Daughter

Last night at around 11:55 pm, The Almighty blessed us with a small 3.3 kg bundle of joy. She's tiny. She's cute. She's cuddly. And she is beautiful. May Allah make her a joy for her family and an asset to the muslim ummah.

With loads of duas(prayers) from all around, my daughter starts her journey in this world from a tiny nursery wrapped in luminescent white. Holding her for the first time in my arms reminded me of when my first born, Usama, was born. Small and fragile bundle with a lion's roar to cry with. Hence, appropriatley named Usama. We have decided to name her Umama after a sahabiya. The meaning of the name is still being sought but it's enough that a sahabiya was named as such.

I went to see her today in the nursery. How can something so beautiful be awarded to a sinner like me is truly a monument to the Rehmat of The Rehmaan. Glorified be Allah, The Creator, The Omnipotent.

Just Older (by Jon Bon Jovi)

(This is a song by Bon Jovi which I liked a lot because of it's lyrics.)

Hey, man, it’s been a while,
Do you remember me?
When I hit the streets I was 17,
A little wild, a little green,
I’ve been up and down and in between,
After all these years,
Can you believe I’m still chasing that dream,
But I ain’t looking over my shoulder

Chorus:
I like the bed I’m sleeping in,
It’s just like me, it’s broken in,
It’s not old -- just older.
Like a favorite pair of torn blue jeans,
This skin I’m in it’s alright with me,
It’s not old -- just older.

It’s good to see your face,
You ain’t no worse for wear,
Breathing that California air,
When we took on the world,
When we were young and brave,
We got secrets that we’ll take to the grave,
And we’re standing here shoulder to shoulder.

Chorus
I like the bed I’m sleeping in,
It’s just like me, it’s broken in,
It’s not old -- just older.
Like a favorite pair of torn blue jeans,
This skin I’m in it’s alright with me,
It’s not old -- just older.

I’m not old enough to sing the blues,
But I wore the holes in the soles of these shoes,
You can roll the dice ’til they call your bluff,
But you can’t win until you’re not afraid to lose.

Solo
Well, I look in the mirrorI don’t hate what I see,
There’s a few more lines staring back at me,
The nights have grown a little colder.

Hey man, I gotta run,
Now you take careIf you see coach T. tell him I cut my hair,
It’s been all these years,
Can you believe I’m still chasing dreams,
But I ain’t looking over my shoulder.

Chorus
I like the bed I’m sleeping in,
It’s just like me, it’s broken in,
It’s not old -- just older.
Like a favorite pair of torn blue jeans,
This skin I’m in it’s alright with me,
It’ s not old -- just older.

Drops of Jupiter

My son, Usama, just graduated from KG-II to class-1 with flying colors. He has done a really excellent job..getting 100% in EVERYTHING, which is 40% more than the highest marks I every got! His teacher's love him and he is the light of my life and the apple of my wife's eye. One might expect the first born in every family to be this evil, cunning, brat but, al hamd o lillah, he's turned out well and the credit goes to my wife.

I had promised my son that I'd get him any toy he likes if he comes first...provided the toy was below a certian monetary value. And somehow, and I think this he gets from my wife, I ended up making a deal with him that I'd get him three toys of his choice if he came first, two choice of his choice if he came second and one toy of his choice plus a toy of my choice if he came third. How I can end up with such a deal and be smug about my negotiating skills is beyond me!
I am vividly reminded of how what happened the last time (yeah, it's been a while!) since I bought my wife a piece of jewelry. We roamed all the shops on our street (and there are quite a few!!) until she, being a true Venusian(only in her case, I think she really IS from Venus!), could finally decide on what to buy which was from the first shop we visited and the item happened to be the first item that had caught her fancy!

So ayways, we went to TOYS R US ("'Coz that's where the really GOOD toys are!", says Usama) last night. After we roamed the aisles for a good part of two hours, Usama was still undecided about what to buy. He picks up a toy brings it to where we are and says,"I want this one also!" and puts it on the small pile that he has recently started gathering in a corner. Soon there are many mini-piles all over the store, of toys of every nature -- ranging from figurines of super heros and robots to car models and remote controlled helicopters. As I begin to loose my patience and the strength in my legs, my fatherly instinct kicks in and I pick two toys from the most recent pile he has been gathering and ask him if he would lke me to buy both of them for him. Five minutes later, we are out of the shop. Later, my son confides in me that he liked a few other toys which I can get him the next time we visit the shop!

My son -- a true amlagamation of Martian negotiation skills and Venusian scrutinizing abilities. My son, the Jupitarian!