"Your respect is in your own hands..."

Hey yaars!

So the b-day festivities went down tonight. Just got back in about 20 minutes ago and thought I'd synopsize.

I ended up meeting up with a bunch of friends from the Jays at a place called Fez Batik. My boy Cedric ended up booking the "VIP lounge" which was 2 sweet. It had this whole shamiana(look it up!) feel to it and was very reminiscent of the Motherland. The festivities of course, were not.

Of course that's not a bad thing. I ended up having a good time, and have to give massive props to Cedric for putting things together. He really outdid himself. Things were quite rocking, with me thanking my lucky stars I had a few friendly faces to "watch my back" in case things started getting a bit rough. I feel semi-bad at being one of the first to leave (on my own birthday at that!), but at the same time things worked out well, as the Mother wasn't too upset over things for once.

While being enjoyful, I must say tonight was a very humbling experience. It was a night for contemplation and introspection, in which I learned more in a few hours than what I had over the past month! This evening allowed me to re-evaluate my life, allowing me to take a step back and view things for what they are. It was an epiphanous experience. I feel re-newed.

Numerous anecdotes and quotes have been cycling my head, giving me this newfound look. I will enlist a few, to get you a feel of my whole mentality at the moment.

"Your respect is in your own hands."
"If you do not like your image in the mirror, do not break the mirror. Break yours."
"A wise enemy is better than a foolish friend."
"Deeds, not words shall speak me."

That's just a taste. Who knows what else this weekend brings.

On Cloud 9

Hey yaars!

After last night's apprehensive post, I attempted to get to bed. Of course, attempting to and succeeding in doing so are two different things altogether. I managed to toss and turn for an hour and a half until I realized that the mid-term was bugging me too much. So I ended up rising and writing notes/studying from 4-7:30 in the morning! The advantage - I was done note-taking. The disadvantage - I was exhausted, and not sure if I even understood what I was doing!

So after a good 6 1/2 hours of rest, I got up at 2, did a semi-review, and noticed things actually stuck in my head from last night! I also checked out last years version of the mid term for this course, which seems to be managable. This Professor tends to give fair tests, so I calmed down a bit.

The piece de resistance? The big TWO-FOUR!!! I'm eagerly anticipating tomorrow, and it seems to me like some of my friends are just as (if not more) excited than I am. I haven't had a birthday with friends since I was 10, and even then the company was composed of family friends and their children. How times have changed!

So now I have to ask myself the question: To shave or not to shave? I haven't managed to trim the whiskers since the last game of the season (Oct. 2), and have ended up with a beard any fanatical cleric would be proud of! It's part laziness, part ritual. I tend to NOT shave during mid-terms or exam periods for no particular reason. I think it might have to do with the sports team thing where for good luck they keep them. I don't know, it just stuck.

I'll leave y'all for now. Excited as hell, but have to go pick up the brother from work. Talk to you all soon!

So tired!

Hey yaars!

Been chomping at the bit today studying for my last mid-term this friday. After 7 hours of taking notes, I'm like 65% done (I hope). As always I'm worried about the test, but am sure I'll be fine. Thoughts of friday night are keeping me going!

For those of you who know me, you know I adore the game of cricket. I just read the following article on ESPN regarding the game, and thought it was quite the read. Plus, having a SportsCenter entrance with cricket and an Indian wedding is too sweet! Mind you I must admit I cringed at any compliment he gave Indian players (Tendulkar is NOT the Bonds of cricket!). And in true Indian fashion he managed to acknowledge that Pakistan won this years' series, yet gave absolutely no credit to them (yes, that's my patriotism showing). Anyhow, it's still a good read. Check it out here

Alright well I'm groggy now, I need my sleep so I can panic some more tomorrow! Talk to y'all later!

The aftermath...

The mid-term went okay. For once I was clam heading into it, casually strolling in at 4, thinking I'd be fine. Of course then I remember the stress in waiting for the damn test to start. It went late by 15 minutes, and every second I was there not doing physics, I was semi-panicking. Thank goodness I had the breakthrough from this morning to help me through things. While I didn't ACE the test, I did decent enough that I'll be just fine.

So now I'm chillaxing before another two days of hard studying on Data Communications. At least this time I have a bit of a buffer before stressing out and I have my BIRTHDAY to look forward to after I'm done!

I am NOT forsaken!

Hey yaars!

I wasn't planning on writing until tomorrow as I have a mid-term at 4 this afternoon that I have been panicking over for the past two days. That all changed about 20 minutes ago.

The whole emotinal gamet, strife, worriedness, etc. was somewhat alleviated when I got an email from someone who wanted to meet up this friday. I'd like to hope that's a good thing, though it could be a clever guise for an arse-whupping! At least I can enjoy the next few days knowing I haven't been forsaken.

Of course getting to Friday might be an issue. The moms is still semi-upset over my new-found late night exploits, and we had quite the argument last night! She's under the impression that I do each of the following:

(a) chase girls
(b) get drunk
(c) get stoned/drugged
(d) throw around money

I had no idea that going to Boston Pizza and coming home at 1 would lead to these thoughts. My mom MIGHT be right on (d), but even that's a bit of a stretch. So the guilt trip continues, though I'm not too worried, as once again I am NOT forsaken!

The lowdown...

Hey yaars!

Last night was pretty fun. I had quite the problems trying to find J-Roc and C Dogg as miscommunication and misguided sense of direction led to me f'n up again! Luckily no harm was done and we managed to hit Astor's about an hour later. Though it lasted like 2 seconds as the wait was just way too long. So it was onwards and forwards to Boston Pizza where us Three Musketeers chatted on anything and everything for a few hours.

Of course upon entering home (at 1 a.m.) I received quite the dressing down from the moms. And of course, my brother following suit, managed to rub salt in the open wound. Right after she was done, he manages to yell "Turn the volume down!" from his room as I was trying to enjoy Entourage. That led to another five minutes of anything that came into my mom's mind!

Thank goodness for my mom's best friend! She managed to pop on by our home this afternoon, keeping my mom on the cool side. Subsequently, the whole silent treatment from her lasted a few hours. My brother on the other hand....

The punk managed to wake me up at 11 a.m. this morning, poking my feet, saying "get up!". He expected me to give him a ride to work, despite totally being uncool with the whole salt-rubbing incident. Of course me being me, I took him to work. And when I went to pick him up, utter silence. That's really weird for me.

The only words he had for me were at 11 pm. "Some people here like to go to sleep at this hour!". Nice...

So now I'm off to bed, where I'll think about what the next week will bring me. Laughter, tears, happiness, sorrow, and stress. I'm sure I'll have my fair share of all of the above!

The Catch-up...

Hey yaars!

The quick catch up from the last few days is as follows. Saturday was spent chilling at home until late afternoon, were a Scarborough plan was made by my good freinds J-Roc and C Dogg to chill. Of course the second my moms got word of it I could sense her selecting which lecture I was to receive later on in the night. So I leave at around 7:30, to pick up the buddies from (a) Kennedy Station, and (b) at a main intersection near the other buddies' home. Of COURSE something was bound to go wrong!

I wait at Kennedy for about 10 minutes to get a phone call from J-Roc asking where I was. I conveniently forgot to mention to my buddy that I would pick him up from Kennedy (I said I could, but never committed!). So of course I go on to pick up Cedric, at a Petro Canada at Victoria Park and York Mills. From previous drives I've always found that Ellesmere turns into York MIlls, so of course when I see Victoria Park while travelling on Ellesmere, and find a Petro Canada, I park there and look for him. He's nowhere to be found! I run around the nearby Rogers Video, convenience store, and even dry cleaners, in the even he's there. No dice. I finally get a ring from him asking where I am! Of course then we both realize that I'm waiting just one block south from where he is, leading to me running to get him. In the meantime I get ringed by Jamie asking where I am! During all this it is POURING, with my windshield wipers at full blast! Thank God I found them!

So when we get into Astor's, we see how damn busy it is, and decide to check somewhere else out. The look on Cedric's face when exposed to rain is classic. It's almost like he was being hit by drops of sulfuric acid! We quickly decide on Jamie's recommendation to hit Boston Pizza. Of course getting IN there took about 5 minutes as there was no real driveway to get in!

Surprisingly I was impressed by the service there. The waitress was very good to continuously check up to make sure things were ok. And my food (Boston Lasagna) was pretty good. I suppose it was mainly fun times that made it enjoyable. I love the jokes that go around with these guys!

So we decide to jet out around 12:30-ish, with yours truly reaching home around 1 to a frantically p*ssed moms! I proceded to get a 15 minute dress-down for anything and everything. With the most vile things coming from her mouth, I had to bite my tongue and resist, as I know that speaking back during a lecture is only asking for more! Right when I think it's done, I go to my room to watch some Entourage, at which point my punk brother yells from his room "Turn it down!" to illicit some more words of scorn from the moms! I thought I was in a sh*hole again!

Thank goodness my mom's best friend showed up today, hence she's in better spirits! Let's hope this continues for a bit!

Well that's it for now, leftover biryani awaits me!

Naveed = نوید

So now I know how to spell my name in Urdu!

Saturday night at the Rathore's...

Hey yaars!

Yesterday and today were R&R days for yours truly. After managing less than 5 hours of sleep over the first half of the week I thought I deserved a few days of sloth-ness. Hence I rolled through watching the second season of Entourage (thanks to Cedric for the recommendation. Today's my last day of sloth-ness before studying for a Physics exam. I think I'll be fine, it can't be as bad as Algorithms!

So now I'm only a week away before the big TWO-FOUR. It seems Cedric's planning something I'm going to remember for a lifetime (for better or worse!), and I'm hoping enough people whose company I enjoy will show up. I'd rather not suffer the embarrassment of being ditched on a birthday :P (That was NOT meant with any bad intention - just typical Naveed wit).

Looking at my StatCounter, it seems I have a usual stream of readers. And not just people who accidentally get here because they're looking for Our Lady Peace or those cool doubly-linked Nike wristbands sharing the same name as my blog. So please, I INSIST you comment on posts, even if it is just to say hello!

That's it for now, though there seem to be some plans being made to see the game tonight at Jack Astor's near the Scarborough Town Centre, if anyone who reads this in time wants to show, feel free, we could always use the extra company!

Precious...

I LOVE that song! It's dark, depressing, yet speaks to me in some unusual way. While I can't say I loved the whole album, that song was for me the highlight. It's been looping on my ipod all day today and I'm listening to it as I type this.

Day was decent. Well to be honest all my lack of sleep this week caught up with me as I woke up at 1 today. After the usual routine it was on to Thursday grocery duty. Not the brightest of days, especially as it's now been 6 days since my Mom spoke a word to me (she's still upset over me coming home at 1 (I SO have to get an uncle to convince her I'm a 23 year old GUY, and not a 12 year old girl!). I'm sure things will straighten out though. She's BOUND to have to go get some clothes for Eid and always comes to me for a second opinion! Believe it or not I do have a flair for colours and styles.

After groceries were done, I managed to head out to the Nike Employee store on Brimley Rd. My brother managed to snag a few passes that were for "teachers only" and took us. I love the fact that he's already abusing his vice-presidential powers - that's SO desi! We walked in and really didn't see much, though I'm pretty sure I saw a certain Blue Jays employee who works on databases. I wanted to say hello, but realizing that HE passed by ME and didn't say hello meant I should probably stay quiet. Didn't really see much until I went to the front to leave and saw this:



So now I own one! I don't usually impulse buy, but I've had a crappy two weeks, and with a birthday in a week's time, I thought I deserved it! It set me back more than I wanted, but I still paid about 1/3rd less than retail for it. I think the whole watch thing is inherited from my dad, who arrived in Canada without a suit, yet had a Seiko watch! I guess the whole "like father, like son" thing is eerily true here, as I have yet to have ever owned a suit myself!

I'll leave things here, as Thursday night television awaits...

What I'm listening to...

A few days ago I was MSN Messenger-ing a friend and somehow the discussion turned to how her friend wanted to get floor seats for Depeche Mode. Well, after trying to give scholarly words of advice, I became curious as to why I had never heard their stuff, despite having heard the name. Than I realize that one of their tracks (Precious) was on the season premiere of Smallville, which is often a great source for good music. Anyhow, with the help of the Internet I've managed to get the album within 4 minutes (for those of you who know me, you know I didn't get it off of HMV or Indigo...), and am giving it a listen right now. I'll post a review soon.

Out of curiosity, does anyone know when it's proper to use a person's name on the internet? I'd like to think that when used in a positive way it's good, but after my experience over the past week, it might be a good idea NOT to use people's names, or even allude to them, as it could get yours truly in shite!

Wow Wow Wee Wow!

The algorithms test was one hell of a doozy. At first I thought my under-preparedness got the better of me (I really only studied yesterday - I was lazing about not really trying the first few days). But seeing the reaction on the faces of my peers, one of fear, shock, and pissed-offness usually means I didnt do too bad. That good ol' bell curve will come in my favour it seems! The prof. ALWAYS does this on mid-terms - makes them absolutely F'n Impossible to ace. And when everyone screws up, he makes the final much easier/generously bell curves. So I'm not too stressed...Yet!

I'm actually semi-intimidated to contact the person I was going to today. I'm not exactly sure what manner I can do this in without messing up. I'm being paranoid yes, but I think after the last week of running the emotional gammut, I'll manage. Hell, if I can do algorithms, this ain't nothing but a thang!

Before I forget, here's a double dose of DOTD and QOTD

kuriya = girls
mundey= boys

"Brains, like hearts, go where they are appreciated. "
-Robert S. McNamara

"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards."
-Vernon Sanders Law

Situation resolved?

Hey yaars,

Been busy studying for my algorithms mid-term tomorrow, hence no post yesterday. I'd like to think my previous posts have kept most of you occupied! With regards to the title, there just might be a breakthrough!

After waiting a few days (with trepidation I must say), I finally received a response from the person Who Must Not Be Named. Though in the span of the last communication and today, I was reminded of this person at LEAST 20 times over the course of the past five days. I initially thought I was imagining things, but slowly and surely it became obvious the Big Guy upstairs was sending a message!

On to the letter though. Admittedly, it was a part of a CC list (of two people though), so I might be mis-construing things. From what I garnered, things are cool though, as the tone of the e-mail was a lot like what I've come to know from this person. AND no mention of outbursts this time!

I'm not sure how to approach the situation for sure though. I'm thinking of taking the advice of a wise friend by waiting a day or two before responding, which probably would be best. I just don't want to have something F up one more time. I want to make sure things are all "cool" before I potentially make an arse of myself again.

That's the low-down for now. I'm trying my best to focus on algorithms for tomorrow's mid-term. It's hard as hell, to the point where the prof. is allowing one sheet of hand-written notes for the test. In past experience I've found that's seldom a good thing. Wish me luck!

Before I go, a big shout out to my wise friend who e-mailed me today. To reply to your e-mail, using formalities is something I've always done in written communications for whatever reason, I think it goes back to my parents and the whole "brown" thing. It's suppose to leave a good impression on people of your upbringing/intellect. Not sure it worked, but it apparently gets compliments, so thanks!

Words of the Day

Desi WOTD:

ajnabee = stranger

"Though I thought I knew them well, they were only ajnabee's to me"



Quote of the Day

"When anger rises, think of the consequences. "
-Confucius

One of the things I'd NEVER do!

While I can understand the charm of vanity license plates, it's not my cup of tea. Being the gangster that I am, I don't think I'd want my enemies to know EXACTLY which car to hit if they were looking for me. Then again, I don't think I have any enemies, though on the other hand...

If I haven't said it already, comments are more than welcome. While I see the collection of "0 Comments" after each post, I DO know people read this blog. StatCounter doesn't lie. There are at LEAST a dozen of you people who read this blog, so start giving me some props, before I bust out the AK :P

A Sizzling Saturday...

Great day had today. While not being directly spoken to by my mother (she's still mad over yesterday), I worsened the situation by not being ready to go to her friend's place by 6. They were holding a fast-opening bash and we actually managed to be late! Let's just say I'm glad it's one of her jolly friends, so I didn't have to worry about her getting even more pissed by the time we went home!

Though nobody there was actually my age, it was quite fun. I either played with 6 to 12 year olds, or hung out with old Pakistani men. So my converstions ranged from rabbits to Spider-Man to politics. It was quite interesting. And of course the old men had their obligatory jab at when I was to get hitched. It's almost become a joke as my mom tends to mention it WHEREVER we go! Now we all know she means it jokingly - I still need to finish school, get a good job, and save money - but my clock is ticking! I'm guessing I got another 3-4 years in me to milk this whole jawani thing.

While chilling with the older men, the Papa's if you will, I always get the strangest feeling. It's as if I'm a stand-in for my dad. While I do enjoy the conversations they have (I LOVE hearing Punjabi being spoken!), I always find myself misplaced, thought of as the "Canadian". Then again, the fact that they legitimately enjoy my opinions makes it worthwhile. I'm told I have defenite similarites to my Dad's style of banter and wit. And they seem to love it when I bring out the Urdu slang that would NEVER be expected from a "Canadian".

Anyhow, the night went well, until they started watching satellite Pakistani TV. They managed to put on a broadcast of a recent Jagjit Singh concert. Now I am aware that this guy is quite the singer, but God-DAMN he pulls at the heart-strings. I actually had misty eyes through one of his songs as it seemed to speak to me. I have no idea what the name of the song was, but I totally enjoyed his delivery of the following lyric (loosely translated into English) :

Seeing your eyes, my heart readies itself for a winter's suffer.

I'm guessing something gets lost in the translation, but it sounded amazing.

The night ended unfortunately with me being exposed to some bastardized Punjabi remixed music. Which meant I would hear classical songs, with 50 cent beats in the backround. Even worse, they actually had the gall to mix in his lyrics in the middle of a love song! Ugh!

Words of the Day

Uloo ka patta = An owl's leaf

(that's the literal meaning. The leaf refers to it's progeny. So I guess it kinda mean "Son of an Owl")

Yes, us desi's think owl's are dumb as rocks. Which is the complete opposite of what the Western world thinks of them. What makes this phrase (light obscenity) even more delightful is when it's delivered by one of your parents. Though their intention is to swear, it's almost a self-mocking term, as they're calling themselves stupid owls.

Quote of the Day

"In taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing it over, he is superior."

-Sir Francis Bacon

Quick thoughts...

Just got up, and have a few hours to kill before heading out to family friend's home. Thought I'd keep my "homies" dosed on my stylings.

A few minutes ago, I chatted with one of my oldest friends Sen. He is right up there in terms of the nicest people I've ever met. He's the ONE friend my mom adores, as he is always nice to her and does the whole "brown" things when he meets her. I must say he's quite the guy with ANY lady though. It's his Sen-ness I guess. He just messaged to say hi, and I love how he does that. Though we haven't officially hung out since high school. He ALWAYS makes sure to say hello and check up on things in my home. And WHENEVER I've asked something of him, he's always come through big time (believe me I have my stories on that too!).

I feel a bit guilty over last night. Usually my mom has it out on me for coming home "late" to her standards (I was home by 1). Unfortunately it seems my brother got the brunt of her anger, as he's been quite with me since last night. I love him for not taking it out on me, but despise the fact that he's going to rub it in my face and make me feel guilty when the tables will inevitably be turned in the near future!

That's it for now. I'm beginning to have a love/hate relationship with the blog these days. It's like my camomille tea in the sense that it relaxes me, and gives me a means to let go of emotions. At the same time, I hate it because it's like my crack. These days I always seem to be going back to post something new/interesting to me.

Have a good one y'all!

I Know YOU are reading this!

Not to boast of being hilarious, dumb, or even hilariously dumb, but after installing a stat counter, I've noticed that I've gained quite the following on the blog. Though the blog was initially just a neat way for me to keep a diary of thoughts to myself, it's turned into one big Naveed-fest, chalk full of juicy gossip.

Don't get me wrong, I love that people are reading my words. The odd comment once in a while would boost the ego a bit as well. It actually surprises me that so many people would be interested in reading about the oddest things I do on a daily basis.

Admiteddly, I probably put my foot-in-mouth a few times, but I guess that's just me. It's part-and-parcel of talking too much I suppose. I'm sure quite a few of you have had a good laugh at my expense over the readings. It's all good though, it'll help you learn to love me! Even if I am brown on the inside, and semi-brown on the outside...

Khudafiz yaars! (God Bless You My Friends)

Friday Night Lights!

Hey yaars,

Hope all is well. Tonight was a good night I must say. After doing some school work had to pick up the moms and drop of the bro at his job. Right before we left I mentioned that I would be going out with friends, to which the moms responed with a "You're making this a weekly thing now eh?!? You're out of my hands now...". Loosely translated from Urdu, the intent was to make me feel guilty, as I would not be vacuuming the house (I am tomorrow!). When I tried helping her sort out laundry minutes before leaving, I got a "Go and party with your friends" right in my face. Ouch!

I managed to head out of the house at 7:14, reaching Madison's at 7:46 (I timed this just to kill the time on the train.). Upon arrival, I saw no-one outside, and decided to wait for a bit. Fifteen minutes later, Derek shows, and he leads a reluctant me inside (I wanted to wait for the others). Of course the second we get there, I find Cedric, Jamie, Peter and Stacy (Cedric's friends). I'm glad I didn't wait outside for too long, I would have felt like a bell-end!

So we eat, have good times, and chat. After having great conversation with Derek over the years at Gate 9, this year was a bit odd as I was at the other end at the Inside Window. Tonight I truly realized how much I miss his company. He always has something funny to say, is insightful, and I respect him much the same way I would an elder brother. Tonight he once again managed to give me the great advice/motivation I needed. If anything, HE should have a blog!

As the night progressed, I was taught the fine art of "bird-watching". Only now do I realize how naive and relatively innocent I am. Not to say I'm a saint, I just have a lack of knowledge on many of these things! In the midst of my learning-process, I managed to blurt out the whole cultural difference/arranged marriage thing. And to let you all know, here are things that I want in a wife (not that I'm looking right now, this is strictly conjecture):

a) No Fat Chicks (I MUST be the heavier one of the too!)

b) Decent cook (My mom's spoiled me on this one)

c) Not a huge sports fan (who's going to cook while I watch the game?!? :P)

d) Not extremely religious
(I don't want a burkha-dressed ninja wannabe. My mom never wore one, so neither should my wife)

e) Not a relative of mine
(Yes, Muslims can marry first cousins. But that doesn't mean I'm going to. I've seen all the cousins my age, and let's just say they ain't my cup of tea).

Now additions/subtractions will occur to the list from time to time. So anybody reading out there must give me the odd tip. For any of the ladies reading this (I'm blushing if you are), it's all in jest, as I do realize I'm no pick-of-the litter. Then again I have been called good looking TWICE this week by different people, so watch out...

"What the hell am I, doing ..."

Bran Van 3000
Rachel Stevens
Death Cab for Cutie
The Angels
The Kings
The hats behind the counter at my local convenience store.
An advertisement for a weight loss company on the radio.

Is God trying to send me a message? Am I lowering myself into a trough? No, I'm not talking about losing a few pounds! Yours truly just might have f*ed up big time, and is being reminded subtly by the big guy! I guess we all, and when I say we I include myself, will have to stay tuned...


Desi word of the day:

izzet = respect

Example
"Your izzet is in no other hands but your own."

Quote of the day:

"If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm."
-Vince Lombardi (1913 - 1970)

Words of the Day

After what may have been my most emotionally draining post, I've managed to scrounge around and retrieve the following:

Desi word of the day:

Bevkoof = stupid (one of the many words in Urdu for it)

Example: "I was bevkoof enough to believe in the benefit of doubt"



Quote of the day:

"Life is a series of peaks and troughs. You're never sure you're in a trough until you're climbing out, and never realize you're at a peak until you're descending."

- David Brent

...as a rare addition to my OTD's, I gotta give a song of the day:

Jimmy Eat World - "Pain"

My struggles...

Hey yaars,

As you've probably read, yesterday was not exactly a primo day for yours truly. I ended up ranting and raving as only I now how, and probably exaggerated a few points. The whole rant on the bi-polar thing was a knee-jerk reaction to things, and though expressed what I immediately felt, it was probably not the best choice of words. To be fair, the person in question never did use those words, it was just a case of yours truly being a bit over-the-top.

Now I'm guessing a few of you are probably scracthing their heads asking : "Why is he writing this?". Well quite frankly, it's because the person in question actually read yesterday's post. After weeks of goading people into reading the blog, when I finally get someone to do it, it flies right back in my face!

In defending myself, I must say that I NEVER did mention this person's name, and was just trying to get things out of my system. This person "Who Must Not Be Named", took offence that I would mention these things online, making them out to be a *****. (Insert your own obscenity). I tried to make a point NOT to mention their name, so that no mud slinging would occur. Let's just say I got a nice mud pie in my inbox this morning, and I'm still trying to wash some of it off...

It should be noted that my choice of words on the blog are my heartfelt, honest views on things I see. They are by no means a way of sending messages out to people, more a means for cathartic release. For those of you who know me well enough, you know it does take quite a bit for me to be upset, and yesterday was just the culmination of many different things.

Surprisingly enough, while I've always prided myself on my Pakistani roots, people seemed to have forgetten that my motherland was hammered by a massive quake last saturday, a 7.6 on the Richter scale. Perhaps not knowing that about 90% of my relatives live within 200km of the epicentre of the quake, people should know that I was quite shook on saturday, worrying about family for a good part of the day. Thank God they're all ok, though they all say that they've never experienced anything like that before, and that it was an almighty-fearing experience. The whole anxiousness all saturday morning and afternoon, along with the horrendous images that are being bombarded to everyone on t.v. aren't exactly settling, and admittedly have kept me a bit high-strung. And not to demean things, but that's just ONE facet of my whole f*ed up week.

Part two inevitably goes back to my relatives this weekend. Being a long weekend, I'm always dragged off to see not only the aunt, but cousins who I loathe with a passion. Though my religion preaches "Love for all, Hatred for none", when I see these people, I experience the closest thing to hate that is humanly possible. These are the same people who not only left my Dad to die, but left a then 19 year-old boy to take care of his widowed mother and then 12-year old brother.

These are the same people who, despite being Doctors in charge of pallative care, casually asked when to pull the plug on my Pops, the same man who's the only uncle they've ever known. These are the same people who left me alone during funeral processions, leaving me solitary in front of his open casket while I shook hands with mournful community members. The same people who thought it would be best that I drop out of university after one semester and look for full-time work.

These scars have run deeply in my system for years, and I hope it's understandable that when I see them, I'm NOT in good spirts for a few days. My dad always had faith that these same people would be there when in need, and they failed miserably. I would point to them being the reason why in years past I've been a bit of a recluse, in the sense that I never went out, opened up to anyone, or became overtly social.

Now finally after so long, I'd like to think I had made good friends with people, letting go of that personal shell that personified my times over the years. Though I'm a jolly, happy-go-lucky guy, I'm sure many of you know I still have that semblence of introvert in me. It's perhaps what leads me to write things that I would never dare say directly to anyone. If my words have ever been deemed hurtful, I openly apologize and offer a drink on me, because that was never my intention.

I'm sure we've all heard that the pen is mightier than the sword, but this week I've come to truly believe it. I hope my soul-bearing will enlighten a few of you to my internal strife, and understand that I'm not at all loony, just a man scarred. If any of you have taken offense to anything I've ever said, I offer my humblest apologies. If you truly are a friend of mine, I'd like to think you'd have the compassion to forgive me, as it was never my intent to be malicious. I was, remain, and will continue to be a loyal friend, who cares about his friends as much as he would his own family. And I cannot emphasize how much I mean that.

Take me for who I am, or ditch me if you must. I'll understand either way...

Words of the Day

Desi Word of the Day

nashaa = drug

As in "She was my love, my nashaa"...Not to be confused with pharmaceutical drugs!



Quote of the Day

"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional."
-Unknown

Calm, cool, collected thoughts

Hey yaars,

Just came back from Yorkdale, where I gave myself a few hours to muse on today's events. Before I get into my thoughts, I must say Yorkdale's a lot nicer than the Scarborough Town Centre! Yeah, I know I should expect better stores, but it was quite fun looking through the shops there. Oh, and the Apple store has a bunch of ipod nano's on display. Something you should notice is that you can't move them off the display to touch them or look at them closely! They have literally STUCK them onto a base to be viewed. It's probably cuz the darn things scratch so damn easily!

Anyhow, the point of going there was to kinda chillax, and collect my thoughts over this morning. Though I've learned to give benefit of doubt, after today I find myself thinking I should begin doubting the whole 'benefit of doubt' concept. To have been implied as bi-polar really shook me and I must say that I'm now a bit angered at the comment. Sometimes I think a more reserved, neutral, quiet Naveed is in order. Believe it or not I CAN be a recluse, and am beginning to think I have to start being so more often than not around certain people.

That's it for now. A spaghetti dinner awaits...

Am I crazy?

Hey yaars!

In the on-going drama that is my life, I've just found out I'm apparently bi-polar!

No silly, not REALLY. I was basically referred to as one today, and I must say it really hurt! From what I recall, I'm prone to unusual, base-less, "outbursts". It seemed the point of the communique was to make me feel like a fucked-up 7-year old kid.

How do you respond to that? I'm not sure, but I decided to be serious for once. I'm human, I have my good days and bad. That doesn't make me bi-polar, it's what makes me normal. Is it normal to be pissed after say, losing a video game, seeing relatives you hate, or getting ditched? Of course it is!

I admit, I am a sensitive guy, but by no means do I need to be given the "kid-glove" treatment. I'm a grown-ass man and will not take smack lying down.

That was my angry diatribe for the day. Further details to be released to the select few who don't think I'm loony...

Just Chill...

So as many of you already know, I'm quite the "pirate" when it comes to finding my dose of TV shows, music, movies, etc. Well I just checked my monthly bandwidth usage and only have 100MB left over the next two days! That means I've used up almost 60GB of bandwidth. Long live the pirate world!

Double Dose of DWOTD and QOTD!

Sorry yaars, I missed out on yesterday's Desi word of the day and Quote of the day. To make up for it, here's a double dose. You all should start studying this for a future pop quiz!

Goalie Maaro = Urdu equivalent of "forget about it"

Parosi = neighbour

"A man's character is his fate."
-Heraclitus, On the Universe

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
-Dr. Seuss

One of those miserable days...

Hey yaars!

I just knew today was going to be shite when my mom mentioned that my cousins were coming over. They're married (yes, it's allowed in my religion), and for years have been in a thorn in my side. The husband is a head of pallative care at a Scarborough hospital and when my pops was basically given no hope in the IC, he casually asked how long the docs should wait to cut the cord. That and his family (my dad's sister and co.), unceremoniously ditched us, giving me a pat on the back and a "the decision is up to you" slap to the face.

The wife, another first cousin from another of my pop's sisters, managed to get into my bad books quite soon after that. Obviously distraught, she accompanied me to U of T to speak to a guidance counsellor on options. When debriefing my mom on the meeting, her synopsis was that it would be best if i cut school and get a full-time job. Completely shocking my mom and me, it was almost a cutting of ties, an easy way of saying "we're family, but there's no way in hell we're supporting you."

Anyhow, they came, with your's truly being his silent self. Yes, I know it's hard to believe, but my mood was very similar to my Freaky Friday experience at Gate 9 a few weeks back. If need be, I can be a recluse! They did their thing, dropping off belated birthday money (for the bro), and early money (for me). It's almost like a charitable donation the way they do it, but maybe that's me being overly emotional.

I think this is one of the reasons for my problems opening up in general. Though I'd like to think I'm an open guy when it comes to conversation, I am reserved in many regards. My experiences with having my family, along with most friends, ditch me in time of strife really hurt me, and I am always on the watch out when it comes to meeting people. It's why I get overly suspicious when I don't receive I phone call/email/text within a certain period of time. I yearn to make good friends, yet fear being abandoned when in need. I'd like to think I've made friends this year who I could count on, but once again that scepticism crawls into the psyche, rendering me guarded, as you've all seen!

That's enough sensitive babble for now, I'm sure the posse has either started to:
(a) gag
(b) cry
(c) go "awwwww"
(d) want to slap me
(e) all of the above

So I'll leave it at that. I must say this blog writing is quite the cathartic release for me these days!

How quotes can bite you in the ass!

It seems like today's Quote of the Day has ended up biting me in the arse! It seems as if I do like indulging in misery more than happiness. My whole conundrum was solved with the simple use of a mobile phone!

I managed to text person in question with regards to the situation from friday, getting a quick response with them having no clue of any meet-up. My surprise led to the initial reaction of "That's BS", which was soon replace by rational logic. I soon recalled that during the course of the conversation, I was very hesitant and guarded, so as to avoid certain hearing my conversation (long drawn out story I'll explain some other time!). While doing that, I'm almost certain I misinterpreted a word here or there and during work had ideas float in the head. It's very possible my mind was setting me up for a miserable weekend!

Sufficed to say, I have sent 2 apologetic texts, for being such an emotional prat over the whole ordeal. I SHOULD have learned from the first time to wait for explanations before pouncing! Let's just say a load is off my mind!

Dhoom Machale!

Hey yaars!

It seems like my page is beginning to get a lot more hits, from people who actually want to read this stuff! I hope I keep y'all entertained, as I do try my best to show how my life could make for an amazing story (at least I think so)!

So today has started off well enough, with me once again trying to remove scratches from my ipod nano with brasso. It works so-so, but requires a lot of time and patience. It hasn't actually ruined anything so I'll keep pecking at it.

Somehow yesterday I got into a conversation on MSN regarding what tatoo I would have, if I HAD to have one. Though I'm not particularly inclined to have one, if I HAD to, it would be probably be this:



It's the logo of the Pakistani Cricket team. Star with "Pakistan" embalzoned inside of it in stylized Urdu. It's got a classic feel to it, and I would be proud to rock that!

That's it for now, stay tuned for any future reports, which may or may not a p*ssed off Naveed!

Desi Word of the Day

Insaniath = humanity


Quote of the Day

"Sometimes it is harder to deprive oneself of a pain than of a pleasure."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 - 1940), Tender is the Night

The first step...

So tonight was a great night! I was worried it might end up being only myself and Jamie, doing a whole Night at the Roxbury thing, but gladly we had company. Cedric, Danielle, Debora, and her step-sister managed to drop on by, making it a nice time at the famous Maddy. I was surprised at how empty it was when we entered, only to find out that things start getting busy around 10. By 11 PM It was packed, and we had maybe the best seats in that particular room.

Too bad the Leafs lost, Jamie had a good crack at that, but I must admit, the Habs did deserve to win. I'm already starting to focus my attention on the Oilers, who managed a 3rd period come from behind win in OT to win 4-3. That game was amazing to watch, back and forth offense to the max!

Back to the conversations at hand: we had a bunch to say! I actually let out my little secret and managed to illicit positive response to my conundrum at hand. Moment of the night for me had to come when I was called "good looking" by Debora! I'm not 100% sure if it was tongue-in-cheek or not, but I must say it was not 'malicious' in the slightest! And I must say I DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT, want to have anything to do with any schoolboys of any kind (inside joke - you had to be there to get it)!

Once the night was nearing an end, at Spadina station, I managed to hear the Mission Impossible theme on my cell, meaning the moms was beginning to get pissed. So after about 45 minutes when I reached home, I received quite the hair dryer treatment, involving multiple uses of the Urdu word for shame (see previous desi words of the day). She actually accused me of chasing girls and getting drunk tonight! Who me? Wow Wow Wee Wow I AM as readable as a book!

So that's it for today, I'll sign off while recommending (and listening) to my favourite Bombay Rocker's song - Wild Rose. I'll find a way to put up a sample of my recommended songs soon enough!

Quick note to my posse, feel free to leave comments! In fact I encourage it! I'd like to know if my musings are worth your time or not, and would love feedback on anything and everything!

Khudafiz y'all!

Saturday morning tidbits

I just woke up to find that my uncle had msn'ed me, saying everyone was ok. Not knowing what the hell he was talking about, I go to Google News to find the main story being that a 7.6 earthquake just hit Pakistan, about 250km from where a majority of my relatives are. I'm assuming when my uncle said the family is ok, he implied all of my relatives from my mom's side. I'm sure all will be well, Inshallah. From what I'm being told they earthquake lasted about a minute, and they've been exposed to 8 after-shocks. Scary stuff, but I'm thankful that my uncle managed to get a hold of me to say all was good in Lahore.

I'm not usually up this early on Saturday, but I think having to get up early yesterday threw off my circadian rhythms, hence I was up by 9 a.m. this morning. It actually feels kind of cool to experience daylight and have all the time in the world to watch Smallville, The Office, and Spooks. All amazing episodes, with Spooks being my particular favourite. If you're even remotely into espionnage or politics, I highly recommend you giving the program a try. It's a smarter version of 24, without the real-time continuity.

So today while chilling on the computer, I here the vacuum cleaner roaring, I go outside to see my brother, who had just awoken, passe l'aspirateur, leading to they typical "Naveed, you should be ashamed of yourself! Your brother just woke up and is vacuuming!". It dawned on me that I hear the Urdu version for shame on you way more than I should from my mother, and Salman Rushdie might actually have a point when explaining the psyche of the typical person with an Asian subcontinent backround. It's probably what defines me as somewhat unique, that 'shame' that's ever-present in whatever I do, be it making an error, talking to a girl, or even studying. There's always that shame to watch out for.

Now I've had the night to think about the situation with last night's ditching. This time I'm NOT using quotation marks, as I'm for once disregarding courtesy. I'm guessing I'll need some advice from my round table tonight with regards to the situation, who will probably assure me to have the benefit of doubt. Though I'm sure as all my friends know, I wear my emotions on my sleeve, and am VERY easily readible. Let's hope your passionate Pakistani blogger returns tonight with a smile on his face (not induced by alcohol!).

Before I leave you for the better part of today, let me drop the desi words/quote of the day:

Desi Word = Sharam = shame
As in "Don't you have any sharam?!?, your brother's just got up and is vacuuming!"

Quote of the Day
"Beware the fury of a patient man."
-John Dryden

How a Great Day can turn into a Downer!

Hey yaars!

So friday was looking to be a good day. Got called back to help with sending out mail at the Jays, which took like an hour, leading to us working on inventory. I actually ended up counting exactly how much 2005 ticket stock was still remaining. Stuffed some boxes and stuff and ended at 3. Before heading out, got a call from someone who planned on meeting up later after work, Stay tuned...

So seeing as it was rush hour and I had the car parked at Rogers Centre, I decided to hang with good ol' J-Roc and head out to the Eaton Centre to check out some stuff. I actually went to Club Monaco for the first time! It's bigger than I thought it would be! So we looked around stores, headed into Sears and see who else? G-G-G-G-G-G-G UNIT! Working at the Jays shop. He gave a very warm welcome and was extremely nice, but was busy with customers so we decided to let him go to work. Soon me and J-roc ended up chilling in the food court, gabbing on all things left right and centre, until we decided to leave, seeing as I was to hear from someone between 6-6:30. So we go upstairs, get outside and who do we see again? Good ol' Gino, who ended up gabbing with us for a few minutes more, said some interestingly enough hilarious things. I'm starting to regret joking about him now!

So finally we parted our separate ways, with me heading back to the R.C., humbly expecting a call/text/email, or something. So I head into Chapters at Queen/John to pass the time, reading an interesting book on the history of Indian cricket. Soon enough I find it' 7:30, and I've got NO response! I figure it's time I high tail it back to Scarborough, as once again, ladies and gentleman, I have been ditched!

While I admit the previous mentions of being "ditched" might not officially classify as being ditched, this most certainly was! I was told I'd be contacted at the least, and once again ignored! Do I set myself up for this? Am I that much of a buffoon? Is God trying to test me? I have no idea...

Yes my Pakistani blood is boiling just a bit, but I have realize I should remain cautious, as I've been known to give undeserved cold shoulders. So I'll reserve judgement, but let's just say I ain't peachy at this point in time!

Quote of the Day

"A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends."
-Baltasar Gracian



Desi Word(s) of the Day

Sook = relief
Dhuk = pain

Example : "Wives are the ones who give men dhuk, whereas it's their girlfriends who give men sook!"

Absense makes the heart grow fonder...

After a few days away from my Blue Jay brethren, right when I think I might lose it, I get a call from our fearless leader! Guess who's going in tomorrow for a 9 to 5ver! Woohoo! I can share the photos from Sunday that I had printed out! If I could, I would make a pin out of that favourite photo of mine, hell, here it is again for y'all who missed it the first time!



Now that I have a Desi Word of the Day, I thought I might mix things up the odd time with a quote I find really interesting/motivating/funny. Here it is:

"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart."
-Confucius

Something Cool I found...

While coming home from Ryerson, I heard the new Our Lady Peace song and of course a lightbulb dinged in my head: "Why the hell was the first hit song named Naveed?".

Well after a google search, appparently it's Raine Maida's best friend or something. I think I deserves some royalties :P While reading up on the band, I managed to find how my name looks in Sanskrit:



If I could find a Jpeg of how it looks like in Urdu/Arabic, I'd post it, It looks wickedy-wicked and would love a t-shirt with it on it!

Just a quick reminder to the many of you who should know, my 24th birthday is in a little over 3 weeks. I better be getting some warm greetings! If y'all haven't noticed, I can be a fickle ass when I want to be!

Desi Word of the Day

Inshallah = God Willing

This is more of a Muslim thing then it is desi, but it does apply in the subcontinent. Pakistani's use this term all the time (including yours truly), as it's a nice way of staying humble and showing your spiritual side I suppose. It's a very nice thing to say, regardless of religion, as exemplified in the following phrase:

"Inshallah I will be able to make some more friends who AREN'T blokes!"

Damn the Aussies!

So the Aussies won the first of the best-of-three series against a World XI. I hate their resilience!

For those who aren't cricket-knowledgable, Australia is the indomitable force who's been winning in the cricketing world for the past 8 years. A few major corporations decided to put up a large cash prize of some $2 million dollars and set up a series where Australia would take on a Best of the World Eleven. You'll be happy to know that three Pakistani's cracked the ODI Squad : Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, and the "Rawalpindi Express" Shoaib Akhtar. After seeing Australia lose the Ashes to England, you would have thought their armour would show some chinks. Obviously not.

They creamed a World XI team who, outside of Kumar Sangakarra, had pretty much nobody reach double figures in batting. Shoaib reached 10, and he doesn't even know how to bat properly!

This whole Aussie bashing thing I must admit has been a thorn in my side since the day of infamy : June 20, 1999. My precious Pakistan, in their true mercurial form, had managed to blaze their way to the World Cup final to face off against an Aussie team who they had beaten in the round robin stage. The stage was set at Lord's, the spiritual home of cricket, where the pride of a nation was hammered by a better Aussie side. Now what we didn't know was that many of the Pakistani players had (allegedly) been paid off to throw the match by famous subcontinent bookies, incessing the population of Pakistani's worldwide (including yours truly!). But of course the Aussies gloated at how Pakistan just plain stunk in comparison to their greatness. Hence my ire at their team/country. I know it's a bit much, but for love to exist in this world, there must be hatred to maintain absolute balance!

Anyhow, everyone better be rooting for the World XI come next game, even if you don't follow cricket :P

Welcome back hockey!

While I admit, all of last year was full of me uttering the phrase "Hockey can go F itself!", it is good to have the game back! One of my goals I've made to accomplish over the course of the next little while is to actually go to a NHL hockey game, seeing as how I've been a fan since I was 7. My folks never let me go as they always worried of the riot mentality ever-present in third-world country cricket matches and English football. Thank God I'm a BIG BOY now and can go on my own! Now if anyone wants to keep me company, feel free to let me now, I'm willing to go to Buffalo (another on my large list of things to do!).

Though I always will be a Leafs fan at heart, unlike the idiot fans, I'm a realist. I expect nothing but hope for a Stanley Cup. I've actually decided to pick a second team to support, seeing as I actually want to support a team because it plays a style of hockey I enjoy to watch. Hence, I'm an Oilers fan!

Now picking the Oilers has not come from right out of the blue. While many of you have seen my extensive collection of sports logo-ed paraphenelia, believe it or not my first ever logo-ed shirt was an Edmonton Oilers sweatshirt with the immortal 99 on the front. I got this when I was like 3, but I suppose kismet guided me to support them! Keep in mind though, that my parents had NO idea what the shirt meant, and only bought it because it looked nice and was of good quality (they bought it from the Bay - where a majority of my childhood clothes were from!).

On to present times, I do have a fondness for the Oilers attractive style of play. I suppose the teams I support would be much like the women I'd prefer. One being the wealthy socialite who may not have the best of looks, but is blindly loved by many for past achievements. While the other is a hot 20-something who catches the eye and has a certain je ne sais quoi about her.

Yes, I do know my mind is working way to hard when I'm comparing hockey teams to women.

Monday/Tuesday recap

Hey yaars!

After Sunday's great day, I had to know monday would be a downer. It was, literally.

I was taking naps every few hours, getting up, brushing my teeth, chilling, and going back to bed again. I suppose my body was making up for a lack of sleep over the past few days. Or was it a hangover?

I've been seriously impressed with the response from my "personal" e-mails sent to all who I've deemed "cool". Within minutes of firing them out, I was getting great responses. It lights my heart to know that I'm well-liked. Let's hope that doesn't make me the new Willie Lohman!

I've gotten about a 50% response from those I've sent out, with many heartfelt words being returned. Though I didn't shed any tears this time, I did feel my heart skip the odd beat here and there!

Back to my daily reports for a few seoonds. Monday was busy making up Z's, while today was spent grabbing some more Z's, then going for a bit of a stroll at the Scarborough Town Centre. Saw a few cool hats of soccer teams, but didn't indulge, as I have to start saving pennies. Dinner was KFC (Yeah Toonie Tuesday!), and soon after I found myself kicking my brother off the computer. I've been eagerly awaiting responses, as I could use the ego boost!

Now back to the Super Sunday, there were a few things I DID miss out on, so I thought I'd casually add the odd thing I missed over the next few days....here's what I can remember off of memory:

(a) I totally forgot to even mention Cedric or Derek! Sorry my good man, you are one of my better, and oldest friends from my tenure at the Jays, and I give you both the utmost of respect. It's just that you were at separate tables, hence you missed many of the theatrics! To make things up, here's a pic of my T.O. Star/Customer Service buddies from Sunday:



(b) Big up to Mike Pacificador for taking so many photographs, which I have managed to order prints of from Rogers. You can take a good guess as to which one was ordered for multiple copies :P

(c) Quite a funny moment came up when Scott Hext was trying to make me get, as he would so eloquently say, sh*t-faced. When I refused, Doug Barr busted out his blackberry, offering to phone my mom, saying I was going to spend the night at Scott's! This was done in all seriousness for like a good 2 minutes until I said I'd do it some other time!

(d) My whole Jewish/Muslim thing with Joel. He's been touted as Mr. One Pitcher all year, and on sunday after drinking a few, promptly doused his drinks down with large glasses of water. I had to call him out on that, seeing as I probably took in as much as he did! Well, even if I didn't, relatively speaking, I should have been declared winner on the night!

(e) Our boy G-Unit had one more tidbit that got me chuckling. When I first chatted to him at the party, he mentioned how he probably wouldn't stay long as he would have to jet to go to the Jays shop staff party. Of course, Gino being Gino, he decided to stay for another 2 1/2 hours! He tried with all the ladies, and failed (unfortunately :P). But I must say I admire his perserverance!

(f) My casanova exploits. I've probably mentioned this to anyone who's reading this, but it's too good to stay in my mind and not recorded. One of my colleagues, one who I do get along with well, kept goading me into "making a move" on a certain someone. She mentioned how it was very obvious I had a crush on this girl all year and that even if I shocked her, I could later blame it on drunkedness. I must say, if i were to do it with anyone, I would be hard-pressed to find anybody as high-calibre as the person I was being pushed into "moving" on. No worries - before I make any moves on anyone, I gotta first know what a proper move is! It's kinda like learning hockey deke moves, whilst not even knowing how to skate!

In the immortal words of Napoleon Dynamite, "I need skills." Anyone feel free to give me the odd tip!

Have a good morning/afternoon/evening!!!

Desi Word of the Day

Here it is:

Sarfarosh = reason to live


Right now I'm hearing this slamming remix Bollywood song in which the song's main chorus lyric is:

"Aapke Kashish, Sarfarosh hain",
which translates to
"Your attractiveness is what gives me reason to live."

I had no idea desi music had such romanticism to it. Who knows, maybe there's some Romeo in yours truly, eh?

Sunday's recap (The unabbreviated version)

Hey yaars!

I'll make an attempt at chronicling my favourite moments of the year in the coming days. But in the meantime, here's the blow-by-blow report from yesterday:

So the day started out fair enough, with yours truly crawling out of bed at 7:30AM to meet up with Jason for breakfast at 8:30AM. We both figured this would be a great way to mutually make amends for Friday's debacle. Of course as my luck would have it, our plans once again turned out flat right from the get-go! Jason conveniently forgot that he was suppose to start at 9, not 10 as he remembered, hence he was scrambling to phone me. Now seeing as he had my old cell number, he ended up having his call forwarded to my mum. While all of this is happening, I'm waiting at Yonge/Dundas Square like an idiot, with NOBODY there. I do not recommend chilling there on Sunday mornings. Finally when I decided to phone Jason at 8:45, he was hustling from Queen and Spadina to (a) find me, (b) get some coffee, and (c) get to work! Thank goodness I had the car parked at Ryerson so as to avoid the long walk to the R.C. I must admit, Jason was kind enough to pay for my coffee too, a fancy-schmancy creme brulee (pardon the lack of accent aigus). I must admit it did taste good though!

Once we got to the Rogers Centre (at like 9:10), Jason went straight to work, taking care of his responsibilities. Since I had about 80 minutes to kill, I decided to head on over to the Jays shop for one last hurrah of money down the toilet for cheezy Jays gear. Me being me, I bought a t-shirt, and Jays garbage can of all things! I suppose art echoes life when it comes to the Jays and their season going to the bins.

After dumping my stuff into the car at the Convention Centre, I quickly grabbed a muffin and pepsi from second cup, and was off to work. Heading downstairs one last time this year was a moving experience, as I learned to love my daily forays downstairs to see the smiling faces I adore. I suppose it's similar to when the Leafs leave the dressing room to hit the ice, there's just that aura and presence that makes it electric. Once our fearless leader Mr. John MacIntyre managed to fire up the troops one last time, I silently took a moment to absorb the moment and enjoy it while it lasted. Enjoying one of Derek's Tim Horton's cookies sure helped do that!

Working the windows was a blast. I had all the usuals come on over to say their goodbyes. My personal favourite was Mr. Chaitov, shaking my hand and giving me a pack of Smarties.

A pack of Smarties? Was he trying to say I'm dumb? Is it because I'm Pakistani? (If you haven't got that joke by now, you never will. I've ridden that joke for ages now!).

After the Smarties incident, work was great, with me making a total of $0 in sales. Now really, who was going to by a ticket to a game in which they had already purchased a ticket, and had entered the stadium? All I got were questions pertaining to tickets for next year, which I answered with my trademark, humble, yet funny demeanour.

Once the game was over (we won by the way), I quickly packed up and began to change into my new, end-of-year party gear. I finally debuted the new jeans I bought (which still had to have their tags cut), and wore a "borrowed" Stewie Griffin t-shirt from the little brother. It was one of his birthday presents from last week, but since he liberally steals from my closet, I thought I'd return the favour! Finally, after putting on some FCUK, and my contacts, I was ready to be my sexbomb self!

Thank goodness I had Jamie with me to get there, I would have been lost otherwise. Give me 90% of locations in Scarborough and I can get there no problem, but downtown, I'm usually 90% screwed. I still forget the difference between John St. And Peter St.

Once I had "arrived", I was glad to see I had a seat waiting for me on the "cool" table beside wickedy-wicked Ben and the lovely Val. Also at the table were many of my better friends from the Blue Jays (Jason, Courtney, and Jon, amongst others). Before I even comfortably sat down, Good ol' Scott Hext pours me a Moosehead from the other side of the room! Despite having reservations at drinking from a glass which I hadn't seen been poured, I reluctantly guzzled the drink down. Not bad I must say. Little did I know the worst was yet to come. In the form of Liquid Cocaine.

No I haven't become a druggie, it's apparently a damn hard combination of Jagermeister, Goldschlager, and potentially other hard drinks. Foregoing better judgment and falling trap to peer pressure, I begrudingly took it down with the rest of the crowd. Three words : fuck, fuck, fuck!

Drinking that was akin to drinking down a bottle of Scope. Which was fair enough, I'm known to guzzle down salt-lemon-hot water drinks and Buckley's with regularity when sick. But this drink had me knocked out within SECONDS of it registering into my system. I really gained a slight headache and was dizzy for a good 45 minutes. Whoever thought of the name Liquid Cocaine for that drink was definitely not falsely advertising! To be fair though, there were a few compounding variables which led to that situation. Lack of sleep (4 hrs), lack of food (one muffin all day), and already having a beer in my system led to my situation.

Thank God for Val and Jon! They quickly surmised that something was up when they saw my facial reaction (was it that obvious?), and quickly ordered water and food, pouring me glass after glass to get better. That, and about 40 of the Muslim equivalent of Hail Mary's had me decent within the hour.

Onto the big speeches of course. Doug managed to surmise our season in great vernacular, giving some of our last cheers as a group for a season well completed. I suppose I did blush a bit at his mentioning of my newfound alcohol skills to everyone in the room, as I had never touched a drink in my life till this season. It was then off to dishing out prizes for hitting 40 out of 60 on sales targets for games this season. Surprisingly enough, Jamie became the new Derek Myers, winning 3 times, giving the best Academy Awards loser-like smile of appreciation for winning 4 Hockey Hall of Fame passes. Mr. Myers on the other hand was shut out completely! Another highlight was seeing the look on Gino's face when Doug gave him kudos for being a great base runner (Story of the Decade bar-none!).

During the prize giveaways, I was quick to bust out the cell to text L.A., who had called me right in the middle of Doug's speech, were I kindly had to hang up and mute the phone (Sorry Sorry Sorry for that!). Right when I'm about to hit send on the text, guess who shows up! All that button pushing for nothing. I'm stoked that she finds a place at our table, and eagerly anticipating the final encounter with Gino that I've been waiting to see for days!

So the bash continues, and I'm finally getting over the Liquid Cocaine when the waitress bring me over a shot glass with something called a "649" in it. I say I didn't order it, she mentions that it was "sent" to me by someone. Little did I know Jeff would try to send me on a kamikaze mission with the 649. With the bundling peer pressure of all there, I had to gulp it down in order to preserve the honour, and one-up Joel on the whole Jewish/Muslim rivalry with the drinking (all tongue-in cheek of course, though I think relatively speaking, for someone who had only had 5 beers his whole life, I won hands down!).

Surprisingly enough, it wasn't that bad. No real taste, but I didn't feel messed up at all. It could have been the food in the bloodstream helping out as well, or perhaps my drunkard desi genes at work.

Soon after everyone is schmoozing, having a good time, when Gino FINALLY mozies on over to our end, at which point Jeff challenges him to dance on the stage. Of course him being G-Unit, we were graciously exposed to this:



Long live the Travolta stylings of Gino everyone !

Soon after many began saying their sorrowful goodbyes, slowly having a full room become half full. I must give massive props to Tanya who was worried about me and was adamant that I drink LOTS of water before driving home (I did!). While saying goodbye to many, my bladder got the better of me, forcing me to go to the men's room to take a whizz, hence missing out on what would have had me on the floor laughing. Our boy G-Money made a point of supposedly hugging and attempting to kiss each and every female who left, and to those who stayed when he was about to leave. He shockedly had the courage to hug Val, laid a peck near L.A.'s eye, yet unfortunately missed out on getting some love from Courtney, as she "doesn't like people". Her words not mine, and I need a secondary source to verify if that really happened!

While I missed all of that, I was quickly informed of the happenings and had quite the laugh. We all chilled, shooting the breeze on anything and everything, till the point came where I jokingly quipped whether it would be nicer to get a peck from Gino or myself (I'm such a sly bastard aren't I? ;) . That of course led to the greatest moment, if not of the year, of at least the decade:



The words Yabba, Dabba and Do come immediately to mind!

As everyone slowly started shuffling out, I decided to jet, taking Jamie, Courtney and Jason along for the ride back to their respective places. Thank heaven's I didn't get lost this time (for once), managing to say my adieus with a smile on my face. Finally when I was left alone for the drive to Scarborough, my sadness hits, courtesy of f***ing Chum FM! Here were the three songs they played immediately after I had dropped Jamie (my last passenger) off:

Jon Secada - Just another Day
Green Day - When September Ends
Keane - Somewhere Only We Know

I kept my composure till the Keane song, I let a tear roll down my cheeks as I sang along to Tom Chaplin's great sad song. Damnit I said I wouldn't cry, but it was emotional.

So that's it, a great season coming to an end. After falling into bed on arrival at home, I woke up at 4, deciding to be the gentleman that I am, and write personalized thanks to anyone who I deemed cool enough for me! And if you're reading this, you're one of the SUPER cool ones who got the special URL for my life's tales and tribulations. I've had a great season, enjoying each and every moment of what has transpired between everyone (except maybe this last Friday). My last thought comes straight off of the woodwork my parent's found when they moved into their first home back some 27 years ago:

Count your age
by friends, not years

Count your life
by smiles, not tears

If what above is even remotely true, I'd like to think I'm an old guy who's having a great life. Straight from my aorta - Thank You

Desi Word of the Day

Yes, I know a few of you are eagerly anticipating my Jays end of year final report. But seeing as it's too good to cheaply report within a few paragraphs, I'm going to first put up the word of the day. Plus, the fact that my Ipod is covered with copious amounts of Brasso dictates that I take care of it before something f'ed up happens. Anyhow, on with business, todays' word is:

Thupper = slap

..as in, if it weren't for me being pumped with water before I got home, I was going to get a huge "Thupper combo" from the moms! Stay tuned for my musings!

Desi Word of the Day...

Howdy yaar's!

I'm kinda tired at this point after a WONDERFUL day and early evening, hence I'll probably post the blow-by-blow details tomorrow. Let's just say fun was had by all!

Dhoom = Havoc
(Used slangily when you want to have a blast, i.e. Dhoom Machale (Let's make some Havoc)!)

Desi Word of the Day

I almost forgot to continue this, but fret not, I remembered! I'll hit you all up with a double whammy so as to further appreciate the nuances of my blog speak.

Yaar = buddy/mate
(used very often, much the same way we say hey buddy in English)

Kashish = attraction
(I watch way to many Bollywood movies, hence I get all this lovey-dovey romantic Urdu/Hindi speak into my vernacular)

Live from Scarborugh, it's Saturday Night!

Howdy yaars!

To begin with, I must print out a retraction of sorts from yesterday's diatribe. Madame Butterfly, I humbly apologize for my "slandering" and offer my deepest sincere thanks for aiding in the airing out and cleansing of what could potentially have been a heartbreaking experience. The comment was more witty banter than personal attack. I hope we iz still cool aiiii?

Saturday was a good day. After last night's well thought out and executed e-mail, I'd like to think I made ammends with "The Artful Dodger" with regards to my moment of bitterness. The fact that I also felt horribly bad about things and offered apologies for my cold shoulder helped as well! It was a moment of ineptitude, and I admit I regret it. Then again if I hadn't done it things might not have turned out the way they did! Moving swiftly on before I insert foot in mouth.....

Today's game was great. I managed to forget my work shirt and ended up wearing a Jays jacked on top of my Manchester United jersey (circa 2001). We lost (again!) 7-6 to KC, while the Yanks clinched, leaving Boston and Cleveland to vie for the last remaining AL playoff spot. My support goes to the Indians, who've got a great young team and would bring fresh new blood into the playoff picture. It pains me to support them, as anything "Indian" should be detested by me ;)

When the game ended, had to find my way back home without using the Lakeshore. Of course it took a bit longer but it wasn't too bad. I'm SOO glad I didn't take Lakeshore as apparently there were hours long lineups due to the combination of the Home show, Jays game, and Leafs game! After finally hitting the Boro off of the DVP, I managed to go to Walmart to hit my brother up with a nice gift of NHL 2K6 for PS2. I probably shouldn't have, but since I had a bit of money I thought it would make the bro happy.

Beef of the day:

Why in the world are Walmart's busy ALL the time? You would think on a saturday at 8:00PM it would be stable, but it was gangbusters in there! Lineups 10 deep with people stocking their trollies to the point where I thought the Germans were coming! People, there are other stores to shop at to get your daily needs fulfilled. Saving 2 cents on deodorant at Walmart is NOT going to make or break you!

Another beef is the ignorant idiots who decide to purchase non-electronic items, in the electronic section! The same goes for any specialty area. For goodness sake I had to wait 15 minutes because some woman was paying for her weeks' groceries in front of plasma tv's and dvd's!!! It just ain't right! It's just like people trying to pick up Will Call tickets at a selling window, READ THE SIGNS, KNOW YOUR ROLE, and SHUT YOUR MOUTH!!!!

Well, after getting home, had a great dinner of homemade mom's noddles. Managed to watch the season premiere of Smallville (great premiere - they even changed the starting completely!), and episode three of The Office. Anyone know where I can find an inflatable cock?

Once that was all said and done I called up Banana#1 to set up a nice last day of the year pre-game breakfast. We meet tomorrow morning, but I SWEAR if he bails, I'm coming to work all guns BLAZING!!! Quickly called up Artful Dodger, who politely declined, while managing to indulge me in an hour long conversation on all sorts of things (I've finally found my match when it comes to non-stop interesting banter, who would have thought?).

Seeing as it's late, and I have to be downtown in T-minus 7 hours and counting, I think I'll hit the sack and catch some well needed Z's. L8er world.

Desi Word of the Day

Sensing the deepness of my last post, it just hit me that I should start putting up the desi word of the day. To begin with, desi refers to anything pertaining to East Indian culture. It's kinda like calling a Newfoundlaner a Newfie, except we don't mind being called desi for the most part. It's the NICE version of Paki! Anyhow, here's the word of the day.

Kutha = cur dog
Kuthee = bitch

*It's one of the ultimate insults you can give to a person when you're p*ssed at them*

It's Because I'm Brown...

How could I have known that my own blog would come back to bite me in the arse?

After my rant on wednesday night, I really had no clue as to how to approach the situation come friday at work, and hence kept mum. I suppose keeping mum is not one of my specialties, hence the obvious looks of surprise by other co-workers who kept coming up to me with the famed "How's it going? Are you OK?" line. Let's just say I was not amused. Seeing as how I had time to kill before opening up, instead of socializing as I usually do, I decided to prop on the earbuds and chill with my nano for the time being. That might have been mistake number one.

Anticipating the eventual rencontre with the buddies in question from the previous rant, I felt I should wait for their version of events that had transpired. Of course, what I received was that trademark line mentioned above! I might have been a bit harsh while listening to the ipod and when one of those in question gave me a nudge from behind, I gave one of those silent "hey" nods. When they did it again, I repeated without saying a word. Supposedly my life as a mute aroused suspicion amongst others.

So I kept to my business, quiet in the corner, only moving to the other side unless absolutely necessary (to avoid the obvious lines, and "tether" comments). Finally at about 6, I was told by one of the buddies that they needed to talk with me later. I envisaged a blazing row with a supervisor refereeing!

7:00PM - I get a text from party #2 who I'm sure is a bit ticked over my "cold shoulder".
7:01PM - Not sure what to say, I decide to stay in my corner

9:00PM - I get "called" over to the other end to talk

Now I tried playing it off cool talking of my personal strife to help cover for my atypical mood. Of course I somehow stumbled into asking what happened with regards to my ditching. Subsequently the wounds were re-opened and the fire rumbled. It was doused shortly thereafter. Here are their stories:

For Banana #1, they apparently didn't receive the first e-mail, somewhat exonerating themselves from the first ditch. And they pled guilty to the second lack of reply, admitting to just being busy. Though I'm not enamoured over the fact that I was left hung to dry, I accepted the reasoning and somewhat opened up to my normal self. Having Scooter there didn't hurt when it came to lightening the mood.

Now for Banana #2, As written before, they did write an e-mail after the first apparent ditching, explaining their situation. Now as for the second time, it was more a case of family matters getting in the way, which I can totally understand and would never be upset about had I known.

Hence, both parties exonerated by the Naveed Kangaroo court!!!

I suppose it goes back to my whole clash of cultures theory that I bring up all the time, with my colloquial reference to being "brown". Growing up in a Pakistani based home, neglecting to contact someone who's tried to touch base with you is seen as a form of disrespect. It exemplifies the lack of care, oozing arrogance. Now growing up in a home where neglect was a sign of cutting ties, I quicly got irked at the fact that I was being cut off despite what I thought were very amicable relations with these people. Little did I know of the situations at hand, though I must say if something like this happens again, I may have to start hanging out with FOB's!

Being desi is a part of who I am. A badge of honour distingushing me from the many other lame ass offspring of East Indian parents who delineate from their very roots. I accept that there are different cultural norms, hopefully having some "Canadian" friends will help smoothly blend the two cultures.
*NOTE* Despite being desi, I must admit that I was born and raised in Scarborough and have only left the Boro for approxiamately 6 months of my whole life!

Anyhow, tonight was a deep entry compared even to my normal standards, let's hope I get as many hits this time as I did last! I should let that damn butterfly know that I KNOW it was they who spread news of my dismay to the parties involved (*shaking fist*). Well, it's now off to the cell phone to decide what to write back to my text-friendly Banana#2 !!!!