Giggles n' Chuckles

Guess what?

2006-04-27T02:02:00.000-05:00

I don't think I'm going to blog anymore. Pretty much lost interest, lol. It was nice while it lasted though. Thanks for reading, guys! :D

It is done.

2006-03-23T02:47:00.000-06:00

He's sleepin' with the fishes now. Heh, heh, heh-- oh, I mean... I, er, I finished my exams today! No more school for a week! Yeehaw! Now I can concentrate on work and lazing away, yay! Only, I have to choose next quarter's classes first. I'm a little behind with that, heh. Humanities, anyone? That sounds like a plan, and I definitely think I'll find me some more online classes, yes, I do love being able to turn in an assignment at 1 in the a.m. The internet's beautiful, y'all. So I'm having a friend visit for spring break, kekeke. We'll wreak havoc. Hopefully, I'll be able to visit Chicago in the summer, before I have to start classes again. I'm trying to finish this AA as soon as possible so I can get out of this town and back on stable ground... No more moving, I say! Har. I'm such a homebody. :blush: Okay, that's all for now, salamz.
PS. Anyone watching that Black.White show? Great stuff. The white folks are so naive.

A little sunshine

2006-03-14T01:45:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know, my last post probably sounded, er, bitter-- only letting off steam. Yes, that's right, I am just that sarcastic. XD Anyways, this'll lighten the mood! Good ol' Bush, always good for a laugh. Oh, wait, that's all he's good for. :snicker: Observe!

Hulk, Angry!

2006-03-14T01:01:00.000-06:00

Argh, what's with these spammers? Do they even glance at the sites they spam to see that they're way out of their league? Never mind. It's obvious they don't. I can't believe people actually get paid to do this. They're really going places, huh? Anyway, sorry to those that had to see that garbage. I try my best to delete them as soon as I see them, but I've turned on comment moderation and verification (just for a while) to hopefully dissuade the persistent maggots.

The website's coming along nicely. My supervisors took a look and told me that they want the site "brighter." Brighter? Who's seeing this site, preschoolers? Here I was going for sophisticated and subtle, to suit a charity... Clown yellow, it is! Actually, they asked for neutral blue. I just thought, "The site you had before was neutral," and it was fugly. That's why they hired me. Do they want a better job or not?

Naw, I was just a little irritated at first, but I'm not so annoyed now. They liked the design, which is most important. I can change the colors, no prob. They could've told me this before I started, but... I figure it's a good learning experience. I've never really had to do any IT for people who are pretty much IT-illiterate ("you actually go into the code?")... but that's 99% of the corporate world, so this is a good education for me. I can already see the wheels turning...

"You're going to do IT then?" At least that's what my brother thought. I don't know if I will or not, which he found highly amusing. He thinks I'm fickle, that I'm always changing my mind about my major. It was a little irritating coming from a guy who doesn't even know his plans beyond the next six months. I'm thankful to him for letting me stay with him, but I feel like a bloody soccerball, getting kciked between Chicago and Seattle. Now we're staying, now we're leaving, it's enough to give a girl a headache. My parents harp on about school this or that, but how can I continue any program this way? Give me a break. FYI: I'm not going into IT, it's just a good lesson, and it'll look quaint on my resumé.

Huh. They're watching Zorro. Did y'all know it's PG? What self-respecting swords movie is PG? No blood? What does he do, slap them to death?

Oh, that reminds me. Good movies: 16 Blocks and Failure to Launch :gasp shock horror: A chick flick? Breathe, guys. It's actually funny, and of course, 16 Blocks was a good thriller. Do not see Ultraviolet. Urg, it was so... awkward... I went to see the action and even that wasn't good. I couldn't follow. One minute she's flying, the next she's shooting-jumping-twirling-- Huh? I understand stretching gravity a little, but suspension of disbelief will only carry you so far. This was crazy. At some points, they didn't even show the action, that killed the movie altogether. The movie had nothing else going for it, certainly not the plot. Vampires, what? Where did those come from? Anyway, we had fun making fun of it, har. That's all for now, salamz.

Mobs

2006-02-25T04:03:00.000-06:00

It's really interesting to see the effects of "the mob" today, isn't it? When imagining mobs, we tend to think back to the lynch mobs in the deep south or mass murders in Salem, but mobs do still exist today... Frankly, it's kind of irritating for a girl always inclined to say that the masses are not just stupid sheep. I mean, are they trying to prove me wrong?

I'm thinking of the masjid attacks in Iraq, the reaction to the Danish cartoons... The cartoons were tasteless, disrespectful-- and astoundingly stupid to insult one-fifth of the world's population, but I can't see that torching any property is accomplishing anything besides further tarnishing Islam's image. Do these hotheads think they're solving anything? They don't realize the widespread boycott of Danish goods is hurting them more than any arson. I'm serious, Danish businesses closed down overnight. It's all so collected and organized, it's really impressive for a mass movement.

But surprise, surprise, what got me thinking about mobs... this simple piece about theft across borders-- and blaming it on a sick child! Read it, if for nothing else than scientific curiosity. Isn't it interesting to see what an intense reaction this provoked from so many people? It seems like every surfer in cyberspace responded. I was a little, er, startled at some of the comments...

"As everyone esle has said, I suggest contacting people who live there, traveling there even, and especcially RELEASING THEIR NAMES SO I CAN KILL THEM!"

"Does anyone else here really want to see this end up on Judge Judy's tv show?"

But I wonder, is it the mob effect or could a group of, say, four or five friends have given the same opinions? I think so. I can just picture a close friend cheering, "Sue!" Still, maybe the internet still has untapped uses after all. Next time you're feeling vengeful...

Pickup Lines

2006-02-10T18:21:00.000-06:00

These were forwarded to me, and they were just too funny, I had to share 'em. Pickup lines from the brothers who think they slick, ha, ha.

1. "OH MY GOSH! I just saw your hair, now you're obliged to marry me."
2. "I'd like to be more than just your brother in Islam."
3. "To watch you pray is a sin of its own."
4."Will my platinum VISA cover your dowry?"
5."You can't play basketball with a jilbab on, marry me, and we'll go one-on-one our entire life."
6."Muslims are supposed to have many children, and I'm willing to do my part..."
7."Assalamualaikum, so what time does a Hoor Al-'Ayn like you have to be back in Jannah?"
8. "So, read any good Surahs lately?"
9. "Do you believe in the hereafter? Oh, you do? Then you know what I'm hereafter."
10. "Would you like to see my collection of Bukhari's?"
11. "Let's get married so I don’t have to lower my gaze every time you walk in the room."
12. "I've had to fast every day since the day I first saw you."
13. "Do you work for Al-Qaeda? Because you've just abducted my heart."
14. "Your father must be Osama Bin Laden, because you da BOMB!"
15. "Are your feet tired? Because you've been performing Tawaaf in my mind all day long!"
16. "Would you like to help me wake up for Fajr?"
17. "Are you a Shiite? Because when I saw you, I said to myself, 'She aiight.'"
18. "Do you wanna date? I bought a box when I went to Madinah."
19. "Girl, you fine. I see praying five times a day has paid off."
20. "That's a nice burka. Can I talk you out of it?"
21. "I need to break my fast. Can I have a date?"
22. "I didn’t trip over my thobe, I fell for you."
23. "I know Halal meat does a body good, but damn, how much you been eatin'?"

Mummy's leaving Sat. ;_;

2006-02-02T15:19:00.000-06:00

Wow, I haven't posted in a while. I don't really have much to report... My mum's been visiting. We've taken her around-- well, as much as we can. She's really into kdrama now, so she hasn't wanted to leave the apartment. o.0 I've been enjoying my online classes, just took my math exam. I think I did well, but we all know what happens when I say that... Dun, dun, DUN! I especially like psychology. It's so fascinating. Anyone read Psychology Today? Great magazine, folks. I have this neat experiment to conduct this week. I'll let y'all know the results.

I'm all about Ebay now-- especially where textbooks are concerned. Egads, they're such a shameful rip-off. I bought an older edition of a book for five bucks where the current used edition, which is very much the same, runs for fifty.

I'm working at school now. It's great. The people are all very friendly, and I pretty much work at my own pace. When they first told me about the job, it sounded like an assignment I could finish in a day, but looking at it now, I think it might take me a little longer, eheh. I've found I like the office environment much better than retail-- big surprise.

Man, does anybody know anyone who has a really annoying laugh? Apparently, I do, and it's in the living room... ¬.¬ Oh, a little notice, everyone. There's a nasty little virus due to hit tomorrow so be careful about your email attachments, eh? Okay, salamz, all.

Tear, weep, sob

2006-01-15T19:38:00.000-06:00

So I saw Tristan & Isolde. :tear: It was depressing, but then again, it speaks of a good screenwriter if a movie can evoke emotion. They painted the Irish as the villains in this movie, which strikes me as a little odd. I thought it was the reverse, the British attacking the Irish? I'm not too versed in British history, but is that accurate? I'll find out-- but go see the movie, you saps. You know you love the tragic romance and all that precious violence. XD I saw Transporter 2. What a disappointment. I thought it would be like the first, but it was so unrealistic, I was bored to tears. I mean, really, how far can a car fly?

Yesterday was my last day at the store. It's a load off. No more spats with my brother, at least for the time being. I begin working as a web designer for the college's website on Tuesday of next week. In the meantime, my mummy's coming to visit! Yay! Where shall I take her? I must show her around Seattle. I could take her to the places I like to visit, but I hardly think she'd find the library fascinating... Beautiful architecture though it may have.

Eid Mubarak!

2006-01-12T01:27:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to say a belated Eid mubarak, y'all! I hope you all enjoyed yours. I know I did. Food, shopping, and video games-- what a combo! Anyway, online class is a wonder and my evening bio is looking like fun. I'm still on the waitlist, but my prof -she's great!- is expecting me to get in. Inshallah! I need that class. I've made some progress with work study, found some interesting prospects, so inshallah, that'll provide some results. In other news, my parents are coming to visit and my sister's engaged! Wh00t! Salamz!

Commercial Break

2006-01-06T14:05:00.000-06:00

Hey, y'all. It's been a while, I know. You're probably wondering whether I've fallen into a ditch, grown a few limbs... The good news is I've made a decision about school. I'm trying to get into the radiology tech program, and then afterwards, I might try for the nursing program. In any case, I have to finish my AS. After that, who knows? Anyway, I've enrolled in an online class -math online; brave, aren't I?- and an evening class, and I find I like this a lot better than the usual-- no hour commute! Bless online education.

My brother's also given me notice that I'm done with the store in two weeks. He's letting me go. XD No, actually, I'm getting into the work study program at school. That should be interesting. I'm told work study jobs are notoriously boring. We'll see. Meanwhile, I ran into a former coworker in my evening class. That was... interesting. I wonder if I can avoid her next time?

I think I'll never look at another pizza the same way again. Day before yesterday, I vomited one into the bathtub drain and promptly passed out. You all do not want to know what pizza looks like digested, believe you me. Fear not, concerned citizens, I'm all better now. My brother saw Wedding Crashers the other day and now thinks all women are gullible saps. (In the future, kids, don't base your world views on a movie.) He cited the fact that I wanted to see Tristan & Isolde. Yes, tragic romance makes good TV, doesn't it? It's the only remotely interesting movie that's come out in a while... X3 doesn't come out 'til May. Seen some good rentals though. Serenity, The Island. Downloaded Just Friends. That was funny. :snicker:

Anyway, I must go get my books. Salamz, all.

Class?

2005-12-22T20:46:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I've given it some thought, and since I can't, in all honesty, say I have any real interest in continuing with college just "in case" or simply to train for the workplace, I've begun researching some Islamic colleges, since I figure this will give me real, worthwhile knowledge I can use and will need, and further, that an Islamic education will benefit me far more than any secular education, now and later. I'll probably know some disapproval from family and friends, etc., but if it comes down to it further down the road (e.g. during marriage) and I need to shoulder some of the burden, I can find a job. That's not an issue. It's just an excuse, certainly no reason to enslave myself to the bank for the next ten years. I trust in Allah.

Anyway... I've been considering Islamic American University or American Open University, mostly the latter since it's accredited by Al-Azhar University and especially formatted for online learning. It's affordable, and there's no commute, no lectures to schedule my work around, overall ideal. It's either that or a business degree and frankly, that's just bad business sense.

EDIT: Or not... Just talked to my mom. :watching her plans go down the drain: Anyway, looks like I'll be continuing at BCC for now... Need a counselor. Hopefully, classes aren't all full yet.

So bruised...

2005-12-21T14:30:00.000-06:00

...I can't remember whether I'm white or blue anymore, I'm so bruised. We were working in the warehouse again, except this time we had a whole container -that's a semi-truck- to unload. I had a little fight with the boxes. I lost. Eheh, s'all good, I'm not sore anymore. In other news, my brother visited from Chicago. Good times, good times. He was kind enough to work on my brakes for me. Now they're all shiny and new... We were going to see King Kong the other night, but it was sold out. Sold out! Can you believe it? It's about a big monkey, for crying out loud. Anyway, I've got to pick my classes. Aiiiiiie. Decisions, decisions. My dad's back from Syria, and my parents may be visiting. Dun dun DUN. Our furniture will be ready for them. It's gorgeous. I've never seen rubberwood until now. I love it. I ordered some plushies for the store. They're so cute... I want to buy them for someone. Who's pregnant? Well, that's a mini update. That's all for now. Salamz.

What are we going to do tomorrow night, Brain?

2005-12-13T01:48:00.000-06:00

Going to the college soon to straighten out this whole major business, but more importantly, I saw Pride and Prejudice. (Watch the Bollywood version, y'all!) It was a fair rendition of the novel. In fact, I liked it rather more than the book -which dragged on for... centuries. I'm convinced Jane Austen talks too much. Tonight was girls' night -ha,ha- we all played Tetris. WinR! Alhamdullillah, vacation is splendid... Now I leave thee with this:

Don't worry, be happy

2005-12-11T12:50:00.000-06:00

Ah, it's so nice to get away from school. I want to visit Chi-town, but the snow... ouch. My next break isn't until the end of March. That's a long ways away, but at least the weather will be more to my liking. In the meantime, we've been seeing sunshine every day here in Washington. Ha, ha. Gloomy, my foot.

My school dilemma continues, and I only have a little while longer until the winter quarter starts. I've considered quite nearly everything, from opening a boutique -come to Rania for all your fashion needs, har- to writing for a magazine-- a Muslim magazine, of course, where else? In fact, certain magazines :coughJumuahcough: are clearly in need of editors. Then we come back full circle to teaching. That still really appeals to me, even after all the nail-biting and uncertainty. Ah, teaching the young upstarts. I want to enroll in Muslim courses online but maybe I can manage a major in a university at the same time. A combination philosophy/Islam teacher? How about that? I'm starting new trends. XD We'll see. I have to see one of those bumbling counselors again.

"Where is Syria? Africa?" Hey, that's it! I'll become a counselor! You clearly don't need much education for that. Anyways, I want to see a movie, but are there any good movies out? Hmm, there's Syriana... are they trying to send us a message or something? "You're next." I saw Night Watch yesterday. That was interesting, a very Russian take on the manipulations between "good" and "evil." I think Nietzsche would have liked it. I recommend to anyone who enjoys independent foreign films, awesome FX, or supernatural flicks. Keep alert. It's based off a book, so you have to learn backgrounds and characters on the fly.

In other news, I've been talking with a friend about getting a camp started for the young'uns in our masjid. Wouldn't that be a great tradition? And Washington's riddled with camps. it'll be so much fun... I'll let you guys know if that plan comes to fruition, if we can convince parents to relinquish their kids into our keeping for a weekend. Dun dun dun. Well, I'm off! Salamz.

I'm part of the cool crowd now

2005-12-07T15:52:00.000-06:00

Look, everybody! I'm a fundamentalist! But can one be a fundamentalist and oppressed all at once? That is the question. Actually, I was at Olive Garden the other night with a friend- I was about to gnaw my hand own hand off by the time we got a table, but just as we were sitting down, a party of old folks was leaving, and I suppose this woman just couldn't resist putting in a word before she left because she swung by us and said, all smiles and charm,

"Are you glad to be here?"

Me: I do like the Olive Garden... "Uh... yes."

"Good. We're glad to have you."

I didn't understand until after she'd left, and then my friend -who also wears hijab- looked at me, and I looked at her, wondering if the woman had meant the words as they'd sounded. Were we glad to be in this country, away from our oppressive regimes and oh, so domineering menfolk? K was offended, but the words had been meant as a kindness and the woman was old, after all. Probably the last time she laid eyes on a foreigner, dinosaurs still roamed the earth. Har, I kid, I kid-- but I went home later, and my brother told me that the woman probably meant the words as a sort of friendly welcome gesture, although that's another assumption (I'm white as wonderbread and K's black, so who's to say we're foreign?) She was a sweet old lady anyway. Old folks are like babies-- you just can't resist those toothless smiles.

To school or not to school?

So I finished the quarter today. I decided to be consistent and fail all my finals today. Buaha. Actually, I'm seriously reconsidering... everything. I want to teach, but I don't think I'm willing to study for more than eight years just to fulfill the minimum requirements for a college professor. I could teach lower grade levels, but then I would have to attend university and take on loans. I'm still considering options, perhaps a certification, perhaps a business. :sees stars: Oh, ah.

The beauty of a woman's status is that I don't have the burden of providing so if I go to school at this point, it'll be for fun more than anything else, and frankly, I don't want to be in debt for the heck of it. I can learn just as well at home, considering colleges only provide texts, curriculum, and teachers, and I have the first two available to me at any time. Do I take online Islamic courses? Do I help at the masjid, organize a youth group? That would be great.

If I'm honest with myself, a nine-to-five job doesn't really appeal to me nearly as much as starting a family. That's right. I said it. I want to be a homemaker. I can just hear the murmurs now. It doesn't matter. For my part, I think there's nothing on earth one person can do more to contribute to society than to raise another human being. Can you imagine it? Devoting your life to caring for a soul from birth to adulthood, changing diapers, wiping tears, instilling values, comforting, supporting, sacrificing, and never expecting anything in return. Is it any wonder Heaven is beneath the feet of the mothers? We take 'em for granted. I respect no one more than my mum. (Side note: did you know the person with the highest IQ in the world was a housewife?) Anyway... the point is there's no such thing as "just a housewife". That's a grand responsibility, people. I'll run along before I scare somebody. Salamz.

Back from Chi-town!

2005-11-30T20:02:00.000-06:00

So I came back home to Washington Tuesday, 1:00 in the morning. That was a long seven hours, friends, but believe you me, I'm not flying any connections through Delta anymore. In fact, I'm not flying Delta, period. They would have had me overnight in Atlanta, for a flight delay that was entirely their problem-- can you believe it? Where would I have stayed in Atlanta?

Anyway, I'm back, alhamdulillah, and my trip was... fun, sort of... It was nice to see my family again, but it was pretty depressing to fly all the way across the country only to drive three hours over the border to a stranger's house. I was really looking forward to spending time with friends and family. Instead, we spent three days in a hotel in Osh Kosh, Wisconsin. Osh Kosh, by the way, is the smallest, deadest town in the Midwest. I cannot imagine what possesses people to live there. I met my sister's fiancé. Nice guy but after my initial analysis, I totally cast him aside for his parents. Mah people! They're very entertaining. Oh, and the cat- we mustn't forget the cat. He was a prickly creature, must be the old age. He's eleven years. He had the silliest, most endearing name though: Karbouj. (Arabic for "cute.") They should rename him Shaybah, "grey-haired". :snicker snicker: Anyway, my sister and... the other seemed to hit it off well. The future is looking bright, and hopefully, I won't have to go to too many "celebrations". :groan:

So I'm not doing so hot in school... I might change majors. Chemistry is lovely, but there are so many math and physics classes. It's already beginning to wear on me. Fortunately, I haven't closed myself off to other fields. My only caveat is that I must teach. I really want to teach. It's really the only occupation I would consider for the long-term, after motherhood, that is. Egads, listen to me. Is it any wonder people look at me strange when I say I'm 19? Finals next week! Dun, dun, DUN! I hope I won't have to work at the store too much since I have to actually study a little. That work study program at school is looking really good now... Inshallah, I won't be working all of my vacation, eheh. Okay, salamz, y'all.

Busy bee

2005-11-21T17:48:00.000-06:00

Okay, so you've all probably noticed I haven't blogged lately. Fear not, I haven't lost any limbs or broken any ribs (thanks for your concern, mah sistas). I've just been -you'll never guess- busy, and frankly, my life hasn't been terribly remarkable of late, only the same monotonous routine: eat, sleep, class, work, eat, sleep, class... and I think I skipped one of the above at one point or another. I'm not complaining though-- I'm thankful for every moment and thankful most of all that I have the luxury of boredom while others struggle for their daily bread.

We had Baby Boom Saturday. Many customers, alhamdullilah, but the best part was at closing. We were all goofing off and somebody suggested sucking on helium (balloons!). My God, it was hilarious! All these big guys sounding like chipmunks. One woman's face when one of the guys squeaked, "Would you like help with that to your car, ma'am?" Priceless. In other news, my grades are sort of up in the air now. Calc will undoubtedly be low -you know, before the war in Vietnam, a C was a splendid grade- and organic depends on my next two tests. Logic, of course, is smashing. I love it. It's everywhere: law, advertising, business, science, technology, and it's so precise!

Case in point: All professors are not intelligent. Not all professors are intelligent.

Do you see a difference? There is, and sometimes, this is the bottom line in a courtroom. Anyone remember that trial a few years back... I believe it was Jones vs. Clinton? Heh, I think Islam encourages precision in speech. After all, are we not often reminded in our tradition never to misinform and to have a care with words? Aren't our tongues first to incriminate us? It's so easy to forget, to misunderstand. Compared to legal language, the common tongue is sloppy and vague. I think this is true of most peoples, that colloquial language tends to be ambiguous, but my logic professor says it's an American phenomenon. Americans don't encourage thinking-- his words, not mine, but I can agree to a certain extent. I only see thought encouraged in industry, where creativity translates to dollars. Otherwise, I think there's a woeful dearth of independent thought. News media only channels emotion, and as far as I've seen, popular literature only regurgitates the same themes again and again-- and let's not even get started on the public schools. Subhanallah, I'm grateful that Islam encourages learning.

Speaking of news media... a pox on CNN! A pox on them all! Could anyone have missed their diatribe against Egypt and its insidious terrorist organizations? I quote, "Islamic terrorism is the scourge of our times." Not poverty or crime? World hunger or AIDS? Disease? War? No...? I guess they take a backseat to politics-- and let's not delude ourselves that it's anything but. Even these "terrorists," these pariahs, ultimately desire a change in power. Human behavior, despite appearances, always has a rational motivation.

On a lighter note, I recently read an article (warning: this is an editorial and as such, exceedingly biased; read with a grain of salt) about Nordstrom's catering to Muslim women in Virginia. Imagine that. Do you know what was most amazing of all? American women were actually offended by this. They called it unamerican. "They are in the United States and [they] should dress to our way not the other way around." Well, aren't we a grumpy poo! Don't worry, pumpkin, we'll be sure to wear our own clothes when we take over your country. BUAHAHAHA! Now, where's my sword?

Ahem. So I'm hoping to get into work study next quarter. It'd be much easier than working at the store, and my brother will have plenty of head notice to hire another person if I do. I might even be able to continue here and there, since I've become somewhat attached to finding new products and ordering for the store. We'll see. Well, that's enough babbling for one sitting. Next time, I think I'll write on the article I read against cohabitation before marriage (by a non-Muslim, just you imagine). I'm going to visit Chitown in a few days! Vacation, wh00t! Salamz, all.

Happy Eid Mubarak!

2005-11-04T16:17:00.001-06:00

Now, if you know anything about Eid, you're probably thinking, "Wait... what? What's up with that title?" Redundant, no? I thought so too. They were the words on the sheet cake that a friend ordered. That's what we get for ordering from a non-Muslim. Next time, she ought to specify, "No ad-libbing, please." Actually, the cake wasn't bad and the rest of the food was wonderful, but the best part of Eid was spending the day with a sister and her family. I was sorry I couldn't fly in my own family or my friends from Chicago (Eid mubarak, y'all!), and I was sorrier still that my brother and his wife wouldn't take a day off from work.

I think people should enjoy this holiday to the fullest. I mean, have some pride! The Prophet (sas) told us,

"Every nation has its festival, and this is your festival."

The non-Muslims put us to shame when they ready and prepare themselves for their holiday(s) for weeks, while some Muslims will barely manage twenty minutes out of their day for the prayer or their families. Is this what they'll teach their kids about Eid-- or perhaps their children simply know Eid as a cash bonus? Work -or school- will still be there the next day, folks. Take some time for your families. Some scholars have said that Eid prayer is obligatory, and it's certainly recommended for women -even the "menstruating women" so they can "witness the blessings of Eid and see the gathering of the believers." So we can see that it is important, not just "another sunnah."

But I digress. It was rainy on Eid but fun all the same. We got lost now and again -I think I've seen every corner of Seattle now- but we made it in time for prayer, alhamdullilah. I met some sisters, and I bought some underscarves, a calendar, a Qu'ran CD. Then we went back to K's house. Subhanallah, I love her family. Her mother, her sister, her baby nephew (adorable, mashallah!) We had lunch, her family visited, and I just felt so grateful and blessed to be sharing the holiday with them. They treated me like one of the family. I hadn't thought my Eid this year would be very fun without everyone, but subhanallah, her family was generous enough to take me in (like a stray, ha). Did I mention I love kids? XD There were plenty. So afterwards, we wanted to see a movie, but we didn't get a chance so inshallah, tonight we'll celebrate some more.

In summation, my Eid was fantastic! Be grateful for family or your surrogate family, eheh. You don't appreciate them 'til they're gone. The imam talked about a man in the community losing his sight. What Allah gives, He can take away. Thanks, everyone, who dropped me an "Eid Mubarak".

This is outrageous!

2005-10-30T19:27:00.000-06:00

Harper pulls photo exhibit upon Muslim protest

I could not believe this when I heard it. Really. I was outraged. Harper, the college I previously attended, showcased an exhibit by self-proclaimed "artist" Amir Normandi last semester and, as a result, received protests from Muslim students. I can only conclude that they did not learn their lesson because they allowed him back! Subhanallah, his exhibit this time around was even worse! Muslim women in the nude! Astaghfirallah! He thinks that he frees women in this way? Muslim men with machine guns-- well, as long as we're not perpetuating the stereotype. ¬.¬ This is thoroughly disgusting. I would be ashamed to call this man my countryman.

If nothing else, Harper should take a lesson from this: they ought to approve photo exhibits beforehand. I mean, this is ridiculous for a school with such a huge Muslim population. Are they trying to alienate their biggest contributors or what? I'm disappointed in them.

Deer in the Headlights

2005-10-28T16:35:00.000-05:00

So you've heard of deer in the headlights. That's me. Earlier in the week, I was shocked when a brother suggested marriage to me. I've read the hadith, and I've even seen my friends go through similar experiences. You would think I'd know how best to handle such a situation, but my mind drew a total blank. My youth and inexperience was so glaringly obvious in that moment. I felt all of twelve years old. I think it was because I'd always assumed all along that, despite all my joking around, I'd most likely find a husband traditionally, through the family "network."

I hadn't any idea what to do should a brother approach me directly, or his friend. I was at work. I was hardly expecting marriage. One minute I was watching a screen, the next I was agreeing to let the brother come to our store to "say a few things," my first mistake. So he comes, he chats, and my brother later told me that I seemed like I was having myself a jolly good time. I guess this speaks to my acting skills because, on the inside, I was mostly uncomfortable. I didn't feel right chatting with a strange man, especially without my brother's knowledge, but I didn't know what to say. "Excuse me, brother, could you, um, leave?" Did I mention I didn't get any work done?

Well, as can be imagined, my brother was angry when he found us talking. I don't blame him. I had already agreed to let him screen any potentials -fortunately, he knows my mind pretty well- and here I was mingling with never a by-your-leave. On the bright side, we had a heart to heart, and he set me straight on how to deal with these situations in the future, which is to say let him deal with them. That's fine by me! I could do without the awkwardness. Whew. I'm glad that's over, and here I thought I was all prepared for marriage. I guess I'll take it slow, eheh. So take note, all, if any of you have convert friends, teach them to properly approach a marriage prospect.

Oh, right, and the deer got a ticket today. Two months of driving in the carpool lane and they finally get me a mile from home. In other news, we have off on Monday! Huzzah! I can catch up on my calc-- but more importantly, Eid is this Thursday! Yay! Who's excited? I am! I've already cleared my schedule of quizes and other distractions during the holiday, hee hee. The brothers were telling me the prayer is usually at the football stadium. There must be a lot of Muslims, wee! Salamz, all!

They're everywhere!

2005-10-25T15:23:00.000-05:00

Mashallah, there are so many Muslims on Blogger. I was searching out of curiosity earlier, and I found heaps of them. I never even realized. It's a nice distraction from my studies anyway-- I found out my calc grade today. I'm really going to have to step up my game.

My mum might visit in Dec. Yay! :cheesy grin: And a friend from Chi-town might visit! That would just make my winter break!

I talked to the Financial Aid woman yesterday, and I discovered a fascinating tidbit. Did you know that by law no person is financially independent until the age of 24 or marriage*? I had no idea! It fascinates me because my status under Islamic law would be much the same and after hearing "feminists" complain endlessly of shariah, I've never thought American law would be in accordance-- but lo and behold! They are. I wonder if this is just law on the West coast? Hmm... deep thoughts.

On a more important note, the last ten days of Ramadan have begun! Let's put our all into these days, guys. Why make yourself hungry otherwise? Allah gives us so many opportunities to cleanse ourselves. Take 'em! All right, salam, y'all!

*average circumstances

Earthquake Relief Fundraiser

2005-10-22T02:17:00.000-05:00

Salam, y'all! I'm ecstatic today because our fundraising dinner turned out even better than we expected, mashallah! Food, kindly provided by Kabab Palace, was superb, and the video was very moving. It was so saddening to see all the children affected by the earthquake. I hope it moves more people to donate, inshallah. We had many generous souls attend, many Muslims and non-Muslims. Our college's staff was so supportive of us, alhamdullilah! I've never heard of such support for the MSA at any college. The president herself endorsed us and broadcast our event in a campuswide email. In fact, a lot of the staff donated even though they couldn't attend the dinner. Subhanallah, there was a great spirit of generosity in the community. I had a great time (even as an usher in the hall, ha!) All the older members tell me that it was the biggest event ever sponsored by the MSA. I was so happy to be a part of it. Mashallah, so many brothers helped out, before and after. I was really grateful to see that. Our MSA worked together well, and I think it brought a lot of the members closer. All in all, it's a running start to the rest of the year, a fantastic start. Whew. I glow every time I think about it. It's time like these that renew your faith in your brothers and sisters, supporting each other in times of need. Can I get an amen? XD Wasalam, all, and once again, ramadan mubarak!

Sisterhood

2005-10-16T18:25:00.000-05:00

Ramadan is beautiful, isn't it? Even when we can't do as much as we'd like, we can't help but feel the wonder of the month, the brotherhood, the peace. I was working late last night and, subhanallah, even tired and hungry, I could take a step back and thank Allah to be surrounded by my sisters in Islam because I know a lot of Muslims aren't so fortunate or don't appreciate this blessing. It's gratifying to know that another soul works for the same God, sympathizes with the trials, hardships, and rewards; it's like an unspoken agreement. "I will help you and you will help me because we both work for the One who is greater than both of us." Two Muslims share a connection before even the first word is spoken between them, and when all's said and done, that brother or sister may help you more than any human on this earth because it is the Muslim brother or sister who can help you attain Paradise-- and that is the greatest gift, is it not? (I'll take this opportunity to thank all my sisters out there who have been so sweet and supportive.)

I don't think our customers agree though. I had a woman come into our store and, noticing that all the employees were Muslim, ask, "Do you have to be Muslim to work here?" My thoughts: "No, 'cause lawsuits are expensive." Another man, "So is it like this at every USA Baby? Is USA Baby Muslim-owned?" Rania, again: "Why? Would you boycott us if it were?" That's right. We're taking over the world! :insert maniacal laugh:

They crack me up, these Christians. I finished The Ideal Muslimah, not a bad read. Basically, the author outlined the actions and character of a good Muslim woman. I didn't find anything unreasonable -and the author's a man, surprise of surprises!- mostly the same deeds for which I'd expect any sister to strive. Most of all, I liked his evidence, i.e. the ahadith he cited. They were good, sound examples from reliable sources. Overall, I'd recommend this to newer Muslims, since I'd expect the rest to have read most of this before. Oh, and if any are interested there's also a companion book called The Ideal Muslim. Not bad, eh? Ok, salamz, all.

Bad Exam!

2005-10-13T14:55:00.000-05:00

Oi. I just came back from taking my calc exam. Not good, folks, not good-- and I need that credit for my major. What's a girl to do? Here I was feeling so accomplished for getting my work done during the week (my department's going to be the best, just you wait and see!). I really hope I did better on my logic exam; inshallah. I was sort of preoccupied during the test because my brother kept calling. I'm bloody Miss Popularity all of a sudden. Everyone wants a call. Naw, it's all right, but my prof did look at me kind of strangely when my pocket kept vibrating. 0.o

Now I can relax... sort of... almost. Salamz.

Earthquake is punishment- isn't it?

2005-10-10T19:14:00.000-05:00

The comments to my last post (thank you, sisters) brought a few thoughts to mind, so I thought I'd share those first:

May Allah bless those deceased. The Prophet (sas) has said that those who die professing Allah's Oneness will enter Heaven, so we can take comfort that the Muslims who were fasting, etc. will be granted a good life in the Hereafter.

I think which nation suffers the most calamities is irrelevant. We cannot draw any definitive conclusions from that (e.g. we can examine the murder rates in non-Muslim nations; how about these? Does this have any bearing in our statistics?) It's just too uncertain. Likewise, we must be very careful not to presume that we know Allah's intentions. I noticed that both of you, PA and Nira, claim that this was a punishment for this or that, but no one on this earth can know the truth of that. None of us are privileged with Allah's personal agenda. We have hadith that mention earthquakes as a product of Iblis, a sign of Judgement Day, and a punishment.

"This my Umma is an Umma which receives mercy: for it has no punishment in the akhira. Its punishment is in this world: strife, earthquakes, and killing." (Abu Daud)

Narrated Ibn 'Umar: [The Prophet] said, "O Allah! Bless our Sham and our Yemen." People said, "Our Najd [land] as well." The Prophet again said, "O Allah! Bless our Sham and Yemen." They said again, "Our Najd as well." On that the Prophet said, "There will appear earthquakes and afflictions, and from there will come out the side of the head of Satan." (Bukhari, 147)

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "The Hour [Last Day] will not be established until [religious] knowledge will be taken away [by the death of religious learned men], earthquakes will be very frequent, time will pass quickly, afflictions will appear, murders will increase and money will overflow amongst you." (Bukhari, 146).

I recommend everyone take a look at this link. The sheikh says it well. So, you see, rather than guessing -for we can only guess- at the reasons, I think we ought to take this as a reminder: none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. We ought to make the most of our time. I don't mean to scold or lecture. I've seen the same comments at other blogs-- these are just my reactions.

On another note, we had the first meeting of the MSA today and it looks like we'll have a lot of members, inshallah. I think our first event will be raising funds for the earthquake victims. I went to taraweeh last night, and I met some fantastic sisters. One of them is expecting her baby girl soon. Mashallah, such a blessing to be born in this month! I think I'll go to prayers again tonight, and somewhere in there I'll fit in some study time. Salamz.

Weekend. Finally.

2005-10-08T14:01:00.000-05:00

Assalam alaikum, y'all. So it's finally the weekend. Whew. It feels like it's been ages since I've been away from school. It's nice to take a break. This week was hectic with two exams and all. I hope I did all right. I know I didn't lose sleep for nothing. I keep leaving logic class early. I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I think that'll be habit throughout the quarter because I can't see any help for it. He talks and talks... and I've already read the same in the book. The students find him entertaining at least. He's like that kid back in elementary school whom everyone would always tease, poor man. He just randomly stuck his finger in his mouth the other day and started sucking. I don't know what he was thinking. Everybody was snickering behind his back. I can't believe this guy went to MIT. Do they let just anyone in nowadays? XD

Anyway, I heard back from the MSA. Apparently, there was some confusion about the first meeting, but there will indeed be a meeting on Monday- although I've received conflicting times so I'll have to take my best guess there. From what I heard, two different groups were trying to set up the meeting at the same time. That's good news, right? There must be a goodly amount of Muslims on campus in that case. I sure hope so.

I heard yesterday about the earthquake in Pakistan. Subhanallah, it was a very strong earthquake. Keep them in your prayers, everybody.

Good day, my fasting friends!

2005-10-06T18:18:00.000-05:00

My first day of Ramadan was fun. I woke up to eat for the first time in years. I figured I'd need the energy so I stuffed myself. Mmmm, syrupy goodness. I'm talking to my brother again. I feel silly for ignoring him in the first place. He thought I was angry about the car the whole time when I was really irritated with him for his language. So much for making a point, eh? We had some good food yesterday. Mmm, chicken, I can taste it now... Er, remind me to wipe off the keyboard later.

I visited the eastside masjid. Subhanallah, it's so convenient to have a masjid two minutes from school. I don't have to pray in the grass anymore! Huzzah! I must say, I really like the masjid's remodeling. The sisters' area is bigger, cleaner, sleeker, and when I was there, I wanted so badly to fix this or that- make the place dazzling, you know? Maybe my sister-in-law and I will get involved in a halaqa, meet some sisters. I saw this magazine while I was there. It's good reading. I was particularly interested in the book review, which led me to my next read: The Ideal Muslimah by Muhammad Ali Al-Hashimi. I'll post my thoughts as they come. By the by, I found this fantastic site where you all can download Islamic literature. Check it out! Gawaher.

So I went to the MSA meeting today, but nobody was there. Maybe it was cancelled? I hope they haven't given up already. I have to go study for my tests now. Organic lab is becoming intensely tedious, by the way. This is exactly why I'll never, ever do research. I absolutely refuse. Salamz!

Ramadan Mubarak!

2005-10-04T02:48:00.000-05:00

So Ramadan is coming! I'm excited. My classes all end before 6:00 so I'll be able to break my fast and go to prayers, inshallah. I haven't even been to the local masjid yet, can you believe it? This year, I'll make sure the TV's off, at least so we can get in some Qu'ran time. We can spare that much. I think I'll even try my hand at learning some recipes. I don't think one per week is too ambitious, do you? My stomach is grumbling for those dates already! I'll be sure to buy in bulk.

The sisters in class were telling me that some of the Muslims at school want to recharge the MSA, so to speak. Their previous president wants to step down, and guess who they wanted to replace her? I must have a target on my forehead. It's downright eerie. Every school I've attended I hear the same... I think I should just take the hint, but I have burdens enough, so I'd rather help the MSA along instead of leading, per se. I don't know yet. I think it's the perfect opportunity to rejuvenate the MSA though. Who knows? We may even be able to get in a few events, like a food drive. Inshallah, we'll have enough people.

Now let's all remember, people. Fasting does not mean "hunger", it means "to refrain." That's all-inclusive, so make these days worthwhile. Continuing with studies and/or work as usual is not taking advantage of this month's blessings, am I right? Neither are the bad habits. Keep this in mind:

"If a person does not avoid false talk and false conduct during siyam [fasting], then Allah does not care if he abstains from food and drink." (Bukhari, Muslim)

"Many people who fast get nothing from their fast except hunger and thirst, and many people who pray at night get nothing from it except wakefulness." (Darimi)

Look, look!

2005-10-02T06:53:00.000-05:00

For some reason, I was determined to make these... Feel free to use on your pages, and I'm open to requests. ^-^

Made with graphics from saffy.

Who am I kidding?

2005-10-01T14:53:00.000-05:00

I can't hold a grudge, and I feel like a fool ignoring my brother when we live in the same apartment. It's childish, closeting myself in my tiny cell to avoid him-- and over what? Ramadan's coming soon and I don't want to approach it like this, resentful and bitter. I'll just have a little chat with him... hm, I'm running out of places to hide the bodies- er, I mean, we'll settle this like adults. We'll arm wrestle! Yeehaw! Where's my shotgun, Pa?

I kid, I kid. Anyway, Ramadan will be fun. This year's fast will be the longest, but it'll be satisfying, won't it? To know that you have that much discipline? How many non-Muslims could say the same? Let's just remember, friends, Ramadan is not just abstaining from food and drink. The cussing, the rudeness, the hissy fits- they all got to go. ;) Salamz, all. I'll be back later, but I leave you with this:

The recent census conducted in the UK has revealed that every 2 minutes a woman in England gives birth. Prime Minister Blair has been heard declaring, "This woman must be found and stopped."

I wuv logic

2005-09-30T16:17:00.000-05:00

So I've been sort of avoiding my brother. I figure the less I see of him the less likely we'll step on each other's toes, so I probably won't have anything to do with him until my next work day, Tuesday, when, incidentally, I have a day off of school -wh00t! The whole college is being evaluated that day for accreditation. Let me just say, I hope they don't tour the science facilities because they are woefully underfunded. The labs don't even have proper scales. What did they spend their funds on, those pretty sculptures in the courtyard? Just why is this one (see right) called Psalm 61 anyway?

Despite that, I like the school. The teachers are excellent. They really try, and once one has been through enough public schooling, one can tell the difference! Both my calc and chem professors explain as I would: simply. They don't get bogged down in detail or detour into useless, complicated explanations. My logic prof, on the other hand... Well, he says logic comes naturally to him, and considering his MIT background, I'm inclined to believe him, but he confuses himself in class! He overcomplicates everything, and worse still, he disagrees with the textbook a lot. How can the students learn from the book if they're taught that everything therein is disputable?

I tried to give him a few suggestions, but really, I'd love to teach the class. I should. That would be hilarious, but I think I'll just make a study guide to help the students instead. Logic should never be a chore. It's such a necessary skill. I really don't want the whole class coming out of there thinking that logic is useless and a pain in the neck because when all's said and done, logic is really very simple- and did I mention necessary? How can they function without it? How, I ask you! And that's all she wrote. Salamz.

Taxi!

2005-09-28T20:23:00.000-05:00

This is one of those instances where it helps to blog. I was pretty angry today-- still angry, in fact. My car ran out of gas and thusly would not start this morning. That's my fault, I know, but I wanted to study before my calc quiz and I didn't have the time to dwell on it. So when the car didn't start, I immediately came back to the apartment and asked for a ride. A yes or no would have done, especially as I was in a noticeable rush. Instead, I get insulted -repeatedly- and... that's it. They leave without further ado- without even the decency to tell me, "No, Rania, we won't give you a ride." Nothing. So I wait uselessly...

Fine, that's just fine, but then I call my brother-- and I just get some more insults, and they tell me to wait some more. By this point, there's no way I'll make my quiz in time. So I call my professor, and -bless her soul- she tells me that I can sit in on her next class if I can't make it. I call a cab right away, and I come to school, but if I had known I wouldn't be getting any help, I would have called the taxi sooner, possibly made it on time. That was silly of me. Why did I expect anyone would help out, just because they're family? (FYI: that's my sarcastic streak there.)

Anyway, my car's full now... it was a shame I couldn't do that this morning, but it would have been a little awkward lugging four or five gallons of gas down the street, don't you think? I guess "empty" means empty, after all. I'm mostly avoiding my brother until I cool off. He seems to be peachy keen after cussing me out like he did this morning. At least the quiz is over. I think I did all right. It's a relief to get that off my shoulders. On a brighter note, I really like logic and chem. Wh00t! Salamz, all.

Aftermath of the Boom

2005-09-25T17:04:00.000-05:00

So we had Baby Boom yesterday, our biggest sale of the season. We did well, alhamdulillah, and though it was tiring, I was happy to keep busy. Most days at the store are tedious, so it was a welcome break. We had a constant stream of customers, alhamdulillah. Two brothers from the NC chain came to help out. The older one's... er, quite a character. He seemed to wear on everyone else, but I guess I'm accustomed to strong-willed men because he just reminded me of family. I can't imagine what they meant by "scary." He seemed like a big ol' teddy bear to me. XD

I hope nothing was stolen in the crush. We've had a problem with thefts lately. I don't understand it at all. I mean, they steal stuff like breast pumps and book ends. Book ends? Come on! You know them thieves ain't gonna read! What could they possibly need with book ends? I mean, that's just gratuitous! Anyway, we all went out to Red Robin for dinner afterwards. Good food. Then we came home, and I collapsed into bed. I'm definitely glad I was scheduled for a day-off today because I need the time to study-- and do laundry. I smell. :sniff sniff: Like cabbage. Ewww.

It gets aggravating at work. I make mistakes and they practically beat me over the head with them. They say I don't care. If I didn't care, I wouldn't do it. I would never waste my time like that. Oh, but the nagging! Somebody stop the madness! Eheh, all right. I have to prepare for a calc quiz on Wed. Salamz.

School, dude

2005-09-21T20:02:00.000-05:00

Good day! I burned my tongue today. Hot chocolate, my foot. By "hot", do they perchance mean boiling? Why do they sell that? Who wants to burn their tongue? No, don't answer that. A virtual cookie for anyone who can guess who called me today. Ann Taylor! Apparently, I got the job. I'm still not going to take it, but it's nice to know I have the option, heehee. Speaking of which, I have to take on more hours at work. My car's water pump and timing belt broke. So we're going to have to shell out another grand. Oi. Who's the engineer who decided it would be terribly clever to hide away the pump where it can't be reached without a thousand-dollar push? :grumble: I also had to buy another book for logic class, but I bought from Ebay -yay!- so it was considerably cheaper than the school bookstore. Go Singapore! :shakes fist: Every time I turn my back they connive some way to add to my bills! x.x Well, at least it's good practice for my future responsibilities, eh?

So it was another day of classes. Calc seems better this time around. Maybe all I needed was a teacher whose accent I could understand? XD Orgo is... taxing. It's hard to pay attention when the man mumbles-- and he is forever mumbling. :mutter: Blasted British. I kid, I kid. I wonder who'll be my lab partner? There seems to be only guys in my lab section. 0.o Logic is fun. Our prof -did I mention he went to school at MIT?- is very nice, but he does tend to babble. We can leave whenever we please, though, and the material's easy, so I don't mind in the least. I think the other students do. Teachers always try to overcomplicate the simple, for some reason. Poor kids.

Anyway, I've been thinking about visiting Chicago for the winter. The season isn't ideal, but I have a month off of school, so it's an excellent opportunity. On Oct. 1 we're going to a dinner, inshallah. A sister and brother from work are going too. Wh00t! It'll be fun. Anyone have music suggestions? I think the current track is going to get annoying after the next hundred or so repeats. Now then. I got to get going. Calc calls me. I'm coming! Wait for me, derivatives! XD Salamz.

Oh, boy! My first day!

2005-09-19T23:30:00.000-05:00

Today was my first day of school! I feel five again. XD I went to calc- late, but better than never, right? I was racing to get to school when I realized the driver in front of me was flicking me off. I had been following him on the highway pretty closely for some ten minutes when I finally saw it. I started laughing. It was just so funny. Here he had gone to all that effort, fuming and staring daggers at me, and I hadn't even noticed! That's just like me. Poor man. His hand must have gotten tired. I gave him some room out of pity.

I kept catching glimpses of sisters between classes when I couldn't spare a moment to meet them. I was beginning to get frustrated, but fortunately for me, I had organic chem! There are at least three Muslims in that class alone, and I started talking with one, a Somali sister. Whew. It's good to know I'll have some friends in that class. I wonder when the MSA meets? I'm a little concerned about the teacher though. Don't get me wrong. He seems like a very nice guy, but he's so soft-spoken! I started nodding off while he was talking. "So carbon is not even 1% of the weight of the universe. Not that the universe can be weighed, of course..." Mumble, mumble. I wish he wouldn't do that. I already have the attention span of a gnat. It looks like it'll be a fun class.

Then I got my parking permit and student ID. I started cracking up when I saw the ID photo! If ever there has been an incriminating photo, it's that one. If you looked for "drugged-up" in the dictionary, I think that's the exact picture you'd find. My eyes are droopy, and I have this huge, stupid smile plastered on my face. I hope I wasn't sitting in all my classes like that.... The girl looks at it and asks, "We can retake it if you want." I told her to keep it. It'll make me laugh.

Anyway, logic was fun! The students are all very friendly and polite, and it turns out we're getting a different professor than the one originally intended. Alhamdulillah, I think that was a great stroke of luck because the substitute seems like a great teacher! I think it'll be an easy class because the material is all pretty new to the students in there, whereas I've had a lot of practice with it. Muahahaha. Whoot! The year's off to a good start. Now if only I could find the time to do my calc homework... or rather, the motivation. ^^;;; Well, that's all, folks. G'night and salamz.

Still breathing... we think.

2005-09-18T12:34:00.000-05:00

Hey, everyone will be happy to know that I'm still kickin'. I've been sick for the past week- or two, but I'm getting better, alhamdulillah. Poor mum, she was worrying. Here I was trying to keep her from hearing about my cold, and my brother blurts it at the first available opportunity. x.x Silly boy. She worries that something will happen to me while she's thousands of miles away, but I bet she'd be surprised to learn that I worry about the reverse (I have more cause! Her health is poor, not mine). Anyway, once I got my voice back I called everyone. Thanks for caring, all. I haven't received a call back from Ann Taylor after they called my references, but I think that's for the best. I've been thinking that I ought to give my current job another chance. My brother seems to have lightened up a little -I think he finally sees I could be of use to him- and I really feel as if I'd be leaving him hanging if I quit at this point (the crew's a small, select bunch). It was after I told my sister-in-law about my job search that I started to reconsider.

"You'd rather have that job than this one?" she asked me. I don't know whether she was shocked, outraged, insulted, or all of the above, but I hadn't expected her to get so upset, to be honest. I thought it was the logical conclusion everybody would draw. I was told on a regular basis that I was useless or stupid or some variation thereof, so I thought it was obvious I would be looking for new employment. I didn't want to be a burden or a favor, and I thought it would be healthier for all parties involved if I left. I never want to resent my brother. If it came down to it, and I believed our relationship was becoming strained because of work, there's no question of which I would choose.

Maybe I thought I would seem ungrateful if I left, I don't know, but alhamdullillah, it looks like I won't have to make any such choice. Work has gotten less strained, so I'm not going anywhere. I like working in a Muslim environment. Things happen for a reason, right? Anyway, I'll have a lot less hours once I start school on Monday. I'm looking forward to school. A'ight, salamz, y'all.

Highs and Lows

2005-09-10T03:28:00.000-05:00

So I had my interview today! I was so excited I was practically bouncing off the walls-- they're safe, don't worry, but I do so hope I get that job. I hit it off really well with the manager who interviewed me, and she said the next step would be simply calling my reference, so inshallah, I should have an answer within the next few days. Inshallah, inshallah, inshallah! I haven't told my brother or sister-in-law about it yet. I don't know whether they'll be relieved or outraged that I'm looking for another job, but I'd rather not start any trouble needlessly (i.e. until I get a clear yes or no from Ann Taylor.) I left the mall all peachy and bubbly. XD

Afterward, I wanted to hang my license plates where they belong -not the backseat- so I went to Lowes to buy some screws, but the man there didn't help me much. He was a little old Asian man, and he kept looking down while I was talking to him-- where was he looking? I kept wondering whether I had anything stuck to my shoe, it fascinated him so much. After a few minutes of aimless wandering down this aisle and that, I thought, "Why am I at Lowes? I'll just go to AutoZone or Napa, where they actually know what they're doing!" I went to Napa, and the man even screwed the plates on for me! Isn't that nice? I could have done it myself, but who am I to argue if the man wants to help? Tee hee. :halo:

Then I wanted to see the Azeri woman about alterations, but I ended up getting lost for two hours because both roads- that's right, both roads I tried were blocked. The construction is everywhere! Everywhere, I say! It's breeding. So I just wandered the detours for a while, managed to tick off a few drivers, and slumped back home. I think I'll just go to the alterations place in the mall. A name like Suzana probably wouldn't be Muslim anyway, right? Yeah.

A few annoyances while I'm here: the sudden explosion of sufism among Western Muslim youth. Is that the new "in" thing now? Is this impressive? Do they think because they've read a few of Rumi's works that they're knowledgeable now? Do they even know some of the misbegotten notions belonging to that "sect"? Why are they trying to set themselves apart from the rest of the Muslims anyway? Simply "Muslim" isn't good enough anymore-- they find their brothers and sisters embarassing, lesser creatures? Do they realize rooting around in the "spiritual" domain is just as much a pitfall as becoming mired in the material (i.e. school, gossip, etc.)? It's just another fantasy, another little world or bubble to preoccupy. Islam was meant for this world, not for catching glimpses of the next! Such audacity to think one has the power of Prophets past! That's one of the beauties of Islam; it's at once practical and divine, sacred yet grounded in this earth. Did not Islam come down perfect? Why do they try to attach labels or modifications -"progressive", Sufi, all the arrogant titles- as if they know better than the Almighty? Before Sufi, before Sunni, before Shi'a, there was Islam! Learn it.

And this! It's a Sound Vision article I found at a sister's site. Now, usually, I respect Sound Vision, but this is disgusting! They're advocating the mutilation of Arabic to accomodate English, still in its infancy compared to the centuries-old Arabic? They encourage mispronounciations and create new words altogether. They discourage using different languages, even though the many cultures of Islam make it that much more beautiful. They even go so far as to encourage the "English" names ascribed to scholars. Who gave them such permission? His name was Ibn Sina, not Avicenna, and if the Western world can't recognize it, we should at least expect better from the Muslims. The scholar would not have appreciated that. Let's avoid subhanallah, mashallah, etc.? Do not repeat the blessings up on the Prophet's name (sas)? Do not use Allah (swt)? What, are they making their own rules now? I'm sure Allah won't mind being unseated by the English language. Authubillah! They sound like the grammar gestapo. A brief translation or glossary is good enough, geez. No need to abuse a language.

And ISNA-- all I hear are complaints and more complaints. Boo hoo, boo hoo, it's no longer Muslim! Boo hoo, boo hoo. Well, change it then! If they hate it so much, they ought to boycott. Likewise, if a brother or sister enjoys the original intent of the convention, then they ought to go and set an example. People whine that it's become a social affair. So? Social affairs are legal, folks. It's as much a benefit to mingle and meet other Muslims as to listen to the lectures, etc. [debateable for certain individuals :hint hint:] Authubillah, they ought to be grateful there are so many Muslims at all. Once one has been without, one knows the ache of being without one's brothers and sisters. Make the best of your situations, all. Take this hadith to heart:

Suhayb (ra) narrated that the Prophet (sas) was sitting among his companions when he began to smile.

"Will you not ask me why I smile?"

"What makes you smile, O Messenger of Allah?"

"I am amazed at the believer's situation! His situation is always good! If something occurs to him that he likes, he praises Allah, and that is good for him. If something occurs to him that he dislikes, he perseveres, and that is good for him. No one's situation is always good - except a believer's." (Ahmad et al. Sahihah no.147)

[Update!]

2005-09-07T16:42:00.000-05:00

So I've ruled out making my own abaya, but after checking alterations prices today, I think I'd rather just buy the stinkin' machine. Ah, well, I'll make do until I've paid for my books. :shakes fist: Dern it. I have my schedule now so I've been looking for another job. I've applied at Anne Taylor, but inshallah, there's one or two open positions at school because I'd prefer that. It would be more flexible toward my classes and, frankly, I'm a little weary of sales. Let's see... I have calc every day, logic monday and wednesday afternoons, and organic at noon on mondays, wednesdays, and fridays, 16 credits total. That's right. I won't be having fridays off this quarter. Boo hoo. ;_; As long as I don't get too much homework, I'm good. By the way, everyone go rent Crash. It's an honest, thought-provoking look at racism and social norms in America today. I really liked it. Now I leave you with these words of hilarity:

"I get to go to lots of overseas places, like Canada." - Britney Spears, Pop Singer

Update: Good news! I have an interview at Ann Taylor on Friday! Alhamdulillah. They got back to me really quickly. It's in the mall only a few minutes from my house, so here's hoping I get it. I'll take what I can get, haha. Also, I talked to a woman from Azerbaijan today about alterations! She works out of her home, and most likely, she's Muslim. She was really sweet. I wasn't sure where to get my alterations done, but that decided me. I want to meet her! By the by, I added one of my favorite abaya/jilbab sites to the links, and I've -finally- changed the song. It's now Dakhilo by Fares Karam. I love that song! With the booming voice and crazy lyrics, how can you resist? XD I wish I could translate the lyrics into English, but they'd just sound awkward. My mom's so cute. She left this song on my voicemail.

Abaya or Jilbab?

2005-09-05T14:52:00.000-05:00

Ah, I have a few hours off today, praise the Lord! XD It seems like my brother gets more demanding every day. Let that be a lesson to you all. Work with family as little as possible-- because you only see more of them when you get home! Now, I think that I wear modest clothes, but the other day he was actually arguing that I should wear jilbabs (right) instead of abayas (left)! Is that not splitting hairs? I mean, there's little to no difference between the two, except for buttons, collar, and shoulder pads. Abaya, he says, does not look professional. Clearly, he has not seen my taste, and the only reason I'm bothering to explain myself to him at all is because he wants to institute a "jilbab dress code" for work. Hmph. :supremely indignant: The nerve! What do men know of women's clothing, or hijab, for that matter? As if I have the extra cash coming out of my arse to be spending on a new wardrobe. What do I look like, a piggy bank?

Finally, the government sends some of the military to relieve the looting and lawlessness in New Orleans after the hurricane. Yep, I bet all those terrified citizens are glad their military's in Iraq now. Oh, excuse me, not Iraq-- every country in the world. Meddlesome US. Police your own citizens! And for all the hicks out there, Katrina is nothing -let me repeat, nothing!- like the tsunami. No comparison whatsoever. The audacity of some people is incredible.

Yeah, and Americans complain about gas prices? Just how do they think prices rises so fast? A friend was arguing the other day that it's due to monopoly. Monopoly? Ludicrous! Everybody knows oil belongs to OPEC, and it's been that way for years -and will be for years to come; oil isn't depleting that much- but have gas prices ever risen at such a booming rate? No... except for -big surprise!- times of war! If the US would stop waging war with every known nation in the world, then perhaps the Americans would have more luck with gas prices! I don't blame OPEC one bit. If America wants to play bully, let her have the consequences. They want to establish "democracy" in the Middle East? Sure, just don't ask the people. You wouldn't want their opinion, oh no, certainly not. Who gave them that right? Do they think we couldn't decide for ourselves what sort of a government we wanted? Are we animals, that we're so incapable of thought? America does not know best!

Well, I'm sleepy so I think I'm going to nap now. Ciao! Salamz.

Fun with Toilets

2005-09-01T23:58:00.000-05:00

Well, I've received my logic book in the mail. I see why I got the refund now. The chapters are out of order. That's all right though, I don't need them in order. :cackle: I started reading A Short History of Nearly Everything, and I've just realized the book is the author's history of the world from creation through evolution. I thought it was a history of civilizations. This is a little disappointing. I would have liked to have read a comical spin on history, but I haven't the least interest in hearing any man's guesses at the creation of the universe or a theory that may or may not be correct. It looks like I'll be rooting around for a new read, which is just as well because I wanted to read an Islamic book anyway. It was meant to be.

My brother and his wife are watching Sahara. Has there ever been another movie with less plot? I can just see it now. It's Hidalgo all over again. :shudder: That movie was an embarassment to mankind. I don't think I've ever seen a movie with more racial slights and inaccuracies. They made us look like superstitious chimps.

"No! I can't shake your hand. I'll lose my fortune-telling abilities." What the---! Where on God's green earth did they get that? They didn't even get their geography right. In the grand finale, the hero rides across the beach towards the rising sun. Romantic, no? Except there's no ocean in Damascus! Stupid fools! May Allah save me from such idiocy. Speaking of which, a film was recently produced sampling all the many instances of prejudice against Arabs and Muslims in the American media. Of 1000 films featuring Arabs and Muslims, an overwhelmingly 900 of those films are a negative portrayal of Middle-Easterners. I highly recommend taking a few minutes to watch; it was a Sundance selection: Planet of the Arabs.

Erg. Somebody stopped up the women's toilet at work today. Guess who had to clean it? That's right. Yours truly. Blasted pregnant women. If I ever see her again... Then my brother and his wife pick me up, and the first thing through my brother's mouth: "Why didn't you vacuum?" O, do forgive me, dear brother! Next time, I'll take out the garbage and vacuum. Shall I lick the toilet bowl clean while I'm at it, good sir? :growl, hiss: I hate cleaning up after anyone, especially a public bathroom! Do you know how much bacteria breeds there? I know because I've actually checked in a lab. Results: too many to count. I had to keep reminding myself: "He's family, he's family, he's family... "

I think I'll actually be relieved to start school again, if only because I'll have less hours at work. At least at school, I feel I'm putting to use my skills, challenging my mind. I didn't grow up as a child thinking, "Gee, one day I hope I can clean toilets." If I wipe anyone's arse, it'll be my child's, thank you very much! Oi, sorry for the rant, all. I was just disgusted, and all the while my brother reminds me that the cleanliness of the store reflects on us. If the American customers come into the store and visit a dirty bathroom, they leave thinking, "Those Muslims sure are dirty." I know he's right. Never mind that it's a public toilet. Most don't even consider that. Okay, that's enough about that. Happy thoughts now.

"The relations with, uhh -- Europe are important relations, and they've, uhh -- because, we do share values. And, they're universal values, they're not American values or, you know -- European values, they're universal values. And those values -- uhh -- being universal, ought to be applied everywhere." -Bush with EU dignitaries, 6/20/05.

Genius.

Comic Relief

2005-08-30T20:19:00.000-05:00

It's funny 'cause it's true. Har. Now then. I'm changing around the template a bit. It's a smidge more interactive now. If anybody has any comments or suggestions, throw 'em at me. I'm no island. My family keeps telling me to get some sleep so I may just take a nap... In the meantime, take a poll, add a hadith, request a song, post a comment-- whatever you please. Salamz.

Children and Mosques

2005-08-29T16:40:00.000-05:00

Hey, y'all. I haven't posted lately because there hasn't been much news. I've been working most days, reading and watching anime to pass the time. I feel I should do something more constructive, I think I'll read Qur'an today. I was really psyched about going to this fundraising dinner at UW on Saturday. They're raising funds for a masjid, which is desperately needed since Washington has very few real mosques, rather, just a scattering of homes wherein people congregate for prayer. I think this is mostly because many of the Muslims here are refugees, so they can't afford to donate much. The event was organized by the UW MSA and comedian Azhar Usman was slated to be there. It would have been wonderful to go. I've been starved for Muslim contact -outside my brother and his wife, of course- since I arrived, and I was really looking forward to meeting some sisters, or at the very least, being in their company, but we couldn't go. My brother tells me we'll go to the next event, but I get the feeling these events don't happen that often here. Then again, it does take more than one dinner to raise funds for a masjid. Next time, inshallah. I'll have to keep posted.

Speaking of mosques, I was talking with a friend the other day, and I was surprised to learn how little she knew of the mosques around the world. Sisters and brothers, if you haven't seen much of the world, let me be the first to tell you, you should look at the masajid around the world, if only in pictures. Subhanallah, Muslims in their devotion to Allah have wrought some of the most amazing works known to man; the architecture alone is beautiful. I especially love some of the far Eastern mosques, they're so creative. One of my favorites: the mosque to the left located in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan. Just look at that. Let the Westerners see that and call us backwards or barbaric, I dare them. It "houses a school, wedding hall, Islamic culture museum, library, cinema, dining room," and hopefully a playroom for the children, eheh. It is, as it should be, a prayer hall and a center for the community, as masajid were originally intended. Mashallah. You can see more amazing mosques here. Browse around.

I was talking to my sister-in-law yesterday about business. She's been irritated with customers trying to squeeze us for all we're worth. Her frustration is understandable, of course, but somehow, we got into big business and ethics. She was saying now that customers push so much businesses have to cut corners to make a profit. This is, obviously, very untrue and almost ludicrous. Companies only cut corners to make more profit, as opposed to simply "paying the bills." I was telling her that unfair consumer demands are no excuse. Right is right. You have to have a conscience when no one else does, else nothing will ever change and the world will go to hell. Somebody isn't always going to be there to give you a cookie when you do something right. Customers may be unfair, but that does not excuse bad business. Besides, where is the faith in Allah, the Provider? One's wealth is predetermined, and if no one else will appreciate sacrifices and the difference between clean money and dirty money, He will. Your only reward for doing good may very well be the Hereafter, but isn't that enough?

We also talked about marriage and children. Some people have no clue. They let their kids run wild, as if they'll raise themselves. One thing I love about the Arab people, it's that they raise their children to have manners. You won't see any Arab children screaming and kicking the floor at the grocery store, or disturbing prayer, or insulting their elders. An Arab child says "please" and "thank you," not "give me!" Some of these American parents will visit friends and family and let their children totally run amuck. I know neither I nor any of my family and relatives ever behaved like that. We were taught to respect people and their property. If my children ever had such problems, I know I wouldn't leave the house with them until I had drilled proper respect into them. My sister-in-law agreed with me on this. It's a parent's duty to teach their children these social skills, and the earlier the better. Otherwise bad manners will become habitual, and if bad manners are aggravating in children, they're simply disgusting in an adult. Am I right? Do these parents think their only duty is to make sure their children don't fall and crack open their skulls? An ape could do that. I know that's a lot of talk from someone not even married, but I plan to do all that I say, and if you know me, you know that proper childrearing is not something on which I compromise. Well, that's enough. I sound like a regular bulldog now. I'm not. I swear! :sob sniff tear: Salamz.

To be or not to be... immigrant

2005-08-19T03:03:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm back in Washington. It was great seeing my family and friends, back in the crush, so to speak, surrounded by wuv. XD We went bowling, to the movies, etc. Wedding Crashers was hilarious -and a little nasty, let me warn ye innocents- while Deuce Bigalow was a waste of an hour and a half. I loved going home, but I just have to say, it's good to be back in my own bed again. I'm bad at sharing. They don't call me the jolly green giant for nothing. Poor mum. I hope she doesn't cry much. She misses her "baby." :blush: She was the best part of my visit.

I started working the minute I got back, though I can't say I did a good job since I was falling asleep standing. I have to break these late sleeping habits. Bad Rania, bad. Somebody slap my wrist. Unkymoods is gone so I'm using imood until I find better. Also, the new song is one of the best. It's Comme Toi by Grace Deeb. Isn't her voice irresistable? Sultry.

Not much else to tell. I filled out my mom's citizenship papers when I was in Chicago, and she wants me to fill out mine. I don't really want to... they ask so much of you. Swear an oath of allegiance. Swear to bear arms. They even ask you to swear to perform "work of national importance under civilian direction." Blast your national security. I don't want to have anything to do with that trash. I can just imagine it. Spying on neighbors. FBI-in-a-can, anyone?

But I'm in a little bit of a bind. Renewing my Syrian passport will be a lot more expensive -like 15 grand more expensive- than becoming a US citizen, and I want to visit home. Just how much are my scruples worth, do you think? Oh, what to do, what to do! :whine: Everyone out there, keep your kids in mind when traveling. They could end up awfully confused one day. Oy. x.x Well, that's enough of me for now. I think I need to see a doctor. My liver feels not so good. Salamz, all.

Muslims in the Military

2005-08-06T01:40:00.000-05:00

I'll be leaving to Chicago this coming Monday, so I probably won't update until I get back on the fifteenth. What's been happening? I'll try to be brief for once. My car's fixed, signals and all. Wh00t! I'm thinking about buying a side skirt and replacing the side view mirrors. They's broke. I bought insurance. What a scam. You lower insurance premiums by agreeing to pay such and such a deductible; hence, the greater the deductible the lower the premiums. So if your car's damaged in an accident and you've agreed to pay a $1000 deductible towards damages, what exactly is the insurance company contributing? Nothing, except in the unlikely event your car's totaled -in which case, insurance pays damages incurred minus 1K- and the fault isn't yours. So the insurance is virtually useless-- and if your car never suffers any damages or accidents, etc.? Does the insurance company repay years of premiums? No. For a country obsessed with efficiency, I find that a horrible waste. In fact, insurance doesn't even pay for the day to day maintenance and repair of the car, so the driver has to set aside still more money for those rainy days. Despite all that, the law requires drivers to insure themselves. Ridiculous. I don't wonder why insurance is prohibited in Islam, but I want to know. What other countries demand insurance? Anyone care to enlighten me?

Anyway, good news. People have dropped organic chem. I'm in! Yay! Now we'll see if financial aid will pay for it, eheh... So there's a new King in Saudi Arabia. Americans found this fascinating. I can't imagine why. The successor is not much different than his predecessor. No radical changes.

I keep seeing blogs written by Arabs in the American military in Iraq. It makes me wonder. How can they fight against their own? How could they have joined the military in the first place, the same military that has an agenda against the Arab peoples? And the Muslims, don't they realize they fight for unlawful causes, evangelical causes, for greed? Islam has delineated for us a very short, very strict set of motivations for war against our fellow Muslims, namely oppression and defense. No one can deny Hussein was a tyrant, but he let the people practice their religion. In the future Iraq, led by America's puppets -if anyone troubled themselves to look into the history of the new officials of the Iraqi government they'd be surprised- I can only see searches of masjids and worse. How could they side with non-Muslims against Muslims? How could they relinquish their consent, their unquestioning obedience to an alien, hostile power? Even Allah does not demand such unquestioning obedience to His Caliphate. A soldier can refuse a wrongful, unlawful demand. Muslims are not sheep. For what do they relinquish their most cherished possession, their wills? For money. The army targets lower income minorities. For education, some say, but what nation educates her soldiers? It's a contradiction in terms. No military wants thinking, questioning men.

And all for what? Democracy? That imaginary ideal? America isn't even a true democracy. What else then? Defense of their country? Are they defending America by invading another nation, by alienating the world, by antagonizing one fifth of the world's population (i.e. Muslims)? More likely, they are further threatening America. What else could it be? Helping an oppressed people? Where were the Americans two decades ago when Hussein destroyed the Kurds? Where were they when sanctions, American sanctions, crippled the country- the people, mind you, not the dictator? They abided all this without complaint and now expect the Iraqi people to believe them when they say "we've come to free you"? I'm sure that'll console them when they're fleeing the next bomb. Don't forget to thank America, kids.

I'm a failure! :sob sob:

2005-08-03T00:10:00.000-05:00

Salamz, y'all. Everybody likes the new tune. Good, good. There's something the Sufis did right. Eheh, I kid, I kid. It's one of my favorites, and, by the way, if anyone has any requests, feel free to let me know. I can find most songs.

Looking back, I can still see the red in my last post. Not surprising, I always get worked up over that issue-- and most others. Nobody expects a laughing, bubbly girl like me to be passionate over any subject, but I've got news, friends: still waters run deep. If I'm all giggles and chuckles -I've said this before- it's because I know I'm blessed and I'm grateful. After all, what have I to be down about? I have a wonderful family, a home, an education, and awareness (and by that I mean an awareness of the world outside one's bubble, the bigger picture). Now I have a car too, alhamdullilah. I think anything less than smiles would be ungrateful at this point.

Now then. Today I went to the DMV to get my driver's license. The first receptionist -one of many- thought my brother and I were husband and wife. This was irritating in the extreme because it's not the first time we've heard that. Really, Americans must never associate with their siblings outside of childhood for them to draw such conclusions, every time. Personally, I think the resemblance is obvious. I mean, come on! He's eleven years my senior. Doesn't anyone see a flaw in their theory? Then again, they must make assumptions every time they see a bearded man traveling with a woman in hijab. What else could he be but the typical domineering Muslim with his meek, cowed wife in tow? I wouldn't be surprised if that was the same picture every American drew at the mention of "Muslim". No, I didn't really mind that much, but it is strange, isn't it? I never see a grown American woman with her brother. Where's the family?

Anyway, I waited an hour and a half until I was squeezed in, shortly before closing. Everything's going smoothly and then I fail. No, not the driving test, not the written, but the vision test. x.x The dot was outside the box, I say! Outside! She asked me three times. I could have lied and told her what she wanted to hear, but my conscience is forever interfering. Yes, we wouldn't Rania to hit any dots crossing the street. I can drive just fine, but she told me I had to get an eye exam with an optometrist. Nooooooo! Anything but that! I remember my last visit to the optometrist. It started out all right... Then he asked about the glasses.

"You don't have glasses, do you?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I didn't think I needed them..."
"Well, you do."
"Okay, I'll get them..."
"Yes, you do. Did you know that astigmatism can't be fully corrected without glasses? Oh, that's right, you wouldn't know! Because you don't have glasses!"

I was thinking to myself, Did I pay for your attitude too? Because I don't remember that bill. I should have asked him, "Did you know three fourths of doctors are jerks?" For all our med friends out there, take a lesson from this. Your patients will remember you even if you don't remember them. :sniff, tear, snob: So have some compassion! :sob sob: I'll go cry myself to sleep now.

Oh! I drove my new car for the first time today. Splendid! Huhu, now I have to go look for outrageously expensive insurance, i.e. a scam. Salamz.

Storm Building

2005-08-01T16:51:00.000-05:00

Fixed links. Added a new song. It's Abdel Kader by Khaled, Faudel, and... the other. I forget his name, but they're Algerian and they held a concert in Paris. This is one of my favorite songs. I love the beat and every time I hear that throaty, booming voice sing accompaniment I start giggling. Really, who can keep a straight face listening to that man? He sounds like a gorilla. ^^;

Anyway, you'll notice I'm wearing my frustrated face. Yes, I look exactly so, gritted teeth, crossed eyes- they got me down pat. No, I kid. I'm frustrated because I'm spending another afternoon at the store, waiting in the office for a ride home. I finished work about four hours ago, and here I sit, nagged every other minute because the office is apparently the new water cooler. Don't these people ever work? I had to track this employee a few minutes ago to see whether he spent too long in the bathroom because, according to latest reports, he's using his cell phone in there (disallowed at the store.) Even the thought was embarassing. Honestly, folks, is it that hard to part with your cell phone?

Alhamdulillah! I got a car, so soon there won't be anymore waiting! Subhanallah. It's a white Grand AM and it just needs a new battery and signal lights to run. We bought it at an auction, which my brother believed to be strictly a men's affair for some reason. My sister-in-law even went so far as to say that the women who attend auctions are of a certain class. It's a bloody car auction! What is it, some sort of secret club? Do they bid on cars and then sacrifice a virgin to their testosterone gods? Give me a break! They made it sound like it was a bar or something. I've been to auctions. There's nothing special about them. In fact, there were plenty of women. After all, a lot of these men are buying cars for their families. Hicks though they may be, they're harmless, and it's not as if I would have been attending alone. There's no logic to their reasoning. I hate that.

I was talking about culture with a friend the other day. We were talking about the beautiful aspects of our cultures that are dying away. Nationalism is a destructive, useless passion, as I've said before, but so long as one's pride of culture does not become consuming, it's a positive force. Personally, I love my culture, the generosity, the compassion, the etiquette, the music, the dance -among women, of course. I love that each Arab country has a dialect all its own. I love our hospitality and basic humanity. A lot of it probably still survives to this day because of Islam, but lately, people have seen the West as a standard and as a result have lost that humanity. For example, I was reading the other day about Big Brother, the Arab version. It had a wild cast, as usual, but this show was brutal. The people would laugh and snicker at the Arabs that couldn't understand English, and one of the women -poor girl- was looking for a husband on the show. She was humiliated. Fortunately, the show was cancelled, but it reinforces my point. We shouldn't be so desperate to find approval in the eyes of the West. We have a lot of value on our own.

I also talked about motherhood with her. Some people totally underestimate these amazing women. We were talking about leaving this earth with a contribution to society, and when I mentioned that raising just one decent human being is contribution enough, she was shocked. "Everybody has a few kids." Is it so easy then? Anybody can bear children, raising them is another matter-- and to raise decent members of society in this day and age is a trial. Yet, for all that, if they succeed, they have made this world a better place. In today's world of career women and "liberation" motherhood is undervalued, and we take our mothers for granted, but who else on this earth slaves away for years on end expecting no reward? Are they any worse for devoting their time to their familes first? The woman with the highest IQ was a homemaker. The Prophet (sas) said that jihad for the believing woman was raising a child and whom was due the most respect in this world? The mother, he said. So, thank your moms, you ingrates!

We also talked about war... She said there was no good reason for it. I disagreed. We detoured into Palestine. Argh, I get angry just thinking about it. Anyway, I thought she was taking it too lightly, so I ranted at her. I hate it when people laugh or joke about it... "Those terrorists don't surprise me." or "Let me guess, they're gonna blow themselves up again?" "It's been a couple generations. They should solve it already." My favorite, "What are they going to do, throw rocks? Ha, ha, ha. I'm so clever." :screams: People are dying! They're suffering! And here we have idiots laughing at them! They have families! They want their kids to grow up, they want to find jobs, they want to enjoy life like anyone else! Are they less than human that anyone can laugh at their misfortune? Is it funny when they become so desperate that they send their sons and daughters to die in a street crowded with their tormentors? Is it funny when a mother outlives her children? Is it bloody hilarious when a woman gives birth at a checkpoint or when a girl's rapists are sheltered by the military? How about when whole families of refugees are slaughtered? When a grown woman cries over the ruins of the home her grandfather built with his own hands? Aren't you laughing yet?

Hi, ho, hi, ho...

2005-07-29T00:15:00.000-05:00

Off to work I go. Tomorrow I have a few hours at the store. Hopefully, I'll begin with my new position. It's been uneventful since my last post, except... I got locked in the stock room. It was terrifying! I saw my life flash before my eyes and I began to wonder whether I would waste away in that horrible dunghole... sweating and shaking like a lamb to slaughter-- Naw, it was only 15 minutes, but I had you for a second there, didn't I? Actually, I just sat and rifled through some boxes while I waited for someone to pass by. It was rather boring. Wouldn't that have been funny though? My epitaph would have read, "She left to turn on the radio and never came back..." Yes, I'm twisted. Anyway.

I've been downloading to pass the time. The other day I accidentally downloaded Gankutsuou in Spanish, of all things. I tried to follow but it was no good. That's what I get for taking French. Anyway, I saw the English sub; that was fairly good, but I have to say nothing compares to the original Count of Monte Cristo novel. That was a masterpiece. I've been reading scanslations of Goong, the manhwa. It's pretty uniquea nd interesting, even grounded, so for anyone interested in fluffy, Asian "graphic novels," specifically about royalty, read it. Har. Today I saw Fantastic Four. It was good action, but I probably won't be downloading many more movies in the future. If the film's licensed in the US, it's off-limits for me-- although I did enjoy making my own DVD. >:D I found the recipe for naan, so that's my next project. I'll add that to my very short list of... bread I can cook. Har, har. We're getting another computer, but more importantly, we're getting a car, inshallah, this Saturday. There's an auction day after tomorrow! Wh00t! Make du'a. I'm going to pay for half the car, or at least a third. Brings tears to my eyes. Ehehe. Two more people need to drop organic chem before I can get in. Drop, people, drop! Suddenly, there are no slackers? I find this hard to believe. On an unrelated note, I'm going to Chitown Aug. 8th! Yeehaw, she's coming back! Well, that's all for now, salamz.

We're in business

2005-07-19T00:32:00.000-05:00

So, since we rented a car today -I won't go near the store delivery van, it could break down any minute- I went to school to get assessed for math. I tested into calc, hurrah! Afterwards, I went to see a new advisor, one who actually knows left from right, thank goodness. She was very helpful. Instead of taking two years at that college, I'll only need one, which is the right and proper state of affairs, eheh. I'm on a waitlist now, but if all goes well, I should be taking organic chem, calc, and logic in the fall. I hope I do better in calc this time around. Math is my weakness, see. :/ So you can imagine my dismay when she advised me to switch out bio for physics. I'll admit, she did have a point, this woman. Bio won't count for much in the chem field. I've signed up for classes all week, which is new for me. I usually have at least Friday off. Now I'll have class every day from 10-5, starting September 19th. I was hoping to visit Chicago before then, but I think most of my $$ will go to the car I'm hoping to buy at the next auction. We'll see. Speaking of which, my FAFSA has been processed. Wow. And here I was worrying about deadlines. It only took a day! That's delightfully quick for a government agency, don't you think? We went to a Lebanese restaurant on the eastside. I wonder if I'll ever trust Zabiha.com again. I think the restaurant owners were Christian... No offense intended, but their cooking is more French than Arabic. :shakes head: That's sad, folks. We saw O Brother, Where Art Thou? again. It's good every time. If y'all haven't seen it, do. It's hilarious. I want to see The Island. My brother and his wife wanted to see Wedding Crashers, but everybody knows you see action movies at the cinema, right? Heh. Ah, I get to relax tomorrow. Wonderful. Ok, salamz, all.

She lives!

2005-07-17T23:12:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Alhamdulillah, I've finally gotten a computer and internet access- yes, I'm out of the Stone Age! Hee, it's good to be back. Thanks for waiting, guys. My last post was pretty mellow, I see... a lot has happened since then...

I went to my cousin's graduation. I didn't get any good shots with the camera though, so I took random pics. They're pretty funny. I took a picture of this one kid wearing headgear, like wrestling headgear. Have you ever seen an infant wearing a helmet? It cracked me up. I'll post it later. My other cousin has since come back from overseas. He went to study Islam, mashallah, and he's back to eke out a living in the US. Best of luck to him.

I spent some time getting to know a friend better before I left- and saying goodbye to everyone. Now, I'm in Washington. It's so good to see my brother and sister-in-law again. It's still as green here as I remember. It rains now and again, but it's not really noticeable because we're indoors most days, excepting today. We went to buy a PC, and it was boiling outside. Now that I have a functioning PC -no more Linux, thank God- I only need a car for school. That's where I've been these past weeks. I've been saving, working at my brother's store, learning the ropes. I'm going to be working the register on weekends and finishing projects during the week, mostly damages and replacement parts. It's a novel feeling, earning a paycheck. :D Alhamdullilah.

We moved into a nice little two-bedroom apartment across the street. Oh, the relief! I can finally sleep. I didn't like our old apartment. I could hear everything! It was nerve-wracking. Thick walls are a blessing, let me tell you. We'll be getting furniture for the apt in the next month or two, inshallah. I went to see my counselor. She was a little... how do you say... useless? She told me I might have to spend another two years in the community college -totaling three years in a two-year school, anyone else see a problem?- and that I might not get financial aid. She asked a little about my country and asked me to point out Syria on a map... "It's right around here, right?" She pointed to Africa! God help us all. This woman is supposed to help me plan my education... Africa. That hurt. (See heart.) So I'm going to see another advisor tomorrow after I get assessed for math. I wonder if I'll land in calc again? We'll see.

I've almost finished the third book in the Bourne trilogy. It's interesting, but I'd say it's a near clone of the first two books. I'd recommend just reading the first. That's a good book, the best in the series. There's at least one continuous theme in the books though; Ludlum says it pointe-blank: accountability. The government's accountability to the governed body. I like that. I've found all the libraries outside the city are pretty small, about the size of our apartment, but at least they carry Muslim magazines! That's refreshing. In fact, it seems that Muslims -mostly Somalis- almost outnumber Americans here, heh. Not bad, hey?

Oh, and I might be visiting Chi-town in August. I miss y'all. Salamz!

Passing the Time

2005-05-24T17:15:00.000-05:00

Note to self: dryclean clothes, sell back books, go to bank, blow self up in bank... Just joshin', har har. I've only a week until I leave for WA. I want to see everyone before I go. Yesterday, I hung out with a friend from school. It was good seeing her again. I hadn't seen her since first semester when we had a class together. I think that was the only time I've ever planned anything exclusively through text messages, eheh. We wanted to see Kingdom of Heaven, but we didn't make it so went to see Monster-in-Law, which actually ended up a lot funnier than I thought it'd be. Who would have thought? It was especially amusing because the cashier woman apparently had so many Star Wars sales that day that she automatically gave us Star Wars tickets. So we ended up entertaining ourselves for forty minutes before the show. It was fun. We made fun of the country music playing from the loudspeakers. My dad's leaving tomorrow for Syria, and my mom's sad because she says everyone's leaving. Well, she'll have my sister to entertain her. :snicker: I kid, I kid. I'll visit. My mom bought an exercise machine. Old folk need to stay active, eheh. Watch, I'll end up holed up in a closet by 50. XD I saw Otogi Zoshi, intriguing so far, the stuff of movies. When I'm in WA, I'll be able to download it, buaha. Argh, that reminds me. I have to register for classes soon and go through all the placement tests again. :takes out gun: I have a feeling there'll be a lot of those in my future, seeing as how I'm transferring three times in four years. Oh, well, if it's just math testing, I don't mind. A'ight, that's all for now. Salamz.

Silence, peasant!

2005-05-23T15:15:00.000-05:00

Ah, peace and quiet... I love it. My parents went out to shop since my dad's going to Syria. I was hoping to take his camcorder to film the rain forest when I move to WA, but he seems attached to the little gadget. :snap: Nuts. I'll make do with the digital camera. I wonder when I'm getting my license back? I was starting to like that fugly ID photo. I saw the first four eps of Samurai Champloo yesterday. Hilarity. I think I'm going to go roll up my car windows so I don't have to sit in rain again. :mutters @ Chicago weather:

Oh, btw, check out this blog. The sister's got a funny list of classes for men. I love it. Here's the woman version. XD

Army and Immigrants

2005-05-22T14:28:00.000-05:00

Dialup. Pain in the arse. I had this long post and then... I've learned my lesson. It's summer! Yay! I've already lost track of time, and it's only been two days. XD

I finished Johnny Got His Gun. This man loses his eyes, ears, mouth, nose, legs, arms... Disturbing, brutally honest. I recommend it to everyone. It's all about the little guys, the soldiers, those with nothing to gain and everything to lose in war. It's easy for the president and congress to declare a "war against terror," an endless war, a preemptive war, but since when has it been just to assume guilt before innocence?

I was watching an interview the other day with the chief of military recruiting. He was saying the recruitment numbers were down. Of course! I could have told you that. How many kids joined for the money and ended up -surprise!- in the middle of a war? Volunteer military? I don't think so. They sign those three-year contracts without knowing whether or not the president will get some new enemy into his head. The recruiter was saying morale must be high because they've had such high retension. Retension! I'll tell you why they aren't deserting. They don't have the option. What will an American soldier do in Iraq? Nothing. Will anyone hide him? No, so he's almost certain to be found, and if not killed by his superiors then killed in the crossfire. Period.

They get into the military for the money. The military is all minorities and lower class whites -not because the military is so accepting, as the recruiter said but because the recruiters go into the ghetto knowing they'll find people in need of money. A professor said once anyone in this country who wants to go to college, can. BS! What about those middle class families too well-off for government aid but unable to pay tuition? Loans. Bondage. That bank owns you for the next half of your life because you need to please the bank to get a house, an apartment, even a car... What about the undocumented aliens ineligible for aid? Americans are so righteously indignant about illegal immigrants. I asked a classmate once,

"Why do you hate illegal immigration?"
"It's against the law."
"What makes you think the law's right?"

It's human law and therefore fallible. When people stop questioning the government is the moment you have a dictatorship, and some citizens here believe that patriotism equates to blind obedience. They're regular sheep. "We have to support the president!" And if he's in the wrong? He's only a representative, folks. And I hate it when I hear Americans saying that the immigrants owe this country so much, or that illegal immigrants take without giving back. Let's get this clear now.

Illegal immigrants don't have rights. They aren't eligible for driver's licenses, social security, health care insurance, financial aid, welfare. Americans have this view of illegal immigrants as freeloaders, but the vast majority of adults on welfare are -gasp- white women. Illegal immigrants don't even have a right to minimum wage, so they get less than $5/hr working as apple-pickers, etc. They're stealing American jobs? I'm sorry I didn't realize so many Americans were bucking for that garbageman job.

So now you're thinking, gee, that sounds bad, why don't they come into the country legally? Because the bloody legal
process is unbelievable. You have to wait years to get any sort of a visa. Can a family just barely making ends meet afford years? It took months for my family to get a visa legally, and we only got that early because my grandparents were naturalized citizens. People get angry because immigrants send American dollars back home. Do you know how small that amount is? Negligible. So when legislation passes that allows those immigrants to become legal, to become tax-payers and citizens with rights, I better not hear any Americans whining.

Oh, and about the wallet question, the right answer -and yes, there is a right answer- in Islam would be to leave the wallet alone or give it to the nearest lost and found, if there's no ID. I was just curious about reactions. Well, that's enough preaching today. XD :steps off soapbox: Salamz.

Summer, yeehaw!

2005-05-20T01:29:00.000-05:00

No more tests! Hah! Eat that, school! It's officially summer. Unfortunately, I'm pms-ing, so I'm going to pass out. I finally figured out that monthly pain of mine. XD

Question of the Day:
What would you do if you found a wallet in the mall without ID? I'm curious.

I leave you with the top ten Bush quotes:
10. At this Thursday, ticket counters and airplanes will fly outta Ronald Reagan Airport.
9. Laura and I will thank them from the bottom of my heart.
8. When you have your own money, it means you've got more money to spend.
7. The benefits of helping somebody is beneficial.
6. We're in for a long struggle, and I think Texans understand that. And so do Americans.
5. Sometimes when I sleep at night I think of "Hop on Pop".
4. I promise you I will listen to what has been said here, even though I wasn't here.
3. And one of the things we've got to make sure that we do is anything.
2. We're making the right decisions to bring the solution to an end.
1. Border relations between Canada and Mexico have never been better.

Finally!

2005-05-18T18:27:00.000-05:00

Ah, the madness is over! Well, mostly over. I have another final and essay tomorrow, but they'll be easy. Today I took my hardest exam -at least I thought it'd be my hardest exam- and I can finally breathe. I think I know my marks now, but I don't want to speak too soon and end up eating my words later. ^^; I found out why the rest of my class did so well on the tests. They did the online crunk that I didn't. I had to wake up early to do them, so I drank enough caffeine to kill a horse. I wouldn't, normally. I don't really like soda, but the shop wasn't open yet, so I couldn't get any juice. I think the drink must have warped my brain a little. While I was working I kept hearing clips from Shaun of the Dead in my head. 0.o That movie was criminally stupid.

My mum's dancing to Bulgarian. She's so cute. She keeps telling me she's going to miss me, and I haven't even left yet. I'll be flying in every couple months, inshallah, so it won't be too bad. I need a little distance, and I want to see my brother... brothers. My other brother went back after all. I was a little harsh on him the other day. He does have a sense of duty, I suppose. He went back to WA. Frankly, I'm a little relieved. I had enough of my parents' arguing to stand me a lifetime, and while he was here they argued a lot.

Wow. There's this really popular Arab singer, and everybody and their mother has ripped his songs. First an Indian, now a Bulgarian. :weep: Can they leave us nothing? Why? Why, Mummy? Eheh, I kid, I kid. If our tunes get around, so much the better. Amr Diab doesn't seem to mind.

I turned in my religions paper. It was actually pretty easy once I began. There's a lot of evidence for the existence of God, and very little substance in the arguments against Him, at least in my mind. If anyone's interested, email me. It's too long to post here. I finished Bourne Supremacy. I think I liked the first book better. It was more realistic, and realism is important in a spy novel, since skepticism is automatic. Still, the book's good, and the main character is once again pretty compelling. It was very different than the movie. It took place in Communist China rather than post-Soviet Russia, and Marie, his wife, doesn't die. She's much different in the book too, much smarter. I like her better there. Marie seems more like a prop in the movie than a real, fleshed-out character. If you look closely, you can catch a meaning behind Ludlum's writing. It's not just an action novel. Ludlum's also writing about holding the government accountable for their actions and telling the public the truth rather than feeding them lies "for their own good." I'm reading Johnny Got His Gun now. It's about a soldier back from WWI-- he comes back without hearing, without his left arm, and I'm not sure about the rest of his limbs. Disturbing. It's total stream of consciousness, direct from the main character's thoughts. It takes skill to write that.

My lit teacher's a buddhist! That explains so much... I was thinking of talking about the differences between Shi'a and Sunni Muslims, but I don't like divisions between us, so I think next time I'll talk about the differences between Catholic/Greek Orthodox/Protestant Christians. That's interesting, right? You live amongst them, may as well know them. I mean, it's something I've always wondered until recently. They don't seem to differ much at all, except there are so many denominations... That's another blessing of Islam, alhamdulillah. I can walk into any masjid I see without worrying whether they hold the same beliefs as me. Subhanallah. Well, nothing much else to report. Salamz, y'all.

Who you callin' stupid?

2005-05-14T20:23:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been trying to divide my weekend between all my classes. So far I've finished bio, and I've written the final exam responses for religions. I have to write a paper for that class too. I've chosen to argue for the existence of God. I might post it-- on second thought, maybe not. Eight pages of proofs and refutations might strain the eyes. It's quite a difficult paper since His existence cannot be proved or disproved definitively. Even taking into account the miracles of the Qur'an, in the end, it all comes down to faith. You can't explain to atheists that even the fly's wings demonstrate Allah's might. They'll just point out the "errors" in the fly's mechanics. I'll have to come up with a better thesis than that. ^^;

My friend gave me Bulgarian music. It's great. I'll add that to my collection of Irish, Japanese, French, and Arabic, buaha. Sweet girl. I'll miss laughing it up with her in chem. My brother's in town. He'll probably stay. I'm looking forward to visiting my other brother in WA, if only to get away from the twins- and my mom. God bless her, she smothers like nobody's business. It seems like my oldest brother's the only one with any sense right now. He may be tough, but we have an understanding. It pays to have your carbon copy in the family, eheh. My other brother, the one visiting- he gives a lot of lip service to family as his first priority, but where's the love, people, where's the love? He's hours away in WI, cutting his hair! :throws brick thru window: And last night, instead of staying with family, he went out with his friends his first night back, as if he won't have months and months to get reacquainted. It seems he's already back to his old ways. I guess he didn't learn anything in WA. If maturity means thinking beyond oneself I would say he's pretty bloody stunted.

In other news, Blade:Trinity was okay, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead was silly, and I fixed the VCR. A tape was stuck in the machine. I dropped it. Problem solved. :maniacal cackle: I cut my hair again last week. I'm getting pretty good, layers and all. It's short now. I like it. I've always had it long. When I showed it to my dad, he asked, "Did your mom talk you into this?" Not quite the reaction I was hoping for. XD

Anyway, this Thursday was fun. Saba, Chewy, Shay, and I all went out to Cheesecake Factory. Mmmm. I had white chocolate chunk macadamia nut. @.@ Saba and Shay were clicking pictures every couple minutes. They even took pictures of their fruit smoothies. It was hilarious. We had a good time. It was sad when we were leaving though. I won't get to see Shay again for a while. :sniff, tear, sob: I'll miss you, girl! Have fun in Missour-a!

After, I sped straight to class. I was a half hour late, but it was worth it. It was a lecture on Marx, and when you get down to it, his theories are pretty simple, but I did learn some interesting points. My prof suggested the marketplace was ruining the family. The number one indicator of divorce in America is a woman making more money than her husband. 0.o Huh. He also mentioned that technology is outstripping private property. Capitalists are trying desperately to hold onto profit -hold society back- while technology soars. For example, Napster. We have the technology to reproduce and share information free now, so why does Apple charge $1 for a song- will anyone pay given the option of free music? It's about the bottom line, profit. Another example, America has the power to stop, or at the very least, curb HIV in Africa, yet pharmaceutical companies charge Africans the same $4000-$7000 for drug cocktails that they would an American. Go ahead. Tell that to the sick African.

Competition, my prof argued, leads to its opposite. Adam Smith once proposed a system where twenty companies can enter an industry and through equilibrium maintain that industry-- but is that true? Can twenty firms join big business today and survive? No, they'll compete until only a handful are left, maybe less. Take the automobile industry. Can a small company enter and stay? Probably not. Perpetual competition is nonexistent, except for the smallest businesses, e.g. drycleaner's, etc. It's also interesting to note that 7 out of the 10 demands in the Communist Manifesto have been met, not out of the goodwill of executives or the brilliance of the government, but to prove Communism wrong. :snicker: In any case, a combo of capitalism and socialism is needed in any given country. I'd hate to see a system of pure capitalism, where a man would just as soon steal from his neighbor, or communism, where ...a man would steal from his neighbor. Eheh. So, you see, the two are really not that different. XD

There was one point in the discussion where I was pretty annoyed though. This girl raised her hand to say that she had a problem with Marx, and then she began running her mouth off about the "stupid" masses, saying that half the people in the country shouldn't be allowed to vote, etc. They don't know what's good for them, she said -somehow she does- and my prof told her that was the same argument fascists used. She shut up. Subhanallah! May Allah strike me down if I ever become that full of myself! Certain people shouldn't be allowed to vote-- stupid people? Some would consider her stupid. Who is she to decide who should and who shouldn't have the right to vote? Does she realize she just argued against democracy altogether? Because she went to a private school she thinks she's better than the majority of the population? This is why each and every person should have access to the best education. A girl doesn't have room for arrogance when the next guy receives the same crusty education as her. If looks could kill... I was murderous. I agree with my teacher when he says everyone ought to have education, food, and health care. No one ought to be dying of dysentary in the 21st century. Isn't that right?

I was telling my bro as much the other day. He was coming down on this Muslim organization, saying that they weren't accomplishing anything. They need more revenue, according to him, to give to the inner-city kids. I was telling him that you can't just throw money at the problem. That hastn't gotten anyone anywhere. Education is the root of the problem. Does anyone in the ghetto get the same education as in the suburbs? You'd be surprised, my friend. That's why I like the after-school tutoring programs, and the community events they set up like poetry readings, hip-hop, etc. Speaking of poetry, we had a great poet entertaining at the Nawawi event last weekend. I'll explain more next time, salamz.

PS. I'm pretty sure my comp has a virus. I hope that hacker eats bad cheese.

Iran

2005-05-13T01:28:00.000-05:00

Blogspot, you little fiend! I will crush you!

Now we've got that out of the way... Last Friday Amir Normandi, an Irani anti-hijab activist, came back to our school to explain his anti-hijab exhibit, since so many Muslims protested the display. Let me explain. Normandi's grandmother wasn't allowed to wear hijab, while his mother was "forced" to wear it. Normandi effendi displayed mannequins at his exhibit in various stages of Islamic dress, including niqabs, burqas, etc. One mannequin in particular wore a cage -no joke, an actual metal cage- over her face as she stood in a paint bucket. According to Normandi, this is punishment in Iran for refusing to wear the hijab. He featured photos around the mannequins, for example one photo depicting a hijabi with a blind man, captioned, "The blind leading the blind." Oh, so clever. Picking on a woman and a blind man. He ought to be proud of himself.

Firstly, Iranian women, especially in the city, can wear next to nothing as far as hijab is concerned without fear of harassment. They have little room for complaint. If for some reason they do not observe the dress code and they are arrested, they generally face a fine, or they can simply sign a document promising that they will not repeat this mistake in future. That's right, they can sign a paper and continue on their merry way. I believe there was one case of a woman and paint back in '92, the government's infancy, but such behavior is not sanctioned by the government. Regarding the paint bucket and cage, if that is indeed used anywhere, I believe it could only be in the rural areas. He mentioned inheritance laws, but a woman inherits less because she has no financial responsibility in the family whatsoever. She can hoard all her money until death if she pleases, while the husband bears all the responsibility for the family's financial needs. A woman's inheritance is a trust in the case of misfortune (or poor choice in husbands, hah). Otherwise, she has want of nothing. A man, on the other hand, could use that money to start his family.

Normandi did not mention any of this, not a word. Neither did he provide any evidence for his views. He passed off hijab as an oppressive fact of life. When we came back, we asked him why he did not qualify his statements with any of the above information and he did not portray any positive aspects of hijab, he simply pleaded "artistic license". I see. So it's artwork now, not information at all. How many students passing the exhibit will know that, I wonder? Willful deceit. A nonMuslim female professor attending this meeting agreed with Normandi. She thought the hijab was fine, unless imposed by law. This woman cited a picture of a farmer woman, in hijab, kneeling in a field under the sun. She based her opinion on this, the weather. Perhaps she forgot hijab originated in the desert, that Christians and Jews once observed the same dress code? That wasn't the insulting part though. The insulting part was when she asked why enforce the hijab, "like the guys can't control themselves." Witch! I believe it's America that has the rape epidemic.

Now, I don't mind criticism of a government. I do mind deliberate misinformation. If Normandi wanted to point out the women's rights situation in Iran truthfully, I would have rejoiced. He didn't. It was just an attack against hijab with a lot of propaganda. He could have mentioned "temporary" marriages, or that women have no right to declare divorce. He did mention that women don't have first custody of a child. These are all valid concerns because they all violate true Islamic law. Prophet Muhammad (sas) banned temporary marriages, women can divorce, and in proper Islamic law, women actually have first right to the child until he/she comes to an age of understanding, at which point, the child can choose. He barely mentioned any of this, and these are real concerns. In fact, from his speech, it was glaringly obvious that, at the very least, he didn't like Islam -and most likely, all religion. If this was indeed "art" then I hope in future Harper has better taste. They usually do.

In my religions class, we were talking about Islam again. It was all right as rain until the prof mentioned the "four wives" deal. I haven't a clue why he thought that necessary in an hour long primer on Islam, but he could have at least clarified a little. "Under certain conditions," he said. Gee, that explains everything. Students in the back were snickering. Someone asked, "And that isn't adultery?" Someone ought to have explained to the stupid kid that Solomon had 700 wives. Polygamy was not unusual back in the day, as a solution for widows and unmarried women (i.e. women without support), such as in times of war. Nowadays it's rare. A man has to house, feed, and service his wives equally, and who can afford four wives? What else is there to say? Why do Americans keep bringing this up? All right. Sleepy time. Salamz, y'all. More later, after I get back from the airport with my brother! Yeehaw! Then I study for finals. -.-

Mushi mushi

2005-05-05T22:12:00.000-05:00

Ah, the weekend. Splendid. I got my bio test back. I am climbing the ranks slowly but surely. I'm no. 5 now. Whoopah! We examined pond samples today, and believe you me, if you saw some of the muck in there, you'd never swim in another lake again. My prof compared it to sewage sludge. "Seriously, I've experimented with sewage sludge. I know what it smells like." Yeah, you show them, Mrs. M. XD

I saw Sometimes in April last night on WTTW about the Rwandan genocides. Sad, really sad. Astaghfirallah.

We talked about economics some more today in Great Ideas. I didn't really have much to say... It's economics. During some of the more tedious bits I was amusing myself by remembering my weekend. We know this Palestinian family, right? Well, everyone's overseas but the father, and he came to visit this past weekend. I didn't really feel inclined to talk to him. I mean, I don't even talk to my own dad that much. Whyever would I talk to someone else's? But I had to put in an appearance -because my parents think it necessary to parade me in front of everyone, for some bloody reason- so I did. It was awkward for the first couple minutes. Then he busts out with,

"You gained weight." He went on in that strain for... ever. I was thinking, you're digging your grave, boy, but I just said, "Well, it was nice seeing you again, Amo. Bye." I left. I'd had enough entertaining for one night. :P

Amusing. Then I was remembering when Chewy, Shay, Fatima, and I all went out to Baker's Square (Smare). Somewhow we ended up talking about selling wine, and I remembered that my mom had gotten wine as a gift before. I had told her to throw it away, but of course, my mom wouldn't have any of that. No, she must give it to someone. So she puts it in her car. Next day, what happens? The wine explodes!

"Yeah! It exploded in her car, man!" I said this super loud in the restaurant before I remembered maybe I ought not talk about car explosions in a hijab...? Haha. Good times. XD Well, I think I'm going to read some more Supremacy. Tomorrow that silly man is coming back, that Iranian against hijab. I might go just to see him try to explain himself. Argh, Blair got re-elected! Nuuuuu! On a happier note, CAIR apparently approved the new Crusaders movie, Kingdom of Heaven. Could it actually be -gasp- historically accurate? I highly doubt it, but it's worth a shot. I'll see it next week. Salamz, y'all.

One test, two test...

2005-05-04T17:49:00.000-05:00

Red test, blue test. Did you know Dr. Suess wrote propoganda against the Japanese circa WWII? That's right, and the author of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe wrote propoganda against the Arabs. Children's literature, my foot. Children's brainwashing is more like it. Don't you hate it when you can't get to sleep? Yeah, staring at the ceiling just doesn't seem to cut it anymore. Eheh, yesterday and today were a little hectic, just a wee bit. I had my bio test Tuesday. I think I did well, so that should boost my scores. Yes, you can always count on the reproductive system for an easy grade. Buaha.

I had my chem test today, which didn't go so well. That prof is tricksy. He doesn't offer any multiple choice -none!- and most of his questions are practically riddles, not problems from the book or class. :grumble: It seems I come out of that class feeling stupider every day. My ride home was, er, bumpy. This kid jumped in front of my car. At an intersection. 0.o Stupid boy. That's what I get for driving past a high school on my way home. Fortunately for him, I saw him, or he would have been roadkill. I was going 60 mph. How do you miss a car anyway? It's not like it jumps out from behind a bush or anything.

So my flight is scheduled for the first of June, and it is apparently one way. I think my brother wants to convince me to stay the summer to work for him. No, I know he does. He wants to train me for cashier. ¬.¬ I could think of a few better ways to spend my summer. In fact, when I get down there, I'm going to a counselor. Inshallah, most of my classes will transfer, and I'll be able to get the AA degree without a problem. There is the ever present threat of summer school. Dun, dun, DUN.

We've begun talking about Islam in religions class. It's really very little. The sum total of all our learning extends to two pages, but I find that more encouraging than not. It means Islam is simple and straightforward enough to explain in two pages, at least for beginners. Our textbook highlighted this briefly. It mentions that Islam's lessons are explicit, clear- cut, a guide for life. However, I did not like that our textbook tries to point out the flaws in the Qu'ran. I think in one passage the book calls the Qu'ran incoherent, quoting Carlyle, of all people. I'm sorry, since when has a nineteenth century British bigot ever been an authority on any Scripture, much less the Qu'ran? It misleads the reader -especially the unread college variety- to think they cannot understand the Qu'ran and ought not try. This is a patently false impression. I have met many Christians who have, in fact, read and understood the Qu'ran. It's similar to the Bible in some respects, although the Qu'ran is the direct word of Allah and more guidance than story.

We talked in class last week about politics too. My teacher was arguing that politics and ethics are separate. That's pitiful. Politics = law = morality. That's why candidates have opinions on issues, man. Or is it all just an act to gain power for power's sake? Should it be? When did it become okay to lie to the public? Why is society so fatalistic as to suggest that we can never change this lying, cutthroat system? We should expect our government to lie? I think those are weak words for weak minds. We should expect nothing less than the best-- if we cannot, a change is in order. Or should we lower our standards? Pshaw. On a related note, there's a new law against bankruptcy. It is the height of stupidity. America's economy breeds debt (see interest). They may as well try to get rid of dollars. I hope they don't renew that Patriot Act nonsense. Blasted America stepping all over immigrants. "What, we're in danger, you say? I know! We'll alienate the world!" I say, chap, that's a brilliant idea! All right, folks, my stomach speaks, I must be off. Salamz.

Lava Fire

2005-05-01T19:43:00.000-05:00

Hey, y'all. I was supposed to be studying today, but... well, we all know how that goes. :grin: I ended up going to the masjid in the morning to hear a lecture. A latino convert spoke - mashallah- and then a student spoke about taqwa and sins. He had good points. I especially liked his comments near the end. He mentioned a parable related by the Prophet (sas) -excuse my paraphrasing- about a man who lives totally alone on an island and constantly worships Allah, nonstop. Eventually this man comes before Allah, who asks him whether he wishes mercy or recompense for worship. After some thought, the man decides he cannot go wrong with the latter. "Recompense for my sins," he says.

He is promptly ordered into Hell.

Why? The Prophet (sas) goes on to say that the worshipper did not avail himself of the mercy of Allah. Even the eyes are a mercy from Allah, and even these the Muslim did not use to their full potential. It is not enough for a man to simply abstain from sin -see Buddhism- Islam says. He must enjoin good and forbid evil; he must propogate good amongst his brothers so much as he is able. Religion, the Prophet (sas) taught, is not what one formally or ritualistically practices but how one deals with others, and every act can be an act of worship, even conversation. Remembrance of your God ought not to be relegated to a few minutes a day or only Fridays but every moment. Islam is an all-encompassing religion. We should not degrade Islam to a weekends and a few holidays.

Basically, the speaker said that the majority of a Muslim's life is spent not in prayer and charity but rather social interactions, which can be worship. We ought to take advantage of these opportunities, these mercies from Allah, every blessing. He also explained that a sin is a burden but that we ought not despair when we slip up. We should be concerned only when we refuse to get back up; that is, when you no longer feel guilty about an action you believe wrong- there, that is a problem. Repent to Al-Ghaffar, the Forgiver. Do not ever think, I am beyond redemption. You are not.

Afterwards, we went to Baker's Square. Mmm, caramel apple a la mode. Alhamdullilah! We had ourselves some laughs and then we went to the movies. We saw Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I was expecting it to be funny -the book was- but it fell a little short. No matter. I proved myself the champion of air hockey yet again! Buaha. I shall smite thee good, peasants. Eheh, now I'm supposed to be studying... bio. Ah, bio... We were talking about contraception. I've always been under the impression that it's illegal in Islam, but apparently, there is some disagreement. 0.o I'm glad I don't have to worry about any of that for a while, I tell you what. A friend asked me the reasoning behind the (possible) contraception ban. She began, "Because marriage is supposed to be for procreation, right? It's not supposed to be for pleasure or any--"

I was like, "Whoa. Stop right there." Now this seems to be a common misconception among non-Muslims and Muslims alike. In Islam, sex is not wrong or shameful; however, it must be lawful (i.e. within marriage). We don't hold with the Catholic view of celibacy. Procreation is one of the reasons behind marriage, not the only. Allah does not burden anyone unfairly. This is one of the differences between the Muslim and Christian views of the Afterlife, of course, since Christians believe in rising to Heaven lustless. For Muslims, there are still bodily pleasures in the Afterlife. Now that we've got that straight, I'm heading out. Salamz.

Money, money, money!

2005-04-29T19:23:00.000-05:00

Cheers. How's e'erbody? I just finished watching Ocean's Twelve. Reviews were a little harsher than they should have been, I think. It was really entertaining, only it was a bit longer than is desirable and not as funny as the first. Nothing could beat the first.

First mover's advantage; the same principle that prevents the 168th country to industrialize from ever rivaling the second country to industrialize: America. They've got much too big a claim on the market, and now there are entrance barriers. Decades ago, one could start a car company from scratch. Now? You need millions at the least. It's the same with whole countries. To compete with America requires billions.

We talked about economics a little last night. Simple, you say? No, it's never just supply and demand. Adam Smith, nicknamed "father of capitalism," was the man of the hour. Many of today's investment bankers, economists, etc. misquote his theories. In fact, much of Smith's policies would be defunct in today's world, first because Smith spoke of a town-country system, where today's world is globalized, second because he preferred a laissez-faire government to today's more powerful State. Smith wasn't a fan of international trade, so he probably wouldn't have approved of the majority of the first world. We talked about Saudi Arabia -Middle East's an example for... everything, for some reason- and trade. Everyone's heard the Americans griping about the OPEC monopoly on oil and the outrageous prices, right?

Well, consider this. Drilling for and refining oil is an atrociously expensive process, even in ideal soil like in the Middle East, because of all the machinery and labor involved. Now picture this. An American programmer comes along and produces an algorithim here and there for software that becomes riotously successful. I trade Mr. Bush X barrels of oil for X copies of the software. Is this a fair trade, do you think?

No, because that programmer came much cheaper than the oil, and this will always be the case. We've come to a new age, the age of technology. Intellectual property is far more profitable than raw materials, and this is why very fertile countries will not necessarily have thriving economies. Did you know Argentina used to have one of the best economies in the world? They imported aluminum ore, bauxite. Their economy's not so hot now while technology giants like Japan fluorish. Even manufacturing no longer bags a profit. GM doesn't profit from car production. They profit from loans. Engineering doesn't pay, you say? I wouldn't be so sure.

We also talked about Rousseau, philosopher and all around wise guy. He's only the second man with whom I've agreed in Great Ideas, numero uno Malcolm X. He had a lot of political and economic insights, but there were two I especially approved. First, that Might does not make Right. In other words, a greater army does not make one's nation best, and invading or occupying another nation does not guarantee you anything other than hostility, whether hidden or not depends on the amount of brute force available to you. Might does not equate to Duty. He uses the example of a thief. If a thief steals Nancy's purse, she'll be submissive for only so long as he can overpower her. So, for example, if he loses his gun, is she still obligated to obey him, hand the purse over? No, of course not. She feels no such duty. Obviously, Rousseau does not approve of invading and plundering or cruelty for the sake of "peace". He is at odds with Machiavelli.

John Stuart Mill, source for much of today's literature on civil liberties, later expanded upon Rousseau's ideas. In Subjection of Women he explains that rather than bother with brute force, men devised a new, easier strategy of subduing women. They convinced women that Force was Duty. Essentially, this means that they convinced her that forever serving the husband was just, right, and natural. It became the woman's goal in life to marry and marry well. She went out of her way to please her husband because a] that had been programmed into her, and b] she had no alternatives, no other form of fulfillment (i.e. no jobs, education, etc.) Thus, woman became the slave, so to speak.

Let me clarify. Mill spoke of nineteenth century British men and women, but we can use the same philosophy for modern women. How about the young women today who believe they have to wear less to get more, or the older women who believe only a career can validate them? Is that not just another form of slavery? Not necessarily slaves to men, but slaves all the same.

Rousseau's second idea: people are basically good. Does this point seem asinine, unimportant? Think about it. This determines one's outlook on life. If you believe people are basically evil... then you're Christian and food for the Shaitan! Buaha, just kidding. No, actually if you believe people are basically evil, then you're one of those who believes in climbing to the top even if it means kicking a few others down in the process. If you believe people are basically good, then you believe most persons, if not everybody, matter. Which are you? Decide, folks. It informs your decisions on everything. As a teacher once said, if you don't have opinions, you don't count.

We disected piglets in bio. I thought I'd never have to do that again after junior high, but bio professors are sadistic little vermin. I kid, I kid. The smell was worse than I remember though. I pried open the eyes -for some reason- but one of the guys told me to close them. He was freaked out. "It's staring at me." That's understandable. I'm not real comfortable handling dead animals myself, but there were some guys giggling at another table. I guess they were enjoying themselves. :disgust:

Random fact: Bulgarians use Arabic music. Ain't that a kick? We get around. My friend Ana and I went to see a Tibetan Buddhist sand painting at school. Pretty. Those monks are dilligent little workers.

My chem teacher wonders why we're always so happy in class... I tell everyone the same, but I don't think they hear me. It's because we're blessed and we know it, we're grateful. What's not to smile about, I say? That's my reasoning. Take it as you please. Time for ice cream. Mmm, fudge. :drool: Good evening, e'erbody, and in case I don't see you, good morning, good afternoon, and good night.

The Great Stink

2005-04-23T18:53:00.000-05:00

Here I am, on the road again... I don't know the rest of the song. I'm in my room, whiling away the time. Another suitor's come for my sister. This whole process is getting a little repetitive. Anyway, I just finished reading The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum. I didn't expect to like it so much, but it was actually very interesting, never a dull moment. Ludlum writes good action, I must say. The book was far different from the movie, of course, but it would be impossible to fit that much into an hour and a half, especially since the book takes place in the 70s. Since it's a spy novel, it follows that there must be some breed of super villain. He's a Communist. Surprise, surprise. If the book had been written today, he would probably have been Muslim. -.- All the same, I plan to read the next two books before the third movie comes out.

I was flipping through a hacking magazine at Barnes & Noble. A hacking magazine. Imagine that. Very good articles anyway. One of my brothers is flying here in May- the week of finals. D'oh. Anyway, it'll be good to see him, cheer him up a little. He's been Mr. Self-Pity ever since he flew there a couple months ago. Maybe I'll fly back to WA with him, kick some sense into him. I think I've settled on the first of June as the day of my flight. I don't think it'll be one way. I plan to return for a little while at least, once I've settled it all with my oldest bro. I don't like to discuss that stuff over the phone. So I'll be flying 2050 miles to have a little "chat" with him. I'll be back once I've hid the body- er, once we've come to an agreement. :shifty eyes:

I can have four flights during the year, so I think one of them will be during ISNA, another during winter break, and another during Thanksgiving since everyone has days-off at those times- except for drug dealers. Tentative plans. We'll see. Hopefully, I won't have pulled all my hair out by then. I swear if I hear any more nonsense about WA... It was the rain before, and now the newest accusation is that I'll only find potheads there, because after all, there's nothing to do in WA. What a load of crock. I hate to burst any bubbles, but suburbs are the same everywhere, folks. If you haven't realized that by now, then... God help you.

On a brighter note, did you know that London once suffered a "Great Stink"? Those are not my words either. They describe the time in England's history when the sewage in the streets smelled so bad they had to adjourn Parliament. No joke. Nineteenth century. And on that lovely note, I shall leave you. Salamz.

A side of politics, please

2005-04-22T22:49:00.000-05:00

'Ello again. I had some time in my lit class for stray thoughts- as usual. Actually, we had an interesting discussion for once. I scribbled some points down so I'd remember. My memory's that poor. Disclaimer: I did not, by any means, cover all the important points here, but I only have so much time- and patience. ^^;

Socialism vs. Capitalism
Karl Marx's theory of socialism espouses this motto: "from each according to ability, to each according to his need." Now, on the surface this doesn't seem like an altogether bad idea. Each man works his suited field and in return receives the same pay as his neighbor. I'm no economics expert, but any layman can find, given a little research, certain problems with this philosophy. First, there is the practical question of incentive. What man will work at full potential knowing that there is no room for advancement- or at best, a very little advancement? Nothing so quickly stifles effort and creativity as a lack of hope. In other words, Bob will not try his hardest if he knows he'll never rise above mail boy at his office, or at the very least, earn a few dollars more, and this encourages theft.

Next, there is the problem -the worst of all- of achieving socialism. Socialism essentially disallows property (i.e. including land, factories, etc.) and advocates cooperation, rather than competition, in business. Thus, no man is above the other, especially with respect to leeching landlords and exploited peasants. In a socialist country, everyone would be working class, with wealth evenly distributed. No government would be needed (see anarchy). So follows a whole slew of issues. Is a government's only purpose economics reform, or do we also rely on government as an engine for law, justice, and service? Can a people organize courts, repair roads, etc. without an overseeing mechanism? More importantly, can laws be enforced and followed without threat of punishment from a higher power? Communism -gasp- is generally seen as "an advanced stage of socialism". Eventually, a Communist hopes to slowly disintegrate the government until only the people rule. However, unfortunately, as seen through history, once in power, always in power (see Cuba, China, North Korea, and the former Soviet Union).

Lastly, we have that ever ugly side of man: exploitation. A socialist system leaves much room for abuse. If I am aware that my need determines my cash flow, is it not easy to engineer circumstances so that, by all appearances, I "need" more? What if instead of a nursing home, Mary oh, so faithfully closets her old, blind, deaf, and dumb father in a room of her house, with a maximum of one meal a day, in the hopes of receiving more aid? What about drug addicts, should society support these?

These are the same problems for social welfare programs, like those of the US (the US' welfare program was originally disputed by conservatives as too socialist, too coddling)-- however, unchecked capitalism provides room for horrible abuses as well in low wages, long hours, monopolies, child labor, gender discrimination, and thousands upon thousands of other wrongs (see the Industrial "Revolution" in Europe and the US). Similarly, we see a great gap between classes in the capitalist system, with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. A capitalist system is also inherently vulnerable to market forces, leading to such calamities as the infamous Crash of 1929 which begot year after year of poverty in the US.

So, what to do? Viewing the issue from an Islamic standpoint, I think it's clear we cannot advocate socialism as a whole, not only because communism as a rule oppresses religion but also because, from a Muslim point of view, a man should earn according to his merit, his deeds. I don't think this leaves room for a man working 20 hours earning the same as, say, a woman working 40 hours, but Allah knows best. I think we can glean valuable points from both systems, as Islamic law does, with flat tax rates, no interest, and business ethics-- and let me emphasize that last. Business ethics are extremely important to the preservation of society. Some will argue that there are, in fact, no business ethics in the real world, as a teacher told me once before, and whom I later called a cynic. I beg to differ. It is absolutely possible to pursue a profit without sacrificing one's morals. Financial success and morality are not mutually exclusive and every CEO is not an ugly, corrupt monster, nor conversely, a saint to be worshipped. He is a man, and as such, as often prone to good as not. Islam teaches us certain aspects of our life are predetermined in the womb, such as money, etc. Morals are not among them. For those who claim they have no control over their actions, I have no respect. Everyone has a choice (albeit with a few exceptions).

So for all those skeptics out there, for whom business ethics "do not exist", be grateful for economics laws and those who follow them, or else you too would be at the mercy of the greedy, those men who claim they have no choice, who claim their goals are as natural and inevitable as the crawl of time. "If I don't take advantage of this Joe, someone else will." Islam does not abide cowards.

I was going to discuss a few other issues, but that's enough for now. For more info on socialism and capitalism, read John Steinbeck, Ayn Rand, or Upton Sinclair. Students read these literary greats for a reason, you know. They're not just writers, they're social critics. So educate yourselves, maggots.

And that's all she wrote. Good night, folks.

What, you mean me?

2005-04-16T16:27:00.000-05:00

Yao! So I saw Taxi. Funny movie. My mom really liked it, surprise, surprise. The outtakes were the best part. I saw Chewy this Thursday at school ever so briefly. She was going with Salma to Subway. I was so tempted to skip bio, but we had a lab, and I need those points, those precious 2.5 points. :hisses: Anyway, I ended up feeling quite glad that I had gone, after all, because when we were in lab my bio prof suddenly appeared at my elbow. "Rania," she says, "I really enjoyed your review."

I sort of stared at her for second. You see, over break we had an assignment to review an article on stem cells, cloning, or cancer. I had just gotten mine back, and she had written some nice comments so I was satisfied. I hadn't expected her to pull me aside and talk about my writing, especially when I'd thought she didn't even know my name. She said I was a really good writer, etc. I just said, "thank you," and made all the expected noises, but after she left I was practically glowing. I don't think teachers realize sometimes the impact they have. For example, I really respect the opinions of my professors, however much I poke fun at them, so I hang on their praise, or criticism as the case may be. This teacher also happened to stumble upon one of my weaknesses, my writing. I don't have an ego about too much -at least I like to think so- but my writing is a source of pride for me, and hence, a soft spot. I'm susceptible to flattery there. :blush: I still remember my English teacher junior year writing a recommendation for me and including similar comments. I was floating.

Parents have the same impact with their kids, albeit it wears off over time. I had a friend whose mother constantly told her she was fat -she wasn't- and as a result, the girl had little to no self-esteem. Now, no one wants a kid to grow too big a head, but constant criticism is not a cure. A child should never be uncertain about whether their appearance is good enough or not. They have no hand in such factors, nor should they fear they're not intelligent enough, outgoing enough, etc. to please their parents. A child's only source of doubt should be his/her actions, and what I mean by that is a parent should encourage their child to question the right and wrong of their actions and the actions of others. Far better for a child to doubt than allow others to trample over them, or worse, to self-righteously trample over others. That's all, that was my useless spiel for the day. I haven't a clue whom it'll benefit. ^^;

My profs are amusing. My chem teacher, as usual, uses the funniest examples in class. So we're learning about disorder -or relearning in my case- and my teacher asks if gases are more likely to mix or separate in air. We say mix, of course, because the universe is likely to become more disordered according to the laws of physics. (In other words, your room is more likely to get dirty than clean.) Then he says, "Yes, mix, right? Because if gases separated than we'd have oxygen on one side of the room and nitrogen on the other, and everybody on this side would drop dead." I started laughing because he said this with such a straight face and for some reason, I thought the idea of half the class crumpling to the floor was funny. What can I say? I'm twisted. I was giggling like a little nutcase for the rest of the class period.

Now I recently reviewed all my teachers on ratemyprofessors.com. However, I forgot that my lit teacher actually reads her reviews. In mine I wrote that her class was easy and that any high school English course could accomplish the same. Oops. She came to class the next week asking if she was too easy. "I'd be happy to challenge you all more," she said. Total silence. You could smell the fear. Then everyone started talking at once, hastily reassuring her that her class was perfect, that the pace was just right, and that, no, that was nonsense, no one wanted her to change her course. Fortunately for me, that review was anonymous or I think my classmates would have eaten me alive for such an outrageous suggestion. Ah, well, I had my two cents in the class evaluation later that night. I suggested that she dive more in depth into the topics. I mean, asking us if we liked the text is very nearly useless. That doesn't teach us jack.

We're learning about Christianity in Religions, about the supposed incarnation of God in Jesus (as). They say Jesus had a human and divine side, two minds. There used to be a church at one point that didn't believe this or the Trinity. It was called arianism, and it was stamped out by the Catholics. A pity. We were talking about feminism in Great Ideas. Generally, this topic bores me, but we began talking about the differences between men and women, which is intriguing. Now, aside from the physical, many sociologists agree that there are differences cognitively and socially between men and women. Here's the bone of contention: some say this is inherent in our biology, some say these differences are conditioned, a result of societal training. I'm inclined to think the former, that we have some genetic differences, but I can't say this with any certainty, especially considering much of the research on this subject has been very poor. My teacher also mentioned that he's a compulsive reader. Join the club. I can't stop! :weep:

I've been thinking about the move to WA, and I'm a little concerned. My oldest brother might end up leaving WA sometime in the future, which will mean our move will have been possibly useless...? I don't know. I think I'll talk to him about it. I want to go to Taking it to the Streets in June (a Muslim fest in the city sponsored by IMAN), so I might delay my trip, spend some time with friends. Then again, I want to help my brother find an apartment over there and I'm wondering whether to take summer school. Decisions, decisions. Before I go, thanks for the CD, Shay! Good stuff. My favorite's Al Mu'allim, no surprise. Well, that's all, folks. Salamz.

Show you security!

2005-04-13T21:02:00.000-05:00

Well, I didn't end up going to the lecture on Palestine, unfortunately. Me mum didn't like me staying out in the city so late. Today I drove my aunt to the airport. I tell you what, it was pretty annoying. There and back, my mom just kept repeating, "Slow down, slow down," until finally I told her to be quiet unless she wanted me to fall asleep at the wheel. Seriously, folks, she was becoming background noise. It was around sunset so the sun was burning my eyes. :grumble: Stinkin' contacts. UV-protection, my foot.

Anyway, the stupid TSA apes at the airport rifled through my aunt's bags again. They're so incompetent. It wasn't bad enough that they opened every bag and spilled food all over clothes the first time, or that they returned her bags to her like a week late -at 1:00 o' clock in the morning, I might add. Goodness.

I say the goofiest things when I'm sleepy. My mom comes in the other day around like 2 AM or so. She says this and that, then she asks me if I've finished Jane Eyre yet and without missing a beat I tell her, "I already ate my book." She just stares at me, like I'm missing a few screws, and then I realize, and I'm like, "Er, I meant, I already read my book. Yes... That's it." Mmm, scrumptious paper. XD

That reminds me. We went over to my uncle's the other day. Best fish ever. I didn't even have to drown it in tartar sauce. Imagine that. During the ride home, the adults basically went on and on about my conniving step-grandmother -I think that's what they call her, I just call her scum of the earth- and I was actually contemplating climbing out at the next stoplight and making a dash for it. I was that bored.

My mom says I'm coldhearted sometimes. Mayhap because she talks about stuff I haven't the slightest interest in. "My pin # is .... " XD

Today we had a debate. Great fun, especially since I was on the winning side, buaha. It was a debate between solar, fossil fuel, nuclear, and renewable energies. Nuclear won, of course. It's the most advantageous, hands down. Look it up. It's interesting, especially if you're a chem or politics fan. I say politics because oil and gas are exhaustible resources, exhaustible within the next century. What does that mean? It means certain countries will have to find a new source of income.

OPEC: Aw, nuts.

Picture this. Nuclear powered cars. No more gas! :gasp: The Arabs should jump on this while they can. It's still a developing technology. Maybe we can manage a monopoly on this too. :cackle: Excellent...

I went over to Shay's over the weekend. We watched Ladder 49. I think the producers must have been thinking along the lines of "How many tears can we squeeze out of these knuckleheads?" Yeah, it was sort of sad. After, we were goofing around with some balloon animals we found left over from a birthday party. This clown, apparently, didn't see fit to give the dog balloon legs, so I tried my best. Poor dog. He's still a cripple. He has one hind leg dragging behind. Check it out on Shay's page. She tried to make a balloon animal too, but somehow, she ended up killing hers. :shock horror: Poor, deflated doggy.

I think we're getting a group picture taken this weekend. That'll be nice. She can remember me when I'm gone. I'm leaving at the end of May for WA. I'm going to go house-shopping with my brother there. :sniff tear: I'll miss y'all. I'll visit though. I plan to come for holidays and ISNA (of course, eheh). Maybe camp. Well, my movie just came in the mail (I'm cancelling that plan), so I'm gonna go. Salamz, y'all!

Post-Vacation Blues

2005-04-06T12:45:00.000-05:00

So vacation wasn't as relaxing as I expected. I had to house-sit for a few days, which was excruciatingly boring- and also a little irritating, since their bathrooms were out of order. ¬.¬ Last two days of my weekend were fun though. Saturday fambly came over, and then Shay and I went to the movies. I met Saabz's man, eheh. We didn't get more than two words out of him, but he seemed like a nice guy. They left in the middle of the movie. Shay and I stayed to watch Sin City. It seemed like a black and white Kill Bill, basically gratuitous everything. Gratuitous violence, gratuitous nudity, gratuitous body parts flying off... I should have known when I saw Tarantino was a "guest director". That man doesn't know when to stop. Anyway, there were some really funny parts, like when an arrow went through this guy, and he just stared down at it. "Hey." Then this one man looked like a radioactive potatoe, I swear. It was hilarious. XD They did pretty well with the black and white, that's something.

So the next day, I had to read some more of Jane Eyre for bloody Brit Lit. Eventually, I got so bored of it, I was ready to throw myself through the window. Then Shay called, eheh. She wanted us to go to the fundraising dinner for UIC's masjid. I was all for it. On the way we stopped at a friend's house, and her little brother is so adorable, the perfect little host and everything. "Would you like something to drink?" Two minutes later, "Would you like anything to eat?" So cute. He was watching Cellular. Good movie. He has good taste for a little boy. Anyway, the dinner started late, which annoyed me, since my mom had almost had a heart attack the day before when I stayed out late. The first speaker sort of bored me, so I went to the "babysitting room" to babysit. They were watching The Incredibles -which, by the way, is highly overrated. See Ice Age instead. Very sweet kids. Then Fatima came to relieve me, and I went back out to the lecture hall. Omar Baloch was talking about Islamic research. He said Islam didn't need any more doctors and engineers. Islam, he said, needed more social scientists, activists, etc. I liked when he said we needed more philosophers. :cheesy grin:

Then Rami Nashashibi spoke. That man's a great speaker, I tell you. He didn't talk very long though, since they were running so late. He mentioned a little about the Prophet (sas) knowing the people to whom he preached. Meaning, he didn't speak the same to the Jews as he would the Ansar, etc. You get the point. After that, he basically went on about the masjid and dawah. Arabs and desis must reach out to the black and white brothers and sisters, he said. Dinner came. The less said about that, the better. We left. The ride home was hilarious because first I stopped at a gas station, and stared for like twenty minutes at a gas pump that wouldn't pump. Then I called Shay out. I was like, "Shalizzle! Am I crazy or is this thing broken?" Actually, it was just prepaid. D'oh. I have the IQ of broccoli, ladies and gentlemen.

Then after a while, we came to the tollway. I give the woman a dollar, and she says, "Change."

Me: :blink blink: Uh...
Lady: Change.
Me: Uh...

I had the stupidest expression on my face, mouth hanging open like a puppy waiting for treats or something. I was thinking, "What? Did I not give enough?" Too good for mah dollah, woman? Then I realized she was offering change. Ohhhhhh... What? I hadn't seen her hands move. How was I supposed to know she was über prepared? :grumble mutter: She was probably thinking to herself, "Stupid immigrants." Eheh. I got like four hours of sleep the next day because I had to read more of that Jane Eyre. It actually got good- halfway through. x.x So I just skipped my lit class the next day. I couldn't do it, man. She bores me to tears, that woman. Ph.D- Hah! I could teach the material better. I signed up for that Blockbuster Online deal. Now they mail me movies.

Frenchman: :thumbs-up: Super cool!

I might be going to a presentation tomorrow at Loyola with Chewy about Palestine. That should be interesting; an American who's actually been there. Now, I must be off to chemistry, a good class. Yay! Salamz.

Vacation! Whoop!

2005-03-26T16:12:00.000-06:00

Spring Break! Yay... more time with the parents, eheh. ^^; Ah, well, any rest from those blasted tests is welcome. I took my last test Thursday, in Great Ideas, which was quite easy (word for word from the study guide). Huzzah! I hope I did as well on my paper. I ended up discarding all my previous choices and going with -surprise!- Nietzsche. That's right, the guy who said the upper classes need to prey on the lower (after all, it's only human nature). I chose him because I disagreed with him on nearly everything so I figured I'd be able to fill up those six pages. Buaha. :D

My sister's in Calli. Curses, she stole my deodorant. My mom and I were talking about her marrying, and we started talking about me marrying -since my mom thinks I'll be easier to marry off- and I suggested marrying a non-Arab. She was outraged. "Out of the question!" No joke. Those were exact words. It was sort of amusing, considering she doesn't really have much of a say in the matter. Not to sound ungrateful or uncaring. I would hate to alienate my parents. Inshallah, they'll approve my future husband and all that. In the long run, it's a decision with lifelong consequences that will impact me, not them. So I'm not excluding Arabs, but I'm not limiting myself to them either. :snort: I'm sure men eveywhere are rejoicing. :P

I've a desi friend interested in a Malaysian guy. I was like, super! Variety! Buaha. Subhanallah, I love the Muslim community. XD

So I was told to take over the MSA at our school. 0.o My reaction: "Eh?" It's nearly the end of my last semester, already an 18 hr. workload, and the VP drops this in my lap. I can't even come to meetings anymore since my classes are from morning 'til at least five each day -by which time most people have left- and somehow, I'm supposed to plan events. [insert Ace Venture, pet detective] I can't do it, Captain! I just can't do it! They expect me to resuscitate a dying org... and just where are the men? I never see any men leading. It's all women. :shakes head:

I saw Chewy on Thursday. It was so good to see her again! She fed us, yum. Then we blabbed a while. It was much fun. Ah, now I must go read Jane Eyre. :grumble: Worthless lit teacher.

Hiss and Spit

2005-03-20T18:07:00.000-06:00

So this past week we discussed Malcolm X in Great Ideas. Mashallah, he was a credit to the Muslim community (in his later years, after parting from the NoI). He wasn't afraid of speaking his mind or disagreeing with the majority, as many are today. He advised against labels -those who have heard me on that subject can imagine how I loved this- and repeatedly suggested that we shouldn't wait to change our circumstances at the whim of our oppressors. Waiting changes nothing. In this regard, he agreed with MLK, but he disagreed with the minister in that we ought to affect change "by any means necessary". By this, Malcolm meant politically, socially, mentally, physically, etc.. He wasn't, as some suggest, a violent man. If a goal could be accomplish by other means than militant, then he advocated that way. I recommend everybody read him. He had great ideas that are still applicable in America today some forty years later.

One of those ideas being that there is still racism in twenty-first century America- anyone who believes differently is somewhat delusional. If the Americans have given up grumbling at the Latinos and blacks -and some would say they haven't- then it is only because they've found a new scapegoat. By this I mean the Arabs and Muslims, of course. I heard Americans talking proudly about their "tolerant" reactions after 9/11. It wasn't like the backlash against the Japanese in WWII, they said. Why, I wondered, does vandalizing Houses of God, ripping off hijabs, and verbally abusing Muslims on the street strike you as tolerant? Yes, it's true, they didn't relocate all the Arabs to concentration camps in the Western US. They detained them "indefinitely" (i.e. until they failed to find evidence for frail suspicions) instead, without warning, without excuse.

By the by, for those fools out there who think that Americans are hated for their "freedoms" or power or success, etc-- get a clue. There are nations with the same and more. The US has committed actual crimes and these are the reasons for so much anger against the US. Here's an excellent source with real, valid accounts of American abuse in the world.

Now I don't mean to preach hate or say that I despise America. Apologies to all if I sound that way. There are some good things to be said for America, but when I have to hear silly things like "the US is the best country in the world," I forget the good things altogether. This country has one of the highest crime rates in the world, one of the largest claims to racism. For crying out loud, one in four women get raped! It strikes me as a little presumptuous to call it "the best country in the world". Am I being unreasonable? Anyway, I won't beat a dead horse. I've said my piece about America. By the by, read about America's economic hitmen. It may be enlightening for our naive folks out there.

On a lighter note, one of my favorite mags, Al Jumuah, has created an online blog for discussion! It's brand new so there aren't too many articles yet, but it looks promising. Check it out, leave comments! Jumuah. I left a comment in there saying I think Muslims shouldn't be ashamed- they should be proud! Learn about your heritage, folks. You'd be surprised how much the West learned from us (such as the Renaissance, eheh). I recommend muslimheritage.com. Informative and brief, for those who aren't history fanatics, like me. :P We should have more Muslim writers, more comedians (Azhar Usman, y'all!) I don't know about the latter, but maybe we can do something about the former, right, Shay? ;)

Salamz.

Oops

2005-03-14T13:22:00.000-06:00

Wow, it's so nice and sunny out today. I can actually believe it's spring, eheh. Did I mention my battery died on Thursday? Yeah, I left my lights on. Whoops. I waited 'til I was done with all my classes, then I called home.

Me: Yo, bring the jumper cables.
Sis: What? Why?
Me: My battery died.
Sis: Blah, blah, blah...

Anyway, the car was fine, but I was a little concerned when the steering wheel kept jerking to the left on my way home. I wasn't really interested in getting close and personal with the next car over. ^^; It ran fine today though, alhamdulillah. Let's hope it keeps up. We didn't talk about much in Great Ideas this week. There was Nietzsche. He's a psycho.

Nietzsche: I'm king of the world! Kiss my feet, peasant! All hail rich folks.

People say Hitler followed his philosophies. Maybe, maybe not. They're pretty impractical, realistically speaking. Now, for the quote of the day!

"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it." - George W. Bush, US President.

America Stinx, My Friends

2005-03-11T19:58:00.000-06:00

Blasted blogspot, killing my posts. Anyway, the other day a suitor -yes, this is the right word for them- from Canada came to see my sister. We're scouting all of North America. XD This last man was nice -well, what I could hear and see of him from upstairs- so, inshallah, things will go well. She's meeting another tomorrow. Most of the previous suitors were nice guys too, but they were raised back home (overseas), so they wouldn't have been very compatible- or at the very least, it would have been awkward.

Guy: Hey, how about some dinner?
Sis: Dinner? Do you mean cooking? How's mac and cheese?

Eheh, nah, I don't mean to make fun. I can't cook either, but I intend to learn. After all, I need to eat. I couldn't very well run to mummy's everytime, and I'd miss Arab food. I was reading this blog, and this guy suggested girls should go to school to learn 'domestication', like cooking and cleaning. That was funny- stupid, but funny. Another guy posted this video up about silly government spending. Check it out, you broadband junkies.

Speaking of government, I hate to say I told you so-- oh, wait, no I don't. I told you so. The US is done with Iraq so they're going after Syria now (see Lebanon). America's always had a beef with Syria since Syria doesn't support Israel -and of course, America is Israel's biggest supporter. It was laughably easy convincing the American public to make war with Iraq without reason (if you mention Saddam, nukes, and Bin Laden together enough, eventually a subliminal connection will be implanted, even if you never make any accusations outright). It wouldn't be hard to repeat upon Syria, especially with a weak president there. I can picture it now. Bush will make some sort of a connection with terrorism (perhaps Hezbollah this time), and the horrible government (B'aathist socialist like Iraq). Instead of exploiting the Kurdish massacre (which, by the way, wouldn't have been pulled off without US aid), Bush will include a lot of hints about Hama to stir the Americans into another self-righteous huff. Is it any wonder the rest of the Christian world considers American's brand of Christianity extreme? No one ever tells you that.

I was talking to Shay the other day about zionism, and it occurred to me that many don't know the meaning, since the Americans are so good at silencing opposition (e.g. professors can and will be fired for speaking against Israeli actions). So. I'll make that my angry word of the day.

Zionism (n.): 1. an excuse for genocide; 2. eight million Palestinian refugees; 3. 74 families turned out of their homes monthly, adding to the thousands; 4. no jobs, education, water, electricity, and habitable land for most Palestinians; 5. Israeli "settlements" violating United Nations resolutions.

They wonder that the Palestinians won't sign their peace treaties. Read the Oslo Accords sometime. They're ridiculous, a joke. They don't offer the Palestinians anything but desert, not a promise to end settlements, not the right to return for all those wandering, homeless refugees (who essentially never get citizenship- anywhere). Now the question is why did the US support Israel when Israel snubbed the UN in '48 and decided two states ought to be one, nationalist Jewish state, including the supposedly shared capitol? Why does the US still support Israel with weapons and funds? Possibly because the US has a vested interest in a Middle Eastern ally (apart from the tenuous relations with Arab states). Possibly because there are immensely powerful Jewish lobbies in D.C backed by plenty of pockets. Possibly because many Israeli settlers are actually American. Possibly because some American Christians have this ridiculous belief that Christ will come when the Jews are in Jerusalem. I don't know. I don't understand irrationalism myself. I just want people to think for themselves, stop swallowing media nonsense. The Palestinians aren't terrorists. They aren't mad, raving barbarians. They just want what everybody wants. They want to live in peace; they want opportunities for their kids too. The infant mortality rate alone is awful. 23/1000 die. Imagine that. Women in labor -giving birth, folks- are stopped at checkpoints and denied medical care. Learn more, that's all. Allah said change starts at the heart. For more info, see the sad facts and the history. So the moral of the lesson is the US is not some great superpower for human rights and peace. Grow up, people. De Gaulle said it best. The US only looks out for her own interests.

In other words, there were apparently children at Abu Ghuraib prison too. Yup, they stooped to children. Amazing. Okay, I don't want to pop too many bubble at once. Salamz, everybody.

Weekend relaxing, yay

2005-03-05T17:21:00.000-06:00

Blech, everybody's sick, except for me, alhamdulillah. I have midterms, boohiss. I didn't do so well on my bio test. Ah, well, at least I'm still getting a B in the class. Next week, it's a lit test. It shouldn't be hard. It's about romanticism which I've been learning about since sophomore year of high school. ^^;; We didn't have Great Ideas this week, cancelled. :gasp: I actually wanted to go to that one, eheh. I still have to choose which great figure in history to write about for that midterm. Malcolm X? I can't do the Prophet (sas) since I've already presented on him. I also have to choose a topic for my religions class. I'm thinking maybe religion vs. science, or maybe the existence of God, or maybe just a rebuttal to David Hume, an existentialist who wrote that it was unreasonable to believe in God. Any ideas?

My mom's back but dad's going to Seattle now. He comes back just in time for my Spring Break. I'm elated, of course. ¬.¬ On an unrelated note, I'm getting weary of drama queens and spoiled ingrates. They're everywhere.

We have some people coming over tomorrow to check out my sister for marriage, har. Okay, buh-bye, folks! Salamz.

Midterms, wai!

2005-02-28T17:24:00.000-06:00

Yow! Saturday was fun. It was Shay's birthday -no, I still don't celebrate them. I wanted to see Shay. :P So Chewy made some pasta, Saba tried her hand at hummus, and I brought some snacks. Mmm, tasty. Then we went up to her room, and she and Saba showed us their dance for UIC's Open Mic Night. It was hilarious. Who says hijabis can't dance? Good times, good times. Everybody had to go home except for me, so we went to see Finding Neverland about the author of Peter Pan. It was much better than I thought it'd be. We were goofing off during the movie because the main character kept seeing "visions" like little boys flying. XD I'm not even going to get into that. Then we played some racing games and shot up some thugs in the little mini-arcade. We would have played DDR, but we didn't want an audience, if y'know what I mean. :waggles brows:

Mummy's coming home today! Too bad I have to study for midterms. ¬.¬ :mutter, mutter: A test in bio and lit tomorrow. Wish me well, folks. Salamz.

Don't shave, you'll blow up!

2005-02-25T16:33:00.000-06:00

Yow! 'Sup, y'all? Tuesday night was great. Since my class was cancelled, Chewy, Saba, Sanna, and I all had some Pita House. Ah, real meat. (Fish is not meat.) It was hilarious. Saba and Sanna noticed I was eating the rice slowly because we didn't have any spoons -d'oh!- and they were shocked.

S & S: Don't you eat with your hands?
Me: ...No?

So they took it upon themselves to teach me. There's the Scoop and Weigh, Saba's method, and Sana's strategy, the Attack. XD We were cracking up. Then we met this new sister, an American convert. We talked about the hijab exhibit and politics and whatnot. She teaches at Islamic Foundation in Villa Park, and she wants to be a nurse, to have time for activism, she says. Mashallah. She might get Nancy Ali to speak for us for our exhibit. Huzzah!

Then I told Chewy about my theory. Math > Physics > Chemistry > Bio. Like peeling an onion. It all comes down to math. I got my chemistry test back. B+. It was the old stuff that took me down, not kinetics. Bah! :shakes fist: Tricksy old man. He's really funny though, I have to admit, especially his examples in class. We were talking about equilibrium reactions and directions.

H20(g) <--> H2(g) + O2(g)

Which way does it go? Someone suggested the reaction goes from H20 to H2 and O2, to which my teacher replied, "Okay. A guy just got out of the shower. He's smoking while he's shaving." [[Who does that?]] "He'd blow up!"

Meaning, water vapor (steam) does not decompose to oxygen and hydrogen, or these extremely flammable gases would kill him, but the way he said it, with such a straight face, had us rolling. Just picture it. Guy's shaving and he blows up. I know, I know. Bad Rania. This shouldn't be funny-- but I can't help it. Needless to say, I will never forget that problem. XD :chem nerd:

Oh, also, I got my religions quiz back. Looks like missing the review day didn't hinder me at all. A! Super! I wrote about the three Humiliations of Man (Church vs. science, basically), which were the Copernican revolution, literary criticism, and Darwinism, in that order. Guess I did well. Ah, that reminds me. Yesterday, in Ideas, we talked about science and religion -again. I don't know if I acquited myself that well. I keep wondering if I'm representing Islam all right or not. :\ My teacher kept mentioning that religion kills science so I brought up the "Golden Age" of Islam when the two went hand in hand. I explained that the reason the Muslims were learning while the Christians weren't was because learning was encouraged, unlike in the West, where it was considered exclusive to the upper classes and clergy- and only in Latin, rather than the common tongue. Then he asked about the literacy rate back then. I don't know the numbers, but it probably wasn't too high, since, like the rest of the world, the Arabs had their share of laborers (who didn't really have time to discover much). Still, the point is... learning was encouraged in the Middle East at that time, and when the West encouraged her people to do the same, they, too, began to learn (with a great deal of help from the Muslims) in the Renaissance, etc. I tried to explain this, but somewhere along the line, we got into the debate of whether or not discoveries can be made by illiterate people (or rather, through oral learning). I said, back then, this was very possible. Discoveries were made firsthand. In medicine, for example, what could be the only way to find a new cure? Experimentation, not books. Even the translated -translated by Muslims- manuscripts of the Greeks couldn't help that much. He didn't seem to agree. I tried my best, but still I felt guilty, like I hadn't explained well enough or that I had misinformed him. My conscience wasn't appeased until I prayed. ^^;;

Ah, well, better luck next time, eh? Must be off. Salamz.

Dropping In

2005-02-22T19:06:00.000-06:00

Okay, this is the second class of the week to be cancelled. I don't know what's going on with my teachers this week, but I'm one happy panda. Now I don't have to sit and listen to various students try to fit the Bible into British literature. I'm sitting with Chewy now, helping her with her negro paper. Yes, that's actually what the book is called. Negro Classics. I took my chem test today. It was tricksy. Inshallah, I'll get a good score. I know I did well on the short answer, but the multiple choice... not so sure. It ended up being not the kinetics, but the old stuff that slipped me up. Clever ol' man.

On the bright side, we're reorganizing the MSA! We now meet every other Tuesday from 1:30-2:00. We have two events in consideration at the moment: a tsunami relief effort, and a hijabi exhibit to counter the anti-hijab one (which apparently teachers have spoken against and which students will speak against tomorrow). Okay, I go to fill my belly! Salamz.

No President's Day

2005-02-21T17:06:00.000-06:00

Hey, y'all. I have a chem test tomorrow. It's on kinetics. Noooo! Physics bad, ugh ugh. Hulk angry. Eheh, my second class was cancelled today... I think. I got there and nobody was there except for this other girl. We hung around a little, but no one showed, so we left. I wonder what happened? This is what separates male from female teachers. The guys are so much more laid-back. My chem teacher lets out as much as twenty minutes early, while Ms. Bio makes us stay until the very last second of the very last minute. ¬.¬

Then one of my friends came up to me all upset because one Amir Normandi had set up an exhibit on our campus about the oppression of hijab, specifically in Iran. Now, I'm not that familiar -and I intend to research more now- with Irani law, but from what I've seen, Irani headcover laws aren't that strict at all. I've seen it done halfway, sometimes barely on at all. Somehow, this Normandi character decided all other rights issues are all connected to hijab. Somehow. Inheritance, employment, etc. More on that later, as I learn about Irani law.

On another note, the Afghani "democracy" is a sham. Outside Kabul (capital), there are no elections, and warlords decide rights as they please. I'm sure you all remember that America supposedly championed women's rights and used that as an excuse to invade Afghanistan. I suppose the forced gynecological exams going on now don't trouble them. I won't be surprised in the least to see this farce repeated in Iraq. Both will just be puppets for the West, and, in the case of Iraq, oil-spewing puppets. Congratulations, America.

Also, I just found there was apparently a Nation of Islam gangsta' at one point. That's right, a rapper named Positive K. Wow. He sings that song that goes, "I got a man! What's your man got to do with me?" Weird. 0.o Another tidbit: there were some fifty or so female Muslim Olympians last year, including women in shooting (yes, with guns). Huh. How 'bout that. Run, little man, run! XD Also, divorce by text message is no longer approved in Malaysia. :snicker: Really, what breed of worm divorces his wife via txt? See more at Altmuslim.com, but be aware that the site is decidedly one-sided. It's opinion, not news. Unbiased news died a long time ago, if indeed it ever existed. Oh, Muslim women's magazine. Interesting. All right. Salamz, y'all. Virtual cookie if you can guess my bg tune.

Passing the Time

2005-02-19T16:40:00.000-06:00

Mm, yellow water. We had yellow water yesterday. It was quite awkward showering. Tasted like rust. :S I had an odd dream, about going to someone's house and having grape juice and mamoul (date cookies). Freud would say this is a result of hunger during sleep. I don't know about that, but I'm hungry now. XD

People keep telling me sleeping on the stomach is bad. Why? I've seen a hadith that recommends against it... It's sort of hard to break a habit while you're unconscious- though some would argue differently. Psychoanalysts. Eheh. I have my bed back. Wh00t!

My dad keeps coming to me for geometry problems. Funny, I thought that was the easiest math. Hey, anyone seen ruined batteries before? They seem to develop some sort of fungus. O.O My mom comes back next Monday, yay! I picked out some likely locations for our house in WA, and she says my taste is expensive, har. Okay, I need to escape again. Praise the Lawd for Barnes & Noble! I'm out, folks. :talks into collar: Woozle wazzle, over. :static: For shizzle, roger. Salamz.

Check out howstuffworks.com! Now, I say! Do it!

Teaching and Other Randomness

2005-02-18T14:22:00.000-06:00

Hi, everybody! That's Dr. Nick right there. Speaking of doctors, have I mentioned I want to become a chem and philosophy professor? You're probably thinking the two have nothing in common, but there you are wrong, my friend! Hah! They're both just logic. In fact, the first chemists weren't 'chemists' as we know them today. They were philosophers! Oh, ah. Yes, so I'm probably going to end up writing a big, ugly dissertation on something or other in order to get a Ph.D and teach. Hey, maybe I can trick a university into paying me to get my degree? There's an idea. The problem is finding the right university. No lecture halls for Rania. I can't stand them. How can you teach talking at the students?

We were actually discussing that last night in Great Ideas. My teacher was showing us a paper that had been posted in the office saying that students retain,

"10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear in lecture, 30% of what they see demonstrated, 50% of what they see and hear, 70% of what they say [e.g. q & a], and 90% of what they teach others."

A very general statistic, by no means concrete. Now, my teacher took offense to this because he thought that they were implying that community college students have to play games to retain a lesson. You can be sure they don't play Jeopardy at University of Chicago. If this 'dumbing down' was the point of the above quote, then I would take offense too. A student in a lower income bracket does not mean they are less intelligent than a student at a university. Indeed, it means they're smarter. While their friends are busy paying off loans out of college, community college students are getting to the meat of life, so to speak.

However, I don't think that was the purpose of the quote. Actually, I've heard the quote before, and I've always interpreted it a different way. I've always believed it's encouraging teachers to find new ways to teach, explore different learning styles. Now, don't get me wrong. Lectures have their place, certainly, but any teacher who relies solely on them isn't worth his degree. There are more effective means of teaching at times, discussion among them. Hey, you have to get your students thinking for themselves sometime, right? You can't feed them everything. My personal favorite is the 'teaching others' technique. I really think that works. Try it sometime. When you're studying, try teaching it to someone else. You'll remember it. One of my friends uses it, works.

The 'dumbing down' though is really sad. It's in public schools all the time, except for the advanced classes, which I think is really wrong. Everyone has a right to an education, and everyone has potential. When teachers don't teach or try a thing because they're afraid it'll challenge the students, that's wrong. People are only as good as your expectations. If you expect mediocrity, that's what you'll get. Students need to be pushed, so that when they reach college and the workplace, they're not bowled over.

And make them like it! That's another sure way to success. They should enjoy reading. It shouldn't be a chore. That's a terrible waste. Not a lot of people realize it, but so much of the world is closed to you when you don't read. When you rely only on TV and word of mouth, it's limiting. Reading expands your mind, just like math sharpens your reasoning skills. Yes, yes, I know. We all grumble about calculus, but you have to admit, once you've gone there, your logic is infinitely better. Everyone should have logic classes, and much earlier in life. When y'all have kids, read to them! Or even let 'em surf the net. That's reading, after all. Parents are too uninvolved. Go homeschooling! Eheh.

We talked about how the US isn't much of a democracy. This country was built on the idea of the 'ignorant masses' (see Plato's Greece). They believed everyone would vote based on their emotions, and only a few were fit to actually vote. Anyone else disgusted? I am, and that's the reason behind the electoral college. It really doesn't have that much to do with certain states getting more votes than the rest; that was already solved in the creation of two Houses. One motive behind the college was slavery. Blacks counted as 3/5 of a person, so, you guessed it, slave owners got extra votes in their favor. Can you believe there are actually twits who won't hear anything said against the 'Founding Fathers'? As if they could do no wrong. They were just men.

Oh, we had police training at our school a few days back. They were training in the case of a chemistry explosion. They should. That'll probably be me. Kapuf! Ah, I just remembered when we were in the city, and I was giggling maniacally, and this couple stepped out of the elevator behind me. I was like, "Ahem. So if A = B and B = C, then A must equal C." They just stared at me.

My mummy was telling me about when I was a baby. Apparently, the first few weeks after I was born weren't so happy. I got an infection and my mom broke some bones. She wanted to abort because she drank some pesticide. 0.o Well, at least I understand now why adopted kids become so curious about their biological parents.

Hm, our landlord came the other day. He looked like he could have come straight out of a book. One of those old English gentlemen- without the accent. ^^;; Why do I go to bio? I slept during the lecture, it was so dull. I think I only go for the handouts. Hey, have y'all ever read what people write on desks and cubicles? It's fascinating, excluding the cussing and dirty stuff, of course. Someone should tour the country, writing what they find, like a thesis on humans marking their territory or something. I didn't write, I just stared at it. It was distracting. I was supposed to be studying, but it made me crack up. Sample lines:

"Free your naggers."
"Hip hop has no color."
"Kill the white devil."
"Balle Punjabi shera!" [Go, Punjabi tiger? XD]

o.o We also talked about creationism vs. evolution yesterday. That was... loaded. Go intelligent design! I was explaining that science and religion are not enemies by nature. Ask Einstein. That's strictly Western. In Islam, science is a proof of religion. Closer to science, closer to Allah. That's why Muslims were writing theses on medicine and exploring algebra when Europeans still refused to bathe. My teacher wouldn't hear it though. He claimed that was the Church's fault. When men stopped looking to God, they looked to science. Christians, maybe, but I hardly think that applies to Muslims. "How did the Prophet (sas) teleport to Heaven from Jerusalem then?" Well, that's the nature of miracles, buddy. If they were replicable, they wouldn't be very impressive. People are never satisfied. One second they try to portray the Messenger (sas) as an overglorified poet, and the next they're asking for proofs of his prophethood.

Teacher: If there is a Creator, why are there glitches in the design? Why does my urethra go through my prostrate?
Me: Why do women PMS? Why do you ask stupid questions?

They do exist. Nah, just joshin'. I'm not disrespectful, and I actually like him, but he did sound like he was whining. I was thinking, get over it, man. Why are people always blaming their little problems on God or using them as proof against Him? Complaints are not an adequate argument for or against anything. Why doesn't science explain to me how an illiterate Arabian man could have known the stages of the fetus centuries before the first microscope confirmed it? Why doesn't science explain to me how he could have known the universe expands, rather than shrinks, as was only confirmed in the last few decades? Lucky guess, huh?

I was surprised after class. This older woman came up to me, and she was saying how alike Catholicism and Islam are, how she agreed with everything I said, and how she said it was a pleasure to have me in class. I was like, "Uh..." I didn't know what to say. Thank you? Later, I was wondering if she ever considered why Islam and Catholicism are alike. Food for thought. K, toodles. Salamz.

Let my people sleep!

2005-02-14T11:39:00.000-06:00

Okay, it seems like every day I wake up it's to hear my dad barking at me to do something or other. Yesterday, he was telling me to get my oil changed. I mean, he's already ruined the hood so it doesn't close fully. That's right. I drive down the street with a clashing fender and a flapping hood now. I'd rather he just left my car alone. Then, today, he wakes me up to tell me to go to UPS. Really, does someone have something against me getting sleep?

Anyway, I checked BCC's website (Bellevue Community College in WA), and as far as I can tell, all my classes will transfer except possibly my favorite class, Great Ideas. I don't mind. I didn't take the class for the credit. I'm learning, Mummy! Haha. Oh, and apparently BCC does have an MSA. Hooray! :cheers: They also have a Middle Eastern club. 0.o

Anyone else noticed Blogger's changes? They allow you to comment on comments now, heh. I've been wondering when they would catch on. Today I have a quiz in religions. A, inshallah. Say it with me, folks. Eheh, okay, I'm off to study. :gasp: It is possible. Salamz.

PS. Have y'all noticed most of my titles are allusions to literature, pop culture, or religion? Good stuff. :D

Soul Food

2005-02-12T16:06:00.000-06:00

Cheerio! How's it goin' everybody? Good? Good. I've been great, aside from losing sleep. I've been staying up late to read. I'm such bookworm. I was convinced that my class was an hour later than it actually was, and the class is only an hour long so I missed it. It's weird because I've attended that class for weeks now, on time. I must have been really spacing out. Anyway, it was review for the quiz we'll be having Monday on Hinduism/Buddhism. I've been paying attention in class so inshallah, it shouldn't be a problem. After all, he's only going to ask the basics, and it's multiple choice. How can you go wrong? (We'll see if this attitude pays off Monday.)

Thursday was great because I actually learned something in bio, and I did well on my quizzes. Then, of course, I had my Great Ideas class. I love that class. It's like the ideal class: one long intellectual discussion. No homework -aside from a paper- and short, palatable lectures. I don't see why every class can't be the same. Once upon a time, that was the whole of education. Well, it's fortunate it's my last of the week. It's a great way to end the week. We talked about Freud and Jung, who have some good ideas and some bad. For example, Freud suggested that dreams are sort of an extension of your supressed conscious thoughts as opposed to dreams of the future. In other words, dreams are wish-fulfillment; they're either your fears or your desires. Logical, yes, but in my opinion, he neglected to mention that dreams may fall in neither category. They may come from another source -or cause- altogether. Jung hypothesized that we all have a collective unconscious, meaning memories passed down according to our race. Johnny White has different memories passed down from generations past than Mustafa Ahmed. Like the majority of psychologists, I do not find this plausible, (it's blatant white supremacy) but neither do I believe Freud's theory of the Oedipus complex. For those who haven't read Sophocles' tragedy, he means that every boy secretly hates his father because he lusts after his mom. This is gross, to say the least, and psychologists have dismissed this theory and some of his other bizarre notions. So next time you hear Freud's name, folks, take it with a grain of salt.

I'm a little skeptical of both scientists since they were sort of arrogant. They both worked on the assumption that humans are animals, and as such, operate on base desires, instincts, etc. Somehow, they also manage to believe that humans are evil, a contradictory belief since animals don't have a concept of right or wrong. I don't agree there, and not just because this is an extremely sad, pessimistic view. Humans, I think, are instinctively good, and this is what Islam teaches too. We're born sinless, pure, and Muslim.

Then we talked about Karen Horney. She was a psychologist too, and she talked about women and sexuality, etc. A lot of theories she proposes are very true now, and she also presents them in a very amusing way. Fear of commitment, for example. That concept began in her day. We don't want to "place all our eggs in one basket", as she says. I would recommend her, and Mary Wollenscraft (social critic), as they're both interesting, and they both have good insights on feminism and all that. Of course, I should warn you all that both women offer questionable evidence for their claims at times, and they're both armchair sociologists, which means they only know the world through secondhand accounts, not through their own eyes. Horney, for instance, talks about the Arunta tribe in Africa, but she's never been within feet of an actual African. Wollenscraft repeatedly uses Arabs as an example of women oppressed, saying that Arab believe women have no souls, but she really knows nothing about Arab except for the nonsense taught since her childhood about "heathen barbarians". This was common in the nineteenth and even twentieth century. People have begun to travel and minds to open only recently-- even then, just barely.

Oh, yesterday, I went to Loyola with Chewy. Wh00t! That was great fun. I snooped around Loyola while I waited for her chemistry class to get out. I now know Loyola better than her, buaha! Anyway, they have security at their library, which is just plain silly. So much for educating the community. Only Loyola students may use the library now, different than a couple of years ago. I'm told it's to avoid the crimes that have been happening at other universities. Why, do you find a lot of rapists in the library? Anyway, after class we had fun. Loyola's prayer room is neat. It's like a lounge. Comfortable. Maybe a little too comfortable. I fell asleep during jumuah. Eheh. ^^;;; Then, after going back and forth between UIC and Loyola like five times (thanks, Shay :P), we picked up Shay and friends to go to the Loyola Eid dinner. Yes, I know, it's very late for an Eid dinner. I can't fathom why they did that either.

Anywho, the speaker talked about the soul. Everyone can be classified into three categories: evil, good, and neutral. Basically, we're born pure, generally corrupted later, and we ultimately have to attain peace in submitting to Allah. Hence, the title of lecture, "Returning to God". To sum his speech in a few words, we can return to God by behaving as though we see God before us, and by being conscious that death may come at any moment. I'm oversimplifying, but those are the essentials. For more info on the Soul (nafs), this page has a much better explanation. Saad Qadri is a good speaker, but this is more Shay's interest than mine. She likes to learn about spirituality and whatnot. Now, of course, all knowledge is good, but me, I prefer to concentrate on the more practical, tangible knowledge, info that I can wrap my mind around, info that constantly reminds me of Allah's presence and His proofs (e.g. science, nature, etc.), info that I can act on (e.g. social change, philosophy). That's me. The food was yummy. Kudos to Pita Inn of Skokie, IL. Their falafel and chicken was awesome. I haven't had meat in so long. Afterwards, we goofed off, had ice cream. Mmm, strawberry shortcake sundae. :drool: I think we scared the drive-thru man. K, got to go, y'all. Salamz.

Women and Ascetism

2005-02-08T13:26:00.001-06:00

Hey, my peoples. I haven't written lately, I know. I forget my thoughts. Anyway, I'm coming to find my teachers highly amusing, especially my bio teacher. The funniest stuff comes out of that woman's mouth, I swear. "I like looking at stuff. Do you?" or "When I'm excited, I read backwards. I can read backwards. I can do that. Can you?" ::snicker:: People watch movies during her lectures. It was Wicker Park today. I couldn't see the subtitles, but it seems like a good movie. XD

Apparently, my lit teacher is an über feminist. Nineteenth century writer Mary Wollenscraft explains in her essay, "A Vindication on the Rights of Woman," that men are stronger physically. My teacher says reading this made her "cringe", and she tried to say that Wollenscraft only included this tidbit to please the men in her audience. Or maybe she just got it right, lady! Why is it so hard for women these days to accept men have more muscle mass? Centuries of evidence suggests this. Physical standards have had to be lowered to meet ridiculous employment quotas. That's right, next time you're in a fire, you'll be dragged down the stairs, not carried, and you can thank the feminists.

So men are stronger physically. Big deal. We have emotional and mental strengths they don't, and any woman who believes physical strength is the only advantage or the best advantage-- that woman is weak. Really, we don't have to be identical to be equal. Men and women are clearly not the same, and we shouldn't be ashamed of nor try to change this but embrace it. The sooner we face the facts, the sooner we can use them. Feminists are just slowing us down by suggesting that we become men. They're working on letting us fight in the military? How about working on something useful, like making sure men aren't paid twenty percent more than women for the same job? That would be useful.

She also said that our society doesn't value womanly traits like balance or flexibility. Well, gee, can you overpower someone with balance and flexibility? What will you do, tie your attacker into knots? Give me a break. No scientist, doctor, or physical therapist thinks yoga when they think strength. There's a difference. Get over it, ladies. Stop worrying over the physical (typically American), and think about the more important stuff. My teacher says no one wants to call herself a feminist because she'll be labelled a man-hater. No. No one wants to call herself a feminist because they're stubborn morons.

Also, Buddhism and Hinduism are ridiculously ascetic. Why would you be born on this earth to become a vegetable? Why go through your life thinking that all the world and all its people are inherently evil, monstrous creatures? Why shun the world when you can accomplish so much more good within it? For those who don't know, Buddhism and Hinduism teach that this world is an illusion and an evil. You can only reach nirvana or moksha (which is essentially extinction, non-existence, ceasing to be) by meditating on nothing and cutting yourself off from people. Great theology. It has nothing to do with yoga, and you know reincarnation, that idea that has shallow Americans so fascinated nowadays and which they use to explain away their flaws? "Must be a habit from a past life." Yeah, that one. Actually, the human population is growing, which kills that notion. Clearly, it's not the same people regenerating over and over. Yeah, and Buddhists and Hindus actually think reincarnation is bad, and the whole goal of their lives is to stop it. You are punished in this life for supposed sins in the past (that you can't remember, of course). It's not all about peace and all that nonsense. Hinduism is the source of the caste system in India, which says that you cannot rise up beyond your given place in life. Born a servant, always a servant. This has led to degradation of certain peoples. There is actually a caste for people called the 'untouchables'. They're like animals. Yeah, and Muslims are even lower in the chain. Not a lot of people in the West realize it, but Ghandi's greatest achievement was not freeing India from the Brits (only pompous British would think so highly of themselves). His highest achievement was helping to disband the caste system there.

Sorry for the ranting. We've been talking about Buddhism and Hinduism in religions and great ideas class. I've probably offended, but if I've said anything beyond the truth, feel free to point it out. Now I must work on my chem. Salams.

PS. There are two events y'all should know.

Fundraising Dinner for IIE
Sunday, March 6, 6:00
@ Hanging Gardens, Belmont Ave, River Grove, IL
Speaker: Maulana Shafayat Mohamed
Individual: $100, Family: $200

(Let me know if y'all want tickets to that one.)

Eid Al-Adha Dinner: Returning to God
Friday, February 11, 7:30
@ Rambler Room, Centennial Forum Student Union
1125 West Loyola Avenue, Chicago, IL 60626
Speaker: Saad Qadri

Free, I think.

I say good day!

2005-01-28T18:31:00.000-06:00

Well, I had a good end to my week. Yesterday, I had a presentation about the Prophet (sas). I think it went pretty well. We had a nice discussion. Mostly, the class noticed the similarities between Islam and Christianity. I was surprised to note that when I asked whether the concept of the Trinity conflicted with the concept of one God, they said yes. They admit even among themselves that it's totally illogical. We talked about iconography too. Muslims won't depict God or his prophets. It makes sense considering Christians today sometimes worship representations of God or Jesus or Mary or saints rather than He Himself. We also talked about usury, which is illegal in Islam because essentially, it puts people in debt.

It was a great talk, and I think I did well, alhamdullillah. I got to see Chewy and Sana again. That was great. Goofed off, of course. It's always good to see them. Bio lab was funny. We were designing our own experiments, so our group tested shampoo and conditioners for acidity. This time I didn't burn myself. Although we broke a few test tubes.

>.>
<.<

If they ask, you saw nothing. Haha. I looked up Arabs in Seattle today. Apparently, there are enough to warrant an Arab fest. Who would have thought? That should be interesting. I guess I'll be taking a lot of trips to the city there. Buaha. ^.~ I also talked to a friend from high school. We reminisced. She's sweet. She tells me their MSA isn't doing so hot. That's a shame... Our own MSA is on the rocks right now, since the president just gave up. I guess he had a lot on his plate. I figure we should have a fundraiser for the people affected by the tsunami. We'll see. Tomorrow we might go to my uncle's in my ghetto-mobile. Har! I'm setting trends with my clashing fender (black on green). Oh, and the plow did come through our neighborhood so we no longer have to climb over snowhills to get to our cars. XD

I bought my lit books. Go me. Eheh. I think someone's over. Better go. Salamz.

Nothing risked is... nothing broken

2005-01-26T13:21:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was the most useless day ever. I could have slept in all day, and I think I would have accomplished the same. First, I went to bio (for which I spent fifty minutes looking for parking). It was apparently intro to chemistry day. Good God, I was bored out of my mind.

"Here's where the neutrons are. And this is where the protons are, and here are all the itty bitty..."

Three years back, man. She said that biologists don't talk about atoms the same way as chemists.

"Ions are extremely unhappy atoms." Uh, no, chemists don't talk about chemistry that way. Maybe we ought to suggest therapy for the poor, unhappy ions? Then I went to the computer lab, where I forgot my disk and jacket. That was mighty stupid. After, I went to chemistry, where I ruined an experiment, broke a beaker, and burned my fingers. Note to self: do not handle hot glass containing acid. Then I went to literature. I haven't bought my literature books yet (last ones left on my list), so I basically just sat and nodded my head while the teacher went on and on about poems I hadn't read. Very entertaining. So. That was my day. How was yours? Anyway, I have to get to chemistry. Lecture only, thankfully. No lab to destroy. Must ring in the new year with destruction, y'know.

Snowstorm

2005-01-23T13:41:00.000-06:00

Yo, how was everyone's Eid? Mine was good. I went to Shay's house. We talked about a lot. Both of us were agreeing that it's unfair that medicine is ranked way up here and everything else is second rate. She showed me Foamy! The little squirrel's funny, but be forewarned, he cusses, so lower the volume. Most of these skits are a rant on one issue or another.

I think my mom's coming around. She wasn't so adamant when I told her I wanted to be a professor today. How does philosophy sound? Buaha. I shall confuse the next generation. >:) It was not fun driving home in that snow. My car, er, how do you say... swerved? ^^; Alhamdullilah, everything's in one piece, but I stayed in the next day, believe you me. I saw some poor Joe further down the road who actually needed a tow truck. I'm going to have to dig my car out of the snow today, as the fambly wants to get out of the house.

I need to get my books really soon before I'm behind in my classes, especially considering I have a presentation this Thurs. It's going to be on the Prophet (sas) in my Great Ideas class. That class looks like it's going to be a lot of fun, mostly because, like my religions class, the teacher is great. He wants us to discuss and whatnot.

Eid Mubarak!

2005-01-20T16:38:00.000-06:00

Eid is tomorrow -according to certain local persons. So I'm going to prayer tomorrow, but truthfully, it was today, eheh. It's probably better this way. I would have had trouble scrambling to my classes today if there had been prayer. Have a great holiday, everyone! I might go to the south side with my mom, shop for this or that. Good news, my people. I like my classes. My bio teacher is a bit boring, but I doubt anyone could make much out of bio. She's lenient, and my classmates are nice -and mainly desi, haha- so I don't mind. Chemistry is great, of course, and I have an entertaining friend in there, so I don't get bored during the teacher's lapses (that man zones out like nobody's business!) Literature seems like good fun. There's a lot of reading, which I like, but there are also a lot of loudmouths, including the teacher. ^^; Maybe it's because they're all much older than me, or maybe it's because they're English/education majors, eheh. Who would have thought? My favorite class so far is World Religions, mostly because of the teacher. He's so well-spoken and open-minded. I can tell I won't have a hard time with him at all, especially considering the topics are those that I like (e.g. religion and logic). My last class is Great Ideas of World Civilizations, which I have in an hour and a half. It's an honors class so, like chem, I don't expect it to have a lot of people. That's better, I say. I hope the teacher's as good as they say. Anyone know when it'll stop snowing? It's a pain and a half trying to drive through it. Ugh.

Tidbit of the day: Eid prayer can have six or twelve takbirat (i.e. saying "Allahu Akbar"). Also, in the Middle Ages, the Catholics adopted the rosary, or prayer beads, from the Muslims who use it to say the 99 names of Allah, or to say the three kalimat (i.e. Subhanallah, Alhamdullilah, Allahu Akbar) 33 times each. It was not used in the time of the Prophet (sas), but it is a form of dhikr (remembrance of Allah), which is very beneficial. And that's all she wrote. ^-^

Cold Medicine

2005-01-18T13:39:00.000-06:00

Ah, it's the first day of classes. I just came back from biology. Goodness, parking was one bloody-- well, it was bad. The lecture hall was crowded, but at least I have a couple friends in that class. I thought there'd be none. Apparently, I have three hours until chemistry. I hadn't realized that before. So here I am. At least I'll have time to pray. I was worried about that. It's going to be a long day today. I won't be home until nine thirty or so. I had to sleep in the basement yesterday, which, unlike my room, is cold. Not that bad though, certainly not as bad as my mom and sister make it out to be. My sister's sleeping in my room, and it's bugging the living bejesus out of me! I came back to IL to find her moved into my room. It's irritating me to no end. I need space. She didn't even ask. Maybe that bugs me most. It's too cold, they say. Her hands will turn blue, they say.

They've been living in Chicago for more than a decade and they just noticed the friggin' cold?!?!

We have a fine space heater. If it keeps on like this, I'm going to just let her have her way and take my room so I can move into the basement. A person gets to the age where they want some measure of privacy, am I right? I mean, I love my sister and all, but living so close to her is a pain. We don't agree on anything- including cleanliness- and she wakes me up practically every day four hours early when she's getting ready for work. Is it too much to ask for sleep? We have three perfectly good bedrooms in the house, and I don't think that upstairs bedroom was made for two. I tried, for my mom, not to complain, but the peace lasted maybe three days before it got to me. I'm used to moving my stuff around by now so it shouldn't be hard.

Yesterday something else occurred to me. I've been saying I don't want to go to medical school for ten years just to please my mom- and then I remembered she dedicated some thirty years of her life to us, so... I don't really have room to whine, but I'm still not going to med school because I have absolutely no interest in the material. (It's biology, for crying out loud!) In which case, I'd do badly in class. So it'd be sort of silly for me to commit myself to ruining my GPA... I still want education, for the same reasons. I'm also interested more and more in chemistry and literature...

My brother says I should look at which jobs I can take with me overseas. Like medicine? They're beating a dead horse.

Stranded

2005-01-16T22:14:00.000-06:00

Okay, so apparently I'm the only one who wants to see Elektra. What? I thought it was going to be like X-Men. ::shifty eyes:: Anyway, the one day I have the car, I'm stuck at home. Go figure. At least I'll finally get some peace and quiet. I've rifled through the stuff my mom brought back from overseas-- and I've struck the motherlode! Eheehee, I got some jewelry, some hijabs, some date cookies, and of course, some MASTIC. Oh, ah. That's right, folks. Arabic gum. It tastes like toothpaste. XD Yummy.

Now then, my mum is making lamb for us. Mmmm, yes. Finally, real meat. Fish doesn't count. Neither do small crustaceans. I think I had just about every sort of shrimp on God's green earth. Fried shrimp, jumbo shrimp, popcorn shrimp, butterfly shrimp, butter shrimp, cold shrimp...

::shudder:: Never again. Who enjoys seafood cold?

My brothers were talking about what sort of guy I'll end up with. First, they were thinking a guy tougher than me-- but no, they said, he would probably beat me. Then they were thinking a guy softer than me-- but no, they said, I would probably eat him.

"Ah, it's Godzilla!"

::weep:: The cruelty! Oh, by the way, over in Seattle, I read a great book. I recommend it. It's good, and not too long for those not-so-avid readers. Be warned, though, it's sad. Memed, My Hawk by Yeshar Kemal. Apparently, it was made into a movie in '84 too. I wonder if that's any good. That reminds me, I ought to see which books I'll need for my classes. Maybe later. I plan to add some code to my page too, some links. I might have a section for music requests. Buaha. Sandstorm was my cousin's idea. Ha! I've pointed the blame. Anyway, salamz all. Oh, check out my cousin's blog too. It's new, it's hip, it's hottest thing since sliced bread. Ha, jk. It's funny though. Take a look.

Guess who's back!

2005-01-15T14:14:00.000-06:00

Hey, folks! I'm back. It felt a little strange the first day. My room looked a little different so when I walked in I just stared at it a for a second. Then I remembered it was my room, eheh. It was good to see my my mom and sister again. They were bored without me. I didn't know I was so entertaining. :P

Apparently, we have a new camcorder. I would have liked to have taken that to Seattle. Some good reality TV, eheh. Anyway, this time my flight was even longer because a] a storm across the Midwest made our pilot take the scenic route and b] I kept missing my flights. The first miss was my fault. I forgot the two hour time difference when I set my alarm. Then again, it was pretty silly to expect myself to wake up at five a.m. to fly. Not in this lifetime. Later on, the storm had us taking an indirect route to Atlanta, so I ended up coming too late for my connection to Chicago. On the way to Atlanta my only form of entertainment was this woman sitting next to me playing Sweet Home Alabama on her portable DVD player. With headphones, of course. That's okay. I imagined the words.

Man: You two-timin' skank. You married someone else!
Woman: So! You married my sister!
Audience: ::gasp:: Jerry! Jerry!

I sat down and twiddled my thumbs for the two hour wait for the next plane to Chicago, regretting that I hadn't brought extra cash to buy a book or something. On the bright side, I met this French student, and we talked all the way to Chicago. She was a very nice woman, open-minded. We talked about a lot of stuff, politics included. She said a lot of news is distorted in the American media, and I told her that was obvious. People just swallow everything they're told. That's one of the reasons I want to become a teacher. Maybe we can still force the next generation to think for themselves. I told her about the hijab, and how people ought not to wonder about Muslims but Western women. They gave themselves up to chauvinism long ago when they started wearing skimpy skirts and short shirts just to get attention, to buy acceptance. They complain nowadays that no one judges them based on their character rather than their looks. Gee, I wonder why? They won't get any pity from me; they only encourage oppression by dressing down to fit in. Muslim women, on the other hand, demand respect. No one can judge a hijabi based on her beauty, can they? They're forced to see her on the inside.

Anywho, she was a great girl, but she got treated horribly in the US just because she was French. Dastardly Americans. They can't accept any view but their own. "What, you mean you don't want to sell your body for attention? What, you mean you don't agree with the war? Terrorist dog!" I hope she made it to her interviews all right. Yesterday, I visited my uncle. Good to see e'erbody again. It was nice spending time with mummy too. She brought the most gorgeous Quran from Palestine. You have to see it, people. It's beautiful. Ach, must go clean my mouth. Blue from candy cane. Alrighty, I'm off. Salamz.

Last Supper... or something

2005-01-11T18:35:00.000-06:00

So. Today's my last official day in WA until my next visit. I like it. I told my sister-in-law that I'm going to recommend a better town when we move because this one has too many rednecks, buaha. I'm thinking of this other suburb ten minutes away. It's slightly more expensive, and there aren't many more Muslims there, but as I told my brother, at least there isn't an ambulance going by every night. It's closer to the city, and the masjid's pretty nice. Anyway, we were going to go to Discovery Park today, but we didn't make it. That's okay. We've already been to another park with gigantic trees. Excellent. I wanted to visit the community college too, but there are so many community colleges here that I'm beginning to think there isn't much of a difference between any of them. I think I'm just going to go with the old system: go to the school in the richer suburb. ::snicker:: Nah, so long as I go to a decent four-year I don't care much about the rest.

Yesterday we went to see White Noise, that horror flick about EVP. Dun dun dun. It was okay, odd as all horror movies are. At least it was better than Darkness. We've rented a few too, and we've been playing Halo. I win of course. Buaha. They ended up getting so frustrated that they teamed up against me two to one. Pssh. It'll be nice to get back to Chicago though, just because I'll get to see my friends and my mum, and because I won't be holed up in an apartment with nothing to do while everyone's at work. XD I'm not looking forward to the snow though. Blech. That was one of the perks of WA, warmer than IL. Class... I'll have a lot of that when next semester starts. I got my report card. Stupid history teacher. He ruined my perfect GPA. ::shakes fist:: I didn't know what he wanted, I tell you! I didn't know what he wanted! "More content, more content." What does that mean?! ::weep::

Ach, I have to get up at five tomorrow for the plane. Ten hours, ew. I hope my back doesn't break again. Ah, well, it's feeding time, folks, eheh. Maybe we'll stop by that neat International Bazaar. It's owned by Indians, and it's got good halal stuff. Salamz.

Kwik-E

2005-01-04T21:48:00.000-06:00

Okay, I only have a few minutes, so I'll have to make this short. I haven't been able to get on for two reasons. First, because my brother did indeed put me to work, hehe, as I expected. It was for inventory, and it was a pain- mostly because a brother from out of town came to help us, and he was a nuisance. He cussed so much I could have sworn someone had scraped him from the floor of a hick bar. If that wasn't turn-off enough, he insulted the employees. Paychecks were delayed over Christmas, not surprisingly.

Employee: You mean our checks are delayed until after the weekend? My bills will bounce.
Guy: So you have no money in your account? What would you do if you got fired?
Employee: Find work.
Guy: Paycheck to paycheck. That sucks.

Uh, yeah, you arse, not everyone is as blessed as you. Anyway, the second reason I've been gone is that once inventory was over I stayed away from the store as much as possible, eheh, so no comp. It's a'ight though because I spent time with my sister-in-law on her days-off. She needs some fun. We went downtown to the public library (since the suburbanites are apparently illiterate), and the architecture alone is outstanding. It even won awards. Check her out. Inside, everything is new and modern, right down to self-checkout. It's got something like eleven floors- I got to go up there! Egads, only I would gush over a library. ^^;

We had some gelato (Italian ice cream). Yum. Today was awesome. The more I see of Seattle the more I love it. That's right. I actually like the city for once! There's a little flea market full of great shops, and a bigger shopping district with all the expensive brand names, etc etc. Of course, there's Chinatown. My brother had to see that. We met up for lunch with this woman that works at my bro's store. Her husband's a tour guide! So we toured the city. Good food. Then we went to the aquarium, which of course I loved! ::animal fanatic:: We got to touch 'em! Then we went to see the greenery. Goodness, Seattle is beautiful. The folks were surprised because I kept asking to see the trees. Hadn't I seen trees before? I told it's because in Chicago, all we've got is lousy prairie, a few feet of dry forest, and Starved Rock State Park. Then we went to have the best milkshakes in town.

Looks like I won't get to see the rain forest this time around, but who knows, maybe next time? Much better than staying home to watch tv all day. I've read some books, seen some movies. Nothing grand. We stopped by Borders today, but only briefly. I would have liked to have gotten some books. Blast!

My mom came from Syria, ooooh lawd! Shay, girl, I have to bring you down here. You'd love it! I'd take you and Chewy to the Space Needle. I've been wanting to take pics of everything, but I keep forgetting my cam. Oops, chief is callin'. Laterz.

PS. After this post, I ran around laughing maniacally while turning on all the musical mobiles in the store. Buaha! It's meant to be soothing... Just imagine twenty different versions of rock-a-bye baby playing at the same time. It reminded me of one of those horror flicks where the toys come to life and attack the kids. My bro says I'm psycho.

Shortness

2004-12-21T21:57:00.000-06:00

We saw Pitch Black yesterday. Not bad. It's an interesting story they've got going in Riddick and Pitch Black. My sister in law and I were thinking it must be based on a book. If it is, I'd like to read it. But the library here is like a house, with a total of fifty books! It absolutely amazed me. What kind of people don't value books? It's enough to make me weep. Then we went to Ikea! The furniture is so nice and cheap. I was looking for stuff for the apartment. Now I wanna see a movie, laterz!

Wee!

2004-12-20T22:23:00.000-06:00

I talked to Shay the other day, late night. It was hilarious. We were talking about the Amish, and how we should start our own reality tv show for hijabis. Here's a clip:

Me: ::crying:: She used my toothbrush!
Shay: Where's my prayer rug? She stole my prayer rug!

Haha, we would be so goofy. XD My bro came in from Chicago. He brought the Xbox, yay! We played Halo 2 today. It was so awesome! I was on the banshee (flying tractor) and I was dancing in the air. "Can't catch me! Heehee!" They were getting so frustrated. Har! Then we went to the mall. It's nice, but oh so crowded! Aie! Stinkin' holiday shoppers! Then we went to Barnes & Noble. Good times. Then we rented Pitch Black, prequel to Riddick. The Blockbuster dude said it was really good. I hope so. It looks good. Riddick was awesome. ^^ Oops, we're closing the store! Salamz!

Entertainment

2004-12-19T17:52:00.000-06:00

Okay, apparently, they have ice showers here in Seattle too. -.- ::mutter, mutter:: Anyway, did I mention my neighbor's house burned down? Yeah, I'm going home, and I think, 'smells like burning.' I thought it was my dad attempting to cook again, but all was good in the house. Ten minutes later, I hear sirens, I look out the window, and the house across our backyard is up in flames. Wow. How quickly one's life changes. This is what I mean when I say don't count on being here tomorrow. You never know. Never buying a wood house, let me tell you (they're fug pugly anyway). My dad was trying to make a point out of it. "See, this is what happens when you leave the space heater on." Hmph.

Yesterday, we went to the masjid! It reminds me of a beach house, haha. It was spiffy though. There were a lot of Asian Muslims, but the community here is so diverse, mashallah. They have women's activities in English, Spanish, Urdu, and Bosnian. Just you imagine! (comedian Azhar Usman) It's nice and clean. You know me, Nancy Neat. Then we went to Marble Slab Creamery. Mmmm, ice cream. It still doesn't beat frozen custard though. Once you've had Culver's, you don't go back, eheh. I'm pleased to say my brother and his wife have just as much of a monstrous sweet tooth as me. Wee! I don't think I've ever had as much chocolate and ice cream in two days! XD

I saw Collateral and Hero, both of which were slow and mostly lame. Jet Li, go figure. Doesn't compare to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon by any means. Also, I, Robot, which was entertaining enough. If you're looking for a different sort of action movie, go for it. Then we saw Dodgeball. As predicted, I did not like it. I never like Ben Stiller. He's only got gross jokes. "Look, my crotch is inflating! Har! Look, my zipper's stuck! Ho, ho, ho!" The only good movie he's made is... Starsky & Hutch, and he was only funny thanks to the blonde.

Brother: It's 'cause you're missing all the subtle jokes.
Me: They're not subtle. -.-

Today, I just bummed around. I was going to take a walk, but then my sister in law came. S'all good. We ate, and she's brought me to the store, which is more amusing than the apartment. ^^; Hah, my other brother's flying here today. We bullied him into bringing the XBox. We'll all play Halo 2- wee! I get to basically plan all our activities. Muahahaha! Power! I think we'll go boating, go to the rain forest (of course), a national park, mountains, go downtown. My sister in law's excited to show me around the city. I've heard it's cosmopolitan like downtown Chicago, but actually, I think it'll be much prettier. Chicago has skyscrapers, glass, and asphalt. Seattle has that too, but they spare extra care to ensure that there's greenery too. Really, there are actual forests strewn through the civilization. It's gorgeous. One of the reasons I don't like cities -besides the crowds- is that everything's either buildings or smog. So this is refreshing. So hilly and green- and the water!

I also plan to tour some colleges of course. I suggested before that we take a day to tour the masjids too, but apparently, they're not much. I guess the Muslim community isn't big enough in some parts, so they just use rented property. Then of course I plan to do some stuff without my brother, stuff that doesn't interest him, like stop by the library, mall, maybe a museum. You can call me a nerd and other cliches, but at least this nerd is cultured. ^.~ It's partly for my sister in law too, because someone has to do that sort of stuff with her. Can't be work and all play. They both need a break.

Oh! Someone pick a song, and I'll use it as the bg music for my blog. Does anyone else's ears keep popping? Ow. I have yet to get used to these altitudes. Hee, hee, someone from my bro's store just had me help them. Little did they know I wasn't an actual employee. Buaha! I just guessed. I can't imagine I got much wrong. Right? XD Salamz.

Seattle loves me!

2004-12-17T20:21:00.000-06:00

Yo! Speaking to you from Seattle now. Wee! It's pretty here, even with downcast skies. The apartment's nice and cozy too, spartan since they're hardly home. I'm at the office now. The store is so adorable! Baby furniture and kiddy themes everywhere. Mashallah, it's much bigger than I imagined. I just finished my essay for history. I'm hoping my prof will accept it. He's afraid of technology so he wouldn't let me email it to him, and my bro couldn't get it to him today. ::grumble:: Stinkin' two hour time difference.

The airport wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined. The plane was fun. I love it when it goes up. XD I was like, "Oh, ah!" The flight to Atlanta was funny. I was sitting next to a missionary and a Jew. We were like some bad joke. A Christian, a Muslim, and a Jew are sitting on a plane...

We talked, we agreed, it was nice. The missionary was telling me about converting Indonesians (tiny minority). She says they still call themselves Muslims when they convert. Now, not to be mean, but I'm going to be frank. Muslims cannot be Christian. We don't believe in a three-part god, or a mother of God, or a son of God, or a man-god. Get it straight, it's one or the other. They're only kidding themselves if they believe differently. Anyway, she was still really sweet, and I think we'll keep in touch. Now I'm in Seattle, loafing and I have to get off the computer before someone eats me, haha. We're going to the rain forest, WHOOT!

Erf, my back's in a kink from the ten hour plane ride. ::shakes fist:: Salamz.

One down, one to go

2004-12-15T14:28:00.000-06:00

Finished my chem final! Yaaaaay! No prob. ^.^ Now, history... ^^; And I gotta pack.

Done, thank you!

2004-12-14T21:44:00.000-06:00

I just finished my last English class! Yeah! We came in late for the project because everyone was scrambling to finish on time. It was funny, haha. I'm so glad I'm done. I actually learned while working on it. I particularly liked learning about ghazals (Persian poetry). Only chem and history to deal with now. Whew. Final tomorrow, and an essay to complete. -.- Wow, both my brother and my dad came to pick me up. On time. That's a first. Puuuhraise the lawd! This may be my last post for a month, since I'm leaving Thurs. for good ol' Seattle. Don't miss me too much, eheh. Salamz, y'all.

West side! Wh00t, wh00t!

2004-12-13T17:21:00.000-06:00

I talked to my sister in law in Seattle yesterday. We're going to take the van and cruise the sights! (They actually have stuff to see there, not like surbubia here). I want to see the rain forest and the mountains so badly! Even if they are on the other side of the state, eheh.

We're going to look at my college choices too. None of the two year colleges seem to have MSAs. :/ Washington State and University of Washington are looking good at the moment, with UW slightly in the lead since it has smaller classes and greater diversity, both very important aspects for me. If anyone out there has any suggestions, please do let me know.

She was also telling me about the employees at the store. They sound hilarious. Each of them have some sort of quirk or oddity to them, like one girl, a tomboy, apparently owns a monster truck. I can't wait to meet 'em all. XD

Now, working with them, that's another story... eheehee. Everyone keeps telling me about the rain. I keep thinking, "Dude. C'mon. I live in Chicago. Does it look like I care about the friggin' rain? I'll be happy just to get away from the bloody snow."

Wee, Seattle! Once I get done with finals, that is... >.<

Burning, mummy!

2004-12-10T23:09:00.000-06:00

Today I managed to burn eggs. Yes, they really do explode. It could've happened to anyone, I tell you! Needless to say, the house stank afterward. Hey, ever showered in ice? I have. Not pleasant, believe you me. I was getting the shock treatment in that stall. Our water heater wasn't working. It's better now. The electrician guy came today-- or at least, that's what my brother called him. When I asked him if he was the electrician, the guy mumbles, "Yeah, I guess you could call me that."

I was thinking, "You guess? Are you or aren't you, boy!" It wasn't a difficult question. Certified ou non. I bet he appreciated the smell. Ha.

He fixed the heater. Huzzah! My bro left. So much for a movie. I loved Ocean's Eleven, and we were going to see Ocean's Twelve tonight with my cousin. ::grumbles:: He expected me to wait by the phone today for his calls, and he leaves us for... bowling? Did I hear correctly? Maybe I won't wait for my bro. Maybe I'll see it with Chewy instead.

But I have work to do. I have four pages of English project, a history essay, and two finals to study for... ::hiss:: 'Nother funny site for y'all. Jibjab.com. They have some hilarious videos. Watch "This Land!" XD

My dad thinks he needs to push us all to eat. When I told him we knew when to eat, he said something like, "No, you'll forget yourself." Uh, come again? Who in the history of man has ever forgotten to eat? There's a built-in reminder. It's called hunger. A stomach. He should know about that. <.<

My English teacher doesn't even like us to use the word, 'man' or 'mankind'. It's sexist, she says. We should say 'human'. Give me a break. Surprisingly, she liked my essay titled "The Case Against Grades." I never imagined she'd actually agree, eheh. She was going to work in Seattle, recommended Evergreen. Maybe I'll look into it.

I talked to my oldest bro today. I think he plans to put me to work when I reach Seattle, eheh.

Me: So what are we gonna do when I get there?
Bro: Well, first I'll show you the store.
Me: Uh-huh.
Bro: And then you'll meet the employees.
Me: Uh-huh...
Bro: And then there'll be some 'recreational activities' for you and the employees...
Me: Gee golly, mister! You really mean it?

We'll have ourselves an ice cream social. Yes, that's it. -.- At least it won't snow there. Will it?

Intermission

2004-12-08T14:38:00.000-06:00

On Sunday, I went to a fundraiser for ISNS with Shay. It was so much fun. The food was good. I'm getting better and better at ignoring the spice.

Me: ::screaming:: Mummy! It tastes like burning!

Eheh, the first few speakers weren't very entertaining, but then Rami spoke. Mashallah, he's a very good speaker. I haven't heard a good speech for a while. I loved how seamlessly he related hadith to the issue at hand, which was raising funds for a new masjid. I now plan to read Samuel Huntington's The Challenges to America's National Identity, one of the works that he mentioned. He integrated language into his discussion as well, which I, as an avid reader and oft-unwitting analyst, really appreciate, e.g. the word "god-fearing". (No one realizes how easily you can manipulate people through use of diction alone). Nowadays, that word isn't used because fear has been used by critics of religion to imply that religion is a tyrannical, controlling institution. He talked some more about other topics, and inshallah, I'll remember more later.

I'm a little preoccupied now with the speech I have to give in MSA. I'm not quite sure of a suitable topic.

Yesterday, I presented my English proj. It was so good to get that burden off my shoulders. Whew. Afterward, one of the guys in my class talked about WHR to the teacher. Surprisingly, she actually knew a little about anime. Her husband apparently watches it. Today was the last day of chem, alhamdulillah. I swear, if any class has ever made me feel like I'm in kindergarten, that was it. Could they move any slower? We had the most useless lab today on mixing solutions!

Teacher: Okay, kids. Now add water.

::pulls hair out:: Anyway, I still love chem. I'm just glad to be out of there. Now I have only a proj, a paper, and a final, and I'm free. Free, free! Wee! ::throws confetti:: Okay, I really have to get on that speech now.

Call me Rational

2004-12-06T18:36:00.000-06:00

Okay, stinkin' Blogspot ruined my last post. So I retook the personality test written by psychologists for companies. Once again, I am the cold one. Weeyu, weeyu. *weep* Shay's an idealist, which is what I would have first thought myself, but I guess this does sound more like me since I'm not that sociable. Although mastermind, architect, inventor, or field marshal- that's a little much, eheh.

Your temperment is Rational. Rationals are the problem solving temperament, particularly if the problem has to do with the many complex systems that make up the world around us. Rationals might tackle problems in organic systems such as plants and animals, or in mechanical systems such as railroads and computers, or in social systems such as families and companies and governments. But whatever systems fire their curiosity, Rationals will analyze them to understand how they work, so they can figure out how to make them work better.

In working with problems, Rationals try to find solutions that have application in the real world, but they are even more interested in the abstract concepts involved, the fundamental principles or natural laws that underlie the particular case. And they are completely pragmatic about their ways and means of achieving their ends. Rationals don't care about being politically correct. They are interested in the most efficient solutions possible, and will listen to anyone who has something useful to teach them, while disregarding any authority or customary procedure that wastes time and resources.

Rationals have an insatiable hunger to accomplish their goals and will work tirelessly on any project they have set their mind to. They are rigorously logical and fiercely independent in their thinking--are indeed skeptical of all ideas, even their own--and they believe they can overcome any obstacle with their will power. Often they are seen as cold and distant, but this is really the absorbed concentration they give to whatever problem they're working on. Whether designing a skyscraper or an experiment, developing a theory or a prototype technology, building an aircraft, a corporation, or a strategic alliance, Rationals value intelligence, in themselves and others, and they pride themselves on the ingenuity they bring to their problem solving.

Rationals are very scarce, comprising as little as 5 to 10 percent of the population. But because of their drive to unlock the secrets of nature, and to develop new technologies, they have done much to shape our world.

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

I wonder if those who know me would agree? You can take the test @ Advisor Team.

Happiness ain't rich

2004-12-05T13:49:00.000-06:00

Man, why don't more people I know blog? It's jut Shay and I. ::sniff:: Anyway, I started talking to my sister again. Holding a grudge is too hard.

My brother and I were just talking about happiness the other day. He was telling me I should become a doctor or some such nonsense so our family name could be famous. Prestige; he wants it. I was telling him he needs to get his priorities straight. He cares too much about popular opinion, which amounts to worshipping people, not Allah. A lot of problems can stem from that. Wondering why brother Faisal is more "spiritual" than brother Ahmed? Their priorities are different. Then he was trying to excuse the pursuit of wealth by saying you can help out your community more with wealth. Ridiculous. A poor man can help his community out as much as the rich man, and he'll reap the same rewards. Haven't some of the most influential people in history been poor? Mother Theresa, Ghandi, the Prophet (sas)? Allah won't hold it against you on the Day of Judgement that you didn't attain wealth.

In other words, it's what you do with what you have that matters. Wealth is an excuse. "I'd like to make a difference, but I don't have the money." It's a blessing to man that not everyone holds this view or no one would be helping the less fortunate, the forgotten, the destitute.

His whole theory fell apart when he suggested the goal of society is to make life easier. Wrong again. That's why American morals are crumbling. That should not be the primary goal of life. The point is to make society better, less corrupt and more fraternal, less violent and more harmonious, etc. This goal has nothing to do with technology. Technology is a bonus, a perk. I'll be the first to tell you that- but that doesn't determine the value of a culture. Many moral systems are not as technologically advanced (or their technology is relatively new).

Neither does money equate to a good society. Success is defined in the US financially, "the gaining of fame or prosperity". This results in a very bleak life. And when you have attained fame or riches- then what? Then your life is without purpose. Most such people are not happy, and no wonder. This is a very self-destructive path, materialism. Philosophers have known so for many years.

"Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed and in such desperate enterprises?" Thoreau.

My mom still hasn't come back from Syria. I think she's avoiding us, eheh. Oh! I saw this first at Shay's house. These brothers have made some hilarious videos, must-see. I believe they just made a new one. DS-Films. Check it. Salamz.

The triumphant return!

2004-12-04T21:00:00.000-06:00

I haven't written in a while. Between class and family, I haven't wanted to. It's funny, they never train kids to remember their own thoughts. Let's see if I can give a brief summary of the past few weeks...

I hacked off my hair. Actually, I just trimmed it. I'm getting better. Soon, I'll be able to open a salon, buaha! If I were interested in that anyway.

I finished a global warming project. Yay! It was actually very informative. I like to learn the actual applications of chemistry since there are so many. I forced my group to work, eheh. There! I found a use for my 'toughness'. I take after my oldest brother very strongly that way. Did I mention he's been scaring off employees? The last could barely pick up her last check, poor girl. Good times. It'll be good to see him. Dec. 16! Wee!

I'm a little wary of the airport though. All the crowds, and the inevitable staring. Ain't they never seen a hijabi before? Scottish accent: I'm no' gonna' eat yer beybies, woman! Guys stare too. Actually, mostly guys, even at my school. I guess they're surprised to see a white Muslim woman. ::gasp:: They do exist!

Ack, but before then I have finals. Nuuuuu! Ah, well, it's only three classes. And before then, I have ::counting:: 1, 2, 3- 3 major projects due! Joy.

I picked up a friend who was stranded. Poor girl. Who would leave a girl in the winter, when it's snowing? The cruelty, the inhumanity! ::sniff, tear:: It's too bad I can't strand the twins as easily. ::grumble, mutter:: I mean, my brother (the younger one) was actually trying to lecture today. What does he think he has to teach me? I ask you.

Brother: Wee! Let's go to a birthday party! Yeah! Whoo! Respect me.

Boy, please.

Me and Shay hung out. It was fun. We're so goofy. We watched Mean Girls, which was actually funnier than I expected. It was hilarious 'cause Shay kept telling the actress, "No, that's stupid! Don't do that." Eheh, it was amusing. :D

On Thanksgiving (one of the most insincere American holidays to date) break, my cousin came over. That was a lot of fun. We played some XBox (Tenchu, Def Jam). That's right, we got to be ninja, thugs, and rappers all in one weekend! Hu-wah! We also saw Alexander, the movie. Oh, what a waste. By the end, I wanted Alexander to die. At least the movie delivered that. It was so ridiculous. No ruler could have been so weak and survived past the age of ten. They didn't even have the accents right. Father's Scottish and the mother's-- Romanian, psychotic? Who knows. They're supposed to be Macedonian, man. It made Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure look good.

And now... I have to get back to my project. I'm making a paper mache tree of memories. Oh, ah! It's corny. My English teacher'll like it. Chewy's coming over tomorrow. I'm proofreading her paper. Aren't I convenient? XD Salamz.