Showing posts with label university. Show all posts
Showing posts with label university. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Amidst It

Oh, where to begin?
Such is the curse of maximalism - I am a purveyor of accumulating...experiences. Damn, that was rather pompous of me. Duh - most of us are.
Anyways, a new academic year has begun.
New friends, old friends - a beautiful kerfuffle of the two I have experienced so far. I'm nearing two decades of life & have never felt more confident. Let's hope this is an exponentially increasing phenomenon. Throughout this procession, here is what I have adorned myself with - my costume for the production titled 'life':

[*note: not specific outfit photos, as will become clear. But they do a pretty decent job of showcasing my outfit.]

*beauty-related tidbit: finally donned dark lipstick! Red lipstick is high maintenance but hella feelin'-sexy-inducing.
who what wear?
  • gold, shimmery shirt: $6, thrifted
  • copper metallic pleated skirt: $10, Urban Outfitters
  • tan, tie-die print wedges: $10, Ross
  • <3-worthy work-of-art vest: $10, Temple of the Modern Girl (vintage store)
  • colourful feather earrings: $3, Aldo
Look at all these hipsters I have the privilege of working with.


I'd like to share one of my favourite quotes now. Pertinent, I believe. And so damn beautiful.

♪♫ "And those who were seen dancing 
were thought insane by those who could
not hear the music." ~ Nietzsche ♪♫





*p.s. as for the whole existential crisis thing, things like this keep me sane: "Striving for Muslim Women’s Human Rights", by Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons.
 [http://thefeministwire.com/2012/08/striving-for-muslim-womens-human-rights/]


"We feminist Muslims – as our Jewish and Christian sisters have done – are bringing this insight and information to the forefront. We are arguing that Islam is NOT a monolithic structure etched in stone for eternity. We are seeking to separate Islam the religion from culture, tradition, and the social mores of the societies in which Islam arose and took root. We are reinterpreting the sacred texts anew from a feminist perspective. We are reviewing the history of the religion and are finding and bringing to the foreground earlier interpretations of earlier sects or groups in Islam whose views were more egalitarian, but were labeled heterodox and dismissed. We Muslim feminists seek to reinterpret, reconceptualize, contextualize, and historicize Islam and our societies’ rituals and practices."

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Bell Bottoms and bedroom Eyes

The word 'undergraduate' seems rightfully accurate--these undergraduate years are so underrated!
The cognizance of this fact hath made me commit acts of the socially deviant kind:
I decided to ornament half my limbs with the most ridiculous/fan freakin' tastic/groovy/happiness-inducing floral bell bottoms.

The two best accompaniments? A velvet blazer and a pompous, hip-jutting demeanor, of course.

  The pants also serve as a means of protection against dangerous suburban terrain.

The unveiling (pun not intended, for once) of lethargy or sexy bedroom eyes? You decide.

who what wear?
  • velvet blazer: < $3, F as in Frank vintage sale
  • floral fab-freakin'-tastic pants: Urban Outfitters, $10
  • gold metallic, zebra-print scarf: H&M, $5
{word of the moment}  
cog·ni·zance

[kog-nuh-zuhns, kon-uh-]
noun 1. awareness, realization, or knowledge; notice; perception:  
"The guests took cognizance of the snide remark."

{phonetic gem of the moment}
This man. His voice. That is all. (When is he coming to Vancouver!?!?!?!?!?)


{book of the moment}














{quote of the moment}

"Why do you stay in prison, when the door is so wide open?" ~ Jalal ad-Din Rumi


Till next time, lieflinges*!

 (*darlings, in Afrikaans)


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

[video!] What's Happening Write Now

In between constructing coffins for the most enjoyable (pretend) funeral/murder mystery I have had the pleasure of organizing and attending; and receiving mail in an actual mailbox that is not an email inbox; and having my lips formulate the shape of a bowl every time I hear Joshua Radin's "I Missed you"
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIuUDR-5H-8]; and getting abnormally excited at the fact that as of late there have been many parallels between my Urban Studies, Sociology of Racial and Ethnic Inequality and World Literature classes; and having my breath taken away as I behold the sight of fall on campus; and drawing out dramatic, induced-by-pseudo-annoyance sighs every time someone wrote a generic "happy bday :D" greeting upon my Facebook wall; and smiling copiously every time someone did not do that; and connecting with the Pakistani diaspora on campus by being an executive of a Pakistan Students' Association, and having conversations with my residents a.k.a. children in the washroom with toothpaste-foam-stuffed mouths, and by thrifting a string of lights for $1 that I have put up in my room and that are much too romantic and reaffirm my desire for a significant other but not really just joking; and being somewhat relieved my french class is much like highschool french parce-que c'est tres facile; and actually resorting to penciling in time in our schedules to have casual hang-out sessions with my BFF because our lives are just that divergent and busy now; and discovering that if I were to be an academic discipline I would most likely be sociology, seeing as I think like a sociologist a lot of the time now; and wearing glittery black slacks to an interview because metallic gold tights and tie-dyed denim will just not do; and repeating jokes far too often in the day that even I tire of my redundancy; and having conversations about political efficacy and racial segregation with 75-year-old men in groovy cafes that have gender-neutral washrooms; and being of an interest to 26-give-or-take-year-old fobby sales clerks at convenience stores who offer me free samosas whilst slippng me their number....

...a  friend and I made a video! It's a tribute to Vancouver and some of the reasons why we love this place. Originally for the creative part of an application and now for your viewing pleasure, too!
Enjoy.



p.s. outfit post soon!
p.p.s. hello new followers!
p.p.p.s. 2  milestones: am now 19. This l'il 'ol blog, UUU, is about to turn TWO YEARS OLD. Aw, my baby! <3

Sunday, April 17, 2011

My First Year of University Through My Facebook Status Updates

YUP, ladies and gentlemen, it is that time of the year again. You know the drill.
Don't know?
Don't worry.
Catch up: 
1) MY SENIOR YEAR THROUGH MY FACEBOOK STATUS UPDATES 
2) MY SUMMER OF TWO THOUSAND AND TEN THROUGH MY FACEBOOK STATUS UPDATES  

Without farther ado.
(This is tradition. I cannot break traditions--gasp! you say I should?--you know, you don't look good talking all sacrilegious).

september 2010: 
 Fri September 3, 2010, 2:16 am: My parents have made a conscious decision to not live in the Dark Ages anymore: I finally (FINALLY!) have a cellphone. COMMENT-ON-THIS-STATUS/FB-INBOX/EMAIL/TWEET/COMMENT-ON-MY-BLOG/TEXT-ME-AT-778-385-6446 if you feel I should have yo' numbah!

Sat September 4, 2010, 9:37 pm: Hello, and welcome to the premiere of Urooba Jamal's First Status Update From Her Cellular Device. Critics have responded with such bigotry as '..pointless..' and '...no need for it', but please, still, enjoy the show.

Sun September 5, 2010, 3:21 am: Hates both extremities when it comes to snot: the runny, sloppy, makes-your-eyes-water beginning stage and the crusty, rough, makes-your-nose-hurt-painfully terminating stage.

Mon September 6, 2010, 3:25 am: Is practicing my post-secondary swagger. This is a univers(ity)ally known fact.

Mon September 6, 2010, 11:25 pm: Insha'allah tomorrow is a heap of firsts in the Jamal household: Hamza Jamal's first day of "senior" year (grade 7), Hiba Jamal's first day of highschool, Rida Jamal's first day of senior year (highschool)...and MOST importantly (!!!) my first day of university! HUZZAH.

Thu September 9, 2010, 9:31 pm: The best thing about university is spontaniety: there's no such thing as a monotonous lifestyle anymore! 

Sat September 11, 2010, 10:02 pm: Getting "all dolled up" for a ladies Eid party--OH MY GOODNESS, how do girls do their hair EVERYday?!

Sun September 12, 2010, 11:48 pm: There's nothing like eating out and quelling your appetite with some garam larke--I mean, errrr, chicken tikka with some garam masala. ~;)

Tue September 14, 2010, 11:31 pm: enjoys thinking. "I think, therefore I am." (René Descartes) Also enjoys quoting dead french guys. Also enjoys applying stuff she's learnt in lectures to real-life situations (i.e. facebook status updates). Also enjoys sitting in the very front of the lecture hall, like an Eager McBeaver.

Sat September 18, 2010, 9:23 pm: Highlight of my week? Discovering that UBC's rec centre sells a t-shirt that says "Friends don't let friends go to SFU". I DIDN'T DO MY JOB PROPERLY! Ruby Gill and Naveen A. Arain are proof as to why! However, I did step into said 'enemy territory' this wednesday...

Tue September 21, 2010, 10:25 pm: "What will you do with your one wild and precious life?" -Mary Oliver

Sat September 25, 2010, 7:52 pm: :O Margaret Atwood taught freshman English at UBC in 1965! Times like this, I wish I had been born in 1947 (albeit this is the only time I have ever desired to be born during an epoch that included WW2).

Wed September 29, 2010, 12:38 am: The lovely thing about going to school with 40,000 other homo sapiens is that one experiences mildly-astonishing revelations on a near daily basis. [Exhibit A]-- exotic dude: "I've lived all over the world...I want to be a fisherman." Me: "So you're one of 'em nomads, eh? And hehehe, you're not serious, right? What're you doing in university then? hehehe." e-dude: "I want to be an educated fisherman."


october 2010: *updates will now be in chronological order...but backwards-ly. I got too lethargic.
 Sat October 30, 2010, 12:17 am: Tomo iA I get to talk about myself for 20 min. in front of 40+ people! ALL MY EGOTISTICAL DREAMS ARE COMING TRUE. :D Where at, you ask? Why, none other than at MYCanada Workshop II, of course! Come enjoy some snazzy dialogue with some snazzy people! And PSA Halwa Puri Brunch right after! DOUBLE WHAMMY.

Thu October 28, 2010, 12:38 am: Analyzing Shakespeare, yo. I'll SPEARE you the details, but will say it's got me SHAKE-ing my head.

Sun October 24, 2010, 8:54 pm: As a NEW, mature, sophisticated and labyrinthine 18-year-old I have very maturely and sophisticatedly decided I would like to have more birthdays. Why? Because studies show that the more you have, the longer you'll live. Well I'll be! [thanks for the greetings, yo! As an advocate for personalized fb birthday greetings, I can confidently say these ones are the ICING ON THE CAKE <3.]

Sat October 23, 2010, 8:02 pm: Woo! Just got back from MYCanada Vancouver 's first workshop! *You* weren't there? Dang! Talk 'bout MISSING OUT: great discussions, great speakers, great people, great food. Check, check, check, and check! *HALAL SALUTE* :D

Thu October 21, 2010, 11:03 pm: AP Calc wasn't applicable to daily life. These equations are: university life ≠ monotony! Me = :)!

Sat October 16, 2010, 7:33 pm: "You took her on a date to Denny's!?...what were you thinking!? *She can't help but admire my frugality?* Hubba hubba! Sexy Roger!" --The Gum Thief, Douglas Coupland

Thu October 14, 2010, 10:53 pm: HEY FACEBOOK FRIENDS, I'll let you make a decision for me, one that will only alter the course of my life, so it's not that big of a deal; whatevs. What do you see me in? Law, would I find it APPEALing (hehe!), or is business my forte? LAW OR BUSINESS?! TELL ME NAO. (p.s. I'll do journalism, regardless!)

Wed October 13, 2010, 10:20 pm: Slowly, but surely, I am transitioning from my urooba_flowergirl email to my urooba.j email. OH MAH GAWD, I AM A CHANGING WOMAN. I AM BECOMING A LADY, ONE FULL OF OPTIMAL LEVELS OF SOPHISTICATION.

Mon October 11, 2010, 8:38 pm: "You can't do much with a B.A." Ahhh, can't wait to challenge this notion i'A.

Thu October 7, 2010, 10:22 pm: Theasurus.com is my best friend. <3

Wed October 6, 2010, 12:08 am: It is with a great scholarly demeanor and my background credentials consisting of a Phd. doctorate (pertaining to what subject matter is not of any relevance), I conclude: PR-Oh-crap!-inators NEVER LEARN. D:

Sun October 3, 2010, 4:21 pm: I like it in the crevices of my bed, namely, the 'no man's land' of the space between the frame and mattress.

Sat October 2, 2010, 1:37 pm: My first task for The Ubyssey 's investigative journalism team? Rrite a really; really bad esay that ist'nt ritten very goodly. My approach? Get my good 'ol ENGINEERING buddy to do it--haha!


 november 2010:
 Tue November 30, 2010, 12:16 am: You know you're desi when your father questions you when you DO put on your seatbelt.

Sat November 27, 2010, 10:57 pm: I'm currently in a warm-fuzzy-blanket-fort-hot-chocolate-sipping-watching-an-intriguing-movie-that-is-actually-directly-proportional-to-the-topic-of-my-psychology-paper-so-I-don't-feel-guilty-at-the-prospect-of-being-entertained-around-finals-time-albeit-the-movie-"side-kick-ly"-stars-a-man-of-great-aesthetic-appeal-a.k.a.-Mark-Ruffalo sort of a state.

Mon November 22, 2010, 5:49 pm: WOAH. FELLOW UBC'ERS, did you know that UBC Bookstore will have 120 MORE course material rentals for January!? This means 55% in savings! Crazy!

Sat November 20, 2010, 8:12 pm: "I'm too school for cool." FINALLY. RELEVANT POP SONG LYRICS, oh yes. (Although, I can kinda relate to "Hit me baby one more time"...)

Fri November 19, 2010, 6:23 pm: Getting a seat on the 480 bus makes me feel like I've won the lottery. And the 311 bus is just straight up <3, man. Relative <3, that is. | This is an excerpt from my next book called "Woes of a Commuter Student Looking to Become an Ex One."

Thu November 18, 2010, 8:34 pm: "So, like, if a guy smokes, it cancels out all of his good qualities--rather, CANCERS out all his good qualities." --Too True Truism #9385 established by yours truly with the enlisted assistance of Kanwal Rashid ;)

Sun November 14, 2010, 6:33 pm: OH MY LANTA! I AM SO EXCITED FOR TOMORROW iA! I have a psych midterm that's worth 9% of my grade!!! :D But unfortunately, I have to go to Value Village's 50% off sale, sigh. D': | OKAY HOLD UP. Something's wrong with this status, but I cannot pinpoint WHAT exactly...

Thu November 11, 2010, 3:49 pm: Is spending the day at Starbucks. Rather, StarAWSHUCKS, gotta get 83247938374564 things done! #busyuniversitykid (WHOA. Hashtags!? On facebook!? what a twitter-y thing of me to do).

Sun November 7, 2010, 6:02 pm: :D “Since when did the passion for education become iconic of geeks/nerds? People in impoverished areas dream of having the same right to education that we enjoy so freely (and carelessly). And I honestly don't think I'd see those people dressed in thick round glasses with pants above their waist, hugging onto their textbooks.” --Arfa (via BoogieMonsterMan)

Tue November 2, 2010, 10:14 pm: Man oh man, just glimpsed at myself in the mirror, and I see that I put the STUD in STUDying. Also, the MOST in MOdeST.



december 2010: Thu December 30, 2010, 12:28 am: "Your eyelashes will write on my heart the poem that could never come from the pen of a poet." ~ Hazrat Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi a.k.a. Rumi }this sounds SO BEAUTIFUL. <3

Tue December 28, 2010, 11:13 pm: My closet is now 90% thrifted and/or vintage. Yesss! This was #13 on my Twenty Things to do Before I Turn 20 list. Next up, memorize everything Sheldon says on The Big Bang Theory and dispel these musings at random intervals during social settings to make others feel inferior.

Mon December 20, 2010, 12:32 am: Lil bro: you have an exam tomorrow?! But you haven't even studied! Me: lil googloo moogloo, I've studied periodically throughout the week. Lil bro: but it's the night before! Isn't this when you're supposed to cram it in? Sis: look at the example you've set. Ayeyey.

Sat December 18, 2010, 2:46 am: Will ruin childhood dreams here: Disney films are FULL of patriarchal notions. e.g.: "But they dote and swoon and fawn/On a lady that’s withdrawn/It’s she who holds her tongue who gets her man!" *gags* Ew, Disney.

Tue December 14, 2010, 12:20 am: So it's determined: if our careers don't go as planned, me and Naveen A. Arain are so starting a stand-up comedy duo and calling ourselves 'The Humorous Hijabis'. As such, we'll probably have modest beginnings. heh.

Sun December 12, 2010, 11:43 pm: 21st.-Century-First-World-Truism: "If a tree falls in the forest but you don't hear about it on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or MySpace, did it really happen?" lolol.

Sat December 11, 2010, 9:12 pm: My sartorial choices in the past coupla months have wrongly and unjustly strayed towards 'very normal'. *winces* A quick and exhilaration-inducing fix? Buying shiny, gold metallic DISCO PANTS! <3 Credits to Joshua Weiss for reminding me that not all mass-produced, franchised mall chainstores carry 'blegh'. :D

Thu December 9, 2010, 11:04 pm: Ouf, the powers of sarcasm! [In response to]: "A strong and bitter book-sickness floods one's soul. How ignominious to be strapped to this ponderous mass of paper, print and dead man's sentiment. Would it not be better, finer, braver to leave the rubbish where it lies and walk out into the world a free untrammelled illiterate Superman?" -Solomon Eagle

Mon December 6, 2010, 8:43 pm: Haven't *thought* as much/critically/deeply/profoundly as I have in the past 3 months. Thank you university.

Sat December 4, 2010, 11:34 pm: "I keep six honest serving men (they taught me all I knew); their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who." --Rudyard Kipling, The Elephant's Child

Fri December 3, 2010, 1:59 pm: "The first rule of fashion is that you have to look weird" --Zooey Deschanel | OH YEAH, preach it, girly-whirly!


january 2011:  Sat January 29, 2011, 12:22 am: As one 17-year-old boy from Alexandria, Egypt, wrote on his Facebook wall before the shutdown, “A government that is afraid of Facebook and Twitter should govern a city in Farmville.” >>Ding, ding, ding! (via Shazia Kamal who got it from Roqaya Ashmawey)

Sun January 23, 2011, 7:45 pm: I love both academia and macadamia [nut cookies]. One you can cook[ies], the other possesses potential to make you nuts.

Fri January 21, 2011, 1:36 am: [paraphrased] "Maybe she feels like a superhero with that scarf dangling from her neck."♥! -- Boonaa Mohammed at Islam Awareness Week 2011's arts showcase event, I-slam: Expressed. Pardon my lack of eloquence, but TONIGHT WAS SO AWESOMELY RADICAL!

Mon January 17, 2011, 11:39 pm: !الحمد لله

Sat January 8, 2011, 10:58 pm: *taps shoulder* "Hi, are you Urooba from Under Urooba's Umbrella?" THIS PHENOMENON ACTUALLY OCCURRED TODAY.

Wed January 5, 2011, 5:52 pm: Writing for/in/a part of 9 different publications/newsletters/papers/classes/teams/mediums. Clearly, I'm doing all the write stuff. #prolificpassion

Sat January 1, 2011, 12:00 am: Yeah, I just lived through my first full decade, no big deal. And a little wisdom for a new one: “A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one Year and out the other.”



 february 2011:
Sat February 19, 2011, 11:55 pm: GAHHHH. I HAVE TO WRITE TWO PAPERS BUT I CAN'T BECAUSE THERE'S A CERTAIN CUTIE PATOOTIE'S CHEEKS I JUST CANNOT STOP KISSING/BLOWING CHERRY BOMBS ON.

Mon February 14, 2011, 9:46 pm: If I was sent a <3 letter, I'd probably be scanning it for improper syntax, spelling errors and deviations from conventionally correct grammar. #vday #iamgeekhearmeroar


 Fri February 11, 2011, 2:00 pm: Uninstalling dictator: 100% complete ███████████████████████████ #Jan25 #Egypt #AW.FLIP.YES. #JummaMubarak!

Wed February 9, 2011, 9:36 pm: Writing a paper on fashion blogs. Never have I had such large, great thrills running through me whilst looking for scholarly sources. Never has my <3 sped up due to feelings of pulsing pleasure whilst trying to come up with a brilliant intro sentence. Never have I been so gratified at the prospect of having an 8-page academic paper due in less than 48 hours!

Sun February 6, 2011, 10:43 pm: Zam-zam water should be called yum-yum water. #everythingislamicisjusttastier

  
march 2011:
Wed March 30, 2011, 10:15 pm: Determined to get employed for the FIRST TIME EVER this summer. Send cool internships/job postings/initiatives my way, dear comrades. I'm so hipster and alternative by avoiding having to work in minimum wage retail/the food industry, etc. I mean, like, exploitation and under-compensation of young workers' labour is sooo 2009.

Mon March 28, 2011, 2:12 pm: MeaningfulMondayMusterings: “The act of writing is an act of optimism. You would not take the trouble to do it if you felt that it didn’t matter.” --Edward Albee

Sat March 26, 2011, 2:08 pm: Fobs on twitter. Fobs @mentioning you on twitter with 'hi's and 'ho are u???'s. Problem. Big problem. Problem will escalate if fobs on twitter will evolve to '#marraigeplease' tweets.

Wed March 23, 2011, 11:40 pm: Last year my textbooks were "Hebden Chemistry 12" and "Early Transcendentals in Calculus". This year, they're "Facebook" and "Twitter". Le sigh, being a new media student sure means sporting heavy backpacks.

Sun March 20, 2011, 5:01 pm: :) “The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) once said, ’The wise man allows himself to be dominated by a woman…'” -The Masnavi I, by Rumi

Fri March 11, 2011, 12:10 am: Akgjkfgjkfhhh! I HATE.HATE.HATE. my 'B+-on-papers' curse! This is why I adore standardized testing.} Standardized tests: helping people like me get A's (when papers don't allow one to do so) since 1997.

Tue March 8, 2011, 12:57 am: Who is familiar with even a bit of Freud's psychoanalytic theory and the characters of Harry Potter? HOLD UP; I WILL PROCEED TO BLOW YOUR MIND: Hermione = superego. Ron = id. Harry = ego. YUP.

Sun March 6, 2011, 4:28 pm: IS GOING TO TIME TRAVEL, BACK INTO THE PAST. #flyingbacktoVan #timezones

Sat March 5, 2011, 12:21 am: Just a hypothetical ;) introspection: hailing a ride in downtown Toronto at midnight made me feel like I'm in a Leona Lewis music video.

Fri March 4, 2011, 12:02 am: It's great to have a place TO-RUN-TO. That's why I'll be heading to Toronto (TO-RON-TO) tomorrow iA. Central Canada, woo this West-Coast-er!

Tue March 1, 2011, 9:38 pm: Facebook friends! Planning my life or whatever and I hand the responsibility over to YOU; help me choose 2 out of 5 of these potential majors: sociology, political science, anthropology, international relations and psychology. Comments/suggestions/opinions/insults greatly welcomed!




april 2011: Sun April 17, 2011, 12:11 am: WHY DO MY BABY BROTHER'S FARTS SMELL CUTE AND NOT FOUL?

Wed April 13, 2011, 12:28 am: Finally! Old white men are being represented at the federal level! #cdnpoli #elxn2011 #smh

Tue April 12, 2011, 4:40 pm: Ahhhh, so much to study but I can't--too much going on in the world! #niqabban #libya #japan #elxn2011 #cdnpoli #cutebabybrobeingcute

Sat April 9, 2011, 11:40 pm: Confessions of a Girl Who Hath Vehemently Addressed Her Dislike for Science: I <3 the social sciences. {currently patenting said phrase to be emblazoned on t-shirts and sold worldwide}

Thu April 7, 2011, 11:26 pm: Whenever I see a sign that says 'Transit Rules', I think to myself, 'No, it does not.'

Wed April 6, 2011, 7:00 pm: HOLD UP YALL-I'mma get RADICAL:I will miss my My 1st Year of University classes. No mo' psych w/ Dr.Rawn a.k.a. BestProfEver! No mo learning bout the theoretical underpinnings of journalism till/if I go to j-school+no mo connecting w/ my TA over Twitter! No mo of Billy's jovial Irish accent in socio! No mo verbal diarrhea+subtly sexual jokes from my Creative Writing prof! No mo access to the V.I.P. Gateway room. Omg.

Sat April 2, 2011, 11:22 pm: "50% of the Muslim world-that's over 600 million people-has lived under the democratically elected rule of a Muslim woman." --Shahed Amanullah

Fri April 1, 2011, 1:54 pm: After careful deliberation and meticulously assessing various pros and cons, I've decided to make the switch to the...Sciences! I'M REVERTING.




Yeah, facebook has a record of all the climaxes in my life. Does this bother you? 
xoxo, Urooba

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

UBC'ing. You-be-seeing: An Unusually Long Photo Diary

HOLY MOLY RAVIOLI.
I feel like a university student.
But you are a university student.

Shut up, interior monologue.
So it has happened. I have matured. (Please do not extricate evidence that otherwise seems to contradict this statement. Read: holy moli ravioli).

1. I am slowly transitioning from my urooba_flowergirl@hotmail.com email to my urooba.j@gmail.com email (which by the way, is where you should email me now!) LIKE, GMAIL!? How adult is that? As said by a peer of mine, I am "deflowered". Geddit? Haha, chuckle, chuckle, snort, snort!
It's like my childish instincts are being siphoned out of me at a rate of 248558 girly-bits/min. and the accumulation of sophistication is occurring at a rate of 248558 soph-bits/min. (Oh, see how I still remember calculus? This calls for a function, as in, a function celebrating my intelligence. Heh.)

2. I write papers, not essays y'all. *shoulder brush*

4. I have profs, not teachers y'all. *shoulder brush--but to no avail--that rascal piece of lint still won't brush off!*

Anyways, what will start now is a photo diary depicting My First Term of University.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words....but they were probably not referring to cellphone camera pictures, eh? It's true. Cellphone camera pictures indeed. However, fear not, as I will compensate by pairing 'em up with commentary by yours truly.

The September sun was certainly a sight to marvel at. Blue skies, fresh green vegetation on campus; school started off with oh-so aesthetic-appealing sights.

 Shrooms! And this is only debut number one of my gold metallic sneakers. Sadly, as routines go, I am stuck in a rut--they have become my everyday sneaks. *winces* Thank goodness they're pretty, though. And vintage, of course.  

 Like I've mentioned in an earlier post (what. *you* all don't creep me? Ridics, I say). Falling in love with fall was so easy. Truly. I've never been much of an autumn person. I used to be completely biased and only fixated my admiration and longing for one season only: summer. But if beautiful yellow, red, and orange leaves are slowly falling from treetops and are thrusting their beauty in your face, how can you not be touched and want au-tumn au-ll the time?
 
 Highlighter and highlighter yellow shoes? Win. Working outside in September and October was a luxury, though, seeing as November brought rain and December brought cold. Will cherish this fact next year, definitely. 

Pretty, right? And a couple of months later... 
...and a couple of months later, this is what it looked like. Not that different, right? Only difference is that the flag is turned the other way.

We constantly were chilling-like-villains. P.S. yes, that is my backpack. My very functional backpack. I no longer carry purses. I know! It's silly! Like, function over fashion....who does that!?

Another sunny September day--love that skirt, love those rings. Sadly, there is no documentation of the outfit.

Hellcats! Heard of it? I hadn't---till they started filming at our school. It stars Ashley Tisdale and that other blonde one. I admit, I got a bit fan-girl-ish. Not that I'm a fan. I'm simply a consumer of media. I don't know which is worse. Also, apparently UBC is a hot spot for Hollywood. (Now does that mean *insert hot celebrity* has the possibility of being within 50 meters from me? Hot dang! I chose the right school).

 
This is The Bus Loop. Also known as my own personal hell. Commuting 4 hours per day is bound to have an effect on me, so hush now. [But there is an 85% chance that me and a few friends will be getting an apartment next year near campus, so fingers crossed! iA]

And these are the effects of commuting: collapsing in buses. Lawls, don't worry, we don't always sit on public transportation like this.

Favourite building on campus!


More snow. And my favourite building on campus, still.

The beach! Right on the outskirts of campus. Never mind it's a nude one and one has got to take 1924584578676 steps to get down--it is so pretty. Miles and miles of the Pacific Ocean right there.

 

 

Pigs! Yes we are! Incoming college kids: Freshman 15 is no lie--you will gain 15 pounds and your average will drop 15% (or more-ha!ha!) from your high school average.

For some reason that is unbeknown to me, I sat in on a friend's Chemistry lecture. Don't worry, even I don't know what I was thinking. Chemistry will always = chemisery to me.

Also sat in on another's friend Econ lecture. Yup, that's one subject I'm glad I'm not taking--talk about snore!

Here is a photo somewhat not depicting my first politically-inflamed event ever! It was so exciting and exhilarating! The tension, you could've cut with a knife! Here's a brief synopsis of what went down: so a social justice club at school was allocating $700 to another club, called Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights, to give to The Canadian Boat to Gaza. Opposition and unjust claims followed suit, especially by one group in particular, The Israel Awareness Club. They spewed postcards all over campus proclaiming that the money was going to a terrorist organization. The above photo was taken at a meeting of the Alma Mater Society, which handles all undergraduate affairs at UBC. After 3 hours of debate, it was decided that the money was to be sent, indeed! Ah! Felt great standing up for what was right. However, the president of AMS, was still opposed to this decision...

Snow day at UBC! Snow [n]ice, right? ;)


Sometimes, when I am compelled to take the sky train, I pretend it is a roller coaster. Increases the quality of my life by a thousand-fold, at that moment.

 Cam-whoring in libraries--my specialty.

One of the 2 main libraries. The aerial view resembles a book, with the spine and pages and everything. F'reals, yo. I'm sorry I couldn't get an aerial view, heh.

My first university reading ever. Only 2 pages. I was satisfied and decided, "Man, college is so easy!" Still is, but I found myself reading hundreds and hundreds of pages of readings the day before tests....Um.

A few blurry outfits....



Step out of psychology class and into this. ^

7 AM fog.

 And this is on the roof of our "rival school". We were on "enemy territory". lol! Nothing of that sort! We went to visit a few friends at another university nearby, Simon Fraser. This is one of their 3 campuses. It's on a mountain, hence the pretty view.


Luckily, today's trending twitter topic (OMG, MY BRAIN IS APPRECIATING ALL THIS ALLITERATION) was #collegetaughtme. The following were my additions; all true.

that my sister will call me a college dropout during any long break I have. i.e. this one month break between semesters.
that my T.A.'s will most likely always be young men in their 20's. My peers have taught me to take advantage of this.
that my English Prof probably lives alone in a house full of cats.
that there is an unspoken rivalry between faculties, that BECOMES SPOKEN. Dundundun.
that paying $500 for a visual arts course is like paying $500 for FREE time. oooo, IRONY.
to think profoundly/deeply/critically. :)
that the average 18 year old undergrad knows NOTHING and/or very little and/or is misguided about .
that it is possible to be a 7th-year undergraduate student D:
to bond with new acquaintances by drawing our professor during lectures.
that doing 2 papers in one night is equivalent to the pain brought on upon by labour and having your toenails ripped off.
that grad school is a necessity. lolol.
that first year Science students are seldom comforted by their first year Arts counterparts. lol, sorry.
that aesthetically-appealing environments to study in are compulsory. Thank god I go to @. :)
that if I need a badly-written essay for investigative purposes, I should ask my good 'ol engineering buddies.

Ahhhhhhh. Omg. You read all that? pat yourself on the back.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Like a ninja. Or a boss. Or a binja.

As I type up this blog post, I fight off (like a ninja!) guilt-ridden speculations that involve finishing two papers due on Thursday.
However, just like my papers, this blog post will remain

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