Eid

Friday was Eid-al-adha, a Muslim holiday. This is a day of celebration including food, friends, and family. My Eid turned out great, and it was definitely the best Eid I've experienced in a long time.

First, I had to wake up at 6:00 am to get ready to go to the mosque for the first prayer. This was a bit annoying since it was supposed to be my day off, but I was waking up early anyway. But,surprisingly, I felt very awake. At the mosque, I saw a couple of friends from school and spent some time talking to them after prayer.

After that, my dad and I went to get new tires for his car and get them aligned. Immediately after, we went to  my uncle's house to visit my cousins since their dad was in Saudi Arabia making the pilgrimage called Hajj. Once there, we had fun laughing and eating.

After a while, us kids got bored while the adults talked so we decided to go outside and roam around the playground since it was such a beautiful day. At the playground, I got some footage for the new independent film project about what fall means to me. I also took some pictures of my cousins acting crazy at the playground.

Later, after we left my cousins' house, I went to the last Varsity volleyball game at Northwood. Although we lost, it was such an interesting game. I was also able to see my fellow JV teammates at the game which was also fun. We all lost our voices from cheering too much.

After I left the game, I went to my other cousins' house. There were a bunch of us here, and the more cousins the better. We played computer games, we played Xbox games such as NBA 2K13 and dance central. We also had some cake, and I LOVE cake with all my heart.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted. I got home, changed, and passed out on my bed.

This day was just the break I needed. I've been so stressed lately that this was a nice breather. I also learned the value of friends and family. The reason my day turned out so great is because I was able to spend it with them. I also realized how much of a community the Muslim community is. I felt immediately at home once I reached the mosque as multiple "Assalaamu Alaikums" and "Eid Mubaraks" were thrown around.

Sports for a Gym Credit

Sports should count as a gym credit in high school. One season of a sport should count for one quarter of gym.

People work harder and put more effort into their sport than they do into gym anyway. Rachel and I take weight training just to complete our gym credit, but we're both on sports teams. We work out a little during weight training, but we most definitely do not push ourselves to the fullest since, "it's just gym." When it comes to practice, however, it's a completely different story. I push myself through all the drills and put forth my best effort.

Gym should still remain an option for those who truly enjoy the class and for those who don't participate on sports teams. But for athletes, gym should not be a mandatory class. This class takes up space for athletes who can, instead, take another class they enjoy.

Taking gym also adds to the soreness, and who likes that?

Hijab?

I am Muslim, but not many people know that about me because I don't where the headscarf (hijab) that Muslim women wear. Many people ask me why I don't wear it, but I never know how to respond, because I don't know the reason myself.

Some people think that it's because I'm too scared about what other people think, but that, in fact, is not the issue at all. Blair is one of the most diverse and accepting communities I have ever been a part of, and if I were to be concerned with other people's thoughts of me, I wouldn't be worried about it at Blair. Others believe it's because I don't like being defined as Muslim. This is quite the opposite, as I am very proud to be Muslim.

The hijab represents purity and modestly in Islam. Whenever I wear it, I feel just that, modest and pure. I would wear it to school, but I feel as if I'm not ready. Although it is just an article of clothing, while wearing it, I represent the whole Muslim community, and that is a big responsibility I'm not sure I'm ready for. I've decided to try to wear the hijab whenever I go out with my dad, since he is where I get my religion from. This will, hopefully, gradually grow to me wearing it full time. Wish me luck :)

Dystopian Trailer Homework

Our script for the dystopian trailer is going well. We have easily incorporated dystopian elements such as the use of propaganda and conformity into our script. The only element we have had trouble with is the illusion to the citizens that they live in a utopian society. All of our audio is dialogue and music, but we have text slides to better explain certain elements that the audience may not be able to understand from the trailer. Our trailer follows the basic beginning, middle, and end structure. Another problem we are having is the ending. We are not sure how to end the trailer.

I found two sound clips that we could use in our trailer. One of them is Scary Scapes, which we could use at the beginning of our trailer to introduce the hazy mood of the trailer. The other sound clip is Dronetail, which we could loop somewhere in the middle of the trailer when Matt, our protagonist, becomes flustered and helpless.

Here are two sound clips: