Honor

Just to be able to wear business attire, casual or dress to impress, isn't in it self honorable. Being able to work a desk job, or having titles such as MD, Professor etc. are not honorable. Honor is in one's character not necessarily in one's profession. If a banker can dine in expensive places, can afford the latest car and owns a mansion, the world might 'respect' his possessions but he/she is honorable only if he works hard, with honesty and without any intentional malice. And he is no more honorable than the guy who cleans the toilets at Dubai airport if the guy cleaning the airport earns an honest living.

colorful gray

We are all colorful. Few of us might be pure and perfect and few might be 99% evil but the rest, the majority of us, are something in the middle. We are a little compassionate a little selfish, a little forgiving a little harsh, sometimes loving and at others totally hateful. And often our actions are dictated by how we want the people around us to think of us. The other day google quoted Connolly who said "There are many who dare not kill themselves for fear of what the neighbors will say. " Funny, sad and true. The sooner we accept the reality that most people including ourselves are capable of kindness and cruelty at the same time the better off we will be. Unfortunately, we have yet to evolve to look at life as a colored picture, we are still looking for the crisp black and white, such that the obvious shades of gray tend to get sorted out as two light or too dark.

Think, forgive, move on, embrace the possibility of good to happen.

Finally!

weekend update

The weekend was okish. Got a lot done in some respects and not at all in others. For example, got the home work done but couldn't get to some car work that was needed. Too cold. Even the trip to the slopes was a disappointment. It was way too windy with snow blowing in my face. I don't know how the other people were at it but I wiped off my snow board after an hour and headed back.

Watched "Doubt". It was good. I kinda like these drama movies. There was no fist fights, nothing blowing up, no skin showing. The topic however were definitely R. It is very slow ... so if you lack patience you might get bored before it gets to be interesting. May a 7/10

run run

So yesterday we went to the Oatmeal Festival and ran the quick 5k race. I am so proud that Nadia finished the entire walk/run. I was thinking she will either chicken out at the last minute or just give up in the middle. But she actually finished it. She slept the rest of the day and probably will do the same today.

I did ok, was 6 minutes slower than the last time I ran it. But this time I had to push Misbah in a jogger. Pushing the jogger wouldn't have slowed me down as much but it was way too many people, so they came in the way. So if I got off the track to go around them, I got stuck in snow. :-/ Anyway, it still was fun!

Lets see ... today I need to work on my Volvo, it didn't start this Friday. Take Misbah to the zoo and buy her a new back pack and then go pick up G from the Airport.

I kid you not

Yesterday morning it was freezing, we thought it will be nice to go for a mile long walk around the lake near our house. This crazy thought came to us probably because we were feeling guilty for eating such unhealthy food over the weekend, not to mention a desi restaurant buffet we had pigged out at the day before. Anyway, Misbah was not in the mood to go walk in the freezing weather outside. So in all the 'commotion' in convincing her to go and her tantrum, we locked ourselves out of the house. Yes, in the bitter cold ... we were standing outside with all the 3 duplicate keys to our house, inside the house.

After the first five minutes of panic, Nadia went to the car, which luckily was open, got out her library card and opened the door using that. Yes, I kid you not. Just like in the movies. She slid the card in the little crack next to the handle, jiggled it and wallah! It propped open.

Everyone was relieved but I was shocked.

WTH, what else is she capable of? Next I will find out she knows how to shoot a 9mm? :-/

Yes, I was a little embarrassed (read: jealous) that my screw driver & hair pin technique didn't work.

Today is our 7th wedding anniversary but I will write about that later.

Trials

Life is nothing but a trial after another.

When going through a tough one, the question to ask is 'what to do?' rather than 'why me?'

The second step is to ask why am I doing what I am doing.

Hijabi.

On Tuesday, December 15th, Sartorialist, posted a hajabi. That was indeed a first