PhilAsify 101

I love Netflix. Sure it doesn't have the latest movie releases (that's what Redbox is for) but I save a ton of money not having to pay a cable bill. I've had a blast "binge-viewing" shows that I've finally gotten around to like Lost and Breaking Bad-- watching entire seasons in mere days (if not in one sitting). I squeal with glee from the occasional hidden gems which pop up when I do a random search ( Coming to America, Beverley Hills Cop  and other Eddie Murphy pre-disney bastardization laugh riots). Heck, part of the reason why I haven't blogged regularly in so long is because of this glorious productivity-killing streaming portal of dreams (kinda like the land of Zamunda).  What I also love about Netflix is that it gives Indie filmmakers a chance to have their films and documentaries be seen by more eyes through having it available on the streaming service. Sure a lot of them look like unappealing stinkers, but at least the opportunity is there fo...

During my usual frolic on the interwebs, I stumbled upon an article which touched on an interesting project currently being showcased on Kickstarter, a funding platform for creative projects. Get this: A prayer mat that glows/lights up when it faces Mecca. The blog on Mashable.com entitled "Holy Tech! Prayer Mats Light Up When Facing Mecca" , raves about the artistic rug with its electro luminescent lights and built-in digital compass. Take a gander at the article by clicking the appropriate link. (Note: I do find it funny by the way that the creator, Soner Ozenc, initially was working on designing a flying--FLYING carpets, when this idea struck him. Cue the "Magic Carpet Ride" song.) I have mixed thoughts about the invention, but lean towards positive. In the age we live in , technological advances is not only making our lives easier and more convenient, but is making spirituality/religion and the act of getting closer to God hip and fun as well. For Muslims, we...

I've watched my fair share of Video Game movies and like most gamer fans, I find myself horribly disappointed. Many can hearken back to a time of enjoying an epic game for hour after captivating hour sitting in front of the boob tube, immersed in the magnificent cutscenes of games like Metal Gear: Solid Snake and Final Fantasy . And while sitting there with our friends or siblings we would say, "Man, they gotta make this a movie. It'd be sooo **insert dated reference for awesome**". The highlight of a gamers life from days gone by are those times after school bonding with the our favorite action heroes the Mario brothers, Liu Kang and that guy from the Grand Theft Auto games. When we picture a Hollywood film with these amazing characters, we expect nothing less than a classic cinema experience for the ages. But Alas, when Hollywood actually gets ahold of those button mashing masterpieces, it creates an abortion of a movie. If you don't remember (or have gone in a...

Note:This is a change from my usual articles and is geared towards the world of professional wrestling. I am a big wrestling fan and have loved it since the Hogan days (which sadly are still happening in TNA). I have been through the ups and the downs.I loved Wrestling before it was considered cool in the late 90s. I resented the bandwagoners who hopped onto Wrestling with the "Austin 3:16", "DX", "NWO" shirts.and became a total insider when I grew older. This article is in regards to the decline of wrestling, specifically the WWE into not being compelling television anymore. It's no secret that the WWE is not "must-see-TV" anymore. And lately WWE isn't really doing much in terms of changing that perception aside from it's "Did you Know?" propaganda. All over blogs, forums and chatrooms fans bemoan the state of the WWE and lament all the things WWE is doing wrong and its falling on deaf ears. When news broke that the teen ...

For anyone that keeps a tab on the latest headlines, you are already aware of the depressing state the world is in. Morons are abdundant and reproducing at an alarming rate. We live in a world where a state of emergency can be called, not for a terrorist attack, not for a bomb threat or nuclear holocaust but for Justin Bieber riding around in a bus ! Of course, this is not new at all. Idiotic fan mobs have existed since the infant days of radio and television. They went bonkers for Elvis and Michael Jackson forgetting the fact that they were human beings, just like them. They took dumps, they had flaws, they slept and ate and did tons of things other than entertain. But that didn't stop them from attempting to create a stampede for a chance to publicly rape them and other popular celebrities. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Now people are going loco for a prepubescent boy that dresses and looks like a girl.

For the two or three people that have followed me since the beginning of PhilAsify, you would know that I aspire to be a lot of things that I have yet to venture towards. One of those pipedreams is screenwriting. My passion to read as well as craft compelling stories led me to take a great interest in screenwriting while in college. I took a course on it and have  read a few books that ignited my affection and respect towards this skilled art and made me feel that this may very well be my calling card. I still think it can. Looking back, I wish my  study of screenwriting would have lasted more than a semester and that the class (though I'm not knocking my professor, Sam Havens, as he was a brilliant, funny and blunt teacher) would have been more extensive and hands on. 

Okay, you got me. This blog was an excuse to show off this sweet pic! Now it's no secret that I'm a big basketball fan and I love my Houston Rockets and yearn for the days when Houston was a respected and feared team across the league like the days of my seven-foot brother Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon. Unfortunately, those days aren't going to be repeated anytime soon as the Rockets are a young and rebuilding team after losing Yao Ming to injury retirement. That being said, the Playoffs haven't been all that appealing to me other than enjoying seeing teams I hate get dismantled like both LA Teams getting eliminated, rival champions the Dallas Mavericks get stomped from the first round and the Miami Heat struggling. I was happy to see the Jazz (who snared a playoff spot from the Rockets and every Houston fans know our bitter history) get swept by the Spurs. And it's looking very much like the Spurs are going to take the titles once again. Yeah the ...

Now before you guys go and label this is the "Asif is lazy so he's letting a YouTube video do all the work", here me out! PhilAsify101 is not just about me blogging my thoughts on the universe. In this world of consumerism, ignorance and the desire to impress just for the sake of your own ego, there are bits and pieces left that people can still marvel at. Sometimes it's just the phenomenon of God's creations around us, other times man-made. And just sometimes it's those little things that make you go "WOW!". Things that restore your faith in humanity. This post is about the latter. I present to you a video that has captivated the internet world because of the creativity of a child. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out: Caine's Arcade.

Me in a nutshell.  Cot Damn! Good Lord have mercy. It's been already an entire month since I last wrote a blog. I have no one to blame but myself and my deplorable organizational and time-prioritizing skills. The whole point of PhilAsify101 was to break my dryspell of literature generation with an outlet for creative content. Epic FAIL.

Note: The following was a article I wrote a while back for a job interview that required me to write an article while being timed. I had to pick from a selection of writing prompts which were titles of news headlines. Out of the list I chose the above title and while I did not get the job, I thought this was pretty darn good. Probably so good that it hurt my chances to work with these folks, who knows? Without further ado... Remember the good ol’ days when people were innocent until proven guilty? When a citizen of this great country was given certain inalienable rights that could not be taken away without going through the process of having their story heard by a jury of his peers in a fair and just manner? Well it looks like these kooky concepts will be a thing of the past, brought up only when we gather around our grandchildren to dazzle them with ancient rubbish. It has been reported that the majority of Congress is putting the finishing touches on an amendment that will pr...

Sometimes being the odd man out isn't such a bad thing. Over the years, we all have seen our fair share of trends. Whether it be in fashion, music or the ever-changing electronic world, people jump onto a bandwagon and are in disbelief when they meet or speak to someone that hasn't been in the loop. Taking it a step further, those type of people act as if they are looking at an enigma when you respond back that you think a certain trend is whack and you don't wanna bother indulging in it. The literary world is no different.

Still on the heels of week 1 of my blog initiative and your boy is still struggling with consistency. My wife told me a tip for first time bloggers is to have 50 blog posts written within the first month of your blog as a goal to have consistency since that in consequence would attract readers to your blog knowing that its being updated on the regular. Well, I don't know how realistic of a goal that is for me with my work schedule and home study schedule (which I will elaborate upon in a future blog post, InshaAllah). In my inaugural post earlier this week, I wrote that I proclaim myself as "The Writer Who Doesn't Write". As shameful of a title that is, I can also declare myself as the "Reader Who Doesn't Read". Explanation? It's coming. Now I do read in the literal sense, I read ESPN.com box score and news items, I read editorials and news bits on pro wrestling, I read threads on internet forums and also random news items on the ever popular Yaho...

Here's a tidbit that some would consider miscellaneous but I find it quite noteworthy so I have to make a mention of it. One of the greatest coin-operated games of all time, WWF/WWE Wrestlefest, is now coming to a smartphone near you! Now one thing that you will find out about me through this blog really quick is that I'm a mega wrestling fan, always have been and always will be, even if the product is absolutely piss-poor at this point in time. I've been a fan of the WWE (then WWF) ever since my Dad sat me down at the age of three on Saturday nights to watch WWF Superstars. It was there that my love for the artform that is professional wrestling became permenantly engrained into my soul. I stayed a loyal fan and defended it at every opportunity, especially against my older sister who absolutely hated wrestling and would never hesistate to rub in my face that it was fake (like that would deter me from watching it). I grew up on the likes of the Ultimate Wa...

So my blog is official. My feelings as of right now are mixed with nervousness and excitement. For a guy that's had a long sabbatical away from creative writing, I am a bit worried when it comes to content. That's nothing that a brainstorming session won't fix but I still want to be able to be the kind of writer that stays consistent.  When it comes to writing project, starting is the hardest part for me. Once I do get over the hump, I usually am able to get the ball rolling with engaging writing on a regular basis. But that initial window is just hell, because I tend to be a perfectionist when it comes to posts and am very self-critical. I would re-read paragraphs and sentences and if they don't have the correct amount of wit, or the right verbiage and tone, I would be staying on the delete key longer than a pedophile that's going to be having his laptop scanned for porn. I mean, it friggin took me two hours to write my initial blog last night!

In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Whether you have stumbled upon this page by some bizarre accident, or I myself begged you to click this link, I would like to humbly welcome you to PhilAsify 101! I know the first peculiarity you might have noticed is the title of this blog and the odd way that I chose to have it spelled. When I first planned to create a blog for myself, I thought it would be clever to put my name somewhere in the title as a pun while at the same time making it relevant to the overall theme by taking a well-known subject of human knowledge and discussion (Philosophy) and put my own individual stamp on it. Frankly, and I'm sure you're thinking this, it may just be a pathetic attempt at being vain. Regardless, I thought it was cool and I'm sticking with it for the time being (But I do at least deserve some credit in the creativity realm when you take into account how difficult it is to make my name rhyme or sync with any word...