Prolific Immigrant

.1. I work with Fernando. Every time I run into him, I want to pull on white bellbottoms, dance and sing “Are the stars bright, Fernando?”

Even when seated in meetings, I want to do this.

.2. Three more days until am 31.

Do hope that should Tamer Hagras not be able to 2ukhtubni, on the occasion of my 31st birthday, he will at least send me flowers.

.3. Pick up Dzihan & Kamien‘s “Fakes”. It’s an excellent double CD and Track 2 on CD 1 (Homelands) will make you want to turn off the lights, blast the music and ignore the world.

GODSPEED!

.4. Dinner with dad was excellent. He’s contemplating purchasing a summer flat in either Beirut or Cyprus, which would be so much fun! I love it when he decides to throw money around so casually.

He’s a big property man, and so he tried to convince me to buy something in Montreal. But, I’d rather just let him do it, which he will…eventually.

.5. Recall the Gigantic Pheronic Head daddy won at the silent auction last year. At dinner, he asked me if I wanted it.

I declined and didn’t even bother hiding my horror at his query.

I recommended he return it to CEPAL on the anniversary of the auction, telling them they could re-auction it.

This way, I’ll never inherit it.

I love you, ya baba.

.6. I am going to Hell (staghfara Allah al3azeem) because I find things like this funny:

Philosophically, due to our human nature to fault, this is an impossibility; we can never “stop” (the goal is to be in a constant state of trying to stop). If we could “stop” sinning, we wouldn’t be human…

The sign really should read: Try to cool it. I know it’s hard, but just give it a shot every once in a while. You’ll sin because you’re human and you can be a real idiot sometimes. Maybe even most of the time. It’s inevitable; just try to do it at varying intervals in your life and when you do…just you know.

Hell. (& at 600 miles an hour is how fast I’ll be going).

.1. For some odd reason, have been in the grips of crazy amounts of energy since Sunday. So much so that this afternoon, I walked for 3 hours and then I worked out for another hour.

You know when you’ve not thought of someone in a long time, and then you think of them, and then that same afternoon you see them by sheer ‘coincidence’?

Well. I think my current levels of energy are like that, serving as a precursor to something. Don’t know what just yet, but something. Huge. It’ll be huge.

.2. I placed the word ‘coincidence’ in those single quote marks because I don’t believe in ‘coincidence’.

Coincidence: A sequence of events that although accidental seems to have been planned or arranged.

…probably because I don’t believe in ‘accidents’. But rather, I believe in fate, and this I believe in all across the board.

A prime example of this is my following theory about our lives and actions as individuals. I don’t think that any of the experiences we have or any of the actions we take are accidental, as the definition of ‘coincidence’ would have you believe. I have faith that they are all taken, each and every one – including the darkest and most traumatic ones – in order to help us reach our potential as individuals.

It was only about five years ago that I understood that and internalized it. I don’t use it as an excuse for every whim and action, but since then and when am talking to myself (which I often do), I see myself much more clearly and completely.

Even our ugliest actions are a path to self-improvement, if we so choose.

Much like the notion of Yin & Yang…

That people have the ability to choose whether they will embrace one path rather than the next, is what allows them to either: (1) continuously challenge themselves and work toward self-improvement and potential; or, (2) not.

It’s really that simple. Or not.

Back to the point at hand. There are no coincidences, only fated incidents that provide you with choice. What you do at each turn is what determines who you are and to what standard you will be held when you’ve kicked it and are standing before God and he’s all “Why did you embrace the darkness, Darth?”

Footnote no. 1: This does not pertain to psychopaths. Nor does it pertain to planning and executing actions meant to harm others and then hollering “Hurting him made me a better person”.

Footnote no. 2: Actions where you plan and then execute hurt on to your self, I find, usually serves to quicken and intensify one’s resolve to search for the good within themselves and polish it. Lucky are the blessed individuals fated for this particular fast forwarding…

And yes, I am equally aware of the counter arguments to all of the above; only…I have chosen this path on which to live my life. Should you feel more comfortable in a vacuous meaningless hostile life, you 1/2 Existentialst, that’s your prerogative. You probably don’t smile as much as I do…

I kid. Really.

.3. I have refreshed all RPNs from last year, the only ones missing are the ones from the summer of 2004. It will take me time to revive them but will have them completed by next week, I promise. God damn it, some of them are really funny.
Like this one.

By Pillars of Faith are meant the fundamental beliefs a Muslim holds as part of their submission to God. These are distinguished from the Pillars of Islam, which are ritualistic actions based on the beliefs (e.g. Salaat (prayer)).

The articles of faith are six, and they are:
.1. Believe in Allah as the One God, the Creator, the Sustainer, and the Sovereign Law-Giver of the Universe.

.2. Believe in God’s angels who are God’s agents of Divine providence and action.

.3. Believe in the Books of God; such as the Holy Qur’an, the Last and the Complete Book of God revealed to Muhammad (peace be on him), and in the other Holy Books, like the Torah, (revealed to Moses), the Psalms (revealed to David), and the Gospel (revealed to Jesus).

.4. Believe in God’s Messengers, who include among others, Adam (the first man — the belief in him should not detract from your belief of Darwin’s theory of evolution because the two can be compatible), Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad, the Last of the Prophets. “There never was a people to whom a prophet was not sent.” (Holy Qur’an).

.5. Believe in the Last Day, the Resurrection of the dead, the Day of Judgment, and the Eternal Life Hereafter.

.6. Believe in Divine Pre-ordainment. Every thing that happens here, whether good or bad, can happen only with the knowledge of God.

Above comes from Islam Online, the best interWeb source of information. If not familiar with Islam, recommend that you begin here, so as to learn a wee bit…

More in the coming days of this month, inshallah…

According to Islam, among the first to enter Heaven are mothers (sorry boys!). Specifically, it is women who are either divorced or widowed and are then left to raise children on their own.

Rather heartwarming considering the continued misogyny of all societies when it comes to the treatment of single mothers.

Treat your mothers well (they have a serious in with the Big Guy).

Someone asked me earlier today: “What sort of man would you like to marry?”

The most honest answer I could give was someone like our old friend Cat Stevens, now Yusuf Islam. This man is so articulate and aware and totally at ease with his life and his surroundings. He is, for me at least, kind of ideal.

I think the two most intriguing (& what draws me) characteristics about this man are: (1) the darker parts of his life which have guided him to where he is today (I am not all that seduced by someone who has always been on the ‘right path’); and, (2) the strength of character and personality it would take to move from Cat Stevens to Yusuf Islam. The ability to walk away from a life so seductive and so rampant with temptation is perhaps the most unambiguously masculine of what makes him attractive.

Tomorrow is the first day of Ramadan, and this is the time for forgiveness, charity, self control and self awareness (granted, it is always ‘the time’ as God doesn’t have a ‘Be back in 5 minutes’ sign hanging around; but the month of Ramadan is unique). I think that I may, on an I-don’t-know-how-often basis, blog something about Islam this month. I did this last year, but later deleted the blog entries.

Here’s something I’ve thought a lot about recently…

Humans make mistakes because we are the only creatures who – when given the choice — accepted the responsibility of free will. All other creatures refused the responsibility because they understood the difficulty which they would face.

Like a baby, I have often times wanted to give back that responsibility; I didn’t want it, I didn’t want the ability and the will to choose to make a mistake. The internal consequences are sometimes too great to hold, and you feel like you want to peel your skin off in order to get away from yourself. This is, in essence, the meaning of ‘jihad’ (transliteration = ‘struggle’)…the struggle within, between ‘good’ and ‘evil’.

But…it’s the human condition, this capacity to go astray. The ability to fault is what makes us the more beloved.

Here’s a quote from Qur’an xxxix, 53 Sura Zumar:

“But no soul need be in despair because
Of its sin: God’s Forgiveness and Mercy are
Unbounded. Turn to God in repentance
Now, for at Judgement it will be too late.
…
Say: “O my Servants who
Have transgressed against their souls!
Despair not of the Mercy
Of God: for God forgives
All sins: for He is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

You’re human and so you’ll make mistakes. That’s sort of the bottom line…and should make us feel a little better about our often times active engagement in stupidity.

.1. Interesting how the stories are being spun, obnoxious they (here and by different writers in most other articles) refer to Hassan Almrei as the “accused terrorist”, “suspected terrorist”, completely dehumanizing yet another Eh-Rab. I guess it takes too much sophistication and editorial time for the writer (not merely the quoted) to relay that Hassan is an innocent man accused of perhaps having terrorist links.

Calling him an “accused terrorist” or “suspected terrorist” draws on the latest version of ‘If a woodchuck could chuck wood…’ and goes a little something like: Of what is this terrorist accused and suspected? It can’t be an accusation of terrorism, as he is already a terrorist and that’s what terrorists do…they terrorize tee-hee.

Folks, remember that language is arguably one of the most important manipulators of the world through which your senses mis/construct their surroundings.

.2. Recall the type of autostereograms that were really popular about ten years back? You couldn’t walk into a university student’s apartment without seeing one next to a Dali poster of time melting. Right after some drunkard yelled out “HOW SURREAL!” another would add “I see the dog! I SEE THE DOG!” I never saw the dog, or the cow, or the little old lady in a yellow sundress and suspected most people possessing this ‘vision’ were lying. (I adapt to my surroundings and quickly learned to sit directly beneath the posters, so as to avoid getting wrinkle lines at the age of 20.)

The current powers believe the Middle East to be one gigantic austereogram; Stare at it long enough and someone will eventually yell “I see The terrorist y’all! I SEE The TERRORIST!” as they shift and squint their already shifty and squinty eyes. Today, I believe most people possessing this ‘vision’ are liars.

.3. Go Anglicans!

Knowledge & Information
Alhambra Productions
Imam Zaid Shakir
Nawawi Foundation
New Islamic Directions
Qur’an Explorer (make sure to choose Abdul Bassit as Recitor
Tariq Ramadan
Yusuf Islam
Zaytuna(dot)Org Videos
Zaytuna(dot)Org Podcasts & Audio

Fun
Azizah Magazine
Hijab Man / Store
Muslim A Day
Muslim Girl Magazine

Had a rather special first day of Eid today because we spent it with close friends and one seriously disgruntled chef at a local hotel where we brunched.

Watched as this gentleman made omelets for the clientele and knew he was rhyming “I am a CHEF! You are a JOKE! Crack your own egg!” while mechanically uttering “…and which of zee vegetabooles would ew like wiz zee egz, Monsieur” to the obnoxious 12 year old boy standing to my left. It took everything out of me not to laugh out loud when the boy kept refusing to answer and instead kept asking the Chef to “make the vegetables catch flame”. I think the kid was challenged. Perhaps the Chef had some marbles loose too because as I watched him toy with his black frying pan and hot oil, I found myself involuntarily shimmying my way out of the bull’s eye that had painted itself on the 12 year old boy’s forehead.

A lot of old people giving each other “Happy you’re alive today!” gifts. None of them color their hair and so on several occasions I found that I nearly mistook their heads for really clean white napkins.

When in hell, God will surround me with the elderly.

Oh! Also, I have come to grips with the fact that I have a crush on Tamer Hagras, the actor.

.1. Eid Mubarak – Inshallah this next year will bring peace and happiness to your families and across this little earth of ours.

.2. Have been reading about the Knights Templar and they are most definitely one creepy fundamentalist bunch. Considering the intricacies between the Templars (who took their name from the Temple Mount, after they camped out in Al-Aqsa Mosque to dig below it in search of whatever craziness they believed was there) would think it most intriguing if someone did an analysis of their role, their secrets, their intentions with regards to the current political situation in the Middle East. (Their heirs are whom we now know as the Masons.)

.3. Hugh Grant gives good hand. Saw Bridget Jones’ Diary: The Edge of Reason last night and for all you men out there, watch Hugh and learn. You must see the film to understand.

.4. And on that note, how is it that I had no idea Bridget was in theatres last night? The Hollywood folk seem to have created some sort of air of mystery around their release dates as of late. I blame the Templars.

.5. Last night also, saw a great little home town band at The Highlander. First time in The Highlander (there last when it was Coffee Revolution) and quite enjoyed myself. Fun group of regulars and I couldn’t help but be reminded of Carleton University’s Mike’s Place. Highly recommended if you enjoy good 70’s tunes and a cozy little everybody-knows-everybody sort of atmosphere.

Note to you: Or if you simply like to ogle men in kilts.

.6. Did a typically Maha thing in the elevator today. Was leaning back against the mirrors, and being bothered by the hair (my own, thankfully!) in my face. Carrying a tray and three bags, I couldn’t exactly use my hands to move the hair out of my face, nor did I think it appropriate that I ask either the man or the woman standing with me to do so. Decided it would be best to use my own head movement to move said hair out of face and so swooshed head back and expected hair to follow suit. Problem was I had forgotten about the lovely mirror that was propping me up and so when I swooshed my head back, it came to an abrupt stop when it swooshed at high velocity right into the mirror. Immediate reaction was to laugh out loud, which I did. Alone.

.7. Would you like to join me in New York on the 27th of December? The Trans-Siberian Orchestra is playing there. They only have one show in Canada in Toronto on the 30th of November and I rang TicketMaster and they’re sold out, the BASTARDS! If you’ve not heard their music, I highly recommend that you download Christmas Eve in Sarajevo.