Happy 2007!!!

First of all, Merry Christmas to all! This post is about 2006, i.e. the year of the dog, and the good and bad things about this year for me and internationally.

1) One of the most awesome experiences of my life has been miming. In the Spring Break before 9th, i signed up for miming. While signing up i thought i was making a big mistake but after the first 2 days of mime, i realized how much fun it was going to be. Our co-ordinator Mrs. Zarine Chaudhary (sp?) had her own group of people who she taught in India. She taught the deaf and mute how to speak using actions aka miming. I will never forget miming, all the fun we had during the mime workshop, the people we met and the things we learnt.

2) I, or rather many of us bid farewell to a friend in March. Natasha left Dubai in March and i really miss her...!

3) The Charity Festival took place in April. It was a wonderful event put together by many students. We had the dancers, the singers, the miming etc (I'm so sorry if i forgot anything/anyone). Those who attended or took part in the Charity Festival would know what I'm talking about when i say that it was terrific.

4) Ahh.. 9th grade began in 2006. Suddenly, new subjects were introduced to us, new teachers and new systems. "You're the pre-board batch - you have to be serious!!" - i heard that line atleast five hundred times. Thanks for the newsflash people, we didn't know that we're the pre - board batch and that we have to be serious. Still, 9th grade isn't as bad as i thought it would be (not in terms of studies, in general). I mean, atleast we're in senior school now.

5) The Swimming Gala took place in May. Every year the swimming gala rocks and this year was the same. Congrats to all the winners.

6) My grandmom passed away in May - RIP badiammi.

7) After the exams, we bid farewell to yet another friend. Diya, Jaya and their parents left for Singapore on the 4th of July and truly when we came back after dropping them off at the airport i felt something was missing.

8) The summer holidays were fun. My cousins and my brother came to visit. I went to many places with my cousins but the best was our trip to the Burj-Al-Arab. Everything is freaking gold there!!!! Pallavi, my brother's friend stayed with us also - she's so much fun! In August, many people came back from their summer vacations and we met up etc. We also remembered that we have projects to do lol.

9) Trisha left school in September and shifted to EIS Jumeirah. I miss her presence in school too. School felt pretty empty in September.

10) The Alumni Dinner held on the 20th of September was really good, though i do resent the fact that the alumni got to sit on white sation clothed tables in the quadrangle and us students were forced to sit in the court opposite the field and eat!! Anyway, I heard that the Katz went really well. When the guests exited from the hall into the quadrangle, the music suddenly began and 50 boys and girls dressed in ghagras and kurtas came running out into the quadrangle and started dancing - by the way that looked amazing. Then we came running in and did our dance (I am still embarassed about the stupid ballet dress with the sticky-out frock..) on Ole Ole Ole by Ricky Martin (I don't know the real name of the song). The most surprising fact of all - THE FOOD WAS PRETTY TASTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

11) Of course, the Creative Festival. How can i not mention our annual Creative Festival? Even though this year it pretty much sucked... The inter-school music competition and the documentary were a lot of fun! The food court was actually ... DREADFUL!!!!!!!!

12) Our Second Term Exams got postponed... i forgot why though - can anyone please remind me? My memory really sucks. Oh, I forgot to mention DANDIYAA!!!! It was not as good as last year..

13) Diwali - The Festival of Lights! We didn't do anything besides puja and a couple of guests this time because my grandmum passed away.

14) Oh, i forgot to mention that Gayatris Diwali Party on the 20th of December ROCKED!! We all wore sarees!!

15) I Pray for Nikita Hari's health.

16) RIP Mohammed Ali and his family.

17) After the exams, we had Children's Day - i am not elaborating - check my previous post for details. Also, we went for this awesome trip to Al Ain fun City and Jabal Hafeed!!! Loads of fun!

18) A very happy Eid Mubarak to all!!

19) On the day of the parent-teacher conference, some of us went to the Al Noor Centre for Special Needs for a dance and their sports day. I thoroughly(sp???) enjoyed that experience and made a couple of new friends there. It was one of the happiest and most joyful places i have ever visited.

20) Then my one million guests arrived (ok FIVE) and i was out like everyday with them. They left on Christmas and on the morning of 26th.

21) Merry Christmas to everyone! I know i'm a bit late but still.. i didn't do anything on Christmas...

22) Pallavi is visiting again:D!!

23) Diya, Jaya and their parents came for a visit:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D!!!! We've been going out everyday and they're leaving day after tomorrow.

24) Well, well... today's the 31st - an advance HAPPY NEW YEARS to everyone! My next post should be my New Year's resolutions.

2006 seemed to be full of highs and lows, ups and downs. Then again, it was a pretty good year.

Now, 2006 internationally -

1) Personally, i am a HUGE fan of Mozart and 2006 marked the 250th anniversary of Mozart.

2) U2 swept all five nominations for Album and Songs of the Year awards, to beat Mariah Carey in the 48th Annual Grammy Awards held at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles.

3) The world’s second richest man, 75-year-old Warren Buffett worth $44 billion announced donating 85% ($30 billion) of his wealth in July to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest charitable organisation.

4) For the first time in Kuwait, women were given voting rights.

5) Seventy years after its discovery, Pluto got demoted to the status of dwarf planet after the Internation Astronomical Union spelt out its definition of planet at its 26th General Assembly. As per new rules, planets to be considered so should satisfy three criteria: it must orbit the Sun; it must be big enough for gravity to squash it into a round ball and, lastly, it must have cleared other things out of the way of its orbital neighbourhood. Except for the round shape, Pluto fails the other two criteria! The new solar system then has eight planets and at least three dwarf planets (Pluto, Ceres and Xena an unknown object nicknamed UB 313) and tens of thousands of comets and asteroids. (Aww.. the cartoon is so cute).

6) Google bought the popular video sharing site YouTube for USD $1.65 billion. The deal marks the largest acquisition for Google in the company’s eight-year history.

7) Former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein and two of his senior allies were sentenced to death by hanging, after an Iraqi court found them guilty of crimes against humanity. Today morning, he was hanged.

8) Japan witnessed its deadliest tornado since 1941. The tornado hit the town of Saroma in the northern island of Hokkaido, killing nine people, knocking out electricity to hundreds of homes and flipped over several cars.

9) World’s ace driver and the most successful in the history of Formula one, Michael Schumacher retired from the sport. The son of a bricklayer who ran the local kart track in Kerpen, Schumacher who began kart racing at the age of four, went on to become seven-times World Champion.

10) 2006 Asian Games, the 15th Asian Games kicked off in Doha, Qatar. The spectacular opening ceremony which continued for over six days since the start of the games, was the most elaborate one in the history of any sporting event. Combining the traditional and the modern, the ceremony took participants and visitors through the Arab culture with songs, dances and Arab horses were involved in the lighting of the cauldron. There was a scintillating display of over 30,000 fireworks which lit up the Doha skies. The world’s largest LED screen making use of several special effects, was used.

Please mention if i have forgotten any major world event that took place in 2006 - i got this information from the YT.

HAPPY NEW YEAR ONCE AGAIN EVERYONE!! Enjoy 2007!