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

I'm comin for that #1 spot! - NBA Draft Preview and Predictions

I have wanted to do this for a while... But, things like work, family commitments for the upcoming wedding and this crazy weather that tempts me to be outdoors every chance I get, have prevented me from being able to write out the article the way I would like to. As I am writing this we are 3 hours from draft time and time is not on my side to do a detailed analysis of what is to come. I am going to go ahead and throw out my predictions for the draft. If all goes as planned... I will return tomorrow to see how my predictions fared compared to the real thing and give a roundup of who went where and other major happenings that went down on draft day. With a deep draft this year but no stand out future Michael Jordan's, many teams are hoping to hit the lottery. This years draft is loaded with an abundance of Point Guards and Guards so teams looking to get bigger may be looking to trade their picks for something better. The list I am including does not include any potential trades...

Note: Utah has already moved up the ladder to the 3rd spot by acquiring that pick from Portland for the 6th and 27th pick as well as a conditional 1st round pick next year.

1. Milwaukee Bucks: Andrew Bogut
2. Atlanta Hawks: Marvin Williams
3. Utah Jazz (from Portland): Chris Paul
4. New Orleans Hornets: Gerald Green
5. Charlotte Bobcats: Deron Williams
6. Portland Trailblazers: Danny Granger
7. Toronto Raptors: Antoine Wright
8. New York Knicks: Channing Frye
9. Golden State Warriors: Hakeem Warrick
10. L.A. Lakers: Fran Vasquez
11. Orlando Magic: Martell Webster
12. L.A.Clippers: Yaroslav Korolev
13. Charlotte Hornets: Joey Graham
14. Minnesota Timberwolves: Raymond Felton
15. New Jersey Nets: Ike Diogu
16. Toronto Raptors: Jarrett Jack
17. Indiana Pacers: Rashard McCants
18. Boston Celtics: Charlie Villanueva
19. Memphis Grizzlies: Sean May
20. Denver Nuggets: Francisco Garcia
21. Phoenix Suns: Wayne Simien
22. Denver Nuggets: Johan Petro
23. Sacramento Kings: Ersan Ilyasova
24. Houston Rockets: Chris Taft
25. Seattle Supersonics: Matt Walsh
26. Detroit Pistons: Julius Hodge
27. Portland Trailblazers: Ryan Gomes
28. San Anotonio Spurs: Salim Stoudamire
29. Miami Heat: Roko Leni Ukic
30. New York Knicks: David Lee

Breaking News: Done Deal!!!

"The days of jumping from the preps to the pros - the route to the NBA chosen by LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady and others - are almost over." San Antonio - (AP)

The NBA has reached an agreement with the NBA Players Union and hammered out a new 6 year deal which will replace the current agreement that expires on July 1st 2005. This is great news for the sport and all of its fans as a lockout would most definitely have had a negative impact on the game. I don't have time to do a full out analysis on the major changes in the agreement but I'll do my best to give a quick rundown of the new deal and my opinions on some of them.

Maximum contract length: The maximum length of contracts has been set at 6 years for players signing with their current teams and 5 years if they are signing with a new team. These numbers have been reduced from 7 years and 6 years respectively and provide owners more flexibility. This issue seemed of great importance to me. Firstly the NBA does not allow front loaded contracts and so you are basically investing in a 7 year career not expecting the players ability to play the game to decline over time. I had hoped for the max contract length to be 5 years with some kind of clause that would allow the player to extend it for a sixth year if he met certain criteria but for now something is better than nothing. Over the past few years we have seen multiple situations where a player at age of 29 is given a 7 year contract but he is burnt out by the 5th year of the contract and then you basically over paying a guy for two years or trading him for a Spalding or two.

Minimum Age for eligibility to enter the league: The minimum age to enter the draft has now been set to 19 years or one year removed from high school. International players will have to turn 19 by the end of the calendar year in which they become draft eligible. I think this is a very touchy subject for a lot of basketball fans who have seen the likes of Lebron James, Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant emerge and rapidly gain superstar status in the league but personally I think its a wise move on the part of the NBA to give the kids a chance to play in developmental leagues and show their skills away from the high school atmosphere this will also encourage players coming out of high school to attend a college or university which will only give them more in terms of maturity and exposure to different situations and all helps in the process of character building and mental toughness which is very much tested when you enter the big leagues.

Reduction in annual salary increase: The maximum annual raises within a contract have been reduced from 12.5% to 10.5 % if the player re-signs with his current team. If a player joins a new team, his annual raises within the new contract will be capped at 8 %. This is great incentive to get a player to stay with his team for the majority of his career. In the past 5-10 years we rarely see a player like Reggie Miller who sticks out with his team through his entire career. Sure when they get old and haven't gone tot he final dance the urgency is increased but this may keep some players aiming for this goal with teams longer as you lose out if you sign a new contract.

Drug testing: The number of random drug tests have been set at 4 per year even for veteran players. Also the penalties for testing positive have been increased where a 1st time offender will get a 10 game suspension, 2nd time is 25 games and 3rd time will cost a player a 1 year suspension. They have also placed a penalty where a 4th time offender will be given a lifetime ban from the league. This may seem harsh at first but with the state of drugs in sports it seems quite adequate and needs to be clear cut so that players don't even get tempted to cheat the sport by juicing up.

Rookie contracts: These contracts will only be guaranteed for two years with team options for the 3rd and 4th year. This is definitely something that benefits the owners. If a players turns out to be a bust or is not able to adjust to the NBA game they will not be bound to keep that player on for more than 2 years. This two years will give them enough time to evaluate if they want to extend the contract as well as send the player to the NBDL for development if needed. From the view of players, if they are unhappy with the team they got drafted by they have a shorter stay there...

Salary Cap: The salary cap has been increased 3 % from 48% of the league's basketball-related income to 51%. This effects the numbers greatly as what looked like a $43.8 million cap for the 2005-2006 season will now look more like a $51 million cap. This looks good for a lot of teams who did not mind spending $50 million but not at the cost of paying a tax of $7 million in order to do it. I know we are still in a time where contracts are very inflated and teams get stuck with players but a higher ceiling will give the teams a chance to sign more mid-level contracts.

Luxury Tax: The money the players pay has been reduced to 8% of their salaries for the length of the new agreement. That money returns to owners at the end of the season if the players' salaries exceed 57 percent of revenues. Under the luxury tax, which requires a dollar for dollar penalty for exceeding the salary cap, this money will now be equally distributed to all teams rather than just those who were under the ceiling for that year. I am not sure I agree with this.. Why should people paying the taxes get some of it back?? I want to look into this one further but for now this is how it stands. The money gets distributed equally so technically the penalty for being over the limit isn't so much as it may seem for the team at first when they get money back at the end of the year in the case where the players salaries exceed the allowed 57%.

Player compensations: The players are now set to receive a guaranteed number of 57% of basketball related revenues. Over the past two years this is the amount the players ended up receiving but this is now a guaranteed amount no matter what the league revenues are. This is an aspect that seems to be added in to balance out a lot of the other issues players have compensated on.

NBDL: Players in their first two years in the NBA now can be placed on teams in the NBA's developmental league where the minimum age will be reduced from 20 to 18. Minor leagues have worked out great for the NHL and MLB , and it's a great stepping stone for players entering the league who need experience at a more competitive level but are not yet ready for the big league. This will give the teams a chance to develop players who are seeing more bench time than floor time and in turn develop their skills playing in "game" situations. tThis will give the players a chance to be more prepared when they are called up to fill in orwhen they are ready to solidify their place on their NBA team.

Active roster's: Active roster's will be expanded to 14 players. This is something I hadn't really thought about but it will in a sense be creating more jobs and give more players a chance to showcase their talents and prove they belong on an NBA roster and also eliminate in most cases situations where due to injuries some teams in the past have been left with a bench of just 8-9 active players. ( I seen it happen to the Raptors numerous times over the past few "Vinjury" years)

That's all I can churn out for now... I'll be back later this week with my rundown of the upcoming NBA draft which includes what each team will be looking to address and what players should be available to them in the draft which goes down on June 28th 2005. Also, by the time that article is ready I should be able to give my two cents about the NBA finals as we are going to see a game 7 which has been a rarity in recent memory. I have really enjoyed the past 2 games and look forward to the deciding one. I shall leave you with a quote from a player currently in the NBA finals...

"Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best." - Tim Duncan

Records, Repeats, Retirement and an inevitable Rehiring ...

A little update before I get to my regular article...

I want to take a minute to thank my dad for being such a great inspiration to me and I hope to one day garner the level of respect he does from all those around him. Happy Fathers Day to my dad and all the other dad's out there.

I have been swarmed with stuff over the last few weeks and this weekend I got a chance to get away. I went up to the lake and it was great (despite returning with numerous mosquito bites)

I got a chance to finally watch Mr. & Mrs. Smith and I really enjoyed it. The action sequences were great and there was a surprisingly witty banter that was present through the entire movie which created for a unique relationship between the two stars. Overall good entertainment and worth the $10. My next mission is to make some time this week and go watch "Batman Begins".

"It is time for us to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever, the one who recognizes the challenge and does something about it." - Vince Lombardi

Here is my usual rundown of my top 5 sports stories for the past week (more like 10 days but oh well!) ...

#5: The NBA Playoffs - Repeat?
Over the past few weeks I have made it pretty clear that I am not a fan of either of the teams battling it out in this years NBA finals. I sit here on this Sunday afternoon going over box scores for the first 4 games and not surprisingly no team has scored 100 points yet in this series. On the other hand, both teams have taken care of their home court and as we head into game 5 we are all locked up at 2-2. There have been some unsung heroes in each game .. The latest being Lindsay Hunter who scored 17 points. Manu Ginobli has been completely ineffective over the last two games and one may say he is injured but this is gut check time. In order for the Spurs to prevent the Pistons to repeat their feat of last year they are going to have to pull it together and win the game tonight on the road. With Tim Duncan shooting around 30% over the last 2 games and Ginobli struggling this is looking to be a very uphill climb for the best team during the regular season. In previous years Duncan always had David Robinson right beside him and the time has come now to get others to step up be it Ginobli, the streaky Tony Parker or a role player like Nazr Mohammed.

#4: TKO - The end of an Era
19 years ago he was the youngest heavyweight champion in the boxing world. Last weekend as he lay slumped over at the end of the 6th round of his bout versus Kevin McBride it was evident the road has come to an end. This is the same man who tried to bite off the ear of his opponent several years ago and once again his desperation was evident as he attempted to break McBride's arm along with some cheap shots. Tyson at the age of 20 had a bright future looking ahead but he squandered all that in the years following as he had a 3 year stint in jail followed by a bankruptcy charge. Boxing is not really my thing but I too have sat down with my dad to watch a few of these great fights I watched the Tyson v/s Buster Douglas in 1990 and I watched the infamous fight against Holyfield. Boxing is a skill sport and when watching it at the Olympic level every 4 years I gain a new appreciation for it but an athlete like Mike Tyson eliminated the idea of "sport" from the event as over the last few years it been a lot about the money he is being paid rather than the fight itself. Last weekend he looked old and tired and probably not to anyone's surprise he came out the next day and announced that he has decided to walk away from the sport. He spoke in a press conference saying ""I'm sorry I let everybody down, I just don't have it in my heart anymore." In my eyes he had taken the heart out of the sport a long time ago.

#3: Lockout - Is history going to repeat itself?
As the 11th hour approaches the NBA labour talks have hit a lot of bumps. For sometime last week things were looking bleak as both sides lashed out at each other. Not brought to the heights of the NHL labour dispute yet but things are looking like they can get ugly really fast. There are the issues of contract lengths, minimum age to enter the league and harsher drug testing that have taking the stage as the main negotiating topics. In these talks we have also heard about implementing some clause for player asking for trades publicly (a.k.a Vince Carter) which may lead to the value of the player being lost. The current contract that ends on July 1st is very much in favour of giving the players a bigger piece f the pie and the player agents are not going to let this go easily. I personally feel that if the maximum contract lengths are not changed much they need to allow the contracts to be heavily loaded in the he early years rather than the last year being the highest where the teams are stuck in the 6th year of a contract with a player not even worth half of what he was. Also there needs to be a deal made in order to prevent these trade and don't show up to play and go back to your old team stuff where players are still getting paid for these antics a-la Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning. There is a lot of talking still to be done and things began to look up towards the end of the week when the two sides met for 10 hours and are presumable close to a 6 year deal. Until then I shall keep my fingers crossed and hope this league doesn't see the same fate of the NHL.

#2: 400 and counting - A-Rod reaches a landmark
Congratulations!!! On June 8th 2005 Alex Rodriguez became the youngest member to join the 400 Home Run club. The Yankees have had a very shaky start to their season and this is definitely one of the bright spots of the season to date. It is most definitely a personal achievement but helps lift the teams morale as well as the owners as their money spent shows some signs of return on investment. For years A-Rod was a big money player playing on a losing team and now he stands in the spotlight in a Yankees uniform and says hitting this 400 hr in that uniform made it even better. Yet, it was only a month ago where everyone down in the Bronx questioned his role on the team and he took a lot of smack from the media. This feat completed by A-rod did not get the hype it may have elsewhere though as the team has other things its worrying about. In a time where the sport is tainted by steroids linked to all the power hitters in the game A-Rod looks like the knight in shining armour but he has a long ways to go. (Read more about this here)

#1: California Love - The Zen master is back in La La Land
"Welcome Back, Welcome Back, Welcome Baaack" ... To the tune of Mase, the L.A Lakers have wooed back one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport. Just a year ago the Zen Master, Phil Jackson walked away from this very team for reasons that included his inability to coach the All-Star Kobe Bryant. The Lakers need a high profile coach to keep their fans believing and there was no better out there than Phil Jackson. He had ties to the team even when he was away from them, his girlfriend happens to be the daughter of the owner Jerry Buss and all if there was anywhere he would couch after leaving a year ago was right back in LA, a high profile team which has Hollywood as its backdrop. His differences with Kobe were also very evident as he detailed the issues he had in a book that was published last year but over time and several lunch dates later, it seems that they are ready to give it a shot. "I think it's a matter of trust and rebuilding the trust that we've had," Jackson said. "I have talked to Kobe. He called me this morning, congratulating me on the job, and I felt confident that's he's confident that we can go forward. I think that was the important part." The day Phil Jackson walked from the Lakers last year also prompted Shaq O'Neal to ask to be moved. I still believe Kobe Bryant is the "virus" and I shall watch closely to see how this rekindled relationship works out over the course of the next season.

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.