The Rise of the Introvert

Read and liked this article by John Morrish in the April 2012 issue of Management Today which reviewed Susan Cain's recently released book 'Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking':

http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/news/1124091/rise-introvert

Found myself answering true to almost all the questions at the end. Here's some...

• I prefer one-to-one conversations to group activities.
• I often prefer to express myself in writing.
• I enjoy solitude.
• I seem to care less than my peers about wealth, fame and status.
• People tell me that I'm a good listener.
• I'm not a big risk-taker.
• I like to celebrate birthdays on a small scale, with only one or two close friends or family members.
• People describe me as 'soft-spoken' or 'mellow'.
• I dislike conflict.
• I tend to think before I speak.
• I feel drained after being out and about, even if I've enjoyed myself.

... Still not convinced though whether these are qualities to be embraced and worked with, or characteristics to be resisted and overcome...

Letter to the Director of Public Prosecutions regarding the case of Babar Ahmad

Just wrote a letter to the Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer QC as requested by the Free Babar Ahmad campaign demanding that Babar Ahmad be put on trial in the UK. Probably should have stuck to the template and focused on the point of materials gathered against Babar being shipped straight to the US before the Crown Prosecution Service reviewed them but feeling rather frustrated by the whole system and couldn't help exclamation marking!!

Dear Mr Starmer,
I will keep my letter short as I am aware you may get similar letters from others confused as I am. I am writing to request that you demand Babar Ahmad be put on trial immediately in the United Kingdom. It is ridiculous that he has been imprisoned for near enough eight years without charge and doubly ridiculous that he is now to be sent to the United States (and face the kind of [in]justice that Aafia Siddique was subjected to not long ago) because a website he is alleged to have run was hosted on a server in the United States for a few months! The crime he is accused of having committed (running a website and providing logistical support to "rebels" in Chechnya resisting Russian occupation in the 1990s) was conducted in the United Kingdom and, as ridiculous as it is, if he is to be sent to any country it should be Russia! But that's not as ridiculous as sending him to the United States on the most flimsy of links and simply because the British government wants to wash her hands of any Muslim labelled a "terrorist". If there truly is evidence of his having committed the crimes he is accused of, then he can and should be put on trial here in the United Kingdom. And otherwise he should return to his family!
Yours Sincerely,
Adil Hussain

'Band of Brothers' and 'Downfall'

Been watching an episode a week of 'Band of Brothers' for the past 10 weeks or so and slipped in viewing of 'Downfall' a couple weeks back too. Powerful dramas. Gets me thinking: if there's one constant in the human race that'll stick from the beginning of time to the end, it's the madness and lust of individuals and nations and theories for dominance. When all around you are losing their heads, keep calm and carry off :)>

Ulster Way, North Down Coastal Path

Hopped on the train for the first time in Northern Ireland since moving over a few months back. Got the 9:39am train from Botanic to Bangor. Surprisingly cheap. Just £5.20 for a return. Not bad at all.

Got off at Bangor station and carried on, on my bicycle, in an easterly direction to Groomsport before turning around and heading back on myself west, past Bangor station, and onward to Holywood, where I got the 4:16pm train back to Botanic station.

Not sure exactly but must have cycled around 20-25 kilometres. Was flat ground and weather was pleasant alhamdulillah so not a strain at all. Pics uploaded to my Flickr account:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adilson05uk/sets/72157629248002744

Remebering God - Reflections on Islam, by Gai Eaton

"... to fear God, to love Him and to remember Him..." Liked this closing statement in Gai Eaton's Remembering God. First book I've read by the author and the sheer number of topics he jumps between in the 200-or-so pages I found pretty impressive. A light read - a collection of reflections as the title suggests - and a wortwhile one at that.

Expectation

"She wanted the world
and he wanted a girl."

Heard this song playing in Centra (local convenience store which I've taken a liking to [for the goods not the songs!]) and it's probably the first time ever (or maybe since the Beatles) I've heard a lyric from a young British singer and thought: "that's actually quite well thought out." Most times it's a far stretch to even say: "that's thought out"! And in popping into Streat every day and seeing the screen on the wall playing the top twenty, so sad to see a nation of young artists with nothing to sing about and call people to except flings!

The Forty Rules of Love, by Elif Shafak

Good read: good character portrayals; full of good lessons about looking out for the downtrodden in society and rising above the 'what will people say' mentality; justified and considerate criticisms of the Muslim status quo I felt; well edited such that every word seemed to count and I found myself not having to sift through fluff to find the important stuff; and love a book that's split into nice small chapters! My only qualm (and I hope I don't come across bigoted) with the book would be doctrinal (i.e. the heart/sufi and the mind/faqih are not opposing forces and instead [in my opinion] two players on the same team, each to his [or her] speciality and each helping the other to replicate the perfect example of the Seal of God's Messengers [peace and blessings upon him and them all])… but that's not why I read the book nor what I was expecting from it so I guess it's not really a justified criticism of the book given that it is (and sets itself out to be) a piece of fiction. Recommended reading!