January

The new years started with me coming back from America (I just realised that was a year ago… that really doesnt seem a year ago!!!) January is a month which is always hard to talk about in a year review because it was so long ago and i forget easily… Mohsins birthday is in january and i think we went to nawaabs and shisha at cafe lounge if i remember correctly… Pretty standard if im honest… Oh no it wasnt we went to LUGE for mohisns birthday…  That was hilarious… All of us there doing luge thinking we are proper hard… with 6 year olds!!! it was cold and class!!! I also made a brief fleeting appearance at aneesas birthday bonanza where i hit all the traffic it took me an hour and half and i went for 30 mins and then left and was knackered for work the next day… the things i do for my friends!!!

February

February is Asjads Birthday and Atafs birthday. Ataf’s birthday resulted in a bowling session which was fun then shimlas which is always enjoyable!!! Asjads birthday was just the birthday when we planned to do everything and then ended up going to driving range in trafford centre. I think the original plan was knowsley safari park then derbyshire then chester zoo… It was funny cause there was so much planning and just not much actually doing! I think we always went

March

Sabis birthday bonanza was in march. That was a standard food and sheesha number. Im sure march was when me and asjad drove our cars into each other outside dicky road. For no real reason! Also march was when me and amzy started caining the Leeds missions and loving it big time… I really do have a love for leeds now! There was also the legendary walks along the canals and talks and all that march was very intresting if i remember but i cant divulge too much information or else i might get fixed!!!

April

I went to Italy in April for 5 days with ataf and khuram. It was tooooooo much! Chach and pupo and the two kids are unbelievably fun! I really enjoyed there and we conqured rome in a day contrary to song lyrics which may suggest otherwise I loved Italy it was brilliant so many little stories to tell about the full trip like when i tried to speak italian and the asked me a question and i crapped myself. How we got lost in the conveniance store. Alfie waking me up at 7:00 am and the disgust on my face and my chacha javed destroying us at cards! I really do love going to italy! I just like chilling with them if im honest. It was also my birthday but im not a big fan of celbrating overly so i went home to watch united vs porto with the boys if im honest with you on that day and ronaldo didnt disapoint scoring the most beautiful goal of the year for me on my birthday!

May

May was the exam period. I worked so hard at the end of this year just so i can pass if im honest. It was a lot of effort and time put in and by the end of it i was confident of passing although i didnt get stunning grades i passed with no re sits… and i did mess about a lot during the year and not really put effort in… i  mean in retrospect i went on two holidays… casually during the year… what on earth was i thinking i wouldnt change it if i was to do it again its all about life experince! It was also Nayabs birthday bonanza! Where we did laserquest and went to rice and then sheesha! Mohsin won at the laserquest and that was fun too! I also went to Ibrahim’s sisters wedding in this month with majid which was legendary… And some kind of champions league final happened which i have no recollection off…

June

The month when mohsin took sabi to be his wife and sabi took mohsin to be his husband. I was the best man (far from cause i was really ill that day) Me and sadif solidered to the wedding even though ill! I was really happy for them and it was probably my best moment of the year behind a moment in september… June then was the month when mohisn went on his trip. In more me related news that actual day was the day when i first felt ill with my stomach pains. I remember that cause i freaked ataf out big time with how ill i was it was a real action packed day!!!

July

I spent most of July working and saving up for the immenant arrival of karol! I also spent time with the boys and general chilling and LEGENDARY cricket games with the boys cause of how YA MAN GULLY cained it in world cup 20 20 i think this was June and July. I actually just remember them now… We had proper good games and even got baseball going down with tennis and footbal… It was actually alright if i can remember now and naughty little laugh!!! July i was getting a bit iller and also caining it with amer ditta on missions regularly during the week!!!

August

Mohsin came back around this time and Karol arrived in England. I travelled to London then went back to manchester all before 12 on one day… thats what you call mileage! Then we chilled had a muddy birthday bonanza which was a top laugh with charades and all that and also Sadif and khawers birthday bonanza another laser quest mission and nandos food which again was fun and i cant remeber who won that… i think it was a team thing and i dont think it was me who won! Also me and karol went to edinburgh and london and leeds and had fun in the capital with aneesa the legend. All round really enjoyed the whole karol coming over experince. Although i have to say its harder to host then it is to visit!!! So much pressure!!! August also saw me lose my phone and break my laptop. Not gonna lie to you them bits were annoying to say the least. I also had a lot more testing being done at this time and going into september aswell. Rozay also started this month but unfortunately i wasnt able to keep them cause of my illness. I also found out that mohisn and sabi were expecting a child this month! This was another bit of awesome news!!!

September

You go back to university in september so its chilling and all that but i had lost a lot of weight in this time and i was just given treatment (the roids!!!) i was looking very weak at this time and i remember one particulor day in september after eid where i wasnt really well. Because of that i didnt really do much except start uni and just be ill if im honest! September wasnt the greatest month

October

Fully into the swing of the things in uni and things looking up for me health wise aswell! I was getting on with work and actually keeping my head down not missing lectures and actually staying on top of work (this came to benefit me big time in the next month) I started blogging more prominently and had some top chilling sessions with the manchester crew! Chilling with muddy ibby chantelle and zainab on one night with the best mix ever! and Ya man Talli cained it when he moved in had some top chilling session with him and me and mohsin and muddy became scandalously middle class and going for breakfast and that. October also wasnt the best in a way aswell! for reasons i dont really need to discuss! But it was quite funny and it was topped off with the INFAMOUS ISOC event where me and mohsin stuck out like sore thumbs and mohsin just made inapporpriate comments throughout then adeel and mohsin talked to females and everyone was looking at them and i was in the cross fire dazed and confused!!! then we went to asia’s after and got involved in a war zone which was so much fun i only wish i had popcorn if i was honest!!! It was so funny it was first time at the flat and it was awkward yet i buzzed off it!

November

The month me and mohsin were supposed to go on a oslo trip lol! why did we think we would go there!!! This month i got ill badly again after having a good month and that lead to me having to miss a week of uni and so falling behind. Luckily i am very privelleged to have a good isd and dmerm group in order to be able to finish the work without me being there even though i still did my share through the pain!!! It all started my illness returning on the night of chantelles birthday bonanza ironically… Which was still fun and i did get her an awesome present!!! I was so out of it though during the day which was disappointing… i remember waking up and giving her the present and i cant remember much about that night apart from it was her and tali and me and i must have been saying some random stuff! Then at the end of the month it was the legendary SAEED BIRTHDAY BONANZA FOLLOWED BY ZAHID BIRTHDAY BONANZA! both fun in different ways… Saeed cause it was purely a lads night out and zahids cause it was everyone and me h and riz singing cained it! all round had fun!!! then i was ill again at the end of the month.

December

Saqub and Farhat had there first child in this month. Hamzah is its name. I was in hospital and i got diagnosed with crohns only for a few days later to be told i might not and might have tv instead. We cained the monopoly playing market and generally have been lazing about. Finished my work and i dont know how cause i was pretty ill! Thats pretty much been it for the year!!!

Now to review the decade in a paragraph. I mean in this decade i have grown so close to the boys and if i take one thing it will be that family is the most important thing to you and i dont mean family as in brothers and sisters but your cousins aswell. I mean i am so privelledged to be so close to my cousins and not be in a family where theres arguements all the time between families and how close we all are is something which i am grateful for. I mean the full community looks out for each other and its class! I cant believe how much i think i have grown over the year and how much things actually change over the year. This maybe my last year in education and then its the real world… How scary is that! Im not ready to grow up yet. If you have read all the way to the end of this i have to say well done! even im not going to be able to read through this again! I hope this new year brings all of you fun and good times and i hope the past decade has brought you many great memories and hears to another decade of great memories!

So, its been awile since i last narrated a blog. Actually let me explain why i am narrating this blog entry. The answer being boredom on Chantelle’s part, lazyness on Tariq’s part and finally intrigument on Zahid’s part. So lets start with the talk of the town. Saeed’s birthday bonanza aka The Greatest Birthday Ever! Some of the things which happened that night are never to be spoken of again by those involved. So unfortunatly i cant share as much as i would like, but it was a truly memorable and bonding experience (thanks Zahid for that word.) And then even after Saeed had left and the bonanza had finished, the fun carried on till the early hours with the legendary team game of who could think of the most ‘ate’ words (pause for we had to explain the game for Zahid) It was one of my most memorable nights in manchester to date. P.S the presents were too much. P.P.S the food at zouk’s was amazing, the steak was too nice, in fact thats the little picture im going to put up on the side Now on to the next bonanza…

ZAHIDS BIRTHDAY BO-NAN-ZA! Started off with a mass battle between Chantelle and Zaf, along the lines of  ‘Why dont you drink?’ A vicious assault from Zaf which resulted in me, Mohsin and Riz having to stick up for Chantelle and ask the same question to Zaf, why doesnt he drink?! Also, unfortunatly some of the Saeed birthday bonanza shenanigans were brought into Zahids birthday bonanza and the results werent pleasant for all involved (im being intentionally vague for my readers, i wish to protect you from this VILE… thing!) Then we went to Akbars aka Rudebars but their service was shocking, there was no take your time, no feel free to stick around, it was sit down, order, eat, do one! That lack of time in ordering led me and Talli to rush and pick a dish which was not right for us and our needs of what we wanted to eat. At this point i was dreaming of being back in time 24 hours to the real birthday bonanza (just kidding for Zahid, i really enjoyed the rude waiters) Then we went to Shisha and that was wicked. Me, Riz and H did karaoke without a karaoke machine. The whole shisha cafe looked at us disgustedly as we were ruining their shisha music experience. We replied by singing louder “We gotta fight fight fight fight fight for this love!!!!”  Then it turned 12 oclock and we gave Zahid birthday wishes and majority of us unfortunatly had to disperse as some had to go home and others had pressing matters. FYI on that thursday i got my first last year assignment mark back and me and Mohsin and Talha and Giorgio and Mattia got 75%. Very proud to say the least, ecstatic to say the most, anything in between is a medium answer.

Now on to this week at Manchester (Barlick was standard) Monday morning started with the new Zahid, waking up before 9am, 8.22 to be precise. Going for breakfast and then going into uni for before 10am and then staying in university until 5.30pm (pause for shock to wear off) The guy kicked it. Shame he didnt do any work. Then me, H, Muddy, Zahid and Mohsin embarked on one of the greatest walks home i have ever experienced. Again, i shall protect my readers from some of the obscenities that were used but a comment i made about Zahid had H in such laughter i thought he was gonna die. Then we chilled at night and i felt it was up to me to now try and get the second slacker to go to university. So i set my eyes firmly on Chantelle and i knew there was one thing that motivated her… Food! (only joking) I offered Chantelle a meal to come in to university at 9oclock and low and behold at 9oclock like clockwork she was ringing the bell and getting herself in and ready to go to university with Ibrar. Then at uni i went into the library and low and behold she was in the library doing work! The shock on my face was priceless! So after watching liverpool getting knocked out of the Champions league (hahahahahah) me and Chantelle went to Nandos and had a tremendous meal and nice and revealing talk. Then we went back to the house and heard all about TNF (Tuesday night football) Zahid says (“not I say its a fact, i played awesomly, this is aside from the quotations i scored 3 goals in 3 minutes or was it 2 minutes, no just put 3 minutes”) In my opinion its just a cheap friday night football althought there are disagreements in Manchester and Mohsin did soil the name, the good name, of friday night football ratings with his shoddy, disgraceful twitter post! Today i chilled with aneesa and chantelle and ibrar and told the truth… It was a very good laugh we had me and ibrar are too much at telling the truth…

So whats upcoming in the life of  Tariq? Thats the question Chantelle just asked me (Chantelle says thats a lie, but i lie on my website my readers should know that) I replied enthusiastically, Eid on friday, going home early on thursday. i have no Eid clothes thought, dissapointed. Then back to work on saturday and sunday have a big few weeks now til christman holidays, need to do alot of work. Hopefully i should get good grades. Now, we are hoping Zahid gets motivated and hands in a brilliant assignment, hoping being the key word.

(Narrated by Tariq Ahmed)

(Written by Chantelle Khaliq)