about a revolution in this deeply flawed education system?
There goes...some food for thought ladies and gentlemen!

5 Most Annoying Questions People Ask You

1. OMG! Tum itni moti kaise hogaeeeein?!

A giant balloon tore through my throat and settled itself in my belly ._.
I mean SERIOUSLY! WTF IS UP WITH THAT?! What do you mean HOW?! Either, I have a hormonal disbalance, or I stuffed my face! HOW ELSE DO YOU THINK I BALLOONED UP YOU FAGGOT?! More importantly, why do YOU care if mein moti hogai! You don't just go up to people and say that, that's just moronic and unethical! Oh the sheer stupidity of human kind is going to make me old before age *sits with hand on heart, stooping stature*

2. Alllaaaaaaah! Itni barhi kaisi hogaein tum?!

*pulls hair out* My mommy grabbed me from one end, my dad from another and pulled me together. Or maaybe, JUST MAYBE, a bug crawled its way into my biological system and SCREWED IT ALL UP!

3. Are you okay?

My friends are backstabbing me, my parents practically disowned me, my dog died, why yes, I'm perfectly fine thank you :]

DO I FREAKIN' LOOK OKAY?!?!?!

4. Are you hurt?

Now why would you be moronic enough to think I'd be hurt if I just fell on the middle of the freakin' road on broken glass?!?!
I FELL ON A GODDAMN CEMENT FLOOR! MY KNEES ARE FREAKIN' BURNING!

5. -"Yaar, I'm really thirsty."
-"Do you want some water?"

No, I want to chug down a bottle of acid

._.

I mean really now!

Sans Bénéfice

I dream,
Begging to be inspired
Throw that bigotry out the door—
A fire has come alive.
I dream,
Begging to be inspired
Care not I for a moment’s worth of insipidity;
I refuse to let it harbour within me.
I dream,
Begging to be inspired.
Prosaic minds absoluting prototypical notions—
Nay sir, I abjure—I cradle not mine in a bridled casket.
I dream,
Begging to be inspired
Breathe-in an air of avant-garde;
Senses ignited by revolutionary flames.

You dream
Aiming to discipline my abstract complexities
Blame not I you sir;
You breathe in a world curbed by conformity;
Bigotry the skeletal structure of your borrowed notions.

But I abjure.

I abjure.

You!
Oust your bigot roots up from the ground;
And march like revolutionaries
For trees of antagonism
Reap no fruits.
Sans bénéfice.


12.1.2010
Tuesday
Arfah Shahid Siddiqi

Rosseau

"The passage from the state of nature to the civil state produces a very remarkable change in man, by substituting justice for instinct in his conduct, and giving his actions the morality they had formerly lacked. Then only, when the voice of duty takes the place of physical impulses and right of appetite, does man, who so far had considered only himself, find that he is forced to act on different principles, and to consult his reason before listening to his inclinations. Although, in this state, he deprives himself of some advantages which he got from nature, he gains in return others so great, his faculties are so stimulated and developed, his ideas so extended, his feelings so ennobled, and his whole soul so uplifted, that, did not the abuses of this new condition often degrade him below that which he left, he would be bound to bless continually the happy moment which took him from it for ever, and, instead of a stupid and unimaginative animal, made him an intelligent being and a man" -Jean Jacques Rosseau's Social Contract (1762)

I Was Afraid This Would Happen...

...me not posting until Jan 1 is over. AND IT DID!
Oh look! A PROPHECY!
._.

Aaaaaanyway. Resolutions shezolutions!
I'm not one who's been high on the whole resolutions things, but this year I do have some pretty determined resolutions that I aim to follow.
For some bizarre reason I'm not so excited to write this entry anymore as I was on 31st Jan :/

Anywho.

1. Lose the chub! I mean it! Before college, I wanna get into shape.
2. Read more-- be more informed and intellectual (HEY IT'S NOT SHALLOW!)
3. Get organised
4. Stay motivated
5. Be more hardworking.
6. Be exactly who I want to be. It just requires patience and persistence, and ofcourse, consistent motivation.
Therefore, #
7. Persistent & patient.
8 Regain the creativity
9. Improve vocabulary and English
10. Last but not the least, be a stronger person with more willpower, and a good practising Muslim, i.e. strengthening of the/increased Eman.

May Allah bless you all with a prosperous New Year and succeed you in your endeavours! May we all stay strong, challenged, motivated and determined to be better individuals, and strive for happiness, success and spiritual/religious well-being, and ofcourse, be guided to the Right Path, inshAllah.

Oh and seriously people, GET OVER THE "OH-LOOK-I-SKIPPED-AN-ENTIRE-NEW-YEAR-BWAHAHAHAHAHHA-31ST-JAN-09-TO-1ST-JAN-10-BWAHAHAHAHAHA"

I mean SERIOUSLY people that's SO 2nd grade.





















OH LOOK I SLEPT A WHOLE YEAR--SLEPT ON 31ST JAN 09 AND GOT UP ON 1ST JAN 10! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!


Teeehehe. Uhm, yeah. Okay.
._.

EDAAAAAAAAAAAT!

You know what...I forgot things..

11 Be happy..
12. Enjoy life.
13 Start being more grateful
14. Start appreciating the little things in life-- to stop and click the beautiful moments that are rushing by, and to record them in a journal

You know what else I forgot?

15. To live life a little...

Aiming For The Stars?

Yesterday, I learnt that if I want to reach great heights, I don't have to compete with people; I have to do everything before they even think of doing them.

I have to make sure that I have given everything my 100% without letting them set a benchmark for me; I have to be the benchmark.

And the cherry on top came in the form of DannyBoy's blog entry I read today:

"People look up to the sky, hoping to count all the stars. I look up to the sky, hoping to one day shine brighter than them" -Danish A. Arif