da Boom Boom Room

Booger

2008-11-30T00:39:00.002-05:00

Ever flick a booger only to find out later it was still on your finger? Yeah its on my keyboard now.

Dancing Nuriya

2007-01-28T12:38:00.001-05:00

Bustin a move or two.

The Wind Beneath Her Wings

2006-12-26T11:32:00.000-05:00

Nuriya received a pair of fairy princess wings as an Xmas present and cried when she couldn't fly so I picked her up and turned that frown upside down. Literally, upside down. All over the place really. Superman-style. Except that she's a girl, a fairy princess.

Office Domination

2006-12-13T23:02:00.001-05:00

Opening Act

2006-11-14T01:33:00.000-05:00

I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural game at John Paul Jones Arena and witnessed my UVA squad come from 19 points down to defeat the 10th ranked Arizona Wildcats.Sean Singletary will be breaking ankles all season.

Taking Care of Business

2006-11-01T15:16:00.000-05:00

Recently found in one of our bathroom stalls at work:What management team allowed this title to get approved? I'd dump them.

No Blind Spot

2006-10-28T18:37:00.000-04:00

Moving over to the fast lane...

Ahsanadan

2006-10-25T22:54:00.000-04:00

The fellas at work, notably Vinny, have dubbed the day after Eid Ahsanadan. All throughout Ramadan they were nice enough to allow me to enjoy the various scents of food they ate at their cubes. Matter of fact, I based several iftars on the aroma around my desk during the day. Damn Popeyes smells so good. Too bad my Popeyes sucked when I got home.The lunch crew decided that they would avoid kababs

Makeup of a 1-6 Fantasy Team

2006-10-23T08:48:00.000-04:00

TD totals for the top 4 picks of my 2006 draft:Tiki - 0Chad - 1Fitz - 2Jamal Lewis - 1Such is the makeup of a 1-6 fantasy team. Never again will I draft a superstar WR high over a run of the mill starting RB that gets carries in the red zone. Especially if said WR is coming off a monster year only to be double and triple teamed the following season, leaving his #2 drafted several rounds later to

Chicken of the Sea

2006-10-12T23:51:00.000-04:00

Nuriya just had a Jessica Simpson moment, but her thought process was rather impressive for a 3 year old.Mommy Here...eat your fish sticks.Nuriya That's not fish, thats chicken nuggets.Nuriya Fish are from the sea. Fish are in water.As long as she's eating, I'm down.

Jailbirds

2006-09-17T16:58:00.000-04:00

Actors

2006-09-03T15:21:00.000-04:00

My current favorite actors list, probably in order:Matt DamonDon Cheadle - shit I even watched Picket Fences coz of himEd Norton <-- where's he been?Denzel Washington - This ain't no bank robbery! The man just delivers, literally.Jack Nicholson - Joker, dude, one more time, please?I am siced about The Departed. Leo could make the list soon.

Afterwards

2006-05-09T13:56:00.000-04:00

Afterwards is the longest word one can type with one hand, unless one types with their index finger, which is also used to signify the number one. One might wonder why one would create a blog entry on one-handed typing, and then digress by trying to fit the word "one" as many times as possible, but such is the nature of this blog.The longest sentence one can type with one finger may be:

Talk It Up

2005-12-13T10:55:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I bragged on my kids but damn if Nuriya ain't the smartest kid on the block. The past couple months have resulted in a veritable explosion of loquaciousness from Nuriya heretofore known as #1. There was a plateau for a while where #1 was pulling the same old words and phrases from her limited lexicon for a few months. Strangely, this rise in fluency corresponds

How many Punjabs does it take to change a light bulb?

2005-11-30T14:21:00.000-05:00

Two. 1 DJ and 1 dancer.

Pat Morita waxes off for final time

2005-11-25T17:39:00.000-05:00

RIP Mr. Miyagi. May the peaceful way be with you.

Look ma, no hands

2005-10-01T15:47:00.000-04:00

As a basketball fan, I must say that nothing on any And 1 Mix Tape can touch this. Those moves are just bananas. The beautiful game.

Maddenisms

2005-09-13T01:07:00.000-04:00

From now...till the end of the game...is when you win or lose the game.

Paki Uncle QOTD

2005-08-26T17:56:00.000-04:00

Uncle once told this young med student: "Having the patient will bring you the successes."

Parisa in the Summertime

2005-08-24T11:02:00.000-04:00

Nuriya's Got Jokes

2005-08-23T10:39:00.000-04:00

Sisters

2005-08-23T09:24:00.000-04:00

Sisters

Parisa Lamis Ashraf

2005-08-22T18:50:00.000-04:00

Standard issue hospital blankeys

Look up

2005-08-15T15:46:00.000-04:00

I wrote the word "gullible" on your ceiling while you weren't looking.

Thinking Allowed

2005-05-05T19:35:00.000-04:00

Think and thrive!

Lime Coke

2005-03-17T21:33:00.000-05:00

You put de lime in de Coke you nut.That jingle rules.

Bride & Prejudice

2005-03-08T10:28:00.000-05:00

So we went to the theaters for the first time since Nuriya was born, dropping her off at my parents. And get this, we ended up watching Bride & Prejudice over Hotel Rwanda, Hitch...and my dead body.

Dance Fever

2005-03-06T11:30:00.000-05:00

98 degrees move over. Nuni's been rockin the bod despite a fever up to 105 degrees at times. Pops misses two days of work due to the flu which I passed on to Nuriya yet she's still workin it.

Virgin Ice Cream protocol

2005-02-22T23:36:00.000-05:00

So we're having an impromptu shindig at our place tomorrow night and made a run to Shoppers for some foodstuff. At the ice cream aisle Mariam and I debated what flavor to get after finally finding an ice cream with green price tags (special). Edy's was on sale and now all we had to do was settle on the flavor. I first said play it safe and go with vanilla, especially if Mariam was gonna make

Blind People

2005-02-15T22:02:00.000-05:00

How does a blind person read a Do Not Touch sign?

2005-01-30T10:47:00.000-05:00

Use as directed

Baby got back

2005-01-24T23:58:00.000-05:00

Baby got back on the high chair.

Headin' Mahwah?

2005-01-23T01:08:00.000-05:00

I just survived a 9 hour solo car trip from upstate NY to VA, 6 of which were spent driving 30mph in NJ with 1 bar on my cell phone, bad windshield wipers, and frozen windshield washing fluid ejectors. Damn I'm sore! I saw countless cars wiped out or in ditches. Peoples need to learn how to drive! Max speed after the snow started was 70mph in the Baltimore harbor tunnel. I got mad driving

Eid Mubarak

2005-01-19T19:50:00.000-05:00

Wife and daughter in New York. Parents and sister in Cali. Pet goat on the chopping block. Eid Mubarak to me.

laguna

2005-01-18T23:31:00.000-05:00

laguna beach

Ever answer the wrong question?

2005-01-18T09:54:00.000-05:00

What's up man? - Good

Purple tint

2005-01-13T09:44:00.000-05:00

Why is it that all Mazda's from NJ have peeling purple tints with air bubbles? This seems to be exclusive to New Jersey, like full service gas stations, left turns from the right lane, and Ho Ho Kus.

Green Plastic Watering Can

2004-12-21T23:46:00.000-05:00

Who else's mom cuts a couple inches off the lota to increase water flow? Sucks going to someone's house with an unmodified lota which you end up overcompensating for the lower flow rate with a higher tilt causing spillage out of the top all over yourself. Secondly, momz has instituted a leave the lota full policy which doesn't carry over to others' homes thus often leaving me with an empty green

Paint it blech

2004-12-12T15:33:00.000-05:00

We're painting our bedroom Costa Rica Blue. The previous owners of the home left the master bedroom a dark shade of green. You know, the shade of green popular on Jeep Grand Cherokees back in 97. So any way, we were cleaning the walls, wondering if the dried boogers on the one wall were ours or theirs. What is the most accurate way to determine this? Carbon dating or a DNA test?

Googs

2004-11-17T20:05:00.000-05:00

I submit that Tom Gugliotta is a Menendez brother.

82 cents

2004-11-15T20:34:00.000-05:00

Just another reason Target kicks Walmart's ais. Totino's cheese pizza is now just 82 cents and fully stocked at Target. We got our usual 6 boxes. Before the Target's of Virginia recently opened their grocery sections, we used to hit up Walmart for our bulk supply of Totino's cheese pizza. But the cheap desis who shop at Walmart would clean out the freezer leaving a tall stack of pepperonis and

2004-08-17T20:54:00.000-04:00

What's under there?

Mustachioed.

2004-08-17T19:43:00.000-04:00

Yes. I spelled it correct. Will they make a comeback? Upon my visit to the motherland, my mamoos and chachas were still very much mustachioed. My mamoo's children had stylish coiffes as they were raised in the city. My taiyyas' children and grandchildren from the pindh were all rocking staches and poofy punjabi hair, the kind that frizzes in humidity. One day, inshaAllah, my father will install

2004-08-16T11:19:00.000-04:00

The big three oh!

2004-07-15T00:57:00.000-04:00

The big one!

2004-06-29T14:47:00.000-04:00

Only users lose drugs.

2004-06-28T16:29:00.000-04:00

Target or Wal-Mart?

2004-06-11T09:47:00.000-04:00

RIP Ray. I never saw this coming. Neither did you.

2004-05-29T11:10:00.000-04:00

Yesterday on my drive home from work, I saw this dude driving his pickup truck with a prosthetic arm hanging out the driver-side window. I didn't get a good look at his "hand" but when he passed by, I noticed his license plate: CPT HOOK! Aaaahahahahaha!

2004-05-24T10:05:00.000-04:00

Anybody else hate the colleague in the corner cube with the monitor facing the back of his cube? How did he manage to do this? Not only does he have the least frequented cubicle, but his monitor is set up perfect. When I moved to my cube, I tried in vain to have my monitor facing the back. I ended up placing my desktop next to the monitor but that's only a partial block. So now I sit at an

2004-05-22T03:52:00.000-04:00

I took over putting Nuriya to sleep about four nights ago. Never done it before. It is awesome though, despite it taking 20 minutes. Basically I take her upstairs at 9:30 and make sure all the lights are out. She cries and tries to walk up my chest to get out of my grip. Meanwhile downstairs mom is fighting the urge to have me bring her down while listening to her cries on the baby monitor.

2004-05-04T13:46:00.000-04:00

I am purchasing a legal copy of The Last Samurai today on its release date. Unfortunately, it was not available in Pakistan a month ago.

2004-05-03T17:59:00.000-04:00

A major tragedy occurred this past week in the ADAMS community. A group of friends met up after classes and decided to enjoy the perfect spring weather by driving out to Great Falls park on the Potomac River. Tragically, one of the bros slipped into the strong currents of the Potomac and another went into help, only to be swept away himself. 20 and 24 years old respectively. I did not know

2004-04-29T23:34:00.000-04:00

So today I heard Bittersweet Symphony on the FM on the way home. This is one song I have to sing along with. Slow and enunciated. Wait...aren't they british? Odd. I digress. So a couple years ago I was just riding along and there was this Dave Mathews tune on the FM and I came up to a red light and it was a song of theirs where theres a part Dave sings real fast and I looked in my rear view

2004-04-26T13:11:00.000-04:00

Nuriya parrotted us saying "Allah" last night, mashaAllah se. This, a few hours after mimicking mama's "Laa la, la LA laa" (Milkshake, Kelis). Aoodoobillah. Of course dada dadi immediately got into full shahada swing. Baby steps...coming soon.

2004-04-23T12:09:00.000-04:00

Jay-Z. Head & Shoulders. This needs to happen.

2004-04-23T12:08:00.000-04:00

Who's dad wears safari suits?

2004-04-21T10:55:00.000-04:00

I am a firm believer in justice. I also believe we, as the little man, should fight all injustices against us by corporate America. A dollar is worth more to an individual than it is to Big Business. Below is feedback I sent to McDonald's via mcdonalds.com: I am writing to complain about the lack of communication skills of McDonald's cashiers. This is the second time this year I have

2004-04-20T08:40:00.000-04:00

I got me some new whips the other day. Nuriya has her 9 month checkup today so I had to ride the Jet 35 miles to work today. I'm just learning stick so it was pretty stressful. I pretty much got it down except for starting on any incline so I avoided my usual route and took the one that ended up taking 1hr 45mins! S'all good with the Monsoon though.

2004-04-06T14:21:00.000-04:00

I luh me some guacamole. Baja Fresh es muy bueno. But why do they charge for extra? I submit that guacamole is a condiment that should flow freely. OK bad pun post Mexican restaurant.

2004-03-29T19:13:00.000-05:00

Motions yaar.

2004-02-24T15:33:00.000-05:00

Hullo from Lahore! Or shall I say slaalakum. I was in Islamabad upon arrival but have been in Lahore for a few days. Picked up a couple of shalwar qamis from Anarkali. Just got back from some ice cream parloUr in Defence [sic]. OK that is all for now. D'hafiz.

2004-01-15T10:15:00.000-05:00

Nuriya turned 6 months today. She can: Turn over off her back. Turn over off her front (once). Sit. Reach out and touch anything within reach in one try. Eat veggies (beat me to it). Remember (when Mama walks over with a washcloth, she starts squinting in anticipation of her face being cleaned). Entertain herself (while parents sleep in). I love this kid!

2004-01-15T10:11:00.000-05:00

Meredith. Gentlemen. This is the final rose. Ahahahahahah!

2004-01-07T13:39:00.000-05:00

Hail to the mutha freakin' Redskins. Today is a landmark day for the DC sports scene. Everyone remembers the cloudy day in 92 when Joe Gibbs retired from the Washington Redskins football organization. Winner of 3 Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks, coach was...err...is an all-timer. Gibbs returns today, after a 12 year hiatus, to the job that rightfully belongs to him. He brings a

2003-12-31T15:51:00.000-05:00

Today I received a call from Mariam. She was rather excited to report that Nuriya had somehow managed to grab the top railing of the crib and yanked herself up. Ms. Olympia proceeded to fall down when momz caught her in the act. This kid has potential yo. Another missed "Wish I was there with a camcorder" moment. This one's for the blogs. The inmates will be running the asylum shortly.

2003-12-31T15:48:00.000-05:00

If I were to open a barber shop, I'd call it Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow. Why have I never come across a barber shop named this?

2003-12-14T11:02:00.000-05:00

Is Saddam the Ace of Spades or the Joker in the Hole?

2003-12-11T12:57:00.000-05:00

Ryan Seacrest must die. What's up Carson Galy^2? I love it when the host of The Bachelor comes out during that tense moment before Bob must eliminate one last woman. So the host walks in, announces the obvious: "Ladies...Bob...there is one rose remaining." And walks out. This is why I watch the show. I swear.

2003-12-11T12:52:00.000-05:00

I hate Lord of the Rings. It reminds me of Dungeons & Dragons which reminds me of drama club dweebs. I played D&D a few times. What's up with those kids that got so into it that they killed other characters in real life? Pathetic losers! A little while ago before it got cold, I saw this drama club freak walking around Tysons in a Neo overcoat. You are so cool guy! Perhaps this is why I

2003-12-11T12:40:00.000-05:00

Atkins Day 1...scrambled eggs and water for breakfast. Let the induction begin.

2003-12-10T10:17:00.000-05:00

Dude, I got me a Dell. I'm more excited about the 19" flat panel monitor than the computer itself. Sweet deal. Wrote a haiku about it: Dude, I got a Dell. Gigahertz, oh how I hurt Waiting is such hell.

2003-12-09T11:49:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say: Why-o why-o why-o... Whyyyyy-o why-o why-o... ...are we so in de-ny-oh?

2003-12-07T02:45:00.000-05:00

Saw The Last Samurai tonight. First time at the theaters since Nuriya arrived. She and her mom were at a wedding. Great GREAT flick. Glad we chose it over Matrix Revolutions. Quote of note: Katsumoto: Do you believe a man can change his destiny? Algren: I believe a man does what he can until his destiny is revealed. Rock freaking on.

2003-12-05T15:30:00.000-05:00

The landscape looks like my shoulder right about now. Snow is in full effect. Remember two-hour delays and days off from school? As a student I didn't appreciate the fact that Fairfax County Public Schools didn't close at the first sight of snow. Now I've moved to Loudoun County a few years too late. LoCo, Fairfax's neighbor to the west, is notorious for school closings. Nuriya is one lucky

2003-12-03T09:26:00.000-05:00

Tom Brokaw: Next up, the fleecing of America. How long has TB been the only dude ever to use this phrase? I can't bring myself to say it unless I use a Brokaw accent.

2003-12-02T15:40:00.000-05:00

The Terminator is back. I have been waiting for this moment for a while now. Ever since retro has been in, these classic kicks were just bound to return as T2. My first Nike's. I was rockin' these puppies all 5th grade long. Unfortunately I had not yet reached size 7 so I had the kids version. Representin' the grey and royal blue of Georgetown, these were the joint to have in DC.

2003-12-01T09:53:00.000-05:00

Back. Pulled an all-nighter the previous evening to beat the holiday traffic. Left NJ at 3:50am and got home at 7:15. Exit 1 on the turnpike now has 10 toll booths instead of 2. Good stuff. Took a nap till noon only to wake up with the cold I knew was coming. All my in-laws had colds. Nuriya woke up all crusty too. But she rolled over with help for the first time yesterday at 2pm. At 10:

2003-11-20T11:33:00.000-05:00

So I just got out of a boring iftar tomorrow night. Its at my parents' friends' crib. There's these group of paki families who live in the same neighborhood who throw potluck iftars for their circle. The circle was barely managemable at 4 families a few years ago but has now grown to about 8. I moved out of the 'hood about 2 years ago and there were no expectations on me to attend said

2003-11-17T20:27:00.000-05:00

So I hear Britney's got dat "boom boom". I'm in da zone baby, awe yeah.

2003-11-17T13:08:00.000-05:00

Doogie Howser should reprise his role on ER. That or a crossover episode with Scrubs. Either of these situations would destroy The Bachelor VI.

2003-11-17T09:35:00.000-05:00

Last night I ended up paying some bills. Alhamdulillah I haven't been late on any payments for the past few years ever since I started using MS Money. Excellent credit, keep the 0% credit card offerings coming, so long as they're valid till 2005. Any way, I think its time for me to find a bank that does free online bill paying. I am tired of sitting at my desk writing checks, stuffing

2003-11-16T21:59:00.000-05:00

Mariam's watching Fine Living with Sheila Bridges or some wack show like that. They showed two apartments both decorated by two pairs of guys who live in them. Hmmm...

2003-11-14T09:14:00.000-05:00

Gazala officially becomes a lawyer today. So mess with me and I'mma sue!

2003-11-13T12:22:00.000-05:00

Found today on cnn.com: VIDEO Female high school students suspended for kissing in cafeteria PLAY VIDEO Do we really need to see this? Just write about it!

2003-11-13T12:09:00.000-05:00

I just peeped out the window. It's really windy out. This speed walker was out walking against the wind, leaning forward to fight the gusts. I found that funny. But it wasn't as funny as his adidas windbreaker puffing up with all the wind. Now that was classic. What up Popeye?

2003-11-13T12:07:00.000-05:00

So last night during tarawih prayers my cell phone rang. I know I know shoulda shut it off. Any ways it was some unknown 720 area code #. When I checked my voice mail, it was two minutes of salaat from some other imam, perhaps in another state! I have one cousin in Denver but I don't recognize the 720 #, maybe he changed cell phones. Since my name starts with A, I tend to be at the top of

2003-11-12T09:43:00.000-05:00

Suhoor check: Mom's left-over rice and chicken roast; Mariam's left-over boneless chicken; one glass of water (ran out of time) Breath check: kickin'.

2003-11-11T11:23:00.000-05:00

Suhoor check: Water from bathroom tap, out the faucet. I feel like Baja Fresh for iftar.

2003-11-11T11:08:00.000-05:00

Find me a good halal gyro joint and dinner's on me. I miss gyro deliveries from College Inn @ UVA. Chicken gyro mmm.

2003-11-11T11:06:00.000-05:00

I submit that London Fog is today's Members Only.

2003-11-07T14:36:00.000-05:00

The last french fry. Remember those days when you'd fight your sibling over the last of anything? I always used to win that. But now that I'm married, I've learned to contain myself. Although if Mariam insists, I will eat the last Al-Safa chicken tender after a token offering by me. However, I do go out of my way to let her have the last of most things. Last night, I brought up the last 2

2003-11-06T14:31:00.000-05:00

Remember the Cranberries? Calling VH1...

2003-11-06T14:20:00.000-05:00

Despite it being Ramadan, I have this repeated urge to say: Shiatsu! The other day we had dinner at the food court in the mall. There's this halal joint called Grill Kabab. The food came out bad so we ended up junking it. Our peoples are the most unoriginal entrepeneurs this side of the Vietnamese. What's up Pho 23? We have Grill Kabab, Charcoal Kabab, Korner Kabab, and Moby Dicks. I have

2003-11-05T15:36:00.000-05:00

Suhoor check: you snooze you lose Iftar check: pasghetti with home-cooked keema topped with Ragu chunky mushroom & greenpepper sauce purchased at 99cents per with Food Lion MVP card. Three slices of toasted white bread with fake butta. Insha'Allah.

2003-11-05T09:49:00.000-05:00

So I got a call this morning from the missuz. Mariam had just finished looking at the Ramadan calendar and noticed that the fasts were starting later and later and ending earlier and earlier. So she called me and asked if when we're 40 will our fasts be even shorter? She is not a trophy blonde. But she sure as heck isn't looking forward to summer 2020!

2003-11-04T13:04:00.000-05:00

Referring to the blogworthiness of Ali's post in the comments below Suhoor check: ayan: that wasn't blogworthy ayan: it evinced no salient points ahsan: ayan: that makes it entirely blogworthy ayan: ahsan i disagreee with your interpretation of blogworthiness ahsan: interpret this!

2003-11-04T12:28:00.000-05:00

Suhoor check: unda toast, 3 glasses of water, pepto bismol

2003-11-04T10:09:00.000-05:00

I rocked the vote today. Got me a nifty sticker to prove it. The past month has been ridiculous in terms of the amount of garbage political mail I've gotten. Just the fact that you are spamming my mailbox repetitively is enough to make me not vote for you. But we have this sister who was running for the County Board. So last night I got the mail and there was a flier from the opposing

2003-11-03T15:41:00.000-05:00

This Saturday night after tarawih prayers we went over to my boy's house to shoot some pool. He just got a new pool table and is now cool. So does anyone really know the rules, I mean really? We just made up house rules after referring to the book a couple times on debateable issues such as: can the person who breaks call whichever set of balls if both a solid and stripe go in? The house