I’m back to instructing tutorials for the course “Introduction to Sociology” at the freshers level. I’ve instructed these tutorials in 2010 and 2011, so it’s fairly familiar material. The blog I had created for the students seemed to be a big hit, so I think I’ll continue with it. Maybe I’ll use Twitter a bit…… Continue reading Back in Dublin for term two
The teaching season here at Trinity College Dublin has come to an end. I’m flying back home to Needham tomorrow, so I wanted to take some time to reflect on life since I arrived back to Dublin in September. For the past 12 weeks, I’ve taught five tutorials per week for the Researching Society course.…… Continue reading Personal: Recapping an unforgettable September to December (2012)
There’s this drive within me. I think it’s in my soul. It’s always been with me. I didn’t create it, though I certainly create from it. It was given to me, but I don’t know when or by whom. This drive is a mystery, though I’m certain that it pushes me forward and never backward.…… Continue reading Personal: The drive
As many of you may have read in a recent post, Journey into America and the One Film 9/11 interfaith initiative were both warmly received at the U.S. Embassy in London. People of all walks of life approached me after the screening/discussion and shared with me their thoughts as well as how inspired they were…… Continue reading Personal: Back in Dublin though only for a shortwhile
I’m about to head out the door to Portman Square for a breakfast meeting with Ambassador Ahmed. Before I do so I want to share with you a few highlights of the trip so far. I’ll post something with more details in the near future. The Journey into America screening at the U.S. Embassy went very…… Continue reading Personal: Quick update from London
Here’s a quick glimpse into a pretty exciting trip over the next several days: On Wednesday morning, I have to teach a tutorial on naturally occurring data. The tutorial will be packed because I’ve asked the students from the Thursday and Friday tutorials to attend the Wednesday session. The reason? I’m heading on a 14:10…… Continue reading Personal: A quick and fairly significant trip to London
I’m heading to Logan Airport in a bit to fly back to Dublin. It’s hard to believe that I’m starting the third year of my Ph.D. Time flies when you’re busy and having fun. The summer of 2012 was a great one. I spent it relaxing and chilling mostly with my family. I can’t…… Continue reading Personal: Wrapping up the summer of 2012
Dear Craig, Greetings. Thank you for taking the time to come and visit me. Thank you for your kind note. I really enjoyed meeting you. I have a sixth sense about people. Or perhaps a visceral feeling. Even enough I met you for a few minutes, I knew you would be an interesting person. And…… Continue reading Personal: A letter I received today
We can gain a sense of young Benjamin Franklin’s thoughts on religion in A Witch Trial at Mount Holly, which raised the concern of his Puritan parents that he held ‘erroneous’ religious opinions. Franklin was not himself an emphatically religious man; while he believed in God, he did not subscribe to one particular creed. What we do…… Continue reading Benjamin Franklin’s Case for Pluralism
I wrote this speech (with a few typos) before launching Journey into America, which was screened at the Washington D.C. Convention Center. I ended up not even reading it. I was under the impression that we (researchers) were going to be asked to say a few words in front of the audience. This was never…… Continue reading The short speech I never read
It is early, not too early, on the morning of the tenth of January. I have been, unfortunately, neglecting this journal mostly because of time with friends and our extravagant journey’s. Tomorrow morning, I head to Amsterdam. The purpose of this entry is to recap events of yesterday, for there are surely many. I am…… Continue reading Failing democracies and rationality
Last night I watched the movie Alive. Have you seen it? It’s about a Rugby team that’s stranded for something like 70 days in the Andes mountains after a plane crash. As you can imagine, the team faces unfathomable hardship and even has to resort to cannibalism. It’s also, unbelievably, a true story. Something came…… Continue reading Alive
Something, though I can’t put my finger precisely on it, has come over my being within just a few days. My hours, as of late, have been one’s dedicated to my studies and thoughts regarding morality, and more particularly, the life I have been striving to maintain for quite some time now. Hardly any of…… Continue reading Rome Was Not Built Overnight
Lately, I have been engaged in learning about the life of one of America’s Founding Fathers: Thomas Jefferson. His writings have inspired me to live a more moral and virtuous life. Oftentimes, I cease to ponder on my character and conduct, so it is humbling to learn about my self through someone else. Last night,…… Continue reading Personal: Manifesto from 2008
I booked a flight back home to Boston in March 2012. My sister, the only person who knew of the booking, and I devised a clever plan to surprise my parents. I put together this short clip to ‘Lovely Allen’ by Holy Fuck. Watch the video and tell me whether you think Holy Fuck is…… Continue reading (Video) Surprising the hell out of my parents!
I rented a cheap little car and was told ‘not to go off-roading’. But what did that mean? What is considered ‘off-roading’? These are two questions I certainly contemplated before taking the car down a dangerous path to the famous and isolated Kambia Beach in the middle-of-nowhere, Santorini. Would I make the car back up…… Continue reading My ‘Dirt road in Santorini’ video
Have you ever met or had a conversation with someone and thought to yourself: ‘this person is a genius’? This happened to me during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan in 2011 at the Islamic Center of Boston in Wayland (ICB), Massachusetts. One evening, while the largely South Asian community broke the fast, I found…… Continue reading The day I met a genius: a somber reflection
A student in one of my tutorials, who happens to be a well-known journalist here in Ireland, just sent this nice message, which for me makes all the effort throughout the year well worth it. Hi Craig, Just wanted to extend a big thank you for your interesting tutorials during the year and for compiling…… Continue reading Praise for teaching
I’m heading tomorrow morning to meet with a Pakistani friend who I met back in January. This young man, whose name I’ll keep anonymous for security purposes, is a native of Islamabad, Pakistan. He arrived to Dublin via work visa over eight years ago. When his work visa ended he filed the necessary paperwork to live (legally) in Ireland. His…… Continue reading Wondering About Ireland’s Immigration System
At least this’s true as it concerns the two terms of teaching, which just finished as of yesterday here at Trinity College Dublin. It’s safe to say that it has been a successful academic year for me. I have accomplished things I never imagined I would carry out. I have grown not only as a student…… Continue reading Year 2 of Ph.D. complete!
Once upon a time, I was a pretty lethal striker on the soccer pitch. When I was about 9 or 10, I had something like 6 goals in one game. It’s a true story. You can ask my dad. He wouldn’t lie. I ‘retired’ from the game when I was about 13, right before I…… Continue reading Playing soccer back in the day
Have you thought about who you are? About where you’ve been? Of what you’ve seen? If not, when will you start? Ever so gradually or now? And do you prepare yourself? Take stock of your soul? Do you know what drives you? Do you stray from that? Do you take shortcuts? And what about goals? Do…… Continue reading Successful minds in question
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