half past nomad

Numbing it all.
Dumbing it down.
Fumbling along.
Grumbling not allowed.
Stumbling sometimes
Tumbling others.
Crumbling puny thoughts
Rumbling loud truths
Humbling steps.

In 40 hours, I will be far far away.

I’m going to many places, meeting many many people and doing quite a number of new things. It sounds amazing and it probably is. I just need to remember.

I need to remember who I am and what I stand for and what my values are. Because every place I’m going has a history and I’m not used to walking beaten paths and resetting history.

Life has taken me on a powerful journey, moving me from one place to another and allowing me to create experiences that were never before. Beatles takes me to the slopes of Maryland. DMB transports me to an old apartment. Save Tonight is Math B10 basement and WinAmp in Indiana. That torn bandana in that ancient satchel in my closet? Yeah I remember, I remember and forget it all.

In all of this, I have rarely had the opportunity to go back. My lines in the sand have remained untouched for ages/eons.

I’m going to some places I thought I would never see again and just the thought of them has brought me to my knees – Alhamdulilah. I’m going to some places I have avoided semi-earnestly and now almost there, I have to decide myself and make a few choices.

I’m not sure what’s going to happen to me on certain days and in certain places.

This isn’t cheesy or cliché: I am going to believe in myself and who I am. And the answers will come insha-Allah.

This is Waleed ibn Abdul Jameel, Muslim. I will see you soon insha-Allah.

I believe in signs. I believe in patterns. I believe in frequencies. I believe in all this and more.

And when it comes to you my friend, I do believe how incredibly sad you are. Believe me.

I have been tagged by Jaadu Adnan.
Rules, as per Adnan:

Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 16 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 16 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

16 random things I should write about…I can do that.

1. I see a lot of sadness in the world around me. I sincerely wish people would choose to see the better side of life.
2. I love traveling by trains. It’s my favorite way to see the world.
3. I drink a lot of water. So much that when knicq met me for the first time, he was convinced I was an undiagnosed diabetic. It worried me and I had blood tests done with karvakerala reviewing my results over the phone.
4. TV is my nemesis.
5. I’ve only been to one concert in my life and I still have the tshirt I bought from there. Wifey saw it for the first time a few weeks ago and wouldn’t stop staring.
6. I’ve met the founder of WordPress, Matt.
7. I’m on my way to meet the founder of Moodle
8. I am also on my way to the Singapore Night Safari right now
9. I was convinced that I was an insomniac in college, to the point I did a presentation on why I was an insomniac in my Comm class. I don’t remember what grade I got because I was so sleepy but not asleep
10. I like to give random people compliments. I don’t do it enough.
11. I don’t think I know how not to be married anymore. Alhamdulilah I’m blessed with an incredible woman who constantly tries to burn all my food accidentally. It’s a love-ate relationship.
12. I have slightly weak hearing and slightly weak taste buds. This means I listen to everything loudly and all my food is spicier then need be. Green chillies are a regular item on our dining table.
13. I am losing weight and am rather enjoying it. I even bought a home gym and it looks great and serves as a fantastic towel dryer so far
14. I don’t think there are enough Muslims doing amazing things in the world. That’s seriously sad.
15. I was born Muslim. However, I accepted Islam into my life when I was in my 20s. Being a cultural muslim was a poor existence. I learnt how to live.
16. I find the sociological and psychological aspects of Islam to be utterly fascinating. Here’s a system, designed by our Creator, to attend to us inside out. That’s incredible.
17. Bonus: There are 2 lectures I recall strongly from the era of my islam acceptance. One of them was how muslims should act and react to support the economy in the system they inhabit. The other lecture I mentioned in my blog years ago.

Time to pass the baton. Since I don’t blog-surf much anymore, I tag my wife, Abez.

1) raw egg on my food. Yes I’m positive I don’t want it, thank you kindly.
2) McDonald’s strong need to help me usher in the new year with burgers and shakes. I’ve been ushering new years for many years now and I can do it again this time.
3) lots of jars of wild honey. special offer too. like, non-domesticated jars of honey trying to escape their cages and run rampant on the street.
4) Apple Premium Store: “You want it. We have many!” That’s ok, I’m good.
5) Pork Strips. Stop telling porks to strip.
6) Lychee floats. I know it floats genius tell me something new.
7) Converse insisting I embrace the British Punk rock scene by wearing their shoes. In Singapore. In a small mall. Yes, that’s what I need to do.

Since our first child was born (KBW), sleeping life in our household has never been the same. We sleep odd hours, wake up at odder ones and somewhere find the ability to engage in sleep-emailing + sleep-surfing.

Based on data from several seconds, I was able to compile a detailed table of everyone’s sleeping habits.

KBW sleeps all night, with one nap during the day.
IBW sleeps half the night, and half the day. Both parts are of her choice.
Abez sleeps every other hour. That’s been her style for the past 3 years. Sadly, not by choice but being the amazing mother she is, she does what she needs to keep her kids well.

I would tell you my sleeping habits but I think Google Reader Trends does a better job. According to the system, I check my RSS feeds all the time so therefore I must never sleep.

After all, Google never lies.

How do you define life?

By your entertainment – taking pictures, going places, eating new foods, experimenting new styles, buying new toys.

By your relationships – those you love, those you loathe. those you must, those you lust.

By your thoughts – the many millions of invisible ideas that bounce around.

I’m not sure how to define my life. Recently, I’ve had some major changes in my life. Recently, I’ve also been staring at plans I made eons ago. Recently, I’ve been wondering more.

What am I doing with my life?
And what do I want to do with my life?

One question I can answer. The other I must answer.

We all want peace. World peace, peace from war, battles and fights. External peace, internal peace. Create your own endless list.

I think I’m now willing to settle for a piece of peace. The rest will come when the time is right. If the time is right.

For now, peace be upon you.

You make forgetting look so easy.

This life is to be a small stop in the larger scheme of things.

I must remember that. You must remember that.

This life is a test and paradise awaits for believers.

I must remember that. You must remember that.

We are all tested so very differently. Justice is only absolute with Him.

I must remember that. You must remember that.

Today is a sad day for Canadian Muslims.

I must remember that. You must remember that.