Another Year Later...

The last time I posted on this blog was just over a year ago. At that time I said that I was now married for almost a year and was having a great time. Wow, things can really change in a year! No, no wait- I'm STILL very much happy and having a great time! But now 2 years into marriage we have settled into a routine- or so it seems- but so much seems to have happened in a year!

Last year I started a new job which I'm still in and loving. Dear husband has also started a new job and everything is going well so far. The biggest change now is that we are Insha'Allah expecting our first child. Right now, I can't ask for a bigger blessing. There are only a few more months left before our lives will forever be changed and we can hold our little one in our arms. Being pregnant has started to make me appreciate mothers and make me understand why Allah has said that heaven is at the feet of mothers.

I'm looking forward to motherhood and having a child, but I can't help feeling overwhelmingly unprepared for being a parent. I've gotten lots of advice from many people, but sometimes that can be a detriment as well. Others have said it's something that you feel out for yourself. From strollers to cribs, to handling a crying baby and swaddles, there's so much to know and I want to be as well-informed as possible before baby comes.

That being said, baby is kicking away as I type this. Maybe he knows I'm talking about him. Maybe I will get to show him this blog one day, Insha'Allah. Baby, even though you're still just in my tummy, I love you more than you know and I would do anything for you. I want to kiss you every time you move around. I hope I can be a good mom to you and I can't wait till you are born so we can laugh and cry together, and I can smother you with hugs and kisses (though I know your dad will try and stop me!). I hope Allah blesses us with lots of love, happiness and health and we wait for the arrival of your precious self. Mommy loves you.

Where Time Goes, Nobody Knows...

Today is July 13th, 2010. It has been approximately four years since my last post. I'm not sure why today, all of a sudden, I decided to revisit this blog (and to see if it is still active at all!). Going through and re-reading my old posts has brought back some very fond memories, and reminded me of some that I had forgot.

So what's changed? I have now been happily married for almost a year Alhamdulillah to a wonderful person who four years ago, I would have never dreamed existed. Four years ago, I could never imagine where I am now with my career, my family and my friends. Speaking of friends, many people who have visited/commented on this blog have progressed so much as well. Some people have moved away, some people are married and some even have kids! Some are not so close anymore, some have become very close.

Was I happier then? Am I happier now? Am I now mature? It's hard to say, I think I'll be asking those same questions another four years from now.

It's natural progression I suppose, but who would have ever guessed things would turn out the way they are today. It makes me realize even more so that the future is not for us to forsee, it is meant for us to experience when the time comes.

I don't think anyone reads this blog anymore, but I think I will post from time to time just for myself. It will be nice years from now to look back and have a written testimony of what life was, and is like.

Things we take for granted...

Oh wow. It has been a long time since I blogged. So long that I found this post in my drafts from back in April and I decided to post it even though it has been so long. I'm going to try and post something more regularly. Oh and today isn't April 13th. It's October 30th.

I've started an experiment lately. One of my coworkers, Natasha and I decided to try giving up chocolate for two weeks. Why you might ask? Not because we're on a diet, or because we're trying to eat healthy (well we are, but that's an aside). We're doing it just to see if we can do it. Today is day 8, and I can say we are 100% chocolate free. 6 days to go! But of course the whole point is after the two weeks not to binge on chocolate but to control the intake, because now we know we can live without it and choose alternatives. As an aside, we've also given up chips and fries for two weeks, but that's much easier to give up since we don't have those as often anyways.

Mind you, giving up chocolate isn't easy. Especially when there is temptation everywhere. Especially in the form of people. People have been tempting us left, right and center. It doesn't help either that its a big commerical chocolate time for Easter and that it's everywhere. It doesn't help when people have been saying that brownies with chocolate icing would be so good right about now. It doesn't help that my boss gave everyone chocolate bunnies. So I have this big, gourmet chocolate bunny sitting on my desk staring at me. Natasha and I initially decided that should we break and have chocolate we'd have to put $1 in a jar each time. one of our supervisors suggesed something much bigger. She suggested that we put in $20 each time, and with whatever is collected at the end we to treat everyone at work to something. It's meant to act as a deterrent, and has it ever worked so far! The grand total is $0!

What I have learned in this process: it's not much the craving of chocolate, it's the convenience of it. Since it's all around us, it's almost intuitive to pick it up and just have it. It's easy and convenient. The trick is in finding alternative snacks. Of course, nothing hits the spot like chocolate but fruit is a close second. The whole point is to strengthen our self-control and see if we can go without. And as time goes on, it gets easier.

We did manage to get through the two weeks totally chocolate-free. And we didn't have a chocolate party afterwards either. But we don't crave chocolate as much anymore either, it's become more of an occasional thing now. Either way, the experiment worked. Way to go!

Politics in a Nutshell...

Hahaha...so true. Your thoughts?

Medicine 101

I'm too sick to blog. Blah. What have I learned in two weeks? My intuition of not trusting walk-in clinic doctors is right, they don't diangose you properly and give you antibiotics for no reason. And we all know what that leads to. Antibiotic resistance, so when you actually DO need antibiotics, they won't work. Here's a primer in medicine: DISCLAIMER- this is not meant to override any professional medical opinions!!! This is just me and my sickness talking.

- If you have a cold/flu, don't bother going to the doctor. It's viral and no medication of any sort will help. Unless you want a nasal spray to clear up your nose, that might help. The best thing: take an antihistamine. It'll clear up your nasal passages and dry out your runny nose. Well, it worked for me. Sort of. Just suck up the misery, it'll go away. The common cold lasts a few days and the flu lasts up to two weeks. Oh yeah, and wash your hands like crazy. Its the best way to avoid getting sick and spreading germs.

- Antibiotics are for bacterial infections. They are not cure-all miracle drugs. Be wary.

- Codeine is a good cough suppressant. (according to published literature) So pop those Tylenol 3's! (of course, under a doctor's supervision).

- No matter how much you dislike needles, get your flu shot. I'm learning that the hard way.

- And last but not least, the flu shot will NOT prevent the Avian flu.

'Tis the season to get sick, so good luck in your battle against whatever malady might befall you. I wish you all the best of health. I have a feeling some of you are going to need it.

Back to Blogging...

I'm sort of back! Only because my fans miss me so much. Hahaha its been exactly three months to the day that I haven't updated so now I'm doing something. But it's not really anything. It's just a "hi how are you" type of post. So please feel free to comment. I know the majority of the comments will be "you suck!" but it's still a comment. Let me know how you're doing. Me? I'm busy with work and work, most of you know that already. For those of you who didn't, well I am. And '24'. Please feel free to share your thoughts on the most awesomest show on TV right now. (Yes, awesomest is a word...well at least now it is) So yes, please drop by and leave a comment, I promise the next blog will be more current and less nonsensical, so stay tuned. =) In the meantime, cheers and enjoy!

Yikes...

Something I think we can almost ALL identify with:

http://health.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone-radiation.htm

P.S. This is a really good website www.howstuffworks.com There is a broad range of various topics, from how autos work to how money works to how health works, which of course- me the science nerd, went to first. Regardless, it's a very informative site and you'll find a lot of good and relevant information there. Like how cell phone radiation kills our tissue. But that's besides the point, right?