Searching to learn

I promised to learn something new everyday in an effort to grow. Now if I am not going to mosque to get that information, I need to find something to learn on my own. And that is exactly what I did - only to find myself quite frustrated.

I sat in the kitchen at the island with a freshly made cup of Davidoff coffee sitting beside me. Equipped with my laptop, I sat and thought. I first went to Google and stared at the search bar. What key phrases was i to put "Daily inspiration", "Muharram"?? There were too many choices. I had to narrow it down. I had an idea - I needed to go back to where I learned best. My mom had told me that the lectures in Toronto were quite good so I searched the web for the Toronto website and found the lectures.

Excited, I picked the majlis that read, "How Sincere Simple Actions are Magnified". I loved how the topic sounded and couldn't wait to immerse myself int it. I pressed play and waited. I heard some Quran. Realizing it was Yaseeen, I looked for the forward button, but it did not operate. Finally it ended, followed by Dua e Kumail.

I am still listening to Dua e Kumail as i write this...what annoys me is my laptop battery will be over in 10 mins and my eyes are shutting. All I want is to listen to a lecture but I have to listen to the preamble before I can get to the core! This is not making lectures more accessible to people like me. All I want is the lecture. As listeners, we should have the ability to rewind and fast forward as we see fit.

Until I recharge my battery....

Coming To Dubai

Sheikh zayed road was empty. Not a car on the road, barely a soul on the streets. The usually busy city of Dubai became a "ghost town" on Monday January 14, 2008. Why I hear my non existent readers ask - b/c of U.S. President George Bush.

On Sunday, after a long weekend, I tumbled out of bed, sleep still in my eyes and faced the world. I was ready for a full week that consists of 5 days. On my calender, the next long weekend will be in March. What a long time to wait I thought to myself as I sipped the steeped tea in my "Second Cup" mug.

At the end of the day, a parent came into my class wondering if there was school on the next day.
"Why of course" I replied confidently thinking he was referring to a school closure due to the heavy downpour.
"All the roads are closed" he informed me promptly. I shrugged and shook my head. School was most definitely open the next day.

A half hour later, a text was sent to all staff and parents informing them that school would be closed as a security measure.

While I think it is quite silly for the whole economy to suffer because of one man and the whole city to find themselves under house arrest, I have to admit I LOVED it.

I am eagerly waiting for him to revisit Dubai. Thank you Bush for giving us a day off!