Monday, April 5, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
A BFF Story
So, I just wanted to write this before I forgot it...
Yesterday, at the Friday sermon (Khutbah) at the mosque our Imam (pastor) narrated an awesome story about true friendship. This is what I am attempting to narrate to you, with the hope of not butchering it.
This is the story of a father, his son, and their friends. The son has a best friend whom he spends a lot of time with, and the old man is concerned because every night his son comes home really late. The father asks his son what they do until so late, so the son says that they do not do anything harmful or negative, they just spend some quality time together sharing stories and drinking tea. The father still insists that nothing of long term benefit will come out of spending time together this late that cannot be accomplished at more reasonable hours. The son assures his father that he will come home earlier. The next day the son still comes home super late and the father is still unhappy with him coming late, so he tells him that the next time his son goes to his best friend's place that he will accompany him. The son is reluctant, but he finally agrees to let his dad come along.
The next day, it is time to go to his son's BFF's and the father keeps on delaying. He keeps on delaying until it is very late at night and then he finally tells his son that he is ready to go. The son protests and says it is much too late to go now. His dad says, if this friend is truly as good of a friend as you say he is then he will let you in, but when he asks you why you are here so late you have to tell him that "I had to attend to some personal matters at home." The son agrees and they set off to his best friend's.
When they arrive at the BFF's the son knocks on the door of a house where the lights are on. After some repeated knocking and an extended period of time the BFF comes to the door. He says in an unwelcoming tone "Who is it?". The son responds, "it is me, your good friend." The BFF then says. "You know it is too late? Why have you come at such a late time?" The son responds as his father had instructed him to, "I had to attend to some personal matters at home." The BFF replies, "Oh, it is too late to be talking about all of this stuff, we will talk about it tomorrow, I have a busy day ahead and need to get the proper rest." And then he closes the door.
The old man looks at his son and says. "Is this what you call your best friend? He did not even let us inside after we came all the way to see him. And he was not concerned to help you with whatever reason you came to see him at this late hour. Son, let me now take you to see my best friend. It has actually been some years since I have seen him." The son, is reluctant again because it is late at night, but he agrees expecting to be hastily turned away at the door in the same manner. They head to the old man's BFF's spot.
At the old man's best friend's place the father knocks on the door. The light is turned on inside and someone asks from behind the door who it is. The father replies "it is me your good friend whom you have not seen in a while." The BFF of the old man says "just give me a few seconds and I will let you in." A few moments later the door is opened and the father and son are welcomed into the home. When they enter they see the old man's best friend with a pot/ kettle on his head, a bag in one hand, and a staff in the other. The old man and his son are curious and they ask the BFF what he is doing. The old man's BFF says "My good friend, I was so happy when I heard your voice. But then I grew concerned because it was so late and I thought you may be need my assistance in some manner. I thought you may be hungry/ starving, so I brought the leftovers of what we had and that is the pot that was upon my head. Then, I thought that you may be in need of financial assistance so I got ready this bag filled with money. Then it occurred to me that maybe you are being attacked by someone at this late hour and have come to me for assistance, so I went and got this staff. I know that I am an old man, but I figured I could get a few smacks in with this staff in case you needed help." The old man smiled and assured his friend that he had been blessed and was in need of none of those things.
He had just thought of his old friend at a late hour and wished to see him and make sure that he was well. Soon, the father and his son left the old man's BFF and returned home.
This story just reminded me that we really should be aware of the company that we keep. How many of your friends do you know that are your friends when all is fair and well and are nowhere to be found when you need them the most. I want to surround myself with friends that inspire me and bring out the best in me. I want my friends to be people that I don't just spend time with, but people I can rely on. And those that are the closest to me, I would cross the I- beam for them. The I-beam analogy was used in a book which I don't remember off the top of my head but it stated a simple idea. Imagine, that you have an I-beam suspended between two very high towers or platforms. You are then told that if you were to cross the I-beam suspended high in the sky that you would be given some sort of reward. If that reward were 10 dollars or maybe even a million dollars you would probably not risk your life for it. However, if that reward was to save the life of a loved one, protecting a best friend, or anything else that we hold dear and is of great personal value to us... these are the things that we consider most important. Whatever, you hold most important is what your you truly believe in as it may be more valuable than your own well-being and that is what you would cross the I-beam for.
p.s. happy birthday vinita :D
Yesterday, at the Friday sermon (Khutbah) at the mosque our Imam (pastor) narrated an awesome story about true friendship. This is what I am attempting to narrate to you, with the hope of not butchering it.
This is the story of a father, his son, and their friends. The son has a best friend whom he spends a lot of time with, and the old man is concerned because every night his son comes home really late. The father asks his son what they do until so late, so the son says that they do not do anything harmful or negative, they just spend some quality time together sharing stories and drinking tea. The father still insists that nothing of long term benefit will come out of spending time together this late that cannot be accomplished at more reasonable hours. The son assures his father that he will come home earlier. The next day the son still comes home super late and the father is still unhappy with him coming late, so he tells him that the next time his son goes to his best friend's place that he will accompany him. The son is reluctant, but he finally agrees to let his dad come along.
The next day, it is time to go to his son's BFF's and the father keeps on delaying. He keeps on delaying until it is very late at night and then he finally tells his son that he is ready to go. The son protests and says it is much too late to go now. His dad says, if this friend is truly as good of a friend as you say he is then he will let you in, but when he asks you why you are here so late you have to tell him that "I had to attend to some personal matters at home." The son agrees and they set off to his best friend's.
When they arrive at the BFF's the son knocks on the door of a house where the lights are on. After some repeated knocking and an extended period of time the BFF comes to the door. He says in an unwelcoming tone "Who is it?". The son responds, "it is me, your good friend." The BFF then says. "You know it is too late? Why have you come at such a late time?" The son responds as his father had instructed him to, "I had to attend to some personal matters at home." The BFF replies, "Oh, it is too late to be talking about all of this stuff, we will talk about it tomorrow, I have a busy day ahead and need to get the proper rest." And then he closes the door.
The old man looks at his son and says. "Is this what you call your best friend? He did not even let us inside after we came all the way to see him. And he was not concerned to help you with whatever reason you came to see him at this late hour. Son, let me now take you to see my best friend. It has actually been some years since I have seen him." The son, is reluctant again because it is late at night, but he agrees expecting to be hastily turned away at the door in the same manner. They head to the old man's BFF's spot.
At the old man's best friend's place the father knocks on the door. The light is turned on inside and someone asks from behind the door who it is. The father replies "it is me your good friend whom you have not seen in a while." The BFF of the old man says "just give me a few seconds and I will let you in." A few moments later the door is opened and the father and son are welcomed into the home. When they enter they see the old man's best friend with a pot/ kettle on his head, a bag in one hand, and a staff in the other. The old man and his son are curious and they ask the BFF what he is doing. The old man's BFF says "My good friend, I was so happy when I heard your voice. But then I grew concerned because it was so late and I thought you may be need my assistance in some manner. I thought you may be hungry/ starving, so I brought the leftovers of what we had and that is the pot that was upon my head. Then, I thought that you may be in need of financial assistance so I got ready this bag filled with money. Then it occurred to me that maybe you are being attacked by someone at this late hour and have come to me for assistance, so I went and got this staff. I know that I am an old man, but I figured I could get a few smacks in with this staff in case you needed help." The old man smiled and assured his friend that he had been blessed and was in need of none of those things.
He had just thought of his old friend at a late hour and wished to see him and make sure that he was well. Soon, the father and his son left the old man's BFF and returned home.
This story just reminded me that we really should be aware of the company that we keep. How many of your friends do you know that are your friends when all is fair and well and are nowhere to be found when you need them the most. I want to surround myself with friends that inspire me and bring out the best in me. I want my friends to be people that I don't just spend time with, but people I can rely on. And those that are the closest to me, I would cross the I- beam for them. The I-beam analogy was used in a book which I don't remember off the top of my head but it stated a simple idea. Imagine, that you have an I-beam suspended between two very high towers or platforms. You are then told that if you were to cross the I-beam suspended high in the sky that you would be given some sort of reward. If that reward were 10 dollars or maybe even a million dollars you would probably not risk your life for it. However, if that reward was to save the life of a loved one, protecting a best friend, or anything else that we hold dear and is of great personal value to us... these are the things that we consider most important. Whatever, you hold most important is what your you truly believe in as it may be more valuable than your own well-being and that is what you would cross the I-beam for.
Some people live to love.
Some people live to fight.
I just want to leave this world content
Hoping I've lived it right.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Dec. 4th Return to NE Ohio
So im finally updating and vow to be more vigilant on not giving up on this. Seriously. Just cuz Rach is a slacker when it comes to our awesome adventures doesn't mean I have to be. Because I am just that much cooler than her. And I have nothing better to do. Hollllller.
So where did we leave off...
December 4: Cavs vs. Bulls and Downtown AK after
This was the Friday the week after Thanksgiving and the week of my birthday on the 30th. For my bday I had a great time at Newport with Rach (the Pizza afterward was awesome) and enjoyed some cake with my parents after dinner. Pretty low key all in all, but was a birthday I won't ever forget.
This weekend was one of the prime things that I had been looking forward to while I had been studying for Step 1. I was counting down the days not only until the exam but until my birthday the week after the exam. And since I am living at home and most of my friends are not around, I was expecting not to be able to celebrate in full style. Luckily, Newport sorta happened spur of the moment. Aka the decision was made like literally a couple hours before we got there. Since that was not really pre-planned, heading back up to school to see a lot of my close friends I had not seen in months was a really big date on the calendar for me.
The 3 hour drive to Akron was pretty uneventful... I just called up a lot of people to let them know I was going to be in town for the weekend. I first drove to Neha's place because I wasn't sure if I was gonna get a chance to see her before she left for India the next day. I was only there for 15 minutes but it was really nice catching up with her and Jen. Some people you feel the same around regardless of how long its been since youve seen them. I felt like that around those two :)
Then after that I hit up Vin and we all eventually met up at his place. All = Vin (Shooter), Gurp, Sunny, Nelson, and Me. Then we drove up to Akron, so my sister could follow my awesome minivan that i was driving everyone around in like a soccer mom. We decided to go grab some food before the game and this was kinda a stupid idea because it caused us to not get to our seats until halfway through the first quarter and we had to miss the Cavs Introductions which is one of my favorite parts of the ceremony of the game...
Springfield peeps that I grew up with and definitely need to spend more time with...
The game had some exciting moments, but for the most part the cavs just dominated the bulls. Joakim Noah got mad at LeBron cuz LeBron was being goofy and just dancing while on th sideline and he was talking shiz. LeBron could own Joakim in so many ways its not even funny.
Yeah Noah wheres youre giant billboard the size of a building. Thats what I thought you don't have one.
After the game me and the guys were gonna go out to City and East to celebrate my bday, but my sister had to go back to her apartment in Akron, so we all just went back there. A lot of people were gonna be be out in AK anyways because they had just finished their shelf exams. We went to Barley House first and as soon as I walked into the door I got massive hugs from all of my ex-classmates. It felt really good to feel that other people were kinda excited to see me. Ben Wong gave me a massive hug that lifted me off of the ground even though we had only just seen each other a couple months ago. But it was awesome cuz we were both done with our exams and this was our time to celebrate!
After catching up with a lot of people at BH, me and Sunny walked down the street in the freezing weather without our jackets to go to Akron Hookah house. For a while it was just us but then a few Springfield peeps and Resh and her friends joined us. I like chillin with smaller groups of ppl and just talking vs the whole big bar experience where theirs usually too much noise and too many ppl. It was a good time just sharing stories, laughing, and chilling. The place had a neat ambiance too with some local painters artwork hung on the walls. It was a good time and before we knew it it was already 3AM. We had started the night before the Cavs game with a van full of people but on our way back it was just me and Sunny and we couldnt get a hold of any of our other buddies but we assumed that they had made it safe to somewhere if not home because plenty of our friends were at BH when we left....
Saturday:
Saturday morning I noticed I was missing 2 things. 1.) My ID was nowhere to be found. I thought I lost it at either BH or the hookah spot. 2.) $50 were gone... I think that when I gave a homeless dude in Cleveland some money the night before I mistook a $50 for a $5... no, I dont usually carry around that much cash but I had bought the game tickets for everyone so they were paying me back...... but yeah that sucked, but still all in all the night was memorable.
Saturday night we celebrated my belated Bday courtesy of Jen and Rathna. (Thank again guys!! I would repay you if I could but my baking and cleaning skills are scoffable). Almost everyone that didn't come out to Akron the night before that I wanted to see I got to see that night. I even got presents which I totally wasn't expecting! Resh got me Special K (chocolate and cinammon pecan) which is my favorite cereal! Nik Chatla got me a jumprope, forearm grip exerciser, and a H2O bottle. Thanks guys for reminding me to not be a fatass and watch my centripetal obesity! On the other hand, I got a conflicting message from Rathna who baked a delicious cake that which negated whatever good came from the other health-conscious gifts. Haha.
Friday and Saturday passed by so fast. And before I knew it I was heading back home on Sunday. What I took most from this weekend is that your friends and the good times you share with them are taken for granted when they are with you... So the most we can do is take advantage of the friends around us and make sure to hold onto those that our dear to us because we never know when's the next time you will be able to see them again. Can't wait to head back pu though to see them again. Hopefully February, I'll get to see them again. See you soon guys!
So where did we leave off...
December 4: Cavs vs. Bulls and Downtown AK after
This was the Friday the week after Thanksgiving and the week of my birthday on the 30th. For my bday I had a great time at Newport with Rach (the Pizza afterward was awesome) and enjoyed some cake with my parents after dinner. Pretty low key all in all, but was a birthday I won't ever forget.
This weekend was one of the prime things that I had been looking forward to while I had been studying for Step 1. I was counting down the days not only until the exam but until my birthday the week after the exam. And since I am living at home and most of my friends are not around, I was expecting not to be able to celebrate in full style. Luckily, Newport sorta happened spur of the moment. Aka the decision was made like literally a couple hours before we got there. Since that was not really pre-planned, heading back up to school to see a lot of my close friends I had not seen in months was a really big date on the calendar for me.
The 3 hour drive to Akron was pretty uneventful... I just called up a lot of people to let them know I was going to be in town for the weekend. I first drove to Neha's place because I wasn't sure if I was gonna get a chance to see her before she left for India the next day. I was only there for 15 minutes but it was really nice catching up with her and Jen. Some people you feel the same around regardless of how long its been since youve seen them. I felt like that around those two :)
Then after that I hit up Vin and we all eventually met up at his place. All = Vin (Shooter), Gurp, Sunny, Nelson, and Me. Then we drove up to Akron, so my sister could follow my awesome minivan that i was driving everyone around in like a soccer mom. We decided to go grab some food before the game and this was kinda a stupid idea because it caused us to not get to our seats until halfway through the first quarter and we had to miss the Cavs Introductions which is one of my favorite parts of the ceremony of the game...
The game had some exciting moments, but for the most part the cavs just dominated the bulls. Joakim Noah got mad at LeBron cuz LeBron was being goofy and just dancing while on th sideline and he was talking shiz. LeBron could own Joakim in so many ways its not even funny.
Yeah Noah wheres youre giant billboard the size of a building. Thats what I thought you don't have one.
After the game me and the guys were gonna go out to City and East to celebrate my bday, but my sister had to go back to her apartment in Akron, so we all just went back there. A lot of people were gonna be be out in AK anyways because they had just finished their shelf exams. We went to Barley House first and as soon as I walked into the door I got massive hugs from all of my ex-classmates. It felt really good to feel that other people were kinda excited to see me. Ben Wong gave me a massive hug that lifted me off of the ground even though we had only just seen each other a couple months ago. But it was awesome cuz we were both done with our exams and this was our time to celebrate!
After catching up with a lot of people at BH, me and Sunny walked down the street in the freezing weather without our jackets to go to Akron Hookah house. For a while it was just us but then a few Springfield peeps and Resh and her friends joined us. I like chillin with smaller groups of ppl and just talking vs the whole big bar experience where theirs usually too much noise and too many ppl. It was a good time just sharing stories, laughing, and chilling. The place had a neat ambiance too with some local painters artwork hung on the walls. It was a good time and before we knew it it was already 3AM. We had started the night before the Cavs game with a van full of people but on our way back it was just me and Sunny and we couldnt get a hold of any of our other buddies but we assumed that they had made it safe to somewhere if not home because plenty of our friends were at BH when we left....
Saturday:
Saturday morning I noticed I was missing 2 things. 1.) My ID was nowhere to be found. I thought I lost it at either BH or the hookah spot. 2.) $50 were gone... I think that when I gave a homeless dude in Cleveland some money the night before I mistook a $50 for a $5... no, I dont usually carry around that much cash but I had bought the game tickets for everyone so they were paying me back...... but yeah that sucked, but still all in all the night was memorable.
Saturday night we celebrated my belated Bday courtesy of Jen and Rathna. (Thank again guys!! I would repay you if I could but my baking and cleaning skills are scoffable). Almost everyone that didn't come out to Akron the night before that I wanted to see I got to see that night. I even got presents which I totally wasn't expecting! Resh got me Special K (chocolate and cinammon pecan) which is my favorite cereal! Nik Chatla got me a jumprope, forearm grip exerciser, and a H2O bottle. Thanks guys for reminding me to not be a fatass and watch my centripetal obesity! On the other hand, I got a conflicting message from Rathna who baked a delicious cake that which negated whatever good came from the other health-conscious gifts. Haha.
Yeah, thats how we write 22. mmmmmK?
Friday and Saturday passed by so fast. And before I knew it I was heading back home on Sunday. What I took most from this weekend is that your friends and the good times you share with them are taken for granted when they are with you... So the most we can do is take advantage of the friends around us and make sure to hold onto those that our dear to us because we never know when's the next time you will be able to see them again. Can't wait to head back pu though to see them again. Hopefully February, I'll get to see them again. See you soon guys!
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