(Originally scripted in Jan 2010)
I should make more an effort to blog now that i’m married not that I have more time actually free time has become a rarity in my life due to the long commute from Bristol to Salisbury on a daily basis. Still it’s nice to come home into the arms of a strong man to melt the woes of the day away. Yes I really am married! Still surreal for me and not yet sunk in but I suspect this is normal having had many conversation with married couples. But I guess me not feeling like a married person is due to Amir (my other half) and me and him not behaving like your conventional married couple. NO doubt this will become clearer in later blogging but till then be assured I will make a greater effort to blog more.
Thursday, 3 March 2011
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
Star Trek - 2009
These days it’s rare to watch a film when you leave the cinema with an overflowing quantity of exuberance and joy so it was a pleasure to watch Star Trek. It gladly retains its geeky sci-fi flavour for all those Trekkie fans and there were plenty of those in the cinema cheering each time a scene relevant to the past Star Trek genre appeared especially when Leonard Nimoy who gets to reprise his familiar role as Spock the human/Vulcan hybrid. Pine, Quinto, Saldana et al all gave justice to their respective characters except for Chekov, who let alone sounding the part, didn’t even look the part, nevertheless this didn’t impact the overall movie. Star Trek has always catered for the public even transcending racial boundaries and in the 1960’s this was big so even Star Trek then was well ahead of its time. This movie is no different but has catered for the old fans as well as the new and considered so uber cool thanks to the youthful sexy crew.
However don’t expect a really great story-line, it’s not about that as much as it’s about laying down the foundation for the relationships about to develop between the crew of U.S.S Enterprise.
The special effects are awesome however maybe a tad too much. Watching it on big screen can mean you get lost in the major scenes. Nevertheless these days that’s a given with movies if they are to meet box-office success and with movie-goers expecting nothing less. I must admit for a moment the A40 was space and my Peugeot transformed into the U.S.S Enterprise even excelling to warp speed on a few occasion on the stretch of the A40 where speed cameras were scarce.
So good film, lots and lots of action, eye candy for those bothered (Ahura for the chaps) and a over-all feel good movie for those who love the Star Trek genre series/movies and no doubt J.J Abrams has kick started a series of movies which will win new fans as well as old.
BTW look out for “Bones”, in terms of most plausible original character, Carl Urban has got Dr Leonard “Bones” McCoy nailed better than any other character in the movie as he demonstrates in the line “Dammit Jim, I’m a Doctor”.
Go watch it!
However don’t expect a really great story-line, it’s not about that as much as it’s about laying down the foundation for the relationships about to develop between the crew of U.S.S Enterprise.
The special effects are awesome however maybe a tad too much. Watching it on big screen can mean you get lost in the major scenes. Nevertheless these days that’s a given with movies if they are to meet box-office success and with movie-goers expecting nothing less. I must admit for a moment the A40 was space and my Peugeot transformed into the U.S.S Enterprise even excelling to warp speed on a few occasion on the stretch of the A40 where speed cameras were scarce.
So good film, lots and lots of action, eye candy for those bothered (Ahura for the chaps) and a over-all feel good movie for those who love the Star Trek genre series/movies and no doubt J.J Abrams has kick started a series of movies which will win new fans as well as old.
BTW look out for “Bones”, in terms of most plausible original character, Carl Urban has got Dr Leonard “Bones” McCoy nailed better than any other character in the movie as he demonstrates in the line “Dammit Jim, I’m a Doctor”.
Go watch it!
Friday, 6 February 2009
Voluntary redundancy November 2008
About time too! I was planning to resign and leave the company so you can imagine how thrilled I was to hear about the voluntary redundancy package being offered to EDS employees worldwide. It was not connected to the financial meltdown the world in facing but was connected to HP buying out EDS. I'd been with EDS just over 3 years and with the internal politics, lack of stimulating roles and overall lack of motivation it was inevitable I would leave the company sooner or later. So the voluntary redundancy (VR) was a god send.
My colleagues however were slightly more hesitant in comparison to me perhaps because of global financial climate but nevertheless they were all envious of me when they heard that I had taken the bait and was leaving on the 31st October 08.
Anyhow not sure what the future holds but then currently i'm only focused on the time off in terms of taking the opportunity to "catch-up" as opposed to getting back into the rat race.
The VR package will get me by for the next couple of months and I intend to go travelling, pursuing challenging recreational tasks (maybe) and ofcourse not having to wake up at ridiculous hours of the morning (except for fajr).
Hopefully I'll get the chance to blog my travels.
My colleagues however were slightly more hesitant in comparison to me perhaps because of global financial climate but nevertheless they were all envious of me when they heard that I had taken the bait and was leaving on the 31st October 08.
Anyhow not sure what the future holds but then currently i'm only focused on the time off in terms of taking the opportunity to "catch-up" as opposed to getting back into the rat race.
The VR package will get me by for the next couple of months and I intend to go travelling, pursuing challenging recreational tasks (maybe) and ofcourse not having to wake up at ridiculous hours of the morning (except for fajr).
Hopefully I'll get the chance to blog my travels.
Sunday, 18 January 2009
Qatar Dec 2008
This was my third trip to Qatar and by far was the most exciting and alluring. I was jobless so the holiday period was extended from the standard two week holiday to a whole month of unadulterated, pure pleasure and relaxation. Maybe too optimistic from my end because going on holiday with family including children is hardly right to assume peace and quiet but nevertheless it was awesome.
Qatar, a former pearl-fishing centre and once one of the poorest Gulf states, is now one of the richest countries in the region, thanks to the exploitation of large oil and gas fields since the 1940s.
Dominated by the Al-Thani family for almost 150 years, the mainly barren country was a British protectorate until 1971, when it declared its independence after following suit with Bahrain and refusing to join the United Arab Emirates.
All in all the Qatar holiday was interesting with the beach hut Eid parties, quad biking, sailing near the corniche and jet skiing to mention just a few of the activities. The weather was pleasant and it was great to see the family and spend quality time with them all.
Thursday, 16 October 2008
Writers block!
Blogging has become a struggle as of late. I beleive some people call it Writers Block. Its a general reference to emailing, texting and writing infact anything which entails conversing and corresponding using the various forms of communication. Lets use Blogging as an example.
I have about half a dozen blogs to complete but can't seem to articulate the topics into a something tangible and interesting to the reader.
In a last ditch attempt i'm writing this blog in the hope it might give me some inspiration and the catalyst in helping me create compelling reading.
Oh and Happy Birthday blog. Yes its been a year since its inception just over a year ago.
I have about half a dozen blogs to complete but can't seem to articulate the topics into a something tangible and interesting to the reader.
In a last ditch attempt i'm writing this blog in the hope it might give me some inspiration and the catalyst in helping me create compelling reading.
Oh and Happy Birthday blog. Yes its been a year since its inception just over a year ago.
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
Eid Ul Fitr 2008
The date for Eid is always a topic of contention between the Imam's of mosques. Do they follow Saudi or go with the country the majority of their worshipers originate from? Is it wise to follow Islam channel or Prime TV? Do you follow London or Manchester? Muslims by now have become accustomed to the confusion prior to the Eid days. I've never witnessed a day where Eid has fallen on the day announced and all Muslims have agreed upon it.
Nevertheless the majority of the Muslims including myself were certain Eid would fall on the Wednesday thus completing the full 30 days of fasting. Even Moonsighting.com had declared the new moon would be seen in the sky on Tuesday. So it would be an understatement if I said it was a surprise to hear the announcement of Eid-Ul-Fitr on Monday night. How naive were most of the Muslims this year!
Well whenever and however you're celebrating Eid. May you have a wonderful time with family and you reap the rewards from the month Ameen.
Nevertheless the majority of the Muslims including myself were certain Eid would fall on the Wednesday thus completing the full 30 days of fasting. Even Moonsighting.com had declared the new moon would be seen in the sky on Tuesday. So it would be an understatement if I said it was a surprise to hear the announcement of Eid-Ul-Fitr on Monday night. How naive were most of the Muslims this year!
Well whenever and however you're celebrating Eid. May you have a wonderful time with family and you reap the rewards from the month Ameen.
Friday, 12 September 2008
Shisha anyone?! Not the kebab type though
I was recently asked by a mate if Shisha was allowed in Islam which I thought was odd. I'm no authority to give advise on such matters. I don't even smoke Shisha as I have my own personal views why I'm against smoking the substance.
I did reply to my mate and read up on the topic and it seems the general consensus for Shisha is either haraam (forbidden) or Mukruh (disliked).
I decided to blog the email but tailor it so the reader like yourself could make sense of it. Obviously I'm not scholar so I've extracted information which are in favour of my own personal opinions. So I would suggest you do your own searching if you want to understand the judgement on Shisha.
Let me first explain what Shisha is just in case you don't know!
Shisha is a hooka type thing which is used to smoke flavoured tobacco. It consists of a pipe, bowl and base. The tobacco is placed in the bowl and covered in foil. The foil is punctured with a pin to make small holes and hot charcoal is placed on top to heat it. The tobacco is heated and smoked through a pipe which goes from the base where water is used to filter it.
The origin of Shisha is from the Arab world and interesting enough some Muslim countries have banned it.
The first opinion states it is haraam because of the similarities with smoking cigarettes. Just like cigarettes, Shisha involves smoking tobacco. Tobacco has a drug called nicotine which causes diseases including cancer which as you know causes death. Islam does not permit taking substances which are harmful to the body and mind. (Do not kill yourselves - Surah Bakarah). Nicotine can also lead to a physical addiction. Thus scholars have declared Shisha haraam.
The other opinion is that Shisha is Mukrooh. Just like cigarettes, decades ago people weren't discouraged from smoking because scientists didn't fully understand the effects of it on the human body but due to scientific studies and the results of smokers dying after years of smoking have Doctors begun to take the repercussions of smoking. As a result there have been numerous campaigns and incentives to stop smoking in the form of patches, gums and therapy to help give-up. For years Cigarette packets now come with a warning and doctors now discourage smoking because of the link between nicotine and cancer.
So Scholars who state Shisha is mukroh could be said do not understand the repercussions of it later in life. Some cynics of this argument say because the Shisha is filtered in water you don't end up smoking much of the nicotine but the amount of smoke you inhale is more than you do when smoking cigarettes so its nearly as bad if not worse.
Either way the concept remains the same and you are inhaling nicotine and nicotine is a harmful drug which causes death.
Hope that clears up any misconceptions about Shisha because it appears a new concept for youngsters who think its now "cool" to smoke Shisha on Edgware Road.
I did reply to my mate and read up on the topic and it seems the general consensus for Shisha is either haraam (forbidden) or Mukruh (disliked).
I decided to blog the email but tailor it so the reader like yourself could make sense of it. Obviously I'm not scholar so I've extracted information which are in favour of my own personal opinions. So I would suggest you do your own searching if you want to understand the judgement on Shisha.
Let me first explain what Shisha is just in case you don't know!
Shisha is a hooka type thing which is used to smoke flavoured tobacco. It consists of a pipe, bowl and base. The tobacco is placed in the bowl and covered in foil. The foil is punctured with a pin to make small holes and hot charcoal is placed on top to heat it. The tobacco is heated and smoked through a pipe which goes from the base where water is used to filter it.
The origin of Shisha is from the Arab world and interesting enough some Muslim countries have banned it.
The first opinion states it is haraam because of the similarities with smoking cigarettes. Just like cigarettes, Shisha involves smoking tobacco. Tobacco has a drug called nicotine which causes diseases including cancer which as you know causes death. Islam does not permit taking substances which are harmful to the body and mind. (Do not kill yourselves - Surah Bakarah). Nicotine can also lead to a physical addiction. Thus scholars have declared Shisha haraam.
The other opinion is that Shisha is Mukrooh. Just like cigarettes, decades ago people weren't discouraged from smoking because scientists didn't fully understand the effects of it on the human body but due to scientific studies and the results of smokers dying after years of smoking have Doctors begun to take the repercussions of smoking. As a result there have been numerous campaigns and incentives to stop smoking in the form of patches, gums and therapy to help give-up. For years Cigarette packets now come with a warning and doctors now discourage smoking because of the link between nicotine and cancer.
So Scholars who state Shisha is mukroh could be said do not understand the repercussions of it later in life. Some cynics of this argument say because the Shisha is filtered in water you don't end up smoking much of the nicotine but the amount of smoke you inhale is more than you do when smoking cigarettes so its nearly as bad if not worse.
Either way the concept remains the same and you are inhaling nicotine and nicotine is a harmful drug which causes death.
Hope that clears up any misconceptions about Shisha because it appears a new concept for youngsters who think its now "cool" to smoke Shisha on Edgware Road.
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