Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Priceless
Going through the first round of job vacancies without getting a single interview: $0
Being one of the handful of people in my class without a job this close to September: $0
Resisting the pressure to apply to Fort McMurray jobs and stick to my mantra of Edmonton/Calgary: $0
Having the most carefree attitude about the finding a job: $0
Having your trust in Allah (swt) pay off with three job offers in a space of three hours with one of them considered as a 'dream job' by most students: priceless
There's nothing that money can buy........for everything else, there's Allah (swt)!!
Being one of the handful of people in my class without a job this close to September: $0
Resisting the pressure to apply to Fort McMurray jobs and stick to my mantra of Edmonton/Calgary: $0
Having the most carefree attitude about the finding a job: $0
Having your trust in Allah (swt) pay off with three job offers in a space of three hours with one of them considered as a 'dream job' by most students: priceless
There's nothing that money can buy........for everything else, there's Allah (swt)!!
Monday, July 25, 2005
Another late night date with one of the courses.........life is good!!
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Adventure of a Lifetime
I came up with the following challenge for the book sale volunteers.....to spice things up and have a little fun. Plus it went with the whole selling novels theme. Though, it would have been nicer if more than one person had attempted to solve it!!
The prize was either a $25 gift certificate from Southgate Shopping mall or a mystery prize (its a mystery because I have no idea what to get).
The prize was either a $25 gift certificate from Southgate Shopping mall or a mystery prize (its a mystery because I have no idea what to get).
Assalamu Alaikum Friends, Romans, Countrymen....
Captain Ahab invites thee aboard the Nautilus for its maiden voyage around the seven seas!!
Be a part of this adventure of a lifetime and learn about the mysteries that lie in the dark depths of the ocean and on the tallest mountains. Mr. Heathcliff will be your guide on this perilous journey that ye will remember to your deathbeds.
For those of good enough fortune to live to see another day, ye will recant tales of memorbale characters such as Pip, Horatio, and Darcy. The legend has it that if the stars are properly aligned and a full moon is upon us, a glmpse of Colonel Aureliano Buendias and his bandits can be seen roaming across the restless ocean.
But alas poor Yorick, the search for the Holy Grail will not be over until the 'ring of power' has been destroyed in the fiery pits of Mount Doom!!!
So accept this challenge if ye can muster up courage to solve the mystery of Santiage Nassar's death.....otherwise sleep in your beds like cowards and when he comes to visit...be ready to shout 'its alive!!!'
------------------------------
For those people who are really confused, no, MAC Youth GIVE has not lost it!! In the fantasy except above, several references have been made to different characters that we have read about in novels. The challenge is to find all the references (or as many as you can) and identify the character, book, and author). Good luck and the winner will get a worthwhile prize insha Allah!!!!!
Friday, July 22, 2005
Being incharge of a bunch of 8-10 years old is much much harder than it sounds and I had the pleasure of finding that out last weekend. At the IFSSA camp, the attendees were split up into their respective age groups and a person was assigned to lead them.....or in my case, get trampled all over!!!
They were all good kids but sometimes, I wanted to lay the smack down on each and everyone of them.....but then again, they were just acting their age I suppose....
Though they did listen to me when it actually mattered; one example:
Around 1.30 am, I'm done telling them stories about the early Islamic battles and about to leave them in their rooms to sleep
KIDS: Can we please stay up till fajr (3.15 am)!! Pleasssse!!!
FARAZ: Fine but I don't want anyone leaving this room throughout the night no matter what happens!!!!
KIDS: OK!!
Around 2.30 am, my room door suddenly opens and a kid comes running in while i'm in deep sliumber
KID: Wake up!! Wake up!!!
FARAZ: What happened??? Is everyone all right??
KID: Can I please go to the washroom?? I really have to go!!!
FARAZ: Of course!!!! Why do you need my permission for that!!!
KID: Because earlier you mentioned that nobody is to leave the room.
I love kids.....now only if they were that obedient when they hit junior high. I was actually waiting to get the pics before I blogged but maybe I'll post them in the next one.
GIVE event for July is tommorrow and I'm actually pretty excited! Most of the volunteers are first timers and its good to see different people come out each time. Its an indication that the word is spreading slowly....but steadily!!!
On a different note, what in God's name is happening in London??? Every second day, there is some kind of threat or explosion......it only reaffirms my belief that Canada (especially Deadmonton) is one of the safest places to live these dayz.
They were all good kids but sometimes, I wanted to lay the smack down on each and everyone of them.....but then again, they were just acting their age I suppose....
Though they did listen to me when it actually mattered; one example:
Around 1.30 am, I'm done telling them stories about the early Islamic battles and about to leave them in their rooms to sleep
KIDS: Can we please stay up till fajr (3.15 am)!! Pleasssse!!!
FARAZ: Fine but I don't want anyone leaving this room throughout the night no matter what happens!!!!
KIDS: OK!!
Around 2.30 am, my room door suddenly opens and a kid comes running in while i'm in deep sliumber
KID: Wake up!! Wake up!!!
FARAZ: What happened??? Is everyone all right??
KID: Can I please go to the washroom?? I really have to go!!!
FARAZ: Of course!!!! Why do you need my permission for that!!!
KID: Because earlier you mentioned that nobody is to leave the room.
I love kids.....now only if they were that obedient when they hit junior high. I was actually waiting to get the pics before I blogged but maybe I'll post them in the next one.
GIVE event for July is tommorrow and I'm actually pretty excited! Most of the volunteers are first timers and its good to see different people come out each time. Its an indication that the word is spreading slowly....but steadily!!!
On a different note, what in God's name is happening in London??? Every second day, there is some kind of threat or explosion......it only reaffirms my belief that Canada (especially Deadmonton) is one of the safest places to live these dayz.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Spare Time.....Where Art Thou??
Nothing quite like sitting in an engineering computer lab plugging away at some random equations which are too complicated to be solved by hand, meanwhile surrounded by Discover E kids who seem to think that shouting 'B-I-N-G-O' repeatedly at the top of their lungs is the brightest idea they've had in their short lives.
Yesterday, I played my first organized soccer game in years. What, you ask, is the difference between that and just kicking the ball around with friends?? Its a world of a difference. The pace is a lot faster, there are rules in terms of fouling, you can't deke through the whole team. The sad situation of our team forced me to play defense (keeping in mind that I'm a midfielder). This was a recipe for disaster!!!
Though the most disappointing thing was my endurance, which died after half an hour. Its was ridiculously embarassing to have guyz blowing by you when on a normal day I'm twice as fast as any of them!!! But insha Allah, I have to take this as motivation for next time to ensure a repeat doesn't take place.
The IFSSA camp is coming up and insha Allah I will be dropping in for a day though how I wish it could be the whole weekend!!! But gone are the carefree dayz, when responsibilities were few and time was aplenty. So many years of free time and nothing to show for it. And when the realization dawns, its already too late for now I'm stuck in a cyclical pattern thats bound to repeat itself day after day, week after week, year after year; offering little in way of flexibility.
Reminds of the hadeeth:
Yesterday, I played my first organized soccer game in years. What, you ask, is the difference between that and just kicking the ball around with friends?? Its a world of a difference. The pace is a lot faster, there are rules in terms of fouling, you can't deke through the whole team. The sad situation of our team forced me to play defense (keeping in mind that I'm a midfielder). This was a recipe for disaster!!!
Though the most disappointing thing was my endurance, which died after half an hour. Its was ridiculously embarassing to have guyz blowing by you when on a normal day I'm twice as fast as any of them!!! But insha Allah, I have to take this as motivation for next time to ensure a repeat doesn't take place.
The IFSSA camp is coming up and insha Allah I will be dropping in for a day though how I wish it could be the whole weekend!!! But gone are the carefree dayz, when responsibilities were few and time was aplenty. So many years of free time and nothing to show for it. And when the realization dawns, its already too late for now I'm stuck in a cyclical pattern thats bound to repeat itself day after day, week after week, year after year; offering little in way of flexibility.
A slave of time I am,
Trying to chase it I am;
Though it waits for no one,
It gives a sense of delusion;
Until one day I looked around,
It had blown past me and I was on the ground;
For I was the hare that slept too much,
Only myself to blame for I was warned as such;
Trying to chase it I am;
Though it waits for no one,
It gives a sense of delusion;
Until one day I looked around,
It had blown past me and I was on the ground;
For I was the hare that slept too much,
Only myself to blame for I was warned as such;
Reminds of the hadeeth:
“Take advantage of five things before five other things occur, your youth before you become old, your health before you become sick, you wealth before you become poor, your spare time before you become busy, and your life before death."
Friday, July 08, 2005
Confessions of an Idiotic Mind
This photo blogging is quite addictive but it feels like a cheap imitation for the purpose of attention grabbing. Kind of like the difference between CSI and Law & Order; one is all about glit and glamour with techniques that are not realistic and almost never used in real life while the other is a hard nosed drama with the nitty gritty detailed workings of the justice system. Mind you though, this doesn't mean that I won't put up pictures!!
Three hours of my life today were wasted arguing about the different philosophies of life. Usually, the first one to avoid these kind of discussions (primarily because they don't lead anywhere), I was dragged into it by a persistent badgering of an idiotic mind. Life according to him was a mere play with all of us actors leading scripted lives. None of us really controlled anything but rather followed a pre-determined path like 'puppets.' So, in other words, none of us controlled anything in our lives but were rather the victim of our circumstances--from the highly successful self made billionare to your garden variety serial killer!!!
Its hard to say where these kind of notions pop up in people's head but it DOES make you wonder, doesn't it???
I just relayed a simple message to him: the Islamic point of view is you get what you work for, which is no different than your everyday life. You want the high marks, the flashy care, mo' money......you got to study and work harder and at the end of the day, your own actions are what determine you fate.
Similary, the overall life objective is the same. Whatever you do in this life, you will be held accountable for it, which seems fair and logical considering thats how even most societies work.
But sadly, three wasted hours and I probably just ended up making him firmer in his resolve. He's not the first one nor will he be the last. Though, what I do found interesting is that each one of them seems to think that they have found the secret formula of life which billions of people for centuries were ignorant of!! Atleast, I did my job of relaying the message for when I do see him on the Last Day, I will face him to say 'I WARNED YOU!!!'
But enough about random conversations of mine. The weekend is upon us, with a host of activities bearing down. The Islamic Symposium is taking place at university, a game on Sunday, soccer practice on Saturday, and few other things I can't remember right now. Flu and light fever have found a home inside of me for the past few dayz, but insha Allah they will be gone just in time.
Three hours of my life today were wasted arguing about the different philosophies of life. Usually, the first one to avoid these kind of discussions (primarily because they don't lead anywhere), I was dragged into it by a persistent badgering of an idiotic mind. Life according to him was a mere play with all of us actors leading scripted lives. None of us really controlled anything but rather followed a pre-determined path like 'puppets.' So, in other words, none of us controlled anything in our lives but were rather the victim of our circumstances--from the highly successful self made billionare to your garden variety serial killer!!!
Its hard to say where these kind of notions pop up in people's head but it DOES make you wonder, doesn't it???
I just relayed a simple message to him: the Islamic point of view is you get what you work for, which is no different than your everyday life. You want the high marks, the flashy care, mo' money......you got to study and work harder and at the end of the day, your own actions are what determine you fate.
Similary, the overall life objective is the same. Whatever you do in this life, you will be held accountable for it, which seems fair and logical considering thats how even most societies work.
But sadly, three wasted hours and I probably just ended up making him firmer in his resolve. He's not the first one nor will he be the last. Though, what I do found interesting is that each one of them seems to think that they have found the secret formula of life which billions of people for centuries were ignorant of!! Atleast, I did my job of relaying the message for when I do see him on the Last Day, I will face him to say 'I WARNED YOU!!!'
"Therefore leave them alone to go on with the false discourses and to sport until they come face to face with that day of theirs with which they are threatened;" (al-maarij v:42)
But enough about random conversations of mine. The weekend is upon us, with a host of activities bearing down. The Islamic Symposium is taking place at university, a game on Sunday, soccer practice on Saturday, and few other things I can't remember right now. Flu and light fever have found a home inside of me for the past few dayz, but insha Allah they will be gone just in time.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Happy 21st!!
Balloons from dear mom :-)Just to let everyone know, birthday was on june 30 (last thursday)....what can I say, laziness knows no bounds!!
Gone are the dayz when expensive presents would be showered. A set of balloons and birthday cards now suffice. I'm the one expected to dish now: $200 for mom's, $75 for sis's, bro's is on the horizon. I suppose wife is next on the list.....from what I hear, that present should really shoot the price!!