"Going home" is generally a very happy feeling...especially when you have super-lovely parents! And till about a week back, I was all excited and doing the countdown. But well, now that 31 July (that's my last official working day) is just 4 days away, I'm already feeling the :( that has set in...

Resource Communications...i still remember the day I first heard about it from a friend in Bangalore. I was in Trivandrum then, on the lookout for a job. The website implored me to apply and make sure i get through. But when I actually send in my application and got called for a 'copy test' (I applied for copywriting), I was thrilled and anxious at the same time. After the test, I booked my return ticket--I decided that it was the worst test I ever attended (blame my lack of talent) and wouldn't get through :D And so, when a call came for the third round of interviews, I had a better opinion about myself! :D

How a whole year, and a month after that, passed...i cant imagine!

Today, Resource for me is a totally different experience...its all about a lot of passion, hardwork, dicussions--heated and otherwise--ideas, blastings, dressing downs, meetings, reviews, trips...and most importantly, a mix of totally different kinds of people with a lot of passion!

And perhaps, the only organisation where food plays a high and mighty role in each one's lives :D :D :D  There are daily meetings where we discuss what food is yummiest where...organise breakfast trips, lunch trips and dinner trips :D :D :D And being an integrated 'Indian team', we have had our share of North-Indian, Karnataka, Andhra and Maharashtrian lunches till date.

But nothing matched the excitement we all had on the day our MD made masala dosas for all of us!! Hehehehe...yes, you read it right...our's is a small team...12 main people and 5 support staff...so, anything that's done in office, is done collaboratively! Again, the most striking thing about the MD-cooked-lunch was the passion and integrity with which he did it !! Well I still owe everyone at office a Kerala lunch :D

Will probably do it when I come back from Kerala in a few months' time and join back in this same lovely company!!! Well, when bosses refuse to accept resination letters, what else to do? :D (I'm so glad he did that! ;) ) It will be like "coming back home"...

Lunch and food are just  of the few things in a typical Resource-day...if you set out to find a better place than Resource, you'll invariably land up in front of a green-gated cosy building called Resource ;)

(Deu 5:29 KJV)  O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! 

(Deu 31:13 KJV)  And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it. 

 (Rev 3:19 KJV)  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Taken from 'The Book of Beliefs' by Raashid Uthmani-Deoband.(Allah Bukhsh Barkhurdaria Trust)

Chapter One

Beliefs Concerning Imaan

Imaan-The First Article

Tauheed-the Doctrine of Allah's unity

La ilaha illallah

There is no Deity but Allah

In shariah, Tauheed means to accept with the heart and declare with the tongue the unity of Allah ta ala.

Risaalat- the doctrine of believing in a Nabi

Muhammadan rasulullah salalahu alayhi wa salam

Muhamamd salalahu alayhi wa salam is the Rasool of Allah.

Risaalat means to accept with the heart and declare with the tongue that Muhammad salalahu alayhi wa salam is the true messenger of Allah Ta'ala and to whole heartedly accept, without the slightest reservation and doubt, everything brought by Muhammad salalahu alayhi wa salam as true.

Definition of Imaan and its types

Imaan is to accept with the heart that which has beendelivered to the Ummah by Muhammad sallahau alayhi wa salam from Allah Ta'ala, and to utter this belief with the tongue.

Imaan in Brief

I believe in Allah as He is with all His Names and Attributes and I accept all His commands.

Belief in Allah is not confined to belief in the mere existence of a creator. This belief necessitates the affirmation of Allah Ta'ala with all His attributes in the manner they are expounded and explained in the Quraan and Hadeeth. (The inerpretation of the pious predecessors will be accepted.)

Imaan in Detail

I believe in Allah, in His Malaaikah (angels), in his books, in his messengers, in the akhirat (day of judgement) and in the fact that everything good or bad is from Allah (i.e. in predestination) and in life after death.

Allah Ta'ala describes these cardinals of Imaan in the following verses of the Quraan:

"O you who believe! Believe in Allah and His Rasool(salalahu alayhi wa salam) and the Kitaab which He has revealed before. Whoever disbelieves in Allah and His Malaaikah (alayhum salam) and His Kitaabs and His Rasool and the Last day, he has wandered far astray." (4:136)

The first article of Islam is belief in the concept of Tauheed and Risaalat, which has been explained above. The other articles of Islam are Salaah, Zakaat, hajj, and fasting in Ramadan.

Rasulullah salalahu alayhi wa salam, in the above hadith, has compared Islam to a canopy resting on five supports. Belief in the concept of Tauheed and Risaalat is the central pillar and the other four are vital supports in the completion of one's deen.

Without the central pillar the canopy cannot possibly stand. Similarly, if one negates the belief of Tauheed and Risaalat he cannot possibly be a believer. And, if any one of the corner supports are missing, a collapse will result in the defective corner of the canopy. Thus, if any one of the remaining articles of Islam is neglected, a weakness int he Imaan will result.

Imaam Abu Hanifa rahimahullah is of the opinion that Imaan is the "affirmation of the heart" and Amal (practice) is not a pre-condition for the validity of Imaan although it is conditional for its developement and perfection. The execution of amal gives validity and noor to Imaan. Hence, the commiting of major sins does not expel one from Islam.

"And if two parties of believers fight, then make peace between them." (49:9)

Islam regards fighting to be a major sin. In this verse Allah says, "if two parties of believers fight." Note that He has called both these parties believers.

According to Imaam Malik rahimahullah and Imam shafi'ee rahimahullah amal is an integral part of Imaan. Without it, one does not remain a perfect believer.

Two Deviant Sects

Contrary to the concensus of the Ulama and Muhaditheen, the mutazilis were of the view that by commiting a major sin, one no more remained a believer. In our times,Maududi and his followers also hold the same views.

Definition of a Major Sin

A major sin is that which is declared unlawful in Islamic law and for which there is reproach and warning int he Quran and hadith.

It is the belief of the AHlus Sunnah wal Jama'at that by committing a major sin, one does not leave the fold of Islam, but if one commits Shirk (polytheism) then one no more remains in the fold of Islam. Hence, when major sins are generally reffered to, it will mean those excluding kufr and shirk.

The BU students have completed their third week of the intensive summer course (8 credits) and are getting increasingly preoccupied with the presentations in front of MSH staff and invited guests, next Wednesday. So yesterday they practiced short presentations, on topics of their choice, on each other. We learned about what to do in Boston over the weekend, do’s and don’ts about pick-up lines, about Christmas and about names. They learned about being clear on what you want your presentation to accomplish, about teamwork and that there is no alternative to practice, practice, practice.

I learned that my trip to Ethiopia, on August 5, has been postponed until later notice. With that I gained another 2 weeks of summer, something I am grateful for. Coming home to Lobster Cove at the end of a full week was even more wonderful than it would have been otherwise. The sun was out, the sky blue and the tide high. Armed with two gin tonics we walked down to the beach and toasted to each other and miracles. We did not mention the ankle. And then we climbed into our kayak and Alden shell and shoved off, leaving the empty g/t cups on the beach. The water was choppy and the rowing challenging but being out there with the sun setting was spectacular and stretching arms and legs felt wonderful.

Back inside Axel cooked dinner while I was plotting my course for today’s flight to either Owl’s Head, we are trying again, or Rutland in Vermont. We ate dinner while watching the movie ‘A 2001 Space Odyssey’ and marveled how many of the things in that movie, science fiction when it was made in the 60s, are now normal, such as individual screens in planes, PCs and Skype with a webcam. We both fell asleep watching and did not see the end which we could not remember from the last time we saw it, so we must have fallen asleep then as well. We’ve had several evening and nights alone this week and could do whatever we wanted – such freedom!

I still haven’t seen Sita even though she came back on Monday. She left on Tuesday again to her new home in Western Mass and is now in Nantucket with Jim and her in-laws for a short vacation. Maybe I get to see her this weekend, since she still has much stuff here and the move-out has not been completed. This is a source of friction with Tessa and Steve who are driving down on Sunday, moving out of Canada, and ready to move in, which we know they cannot do yet. The professional cleaners that Sita and Jim hired first have to remove a year’s worth of cat hair from the barn before they settle in with their dog. Boomerang kids! As for dog Chicha, the chipmunks and squirrels have no idea what’s coming, fall will be challenging for them.

Michael Crichton, Rising Sun

Mashallah!!!!!!

Buhat Hi Acha Kaam Kia hai ap logon nay!!!

www.ahledil.wordpress.com

Hari ini semua barang harus siap diangkut. Aku setrika jemuran yang sudah kering. Aku kemasi pakaian. Aku masukkan ke dalam kardus sejumlah perabot. DVD player. Printer. Semua siap. Malam nanti semua barang akan dibawa ke Rawamangun, rumah mertua kakakku. Buat dititipin sementara waktu.

Aku mau ke Yogyakarta.

Hampir empat tahun aku tinggal di sini. Aku ngontrak sebuah rumah petak di wilayah Kebayoran Lama. Tepatnya Gang Assofa II. RT 06 RW 01. Rumah nomor berapa? Aku tak tahu. Yang jelas rumah petak pertama gang tembus Musala Al Mubarak. Seberang Indomaret baru. Dekat Gedung Kontan. Dulu aku memang kerja di media ekonomi itu. Jadi perjalanan ke kantor tak usah mikir macet, ongkos, dan waktu yang terbuang. Soalnya tinggal jalan kaki.

Posisi rumah ini menurutku strategis. Aku selalu menikmati jalan kaki di lingkungan Permata Hijau. Tanaman hiasnya. Perumahannya. Gang kecilnya. Semuanya.

Posisi rumah ini menurutku strategis. Mau ke pusat perbelanjaan? Ada ITC Permata Hijau sekaligus ada Carrefour. Ke rumah sakit? Tinggal ngangkot sekali ke Rumah Sakit Medika Permata Hijau. Bahkan, kalau mau bisa jalan kaki.

Posisi rumah ini menurutku strategis. Mau jajan makan masih murah. Tak semahal di bilangan Kuningan atau Sudirman atau Senayan atau lainnya. Mau jajan makan segalanya ada. Mau makan murah tinggal pilih. Steak murah? Ada Obonk. Seafood lezat? Ada dua pilihan: Pertigaan Kemanggisan-Rawa Belong atau jalan raya menuju Permata Hijau-Simprug-Pondok Indah. Sayur asem? Ada dua pilihan juga: Jalan Madrasah atau Resto Rindu Ayam. Belanja? Indomaret baru kan tinggal nyeberang. Warnet? juga tinggal nyeberang. Fitnes? Belum pernah sih, tapi tinggal ngangkot sekali.

Posisi rumah ini menurutku strategis. Mudah akses ke mana saja. Mau ke Bintaro? Meluncur saja ke jalan layang Pasar Kebayoran Lama. Lalu nyegat angkot atau metro mini. Aku dulu ke Bintaro guna jenguk adikku yang kuliah di Sekolah Tinggi Akuntansi Negara. Di Bintaro juga enak. Nonton bioskop tinggal ke BP -Bintaro Plaza. Ke Slipi juga tinggal sekali angkot. Ke Senayan, sekali angkot plus jalan kaki cukup capek. Itu kalau aku liputan ke Gedung DPR.

Posisi rumah ini menurutku strategis. Aku nyaman di sini. Hampir empat tahun. Tapi kini aku harus pergi. Ke Yogyakarta yang lebih nyaman.

Nanti malam pasti aku tambah sibuk mengangkati barang-barang. Selamat tinggal. Sayonara...

You will also find a lot of interest (and excitement) in doing home improvement. There are just so many things around the house that you want to redo or improve. Our house started out small then we just extended the house to have a bigger space. In my house, since it is still quite lacking in a couple of things, we slowly do improvements when the budget allows. We have built some cabinets to be able to store our stuff properly and extend our work area for our wash days. Because of this, landscape design would probably be last on our list but my mom does a great job at maintaining our garden so that works just fine.

When we do home improvements, we get a carpenter and do our own design. But if you have the budget, you can get the san diego general contractor for your home improvements.

Balcony Pipe Boxed Up with Spotlights Installed

Down Lights for the living room

Dining Table Lights

Light for study room & guestroom

Master Bedroom Down Lights

Kitchen Lights

Newly Installed Air-Con from Panasonic

documents, photos

Everything else is pretty much replaceable.

What would your list consist of? Post your thoughts under comments.

If simplicity is your favorite decorating word, then you might be interested in the decorating trend of shabby chic. The shabby chic style is a great way to bring modern and traditional decorating together and introduce and maintain the feeling of brightness in your home. Shabby chic bedding is a great starting point for this fresh and clean fashion. Its versatility makes it a great choice for bedrooms everywhere.

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Shabby chic bedding almost always includes linen. It's usually white and often incorporates bleached and faded pastels such as pinks, yellows and blues. A shabby chic theme is easy to decorate with. Use furniture that is vintage or treated to look vintage. This will really tie everything together. Think English rose gardens and white distressed four-poster beds dressed in white or light bedding.

A shabby chic bedroom works for almost anyone. It's not too feminine, but elegant just the same. It looks wonderful in nurseries and children's rooms. And it's a very popular guest room decorating option. Even if you live in the city, a fresh country feel is possible with shabby chic bedding.

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Taking Coco dog out for her morning wander.

The latin dancing was great fun.

I had no idea how many muscles you used doing those steps.

The teacher is truly amazing and we were all salsa dancing in no time.

Well done Greg ... firstly for just having a go ... and secondly for being such a good dancer.

Sorry about the squashed toes.

It really is fun and great exercise ... we may actually give a demo tonight at my party.

Yeh ...in your dreams.

Sorry ... no photos of me dancing ... forgot to ask Brent to be photographer ... that's my excuse anyway.

Got home after 5 hours out expecting to see some damage in the lounge from Coco dog.

Not a bit.

Stayed up til 3am playing with her.

So ... another birthday ...another year gone ...hopefully many more to come.

My brother Marc even left me a lovely message on his blog ... and the family should start ringing from Oz soon.

The sun is shining and all is well.

I'm looking forward to visiting the neighbours and getting things sorted for my party in Moo tonight.

I promise ... there will be photos.

No great wishes or deep and meaningfuls today ...life is good ... and full of endless possibilities.

slan

xxx Liz

• Stephane Dion
• Stephen Harper
• Jack Layton
• Elizabeth May

I personally wondered where the "NONE OF THE ABOVE" check box was and quickly realized that there was not one and decided to write Mr. James Moore a letter, letting him in on my view of the Criminal Justice System in this country. The following was sent to his office....

July 25, 2008

Re: “Above the Law” leaflet

To James Moore, MP

Your office recently mailed out a leaflet entitled “Above the Law” asking the citizens of Port Moody, Westwood and Port Coquitlam a question regarding the Criminal Justice System in this country. Your leaflet asked “Who do you think is on the right track on crime?” Well, Mr. Moore, my answer would have to be none of the above. The criminal Justice System in this country is a complete joke. Not only for the light sentences of youth AND adult offenders but for failing the victims of crime as well.

First of all we have our Attorney General, Wally Oppal who seems to come up with excuse after excuse regarding the way that criminals in this country are sentenced. I have contacted him on several occasions regarding the dragging death of Grant De Patie and the reduced sentence of youth offender Darnel Pratt. Now we find out that Mr. Pratt seems to be in some more trouble after assaulting another inmate while incarcerated. The reduction of his sentence now in hind sight seems rather wrong, don’t you think?

I also contacted Mr. Oppal in regards to the Oak Bay murder / suicide involving Mr. Peter Lee. Mr. Lee had assaulted his wife prior to the murders and was arrested for causing bodily harm and aggravated assault. Police made recommendations to the court that he remain in custody. Instead Mr. Lee was released on bail with numerous court orders not to contact his wife, enter the home, or posses any weapons. But did that protect Ms. Park and her family? No. Now every politician, judge and police officer in this country should carry that family’s blood on their hands for not ensuring their safety and for not making the laws around sentencing these offenders more strict.

And lastly ( I could go on, but I will not take up any more of your time) I would like to mention Mayor Scott Young. I am a resident of Port Coquitlam. I grew up in this town and have lived here for the majority of my life. I am also a victim of domestic violence and assault. I do not appreciate the fact that the Mayor of my hometown has been charged and convicted of assault and continues to remain Mayor of this city. I do not appreciate his pompous attitude regarding the matter either. That right there shows you just how screwed up this system is.

I was beaten by my now ex-boyfriend. He gave me two black eyes, choked me, held me against my will for over an hour while confining me and threatening to kill me. After fleeing the scene he was found by police, appeared before a judge and was released on bail with numerous court orders not to contact myself or my family. While awaiting trial he breached those conditions on numerous occasions to the point where I had to have my phone number changed. Each time he breached those conditions I called the RCMP officer in charge of my file to inform him of what was going on and every time I would have to leave a voicemail because he was never available to speak to me in person. By the time the date of the trial came my ex decided to play it safe and accept a plea bargain. He pled guilty and in return the crown sentenced him to a few days in jail. At that time my ex had an extremely lengthy criminal record. He is a career criminal. His mother has informed me that to this day he is still in and out of jail on a regular basis. And you want to know why this is? Because every single time he commits a crime in this country all he gets is a slap on the wrist, released on bail, court conditions that he can breach because he knows he can get away with it, and a minor sentence EVERY SINGLE TIME. And now I have a Mayor that is convicted of assault and I am expected to take him seriously? Please!

There is a lot that needs to be done about the Criminal Justice System in this country Mr. Moore regardless of the offenders age and I believe those changes can not come soon enough. All the offenders mentioned above, regardless if they are a youth offender or an adult seem to think that they are “Above the Law.” As for if any of the candidates mentioned on your leaflet are on the right track against crime in this country? I guess only time will tell.

I thank you for your time.

Thats my take on the system.......