Shalondon

Life is full of "firsts:"

- The first time you hold your newborn baby. 

- The baby's first smile.

- Her first laugh. 

- His first words. 

- Her first steps. 

- His first day of school. 

- Her first date. 

- His first kiss.  

- Her first job. 

- His first marriage. 

- Their first child. 

The beautiful thing about a "first time" is that it is often anticipated, usually expected, and almost always remembered.  But life brings about an equal number of "last times."  "Last times" have a way of sneaking up on us.  Frequently, we don't even know a routine moment, might be the "last time."  Reflecting upon my life...

-  I enjoyed playing sandlot football with the kids in my neighborhood but I could not have imagined there would ever be a "last game."   If only we had known, we would have played until we were exhausted.

-  I remember making homemade ice cream with my (deceased) dad on hot summer days; but I don't remember the last time we sat down and hand cranked the ice cream churn.  If only I had known...

-  I remember my mother's incredible chocolate pies.  I would have cherished the last slice if I had only known it was the last pie she would ever bake. 

- I remember laughing with a dear friend, not knowing he would be taken so soon.  I had no idea.

- I remember picking my son up, as a child, and lifting him above my head so he could touch the ceiling.  If I had only known there would come a day that I could never lift him.

Yes, life brings about "last times."  Cherish each day and live every moment as God would have you live it.

WWW.BIBLEDONATE.ORG

NON-MUSLIMS REFERRED AS ‘KAFIRS’

'Kafir’ means one who rejects.

‘Kafir’ is derived from the word ‘kufr’, which means to conceal or to reject. In Islamic terminology, ‘Kafir’ means one who conceals or rejects the truth of Islam and a person who rejects Islam is in English called a ‘non-Muslim’.

If non-Muslims are hurt - they should accept Islam.

If any non-Muslim considers the word ‘Kafir’ i.e. ‘non-Muslim’ as an abuse, he may choose to accept Islam and then we will stop referring to him as or call him a kafir i.e. a non-Muslim.

Underlining a trend that has struck the Canadian tourism industry over the past months, the number of trips made by foreigners to Canada in June was down 12.7 per cent from the same period a year ago, the report said.

The 2.3 million voyages foreigners took to Canada in June was also down 1.3 per cent from May.

Trips to Canada from the United States in June were down 1.2 per cent from May. Travel from nine of the 12 top overseas markets also fell in June, with travellers coming from China leading the way, taking 6.8 per cent fewer trips than they did in May.

Only travellers from the United Kingdom (+2.4 per cent,), Hong Kong (+2.0 per cent) and the Netherlands (+2.5 per cent) made more trips to Canada in June than in May.

Traffic the other way, while in decline for the fifth month in a row this year, is up since a year ago. Canadians took 4.4 million trips abroad in June, up 8.8 per cent since June 2007, the report said.

Month to month, however, Canadian trips abroad fell 0.8 per cent in June. Canadians' travel to the U.S. in June was off 0.9 per cent since May, down to 3.8 million trips.

The generally lower cross-border travel comes amid increased economic uncertainty around the world, major layoff and shutdown announcements in both the U.S. and Canadian manufacturing sectors, and higher prices for gasoline and jet fuel.

With files from the Canadian Press

Travel to and from Canada inches up: StatsCan
Fees cut value of airline rewards
WestJet inks co-operation deal with Southwest Airlines

So the first one:-

Yesterday:-

My oldest memory:-Hmm...thinking,thinking...Ha i remember,when we were moving from Chennai to Bangalore when i was 3 or something(ya ya i lived there for supposedly a year),there was truck which had all our stuff in it and i was telling ti bye :P ..hmm...i think i might remember something more ancient...well but an interesting one is,i remember a girl in LKG(long story made short-it is history floks :P ) and i remember liking her the second i saw her :D

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Studying in 2nd grade!Ya and i had my Upanyasam(ya the sacred thread ceremony,blah haven't done anything about it since,just change it on the day one day in the year and whenever it just breaks :P ) .
Hmm...and ya that girl was still in my class and i had a big time crush on her :)

Today

Your first thought today morning:
How many hits on my blog...lol :P Well i checked the time ASIGU(as soon as i got up) and was relived that i won't be late for my school's annual day practice.(i hate being late )

If you built a time capsule today what would it contain?

Chocolates,strawberries...ice cream...food....lol k :P i would take it back to the beginning of civilization and see what Adam and Eve are like and tell them...K leave it :P (Ok,i have realized i am under the influence,but of what?) And ya i might re visit my KG days and well ste thing right so that the girl and i stick to each other :P

Tomorrow:
This year:-
Oh! an year has flown by ya?Waat ra,haven't published your book aa? Waat you doing CA wa?Good ra..Adjually i knew da...

Hari Om! :)

What do you see yourself doing 14 years from now?

OMG,14 years...thats a long time from now..Well 14 years ..I have lots of plans..but hate putting plans on paper...I just don't like it :P I never write any plans and time line stuff,have it all up there :P It saves me the trouble of remembering :P (ya if i forget i don't need to remember,blissful ignorace i say! )

Now i have to tag someone...hmm....

1)Priya
2)Rekha
3)Small star
4)well anyone else...:P
Oh ya the contest Nationalism-peace and destruction is extended till this Friday.Only two entries till now,come on guys !

Sunday I had the best visitor, a very dear old friend. Old in the sense that we have known each other a long time, not that she is older.

Graham and I have known Jen since maybe Jr. High.  We all grew up in the same Church youth group. She is one of those friends that has been there during all the silly teenage things I did, including stalking the boy I loved then who is now my husband. Jen was the first person we told we were engaged. Graham actually arranged the engagement to happen when she was in town from college.

So Sunday Jen and her great family came to our home.  We had not seen each other in 4 or 5 years and it was so fun to catch up and laugh and see each others families. We laughed about the fact that we never imagined being married and having kids let alone visiting as families. We laughed about the silly things we once did; she told stories to my girls who were mortified at how stupid their mother once acted. Those were the days’; don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t go back if you paid me. But, how fun though to sit and remember how far you have come and remember who you used to be. I love Jen she makes me laugh and she is a great listener she makes you feel like you are the only one in the room. She also has walked me through some very tough times in my life - it is great to have a friend who has seen you at your worst and still loves you.

It was so good to pick right back up with her! It was a huge blessing to have here over, and it was a great reminder of how blessed I have been in my life with great friendships. I think we should all have people in our lives that remind us of who we use to be and hopefully how far we have come.  Although, I think there is still some of that silly teenage girl in me.

Here’s to getting older but remembering the good old days, to making new friendships to fill the void of the ones that have moved away, and to becoming something better tomorrow than we were yesterday or are today.

I only have one more day until I move into my dorm room at USC. I'm really excited yet nervous. Three of my closest friends dropped by. The girls came over to help me pack but then, they watched "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" (the first one) while I was packing. Then, the guy dropped by because I had to give him a present I bought for him from Hong Kong. Eventually, he decided to stay a little bit longer because we were all talking about "interesting" topics so he told his friend that he'll be late.

Now that I think of it, I don't think I'll ever get over the Cornell student anymore. I made so many regrets with him that I need to clear everything. But I realized, he's not as perfect as I thought he was. Hanging out with David is just like my best friend hanging out with his girl friend. Just friends.

Maybe the fact that I'm not thinking my lifesaver is perfect makes him more than just a friend. He always make me smile, but I know that he's not interested in a relationship. Neither am I. I'm not one of those desperate girls who really want boyfriends. No. Why am I always looking for cute guys? Because I just want to humor myself. It's fun. You should try it. It's like a game. But I don't go up to the guys and show off myself. I'm not that type of girl. To be honest, I'm a shy girl who is afraid of introducing myself and just talking. If I were suppose to be in a relationship, it would be called fate. Like I said before, I just go with the flow. We'll see what happens. If my lifesaver is suppose to be my prince charming, then 4 years from now, we would see each other again and realize everything.

"...if I know that I can't have you."

   This morning has made me realise that i have dumped the past...now i'm moving on...hopefully onwards and upwards.

To sweep me off my feet.

He will be rich and fantastic,

Tall, dark, handsome and sweet.

Yes, I expected to wait a while,

He has to search mountains and bogs.

I didn't expect it to take so long,

I'm tired of kissing such frogs!

At least there's no evil stepmother,

to make my life sad and hard work.

But I'd tolerate that for a Prince,

If I could find one that wasn't a jerk.

My Mum always said "True Love" would come,

I just must wait and abide.

But now that I'm getting older,

I'm starting to think that she lied.

I'm going to find other women,

Who've been waiting too long for a bloke.

We'll meet up, dress up and go out,

Then we'll dance, laugh, drink and smoke!

This isn't about me - I'm happily married, but I do think a lot of my generation feel like this. I'd heard so many fairytales and I truly believed in the ideal of one perfect person for me. It was a disappointment each time a relationship ended as I this person was clearly not "The One".

I realise now that there is no such thing as one person being perfect and I do mentally struggle with the idea that I will never be with anyone but my husband. I couldn't be unfaithful but my body would sure as hell like to! So are humans supposed to be monogamous? I know it is the best environment for having children and having security and the intimacy of knowing someone well. But is it natural? I don't think so, but it seems to be the best system so far....

 I also remember well the urge to get plastered to recover from being thwarted in love. All of my worst drinking incidents have been "love" related one way or another and I suspect that a lot of women are the same.

I talked to Him after months, after months of my failure to appear in his court, after months of being not in contact. After months of self proclaimed exile, after months of failed journey towards an image which was nothing more than a mirage.

I talked to him, talked and talked and talked, I kept crying out loud, I kept on telling Him what I was been through as if He didn’t know. I kept on mumbling the words which had meaning for Him and not any one, I kept telling my plight in broken, mismatched and wrong spelled words, which he listened, he didn’t ask, Babar.. aaab kion aaay ho ? Why have you come back to me now ? What do you need from me. I have blessed you with what you wanted, riches, fame, power, luxury, why are you here again for. He didn’t ask a single question and kept listening to me. I kept talking without stopping and he didn’t stop me for a while .. it was hours of one to one talk .. It was hours of confrontation .. It was hours of acceptance of my sins .. It was hours of kneeling my head .. it was hours of trembling .. and when the walls of my strong ego gave way like sand .. when the self esteem was settled like mist. When the arrogant me was kneeling and looking for the mercy of my Lord. I felt completed ..

Before the books are sealed .. !

What does one need from a person whose soul was raped by an angel, whose trust was shattered by himself, whose body was mutilated at the City's gate and was left there locked to be raped again .. and again .. and again .. and again .. as if he was in the body .. as if he was feeling it .. as if he was experiencing the pain of heaven as if he was the chosen one. He expired already, he left this world to his own .. he divorced this world already .. he was just waiting for a look back .. before he is thrown out of the castle of wills. but .. it was late .. it was late to be corrected and he had to burn and fade out.

He was told that he will be waited .. and this offer will be valid till - I am alive - but this was all words .. if today he looks back. He can see him self being smiled upon and he can look himself pointing at him. He was just portrayed that he has been loved, he has been cared and he has been pampered.

All good things must come to an end so was them !

It was over couple of years but came to end in couple of minutes, it ruled our minds but I think it never ruled our hearts. We missed the chances by being egoist and self righteous. We will soon realize that there is no use of staying in contact and ultimately will leave the hope, because it will be difficult to face the commons. Once out of it, we will miss it, but it will never miss us. It would be remembered as last love, as it was broken, it was betrayed. Not just once but twice. !

When the silence was also silent and when the hope was also unhopeful, when the positive was negative and when the scout was lost himself - as he was unable to correct the world any more, as he was not able to take the blame any more, as he not willing to be the cross carrier any more.

Let him be the Unforgiven Forever !

Be it !

Question:

How can Islam be called the religion of peace when it was spread by the sword?

Answer:

It is a common complaint among some non-Muslims that Islam would not have

millions of adherents all over the world, if it had not been spread by the use of

force. The following points will make it clear, that far from being spread by the

sword, it was the inherent force of truth, reason and logic that was responsible

for the rapid spread of Islam.

1. Islam means peace.

Islam comes from the root word ‘salaam’, which means peace. It also means

submitting one’s will to Allah (swt). Thus Islam is a religion of peace, which is

acquired by submitting one’s will to the will of the Supreme Creator, Allah (swt).

2. Sometimes force has to be used to maintain peace.

Each and every human being in this world is not in favour of maintaining peace

and harmony. There are many, who would disrupt it for their own vested

interests. Sometimes force has to be used to maintain peace. It is precisely for

this reason that we have the police who use force against criminals and antisocial

elements to maintain peace in the country. Islam promotes peace. At the

same time, Islam exhorts it followers to fight where there is oppression. The

fight against oppression may, at times, require the use of force. In Islam force

can only be used to promote peace and justice.

3. Opinion of historian De Lacy O’Leary.

The best reply to the misconception that Islam was spread by the sword is given by

the noted historian De Lacy O’Leary in the book “Islam at the cross road” (Page 8):

“History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping

through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races

is one of the most fantastically absurd myth that historians have ever repeated.”

4. Muslims ruled Spain for 800 years.

Muslims ruled Spain for about 800 years. The Muslims in Spain never used the

sword to force the people to convert. Later the Christian Crusaders came to

Spain and wiped out the Muslims. There was not a single Muslim in Spain who

could openly give the adhan, that is the call for prayers.

5. 14 million Arabs are Coptic Christians.

Muslims were the lords of Arabia for 1400 years. For a few years the British

ruled, and for a few years the French ruled. Overall, the Muslims ruled Arabia

for 1400 years. Yet today, there are 14 million Arabs who are Coptic Christians

i.e. Christians since generations. If the Muslims had used the sword there would

not have been a single Arab who would have remained a Christian.

6. More than 80% non-Muslims in India.

The Muslims ruled India for about a thousand years. If they wanted, they had

the power of converting each and every non-Muslim of India to Islam. Today

more than 80% of the population of India are non-Muslims. All these non-

Muslim Indians are bearing witness today that Islam was not spread by the

sword.

7. Indonesia and Malaysia.

Indonesia is a country that has the maximum number of Muslims in the world.

The majority of people in Malaysia are Muslims. May one ask, “Which Muslim

army went to Indonesia and Malaysia?”

8. East Coast of Africa.

Similarly, Islam has spread rapidly on the East Coast of Africa. One may again

ask, if Islam was spread by the sword, “Which Muslim army went to the East

Coast of Africa?”

9. Thomas Carlyle.

The famous historian, Thomas Carlyle, in his book “Heroes and Hero worship”,

refers to this misconception about the spread of Islam: “The sword indeed, but

where will you get your sword? Every new opinion, at its starting is precisely in

a minority of one. In one man’s head alone. There it dwells as yet. One man

alone of the whole world believes it, there is one man against all men. That he

takes a sword and try to propagate with that, will do little for him. You must get

your sword! On the whole, a thing will propagate itself as it can.”

10. No compulsion in religion.

With which sword was Islam spread? Even if Muslims had it they could not use

it to spread Islam because the Qur’an says in the following verse:

“Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from

error”

[Al-Qur’an 2:256]

11. Sword of the Intellect.

It is the sword of intellect. The sword that conquers the hearts and minds of

people. The Qur’an says in Surah Nahl, chapter 16 verse 125:

“Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching;

and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious.”

[Al-Qur’an 16:125]

12. Increase in the world religions from 1934 to 1984.

An article in Reader’s Digest ‘Almanac’, year book 1986, gave the statistics of

the increase of percentage of the major religions of the world in half a century

from 1934 to 1984. This article also appeared in ‘The Plain Truth’ magazine. At

the top was Islam, which increased by 235%, and Christianity had increased

only by 47%. May one ask, which war took place in this century which converted

millions of people to Islam?

13. Islam is the fastest growing religion in America and Europe.

Today the fastest growing religion in America is Islam. The fastest growing

religion in Europe in Islam. Which sword is forcing people in the West to accept

Islam in such large numbers?

14. Dr. Joseph Adam Pearson.

Dr. Joseph Adam Pearson rightly says, “People who worry that nuclear

weaponry will one day fall in the hands of the Arabs, fail to realize that the

Islamic bomb has been dropped already, it fell the day MUHAMMED (pbuh) was

born”.

I pride myself on my generosity as a customer. While I don't over tip because that is simply vulgar, I have been known to nicely compensate the server who takes the time to remember what we drink and to ensure that we are never left staring at a glass of ice. Keep 'em coming and keep 'em coming correctly and you can be sure to make an easy $15-20 off of us by the end of your shift. Bless his heart but Justin, our very much overwhelmed bartender that evening, was way out of his element Service was beyond awful. I spent the night teasing Ty about all that lost money and how I could do a better job half asleep. Just the booze talking of course. About ten days later, Ty approaches me in all seriousness and asks me if I would basically be interested in putting my money where my mouth was. He was getting tired of the responsibility of looking after both rooms for his parents and was seriously getting itchy feet. He wanted to pursue a career in the profession that he had spent four years at university studying, a career in his chosen field, the one in which he had earned his degree in. He did not want the responsibility of having to look after the family business anymore, even if said business was cooler than most.

His only way out was showing his parents that there were other options for the two licensed establishments. If he could get rid of the smaller venue to someone else it would mean considerably less work for him and the chance to perhaps do the same for the larger room. Would I be interested in leasing the spot from his parents and in turn making it uniquely my very own? Well, at the time I certainly wasn't looking to start my own business but his offer certainly sounded intriguing in theory so after asking him numerous times if he was actually serious, I decided to take a risk and go for it. So, at the age of 33 I gave notice to the only job that I had known since graduating from university eight years prior and with basically next to no capital began my own business. No capital. No business plan to speak of. No direction at all really. I had a fully licensed establishment that could hold a maximum of 100 individuals and some acts that he had booked for the next four weeks. After that, nothing.

Jim was working in a machine shop at the time making pretty decent money. Overtime was never an issue so he could pretty much work as many hours as he wanted, so financially we were secure enough. Ty floated me the capital so that I could afford my initial inventory and I had six months in which to repay this initial investment. Rather than a set rental amount, we negotiated my rent to be 15% of my gross monthly sales. I paid all of the room's utilities as it was separately metered and any enhancements that I wanted to make to the room itself ie. better sound equipment for any of my future bands. Otherwise, I was in complete control. Because of its size, from day one I decided that none of my events would be all ages. I didn't have enough legal seating to take this chance. If you were going to frequent my little lounge then you better have proof that you could legally drink. I in return would endeavor to keep my prices as low as feasibly possible.

Ty promised to hold my hand for approx three months until I became familiar with local agents and became comfortable booking my own entertainment. As it turned out I didn't even get this from him. Pretty much after my first month I was on my own. Talk about trial by fire but I am if nothing a quick learner and very adaptable to ever changing situations, traits that ensured my continued survival in an extremely fickle market. It didn't hurt that I entered the scene at a time when local punk bands could not get a show anywhere within about a 30 mile radius of the city and were absolutely desperate for any place that would give them local exposure. I couldn't imagine any other type of music gracing my doorstep that it was literally a match made in heaven. Almost immediately I developed a hard core nucleus of rabidly loyal customers. They told two friends who quickly told two friends and so on and so on.

Within six months, my shit hole was grossing over $15 000 a month. With their 15% cut, Ty and his folks were realizing over $2500 a month considerably more than they had been able to bring in revenue when they were looking after the bar themselves and substantially more than they would ever have paid had they rented the place based on square footage. Life was sweet for everyone but it was exceptionally sweet for Jim and I.

Surprisingly enough it was during this time that we developed a serious habit, something I now look on back with near disbelief. Had it not actually happened to us I would be hard pressed to believe anyone else were they to regale me with tales about this amount of consumption and obvious disregard to the ultimate outcome that such recklessness can only produce. We were still young, beautiful and anything and everything that we touched still turned to gold. We couldn't see the end through our opiate haze. This was one party train that couldn't or wouldn't derail. Boy, were we incredibly stupid or naive. Hard to say, but when we crashed, we came thundering back to earth with such an impact that its effects are still being felt to this day.

TO BE CONTINUED...

I haven't always worked in an office supporting computer software. Less than a decade ago, I owned my own business - a 100 seat bar that was primarily a live entertainment venue for the local punk rock bands. Those literally were the days. We were absolutely depraved during this time. It was one never ending party which we were able to float with relative ease because of the success of the bar. We always had cash on hand and with that cash we bought copious amounts of dope - I actually hired my dealer to be my doorman so we never even had to travel any distance to cop! Very convenient. But, I those stories are for another day.

And I have many stories to tell of my days as a bar maid but I thought that I would wet your appetite with a review of my establishment that was published originally in my local paper.

Hit-and-miss funk of ******* Lounge worth checking out. CLUB SPY 1998-07-17

There are a few places in town I wouldn't recommend to anyone and there are a few places I'd say you simply shouldn't miss. The trouble is, I don't know in which category to place ******* Lounge.

For years, I've been a semi-regular patron of the *******. If you've never heard of it, that's OK. It's the smaller lounge directly beside the ******* on Dundas Street East and it's used to taking a back seat to the more prominent bands that play the larger room next door.

I'm not sure how to categorize the ******* because while I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of live music, it certainly isn't suited to everyone's taste. But, like sushi or bungee jumping, it's the kind of thing you should probably try at least once, if for no other reason than to say you did.

At first glance, the ******* Lounge might not seem like much to look at, but it's the kind of place that has a strange way of growing on you. The decor is 1960's mod and you can tell that when it was first built, it was the kind of place where Austen Powers might have liked to hang out. The room is long and thin with funky lighting. The bar itself is also quite long with puffy vinyl padding that's both cheesy and comfortable. Most everything in the ******* Lounge has seen a better day, but to renovate would be to lose some of its strange appeal.

For years the ******* Lounge has been a kind of proving ground for undiscovered and burgeoning talent. You'll find live entertainment there almost seven days a week. Its stock and trade is punk rock and many bands have names like Eating Disorder or Urban Goons, but the lounge also features just as many solo and acoustic performers, many of whom are from well-known bands trying out new material.

For example, Bill Eldridge, lead singer for Laughing Sam's Breakdown and formerly of Ten Seconds Over Tokyo, appears there Monday. His solo show is remarkable.

UNIQUE PERFORMERS

In my travels, I've seen my fair share of talentless wonders hit the stage, but at the same time I've seen just as many fresh and remarkably unique performers. And if you're lucky, you might see someone on their way up.

One evening I was introduced to an up-and-coming singer songwriter performing an acoustic show. I was duly impressed with his material and rightly so. His name was Hayden and a couple of months later, he signed a six-figure recording contract with a major record label.

That being said, I should also say that the size of the crowd has no relative bearing on the talent of the performer. Hayden's audience could not have been more than a half-dozen or so.

The same goes for my visit there last Saturday. Performing was Jennifer Mclaren, who, without a doubt, is one of the city's finest singers and most under appreciated talents. She played a knockout solo set to about a dozen people, several of whom wandered back and forth from the show at the ******* next door.

Beer at the ******* sells for $3.25, draft for $1.75 a half-pint, $3.25 for a pint and $9.50 a pitcher. Bar shots are $3.50.

I can say this much: You can't judge the ******* Lounge by one visit. The nature of the place is hit-and-miss. But, like London's weather, things change overnight and the next time you're in, you might well be amazed.

The ******* Lounge certainly isn't everybody's cup of tea and even for those who enjoy it, it isn't a place you'd go all the time. But if you're in the mood for something different, it's worth checking out. You just never know who might be there. 3*** out of 5*****