Ugh

Hi

Great weekend. Busy weekend. Terrible flight delays. Good food. Good company. Amazing hotel. Long meetings. Baller lifestyle. Amazing car.

And exhausting.

More later...

An Ode to Imran

How I miss my long lost friend.
He has deserted me in the throes of Elmhurst,
Here I sit thinking about our precious days and nights together.
How I dream of chicken makhni, A&W, and Baskin Robbins.
Oh, were he to call me someday or just acknowledge my existence,
That would be fantastic.

Imran, dearest friend as can be.

---

This is perhaps the greatest poem written amongst all the great literary works of our time. And it was written by none other than AJ.

AJ was compelled to such...hmm...compelling words due to recent Imran-Withdrawal Syndrome. This epidemic, unfortunately, has become a widespread phenomena due to sheer craziness at work. Actually, I shouldn't even be updating my blog as I should instead spend this time 1) working or 2) sleeping. Sigh. Such has been my life lately. Alhamdullilah for what I have, mashaAllah (I'm not complaining); but it has been pretty intense. Then again, there are millions of people out there who'd do anything to have a job, so I guess I should just shut up now about it. Again, mashaAllah & SubhanAllah for what's been given to me. May Allah accept it as ibadah and fill it with baraqa.

Ironically enough, the other Ahmed in my life texted me (all in caps, mind you) his own version of eloquent words: THIS IS F-ING RIDICULOUS!!! I'M NOT JUST SOME FRIEND THAT U CAN SEE ONCE A MONTH!!! I F-ING BROKE MY ANKLE LAST NIGHT AND ONLY ONE THING CAN MAKE IT BETTER--U!!!

Sure, different style, but breath-taking regardless. I'm still exploring the spiritual undertones and symbolism it ambigously contains. In the meantime, draw your own conclusions.

Anyhow, this blog entry started b/c I just had to share those profound words from AJ. Its depth is unmeasurable. Its wisdom is awe-inspiring. Its love is reciprocated. Its sense of truth is undeniable, much like my hotness and much like my desire for eating Baskin Robbins with AJ.

Shakespeare has left the building...

Whatever Happened To...

...the Teletubbies?

It's been on your mind lately, hasn't it? Well, I hope I can resolve the mystery -- at least partially -- for you...

So earlier last week on the way to work, I noticed the back of a semi truck had something sitting and hanging from the back. Curious, I sped up to the truck to only come to the haunting imagery of this:

image taken via my cell phone camera

Yes, the Red Teletubby. I have no clue what his/her/its name is and I don't really care. In fact, I was delighted to see it sitting there as if begging not to be on the big, bad semi. I wanted to pull the trucker over and give him a high five and tell him how the Teletubbies have permamently destroyed my hopes of TV ever offering children good quality programming.

Anyway, just had to get that off my chest. I didn't think that I should've held that burden and knowledge on my shoulders alone...

Bye

Re: Booo...!

Hi

Alrighty then! I'm not really sure who "Anonymous" is in relation to the recent Booo...! entry, though I have my ideas. But in response to your question, "Do we really need all these odes to your pubescent daydreams?" I'm going to have to say the following:

1. Love the word choices used in that question, specifically the word "pubescent." Solid vocab use, man
2. Yes. Until I'm no longer single, I'm afraid readers are going to have to deal with those from time-to-time. :P

Haha. Anyway, I do appreciate the women in my life (did I just write that?) for supporting me. So a big thanks to Jessica, Farnaz & Jasmine. Like I've said, Anonymous, I'm harmless so lets keep the "Go F yourself" comments away from the blog and re-focus the comments on the following:

1. Giving me my due props
2. Telling me I'm hot
3. And, of course, making fun of me (which I realize is most of you)

Alright?! Peace and love. :)

Word

Yes, More of My Google Videos!!

People!

I'm proud to say that I have uploaded additional Google Videos:

Umar's Graduation [<-- click title for link]:
Yes, mashaAllah, it was a great day: Umar's completion of med school, Alhamdullilah. But I had to do something special for him to let him know just how happy I was. I had to tell the world at-large the actual significance of what it means to be a doctor! So in addition to me and Ali standing up and cheering (yelling) for him, I blurted something out. It was a hit with everyone at the ceremony and Umar is not likely to forget it... :)

Hoops, Baby! [<-- click title for link]:
That's right. Another Imran video on basketball showing my insanely unstoppable skillz for all y'all suckas! This time, it's another AJ-Imran one-on-one full court classic in lovely Elmhurst. AJ found the most perfect spot to place the camera, and away we went battling it out like warriors. It was heroic and often times tragic. But don't let me define it for you; watch the three videos yourself. The one called "Recap" provides, yes, a recap of the games played and AJ convincing himself that he's 1) Marv Albert and 2) a student of Dwyane Wade. (A mentioning of Gayraz/Faraz is also included, folks.) Please feel free to tune out once he starts describing his comeback victory otherwise it'll give you impure thoughts (i.e. Imran is out of shape). The "Narrative" is a pre-game synopsis in which I do my thang (dance for the fans and the ladies). This is also the vid in which AJ initially draws comparisons between himself and Wade. And at the end of the vid (congrats for making it that far, btw) it ends with me going up for layup and the Jolly Green Giant (that's AJ) making an attempt to block it. I'll leave it up to your own imagination as to whether or not it went in or was blocked straight up Alonzo Mourning style. And the third one is me dunking mad-style. Well, not quite. Okay, not at all. But still sick nonetheless...

Frick! Erik's New GTO [<-- click title for link]:
Oh yes. Eswft traded in the VW Golf and went for some bling and most definitely for some Vrrooom! His brand new Pontiac GTO cries for police to give him tickets, his insurance to go up a few thousand dollars, women to start screaming, and above that Imran to start screaming. I thought we were gonna go for a nice, quick test drive in his ride, but of course Erik had to show some capabilities of his new ride. I had a hard time holding onto something. In this video, you'll also come to realize that I have a very dirty mouth. Frick this and frick that, yo! ;)

Alright, folks. Enjoy your laughs on me as always. :)

Peace!

Booo...!

Hi

Okay, so I totally got these girls wrapped around my finger (or maybe it's just one girl with multiple personality disorder? Or, again, just one of the guys trying to be oh-so-cool). Oh, if the Punjabi Lords of the olden times could see me now...

Ladies: So thanks again for requesting more info about the Doc (which one, is the question) and Taha. Punks! Okay, since my previous post had no impact upon you, let's make a deal: You guys tell me who you are. Send me a pic. IM me. Something!! And then I'll hook you all up with the beautiful doc and the studly T-Man. Does that work??


Cheers

Ode to Some Chicks

Hi Jasmine, Rainda, Farnaz, etc.

Okay, a couple girls out there have obviously gotten my attention with their recent onslaught of comments. Like 6-7 comments posted within 30 minutes. No doubt, a personal best for my blog. (This can only be a signal of good things to come and is an excellent kickoff for Year II of the blog.) My personal favorite, so far, was from a girl (God, I hope "she" is a girl) named "hmmm." She posted a comment on the recent Fishing Trip (Part Deux) and said "u guys sounds hot." Anytime a girl says that, I naturally get excited (sometimes uncontrollably, but that...oops, sorry...). Anyway, about a billion and one things pop into my mind: Can I really do a Google Image search for "girl named hmmm"? [Results] Is Hmmm on Naseeb? Is Hmmm from STL and is this some twisted, cruel joke from T-Man and Prince AH? Is this a twisted, cruel joke from Farooq or AJ? Is Hmmm single, hot, and Muslim? [Does that question sound familiar, anyone?] Does this person realize what she is doing to my ego? Will my mom accept an online relationship? Do I need to start shaving on a regular basis? How does my butt look in spandex? [Dang it, how does that question always pop up?!] Will she be at APPNA? Is she a desi? Is she a he? If she is a he, does he have a sister? If he does have a sister, is she single, hot, and Muslim or Christian (hey, you gotta explore)? Does she dance? Bhangra style, of course? Is she rich and looking for a trophy husband? Is she actually really young? Like too young? [Doh!] Holy crap! Is this someone in my family messing with me?! Is she only interested in a doctor? [If yes, please stop and desist from reading any further. :P] Will she ever read my blog again?

Then there's Rainda. Rainda, is that your real name? How about you, Jasmine? Is Jasmine pronounced like it is from the movie Aladdin or is actually pronounced Yasmine? Farnaz? You have anything to say for yourself? And if "Farnaz" is actually a guy named Faraz that I knew, please call me so I can yell at you properly. Going back to Hmmm: WTF, dude? Use your real name, yo! :)

Okay, let me break this down some more...

Rainda: You wanna know the "dish" in the boat? Chances are that it was probably none other than T-Man himself. Yes, we all widely accept and regard him as a hottie. Consider Brad Pitt, for a moment. The guy is sooo good looking that even guys have to give Brad his due props. Much is true about Taha. BUT, the caveat here is that he's TAKEN! HAHA!! SUCKA! So the only other worthwhile dish to taste is yours truly...

Farnaz: I can't say much to make fun of you or anything like that, unfortunately. The fact of the matter is that you've been there for me and I'm touched. You posted such comments like, "interesting" or "or make her laugh" in response to the Dawah to a Blonde. For that, I thank you for being sincere. Wait, hold up one second........Okay, I'm back. Sorry, had to wipe the tears off my face, Farnaz. I love you, too.

Jasmine: Ahh, Jasmine! I've saved the best for last. You told me that "All you got to do is smile and she will be entranced." Thanks for acknowledging what has also been widely accepted and regarded as irrestible: me. But after sugaring me up, you follow-up with a vicious slap in the face when you requested to see Taha's rock-hard body and not my rock-hard...err...head. If you wanna get anywhere with the T, you have to go through me first, so please keep that in mind when posting comments (i.e. humor me, please).

Okay, so if you're reading these questions, don't mess around. Just tell me straight up who you are and what you're wearing. Err...umm....disregard that last part (unless you don't want to! wink, wink).

Alright, alright. Seriously, thanks for coming by my blog. Hope to see you again and keep in touch. Just keep in mind that I'm harmless. And try keeping this as rated PG-13 as possible, alright?! ;)

Cheers

My Blog: A Year of Greatness

Hi All

Yes, readers, time does fly by when you're having fun reading my blog. The month of July and the year 2006 do in fact mark the month of my one year blogging adventures anniversary. And here's now an outlook of what that means and where we've been:

I've taken you from my wannabe funny and witty initial entry to odes of my fish, a girl named Jessica, Nathan Vasher and Rex from Da Bears (and their last season), my own company, a very special ode to my Nani Ammi, and the highest of all to the most Precious and Beloved of all.

I've shared with you my personal thoughts on sufism, beautiful stories in Islam, stories of New York, stories of fishing, stories of horror and personal heroism and even moments of utter stupidity.

I connected you to my family by giving you some insight on my brothers (about 50% of my entries are created to make fun of their blogs or them in general and 90% of those aimed at Umar and his often boring entries), cousin's weddings and engagements. I invited you into my house with my Iftar Party. I even gave women the opportunity to be my wife.

I introduced you to Prince AH. To T-Man. To Google Video. To Junoon. To my basketball skills. To Texas & Islam.

I provided accounts on fatherhood without knowing what it really means. I put myself on the line by letting the world know about my dieting plans (note: I don't plan on a follow-up on that posting). I even told you other people's thoughts about me. And I would continue to give you Deep Thoughts by Imran Shakur.

So, the point is I've taken you pretty much everywhere I've been and inshaAllah will continue to do so ever in the name of my own self-given title: man.myth.legend.sufi.lover.fighter.punjabi.

To further commit myself to myself and of course you, I have now included two new things on the right-hand side of my blog: direct chatting abilities (I found this thanks to Kamran) and email subscription. Enjoy me always, folks, and continue to spread the word... ;)

Sincerely,

Imran: man.myth.legend.sufi.lover.fighter.punjabi.

Imam Zaid Quote

Aa

When Imam Zaid was in a real low point in his life, his cousin sent him a very short letter that said,

"A successful life is a succession of successful days."

Meaning do what you can everyday to have daily successes (victories).

--
The above was from an online chat between Abdul Wahid and I. As always, he was mashaAllah there for that needed spiritual insight. May Allah protect him. Ameen.


bye

Hermanos Del Alma

The Three Musketeers
The Three Stooges
The Three Niggaz
The Three Amigos

Da Brothaz.