Film: The Prestige

There are three people who watch magic: those that want to be told how the trick is done, those that want to figure it out on their own and finally those that don't actually care either way. So it's quite ironic that The Prestige, a film about the rivalry between two stage magicians, caters for all three audiences.

Twisting and turning for most of the two or so hours, the hardest thing about watching this film is keeping track of which time it is flashing back to. I counted three separate spans (but I may have missed a fourth) and it was confusing at first as the later ones referenced things that may not have happened yet. But as you get your head around this (and begin to recognise the visual cues indicating the current span) you also appreciate why the story is presented in this way. I can imagine a DVD on screen bonus marking which period the current scene is in.

The acting has little to complain about, and the production as a whole makes you wonder why other films find it so hard to do. But for me, the real genius in this film was how it was accessible by all - if you didn't pick up on the clues and twists it takes time out toward the end to spell it out for you. And unlike other films figuring out the twists doesn't actually spoil the film. Quite the opposite, actually.

So yeh. Good stuff. Go watch. And if it does manage to confuse you then you'll always have the DVD to finally figure it out with.

Game: Elite Beat Agents (DS)

The US-ified version of Ouendan, Elite Beat Agents brings us nineteen new tracks to hit dots to the beat of. Gone is the quirky Japanese Pop, now repleaced by quirky US fare (things like Sk8er Boi, Material Girl and YMCA are included, along with many I don't recognise), but then this series was never just about the music itself.

The comic strip story presentation is still there, although if I'm honest it does feel like something has been lost while moving to the English language. The game itself has been updated - you can now save and trade replays and play co-op wirelessly too.

So, better than Ouendan in some ways, yet worse in others, EBA is just as brilliant overall. The more tracks the merrier, I say.

Game: Street Fighter Alpha Anthology (PS2)

This disc contains the three Alpha (or Zero as I knew them) brands of Street Fighter games (I'm not counting Gem Fighters). The ports are pretty good, although not quite as complete as the PS1 versions my friends and I pumped so many hours in back in the day. SFZ3 was my favourite version of the ten or so SF games and I'm glad that I finally have access to a version again. A few minutes in and I was back to creating 17 hit combos with Ken, but then my hands started to hurt; yet another indication that I'm losing (if not have lost) my gaming prowess as I get older.

If there was one thing I was good at when I was young, it was Street Fighter. Yes, every guy my age thinks they were good at this game, but in terms of win/loss ratio I really was the best person at the game I knew of (I obviously didn't know that many people back then).

During our regular SF sessions 20+ game streaks were the norm for me, and once I had even reached the dizzying heights of over 120 in a row without loss. I could even play (and win) using one hand and my nose. But I didn't do that too often since people tended to stop playing when I did. I was that guy who resorted to using Zangief just to provide some kind of challenge.

My understanding of the game went past what I saw on the screen - moves were hard wired like reflex arcs, I played "within" animation frames and I had a sixth sense which enabled me to know a few seconds in advance what my opponent was going to do, just like a good Chess player does in their game. I'll say it again: If there was one thing I was good at when I was young, it was Street Fighter.

All this kinda explains why I spent a tenner plus change on what is essentially a collection of 8-11 year old games. I don't even own a PS2 (I have this one on loan) and don't really have anyone to play with now, so purchasing this was even more of a waste.

Well in theory anyway. This game was clearly bought for sentimental reasons, as a tribute to my past or even to provide some kind of closure. I've played for around half an hour today, but if I'm honest I've had my fix and probably won't ever play it again. But the thing is that even if that turns out the be the case, the game itself serves as a postcard from my youth just sitting there on my shelf.

Video Of The Day

Brilliant!



Thanks to Zubs for the heads.

Memorial Gates

I was invited to attend a ceremony to commemorate the Memorial Gates down on Constitution Hill. This is only across the road from where I work so I thought it would be worth checking out without taking too much time away from my desk.

It was smaller than I thought it would be. There were around 250-300 people there, and the formal ceremony lasted for around thirty minutes (although I seem to have missed the minute silence at 11am).

Otherwise it was as expected, with Baroness Flather, Lord Bilmoria and The Bishop of London all briefly speaking followed by bugles and bagpipes as the more important people laid their wreaths. It was a sombre affair. Pictures are on Picasa (or should be soon).

One thing the Baroness said struck a chord though. She mentioned how it was a shame that those in the sub-continent, for whom this memorial was really for, didn't really feel a need to recognise it; most probably didn't even know about the contribution made by the millions from their lands.

I guess I'm lucky in that I actually knew about the memorial and had visited it in the past - purely by luck mind, and only 'cos it's on the way to and from the mosque I go to pray Jummah in. But then, it isn't the first thing I suggest visitors from Pakistan and India to go and see, and I can't say I've ever told friends and family about it either.

So I guess that's what I'm doing now by writing this article. If you're in London and happen to be passing though the Hyde Park Corner area, how about taking five minutes (since it won't take much more than that) to check it out? I'm not guaranteeing emotion and I don't even saying that you have to reflect or anything, but it's not really something that takes much effort to do.

I'm the last person to ask about the Indian contribution to The Second World War, but regardless of my ignorance it is hard not to appreciate what the memorial is trying to symbolise.

Food: Tinseltown

A place that I had previously sworn never to go to, Tinseltown wasn't actually all that bad.

My main fear was that it would turn out as sleazy as people had made it out to have been. And, to be honest, it kinda was; the average age appeared to hover around the 20 year old mark, and it was quite obviously the place students go to to hang around in their mixed groups, undercover, while listening to the MTV Base playing in the background.

But it was clean and the food was pretty good too - I struggled to pick my Chicken Burger with Bacon (which was actually beef; everything in Tinseltown is halal) from the wide selection of food available, and settled for a banana milkshake for drinking. All in all it came to around a tenner which, in retrospect, seems a bit steep, but is the price to pay for something that is pretty unique for being both halal and accessible.

Thinking about it now, it's the kind of place I would have enjoyed going to when I was younger. No, not 'cos of that (like anything has changed in that respect since), but more for the need to reconcile being relatively social with being relatively religious. But that's something I (and others in the same situation) dealt with before the likes of Tinseltown existed, so it's interesting to see what role places like these will serve today.

Film: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

I actually thought Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat was more funny than his Ali G. There was something a bit more subtle about a Kazakhstani TV presenter trying to make his way in the west, and as a result finding Borat funny placed you with "us" rather than "them".

So it's a bit surprising how I didn't find this feature version of the sketch as hilarious as the Ali G equivalent. I mean, sure, it was funny at times and did draw you into the whole mocking of the US theme, but it wasn't as pant-wettingly entertaining as I was expecting it to be.

The film was a bit predictable at times, possibly due to the extended coverage the film has received in the past couple of weeks, and that didn't help. The resorting to slapstick humour was a bit cheap too (although since it made me laugh anyway this is less than a criticism than it seems).

Still, it's difficult to advise people to rush out and watch this now. It would probably be a better idea to watch it privately at home in the background with a group of friends and for that reason you should probably wait for the DVD.

Not So Surprising Birthdays

A friend an I were thrown a bit of a surprise birthday tonight. I say "a bit", because I can't quite claim that it was totally unexpected for me. Not that it wasn't totally appreciated and humbling of course, but unlike my friend I wasn't caught off guard. I think with this particular group it's a good thing to always expect to be stitched up in some way. Still, it was both sweet and flattering; and I even got a cake with my name on it and everything.

The whole episode and how I handled it says a lot though. Amongst other things, I have concluded that I'm:

• Smart, since I had figured out something might have been up.
  
• Psychic, but in a practical sense since I didn't have much to go on. A bit like how I can guess the ending of film.
  
• Presumptuous, since I was expecting it.
  
• Arrogant, since part of coming to this conclusion was thinking that I was special enough to warrant it.
  
• Paranoid, since everyone is plotting behind my back and out to get me.
  
• Self-involved, since even though it was a gathering for me, I needed the evening to be even more about me. And that doesn't even consider my writing this kind of blog.
  
• Self-conscious, since I needed people to know that I knew.
  
• Insensitive, since the most polite thing would be to allow myself to be surprised.

See? This is why I don't like birthday parties thrown for me. It totally messes me up, man.

In Conversation with Jack Straw MP

I wouldn't usually have attended something like this (especially on a Thursday), but I seeing as it was on the way home and promised to end by 730pm, I thought I'd give it a go.

But despite overrunning (even politicians can be tardy, it seems) it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. Yes, unfortunately it was mainly about those veil comments, and yes, 80% of that was a waste of time too, but what was left behind was worth listening to. I guess all the usual cliches (there were student protesters outside, and some vividly single minded people inside) just come with the territory.

After the pre-preamble, Sir Sigmund Sternberg (of the Three Faiths Forum) spoke about the importance of inter-religious dialogue, paying homage to the Labour party while doing so. He then introduced the main speaker for the evening, Jack Straw MP.

Unlike certain other members of his party, Straw seems much better at delivering prepared statements than being put on the spot. Still that's not a bad thing since he did a good job of defending/explaining/backtracking on (depending on your viewpoint) the whole veil thing. For me, a notable point was that although he would often request a visitor take off their veil, he wouldn't let any denial of that request hinder any help he could offer to them. Thank goodness for that.

He would also be against any change in the law that would ban the wearing of the veil (although in retrospect this doesn't really mean much. It's not like any such ban wouldn't be so obvious). Anyway, although I reckon he said enough to alleviate his mainstream critics, I'm not sure he tackled any of the more pragmatic concerns people have, like the ones I've described previously here (for a self-publicising example).

Not that I had a chance to raise them today. Yet again we had the same obvious, repeated and largely irrelevant questions asked by an audience more interested in scoring points than debate. And if that makes me sounds bitter, it's probably because I am. Still, I don't think that it's unreasonable to get frustrated at yet more accusations of breeding Islamophobia or at the umpteenth reference to the Iraq war. It also didn't help that Jack Straw struggled to respond to most of them.

So anyway, yes, tonight was interesting, but again it was more 'cos of the interactions and reactions of everyone involved rather than what any single person had to say. It's also amusing to compare my thoughts on event to that of others including the general press (The BBC and the second Guardian article linked below are especially head-scratching).

I hope I'm not being a sucker when I say that Straw now stands a bit taller in my eyes. That said, I still think he's weird for allowing a piece of cloth get in the way of effectively talking to someone. I wonder if he'll ever get over that.

More info and coverage at The BBC, The Guardian, Google Blog Search and The Guardian again.

One Thousand Posts of Inanity

Well, apparently, this is my one thousandth post (although that may not be entirely accurate since I have a few draft posts knocking about which may contribute to that number).

So yes, yet another milestone. Of course it's nowhere near the dizzying heights reached by my BBC ALMB postcount (which exceeded an extremely sad 13k) but then the natures of the two are very different I guess.

Here's to another thousand, who knows if I'll make it to that milestone, hope you all enjoyed the first grand, etc etc.

Film: The Last Kiss

If you took Closer and bathed it in sugar and candy floss you'd probably end up with something resembling The Last Kiss.

That's not to say it was a bad film. Quite the opposite actually; it's certainly the best film I've seen post-Ramadhan. Sure, it's a bit shallow and lacks substance, but that only serves to make it more accessible than other films that might deal with the infidelity and the breaking down of relationships.

It's also worth noting that this film isn't entirely about a 29 year old Michael (Zach Braff) going after college student Kim (an unusually unattractive Rachel Bilson) - not that I was too disappointed with that. Ahem. There are more than a couple of relationships dissected here, each with their own qualities and so somewhat balancing what the film has to say about the whole subject matter.

So, not as dark or gritty as other films but benefiting precisely because of that, I'd recommend this for anyone looking for something easy going, yet far reaching enough to keep you genuinely interested.

Film: Saw III

It feels like yesterday that I was writing about Saw 2, and then too reminiscing about the first Saw. It's actually been a year, but unlike the first sequel the third in the series seems to have run out of steam.

Which is a shame. If you read my reviews of the first two films you'll know how much I enjoyed them for being so fresh and different, so it was always a tall order to follow it up. But seeing as how they had already done it twice already, I was hoping that the filmmakers would have held out for a third.

Alas it was not to be. Saw III seems to have left the slick, intelligent thrill for something much more blatantly and intentionally gruesome, shocking and as a result, cheap. It still passes as a strong enough film, but seeing as how it follows so closely on from the first two it's difficult not to judge it on the bar which they had set.

Still it's nice to watch it for completion's sake, and if you were a fan of the first two then you kinda owe it to yourself and those that brought them to watch this too. On the flip side if you've never really cared for the Saw franchise then I can't quite think of anything here that will interest you at all.

Film: Don

This was always going to be compared to the original Amitabh classic, and as a remake I think it does pretty well. The homages made to the 1978 version were good enough not to annoy those who had seen it (and amazingly there were more than a few in my group who had not!).

But as a film in its own right it kinda fell flat on it's face, and I don't think these are the rose tinted spectacles talking either. The acting was alright, the dancing absurd (but then one doesn't really expect anything less from Priyanka), the music so-so. Interestingly the script has been changed enough from the original to keep those who already knew the older plot interested, but despite that it too failed at times. The first 45 minutes or so were really good though.

The fact that it's a good remake but crap film may seem a bit paradoxical. What went wrong with Don, however, was an over-reliance of the franchise resulting in a lack of effort to make it stand up when it chose to do its own thing. And that unfortunately, was what had made it so disappointing.

Request For Feedback

With respect to Monday's Eid Show, for those who watched we'd appreciate if you could fill out this survey.

It's not long and shouldn't take you more than a minute to fill out (and if it does, then stop - I hate doing surveys too).

Eid Callings

I finally completed my phonelist for this year - almost a whole day after I should have. Ok, I had the television thing to distract me, but still, it's just not good enough. After last time (when I flew back from Pakistan the day after Eid), this is the second year in a row I'm late.

Eid is really the only day I can put a dent in my phone bill (only 448 minutes left) and battery (it's currently on "yellow"), and however weird it feels to only talk to some of these guys only twice a year I'm still glad I do it. I'm just sorry I couldn't get them all done on the day itself.

On the other hand it's not my fault some of you have names beginning with a letter later on in the alphabet...

On The Box

First things first: to wear that red topi was NOT my decision. Just so that we're clear that that wasn't my fault.

Anyway. So it's the day after and I've finally have a chance to write about the whole television thing. Those I've spoken to before directly will have more of an insight, but for blog purposes I'll have to be a bit more... objective. Hopefully it will be enough to give you an idea of how the day went.

I'll start with me. In retrospect, and after egocentrically watching my own footage (something I would not have usually done except for some friends who missed it wanted to watch), I don't think I did that badly during the solo call in part. Don't get me wrong: it could have been so much better and definitely did not go as well then as it did in my head. I definitely want to work on my on screen presence; I wanted to go for "normal, casual" Shak, but something seemed to have been lost in translation. It's a bizarre effect, really it is and I hope it's not due to anything other than nerves. And do I really act that gay in real life?

Apart from the obvious, the most difficult part for me (and perhaps the others too) was being conscious of the guy in front of you telling you to stand up, the guy in your ear telling you to sit down, and your own brain telling you to ignore both seeing as neither really knew what they were doing.

And that's pretty much what my co-host Sofia and I decided to do for the close. Once we started "responsibly" filtering out the dodgy direction I think that we were much better off for it; it's better to play the fool on your own natural whim than have someone force you to do it. I guess that since we were all new at this we had placed a lot of faith in those running the station to lead the creative way, and sometimes we might have been led down the garden path 'cos of that.

Not to detract from the help we did receive - there were many good ideas coming in from the channel itself that the school lot alone wouldn't have come up with - but there were things that we were made to do that made us raise eyebrows in the days leading up to the show and that we should've trusted our own feelings on instead. You know, things like being made to wear a red felt topi (although at least I managed to "lose" it for most of my time on screen).

It was pretty hard work overall, but I'm not sure whether that was because of the medium itself or our particular set up yesterday. I suspect it was the latter; Unity/Itihad is clearly a channel less mature than its peers and there were plenty of avoidable mistakes made especially on the technical front. Still, as much as I'd like to blame the gremlins, the really good TV personalities can and do deal with all that all of the time, so it's not really an excuse.

The problems were not just of the unanticipated variety though. From my brief time doing radio and just general common sense, the TV studio was a shambles. Small and practical things like being able to see your producer AT ALL TIMES and having a teleprompt would have made things a lot easier. And the red "live" light that you would have expected to tell you which camera was on didn't exist. As some of you may have noticed.

At times backstage was much more interesting than the show itself. Creative differences, high running emotions and arguments galore were present more often than not, but as painful as that all was it somehow added to the whole "media dahling" feel of the thing. It was, like, totally drama, yaar. But on a more serious note, I do honestly believe that our biggest problem was that of a particular oversized ego than the lack of media experience of the channel or the schools.

Still, we did have fun. And it was a brilliant experience and one I'm so glad to have had been a part of. The bit that went on air was just the tip of the iceberg and the concentrated efforts made in the days beforehand was the kind that just makes you feel like you belong to something big and important.

I now see presenters (especially Asian ones) and the like in a totally new light. Whereas before I would describe them as rubbish, I now consider them let down. And on travelling to the office this morning I've come to realise just how boring real work is.

One To Watch

Live @ Eid, Unity TV, (SKY 825), 11am-2pm

A repeat, just in case you missed it. It should also have been (hopefully heavily) edited in order to actually make us look good...

Eid Mubarak!

RUSH RUSH!!

Further Details

The show runs from 11am till 2pm, with yours truly scheduled in for 1230pm and then again for the close at 145pm. The channel is on SKY 825.

The number to dial in on is 020 7908 7290. Even if you're not around during the call in slots, do anyway and someone will hopefully take a message. Well, that's the plan anyway... And remember, you can email in as well on eid@unitychannel.tv.

Yikes.

Video Of The Day

Presenting the promo for the Eid Show tomorrow:



ACEBEST!

Coming To You Live From London

Well it was just a matter of time really. That's right, a bunch of guys and girls from ICSS and its two sister schools have been asked to create and host an Eid Show, due to be broadcast live on the telly. It's on one of those cheapo low bitrate, high channel number and magic background jobbies a la Vectone and the like, but we're all working very hard to put it together anyway. And yes, I'll be personally hosting a call-in competition during the latter half of the show.

I don't seem to be feeling the nerves at the moment, which is strange considering that this is going out to Europe to an apparent viewership of 100,000. Rehearsals have been going alright, but then this is live and further with children so anything could happen really. Finally I have realised my dream (see here, here and here).

I know that this will be terribly exciting for some you, so just in case you find it difficult to control yourself here are some humble requests:

• DO watch the show on SKY channel 825.
  
• DO get your younger kids and cousins to call in (number to come).
  
• DO continually e-mail us on eid@unitychannel.tv, starting NOW.
• DO NOT take the mickey out of us on air.
• DO take the mickey off air.
• DO tell those you know will be interested but won't get a chance to read this till Tuesday about the show.
  
• DO tell your friends and family to give us a look.
  
• DO contact the producers of the channel and tell them what a fantastic job you thought we all did.

So yes, please do watch and contribute tomorrow. The real driver for some parts (like the segment I'm hosting) depends heavily on people calling in, so if you see us struggling with that we'd appreciate it if you picked up the phone. And hey, you get to see me wearing JEANS with a KURTA. Oh dear!

Shak's Choice: Zeenat Aman

So I've been watching Don in preparation for the imminent release of its remake:


And yes, Zeenat > Priyanka, but only just. Zeenat looks good even on today's stage; now that's what you call having classical good looks.

Not bad seeing how Don was released in my birth year. And just how weird do I feel about that? Well, not really that much at all.

New Music

We Used To Be Friends - The Dandy Warhols

Yeh, so I've been watching too much Veronica Mars. Sue me.

Bonus Day

Oooo... Except I'm at home. Drat.

Aligning Priorities

Apparently, I'm unreasonable for thinking that a potential wife that has travelled the world is preferable to one that wasn't allowed to by her parents. This is, of course, because girls shouldn't be allowed gallivanting around the globe unmarried, and so it's a positive thing if their parents didn't allow them to.

So I'm being stubborn and fussy for bringing up this issue and others like it (like not minding her having lived away from home or working in a particular job). The thing some don't quite get is that it's not the actual lack of travelling itself that bothers me (although, quite selfishly, I'd prefer not to revisit some of the places I've been to already), just that they weren't actually allowed to. I think that it's fair to look at the family of a potential partner, and one with this kind of mindset will more than likely have issues with some of the other things I might have to say or do. So it's me that's the problem, not them.

Take the fact that I have quite a few non-Muslim friends. I'm sure some of you will see this as nothing unusual, but already I've been introduced to two girls on the game who had trouble with the concept. "So wait. Do you, like, drink and stuff too?" or "Have you any Muslim friends at all?" are the usual comments, and they find it incredible that I'm able to pray at the houses of my non-Muslim friends too.

I'm not criticising them at all for who they choose to be friends (although I totally prefer to be on this side of the fence), but I'm not going to give up on mine either and will prefer not to leave my partner at home when going out. Oh, and just in case you're wondering I try not to discuss the many-female-friends issue too much.

But these are all trivial things, apparently. I'll never find someone that matches my specifications, so I should stop trying. I shouldn't mind the bits that don't work now; people change, and she'll get used to my quirks and I'll lose all my naughty controversial habits. I should just keep my mouth shut and stick to the things people want to hear; how I pray, how I have a good job, how I respect family. I can slip in the rest once I get my foot in the door. It'll all be bliss after a couple of years.

Snort. Yeh, right. Two things:

• A) I wouldn't like it if my counterparts "overlooked" things they thought were important to them.
• B) Hey man, I don't think I need to get my foot in any door.

Interestingly, the same people who tell me all this may also give me prime advice on how I should avoid girls who wear the nikaab, or are too strict, or are "troublemakers"; not that it's a problem for me, but can't these girls "change" too? I wonder if I can marry out of religion or culture too, hoping for this "change"? Of course, if I suggest this then I'm being extreme all of a sudden. I think my point still stands though. I guess that we all have different priorities, though.

I don't think that people change, I think that they compromise. That's not a problem in itself, but if they do this too much and with the principles that mean quite a lot to them, then I reckon that it will take its toll eventually. Surely it's better to work at a relationship with someone who's right for you (on the levels that are important) in the first place?

Three Corners

Muslims largely fall into three categories:

1. The Bynames. Those that think being Muslim is a birthright or even due to ethnicity. They'll do the token religious tasks, like fasting (sometimes), but they probably don't pray regularly and have committed what others (and they themselves) consider to be pretty big sins, like drinking, drooling over women or wearing gel and gold chains. Still, they're usually the most easy going of the three types
   
2. The Bybooks. Those that play the religion game by the letter of the law. They'll pray five times a day in a mosque, grow long beards or wear the hijab militantly (but perhaps not at the same time). They won't take on a mortgage unless it's Islamic compliant and only have Muslim friends (but on the bright side, ethnicity doesn't matter to them since as long as you declare the Kalimah, and sometimes you'd even find recently converted Bybooks). They won't listen to music; even nasheeds. In fact, they're so busy following their religion that they're probably neglecting their kids, who will almost certainly grow up to become Bynames.
   
3. The Bybrains. Those that mainly choose pragmatism over blind acceptance. They'll reject "traditional" Islamic rule just 'cos it doesn't sound right to them, and think it's more important that women get to choose what they wear than to proscribe something for them. They'll go to parties provided there's a place to pray, free mix and listen to music, Islamic or not. They spend more time thinking than doing, and as a rule tend to annoy Bynames and Bybooks with their complicating of the issue and, sometimes, post-justification.
   

It's important to see Bybrains not as somewhere between Byname and Bybooks, but as another corner on a triangle of extremes. Of course I'm not quite correct when I say that there are three types; in fact most Muslims fall somewhere between all three types (and if you really know me you'd see that I've used some personal examples in all three categories above).

For example, you can get some people that don't practise (very bynamish), but will only make Muslim friends (very bybookish). Or some people who will try to academically justify that you don't have to pray (a mixture of Byname and Bybrain). And finally, you'll get those who will have proofs of the unprovable (bybrainish Bybooks, or bybookish Bybrains, like the Islam's blatant correctness or of God himself (which, of course, doesn't exist).

As usual, it's all about balance. It's especially the case with religion: there are times when you'll be human and make mistakes (but you'll learn from them), there are times when you have to be a literal and have blind faith (since you can't prove the fundamentals) and if your brain isn't engaged most of the time then there's not much hope for you. Unfortunately, it seems that we're not quite there at the moment; it could even be a reason why the world of Islam is in such a state at the moment.

Tahajjud

Since we're now in the last ten days, how about considering reading Tahajjud? It's quick and easy, and you should be up for sehri anyway. It's eight rakats, but remember, if you're planning on performing this, then it's best to delay the witr from Esha till after Tahajjud.

And if you're really brave and pious, you'd read it in jamaat. My local takes 90 minutes, starting at 3am. Golly.

In High Spirits

Depending on when exactly you started, today marked the 15th or 16th fast of Ramadhan. Either way, we're all now over half way through and are on or way out. How fast (b'dum tish) was that then, eh?

Here's an interesting thing though. I've now had three different people saying how they're not quite feeling the Ramadhan sprit they usually do this time around. This isn't the first time a friend has said this ove the years, and I've never quite managed to understand what they mean.

Don't get me wrong: I do change during this month and I do take advantage of the time I have in it. On the obvious level I fast, do the tarawih prayer, pay zakat, and read more of The Quran than usual. On the more subtle side, I keep my gaze low (well, kinda. At least more than usual anyway), and I like to think I keep more integrity and strengthen my character too. I also tend not to socialise, instead choosing to spend more time with family rather than friends.

But all this is only because I know it's the 50x SUPER REWARD BONUS time of the year. It would be stupid not to stock pile the sawaab. I wouldn't put it down to the kind of "external" force indicated this concept of spirit that my friends are looking for.

So what exactly is this spirit then? And why do some people feel it, while others don't?

I've noticed that, for some, this is the month when they act the Muslim they (emphasis on the "they", by the way) feel they should be for the rest of the year. Perhaps for them this spirit is, in fact, an ease of guilt? On the other hand, perhaps feeling spiritual is exactly that and those that don't get it (including myself) have just never reached that stage before?

On the flip side, maybe those who normally practise (and so have no need to change their habits and lifestyle too much for this holy month) are insensitive to it? That is, that they are always in that spiritual zone and so feel no marked change during this month?

Not that I'm the greatest Muslim, but, for example, waking up for sehri isn't the big soul tearing sacrifice for me that it can be for others not used to praying Fajr. Come to think of it, one thing that these particular friends of mine all have in common is that they stepped up their general awareness of religion at around the same time, a couple of years ago. Maybe they've just become used to it in that time?

Perhaps depends on weather or season? Maybe the fast becomes more pressing, and therefore distracting, as the days become longer?

Whatever the case, it probably doesn't really matter anyway. So some feel special during the month; I think that's great. What I don't think is that there is a correlation between this, quite abstract, feeling and how much advantage is being taken of, or reward being earned in, Ramadhan. Just like everything else it just comes down to one's personal relationship with their faith. And by definition that's something that's always going to be different for everyone.

(IANAS)

The Plan

In college we all had our predictions for our lives ahead. We were teenagers and in our naivety had everything laid out and perfectly lined up in order, hoping to traipse through the whole lot as we got older. Amongst other things I had specifically the following (and yes, it's about that subject again); as long as everything went to plan, I was to:

1. Meet and get to know the woman of my dreams at 24
2. Marry her at 26
3. Have a kid with her at 28

I had long discarded this plan, way before I had hit the age of 24. I had arrived in reality by then and realised, through the experiences of others, that things didn't really work that way. It always was a silly premise, but regardless of that the general theme of "avoiding women till I was ready" stuck. And thinking about it now, doing something like this is definitely typically me.

Despite throwing the above schedule out of the window before it had even begun, I do have to admit feeling a pang of disappointment on both my 24th and 26th birthdays, as I categorically failed each respective checkpoint. I did look on the positive though; it wasn't all bad since I could always catch up with the schedule. I'd just have to squeeze up on phases one and two a bit and I'd be back on track again. Easy.

However, as of 9am this morning, that possibility ceased to be the case. I am now officially and unequivocally overdue on all three counts and The Plan pretty much lies in tatters. Now, this isn't Yet Another Post About Shak Being Single (well ok, maybe it is a bit), but I do find it interesting how sometimes even the best laid plans go to pot.

In retrospect it was pretty foolish to create such a schedule in the first place, especially since it meant staying away from anything (or anybody?) that didn't figure in The Plan at the right time. I wouldn't say that I'm regretful now or that I had missed some very good opportunities, but there is a chance that things could have been different if I had held a different mindset for the past few years.

Still, as I have explained already, my confidence in this plan had been lost a long time ago and it's not like I'm feeling like a failure now or anything. But the funny thing is that, despite the above thoughts on the matter, I'm still going to go ahead and set an absolute age limit with respect to this particular matter. And furthermore, this time, I'm going to try and stick to it at whatever cost.

Some people just don't learn, I guess.

Veiling the Issue

And so the debate rages on pretty much in the manner it was expected to: the fundamentalist Muslims are overreacting and digging their defensive lines while the ignorant imperialist infidels (d'ya like that eh? Do ya?) are trying to justify something that is obviously so blatantly wrong, oppressive, irrelevant and hostile only to Islam (again) you gotta wonder whether they're joking or not. In the meantime, the rest of us sit in the sidelines watching everyone else have a barmy just for the sake of it. There's not much new ground here folks, but for those of you who have no idea of what I'm talking about click the link above for more details.

Still, there have been a few things that has raised my left eyebrow (since I can't quite manage it with my right yet). Some completely irrelevant and redundant arguments have been made on all sides, by both Muslims and otherwise, and both for and against Mr Straw's comments (and don't be fooled; the lines aren't completely drawn in parallel between these sides). So, while the media takes care of the headlines issues, here are my top three, more subtle, idiocies of the current furore:

• You need to see someone's face in order to communicate with them successfully.

Bzzzzt. Not quite daddy-o. You need to see someone's face in order to communicate with them face to face, but not to communicate with them at all. Think about it - we're able to communicate perfectly fine over the phone or via email and unless you're the geeky type you don't see faces of anyone then. Even in person you don't necessarily look at each other's faces while talking to them (especially if the other party is a she and wearing a not-so-loose top. But I digress).

Yes, ok, talking to someone face to face does have its own advantages, some even unique over the other forms of communication. But to say that you can't communicate at all with someone unless you can see their mug indicates, to me, a fault in you rather than the person you're trying to talk to. It's like me saying I can only talk to women effectively when they're wearing short skirts and tight tops; I'm sure everyone would agree that there would be something wrong with me if that was case (and don't worry, it's not). And yes, that'd be the last reference to women and skimpy clothing for remainder of this post. Honest.

• Islam doesn't require women to wear a nikaab; it just stops at a hijab. Anything else is culture and so doesn't matter.
  

Paaaarp. Now, I don't have a problem with this belief on the personal scale. Heck, I might even go further than that myself and say that even the hijab is a cultural choice rather than an Islamic obligation. But this isn't really about what Islam says; this is about the veil itself. It's beside the point whether it's worn to keep nasty pervy men away from you and your stunning beauty or as a pure sign of Godly worship or because you think you're so damned ugly that for anyone to lay eyes on your face you would turn them to stone. The reason doesn't matter, the fact that a woman - any woman - would want to wear one, does.

In fact, taking this point further, it's not even about the veil either: we can substitute the nikaab in this debate for anything that makes someone else feel uncomfortable, whether that happens to be of a religious nature or not. Unsettled by Goths? Get them to change. Can't communicate with those with ginger hair? Get them to wear hats. Finding it hard to talk to black people? Well, you get the picture.

I eagerly wait for Mr Straw to tell us about how he cannot converse with people sporting mullets without cracking up every five minutes. Now those are distracting.

• People should respect the British custom of having people show their faces in public.
  

Someone (they might have even been Muslim, proving that we can be as daft as anyone else is) actually said that since British tourists respect the local custom of covering up when they go to certain Arab countries (like Dubai), it's reasonable for those wearing the nikaab to do the same in reverse here. Except, beeeeep, in general, local custom is created by the locals, and that, unfortunately, includes the British born women who choose to don a veil. You can only really aim this particular persecution at those Arabs visiting I'm afraid.

There are a few more bullet points, but I've already written more than I had intended to. Woah. Seems that there was some depth in this particular debate after all.