Seven Things

I've been tagged on Izzy Mo's blog for the "Seven Things" meme. This was much tougher than it looked. My wife made at least half of the suggestions (if not 2/3s); I wonder if I could do as well if we did this meme for her. :) Anyhoo...


Seven Things I Plan to do Before I Die, Insha'allah

1. Go on hajj.


2. Start a business ASAP.


3. Have lots of kids (preferably, at least three).


4. Start another non-profit organization (started one once before); not sure what this one would do just yet, though.


5. Visit the ruins of Hisarlik (the site of ancient Troy), Mycenae, and Knossos; also, to visit the Roman Forum.


6. Collect as many flags from around the world as possible. (It's a hobby; I collect flags from different countries/states. I've got about a dozen flags in my collection so far.)


7. Get my friggin' things out of storage back in the States. :)

Seven Things I Can Do

1. Make my wife laugh. :)


2. Make ramen, macaroni and cheese, and sandwiches. :)


3. Play the baritone bugle (I used to be in drum corps) and the trombone.


4. Write and edit articles (although I prefer editing to writing).


5. Take decent photographs. (I prefer using my 35mm SLR, but the tiny digital has been used more often in recent months.)


6. Navigate. :) (My wife may have been born and raised in Singapore, but I'm the one who tells her how to get from one place to another while she drives. ;) )


7. Read and recite very slowly from the Qur'an. (I've been learning in recent months.)

Seven Things I Cannot Do

1. Speak fluently in any language other than English (although I know lots of words and phrases in many languages).


2. Cook or sew very well. :)


3. Be patient with bureaucracy. (Too true.)


4. Take too much sugar/carbohydrates. (I'm diabetic.)


5. Tolerate humidity (which is ironic considering where I live now).


6. Tolerate racist speech.


7. Stay away from my computer. ;)

Seven Things I Say Most Often

1. "Tschhh." (A noise I often make...I think I do it mostly when I'm annoyed by something, but my wife says I do it "whenever." :) Actually, my wife often makes this noise now as well. :) )


2. "Good morning." (I say this to people regardless of the time of day.)


3. "What do you care what other people think?" (Picked up from the Richard Feynman book of the same name.)


4. "No, I don't!"


5. "Y'all." (I picked this up from my relatives down South.)


6. "Salaam 'alaikum."


7. "Terima Kasih/Sama sama." (Malay for "Thank You/You're Welcome." "Terima Kasih" literally means "Received love.")

Seven Things That Attract Me to the Opposite Sex

1. 1) Personality


2. Piety/religious values (I needed to find someone who had the same values as me; alhamdulillah that I did).


3. Someone who wanted to have a family and would be a good mother for my children, insha'allah.


4. Similar lifestyle. (A friend recently said that my wife and I lead a "boring lifestyle," but that's OK with us because it's the lifestyle we want to live right now.)


5. Someone who will tolerate my eccentricities. :)


6. Someone who can comfort me when I'm down and nurse me when I'm sick.


7. Someone who could cook and sew, because I sure as heck can't. :)