Happy as a Pig in Sh__, I Mean Excrement

A friend shared the article below on Facebook and I decided to create a related post.

Six Things Really Happy People Do

1. They clearly define happiness.

 What's my definition of happiness? It's the spontaneous overflow of rainbows, unicorns, and fluffy puppies. In other words, happiness is doing what you love, surrounded by the people you love and who love you. Short, sweet, and to the point. The fun part though is that this can be different for everyone.

2. They find pleasure in the little things.

 I'm all about the little things. No, really. I have a thing for things in small packages. Like those mini soda bottles and little kids' clothes (I have two younger siblings). They're so dang adorable!

How precious are these?!

But I also close my eyes on the Metro North train platform and enjoy the sun warming my face. I take immense pleasure in eating Gummi Lifesaver Collisions off my fingers. A spoonful of Haagen Dazs Mango ice cream is equivalent to a week in heaven. A rainy day + my bed + a good book = Priceless. 

P.S. Cats 2 and 3 are in the danger zone. Between girl and books.

3. They believe in their own self-worth.

It took a while for me to get to where I am. When I think about how I was in 8th grade, I can't help but cringe. I didn't have low self-esteem per say, but I definitely didn't have confidence in my abilities or believe that I had anything to offer to the world. I was this rectangle box shaped girl, no where near 5 feet, while all of the other girls seemed to be exploding in all directions (both horizontally and vertically). I seemed to be stunted. Being so small, I had a timid personality and being a bookworm didn't help. I avoided confrontation like the plague, going along with whatever my friends wanted even if I was uncomfortable or didn't like it. I wouldn't argue or speak up for myself even if I'd been slighted. 

But I started high school and decided to change. I became a little more assertive, found an amazing group of friends that I fit in perfectly with. The key is that I didn't change who I was; I was still small, fairly timid with others who were not my friends, and avoided confrontation, but I simply kept my head down until I found like-minded people. Then we spent the next three years just being weird together.

College came around and lord have mercy, the universe wasn't quite ready for my transformation. I'm not even sure what happened, but I went from the timid, polite girl I was during my freshman year of college to the brash, absolutely crazy, girl who could care less what others thought that I am now. I used to be so shy, but now I barely feel any flutters in my stomach when I need to talk to strangers. I've become so confident in what I can do that it's bordering on conceit and my weaknesses don't bother me in the slightest. I simply work harder to improve them. Sure there are things that bother one. But one day at a time is all I can do. In short, I realized something that I wish I could go back and tell my 13-year-old self: You're flipping awesome, Fatuma, and you and those who matter will realize and look at you in awe. Just be patient. It'll take a few years (seven to be exact), but you will get there my dear and hardly ever look back.

4. They take continuous action for self-improvement.

 I'll let a buzzfeed article answer this one for me: 25 Signs You're Addicted to Books, particularly #10.

10. Anytime you undertake any idea or project, the first step is to read a lot of books about it.

Source: teacoffeebooks.tumblr.com

You assume that a book can teach you anything.

5. They graciously impact others.

I really like helping people. It's the reason I went into Education. I want to play a role in giving young people the tools they need to succeed. But even in everyday life, my biggest impact I hope is to make people feel good. I love making people smile and laugh. I'm not particularly funny, but I am extremely silly and I'm not afraid to act ridiculous in the name of making someone laugh. I like to tease and poke others until they pop a smile. I take it as my duty to ensure that everyone around me is in Optimal Cheer Mode, like this little guy below. 

6. They live in a constant state of gratitude.

Arg, this one. Okay, so if I didn't have at least one flaw, I'd be intolerably perfect, no? So, #6 is my Achilles heel. I can sometimes be a little (just a teeny weeny bit) ungracious. In other words, I can sometimes be a little whiny brat and Facebook gets the brunt of my complaints. I'll try to work on it, scout's honor! 

 So, what about you guys? Are you happy?

[MOVIE] The Great Gatsby

I finally got around to watching The Great Gatsby in theater today. I've been looking forward to this movie for months. I first read the book last summer and I absolutely loved it. When I heard there would be a movie rendition in the Summer, I was giddy with excitement.

At the same time, I was a little reserved. Movies tend to ruin the book and I hate when a book I really love is mutilated by a director. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of the novel. At first, I was "meh" about the modern touches. As I continued to watch, they grew on me and I found that those more modern touches were actually exquisitely done. The problem was that I went into theatre #5 with the expectation for the movie to closest follow the novel. I expected a completed realistic period piece.

Okay, can we talk about DiCaprio? Why is that man so gorgeous? Those eyes! Anyway, he played an amazing Gatsby. The entire cast was nicely chosen and fit their roles. Oh, and the cinematography! It was absolutely gorgeous. I loved the costumes and Gatsby house etc etc. Additionally, the soundtrack was really fun and extremely nice touch.

The Great Gatsby was definitely worth paying $14. The only thing left to do now is though my own 1920esque party that even Gatsby would be proud of. I want to dress up!

Oh Baby, You're Pushing My Musical Buttons: Review of New Albums by HIM, Imagine Dragons, Demi Lovato, and Pink

Today, I randomly downloaded the Rdio app. My mom was trying to kill me via endless chores. I finally got fed up and was like "Okay, mommy. Tell me what you want done, but understand that once I am finished with everything I will go to my room and I don't want ANYONE, especially you, to disturb me." So as I cleaned the raw chicken (ewww), emptied the fridge of leftovers, washed dishes, and cooked dinner, I listened to various entire albums.

I began with HIM's Tears on Tape. While some people may find it difficult to choose ONE favorite band/artist, I don't have that problem. HIM has been my all-time favorite band since I first discovered them with "Wings of a Butterfly" back in high school. I mean I have EVERY SINGLE SONG & ALBUM THAT THEY HAVE EVER PRODUCED! When I heard that they had a new album scheduled for release on April 30th, 2013, I was giddy. However, with blasted finals and graduation preparation, I actually forgot! I feel so ashamed. So, I listened to it today. At first, I wasn't quite sure how I feel about it.

I like it. Maybe. It's like when your significant other gets a new haircut. You don't love them any less, but it takes some getting used to because it feels like they're not quite themselves. That's how I felt while listening to Tears on Tape, if that makes sense. Also, these new songs have a more mellower tone. Like if your tattooed boyfriend suddenly became an accountant! Okay, so I'm exaggerating just a bit, but Tears on Tape didn't have the darker tone and sharper bite as previous albums. However, after a few listens on repeat, the album is definitely growing on me. I particularly like "Tears on Tape," "Into the Night," and "Hearts at War," but I like the album as a whole. My only other concern was the fact that 4 of the 13 songs were super short, but I liked them anyway. In short, good job HIM and I continue to love your work as I have for the past 6-7 years.

Next, I listened to Imagine Dragons' Night Visions. My friend and fellow Writing Consultant from the South side of Chicago (this is really how I introduce her to others) kept going on and on about the inherent awesomeness of Imagine Dragons, but I didn't really pay her much mind. Today, as I was emptying the fridge, I decided to give it a try. Oh man, baby, did Night Visions push ALL of my musical buttons. It's so rare to find an album where I REALLY like EVERY song! It's happened with a few other artists: HIM, Skillet, Linkin Park, The Used to name a few.

It's hard to describe what I enjoyed so much about this album, but I'll try. Each song had a unique, but odd balance of playful, upbeat and mellow, ballad. See, I told you it's weird. Each song was touching with meaningful lyrics while at the same time head-bob worthy. I especially liked the following songs: "Hear Me," "Every Night," "Bleeding Out," and "Tiptoe." I loved Imagine Dragons' Night Vision and will be playing it on repeat for the next week or so.

After Imagine Dragons was Demi Lovato. I thought why not. I first heard Demi on Disney like everyone else and had immediately thought she was too good for those other wannabe Disney stars. When she left Disney not long after, I was like ah-ha, but I didn't really follow her work. However, I heard "Heart Attack" on Pandora and loved it. When I noticed that "Heart Attack" was on her newest album, Demi, I decided to give the whole album a try. I liked it! Demi is so bad ass. And once again I thought, "No wonder she left Disney. She's too good for 'em!"

After Demi was lovable Pink, with her album "The Truth About Love." We all know Pink has some controversial views about love, but you know what? She is a wise, wise woman with pink hair and we should listen to her! I loved the album and I love Pink. The end.

What new albums have you discovered recently? Any recs for me? Leave em in the comments below!

Musically Yours,
Fatuma

Globe Theatre Performance of Hamlet

I'm an English major, so loving Shakespeare is kind of a given!

Hamlet, in particular is one of my favorite plays by the Bard. I read it in its entirety for the first time last semester when I took a Shakespeare course. One thing that my Prof. constantly said as we read the plays was that we should always keep in mind that Shakespeare's plays were written to be performed, not read. 

And so, I continued living my life with those words in the back of my mind. I secretly hoped for a chance to see a performance, perhaps even at the actual Globe Theatre in London, but I didn't actively go looking for one.

You know that dude or dudette who said, "good things don't come to those who wait"? Well, he or she was WRONG! Big time!

The Globe theatre came to me! Literally! Some of the actors from the Globe are currently on tour and NYC is one of their stops. They are performing at Pace University's Schimmel Theatre from October 2nd to October 7th. The performance is open to the public. Click here for tickets and/or additional information.

The fact that the Globe was coming to my school is like eating an amazing cheesecake. However, the fact that from September 28 to September 30th, there was a FREE outdoor performance on the Pleasantville campus (which I call home) was a dang strawberry (my absolute favorite flavor) cheesecake! I was on cloud nine, I was so happy...by the end anyway.

At first, I had believed that there was only one performance on Friday, the day on which I student teach. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I seriously contemplated ditching my precious 8th graders to attend the performance, but alas I didn't.

On Saturday afternoon, I saw a facebook post (during one of my stalker sessions) from a friend informing mutual friends that they had a chance to watch the performance on Sunday. 

"WHAT? SERIOUSLY? Why didn't you tell me?!" I exclaimed.

So, the next day, off I went for what would be the most significant experience of my literary career, life, whatever.

For three hours, I was spellbound in the world of Prince Hamlet of Denmark. Despite the tiny wooden stage (that I feared would collapse at any minute), the sprinkle of rain, the unattractive ponchos, I was swept into the action and emotion of the play. I became a groundling in the Globe theatre of Shakespeare's time. It was so dang exciting!

Sitting about five to six feet from the front of the stage, the performance had a very intimate, low-key vibe that made it all the more easy for the audience to be completely sucked in. We gasped, we laughed, we shook our heads. We were appalled, disgusted, saddened.

I feel as if I don't quite have the words to describe how I felt during the performance. Only the Bard himself could come up with words to describe how amazing the performance was!

This performance did many things for me:

• It has strengthened my love not only for Hamlet, but for all of Shakespeare's works.
• It has further piqued my interest in theatre and plays. I want to see more!
• It has increased my awareness of how amazing actors are and how difficult it is to play and remain in a role no matter what. Yet, at the same time knowing when to break your role to further hook your audience can be just as effective.
• Hamlet (aka Michael Benz) made a quirky joke about us covering up, as ponchos were being handed out during the rain.
• Another character (or actor), King Claudius, I believe, made another little joke about the Kessel cafeteria. It was funny. I laughed.

The Globe theatre's performance of Hamlet is one every lover of Shakespeare should see; definitely more than once. Perhaps even three times in a row if you're a Pace University English major!


Slideshow #1: Globe Theatre Performance of Hamlet




Slideshow#2: Globe Theatre Performance of Hamlet WITH WITTY SPEECH BUBBLES!




Video Excerpt: "To be or not to be" Soliloquy

Working at the Family Justice Center: Week 1

I’ve survived! My first week of working full time. 40 hours. Arg! I’ve been exhausted!

So, two posts ago, I mentioned that I got a new job working in the Children’s room at the Family Justice Center. The Family Justice Center is a program under Mayor Bloomberg’s Combat Domestic Violence office. It’s basically a one-stop shop for victims and survivors of intimate partner violence or domestic violence. Clients can walk-in anytime from 9 to 5 and get all kinds of help: speak with a lawyer about a case, speak to our police officers to make a report, speak with a counselor or case manager, get help finding a shelter, get food or clothes for the night, receive help getting benefits etc etc. The purpose of the Children’s room is to be a peaceful, safe place for children whose guardian(s) is getting services at the Family Justice Center. Any guardian or parent who would prefer that their children not listen in on their conversation with a lawyer, or counselor are welcome to leave them with us in the Children’s Room. It is then our job to make the possibly traumatize child as happy as possible and provide a place where they can leave their problems at the door, even for just a little while.

In other words… I get paid to play! lol

In the past week, I have played UNO, Memory Match, Operation (both original and Shrek version), Go-fish, and Life. I have also been very creative and colored an Ernie and a scarecrow, drew a teddy bear and my dream home, and made a bead bracelet. I even painted a ceramic fish (which I forgot at work on Friday *pout*)!

What’s even better about working at the FJC, is the people. I get along really well with my co-intern and my supervisors. Despite its corporate look, the FJC offices, as well as the employees are very welcoming. My co-workers are so friendly, laid-back and easy to get along with. I spent one lunch hour playing hang-man with my boss for gods sake! LOL Never thought that could ever happen.

In short, I’m enjoying my time there and look forward to the next three weeks!

Want to see my amazing artistic ability? *grin* Look below!

 

Coloring! And I didn’t even go out of the lines…much. =) Yay!

Pretty bead bracelet! Excuse the slightly hairy arm. Yes, it’s mine. =)

Ladies and Gentlemen. I introduce you to… Sally Bear! (The bear outline was a stencil. I ‘m not that good. But the outfit and hair are Tuma originals!)

My dream home with the white picket fence, nice forest behind it and swing set. Okay, so my fence isn’t white, the house is an atrocious color, and I have a grey and pink cat despite the fact that I don’t like cats much. Sometimes Most times, things look better in your head! lol

Just my name with some random doodles. Oh, since I’d be annoyed if someone asks me what’s that green thing. It’s a FISH, a fish, people! I know it came out weird looking. lol

That’s all, folks!

Until next time,

Tuma

Life is Funny!

OCD, Anal Retentiveness, or simply a rare case of Weird-Tuma-itis?

Now that I think about it…I do a lot of weird things. Or what would be considered weird to others. To me, they’re perfectly logical. The actions themselves aren’t weird, but the amount of time, energy and attention I pay them may seem weird.

Could it be possible that I have a slight case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? Or maybe it’s just me being Anal? OR most likely, it’s simply me being, well...ME?

Before diagnosing me, let’s get some definitions of the way. I’m an English major, I love words and books. Dictionaries, on the other hand, are like a wet dream come true! A BOOK of WORDS?! *swoons*

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: “an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent and persistent thoughts and feelings and repetitive, ritualized behaviors”.

Anal retentiveness: “used conversationally to describe a person who pays such attention to detail that the obsession becomes an annoyance to others, potentially to the detriment of the anal-retentive person”.

So, neither one sounds QUITE like me, but I do exhibit traits of both.


Examples:

• Both yesterday and today, I ate 13 cherries. I do alot of things in either 10 or 13, as those are my favorite numbers.
• I put on everything from my right: Right arm pulled into right sleeve first, right sock put on first, right shoe first, right leg into right jean leg first etc etc Though this may have more to do with Islam’s disapproval of using the left or “impure” hand for anything except potty purposes.
• My closet is organized…like scarily organized! From the right: dresses, skirts, pants (sorted by color) , jeans (sorted by shade), shirts (sorted by type (tees, blouses, button-ups), sleeve length and color), sweaters (sorted by sleeve length and color), hoodies (sorted by thickness and color), jackets (sorted by thickness and color). O_O Pretty anal, huh? Sigh…
• EVERYONE in my phone book is saved by first AND last name. Even my mom and dad are Mommy Hydara and Daddy Hydara. *droops head*
• My computer has a folder for each semester of college. And each semester folder has a folder for each course, and each course folder has separate folders for assignments and readings…. Is that being nicely organized or being anal? I JUST DON’T KNOW! *wails*
• My binder sections for classes are ordered by day and time, so that my Monday morning class is first and my Friday afternoon class is last….
• My babies, er books are sorted by Author last name, then title, but with series together. I’ve thought of doing it by genre, then author, and title, but, even I think that’s too much. But I’m really tempted to do it anyway.
• I’m also a hoarder, refusing to throw things away, especially documents. I still have every report card and certificate ever received since KINDERGARTEN (all through grade school, high school and college). I have every bank statement and credit card statement that came in the mail. I have every manual for every appliance or electronic ever bought for our home. Oh, crap…. I won’t have many friends left after this post goes live and people read it! haha =)
• I set the clock in my room two minutes ahead, but set the alarm on my phone to wake me up. This way, once I’m up, I always think I have two minutes less time than I actually have. So, if I need to leave the house at 8:30 and I glance at my clock and I see it’s 8:30…I think, “oh shit, I’m late” and run out of the door, BUT I’m NOT actually late, because it's only 8:28. This is more GENIUS, than crazy, huh? Don’t you think so? *nudge nudge*
• I wake up every morning and the first thing I do….is check my emails. Not use the potty, not take a shower, not even check my facebook, but my emails…. smh. haha

Hmmm? What other weird habits do I have. Oh, I also…you know what? I think I’ll stop here. ^__^ A little mystery is good for a girl's attractiveness. *winks*

Do you have weird habits? SHARE THEM in the comments! =)

Konbanwa!
Tuma,
Life is Funny

Visit to the NYPD Headquarters

Hello lovely people!

I recently got a job at the Family Justice Center. It’s a program created by the mayor to serve victims of Domestic abuse. As an alumni of the Ladders for Leaders program, I was referred to the opportunity and after an initial meeting got the job. I’ll be working in the Children’s room, entertaining little rugrats as their parent(s) or guardian is being helped.

Before, I could start though, I needed to be fingerprinted and undergo a background check. Ohhh…ominous! lol So, I was given an appointment with an Officer R. for this Thursday morning at 10:30am over at the NYPD Headquarters located at One Police Plaza.

For those who know me, you may know that I have a thing for men in uniforms—firefighter, paramedics, military—I’m not really picky. And on that list, is of course police officers. So, couple that fetish with an overactive imagination and you can guarantee a fun time in Tuma-land!

One, I imagined (hoped) Officer R. who I had my appointment with would look something like this:

Except, obviously the good looking, young ones aren’t usually stuck behind a desk doing fingerprints, but are out doing more exciting things.

On to number two. I imagined a slick, technologically modern building. I mean the first security check-in was about 4/10 on the coolness meter. After going through the metal detectors I had to go up to this Metrocard machine looking thing and type in my name and take my own webcam pic. lol Kind of lame, huh? For a score of 10, the machine would have needed a retina-eye scanner, fingerprint scanner and voice recognition that pulls up all my information from which hospital room I was born in to what my grade was for Lit 132 before admitting me clearance into the building. Man! That would have been WICKED cool!

So, after the lame-o metro card machine clearance, I walked to the actual building. It was unassuming, so boring, so bland. Nice touch was the “Officers lost during duty or Performance” (forget the exact phrasing). There were a LOT of name and I was kind of humbled. I gave a mental salute (because a physical one would have brought attention to myself) and walked up to the next security check-in to get my pass.

I was supposed to go to the 6th floor, but Officer V. (I’m pretty good with names, huh? I’m not making these up. Really.) gave me a pass for the first floor. I went back and then he gave me a past for the 5th floor. What’s going on Officer V? Didn’t have your coffee and donut, yet? KIDDING. lol Bad cop joke.

Anyway, he waves me on and says it’s alright. And I’m mentally freaking out because there was a CLEARLY VISIBLE sign telling visitors that they were NOT allowed to be on any other floor except that which was indicated on their pass and they could be arrested if they did. AR-RES-TED (repeated for emphasis).

Despite that, I was able to get to the 6th floor with no mishap and got my fingerprints taken. This consists of having all five fingers rolled in ink and pressed on a card individually, then your two thumbs together, then your four other fingers together (both hands done separately). It was strangely entertaining, having my fingers handled and rolled and inked and pressed. Some of my amusement must have shown on my face because Officer R. suddenly asked, “Kind of fun, isn’t it?” And I giggled. Giggled! LOL Like a 12-year-old.

It was over pretty quickly and I left the building. I was expecting something MORE out of the NYPD headquarters. Not sure what, especially since I was only visiting one office on one floor, but the mind works in mysteriously ways, you know. No? You don’t know. So, it’s just MY mind then. Oh Phooey!

Stay out of trouble with the law!

Hasta la Vista,
Tuma,
Life is Funny.