Ravens Legacy

1984, as a strong winter storm swept through Baltimore, several Mayflower trucks started to roll out the Baltimore Colts to Indianapolis, taking with them all their records, memorabilia, and the name. It was a pretty gloomy and surreal moment for Baltimore football fans. Several years later in 1996 the Cleveland Browns are moved to Charm city to become the Baltimore Ravens and with the first draft picks, a new start for Baltimore football finally becomes a reality. And in 2000, they won a championship, bringing home the Lombardi Trophy. The team, had always purely depended on its vanilla offense a tenacious defense, has recently changed their philosophy to become a more balanced team. By drafting a few offensive weapons and bringing in a couple others, the team has changed its philosophy to put it on the fast track for another championship. This group of men has shown a lot of resilience and will power when it comes to team work. The question is do they have what it takes to win a championship? I guess, we’ll have to wait and see.

Educational Experiences

During my past 18 years of schooling, I have attended several different schools in several different countries. I attended elementary in Hong Kong and Pakistan, middle and high school in Pakistan and USA, respectively. Although I don't have a clear depiction of what it was like in elementary school, I can without any reservations, recall my time in middle and high school. By far, I had my best educational experience in high school. What made a difference was, the close relations every student had with their teachers, the quality time spent after schools doing extracurricular activities, and the quality of education taught. It is during these four years that I can say “I learned the most” if compared to other four year spans of schooling.

My worst educational experience occurred during my freshman year at UMBC. In part to being totally clueless as to what was expected from my classes, I had just started my new job at the bank the same week as school started. I had absolutely no time for anything else but school and work, and the culminated into a very hectic and stressful time. As the year progressed I gathered myself, and tried to manage my time better to bring about a positive change for years to follow.

Persistence

I believe will power, determination, resolve, and tenacity to be extremely noteworthy characteristics for any individual with a specific goal in sight. Those who aim for a particular objective in school, jobs, or sports must possess these qualities so anything that seems impossible can be accomplished.

Personally, I have always experienced a profound increase in will power and a heightened level of motivation whenever I set out to reach a particular objective or to complete a particular task. In times of exams or whenever I have to complete lengthy assignments for school I have always found a way to wake up after taking a few hours nap rather than sleeping all night. Whenever I am called to cover a shift for a colleague at work I accept the challenge despite having other tasks at hand. Although I must admit that it is not easy to reach this level of responsibility, it is not impossible as time management and self-discipline are vital qualities to have. Whenever, my own willpower has been tested, I have found self-control over my body, a gritty mindset, and a persistent resolve to be fundamental in succeeding.

Though we are challenged day in day out, we should all take a step back at times and gauge our persistence to see if we are all working to our fullest. And if not it is never too late to reflect upon our abilities.

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Generation Techies

In an era that has been filled with technological innovations and mind boggling inventions, my generation started a revolution in technology that has shaped our society today just how the advent of electricity or the automobile shaped their eras. From the 1980s into the 1990s with the advent of a personal computer going into the 2000s with the dawn of the digital age, this generation has seen an exorbitant amount of new gadgets and gizmos. These gadgets are now the center of our social and entertainment lives. Everything from iPods to our cell phones to our laptops, there isn’t a song or video or research information we can’t access. The world, quite literally, is in our hands.

Masjid al Haram

In 1994 I visited Makkah, Saudi Arabia with my family to perform the Umrah. This is a pilgrimage performed by Muslims by praying at the holiest site in Islam, Masjid al Haram. This Masjid, which means Mosque in Arabic, was first built by Prophet Ibrahim and has been since renovated by subsequent Prophets. Most recent renovations started in 2007 and are expected to last until 2020. The added space will accommodate 35% more worshipers. The Mosque is also home to the Zamzam (holy water) well. This particular well has Zamzam flowing from it since the days of Prophet Abraham and his son Prophet Ishmael. Moreover, this mosque is also the largest in the world as it is able to temporarily increase its occupancy to about 4 million Muslims during the days of Hajj (pilgrimage). Additionally, Muslims pray five times a day facing this particular mosque from anywhere on this planet. For these reasons this mosque is of great significance not only to me but for all Muslims that live around the world.

Although I had prayed facing this mosque before I visited it, my first visit amplified my personal attachment. Witnessing this grand Mosque is tremendously awe inspiring. The structure itself is exceptionally majestic. The ornate art work, extraordinary architectural design, and the sheer grandeur of the Mosque, in addition to its historical and religious significance, can inspire anyone who visits it in a very positive and meaningful manner.

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Masjid al Haram

In 1994 I visited Makkah, Saudi Arabia with my family to perform the Umrah. This is a pilgrimage performed by Muslims by praying at the holiest site in Islam, Masjid al Haram. This Masjid, which means Mosque in Arabic, was first built by Prophet Ibrahim and has been since renovated by subsequent Prophets. Most recent renovations started in 2007 and are expected to last until 2020. The added space will accommodate 35% more worshipers. The Mosque is also home to the Zamzam (holy water) well. This particular well has Zamzam flowing from it since the days of Prophet Abraham and his son Prophet Ishmael. Moreover, this mosque is also the largest in the world as it temporarily increases its occupancy to about 4 million Muslims during the days of Hajj. Additionally, Muslims pray five times a day facing this particular mosque from anywhere on this planet. For these reasons this mosque is of great significance not only to me but for all Muslims that live around the world.

Although I had prayed facing this mosque before I visited it, my first visit amplified my personal attachment. Witnessing this grand Mosque is tremendously awe inspiring. The structure itself is exceptionally majestic. The ornate art work, extraordinary architectural design, and the sheer grandeur of the Mosque, in addition to its historical and religious significance, can inspire anyone who visits it in a very positive and meaningful manner.

Words: 239

 

Jeans in our Media (Blog 4)

For decades famous artists and personalities have influenced the minds of the youth by how they act, what they sing about, and also by how they dress.  As fans of a particular type of singer, an actor, or an athlete we take much interest in how they present themselves, especially by how they appear. Their outfits represent many aspects of their personalities so it comes to no surprise why the fans and the press take so much interest in celebrity outfits, especially their jeans. The one piece of clothing that Americans spent $15 billion in 2005 has been the icon of American fashion.

 When looking back at the Velvet Years of 1965 and looking at today’s trend in jeans fashion, we can see how music has influenced the industry. The trend cycle starts when artists of various music genres choose to wear a certain type of jeans, and then that artist advertises that specific style to their fans. This, in turn, dictates the fashion industry into producing to the masses that particular design, thus creating a fashion trend. From Eminem’s low, baggy style to The Fray’s straight cut jeans, singers of different genres of music have identified themselves with specific types of jeans. Since music is by far one of the biggest factors in defining cultures, the faces that represent the music industry influence their fans like none other. An icon of the music industry, Sean “Diddy” Combs, started his clothing line ‘Sean John’ in 1998 that specializes in jeans. His clothing line has become one of the most successful clothing enterprises in the world. The same goes for sports figures. For instance, the quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, Brett Favre; and the NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., both are the face of the mega jean company Wrangler. They both have appeared in numerous commercials that air during prime time television. This is just another example of how influential celebrities are.

Cultures are defined by what is popular, what the masses appeal to. In our society there is certainly no lack of celebrities or fashion designers, so when the two driving forces combine, people rush to see the latest fashions worn by their favorite personalities.