Monday Dinner

Last Monday night, Mum’s amazing friends had a surprise dinner for my Mum at our home (as they know it’s difficult for me to go out until I get my new wheelchair) and all cooked lots of amazing food… I had a BRILLIANT time, and we all had a really fun time just laughing the night away! It just fab to have such wonderful friends, and they rock.

LCC

Last Monday morning, I went to London College of Communication (LCC), University of the Arts London, for access visit to check out the campus, the second of the three universities I’m applying to. When we first arrive (half an hour early) the conversation goes like this:
‘Are you Sulaiman?’ – Lady
‘Yes.’ – Me
‘I’m Celia, we e-mailed earlier.’ – Lady = CB
‘Nice to meet you.’ – Sarah and me
‘Okay, I understand you are applying for enrollment for next year?’ – CB
‘Yes, but his deadlines for his other universities are quite soon, so he just wanted to visit LCC early.’ – Sarah
‘HA, HA, HA’ – CB cackled for 10 minutes
‘Right, you weirdo.’ – Sarah and I both were thinking
‘Well, you couldn’t have come on worse day, today is enrollment and the first day of further education… I’ll just get Sue Jackson for you…’ – CB and walks off
‘Okay. You’re the ones who agreed to this appointment.’ – Sarah and I said to each other
‘Hello, I’m SJ, it’s nice to meet you.’ – SJ; she's thedisability advisor at LCC I was supposed to meet
‘Hi.’ – Me
‘Hello. We were told that this is not a good time to come.” – Sarah
‘I see you’ve met my boss, CB.’ – SJ says annoyed

Anyway, we then went up to SJ's office where she was really apologetic for CB’s behavior, and said it wasn’t very welcoming and quite wrong to tell someone it’s a bad time for them to come visit. We talked for quite some time. She said that anything I basically need, as a disabled student, they can whatever I need; and thought I could do very well there. LCC is just an exciting and an exciting place to study for me to do the kind of things I want to do…

However, I’ll see what my final decision of which university to attend after my visit to Cambridge. Let’s hope for the best: Wish Me Luck!

A Conference and the Beach

I had the best weekend in such a long time…

On Saturday, Sarah and I went to the 2008 Muscular Dystrophy Campaign National Conference in Birmingham. I had a really wonderful time at the conference, and as it was my first time at the conference I found it very interesting, especially the key note speakers, but most of all I enjoyed the workshop part of the conference… I thought it was just BRILLIANT and I met some BRILLIANT people (and hopefully made some new friends) too! It was just a FANTASTIC experience and CANNOT wait for the conference next year!

Then, on Sunday since we rented an accessible vehicle for the weekend me and my siblings (Sarah, Sana, and Sufian) decided to make the most of the weekend and the nice weather (and the rented vehicle) and go to Brighton for the day, which a cool beach close to us here London that’s only and hour 1/2 or so away. It was amazing and there were so many people there too… I just think Brighton is BRILLIANT! Now I can’t go back to Brighton and experience the nightlife as well…

All in all, I had wicked weekend and I wish I can have great weekends like this more often…

V & R Photos

Here are the photos from Inside the House of Viktor & Rolf special event on 13 September 2008 at the Barbican Centre London.

Click here to view photos. Tell me what you think.

Peace to the World!

Happy International Day of Peace! On this very special day I just want to send my greeting to all, and my wishes for a more unified, peaceful global society as a whole. I strongly believe that we all have to be a whole lot more tolerant and understand to people all over the world, and wake up to every government and terror organisations, who frankly all making us anxious spreading fear, hate, misunderstanding, and paranoia within us. We must realize that governments work for the people, so let’s make them work for us; and terror organisations have no Faith or affiliation w/ any decent, sane thing in the world, only ignorance and stupid ideologies, so let’s make them piss off. WE MUST stand up and fight against both, and tell them enough: we will NOT put up w/ them any more and we WILL fight always for global peace!

As Aragorn best said, ‘… I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you *stand, Men of the West!*…’

So, friends always remember live life to your fullest potential everyday, and enjoy all the beauty around you…

My Weekend of Fashion Excitement…

Yesh, I had a great weekend b/c on Saturday Sarah and I went the Barbican for a special event symposium thing about the WICKED Dutch fashion designers Viktor & Rolf (the highlight being a special interview w/ fashions designers Viktor & Rolf themselves), and after we both met them to get their autographs and take photos... They are both SO FUNNY AND BRILLIANT, and I really had a FANTASTIC time! Photos coming soon…

[
‘Yesterday afternoon offered a rare treat: the chance to hear Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren in conversation with our very own Penny Martin, a fitting accompaniment to both London Fashion Week and The House of Viktor & Rolf at the Barbican. The conversation came on the back of a presentation of three papers by Ulrich Lehmann, Judith Clarke and José Teunissen, examining the designers' influences, techniques and finally the exhibition itself - all of which provided ample material for discussion. The design duo, gentlemen to a fault, even signed the programmes of the 300-or-so guests after the event. If you weren't lucky enough to snag one of the tickets for the event (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-style allusions of scarcity do spring to mind!) then fear not: never content to do things by halves, we were of course recording events for prosterity and the resulting film of the afternoon's proceedings will be posted to SHOWstudio later this month.’ - SHOWstudio
]

Back to Uni Once More

I have recently been working on my application to university (commonly called uni here in the UK). I hopefully will start in September 2009 b/c of the stupid law that says you have to live in the country for the previous three years before you can start uni as a “Home Student” or I have to “International Student” fees about $22,000.00 per year!

I am applying to three universities:
A) University of East London (UEL), Docklands Campus to study their Communication Studies and Creative & Professional Writing Joint Combined Honours Programme
B) London College of Communication (LCC), part of the University of the Arts London to study their Creative Advertising Strategy BA Honours Programme
And C) King's College Cambridge, University of Cambridge to study their English Tripos
That’s about it. What do you all think? We’ll see what will happen.

Also, last Wednesday (3 September) I went to the UEL Open Evening at the Docklands Campus w/ Dad, and I enjoyed it very much. I REALLY like the campus b/c 1) it’s about 20 minutes away from my home, 2) the facilities are very accessible (as it’s a new campus only built in 2000), and 3) it has quite good courses (where you can practically combine any degree w/ another). However, I just want to visit LCC and King's before I decide which to choose.

Plus, I’m getting quite anxious b/c I have to apply by the end of September, but everything always works out for the best; and I CANNOT wait to be a university student again, which will begin to fulfil my life goals, though being accepted into Cambridge would just be a dream and totally wicked...

WISH ME LUCK!

Dinner w/ Friends

On Sunday night, Mum made dinner for Irfan and his new wife (whose wedding we attended throughout July), his parents (his mother, Razia, is one of Mum’s good friends), and Irfan’s younger sister.

Yet again, Mum made lots of tasty stuff to eat... Everyone really had brilliant time together, and it was another great dinner!