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Useless but nifty idea - track your money! www.wheresgeorge.com will let you see where your bills came from. I tried this on a few bills I got from the masjid and apparently one of mine came from Saigon,Vietnam (wow!) and another one came from Troy, Michigan (predictable).
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| Just a small sampling of what I've been up to...  | | |
| hi. i heart mohammed meah.
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People who have played board games with me know that I am the absolute
biggest cheater. I can't help it. I just don't see the fun in playing
by the rules when the game itself is so frivolous. Everything else in
life requires so much honesty and integrity - games by Parker Brothers,
on the other hand, don't. If I'm not cheating, I'm being a sore winner
(this includes trash talking, pointing and laughing, mockery, and
patronizing). If I'm not winning, then I'm an even bigger sore loser,
which involves a range of things such as overturning the game board,
hiding the winning pawns, accusing the winners of cheating, and of
course... cheating.
I can't blame myself for this behavior, however, because I recently discovered that my cheating-at-pointless-board-games
trait is genetic. I was playing Sorry! with my 8-year-old sister the
other day, and when it was my turn to draw a card, I overturned a card
that I had not recognized. Instead of a Disney character instructing
me to move 2, 3, or 4 spaces, I saw that I had chosen a homemade
card... written in green highlighter, demanding me to move either 64 or
15 spaces. I peered up at Asma, upon whose face slowly grew a sly,
guilty smile.
"Asma, what is this?" I asked accusingly.
"Oh, that's a special
card. If I get that card, I get to move 64 spaces, and if you get that
card, you have to go 15 spaces... backwards."
"What the... Why do you get to move 64 spaces?!"
"Um, because that's how many spots there are on whole board... so I would win, and you would lose!"
Yes,
she actually counted the number of spaces all the way around the board,
devised a new rule that would ensure her victory, and snuck these
fraudulent cards into the actual game. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all
for using children's games as a way to teach kids honesty and fair
play... but I have to say, I was quite impressed at Asma's strategic
cheating. While I hastily swipe Monopoly money and accidentally knock
over game pieces, Asma actually demonstrated a thoughtful, cunning
maturity in her trickery. Maybe that's not a good thing, but she
definitely made me proud.
On a separate, yummier note, we went blueberry picking in Michigan this weekend and picked 15 pounds of blueberries! Needless to say, I've been baking quite a bit...
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|  The other day I was watching a show called Visions of Scotland (very
nerdy, yes). It was basically a beautiful helicopter tour of
Scotland's landscape and castles narrated by a guy with a heavy
Scottish accent and a chorus singing in Gaelic (or Latin... how would I
know?). Subhan'Allah it was so impressive... lush, verdant green
hills, majestic castles thousands of years old, rugged cliffs
protruding into the North Sea. It looked so calm, so relaxing. I just
looked at those stretching mounds of green and thought... wouldn't it
be nice to just wander through the fields all day long? To live in a
huge, rustic castle, sprawl out on the grass, and wade through a
waterfall at a moment's notice? To not have any responsibility except
laying out in the sun? 
It hit me then, that subhan'Allah - that's what Jannah is. A place of
peace, pleasure, and tranquility for all of eternity. No tasks, no
responsibility, no struggles... just gardens under which rivers flow,
mansions built upon mansions, rivers flowing with sweet wine unlike
that in this world. Allah (swt) has prepared a great reward for the
believers, and Allah's promise is true. This world is a place of work,
toil, and struggle. We're planting our good deeds now so we can reap
them later; this isn't the time to harvest. I'm reminded of the hadith
where the Prophet (S) says, that Paradise is surrounded by hardship and
Hell is surrounded by temptation. The way to Jannah is truly paved
with work, good deeds, and submitting yourself before Allah (swt). And
if we seek our reward in this life, then what will be left for us on
that Day?
 That little castle looks like a little Lego piece plopped on the side of this hill.Instead of feeling tempted to live a life of luxury as I watch Visions
of Scotland or any other gorgeous place on earth, I should just be
reminded of what I'm truly working for - meeting Allah (swt) without
any veil, and dwelling in tranquility in His permanent abode of
Paradise.
Hmm... didn't mean to get all preachy there. I'm really just reminding
myself, I suppose. For those wondering what's going on in my kitchen, here's the latest and greatest:  This is the real reason people are friends with me. | | |
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