Facebook, evil eyes and other random sentences stitched together.

OK, for those that read my blog, you know that I think FaceBook is evil however I joined and I am semi active on it, I would say. Though that is relative since I know people who spends hours on it and have mobile phone connections to it and stuff so relative to that, I am barely on FaceBook. Weeks go by and I don’t go on and then there are my active weeks where I will check it out three times a week. Anyhow, today, I found this group through my friend Angad’s page (the one I met in Bombay who calls me Jungle Queen) and it is called, Anthropology+ Good Looks= A Deadly Combination. The blurb for the group is as follows: Sexy Anthropologists all over the world must unite in global awareness of our dashingly good looks and witty, unparalleled brilliance.

What can I say, I love it. One of the officers of this group (and I would just cut and paste the entire group here but I don’t want to be messing around with people’s privacy) says, “sexy is her name, evolution is her game”.

How could I not be in love with this group?

There were other groups before, like, I secretly want to punch slow walking people in the back of the head, or Lovers of Third World Shit Holes, and Drunk Dialing Appreciation Society etc and all funny, but really, it takes anthropologists to do it for me.

I still think FaceBook is evil.

Must comment on two comments I got: Lurker person, thanks for the postcard, I did so love it and I really wish I could have read it properly but really it’s al blotted out with the rain but it has a place of pride on my fridge, just below the other anonymous postcard I got that was covered in poetry. You are a star, send me more, the rainy season is almost over so it might make it in one legible piece.

Mr. nick naeem who wrote a comment along the lines of my blossoming into my own woman after my strict upbringing hijab wearing oppressed days…I hate to do this to you and disappoint all those people who saw me growing up, but I really do not even once recall growing up oppressed or strict or repressed in anyway. Your concern and backhand compliment is really very sweet but I think I grew up because of the way I am because of my parents and the environment I grew up in. I ain’t no rebel. I’m just me and like you, my parents are also very, very proud of me. Thanks for reading and the very lovely comment. And I shy away from these conversations since people see everything in black and white but my decision to stop wearing hijab was because my mom said to me, Look, it’s obviously not working for you…what are you afraid of? Take it off, try it out, you can come back to it if you decide to and you may not so live your life. I was never once told I HAD to wear hijab. It has always been a personal choice in my household (like everything) and I am super lucky to have grown up with the family I have. I look at other South Asian (and not just South Asian but any race) kids and their relationships to their families, and there is nothing that I would change in mine. I love it and love how it grows, changes, new people coming in and out and I think of what my dad used to say to us growing up (which obviously as a 12 year old was harder to understand since as much as I love my family, going to the mall with everyone in tow when I wanted to go with my friends was uncool), my dad would say: at the end of the day, it’s your family who is there for you. Time and time again, that has been proven to me. I now feel like I need to shoo away all the evil eye with my proclamations about my family and how kick ass we are. Will call my mom and ask her to do it. If Iqbal Khaldun had told me about how to get rid of the evil eye with chickens, I would do it here in Ampara. My sister has been privy to some egg charm…will ask her to test it out.

The flooding in Ampara seems to have stopped and I am gearing up for the next hectic 6 weeks and my bday extravaganza (relaxed day on the beach) coming up in Feb. I will be 30. YAY! And I decided that it will be in Sri Lanka, bombs or no bombs. Anyone want to come?

Still love my job and I have photos but dial up and no patience. And no time at work but soon.

Pakistan

Pakistan was recently having issues which I think I failed to mention or write about since I like to live in lala land when it comes to thinking or writing about Pakistan and on that note, a brilliant comedy sketch video courtesy of youtube and my sister who sent it to me from an amazing show that used to be on tv back when Pakistan was a VERY cool, hip happening place with lots of culture, cutting edge thought and intelligence. The show was called Fifty Fifty and it was basically like Saturday Night Live or Little Britian with little sketches etc with a cast of comedians. This clip is called Disco Chor, meaning Disco Thief and this is probably circa 1975..



Enjoy.

Islamica News

So, one of my absolute favorite websites, but unfortunately not up and running as it should be since 2004, but they have archives which make me LOL and LOL and then LOL some more.

Like this photo with the headline:

Muslim Doll Found Indecent in Toy Chest.


Or this article (original found here) and posting below for your reading pleasure.

CyberImaam.com Issues Controversial New Fatwa: Declares Every Other Website Haram
Sunday, October 10, 2004 - 07:36 PM CST | Issue 8

KARACHI, OH - Some time after Fajr this morning, CyberImaam.com Websheikh Angree Mufasaa warned his website visitors that surfing other websites is now considered haram.

The fatwa also outlines a new "e-Shariah" form of punishment for violators of the ruling.

Punishments include "virtual stoning e-mail" forwards, directing violators to a CyberImaam.com page that plays a "whiplash" audio file and restricting broadband violators to 14.4k dialup speeds.

News of the e-fatwa ruling drew varied reactions from the online Muslim community.

"This is terrible, my site traffic has really taken a hit," stated a visibly-disturbed owner from competing website OnlineImam.org. "What next? What if he declares himself the e-Khalif?"

Others, such as 14-year old Waleem Fuzail applauded the decision.

"There's so much fitnaa and bidaah and haraam and kufaaar out there," stated the passionate youth. "His site has none of that. He just has one page with big red letters that say "HARAAM" and his fatwas are listed below. I really aaplaaud what the Imaam is doing for Islaam."

Another site regular stated, "I really respect the Websheikh. He's visited just about every link on Google for the keyword 'islam' so he's very knowledgeable. I guess I'll just have to make CyberImaam.com my default homepage and make sure not to click on any of his banner ads."

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I feel like I need to make these disclaimers though I think I am making them anyway but let me repeat. I am NOT the author of most of the funny things on my blog and I do credit where I know where to credit the stuff (re: Bollywood post since people seem to think I wrote it even though I said, I don't know who wrote the list of 45 things. I only wrote the paragraph on the top of it). Also, I think all of this is LOL funny if you are 29, South Asian, grew up Muslim in America and have a sense of humor.