anti Xam

So this past couple of days have been really interesting. Its incredible how people tend to surprise you sometimes. It hurts the most when a friend backstabs you but worst of all lies to you. It just seems after they turn it all around, it you who has the problem. But lest did we know that we all have been hurt very much the same way by this 'someone. hence we amalgamate to form this club...the xam. It not only for those who have been hurt by this 'someone' but all for all those who have had friends, or so called friends who have betrayed your trust and your understanding. Love is a word when its used correctly, it can solve a lot of problems in this world...be true to your friends and to your self. And remeber that there is actually something called karma. Cheers!

Elections

Elections were yesterday here, and the conservatives won!! those have interesting results to come in the future!

T spot and Ottawa

So over the past week i took a bit of a break from my studies, as i was attending a conference for the organizations im involved with called Engineers without Borders, on international development. The conference was called Looking Back, Moving forward. I was looking at flights and realized i could go to Toronto as well for a little more, so i thought i should go.

I got a chance in Toronto to feel the baffle of a big city, it was fun, but it made me appreciate how much i love the chilled pace of Vancouver, and how accustomed to it I have become.. Well Toronto what can i say, there is soo much life and character, downtown was really fun!! I got to see my second stand up comedy show ever in Yuk Yuks which is an international stand up comedy bar. it was great! I laughed so much!

It was also really nice seeing my moms old friend Aunti Rakshi who i havent seen since Jeddah which is about ten or eleven years ago. It was great, a little weird but i loved it. An interesting i have to mention, is experiencing my first -20degrees experience, it was soo cold! i cant even begin to explain! i could feel my toes, fingers and face even though i had all the clothes for it! it was interesting, and it was funny laughing over the fact that i used to think -2 or 3 would kill me.

From Toronto i also got to go visit the Niagra Falls which were gorgeous it was amazing!! I loved it!! It was funny, and for those who want to go to Niagra, you can take the Niagra Casino bus, which cost 20 dollars return and the amazing part, you make a membership card, and you can go again and again and it only cost 7 dollars.

Niagra Falls was fun, cause there were soo much touristy things to do, the tourist part had tons to see as well as a huge Hersey Store.. with chocolate on the building! it was great!

Also got to see some friends which i havent seen since high school like Saman, what a shame my camera doesnt work and she didnt have hers, as well as Assem and Mesh Mesh...

From there, i ventured out to Ottawa! Ottawa for those who dont know if the capital of Canada, it also is where the Parliament building is, which is absolutely beautiful. The most amazing part, was the architecture, i really enjoyed it. I loved spending time with Sarah! and i love the fact she introduced me to beaver tales, which is the east coast donunt dough and chocolate.

The conference was interesting, t was very though provoking, not sure i agreed with alot of it. But it was interesting never-the less.

School starts!!

School starts!! its been exciting!! im taking two courses in another campus in this place called surrey!! find it interesting that campus is in a MALL!! can you believe that!!

I like this song, thought i would share the lyrics! Its a song by James Blunt "Cry"

I have seen peace. I have seen pain,
Resting on the shoulders of your name.
Do you see the truth through all their lies?
Do you see the world through troubled eyes?
And if you want to talk about it anymore,
Lie here on the floor and cry on my shoulder,
I'm a friend.

I have seen birth. I have seen death.
Lived to see a lover's final breath.
Do you see my guilt? Should I feel fright?
Is the fire of hesitation burning bright?
And if you want to talk about it once again,
On you I depend. I'll cry on your shoulder.
You're a friend.

You and I have been through many things.
I'll hold on to your heart.
I wouldn't cry for anything,
But don't go tearing your life apart.

I have seen fear. I have seen faith.
Seen the look of anger on your face.
And if you want to talk about what will be,
Come and sit with me, and cry on my shoulder,
I'm a friend.
And if you want to talk about it anymore,
Lie here on the floor and cry on my shoulder,
I'm a friend.

New Year

Well what can i say! its already 2006!! i remember when it just was turning 2000, i remember i was supposed to go a house part with Nadine and Deebo, cause my parenst were scared of the fuss of going to see the party at the pyramids. In the end my father called me to come home, and sent my mom to pick me up at 11:30 so we could celebrate new years as a family, oh it seemed like the end of the world then... how much things have changed..

Well like every new year, time for resolutions, time for new things, new improvements... and i would say the usual lose weight, take care of myself, etc, but this year i wont bother, cause its not that important and im going to save my breath... Instead this year I am thinking of my future and my career, and where i want to go, i have never thought of the future like that, but seeing alot of friends graduate, makes me realize that we have all grown up. Last week i went to see Peter Pan the play, and how it reminded me of my childhood, and how i believed i would always be a child, and be the child that never grew up. My mother always called me foolish, but i just believed she didnt understand. How funny it is to realize that i didnt understand.

Its incredible how much my whole life has changed after high school graduation, and how much it will change after university. I feel like I am up to any challenge life can give me. I guess I have been fortunate to have been a go getter all these years, and taken what life has given me.

To the world as vain as this sounds, take chances, that makes my life just a little bit more interesting, and I guess it might to yours as well!!

Cheers to the world, to a wonderful 2006, may all your dreams and wishes come true :)

Seasons changing!

It's incredible watching the seasons changing, i came to Vancouver when it was summer,then i watched Fall come, with its rains, and the colors of the leaves changing to shades i cant even begin to explain!! then now winter, with the white snow around! Nature is an incredible thing!! i cant even begin to tell you!!

well where do i start!!! life has been absolute choas with exams, back home, exams are a stressful week, but here, they are more spread out, and hence you get stressed out much longer... but thank god thats over.. The stress was accumulated by planning my road trip, which i didnt end up going on! my crazy Turkish friend Betul and decided not to go two hours before we left, which was incredible cause we would have had group conflicts!

Instead we went with Kaz[another nutter from England] and Elisa, to what Canada has best to offer, the rockies! They were the most breathtaking thing to see! Unfortunately i have no pictures to post of this incredible place.. Still in the process of getting pictures.. We visited this town called Banff which is two hours from Calgary and a 15 hour bus ride with the Greyhound.. as crazy as it sounds,.. the drive to it is amazing!! We passed the Coonies which are one of the three main mountains[Whistler, and Rockies being the rest]..

So what does Banff have to offer, it has tons of skiing and snowboarding for the lover in the winter.. Since i am not that being on that.. i wanted to discover the place, so the first day we went on this easy hike to the hodoos which was about a half hour walk from the hostel we were at Alphine center..http://www.banffalpinecentre.ca/ it was incredible view...

The thing we arrived in Banff at night, so we really couldnt see anything, the next morning when i got out and walked around i was fascinated by the mountains.. what can i say, i am sucker for glories of nature... After the hike we headed down to the Gondala.. its 22 dollars for the ticket, but it was seriously worth it!! When you get there, you walk up the mountan to a viewing point where it is 360 degree of mountains!! it was breathtaking! i wish i knew how to say, or how to explain how i felt.. so peaceful.. it sorts of make me question why people are eager to leave this peaceful, almost spiritual place to the noisy world.;. I always thought i was a city girl but since Kenya, Switzerland and Canada, I am now realizing i love both...

After the Gondala, we went to some hot springs, which was a pool heated from natural water that was 40 degrees.. it was incredible, imagine swimming outside in an open air pool in the middle of the cold.. crazy... but amazing!! that night we tried to celebrate for Betul's birthday, but we discovered Banff nightlife isnt what we expected! We had fun though at the hostel where it was Karoke night!

Next day we got up and went to Johnston Canyon! we took the discover Banff tour which were amazing, got to use ice kleats and i got a hiking stick, which really makes hiking soo easy, if anyone was wondering what i want for my birthday!! that would be a wicked gift!! hehe... Well learnt tons of new stuff like the ice freezes from top to down cause the limestone has water, and at night the water comes out and in winter its soo cold it freeze, i felt like i was in some ice princess movie!! i again feel in love.. going on a hike surrounded by snow is something else!! This day was also christmas eve, so everything sort of closed early! and it was a bit choatic!! we wanted to rent a car to lake louis but all the stores were closed... After the Canyon we got off at the fairmount hotel, which is really an amazing hotel, from the hodoos we can see the hotel, so it was soo cool that we could look back and see the different direction of where we were the morning before.. The hotel is very impersonal though, too many guests, unlike smaller hotels, ur just like everyone else...

so we hoped on the ski lifts that are in the area.. and then hitched hike to the Chateau, also belonging to the Fairmount family.. this wasnt half as impressive as the Banff one.. but it was made right in front of lake louis, which unlike pictures i had seen from summer, of blue waters, i saw white snow everywhere, the night before it snowed 30 cm, so we decided to go on our morning hike, hehe... my new favorite pastime to see the view, this was incredible, cause a couple of times i feel off the path and the snow reached my tighs.. we then went ice skating on lake louis and saw the ice castle, which was soo cool!

well what else did we do, i think that was about it.. it was a really educational trip i even bought a book about western canada's wildlife.. Bears are not a funny animal, quite dangerous!!

well thats it from the rockies, more stories to come of other things that i have been doing!