whoop whoop!

BAM! that's right suckas. 95% on my Arabic midterm. 

Oh, and I went on a photography/camping trip to moab last week. Kinda boring, really cold, but overall good. 

oh, and i love silhouettes. 

thoughtful thursday

so this is what's on my mind. in the form of mini letters. yes, i did copy other blogs, but whatever.

dear american heritage,

        

     please die. 8 am labs. what was i thinking? thank heaven for the GRE.

dear ucky snow mush,

     please disappear. you're  ruining my shoes, pants, and my knees.

dear five week cough,

     i'm sick of you. you make it hard for me to go to school in the mornings. really, who likes to cough so hard they throw up? not i. and yes, i have busted blood vessels in my throat because of you.

dear fall semester,

    i've actually loved you the entire time. i've been productive, learned so much, and enjoyed myself the most out of all the other semesters (except for the class previously mentioned). i feel like i'm slowly forming a direction with my life.

dear hair,

    there still hasn't been one moment where i've regretted cutting you. even though that little girl in the airport turned to her mom, and while pointing to me said, "mommy, that boy likes to dress like a girl." or when i was in line to get my hot bread from the cougar eat, and the man serving me looks me straight in the eyes and says, "and what can i get for you today, sir?" and despite his reaction of complete shock and disbelief when i corrected him, i still love you. in my opinion, you make me look more feminine. sure, you may be poofy at times, and you might love to get all gnarly when i wake up, but overall, you are my favorite haircut so far. thanks for the good times. (no worries, the parents will learn to love you).

dear arabic,

   i am sad our first semester together is over. also, your alphabet is exceptionally beautiful, and i love writing and writing and writing. you have taught me much in the ways of studying. even though you require so much time, i feel right about you. for some reason, i feel so drawn to the middle east. it interests me so much. maybe because it was so much of the past, and will be so much of the future. maybe because of this story:

 A cabinet minister in Egypt, aware of the common ground shared by Muslims and Latter-day Saints, once remarked to Elder Howard W. Hunter of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles that “if a bridge is ever built between Christianity and Islam it must be built by the Mormon Church.” - link

maybe because i want to be a bridge builder. our class became so much like a family. (of course, because of my faux hawk, i was labelled the family rebel.) i learned about loving. 

dear brother merrill,

    you are my favorite religion teacher, and possibly the best (i've had 5, so i feel this is a valid statement.) thank you for not making everything all nice and fluffy for your students. thank you for telling us straight up, the first day of every semester that, "liars go to hell." it just sets the standard for your class the rest of the semester. thank you for teaching in such a way that i not only feel the spirit in class, but when i'm studying at home as well. some of my favorite quotes:

"moral relativism requires no sacrifice at all, and you can't be saved without sacrifice." (in response to korihor's argument.)

"everything in the universe obeys the laws given unto it, so far as i know of, except man."

"it's more blessed to marry a peacemaker than a model. but it's pretty good if you can get both."

"it's okay to let your light shine, just don't toot your own horn."

"if you don't forgive, you just assumed the role of christ."

"he chose to be alienated from the world, rather than isolated from God." - referring to moroni

"a coincidence is a miracle in which God remains anonymous."

"big miracles are internal, not external."

"The miracle wasn't that the Lehi saw a burning bush, it was that he saw a bush."

anyway, thanks again. 

dear sleep, 

   i'm coming. 

A: Arabic

What are all those little squiggles? Well... 

"God is the Light of the Heaven and Earth. The parable of His Light, is, as it were, that of the niche containing a lamp: the lamp is [enclosed] in glass, the glass [shining] like a radiant star [a lamp] lit from a blessed tree – an olive tree that is neither of the east nor of the west – the oil whereof [is so bright that it] would well - nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not touched it: light upon light! God guides onto His Light him that wills [to be guided]; and [to this end] God propounds parables unto men, since God [alone] has full knowledge of all things."

Guess what, it actually says something: 

"The water runs rapidly below the ships' bellies, screeching noisily against the tar and solid planks. They swim in it with their bows cutting through the gale. Though if an elephant was driven into it, he'd stop in fear. The masters may have to take them trough straits where the waves hit rapidly against the sides, rushing past them as a herd of camels may be rushed by an astute herder." 

It's gorgeous. Well, not when I speak it, but I love it. 

And now I'm coveting once more. A print of the first picture would be a dream. 

Ahmed Moustafa