Shows
Flash StoriesFlash Nonfiction: BullyThere was a bully in my apartment complex.Text of story: https://medium.com/@ysazhar/flash-nonfiction-bully-5187602265a3
2025-02-2402 min
Flash StoriesFlash Fiction: “The Handyman”"A handyman lives near us — about a 5 minute drive or maybe 4 minutes. To tell you the truth, he’s my wife’s relative. He’s old. He can fix anything. But since he’s old, I don’t like to bug him. Also, he knows I’m useless. But bugging an old man to come fix your leaking sink? It’s not right..."Read by AI voice en-AU-Neural2-D.Link to full text
2025-01-1002 min
Flash StoriesFlash Nonfiction: “Teacher”"I haven’t studied under my teacher for about 6 years probably..."Read by AI voice en-US-Standard-J.Link to full text
2025-01-0901 min
Flash StoriesFlash Fiction: “Boba”"My wife and I sat in our California living room as we did each night. She watched a Turkish drama on her laptop and I read 'The Elephant Vanishes' by Haruki Murakami. She took off her headphones and said, 'Something has been bothering me about Hillian since she moved.'"Read by AI voice en-US-Standard-J.Link to full text
2025-01-0801 min
Flash StoriesFlash Nonfiction: “Complaints”"My mother used to yell at me and my brothers when we complained her food was too hot. Every salan burned our mouths..."Read by AI voice en-US-Studio-Q.Link to full text
2025-01-0700 min
Flash StoriesFlash Fiction: “My Nephew”"Before my sister birthed my nephew, her husband moved to America. I never changed his diaper, but I brought her food and removed the trash from her room. I became my sister’s favorite brother and her son became my favorite nephew. We were the youngest of 14 siblings. All the others married and moved out of my father’s home in New Delhi..."Read by AI voice en-IN-Wavenet-F.Link to full text
2025-01-0604 min
2025-01-0500 min
Flash StoriesFlash Fiction: “Vehicular Awakening”“The gas car slips under my nails…”Read by AI voice en-US-Wavenet-F.Link to full text
2025-01-0400 min
Flash StoriesFlash Fiction: “Garbage Man”"I’m the garbage man of our home. The city picks up garbage in front of our house on Tuesdays and my wife reminds me to take it out then bring the bins back in. I already know that, but I don’t argue..."Read by AI voice en-US-Studio-Q.Link to full text
2025-01-0301 min
Flash StoriesFlash Nonfiction: “Common New Year’s Resolutions and My Responses”"1. Volunteer more: Let me get back to you..."Read by AI voice en-US-Neural2-J.Link to full text.
2025-01-0201 min
Flash StoriesFlash Fiction: “running late”"running late to my oil change appointment at the dealership at 8:30 am..."Read by AI voice en-US-studio-QA.link to full text
2025-01-0101 min
Flash StoriesFlash Nonfiction: “My Daily Flash Story Writing Routine”"I was chatting over the phone with my friend in Chicago who is a published writer, English major and educator. He asked me to write an article about my daily writing routine..."
2024-12-3104 min
Flash StoriesFlash Fiction: “The Young Man And The Shaykh”"The young man left his wife at home with their crying baby to sit with a white-bearded shaykh..."Read by AI voice en-GB-News-L.link to full text
2024-12-3001 min
Flash StoriesFlash Nonfiction: “Hammers”"To the man with a hammer..."Read by AI voice en-US-Studio-Q.link to full text
2024-12-3000 min
Flash StoriesWrap-up Discussion for the Week on 28-DEC-2024Yousuf Azhar discusses the first week of the podcast with his daughter, Sumaya Azhar.
2024-12-2816 min
Flash StoriesFlash Fiction: “Snow”"Sunlight diffused through the clouds such that I could not tell the time of day..."Read by AI voice en-GB-News-L.Full text of story
2024-12-2801 min
Flash StoriesFlash Fiction: “Prophecy”"I told that boy when he was a boy. I said, 'Daughters-in-law are evil. They treat their mothers-in-law badly.'Such a stupid boy. He said..."Read by AI voice en-IN-Journey-O.Full text of story
2024-12-2801 min
Flash StoriesFlash Nonfiction: “Best Friend”"A year after my mother died, I drove one and a half hours to visit her best friend in the city I grew up in. I missed Aunty..."Read by AI voice "en-US-Wavenet-J".Text of full story
2024-12-2800 min
Flash StoriesFlash Fiction: “Home From College For Winter Break”"In her father’s house, the college student woke up feeling hungry..."Ready by AI voice en-US-Wavenet-F.Full text of story
2024-12-2800 min
Flash StoriesFlash Fiction: “The Shopping Cart”"The noise in the house aggravated my kurta after my daughter came home with her two kids to spend a week with me and my wife for winter break. 'My kurta would like a little bit of quiet,' I said..."
2024-12-2701 min
Flash StoriesFlash Fiction: “Ice Cream Flavors”"I wanted to write a flash fiction piece, but could not think of a topic. And since my daughter wanted ice cream, I agreed to take her out.We entered the ice cream shop..."
2024-12-2702 min
The Day Of The Thing PodcastEating too much in Anaheim, CAI visited my parents, brothers and their families in Anaheim last week. While there, I over ate and suffered the consequences.
2023-06-1714 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastFinal Episode of Season 1 - Purpose of Podcast and Some StatsThis is the final episode of season 1. I talk about why I'm doing this podcast and share some stats from Season 1 episodes.
2023-03-1410 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastIndia 1983 Stories - Part 6 - Visit to Pakistan Then Return To DavisThis is the last part of the "India 1983 Stories" series. I describe our time in Pakistan and our return to Davis.
2023-03-1104 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastIndia 1983 Stories - Part 5 - New Delhi and The Taj MahalI was ready to head back home, but we still had to visit New Delhi, Agra (where the Taj Mahal is) and Pakistan. In this episode, I describe by experiences in New Delhi and Agra.
2023-03-1008 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastIndia 1983 Stories - Part 4 - Realizing Who I AmWhile in Hyderabad, I started singing a song to myself. In that moment, I realized who I was.
2023-03-0905 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastIndia 1983 Stories - Part 3 - My Nani (Maternal Grandmother)My maternal grandmother was a big part of our visit to Hyderabad. She had a special object she kept nearby almost all the time.
2023-03-0807 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastIndia 1983 Stories - Part 2 - HyderabadWe settled into Hyderabad. Good food, tailored clothes and stomach problems.
2023-03-0708 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastIndia 1983 Stories - Part 1I'm starting a new series within the Davis series. It's about my trip to India in the context of being confused about my identity. Was I Indian or American? In this episode, I talk about my first impressions of India.
2023-03-0409 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastDavis, CA Stories - Part 10 - ChrisI talk about my best friend while growing up. He accidentally introduced me to bacon and American culture.
2023-03-0305 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastImaginary Pet - SPECIAL EPISODE - Produced in Collaboration with my DaughterToday's episode is special for a couple reasons:1) This is episode #30 alhamdolillah!2) My daughter helped me write the content!!!If you liked this episode and want my daughter to help me write more episodes, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE email me to let me know: yousuf.azhar@gmail.com. This episode is about my imaginary pet.
2023-03-0207 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastDavis, CA Stories - Part 9 - My Dad Tried To Teach Us IslamMy tried to teach Islam to me and my brothers since we were very young. He got mixed results.
2023-03-0105 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastDavis, CA Stories - Part 8 - The Twelve Days of Christmas PlayWhen I was in second grade, I was in our school Christmas play. I found out that my role in it was different than I originally thought. (Note: after recording this episode, I noticed that I said one of the lines wrong. It's "twelve drummers drumming".)
2023-02-2804 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastDavis, CA Stories - Part 7 - Sad Incident From First GradeWhen I was in first grade, something really sad happened.
2023-02-2507 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastDavis, CA Stories - Part 6 - Kindergarten WeirdnessI have a feeling everyone had weird experiences in kindergarten. Here are mine.
2023-02-2406 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastDavis, CA Stories - Part 5 - Tomato Salan IncidentWhen I was in kindergarten, I had an incident involving tomato salan.
2023-02-2305 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastDavis, CA Stories - Part 4 - Walking To Kindergarten and Back Each DayI started kindergarten at Pioneer Elementary School. I had to walk there and back, but there were a couple issues.
2023-02-2208 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastDavis, CA Stories - Part 3 - Meeting Davis Friends, Remembering Old Times and EatingI took a trip to Davis earlier today and met with some old friends. We talked about our fond memories of growing up in Davis. I also ate some food.
2023-02-2110 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastDavis, CA Stories - Part 2 - Pre-schoolThe main memory I have of my pre-school era in Davis involves muppets.
2023-02-1804 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastDavis, CA Stories - Part 1 - IntroductionKicking off a new series about my experiences in Davis, CA. This is the introduction episode to the series.
2023-02-1707 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastGood dish, bad flavor.I was eating a delicious meal, but suddenly tasted something disgusting.
2023-02-1606 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastSurprise Rain TodayThere was no rain in today's weather forecast for Fremont, but we got some rain anyway.
2023-02-1502 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastToday Was Intense Because of Work, A Phone Call and My Daughter Wanting Ice CreamI didn't know how intense today would be. I got an urgent phone call while I was busy with work. At the end of the day, my daughter wanted ice cream.
2023-02-1405 min
Diffused Congruence: The American Muslim ExperienceEpisode 129: Spiritual Manipulation, Charismatic Leadership, and the Dangers of Cults, with Yousuf AzharParvez and Omar sit down with Yousuf Azhar who shares his personal experiences joining and then leaving a Muslim cult, the corrosive spiritual manipulation and abuse he suffered, and the patterns to look out for.
About Yousuf Azhar
Yousuf Azhar was born in India and migrated to the USA at the age of two. He studied Arabic at the University of Damascus for one year and has studied general Islamic sciences with various scholars throughout his life. He now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and three children. Yousuf is a softw...
2023-02-142h 49
Diffused Congruence: The American Muslim ExperienceEpisode 129: The Danger of Cult Mentality, with Yousuf AzharParvez and Omar sit down with Yousuf Azhar to hear about the danger of cult mentality, based on his own experiences.
About Yousuf Azhar
Yousuf Azhar was born in India and migrated to the USA at the age of two. He studied Arabic at the University of Damascus for one year and has studied general Islamic sciences with various scholars throughout his life. Yousuf now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and three children and works as a software testing lead at a Silicon Valley tech company. He is also the hos...
2023-02-132h 52The Day Of The Thing PodcastFictional Story: The Jinn in The BirdhouseThis is something different. I read a fictional story I wrote called "The Jinn in The Birdhouse". There's some violence, so it may not be suitable for children.
2023-02-1108 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastMy Dad - Part 4 - Adventures as an Illegal Immigrant in the USAMy dad tells how he became an illegal immigrant in the USA and what he did about it.
2023-02-1014 min
The Day Of The Thing PodcastMy Dad - Part 3 - My Dad’s Dad’s DeathMy father describes the death of his father.
2023-02-0902 min
The Day Of The Thing PodcastMy Dad - Part 2 - My Dad’s DadMy dad talks about a book that his father gifted to him and that he has until now.
2023-02-0807 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastShare your ideas related to doing a series about Davis, CA!After the Blythe, CA series of episodes, multiple people suggested that I do a series about life in Davis, CA. I love the idea and the enthusiasm! Share your ideas with me at Yousuf.azhar@gmail.com or https://twitter.com/ysazhar or https://www.instagram.com/yousufsketchnotes/ .Also, let me know if you are willing to be on the show. I think that would be a lot more interesting than just me talking.I’ll take ideas and suggestions until February 28, 2023. Then we can work together to start putting the series t...
2023-02-0702 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastMy Dad - Part 1 - Early EducationI interviewed my dad about his childhood in India. He talked mainly about his education.
2023-02-0718 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastBlythe Stories - Part 6 of 6I lived in the city of Blythe, CA for about 4 years. It changed my life. This is a 6 part series about that experience. In this episode, I share some reflections about my time in Blythe and my short visit back there many years later.Special thanks to Chris Fletcher for composing the music for this series.
2023-02-0409 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastBlythe Stories - Part 5 of 6I lived in the city of Blythe, CA for about 4 years. It changed my life. This is a 6 part series about that experience. In this episode, I discuss how the purchase of an English translation of the Qur'an has an unexpected effect on me.
2023-02-0315 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastBlythe Stories - Part 4 of 6I lived in the city of Blythe, CA for about 4 years. It changed my life. This is a 6 part series about that experience. WARNING: This episode contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children.In this episode, I talk about my experiences as a skater in Blythe by telling 9 short stories.Special thanks to Chris Fletcher for composing the music for this series.
2023-02-0231 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastBlythe Stories - Part 3 of 6I lived in the city of Blythe, CA for about 4 years. It changed my life. This is a 6 part series about that experience. In this episode, I describe our move to the neighborhood of "El Cuchillo" which had a reputation for being violent. Special thanks to Chris Fletcher for composing the music for this series.
2023-02-0109 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastBlythe Stories - Part 2 of 6I lived in the city of Blythe, CA for about 4 years. It changed my life. This is a 6 part series about that experience. In this episode, I describe life in The Mesa.Special thanks to Chris Fletcher for composing the music for this series.
2023-01-3123 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastBlythe Stories - Part 1 of 6I lived in the city of Blythe, CA for about 4 years. It changed my life. This is a 6 part series about that experience. Special thanks to Chris Fletcher for composing the music for this series.
2023-01-3013 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastSpecial Time Each Week That I LoveThere is a specific time each week that I really love. I got to experience it today. It's about 15 minutes long.
2023-01-2807 min
The Day Of The Thing PodcastFirst Time Driving After Devastating CrashThis is my son's first time driving after a car crash he was in a few weeks ago.
2023-01-2709 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastMother and daughter cook rice, lentils and ground beef with potatoesI work from home. On my lunch break, I noticed that my wife was in a huge rush trying to cook something.
2023-01-2605 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastMe and My BipapI was having trouble breathing while sleeping at night. I got a bipap machine to help me with that.
2023-01-2510 minThe Day Of The Thing PodcastCraving a Taco Bell Bean BurritoI just started a new diet and was craving a Taco Bell Bean Burrito. I wanted to get one on my cheat day so I went to the Taco Bell near my house. The music was way too loud for me.
2023-01-2414 min
What It's Like To...What it's like to Have Life-Changing Experiences (Best Of)Send us a textWe've had so many inspirational guests on The Experience Podcast with so many impactful life experiences. In this episode, we feature a few who have shared their truly life-changing experiences with honesty, vulnerability, and humor.Included are clips from the following episodes:Karen Peterson: What it's like to be an AlcoholicYousuf Azhar: What it's like to be in a Muslim CultJeff Gottfurcht: What it's like to Summit Mt. EverestYou can listen to the full episodes by...
2022-05-0430 min
What It's Like To...What it's like to Be in a Muslim CultSend us a textWhen Yousuf Azhar first joined a religious Sufi community in Chicago, he felt more connected to his faith and to Allah. He made close friends, and followed the guidance of his shaykh and mentors. Azhar and his family stayed in the community for thirteen years, and lived under the guidance of leaders until Azhar became suspicious that something was amiss.In this week’s episode, Yousuf shares what it’s like to be in a cult – and what it’s like to leave one.Yousuf tells us about the ways that cu...
2022-02-2345 min