Here Today Gone Tomorrow

I'd like to dedicate this post to my relatives, friends and loved ones who've passed away this year.  In no particular order I will seek to briefly describe each individual and what they meant to me, also I will provide pictures where possible.

Bibi (Grandma) - My grandma lived to ripe age Mashallah, what i would always remember about her is that whenever I'd go and see her she would, after asking who exactly I was, commence on a prayer marathon whilst holding my hand.  She would make a duah for my sleeping, my waking up, my daily commute, my family my offspring, you name it she would recite it.  She loved me dearly and she showed it (she had so many grandchildren that openly showing her love was somewhat restricted). She was a very strong woman right up until the end.

Baba Mkubwa - My father's  brother (sorry no pics available) was a constant source of advice.  I remember when we were kids he would not let me eat with the other kids, he would always invite me to eat on his plate (perhaps because he realised I couldn't keep up with the pace of the other kids...) and make sure I'd have my fill of rice and chicken ( he knew chicken was my favourite and made sure it was cooked whenever we paid him a visit.  He loved me as his own

Dar es Salaam - Places of interest

So I figured that, rather than write on and on about my beautiful country Tanzania, and Dar es Salaam where I was born, I will endeavor to post a series of videos instead. I'll start of with what is a valiant effort by Ali, who took it upon himself to highlight the numerous tourist attractions available in Dar es Salaam. Check out the videos below.

A New City in the Making - Kigamboni.

All I can say is that the development has already started, I've seen some of the residential area  constructed and it looks amazing. All the property was already bought!! even though more than half of the people don't even know it exists yet!!  If by some divine miracle the island is developed as depicted in the above film, Dar -es-Salaam will be the place to be, I'm just gonna pack my bags and leave... to be honest I'll probably be collecting my pension by then, Inshallah.

Nature's Unrivaled Beauty

Let's take a minute out of our busy schedule's and appreciate the marvelous spectacle that is Nature.  The video was taken in Kenya and Tanzania.

International Pink Hijab Day - October 27

A beautiful and touching video from Ryerson University's Muslim Student Association. I hope my sisters reading this will try to wear a hijab, at least for this one day if you don't already do so in your daily lives. I personally love the hijab and think it looks amazing if worn properly.  I'll wear pink on the day in support of the International Pink Hijab Day on October 27, 2010...and no it won't be a hijab! more like a T-shirt!  Fellas feel free to join in and support if you can.

The Most Amazing Person in My World

You always hear parents say children are a blessing, and it's such a cliche, I mean, what do you expect them to say?  I've finally realised what they mean, the arrival of my daughter has totally changed who I am, a phenomenon I did not foresee one bit.  She has changed it for the better in more ways than words can express.

Let me give you an example of why I think she is just amazing.  On a typical day, her mother would wake her up in the morning to get ready for daycare, at this point I'm usually just out of the shower.  First thing she would say majority of the time is..."Baba" (Swahili for Dad) and she will continue to say that until her mom would bring her to me and commence with a hug-fest filled with kisses.  This would continue at the breakfast table where she would insist on feeding me whatever she is having on the day.  When I drop her and her mom at daycare, she would be calling me form the pavement, blowing me kisses and saying byeeeeeeee (at this point I'm usually by the traffic lights waving frantically , everyone who notices this always beams up with a huge smile (Cue the smile on daddy that says...yup, that's my daughter alright).

To cut a long story short, its more or less the same when I get home from work, I'm always greeted with a smile, loving hug and it just melts my heart, she would even make sure she removes my socks after I've removed my shoes!  I thank my lovely wife for such a blessing, she is my everything.  I'm an emotional wreck now, I mean I can hardly ever say no to her, I can't watch any bad news on the telly that involves kids without almost tearing up or tuning to another channel immediately.  She's made me realise what i put my parents through as a baby and I love them to bits for that, to say it's a challenge is an understatement.

I love you Inaya and thank you to my dear wife for bearing me such a bundle of joy.  You carried her for nine months and for that there is no way i can ever repay you.  Inaya may you grow to be successful both here and the hereafter.  God knows I will do my best as your father to provide for you and protect you and guide you through this journey called life.  May Allah keep you till your old and gray and increase the compassion that you have as personified by your name.

We Are Winning the War Against Child Mortality

Hans Rosling, a Global Health expert from Sweden is absolutely amazing, he has such enthusiasm and eagerness in what he does best and it's so contagious just watching him present his findings.  His current work focuses on dispelling common myths about the so called "developing" countries.  On the clip above, he shows how the "developing" countries are meeting their Child mortality rate goals as part of their Millennium Development Goals (MDG).  In this case, he successfully refutes the claim that Africa has no statistics!  Watch the clip, I wish I had a statistics prof like him, you have never seen statistical data presented like this before, ever.

Thought of the Day

Have you ever wondered, if you were to die today, how would death itself feel like and what legacy would you have left behind.  I've often thought of death, you see I'm scared to death of death, no pun intended.  It's not that I'm worried of dying, I know it's inevitable and so there's no point in worrying about it really, but it's just the fear of the unknown, or rather the fear of the known in my case.

You see through Hadith and the Holy Quran, one gets a very vivid picture of what happens upon death. There are accounts of death right form the beginning, when your soul leaves your body (there is pain involved when the soul leaves the body by the way...  peaceful death is nothing but a myth) to when your soul is shown it's final resting place, to the questions that you will be asked in your grave, to the torture a person would receive in their grave, to the day of judgement and to the final resting place, be it heaven or hell. All this is detailed quite clearly and knowing all this scares the hell out of me.

Then there's the other side to death, leaving your loved ones behind.  Not knowing how your children will grow up,  and seeing how they would eventually have their own life, not being there to guide them through troubled times, impart the little wisdom accumulated through the constant trials and tribulations of your life.  Sharing your stories with them, holding their tiny hands as they cross the road, hugging them first thing in the morning and again before bedtime, seeing them get married, have their own family Inshallah.  There seems to be so much you would miss out on, and you want to be there but alas, the choice is not yours.  With each breath we take we are closer to death, is anyone really ever ready for death?  I sometimes ask myself,all the prayers I have prayed, are they really enough, what about the ones I have missed? the Zakah I have payed for me and my family, the fasting I've done in the holy month of Ramadan are they really enough?  Each time I arrive at the same conclusion, it's not enough.  Allah is the most merciful, all we have to do is repent sincerely and ask for forgiveness for our sins and Inshallah our prayers would be heard.

After your death life goes on, you will be remembered...occasionally buy your loved ones but for the most part that's it.  Even with your loved ones you will be lucky if they visit your grave on the anniversary of your death, if you thought otherwise think again, that's just how life is.  May we all die as believers and on the right path.  I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and Mohammad is the messenger of Allah.

Jose Chameleon in Toronto

Just when I thought it was gonna be another one of them weekends, a friend of mine called me to inform me that the celebrated Ugandan artist Jose Chameleon was performing. So we went to check him, peep the pics below.

My T-dot Connects

Runs Tee,  A nigerian act based herein Toronto.  Awesome performance.

The guys were totally cool when it came to taking pics

The main act on Stage

Kibera Slam Stand UP!!

It's official, this tune is hoooooooooot!!! oh my days.  K Force - a group from Kibera slam in Nairobi has just made me fall in love with them at first sight.  The hook is catchy and sweet, plus just listen to the girl killing it with her weird but niiiiice voice ...hold on i'm just chatting too much...watch this tune....Amazing!