Pakora, Pakora

People up in here tonight No fighting, no fighting We got the roza up in here No fighting, no fighting Pakora, Pakora I never really knew that it could taste like this It makes a man wants to eat that dish Como se llama (si), bonita (si), mi casa (si, Pakora Pakora), su casa Pakora, Pakora Oh baby when your fried like that You make a person go mad So be wise and keep on Reading the signs of my...... ...recipe =P

=) Good day, Tag, & A Basket of Water

Today has been a good day, nay (I just felt like saying nay, how many times do I get use that? haha) a great day! I mentioned in an early post I had something scary coming up. And I thought it would happen tomorrow. But I was surprised and it ended up happening today. And...it was scary! But it went well. Better than I thought actually. =) I'm happy. What else? I know there was something else...things have just been going well lately. I've had good luck. And I realize how much I've been blessed with. And I'm enjoying a lot of litttle things. Small things that go my way, but make me smile. I've still had a few moments of unhappiness, but its ok. I'm ok. Its too bad I can't recall some of these small things right now...but oh well. Its ok, its alright, ...I don't remember the rest of the song...haha. I added a new section to my blog. Its on the left. A tag it thing, or shoutbox or whatever you'd like to call it. Basically allowing comments on the blog level instead of post level. Try it out, let me know what you think. I came across this story, which I'm posting below. Its nice overall. Except I believe that not only should you read, and believe. You should try to understand. You'll gain the most benefit that way. And that holds true for most anything. A basket of water An old American Muslim lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Quraan. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could. One day the grandson asked, "Grandpa, I try to read the Quraan just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Quraan do?" The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water." The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, "You'll have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead. The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again. At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house. The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, "See Grandpa, it's useless!" "So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket." The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different!. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out. "Son, that's what happens when you read the Quraan. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Allah in our lives."

Its a BIG universe

I'm so weak. I went to the gym to workout today and could barely do anything. I stopped after 5 excercises. And trust me, those 5 excercises did not go well :( Well....I havne't gone for a week so...maybe thats part of it? We'll see...I just hope I don't gain (bad) weight during ramadan. I found these pics on another blog I stumbled upon and I'm stealing them and putting them up here :P I just found it really cool. And they don't make me feel small or insignificant or anything. Rather, I find it unimaginable how big these things really are. But I do find it amazing that such things exist in this universe. Its incredible. Oh and Antares is only the 15th brightest star in the sky and more than 1000 light years away! I just ate some chicken and hummas and argh...I feel so full....like too full :( Speaking of argh, that just reminded me. I did all my laundry last night. and then I went to my bathroom and Argh! my towels, i forgot to do my towels....man...sigh. Does anyone want survivor? I admit I'm a fan. This season they were divided by race. Ok...its dumb but yes it did get me interested as well. Though really, 5 ppl do not a race represent. Nor could any 5 ppl. Really, I'd have liked to see a team diversity, I'd cheer them on. Anyone, with 6 odd billion ppl on earth. and 1 billion plus in china. and another 1 billion plus in india. Thats like 1 out of 3 ppl. Yet on survivor none of the 20 ppl are from either of these places? in fact, no brown ppl at all. whats up with that? Still, i'm enjoying the season so far, and i'd say my favourite team is the asian team. but thats just b/c they seem like competent players that are nice ppl. k, i'm tired, thats all for now.

Ramadan Mubarak!!!

Ramadan Mubarak! Its Ramadan already, wow. That came fast. Thankfully I'm here for it. :) I've talked to a few people about this already but I thought I'd put it up here as well. I feel that last year compared to previous years, I really felt the spirit of Ramadan more. I think its because in previous years I've been busy with exams or I've had friends and family around me and you just take so much for granted. Even when I was in India I at least went to Hyderabad for Eid and some ppl at work took me for iftar (when we open our fast) sometimes. Last year was quite different. I felt a lot more alone. Wake up and have sehri alone (food before starting the fast) and then at the end opening it alone. No iftar parties to go to, no family to visit every weekend. But I did quite a bit of reading on Islam then and I did meet some ppl in the city for an iftar dinner and an Eid dinner. And I guess b/c I was looking for it more or maybe b/c when you starve for something it tastes better, I don't know. I just enjoyed Ramadan. I also read a lot of other ppl talking about enjoying it and smiles and happiness are contagious. :) And you know what, last night (or was it this morning) I felt really happy again. Which was awesome. I just felt like, Yay, its Ramadan. And last year, I didnt' know if it Ramadan started today or tomorrow or what was going on (its a lunar calendar and depends on the spotting of the moon). And I didn' t have anyone to ask. And same deal with Eid which was really confusing too. But this time I did! And afer i found out, i had plenty of ppl to txt and call and say Eid Mubarak to. And that felt great too. Oh and thursday i wanted some food with salan (soupy sauce) b/c normally the restaurants I go to are dry, spiced well, but dry. And then friday. Soupy! Yes! Such small things, but it makes me smile and happy. Sometimes we need to stop and remember how truly blessed we are for all the things we have in this world. :)

How to save a life

Step one you say we need to talk He walks you say sit down it's just a talk He smiles politely back at you You stare politely right on through Some sort of window to your right As he goes left and you stay right Between the lines of fear and blame And you begin to wonder why you came Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend Somewhere along in the bitterness And I would have stayed up with you all night Had I known how to save a life Let him know that you know best Cause after all you do know best Try to slip past his defense Without granting innocence Lay down a list of what is wrong The things you've told him all along And pray to God he hears you And pray to God he hears you Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend Somewhere along in the bitterness And I would have stayed up with you all night Had I known how to save a life As he begins to raise his voice You lower yours and grant him one last choice Drive until you lose the road Or break with the ones you've followed He will do one of two things He will admit to everything Or he'll say he's just not the same And you'll begin to wonder why you came Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend Somewhere along in the bitterness And I would have stayed up with you all night Had I known how to save a life Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend Somewhere along in the bitterness And I would have stayed up with you all night Had I known how to save a life How to save a life How to save a life Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend Somewhere along in the bitterness And I would have stayed up with you all night Had I known how to save a life Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend Somewhere along in the bitterness And I would have stayed up with you all night Had I known how to save a life How to save a life - The Fray

Ahhhhhhh...eeeep! ...oooh chocolate

Ok, I'm about to do something very scary. I've only done it once before. It was scary then. Nerve racking. And some good came out of it, but not as much as I hoped. Maybe this time will be different. Its still as nerve racking as ever. But yes, we'll see. Just got to say Bismillah and hope for the best. On a lighter note (ending on a heavier note =(....well hopefuly not). I was hungry at lunch. At lunch? Noo.....but yes! at lunch! hehe. anyhow. So I was hungry and I went to the atm cause i only had $3 in my wallet. But atm wasn't working boooo. And then I was running late. So I went to the masjid. and then just went to the restaurant and got 2 shish kebab and a naan for $3. Not a bad deal eh? But...sigh, I was still hungry. So I went to the closest other atm which is a nearby cafe. I didn't want to go there....b/c of temptation....but I also...sort of did....b/c of that temptation. And tempt me it did! I caved. I got the double chocolate muffin....AND it was good. Just as I remember. Hence me alluding to ending on a heavier note :( I haven't lost any weight.....though I do feel...less wide. But then I've been sick lately so thats thrown a wrench into my routine.....we'll see. I aim to be at the gym again by saturday. I watched Chocolat last night. Movie wasn't as good as I hoped. The chocolate in the movie however looked fantastic. I was cravign some soo much! I guess this cures my cravings for awhile....at least it better.

A Fair weekend.

I didn't get a chance to post the last few days. I haven't been feeling all too well. My heads still a bit hazy and I'm not at 100% yet but I'm still feeling much better today. A few days of actually getting proper rest can do wonders. :) So the weekend I didn't do too much. I don't remember friday. Saturday I went down to the Hilton in midtown b/c the World MBA Tour thingy was going on. Basically a lot of schools are setup with stations and you can go around and collect info from them and talk to them. So yeah, I get down to the Hilton and....shoot..its on Sunday. I just wasted so much time coming down here. hehe oh well. There was a street fair going on so that was kinda nice. The typical one you see in the streets in ny sometimes. Same stores and food stands and whatnot. Nothing very exciting as I've seen it a few times now. What was weird was, while on the train to midtown my mind wanders here and there. And I was remembering my friend Manpreet who I met in Rome. And I hadn't talked to her in aa couple months. And i get out of the train and 30 secs later, she's calling me! Crazy coincidence. Anyhow, she's doing well and is coming down to Hartford, CT later in Oct so thats cool I met meet up with her. And she said she's planning a trip to Costa Rica and wanted to know if Rasheed & I were interested, but sadly I have no vacation days for that...oh well. oh Friday I got a postcard from Vivian. She's in Thailand right now living it up and enjoy herself. Thanks for the card :) It was really nice! Ok, so back to Sunday. Me: Anojan, you want to go check out the fair? Anojan: What fair? Me: Haven't you looked out your window? (There is a big fair going on right outside and down atlantic ave for several blocks in each direction). Anojan: um......no. haha So Anojan & I checked out the fair. This wasn't like the one in midtown this was much larger. And it had performers. Drummers, rock and blue singers, belly dancers, other bands, dancers. balloons, and of course plenty of food stalls. It was pretty cool. Oh and the ny transit museum had several of their old buses throughout the years on display. I got a nice chocolate and banana crepe there too :) Then it was off to the mba thingy, again. I talked to a lot of ppl from a lot of schools and well I'll apply for some schools for sept 2007 and see how it goes. The annoying part is most mba programs want several years of experience. And the 2 yrs of co-op doesn't really count as a part of that. And the average age for these is.....like 29-32....sigh....well we'll see what happens. The good thing is that, you know there are a lot of cool programs out there and really i've just scratched the surface of whats out there. Too bad I'm not a super genious and then I could have my pick of which one i wanted to pursue hehe Lets see what else. Well actually, i'll just stop here.

How the world works.

This is a converstaion between an All American Dad and All American Kid!! Q: Daddy, why did we have to attack Iraq? A: Because they had weapons of mass destruction, honey. Q: But the inspectors didn't find any weapons of mass destruction. A: That's because the Iraqis were hiding them. Q: And that's why we invaded Iraq? A: Yep. Invasions always work better than inspections. Q: But after we invaded them, we STILL didn't find any weapons of mass destruction, did we? A: That's because the weapons are so well hidden. Don't worry, we'll find something, probably right before the 2004 election. Q: Why did Iraq want all those weapons of mass destruction? A: To use them in a war, silly. Q: I'm confused. If they had all those weapons that they planned to use in a war, then why didn't they use any of those weapons when we went to war with them? A: Well, obviously they didn't want anyone to know they had those weapons, so they chose to die by the thousands rather than defend themselves. Q: That doesn't make sense Daddy. Why would they choose to die if they had all those big weapons to fight us back with? A: It's a different culture. It's not supposed to make sense. Q: I don't know about you, but I don't think they had any of those weapons our government said they did. A: Well, you know, it doesn't matter whether or not they had those weapons. We had another good reason to invade them anyway. Q: And what was that? A: Even if Iraq didn't have weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein was a cruel dictator, which is another good reason to invade another country. Q: Why? What does a cruel dictator do that makes it OK to invade his country? A: Well, for one thing, he tortured his own people. Q: Kind of like what they do in China? A: Don't go comparing China to Iraq. China is a good economic competitor, where millions of people work for slave wages in sweatshops to make U.S. corporations richer. Q: So if a country lets its people get exploited for American corporate gain, it's a good country, even if that country tortures people? A: Right. Q: Why were people in Iraq being tortured? A: For political crimes, mostly, like criticizing the government. People who criticized the government in Iraq were sent to prison and tortured. Q: Isn't that exactly what happens in China? A: I told you, China is different. Q: What's the difference between China and Iraq? A: Well, for one thing, Iraq was ruled by the Ba'ath party, while China is Communist. Q: Didn't you once tell me Communists were bad? A: No, just Cuban Communists are bad. Q: How are the Cuban Communists bad? A: Well, for one thing, people who criticize the government in Cuba are sent to prison and tortured. Q: Like in Iraq? A: Exactly. Q: And like in China, too? A: I told you, China's a good economic competitor. Cuba, on the other hand, is not. Q: How come Cuba isn't a good economic competitor? A: Well, you see, back in the early 1960s, our government passed some laws that made it illegal for Americans to trade or do any business with Cuba until they stopped being Communists and started being capitalists like us. Q: But if we got rid of those laws, opened up trade with Cuba, and started doing business with them, wouldn't that help the Cubans become capitalists? A: Don't be a smart-ass. Q: I didn't think I was being one. A: Well, anyway, they also don't have freedom of religion in Cuba. Q: Kind of like China and the @!#$ movement? A: I told you, stop saying bad things about China. Anyway, Saddam Hussein came to power through a military coup, so he's not really a legitimate leader anyway. Q: What's a military coup? A: That's when a military general takes over the government of a country by force, instead of holding free elections like we do in the United States. Q: Didn't the ruler of Pakistan come to power by a military coup? A: You mean General Pervez Musharraf? Uh, yeah, he did, but Pakistan is our friend. Q: Why is Pakistan our friend if their leader is illegitimate? A: I never said Pervez Musharraf was illegitimate. Q: Didn't you just say a military general who comes to power by forcibly overthrowing the legitimate government of a nation is an illegitimate leader? A: Only Saddam Hussein. Pervez Musharraf is our friend, because he helped us invade Afghanistan. Q: Why did we invade Afghanistan? A: Because of what they did to us on September 11th. Q: What did Afghanistan do to us on September 11th? A: Well, on September 11th, nineteen men, fifteen of them Saudi Arabians, hijacked four airplanes and flew three of them into buildings, killing over 3,000 Americans. Q: So how did Afghanistan figure into all that? A: Afghanistan was where those bad men trained, under the oppressive rule of the Taliban. Q: Aren't the Taliban those bad radical Islamics who chopped off people's heads and hands? A: Yes, that's exactly who they were. Not only did they chop off people's heads and hands, but they oppressed women, too. Q: Didn't the Bush administration give the Taliban 43 million dollars back in May of 2001? A: Yes, but that money was a reward because they did such a good job fighting drugs. Q: Fighting drugs? A: Yes, the Taliban were very helpful in stopping people from growing opium poppies. Q: How did they do such a good job? A: Simple. If people were caught growing opium poppies, the Taliban would have their hands and heads cut off. Q: So, when the Taliban cut off people's heads and hands for growing flowers, that was OK, but not if they cut people's heads and hands off for other reasons? A: Yes. It's OK with us if radical fundamentalists cut off people's hands for growing flowers, but it's cruel if they cut off people's hands for stealing other people’s bread. Q: But I thought you said 15 of the 19 hijackers on September 11th were from Saudi Arabia. A: Yes, but they trained in Afghanistan. Q: Who trained them? A: A very bad man named Osama bin Laden. Q: Was he from Afghanistan? A: Uh, no, he was from Saudi Arabia too. But he was a bad man, a very bad man. Q: I seem to recall he was our friend once. A: Only when we helped him and the mujahadeen repel the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan back in the 1980s. Q: Who are the Soviets? Was that the Evil Communist Empire Ronald Reagan talked about? A: There are no more Soviets. The Soviet Union broke up in 1990 or thereabouts, and now they have elections and capitalism like us. We call them Russians now. Q: So the Soviets, I mean, the Russians, are now our friends? A: Well, not really. You see, they were our friends for many years after they stopped being Soviets, but then they decided not to support our invasion of Iraq, so we're mad at them now. We're also mad at the French and the Germans because they didn't help us invade Iraq either. Q: So the French and Germans are evil, too? A: Not exactly evil, but just bad enough that we had to rename French fries and French toast to Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast. Q: Do we always rename foods whenever another country doesn't do what we want them to do? A: No, we just do that to our friends. Our enemies, we invade. Q: But wasn't Iraq one of our friends back in the 1980s? A: Well, yeah. For a while. Q: Was Saddam Hussein ruler of Iraq back then? A: Yes, but at the time he was fighting against Iran, which made him our friend, temporarily. Q: Why did that make him our friend? A: Because at that time, Iran was our enemy. Q: Isn't that when he gassed the Kurds? A: Yeah, but since he was fighting against Iran at the time, we looked the other way, to show him we were his friend. Q: So anyone who fights against one of our enemies automatically becomes our friend? A: Most of the time, yes. Q: And anyone who fights against one of our friends is automatically an enemy? A: Sometimes that's true, too. However, if American corporations can profit by selling weapons to both sides at the same time, all the better. Q: Why? A: Because war is good for the economy, which means war is good for America. Also, since God is on America's side, anyone who opposes war is a godless un-American Communist. Do you understand now why we attacked Iraq? Q: I think so. We attacked them because God wanted us to, right? A: Yes. Q: But how did we know God wanted us to attack Iraq? A: Well, you see, God personally speaks to George W.Bush and tells him what to do. Q: So basically, what you're saying is that we attacked Iraq because George W. Bush hears voices in his head? A.Yes! You finally understand how the world works. Now close your eyes, make yourself comfortable, and go to sleep. Good night.

The Quitter

Holden is really starting to bug me. I need to hurry up and finish this. I want to start the other book I bought. A Brief History of Nearly Everything. I'm pretty sure thats the title of the book I picked up... I'm slowly improving myself. At least in 1 way. And I'm glad. Hopefully it will continue and only gain momentum. Inshallah. Finished 6 degrees of separation. Not at all what I expected. Had some good moments. But overall meh. I got Chocolat. I think I'll like it. I like the name at least :) I made keema last night. Turned out alright. I've made better. But I got this new pot from my mom. I love it! Nothing sticks at all. I was able to clean it so fast it was awesome. And its bigger so I can actually cook enough for a few days at a time. Anojan made chocolate pudding. Or at least tried to. He burnt it again. hehe, thats what happens when you're too lazy to stir. Haven't tried it yet, but who knows. Hopefully some of it is edible. I need to study more. I'm distracted by a lot of things lately. Good distractions, but still I need to focus. Or set aside time where there can be no distractions. From within a darkness rising, Running in circles, almost falling Going deeper and deeper I can not sleep The Quitter -- Edgar A. Guest Fate handed the quitter a bump, and he dropped; The road seemed too rough to go, so he stopped. He thought of his hurt, and there came to his mind The easier path he was leaving behind. Oh, it's all much too hard, said the quitter right then; I'll stop where I am and not try it again. He sat by the road and he made up his tale To tell when men asked why he happened to fail. A thousand excuses flew up to his tongue, And these on the thread of his story he strung, But the truth of the matter he didn't admit; He never once said, I was frightened and quit. Whenever the quitter sits down by the road And drops from the struggle to lighten his load, He can always recall to his own peace of mind A string of excuses for falling behind; But somehow or other he can't think of one Good reason for battling and going right on. Oh, when the bump comes and fate hands you a jar, Don't baby yourself, boy, whoever you are; Don't pity yourself and talk over your woes; Don't think up excuses for dodging the blows. But stick to the battle and see the thing through. And don't be a quitter, whatever you do. hehe So many times, it happens too fast You change your passion for glory Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past You must fight just to keep them alive..... ...Its the Eye of the Tiger

Wedding Pictures!

Ok, long overdue I've finally put Alia's wedding pictures up. But first a couple of quick side items. 1) AAAHHHH!!!!!!!! The day has been set (Oct 28th), the count down begins. So I have to really start preparing seriously now....sigh. Any prayers for me are welcome, if you forget I'll remind when the time comes =p 2) So I'm reading Catcher & the Rye. And such a coincidence that I rent Six Degrees of Seperatation and its crazy. Theres a whole scene discussing the book and possible meanings of the book. And when thinking of those things the book is cool. Other than that though, I'm really annoyed by Holden, like many of said maybe if I'd read this in highschool I would have enjoyed it. Anyhow, on to pictures! My Parents Umber, Mom, Myself, Nana Myself & Afroze Umber & I Alia Alia & my Mom Mom, Dad, Alia, Umber, Myself Some of the cousins at Alia's house Alia and her parents Farah and Saara Sohail, Farah, Hafsa, Alia, Saara, Myself Arsalan, Myself, Rabia, Alia, Saara Rabia, Hafsa, Myself, Hajra, Saara The Bride & Groom Saara, Umber, Hafsa The Husband and Wife Rasheed and Alia And now Alia just acting silly =)

A story of Fate

I woke up today feeling kind of sick. But I made myself get up. Not only get up but go down and do some cardio. And then I had a nice long shower and well a very quick breakfast. And the sky was bright, the air was fresh, the wind was a bit chilly but thats ok. And I had my music going and I feel great. And a bit hungry. =P I feel that these days when I talk to others I am very calm. And peaceful. Its interesting what impressions people get from that. But I'm happy that people trust me and talk to me when they need help or just need to talk. I hope that outward calm and peace will describe my internal state more and more. Fate King Solomon's servant came breathlessly into the court, "Please! Let me borrow your fastest horse!" he said to the King. "I must be in a town ten miles south of here by nightfall!" "Why?" asked King Solomon. "Because," said his shuddering servant, "I just met Death in the garden! Death looked me in the face! I know for certain I'm to be taken and I don't want to be around when Death comes to claim me!" "Very well," said King Solomon. "My fastest horse has hoofs like wings. TAKE HIM." Then Solomon walked into the garden. He saw Death sitting there with a perplexed look on its face. "What's wrong?" asked King Solomon. Death replied, "Tonight I'm supposed to claim the life of your servant whom I just now saw in your garden. But I'm supposed to claim him in a town ten miles south of here! Unless he had a horse with hooves like wings, I don't see how he could get there by nightfall . . ."

Accept Change with a Smile......

Do you have the courage to be yourself? Although sometimes it can be hard and there are many things that can help you get lost. Its never too late to change. Never forget who you are. And who you are, is really who you choose to be. Sooner or later a crisis comes in your life, And how you meet it determines your future happiness and success. Since the beginning of time, Everyone has been called upon to meet such a crisis. A closer look will show you that most "crisis situations" Are opportunities to either advance or stay where you are. Indeed most changes in your life will take place out of either "inspiration" or "desperation". Whatever comes your way, Give it meaning and transform it into something of value. Your personal growth is the process of responding positively to change. A precious stone cannot be polished without friction, Nor humanity perfected without trials. Forget about your worries; Go lay out in the sun. Forget about your mistakes-- They're over and done. Take the time to give yourself Some praise every single day. Take some time to appreciate The flowers along the way. Let your troubles slip away; Forget the many burns Even the waves that caress the beach Know the tide will turn. Forget about what people think, And focus only on love; Someone is watching over you-- Someone from above.

Boston, Cambridge, Philly, Jersey Gardens, Princeton & NY

So its been awhile, I've been busy. I have pictures to put up! But not today. Tomorrow! Lets just start with this last weekend. So Rasheed and I decided to go on a roadtrip. Early Saturday morning I take the Chinatown bus to Boston and meet Rasheed there, he rented a car and drove up. Rasheed kept circling around trying to find me b/c of the streets and then finally makes me run to catch up with his car before he's forced to leave at a traffic light. Boston is pretty nice. I like stone roads and walking areas. The street performers were cool in Quincy market though that city hall building or whatever it was.....seriously its just like MC! I'll show the picture in a later post. We checked out S. Boston, the financial district, chinatown, downtown, old city, and Boston Common as well. Its not a bad city. Next we went to Cambridge to check out MIT and Harvard. Got to say...aside from a couple of nice buildings.....not that impressed. They're just like any other school really. So at late at night its time to drive back to NY. Except.....we don't really have directions....no worries, we know the direction to head. So we're doing alright and then we start to see some signs when we're close and we're like.....where should we exist....I'm like Rasheed check the map I dont' want to end up in NJ. 5 secs later, Shoot we're in NJ (seeing the welcome to NJ sign). But we turned around and just exited in Harlem and drove through manhattan down and I knew my way once getting down to the Brooklyn Bridge. The mental NY map I have is subway map :P doesn't work as well for cars hehe So Sunday we decide to check out Philly. We get there with no problems. Check out the historical areas and parks. The parks are nice but meh, I didn't care for the historical area much. I liked the really city of Philly better. Much more lively and looked like more fun. Though that one street with all the flags of different countries looked really nice. We went to the Art museum and ran up the steps. But alas, the Rocky statue was in storage :( . Later when getting dinner we find this really great African place, Kilmanjaro food I believe. I got a ton of lamb chops that were some of the best I've ever had. Enough for 2 meals (not counting the rice) for only $10. I would go back to philly for those! mmm! Then head back to NY. again with no real directions... We went south coming so we're like ok take north now. After driving on I95N for awhile it becomes 286N or something then all of a sudden...it became I95S! what? We get off and back on and try again and same sort of thing. Its like we keep being sent back to Philly! We figured it out eventually. Apparently you have to exit take another highway and then get back on the I95N otherwise you end up going S again...weird. Monday we went to Princeton. Princeton seemed like a really quiet place. But the campus was really nice. And we went to Jersey Gardens for shopping! I finally got some new shoes, though I still need more hehe. Jeans and a couple of polo shirts. oh and we saw Invincible which was...alright. On other notes, I'm going to the nycares.org orientation today. That should be interesting. I've been meaning to get around and do some volunteer work for awhile. Ramadan is less than a month away! :) I find that everytime I feel I'm more patient than I've ever been before...that patience is tested. But I become inshallah a better and even more patient person each time. Crazy is, as crazy does. Shaving while tired, with a blade, at 2am, is not smart. Smiling is important. I watched Crash and it was good. And Rambo 1 which was alright. Batteries not included was blah (better when i was a kid). To Sir, With love as good as always. And incredibles was great. I'm thinking of starting a review blog for books and movies and stuff. I think i may have mentioned that before...we'll see. Having balance is difficult. I want a nap.

GeekiSiddiqui turns 1!!! & Expand hahaha

2 Days ago, August 30th, was my blogs 1st birthday. It was about 5400 hits and a new record with 777 hits in the month of August, more than twice my monthly average. That all appeals to the geek in me but mostly, I've just enjoyed writing on here. I wonder how long this thing will continue, I have no intention of something anytime soon. It'll be interesting to look back on it in the future. Anyhow, I hope everyone has a great long weekend and I'll leave you with this joke. LOL Get it? haha. You don't get it? Ok, well as Omar has pointed out to me, I am GeekiSiddiqui and I can translate for you. For a modest fee of course. ;)