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is lost but if I'm lucky - someone will find me.

what is achieveable throught the human spirit

While I was sat feeling all gloomy and stressed about my inability to grasp the basic chemistry being taught me at my new chemistry course at uni - my dad sent me this video and it totally made me cry. Its a true testiment to what is achieveable throught the human spirit - and for the love of God, if they can do that then I can do well on my flamin course!!! (Insha'allah!):

So anyway READ THIS and then watch the video below:

A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?'
The father who, despite having a heart condition, says 'Yes'.
They went on to complete the marathon together.
Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying 'Yes' to his son's request of going through the race together.
One day, the son asked his father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.'
To which, his father said 'Yes' too.

For those who don't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever.
The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike
ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42..195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island, Hawaii.
Father and son went on to complete the race together. View this race at.....

A Student once more

This week I started university - again.

On Sunday Naima and I moved to an area in Stoke-on-Trent in preparation for starting K-University. Its a preparation course in Chemistry for our PGCE next year.

I was very excited for months - since I knew I had the place. It was gonna be a new opportunity, hope for a better future (Insha'allah) and would hopefully lead me to a career that I would love and enjoy and would challenge me constantly.

However as the date approached I grew more and more nervous - what if i didnt do well? what if I failed? What if I was terrible at Chemistry and everything else? What if I made some horrendous mistake? what if after all this - this was not for me??? Thousands of questiosn whizzed round my head but I had no answers for my own mind.

I got on the train and just hoped for the best.

I've been attending uni since Monday and its been pretty standard methinks - its introductory lectures, easing us into it all.... possibly the calm before the storm??? I shall find out!!

I just hope and pray I do well, even excell in the course and all my hopes and dreams come true about having a career I love and one where I make a useful and beneficial impact on the children I teach, the future.

The house in which I live is pretty standard, even slightly better than normal student digs but I am totally treating it like student digs - my concentration is going to be on studying not being at home or "cosy" in my room. As long as its warm and dry with internet, I'mm pretty happy :-)

Another experience of the week has been the weather - it has been unbelievably cold. I swear I have not been so cold in daytime EVER. Its painful being out and it literally takes a few hours for the hands and feet to defrost even though I'm wearing layers upon layers!

It snowed all day today and we live on a hill which is totally iced over - we have to walk to the bus stop and it feels like we are risking our lives for education everyday. We really are!!

Its an adventure!!!

Make your day a Shay day

I received this inspirational story in an email and wanted to share it with everyone:

Two Choices

What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its

dedicated staff, he offered a question:

'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection.

Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do.

Where is the natural order of things in my son?'



The audience was stilled by the query.



The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

Then he told the following story:



Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.



I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'



Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.

In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.



At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the

plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.

The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.

As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.



The game would now be over.

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.

Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.



Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.

Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first!

Run to first!'

Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.

He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.



Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.

B y the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball . the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.

He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.

Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.



All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'



Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!

Shay, run to third!'



As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'

Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team



'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.



Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

new years eve 2009

Its New Years Eve and friends are supposed to be coming over - dinner is in the oven, the house is warm and relatively crap movies are on the TV.

Except the friends are not here yet - and I'm not thinking about it as I'll get very annoyed at either their lack of punctuality or their lack of manners or both. I hate it when people do this and they do it far far faaaaaaaar to often.

Anyway I'm gonna just concentrate on my dinner - which will be yummy once cooked - cos I do not wanna be pissed off when 2010 come in.

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Most of them turned up eventually that night :-) (in time for dinner - typical! lol)

What I'd like for the house

Ok I was asked to make a list of stuff I want for the house so here goes:

1) Food Processor:

I like:

- Kenwood: Price: £62.99
www.pixmania.co.uk; 08700 118 117

- Breville Price: £78.29
www.argos.co.uk; 0845 640 2020

- Kenwood Food Processor FP580
~£50

The best seems to be:
-Magimix food processor 3200

2) Vases:

- http://www.lauraashley.com/Vases+Bowls/RUSTIC-FLORAL-VASE/invt/3438528

Ok there were not many nice vases out there - at least not that I cud see!!

Ok, I CANNOT be bothered listing them in an organised way so the following is just stuff I like and wud want (click on the links):

- pans
- grater
- knives
- Kenwood chrome multi
- pans
- knives
- pans
- sharpner
- timer
- dish rack
- brush
- spice rack
- Royal Dalton China Dinner set
- Dinner set
- vase
- vase
- cups&saucers


ok I think thats it for now - I'm getting very carried away but a girl can dream, right?? lol

New House

First things first - the mice seems to have disappeared and Lamees has a funky new hair style!!

I'm enjoying being in the new house and its slowly but surely taking shape - most of the painting has been done upstairs and my room is almost ready. We're slowly getting to know out house, all the little ins and outs :-)

Will be starting uni in January - thats quite daunting and exciting at the same time! I cant wait to be a student again - there is such a hopeful something about being a student! :-)

So anyways - the below are bedroom looks that inspire me:












Ok I want this bedroom - see here!


Next..... what stuff I'd like in the house ;-)

moments

Life can sometimes seem like a series of incredibly profound moments - moments of realisation of some truth, either big or small, personal or universal.

Some truths are obvious to all such as "I love my cat" or "I like fast cars" or "I hate my job" others are harder to come by and the road to these moments can be long and arduous.

I like to think of someone who is tough and cynical - able to make hard choices when needed. Yet I also know I am incredibly sensitive, especially to what certain people think of me. I'd like to think I am a nice, well-rounded (well, I am physically!) person - generally well liked and well thought of by everyone. But how do you know for certain?How can I be sure I am a good person?

I think I am. I think I generally behave pretty well, I generally make the good choice, I try to think of others before myself.... the fact that I try makes me a good person, right? I hope so!

I would like someone totally unbiased to tell me what they think of me after they meet me and then offer me some really good, clear constructive criticism. I'd like it even more if they just told be I was "fine". I dont need to be incredible, or wonderful, or beautiful, or amazing - though I'd like to be of course - I just want to be good.

Is that silly or incredibly naive?

I think what I'd really like is to know myself definatively, absolutely and I really dont think I do. I'm mystery to myself half the time.

On a different note - I cried at the possible death of a mouse today. Yes people we have a slight mouse problem in the new house - apparently the old owner had housemates he neglected to mention and didnt seem to be bothered about.

They are cute little mice. I know I know - it freaked me out too the first day I saw them run across my floor. Made me spill HOT tea all over myself - made me feel all hyper-alert and scared. It also made me laugh cos I have never before behaved like such a girl - squealing and jumping around like a mad woman!

Anyway - my sister seems to take an unholy delight in tracking them down and scaring the life out of them. I, on the other hand, want them gone but cannot seem to tolerate the idea of causing them pain. I know - its stupid but just the thought of them being killed in some horrific way just seems so needlessly cruel. I'd rather just have them gone and deny them re-entry into the house by finding and blocking all points of entry. In a few days, teh traps will have done their job and all holes etc will have been blocked and we shall be mouse -free.

I think I'll always feel a little guilty though. I imagine little mouse babies missing their missing parents and starving to death, little mice freezing to death outside (cos sister dearest tossed them out), mice dying in bins (tossed out again), burnt alive in the fire place, poisoned etc etc etc

Horrible.

Ahhh - the new life experiences we gain through life..... lol