11,315 days

At their Nikkah on November 24, 1975 in Calcutta

... is 31 years. That is how long my parents, Ammi & Papa have been married, alhumdalillah! So, on this happy occasion this post is dedicated to them.. The 2 most important people in my life :)

I remember, for their 25th Anniversary we made a slideshow for them with all of these old school pictures of us, where Ammi had big hair and Papa still had his moochay... classic pictures! To add some charm to the slideshow, we'd also added these cheesy romantic songs, even hindi ones.. haha like Tujhe Dekha (from DDLJ). Then the three of us did a little video greeting for them too... where we were all speaking too low that you couldn't hear us. All I remember about what i said was that I would've cried but then my makeup would get ruined.. HAHA.. I was sooo weird 6 years ago. Apparently my older bro's greeting was really deep and profound (we blasted the volume) and I think I saw my parents getting a little weepy. Awww...

Then last year, it was their 30th but it was a week after my bro's wedding so those guys weren't here and my cousin was leaving around that time and so we didn't end up doing anything big :(

But MUCH LOVE to Ammi & Papa! May Allah (SWT) continue to bless their marriage and lives together. May He keep them happy and healthy for many, many years to come. AMEEN!

Ammi & Papa @ Bro's Nikkah (Nov '05)

On a little romantic boat ride on the Kolkata waterfront (Aug '06)

At my Convocation (November '06).. 31 years later :)

Officially UofT Alumni!

My convocation was today, alhumdalillah! 4 long years in the making...

It was a pretty exciting day! For starters, I received a bouquet of roses delivered to my doorstep :) Awwww... I was so surprised!

I really enjoyed the ceremony! I didn't expect there to be so many graduates because it was November, but there were about 700 UTSC & UTM graduates!!

So yeah, we got to Conn Hall and then after picking up the tix I ran over to pick up my gown. And for the life of me, couldn't figure out how to wear the hood :S... then I ran into some friends who were graduating too :) The Marshall guy explained to us the entire process and what would be happening exactly. The funniest part was when he told us that we would be carrying the hoods on our left arms and the Chancellors would be putting the hoods over our heads symbolizing us as graduates... and then we all turned to each other and realized that almost everyone in the room was already wearing their hoods.. ooops!

The speech before the ceremony itself was pretty entertaining because the professor who addressed the audience was super funny yet poignant at the same time. One thing he said was that he noticed (while googling 'convocation addresses'.. what a joker) most speakers gave really lame, cliche-ridden advice to graduates, like "If you fall down, learn to laugh at yourself".. he was like, don't do that, people will think you're drunk.. haha.. he was hilarious. He got like a 5 minute round of applause.

The importance of this night really didn't hit me
until I was walking towards the stage and he put the hood over my head... it was then that i realized that a major phase of my life was over and why our parents were beaming in their seats with tears in their eyes. I realized that graduating wasn't just an accomplishment for myself but also for my parents... and I couldn't have done it without them!

Then Anika, Shazia and I intro'd our parents to each other and they all really hit it off. Finally got home and Azfar had ordered dinner! Thanx little buddy! You're the best!

In case you were wondering... I don't miss school :) However, what i do miss is.... sleeeeeping in in the mornings :(

Finally Graduating!!

I'm graduating tomorrow, insh'Allah!! 4 years in the making, and I, for one, am really excited! But it's gonna be raining hardcore tomorrow... grrr.. there goes the picture perfect hair.

For those of you who haven't been thru the "process" yet... it is quite the complex process. First, they tell you to confirm that you have all the requirements to graduate after your courses are done.. then in September they freak you out by telling you that you're "eligible" to graduate in November after the deadline to confirm graduation is long gone (deadline was in August). Then you hafto order the gown and u need the confirmation number to order tix. Oh yeah, you only get 2 tickets... sorry Azfar. But don't worry, just for you I'll take tons of pics of myself.. wait, I already always do that.. okay so then maybe I'll take pics of other people and the ceremony too. Just to throw you off, you hafto pick up the tix during business hours.. no way jose. Then finally when there are 2 weeks left before convocation they send you a letter telling you that you're able to graduate in the upcoming ceremony. Well, that's a relief.

And the ceremony itself sounds very cult-ish... i dunno...

I'll let ya know how it goes :)