Temple in Chennai

I could really only mostly see the outside of the temple because non-hindus are not allowed. My friends told me that this was not the way it had always been, but was more a product of the British Imperial era. Hindus were bannned from Christian churches by the British (I guess they didn't want the locals hanging around?), so they did a tit for tat and banned everyone from their temples. I thought it was weird about the Christians banning Hindus because I always think of Christianity as such an evangelical religion that they would want to bring people into the fold. Maybe Anglicans aren't as evangelical as folks where I come from?

The largest temple in Chennai.


A close-up of some of the figures on the sides of the temples.

India Part 3

Here is the stage where the wedding took place (that is the guru who led the ceremony):

The ceremony was very elaborate. Here is an offering that was made for the ancestors so that they would come down and bless the married couple:

In the evening there was a reception, which is literally that, a reception (not a party like we have here in the States).

All in all I had a great time, although I was only in India for four short days. After the wedding I visited some landmarks around the city, mostly some pretty amazing temples. It was very interesting and my friend's sister explained to me about all the different gods and stories behind them. Although I must admit I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the concept of polytheism, coming from where I come from.

India Wedding Cont'd.

For some reason blogger would not let me post this pic in the last post, so this is a continuation of the post below.

The ones in the middle are a model of a sari and a dhoti (sarong type dress that the groom wears). I don't think anyone actually ate them, but they looked nice :).

I was so jet lagged, I was literally falling asleep at the pooja. So I went off to sleep at a guesthouse with some of the groom's cousins from France, who were really nice (we are such an international bunch!) There were people there from the following countries: India, United States, Germany, France, and England. At the German Wedding there was also a Russian. Pretty cool, huh? (And all different religions, present as well, Christian (Catholic and Protestant), Hindu, Muslim, and Jewish). Shows you that on the individual level, we really can all get along.

So on to the wedding itself: the next day, we woke up quite early and went back to the groom's house to get ready. I wore sari for the first time, and thank God there were people there to help me put it on! (Actually the hardest part is the pleats and they were pre-sown for me by M's aunt). I wore a steel blue and maroon silk sari that M's mom sent for me which I love. Too bad I am anonymous, so you won't get to see the pictures ;).

The wedding itself took place in a hotel, here is one of the decorations from the hotel lobby right before you entered the wedding hall:


The ceremony itself was quite elaborate and took several hours to complete. It was really fascinating. People don't really watch the whole thing, they kind of mill around and stand on the stage and around the stage and take pictures. In all it was interesting.

Madras Marriage

Well, I want to apologize for my extended absences, I just have not had time and that can be explained later, but I would like to pick back up where I left off and continue to tell you about my trip this summer because it was a lot of fun and definitely a once in a life time experience. So after I left the airport I got into the car and headed off with my friend's dad to their apartment. Upon pulling out of the airport, immediate panic set in. Oh, no, we are driving 0n the wrong side of the road!! I am going to die!! It was an instinctual response, even though consciously I knew that they drive on the other side, my whole being was rebelling against it, and it took quite a while to get used to it. Not to mention the traffic! There are no lanes, people just drive helter-skelter, along with all the rickshaws, bicycles, motorbikes, pedestrians, and so on. Although Pakistan was much worse, but I will get to that later.

My friend's house was all decked out for the wedding:

Color design on the floor outside the apartment.

Front door of the apartment decorated
with flower garlands.

Everyone was ready for the wedding and reception, which were both taking place the next day, but I quickly fell asleep in the only room with air conditioning. My goodness it was hot! I slept until the afternoon and then got up for some lunch and just relaxed. That night they had a pooja to bless the clothes that they were wearing for the wedding. All of this was totally new to me, as the only thing I knew about Hinduism was what I had seen in Bollywood movies. During the pooja, everyone stepped forward to place turmeric powder and other substances (not sure what) on the bride and groom's hands and face. Also, some sweets were blessed to be taken the next day for the wedding. They were very cute.

Passage to India- Southern Masala Style

Well, let me start off my series of posts on my trip so far with India, which is where I went first. I left the U.S. on July 9 and got to India on the morning of the 11th. That was not a fun trip, but it definitely prepared me for the heat here. First leg of the trip I took American Air to Frankfurt. When I got to Frankfurt, I had no idea where to go, there were no signs in English and when I did finally find a departures board, my flight wasn't on it. Finally I just decided to follow the group of desis that had gotten of the plane with me and they took me right to the gate!

The next leg of my trip was on Gulf Air, which was an experience. First we flew to Bahrain, which was just supposed to be a quick stop (i.e. I wasn't even supposed to get off the plane). For some reason of which I was never informed, they decided to take us off the plane in Bahrain and put us on a new one, which means getting on a bus, going into the airport, going through security again, and then getting on another bus and going to the new plane. Did I mention that it was ungodly hot during this whole process? I was also exhausted at this point because I had not slept the entire trip, due to the very nice but overly talkative man from Oman sitting next to me. He spent half his time trying to convince me that I don't need to buy zabiha meat in the U.S., if I just say bismillah over it it is halal. Riiiiiight, I get this all the time from people who must assume that I know absolutely nothing about Islam. Just because YOU don't care if your meat is zabiha or not does not mean you have to convince the rest of the world that they should eat the way you do. Hmmph, but that is a totally other rant (which btw, I don't care if you eat halal or not, that is your own business, as whether I do is mine). Ok so after I left Bahrain, we flew to Muscat, Oman, where I had a 3 hour layover. I tried to sleep in the terminal, which was an absolutely ridiculous idea, especially with the litany of people staring at me. When they finally called for boarding the aircraft, I went down and stood in line for about an hour. I don't know why they called us to board and then made us stand there. Then when we got on the plane, we sat there for about an hour with no AC! I thought I was going to die, even the South Indians were complaining about the heat. So again no more sleep and then we were finally on the way to Chennai.

When I got to the Chennai airport, I breezed through customs, as there was nobody in the "foreigners" line and went to collect my luggage. I had two huge suitcases because my trip is for 7 weeks, and they were both coming down the line at the same time, so there was no way I could pick them both up. I asked one of the men standing next to me if he could grab one of them, while I got the other. Of course, when he picks it up, it flies open and my clothes go everywhere, including my underwear and bras. People scatter to help me grab my clothes off the conveyor belt and floor, including a couple of extremely embarassed guys when they realized they were handling my panties! Poor guys, but I am so grateful that the people were so nice and helpful in that situation. I was terrified that I had been robbed blind because the case was open coming through the airport, but miraculously, nothing was missing! So I exited the airport to find my friend's dad who was there to pick me up. Wow, this post has gone on longer than I thought, so I will have to do another one about the actual time I spent in India, LOL.

No Censors for Me!

I busted the Pakistani block on blogger! Look for more updates about my trip to India and Pakistan so far, coming soon!!!!!!!!!

Update

Hello out there and thank you so much to anyone who is still reading this blog after over a month of absence! I have not been this busy EVER. I love my job, but we keep going 24/7! I work all day and then usually they have a social event for us in the evenings, so I leave my house at about 7 am and don't get back until midnight or later. So here is a quick update on what I have been doing this summer.

The Work- has been fabulous. Complex litigation stuff for big name clients, with actions pending all over the country. Exactly what I wanted. Now my difficult decision is do I want to practice general lit or labor and employment?

The Firm- Everyone has been really nice and fun. I've meet a lot of people that I get along with really well. Also, our clerk class got along really well, which apparently doesn't happen all the time. I know that if I come to work here I will have to work hard (2000+ billable hours a year). Other great things about the firm --> they have a great track record with retaining women and making them partners. I have worked with some amazing female partners while I am here. They are pretty family friendly too, seems like most people have kids and they spend a lot of time with them.

The Social Scene- Do you need to know anything about any restaurant near downtown Dallas? I will give a review. I go out to lunch EVERY DAY. I don't know how I haven't gained 200 lbs. I also go out to dinner about 4 times a week. We have had many great parties also. I think some people think it is weird that I don't drink, because alcohol is a big part of the social scene, but no one has said anything. We have gone to some cool locations in Dallas, as well as some of the partners' houses which are beautiful. I just wish that M could be here.

Ok, so you say, that is all well and good but you could have dropped us a line at some point! Which leads me to the other, darker side of my summer, which would be.....

THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE LOST MY PASSPORT!!!!!!

Yes folks, thats right. I am supposed to leave for my big India/Pakistan trip in 2 weeks and my passport is MIA. I sent it to the Pakistani Consulate to get my visa via express mail and the P.O. lost it on the way back. The thing has tracking numbers all over it and still they can't track it! ARRRGH. Well, that is only the first part of the story, because after battling the P.O. for about a week I realized that I needed to concentrate on replacing the passport and my visas. My mom, who is amazing, spent about 20 hrs one week researching the whole process and now my stuff is being expedited by a private service. Insha'Allah it should be here by Wed. or Thurs. Here's the kicker though: the whole thing is costing me about $650. Ouch!

The moral of the story, never send you passport via U.S. Mail, always use Fedex, UPS, or DHL. And when you send it, insure the dang thing for 1,000 bucks because that is how much it is going to cost to replace it.

Also, now I have to worry about identity theft, because I am sure that someone stole it from the P.O. So I have taken all the measures to prevent that. Fraud alert, etc.

Anyways, that is the summary of the past six weeks. I don't know when I will post again, but if you are still hanging around I appreciate it.

Am I supposed to be a grown up now?

I made it to Dallas on Sunday in 12 hours driving straight through. It is by far the longest car trip that I have ever made by myself. And then I started my first day of work. I don't know about "omens" but yesterday I spilled coffee in my lap on the way to work, so I stunk of coffee for the rest of the day. Thank God it was a black suit so I didn't have visible coffee stains. And then I got on the Dallas Tollway and sat there for an hour and half! I was late for work on my very first day! How embarassing. Oh well, I hope that they don't just decide to write me off becuase of that. I don't think they will because everyone seemed really cool about it.

So far everyone is really nice and I am working with a team that does mostly litigation and labor and employment, which is what I wanted to do in the first place. It is just weird that I go from being a law student lucky to snag my own cubicle in the library to having an office and all these other nice goodies that law firms give you. It makes me feel like I am "playing grown up" and maybe I don't really belong there yet. I guess I don't really for at least another year, but while I am here I am going to enjoy it :).

Time of Transition: Be Back Soon

Right now we are putting our entire apartment in storage. My bed is gone, my couch is gone, my table is gone. I will be sleeping on an air mattress for the next two nights.

I end Trial Techniques on Saturday, with the grand finale being a jury trial that I have not begun to prepare yet.

I will be in Dallas by Sunday night.

I will start my job on Monday morning.

I don't know what M is doing (coming with me, staying in ATL, or going to Karachi).


Can I just let out a scream right now? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Ok, I will be back in a while, I can't even think straight, much write a coherent post.

Calling All Previous Travelers to India/Pakistan, Give Me Your Wise Words

I haven't felt much like blogging lately. Mostly because I have been studying. I finished my last exam on Tuesday and tomorrow we start our Trial Techniques program which is every day for the next 7 days from 9-5, yay. I mean, come on, starting it on a Saturday right after we've finished exams? Seems just a wee bit sadistic to me. Ah well, might as well get used to it, right?

On a lighter note, I am really excited to be starting my new job in about a week. I will be in Dallas for the summer and then in July I will leave for India and Pakistan!!!! I am really excited about this, but also apprehensive. Plus I have not bought my tickets or gotten my visas yet. Did I mention that I am the best procrastinator? So break it out guys. Anyone who has traveled to India and Pakistan give me the scoop. What is one thing that you wish someone had told you before you went? Any sage words of wisdom or advice I would appreciate greatly. Especially because now it looks like I will be there for almost 2 months. Looking forward to hearing what you all have to say.

Strong Woman?

Ok, so here is something that occasionally crosses my mind: Is it ok to sometimes NOT want to be a strong woman? (both physically and otherwise?)

Case in point:

This weekend we go to the park to play cricket. I am fielding and M hits a line drive directly at me at about 100 mph. The ball smacks me directly in my knee cap, which really hurts and leaves me with a giant knot. Everyone laughs and says what a good fielder I am, M says it can't have hurt because we are using a tape ball (because taped up tennis balls don't hurt when hitting you at 100 mph, of course). Then our friend's wife is batting and the bowler hits her with the ball, (throwing it very slow and easy because she is a girl and probably can't hit the ball at normal speed). Everyone runs over to her to make sure that she is ok, and she stops batting. Am I stupid to be jealous that everyone makes such a big deal over her getting barely tapped with the ball, and noone cares that I got killed?

I have always been one of the "guys," a rough houser. In soccer, I was an enforcer on the field. I was strong, physically benchpressing and leg pressing quite a bit for a girl. I've since lost quite a bit of my muscle mass (thank God, so I don't look like a she-Hulk anymore). But sometimes I get jealous about not being pampered and treated like a delicate flower of feminity. Of course, I am torn, because if I was treated that way ALL of the time, it would really piss me off. I guess I really shouldn't be able to complain that I want it both ways.

The same thing goes in my personal life. Sometimes I am so tired and scared of trying to pursue my career and be sucessful, I wish that I could just put it all on my husband to provide for the family and I would just stay at home. I mean it is scary and a lot of pressure to be a stay at home mom too, but I think in a different way. But then I know that that path is not going to be for me, that I need the interaction and stimulation of the kind that a legal career can provide and I have worked hard for it. So in the end I will muscle up to it, even when I don't want to. I will shoulder it all, house and career, kids and court, God willing. In the long run, I know that I will be happier being the way that I am now.

Exam Time: A Brief Hiatus

Exams are here. I have not studied near as much as I need too. First one is next Friday. I may be around a little bit, but my posts would probably be something really boring for you guys, like rambling about Sec. 2 of the Sherman Act or Federal Rule of Evidence 403. Ack, I have started already.

As a sidebar: I had to add word verification to the comments, I was getting way to much spam comments. Sorry, I know that it is a pain in the butt, what can you do?

Technical Difficulties

Hello, We are experiencing technical difficulties. Right in time for exams, of course. My computer broke 3 weeks ago, now M's laptop, which I had been using up until now is acting completely stupid. We don't know what has happened, but if it doesn't start working soon I am pretty sure that we will see if a laptop will float after it is thrown from an 18th story balcony into a swimming pool. So now you know that if I don't show up for a while, where I am (in the library cussing out Acer).

Cell Phone Annoyances

Ok, so I'm sure that about a thousand blog posts have been written about cellphones. About people driving with cellphones, talking in restaurants on cellphones, talking in lines on cell phones blah, blah. Man are they all annoying situations. But I have a complaint, if you are going to talk on your cell phone, really loud, in a public place, I would seriously advise you not to talk about the extremely personal details of your life. This has happened to me several times recently and it makes my ears burn like I'm eavesdropping, but I can't help it when you are talking at bullhorn level into your cell, I am going to listen.

Incident #1:
I'm on the shuttle bus that takes me from school to the stop where I walk home about 2 blocks. Some undergrad girl is on the phone with her boyfriend. She starts yelling at him. "Why do you always blame me. I don't know who took your pills, I didn't take them, ok!!" Hmmm, maybe I am reading that the wrong way and she could be talking about using his Claritin, but I seriously doubt it.

Incident #2:
I'm sitting in the student lounge area at school, innocently studying (read-surfing the web or playing sudoku). Some type of rep for one of the many exam studying programs is sitting there on her cell: "Ok, don't tell anyone and you are the first to know. I haven't even told (some guy's name) yet. I am pregnant! *girlish squeals*" So now her, her friend, and me all know that she's pregnant before the guy who made the baby? Ack.

Incident #3: Most uncomfortable moment of my life.
I'm waiting for the elevator in my building. Girl shows up on cell phone. She is obviously arguing with boyfriend. Deep serious arguing that leads up to break up arguing. I am standing there uncomfortably hoping that she finishes the conversation before we get on the elevator together. Elevator comes, I am not going to wait for it to come back again just because this girl won't get off the phone. We get on, the argument keeps going on. I can't even repeat it here, stuff about how can she trust him, she told him she didn't want the same relationship as she had last time, blah, blah, blah. Arrrrgh. I want to stand facing one of the corners until she gets off.

Ok, so now that I have complained about cell phones so much. I have a confession to make, I have been guilty of a cell phone annoyance to the extreme. Maybe someone can help me out with this dilemma. I'm at the mosque. We have started Magrhib my phone is on the other side of the mosque against a wall. It starts ringing, ahhhh. I stop praying and run over to switch it off. Disrupting even more people than just the ringing probably did and having to redo my prayer all over again because of the interruption. I was mortified. Insha'Allah it will never happen again because I will remember to put the phone on vibrate, but if it does should I run over and turn it off, or just let it ring and hope that they don't call back?

How Sheetal Got Paid

Why am I sitting alone in my apartment, shouting at my TV? Why are my books sitting neglected beside me on the couch as I plead with the TV? Because I am watching the latest mindless TV game show, Deal or No Deal. I cannot believe that some people keep going with 100,000's of thousands of dollars on the line. While I am yelling Deal! Deal! You moron!, the audience is egging them on to keep going. Usually I am right, and the person ends up with less money than they had in the middle of the game. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this show here is a short summary of the rules taken from NBC's website:

"The rules are simple. Choose a briefcase. Then as each round progresses, you must either stay with your original briefcase choice or make a "deal" with the bank to accept its cash offer in exchange for whatever dollar amount is in your chosen case.

Once you decide to accept or decline the bank's offer, the decision is final.

Contestants are encouraged to ask friends or family in the audience for advice; however, only the contestant's answer will be considered binding and final."

I think that they try to pick people who generally make low salaries in noble professions (such as teachers, people in the military, firefighters, and a doctor who runs a clinic in a low income area). Or they will pick someone who has a large debt or specific problem that they need money for. And I love it when they surprise the contestant with a family member who they didn't think could come.

I heard about an interesting study done by some economists, who analyzed versions of Deal or no Deal Game all around the world (45 different countries).

"A team of economists - Post, Van den Assem, Baltussen & Thaler (report) - have analyzed the decisions of people appearing in Deal or No Deal and found, among other things, that contestants are less risk averse when they have seen their expected winnings tumble. "Losers" tend to continue playing the game even if this means rejecting bank offers in excess of the average of the remaining prizes. The findings provide support for behavioral economists, who claim that the classical expected utility theory falls short in explaining human behavior by not accounting for the context of decisions. The study of the Dutch is unique, for the underlying "experiment" Deal or No Deal is characterized by high stakes, a transparent probability distribution and only simple stop-go decisions that require minimal skill or strategy." From this Wikipedia article.

What do you think about this game? Do you think that this show counts as gambling? You haven't put up any of your own assets to enter the game, so you aren't losing anything that was yours to begin with? But once you get the first offer, you are gambling with that money, so...?

Last night Sheetal Shetty won $375,000. I wanted her to deal at 199,000. She is the first contestant to prove me wrong. It was pretty exciting. I still think its a stupid game, so why can't I stop watching?

ABCs of Life MeMe

Got this MeMe from Pixie and thought it looked fun. If you do it too, let me know :).


Accent ~ Very slight southern one, people usually don't believe that I'm from Alabama
Booze of choice ~ None, I don't drink.
Chore I hate ~ cleaning the bathroom and cleaning the cars.
Dog or Cat~dogs, of course, who can forget my little puppy featured below
Essential Electronics ~ my computer, my Treo, and my iPod
Favorite perfume/cologne ~ Tuscany, it is the first gift that M ever gave me
Gold or Silver ~ both
Hometown ~ Well, I was born in North Carolina, but I lived almost my whole life in Birmingham, AL
Insomnia ~ big problem for me, especially when M is not here.
Job Title ~ law student
Kids ~ one day, insha'Allah, I want to have 2 or 3
Living arrangement ~ highrise Condo
Most Admired Trait ~ I really admire people who are sincere and good listeners
Number of countries visited~ 12
Overnight Hospital Stays ~ 0
Phobia ~ um, I don't really have one. I guess I a most scared that someone may try to hurt me, break in my house or car. When I was a kid I was scared of drains because I saw that movie IT one too many times.
Quote ~ I don't really have any good ones right now
Religion ~ Islam
Siblings ~ one younger sister
Time I wake up ~ 7 on school days and 10 on weekends :)
Unusual talent/skill~I don't think I have any
Vegetable I refuse to eat ~ peppers, I hate them!
Worst Habit ~Procrastination
X-rays ~the 3 times that I tore the ligaments in my ankles, they thought they were broken.
Yummy foods I make ~ I like to make Pakistani food (especially dopiaza and biryani), I make good country fried steak, mashed potatoes, and fried okra too!
Zodiac sign ~ Aquarius

Ice Age II: The Meltdown

The Scrat is back!!!!!!! Ice Age II starts tonight and I have to go and see it. I loooove this movie just because of the scrat. He is hilarious running around with his acorn trying to hide it everywhere. I hope that it is good and doesn't suck like sequels usually do. O, yes I am 24 years old, but it doesn't mean I don't appreciate a good cartoon. Finding Nemo is right up there too.


Here is another great picture of the Scrat.



Scrat update: Movie was hilarious, even more scrat than before. He really makes the movie! I also love the little dancing mini-sloths, but I guess you will have to see the movie to enjoy!

Random Bits

Sorry I haven't posted in so long, I have just been busy and in a mood not to write anything lately. To be honest, I haven't had anything to say worth making a whole post about, but I do have some random tidbits in my mind lately:

1. I have begun the inevitable descent into lawyerdom, which I realized after I told Aisha I would have to schedule lunch with her into my palm so that I do not forget. Gack.

2. I did this cool face recognition thingie, which told me that the celeb I most look like is Jodie Foster. It is pretty funny I think. Who do you look most like? I would be interested to know, lol :).

3. I am thinking about doing a judicial clerkship when I graduate. I am not 100% sure whether I want to do this or not, but the more I think about it, the more appealing it seems. Everyone who has done one has said that it is the most enjoyable work experience they have ever had. This is a really recent idea of mine, so I have yet to really think it through. It would mean making substantially less money for a year or so, but it should pay off in the long run. Difficult decision when I will have a massive amount of student loan debt upon graduation.

4. I am taking classes at my mosque to learn Arabic and Urdu. It is pretty fun, but hard too. I get Arabic classes on my own and for Urdu I am in classes with 7-8 year olds who are waaaay more fluent than I am. I just need to bite the bullet and start talking in my Urdu class, because right now I am at the point where I understand 80% but hardly say a word. It is much harder to put sentences together than to just listen and comprehend.

5. M comes home in 1 week from today. Yay!

Thats all for now. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying their spring. It is beautiful today and I hope that it stays that way. The last two weeks have been miserably cold for late March.

Will the Real Executive Managing Editor Please Stand Up, Please Stand Up

I won my election to executive managing editor of my journal. Well, I say won loosely, because I ran unopposed, but I am still happy, especially because I did not have to give a speech. The elections lasted for about 3 hours, from 8-11 pm, so I am kind of tired now and also I think I am coming down with something. I've got sore throat and a little bit of drainage and general fatigue (although that could just be a general condition and not a symptom of any illness). I am taking some Nyquil and going to bed. G'night.

Aerobics????

Ok, so the South Beach Diet thing did not work for me at all. I am definitely way too attached to my carbs. Diets in general make me unhappy. So my next attempt at the whole weight loss thing is.... (drum roll please), Aerobics! I bought this video on Ebay that has all different kinds of workouts on there and I thought it would be really fun. But alas, I realized shortly into the first workout today, that I am the most uncoordinated person on the universe when it comes to these sort of things. I never took dance or gymnastics or anything, I was always too busy playing soccer. I am still going to just bounce around in front of the TV (no doubt looking ridiculous) because it is fun and runnning on the treadmill is just sooo boring. Well, I am off to buy one of those step thingies and get down in my living room. Wish me luck and hopefully I won't trip over my own two feet and end up hurt :).

I Have A Puppy

I have a puppy. His name is Bentley and he lives in Dallas with my parents. Right now I am really missing this puppy. We had to send him to Texas because we were living in a small apartment and he got much bigger than the pound said that he would be. Also, we could not keep the house clean of his hairs, they got everywhere. He is really smart, but really lazy and he was always doing things to make me laugh. Sometimes he was a very bad puppy though. He has an affinity for all things plastic and accordingly chewed up three cell phones and 3 remote controls and a myriad of other small plastic thingies, the more expensive, the better (including an XBox game conroller and the wire on a power supply for my laptop). Now my Mom has to deal with his shenanigans, which are always pretty funny because she treats him like he is a person. Like she will say, "oh I am mad at Bentley today so I am not talking to him," or "Bentley is mad at us, so he is pouting." I think that this crazy dog thinks that he is a human. He is part beagle and part lab, we think (or something else maybe?) I think that he is the cutest dog in the world, but then again, maybe I am biased.




Playing in the snow. This is the first time he ever saw snow when we took him to Dallas.







He is a hard working dog, riiiiight.






Ok, this is by far the cheesiest post I have done so far, sorry :).

Now that's some Nation Building

This is a pretty cool game that lets you build your own country and even interact in a UN type government. At least, I think it's cool, but then again, I am a law nerd. Check out the The Republic of Southern Masala. Let me know what you think about my nation and build your own nation state too! I bet we do a better job than all the wackos out there right now, lol! (BTW, I did not choose gambling as a major industry, it just stuck me with that, tsk tsk tsk. If I get a chance I am going to outlaw it).

Spring Break is Over :(

No more spring break. I am pretty burnt out on school and this break seemed like it just flew by. In one sense this is good because it means that M will be coming home that much sooner, but on the other hand I have to go back to school tomorrow, ick. I am just too excited about my summer to concentrate on school and I am worried that it is going to affect my grades. I am really excited about my internship with a really great firm and I am even more excited about my trip to India and Pakistan.

The problem is I have not told my parents for sure that I am going to Pakistan this summer. I have brought up the topic a bit, and my parents are really worried about my safety. I can't really blame them, with bombs and stuff going off in Karachi and American diplomats being killed. Still, I am not worried about my own safety. The way I look at it, there are places in this country that are more dangerous for me than in Pakistan. As long as I have people around me who know what they are doing, I am not worried about it. I will definitely wear salwar kameez and cover my hair to blend in a little more, although I don't think that I will actually "blend in," you know. I just hope that they will take it okay and not give me too much grief about it, insha'Allah. I just don't want themt to worry, sigh. That's all for now, I really don't have much else to talk about.

Congratulations Yasir and Bushra!

May God Bless You Today and For the Rest of Your Lives Together!

News from Karachi

M has made it safe to Karachi and is settling in. He got in around 3 am and his friend came to pick him and take him to his parents' house. He got there around 4 am, and his mom answered the door. She was not too surprised, because she was suspicious that his friend had called the house so early in the morning to ask her to open the door. Then his youngest sister came to the door. At first she didn't realize who he was, then when it set in, she started screaming! Of course that woke the whole house up and his dad came running down stairs ready to defend them from robbers! He nearly gave everyone a heart attack!

So far he has been meeting old friends and family and I think he is having a good time. We had a little chat on the im, which I thought was pretty funny, so I am putting it here. *Warning, mildly bad language, but really funny*

M says: so we played snooker for 2 hrs, 90 ruppees
M says: 3 biryanis and 3 lassis 110 rupees
M: the shits
M says: priceless
S says: HAHAHAHA
S says: i told you not to eat street food. did you eat street food?
M says: some damn good biryani
S says: was it worth it?
M says:yep

More updates to come later, he still has not gotten into contact with Yasir to tell him he is coming to the wedding. I can't wait to hear that conversation!

Sua Sponte

Sua sponte is Latin for "on its own will or motion." It's a legal term, and its also the name of my law school football team! Yay, that's real football (aka Soccer), not American football. I am a huge soccer fan. I have played since I was four years old. In high school I played on a competitive traveling team and was captain of my high school varsity team. I also played in college, at one of the smallest Division I schools in the country: The Birmingham-Southern Panthers. I didn't have too much fun playing soccer in college. I think that I was burnt out by my senior year of high school after playing for so long. I did get to play with some pretty good players though, which I will always cherish, probably the most famous being Catherine Reddick, who played on my club team.
Since coming to law school, I have rediscovered my love for the game, and I have quite a bit of fun playing intramurals and indoor soccer league. One of the best things about playing in co-ed indoor league is that girl goals count for 2 points! Women's lib. be damned, I will take any extra points where I can get them, lol. Especially now that I am old and slow.
This summer is the World Cup, and I can't wait! And even better is that the U.S. is ranked the highest they have ever been, #5. I don't realistically think that they will actually win the World Cup, but it is nice to see them doing well.
Another thing about my soccer obessession is that I am constantly trying to convert kids into soccer players, especially girls. So if you want your girl to be a cheerleader and not a footballer, better keep her away from me! J/K, you can do both!

My Heart is in Karachi

M left yesterday for Karachi for 3 weeks.

I am already missing him but I am also so happy that he will finally get to go home to see his family. He has not been back to Pakistan in 8 years! He has not seen two of his sisters since then either.
His youngest sister was 17 when he left and she is 25 now. I can't
imagine what it must be like to leave someone as a child and meet
them again for the next time as an adult. It must be like re-
"meeting" them all over again. It was a very emotional day for us
both with mixed feelings of my happiness for him in finally going
back and sadness that he is gone.

He did not tell anyone that he was coming because he wanted to surprise his family. I just hope that he does not give his parents a heart attack when he shows up on the doorstep! He is also going to surprise our dear friend Yasir who lives in Atlanta, but has gone to Karachi to get married. I think that he is just going to show up for the wedding on Friday and say Surprise! I think that it is pretty funny and I hope that he has a good time. :)

My Alma Mater is in the News, and Not for a Good Reason

Apparently the recent rash of church burnings in rural Alabama can be attributed to three college students, two of which go to my undergrad. institute, Birmingham-Southern College, and one who goes to UAB, where M got his MBA. They were actually arrested in the dorms!!! This may not seem like a big deal until you realize that BSC only has 1500 students. What a bunch of morons.



Check out the full story here: Students say church arsons meant as "joke"

Now, call me crazy, but in my day our "jokes" consisted of leaving funny notes on peoples' doors or toilet papering someone's dorm room. Even the fraternity pranks were pretty mild, like stealing another frat's mascot, etc. Since when is setting churches on fire a "joke"? They have ruined their lives because "the three students just liked to set and watch fires." Wow, I am speechless

Things Are Afoot

I have been MIA for the past few days because I have been so busy trying to do the 1,001 things that I have to do. I finally turned in the very last, final, no mas version of my Journal Comment and I will know within 2 weeks whether I am going to be published or not. It would be nice to be published, but I am not going to be heartbroken if it doesn't happen. Also, I am running for Executive Managing Editor of the journal, which is a largely technical editing position (checking sources and textual editing), which I've always liked to do. I can really make the red ink fly, :). Even in undergrad, people used to ask me to read their papers and make corrections for them. Later on I used to do it for M's friends' grad school papers, which is a whole other ball game when you are editing someone whose first language is not English.

Also, things are afoot with M, but I am not at liberty to say what, I will explain more later on next week, which is taking up a lot of my time.

Next week is my spring break but I am not going anywhere, so here is my wish list for things to do around the ATL, because I am going to be all by my lonesome:
1. Hang out with Wayfarer and Little Dude
2. Go to the Georgia Aquarium
3. Exercise everyday
4. Read some good books
5. Catch up on all the studying I have not done this semester (I know, this one sucks)
6. Clean the house, and start packing for when we have to move in May
7. Go to the park and lay in the sun
8. Maybe go to Birmingham

Do you think I'm being overambitious, considering the other unwritten goal is to sleep until 10:00 everyday?

Muslim Legal Woes of Varying Degree

When I first set out today to write a post, I wanted to write about this story: U.S. Muslims Fight Halal Meat Scam. ***Warning, this link directs you to Al-Jazeera English News page, so if you aren't yet being monitored by the NSA and don't want to be, maybe you don't want to click on it, lol***

Of course, half way through my post, I lost the wireless connection at school and my writing disappeared into an electronic vortex. Basically the article is proof of the fact that con artists can penetrate any aspect of our lives, as more and more American Muslims are learning that the meat that they buy from so-called halal markets is not actually halal. This is truly disappointing, especially as I would say that the halal market is almost completely controlled by people claiming to Muslims. Therefore, we are getting scammed by our own.

Interesting aspect is that the article mentions several pieces of legislation that have been proposed by various states to provide for a certification process for vendors of foods offered in compliance with religious laws (I guess Kosher and Halal, not sure what other ones are out there?) And then goes on to say that this may violate separation of church and state under the U.S. constitution if the state becomes involved. I don't really see how that is an issue, because this seems like a simple case of false marketing/deceptive advertising, which can be dealt with under laws already in place, either by the government or private parties. Although maybe Muslims are reluctant to sue their halal butchers?

On a more serious note, this topic has been popping up in quite a few forums: Internment Camps for Muslims? . Wayfarer brought it up first on her blog, and I thought I would give my "prediction" for what could actually happen, based on my deep knowledge of constitutional law obtained through my one semester course, although it was with the eminent Professor John Witte, which was one of the most challenging clases I have taken, as well as my worst grade in law school so far (which still wasn't that bad, but I'm not telling...)

Ok, so for those of you who remember your history, the U.S. already put the Japanese in internment camps during WWII. A case was actually brought to the Supreme Court contesting this as a violation of due process and equal protection. In Korematsu, the Supreme Court upheld the government's use of their "police power" to protect the country in a time of crisis. The issue here was that the program has to be "narrowly tailored" enough to meet the government's goal.

Korematsu has gone down in history with cases such as Dred Scott (upholding the legality of slavery) and Plessy (upholding the legality of segragation), as being a notoriously unjust ruling. However, unlike Dred Scott and Plessy, Korematsu has never been overruled. This means that in another time of war, it is still legal under Supreme Court jurisprudence to place people of certain nationalities in internment camps, provided that the government can prove that they pose a threat to the safety of the nation.

Additionaly my professor put this hypothetical to us, which was put to him and other professors at a think tank called by John Ashcroft following 9/11.
Hypo (taken directly from my class notes):
What if dirty bomb was dropped on Atlanta by Zarquawi and his followers. He then declares that Iraq has struck the U.S. and credits Iraqi terror cells located in America with a victory. Could we round up every Iraqi- American citizen or subject and put them in an internment camp? (This was Ashcroft’s hypothetical).

The answer is Yes!!!!!

Now, what do I think realistically can be done under a ruling like Korematsu.

- Could people of certain nationalities or ethnicities be placed internment camps? Probably

- Could all Muslims be placed in internment camps? Probably not. Why? Because this characterization is too broad to meet constitutional challenges for the narrow tailoring requirement (mentioned above).

- What would be the most likely scenario? All people of certain nationalities (predominantly Muslim countries) residing in the U.S. who do not have citizenship could be rounded up, placed in camps, and eventually deported. Although, who knows who long that could take? In more extreme situations, naturalized citizens could be stripped of their citizenship and deported as well (this happened quite a bit during the McCarthy Era, and I wrote a paper about it, if you are interested in that too, let me know).

Just my viewpoint on the legal actualities of what could happen, but insha'Allah none of this will never, ever happen.

Sorry if the stuff above is too technical, or I dissolved into "lawyer talk." If I didn't make something clear, please let me know and I will try to explain it better.

Professor Abdullahi Ana'im: Cartoons of the Prophet: Neocolonialism and the Politics of Protest

For anyone interested in this discussion I thought that it was a great analysis of the Cartoon issue, but it is much deeper than that. I just always enjoy Professor Ana'im's point of view and I am really lucky to have access to an expert like him at my school.

Cartoons of the Prophet Audio File

Should I go to the Law School Prom?

Tomorrow night is my school’s “Barrister’s Ball,” or as we like to call it, the law school prom. We are supposed to get dressed up and go to this “dance.” They even elect a prom king and queen from the 3L class!!!! It is true that law school is much more like high school than undergrad. We even call our school (Gambrell Hall), Gambrell High, lol. I didn’t go last year because there is no way that I am going to get M to dress up and go to a “prom.” So this year, there is a big group of my girlfriends going and I thought that maybe I would go with them, even if M doesn’t come. Just to say that I went to one. Of course, I will definitely be more of a wall flower than a party animal, but I think it will be fun just to hang out with my friends and wear a pretty dress. Here is the dress I am thinking about wearing… What do you think? Should I go or not?

I am going to wear a cardigan over the top so that it is a little more modest.

Amazing, Beautiful Pictures

Please check out the blog: Muslim Cultures

These are some of the most amazing and beautiful pictures I have ever seen, representing the radiant diversity of our Ummah! The photographers are obviously very talented.

A woman is like an artichoke, you have to do some work to get to her heart.
- Steve Martin as Inspector Closeau in The Pink Panther

Did you know that artichokes flower?

Sportsmanship in These Olympic Games, or Lack Thereof

Is it just me, or do these Olympics seem to be all about drama? Controversy has been plaguing these games since before they even started, from Bode Miller’s admissions of drunken skiing antics on 60 minutes to the dismissal of the U.S. skeleton team’s coach for alleged sexual harassment of team members. Despite the fact that we often put athletes on a pedestal and expect them to act with character and behavior above the average man, these games have highlighted the fact that often athletes fail to meet the standards that we place on them. Admittedly, sometimes we place to high a standard on athletes, especially at the Olympics. However, the open displays of pettiness and lack of sportsmanship at the Olympics this year have really gotten me down on the whole event this year. I am talking about two specific instances in the past week that have really struck me as displaying a disappointing attitude by Olympic athletes.

Issue #1- The Shani Davis Controversy
First let me say Congratulations to Shani Davis on the first individual gold medal to be won by an African American athlete in a winter Olympics, EVER! I am truly appalled by the way that Shani Davis has been treated by his own teammates and the media. He has been called selfish and unpatriotic for refusing to skate in the team pursuit. He never agreed to skate in the team pursuit and it was 2 days before his most important individual event. He made the decision way in advance not to skate in the team event. However, his “teammate” Chad Hedrick decides to have a temper tantrum because Shani’s decision to focus on his own best event kept Hedrick from winning 5 gold medals. The root of his complaint is not that Shani was not a team player, but that Shani didn’t put his own goals on hold to help another teammate (Hedrick) reach his. Hedrick was even so petty as to refuse to congratulate Shani on his gold medal and instead only saluted the silver medal winner (Cheek) at the award ceremony. Makes me ashamed that Hedrick is representing America at the Olympics, not to mention the reaction by many Americans who have derided Shani for his decision (someone even went so far as to call him the n-word on a post to his personal website!). I could say a lot more, but this author does it better: Shani Davis Disrespected in His Moment of Glory

Issue #2- Ice Dancing Prima Donnas or The Glare Heard Round the World
Two nights ago ice dancing turned into a “demolition derby” with an unprecedented five couples falling during the competition. The Canadian couple had to quit because the girl was dropped on her hip from about five feet in the air. (Sorry I don’t know peoples' names). And then you have the Italians, who fell right at the very end of their otherwise beautiful performance. When they stopped in their poses, they glared, and I mean glared, holes through each other. You could just see that each of them was blaming the other for the fall. Hellooooo, you are a team, when you fall, you both fall. Next night, all during warm-ups and up until they entered the ice they refused to speak to each other and kept giving each other eat-s***-and-die looks. Unbelievable. They came out of retirement for this and that is how they want to remember their last Olympics? Luckily they came out and skated to a very passionate and aggressive score (I think if their skate was romantic they would have bombed) and did really well and apparently forgave each other in the end. But it was disappointing to see them acting like children on international television.

Maybe I am just being too hard on people, but I have always expected more from Olympic athletes than from the pros or even most college players. Where are the personal interest stories that make me want to root for someone? Its just not here for me this year so far. I hope that this week will be better, we shall see.

Do You Sudoku?

Add this to my long list of procrastination tools. I have become very creative in finding ways not to do school work. Right now my top procrastination methods include

1. Watching the Winter Olympics (hey it only comes around every 4 years).

2. Reading books that are not in any way related to law school (see my consuming list).

3. Playing Sudoku, my new addiction(my mom acutally gave this book of puzzles to M for Christmas and I have done all of them)

4. Playing with my blog and reading everyone else's. (But how can I resist, you all are so fascinating!)

5. Cleaning the house, yes that is right, I would rather clean the house than read for the classes I am taking this semester (have you seen the classes I am taking this semester).

Please feel free to suggest new means of procrastination at anytime, I am open to all your ideas :).

The Quartet Meme

I got tagged by Baji about 2 weeks ago and didn't notice it until last night, so I will do this meme too. Sorry if I am boring everyone with memes :).

Four Jobs I’ve Had in My Life
1. Waitress- I was a waitress for 4+ years at two Italian Restaurants and a County Club (which was not very fun)
2. Smoothie Maker at Smoothie King- I did this for quite a while too and it was a lot of fun, but smoothies make you fat when you drink 2-3 a day
3. Sales girl at Express- I lasted here for two weeks only. The other employees were stuck up and I picked the wrong time to start working here (Christmas season, ack!)
4. Clerk for State Court Judge- awesome, awesome experience. Maybe I will try for a Court of Appeals Clerkship after I graduate (insha'Allah!)

Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over, and Have
1. I don't really like to watch movies over and over and when I do they are soppy romantic comedys, so French Kiss
2. Moulin Rouge
3. The Usual Suspects (M's favorite, not a romantic comedy, but good movie)
4. Sleepless in Seattle (I'm a Meg Ryan fan, there its out in the open)

Four Places I Have Lived
1. North Carolina
2. Alabama
3. Georgia

Four TV Shows I Love To Watch
1. Cold Case Files, City Confidential, and American Justice (I can watch A&E for hours)
2. King of the Hill (hilarious, especially now that my parents live in Texas)
3. Rescue Me
4. Nip Tuck (I know, isn't it awful)

Four Places I Have Been On Vacation
1. Europe (3 times)
2. Canada (2 times)
3. Bahamas (2 times)
4. Las Vegas (Once was enough!)- the detour to the Grand Canyon was amazing.

Four Websites I Visit Daily
1. My blogroll
2. Beliefnet discussion boards
3. My yahoo groups
4. Ebay

Four Favorite Foods
1. Country fried steak and mashed potatoes
2. Macaroni and Cheese
3. Chicken Katakat with fresh naan
4. Trout Nociialo from Carrabba's

Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now
1. Dallas with my parents
2. On a cruise
3. Visiting Karachi
4. Alaska, well not right now, I'd like to wait until summer

Four People Whom I Tag Next
1. Pixie
2. Blossoms of Thought
3. Anyone who hasn't done it yet that wants to.
4. Seems like everyone else has done it, so I won't retag someone

I got tagged for my first meme!

I got tagged by wayfarer for my first meme :) and it looks like a fun one too. I tag you, anyone who is reading my blog and hasn't done this one yet :).

1. Your name spelled backwards.- alasam nrehtuos (sounds like an ambassdor to the UN)
2. Last incoming call on your phone- M, of course, he is pretty much the only person who calls me
3. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer? A pocket Qur'an to go on my Treo 650, pretty cool
4. What's your favorite restaurant? Favorite desi restaurant- Moghuls, Favorite other restaurant- Carrabba's Italian Grill. I worked there for 3+ years and I still think that they have the best Italian food.
5. Last time you swam in a pool? This summer, me and M snuck downstairs to the Condo pool after midnight and swam around when noone could see me. Well, I swam around, he just sat there cuz he can't swim. I've tried teaching him and he almost drowned me.
6. Have you ever been in a school play? Once, I had like 2 lines and spoke from offstage. Does that count?
7. 2 or 3? 2?
8. Type of music you dislike most? Rap, I think that the lyrics and videos ar disgusting, objectify women, and glorify criminal life. I know that there is some rap out there that doesn't, but I just don't have time to try to find the speck of good in the load of garbage that is out there.
9. Do you have cable? Yep, what would I do without A&E and Discovery Channel?
10. Have you ever ridden on a 4 wheeler? Suprisingly no, and I grew up in Alabama!
11. Have you ever made a prank phone call? Yep
12. Boyfriend/Girlfriend? Nope
13. Would you go bungee jumping or skydiving? Neither, roller coasters are my limit. I went on the Agoraphobia thing at Six Flags and almost threw up.
14. Farthest place you ever traveled? Austria. This summer I am going to India and Pakistan, insha'Allah!
15. Do you have a garden? Do two window boxes on my balcony count?
16. What's your favorite comic strip? Muttz, I think they are so cute
17. Do you read a newspaper every day? Nope, I get my news online.
18. Do you really know all the words to your national anthem? Definitely.
20. Best movie(s) you've seen in the past month? I haven't really seen any great ones. Wedding Crashers was pretty funny.
21. Favorite pizza toppings? Extra cheese, mushroom, hamburger, pineapple, mmmm
22. Chips or popcorn? Chips and french onion dip! (secret addiction)
23. Have you ever smoked peanut shells? Who has?
24. Have you ever been in a beauty pageant? No
25. Orange Juice or Apple Juice? Orange
26. Who were the last people you went out to lunch or dinner with? Excluding M, I went out with Wayfarer and her dh and their cutie pie
27. Favorite type chocolate bar? White chocolate Reese's Cups
28. When was the last time you voted at the polls? The 2004 election, I also served as a poll monitor.
29. Last time you ate a homegrown tomato? Last summer when I visited my parents in Dallas.
30. Have you ever won a trophy? Lots of them, most for soccer. I played competitive soccer through high school and NCAA DI in college.
31. Are you a good cook? I think I'm alright, M eats it.
32. Do you know how to pump your own gas? Yes, is there anyone under the age of 80 who doesn't?
33. Sprite or 7-Up? Sprite
34. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to school/work? Yes, four years of catholic school and various part time jobs.
35. Last thing you ate? Hamburger steak and green peas. I am doing the South Beach diet and it is only the first day and I think it is hard.
36. Ever thrown up in public? I don't think so, but I may not remember it...
40. Who was the last person you visited in the hospital? Our family's last exchange student from Germany. She got into a car accident on Prom night and had to have minor surgery.
41. Did you have long hair as a young kid? Never really long, from about 2nd to 4th grade I had a bowl cut. Horrors!
42. What messages are in your voice mail? None
45. What kind of bag do you have, and whats in it? Plain black one, keys phone, wallet, tons of random pieces of paper
46. What was the last thing you drank? Water, trying to cut back on my diet coke intake
47. What is one thing you are grateful for today? The beautiful weather (70 degrees today!). Cancelled classes and afternoon naps!
48. What do you think about most? My faith, my family, school, my future
49. What is your new years resolution? Be a better Muslim, work on learning new languages, lose 20 lbs before this summer.

Sins of their Fathers

This is an issue that touches closely on areas that I am interested in, both in the areas of immigration law and education law. The Georgia State legislature is attempting to pass a bill that will deny public services to illegal immigrants, including post-secondary education and health services. See this article for a description of HR-256 Rogers to Revise Immigration Bill.

Now, just for minute, lets concede that it is legitimate to deny health care and education to people who entered this country as adults. They came here of their own free will, they knew that they were breaking the law. But these same people have brought their children with them. These children had no say in where their parents chose to live and in what manner they chose to establish their residence there. Yet we are willing to allow a generation of children of illegal immigrants to be denied healthcare and education because of the sins of their parents? Not only will people without documentation be turned away from public clinics, any private clinics which receive funding from the government will be required to check the documentation of patients and turn away those who are here illegally! Guess they need to tack that clause onto the hippocratic oath.

When they first introduced the bill they wanted to deny access to public schools for the children of illegal aliens as well. Apparently someone finally figured out that the Supreme Court has ruled on this issue more than 20 years ago in Plyler v. Doe, ruling that you cannot deny primary education to children based on their immigration status. Despite the ruling in Plyler, this ruling has been severly limited in further decisions. Consequently, there is no fundamental right to education in the United States. Amazing isn't it? The "most developed" nation in the world does not guarantee the right to its children to receive an education. Ok well now I am off on a tanget.

If you want to send a letter to your Georgia State legislator asking them to vote no on HR-256, or a letter to your United State Representatives asking them to support education for ALL children in this country: click the link below
Letter Writing Action for the Coaltion for New Georgia

Armadillo Fruit Salad?????

I talk in my sleep. I have done this since I was a kid, but in recent years I have become much more fluent in sleep talk. I think that this is because M thinks it is funny to talk to me when I am sleeping and see what I will say. A lot of times he will talk to me in Urdu. Last night he told me that we was saying Karachi janne? (Do you want to go to Karachi?) And I kept saying haan. A few days ago I started laughing out loud while I was sleeping. I woke up M and he started laughing too. When he asked me what was so funy, I said "armadillo fruit salad." What the???? I have no idea where that could have come from. I have no memory of any of it either, he had to tell me about it the next day.

The sleep talking thing is genetic I think, my mom is notorious for talking in her sleep too. One time she cussed my dad out so bad while she was sleeping and he didn't realize that she was asleep. He didn't talk to her for a couple of days and she had no idea what was wrong!

One of my most embarassing moments of my teen years comes from a sleep talking experience. This guy had asked me out several times and I kept turning him down because I just didn't think he was attractive (shallow I know). So finally I thought I will give him a chance and agreed to go out with him. I told my mom before he came to pick me up that he wasn't that cute, but was really nice. When we came home that night the light was still on, but my mom was asleep on the couch. He insisted on coming in to say goodnight to her, although little warning bells were going off in my head. As we came in she said in her sleep, "I don't know, I didn't think he was that ugly." Needless to say, I was mortified and he never asked me out on another date again.

Diet

Has anyone out there done the South Beach Diet? Did it work? How much weight did you lose? Was it really hard? I am wanting to lost about 15-20 pounds before I go to Pakistan this Summer! I want my stomach to look like it did when I was playing ball in college. I weigh the same as I did in college, but all of my muscle has turned to flab. So I want to loose it. I am glad that I have lost some of my muscle though, I looked way too bulky before. I had huge shoulders and huge thighs and even my pecs were too big. So let me know if I should get the South Beach Diet Book!

My First Ashura

I have been a Shi’a Muslim for 2 years now. I have fasted for two Ramadans, but I had never experienced Ashura until now. The night of Muharram, that night I went to the majilis first and listened to the speaker. I felt my chest tighten and my throat close as he painfully described the murder of Imam Husayn’s tiny six month old son as he held him in his arms. Yet I did not cry, every night of Muharram I had felt this tightness, a shortness of breath that often precedes tears, but I could not cry. I could not weep like the other ladies who put their heads down and sobbed as the Maulana recounted each night the fateful moments of Karbala.

Leaving the Majilis, I returned home to study and think about what I had learned that night. Meanwhile, M had come and gone to the Urdu Majilis which started after the English session. He called me to say that he was going with some people to the Jaafari mosque, a somewhat bigger mosque closer to my house. I told him that he should just go and I would go tomorrow. It was already past midnight. At 1 am he called and told me to come downstairs, there were so many people there, close to a thousand, that he wanted me to see it, he was coming to pick me up. I went down stairs and we drove to the mosque.

Here, he said, take your phone and keep it close to you. If you get scared, call me and we will come out. He dropped me at the door and went off to find a parking spot. From a hundred yards away I could the grey-white smoke wafting from the doors. People were milling through the parking lot and standing in the doorways. I slowly made my way to the front, looking for any familiar face.

Entering the mosque the final plaintive strains of the Ziaraat were being recited. Assalaamu Alaikum, peace be upon you, Husayn, a final farewell. I joined the throng of women that pushed to fit behind the meager barriers. Women pushed me to move, move. Where was I going? I was so confused. I managed to squeeze into a space and to find a friendly face, a sister to help me, she pulled me closer to her. The smell of the incense was strong in the air. I watched in amazement as the men lifted an enormous replica of the tomb of Husayn onto their shoulders and carried it around the room, straining against the awkward weight. The flag bearers, carrying the Alam, followed them, balancing their precious banners precariously.

Then the nohays began. The rhythmic chanting filled the room, swelling, overriding all other sounds, an ocean of sound, a living pulse. It drew me in inexorably and the crowd began to carry me forward. Towards the tomb and the alams, my friend grabbed my hand reassuringly. Ya Husayn, Ya Husayn, we cried, beating our chests to the rhythm of the room.

The crowd brought me forward, leaning, desperate to touch the tomb, the alams, touching and kissing, wiping their faces. I reached out tentatively to touch the alam and then, as soon as I was there I was swept away again by the crowd.

I turned to face the crowd of men who stood there, mourning, beating their chests to the rhythm of the nohays. The smells of sweat and incense mingled in the air. On and on it continued, Ya Husayn Ya Husayn. We are here, we will not forget you. We will not forget what you did for us, you saved Islam for us and we will not forget your sacrifice. We will not let our children forget your sacrifice.

The pure physical connection to God was present in that room. In the rhythm and the smell, in the sweat and the tears, so far removed from the cold and sterile God of my previous Christianity. This was life, this was love, this was faith. Husayn’s sacrifice is life, it is love, it is faith. And now I was experiencing genuine connection between the spiritual and the physical for the first time in my life.

Finally I turned from the scene and met M in the parking lot to go home. What did you think, he asked. As I turned to him, the tears welled up in my eyes. Finally, I could cry. I could cry for Husayn, for his baby, for his brothers and sisters, and companions who laid down their lives that Islam may live. I could cry for every man who fought for his beliefs only to be slain by injustice and tyranny. I could cry for every baby who thirsted for water, only to be denied by cruelty. At the end of Ashura, as I stood there in that parking lot, I know that 2 years ago, I made the right decision- La ilaha il Allah.

Ashura 2006

Every Day is Ashura, Every Land is Karbala

The Battle of Karbala
A Marthiyaa of Anis, translated into English verse by David Matthews, Rupa Co.
The sun had run his journey o'er the night;
Unveiled, the Dawn revealed her glorious face.
The King who rides the heavens saw her light
And called his brave companions to their place.
'The time has come at last; to God give praise;
Arise! In fitting prayer your voices raise.
Brave hearts! For strife and slaughter dawns this day;
Here the blood of Muhammad's race will flow.
'Zahra's darling, honoured, seeks the fray;
The night of parting fades 'neath union's glow.
'We are those for whom the angels weep;
To live this day we sacrificed our sleep...

And here amid the thorns the Prophet's flowers
Imparted fragrance to the desert lands;
The house of Fatima faced its last hours
In the garden planted by Muhammad's hands
This garden cut down in those ten sad days,
By traitors wasted, cruelly set ablaze...

Here sad laments and pleading supplication;
But there oppression, cruelty, wicked deeds.
Umar, son of Sa'ad cried, 'Keep your station!
Watch the river, guard the banks and meads !
Husain is without water for two days.
Let him not drink a drop until he pays...'

Baqir rests, Sakina is in a swoon;
This feverish heat our babies has oppressed.
In tears they sleep, their faces like the moon,
Weak from hunger. Where to give them rest?
Theirs is no fault. Why do these arrows rain?
They seek the coolness of the breeze in vain...'

Suddenly arrows rained upon the horde.
Husain advanced and pleaded with his foe.
His thirsty friends came to protect their Lord;
They struck the Syrian force and laid it low.
With swords held high, the fight was underway
All strove like Malik Ushtar in the fray...

'Mid dead and dying stood the lone Imam.
The Prophet's cloak was soaked in crimson gore.
Dejected, anxious, thirsty, in alarm,
He heard their victory drums; the enemies' roar
Proclaiming slaughtered martyrs broke his heart;
It pierced his spirit like a poisoned dart.

Only he who grieves can understand.
The garden of life's toil now wasted lay.
No rest from lamentations cruel hand
The lamps were out that once burnt bright as day.
Scattered limbs exposed to seering heat;
On Ali Akbar's corpse there was no sheet.
The King of the Age moved slowly to the tent;
He could not bring his thirsty lips to speak.
Lifting the flap, he cried: 'My heart is rent!
My sister, it is Asghar that I seek.
Now bring him from his cradle to the door
I long to see his moon-like face once more.'

But now enough! No more, Husain! No more!'
Tis time to rest. The horse pants from the heat.
The time for prayer draws nigh.
The battle's roarIs over now for thee.
No more! Retreat!No one can fight thus, thirsty in the throng.
Attend to thy dear kin, and soothe their wrong.'

Sheathing his sword, the King; cried: 'I obey!'!
'The Day of Judgement came upon the world.
The enemy stood like animals at bay.
Their arrows fixed, their standard's flag unfurled.
Husain stood helpless. See and you will know
Your helpless Lord alone before his foe!

Ten thousand arrows dashed upon his chest;
A hundred at one time sought out their prey.
The spears transfixed his side and pierced his breast;
Ten stuck for every four he pulled away.
The Shadow of the Lord was filled with spines,
Like needles in the backs of porcupines.

From all directions arrows poured like rain;
Assassins rushed with spears and daggers bared.
Such pain befell Husain. Such pain! Such pain!
The one who on the Prophet's lap was reared.
No one to pluck the arrows from his chest.
No one to lift him to his place of rest.

To read the Poem in its entirety click here: The Battle of Karbala

Phew!

I am finished with my comment, alhhumdullilah! I can't write anything else right now because I am brain dead.

Hate Speech

I wrote this short paper last year as part of my Criminal law class and an exercise in comparative law. With the recent controversy over Danish caricatures of our beloved Prophet, I ask, do the cartoons qualify as hate speech? Especially considering the fact that they were reprinted in German and French newspapers which have specific hate speech statutes on the books. Will those editors be prosecuted? Seems like hate speech applies to every group but Muslims. Please note that I in no way condone the violence that Muslims around the world are engaging in as a means of protest. For a great post that pretty much speaks my viewpoint on the issue see Aisha's post on It's My Life (on my blog list).


Hate Speech in Germany and South Africa.
Hate speech is defined as any communication that “degrades a person or group of people based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or other distinguishing status.”[1] In examining the controversial tension between the values of freedom of speech and freedom from prejudicial and discriminatory speech, the differences between Germany and South African provide insight into this area of the law. Both nations retain vivid memories of a history of repression and violence against a specific class or group within their society. However, they have responded in vastly different ways to the problems accompanying such infamous histories.
The basis for German Hate Speech legislation finds its roots in the German Constitution (“Grundgestz”), which was created under allied guidance after Germany’s surrender during World War II.[2] The constitution allows for the promulgation of such laws as are necessary to promote the protection of the youth and of personal honor.[3] Although the constitution provides a fundamental right to freedom of speech, it also provides that this right may be forfeited if that speech is used to promote the violation of the rights of others or if it offends the “constitutional order or the moral code.”[4] In Germany, hate speech is classified as a violation of the personal honor and rights of others. Therefore under Germany’s Basic Law, the government is given the right to limit freedom of expression and has done so through the passage of several laws outlawing hate speech.[5] These laws especially target neo-Nazi groups and ultra-right wing political parties whose rhetoric add to the increasing problem of hate crimes in Germany.[6] These laws specifically outlaw acts against “parts of the population” which lead to the “incitement of hatred, provocation of violence or lawlessness, and insult, ridicule, or defamation.”[7] [emphasis added]. Further related laws prohibit the selling of certain “dangerous materials” to people under the age of eighteen, and “inciting the public to race hatred.”[8] Thus, in Germany the dangerousness of certain forms of speech outweighs the concerns regarding freedom of speech.
South Africa, also known for its own forms of invidious discrimination and violence against a specific group within its society, has addressed the concerns over hate speech in a completely different manner. The “New South Africa” is significantly closer in time and therefore all the possibilities and ramifications for hate speech legislation have yet to be examined. However, South Africa has already shown one step away from strict legislation of hate speech through its rejection of a hate speech provision in its new constitution promulgated in 1992.[9] While several proposals were made during the drafting of a Bill of Rights for the New South Africa, none of these were accepted in the final version. Certain key passages pointed towards the ability to allow the state to enact legislation prohibiting racial hostility, along with many other forms of hostility, and allowing the state to prohibit the dissemination of racially divisive materials which “insult, degrade, defame, or encourage abuse of any … group.”[10] Ultimately, the African National Congress rejected these additions for several reasons. Among them were qualms as to the ability to criminalize insults, the practical ability to apply laws limiting speech, and the fact that the black majority, having finally seized political power were not feeling “powerless or excluded as a result of racist expression” any longer and did not feel a pressing need to criminalize hate speech.[11] Only time will tell as to the needs of the South African society in the future and to whether they will feel a need to ban racist speech at a later date.
Although Germany and South Africa share a past steeped in violence and oppression of minorities, each country has chosen to approach the problem of hate speech in a different way. Germany looks to protect all classes of minorities within its borders from the resurging dangers of neo-nazism and increasing xenophobia through the regulation of speech. Meanwhile, South Africa’s recently oppressed population finds itself suddenly in the seat of power, perhaps lessening feelings towards the necessity of legislation criminalizing hate speech, and choosing not to add provisions to its constitution allowing for such legislation.
[1] Appleman, Bradley A., Note and Comment: Hate Speech: A Comparison of the Approaches Taken By the United States and Germany., 14 Wis. Int’l L.J. 422, 422 (1996).
[2] Id at 428.
[3] Id.
[4] Id. at 429.
[5] Id. at 431.
[6] Id. at 432.
[7] Id.
[8] Id. at 433.
[9] Neisser, Eric, Hate Speech in the New South Africa: Constitutional Considerations for a Land Recovering from Decades of Racial Repression and Violence. 3 D.C.L. J. Int’l L. & Prac. 335, 355 (1994).
[10] Id. at 354.
[11] Id. at 355.

National Lampoon's Redneck Wedding

Here is a good story from back in my home state of Alabama -->

For those of you who don't know, I grew up and went to college in Birmingham, Alabama. When I was a freshman in college I was invited to the wedding of an acquaintance of mine from high school (at the ripe old age of 18). So being the first friend of mine to ever get married, of course I had to go.

The wedding was to be held at sunset on the banks of the Warrior River, aw how romantic. I had no idea where I was going, but I was warned by a friend who was going as well that I should leave early because it would take at least an hour to get there, even though it was only a few exits away on the interstate.

So I coaxed my boyfriend of the time to go with me. His response was no way, they are going to lynch me out there (speaking as a relatively dark skinned Hispanic man). But I made him go anyway, I still didn't believe that it could be that far out in the country.

We are driving along down a highway, then a two lane road, then an unlined blacktop, then a gravel road, then two ruts in the middle of a field and finally an hour later we get to the site of the long anticipated nuptials. At this point, Jose refused to get out of the car until I threatened to kick him out and leave him there.

So we get out and head towards the river where the site for wedding was designated by pews made from hay bales. There were those tiki torches which people use for luau parties on the end of the rows of haybales. So we went and stood in front of a hay bale as the bride appeared, radiant in her prom dress worn for the first time only a few monts before, and barefoot. The groom was also barefoot wearing a white untucked shirt and black pants. At this point the soot from the tiki torches is blowing into the guests eyes and a large golden retriever appears out of nowhere and begins jumping on us (yes, a dog), although this probably didn't bother most guests, as I felt overdressed in my sundress compared to most of the other guests' blue jean cut offs and fringe leather vests. The vows are then exchanged without a hitch. The minister informs us that no rings will be exchanged as the bride and groom will be tatooing their wedding bands on their ring fingers (how Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee!). Then its time for the reception!

We turn and march 100 yards down a hill to where the grooms parents have set up a tent in their front yard for the reception where plenty of barbecue, coleslaw, and cold beer await the guests. The bride and groom complete a wonderful toast with pink lemonade (as obviously they are too young to drink alcohol). But wait, something was missing... the music. Don't worry, an obliging guest simply backed up his JEEP wrangler, took down the soft top and blared some CD's from the car stereo.

What more can I say? I heard about six months later that the marriage had ended after 4 months of bliss and stocked this story away as quite possibly the most amazing redneck spectacle I have ever seen. And I'm glad that I went.

My First Muharram Majilis

I went to my first Muharram majilis last night. Even though I have been Muslim for over 2 years now, I had never been to a mosque until this Ramadan. The English majilis was amazing! The maulana (sp?) was a very good speaker and his speech had everything, laughter, wisdom, and of course, tears. The well of emotion that occurs at these events is just amazing and it sweeps over you like a wave. Suddenly you are crying for people who died over a thousand years ago, but it seems like it is happening all over again through the maulana's words. It is a very difficult thing to explain until you have been there, but I am looking forward to the majilis for the rest of the week and to learning new things and experiencing new emotions insha'Allah.

Doe v. Walmart

Ok, so I know I haven't posted in a while, but I have a good excuse that will have to get me through until Monday. My final draft of my Journal Comment for the Emory International Law Review is due on Monday (30 pages), and I have been procrastinating quite nicely up until this point. If I write well enough there is a chance that I could get it published!

If you are interested in my Comment, which is about labor abuses overseas, especially those committed by Wal-Mart, check out the NGO who is suing them for breach of contract here http://www.laborrights.org/.

So wish me luck and insha'Allah, I will be back to posting more soon.

My Top 10, See these movies!

Amelie- The story of a shy and quirky French girl who embarks on a quest to make people happy. She learns a lot about herself in the process. This is just a beautiful film and an interesting story. It's in French, so expect subtitles. Actually,
most of my top ten are foreign films because apparently Hollywood doesn't make good movies anymore.


Children of Heaven- This is a beautiful story about a little boy in Iran who loses his sister's shoes and then decides to share his with her so that they can both go to school. They make a kind of weird relay where he runs from school to give her the shoes and then she runs to school. It's just very simple and sweet. In Farsi with subtitles. Broaden your mind, learn new languages!


The Terrorist- This is loosely based on the true story of Thenmuli Rajaratnam (also known as Dhanu), who assassinated Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. It gets into the mind of a woman suicide bomber fighting with the Tamil Tigers and grants a humanizing look to the motivations behind someone who would do such an atrocious act. It also has beautiful cinematography. In Tamil with subtitles.

Hotel Rwanda- This movie displays in vivid detail the horrors of the conflict between the Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda and the bravery of one man who worked very hard to save as many people as he could. This is an important film becuase so few Americans actually know about this, one of the worst genocides of all times. And this one is in English!

Life is Beautiful- This movie is about the Holocaust, but much more than that it is about a father's love for his family and his willingness to sacrifice everything just to make his son smile. This movie has both incredibly funny parts and incredibly sad ones as well. Watch it in English or Italian!


Rabbit Proof Fence- The story of three little aboriginge girls during the 1930's in Australia when the government supported extreme measures to assimilate half-white, half-aborigine children into the population. The girls are stolen from their mothers and taken to an orphanage, where they escape and travel thousands of miles back home. Amazing true story! Expect both English and Aboriginal language (not sure what it's called?).


The Station Agent- This is the story of a dwarf (I think this is the PC term?), who loses his best friend and moves to the countryside, only to make an odd group of new friends whether he wants them or not. This is kind of a strange movie, but beautiful in its own way. It makes you think. English.

The Message- A true classic and the Musilm equivalent of the Ten Commandments. It is my goal to make watching this movie a Ramdan tradition for my family in the years to come. Truly tragic that it's talented director, Mustafa Akkad, was murdered by terrorists in Jordan only a few months ago. In English or Arabic



Garden State- An anthem for disillusioned twenty-somethings, this movie is thought provoking and the cinematography is good. See it just for the soundtrack if you must! English.



Earth- The story of what happened in the troubled city of Lahore during the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan, told through the nuetral eyes of a young zorastrian girl. The film highlights the religious tensions between Hindus and Muslims and the damage caused by centuries of colonialism and repression. This is not your typical Bollywood film and a must see for anyone interesting in the history of both nations. In Urdu/Hindi with subtitles.