"Bahama Mama"... Making some predictions

Its been a whirlwind couple of weeks and my blogging has gone from non-existent to all over the place. 2 weeks ago I took off to Boston and the Bahamas for some fun in the sun and much needed R&R. Let me tell you Paradise Island lives up to its name and I was fortunate enough to get beautiful weather for the entire length of my stay at Atlantis. A picture is worth a thousand words and instead of praising to no end the beauty of this resort I figure the above picture would give you an idea. A bit pricey but soo worth it, Atlantis lived up to its namesake and provided photo op's every moment as you walk through the resort. My favourite is the slide where you suddenly find yourself enclosed in a glass tube which is suspended inside a shark tank. Ill get some pic's on flikr up sometime soon. In the meantime let's get to what I began this post for some predictions for the NBA Championship and the Stanley Cup ( a little late but I'm going with it)

According to Shaq the role he plays will soon be obsolete and Dirk will be the model of an NBA center. This matchup its one of the best we have seen in a while and is keeping with the theme of being one of the most exciting playoffs for the league in over a decade. There is really no one on the Heat roster that can defend Dirk, but fortunately for the Heat they can try to shut down the rest of the team. Avery Johnson has proven throughout the playoffs why he was named the coach of the year in the NBA as he has played each series perfectly. He has prepared his team well and with his coaching strategies outcoached the opposing coaches putting his team in the perfect position to win. Yet, if there is one guy who can give him a run for his money its Coach Pat Riley who is seen prancing the sidelines on the other end with his always in place hair and lots of experience to boot. I thought about this one for a while as I like both teams but they represent the changing of the guard in the NBA. The heat with the Shaq- Wade combo personifies how a team was built to win in the past but the Mavericks are the future with a high powered uptempo offense and a modern approach to defense. For now though... Shaq is playing like he is in his prime and the 1-2 punch of Superman and the Flash should prevail.
My Prediction: Miami Heat in 6

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals garnered less interest from viewers south of the border than some women's NCAA softball game. True its a little hard to find what channel the game is on (OLN) and for the most part half the country probably doesn't even know what OLN is!! Its a shame that no major station picked up the finals because its been a great couple of games. I know its a little late to make a prediction (but since this is my blog I will do as I please) for the Stanley Cup as 2 games are in the books. The Carolina Hurricanes are looking strong and the Edmonton Oilers lost their starting goaltender in game 1. The Oilers have kept the Cinderella story alive this season and coming from 8th spot in the Western conference to the Stanley Cup Finals is a big deal in itself but I do believe they will go down fighting and the goaltender situation made their task a lot harder. I don't see this series going too deep and hopefully next year the NHL will have a better television deal in place in the US so more people can enjoy the product on ice with everything that's changed. The new NHL is here to stay.
My Prediction: Carolina Hurricanes in 5

This program is being interrupted due to technical difficulties!

I woke up on the weekend to my laptop making gurgling sounds almost trying to converse in baby talk which then escalated to sounds of a plane taking off from a runway. NOT GOOD! I had replaced the hard drive last year but it was obvious that the laptop was on its last breath so I began the tedious task of backing up all my files before it officially dies on me. Immediately my mind starts thinking of a replacement and I begin doing some research for a new laptop. Lo and behold I come to you today writing from my new baby the Sony Vaio VGNSZ220P . Its strange how attatched I was to my old computer tho and it felt so familiar and now its a whole new "getting to know you" process going on with the new laptop. This all got me thinking about technology overall and different ways that it has a big part in my everyday life.

Back in the day before I had a PVR/TiVO if I was going to miss a game it was like oh well I will watch it game in an hour format or watch the highlights but now I can just PVR the game and watch it like its live later on that night or the next day. Chances are though, the longer I wait the less chance there is that I will get to watch the game without knowing the outcome in advance either. Back in the day that was a lot more easier controlled but now all it takes is an MSN nickname "RAPS WIN! RAPS WIN! RAPS WIN!" and all the suspense is gone. In general though there have been a lot of advancements in technology that enhance or improve the experience for a sports fan. With a little bit of research here are some you might want to look into...

HDTV: Sunday Football was forever changed when I watched my first NFL game in HDTV and reverting back to anything less would be a sin. Over the last two years most cable companies have started offering all the major channels in HDTV and almost all sporting events in north America are now broadcast in HDTV. If you haven't had the chance to watch a game in pure crispness (hrmm is that a word?) I advise you do so ASAP 'cuz you are definitely missing out. Before I had experienced it I didn't think it was going to be that much of a difference (kinda how the introduction of progressive scan on DVD players was)but HDTV has been one of the best new advancements made to enhance the home viewers experience of a sporting event. As the prices continue to drop and more people begin to experience HDTV it will become the norm in watching your favourite team from the comfort of your own home but the feel of being at the game. (Addon: just found this article about the linkage between sports fans and HDTV)

SkyBOX: Vivid SKY has come up with a technology which can change the experience of a fan at a sporting event for ever. Their tagline... "Because the game waits for no one". I first read about the SkyBOX in this USA Today article and did some research into the product. Do not have any first hand knowledge of it but it seems interesting to give the sports fan a way to interact while attending a game. A few clicks away on this handheld device would be the slugging percentage of the batter at the plate or you could check laptimes compared to another car at a NASCAR race. It will add a dimension into the game that our generation is already very in sync with. Its all about stats and crunching information and with the www at our fingertips at home we can access all this information and this SkyBox is aiming to give you that feeling of access and more at any live sporting event you attend. If this product can reach its potential it will change the live sporting experience forever.

Satellite Radio: Sirius Satellite radio boasts the largest variety in sports programming and XM Radio offers listeners a healthy dose of sports. Satellite radio hasn't caught on as fast as some might have expected and that has a lot to do with the cost (reasonable I think) but people are not used to paying for radio a service that has been free for as long as I can remember. Living in Canada I was previously pretty much stuck listening to local broadcasts but with satellite radio I get the chance to listen to ESPN radio or catch out of market games. This has helped people who are fans of a team outside their local listening area and are able to get broadcasts of any game they chose and to boot listeners have to sit through fewer commercials on satellite radio.

Slingbox: Slingmedia has come up with a solution to something I have been struggling with for a while now. I travel a lot and at times for several weeks at a time and I hate missing a Raptors or Eagles game. The slingbox allows you to connect it to your pvr and control it from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection also it transmits the TV feed to your computer anywhere in the world. Earlier this year I was in Dubai and they have limited sports coverage and so I resorted to buying NBA audio league pass and stayed up all all hours of the night to catch a live raptors game. With the introduction of a slingbox I can essentially have my PVR record raptor games and when I get a chance get online connect to the box and watch the game at my own time as if I was sitting in my den in Toronto. Sounds insane and hard to believe eh? I actually know someone who has been using this unit for a couple of months and has nothing but good things to say. So if you are one who wants to have access your TV from the road or your office this might be something you want to look into.

Besides the few advancements I mentioned above there have been others implemented that I now cannot live without. Youtube and Google Video both offer clips of sports highlights, videos made by fans, bloopers and all sorts of gems. Google video also has a deal in place with the NBA and you can watch a complete game by paying 4$ the next day of the game. The leagues have jumped onto the bandwagon as well taking control of most of their media. You can become a Red Sox insider and for a flat fee for the year you can get all red sox games online through MLB.tv . The NBA also has audio and video options for their fans to watch out of market games or when you may be on the road and want to watch your team. Most of the offerings through the MLB, NBA and NFL cost more than a fan might be willing to pay but I believe in time it will level out. I also figure I should mention Podcasts and shows like ESPN, Sports bloggers and other sources are putting up shows online for you to directly download to your iPod's for free and listen to them on the go.

Thought I should throw this in... an article I found basically trying to question the role of technology in sports.

All this said... Its an exciting time to be a sports fan!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen.... "Just call it a comeback!"

Ok Justin you got me motivated enough to do this... Let me fill you in some.

I was travelling for most of January and February and during that time I wrote several incomplete posts but never got the time to do them right so I never posted. One of the blurbs was my prediction for the sports year that is already underway and a lot of the stories I was writing about have already taken place so I shall move on.

As March rolled around I finally began settling back into working life, and it was around this time the NHL and NBA seasons were heading for the stretch run with one of the most exciting playoff races in both leagues as there has ever been while I have been a fan. My routine quickly became work followed by endless hours of time spent on my couch trying to catch as many games as possible (Thank the lord for PVR and PIP.) Midway through march madness I had abandoned my bedroom on weekends and layed out a makeshift bed in my den so I can wake up to the weekend games... Just like that March was over the Gators won the NCAA Championship and I kept feeling the urge to write but it just didn't happen...

Now we are well into April and its probably my favourite month of the year as a sports fan. With the urging of some of my readers I think now is as good time as any to get back to this blogging biznass... The NBA and NHL Playoffs are well underway, 20 games into the MLB season we can start to see a glimpse of the contenders and lo and behold the NFL draft is this weekend so I shall not waste time... I am promising a solid week of writing for you guys for the upcoming weekend.

Tomorrow will be my predictions with the breakdown of the first round of the NFL draft followed by a 2 part blog about the first round of the NBA playoffs. Also coming up is a roundup of the first round of the NHL playoffs and to conclude the frantic week will be a contenders v/s pretenders piece on the MLB based on what I have seen in the first 20 games. Sounds like a lot eh? Well I have been working on this for a couple days so I will be able to roll them out one after another in the upcoming week I hope you look forward to it as much as I look forward to hearing all your comments .

Speechless?? Not for long...

Its been a while but there is just so much going on with me in the last couple months that I haven't had time to really sit down and write complete posts... I began some and never completed them and now they don't seem as relevant . Thanks to all of you who wrote me asking if all was well... Life is good, I just haven't had the motivation to write as of late or it was more that I didn't want to put whatever was in my head out there but that all has passed so let today be the end of my bloging hiatus. To kick of the new year and a new start I decided to change up the lookaround here, but I am still toggling with the colours and whatnot so bare with me on that one.

2005 has come and gone and I have decided to kick of the new year by looking back at the top 20 sports stories from my point of view. So much happened in sports in 2005 that i could write a different entry for each pro sport but that might get boring so i decided to mix it up and give u the top 20 that came to my mind. Following this, I will be back later this week with the top 10 things to look forward to for the upcoming year. (No pictures this time around going to keep it short, just easing my way back) In no particular order here goes...

Reflections: 2005

• The NHL made its way back onto the ice after missing a complete season due to a lockout. With this new NHL came a new face and a poster boy for the future of the league by the name of Sidney Crosby. He is no Wayne Gretzky just yet but hopes are high...


• Kobe Bryant single handedly outscores the entire Dallas Mavericks team by the end of the third quarter in a game late in the year reaching the 62 point mark.


• Danica Patrick goes against all odds and ranks 4th in the Indy 500 breaking down barriers for women in the world of auto racing.


• The new CBA for the NBA is completed which included a new minor league system and a new age restriction. To boot the NBA has now introduced a dress code for the players which requires sport coats if you at the end of the bench and no exposed chains, no hats, throwback's n sorts pre and post game at the arena.


• Larry Brown leaves a championship team to return home and coach his hometown team the New York Knicks. One of the greatest coach in the game has a huge task ahead of him as the underachieving and overpaid Knicks might make him question his decision to leave Detroit...


• Baseball took a big hit as the abuse of performance enhancing drugs came to the forefront and made its way to the supreme courts. Big names like Rafael Palmeiro and Jason Giambi were put in the spotlight which has now led to more severe penalties set for offenders of the drug policy.


• The Chicago White Sox were able to join the ranks of the Boston Red Sox as they brought to and end their drought of 80 + years with no championship as they came away victorious in this years World series


• Hurricane Katrina swept though the Gulf coast and devastated thousands. The New Orleans Saints and New Orleans hornets were moved to play in Oklahoma City and the question still remains when will they be able to return? The sports in this story are secondary to what happened to the people of New Orleans and even today people are trying to pick up the pieces. In efforts for relief a large number of professional athletes stepped forward to help out in any way they can which was a great thing to see.


• Pat Riley wiggled his way back to the court as he now strides along the sidelines as the head coach of the Miami Heat after the "voluntary departure" of Stan Van Gundy


• Phil Jackson aka the Zen Master returns to the coaching ranks with the Lakers and the countdown begins towards when we will see a blowup between him and his star Kobe Bryant who he called out in his book.


• Wayne Gretzky is back on the ice but this time barking out defensive assignments to his players as he gets behind the bench as the new head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes.


• The likes of Mark Messeir and Jerry Rice walk away from the game ending memorable and definite hall of fame careers.


• "Monday Night Football" shuts its lights off after almost 4 decades. ABC says farewell to one of its highest ranking TV shows of all time.


• Steven A Smith almost pops a blood vessel on draft day when the Toronto Raptors selected Charlie Villanueva from UCONN for their 7th pick. Sure a lot of people were surprised but that reaction to ruin a young mans dream day was totally uncalled for!!


• The New England Patriots successfully created a dynasty by winning their 3rd NFL championship in 4 years and in this era of salary caps and non guaranteed contracts that is a commendable feat.


• The Spurs can be help up there with the great dynasties ... It would help if their franchise player showed a little more emotion and the team didn't come across as utterly robotic. Congratulations either way for winning and becoming one of the most underappreciated dynasties in professional sports.


• Ron Artest returns to the court in a pacers uniform... only to a month later ask to be traded! this man needs to understand he plays a team sport and get with the program. In the world of the "tru warrier" the drama never ends.


• "Black Monday" it was a crazy Monday right after the last few regular season NFL games were played as we witnessed a flurry of firings around the league as 6 head coaches were fired and one retired.


• Steve Nash was awarded the NBA's highest honor as a player receiving the MVP award at the end of last season as he put up Stockton like numbers and led the suns to the biggest turnaround season in the history of the league. Barring anything out of the ordinary he should once again be in the running for this year as he leads the league in assists playing without their franchise player and losing 2 key role players.


• I saved the best for last ... The saga that became the Philadelphia Eagles. It began early last year with some screaming and pushing along the sidelines but Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens put it aside and along with the rest of the team strode into the Superbowl. It got ugly from there with off-season finger pointing, a one week suspension from training camp, locker room battles and it ended with the decision to sit the star wide receiver for the rest of the season. Following this drama the star quarterback and star running back go down to bring an end to one of the most drama filled seasons for a NFL in recent memory.

"Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision" - Muhammad Ali.

Back to Life.... Back to reality

Its been a crazy summer and my temporary blogging hiatus is officially over. I didn't think the wedding in the family would be so consuming but overall it went well and after two months of total chaos and a few 8 hour plane rides later, I am finally back to a state of normalcy. I figured I shall fill my few readers up on what's been going on with me before I get back to my regular sports blogging.

• The wedding was a long drawn out affair and basically lasted for an entire week of dinners and dressing up and trying to survive 4-8 hours a night in very uncomfortable shoes. Even though I bitched and groaned it was a blast as we had our entire family fly down from all over the world, some of them whom we rarely get a chance to see. The bride looked beautiful and the venue was stunning and before we could stop and absorb it all we were ready to fly off and continue with the wedding festivities on the other side of the world.

• Next stop Pakistan... The wedding wasn't over just yet. We all flew to my country of birth and there was an encore wedding reception there. As a bonus, this year was also my 10 year reunion from high school. I have not been back home as much as I thought I would and had lost touch with most of my peers but got a chance to see some of them after 10 years which was great. Some were married with children and others hadn't grown up one bit .. Overall it was nice to look back at the good times and our youth.

• Next up .... Dubai (United Arab Emirates) My parents left Canada last year and moved to Dubai but since its about a 16 hour plane ride this is my 2nd time visiting them in a year. I decided I wanted to spend my birthday with my family this year as usually I am away from them at this time of year. This turned out to be a not so good idea.. The birthday was great but the average temperature in Dubai was soaring around 50 degrees Celsius daily. My glasses fogged up when going from the house to the car and I could barely breathe as there were several dust storms happening. Dubai is a incredible place but note to self: never go there in the summer!!! 6 days was enough for me and I was ready to go home.

• I got back on the 29th of august but not for long. Our usual trip to Vegas was booked for September 1st with 5 of my close friends and before I knew it I was off to sin city for some fun in the sun and if I was lucky some extra cash in my pocket. We stayed at the newest hotel in Vegas "The Wynn" and it was unreal... Huge suites with plasma TV's in the bathroom so u can bathe and watch TV and the room had stunning views of the pools, golf course and the Las Vegas strip. I had some luck at the tables rolling dice and won myself a mini shopping spree which was cool and also saw some celebs like Wayne Gretzky, Mos Def, Xzibit, Eric McCormack and Charlize Theron. Come Sunday night I was exhausted and ready to go home.

Now that my travels are done and the wedding is a memory I can finally get back to writing regularly. I have so many topics I have wanted to write about and have not had the time but I shall start off by a countdown to kickoff for the NFL season and then return to my regularly scheduled weekly top 5 sports stories of the week article. I hope to end the weekend with a little look into the free agent market in the NBA and the NHL. I have been reading other peoples blogs as often as I can but have not commented in a while but you all shall be hearing from me soon.

Ciao for now ... Nat.

I have officially been "tagged" ...

Past... Present... Future ... I was tagged by Solitaire and I have been so busy I have had no time to write about the stuff that I usually do but this seemed like it would be quick and fun so here goes...

Ten years ago: 1995... The summer graduated high school. I packed my life into two suitcases and began my journey towards becoming an architect at Rhode Island School of Design.

Five years ago: 2000... Wow I had finally completed my degree in architecture and was in the process of getting my degree in Interior Design and a Diploma in Auto CAD. This was also the end of my first year of living in Canada.

One year ago: 2004 ... My family decided to up and move to Dubai to be closer to my Grandmother and Brother. I had just turned 27 and took my friends on a vacation to Vegas for my birthday!! This was also the summer when I met two of the most amazing guys who have come to mean the world to me.

Yesterday: Dance practice... Dance practice and more dance practice followed by a very long night of poker that rolled into 4:00 am

Today: Got my brother a Hummer H2 for the week as a wedding present to him from his siblings. (We wanted him to have an experience to remember rather than just another thing that may or may not collect dust) helped with more wedding preparations and then ofcourse the evening was all about dance practice!!!

Tomorrow: Lots of cleaning , a lunch to attend and ofcourse more wedding preparations, which means ... MORE DANCE PRACTICE!!!

Five snacks I enjoy
1. Choc. Chip granola bars
2. All Dressed chips
3. Subway Chocolate Chip cookies
4. Wendy's ( yea I know its not just a snack!)
5. Salted cashew nuts

Five bands/singers that I know the lyrics of MOST of their songs
1. NAS
2. Jay Z
3. Immortal Technique
4. Richie Spice
5. Coldplay

Things I would do with $100,000,000
1. Take a trip around the world
2. Shop till I drop
3. Sell both my cars and get a Mercedes SLR!!
4. Go to Vegas and give a shot at the World Series of Poker
5. Start a business with my friends (we dream about it all the time)

Five locations I'd like to run away to
1. The Maldives
2. Italy
3. Turks and Caicos
4. Malta
5. Antigua

Five bad habits I have
1. Smoking
2. Biting my nails (almost stopped but then came the wedding stress)
3. Drink too much diet coke
4. Sleep is my enemy .... Almost an insomniac
5. I get bored with things.. People fast unless I really love it or them. ( thus I don't hold a 9-5 job!!)

Five things I like doing
1. Watching sports
2. Watching movies
3. Road trips
4. Playing sports
5. Reading and as of late... Writing

Five things I would never wear
1. Daisy Duke shorts
2. Tube top
3. Button down shirts
4. Bikini
5. A dress that would require double sided tape to hold it together!!!

Five TV shows I like
1. Chappelle Show
2. 24
3. Alias
4. Desperate Housewives
5. Lost

Five movies I like ( I have too many... I am listing the first 5 that come to mind )
1. The Godfather series
2. Scarface
3. Rudy
4. Life as a house
5. Crash

Five famous people I'd like to meet
1. Salman Rushdie (I'd love to hear his thoughts in person)
2. Vince Carter (Just long enough so I can speak my mind on how I feel about the way the shit went down with the raptors)
3. Immortal Technique ( His lyrics have stayed with me I just want to meet the man behind the voice)
4. Oprah (that woman is really something)
5. Morris Peterson ( YEA YEA YEA... I think he kinda hot!)

Five biggest joys at the moment
1. I am alive and well
2. I am on a 2 month vacation from work for the first time in 3 years
3. My entire family is in town for my brothers wedding. Great to get a chance to have everyone in one place considering we are all located across the world
4. Cruisin' around top down in my car thanx to the 40 degree weather
5. NHL is baaaaack!!! Something to watch when there is no raps game next season

Five favorite toys
1. My Cars ( Honda S2000 and BMW X5)
2. My TiVo (Personal Video Recorder)
3. My Plasma TV
4. My digital camera
5. My poker chip set

That's all for now... I am sure most of the people who read my blog have already done this but if not go ahead and give it a shot.
In other news... by this time next week I will have alot more time and will return to bloggin regularly.

Ciao,
Nat

Monologue: The sound of wedding bells is giving me a headache!

"Marriage is a matter of give and take, but so far I haven't been able to find anybody who'll take what I have to give." - Cass Daley

Summertime in Toronto is amazing! As residents of the great white north most of us look forward to these three months of basking in the sun enjoying the patio life and wearing minimal clothing. This summer is going to be different for me though. My brother is getting married in less than two months and check this ... He is marrying the girl next door (literally!) This girl also happens to be one of my oldest friends in the city... Little did I know that one of my best friends and future sister-in-law had "BRIDEZILLA" tendencies!!!

Before I go any further I want to shed some light of what a Pakistani wedding entails... A wedding in my culture aint just a pretty ceremony with lots of free booze (actually there is not a drip of alcohol present). The wedding usually takes place over 4-5 days depending on the families and what they decided on. 5 different locations are sought out and not to mention catering done different for each event. It requires months of practice of choreographed dancing for one of the events that takes place before the actual wedding day. It requires putting ridiculous amounts of henna on your hands as to show you are celebrating a wedding (mind you I can't bear the look of it on my own hands). Wedding outfits are custom made for every person in the family and their cats and dogs practically. I know weddings are huge in every culture but in ours tradition has taken the reins and we are sent in a frenzy... From wrapping random fruits baskets to preparing garlands for the bride's family when they enter the wedding hall. We are talking like a big Broadway production ... With the bride and groom as the stars headlining the show and a group of 200 supporting roles a.k.a family and extended family and their extended family, and this number doesn't even include the 500 or so extras who get to be the guests of this huge production.

Now that you have an idea of what a South Asian wedding is like let me dive in and bring you up to speed with the madness that has been going on for the last year or so. My family is based in Dubai, the bride is from Toronto so she wanted the wedding here. Since my parents have a lot of ties in Pakistan and Dubai this wedding is taking place in three countries!! Insane or what?? We got 10 days of events and dinners here before I jet of to Pakistan for more ceremonies and then off to Dubai for the finale! Personally I think its ridiculous I feel like we are honeymooning with the bride and groom traveling to all these places but as the sister of the groom I don't have much say in this...

Last weekend the cards were finally ready to be written (not without a big fuss that the bride and groom did not like the font) and so a 8 hour calligraphy session ensued ... In other words, writing out the names on the invitation cards for the wedding (thus my blogging hiatus). I figured since the wedding is in Toronto we will have a smaller guest list (I mean how many people can my family have gotten to know in 7 years??).. BOY was I wrong!! My fingers are numb from writing out 600 cards and then I got the news.... Nat you gotta divide the piles and start delivering them if you don't have mailing addresses.... HECKKK NO... It aint my wedding? Why am I suckered into this stuff. Sure I am the only person from my immediate family who is in the city right now but cot dayum why do I have to suffer. Sure my brother is the first to get married in the family so the excitement is up a notch but really do we have to go through all this?? Let me take you back a few months... When the wedding cards were not even in the picture. I went weeks where for hours on end all I heard was "OMG!! What should we give as gifts for all the guests to take home?", "do you like these heart shaped candles", "do you know any photographers", or "Hey Nat, wanna come cake tasting with me" and not to forget the 10 bridal shows that were attended in a span of 1 month. Everything from the colour of the bangles her friends should wear to the shape of the cake has been made into a production. Tears have been shed, tantrums thrown and when I'm about to give up I get told " she is young... You have to be the wiser one and guide her"!!

Now ... I am not a hater and hope to say my own vows some day, but not at the expense of driving everyone around me to the brink of insanity. I can't wait for this wedding to be over.. I have lost track of reality in the midst's of choosing venues and tasting 20 versions of chocolate mousse... I need a vacation A.S.A.P.

edit: note to "M" ... I gave you the heads up that I was going to blog about this and I hope u can take it as it is.. A little insight into a paki wedding... some details have been given a little umphh for effect. You know im happy for both of you and i shall be dancing the night away when the time comes.

Musical Baton and a Quick Update

Well it seems the Musical Baton is getting around. It was passed on from Jdid to Big N and he subsequently sent it my way. My readers are few and far between as I am still a newb to the blogging world but I am gonna try my best to keep it going.

Total volume of music files on computer:
Are you ready for this?? 48.2 GB ... Yes, if you ever need a track chances are I have it! I have been downloading music for years now and I know its not a great thing but I just cant get myself to pay for overpriced CD's anymore

The last CD I bought was:
Collision Course - Jay Z / Linkin Park. I first downloaded this album and I really enjoyed it considering I am not a big Linkin Park fan but then I was interested in seeing the DVD of how this all came together and thus the trip downstairs to Future Shop and the purchase of the CD with DVD included.

Song playing right now:
Still Tippin' - Mike Jones. Have you guys seen the video for this track.. He gives out his phone number and my dumb ass brother tried calling it from my phone a few times last weekend!! From what I heard he had to change his number asap as he was getting some ridiculous phone calls.

Five Songs I listen to a lot, Or that mean a lot to me:
ahhhh... Brain cramp... So much I like u want to to bring it down to 5?? The tracks I chose represent my favourite MC's and I just picked one track from my favourite albums by each of them. It's all about the lyrics... If its about the bitches and the ho's and the bling bling.. Chances are its not on my playlist but Nas, Canibus and Immortal have so much power in their music. I wish I could say I went and bought the albums but I didn't I plan to eventually I do have stillmatic and illmatic on CD for now.. Its a start. I am not going to do a run thru of each track so I hope you got the gist from this little note :)

1. Rewind - Nas (Stillmatic)
2. Cenoir Studies 02 - Canibus (Mic Club- The Curriculum)
3. The 4th Branch - Immortal Technique (Revolutionary Vol. 2)
4. Mosh - Eminem (Encore)
5. Earth a Run Red - Richie Spice (Universal)

Five people to whom I am passing the baton to:
I might drop the baton on this one
Solitaire
Yuri
Brucki
Nidserz
Kat

Well normally Sunday I would do my recap of my top 5 news stories but I figured I will just do the musical baton and throw in an update on what's going on with me. My regular article will be posted up tomorrow and since I have the day off work I hope to make it a good one! It was a pretty busy weekend for me but I had a blast
Friday was mellow as I had gone to watch "The Longest Yard" and once again as I said in my last post.. you really can't go wrong with it if you are a Chris rock or an Adam Sandler fan
Saturday we decided to do something different. There is an organization called MyBindi and they had put together a south Asian comedy night. So I gathered up all the people I know who might be interested and 12 of us went out there not knowing what to expect. MyBindi is known to be one of them "lets get brown ppl together in a room so they can hook up to get married" type of organizations and most of their events are at clubs and bars.. All of which I have never attended. I was pleasantly surprised that the crowd that had come to this event was pretty balanced and there were people from all backgrounds there. It was real funny a 2 hour show and we decided not to stay for the after party which in other words was the "now its time to hook up brown people together". Basically we went to eat some sushi and decided to do our Sunday poker on Saturday and so the night rolled on and I came out 120$ richer which feels great :)
Today was a little different .. I discovered a new thing in Toronto (well its new for me) some part down near the lake shore called " The Distillery District" .. even though the weather was kinda crap the atmosphere was real nice and there was some kinda jazz festival going on. If it wasn't raining I probably would have sat there all day. They have a lot of nice restaurants there and the one we went to was called The Boiler House... Check it out they have a buffet for brunch on Sundays real nice a bit pricey though but the atmosphere was worth it. Now that I am done writing I am gonna cuddle up on my couch with a blanket and watch the Miami/Detroit game.. I am in need of some alone time and this game is just what the doc ordered. I shall return tomorrow with my sports update...
Nat

Monologue: Crash!!!

SHE LIVES....
Sorry I have been MIA for this week ... It's 5 am Saturday early morning and I finally got a minute to recap my week and the madness that has happened. May 2-4 came and went and the shortened week flew by but not without all sorts of drama. I had to go into the office this week which can I say is really a long commute from where I live so I have not had energy to blog this week. Here goes the first of many monologues to come...

Last weekend I wanted to get out of the city but with my dad still in town for two more days I was unable to do so as I only see him a few times a year when he comes here for work. Friday night I went to see the movie "Crash" for the second time and loved it even more. I got a chance to pick up on a lot of the little things I overlooked the first time I watched it but I came out with more questions this time around. Hollywood has thrown our way a movie filled with stereotypes but this time they seem real but then I ask myself ..."Do we as the audience really want to pay money to see the reality we deal with everyday for free?" For me personally yes... It was worth it because sometimes people need to be shown what they are doing wrong in a realistic way in order to try to prevent this wrong doing from repeating itself. I made everyone I know watch this movie so I urge you all to go watch it.. You will not be disappointed.

Saturday my dad was leaving so we did some family time and when he was safely at the airport my younger brother decides to reveal to me that he failed courses at York and he has been placed on probation! Freshman year... Freedom... Parents moved to Dubai.. All that put together basically added to his laziness and he basically blew his first year of college. I have a 10 yr age gap on him and even though he isn't a poster child I have always had his back. I was a rebel when I was young but he has taken it to a new level. He tells me he needs me to tell my parents... Ugh.. I am not angry with him I just can't understand how he let it go so far without coming to me earlier. I'm thinking I shall wait a week to reveal this info to the parents.

Sunday kinda went by with the usual poker night and catching up on sleep and TV. Monday was my cousin's baby shower which was very random as it was put together last minute and we had no chance to get presents. I mean if you invite me on Sunday evening to a baby shower the next day when the entire city is closed for a holiday.. Chances are ..." YOU AIN'T GETTIN NO PRESENTS!!" I went back to my parents and some ppl were over we decided to have another poker game... Yes... I know I sound obsessed with the game but hey if I can leave every night 40$ richer I ain't turning that shit down!

Pretty drama free you say!! Not for long....

Monday night ... Last day of the long weekend a bunch of us decided to do up a poker game. I called my youngest brother and asked him if he wanted to join us and he was like "naa we just got some fireworks and we gonna blow them up at z's house"... So I'm thinkin aite cool. 10 minutes later I see my phone ringing and its him and I'm thinking ok maybe he does want to play. I pick up only to hear him crying ... He says "Nat... I crashed the car... Its really bad... Please come quick!" My heart was racing... All thoughts going through my head. I had just learned earlier that weekend he was on academic probation!! Now I gotta tell them he wrecked the car??? You gotta be shitting me...
My family moved to Dubai last summer so I am the eldest and end up taking a lot of responsibility for shit that goes down but man I didn't bargain for this! I get to the scene and there are nuff cops there and the fire engine and ambulance and all that. Mind you I never been in an accident so I don't know the protocol but they took statements and all that and after about 3 hours of standing in the rain ... We headed home. I drove him to the hospital to get his back checked and he got prescribed a good amount fo tylenol 3 (loaded with codeine) to get him thru the pain. Time difference and all I had to wait till 3 am to make the dreaded all to my parents.. But before that I drilled my bro. First question " WERE YOU HIGH?" cuz if he was I was not about to defend his ass to my parents saying it wasn't his fault. He wasn't... he was actually sober and scared. He kept saying he felt stupid and he coulda taken the turn slower and that if his friends would have gotten hurt he woulda killed himself. After a lot of talking I asked him if he wanted to tell my dad and he was like no I'm more scared of him than of God. This infuriated me... I am not very religious but I am god fearing because only he can give and take the ultimate thing which is "life". My brother has no faith and it hurt me, because I say if you survive a head on collision with a maple tree!! You might want to check in with who decided you should live thru it. Anyways my dad was really cool about that and he kept asking if my bro was cool and if he was hurt and all that. I told my parents my brother will call them the next day. I took Tuesday half day off and did all the insurance stuff and we found out the car was a write off and my dad the angel of a man he is asked my brother " well what car do you want now since you need to get to work everyday for the summer" I looked at my brother and just said " you can crash his car... But just don't crush his heart.." My dad is one of the most amazing people I know and what he did with his reactions to everything just showed me that everything he does he does for us. (wow I am getting all emotional and I have rambled)

The next few days flew by as I had a lot of work to do ... and all I could do is look forward to the weekend. This time I ask for a drama free one. It has started off well I went to see "The Longest Yard" with some friends and it was funny.. I love Chris Rock and Adam Sandler so I knew I couldn't go wrong with this one. On my way home I just saw a bus driver scratching his bingo ticket while driving the bus... Insane... First thought.. ccrazyyy!! Second thought.. The only crash I want to see now is the kind that happens when my head hits the pillow and I fall into a deep sleep...
Nat out...

My quote for this post is about having faith... I am a big beliver in "Things happen for a reson" ... you do the best you can , but you gotta have faith and leave the rest to the one up above...
"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe."- St. Augustine

I have a date with my TV

I wanna take a minute to thank the people who invented the PVR (TiVO : for all you American's) I do not know how I functioned without it... Actually I do but it was not so legal I guess, the whole download TV shows phenomenon. Thing is, sports precede TV shows on my priority list when it comes to my Daily TV lineup. Monday Night Football is watched live while, unlike before, I can just record all my other junk I love to watch. Wednesday is a tough night for me, as there are 6 1-hour long shows I follow. If I had no life it may be easy to watch 6 hours of TV straight (not that it would be healthy at all) but this is not the case... I do chose to go out with my friends and so this PVR has become like my new best friend but this one doesn't whine if I don't hang out with it... just sits patiently till I make a date with it and shut out the rest of the world.

Last Sunday was crazy!!! There was a Jays game to watch... then the world championships of hockey and all that was extra programming adding to the the ongoing NBA playoffs that had 3 games on the schedule that day. This heavy sports line-up meant I was going to rely on my PVR once again to take care of shows like Desperate Housewives and Greys Anatomy as well as Animation Domination (Family Guy and American Dad)
Monday nights after football season was great this year..,having converted my friends into serious "24" junkies I have them over to watch the show and then play poker or video games. I just let my PVR take care of my other Monday night shows. The other day my TV schedule was so nuts and I had made a promise to my friends I would spend some time with them. Problem was there was a big game on TV and they knew I was a little ticked off I was going to miss it. Then I looked over and grinned.. I was looking right at my PVR. This wonderful invention was going to allow me to tape the whole game and my other shows going on at that time and when I came home it would all be waiting for me. Sure I avoided every TV channel and radio station that might blurt out the score but it was sweet to come home and have a ball game to watch at 1 am :)

Now you might be thinking " dayum this woman is crazy!" but really... I grew up in a country where I had one television channel and that too the programming was in my native language which I barely speak. Yes it was rough watchin the Cosby show in Urdu and trying to watch the smurfs as a kid in a language I can barely speak. TV played no role in my life until I moved to North America 10 years ago and I don't know if its a good thing ( I watch a basketball game v/s play one with friends) but at the same time I feel I'm making up for lost time.. I did enough bike riding and colouring in books to keep me busy when I had no TV to watch but now I take pleasure in it and I have no problems telling my friends on a Sunday... " naa I aint leaving my couch ... I HAVE A DATE WITH MY PVR"

Here is a list of my top 20 TV shows and on any given day you will find my PVR taking care of archiving them for me :)
1: 24 - Drama/Action
2: Alias - Drama/Action
3: Lost - Drama/Action
4: Desperate Housewives - Soapy/Drama
5: Grey's Anatomy - Medical/Drama
6: Las Vegas - Drama
7: The O.C - Teen/Soapy/Drama
8: Numb3rs - Crime/Drama
9: Kevin Hill - Law/Drama
10-12: CSI ( NY, LV and Miami) - Crime/Drama
13: The Apprentice- RealityTV
14: The Amazing Race - RealityTV
15: America's Next Top Model - RealityTV
16: Joey - Sitcom/Comdey
17: Scrubs- Sitcom/Comedy
18: One Tree Hill- Teen/Soapy/Drama
19: Gilmore Girls - Teen/Sopay/Drama
20- Family Guy - Animation/Comedy

The quote i chose seemed fitting to be related to technology. I decided to use humour for this one... ENJOY :)
"For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three." - Alice Kahn

I question myself... my choices.. my actions.. I question: "ME"

Edit: Forgot to mention i ripped this idea from Big-N
Name: Natasha
Birthday: August 27, 1977
Birthplace: Karachi, Pakistan
Current Location: My couch
Currently Doing ? : watchin the Yankees get whooped again and writing this thingamajig.
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Hair Colour: Brown
Height: 5' 2"
Right Handed or Left Handed: Right
Your heritage: Pakistani
The shoes you wore today: Silver shox
Your weakness: Too Passive
Your fears: Failure
Your perfect pizza: Grilled Chicken, Green Olives, Hot peppers, mushrooms and extra cheese
Goal you would like to achieve this year: Lose about 20 pounds!!
Your most overused phrase on instant messenger: lol
Thoughts on first waking up: Do I really need to work today?
Your best physical feature: hair
Your bedtime: "sleep is for the weak" - I average 4 hours a night for the last 10 yrs
Your most missed memory: High School - no worries... good times.
Pepsi or Coke: Coke .. only diet coke!
McDonald's or Burger King: McDonald's
Single or Group Dates: Single
Lipton Iced Tea or Nestea: Dun like ice tea
Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate
Cappuccino or Coffee: Neither... Don't drink coffee
Do you smoke: yes
Do you swear: More than I would like myself to...
Do you sing: Nope
Do you shower daily: Yes
Have you been in love: Yes... Good times.
Do you want to go to college: Been there.. done that...
Do you want to get married: Yeah
Do you believe in yourself: If I don't believe in me.. then no one will.
Do you get motion sickness: Nope
Do you think you are attractive: *shrug*
Are you a health freak: haha... nope!
Do you get along with your parents: about 60% of the time
Do you like thunderstorms: Not really
Do you play an instrument: Yes... Piano for too many years.
Do you practice a religion: Born Muslim... but I am a Humanitarian by choice.
Any Vices? : Diet Coke, Smokign and my love for a gamble!!
Ever been drunk: Yep
Ever been called a tease: Yep ... there was a time when I was young and foolish and being a tease was fun for a good minute
Ever been beaten up: Yep...Basketball game by a psycho bitch... I had to get stitches! I still got player of the year though :)
Ever shoplifted: No
How do you want to die: In my sleep.. dreaming of a wonderful life.
What do you want to be when you grow up: damn I think I grew up already.. but I aint where I wanna be...I want to be respected, successful and loved by the ppl important to me.
What country would you most like to visit: All of South America ( only continent I didn't visit yet)
Number of drugs I have taken: I come from the land of hash and opiates ... nuff said
Number of CDs I own: A lot.. all before the time of mp3's
Number of piercings: 4 .. 2 on each ear
Number of tattoos: 1 .. on my ankle
Number of things in my past I regret: Not changing my major earlier

In the past month have you:
Drank alcohol: Yes
Smoked: Yes
Been on drugs: Nope
Gone on a date: Sadly.. yes... Didn't turn out so great.
Gone to a mall: Yes
Eaten a box of Oreos: No
Eaten sushi: My Favourite food.. so yep!
Been on stage: No
Been dumped: No
Gone skinny dipping: Nope
Stolen anything: No

In a guy:
Favourite eye colour: Brown
Favourite hair colour: Anything Natural (not into the funky coloured hair thing)
Short or long hair: Dun matter but needs to be well maintained.
Height: 5' 9"-6' 0"
Weight: 170 - 190 ( I like some meat but no bulging muscles wwf style)
Clothing style: Sporty.

- Nat

Continuing with my quote theme... i looked into a quote for choices... this question answer session with myself told me alot about my choices so here is the quote i chose to represent this blurb..
"Life is the sum of all your choices." - Albert Camus

One has got to start somewhere...

"Procrastination" = My middle name .... But I'm finally doing it.. After several months of browsing the web and getting really caught up in reading other peoples interesting blogs I have decided to get my own up and running. I wanted to start by saying a bit about myself and what makes me tick but then I figured my profile says enuff for now and after reading my blog for a while more shall be revealed so for now I'm just gonna go ahead and start blogging. I am definitely gonna try to keep this a regular thing and atleast write 2-3 times a week but as it goes one must bust their ass to pay the bills and that's what I do most of the time but I want to pursue my passion to write and this is going to be my outlet. For the most part it will be about sports as on any given night I am watchin a basketball game or spending hours reading about the upcoming NFL draft and on occasion I might even mention the dammed hockey lockout. I watch alot of movies and try to read one book a week so I will do some reviews from time to time. As I get more comfortable with the bloggin phenomenon I shall try to make this thing look a little less cookie cutter and get into the HTML and all maybe get up some top 10 Lists n make it a bit more interactive but for now I just wanted to get it up and running.
Today is as good day as any to start bloggin but even better cuz tonight is the NCAA finals and my next post will be about the matchup and a quick preview about the NBA draft that shall come this summer where a lot of these players whose talents were showcased in the NCAA tournament will be taking the next step.. The NBA!

"Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises -Demosthenes"
( I am a big fan of quotes and I shall provide one for every post I make if not a famous one it shall be one of my own)