Remember, misery is comfortable. It's why so many people prefer it. Happiness takes effort.

Read more: http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-harsh-truths-that-will-make-you-better-person_p2/#ixzz2nsK5enza

Following is a transcription of 10-minute part of a bayan delivered by Shaykh Kamaluddin Ahmed.

“I will end with you with two ayahs of the Quran-e-Kareem. Three ayahs of the Quran-e-Kareem. And if we can reflect on these ayats. If we can watch out for these ayats. If we can be weary of these ayats. And if in the end we can live by these ayats. Then Allah ta'ala will make us people of Quboolia , Inshallah give us tawfeeq to become people of Qubooliah.

First Ayat. Very scary ayat. Not scary the way you think. Not about Jahannah. Very scary ayah, because it describes our haqeeqat. Very scary ayah because it describes very specifically our haqeeqat. Allah swt says in quran:
That we will in the future, near future, slowly and surely bring you down in darajaa, in such a way that you won’t even realize. You will experience a gradual decline in your deen, in such a way that you won’t even realize. Before you used to do more ibadat. Gradually you will start doing less. Before you used to pray more tahajjud, gradually you will start praying less. Before you used to pray more nafl, gradually you will be praying less. Before you used to read some Quran, gradually you will start doing less. Before you used to be regular in your farz and wajibat, gradually you will start doing less. Before you used to leave sin, gradually you will start leaving less. Before you used to have some taqwa, gradually you will start having less. Allah o Akbar kabeera! This is what we all say. I was like this but I am going down. I am going down. What’s scary is not that you’re going down, but Allah ta’ala is taking you down. Why? because we don’t have have qabooliat. The early muslims used to worship the whole night and used to say Ya Allah we have not worshipped  you as it was your right to be worshipped. They used to stand most of the night in worship and at the time of dawn, they were making Istaghfar. That we have gone down. We are slowly but surely as an ummat going down. Some of us as individuals slowly and surely are going down. 

And second Ayat. Allah swt says in Quran-e-Kareem that on the day of judgement, there will be a group of people. Who think they’re momineen. Who even felt that they were saliheen. There will be a group of people who felt that we’re a people of eman and amal. There will be a group of people who will be feeling that maybe we will be going to jannah. And Allah swt will issue an order on them.  Stop them. Un ko rok lo. Rok dijiye usko. Us se sawal pochna hai. Woh masool hoga. Iski maine khabar leni hai. Is ne meri rehnat se nahin jana. Is ne meray adal insaf ka mawazna karna hai. Masooloon. (Stop him. He shall be questioned. He shall be answerable. I have to grill him. He doesn’t depend on my mercy, he wants to test me justice) Allah o Akbar kabeera! These days we get scared. We don’t want to be stopped in immigration. We don’t want to be stopped in the visa line. Mangtay hain humain dua hain parhnay k liye main bahar ja raha hoon. Oh Allah k banday, us din agar roka jaiga. Us din agar yeh ayat ham per parhi jaye. (People ask for prayers they can recite so they can travel abroad without troubles. Oh my dear, what will happen if this ayat is recited to us on that day?) Stop them! Allah o Akber kabeera! Who is going to answer those sawalat? Who can face that meezan? Who is going to be able to do that hisab? Who is going to survive that adl? Allah o Akbar kabeera. 

And last, to show you one story. Ibne Jauzi Rahimullah Al Hanbali and Shaykh-ul-Hadees Maulana Zakariyya Kandhelvi Rahimullah Al Hanafi have mentioned a very famous story. A very famous story of Shaykh Abdullah Andalusi Rehmatullah Alaih who is the shaykh of Shibli. Allah o Akbar! Shaykh of Shibli. That he was travelling once. Travelling for the sake of the deen. Travelling for the khidmat of the deen. Travelling with the tulaba of the deen. A big alim and muhaddis also by the way. One of the great muhadditheen of his era. And when he was walking by. he happened to walk by a place in which there was christian house of worship. And he saw some christians. And he saw the cross. And he thought to himself in his heart silently. That how foolish are these people that they worship this cross. Bus. That’s all he thought. That how foolish are these people that they worship this cross. Then when they reached a stop and we went to a well, his eyes fell upon a woman. You know Sayyidina Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said in a hadith that shaytan uses a woman. Doesn’t mean the woman is bad necessarily. That shaytan uses the dunya to ensnare and entrap the person Shaytan may use the beauty of the dunya to ensnare and entrap the person. So shaykh Abdullah Andalusi, Al muhaddis ul kabeer. Waliullah. Shaykh of Shibli. His gaze fell on that woman. He became empty. He told his students. Leave me. Allah o Akbar Shaykh! he told his students Leave me. I am for her now. He asked around who is this girl. The people of the village said that she is the daughter of so and so. He went and knocked on the door and he said I would like to propose for your daughter. So he said that we’re christian. You look like you’re muslim. Yes. I can only give you my daughter if you stay with me one or two years. Apko dekhna paray ga. (I will have to observe you) In those one or two years. No salah for you. okay. Nothing, no Quran for you. Okay. In those one or two years, you will be not my shepherd. My pigherd. I have a herd of pigs. You will herd them. You will wash them. You will clean them. You will tend to the pigs. Okay. Allah o Akber kabeera. All the students of the shaykh couldn't believe their eyes. That shaykh they used to see on the mimber of the masjid. that shaykh who used to give darse hadees to thousands of students. That shaykh who used to give darse zikr and tazkiya to thousands of mureedeen. But one by one the students went back. There was one student. This is part of the qabooliat of the shaykh to have such a student. The student’s name was Shibli. Shibli came back. He couldn’t stand being without the shaykh. So went back. He came back to that town. He looked for the shaykh. He found the shaykh. And he saw the condition the shaykh was in. So he went to shaykh and asked him, Shaykh you were a hafiz of the quran, do you still remember quran? and he said no. I have forgotten the entire quran except one ayat of the quran. So he said what is that ayat. Allah o Akbar kabeera. Shaykh recited this ayat. Quran. Azeem us shan. Kalam. of zuljalal e intekam. Jiski ihanat allah tala karta hai, jiski tauheen allah tala karta hai. Jisko zaleel Allah tala karta hai, koi usko izzat nahin de sakta. Yeh ayat mujhay yaad hai.() Shibli. Mureed e haqiqi. Talib e haqiqi. Shagird e haqiqi pareshan. That that person that Allah swt lowers and abases. There’s no power that can give that person izzat again. Then he said shaykh you were hafiz of hadees, do you still remember hadees? Hafiz of hadees is that person who knew one hundred  thousand riwayat with sanad. He says I forgot all of hadees except one. Allah o Akbar! which hadees? Shaykh said jo apnay deen ko tabdeel karta hai usko katal karo. Allah O akbar! Shaykh, yeh hadees! Shibli started crying and making dua to Allah swt and then he walked and he left. He left and he went back. That shaykh only remembered this ayat. He only remembers this hadees. And when he was walking back, at some point he saw shaykh again. Back. Looking like shaykh. So he said shaykh Abdullah Andalusi. Aap kese? yahan kese? Shakyh said when you left, when you were crying and making dua to Allah swt. I was alone. Then I started crying. And then I started making dua to Allah swt. Ya Allah! Yeh to mera mureed tha. Ya Allah yeh tou mera shagird tha. Appnay mujay itna bhi gaya guzra kardia. Itna zaleel kardia. Itna mehroom kardia. itna mardood kardia. Main toba karta hoon. Tooba. (This was my pupil! This was my student! You degraded me so much? You abased me so much? Rejected me so much? I repent.) How to go in the fast way from mardood to makbool? Main tooba karta hon Ya Allah.. main is durangi se tooba karta hoon. Is bad denaati se tooba karta hon. is bewafai se tauba karta hoon. Mujhay rona naseeb huwa. Then shaykh says Allah accepted my repentence. Then I started to remember all of the Quran Kareem again. Then I started remembering all of the hadees again. And then shaykh Abdullah Andalusi went on to become one of the most maqbool awliya of Allah. One of the most maqbool muhadditheen. It is written in the biographies of muhadditheen that his dars of hadees after this incident was many times larger than his dars of hadees before this incident. So through his tauba. Through his humility. Though his realization. Through his worry that I have become rejected by Allah swt. Shaykh Abdullah Andalusi was able to return himself. And make himself makbool to Allah swt. So we can make this niyyat again on this night. That Ya Allah Ya rabbe kareem. You have said in Quran Oh Allah you yourself have said in quran that you have bought us from us. That you have bought ourselves, our health, our wealths our property. All that we have, we’re sold. Ya Allah hum bhi bikay huway hain. Ya Allah aap tou khareednay walay hain. Aap ne tou khareed lia. Ya Allah aapkay karam aur shafkat k khilaf hai k aap humain mardood karen. K aap khareedi hui cheez ko lotain. K aap khareedi hui cheez ko radd karen. Jitnay bhi khotay hum sikkay hain. Jitnay bhi buray hum musalman hain. Ya Allah hum phir bhi aapkay bikay huway hain. Aapkay hawalay bikay huway hain. Allah tala hamari bhi maghfirat kubol farmain. hamari bhi tauba kubol farmain. Humain bhi apnay momineen main shamil farmain. Humain bhi apnay makbooleen main shamil farmain, humain apni kuboliat naseeb farmain. Wa Aakhir -ud dawana...

Yet Another To-do List

Yet Another Todo List.

I keep making the lists of stuff I want to write about... and I keep forgetting the stuff I need to write about those stuff... so the lists stay.. mocking me.. teasing me... I wonder why it happens... I guess it happens because I keep waiting for the right mood... the right zone... when words are already flowing out of my ... where do words exactly flow out of when you're writing a blog? mouth? mind? hands? keyboard? whatever... so... I keep waiting for when I am in the right zone... and then those thoughts, those incidents, those stories... they remain untold, and fade away and get buried in the graveyard of so many such stories.

EDIT:

A friend came over when I was in the middle of writing this one. The paragraph above was only meant to be an introduction to an actual list :)

I have had some travelling recently... (Will it be called recently? It was in the last four months) and I have some stories to tell from that. I always have stories. Just a couple of nights ago, I remember saying to a friend 'so something amazing happened today...' and he cut me right there.. Saad amazing things keep happening to you all the time... so let it pass. I guess it what he really meant was that I have a knack of describing ordinary things as amazing. Amazing is that which amazes. I get amazed at seemingly ordinary things. It's a misfortune other people don't. They need to spend so much time and effort just to get amazed.

I made a trip to Ohio. That was in October. It was a very refreshing trip. I mat few great great people. I just realized what I had been missing out on in terms of spirituality since coming here. Great company really shows you what poor company is. I realized I have been, and usually am, in a very poor, negative company. It's better to be alone than that.

Even before this trip, there was another trip, to Austin, Texas. That had a couple of stores I actually can share here. I will write about them when they want to come out of me. Now... now my eye lids just feel heavy. And I have made the mistake of drinking coffee... so while my eyes feel like they need rest... my brain totally wants to work... ah... the brain... my brain is an ass.

What else? Hmmm... I can't remember... Let me come up with a name for that friend of mine... the one who came over when I had just begun to write this post... though I am always very cautious of calling someone my 'friend' - that word has a lot of Claim to it. A lot of promise. It means I would have to do so many things. So I prefer to keep people at distance. As associates? acquaintances. Not all people though. Some people I make friends with in three of four meetings. Others I just like. Like to help, that is. I will come up with a name later. Or ask him.

Some people from South Africa came here. Why? They traveled all the way for SA to here. With their wives. For forty days. You already know where this is going, don't you? They came here to meet Muslims, and remind us what our purpose in life is. For some, it's a reminder, for some it's news. It's amazing how people call themselves Muslim, and forget what it means. One of my professors used to say... Being a non-practicing Muslim is like being a non-practising virgin. It just doesn't make sense! You can say you find it difficult to do so, but you can't just say you don't choose to. You have chosen to! Already! If you didn't choose to, and are not fine with it. Then resolve it... it's not a small thing that can be just dusted off, it has to be understood, believed in. Perhaps - we all think about it. We all question it when push comes to shove. For most people it's a mid-life crises. That's exactly the time when they ask themselves, what's it all about? So those people came. From South Africa. And I hung out with them in the masjid. It was great experience. A good reminder. I made some resolutions. Some plans. So far, so good. Let's see. I don't know. Great things happened. My sleep cycle is now perfect... Haha.. those who know me, would know this is something I have always struggled with. And this has also been the biggest problem in my life. My sleep. Now it's okay. For past.... 5 days? I guess... hahaha... Let's see.

What other stories? I was coming from masjid one day. It was morning time, 8 am probably. 4 degrees C below freezing. The dew on the grass and the cars has frozen, making it look like there was thick white dust on every thing. The grass looked as it was tired and old. It's hair greying, growing white. It was cold. I was talking on phone with my mom for a good fifteen minutes, and my right hand had gotten pretty cold. The bus came. I got onto the bus. Darryl said 'Assalam O Alykum' - he always greets me with salam. I always shake hands with him. My hand was very cold. He was in the bus, warm. He took his right glove off to shake hands. He could have done it with the glove on. Haaye! Ikhlas... Allah hum sabko bhi ikhlas ata farmaye. 

How to find and do work you love: Scott Dinsmore

Content?

Regarding the good amal that you're doing in an satisfied way, or not doing. You should not feel bad. But you should think of increasing it. Never feel bad. Always feel thankful and blessed to be able to as much as you're doing.

When a person raises his hands to pray for something, he should feel thankful for getting the blessing of getting the idea of praying to Allah for that thing. That itself is something one should feel thankful for.

Quote, Unquote

There is nothing more dangerous than to leap a chasm in two jumps.

— David Lloyd George

Aqli na ban, Qalbi ban

Reported by Abu Hurairah (RA): The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Do not ask me unnecessarily about the details of the things which I do not mention to you. Verily, the people before you were doomed because they were used to putting many questions to their Prophets and had differences about their Prophets. Refrain from what I forbid you and do what I command you to the best of your ability and capacity".

Some perspective.

And when you're with the lovers long enough,
The crazy becomes natural,
and the natural becomes lame.

I feel like talking, but I have nothing to talk about.

I could go on and on about my day, or days, but they haven't been interesting.

I stopped working out. I don't know why. Cold? Laziness? I don't know. I can't just shove everything I don't do, or back out from doing under the blanked of 'laziness'; because... what is laziness, really? Is it a property in me that I can't change? Or a habit I have acquired? So out of the blue I just stopped working out because I have a habit of being lazy? Why did that habit kick in then, and not later? Because it got tougher then? And I like doing easy things? Because the risk of failure increases and I am scared of failure? As I write this, these are the ideas that my mean friend, the back of my mind, is giving me. But you know that? I would totally believe except that this time, with this workout thing, it wasn't the case. The workout was tough to begin with, if anything it got easier as I learned and mastered the correct techniques. So No. I can't agree to this line of reasoning of habit of laziness kicking in.

What is it then?

I don't know.

This post isn't even about working out, or not working out, or laziness, or what laziness is... It isn't even about anything. One thing programming, or being a student of programming and discrete maths and logic and philosophy, and being a student of Basit Bilal Koshul has has taught me, is to keep a track of how my argument (if it's an argument, if not, then... view?) is flowing from one concept to the other. And I often realize that I am talking, and not connecting to the initial point (when I have it)... sometimes I stop mid-discourse, and admit to not having an initial intention... and shut up.

So? What was I saying? that I wanted to talk... that I didn't have anything to talk about. That my days have become lazy, pointless. I need a haircut. I am insecure about my hair. I hate it how I lost so much hair when I dieted the last time, now, even if I grow then long, they just look... they don't look like hair. I will get them cut short. I don't grow them long. Whatever.

Two coffees. I have had two coffees since getting up, in the last six or so hours. I was so excited when I had made my first cup. That I would read something. But before I get in to reading something serious from the books, I wanted to waste some time online. That was a deliberate choice. You know, the enjoy kind of wasting? The indulgence? Except that, I didn't decide how I was gonna do it, and how much I was gonna do it. And guess what, I didn't even waste it, it just got wasted. I didn't even do the things I do to waste time! And I wasn't even entertained. Heck I didn't even read any intellectual masterbation articles! I didn't even chat with anyone! I called my mom, and asked her to have skype with me, and even that didn't even happen! I didn't even text back the people I had missed calls from! There was nothing even on facebook or tumblr to waste time with. I guess that's when I had another coffee? I don't know... had cereal. both times today. Had sandwiches in between. Nothing that made me happy. If only I had walked to the Pizza Hut, and had even a pizza, that would have qualified as genuine time waste! That would have made me do serious reading. Mind you, this reading also, is not my course reading.. it's just.. somehow, it's connected to some goals in life. And so, in my heart, I feel that if I do that, I would feel good about myself. And so my nafs wouldn't let me do that. If would say, if you want to enjoy so you can work, you need to do some useless effing thing so you can enjoy. What a loser state of mind to be in! What a loser habit to have?

Oh God. This exploratory post is not turning out so well.

Prayer. Isha is left, haven't offered Isha yet. That will help. That always does. Isha does. It puts me at peace, mostly.

Paper, term paper. I have to write. Still have a good one and a half day for it. Ah... well. Whatever.

Saad...tum bhi Saad.

Post Wake-up Ritual

I often spend time on Quora. And this is my favorite blog there http://thecuckoosnest.quora.com/ But this post isn't about that, it's about this bit I liked, and am sharing it here:

Read Quote of The 7 Bulletproof Secrets to Jump Out of Bed When the Alarm Clock Goes Off on Quora

How do you like it here?

Some more conversations from US.

I never said I was gonna paint all rainbows and sunshine.

E: Humain Lums main milna chahiye tha... main tumhain itna neechay na girna deta (We should have met earlier, when you were in college. I wouldn't have let you fall that low)

With regards to my transition to a rather religious lifestyle.

T: When I used to look at you, I used to fear kahin yah namoona Pakistan ka na ho (I feared this idiot isn't from the same country I am from) I was very happy when people told me you're from Afghanistan.

I am Not from Afghanistan.

T: So why don't you dress up like humans?

Regarding my following sunnat dress.

A: I told my friends you should meet him, he's not that bad.

Again, in reference to my appearance.

Please account for selective recall, given that I reproduce this all from my memory.

Also - a person processes thoughts different depending on which mood she's in right now, so I might have has different moments to post right now if I were in a different mood. Might.

How long will you last?

With this sickness?

The company you keep

When you're all by yourself. You are not alone, there is a universe inside you. That universe has all sorts of beings in it. Make sure you stay in touch with the right ones.

Story of the book

Each word I write drops a little more of me onto the page. In time, I will be the book, the book will be me, and the story will be told.

Sunna prior to Fajr salah

 http://www.ashrafiya.com/2013/10/30/sunna-prior-to-fajr-salah/

In the discussion about offering the two rakah Sunna salah prior to Fajr once iqamah has been called, sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) said,

‘The authentic saying of Imam Abu Hanifa (Allah have mercy on him) and dhahir al rewaya is also that with two criteria being fulfilled it is permissible to offer this salah. Firstly, it is expected that one complete rakah (of the fardh salat al fajr) will be attainable. Secondly, that they must be offered out side the mosque.

Imam Mohammad (Allah have mercy on him) said that even if not one complete rakah only the last sitting (qaida al akhira) is expected to be attainable than also it is permissible to offer these Sunna .

Imam Mohammad (Allah have mercy on him) added further to the first criteria but not to the second one (that is to offer it outside the mosque).

Imam Tahawi (Allah have mercy on him) added to the second criteria. He said offering them outside mosque it is permissible, however, inside the mosque is also permissible provided it is far away from the rows of the congregational salah and in an isolated spot.

From all this discussion it is clear that the prevalent practice of offering this salahimmediately behind the congregation or few rows away is not permissible according to any of the madhahib.

The predominant (viewpoint) is to follow the original way (madhab) of Imam Abu Hanifa (Allah have mercy on him). The Hanafi researches have given preference to this.  However, Allama Shami (Ibne Abideen) keeping in consideration the feeble Muslims has given fatwa according to Imam Tahawi (Allah have mercy on them).

Whereas, our Hanafi researchers, that include respected (Shaikh Anwar) Shah (Kashmiri, Allah have mercy on him) do not agree. They stick to the original madhab of Imam Abu Hanifa (Allah have mercy on him). That is, one rakat is expected to be attainable and it is offered outside the mosque.

Another issue to be acknowledged is that the permissibility Imam Tahawi (Allah have mercy on him) gave for offering this salah in mosque was during an era when loud speaker were nonexistent and there was no clash between the recitation of the Imam and one offering hissalah in an isolated corner. Nowadays when the recitation in (congregational) salah is being relayed on the loud speaker I have doubts about the permissibility of offering this (Sunna)salah in mosque. This is because there is clash of recitation in this situations. It is, therefore, best to offer it outside the mosque.’

Im’anul Bari, volume 3, page 416-7

Random Encounters

Read somewhere on facebook:

A: I need an advice. I have been offered a PHD position at University of Kansas and I am kind of confused to decide, so I need help!!
J: Depends on your preferences. The option is worth considering...

Recommendation

4 out of 5 dentists recommend this WordPress.com site

Found this written on a graphic design blog :D these dentists - they'd recommend anything, but it has to be good!

Milk

Friend:

netherlands main har cheez processed lagti hai

milk has like 1 year expiry

me

hahahahahahaha

Friend:

so i started buying the more expensive one, which expires in 5 days

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.

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.

Chicken are decent people

Here's another question I have. How come when it's us, it's an abortion, and when it's a chicken, it's an omelet? Are we so much better than chickens all of a sudden? When did this happen; that we passed chickens in goodness? Name six ways we're better than chickens... See, nobody can do it! You know why? 'Cause chickens are decent people. You don't see chickens hanging around in drug gangs, do you? No. You don't see a chicken strapping some guy to a chair and hooking up his nuts to a car battery, do you? When's the last chicken you heard about came home from work and beat the shit out of his hen, huh? Doesn't happen... 'cause chickens are decent people.

— George Carlin

Temptation

It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.

— Leonardo

Bad Habits

I know bad habits wait on us forever. They don't ever go away. They will always be there, just around the corner, lurking and looking for an opening. If you're addicted to food or alcohol or cigarettes or even the wrong person in your life, if you've got a bad habit of any kind, I don't think it just "disappears." If you stop setting goals for your future, if you start living in the moment again, that's when those bad haits will push their way back into your life. 

Phillips, Bill. Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength. HarperCollins, 1999. (ISBN 0-06-019339-5)

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.

Sleep Issues

Some tips I came across regarding sleeping better. Since I am having huge issues with sleep these days, here I am sharing these tips I learned in this video.

Not everyone needs 8.0 hours of sleep.

There's an epidemic of sleep deprivation going on. If you have trouble concentrating and feel sleepy all the time, that's a good sign you might be getting less sleep than you need.

1. Stop all caffeine consumption. Not even first thing in the morning. It has a long half-life, but it stays in your body. And even if you go to bed early, you will have trouble getting back to sleep if you happen to get up at sometime. 
2. You need to workout every day. 
3. No big meals before bed time. If you want a big dinner, have it 2-3 hours before bed time. Your last meal should be small. 
4. Avoid getting stressed before bed time. Stop thinking about things that mess you up. Don't think about things that you needed to do but couldn't. Just don't do the things that raise your blood pressue. 
5. Meditate before bedtime. Control your thoughts. Remember Allah. Most of us don't have control over what your brains do. But we can do murakba. 
6. Get rid of your alarm clock. If an alarm clock is waking you up, you're sleep deprived. If you wanna sleep better, you need to sleep longer. 
7. Avoid screen time before bed time. This is a tough one. 

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!

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!

Raleigh

The place that I am going to.

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!

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.

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 :)

Password Fuss

Important information from Ubuntuforums.org

Hello,

You are receiving this message because you have an account registered with this address on ubuntuforums.org.

The Ubuntu forums software was compromised by an external attacker. As a result, the attacker has gained access to read your username, email address and an encrypted copy of your password from the forum database.

If you have used this password and email address to authenticate at any other website, you are urged to reset the password on those accounts immediately as the attacker may be able to use the compromised personal information to access these other accounts. It is important to have a distinct password for different accounts.

The ubuntuforums.org website is currently offline and we are working to restore this service. Please take the time to change your ubuntuforums.orgaccount password when service is restored.

We apologize for any inconvenience to the Ubuntu community, thank you for your understanding.

The Canonical Sysadmins.

I recieved this email today. I made an account on these forums, and I never used it. And I don't remember which password I used. I think I used the password that I use on all forums. But not on other sevices.

And then people ask me, why I make such a fuss over having a different password for all my web services. 

Ghalib

تو اور آرائشِ خمِ کاکل

میں اور اندیشہ‌ہاۓ دور دراز

 you-- and adornment of twists/knots of ringlets/curls

 I-- and faraway-long thoughts/doubts/fears

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00ghalib/071/71_02.html?urdu

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.)

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).

1. http://www.lotusandlens.com/what-is-mindfulness/
2. http://www.shamanswell.org/shaman/harvard-study-links-happiness-mindfulness

Masajid

source: http://umeraahmed.weebly.com/hum-nay-masjid-kay-meenar-ka-karna-kiya-hai.html

Facebook

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.

Tragedy

The supreme tragedy of the intellectual is not that what he considers insightful enough to share, others find too abstract to appreciate; but that what he considers too obvious to state, others find too significant to overlook.

Courage

Courage is like a muscle; it can be strengthened and developed through consistent training.

Happiness

Happiness is a skill. You can learn it and it’s not hard.

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.

Faith

I don't listen to music. I don't recommend listening to them. I have many things against listening to music. But I like poetry. Often the poetry is sung, and sung with music. That doesn't make the poetry bad; the poetry is agreeable if it's not accompanied with music.

Here's some poetry that makes me tick:

So bittersweet
This tragedy
Won't ask for absolution 

This melody
Inside of me
Still searches for solution 

A twist of faith
A change of heart
Cures my infatuation

Not giving the source here.

Mehdi

Here's one quote I really loved when I was reading fitness literature by Mehdi, the stronglifts 5x5 guy. He says:

It is crucial that you understand that training until failure to get pumped and sore are NOT necessary to gain muscle, nor are they indicators of progress.

Box

Not everybody fits in a nice clean box. Not everybody can be given a label.

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.

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!

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. 

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.

Per Ardua Ad Astra

The insignia of the Royal New Zealand Air Force is the kiwi, a flightless bird.

source: http://www.futilitycloset.com/2013/01/17/per-ardua-ad-astra/

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!

:)

Gurr ki dallee

Mama, meri gurr ki dallee kahan hai?

Shanghai

Meet me up at Shanghai, I will be waiting for you. Dressed as a clown.

FOMO

You’re always going to miss out on something.

So be comfortable with it.

And choose the things you're going to be missing out.

Book

I like a book for the company it keeps.

Books keep you company, just like humans do. Sometimes it talks to you in an accent (Lolita), sometimes it talks in kind warm voice of wise old person (7 Habits), sometimes it's a smart and stubborn child telling you his tale (Alchemist), sometimes it's that uncle's friend who can always entertain you over the dinner with his awesome tales (Tarzan), sometimes it's  your cousin who is doing a doctorate in psychology and tells you about her research in a fascinated way and you get fascinated too (7 types of smart), sometimes it's that friend who's a little older, but has lived a hell of life and has so many experiences to share!(Daces with Wolves).

That's what books are to me. They keep you company. Some make you laugh, some make you angry, some irritate you with their dumbness, or worse, cunning. Some are downright fake. Some just talk, and bore you.

I like a book for the the company it keeps.