update

three cheers for me! i've gotten to a third blog entry. usually, i start these things and leave them unfinished. ahh.. such a triumph. not that it matters much since only 3 people read this thing, if that.

so much has happened since i last posted: my brother got married, ramadan came and went, and i'm 4 weeks closer now to finally wrapping up my college career, inshallah. thank the lord! when i get pictures of my brother's wedding, i'll post them. i love desi weddings! the ones here don't compare to weddings back in pakistan or india. but still, we know how to partay! woo woo!! i got to see tons of familia, especially from my mom's side, don't see them too often. either way i got to wear fancy clothes and fancier jewelry. it was fabulous. plus, i love my new bhabii.

today was a good day. interesting to say the least. (and when i say today i mean earlier on tuesday since i'm still up at 5am). for some odd reason, i've been feeling out of sorts lately. like i've got all this pent up anger/sorrow/resentment but its ambiguous- not sure what's the cause? i know one reason is not having given myself enough "me time" recently. its usually easier to focus on other things and other people than to deal with one's own pile of shite.

i had a really good conversation with a good friend today. it helped diffuse some of the negative feelings i've had. i love good conversation. not just idle talking, or "shooting the shit." but actual, real conversation. the sort of talk where people are so honest and candid, you gain insight about the person, that they don't even have about themselves. there is something to be said about a friend when they can make your mind do mental gymnastics. (not like i could ever do physical gymnastics, thats fo' sho'). it also really made my day because i think i've been feeling down, thinking about past relationships i've had with people. i appreciate every friendship i've had, for what its worth. sometimes, though, its hard to think about how much you can care for another person, and then next thing you know, you're not even speaking to them. it's just a little weird.

regardless, tonight's conversation made me realize i'm blessed, alhamdhulillah. i'm blessed to have such fabulous friends, where we can practically say whatever we're thinking/feeling. one thing i will surely miss when i leave Mad-town and my "omnipresent availability."

burning the 3 am oil...

Another loooong day/night of studying and hopelessly trying to get through my history reading. No night at College library is complete without seeing various members of the Moslem crowd (M Unit!). I unsuccessfully tried to lure my favorite Ashraf sister to the library, but she declined saying she would only socialize at the library. That Muny, she's a smart woman-- I should have done the same. But I do work fairly well under pressure. (yah riiiiight) I also lost in a heated competition of Zuma with my midget twins, Renee and Fadi. They're pretty hardcore. Its almost inspiring really... almost being the operative word here.

I've also got a really bad cough. I feel fine its just that I sound like the Lochness monster. Actually, the tone of my voice varies. Sometimes I sound like an endearing pre-pubescent boy with a very squeaky voice. Mostly though I sound like an aging geriatric woman whose forgotten to take her hormonal supplements. Hmmm.... I wonder if this is any sign of rapidly waning youth? Let's hope not. But one has to wonder when your friends start talking about your "shelf life" in your prescence.

Opening a New Chapter

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful...

"The Opening Chapter" also know as Surut-al-Fatiha, is the first sura in the Holy Quran. The chapter is seven lines long and is often the first sura that many young Muslims learn and memorize. Its the one chapter that Muslims read over and over again every time we pray. To me, so much of the essence of being Muslim and the meaning of this life is embedded in al-Fatiha. At this stage in my life, I personally feel like I am opening a new chapter. The beautiful thing about that is that everything has greater meaning and more clarity. It is a real blessing, alhamdhulillah.

So I've tried a couple times to join on the blog-o-rama bandwagon, and have failed twice. Ahhh...but as the adage goes, third time is a charm! I love to rant and rave about pressing current events issues that face the world and my community, just as much as I love to rant and rave about the most banal things. If anything, I love a novel, new hobby to procrastinate my days away... thus the birth of my blog.

But I've had a long day of learning to speed-read through horrificly boring Irish history textbooks, cleaning my apartment, and trying to get the theme song to The Snorks out of my head. So with that i'm off to dreamland.