Retrotrut is on zee track

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2012-01-01T04:12:00.001+04:00

New year 2012 Fireworks at 12 Midnight by the Burj Al Arab

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE :D :D :D :D

Dido Update: Info On Her Child But What About The Album?

2011-12-31T23:00:00.000+04:00

Dido Updates her Facebook account and explains to us about the name of her child. Unfortunately there is no news about her new album :( but there is some info about her new-born child :)

She says:
"... Happy 2012 everyone! I hope it's amazing for you. Thanks so much for all your lovely messages and birthday wishes too. And for all those asking where stanley got his name - we chose stanley because it's been my absolute favourite name from back when I was a teenager and then coincidentally it was my husband's too! And his middle name william is after my dad. See you all very soon. Love, didoxxx..."

Dido Update: She Gave Birth

2011-12-24T21:41:00.002+04:00

I had recently just signed in on Facebook and I got an update from Dido's Facebook page. This is what she said:

"...I wanted to wish you all a very happy christmas. I'm ridiculously excited about stanley's first christmas this year! :) Hope you all have a brilliant one and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in 2012... Love, didoxx..."

So also in case any of you didn't know, it's also Dido's Birthday :) :) :)
Also judging by the comment, I think she has already given birth to a baby boy named Stanley as well, since their going to be celebrating his first Christmas together. And I think she's also going to be releasing the album extremely soon in 2012 *Fingers Crossed* :)

Update:

Wikipedia has actually updated their website and this is what they wrote:
"...In February 2011, Dido posted a message on her official website, explaining to fans that she would not perform at the 83rd Academy Awards because she was pregnant and was expecting a baby with her husband Rohan Gavin. Dido gave birth to her son Stanley on July, 2011..."

So it's official that she gave birth :) :) :)

If Two Can Keep A Secret:

2011-12-24T03:32:00.002+04:00

Here is an interesting show to watch, it's called "Pretty Little Liars". The story is based on 4 girls: Hanna, Emily, Spencer and Aria (it starts from left to right - look at the picture above). This is about 4 friends that join together after many years to face an unknown person by the name of "A", Who threatens to reveal every single one of their deepest and most darkest secrets. So these girls are trying to unravel the mystery between "A", who also murdered their best friend.
It's a very good show to watch. In my opinion, this show has a twist to it, you need to use your logic to find out who is "A" and what his or her's plans are.

You can watch it on these links:

www.letmewatchthis.com

http://www.tv-links.eu/tv-shows/Pretty-Little-Liars_22405/

Next Update Coming Shortly :)

So Many Things To Do, But Where Is The Time?

2011-12-20T23:27:00.001+04:00

I have so many things to do nowadays. First, the semester is finally coming to an end, this is the final week of classes and then we get Christmas day and New Years off, followed by 3 straight days of final exams (Which I've been studying like crazy for). It's just so over-whelming to be finishing the semester, especially during the cold days in the U.A.E. and then go celebrate once the finals are over.
Now moving on, also this autumn I found that there are so many interesting TV shows out there to watch. Some of them include: "Pretty Little Liars", "2 Broke Girls", "The Walking Dead", "Ringer" and much more. Also I found so many interesting movies to watch such as "Insidious", "Paranormal Activity 3", "Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol", "Tower Heist", "Hostel 3" and the list goes on and on.
There is just no time to watch all of these. It's as if this semester is too long and complicated, with quizzes and an increase in assignments. And where is the time to blog? Don't worry it's not like I'm quitting blogging. I will continue blogging on a monthly basis and probably from January 15- January 25, I'll be adding a couple of updates as well for all 10 days :)

Now I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Have a Happy New Year

I will be adding another update on December 24th :)

December Post:

2011-12-01T15:42:00.001+04:00

Hey everyone, how are you doing? I hope all of you are doing alright. Now I know I haven't been posting a lot on my blog. It's just that I have been really busy at the university. The next couple of semesters are going to be extremely hectic, so I won't be able to go and blog until they give us some days off.
Speaking of days off, it's UAE"s 40th National Day today :D :D :D :D

Happy National Day UAE :D :D :D

Here is a picture that I had photoshopped a couple of years ago....lol, now since it's national day, I posted this picture as my Facebook profile and a bunch of my friends commented on it....they did say some good things about it but they were also shocked, I might add.

Anyways I'll be posting another update in the middle of December, probably on a Thursday or Friday. I would also be posting a couple of music videos as well. Please check it out down below:

Here is a Chilled out remix of Dido's "Thank You" and a Soothing Dubstep of Dido and A.R Rahman's song "If I Rise". You might be required to go on Youtube to watch these videos, watch it. It's worth it :)

Just Hold On:

2011-10-12T03:03:00.000+04:00

It has been quite sometime since I last blogged but I recently became really busy. First my university has started giving us a lot of work, so I barely have time to blog, in addition to my work overload, I have also mentioned that my brother recently got engaged. Other than that I also started watching The O.C and also Pretty Little Liars. So far so good, I seem to be quite addicted to these shows.
I will be posting from a monthly basis. So every month expect 1 or 2 updates until the Winter Vacation -January 10, 2012 :)

This post is not considered to be my post of the month....there is another one coming up soon :)

Etisalat's New Logo:

2011-09-20T01:43:00.001+04:00

This is the new Logo by Etislut. Yet it's just saying the pure, bitter truth!

Most Disturbing Song Heard:

2011-09-20T01:35:00.002+04:00

Today, as I was driving back home from the university, I was listening to Virgin Radio Dubai (104.4) and I was listening to one of their latest songs or as what Virgin Radio calls it "Fresh Hits 104.4" and at first when I heard it, I was quite surprised to hear a song that had a 70's beat to it (Disco like, think of the Beatles, our parents used to listen to them back in their times).
I was also trying to figure out the name of the song until about a couple of minutes ago. At first I had decided to Google up the lyrics that I heard on the radio and it goes like this "...You Better Run Baby Run...". I spent about a couple of minutes trying to figure out the name of the song and also so that I could understand what the lyrics were, I only heard the last minute of that song and I was curious to find out the name of the song.
So after a couple of minutes I found out the name of the song along with the name of the Artist/Band. The name of the song is "Pumped Up Kicks" and it's by "Foster The People" and this song is all about killing and death. What is wrong with Virgin Radio Dubai playing songs like that? I find that Dubai should at least ban this song on the radio and TV, at least then you know there are a lot of people listening to the radio, especially young children.
Are they trying to get the children to start using guns and probably go shoot someone? Well excuse me, I think they should have the decency to just block this away from all the young viewers and crazy people out there. Who knows this song might even give someone an idea to go nuts and take a gun and go on a shooting spree like that incident in America a long time ago.

WARNING! DISTURBING LYRICS ARE BEING DISPLAYED BELOW HERE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED ABOUT THIS. IT'S 18 & ABOVE. YOUNG VIEWERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SEE THIS!!!!!

Here are the lyrics of the song:
Robert's got a quick hand.
He'll look around the room, he won't tell you his plan.
He's got a rolled cigarette, hanging out his mouth he's a cowboy kid.
Yeah he found a six shooter gun.
In his dads closet hidden in a box of fun things, and I don't even know what.
But he's coming for you, yeah he's coming for you.

[Chorus x2:]
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you'd better run, better run, outrun my gun.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet.

Daddy works a long day.
He be coming home late, yeah he's coming home late.
And he's bringing me a surprise.
'Cause dinner's in the kitchen and it's packed in ice.
I've waited for a long time.
Yeah the slight of my hand is now a quick pull trigger,
I reason with my cigarette,
And say your hair's on fire, you must have lost your wits, yeah.

[Chorus x2:]
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you'd better run, better run, outrun my gun.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet.

[Whistling]

[Chorus x3:]
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you'd better run, better run, outrun my gun.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet.
Well who am I to judge what type of filth the radio stations want to display. I don't really care anymore. Let them get the sins and burn in Hell along with Etislut!

Holidays Are Over:

2011-09-19T03:02:00.001+04:00

I know it has been quite sometime since I last updated my blog (almost a month), well I have been quite busy for the past following weeks. As soon as the Eid Holidays ended, I had decided to travel the world again. This time it was just to go to Europe.

Why Europe?

I have my reasons to go to Europe, Also because it's my best friend's 21st Birthday -Happy Birthday Mario-

And also I just wanted to get away for a bit from all the issues that have been going on in my life (many personal issues and family issues). So I just decided to take the next flight out of town for 9 days. More like the best 9 days ever :D :D :D

Now the holidays are literally over. It's time to resume back to the university life and just carry on the burden of intense work loads (quizzes, midterms, final exams ~Wishes for summer to come back again, extremely soon~).

Back In Town:

2011-08-07T04:15:00.000+04:00

I just came back to Dubai from my vacation about a couple of days ago and I have to admit, I had such a great vacation. I had spent my summer travelling across the U.S (not everywhere, just to about 4 states). I had gone to Washington DC, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Miami, Florida. There were so many things to see around these places.
In Washington DC, there were so many historical landmarks to see such as the Washington Monument, The Whitehouse, The U.S Capital, The Lincoln Memorial and much much more. Then I saw the fireworks for the 4th of July. To tell you the truth it was pretty spectacular, the weather was great, the fireworks were so beautiful, the scenery was AWESOME :D :D :D :D :D

Then when I went to Las Vegas, I was pretty disappointed. There were so many buildings, big massive buildings but they were filled with people gambling, smoking and eating. I swear it was like a nightmare, I think those gamblers need to go and get lives because they kept smoking and drinking, it was smelling so bad as if someone had cremated a dead body (literally speaking).

Some good things that they had in Las Vegas were some of the shows (many of them consisted of people just stripping their brains out of each other. I think those strippers need to watch the movie "Penance" to shut them up ). Anyways, what I really liked was the David Copperfield show and the "Marriage Can Be Murder" Dinner and Show. Also I loved the helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon :D :D :D

The Charmed Manor

Is that Piper's room?

Look they even left the same curtains from the show :)

beautiful :)

1329 Prescott Street

Dan's House (from Season 2)

The rundown house next door to the Charmed Ones

The best view of the Charmed Manor

After that I went to Los Angeles and spent a few days there and went looking around. I saw the Kodak Theater, some celebrity homes, also managed to walk along Hollywood Blvd and then walked along Rodeo Drive. I also went and visited the Charmed Manor :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
The Charmed Manor was so beautiful, too bad I wasn't allowed to go inside the house because people were already living in it (No, not the Charmed Ones). I was only allowed to take pictures of the Houses around the neighborhood with the other fans. It was pretty crowded with a bunch of fans from around the world when it came to visiting the Charmed Manor (Hint: Go on Google and look up The Charmed Manor Location LA and it would be given to you).
The rundown house next to the manor is an actual house, I had always thought that it was a prop but it turns out to be a real thing. I met the owner of the rundown house and believe it or not, he has put up the rundown house for sale. Now as for the people living in the Charmed Manor, they were nice enough to leave a bunch of things from the show such as the curtains, the flowers in the garden (not most of the shrubs or the hanging ivy). I also saw Dan's house as well (see pictures 2 paragraphs up)

Finally I went to Miami, Fort Lauder dale which was exciting because I had gone to see one of Rihanna's concerts. I'll post them after Ramadan due to the fact Rihanna was wearing inappropriate clothing.
I saw Both Rihanna and J.Cole performing. It was really nice. Rihanna was playing a bunch of songs from her new album "Loud" along with some various songs from previous albums including the song "Unfaithful".

Ramadan Kareem:

2011-07-31T00:00:00.001+04:00

I would like to wish everyone Ramadan Kareem :D :D :D :D :D

Stress Free Email:

2011-07-21T09:03:00.000+04:00

Here is an interesting article that I have gotten from one of my friends. It's an email on how to be Stress-Free, which is really helpful in some cases (mostly during the exams - midterms and finals).

This is what the email Says:

Folks,

I received this recently and I welcomed the wisdom and wanted to share it with you. Enjoy.

The True Meaning of Stress and the Ways to Avoid it

A young lady confidently walked around the room while leading and explaining stress management to an audience; with a raised glass of water, and everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, 'half empty or half full?'..... she fooled them all... "How heavy is this glass of water?", she inquired with a smile.

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "and that's the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden - holding stress longer and better each time practiced. So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night... pick them up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment. Relax, pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it and the now 'supposed' stress that you've conquered!"

1 * Accept the fact that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue!

2 * Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

3 * Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

4 * Drive carefully... It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker..

5 * If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague

6 * If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it..

7 * It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

8 * Never buy a car you can't push.

9 * Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

10 * Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

11 * Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

12 * The second mouse gets the cheese.

13 * When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

14 * Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

15 * You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

16 * Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once.

17 * We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

18 * A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

19 * Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today.

20 * It was I, your friend!

New Dido Remix Found:

2011-07-04T07:25:00.000+04:00

Hey everyone, how are all of you enjoying your summer vacation? I'm having such a blast this summer.
Well anyways getting to the point, I have recently found a peculiar remix of one of Dido's songs. It's an actual remix of Dido's song "Life For Rent". The last time I ever heard that remix was back in 2004 on her old site (www.dido.co.uk - which has been down for years). I remember hearing a short clip of that song on her site.
By the way in this song there are some extra lyrics added, it's after she says "While My Heart is A Shield..."

Here is the song:

Here are the lyrics as well :)

DIDO LIFE FOR RENT (SKINNY 4 RENT MIX) LYRICS:

I haven't really ever found a place that I call home
I never stick around quite long enough to make it
I apologize that once again I'm not in love
But it's not as if I mind
that your heart ain't exactly breaking

It's just a thought, only a thought

But if my life is for rent and I don't lean to buy
Well I deserve nothing more than I get
Cos nothing I have is truly mine

I've always thought
that I would love to live by the sea
To travel the world alone
and live my life more simply
I have no idea what's happened to that dream
Cos there's really nothing left here to stop me

It's just a thought, only a thought

But if my life is for rent and I don't learn to buy
Well I deserve nothing more than I get
Cos nothing I have is truly mine

While my heart is a shield and I won't let it down
While I am so afraid to fail so I won't even try
While I'm so cold cos I'm scared to show my weaker side
Well how can I say I'm alive

If my life is for rent and I don't learn to buy.....

Well I deserve nothing more than I get
Cos nothing I have is truly mine

Well if my life is for rent and I don't learn to buy
Well I deserve nothing more than I get
Cos nothing I have is truly mine

Cos nothin I have is truly mine
Cos nothin I have is truly mine
Cos nothin I have is truly mine

Summer Vacation: Traveling at Long Last

2011-06-27T01:54:00.000+04:00

So how is everyone doing? I hope all of you are enjoying your summer vacations, wherever you are. So I am now getting ready to travel, just getting some final things done before I leave. Such as getting my suitcase packed, make sure I get my cats some food before I leave (at least they wouldn't starve while I'm gone) and the list goes on.

As of now, after this post, I will not be posting anything new at until I get to my destination. I will post one or two updates but that's about it. Also I would like to mention that as of August 1, I will add an update for the Holy Month Of Ramadan and of course I will also change the layout of my blog.

I hope everyone has a great summer vacation :D :D :D :D

See You Soon :)

Q Magazine Article on Dido: July 2011

2011-06-24T04:04:00.000+04:00

So I went to the bookstore and got a copy of the magazine and now I'm going to add the entire article that was posted from Q Magazine 300th Anniversary July 2011:

She's Cracked It!
Dido Florian Cloud De Bounevialle Armstrong left home at 15, reckons she's "worth 15 billion pounds", guzzles painkillers and measures hotel swimming pools before she checks in. "I'm just a normal North London girl", she insists to Adrian Deevoy

Dido

Slightly Crap On The Guitar

-How were you in 2001? In control, it seemed
Dido: Not dissimilar to how I am now. I didn't know what was going on then and I don't know now, but I've never stopped and looked at the bigger picture., I've not questioned things. Then and now, I see the world through songs and that excites me as much as ever.

-Were you happy?
Dido: Yes, because I'd discovered that music was utterly limitless and it would entertain me for the rest of my life. If they invented a drug that would make us live forever, I'd never get bored of music. Whatever happens, whatever comes my way, music is a rock of certainty. Whenever I'm on a plane and things get turbulent, I start humming for comfort. It really freaks people out.

-Did you enjoy being super famous?
Dido: I got the balance right. I don't feel people need to know me. I feel the same about other singers. I love Adele. She transports me somewhere special but I don't want to know anything about her. It would spoil things.

-Were you scared of playing Live?
Dido: At first definitely. I had such bad panic attacks - which isn't entirely a bad thing - but when I was up there I'd lose myself in it. I really don't like miming. I did it once on Italian Television for "Hunter". I had no idea how to do it. Never Again.
................................................................................................................................................................

"IF THEY INVENTED A DRUG THAT MADE US LIVE FOREVER I'D NEVER GET BORED."

.................................................................................................................................................................

-What happened with "Safe Trip Home": Artistic triumph but commercial disappointment?
Dido: Who knows? Maybe it was timing, maybe people didn't hear it. I love that record, it was a labor of love and I ripped my heart out on songs such as "Grafton Street". I feel it was there for the taking - I didn't want to ram it down anyone's throat - and people chose not to take it. After a few gigs, I realized these songs were too dark and emotional to bounce around on stage. It was the wrong album to tour heavily, so I didn't.

-And the new album?
Dido: Half is some stuff I did when I went around America with a keyboard (portable piano). I'd sing the vocals in my hotel room the moment I'd finished writing the song, with the microphone propped up on a pile of books. The other half is a big electronic extravaganza. Everything I love's there including my brother Rollo. I've massively over-written.

-How's the rest of 2011 looking?
Dido: I'll finish the record. Then I'll have a baby. After that, I might be quite busy and tired, so the album won't appear until I'm ready. Then I want to go back on the road. I'm overjoyed to be pregnant, but I've really missed playing live. I'm always shell-shocked to discover people out there wanting to listen.

-Any regrets?
Dido: Not being better at the guitar. There's no excuse, but in a way it's better being slightly crap, because when I learn a new chord, I go off and write 5 songs to celebrate.

-What would the Dido of 2011 say to the Dido of 2001? Would she like her?
Dido: We'd definitely get on, seeing as we're the same person. I'd say "you're going to love this because it's going to be so great. Don't think about it, Enjoy it!!!"

Thanks to John Aizlewood from Q Magazine for doing this interview.

**For those of you wondering which page number it's from. It's on page 060 of Q Magazine. It's the July 2011 issue. There is a picture of Adele on it and I forgot to mention that it's Q Magazine's 300th Issue.**

Dido Update:

2011-06-23T17:29:00.000+04:00

Dido-France had recently found an article on Dido. The magazine's name is Q Music Magazine. and this is what they had to say:
"...Dido finally gives us some new and it is through the magazine Q that we find. Thank you to Amber Bytheway (@ bythe95 on Twitter ) for providing the scan. Even if it lets out a few words on the edges, we get to read the basics.

At the beginning of the interview, the interviewer asks how she felt Dido in 2001 and if she was happy. Dido says it's not so different today. At the time, she discovered the music and she knew that she wanted to do in life.

He then asked if he likes being famous. As fans of Dido, you already know the answer but here it is anyway: "I do not think that people need to know more about me. I feel the same about other singers. I love Adele, for example. Her voice transports me but it does not mean I want to know more about it. It would only spoil things. "

If someone invented a product to live forever, I think I would not find time to get bored

Then the question: "Are you afraid to play live? " , Dido meets at the beginning, it really frightened her but she loves it. She was a little lost the first time she found herself alone on stage, she did not know where to go, how to move.

The reporter then engages in mixed commercial success of Safe Trip Home (while the press has praised).British singer does not know why the album took so little enthusiasm, but says she has really revealed through this album with songs like Grafton Street for example. After a few Live, she realized that the songs were too dark for the scene.

Safe Trip Home was not the right album to tour.

We learn (or rather relearned) then the songs from the new album are all written long ago. For 2011, Dido has plans to finish this album and take care of her baby. "After all that, I'm probably very busy and tired, the album will come out so that when I'm ready. Then I want to go back on the road. I am very happy to be pregnant but I really miss the stage. I'm pretty impressed to see all these people waiting for my return. "

The last lines of the article are a bit difficult to read but you learn that among the regrets of Dido, it would wish to have a higher level on the guitar.

So much for those few new ones. We learn in the end, not much except that the album will come out when Dido will be ready to leave. One can imagine an output for 2012 after the baby is born, the time Dido care a bit about him (or her). It will therefore almost certainly a tour as the scene is seriously lacking in the open.

..."

What's With UAE's Radio Station Advertisements?

2011-06-15T00:04:00.001+04:00

I don't know if anyone has noticed but nowadays it seems that most of the radio stations in the U.A.E. seem to be putting a lot of advertisements based on Alcohol. I can't understand what's going on with those crazy advertisements. What's all this commotion about having to advertise alcohol in a Muslim Country?
Sometimes this really pisses me off, especially when they put most of those annoying advertisements during the Prayers.
I feel that the radio stations in the U.A.E. need to quit putting ads on "Sports Bars" or certain types of lounges.
I heard an ad the other day about "Clair's Lounge" or "The Al Barsha Sports Bar" and they keep adding other information about buy one alcoholic drink and get God knows how many free. I just can't believe what I've been hearing on the radio stations.
You know sometimes I wish the U.A.E. would just follow most of Saudi Arabia's rules, especially what they put on the radio. In Saudi Arabia, they have a strict policy on alcohol. Now if Dubai could just add that rule here and make it happen, it would be perfect.
If Dubai ever does that, I think most of the people would leave town. Well good for them!

If they just want to go and drink, just go back to your own country and drink over there and leave your sick disgusting drinking habits out of Dubai and the rest of the U.A.E. Also now that the Holy Month Of Ramadan is coming up, the U.A.E. should just hurry up and close up all those crazy clubs and bars. Now there are just too many cases relating to alcoholism. Hell, they even have Alcoholic's Anonymous here, which is quite odd but then again if you read the news, there is an increase in alcohol related crimes.

I believe if the U.A.E. doesn't do anything, sooner or later, the situation might get really bad. Thank God that it's illegal to drink in public places like outside homes and hotels and clubs, there is a 0 Tolerance policy on that and there is a 0 Tolerance policy on drunk driving. Foreigners, who do that might have to pay a hefty fine($$$$$), go to jail and then get deported out of the U.A.E.

The News In General:

2011-06-13T00:41:00.000+04:00

So it has been quite sometime since I last updated my blog, and as you all know I have been doing an internship at the bank for the past couple of weeks. Now my internship is coming to an end and very soon I will post some more stuff on what else is going on.
XTR has also graduated recently from the university. He is an official graduate with his Bachelor's Degree (at Last ). I'm so proud of my best friend who has just graduated :D :D :D :D

In other news, Dido's website has been down for the past couple of days and there is a message on her site:
"...

System Offline

We're moving stuff. Back before too long.

...".
It looks as if Dido HQ is updating her site and it should be up and running soon. I have a feeling that they will be uploading some new info about Dido's new album soon and also add some news on her family along with the baby :)

Also The Sims 3: Generations has been Delayed in the U.A.E. For no obvious reasons. The whole world has their copy of the game except for us locals living in the U.A.E. I just hope they would just hurry up and get the game and also that they would quit their bitching about blocking cover art....I'm very disappointed with the U.A.E. and they're crazy "laws" :(

The Sims 3 has also announced a new Stuff Pack called "The Sims 3: Town Life", which would be released in late July and they have also announced another expansion pack called "The Sims 3: Pets". You should be able to find more info on these at Snooty Sims, Simprograms and The Sims 3

Other than that I will also be travelling soon for the summer vacation but I should be back on the end of July. I will add a Ramadan Update to my blog followed by changing the look of it soon.

Until next time, this is Retrotrut signing out :)

Congratulations XTR:

2011-06-03T10:32:00.000+04:00

Congratulations XTR for finishing University :D :D :D :D

Where Are The Updates?

2011-05-30T00:24:00.000+04:00

I know it has been quite sometime since I last blogged (Probably around a week or so). Well I have been quite busy this summer. After I had turned 21 years old, I had decided to got an internship at some firms around the U.A.E.. It's pretty cool to try working from now. I just have about 2 more years to go till I graduate.
Why the sudden interest in working?
There are 2 reasons:

I need the Experience for my CV
I also plan to change my major soon, (Management to BBA)

Now that I had started working during the summer vacation, I also had some family members from out of town visiting town recently, so I don't really have a lot of time to blog. Also XTR is finally GRADUATING in a couple of hours from now :D :D :D :D :D :D

My work timings are really long at times. It starts at around 8:00AM and ends about 2:00PM. I really enjoy working and now other than work and family, I also have to attend a few more graduations...^_____^

Then after I do that I also have to add going to the gym to my list of things to do.

Oh I forgot to mention, Do all of you remember the last Poll that I had uploaded on to my blog about me deciding to give up cooking for quite sometime. Well It's not really working out. A bunch of people got pissed ever since I stopped cooking. Now I've just put all the time and energy in all the TV Shows and Movies that I have missed watching during the last year. Also I did put it with all the things that I previously mentioned, lol :P

Now I have decided to only cook, once every 8 months. So whoever wants me to cook anything for them, just leave a message On My Facebook Wall or just comment on this post :)

I'm only taking 1 recipe at a time. Plus I might upload a new recipe during The Holy Month of Ramadan :D

There will be very few recipes uploaded on my blog. Plus who reads my recipes? I doubt many people bother reading them.....but they should be reading the other posts :)

I forgot to mention that as of the 23rd of June, I will NOT be updating my blog that much until the 31st of July 2011 because I won't be in town.

Next Update will be soon. Please be Patient!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy 21st Birthday To Retrotrut

2011-05-21T01:00:00.001+04:00

I have Officially turned 21 years old at last. Now I don't want to sound like such a Narcissistic maniac but turning 21 years old is a big thing. It's supposed to represent the person becoming an adult. They are now legal to do anything they want and what I want to do is to brag about me turning 21 :P
So isn't it ironic that I'm turning 21 on May 21. I doubt many people have bothered to notice that but these are the breaks. Now that it's nice and hot, it's the perfect time to go to the beach or to the water park during the current heatwave across the UAE :)

Are The Malls In The U.A.E Suffering?

2011-05-06T15:46:00.000+04:00

It seems that most of the malls in the U.A.E are facing a lot of difficulties during the recession. It has now gotten to the stage where at least most shops are closing down in various malls. Here is what I mean:
-At Mall Of The Emirates, about 45% of stores are closing down leaving their customers sad and of course business is starting to fall at Ski Dubai. Carrefour is still busy but that's not enough help. Virgin Megastore, isn't doing that great.
-At Mercato, 20% of the stores have closed down. Many clothing stores are suffering because not many people are shopping that much anymore. At least Grand Cinemas is keeping their customers happy :) Spinney's Supermarket is also doing pretty well, since they have started lowering some of their prices :)
-Town Center (the mall next to Mercato), 70% of their stores have closed down but luckily their still hanging on by a thin thread because of Sumo (the Japanese Restaurant), Bateel (Date and Chocolate Shop) and Cafe Ceramic (An amazing shop for painting bowls and places and other ceramics and they have great food) and last but not least. Their food court which consists of 1 restaurant: Kebabi and they offer great food. Luckily for them those 4 shops are actually running the entire mall by themselves :)
-Time Square Mall, about 85% of the mall is literally closed. The only shops they have are Chill Out (Ice Cafe), A small food court, and the main branch of Sharaf DG. They have a Hello Kitty store, but no one shops there because it's lame and boring.
-Dubai Mall, about a few stores closed down (Magrudy's bookstore and various shops closed down recently) so about 4% of the stores in general are closed but Dubai Mall is opening a lot of new stuff like Virgin Megastore (next to Kinokuneya bookstore), Red Lobster and a couple of clothing stores and restaurants (P.F Chang's as well). They're doing pretty well. I remember once I told XTR, that if Dubai Mall ever opens Virgin Megastore, then most malls would suffer and then they might close and judging by the looks of things, the other malls are hanging by a thin thread except for Mercato, they're doing just fine :)

So leave a comment if you have anything else to say :)

So Many Things To Say But Not Enough Time:

2011-04-23T18:14:00.000+04:00

Hey Everyone,
How are you? Well I'm doing just fine. I've just been overwhelmed with a lot of work over the past few weeks but Summer Vacation is just around the corner (literally speaking). I will hopefully finish everything over the next couple of weeks and I will resume blogging as of the 6th of May 2011.
On May 6, I want to start with a new post about Summer Vacation and about the new Blockbusters that are heading their way this summer. I can't believe that I'll finish the exams by the 1st of May, but I won't be on Blogspot till the 6th of May. Since summer vacation is starting really soon, I have already made some plans.
On May 1, after I finish my last exam, I just plan to go out probably to the movies and hangout with my friends, but then on May 2, I plan to sleep all day long (metaphorically speaking) and then probably head to the mall and do some stuff.
Also I forgot to mention that I will be adding another new post on certain events going on in my life (graduations - not mine, I still have 2 years to go, Weddings, Birthday party - I'm turning 21 at long last and so on). I will also be closing my blog for some renovations on May 4 and reopen it on May 6. I think it's about time I change the way my blog looks. Seriously, it has so many blogwebs (cobwebs :P) everywhere.
Also I would like to mention that there will be No Updates from April 20, 2011 till May 6, 2011 because the final exams will be in progress. Of course I would like to blog and add some cool stuff but as what Hedassa from "Crank Yankers" said: "I'd like to wish you a Merry Reality".
Translation please get back to reality, there's just too much work to be done but not enough time.

From

Retrotrut

Retrotrut Is On Zee Track's Blogger Birthday:

2011-04-18T03:13:00.001+04:00

It's been 3 years that I have been blogging. I have over 700 posts. My next goal is to reach about 1000 posts and then we'll see what will happen from there. I might make a new blog but keep this blog opened or I might try and reach about 1500 posts. Who knows what's going to happen. As what Piper Halliwell once said
"...We'll Worry about that then..."

I also got a couple of requests for me to start adding advertisements on my blog. I think it's called Google Ads but I don't really agree with the fact of having a couple of ads around my blog. I think it would be too annoying to have but from what I hear, you can earn a lot of money. My Blog will ALWAYS be a FREE Website. So everyone should know that I don't accept Paysites. My blog will ALWAYS remain FREE to the public :D

The Sims 3's Biggest Facebook Surprise:

2011-04-05T19:22:00.000+04:00

I took this image by using the Snipping Tool provided by Windows 7 from Tilatequilaism

The Sims 3 has officially announced the release date of their next Expansion pack called The Sims 3: Generations. Many various Sim Sites have posted pictures and some information but one of the members from The Sims 3's website has posted what looks like the next expansion pack.
The Official Trailer is released, please check it out :)

Feels Like Travelling:

2011-03-26T01:00:00.000+04:00

Don't you just feel like travelling? I know I feel like doing that :)

Summer Vacation is just about 5 weeks away. Sometimes I just wish the summer vacation would just hurry up and start already. It's been really hectic at the university for the past several weeks and as you can see I haven't been updating my blog that much. Doesn't anyone wish that their summer vacation would just start already. The only thing that has been going on in the university is that they're just bombing us with quizzes and projects...Hello we need a break. Right???
It's just been so stressful lately that I had decided to give up a couple of things like cooking and most of my free time. So let me just translate it: Be a robot - study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study and study.
Everyone is now starting to get restless and don't get me started on the summer courses. Some universities have announced that their going to be extending the semester from 6 weeks to 9 weeks (excluding exam weeks). If I add the exam weeks then it would be about 11 weeks. The normal semester (Autumn or Spring) is about 12 weeks or 13 weeks and if I add the exams it's going to be about 15 weeks.
Now come on don't you think that's a little too long? Summer Vacation Where Are You????
But we all know Hedassa (from Crank Yankers) would be saying "..I'd like to wish you a Merry Reality..."
That is so true, we all know that it would be taking a lot of time for the summer break to just start. The weather just started to heat up across the UAE. I think we're going to be ending up getting burnt before the summer even starts :P :P :P

Happy Mother's Day

2011-03-20T22:52:00.000+04:00

I would like to wish everyone a Happy Mothers Day. On The 21st Of March is Mothers Day for the
Middle East :D :D :D

Retro's Last Recipe Of The Year:

2011-03-19T04:09:00.000+04:00

I have an announcement to make, I have decided to quit cooking. I know this is coming out of the blue, but what can I say, I just got tired of cooking. A couple of family members and friends of mine are devastated about my drastic changes that I've been making. I haven't really decided about when I'm going to resume cooking and adding recipes to my blog ( I still have a bunch of recipes on my mind, but these are the breaks). Who knows when I'm going to resume cooking, maybe in a week, a month, a year or probably never.
So as of today I'm going to be uploading my last recipe of the year. I hope you'll like it, it's just Retrotrut's Homemade Burgers.

Ingredients:

Low Fat Minced Beef
Smoked Gouda Unprocessed Cheese **
Chopped Onions
Chopped Garlic
Crushed Black Pepper
Spicy Mustard (Dijon Mustard would also do)
Sour Cream (Not Labnah)
Hamburger Buns
Lettuce
Tomatoes

Preparation:

First take the Smoked Gouda Cheese and cut it up into cubes, then add it to the minced meat. While you mix that with your hands, you should then add the chopped onions to the minced meat and keep mixing it with your hands. After that add the chopped garlic followed by the crushed black pepper.

Once you're done with that, you have to make the minced meat into patties and once that's done, you just fire up the grill and cook it. Cook it to your preference (Whether you want the burger to be rare, medium or medial-well or well done). I prefer grilling it until it's well done, I took about 30 to 45 minutes just grilling it because I had made about 20 burgers for a gathering once (about 15 people showed up).

As soon as you finished grilling the burgers, you have to make them into sandwiches. Before you do that, just take the spicy mustard and mix it with the sour cream because that's what you're going to be putting on to the burger buns.

Now after you add the must and sour cream sauce (Rachael Ray's South Western Sauce Recipe if you used Dijon Mustard and eliminated the black pepper). You can add some black pepper to it, then after you do that, add the burger and then you can add the lettuce and tomatoes.

I hope you like my last recipe of the year or maybe season, I'll see I might cook again sooner or later.

**Note: The Smoked Gouda Cheese (Unprocessed): Where can you get that in the U.A.E.?

You can only get that from Galleries Lafayette at The Dubai Mall. 3rd floor in their grocery section. It's really worth it. It costs about 20 dirhams for about 2 thick slices (about half a kilo or even less). Now this would be unprocessed cheese and it's extremely healthy to have (in my opinion). Don't get the Processed cheese from Spinney's or the Union Co-Op or Choitrams, those cheeses burn easily and it can ruin the recipe.

Now in case you don't want to use the Smoked Gouda Cheese, simply go and buy some Mozzarella Cheese and it should be a large block of cheese not shredded cheese.

Faithless Is Over:

2011-03-19T03:02:00.000+04:00

Faithless Performing Live at Nasimi Beach on April 1 2011

I just got word that the band "Faithless" is going to be performing their last and final tour.
Dido-France has this to say:

"...Indeed, this group with Rollo (Dido's brother) is a member and producer has proposed some collaborations with our beloved Dido. It was with Faithless she took her first steps on stage. Bad news for fans of the group, Maxi Jazz has announced the dissolution of the group and the end of this adventure.

He said on that occasion: "After fifteen years and 6 albums, I think we managed to get our message but it is time now to turn the page. "

We do not know what will happen to Rollo. Maybe he will become full-time producer of Dido, who knows?

In any case, to pay a final tribute to Faithless, I suggest you review the clip Feelin 'Good (with vocals by Dido)..."

Is The World Breaking Down?

2011-03-15T09:13:00.000+04:00

Have you ever stopped to think about what the hell is going on with our planet? Well I have and by the looks of it, it doesn't look that great. Now remember in the past, right after the World Wars 1 & 2, the weather systems across the world have been changing rapidly.
Back in the late 1900's, the U.A.E. used to get rain at least once or twice every 3 or 4 years. But that was in the past, Now, in the early 2000's, it has started to rain a little more frequently in the U.A.E. (Except for the year of 2011, no heavy rainfall).
What else has happened?
-in the late 1900's: There used to be crazy weather conditions across the world. In the U.S, in a state in California, Did you know on March the temperatures would be about 5*C or less when now in the present (2011) it's about 37*C. Is it me or did it just get hotter in town?
What has happened from the years 2000- 2011?

-In the year 2001, Japan has recorded the strongest typhoon ever (it was at the wind speed of 287 miles per hour)
-In 2001, Gujarat, India, a magnitude of 7.7 had hit killing 20,085 civilians.
-In 2002, the temperates of the U.A.E. during the summer, went all the way up from 40*C to 67*C (FYI, The human blood boils at the temperature of 60*C) with the humidity levels about 95%
-In 2003, there was a European Heatwave, the temperatures suddenly went up from 15 *C to 55*C and it killed around 40,000 people
-In 2004, an earthquake had occurred in the Indian Ocean triggering a large and powerful and destructive Tsunami and it had hit Sri Lanka, Various parts of India, Thailand. The magnitude of this earthquake was between 9.1 & 9.3. This was one of the most devastating earthquakes ever recorded but wait it gets worse, keep reading.
-In 2005, Kashmire, Pakistan was hit with an earthquake of a magnitude of 7.6 killing 80,000 people.
-In 2006, It had snowed for the First time in the UAE, in Ras Al Khaima.

Skipping down to the years of 2008-2011:

-In 2008, there was an Earthquake that hit Sumatra, Indonesia. It was a magnitude of 7.5, it killed about 11,500 people. Then there was that horrible blizzard that killed a bunch of people in Afghanistan. There was also the worst case of Hailstones recorded in the UAE, and also there was a lot of thunderstorms and rain occurring that year in the UAE. Also some strong winds were so bad that it had killed about 5 people during the Dubai Shopping Festival.

-In 2009, there was a bad wild fire that had happened in Australia, killing thousands of wildlife and plants.

-In 2010, Haiti gets hit by an Earthquake, killing 200,000 people. Straight after that, Chile gets hit by an earthquake as well, killing about 100,000 people. The worst avalanche falls and kills about 175 people in Afghanistan. And in Pakistan an avalanche also falls and kills 102 people. Russia also gets a bad heatwave killing about 56,000 people, Iceland Volcano Eruption leaving about a billion flights cancelled due to smoke covering the air spaces from Iceland to The U.S to Most of Europe. Millions of people were stranded in the airports for days. In Tibet there was also an earthquake but the magnitude was not given to the press (I don't know why). There was also a bad blizzard that had affected Europe & America. It was so bad to the extent that people in the far South of America, where it never snows, actually got affected big time. New York was actually in such bad shape. Hundreds and Hundreds of flights got cancelled, leaving a bunch of people stranded. In the Northern part of Saudi Arabia, the temperatures have actually dropped so much to the extent it had snowed for the first time over there. Also in 2010, there was a massive storm that had hit Australia and it had lead to some severe flooding. With this typical monsoon like rainfall, a Cyclone also headed towards Australia and hit it, causing even more death and destruction. As soon as the Cyclone hit (Cyclone Yasi), a Tsunami also hit Australia. Now half of Australia is literally underwater. The total estimate of the destruction caused by all of these disasters are 50 billion U.S Dollars

-In 2011, Rio De Janeiro, They got the worst storm which gave them the worse case scenario of mudslides. It was like mudslide galore and it killed a bunch of people and it had destroyed a lot of property. New Zealand gets an Earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3, killing 166 people. Then about a couple of hours ago, Japan gets hit with an earthquake with the magnitude of 8.9, killing about 9000+ people. The Earthquake in Japan was so strong to the extent the earthquake triggered a COUPLE of Tsunamis. Now from what I'm hearing is that these Tsunamis are about 4 feet high and they have just hit Tokyo and many other areas of Japan and now a couple more Tsunamis are heading towards Hawaii and Taiwan and Russia and the U.S (California and Washington DC). They have already been alerted and people are evacuating these areas. Also since the earthquake was so strong in Japan, ALL the Fuel/Oil Refineries have literally started to explode and cause a set of uncontrollable fires spreading through out Japan. Many people are trapped in skyscrapers. Now to make things even worse, the earthquake has also cut most of the power to Japan, leaving millions of people without electricity and also the Nuclear Power Plants have Officially shutdown their systems due to an automatic detection in an increase of pressure overload. The Nuclear Power Plants just shutdown automatically leaving no damage to happen what so ever. This is one of the worst earthquakes in history for the year of 2011.

Other than the weather, Did anything else happen to the world after The World Wars I & II?
Yes, the world continued to deteriorate.
-The world's first Jackass "president" got elected. George W Bush became president and I swear to God, I the first time I heard that, I was waiting for Ashton Kutcher to come and scream to us that we've been Punk'd but so much for that theory. We had this Jackass as president for about 8 years :(
-In 9/11 or September 9, 2001, there was that issue with the World Trade Center in the U.S that got hit by a an American flight plane. The Americans have accused the Arabs that it was our fault that we destroyed their buildings. Now I don't want to go into politics because I'm not that interested in it but what the Americans said about the Arabs was a big huge insult. Now there still is a lot of tension going on with both the Arabs and the U.S citizens.
-In 2008, the U.S got the first Black Male President. We welcome President Obama as the president of the U.S. George W Bush can go F##k himself to death, we hate Bush....(sorry with the boring politics)
-Now in 2010 -2011, The Arab world had started to fall apart, lets see Libya, Egypt and Beirut have been having a lot of strikes lately and most of their governments have been overthrown by the people of those countries (Except in Libya, that's still going on)

In conclusion, yes the world is breaking down but it's trying to heal itself. Now everyone is going "Green", Save the world, Save Air, just go Green. Or stuff like that. Use reusable items and so on.
As you can also see even though some people think that 2012 might be the end of the world and all that but it's not true. No one knows whether the world is going to end. This is just a phase that the world is going through and who knows in time, the world will heal. We all know that now since the world is acting like this (by causing natural disasters) it's all based from the past mistakes that us humans made. What can I say, the world is just trying to teach us a lesson. Also another reason could be it that the world might just be old and it's now breaking down. Well who knows, it's not like it's coming to an end. We don't even know when that would be

And The Oscar Goes To:

2011-03-03T03:09:00.000+04:00

Who is the lucky winner to take this back home with them?

About 3 days ago The Oscars or The 83rd Academy Awards was aired on TV and it was actually pretty good and bad in a couple of ways.
The good thing about the Oscars was:
-Anne Hathaway and James Franco were brilliant presenters and also they did make some funny comments and jokes about the movies in general :P
-Dido was Nominated for an Oscar
-There had a brief memorial for the actors that had died in 2011 (Which was thoughtful, I might say)

The Bad Things about The Oscars:
-Dido lost the Oscar to Toy Story 3's crappy music
-They were too busy focusing on fashion. I'm sorry but I don't think any guy would care about what Nicole Kidman wore. My god she was such a whore (hence the rhyme :P)
-There were too many crappy movies being nominated (The Social Network - total bullshit, Toy Story 3 - even more bullshit, The fighter- I'm sorry but I'm allergic to all this bullshit) that didn't deserve to be nominated.

Who Won?
The Movie of the Year is:
-The Kings Speech (I haven't even watched it yet but people say it's really good)

The Best Animated Movie Of The Year:
-Toy Story 3 (Wait? Hold the presses, Why wasn't Despicable Me nominated or Mega Mind? Those were even funnier)

The Best Actor:
-Colin Firth (The King's Speech)

The Best Actress:
-Natalie Portman (Did you know she's pregnant? Guess who's the father, I was shocked to hear this from Yahoo, it's the dance choreographer from her movie "The Black Swan")

The Best supporting Actor:
-Christian Bale (No offence but I thought the movie "The Fighter" was extremely boring and not worth watching at all)

The Best supporting Actress:
-Melissa Leo (Again the hag from "The Fighter" who couldn't keep her dirty mouth shut during The Oscars. She literally dropped the F-Bomb on the crowd and the rest of the world)

The Best Original Song:
-Toy Story 3 "We Belong Together" (We belong together in hell, that song wasn't that nice, Tangled was even better, but Dido's song "If I Rise" was the best but still come on, Why can't they chose a better song? I think the people have gone deaf)

For more info about The Oscars go here

Dido Reveals Something On Twitter: Short Post

2011-03-03T02:40:00.000+04:00

About a couple of days ago Dido had made an announcement about her new album. There has been a rumor going around the world saying that Dido's 4th album "Everything To Lose " (as it says on Dido's MySpace Account) is already finished but Dido said that it's not finished there still are a couple more songs that she's going to be adding by the end of the year. I'm guessing straight away after she has her child.

Peanut Butter & Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

2011-03-01T10:00:00.000+04:00

This is quite a difficult recipe to make because of 3 ingredients. At first it might sound easy but it's not, you just have to spend time searching for the right type of chocolates. I used 3 different types of chocolates. Some of them include actually grating an actual Cocoa pod and making my first batch of homemade chocolate chips (literally speaking). Here is the recipe:

-2 to 3 eggs (with the yolk)
-1/2 a teaspoon of salt
-1 tablespoon of normal granulated white sugar
-1 and a half teaspoons of Icing Sugar
- 4 and a half teaspoons of olive oil (you seriously have to measure it)
- 1 teaspoon of Lurpak Salted Butter
-1 teaspoon of Honey - for the best results
-1/2 a cup of milk

Now as for the Flour, it depends on how much quantity you need, it mainly depends on how many cookies are you going to be baking, whether it's 12 or more. I used about almost 3 cups of flour (2 and a half cups is also enough)

- 1/2 a teaspoon of bicarbonate of Soda

-8 tablespoons of peanut butter

-1/2 a bad of Nestle Mini Chocolate Chips

-5 large chunks of my homemade chocolate bar (Recipe can be found on Google)

-Any Brand Of Cooking Chocolate - It must be chopped into small cubes

Instructions:

First in a bowl add the eggs, then add the butter with it and mix it with a spoon, then add the icing sugar and the normal sugar and continue to mix it. After you mix it, add the flour and the salt and mix that with the batter. It should look a little dry, yes when it's like that, add the olive oil followed by the honey, then add the bicarbonate of soda and mix it with a spoon. Then after that you should start adding the Homemade chocolate Chips, you can follow any recipe on the internet on how to make your own homemade chocolate chips. It's not compulsory to add it, but I would recommend adding it. Just google up a recipe on how to make chocolates and then once you make that at home, you can break it into a million pieces and add it into the batter.
Now in the next step you need to use your hands to knead the dough, since the dough might be a little try add a little bit of milk (about 2 table spoons to be exact) and continue to knead the dough. While you're kneading the dough add the chopped brand of cooking chocolates into the dough followed by 1 teaspoon of peanut butter and continue to knead the dough. After you're done with that, put the cookie dough in a bowl and wrap it with plastic wrap and keep it to cool in the fridge for at least 3 hours to overnight. Sometimes I keep my cookie dough for about 12 hours and then I bake it the very next day.

Once that's done just preheat your oven to 170*C, while the oven is being preheated, add the cookie dough on to your desired baking tray. You can either cut the cookies into a shape or just dump it together on the tray all together and then cut it into pieces after the cookies have been baked.

Take the peanut butter and smother it onto the center of the cookies if you cut it into a shape, or else just take the peanut butter and smother it on the cookie dough by using your hands. It's going to be a little sticky, so please make sure you wear some gloves, because I did that so that my hands wouldn't smell like cookie batter :P

Then once you finish smothering the peanut butter, you then sprinkle about half a handful of Nestle Mini Chocolate Chips right on to the cookie dough and then you're done. Just bake the cookies for about 10 to 25 minutes and then keep it to cool for about 15 minutes and then serve it :)

Enjoy :)

SPRING BREAK:

2011-02-24T14:25:00.000+04:00

Spring Break has Officially Started. Thank God it has has started as of today :D :D
I'm so happy that we're getting about a week off from the university. I think everyone needs a break from this hectic week. There were quizzes and midterms every single day of this week and now it's over now :D :D :D
But unfortunately there will be about 2 more midterms and 2 more quizzes to do after the break but thats like in 3 weeks from now :)

So to start with this spectacular celebration here is a song that will cheer you up :D

5 Screen Caps From Dido's Song "If I Rise":

2011-02-24T14:15:00.000+04:00

Two

Days

Till

The

Oscars

What is going on this week with Retrotrut's life?

2011-02-20T03:00:00.001+04:00

This week is going to be the most hectic week for me because I will be so busy studying for all the quizzes and midterms coming up during the next several days. This week I have a midterm on Monday followed by a Quiz on the same day, then on Tuesday I have a Lab Exam and then another Lab Exam on Wednesday and then 2 weeks later, I will be having a shit load of other midterms 2 weeks after this one.
So, I know most of you are waiting for me to upload my Triple Chocolate Chip & Peanut Butter Explosive Cookies Recipe, but you will have to wait till Friday the 25th of February 2011. I will be uploading it followed by another recipe, which I have added in a New Poll this week.
This week's new Recipes are:
-Homemade Lavender & Vanilla Shortbread Cookies
-Homemade South Western Burgers
-Homemade Lobster Hor D'Oveurs

If NOBODY votes for any of my recipes, I'll add the South Western Burgers Recipe :)

Dido Update: "IF I RISE" MUSIC VIDEO RELEASED

2011-02-19T00:40:00.001+04:00

Dido & A.R Rahman Singing in their new music video "If I Rise"

It's Officially confirmed, Dido and A.R Rahman have just released the music video of their song "If I rise" just a couple of minutes ago. Fox News had this :

"...Being trapped in a canyon has never looked so sumptuous.

Out of the six nominations 127 HOURS received for the 2011 Academy Awards, two went to composer AR Rahman--one for Best Score, and one for Best Song. We've just released the video for the song in question, "If I Rise", which features lavishly understated vocals from none other than British adult contemporary superstar Dido. It's actually quite good, the sparse instrumentation lulls and flows around Dido's cooing voice, and you barely even remember that you're listening to a soundtrack to a movie in which the protagonist hacks his arm off with a penknife. If that's not success, then we don't know what is...."

Here is the Official music video:

Dido Update: News Article Found On HITFLIX

2011-02-18T01:24:00.001+04:00

This is a Picture Of Dido and A.R Rahman taken from A.R Rahman's Facebook Account

Here is an article that was just posted about a couple of hours ago on HitFlix:

"...When it was announced a few weeks ago that Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine was filling in for Dido on the Feb. 27 Academy Awards to sing her nominated song, “If I Rise,” tongues started wagging as to why Dido wasn’t going to be on the show with co-writer AR Rahman.

As she posted shortly afterwards on her website, Dido was missing her “dream of going to the Oscars” for the best possible reason: she and her husband are expecting their first child this summer and she didn’t feel it was wise to travel from her British home. But even revealing that much about herself took some deliberation.

“I’m not a particularly public person about my private life,” she tells Hitfix. “I wanted to explain why I wasn’t going to be there. I didn’t want to upset fans. It’s the one thing you really can’t hide unless you sit in the house and don’t leave,” she laughs.

While she is “gutted,” that she won’t be at the show, she is delighted that Welch will stand in for her and had a hand in Welch becoming her replacement. “We all threw some [names] around and she seemed like the best choice,” she says. “I can’t wait to hear her. I was so happy she could do it." Her advice to her fellow Brit on that big night? "I just want her to enjoy it. She’s got a unique and special voice.”

The song, which plays in a pivotal scene in the movie, came about as she and Rahman were working on another song, one which may appear on her next album. “Literally, we just sort of met up,” she says. “I’d always loved what he’d done. His melodies are amazing, he pushes me. I’d never sung to a melody written by someone else.”

During that process, the opportunity to collaborate on “127 Hours” come up. And if the words to the woozy “If I Rise” don’t make sense to you, don’t worry: they don’t to her either. “A lot of people have been trying to decipher [the lyrics] and have been sending me notes,” she says, but, she adds, they aren’t supposed to be linear in any way. Director Danny Boyle wanted Dido’s energy and her ethereal voice, but felt the more lyrics, the more it could distract from the scene. So Dido improvised. “I just closed my eyes —I know it sounds bananas— and just sang what I was feeling at the time, using the instruments and voices as well... When I actually saw it in the context of the film, I was so happy we decided to do it that way.” She says each take, of which there were only a few, was completely different. Now, her biggest challenge is figuring out what she actually said so she can sing it for the video she and Rahman are making.

When she and Rahman connected, she was in the middle of recording her fourth studio album, which she plans to release this year on Arista. She compares it to her first and breakthrough set, 1999’s “No Angel.” That album, as you'll recall, catapulted Dido to fame after Enimem sampled "Thank You" in his song, "Stan," and the two made a video together.

“This record, I’ve written a huge amount on my own,” she says, “in the hotel room or sitting at home. I love the solitary thing at the piano. A lot of this was done in the studio, but a lot of this was done on my own, and then bringing in [Dido’s brother] Rollo [Armstrong].”

Much of it was written during this past summer, which she spent driving around California. “It’s just my favorite place and I just can’t stop writing,” she says. “It’s something about the driving and the music and the bigness of everything. The sunshine helps. I love what I wrote out there. I ended up recording huge amounts in my hotel room: I had a microphone propped on some books and my computer and my keyboard and [we] built around those minimalist tracks.”

In addition to writing solo, she worked with longtime collaborator Rick Nowels, as well as Greg Kurstin (of The Bird and the Bee fame) and Jeff Bhasker, who is best known for his work with Kanye West.

As fans know, Dido leaves the intimacies for her music, preferring to remain a bit of a mystery to her fans. “I pour so much of myself into my songs. If people knew too much about me, I’d feel self conscious and stop being so personal in my songs,” she says. “If I stopped to think about what I was writing, I might not do it, but, thankfully because I don’t have the feeling of people knowing me, I sit at the piano and let it all pour out.”

And even with the impending arrival of one bundle of joy, it’s clear that Dido has no plans to walk away from her other love, her music.: “I want to try to do some shows this year and lots next year,” she says.

You can see if Dido wins her first Oscar when the Academy Awards are handed out Sunday, Feb. 27 on ABC."

Dido Update: What's Going On With Dido?

2011-02-17T04:29:00.001+04:00

So many things have been going on with Dido and A.R. Rahman, I just don't know where to start. Well first of all, Everyone knows that Dido is Pregnant (read the previous Dido Update that I wrote last week). Secondly, Dido and A.R Rahman have Officially started making the music video of their new song "If I Rise". Pictures have been posted all over Dido's Twitter Account. The pictures are posted down below :)
Another thing that has come to my attention is that I just found a new interview by "Day Break USA" and they were so busy doing an amazing interview. The host of "Day Break USA" had actually phoned up Dido and A.R Rahman and spoke to them about the Oscar Nomination along with how they came up with the idea on singing together to Dido's Pregnancy. I found this link through a Facebook Group Status. Join the 127 Hours Facebook Group to see the full story or just click on the link below the video :)
The following pictures are taken from Dido's Twitter Account followed by the Quotations as well :)

Update: Dido has just uploaded the link for the video from the Picture below, the one where Dido and A.R Rahman are sitting down and talking with the picture of London behind them. Here is the link

monitor pic from today's interviews. incredible view from studio window. london looking totally perfect. x

finally, one of me and ARR. a truly lovely and inspirational artist and a joy to work with. dxx

random monitor shot xx

a few more pics coming from yesterday's video shoot with ar rahman. here's one of us on the set. x

me and ARR xxx

i'm in the desert! dxx

got some snaps from the 'if i rise' video shoot today. let's see if i can remember how to do this... dxxx

And the Video of the Interview:

To Read The Full Story Go Here

Writer's Block Or Something Else?

2011-02-10T03:34:00.000+04:00

This week, I'm having lots of problems, I think I'm coming down with a case of "Writer's Block" Or something like that. I have a bunch of topics that I want to talk about with everyone this week but I just can't seem to make up my mind on what I want to talk to you (you as in the world) about.

My latest new discovery was by using Lavender in my cooking. Now beat that Betty Crocker, I just found a new way to prove to the world that you must think Out Of The Box :P

So I came up with an idea. Now I know I mentioned earlier this year that I would be adding some recipes. Well I have added a Poll on the upper left hand side of my blog. This week's Poll will be all about recipes. The recipe that gets picked the most, will be uploaded by next weekend, before the long break. Probably by the 15th of February 2011.

Cookies above are for illustrative purposes Only!

I have added the following recipes for this week:

Vanilla & Lavender Shortbread Cookies
Triple Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Cookies - Or as I like to call it, Chocolate & Peanut Butter Explosive cookies (hence the cookies are laced with a lot of different types of chocolate chips and peanut butter)
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Pie (It includes the Fudge Recipe as well)

However, Guests are only allowed to pick one recipe this week, as I plan to upload the next recipe 2 weeks later :)

The Best Radio Stations to Listen to in the UAE:

2011-02-08T17:40:00.001+04:00

In my opinion, I have listed a number of radio stations that are worth listening to in the U.A.E. These radio stations are the only people that actually have great music and actually answer their phones at least 80% of the time. However there are Some Radio Stations that are not worth listening to at all (...Virgin Radio Dubai - they don't really answer their phones that much and if they answer your phones, they'll always try to make fun of you and the music that you listen to. They are just like immature children, who haven't taken the time to grow up!)

99.3 Classic Hits - These people are extremely friendly, the DJ's there are really nice along with the other staff at the radio stations and they have this show called Lifestyle, where they talk about everything in the U.A.E, but then on Saturday Night they play the most Awesome music ever :D :D :D. I give this station a 10/10 :)
104.1 & 100.5 Radio 1 - These people actually have amazing songs playing 24/7. On Thursday their DJ's play the most best and freshest music in the world. Like whatever is playing in the U.S, they're playing it and they don't keep repeating their songs like Virgin Radio Dubai does or like what Channel 4fm Does! Ratings for this station 9.5/10
92.0 Dubai 92 - I really enjoy listening to this radio station a lot, especially in the mornings, whenever I'm heading to the university. I really like the Catboy & Jodi Bird in the morning and of course when I finish late from the university, I really like their afternoon drive back home with Tom & Dan. Even Dubai 92 has a very nice website :) Ratings for this station 9/10
Coast 103.2 - This is a nice radio station to listen to when you're driving around town in the U.A.E. I think that this station plays the best songs from the past at around 12pm (noon) and sometimes in the night, when you're driving along the road, it's nice to listen to this station (at 9pm till 11pm) :) Ratings for this station: 8.5/10
104.8 Channel 4FM - The only good thing to listen to on this stations is the I-Morning Zoo. They are an extremely hilarious bunch to listen to in the morning. However DJ Moe's music has started to become boring. It's like his music is starting to suck, I'm sure he'll improve his music. His music is like Ke$ha's Career, it's going down the toilet. My ratings for this station 5.5/10 (5.5 just for the I-Morning Zoo and 0 for Dj Moe)

The worst radio Station in Dubai is Virgin Radio Dubai. I'm sorry to say that but their music is worse than anything I've ever heard in my life. They try to act all cool and nice but looks can be deceiving. The staff over there are extremely rude. For example: The Kris Fade Show in the mornings, what do they do? they don't take any calls whatsoever in the mornings and if they do, they would try and make humiliate you Live on the air and they make fun of the music that you listen to. Also they keep you on hold for quite sometime.
Another example is the ride home with Brent Black, this is another guy, who just can't seem to do anything right. Literally speaking. I remember about a couple of months ago a friend of mine tried calling the radio station and Brent Black was on the line. So my friend had asked him to play a song for his cousin and he asked to play a song by BEP (Black Eyed Peas) and what did he play? Brent Black said oh alright, I'll play the song for you, as long as I can get some dirt from you (as in dirty secrets from you). My friend got really shocked after he heard about this from him. So my friend ended up just asking him to play the song rather than giving him the dirt. Actually my friend told Brent Black to his face "...as what Sydney Bristow from Alias, Season 1 Episode 7, Your Attempts are Futile.....". Brent Black was shocked by what he had said but then Brent decided to get revenge by playing a different song by a different singer. And Brent said on the radio station that my friend said that he wanted to hear Nelly rather than BEP.
The moral of the second example is that Virgin Radio Dubai Does NOT listen to what their listeners, what they want to hear.
Now, I don't want to sound like a child, I just prefer listening to Virgin Radio France over Virgin Radio Dubai, Any day!!!!

The music that Virgin Radio France is way better than Virgin Radio Dubai and the staff at Virgin Radio France are quite nice, unlike the staff at Virgin Radio Dubai. Since we have freedom of speech, I just thought I should state my opinions and if you want to comment, feel free to do so down below.
Note: Virgin Radio Dubai Please change the way you guys act. As of today, I won't be listening to your radio station at all. There are many radio stations out there, which are WAY better than yours!!!!

Dido News: The Biggest News In History

2011-02-07T19:44:00.000+04:00

Hold the Presses, This is news is even bigger than the Oscars :)

Dido has just left us a note on her official site and she reveals something big. Forget about the Oscars, Dido had this to say:
"....Hello everyone,
It’s been a month of amazing news for me and now I have some more to share. Me and my husband rohan are expecting a baby and we’re beyond happy and excited about it. So as some of you already know, I won’t be able to travel to LA for the oscars ceremony to perform ‘if I rise’. Obviously I’m really gutted about not being there – going to the oscars has literally been a dream of mine since I was about 9 - but I’m absolutely thrilled that the wonderful florence welch has agreed to step in and sing the song. I can’t wait to hear her sing it as I’m a huge fan of hers and she’ll sound amazing. I will definitely be watching the whole thing live on tv and texting rollo (who is going to be at the ceremony. But not singing... Thankfully... :-)) Also, me and AR are going to be filming a video for ‘if I rise’ next week which I’m really looking forward to.
Love, dxxx..."

Dido is Officially Pregnant with her husband Rohan. Who knew that she would hurry up and get married. I wish her the best of luck with her pregnancy :)

Also Dido and A.R. Rahman will be filming the music video of the song "If I Rise", extremely soon :)

Even though Dido couldn't make it to the Oscars because of her pregnancy, she's looking forward to having her first child ever :) :) :)

Dido Questions & Answers: Oscar??

2011-01-28T21:29:00.000+04:00

Here is what Dido had to say on her official site:

"....Following this week's amazing news that If I Rise has been nominated for the Best Song Oscar, we gave Dido a shout to find out a bit more about collaborating with A.R. Rahman, being on the 127 Hours soundtrack and plans for album #4.

Hi Dido, congratulations on the Oscar nomination. Where were you when you found out about it?
I was in a restaurant and a friend texted me. I nearly fell off my chair.

Presumably you're pretty pleased?
I'm so pleased. It's a proper honour and getting to work with someone as brilliant as A.R. Rahman on a Danny Boyle movie is a bit of a dream come true anyway. Way back when, the 'Trainspotting' soundtrack was probably one of the musical moments that influenced me the most. I actually wrote 'Here With Me' which was my first song over a track on there. Danny Boyle has always done incredible music in his films I think, and I'm a huge A.R. Rahman fan anyway. A.R. Rahman’s whole soundtrack to this film is beautiful and I’m properly proud to be a part of it.

Have you spoken to A.R. Rahman since the nomination was announced?
I have, I spoke to him yesterday. What a lovely guy. Very inspiring.

Of course, this is just one of six awards that 127 Hours is up for. Did you expect it to do so well when you became involved?
To be honest I'd only read the book when I first got involved. I was working with A.R on something else anyway and he mentioned that he was working on a soundtrack. He told me the story of the film and I realised I actually already had Aron Ralston's book at home because it had interested me. I went home, read the book properly which was very moving and very inspiring, and then went back in and did the track. A.R. explained where in the film the track would be and it felt like the 'no lyrics' lyrics in the verses were the right thing to do as it wouldn't interfere with what was going on in the scene too much. I didn't think too much more of it other than that it was a great experience to work with A.R. and a beautiful piece of music. I didn't actually see the film for the first time until recently when everything was finished.

And what did you think of the film?
I was blown away by it. As I'd read the book I was pretty intrigued as to how Danny Boyle was going to get round the fact that it's one guy stuck in a rock for the whole film. He did it absolutely brilliantly. I was so drawn in from the word go, really moved and riveted and actually found it pretty exhilarating and inspiring by the end. The way it was shot just draws you right in and I felt a bit like I was cutting my own arm off at the pivotal scene. I hope I'd be able to have the human strength to do the same thing in the same situation! My hiking holiday in Utah wasn't nearly as exciting though...

This is a great start to 2011 for you. Is it looking like you'll finish the new album this year too?
The new album should be finished soon. Very excited about it. We've had a lot of fun doing it. I've done a lot of stuff with Rollo here in the UK and then I spent some time in California over the summer and wrote a load of songs there with a different flavour that I love. Driving round California is about the most inspiring thing for me I think. I got to work with some great people there too - Jeff Bhasker, Greg Kurstin, Rick Nowels again. Happy days.

Would you like to work with A.R. Rahman again?
I'd absolutely love to. We have done another track and I just need to finish the lyrics on that and we'll get that finished and I'd love to do more with him. He's an amazing human being to be around and incredibly talented and I learnt a lot from the short time we already spent together. His melodies are absolutely beautiful. I realised I'd never actually sung another person's melody as one of my songs and he writes melodies I could never write but I just love singing. Especially when you get more of the Indian scale in there. It's not dissimilar to Irish music and so it really resonates with me and moves me.

Do you have any other collaborations lined up?
I certainly do. Too early to say for sure as I don't want to jinx things but there are things going on hopefully!

Finally, if you win, where do you think you'd put the statuette?
Where everyone can see it. :-) It would be pretty unbelievable to win an Oscar..."

So Many Articles Based On Dido:

2011-01-27T04:06:00.000+04:00

There are so many articles that I have read on the newspaper this month and believe it or not, they're all about Dido and A.R.Rahman. Here are a few articles that I have read so far:

A.R. Rahman to launch music video with Dido?

Oscar-winning music composer A.R. Rahman has revealed that he's coming out with a music video.

IANS
Published: 00:02 January 6, 2011

A.R. Rahman
Image Credit: Rex Features

Oscar-winning music composer A.R. Rahman has revealed that he's coming out with a music video. Speculation is rife that it's the visual representation of his recent collaboration with English sensation Dido which features in Danny Boyle's 127 Hours.

"Hey Guys, watch out for the world premiere of my new music video… coming soon," he tweeted.

Rahman also linked a picture with the comment, that shows him wearing a suede jacket near a helicopter, leaving his fans assuming that it is the video of the popular song If I Rise.

Next Article:

"...The Meditative One

American audiences saw a glimpse of A. R. Rahman's talents with Slumdog Millionaire's Jai Ho, a festive and rousing Bollywood number. Working with director Danny Boyle once more for 127 Hours, the Indian film composer, record producer, musician and singer was again called upon to create magic. Although his If I Rise, a collaboration with English pop artist Dido, strikes a more meditative tone this time. As a character on the verge of falling victim to the elements, James Franco's Aron Ralston summons a final burst of courage, turning recent memories of new acquaintances into dreams of better days to come. "Somebody was offering him something of a future," Rahman says. "That gave him hope and the energy to liberate himself." Light and ambient, If I Rise builds delicately, with Dido's soft voice lending an angelic presence. With layer upon layer of guitar, the song has a magical feel, as it's grounded in real instrumentation (but not exactly organic). Boyle, says Rahman, had one request.

"Danny said, ‘I want your voice too," says Rahman. "I initially wanted it to be just Dido, but the main character is a male voice. It's a very simple tune, very innocent, and very much from the heart."..."

That's all for now :)

New Banner Idea:

2011-01-21T18:10:00.000+04:00

Banner A

I was thinking of making a new banner for my blog because as of the 1st of February 2011, I will be changing my banner because I have received some complaints from certain users and they have said that my banner looks bad, so I'm going to change it. It's just a picture of a Japanese Cherry Blossom Tree that I photoshopped using the Cut-Out option in the filters gallery. So because of that I cannot decided on which banner I should put up. So here are 2 Banners that I might be adding. The first banner is on top of this paragraph (Banner A) and the second one is under this paragraph (Banner B)

Banner B

Please Note: That these images are going to be shrunk into the typical banner size.

2 New Fan Remixes of Dido's Music:

2011-01-16T22:51:00.000+04:00

Here are some remixes to dance to if you want. I think the Carlos Puentes Extended Remix is great for having at parties, you know like around 3:30pm, while everyone is chilling to the groove :) and as for the GBM Dubstep Remix, that's good for a Karaoke party :P
lol, you don't always have to take my recommendations seriously :)

Dido - Sand In My Shoes (Carlos Puentes Extended Remix)

Dido - Thank You (GBM Dubstep Remix)

First Remix of Dido's New Song "If I Rise":

2011-01-16T21:36:00.000+04:00

I was just browsing the internet, when I came across this remix of Dido's new song "If I Rise". It's not an official remix but it's a good attempt for someone to make a remix of it :)

127 Hours Review:

2011-01-16T18:26:00.000+04:00

I had finally gotten a chance to watch this movie "127 Hours". Believe it or not, I was actually surprised, when I read on the newspaper. They had mentioned that during the DIFF (Dubai International Film Festival), they will be showing a couple of movies almost every single day. However, they had a couple of movies that they were willing to show only once or twice through out the entire time. So this movie was only shown once, but now due to the high number of people wanting to watch it, they have agreed to put it in the cinemas at Mall Of The Emirates. It's located in the Cinestar Cinemas, but there is a catch to it, you will have to stand in a long line for about a couple of hours (between 45 mins and 2 hours), because the tickets are sold out, but they do have some Stand-By Tickets left. It costs 10 Dirhams for University Students and 25 Dirhams for Adults. Children are Not welcome to watch this movie as this movie is rated 18 and above.

Below here are a bunch of SPOILERS:

As you all know, this movie is based on a true story. So let me just summarize the story really quick. This movie is all about this Daredevil that went to do some stunts in a canyon somewhere in the U.S. He first did some tricks to impress a couple of beautiful girls that he bumped into in the deserted canyons. So after he met with them, this daredevil decided to go and explore on of the caves in the canyon, so as he was going down in some sort of ditch, he slipped on some rocks and fell down into the ditch. But get this, he did NOT fall all the way down, he fell half way down. The reason is because a large boulder fell right beside him, crushing his arm completely. He couldn't move at all. Hell, he didn't really know what to do, because all what he had were the following things: A 500ml bottle of water, a digital camera, a camcorder, a rope for climbing and a normal rope, a Swiss - Army Pocket knife that was made in China, a Cap with a Light, 4 batteries for the light and a backpack. Now he didn't have a mobile phone with him and of course, he tried screaming like a billion times but of course no one was there to help him. I forgot to mention that this guy was a little selfish, he never really told anyone where he was going and wouldn't even call them back. He never even bothered talking to his own mother, and he never told her, where he was going.
So, he then tried to chisel the big huge boulder by using the pocket knife, he thought he could like break a part of the boulder but of course that kept making it worse. It was obvious that the pocket knife wouldn't help, because he had decided that he was going to cut his arm off with the pocket knife, but unfortunately it didn't help him because the pocket knife wasn't sharp enough, so it couldn't even cut an apple in half (yes, it was that cheap :P ) and also the bone and the cartilage was in the way.
As the sun was setting on day number 3, he had decided to go to sleep pretty early. So when he went to sleep, he had a dream that night about some crazy weather. He dreamed that it was raining a lot to the extent that a branch had fallen off a tree and that it managed to fall straight into the ditch, where he was and he used that branch to let himself out. After that he swam out and went straight to his car and he drove to his sister's house.
When he reached there, he was trying to apologize to her about something about a wedding, not sure what it was exactly and after that he waited for her to respond but as she was talking, there were no words coming out of her mouth. It was as if she was mute. But in the end he woke up and he realized that was all a dream. A crazy dream, I might say :P
The next day, Day number 4, he took the dream as a sign of some sort of escape plan and he woke up the next day also feeling very thirsty, his water bottle was almost finished, there was about 140ml of water left. He tried using a rope he had and thought he could lift the boulder, but unfortunately that didn't help him that much. He was actually running out of ideas on how to get rid of that boulder. He tried screaming again but that also didn't help. After he screamed there was a couple minutes of silence in the movie and Dido sang the Acoustic Version of her song "If I Rise". This time A.R. Rahman wasn't singing in that part, Dido was doing a Solo (XTR, remember what Bubbles from Rush Hour 3, "Time for My Solo", LOL :P )

On The 5th Day (The Final Day), he was like that's it, if after all those attempts to remove the boulder didn't help, then there is only 1 solution and since he didn't move his crushed arm in 5 days (127 hours, yes like the name of the movie :P ), he had decided to get rid of his crushed arm.

Note: The Next Line Actually ruins the ENTIRE Movie for you. So, if curiosity is killing the cat, then read on but if you want to wait and watch the move yourself be my guest, you'll love it anyways :)

So he had decided to go ahead and attempt to cut his crushed arm off again, but remember what I said when that didn't help at all. Well what he did was he had to put some pressure on that crushed arm by tying a rope extremely tight around his shoulder (the one closer to the injured arm), then after that, he then tried to break the bone of the broken arm even more, of course that had to hurt like anything. After he broke the bone, the cartilage also broke off and then he took the pocketknife and tried to cut it off again.
Once he made the incision, a lot of blood came out and he was bleeding like anything and also screaming in pain (Who wouldn't be in pain? I might add), after the incision, he even had to cut the nerves from his crushed arm and by then there was so much blood gushing out everywhere. The poor guy was crying with a lot of pain and blood....
Then after he cut off all the nerves, he actually fell down to the ground, so he wrapped his elbow or was it the shoulder with a shirt and he grabbed all the things he had with his 1 arm left and ran outside. Once he was outside, he reached a pond of water and he just sat there and drank it. Even though the pond wasn't really clean, it was filled with dirt.
Finally he went and he had decided to go search and see if there was anyone there to help him. So he kept running and running for a couple of hours and by then he found a family and that family had helped him. They gave him some water because he was thirsty and of course they were extremely shocked to see his state, so they called the other people that were with the family in the group and then they had used the radioed in the Emergency Team and then a helicopter had arrived and took the injured guy in a stretcher and took him to the hospital.
A couple of months later he was released from the hospital and he was known as the greatest person who survived for 5 days without anything. They showed him swimming in a pool but of course there were so many movie mistakes and you could easily see both his arms in the water. They had failed to make it look like he was swimming with 1 arm. They also showed his family cheering for him while he was there swimming. And then he even saw his sister and he was telling her something again but I don't really know what they were talking about.
Then just before the credits, this guy continued doing some extreme sports but he had decided to take it easy and not go too extreme (like go rock climbing on mount everest with just 1 flimsy hook), no he went on a hiking expedition across the North Pole with a group of people. Oh and he now writes down messages and tells everyone where he's going :D
As soon as the credits appeared Dido was singing her song "If I Rise"

Please note: That I have left about 8 paragraphs out because I want everyone to view this movie. There is just so many things I haven't explained yet, but this is the best I can do. Believe it or not, I had actually rewritten this post about several times, I had to make it perfect and I had to make it 8 paragraphs shorter. The rest is for you to watch it and rate it :D :D :D

Dido & A.R. Rahman Win The Critic Awards:

2011-01-16T18:20:00.004+04:00

It's Official, just read this which was taken from the 16th Annual BFCA Critics Awards:

BEST SONG
Winner: "If I Rise" - performed by Dido and A.R. Rahman/music by A.R. Rahman/lyrics by Dido Armstrong and Rollo Armstrong - 127 Hours

Nominees:
"I See the Light" - performed by Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi/written by Alan Menken & Glenn Slater - Tangled
"If I Rise" - performed by Dido and A.R. Rahman/music by A.R. Rahman/lyrics by Dido Armstrong and Rollo Armstrong - 127 Hours
"Shine" - performed and written by John Legend - Waiting for Superman
"We Belong Together" - performed and written by Randy Newman - Toy Story 3
"You Haven't Seen the Last of Me Yet" - performed by Cher/written by Diane Warren - Burlesque

Dido Headquarters had this to say:

"Well, here's some exciting news - on Friday night, Dido and A. R. Rahman's new If I Rise track won the Best Song award at the 16th Annual BFCA Critics' Choice Movie Awards.

The awards poll 200 film critics from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the largest film critics organisation in the U.S. and Canada. The ceremony took place at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. "

A Big Congratulations goes to Dido & A.R. Rahman On Winning this Award :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Blog Changes For 2011:

2011-01-10T15:43:00.000+04:00

Since 2010 is over and 2011 has just started recently, I thought I would make a few changes for my blog. Now that Winter is almost done, and Springtime is just around the corner for the U.A.E, I decided to give my blog a complete new makeover. Now I have modified it's look and I'm going to be posting lots of new information about what's going on in my life and of course I will mention some of my interests.
However, I know many of you are awaiting the arrival of the review of the Movie "127 Hours", I'm sorry that it's taking too long, I haven't really updated, since my exams were over. I was too busy travelling to China and unfortunately China had blocked a million things (Facebook, Human interests, Politics and Blogspot), so there was no chance of me getting access to my blog; I wonder, how are the Chinese people going to view the changes that I've done so far to my blog?
Anyways, getting back to the topic, I will also be adding some pictures from my trip to China also on Blogspot and I will also be adding a couple of new recipes, unfortunately my 2010 summer recipes were not uploaded due to complications. But, I will be adding 3 or 4 recipes this coming season. I will be adding a new recipe for Desserts, so prepare to be amazed. Of course, I will be uploading everything extremely soon , probably by February, I will post 2 new recipes and by May, about 3 new recipes. On March and April, I won't really be blogging that much due to a couple of things going on. Let's see on February 28, 2 games will be released to the U.A.E: The Sims 3: Out Door Stuff Pack and Dark Spore, then on March: The Sims Medieval and then on April, I will be starting my final exams for the next semester and by May 7 2011, Updates would continue :)
On May 21, I will be doing a major update for my Birthday because I will finally be 21 years old on May 21, 2011 :D :D :D
There still a lot of time till my birthday and that's about it. Expect a couple more random updates through out the week :)

New Blog Updates Coming Soon:

2011-01-10T09:22:00.000+04:00

Expect a couple of updates this coming week followed by a review of the movie 127 hours to be released on Friday the 14th of January 2011 :D

Winter Break Has Arrived :

2010-12-30T04:00:00.002+04:00

The Winter Break has OFFICIALLY started :D :D :D :D :D
So I will be off starting from the 29th Of December and I will be off till the 16th of January 2011.
There will be no Updates from the 29th of December till the 9th of January 2011 because I will be going away for a bit. I just needed to get out of town for a while and take a short vacation. Not to worry, I will be back soon, so till then, Enjoy this pic :)

Have a Happy New Year :D :D :D :D

RT

Dido Update:

2010-12-10T03:27:00.000+04:00

Dido-France has said that Dido made an announcement on Her Twitter Account about her new album. This is what she said :

Dido : hello! Trying to work out how this works. I've Decided to Give this a go myself. didox ( Hey! I try to see how it works. I decided to look after them personally. didox )
Following this message, the many fans subscribe to Twitter Dido responded and some have had the good idea to ask for when the next album was planned.
Fan: So Now It's Going To Be updated by you?? THAT'S GOOD !!!!! News About the new album? (So now it will be you who will update?? Super! News from the upcoming album? )
Dido : Yes in theory! Working on the album right now and Enjoying Every Minute of It. dx ( Yes in theory! I am currently working on the new album and I enjoy every minute. dx )
Fan: When is ur next album? X ( To be provided when the next album? )
Dido : When Not sure EXACTLY aim definitely next year. i am doing this reply right thing? Hope so! dx (Nothing is really set it out next year. Do I respond well? I hope! dx )

How nice, Dido actually answered one of her fans, I bet it was someone from Dido-France.com

but I was surprised to spot this about a couple of minutes ago. Also, Dido has uploaded a picture of her and her brother at the studio.

And also Dido is working not only with A. R. Rahman, but also with Jason Mraz. She's actually writing most of his songs on his new album (No Name has been given yet). Other than that Dido was also interviewed by M6 Music. This is what happened:

M6 Music: How do you explain your tremendous success?
Dido: I made this album (note: No Angel) after a long shot. I have a good label, good management around me, but I'm also conscious of having much luck. Everything was well shackled in my career, even if it took time. But I waited to pay attention to me, I have earned the fans gradually, and now I enjoy.
M: The success of your album "No Angel", although released before that of Eminem, was finally late enough?
D: Yes, my album is released in June 1999 in the United States. It did not work right away because I was at the time in a somewhat tense with my record company. So I went in a big American tour to let me know. The album began to start in the charts, and this is the moment chosen by Eminem (good timing!) To sample my song Thank you Stan on its title. From that moment it was created in the press in the United States a great hype around me, one year after the album's release, and it then spread around the world.
M: The success of Stan is mainly due to him or you?
D: I think it is the combination of both. It's just a perfect combination. But we must say that it was he who chose my title for Stan. I do not offer him the sample, it was he who decided to take it and who built the song around. I think it is a communion between our two musics, and it worked.
M: Are not you a little angry against those who insinuate that without the sample of Eminem, you would have any success?
D: If of course ... but go about it. In fact it was nice. Anyway, it's a good thing for me that so many people have listened to my record. But it is true that I do not appreciate very much that some have suggested that nothing would have happened to me if there had been no Eminem. That would mean that there is nothing else of value on my album, so that the sample represents only five rows away. For me it's about my music. But all this does not mean much. What matters most is that I was very lucky.There are so many interesting things out and remain ignored. But it's cool, I like the song, I like Stan and it was nice to be included.
M: You were raised in a strict enough. It serves you now?
D: Yes, I think it gave me a disciplined life. I want to do my job seriously. I am someone who likes to control things, which always likes to do his best to try to write the best songs constantly, singing the best. What gave me the discipline, the need to do and always have more, to always be the best. It may sound horrible, but I improved from my childhood when I was completely obsessed with this point of view, to be almost sickly. But I am always guided by the discipline.
M: You're not afraid of getting a big head?
D: You know, if it happens, I do not even know because I would have a big head (laughs). But I have great friends who do not pass me and I fall over if I start to change ever so slightly. They will say: "Do not do it, do not become a bitch." So I can not tell you if I see them telling them that I demanded one thing or another. My friends would be embarrassed if I took the big head, and that I do not particularly want. God thank you, I am lucky to have them, because it's really not easy to keep a cool head in this industry where there is a lot of people who are considerate, which are at your disposal when you're on stage or on TV, or whatever you do elsewhere. You can ask and demand anything you want. One must be very careful not to go too far.
M: Your brother Rollo, Faithless member of the project, co-produced "No Angel". Is it easy to work with his own brother?
D: Very easy. Our relationship and our relationship to music has changed over time. When I started with Faithless, I was his little sister, I learned a lot from him, his production and his way of working. And then I started writing my album and things have changed because it was primarily my own project. And now, our relationships change again because Rollo evolves into something completely different from what it was before. We tested new songs for the next album by Faithless and it was great. I will work with him on my next CD.

That's all the news I got about Dido. However if I find anything else on her latest album or if she posts anything about any tours, I will let EVERYONE know about it :)

Announcement:

2010-12-01T00:30:00.001+04:00

Dear Guests,
As of December 13, 2010, I will not be updating my blog that much. There will be few to no updates as the final exams will be starting from the 21st of December and I will finish on the 29th of December.
Straight away after that I'm thinking of going away for a while because I am so sick of certain things in Dubai and I'm thinking of leaving and not coming back starting from the 30th of December 2010 till the 10th of January 2011. I will be posting some information on what's going on about the travelling plans :)

From

RT

Dido and Faithless: Feeling Good Video & Lyrics

2010-11-25T01:44:00.001+04:00

Here are the lyrics to Dido and Faithless's new song " Feeling Good":

(Faithless)
I want the view from the top of the hill
Give me the view from the top of the hill

(Dido)
When I think of you
And your good life
And your sorrow too
How much i’m missing you
No matter where i go
Or where I come to stay
This is waking up
I want this feeling
Doors wide open

(Dido)
And now i leave it all
Bags of trouble
And a messy mind
Oh I hope I find
Where your load is light
Where your heart’s at ease
This is waking up
And feeling good feeling good

(Faithless)
Hey i’m making my mistakes
Cause I’m no great shakes at being perfect
I just take my breaks and work it
Bring it to the surface
Like a scuba diver
Never nervous
Cause now i’m older and wiser
An’ I’ve a bold feelin
This old skin is peeln
Revealing a new layer
I’m no soothsayer
But I feel it’s time to leave
To polish my heart with the other sleeve

(Dido and Faithless)
I want the view from the top of the hill
Give me the view from the top of the hill
I want the view from the top of the hill
Give me the view from the top of the hill

(Dido)
And feeling good feeling good

Upcoming Events:

2010-11-25T01:30:00.001+04:00

There are a couple of events that are going to be happening as of December 2010:

U.A.E's National Day is on December 2nd - Expect the Locals to go wild and crazy (The Jumeirah Beach Road will be crowded like anything)
Islamic New Year is on December 7 - This is for the beginning of a new Islamic Year :D
Creamfield in Abu Dhabi (some point on December) - It's like a bunch of concerts playing all together in AD, except Dido isn't going to be there :( and also this is going to be during the final exams :(
New Movies: Tron Legacy (Yes, I know XTR, you will be watching that, no need to tell me anymore but unfortunately I have 2 finals after that ), Meet The FOckers: Little FOckers, Narnia 3, 127 Hours (to be RELEASED in the UAE Soon; hopefully on December 29 - the day final exams are over) and many more movies to be released :)
Final Exams - Has it come to that already? Yes it has, unfortunately starting from December 13, there will be very few updates to almost no updates till December 29. I will mention this on December 1.

This is all the events that I have to mention for December!

Eid Mubarak Everyone:

2010-11-15T21:19:00.000+04:00

EID MUBARAK EVERYONE FROM RETROTRUT!!!

2 New Remixes By Dido:

2010-11-15T01:10:00.000+04:00

Does anyone remember me to you about the new songs that Dido sang with Faithless? Well There are 2 remixes of those songs available to everyone now. Here they are:

Dido FT Faithless: North Star (Calida Remix)

Dido FT Faithless: Feeling good (Kyau & Albert remix)

Lyrics To Dido's New Song "If I Rise":

2010-11-15T00:55:00.001+04:00

Here are the lyrics for Dido's new song "If I rise". I forgot to mention that she sang that song with A.R. Rahman (The guy that sang in Jai Ho) and that this song is being played in the movie "127 Hours". There have been many rumors that this song is a different language but it's in English. Here are the lyrics:

Dido:

In your life, your mad

In your car, your sad

O' your taller now I've found

Hold your fire course

O' your fallen out

Go and sow your courses

A R R:

If I rise, they are on my drive

If I believe, it's more than it is

More than it is

Dido:

If I rise, one more chance

All our dreams, more than this

O' your taller now I've found

Hold your fire course

O' your fallen out

Go and sow your courses

A R R:

If I rise, they are on my drive

If I believe, it's more than it is

It's more than it is

Child Chorus:

If I thought I wanted more

Get the life more

Just one more call

Though I've never lost

Believe I don't care

Never again

A R R & Dido:

If I rise, they are on my drive

If I believe, it's more than it is

It's more than it is

Child Chorus:

If I thought I wanted more

Get the life more

Just one more call

Dido:

If I believe, there's more than this

Anymore than this

Dido's Lullaby: Do You Have A Little Time

2010-11-10T01:15:00.001+04:00

Here is a good old song that Dido sang on her album "Life For Rent", which was then rewritten and played on her "Live In Brixton Academy". It's called "Do You Have A Little Time". All these lyrics that I have written down, is what I hear from my own ears. Here are the lyrics to the New version:

Dido - Do You Have A Little Time Lyrics( New Version):

If you're feeling low and lost today, probably doing too much again.

Spend All your hours just rushing around.

Do you have a little time for me?

Slow down my love, you're confusing me.

If you're feeling stressed, just try calling

Spend Your time Waiting, for anyone to see

Do you have a little time for me?

If you should stop for a while,

you will find me standing by,

Over here, The side of your life.

I will hold you still,

remind you, all you've missed

If you have time, that is.

Why do you still run,

When you can still walk with me.

Life will pass you by,

when you move this quickly.

What can you see, when spinning around?

Do You Have A Little Time For Me?

If you should stop for a while,

you will find me standing by,

Over here, The side of your life.

I will hold you still,

remind you, all you've missed

If you have time, that is....

If you let me listen,

I'll make you feel clear

and if you let me love you,

I'll always be near.

If you take this One step,

Closer to me,

You'll see....

When you stop for a while,

you will find me standing by,

over Here, Here in your life

I will hold you still,

remind you all you've missed.

If you have time that is

When you Have time, That Is

Driving To The Dubai Mall:

2010-11-08T23:27:00.000+04:00

While I was driving along the Al Wasel Road in Dubai, I was thinking of putting the windows down and thought I would go cruising along the way to the Dubai Mall. On the way to the mall, a large thick grayish - black cloud had appeared in the sky and it just started to drizzle at first, but then the drizzle had lead to some rain, which was quite nice. So, while I was driving, I had come across some traffic on the road and when I looked up, something had appeared in front of the cars and I.
A rainbow was formed in front of me. I have never seen a rainbow in Dubai, since 1997. This rainbow wasn't a small rainbow, it was pretty big. It was formed close to the Burj Khalifa till Al Wasel Road. Now that is pretty awesome. Not many people saw it today, only a few of them saw it but the rest of the people were busy doing different things at the time. Even the mall wasn't that crowded today and that's all that happened today.

Retro's Shows To Watch:

2010-11-06T20:41:00.000+04:00

Normally, I don't watch a lot of TV, I mainly prefer watching movies rather than TV shows because with TV shows, they mainly end up getting cancelled or they would go on for such a long time (Example: Bold & The Beautiful - When will that show end???). However I still watch a couple of TV shows such as:

Charmed - One of the best TV shows in the world; it's based on 4 hot witches living in the years 1990- 2006 . I would give this a 10/10, even though it had already ended in 2006
Heroes - This was also based on Paranormal stuff and it deals with super hero stuff as well. It ended up getting cancelled till Season 4, but they might end up making it into a movie or end it with a couple of mini-series
The Big Bang Theory - Most funniest TV show I ever watched
90210 (The new one) - It's pretty dramatic but the story is pretty interesting
The Simpsons - a classic TV show, I never want this one to end; The Pope even Baptized this show :S
Ghost Whisperer - This show just ended, but I'm still watching the Final Season. I love Paranormal stuff :)
South Park - It's completely messed up being vulgar and all, but they have some funny episodes. Although I wouldn't recommend anyone below the age of 15 watching it.

That's about all the shows I watch. As I mentioned earlier, I love watching Movies. Movies that I will mention later on this month :)

Stanford University Performs Special Song:

2010-11-05T16:40:00.000+04:00

I was just browsing around YouTube and I had decided to search for some new music to add to my new CD for my car, so I went around listening to some songs and I just came across this song. The Stanford University had a performance, where a group of students went and just started singing a bunch of songs in Acapella (One of the meaning are -Songs that are using the human voice as instruments). The name of the song is "Hunter" and it's one of Dido's songs. Here is the video:

Goodbye Summer; Hello Winter:

2010-11-05T16:18:00.000+04:00

The heatwave in the U.A.E. has officially ended. Now the weather is finally starting to drop like anything, so that the air will remain cool all day. Now at 12:00PM in the afternoon, it used to be about 40 or 50 degrees Celsius but now it's about 20 or 30 degrees at most. Sometimes it goes below 20's in the night. It's so much better nowadays, we can finally go out and do things in this weather (well now some people are in the middle of midterms, I wish everyone the best in their midterms. They can enjoy the weather maybe during their breaks).
Anyways, now with the temperatures changing, there is an outbreak of the Common Cold leaking around town. I already got it from my little brother (that was literally unexpected) but that's not the case. Everyone is to be warned that they should cover up.
Other than that, now it's time to talk about what to expect or what I'm hoping to get during the winter. I seriously want it to rain. There are many reasons, why I want it to rain in the U.A.E. Sometimes I feel like going out and playing in the rain or some people just enjoy splashing the puddles formed by the rain. Also the air gets cleaner and all the dirt gets washed away. And there are so many more things to say.

New Song Released By Dido: If I Rise

2010-11-05T14:48:00.000+04:00

Dido has Officially released a new song called " If I Rise". This song is being played in the new movie called 127 Hours. Dido is singing with A.R. Rahman in this song. It has an Indian like theme. So far, Dido hasn't said anything about this on her website, but she will update her site really soon. However this song is official because on Wikipedia. They mention it clearly, when you're searching for Dido. It's written on her music "2008 - present". The lyrics have not been posted yet. Here is the song:

Please comment and tell me what you think of this song :)

Different Situations of Feeling Or Getting Nervous:

2010-10-16T22:35:00.000+04:00

They say a picture says a thousand words. Here are a few pictures and I'm guessing they're going to be saying about a couple of thousands of words for you.

When you are stressed, just follow these 2 rules: Think (in the daytime) and Don't think (in the evenings)

This is kind of true, last week I was like that. It seems to be contagious. The Stress-O-Citis bug has gone and affected the entire world.

This is Everyone's Motto. Either you Work or you Die!

This is the daily amount of work, that you will normally get wherever you are in the world. Most of the time, it's about infinity times that amount.

My words exactly!

This is one disadvantage of Technology. Thank God, I'm not working at the moment

Translation: Stress, Stress and more Stress

Can you imagine if DU had this option. F## Etislut

Yes, it's really true that people meditate to seek inner Revenge, I mean peace :P

"...I wish people would quit telling me to relax..." Quoted by Piper Haliwell (Holly Marie Combs) From Tv's Charmed

LOL

This is just how stress is added to my life except by replacing "You're Fired" with "Study for the following subjects", "Quiz on this day", "Midterm on whatever day", "Presentation on blah blah blah due", "Blah blah blah is due on blah blah blah blah" and so on. It's just a little stressful *sigh*

There is the update for today. More updates coming soon :)