25 Things About Me (11 - 25)

11. For the first three months of my life, I was blond. Believe it.

12. My father used to call me "gol mol" meaning round. That stopped when I transformed from a chubby ball into some type of twig around the age of 3.

13. I listen to pop music.

14. I like using metric system measurements to confuse people in the United States. (*honh honh honh Stupid Americain honh honh honh*)

15. Reality TV either makes me sick or sends me to sleep, depending on my mood.

16. I've always thought Botswana was the most unfortunate name for a country... or anything.

17. I watched the first three seasons of LOST in two weeks flat... right before finals week at the end of the first year of business school. 15% of my life that fortnight was spent on that show.

18. I can count to 100. In Urdu. Strangely enough, not many people can...

19. During a game of basketball, I rejected a shot attempt of Clay's so masterfully that he fell flat on his behind. All ball. And Clay is 6' 2". That is probably still my finest basketball moment...

20. When I was in the single digits, I would pray for Germany to win field hockey games (even against Pakistan) to the extent where I would read verses from the Quran. My dad would make fun of me and say "Even the Germans themselves aren't praying this hard!"

21. I've always wanted to dye my hair red.

22. I'm ashamed of losing my British spelling ability... colour, favour, programme... one day we shall reunite.

23. In an attempt to increase my general knowledge, I once memorized the distances of all 9 (well, now 8) planets from the Sun. I don't remember any of them... thank God.

24. I used to think the words "Super Trouper" in the Abba song were actually "Suicide suicide..." I wasn't a disturbed child. I promise. It was just an auditory mistake... a big one. But still.

25. I took way too long over this stupid list.

25 Things About Me (1 - 10)

Yes, this is Facebook inspired... and, now that I've been "tagged" for the third time, I suppose I'm bound to write 25 things about me... so here:

1. The line from Kipling's Just So Stories, "I am the cat. I walk by myself. And all places are alike to me" was my secret motto for the longest time. And, in some ways, it still is.

2. I watch Man United's games until they take the lead. And then I turn the TV off. My favorite United games are the ones I watch till the end.

3. When I was 15, I ate a pound of peanuts in one sitting while watching a Formula 1 race on TV. Peanuts have never been the same. Or they have. But I haven't.

4. I got my left ear pierced my senior year of college and wore my stud till halfway through my first year of business school.

5. The first woman I ever wanted to marry was Steffi Graf.

6. Each evening, I arrange things in my apartment (down to keys) in such a way that I can wake up as late as possible the next morning and make it to work on time.

7. I never wear open shoes. Too many open shoe foot injuries in my past.

8. When I was in school, I used to read the comics in our daily paper in the order of least favorite to most favorite. I was always upset when they moved the strips around.

9. My favorite colors are red and black. When we made wax hands one weekend in college, my wax hand was red and black. It looked awesome.

10. I like singers with low voices, because then I can sing along and feel only partially inadequate. Damn you, Chris Isaak!

This is taking a long time... the rest later.

Thoughts on Football and Life

• I about cried with relief when Fernando Torres and his magnificent head (and feet) took Liverpool past Chelsea this morning. I almost blew kisses at the screen as well... stopped myself just in time. Never let it be said that men are incapable of showing emotion.

• A beard worn for the sake of religion is like your favorite football team's jersey. You have to want it yourself. Others can't impose it on you. (Try getting me in a Man United shirt... just try it.) You have to be comfortable enough to be seen everywhere with it. (My Liverpool shirt has been to work, to plays and musicals and to parties.) And you wear it out of love for something greater than yourself.* (Fernando Torres, for example)
  

• I could be a Premier League referee. I could. For example, I would know that when, during a Premier League game (Liverpool v Chelsea, February 1st 2009) in England (the United Kingdom), a player (Jose Bosingwa of Chelsea) runs at another player (Yossi Benayoun of Liverpool) and boots him (Benayoun) in the behind (Benayoun's behind) to get him (Benayoun) off the ball (a football), it is a foul. Experienced Premier League official Mike Riley apparently doesn't know this. Ergo, I >> Mike Riley. Ergo, I == good potential Premier League referee material.

P.S: Chicago is bloody cold. Apart from the great restaurants, amazing entertainment, top quality sports teams (though I don't care for any of them), decent public transportation facilities, hopping nightlife, killer diversity, reputed institutions of higher learning, fantastic museums and skyline-to-die-for, I don't know why people choose to live here.

*(For the record, my beard is grown because I don't like shaving every day.)