PhilAsify 101

A phrase which crept up out of nowhere on social media and has been the subject of many memes, jokes and gags is the often hashtagged "First World Problems" (#firstworldproblems). Anyone that has a Facebook page or a Twitter feed has  probably  seen and chuckled at different examples of "first world problems". In the last year or so, the phrase has circulated to the point of being accepted in common everyday lingo. UrbanDictionary.com  defines the phrase as: First World Problems Problems from living in a wealthy, industrialized nation that third worlders would probably roll their eyes at. In other words, "first world problems" are the magnified complaints of the spoiled--gripes from people that are made significant despite having easy daily access to basic life necessities of food, water, clothing and shelter. 

Any fool with a d*** can make a baby, but only a real man can raise his children. -- Furious Styles, Boyz in The Hood The title of this article may seem cliché but I really don't think folks truly grasp the reality the phrase holds. At the time of this post, I have been a father just a little over three months and with every passing day I realize more and more just how crucial of a role fatherhood is. In this short time, I have discovered--surprising to no one--that being a father is no joke. I mean, I knew going in things were not going to be a walk in the park. I anticipated my sleep time being cut short by fusses and grunts. I had prepared my mind to expect getting pissed and spit up on. I had already sucked it up and said my tearful goodbyes to one of my greatest loves--disposable income. I even let sink in the statement a lot of baby articles declare tongue-in-cheek, "your life is over."

Hey gang, taking a quick break from daddy-ing to update you folks. You guys deserve that at least, right? I'm still alive and well and have been spending my leisure time getting acquainted with little Abdul-Malik via being vomited on, wiping his butt and sticking a bottle in his mouth.  Though I haven't been able to post anything new on PhilAsify, I still have been active (when the baby allows it). I recently became a contributor on an awesome blog that I have mentioned here before, Islamic Learning Materials.  I submitted an article entitled "How To Be A Walking Qur'an" and it is a fascinating read if I do say so myself. Be sure to check it out on Islamic Learning Materials and share with your friends! InshaAllah I will be getting back on posting with regularity on PhilAsify very soon so keep an I out. Well I hear some crying in the background so I better get back to work! Til next time dudes and dudettes!

The Disgusting Side Effect of the Social Media/Viral Video Age Have you heard the story of Kitty Genovese ? She was a woman who was brutally stabbed to death nearby her New York apartment by a lunatic assailant. She was attacked by the man on three separate occasions during a time span of 35 minutes, all the while crying and screaming for help. Police reports declared that over 38 people heard or saw the attack—which occurred out in public—and no one intervened or even bothered to call police until AFTER the third attack when Kitty was already dead and the man fled the scene. Do you know when this incident occurred? 1964. But judging from the subject matter, you would think it just happened the other day. In fact, if it did happen today, I can’t promise you that someone would’ve intervened and helped the poor woman out but I can wholeheartedly assure you without a doubt in my mind there would be live tweets, Facebook statuses and perhaps even footage of the murder captured on ...

Hey everyone. You may have noticed a bit of a lull on PhilAsify 101 for over a month now.  Well I actually have a perfectly valid reason this time around aside from being a lazy unproductive coach potato. Ahem... Allow me to introduce to you Abdul-Malik Elijah Balouch, the newest youngin' of the Balouch clan. Abdul-Malik popped into this world on August 25th, 2013 during the last half of Ramadan, making the month even more of a blessing. Weighing in at 7 pounds 4 oz, I immediately noticed how devilishly handsome the guy was. I'm talking Zoolander good looking... Mom and Dad are doing great and adjusting to this new chapter of our lives. Long nights and hard labor for the wifey while I'm doing everything I can to make sure she doesn't go nuts. Naturally, I've been taking some time off to get to know this good looking cat, so that's why there hasn't been any new stuff published. InshAllah I'll be getting back on the blogging g...

A few days into Ramadan, your boy is checking in with a quick thought. At the midpoint of last night's Taraweeh prayer, which I like to describe as the "Taraweeh Halftime Show", the Imam spoke about the virtues of fasting. It was formulaic and typical (not that I'm complaining) but what stood out to me was him saying that your fasts will intercede for you on the day of judgment. My first reaction to that was: Whaaa? But once I gave it more thought, I realized that the Day of Judgment for everyone is going to go down like the most EPIC episode of Law and Order .  Now theres Qur'an verses which explicitly state that no person can intercede on behalf of someone else on the Day of Judgment. So essentially you're on your own. But when it comes to authentic and sound hadiths, you do have intercessors or defense attorneys on that Ultimate Court date. They just aren't your average joes like you or me.

Chances are before stumbling upon this blog, you may have recently seen some sort of pop up ad on some fat burning miracle pill or how you can get a six pack in 12 days. Or perhaps you saw a commercial on TV where Shaun T is telling you to get up off your fat bum and get ripped with the Insanity workout. Let's face it man, the world is obsessed with the way we look. It's the reason fitness centers are chock full of sweaty folks trying to sculpt themselves into their fantasy bodies and the reason why Chuck Norris is still on TV, pimping out Total Gym equipment. Everybody wants to be ripped, everyone wants to be toned, everyone wants to be SWOLE . Of course that's not totally a bad thing. It's good to be in peak physical condition. It's good for your overall health and wellness, it keeps you more active and gives you more energy, not to mention it does wonders for a person's self esteem when there's muscles bulging out of them every which way.