Every day is Ashura; Every land is Kerbala

Before I say anything, I'd recommend anyone who doesn't know the story of Kerbala or Imam Hussein to watch this video. It'll give you a brief summary of the tragedy and my post will make a lot more sense to you as well. For those who do know the story, the video is great to share with your non-shia or non-Muslim friends if they're interested.

"Every day is Ashura; Every land is Kerbala". This has been a very common saying among Shia Muslims during the time of Ashura. But do we even know the meaning of it? Do we truly understand the truth in that statement? Maybe this will help:

Afghanistan - 61 killed and more than 160 injured
Iraq -30 killed

Men, women and children who wanted to exercise their right as Shias to mourn the death of their beloved Imam and his family are met only with multiple bombings. Blood spilled, body parts thrown across the streets and the cries of women and children. Where have we heard this before? Seven centuries may have passed but those who show their support and love for the truth are still brutally killed all over the world. And you know how in Kerbala the ones who killed the family of the Imam also called themselves 'Muslim'? Nothing's changed there. It's still Muslims on both sides. Scary right?

But those atrocities are just on Ashura. What about the oppression that runs rampant every single day? Bahrain. Palestine. Libya. Tunisia. People wanted their rights and for justice to be served, to not have to bow down to a corrupt government and though they were peaceful with their protests, many were imprisoned, abused, injured and brutally killed. Ring a bell? THIS is the story of Kerbala. and it's TODAY. it's EVERYDAY. This is what you should think of when you say the words 'everyday is Ashura, every land is Kerbala'. But should we just leave it to those who are going through these difficulties? Is that what we've learned from the story that we've been hearing over and over since childhood? Imam cried for help after every soldier and family member he had, died. And nobody replied. Our brothers and sisters are calling us from all of those places where everyday really is Ashura. Are we going to ignore their calls? Or are we going to take action and do everything in our power to help them overcome oppression and make sure justice is served. Many people suffered in Kerbala but the Imam and his family's sacrifice caused people to realize what had happened. Bibi Zainab's courage and bravery caused people to listen. Are we going to follow in her footsteps? Kerbala is already happening everywhere. Now we just have to take the steps of Bibi Zainab and the rest of the Imam's companions to spread the word. Spread the word of injustice. Spread the word of oppression. Open people's eyes and ears to the horror that others face every single day. Then only will we be truly fulfilling the mission Imam Hussain started so many years ago.

TSOR & Khaled M.

I went to a benefit concert called Harmony for the Horn a couple days ago and it was an event which had well known artists such as Khaled M and The Sound of Reason perform and all the proceeds went to East Africa. It was SUCH  a great night. To be perfectly honest, i hadn't heard of any of those people before that night but I fell so in love with them that I feel like it's a duty to spread the word to everyone. Basically, if you like artists such as Immortal Technique and Lowkey, you're gonna love these artists as well. They've got pretty much the same intention of spreading awareness of political issues, societal flaws and making an effort to change the direction of mainstream music. For people like me who can't stand songs that are all about sex, money and useless crap, I feel like i can finally listen to awesome music that's actually clean and doesn't kill my brain cells!

THE SOUND OF REASON

     So, The sound of reason is made up of Francis and Ku, both of who were friends long before they started their mission to change the sound of mainstream music. In under a year, they've gone from their basement studio in Montreal, Canada to being in the top 10 of the international radio list. I met them after the concert to get their autographs and their personalities off stage are exactly the same as on stage. Their sincerity and down to earth personalities are so great that you just can't not love em. What i love about their music is the variety. From a song about Palestine to a love song for an unborn child to the political corruption of the government - they've seriously got it ALL. Here's one of their songs, one of my absolute faves, it's called 'palestine'. Only Francis is singing in this one but you can hear Ku on his guitar :)

KHALED M.

Khaled tries to make it known that he is 'less politics, more lyrics'. He actually isn't too big for politics but more concerned with connecting with people through his music. You can see the love of his faith and his efforts to be clean with his music in a lot of his lyrics. He wants a way to spread the truth without being controlled by mainstream telling him what to sing about. Even though he isn't a huge fan of politics, some of his songs such as 'can't take our freedom' does talk about the oppression going on in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt and Palestine. But I mean, who could blame him when his dad died in imprisonment for being involved in the opposition movement in Libya? All in all, he's a great guy with great music and you gotta check him out. Here's the song i just mentioned a bit ago called 'can't take our freedom' made along with Lowkey.

imagine

I really don't have much to say. Well it's more like, what I'm thinking is really hard to be expressed in words and if i even try it'll come off as a negative rant about how terrible the world is and how sad it makes me. So instead, for the sake of both of us, I'm just going to post this beautiful, amazing song which says it all.

10/23/11 ----- Minneapolis, Minnesota

Parents and I at Trafalgar Square 

Hey all!! I know that a lot of people have been wanting all the details from my trip to England and France so while I was there, I had been writing posts every now and then and emailed it all to myself. I’m going to put all the posts here all at once but they’ve got the dates on them so it’ll give you all a better idea of how the trip went step by step. It goes from most recent all the way down to my first day in England so you'll have to scroll down quite a few posts to get to the beginning of the trip :) 

Guess who’s back in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota? Okay okay, it’s not that bad but man I miss England! Alright before I go all weepy on you, I’ll take you back a bit to my last few days in London. Well, the day I had gone to Kent, my parents went to Trafalgar square, Big Ben, Edgeware road and all those places and I had missed it all so they took me on Thursday, the day before we left. It was really nice cos I didn’t really remember it much from ten years ago and being in the center of London felt perfect for it being the last day out. We did end up getting lost as well! Instead of going to Edgeware Road, the Arabic street full of shawarmas, we accidentally went to Edgeware, the suburban area at the very edge of London. It was really pretty and we did get to see a part of London that was really different! We found our way back though and that night my parents and uncle and aunt were planning on going to the mosque since it was Thursday night. Don’t get me wrong, I love going to mosque, I really do. But it was my last night in England and I really wanted to spend it being out and doing something. Luckily, thanks to Abbas, the great big brother he is came and picked me up from the house and even my other cousins who I was living with came with and we all went for some shisha and dinner. It was a really great night since I didn’t get to spend much time with the cousins in London that I was actually staying with cos we were out a lot so it was nice getting to talk properly and hang out. I also got to see London by night one more time on the drive home and it felt like a perfect last day of vacation. 
 

All I can say about the morning we left is basically that it was really not hitting me. I kept thinking that I’m just going on another drive to see the city instead of the airport to leave the country. When it did hit me though, it was a pretty sad moment. I had fallen in love with England and all my family there. It felt like I was leaving home in a way as weird as that sounds. After a long day of flights and stopovers, I finally did get to my actual home. It feels so surreal and I’m actually pretty disoriented being here. It feels like I never left and have been gone for years at the same time. It’s a really bittersweet feeling but three weeks was long enough that I got the chance to fully enjoy my time out and it’s not completely terrible being home. I think just having a break in general has been refreshing and has rejuvenated me mentally and physically so I’m actually more energized to go back into my routine. I’m only being so positive though because I know that I’ll find one way or another to go back to England as soon as possible! :D

10/18/11 ----- Paris, France

At the top of the Notre Dame looking over the city 

 Bonjour! We just got back from Paris earlier today and I never got a chance to update while I was there so I’m just going to fill you all in now :) The first day there was a bit sad cos I was still missing Leicester like crazy and I was also very very exhausted to really enjoy anything. For some reason, even though I knew obviously that people didn’t speak much English in Paris but I thought that at least, there would be some here and there. Oh how very, very wrong I was. It took us about half an hour to get to our hotel which was actually only five minutes away from the station we arrived at. The reason? We couldn’t get any directions cos we didn’t know French and without that, it got pretty difficult. I told my parents though, just to find an Asian and we’d be fine and funnily, I was right! We found this Pakistani restaurant and they explained in Urdu, a language both parties knew thankfully, where our hotel was. I slept for most of the day until nighttime when we met up with some distant relatives of my mom. We went for dinner to that same Pakistani restaurant from earlier and it was nice to meet some khoja French people. They didn’t know too much English so we communicated mostly in gujurati. It was a nice time though and by that time, I was getting a bit more excited about our stay there and was ready for the next day. 

The way we chose to tour Paris was the hop on, hop off tour bus. It has four lines that goes through the city and you can get off the bus wherever, spend as much time as you want at a place, and get back on the next bus since they come every few minutes everywhere. The first day, we visited a really beautiful sculpture garden, the Notre Dame which we also went up (422 steps and a stitch in the side later) and last but not least, the Eiffel Tower. Oh and get this – right when we reached the Eiffel tower, my camera started dying. That would happen right? I just made sure to get a couple pics in the day time and then switched it off so we’d be able to get some at night as well. Unfortunately though, we only got one not so great picture at night before it did die. It’s okay though, we enjoyed our time there and the couple pics we did get were good enough. I have to say though, being there was surreal. Right when we were coming close to it and it was right in front of me I was thinking. ‘wow…am I actually here? Is this actually right in front of me?’ I mean, with a sight that you see so much on television and posters, it doesn’t hit you for a while when you’re actually right next to it. It truly is beautiful though. The structure and all the lights at night, it’s breathtaking. Being so wrapped up in how amazing it is, we didn’t realize the time pass by so when we got to the bus stop where our tour bus would come by, we got told that it was done for the night. I found it a bit weird cos it still was only 8:30 but anyway, we got a little panicked cos we had no idea how we’d get home. Taking a taxi would be way too expensive and we didn’t know how the routes worked yet to get home on the public bus. Thankfully, we were blessed with an angel sent from above right then. Honestly, this woman was our lifesaver that night. She happened to be standing right next to us at the bus stop and I just asked us how the metro lines worked and when she realized that she would be going the exact same way we needed to go, she offered to go together with us. She was also a tourist and had only been in Paris for a few days but was from Argentina and knew quite a bit of English. We all went to the train station together, she waited for about ten minutes while we got our tickets, and made sure we got on the right train and made sure we fully understood exactly where we needed to go. I can honestly say that if we hadn’t met her, we probably would have been roaming the streets till midnight trying to find our way home. She was so great to talk to and she was just one of those people that you come across very, very rarely.  I wish her the best in her travels and hope she gets home safely :)

   
Our second day was a little more relaxing…well, most of the time. We had walked so much the day before that we decided to just see things from the bus for the day unless there was somewhere we really wanted to get off. It was working just fine until I realized that my temporary pre-paid sim card I had bought when I first entered Paris had run out of credit and that my mom’s aunt was going to be calling any minute to meet up with us. We literally spent two and a half hours going back and forth around an area trying to find a sim card. One of the stores had them but get this – they don’t sell it until 3 pm. Really? What difference would it make to sell a sim card before or after 3 pm? And then we found the other stores but they wouldn’t give it without seeing our passports or some form of identification which of course, we left back at the hotel. Oh, and the pay phones don’t take coins, they take cards which we had to go buy and ended up not being able to use anyway because the phone was acting up. Eventually, we just used this gujurati worker’s phone to call and cancel. After that though, the rest of the day went pretty well. Until then, we had been staying and going around in the ‘old’ Paris and we got to see the new Paris with the big buildings and offices and it strangely made me feel at home haha. 

Overall, when I think of Paris, I think I had a love hate relationship with it. Love because it’s so stunningly beautiful. The architecture, the small little side streets which make you think of the early 1500’s, the tiny cafes and shop and of course, the dessert! Hate because a lot of the streets smelled like pee, the language barrier, and the WEIRD rules! I mean, forget sim card after 3 pm but no heaters on weekends at the hotel? French people I tell you. Oh and how could I forget? Most of the restaurants are all open so in one of them, there were and I kid you not, pigeons under the tables. And I mean like, five plus pigeons just walking around. I hate to admit but I turned so American so fast. I couldn’t stand being in there and eating so I had to actually go out to the street to eat. I’m sorry, call me spoiled but birds? In a food place? Not just that but I’m actually scared of birds when they’re not in the sky and when there’s more than two of them. Especially those city birds that aren’t scared of anything! In the end of it all, Paris was a great experience and I loved it but I think two days was enough for me and I couldn’t wait to get back to England. When I first got to the train station in London and saw English everywhere, I’m not going to lie, I almost wanted to jump with joy haha. So yes, I’m back in good ol’ London now and have got three more days here till we leave to go back home *sniff*. Gotta end this here though cos I’ve gotta go for dinner with my brother in law’s sister and aunt which I’m very excited about since I haven’t seen his sister since the wedding four years ago! See ya later! :)

10/16/11 ----- Leicester, England

the only boys I need in my life :)

About what I said at the end of that last post about probably not having much to update on, I was wrong haha. This week has honestly been so, SO great. After our first weekend that I already told you about in the last post, I had literally spent the first two days of the week here in my pajamas watching television, playing with the kids and doing pretty much nothing else and it felt great :)

 

After a couple days’ rest though, I was ready to go out again so Tahira bhabhi, who is pretty much one of THE coolest people I’ve ever met and probably will ever meet, took me out. We went to the big mall there just to look around and get some stuff and then she took me KFC! I repeat, HALAL KFC!! I hadn’t had KFC since I went to Florida for my cousin’s wedding in 2006. I was so excited and was not disappointed. The popcorn chicken I had that day and the drumsticks I had a couple days after when we went again was just as delicious as I remembered it to be :) Later that day, Sajjad Bha and Zainab Bhabhi took me out to watch Johnny English 2 and some dessert at pizza hut. I always knew Sajjad Bha was cool because, well he IS a haji you know. But I’m so so lucky to have been able to spend time with Zainab Bhabhi. She is so funny and upbeat and just so fun to hang with. Oh and the movie was HILARIOUS. I recommend everyone to go watch it like, now. I haven’t seen the first one but they told me the second was funnier anyway. 

A couple more days passed and before I knew it, it’s the last day at Leicester and we’re leaving for Paris tomorrow. It was a great last day though. Tahira bhabhi, mom and I went out in the morning, I chilled at home with the kids and bhabhi during the day and at night, we all went out for dinner and dessert. Mohd. Ali had come back again for the weekend from Birmingham where he goes to school and it was so great to get to know him. I really hope he doesn’t read this cos we have a fully established relationship of only insulting each other as much as possible so if he sees a compliment, I’m done for haha. But really, it was great to be able to talk to someone my own age and get to know more about him cos all I had remembered for ten years was a chubby kid who made fun of me for being scared of pigeons ten years ago. So yes, this is definitely progress! Oh, and he’s still chubby. Sorry cuz, it feels way too weird being nice to you, I had to get an insult in there somewhere :)

 

The night ended with me going for some shisha with mohd ali, his friends and sajjad bha and I got introduced to pretty much the best flavor of shisha…ever. Watermelon, berry and mint. It was so good that when we were leaving I was standing and still smoking it cos I couldn’t let go of it. Honestly, it was great, all you shisha fans have got to try it! When we got home that night, I got the best treat. Mohd ali and Abbas (my other cousin) had gone to the states this past summer and got to visit the NBC studios where they had a chance to film themselves doing a news and weather report and bought the video afterwards. I had been hearing all week about how embarrassing it was and couldn’t wait to see it. After I had made sure that everyone in the house was sitting in the living room to see my cousins embarrass themselves, I finally saw it. And it was so much better than I imagined. We didn’t get to see Abbas’ bit but mohd ali…oh man. He pretty much made the biggest fool of himself that he could possibly make. I’m happy to say that I recorded the whole thing on my camera and if I feel mean enough, you all might see it on Facebook sometime :P  

The next day was pretty much the saddest day of my trip so far. Saying goodbye to everyone was so much harder than I thought it’d be. The moment I’d been dreading more than any had finally come: saying bye to the kids. Muntazir, Irfan ali and Sakina have all made their own place in my heart and usually I’m not a mushy person but with them, I can’t help it. I didn’t get to say bye to Sakina because she was sleeping but I went to her crib just to see her before I left and that’s what triggered it all. After one last hug to bhabhi, the kids and my aunt and uncle, we were in the car on the way to the station and I have to admit, I actually teared up a bit. Getting a text from bhabhi a bit later saying that the kids were crying and wanted me back didn’t help at all either. I was trying so hard to be excited for Paris but it just wasn’t happening. All I wanted was to go back to Leicester and be on the couch watching cartoons with the boys, holding Sakina.

Eventually I made myself realize that hey, it’s been an amazing week and I’ve met such great people but it’s time to go and hopefully I’d see them soon. I just have to say though that I still miss you guys like crazy. Tahira Bhabhi and Zainab Bhabhi – the talks I’ve had with both of you and the time we spent together meant a lot to me and I feel like I’ve gained two more older sisters. Hasnain Bha, Sajjad Bha, Abbas and Mohd Ali – It was really nice to actually be able to see you all and get to know you throughout the week and thanks to each of you for such great conversations and yes, I miss you all even after all the teasing :)  Also, majorly special thanks to Chacha and Chachi for having us stay at their house and being so great to us the whole time. The amount of time and effort they’ve given to making us feel comfortable and making sure we have a good time is unbelievable. Inshallah, I’ll get to see you all very, very soon :)

10/10/11 ----- Leicester, England

the whole Leicester crew :)

 Greetings from Leicester! I’m currently at my chacha (dad’s brother)’s place which is absolutely beautiful. It’s so different from London in the way that it’s a really relaxing atmosphere, very green and hilly, kind of like being in the country side. I’m so lucky to be at this house right now cos I’ve met cousins I hadn’t seen in ten years and it’s so great to actually know them personally rather than hear about them from my sister who’s been with them plenty of times. I’ve also gained two nephews a niece and for the first time have been called fui jaan!! It’s seriously the most amazing thing to be an aunt and I can’t wait till my own siblings have their kids now! They’re so fun to be around even though they have become my alarm clocks for the morning with how loud they can get lol! But I really don’t wanna think about leaving cos we’re already so attached to each other so let’s not talk about that yet. 

Other than that, we’ve had a great time so far just in the past two days we’ve been here. Gone to dinner with the whole family, spent time at home getting to know everybody better and being introduced to the show ‘west wing’. Apparently it’s an American show about the west wing of the white house and all that goes on in there but I had never heard of it before I came here – kind of ironic eh? Now since three of my cousins are going to be gone for the week to back to work and school in other cities, I have the rest of my time here to be with the kids, their mom and my aunt and uncle. 

I’m realizing that my whole trip is getting a great balance with having been so busy last week in London and Kent compared to being really relaxed over here. I think sometimes we get so caught up in wanting to see so many places during vacation that we forget to actually just chill and do absolutely nothing which to me, is seriously necessary once in a while :) Anyways, I don’t think there’ll be anything new to update on for the rest of this week but if anything does come up, you all will definitely know about it!

10/7//11 ----- night with the london cousins

Funny Faces!!!

 Such a good, good night! Went to dinner at my aunt and uncle’s place and met a few cousins, some of whom I had kept in touch with through the years using Facebook and some of whom I hadn’t talked to ever. Basic result of the whole night: the one American (ahem) gets made fun of pretty much the entire time because of her accent and limited knowledge of British slang. But I’m quite proud of how many new words I  learned that night and also some from my time in Kent so I’m going to make a whole list right here to prove it :D 

Allow it/bun it – forget it

Creasing – laughing

Quid – pound

Chav – equivalent to a redneck

Wasteman – douche bag

Deep – being cold to someone

Motorway – freeway

Rank – disgusting

Bare – very

Ting – an annoying way of saying ‘thing’. I’ll never understand this one!

Chuffed – very happy. I learned this one from Yesser cos he was telling me how ‘chuffed’ he was to be talking to me :D 

That’s all I can remember for now! Will probably add more to this along the way :) Other than that though, spending time with those cousins was honestly really fun and I’m really happy I got the chance to hang out with them even if it was for only a few hours :)

10/6/11 ----- a day in the life of Shabbir Lakha

Shabbir, Yesser and I :)

 My amazing and close friend Shabbir lives in Kent which is a couple hours away from London and since we’ve known each other for two and a half years but never met, there was no better time to go down there to see him. It was such a great experience that I decided to dedicate an entire post just for that day :)

It was a bit of a mission to convince my parents to let me travel alone to a different place for a whole day but with the help of my relatives assuring them that it was completely safe and them being the awesome parents that they are, they let me go. ‘Excited’ is an understatement of how I felt about going. Since I had arrived in London I was itching to go on the trains and buses on my own to see how I would do. I absolutely love being independent and having an opportunity to test myself in a new city was a pretty big deal. The journey there was a bit frustrating because I kept getting told that there would be just one train that would take me straight there but I kept having to switch anyway. Eventually though, I found myself in Canterbury West, Kent. I knew we’d have an awesome time but when you’ve never meet someone in person, you just get really curious as to how it’ll be. Obviously though, it was better than I expected. Him being the person he is, I felt completely at ease and soon I had forgotten that it was our first time meeting in person. It felt like we’d hung out a million times before. Some of his friends joined us and we all hung out for a bit, eating and shopping and I have to say, I’m definitely impressed with the group of people he has surrounded himself with. All of them are such fantastic people and were so incredibly nice and welcoming that I felt right at home.

I had quite an experience at one point though, Shabbir being such a bad influence in all. You see, I've been doing shisha/hookah for about a year and a half now, not a lot but just once in a while but I've never in all that time ever had a head rush or felt dizzy or had any effect whatsoever other than coughing a little bit if I've had too much. But this time...oh this was different. Not only did I get so dizzy that I couldn't walk to the kitchen right, my legs felt weird, my stomach hurt and I just felt like I got hit by a bus or something. The fact that he himself made it got me thinking he might've put something in it you know! Haha nah just playing but the shisha here definitely is a lot stronger than what I’ve had back in the states. And since we can't drink and all, strong shisha is as bad as we can get! Oh and not only did I get introduced to 'special shisha' (which makes it sound a lot worse than it was), I also learned how to cover the fire alarm in the house so the smoke doesn't set it off! Good lessons I'm learning here ;)

Anyway, the shisha effects combined with the super long day got me to stay the night in Kent with some of Shabbir's school friends (all girls, don't worry!). I’m so glad I did stay because it ended up being the highlight of my trip there. Before I went to the girls' house to sleep, Shabbir, his friend Yesser (yes sir!) and I spent hours just chilling and talking about god knows what. From Islamic discussions to politics to British slang to making fun of the American aka me! Oh and special shout out to Yesser: you my new friend, are absolutely awesome to talk to. I rarely get so comfortable with someone I’ve just met but I have to say, you have that gift. I’m really going to miss hanging out with you and I truly do hope we keep in touch! Oh, and I’m only saying such nice things cos I feel like I insulted you a little too much there and I know how sensitive you are and all, so I thought this would make you feel better ;)

Before I left to go back to London the next afternoon, Shabbir took me to the cathedral in Canterbury which is basically the head of the church of England. All the arch bishops were buried there and it’s just so breathtakingly beautiful with the stained glass and stone walls. With one last walk through the main street of Kent, I was back at the train station saying bye to this amazing friend that is so incredibly lucky to have known me! Haha nah I’m joking. Well…kind of :P Seriously though, I thought it was awesome just knowing him but being able to hang out was such a great experience and I really hope we get to do it again soon - don’t forget Kilimanjaro Shabbir!

10/4/11 ----- London, England

At the Tower Bridge 

So, as most of you know, I’ve finally gotten the chance to get out of the country for the first time since I moved here which was about ten years ago! I’m super grateful for the opportunity and being able to have my parents with me just makes it all the better since I get pretty homesick if I’m separated from them for more than like, two days! Anyways, let’s get right to business - I'M IN ENGLAND!! I've been here four days now and it's absolutely amazing!! We’re staying at my dad’s sister’s house while we’re here and they’re so great! They’ve welcomed us so completely and let us totally mess up their house with all our suitcases with no complaints haha. The first day was really laid back because I was majorly jet-lagged and basically slept the entire day when I got here. At night though, we went to Queen's Walk just to walk around a bit and see the city from afar, get some fresh air and all. It was pretty nice but I was exposed to the ridiculously crazy driving here. I mean seriously, the roads are insanely complicated and there are cars going here and there and people walking in the middle of the streets and I honestly thought I was going to get into accident every two minutes! Overall though, it was a nice little introduction to city life and got me pretty excited to see even more.

I got that chance the very next day! We went down to East London to go for Indian shopping and food which was really nice cos the stuff there is so cheap and I got some pretty cool things! We also visited Oxford Circus which is one of the most famous streets in London, mostly for its’ shopping. Some random things I found interesting throughout the day: the pound notes! I was so scared that I'd mistake them for garbage and throw them away cos they're so flimsy! I also find that having so many coins is a little weird and confusing but it’s one of my goals to learn the currency before I leave so let’s see how I do :) Also, I got to sit in the upper deck of the double decker bus!! Sorry but that's sort of a big deal you know. It’s a really relaxing way to see the city and get some fresh air at the same time. What I found fascinating while getting glimpses of the city was that it's so modern and current but then you see the parts of it that remind you of how incredibly old it is as well. It makes it really easy for your imagination to turn back time a few centuries when there were horse drawn carriages going through the streets you're currently driving through.

That night we had some relatives come over for dinner and I got to see the great differences between my dad’s side of the family and my mom’s. Living here in Minnesota, I’ve been raised only with my mom’s family who are very liberal in their thinking most of the time and are pretty westernized. I only saw very little of my dad’s side during some weddings throughout the years. However, this vacation was specifically to meet all my relatives from across the pond and I got to do just that. They’re different in the way that they’re a lot…louder? Haha but in a really, really good way. I feel so comfortable and fully at ease. Yes they’re thinking is a lot more conservative but I’ll just make sure not to get into any debates while I’m here ;) Really though, no matter how different my families from both sides are, the one thing they all have in common is that they’ve all got really big hearts and would do anything to make a person feel at home and will make sure to be there for them no matter what. What more could one wish for in a family? So cheesy, but so true :)

Pray

I've always known that this life is far from perfect. Poverty, rape, greed, corruption, famine, homelessness and the list goes on. But is it just me or does it feel like, lately it's just all gotten even more out of control than ever? It may sound weird but at the rate we're going, no wonder everyone thinks the world's going to end soon. Yes, i know that people have been saying that for centuries but i mean really. Call me childish but in a way i hope it does just so all the horrible stuff can stop happening

Anyway, before i get too frustrated and negative, i just wanted to share a song that is pretty simple but touched my heart and really expresses how i feel. It definitely comes from a very surprising source - justin bieber. I know, i know. i never liked him much either but this song surprised me, coming from him at least. It's called pray and the lyrics are on the screen :)

where there is He

where there is He, there is love
where there is He, there is truth
where there is He, there is safety
where there is He, there is peace
where there is He, there is life

everywhere in me, there is He

tick tock

Tick tock
Go the hands on the clock
As long as the battery lives
It won’t ever stop

But what happens when the battery dies? Without preparation, without warning, the hands stop ticking. Time freezes. Nothing moves. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, this doesn’t happen in reality. In life, as tragic as a death can be, as heart wrenching and painful, life still goes on for those around. People are suddenly reminded of how precious time is and to live their lives to the fullest before they’re gone too. Except, these thoughts almost always eventually fade away, overtaken by life’s misfortunes, at least until the next death occurs that is.

Death. The word is usually accompanied by a sad, mournful or morbid thought but does it have to be? It had always been something far away in my mind, obscure and abstract. Having never lost anyone particularly close to me except for my uncle who though I knew all my life, had never had a relationship with, I haven’t had much experience with the loss of a loved one. There have been an unusual amount of deaths recently, most of which are extremely tragic as they involved younger children meeting their ends all too quickly and without warning. However, one of these instances stuck out to me in particular which is ironic since I had never even heard of her until the news of her demise had spread. Sabrina Alibhai Merali. Maybe it was that she died the night before what would have been her sixteenth birthday on which she was then buried. Something about her and this story hit me like nothing else has ever before. Yes, it did the usual by reminding me how nothing in this life is guaranteed including our own time here and that we should appreciate and be grateful for every second we’ve got. However, something else had managed to get a hold of me. You know the saying, ‘the truth shall set you free’? I’ve never really related to that since usually whenever I found out the truth about something, it more often than not caused bad feelings or trouble. But this…this was different. This was IT. Maybe it’s an exaggeration to say that this was the key to happiness because the idea itself is not new, quite on the contrary actually. It’s common knowledge among most people. But the idea itself isn’t what has gotten to me at all. It’s the fact that I finally actually understood the enormity and reality of it. That, for the first time, it truly sunk in.

Don’t worry, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer but don’t be surprised if you’re severely disappointed. It’s just this: we’re going to die anyway. No matter who we are, what we’ve got, what we’ve been through, how we feel, what we think, what we’ve done, nothing and I repeat, NOTHING will change that fact. At one point or another, may it be in 60 years or 60 seconds, we’re going to stop breathing and go back to the place we’re truly from. This fact was emphasized when I heard someone say that “we are not human beings going through spiritual experiences but spiritual beings going through human experiences.” That’s all it is! We don’t belong here. And one day, we’re going to go to where we came from anyway! This life, this earth, these challenges and obstacles are nothing. Nothing but a blink of an eye in the entire span of time. Personally, I’m a bit envious of the people that have already passed away. Think about it. This world…what is it, really? It’s full of war, corruption, jealousy, greed, pain, injustice and the list goes on. Don’t mistake me for a pessimist. This life Is definitely beautiful, wonderful and is the most unique experience a being could have which is why being given a life on earth should be considered a blessing from above. But when you die, you’re safe and taken care of. Excuse my harry potter references but “It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more.” What I’m trying to say, is that yes death is terrible and heartbreaking for those left here but to the actual person who has passed, hopefully it would be blissful.

So the next time something bad happens to you, don’t fret too much. Just realize that hey, none of this is gonna last anyway. After all, according to Albus Dumbledore, “to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure” ;)

Small pieces of paper

falling down from the heavens

each with its own fate written upon it

going in their different directions

when one gets lost in the way

course changed by the wind.

entering into unknown lands

not knowing the dangers it may face

being so new and whole.



After the rain, mud and storms it passes through

the ink on its surface seems a bit washed out

the edges ripped in places

holes punctured through

even a bit crumpled as a whole

but still able to soar through the skies

trying to find its way back



Until one unfortunate day

it lives through a shattering earthquake that leaves it in shreds

barely put back together by tape and glue

it keeps going on its way

but never again

will it be able to fly as high

race as fast

as it could before



Time is not good to a loosely held together page

the thin glue starts to crack

and the tape isn’t as sticky

it knows its fate

soon there will no longer be anything holding its pieces together

and does come the day

that it has scattered on a dusty floor

settling to adapt to its new home

with a view from below



Not long passes however

until the pieces start to rise

and it no longer depends on anything to keep it together

nothing seems to be holding it up

nothing but a force

a force that not only puts the pieces back together

but rearranges them in a better order than before

a page that can never again be torn, ripped or crumpled

an energy stronger than anything before

an invisible shield that surrounds it always

a love that is so pure

a source of support that is so sure

the only dependence that has never failed

the only light that has guided it out of every dark room

a sun that doesn’t hide even in the rainiest of days

but gives light to the words on the page

the destiny that faded by the years

but is now seen clearer than ever before.

perspective
it's what teaches us gratitude

faith
it's what keeps us holding on when everything else has let go

love
it's what keeps us warm when the world does all it can to turn us cold

happiness
it's what we attain not when we get everything we want but when we appreciate what we've already been given

black hole

Like a baby’s rubber bones
Unaffected by the repeated falls
Bouncing back into shape
Intent on your destination
Time after time
A reincarnated self emerges
Fresh with new hope
Thinking ahead with a smile
Until you realize
your seven lives are up.
An image of every fall
once locked up
Breaks free
Spreading
Like a lethal poison
Cancerous to your soul
Freezing every thought
Distorting reality
Turning stepping stones into slides
Taking you down a black hole
Sucking out the light from all directions
The tornado like winds surrounding you
Like an invisible barrier
Chaining you down
Keeping you from the outside that can only been seen
But not touched