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[Sep. 17th, 2009|04:34 pm] |
Reasons why Twilight and the general vampire explosion of our culture annoy me:
--I gave the book an honest shot and read through 75% of it. But a combination of the juvenile writing style of the author and predictability of the plot prevented me from trudging through the remaining 25%. The way the book was written reminded me of the way I used to think when I was 13...and needless to say, no part of me wishes to re-live that immaturity.
--The story itself--girl croons over boy...then drools over him...then thinks about him....then obsesses over him...then finds out stuff...then more drooling...then he likes her too, omg!...then conflict...then he saves her...more drooling...SOMEBODY SHOOT ME!!
--The theme/psychological impact it has on young girls: the book reinforces the idea of an imaginary, perfect yet troubled pretty boy on his way to protect you from everything. Instead of waiting for someone to save you, learn to save yourselves. Also, I wish more women would understand that characters in novels are often, in some part, based on real-life people. So instead of obsessing over these fictional characters and waiting for Edward Cullen to walk into your life, understand that real-life men can sometimes be 10x more amazing than pretty-boys in novels...they're just wrapped up in a package different from what books tell you to expect.
--The fact that it is often compared to Harry Potter. In no way, shape or form, does Twilight compare to the Harry Potter series. The characters in Harry Potter may be of a similar age group as those in Twilight. However their state of mind and maturity are far more advanced than the vampires/teeny boppers. HP characters are smart, empowered, brave...and they teach these values to its young readers. Twilight characters are primarily sex obsessed freaks eager to get knocked up.
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[Sep. 15th, 2009|07:07 pm] |
It's nice when things come to light that you never understood before, particularly when it comes to religion. There are a lot of different components of Islam that you can say I either disagree with or just don't understand. But at the same time, the older I get the more I realize how amazing certain traditions/customs in Islam are. Amazing in a realistic/practical sense, not just in a spiritual sense.
For example the act of wudu. Muslims are required to pray 5 times a day (something I don't do on a normal basis), and before each prayer we are required to perform "wudu" or a physical cleansing of oneself. Wudu involves rinsing your hands, nose, mouth, face and feet with water 3 times each. If one falls asleep, has sexual relations, or goes #1 or #2, wudu is broken and one must repeat it before prayer.
In a spiritual sense I suppose the point is to present onself in a cleanly way while praying before God. But from a public health standpoint, I can't get over how smart the act of wudu is. We've all run into people who sneeze into their hands then rub them all over door handles, go to the bathroom without washing hands, etc etc, all of which seem obviously disgusting to us. The fact that wudu/prayer was a part of our religion even before people knew what germs are amazes me. I'm sure back then people may not have understood why they had to perform wudu so often, but in the light of modern day science its point is clear as day.
There's also the halal meat/kosher meat for Judaism thing, but the point of that is pretty obvious.
I'm interested to find out how/if wudu/restricted diets effected the overall health of people in Muslim or Jewish countries. In modern society science took the reigns and helped most developed nations prevent the onset of diseases. But I wonder how it was different back in the day. |
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[Aug. 27th, 2009|05:43 am] |
(Background: S has to walk 3 miles a day for his commute, has qualifiers in two-three weeks, and has started training an undergrad this week. R is a 40-50 year old European. Towards the late afternoon of the 5th day: S's eyes are red, he's tired, dehydrated and stressed out...)
R: Are you fasting now?
S: Yes...it's a sad, sad time.
R: But I read this is a very exciting time for you guys?
S: .....
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[Aug. 25th, 2009|06:12 pm] |
Reasons why I don't look forward to Ramadan:
-Seeing the people you love starving...sallow faces, tired eyes = having your heart broken 100xday. I suppose this also coincides with the major point of fasting, which is empathy. For that reason, the empathy portion could also go in the "Reasons why I love Ramadan" section below.
-I think that some people focus too much on the personal spiritual growth aspect of the month, and don't focus enough time or energy on the zakaat/helping your fellow man part. Racking up the sawwab points helps no one but yourself.
Reasons why I love Ramadan:
-It gives everyone a reason to do good deeds. Whether one is doing them for the promise of a good afterlife, or out of the goodness of their heart, at least it is being done.
-It gives me a reason to eat fried food (read: samosas/pakoras) on a daily basis.
-Family traditions. I used to love waking up for sehri just because I got to see my dad in the morning.
-The way everyone feels on Eid morning.
Things that perplex me about Ramadan:
-Now how the hex do I get so much energy when I fast, but on normal days when I forget my lunch I transform into monster beeotch by 4pm?
-How culinarily (new word I made) productive I am when I can't eat. I basically make a 4-5 course meal everyday, but can barely get my butt off the couch to boil spagetthi on a normal day.
Either way, it's turning out to be not so bad. It never is, but I tend to overreact about everything. |
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[Aug. 22nd, 2009|12:25 pm] |
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If you live in a big city, sign up on this site: www.groupon.com
They send you daily coupons good towards various businesses in your city: restaurants, paintballing, photographers, etc. I think I've saved over $100 for the past month I've been getting their e-mails. The e-mail I got today is 57% off at Chocolate Pink, so needless to say I'm excited. Try it!!
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