When Arabs and Music Collide

%PEACE

Inceptional Inspirations

• Confused between reality and falsifications?
• Avoiding manipulations of the mind's thoughts and ideas?
• Engaging in defensive techniques in your most vulnerable state?
• Using trained combat to ward off the evils in your dreams?

These are just a few bullet points that reside in the center ellipse of the Venn Diagram between J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix and Christopher Nolan's Inception.  It just seems a bit suspicious that one of the most popular films in the past few years had a similar theme basis as the best fantasy series of ALL TIME.  If anything, it simply reaffirms the fact that Harry Potter and the ideas related are totally AWESOME.  %PEACE

CHECK IT!!!

This is the link to my article about the LSUS-LA Tech merger.  Hope you like it!!!

http://www.localsinput.com/category/education/

COMMENT! RATE! LOVE! HATE! DO WHAT YOU WANT TILL EIGHT O EIGHT!! :)

%PEACE

Thank God I'm Just an Aunt

You know you're tired when you take clothes out of the dryer and put them back in the washer. It has been quite a day! Omar has been screaming like it's the end of the world! We changed his diaper, clothes, tried to feed him, but nothing would stop his crying. I wanted to rip my hair out! This is a gentle reminder that it is NOT time for me to have a baby of my own. I am perfectly fine being an aunt. I do not have the determination and patience to be a mother just yet. I'm glad I'm still a child myself and can stay immature for a while longer. Being an aunt is awesome though! It's the fun part of having a baby in the family. Making funny faces, holding him tight, listening to his cute little Simba-like sneezes. I can't wait for him to declare me as his totally awesome auntie. For now, I'm good with the minimal responsibilty I have. I want to throw this laptop on my head just to have something else to focus on than his screams and cries. But I love the kid...Sometimes. He's quieted down a bit, but he's having a fussy day. Hopefully he eats and falls asleep soon!

%PEACE

AWESOME REASONS I LOVE HIJAB/ABAYA

HIJAB: Head covering worn by Muslim women. Similar to a hood
ABAYA: Long, loose cloak-type cover worn by Muslim women. 

9) I never have to worry about rain ruining my hair. 
 
8) It's comfortable and simple to dress each day.  I never have to worry about bending over and revealing my back or anything.  

7) People approach me with ridiculously interesting, border-line offensive, questions.  "You know you don't have to wear that here?" "Do you eat camel for Thanksgiving?" "Do you have hair?" etc.

6) I look like I go to Hogwarts.  Or I look like a dementor.  Or I look like a ninja.  Regardless, it's awesome.

5) I'm unique amongst my friends, and I love that.  It's a representation of who I am. It's a part of me that I love so much!

4) My ears are never cold in the winter. :)

3)I can hide my earbuds and stay entertained during a boring lecture, and no one would ever know. I told this to someone once, and he replied, "That's cool! I wish I was Jewish!"  ...
2) No bluetooth headset? No problem! With any lightweight phone, my hijab allows me to have a handsfree device when I have  other things to carry while chatting.

1) I can "dye my hair" everyday.  I have over 100 hijabs of many different colors and styles that look fancy on any regular old day.  I like looking fancy. 


%PEACE




PS: I got my first payment for writing!!!! I wrote a web article about the merger proposal between LSUS and LA Tech.  I am an official writer which is totally AWESOME!  I will be posting a link as soon as it is up on the web! 

Hot Dog! It's Sizzling Outside!

Shreveport is warming up! Aside from a few showers this week, the weather has been really pleasant! The sun is shining bright, sending warm rays to heat the city. I love it! I am a heat lover by nature.  Being bundled up in the winter is not nearly as comfy as dressing light and rolling down the windows in my car.  I LOVE WARM WEATHER!!!! The summer does get pretty unbearable sometimes, but as  long as the is air conditioning nearby, it's totally worth it.  Plus, the countless opportunities for frozen treats are SUH-WEET! This weather really lifts my spirit.  It gives me more chances to stay outdoors and play ultimate frisbee (great game!).  Plus, I love taking walks along the river trail.

Earlier this week, a cat that wanders around our house had five kittens in our storage room. She is gray and black, and 3 of the kittens are orange, 2 are gray.  They are so adorable! Everytime I get close to try and get a picture of the cuteness, but she always hisses at me.  I could not get a good picture of them though :/.  Now they are hiding under a couch away from plain sight.  I love kittens so much. Anyways, those are my musing for the week.

%PEACE

P.S.: Omar pulled his own hair and started crying.  The crying made him tense up and pull more, therefore, cry even more.  He is too cute.  :)

Omar :)

I have no idea what I did with my spare time 3 weeks ago.  Ever since my nephew was born, I spend every moment unrelated to school or work with him.  I know people say this a bunch and some probably are full of BS, but I can literally sit and watch him sleep for an hour.  He makes the cutest faces when he moves around!  From pursing his lips when he lifts his arms to sucking in his bottom lip to stretch out his tiny legs and toes, I just can't get enough of him.  He also has a "Poopy Face." Furrowed eyebrows, tight lips, strained expression: this baby is doing his smelly business. Unfortunately, he saves the pee until right when the diaper is removed.  So far he has peed on the ottoman, his clothes, his face and, most satisfyingly, my sister.

He does other things, too.  He eats and cries!...other than that, he doesn't really do much of anything.  I still love him, nonetheless! I am so excited to be an aunt, and I can't imagine how great it is to be a mother.  My sister is so cute as a mother! She can soothe Omar in an instant. It seems compulsory to get gooey and lovey dovey around a baby, and I love every moment of watching my super mature sister coo over her son.  And the father is no less entertaining! He knows how to soothe his son, also.  They make a great team taking care of Omar.  Hopefully I have a supportive husband like him to raise my child in the future.  I can't wait to be a mom!!!

%PEACE

Tie Your Camel! (BONUS POST AT THE END!!)

While reading a fellow blogger's post on being a realist, I was reminded of an old Islamic anecdote about Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Him).  He was walking to a market and encountered a man who had  gotten off his camel and began walking away.  The prophet (PBUH) approached him and asked, "Aren't you going to tie your camel?" The man said, "I put my trust in Allah (God)." The prophet (PBUH) responded, "Put your trust in Allah and tie your camel."

"Work like it depends on you, pray like it depends on Allah"

Basically, if you want something in life, pray for it AND work for it!! Do you think you will get a degree and get a  successful career without actively contributing some time and effort into it?! I think not!

You can't jump off a 20 story building and say, "I trust that God will keep me alive."

Running a marathon takes a whole heap of strength.  Waking up one morning and saying you will run a marathon that day is not really achievable.  "Oh I trust God; I can run it."  If you don't succeed, you are more likely to lose faith in God's ability to help you reach your full potential.

Trust that God will help you build your strength and endurance over time so that you can complete the goal you had in mind.

REASONS I LOVE CAMELS/COOL FACTS:
1) They are proud of their humps.

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/camel-info.htm

2) Their eyelashes are long and pretty.

http://bahraindc.com/blog/camel-eyelashes/

3) Camels are the color of hummus.  I love hummus.

4) Their legs are SO STRONG, yet so small

http://danielschereck.com/wp2/wp-whitedesert.htm

5) Llamas are classified as South American camels.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25891376@N00/686395126

%PEACE

8 lbs 3oz 21 in

I'm an Auntie!!!! 2/21/12 was the day Omar joined this crazy world.  He is the most adorable little baby I have ever seen, but that's a biased view.  It is so exciting to have a little baby nephew.  :) At first, I really wanted my sister to have a girl, but seeing him in his cute baby tuxedo onesie, I couldn't imagine him any other way.  I've spent about 68% of my week with him, but I wish I could spend every waking moment with him! I missed class to spend time with him, and it was definitely worth it.  Seriously, typing this post, I miss him so much! I'm excited to spoil him so much, and I am gunning for the best Aunt award. :) Today, he pooped, took a bath and peed in a towel. I miss the days of eating, pooping and sleeping.  %PEACE

KENPO X

By far, my favorite P90X workout is Kenpo X.  It is a karate workout that will get your heart rate shooting up to the sky!  Within minutes, my face was red with intensity, and I was kicking and punching all my anger away. I picked a target on the wall from the beginning and stuck with it for the hour.  It was absolutely amazing.  I stumbled here and there, but it was satisfying nonetheless. The soreness from starting the program has worn off slightly, and I already feel stronger (although it might all be in my head). It's been 6 days since I've begun P90X, and I cannot believe I've survived this long! Tomorrow is a well deserved Rest/Stretch day, so I am looking forward to it. %PEACE

On All Fours, Huffing and Puffing

When my sister brought home the P90X box, I did not know what I was about to do.  She borrowed the package from her friend, and I decided to try it out with her.  That was a foolish move. 

Day 1, I was ROFD (Rolling on the Floor Dying).  I had never heard of half the moves that we did.  The "Superman/Banana" is not at all as awesome as the name suggests.  I wanted to throw the TV in the Red River.  With P90X, there is no beginner's package; you start hard and get harder.  It is not for the weak...so I'm not quite sure what I was doing when I chose to do it.  I had never grunted so much in my life.  It was so intense.  The next day, I woke up and could not move.  Muscles that I did not know existed were screaming their way into my body.  My THUMBS were sore, but it felt good to feel sore again.  I haven't felt this sore from a workout in a long time, and I missed it.  I'll admit, going up the stairs to class was a literal pain in the ass, but it definitely felt good to release energy and work hard for something.  I came to regret these words with Workout #2: Core Synergistics. 

What do you consider a warm up? Light jog? Some stretching? Jumping jacks? WRONG! We did Plank/Push up/Downward Dog/Plamk/Upward Dog/Warrior Pose 1, 2 &3/ Plank and REPEAT.  Ten. Times. That was the warm up. After draining my energy in the first 15 minutes, I cannot even remember what we did for the rest of the workout.  All I remember is PAIN PAIN PAIN.  The one move I remember is called a Wacky Jack, which was actually really fun.  When the workout was done, my sore muscles had sore muscles.  I could barely move.  The next morning, I felt my abs, thighs and butt. All the moves work so much more than I thought it did.  I've had sore abs before, but this was unprecedented.  I engaged parts of my abs that were never worked before. 

Today, we worked the shoulders, arms and abs.  My biceps and triceps packed and moved away years ago.  I tried summoning them back today, but they didn't come.  Because this is my first week, I opted for the 5 pound dumbbells, thinking it was an easy route.  My arms beg to differ! It was tough, but I made it through.  I couldn't do half of the ab moves and I was about to DIEEEEEEE. 

I am drained of energy, but I hope I can keep up with it the whole 90 days. Let's see what happens!:)
%PEACE

Foolish Wisdom

"Losing them doesn't make you less wise.  It only makes you stronger. (or look like a chipmunk)"

"They give you drugs and you get to feel high for about a week! YEAH!!"

These were the words of encouragement given to me by my friends before I went to the dentist to get my wisdom teeth extracted.  I was a bit nervous because I don't like tooth pain and wisdom tooth extraction is kind of a big deal. Early that day, I went in for a temporary crown and permanent crown fitting.  That caused a bit of irritation, but it wasn't too bad.

DAY 1:
Around 4 O'clock, I was in the chair, signing the consent for of operation form.  Showtime.  After a few shots of local anesthetic, the dentist got to work, loosening each tooth at a time.  Three of them had already erupted, so getting them out was pretty simple.  The upper left one was a pain (literally and figuratively). It was still under the gums and took almost an hour to extract. It was so awkward-the dentist was working ON my face.  After what felt like days, the dentist was stitching me up and telling me instructions for care. Switch gauze every half hour, keep ice on it, cold foods only, no solids.  I was so uncomfortable, I didn't hear half the things he was saying.  I just wanted to get my prescriptions and go to bed.  Which is exactly what I did.

DAY 2:
Blegggghhhhhhhhh.  I woke up, took my medication, and passed out.  Six hours later, the same thing happened.  Around 6 O'clock, my wonderful friend brought me frozen yogurt. God bless her.  :)  Shortly thereafter, I was passed out and dreaming a pain-free dream.

DAY 3:
Refer to "Day 2".  True story about looking like a chipmunk.  My cheek is swollen so bad!!  The part about feeling high all week? More like drowsy, groggy and uncomfortable as ever!

DAY 4:
I actually left the house today.  I made up a Stats exam that I had missed on Wednesday.  I had a headache and felt so nauseous.  I have no idea how I did on that test.  Let's hope pain meds make me smarter.  I am really starting to miss solid foods :( I want a nice big juicy burger! *Sigh*

It has been a tough ride, but I think I'm feeling better.  I have been eating soup and frozen yogurt, but I can't wait to expand and eat all of this:

(: :)

%PEACE

Don't Drink and Drive

Bad things happen when you drink hot beverages and drive.  Seriously-nothing good can come of it.  Unless you like burning your tongue into tasteless oblivion, staining your clothing at the start of the day, and screeching unspeakable nothings at everything within earshot.  DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE EVER.

%PEACE

Sunday + Boredom + Procrastination =

%PEACE

                                                        

Top Questions People Ask Regarding My Hijab

Wearing a hijab, or headscarf, has prompted some of the funniest and most entertaining questions from random encounters. Here are a few of my favorite questions:

Number 10: Do you wear that at home? I wear my hijab in front of men with the exceptions of my father,  grandfather, uncles, nephews, boys who haven't hit puberty and really really old men. In any other setting, I am able to take off my hijab.

Number 9: So what are you? I am a human. More specifically, a female.  Furthermore, I am Muslim.

Number 8: Do you have hair? Yes, I do. If you wear pants, does that mean you don't have knees?

Number 7: You know you're in America and don't have to wear that here, don't you?  Really? I was not aware that I was in America!* Regardless of the country I am currently residing in, I am a Muslim and will follow the practices at all times.

Number 6: You look like a ninja. Are you a ninja?  This question is most popular among the younger crowd.  When I volunteer for elementary school field days, I always get kids asking me if I am a ninja.  More often than not, they think it's really cool.  That always brightens my day.

Number 5: Can you hear me with that on?  I'm sorry, can you repeat that?

Number 4:  Do you ever get hot under there?  I live in Louisiana.  It gets hot here allll the time.

Number 3: Are you a nun?   I was in the checkout line at a supermarket, and two guys were talking about stuff in front of me.  One guy cursed and the other turned to me and hit the guy saying, "Dude! That's a nun! Watch your language!" Still gets me to this day.

Number 2: How long is your hair?  If you are allowed to ask me the length of my concealed hair, then I am compelled to ask about your concealed...

Number 1: Do you shower with that thing on?   No, but I keep my eyes closed to keep me from sneaking a peek at my own hair.*


Disclaimer: These comments are sarcastic and meant to be funny.  The questions are all real and have been asked by all sorts of people in my past.  Hope you enjoyed it! :)


%PEACE

Anatomy and Physiology of My Name: إيمان بدر

It seems apropos to begin my blog with an explanation of my name.  This post was an assignment for my English class and does not exactly count as a blog post, but I thought you would like to know a bit about me and my name.  Here it goes:

E Man’s Gotta Do What E Man’s Gotta Do
 إيمان بدر

"Eman" is Arabic for “faith."  My parents named me amidst their struggle of surviving this foreign country of America.  It is pronounced like the first two syllables of “emancipation,” and that properly defines my spirit in a nutshell.  “Name” spelled backwards is “Eman.”  That quirky fact sets the stage for my entire being.  My life is a play on words.  I find other uses or meanings of words, picking them apart and fashioning my own vocabulary as I do with many other items at my disposal.  Socks with holes transform into mittens, fruit medley is blended and frozen into a fresh fruit slush, and paper clips morph into beautiful jewelry. 

I come across many Emans throughout my day; whether it is while I brush my teeth, choose an outfit or spot check my hijab. ;)  I have numerous nicknames that cater to my first and last name: Name, Sheman, Heman, Ewoman, Theman, Emale, Email, Darth Bader, Master Bader and “You couldn’t be Badder."  I enjoy all the variations of my name, and I am always curious to find out how creative people are.  I am the only Eman Bader in America.  My personality is as unique as my name.  I could not imagine life with an ordinary name such as Beth or Haley.  I am fairly certain that I have befriended people by the sheer awesomeness of my name. :)

Welcome!!

It took a semester long blog project for me to finally buck down and create a blog, and here is the first post! Here you will find the ramblings of my life on a weekly basis.  From funny trips to awkward encounters, you will surely be entertained when stopping by this blog on your quest to putting off that research paper to the last possible minute.  It is tough to summarize the theme of this blog, partly because I am not quite sure what it is.  I guess that is what is great about blogs; there is not a necessary reason to post what you want to post.  I am excited as ever to get started, and I hope you take pleasure in reading what I haev to say. :)