Stalked

~ Jummah Mubarak ~

I'm still at my cousin's house in the O.C. for the weekend, and finally got a few minutes to myself. InshAllah tonight's the mehndi and my sister and I, thank god, have our dance down.


Dude, shaadi's really ARE a place for getting hooked up! Every freakn aunty has like a hidden agenda. I was being too naive when I thought some aunty was just genuinely interested when she asked me what I was studying, how many brother's and sister's i've got, what my mom's name is, what my dad does, etc, etc... I think I got suspicious when she asked me my height. LOL..j/k j/k, i'm not thaat dumb :P

I know it's the way things are, but i'd rather have things be more straight forward. I mean if you're trying to hook your son up and you're interested in me, then just go at it all directly! It shouldn't be like a covert operation! Sheesh! lol

Now, all I gotta work on is escaping S. Aunty. Who is she you wonder? A mother with two single sons, that's who. :O Let pray she quits stalking me, cuz I ain't interested! lol


wasalaam,

~ Madiha ~

*~Asalam'alaykum~*

...Fries....chips & salsa....naan....

I'm hungry.

Low carb diets suck.

Nowadays all I have is this gnawing hunger, it even wakes me up in the middle of the night. I'm on a mission to get ridda some body fat and that requires low amounts of carbs and higher amounts of protien. Meh. I think its unatural for a desi to have such low amounts of carbs, but then again beauty knows no pain!!!

In other news, tomorrow my sister and I are gonna go spend the night at my cousins house, aka the shaadi house. All the fam's flying in starting Thursday for the shaadi which is on Saturday. InshAllah it should be fun, but in the meanwhile my sister and i've been trying to make up a few dances for the mehndi, which by the way is Friday and we just began about an hour ago :O

*la la la Aaja nachale e aaja nachale* :P

Ma'salaama...

::Payce::

*¸¸. *~ Asalam'alaykum~*

****
Today, while I was at the Indian grocery store buying some stuff for my mom, I saw a Hindu Monk. It's just kinda odd to see a monk in the middle of an urban city, especially a monk decked out in all his "gear." Images of peace, serentiy, and aesthetic living usually come to mind when one pictures a monk and that's why seeing one in LA was a little wierd.

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I must say that even though I don't hold the same beliefs as the Monk, its hard not to admire his courage in wearing traditional clothing so openly. I know from previous readings and theology classes that Monks are souls that follow the path of the traditional Hindu monastic, and are vowed to poverty, humility, obedience and purity, among other things. Well, after paying for my groceries, I walked out to the parking lot to my car and noticed the Monk follow me out. As I started my car, I noticed him get into his car...

First shocker, Monk in LA;

Second shocker, Monk driving a car;

Third shocker, Monk driving a Lexus SUV!!! Worrd!

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Uhh...what were monks supposed to be doing again? In case you'd forgotten: living lives of poverty & humility. LOL...people are definitely not what you expect them to be.

* *.¸.*´ ¸.•´¸.• *¨) ¸. •*¨)
~ wasalaam~
(¸.•´ (¸.•.•´¸¸.* **¸¸.*

Oh Snap! Another One of 'Em.

*¸¸. *~ Asalam'alaykum*~

There seems to be a new trend hitting shaadi's recently. That one word that kills some of the shaadi excitement and any hopes of meeting or even seeing someone. S.E.G.R.E.G.A.T.I.O.N. Hey, the bride and groom have it set, I mean why be shisty, don't you think it's only fair that they share in their happiness? lol...

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In all seriousness though, we all know for a fact that the boys' momma's are out to play at shaadi's and they're hunting like mad (and vice versa). I believe that most of us are old enough to know what the proper etiquette is around the opposite sex. Even so, in reality, we're surrounded by the opposite sex in our daily lives all the time; at work, at school, in public, etc... Isn't it better for us to be around those that are Muslim with, as we would hope, some modicum of sharm and hayya? At least it's definitely more likely to be there than anywhere else! For that reason, segregated shaadi's are da gay!

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Of course even @ segregated shaadi's the mackers and "teehee-ers" are gonna be taking bathroom breaks and phone calls in the lobby. ::rolling eyes :: Those are totally inescapable and marked off the "potential's list" right off the bat. I can understand the reasoning behind segregation, and maybe i'm being a little cultural here, but I still think that for this day and age, with all fitna we have to face today, allowing shaadi's to be mixed isn't the worse thing in the world!

****

Well, anyways, ima have to suck it up and go anyways.. *shrug* Just know, my shaadi's not gonna be segregated, Oh hell no! :p

* *.¸.*´ ¸.•´¸.• *¨) ¸. •*¨)
~ wasalaam~
(¸.•´ (¸.•.•´¸¸.* **¸¸.*

*~ Asalam'alaykum ~*

The last couple of days have been building up to a crazy next three weeks of partying. Yesterday, I was invited to one of my friend's family's business Grand Opening. They own the largest auto body shops in Southern California and all I gotta say is, am I glad they love me, cuz whenever I ding something on my car (or...ahem on my dad's..eek) I have someplace to go...hehe...

MashAllah the Arab's definitely know how to throw a party. From valet service to the food, the party rocked; and after grabbing some food from Carousel (Arab joint in Hollywood ya'll should try out), checking out the exotic cars and trying to pick up some of the hot Arab guys..(haha ok ok fine, that's a lie! ), we headed to my other friend's graduation party.

My friend graduated with her Bachelor's in English from UCLA and i've known her since before high school. I'm glad I got to see all my old friends from high school and the Masjid Youth Group, especially because I've moved to NYC in the past year. We didn't do anything amazing at the party just hung out, played some air hockey, and watched a movie in her theater. Yea, I said theater, like all "MTV Cribs" style :O ...pretty tyte I must say. Every house should come with that! :P

Anywho...alhumdulillah, today's a chill day...I just wanna veg out in front of the t.v.

~ wasalaam ~

If you can't get a dog....settle for FISH!

~*~ Asalam'alaykum ~*~

My brother's been harping on wanting a dog for some time now. His zeal for a dog intensified when one of his best friends got one too and then his requests for a dog escalated from 5 times a day to about 15 times a day. Oh, and of course he can't just settle for just any dog either. It hasta be a little pitbull/chihuahua mix. Basically a tiny dog that looks like a thugged out version of a chihuahua. Whatever! To me its still a tiny, chick dog, but, hey, whatever makes you feel like your manliness isn't questioned. lol.

Anyways, well him getting a dog is basically a slim chance in heaven and hell because my dad'll never allow it (unislamic and all as it is). So yesterday on his way home from a party, he randomly bought himself fish. A dog to fish?! hookay....haha, but don't you guys worry, they're not just any fish, they're "manly," Betta fighting Fish. The funny thing is that I know my brother, even though he acts all "hard" he's the 'lil baby of the family at heart and he'll probably not end up letting them fight. I can see his attachment growing already and its only been 1 day. lol.

Well anywho, he's working on training them to fight and all i'm trying to do is make sure I don't get stuck changing their water and taking care of them because that what usually ends up happening. :O

~ wasalaam~

p.s. He just came and sat next to me with the fish so they can watch t.v with him..aww.. talk about attachment!!! lol)




{that's Chuck Taylor (left) and Dillinger Aka Daz Dillinger (right)}

Hollywood copying Bollywood! Worrrd!?!

You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the U.S. of arrogance, Germany doesn't want to go to war, and the three most powerful men in America are named 'Bush', 'Dick', and 'Colon.' Need I say more?" -- Chris Rock...

Yea foolio...how bout adding that Hollywood's doing a remake based on a movie made by BOLLYWOOD to that list of craziness!!!

Don't they know how Indian movie's really go? If ya guys had forgotten or never seen an indian movie before (good, cuz you were kinda spared), here's a basic synopsis of any indian movie:

The remake, surprisingly, does sound kinda interesting. Chris Tucker (Rush Hour) plays a Gangster who pretends to be a doctor to please his family. Anywho, here's the article I scrounged up on the remake:

Gangsta M.D.: Chris Tucker in dem Bollywood - Remake?

LONDON: Bollywood has a fine tradition of remaking Hollywood hits, but the tables are being turned now and an Indian comedy, Munnabhai MBBS , is set to be remade in the United States.

Munnabhai, MBBS , starring Sanjay Dutt, a flick about a gangster who pretends to be a doctor whenever his parents turn up, will be shot as Gangster MD . It will be directed by Mira Nair, best known for Monsoon Wedding in 2001.

Nair said Chris Tucker, the Hollywood action star who came to focus as the wise-cracking cop in Rush Hour movie, would play the lead in Gangster MD .

Filming is expected to begin after Tucker finishes shooting Rush Hour 3 with Jackie Chan in Paris this summer.

Munnabhai MBBS is one of Bollywood's success stories. It tells of a gangster's decision to redeem himself by trying to become a doctor - which he hopes will also prove himself to the woman he loves and her father, superintendent and principal of a medical college and hospital.

Nair said she might cast some actors from the Bollywood original and is on the lookout for Indian stars.

wasalaam :)

Pure Hearts

~Asalam'alyakum~

If life's a roller coaster then i'm on the big momma of them all. It's kinda funny how life can be going so smoothly one second and take a turn in the next. Some superstitious people might call it nazar, karma or just plain bad luck; I think i'll call it Allah swt's master plan to keep us on our toes. Kinda like playing russian roulette, without the gambling of course. I'm not saying my life's sucking at this point or anything. Alhumdulillah, I've got a great family, i'm on summer vacation spending my days reading, swimming, getting in a game of tennis and just plain hanging out with my friends.

****

All i'm saying is that life's just different. As we get older, so come the mountain of responsiblities and in the foothills of those mountains lives an inescapable, and evil emotion; Stress. I know that when i'm stressed, i'm not the most pleasant person in the world. I'm prone to being irritated and short with others, and I hate that I do that! InshAllah I pray that Allah swt give me patience and the ability to work past the feelings of stress in a productive way. {ameen}
So how do I get over these feelings of stress? Its a natural, human feeling and something that no one can escape from.

****

It is not the eys that are blind, for it is the heart...

In their hearts there is a disease, and allah has increased that disease, that sickness of the heart. -- Qur'an

Yesterday, I was listening to a lecture by Shaykh Siraj Wahaj where he lamented on the lack of a pure heart in believers. To find true peace and faith, one must exhibit a pure heart. To overcome feelings of stress, then, one must also have a pure heart. Listening to lectures, reading qur'an and making du'a will not make a difference if the heart has a disease because these actions will only be touching the surface. One needs to have a pure heart, open to Allah swt's words. I know that whenever I make du'a with full trust in Allah swt, I find myself relieved of pressure, stress, worry, etc... On that note, I pray that all of us Muslim brothers an sisters remain pure in their hearts. (Ameen}

O my Allah, if I falter in speaking my request and wander astray in describing my needs and wants, show me the way that leads to that which promotes my interests and turn my heart to its course, because it is neither against (the principles of) Your guidance nor Your act of giving succour can be described as unlikely. O my Allah, support me with Your pardon, do not burden me with Your justice.{Ameen}

wasalaam :)

** to check out the lecture by Shaykh Siraj Wahaj go to
http://is.aswatalislam.net/DisplayFilesP.aspx?TitleID=2048&TitleName=Siraj_Wahaj
scroll down to his lecture entitled: "The Disease of The Heart" **

:(

All good things must come to an end...



why?



~ wasalaam ~

When its hot....Make some KoolAid!

Omg..this is the best drink ever for the summer..i'm like addicted! You guys haveta make it, trust me, u'll luv it :)

1. Mix 4 quarts of Water w/ some KoolAid Kiwi Watermelon {my favorite flavor :P}

2. Add 1 cup Sugar, but you can put less if u want. I do cuz its too sweet for me. Oh, and you can use a sweetner like Splenda for a healthier version

3. Add about 2 fresh lemons....gives it a nice tart taste.

4. Add all the ice u want :)

Wasalaam :)

...Summertime... And the Livin's Easy...

*~Asalam'alaykum~*

A grip of stuff has taken place in the past coupla days...

My parents left for the east coast on Friday, so... home alone with the credit cards and cars for a week..woohoo! Except they left a freaken calendar of CHORES for everyday that they're gone! Some of which include watering the precious plants that they don't trust anyone else watering... argh!Yea, so we've decided on paying the gardner a 'lil extra this week...lol
{That's a pic of the precious garden lol -->}

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The other day I tried something kinda new. Acupuncture. I've always had this lower back pain, most likey from being on the computer all the time! It's pretty minor, but still, its there. Firstly, yea its kinda freaky to see needles poking out of you, and yea they're sorta big, but surprisingly it doesn't hurt. It seemed to help somewhat, but I'll have to go a couple more times to see if it's really working.

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Today I went swimming, just like i've been doing for the past couple of days. I seriously think that the pool is the best thing about summer, although i'm sure my mom would disagree. Desi's generally tend to stay away from the sun, especially the girls... cuz you know the sun causes diseases or something...yea, and the main disease being a TAN*rolling eyes* lol...

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After my the pool party, I went to the local Street Fair with my little cousins :) Fairs are so much fun! I didn't sit on any of the rides, but it was fun to see my cousins having a good time. So far summer's been summer-like alhumdulillah....and i'm trying to enjoy every bit because i'm sure it'll be over before I know it!

later...wasalaam :)

Time to Breathe....

~Asalam'alaykum~

Jummah Mubarak,

Omg, finally, there's some time to breathe. It doesn't really feel like a vacation yet because i've been so busy with all the shaadi hoopla. Alhumdulillah it all went well though!

So, of course I have some drama to talk about becuase how can there be a shaadi post without drama! Firstly, I can't believe how mean and ignorant people can be! :O

This past Friday was the mehndi and although it was women only....the boys' mamas were out to play. haha... So, one aunty approached my mom bout me and my sis (yea, don't ask why we were both included in her convo bout her son). Oh, btw her son was like hot (6'2 and wut not).... Anywho, she's like, " Out of all the girls here, I really like your daughters. They "click" for me, but I think that you should send em to the gym a little." WTH!?! *SHOCK*

Unless she wants someone on the verge of anorexia, I don't haveta lose weight...like that's not me speaking, that's like all the other aunties @ the party and the doctor speaking! Alhumdulillah I don't care if she made a comment towards me like that, but I mean, what prompts people to be so honest or confer they're unwanted opinion to others? She could have totally kept all this to herself. It wasn't even like there was some formal rishta and she had to say no for some reason. I mean even if that was the case, that this was some formal rishta thing, I'd still make up something else about why I wasn't going with the guy. I mean anything to avoid the whole appearance thing. Later I found out that the aunty was from the groom's side and that her son was this really nice guy. The next day at the shaadi, she told me salaam and I had to be at the food table when she saw me too! I just took an extra kabab and moved on..pshh wutever. lol I shoulda taken my cousin's Iboo's advice, eat like mad in front of her, then ask her if she's gonna finish her food! lol...

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Well, that was that. On Tuesday, I went to spend a couple of days with my friend who lives in Westwood, which is like where ya wanna be in Los Angeles. For those of you unfamiliar, Westwood is the city nextdoor to Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. It's like Ferrari's and Bentley Phantoms by the handful! I finally got to do some shopping though. Although I went down Rodeo Drive, I didn't get to buy much, cuz I've been sorta jobless lately. So next plan, get some money iA. Which entails getting a job *groan*

*****

More later...wasalaam :)