Friday, April 28, 2006

Thought I would share

* A picture I took of the dubal (Dubai Aluminum) stand.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

my summer listttt

summer vacation seems so far away right now. I'm dreaming of it right now, when this week is going to be one of the craziest weeks of the semester. I'm soo burned out. Its pure evil not giving us a spring break. anyways what i want to do this summer:

1-its all about exposure, i want to be exposed to art, literature and history. Im going to try to hit as many museums as possible.

2-I want to meet new intresting people.

3-I want to stay in downtown chicago and just experience this amazing city. CHI-TOWNEEE whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat.

4-read as many books as possible.

5-spend time in the sun ;)

6-get a chance to paint. I haven't painted a single thing this academic year. I drew a lot, but i didnt paint anything.

7-my goal> go running every morning and workout often.

8-work on my tia-chi

9-take up kick boxing

10-spend as much time as possible with my adorable nephew, and teach him crazy words,phrases and songs.
i.e. b3eer
i.e. She's a witch! burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrn her. (hahahaah)
i.e. labak allah huma labak, the journey to allah that i wanna make.


poor kid, he's going to be quoting monty python the whole summer.

11-have discussions and debates about the latest book read, ibn arabi, and all that jazz.

12- eat at cheesecake factory as much as possible.

13-mock everyone i know that is on facebook. its so lame.

14-VOULNTEER

15- speak to the younger muslim kids about being strong and staying true to who they are.

16- attend as many workshops and conferences as possible. I have to learn as much as possible.

17- Celebrate July 4th to the fullest

18- have a mock thanksgiving (since i havent had one in 5 years :( )

19-rent movies like a psycho.

20- reading more quran, reconnecting myself with the muslim communities and just discussing islam with friends and family.


i cant wait!

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Biz's take on the Careers UAE 2006

I enter the trade center and it seems to be the largest congregation of UAE Nationals to ever take place in Dubai. I enter the exhibition halls, and there is so much going on. Lights, Music, the buzz of conversations. The more powerful the company, the bigger the stand, (so it seemed).

All in All I was impressed when I first entered and took a quick look of the surrondings, but when I actually took a closer look and began conversing with the HR's of each company, my opinion greatly differed and became more and more disappointed.

1- Why do most nationals want to work in banks? I mean they get the most applicants! I would rather shoot my foot than work in such a setting.

2-and if they do work in banks, they all try sooooooooo hard to become a part of the HR team. WHAT?! ARE YOU JOKING? HR?! Who the hell would choose to do HR when you first graduate from university? thats like so pathetic. For god's sake, do something productive while you still have the energy and capacity to do something. Most people go to the HR department when they burn out and they have probably fullfilled any type of desires they hoped to accomplish.

3- Ok if you are in the HR department, and you are trying to recruit people to join your company(or bank), at least try to be persusasive and have a little idea about the company(or bank) itself. oh and be a little more passionate. When i would ask the HR team, tell me something that distinguishes your company from the rest. tell me something that would want me to apply for a job at your company. Give me a little insight about the company itself. They would just stare at me and gap. They couldn't give me any real answers. they gave me brochures. Oh yes, gee thanks,thats exactly what i was looking for! im going to forward all this to UAEU students!! you idiots, i could have gone to the website itself and gotten all the info. Why do you think they hold these career fairs? Yea for public awareness of such companies, but to also get a glimpse of the company itself.

4-A member of the HR department came up to me and my friend, and was gushing how we were perfect canidates because our english was soo good. When I told her that I was not a national and my friend was, she was like well you would be perfect, come and apply. I was just shocked. I turned to her and said ' You want to hire them because their english is good? thats retarded! You look at their skills and qualifications,you would want to hire them because they can work well with others, is a natural leader, can connect well with people, self motivated, passionate about what they do, not because their ENGLISH is good' She blinked and thought for a second, and said ' Yea but their english is sooooooo good!'.

I swear i was about to get up and slap her. Is all that makeup you are wearing, not allowing you to think? I mean is it like weighing you down? I mean the 2 layers of kohl, and the 3 layers of eyshadow? I mean where does your eyebrow end and your forhead begin? I mean do you just know how to speak english, but have no thought process what so ever?"

5- Most of the female members of the HR team look like call girls. I mean who wears that much makeup?! In america if you were wearing that much makeup, people would think you were the hookers at the docks(or on the side of the street).

PEOPLE KEEP THIS IN MIND> ONLY UGLY PEOPLE WEAR MAKEUP, AND IF YOU WEAR TOO MUCH MAKEUP, DONT BE UPSET IF PEOPLE SLIDE(or pass) A 100 DHM BILL TO YOU. Its expected, its the unwritten code of prostituition.

6-This is a professional atmosphere, so why are female members of the HR team, carrying their purses when they are working? Are you going anywhere? You know there are cabinets to place your belongings. Do you understand the meaning of 'formal or business attire'? This means something elegant and simple. This doesnt mean that you wear Tacky CLOTHES, tight ass jeans with sequence and glitter, and BRIGHT PINK shirts that match their shaylas that are pink with little butterflys on them. Oh and their fake bling bling of ice (diamonds) all over their abayas, and those huge ass rings in the shapes of a heart,flowers, butterflys or whatever those tacky shapes. How can i take you seriously, when you look entirely ridiculous? You can look nice without looking cheap.

7- Are people actually looking for jobs or trying to find that special someone that they can call at night and make them feel all warm inside? This isn't the mall, take cupid elsewhere.

8-too the females and males>If a male member or a female member of the HR team, says hello to you and welcome to our stand, this DOESNT mean he/she is hitting on you, or that he/she wants to get it on with you. Ok?! Stop passing by and harassing the crap out of them. This is their job; to smile, be friendly and courteous in hopes of finding a few good applicants.

9- Companies are not diffrentiating between getting a University degree (A Bachelorette, any university degree) and getting a College(i.e HCT) diploma. what?!

Ok besides all that, the careers uae 2006, was great. festive atmosphere, meeting new people, networking with companies and banks. From what I gathered at the fair, most companies did not find a lot of emiraties that qualified for the positions they were looking for. Yes, emiratization is happening and needs to happen, but how can you hire someone that isnt qualified or what you really need at the moment?

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Oh God.....

I'm not one for "gossip" especially about "celebrities" -rolls eyes-
but I found this article...

Angelina Jolie is buying her own country to help impoverished Africans.The 'Tomb Raider' star is buying Richard Branson's man-made version of Ethiopia, located in Dubai.

The British business tycoon is having 300 country-shaped luxury island developments built, to form a map of the world.

And the 55-year-old entrepreneur is selling parts of the 'world' to anyone rich enough to afford them.

The 30-year-old actress, who is due to give birth early in May, is reportedly planning to turn her new purchase into a fair-trade paradise for hundreds of Africans.
A source said: "Angelina has been obsessed with Ethiopia ever since she adopted her second child Zahara from there. Her friends are very jealous of her purchase."

ewww go away!
And shu bait abu hatha englizy? ya khasey.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

A little bit about my day......

How many selfless acts do you do in a day? in a week? in a month? in a year? Have you ever stopped and thought about helping others in any way?

I try to carry that (niyah) intention in my heart at all times, but sometimes you are so self absorbed in whats going on in your own life, that you are oblivious to the outside. What a horrible trait.

Today I was walking around campus with a few friends heading towards the business college ,and we saw the blood donation bus. My god?! Has it been a whole year since I last donated blood?! I felt horrible because (hamdullah) i'm very healthy and I can easily give blood more than once a year. We stopped in our tracks and hopped onto the bus. They asked us the usual procedual questions. Man are those nurses a tough crowd. They were hardly civil.
I plop down on the clinical bed and extend my arm. The nurse was looking at me strangely. She asked 'Aren't you afraid?'
me> "No go ahead, I'm not afraid of needles or blood"
the nurse> "oh wow, the girls are always fainting" and she starts tapping my arm to find a vein. She injects the needle and I cringe in pain.
I turned to her and said "why did you choose a small vein, don't you realize its going to hurt so much when its going to pump blood, and its going to pump slowly and hurt even more?"

The nurse was suprised I knew that and said "I couldn't find a bigger vein!".
Before I could reply that thats a load of !@#%, my friend comes in and tells me to calm down.
I ignored the pain and began speaking to my friend and to the nurses. The more i laughed, the more it hurt. :/
It took me 20 minutes to fill up a 450 ml bag of blood. 3 girls came in, donated blood, and left and I was still sitting there trying to fill up my bag because that nurse had to inject the needle in the smallest vein possible.

When my bag finally filled up, and I was bandaged, I jumped off the bed and told my friend I was ready to go. Hahaha the nurses expressions were truly classic. I guess its not every day they see that.

Yea I went through some pain this time when donating blood, but believe me, the feeling of helping someone is an awesome experience. I felt so good afterwards. I couldn't stop smiling.
Throughout the day, if i came across someone i knew, i would go to tell them to donate some blood. Go out and help someone!!

Finally, in my last class, the professor noticed i was acting a little wacky. well wackier than usual. He asked whats wrong with me. I said "Dr. S, there is nothing wrong with me, im just a little woohoo, out of it, because i donated some blood"
I swear, I did not expect him to be so enthusiastic about it. He made the whole class start clapping!

In the end, I donated blood and I was applauded for it. What a way to end a day.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Archives 2:

Masjid Ammawai is currently called this, but it wasn't always its name....

Masjid Ammawi, which I choose to call it, is my favorite place in the world. I truly love this masjid. Its basically the only place that draws me to Syria. The first thing I think about when I think about Syria is this masjid. When you enter this certain area in Damascus, you are just in awe of how truly old it is. You stand in front of the gates of this great masjid and can imagine that 1,000 years ago someone stood in the exact same place.

Let me introduce you to this awe inspiring masjid....



It's undoubted that Omayyad Mosque is absolutely the most important embodiment that represents Damascus. It's built on a sacred ground which was occupied by temples of different religions, that's why the history of the mosque itself represents the whole history of Damascus.

Moreover, Omayyad Mosque takes a special position in the history of the mosque itself and represents the history of architecture, particularly the Islamic architectural techniques, due to its special distinction, hugeness and luxurious ornamentations, paintings and mosaic which decorate the walls of the mosque forming some great coordinated masterpieces.


The Omayyad Mosque is considered as on of the most important architectural achievements during the early stages of the Islamic state.

The Hadad Aramaic temple is the first known temple where Omayyad mosque is located now. Three thousand years ago people worship Hadad, the Syrian god of lightings and storms. The temple had probably changed into a Roman one right after Romans ruled Damascus. However the new Roman temple had a new name: Jupiter, the Damascene temple.

Anyhow, according to the historians, Hadad temple was converted into a church at the end of the forth century A.C.

The Muslim leader Khaled Bin Al Waleed changed some parts of the church and made them a mosque when he conquered Damascus. Muslims and Christians used to enter the mosque from the same gate: Muslims were supposed to pray in the eastern side, while Christians had to pray in the western side.

In the Omayyad Era, the mosque was held by the Muslims and turned into an Islamic Masjid. A compensation was paid to Christians. The Omayyad Caliph, Abdul Malek bin Marwan rebuilt the mosque.As he kept all the Roman relics of the temple, the church wasn't damaged. The Mosque had faced many natural disasters, such as fires and earthquakes. The huge fire of 1893 damaged all its outlines. However, people of Damascus made considerable efforts to build the mosque again.
*thanks again to olddamascus.com


I truly love this masjid. Everytime I pass through the magnificant gates, I am humbled at such a sight that is before me.

Saturday, April 15, 2006


Growing up in the United States, I have always been stopped and asked questions about my dress and religion. I had grown accustomed to it and accepted it, until I moved to the U.A.E.

When I would go back to the states, I would get so annoyed when people would stare at me and ask me very ignorant questions about my hijab and religion. I grew accustomed to westerners knowing about Islam. I even assumed that highly educated individuals would have a little knowledge about Islam. I mean why are you spending so much money to attend Harvard and Yale and Princeton if you aren't becoming more wordly and knowledgable?

No seriously, I would just stare or gap at people when they would ask me the most absurd questions, and say 'Are you kidding? You are serious?!'

So I decided to compose a list of things (with the help of references) called:

The least you need to know about Islam
  • The study of Islam in Europe and North America has been colored by false sterotypes that have hindered good relations and been the cause of much misunderstandings and hostility.

  • Muslims are found in every corner of the world and have a history and culture that is as rich as any other.

  • Muslims in general feel they have been stereotyped and are being treated unfairly by the media and entertainment industries.

  • It is unfair to point to a few villains in the Muslim world and then blame all Muslims for the actions of a very few.

  • Islamic beliefs are not difficult to comprehend. Ideas about God, angels,prophets, and such make Islamic concepts seem close to Judeo-Christian concepts.

  • The word Islam means peace and surrender to GOD.

  • Humans have a kind of free will that God is testing.

  • People have a moral compass called fitrah, which directs them to look for God.

  • There are 5 basic pillars of Islam

  • The first pillar is to proclaim that there is No other God, but Allah and that Prophet Muhammad is his last messenger. This is called the Shahada.

  • Muslims have to pray five times a day at predetermined times. This is the second pillar of Islam.

  • Muslims gather on Friday afternoon for their congregational religious service.

  • Muslim students and employees need a few minutes every afternoon to preform their obligation of prayer.

  • Zakat, the third pillar of Islam, is a yearly chairtable tax on every Muslim that amounts to 2.5 % of all the persons annually valued assets.

  • Ramadan is the name of the month in which Muslims fast from food and drink from first light until sunset.

  • Fasting, the fourth pillar of Islam, teachs Muslims to control their desires and urges of worldly satisfaction and to feel empathy for the poor. The reward for successful completion is forgiveness of the individuals sins.

  • Performing Hajj is the 5th pillar of Islam.

  • Every Muslim who can afford it and who is physically able to must make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his or her life.

  • The Hajj ritual consists of a series of activities each designed to teach the pilgrim a different lesson.

  • The main idea behind the Hajj is to learn how to let go of what we love in place of God.

  • The hijab is worn by Muslim women to cover their hair.

  • It protrays modesty and sincercity and vanity that degrads women is removed.

  • Stereotypes of Islam being a violent religion began in the Middle Ages and have persisted into modern times.

  • Jihad does not mean holy war. It means the exertion in the cause of GOD.

  • Any war for conquest or glory is forbidden in Islam.

  • Terrorism is forbidden in Islam, and the actions of people who engage in it and use Islamic slogans are not sanctioned by Islamic teachings.

  • Islam has a strong tradition of social acitivism, and the Quran calls on Muslims to oppose vice by working for the welfare of their fellow human beings. Such a struggle is also considered a jihad.

* Go to your local bookstore if you are still intrested in islam and get the book "The complete idiots guide to Islam" no disrespect to anyone, but the book is actually very useful and educational.

I hope this was useful.

Monday, April 10, 2006

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP ....
the annoying alarm of my phones goes off at 7:30 am for my 10:00 class. I open one sleepy eye and assume I placed the alarm on snooze. I go back into that blissful sleep, but in my head im debating wether or not to go to class. I can't remember how many absences I have, and how many I need before I get kicked out of that course with an F (from abscences). I suddenly jump out of bed and grab my phone. F!ck it's 9:30!!!!!!!! My body goes into shock from how cold my bedroom is and do a little dance as I run to brush my teeth. (My AC is placed on 11 C!!!)

I get dressed in record speed and manage to place my laptop in my bag and grab my keys. Now i'm running out the door and jumping into my car. My neighbor sees my departure and finds it amusing and waves at me. I meakly wave back as I reverse pyschotically and tear down the road. I realize that there are governmental buildings and police always around my residental neighborhood, i slow down and get on the main road to the university. Sadly, I live only 5 mins away from my campus, but by the time I park, go pass security and they check my ID and start walking to my class its already 10:00. Now im practically running to the Business College while holding on to my laptop bag. Girls are starring at me, its not everyday you see a student running to class. A girl from my 10:00 waves at me from a distance, so i slow down to talk to her.
I greet her and she asks me " Are you going to class?"
Me>"Of course, I have to go.. "
the girl>" You were running to get to class?"
Me> "uh..yea, why else would I actually run on campus?"
the girl> "Oh the professor didn;t show up, there is no class!"
Me> "What?! #@!$#@$#@#$$%#%$^%$^%$^$^%"
the girl> -mouth drops open-

I go and find my friends waiting for me at the nearest cafeteria, coffe and doughnuts are waiting. I open up my laptop and check my university email account, no email from the professor. I check again at 10:15, he sends an email saying, there will be no class today.

thanks.
To all my friends out there sweating it out in Medical School,

GOD GIVE YOU THE STRENGTH TO CARRY ON!

I'm on the sidelines cheering you on, when I should be there with you side by side.

I'm sorry I took the other road, but thats where my destiny lies. (so I think at the moment)

Don't ever give up! You guys are going to be great doctors, Believe me !

Bil Tawfeeeeeek Inshallah :)


**If I ever change my mind (after I graduate) I expect you to be there encouraging me on!
Happy Moulad Al Nabawi !!

Today there was a national holiday for
Prophet Mohammad's (SWS) birthday.


(His birthday is not celebrated on the same day every year, it changes since the Islamic World follows the lunar calender.)

It is not a hyped up day, its more like a day of remeberance to the great prophet. I'm glad his birthday hasn't turned into a marketing and partying bonanza or another hallmark holiday!

I perfer it to be a day of quiet reflection and rememberance!

*A side note, our university did not give us Monday off, but on Wednesday.

It's the thought that counts.

Saturday, April 08, 2006

Remembering the Great Ones



Pursuing knowledge in childhood we rise
Until we become masterful and wise
But if we look through the disguise

We see the ties of worldly lies.




-Omar Khayyam
Rubaiyat

Thursday, April 06, 2006

How to make an

Arabized

Ingredients:
1 part intelligence
3 parts courage
5 parts leadership
Method:
Add to a cocktail shaker and mix vigorously. Add a little emotion if desired
!
-props to Shaykhspeara Sha'ira-

A funny incident....it deals with how stressed a person can get.

I may live in the UAE but it doesn't mean I speak arabic often. Majority of my time is spent on my University campus where the professors and students speak english. The coursework and materials used are all in english. I get things done by speaking in english. So basically I barely speak arabic these days. haha.

I've been stressed out lately, so a group of friends made me go out to a cafe with them, to just chill and relax. The waiter came for our orders, and i was the last one to order. They have this really good lemon and mint drink. Its awesome. So in my head I was thinking " 3aseer Laymoon wa na3na3" (Lemon and mint juice).

So i'm telling the waiter i want this drink. He just gives me this queer look and says "Are you sure? I dont think we have it. "
me> "How can you not have it? I had it last week!"
the waiter> 'We dont have this drink!"
me>"yes you do!"

now the dialouge is in english ( the waiter and i were speaking in arabic before).
my friend> 'are you sure you want that?'
me> 'Yea im sure, its soooooooooo good'
my friends,with my brother and the waiter are just starring at me, like is this girl for real?
my friend > 'Are you sure you are not on CRACK?!'
me> "what?!? why would I be on crack for ordering lemon and mint juice?"

The whole group cracks up laughing. My brother falls off his chair. They all started yelling,
'Do you realize what you were trying to order?"
me> 'yea lemon and mint juice! WHATS SO DAMN FUNNY ABOUT THAT?'
my brother> 'no retard, you kept insisting on '3aseer laymoon wa ba'adonis' lemon and parsley juice!"

me>-turning bright red, and apologizes to the waiter and fixes my order-

You see how stressed out I am?