Thoughts

Some days, weeks, months or even years, you just don't feel like expressing your thoughts to the world. This is one of those days. Although, this post was a thought in of its self :)

SO much I want to do but not enough time

I've thought about this for a bit and realized a few things about this interesting human feature. I'm talking about that innate trait that we have where we have so many ideas and interests and want to do them all at once.
1) We can't do EVERYTHING at once or over one lifetime. That would be just perfect. Perfection is not realistic nor is it attainable so forget about doing everything and start choosing one or two of your passions, at least.
2)  Rather than focusing your attention on how you can turn your passion into a success story that everyone will recognize so that you can be praised and coined as someone who's unique and different, just  execute on your passion simply for the sake of it. And besides, this whole phenomenon about making a mark on how you're 'being youself' by being unique is misleading because it steers you away from just doing things you love by focusing too much on the ego's fulfillment.
3) Think outside the box. Think of ways you can incorporate doing what you love with your current job. If you can't think of ideas, ask family, friends, co-workers and your boss. I've realized that no matter what you're doing as a 9-5, there are always ways to incorporate what you love with it. If not, then go to 4)
4) Find a flexible job that pays you enough to live but gives you enough time to pursue what you love on the side.

A few things to think about...any other suggestions?

Peace

The Coming Together - Right back at ya

At first I, wasn't intrigued
But you, came anyway
You, came hard and bold
You, gave my, soul no choice
But to respond to you,
So I, came to you,
Harder and bolder.

Madvillain

This is my kinda jam when I'm getting dressed...

Career

Career is important to most people, especially to young people. When you're young, career is such a BIG DEAL. We feel the need to prove ourselves to the world through what job we have, the amount of time it took us to find a job after graduation, the salary, the status of the organization, our success at the job, etc. You find that many people even bluff about how happy they are in their job in fear of seeming unsuccessful because they haven't found their 'it' job yet after only a few years of graduation. In reality, you may only get to your 'it' job when you're 40 so why not just ride the wave and  remain open to opportunities that tug at your heart? I began to ask my self, why is career such a big deal? What about the rest of your life? Why don't we try to measure success based on true happiness in our overall life as opposed to the mere success in our career? Which by the way, is most often based on social and professional standards as opposed to our own criteria for success. Social constructivism is so powerful and hard to break out of. I met a young girl in her 3rd year of University at the Reviving the Islamic Spirit Conference (a yearly conference held in Toronto). She was studying what I had studied in University and was caught up in the same pressures of pursuing the 'next best steps' to be successful that everyone in our field (and other fields) suffered from. So, naturally she was confused between what she wanted to do and what a profession asked of her. Since I had somewhat followed the 'must do' vs the 'what my heart desires' route, I told her flat out that, yes, you end up with a good job that pays well but if your heart is not in it then it won't mean anything after a few years of just following a script. A good balance between whatever you consider to be logical and your desires is a wise way to go. She told me that it was the best advice she had received so far. That comment reassured me as well. It took me many years to figure that out and even with that knowledge, it does take cojones to break barriers, follow your heart's desires (if you can even manage to gage that voice within) and just plunge in!!

Islam Care Centre - Ottawa Mural Making

Lately I've been intrigued by street art, wall art, murals, etc. I find that they beautify cities and places or in some cases, simply add an edge! Check out #hop2012 - House of Paint Hip-Hop festival under a bridge for some amazing Ottawa talent.

So, with this inspiration I gathered some friends to have some fun and embellish some community centres across Ottawa. See below our work for Islam Care Centre.

T.O.

I spent a couple of weeks at my friend's apartment in Toronto over the Christmas break. The apartment was 10 minutes North-East of downtown Toronto so location was great. I go to Toronto a lot for all sorts of reasons - conferences, visiting friends, enjoying, shopping, etc., and this last visit made me realize that the more I visit Toronto the more I find it unglamorous. Sad to day but it's true. Maybe, I'm used to small cities. Anyway, but even with that I always appreciate the diversity of people and the liberalism. This is a city that breaks barriers: swinger bars, lesbian Muslims, big flashy strip bars, 50 gourmet donut shops and best of all a store that sells Ninja Turtle sweaters. I tend to forget that the best part about travelling is that you're out of your comfort zone. This means that you expose yourself a little more because, hey, you're a stranger in a foreign part of the globe (at least you think so until you bump into someone you know aka Muna and you have that magical moment)! In exposing myself, I found myself making snow angels on a Church property with my Egyptian friend who froze her fingers off, eeek. We quickly entered a Tim Horton's to warm her up (it took over 15 minutes) - snow angels, frostbite and Tim Horton's - talk about a real Canadian experience! To add to this wonderful experience I had in Toronto, I met a beautiful soul that touched my heart in a delightful way. Thanks for everyone who shared a slice of their life with me in Toronto.