Ka’aba

 Here’s a condensed summary of all your reflections and frameworks, designed as a weekly reflection checklist to revisit and realign your life with clarity, peace, and purpose:

Weekly Reflection Summary (Ka’aba – 4/4/2025)

Big Rocks | Meaning | Prayer | Pressure | Possessions

1. Emotional Self-Awareness & Boundaries

• It’s okay to avoid things if you feel shy or fear hurting someone — be kind to yourself.
• Be honest with others about what you can’t take on. It’s okay to say no.
• For overwhelming spontaneous tasks:
  
• Pause, prepare mentally, or share responsibility.
• Skipping is okay — don’t self-punish.

2. Time, Discipline & Prayer

• Set aside a fixed time each day/week to complete key tasks — build self-trust.
• Block out time for Zuhur & Asr at work; stay realistic and flexible.
• Prioritize Fajr & Isha in congregation when possible.
• Missed prayers? Make them up gently. Guilt is not the goal — consistency is.

3. Seeking Meaning

• What new things or people energized me this week?
• Am I creating space to explore outside my comfort zone — books, places, stories?
• Does my life feel like it’s growing — or just running in circles?

4. Social Pressure & Conviction

• Did I act out of conviction — or just to meet expectations?
• Where did I suppress myself to avoid conflict?
• One thing I’ll say “no” to next time, without guilt: __________

5. Ownership & Accountability

• Am I blaming others for choices I also agreed to?
• Can I forgive myself for past choices made under pressure?
• What would I do differently next time — with full ownership?

6. Simplicity vs Luxury (Minimalism Check)

• What do I already have that once felt out of reach?
• What possession do I want — and why? (Use the 5 Whys)
• Would I still want it if no one ever saw it?

7. Purpose Alignment

• What energized me this week?
• What drained me?
• What value do I want to live more deeply next week? (e.g., curiosity, truth, calm)

8. Reset Intention (Choose One Weekly)

Examples:

• “Live with less noise, more depth.”
• “Not everything is mine to carry.”
• “Choose meaning over impressing.”
• “Pray on time — even if imperfectly.”

A History of the Arab Peoples

 Albert Hourani’s A History of the Arab Peoples is a fascinating exploration of Arab history, spanning from the rise of Islam to the late 20th century. The book delves into the political, cultural, and social transformations that have shaped the Arab world. One of the key themes Hourani examines is the shift of Islam from a position of political dominance to a more culturally anchored role, maintaining its relevance even in the absence of direct political control.

Hourani frames much of his analysis through the lens of Ibn Khaldun’s cyclical theory of the rise and fall of empires. According to this theory, empires rise to power through the strength and cohesion of tribal or nomadic communities but eventually decay as luxury and complacency take root. These weakened empires are then overtaken by newer, stronger communities from the periphery. Hourani also highlights the role of the merchant and scholar (ulama) classes, who often align themselves with ruling powers as long as peace and stability are maintained. However, when a new regime emerges, they adapt pragmatically, transferring their allegiance to the new rulers.

The book also explores the interplay of nationalism, social justice, and Islamic identity, which form the foundation of social and cultural life in the Arab world. Hourani identifies the Arab-Israeli conflict as a unifying “pain point” for the Arab world, shaping regional politics and collective identity throughout the 20th century. His work provides a nuanced and richly detailed understanding of the complex historical forces that continue to influence the Arab world today.

Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible

 Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible, 4th Edition, by Richard Blum and Christine Bresnahan is a complete guide for software professionals to master Linux. It deals with commonly used Linux commands and shell scripting programming techniques. It has chapters on sed, awk and regular expressions. Other topic covered are accessing command line, basic commands on file handling, monitoring programs, monitoring disk space, sub-shells, environment variables, dealing with file permissions, various filesystems, installing packages, working with editors, basic shell programming, using structured shell commands, handling user inputs, presenting data, handling signals, running script in background, cron jobs, creating functions, writing scripts for graphical desktops and version controlling using GIT.

 Detailed notes:  https://shine-notes.blogspot.com/2023/08/bash-notes-expanded.html

U.S History for dummies by Steve Wiegand

I am better informed of American history after reading this book than before. This book covers breadth, but examines certain topics deep enough to make it interesting. This book covers Native Americans and Explorers; Pilgrims; American Revolution; Yankee Doodlin; American Independence; Early wars; pulling country together; issue of slavery; war with Mexico; gold rush; civil war and assassination of Abraham Lincoln; freed slave and sharecroppers; heading west in quest of wealth; cramming into cities; building rail roads; colonizing Spanish lands; gin and jazz; Great Depression and new deal; World War II; rock n roll and Elvis; communism in America; Kennedy; Vietnam war; civil rights movement; ousting of Nixon; Cold War; Reaganomics; Gulf War; Bill Clinton and sex scandal; homegrown terrorism; AIDS; dealing with drugs; internet; Al Qaeda and 9/11; U.S. invasion on Afghanistan and Iraq; hurricanes; 2008 recession; reforming healthcare or Obamacare; Trumped; new America.

It’s disheartening to read the plight of native Americans and later the state of African Americans. It’s very encouraging to read the resolution of early Americans under adverse conditions. It’s interesting to read about the the evolution of life of African Americans after slavery - started with sharecropping and then moved to cities. Also took part in WW-II jobs and enrolled in military. Another topic is role of technology in shaping the culture - role of radio, movies, television, fast food and internet.

Mathematics From Algebra to Algorithms: Adventures in Numbers by Michael Willers

 A fun mathematics book to refresh Algebra concepts in the context of its origin. It covered Algebra basics; ancient Greece; Egypt, India and Persia; Italian Connection; Post Renaissance Europe; and modern application in Money and Privacy. Each Topic is covered with its famous personality and a brief historical context. It is then accompanied by a set of sample problems. Each subtopic is covered in 2 pages. Overall its super fun to read and lot of good information.

Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber

This is the story about Penguins who adapted to the imminent change and moved onto a new way of life.  The characters in the story—Fred, Alice, Louis, Buddy, the Professor, and NoNo. These are the main points in the book.

SET THE STAGE

1. Create a sense of Urgency

* Do we have a strong "why" for our change ?

2. Pull Together the Guiding Team.

* Bring powerful group guiding the change.

DECIDE WHAT TO DO

3. Develop the Change Vision and Strategy

* Clarify how future will be different from past.

MAKE IT HAPPEN

4. Communicate for Understanding and Buy-In

5. Empower Others to Act

* Remove barriers and make the innovation happen.

6. Produce Short-term Wins

* Create some visible success ASAP

 7. Don't Let Up

* Press harder and faster after the first success

MAKE IT STICK

8. Create a new Culture

* Continue new behaviour until replace the old traditions.

Who moved my cheese?

Another great book to read. It’s the story of 2 mice and 2 little people. They always had their cheese in one place. One fine day, someone moved their cheese. It’s story of them adapting to the change.

Some key points:

Don’t blame the change and get annoyed. Rather anticipate the change, monitor the change and adapt to the change quickly. Change and enjoy the change!!