CBB winner

I honestly don’t watch Big Brother (BB) anymore, not after the first few series and I couldn’t even name the last few winners - that’s how much it’s dropped off the radar. But what with it being the last Celebrity Big Brother (CBB) this year, I thought I’d give it a go. I mean it’s not going to last the whole of summer like BB usually does, CBB only lasts like 2 weeks or something doesn’t it?

Anyway I’ll admit my favourite to win was Dane Bowers and I did think he had won it. DJ Basshunter aka Jonas was my second favourite to win but not very likely, so it was a bit of surprise when Alex Reid actually won! After all the controversy surrounding him (I was indifferent, lol), I really didn’t think the public would vote for him to win. The country went mad when Peter and Katie announced they were splitting and post divorce you were either Team Price or Team Andre. After her divorced, Katie went back to the jungle (where it had all begun with Peter) to gain ‘closure’, but the public hated her and made her do every single bush tucker trial whilst she stayed there, lol. Therefore by that same token, logic says that Alex Reid, the guy dating Katie would get treated the same way and probably wouldn’t get very far on CBB.

But who would have thought it? The man who was booed in, ended up being cheered on his way out and being declared winner of CBB. How unpredictable are the public? I have to admit it was a good watch this year and Dane, Jonas and Alex had some excellent moments in the house; Dane’s ‘nightmare’, Alex’s tanning session, Jonas’ ‘romance’. Even though Alex is a great guy, I still think Dane should have won. In the exit interviews, Katie made an appearance saying that she’s misunderstood by the public and clearly she only dates good guys (i.e. Alex current and Dane and Peter her ex’s), which made me laugh and begs the question; why would you leave a good guy? Lol. Anyhow in the interviews everyone discussed their plans after leaving the house and talked about this and that… until they got to Dane. Dane just sat there and said he had no idea what he was going to do after leaving the house and because he’s such as sweet guy, I think everyone had the same response and simultaneously went ‘Awww, how cute!’

Dane Bowers :)

Trending topics on the night just showed how popular CBB was this year!

Anyhow the point of this post was because I just wanted to talk about Dane Bowers really. And to be honest, I don’t really remember him when he was in his group ’Another level’ but I do remember his solo singles with Victoria Beckham etc. That’s about it really and so I suppose my liking is not really based on much, lol. I must however apologise for this post taking an unexpected turn towards Katie Price and her weird lifestyle. Normal service will resume shortly!

MIMIT Evening

Presenting and I have issues – FACT! Everyone who knows me knows that I really dislike presenting. On the whole, I would say that I am a pretty well composed person. However give me something to present and I turn into a horrible nervous mess. The build up to it is the worst thing; an awful knot appears in the pit of your stomach and won’t shift until the presentation is over and done with. It’s one of the reasons why I can’t eat or drink on the day. I also have a problem with the order of presenting –I don’t like going first as everyone is alert, paying attention thus you run the risk of being shot down with many questions, some of which you may not be able to answer – HORROR! Also going last is bad for me as I feel that I might die from my nerves and overdose of adrenaline for such a sustained period of time. Therefore the middle it is then, I like the middle and the middle is good for me, lol.

Anyway why on earth am I telling you about this? Well because I can and you still chose to read it! – Joking. Back in November I was contacted by my old university (Manchester) about presenting my MSc work one evening at a medical symposium at the university. I know what you’re thinking… If I hate presentations so much, then I should have said no. But here’s how I see it, as I progress through my career (iA), I’m going to have to present my work more often whether I like it or not therefore making this medical symposium a good opportunity to practise. Secondly if I totally messed it up not to worry as I probably won’t see them again and thirdly the email stated that Professor Oldham had suggested that mine was one of the better projects. I know, I know, I am so vain and self centred but what can I say, it is nice to be appreciated :) So I said yes thinking that one of the others i.e. Chris, Dom or Eileen, would also be presenting. I discovered in January that they weren’t and I felt it would be rude and totally unprofessional of me to back out at such short notice. I mean the medical school have been really good to me and very supportive and I feel like I owe them something in return. At the back of my mind I was still contemplating feigning some sort of sickness if I felt I couldn’t go through with it on the day. What?! It’s always good to have a backup plan.

I arranged to meet my supervisor, Maureen, for lunch and she looked through my presentation slides and gave me some feedback... because she is just so lovely and helpful. She already knew I was presenting due to all the posters put up and emails sent out (eek!) and had an idea of how nervous I get. The two copies of my thesis were now fully marked; one copy was safely deposited in the library for future reference and the other was to be sent to the main supervisor. Seen as the university internal mail takes a while, I thought I would personally collect and deliver Maureen’s copy, which she asked me to sign. I’d say it was an odd but funny moment! Maureen wished me the best of luck and over the weekend I practised with mum, Bilal and even Saba who looked quite bored, the poor thing! Eventually the day arrived…

Date: Monday 25th January 2010, 1530 till 1830. (My 15 min slot was at 5.40pm – err the middle is good?)

Venue: Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre, Princess Street.

I got there in plenty of time (one less thing to worry about), but unfortunately Zareen couldn’t stay long and left a gift for me with Maureen which was really sweet of her. We entered the lecture theatre and sensing that my nerves beginning to take hold, I tried to keep a lid on them by concentrating on the other presentations, which didn’t really help!... and then by reading through my notes, which may have made it worse. As I was sat at the back, a lot of people snuck in and out of the theatre during the evening but I didn’t really pay any attention until Dr Ardy Bayat sat down next to me. Dr Bayat whose project I had rejected in favour of Maureen’s. Dr Bayat who said that clinical projects can be very misleading and problematic. Of all the people to meet before a major presentation, well it just had to be Dr Bayat didn’t it? Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Maureen glance in my direction and I turned and smiled at Dr Bayat… and then went back to looking at my notes. After a small break, it was my turn to present and Prof Oldham whispered that I only had 10 minutes to present as they were running late. Grr! I had taken the effort to time my presentation perfectly and now I would have to squish it all into 10 minutes.

Thankfully the presentation went well, I spoke clearly, only stumbled on my words once, even cracked a joke (yea me!), answered all questions and made it back to my seat without falling over! Yes! For the first time in the evening I could relax and I had such a buzz from completing the presentation. Prizes were handed out for the best projects and presentations etc. Assuming that all the prize giving was over now, I started to get ready to leave when Professor Oldham announced that there was still one special award left that the recipient didn’t know about it and talked a bit about the intended recipient. As I was tired, I sort of zoned out and didn’t realise that Professor Oldham had announced my name at the end. As it didn’t register at first, Maureen had to nudge me and whisper ‘It’s you, Saima’.

A dazed me got up and made my way to the front. From what I gather I received the best student award for achieving the highest marks in my year for which I received a certificate and the best student project for which I received a cash prize. During all that, I do remember having my picture taken and praying it turned out ok and also fretting that I had taken my suit jacket off and forget to put it back on as I made my way to the front. What can I say, it’s the little things that get to me :P I was still feeling a little dazed as I was congratulated by the senior medics during the MIMIT ‘meet and greet’ in the atrium afterwards. Feeling a little drained (tired/hungry after a long day) I didn’t stick around too long and offered to take Maureen to the train station as it was getting quite late. I smiled and thanked everyone and made my way to the exit, which took a while as I kept getting stopped every few steps. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my course administrator, the lovely Sue Cooper had especially come to the MIMIT evening to see me after seeing my name on the posters. I can’t explain how nice it is to have your work appreciated by so many people and after the initial embarrassment, I felt quite proud of the recognition from the university and senior medics.

Maureen had missed her train so I offered to drive her home and to be honest it was nice to have the company and just discuss the evening’s events. Maureen told me how proud she was of me and how I really deserved it after working so hard at university and at the hospital with all the patients. Upon arriving home, I shared the news with mum and auntie Naseem who were both really pleased and proud. So the lesson learnt – conquering my nerves was totally worth it!!!

Update:

Woo! I’m on the MIMIT website! Damn, I knew I should have put my jacket back on. Also looking at the picture, I’ve just realised that the silk black tie thing that was supposed to be tied around the waist of my purple shirt, must have come undone after my presentation at some point during the evening. Looking through my wardrobe I still can’t find it! Losing clothing at a conference... what am I? 5 years old?

Game playing

In the past, there have been claims that playing video games excessively can lead to increased levels of violence in individuals, especially younger children. Fair enough. To some extent, I do I agree about how society is now becoming slowly desensitised to violence and what was once considered gross misconduct is now probably an everyday norm for most people. Violent games may encourage this but I don’t think they are the sole culprits as other factors need to be considered i.e. schooling, parenting, family and friends etc.

In addition to previous claims, there is now a new study which indicates that excessive game playing can create poor postures which can lead to rickets. Rickets is a disease in which bones become brittle and more susceptible to breakages due to a lack of vitamin D. Sounds bad right? After reading this article in the Metro newspaper, I thought I’d read up on the study online. To my surprise I found that this latest piece of research seems to have been misrepresented by the Metro newspaper. The original research states that more vitamin D is required in our diets to stop rickets, which seems to have increased over the last 50 years. This is partly to do with our diet and our lifestyle choices. The original research does make a passing reference to computers but does NOT state a direct link to rickets and video games. I’m guessing the paper wanted to make a big impact with eye catching headlines rather than report the actual findings, which may not have been so sensational and thereby manipulating the research to suit the newspapers objectives.

Initially after reading this article at University (and this is an insight into how my crazy brain works), an image popped into my head. I imagined an irate 10 year old rushing towards with filled with rage, after playing ‘Call of Duty’, raising his arm to attack me and we hear a sharp crack, signalling that he has well and truly broken something. I shared this notion with my fellow medics and we couldn’t help but giggle. And then the giggling spread. And spread. And well I guess you just had to be there. And please trust me when I say that we are NOT a sadistic bunch of people. It’s just that sometimes the tiniest things can set us off :P

Anyhow as someone suggested surely this could be a good thing for the community. Maybe when the rage filled younger members of society go out to cause mayhem, they find out that they physically can’t any longer for the fear of breaking something from even the slightest sudden movement.

Result? I think so. But still shame on the Metro for lazy journalism! Tut tut tut!

A national treasure...

I admit it! I adore Stephen Fry!!! I find his QI series hilarious and watch it every week as well as following him on Twitter and regularly reading his blog. I realise this makes me sound like a stalker but I really do love listening to him and watching him on screen. He’s funny, intelligent, articulate and is a genuinely compassionate person. The BBC series; ‘The secret life of a manic depressive’ in 2006 was an amazing show to watch in which he shared his experiences of the illness he has suffered from for so long. It sounds a bit weird but I think it made us like him even more, the fact he was willing to share the bad as well as the good bits of his life. Additionally he helped raise awareness for sufferers of mental health disorders and in turn he received a wealth of supporters who admired him for it.

‘Stephen Fry in America’ was a fun series to watch as well as his movies such as Gosford Park and also the various wildlife documentaries. He’s a wonderful writer as evidenced by his blog, autobiography and various novels and has a fantastic sense of humour. I even went back and watched some of his earlier work with Hugh Laurie. I love the fact that he is willing to fight for what he believes in and if he ever does slip up in any way or thinks he is in the wrong, he will never back away from an apology.

One of the images I have of Stephen Fry is when he advertised Twinnings tea as that is how I see him, relaxing with a cup of tea – very quaint and very English, lol. Also rather randomly one of his other adverts; Direct line (with Paul Merton) also seems to stick in my mind, although I’m not entirely sure why! So a British actor, comedian, television presenter, writer, film director; err, have I missed anything? I mean seriously is there anything this man cannot do? But why am I telling you all this- because I have turned into something of a stalker and wanted to share it with the world? Partly, yes but more so because I’m currently watching the NTA’s on ITV when I should be doing my uni work (major procrastination!). I’ve just watched Stephen Fry received the ‘Special recognition award’ and it brought a huge smile to my face. Thoroughly deserved and I can’t think of a better recipient  :)

With regards to the NTA’s, other winners that I was pleased about were David Tennant for best drama performance (Woo!) and the Dr Who series for the best drama – again totally spot on, although it has to be said I may be somewhat biased :P

One of the Tweets on the night that made me giggle :)

Coca cola phone

How cool is this little idea? I’ve drastically cut down on how much coca cola I drink since I started studying med and realised the awful state it leaves your teeth in! Yuck! But how about using coca cola as fuel for a mobile phone?

The basic idea is that the cylindrical shaped phone unscrews at one where the coca cola can be poured in. The phone essentially runs on a bio battery that produces energy as glucose molecules that are then digested by certain enzymes to produce hydrogen ions, which combine with oxygen to form water. The power for this conversion is produced by a flow of electrons between a cathode and an anode, a similar format in most other fuel cells.

It has to be said that this is NOT a working model, but I do believe it is a much better use for coca cola. What a quirky little idea! I love it, lol.

An Indian Winter

I am absolutely loving Channel 4's Indian winter theme this year. Whether it is enjoying the movie Slumdog Millionaire, watching Gordon Ramsey cook proper Indian cuisine in Indian’s top restaurants and mahals to the dhaba wala’s at the roadside or watching Kevin McCloud explore the fantastic architecture of India, right down to the slums that a significant proportion of the population live in. It has made the cold winter nights a little bit more colourful and staying in (while I get on with my uni work) a little bit more fun. Channel 4 is definitely worth a watch this winter :)

Time to move?

I came across this article and thought wow, someone who is clearly well settled here in the UK thought it was a good idea to up root his family and move back to Pakistan. A country that well let’s be honest, in many people’s eyes moving to countries such as Pakistan is seen as taking a step backwards rather than forwards. This particular individual obviously however, didn’t share this notion and was fully supported by his family. The article struck a chord with me as I went through something similar in previous years.

I remember after Billy was born, I was about to embark on my Gcse’s and my father felt it was the perfect time to move to Pakistan… and I was all for it. You didn’t expect that, now did you? :) My first trip to Pakistan that I remember was in 1992 after which I didn’t go back for a long time until I started secondary school and subsequently visited two more times in 97 and 98. Everyone was so lovely and friendly there, the weather was great, we had our house in a nice and safe part of Karachi. I remember thinking that; yes, I would deeply miss my cousins here, who I was (and still am) very close to but at the same time I was aware of the changes in saw in my sister when we went to visit. The last few visits I had seen how Aishi was so much more alert and full of energy. I so desperately wanted her to be like me, able to pursue anything she wanted, explore opportunities available to her and not have any restrictions. And so as a family we made the decision to move. Dad sold his business here and we were ready to move to Pakistan. But that never happened.

My aunts and uncles stepped in and talked to my parents about this move. They understood that we wanted to help Aishi but at the same time our lives (Bilal and I) would be hanging in the balance. Even though Bilal would pick up the language quite quickly due to his age, I on the other hand would struggle because even though my speaking is good, my reading and writing skills in Urdu are considerably weak in comparison.

However we still went to Pakistan and got my youngest chachu married and everyone had a fantastic time. And then we returned home - to England. We moved away from Halifax, bought a new house, dad set up a new business and everything was going great (mA). After a year or so, I soon realised that was probably the best thing for us, No matter how lovely extended family can be, there is a HUGE difference between going there for a holiday for a few weeks and living there permanently for year after year. Don’t get me wrong, I like going to Pakistan. It’s where my parents came from and the roots of my extended family started in that country. But at the same time, when I took off my rose tinted glasses and compared my life here in England to my potential life in Pakistan and I could see some potential downfalls.

- I wouldn’t have had as much freedom as I do here, especially for women as family can soon change.

- Although sunny weather is welcome change from the typical British weather, Pakistani weather can become a bit unbearable after a while. Besides which I do actually like the autumn and the winter snow… I appreciate all seasons in equal measures, lol.

- The country doesn’t rank very highly worldwide and isn’t as stable due to issues such as economy, corruption, power shortages, culture/religion clashes, extremists and so on.

- People seem to have no sense of urgency and seem to have a laid back attitude to… well everything in life.

But there are good things as well. My parents are back in the country they were born, with their parents. I mean I’d hate to be away from my mum and dad and not be able to see then whenever I wanted and instead having to wait years for the right time to go and visit. There is also a sense of belonging as there is very little racism amongst people, practically nonexistent I would say? Other things include fantastic food, beautiful landscapes and fabulous sunny weather (even more enjoyable when the electricity doesn’t disappear for hours on end). It’s also a great place to go shopping and you get a lot more for your money (yea for inflation! lol).

But back to the point I was making, back then I was only a child and willing to move without thinking of the consequences but thankfully my parents were around to think about those things on our behalf. If anyone asked me to move back now, I’m not sure what I would say. I’m slowly building my life here, my career, my family, the friends I’ve made, those relationships that I’ve invested time in. I mean it’s not like there isn’t a way to keep in touch (phone, email, Twitter, Facebook and the list goes on) but it’s not the same as being face to face. I’m pretty independent so would I adjust well to the restrictions back there? My tastes in people, food, music, lifestyle choices etc all vary significantly from my cousins in Pakistan. That’s not to say that one is wrong or right, it’s just different, perhaps I would have been of a similar viewpoint had I grown up in Pakistan.

So all in all it was a good decision for all and there were no regrets… or so it seemed. It would only be in 2004, that we’d look back and think did we make a mistake? Should we have gone back then? Were Bilal and I to blame for Aishi’s loss? Trust me, it is an awful guilt to live with and although we don’t think about it all the time, that guilt does have a tendency to creep back to the forefront of your mind on those quiet dark evenings.

Sisters - A precious relationship

It’s the new year, I was a little bored and thought hey, I wonder what articles were printed on this day last year and I found this.

After reading the whole article, I can definitely say I identify with it and know where the author is coming from. Sisters have this amazing ability to be your best friend one minute, your enemy the next and back to being your best friend again. There is this invisible bond that holds us together and whereas with friends, who you can leave when you like... with your sister, well she’s there for life whether you like it or not. Personally I find it very comforting knowing that there will always be someone in my corner; fighting for me, supporting me, willing me to do well. It’s that sense of trust and loyalty that is not easily replicated in other relationships. Maybe it is impossible recreate that bond with others, who knows. Although I feel sad at times, I do feel blessed that I had the opportunity to experience my sister’s love in my life. Those memories and secrets that we shared will always stay with as long as I live and the bond that I shared with my sister is completely irreplaceable.

I am lucky in that I am still able to experience that relationship with my cousin sisters who I am very close to (mA) and I hope that our sisterly bond will continue to remain strong for as long as we shall live. With Aisha, well she is of course irreplaceable and I will always feel connected to her. Often I feel as if she is looking out for me, helping and guiding me along the right path, giving me a little inspiration on where to go/ what to do next in my life. I still get a little upset when I think of all the people that will never get the chance to meet Aishi; my husband, my children, new additions to the family, new friends that I make - all those people will never get to see what a warm hearted, pure and generous person she is.

All those occasions that she will miss out on; my first day in my new job (the career that she was the inspiration for), the day I meet my in-laws for the first time, the day I get married and all the functions/ shenanigans associated with it, moving into my new home, being a Khala (aunt) to my kids, there are so many first’s that she won’t be present for and it gets to me. I feel like it is loss on behalf of the people that will never get to meet her and loss for me too as I won’t get the chance to express how much we truly love each other, by being there for each other. Best friends come and go but sisters are supposed to stay forever and I just never expected our relationship to be any different.

As time goes on, I just hope I can do a good job of preserving her memory and keeping her alive in my mind to remember all moments we shared and share them with those she that left behind.

'Tired but wired' syndrome

'Tired but wired' - applies to so many people I know, including myself.

Sorry for cutting and pasting this article, I seem to be running short on time lately, lol. I thought I'd copy this article before I forget or the link disappears. Apologies once again!!!

ARTICLE:

Is sleep deprivation affecting your health?

We speak to sleep and energy coach Dr Nerina Ramlakhan about the growing number of 'tired and wired' twenty-somethings and get the lowdown on her top sleeping tips. Sleep is one of life's most simple pleasures and is vital for maintaining a healthy mind and body. Leading a hectic non-stop lifestyle endlessly juggling work, family and social commitments can easily take its toll when it is time for lights out. And with so much going on, the mind races excitedly from one thought to another ensuring a restless night's sleep prevails.

Our bodies are remarkably well-equipped to cope with the odd night of bad sleep but for those suffering from chronic insomnia and a nightly deprivation; the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual effects can have a devastating impact on health. Despite preconceptions that sleep deprivation is an older person's health condition, a growing number of high-flying fast-living twenty-somethings are finding that success in work and life can equate with problems sleeping.

Dr Nerina Ramlakhan is a sleep and energy coach, who suffered extensively from sleep deprivation in her twenties due to being 'tired but wired' - feeling well but not sleeping well. This typically affects those who are climbing the career ladder and putting immense pressure on themselves to prove their worth in their profession. Nerina set up her consultancy Equilibrium Solutions almost a decade ago and now works alongside the Capio Nightingale Hospital providing a light at the end of the tunnel for those with chronic sleep problems.

Nerina's clients also include celebrities, musicians, Premier League footballers and stressed-out mums driven to distraction by their new bundle of joy and the sudden long-lasting impact on sleep.

"I was experiencing what I now call 'tired but wired' which typifies many of my twenty-something clients' symptoms," says Nerina. "I was going to bed with so much noise in my head, just not being able to switch off and wind down. I couldn't get to sleep and at times I couldn't stay asleep. It seemed to be the busier I got in my career, the more it seemed to have an impact on my sleep. My high-flying clients strive to push themselves harder and struggle to switch off at home. What I am seeing more of now is technology being abused and just how badly this is impacting on sleep. We have lost the art of boundaries and are just unable to switch off and relax."

Miranda*, 25, sought Nerina's help with a torrid sleep pattern she had developed due to waking one night to find her flat in flames. Two years ago, Miranda had woken to blaring smoke alarms ringing at 3 am, and though unhurt, the shock of waking so traumatically that night was deeply affecting her wellbeing. "After the fire I had difficulty sleeping over a period of 18 months. I had trouble getting to sleep, and would wake at 3 am every morning and be unable to get back to sleep. I felt constantly exhausted and unable to switch my brain off when I tried to sleep. I relied on caffeine to keep me going," says Miranda.

Though the traumatic event deeply affected Miranda and her ability to sleep, Nerina noticed a destructive pattern that had developed - technology had an immeasurable impact on Miranda's sleep. Miranda regularly worked on her laptop in bed at night and her ever faithful BlackBerry was constantly switched on at her side. When Miranda tried to sleep she relied on having the TV playing in the background to help her drift off which in turn meant she woke to switch it off. As Miranda struggled to sleep, she continuously checked the clock every time she woke while worrying about how she would cope the next day in her busy role in advertising.

Among the methods introduced to help Miranda overcome her sleep deprivation problems, a 15-minute power napping technique which Miranda incorporated into her working day helped to re-energise and attune her body to rest. Anything work-related was removed from the bedroom while watching TV was replaced with reading a light, uplifting book. Relaxation, setting boundaries and regaining control of the work/life balance resulted in Miranda successfully sleeping restfully and feeling well again.

Dr Nerina Ramlakhan has some quickfire tips for getting a good night's sleep:
1. Ensure you get the right nutrition

Eat regularly and healthily; do not skip breakfast. You should always eat breakfast within 30-45 minutes of getting up as there is a biochemical link back to your sleep.

2. Cut down on caffeine

You should not be drinking any caffeine after 2pm if you have a problem with sleep. Drink no more than two cups of tea or coffee per day and stay off the energy drinks.

3. Hydrate and keep hydrated

Being dehydrated causes sleep problems.

4. Keep work out of the bedroom

Practice good time management, write lists so that when you get home at the end of the day you can leave work behind you and learn how to switch your technology off. Healthy boundaries are really important.

5. Relax

Practice relaxation techniques such as yoga, mindfulness, meditation or power napping. Learn how to live your life more restfully.

*Name changed to protect identity

Dr Nerina Ramlakhan will release a self-help guide to sleep deprivation 'Tired But Wired' in 2010. More information on Dr Ramlakhan can be found at www.equilibriumsolutions.com

Oooh the drama!!!

Oh my word! Why am I still surprised when stuff like this stuff happens to me?!

The start of the Christmas holidays and with the snow falling outside, I wasn’t too keen on going anywhere. I read some journals for uni (good intentions right?) and for a bit of a break, I decided to make a start on moving my posts across from Blogger to Wordpress (it is taking forever I know!). However me being the perfectionist that I am, I wanted to tweak everything so that it was just right etc. Seen as my usual family IT/computer-related help person was away for the hols, I enrolled an alternative helper (thank you helper person!). Basically at some stage, I did something wrong – what exactly, I’m still a little unclear – and just for future reference; 404 errors = bad news! With the wordpress stuff eventually corrected and I continued with other work. Except a new problem arose hence this post!

I decided to back up my data (luckily) a few days earlier as I remembered I hadn’t done a recent back up for a while and I wouldn’t have peace of mind until I had done so. And thank god I did because on the 2nd January my computer decided to have a fit! Urgh! But no worries because you know I backed up my data right? Phew! So I set about fixing my laptop, I tried data scanning for viruses – no good, recovery disc’s – no good and eventually after an hour of faffing around I though screw it, I’m going to wipe it clean and restore it back to factory settings. After informing my laptop of my intentions… but in a more threatening manner – yes, I was having a conversation my computer at this point. Peaceful reasoning had failed and drastic measures needed to be taken from here on in! So far I've spent the entire next day reinstalling all the various programs I needed, which was a tedious task. But I think what annoyed me the most was that the windows updates decided update themselves in huge chunk all at once. Prior to the meltdown, I used have a few updates every couple of weeks or something. This time I downloaded 113 updates over two days and I’m still counting!
Can I just say my one saving grace in all this drama has been my wonderful external hard drive! At least I was prepared, but what still confuses me is why my laptop had an attack in the first place? I even thought it might be dust build up and ended up taking the back cover off my laptop and giving the keyboard and ventilation a good clean with a soft brush. I’m amazed at the sheer amount of dust that could gather in such a small thing! Anyhow when trawling through various forums/ discussion boards of what/ how I should clean certain components(helpful hints can be found here) and I also came across this thing.

Cyber Clean - I think it’s pretty nifty and I want one!

The computer is all fine now thankfully! But some online stuff has also been a bit bizarre. For example Windows live alert tried to convince me that all these people has their birthdays on the 1st of January, which I know for certain is not true.Or the time when Wordpress wouldn’t let me sign out! What is up with techy stuff lately? Maybe it’s like a new version of the millennium bug?*

*(Remember all that hoo haa about the millennium bug back in the year 2000? Seems so funny now...)

Letter

Dear _ _ _ _,

It’s over. I spent a long time thinking hard about this decision but I feel it’s the right one to make. There have been times when you have promised to visit and then barely stay and it’s even worse when you don’t bother showing up at all. I can’t tell you how disappointing that is for everyone; waiting to catch a glimpse of you, only to have their hopes dashed.

Nevertheless it is not all bad as you sometimes show up unexpectedly, surprising everyone with your infectious good nature. But these moments of joy are only fleetingly and you end up outstaying your welcome. People become fed up with your constant presence, interfering in their everyday lives and disrupting the natural balance. I mean it is all fun and games at first and everyone is in good spirits, but then you just end up wearing us down and we can’t go on like this.

I am deeply sorry but I’m moving on, we are all moving on. I hope we can still remain friends and see each other from time to time as it would be impossible to completely cut you out of our lives. One last thing, please don’t be upset if you hear rumours about me with someone else. We will always have our memories together and some good ones at that, but I am moving on and I am looking forward to a fruitful new relationship. Please do not spoil it for me as I believe Spring and I will be very happy together.

Goodbye Snow. I wish you well :)

Kindest regards,

Saims

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW!!!

Something tells me that people are beginning to get a bit fed up of the snow now. It’s been snowing since the 17th December and it hasn’t let up yet.

This image from Orbyn.co.uk I think explains it perfectly, lol.

I’ll be honest, it is getting a bit tiresome now and I have played in the snow till my heart’s content. I mean we haven’t has snow like this since I was at primary school and according to the news, the last time we had heavy snowfall was about 30 years ago. Or as my dad put it, 30 years ago when he was young, not married and there was definitely no sign of Aishi or I on the horizon – um, I think he was having a flashback to his single days, lol.

Well it certainly has been fun especially for Bilal as he’s only ever seen the slushy ice stuff we usually get every year. We shouldn’t complain however as some places have it worse that we do as pointed out by my cousin Sana. Some seriously amazing pictures!

Some great snow sculptures as well and I have even had a snowman following me on Twitter. Random!

Dr Who

The moment I had been dreading would arrive sooner or later; David Tennant’s last episode of Dr Who - either you loved it or you hated it. I’m not surprised that it became a trending topic on Twitter as soon as the show began. Judging by the tweets on the night, some thought it was a huge let down to it all after such a big build up for months, whilst others thought it was a fantastic send off for Tennant. I loved the fact that not many people in America had a clue about what Dr Who is, lol.

The final episode – come on! You knew it was inevitable that I was going to talk about it. Those who are not Dr Who fans... prepare to be bored :P

The final episode of Dr Who - David Tennant in The End of Time

Right then Allons-y!

Amongst all the other goings-on, the master (played by John Simm) has been resurrected with the beat of four (a Timelords’ heart beat) as strong as ever in his mind. We eventually find out that this was all just a means of bringing back the Timelords as well as the whole of Gallifrey. We see the fiery red planet reappearing, descending upon the earth and knocking it out of orbit. This in turn has an effect on everything leading to the end of creation, where nothing exists any longer except for the Timelords; and even they would only exist in consciousness but with no physical form. The approach was led by the president; Rassion (played by Tim Dalton) and he definitely looked the part; mean and totally void of any compassion. We learn that the Timelords weren’t as great as we thought they were as the the doctor only chose to remember the good bits. I have to say I was intrigued by the woman who was stood behind the president as the Timelords made their approach. Was she the Doctor’s mum? Lol. The showdown is when the doctor has to kill someone, something which he has tried to avoid and he has to choose: the Master or the Timelords? Stuck between a rock and a hard place, the doctor’s solution is to remove the whitepoint star thus breaking the link and sending the Timelords back into the void. A disappointing solution for some, but personally I liked it because this doctor never used weapons and still stuck to his principles. Ok, so he might have killed indirectly I suppose but not actual deliberate confrontation. And I’m glad the Master did something right for once! It was a fantastic performance and I can’t imagine anyone other than Simm playing that role. The way it ended makes me think that the Master might be back at some point in the future and gives the doctor some hope I guess. I’m glad that the doctor doesn’t really die in the end as I actually like the notion of someone out there actively defending/ looking out for the human race albeit an alien :P. In the final moments, we realise that the four knocks predicted by the Ood were not in fact referring to the beat in the Master’s head but Cribbins knocking on the chamber door.

The doctor still has time before the regeneration starts which he tells Cribbins he will use to collect his reward; to visit all of his companions at a special point in their lives. The last 30 minutes was a whole bunch of cameos; some hated it but I liked the sentimental value of it all. It was sad, him saying his final goodbyes to his fellow companions. We get to see Martha and Mickey (apparently married) chasing a sontaron and when Martha sees him she knows it’s time. We see the doctor save Sarah Jane Smith’s son from being knocked down by a car and again when Sarah sees him, she knows his time has come and waves goodbye. He visits a lady (played by Jessica Hayes) in a bookstore selling a version of her grandmother’s diary. Her grandmother fell in love with a man named John Smith; a man from the stars and turns out the doctor loved her too. The granddaughter instinctively knows who the doctor is when she speaks to him. We get to see Captain Jack sat in a bar with all the different aliens they encountered. He helps Jack get a date (I think?), I suppose his way of saying he accepts Jack’s way of life and perhaps forgives him perhaps for their disagreements in the past? The doctor sees Donna’s wedding from afar, which is ironic as this is how they first met, when the doctor gatecrashes Donna’s first wedding - it sort of brings the whole thing full circle doesn’t it? Although he doesn’t meet her, he brings a wedding gift which he says is from Geoffrey Nobel; Donna’s dad (played by the actor Howard Attfield who unfortunately died before he could return to the series). The doctor hands Donna’s granddad and mum an envelope, which contains a lottery ticket and deep down you just know she’s going to win big :) And finally, my most favourite of the doctor’s companions, we get to meet Rose one last time. Previously we met her was when the doctor left her in a parallel world with a clone of himself but who was half human. For his last goodbye, the doctor goes back to January 2005 before it all began. Rose has still to meet him (Eccleston/Tennant?) yet and mistakes him for a drunken stranger. She wishes him a happy new year and he tells her it’s going to be an excellent year for her.

And so the regeneration begins. The Ood sing the doctor to his sleep and I’ll admit it, I cried. Just before he regenerates, David Tennant’s last words - ‘I don’t want to go!’ - Oh my god, I don’t want you to go either dude! Point to note: regenerating indoors is clearly messy as shown by the inside of the TARDIS. Actually I’m glad they trashed Tennat’s TARDIS; it’s a great way to make a good exit. The new one can rebuild it and make it his own, the equivalent of interior decorating when you move into a new house, lol. And with that Matt Smith becomes the new doctor. His initial word’s ‘”Legs! I’ve got legs! Goood!” did make me laugh and I genuinely hope he is a good doctor.

So are you lot still alive? Lol

The first time I ever heard of Dr Who was overhearing the grown-ups talk about it; Tom Baker with his curly hair and scarf and Peter Davidson who looked like he had just come from a cricket match, lol. But I was much too young watch or understand any of the episodes. The first time I’ve properly paid attention to Dr who was the regeneration of the new series by Russell T. Davis when he cast Christopher Eccleston as the doctor and Billy Piper as his sidekick. Even then I still didn’t pay any attention to it apart from the odd episode here or there. I only sat up and paid attention when Tennant stepped in to play the doctor. So why am I so attached to this version of the doctor? Because that’s when it clicked – he was the first proper doctor of my lifetime. There’s was something about the way he plays the character of the doctor that draws you in and of course he is clearly quite a good looking doctor ;) Despite both Russell.T.Davis and David Tennant leaving the show, I still hope it does well and I will be watching the new episodes starring Matt Smith. That guy has some big shoes to fill and I wish him all the best. Here’s hoping that Matt Smith doesn’t mess it up, fingers crossed. And no that doesn’t make me a traitor (some people get way too tense about the whole thing!). I’m glad Russell T. Davis revived the show because it has been a fantastic viewing experience for me.

So after 4 and half years... my favourite doctor is and will always be the 10th doctor and David Tennant - you were 10 in every sense of the word! :)

P.S. After re-reading my posts I can say that - yes I am aware of how much I sound like a fan girl!