Sunday, October 30, 2005
Scream
"There have been No vigils to mark the disaster: week 1, week 2, now week 3 - I keep counting. No silent, candlelight vigils at sunset. No minute of silence at 8:51am. No day of mourning. No protest march (silent or loud) against NATO`s refusal to airlift the injured. No sit-ins to demand of governments the desperately needed helicopters, tents, medicine, monetary aid. And no demonstrations in front of the oblivious offices of world media.
Did you hear the scream of a boy who was laid out on grass and given candy in place of anesthesia, as one leg is amputated with a non-surgical instrument?
Now, it's our time to scream."
http://www.chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00005873&channel=gulberg
Did you hear the scream of a boy who was laid out on grass and given candy in place of anesthesia, as one leg is amputated with a non-surgical instrument?
Now, it's our time to scream."
http://www.chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00005873&channel=gulberg
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Wide awake.
How can I sleep when the TRUTH lies in my hands? The answer to all the riddles....
"This Book (Quran), there is no doubt in it...." (al-baqaraah, v:2)
How can I sleep when the TRUTH lies in my hands? The answer to all the riddles....
"This Book (Quran), there is no doubt in it...." (al-baqaraah, v:2)
Friday, October 28, 2005
Pretty face
I've really wasted this Ramadan and this is not a humble-i-stayed-up-all-night but couldn't do more but a serious moment of regret on my part. There are plenty of excuses but there has never been a shortage of those.
Yesterday, the team building activity at work was the most fun I've had in the last 5-6 months. How can you not when Austin Powers is your MC and Richard Simmons guides people through various activities. Not to mention the stand-up comedian whose George Bush jokes were hilarious. Oh, by the way, yours truly ended up winning a modelling contest dressed up in various props. I'd like to think that it wasn't the costume, nor the speech, nor the team but the pretty face that consolidated my victory :-)
(I'm just joking. Its hard to predict how people might read this and think of me so better to state the obvious)
Lastly, Oilers finally won!!!!!
Yesterday, the team building activity at work was the most fun I've had in the last 5-6 months. How can you not when Austin Powers is your MC and Richard Simmons guides people through various activities. Not to mention the stand-up comedian whose George Bush jokes were hilarious. Oh, by the way, yours truly ended up winning a modelling contest dressed up in various props. I'd like to think that it wasn't the costume, nor the speech, nor the team but the pretty face that consolidated my victory :-)
(I'm just joking. Its hard to predict how people might read this and think of me so better to state the obvious)
Lastly, Oilers finally won!!!!!
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Seven losses in a row. Possibly the worst team in the NHL. Welcome to the life of an Oiler fan.
Atleast Roger Clemons didn't win the World Series (for the confused, i'm talking about baseball).
England arrives in Pakistan for a whopping.....though I don't know which side will be on the receiving end (now its cricket).
On a different note, from a German pop icon to a hijab wearing Muslimah (female Muslim)!! And that too in a country which is running rife with Islamaphobia. It amazes me with the amount of bad publicity Islam gets in the media that some people are still willing to look past all that with an open mind.
I mean, when you're a big pop star, the last thing you want to do is follow a religion that seems to be run by 'loonny jihadis' bent on destroying the world. And yet here we are. Her book coming out should make an interesting read.
http://www.islamonline.net/english/news/2005-10/17/article04.shtml
Atleast Roger Clemons didn't win the World Series (for the confused, i'm talking about baseball).
England arrives in Pakistan for a whopping.....though I don't know which side will be on the receiving end (now its cricket).
On a different note, from a German pop icon to a hijab wearing Muslimah (female Muslim)!! And that too in a country which is running rife with Islamaphobia. It amazes me with the amount of bad publicity Islam gets in the media that some people are still willing to look past all that with an open mind.
I mean, when you're a big pop star, the last thing you want to do is follow a religion that seems to be run by 'loonny jihadis' bent on destroying the world. And yet here we are. Her book coming out should make an interesting read.
http://www.islamonline.net/english/news/2005-10/17/article04.shtml
Monday, October 24, 2005
So it was established in the last post that any culture is limited to its respective geographic location and most probably would not serve its adherents very well outside of those boundaries. Why? Becuase people established certain customs that suited a particular location and logical sense dictates, these customs would not work in other places (or atleast not be followed very strictly).
re·li·gion: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices (where the world religious is defined as "relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity")
I assume that most of the people (if not all) who visit this blog believe in some sort of higher power that created us and knows much more than we do (if you don't believe in that, then you must find my ramblings rather ridiculous!). So logically it would make sense that since that higher being created us, He must know what will bring people benefit and harm.
Now we have many religions and of course they all claim to be the right one. So for arguement's sake, we assume that religion 'x' is the correct one and was actually revealed by God. Since this is God's religion, its rules and regulations must be of the kind that are not prisoners of time.
What do I mean by that? It means that no matter what century or millennia, the rules should be such that they are applicable and logical enough to be followed by anyone regardless if they drive porsches or ride on donkeys (ie. 21st century or 1st century). After all, God should be smart enough to take into account all the people that will ever live and not just the peoples that lived during the time when the correct religion was revealed.
Extrapolating it further, we can say religion 'x' must be able to stand trials of not just time but also of geographic locations. Be it Canada or Japan or Iraq, religion 'x' should appeal to everyone and be able to integrate itself into their lives.
So for those whose light bulb hasn't come on yet, I've just proved that its not culture but rather religion that should be held on to and emphasized from generation to generation irregardless of the country, continent, year, or century.
To me, other than the fact that a religion has to be logical, one of the most important tests is the effect passage of time leaves on it. Because anyone can come up with laws and regulations that suit the time and place they live in. Thomas Jefferson came up with the American constitution, a document that was unrivalled at the time but now several changes have been made into it because times have changed and the document could not keep up.
Why? Because it was the work of a human mind and the mind doesn't know what the world will be like centuries down the road. Hence all the changes which is a direct product of the times. A religion should not have to be changed just because its the 21st century or because we are in Canada UNLESS its not the right one.
So what have I proved?
In short: culture made by man so changes all the time...religion (the right one) made by God and should be applicable anytime, anyplace.....thus it is religion that parents should ask their kids to hold on to and not culture (and if the religion is actually the correct one, the kids or people in general will be more inclined to follow it).
NOTE: In this discussion, I have tried to make arguements in a very objective and truthful manner. Its hard for me to see that if a person believes in God, how can they disagree with my arguements.
-----------------------------------------
The other day I was standing at the train station and happen to eavesdrop on a bunch of people talking about Islam. One of them mentions on how its Ramadan right now and the Muslims are fasting, which means they don't eat from sunset to sunrise. The second one asks, "Why follow the sun?"
So the third one answers back, "I think its because they worship the sun."
If not for the approaching train, I was compelled to step in and mention that we DON'T worship the sun. Infact if they would have stopped to think about the reason for following the sun, the answer would have been very simple.
Whats one entity that can be counted on to stay constant from the dawn of humans till the end in terms of measuring time?? The sun!!
(someone might argue that we can follow the present day clock but did you know that every year the earth's roatational path decreases which causes it to lose a few milliseconds. In other words, hundreds of years down the road, the day will not be made of 24 hrs but less. Now if the Islamic fasting was based on the 24 hr clock, it would make no sense to its followers hundreds of years later because its not a 24 hr day anymore. Therefore, its the sun that we follow and NOT worship)
re·li·gion: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices (where the world religious is defined as "relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity")
I assume that most of the people (if not all) who visit this blog believe in some sort of higher power that created us and knows much more than we do (if you don't believe in that, then you must find my ramblings rather ridiculous!). So logically it would make sense that since that higher being created us, He must know what will bring people benefit and harm.
Now we have many religions and of course they all claim to be the right one. So for arguement's sake, we assume that religion 'x' is the correct one and was actually revealed by God. Since this is God's religion, its rules and regulations must be of the kind that are not prisoners of time.
What do I mean by that? It means that no matter what century or millennia, the rules should be such that they are applicable and logical enough to be followed by anyone regardless if they drive porsches or ride on donkeys (ie. 21st century or 1st century). After all, God should be smart enough to take into account all the people that will ever live and not just the peoples that lived during the time when the correct religion was revealed.
Extrapolating it further, we can say religion 'x' must be able to stand trials of not just time but also of geographic locations. Be it Canada or Japan or Iraq, religion 'x' should appeal to everyone and be able to integrate itself into their lives.
So for those whose light bulb hasn't come on yet, I've just proved that its not culture but rather religion that should be held on to and emphasized from generation to generation irregardless of the country, continent, year, or century.
To me, other than the fact that a religion has to be logical, one of the most important tests is the effect passage of time leaves on it. Because anyone can come up with laws and regulations that suit the time and place they live in. Thomas Jefferson came up with the American constitution, a document that was unrivalled at the time but now several changes have been made into it because times have changed and the document could not keep up.
Why? Because it was the work of a human mind and the mind doesn't know what the world will be like centuries down the road. Hence all the changes which is a direct product of the times. A religion should not have to be changed just because its the 21st century or because we are in Canada UNLESS its not the right one.
So what have I proved?
In short: culture made by man so changes all the time...religion (the right one) made by God and should be applicable anytime, anyplace.....thus it is religion that parents should ask their kids to hold on to and not culture (and if the religion is actually the correct one, the kids or people in general will be more inclined to follow it).
NOTE: In this discussion, I have tried to make arguements in a very objective and truthful manner. Its hard for me to see that if a person believes in God, how can they disagree with my arguements.
-----------------------------------------
The other day I was standing at the train station and happen to eavesdrop on a bunch of people talking about Islam. One of them mentions on how its Ramadan right now and the Muslims are fasting, which means they don't eat from sunset to sunrise. The second one asks, "Why follow the sun?"
So the third one answers back, "I think its because they worship the sun."
If not for the approaching train, I was compelled to step in and mention that we DON'T worship the sun. Infact if they would have stopped to think about the reason for following the sun, the answer would have been very simple.
Whats one entity that can be counted on to stay constant from the dawn of humans till the end in terms of measuring time?? The sun!!
(someone might argue that we can follow the present day clock but did you know that every year the earth's roatational path decreases which causes it to lose a few milliseconds. In other words, hundreds of years down the road, the day will not be made of 24 hrs but less. Now if the Islamic fasting was based on the 24 hr clock, it would make no sense to its followers hundreds of years later because its not a 24 hr day anymore. Therefore, its the sun that we follow and NOT worship)
Saturday, October 22, 2005
WARNING: The following discussion entails certain topics that are sensitive. Not everybody might agree with what I have to say but I've tried to state things in a logical and objective manner.
cul·ture - the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group (according to Merriam-Webster dictionary)
The above definition is a bit outdated or atleast different from mine. Nowadays, when the word culture is used, its usually in reference to people belonging to a certain geographical location. For example, the Chinese culture or the American culture or the Indian culture.
Chinese culture implies a person from China holding certain values because he/she is from, well China. So we don't expect someone from Canada to have Chinese values because we believe that each country has its own specific set of values and anyone living in a specific country will subscribe to them. Correct?
Does each culture change?
Absolutely. Looking at the 18th century Canada is monstrously different than the world we live in today. The reason for its change is because people as a majority start to follow a different set of practices that they imagined to make their lives better (whether it did is irrelevant to our discussion). What I'm trying to get across here is that culture is continually evolving and is mainly dependant on what the majority of people adhere to at any given time.
So something that is considered taboo or illegal might become commonplace fifty years down the road. One example being the acceptance of homosexuals within the last fifty years or the advancement of women rights. The 'slave culture' was the norm in the 17th century and was adhered to by majority of the people. The culture of the Arabs in the 6th century was of barbaric practices such as killing female babies, severe alcoholism, continual bloodshed over tribal matters, etc.
Now, is one culture better than the other?? Not necessarily. Each culture is best suited for the country that it was developed in because the people there understood the necessities of that particular community. So Chinese culture might be the best of fit for people living in China but not for those in Canada and vice versa. Same can be said for other communities.
So why this little lesson in culture?
Well, I wanted to get a few things straight before we dive into the real discussion. Repeatedly, I meet people who are confused. These people are raised up in their households to have a certain set of beliefs that happens to be very different from what they learn in school. Pretty much any immigrant community can relate to that. So a person might have been taught Pakistani culture at home only to find something different when he starts to work.
They are repeatedly fed the notion of having to follow differnet customs just because their parents did.
Because we are raised to understand culture as a function of each country, confusion is the result when asked to follow the culture of lets say Poland while living in Canada. The situation is made worse by parents whom force these things on their children rather than offering an explaination (to be honest, there really is not a worthwhile explaination).
I have had several discussions with my parents about such topics and repeatedly said one thing to them: Why should I do certain things just because they are done in a country thousand of miles away?? My parents really have no answer to that (neither do majority of the parents out there).
So where do we go from here?
(Insha Allah continued the next time)
cul·ture - the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group (according to Merriam-Webster dictionary)
The above definition is a bit outdated or atleast different from mine. Nowadays, when the word culture is used, its usually in reference to people belonging to a certain geographical location. For example, the Chinese culture or the American culture or the Indian culture.
Chinese culture implies a person from China holding certain values because he/she is from, well China. So we don't expect someone from Canada to have Chinese values because we believe that each country has its own specific set of values and anyone living in a specific country will subscribe to them. Correct?
Does each culture change?
Absolutely. Looking at the 18th century Canada is monstrously different than the world we live in today. The reason for its change is because people as a majority start to follow a different set of practices that they imagined to make their lives better (whether it did is irrelevant to our discussion). What I'm trying to get across here is that culture is continually evolving and is mainly dependant on what the majority of people adhere to at any given time.
So something that is considered taboo or illegal might become commonplace fifty years down the road. One example being the acceptance of homosexuals within the last fifty years or the advancement of women rights. The 'slave culture' was the norm in the 17th century and was adhered to by majority of the people. The culture of the Arabs in the 6th century was of barbaric practices such as killing female babies, severe alcoholism, continual bloodshed over tribal matters, etc.
Now, is one culture better than the other?? Not necessarily. Each culture is best suited for the country that it was developed in because the people there understood the necessities of that particular community. So Chinese culture might be the best of fit for people living in China but not for those in Canada and vice versa. Same can be said for other communities.
So why this little lesson in culture?
Well, I wanted to get a few things straight before we dive into the real discussion. Repeatedly, I meet people who are confused. These people are raised up in their households to have a certain set of beliefs that happens to be very different from what they learn in school. Pretty much any immigrant community can relate to that. So a person might have been taught Pakistani culture at home only to find something different when he starts to work.
They are repeatedly fed the notion of having to follow differnet customs just because their parents did.
Because we are raised to understand culture as a function of each country, confusion is the result when asked to follow the culture of lets say Poland while living in Canada. The situation is made worse by parents whom force these things on their children rather than offering an explaination (to be honest, there really is not a worthwhile explaination).
I have had several discussions with my parents about such topics and repeatedly said one thing to them: Why should I do certain things just because they are done in a country thousand of miles away?? My parents really have no answer to that (neither do majority of the parents out there).
So where do we go from here?
(Insha Allah continued the next time)
Thursday, October 20, 2005
"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin--real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life." Alfred D. Souza
Thank you Aflred D.Souza, whomever you are!
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
An hour long heart-2-heart talk with the big cheese of the company.
What are my career objectives?? 5 year? 10 year?
Which field? Specialist or leadership??
Client organizations or EPC or research?
My head hurts.....
As a dear friend once put it so eloquently:
"Oh, how you itch to answer them truthfully, but interview skills kick into place, and you respond like a trained monkey wearing a tie you only tied with tieguide.com, realizing afterward that you are no different than the thousands who came off this conveyor belt of society."
How do you like them bananas??
What are my career objectives?? 5 year? 10 year?
Which field? Specialist or leadership??
Client organizations or EPC or research?
My head hurts.....
As a dear friend once put it so eloquently:
"Oh, how you itch to answer them truthfully, but interview skills kick into place, and you respond like a trained monkey wearing a tie you only tied with tieguide.com, realizing afterward that you are no different than the thousands who came off this conveyor belt of society."
How do you like them bananas??
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Its always interesting to read convert stories, especially if they are about Latino women :-)
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/12914082.htm
Just had a lengthly discussion with my boss's boss about communication or lack thereof. Its amazing how major mistakes on billion dollar projects sometimes comes down to the simple matter of communication. Even right now, are the readers understanding what I want to convery or is the picture conveyed by my words varying from person to person.
Just a few days back someone left a comment complaining that I referred to women as 'it' but when I read the sentence over again, it was clear to me that I was referring to school and not women. Though at the same time I understood why it could seem the other way around.
Makes me wonder on all the things that I say during my normal course of life, how many of them are actually understood the way its meant?
By the way, its really depressing to see the Oilers lose 3 in a row and that too against the Flames!!! I'm really going to get it at work on Monday.
[NOTE TO SELF: do not brag about an oilers win to everyone at work next time]
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/12914082.htm
Just had a lengthly discussion with my boss's boss about communication or lack thereof. Its amazing how major mistakes on billion dollar projects sometimes comes down to the simple matter of communication. Even right now, are the readers understanding what I want to convery or is the picture conveyed by my words varying from person to person.
Just a few days back someone left a comment complaining that I referred to women as 'it' but when I read the sentence over again, it was clear to me that I was referring to school and not women. Though at the same time I understood why it could seem the other way around.
Makes me wonder on all the things that I say during my normal course of life, how many of them are actually understood the way its meant?
By the way, its really depressing to see the Oilers lose 3 in a row and that too against the Flames!!! I'm really going to get it at work on Monday.
[NOTE TO SELF: do not brag about an oilers win to everyone at work next time]
Friday, October 14, 2005
"The whole market, from one end to the other, echoed with painful screams and moans. A young neighbour of mine was lying dead in a pool of blood, crushed by a concrete slab. Another neighbour stood with bleeding wounds. He was in bed when the quake struck, pulling down the house, but miraculously he fell on the road with his 14-month old daughter tightly held in his arms. However, he could not save his wife who was hit by a big concrete slab. His mother was missing and there was no clue as to where she had disappeared under the rubble....."
http://www.dawn.com/2005/10/14/top2.htm
http://www.dawn.com/2005/10/14/top2.htm
Corporate Chess World
A few hundred million here. A billion there. At work, I play around with dollar figures that would dwarf some third world countries' total income. Its so easy to get lost in this game of numbers only to realize that 99.99% of the world's population will never get to see this much money.
I am but a pawn in this corporate chess world and yet at times, I can feel the greed taking over. The desire to chase materialistic dreams. They throw me a bone and I think to have earned it.
So first time in a long time, I plan to spend the weekend in Calgary. Ramadan alone has not been all that hard as previously imagined. I've been invited to a few iftaars so all in all, it seems to be going much better than expected (though I wouldn't want to repeat it; its one of those things that is good to try just once).
I have to post the link for it really makes me proud (even though I'm not on campus and had nothing to do with this).
http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/news/cityplus/story.html?id=d9932d83-4d00-4e9e-9a09-9d5aa519f459
I am but a pawn in this corporate chess world and yet at times, I can feel the greed taking over. The desire to chase materialistic dreams. They throw me a bone and I think to have earned it.
So first time in a long time, I plan to spend the weekend in Calgary. Ramadan alone has not been all that hard as previously imagined. I've been invited to a few iftaars so all in all, it seems to be going much better than expected (though I wouldn't want to repeat it; its one of those things that is good to try just once).
I have to post the link for it really makes me proud (even though I'm not on campus and had nothing to do with this).
http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/news/cityplus/story.html?id=d9932d83-4d00-4e9e-9a09-9d5aa519f459
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Firstly, deep condolensces to anyone who has relatives in the earthquake effected areas. The number shot from 2,000 to over 30,000 dead in just one day. Its heart-breaking to see the devastation especially the umpteen children who died in teh tragedy.
Maybe its just me, but recently the natural disasters have been fast and furious. Iran earthquake, tsunami, Katrina, South Asian earthquake......
Atleast the people died in Ramadan so insha Allah the gates of Paradise were open for them :-)
Its a reminder that any of us can be next. Living in Alberta, we tend to think that we are safe but who is to say a tornado won't rip through the heart of Edmonton taking them along with it. I'm pretty sure the people of Kashmir weren't even remotely thinking that an earthquake of this magnitude would hit but here we are.
So be prepared and ready. By that I don't mean be ready to flee town or hide in bomb bunkers or store weeks of food or anything of that sort. But just take a moment to devote a thought to the last moments of your life.
People spend countless time preparing for the next 20-30 years of their life but how much time has been spent in preparing for a life that shall be eternal (assuming the person believes in God and therefore believes this life will not be the end all of our existence).
Maybe its just me, but recently the natural disasters have been fast and furious. Iran earthquake, tsunami, Katrina, South Asian earthquake......
Atleast the people died in Ramadan so insha Allah the gates of Paradise were open for them :-)
Its a reminder that any of us can be next. Living in Alberta, we tend to think that we are safe but who is to say a tornado won't rip through the heart of Edmonton taking them along with it. I'm pretty sure the people of Kashmir weren't even remotely thinking that an earthquake of this magnitude would hit but here we are.
So be prepared and ready. By that I don't mean be ready to flee town or hide in bomb bunkers or store weeks of food or anything of that sort. But just take a moment to devote a thought to the last moments of your life.
People spend countless time preparing for the next 20-30 years of their life but how much time has been spent in preparing for a life that shall be eternal (assuming the person believes in God and therefore believes this life will not be the end all of our existence).
Monday, October 10, 2005
"And guard yourselves against a day in which you shall be returned to Allah; then every soul shall be paid back in full what it has earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly."
(al-baqaraa v: 281)
"On that day men shall come forth in sundry bodies that they may be shown their works.
So. he who has done an atom's weight of good shall see it
And he who has done an atom's weight of evil shall see it."
(al-zalzala v:6-8)
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Get Rich or Die Tryin
Not every decision we make in life is easy. Infact, if you think about it, most of the steps we take can have serious consequences if they go wrong.
I sit at a crucial juncture today. The last month or so has really opened my eyes to the extent that I've realized some things that had managed to evade me. Looking 5-10 years down the road and I see a picture; a reality that is very, very different from most of my school friends.
As 50 cent so eloquently put in his last album, "Get rich or DIE tryin," he struck a chord that exists subconsciously among people. I want everybody to ask themselves at this very moment, when thinking of life 10 years down the road, what is the first thing that pops in their heads?
Is it a nice house? or maybe a car? or what about a fancy office with a secretary?
There's nothing wrong if these things are on your list, but if they are the very first thing that shoot, then......
What do I see?
A life that is measured by how much I've improved myself and others around me.
A life that shows I've built people rather than mansions.
A life that shows I devoted myself to a cause in which I shall be victorious (Insha Allah) no matter what the outcome.
A life.....
I dream. And what a glorious dream it is!!!
I sit at a crucial juncture today. The last month or so has really opened my eyes to the extent that I've realized some things that had managed to evade me. Looking 5-10 years down the road and I see a picture; a reality that is very, very different from most of my school friends.
As 50 cent so eloquently put in his last album, "Get rich or DIE tryin," he struck a chord that exists subconsciously among people. I want everybody to ask themselves at this very moment, when thinking of life 10 years down the road, what is the first thing that pops in their heads?
Is it a nice house? or maybe a car? or what about a fancy office with a secretary?
There's nothing wrong if these things are on your list, but if they are the very first thing that shoot, then......
What do I see?
A life that is measured by how much I've improved myself and others around me.
A life that shows I've built people rather than mansions.
A life that shows I devoted myself to a cause in which I shall be victorious (Insha Allah) no matter what the outcome.
A life.....
I dream. And what a glorious dream it is!!!
Thursday, October 06, 2005
I'm truly beginning to understand why people are so envious of the student life. Sure there are the classes, labs, lectures, and seminars but the freedom that goes with it just doesn't exist in the working world. Its a totally different pace; an environment that does not allow personal growth.
Ramadan has started and about time. There might not be the perks of 5 hour work days in Canada, but its own unique style brings a different flavor to this month. Interestingly, most people (muslim n non-muslim) think of it as only abstaining from food, when infact that is just the key to open the door to a whole new world!!
Hockey comes back with a BANG......Oilers are listed to finish 9th in the league (yeah, I was surprised too) by Sports Illustrated but their credibility was put in serious doubt after Calgary was picked to win the Stanley Cup. I mean, come on!! I can't wait for the Oil to beat the heck of out Calgary so I can rub it in to all the Flames' fans at work.
Another piece of good news. A new study has picked Vancouver as the best city in the world. Not only that, there are 3 Canadian cities in the top 10. And my adopted home town of Calgary is at no. 10 in the world and my birth town of Karachi is 4th.............from the bottom!!!
Though, we have to take these ratings with a grain of salt because a lot of the factors are subjective. I have walked through the streets of Karachi without fear and any sense of danger. But to someone reading this article, it might seem like Karachi is one of the worst places to live when infact I can testify that its a much more vibrant and lively city than Edmonton or Calgary.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4306936.stm
Ramadan has started and about time. There might not be the perks of 5 hour work days in Canada, but its own unique style brings a different flavor to this month. Interestingly, most people (muslim n non-muslim) think of it as only abstaining from food, when infact that is just the key to open the door to a whole new world!!
Hockey comes back with a BANG......Oilers are listed to finish 9th in the league (yeah, I was surprised too) by Sports Illustrated but their credibility was put in serious doubt after Calgary was picked to win the Stanley Cup. I mean, come on!! I can't wait for the Oil to beat the heck of out Calgary so I can rub it in to all the Flames' fans at work.
Another piece of good news. A new study has picked Vancouver as the best city in the world. Not only that, there are 3 Canadian cities in the top 10. And my adopted home town of Calgary is at no. 10 in the world and my birth town of Karachi is 4th.............from the bottom!!!
Though, we have to take these ratings with a grain of salt because a lot of the factors are subjective. I have walked through the streets of Karachi without fear and any sense of danger. But to someone reading this article, it might seem like Karachi is one of the worst places to live when infact I can testify that its a much more vibrant and lively city than Edmonton or Calgary.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4306936.stm
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Lack of computer access has delayed the blogging process.
Check for this weekend insha Allah!!
Check for this weekend insha Allah!!