Blogger's Block

I've had a great deal of writer's block and couldn't really decide what I'm gonna make this post about. So, I've decided that I'm just gonna type whatever pops into that little sphere between my ears.

A few days back, we had International Day at school. Different countries in different tents all showcasing their food, music, clothes....etc. There were ten participating countries (Sad, thinking that there are over forty nationalities at school, but pretty good for a first time event at our school). Nonethless, what I found strange is as follows. I was part of the India - Pakistan stall (Yes, we mixed the two countries) and was put to work with the 20 or so other desis (term used to identify South Asians without specifiying nationality), who don't know me or each other that well. However, for some strange reason, there was no awkwardness or no need to "break the ice." We managed to put it all together like we had known each other for ages. It's even stranger when you consider that we don't share a common religion - there were Christians, Muslims and Hindus in group, a common language - people spoke, Hindu, Urdu, Malayalam, Telegu, nor a common passport. I guess its just that secular spirit that comes with being desi.

Anyhow, today's the last day of lent :)! I can have all the meat in the world tommorow. For, those of you who aren't too sure of what I'm talkin about, lent is a 40 (50 for some) day period before Easter were you don't eat meat (other methods are also practiced, but thats how I do it). Through out this period, alotta people have asked why I actually do it because I'm really not forced to do it. Well, apart from the obvious religious reasons, I think its good to be able to be in control of you want and build some willpower.

Today's April 15th. Graduation is May 31st. That seems so close now. But, I really cant wait any longer. By the way, your's truly is the class's valedictorian; I really dunno what I'm gonna say though.

I think thats about all I want to blog about for today. And I doubt I'm gonna do that "type-what-you-think" technique again. I think way faster than I type. That causes some kinda mental traffic.

PS: I think you all have to seriously check out Noor's Green Print. I can't get over how amazing she writes - and she writes about things that matter, especially if you live in the Arab World.

Tagged and Tagging

Chain mails, chain smses and now a chain blog. My fellow blogger, Anish, has passed the baton to me and I've been obliged to answer the following questions:

Four jobs that I’ve had:

• Student
• Volunteer Aid at the Dubai Center for Special Needs
• Student
• Student

Four movies that I could watch over and over:-

• Crash (also see previous post)
• Black
• Armageddon
• I Am Sam

Four places I’ve lived in:-

• Riggae, Kuwait
• Chennai, India
• Dubai, UAE
• and either Montreal, Canada or Ithaca, New York next year

Four TV shows that I like:-

• Prison Break
• Lost
• Scrubs
• Married to the Kellys

Four places where I’ve vacationed:-

• Sentosa, Singapore
• Sun City, South Africa
• Jerusalem and Bethlehem
• Thekkady, India

Four of my favorite dishes:-

• Pasta Pasta Pasta with a lot of parmesan.
• Rib Eye Steak. Done well.
• The Molten Chocolate Cake at Chilis
• Seekh Kebab

Four sites that I visit daily:-

• eBaum's World
• Yahoo! Mail
• New York Hack - Blog
• Yahoo! Music's LAUNCHcast

Four Books that I’ve read lately:-

• Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts
• A Million Little Pieces - James Frey
• Hour Game - David Baldacci
• Angels and Demons - Dan Brown

Four Bloggers that I’m going to tag with this:

• Noor's Green Print
• Kim's Korean Crib

Sorry, but that's the only other bloggers I personally know!

Till next time then.

Crash

Every once in a while, you watch this movie that really gets to you. A movie that isn't just "Really Good" but instead "One of the best you've seen" I just watched the movie Crash and, oh my God, it was so damn good.

I absolutely loved it, but at the same time hated the fact that there is so much truth in it. No matter what setting you're in or where you're from or what color your skin is, people around you are judging you and expect you to behave in a certain manner due to stereotypes that society and the media have ingrained into our minds. We all do it. And, rarely do we acknowledge the fact that stereotypes can be overly exaggerated. Perhaps, it's because we, as humans, need some set formula or "expected result" to rely on. Anyhow, the movie has brilliantly shown how volatile a multicultural society can be and how complex human nature is.

Also, I feel Thandie Newton and Don Cheadle deserve a special mention for their wonderful performance in this movie. They were just purely brilliant.

Let's hope many more movies as profound and breathtaking as Crash are made. Every single scene in the movie deserved that Oscar Award! Make sure you don't miss out on this one.

Apologies, a Taxi and More.

Wow! It's been ages since I've written something here! Well, I guarantee you I've got good reasons. I've been swamped with work lately. Piles and piles of work, projects and tests...one after the other. And that's why I swore to myself that I'd post something here before the weekend ends.

Anyways, I got into a taxi down in Sharjah on Wednesday to get back home and in the 45 min that followed, I had a very interesting conversation with the driver. I asked him how old he was and he answers saying he isn't sure but its somewhere between 21 and 28!! Turns out some document of his says 21, while the other says 28. C'mon!!, he didn't know how old he is! That little piece of information we take for granted wasn't known to someone. Crazy eh? It doesn't stop there.

Apparently, he got married when he was in Grade 8. Fortunately (and shockingly), he finished Grade 8 only 6 years ago...so when he was somewhere inbetween 15-22 (depending on what his age is now). Also, he didn't see his wife before or during the marriage! I dunno how that's possible. Perhaps, where he comes from, the groom and the bride are in two different rooms during the wedding ? Unfortunately, we were at my gate before I could find out.

On a lighter note, what's with the sudden rain in Dubai? I haven't seen the place so wet in the six years that I've lived here. I'm not complaining though. We spend so much time bickering over how hot and dry it is here that it would seem almost hypocritical to complain about this too. The change is welcome.

Anyways, people please comment on what I write. Like I said earlier, I'd like to hear what you've got to say.

The Beginning of the End

Ahhh!! Mid-Year Break is almost over! Soon, its back to the same ol' routine - getting up early for the bus, 7 hours of classes, and piles of homework! However, it's also back to seeing everyone again, laughing endlessly on the bus, and....sorry that's all the good I can come up with. But, this year it's also gonna be for the last time. This is gonna be the last Term 2, the last Term 3. Infact, as graduation nears and Grade 12 comes to a close, I feel right about now is the beginning of the end.

Come to think of it, everything is gonna be so different next year. We spend 7 hours of 5 days of our weeks at school. Next year, we're not going to be there! Wow, that sounds good actually, but awkward too. Awkward because I got no clue of what to expect next year. I'm looking forward to university but, its a whole new world really. New people, new surroundings and a whole new 7 hours of 5 days of our weeks (luckily, I doubt in university I'd have that many classes!)

But I guess, I've got a while before I need to think about that. Till then, I think I'm gonna enjoy this beginning of the end.

PS: People, don't just read! Please comment!... I wanna know what you think!!

Paraskevidekatriaphobia

Did any notice what my last post was dated? It was Friday the 13th! What a perfect day to start a blog eh? Anyhow, I'm not the superstitious type and don't believe in such stuff. But, it did make me look into the whole hullabaloo behind Friday the 13th.

It turns out that paraskevidekatriaphobia is the official term for the fear of Friday the 13th. It also turned out to be the longest word I know. There's no scientific backing to the supposed bad luck on the day. However, the omen exists because people fear the day because, simply, they are aware of the bad luck attached to it.

Apparently, the fear originates from two seperate fears., both with biblical roots. One, the fear of Friday and the other the fear of 13. Friday was considered unlucky because apparently Adam and Eve ate the evil apple on a Friday, the Great Flood (Noah's) began on Friday and most importantly, Jesus was crucified on a Friday. 13 is unlucky, because at the Last Supper, Judas (the fellow who betrayed Jesus) was the 13th member to arrive.

A rather scary example of bad luck on the day is that of HMS Friday (a British naval ship). The navy selected the crew on a Friday, launched the ship on a Friday and even selected a man named James Friday as the ship's captain. Then, one Friday morning, the ship set off on its maiden voyage... and disappeared forever. A similar example is the completely true story of the Apollo 13 flight.

Please note that other origins exist, but I'm just lazy to type that all out (Hmm, so nice to have a blog of my own).

Click here for more info from Howstuffworks.com

The Very First Rambling!

The blogging bug has bitten me! I'll be honest, I'm absolutely new to this and haven't really got a clue about the finer details of the blogsphere. However, from what I've seen, the concept of blogging does seem to have some sort of addictive charm. Hence, I've decided to start my very own blog - the world's window to my take on whatever captures my interest.

Hmm, so who am I? I'm Mathew Cherian, 17, and living in Dubai - United Arab Emirates. I've lived in this country for more than 5 years now. Prior to this, I lived in Kuwait, where I was born. Although, I've lived all my life in the Arab World, I am from India.

I don't think I can list all my interests here, however you'll probably figure them out while reading this blog. Nonetheless, there are 2 things you need to know about me. Firstly, I've got what my father calls "photographic memory" - I'm very good at remembering what I see. Secondly, you can't imagine how much I love to laugh!

That's about it for my first post. Hopefully there will be many more to come. Till next time then!