Wasil's Famous!

He's featured on the daily Collegian, the PSU student paper
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Three Years Ago Today

This was a proud moment, minutes after receiving the keys to our newly-purchased house
From the archives; our first pic of the house.
Oh, what a feeling!
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Small Favor

There's Khaled looking out from his apartment..In person, he's as Egyptian as any...
This was why. His tires need some air, badly!
So after that was done and some hot tea, I asked him to snap this pic, for posterity.
smart thinks it's funny, Haha lol!
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Bookworms, Lawns and Flowers

It was a really good October morning, cool and crisp, sunny and breezy. Here's me, taking a breather and my occasional strawberry milk. The kids were in and out.
Luqman readin' Eragon
Hamzah's turn, readin' Eragon

Chicken not done yet
Tomatoes almost gone...
The roses in early October, vibrant and fresh. Bokeh aaa...

Pah's marigoldsMy fireballs, bokeh habis...
Closeup of the Fireball Hibiscus...

The one-year old grapevine, now propped up, prospering nicely..

Later in the eve, we went for a potluck at the HUB, organized by the MSA..
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Me Catch Me Cut Me Cook

It's been this way ever since I caught my first fish here in Indiana: what I catch, I will clean and cut. Sometimes, I get to cook them, too. Yesterday, since Pah was busy with her Math class and Sunday School prep, I got to fry the fish outside on the grill's stove.

The steakThe eggs..
Well-done...

More where it came from....

Yep.
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Keystone Carps

It's 8:30 am on a Saturday morning. Luqman and I were ready for the trip to the fish place, Keystone Lake off Rt 210, some 20 miles from Indiana PA...Holy smokes, what happened to the water!!
So we went through the lake bed. Bad idea, I got bogged down in quicksand! I was quicker than the bog, though, so went through with my shoes intact but muddy...
Cool breeze and a really nice view of the lowered water level..
Luqman adopted this crawdad for an hour or so..

Hani was looking at the lake thinking maybe, no fish today. However, at 11:00, the first one, a heavy 26 and a half incher, sprung my line into a jay...Hani, back to life, was happy. He wanted pics to send to his mama back home in Jordan..
This is how you unhook a monster..
I was telling Hani how, years ago, I'd have a friend who said that when I catch a fish to put the line back and say that this next one's for him...

It worked, yet again! Ten minutes later, at 11:10, we got the second fish! He said this was his fish! That means it's time to leave, already...

since Hani is now a fisherman...
For good measure...
Luqman lost, but got back his left shoe when he tried to outsmart the bog on the way back...Now this is a sight to see, just as we were ready to leave the lake!
"Ayah and me, and the fishies", sez Luqman. He was the cameraman all throughout this little adventure...
We got home at abt 12:30 after letting Hani off at his apartment. Thanks to Luqman who took really fab pics, I was able to recount this tale without using too many words..
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GOIN' FISHING TODAY!

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Lunch at Falls Church, VA

My lunch today was in Falls Church, Virginia!
My mango drink, the lamb and chicken kaboob combo.. nyum! Lebanese fare, waited by Eka, a sweet Indonesian cashier. Once she knew I was Malaysian, she'd speak malay right away. I got some 'free' baklava and water after that! It pays to cakap melayu!
No one else around. Late, or too early?? It's 2:00 pm..
When you eat alone, you look outside the glass window..
It was actually to send Talal to Dulles Airport for his flight home.
Got home at 7:40 pm...
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My Photographer's Self-Portrait!

Luqman and his antics!
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Milestone Affairs

What did I do on the day I turned the halfcentury? Well, Pah and I went out to a few places; groceries, Sears (to redeem a $10.00 birthday coupon), the pepper garden at the masjid, the little birthday party later on, ordered a book from Amazon, rotiserried a chicken, and actually made my "special" fried rice for dinner!

Here's me, tending to the pepper plants..Posing with my smartbiru...
And with another, even smaller, smartbiru!
Bought an upside down cake LoL
and ate it, too!

At 50, life can still be pretty fast... :)
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