I refuse to post pics of snow

The UK has been hit by rather unusual levels of snow the last few weeks. Other countries might scoff at how badly we're coping, but we're just not used to it, and have no money invested in dealing with prolonged snow and ice because it rarely snows at all in most of England.

My poor mother has been practically housebound, not daring to risk a repeat of an incident a few years ago where she slipped on some ice right outside our house and broke her foot, leaving her unable to walk properly for almost 2 months. I must confess, the thought of her falling and breaking her hip has been preying on my mind.

So no pics of snow from me because everyone and their dog has posted it. But here's an unusual sight I passed on the way home - someone decided to string up a load of soft toy puppies on a tree, like a macabre offering to some deity to end the winter freeze.

Death and politics

For some time now, the small town of Wootton Bassett has paid respect to fallen British soldiers, whose bodies are being returned from battle in Afghanistan and Iraq via the town to a mortuary. Recently, several muslims from a group called Islam4UK decided they wanted to use the town to make their own anti war protest march.

This is what someone had to say about it on one forum:

"I have to say that after listening to his sh.it I've never felt more like picking up a gun and killing some f.ucking muslim c.unts! Mainly the ones that will be with him on his little parade...... then the rest of em.

F.uck em."

Islam4UK is a fringe group which probably has less than 100 members, out of almost 2 million muslims in the UK. Its leader has had his organisations banned one by one for promoting or glorifying terrorism. Nonetheless they have managed to garner immense amounts of media attention.

"Why aren't mainstream muslims speaking up, if they're opposed?" The same, tired old arguments are being wheeled out. They are speaking out - the media just isn't interested because it doesn't make as juicy a story. Oh and look, there's even a facebook group protesting against Islam4UK. That will really show those evil muslims that we mean business.

No right thinking muslim would want to use occasions of grief as an opportunity to make some cheap political point. Most british muslims are against the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, to differing extents and for different reasons. Sadly, our stock has fallen so low, our reputations become so tarnished, that anyone will now believe anything of us, no matter how low or inhuman. Now more than ever, it is incumbent upon every muslim to make that extra effort to reach out to their fellow human beings and remind them we are here and that we are not all filled with hate and nihilistic violence.

The latest conspiracy story is about Google. If you type in "Christianity is" into the Google search box, it starts generating the most common predictable search requests. Yet if you type "Islam is" you get nothing. People are up in arms, claiming that there's a conspiracy to appease those dangerous violent muslims. Google says it's just a programming bug. Which do you think is more plausible? If Google really wanted to deceive people, why not generate options like "Islam is a good religion", rather than deleting the entire predictive text option?

New Year Resolutions

Ok so they don't have a good press. Plus why pick that date; the Islamic New Year technically started a few weeks ago. Regardless, I'm going to pick this opportunity to make some goals:

1) Get my thesis done on time. That's not a goal really, that's just a matter of survival - September 2010

2) Stick to training even when I'm distracted and stressed at work. More specifically, I want my weight back to go past my previous heaviest (74.5kg) and up towards 80kg. I want to beat my squat and deadlift pb of 95kg and 120kg for reps, respectively, and to get my bench to something almost vaguely respectable, let's say 75kg. I also want to commit to regular stretching and mobility work (Eric cressey kinda stuff).

3) Be organised and efficient! Go to bed earlier, turn the computer off by 22:30, be in bed by 23:00. Get things for the next day ready the night before so I'm not tripping over stuff trying to find them in the morning.

4) Eating enough food every day. Not rushing through breakfast. Getting plenty of water in. Making more of an effort to get a serving or 3 of fruit EVERY day.

5) Start writing more on this blog, even if it's just a training log.

Looking at 2010 with both hope and fear in equal measure

Well it's crunch time. I have less than 9 months left to submit my PhD thesis. Eek! I'm at home right now writing. Or maybe that should be "writing." I have complete writer's block. My secondary supervisor said a few weeks ago "At least you're not afraid of writing, so that's one issue you won't have to deal with." That's true, but I still HATE thesis writing! I enjoy writing, just not about my own work.

Of course if I enjoy writing so much, why have I neglected this blog? According to Lijit, people are still visiting, so hey! *waves electronically at internet people.*

Training wise, I am currently on a 20 rep squats program, which looks like this:

Squats: 1x20
Dbell Pullover: 1x20
StiffLeg Deadlifts: 1x15
Dips: 2x10
1 Arm Rows (I don't like BORs): 2x10
Abs and core stuff

The idea is to pick a weight you can squat for 10 reps - and do 20 reps. So you do 10 reps, wait a few seconds, then force a few more reps out, start breathing heavy, force few more reps out, start swearing from the pain, and finish the set, all without racking the bar. Since nowadays I normally squat 72.5kgx6, I started at 50kgx20, and have worked up to 70kgx20. I want to get to 72.5kgx20 and then leave it, and finally switch to Eric Cressey again.

All I need to sort out are my eating habits. As in - EAT EAT EAT!

Why can't I do it?

I've had over a day to start. All I need to do is get some figures together for my 2nd thesis chapter. I have plenty. Yet it took half of Monday and all day Tuesday before I got up, took all the gels and went to the scanner and scanned them. Took maybe 30 minutes. Why am I being hit by super procrastination?! I need to have a meeting with my supervisor on Friday and show him. Someone please hit me with a wet kipper and make me finish this off.

Convictions.

BBC

Independent

Evening Standard


So three British Muslim males have been found guilty of trying to blow up planes. It's so incredibly depressing, coming right on the anniversary of the 11th September attacks. Why did they do it? What did they think they were going to accomplish?

In court, they have claimed that they were going to merely frighten people, rather than murder them, but that seems a bit far fetched, given the videos they filmed of themselves. They almost sound like gang members, "Don't mess with the muslims"... Yet from fear of being convicted, they lack the ability to proclaim this once again to the jury, and pretend that it's all a big misunderstanding.

One of the convicted men, Sarwar, said he suffered low self-esteem and thought he was "useless," after failing at University. A sad case of a vulnerable person lacking confidence and being taken advantage of?

At least I haven't heard any reactions along the lines of "Why aren't muslims doing more to stop this", as if we are all MI5 agents who can track down terrorists. These people don't go around shouting out their intentions at the local mosque to a baying mob, contrary to what some people obviously believe. Not that I have noticed anyway.

At the same time, we have people from the "English Defence League and Stop the Islamisation of Europe " marching to proclaim that they will not let their beloved England be taken over and turned into a muslim country. Do these people really believe this? I wonder if any of them have even ever spoken to a muslim in this country before. Maybe they are too busy watching the trial of these three young men on TV.

In the last few weeks, an elderly man was beaten to death outside a mosque not far from me. Another man was stabbed at another. Is it just coincidental, or the start of something worse? Difficult to stay optimistic, in times like these.

Half way there

Just finished the 15th fast of Ramadan 1430H (Sept 2009 AD). The first week or so was incredibly exhausting, the second week has been better. It's been tough this year, having Sehri (breakfast) before 4am, trying to get some sleep, then Iftar (breaking fast) at 8pm, then having dinner (unless I go to the mosque for the additional Taraweeh prayers , where they recite 1/30th of the Qur'an so that the entire Noble book is recited within the month) then trying to get some sleep. Sometimes I haven't bothered sleeping inbetween the end of the day and beginning of the next.

I've been having two toast with butter honey and banana slices for sehri, it's all I can manage in the morning. For iftar usually have a date, some fruit and something fried like a little kebab or samosa. Contrary to what almost everyone asks, no we don't sit there and stuff our faces. If only because you would end up feeling ill anyway.

Definitely losing weight, trousers are a very loose fit at the moment.

To the muslims reading - hope your fasts are going well.

To the non muslims - fancy a challenge? How do you think you'd cope fasting say, 3 days in a row?