January 2012
1 post
A Look Back on 2011 – Hajj Times →
I realize today is the 2nd day of 2012 and that maybe I missed the window of time when one is allowed to reflect on 2011 but I’ll just ask for forgiveness and move on…
Looking back on the year in…
October 2011
1 post
Hajj Bound, InshAllah →
For those of you that don’t know, the Hajj is a pilgrimage in and around Mecca, Saudi Arabia and is a requirement for Muslims if one is financially and physically able to make the pilgrimage. The…
August 2011
1 post
The Inevitable Question During Ramadan
Coworker: So you can't even drink water?
Me: No.
Coworker: So then what can you drink?
Me: Nothing.
Coworker: What about Coke?
Me: *Raised eyebrow*
Coworker: Fanta?
Me: Ah yes, there's a clause in the Qur'an about Fanta. It's called the "Fanta Clause".
...
Mua! I'll be here all night everybody!
July 2011
4 posts
Ramadan – Thoughts for 2011 →
It’s that time again*! Ramadan is most likely going to start tomorrow** and the days will be long this time around. We’re looking at more than 15 hours of fasting in Amreeka – no water, no food, and…
A Few Words About Captain America →
I saw Captain America: The First Avenger last weekend (yeah, this post is slightly late) and I liked it more than I thought I would. There were two reasons why I was a bit hesitant to like this…
On Norway, Muslims, and the Media →
On Friday, when the explosion and shootings happened in Norway, a lot of journalists that are part of real, honest-to-God respected media outlets put the blame on Islamic extremists without…
Look Maw! Muslims are on the TV! →
TLC announced today that they will be airing a reality show about Muslims living in Dearborn, Michigan. The show is meant to be about the lives of regular Americans who happen to be Muslim. I’m…
May 2011
3 posts
Preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse →
Some months ago, I was having lunch with a couple of coworkers/friends when the conversation came to what we would do if the zombie apocalypse happened. The two were talking about who, out of the…
Ramifications and All That →
I was at a concert at Sunday when I found out from my sister, who had been checking twitter on her phone, that Osama Bin Laden was killed. It was definitely a ‘whoa’ moment and I really wished I had…
April 2011
4 posts
On a Path Paved with… Coffee →
I like coffee. Did I mention that? I realize I rarely write about anything coffee related despite the ‘caffeinated’ in the moniker so I think I want to change that and write about coffee now and…
Does this IM make me look fat?
Bushra ... i'm not coming into work until i do at least 1/2 hour on the bike tomorrow morning. i'm turning into a Fatty McFatsalot
Coworker /... i can't tell, but you do tend to wear loser clothes.
Coworker/... looser*
Bushra ... ouch, haha
Coworker/... wow.. wrong word to mis spell
Bushra ... yeah it is! it'll take *ages* for my feelings to recover
Bushra ... and also someone will have to wipe these tears off my desk too
Coworker/... rub it in burney. : P
(Real name from IM changed to "Coworker" to protect the innocent, um, guilty)
What a bunch of nerds (or is it geeks?)
Coworker: [describing something] ... so it ended up looking up like a Mitsubishi symbol.
Me: What does that look like again?
Coworker: It's like the Klingon symbol...
Me: Oh yeah!
Coworker & Me: [Concurrent realization that we're both nerds]
What Makes a Hero? →
I was driving somewhere after work on Friday and happened to have the radio dial on the local KQED station. A story came up about the Stanford psychologist Philip Zimbardo. I’m sure most people…
March 2011
4 posts
Lesson From The Taqwacores – Being Accepting and... →
I caught the movie The Taqwacores this past Friday as part of the SF Asian Film Festival at the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley. The film, interestingly enough, is about a group of Muslim punks.
On Disaster Preparedness →
With the earthquake in Japan on Friday, a lot of us have been inundated with footage of the destruction from the quake and the resulting tsunami while also hearing about a possible meltdown from…
Fearing the Unknown →
On my commute to work this morning, I did what I usually do before I start reading my book – I check out updates on Facebook and Twitter. One coworker had posted a video that the Council for Arabic…
February 2011
5 posts
A Photoshoot of Kids Or: It’s a Good Thing I Don’t... →
Almost two years ago, when I visited my cousin after she had her first kid, I took kinda of a cool picture of her husband holding their newborn (apologies if that sounds egotistical). Before I went…
Au Revoir, Borders →
I got an email the other day through Borders Rewards that told me that the Fremont Borders store is closing and that there will be a sale going on. I thought it was a joke – the place where I had…
Review: MOOZ-lum on MediaAndIslam.com →
Power to the People! →
I have to be honest with you folks – I hadn’t updated in a while because nothing felt like it was worthy enough to write about while a revolution was going on halfway across the world. Since January…
January 2011
4 posts
What if I Couldn’t Have Coffee? An Elseworlds Tale →
I used to take Arabic classes in San Francisco but took a break after a couple of years and just started up Arabic again, this time a “Speaking Arabic” class at Ta’leef Collective in Fremont, a…
“The greatest threat to religion in any society is not persecution but apathy...”
– Dr. Sherman Jackson (as told by Ustadh Usama Canon at Ta’leef Collective gathering)
An Accidental Tuesday, OR: A Very Hijabi Story →
Fifteen years ago, I started wearing the hijab. Everyone I knew at school reacted because not only did I start wearing a scarf, I started wearing it on a Tuesday.
A lot of Muslims girls think…
Taking Arabic at an Islamic School...
Teacher: What does this letter look like to you? (Pointing to a 'Ra')
Student 1: A sword!
Student 2: A machete!
Teacher: Why do Muslims always have to be so violent?
December 2010
7 posts
WatchThe Daft Punk movie - Interstella 5555 based on their album Discovery. Google Video has it in its entirety!
Designers/Game Show Hosts, Same Thing
[Older sister in background, talking about her new Marc Jacobs purse]
Brother-in-law: (asking me) Wasn't Marc Jacobs the host of Double Dare?
Me: That was Marc Summers.
November 2010
3 posts
Top 10 ways to tell your new Taliban friend is an... →
The Talk: When is it time to talk to your kids... →
My Given Name
[After finding out my coworker/friend also has a Korean name in addition to her American one]
Me: Hey, maybe I should get another name! I already have an Arabic name-
Coworker: (Interrupting, surprised) You do?
Me: Uh, yeah, it's "Bushra".
Coworker: Oh.
October 2010
2 posts
With Age Comes Cynicism
2 Year-old Niece: (Sticking a part of a price tag onto her wrist) Look! A bracelet!
4 Year-old Nephew: I didn't know a piece of garbage can be a bracelet.
September 2010
1 post
August 2010
4 posts
First and Last Time I Wear My Superman Shirt To...
Random lady from elevator: Is that a Superman shirt?
Me: Yes.
Random lady from elevator: Is that your kid's shirt?
Me: Um, uh, no, it's mine.
(Btw, I don't have any kids)
“It’s like a cute forest animal with doe eyes.”
– A friend, commenting on a nickname that has been bestowed upon me. *sigh*:)
July 2010
5 posts
I still appreciate the compliment about the scarf...
Guy in cube next to mine: That really is a beautiful scarf.
Me: Thanks!
Guy in cube next to mine: Is it from the old country?
Me: Express.
So I was passing around animal crackers at work
Coworker: they're good. but not quite the same as the original animal cookie with the pastel pink frosting.
Me: i haven't had these in ages so i don't remember how they used to taste. still pretty good though
Coworker: yeah. the old ones had just a little frosting on the top. not completely coated. the frosting was less sweet. and the cookies slightly bigger. but thinner.
Me: hmm... i've had ones that were completely coated
Coworker: then again it could have tasted like a pinecone but i still ate it as it was the coveted item in lunch trades.
Me: this is true. what does a pinecone taste like?
Coworker: Nutty.
Watching Pakistani Dramas
[Looked up from laptop to TV to see girl and much older man arguing in Pakistani drama]
Me: Is that her dad?
Mom: No, that's her husband.
June 2010
1 post
“It’s not that hot, it’s like Taco Bell.”
– Lady at cafe, talking about the hot sauce.