sprint

My work day feels like it was a sprint today. I don't think I managed to sit down prior to this moment since this morning 6:55 when I got out of the car.

Tomorrow is our audit, so naturally we are all quite on edge and busy organising things here in the office...a task made a little more difficult due to the fact that our secretary is on sick leave till Wednesday.
Still, the mood is at a high point here because of the success of the variety show. I hope that will get everyone's asses into gear for our concert in September.

escape...

Today is one of those days where I wish I was somewhere else...preferably alone.

One way in which I can best achieve my escape is through my novels. I love reading. And I especially love reading romance novels.

There are a lot of things that irritate and enrage me, but one thing that seems to do both is when people who live with each other don’t communicate with each other.

I have to admit, it is something that I myself have struggled with. But to live is to progress, even though it may be in baby steps. I’m glad that to a very large degree, I have managed to overcome my struggle. It helps no one to keep things bottled.

For the last few years though, I feel as if I’m being used by my family as a go-between. I’m rather tired of it. I was sitting now doing some work I brought home, but I just don’t feel like doing it because the atmosphere in this house is getting me down. And some of the people in it may think that they are not responsible for it, but they are only kidding themselves.

It’s very difficult for me to understand that most people are not naturally happy and upbeat.

My exuberance has always been something of a trial for my family members, but it’s something now that often helps to ease a tense situation, and I’m not apologising for it anymore.

But right now I wish I was somewhere else.

I’m need to pray Eshaa and after I’ve prayed, pack my bags for tomorrow, and curl up in my bed with my escape...

movies

I like this colour!


I finally made it to the cinema 3 days ago. My dad told us 3 weeks ago that my sister and I have to cook on a Sunday so that we can give my mom a break. Not a problem-I like being in the kitchen.
So after we made lunch, we got in the car and went to watch Thor.
Very nice movie...lots of action, hot guys to look at, little bit of romance (not enough in my opinion)...I really enjoyed it. But my sister had some issues. She doesn't like the whole watching in 3D (neither do I, come to think of it-3D freaks the hell out of me).


And so I asked some people who have also watched whether they liked the movie or not. And I got answers like, "the CGI looks too fake" "the story is not realistic".
When people say that, it always makes me wonder why they watch movies in the first place.
Movies, are supposed to be for entertainment. For relaxation. To break away from the stress of real life and lose yourself in something completely unrealistic. Why do people think that "good" movies are the ones that are the most realistic...who decided that?

Family

There is one thing on earth that can bring a person the greatest joy they will ever be able to experience, and that can stress one to the point of breaking.

Family.

I have quite an unusual family situation. I come from a polygamous marriage and as a result, I have had to deal with four extended families and have many siblings. For those of you reading this and thinking, “What the f*&!?” – I am Muslim and polygamy is allowed in my religion.

It is way to tedious to explain but the gist of it is 4 parents and 12 children...11 now, since one of my brothers passed on 10 years ago.

Naturally, when a man finds himself with more than one wife, he has to split his time equally between them and growing up, we did not have the luxury of having a “full-time” dad, as he had to spend time with his other wife and children also.

I find myself presently living with both of my parents for the first time, as our other mom passed away in 2009. Growing up, we did not always see our father, but my mother enforced his rules and made his presence felt, even when he was not there. But I have to say, living with him all the time is different. Before, he used to come to us when it was our days in the evenings after work, and sometimes he would spend time with us, but a lot of the time he was tired from work, and usually went to bed early. It wasn’t a normal arrangement by society’s standards, but it was normal to us. It didn’t allow my father to really get to know us though.

Now that we’re in each others’ faces all the time, it’s definitely taking some getting used to.

To say that my father is a slightly difficult person would be me understating things a bit. He likes certain things, he likes them a certain way. He is a very generous and huge-hearted person, but is forgetful about everyday mundane things. And he works wayyyy too hard for someone who really does not need to work at his pace, and who is beyond the age of retirement already. One thing that I don’t think I will ever get used to is that he can hold a grudge for an amazingly long length of time...he once did not speak to me for a few months because I had cut my hair (he likes long hair and when I was younger, I was never allowed to cut it. Needless to say, when I turned 18, I just didn’t care). And when he’s pissed at someone, he doesn’t talk at all.

But, as I am the child, and still living under his roof (and by extension, his rules) I take the mood swings. What I am starting to worry about is how much I can take before I resent it.

Parents become like children as they grow older...not because they need to be taken care of physically, but more because they become demanding emotionally. My mom gets very worked up if we don’t spend time with her, even if it’s just by sitting and watching TV with her. My dad is always scolding us about the fact that we don’t spend enough time with him.

But as I said, I take it. Because not too long ago, we were more demanding of them in that way.

And nothing will ever repay what your parents do for you. One minute they can annoy you to the point where you want to jump out of the window, and the next minute, they’re taking you to a lawyer’s office and making you sign the deed to a house they bought for you...for no reason at all.

My folks drive me crazy a lot of the time, but I wouldn’t trade mine for anything in the whole world.

My siblings are quite the same as my folks...they can drive me up the wall but are always there for me, whether it is to listen to me moan, comfort me when I have bad news or make a huge deal when I have good news. And there are 11 of us...and we’re all different, no two personalities exactly alike, so there are always fireworks.

I can tell some of my siblings everything...and with the others, I have to suppress my natural exuberance a bit. I can hug and kiss some of my brothers and sisters, but with the others, I don’t have that kind of relationship. Some of them get my really gross and weird sense of humour...some of them find it really offensive.

So yeah, always some kind of firework.

But I know, if I am in the biggest shit of my life, I have a squad behind me to dig me out and wash the shit off.

Why an alien?

Before I answer the above question, let me first thank my good friend, Aneesa, for introducing me to blogging.
She started a blog this year, and I think this morning, I was the first one to read it. One thing that I absolutely loved about her four posts, is that it sounds exactly like her (reading it, I could hear her say all those things to me in person). We all need to vent, and although I tell her that I don't mind, she feels that she burdens me when she vents to me. I am happy that there is another way for her to get things off her chest, whether it be anger with a lecturer or a family member, or whether it be to share some really exciting news (something I hope she will use it for as well).

Thanks babe! Now I have a forum to bitch as well!

Why an alien?
Well, I am a Muslim woman, in a world that is generally unfriendly towards people who follow my religion. Aside from that, I am a person with ideals and values that many people regard as old-fashioned or weird (I get that a lot). I'm not a person who chases material things. I'm not someone who feels the need to have an illustrious career. I'm not a woman who feels that I have to compete with men, or feels that I have to prove myself to them.

So a lot of the time, I do feel like I don't quite belong in today's world.