IMRAN™: In My Humble Opinion

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Tokyo, We Have An Addiction - IMRAN®

#food #Japanese #IMRAN #photography #bokeh #sushi #sashimi #fish #cooking #puns #humor #wordplay #home #dining #style #foodie

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Landmark Verrazano-Narrows Bridge New York City From Belt Parkway During Late Christmas Day 1200+ Mile Drive New York To Florida Home - IMRAN®

#IMRAN #NewYork #NewYorkCity #cars #ChristmasDay #Christmas #inspiration #gratitude #architecture #bridge #landmark #travel #travelogue #trees #BlueSky #winter

Monday, February 17, 2025

Heaven's Bloodshot Eyes Crying Oceans Of Tears In Memory Of My Beloved Mom's 33rd Death Anniversary (2/2/1992) - IMRAN®

My beloved mother left us at age 50 on 2/2/1992. Even after 33 years, the tears have not ceased. Thinking of that day still brings an unending flow of sorrow.

As I saw this sunset on her anniversary at my blessed Florida home, I was overtaken by emotion. Even heaven's eyes are bloodshot, crying oceans of tears. The sun seemed to understand the pain I, her firstborn son, have endured all these years.

I do not expect it to abate now or for the time I have left before I see her again in the Universe around us.

#IMRAN #sunset #anniversary #mother #life #memories #gratitude #prose #nature #Florida #ApolloBeach #TampaBay

Photo with 18 years old Nikon D300.

Sunday, February 16, 2025

(6 Years Ago, My Search For The) Best Dog Ever! - IMRAN®

Since I was two years old in Pakistan, starting with my first GSD, Jack, German Shepherd Dogs have always held a special place in my heart. My family in Pakistan continued to have them even when I left for the United States nearly 40 years ago.

When I moved to America, starting with life in Manhattan, New York, I couldn't bear the thought of confining a GSD in an apartment—it felt like cruelty to me.

Even after building my dream home on Long Island 30 years ago, the demands of work and frequent travel prevented me from getting a dog.

Watching my neighbors struggle through the snow to walk their pets made me hesitate even more. My longing for a German Shepherd grew stronger after I moved to my fantasy home in Apollo Beach, Florida.

Yet, once again, frequent travel held me back. The hurdles of adopting from shelters—endless paperwork, nonrefundable fees, and strict terms—kept my favorite companion out of my life.

By 2018 and 2019, I was determined to bring a German Shepherd into my home. A beautiful beloved former lover, a dog owner herself, joined me in the search, even meeting with sellers in her area.

Then, on Valentine's Day in 2019, while I was visiting my New York home, she found him—a beautiful rescue dog from Texas who had traveled to Tennessee in search of his forever home.

He had been named Denver and later Westmoreland, by the kind souls who had cared for him along the way to becoming....

#IMRAN #GSD #GermanShepherdDogs #dogs #Kennedy #autobiography #BestDogEver #ValentinesDay #gift #love #MansBestFriend

Thought For Food: Goat Curry At Roti Saturday Night - IMRAN®

I was craving Pakistani Indian food few weekends ago. Saturnight (that makes more sense to me than calling it SaturDAY Night) I tried out the new place in Riverview. It was opened by a really nice gentleman I got to know from his earlier restaurant in Brandon.

Ironic to have eaten Naan, clay-oven flame-baked bread — not roti, that’s made on a black metal plate on a stove — at a place called Roti. It’s a very basic place with reasonable prices for a quick bite to eat.

Closeup of the goat curry, which was ok but not as great as the butter chicken. Hoping they’ll improve.

#IMRAN #Florida #Riverview #food #dining #foodie #Pakistani #Indian #cuisine #FoodReview

Saturday, February 15, 2025

How Cool! That’s Hot! AC Unit Infrared Photography - IMRAN®

#IMRAN #Florida #photography #infrared #night #design

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Thought For Food: Butter Chicken At Roti Saturday Night - IMRAN®

I was craving Pakistani Indian food this weekend. Saturnight (that makes more sense to me than calling it SaturDAY Night) I tried out the new place in Riverview. It was opened by a really nice gentleman I got to know from his earlier restaurant in Brandon.

The butter chicken on the right was an absolutely delicious A+. (Closeup of the delicious butter chicken.)

#IMRAN #Florida #Riverview #food #dining #foodie #Pakistani #Indian #cuisine #FoodReview

Monday, February 10, 2025

Spectacular Mild Winter Florida Sunshine Selfie Entering Apollo Beach Neighborhood Gate Late Friday - IMRAN®

I wanted to take a picture of something at the gate of my Symphony Isles neighborhood but the iPhone camera switched to the selfie side.

Who was I to argue? I just clicked and got this unplanned picture. Yes, my hands are on the steering wheel as you can see in the reflection.

Wearing shortsleeved shirts is one of the perks of Florida living in winter. I still haven’t taken off the 20 lbs I put on from being at the New York home after the hurricanes hit Tampa Bay.

#IMRAN #Florida #TampaBay #ApolloBeach #driving #cars @MercedesBenz @MauiJim @Izod #humor #selfie #winter #style

Sunday, February 09, 2025

Pakistani Flag Symbol Crescent Moon & Solitary Star Framed By Palm Fronds' Silhouette At Tampa Bay Florida Last Sunset Of January - IMRAN®

Imagine how fast time flies. As the last sunset of January cast its magic on Tampa Bay, it marked one-twelfth (1/12) of this year already being over. The year 2025 itself will be the completion of literally one quarter (1/4) of this century!

As I saw the crescent moon and solitary star framed by palm fronds' silhouette at sunset near my home, they reminded me of my birthplace, Pakistan. A solo boat was also just entering the frame.

It being the last day of January, I also reflected on how quickly 36 years of my American life have flown by. Our journey on the ocean of time slides by so fast until we glide away into our final sunsets.

Grateful for every day and night, I said a Maghreb prayer of gratitude for health, happiness, and family. I asked for strength, courage, discipline, and wisdom to still achieve the many goals and aspirations God gave me the potential for. Amen.

#IMRAN, #Florida, #TampaBay, #ApolloBeach, #Sunset #sky #clouds #life #autobiography #history #prayers #Maghreb #gratitude #Pakistan #inspiration #symbology

Sweet Surreal Saturday Sunday Snow Storm Spanned Sea Sky Scene - IMRAN®

Almost 5 inches of snow fell on Long Island, New York between Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

Saturday, February 08, 2025

K2 (Not) Howling At The (Full) Moon At New York In Winter - IMRAN®

Mid-December it dark like midnight even at 6 pm in New York. During his first real winter at the Long Island home last year, K2 loved the weather. He chose to focus his energy on the big stick at hand (or paw) than to go into werewolf mode howling at the full moon.

#IMRAN #NewYork #LongIsland #EastPatchogue #HeronPointe #GreatSouthBay #GSD #GermanShepherdDogs #dogs #night #winter #FullMoon #wordplay #nature

Friday, February 07, 2025

Gold Sunset Cold Tranquility At New York Home Beach - IMRAN®

Blessed to have first seen this spot after a snowstorm end-1993, I was sold. I am blessed that it’s been my blessed New York home’s backyard for 30 years.

The gold sunset in the direction of my “forever American hometown” Manhattan, the cold water of the Great South Bay rippling onto the private beach, the bold tree stump washed ashore many storms ago, all fold into a scene that never gets old, truth be told.

I captured this moment on 7 December 2024. I was out walking there with my dog K2. A perfect moment to say a Maghreb prayer of gratitude.

#IMRAN #NewYork #LongIsland #EastPatchogue #HeronPointe #GreatSouthBay #Sunset #sky #clouds #seaside #autobiography #HomeSweetHome #nature #tranquility #wordplay

Thursday, February 06, 2025

Watching First Snowfall After Many Years While At New York Home On Beloved Father’s Anniversary - December 21 Last Year - IMRAN®

Around the Christmas holidays, I was at the blessed home I built exactly 30 years ago on the South Shore of Long Island, New York. It was a special moment as I witnessed the first snowfall of the season after nearly a dozen years of successfully avoiding that weather, especially the brutal winters.

Most of that time, I’ve been living in Florida. I made far fewer trips to New York during the pandemic years than usual for me.

Mild and light snow like this has always been a joy for me since I was a child in Pakistan. Back then, my beloved parents would take my siblings and me to the beautiful hill station of Murree, north of Islamabad, to experience the snowfalls.

My father had visited me in the autumn of 1996 but left before he saw any snow at this home. In a personal twist of fate, I recorded this snowfall on the morning of December 21, the same date he left us in 2008.

Every moment, every breath, every snowflake is experienced in gratitude for having had the parents, the life, and the blessings God gave me.

#IMRAN #NewYork #LongIsland #EastPatchogue #HeronPointe #GreatSouthBay #winter #weather #Christmas #snow #snowfall #autobiography #HomeSweetHome

Wednesday, February 05, 2025

Tokyo, We Have An Addiction - IMRAN®

#food #Japanese #IMRAN #photography #bokeh #sushi #sashimi #fish #cooking #puns #humor #wordplay #home #dining #style #foodie

Tuesday, February 04, 2025

Shepherd Silhouette Seen Standing Seaside Savoring Stunning Sunday Sunset - IMRAN®

As we walked outside at the time we would usually go to sit on my now hurricane-shattered dock and savor the sunset, my German Shepherd Dog, K2, was looking out for dolphins. I captured this image of him from the side, semi-silhouetted by a stunning Sunday sunset as we stood seaside.

#IMRAN, #Florida, #TampaBay, #ApolloBeach, #Sunset, #sky, #clouds, #PalmTrees, #silhouette, #nature, #Maghreb, #gratitude, #winter, #seaside, #prose, #wordplay, #GSD, #GermanShepherdDogs, #dogs

Thought For Food: Naan At Roti Saturday Night - IMRAN®

The butter chicken on the right was an absolutely delicious A+. The goat curry on the left was just OK, more like a B-.

The goat meat was a bit rubbery and tasted hot but lacked the zest of a combination of spices. But the restaurant has only had a soft opening. I am hoping that they will get better and expand their menu as well. It’s not very decorated so I’m not sure what the planned ambiance is.

#IMRAN #Florida #Riverview #food #dining #foodie #Pakistani #Indian #cuisine #FoodReview

Monday, February 03, 2025

Reverse Logic: Flying Upwards For Landing Touchdown - IMRAN®

No visible horizon, the bane of most typical pilots’ routine flying. Dense fog and IMC, Instrument Meteorological Conditions, are Irrelevant Morning Conditions to birds like herons.

Pilots’ concept of flying down to the touchdown point at landing is also reversed — as this bird flew upwards towards the top of a piling for a gentle landing.

Another bird perched atop a green boating channel marker watched nonchalantly. The red marker and its reflection frame the scene to the right.

The rocks on the sandy shore in my neighborhood add even more zen to the total tranquility on Tampa Bay early this first winter Monday morning in February.

#IMRAN #Florida #TampaBay #ApolloBeach #flying #nature #aviation #pilots #birds #weather #Monday #zen #tranquility #prose #writing #wordplay

Sunday, February 02, 2025

Perpetually Excited Perpetual Puppy K2 GSD Watching Dolphins Passing By Outside Tampa Bay Florida Home - IMRAN®

A random moment of the beauty of having German Shepherd Dogs in one’s life, from yesterday.

#IMRAN, #Florida, #TampaBay, #ApolloBeach, #GSD #GermanShepherdDogs #dogs #humor #home #animals

Saturday, February 01, 2025

Leggy Beach Barbie At Christmas Weekend Tampa Bay Sunset - IMRAN®

#IMRAN, #Florida, #TampaBay, #ApolloBeach, #Sunset #sky #clouds #blonde #beach #babe #model #modeling #seaside #water #style

Friday, January 31, 2025

Thought For Food: Hate Cooking, Love Air Fryer & Microwave For Quick Home Cooked Meals - IMRAN®

(Words from June 2, 2023 post apply today too.)

I love salmon. Plus I would est a lot more veggies at home too. But I despise real toiling in the kitchen cooking. Thankfully the air fryer and the microwave enable me to sometimes enjoy something like this.

I make my own always random marinade in about 2-3 minutes. I then let the filets of salmon (the only fish I really enjoy) sit in that for a day or two in the fridge.

Later, 12-14 minutes in the air-fryer for the fish, and 5-6 minutes in the microwave for the frozen vegetables, and voila! I’m eating a home cooked meal - without messy and tedious traditional cooking. And I’d think it’s healthier too.

A few drops of various sauces or mustards (salsa in this case) for my visual and culinary satisfaction, and it’s worth a quick picture. The pink/dark coloring varies depending on what I included in the mix.

I’m so thankful that each time these combinations of my secret (meaning I never remember or repeat the recipe) marinade have turned out just like, or even better than, most restaurants’ that I’ve had salmon like this. Steamed (thanks to 6 minutes in the microwave) spicy cauliflowers are the accompaniment in this case.

#IMRAN #food #foodie #cuisine #eating #dining #lifestyle #bokeh #gratitude #salmon #AirFryer #SecretRecipe #experiment #HealthyEating #HomeCooking #SingleLife #HappilySingle

Perpetual Puppy Portrait Pose Protecting Cool Captured Coconut Sandy Seaside Saturday Sunset - IMRAN®

#IMRAN #Florida #TampaBay #ApolloBeach #GSD #GermanShepherdDogs #dogs #winter #animals

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Stunning Sunset Spring-Like Thursday Tampa Bay (SOOC) - IMRAN®

Tampa Bay didn’t have the same brutal cold that other parts of Florida went through in the last few weeks. But it was unusually chill, especially because of the very strong winds that we had. But what a swing the temperature made.

Today’s high was almost 80° F. It was almost like a beautiful spring day all day. This magical moment was captured with my iPhone. A pelican sunned itself and dried its wings while a magnificent sunset spanned the horizon.

No editing and no filters. SOOC (straight out of camera) iPhone photo taken at Apollo Beach.

#IMRAN #Florida #TampaBay #ApolloBeach #Sunset #sky #clouds #weather #nature #January #winter #pelican #birds #gratitude #Maghreb

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Dog Fog Day Bay - IMRAN®

It was a very foggy day in Tampa Bay, Florida early this Wednesday morning when my beautiful German Shepherd Dog K2 posed for his daily portrait. The horizon disappeared as sea and sky blended into grey and white.

#IMRAN, #Florida, #TampaBay, #ApolloBeach, #GSD #GermanShepherdDogs #dogs #fog #weather #winter #nature #beachlife

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Thought For Food: Hate Cooking, Love Air Fryer & Microwave For Quick Home Cooked Meals - IMRAN®

(Words from June 2, 2023 post apply today too.)

I make my own always random marinade in about 2-3 minutes,. I then soak filets of salmon (the only fish I really enjoy) a day of so in the fridge.

Then 12-14 minutes in the air-fryer for the fish, and 5 minutes in the microwave for the frozen vegetables, and voila! I’m eating a home cooked meal - without messy and tedious traditional cooking. A few drops of various sauces or mustards for my visual and culinary satisfaction, and it’s worth a quick picture. The pink/dark coloring varies depending on what I included in the mix.

#IMRAN #food #foodie #cuisine #eating #dining #lifestyle #bokeh #3D #gratitude #salmon #AirFryer #SecretRecipe #experiment #HealthyEating #HomeCooking #SingleLife #HappilySingle

Monday, January 27, 2025

Stunning Sunday Sunset Silhouette Seen Standing Seaside - IMRAN™

Walking back home with my dog, I saw the palm tree at the northwest edge of my blessed home on Tampa Bay silhouetted by a stunning Sunday sunset as I stood seaside to capture this moment.

#IMRAN, #Florida, #TampaBay, #ApolloBeach, #Sunset #sky #clouds #PalmTrees #silhouette #nature #Maghreb #gratitude #winter #seaside #prose #wordplay

Sunday, January 26, 2025

German Shepherd Sea Dog K2 Sits At Land’s End Apollo Beach Watching Gasparilla Pirate Boats Passing By On Tampa Bay In Perfect Florida Winter Saturday Weather- IMRAN™

#IMRAN, #Florida, #TampaBay, #ApolloBeach, #GSD #GermanShepherdDogs #dogs #boats #boating #Gasparilla #weekend #winter #Saturday #gratitude

Is That Jesus’ London Walking On Water Route According To iFIT? -IMRAN™

I swear I don’t go hunting for systemic bugs or bad user/customer experiences (UX/CX) - they find me.

I had renewed my iFIT subscription late last year, and decided to use it on a treadmill last night. (You will love reading the story of the treadmills in my life. I wrote it right now when I started commenting on this photo, but decided to post it separately later.) I like to use the street view option to make treadmill or stationary-bike experiences less tedious and boring.

This time I randomly decided to relive a real-life walk in London a dozen years ago. I tapped out the “walk” from the Big Ben clock tower at the British Parliament to the giant London Eye ferris wheel that has become a famous landmark.

Look at the strangely long route the clunky app interface generated. More importantly, notice how the app’s Snap To Road option is On. But the displayed route literally proposes I march in the middle of the River Thames.

Apparently, iFIT thinks that I can walk on water. Or, it mistakenly presented me a route it would have proposed for Jesus Christ — who supposedly could walk on water.

#IMRAN #iFIT #UserExperience #Tech #Humor #WalkingOnWater #London #UX #CX #exercise #gadgets #London #StreetView #maps #fable

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Leggy Beach Barbie At Christmas Weekend Tampa Bay Sunset - IMRAN™

#IMRAN, #Florida, #TampaBay, #ApolloBeach, #Sunset #sky #clouds #blonde #beach #babe #model #modeling #seaside #water #style

Sunset / Cruise Very Cold Winter Friday Tampa Bay Florida - IMRAN™

It’s literally one month since Christmas and the holidays. Within this week 1/12 of the new year will be over. We hurtle towards one-quarter (25%) of even this new century (which many of us experienced the start of) being over.

Time flies. The sun rises and sets. As the world turns, we face the heat in daily life or the cold clouds that can surround us.

We have to keep the light inside our souls shining bright, at all times. It’s up to us to stay calm and tranquil, full of grace and gratitude, as we live through the days of our lives, until the eternal sail into the final sunset.

#IMRAN, #Florida, #TampaBay, #ApolloBeach, #Sunset #sky #clouds #cruise #boating #CruiseShip #weekend #TGIF #winter #Friday #weather #prose #philosophy #inspiration

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

First Snowfall of 2025 at Long Island, New York Home on the First Monday of the New Year - IMRAN™

What was meant to be a quick New Year's Eve trip to New York City turned into an extended stay, and boy, was it worth it! Instead of heading back to sunny Florida on January 2nd or 3rd, I found myself still in New York on January 6th, the first Monday of the new year. And guess what? It was snowing! Light, fluffy snowflakes gently blanketed my beloved Long Island home, marking the first snowfall of 2025. It was a lovely winter scene, a continuation of a great start to the new year I was blessed with.

Ironically, as I share this photo from my home on Tampa Bay, parts of Florida and the southern United States are experiencing shockingly cold winter weather, with some areas even getting slammed by piles of snow! I can only shudder to think how cold it must be in New York right now. Even as a lifelong New Yorker, I found myself putting on a jacket to walk the dog here in Apollo Beach, Florida, which didn't get as cold as other parts of the state.

#IMRAN #NewYork #LongIsland #EastPatchogue #HeronPointe #GreatSouthBay #snow #weather #NewYear #winter #January #travel #HomeSweetHome #autobiography

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Tokyo, We Have An Addiction - IMRAN™

#food #Japanese #IMRAN #photography #bokeh #sushi #sashimi #fish #cooking #puns #humor #wordplay #home #dining #style #foodie

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Apollo Beach Boardwalk Beautiful Blue Bird - IMRAN™

A beautiful, almost blue-looking, Green Heron was casually walking on the boardwalk of the Symphony Isles Yacht Club Marina in late December 2024, when my neighbor and I were there. It was a mild, beautiful early Saturday morning in Apollo Beach.

I captured the heron’s beautiful sheen, even though the morning sun was at the wrong angle. The population of these birds is said to have declined by about 50% in the last half-century or so.

#IMRAN, #Florida, #TampaBay, #ApolloBeach, #birds #GreenHeron #weekend #nature #morning #winter #marina #boardwalk

Sky Sharks, Meet Sharknado! Tech Innovation From Nikon! - IMRAN™

This news item caught my attention today. Even though I had not (and would not) see the movies Sky Sharks or Sharknado, the movie references came to mind immediately.

"Nikon unveils sharkskin-inspired riblet technology for aviation and power" ( https://lnkd.in/ebTXK9qW ). It basically is a biomimetic technology which mimics the amazing surface structure of shark skin. Nikon’s proprietary laser processing creates riblets which are artificial microstructures which resemble the fine scales on a shark’s skin. The materials have many applications from aviation to power generation.

#IMRAN #Nikon #sharks #puns #moviereferences #materialsengineering #biometrics #innovation #news #aviation Nikon

Monday, January 13, 2025

What A Combo! How About “Hospital, ER, Trauma & Burn Unit Exit 161”? - IMRAN™

I saw the sign. What a combination! Where there’s “smoke(s)” {as in cigarettes}, there is fire… or at least an abundant supply of matchsticks and lighters to start one. How convenient that the next offering on the signboard is fireworks.

But wait! There’s more. If you really want to blow yourself up, along with anyone else nearby, we’ll also include a gas station nearby on the same sign. LOL.

This was on I-95 heading south in North Carolina. During my long two-day 1250-mile drive from my Long Island home back to Apollo Beach, Florida on Christmas Day and next, I saw and missed taking a picture of a sign just like this one a few miles earlier.

Since there were still several exits to go, I was pretty sure that there would be at least one more sign like that one. It gave me time to pick up the smart-glasses that were sitting on the console of the vehicle. I put them on.

When I saw this next sign showing up in the distance, I slowed down enough to be take a few pictures hands-free. It’s hard to be sure how accurate the framing of a picture from a pair of smart-glasses is going to be. As a precaution, I took three pictures from different distances. This was the one that shows the words most clearly.

Only in jest, it made me wonder. Should there be another sign that says “Hospital, ER, Trauma & Burn Unit Exit 161”!

#IMRAN #humor #travel #USA #signs #weird #bizarre #funny #roadtrip #driving #SmartGlasses #highway #NorthCarolina #DarkHumor #Christmas

Sunday, January 12, 2025

FL GSD K2 Relaxing In Autumn Leaves Chewing Old Lost Ball He Found Near NY Home Tennis Court - IMRAN™

🐕 🎾 🍂 🍁 🥶

#IMRAN #NewYork #LongIsland #EastPatchogue #HeronPointe #GreatSouthBay #GSD #GermanShepherdDogs #dogs #autumn #gratitude #HomeSweetHome #K2

Deadly Unsurvivable Christmas Day One-Car Fatal Accident Near JFK - IMRAN™

One look while approaching and passing the scene, and you can tell this was unsurvivable. It was a one-car high-speed crash into a tree. Bad on any day, the fatal accident occurred around noon on Christmas Day, 2024.

I was on my way to Florida on the Belt Parkway near New York’s JFK Airport. I captured the tragic scene hands-free with my smart glasses as traffic slowly moved past. I think this may have been an Audi A4.

Let’s always be grateful for being alive. Let’s make every minute and hour, every day and week, every month and year of our lives meaningful and lived to the fullest. Amen.

#IMRAN #NewYork #LongIsland #JFK #Queens #accident #death #living #cars #ChristmasDay #Christmas #tragedy #inspiration #gratitude

Saturday, January 11, 2025

Dramatic Deluge Whipping Winds Rushing Rain Sunday Surreal Seaside Sunset - IMRAN™

This was the last Sunday sunset of 2024. And it was magical.

Yes, my GSD K2 just HAD to go for a walk in this rain. It was a typical surreal random thunderstorm and torrential rain occurrence. Did you see the video earlier?

The colors of the sky — with sunset across the horizon and layers of an aerial river gushing past my blessed home — are so beautiful. I’m so grateful for everything.

#IMRAN, #Florida, #TampaBay, #ApolloBeach, #Sunset #sky #clouds #rain #weather #weekend #wordplay #gratitude #lifestyle

Thursday, January 09, 2025

Oh Dear, Deer! - IMRAN™

They’re cute but they’re pests now. In my 30 years having this blessed home in Long Island in New York, the handful of fearful deer hiding in the phragmites have turned into marauding herds that have destroyed all our neighborhood flower beds. Even these little ones are least bothered by my being 10 feet from them next to my downstairs rear deck.

#IMRAN #NewYork #LongIsland #EastPatchogue #HeronPointe #GreatSouthBay #deer #nature #animals #winter #wildlife