My up-y-dupy-date

Now first of all I must reiterate what I have mentioned probably a million or so times before. You people are all absolute whackos! I mean all of a sudden I've become the eldest in blogistan?? Oh puhhhleeeaaaaazze!! I'm only three and a half years old. If anything, you people should be giving me eidi. Plus, I should get extra cuz I havent been feeling very well (yup, I'm trying to get the sympathy points there).

Hopefully I've said Eid Mubarak to all of you Insha'Allah. If I did miss anyone, my sincerest apologies as it was totally not intended. And to those who I did miss and to the people who I said it to before, A very very very Happy Eid to all of you. May Allah accept your fasting and give you so much reward that it may last you a lifetime.

Ok, now on to why I've been taking medicine.. *looks at watch* EEEEEP! It's medicine time again... be right back people, dont y'all go nowhere! *runs off*.... pause.... pause.... pause.... pause *runs back* phew... So yeah, basically in the last 10 days of Ramadan, my brother, my mother and then my father (in that order) caught the flu. Alhamdulillah mine and my mother's fasting wasnt affected by it. But on Eid day, I already had that aforementioned slight hitch, and I had a slight headache, which I brushed off (as I always have with headaches... which reminds me of those times in Jeddah... *remembers times and rolls on the floor laughing*.. I must make a note to blog about that sometime.. and about the time i got pulled over in Saudi). Now in the evening, after the rest of the running around of the day, I went to my friend's house where we proceeded to play games on his Playstation 2 for round about 4 or so hours. Anyways, when I got home, I had a pretty strong headache.

(Random new paragraph) The next evening I was absolutely burning up, had a broken pipe somewhere in my nose cuz it was FLOODED and my throat felt like it had razor blades stuck in there. Now although in those conditions its hard to be an optimist but I've got this friend who's been telling me for the last 7 or so years that I should look at the bright side. I decided for once to take that advice and I must admit, looking at the bright side was cool. How?? Well it's simple, cuz of the sore throat,my voice got so hoarse (now now, no horse jokes people!) I started to sound like Agent Smith. I mean that is like absolutely awesomely cool!!! Anyone who read my Matrix Freeloaded review (Yup, still dont think it was all that!) will know that I am a HUGE fan of Agent Smith. I mean I've been walking around yesterday and today going Mr. Ahmed, Mr. khan to my friends(in Agent Smith's voice and tone ofcourse). I was just wondering if it were possible to get better yet keep the voice??

Any ideas or suggestions people???

Night of the 27th

Since it's the 27th, I dont wanna stay here too long, I'll just say try this link. This is basically what Jaded was talking about on the tagboyd. And 27th night Mubarak to all. Make the best of it Insha'Allah. :)

Update (for lack of a better title)

Try to work on Project... moan... groan... replace rear wiper... buy groceries... take Iftar to Masjid... Drop off CD for friend... Taraweeh... try to write a better post!

(Hmmm.. got quite a few things to do tomorrow)

Arabistani

As I posted earlier, I had Iftar at the Masjid today. Masha’Allah its always soo cool to have Iftar there. I think just over a hundred or so brothers turn up. Today dad came along too. He’s got a problem in his hip/leg so he has probs sitting on the floor and usually sits on a chair for prayers and stuff. Anyways, I dropped him off at the gate, went off to park and then came back. I wasn’t expecting to find a place next to dad but when I walked in, dad was near the entrance and called to me to sit next to him. I went over and the uncle ji sitting next to him sort of stared at me for a second. I just smiled without understanding the smile. I only found out later what it was all about. Anyways, after Iftar I was bouncing off the walls. The amount of sweet stuff was incredible, each and everything spoonfuls sweeter then the last. I don’t usually go to stuff myself in the Masjid, but the uncle ji next to me would pass me everything he would have which was Masha’Allah awesome of him.

I feel weird having Iftar at the Masjid. This is gonna sound stupid but I feel that if I don’t go to the Masjid often enough, I don’t have the right to have Iftar there, even though we took quite a bit stuff with us today. So I was trying to have a few dates and maybe a small piece or two of bread but I was stuck between dad’s chair (everyone sits on the floor) and the uncle ji next to me. Obviously I couldn’t jump over the food so I had to sit patiently during which time the uncle ji tried to use me as a human iftar disposal. It was only after Iftar, when another uncle said salam and asked how I was did I realize what was going on. He usually speaks to me in English but he spoke in Urdu. Yeah you’re probably thinking “CALL THE POLICE, ALERT THE FBI.. PEOPLE ARE TALKING TO HIM IN URDU”. Here’s the thing, apparently, most uncle jis when they see me think I’m one of the types born and bred here and they imagine me to not understand Urdu at all or minimal at best. So when the uncle ji at Iftar saw I understand Urdu he gave me that stare and I later understood what it was all about. Pretty soon all the uncle jis who talk to me in English were talking to me in Urdu. Weird… I don’t mind talking in Urdu, but since everyone thought I didn’t know any, I didn’t try to dispense their misconceptions. I’m like that… the quiet kind. (you’re thinking.. yeah with a post this long and the ramblings all over blogistan I churn out, I DEFINITLY must be the quiet kind). I have to admit, a lot of the uncles thought I was an Arab in the beginning (some still do) but I do get a lot of interviews. Questions on what I think of life in England, how life was in Saudi, why I moved here blah blah blah.. one uncle even asked me what I think of the youth here… errrr.. no comment uncle ji… too many weird questions…

I wish they thought I was an Arab again J

Incidentally, now that almost everyone’s seen me ugly mug.. do I look like an Arab???

P.S. note to Aysha... man that was soo much maska polish, my head grew enormously and i couldnt even get it through the doorway. And I do look a little like an indian filum actor??? Ewwwwwwww.. I'm gonna go have plastic surgery!! Keanu Reeves?? Dang you sure do want a laptop dont you??? :-p

Anyways, gotta go Iron mom and dad's clothes for Jumah prayer!

Addicted

I'm almost always addicted to something or the other. I mean besides doing my project, I find time to do just about everything else (including washing the kitchen sink... dont laff!). Everyone knows atleast one nerd who's on the internet 24/7. You see jokes about 'em too, how they're doing 10 different things online at the same time but when asked to pour water out of a shoe, they need instructions. I'm somewhat in a subgroup of those people these days. Nopes, I'm not addicted to the net, a fan maybe, but not addicted. What I am addicted to is, Ebay. And its horrible I tell you. I registered with Ebay last year and for nearly a year my Ebay account lay dormant. I'd log in every now but couldnt be bothered to do anything so I'd close up and play games or something. But recently, I was looking for a data cable for my mobile phone so I though oh well why not check out Ebay. Surprisingly (well if you use ebay you wont be surprised), I found the cable for 10 bux and the exact same cable retailing in shops for around 30. Needless to say I ordered online and was happy with it and with myself for looking on Ebay. And then the cravings started... If I had nothing to do, I'd be like, hmmm.. I wonder how much a new hamster would cost. I mean I just need an excuse to look at bargains and in the end I'll find something or the other that I like but obviously dont need. Then a little while later while I'm driving somewhere or walking down to someplace I'll convince myself that I dont need a new mousemat with a picture of the moon on it.

Oh well, life goes on.. By the way, what do you guys think of the new gimmicky thing on the blog? Simple copy and paste job, but I'm lucky cuz my frontpage is bwoke so I had to call on eons old html knowledge from the back of me noggin to get this code in the template right. Personally, I'm getting annoyed with it now, even though I only put it up 5 minutes ago. :)

P.S. Replies to the comments I didnt reply to in the last post... (did that make sense??)

Mademoiselle : I just recently learned to move other stuff besides my fat behind. Yup, progress is slow but steady! :)

Bushra : You dont leave things alone do you??? And damn you had to go read that post of mine from Shaykh Sahab's blog! :-p

Jaded : I am not!! :-p Thass umm, the other guy!

Miha / Abez : See you people make life for us brothers soo much harder... *faints*

Uzer : good to see you're still around bro

Hijabi : She's wrong, dont fall for it, she's playing a trick! :-p

I'm getting used to slightly longer posts now! Yay me!

Today has been awesomely long. I was one my feet the good part of 14 hours. The bad part being I missed Taraweeh. The only consolation is the fact that I did manage to help a friend get out of an extraordinarily huge headache. If I tried to explain no one would beleive it. And since it's someone's personal matter, I wont try to anyway. Regardless, I left the house at 8 in the morning and came back 10 and night.

I sat down for about 10 min at Iftar time. The rest of the day I've been on my feet. And helping a guy move just took it all out of me for today. Bringing his stuff down from the 2nd floor apartment he lives in wasnt bad enough (it was just the two of us bringing it down), the fact that the place he's moving to is on the third floor sorta took the cake in making all my old joints jump for joy... or was it pain, I cant put my finger on it. We loaded up my car and drove tothe new place and dropped the stuff off Alhamdulillah. Problem is we gotta do it one more time tomorrow.(this is where i do my trademark faint *faint*) B, eat your heart out! :-p

You know the reaction on the fotolog just scared me. The first few days there wasnt any at all and I was thinking "cool, not many people noticed". But now, seems like I've been identified as the frenchy guy (to you people who dont live in Pakiland, a frenchy is the desi name of a goatie), the guy spazzed out on the left, the bearded dude on the right and indeed even the flower bearing foliage in the background! (thanx Abez!)

What's scary is the fact that even Uzer bhai, who usually keeps a very low profile on my blog commented on the fotolog. It's not scary, its just cool that you're still around Uzer bhai. Ok, I'll make it a bit interesting. Of the three people in the pic, one was an absolute dimwit (and probably still is), one could eat his own weight in food (and probably still can) and one, which i later found out, drank alcohol as well (I pray he Insha'Allah doesnt now). Lets see who can make that out!

P.S. To anyone who wanted to comment on the fotolog but couldnt, you can continue the comments here! :)

P.P.S. Being around Yasmine sis has made me a bit Obsessive compulsive as well. To the extent i searched binje in google to see if my pic (from a few friends' sites) may come up... it didnt as far as i could tell. :)

Friends

As much as the title may sound like it relates to the TV series of the same name, this post has nothing to do with the over-the-hill-trying-to-be-funny-while-making-twats-of-themselves sitcom. Its about friends, the real ones.

Now, I have to be honest here (not that I'm usually not honest) but I've been a bit of a skeptic of the friends-for-life cliche. Admittedly there are cases where it has happenned but its not as common as people might think it. I have a handful of friends who I know have made an impact on my life but dont think I'll always be in contact with. Nothing new there, its all part of life. Even though most people who know me refuse to believe tihs, but I'm a huge skeptic (Ok you're all probably wondering why I'm babbling on like this, so we'll randomly skip to the next paragraph and I'll tell you).

2 days ago I was talking to a friend who I shared a house with at one point in Cyprus. Quite a few of my friends in Cyprus used to live in Saudi Arabia and still do. Those who graduated went back there and now, Alhamdulillah, have good jobs (and flash cars...GRRRR). Anyways, me, even though having an IQ less than my own shoe size, decided to go for a Masters degree (dont ask why, even I still dont know). Everyone knows how I'd like nothing more than to go back home, but for the time being am working on my graduation project. Heck, I'm babbling again. So anyways, my friend told me that the guys, 4 of them to be precise have decided something. I was like congratulations you didnt need a 4 year old to help you think. Then he proceeded to offer something which I couldnt imagine a normal 'friend' would do.

(Random new paragraph) Apparently, since I havent seen any of those blockheads in the last 2 and half years (and a few of them even more), I've been invited to go over to Jeddah after Hajj time. Nothing bad about that, I've been looking for a chance for ages. Since they all know I'm only working part-time, they've also offered to pay for half my ticket. Half. HALF. (where's the rest you cheapskates!!!). Obviously I'd have no problems with accomodation but half my air-fare. Now Alhamdulillah, I am able to earn enough to pay my own way and bring home some to give to my mom as well. And Alhamdulillah if I did decide to go I would be able to bear all the expenses but I never ever for the life of me, expected something like this.

Whether it's the spirit of Ramadan, or the fact that they really did want to see my ugly mug or maybe just roast me on an open fire I dont know. All I do know is that I've been deeply touched that people could be that nice to me. Alhamdulillah for good friends. Now I realize that even if I dont stay in contact with these people (although now I'll be making an extra hard effort to do so), they will Insha'Allah be people I always remember as the people who offered me so much more than just friendship (half an airticket to be precise... LOL. kidding). Good thing these guys dont know I have a blog, or their heads would be inflated like hot air balloons right now!

Guess even skeptics have to look at the brighter side sometimes.

Ramadan Blog : Day 3,4 and 5

Hey I never said I was gonna do it everyday did I??? Unfortunately, I have missed 1 day of Taraweeh. :( Very unfortunate, but then again I have to make sure I'm regular with my Fard prayers.

I've wrote 3 lines, then deleted them, then wrote 2 lines, deleted those again. Seems like nothing is coming to mind. Unlike most people in blogistan who write funny or meaningful or a combi of both kinda posts, me I'm relegated to mindless dribble. Hmm.. you know what, i think i'll quit while i'm ahead....

Oh and just incase anyone did miss it, there's a link to my fotolog on the left now. (There you go Yazzie, now no excuses for not leaving comments! :-p)