Never Realised I am So Like a Politician

After a really long time I remembered that I had a blog. I had time at my hands so I opened the URL and read the top few posts of mine. It was very nostalgic and I liked being in this aura. Missed the good old days when I was contributing more to this now-kind-of-deserted blog of mine. Thought of bringing those days back. 

And then I read one of my posts titled “Death of a Storyteller and the Rebirth”. I read it and then fell from chair to the ground laughing really hard. I sooooo felt like a politician; making false claims, making false promises and not delivering anything. 

Shaken by this realization (and certainly by the laughter) I instantly made another promise; never to make such false promises again. Now only time will tell if I will be able to keep it or break it as usual. 

My Thought of the Moment: 

If you have to do something then just do it! Don’t tell the world about it, don’t think too much about it, and for heaven's sake, don’t dream about the fruits of your effort before you’ve actually done anything. Just do it and see the goodness unfold. 

Have a nice day! :-)

Google's Pakistani Doodle - Happy Independence Day

Google's today's doodle is perhaps one of the very best. And i am saying this from a Pakistani perspective. Take a look and see for yourself. 

Note: Click on the image to view a larger version. View the bottom right of the image to confirm the date for the special doodle.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY to all Pakistanis all around the world. May Allah keep our country progressing on the path of prosperity and success always. 

PS: If you have viewed this post well in time, there may still be time left for you to see the doodle for yourself. Just type in www.google.com.pk and you are good to go!

An Ode to "Metro" (The Bus Project)

The "bee" of the Rawalpindi/Islamabad Metro Bus project is stinging like anything these days. Every day is a struggle to commute from one city to the other and back. Here is what we are going through: 

Every day we think of a "clever" route to pursue! Getting there shows the "cleverer" world is there too! 

We try to make way through the "gaps"! If we're lucky, we avoid the traffic "traps"!

We huff and puff! The drive is rough!

Moving inch by inch, at every turn we cringe! 

Temperatures rise and tempers shoot! You wanna' give everybody a "boot"! (They wanna do it too!)

You get the picture, right? How many of  you are facing the same plight?

The Dreary Man

An attempt at creating a portrait out of words.  

The dreary man looked older than his years. He was perhaps in his late forties or even younger. He was clad in a white shalwar qameez. A white crocheted cap was sitting neatly on his head and on his feet he wore dust covered slippers. His snowy bearded face made him look respectable according to the society’s standards. His somewhat trembling lips were holding on to a cigarette which presumably was a cheap brand affordable to him. He had a slight limp in his walk which he was confidently covering by trying to walk as straight as possible.

The hardships of the life had left a mark on his overall persona. The difficulties he had been going through all his life were clearly evident. The lines, features and expressions on his face were a witness to his destitution. But he was going strong; as strong as can be. He was boldly facing the hurdles of his life and bravely fighting them off. He was not spreading his hand in front of people to beg for alms. He was continuing to rightfully “earn” a livelihood by working. He had not let the difficulties beat him up or extinguish the flame of life burning within him. 

He was still standing tall; a noble man with flowing dignity.

And the Ice-Breaking Question Was .....

Just remembered a funny incident and REALLY wanted to share. So here goes *wink*

I went to a seminar once. I went alone, on my own and on my own initiative. I was hoping to learn a lot and gather loads from the experience. In the whole bunch, I could see only a few girls. Following my female tendency, I was hoping that that group of girls would let me in their tiny circle too, to allow me to chat and get comfy with the surroundings.

I was standing all alone at the first tea break. Suddenly I saw that bunch of gals approaching. My heartbeat started to increase a bit. I felt excitement and anxiety at the same time. I couldn’t believe it that after hours of sitting and being alone I was finally going to be taken under the feather by fellow female attendees. With every step they took, my excitement mounted.

And then came the glorious moment, the moment I was spoken to. I was expecting an introduction from them, or a query about my own self, or at least a friendly “hello” to break the ice. What my ears heard was incomprehensible for the first few fractions of the second. I couldn’t believe what I had heard. But I was soon pushed back into reality and realized that what I heard was correct.

And those words were, “Where is the bathroom?” :-P

Death of a Storyteller and the Rebirth

When a storyteller runs out of stories to tell, it is her or his death. Not being able to do what you are best at, is devastating. When the creativity flow stops, everything stops. The brain never comes to a stand still alone. It brings down the whole world of a person along with it. 

So have I run out of stories to tell? Nope. Am i facing hindrance in doing what i am best at? No. Have i stopped being creative? Wouldn't say that. Has my brain come to a stand still and halted all operations of my little world? Not really. 

So what was all THAT about. Well i don't actually believe for any of the above to be true, but for a while it did feel that way. I did feel frozen and blocked. I did have a feeling of being chained and not being able to break free. My brain did feel like being on a hiatus as far as story telling was concerned.

But now everything is turning back to normal. The stories are dying to be told and the blog is longing to have posts.

I once again want to thank the handful of regular visitors for continuously visiting the blog and believing in my storytelling abilities while i myself had some doubts.   :-)

Montalista

I was promoting this page at all the possible places. But the one most important page i forgot to promote this on was my very own blog :-P How absent minded can I be! Well now that i am awake, here is the link:

Montalista Facebook Page: 
http://www.facebook.com/montalista

It is a page selling jewellery (as a start). More items are being added gradually.
 
Do take a look and hit "Like" if you like what you see there. Don't forget to leave feedback so that the page can be improved. Thanks in advance for your support :-)

Happy New Year 2013 :-)

Today was the first day of the new Gregorian year 2013. The most significant about the day was that it is my sister's birthday. But other than that it was pretty much like any other day. Come to think of it, it was even slower than my normal days. I was supposed to be in office which i wasn't. I was supposed to be a 100% healthy person. That i wasn't also. I was supposed to start out with some kind of a bang. Never heard even a rattle, let alone a bang. I had wanted to do lots on this day thinking that whatever i do today will have an impact on my whole year (the full year would be kinda reflection of my enthusiastic efforts and achievements of this day). Nothing of the sort happened. 

I wonder if that or something similar happened to you too. Perhaps you all also wanted to mark this day in some way and were not able to (or perhaps you were able to tick all the items in your New Year Day check list).

But no matter how this day passed, i wish everybody a very happy and blessed new year. May the new year bring lots of joys and fulfillment of aspirations. May Allah remain kind on us all and bestow upon us all the mercy and kindness. :-)

One of a Kind Picnic Trip

Wife: Honey! Would you prefer peanuts or almonds?

Husband: I don’t know. I don’t like either.

Wife: Ok I guess I will pack both for myself. I’ll get some Chilghozay (pine nuts) for you. Would that be ok?

Husband: Sure.

Wife: Hmm I need my muffler. It could get really cold like the other night. Should I pack one for you? It would keep you warm.

Husband: Don’t know.

Wife: Ok I’ll pack one anyway. And I’m also taking an extra sweater for myself. I think your jacket is already in the car, right?

Husband: Hmm yeah.

Wife: Would you need anything else? Think, think, think!

Husband: Nope.

Wife: Let me think if I’d need anything else. I’ll take my knitting, in case there is a long wait. Should I take some sweets and toffees also? Or perhaps some crisps and biscuits? Are there any bananas in the kitchen?

Husband: Forget them dear and lets go now.

Some Random Relative: Looks like you guys have packed for an overnight picnic trip? Where are you going?

Husband & Wife: To get CNG! 

*GIGGLES* 

PS: I wonder how many people would relate to this. ;-)

Dulha Tayyar Kea Jata Hai

Hair Dresser - Dulha Tayyar Kea Jata Hai Originally uploaded by Monazza Talha

Hoshiyar, Khabardar - Zimadari dulha tayyar kernay tak mehduud hai. Baad kay kisi nuqsaan ka idara zimadar na ho ga. Apni zimadari per dulha tayyar kervaaeay. Shukria

Manjanib - Sakoon Hair Dresser

After reading this display of this one additional service provided by the hair dresser (as seen in the picture above), i just couldn't stop laughing. I know that just like brides, grooms also get themselves ready from a "parlour" or "salon". But the wording was just hilarious. Apologies to the ones who can't read Urdu. Hope the rest can fully enjoy the picture and the photographed writings. :-) *giggles*

PS: The disclaimer in italics was a creation of my own naughty mind. The Hair Dresser had nothing to do with it.  Iss paigham kee waja say honay walay har qisam kay nuqsan kee zimadari fidvi ko qabool hai. *giggles*

Ghost Writing Equivalent to Plagiarism?

I friend of mine recently made a point that I should not project myself as a “plagiarist”. She added that since ghost writing is like steeling, it is nothing but plagiarism. She also said that she considered me to be an honest person and did not think I would EVER do such a dreadful act. (She was reading my Intro on this blog of mine.)

For me ghost writing is any piece of text that you create with which you cannot tag your name to acknowledge the world of the authorship.

When I think of Ghost Writing, several things come to my mind that can be considered so (some help taken from Wikipedia's topic "Ghostwriter" in compiling my following list):

• Writing articles for a blog or publication.
• Contributing to a book.
• Helping someone not good in a language to express their ideas in a decent way (for a blog, or forum, or Facebook status etc).
• Drafting or editing somebody's autobiography
• Preparing a speech or public statement for a politician.
• Preparing a presentation for an administrative or managerial person.
• Writing profession or career based articles for consultants of respective domain.
• Preparing a technical document for a client.
• Compiling a project proposal for someone.

I consider all of the above points ethical and am willing to indulge in this, provided I am not exploited to do so. If due compensation is paid, I would be more than happy to do any and all of the above (and more too).

Now I can think of some other ghost writing tasks also that are unethical in my opinion: 

• Writing a thesis for a student.
• Preparing a paper or report for a student.
• Doing an assignment for a school, college or university student. 

I never have done this and nor do I plan to do so even if it is a highly paid job.

People are ghosting almost all the time. The work we do in our office is not always tagged with our name. Artisans who prepare beautiful items seldom carve or embroider their names on each masterpiece they create. I have never seen workmen like carpenters, tailors, carpet weavers and cooks leaving their initials on the items they prepare and the work they do. The compensation everybody is getting in almost all of these cases is monetary. People are getting paid to do all this. They are providing their expertise and creating their respective contributory substances in exchange for wages or payments. We can’t label all these and similar people “plagiarists”, now can we?

Anybody can have their own views about anything. And mine about ghost writing are that it is not equivalent to ‘plagiarism’. One just needs to set the right ethical limits according to one's beliefs.

I finally Blogged!

I finally blogged today, after a hiatus of many months and took some pictures too! Yay!

I took some pictures. Used those pictures in a blog. Am using that blog link here to increase my post count on this blog also. (How clever of me!) Will share this post on my Facebook to increase viewership and my blog visit count. (How super genius of me!) And someone might share my Facebook post on their timeline and their friends would read and re-share the link. And this might go on and on and on till the traffic on my blog would crash the visit counter and servers. And then i would be featured on notable forums for causing such a chaos. And i would feel so proud. And then and then and then.........and then i would roll over, fall from my bed with a great thud and wake up. *Ooppss*

Oh i almost forgot to share the link of that blog. Here goes ;-)

http://islamabad.metblogs.com/?p=3336

Masoom Sharaa'it

(Originally published on Facebook Notes on September 10, 2009.)

 

Kaam Asaan Ho
Ho ja'ay, chahay jahan bhi dehan ho

Dimagh ka kharach ho kam say kam
Warna roth kay bath ja'ain gay hum

Koi muddat muqarrar na ho us ki
Chahay abhi ker dain, chahay badd aik sadi

Ghalti ke gunjaish barabar mojuud rahay
Farishtay to nahe akhar ko hum insaan hain

Manzuur hoon ye sharaa'it to theek hai
Wagarna hum bhi banday baray shareer hain
 

{These are the terms a person is dictating to a manager about the kind of work to be assigned. Read and enjoy!}

 

Stop Sending Me Random Messages, O Random Stranger

IMPORTANT: My family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances, who forward text messages (SMS) to me are not supposed to take this piece of writing personally because it is NOT about them :-) Some other “menace” has been addressed here.

Oh I wonder how much time do these “idiots” have to pointlessly spare; and also how much money do they have to spend. They keep sending text messages, day in and day out, regularly, without fail; and lots of them (they flood the tiny memory of my mobile phone). The length of one message could even extend up to 4 or 5 text messages (or even more, gosh!). They never fail to say Good Morning to you. They tuck you in your bed at night with the Good Night message. Occasionally there are Good Afternoon and Good Evening messages as well. Sometimes there is a quote and sometimes the message contains poetry. The limits are crossed when such imbeciles send religious messages. Are they trying to prove their piety or something to me? But WHY?

Who the hell ARE these people? They are not family. They are not friends. They are not colleagues. They are not even acquaintances. I don’t even know them. They probably also don’t know me. They are just some random strangers who accidentally came to know that a particular mobile number belongs to a female (am cursing all those moments when I picked up the phone even when I saw an “unknown” number flashing on the screen; thinking they could be someone I know who changed their number; or thinking it could be an interview call or a reminder to pay my Internet dues or a call from my photographer about the photos).

I wonder what pleasure do these people get out of mass messaging to random females in the cellular sphere. Those messages only get deleted instantly, followed by uttering of some heavenly adjectives in honour of the random sender.

Many of you would be thinking of me as a fool and wondering why have not subscribed to any “blocking service” yet. To set the fact straight, well I have subscribed. With a heavy heart I let that service deduct monthly charges too *gulp*. But they allow me to block only a handful of numbers. And in the community where every individual possesses a big handful of SIMs themselves, it is hard to fit them all in the block list. My limit is already used up! Aaaaarghhhh!

I don’t want to throw my mobile phone away. I don’t want to close my mobile connections and cut off ties from the world from this mode of communication. I don’t want to put my phone on silent at night so that a random message from a random sender sent at an ungodly hour could wake me (and my roommates) up. I don’t want to keep using my precious adjectives in honour of the senders (I am running out of words now!).

But I REALLY DO want to get rid of these random messages. Really truly madly deeply! Yes I do! Please tell me what can I do. But don’t send me suggestions from “new” or “changed” cell numbers; or I will accidentally brand you as brazen like the ones who are not being named but are being discussed here *giggles*

When Ideas Flow, You Glow; But Jot Them & Don’t Let Them Go

One thing I have learnt while “writing”, “blogging” or “trying to write” is that there are times when bursts of ideas are crossing my mind. And then there are silent times when I am not able to write even a single straight worthwhile sentence. The times when the mind is blocked are painful. But the key is not to get depressed. Instead one should try to cash the moments when brainwaves, thoughts, words and phrases are flowing.

To benefit from my “fertile moments”, what I do is that I keep making a list of blog ideas. This list grows with time. Whenever I think of something to write about, I jot it down so that even if I am short of time at that moment to expand the idea, at least it is preserved. I have made endless lists like that so far and it feels like I have a treasure of inspiration to last me a life time of writing.

Here, a word of caution needs to be uttered. Just as food goes stale when kept in the refrigerator for a long time, ideas also decay like this if kept unattended for long periods of time. I have gone through the routine of house cleaning several times myself. Many a times it has happened that if I kept a list for a long time, I completely forgot the purpose of the listed topics and the supporting spark to convert them into meaningful pieces.

So keep writing ideas down so that they are documented and not lost in the mist. Hit while the iron is hard and your brain is on fire. But attend to your ideas timely as well so that they don’t turn to dust.

My Writing Spree - What would my Mother say?

The way my writing progress is declining, I believe that I will never be able to write like Stephen King. I again took a non deliberate day off yesterday from the writing and now I am cooking up ways to cope. When will my break come when I will be a famous writer? :-P

Had I said this in front of my Mother, she would have given me a sarcastic teasing stare. She knows I am master of making castles in the air so with the piercing stare she would have added some remarks to match. Her words at least make me realise that only thinking, wondering and wishing will not do the trick. Someone will not hand over the desired success to me decorated in a platter. I will have to fight for it, struggle for it and earn it. Only when I put my sweat, blood, energy and effort into something; it will come true.

And I know that this is absolutely true!

My Fluctuating Writing Spree

(Actually written today, on May 20, 2012 *wink*)

After writing about 960 words on May 16, 2012 (after getting inspired by Stephen King) I had an unintentional day off on the next day. And then after writing about 490 words on May 18, 2012 I again had a “blank” day the day after. Now on May 20, 2012, I have again set out to “write”. But judging from the previous progress, it seems that I am not going to be able to write more than a hundred words.

The progress is witnessing a downfall even before rising to a healthy level. It is not good, not good at all. But at least I am writing and not giving up on it. *wink*

I love writing. I know I do. I have been loving it since very early childhood. It is in my bones. I have been making up stories (though boring), composing essays and writing little poems (some were good) for a very long time. Due to the love of writing, I was an avid letter writer as well (thanks to Ammi for introducing this habit) and later in my life a keen e-mail writer too.  So I am sure that a little motivation and a dash of persistence is going to work wonders for my writing. I may even be able to write a book some day; which is my wish since my early days.

The writing spree may be fluctuating for now, but I am sure that it will resonate to very high levels really soon. *wink wink*

My Writing Spree Progress

(Actually written on May 18, 2012)

I was highly charged and motivated to start “writing” again on May 16, 2012 after reading the article about Stephen King. The progress that day was lovely. I didn’t reach my 2000 word limit for that day but I was happy with everything that I wrote. I was so excited that ideas were automatically flowing into my mind. It was actually hard keeping track of all of them.

Then the next day there was dead silence. By dead I mean DEAD. I didn’t write a word (off course except for the office work I did). Perhaps things were not totally dead as some ideas still tried to jolt me and move me to write. I even tried doing it but could not succeed due to the busy schedule.

Today I forced myself to open a word processor file and start typing something. I didn’t want the tiny spark to die out before getting lit up to full swing. So here I am, writing gibberish. But I am loving it! *wink*

How We Came to be Litterers?

On my way to the office, while passing through the same routes, I realised how dirty the roads were. Trash was stacked and spilled everywhere. There was no wall that did not have a heap of litter thrown beside it. There was no empty plot of land that was clean and was not laden with rubbish. The overall look of all the places was dusty, dirty, messy and highly unhygienic.

Seeing all this, one question rang in my mind. I thought that the majority of population of Pakistan is Muslim. Muslims believe that “Cleanliness is half Deen”. So if majority of us is Muslim with this belief, then from where did the habit of littering creep in our society? It is not a new thing either. I have been witnessing this kind of behaviour by my fellow country people since my childhood. And my parents have witnessed this too since their early days.

We attribute many of the habits and cultures of Pakistan to the Hindus of Indo-Pak Sub-continent. We have a staunch belief that we have acquired many of these traits from Hindus since our communities have lived so closely for so many years. But I wonder to whom and to which community we can attribute our acquired habit of “littering”.

I keep wondering and wondering and wondering and wondering some more that how we came to be litterers.

My Writing Spree

 (Actually written on May 16, 2012)

Many months (or perhaps a year) ago, I read an article “Write Like Stephen King: 10 Ways to Write 2,000 Words a Day”. I was amazed to see that Stephen King could write so much in one day. The article was wonderfully written too. After reading it I was highly motivated to follow in the footsteps. I made a plan and started off doing my bundles of words regularly per day. Unfortunately I could not keep up with the routine and was off track only after a few days.

Yesterday I recalled that article once again. I looked it up on the Internet, read it and got fresh motivation from it. After reading it I again made a plan to write regularly even if I could not reach the 2000 words limit.

So here I am on my writing spree, writing away on my laptop. The good thing for me is that I even have an idea or two in mind on which I plan to write. It seems to be a good start. I only hope that it persists for a significant amount of time.