How long will you last?
With this sickness?
What others say and I like.
Mostly an archive of internet articles I want in one place, with some of my writing and rumination sprinkled here and there.
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Tuesday 26 November 2013
Saturday 19 October 2013
Contradictions
I am so so so tempted to make this a blog post, like others. With my commentary, arguments, step by step shredding it and taking it apart. But a part of me wants to just make it an overheard like thing - just the quotations. So you can see what I see. I know this is a failed experiment. Perhaps it's a bug in me, perhaps a feature? People usually don't see what I see. Not saying I am misunderstood or something :P Just saying, I see things other people don't.
P.S. I don't see dead people. And formatting (underline, italics, bold, parenthesis etc) are added by me. I don't actually remember exact words, so reproducing them from the memory.
A girl:
"I hate it when guys think that they have to protect the girls"
The next day, the same girl, while telling me tips of safe-living on campus:
"So we shouldn't travel alone, specially at night, and specially girls."
A girl:
"In Pakistan, people are not educated. They think chips (lays etc) are only to be consumed by individuals. They don't treat them as family snacks. We want to educate them, so buy the family packs, and the whole family would eat the chips with dips and sauces. Also, in Pakistan, guests would take offense if they're served chips. We want to educate them so they find it acceptable to serve chips to guests too."
"So you want to 'educate' them to eat junk food?"
"They already eat junk food! Are Samosay healthy? Pakoray healthy? Dahi Baray healthy?"
Can't resist the commentary. Basically, she wants (her organization wants, and she, like many other people, has to be good at what she does, so she has to buy the philosophy the organization sells) to change the culture of the people from unhealthy to another (more) unhealthy option, but one in which her company would make money. Why? Well, they're 'leaders who are working on exciting problems to change the world for the better'. For the stock owners.
When I went shopping with a bunch of Pakistani friends. It was one of the first shopping trips you make after going to a new country. The groceries are in the list too. I would look at every goddamn edible's label and make sure it was kosher. And there was another guy, who said something like, 'oh aap tou bari research kartay hain, main tou nahin karta itni' (Oh you do a lot of reasearch, I don't)
When I saw him shopping, he would look at the all the nutrients and macro nutrients and calories on every thing he got. Even the fruits he has been eating for years. And would calculate how many of those nutrients he was getting from other foods, then he would pick those.
This one may not sound ironic, well, because yo u have to know some information for something to sound ironic. I could just tell you, but it won't grounded in your knowledge base, so you won't protect it, and apply it to new information as you would what you now know, in fact, this would be new information to you too. Now, after this much BS, I don't feel like recalling the story here! Some other time.
There are so many more! Just wanted to get these off my chest. Don't even remember others. There are so many other stories I want to share, but they aren't ironic enough to be called Contradictions. But they will surely come on the blog.
P.S. I don't see dead people. And formatting (underline, italics, bold, parenthesis etc) are added by me. I don't actually remember exact words, so reproducing them from the memory.
A girl:
"I hate it when guys think that they have to protect the girls"
The next day, the same girl, while telling me tips of safe-living on campus:
"So we shouldn't travel alone, specially at night, and specially girls."
A girl:
"In Pakistan, people are not educated. They think chips (lays etc) are only to be consumed by individuals. They don't treat them as family snacks. We want to educate them, so buy the family packs, and the whole family would eat the chips with dips and sauces. Also, in Pakistan, guests would take offense if they're served chips. We want to educate them so they find it acceptable to serve chips to guests too."
"So you want to 'educate' them to eat junk food?"
"They already eat junk food! Are Samosay healthy? Pakoray healthy? Dahi Baray healthy?"
Can't resist the commentary. Basically, she wants (her organization wants, and she, like many other people, has to be good at what she does, so she has to buy the philosophy the organization sells) to change the culture of the people from unhealthy to another (more) unhealthy option, but one in which her company would make money. Why? Well, they're 'leaders who are working on exciting problems to change the world for the better'. For the stock owners.
When I went shopping with a bunch of Pakistani friends. It was one of the first shopping trips you make after going to a new country. The groceries are in the list too. I would look at every goddamn edible's label and make sure it was kosher. And there was another guy, who said something like, 'oh aap tou bari research kartay hain, main tou nahin karta itni' (Oh you do a lot of reasearch, I don't)
When I saw him shopping, he would look at the all the nutrients and macro nutrients and calories on every thing he got. Even the fruits he has been eating for years. And would calculate how many of those nutrients he was getting from other foods, then he would pick those.
This one may not sound ironic, well, because yo u have to know some information for something to sound ironic. I could just tell you, but it won't grounded in your knowledge base, so you won't protect it, and apply it to new information as you would what you now know, in fact, this would be new information to you too. Now, after this much BS, I don't feel like recalling the story here! Some other time.
There are so many more! Just wanted to get these off my chest. Don't even remember others. There are so many other stories I want to share, but they aren't ironic enough to be called Contradictions. But they will surely come on the blog.
The Good Stuff
As I mentioned in my earlier post, that I am planning to make a looong post about all the good stuff that happened since I came to US, here it is.
Though the tone of my writing, or my talking (or my walking!) these days wouldn't have a trace of happiness these days. I am very very stressed these days. My studies are so bad, that I might get thrown of the university, and thence out of the Fulbright program, and my lifelong dream is on the verge of shattering just like that. Note: if you have obvious advice, just shut up. So where was I? Yeah the good stuff. So, since I had to write it... hahahaha.. I like how it has gone 'I wanna share the good stuff that happened to me because the world is such a wonderful place' to 'since I had to write it' - anyway, so, I am writing it. I thought of making it reallly long, but now I will only just bullet it. There you go:
Mathew Wise
This was the salesman at the Best Buy mobile in Cameron Village. We had gone there around evening to ask him for mobile. They were about to close the shops, yet he took so much of his time to help us with the kind of mobile we needed, and the connection, etc etc. His job, you'd say. He later told us where we could find a vegetarian place to eat (we only needed a toiled to use, he suggested we go to a restaurant - and we wanted to go to a vegetarian one, so we could pretend we're gonna order something) - then he helped us find the direction of Mecca on multiple devices he had. Then he looked up sunset time for us. Then he looked up directions to the mosque for us (the last one without asking, also we were out of his shop, gone, also, he printed those, and gave them to our friends, to give them to us, when we really had planned or already had offered prayers on the roadside). He later stayed in touch on email giving suggestions on which mobile to buy, this was part of his job. But the help above was great.
Waleed Raza / Zohaib Qazi
Inkay baray main kia bataon? Yeh tou ab yaar he ban gaye hain. In kay baray main baad main likhon ga :D
Andrew Sleeth
This guy works in the Graduate Admissions Office. More on him later. Why? Cause I feel too lazy to write. Meh.
Rana Salman / Danish
Hahahahahaha...
Muhammad Shahid
Later Gator. Lazy Mazy. Hazy. Dazy. Crazy? Maybe.
Nazrul Islam
One night I was coming home from Danish's place (at this time I used to call it Danish's place, now I call Rana's place, cause Danish hardly lives in it) and it was the middle of the night. 11 pm? Something like that. And I was bringing my laptop. And I was scared. So I hid it under my shawl and was very very aware of my surroundings. And while I was coming, on a road, I stopped to let a car pass. And the car driver stopped, and I looked at him, and he looked at him. And he had a beard and a cap, and presumably was wearing a kurta. This was my First encounter with someone looking like that in US! Can't tell you how happy I was to come across him. He stopped his car. I went up to him, introduced myself. He introduced himself. I got into the, dropped me home. I had nothing to offer him. We talked. He told me about the masjid, the people there, the work of dawat. I was so happy to meet him! He told me he could pick me up for fajr prayers and isha prayers. He still does. I met Muhammad Shahid (above) through him. I am really glad I ran to him! Boy! He was Nazrul Islam :)
Darryl
There's one bus that goes from my home to where my classes are, and back, and on Fridays goes to masjid. I was so happy to discover that! I board this bus, and the driver looks at me and says 'Assalam O Alykum' and I raise my eyebrow, say Walikum Salam... and I ask him, where did you learn that, and he says, Malcolm X. I was so happy! How wish everyone reads that book! Anyway. He remembers my name. He knows where I live, so when I forget to signal him to stop the bus, he stops it when it reaches my house, or asks me before where I wanna go. Sometimes, I am going on foot, and he knows where I am going, he honks at me, stops the bus at the next stop and waits for me to board it. Yeah, he's that nice! And he's that nice to a lot of people. He's just a great person!
Druman
My neighbour. When I went to ask him if I could use his internet and pay half the monthly bill for it, since I was new and needed time setting things up, he said I could use it for free.
David
Gave me a free bookshelf!
Birthday!
On my birthday night. First I was pissed at people's blindly following the new cool trend on being the first one to wish the birthday boy, by sending a text message at 12:01 am. They want to show they're being very mindful, and very caring. The idiots don't realize that at this time, in their time zone, it's not even my birthday yet! I am ten hours behind their time! So what they're essentially proving is that they're juts following habits, and not being considerate and mindful? hahaha... And since I am not the one who hides when he's pissed, what happened when it actually was 12:01 am, in my time zone? I was a lonely piece of shit! And I was sitting there, lying actually. Feeling it's a different night than any other, trying to convince myself it wasn't. Trying to pass the time without thinking much about it. And three four people show up at my house with balloons, and how I greet them when they haven't even knocked on my door: "Where the heck where you all!" - they come, we eat, and they tell we're going jet skiing the next day. They didn't even let me pay for it.
Though the tone of my writing, or my talking (or my walking!) these days wouldn't have a trace of happiness these days. I am very very stressed these days. My studies are so bad, that I might get thrown of the university, and thence out of the Fulbright program, and my lifelong dream is on the verge of shattering just like that. Note: if you have obvious advice, just shut up. So where was I? Yeah the good stuff. So, since I had to write it... hahahaha.. I like how it has gone 'I wanna share the good stuff that happened to me because the world is such a wonderful place' to 'since I had to write it' - anyway, so, I am writing it. I thought of making it reallly long, but now I will only just bullet it. There you go:
Mathew Wise
This was the salesman at the Best Buy mobile in Cameron Village. We had gone there around evening to ask him for mobile. They were about to close the shops, yet he took so much of his time to help us with the kind of mobile we needed, and the connection, etc etc. His job, you'd say. He later told us where we could find a vegetarian place to eat (we only needed a toiled to use, he suggested we go to a restaurant - and we wanted to go to a vegetarian one, so we could pretend we're gonna order something) - then he helped us find the direction of Mecca on multiple devices he had. Then he looked up sunset time for us. Then he looked up directions to the mosque for us (the last one without asking, also we were out of his shop, gone, also, he printed those, and gave them to our friends, to give them to us, when we really had planned or already had offered prayers on the roadside). He later stayed in touch on email giving suggestions on which mobile to buy, this was part of his job. But the help above was great.
Waleed Raza / Zohaib Qazi
Inkay baray main kia bataon? Yeh tou ab yaar he ban gaye hain. In kay baray main baad main likhon ga :D
Andrew Sleeth
This guy works in the Graduate Admissions Office. More on him later. Why? Cause I feel too lazy to write. Meh.
Rana Salman / Danish
Hahahahahaha...
Muhammad Shahid
Later Gator. Lazy Mazy. Hazy. Dazy. Crazy? Maybe.
Nazrul Islam
One night I was coming home from Danish's place (at this time I used to call it Danish's place, now I call Rana's place, cause Danish hardly lives in it) and it was the middle of the night. 11 pm? Something like that. And I was bringing my laptop. And I was scared. So I hid it under my shawl and was very very aware of my surroundings. And while I was coming, on a road, I stopped to let a car pass. And the car driver stopped, and I looked at him, and he looked at him. And he had a beard and a cap, and presumably was wearing a kurta. This was my First encounter with someone looking like that in US! Can't tell you how happy I was to come across him. He stopped his car. I went up to him, introduced myself. He introduced himself. I got into the, dropped me home. I had nothing to offer him. We talked. He told me about the masjid, the people there, the work of dawat. I was so happy to meet him! He told me he could pick me up for fajr prayers and isha prayers. He still does. I met Muhammad Shahid (above) through him. I am really glad I ran to him! Boy! He was Nazrul Islam :)
Darryl
There's one bus that goes from my home to where my classes are, and back, and on Fridays goes to masjid. I was so happy to discover that! I board this bus, and the driver looks at me and says 'Assalam O Alykum' and I raise my eyebrow, say Walikum Salam... and I ask him, where did you learn that, and he says, Malcolm X. I was so happy! How wish everyone reads that book! Anyway. He remembers my name. He knows where I live, so when I forget to signal him to stop the bus, he stops it when it reaches my house, or asks me before where I wanna go. Sometimes, I am going on foot, and he knows where I am going, he honks at me, stops the bus at the next stop and waits for me to board it. Yeah, he's that nice! And he's that nice to a lot of people. He's just a great person!
Druman
My neighbour. When I went to ask him if I could use his internet and pay half the monthly bill for it, since I was new and needed time setting things up, he said I could use it for free.
David
Gave me a free bookshelf!
Birthday!
On my birthday night. First I was pissed at people's blindly following the new cool trend on being the first one to wish the birthday boy, by sending a text message at 12:01 am. They want to show they're being very mindful, and very caring. The idiots don't realize that at this time, in their time zone, it's not even my birthday yet! I am ten hours behind their time! So what they're essentially proving is that they're juts following habits, and not being considerate and mindful? hahaha... And since I am not the one who hides when he's pissed, what happened when it actually was 12:01 am, in my time zone? I was a lonely piece of shit! And I was sitting there, lying actually. Feeling it's a different night than any other, trying to convince myself it wasn't. Trying to pass the time without thinking much about it. And three four people show up at my house with balloons, and how I greet them when they haven't even knocked on my door: "Where the heck where you all!" - they come, we eat, and they tell we're going jet skiing the next day. They didn't even let me pay for it.
Saturday 12 October 2013
The case of good stories
Since I have come to US, all that I have ever wanted to talk about it is negative stuff. Why is that? I don't know. I haven't been really happy since I came here. I wasn't happy in Karachi either though. I was miserable there. Though I have had my moments of misery here as well, but at least I am doing one thing that I like, and when I was in Karachi, perhaps I wasn't doing anything that I like.
And so, to counter all that negative talk, I made a list of all the positive stuff that I wanted to talk. All the great great things that happened to me. And the since became so long, that I kept waiting for a good chunk of time to write it. And in that time, I also had to be happy, so it actually shows that good things happened. If you write about good things when you're in a shitty mood, then you just make it look shitty, as you will soon know.
Now - an hour or more ago - I tried to sleep. I am So cranky. Just dying with sleep. But can't fall asleep. This is my curse. No matter how sleepy or tired I am, I can't fall asleep unless I am happy. And I had called my mother earlier to talk to her. And she said she keeps wanting to talk but worries that she might disturb me (this she thinks when here I am on fall break; this she worries when I am sleeping in on a Sunday evening till 3 pm) so I told her to feel free to call me up anytime, and don't think about waking me up. And we settled that she would call me at 9 am (My time). And I went to bed, to sleep, but couldn't. Then after trying, I came online, more miserable than before. And like I said, wasn't ready to start on that blog post yet. So I kept wasting some time online. Started looking for a nice, clean calendar app that I can use to log all my workouts in a nice way, instead of blogging about them like a loser. Who the hell blogs their workouts? (I know, blogging about workouts is not that bad, specially if you're excited about the plan you're following, your fitness journey, and what not, but now I just am in a mood when anything in the world just looks lame and stupid)
And what happens? She calls. And she has asked my grumpy sister to make the skype call, who couldn't help but use her natural gift, pissed me off even more. I just told them to call me at nine am, though I am awake now. I told them I was about to sleep. Bye bye.
Where's my post about 'happy' things? Heck if I know about it.
And so, to counter all that negative talk, I made a list of all the positive stuff that I wanted to talk. All the great great things that happened to me. And the since became so long, that I kept waiting for a good chunk of time to write it. And in that time, I also had to be happy, so it actually shows that good things happened. If you write about good things when you're in a shitty mood, then you just make it look shitty, as you will soon know.
Now - an hour or more ago - I tried to sleep. I am So cranky. Just dying with sleep. But can't fall asleep. This is my curse. No matter how sleepy or tired I am, I can't fall asleep unless I am happy. And I had called my mother earlier to talk to her. And she said she keeps wanting to talk but worries that she might disturb me (this she thinks when here I am on fall break; this she worries when I am sleeping in on a Sunday evening till 3 pm) so I told her to feel free to call me up anytime, and don't think about waking me up. And we settled that she would call me at 9 am (My time). And I went to bed, to sleep, but couldn't. Then after trying, I came online, more miserable than before. And like I said, wasn't ready to start on that blog post yet. So I kept wasting some time online. Started looking for a nice, clean calendar app that I can use to log all my workouts in a nice way, instead of blogging about them like a loser. Who the hell blogs their workouts? (I know, blogging about workouts is not that bad, specially if you're excited about the plan you're following, your fitness journey, and what not, but now I just am in a mood when anything in the world just looks lame and stupid)
And what happens? She calls. And she has asked my grumpy sister to make the skype call, who couldn't help but use her natural gift, pissed me off even more. I just told them to call me at nine am, though I am awake now. I told them I was about to sleep. Bye bye.
Where's my post about 'happy' things? Heck if I know about it.
Tuesday 17 September 2013
US
Everybody asks me how do I like it here. Well, what can I say? It's really beautiful. I posed some pictures of my house on facebook, and people did see that it's beautiful. Raleigh is rates is one of the most beautiful places in US, so you can see where I am coming from.
The weather is always good. So far, I have only seen the end of summer and the beginning of fall here, and I am loving it. The nights, and the mornings, have began to get colder. It rains often. It's just the right kind of whether here. Just the right amount of romantic, just the right amount of practical, just the right amount of enthralling, and just the right amount of convenient. I have started taking late night strolls in the cold nights now. Winds are great at that time. Soft winds are great in morning too, specially after a hearty breakfast and a cold shower.
But do I like it here? Well, like you know, I like the whether. I like the beauty. I like the liberty of living alone. The freedom of being a student, on scholarship. I love that part. I like that people are so professional here, everybody's on time, everything's clean. Everything's managed seemingly well. I like that here.
But the culture didn't appeal to me much. This is the same culture which, because of its freedom, and it's open values pulled me in so much when I went to LUMS, so much so that it transformed me for good. Then I started studying it. And I studies it more and more, I discovered the not-so-great dimensions of it. And now, it's the real thing. Here I am in America, experiencing first hand what was simulated by desi Americans at LUMS. To be honest, there haven't been any shocks per se. The amount of blogs I read about American lifestyle, the amount of movies/tv shows I had watched in the earlier days, it's just like that. Most people say real life is never like what's it shown on tv, specially for the observer who doesn't belong to that culture. Well, I would say to those people, their exposure to this medium of expression hasn't been diverse enough, or hasn't been completed with other medium, such as books, blogs, comedians. Though I do agree news have a way distorting reality to a spicy fiction. Anyway, in short, there were no shocks. It's the same I had experienced in LUMS. It's the same I experienced while hanging out among the upper-middle class in Karachi, Karachi being the 7th largest city of the world, the influence of the greatest super on its culture being very dominant.
So there were no surprises, but there were many things that I didn't like over my own country, that I liked being done in my country's way more than I like them here. The way my mindset has changed over last two-three years leaves me with ideas and beliefs, that my friends have started seeing me as a mystic person. Though I would say that's not true, because my opinions always have arguments behind them, they have stories behind them, contemplation behind them, and might I say, study behind them. And it is this mindset that makes me see these things, and feel against them, the same way I felt against them when I was back home. So being an anomaly is not a news for me. I am used to it in that sense.
So what are those things? It's the same everybody's talking about... yada yada yada. Distant lives. People not knowing their neighbours though living there for so many years. There is story about that one too! Commercialism, materialism, no direction in lives. No meaning, no purpose. Or shallow purposes. Here I see, really good rats, strong rats, fast rats, healthy rats, who run like Jaguars, but why? because they're in a rat race. To what? I don't know! They don't know either. It makes them 'happy' they say. Staying distracted, engaged, makes them 'happy' they say. Okay.
Some things that I would like to talk about is the way Pakistans act and think when they come here. That's very very interesting, and well, I am gonna dedicate a whole post to it :D
AND. I am gonna dedicate a whole post to the few stories I have had so far since I have come here. I will only put up the interesting ones, and a few boring ones too, Heck it's my blog!
The weather is always good. So far, I have only seen the end of summer and the beginning of fall here, and I am loving it. The nights, and the mornings, have began to get colder. It rains often. It's just the right kind of whether here. Just the right amount of romantic, just the right amount of practical, just the right amount of enthralling, and just the right amount of convenient. I have started taking late night strolls in the cold nights now. Winds are great at that time. Soft winds are great in morning too, specially after a hearty breakfast and a cold shower.
But do I like it here? Well, like you know, I like the whether. I like the beauty. I like the liberty of living alone. The freedom of being a student, on scholarship. I love that part. I like that people are so professional here, everybody's on time, everything's clean. Everything's managed seemingly well. I like that here.
But the culture didn't appeal to me much. This is the same culture which, because of its freedom, and it's open values pulled me in so much when I went to LUMS, so much so that it transformed me for good. Then I started studying it. And I studies it more and more, I discovered the not-so-great dimensions of it. And now, it's the real thing. Here I am in America, experiencing first hand what was simulated by desi Americans at LUMS. To be honest, there haven't been any shocks per se. The amount of blogs I read about American lifestyle, the amount of movies/tv shows I had watched in the earlier days, it's just like that. Most people say real life is never like what's it shown on tv, specially for the observer who doesn't belong to that culture. Well, I would say to those people, their exposure to this medium of expression hasn't been diverse enough, or hasn't been completed with other medium, such as books, blogs, comedians. Though I do agree news have a way distorting reality to a spicy fiction. Anyway, in short, there were no shocks. It's the same I had experienced in LUMS. It's the same I experienced while hanging out among the upper-middle class in Karachi, Karachi being the 7th largest city of the world, the influence of the greatest super on its culture being very dominant.
So there were no surprises, but there were many things that I didn't like over my own country, that I liked being done in my country's way more than I like them here. The way my mindset has changed over last two-three years leaves me with ideas and beliefs, that my friends have started seeing me as a mystic person. Though I would say that's not true, because my opinions always have arguments behind them, they have stories behind them, contemplation behind them, and might I say, study behind them. And it is this mindset that makes me see these things, and feel against them, the same way I felt against them when I was back home. So being an anomaly is not a news for me. I am used to it in that sense.
So what are those things? It's the same everybody's talking about... yada yada yada. Distant lives. People not knowing their neighbours though living there for so many years. There is story about that one too! Commercialism, materialism, no direction in lives. No meaning, no purpose. Or shallow purposes. Here I see, really good rats, strong rats, fast rats, healthy rats, who run like Jaguars, but why? because they're in a rat race. To what? I don't know! They don't know either. It makes them 'happy' they say. Staying distracted, engaged, makes them 'happy' they say. Okay.
Some things that I would like to talk about is the way Pakistans act and think when they come here. That's very very interesting, and well, I am gonna dedicate a whole post to it :D
AND. I am gonna dedicate a whole post to the few stories I have had so far since I have come here. I will only put up the interesting ones, and a few boring ones too, Heck it's my blog!
Saturday 24 August 2013
TODO
Assalam O Alykum brothers and sisters!
So what I did have to write about is the stories from my four months, then the stories in between, then the trip to Zambia, where every single minute was so full of awareness that I it just filled my head. It was indeed rewinding. Very helpful, very thought-provoking; it gave me perspective. Loads of it.
Then I waited two days, and then I had my flight for US. And then, here I am, in US.
And this is my first post from US. Tada!
So before I began to write about my journey etc, I just wanted to post on the blog, for myself, that it still remains to write about:
- Stories from the 4-months (I guess these will randomly pop-up in the middle of other posts as anecdotes)
- Journey - mindset, reasoning, experience, learning of the Zambia trip (I think the same about this too)
So, that completes the TODO list, for now, for this blog. See you laters!
So what I did have to write about is the stories from my four months, then the stories in between, then the trip to Zambia, where every single minute was so full of awareness that I it just filled my head. It was indeed rewinding. Very helpful, very thought-provoking; it gave me perspective. Loads of it.
Then I waited two days, and then I had my flight for US. And then, here I am, in US.
And this is my first post from US. Tada!
So before I began to write about my journey etc, I just wanted to post on the blog, for myself, that it still remains to write about:
- Stories from the 4-months (I guess these will randomly pop-up in the middle of other posts as anecdotes)
- Journey - mindset, reasoning, experience, learning of the Zambia trip (I think the same about this too)
So, that completes the TODO list, for now, for this blog. See you laters!
Sunday 11 August 2013
Raleigh
The place that I am going to.
http://clubs.ncsu.edu/maitri/newstudents.php
Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" and often is described as "a park with a city in it." Raleigh was rated a few years ago as the best city to live in the USA. It's crime, pollution and noise-free! With a population of more than 320,000, Raleigh may be a city, but it lives like a small town, with shaded pedestrian streets, more than 153 park sites, historic cobblestone streets with period lighting and sidewalk cafes. One of the trendiest new parts of town, the warehouse district, is home to several restaurants
http://clubs.ncsu.edu/maitri/newstudents.php
Back, Not
So you all. This is just a quick post to let us all know I am back form Zambia. And now, that is, tomorrow night, I leave for US inshAllah. So see you from there :)
Remember me in your prayers!
I will share me experiences from Zambia and everywhere, probably after settling in US, before that I am too busyyy.
Khuda Hafiz!
Remember me in your prayers!
I will share me experiences from Zambia and everywhere, probably after settling in US, before that I am too busyyy.
Khuda Hafiz!
Thursday 25 July 2013
Friend
A friend of mine, not very old, but very close one, came to see me Wednesday morning. Right after morning salaat, I have his text saying saad milo (Saad, let's meet) and I say yeah sure, the time was decided, 6 am. Well, I hadn't slept the entire night, so I was Very sleepy, and tired. And cranky. And I hoped he would go soon. But we talked for Three hours. He left around. Anyway. The talk was... okay. Not hear to heart, per se. He said many things. Basically it was a scold I needed. On all the things I was doing wrong. Basically, he was telling me to get my shit together. He said many, almost all, things right. Except a few. Here's a recalled-from-my-kind-of-memory except from the conversation:
Him: What have you done in the last 2 years? You have wasted your life. No progress. Nothing. You haven't got a place. You haven't got a car. You haven't got a promotion. You just wasted time. If you would have a car right now tumhara style he alag hota (You would have been awesome!) tumhain koi tensionen nahin hotin (You'd be in peace) ....
There are very very few friends in life, who will muster the courage to come to you, and say to your face this kind of things. The kind of things you need to hear, and the people who are already telling them, you totally ignore. So he has the perception to see it, the honesty to know it, the courage to say it, and the importance to be listened to. The scold went on for 3 hours... well not exactly. It was we both talking mostly. It would have been 0.75 - 1 hour probably, and he highlighted many mistakes I was making. I thank him for those things.
Later that day, I go to masjid. And there, one of my friends is giving a small small talk, just 4 or 5 people sitting. Motivating them. That these times are tricky times, and if we don't sacrifice our own plans, walk individually to people and invite them to live their lives in line with values etc, then these things will get worse and start to affect us. Well, something along those lines. But he said something, the tableeghi people often say kamyabi maal, mulk, banglay, gari digri main main nahin hai, kamyabi tou poray k poray deen main hai
And that kinda introduces a conflict, a contradiction. No? So me being a Muslim, think of what does the most authentic sources have to say on this?
Quran (13:2): "Verily, in the remembrance of Allah swt do hearts find rest."
Case dismissed.
Him: What have you done in the last 2 years? You have wasted your life. No progress. Nothing. You haven't got a place. You haven't got a car. You haven't got a promotion. You just wasted time. If you would have a car right now tumhara style he alag hota (You would have been awesome!) tumhain koi tensionen nahin hotin (You'd be in peace) ....
There are very very few friends in life, who will muster the courage to come to you, and say to your face this kind of things. The kind of things you need to hear, and the people who are already telling them, you totally ignore. So he has the perception to see it, the honesty to know it, the courage to say it, and the importance to be listened to. The scold went on for 3 hours... well not exactly. It was we both talking mostly. It would have been 0.75 - 1 hour probably, and he highlighted many mistakes I was making. I thank him for those things.
Later that day, I go to masjid. And there, one of my friends is giving a small small talk, just 4 or 5 people sitting. Motivating them. That these times are tricky times, and if we don't sacrifice our own plans, walk individually to people and invite them to live their lives in line with values etc, then these things will get worse and start to affect us. Well, something along those lines. But he said something, the tableeghi people often say kamyabi maal, mulk, banglay, gari digri main main nahin hai, kamyabi tou poray k poray deen main hai
And that kinda introduces a conflict, a contradiction. No? So me being a Muslim, think of what does the most authentic sources have to say on this?
Quran (13:2): "Verily, in the remembrance of Allah swt do hearts find rest."
Case dismissed.
Last 4 months
These days I am in hurry, all the time. Why? Good question. First, some really really really good news. I got Fulbright scholarship, Alhamdulillah! I got admission into North Carolina State University, I am going there for MS in Computer Science. I will specialize in Network Security and/or Discrete Mathematics inshAllah. Yes my Visa has arrived, and I am leaving inshAllah on August 13, right after Eid. If you have any tips for packing etc, or any advice at All, I need it.
Before that, in the last ten days of Ramadan, I am sitting in ehtakaf (I don't know how it's said in English, in Urdu it's said ehtakaf main bethna so that's what I have translated :). I am going to Zambia, Africa for Ehtakaf. Why? Because Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad and Shaykh Kamaluddin Ahmed are going there, and I got an opportunity to spend time with them, and I took the opportunity.
'But but, why the hurry Saad?' you might say. Well, that's because I had resigned from work in February 2013. I had gone on tableegh for 4 months. And boy, what an experience it was! It was Wonderuful! It changed me. Though I am still more or less the same still :P but yes, the travelling experience was awesommme!
I have so many stories from there. So many. But the truth is, not one of them is inspirational. And quite a few might be biased too. Either way, point is, I have some stories, which are otherwise innocent incidents. But the way I went through them, the way I experienced them, they seem majestic! As if the God Himself was communication to me! That Look, let me show, I am the God, the Almighty, and I do everything! I run the entire show!
Calling it an Enlightening experience would be an apt description. It didn't make me more knowledgable per se, but it gave me more realizations. Realization that how much I need to learn!
As you can tell from the tone of the passage, I am writing this done in a hurry too. I will be over it. Perhaps the next few posts will be like this. Till I finally settle? I don't know.
I am leaving on Saturday for Africa, and then for United Stated on August 13.
I will also inshallah make a post on my entire Fulbright journey and how smooth it was :)
Before that, in the last ten days of Ramadan, I am sitting in ehtakaf (I don't know how it's said in English, in Urdu it's said ehtakaf main bethna so that's what I have translated :). I am going to Zambia, Africa for Ehtakaf. Why? Because Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad and Shaykh Kamaluddin Ahmed are going there, and I got an opportunity to spend time with them, and I took the opportunity.
'But but, why the hurry Saad?' you might say. Well, that's because I had resigned from work in February 2013. I had gone on tableegh for 4 months. And boy, what an experience it was! It was Wonderuful! It changed me. Though I am still more or less the same still :P but yes, the travelling experience was awesommme!
I have so many stories from there. So many. But the truth is, not one of them is inspirational. And quite a few might be biased too. Either way, point is, I have some stories, which are otherwise innocent incidents. But the way I went through them, the way I experienced them, they seem majestic! As if the God Himself was communication to me! That Look, let me show, I am the God, the Almighty, and I do everything! I run the entire show!
Calling it an Enlightening experience would be an apt description. It didn't make me more knowledgable per se, but it gave me more realizations. Realization that how much I need to learn!
As you can tell from the tone of the passage, I am writing this done in a hurry too. I will be over it. Perhaps the next few posts will be like this. Till I finally settle? I don't know.
I am leaving on Saturday for Africa, and then for United Stated on August 13.
I will also inshallah make a post on my entire Fulbright journey and how smooth it was :)
Saturday 6 July 2013
Open
Where was I? What the heck was I up to? What's coming up?
Are there any stories?
Yes.
But later. Right now, I am too busy. And want to make note of just one thing, which is, that I will try this perfume next. Open by Roger and Gallet. It has only one note that I like (tobacco) but I like that it's in woody family, so it's a must.
Later Gator!
Edit (July 26): I went to the store. It was totally affordable, but it was packed, so they didn't let my try it. And I already have a couple of perfumes. So, I thought why buy more stuff and increase your luggage? Why not buy the same perfume in US? Just wait for 20 days to have it! So I didn't buy it, and didn't try it. See you later, Open! (More like Smell you later, but whatever.)
Are there any stories?
Yes.
But later. Right now, I am too busy. And want to make note of just one thing, which is, that I will try this perfume next. Open by Roger and Gallet. It has only one note that I like (tobacco) but I like that it's in woody family, so it's a must.
Later Gator!
Edit (July 26): I went to the store. It was totally affordable, but it was packed, so they didn't let my try it. And I already have a couple of perfumes. So, I thought why buy more stuff and increase your luggage? Why not buy the same perfume in US? Just wait for 20 days to have it! So I didn't buy it, and didn't try it. See you later, Open! (More like Smell you later, but whatever.)
Tuesday 19 February 2013
Mindfulness
A note of some of the links I found interesting on the topic of mindfulness. I do think this stuff does help in becoming more spiritual, less materialistic (from Materialistic I don't mean anything bad, evil or selfish, I just mean the approach of life where gaining material wealth is seen as an end rather than a means to an end).
- http://www.lotusandlens.com/what-is-mindfulness/
- http://www.shamanswell.org/shaman/harvard-study-links-happiness-mindfulness
Why do I need facebook? Why do I want facebook? Why do I use facebook? What I derive from it? What do I get from it?
If there's one thing I don't use it for, that's keeping in touch. I don't use it for keeping in touch with anybody. There's nobody I stay in touch with through facebook. Really. All my friends don't use it as much, or if they use it, we don't interact that much. I don't have that kind of friends. There was a time when I had such friends, girls mostly, and now is not it. Now, the people I am friends with, are goal oriented people. They talk when they need to. They get their ... updates.. from newspapers and journals. So, one thing that I don't use it for is keeping in touch. It's true that it has often come in handy when trying to locate a number of some long lost friend, but that's only because the number was lost. I could have located it from elsewhere too. In the end, it's the number you need to stay in touch. Pictures? Wedding photos? I guess I can probably do without those updated. After all, really, nobody matters so much that I would benefit in the department of life-satisfaction and general happiness from knowing about these updates.
Then? What do I get from it? Stalking? Uh well, that too, has little use now. Really. I mean, contrary to what it may seem like to some people, I am Not in extrovort. I don't like having a vast, dilute social circle. I do well with a small, concentrated one. So I am not at all the person to hit up a new person on line, chat him/her up, then be a buddy. No, that's not how I roll. At least, not now.
Having an online presence? Well, maybe. But isn't that what that really does mean is that I want to be public? Like, awami? I want everyone to know me? to know how 'cool' I am? That I read so and so, and that I use so and so, and that I like so and so, and that I have watched so and so? And then feel a sense of oneness with those other people who have 'Liked' the same pages? Truth be told, I never did feel any oneness with anybody. George Carlin, my favorite comedian, atheist, me, a strong monotheist, his page I had liked. And the admin kept sharing his quotes against religion. Fine, his quotes, comedy. Alright. But the comments? All those idiots missing his point entirely, starting to argue once again over whether there is a God or not, and ... on facebook? On a comedian's page? Are you kidding me?! No, having an online presence doesn't work for me. It didn't work me. I never really could connect with the intellectuals, the liberals, or... the religious class. Ah, the irony. The most commonly placed label on me - that religious guy, that molvi. I never did well with those too, either. Why that? Well, the real molvis, I one's I would really have enjoyed with, well, they weren't using Facebook! They may have accounts, but they aren't posting. There Are indeed a couple of people who use facebook as much as I do, why I don't 'interact' with them on fb? Why I have hidden their feed? I guess, facebook is all about how we want to be seen to the world. And the way they want to be seen, on the internet, is not quite the way I want to see them as. I know they're different, which is why we're friends, of course. Reminds me what Oscar Wilde said, 'Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.' I guess on the internet, we're too much 'in our own person'. I guess. No, thank you, I will do without an online presence. Which does make me think what I made this blog for, around two years ago, on the suggestion of a friend, to have an online presence. Ha! It has become a good whiteboard, and rightly so, this is what I need more than an online presence, a place which is Mine. Where I vomit out all that junk I am consuming, and look at it, while it comes out, that what have I been consuming! Look at what's been inside me, and how it feels like when I take it out in front of others. More on that later. This post isn't about this blog. It's about facebook. An exploratory essay into why I do and shouldn't use facebook.
Ah! The updates! The constant Dopamine hit! The bananas for the monkey. I won't negotiate over that. I won't argue I don't get that, or that I am not a monkey. I won't say that I don't get hooked on to the endless memes there, or that I am not on the lookout for the next interesting status update, or the next catchy picture. But it gets too much out too quickly. Isn't it when we notice all wrong? When it gets 'out of hand'? When it's too much than what's considered Normal? Haha... It's wrong when it's too much, it's right when it's normal much? Wow! Well, with me, most things get out of hand. Most things. I'm an indulgent person by nature. And I don't Give. A. Damn. I will lose X? Whatever. I will be seen as Y? Whatever. I will have to live with Z. Whatever. So, I slip in to the 'unhealthy amoung' very soon. I know immediately what thing is wrong, because immediately I slide towards doing a lot of it, and see the harm in it, and see that the harm is there even when you're doing less of it. And then I try to cut it off entirely, totally. That's when people call me crazy. Hahahaha... Whatever. If you really have a point other than 'thora sa tou chalta hai' (I can tolerate a little bit of it, but not a lot of it) then come argue, and then call me crazy. Or put a label before opening your mind to it. I am used to either kind of treatment. You're welcome.
Is that it? All I seek is pointless, endless, directionless, mental activity? Really?
I would have been ashamed of myself on discovering this, if this indeed was a discovery. Whatever.
If there's one thing I don't use it for, that's keeping in touch. I don't use it for keeping in touch with anybody. There's nobody I stay in touch with through facebook. Really. All my friends don't use it as much, or if they use it, we don't interact that much. I don't have that kind of friends. There was a time when I had such friends, girls mostly, and now is not it. Now, the people I am friends with, are goal oriented people. They talk when they need to. They get their ... updates.. from newspapers and journals. So, one thing that I don't use it for is keeping in touch. It's true that it has often come in handy when trying to locate a number of some long lost friend, but that's only because the number was lost. I could have located it from elsewhere too. In the end, it's the number you need to stay in touch. Pictures? Wedding photos? I guess I can probably do without those updated. After all, really, nobody matters so much that I would benefit in the department of life-satisfaction and general happiness from knowing about these updates.
Then? What do I get from it? Stalking? Uh well, that too, has little use now. Really. I mean, contrary to what it may seem like to some people, I am Not in extrovort. I don't like having a vast, dilute social circle. I do well with a small, concentrated one. So I am not at all the person to hit up a new person on line, chat him/her up, then be a buddy. No, that's not how I roll. At least, not now.
Having an online presence? Well, maybe. But isn't that what that really does mean is that I want to be public? Like, awami? I want everyone to know me? to know how 'cool' I am? That I read so and so, and that I use so and so, and that I like so and so, and that I have watched so and so? And then feel a sense of oneness with those other people who have 'Liked' the same pages? Truth be told, I never did feel any oneness with anybody. George Carlin, my favorite comedian, atheist, me, a strong monotheist, his page I had liked. And the admin kept sharing his quotes against religion. Fine, his quotes, comedy. Alright. But the comments? All those idiots missing his point entirely, starting to argue once again over whether there is a God or not, and ... on facebook? On a comedian's page? Are you kidding me?! No, having an online presence doesn't work for me. It didn't work me. I never really could connect with the intellectuals, the liberals, or... the religious class. Ah, the irony. The most commonly placed label on me - that religious guy, that molvi. I never did well with those too, either. Why that? Well, the real molvis, I one's I would really have enjoyed with, well, they weren't using Facebook! They may have accounts, but they aren't posting. There Are indeed a couple of people who use facebook as much as I do, why I don't 'interact' with them on fb? Why I have hidden their feed? I guess, facebook is all about how we want to be seen to the world. And the way they want to be seen, on the internet, is not quite the way I want to see them as. I know they're different, which is why we're friends, of course. Reminds me what Oscar Wilde said, 'Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.' I guess on the internet, we're too much 'in our own person'. I guess. No, thank you, I will do without an online presence. Which does make me think what I made this blog for, around two years ago, on the suggestion of a friend, to have an online presence. Ha! It has become a good whiteboard, and rightly so, this is what I need more than an online presence, a place which is Mine. Where I vomit out all that junk I am consuming, and look at it, while it comes out, that what have I been consuming! Look at what's been inside me, and how it feels like when I take it out in front of others. More on that later. This post isn't about this blog. It's about facebook. An exploratory essay into why I do and shouldn't use facebook.
Ah! The updates! The constant Dopamine hit! The bananas for the monkey. I won't negotiate over that. I won't argue I don't get that, or that I am not a monkey. I won't say that I don't get hooked on to the endless memes there, or that I am not on the lookout for the next interesting status update, or the next catchy picture. But it gets too much out too quickly. Isn't it when we notice all wrong? When it gets 'out of hand'? When it's too much than what's considered Normal? Haha... It's wrong when it's too much, it's right when it's normal much? Wow! Well, with me, most things get out of hand. Most things. I'm an indulgent person by nature. And I don't Give. A. Damn. I will lose X? Whatever. I will be seen as Y? Whatever. I will have to live with Z. Whatever. So, I slip in to the 'unhealthy amoung' very soon. I know immediately what thing is wrong, because immediately I slide towards doing a lot of it, and see the harm in it, and see that the harm is there even when you're doing less of it. And then I try to cut it off entirely, totally. That's when people call me crazy. Hahahaha... Whatever. If you really have a point other than 'thora sa tou chalta hai' (I can tolerate a little bit of it, but not a lot of it) then come argue, and then call me crazy. Or put a label before opening your mind to it. I am used to either kind of treatment. You're welcome.
Is that it? All I seek is pointless, endless, directionless, mental activity? Really?
I would have been ashamed of myself on discovering this, if this indeed was a discovery. Whatever.
Saturday 9 February 2013
Lesson
We learn, we all do. Sooner or later we all learn. And when we don't learn sooner, we learn later.
And that is why regrets exist.
And that is why regrets exist.
Thursday 24 January 2013
Wednesday
Tonight (i.e. Wednesday January 24) I did as I promised on my blog I would.
I did:
1 squat, 10 push-ups, 25-60 rope-skips,
2 squats, 9 push-ups and 25-60 rope-skips,
...
10 squats, 1 push-up.
Obviously I was out of breath many time, sometimes so much so that I couldn't go on, there were many 30-second (or longer) rests sprinkled in between. I remember taking a few water breaks too :)
Then I removed rope-skipping and mountain climbers from the circuit mentioned in the link above and it became like this:
1) Side-to-side jumping - 15 reps
2) Alternate Dumbbell Curls - 10 reps
3) Bent Dumbbell Rows - 10 reps
4) Military Press - 10 reps
And I did two such circuits. Only taking a break when I was too out of breath to go on. Since I am not lifting too heavy, and the volume is totally non existence, I could afford to be so hard. After all, I was treating this as cardio, and not as bodybuilding.
Since I didn't give myself any day to rest after yesterday's push-ups, I was kinda weak today after the first 18 or so reps. I resorted to knee push-ups, then gained some strength, and was back to full push-ups, but I didn't go all the way down. Anyway, I am happy with substituting 2 sets of rope skipping and 2 of mountain climbers with 10 of rope skipping.
Let's see what I do tonight. I am planning on doing the same though, perhaps doing curling instead of push-ups in the 55, and doing mountain climbers instead of curling in the circuits.
I did:
1 squat, 10 push-ups, 25-60 rope-skips,
2 squats, 9 push-ups and 25-60 rope-skips,
...
10 squats, 1 push-up.
Obviously I was out of breath many time, sometimes so much so that I couldn't go on, there were many 30-second (or longer) rests sprinkled in between. I remember taking a few water breaks too :)
Then I removed rope-skipping and mountain climbers from the circuit mentioned in the link above and it became like this:
1) Side-to-side jumping - 15 reps
2) Alternate Dumbbell Curls - 10 reps
3) Bent Dumbbell Rows - 10 reps
4) Military Press - 10 reps
And I did two such circuits. Only taking a break when I was too out of breath to go on. Since I am not lifting too heavy, and the volume is totally non existence, I could afford to be so hard. After all, I was treating this as cardio, and not as bodybuilding.
Since I didn't give myself any day to rest after yesterday's push-ups, I was kinda weak today after the first 18 or so reps. I resorted to knee push-ups, then gained some strength, and was back to full push-ups, but I didn't go all the way down. Anyway, I am happy with substituting 2 sets of rope skipping and 2 of mountain climbers with 10 of rope skipping.
Let's see what I do tonight. I am planning on doing the same though, perhaps doing curling instead of push-ups in the 55, and doing mountain climbers instead of curling in the circuits.
Tuesday 22 January 2013
A week gone by
In Urdu we have this phrase jumma jumma aath din which is often used to condescendingly say that something is very new in the market, so much so that it hasn't even completed eight days, eight days means even the weekday it was started on, hasn't come back around yet. So, today, Tuesday, I it's been eight days since I have been working out. Mujhay jumma jumma aath din hogaye hain! Haha...
For now, my focus has been to just do anything for more than 15 minutes that could be classified as physical exercise. So I had been doing. As discussed earlier, I had been doing a mix of squats with either pushups, curling, or military press, followed by one or two circuits of rope skipping, jumping side to side and mountain climbers. Anyway, it's time for me to formalize my routine a little bit, or at least, note down the quantity I do, so the progress can be gauged. For now, the only progress is doing more exercise with less rest within the same amount of time. I have been keeping any metrics, so I can't comment on those. Though I should. One other improvement I have noticed indeed is that regular exercise automatically keeps you from having a bad diet, and that's what's happening. It won't miraculously make you eat a perfect diet like pros, experts or hobbyists; but it will save you from capital diet offences, which usually go un-apprehended when you aren't working out. For example, if I am eating right after workout, I won't even be able to pig out, because personally I am too tired to keep eating beyond what's enough to kill the hunger, and also, because the stomach muscles have been worked, I feel like vomiting if I overeat right after exercise. Also, if you are eating before workout, you will eat less, because if you don't, you won't be able to exercise at all. So that's what I was talking about. Automatic fix.
Now, back to the formalization. I have noticed, on all the days, I find 55 to be a very comfortable way of doing 55 reps for any one muscle group, coupled with lightly working my legs daily. And since getting bigger is not a priority at the moment, that's alright. Secondly, I have been able to complete it within 10-15 minutes. Thirdly, I can squeeze in one or two circuits of 3-4 cardio exercises. And that also makes 30 minutes. Also, I learned that I can't do burpees with other exercises, it doesn't leave any energy in me to go on, and that I have gotten good at rope-skipping, I can do them seamlessly for longer if I concentrate mentally. So here's the map for what I am gonna follow, for the next week at least:
Warm up: 2-5 minute of jogging in place.
55: squats + pushups or curling or military presses. Recovery time needed na!
Followed by 1 or 2 circuits of:
1. Rope-skipping, 25-60 reps.
2. Jumping side-to-side, 15 reps.
3. Standing dumbell rowing: 15 reps.
4. Military press or curling depending on what's been done in 55.
5. Mountain climbers, 10 reps.
The original workout that I looked up on the internet didn't have 1, 3 and 4. And it instead had burpees and crabwalking. But I am skipping those for now, as I can't do them properly, may be later, and replacing them with anaerobic exercises, because I find them easier to do.
This shows that my workout is 25% and 75% anabolic. But that's not how it should be. It should be the other way around, 75% cardio and 25% anabolic. In fact, I don't even need anabolic right now, but I do it only to feel quick visible results and stay motivated. So I am thinking what I will do is, instead of just resting 30 seconds in between the rounds in 55, I will do a set of rope skipping. That will give me ten additional sets of rope-skipping. And if I can do that, I think eventually I will get used to doing rope-skipping, which is great because in my opinion it's a very fun and effective exercise. It's not just cardio, but also leg strength, core strength, agility and coordination.
That's all for now!
For now, my focus has been to just do anything for more than 15 minutes that could be classified as physical exercise. So I had been doing. As discussed earlier, I had been doing a mix of squats with either pushups, curling, or military press, followed by one or two circuits of rope skipping, jumping side to side and mountain climbers. Anyway, it's time for me to formalize my routine a little bit, or at least, note down the quantity I do, so the progress can be gauged. For now, the only progress is doing more exercise with less rest within the same amount of time. I have been keeping any metrics, so I can't comment on those. Though I should. One other improvement I have noticed indeed is that regular exercise automatically keeps you from having a bad diet, and that's what's happening. It won't miraculously make you eat a perfect diet like pros, experts or hobbyists; but it will save you from capital diet offences, which usually go un-apprehended when you aren't working out. For example, if I am eating right after workout, I won't even be able to pig out, because personally I am too tired to keep eating beyond what's enough to kill the hunger, and also, because the stomach muscles have been worked, I feel like vomiting if I overeat right after exercise. Also, if you are eating before workout, you will eat less, because if you don't, you won't be able to exercise at all. So that's what I was talking about. Automatic fix.
Now, back to the formalization. I have noticed, on all the days, I find 55 to be a very comfortable way of doing 55 reps for any one muscle group, coupled with lightly working my legs daily. And since getting bigger is not a priority at the moment, that's alright. Secondly, I have been able to complete it within 10-15 minutes. Thirdly, I can squeeze in one or two circuits of 3-4 cardio exercises. And that also makes 30 minutes. Also, I learned that I can't do burpees with other exercises, it doesn't leave any energy in me to go on, and that I have gotten good at rope-skipping, I can do them seamlessly for longer if I concentrate mentally. So here's the map for what I am gonna follow, for the next week at least:
Warm up: 2-5 minute of jogging in place.
55: squats + pushups or curling or military presses. Recovery time needed na!
Followed by 1 or 2 circuits of:
1. Rope-skipping, 25-60 reps.
2. Jumping side-to-side, 15 reps.
3. Standing dumbell rowing: 15 reps.
4. Military press or curling depending on what's been done in 55.
5. Mountain climbers, 10 reps.
The original workout that I looked up on the internet didn't have 1, 3 and 4. And it instead had burpees and crabwalking. But I am skipping those for now, as I can't do them properly, may be later, and replacing them with anaerobic exercises, because I find them easier to do.
This shows that my workout is 25% and 75% anabolic. But that's not how it should be. It should be the other way around, 75% cardio and 25% anabolic. In fact, I don't even need anabolic right now, but I do it only to feel quick visible results and stay motivated. So I am thinking what I will do is, instead of just resting 30 seconds in between the rounds in 55, I will do a set of rope skipping. That will give me ten additional sets of rope-skipping. And if I can do that, I think eventually I will get used to doing rope-skipping, which is great because in my opinion it's a very fun and effective exercise. It's not just cardio, but also leg strength, core strength, agility and coordination.
That's all for now!
Seventh Day
Today is the seventh day since I have been working out. I am thinking of resting, skipping it. I actually feel like I am more tired, swollen , even fatter because of working out. I don't know what happened to the feelings of energy and enthusiasm which come with exercising, though I must say I have been feeling happier, more confident since last Tuesday, when I started, but today... I don't know... Whatever.
On Saturday night, papa was giving us a treat. For what? Nobody knows, even he didn't. It was more we bullying a treat out of him, than he giving us a treat. So, all the Saturday, I was under the impression that he will manage the treat all by himself, the menu, the place, the delivery, everything. But as it turns out, the friend that he was depending on to ride with, didn't show up in the evening. So it was all on to me. If I had imagined this would happened, I would have worked out earlier, but since I hadn't, so I didn't.
So, after Isha, I came back home early. Skipped sitting in the taleem after Isha, also didn't offer witr rakaat. Anyway, I came home, did some quick small workout, I was gonna write here what I did, but I don't even remember! But, I kept moving for 20-25 minutes, which was essentially the point. Then took a cold water shower, and set out to Meerath Kebab House.
I wish I had noted down the workout, I am thinking of keeping a diary of the exercises I do. Because I always exercise in terms of time (20-25 minutes), the amount of work done in that time could be a good measurement of performance, hence a good gauge of results. The stamina, the endurance, the strength is the result. Fatloss/Muscle gain can come when they may. The first goal is always to be regular.
Post written on Monday, Jan 21.
On Saturday night, papa was giving us a treat. For what? Nobody knows, even he didn't. It was more we bullying a treat out of him, than he giving us a treat. So, all the Saturday, I was under the impression that he will manage the treat all by himself, the menu, the place, the delivery, everything. But as it turns out, the friend that he was depending on to ride with, didn't show up in the evening. So it was all on to me. If I had imagined this would happened, I would have worked out earlier, but since I hadn't, so I didn't.
So, after Isha, I came back home early. Skipped sitting in the taleem after Isha, also didn't offer witr rakaat. Anyway, I came home, did some quick small workout, I was gonna write here what I did, but I don't even remember! But, I kept moving for 20-25 minutes, which was essentially the point. Then took a cold water shower, and set out to Meerath Kebab House.
I wish I had noted down the workout, I am thinking of keeping a diary of the exercises I do. Because I always exercise in terms of time (20-25 minutes), the amount of work done in that time could be a good measurement of performance, hence a good gauge of results. The stamina, the endurance, the strength is the result. Fatloss/Muscle gain can come when they may. The first goal is always to be regular.
Post written on Monday, Jan 21.
Saturday 19 January 2013
My Small Workouts
I have been working out for four days now! (Wow!) Well, I wouldn't actually call them 'workouts', because they're too small. I wish I could come up with another name for them. How about worky or ... small workout? I don't feel very creative. Alright? Okay.
So last Friday, or it would have been some time before that, I thought, man I need to start doing something to stop looking like I am forty. So, the thought was in the pipeline, and I was also googling the shortest and the easiest workouts, and the browser window that contained the workouts stayed open a good four days in my computer too. But well, I didn't quite get myself to do it. On Monday, I met friends, and asked them what's up and all, and a friend told me he's been really 'busy' lately, which basically meant he has not been giving himself time. I told him to workout, and well, told him to do a small workout ® . I told him such a thing can be fitted into the busiest of days, because all it takes is 15 minutes of one's time. And if one is worried one would have to take a bath after it, just because of the workout, well, to that I would say, just do it right before you shower! And those who shower in the morning, can do their workouts in the night, if they're too lazy to wake up Fifteen minutes earlier.
Since I have been reading up on small workouts, and since I had planned two workouts for myself. First I had stumbled upon the one called '55' and since that seemed like too little to have any effect, I kept googling until I came up one 'Beginner Men's Indoor Cardio' workout. So I was thinking I would do these both. And this is what I told Russell about, about 55. That it's a simple workout, and can be done in 15 minutes. And that he should do it. He didn't do it. But I ended up doing it the very next day. See? This is also the blessing of inviting someone to do good, you end up doing it yourself.
So the next day, I was thinking, that I am a lazy ass. Instead of doing the cardio workout plus 55, I will just do 55, which started seeming tough enough once I got down to doing it. It goes like this:
You do 1 squat and 10 push-ups, then 30 second rest. Then 2 squats and 9 pushups, then 30 seconds rest. And so on, till you do 10 squats and 1 pushups. That way, you've completed 55 squats and 55 pushups, hence the name. I liked this because I could do it and complete it within 15 minutes. Secondly, when a guy my weight does pushups and squats with only 30 seconds of rest in between, the workout is automatically a cardio workout too, albeit a very very short okay. But that's okay.
That was it for the first day. On second day, I thought, why not also give those cardio exercises a shot too, which I had initially intended to do along with 55. And main reason was that, having done 55 pushups in 15 minutes (I had never done more than 40 pushups in any one day before that workout) I couldn't even do a single pushup. Sore arms and all. So the second workout was like this: Walking/Jogging in place, Side to side jumps, Burpees, Mountain Climbers, Crab walk. Each to done 25 times in one circuit, and a total of two circuits to be done with 1 minute rest in between. Now, I had already ruled out crab walk, I wasn't gonna do that! And when I did attempt Burpees and Mountain Climbers after the first two exercises, I couldn't do them. They were just too tough for me. So, well. I just kept doing one thing or the other till 20 minutes passed. But then, I knew how to plan my next session.
On Thursday night, I introduced rope skipping to the mix. Well, I am very heavy for it, and there are hurdles I face when doing it. The joints hurt like crazy, coordination is not there, and I am out of breath before I can say 'sixty'... So I thought, I would call it a set if I can do more than 25 jumps in one go. And if let's than that, the set will have to repeated. And I did a new version of 55, my triceps still hurting, I decided I would let them recover some more. I did bicep curling along with squats. And did side to side jumps and walking/jogging in place. I did try mountain climbers again, but couldn't get them to work, so left them alone after 10 reps.
On Friday night, it was pretty much the same as Thursday night, except that instead of increasing the number of squats in from 1 to 10, I just did 10 in each round. I really wanted to hit my quads and hams, but haven't been feeling anything there. And I did military presses this time with squats. The cardio was the same, though I noticed some improvement in coordination while skipping rope.
Tonight I guess I will do the actual 55. Followed by some three sets of Jogging-in-place, side-to-side, mountain-climbers, and rope skipping. And if there's still time remaining, I will more something for the lats too.
I am happy I have been sticking with for at least 4 days now. I am not aiming for quick results, or visible, prominent results. If nothing else, the endorphin feel great.
Wednesday 16 January 2013
Aku
Some things, you just can't get over. Some favorite childhood cartoons are one of those things. As a child, I absolutely loved cartoons. Loveddddddd them! And I still have a lingering taste for them. The thing is, some cartoons respect basic logic and psychology, and those are the ones you can watch and enjoy no matter how old you are, you can indulge in them, suspend some disbelief, and be in the story. With others that don't do that, and violate their own assumptions, have plot holes (Swat Cats, anyone?), the back of your mind stands up with its arms wide open and says with with a disappointing face "That's not even possible when, even in cartoons!" Anyway, so as a child, I used to watch this cartoon, and I simply Loved it. It's called Samurai Jack. I loved everything about it from the animation to graphics to the dialogues to the story to the characters to the soundtrack! Down to the time it was aired. One thing I really can't get out of my mind was the 'Back-to-Back' soundtrack of it, and the dialogue that's said by The Aku before the cartoon begins. Here it is:
Long ago in a distant land, I, Aku, the shape-shifting Master of Darkness, unleashed an unspeakable evil! But a foolish Samurai warrior wielding a magic sword stepped forth to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time and flung him into the future, where my evil is law! Now the fool seeks to return to the past, and undo the future that is Aku!
:)
Sunday 9 December 2012
T9
Just yesterday I was texting while traveling in a qinqi (It's a three-wheeler sort Richshaw) and I remembered that one time when I was texting in train, and I had made a friend. He saw me texting and asked me how did I use the predictive text to type so fast, and then the rest of some time was spend me explaining him, showing him, and also showing him how some desi words could also be entered into the list of supported words. So, back to the qinqi. I was thinking, what if that day, that guy had asked me the name of that functionality, and what if I had said, it's called T9. And he would have asked, why is it called T9? Then I wouldn't have any answer. And though I am very comfortable with having no answers, and saying I don't know. But I got curios for my own sake, and decided to look at up. So if you don't know what T9 means, here it is for you: Text on 9 keys. Haha... so predictive.