Eid Mubarak!

Eid-ul-Adha is probably the messiest of all the religious celebrations. You can't step out of the house without seeing dead animals, blood and gory innards at every turn. An acquaintance of mine - a self proclaimed animal rights activist - commented on how barbaric this event is. I have to admit that the sight of all the slaughtering can upset even the strongest stomach, but if all you can see is the meat and the blood, then you are missing out on the entire point of the day.

Every year I hand out the meat with my family and each time I am saddened by the sight of so many people desperately trying to get their share of the handouts. Watching these people fight over the meat is a more painful sight than even watching the butcher with the knife, knowing that this is probably going to be their only decent meal in a long time. It reminds you of the level of poverty there is out there and how oblivious we become to it in the daily hustle bustle of our lives.  

For me this Eid is not just a celebration of the sacrifice that Ibrahim made, but about remembering all the blessings that we do have and sharing them with those who are not so fortunate.

Just plain barbaric!!

A colleague of mine sent me pictures of an annual dolphin drive fishing event that takes place in the Faroe Islands, Denmark. After a little research I was shocked to find out that its actually true!!! The dolphins/whales are 'herded' together and driven into the bay and beach where they are all slaughtered for the sport and their meat. Its estimated that ~1,000 animals are killed like this each year, and although the local govt claims that these numbers are declining, the fact that they haven't banned it outright is very disturbing. Ironically, studies have shown that the meat is not even suitable for human consumption due to contamination!

While I was randomly blog hoping today, I came across a Malaysian artist by the name of Ahmad Zakii Anwar. He apparently is a very well known artist in his country and I was very pleasantly surprised by his work. 

Take Care

I was shocked to find out yesterday (see map in previous post) that Pakistan has the highest breast cancer incidence in Asia (more than double of that in India & China). I did a little bit of research but was unable to find any specific study on the cause of this relatively high rate (please forward info to me if you have any). Every year approx 90,000 cases of breast cancer are documented each year in Pakistan (and who knows how many go unreported due to a lack of awareness). Sadly 40,000 women will loose their lives each year because in most cases the disease is caught at a late stage, due to a lack of awareness and access to proper health care. 1 in 9 women in Pakistan will get breast cancer.

Im not entirely sure about the accuracy of these numbers, but they most certainly are alarming!! With education and awareness, this is a disease that can be restrained. My Mumani had it almost 5 years ago, and because she gave herself regular breast exams she noticed the lump early enough to prevent the cancer from spreading. The surgery along with the chemo and radiation was pretty harsh but she made a full recovery and mashallah she's been cancer free since then. She was only 38 at the time, which goes to show that your not safe at any age (and that not only menopausal women are at risk). All the women in our family now make sure that they do regular self-checks (including myself) and get mammos done as outlined by the doctors. 

Given the state of education and health care in Pakistan, this isnt something that will be overcome soon. But those of us who are educated and have access to information and healthcare, should start by taking care of ourselves and the women around us! If you are a woman, please make sure that you understand how to properly examine yourself and educate others around you. Detecting this as early as possible could save someone's life!

Take care of yourself, fight breast cancer!

Only skinny on the inside

I like most women struggle with my body image. Weighing in at only 117 Ib., any concerns that I may air seem very trivial to most people, but what they don't realise is that when 117 Ib. is the most you've ever weighed in your life, then even your own body can seem like a stranger to you.

This year has been a rollercoaster ride for me in terms of dealing with my weight and how I feel about my own body. I used to be the super skinny girl who everyone hated because I could get away with eating anything on the planet (and most of it was made of sugar given my sweet tooth) and still manage to fit into a extra small size (although I was never a size zero). Eventhough Im still only in my late 20's, time has caught up with me and I can no longer afford the indulgences of old. Ever calorie I eat comes back to haunt me and a few days of dieting doesnt make them go away.

A few months ago, I went to see a doctor with just the flu and ended up with a fairly long lecture (strangely enough even worse than the ones my mothers gives me) on how I need to take better care of my body and how already the signs of neglect were creeping in (well actually the doc literally said that I had a bit too much fat on my stomach...ouch!). So thats when I decided to start taking better care of myself. Thats why I now get up at 630 am everyday (sacrificing a good 1.5hrs of sleep) to hit the gym before work. 

In all fairness, Ive only put on 6-7 lbs over the past 10 months but I feel FAT. Things that used to fit no longer do so, and different measurements have had to be passed onto the tailor. Just yesterday I went to Nike to pick up a pair of lowers, only to find out that I could only get into one pair. Everything these days seems to be made in slim fit only. I guess I only notice these things now because I am no longer in the super skinny category and that bothers me. 

Eventhough to most people, I look the same on the outside (and I still get annoyed responses to my fat comments) I feel like a 200 lb. woman. I know that with time the extra weight will go away, but becoming happy with the way that I look on the outside will always be a struggle. 

Even my cats like my books:

I absolutely love watching other people work out at the gym. I've noticed that there at least 4 types of people (well women since its an all females gym):

1. the doers - The biggest indicator of a doer is the the sheer force with which they exercise, its almost as if the earth is about to start shifting with their every motion. Most often they are fully equipped with all the paraphenalia: mp3 players, water bottles, towels etc. Whatever they are doing really isnt beneficial (like using weights that little babies could lift) but they have this belief that the whole routine and motion of it all will make a difference.

2. the chit-chaters - this bunch i absolutely hate, for them the gym is just another place to socialize. Ive often seen woman walking extremely slowly on the treadmill chatting to the women next to them. Heck there are even those that dont bother pretending to exercise and will just stand there gossiping. Just yesterday a flock of them were getting in the way of the entire gym by standing in the middle and talking (loudly i might add)

3. the gymaholics - those who are fully dedicated to the cause of working out properly and loosing weight. They are the ones with the proper exercise regimes, working in close collaboration with the instructors. respect to the ladies because the effort shows.

and lastly...

4. the beauties - these women strongly believe that just because your trying to loose weight doesnt mean u have to look unattractive at the same time. long flowing locks can never be tied up or messed up in any way, and heavens forbid that we ruin the glowing skin by sweating a little. of course cant mess the make-up, that would be a crime! additionally ive seen a number of them constantly call for someone to bring them water and some tissues (can you believe that there are actually helpers in the gym who do just that)

This is what love would sound like!

Chopin has always been one of my favorite composers, but I recently came across this amazing pianist who just elevates the piece to a whole other level. Every performance by Lang Lang is an artwork and I am particularly in love with this one. His expressions can be quite distracting so I would suggest only listening to the music.

Scrolling Through Time

I saw this today, its quite kewl. Such creativeness always fascinates me.

Leonid - Take 2

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Yeah that just about sums up the entire attempt at another night of star gazing! As disappointed as I am, I still resolve to view to at least one god darnnit freakin falling star during my life.