TruthBox

Fun, Life, Morocco
I am bored of revision for the minute. Not good I know. Something I need to work on. Let’s play the truth game. If anyone can be bothered (I am painfully aware of the lack of comments anywhere on my blog), answer the same questions.

Biggest Achievement of your life
Passing my driving test. It took me 4 tries, mostly through the sheer stress of it. My first examiner was horrible, I’d practically failed in his eyes before even getting into the car. From there onwards, my examiners got worse, and I got more confident, so when I finally passed, I do feel like I deserved it.

Most scared you have ever been
Honestly, walking along a path somewhere on the coast about 8 years ago. My brother was 6 or 7 at the time, and I remember really clearly being terrified that he would wander of the path and fall down the cliffs to one side of us. I have no idea why I though that, but I was totally petrified for the whole walk.

Most fun you have ever had
This one is hard, but I do remember one time when I genuinely was so happy. I was walking away from my auntie’s house with my Mum, and there was a group of pigeons sitting in the path. For some unknown reason both me and my Mum ran into them, and made them fly away. Then we burst out laughing, and it felt amazingly fun and childish.

Best holiday you’ve ever had
I’ve had a lot of lovely holidays with my family all around England, and with school and things, but I had a lovely time last summer when I went to Amsterdam with boyfriend. It is the first holiday I’ve really been on as an independent adult, and it was such good fun, getting to go and do all the things we wanted (except my museums, but fair enough) I’m looking forward to this summer though.

Right then, back to work.

Verb Forms and trying to be a nice person

Life, Morocco, Rant
Today I spent 5 hours writing out verb forms for my Arabic revision. It’s about a week and a half until my exams, and for once I am revising properly and efficiently.I’ve also spent a great deal of today thinking about how to be a better person. A very wise friend of mine said that it is human to say dumb and mean things about people, and to have a bad day. But I think that while I’ve been here in Morocco, I’ve been worse than usual for that. A combination of being a mess of hormones and being a small white girl in north Africa hasn’t done much for my mood.

I could take the time to look back at my blog over the last 8 months, and then cite the posts where I’ve said something a little bit unnecessary. I make a point of putting nothing on here which I wouldn’t say to that person’s face, but I’ve realised recently that sometimes it’s all about knowing when that is appropriate. There is a big difference between ‘honest’ and ‘cruel’ and just as big a line between ‘honest’ and ‘kind’. Sometimes I feel like I am doing the right thing by being honest to a person, and I dislike people who say that they are honest when they are just cruel. What the thinking I have done today has shown me is that if people are completely honest with me, I really value that, but not everyone does. Most of the time it’s best to just be kind. Not lying, or being unreasonably sweet, but being kind.

So from now on the lips are zipped. There is no need to be mean about people really, because no matter how much I get in a Sally-Mood and let people annoy me, they’re still just people, like me, and I know that in a week I’ll be really glad to have them as my friends. So the lips are zipped.

 

I’m just a teenage dirtbag

Morocco, Music
Time for another ‘Sally lists some music which she likes’ extravaganza. This time, I’ve decided to opt for some tunes which I adore, which I have heard or found pretty randomly, and which not many of my friends have heard. Now, I’m not in any way one of those ‘Ugh, that’s soo mainstream’ people, but I love a bit of the alternative in my life. So here we go,

All Those Pretty Lights – Andrew Belle
Back It Up – Colette Carr
Jar of Hearts – Christina Perri
Life in Letters – Lucy Schwartz
Booty Bounce – Dev
East to West – Casting Crowns
Amie – Damien Rice
Here is Gone – Goo Goo Dolls
Grapevine Fires – Death Cab For Cutie
Don’t Forget Me – Way Out West

I don’t expect you to like all of it. I realised from compiling this list that at heart I have a very definite taste in music (bar the odd track) no matter how much I say I am diverse. Even though as you can see here and here I do have some diversity in my taste, I think at the end of the day I always revert to slow, pretty songs. Enjoy.

 

Daydream Believer

Fun, Life, Morocco
Have I told you about my dreams?

I dream very vividly, and often (and yes, I know you’re jealous) lucidly. I remember my dreams every day, unless I’ve been really knackered and actually had a proper night’s sleep. I don’t always remember them completely though. I’ve been thinking of starting a dream diary, but my head is just too crazy, and I think if I wrote it all down it would bother me too much.

I’m one of those people who’s dreams are highly affected by their mood and the things which have happened during the day. For example, having booked my holiday with boyfriend for summer a few weeks ago, I’ve been looking at bikinis (he insists that Jillian has given me a bikini body. I disagree but whatever) all week. Now, I have a specific design of bikini that I like, and a particular affinity for cherries. No wonder then that my dream last night had me wearing a cherry bikini all the time (regardless of it’s appropriateness).

I also daydream. And my daydreams are amazing because I have a ridiculous imagination. So I can amuse myself for hours just imagining that I have magic, or can play any instrument in the world, or can speak every language, or can fly. I consider it a skill. I should probably write books.

Anyway, on the subject of dreaming, you should all listen to this, which is without a doubt my new favourite song (but only this version mind).

The Royal Wedding

Life, Morocco, Rant
Isn’t it wonderful, the lovely British spirit towards the royal wedding.Well, is it? Now, I’m not one of those people who bashes the monarchy, and of course I wish them all the luck in the world, but I can’t help but be disheartened when I see things like this…

This is the sidebar display on the BBC news page online for the now confirmed criminal attack on a café in Marrakesh, which is a popular tourist destination here in Morocco.

The wedding is a wonderful thing, and it is lovely to see a nation and even the whole world rejoicing in it, but at the same time, it’s sad that a well-known and well-respected news agency such as the BBC has articles such as ‘What are the saying about the dress?’ which are being read more than serious world news. I don’t mean to be a downer in any way, but I think that the general public lack of interest in “real” issues is a really sad commentary on the world we live in today.

Once again, I am so glad that the wedding has gone well, and that the country is so happy, and enjoying themselves so much, and I wish the newly weds a happy life together.

But please, don’t forget that yesterday 15 people lost their lives. Take an interest.

Blast in Marrakesh Cafe

Life, Morocco
Rather than some whimsical story about my life, today I am just going to leave you with this article from a favourite blog of mine, which I think gives a well-written picture of the events which happened earlier today in the south-Moroccan city of Marrakesh. Luckily no-one I know was hurt, but unfortunately a whole lot of other people were. The news is saying that the explosion was the result of criminal activity. I’m just trying to think of the families of the people who lost their lives or who are seriously injured now, and I urge you all to do the same.For the full article from The View From Fez click here

Cabin Fever

Life, Morocco
So I’m sure you remember this post from really early on where I bitched all about people in my class? Well I’m in that mood again.Don’t worry, I’m not going to have a moan.

What I am going to do is explain myself. See, I have these things called Sally-Moods. I think everyone has them, but for some reason not everyone recognises them by their scientific name. The Sally-Mood is another form of cabin fever which for those who don’t know is that feeling you get when you’ve been cooped up with the same person for too long. You go a little nuts, and start getting silly about thing which you know you shouldn’t.

And it winds me right up, because I know I’m doing it.

Now then, I have nothing more to say, so I’m going to amuse myself in some other way, because if I write on here in a Sally-Mood, there is no telling what kind of hideous secrets I might accidentally reveal.

Masterchef: Final 3

Food, Life, Morocco
Warning! This post contains Masterchef series 7 episode 13 spoilers!


Ok, it doesn’t contain many. But some. I’m sure you’re all well aware by now that one of the many old person programs which I am totally addicted to is Masterchef. Since I’ve been here there has been a new series (as there is every year) and though it’s not been as good as last year in my opinion, I still can’t keep my eyes off it.

Courtesy of The Guardian

Yesterday was the first episode of the final. These guys got sent to Australia to try out some foraging and then some barbeque cooking with exciting Australian ingredients like kangaroo, barramundi and crocodile. Then they were judged by Australians, and there is no more pleasing race of people in the world for their down-to-earth judgements.

And that is all I will reveal at present. Safe to say that I will be closely watching to see who wins finally. I am on team Tim at the minute, but that can always change. We’ll have to see.

The King is COOL

Fun, Life, Morocco
The boyfriend said this would make a good blog post and I couldn’t think of a better way to re-tell the story than to show your our chat conversation:

sallytalks: sorry for being super long

lolmarc: it’s ok : )

the king of morocco waved at you?

sallytalks: did you get my text?

OMG it was TOO COOL

lolmarc: haha sound exciting

sallytalks: basically the lights were all on coz of the kings visit

and we went down and didn’t realise we’d picked the exact time he was driving through
so there were a load of people but we made it to the front of the crowd
and then he drove past waving out the window and we waved and I am ready to SWEAR he saw us
Sent at 9:45 PM on Monday

lolmarc: hah sounds awesome babe

would make a good blog post ; )
So there you have it, readers. I saw the king of Morocco and he waved at me. Awesome!