Mr Ullah: A Shakespearian Street Fighter Champion 2012

I was recently at a Games Expo, and stumbled upon this Super Street Fighter 4 competition...I was selected from thousands, and won the match! I ended the with a quote from William Shakespeare's Othello, and my students now LOVE this video!   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXfwAx0RmYo

My Teaching Videos: Update March 2012

So, it has indeed been a while. Blogging has taken the world by storm since  last posted, but life is so hectic, it is difficult to maintain a real world life, as well as blog online.

I have been busy making Teaching Videos Online, taking learning OUTSIDE the classroom. These videos have won the praise of Headteachers across London landing me various jobs in schools (including my recent appointment as Head of English), so I thought I would share these.

April 2012: Mr Ullah VS. Ivan Drago: Writing To Describe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnNzFWCHjhM

The above is a screenshot of the video. In it, students are asked to describe the dual-narrative they see. There should be a paragraph for each character doing a different form of training. 

April 2011: Mr Ullah And The Joker Interrogation: What Does He Like Read - The Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXMgN_39P3M&feature=relmfu

In the above video, I interview The Joker from The Dark Knight, and interview him on his views, including his favourite book, The Lord of The Flies!

November 2011: Ullah In Expendables: SMS Language Analysis Asking Arnold Schwarzenegger & Sly Stallone For Help

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTcH2sJ7HBA&feature=relmfu

The above is a screenshot for the video, in which I ask Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sly Stallone to help me make a video on how technology has impacted on spoken English, for my GCSE students. Both actors turn me down, leaving me to make it myself!

MBS: Mind, Body, and Soul

This is something which I discovered recently. Sometimes, we can oppress our own bodies, in terms of what we eat/or fail to eat, the way our own mental construction of ourselves causes us to neglect sometimes even eating, or because of work. In failing to eat, or failing to eat properly, we oppress our bodies, and then it cries out when we fall ill, or suffer from eating disorders.

In a slightly different way, we also oppress our own souls, when we are hard on ourselves for a course of action we took, or a decision we made; we need not be. Mistakes are there in life to be learnt from, dwelt upon. By dwelling upon a mistake, we sink even deeper, dig ourselves into bigger holes, and are unable to climb out. My reflecting on our mistakes, we are able to those crucial steps away from it, are able to build and delevop ourselves as a result of it, and are able to seek forgiveness from our Creator, and the people on the earth whom we have harmed, injured, or offended.

In terms of our minds, as human begins, we want so much to reach our full potential; to be all that we can be. Sometimes, our wish to do this, can cause us to take on too much information, to try and learn too much. This causes a tightness in the chest, and one may experience difficulties to even breath. What we need to be able to do as human beings is, at times relax. To take a breather, and do something which the mind enjoys. This will vary between different people, but what is important is that we do that which causes the mind to feel relaxed, and happy. Just some random thoughts I wanted to share.

Dog Flu at the Surgery

I was in the surgery this morning. Well, not 'surgery'-I mean the GP. I promised to make my mother an appointment, and as the clock struck 2.30pm, I RAN to the surgery to do so. As I got to the que, I was panting, very heavily, and inconsistently. I slowly regained my breath, and noticed the woman behind me, in her mid-40s, slowly backing off from the que. She was holding a small piece of cloth to her mouth, and looking at me in a frightful, and distasteful manner. This woman had clearly got it into her head that I had some sort of rabid (I was panting like a dog, after all) disease which which hugely contageous' perhaps a rare form of Dog-Flu. Right, I thought. I needed to give her further 'cause for concern'. I am never afraid to embarass myself if it serves a purpose. I therefore began an incessant form of coughing, spewing bits of saliva, and seeming to be suffering from the conditions of the beubonic plague! The woman now looked even more worried. Good. I then began wheezing for breath, pounding my chest a few times as I did so. The woman had now stepped back to the door of the surgery, and was breathing into her hands. Enough, I thought. She had clearly now 'caught' the rare strain of Dog-Flu. I therefore apprpoached the counter, and asked, 'can I book an appointment for my mother, F. Begum please? She's suffering from some pains in her leg?' I am of course, fit as a fiddle, but that woman will clearly be taking every form of medication invented since Penecillin, in order to counter the nauseating effects of Dog-Flu, which she of course caught from me-well, at least she'll convince herself so anyway.

Why the Police Should Never Stop a Muslim MA Researcher.

This MA thesis on walking the streets of the city in the 18th century has taken me to the most interesting of places-the London Metropolitan Archives, Westminster Archive Centre, The British Library, as well as nearly every museum in the city. I have also come into contact with the most esteemed of academics, experts in their fields, and voices of authority on such things as urban anthropology, and antiquarianism. I had, however, never imagined I would during my research come into contact with the highest of authorities-the Metropolitan Police, when I submitted my proposal, but that is exactly what happened last week, when the officers who stopped me learnt why they should never stop an academic Muslim researcher.

The sun was shining, and it was another day in the city for me. I had just collected images of London’s streets (from the 18th century) from the London Metropolitan Archive Centre, and was marvelling at how the city had over the course of two centuries, changed significantly, as well as remaining very much the same. My excitement was such that I decided I would take my own pictures of the city’s streets, and compare them in my thesis, undertaking a bit of original research, and field work. Walking jollily along Newgate street, I found the Bank of England, of which I had an 18th century engraving. I decided, therefore I would take a picture of the Bank in the exact same view as that of the engraving. Of course, this was not easy, as the traffic in Bank is incredibly congested. I therefore took quite a few pictures, and finally got the angle right. Though I did not shout it aloud, the word ‘yippee’, did spring to mind. I turned around, a significantly big smile on my face, to find two very (and I mean very) grim-faced police officers standing there. It was here the dialogue began.

“Excuse me sir, but just what are you doing?” His tone was harsh, and rather accusational-he seemed to have already decided what I was doing, and was just asking me in order that I say something contrary to what was in his mind, in order that he may then tell me what I was doing. I was taken aback, as you would, and my smile faded. “officers…I’m just taking pictures of the Bank of England…for my MA thesis on the streets of the city. His response was quick and sharp: ‘the street, are you having a laugh? Your MA is on the streets of the city? What sort of thesis focuses on the streets?

‘Erm…mine?’

‘Really, and what is so interesting about the street that you’re taking pictures of buildings and the current streets of our city in broad daylight?’

It was at this point I realised what I was being accused of, what was understandable; a bearded individual snapping the city needed to be questioned in light of recent events. I understood, and appreciated that. This wasn’t the “crime” the officer had committed. Oh no. He had asked an MA student, in the middle of August (when I had completed so much of my research) about what he was researching. This just should not be done, for the person asking is just asking to get an earful about all the things the student has researched. It is sort of an unwritten rule among researchers; even us MA students do not ask each other about what the other is researching, as its just asking for trouble. I therefore smiled once again, took a deep breath, and began:

‘Well, its interesting you ask. In 1666 London, the old medieval city, burnt to the ground with the Great Fire of London, regarded by many social historians as the moment in history which caused London in its current metropolitan state, to come into existence (pause for effect). Following the fire, city developers and officials decided that rather than rebuild London as the town that it was, they would re-imagine London as a city. The planning therefore began, with the consultation of such people like Christopher Wren, and John Nash. By the…’

He tried to cut in: ‘sir, that’s fine, we don’t need to’-

-‘hey, you’ve got me started, I have to finish…

‘So, where was I? Ah yes, by the eighteenth-century, London had become what we now understand to be an urban metropolis, and this development spilt onto the streets of the city themselves. The streets during the period not only became wider, but with the passing of the 1762 Paving Act by Parliament, lead to the pavements in London coming into existence. These pavements were designated to the pedestrian, as London became in the period a pedestrian’s city. As the century progressed, the gentlemen of the upper, and upper-middle classes began to walk the streets, and literature aimed to educate these gentlemen of the ways of the street. These walking gentry….

He and his collegue had to stand there listening to the entire narration of my thesis. At the end, I breathed, smiled, and having shown him my QM ID card, asked, ‘so, is there anything else?’

‘No sir, you’re good to go…’ They seemed confused and bewildered; much like a first year undergrad who just sat through his first year lecture. I therefore said, ‘and look, now you’re more educated with respect to the streets of the city than you were before you stopped me, as they say, you learn a new things every day officers, cheerio.’ I went on my way. That’ll teach them not to ever again stop a Muslim academic in the city!

Delivering My First Paper at Literary London 2009

It is said that, ‘when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life’, and feel I must state that I am exhausted after the two-day conference, therefore curtailing Dr Johnson’s statement about the city’s appeal. Yesterday I delivered my first academic paper on eighteenth-century London literature. It was to a floor of academics, proffessors, and PhD students from all across the world (literally) who had come to the Literary London conference held this year at Queen Mary University in order to deliver their own papers, and to hear others.

Of course, I was the only MA student who was at the conference, so I felt incredibly overwhelmed, and out of my depth to start with. On the first half of the first day, therefore, I only observed, and didn’t ask any questions. As Thursday progressed, however, I came to realise that as these lecturers and professors were just as enthusiastic, and just as excited about London as I was, and discussing my ideas with them not only gave me new ideas, but caused me to realise that age-old realisation that every academic comes to at an early part of their career: I was not alone in my field. I therefore began to engage with them more, and I must say, I really enjoyed it. It was so fun, and engaging. All of the lectures were like the best lectures you would have attended during your undergraduate years. Truly inspiring, and I extrapolated lots and lots of ideas for my work-there is a lot of eighteenth-century material I had not known about prior to the past two days. Was so refreshing to hear about London in such diverse, and new ways. Very refreshing.

As much as the conference was enjoyable, having heard a number of speakers deliver their respective papers, I must admit that as Friday drew near, I began to dread giving my own paper more and more. I fully prepared myself, preparing a slide-show, and a handout. Having prepared myself, I went into the Arts lecture theatre to deliver my paper. It went very well, Proffessor Markman Ellis stayed to hear my deliverance, which was very nice of him-considering that he had already read my paper twice! Having Markman there made it all the more exciting to be delivering a paper in such a monumental lecture theatre, commanding a space which had been inhabited by the likes of Anne Janowitz, David Colclough, and other such QM lecturers and professors. The slide worked well, as did the handout, and the questions I was asked in the Q and A session which followed were even more enjoyable to answer.

It was truly a monumental occasion. I had delivered a paper at the Royal Shakespeare Company on teaching Shakespeare prior to this, but I do not really consider that as having ‘delivered a paper’, because though it was on teaching, and was delivered to a floor of Shakespeare academics, it was not on the literature I wish to further research: 18th century London literature. I hope that regardless of where the ever-flowing tide of life takes me in the next two, or three years, it returns me to the shores of Queen Mary. Its where I feel I belong, where I wish to grow old and retire. As much as I love this city, QM is my ‘London’ in reference to Dr Johnson’s aforementioned statement regarding the city.

Gentlemen

I just discovered that 'gentry', is actually a shorter word for 'gentlemen'! Yes, it is not as if I discovered electricity, or Penecillin, but back off, I am a literature student! We don't save lives, we culture people, for without culture, there is no life.