Procrastination Personified!

Hey yaars!

I have an exam next monday to prepare for, which I have yet to begin. I keep boffing it off, thinking I have time, but today I really thought I'd buckle down and get a few hours in of good solid work. Right when I drop my brother off at work, The Mom requests to go to Agincourt Mall to purchase some daily items! And me being me, I oblige!

So we go there to check out fragrances first. My mother LOVES Nina Ricci's L'air du Temps fragrance and purchased a bottle. Apparently it was the first fragrance she had bought herself when emigrating from Pakistan in '78 on an Air France flight to Montreal - hence the sentimentality of it all. Of course to this day she refers to it as "Nina Ricci" perfume, and only now is attempting to learn the French name of the particular fragrance!

While checking things out there, I thought I'd splurge on a bottle of Lacoste pour Homme. It's supposedly one of Askmen.com's 11 fragrances every man should have. Hence I splurged. Upon applying it the first thought in my mind was "This smells like green". I have no idea why I said that, but it's definitely a good thing. At least for me that is, y'all will have to let me know if it's a winner or a loser!

Soon after we shopped at Satan's Superstore, a.k.a. Walmart. As I've said before, I really don't understand why it's ALWAYS busy! We managed to get a few odds and ends and were out of there within a few minutes. Soon we came home, had dinner, and then I went to pick up Zan (my brother). Of course you'd THINK things would end there, but this is ME we're talking about!

We came home after filling up the car with gas ($0.799 / litre - WOOHOO!), and munched on some KFC when my brother screams "Oh sh*t, I lost my keys". He scrambled everywhere and was about to go to the car in his pyjamas when I told him he should get changed, I have a feeling he left it at work, and he could save the trip coming back up to the apartment to wear some warm clothes. Of COURSE I was right!

Apparently he had left his keys inside the lock of the safe at his job. He's SOOO lucky nobody noticed because apparently there was about $1000 in the safe. To top things off, he has his keys on a bright red Liverpool lanyard, for even the daftest person to notice!

Anyhow, that's about it for now, I'm DEFINITELY starting the studying tomorrow. How much though? Stay tuned :P

Talk to y'all l8er!

P.S. - No suggestions on any of the AFC teams? People, People! You're letting me down!

My Sunday Ticket...

Ruuuuuuudi!

Today was my first ever NFL Sunday where I received the oppurtunity to view
more than two games at a time. I managed to head on out to Markham to my mom's bestfriend's home to chill with her son (whom I've known since I was 3). Seeing as he's a Ravens fan, I automatically had to cheer for the Bengals. And of course they won!

I put money down on two Points Spread tix that missed by ONE game on each ticket, leaving me thinking that my gambling addiction is rearing it's ugly head once again . For those not in the know, I dropped quite the coin during last year's NCAA tournament. And even though I managed to "profit", it was beginning to become too much of a vice.

Which all leads to the penultimate question : which team should I root for? I've been trying to answer this question to my brother for a year and a half now as he wants me to get more NFL crazy, and I find myself flip flopping a bit. As a kid I loved the Bills by default, since they were the only team in town. Then when I hit 14 and got a Drew Bledsoe jersey as a gift, the Pats became my team 'till they won that first Super Bowl and the bandwagon overflowed. Here are my thouhts on the potential teams, and feel free to give me hints edging towards one way or the other!

Buffalo Bills - After all those Super Bowl heartbreaks, no way in hell!
Miami Dolphins - My brother's team, so they're hands off too
New England Patriots - Too much of a bandwagon team. Plus Belichick looks like a hobo
*New York Jets - They suck, so they may have potential...

Baltimore Ravens - Already taken by a friend who ADORES them, I'd feel unworthy
*Cincinnati Bengals - I like this team after watching a game, but it could be a fluke
*Pittsburgh Steelers - Bandwagon yes, but it's G-Money's team! Maybe...
*Cleveland Browns - I do like the whole "brown" thing. So a maybe

Houstan Texans - I don't care even if things ARE bigger there, that doesn't make them better!
Indianaplis Colts - Though I like Tony Dungy, I hate Payton Manning's hick-ness
*Jacksonville Jaguars - Likeable because nobody seems to like them!
Tennessee Titans - Any team name starting with 'Tit' would make me blush too much!

Denver Broncos - Remind me too much of the Ford trucks, which isn't very complimentary
Kansas City Chiefs - I don't ever want to be confused for being a fan of the "Chefs"
Oakland Raiders - I'm gangsta, but just might not be Gangsta enough for them!
*San Diego Chargers- I get a kick out of saying the name LaDanian.It's a cool name!

That's the AFC for this week. I'll put up my NFC opinions in the coming days.

Shout me a holla peeps!

Darkness in the Light

Hey yaars!

You'd THINK the first snowfall of the year would be bad enough, I just had the power in my building go out TWICE within four hours!

It sucked today because the main blackout occured whilst I was on the way home from picking up my mother. Of course since our garage has an electrical lock, we couldn't open the door to get in. So I had to park across the street at Price Chopper. THEN I had to lead my mother up dark stairwells, with the help of an Ipod's light.

So after about an hour I have to run to drop off my brother at work. We run across the street, I get back, park the car at Price Chopper, walk up darkened stairs, and curl up in my bed to listen to Fall Out Boy on the Ipod. Within MINUTES, the power returns! Of course that means I run back to the Price Chopper, drive the car back into our garage, and get back to curling up. Damn I hate this building! Admitedly It could be worse, apparently one of our neighbours got stuck in the elevator for 2 hours in the dark, passed out and was taken to hospital by ambulance. So I shouldn't complain TOO much.

To make things worse, my Ipod is semi-defective. It plays/displays perfectly fine, the click wheel is the problem. You literally have to press down with all your might to get the "next" button to work. I hate how I can never get things done right the FIRST TIME! On to Yorkdale I go tomorrow, perhaps spending some more money on more useless junk!

Talk to y'all l8er!

Hung Up, Hung Up On You!

Yes, I've managed to be tricked by Apple marketing once again. I just had to get the new Ipod Video. It's a lot larger than the nano, but small enough to be just f'n amazing. I couldn't justify spending $300 on 4GB when for an extra $75 I could have 30GB and video capabilities. The first video on my iPod you ask?

Madonna - Hung Up (yes, I'm WAY too addicted to that song!)

So today was grocery day. Of course the fact that it was snowing all day didn't hinder my mother from ordering me out of the barracks. In order to preserve "the schedule" we managed to get our groceries done. My reward for such a valiant effort? A Large Cafe Mocha and a slice of Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake. Well worth the effort!

I hate how my brother can sneak out of grocery day now. His quick moans of "I'm tired" always make me mom bend over backwards to accomodate him. Because of this, I'm stuck lugging bags of flour and onions while he's taking a nap at home! Which would be fine in normal circumstances, except for the fact that I also have to put the groceries away, get dinner, sort laundry and hang clothes up to dry. I hate how I'm being turned semi-woman by my mother. It's suppose to be "training" from what I hear. Goody gumdrops!

That's about it for now, I'm heading off to enjoy watching a Pakistani cricket music video on the iPod!

Steve Nash with Ali G

Here's a hilarious quick advertisement for the NBA on TNT.

Click here to watch it

The awake from slumber...

Hey yaars!

I hope you all didn't miss me too much! I was so damn exhausted from arduously working on the Algorithms assignment that I've slept for about 14 of the last 20 hours. I feel MUCH better now and am going to chill before exam preperation begins for me next week! Though I must admit, the back of my mind is telling me to get a jump on things, I'll wait till next week to start. I SO need a bit of a break!

Everything on the Naveed front is decent these days. No drama that I can speak of at the moment. Of course that can all change at the flick of the wrist. All I have to do is utter the words "I'm going out with friends", and fireworks can erupt momentarily.

So it's officially Christmas season now as I've noticed by the numerous store displays, and I love it for one reason - holidays! Not being Christian and all, I've only ever received two Christmas presents, from my parents when I was 10 and 11. Admittedly it was done so that I wouldn't feel left out at school, though it always got quite the laugh in class come January. Explaining to classmates that all I received were either a Consumer's Distributing "Nikki" Bear, or 1993 Blue Jays Year in Review special don't exactly win you cool points in grade school!

This year, I'll try and drown my sorrows in the Eid money I have. The past few years have been good as Eid has been near Christmas, though every year it falls further way from Santa's annual voyage-day. Plus, I have seasons and seasons of t.v. shows to download/catch up on!

Before I begin to sound grating, I'll leave it at that. I just downloaded a Russell Peters comedy routine recently done in NYC and just HAVE to re-watch it! It's sad, but true - I have brown tourette's syndrome!

Brown Tourette's syndrome = While having a typically normal English accent, finding a way to pronounce the odd word in a totally East Indian manor. I've been guilty of this on many occassions, be sure to notice that next time I chat with one guys and gals!

Talk to y'all l8er!

Hockey Night in High-Def!

Hey yaars,

Sorry for the delay in posts, I hope I haven't left y'all asunder! Here's my best attempt at reviewing the weekend.

Saturday was a decent day with my chauffering duties, driving around Mother and brother around to Parkway Mall and Karachi Bazaar to "get some fresh air". Though Parkway isn't known for it's extravagance, the place was BUSY! Believe it or not, I think people are finally getting the Christmas spirit and are starting to go out for gifts. And though I'm not a Christian nor celebrate Christmas, I'm willing to do so if anyone is willing to send a gift my way!

Anyhow, we ended up coming home, at which point I fixed myself up to go to Derek's to watch the Leafs game. To be fair, me getting "fixed up" was composed of chaning into jeans and a leafs jersey, along with popping my contacts on. Oh yeah, and also making sure my cool stubbly looked good!

Moving swiftly back to the non-narcisstic details, I ended up reaching Derek's at around 7, just before the opening face-off. My first impression of his home - WICKED! It had this quaint, yet open feel to it, and was very easy to feel comfortable in. Then there was the television - WOW! It was surreal watching television in that forum. Totally enjoyable, yet making our old 1991 28" Sony Trinitron seem like a carboard box!

There were quite a few laughs had by all there, with a certain moment bringing a Cheshire cat grin to my face. Of course there was also the inadvertant referral to Scarborough's main mall as the "Tamil Centre" which really got a few laughs going. And if it sounds even the tad racist, I will submit myself for any "brown" jokes you wish to deliver :P

Our night ended around 1 when I estimated that it would be the best time to get home and avoid the weekly lecture. Thankfully I did! I'm sure I missed out on detail, if any of y'all who were there have anything to add, gimme a holla.

Onto Sunday. Slept till around 11. Dropped the brother off at work. Worked on an Algorithms assignment till 3. Went to get some Cool Water before picking up the brother. Did some more Algorithms till around midnight. As you can probably tell, I'm tired of algorithms work! I just want this class to end!

That's the abbreviated chain of events for my weekend. Hopefully I survive this week with to enjoy the upcoming weekend (my last before exam prep. begins!).

Talk to y'all soon!

My Second Cup

Hey yaars,

Got back a few hours ago from The Second Cup. I managed to have a cup of tea with my good friend L.A. Yes, I've finally mentioned your name on the blog after a hiatus, and I hope nothing I write will get me in trouble. Simply put, I don't want to get slapped!

It was a good time I must say. I enjoyed laughing about anything and everything, whilst enjoying a "chai latte". As always, I totally enjoy the camaraderie many of us Jays brethren have had this year, and hope it continues onwards and forwards. And it's very nice to know that my first "girl-friend" (note the use of quotes and hyphen!) hadn't forgotten about yours truly. It's good to know I'm "well-liked".

Yes, I'm wiping a tear away :P (And no Cedric, I don't want to hug it out!)

Upon leaving Second Cup, I couldn't help but notice L.A.'s hilariously cute winter get up. She was bundled up like an Eskimo! If I had a camera, I would have taken a snap. It was TOTALLY gangsta worthy. You MUST wear it on Saturday, where I'll be sure to grab snaps of all things hilarious.

So as I get home, I manage to re-enjoy the great news : WE WON!

Pakistan were going into the 5th and final day of their test match against England basically to lose. And once again in true Pakistani mercurial form, they managed to pull of a brilliant performance to win. It was one hell of a spirited revival from the ashes. Don't believe me?

Read here

Or here

Or Here !

Sufficed to say, I'm happy. They pulled one from the fire in a spectacular way, making me swoon with pride. I'll try my best to hold this in, because you never know ; we could get WHUPPED in the next test!

Anyhow, that's about it for now, I'll definitely talk to y'all l8er!

My Cup of Tea

Hey yaars,

Yes, I'm an addict. I've been hooked since the age of 12. I can't stop now because if I do, I'll go crazy! Just one sip, Just one sip...

Unfortunately, that IS tea I'm talking about. I just a read a really good article on tea over here. It's a blog entry from an English reporter covering the current England/Pakistan cricket series. It probably explains why tea is the desi drink of choice for those of subcontinental backround.

For anyone who EVER wants to go out for cups of tea, let me know! I'd be in for that and just might be able to drink someone under the table!

Swiftly moving on, today was quite the cracker. Right before deciding to head on out to do some shopping (to lift my spirits), The Mom decides she needs to go to Wal Mart for a new iron. Apparently, once again my brother struck on ruining another electrical device in our home. Believe it or not he has actually broken three calculators in ONE night! My mother went out of her way to request going to the Town Centre, yet managed to add on "This doesn't mean I'm still not angry with you".
Oh my life : it's MOM-tastic!

After managing to bungle my plans of going to the library to get a new book, and shopping for a bit, I decided to be as aloof as possible. I threw on my iPod headset and bopped away while she stared at iron after iron, not knowing what to do. You see, I'm the decisive one in my home. Not by choice, yet by circumstance. Neither my mother nor my brother can EVER make their minds up on things until somebody pushes them. So as usual, after 15 minutes my mother nudged me to decide, at which point I threw out the "I don't care which one" response. It took her another 10 minutes to decide on one.

Upon going to Cederbrae Mall to pick up Zan (the brother), I manage to find out that our uncle popped by to deliver our Eidee (Eid money). It brightened my day to now I have some more skrilla in my pocket! Of course my mother ruined things once again by proceeding to demand that my brother sit next to her in the backseat of our car. So now I'm our family chauffeur!

That's about it for the day. Oh yes, and I've finally managed to snag a copy of Salaam Namaste. Nice, light, and entertaining Bollywood theatrics are always the one-stop solution to the drama that is my life.

Talk to y'all l8er

My Sunday Slumber

Hey yaars,

Not too much to account for today. The early hours of the morning were spent finishing off my book, The Life of Pi, I definitely recommend it as a good read. It's very basic in parts, but begins to transcend its simplicities and reshape itself an excellent tale of miracle. No, I'm not making commission or anything by promoting the book, it was just a very good read.

Woke up today around early-afternoon to find that NOBODY was at home. I knew my brother would be at his inkjet job but had no clue where The Mom would be. Of course after picking up my brother from work, I realized that she went with her best friend out shopping for the day. It took quite the time to get my brother to actually talk to me, but I think we're square now. I still have some juicy gossip to rat him out on should he ever try and mess with me again!

Of course eventually we had to go to Markham to pick up The Mom. When we got phoned by her, she reminded my brother to pick up some green onion. Not sure why, we realized that once again, her best friend had managed to bungle things up. We've NEVER had a meal at her place without some problem. They can range from her being tired, not having all the right ingredients, not enough of the right ingredients, food burning, etc. Of course we came to the rescue and the barbecue dinner was saved!

Decent time was had. Luckily they have NFL Season Ticket and we managed to watch with their son (who I've gotten along with for decades). It was kinda cool to be able to flip channels to see about 5 different games at a time. When I hit the big time, I'll want flat screens all over my home with every possible sport on. It's just uncivilized not to!

Now I'm home, craving for cheesecake, but settling for ice cream. Not much to do tomorrow but rest, and probably run a few errands.

Talk to y'all l8er.

My Bittersweet Symphony...

Hey yaars,

The past two days have been quite a tumultuous affair for your own "Good News". Here's my best attempts at summation.

Yesterday I managed to head on out to The Loose Moose to meet up with the guys (and gal!) to catch the Leafs/Raptors games, chill, and basically shoot the breeze as has become our weekly ritual nowadays. As always, I got the whole guilt trip from The Mom who painstakingly reminded me that I should not come home late. Little did I know how serious she meant it this time around.

The Loose Moose was decent. The sound system REALLY thumped the audio from the Leafs game, to the point that it truly sounded as if I were in the HSBC Arena to see our precious Leafs lose. We still all ended up having a decent meal and some hilarious bantering back and forth. After the meal, it was decided we head on out to somewhere a bit quieter so we could talk without having to strain our voices. On the way out, I hear someone yell out my name. I flip backwards to see Dwayne - one of the previous supervisors at the Blue Jays - chilling with one of his buddies. Cedric and myself managed to exchange hellos and niceties with him, though perhaps not as much as was formally required, seeing as we had people waiting outside!

So we ended up trekking to the nearby Tim Horton's (which USE to be a huge Legends of the Game). I ended up having my first ever slice of cheesecake, making me feel like one of the Golden Girls. It was pretty good, and I totally realize how it can fatten people up. Upon receiving it I thought the piece was a bit tiny, yet when the first piece went down the esophagus, I totally understood how rich and heavy cheesecake can be. Of course me being the beacon of fitness and all, I'll probably be heading on out to have another tomorrow!

Suprisingly enough, we were at Tim Horton's until about 1:15, at which point I had to pipe up, nothing that the last subway train was soon to leave. Luckily we all made it in time, though I had quite the shoe-ful to absorb the second I got back.

On the way home from Kennedy Station, I had received the dreaded phone call from home. Seeing how I was only minutes away, I decided to leave it since I would be home in like 5 minutes. BIG mistake! Right when i got home I had my mother waiting outside our door, saying I should leave! Since she preceded to block the doorway, I turned around. Of course this led to her taking her slipper off and whacking me a few times with it, demanding me to come back or she would wake up all the neighbours. Yes, I went inside and didn't sleep in the car. I was expecting World War III to start at any moment.

Instead, I find my mother crying non-stop, COMPLETELY over-dramaticizing things. In attempts to avoid her noticing my laughter, I managed to sneak off into my room where I changed, and went on the computer. She didn't stop bawling for a good half hour! My brother then had the nerve to go out and tell my mom to stop crying because "Naveed doesn't care". He has become a master at making me out to be the biggest jerk whilst making himself out to be an angel. Soon the drama subsided for the night.

Of course all day today the only words that have been spoken to me have been from my brother, decreeing "dinner is ready". I hate these wars of attrition I have to go through every few months. I'll just have to keep myself busy until one of her perkier friends shows up and she HAS to talk to me :P

So that's the temp Naveed Report for all you admirers. I'm sure my tale has brought a chuckle to your face. Hopefully the war this time will subside in the very near future! I'll keep you all posted.

Insane in the Membrane

Hey yaars,

Have you ever had your natural instincts kick in, helping you to realize a particular situation? You know, that gut instinct you get, where after thinking things over for so long, you connect through a moment of brilliance? Well if not, let it be known that yours truly has had his fair share of these experiences over the past week.

I've been quite the quiet one over the past few weeks believe it or not. A stirring combination of hours at home alone, riding the subway, attending horrible lectures, and waiting all the time has given me eons of time for my head to rationalize and use logic. My brain has done the talking while my normally busy mouth has had rest. And I've come to learn a lot.

I've learned to not only hear, but listen to people. Read the signals, facial expressions, choice of words and other numerous intricacies.

Keep your eyes open. I've found myself caught in situations way too many times where I've played the role of the fool. There's a reason that "blindly believing" in anything is usually considered in negative connotation.

Keep your head down. Probably the simplest one I've learned in life. My folks always mentioned this to me as a kid, only now do I come to realize how valuable it is. It definitely keeps you out of trouble and away from life's jinns.

And my favourite (straight from The Dad's school of thought):

"If someone slaps you on the face, do not hesitate. Slap them back, and slap them TWICE as hard!"


That's my first lesson of Life:101 for the day. I hope it serves notice that my synapses fire a lot quicker than many believe them to. No, this is not the start of a revolt, the result of a cocaine rush, or even a drunkard's stupour. It's just my beautiful mind @ work.

Nice to beat you!

Today was the big football match day. The plan was to meet Jamie at the Duke of Argyle at 5:30-ish to grab a bite to eat. While waiting there, I managed to be greeted by a smiling Travis, Koji, and 2 other Jays employees whose names I've forgotten (sorry!). They too were going for a quick eat before watching the game and graciously asked us to join them. It was quite the blast having jokes fly left, right, and centre in everyone's direction. I had no idea how much of a blast the guys could be!

On to the Rogers Centre, where I had to pick up my tickets at gate 3. The cheery elderly man at the front couldn't find my tickets, directing me to a second desk to check. Of course to get there I had to be frisked. After the semi-humiliation, there were no tickets. I went back to the elderly man and double checked to see if they were in the name of the person who left them for me (Nicola, once again a HUGE thanks!). Of course upon sifting through the envelopes once more, he magically finds the tix in my name! After giving the tickets, he manages to direct me to gate 5, where once AGAIN I had to be frisked. I guess security wanted to be extra cautious with a bunch of rowdy football supporters, but I still felt slightly demeaned to have to be felt up to get in to see a match. Especially when Travis and his crew managed to get in frisk-free because of their fancy-shmancy swipe cards!

I managed to see a reserve squad Sporting Lisbon defeat a youth squad Santos FC 5-3. The first half was quite non-eventful, with Sporting securing a 2-0 lead. A few adjustments led to a 2nd half where Santos first scored their first goal on an amazing individual effort, while their equalizer was secured through an unfair penalty given due to diving. After that Sporting's class blew apart the Santos side, of which not even ONE of their usual starting 11 played. All in all the atmosphere was quite different, and in a good way I must say. The passion the Portugese fans showed for their Sporting was commendable. Now only if we could get that devotion for the Jays!

At the end of the match, me and J-Roc decided to have a quick Tim Horton's run where we shot the breeze for a few minutes before heading off. I sure hope I haven't chewed his ear off with all my incessant chatter, as I'm sure it has the potential of getting on people's nerves. He SEEMED ok about it though.

Good night had overall, with further entertainment to be had Friday, when my main man Cedric plans something I'm sure will be SuperExtraFantastique!

Before I go, what with all my marriage talk over the past week, I found a quote I thought was quite interesting. It's very symmetrical with the viewpoint I, along with most Desi's come to agree with:

"A great marriage is not when the 'perfect couple' comes together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences."

- Dave Meurer

"Every little thing that you say or do..."

Hey yaars!

Nothing out of the ordinary today I don't think. As shown in the image above, I'm currently listening to the new Madonna album. Yes, it's officially released next Tuesday, but your Pak Pirate managed to get a download of it in advance. And it's definitely good.

I'm sure by now most people have heard the track Hung Up or seen it in one place or another. I totally love the track and have been looping it on my iPod for days. It's come to the point that even my mother knows the song and asks for me to change it in the car now! My goal is to learn the dance moves in the video before it's too late.

As mentioned in previous posts, liking Madonna's work has usually been a staple in our home. This time the electronic tracks are in my humble opinion slammin'. Of course there's the odd filler track, but overall it's a good listen to get someone amped. Which is what I've needed the past few days! Especially on days like today where the idiot brother still can't figure out calculus derivatives!

You see, my mini-self has a test tomorrow, and has studiously practiced for the past few days. Admittedly, he's gotten much better at the more difficult aspects of derivatives. It's just that he always manages to muck up the easiest steps such as adding exponents, factoring, or simplifying. I guess I set the bar a little too high for the poor kid (90s throughout high school math, and a 94% in OAC Calculus). At the same time, excelling at math and sciences is in our blood (you only have to look at the doctorates in our family to realize that!), so I SHOULD expect this from him!

OK, now that I've done venting on Zanny, I have to say I look forwards to tomorrow. Got tickets to the Sporting Lisbon/Santos soccer match at the Rogers Centre. It's my first time at a soccer match, albeit a friendly, and I eagerly anticipate the odd firecracker flare, crowd riot, and 1-0 final result! Now if I could only choose which Portugeuse speaking side to root for...I'll choose Santos being that their Brazilian, a former colony of Portugal. I know what beign colonialized is all about! Yes, I have the worst rationale for my club allegiances, I know.

I'll leave it short and sweet. I can only imagine how my blog-ites loathe the long and arduous posts I have so I'll try and keep things shorter. It is hard though, seeing as how I'm beginning to get a fan following :P

Before I forget, if he manages to read this, a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jason. I hope you didn't think I'd forget! Best wishes for a peaceful and prosperous year!

L8er y'all!

A Family Wedding!

Top Row: Ammar, Anas (groom), Madiha (bride), Vaqas
Bottom Row: Javed, Saad

Hey yaars!

Just got word that one of my cousin got married this weekend. He had recently been engaged and the festivities occured in Pakistan this weekend. In the photo above is the husband and wife (both wearing red), along with other cousins from my mother's side of family. The guy to the bride's left is the groom's twin brother. I was really hoping my aunt would have picked twin brides for the boys! I've heard people say I have a resemblance to cousins on my mothers side of family. You guys tell me, do I even slightly look like my cousins? And if so, is that a good or bad thing :P

So now I KIND of understand the whole wedding conversation that's been brought upon my shoulders these days. Today my mother jokingly said she wants me to get married soon so she won't look like an old hag in the wedding pictures! Thankfully, this time it was in jest!

Managed to finish off the remnants of Chinese food from Friday. I have to say that I probably don't want Chinese for a little while, as I think I've had enough MSG for one lifetime!

Before picking up my brother today, went over to the Town Centre to pass the time. Saw some cool baseball caps that would SO go with the blazer/sweatshirt thingy I have. Too bad the style was only available in either New York, Boston, Atlanta, and LA. I don't want to be all conformist (ok so I do, I just want to be a TAD different and unique). I'll probably wait till next year when I'll find another ball cap to oogle over.

Nothing much more to report I must say. Just downloading last night's Family Guy to watch before hitting bed. As always, I'll talk to y'all soon!

The Giant Killers!

Manchester United 1
(Darren Fletcher '31)

Chelsea 0

So the season is still salvagable! This was a MUST win for my Red Devils, and they passed with flying colours! So now they're 10 points behind, with a game in hand. It was amazing to watch the game, the first tension packed event I've experienced since...well to be fair, I think I've had my own fair share of those moments over the past month!

Just got up to watch the match, so I'm just a tad groggy. Give me a few hours before I get all intellectually stimulating!

Misc. Notes

Thought I might fill in a few notes since I'm in such a great mood!

1) Today I found out I'm just like the character Daunte in Clerks. I don't believe it, but if anyone can concur, please let me know! Somebody managed to help me map out how I could fit friends into every role in that movie, suspiciously leaving out a few key roles! And no, I will not be counting any number of phallous' sucked no matter how much you ask!

2) I just got another $20 in Eid money, raising the total to a cool $195. Though $100 of it comes from the Mother, who had back payments from my birthday to account for! What I'll spend some of it on is anybody's guess!

3) England begins it's cricketing tour of Pakistan next week. You all BETTER be cheering for the boys in Green, or somebody gonna getta hurt real bad!

4) I'm a blonde! No, I didn't dye my hair or do anything crazy like that. I was just reminded of it today when my mom was calling friends to wish them a happy belated Eid. One of our old family friends who now live in Houston reminisced on my childhood and remembered that when I was only a few months old I had a head of "golden hair". It became it's dark brown look over time, but the blonde-ness re-appeared once I started growing facial hair. Next time you meet me, I'll be sure to point out the odd blonde hair in my beard! I must admit the blonde-ness probably does explain a lot about your friendly Pakistani :P

5) Just finished watching Can't Hardly Wait again. When I was in high school I must have watched it at least 5 times (since I had The Movie Network) and I still think it's a good movie. It brings me back to the days when I was in high school, and I can totally relate to the experiences. Surprisingly my brother enjoyed it as well, even though his whole motto is "old is boring"

Well I'm off to bed, hope to see some readers 2morrow!

The Day After...

Hey yaars!

After an enjoyful Eid, I managed to get some sleep, despite the ongoing clattering from the tenants above us! For whatever reason they decided that saturday morning at 8 a.m. would be the ideal oppurtunity to start sand-blasting their floors! And seeing as how they continued until 2, let's just say I wasn't amuased.

While already having a semi-bad start to the day (I did still sleep in!), I managed to find my mother on the phone sending well wishes to those we never got a chance to meet with yesterday. Eid-ul-Fitr is basically Christmas and Easter wrapped into one for us Muslims, and may be the one day we "lighten up" so to speak. This "lighten-ing up" is probably the reason I'm semi-stressing now!

While ringing up a few family friends, she managed to get about the same view from about all of them : You have to find a daughter-in-law! Apparently I was big-pimping all day yesterday as it seemed to be the concensus of all the adults I encountered, INCLUDING the normally reserved ones! I'm quickly beginning to think I have to start sowing my wild oats before it's way too late. I do trust my mother so much as I don't expect her to be rash, but all these voices in her head are beginning to make me think one day I'm going to get the famed "headshots" of girls to look at! Oh the humanity!

So tonight my mother's hosting family friends who we never formally got to meet at Eid. Of course neither family brings their kids (who are my age), so I'm stuck talking politics with the gents, and then slowly sliding into my room to waste time on the computer. During the quick foray outside (to buy sweets for after-dinner), I manage to see a dude wearing a Dodgers cap and immediately remember to text back my traffic-ticket saving friend. And yes, I'm doing it from beyond the grave :P

Now I'm just catching re-runs of the MTV Europe VMA's to pass the time. I downloaded a bootleg of Madonna's new album and have been impressed. It is a VERY catchy dance album and will most definitely be played on my computer numerous times (and on my iPod, in the car, on TV, etc.). Old Madge has always been a family favourite, as my father loved her music! I know it may seem difficult to imagine a 60 year old Pakistani man enjoying the lewd videos of the Material Girl, but this all stems from the early 80s.

In the 80s, his niece (the one who now lives here, and is loathed by yours truly) would come to Canada every few years with her mother and go crazy in music stores. Western music wasn't exactly permitted back during the "Islamic" rule of Gen. Zia in Pakistan, so to find the latest works of pop stars was like the Holy Grail to her. My father, having been a semi-surrogate father to her (her pops died before she was born), bought and listened to the music, falling head over heels for the catchy beats. Though he never enjoyed the "shameful" videos (or infamous book) , he loved the voice, the backbeat, and the hype surrounding her. I vividly recall in 1998 when her video for Frozen debuted, my mom and bro left for a trip to Pakistan, leaving me and my dad home alone for two months. That damn song was played and played in our home in SURROUND SOUND for weeks!

Anyhow, those are my thoughts for the day. I never thought I'd let the world know my Dad loved Madonna and I liked her stuff through proxy. Now if I were to explain his fondness for Tupac, well...

Eid Report - Part 2

("My Mosque" - Baitul Islam Mosque in Maple. It looks even better in person, but unforutnately has become too small to fit our community for large occasions such as Eid!)


Hey yaars!

Just got back from the Eid party. Decent time was had I must admit. Here's a quick recap:

After taking a light 90 minute nap, my mom wakes me up to go. I quickly spruce up and am ready, leading to my mother saying "your face is glowing today!". She was probably right, as I was eagerly anticipating my Eid money from friends!

So on the journey to Markham, my mother managed to blurt out that today she met her sister's in-laws after prayers. Upon meeting them, the mother managed to say that my mom "didn't look good alone" and "needed a daughter-in-law to accompany her in public". Now seeing as how my brother's only 17, guess who the finger got pointed at today! The WORST part is that this woman has two big-boned daughters whom are looking for suitors. I was NOT amused.

This family of theirs (mother's sister's in-laws) have been secretly eyeing yours truly for years! When I was in London in '01, they managed to have their ENTIRE family visit my aunt's house to see us, bringing not only their daughters, but the grandma! At the time I had a goatee, and they had nothing but compliments upon my "mature" look. Two weeks later when I had shaved it off, they said I looked "innocent" without facial hair. My aunt joked that they were hunting me down for their cow daughters, and at the time I thought it was quite funny. It's not so funny anymore. Thank GOD my mother has enough sense to realize that a) their family is notoriously big boned, b) they aren't exactly the most educated lot, c) not the cleanliest of people, and d) I have ZERO interest!!! Despite this, I'm beginning to worry what with her talks this week.

Back to the day's thoughts. We ended up reaching Feroza Auntie's (we tag on the auntie as a term of affection - we're not related) and had a decent enough time. I got to see a bootleg copy of Flightplan, while enjoying some Chinese food which I gave a passing mark to. During my traversals in their home to meet and greet the men, women, and children, I managed to get suckered into yet another marriage talk. Being the eldest unmarried boy there, it was bound to come up. I tried my best to use witty banter, and Abid Uncle (Feroza Auntie's husband) ate it up! Their family has known our since I was 10 months old, so he totally enjoys ribbing me on these matters. Plus, I'm probably the only child there who manages to intermingle with the men fluidly, without looking strange.

I managed to talk to my "Uncle" about my late night escapades, and how my mother worries too much. He managed to take her aside near the end of the evening and give her a seal of approval on me, saying he knew I wouldn't do anything stupid, and that she should trust me. Thank God he did that, because he's one of the only people my mother would trust with advising me. I just might get a carte blanche soon enough!

So the evening ended with most of us guest families leaving at about the same time. As always, it was at this point that my "aunties" managed to sneak some Eid money into my pockets. I managed to net a nice $75! On the way home, we managed to listen to my new mix CD, with everything from Madonna to Dandy Warhols to Bollywood music!

Now I'm here writing as much as I can remember, I'm sure there will be details I'll fill in within the coming days!

Eid Report - Part 1

Hey yaars!

It's only mid-day and already I've got a tale of misfortune to begin my Eid!

After waking up at 7 AM (for the first time in like 2 months!), I managed to shave and make myself prim and proper for today. Upon my exit from the bathroom, my lovely mother managed to pour me a batch of dood-sehvia (cooked vermicelli mixed with half and half milk). It's a Pakistani tradition on Eid, and has been going on in my family for generations. Seeing as how tonight will be going against the grain in terms of culinary treats, I was relieved to see that some traditions still remain!

Upon enjoying the breakfast, it became painfully obvious that things were running late. And for once it WASN'T my fault! My brother took his sweet time bathing and fixing his hair! Because of him, we left at 9:15 with the goal of reaching the Toronto Congress Center by 10.

While driving on the 401 westboud, I was thanking my lucky stars that there was no jam throughout, and was counting the exits until Dixon Rd., where we would exit. RIGHT when we approach the exit (at 9:40), we saw a MASSIVE line up of cars stretching about 2KM going towards the Dixon/Martin Grove exit. I knew we were fucked.

Stuck on the exit ramp moving only a metre a minute, I managed to see way too many cars either trying to a)cut me off from the left, or b) try to drive on the shoulder to cut cars off at the front. After about 25 minutes of seeing this, I decided to get back on the 401 and head back home, as there was NO way we were going to make it with that line up!

Of course, upon getting off at the next exit, we managed to see signs to the Congress Center. We followed it and VOILA, the Congress Centre was right in front of us, with NO LINE UP! It seems all of the Ahmadiyyat community had the same directions, while not knowing that there was an alternate route! We quickly had to drop our mother off at the ladies hall (so she wouldnt have to walk the dreaded 30 steps). And while she managed to read her prayers, my brother and I had to sprint to make it during the middle of prayers. We made it during the first rukuu (essentially the half way point), and tried to blend in as best possible. I was just glad we didnt miss everything!

Our Missionary-in-charge for once gave a short and sweet speech, forgoing his typically long and drawn-out tales. Essentially the message was to not forget to be humble and pious during the rest of the year, and to remember those less fortunate than you at times other than Ramadan. We then all joined in silent prayer, where I must admit I managed to ask God to bless all my good friends and family with Health, Happiness, Peace, and Prosperity for being so good to me! I hope me mentioning this doesn't negate my good sentiment!

Upon completion of silent prayer, tradition dictates that we find family and friends and embrace them and say "Eid Mubarak" (a.k.a. Happy Eid to you). We saw NOBODY we knew in the whole hall. After arduously searching, me and the brother decided to go to look for the mom in the ladies' hall, in hopes of meeting someone along the way. We ended up meeting a few family friends, and of course found our mom with her best friend coming out of the ladies hall. Both our families embraced, my brother was noted for his big pimpin-style (which YOURS TRULY chose for him!), and headed our own ways.

Once again, there was a massive b-line for the exits, with a pack of cars trying to get out the same way. Of course for some reason your boy managed to trail a van going in the complete opposite direction, and managed to get out of there within seconds! Stupid ignorant suckers! I ended up reaching home within 20 minutes! I'm sure if I were to have taken the "typical" route, I would still be in line!

Well that's about it for part 1, I'm going to take a quick nap and get prepared for my Oriental food adventure later tonight. Stay Tuned...

Eid Mubarak!

For those not in the know, today's Eid-ul-Fitr for Muslims. It marks the end of the month of Ramadan, where Muslims fast during hours of daylight. The day differs in various countries according to the siting of the new moon. Us Canadians have it today (Friday). Good times are to be had by all. After prayers are finished, adults meet kids and dish out cold-hard cash, also known as "Eidee" as gifts. Even though I'm not exactly a kid, I still manage to get a few bucks here and there from my mom's friends, so today could be a nice little earner!

We're suppose to go to a close family friend's home for lunch/dinner later on. Which is great, except for the fact that a) we're getting CHINESE food, and b) we're PAYING for it!!!! That's right!

I guess someone came up with the brililant idea that a bunch of Pakistani origined families would thoroughlly enjoy Chinese take-out as oppossed to traditional pilau or biryani. That might be true for some of the more "modern" kids, but not yours truly! I'm truly going to miss that unique Eid taste I annually expect when dinner arrives. What's worse is that this time all familes invited are pitching in on the meal!

Since when do "hosts" charge for the food? It's supposed to be implied that the guests will return the favour of a host's hospitality by inviting them to a dinner in the near future. To be honest this exudes parsimony. Despite this, I'll give the dreaded "benefit of doubt" and reserve total judgement until 24 hours from now, when I'll have digested the noodles I will have had for dinner.

I should get to bed know. Tomorrow morning will be quite the busy day for me! Stay tuned for reports!

Back to business!

Hey yaars!

After a contemplative weekend, ripe full of discussions on numerous topics (well okay, primarily one or two!), your boy is back. I don't think I could maintain a monk-like existence, especially because of such great friends I have. Within the past few days, friends have led to the following:

(a) Going to my first Leafs game
(b) Free lunch (I'm still planning on making things square!)
(c) Invite to my first concert!
(d) Plans for my second concert!
(e) Invite for a Raptors game
(f) Invite to see a Leafs game on a 60" HDTV

So I am well-liked. I just hope I'm not well-liked in the way Willie Lohman was - liked, but never loved - as I don't want to die an ignorant, naive fool. Of course I think my mother might have a say in that!

Today while grocery shopping (Grocery day was bumped up by one day to prevent the Eid rush), she managed to mention that I was getting older, almost done school, and should start looking for work. She then further mentioned that she really wants a daughter-in-law!!!! I thought she was joking until I saw her face. It was as serious as sin!

She preceded to talk about how I should start networking to find work soon, finally coming to the wild assessment that I would surely have two kids quickly after marriage. Her rationale? "Once you see your wife, I know you'll want kids." Is she trying to tell me she's scouting? Thank God she knows my list. As a quick reminder:

(a) No Fat Chicks (Yes I know that's crude, but I want to be the heavier one!)
(b) Decent Cook (Mom has spoiled me on that one)
(c) Outgoing Person (I don't want to feel as if I'm talking to myself at home)
(d) Organized (I'm no Mr. Clean, but neither am I a slob)
(e) Witty (I don't ever want to lose my smile)

I'd like to think most of that list is reasonable. What intrigues me is that my mother thinks she knows "my type". Unlike most sons, I usually do trust my mother with her opinion on things, she's seldom failed to meet my expectations. I'm just worried this is going to be just like buying a car - "She's fast and rides like the wind!". Oh my God, I just realized the pun on that and am feeling very dirty right now!

Quick hello

Hey yaars,

Hope all is well on your end (whomever YOU are!). Today was spent with yours truly dealing with my family's investments. Having inherited the 'patriarch' role in the family, I'm usually the one who makes the ultimate decisions on things. Thank God I've been somewhat shrewd in my thinking so far.

So today we planned on cashing out matured Canada Savings Bonds in order to re-invest them in another form. Of course you would THINK it would only take 20 minutes tops, but of course TD being TD, we got messed up. Because of the fact that our Bonds are named under "Mr. and Mrs. Rathore AND Survivor", the bank demnaded that Mr. Rathore be there. Of course Mr. Rathore passed away over 4 years ago. They then ask for a death certificate and will. We mention how we have banked with this bank for decades and that their records should show that we transferred his assets over to my mother and myself upon his passing - having already shown the proper documents.

After typing a few keys, going back to see a manager numerous times, and making us wait - nothing happened. We were given the stiff arm response of "Since it's been so long, our systems have removed the archived notes". Therefore, after an hour of waiting, we had to go home to get the death certificate. During the ride home we seriously pondered divesting our assets from TD and moving to another bank. We were not very pleased with what was transpiring!

Once we came back, with documents in hand, we were escorted to the financial adviser whom we were suppose to see upon cashing the bonds. She was shocked that we had taken so long (now almost 2 hours!), and upon some reserved complaints from myself, it was soon discovered that in fact my Dad's information WAS STILL on their systems! It even detailed the exact date we transferred funds, how much, and what he still had linked in his name. Basically, we had wasted two hours because of sh*tty service people!

The financial adviser apologized profusely, and promptly completed our cash-out. At this point, she was about to invest our money when we halted her, saying we'd have to "think about it". After all that had transpired, we thought it wouldn't hurt to somewhat make them sweat. This lead to my mother talking about how she hadn't eaten all day, was tired from work, etc. While not yelling, it was the typical sob story (and actually true!). And I guess that it was obvious we were sincere and truthful, as the adviser managed to hit us up with Tim Horton's gift certificates! Even though it wasn't her fault, we appreciated the gesture and her efforts in rectifying the situation.

So essentially, what should have only taken 20 minutes lasted damn near 3 hours! And instead of getting a nap upon arriving home, I had to immediately go to Cederbrae Mall to pick up the little brother! Oh the humanity!

To be fair though, all that transpired tonight did manage to get my mind of things. Well, that and my lunch earlier in the day with Derek. I don't think I've ever had a dull time talking with him, as he's always got great advice, interesting stories, and fascinating views on anything and everything. And I'm NOT saying this because he'll probably read this, but am doing so with the noblest of intentions. I don't think he's ever given me the oppurtunity to doubt my friendship with him, and for that I'm grateful. Now if only I could ever step INSIDE his house!

Despite everything that went down today, I'm still in good spirits. In fact, I'm surprised that someone today took the time to read my ENTIRE blog from post 1 up until last night's post. Whomever you are, you made my day knowing you spent that much time reading up on me! Of course if you're one of those haters on re-conn, well I got my AK ready :P

Talk to y'all l8er!

My first time...

At a Leafs game!!! Get your mind out of the gutter! My first time in THAT endeavour just might avoid a blog post!

Jamie and myself had wanted to go for a while, and this morning we lucked out. TicketMaster had JUST released tix and we managed to snag a pair in the upper bowl at centre ice! We managed to have a great time. Though I've been to a Raptors game at the ACC, the atmosphere for Leafs game is much more different. Better different of course. Though I'm sure it didn't hurt that (a) It's the Leafs, and (b) We WON!



So afterwards J-Roc and myself managed to scoot on out to Tim Horton's for some post-game chat. I managed to bitch, moan, and beat a dead horse I should have stopped talking about days ago, but still remains in my head. Though I'm glad I managed to have a bit of a cathartic release regarding my loyalties, priorities, and friendships. The new 2006 Naveed model will have to be delayed until the right moment, when it can unleash it's fury. For now, it's in the garage awaiting its unveling.

I'm beginning to impress myself this year, what with all the things I've managed to check off of my "things to do before dying" checklist. I'd better hold off on doing too much, before the Big Guy upstairs delivers a "Bookha" upon my checklist's completion.

I'll leave things there for now, but before leaving I do have to muse on one thing. The fact that I'm getting at LEAST 10 unique vistitors a day is beginning to pique my curiosity. I can account for 5-6 readers, but the other 4 are making me think some people are on reconnaissance missions. I only hope I can be of some entertaining value, not simply as a court-jester, but also as an interesting, reasonably intelligent person. If not, well I have a few Urdu obscenities waiting to be unleashed as words of the day soon!