tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-162313812012-02-16T13:53:34.041-05:00Cause life is not that much different than Seinfeld.Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.comBlogger1061100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-69465234682819313372008-02-05T23:22:00.000-05:002008-02-05T23:40:24.391-05:00

Being stuck in traffic is one of the most frustrating experience in anyones day. The fact that you are wasting your time and are powerless to do anything about it can make one go crazy. A recent study done in the United States states that people waste about 72 hours a year in traffic. Wouldn't you love to have three days of your life back. Now, I thought traffic in Toronto was bad (it is one of

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-89716357414672330902008-01-09T17:14:00.000-05:002008-01-09T21:11:50.146-05:00

I went out to dinner with my family a few weeks ago at a Hakka restaurant. My family does not eat out often and when we eat at home, it is usually at different times. You would probably guess that there were many silent moments while we waited for our dinner to be served. During one of those silent moments, as my siblings played games on their cell phone, I noticed a women in front of us eating

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-57797978800147314362007-12-09T12:32:00.000-05:002007-12-09T12:54:37.083-05:00

This week the United Nations held a climate change conference in Bali, Indonesia. The goal of this conference is to bring together representatives from all countries and agree on a roadmap to fight climate change.Climate change is a topic on everyone mind these days. It seems that the latest trend involves involves "being green" - environmentally friendly. Governments, corporations, individuals

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-88949793958498524162007-12-04T21:40:00.000-05:002007-12-04T22:31:10.795-05:00

I visited the dentist today to get my seventh tooth extracted. This tooth had not grown out all the way and had been causing pain for some time now. I have always had positive experiences and rarely felt any discomfort during any visits. Even the first six teeth that I had extracted were not that bad. In-fact, when I got my wisdom teeth out, I was given laughing gas, which would trigger laughter

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-39044195082210588522007-11-24T14:35:00.000-05:002007-11-25T00:11:43.339-05:00

Like most working folks, my morning routine involves the consumption of coffee. I was downtown for work last week near Yonge and Church street and as you can see from the picture, I had to make a choice between Starbucks and Tim Hortons. Both places were directly across from one another.As I walked towards the intersection, I observed the people who had purchased coffee. People in suits or dressy

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-61039114447934606862007-11-17T00:45:00.000-05:002007-11-17T13:36:46.032-05:00

I have been a Toronto Raptors fan since the creation of the franchise, witnessing both highs and lows. From being one shot away from the Eastern conference finals, to my blogging strike and Vince Carter (enough said).After last years surprise performance, the expectation for the Raptors are high this year. It seems that the casual fan is becoming a hardcore fan. I have already been to two games

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-45624020600631099062007-11-10T19:09:00.001-05:002007-11-11T01:19:00.342-05:00

One of the biggest stories this year in Canada has been the rise of the Canadian dollar. It is currently trading at $1.06 US. No one would have thought this would be possible when the dollar was trading at above sixty cents US five years ago. The rise in the price of oil (almost $94.45 US a barrel) and strong commodities has helped pushed the loonie above par against the American greenback.

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-75828831769155760122007-11-05T23:39:00.000-05:002007-11-05T23:57:15.022-05:00

In South Asian cultures, it is quite common to arrive late for events, such as weddings. The arrival time for event invitations are often ignored and padded with a few hours to generate the “real” arrival time. The invitation time is typically the time when you start to get ready for the event. The real rationale behind why we (South Asians) are always late is because we do not want to

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-3904907805353679982007-11-05T10:59:00.000-05:002007-11-05T11:44:48.655-05:00

It has been a while since I last blogged, a lot has happened during this time, but none of it has been shared on my blog. I contemplated closing my blog as I have found new ways to waste time and unable to find time to post on a consistent basis, but I thought I give it another chance.Since I am making a blog "comeback", I have re-branded my blogger template. The header is a panoramic picture I

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-27352153124444216002007-08-19T23:55:00.000-04:002007-08-20T00:15:55.924-04:00

After spending the weekend in Hong Kong, I flew over to Singapore where I spent a week taking in the sites, culture and people. I had a fabulous experience in Singapore, the people, food, and scenery was extraordinary. The people of Singapore are comprised of three main ethnicities: Chinese, Indian and Malay. The business language is English (British), which everyone speaks with an accent and has

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-61895752527619201942007-08-11T15:16:00.000-04:002007-08-11T15:29:36.984-04:00

I had a chance to visit one of the most unique places in the world a few weeks ago… Hong Kong! If I had three words to describe my Hong Kong experience, I would use: skyline, shopping, and efficiency.Hong Kong is considered the “Manhattan” of Asia because of its numerous high rise buildings and skillful hard-working group of citizens. The skyline is spectacular, especially at night when the

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-37952544916501381322007-07-15T23:45:00.000-04:002007-07-15T23:47:38.295-04:00

I spent the last two weeks in Western Canada where I got a chance to visit Banff, the Rocky Mountains between Alberta and British Columbia, and finally Vancouver. It is one of the most beautiful parts of the world, and unfortunately many Canadians are unaware of the natural beauty in our own country.The people in Western Canada are proud Canadians. In fact, I found they show their patriotism more

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-77611444708247190382007-07-11T13:51:00.000-04:002007-07-14T15:56:58.564-04:00

A global poll conducted by newwonder.com released its seven wonders of the world last week. Many of the sites chosen came as no surprise, such as the Great Wall of China and Taj Mahal. However, many famous sites were left off the list, such as the Eiffel tower in Paris, and the Acropolis in Greece. It is a very subjective poll and very difficult to get a consensus among any group of people, since

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-626200061279869462007-07-10T15:31:00.000-04:002007-07-14T16:02:19.665-04:00

Flash presentation on the history of the Middle East.

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-25283432078163924492007-06-29T22:39:00.000-04:002007-06-29T10:01:50.907-04:00

As I waited in the airport lounge for my usual delayed Air Canada flight, I went over to the newspaper stand and tried to busy myself by staring through all the magazines in a store. The usual gossip and fashion tips filled most of the magazines that I saw, but one magazine headline grabbed my attention ... "Science and Islam in Conflict". This article was displayed in a scientific magazine

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-9271401037652408042007-06-17T22:11:00.000-04:002007-06-18T18:44:02.558-04:00

Anyone who lives in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) must have some level of hatred for the traffic in our cities. Little has been done to improve our traffic infrastructure over the past twenty years even though the population has increased by hundred of thousands in this time span. News of accidents and traffic jam fills the radio airwaves daily. Last week, a fire at a metals plant in Brampton

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-77735640730272553132007-05-31T22:49:00.000-04:002007-05-31T23:26:20.262-04:00

I had an opportunity a few weeks ago to travel to Paris, France for a conference (Yes, I am extremely lucky and blessed). It was a bit awkward viewing the sites of the city since Paris is known as a romantic city and visiting sights individually, for some reason, did not feel as romantic ;-)As always, I like to examine random items of interest rather than focus on the touristy things, so below

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-73959563345743823032007-05-17T18:28:00.000-04:002007-05-17T18:38:02.782-04:00

In the early days of email, the majority of personal emails that I received were forwards containing funny jokes, chain letters, and spam. These days, I don’t receive many hoaxes, but after reading this article on the top 25 Web hoaxes, I had a flashback on some that I have received over my email lifetime. Below are my favs: Forward this email and Bill Gates will give you money - example. Help a

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-20398451731186438372007-04-26T00:41:00.000-04:002007-04-26T03:27:54.527-04:00

Finding the "perfect" job is a challenge facing many people. It involves finding something you are passionate about. The National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago conducted a survey on the jobs people like and dislike. The full article can be found here.LIKEClergy—87 percent percentFirefighters—80 percent percentPhysical therapists—78 percent percentAuthors—74 percentTeachers—

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-66536346600649602822007-04-11T20:46:00.000-04:002007-04-11T21:19:58.694-04:00

The subject of the post implies a weekly stream of tips, I doubt this will be the case, given my recent record of posting, plus I needed a catchy subject for this post.Tip: Make sure you are on the correct line before you lineupBefore you join a long lineup, it never hurts to ask someone to make sure that you are in the correct line. Most people make the assumption that a long lineup probably

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-74786220695406711622007-04-04T22:07:00.000-04:002007-04-05T00:43:14.663-04:00

I had the opportunity last week to present a short presentation on Islam to a group of cub scouts in Toronto. The average age for the cub scouts was 9. I observed the actions of the kids before the presentation and they acted like typical 9 year-old kids. They would make funny faces and run around for no reason. I became skeptical about the ability of these kids to comprehend my talk and ask

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-19019545105335063152007-03-19T19:18:00.000-04:002007-03-20T00:59:07.255-04:00

If you watch television on almost any weeknight, you will mostly likely come across one or more reality television shows. In-fact the highest rated television show right now is American Idol, which averages over 31 million viewers per episode. It seems these days, the major networks will produce any type of reality show in an effort to attract viewers. The latest craze is with game shows.Two new

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-74250094376573504772007-03-03T17:03:00.000-05:002007-03-04T12:31:08.475-05:00

One of my favorite all-time movies is the Office Space, a story about the day-to-day lives of office employees. Many issues common to office workplaces are discussed and explored. Recently, a comedic series called The Office staring Steve Carell, (who is brilliant in the show) also discusses the office politics of employees. My office environment is fairly tamed compared to the afore mentioned

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-66589958117970247522007-02-25T11:25:00.000-05:002007-03-04T12:52:03.791-05:00

The US government decided in 2005 to change the beginning and end of daylight savings time. The following changes occurred:Previous start: first Sunday of April (1 Apr. 2007)New start: second Sunday of March (11 Mar. 2007)Previous end: last Sunday of October (28 Oct. 2007)New end: first Sunday of November (4 Nov. 2007)Since the Canadian economy is heavily dependent upon the US economy, our

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-84565647123216471172007-02-18T11:34:00.000-05:002007-02-18T16:17:37.735-05:00

I spent the last week in Pittsburgh, PA, a city situated at the crossing of three rivers (Allegheny River, Monongahela River, Ohio River), headquarters to Heinz corporation, and the hottest team in the NHL; Pittsburgh Penguins. The latter, which I was able to witness first-hand.I took the advice of the hotel concierge to avoid purchasing tickets online and try to purchase them before the start of

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-12593545412949944232007-02-11T20:46:00.000-05:002007-02-11T22:20:36.477-05:00

I remember in 1999 when I created my first email address. It was not something that I was pressured into doing, nor was it popular at the time. As years passed, everyone I know has created an email address or two and checks them frequently throughout the day. Email has become the preferred way of communication at school or work. It has become so prevalent that the good old fashion phone call or

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-31295685867960807182007-01-27T12:22:00.000-05:002007-01-27T22:19:38.298-05:00

If there was one word that I could use to describe my Hajj experience, it would be patience.patience pat-ience nounThe capacity of enduring hardship or inconvenience without complaint.In-fact, the Arabs even have a hand gesture to represent the word, which people in North America may confuse with the "how much you want" hand gesture.The Hajj patience was a quality that I lacked. I would complain

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-61845373219832134572007-01-24T09:25:00.000-05:002007-01-24T11:44:59.557-05:00

As of January 23rd, 2007, Canadians are now required to have a passport to travel to the United States and vice versa. Canadians have been rushing to the passport office to get their passports, some even getting them for the first time. Unfortunately, those first-timers have learned that due to an obscure provision in the Citizenship act that states, if you lived outside Canada on your 24th

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-68706311033776938302007-01-15T18:02:00.000-05:002007-01-15T22:12:39.374-05:00

By the grace of God, I just had the fortunate opportunity to perform the holy pilgrimage, also know as Hajj. Hajj is one of the 5 pillars of Islam and is the requirement of every healthy Muslim who can afford it. Unlike, some of the other trips that I have taken this year, Hajj is no vacation. It consists of a series of trials; from rituals, overwhelming crowds, to government complexities.

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-42636752367338330532006-12-12T18:58:00.000-05:002006-12-13T10:45:08.166-05:00

I will be officially taking a break from blogging for 2006. I will be away starting this week and will not return untill the new year. Hope everyone enjoys the holidays they will be getting, either from school, work, or leaving for a vacation. I will have lots to say once I return, hopefully, that "lots to say" can translate into blog posts.

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-14134817623129514202006-11-25T13:44:00.000-05:002006-12-07T22:34:51.454-05:00

A few weeks ago, I used the GO Train to commute into downtown Toronto. I had a few observations about the people and their habits when riding the GO.The experienced GO train drivers know exactly where the train stops so that they are directly positioned in front of the door when it arrives.The cooler or younger people always sit in the upstairs area of the train. It reminds of taking the school

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-29806893977504645692006-11-22T10:16:00.000-05:002006-11-22T10:34:54.081-05:00

This year has probably been one of my most blessed years. I have been given the opportunity to travel to many great places in this world. I will now add Beijing, China to that list. I just spent a little over a week in Beijing, China, where I had a chance to visit many unique places, meet interesting people, and learn about Chinese life and culture. I planned on blogging in Beijing, but the

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-40155734262070800922006-11-04T18:41:00.002-05:002009-01-14T22:55:51.573-05:00

I was looking through some documents a few days ago and came across an interesting letter written by my dad. Here is a snippet:Ontario Registrar OfficeI would like to change my son's name from Ayyaz Sheikh to Ozair Sheikh...Sincerely[my Dad's name]I was shocked to learn that my parents had initially named me Ayyaz instead of Ozair. My dad wrote the letter to the Ontario Registrar Office to make

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-66353706864720277982006-11-03T14:52:00.000-05:002006-11-03T14:56:28.989-05:00

Check out this snippet of Rick Mercer's sleepover at the Prime ministers house. Very entertaining! You can check out the full video here.

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-23479091858328426852006-10-29T22:13:00.000-05:002006-11-23T10:22:15.930-05:00

The avid reader of my blog should have noticed the addition of several new columns. Since high school, I have not read many novels. In-fact, I am not alone, most youth growing up today rather use the Internet, play video games, and watch television rather than read a book.In my elementary schools days, I was an avid reader. In school, we had a program called book-it that rewarded kids who

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-68161921651246222502006-10-26T22:20:00.000-04:002006-10-27T18:17:32.578-04:00

It has been a while since I have “geeked” up this blog with a techie entry. It is a challenge to make technology sound interesting. I remember growing up watching a science show by Bill Nye the Science Guy. He tried to make science “cool” and fascinating with his over the top enthusiasm. At the other end of the spectrum you have that nerdy guy from the Simpsons, who is funny only because his

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-25598644281338055682006-10-26T21:33:00.000-04:002006-10-27T18:17:50.902-04:00

A belated Eid Mubarak to everyone.I am still accepting Eid ul-Fitr hugs up until Eid ul-Adha, but please no Eid hugs in public places. People unaware of the "triple-hug and handshake" dance step will likely raise an eye brow.Shaking Hands

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-32365421718584455202006-10-17T17:18:00.000-04:002006-10-17T23:17:40.342-04:00

Tis the season of Ramadan and I have been collecting my thoughts for this month.This Ramadan, Suhoor is later in the morning than past years, and I rarely get enough sleep because Tarawih ends late at night. There are always eventful happening at Tarawih as documented by Ali’s antics. Last week, after prayers finished, a man asked me where I went to groom my beard. After realizing the seriousness

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-51434258172512686442006-09-23T15:25:00.000-04:002006-09-23T15:47:31.409-04:00

Ramadan Mubarak to everyone who will begin fasting today, tomorrow, or Monday. The yearly "which day should we start" Ramadan questions encounters us again. I just hope too much time is not spent arguing with each other about the starting day (the arguments repeat every year) and instead focus on the month ahead.Interestingly, I wrote a post last Ramadan on my current state and not much has

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-36004087374798250142006-09-19T23:25:00.000-04:002006-09-19T23:32:13.980-04:00

Last week I had a unique opportunity to spend a week and a half on the other side of the world in Sydney, Australia. It was an exceptional experience in talking with local Aussies and seeing the sites of the city, especially the Sydney harbour, which is quite gorgeous.There were quite a lot of touristy things I did and captured with my camera. You can check out my photos here. Also, instead of

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-75505855441859352006-08-23T22:55:00.000-04:002006-10-28T00:24:50.299-04:00

Last week I was fortunate enough to spend three days in Vancouver, BC and two days in Whistler, BC. These two cities without a doubt are the most beautiful places I have ever visited. It is good reason that these cities were chosen as the location for the 2010 Winter Olympic games. There is so much I could talk about, but will just mention some points briefly.GoodWeather: I was fortunate enough

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-58725176761094729752006-08-23T22:13:00.000-04:002006-10-28T00:24:29.378-04:00

I am one of the lucky ones to have been given an invitation to use the beta version of blogger.The new version offers more selection of templates, tagging of articles and an easier user interface for managing your blog templates. I changed by template, what do ya think?Congratulations to those who maintained their spot on my blogroll and to the new entries on my list ... it is quite an

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1155615240200050302006-08-15T00:05:00.000-04:002006-10-28T00:24:00.830-04:00

I am taking a break from "not blogging" to officially not blog for the next week. Similar to a joke I always hear, "I need a vacation from my vacation".No joking now, I am officially taking my vacation and I am flying off to Vancouver for a week of site-seeing. Do not worry, I have packed according to the new regulations.I did have a few drafts sitting that I was going to write up but will when I

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1154705302964604092006-08-04T11:04:00.000-04:002006-08-04T11:30:40.563-04:00

GoodA nacreous cloud (top) appears high in the stratosphere some 20km above Australia's Mawson station in Antartica. I always had a fascination with Antarctica and the Arctic from reading National Geographic and more recently watching the CBC News National report on the Arctic.BadNot much needs to be said here.

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1153968327827388602006-07-26T22:33:00.000-04:002006-07-26T23:04:32.643-04:00

As per my previous post, I uploaded pictures from trips that I have taken this year. When viewing the pictures, I recommend avoiding the slideshow view, instead click on the picture. I have chosen not to upload pictures of myself since I like to maintain an anonymous identity, but hopefully my amateur picture-taking skills should be enough proof of my presence.Los Angeles: I spent the day in

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1153884817692959272006-07-25T23:32:00.000-04:002006-07-26T23:06:53.280-04:00

I have been meaning to upload pictures that I have taken from trips this year but have been too busy to find anytime. It is a real busy not the "busy" because I am too lazy busy. I have noticed that nobody ever admits to "not being busy" rather people are either "chilling" or I get the "busy busy" with the shaking of the head and sighing. No one admits anymore that they are really doing

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1152758335370875572006-07-12T22:30:00.000-04:002006-07-12T22:48:20.053-04:00

These days when eating out at a restaurant or family gathering, I am noticing that it is difficult for people to control their meal portions. When eating at "pricey"” restaurants, the portions that I get are too large for me to finish, it seems these restaurants purposely give you large portions to justify the cost of the meal. Furthermore, when eating in the United States, I find that the

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1151945048094167032006-07-03T12:41:00.000-04:002006-07-03T13:02:37.226-04:00

I wish I had the time to write a thoughtful entry but like most people have been unable to find the time in-between work, weekend classes and the FIFA World cup. I even forget the current date until Canada day a few days ago. I had a few thoughts on my mind in the past few weeks to write about, but never got the chance to transfer my thoughts into a blog post. I wonder if I should start a podcast

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1150167714348996912006-06-12T22:51:00.000-04:002006-10-28T00:01:46.620-04:00

We are currently in the midst of soccer madness here in the GTA caused by the FIFA World cup in Germany. You cannot go anywhere in the GTA without hearing or seeing something about this event.Canada is one of the most unique places in the world where we have immigrants from almost all parts of the world. This diversity is evident by the variety of flags seen on cars. It is great for people to

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1149183748948350152006-06-01T13:40:00.000-04:002006-06-01T13:50:35.473-04:00

I am one of those people who refuse to read documentation that accompanies consumer product or software. I believe that I am “smart” enough to figure out how things work without assistance. So, whenever I cannot figure out how something works, I conveniently blame the poor design of the product rather than myself.This week, I become so frustrated when I could not figure out how to set the time on

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1148527385452777582006-05-24T23:12:00.000-04:002006-05-25T09:35:43.440-04:00

Have you ever been in a situation where you feared for your life or felt fortunate to have survived a situation. I had those types of flashbacks today when I read this article in the Toronto Star. It is a heroic story about a young mother who risked her life to save her daughter stuck inside a car indulged in flames. Her quick reaction saved herself and her child's life.I have had my share of

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1147830832523801402006-05-16T21:48:00.000-04:002006-05-16T22:16:05.650-04:00

A reader of my blog told me that my posts are predictable, all involving a complaint about some life-experience and relating it to a Seinfeld moment. Initially, I disagreed, however, after some thought I realised there is some truth to his comment. Since my current blog title is an established “blog brand”, there will be no such name change and I will continue to complain and relate to Seinfeld.

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1145730256693503662006-04-22T14:04:00.000-04:002006-04-22T14:24:16.720-04:00

I had a childhood flashback this week when I saw my sister reading the book The Hockey Sweater for her French class. I remember it being my favourite book growing up. WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD; It is a story about a kid whose favourite team is the Montreal Canadians but is forced to wear a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey because his Montreal jersey no longer fits. Talk about a loser kid :)At family

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1145503931070057452006-04-19T23:23:00.000-04:002006-04-19T23:58:24.786-04:00

The 2006 NHL playoffs begin this Friday, April 21st. These athletes will play some of the toughest 2 months of hockey in their life, all for the glory of the Stanley Cup.In honour of the playoffs, I have made my picks in my first annual NHL Playoff "ozzies". As you go through these picks, you may be surprised as to the team I choose to win it all this year. Let's see how many of these picks I get

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1145114636330636122006-04-15T11:18:00.000-04:002006-04-15T11:23:56.406-04:00

I consider myself a “coinage optimizer”, a definition that you won’t find on Wikipedia because it is a term I have made up, but a fitting term to describe the following characteristic of mine, that being: “Change carrying hater”. Whenever I make a cash purchase, I always try to give the cashier a cash amount that will return me the least amount of change. Recently, I had the following

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1143778417058443892006-03-30T23:10:00.000-05:002006-03-30T23:34:29.056-05:00

Canadians always complain about the lack of respect we get from our neighbour's south of the border. If a Canadian story is shown on CNN or some other U.S. broadcast, it becomes a Canadian news story that a Canadian story made it onto an U.S. news broadcast. Canadians are known as the little brother or sister (I shall be politically correct ... Thank you) that is always seeking attention from

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1143576641105007402006-03-28T14:53:00.000-05:002006-03-28T15:39:59.626-05:00

The recent surge in oil demand in the world has provided plenty of job opportunities in Alberta. This article in the Toronto Star provides evidence of this fact:Alberta population increased at more than five times the national average during the last three months of 2005, as record numbers of people flocked to the booming province from other regions of Canada.I consider myself fortunate to live

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1143179892654219862006-03-24T00:30:00.000-05:002006-03-24T11:11:39.116-05:00

The Toronto Maple Leafs hopes of making the playoffs are very slim now with their loss last night to the Montreal Canadians. They are now 6 points out of the last playoff spot. The Leafs can still mathematically make the playoffs, but that would require them to win a majority of their last 13 games, which is unlikely since this team has trouble scoring, especially in even-strength situations.I

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1142887928562842582006-03-20T15:24:00.000-05:002006-03-20T16:57:53.513-05:00

I have been able to travel quite frequently across North America for business. Most people think that I travel to the most fascinating places. I wish it was true, however, for every San Francisco, there is a small-town such as Lexington, MA that I visit. A common factor among all small-towns in the United States is the loyalty towards the local university or college.We are in the midst of March

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1141429841535237402006-03-03T18:44:00.000-05:002006-03-03T22:10:24.606-05:00

When the phone rings in my house, everyone in my family rushes to the phone and checks the call display to see who is calling. If they are unsure about the number, they just let the phone ring and sit back down. The most annoying situations is when I am praying salat and am expecting a phone call. The phone rings and I hear a rush to the phone, but no one picks it up and it continues to ring,

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1140995528578063672006-02-26T18:08:00.000-05:002006-02-26T21:20:54.243-05:00

I have not blogged for some time now and am due for the"No time to blog because I am too busy at work" apologythat we all point have used at one time. After spending an intense 8-10 hours staring at a computer screen at work, the last thing I want to do is go back onto the computer in the evening, hence no blogging. So, with excuses out of the way and nothing really insightful to say, I thought I

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1139967623213460632006-02-14T20:37:00.000-05:002006-02-18T16:59:11.300-05:00

Obtaining assistance from IT technical support staff is a common occurrence that almost all of us have experienced in our lives. Most of my experiences with IT support have been unpleasant. In university, whenever I had any computer issues, the University of Waterloo (Math Faculty Computing Facility) MFCF technical support was not very helpful. Quite often, the person whom I end up talking to

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1139286205528416512006-02-06T23:18:00.000-05:002006-02-07T21:53:55.150-05:00

mo·ment (mō'mənt)n. A brief, indefinite interval of time.We all have those special moments that we will remember for the rest of our lives. These moments can be short, long, happy or sad. Usually, it'’s the joyous personal moments that we remember, being it a birth of a loved one, graduating from university, or your wedding day. Your probably wondering what I am driving at with all this moment

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1139250201246773652006-02-06T13:21:00.000-05:002006-02-06T13:23:35.280-05:00

As the majority of us were absorbed this week reading the controversy surrounding the cartoons printed in the Danish newspaper, some of you may have missed the Academy award nominations. Now, I am not a frequent movie watcher, neither have I seen the majority of the movies nominated, but when I heard several nominations for The Constant Gardener, I thought I share my thoughts on this movie that I

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1138132530245742722006-01-24T14:55:00.000-05:002006-01-25T23:49:00.430-05:00

The weather is a common topic that comes up in almost all conversations that we have. It is the one topic that you can relate to with anyone in the world. Most often, talking about weather can be a good icebreaker in starting up a conversation with someone who you have just met.As the season adjusts from fall to winter, it gets colder and the days become smaller. I have notice a trend among my

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1137639309730263222006-01-18T21:35:00.000-05:002006-01-19T09:20:02.586-05:00

I find the technical support being offered by telephone companies extremely annoying. Most often when you call a companies telephone support line, you rarely speak to someone directly. You are asked a series of questions that take you anywhere between five to ten minutes to answer. At the end of these questions, you end up getting a customer service representative anyways to help you with your

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1137346658777387062006-01-15T11:46:00.000-05:002006-01-15T18:13:17.383-05:00

The Muslim barbie doll Fulla is selling extremely well this year in the middle east. This article talks about Fulla and the rejuvance of Islamisation in Arab culture and society. I even find in Canada, it is easier to be open about being a devout Muslim among peers (work or school) than it was when I was growing up. Suddenly, going to Islamic conferences and listening to Islamic scholars is

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1137119465689574992006-01-12T21:11:00.000-05:002006-01-18T21:31:21.993-05:00

UPDATE (1/18/2005): Check out a satire look of the election ads presented by Rick Mercer here. Especially the Youth vote bit, I could not stop laughing.I have been struggling to come up with an interesting non-election topic for a new post (most people find politics boring). I have been wrestling with a few topics in my mind, but nothing good enough to post about. I know you are all probably

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1136739686638105762006-01-08T11:39:00.000-05:002006-01-08T13:00:23.823-05:00

Election Day is quickly approaching us on January 23rd, and all you will hear now on television and radio until the election date are attacks on other party’s policies and promises that will likely be broken anyways.Recently, I happened to stumble upon a debate between members of my riding. My initial reaction to watching a couple of these people debating was:How did they become nominated to

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1136436379677988752006-01-04T23:35:00.000-05:002006-01-05T00:24:59.936-05:00

Canada being a cold climate country and the best ice hockey nation in the world, I always felt compelled to learn how to ice skate growing up, so recently I took the initiative to purchase ice skates and learn to ice skate.It has been more difficult that I had expected, the depressing part of learning to ice skate is seeing the four-year old kid speed by me or pretend to crash into me, causing me

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1136004266198091652005-12-30T22:42:00.000-05:002005-12-31T11:04:52.430-05:00

As the current year winds down, the media reminds us of the events that have made headlines this past year. These headlines are usually presented through top ten lists. Most of these lists are predictable and uninteresting but I did find one that we may all enjoy.So the tallies are in and the most memorable phrase of 2005 goes to:Brownie, you're doing a heckuva job [George Bush]"Brownie" being

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1135225631405000132005-12-21T23:18:00.000-05:002005-12-22T00:09:28.720-05:00

I was looking up an article on Wikipedia for a blog entry, when I came across the following picture under Islam and clothing and decided this picture was more interesting to blog about.This picture appears on a billboard in Indonesia. The billboard shows a picture warning tourists to wear a proper attire when traveling into this city.The picture on the left says "Wrong clothing" and the picture

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1134957199760559192005-12-18T20:40:00.000-05:002005-12-31T22:58:55.690-05:00

UPDATE (12/31/2005): On boxing day, I bought this camera.I have been blessed with a "techie" geekiness, a quality that my family and friends take advantage of to help them provide technology consulting services. I get contacted by people if they have a computer problem or need advice on buying a computer or some other gadget. I do not mind, but at times I feel overwhelmed. I cannot outsource my

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1134615800534047552005-12-14T21:35:00.000-05:002005-12-15T14:05:31.623-05:00

I recently came across an interesting set of pictures I took about a year ago. My sister and I decided to compete against each to see who could do a better job in decorating a gingerbread. Instead of doing the typical gingerbread decoration, I decided we needed to make things more interesting. So the theme was to decorate a Gingerbread Muslim brother and sister.{insert drumroll ....}I introduce

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1134189327269369762005-12-09T23:24:00.000-05:002005-12-10T23:09:32.686-05:00

A huge winter storm hit parts of the Northeast United States and unfortunately I was caught in the middle of this storm. I am in Boston this week on business and was planning to come back home tonight (Friday). The weather forecasts were predicting a huge snow storm that was supposed to dump over 25 cm of snow ending early afternoon. I had a flight for Friday evening, so I thought that perhaps

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1133929810453474312005-12-06T22:31:00.000-05:002005-12-07T22:32:02.300-05:00

I have this habit of not being able to eat without watching television or reading the newspaper. Each night I come home from work to eat, I flip through my usually sequence of channels: 30: TSN22: Rogers Sportsnet53: The Score26: CBC Newsworld33: CNN Finally, if I still cannot find something decent to watch on television, I settle for 24: CP24. At worst, I can stare at the

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1133411162603843792005-11-30T23:00:00.000-05:002005-11-30T23:44:53.483-05:00

A few days ago at work, I was walking down the hall and found a $5 bill right outside the door. I looked around to see if someone had dropped it, but there was no one around. Since I found the bill right outside a door of another room, I thought that perhaps someone in that room had dropped that bill.I walked into the room with the sole purpose of asking someone if they had dropped any money. I

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1133152493294373212005-11-27T23:26:00.000-05:002005-11-27T23:36:27.546-05:00

I found this video while searching on the Google Video Blog quite amusing.The guy in the video does a funny dance every place he visits during his travels around the world.

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1132700280367222072005-11-24T00:00:00.000-05:002005-11-25T18:22:33.073-05:00

Weather forecasts are predicting our first winter storm of the season tonight for most of Southern Ontario continuing into tomorrow morning. It looks like the Thursday morning commute will be a long drive, especially for people who need to travel using the major highways in the GTA. Driving with icy roads is difficult enough, but is made even more difficult by those drivers who forget how to

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1132637678450630112005-11-22T00:26:00.000-05:002005-11-22T09:56:34.480-05:00

My blogging strike is over. The Raptors won Sunday afternoon against the Miami Heat, a team picked by many to win the NBA championship. I would like to thank everyone for their support during this blog stoppage. Although, many of you did not foresee the Raptors winning in the near future, during these tumultuous times, we Raptors fans remained strong, always believing that a win would happen soon

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1132115538902818672005-11-15T23:18:00.000-05:002005-11-19T16:58:59.136-05:00

UPDATE (Nov. 19, 5:00PM): The strike continues, the Raptors lost their 9th game in a row. No end seems in sight.I have been a huge basketball fan since I was a little boy, dunking on my friends in their drive-ways (basketball net played-on was 8 feet high). Some might even say I was a local basketball prodigy, but I decided not pursue my dream. I remained a basketball fans throughout these years,

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1132031847570687512005-11-15T00:04:00.000-05:002005-11-15T01:29:01.350-05:00

A month ago, I had a conversation with a Muslim friend of mine who was trying to grasp the concept of God and the relationship between a persons action and God's knowledge of those actions. My friend believes in the first kalimah, but asks a common question that we hear a lot from people trying to understand the role of God in their life.Why should we be good if God knows the outcome of our

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1131817774625200512005-11-12T12:33:00.000-05:002005-11-13T23:02:57.526-05:00

Carmen Sandiego was a fictional character on an education television series that taught Geography to kids. It was a television show that I watched with enjoyment growing up in my youth. This show taught me a lot about Geography and sparked my interest to learn more about the World. I always wanted to travel the World to discover the beauty that exists.I have been fortunate enough through work to

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1131235663129489532005-11-05T19:01:00.000-05:002005-11-06T01:16:22.706-05:00

In a previous post, I talked about some bargaining tips that could be used when trying to negotiate a good deal. Most of the people mocked my tips, believing a South Asian or Arab vendor would not budge. Not having tried these tips myself, I wanted to put them to the test.I had such an opportunity when I visited an optical store located in Brampton to purchase contact lenses. I had some

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1131048515239480592005-11-03T14:54:00.000-05:002005-11-03T15:49:40.513-05:00

May this Eid bring you joy and happiness. Since I will probably not get to meet all of you on Eid, I wanted to give you all the following:For the brothers :Shaking handsFor the sisters: Waving hand while saying Eid Mubarak

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1130902836176462582005-11-01T21:33:00.000-05:002005-11-01T23:07:19.896-05:00

I have been tutoring my sister in grade 11 Math on a nightly basis since the beginning of the school year. The amount of time and effort that I spend helping her with Math problems seems like another part-time job. Students in high-school now have a lot tougher curriculum than I had when I was in high-school. Many of the concepts that are taught in Grade 11 subjects were concepts that I would

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1130818055576564322005-10-31T22:52:00.000-05:002005-11-01T18:54:51.553-05:00

Daily readers of my blog know that I am a huge hockey fan. Last week I saw one of the best goals of the year. A fellow Bramptonite, Jason Spezza of the Ottawa Senators scored an unbelievable goal against the Montreal Canadians. Below are instructions to view the goal:1. Click this link.2. Under related info, click on Highlights: MON-OTT.3. You will need to login to access the site, click on this

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1130644842366041302005-10-29T23:40:00.000-04:002005-10-30T14:41:00.163-05:00

Daylight saving time ends tonight in most parts of North America. We move our clocks back one hour to switch back to standard time. The rationale behind moving our clocks forward an hour in the summer is to have more sunlight during the summer days. Since peak energy (mostly electricity) consumption occurs in the evenings, by artificially moving our clocks ahead one hour means the sun sets later,

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1130384393153933122005-10-27T23:06:00.000-04:002005-10-28T00:31:56.210-04:00

I always dreamed of becoming the first Canadian Muslim athlete to play in a professional sports league such as the NHL or NBA, but that did not work out due partly to my lack of skill and the fact that I was not getting any taller. I always had a keen interest in Muslim athletes playing in professional sports league. Hakeem Olajuwon is likely the greatest Muslim athlete to play in any sports

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1130027577053906662005-10-22T20:26:00.000-04:002005-10-23T13:39:12.653-04:00

I spent Saturday afternoon volunteering at a local community organization sorting donations to send to the Pakistan earthquake victims. I was appalled to see some of the items that were being donated. People have taken the opportunity to do some house cleaning by dropping off their old and un-hygienic clothes. I find this action totally disgusting. If you personally would not wear a set of

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1129677145161395002005-10-18T19:05:00.000-04:002005-10-21T09:04:58.676-04:00

I have had sleeping problems for the past few years, never been able to get a consistent 8-10 hours on sleep even on the weekends. I would consider myself a sensitive sleeper; almost any sound during the night would wake me up and anyone could easily wake me up. During Ramadan, it has become even more difficult to get a decent number of hours of sleep, since suhoor is late enough in the morning

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1129434074431870492005-10-15T23:39:00.000-04:002005-10-16T14:46:56.630-04:00

"I am Canadian" was a successful series of commercials that aired a few years ago advertising the Molson Canadian beer slogan "I am Canadian", which interestingly has been retired in favor of "It starts here". This commercial consisted of an average Canadian named Joe, giving a speech on what it meant to be Canadian and clarifying common stereotypes of Canadians, especially certain aspects that

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1129088375070121842005-10-11T23:33:00.000-04:002005-10-12T20:14:22.496-04:00

The images from the earthquake in northwest Pakistan I have seen in the newspaper and on the news in the past few days are heart-breaking. Generation of families have been lost and the conditions for the living are getting worse.I talked to my relatives in Pakistan who live in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and they relayed a similar message of devastation and heartbreak in northwest Pakistan. They

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1128795117378165602005-10-08T13:56:00.000-04:002005-10-08T14:29:30.406-04:00

Early this morning in South Asia, a powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit near the Pakistan-India border.Alhumdulillah, I talked to my relatives living in Islamabad and they are doing fine. However, there continues to be aftershocks and fear still remains among everyone. While talking to my family, they told us that the ground was still shaking.I pray that anyone who has family in that region is

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1128570393833085652005-10-05T23:32:00.000-04:002005-10-06T00:17:42.326-04:00

Today is the first day of Ramadan. So Happy Ramadan/Ramadan Mubarak/Ramadan Kareem to everyone who is celebrating this blessed month. My friends who do not celebrate Ramadan usually feel sorry for me during this month, since I cannot eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset.Friend: What's that sound?Ozair: Ohh, that is my stomach growling.Friend: Why don't you eat now?Ozair: Cannot, I am

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1128395265584174552005-10-01T21:18:00.000-04:002005-10-03T23:25:07.026-04:00

A recent BBC report rated Toronto as one of the top 10 cities to live in the world. I personally agree that Toronto is a world class city, but the violence that has occurred this summer is one we would all like to forget. The evening news was filled with stories of countless drive-by shootings, gang-related violence and random acts of violence. Most of the people involved were young males in

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1127956967824671772005-09-28T20:07:00.000-04:002005-09-28T21:25:59.206-04:00

I visited Battery park in Manhattan last week searching for some bargains. I was never the best negotiator of deals, usually settling for the advertised price. So, I instead observed my friends as they bargained with the street vendors for some fake designer goods. Here was the conversation that occurred.Friend: How much for that item.Street vendor: $45Friend: $45 ? ... I will give you $20.Street

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1127871322258064712005-09-27T21:10:00.000-04:002005-09-27T23:31:09.130-04:00

The worst thing about a vacation is that it needs to end, but indeed all good things in life come to and end, so did my vacation. It was a wonderful break from the daily routines in life mainly the driving, waking up early and working.I had the priviledge of visiting the wonderful cities of Boston and New York. Thanks to Bilal and Omair for their helpful travel ideas.Boston is a wonderful city, I

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1127007448859754922005-09-17T21:00:00.000-04:002005-09-17T21:37:28.906-04:00

There will not be any blogging for me next week, as I will be on my vacation. I will be visiting the wonderful cities of Boston and New York. I believe it is after this trip when I will make a crucial life decision, which is:Will I be a Yankees or Red Sox's fan?I will be spending the first few days in Boston and then the next couple of days in New York. If anyone has any suggestions for places to

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16231381.post-1126898084975303852005-09-16T11:59:00.000-04:002005-09-17T00:32:05.750-04:00

After graduating from university, I like most desi people moved back home with my parents. Going back home this time also meant helping my parents with the daily expenses and bills.So, one day I volunteered to purchase a new toaster oven, our old toaster oven had not been working for sometime. I purchased a toaster oven on sale from Canadian Tire for a decent price. One week later, my parents

Ozairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319067034300735661noreply@blogger.com3