I don't think I want to have a final destination. But after I have lived in every country in the world (unless I die, whichever comes first) I'll stop moving around so globally, and content myself with restricting my nomadic tendencies to a certain region. Preferably a muslim country but yet one that's interesting and cosmopolitan enough, like UAE or Malaysia.

You good sir, excel in taking things literally. I meant fascinated as in 'extremely interested'. Now you think about it, doesn't you implying that I derive some kind of sadistic pleasure from watching warfare, sound teensy bit silly? Yeah, thought so. Also, try and appreciate the slightly ironic value of the word 'funny'. *sigh* I know it shouldn't happen, but there aren't many people can honestly say that they are shocked by every report of somebody dying in Najaf or the West Bank. I think once there are so many victims, the individual takes a backseat to the overall political issue.

That's interesting actually. Maybe it's because the strikes on both sides that occur are always for the same reasons. Take the Iraq war for instance. In the beginning I was glued to the TV, fascinated by every building that got damaged and every life that was taken. However, lately, I seem a little numb to the reports like 'Five people killed in Najaf'. I think the same thing is happening in the media regarding the Palestine-Israel issue, where the day to day conflicts are no longer news because they're so similar to everything else that has happened in the past. However if some new major development happens in either political strongholds, you know, the stuff that rises beyond the everyday disputes over the latest few inches of stolen Palestinian land, this issue would be back in the news. Funny that the worse and longer people suffer, the less we seem to care about them.

I think it's perfectly alright to send a man (a male friend especially) flowers to say 'thank you' or 'congratulations' or 'sorry'. However, to say 'I love you', I don't know. It could be a nice departure from the norm and a lovely surprise, especially if the man is the one usually sending you flowers. Just don't send red roses. Apparently that's not a very masculine flower, or so they say.

I'm I the only one who finds this utterly hilarious? :eek:

You should only need one motivation for studying. Just LOVE what you're doing. Be so delirously in love with your subject that you will start to despair when another holiday arrives. When you believe that you are having more fun than you've ever had before, when you are thirsting for any tidbit of knowledge that will make you understand your subject even more, you will be standing in front of your library at 5am. Honestly, loving what you're studying is all the motivation you need. There's no pressure when you're having fun every day. I study filmmaking, and honestly I really look forward to the assignments and essays and courseworks. In fact, working on an essay could be one of the highlights of my week. Also I imagine what it would be like to do something other than the course I'm doing, like business studies (which is what I used to do before). And then I'm so overwhelmed by gratitude and an all-consuming adoration for my university course that I hug my seminar tutor to make sure it's not just a dream. (it helps that he's really cute too ). However if you don't really truly love your subject and are truly interested in it, motivating yourself can be a chore. In fact, I don't think you should try to motivate yourself at all, instead you should look for a course where you will never need any kind of persuasion to immerse yourself in it.

Originally posted by Gaasira: The decision to marry is often as a result of a discussion, which ends in a mutual agreement. Rather dull, but practical. Yes I agree. It's romantic to be surprised by choking on a ring that was buried into your dessert. But I wouldn't want the proposal to be the first time the discussion of marriage occurs. Like Gaasira said, it's more practical to see if you're compatible on various issues such as money, kids, work and where you want to live. I wouldn't want the guy to spend a fortune on a ring (as he should ), and then find out that you don't want to get married. I wouldn't propose, but I wouldn't want him to either. I think proposals should be discussions, which also avoids the issue of rejection in the middle of a restaurant or something. Besides, then you can go shopping for an engagement ring together and pick something you will really like. Because let's face, you can't really trust a man's opinion on women's jewellery

Originally posted by WarYaa DuDe: man it's the voice of our people. TUPAC!!! :cool: That's the problem, it's not the voice of our people. Because our people apparently don't like the individual African-American for whom these songs are being written.

Originally posted by SHOOBARO: hello all Last night i had a wierd dream and i don't know wat it ment...well it goes....or wat i remember of it... I was going around on a skate-board looking for ALADDIN and finnaly i saw him in egypt he was chilaxing right by the pyramids with couple friends, so i aproached him and said "brother aladdin i come to you today for a big favor" he was qiute polite n said "wat iz't" i said "well brother i need ta borrow ur flying CARPET" he was shocked with the request and said "bu but that's my only means of transportation, came on brah anything but that" so i started pleading with him offered him my skate-board in return and i told him that i had a big mission ta complete. So finnaly he said "ok" so i thanked him for his generosity and left to accomplish my mission, i flew high in the sky watching the pyramids disappear before my eyes. went over to the OCEAN and started painting the Entire ocean by my self (bad rinjiyees aan bilaabay) but here is the funny part i was talking to the keepers of the sea (whales, sharks seals, and the dolphins)they were all asking me ta stop what i was doing and i was telling them i hav ta do this. I think it was one of the sharks that asked "WHY THIS COLOR" and i remember saying "because it's pritty YELLOW IS A NICE COLOR" than the phone rang and i woke up. Krazy dream huh....ACUUDU BILAAH....on top of everything i really HATE the color yellow SO GUYS WHAT DO U THINK THIS DREAM MEANS, i for one don't hav a clue...or IF any one else has had krazy or wierd dream like mine...pls stand up, pls stand up asxantu Oh man, this dream is portentous on so many levels. First of all, the fact that Aladdin was in Egypt at all signifies that one day you are going to be a Russian man with a small shop that sells warm bottles of fanta. The reason for this is pretty obvious. Consider this, Aladdin comes from an ARABIAN fairy tale (even though in the actual tale he is Chinese), so what is one of the things arabs are NOT? Yes, that's right, RUSSIAN. Everybody knows Arabs are NOT Russians. So Aladdin was in Egypt you say? Well I went there on a holiday once, and Egypt is filled with shops that sell warm Fanta, so that clearly and without a doubt, explains why you want to own a shop that sells warm fanta. Let's move on. THe swapping of skateboards for carpets clearly denotes fear of impotence. See, what you are doing is swapping something hard for something soft. So far we have established that you really are an Russian shop-owner who wants something other than his gross sales to go up. Next we have the pyramids disappearing, which obviously means that you like to rub yourself in Strawbery Marmelade (duh). Because pyramids are made of STONE which is very different from SILK which has nothing to do with SUPERMAN who never goes SUNBATHING which is an concept completely irrelevant to that of SUGAR which is the basic ingredient of STRAWBERRY MARMELADE. And you know everybody loves to rub themselves in strawberry marmelade. You see how it all comes together? Next on the list is your bizarre urge to re-decorate the ocean. First of all oceans are BIG. Which means you are worried about your diet. Second, oceans contain vast amounts of water, and there are many people in the world who don't use water with their cornflakes. Third, there are many fish in the ocean. So what does this mean? Hang on, the self-appointed resident psychiatrist will explain. However, the fish in the oceans signify that you will have to marry someone who smells like a fish and who then will steal all the money you made from all the warm-fanta selling. This will leave you bankrupt and alone. The sizen of the ocean indicates that one day you're going to be fat and your friends will hate you, but then you are going to invest money into a drug enterprise which will fund a lavish but destructive lifestyle, until one day you see the light and decide to mediate in the mountains of Tibet. I don't know where the colour yellow comes in, and basically I don't want to think about it, because I can't stand the freakin' colour. So the future is going to be, ehh, 'interesting' to say the least.

I don't think some of the comments on that forum are wholly unjustified. You know what, most Somali people I've met are racist. Not just towards non-Somalis, but ten times worse towards their fellow Somalis. In fact, I have often been given the impression that Somalis hold any other race to be superior to a Somali from another clan. The people I've met go around ostracising other Somalis left and right because their hair isn't the right density or their teeth aren't symmetrically aligned, the way theirs are. How often have I been told that 'oh no, those people are okay when they work for you, but girls like us don't marry guys from clan-so-and-so'. It's disgusting. Most Somali people I know are very much attuned to their black African heritage when there is a Malcom X film on TV, or when Nelson Mandela holds a speech. Yet the way they view the individual Nigerian neighbour or the Zimbabwean taxi-driver puts any hard-core National Front sympathiser to shame. They seem to relate to black people and the whole concept of 'blackness' on macro-level. What's worse is, certain aspects of being black (or rather, those that some morons associate or deem an essential part of being black) seem favourable. Then you get a situation where black means two things. People with Negroid descent and their culture, and black in terms of general popular culture. The latter is suddenly the very essence of being Somali. How often have I been called white, because I don't like rap music or because I don't mess up my tenses to sound cool, or because I don't think 'dog' is an appropiate term of affection. Sometimes I can't help but think that Somalis are a confused lot by nature.

Originally posted by Gediid: What next maybe a day at the spa or bikini wax if thats what they call it........... huh, doesn't everybody here get a bikini wax every month?

the one thing that made laugh was calling it 'poopie'

Well I have been like that when I'm working, where I try to avoid the Somali people, only because I am embarrassed to speak in Somali as I don't know the language as well as I should. I have often been told that I speak like an 8-year old, and they tend to be amused by my accent. Maybe he was feeling the same way.

I got 50%, which I think is just about right. I don't eat bananas with everything you see.

What you are suggesting is a sense of censorship. The be-silent-if-you-don’t-have-anything-worth-saying mentality deployed can easily be transformed into, “don’t speak, unless we find it useful”. Good God, I'm so tired of hearing this all the time from Somali people with their communistic beliefs that every (in this case, intellectual) property belongs to the general community. I personally am sick of having my words scrutinised by people I know, for their patriotic worth. I think a lot of young intelligent Somali people today face this pressure to employ their talents in manner that will benefit their ‘nation’. Often accompanied by the excessive (and cruel) use of emotional blackmail, to amass a pool of talent for the greater good. These communistic tactics serve nothing but to alienate the youth who feel pressured into a practising something, decreed to be of value by a few. I would say the reason are nation’s gone to pieces, is that we never had any individual progress. I would say, let every Somali individual find their passions, eventually some of that passion will seep back through into the community. I’m not advocating complacency however, just the promotion of individuality. If a reasonably intelligent Somali student decides to study the arts instead of Medicine or Engineering, something barely short of social castigation occurs. As a film student who had quite good grades in school I have often been subject to this form of manipulation and contempt, by a minority who personally have done nothing to empower and improve their community in any way. I think a lot of decent and intelligent Somali people face the same pressure these days. Where they are judged by their potential value to Somalia, rather than any personal attributes that complement them. Honestly, if you want to change the world, there are better forums than the internet to do so. Go do something practical, and don’t patronise the people here for their interests, just because it doesn’t have the magic power to rebuild a broken nation. You seem to forget what a forum like SOL has accomplished. It’s given scattered Somalis a place to reunite. It’s allowed people like me who don’t feel as much part of their local Somali community, to prevent becoming too alienated from their culture. I personally am an ardent promoter of free speech of all kinds. We need the drivel as much as the coherently directed symphony of intellectual thought. These trivial subjects in the forums you speak of, are what matters. I hope you are not suggesting that we curb our personal experiences of our daily lives, so that we may discuss what you think is ‘important’. And finally, remember verbosity doesn’t equal intelligence.

My favorite book of all time!: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. THis is the book that changed my life. As a child, it was the first book to teach me that there is no good or evil in the world, just people trying to cope with life as best as they can. This is one of those rare books that are heartwrenchingly sorrowful while at the same time celebrating such themes as hope and redemption. I love the idea that people can change, and that often they change for the better. The way it makes a former thief the protagonist and a policeman the antagonist (I use these terms loosely, like said, there's no good or evil), magnificently demolishes the boundary between people of different stations. I love it! No other book has ever come close to touching me, they way this one did. - The Fourth hand by John Irving Another book about redemption (my favorite theme). It's about people finding what they have always wanted when they lose something they always treasured. It's Irving's best book in my opinion. - Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien For when I need a good dose of heroism to remind me that there are things worth fighting for. - Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte When I first read this book as a teenager, I didn't like it, because it seemed like it was about one tragedy after another. But now I'm older, I can see that it isn't about tragic set pieces, but about the question of guilt.

Okay, dear listen to auntie Xu here. LET HIM GO! You can't force a guy to commit, and even if he does after you push, he will always wonder if it was the right thing to do. And he'll be more likely to leave you when things are more seriously. And honestly, what do you want with a guy who needs to be 'pushed' in order for him to stay with you? I'm sure he's a great guy, but you can do much better than him. Don't wait around, until he decides that it's the 'right time' and comes running back to you. Let him know you're not spending your life waiting for him to make his mind up. Go out, have fun, take care of your life, eventually he might grow up and if you still love him, I hope things work out. If not, find yourself a better man, one who wants commit to you as much you want to him. Good luck figuring it all out.

- Andrea Bocelli - Lenny Kravitz - Mozart - Nancy Sinatra - Tracy Chapman - Michael Jackson - Sting - Eminem - Alanis Morisette - Usher that's all I can think of for now

Originally posted by Qac Qaac: u r very smart u could get it for yourself. hmm, that's what I would say if I didn't have any arguments left. But then again, if I didn't, I would just admit it.

Well in my case it's purely for the knowledge and the pleasure I gain from my course. The industry I want to work in is extremely competetive (the movie business), and an university degree can't guarantee me anything. However I'm the type of person who needs a challenge and a way of expressing myself. I used to do a business degree, because I believed it would lead me to a well-paid job. However, every second I spent studying, I knew I was cheating myself out of something better. I didn't want to turn into one of those middle-aged business executives saying wistfully to their sons: - "Oh yeah, I wanted to be a director when I grew up" - "Why didn't you become one?" - "Oh I don't know. Why didn't I?" Yes, I have enough qualifications to fall back on if my dream doesn't work out, but at least I won't grow old without having tried.

Well I only mentioned independence day as an example, I never said you had to celebrate it. Just if a muslim wanted to celebrate it, I didn't see any objections from an Islamic point of view. Do some research? Oh gosh, I thought Mother's Day stood for 'celebrating your mother' and Independence stood for when the colonist declared their independence from the English. But obviously that's not all! Since you implied that you know something about this that I don't, care to enlighten me what these days stand for?

Originally posted by Careca-1990: I personally love the fact that western 'whites' have this notion instilled into their minds from a very young age that they need to find work after their studies are over and are more or less on their own in that respect. They work all their lives and try to do the best they can. What they do with their money is something i dont agree with. Then our culture has that 'family' feel which is beautiful. Tracing back your for-fathers, knowing yr extended family and treating them all like yr brothers and sister is something that wester cultures just cant begin to grasp. I tell my work colleuges that my family is similar to the film 'My big fat gree wedding' and their like :eek: . They cant walk into their cousins houses and make themselves a cup of tea, that if they know them at all apart fom weddings and funerals hey have no contact whatsoever,,,, Obviously our culture also has bad parts to it, but if u try to enjoy the best of both worlds then its all good. I know, that's what I love about my culture too. I love how when I'm in a strange city where I don't know anyone and I'm lost, I can rely on any somali family to take me in and feed me and take care of me. I like how when someone dies, the whole Somali community (including people you've never spoken to) comes to your house and helps you, and cooks for you, leaving their own affairs to help you with yours. You don't find that as much with English people.

Originally posted by Qac Qaac: Aren't u there living with your mom everyday, and if u do, u don't say i love u to your mom atleast once a day. mother's day is for gaalo who don't live with their mom, and this is their chance to go back home and say i love u mom. shaabella said it is not islamic holdiay. we are not against celebrating mother's day for our mothers. but we are against us copying eveything the gaalo do. khaaliful mushrikiina wal kaafiriin. so celebrate with your mom, in noon times, evenings, mornings eveytime u get a chance not only one day from a year. Mombasa queen nice topic, cutelilgirls, well said. shaabella u closed the case. CK, what... u actually celebrate... loool waad ilbaxday hayye. ilaahey hakuu siyaadiyo ilbaxnimadaada. I just want to say I disagree with you there. Just because it's invented by gaalo, doesn't mean it's wrong for muslims to participate in it. Democracy was invented by gaalo, advanced medical technology was invented by gaalo etc., does that mean it's wrong for muslims to copy those things? Mother's Day is not a Christian holiday, it's a cultural thing. Some muslim countries celebrate things that are not mentioned in Islam, but that don't go against it either. I know a lot of Somali who think like that. That just because they are gaal, everything that springs from their mind goes against Islam. Islam encourages devotion to your mother, and makes it even compulsory. Yes, you should show nothing but affection and respect towards your mother every single day, but Islam would be the last religion in the world to stand against celebrating the sacred institution of motherhood. And I don't see anything wrong with Muslims who live in a non-muslim country, people who were born and raised there, to participate in some of the cultural events. I don't see anything wrong with Muslims celebrating Independence Day in the USA, even if it is invented by gaalo. Just because the Prophet (peace be upon him) didn't do something, it doesn't mean it can't be good. In a sense, when a Muslim celebrates Mother's Day, the way I see it, is that he knows more than any other, how important a mother really is. If you personally don't believe in it, that's just fine. I don't celebrate it every year (sometimes I even forget), but not because it's a day orginally invented by gaalo. It doesn't matter whose idea it was first to perform a certain act, what's important is the individual intentions behind the person commiting the act.

I met somebody I love on the internet. However, when we met we were just friends, it was just two friends hanging out. We were friends for 6 months, before things changed. I would say, looking for love on the internet might not be the best idea. It gives you the false impression that you know someone, while really you don't until you meet them. Then comes the whole element of disappointment and stuff. I would say meet people you know online, because you desire their friendship. Friendship is always a great way to get to know a person. But don't go in expecting love. For that, you'd better off going out and meeting people in 'real life'.

Okay first of all, so what if it's not an Islamic holiday, it's not like it infringes upon the domain of Islam, it's the opposite in fact. Also, yes we should shower our mothers with love and attention every single day of the year, however, how many of you can honestly say that you do that? Mother's day is also a celebration of motherhood, not just an excuse to be nice to her. I'm sure mothers would love to have one day exclusively devoted to them, where every member of the family celebrates her. Also Mombassa-Queen, it is not good form to say to people to 'stay out of your business' when they don't agree with you. This forum by its very nature invites discussion.