27-12-2008

2008: The Year That Was

Greetings, good people. I trust you have all had a - if not splendid, then at least mildly fulfilling 365.25 days. I have spent the last few of my own days penning (yes, I realise I am using the term loosely, but it sounds more writer-ish than "typing") this entry for you - and, it must be said, for myself. You see, it still hasn't quite hit me that this year is nearly over, but writing this entry is helping the notion work its way through my cranium.

Well, little remains to be said now but 'Read and enjoy'. :)

NAVIGATE!
Scenes To Remember... Or That Others Wish We'd Forget
For Making This Year What It Was, I Thank...
2008: The Year That Came To Be


Scenes To Remember... Or That Others Wish We'd Forget

[During a SCIF debate on ethics and stem cell research]
Opposition (Genevieve): A recent study of stem cells in mice used only 24 mice, of which only six survived.
David (on our team, in a rebuttal): Six mice are better than zero.
Opposition (Niki, in counter-rebuttal): I agree, and thus we can conclude from this that the study was significant for stem cell research in mice.
David (after Niki sits down): ... Mice have feelings, too!

Joshua and Ravi were fiercely scolded by a woman who came up to the middle of Ravi's chest for flashing lasers into the ladies' at uni.

Dounan: I bet I've still been to more countries than you, biartch.
Soondoos (indignant): Excuse me?
Dounan: Oh sorry, I meant *biatch - typo, my bad.

I fooled Anika and Natalie N into thinking Shaun was Ryan McMillan, the drummer of Matchbox 20, to the point where Anika asked if they could take a photo with him.

... Shaun then introduced himself to Angela as "Ryan".

Eric L: You are clearly inferior to me.
Soondoos: I am NOT inferior to you.
Eric L: Yes, you are - inferiority is a defect carried on the Y chromosome.

"Okay, if you people want to watch The Ozzard of Wiz, you can watch it up here, but I'm going downstairs!" - Mum

I couldn't find my eyeliner one day so Ravi started feeling his pockets for his felt-tip pen, and was genuinely perplexed when he saw my withering glare.

Soondoos: Hey Ravi, I got a missed call from a private number earlier today, was it you by any chance?
Ravi: Me? Use my phone to... CALL someone? HAHAHAHAHA! That's my joke for the day.

Driver announcement on a Bankstown line train: "Next stop, Saint Peter."

Yathugiri (taking her shoes off while at the beach): Hey, will there be syringes in the sand? Am I going to get AIDS? Because I told my parents I'd be at the Botanical Gardens - is it possible to get AIDS at the Botanical Gardens?
Joseph: Tell your parents you had sex with a koala.

Soondoos: Mm, something smells really good.
Glenn: Must be my breath.

Soondoos (using the fail-safe reasoning she employed for most of first-semester Biology): It’s 'cause you're white.
Ted: You are not black! Stop thinking you're black! You're like, beige.

"What the hell is a pre-pay bus? Am I meant to swipe my sim card or something?" - Michael

Daryl: You're too young [to go clubbing] anyway, and you don't drink. So, no point really... plus you have no taste in music - well, RnB music at least.
Soondoos: Oh yes. By the laws of evolution, I should be extinct by now.
Daryl: Nah, you're the one that survives, and we see in 2000 years walking around saying "I disagree".
Soondoos: Thanks. That's flattering.
Daryl: Well I mean, the things killing everyone like obesity and cancer don't happen to you 'cause you're always indoors and don't gain weight... but I see in the future, you will still have major coordination problems. Luckily, by then things will be run by computers and the such.

Ms L: Soondoos, I love your shoes! Sir, have a look at Soondoos's shoes!
Soondoos: Oh, no, he'd never say they were nice.
Mr F (after looking at the shoes): I wouldn't be caught dead in them. They're too small.

"So from now on, if you need any help and can handle my ridicule, feel free to ask me for relationship advice that probably will land you with 20 exes." – Che

[While scrutinising our new Chemistry lecturer]
Wendi: I think he's in the wrong profession.
Soondoos: What would be the right one?
Wendi: Umm... a Hooley Dooley.

[During a discussion about optimists and pessimists]
"I don't see the glass as being half-full or half-empty. I see it as it is: at half capacity." – Joshua

Dad: Apparently Santa has a list of all the naughty kids and all the good kids?
Istabraq: Yeah, and all the naughty ones get are bags of charcoal and onions.
Dad: But that's good! They can have a barbecue!

Soondoos: So, can you come and help us with Genetics tomorrow?
Matthew (who, incidentally, is Korean and not Japanese): Hai, isshyo ni genetics no benkyoshimashyo! Doko ni shimasu ka? Minna ga kairu? Ja mata.
[To this day, I have no idea what he said.]

Anika made Ravi ask this massive bald transit officer if his grey jacket was made from real leather, leading Ravi to conclude that he can never again show his face at Strathfield station.

Interviewer: Would you rather be buried or cremated?
Ashley Boomington: I would like to be cremated, have my ashes put in a coffin, have that coffin thrown in the sea, have sharks gather around it and eat it, then have the sharks cremated and put their ashes in the Wimbledon trophy to be sprinkled every June before the semi-finals.

Soondoos: It's not like you can only either be skinny OR fat.
Anika: Yes, it is. See there's skinny, and there's fat, and then there's us.
Soondoos: And what are we?
Anika: Honey, we're perfect.

"Abbey [Michael's seven-year-old cousin] didn't believe me when I told her your name had four Os in it until I showed her the spelling... she says nothing has that many Os in it unless it's a number." - Michael

Ed Phillips on Temptation: Who am I? Born in Victoria in 1894, with last name beginning with "F", first name Albert -
Dad: Einstein!

Dad (pointing to Qur'an): What's this?
Mubariz (looking at Arabic calligraphy on the front): Um, Chinese book?

"In the real world, Mr. Darcy has several illegitimate children, probably has syphilis and a speech impediment, as well as two wooden legs, and is going bald. See, that's what a REAL man's like." - Eric L exhibiting a minor insecurity complex and simultaneously earning the contempt of every heterosexual female alive.

Dounan: Are you coming to the Med Sci dinner?
Soondoos: Probably.
Dounan: Awesome. So you're allowed out?
Soondoos: It depends on my parents.
Dounan: As if it depends! Tell them you're hanging out with safe guys like me who would never consider marrying you.

"But in actual fact, money is just the medium through which people express their own evilness. People are the root of all evil. I mean, money doesn't have feelings... like, Rupert Murdoch would still be evil with or without money, just less powerful without." - Tamanna

"It's a Christmas miracle!" - Istabraq upon discovering she had the exact change for her purchases at the Darrel Lea store.

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For Making This Year What It Was, I Thank...

Adelina for letting me feel I always have a friend in her, even though we no longer share almost-daily English classes.

Anika for being my [mostly :P] faithful and loving wife, and such a wonderful friend that people assume we must have spent our school years together.

Anna for always being warm and never being a stranger, even though I barely got to see her this year.

Anoosha for the late-night camel jokes and always lending a hand whenever I needed one.

Barakah for being the sort of sister I love no matter what.

Che for being one of my pillars of strength and for believing in me when I couldn't.

Daryl for his MSN conversations at 1 a.m. the night before final exams, and for being my friend even though I can't catch a ball (his words, not mine).

Denise for still being my adjacent piece of the puzzle, with distance and time not dulling our jigsawy nature.

Dounan for having the ability to switch between being a girl or guy friend should the time call for it, and being so unimitably Dounan all the times in between.

Emily H for being unreservedly lovely and bringing fun to so many Semester 1 classes.

Eric L for his honesty, humour and unwavering support.

Fareesa for always being ready for a chat and a hug.

Farouk for being my helpful, hectic, hardcore (I'd have said "gangsta" but I'm going for alliteration) Muslim brutha.

Genevieve for being so sweet and such fun to hang out with.

Guy Sebastian for still coming through for me even though he got married this year.

Haider for being a voice of reason, laughter and hope.

Hassina for making SCIF tutes impossible to keep a straight face in.

Humayun for being so supportive and putting up with so much of my nonsense, and making it feel like I was the one doing him the favour.

Istabraq for being the sort of sister I can almost call a friend, and for being more like me than she'll ever admit :P.

Jackson for making MATH1031 lectures almost enjoyable.

Joseph for being the coolest seventeen-year-old I know, but not for trying to straighten his lovely curls (for the love of God, stop, child, stop!).

Joshua for being one of the main reasons I made it through this year alive.

Julia for always being able to make me laugh and for that fiery Russian temper, which is now fortified with the cynicism bred by a Law degree.

Kan for always being there when I need him and for our good, long talks.

Katherine for being so adorable and brightening what could otherwise be long, forgettable train rides.

Khanh for still being my sunshine or any other climatic factor depending on my requirements, and for more than once being the thing keeping me together during those hellish weeks.

Lawson for going from a familiar name to a great friend, and making me feel privileged by doing so.

Matthew for thinking "pounani" was a Bangla word, and for always being a sweetie.

Melanie for always being so cheerful and making her conversations such a joy to watch.

Melissa L for always being ready with a hug and a kind word, and sharing the sufferings of a first-year science course with me.

Michael for being the best male sister a girl could ever ask for.

Mindy for being kinder than I ever deserved and always being so sweet.

Monica for being a model public transport companion in Semester 1.

Mujahid, Mubariz and Murabit for being the most wonderful human beings alive and making every other man I know pale in comparison to them.

Natalie N for being the reason I came to Genetics labs and for being my wonderful - oops, I mean - hectic western cuzn :P.

Natalie V for the words of advice and comfort, and "D&Ms at 3 a.m.".

Nushat for making the Bengali way of saying "Soondoos" endearing and for the laughs and good times.

PROCRASTINATORS ALLIED: Aditya P, Aditya V, Kiran, Natasha, Ravi, Savitha and Shaon for fielding questions and musings, providing advice and amusement and turning procrastination into a fine art. You guys are the bomb.

Ravi for always, always being a sweetheart, and making sure I know he's only ever a phonecall, email, SMS or half-hour's walk away.

Redhwan for being an endless source of one-liners and ripostes, and for letting people know I was a pirate ninja before they even learnt my name.

Richard for laughing at me, and laughing with me at other people.

Rony for being non-judgmental, willing to listen and advise and, most importantly, always oozing charisma :P.

Roxanne for being comprised of love and warmth and giggles and showering me in all three every time I see her.

Samantha C for being a sweetheart and for all the random talks and chit-chat.

Samantha L-W for being a cool American with such a hectic double-barrelled name.

Sandy for being such an adorable and simultaneously kickass Crunchie.

Shaun for always being lovely and making Semester 1 Biology labs a riot, and for playing along so well with the Ryan McMillan gag.

Sonia for always being so very sweet.

Tasnia for being our oh-so-very capable mum.

Victoria for being my kindred spirit, sharing "mutual turbulence" and making me realise that great friends are made depending not on how long you know each other, but how well you know each other.

Vishal for always being willing to lend a helping hand and making sure I didn't fall asleep during labs.

Vivian T for always being such fun to be around.

Wendi for all the train rides, talks and companionship, and especially for helping me through Semester 2.

Yathugiri for her infectious laughter, willingness to listen and talk, and her zest for life.

Zenna for being the sort of grown-up I'd like to one day become.

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2008:
The Year That Came To Be

  1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
    Attended uni. Fell in love with a fictional vampire. Painted my room.
  2. Did you make any resolutions for this year and will you make any for next year?
    For this year: Work hard. Don't be so lazy. Come out of my shell just a little more. Live life, now that I have a better chance to do so. Make new friends and get to know some new people. Oh and, as always, get fit.
    For next year: Work a little harder. Get better at going with the flow. Remember to tend to the bigger picture rather than the easel it rests temporarily upon. Stop using so many clichés. Use commas only when necessary. And - simply because it's traditional to resolve to do this and then fail - get fit.
  3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
    Outside of sitcom re-runs and my ever-extending extended family, no.
  4. Did anyone close to you die?
    Thankfully, no.
  5. What countries did you visit?
    The Land of Whoop-Whoop.
  6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
    More cash! Um, shoes that I don't already own. A special someone who doesn't make me want to clock them over the head with a mallet.
  7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
    That's for me to know and you to not find out x).
  8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
    Wow, that's a hard one... I'll say it was getting through the second half of this year in one piece.
  9. What was your biggest failure?
    Higher Chemistry.
  10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
    A frustrating, persistent cold and - oh yes, I have retained a scar to remind me of the injury obtained while wrestling with a computer desk to print a SCIF assignment (growls).
  11. What was the best thing you bought?
    My boots. Or the trampoline, though that wasn't really my purchase. Come to think of it, the first wasn't either...
  12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
    That of my incredible friends and Muntadar al-Zeidi, the champion who slippered George W. Bush.
  13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
    Certain people I trusted. Sonny Bill Williams. Oh, and Desi students who sang loudly on public transport without wearing earphones to at least look like they were singing along to something other than music that played in their heads. My quarrel rests not with the songs, but with the disturbance of public quiet. Actually, scratch the Desi students thing then and replace it with "people who are baboons on public transport".
  14. Where did most of your money go?
    Into the State Transit Authority's pockets. And perhaps some went into clothes.
  15. What did you get really, really excited about?
    The end of end-of-semester exams.
  16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
    There are a few:
    Say (All I Need) - OneRepublic
    Moving Mountains - Usher
    If I Were A Boy - Beyoncé
    We Made It - Busta Rhymes ft. Linkin Park
    Viva La Vida - Coldplay
  17. Compared to this time last year, are you a) Happier, or b) Sadder?
    It's impossible to say; my world was so much smaller a year ago than it is now, and so it makes sense that more things would affect me now than they did then... how can I properly compare the two times? I know I'd be lying if I said I was happier now than I was then, but at the same time I'm less naïve, more balanced and more aware of the power of dreams over daydreams. So overall... I'd like to think I'm healthier :)
  18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
    Fighting lethargy and stagnation. Staying in touch with more friends.
  19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
    Wallowing in lethargy and stagnation. Speaking before thinking. Investing so much in things that were bound to fail.
  20. Did you fall in love in 2008?
    Doubtful. I got hurt, if that counts for anything.
  21. What was your favourite TV program?
    I immersed myself in Frasier and Friends DVDs. On TV, I stuck to Cold Case and a bit of Fringe.
  22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
    Yes - Sonny Bill Williams.
  23. What was the best book you read?
    As always, the Book of God.
  24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
    OneRepublic.
  25. What did you want and get?
    Shoes. A new iPod.
  26. What did you want and not get?
    The iPod nano that was released a month after I got mine, offering twice the storage for the same price.
  27. What was your favourite film this year?
    The Dark Knight was pretty crazy. And can I just say, the biggest disappointment was probably Twilight. What in God's name possessed them to make Edward's silver Volvo a hatchback?!
  28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
    I had a lovely quiet night in with Roxy and Denise - we made an impromptu cake out of jelly sticks and ice cream, Roxy sang me Happy Birthday while Denise played guitar and I giggled and squealed like the seventeen-year-old juvenile that I became.
  29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
    Being able to have the things I wanted but knew weren't good for me... that would have been satisfying, but not worth the repercussions. It's worth remembering satisfaction is a short-term thing; personally, I'll forego some of that if I can attain Satisfaction's more stable isotope, Contentment.
  30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
    Clothing that ensured I did not freeze during winter and did not burn to a cinder during the hotter months.
  31. What kept you sane?
    Music. Family. Friends. God.
  32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
    Edward Cullen. I don't care if he exists only within a book or my imagination, he still outdoes every human male alive.
  33. What political issue stirred you the most?
    I don't know about stirring, but the US elections at least engaged my attention. Go Obama!
  34. Who did you miss?
    Quite a few people; old friends from school, friends from uni, people who used to be a huge part of my life and then no longer wanted to be so.
  35. Who was the best new person you met?
    That's not a fair question! It's my first year at university, I met too many people to make an informed (read: non-injury-incurring) decision on the one best new person I met :P.
  36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
    There's a few of them, so here goes: Remember that you are not less than any other human. Don't let your friends lose sight of you lest you lose sight of them when you need them most. Don't always try to make things happen to others; occasionally let yourself be happened to. And remember that above all, you have the precious power to make things happen for yourself.
  37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
    This was a very personal song for me this year, a reminder that I am a product of what I and those around me make me, and that that product can be strong, supported and supportive. On their own the words seem disconnected, but they play to the thrum of life and are a part of that bigger picture I mentioned before:

    "So open up your ears, let me give you guidance,
    Speak your sufferings, do not let them keep you silent,
    'Cause where you speak, I will give you actions,
    Where you slip, I'll be the grip for traction,
    And don’t let failure stare you down for good,
    'Cause I'm looking past it, we're getting out the hood."
    -- We'll Make It, Young C

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Well, my lovelies, that's all from me for this year. Take care of yourselves, have a wonderful New Year and I wish you all the best for 2009.

Tata,
Soondoos

QUOTE OF THE YEAR:
"There's nothing wrong with wanting something. Go and chase your dreams." - Memorable words from an unexpected source.

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tandoosi at 2:32 p.m.