Bloggin

So it seems I've been a little busy...

2007-07-14T21:52:00.000-04:00

Halaal Hotdogs!!!!....

2007-06-01T10:24:00.000-04:00

and they are right near work! We jus found out last week that there are 2 halal hotdog stands right in front of Nathan Phillips Square... Mmmmmm!!

They were pretty good! And really cheap too... reminds me of UTM days... which reminds me of how everyone gained a few that year. No more hotdogs Madihah!

Salaam e Ishq Ishq Ishq..

2007-04-17T09:25:00.000-04:00

So I finally finished watching Salaam e Ishq. And my conclusion was: it was nothing special.

I liked some of the songs... Salaam e Ishq and Tenu Leke. All of the stories sucked! They were either overlydramatic, boring or just plain stupid. Like why is an paan-eating, bollywood song singing taxi driver from Mumbai dreaming about falling in love with a gori?? and why does he say he loves her like an hour later? and WHY does she like/love him back? Dun make sense.

Sad... and as shocked as I even am.. I liked Govinda the best in this movie. He was pretty funny! Like that time the girl was speaking hindi.. or trying to.. and she was trying to say "take me there now".. he thought she said she wanted to lie down.. that was classic!! Jus as long as he doesn't dance, he's arite in my books.

And Salman Khan was Salman Khan... he's still dreamy in his 40's. Ewww did I jus say that?

Oops forgot to tag...

2007-04-13T17:27:00.000-04:00

Shazia, Humarah and Squeeky consider yourselves tagged!!!!.. from my previous post.

I have benefits.. yesss!!

2007-04-13T15:58:00.000-04:00

Helloooo Dentist.. Dr. Grimaldi here I come!

I finally got my benefits card on Wednesday... which means I finally benefits! Honestly, when I was on my Dad's plan.. alhumdalillah.. I never used them. I got maybe 2 prescriptions in the last 5 years. The dental benefits I used. But last summer I was occupied with exams and work, prepping for the trip.. that i kept cancelling and rescheduling my dental appointment to the point they stopped calling me. Then I came back from my trip and I could feel that teeth weren't too healthy... but at that time Sarah didn't have any dental benefits! Nooooooooo!!

So yeah, now I have some YAY!! ..and the card has my name on it... I am finally a grownup!!

4OT!!.. but we won 5-4... yeahhh boiiiii!!

2007-04-12T14:59:00.000-04:00

"Henrik Sedin scored with 1:54 left in the fourth overtime and Luongo stopped 72 shots in last night's game to lift the Canucks to a 5-4 victory over the Dallas Stars in the opening game of their first-round playoff series."

I stayed up till 2 am watching it... i think it was the 2nd OT... but couldn't handle it and went to sleep. But WOOHOO!!!!... they came back to win it.

What you don't know....

2007-04-09T14:40:00.000-04:00

This one's for you Roohi... I'm finally done this list. Roo tagged me last week and I've been trying to think of things people don't know about me.. it's been tough. But here it is:

I was the biggest tomboy growing up.

I grew up with like 15 boys (and a handful of girls) so I was pretty much "one of the boys" until the boys turned 12 and they started hating girls. I would play hockey, nintendo, baseball... you name it ...with them. I knew all of the WWF wrestlers.. still do! Still have some tomboy tendencies... I can still school any guy about hockey!

We (me and older bro) used to roll Azfar...

into a blanket from one corner to other and then tie him up with a skipping rope. Hahaha.. it was so funny. How he used to cry. Sorry Affar. Hope u don't need therapy.

Once when we were younger...

I wrote on the wall and blamed it on Azfar! Why did my parents believe me you ask??.. well, I wrote Azfar's name on the wall... tee hee. Sorry again dude. I guess it was payback for stealing the limelight away from me.

I am a closet Raptors fan...

I know I get happy when they lose sometimes and I like going for the opposing team... but this season has definitely changed my mind about them. They actually made it to the playoffs.. not that I'm jumping on the bandwagon.. I'm not! And even though this is probably gonna be the only year they make it to the playoffs for another decade... they cool with me. And I caught a Raps game earlier this year... in which they beat Iverson & the 76ers... so that might have something to do with it too. Maybe if I go to a Leafs game.... nahhhh I don't think anything could make me forget that 40 year drought!!

I know EVERYTHING about Full House.

Don't mess... I know it all. Try... jus try.. to stump me. To become a member of our family, you MUST pass our Full House trivia questions. Haha. No joke.

And that is all.

Tee Time for the Leafs...

2007-04-09T11:36:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the Islanders... the Leafs are out of the playoffs!! Not that the Isles are gonna make it very far either... but the point is that the Leafs won't even get that far. Too bad, so sad. Told ya, told ya... though it would've been exciting to see them lose in 4 games.

Meanwhile, my boys, the CANUCKS have officially clinched the division title and are in the 3rd spot in the Western Conference. That's right... don't mess!

---------------------

In other news, the Blue Jays won... beat the D-Rays 6-3 last night. And it's the Home Opener tonight.. can't wait!!! Wish I had tickets :( ... but yo, let's definitely go again y'all... this time let's catch the game though.

P.S. Alex Rios is back.. woo hoo!

WANTED: GYM BUDDY

2007-04-04T10:04:00.000-04:00

Dude... I need to get back into shape... I need a gym buddy!! You know that means you, ANIKA!!... come on.. please? I don't wanna walk into Goodlife and then walk out because I don't know where to start... I need a gym buddy until I'm familiar with the gym.

...'member Roohi, it used to be soo much fun! You and me.. and our flavoured water.

And i wanna try some of their classes.. jus not step classes.. i still have some nightmares about the escalator incident. So i will stick to KICKBOXING!!!... shuddap Azfar. I do too know how to kick high.

Naila & Hassan are in town!!!!

2007-03-31T21:53:00.000-04:00

We all got a rather mysterious email from Nadia J a few days ago about getting together for lunch on Saturday (today). And she also made mention of a special guest who she'd like to introduce us all to. So naturally, EVERYONE assumed it was a special boy... not that it was her style to do it in such a way.. and so we get there.. to Cocoberry... late. And Nadia is nowhere to be found.

BUT... I walked into the cafe first and I see.. Fareheen and NAYYA!!! My jaw literally dropped and i was speechless... ewww i do not want to see that picture. Yeah they get some sick pleasure from seeing people speechless and frantic and like to capture it on film and video. So Naila and Hassan were the surprise! :) Alhumdalillah... a great surprise at that. I just wish I had known, I was expecting a loungin' sort of brunch.. so i wore my glasses and jeans.. but all these guys were nicely dressed and matching.

Finally, Nadia shows up.... super late... boy-less but with Aminah. It was all a sham. There is no boy. BUT I did go for Nadia fully... so i hope she loves me more now. I like her.. she is an interesting nutty gyal... and she was harassing Zeena like they knew each other when they really didn't. Pretty funny.

Demetrieees... with Shazo

2007-03-25T20:15:00.000-04:00

Some Shazia & Sarah time went on last night. So ofcourse that means.. Dessert and some gup shup!!

This is what I got: La Vida Mocha ( ice cream on a belgian waffle)

Here's Shazia being a goofball... and hey it's not my fault your pictures came out this way... that's jus how you look. I had much fun... let's do it again realllllly soon!

Go Azfar!! :P

2007-03-25T20:10:00.000-04:00

Fine, I'll be nice.

Good job Azfar and crew... they were the TOP fundraising team at the Orphan Run on Saturday at Mississauga's Erindale Park :)

And you'd better have run for the entire 5 km!!

Remember when...

2007-03-25T00:55:00.000-04:00

you were drinking that can of coke, Azfar, and there was a bee sitting on the mouthpart??.. and we were all telling you there was a bee but you were too cool to listen and you kept drinking it anyway and then the bee stung your lip?! Hahaha.. it was funny.. but sad. Po' baby.

OR the time when we were in swimming class (when you were 5) and we all to go to the deep end and you clung on to the instructor and cried the whole way back to the floor??? ... you were a funny kid.

You've made me laugh. Thanks bro. And don't laugh, i have like 3 bruises from that fall!! "I thought we were frands... guess i was wrong" :( Guess who said that??

Embarassing...

2007-03-23T15:12:00.000-04:00

...in hopes of maximizing my eating time (at lunch) I grabbed my sub and decided to jog up the steps of the escalator at the EC instead of jus standing. So yeah... BAD idea. I tripped and fell face first on the escalator :S but my food was okay :)

Is 3 cups too much?

2007-03-23T13:10:00.000-04:00

Guess who's drinkin' Chai today?

Well.. it's not chai per se... it's lemon herbal tea. My throat is killing me today so i decided to take the pack of lemon teabags to work with me today thinking I would maybe drink one cup... even that with difficulty as I'm soooo not a tea person. BUT it's actually really good... once you add 2 bags of sugar Mmmmm.

I'm on my 3rd cup right now... i don't wanna turn into one of those whackos who has to have their coffee every day at that specific time!! It's only been one day... i'm sure I won't... right?

maybe...

2007-03-23T09:13:00.000-04:00

So this has been the routine for a coupla months now, since there isn't OT anymore I take the late train and Marria's been starting earlier in the mornings so she takes the earlier train. When I had OT back in the fall, I used to take the earlier train and Marria started later so she took the late train. We've only taken the train together for like 2 weeks :(

So... she came back from her trip and she's been taking the early train and I'm on the late train. Yesterday I called her and she tells me that she's back to the late train.. YAAAYYY!!! right?... NO!... starting today I am back to the early train! Guess we're just not destined to commute together. Maybe on the way back.. it can work.. it can work...

And they're off...

2007-03-21T11:55:00.000-04:00

Today my sweethearts are heading out for Pakistan!!!! Gonna miss you guys soooooo much!

But insh'Allah hope you guys have a GREAT trip, enjoy the food, take all the meds (P.S. Shazia, lyderm issue worked out!...but thanks for trying), take tons of pictures and shop till the bazaars close!!!! And remember, nothing makes Sarah's heart grow fonder than some gifts ;)

Oh yeah, i just received a reminder from my work friend... don't mention the word "cricket" while in Pakistan. OH YEAHHH... be weary of the hijras too. They gave me nightmares, no joke. They just pop up at your car window out of nowhere. And they want money.

I wanna go on vacation/adventure too... I was thinking about uncovering the mystery behind the Bermuda Triangle. Or Atlantis... are either of those real??

Ode to Farrah

2007-03-21T09:34:00.000-04:00

I told you I'd do it Farrah!

So this is what happened today:

I walked into the GO station this morning with Metro in hand.. and Farrah accused me of rolling my eyes at her!!... well maybe I did.. by accident. So then she proceeds to bully me and steals my Metro paper from me :( Beeee nice! Where is Farakh, my other GO train buddy when I need her??

Yeah, Farrah is my traveling companion.. or as she puts it my "saathi". WHO DA FOB??

P.S. don't u dare put up pics of me. Mention not.

I am NOT a FOB

2007-03-08T23:02:00.000-05:00

So last night, I was jus chillin' with Ammi and then we started watching the Filmfare awards. I haven't seen those Bollywood award shows in years... since Shah Rukh Khan & Saif Ali Khan hosted them. They were hilarious. So yeah, I thought I would check the awards show out since A) can chill with Mama Bear; B) to get ideas for the Mehndi songs list i am compiling and C) check out what the stars are wearing... NOT because i am a FOB.

Now that that is cleared up... Shazia was shocked to hear that I watched it... shazia: even I didn't watch it!!! I guess she is the ultimate FOB that we all measure upto :P

Yeah, so Bollywood award shows are quite different than awards here... they present their awards in very short spurts and its all about the song and dance numbers. Amrita Rao performed to some old school songs. A.R. Rahman sang Tere Bina... awwwwww... i absolutely LOVE that song. I stopped watching after that... neend arii thi.

Anywho, I found a ton of new songs... mission complete.

My NEW fave song is Rock n Roll Soniye from Kabhi Alvida naa Kehna.

Rock n' roll soniye, dole yeh man tere liye
Rock n' roll soniye, kabhi tu bhi toh mere sang dol

Naaa re Naaa re... Na Na Na Na Naaa re!

2007-03-04T18:04:00.000-05:00

I'm making some mehndi song CDs for my friend's Mehndi next weekend and I need some help y'all!!

I don't really watch too many Bollywood movies contrary to belief... and so I know the typical mehndi songs like Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna and Mehndi ki Raat.. but I need some newer songs from the last year or two.. PLEAAAASE!! I have over 20 mehndi songs right now... so you guys can suggest some new songs that would be great appreciated. Did I mention I LOVE mehndi's?

My fave song right now is Barso re from Guru. I loved that movie!!!

I hate you Freezing Rain!!!

2007-03-02T21:12:00.000-05:00

The ride home on Thursday was HORRIBLEMENT!!! The GO train was late, which was expected... BUT that 90 minute wait for the GO bus was not!! We stood then sat in that freezing cold shelter for too long.. i could feel my feet losing all feeling :S

Luckily, there was this dude who flagged down this unmarked GO bus and found out it was going the way we all needed to go. So finally got home at 9:30... ate dinner and still managed to get into bed at my normal granny bedtime of 10:45.

Downtown was pretty messed up the next morning tho. Papa ended up driving me to work the next day, and there were sheets of ice literally just cascading off lampposts every 10 seconds.. and sharp, jagged pieces of ice. I REALLY hope this is the end of winter!!

HIGHLIGHT of the WEEK: I killed the midterm!! Woo hoo!

Bonding Time

2007-02-26T16:33:00.000-05:00

It snowed a lot last night :S I am really getting sick of the snow!! Can't wait for it be sunny and warm again :D

So back to my story, the driveway was completely covered. Papa comes home and he's like, "Come on Sarah, let's go shovel the driveway!"... like I'm really gonna do it... what good is it having brothers/sons around? So i told him to wait for them to come home. Besides, Papa shouldn't do it.. it always leaves him aching, even tho he denies it and all of the news reports say to not overdo it. But nooooo, he puts on his boots... so then I was like okay okay I'm coming too (seriously, it's been years since I've shovelled the snow). I put on my lumberjack Kangol hat so that I don't freeze my butt off and I grab a shovel... then Papa's like "No, Sarah jus keep me company!".... Awwwww. But nah, couldn't jus watch him do all of the shovelling... so we shovelled together. Rarely do me and Papa get a chance to bond... just the two of us.. especially nowadays, always working. But when we do, we have the best conversations. We talk about everything: family, politics, investments... you name it. Those are the times you get to see your parents as people with opinions and thoughts, not just as parents.

HIGHLIGHT: got to hang out with Papa

On a sour note: my girly skinny arms are gonna be sore tomorrow :S

Some random pics

2007-02-17T18:39:00.000-05:00

Some pics from our trips to Karachi and Kolkata and some random moments.

Me and my cutiepie, Hiba. Isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen?! Mash'Allah.

Here's my nephew, Iyad doing a little dance.. drenched from the rain.

Below, is my so-called grandson Hashir.. don't you jus wuv ur naani!Papa and Abbu at bro and bhabi's walimah #2

Sahar looking stunning, MashAllah!!

The YUMMIEST dish in the world, PAV BHAJI. If you ever go to Kolkata or Bombay.. you've gotta try it!!

Ammi looking sho beautiful at Walimah #3 in Kolkata... even her drink is matching her.

Nizam Mamu, Mami and I on a mini-cruise on the lake

Sahar and Faiza arm-wrestling.. and Faiza won!!.. she had a two-hand advantage ;)

Romana, Marria and I.. on the way to Shabina's BBQ Dawat

Anisa, Umar and I on Eid ul-Adha '06

Sarah's BACK!!

2007-02-17T17:30:00.000-05:00

My inspiration for this is Roohi! Wowww.. she is has really got her blog going... I'd better catch up!

The last time I posted was like 3 months ago... sorry y'all, it's hard to find time to update this these days. Work and the commute is really taking up a huge part of my life these days. I get up at like 6:30, catch my train at 8 then get start my trek from Union to work. Get home around 8:00... and I'm in grandma mode :P. And then I've started this HR course since January and my midterm is coming up next week.. make the duas for me :)

Some good news on the job front though and I thought I'd share it. I've been working on contract and my contract is up soon, but alhumdalillah Sarah's getting a permanent position :) Yay!

Last night, I went out for dinner (Spring Rolls) with my work people. I never go out with them.. usually because they go out to ajeeb places and I gotta take the GO back and stuff.. so last night it was in honour of one of the girls, Naseem she is heading to India to get married.. so i thought I'd go for a bit and hang out. Apparently, they had calculated the odds of me showing up... and they weren't good... something like 50 to 1.. but there is this other girl who never goes.. and the odds of her showing up were like 400 to 1... so yeah, I proved them wrong and she proved them right.

And Marria left for Pakistan yesterday!!! Insh'Allah, hope she has a safe and exciting trip and comes back with some awesome stuff... and i hope her significant other doesn't miss her too much.

11,315 days

2006-11-23T21:17:00.000-05:00

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!

2006-11-16T23:02:00.000-05:00

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!!

2006-11-15T22:10:00.000-05:00

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 :)

The HEART of a Muslim

2006-09-26T20:32:00.001-04:00

Heart of a Muslim is my favourite nasheed as of late. It's off of Zain Bhikha's latest album, Mountains of Makkah which he wrote and recorded after he returned from Hajj. I thought I'd share the beautiful lyrics with y'all:

Heart of a Muslim

Looking up at the sky, searching for Allah most High
He rejected the way of worshipping Gods of clay
Prophet Ibrahim knew that Allah was near
And that the heart of a Muslim is sincere

Under the hot burning sun, he declared God is one
Though with stones on his chest, his Imaan would not rest
The Muadhin knew that right would conquer wrong
And the heart of a Muslim must be strong

It's the heart of a Muslim through the guidance of Islam
That makes you fair and kind and helpful to your fellow man
So living as a Muslim means that you must play a part
Allah looks not at how you look, but what is in your heart

In our poor meager state, little food on our plate
Mother said she was glad, always sharing what we had
When I asked how can we share what's not enough
She said the heart of a Muslim's filled with love

He said its time you should know, you will learn as you grow
That some people around will do what's bad to bring you down
Father said to be a star that's shining bright
For the heart of a Muslim does what's right

So whatever you, make sure your words are true
Honesty is the best, because life is a test
Even if it hurts so much you want to cry
For the heart of a Muslim does not lie

I hope you guys find it as inspiring and beautiful as I did.

Why we should plan for Ramadan

2006-09-24T20:05:00.000-04:00

One way to make the most of Ramadan is to plan beforehand. Here are nine reasons why we should plan for Ramadan:

Reason #1: To be in "Ramadan mode"

By planning for Ramadan before it arrives, you put your mind in "Ramadan mode". If you plan, you will mentally prepare for it, and it will force you to see it as the special month it is outside of your regular routine the rest of the year.

Reason #2: To adjust your schedule

By planning in advance, you can adjust your work, sleep and meal schedules in such a way as to make time for Suhoor, Iftar, etc. That means, for instance, that if you normally go to bed at midnight, in Ramadan you would sleep earlier in order to get up early for Suhoor. Or if you usually study late, you can instead sleep earlier and start studying after Suhoor in the early morning hours. Planning in advance allows you the luxury to make time for the change in schedule that Ramadan brings.

Reason #3: You can plan Ramadan family time

Is dinnertime usually an individual affair in your home, as opposed to a time the whole family eats together? Are Friday evenings the time every family member goes off to his/her own social activities? Planning in advance can change this at least in Ramadan. Calling a family meeting about a month in advance, explaining the importance of Ramadan, its implications for the family and the need to eat Iftar together when possible as well as to attend Tarawih prayers, for example, will allow all family members to adjust their work and school schedules accordingly. That will, Insha Allah, make Ramadan a blessing not just to every person in the family, but to the family as a whole.

Reason #4: To make the menu

While Ramadan may mean extra Ibadah to some of the brothers, it usually means extra cooking for most of the sisters. Ramadan’s blessings are for men and women. Making a Ramadan menu for Iftar and meals, and working out when you want to invite relatives, neighbors and friends for Iftar will give sisters the opportunity to catch Tarawih and various other advantageous Ibadat instead of spending Ramadan’s 29 or 30 days stuck in the kitchen. (And by the way, brothers, helping out with cooking or cleaning was a practice of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him-maybe this is a way you can increase your Sawab [rewards] this month).

Reason #5 : You can plan a Iftar at your home

You may have eaten fantastic Iftars at friends’ homes last year. This year, open your doors. There is blessing in feeding a fasting person other than yourself and your family. Planning in advance gives you the luxury of calling friends over the month before and setting a date, so you can "grab" them before others get an opportunity to. Muchos Sawab, Insha Allah!

Reason #6: To make a travel schedule

Do you know a fellow Muslim in your neighborhood who wants to get to the mosque for Tarawih every night but doesn’t have a car? Or do you look at your work schedule and realize you have to work overtime near the end of Ramdan, so your family will miss out on Tarawih at the mosque the last ten nights of Ramadan? Planning in advance helps you work out your daily or weekly travel schedule to attend Tarawih prayers at the mosque, or even a trip for Iftar at a friend’s place who may life farther away. It also helps ease the burden of transportation in winter. Maybe you can start a car pool? Since you have the time before Ramadan begins, you can work this out with neighbors and friends.

Reason #7: To do good at high Sawab times

Being generous is definitely an Islamic merit, but being generous in Ramadan is even more highly rewarded. Match Ibadat with specific times that carry more reward. Prepare to do Itifkaf, increase asking Allah for forgiveness in the last ten nights of Ramadan. Plan to give increased Sadaqa this month. Plan to visit that relative you may have not seen for months, if not years. Thinking about and arranging to do these things and finding other ways of gaining the pleasure of Allah in Ramadan will Insha Allah help you benefit more from it.

Reason #8: You can squeeze in Eid shopping

Planning in advance helps you think about all of those things you wanted to do in time for the end of Ramadan or Eid last year but couldn’t. Maybe you wanted to go Eid shopping for gifts for family and friends in the last week of Ramadan but were too busy with the last ten nights of Ramadan. No problem. This year, you decide to go in the third week of Ramadan instead.

Reason #9: You can plan Dawa activities during Ramadan

Some Muslims have gone to soup kitchens and made meals during Ramadan, while they were fasting [ie. Feed the Streets *wink, wink* -- if anyone is interested, let me know]. Not only will, Insha Allah, they be rewarded, but this is a great Dawa opportunity to explain what Ramadan and Islam are about. Planning in advance for such an activity gives you the time to call up a soup kitchen in your area, explain what you want to do, and get your act together. You can also plan school Dawa activities in Ramadan by planning in advance, by meeting with the principal or teacher beforehand, preparing a presentation, etc.

I hope these tips were helpful, insh'Allah :)

Ramadan Mubarak!

2006-09-23T18:01:00.000-04:00

Salaam y'all,

It's been a very long time since I've updated this blog.. my apologies.. it's been insanely busy since I came back from the trip in the summer. So here's a quick little update before i head upstairs to start frying the pakoras... there's the pyaaz ones, the baigan ones and the aloo ones.

I've started working downtown... yay! Finally done with the pharmacy.. kinda. My convocation is in November insh'Allah. I'm not entirely done with school just yet.. planning on pursuing some postgrad stuff next year. We'll see. My mom came back from India last week.. YAY!! I really missed her... and she brought back some awesome stuff. Umm.. i think thats about it..

And... Ramadan Mubarak to everyone. May Allah (SWT) allow us all to make the best of this Ramadan. May He accept all of our fasts, prayers and dua'as. May He allow this Ramadan to be the most rewarding. Ameen.

Have a great and blessed Ramadan.

Last Post??

2006-08-08T22:34:00.000-04:00

Yes, its true, this may be my last post because Sarah is coming back on Friday afternoon insha'Allah. So this may be it. Hold back your tears and be strong( "be a man"), and I'll try to get through this. Btw I'm writing assignment right now, so lay off if I dont wRiTe cOheReNtly :)

Home Alone 4: Only for 2 more days...and I didn't have my house parties (Or did I???) or do most of my other (halal) plans, stupid summer school!!! That makes me sad, kind of depressed, cuz it was my only chance do it...(sighs)
"I can't see it comin' down my eyes, so I gotta make this blog cry..."

I got beef with milk right now...this is what happened.

I go to buy stamps, so I can mail Sarah's school stuff out, and I went to 4 different places until I found it. And at Hy&Zels, she was like u gotta a buy a book of them, and I'm thinking 'I gotta buy a book?', so I explain that I want "stamps that go on envelopes, so you can mail them". Then she showed me a pack of ten stamps that they call a 'book'. So I felt stupid and ended up buying it.
ANYWHO, on the way back I buy milk (3 bags = 4L). I get home and toss it in the fridge. An hour later I go to watch full house, so I need a snack, BUT I walk into the kitchen only to see a Flood of milk around the fridge...one of the bags ripped open somehow and just bled out of the fridge and onto the floor. SO i get a mop and clean up the floor, while moving the fridge and the microwave cart. THen I open the fridge...milk drippin down from the shelf to below veggie crispers and all that. So I get my mop, a sponge and Pine Sol, clean it up so it doesn't smell, See Ammi I was paying attention.
WELL all that took half an hour of hard labour, and WORST of all, I totally missed Full House!!! It was my day off ...sort of, you don't do that to me MILK.
(to Milk) I love you, but I can't even look at you right now. I don't know what I'm gonna have for breakfast, cheerios ain't the same without ya.

Lesson Learned, you DON'T Buy milk from Giant Tiger!!!

*deep breath (next thing)

I played Squash on Sunday for the first time. I did ok and had a lot of fun. EXCEPT that I got hit in the back of the head by the ball, but I was coo and just shook it off like a true champ. AND that I missed the ball in trying to hit the ball backwards and caught my shin, That HURT. but I continued on and finished the game (another one) losing 0-9. And now I have a sore shoulder, and left shin. I'll be ok, just don't tell my mom. serious.

Adventures of tha Bus Ryder:
I was waiting for a ride from Square One after I bussed it there from UTM. SO I waited inside, across from Zellers, by the payphones. SO this one guy, race isn't relevant but some ppl imply that they make rotis on this race of ppl (i jus heard it). ANyways, he sells his bus transfer to another guy for $2, then 5 mins later he comes upto me and says "Assalaam Alaikum, Walaikum Assalaam"...thats right he said both, so I reply "Walaikum Assalaam"... what else could've I said?? Then he asks if he can borrow a bus ticket, despite the fact that I saw him Sell a transfer to someone else for $2, but at this point he knew I was Muslim, so I was like sure brother here ya go. DAWAH!! boo-yah!

Chillin' at the Rana's:
It was Anisa's (Bhabbi's younger sis) birday and I happened to be there. just Family and Cake. I like cake. Anyways, I tagged along with Sahar's eldest younger bro (hes my age) to Wal-Mart, to help him buy a present. Then I was thinking, if I should get her something, cuz she's too young for the Anwar Al-Awlakki (spelling..) approach that I explained and depressed the youngest bro with (time for reflection, What have you done? death around the corner?...not scaring u am I?), and it helped that I talked in a depressing monotone voice. So I got her a 'life lesson' in the form of a box of chocolates, and said "You see, Anisa, Life is like a box of chocolates. You know what I'm sayin'?". She shook her head, but I think she got the point.

ALRIGHT, This post is LONG and i should finish my assignment, and I can't think of much more to write right now, except how Weston's valuation of Goodwill doesn't reflect economic reality. So, it was fun. You all take care, and be safe (wear long sleeves and use mosquito repellant) . All the best. Will be back to post comments somtime.
And if you comment, how about a name or even a nickname that help in discovering your true identity (Batman). And who are you that said I'll meet you soon??? WHO!!!??? Is it you Uncle Jesse? I hope so.

Wanna meet the man himself?? MuslimFest 2006!!
Looking forward to it..."anonymous"... whoever you are!!!

Str8 from tha (Crazy)Horse's mouth

2006-08-05T17:58:00.000-04:00

WhiteBear here. just thought I post it so everyone could read it. But what'd they get ME?!?!? you know what I mean? "How about some NEW Oldies, Geniuses!!!"

Also, I have my assignment due on the same day as my exam now (AUG.14). Which totally sux cuz that equals 70% of my mark (if you're readin' this, then you gotta pray for me). And thats also 2 Days after MuslimFest '06, which is on Saturday AUG.14 at Living Arts Centre. Get your Tickets son!!! I encourage everyone to get 'em from my fellow commerce scholar, Madihah Amin. We struck a deal at the Walk, so if she reads this, she can post her contact.

Anyways. here's what you've been waiting for...I basically copy&pasted from the comments:

Sarah said...
Azfar, we're coming home on Friday afternoon... come on now, the least u can do is prepare some sandwiches... OR we can go to McD's for some filet-o-fish.. Mmmmm...Ok so update on us:Alhumdalillah, we're all feeling much better now. We're in Kolkata now.. got here on Wednesday.. on my bday (FYI: the current # of cakes that i have cut is at 4).. it's been rainin every day but weather is pretty decent. Been shopping... got some wickedd saris! The Ahmed Clan is doin well... almost everyone came to the airport to pick us up. The house has changed sooo much. All the kids are so grown up.. Asjad is soooo funny.Auspar... missin you too much. Never goin on a trip without EVER again. :(MIss you Affar Bhai

Infiltrated the Rana Household!!!

2006-08-01T19:34:00.000-04:00

ok team, I am in and have hacked into the infamous Rana desktop. Operation Rubicon is underway, and I need your support. Next objective is to gain their trust so they'll let me practice driving (with their cars) before my road test. muhahahah

eyyyy I'm jus jokin bhabbi, why u gettin' all bent outta shape fo'??

FYI, Team Faith, my team for Walk for the Homeless, masha'Allah raised over $4500!! thats insane, altho credit is owed to our two MVPs of the squad who raised more than a grand each. At the end, it became a race btwn 4 members of our own team to finish first. Even though it was a walk, racing was not allowed. But c'mon now, what did u expect to happen?

Full House: Also, I completed my house cleaning on the same day the Tanner family has their spring cleaning. Danny = Psycho with a Dustmop. Michelle was so funny in that one, I can't pick any lines as my favorite.

Home Alone 4: I found a dead crow in my backyard on thursday after mowing the lawn. after a suggestions from others, I buried it on sunday in my backyard. I used gloves and a shovel, still it was so creepy and disgusting. THEN on monday, I read about West Nile in Mississauga, and how you should call for any dead crow sighting. "Oh great! Now he tells me!"

So i now gotta call em soon. This just had to happen this summer, at this time.

Finally I have heard, and only heard, that Sarah and my bro were feeling a little under weather, nothing serious, just that feeling most of us get when we go there ( I assume). So do include them in your dua'as, and me too... I have exams in 2 weeks or so. :(

Oh no! I gtg... Cover blown! Cover blown!. Abort, Abort!!

Post-Midterm Flurry

2006-07-27T13:49:00.000-04:00

ok I had my midterm yesterday, and NO i don't really wanna talk about it (altho Alhumdulillah it wasn't too too bad), but I did talk to the family incl. Sarah on tuesday.

She didn't really tell me what she's upto in Pakistan, BUT I do know what they got ME so far, and I'm pretty excited...Shalwar Kameez, SCORE! (I wonder if they have the "man-dubutta??)

I'm also going back to the Subheading format of da past.

Full House: (I already mentioned this a bit before) but Danny and Uncle Jesse were teaching DJ how to drive...and I know what she was going thru, I didn't hit anything (yet) but managing that accelerator pedal can be tricky at first...and yelling at the guy when they accidently floor it in the parking lot doesn't help!!!

And a monkey had a crush on Uncle Jesse, and was spanking him when he was sleeping, and he thought it was Becky...I know it sounds weird, but was toooo funny when watching it.

Home Alone 4: I finished with the kebabs and keema (1 of 3) and am now onto the gosht (1 of 2)...so all of you who were asking about my food situation...there it is. otherwise its cheerios, chicken burgers, wedges, eggs, cookies and ice cream.

Today I have to clean the house and "lawn the mow"... :( why can't things clean themselves, gosh, (to the appliances and floors) "You get a job!"

I kinda went on a mini-shoppin spree after my midterm. just sporty stuff, but it is ok...the shorts are long enough to cover my knees (awrah covered - check). PLus these sick shades that are so com-for- tabla.

Chillin' at Rana's: helped set up badminton set, then helped destroy one of the birdies, but other one wasn't me. Then volleyball. Then soccer. Then Later bball. and then soccer Again. "I so Tired, Boss".
Then we watched Krrrrrrrrrrrrish. it's Anisa's (Bhabbi's 7 yr-old sister) favorite movie, and she was I love the songs, but we kept fowarding them, sorry Anisa but we saved like 2 hours right there. Also, i got home-cooked food, which was cool.

I also learned mosquitoes love me, I guess I'm meetha. i got 50, literally, I counted. Need to invest in the repellent. And I was in net, so I was an easy target. I let in 4 goals in 5-goal-win match. Good Job Azfar, at least you didn't hit in the face. LOL. j/k.

Events: Walk for the Homeless (July 30) - Sponsor me (theres still time - cash/cheque/credit)

MuslimFest (Aug.12) - like buy your tickets dude!

Finally, keep commenting, otherwise I get Sad, and then lonely, then I start doing homework (accounting HMWK!!) ...that ain't right, but you can save me from boredom. Time to eat and then clean the house...Danny Tanner, I need your help!!!
P.S. The contender is BACK! boo-yah. and alvin (boogie) is not, all the best, sir.

Sponsor Me plz!!

2006-07-22T17:44:00.000-04:00

Ok still no real update on Sarah's fun in Pakistan because I haven't talked to her yet (but have so with the rest), altho I'm sure it's Fun-Tastic! But...

Insha'Allah I'll be taking part in 'Walk for the Homeless' on July 30th, like a week away!

So I need MAD Donations from all you guys and your family and friends, PLease!

so go here to sponsor me https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/personalPage.aspx?EventID=6887&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=200602

and I promise I'll be back to update the blog, later prob after my midterm on wed., which I should study for but, Studying for Pension gives me Tension yaar, yeh dil kya kare?

Kher...

Tanks y'all..and forget to donate whatever you can..either online or just contact me for an alternative way.
-Azfar

Azfar's back!!!

2006-07-18T18:31:00.000-04:00

The long wait is over! Azfar's (Sarah's younger brother, a.k.a the cool one) back and running this blog for the next month or so. so let's get it started.

Check this out, the weirdest thing happened. last week on thursday me and my family had a big fihgt and I was banished to my room, and I wished they just go to Indian SUb-continent for a while. Then the next morning, I woke up to an empty house and then I....okay, none of that didn't happened but you get where I'm goin with this.

I got a 30 sec call Saturday morning (11AM) from my dad and Alhumdulillah they all arrived in pakistan safely and soundly. Since the, things have been busy... for me that is...and I don't know what Sarah is upto.

Friday - Ball (I suck..I was 1-2 and had shot blocked, but had my share of rebounds and defensive stops, not many guys scored on me, but I ended gurading the guys that DON'T score much. a mere coincidence no doubt)

Saturday - Ahmer & Sheerin's Daughter, Zara's, Aqiqah. I'd show pictures of her in her cute lil red suit and all that but the cameras of the house have all mysteriously disappeared.

SUnday - Feed The Streets at Allen Garden's. Alhumdulillah, We distributed al 75 meal packages plus snacks in less than hour (we head out on 3rd week of every month if u wanna join us next time) Then I went to UTM to work on an assignement.

AND then today I went shopping! Yea I got some Milk, Eggs and Fabric Softener!! ...actually it was more like bread ("double-roti", they left me without any!!! How am I supposed to make my sam'wiches??!?!?!), Contact Lens solution and Listerine Pocket Packs. :)
pretty cool huh?

And those who are concerned about my food situation, I've gone 3 days (with the Aqiqah as a break) of ummi's home-made kebabs. and now I'm onto frozen keema, boo-yah!

Stay Tuned for more Updates...but I can get pretty lazy and might not post for a few days.
I know what ur thinking, "Azfar Lazy? WHaaaaaa?? (in moe's voice)" ...hota hai beta

Feel free to comment, I hate it when no one does. plus then I'll know who is reading and I can try to accomdate the posts to everyone's post...ok I might not try, BUT I'll try to try.

T minus 5 days

2006-07-09T15:45:00.000-04:00

.. and I haven't even begun to start packing! Who wants to help me? The good thing is I have almost all of the suits i got made last summer (in Karachi) in one suitcase :) I knew that'd be a good idea! So I'm actually set.. jus gotta get together the last minute things and presents for the new babies and new brides that have joined th family since last year.

And the stupid sunscreen.. i dunno if i should even bother. Last time i didn't even use it.. it's so hot there that u sweat it off as soon as u put it on. I was so much more prepared last year. And to top it off... I am gonna spend my bday flying and waiting in airports all day long! :( Not that I was expecting some party... but then again they always throw me a party or two on my bday in India and Pakistan.. I'm so special!

Guess WHAT?!

2006-07-06T14:41:00.000-04:00

..we goin to Pakistan & India next week, insh'Allah!!.. well Karachi first and then Calcutta later.

And before you think of calling me the R word... hey, it's jus a mere coincidence that I am goin back to the homeland of my parents for the 3rd time in 5 years okay!

This time, all of us (minus my chota sa lil baby, Azfar) are going! So should be much funner... and hopefully this time one of us won't end up sitting next to a grandpa who takes up all the leg room and snores the whole way home. Last time, Ammi made me sit next to him :(

And more people means more suitcase space for my kapray!! Yeahhhh shoppping! And I actually know my way around the bazaars and city now... which means more clothes in less time. I am so cool :) Plus, we're gonna be having a lil Walimah (wedding party) for my bro & Sahar... which maybe means another outfit?? But that should be a lot of fun because all of the relatives are gonna be there.. like my Papa's entire khandaan, because my Shabana Baji and her kids(from Miami) are in Karachi currently too! Then we'll be in Calcutta/Kolkata for a week or so, and another lil party. Finally, we'll be able to introduce Nana Abba to Sahar... he's probably soooo excited!

If anybody has been to Karachi or Kolkata recently and knows where we should go shopping or any hotspots... jus don't suggest Hawk's Bay!!... definitely suggest away. I don't even know what's in style anymore... the last i heard, really really short kameezes were in style.. :S not my style. But planning on getting a few saris from India fo sure.

Again, keep my bechaara blog company... I'll try to update once in a while... but the last time I went to Karachi I couldn't access it. It kept signing me into some Paki girl's blog... so yeah maybe Azfar can take over while I'm gone again! He was soooo funny... that rasssscal. Most importantly keep me updated on GH and Full House!! Oh yeahh... and keep an eye on our lil Affar.

Fanaa?

2006-06-27T13:04:00.000-04:00

I saw Fanaa over the weekend... and i thought it was pretty disappointing. Considering the trailer was sooo interesting and mysterious, the movie itself wasn't that intriguing at all. And there were a lot of long, boring scenes that just wouldn't end... I'm glad I didn't see it in the theatres. The songs were pretty nice though... and the shayaris were pretty sweet. Kajol looked hot though... she actually looks wayy better than she did like 10 years go in DDLJ. And that bacha was adorable... haha 'deadman'.

It was a 'different' type of film... but is different always better? They tried to copy the Mission Impossible/007 type formula too much and it jus didn't work.

I'm a fan of older movies... and by older I mean the ones from the '90s, ie. Dil, Aashiqui, Maine Pyar Kiya.. and they all had amazing songs... No, I'm not as reffy as i sound. Thanks.

Shaz, jus saw Krrish w/ Hrithik & Priyanka, it's the sequel to Koi Mil Gaya... she said it was pretty good. But then again, she thinks that John Abraham can act...

The Summer is upon us...

2006-06-27T11:55:00.000-04:00

I'm done summer school!!.. now the rest of the summer can finally begin.

A few more weddings to go.. one wedding is one of our oldddd fam friends, Imran. That one should be full of old school family friends we haven't seen in like over 10 years. We saw Imran and family after a really long time at my bro's wedding. I swear it was like a family reunion. His sisters' both had little kids.. and they even brought along his fiancee... who was such a sweetheart. So i'm really looking forward to that one.

Also on the same day is another old friends' daughter's Aqiqah... I'm tellin you it's all about the babies this year, alhumdalillah.

And yo, I need a haircut... any ideas where i should go? Somewhere where they do a nice job (ie. not Indian 'beauty' parlour) and where it won't cost me an arm and a leg. I can only afford Jason Michaels once a year... and they do a great job... but too expensive.

Now that i finally have some time, I gotta get back into islamic work... I have been slacking so much lately :( I know a ton of events are coming up.. I'll do my best to keep y'all posted. And I almost forgot to mention MuslimFest is coming up soon, on August 12th, 2006 insh'Allah :)

In TRUE Bollywood Style...

2006-06-18T10:39:00.000-04:00

The Walimah... Did I mention they rode up in a horse carriage? And the cutest thing was that a little boy dressed up in a tux was the horse director(?).. however, in the pic you can't see him. And then Arsalan helped Hina down... it was quite cute. And that place was just beautiful... there was a long winding road the led to the wooden ...chateau.. i don't even know what to call it. It was sooo different from our typical wedding receptions... in the middle of the countryside it felt like and so simple yet elegant.

I swear, it felt like a Bollywood moment as she stepped down from the carriage and walked through the garden. If a Bollywood song wasn't playing, I'm sure there was one playing in our heads... awww i jus rem'd they didn't play the song we had wanted at the entrance :( It woulda been sooo perfect! It's all good... Mash'Allah they make an adorable couple!

And I didn't know the Bella Gardens was Muslim-owned... even sweeter! Food was AMAZING.. I think the best wedding food I've ever had. The night was full of speeches, including one by yours truly... and yeahh I managed to pull it off. I spent my hours before the Walimah writing and panicking... I was trying to think of something profound to say, you know some sort of advice.. but I'm not married, how would I know? So i thought i would rip it off some site.. but they were all goray wedding advice/toasts. So i stuck to telling everyone about mine & Hina's love story... how we met at a wedding, started talking... fell in 'love'... then introduced our parents to each other... yada yada... then Arsalan came along. But I think I managed to have a few profound moments in there somewhere, but everytime i looked at Hina she had these tears in her eyes and so then I would get choked up... managed to get thru it without crying tho.

And Arsalan & Hina even surprised his Bro & Sis-in-law with a cake for their son's 1st bday... his Bhabi got pretty emotional.. it was sweet. It was a really great night.. I even managed to push her hubby aside and get the first and only dance with Hina... see she still loves me.

Or maybe I am just trying to the steal the bouquet in the picture.... I guess you'll never know!

*Rem, no matter where you are, Montreal or Milton... Sarah loves you*

Mr. & Mrs. Hina... hehe

2006-06-16T00:56:00.000-04:00

My hunnypie, Hina is officially married! Alhumdalillah...the wedding and wedding reception were both incredibly beautiful and elegant.. I am so fortunate to have been a part of both of them. Hina looked super-gorgeous as ever in rusty orange... when I saw her before the wedding, at her house.. my jaw just dropped.. as I'm sure Arsalan's (her hubby) did. (Her mehndi came out super dark... haha and we made Punita put his name on her hands somewhere... so romantic.) She looked so breathtaking, MashAllah... and they matched perfectly. I really loved his Sherwani.. it was black with dark orange kaam... and it was a dull kaam that looked sooo elegant. And don't let me even start about his shoes, they were the Saleem Shahi shoes.. black with the same dark orange colored kaam.

Our entrances and everything went smoothly... phewwww... and her bro's slideshow was cute. He barely made fun of her... what a nice lil bro. But the Rukhsati was so sad... she is madd tight with her parents so i expected it... that was why I got my hug in before the rukhsati... thinkin ahead.

Mehndi Laga ke Rakhna!

2006-06-04T21:07:00.000-04:00

So once again, I find myself amidst the summer portion of wedding season. One of my good friends, Hina is getting married this weekend insh'Allah! We've been going thru a crazy amount of Bollywood songs and nasheeds.. trying to narrow down the list to be given to the DJ, songs for entrances, all that fun stuff. And then it's been dholkis and mehndis lately... which are the funner parts to our weddings...full of singing, dancing (sometimes) and feeding the bride or groom-to-be lots and lots of fattening, sugary mithai. Why do we even bother putting out fruit... when the Aunties and Uncles just adore the mithai!

Friday, we went to her fiance's mehndi and then it was hers on Saturday. She was hoping to go for the natural look, but her friends managed to talk her into going for a more dramatic look... which she didn't seem to like.. but she looked gorgeous in the end... as always. Seeing her get her makeup done and all dressed up in her lehenga made me realize that in a few days she'll be getting her WEDDING makeup done! Seems like it was just yesterday we were talking bout finishing school and what we were gonna do afterward... and marriage didn't even cross our minds. SubhanAllah... she's been blessed with an amazing guy and in-laws. The good thing is that she isn't gonna be moving too far away, alhumdalillah.. just to Milton. For some reason she wants me to do a speech at the wedding! I'm not much of speech person... the only wedding where I've done one is my bro's wedding... and that was because i had to. So gotta come up with something good... she's already warned me not to make it too embarassing... but what fun is a speech if it's not embarassing? So too bad Hina :)

Summer school... again...

2006-05-31T13:19:00.000-04:00

Another summer.. another summer school course...Adolescent & Emerging Adulthood Psych :S to think that last year this time I was in Pakistan shopping!! Those were the days... waking up early... actually being awaken by Abba... and then shopping all day long in the blistering, sometimes non-a/c markets...

Instead now, I am studying... yeah studying ... during this amazing weather! The things you gotta do... but inshAllah I'll be done the course in about 3 more weeks :)

The course is kinda interesting... because it's basically about the transition into Adulthood... and we're all in that stage right now... so it's pretty cool to read about the stuff we're going thru right now... we had our midterm yesterday. I read 6 chapters in 2 days :S.. 'twas crazy!

ISNA Conference'06: Muslims in Present Societies -- This weekend!

2006-05-19T20:11:00.000-04:00

It's time again for the Annual ISNA Toronto Conference. As always, the venue will be the Toronto Congress Centre and the lineup of speakers is pretty impressive, alhumdalillah. I really wish i could attend but I will be enjoying at Shab's Nikkah & Walimah both days.. but jus may be able to catch the Saturday Night Concert featuring 786 & Khaleel Muhammad, insh'Allah (check out http://meem.info for more info bout them & to hear their Nasheeds).

there's a bug on the keyboard...so bye! hope to run into you then, inshallah!

Happy BuddiDay... I mean Birthday Shazia!!

2006-05-19T17:03:00.000-04:00

And it's past 4:44 pm, so you're officially your age now :)

Much love to Shazo... after all we do go back to Urdu School in grade 5 or 6... i can't rem exactly. But how rude, atleast I remember you were in my class... Shazia forgot me! It's okay, with time all wounds will heal.

And you are my Pharm colleague... although they never schedule us together anymore because we talk too much.. Ohhh yeah, i forgot to tell you. Last Sunday when i was working, some guy called in and started this whole convo with me thinking it was you... don't worry, it was some Uncle guy.. so nothing juicy.

Anywho, back to my ode to you...May Allah (SWT) always keep you happy and healthy... and jaldi se shaadi karaaday. AMEEN!!! Muhaha.

I've finally come to terms with your Hydro-ness.. I guess it's not your fault. Last but not least, let that foot heal and stop waving at random people at UTM... enough is enough! Now make me butter chicken and cheesecake. HAO!! Oh! Roohi made cheesecake today.

Feel free to add embarassing moments and stories about Shazia :)

The Cartoon Hijabi...

2006-05-19T16:48:00.000-04:00

Azfar, my lil bro, saw an interesting cartoon a while ago and he was tellin me about it. It sounded soooooooo funny... that we jus had to share it with everyone. Take it away Azfar...

Alright Check it, there was this cartoon on like Family Channel where this Arab and Black girl switched families for a week (show is called The Proud Family and NO I don't watch it on a continuous basis or anything, I just noticed a cartoon Hijabi). So this is what happened:

During Ramadan, the Arab family (with black girl living with them) is waiting to break their fast while playing chess and watching Urdu Dramas (so maybe they're also Paki).. and of course they have these next accents that are so stereotypical.

ALso, at school, the black girl who has to wear hijab and fast. She uses her hijab to hide her and her friend's lunch $, because the blue-coloured african bullies who speak in Zulu or something take it everyday...I guess blue skin and Zulu means their tribal or something. Man this cartoon is pretty racist if you think about it..

Finally, when they go to a restaurant for Eid:

The black girl sees her own family there and her father asks what she's wearing on her head, and she says "a Hijab (Hee-Jab)" and then her grandmother says to the father "a job? You should get one of those" ... Hahahahaa

Then the black girl is in line for the buffet (still wearing hijab) a boy named Shahid asks her to dance (btw this is a arab style place). So then they start dancing with each other, as do the both of the parents (Black and Arab)

What were they thinking? heh?

OK, so it's me again. Some final thoughts: this show still cracks me up... haha... especially the grandma saying the job part. Azfar thinks the paki hijabi was cute... Azfar ur so besharam and get real, she's just a cartoon! And FYI the only good looking cartoon character is Aladdin...

Weekend review

2006-05-01T14:52:00.000-04:00

So the Hamilton clan came over on the weekend and twas tons of fun as always. A coupla new additions to both of our families... most importantly we got to see lil Eleeza, she's almost 6 months old. She was the star of the party. EVERYbody held her... it was soooo cute when Papa was holding her... i think he wants grandkids.. hehehe... he really really loves Eleeza!

We ate a lot.. and guess who made something for dinner.. and nope it wasn't the salad. I didn't tell them what i made... in case they purposely thought it wasn't good bc it was à la Sarah. But instead they all just said everything was equally good. So yeah, I made butter chicken! Yep... me, all by myself. But it was like one of those add chicken and a few ingredients... i think it was alright though...just need to make sure there's more saalan next time. Ammi's kababs were crazy mirchi tho... we were all dying... but courageously pushing on to finish it. "Sahmer" duo made dessert... and it was probably the best dessert ever. Whatever, it was basically Sahar who made it all. She made these AMAZING mini danishes... they were sooo good! And this trifle thing... what do u call it... The Sahar Supreme Special?

Then while the Dads watched the Jagjit Singh in Concert DVD in full stereo i might add, we played Cranium... this boardgame, where you hafto either 1) answer a question/define word 2) sing/hum a song or act out a character 3) draw or sculpt something 4) spell something backwards, fill in the blanks or unjumble a series of words. It was a lot of fun... although we all got hammered by the "Commerce Club & Sehr".

Here's Azfar getting frustrated because he didn't know how to hum the Mr. Ducky song from Sesame Street... -->

And Aunty was on my back about getting married again... ahhh bahh... so then i egged them on when they were bugging the new Dulhan's about hurrying with the bachay! Hope we can make it to Ottawa for Eleeza's Aqiqa insh'allah!!

Then yesterday the 4 of us played Cranium again... this time it was me & Sahar vs. the Boys... and we killed em!!! It's hard because of the Canadian trivia... like come on, does anyone really know what Chretien used to hit the intruder at this house with??

Camp Nur Fundraising Dinner -- Saturday, May 13th, 2006

2006-04-30T21:46:00.000-04:00

I'm done!

2006-04-27T22:28:00.000-04:00

EXAMS are overrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.... alhumdalillah! Now i can chill and reeeelax and get some well needed rest :) ... well only for like 2 weeks then.. dun dun dun... Summer School begins on the 15th.

On a side note, my girls from Hamilton are coming over this weekend, insh'allah! Yayyyyyyyyy! I can't wait... they are the bestest sisters ever. And Sehr & her daughter are down for the week too :) and Amber's coming too! It's like a family reunion... I gotta make some wickedd dessert. Any ideas?? Cuz I am sick of my signature desserts... the almond toffee squares, the cupcakes (you know u love em!), the upside down pineapple cake...

Today...

2006-04-27T08:19:00.000-04:00

Last exam today @ 4 :) ... Sociocultural Anthro... should be alright insh'allah. Please make dua'a for me y'all!

The Infamous Jays' Game ... yeahhh Jays 10-5 over Yanks!!

2006-04-25T18:49:00.000-04:00

So we all finally went to the Jays/Yanks game last week, on Tuesday... $2 tix baby, but they were $15 seats!.. so pretty good seats. They won 10-5... yeahhh baby!

And I must say, it was the best game I've ever been to... partially because they won... but still it was a REALLY exciting game. The first inning, although we missed it... there were 3 homeruns... but the Jays made a huge comeback... they were down 4-0 in the 1st inning... came back to clobber em. Yeahhh.. I'm a big Jays fan...shuddap. But check it out Marria's wearing their colours!! And Shabina's matching the turf... haha

I really like their new logo... they revamped it yet again... 'modrenized' if you will. They're hat even looks decent... dare I say it.. this might be their year to win the Cup again!!... i mean the World Series.

ESM was fun... especially the bday stand up on the chair part ;) Priceless. But the ice cream should've been fed with out a spoon.. like they did to me at Pizza Hut in India.

We've gotta do it again y'all... maybe an earlier dinner next time... why'd u guys come so late... goshhhh... the game started at 7!! tee hee... and maybe a Tuesday again... but this time with Halladay pitching. AND this time we're gonna be part of the hugeeee Skydome wave!

GO JAYS GO!!

Happy Birthday Marrrrriaaaaa!!

2006-04-20T15:16:00.000-04:00

Happy Berday to you... Marrrria! Were we the first ones to call you last nighttt?? :) I sure hope so! Have a super sunny hunny day... sucks that ur at work today but you did have yesterday off so its all good! Just want to let you know that you're such a sweet and amazing person and that I'm glad to have gotten sooo tight with you the last coupla years. And I only bug you .. because ur easy to bug :)

Love ya Marr!

Now it's time for some embarasssssing pics!

Happy 5th Birthday Iyaaaaadu!

2006-04-16T14:00:00.000-04:00

It's my lil cutie pie nephew, Iyad's birthday today! He's a whole hand now!! Time flies man... i remember the first time he came to visit and he was this shy, little bacha for like an hour then his rambunctious, talkative side came out and we all fell in love with this kid. Mash'Allah he is an awesome kid... EVERYONE falls in love with him after meeting.. or even talking to him.

He wouldn't let us kiss him... haha for the longest time so i would hafta trick him. But kid has gotta a temppppper... the "khandaani ghussa" as we like to call it. He has the cutest little, high pitched voice.

He has the tendency to do the funniest things.. like at Bro's Mehndi... he would come to the stairs and everyone was singing and stuff... and he would shake his head and say "tauba tauba".. then 2 mins later he'd come down and join the party...

One thing I'll never forget is when he was over last time... I was angry, sad about something... and i was playing with him and he comes and sits on my lap and asks me why I'm sad or mad... and i jus gave him a bigggg hug and I felt sooo much better. For this little kid to notice that in me... blew me away. And he knows how to ham it up for the camera...

So here's a lil montage of Iyad!

We love you Iyaaad! Many, many, many happy returns of the day.. as they would say in Pakistan ;)

Some pics from UTMMSA Dinner '06

2006-04-15T01:24:00.000-04:00

Happy Ghar Brownie!

2006-04-11T23:50:00.000-04:00

Me, Shabina and Marr went to a House Warming Party/Qur'an Khatam on the weekend.. or as some people like to call it, a "Ghar Brownie". Definitely a good time, as it always is with these two... never a dull moment that is for sure.

Shabina bought some gift and we wrapped it on the back of Marria's car... haha truly a fobulous idea... and it was madd windy. But we ended up wrapping it really nicely... i think it was the best wrapped gift there actually! And I know Nilofer wishes she had come... after all, the other Nilo was there too!

You know how every family does distinctly odd things, well I guess you just come to expect it'll happen at some point at everyone who is outside your family friend's circle. So at one point, Aunty was handing out these wildly colored little flowery things that were in a tray. And we all were like... what are those and what are we supposed to do with them?!! And for some reason, either it was me or all of us (can't rem) thought that everyone else was eating the little flowers. So we were madd confused to say the least, and Auny was fast approaching ... so in my head I was like.. gotta make a decision fast... should I take one? should i eat it too? So yeah, this turned out to be one of those incidents where we
overanalyzed the situation. The little flowery things actually were tissue paper flowers sprayed with perfume... apparently people hand them out after milads and stuff. And so yeah, they were actually jus smelling the flowers, not eating them. Ooooops?

Looks like we're in a gao nah?

Ahhhhhh...

2006-04-11T08:22:00.000-04:00

My presentation is in 40 minutes!! Make dua'a for me if you read this before 9:00am EST today :) It should be okay, inshAllah... as it's like a Science Fair type atmosphere anyhow. So half the class will have their boards up as well.. and will be walking around checking out our boards & asking questions :S

I felt like I was in high school yesterday, as i walked out of the mall to the bus to home carrying this huge poster board...

Ahhh.. 38 minutes! I'd better go practice what I'm gonna say.... nahhhhh.. and then after that it's my Archaeology test!

Thumbs up!

2006-04-05T20:59:00.000-04:00

A semi-cute, semi-gay shot of Marria and Shab from Wonderland... i think we were heading into the SpongeBob SquarePants show... it was sooooo good!

Jays' Season Opener :)

2006-04-05T12:32:00.000-04:00

Yeahhhhh.... they won! Just like i thought they would... that makes them BETTER than the Leafs and Raps already!!!

6-3 baby... it was a really exciting game... contrary to popular belief. Halladay was pitching, so that almost guaranteed them a win... he is Cy Young Material after all... and I'm not really sure who else is left on the team from last season... they got rid of a lot of good people... but i guess acquired some as well. And they were playing the Twins' .. Shanny Stewart's team... he made some wickedd catches...

Can't wait for the game! Come on, no need to hate... jus because the other Toronto teams suck.

Do you guys rem the song they sing at the Stadium... and we're all soooo doing the wave!

Why am I such a procrastinator?!?!

2006-04-03T00:48:00.000-04:00

The last 2 weeks have been psychotic... see atleast if i had the satisfaction of graduating at the end of exams I probably wouldn't even complain... but the thought of another year of this is jus... depressing! And don't tell me school is fun or that all of you graduates are gonna miss it. You're SO not gonna miss the studying, cramming, getting by on 3 hours of sleep, test writing, faking you're sick so you can get a doctor's note, and stupid essays... i jus finished my reference list for my Psych paper... probably the most annoying thing I've ever done!! 10 references and stupid APA style!

So back to why I'm a procrastinator... maybe I like doing work when there's a looming deadline... NO... maybe I enjoy staying up all night typing... nope... I think I'm jus plain old LAZY! But it's really coming back to bite me in the...

Paper due tomorrow... finished it Alhumdalillah!!... Test on Tuesday... Test on Friday... Presentation & Test next Tues.... and i haven't even touched.. i mean bought the textbook for that last one yet :S... or read the journal article I am presenting.... and i hafta make a Posterboard. Anyone artistic and wants to do it for me?? :)

So see ya when all of this is over... then exam time.. yippee...

BUT one thing I am looking forward to is.. Blue Jays game :) We'd so better be going...

Recapture YM's Muslim Family in the Making Event!

2006-03-31T09:30:00.001-05:00

The lectures that guest speakers presented at YM's Family event that took place on March 18th, 2006 are up on the YM site :)

Which means I can catch them too! And you can even hear our MC Aminah on them.. bet she didn't expect that.

Please feel free to listen in, and donate to help us continue this work! Jazakallahu khairun.

Honouring the Parents Sheikh Munir El-Kassem
Me, My Family & My Lord Sheikh Hamid Slimi
I'm No Angel Br.Jeewan Chanika
What a Woman and Man Need Sheikh Abdool Hamid
Our Precious Sprouts: Cherishing Our Kids Sr. Ambreen Syed

Enjoy & take notes :)

I'm gonna be in the Quiz Bowl!!

2006-03-29T14:15:00.000-05:00

Salaam,

I'm gonna be in the MSA QUIZ BOWL this Friday @ UTM!!!

I'm actually REALLY excited about it... i love trivia and jeopardy and family feud type stuff... I used to love Trivial Pursuit. Insh'Allah I hope we win :) But even if we don't.. it should still be fun... right Farakh & Nazia!!

We're one of 3 girls' teams... should be interesting to see how it plays out.

Maybe I'll finally get over the biggest regret of my childhood -- not entering the Spelling Bee Championships... and I know I woulda kicked butt!! I still dream about it sometimes... being up there.. and winning... and the crowd chanting my name... haha... Don't act like you never dreamed of winning the Spelling Bee!

"When the Wolves Become Shepherds"

2006-03-23T08:55:00.005-05:00

As with most mornings, on the way to school with my bro's and Bhabi we listen to some sort of a lecture or to take a break, we listen to Zain Bhikha or some other Nasheeds... no 786 tho (bro's are a buncha haters!).

Lately, we've been listening to Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki's The Life of the Prophet Muhammad -- Makkan Period... he is an AMAZING speaker Mash'Allah... my favourite speaker in fact... but I think they finished it off the CD set last week so I'm gonna hafta catch up on it later.

So today, Sahar put on a lecture entitled When the Wolves Become Shepherds by Sh. Muhammad Al-Shareef. We started listening to it a coupla months back but never ended up finishing it, so she and I were talking bout it the other day.. about how it was such an inspiring and eye-opening lecture, well what we had heard of it... and so yeah, we're gonna finish it this time insh'Allah.

Basically, the lecture is about Shaytan's plot to lead humanity astray and ultimately land us in Hellfire. Plain and simple. Sh. Muhammad Al-Shareef outlines the ways that Shaytan tries to get to us, and he specifically breaks down Shaytan's plot into 7 levels, (however I was only able to catch the first 5):

(1) Shirk, Kufr (this is the HIGHEST level)

- where you have basically pledged allegiance to Shaytan and are amongst his allies.

(2) Bida'a (innovation)

- this level is tricky, because you may think that you are doing something halal or in the way of Allah, when really you are being led astray by Shaytan

- Bida'a is against the call of the messengers and is a call to a message different from the one conveyed by Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Bid'ah is a gate to Kufr and Shirk.

- An example MAS used was: back in the day, people created idols, statues as a reminder of God, dhikr if you will. But with the death of that generation, the intention behind the creation of those idols became misguided and the idols began to be worshipped. Not something you want on your conscience.

(3) Major Sins

- acts like murder, zina (adultery), backbiting (Yup, it's a major sin), riba'a (interest), etc fall under this category

(4) Minor Sins

- These sins may ruin a person if they accumulate. That is why Rasulallah (SAW) said, "Be aware of the minor sins, because the simile of the minor sin is like the people who went to a desert. Then he (SAW) mentioned a Hadith the meaning of which is that every one of them brought a stick of wood until they had kindled a huge fire (just as the minor sins add up little by little until they become a major sin)."

- The person continues taking the matter of minor sins easily until he considers them inconsequential. Therefore, a person who commits major sins but fears their effect is in a better condition than he is.

(5) Occupation with permissible things

- here one does not gain reward or punishment. However, the punishment of this level is caused by passing the reward missed by being occupied with these deeds.

The other 2 levels I will write about when i hear the rest of the CD, insh'Allah.

Mash'Allah... what a great way to spend the morning. And allows us to re-evaluate our lives and become more conscious of Shaytan.

Question of the Week: Is it permissible for men to wear platinum?

2006-03-20T20:10:00.000-05:00

Last week, a few of my friends and I were discussing upcoming weddings.. since a couple of our close friends are getting married soon.. and the topic of wedding rings for men came up. More specifically, if men are allowed to wear platinum rings (since it's not gold). The argument was that it's not specifically stated that platinum is not permissible.

So for those wondering, I was looking this up on Sunnipath.com and came across this:

"In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

For men, only silver rings are permissible. Women have been given the permission to wear gold and silver rings without doubt. However, rings made form other metals are not permissible. Also, it seems that rings made from other plastic substances will not be permissible for women, thus should be avoided.

And Allah knows best. "

Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari
Darul Iftaa, Leicester, UK

YM Family Dinner this Saturday, insh'Allah :)

2006-03-14T18:38:00.000-05:00

This should be an amazing event, inshAllah... bring your family and friends. I am particularly excited about the Honouring Our Parents lecture... i think we can always use a refresher on the way we should treat our parents as opposed to the way we actually do. And food is always good. so should be no exception this time, inshAllah. And, I'm in charge of Registration... so come visit me!!!

If you need tix, you can contact myself or Sahar or the people listed on the flyer. Hope to see you all there :)

Have you been grateful?

2006-03-03T08:13:00.000-05:00

I was reading this email my friend Aisha sent called "Peace Within" by Alia Ahmed, and I came across this:

"A significant factor that massively contributes towards acquiring a complacent soul is `Shukr' or `thankfulness' to God. `Shukr' is derieved from the root word, sh-k-r, and its literal meaning is `when a cow feeds on less fodder but gives more milk'. Conspicuously, it indicates how a believer should be. He should be grateful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala under all circumstances. To attain inner peace we must look for abundance in our lives while minimizing the negatives. We must learn to develop a sense of gratitude within ourselves for all that we have been so lucky to be blessed with. Come to think of it, most of us have a great deal in our lives to make us blissfully content but unfortunately we lack the ability to acknowledge and appreciate it. Ungratefulness takes away tranquility from within our hearts."

Let's follow the example of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in whom we find nothing greater than his patience and gratitude. The reality is that life is a test and we are here to be tested. With sabr and shukr we will all get thru any calamity, inshAllah.

My new fave show...

2006-03-01T21:40:00.000-05:00

is... The VJ Search on MuchMusic! It's actually pretty good... a reality show about the next new MM VJ... but they swear wayyyy too much!!

There's a gay guy... he's sooo funny... but the exact prototype of a gay guy with the lisp and the constant flailing of the arms... but very entertaining. They all suck in their own way.. but they're getting better. And the judges really are weeding out the worst ones.

The VJ Search comes on @ 8pm on Mondays (Citytv) & Tuesdays @ 7pm (MuchMusic) if you wanna check it out.

Reading Week's over :(

2006-03-01T17:05:00.000-05:00

So Reading Week was pretty good... except that half way thru it I realized that i had 2 tests coming up right after it!! Not that i did much reading or anything... had a midterm today for Social Anthro.. it wasn't too bad and I think it did pretty well inshAllah :)

On a sad note, my cousin, Naeem Bhai & his wife, Gulnar Bhabi left on Monday to go back home :( Apparently a month was more than enough for them... my Dad wasn't too happy bout that, esp since he has a week off starting today. They caught the snowstorms and the good weather... a real "Canadian" winter... but yeah it was too cold for them. And we were all always in school or at work... what can you do, that's the way life is here. And i guess they missed their kids. We did all their shopping in the last 4 days!! It was chaos... from one mall to the next everyday!!... but I think we covered all the bases and got everything they needed. They loved the dollar stores and the grocery stores! Took tons of pictures... Bhabi got used to it... to me and Sahar taking pics every other second.. teehee. Come on... got preserve the memories.

So back to Reading Week...I had convinced my Naeem Bhai & Bhabi to stay atleast during Reading Week so we could spend some real time with them... so we ended up taking them out alot... ummm... took em shopping, to Gerrard (again)... OMG Chandni Chowk has revamped their place finally... it was getting pretty gross... and now it looks good again... a bit too 60's diner type... but their long-foot kababs (yes... not footlong!) are STILL the best anywhere. Took 'em to Niagara Falls again (yay)... but it was DAMN cold that day... even with gloves on. I worked a few days... mann reading week flew by! Ohh and i saw "The Notebook"... it was good... not as sappy as i thought it would be...but nothing spectacular.

Will continue later... Bhai is comin to pick me up... and gets MAD >:- when I'm late... hehe.

2 false alarms in 2 days!

2006-02-17T23:37:00.000-05:00

The funniest thing happened today to Azfar (my lil bro)... he woke up around noon today. No one was home.. so he steps out of his room... and the house sensor alarms start going off! Apparently my parents and them all went out... and put the alarm on "away"(obviously forgetting Azfar was home), which activates the security sensors. And one of the sensors upstairs is directly in front of his room's door... so when he opened it.. the sensors went off! He was still half asleep.. and then the security alarm company called?! In the case of a real break in, would they expect the burglar to answer the phone or something? Makes no sense... so i dunno how he got it to turn off... prob deactivated the alarm.. but it was jus sooo funny to hear. Glad it didn't happen to me.. I probably woulda been so out of it that i woulda confessed to breaking in or something.. bechara Azfar.. i think he had quite the scare. Not a good way to start Reading Week.

And jus the other day, something similar happend.. someone opened the door w/o turning off the alarm.. and the security alarm company called.. and said something about alerting the police!! So Ammi got freaked out and called my Dad.. and they sorted it out. The company must think we're a bunch of pakis who don't know how to work the alarm :S

2 false alarms in 2 days!

What I've been upto...

2006-02-17T10:53:00.000-05:00

Sorry... been on hiatus for a while... had MIDTERMS man.. but alhumdalillah they are all over now (as of yesterday)! Soooo... wooo hooo... Reading Week!! Nothing much planned at this moment.... tons of sleeeeeep... maybe fit in some reading here and there... wanna hook up with my Farhi.. and work here and there.

But sooooo much has happened in the last month, that i havent gotten around to telling y'all.

First, my cousin & his wife came down for Pakistan about a month ago!! Finally... but bad timing because me and Az have been crazyy busy with school and midterms. They had initially planned to make it for Bro's wedding... but it didn't work out unfortunately :( BUT they've seen like every pic and video related to the wedding.. so it's all good. Even the decorations from the Mehndi are still up.

So we've been taking them out and about... to you know the typical Canadian hotspots... Niagara Falls, shopping malls... Downtown TO... Gerrard Street ofcourse!.. and we really have NO IDEA where else to take them. They're around my parents' age... so stuff like skiing and skating and wintery activities don't really appeal to them... so that rules out a lot of stuff. Well, we went to Nathan Phillips Square for WinterCity 2 weeks ago... it was soooo cool! I'd never even heard about it until Rehan mentioned it last year... there was an ice sculpture exhibit.. and skating and a concert. But, it was damn cold that day :S so atleast they've been able to experience the "real" Canadian winter. Any ideas where we can take em?

Second, I am a Naani! My niece in Pakistan, Nazia had a baby boy a few weeks ago! Which makes me his Naani, which roughly translates into a Grandma :S ... pretty crazy huh? And my parents are Great-Grandparents... we've all jus aged a generation.. so the next time any of you complain about being 24 or whatever... think bout me.

Third, went to Deej's lil party.... was soooo much fun. Tons of wicked food (you have amazing skills in the kitchen!), good friends, more than enough indian movies, songs and dances... and moral of the story: Johnny still ain't all that!

Happy belated Bday Homo :) and the monkey was jus tooo funny... and the CAKE... Marr u really outdid urself with that one. Interesting night that is for sure!

Ohhh and tons of yummy food making been going on at home as of late... we made Chana Bhatura last week, Daal bharri roti last night... and other things i cant even remember.. ohh and we're gonna make halwa puri on the weekend... mmmmm my favourite!

Hina's dinner party, Feed the Streets & Reading Week coming up... should be a good week :)

One Ummah Fundraising Dinner

2006-02-01T18:23:00.000-05:00

After 3 months of waiting, finally the Fundraising Gala took place last Friday! Alhumdalillah, we walked into a room filled to capacity... yeah we got there fashionably late.. tee hee.. come on, it was Friday and we had to iron our clothes (some of us twice) and get ready...

[Top]: King Sarah & my Queen Marria

Getting ready was half the fun... me and Madihah went over to her cuz, Mou's place... her place is amazingggggg... we all ended up matching coincidentally ofcourse.. we're not nerds like that.. although Maddy was sad when we were trying to convince her to wear her hot magenta suit because she wouldn't be matching... nerd. So
we finally pull into Woodbine.. and the parking lot
was rammed! But luckily, there was a car pulling out of a spot when we turned in.. so we ran to get it... BUT this woman got in before Mou could get in... after a 1 minute staredown, she finally left.. and we were on our way. We ran into Sara in the parking lot... who was also wearing blue!!

Alhumdalillah, the dinner was amazing and i think they were able to raise alot. I think it's too early to tell how much exactly was raised, but from the sounds of it from Yaseen, the dinner was a success!

[Left]: Maddy and I

The tables were named (ie. Patience, Trust, etc.) instead of being numbered which i thought was really creative. The Programme started off with this guy (sorry don't rem his name) telling us about the trip he had just made to the earthquake ridden part of Pakistan/Kashmir... and it was emotional. It reminded us that
tomorrow (future) is not promised to anyone and
that we must continue to give in the way of the earthquake, Tsunami and other disasters as the restructuring and rebuilding process still has a long ways to go. So let's all please keep all the victims of these disasters in our prayers.

Dinner was good as always... Mmmm butter chicken & palak paneer! Which made up for us missing appetizers. Dessert was Gulab Jamman and mango ice cream.. as always. Thanks for the "heads up" Marria :P !! There were also tons of raffle draws.. which none of us won anything :(Mou was especially sad.. she bought like 10 tickets... we call this one: Mou is a Loser.. haha.

And ofcourse, we took tons of pics.... funniest part of the night was Marria shaking the camera.. hahaaa... that uncle sitting at the table next to us was laughing at us...
The Entertainment was top-notch... or as i like to say.. funtastic! The Indonesian drummers were amazing... totally the best part of the night... they were wayyyy better than any Dhol player I've ever heard and I live in Brampton.. I've heard/seen my fair share. I'm gonna book em for Maddy's wedding :D.

[top]: Sabina, Shazia, Iram, Iram's cuz [bottom]: Romana, Sumz, me, Marria

Azhar Usman & Preach were good as well, altho I expected more new material from them... come on you can only recycle so many times... but they still kept us laughing the whole time.

Overall, we all it was a great night. Everyone looked amazing, entertainment was great, food
was great. Teal baby...

Good job, One Ummah! Pulling off an event like that is no easy job... it takes a lot of time, dedication and patience. May Allah (SWT) reward you all for all of your time and efforts. Ameen.

Malarky eh?

2006-01-21T11:49:00.000-05:00

We had a lil chillout session at Madihah's last night... Tacos, chinese rice, teriyaki chicken... mmmmmmm.. got any leftovers?? Send 'em my way! And then.. the Rolo ice cream... i think i have a new fave ice cream!!

Then we played Malarky... for those of you who've never heard of it... it's basically a game about lying. A question is read out at the beginning of each round.. and then everyone is given cards which say either the right answer to the question or bluff... obviously if the card says bluff you make up an answer. So basically, you've gotta come up with a believable answer and get everyone to believe you're right. Some of us were better at this game than others.... hhhhmmm... i wonder what that means! Haha.. we were all so confuuuused at first... anywho, i don't rem who won... hhhhmmmm. It wasn't me... because i am so honest and maasoom :D

Really wish we'd stayed later... esp to help Maddy clean up... sorry babe! Next things at our house... I think the plan is The Notebook & chinese! As per Roohi's request :D... btw, I didn't know you were into sappy movies, Roo!

On the way home, i called Sahar..'Bhabi'... hahahaha.. she had the most disgusted look on her face... and i think she threatened to kick my butt if i called her that again...so i don't think I'll be doing that again. But i did get her lil sis and her cousins to start calling her Shaguftha!! Haha.. being a nand is fun, after all!!

Sarah & Sahar's Day off!!

2006-01-20T23:33:00.000-05:00

Finally, me and the Bhabs got a day to hang out without the brudder...after all she did marry him so she could get closer to me :D (next time say it like ya mean it, Sahar!)

So Sahar took a day off.. wasn't feeling too well last few days... and she calls me around 10 asking me what I'm doing... and i was like school... boo... then she was like do you really hafta gooo? And I was like nooooo... so we had a pyjama party! We had Maddy's DVD collection (btw I don't know when we're giving that back..) so yeahh... we watched Spiderman 2... it was soooo good...ate junk food. We did all the girly things... that I never do... bc i've never had a sister (though Azfar was a good replacement)... we straightened and curled our hair... looked wickedddd. Too bad i was in my pyjamas and makeup-less otherwise woulda looked hot. Girl-talked... looked at the wedding pics. Then we had some surprise visitors!

Some of her friends from work came to visit... mash'Allah... such sweet girls! And they came bearing gifts... well foood.... and not jus anything but a variety of soups from Singapore Gardens!!! Ofcourse, Sahar's fave Hot & Sour soup!

Then later, her sis and Bro-in-law came over to visit... shared some hilarious stories... and they brought ice creamm!! Can't believe it was their first time over since the wedding... hope to see them wayy more often, inshAllah. Still can't believe their family now... pretty crazy eh?

Anywho, Moral of the story: if you bring food, we'll love you!

One Ummah Fundraising Dinner next Friday, inshAllah!

2006-01-16T23:37:00.000-05:00

Napping...

2006-01-16T22:54:00.000-05:00

Napping is the best thing ever invented! Lately, i have been sneaking in naps... well just yesterday and today... but i may get into the habit of it.. it's so rejuvenating and relaxing.. and addictive... i didn't wanna get up today. I even missed Full House because of it... I knowww... pretty crazy!

But yeahh.. i don't think it'll really become a habit... as of tomorrow, it's back into the routine of things... early mornings, gym (finally!), classes, work, late nights.... grrrr... oh yeah and studying.

Ohh... went and voted today... we were in line for 45 flippin' minutes!!! Pain in the butt... stupid elections... i can't wait until this election is over. I'm getting sick of seeing those retarded commercials plastered with Paul Martin's face!

"Hot Soup Days" at the Islamic Foundation of Toronto

2006-01-15T20:58:00.000-05:00

Soup Kitchen – “Hot soup days”

Join YM at the Islamic Foundation of Toronto Soup Kitchen.

Where: The Islamic Foundation of Toronto
Date: Saturday, Febuary 4th, 2006
Timings: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

‘What started out feeding 10 to 15 people, Hot Soup Days currently provides nutritious meals to over 450 needy families on a weekly basis.’

Narrated Abu Burda:

from his father from his grandfather that the Prophet said, "Every Muslim has to give in charity." The people asked, "O Allah's Prophet! If someone has nothing to give, what will he do?" He said, "He should work with his hands and benefit himself and also give in charity (from what he earns)." The people further asked, "If he cannot find even that?" He replied, "He should help the needy who appeal for help." Then the people asked, "If he cannot do that?" He replied, "Then he should perform good deeds and keep away from evil deeds and this will be regarded as charitable deeds." (Bukhari)

For more information, please visit http://www.youngmuslims.ca.

To donate or volunteer, please email us at info@youngmuslims.ca.

Feed The Streets on Sunday, January 22nd

2006-01-15T20:49:00.000-05:00

EiD Mubarak!

2006-01-12T20:39:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to wish you and your families Eid Mubarak. May Allah (SWT) bless you and your families on this joyous occasion, Ameen.

We had a relatively quiet Eid... we went to MCC for Eid Salaah. Ran into a ton of people... which is always the best part about Eid. Saw Farah!!!... Eid just isn't complete without seeing her... so that was a great start to the day. Maddy-ha ditched us... can't believe you! Then ran into the rest of the girls... then the family friends. FINALLY, met Rayhan's wife, Mehreen Bhabi!! So that was cool...

Then we headed home... i was soooo wanting to take a nap... but held off... then we headed over to Sahar's parent's place... everyone was there! So that was a lot of fun... her lil cousin, Amina is my new best friend... she's soooo adorable MashAllah, she's got the cutest lil curls which I always "steal" from her so then she steals them back.. it's our lil inside joke... she even sang "Hush lil baby" for us. And... and I found out she loves Dora!

Then we headed home... ppl came over. Ammi made the best 'kalayji' ever... I made a cake and Sahar made Raspberry cheesecake... don't ya jus love Eid!

Azfar's new name...

2006-01-08T00:02:00.000-05:00

Me, Sahar & Azfar started driving school today... yeahhhh finally! Not as bad as i thought it would be... gonna start driving next week :)

The instructor guy's daughter was there... she is the cutest thing!! Her name is Alzena.. she's like 6 yrs old...anywho, she wanted to play a game after class... so we were all playing.. I'm her new best friend by the way... she kept forgetting Azfar's name. It was sooooo funny... the third time she didn't even think bout it and she called him Agrabah... hahahaa... it was soo funnny... i think i was laughing so hard i was crying! After that, we're like jus call him Agrabah...

Do u guys rem where that's from??

Whaddya think?

2006-01-07T19:59:00.000-05:00

Rem that hat i was talkin bout getting a few weeks ago.... the lumberjack one? I got one!! Don't worry it's not a red plaid one... and it's sooooo warm... let's go skating, Marr... so i can wear it! And after seeing Romana's ski trip pics i wanna go tubingg... let's do it!

Hahaa... i look like an Eskimo... mmmm.. Eskimo Pie. And don't call me Jihong or Doichong!!

My Winter Break by Sarah

2006-01-06T23:48:00.000-05:00

Sounds like a grade 2 report they used to make us write...

Long time since I've posted... where did the days go? And Eid ul-Adha is just around the corner... feels like Eid ul-Fitr just passed!! And I don't even know what I'm gonna wear... ahhh!

Anywho... it was a hectic winter break... once i finished up my exam I was working, hit the RIS Conference on Friday, and my lovely sister, Amber got married.. so that was a 3 day affair... we had sooooooo much fun! We'd been looking forward to it for sooooo long. It actually was like a family wedding... at the Mehndi, I got to hold the dupatta that she came under... felt so special... though i was having issues handling my sari & holding the dupatta simultaneously.. haha. Amber & Faisal Bhai got engaged around the same time my bro & Sahar did... so we were all wrapped up in our family wedding plans all year. The wedding was so beautiful... Amber is a supermodel in the first place mash'Allah.. and so she was just stunning! I normally don't cry at nikkahs.. but this time I bawled like a little baby... love this girl... she's the older sister i was fortunate to be blessed with. And her lil sis, Madeeha made the cutest speech and half way she started crying... but she managed to finish it! And the party didn't stop after the Rukhsati...nawww mean Sud, Tab, Mad & Azfar! We took soooo many pics.. esp shoe shots.. rem the family shoe shot.. haha. The "this is a no-hand-holding zone" thing was too funny! Aunty's the best! The Walima was fun too... they had some singers come and they were pretty good... all the parents loved it! Bashir Khan even sang a song. We kept trying to request "Dus Bahaanay" and by request we mean writing it down and throwing it on stage... but they never sang it :( All in all, a great wedding... many memories. May Allah (SWT) always shower his blessings and keep them both happy & healthy. Ameen!

And finally we got to see Sehr's (Amber's sister) little bundle of joy Eleeza... mash'Allah she's soooo beautiful! My parents simply adored her... like she was their granddaughter...it was sooo cute... they kept posing for pics with her.

And i can't remember anything else... i think that was pretty much it...

Fruit Cake...

2005-12-21T23:38:00.000-05:00

So I went to work to day.. at the pharm.. work is always interesting or whack. We had our work party on Sunday... at Boston Pizza... was aite... ate wayyy too much. But the veggie Lasagne i got was pretty good... tanx Shazo! I still didn't get anything from my secret santosh.. :( but Agheta (my boss) gave me a gift card for Future Shop! She's wayyyy too nice...

Yeah, so I get there... and tons of food... around xmas time there is always tons of food, our customers love us and bring lots of chocolate and stuff... mmmm.. anywho, Allan aka Hitler (if I've ever talked bout him... you know what i mean) tells us all to try his "fruit" cake that he made. At first, I wasn't going to try it... bc he said he'd made it (I confirmed this with him like 4 times: Allan, did YOU make it yourself... seriously!?!) ...but my munchies got to me as I was managing the order. And so I decided to try a piece.. and it was REALLY good. Like better than store-bought! So, I told him that it was really that good... then my other Pharmacist, Agheta... goes that after a piece she was tipsy... and i was like haha... then :S .. confused actually... and i was like, what do you mean tipsy? Is there alcohol in there? And Allan goes, yeah a tablespoon or something of Brandy... and i was like AHHHHHHHHHH!! I shoulda known better... anything Allan makes must have some alcohol or something whack in it... moral of the story: don't trust big brown guys named Allan.

Oh yeah, and some bacha told me i had nice eyes... i think he jus wanted his prescription sooner!

Happy Berday Rooooohiiiiii!

2005-12-21T12:12:00.000-05:00

Roohi at the Dholki... man that seems like ages ago... I loved your suit man.. and the set.. you so girlyyyyy... sometimes!Roohi & Sahar.. at the Nikkah... Mash'Allah both look gorgeous! I told you that suit would look amazing, Roo! You should listen to me more often :P

L'il old Roohi is FINALLY 22... been waiting a longggg time for this day... mostly, because she's been calling me a buddi.. since i turned 22... you know Roohi, 22 is when a lot of rishtas come... haha.. May Allah bless you with a husband this year, insh'Allah.. AMEEN! (a pun.. for you!)

Me and Roo (aka KangaRoohi aka Roohsta aka Roohinder aka Loohi, and I'm sure there's more) go wayyy back to 1st year Forensics Class... man that class was killer... but alhumdalillah I found an amazing friend. Awwww... getting mushy. Thanks for being my gym buddy... we SO gotta start that up again in January inshAllah!! We've had some great convo's at the gym... haha. You're the one who got me started on that flavoured Aquafina water. Way too many great things about you... mash'Allah. Much Love!

Rebuilding South Asia: Light of Hope Fundraising Gala

2005-12-15T11:41:00.000-05:00

Insh'Allah this should be an amazing event... and if last year's dinner is any indication, only bigger and better things are to come this year. I really wanted to go last year, but my parents were coming back from Hajj the following day... so we had some madd cleaning and decorating to do. But I heard nothing but great things... organizer of events tend to do that.. haha kidding.. a lot of my friends attended last year. I will definitely be there this year, insh'Allah. I never know what to wear to these type of formal events... apparently something desi, which is cool with me because then i can bust out my chooriyan! I think i have a million now..ever since Pakistan.

And, I almost forgot to mention that PREACHER MOSS will be hosting! If you've ever seen him perform (MuslimFest 2005, "Allah Made Me Funny" Tour)... you know he is hilarious and definitely worth checking out. Besides, I'll be there... don't wanna miss that! :)

AZHAR USMAN has jus been added to the list of performers! See Biharis are good for something after all... haha.. jus kiddin. And finally some new material... insh'Allah!

If you need tix or any info let me know... or check out: www.one-ummah.com

I think i have frostbite.. :S

2005-12-14T08:43:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh.. my ears are hurting! I guess that's what i get for not wearing a hat... but its not completely my fault.. i didn't think I'd hafta walk a mile to school in snow.. blowing snow... haha sound like I'm a granny recollecting my school days!

That's it... i am getting the biggest, fobbiest hat ... as long as it keeps me warm man! Maybe I'll get that lumberjack hat... u know the one with the flaps that cover the ears :D hope its cool this year... so i dont get called a lumberjack for wearing it.

And so i finally get to the North Building... and i run into Tim Horton's... and they don't have English Toffee!!

Anywho, I'm at school to study and photocopy some chapters... yeah last minute... but atleast I didnt hafto buy it! Psych textbooks are ridiculously expensive and they're all half courses... so whatever man... and one of my good friends from 1st yr is moving back home (Jordan) permanently!!!.. leaving on Thursday... so we're having lunch today. I couldn't believe it when I heard... like we were literally fighting about it... I was like "STOP LYING!"... i still can't believe it. And i guess this is just the beginning of friends moving away... or back home... whether it be because they get married or graduate or for a job... after all, one day it'll be me.

Best of luck Hamoooodeh aka Korean... we had some great times!! We'll miss you... you'd better be back soon!

Happy Bday Sahar!

2005-12-12T23:51:00.000-05:00

It was my dear Bhabi aka Bobbi's bday on Saturday! I wonder what my bro got for her... he isn't really a bday type person... Anywho, finally she is older than me... now Aunties can't be like "shadi karro .. dekho Bhabi bhi tho same age hai!".. now she is officially one yr older :)

She is one hard person to shop for man.. mash'Allah guy... she has 2 of everything you could ever think of. So i got her some flowers... they were really pretty... and my Dad was really into getting a cake and stuff for her... awwww... Papa so cute. Then later we headed over to her Khala's place... dinner was AMAZINGGG!! Sahar's fave... chicken wings.. and a ton of other delicious things...

(Yeah i know only 11 candles.. i didn't wanna fill the cake with candles.. then she might feel old... )

Walimah Pics!

2005-12-04T14:23:00.000-05:00

Ahmer & Sahar... posing for pics before the festivities begin.

My parents & the newlyweds

Shabana Baji, me and Toobi... the coordination of colour was PURELY coincidental! Ammi was the only one not matching us...

The Sheikh Bacha Party: Hammad, Tooba & Iyad.. posing in front of the Head Table on the men's side.

Tooba & I on stage as I did my speech... surprisingly Ammi didn't beat me after hearing that skit part of my speech... haha.. i guess she realized how true the scenario actually was.

The Table of wedding pics of Aunty & Uncle, the newlyweds & my parents...looked amazingggggg... too bad we forgot the guest book :(

Sahar & I... awwwww sho cute! AND my eyes are open... woo hoo!

Finally, the newlyweds grand exit... whilst the throwing of the rose petals.

Mash'Allah, Mash'Allah.. everything turned out great... the food, weather, speeches, the programme... had some issues with the sound system... but Alhumdalillah... the night was amazing. Hope everyone enjoyed themselves! I think I'm gonna go hibernate now...

Happy Berday Maddy-ha!!

2005-12-04T11:57:00.000-05:00

Madihah & Mou, Maddy's cousin... man, I cannot believe they aren't sisters, let alone not even first cousins.. the resemblance is uncanny! Both gorgeous, Mash'Allah!

Me and Shabinaaaaaaaa... awwww man, I'm gonna miss her ... Pickering is bohot far...

Dinner at Singapore Gardens was sooooo much fun! I was soooo accident-prone that night... i spilled like half of the szechuan chicken on the table... but in my defence the plate was too hot. Hope you had fun too Madihah! Much Love my dear...

By Popular Demand.. more Nikkah pics!!!

2005-12-02T18:59:00.000-05:00

Us before the Nikkah.

Ammi & I right after we made our Baraat entrance. Ammi looked tres HOT, mash'Allah!

Sahar & her sis, Naila as she made her entrance at the Nikkah ceremony.

Bro & Bhabi cutting the cake!

Sahar feeding my bro... she looks sooo embarassed.. or maybe that's just her blush.

My cutie, Iyad... in his super-stylish, pint-size sherwani... posing for a lil-post-wedding picture. He was the 'Shevalla' aka mini-Dulha.. although Azfar did a great job lookin like the Dulha... you shoulda seen his matching shoes... good thing he didn't wear his kulla... then it woulda been overrrrr.

And they're officially MARRIED!!!

2005-11-19T17:16:00.000-05:00

As you may have noticed with the lack of entries... I have been psycho crazy busy the last week or so... with my Bro's wedding preparations! But Alhumdalillah... was tons of fun & definitely worth it. I got a Bhabi out of it!

The few days leading upto the Nikkah.. consisted of a thousand last minute shopping trips, lots of food runs, early morning appointments... our Mehndi appt was for 9:00 in the morn... don't ask me how we made it... well we were like 45 mins late... but Alhum Punita was still there waiting for us.. and man did she do an AMAZING job..
And it only took her an hour to do all 4 of us! I recommend her!

Some not-so-great Moments:

* missing my MAC makeup appointment and then having to go to an Indian "beauty parlour" instead... guy, first she made me look like a ghost... and i had to force her to make me look darker (!!) and then she made my lips look huuuuge & put burgundy lipstick on me... so i basically looked like a clown :( ... yeah I did look like a clown.. the kids told me so. So i came home and fixed my makeup ... :S
*My hair was crazy poofy... i had to flatten it
*Photographer guy made us mucho late for the Nikkah
*It jus HAD to snow that day!! So the roads were a mess...

Otherwise, Alhumdalillah everything went well. My Ammi is too cute... you woulda thought she was the mother of the bride, when we were takin pics at home she got a bit emotional... awwww... I love her! And she'd better cry at my wedding or I'm gonna have a tantrum. Sahar looked AMAZINGGG Mash'Allah... just amazing... and my Bro and her matched perfectly! Haha.. he had a mini fan in his kullah.

May Allah always keep them happy and healthy, inshAllah. Ameen.

I did something embarassing... purely by accident ofcourse, I came to pose for a pic with her and I lost my balance... and almost fell on my butt... but luckily regained my balance. Maddy-ha happend to catch it on camera... thanks!

The pictures took foreverrrrrr to take... but it was really cute watching my bro & Sahar get them done... prob a bit embarassing for them tho.
The cake was beautiful!!! A 3 layered vanilla/chocolate cake.. and decorated with red roses. Totally went with their color theme.

Here's a pic of my Papa and my bro, after the Nikkah posing for a pic. Aww sho cute!

The Ruksati... was sad... she had me crying and I'm from the groom's side!!

But, Woo hoo... they're married! I finally have a Bhabi... more like a sister! Still seems surreal...

Then we came home and some fam friends joined us for some 'rasms' ... well we only did the feeding of the Kheer rasm. Then everyone else fed them too...

Then they were off!

Man, we all went to sleep around 4... we all had stories to share... even tho we were all so dead tired. Me and Azfar still had tons of plannin to do... i still had to write my speech & help Azfar with the slideshow!

Was a great night! Welcome to the Ali Family, Sahar Bhabi!

Congrats Bro & Bhabi!

The Mehndi was sooo much fun!!

2005-11-15T18:58:00.000-05:00

My beautiful decorations... looked like Pakistan!

Here, Iyad and Papa were feeding my bro some mithai... so he was trying to be a good sport & actually ate all the mithai we fed him! Well... he ended up ruining all the pics before this one, because he kept eating the mithai before we could get pics taken... rudeness

Ammi & Shabana Baji (my cousin) posing in their ghararas... U.P. ishtylesss! See, we thought we'd switch roles, so they both revisited their youth and wore ghararas... & i pranced around in my sari! I broke U.P. tradition and wore sari... shadi se pehlay... haha.

Me, Ahmer & Azfar... all reffed out... Azfar's suit was sooooo nice.... wait, whose the Dulha again?!

Woo hoo... Azfar finally shaved... he was eerily starting to look wayyyy too much like Ahmer!

We had my bro's mehndi on Saturday... and I had sooo much fun! Wore my sari... and my Mom and Baji wore their Gharaaras... they looked so cute! Was a full house... and the whole party turned out better than I had expected, alhumdalillah. For one, my bro actually stuck around for the entire party... didn't expect that... I guess he finally realized just how important him being there was for my Mom. She had a blast... I still can't believe Shabs got her up!! Thank you to all my ladies that came and joined in our happiness :) Meant a lot to me and my family. And yeahh, our little Daandia dance turned out to be pretty good... I finally came thru on a dance.. proud of me?? It didn't turn out as great as we wanted (but yo we only practiced for like an hour the night before) but we all had sooo much fun doing it... and I think I ended up hitting Zainab in the head with a daandia... sorry!! ... 3 days to go till the BIG day, insh'Allah!

The Sad Sad fate of my Eid Balloons...

2005-11-07T08:26:00.000-05:00

EiD Mubarak All!

Hope everyone had a great EiD longgg weekend... We went to Trillium Banquet Hall for Eid Salaah... we managed to get there early for once :) And we we even managed to take a few pics!!.. usually we're running late and everyone is mad at someone else for taking sooo long or for hogging the washroom. So yeah... we took a few family photos.. so cute... So anyways, i sat with Shaz and Sumaiya :) And then ran into Marrrrria.. finally! Hadn't seen her in soooo long. Got a cute pic of her and Isa and Raiyana. Saw Khadeeja from afar.. but then lost my Ammi so had to go find her and by the time i found her Deej was gone :(

Then we did the usual.. hit our Family friends' houses for some yummy food! Ate wayyyy too much... was sooo sleepy. Saw my lovely Farah!! We took some quick pics.. BUT ya know I have issues... eyes closed in all of them.. well there was one where one eye was open!

Okay, yeah so about my balloons. Thursday night we decorated the outside of the house for Eid. So we put up some lights and some balloons outside. Looked wickedddd... so anywho, Ammi was like don't put the balloons outside they'll fly away or whatever.. I was like nahhh... kuch nahin hoga. As I was leaving the house this morning... i took a quick glance at the Eid display and noticed that there were only 3 left (One had fallen Eid day)!! One is MIA... Azfar file the Missing persons report ASAP! And one has been... i promised myself i wouldn't cry.. *ahem*.. someone choked the air out of my Eid balloon!! Like... how rude! Dang goray bachay... prob because we pretended we weren't home on Hallowe'en... goshhh! I guess Ammi was rite after all.

[It was probably the psycho weather yesterday... not hating on the goray.. jk! :p]

Happens every year!!

2005-11-03T08:35:00.000-05:00

Once again... issues on deciding on the day of Eid. But then again, this happens every Eid... so why expect this time around to be any different. I think we all hold on to the hope that "this Eid" will be different and will be united for once. Insh'Allah, next Eid :) My family & I are going to go with the Hilal Committee and we're celebrating Eid tomorrow... making today the last day of Ramadan!!!

To recap:

ISNA & Fiqh Council of North America & ICNA (US) decided to celebrate Eid TODAY!

Hilal Committee of Toronto & Zaytuna Institute are celebrating Eid on Friday, inshAllah!

Imam Zaid Shakir's take on the Recurring Moon-sighting Controversy.

Anywho, a heartfelt EID MUBARAK from my family to yours. Yayyy... now i can decorate the house with my new Eid balloons
from Soundvision!

And I still need to buy some Eid presents... well actually jus one for Affar... cuz he bought me a present... sho shweet.. he called me from the iftar yesterday to tell me that there was a Soundvision booth at the UTM Eid Bazaar.. AND they were selling the new 786 album.. so obviously i was like BUY IT!!!! And he did... so i think i owe him something... I think I'll finally get him something from MuslimGear. How does a MuslimGear sticker sound? muhahaha.

Runs in the family

2005-10-31T08:35:00.000-05:00

So it happened again today.... I .. Sarah Ali.. got mistaken for a 1st yr student again!! That's like the 5th time this year! Like goddd... I'm in my 4th year.. nope didn't fasttrack... and yeah am 22.. you'd better believe it.

Just last Friday, i went into my Optometrists Office to pick up my *new* contacts and this woman was waiting there with her daughter and she started chatting it up with me. Nice woman. Anywho, she was asking me how long I've been wearing contacts and I go to her... a long time.. like 5-6 years. Then she asks me what GRADE I'm in?! I was like... *embarassed laugh*... no, I'm in my 4th yr of University. Her jaw drops and she goes, "I thought you were like 16 or 18!" Oh that's nice... I look like I'm still in High School... well atleast I didn't get mistaken as older I guess.. right??

And then Azfar reminded me of a funny story... about my older Bro. One of my friends got married about 2 years ago... anywho, so we met her husband, Bashir and all, and in an attempt to make small talk, he goes to my bro (who was 24 at the time)... "So you're in OAC, right?" and.... everyone jus starts cracking up... until my bro's friend finally tells him "Nahhh, he graduated from uni last year.."

So i guess you could say.. it runs in the family

Rain on my Parade

2005-10-28T23:29:00.000-04:00

I picked up my new contacts today!! They're clear... so don't worry I'll still have the freaky dual color eyes look goin on... So yeah, they're the new Day & Nights contact lenses... which can be worn all the time... so woo hoo I can sleep and nap in them...finallyyyy... my prayers have been answered :) Like I end up sleepin in them in the first place... but that can't be good for my eyes... so now no worries! They're a lil pricey... but its all good.

So when I got home I told my mom bout my new lenses... and she's like "Nahin!! Don't sleep in them..." but I was like "They're made so you can sleep in them and wear them all the time... that's why they're called Day & Nights!" Then we had a little Ammi-Sarah fight... but we're not gonna call it a fight cuz its Ramadan... so it was like a tiff...which consisted of me saying "Ammmmmiiiiiiiiiii!!!" and of her going "Saaaarrrraahhhhhh!!" and that went back and forth for a bit.

Then Papa called... so i told him... thinking he'd be like ok cool... but he said the same thing!!.. "Don't sleep in them... take them off before u sleep!" ... well what's the fun in that!! I got them specifically in time for the wedding craziness... cuz yo won't be getting much sleep in the next few weeks! Speaking of which..... ahhhhh 18 days to go!

Last 10 Days are among us!

2005-10-24T14:07:00.000-04:00

The night in which the Qur'an was revealed is Lailatul Qadr, but the specific night isn't disclosed. All we know about it is that its an odd night in the last 10 days. It is kept a secret so that we strive to find it - and Allah loves his servants who strive in his way, for his pleasure. More then finding this night, is finding it with sincerity. Many a people worship all night long but never find this night because they lack sincerity. This is the night better than 1000 months, which is about 83 years! Because it requires sincerity of intention.

1) PURIFY OUR INTENTIONS: We must have the correct understanding of the act we intend to do and the correct intention based on the understanding (ie. for the sake of Allah)

2) READ QU'RAN: Qur'an is the central theme of this month.We should try, in this month, and as much as possible, to spend our time with the Quran. Reading, understanding and most importantly, IMPLEMENTIN... as one condition of understanding is that it changes our life in tangible ways.

3) QIYAAM: "Night Prayer"; Taraweeh is one form of Qiyam. The Second form of Qiyam is in the last third of the night. With a little effort, we can all spend all or part of the last third of night in ibadah of Allah. We wake up for Suhoor and if we wake up 10 minutes early and pray two rakah, it will be regarded as Qiyam ul Layl.

4) DHIKR: The more we remember Allah, more he will remember us on the Day of Judgment. Ramadan is also the time of acceptance of du'a. The time of iftar and the night of qadr are given very high importance in this regard.

5) ITIKAAF: "Seclusion"; Itikaaf means withdrawing from the world, in a permissible manner, for a short while for the remembrance and pleasure of Allah.This is not something we must all do as it is only a collective obligation. However, if we cannot do a 10 day itikaaf, we should do as much as we can with ease.

"New Storm Measures as MOST Intense Ever..."

2005-10-20T08:44:00.000-04:00

The season of hurricanes, tropical storms and disaster doesn't seem to be coming to an end... if anything... with each passing storm... the devastation is getting worse and worse. With the current Hurricane Wilma (12th hurricane of the season!)... much of the Caribbean, Central America are being evacuated... it's expected to hit Florida by Sunday.

Insh'Allah let's all make the absolute most of Ramadan and its blessings... a coupla suggestions: pray that extra nafl prayer you always say you're gonna... read that extra ruku of the Qur'an... spend your last dollar in the way of sadaqa.

May Allah have mercy on all of us. Ameen.

Let's Discuss Our Deen (LDOD) Program @ Coopers Masjid on Saturday, October 15th

2005-10-12T20:33:00.000-04:00

Feed the Streets on Sunday, October 23rd!!

2005-10-12T14:18:00.000-04:00

Young Muslims presents Feed The Streets

Come and Join Us to feed the homeless on the Streets of Toronto!

Date: Sunday, October 23rd, 2005

Time: 11:30am - 2:30pm
Where: Allen Gardens (Gerrard St. & Jarvis St.)

Toronto meet up: Allen Gardens

Missisauga meet up:
Soundvision (Hurontario & Dundas)
61 Dundas Street WestMississauga, OntarioL5B 1H7, Canada
Ph. 905.566.1444
- carpool leaves at 11am from Missisauga

What to bring: Bring prepared meal bags containing: A water bottle, an apple and prepared pasta or meat sandwich (no tuna... jazakallahu khair)

*Carpool leaves Mississauga (Soundvision) at 11:00 am please RSVP a spot.
*If you are able to help carpool please contact us
*Bring a friend along to help the needy
*Please join us even if you are unable to make food
*Monetary donations are welcome

Contact Info: feedthestreet@youngmuslims.ca

or call at: 647-294-8297, 647-893-8550, 905-783-0055

Ramadan Checklist!

2005-10-11T17:23:00.000-04:00

Ramadan is a blessed month in which we learn discipline, not just in terms of controlling when we eat, but in ALL aspects of our life. Unfortunately, for some, it just becomes a ritual of not eating between sunrise and sunset, with little reflection of the real purpose of Ramadan. Allah does not need our hunger, so we should really try to make improvements during Ramadan and try to become closer to Allah through our actions, and this requires a conscious effort from our part.

Here is a Checklist I found online... it's really amazing.. and insh'Allah has the potential to keep us striving to improve ourselves and attain Allah's pleasure!

Ramadan Checklist

1. Did you complete ALL 5 prayers today?

2. When you prayed, did you pray from the heart and truly feel that you were standing before your creator?
(Praying in a hurry so you don't miss your TV show, or aren't late for a meeting with someone does NOT count!)

3. Did you read Quran today? after Fajr salaah?
(even if you Read one page of the Quran that is still good because the Angels are changing their shifts during that time and there is alot of blessings if you are in a state of ibadah when the first shift is leaving and when the next shift arrives. Also, keep in mind that Ramadan is the month of the Qur'an).

4. Did you remember Allah?
(Dhikr, the best way is to recite Tasbih, recite the 99 names of Allah, read dua's, durood, etc..)

5. Did you reflect on all the blessings that you have, and thank Allah for it?

6. Did you give any charity (sadaqa)?
(one may not be able to do this EVERYday, but we should try to do it as often as possible, especially since the reward for it is even greater during Ramadan)

7. Did you help your parents with ANYthing?

8. Did you upset/hurt anyone?

9. Upon realization of that you made a mistake, did you then seek forgiveness for it?

10. Did you argue with anyone today?

11. Did you forgive anyone's mistakes today?

12. If you felt envy today, did you make dua to Allah to protect you from such feelings?

13. Did you backbite?

14. Did you lie today (even the smallest of lies) ?

15. Did you falsely blame anyone for anything?

16. Did you get angry at anyone ?

17. Did you waste ANY time?

18. Did you participate in useless, idle talk ?

19. Did you gluttonously prepare food for suhoor and iftar?
(its best to keep things simple...not prepare soo much food, and extremely lavish foods as if its going to be the last time you will ever eat)

20. Did you say salaam FIRST to anyone, or go out of your way to say salaam to anyone?
(There is greater reward for saying salam first, than just returning someones salaam)

21. Did you smile often today?
(smiling is a form of charity, so if you don't have money to give, then SMILE as often as possible, and that will be your Sadaqa for the day....see # 6)

22. Did you teach something new to another person today?
(It is NOT enough to just learn something new about Islam, like a dua, or hadith......but one must TEACH it to others as well)

23. Did you ask for forgiveness today, seek Allah's mercy?

Insh'Allah, by the end of Ramadan you will have more check marks than 'x' marked for each item.