That moment when...

...you get called about a job interview. Should be a fantastic moment right? You should be jumping up and down with joy because you'll finally have a job (hopefully).

Yeah, IF YOU'RE 18.

I'm not amused. I had looked up the minimum age requirement for this one place, and it said 16...but turns out it's actually 18. Because everything fun and exciting happens when you're 18. Obviously.



OBVIOUSLY.

The BIG REVEAL.

So what I tried to do was...

1. Cause & Effect
2. Narration
3. Example
4. Description
5. Comparison/contrast
6. Process Analysis

http://instantostrich.com/

You're so vain, you probably think this post is about you.

1. Even though hearing vain people talk about how pretty or successful they are can get irritating, it's also not good for that person either. Vanity makes people think they are invincible, and that there's nothing that can stop them from getting what they want. These people also usually think they can work as little as possible while they try to attain their goal, because they "already know" they'll be successful. By doing this, they're setting themselves up for failing one day, because they tried to breeze through and rely on their good luck to get what they want. It doesn't happen right away, but it almost always does in the end. Also, the people that think they're super hot...they too will be old someday (cool related image).



2. Vanity is not a cute quality. I can't walk into the bathroom without meeting a group of girls crowding around the mirror. It's almost impossible to catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror to make sure you don't have something on your face, or that your hair isn't sticking straight up. They look at you like "why are you even bothering?" and then continue to apply bronzer (you're already orange), lipstick (not natural looking in any way) and curl their hair (it's true). Even after they look what a normal person would classify as above average, they keep staring at themselves in the mirror, fixing a single curl so that it sits right. 


3. Narcissus, a hunter from Greek mythology, is the epitome of vanity. He though-t himself to be so good looking that he disparaged those that loved him the most, and thought he ranked much higher than them due to his good looks. His arrogance was not rewarding in the end, however; it is said that he was attracted to a pool by Nemesis, where he saw his reflection and fell in love with it, not realizing it his own reflection. He refused to leave, and eventually ended up dying there. This teaches us that when we're so obsessed with ourselves, it can be fatal. 


4. My hair is so soft. I could just run my fingers through it all day...it never catches on any clumps because my hair is silky and perfect. Each individual hair kisses my fingers and then glides away. My hair falls perfectly across my forehead (unlike some girls at school, thank God) and didn't get in my eyes, the eyes that were made up perfectly this morning. My make up really helped them stand out against my complexion. Lovely! "Can you move? I need to look in the mirror too." A voice behind me said. Ugh, some people are so vain. I thought as I moved away (*this is made up, I swear).


5. Vanity is often confused with confidence, but there is a fine line separating the two. When a person is described as being vain, it's never done so with admiration, with a longing to be like that person. Confidence is when a person has high self esteem, and they are conscious of the things they're capable of. Confident people often have an air of self assurance, but its not done so in a flaunting manner. The term vanity has a negative connotation, and it basically means to have "an inflated pride in oneself or one's appearance" (cite!). There is a very thin line between confidence and vanity, but it is definitely there. 


6. Why are people vain? In my opinion, it's because they're insecure. When a person is insecure, they not only need others to compliment them, but they need to tell themselves that they're pretty or they're successful to feel like they're good enough. It makes sense: why else would an obviously attractive or smart person need to think of the obvious? There are many people who know they're beautiful or clever, but they don't feel the need to constantly reflect upon it every minute of every day.

How to: Instantly have voice in your writing.

I've figured out a quick fix when it comes to sounding like "you" in your writing.

Write whatever you need to write in your blog. I'm serious. I just typed a college supplemental essay right in this "New Post" section for my blog, because whenever I tried to handwrite it or even type it into Google Docs/Microsoft word, I said things like "I strongly believe" and "this would encourage" and who are we kidding, I don't talk like that. 

People would call me pretentious if I did. 

Too bad I figured this awesome trick out at 2:30 AM...

Shaadi.

Shaadi. This is the Pakistani/Indian word that means wedding.

Weddings in Pakistan (I'll focus on Pakistan because that's where I've seen weddings, and it's where I'm from. Also some of the things I talk about might not be common in India) can be described by many different things, but usually words like colorful and festive come to mind.

There are three main days that make up a shaadi. They are known as mendhi (pre-wedding party), barat (actual wedding day) and valima (after wedding party). These days aren't like...72 hours of constant partying. It's like each day is a celebration in its own.

My cousin Amna
that got married in  2008

When a Pakistani person hears the word "mendhi" with regards to the party (because it's also the word meaning henna) they immediately think yellow.

The bride-to-be wears all yellow, and a majority of the guests wear warm colors like yellows, oranges, and reds (it's not a requirement though...notice I am wearing green). There's fat yellow and orange marigolds and jasmine flowers decorating the entire place, and the bride is adorned in the jasmine flowers as well. They wear jewelry that's made out of flowers (as you can see on my cousin) and the smell is like a natural perfume.

Amna and my brother, Mustafa

Mendhis typically have a lot of loud, celebratory practices associated with it, such as playing the dohl that an experienced aunt sits and plays, and singing and dancing. Mendhis are usually a celebration that are just with one side of the wedding, such as the bride with her family or the groom with his family. The two families mingle for the first time at the barat.

The dances are usually groups of people that perform a dance they've been practicing for weeks. I did one at Amna's wedding, and it was a ton of fun.

My family on the day of Amna's barat.

The next day of the shaadi is the barat. This is the day when the bride wears deep maroon colors, and loads of heavy jewelry, and little girls always look at the bride with admiration because they look so beautiful and different from what they usually look like.

The groom wears a saafa on his head, and wears flowers (funny, right? How the guys wear flowers and not the girls, so different from "American" weddings).

Getting dressed up for this day as a guest and as a bride is fun, because you get to go all out. Almost nothing is "over-the-top" or "too-much" (notice the velvet components of my outfit? Yeah...just like that).
For girls that like getting all fancy, it's a dream come true.

Amna & Saif

The barat is the main component of the wedding ceremony, when the bride is officially given away to the groom as a part of his family from that day on. The bride and groom sit on a stage, and meet and take pictures with all the guests that have come to their wedding. They feel like famous people for a day, so what's not to love?

Amna & Saif

My Family

The last day of the wedding celebration is the valima. This like a really extreme after party, that needs to be held a day after the actual barat so that everyone, especially the bride and the groom, are able to enjoy it. The bride and groom are usually more relaxed and stress free on this day, because the actual wedding has taken place, and they can meet with their guests with more ease. The groom and other male guests usually wear suits, and the female guests wear a more relaxed type of outfit than what they wore for the barat. Dressing up is still important for a valima, but not as much as it is for the barat. The bride still has to wear the more complex outfit, but it can be of a different color. The
 
    The valima is really fun, because everyone's had a chance to meet and     get to know each other a bit more than they did at the barat, when it was awkward-first-time-meeting conversations.





I think that American weddings tend to be a much calmer affair, while Pakistani weddings are more rambunctious and boisterous event. Like I said, when one thinks of a Pakistani wedding, you think color. After reading this blog post, I bet you will too, am I right?

Literally, this is a dope blog post.

When you think about it, it's amazing how people can manage to evolve things used in their daily lives, such as technology, music, etc. Even with concrete languages which should have set-in-stone definitions that are recognizable by most of the people that speak that language, slang creates a barrier. Usually pitched in between adolescents and adults, there are certain words that one generation would assume to mean one thing, while the other generation interprets it as something completely different.

You may have heard of Urban Dictionary. If you haven't, there's the link there (fair warning: there's a lot of inappropriate definitions). I thought it would be interesting to take the definitions of words that are common in teen slang and compare them to the definitions given in Merriam Webster.

Let's look at some examples:
Dope.

Merriam Webster definition:
1 a : a thick liquid or pasty preparation
b : a preparation for giving a desired quality to a substance or surface
2 : absorbent or adsorbent material used in various manufacturing processes (as the making of dynamite)
3 a (1) : an illicit, habit-forming, or narcotic drug; especially :marijuana (2) : a preparation given to a racehorse to help or hinder its performance
b chiefly Southern : a cola drinkc : a stupid person
4 : information especially from a reliable source <the inside dope>

Urban dictionary, on the other hand:
People who do not do drugs call Marajuanna Dope.
People who do Marajuanna call Heroin Dope.
Word has also been used to describe how good somthing is.
Don't you be somkin' dope! ( AKA Marajuanna )
OMG, I smoke the green but I don't do dope ( AKA Heroin )
Man that car is dope!

Isn't that interesting? The "actual" meaning of the word dope is something, for the most part, very different from what teenagers would think it to be. Most adults would assume it to mean related to drugs when they first hear it, whereas teenagers would think it synonymous to "cool."

Other words:
Tight vs. Tight.
(It's cool because the primary slang meaning of this word is eighth on the "real" dictionary, whereas it's first on the other "slang" one. Also...the slang one has kind of a raunchy definition as one of them, so here's my warning to be careful.)
Sick vs. Sick.
(Very, very different.)
Fly vs. Fly.
(No similarities whatsoever.)
Hardcore vs. Hardcore.
(Hmm.)

And when they cross over? Well...

That's not the only way that language has evolved. One thing about language skewing that really pisses me of is when you use the word in what you think its in the right context but it. is. not!
Literally. Do you know what this means? Are you positive? Literally means what actually happened with NO exaggeration. So when someone says "Oh my God, you literally scared me to death!" Wow, are you sure? I'm pretty sure you're still alive, unless you're a ghost. Relating to this, this makes me laugh so hard.
Legitly. This is so not a word. At all (see? It's underlined). The word you are looking for is legitimately.


Another thing that has changed? Teenagers also really like to shorten their words. Time saving, obviously, we're so busy, right?:
Probs. Adorbs. Btdubs. Totes. Whatevs. Ohemgee. Presh.
Some of these make me really irritated...like btdubs. I cannot stand that phrase, for some reason.



Anyways...whatevs. I totes literally love it when people make up new words...legit.

Words of Wisdom: Learning to be happy.

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.

Phyllis Diller

A smile is the light in the window of your face that tells people you're at home.

Author Unknown

If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it.

Andy Rooney

At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.

Jean Houston

 

What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.

Yiddish Proverb

Seven days without laughter makes one weak.

Mort Walker

Those who can laugh without cause have either found the true meaning of happiness or have gone stark raving mad.

Norm Papernick

Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open.

John Barrymore

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.

Nathaniel Hawthorne

I hope at least one of these pictures made you smile. If not...end of term tomorrow! Hopefully that does it.