On Life and Death

"Death cannot be justified by reasons, it is God's will; but life can be justified by the choices you make. You can either die a victim of terrorism, or you can give your life fighting it and saving the future"
~Isbah Zulfiqar

Triple Filter Test

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Keep away from ill-thinking/suspicions because ill-thinking is the greatest falsehood.” [Bukhari]

During the golden Abbasid period, one of the scholars in Baghdad, the capital of the Muslim caliphate at that time, was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem.
One day an acquaintance met the great scholar and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"
Scholar: "Hold on a minute, before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
The Man: "Triple Filter Test?"
Scholar: "That's right, before you talk to me about my friend it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
The Man: "No, actually I just heard about it and ..."
Scholar: "All right, so you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"
The Man: "No, on the contrary..."
Scholar: "So, you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: The filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"
The Man: "No, not really."
Scholar: "Well, if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

Allah tells us in the Quran: "O you who believe! Avoid much suspicions, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh (meat) of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who accepts repentance, Most Merciful." [49:12]

Abu Bakr (radi Allahu anhu) would keep a stone in his mouth so he could not speak without giving himself time to think first. Let's pass our intended speech through the triple filter test before we madly utter our every thought. And lets subject others to the triple filter test too before we hear any damaging number of things from them.

~Courtesy SAK

Darling, hair dryer please

Where there is a will, there is a way

If there is a way, I will find one
If there is none, I will make one
~Anonymous

Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it meaning.

2 quotes i like

“Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, who calls you back when you hang up on him, who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat, or will stay awake just to watch you sleep... wait for the boy who kisses your forehead, who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats, who holds your hand in front of his friends, who thinks you're just as pretty without makeup on. One who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares and how lucky his is to have you.... The one who turns to his friends and says, 'that's her.'”

~Anonymous

“I don't pretend to know what love is for everyone, but I can tell you what it is for me; love is knowing all about someone, and still wanting to be with them more than any other person, love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, including the things you might be ashamed of, love is feeling comfortable and safe with someone, but still getting weak knees when they walk into a room and smile at you.”
~Anoymous

Ladies, watch your heels!

NYTimes: Some women love their shoes so much it hurts. Researchers have found that smart shoe choices pay off in the long term: women who had mainly worn supportive footwear like sneakers or athletic shoes in their younger years cut their risk of common foot pain later in life by more than half, compared with women who had worn shoes that gave average support, like high heels hard-soled or rubber-soled ones. Read On

This post reminded me of:

Teebster's wicked witch walay black boots;

Monay's soft and cute ballerina shoes;

B's pamela anderson type shoes she likes

and SAK's long boots (heels walee -the ones she wore at lakeview :))

It takes a moment to break but an entire lifetime to make

This is a true story that happened in Japan.

In order to renovate the house, someone in Japan breaks open the wall. Japanese houses normally have a hollow space between the wooden walls. When tearing down the walls, he found that there was a lizard stuck there because a nail from outside hammered into one of its feet.
He sees this, feels pity, and at the same time curious, as when he checked the nail, it was nailed 5 years ago when the house was first built !!!

What happened?

The lizard has survived in such position for 5 years!!!!!!!!!!

In a dark wall partition for 5 years without moving, it is impossible and mind-boggling.

Then he wondered how this lizard survived for 5 years! without moving a single step--since its foot was nailed! So he stopped his work and observed the lizard, what it has been doing, and what and how it has been eating. Later, not knowing from where it came, appears another lizard, with food in its mouth.

Ah! He was stunned and touched deeply. For the lizard that was stuck by nail, another lizard has been feeding it for the past 5 years. Imagine? it has been doing that untiringly for 5 long years, without giving up hope on its partner. Imagine what a small creature can do that a creature blessed with a brilliant mind can't.

Please never abandon your loved ones. Never say you are busy when they really need you . You may have the entire world at your feet, but you might be the only world to them. A moment of negligence might break the very heart which loves you through all odds. Before you say something just remember, it takes a moment to break but an entire lifetime to make.

Courtesy SAK.

Fluffy

Fluffy looked heavy. I chased it. Picked him up and he turned out to be light as a feather. Fluffy(late) came from a Chinese origin.


Teebster, Fluffy says hi to your godzillo.

Optimistic | Pessimist

I have been an optimistic person all my life....one of my friends actually criticizes me for being too optimistic about anything and everything but I can't help it, that's how I think, it comes naturally. That doesn't imply I am unrealistically positive or not sensible about it. Maybe I don't give up easily when my heart is inclined towards something. Generally being optimistic is considered a good thing and it works for me, though the disappointment level is amplified and so is the heart-ache if things don't work out the way I intended.Nevertheless so far so good . The potential of some serious pain hasn't stopped me from reaching out to a wish. All praise and thanks to Allah who has been most kind and most giving and I pray for his continued mercy and compassion for me and everyone I know. Ameen

I came across the article that I quote below. It's an interesting read. I could relate to the thinking style of a pathological pessimist who worries about the worst-case scenario but is willing to give it a shot. I do worry about the worst case too, at times I worry sick but i try to shoo away the negative thought by making dua.The article published in Times Online brings to surface the postive sides of being a pessimistic.

Imagine you are walking down the street. It is a lovely day — clear blue sky, a light breeze, sunshine. You marvel at what people refer to as “the miracle of life”. The leaves are so green! The birds are chirping! You are blissfully caught up in a state of vitamin D-induced euphoria. You think of the person you love most in the world, someone to whom you are profoundly attached. Visualising their face, you have a sense of infinite safety; you are filled with joy.

Then, you picture them dead.

Suddenly you are filled with dread, consumed by all the what-ifs that are contained in this thought. Thousands of them, like a shoal of sardines, racingare contained in this thought. Thousands of them, like a shoal of sardines, racing frantically through your mind. The more you try to push this thought away, the more space it occupies, expanding uncontrollably until you are not just experiencing the loss but are fixating on the details. The funeral arrangements, the life-insurance papers, questions of their Pin and the password for their e-mail.

Forget the leaves on the trees — you have more pressing concerns. Where’s the joy in being alive now? The sunshine has become oppressive; it’s no longer energising; it causes melanoma. You cross over to the shady side of the street. Read On

So be patient with admirable patience.

Here is a collection of some verses from the Holy Quran on Patience. If you come across any, other do share and we can build on the list. Thank you

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"Those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure", [The Troops : 10].

"And We will certainly bestow on those who patiently persevere, their reward according to the best of their actions", [The Bee : 96].

"And because they were patient and constant, He will reward them with a Garden and (garments of) silk", [Mankind : 12].

"And be patient and persevering; for Allah is with those who patiently persevere", [Spoils of War : 46].

"But if ye persevere patiently, and guard against evil, then that will be a determining factor in all actions", [The Family of Imran : 186].

"But give glad tiding to those who patiently persevere, who say, when afflicted with calamity : 'To Allah we belong, and to Him is our return'", [The Cow : 155-156].

Chapter : 2 (Al-Baqarah) Verse : 46

And seek help with patience and prayer, and this indeed is hard except for the humble in spirit

Chapter : 3 (Al-`Imran) Verse : 187

You shall surely be tried in your possessions, and your persons, and you shall surely hear many hurtful things from those who were given the Book before you, and from those who set up equals to Allah. But if you show patience and fortitude and act righteously, that indeed is a matter of high resolve.

Chapter : 12 (Yusuf) Verse : 19

And they came with false blood on his shirt. He said, 'This what you say is not true but your souls have made a great thing appear light in your eyes. So comely patience is now called for. And it is Allah alone Whose help is sought against what you assert.'

Chapter : 12 (Yusuf) Verse : 84

He replied, 'Nay, but your minds have embellished to you an evil thing. So now there is nothing left for me but goodly patience. May be Allah will bring them all to me; for He is the All-Knowing the Wise.'

Chapter : 14 (Ibrahim) Verse : 13

'And why should we not put our trust in Allah when He has showed us our appropriate ways? And we will, surely, bear with patience all the harm you do to us. So, in Allah let those who trust put their trust. '

Chapter : 16 (Al-Nahl) Verse : 128

And, O Prophet, endure thou with patience; and verily thy patience is possible only with the help of Allah. And grieve not for them, nor feel distressed because of their evil designs.

Chapter : 21 (Al-Anbiya') Verse : 86

And call to mind Ishmael and Idris and Dhu'l-Kifl. All were men of patience.

Chapter : 40 (Al-Mu'min) Verse : 56

So have patience. Surely, the promise of Allah is true. And ask forgiveness for them for the wrongs they have done thee and glorify thy Lord with His praise in the evening and the in morning.

Chapter : 46 (Al-Ahqaf) Verse : 36

Have patience, then, as the Messengers, possessed of high resolve, had patience; and be in no haste concerning them. On the day when they see that which they are threatened, it will appear to them as though they had not tarried in this world save for an hour of a day. This warning has been conveyed; and none but the disobedient people shall be destroyed.

Chapter : 50 (Qaf) Verse : 40

So bear with patience what they say, and celebrate the praises of thy Lord, before the rising of the sun and before its setting;

Chapter : 70 (Al-Ma`arij) Verse : 6

So be patient with admirable patience.

Smart Women

Barbara Walters, of Television's 20/20, did a story on gender roles in Kabul, Afghanistan several years before the Afghan conflict.

She noted that women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands.

She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands.

From Ms Walters' vantage point, despite the overthrow of the oppres
sive Taliban regime, the women walked even further back behind their husbands, and seemed to appear happy to maintain the old custom.

Ms. Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, 'Why do you continue with an old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?'

The woman looked Ms Walters straight in the eyes, and without hesitation said...
'Land Mines.'

The moral of the story is (no matter what language you speak and where you go)

BEHIND EVERY MAN, THERE'S A SMART WOMAN!

Blog Anniversary II

Two years ago I wrote on my first first blog post "If love is pure it never ends". Today I say again, "If love is pure it doesn't end, it only grows."

I leave a quote from One Tree Hill as a point to ponder on:

Imagine a future moment in your life where all your dreams come true. You know it's the greatest moment of your life and you get to experience it with one person. Who's standing next to you?

Stay tuned to SYRA STAR. Happy Blog Anniversary II.

=)

iFAST

Ever since I studied the elective course 'Distributed computing' and heard about 'Multi-Agent systems' during my college days at FAST I thought it would be fascinating to have a mobile application that would allows students to add and drop courses, see the real-time whereabouts of the on-campus activities, review their grades and course history and perform a variety of other administrative tasks that are normally accessible only over secure campus networks.

It's very intriguing to know that Standford university and others of the like have already implemented such an appication called iStandford for their students carrying iphones. How cool is that!
You can read about it here, here and here.

Also I thought, if each student or cell phone could have an RFID attached on campus, each student can track down his/her friends, class mates, T-A, Pofessor and so forth via an application on the cell phone that would show some what like a university campus map pointing to where people on our peer list can be located and reached to in the campus at a given time. Ofcourse there would be pros and cons and privacy issues to deal with. Maybe in a couple of years, such a feature will be in the making if not already. In case no one else has thought of it, which I doubt, I should patent my idea =).

Teebsters day at work

On a frivolous note

fresh day begins with music videos on you tube

followed by video games on yahoo games

then musica time

some chatting

more chatting

and finally when she is tired from a hard day's work it's time for some programming :p

Teebster, it was so much fun taking these pics chupke chupke

Teebster strikes again!

The Teebster Mesh! Who says office is boring :)
My monitor is most honored by the decoration :p. Thank you teebster for sparing my ring :)

Make dua for Anything you want. Everything you want

Peyton: "Make a wish and place it in your heart. Anything you want. Everything you want".
Lucas: "Do you have it? Good. Now believe it can come true. You never know where the next miracle is going to come from, the next smile. The next wish come true."
Peyton: "But if you believe that it is right around the corner. And you open your heart and mind to the possibility of it. To the certainty of it."
Brooke: "You just might get the thing you're wishing for."
Nathan: "The world is full of magic. You just have to believe in it. So make your wish. Do you have it?"
Haley: "Good. Now believe in it. With all your heart."

~One Tree Hill

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Present your most dear wish in the form of dua to the ever hearing Allah, and know at heart he can make it happen for you. One of the etiquette of making dua is to be firm. Allah mian likes the confidence we put in Him =).

I quote from this site:
Be firm when making dua: Yahya related from Malik from Abu’z Zinad from al-Araj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ”When you are making dua, do not say: ‘O Allah, forgive me if You wish. O Allah, forgive me if you wish.’ You should be firm in your asking, for there is no compelling Him.”
Source: Al Muwatta hadith 28, volume 15.

Click here to read more about the etiquette's of making dua.

Happy Praying :)

Allah's artistry in color By Harun Yahya

He Who created the seven heavens in layers. You will not find any flaw in the creation of the All-Merciful. Look again-do you see any gaps? Then look again and again. Your sight will return to you dazzled and exhausted! (Surat al-Mulk: 3-4)

Click on the image for a better view or visit the source here or here

For what's it worth----Protect It

The quote below striked to me. It's from the movie Pursuit of Happiness which is based on the inspiring true story on the struggle in the life of Christopher Gardner.

"You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period. "
~Christopher Gardner [to his son]

I also liked the following quote from the movie The curious case of Benjamin Button. The movie itself is interesting too. It's longer then the usual Hollywood movies and gets a bit slow. Nevertheless I liked it and would recommend it. The movie has no twists and turns. It's simply about the life of a person who ages backwards and that's the whole charm of the movie.

"For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."

~Benjamin Button [Voice over; letter to his daughter]

Music and Memories

Have you ever formed associations of music with memories.? Like a song reminds me of my friend because she sings it to me and similarly a song can remind you of the happy time when all friends were together, sang and listened to it repeatedly on a school trip? Or a song that used to play on the car's radio while you ride to school daily? Or a song that reminds you of someone who said something similar to you? All such songs have become special to me because of it reminds me of special people or hearty occasions. A recent study shows the memories and emotions that people associate with familiar songs are a part of the brain where the wiring for memories and thoughts about music appears to be linked.

"What seems to happen is that a piece of familiar music serves as a soundtrack for a mental movie that starts playing in our head. It calls back memories of a particular person or place, and you might all of a sudden see that person's face in your mind's eye," study author Petr Janata, associate professor of psychology at the Center for Mind and Brain at the University of California, Davis, said in a news release issued by the school. "Now we can see the association between those two things -- the music and the memories." Read On

Source: Health Day

This also reminds me how much I don't like the ring tone that's plays when the driver is here to pick me up for work in the morning. Some may feel this way about their alarm tones.

Unveiling game-changing wearable technology

Pretty impressive

Courtesy Khany

All you need is ONE

At this moment there are 6,470,818,671 people in the world. Some are running scared. Some are coming home. Some tell lies to make it through the day. Others are just not facing the truth. Some are evil men, at war with good. And some are good, struggling with evil. Six billion people in the world, six billion souls. And sometimes... all you need is one.

~Peyton [One tree hill]
Courtesy Ali

Teebster--the prankster

Ok, So I return to my office seat after a minute or two and find my wall paper set to this image. Then I see a very giggly teebster! So lesson learnt is never to leave your work station unlocked even for a minute!

Good one teebz! Now you better watch out! :p :)

My favourite T-Shirt

I have had this T-shirt for almost a decade and I continue to treasure it. My friend, Momina gifted it to me. She told me before hand that she's going to get me a t-shirt..I was like.."no no no beeru, i don't wear t-shirts"..and she said "when you see it, you will surely want to wear it"

It's the size of my hand and the message on the shirt says: THOUGHT I'D BUY YOU A T-SHIRT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY BUT THE TAILOR HAD THE WRONG SIZE WELL AT LEAST I REMEMBERED THE DAY!!

Momina, I m still trying to fit into it :)

The Mysterious Envelope

One fine morning in late 2007 a mysterious, creative envelope addressed to me, landed on my office desk. Inside was a pretty bracelet. I was most pleasantly surprised.

It read

SairaStar,

Remember the girl from the village,
Remember the girl from the town,
Remember the gal who spoiled this ugly elixir envelope
By writing UPSIDE DOWN :)

Happy Birthday, may you have a wicked life full of blogs,fans and a prince in shining armour ;)

On the corner it said P.S Guess Who! :p

By far the most interesting envelope and unique birthday wish addressed to me.

The birth of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h)

Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), the Master of Prophets, was born in Bani Hashim lane in Makkah on Monday morning, the ninth of Rabi‘ Al-Awwal, the same year of the Elephant Event, and forty years of the reign of Kisra (Khosru Nushirwan), i.e. the twentieth or twenty-second of April, 571 A.D., according to the scholar Muhammad Sulaimân Al-Mansourpuri, and the astrologer Mahmûd Pasha. [Muhadarat Tareekh Al-Umam Al-Islamiyah 1/62; Rahmat-ul-lil'alameen 1/38,39]

Ibn Sa‘d reported that Muhammad’s mother said: "When he was born, there was a light that lit the palaces of Syria." Ahmad reported on the authority of ‘Arbadh bin Sariya something similar to this. [Mukhtasar Seerat-ur-Rasool, p.12; Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd 1/63]

It was but controversially reported that significant precursors accompanied his birth: fourteen galleries of Kisra’s palace cracked and rolled down, the Magians’ (people worshipped fire) sacred fire died down and some churches on Lake Sawa sank down and collapsed. [Reported by Al-Baihaqi, but Al-Ghazali didn't approve it - see Fiqh-us-Seerah p.46]

His mother immediately sent someone to inform his grandfather ‘Abdul-Muttalib of the happy event. Happily he came to her, carried him to Al-Ka‘bah, prayed to Allâh and thanked Him. ‘Abdul-Muttalib called the baby Muhammad, a name not then common among the Arabs. He circumcised him on his seventh day as was the custom of the Arabs. [Ibn Hisham 1/159,160; Zad Al-Ma'ad 1/18; Muhadarat Tareekh Al-Umam Al-Islamiyah 1/62] Read On


I was born on a Monday morning too, I am delighted to have my birth day of the week common with the best person ever.

=)

Eid Milad Nabi Mubarek!

Source: SunniPath Library

Near but Far

A saint asked his disciples, Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?'

Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.'

'But, why to shout when the other person is just next to you?' asked the saint. 'Isn't it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you're angry?'

Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the saint.

Finally he explained, 'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.'

Then the saint asked, 'What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small...'

The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.'


MORAL: When you argue do not let your hearts get distant; do not say words that distance each other.

~Anonymous

Bonds from heaven

...Really important meetings are planned by the souls long before the bodies see each other....
~Paulo Coelho

Believe it or not :)

No network or battery problem

A text message I liked:

Prayer is a free outgoing call to God. No network or battery problem, always good signals and all messages sent. Make prayer a habit.

Courtesy: Mahrukh

Seek forgiveness from the person you have wronged

Narrated by Abu Huraira (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)

Allah's Apostle (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said : "Whoever has wronged his brother, should ask for his pardon (before his death), as (in the Hereafter) there will be neither a Dinar nor a Dirham. (He should secure pardon in this life) before some of his good deeds are taken and paid to his brother, or, if he has done no good deeds, some of the bad deeds of his brother are taken to be loaded on him (in the Hereafter)."

Bukhari Hadith 8.541

Good Suffering > Wicked Prospering

In the part of this universe that we know there is great injustice, and often the “Good Suffer”and often the “Wicked Prosper”, and one hardly knows which of those is the more annoying.
[Bertrand Russell]

For me, the thought of bad things happening to good people is more annoying. God promises justice in the hereafter. May there be justice in this life too. Eventually, the good shall win. Right beats wrong, good trumps evil and love overrides hate. Ameen

Kotable Kotations

"To be is to do"
By Socrates
.
.
.
"To do is to be"
By Plato
.
.
.
.
.
"Do be do be do"
By Scooby do

Courtesy: ShahrukhStar

I've learned

Written by Andy Rooney, a man who has the gift of saying so much with so few words.

I've learned.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned.... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular .

I've learned.... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned.... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned... That life is tough, but I'm tougher..

I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost, someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned .... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned.... That I wish I could have told my Mom and Dad that I loved them one more time before they passed away.

I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned.... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned..... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

I've learned.... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned.... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

A definition to remember

Recently I watched the hollywood movie: A walk to remember. It reminded me of two other movies namely Sweet November and The Notebook. All three being sweet movies and interesting to watch in their own place. If you have seen all three maybe you can connect the three movies too.
There is a quote in the movie from the bible that I liked, posting it below:

“Love is patient; love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offense. There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, and endurance. Love takes no pleasure in other peoples sins but delights in the truth; It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes. Love does not come to an end.”

The Splashes of Life

My grandfather took me to the fishpond on the farm when I was about seven and he told me to throw a stone into the water.

He told me to watch the waves created by the stone, and then he asked me to think of myself as that stone.

"You may create a lot of splashes in your life, but remember the waves that come from those splashes will affect the peace of all your fellow creatures," he said.

"Remember that you are responsible for what you throw into your circle, and that your waves will touch many other circles. Always try to live in a way that the waves that come from your circle send out the peace of your goodness to other circles."

"Remember the waves that come from anger and jealousy will also send those feelings to other circles. You are responsible for all the waves."

That was the first time I realized each person creates the inner peace or discord that flows out into the world.

We cannot create world peace if we are riddled with inner conflict, hatred, doubt and anger. We radiate the feelings and thoughts that we hold inside whether we voice them or not. Whatever is sloshing around inside of us is spilling out into the world, creating beauty or discord with all the other circles of life.

Remember the eternal wisdom: WHATEVER YOU FOCUS ON EXPANDS

[Author Unknown]

Courtesy A friend

Stop!

~Helen Ward drew for One Tree Hill

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Saira Andleeb once wrote "There comes a point in your life when you realize who matters, who never did, who wont any more, and who always will. So don't worry about the people from your past, there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future" BUT "You can close your eyes to reality but not to memories" and there's a reason for that too !

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My thoughts:

The loss of a dear one is saddening. Unfortunately or fortunately people do leave, but they don't always leave. Sometimes they come back. Destiny has ways of bringing them back to us. Destiny brings together people who are meant to be together, for better or for worse. They say it is destined. They say it is written. Indeed it is! But do we sit back when we fear losing someone, hoping that destiny would magically bring them back to us. NAY! we fight for them! By doing so, sometimes the stars change course. Sometimes destinies are written to be erased and rewritten by forces of love! But sometimes we have to have the courage to let go and embrace destiny and have faith that Allah wills for the better. In such conflicting times the heart knows the difference. The guidance comes from within. God speaks through hearts. Listen to the inner voice. Celebrate!

No pain, No gain! Must there always be pain?

"Blessed are the hearts that can bend; they shall never be broken." But I wonder if there's no breaking then there's no healing, and if there's no healing then there's no learning. And if there's no learning then there's no struggle. But the struggle is a part of life. So must all hearts be broken?"

~ Quote in italic by Albert Camus
Description quote taken from One Tree Hill.
Image by Helen Ward

I like Green Tea, do you?

One good habit that I have developed ever since I started my professional career is to have at least one cup of green tea on work days. Not only does it taste good, it has plenty of benefits. Green tea is a far more healthier alternative to tea and coffee. Let me give you a tip; add few drops of lemon and it taste even better. If you want to make it more special, add ilaychie and saunf. :)
While I go and make my self some green tea, please read 25 reasons why you should be drinking green tea. Happy Reading

1. Green Tea and Cancer

Green tea helps reduce the risk of cancer. The antioxidant in green tea is 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times better than vitamin E. This helps your body at protecting cells from damage believed to be linked to cancer.


2. Green Tea and Heart Disease

Green tea helps prevent heart disease and stroke by lowering the level of cholesterol. Even after the heart attack, it prevents cell deaths and speeds up the recovery of heart cells.


3. Green Tea and Anti-Aging

Green tea contains antioxidant known as polyphenols which fight against free radicals. What this means it helps you fight against aging and promotes longevity.

4. Green Tea and Weight Loss

Green tea helps with your body weight loss. Green tea burns fat and boosts your metabolism rate naturally. It can help you burn up to 70 calories in just one day. That translates to 7 pounds in one year.

5. Green Tea and Skin

Antioxidant in green tea protects the skin from the harmful effects of free radicals, which cause wrinkling and skin aging.Green tea also helps fight against skin cancer.

6. Green Tea and Arthritis

Green tea can help prevent and reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Green tea has benefit for your health as it protects the cartilage by blocking the enzyme that destroys cartilage.


7. Green Tea and Bones

The very key to this is high fluoride content found in green tea.It helps keep your bones strong.
If you drink green tea every day, this will help you preserve your bone density.

8. Green Tea and Cholesterol

Green tea can help lower cholesterol level. It also improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol, by reducing bad cholesterol level.

9. Green Tea and Obesity

Green tea prevents obesity by stopping the movement of glucose in fat cells. If you are on a healthy diet, exercise regularly and drink green tea, it is unlikely you'll be obese.

10. Green Tea and Diabetes

Green tea improves lipid and glucose metabolisms, prevents sharp increases in blood sugar level, and balances your metabolism rate.

11. Green Tea and Alzheimer's

Green tea helps boost your memory. And although there's no cure for Alzheimer's, it helps slow the process of reduced acetylcholine in the brain, which leads to Alzheimer's.

12. Green Tea and Parkinson's

Antioxidants in green tea helps prevent against cell damage in the brain, which could cause Parkinson's. People drinking green tea also are less likely to progress with Parkinson's.

13. Green Tea and Liver Disease

Green tea helps prevent transplant failure in people with liver failure. Researches showed that green tea destroys harmful free radicals in fatty livers.

14. Green Tea and High Blood Pressure

Green tea helps prevent high blood pressure.Drinking green tea helps keep your blood pressure down by repressing angiotensin, which leads to high blood pressure.

15. Green Tea and Food Poisoning

Catechin found in green tea can kill bacteria which causes food poisoning and kills the toxins produced by those bacteria.

16. Green Tea and Blood Sugar

Blood sugar tends to increase with age, but polyphenols and polysaccharides in green tea help lower your blood sugar level.

17. Green Tea and Immunity

Polyphenols and flavenoids found in green tea help boost your immune system, making your health stronger in fighting against infections.

18. Green Tea and Cold and Flu

Green tea prevents you from getting a cold or flu.Vitamin C in green tea helps you treat the flu and the common cold.

19. Green Tea and Asthma

Theophylline in green tea relaxes the muscles which support the bronchial tubes, reducing the severity of asthma.

20. Green Tea and Ear Infection

Green tea helps with ear infection problem. For natural ear cleaning, soak a cotton ball in green tea and clean the infected ear.

21. Green Tea and Herpes

Green tea increases the effectiveness of topical interferon treatment of herpes. First green tea compress is applied, and then let the skin dry before the interferon treatment.

22. Green Tea and Tooth Decay

Green tea destroys bacteria and viruses that cause many dental diseases. It also slows the growth of bacteria which leads to bad breath.

23. Green Tea and Stress

L-theanine, which is a kind of amino acids in green tea, can help relieve stress and anxiety.

24. Green Tea and Allergies

EGCG found in green tea relieves allergies.So, if you have allergies, you should really consider drinking green tea.

25. Green Tea and HIV

Scientists in Japan have found that EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate) in green tea can stop HIV from binding to healthy immune cells.What this means is that green tea can help stop the HIV virus from spreading.

Courtesy: A friend

Sidra Reflects

Sunset over River Ravi

"Ever seen reflection of a sunset on the surface of a peaceful river? How serene and enchanting... but how very delicate... a single pebble can destroy your view...dispersing the beauty into wild spread of mere colors... which makes no sense no meaning to anyone but me myself... such is the beauty of a dream... beautiful, enchanting and sometimes mesmerizing for a short time...Pebbles of reality can distort them and shred them... yet they mean a world to me... and I try to hold onto its every color... every hue... every tinge of it... because it was my dream... and every bit of it was my happiness.. my joy... my life!"

[Sidra]

May all your dreams come true Sidra. Ameen