Misleading Prejudices

A Muslim husband pulled into the gas station to fill his tank. The driver's side on his car didn't open due to a recent accident. The damage to the driver's side was difficult to notice without a close view. The husband asked his wife to pump the gas since she could freely navigate away. The wife, who happens to be dressed in hijab, proceeded for the pump. One of the service men at the station witnessed the whole ordeal and felt obliged to note his disgust with the husband's behavior. As the husband was sitting in the car while the wife struggled with the pump.

The husband and wife looked at each other and melted in laughter. They knew what the man was thinking. Do you?

Life

It's hard to talk about life sometimes while one is living it, but sometimes it's healthy to reflect. I have three piles of laundry on my bedroom floor awaiting attention, stacks of unwanted documents that need to be shredded and a pile of student work that must be graded, recorded and filed away. I have a movie in my DVD player,"P.S: I love you" and my laptop on my bed. I look around at the mounts of work and entertainment gadgets and wish to do nothing. I turn off the TV and laptop and just sit in bed for hours. Even the bag of crips I bought from London are unappealing. I am not as hungry for the Chinese food I bought for dinner tonight that I used to devour as a kid in California (Panda Express). I really want nothing. My family thinks I've turned mute. My girlfriends who graduated around the same time text me daily about their crappy jobs. Sometimes they call crying.

Somethings cheer me up though and I find myself laughing uncontrollably like a kid with no worries, responsibilities or a job that I lose sleep over. These special moments aren't rare and I am thankful for. A walk in the park, a trip to my favorite restaurant, wearing a new dress and being around loved ones make it all better.

I leave you with something I do that makes me happy:

Innovative Muslims

Innovative Muslims, originally uploaded by Organica59.

In the other bathroom they used an actual USB cord. You gotta give it to them, they are pretty creative these days with budget deficits in Masjids and all.

London Trip and How it Be

iMuslim and family were gracious enough to extend an invitation to me to visit their beautiful home in London. Although I've threatened numerous times that if I came to visit they should expect me as a permanent tenant, which they refused to believe. I think they took my claims seriously when three people were required to push my suitcase up the stairs. [Refer to Shazia to learn more about how heavy Organica travels :)]

First off, why do the British drive on the wrong side of the road? iMuslim and friend had to save me at least a dozen times from being run over by one of those little cars. I suppose it didn't help that I was looking on the wrong side of the road to cross.

If there was a weird hijab lady holding up the queue because she couldn't differentiate between a Canadian dollar, British pound or the euro, you know it was me. If the same hijabi froze when it was time to swipe her day pass for the "Tube" and looked at her friends mortified, that was me. If you heard a weird lady moan and scream with joy at the Haagen Dazs cafe near Oxford Street, then you know it's me. If I was the one person whose credit card never worked anywhere because it lacked the "chip and pin" design, you know it was me.

London was a glorified New York City. People were scrambling everywhere. The diversity was overwhelming. Muslims were infested in every corner street and alley. I am not sure if I say that it in a positive or negative connotation. People didn't smile as much. Women dressed in short skirts, tights and accessorized with neck scarves. Men wore tight trousers. For a second I thought I was in gay land. Desis. Oh the desis. Somethings were overpriced. Taxes included in prices which makes it easier on non-math lovers. I felt like the only Arab in town. Where are the Arabs?

Overall, I had a pleasant stay in London. The accent of most isn't as strong. I had the pleasure to meet Media Guy and he made it a point that I sounded "too" American. I suppose I do sometimes. I had a great trip though, all thanks to the beautiful work of iMuslim, family and our dearest friend, SimSim.

Obligatory Snaps:

Among the Irish

Among the Irish, originally uploaded by Organica59.

Dublin, Ireland.

Spring 2009

Spring 2009, originally uploaded by Organica59.

Guess the city.

False Alarm

The teachers were informed of a possible fire drill at 9:30 am during first period. We all prepared for the fun occasion by withholding bathroom passes and looking over the missing fire escape exit plan. I was still unsure which exit my students would exit from, but that is normal where I work!

So 9:30 comes and goes. So does 10 o'clock. Nothing. No fire drill, no alarm. Around 11 am one of the hall monitors informs us of a "malfunction" in the alarm system. "We have no working alarms in the building." The building with over 800 students and 100 staff members that is!

During lunch the teachers joked that in case of a real fire we should holler and make a run for it. One vowed to research the legality of having us in a building with no real fire alarms!

Last period, around 2 pm, the alarm went off. Followed by an announcement, "False alarm, Teachers. Please don't evacuate."

Little did they know that we had fled the scene seconds ago and some of us are off to the airport.

Happy Spring Break, y'all!

The Scent of Spring

It's that time of the year where flowers are blooming, birds are chirping and children crawl outside their homes to play in the sun. Freedom at last. I like this time of year because it's peaceful. It's not too warm or cold. Rather perfect for an afternoon walk. Here are some recent photos from one of these walks.

Canon SD780 IS