AA / What up?
Alright, so my latest adventures -- if you weren't in the know already -- are on Google Video. This time, I come to you from the recent trip to Madrid:
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=madrid+imran
Eventually, I'll get to posting my adventures in Madrid and London, but for now you will all have to settle for this. Be patient and remember that my time is more important than yours. ;)
Chow!
AA
This is a pretty interesting ESPN piece I remember watching a couple months ago. It's on a high school women's basketball team, but Muslim women who observe the hijab, mashaAllah. (Thanks to Mehboob for providing the link.)
peace
WS
So, like, I don't even know where to begin? I can't tell you how excited I was (and still am, obviously) to see that some girl named 'Jessica' actually repsonded to my last blog entry's questioning.
Recall that the entry immediately below provided the world an update as to how popular and cool I really am despite vicious Internet rumors my two brothers are trying to create. My little video documentaries/adventures/journeys/etc. are being viewed on Google Video by the world at large and so naturally I'm turned on (and off) by this...
Anyway, in the prior entry, I posted the following questions regarding my 'audience':
who the hell are you? Where do you come from? What's your name? Why are you so interested in me? And are you a single, attractive, and nice Muslim girl? (If 'yes' to that last question, please email me!)Much to my surprise and joy, Sister Jessica hollered back. Being a single, Muslim brotha, the first thing that pops into my innately immature mind is that, Does this mean that Jessica is a single, attractive, and nice Muslim girl?! I mean, look, I'm not tryin to sound like a jerk or typical guy (i.e., jerk, punk, and all that) here, but I just gotta be honest with you...
Hi All
Okay, I can now confirm that I have secret admirers, lovers, stalkers, and potential freaks that want me (or at least my friends). As you may know, I mashaAllah recently went to Madrid and London for a nice one week mini-vacation (well, Madrid was technically for work, but it wasn't like it was crazy busy or anything like that). So, tonight I finally had some time to upload some fun video clips from Madrid to my favorite website - Google Video - and decided to take a look at this "Reports" section for my account. Well, what's really friggen cool is that you're allowed to take a look at your Viewing Information and see how many people have viewed your clips and downloaded them, too.
So, now, this is the pretty cool and equally scary part of it:
My video clip called, "Imran's New York Trip" has been viewed a total of 1585 times. Look, I know that you're gonna say that about 1580 of those views could be credited to me, but I assure you (for once), this just isn't true. Further, the video clip (which has been on there since early January 06) has been downloaded 20 times!!
So people out there...who the hell are you? Where do you come from? What's your name? Why are you so interested in me? And are you a single, attractive, and nice Muslim girl? (If 'yes' to that last question, please email me!)
Haha, okay, I admit: it is a little presumptious and arrogant to think that 'random' people are out there doing this when it could (and is most likely the case) be my friends, but just allow me to humor myself. It's doing a nice number on my ego, man.
So the Imran's New York Trip clip is the one, from feedback I've received, that's the best b/c it's me 'singing' (though I have since learned that what I qualify as 'singing' is actually considered attempted murder in some states) to a Kelly Clarkson song and then I subsequently get really excited and very ghetto upon seeing the highway exit sign for Manhattan... [sigh, good times...]
The next most popular one is called Imran, Erik, Taha: Hoopage. Now, the popularity of this one I kinda resent. It shows Taha ridiculing me by addressing me as 'Hey, Fat Man' like I was some out-of-fashion former superhero or something. To upstage T-Man, I showcase some of my basketball, well, let's just say 'skills.' Anyway, you'll be surprised to know that my little talent show was received with vicious (snake-like, in fact) snickers by Erik and Taha. Jerks!
The third most popular Imran video clip is called Farooq & Imran: King Kong, Dawah. You know what? I kinda resent this one being so popular, too, because Farooq had the gall to draw parallels between my masculine physique and King Kong's. I'm not sure how I should take that? Specifically, after showing the Empire State Building in NYC, Farooq commented, "...and Imran's king kong ass is gonna climb that..." That hurts, man. How many people did you fwd that to, Farooq?
So, my loyal and most likely drunk 'fans', please continue to watch these video clips. I appreciate and value your committment to everything that's ME. In fact, just yesterday you people viewed the Imran's New York Trip clip 9 times as well as Imran Shakur vs Taha Ghani (hmm, wonder who viewed that second one, Taha?!). Soon enough, you'll all fulfill my dream of appearing on the 'Popular' or maybe even 'Random' links on Google Video. So, until then!
Alright, those were your higlights of the top three clips. Just thought I'd share that with all ya punks! Look out for four new clips from Madrid coming soon...!
Chow!
Hi
I know you sit there at night often thinking to yourself, what would happen if the King of Pop (MJ) and King of Bhangra (Daler Mehndi) were to ever collaborate?
Well, this video clip will probably be the closest thing to that:
DISCLAIMER: THIS VIDEO IS HOT!!
:)
Hi
This is pretty cool and seems like something Google would've come up with. Regardless, credit goes to Baseer for pointing this out. Here's the email he sent to us earlier today about it:
"this site is awesome: http://www.archive.org/ ...only goes back to 1996 cuz thats when they started the waybackmachine...brings back memories...
type in any site and click "Take Me Back" then click on the date
check out google 1998:
http://web.archive.org/web/19981202230410/http://www.google.com/
depaul 1997:
http://web.archive.org/web/19970205082525/http://www.depaul.edu/
uic 1997 (yukk):
http://web.archive.org/web/19970606093823/http://www.uic.edu/
have fun."
I'm havin fun with this one. I typed in my brother's website and one of his first web pages/design came up (www.umarshakur.com). That's friggen awesome (and scary??). I also checked out:
www.hotmail.com (first one is friggen hysterical!!)
www.yahoo.com (same comment as from hotmail)
www.sunnipath.com
www.darulqasim.org
www.madrasaprogram.com
Enjoy! Let me know if you think of any cool ones.
Word
AA
Just thought I'd spread the love...
Very beautiful (though there's a delay in the video or something): Quran recitation
Also, you might be interested to know that those Islam: Empire of Faith shows are available on Google Video, too.
Further, from DeenPort, a blind hafiz, mashaAllah. There's a madrasa in S. Africa specifically for the blind. SubhanAllah. His recitation is so beautiful, mashaAllah.
Okay, this is tight.
And there used to be a better one of this online, but can't find it anymore, but still pretty good: Junaid Jamshed
Via Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, I found out that Syed Faseehuddin Soharwardi has some of the beautiful naats he sings on Google Video: 1) Ishq e Nabi Mere Dil Mein Bhi Sama. 2) Stand up for this one, people...Mustafa Jaan e Rahmat Pay Lakhon Salaam.
Okay, I'm done!
Allah hafiz
Holla
Click away...
1. Sick
2. And 1 Sickness Vol 6
3. And 1 Sickness Vol 7
Now be good and hope that I don't do any of that to you on the streets...
Peace!
AA
Alhamdullilah and MashaAllah, my brother Umar recently matched into a residency internal medicine program in Milwaukee. It was his top IM choice and forces him to become a "real" doctor now. :) Which is great for me because I had to admit that if he went into radiology, I would've been upset that he couldn't as easily prescribe me free drugs and all the other fringe benefits a "real" doc would get. Haha. Plus, his excellent (mashaAllah) bed side manners would've been gone to waste and an trait like that is very important to have in a patient's well-being.
Anyway, what should've been a celebratory email from Umar turned into something ugly, enlightening, and ultimately disappointing and alarming. So now I ask you to read the following recent email correspondences and make the same call I did: Umar is in fact disenfranchised:
16-Mar-2006: Umar sends email to close family/friends announcing the following (pay specifc attention to the bold/italics):
"Assalaamu alaikum,
Alhamdulillah, I've matched to internal medicine at Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. I'll start in July, insha'Allah. Long term I may pursue something in cardiology or pulmonology, but it's a little early to say right now. It will be sad to leave Chicago, but Milwaukee is really just a northern suburb, after all...
I can finally be a Green Bay Packers fan in the open..."
17-Mar-2006: Tareq Mahmud - a fellow UofC alum like Umar and one of his close friends who hails from Philly - responded:
"salam, Congratulations dude! Although Milwaukee isn't nearly as exciting asfun-filled central PA I'm glad you matched somewhere. But sad to leaveChicago? Man, you haven't lived in Chicago since '99. Be real....I'm glad you can be somewhere where people will be more accepting of yourkind and where you can find a community of individuals like yourself. Iadmit when you came out as a Green Bay Packers fan last year I had a lot oftrouble coping with it and trying to understand. You see, my belief systemjust doesn't accept people who have made that choice or who were born thatway or whatever. But I want you to know that, although I secretly hope fora scientific cure to Packers-fannism, I'm trying really hard to accept it,and if that's what you think is best for you in your life, then I'll supportyou in your insanity...."
18-Mar-2006: Umar Shakur's really gay reply:
"Walaikum assalaam dude,
Thanks, thanks a lot. I'll have you know, Packers fan are people too. Sure we may be "different," sure we wear hats that look like cheese, sure most of the fans smell like cheese, but as a until-now expatriate Packers fan, these are things I put up with in the name of one thing: victory.
Sure we had an anomalous year - a terrible year - last year, but I can't wait til this year starts and the Bad News Bears reveal their true colors. And I really can't wait until Orton gets traded to another team (hopefully Green Bay) and becomes a stand-out quarterback while the Bears foolishly struggle on with Grossman.
We shall see who laughs last, muahahahahaha"
20-Mar-2006: My insightful response that pretty much summarizes Umar Shakur:
"AA guys,
Ignoring Umar's very gay reply, allow me to build upon Tareq's email. You will note that this will inevitably be posted on my blog:
See, Tareq, I guess I have a long way to go. I cannot in anyway bring myself in supporting my brother just because he thinks something is good for him. Let's come to reality here. We're talking about Umar. Umar Shakur, to be specifc. A man, as we all know, that will support any sports team based on his affinity towards that team's logo and/or color scheme. A man who will ask, "When is the Super Bowl?" two weeks after the fact. And finally, a man who professes to be a devout Chicago White Sox fan (coincidentally during their championship season) but cannot name a single player without looking at http://www.chisox.com/.
So you see, I just can't bring myself to look past these troubling issues. It's hard. In fact, I often wake up in the middle of the night waking up my mother yelling, "Mommy, you can't be a Bears fan and GB Fudge Packers fan and still be considered human, right? It's not possible, right, mama?" My mom laughs saying, " Azubillah, Imran. You're just having a bad dream. Nothing like that can exist unless the person has no back bone. No go back to sleep."
Alas! Little does dear old mother know about her middle son's dangerous obsession and flirtation with the inherently stupid and prolifically gay GB Packers.
Actually I hear stories -- troubling stories -- of Umar disrespecting the Eagles, your team, Tareq. Again, another tragic example of how Umar spits in the face of Chicago -- the friggen land that raised, cultivated, and nourished him -- by dissin Chicago's own Donovan McNabb. I mean, at least show some due consideration here! A few yrs back when Philly beat Da Bears in the playoffs, I was sad, but at least I knew that it was one of our own that beat us. Sure, the Eagles didn't have a great season this past yr, but they were by no means the laughable GB Packers [abrupt and roaring laughter from everyone reading this for even considering the thought!].
Finally, Tareq, I have some hesitation is continuing to dilude my brother in his simply whacked football beliefs. In his response, he acquainted the words "victory" and "Packers." WTF? Is he serious? I think this only means one thing: the multiple sacks the Bears has on Favre somehow also caused Umar a concussion. And in true Umar-esque fashion, he still disrespected his team by saying, "Sure we had an anomalous year - a terrible year - last year."
Umar, it's not about living in a fool's paradise and thinking that your team is untouchable or infallible, but it's the principle here. One second Umar will be like, "Bears won?! NO WAY, man! I told you these guys are the Monsters of the Midway!!" The next second, "Bears lost?! I figured they would. Anyway, did you see the Houston Texans?! They won! Man, these guys are gonna take it all the way...! I've loved them since Day 1. Woo hoo! And their colors look, like, totally cute, too. Heehee..."
Cheers."
Rgds
Me & My Bros: 3 Stooges (title name courtesy of our mother). Really, that pretty much sums us up. 3 Musketeers would do well, too. So would Single-Hot-And-Looking. We're like the original 'homies' when that word was invented. Soul brothers up in this. Also, Italians. Think about it: One second we're, let's say, passionately arguing with one another and the next we're straight up chillaxin like we belong on The Cosby Show.
Me & AJ: Rajpoothis, Husband and Wife (the roles vary day-to-day as to who is who), My Buddy & Me (remember that toy/commerical?), The White Man and The Nigga, Sufis up in this, Made-for-Each-Other, UMMAH's Jummah Coordinators, The Executives ("AJ, tee time is at 3pm sharp. We can discuss our company's business objectives at that time, too." "Sounds good, Imran. I'll give you the 10,000 ft view of it.")
Me, Taha, Ahmed: Da Niggaz, Professional Pakistani Pimp Playaz, 3-way, 2pac-T Man-Prince AH (okay, I just totally made those up). Note on pic: Yep, that's Taha's chest hair showing. Yes, AH is in fact either farting underneath Taha's blanket and laughing about it or probably doing something he really shouldn't be. And yes, I do have a beautiful smile (confirmed that night by AH himself).
Me (not pictured; I know, it's unheard of!) & Erik: The Original Thugs, The Original Gangstaz, Girls Suck, I Hang Out in Erik's Back Pocket, 24 was she, Kinda like an armoir if you will, and perhaps most accurately, Dorks. Haha, those have to fit, right, Eswft? But I gotta ask, man, why the hell you lookin so pensive at a restaurant? What could you possibly be philosophizing about? Anyway, I'm sure me and Erik would've had a pic together by now (after 8 or 9 yrs) had he actually been my friend the past year. But now that he can be, I guess we will, right? :P
Me & Taha: Punjabis. Yep, that's it. That word encompasses everything between us. Da Niggaz would apply here, too. Okay, I'm still not sure why he looks so uncomfortably gay in this pic and why I'm blatantly showcasing my foot as if it was insured by the Lloyds of London. Let me also throw in: Roomies, Balle Balle!. Taha's made up some good ones in the past that I just can't remember right now.
Alright, I'll have my other peoples up on this soon, too...
Cheers
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