Eid Time

The good thing about spending Eid in Ottawa is I get to be with family and friends.

It’s definitely a more complete Eid, as far as being with loved ones is concerned.

The bad thing is Eid in Ottawa is hardly ever on the same day for everyone.

For as long as I’ve been here, Eid has seldom been celebrated on the same day by all the Muslims in this city.

If it were the country we were talking about, I might have been able to understand, because moon sightings can vary depending on geographic locations, but how is it that people in the same city celebrate Eid on different days?

I’ve never quite understood this, and to be honest it seems rather silly.

In my understanding, everyone celebrates Eid here today, whereas Canadian Pakistanis celebrate it tomorrow.

I’m not sure whether there are people of other origins who are also celebrating tomorrow, but it’s possible.

Why the division though?

Isn’t Eid supposed to be a time to celebrate together, and share happiness and good wishes?

Although Islam doesn’t permit segregations, Muslims have nonetheless separated themselves into countless groups, but do we also need to be separated on Eid?

Isn’t this a day of unity and togetherness, when we forget any (self-created) differences, and put it all aside?

Just like Islam doesn’t allow for segregation, I’m reasonably sure it doesn’t condone celebrating the same event in the same place on separate days either. That would defeat the purpose, if I dare say so.

Why this isn’t obvious to everyone is something I will probably never understand.

If we can’t come to an agreement about one day, how will we ever come to any sort of consensus on issues that threaten to differentiate and divide?

Perhaps this is a question that will remain unanswered for a long time.

Whether today or tomorrow, here’s hoping your Eid is blessed, and one which includes everyone, and not just those you hold near and dear.

More later,

xx

Back to O-town

Not surprisingly, I find myself back in Ottawa (yet again).

My flight here was pretty uneventful, which is always a good thing as far as air travel is concerned.

I did catch something off the plane though, and spent the next two days after I got home in bed – asleep, other than when I woke up for six hours in between to eat, shower and the like.

I still have a sore throat, stuffy nose, and an annoying sinus problem, but hopefully it’ll get better, until the next time I travel anyway.

Halloween here was pretty quiet this year, and other than that I just ventured out to meet up with bestie in downtown.

It was cold, wet, and miserable outside – typical for this time of year here.

I had no plans to return to Ottawa, but as is usually the case, no matter how much I plan, something always ends up bringing (read dragging) me back here.

Maybe if there weren’t so much dragging, I’d miss the place myself and come voluntarily, but that’s something I’ll probably only find out when the time comes.

Maybe I just need to change the way I think about my trips here, and start appreciating them more, instead of grinding my teeth and saying how much I hate million hour flights.

I do despise flying though, so maybe I need to change the way I think about that as well and dupe myself into believing I actually like it.

On second thought, perhaps I should try to brainwash myself about everything else I find unfavorable too, like the weather, crocs, beetroot, housework, Paris Hilton’s celeb status, and the appeal of the Twilight series.  

The world might be the same, but at least I’ll be a happy (albeit brainwashed) camper.

That’s going to be a whole lot of brainwashing though, and there’s always the chance I might accidentally brainwash myself into something unintentionally.

So in everyone’s best interest (especially my own), I’ll leave things as they are.

No one wants to have to bear with an accidentally brainwashed Annie who thinks she’s Paris Hilton and wears pink crocs to work, snacks on beets, and talks about how she’s either on “Team Edward” or “Team Jacob”, depending on which side of the bed she happened to fall out of that day.

Well I’m glad that’s settled then.

Now to make a more difficult decision, such as what am I going to have for lunch today?
And for those of you who are celebrating Diwali, have a great one. Tell me how you partied it up and what you did!

More later then,

xx

PMS Attack of the Day

It was probably more of a Menopause attack considering her age, but 63 year old retired school teacher Marlene wasted no time in behaving like a crazy old lady when she caught sight of a woman wearing a face veil two days ago.

An Emirati tourist was browsing in an upscale clothes boutique in Paris, when French national Marlene caught sight of her and asked her to remove her face veil.

France has recently passed a bill which allows authorities to fine Muslim women caught wearing face veils (also known as the Burqa), but the bill in question will be brought into effect six months later, to make sure everyone is aware of it.

Apparently, Marlene thought France’s discriminatory policy against women who choose to cover their face in public meant she could behave like a moron and take the law into her own hands.

When the Emirati lady refused to remove her veil, Marlene decided to do the honors and ripped the veil off her face.

When the (probably shocked) Emirati woman put her veil back on, she was scratched and bitten by mental Marlene, who says she knew she was going to “crack someday” because the Burqa debate was starting to “annoy” her.

Marlene was probably already cracked (or on crack) from before though, because she went on to say that she asked the woman to take her face veil off as she found it “unacceptable” that someone should be able to wear one in what she considers the “birthplace of human rights”.

She seems pretty confused about the term, which means all the years she spent in school were probably not enough to increase her brain capacity.

The idiotic school teacher now faces a $1000 (US) fine, and a two month suspended jail sentence.

Let’s hope she learns to keep her claws to herself next time!

Source: gulfnews.com

And the Award for Absolutely Mental Goes to...

T              The man in Dubai who stabbed his girlfriend and 
        her colleagues…

A very desperate 41 year old showed up at his 23 year old girlfriend’s workplace in Dubai because he was tired of being ignored by her.

The woman did have reason to ignore her two-timing boyfriend because he very conveniently forgot to mention one minor detail before getting into a relationship with her – that he was in fact married.

It’s no surprise then that his girlfriend probably thought it was better to lose the conniving cheater than continue to waste time on him.

He obviously didn’t agree and showed up at her office with nothing less than a knife in hand.

The crazed (ex) lover then proceeded to stab his girlfriend 27 times, but luckily two of her workmates managed to rescue her.

The woman’s poor workmates also got sliced because of the man’s chopping board antics, and all three are now recovering.

The crazy attacker is now on trial but denies he ever intended to murder his girlfriend.

Slice her to bits and disfigure her perhaps, but not kill her. Yeah right.

Here’s hoping he gets what he deserves for his senseless crime!

 Source: 7days.ae

Eid Greetings & Some Wishful Thinking

This Ramadan has been a strange one to say the least. Call me naïve, but I expected some of the violence in Pakistan (and all over the Muslim world for that matter) to abate during this Holy month at least.

I know that people who murder others have no religion, despite their claims to the contrary, but for some reason I thought even monsters like that must have a shred of mercy perhaps, for lack of a better word, and might spare people during this month of fasting.

I was very wrong of course.

First the public killing of two innocent young brothers in Sialkot, and then a few suicide bombings later, I am now convinced nothing is going to change in Pakistan any time soon.

Even massive flooding in the already fragile country hasn’t deterred the situation from worsening.

I guess when you know the law is ineffective and can’t, or won’t, prevent incidents of senseless death and destruction, you kind of start hoping that something, anything, else will.

I’ve even seen reports on television that show regular people taking advantage of the floods in Pakistan by hiking food prices, even in cases where the floods aren’t affecting any of the prices at all.

I suppose that’s nothing new, because that’s exactly what market vendors did after the earthquake in 2005. Again, I guess it was just silly of me to think that maybe they would act with more compassion this time, largely because the flooding in Pakistan is the worst the country has ever seen, and also because it is a humanitarian crisis of unparalleled magnitude. Also, it is Ramadan, and that should mean something to normal people, if not the ones who are involved in terrorist activities.

Again, I guess I was wrong.

Ramadan seems to mean nothing more to most than having delicious iftars, attending a sermon or two, and maybe attending the extra prayers at the mosque after Isha prayer.

I know that a lot of people are helping those affected by the floods, but there are so many more who are not only not helping, but probably making things more difficult by hiking prices and making people’s lives more arduous.

It’s probably not fair to blame them entirely though, because they probably can’t make ends meet either, which is why they feel the need to resort to such dishonest tactics. I prefer to think that’s the only reason people would behave that way, even though I know full well it isn’t.

In any case, Ramadan isn’t supposed to be just one month out of a year in which Muslims refrain from less than exemplary behavior. It’s supposed to be a whole month of fasting and thinking about what one wants to improve about one self, and then trying to stick to one’s self improvement goals throughout the year.

For a lot of people that seems to be very difficult though, which is why I thought that maybe, just maybe, some would at least desist from wrongdoing and harming others during this one month.

Of course, I was wrong.

And now as Eid approaches, I somehow can’t shake the feeling of sadness at a nation’s failed and corrupted morality.

This Eid will be a bittersweet one for me, because I’ll be thinking of all those unfortunate people who lost their lives, and all the families that have been destroyed, either because of the floods or more regrettably, because of the unnecessary and unending violence in the country we call Pakistan.

Check out my latest article on DesiVibe.com and tell me what you think! http://www.desivibe.com/index.php?/Special-Feature/pakistan-a-land-of-forgotten-ideals/

The Games We Play

Of late, I’ve developed a very bad habit. I guess it would be more accurate to call it a new bad habit, since it’s not the only one I have.

A few months ago I started playing Pet Society – a game on Facebook that revolves around your very own virtual pet.

You can “create” the critter you want, which includes everything from its facial features to its color to the markings on its cute little self.

Every day there’s a “lottery” which lets you win free “coins”. “Coins” can also be won in various other ways, and the more “coins” you have, the “richer” you are, and the more “items” you can buy.

New “items” are added to the virtual pet shops every week. This includes everything from “clothes” for your “pet”, to food items, to furniture for its home, to toys and lots of other fun things.

You can even choose from different types of cute little “petlings” for your “pet”, and yes, I know how corny it all sounds.

I have wasted considerable time on this silly game, and I must say it has been a very enjoyable experience. Don’t judge me until you’ve played it though. If you’re the reasonable person I think you are, you’ll have more sense than to take me up on my frivolous challenge, which in turn means you won’t be able to judge me. I much prefer it that way.

The other day, my sister was playing something called “Baking Life”, and every time I saw her sneaking off to “check” on her little bakery, I’d laugh and make fun of her to my heart’s content. It was payback time for all the ridicule I routinely went through because of my virtual pet addiction.

Little did I know, that my trap was already set.

When my sister published a Facebook “story” urging me to adopt an abandoned “puppy” that had wandered into her “bakery”, I thought I’d check the game out only because I wanted the “puppy”.

Two “puppies” and a “kitten” later, I was thoroughly into the game, “baking”, “selling” and “expanding” my mint, chocolate, and raspberry colored cozy bakery.

The more “goods” you sell, the higher the “profit” you make, and the more levels you “unlock”, which in turn increases the types of things you can “bake”, which means you can then earn more “coins” to “buy” more “items” for your “bakery” and your virtual avatar, both of which you can style as you like.

I’d tell you more about it, but I have to go and check on something in the “oven”.

Stay cool and make sure you don’t “bake” in the sun this summer,

xo

Happy Ramadan

As it turns out, bad habits and routines gone awry are difficult to fix. While I continue to struggle to make amends for my apparent disappearance, here are two pieces from me for you to have a read through. Don't forget to comment!

Also, a very happy Ramadan to everyone! May this month be a blessed time for all of you. 
More later soon (hopefully), 
Keep cool,
xo


My latest article "Stop at your own risk" on DesiVibe.com - http://www.desivibe.com/index.php?/Special-Feature/stop-at-your-own-risk/

My first movie review for DesiVibe.com - http://www.desivibe.com/index.php?/Entertainment-News/khatta-meetha-review/

Achey Breaky Stomach

We were in Pakistan for just four days, but my dad still managed to get sick while there. 
He ate something that obviously didn't agree with him at my cousin's wedding function, and got so ill he had to be taken to  emergency and get admitted. Thankfully he did come home after a few hours, but had to be hooked up to an IV even at home.
Because of his condition my dad even missed the reception from the groom's side the next day. He had us all extremely worried and we were relieved to see him gain back his strength little by little. 
Now that we're back home, he's still recovering, but there's something I asked him throughout his ordeal.
"WHY in the world did you NEED to eat that?", was my question regarding his erroneous food choice.
Every few hours I'd moan and ask him the above question.
Soon after our trip came to an end, and while we were checked in at the airport, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach.
More pain, and stomach rumbling later, it became obvious I'd eaten something that was causing my discomfort.
My sister's stomach ached too, but my condition was far worse.
"I was trying to tell you not to eat that pizza, but you were so busy you didn't even look at me. Not only that, but you went ahead and took some more," my mom said in an annoyed tone.
"Why did you eat it? You know things from bakeries aren't always clean, especially dairy. You should have had enough common sense not to have touched that!"
I moaned and protested that I had some takeaway pizza from a place a day ago and nothing had happened, so it didn't strike me to be careful. 
The rest of the time all I said was, "It was the cheese, it was the cheese," as well as writhe in pain.
It has been a few days since we have been back now, but my stomach has still not settled down. Last night I stayed awake late because of the pain, and finally agreed to take some medicine this morning.
My dad makes sure I drink some of his ORS from time to time, so I don't get dehydrated and fall down or something. 
He hasn't once asked me why I had to scoff down not one but two slices loaded with cheese of unknown origins.
I guess that makes us even then, because since that day, I haven't complained about why he had to dig into whatever it was that made him sick.

iSleep

I can't believe it's been a month since I last blogged. How fast time flies! 
Actually, I can't really blame time here. I've just been adjusting to my move here, and for some reason that means spending a lot of time asleep, or tired, or both. 
It's not that I haven't been up to much, it's just that I didn't have the energy or the time left over from when I was done with whatever I was doing.
Even as I write this, I can feel the familiar yearning to curl up in my cozy bed and take a long afternoon nap, but I think I'll resist the urge because I woke up at noon anyway. 
I hope now you see why I've been M.I.A. If I didn't sleep as much as I do, I would get so much more done. Or in my case, I'd at least get a reasonable amount of work done. Time is a difficult thing to run after when you spend half of it asleep.
And now I also have some rest to catch up on after my four day trip to attend a cousin's wedding.
When it comes to trips, particularly trips to my home country, "short and sweet" is the motto I abide by. 
This was a good one, but in the event of that not happening, there's not much to bear if you keep things short.
I only wish my dad had listened to me last year, when we went to another cousin's wedding. It would have saved us the misery and awkwardness of being stuck in the midst of relatives who wanted to do nothing but show us how unhappy they were at something or another I might have said to one of them months ago. 
Anyways, I'll have more for you later. Right now I have a bit more sleep to catch up on.
Till then,
xo

iPeep

It has been almost two weeks since I left Ottawa for Dubai, and I'm  still having trouble getting my routine straight.
Two nights of flying, and one very long, tiring, and not so pleasant day in London can do that to you I suppose.
Unlike last time however, most of the furniture we ordered for our new place has arrived, with the exception of a coffee table and two end tables for the living room. For those, the hunt is on.
The search for wallpaper has also begun. And for rugs. And for the numerous other things you need to make a house feel like a home.
As I write, my parents and sister are out yet again hunting for a living room table. I opted to stay home on account of not feeling too great. I'm sure I can use the rest for all the roaming around we're going to do, as we've been doing even before we actually moved into our new apartment.
My only concern is having to do this all over again before we move into our new villa in Dubai which will probably be ready sometime next year.
I did warn my dad that making a villa was going to be a huge headache, something he seems to be realizing only now. Just looking at the huge variety of marble slabs, tiles, doors, doorknobs, and all sorts of things you have to choose when you custom design a house, made me feel dizzy when we were out one day.
I really don't want to think about the huge amounts of time and energy that are going to be guzzled away as we shop for everything for the new place from top to bottom.
I would have said that's what you have designers and decorators for, but judging by our experience with them for this apartment, I'd say you have designers only to have someone who presents you with things so you can decide what you most definitely don't want.
I suppose it's like house help. You can't leave them to their own devices unless you're prepared to be surprised, or shocked, depending on the final result.
Things are better in our new apartment this time around though,  with no construction going on from dawn to midnight in the building across, and much less shouting by workers camping on site at odd hours of the night.
The elevators have been tidied up and stripped of their cardboard boxes too, and visits by annoying building staff aren't a regular feature either.
The only thing I found a little strange at first was that one second, you have a wonderful view from your window, and the next, you find a man staring at you dangling from the other side of it.
The first time this happened, I was having a conversation standing next to the window in the kitchen. I turned around to grab a glass and was startled to see a man who seemed to have descended from the sky and gotten stuck to the window, in a perfect sitting yoga type position. I'm still not sure what he was doing there or why he decided to make an appearance.
Today I was woken up in the morning by some noise outside my bedroom window. I looked only to find yet another worker stuck to my window. This time it was a window cleaner. The same thing happened yesterday, but at a different time.
All the windows in the building are tinted, so I know no one can see inside during the day. I'm still a little unsure about someone who's stuck to the window though. 
Looks like I'll have to try for myself. The next time I come across a tinted window I'm going to stick to it and see if I can see what's going on inside. Maybe I'll even pretend to be a window cleaner so no one suspects me. I don't want to be known as the weird girl who peeps through people's windows though. Then again, I don't particularly want to be known as a window cleaner either. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but if I'm not one then it doesn't really make much sense does it?
I am starting to wonder though, is it really necessary to clean all the windows of a 48 floor building every day? That's a whole lot of Windex. And if in fact the window cleaners can see inside, also a whole lot of peeping.
Anyways that's enough peep talk for now. Hope you're having a good summer!
Till next time,
xo