Waiting, originally uploaded by yaznotjaz.
Sometimes, I run away and lie around in the park all afternoon, reading books and listening to music and taking photographs. Sometimes, I even skip around on my jump-rope (but I discovered early on that that works better on concrete than on grass), and my new goal in life is to […]

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Originally uploaded by yaznotjaz.
I’m so tired of constantly feeling so tired - I don’t sleep enough, I fall asleep holding books I once could have finished reading in a single day, I sleep crookedly, and my neck has been aching for over a week. Also, there’s that drama that enters my head once in a […]

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Chukairiyaan, originally uploaded by yaznotjaz.
1. Waking up at 8am, realizing it’s a Saturday, and burrowing back under the warm covers to sleep in until 10:30. Washing my face, and then promptly sitting down at the computer. I check emails and weblogs while my mother pulls up a chair beside me and flips through catalogues and […]

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Those of you who’ve been following along know that Baji is my (and everyone else’s) favorite robot monkey pirate. And, guess what! A wee one by the name of Mr. Mini Monkey Pirate has recently swooped down and crashed the (boat)party. Run along and wish Baji congratulations on the latest edibly adorable addition to her […]

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THIS…is the fastest way to my heart, originally uploaded by yaznotjaz.
Last Friday, I managed to drag my friend A along with me to Oakland, where I usually pray Jummah salah [the Friday congregational prayer]. I kept extolling the virtues of this favorite masjid of mine, until she reminded me that she had gone there […]

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Last week, I went to Borders to study for my neurobiology and my molecular & cellular bio final exams.
(As an aside, nothing has made me mentally curse over the past few weeks as much as thoughts of neurobiology do: Friggin’ hell! I understand that NPB stands for Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, but, friggin’ hell, maybe […]

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as if i haven’t already amply proven my nerdiness…
Hi, my name is Yasmine and, lately, all my posts seem to be about books. I am a complete and utter nerd. The end.
Alright, so Baji is making me do this survey thingamajig under threat of incarceration, which actually doesn’t seem so bad if it means I […]

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for all my fellow bookworms.
Check this: The 100 favourite fictional characters… as chosen by 100 literary luminaries [via Kottke]
Tin Tin! Dr. Watson! God! Jane Eyre! Paddington Bear! Antonia Shimerda! Anne of Green Gables!
(I think I need to expand my literary collection, is what.)
And, in response: Character witnesses, as chosen by Independent readers
Sidney Carton, Holden […]

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I’m not too easily embarrassed. But I don’t need the drama of trying to use a credit card when I know perfectly well that there is no money available there for me to use, and I’m not the type of person who’s so mortified that I will offer the cashier, my companion, and the other […]

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from Ray Bradbury’s The Beggar on O’Connell Bridge
The snow was falling fast now, erasing the lamps and the statues in the shadows of the lamps below.
“How do you tell the difference between them?” I asked. “How can you tell which is honest, which isn’t?”
“The fact is,” said the manager quietly, “you can’t. There’s no difference […]

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for all my fellow word-lovers out there:
- MoorishGirl
- Words Without Borders: The Online Magazine for International Literature
- Mizna: Prose, Poetry, and Art Exploring Arab America
and for those of you who prefer pictures instead:
- Bendib Cartoon: Independent, uncensored, free-speech political cartoons
All links via Dove’s Eye View, another weblog you should read. Because I said so. So […]

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my eyes have always been bigger than my stomach
I decided that letting three weeks of fall quarter pass by without buying any of the books I need for my classes was long enough. So today I walked into the university bookstore and bought twelve books for $173.80. (Which is really not bad, when I recall […]

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On Monday I start working in downtown Sacramento, and I’m already missing my lazy slow-motion life of the past couple of weeks. Much of it has been spent drinking endless glasses of cranberry juice, reading stacks of books from the public library, and eating tomato-cucumber-extra cheese sandwiched between slices of whole wheat bread. Clearly, I […]

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like a good book, i can’t put this day back
The last term paper is due Monday afternoon and the last final exam is scheduled for sometime Tuesday (I really should figure out the exact time, shouldn’t I?), and then I’m free for a week. One week during which I’m going to do nothing but lie […]

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i don’t buy everything i read/i haven’t even read everything i’ve bought
Speaking of books and reading, I went to the University bookstore the other day to return three textbooks and buy two more instead. I walked out of there with not only the two textbooks, but also four books from the Comparative Literature and English […]

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