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Favorite TV Shows

I am not that big on watching TV because I would rather read a book or surf the net if I am going to be sitting around on my butt for an hour or two. Plus I hate commercials; they really just piss me off. However, with the creation of DVR, watching TV has been a bit more enjoyable for me because I can fast forward past all the annoying bullshit that they try to sell you or the cheesy slogans you have to listen to when the commercials come on.

These are some shows that I really enjoy just for the pure fact that they take my mind off my own life:

1) Friends: its no longer on the air but the re-runs never get old. Its funny and light. Its just a great show to make you laugh. Plus its based around the irony that six friends face in their lives. The humor in it is great.

2) General Hospital: this soap opera makes my life seem so much better because of all the crap that occurs in their lives. It makes me feel better about myself. The story line and plot always thickens; just when you think something is over, bam it whacks you in the face again. Sonny Corinthos (played by Maurice Benard) is an amazing actor with a smile to die for!!

3) Law & Order: Criminal Intent/SVU. Both series are great. I love shows like this. It is an excellent show that depicts real life scenarios (even though they tell you it does not).

4) Dancing with the Stars: It is excellent to see all these b,c and d- list celebrities trying to dance! I mean I give some of them props for getting up there and dancing in front of millions but some of them are just plain out hilarious to watch!!

5) Pretty Little Liars: Soap Operas for college students! How can you not love this show?


There are some others too but really General Hospital is the ONLY show I have to watch everyday! It is like a drug addiction...I literally need it.

Dad

Every June on the 3rd Saturday (usually??) is Father's day.  Now I know I know I know...mothers are more important than fathers. Mothers are the ones who carried you for nine months and still loved you despite the fact that you gave them cramps, bloating, fatigue, weight gain and ridiculous cravings during those nine months. Furthermore, someone said that you teach a man and you are only teaching one person but when you teach a woman you teach an entire generation (atleast that is what someone wise once told me)...I get that I really do! However, as important and wonderful mothers are there is something very special about fathers.

The idea for father's day started in the early 1900's in the state of Washington. Richard Nixon made it an official day of observance in 1972. Fathers day is celebrated as we all know on the 3rd Sunday in June. I wish I was the one who thought of the idea for fathers day! The woman who created the day was a daughter just like myself who adored her father. He was a man who made a lot of sacrifices so he could raise his daughter to the best of his ability. Her love and appreciation for her father was clear when she thought of this day of observance to the role of fatherhood.

Someone once said "a dad is someone who holds you when you cry, scolds you when you break the rules, shines with pride when you succeed,and has faith in you even when you fail". I could not agree with this more!! A father has the amazing ability of making you feel protected. Almost like its dad and daughter against the world. Dads know exactly what to say to make everything better even if they were the ones to upset you to begin with.


What Makes A Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad
-author unknown

Now I know my mother is an amazing woman with amazing patience and strenghth. I mean come on now. She raised me and that takes a whole LOT of patience. A TON in fact. I love her dearly but for some reason I just have a stronger connection to my father. When i do something wrong he is the first person's reaction I am worried about. When I do something well he is the first person I want to tell and the first person I want to be proud of me. I think this is the case because with my mother I know no matter what she will love me and be proud of me. But with my dad it is not as easy. He is always pushing me to do harder and be a better person. He wont let me settle for what is good. He wants great for me. (I am not saying my mom doesn't want that but my dad actually pushes me for it). He makes it a challenge for me...I like a challenge. His is pride is conditional...I have to earn it. With my mom, her love and patience never wears away. It is unfaltering. I do not feel like I have to fight for it and that is excellent. However, after all I am my father's daughter. I like the challenge. I like to fight for something. I feel like my father never just gave me his attention. He never just gave me his approval or his sense of pride in me. I always had to prove to him that I deserved it. When I brought home an A in school he would say "why not an A+ ?" My best was never what he thought was my best. My mom was proud of me not matter if I got the A or the A+ so I guess I kinda know my mom will always be there for me no matter what. With my mom, I know she loves me no matter what; she's my mom so its her job to love me no matter what.

I am growing more into understanding astrology and zodiac signs. I also took notice that my father is a scorpio and I am a virgo. Virgos and scorpios are harmonious because of their mutual respect for loyalty. Its funny because nothing means more to me than loyalty. I might be a brat sometimes and act spoiled but at the end of the day I am loyal to my family. Virgos and Scorpions have the same ambitious drive and have many similar quirks about them. Furthermore, they are their own worst critic. That is me and my father. We are always harder on ourselves than anyone else is.

 I also owe a huge thanks to my dad. He is the one who installed a sense of self pride in me. He was the one who taught be proud of who I am no matter what. He was the one who taught me about life. To my dad I am eternally grateful because he taught me about religion and God. There have been so many things in my life that I have survived because of my faith in God. Again, I love my mother to death but it wasn't from her that I got my religious knowledge but rather my father. Also, my father is the one who showed me Arab culture and all its beauty and mystery.

I might get angry with my dad alot. I might not like his actions half the time. But it was God that chose my parents for me; not me. I can't change my parents and I do not want to change my parents. Therefore, I have learned to accept my father's flaws. In his defense, he is not perfect just like the rest of us. I would rather have a dad with flaws than to have no dad at all.


I love you dad! May God bless you and keep you with me for many years to come.

Evelyn Lauder

Evelyn Lauder was the daughter in law of the famous Estee Lauder. Evelyn went to work for her mother-in-law's company back when it only sold six products. Evelyn Lauder was a visionary, a truly magnificient woman. Evelyn Lauder went on after being an executive at Estee Lauder to found Clinique and wore a white lab coat that is now famously worn by Clinique salespeople all over the US and the world. Being the typical girly girl that I am, I of course love Estee Lauder products and Clinique products so already this woman is impressive to me!

However, beyond Evelyn Lauder's brains and beauty was something far more important to me--her efforts in combating breast cancer. Evelyn Lauder founded the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Pink Ribbon Campaign. Through her efforts both personally and through the Estee Lauder brand, Evelyn Lauder raised millions and millions of dollars to fight a cause that is so important to so many women.

However, despite the hundreds of millions of dollars Evelyn raised, on November 12, Evelyn lost her battle to ovarian cancer. The world has truly lost an amazing woman. May her efforts and legacy live on through all the breast cancer survivors and to all those who fight to find a cure for the disease that kills so many women every year.

Bear-ness, the doggiest edition to our home

So October 2011 was the beginning of a major change in our lives. My sister adopted a dog from a rescue in North Carolina. He was this puny little 10 week old black lab mix. His name was Tao. But to us he didn't look like a Tao so we renamed him to a more fitting name, Bear. Well he certainly is living up to his name.

Since we got Bear back in October, he made me mature by leaps and bounds. I learned quickly what taking care of a pet really meant. (Taking care of a bird is nothing compared to this!) I have already picked up his poop dozens of times. I've learned to let him lick my hands, my feet, my arms etc. Usually I hate being licked by animals. I am too much of a germaphobe. However, anything for the Bear-ness. I didn't think I could ever love an animal this much. But I have to admit it, I do!!!

Bear has the personality of a spoiled little rich kid! He wants to play with more than one toy at once. He is constantly demanding attention; he hates when someone is on the phone and not playing with him. We tell him all the time how hard his life is (sarcastically speaking of course). I mean come on...this dog has the life! He eats when he wants (kinda--he's on a schedule); he sleeps when he wants; he gets so many treats and play time with me, my mom, my sis and my dad. We all take him for car rides with us where he sits by the window and stares out as the cars are passing. Bear is the epitomy of a spoiled rich boy. We are just the maids, servants and care takers in Bear's world. He has become the master of this house and he knows it. His food bowl even says I am King on the inside of it and has a crown on it.

Bear has put so much joy into our house. We all smile a little more and laugh a little more. I've never been so excited to come home but now I am because I want to see Bear aka Fuzzy Lumpkins aka Bear-neccessities aka Bear-licious aka rat's *** aka Bear-Bear aka Fuzz Foot along with a million other nicknames.

I already have such a major attachment to this dog. Everytime I go out I pick up treats for Bear or a new toy. Just the other day I took him to the local pet store near my house. They wear giving away dog friendly cake. So Bear of course being the foodie that he is had to gobble up a piece of pumpkin cake. I had to tell him to breathe while he was eating it; he literally inhaled it. Speaking of peanut butter it is one of Bear's favorite things. He eats chicken, carrots, white rice and peanut butter (not all at once of course.) Those are the only things we give him from the table. Other than that Bear has to eat his own dog food.

Ahh enough about my love for this dog!! He is the most precious thing but I don't think anyone cares as much as I do. Haha.

Why do people think its ok to involve in something that is not their business?

This is something I need to remember:

Life is TOO short to care what others think.

Why I am wasting my time caring what other people think? Why I am wasting my time trying to prove who I am and what I can do?

The quote, life is too short, struck me as interesting because it made me remember a convo I had with someone back in October. That person criticized me and questioned me on something that was quite frankly none of their business. The last time I checked that person was not a friend of mine--hell they weren't even a family member. This person is just someone I know.

So basically they were questioning why I was doing one thing and not another. It bothered me at first but then I quickly got over it when I remembered this person has no control over me. They do not know the reasons I am the way that I am. Furthermore, this person is not my friend, not my family member and most importantly not ME. In addition, they do not pay for the clothes on my back, the roof over my head, the food that goes in my mouth or anything else for that matter. So essentially it was NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS.

From now on, I am not going to let that person or any other person for that matter criticize me and TRY to belittle me with their own psychobabble and personal issues.

I am going to do like Bob Marley said: "Live the life you love and love the life you live."

Blessings

When I saw this quote I instantly loved it.
At times I may seem spoiled and ungrateful but I know deep in my heart I am the furthest from that. I wake up everyday and thank God for everything good in my life. I appreciate everything and everyone in my life who has contributed to my happiness and positive environment.

I am not perfect by any means and that is not what I am attempting to say here. However, I am tired of people complaining how bad their lives are because they can't appreciate what is right in front of them. My father taught me something beautiful when I was younger and I probably (hopefully) will never forget what he said. He told me "when you get tired of looking above you, look below you." This is how I live everyday of my life. Sometimes I start to feel like "why does that person have a nicer car or bigger house?" That lasts for a total of two minutes because I thankfully remember what my father taught me. I then say "thank God I have a roof over my head"; "thank God I have a car" etc etc.

Whenever I start to feel down about my life I make a list of everything I have to be grateful for and suddenly I don't feel so down anymore. Really, I am so blessed in so many things. Someone asked me the other day if I was rich. I replied yes I am. Its true; I may not be rich monetarily. However, I am rich because I am healthy; I am rich because I have amazing friends; I am rich because I have a loving family. There are a dozen reasons why I am rich.

Blessings come in all shapes and sizes. The friends I made are a blessing. The dog my sister adopted is a blessing. The experiences I had are a blessing. The negativity I witnessed is a blessing (it taught me good lessons.) My parents are a blessing. My sister is a blessing. My mind is a blessing. My heart is a blessing.

Like I said I am not perfect. However, I try to be the best person I know how to be; the best I can be. I wake up every morning counting my lucky stars. I go to sleep every night thanking God for the life I have. And sometimes I feel like I am blessed beyond what I deserve.

Meshallah ala kol shey qwayes fe hayati. Meshallah. Allah akbar. Dayman ya rab.

Gay Marriage is Legalized in New York

So after a long battle gay marriage is legal in New York. The bill passed with a 33-29 State Senate vote. Governor Andrew Cuomo made it a campaign promise when he was running for governor. This is a major victory for him that will probably make his ratings increase ten fold, but that is beside the point.

Even though I do not have a personal stake in this, I have quite a few friends that do and I am sure they are ecstatic over this historic moment. For me, I am a heterosexual Muslim female who leans towards the Republican side of politics. In so many ways I should be against gay marriage. However, it is the very essence of those things that define me--(being Muslim, being Republican) that make me say how can this be so? How can it be that decades upon decades the fight for equal rights has been going on and yet not much ha been accomplished? In Islam, it is strictly against the religion to be openly gay (well to be gay at all.) In my opinion, though it religion that should lead the example on how to treat people. Why is that someone who has a different sexual orientation viewed differently in society? Was it not God that created all us? Not the State of New York? Not the United States of America? So, if God was the one who created us then it is in no power or right of the State of New York or the United States to deem who should and should not have the right to marry! (Hello, one of the main principles that this country is supposedly following is the separation of Church and State.)

The bill was signed on Friday and it made NY the sixth state to legalize gay marriage. Even though the bill does not go into effect until the middle of July, people are already celebrating! The population will double for whom gay marriage is legal in the U.S. This is a shocking statistic. Obviously, there is a very large population in New York that will be ecstatic to take part in this defining moment in the move towards social justice and equality for all.

Stephen Saland, a Republican was the one to tip the vote in favor of it passing. Yay for the Republicans doing something to modify their image as being ultraconservative and over-religious. Saland who voted against gay marriage back in 2009, changed his mind and stated that he "defined doing the right thing as treating all persons with equality." I am so happy that is was a Republican that tipped the vote in favor of passing. It shows that not all republicans think gay marriage is an abomination. I know I surely don't. One of my favorite sayings is: Live and Let Live! I would not want a gay person telling me I can't marry a man just because I am a woman. So why would I want to tell a gay man he can't marry a man if should choose to do so? Thank you Stephen Saland for standing up for equality and justice for all in the State of New York!!!! Hopefully other states in the US will follow this example and make gay marriage legal.

Grisanti, another republican said "I cannot legally come up with an argument against same-sex marriage." Now that is coming from a Catholic Republican! And why can't he come up with a legal argument? That is because there is no argument to be found...at least not a valid or feasible one anyway. Of the 33 senators to vote for the bill, 29 are Democrats and four are Republicans. Of the 29 who voted against it, all but one are Republicans.

What is particularly interesting is how a Democrat spoke out against the legislation. It almost sounded like he was mad that Republicans began changing their minds to be in favor of gay marriage since 2009 when heavy lobbying and campaigning for the issue really took a toll on the voting. He said he blamed Republicans for this happening. Its almost as though he wanted the Republicans to be the face of the anti-gay marriage legislation while his party looked like the defenders of it. As long as enough Republicans were against it, the Democrats would never have to speak out against gay marriage and they could walk away looking like the good guys. “It is unbelievable that the Republican Party, the party that always defended family values ... is allowing a Democratic governor to divide the Republican Party and the Conservative Party,” Diaz said. “Same-sex marriage has been rejected by the majority of Americans when given the opportunity to vote for it." So Mr. Diaz, I must ask what is it that you are really saying here? The Republicans are still defending family values and are not being divided by the Democratic Governor who was simply giving the people what they are asking for. Mr.Diaz, go take a hike alone (since you are alone on this issue anyway!!)

Saland went on by saying that by not voting in favor of gay marriage, "it would fly in the face of his upbringing." I couldn't agree more. It is like the golden rule, do unto others and you would want others to do unto you! Hello America, wake up we are in a new generation! It is time to stop these backwards ideologies. So what if a homosexual person gets married? You still have the right to believe that it is wrong or immoral or an abomination or against your religion. That is the beauty of America. They now have the right to get married in New York and you have the right to sit there and watch the news and scream at the tv as you see them lining up for their marriage applications! I say "wahhh get over it."

Congratulations to all my wonderful friends in New York who can finally have their voice heard.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/57749.html#ixzz1QipFjkMg

Saudi Women Driving

NOTE: the picture and some of the information used in this blog came from a NY Times Article titled: In a Scattered Protest, Saudi Women Take the Wheel

So once again the issue has come up in Saudi Arabia to give women the right to drive. This is an issue that has been plaguing Saudi women for a while. They want the same freedom that other women in the Middle East have when it comes to driving.

Just last Friday on June 17th, women from other countries that had valid licenses were encouraged to drive in Saudi Arabia running simple errands as an effort to protest the ban on women driving in the Kingdom. Women like Maha al-Qahtani and Manal al-shereif were brave enough to drive through cities in Saudi Arabia in protest.

“Women in Saudi Arabia see other women in the Middle East making revolutions, women in Yemen and Egypt at the forefront of revolutions, being so bold, toppling entire governments,” said Waleed Abu Alkhair, whose wife was one of the women taking part in the protest as she drove around Jeddah. “The women of Saudi Arabia looked at themselves and they realized, ‘Wow! We can’t even drive!’

The ruling family has made a black market out of the visas that male chauffeurs need to obtain in order to legally work as a driver in Saudi Arabia. The visa can cost as much as 3,000 and their salary is around $600 a month which some families in Saudi Arabia cannot afford.

Prince Talal bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud, a member of the royal family has spoken out on women driving. He said “Bravo to the women!Why should women drive in the countryside and not in the cities?” --- In my opinion its quite interesting that women can drive in the countryside but in the cities they cannot where one could argue that driving is more crucial.

I understand Saudi Arabia is an ultraconservative country that has managed to not fall to western pressure. However, I do not think that a woman having the right to drive has anything to do with religion. It is just a backwards ideology that is meant to supposedly keep their women protected. However, it is a bit ironic that they will allow a male driver from a foreign country (usually South East Asia) who is not related to the women be employed as their driver? It does not make much sense that a complete stranger can be in the car with a woman he is not related to but a woman is unable to drive herself or her children around.

Twenty years ago, protests against the ban occurred but those women were immediately labeled as "infidels" and any women who were employed in the public sector were fired. Religious authorities issued fatwas that banned women from driving because according to them it went against a woman's dignity. That is what I find particularly interesting. Her dignity is intact when a stranger drives her around though? How is that possible?

Despite the fact that King Abdullah is more progressive than his predecessors, he still has not issued a royal decree that would allow women to drive. The NYTimes reported that $200 million was given to religious institutions in Saudi Arabia that backed the monarchy when all the revolutions started in the Middle East.

Even though the protests were not as widespread across Saudi Arabia as they could have been, word of the protests are being noted by the international community. In addition, the protest against the ban on women driving have been gaining momentum thanks to social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

Republicans and Islamophobia

So there is a new wave of Islamophobia coming from potential Republican Presidential candidates. In a recent CNN televised debate, Herman Cain said he would not be comfortable having a Muslim person in his administration and he would not appoint one.

That is, in my opinion, racist and down right ridiculous. Does he not realize that Muslims currently hold major government positions? Arab youth is a growing voting bloc in America so why would he make such a statement. Does he not realize or maybe he is just to arrogant to care that his attitude towards Muslims could actually cost him his bid for President?

He went on to say, "You have peaceful Muslims and you have militant Muslims — those that are trying to kill us, and so when I said I wouldn't be comfortable I was thinking about the ones that are trying to kill us." ---Umm buddy your statement is kinda ironic. I guess I should give him a little bit of credit because at least he can admit there are peaceful Muslims but wow how stupid could you be? When people are appointed to a government post by the President of the United States, do they not face an extensive background check? Do they not need security clearance? Are their credentials not checked out fully before the appointment is approved? So HELLO, Herman Cain, I am pretty sure you would know if that person has a background of being a "militant Muslim".

Herman Cain is not the only one spreading this bologna of anti-Islamic sentiment. The former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, noted that there was a need for caution against Muslims and "suggested a loyalty oath for Muslims". Are we serious about this? A loyalty oath for Muslims? Why is that Muslims are constantly having to defend our loyalty to the United States? Christians or Jewish people are not asked to defend their case of loyalty to this country so why are Muslims subjected to different rules than the rest of the country? Gingrich continued by saying "there are genuinely bad people who would like to infiltrate our country, and we have got to have the guts and stand up and say no." --- Obviously he was referring to Muslims here. Does he really think Muslims are the only group of people who have bad people? Come on now. I expect a bit more from someone who was the Speaker of the House.

At the end of the debate Herman Cain said he would in fact treat Muslims differently than members of other faiths. This is an absolute outrage. The far-right has gone too far in this conspiracy theory that Muslims are infiltrating America and trying to replace the Constitution with Sharia Law. Muslim Americans are some of the most loyal Americans I know. They are proud to be American and happy to have the freedoms that they may or may not have in whatever country their ancestors or parents originated from. I think the problem with Gingrich and Cain is that they are so disconnected from the average American.

Herman Cain is so intolerant of Muslims that he even took it as far as making a comment of skepticism when a doctor with a Muslim name treated him at the hospital back in 2006. When he learned that the doctor was Lebanese Christian his fears dissipated.

I lean more towards the Republican side when it comes to politics. However, some of the GOP party really just disappoint me! We are in the 21st century and Muslims constitute for 1.7 billion of the global population. I am pretty sure its time for Herman Cain to wake up and realize that Islam is one of the fastest growing religions despite this ridiculous campaign put forth by people like Cain and Gingrich to make Muslims look bad.