2006 in a review |

2006 has been the most remarkable year in life my by far. I worked for most of it, with the best team ever- Everyone was extremely helpful. I had an awesome supervisor, who'd literally kick people out early on Friday afternoons, or whenever there was a severe weather warning. The best part about working @ The Toronto Centre for Phenogenomics was the fact that my work was benefitting research which in turn would benefit scores of people over the years to come- Actually, if I may, thousands and millions of people, as these investigators and technologists work to find solutions to complicated diseases and conditions.
The first quarter of this year was so busy, that sitting down to eat had no value in my life @ that time. Subhanallah... I was busy trying to get MAC Youth Give's website up, thankfully Tariq, Khaled and others took on the task upon themselves, and so far, they've done a great job. I miss Rania and Afifa... Rania was my tajweed teacher- they've decided for now to stay in Lebanon.
Somewhere in the line, I had also started the blog on leadership... and I have such a looong way to go.
My brother contested and won the MSA elections, and that for sure is a great experience for him.
Of course, as soo many people pointed out to me- my surgery: appendectomy was Allah's way of telling me to slow down. I was in.. and then out of the hospital. I never thought I'd be admitted @ the hospital where I work. I can't forget how I had just got my health card made a week or two before my surgery.
I spent May here @ home, and got to meet my mom's youngest sister and her kids. It was a houseful of mischief-makers. Being a chaplain assistant @ the hospital gave me a new perspective each time I got paged. Shariah program classes were more of a bonding time between me and Hafsa, than studying Arabic. I met Kahkashan, and the 3 of us, along with Khadija discussed everything out there. Definitely, Hafsa and Kahkashan are blessings from Allah in life, and my mirrors. Hafsa, additionally, surpasses the definition of hyper. In fact, I firmly believe Hafsa should be a word in the dictionary.
I started training as a fitness instructor, and passed the theory exam [which personally was quite an accomplishment, as 80% was the minimum to pass]. Unfortunately, my practical placement didn't work out and I was unable to complete the certification. But it was simply an amazing experience just to be able to sit in a class with other girls and learn about fitness, health, diet, and caring for the participants in your class. We covered training for various categories in class, such as pregnant women and seniors. The instructor was an amazing woman, and an amazing mom too! I had a chance to get up-close and personal with her, and I was so proud to know her!
Oh... and learning how to brush my teeth the RIGHT way was priceless! [there's a previous post on it...]
I went whitewater rafting with CAMP Toronto, and met a whole buncha fun people- I met them again @ the CAMP CARES Iftar. Rafting was absolutely crazy. I can't swim, but this was so wild. It wasn't fun being wet and cold @ the end, but it was so worth it. I'm so glad Fatima came on the trip, because I didn't get to spend time with her after that... not even before I left :( I also discovered I can still play badminton, and win a few games too! hehe...
Also, before that was the CAMP Annual Gala dinner, definitely worth a mention.
My team mates decided we should go to Wonderland, since I've never been there- and I ventured there for the first time this summer in 5 years. It was fun. Vinit insisted I try bungee jumping with him- I would have, except he's not a girl. So I didn't. That was in August. A few weeks before Wonderland was a hospital SLRI staff picnic- and I tried stilt-walking! Very cool. I also played soccer for the first time, actually second- the first time was @ MAC Sports Day that I had helped organise. In any case, @ the next team meeting, it was embarassing to get comments about me playing well. Ah well...
I wasn't sure if I'd be in the country past August, but Sawitri and I managed to raise over $1200 for the MS Bike Tour. Thank you to all those who supported us. Our team was called Aqua Freeze, and we biked 55km for Multiple Sclerosis. The best part was... actually, there were many best parts- First, all the training! I would cover between 5-30km through the week, divided into endurance, speed and moderate days. One such trip was biking to Iqbal foods and back. The other best part was that Sawitri and I were the only hijabis in the race. We were so proud of ourselves. Perhaps the only Muslims too. The Bike Tour was sooooooooo beautiful- I didn't know there's such a beautiful field in the middle of Toronto! WOW!! As we raced down the Gardiner, I thanked Allah (swt) for the opportunity.

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Cont'd: 2006 in a Review II