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Monday, October 31, 2005

Yearkbook Blurb


Waterloo Brainwashing? Picture from 2nd year in the Water Quality Lab.
(used for our yearbook:-)).


QUOTE : We should not do as we like; but we should like what we should do.
( by Abdul Hakim Murad)

Water Water Water loo loo loo...

These words always bring back memories of our Frosh Week in 2001. It is hard to believe that more than 4 years have passed since that week when I thought university was going to be a piece of cake after high school. Of course a week after Frosh Week, the bubble burst. I, like many others , was brought down to earth by the challenges of adjusting to 1st year—from studies to roommates to co-op. I also had the personal challenge of adjusting to a new culture which my family had abandoned when I was only 2. However, thanks to people who supported me, I adapted within a couple of years. Friends like Leigh, Mustafa, Arshad and Junaid are among the most awesome friends I have ever made. My Enviro classmates and Geo buddies have been and are a great pillar of support. And how can I forget that overly friendly and funny professor who helped us so much in 1st year-Bob! The list of people that I can thank is endless!

As time passed by I also fell in love with my Program and in particular with Water. When people ask me what kind of job i want to pursue after graduation, I usually respond, "ideally, I will be cleaning water!" So my cheer as i approach graduation has been reduced to:

Water Water Water…[Silence]

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

The MSA Nursery Rhyme

dedicated to all the MSA -Waterloo people ( past and present) who read this blog.

Stay clear, The sisters are here
Whisperring something, I cannot hear
Hope is here, when brothers volunteer
they are working out, have no fear

The wind is blowing
the hijabs are glowing
the water is flowing
the beards are growing

BIg brothers in the MSA
Brothers from back in the day
Hair falling off ; Hair turning grey
Time for them to get married I'd say

Brothers with torn socks
Sisters with new clocks
Speakers giving islamic talks
The president being pelted with rocks

Be it rain, shine, snow or hail
The MSA ship will not go stale
With amazing people like these
We can cross the Oceans with ease

Monday, October 24, 2005

Beauty Tips...

From one of my favourite blogs : SOMEwisdom
Beauty Tips...

For attractive lips,speak words of kindness...

For lovely eyes,seek out the good in people...

For a slim figure,share your food with the hungry...

For beautiful hair,let a child run his or herfingers through it once a day...

For poise,walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone...

People, even more than things, have to be restored,renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed;never throw out anybody...

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand,you'll find one at the end of your arm...As you grow older, you will discoverthat you have two hands,one for helping yourself,the other for helping others...

The beauty of a woman is not inthe clothes she wears,the figure that she carries,or the way she combs her hair...

The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes,because that is the doorway to her heart,the place where love resides...

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,But true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.It is the caring that she lovingly gives,the passion that she shows,

And the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!!!

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Quake 5: The Valley of Death

Article from the Globe and Mail:


UWAN, PAKISTAN — In a hail of flying rocks, while the earth broke and fell hundreds of metres into the valley below, Sabir Hussain Shah took a giant leap.

The 40-year-old threw himself across a freshly opened crevice to save his children as they screamed on a mountain ledge during the earthquake that ravaged this remote part of Pakistan two weeks ago today.

Now, Mr. Shah is preparing for a leap that frightens him vastly more. As a leader in the village of Suwan, Pakistan, and a great-great-grandson of the warlord who founded the remote settlement almost two centuries ago, Mr. Shah is trying to persuade his neighbours to abandon this place.

“There is no life here any more,” Mr. Shah said, standing on a footpath overlooking the ruined houses and cornfields on carved shelves in the mountains.

The landslides and collapsing homes killed 24 of Suwan's 700 villagers.

In the first days, the survivors didn't have a moment to think about anything except digging for bodies, building shelters, and foraging for buried food. They clawed at the mud with their bare hands and slept in the rain.

Now, the men who poke through the rubble for useful items have slowed their work. The ones who push boulders off the narrow paths are leaning idly on their tools. Everybody squats among splintered beams and shattered rocks, talking quietly and seriously.

They love their village, with its rich soil and pure water from nearby glaciers. But there is little of what they used to call home left: The landslides washed away 90 per cent of the homes, 60 per cent of the livestock, and most of the stores of food. Their tools are buried and their water pipes broken................................................

Quake 4: The Aftermath


ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOGRAPHS - Sat 22 Oct, 01:16 PM
A Kashmiri earthquake survivor, made homeless by the Oct. 8 earth quake,
sleeps in debris in a street in the devastated city of Muzaffarabad, Pakistan



Just talked to my parents today. Again, the Earthquake was mainly what we talked about. Eid preparations have been toned down this year. A lot of people are still recovering from the psycological impact that the quake has had. However these peopple are still lucky becuase there are others who are dealing with much worse like the loss of families, homes, cities, neighbors, roads, trade, etc. I sent my parents the eyewitness account that I had posted on my blog. My parents thought it was just baloney. Although, there is no smoke without fire my dad said that the eyewitness account was full of exagurations. The fact that the author of the article is anymonos also reaises doubts about the credibilty of the article.

The UN is painting a bleak picture and Jan England ( UN emergency relief chief) commented on the Aid sent so far:

"This is not enough. We have never had this kind of logistical nightmare ever. We thought the tsunami was the worst we could get. This is worse."


An eye witness account of a journalist was also very moving:

"...............Stench from the dead, both humans and animals, became unbearable as we approached Bagh City. Destruction was widespread and civil life was totally paralysed. Poor and the privileged suffered equally. Such calamities have an eerie egalitarian character in terms of their unfortunate consequences. Like elsewhere in Azad Kashmir, children's casualties were staggering. Many hundreds, reportedly, lay dead under the rubble of one Springfield School in Bagh City. I saw one unrecognisable corpse being recovered. On October 14, six days after the earthquake, debris was being removed with bare hands.

Relief activity was taking place chaotically. In many instances people just threw relief goods on the roadside as they got stuck in traffic jams. Residents of Bagh valley had much better access to what was coming while those in the mountains got nothing or a trickle. Out of the massive relief goods that were arriving in Bagh, as a fair guess, at best one fourth was reaching where it was required.

The local army commander told me that people had suffered comparatively more on the heights. Helicopter support, tenuously dependant on fair weather, was desperately trying to keep their lifeline open. Army mule trains were also augmenting this effort. A Spanish medical team was briskly at work next to the helipad. I was told that an Army Division was being deployed to gear up relief work. The Army was taking control of the situation as on my way back I saw troops deployed for protection along main routes and the Military Police was attempting to facilitate the traffic flow.

Following the Bagh experience, it is recommended that within the disaster zone relief goods should be handed over to the Army authorities or to other agencies that have both the information and the capacity of sending them where they are most needed. Secondly, relief activity at any scale requires sound organisation in ensuring what is sent is consistent with the needs at the destination; that it is delivered with 100 percent surety; and that stern accountability ensures its correct end usage.

It was after visiting Bagh city and its adjoining areas that I sensed the scale and scope of the calamity. While I have made a mention of the visible damage, what could not be seen was even more disturbing. The local population seemed gripped by fear and terror. There was no safe shelter to sleep; water was being used from polluted sources. No functioning hotel and market catered for the basic needs. There was not even a safe mosque, the ultimate refuge, to pray from.

Those who could were fleeing the city. Most, however, had no option but to stay. Disillusionment had robbed many of the will to fight. One grandmother who had lost two of her grand children echoed such sentiments. Children were rarely to be seen. Those visible wore grim expressions. Break down in family structures had made the infirm more vulnerable. A young girl who required major foot surgery was being physically carried by some distant relatives as her father and brother had died. Medical treatment that she needed was not to be found short of Islamabad.

However, nobility in human spirit was to be found among the victims. Here I would like to make a mention of one person whom I saw standing very dignified while relief goods were being distributed in Batal area amid the familiar clamouring. On inquiry I found out that his name is Sarfraz and that eight members of his immediate family had died in the earthquake. While he admitted that he did not have much to live for, he still maintained his self-respect. Sarfraz typifies the steely resilience of countless who are learning to suffer in silence.'

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Rain Quote

Some people walk in the rain; Others just get wet

Friday, October 14, 2005

Quake 2

The news from my parents in Pakistan is that my Mom's school ( yeah she teaches :-)) is closed since the Administration want to check cracks which have appeared in the building. Same goes for most other buildings. Had the Earthquake been a tad stronger; Allah knows what sort of devastation would have been unleashed on even more cities. As it is , the situation still seems bad. The relief effort has gained pace but has lots of problems. There are areas which still haven't been reached yet. Of course some of these areas were hard to reach even before the quake.

I remember my brother went on a Field Trip 7/8 years ago to the Northern Areas in Pakistan and he had to shave his head just just because the village he was going to only had people with shaved heads and any outsider with hair would not be that welcomed! So that just shows how cut off those Northern areas are from the rest of Pakistan and even if aid reaches them how hard it would be to communicate, etc etc.

The PSA ( Pakistani Students' Association) raised about $2500 through On campus fundraising this week which was great for a relatively new organization on our campus. I am hoping that the MSA is able to match PSA's efforts and work in tandem with them . Though it seems that last week was the best time to raise money ( with all the media coverage) and any effort now would find it hard to match itself to what the PSA did.

Meanwhile there are many more heartbreaking stories coming in.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Aid experts debunk post-disaster myths

From Reuters

LONDON (AlertNet) - In the aftermath of a sudden disaster, aid workers say the media often perpetuates certain myths and misconceptions about survivors and the best way to help them. Here are some of the myths that seasoned relief agencies want to debunk.

MYTH: Disaster-hit people are too dazed and shocked to take responsibility for helping themselves and others.
Reporters and photographers often portray survivors of a sudden disaster as helpless victims, unable to save themselves or each other. But according to the 2004 World Disasters Report, published by the International Federation of Red cross and Red Crescent Societies, in-depth reports from sudden disasters ranging from earthquakes to the collapse of New York’s twin towers show survivors rushing to save people from under the rubble – with their bare hands if necessary. Adeel Jafferi, media officer for Islamic Relief, described such proactivity in the immediate aftermath of Pakistan’s earthquake in October 2005: “Pakistan has never suffered an earthquake of this magnitude,” he told AlertNet in a telephone interview. “On the day it happened, ordinary people were rushing to aid victims, despite the shock they felt themselves. I saw people on the street who were completely out of their minds with fear, and yet when they saw the need to help people and heard the screams from under buildings, they ran immediately and started helping.’’

MYTH: The best international response is to send in rescue teams immediately.
Not necessarily. Some experts say local teams are better placed to perform emergency relief operations in the first few hours after a disaster. Ibrahim Oxman, the director of the policy and relations division at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, says: “The knowledge and resilience of people at risk contributes far more to reducing the toll of disasters than many of us in the developed world may expect.” During Iran’s 2003 Bam earthquake, which destroyed 85 per cent of the city, local Iranian Red Crescent rescue teams were deployed within minutes, despite losing four team members and their headquarters in the earthquake. They saved 157 lives with just 10 dogs. In contrast, international search and rescue teams from 27 countries took up to two days to arrive. Although they were armed with sniffer dogs and remote sensing equipment, they saved just 22 lives. Aid agencies are usually under huge pressure to be seen to respond quickly. But there can be serious pitfalls associated with rushing in too fast. Donna Eberwine, the editor of Perspectives in Health, says: “A hasty response that is not based on a needs evaluation can contribute to the chaos. It is better to wait until genuine needs have been assessed. The local population almost always covers immediate life-saving needs.” According to the World Disasters Report 2004, it is essential for agencies to carry out in-depth interviews with affected people to find out their needs, even in situations where time is of the essence. If they don’t, they run the risk of sending the wrong type of help. Immediately after the Asian tsunami, for example, surgeons from all over the world poured into Banda Aceh in Indonesia. But they found that few survivors had been injured, and there was little for them to do. In contrast many aid agencies overlooked women’s needs. There was a severe shortage of midwives and basics including sanitary protection, the contraceptive pill and headscarves for Muslim women were not provided.

MYTH: Dead bodies should be buried quickly to avoid disease
The World Health Organisation is one of several agencies trying to end confusion over this particular myth. Immediately after a disaster local authorities and aid workers sometimes panic and bury people before they have been identified, fearing the decomposing bodies will spread disease. Arturo Pesigan, head of WHO's Emergency and Humanitarian Action in the Western Pacific, says dead bodies actually pose little risk. “Survivors, not the dead, are more likely to be the source of disease outbreaks,” he says, adding that “identification of the body and the normal process of grieving are essential” to help survivors recover from their personal losses. John Tulloch, a coordinator in New Delhi with the South Asia regional delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said immediately after the Pakistan earthquake: “It’s a disaster myth that dead bodies spread disease. Most bugs die within hours of the host, and it was one of the big tsunami myths. We saw especially in Aceh (in Indonesia) mass burials which caused enormous problems. It’s dreadfully traumatic for relatives because their bodies end up being dug up again.” The Pan American Health Organization also says mass burials should be avoided at all costs. It calls them “a violation of the human rights of the surviving family members”.

MYTH: Survivors have lost everything except the clothes they stand up in. The best response is to give them second-hand clothes.
After the Asian tsunami, Indians sent a mountain of clothing to survivors in southern India. But the fisher families, for whom the clothes were intended, refused to accept them. Although they are usually depicted as the poorest of the poor, the 2005 World Disasters Report says they are a relatively prosperous and proud community. Even in such dire circumstances, they would not accept second-hand clothes. The unwanted clothes were dumped on roadsides, and municipal workers had to be diverted from the relief effort to gather them up. They also proved a hazard to local livestock, which tried to eat them. And food was sent from overseas. But the shipments included wheat and cooked foods from outside the region, neither of which were suitable to local tastes and which became a health hazard when they were dumped. Ebrahim Mohamed, head of British relief agency Muslim Aid, said after the Pakistan earthquake in October 2005: “We’ve been getting all sorts of offers of used clothing, and food. We tell people very nicely that getting this there is very costly. Money is the best way of getting this across. And it helps local economies.’’

MYTH: The best way Westerners can help children who have been orphaned in a disaster is to adopt them.
In most cases, children’s extended families, friends and neighbours will take them in. Unicef reported that almost all the 10,000 children orphaned in the Asian tsunami had been adopted locally within two months. By late February only 60 children were left without foster parents.

MYTH: The best way to help survivors is to put them in temporary settlements.
Aid professionals say this should be avoided as much as possible. Donna Eberwine, the editor of Perspectives in Health, says: ‘’It should be the last alternative. Funds may be better spent on building materials, tools and other construction-related support in the affected country.” The Asian tsunami showed how most survivors found shelter with host families, rather than being dependent on aid camps.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Imagine


Imagine your on the 8th floor of a building which falls down. You lose your arm and leg. Worse yet your Husband and kid are missing. On top of that your house is gone too. This has happened to my mom's friend.

Imagine you go to work and return to find your wife and kids dead and your home gone.

Imagine of being away from your home and finding out that now three is no family, home or city to return to. Your neighbors are dead too and so is all your immediate family. On top of that the road that goes to your city basically does not exist anymore and three is no way to even reach your city.

Imagine what it would be like to leave your kid at school just like any other day . The school falls down with the quake and your kid dies with it.

Imagine surviving everything yet you find out that your whole family is dead. Moreover you have no food and are suffering from various injuries and there is no food or shelter available and no help in sight.


Imagine being dead.

Please help the people affected.

Saturday, October 08, 2005

Quake /\/~~\/\

Collapsed Margalla Towers in Islamabad ( NY times picture)

This morning I had a big scare. I had just kept my fast when I got a message from a friend informing me of a big earthquake in Islamabad and that 2 buildings ( Margalla Towers) minutes away from my house ( where my parents live) had collapsed. Understandably I was very nervous. Frantic calls to Pakistan were not getting through, however thankfully I called my sister in Germany who had talked to my parents and later I was able to talk to my parents myself. They told me that the shaking was so violent that they could not stand up and sat down.....They thought that " this was it" as in "the end"- and the house was going to collapse. Thanks to Allah that nothing happened and my parents are okay, so is my house and all utilities are working. Though the aftershocks are continuing and even when I was talking to my mom she told me that she could feel the earth moving every few minutes.

A bit more about the building that collapsed in Islamabad. Margalla Towers were constructed right before my eyes about a decade ago. In fact the buildings that collapsed were the newest ones built!!Moreover there are buildings around that building that are taller and were built afterwards yet they did not collapse. I cant help but suspect sub standard construction was at fault. Though I guess right now saving lives is the top priority-and rightly so; but in the long term the collapse of the building has to be investigated specially in the context of the construction procedures.

What's a bit freaky for me was the fact that these buildings were built from scratch right before me, I could see these buildings from my house and these buildings so tall and magnificent.... are there no more. Some people in these buildings are no more. The people that survived the building collapse either have no home or have lost a family member.

Even though I am so far away from the quake--the fact that it has affected the city I grew up has had a big impact on me. I am thankful firstly that my parents are okay and secondly that my house is standing. Thirdly it was a reminder how near death could be for me and my dear ones.................Last but not least I pray that Allah grants patience to all those who have been severely affected and tested through this quake. I pray for those who died--May Allah grant them Paradise and may Allah grant their relatives patience as well. Ameen.

To end this post here are a few eyewitness accounts on BBC caught my eye as well:

I live opposite the collapsed apartment building in Islamabad and saw it collapse like one of those staged demolitions you see on TV. The reality of the situation hasn't fully sunk in yet. The human tragedy angle to this story is immense and indeterminable at the moment. It seems so surreal like I am still watching the telly and can switch to a different channel, one that is more agreeable and pleasant. One that won't make me realize that I am now homeless as my apartment building has been declared unsafe. Nowhere to go and fasting (Ramadan), the situation seems precarious.
Qaiser Rasul, Islamabad, Pakistan
The building that collapsed was unsafe from the day it was built. Within weeks it had seepage problems and cracks developed everywhere. The contractor should be held responsible. I saw a foreigner(possibly American)tying sheets together to lower himself and some kids story by story till the fire department got there. The Police didn't let anybody help out, considering there were only around 15 people standing on the rubble and trying to lift concrete which proved to be a waste of time. the army and the machinery took their sweet time (around an hour) to arrive. A woman next to me was crying that she'd left her apartment to buy milk and her 16 year old son was somewhere trapped beneath the rubble. Oxygen tanks were supplied by hospitals nearby as there was a severe Gas leakage and the electricity was cut off too to prevent any fires. Kids and toddlers were clinging to their parents and crying while their parents tried consoling them. God bless the victims of Margalla Towers.
Hassan, Islamabad

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Ramadan Reflections


Ramadan (Muslim month of fasting) is a time of reflection for me and it has been even more so since I moved away from my family to come to Waterloo, Canada. I remember my 1st Ramadan 4 years ago without my family being so tough. No family Iftars. No nice pakora smells coming from the kitchen. No talking to amee (mom) in the Kitchen while she would be preparing the amazing iftars. No Fruit Chaat. No Prathas in the morning Suhoors. No going to the market to get jalebis and other delights. No loud Azaans outside at Iftaars and Suhoors. No Special Transmission on TV showing Naats & Qawallis. Moreover, for the 1st time during Ramadan that everyone around me was not fasting!

All of the above things forced me to reflect and think of how unthankful I had been when I had all of the above blessings. It was only when those blessings were taken away I was able to appreciate what I had. This quote from Abdul Hakim Murad comes to mind:

"It is better to appreciate what you do not have than to have what you do not appreciate."

So in 2001 it was me alone in the kitchen preparing French Fries for iftar. Being really new to Canada at that time and living in a less social Residence meant I did not know many Muslims-and also, I was the only Muslim in my program. Add 1st year Academic Challenges of 1st year in University to my Ramadan and yes indeed: times were tough.

My next Ramadan ( 2002) was on a work term in Mississuaga. Mashah allah that was a time when I met some of my relatives whom I had never met before in my life! They helped me a lot- they would give me food and every now and then I would go to their place for Iftar. Ofcourse it was still not like home but it was much better.

The last 2 Ramadans were when things really started getting better. The MSA at Waterloo started having free iftars for students, 3 days a week in 2003. Mashah alalh about a 100 people used to show up at every fast---I made a lot of friends during that Ramadan. The fasts also gave me a semi-family atmosphere. Last year (2004), I was boarding with a family in Hamilton during Ramadan. It was a blessing in many ways. I got great Prathas for Breakfast and great iftars in the evening. It felt like home in most ways. And then since it was a very friendly family there was more a family feel to my fast as well. Moreover every now and then I would go to Mcmaster to break fasts with the MSA there.

This year Mashah allah I have friends in Waterloo who are like my family now ( Though nothing can replace my immediate family)--and fasting is much easier then it ever was for the last 4 years.

Things are much better in so many ways, alhamdulillah. Ramadans in Canada have forced me to reflect in a different way. And I am thankful for every thing I have now. Cause I do have more blessings then I deserve.

Be Thankful,( from SOME: Wisdom ) by Anonymous

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary
Because it means you've made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they
can become your blessings.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Ramadan Mubarek

I hope and pray that this Ramadan is a month of maximum reward, deep reflection and spiritual growth for all of you, inshah allah.

True Love

Walter Raleigh (d. 1618), the explorer and courtier, said in Walsinghame,

"But true love is a durable fire, In the mind ever burning, Never sick, never old, never dead, From itself never turning."


Sunday, October 02, 2005

Brown Lot

A good friend of mine wrote the following:

Us brown lot are weird people. We're not like the rest of them. Come, take a
look at the differences between us and them ...

1. If one of them says yes, he means yes, as in, yes. If a brown guy says
yes, he means yes as in no. Or yes as in, "maybe if I feel like it I will
think about it and then say no". Or if you're lucky, yes as in, "man I am so
totally gonna do it, you just watch it'll be done before you know it ...
actually, forget it".

2. To those guys, 5 o'clock means 5:00. Maybe 5:02, rarely 5:05, never 5:10.
To us, 5 o'clock means 6 o'clock. Maybe 6:30. Sometimes it means "I'll leave
my place at 6 and lets see when I get there", usually its a case of "I was
here at 5 and then I went to look for you and when you showed up I wasn't
here so you went to look for me, and while we were looking for each other
the 3rd guy showed up and saw nobody was here so he left." In any case, when
people say 5 o'clock, don't hold your breath. You call them at 6 "yeah I'm
on my way"; you call them at 7 "I'll be there in a minute"; you call them at
8 "yup I'm at your front door"; you call them at 9 and you get a busy
signal; finally they'll show up by 10 and you think oh well, lets have
dinner instead of lunch. And then they say, "man, I'm not feeling too
hungry, I just ate." Then you take an axe and chop them in half.

3. If one of them is wet, either he got caught in the rain, or maybe he just
came from the gym. If a brown guy is wet, he must also have just come from
the gym ... alrite, who am I kidding, everybody knows the man's going to
pray.

4. If you see one of them going to the washroom, you patiently wait outside
for 2 minutes and he comes out. You see a brown dude go to the washroom,
pack your bags and go back to Toronto coz that dude aint coming out in
your lifetime.

5. If you find a brown guy in engineering, it is quite likely his parents
forced him to go there. If you find a white guy in engineering, call the CBC
and report your discovery immediately.

6. If their cell phone rings, its their friends. If your cell phone rings,
its your mum. Or your dad. It also means its time to go home.

7. White guys line up for Bomber . Brown guys line up for Fed Bus .

8. It follows that if one of them is sleeping in class, he was at Bomber the
nite before and didn't get home till 4am. Excusable. You see a brown guy
sleeping in class, its because he had too many kebabs for breakfast and
ofcourse, between digesting beef and digesting calculus, your body can only
handle one thing at a time.

9. You see one of them messed up a midterm, most likely he got stuck with a
bad prof or a really hard course. You see a brown guy messed up, its because
his friend who took the course last term lost all his notes, can't find his
old midterm, and doesn't resemble our buddy enough to write his midterm for
him.

10. And finally, you all knew this was coming, you see one of them guys
trying to impress a girl because they hope maybe she'll give him her number
and they can go out sometime. You see a brown guy asking for her number so
he can get someone to call her house while she's not home and get her father
to call his Dad and arbitrarily order her to marry him and then she has no
choice but to marry him and she thinks "I should have listened to my parents
and not given out my phone number to strangers". So much for being a rebel.

Yes, its complicated; but my friend this is how stuff works around here.