Mums know best

Dear All

There are no other words than those of my sincere apology to any and all of you who seldom check in here to see what the weirdest species of this planet are up to. There is no other reason for our absence than a simple "just didn't have time" excuse. I know how you must feel. It must be the same feeling that I get when I hear Lalita's answering machine say to me "I am not really in the mood of picking the phone even though I am sitting 5 steps away from it, so leave a message after the tone. Or not, I don't really care" or something along those lines.

So are we now going to be one of those couples who fight and then one of them acts like nothing has happened and go on living like usual, hoping that the other will come around too ? As annoying as that must be, I'll do just the same. Ignorance is bliss !!

We are currently on our second work placements and I am working at a special needs school. I work with some of the most beautiful children and some of the warmest hearts to have been blessed to this world. It wasn't the most ideal place in accordance to my aspirations but I am very glad I ended up here. It has been my honour to see this world in a different light and to realise that love needs no words for its introduction. It is purely in the act, the smile and the way you look at someone. There are angels on this earth in every corner but we are made not to see them. Our loss.

I have been swarmed by extra stress recently which gives me a water-tight alibi that I have not been up to my dark lord-ly ways (I am afraid I am losing my touch). With all my due busyness, I felt that I had to write this blog post today. My mum has left this snow cold city for our warm hometown glory, for three weeks. When she left, I thought to myself "How bad could it be ? ". Turns out very. I am now in charge of everything from waking up on my own to not only feeding myself but also my sisters and my dad. I could almost write a book about my hardships faced in my first week (so 3 books by the end of 3 weeks) but doing that would mean that I had time to breath, which I didn't. Not until now I haven't. The worst part is that I am not even at the liberty to complain about the matter because my mother, that petite little thing with an un diagnosed border line OCD of cleanliness does all of these things all day every day 365 days of the year. I don't think I can actually do this any longer than I am required to do. I have almost started to lose my temper which I have been sworn (on the life of harry potter) to keep under control (we're only into our first week of this un-voluntary social experiment).
The evenings are lonely and the TV is boring without her. No one sings to the theme music of The Secret Circle or suggests that they should put that on before and after every advert break. I have reached the conclusion that mums have special super powers like Clark Kent (because that's the only explanation)
So don't under estimate the power of mums because even with all the crap she gets from everyone at home, she still smiles for you when you want and makes you feel warm no matter how cold it is outside. Most of all she is the very best you've got.

“Some are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together.”

With love
Emily xx

Because there is nothing called "too much harry potter"

So I've finally been blessed with the viewing of deathly hallows part 2. It happened on a fine day of September. Yes you heard me right (or read me right ). That's 2 months after the film was released in cinemas but the astonishing thing is not that I have seen it so late in time ( it definitely is)  but that it's still on in the cinemas. May be it was all worth the wait as I watched the movie on the IMAX 3D screen. I don't think i could have been more closer to Hogwarts than this. I felt like I could actually touch Snape's face when he turns around in the starting scene. It was real, like we all always wanted it to be. However I am not here to promote IMAX cinemas, I am sure everyone has had the opportunity of paying a ridiculously high amount for watching a movie. I would have thrown a tantrum if I had to pay so much for a movie but not this one, because this was harry potter.
I don't think I've had goosebumps for more than 5 minutes at a time and how long was DH2 ? 2.5 hours ? I had goosebumps for 2.5 hours! No kidding !. I cried at few of the scenes, the part where Snape dies, Snape's and lily's scenes, the scenes with the resurrection stone, when harry goes to the forbidden forest and when the statues come alive. So yeah, almost the whole movie. I am sure I can go on and on about the movie forever but that would only appeal to "potter heads" as some might call us.

I don't think the casting directors could have chosen a better cast than this one. I sometimes feel that they are actually muggle alias's of the actual characters. I am sure they fell the same. I must add that I've never had a favourite villain before but that vacancy has now been taken by Bellatrix lestrange. I feel that no one could have done a better job being her than Helena Bohman carter.

On a more general note I'll like to add that it was an emotional experience for many of us as characters they've come to know, love and care about make their final ever exits. As much as we would hate to admit but this was the finish of an enchanting series. Even though the books have no comparison with the movies, harry potter movies aren't just movies, they are the most vivid visual illustrations of the books. I think it was a perfect conclusion to a decade long magical experience. But the magic isn't over, its far from over. We have seen them grow up in front of our very eyes while we grew up ourselves. I guess its safe to say that we owe the magic in our lives to J.K Rowling's for providing our feeble minds with a story so far beyond our imaginations. In many way Harry potter is not just a story, its a lesson about love, friendship, bravery, loyalty and chasing your dreams. You don't read Harry Potter to escape, you read Harry Potter to find your way. Even the quietest parts of the movie were highly captivating.
Even though I cried my heart out when Dumbledore died, when Sirius died, Fred died, dobby died, Remus and tonks died, I still admire Rowling's bravery  for killing off character's so close to our hearts. After all this is the truth, all can't be survivors. You lose some to gain some more. I see this as a sign of marvellous writing because perfect endings are not always happy endings. I guess this was more of a review about the deathly hallows book than the movie but the point is that the movie was everything we would have wanted it to be or maybe more. I am sure J.K would agree with that.

In the first book Mr Olivander tells harry potter that "we can expect great things from you " and through the course of the series he has been proved rightly so.

I hope that when we die, we can create our ideal world. I am sure I'll be in Hogwarts because I want to be magical more than anything
This quotes isn't from Harry potter but I think it settles here nicely
"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."   Roald Dahl

I dread the day someone is hit with the idea of harry potter remakes
Much Love
Potter head Emily

P.s : I find it so awesome that the word "hogwarts" is part of MS word dictionary

Salaam from Pakistan

Hello everyone. Apologies for not writing sooner. I sent Lalita a letter, the old fashioned way about 3 weeks ago. I SPECIFICALLY told her to not neglect our much loved blog but surprise surprise. I guess I knew she needs that LITTLE push ! We all know that Amanda cannot be depended upon as she will be too busy drowning herself in caffeine after she raids the local sainsbury's. And Kathleen , well , are you kidding me ? You'll soon hear of the unlucky incident of " crazy girl kidnaps butcher's son for ransom" or " The bald, obese stalking prostitute" I am no future teller, I am just Kathleen's friend.
So, where to begin ? So much has happened in the past few weeks and nothing has happened the same. I am enjoying here in Pakistan. Really happy to see all my cousins after so long. The sun is hot and rain scarce but its all good. There are long power cuts but watching my family together keeps my eyes . . . um just the right temperature ( you are suppose to say " my eyes warm" but it wouldn't fit right keeping in mind the current weather). Right now I don't miss London much. Just that I don't get to spend much time with the Lakes and on face book. I don't miss TV which is very weird. I do however regret missing Deathly hallows p2. You all must already know how good it was after reading Lalita's last post or through your own experiences. I guess its a little price to pay for all I have right now. Weeks are passing like days and I feel I don't have enough time. I know I'll miss everything when I leave.
I am not going to take a lot of your time right now because I have no time myself. There is gonna be a power cut soon and I want to finish this post before I lose it all. I initially started this 2 weeks ago and I wouldn't want to put it off any longer. I have loads of things I want to discuss . ..  all in good time.

Some thing that everyone say and I know its true because I feel it too

"Home is where heart is "

Much love
Emily xxx

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Ok, so I realise that I’ve been slacking in my blogging duties recently, and you have my sincerest apologies for that, but you’ll be happy to hear that I’m back, at least temporarily. It’s really not my fault that nothing remotely exciting ever happens in my life. If you’d like me to tell you about the many, many hours I spend playing Sims 3, or how I’m being stalked by a fruit fly, then just leave a comment and I’ll be more than happy to get right to work on those posts. For now, however, I’d like to tell you about the highlight of my whole year. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Just a warning: if you don’t like Harry Potter, then this probably (definitely) isn’t the post for you and I give you my permission to leave. No hard feelings, I promise.

If you’re still with me, then I can assume that you love Harry Potter as much as I do. I’ve read all the books and seen all the movies several times over, and I know in my heart that I will never get bored of them or outgrow them. This is not just a series of books and movies, this was my whole childhood. I started reading the books when I was 10, and 11 years later they’re still as magical, still as fantastic as they were the first time I read them. Any ‘children’s’ book that can make me, a fully grown adult of sound mind, wish that Hogwarts was real, make me convinced, 10 years too late, that I was supposed to go to Hogwarts and that my letter just got lost, must have something special. To all the haters and critics, I don’t care what you say. I don’t care if the writing isn’t up to the standard of Tolkien or C.S. Lewis, I don’t care if you think they’re childish; I defy anyone to read them, and not get caught up even the tiniest bit in the fantasy and magic and wish even once that they could be a part of that world.

So, as soon as the tickets went on sale for DH2, nearly a month ago, I booked my cinema ticket to make sure that I didn’t miss out. The first showing was at 00:01 on Thursday night/Friday morning. Seeing as I was going with my mum however, I didn’t think she’d be up for that (she’s normally asleep by 10pm), so we went at 3:45 pm on Friday. All Thursday night I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve, not able to sleep with the sheer excitement of what was coming the next day. Every time I saw a HP advert on the TV, I had a mini panic-attack, started grinning to myself and clapping my hands like a demented seal. I think if I’d been any more excited, I probably would have started bouncing off the walls.

I think this is a good way to explain my level of excitement: I’ve been on a diet for 2 and a half weeks now, and sweet things are my major downfall, my kryptonite. I got a strawberry lollipop on the way to the cinema, knowing that it would do far less damage fat-wise than a big bucket of sweet popcorn. Because I was so determined not to miss even one second of the experience, we got to the cinema at 3:15. I can assure you that other like-minded individuals were there just as early, so I’m not completely insane. So for the 30 minutes before the trailers, and during the 20-30 minutes of trailers, I was surrounded by people with popcorn, ice cream and sweets, and it was hell. The rustling, the smells, I was almost ready to mug someone for their loot. Ok, it wasn’t quite that bad, but it was close! Close, I tell you! As soon as the film started, however, all these people and these smells just disappeared. Even my lollipop got neglected for minutes at a time, as I was too engaged in the film to move, or even blink. It eventually took me about an hour to eat the whole thing.

Now I appreciate that some people may not have seen the film yet, including my own dear Emily, so I’m not going to really talk about the film, other than to say: OMG. It was awesome. Funny. Sad. Epic. The perfect ending to the perfect film series. As soon as it finished, I wanted to watch it again, and I’m planning to go and see it again this Wednesday. You can’t get too much of a good thing, right? Besides, I had severe ear ache during the film last time, and had to take strong painkillers, which made me feel a bit sleepy and ill. I’m debating whether to see it in 2D again, or if I should risk 3D. Usually, I’m opposed to 3D films; I don’t think, just because you can make 3D films, that every film should be in 3D. Sometimes it doesn’t even make any difference. But how many more times in my life will I get to say that I saw a HP movie in 3D? None, this is my last chance, so should I do it before it’s too late? Decisions, decisions. Life is so tough. The other reason for going to see it again, and more importantly: I love Alan Rickman. His voice sends shivers down my spine and I would pay money to hear him reading a dictionary for a couple of hours. But that’s our little secret; don’t tell anyone. Having such a talented actor playing the best character in the Harry Potter universe is just…perfection. He deserves an Oscar for his performance in this film, and should be proud that he ended the series on such a powerful note.

Professor Severus Snape, may he Rest In Peace

Love, Lalita xxx

It's Not Sad

It has never been my practise before to start writing a blog post with no title, no subject and pretty much no idea where it’s going to go. I would not choose to start doing this now, if it were not for the dark forces at work. Ok, there aren’t really any dark forces, I’ve just been watching a lot of Harry Potter (there can never be too much HP) - 8 movies in 2 days, which is not bad if I say so myself. Since we finished out exams on May 20^th, I have been dedicating a large portion of my time to chilling out, and why not? All I’m looking forward to is exam re-sits in August and more university in September [insert sad face here], so for now I plan to spend time doing what I love: crocheting a blanket, completing a 3000 piece jigsaw, watching movies. I’m planning a Lord of the Rings movie marathon this Friday if anyone wants to join me. I’m not bothering anyone, my mum doesn’t mind, so what’s the problem I hear you ask?

A certain person who shall remain nameless (it’s not Amanda or Kathleen) has been bugging me pretty much every day to write something on the blog. The problem, however, is that I haven’t done anything that I deem blog worthy, and therefore I have nothing to write. This person refuses to listen, and won’t accept my explanation, and so we arrive at the problem: what to write? It’s come to the point where I have to write something, anything, or say no in a very blunt way. It probably doesn’t help matters that I have a stubborn streak a mile wide when I’m told to do something I don’t want to. However, I rate friendship as slightly more important than an internet diary, and so here is my anything.  If you don’t like it I don’t really care, to be perfectly honest.  

3 chapters in, I have decided on a subject to discuss. I was almost tempted to write a one-line post and leave it at that, but I would not be happy with myself and the quality of my work. Therefore, I have decided to discuss doing activities alone, since it’s a subject that I think some people regard as a social taboo. I’m not talking about being alone constantly, and having to do everything by yourself, just sometimes, occasionally, choosing to be alone. First off, I would like to say, it’s not sad: hence the title of my post.  About 6 or 7 weeks ago, I went to see Scream 4 alone. I went into the cinema by myself and asked for one ticket. Be warned, you will get a few strange looks, and the ticket person will ask you if you only want the one ticket, but that’s pretty much the only downside. You can see the film you want to see, you don’t have to share your arm rests and you can sit wherever you want. Whoever said cinema was supposed to be a social activity anyway? You go there, to sit in absolute silence not even looking at your friends, and then you leave. Really social.  I admit that it’s fun to talk about the movie afterwards with your friends, but if you just want the fun element of actually watching a film, then going alone is fine. And if you are interested, the film was good. Not as good as Scream 1, but better than Scream 3. I for one did not predict the ending, despite whatever other people may claim they knew 20 minutes in or whatever.

Last week, also alone, I went to Regents Park for a walk. It was a spur of the moment thing, which really are the best kind of things. Just get up and go, no planning, no plans going horridly wrong. I got lost (it’s a big place) but it was ok, kind of like having an adventure, and then I got found again. I walked down the same walkway that is featured in the film The King’s Speech (really good, check it out) although it was much less foggy. I went to the inner circle of the park, a place I’ve never been before despite only living 20 minutes away, something which took all the navigational and map reading skills I possess and was totally worth it. I have to commend the gardeners there for their excellent work; some of the roses there were as big as my hand and incredibly beautiful. They were honestly unbelievably huge, so of course my camera decided to break. I saw some weird looking birds that I had to edge my way past, praying I wouldn’t get attacked; I wouldn’t miss not seeing them again, but it was all part of the experience. Then, on the way back, also on the spur of the moment, I decided to walk back to my house along the canal. It’s like a whole other world- people keep houseboats there, and on the walkway they have chairs and tables, lights and flower beds, it’s like entering a magical world when you walk down there.

Choosing to do activities alone that you would normally do with others is actually a very liberating experience, and if you haven’t done so already, I would recommend that you try it. When you go out alone, you do feel slightly self-conscious, but if you take two minutes to look around, you will suddenly notice that a lot of people are also out by themselves, and you’re not as weird as you feel. It’s not sad.

"I have to be alone very often. I'd be quite happy if I spent from Saturday night until Monday morning alone in my apartment. That's how I refuel." – Audrey Hepburn

"I'm an introvert...I love being by myself, love being outdoors, love taking a long walk with my dogs and looking at the trees, flowers, the sky."- Audrey Hepburn

Unusually, I have decided to have two closing quotes as they both seem so relevant that I couldn’t pick 

just one.

Love, Lalita xxx