My daughter SAFA
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Laymans jokes
- ON GETTING MARRIED
THESE are the profiles taken from Shaadi.com — actual ads on a matrimonial site. Grammar and spellings have been corrected suitably (as far as possible), but idiosyncracies retained for the humour element. The descriptions are usually straight from the heart.(Disclaimer: I am not responsible if you forget your basic grammar after reading this mail)
- I am Pranati. My family his story — my two brothers, two sisters, father and mother, sisters completely married. (Will someone please explain how does one get completely married.)
- My name is Farhan Begum and I am unmarried. Please you marry me.. please.. please.. please.. please... please.... (Height of desperation, indeed!)
- I am Kamamdevi. I do one business, one sister he was married. (No comments!)
- Hello, I am a characterised woman. I want to ruin my life happily. Divorced my first husband. His character not good. I expect the good minded and clean habits boy who may be in the same caste or other caste accepted. (but credit cards are not accepted)
A FEW MORE
These are actual ads on a matrimony site. Grammar and spelling errors have no place in a profile description as everything is straight from the heart! Disclaimer: I am not responsible if you forget your basic grammar after reading this mail...LOL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello To Viewvers My Name is Shiva, I am single i dont have female, If any one whant to marrie to me u can visite to my home. I am not a good education but i working all field in bangalroe.. if u like me u welcome to my heart... when ever u whant to meet pls viset my resident or send u letter.. Thanks yours Regards Shiva ~*~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ i want very simple girl. from brahmin educated family from orissa state he is also know about RAMAYAN, GEETA BHAGABATA, and other homework (Homework?)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wants a woman who knows me better and can adjust with me forever. She may never create any difficulties in my life or her life by which the entire life can run smoothly. thank you (The principle of running life smoothly was never so easy!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ She should be good looking and should have a service. She Shoulsd have one brother and one sister. She should be educated. (ain't it unique !! 1 brother 1 sister criteria !)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am a happy-go-lucky kind of person. Enjoys every moments of life. I love to make friendship. Becauese friendship is a first step of love. I am looking for my dreamgirl who will love me more than i. Because i love myself a lot. If u think that is u then why to late come on ........ hold my hand forever !!! (The dilwale dulhaniya effect)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ i am simple boy.I have lot ofproblemin mylife because ofmylucknow I amlooking onegirl she caremeandloveme lot lot lot (I don't know why but this is one of my favorites)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My wife should be as 'Parvati' as in Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki and as Tulsi as in KSBKBT...... (Ok I haven't seen these soaps but I am sure he must be demanding too much, ain't he?)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ i want a girl with no drinks if she wants she can wear jeans in house but while steping out of house she should give recpect to our cast (by not wearing his jeans? Wat the hell...)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HYE I AM A GOOD LOKING BOY,WHO HAS THE CAPABILITY TO MAKE ANY BODY TO LOUGH.I BELIEVE IN GOD AND ACCORDING TO ME FRIENDS ARE THE REAL MESSENGER OF GOD. THE 3 THINGS I AM LOOKING FROM A GIRL ,THEY ARE 1.THEY MUST BELIEVE IN GOD.2. THEY HAVE TO LIKE MY PROFFESION AND THEY SHOULD NOT GET BORED WITH ME WHEN I WILL TRY TO MAKE THEM LOUGH. (all of us are loughing{laughing})
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ whatever she may be but she should feel that she is going to be someone wife and she must think of the future life if she is toolike this she would be called the woman of the lamp (I am clueless, I feel so lost. Can anyone tell me what this guy wants)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ i love my patner i marriage the patner ok i search my patner and i love the patner ok thik hai the patner has a graduate ok (I am again clueless but I liked the use of "ok". The person is suffering from "Ok-syndrome")
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HI IAM VERY COOL NUATHER OK MY HOBBY IS SEE T.V AND NEWS OK I HAVE 1 CAR AND 1 BONWL OK MY MOTHER ALSO GOOD OK MY FARUET WORLD IS OK (the "ok syndrome" again)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ iam pranav my family histoy my two brother two sister and fater&mother sister complity marred (somebody please explain in comments section how to get married 'completely'?)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ iam very simpel and hanest. i have three sister one brother and parent. I am doing postal sarvice and tailor master my original resdence at kalahandi diste naw iam staing at rayagada dist. (actually what is this guy doing? Postal service or tailor.??)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ my name is farhan and i am unmarried. pleaes you marrige me pleaes pleaes pleaes pleaes pleaes pleaes pleaes (height of desperation! J )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Iwant one girl who love me or my mother. She love me heartly or she havea frank she's skin colour 'normal'not a black or not a whitey. IThink the main think is heart if your heart is beautiful then you are beautiful. But iam not a handsome boy or not a good looking. but my Mom say that Iam a good boy. My father already expired . iam ''AEKLAUTA''. THE CHOICE IS YOUR. bye bye. (uttama purish)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ iam kanan. i do owo businas.one sistar.She was marred. (No comments)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I AM LITTLE FAIR INDIAN COLOUR. I DON'T HAVE ANY HABIT. (maybe the poor guy meant BAD habits)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ hello i am a good charactarised man. i want to run my life happily.i divorced my first wife.her charactor is not good'. i expect the good minded and clean habits girl who may be in the same caste or other caste accepted ... (but credit cards not accepted..???)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ my colour is black,but my heart is white.i like social service (Zebra..???)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ i'm looking out for who lives in bombay, girl simple who trust me lot should be roman catholic, LOVE ME ONLY. (Now that criterion is a must, isn't it?)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ to be married on jan-2005. working man perferable (this guy has fixed the marriage date too! But he is yet to find a bridegroom. I wish him best of luck on behalf of all of us. I am sure he will get one soon.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ i would like a beautyfull girl. and i do not want her any treasure. because girl is the maharani. (Now she is going to be a lucky girl! Any takers?)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ssc failed three times and worked with privated ltd company which not paying salary at present. (Any takers again?)
THESE are some interesting, funny statements (made unintentionally) by people in different places.
- WHAT WAS THAT?
- I have two daughters. Both of them are girls.
All of you, stand in a straight circle.
There is no wind in the balloon.
The girl with the mirror please come here. (Meaning the girl with spectacles).
To a boy, angrily: I talk, he talk, why you middle middle talk?
PUNISHING ORDERS
A teacher giving a punishment to students:
You, rotate the ground four times.
You, go and under-stand the tree.
You three of you, stand together separately.
Why are you late — say Yes or No.
TEACHER’S SLIP
A teacher had once gone to a film with his wife. By chance, he happened to see one of the school boys at the theatre, though the boy did not see them. So, the next day at college, he told the boy: “Yesterday I saw you with my wife at the cinema theatre.”
INSIDE A CLASS
Open the doors of the window. Let the atmosphere come in.
Open the doors of the window. Let the Air Force come in.
Cut an apple into two halves — take the bigger half.
Shhh...Quiet, boys...the principal just passed away in the corridor.
You meet me behind the class. (meaning ‘after’ the class)
Both of you three, get out of the class.
Close the doors of the windows please.
I have winter in my nose today.
Take copper wire of any metal, especially of silver.
Take 5 cm wire of any length.
While Walking
- I laugh,You laugh, why mutton laugh(refers to goat making noice when he was speaking)
One midnight I arrest the police (police arrested him at midnight)
Leave Letters -Corpoate world-India
Since I have to go to my village to sell my land along with my wife,please sanction me one-week leave.
2.This is from Oracle Bangalore: >From an employee who was performing the "mundan" ceremony of his 10 year old son: "as I want to shave my son's head, please leave me for two days.."
3. Another gem from CDAC. Leave-letter from an employee who was performing his daughter's wedding: "as I am marrying my daughter, please grant a week's leave.."
4. From H.A.L. Administration dept: "As my mother-in-law has expired and I am only one responsible for it,please grant me 10 days leave."
5.Another employee applied for half day leave as follows: "Since I've to go to the cremation ground at 10 o-clock and I may not return, please grant me half day casual leave"
6. An incident of a leave letter "I am suffering from fever, please declare one day holiday."
7. A leave letter to the headmaster: "As I am studying in this school I am suffering from headache. I request you to leave me today"
8. Another leave letter written to the headmaster: "As my headache is paining, please grant me leave for the day."
9. Covering note: "I am enclosed herewith..."
10. Another one: "Dear Sir: with reference to the above, please refer to my below..."
11. Actual letter written for application of leave: "My wife is suffering from sickness and as I am her only husband at home I may be granted leave".
12. Letter writing: - "I am in well here and hope you are also in the well."
Job Application
1. A candidate's job application:
"This has reference to your advertisement calling for a ' Typist and an Accountant - Male or Female'... As I am both(!! )for the past several years and I can handle both with good experience, I am applying for the post
Advertisment
Top 9 Funniest Newspaper Classifieds
(Actual excerpts from classified sections of city newspapers)
1. Illiterate? Write today for free help. (man….if only I knew A B C….)
2. Auto Repair Service. Free pick-up and delivery. Try us once; you'll never go anywhere again. (sure…thanx for the warning!)
3. 3-year old teacher needed for pre-school. Experience preferred. (in months or years?)
4. Used Cars: Why go elsewhere to be cheated. Come here first. (check it out)
5. Dog for sale: eats anything and is fond of children. (howwww sweeeet)
6. Man wanted to work in dynamite factory. Must be willing to travel. (wow! A free trip to heaven?)
7. Tired of cleaning yourself. Let me do it. (uh…huh!)
8. Wanted. Man to take care of cow that does not smoke or drink. (hey….who taught cows the bad habit??)
9. We do not tear your clothing with machinery. We do it carefully by hand. (nice work!)
Laymans Poems
Confusion
Oh God help me out
Because I cannot
Make out why the hell
I need to quell
The emanating thought
From infinity to nought
That fill my skull
And make me mull
The ghost that we prod
The God that we bond
To talk about God
Is intresting, sometimes odd
I understand the devil
That he is evil
I cannot understand God
For he is incomprehensible
Some are afraid of Ghost
And some are afraid of God
But afraid we are
Humans that we are.
-Ahsan Ghori
LIVING IN TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS
He sits on his bed
Of wooden planks
Balancing upon piles
Of bricks
His black eyes
Sunk into a tiny skull
Dull pools, which hold
A lifetime of pain
Stick-like arms
Lie across his
swollen stomach
His breathing is shallow
He is too weak to move
Nine years old,
And slowly dying
Because he does not have
Enough to eat
He sits on a padded chair.
Chubby fingers thumping
At the computer keyboard
In one corner of his bedroom
His tiny eyes, almost
disappearing
Into his round face
Glazed by the long hours
Of staring at the screen
A plump stomach bulges out
From beneath his T-shirt
His breathing is heavy.
He is too tired to play outside
Nine years old
And slowly dying
Because he has
Too much to eat.
Two boys
Two countries
Same world.
I've not been grumpy this fine day
No greed or anger have I shown
Or envied what is not my own
I've not been mean in things I've said
But soon I must get out of bed
And when I do,dear God, I'm sure
I'll need your help a great deal more.
These were the words of my sister
True, you have left us it is past a year
All I have is memories, a heart
Full of love & my eyes full of tears
To remember your love right through the years
Your warmth & caring somehow they belong
Strengthening my sense of right & wrong
How much I love you I cannot say
It is more than words can say
I know, I haven’t been the child I should
With love & patience I understood
The love u gave us will make me sail
Through the travail of life's trail
How lucky I was to have had you
Abba,no one can replace you
-Ahsan Ghori
The Gift
An Angel No Matter
When she came into this world
She did not cry
She received light blows to make her cry
God, she’s my daughter, my daughter
They said she’s is born with a syndrome
She is an angel no matter
They name it Down’s,21 trisome(y)
This occurs because of the extra chromosome
She’s now almost eight
Her ears have closed tight
The invisible waves which travel through the air
Cannot tickle her ear for her to hear
But they tickle my eyes for a tear
To cascade on my cheek
And I become meek
God, she is my angel daughter no matter no matter.
: Ahsan Ghori
My note: This was the feeling(a poem if u can call it) when I learnt my daughter lost her hearing ability
Oh God help me out
Because I cannot
Make out why the hell
I need to quell
The emanating thought
From infinity to nought
That fill my skull
And make me mull
The ghost that we prod
The God that we bond
To talk about God
Is intresting, sometimes odd
I understand the devil
That he is evil
I cannot understand God
For he is incomprehensible
Some are afraid of Ghost
And some are afraid of God
But afraid we are
Humans that we are.
-Ahsan Ghori
Two worlds
LIVING IN TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS
He sits on his bed
Of wooden planks
Balancing upon piles
Of bricks
His black eyes
Sunk into a tiny skull
Dull pools, which hold
A lifetime of pain
Stick-like arms
Lie across his
swollen stomach
His breathing is shallow
He is too weak to move
Nine years old,
And slowly dying
Because he does not have
Enough to eat
He sits on a padded chair.
Chubby fingers thumping
At the computer keyboard
In one corner of his bedroom
His tiny eyes, almost
disappearing
Into his round face
Glazed by the long hours
Of staring at the screen
A plump stomach bulges out
From beneath his T-shirt
His breathing is heavy.
He is too tired to play outside
Nine years old
And slowly dying
Because he has
Too much to eat.
Two boys
Two countries
Same world.
-Ahsan Ghori
Dear God
I've not been grumpy this fine day
No greed or anger have I shown
Or envied what is not my own
I've not been mean in things I've said
But soon I must get out of bed
And when I do,dear God, I'm sure
I'll need your help a great deal more.
-Ahsan Ghori
Dad's Love
These were the words of my sister
True, you have left us it is past a year
All I have is memories, a heart
Full of love & my eyes full of tears
To remember your love right through the years
Your warmth & caring somehow they belong
Strengthening my sense of right & wrong
How much I love you I cannot say
It is more than words can say
I know, I haven’t been the child I should
With love & patience I understood
The love u gave us will make me sail
Through the travail of life's trail
How lucky I was to have had you
Abba,no one can replace you
-Ahsan Ghori
The Gift
An Angel No Matter
When she came into this world
She did not cry
She received light blows to make her cry
God, she’s my daughter, my daughter
They said she’s is born with a syndrome
She is an angel no matter
They name it Down’s,21 trisome(y)
This occurs because of the extra chromosome
She’s now almost eight
Her ears have closed tight
The invisible waves which travel through the air
Cannot tickle her ear for her to hear
But they tickle my eyes for a tear
To cascade on my cheek
And I become meek
God, she is my angel daughter no matter no matter.
: Ahsan Ghori
My note: This was the feeling(a poem if u can call it) when I learnt my daughter lost her hearing ability
Laymans stories
SALTY SWEET LOVE STORY
A Love story u will never forget
He met her at a party. She was so outstanding, many guys chasing after her, while he was so normal, nobody paid attention to him. At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him, she was surprised, but being polite, she agreed.
They sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything, she felt uncomfortable, she thought, please, let me go home.. suddenly he asked the waiter: "would you please give me some salt? I'd like to put it in my coffee."Everybody stared at him, so strange! His face turned red, but, still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it.
She asked him curiously: why do you have this fetish?He replied: "when I was a little boy, I lived near the sea, I likedplaying in the sea, I could feel the taste of the sea ,just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have thesalty coffee, I always think of my childhood, think of my hometown, I miss my hometownso much, I miss my parents who still live there".While saying that tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched.
That's his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart.A man who can tell out his homesickness, he must be a man who loveshome, cares about home, has responsibility of home..Then she also started to speak, spoke about her faraway hometown, herchildhood, her family. That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their story.They continued to date. She found that actually he was a man who meets all her demands; he had tolerance, was kind hearted, warm, careful. He was such a good person but she almost missed him! Thanks to his salty coffee!
Then the story was just like every beautiful love story, the princess married to the prince, thenthey were living the happy life... And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that's the way he liked it.After 40 years, he passed away, left her a letter which said: "My dearest, please forgive me, forgive my whole life lie. This was the only lie I said to you---the salty coffee. Remember the first time we dated?
I was so nervous at that time, actually I wanted some sugar, but I said salt It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead. I never thought that could be the start of our communication! I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I had promised not to lie to you for anything.. Now I'm dying, I'm afraid of nothing so I tell you the truth:I don't like the salty coffee, what a strange bad taste.. But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life! Since I knew you, I never feel sorry for anything I do for you.
Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life. If I can live for the second time, still want to know you and have you for my whole life, even though I have to drink the salty coffee again".Her tears made the letter totally wet.
Someday, someone asked her: what's the taste of salty coffee?
It's sweet. She replied.
Tongue tied
It was a lovely December morning in the hottest city in the world.
All right, so that was a little unfair. Chennai is not the hottest city in the world.
But it certainly is the city with the most uncomfortable weather among the cities that I have lived in. And I've been around. But I digress.
I was in the company bus on my way to work, as usual trying to catch up with my sleep.
On this particular day, a girl got on the bus, came to my seat and sat down.
"Good Morning," she said.
I looked back at her through half closed eyes, replied "Good Night," and then proceeded to return to my half hour nap before the bus reached the office.
Unfortunately, I waswoken up by a punch in the arm."Wake up, bozo!" She was looking at me with a big smile on her face."I'm not sitting next to you to listen to you snore.
"Half-heartedly, I opened my eyes and turned to her.
"What's up?" I asked.
Sania was tall, good-looking and slightly tomboyish. She was also my best buddy.
"Come on," she said.
"Don't look so disappointed. You'd rather sleep than talk to me?"
"I talk to you everyday, Sania."
"You also sleep everyday."
"It's not enough.""So you've had enough of talking to me, eh?"You can't argue with a statement like that, so I had to give up.I grinned and said, "OK, sweetheart.
What's on your mind?"
"I wanted to tell you what happened yesterday. Can you guess?"
"Hasan called you last night."
"How did you know?"She was stunned.
"Oh, he asked me for your number yesterday."
"And you gave it to him?"
"What else could I do?And stop complaining. You've been drooling over him for weeks now.
He must have thought he had a chance.
"Sania was the kind of girl who would openly ogle at every other guy she saw.And yet, she would not respond to any advances of a romantic nature.
She'd happily join a group of boys to go to a cricket match, but if asked out to a movie, dinner, or even coffee, she'd never say yes.She defined 'Hard-To-Get'.
"You like putting me in these situations, don't you?" she said.
"No. That's not true. I love putting you in these situations!
"That invited another punch in the arm.I had known Sania for a year.
We'd tell each other about our joys and our sorrows, our victories and our defeats.
I'd tell her about all my crushes and she'd scold me for being silly.
She'd drag me to classical music concerts and I'd add them to the list of things she 'owed me' for. And though I never let it show, I must say that she punched pretty hard.
It was 12:00 am and my phone was ringing.
"Hello," I said, as I picked it up.
"Happy Birthday!" It was she.
"You're supposed to throw me a surprise party, sweetheart.
Not just call to say Happy Birthday."
"Well then open your door, dumbo!"So I did and found her, cell-phone in hand, at my doorstep -- with what seemed like half the population of my company.
My roommates were supposed to be working late that night. Now I knew why.
I blew a lot of candles (seemed like much more than 25), cut my cake, got kicked in the behind, and got painted with the cake's icing.
If Sania had had her way, she'd probably have preferred to use a paintbrush and a can of paint. But I bribed her with a copy of the book "Lord of the Rings".
She'd borrowed it from me three times already. I thought it was about time I gave her a copy for herself.We chatted for an hour after everyone had gone.
"I think it's time I left," she said finally, trying to stifle a yawn.
I nodded. I dropped her home in my roommate's car. As she was getting out of the car, I stopped her.
"Hey, Sania."
"What?"
"Thanks."
"Hey, don't get senti on me now!" she smiled.
"Are you trying to worm out of that gift you promised me?"
"You know, it's interesting how I'm getting you a gift on my birthday."
"That's just because you're stupid," she grinned.
"And you better get me that book, or I won't return your copy."
"Hey, that copy was a gift to me from my dear friend Sania. I can't let you keep that.
"She wasn't falling for that."Your dear friend? And what about me? Am I not dear to you?"
"Very smart. That won't work with me. I'm not one of your Love Crazy suitors. Why do you need the book anyway? You've read it umpteen times already."
"That is besides the point. You are getting me the book. We both know that.
" She smiled that wide confident smile of hers.
"Good night."And she got out of the car.
I sat there for some time, just thinking.Our conversations were always like this - a little joking, a little teasing and a lot of demanding. But somehow, I felt that something had changed since the moment she had turned up at my door that night.
I was still in my reverie when a paper ball landed on the windshield. I craned my neck out of the window and looked up.She was standing in her balcony.
"What are you still doing there?" she whispered loudly.
"Waiting for you to start a paper-ball fight," I whispered back.
"We can do that tomorrow. Go home now.It's way past your bedtime!"
"Ok, mommy," I grinned back.
"I'm going home now!"I'm an extravagant gift-giver, and it is definitely going to be my downfall some day.I made her wait for it, but finally bought her the book.That, and half-a-dozen other omnibus collections of various authors, including a copy each of `The Complete Works of Shakespeare' and `The Complete Short Stories of Charles Dickens'.
All I got for it was an "I told you so.
"I started spending a lot of time at her place after that. Mostly because I wanted to read all those books, and she wouldn't lend them to me.
"I'm not as stupid as you, ape-man. I'm not falling into the same trap I laid for you. Plus, you dog-ear your books. You're not doing that to these masterpieces.
So if you want to read them, you read them here. And if you want to mark your place, use a bookmark.
"So that's what I did. She'd even make me wash my hands before I touched the books. It was as if they were sacred.
"Need I remind you that it was me that bought you the books in the first place? For my birthday!"
"So? They're mine now."
"Well, then. I've been meaning to ask you this for a long time. Where exactly is my birthday gift?"
"It was in your tummy at one point of time. It's probably been washed into the sea by now."
"Huh?"
"Remember the cake I baked you on your birthday?"
"You what? You can't bake cakes!" That was a mistake. She looked hurt.
"You baked me a cake?" She didn't say a word. She just shrugged.I was stunned.
"But you never told me."
"You didn't ask." That was typical of her.
"It was fantastic! And you wasted most of the icing on me!"
"The cake was for you, dumbo."
"How long did it take you to make the whole thing?"
It had been a two-layered vanilla-chocolate cake with three flavors of very creamy icing. She had done all that!
"Well, the chocolate cake took an hour and fifteen minutes, and so did the vanilla. Then cutting them up and putting them together took another 15 minutes. Each flavor of icing took 20 minutes for preparation, and then putting it on the cake took another half hour. Cleaning up the mess took an hour.
"She seldom claimed the credit for anything, but once she started bragging, there was no stopping her. However, I wasn't thinking about that right then.
"You spent over five hours on that cake?""A little over four hours preparing it, and an hour cleaning up. Yes.
"I was speechless. I didn't know how to react. She hated cooking.
"I forgot to mention," she continued, "the hours I spent the week before that, practicing. Even the birds wouldn't touch the first three cakes!
"I couldn't help but ask. "Why?"
"Because the first one got burnt, the second one was only half cooked, and in the third one, I forgot to add sugar.
"It was just like her, to try to divert the conversation.
"I mean why did you spend so much time on baking me a cake?"She looked at me like I'd asked her why the sun rises in the east.
"For your birthday, stupid. Of course, I also wanted to beat every gift you've ever got me. Try beating this one.
" She was grinning like she'd won the world championship.As far as I was concerned, she had.I
'd never spent a week making her anything. I'd never even spent an hour making her anything. Getting her a gift normally involved me taking her to the store, letting her choose and use my credit card. Suddenly, I felt cheap.
"Thanks," was the only thing I could say."Thanks a lot."
"Hey. Are you getting senti on me again?"
I was.
I was still mulling over my feelings for Sania the next day at work when my boss asked to speak to me.I went over to his cabin and he started with the usual greetings, asking how work was going and whether I was comfortable. He then told me that the company wanted to send me to UAE for a couple of years.
Normally, this wouldn't have made much of a difference to me.I could work anywhere and didn't have too much love for visiting places foreign. But right then, the first thought that came to me was that I'd be away from Sania for two whole years. Twenty-four hours before, I'd have been disappointed to lose her company. But right then, I was devastated. That was when I knew I was in love with her. I'd had crushes before. Lots of them. But this was different.
"Do you have any problem in going?" my boss asked, since I hadn't responded.
"Not really," I replied.
What else could I say? That I was in love, and couldn't bear the separation?
"When do I have to leave?"I had a month.
"Wow! UAE,Dubai! Great! I've heard it's a fantastic city!
Did you know there is no winter& the temperature reaches 50c?" Sania was obviously very excited about my going.S
She didn't seem to share my disappointment on what I now saw as 'separation'.
I had not decided then if I was going to tell her how I felt. We'd known each other for a little over a year, and we were very close, but beyond some mild flirting, the relationship had never got even close to romantic.That was, of course, until I found out she had spent a week baking me a cake.
It's funny how small things seem to make such a big difference.
"What happened?" she asked.
"You don't seem very happy."
"Oh," I replied, "it's just that it's so sudden, that's all.And you know I was never all that interested in going to UAE."
"What an idiot. Go see the place. I've heard the women there are amazingly beautiful." She had a sly smile on her face. I wanted to tell her I didn't care if I laid my eyes on another woman again, if she wasn't with me. But I didn't.
I realized that I only had another month with her. She'd rejected every guy who'd asked her out ever since I'd known her. I didn't want the same to happen to me, and I didn't want to make it awkward between us. I didn't want to risk that month. I wanted it to be the best time I had ever spent with her.
After I came back from the UAE, I might not even get to meet heragain. Two years was a long time.We ate out almost every night. We visited some of the best restaurants in the city.She also helped me shop for warm clothes, formalwear, shoes, toothpaste and a million things I'd never have thought of on my own.
"You need to buy a nail-cutter." My roommates and I shared one.
"I've prepared a list of must-have medicines that you should carry."
"Your iron won't work in the UAE. No point buying one here as you need one that works there . You can buy one at a Carrefore or Lulu as soon as you get there."
"You need at least two pairs of formal shoes and at least ten pairs of dark socks. The Mid east Coast has a formal dress code. And you won't do your laundry more than once a week or two."
"How many ties do you have? And which trousers do your blazers go with?"
"Better get a haircut before you leave from here. Knowing you, you'll postpone the first haircut for too long.
"She'd call me up at one in the morning to tell me to add 'one more item' to my list.And with every passing day, I was falling more deeply in love with her.The month swept by quickly.
The day I was supposed to leave, I asked her to come with me to the airport.
"Of course, dumbo.You think I'd let you go just like that, or what?"
After packing my bags for me and checking the lists for the hundredth time, she finally pronounced me "Good to go."
We reached the airport four hours early to beat the rush, because it was an international flight. She got a visitor's pass to sit in the waiting area while I went ahead and checked-in my bags. Sania had got a spring balance from somewhere and so we knew my bags were well within the weight limit. I finished the formalities and came to sit with her. We had only a few hours before I had to go for my security-check.
We decided to get something to eat at the food court. And all the time, the one thing that was going through my head was that, after this, I wouldn't see her for at least another two years.
"Hey, Champ. Why so glum?" She saved 'Champ' for special days. Normally, it was just 'dumbo', 'bozo', 'ape-man', 'matchstick man', 'weirdo', or if she was very irritated with me, 'nutcase'.
"I don't want to go," I said.
"I don't want you to go either."
"No, you don't understand." I couldn't hold it in any longer.
"I can't stand the thought of living without you by my side."She stared at me.There was a strange look in her eyes. I couldn't read it.
"I am madly in love with you, Sania."At this, a sound escaped her lips that sounded like a cross between a sob and a laugh."Well, dumbo, you've picked an absolutely fabulous time to tell me about it!
"A tear escaped her eyes. It was all I could do to stop myself from wiping it off her cheeks."How long have you felt this way?" She seemed amused, though she was definitely crying.I didn't know what to make of it.
"From the day I found out you had baked me a cake."She laughed.
"That's all it took?Well, bozo, I guess a way to a man's heart is certainly through his stomach! Hold it.A month? You waited a month?
You were the one who kept saying that if you really liked a girl you wouldn't waste a day in telling her!" She was smiling widely now. It looked funny, with her eyes all wet.
"Well, I was confused. How did I know how you'd react? In fact, I still don't understand your reaction. I thought it would change things between us. You've rejected every guy who ever proposed to you!"
"That's because I'm in love with you, you overgrown idiot!"
"What?" Somehow, I'd never expected her to say that. She was in love with me?
"How long have you been in love with me?"
"Ever since the day you offered to carry my suitcase for me."
"But that was the first day I met you!"
"I guess I was always a sucker for chivalry."
"All this time you've been in love with me and you never said anything! Then you go and complain that I waited a month!"
"You guys are so bad at reading a girl's mind."
"You women are so good at keeping your thoughts a secret! Even Einstein couldn't figure you out."
"Einstein was a nerd. Casanova, on the other hand, understood us very well."
"I love you."
"I know."That moment, my dear friends, was magic. I looked into her eyes and took her hands in mine. Physical contact for us had been limited, until then, to a punch in the arm, a slap on the back of the head, or giving each other a 'high five'."You realize, don't you," she said, "that this is our first date?" Leave it to her to notice the little things.
"I really don't want to go." I'd always maintained that love is a bucketful of emotions. I wasn't exactly delighted to be proved right.
"Don't worry. I'm coming there in a couple of months."
"How? On a Visit visa?"She laughed. "For that, I'll have to wait, won't I? I've got a project in Abudhabi.
"I couldn't believe my ears. "What? When did that happen? You never even told me!"
"Well, I wasn't sure you'd propose before you left. And I couldn't exactly sacrifice you to those UAE women, could I? I had to watch out for myself. So I went on a project-hunting spree. There is an opportunity coming up for a project in about two months. Someone is coming back to India, so I'll be taking his place. They want me there for a little less than two years.
" She was beaming."I realized I had struck gold!"
"And if I'd not told you how I felt? When were you planning on telling me about it?"
"Around a month before I reached there. I had to make it look natural. Or you'd think I was desperate."
"Well, you are desperate!" This was incredible. All I'd done in the past month had been to mope around, listen to sad songs and write her letters that I never intended her to read."You've been scheming all this while! How come you didn't lay a trap for me a year ago?"
"I tried giving you hints, dumbo, but you just wouldn't pay attention!"She was laughing.
"You're the only guy I ever spent any time with. Wasn't that a big enough hint?"
That was true. She would happily join a group of boys to go to a cricket match, but I now realized, only if I was one of them.
"What if I had rejected you?"
I was extremely flattered that she'd been crazy about me for a year. My ego was swelling.
"You must be kidding!" she was clearly amused.
"I get proposed to every few days. You are the one who's been rejected more times in the last year than I can count on two pairs of hands!
"She really knew how to burst my bubble.
"Hey," she said softly, "don't look so dejected.
I said 'Yes', didn't I?"I grinned.
"Yes, you did.
And you've made me a very happy man. But you know what would make me even happier?"
"What?"
"If you learn to cook as good as you bake cakes.
"So she punched me in the arm again.
Brothers love to Sis
Brothers love to SisThis is a bit long story..but worth reading...FEELS GOOD...----------------------------------------------------------------
I cried for my brother 6 times. I was born in a secluded village of a mountain. Days by days my parents plowed the yellow dry soil with their backs facing the sky.I have a younger brother, 3 years younger than me.
Once, to buy a handkerchief which all girls around me seemed to have, I stole 5 dirhams from my father's drawer. Father known about it right away.He made my younger brother and me kneeled against the wall, with a bamboo stick in his hand. 'Who stole the money?' he asked.
I was stunned, too afraid to talk. Father didn't hear any of us admit, so he said, 'Fine, if nobody wants to admit, you two should be beaten!'He lifted up the bamboo stick.Suddenly, my younger brother gripped father's hand and said,' Dad, I was the one who did it!'The long stick smacked on my brother's back repeatedly.Father was so angry that he kept on whipped my brother until he lost his breath.
After that, he sat down on our stone bed and scolded my brother, 'You have learnt to steal from your own house now, what other embarrassing things you will do in the future?? You should be beaten to death! You shameless thief!'That night, mother and I hugged my brother. His body full of injuries, but he didn't shed a single tear.In the middle of the night, all of sudden I cried out loudly.My brother covered my mouth with his little hand and said, ' Sis, now don't cry anymore. Everything has happened.
'I still hate myself for didn't have enough courage to admit what I had done.Years gone by, but the incident still looked like it just happened yesterday.I will never forget my brother's expression when he protected me. That year, my brother was 8 years old; I was 11 years old.When my brother was in his last year of his lower secondary school, he was accepted in an upper secondary school in the central. At the same time, I was accepted into a province's university.
That night, father squatted in the yard, smoking, packet by packet. I could hear him said, 'Both our children have good results? very good results?'Mother wiped off her tears and sighed,' What is the use? How can we possibly finance both of them?'At that time, my brother walked out, he stood in front of father and said,'Dad, I don't want to continue my study anymore, I have read enough books.
'Father swung his hand and slapped brother on his face.'Why do you have a spirit so damn weak? Even if it means I have to beg for money on the streets, I will send you two to school until you both finish your study!'And then, he started to knock on every house in the village to borrow money.I stuck out my hand as soft as I can to my brother's swollen face, and said, 'A boy has to continue his study; If not, he will not be able to leave this depths of poverty.
'Me, on the other hand, had decided not to further my study to university.Who knows on the next day, before dawn, my brother left the house with a few pieces of worn-out clothes and a few dry beans. He sneaked to the side of my bed and left a note on my pillow; 'Sis, get into an university is not easy.I will go find a job and send money to you.'I held the note while sitting on my bed, and cried until I lost my voice.
That year, my brother was 17 years old; I was 20 years old. With the money father borrowed from the whole village, and money my brother earned from carrying cement on his back at construction site,finally, I managed to get to the third year of my study in the university.One day, I was studying in my room, when my roommate came in and told me,'There's a villager wait for you outside!'Why is there a villager looking for me? I walked out, and saw my brother from afar, His whole body is dirty, covered by dust, cement and sands. I asked him, 'Why don't you tell my roommate that you are my brother?'He replied with a smile,' Look at my appearance.
What will they think if they know that I am your brother? Don't they laugh at you?'I felt so touched, and tears filled my eyes. I swept away dusts from my brother's body. And said with a lump in my throat, ' I don't care of what people say! You are my brother no matter what your appearance is?
'From his pocket, he took out a butterfly hair clip. He wore it on me,andsaid, 'I saw all the girls in town are wearing it. So, I think you should also have one.'I could not hold back myself anymore. I pulled my brother into my arms and cried and cried.That year, my brother was 20 years old;
I was 23 years old.
The first time I brought my boyfriend home, the broken window had been repaired.And it looked so clean inside the house.After, my boyfriend went home, I danced like a small girl in front of my mother, 'Mom, you don't have to spend so many time cleaning the house!'But she said with a smile,' It was your brother who went home early to clean the house. Didn't you see the wound on his hand? He was injured while replacing the window.' I went into my brother's small bedroom.Looking at his thin face, I felt like there are hundreds of needle pricked in my heart.I put some ointment on his wound and bandaged it, 'Does it hurt? ' I asked him. 'No, it doesn't hurt. You know, when I was working in the construction site, stones falling on my feet all the time. Even that could not stop me from working and?'In the middle of the sentence, he stopped. I turned my back on him and tears rolling down my face. That year, my brother was 23 years old; I was 26 years old.
After I got married, I lived in the city. Lots of time my husband invited my parents to come and live with us, but they didn't want.They said, once they left the village,they didn't know what to do. My brother also didn't agree, he said, 'Sis, you just taking care of your parents-in-law. I will take care of mom and dad here.'My husband became the director of his factory. We wanted my brother to get the job as the manager in the department of maintenance.
But my brother rejected the offer. He insisted on starting to work as a reparation worker.
One day, my brother was on the top of a ladder repairing a cable, when he got electrocuted, and was sent to the hospital. My husband and I visited him. Looked at the white gypsum on his leg, I grumbled,'Why did you reject to be a manager? Manager will not do something dangerous like this. Look at you now, such a serious injury. Why you didn't want to listen to us?'With a serious expression on his face, he defended on his decision, 'Think of brother-in-law?he just became the director, and I almost uneducated.If Ibecame the manager, what kind of rumors will fly around?'My husband's eyes filled up with tears, and then I said, 'But you lack in education also because of me!' 'Why talking about the past?' My brother held my hand.That year, he was 26 years old and I was 29 years old.
My brother was 30 years old when he married a farmer girl from the village. In his wedding reception, the master of ceremonies asked him, 'Who is the one you respect and love the most?'Without thinking, he answered,' My sister.' He continued by telling a story I could not even remember. 'When I was in primary school, the school was in different village.Everyday, my sister and I walked for 2 hours to go school and go home.
One day, I lost one of my pair of gloves. My sister gave me one of hers. She only wore one glove and walked for so far. When we got home, her hand was so trembled because of the weather that was so cold that she could not even hold her chopsticks. From that day on, I swore that as long as I live, I would take care of my sister and be good to her.'Applause filled up the room. All guests turned their attentions to me.Words were so hard to come out from my mouth, 'In my whole life, the one I would like to thank the most is my brother,' And in this happy occasion,in front of the crowd, tears rolling down my face again.
*****************************************************************
Love and care for the one you love every single days of your life.
You may think what you did is just a small deed, but to that someone, it may mean a lot.
A Love story u will never forget
He met her at a party. She was so outstanding, many guys chasing after her, while he was so normal, nobody paid attention to him. At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him, she was surprised, but being polite, she agreed.
They sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything, she felt uncomfortable, she thought, please, let me go home.. suddenly he asked the waiter: "would you please give me some salt? I'd like to put it in my coffee."Everybody stared at him, so strange! His face turned red, but, still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it.
She asked him curiously: why do you have this fetish?He replied: "when I was a little boy, I lived near the sea, I likedplaying in the sea, I could feel the taste of the sea ,just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have thesalty coffee, I always think of my childhood, think of my hometown, I miss my hometownso much, I miss my parents who still live there".While saying that tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched.
That's his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart.A man who can tell out his homesickness, he must be a man who loveshome, cares about home, has responsibility of home..Then she also started to speak, spoke about her faraway hometown, herchildhood, her family. That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their story.They continued to date. She found that actually he was a man who meets all her demands; he had tolerance, was kind hearted, warm, careful. He was such a good person but she almost missed him! Thanks to his salty coffee!
Then the story was just like every beautiful love story, the princess married to the prince, thenthey were living the happy life... And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that's the way he liked it.After 40 years, he passed away, left her a letter which said: "My dearest, please forgive me, forgive my whole life lie. This was the only lie I said to you---the salty coffee. Remember the first time we dated?
I was so nervous at that time, actually I wanted some sugar, but I said salt It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead. I never thought that could be the start of our communication! I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I had promised not to lie to you for anything.. Now I'm dying, I'm afraid of nothing so I tell you the truth:I don't like the salty coffee, what a strange bad taste.. But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life! Since I knew you, I never feel sorry for anything I do for you.
Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life. If I can live for the second time, still want to know you and have you for my whole life, even though I have to drink the salty coffee again".Her tears made the letter totally wet.
Someday, someone asked her: what's the taste of salty coffee?
It's sweet. She replied.
Tongue tied
It was a lovely December morning in the hottest city in the world.
All right, so that was a little unfair. Chennai is not the hottest city in the world.
But it certainly is the city with the most uncomfortable weather among the cities that I have lived in. And I've been around. But I digress.
I was in the company bus on my way to work, as usual trying to catch up with my sleep.
On this particular day, a girl got on the bus, came to my seat and sat down.
"Good Morning," she said.
I looked back at her through half closed eyes, replied "Good Night," and then proceeded to return to my half hour nap before the bus reached the office.
Unfortunately, I waswoken up by a punch in the arm."Wake up, bozo!" She was looking at me with a big smile on her face."I'm not sitting next to you to listen to you snore.
"Half-heartedly, I opened my eyes and turned to her.
"What's up?" I asked.
Sania was tall, good-looking and slightly tomboyish. She was also my best buddy.
"Come on," she said.
"Don't look so disappointed. You'd rather sleep than talk to me?"
"I talk to you everyday, Sania."
"You also sleep everyday."
"It's not enough.""So you've had enough of talking to me, eh?"You can't argue with a statement like that, so I had to give up.I grinned and said, "OK, sweetheart.
What's on your mind?"
"I wanted to tell you what happened yesterday. Can you guess?"
"Hasan called you last night."
"How did you know?"She was stunned.
"Oh, he asked me for your number yesterday."
"And you gave it to him?"
"What else could I do?And stop complaining. You've been drooling over him for weeks now.
He must have thought he had a chance.
"Sania was the kind of girl who would openly ogle at every other guy she saw.And yet, she would not respond to any advances of a romantic nature.
She'd happily join a group of boys to go to a cricket match, but if asked out to a movie, dinner, or even coffee, she'd never say yes.She defined 'Hard-To-Get'.
"You like putting me in these situations, don't you?" she said.
"No. That's not true. I love putting you in these situations!
"That invited another punch in the arm.I had known Sania for a year.
We'd tell each other about our joys and our sorrows, our victories and our defeats.
I'd tell her about all my crushes and she'd scold me for being silly.
She'd drag me to classical music concerts and I'd add them to the list of things she 'owed me' for. And though I never let it show, I must say that she punched pretty hard.
It was 12:00 am and my phone was ringing.
"Hello," I said, as I picked it up.
"Happy Birthday!" It was she.
"You're supposed to throw me a surprise party, sweetheart.
Not just call to say Happy Birthday."
"Well then open your door, dumbo!"So I did and found her, cell-phone in hand, at my doorstep -- with what seemed like half the population of my company.
My roommates were supposed to be working late that night. Now I knew why.
I blew a lot of candles (seemed like much more than 25), cut my cake, got kicked in the behind, and got painted with the cake's icing.
If Sania had had her way, she'd probably have preferred to use a paintbrush and a can of paint. But I bribed her with a copy of the book "Lord of the Rings".
She'd borrowed it from me three times already. I thought it was about time I gave her a copy for herself.We chatted for an hour after everyone had gone.
"I think it's time I left," she said finally, trying to stifle a yawn.
I nodded. I dropped her home in my roommate's car. As she was getting out of the car, I stopped her.
"Hey, Sania."
"What?"
"Thanks."
"Hey, don't get senti on me now!" she smiled.
"Are you trying to worm out of that gift you promised me?"
"You know, it's interesting how I'm getting you a gift on my birthday."
"That's just because you're stupid," she grinned.
"And you better get me that book, or I won't return your copy."
"Hey, that copy was a gift to me from my dear friend Sania. I can't let you keep that.
"She wasn't falling for that."Your dear friend? And what about me? Am I not dear to you?"
"Very smart. That won't work with me. I'm not one of your Love Crazy suitors. Why do you need the book anyway? You've read it umpteen times already."
"That is besides the point. You are getting me the book. We both know that.
" She smiled that wide confident smile of hers.
"Good night."And she got out of the car.
I sat there for some time, just thinking.Our conversations were always like this - a little joking, a little teasing and a lot of demanding. But somehow, I felt that something had changed since the moment she had turned up at my door that night.
I was still in my reverie when a paper ball landed on the windshield. I craned my neck out of the window and looked up.She was standing in her balcony.
"What are you still doing there?" she whispered loudly.
"Waiting for you to start a paper-ball fight," I whispered back.
"We can do that tomorrow. Go home now.It's way past your bedtime!"
"Ok, mommy," I grinned back.
"I'm going home now!"I'm an extravagant gift-giver, and it is definitely going to be my downfall some day.I made her wait for it, but finally bought her the book.That, and half-a-dozen other omnibus collections of various authors, including a copy each of `The Complete Works of Shakespeare' and `The Complete Short Stories of Charles Dickens'.
All I got for it was an "I told you so.
"I started spending a lot of time at her place after that. Mostly because I wanted to read all those books, and she wouldn't lend them to me.
"I'm not as stupid as you, ape-man. I'm not falling into the same trap I laid for you. Plus, you dog-ear your books. You're not doing that to these masterpieces.
So if you want to read them, you read them here. And if you want to mark your place, use a bookmark.
"So that's what I did. She'd even make me wash my hands before I touched the books. It was as if they were sacred.
"Need I remind you that it was me that bought you the books in the first place? For my birthday!"
"So? They're mine now."
"Well, then. I've been meaning to ask you this for a long time. Where exactly is my birthday gift?"
"It was in your tummy at one point of time. It's probably been washed into the sea by now."
"Huh?"
"Remember the cake I baked you on your birthday?"
"You what? You can't bake cakes!" That was a mistake. She looked hurt.
"You baked me a cake?" She didn't say a word. She just shrugged.I was stunned.
"But you never told me."
"You didn't ask." That was typical of her.
"It was fantastic! And you wasted most of the icing on me!"
"The cake was for you, dumbo."
"How long did it take you to make the whole thing?"
It had been a two-layered vanilla-chocolate cake with three flavors of very creamy icing. She had done all that!
"Well, the chocolate cake took an hour and fifteen minutes, and so did the vanilla. Then cutting them up and putting them together took another 15 minutes. Each flavor of icing took 20 minutes for preparation, and then putting it on the cake took another half hour. Cleaning up the mess took an hour.
"She seldom claimed the credit for anything, but once she started bragging, there was no stopping her. However, I wasn't thinking about that right then.
"You spent over five hours on that cake?""A little over four hours preparing it, and an hour cleaning up. Yes.
"I was speechless. I didn't know how to react. She hated cooking.
"I forgot to mention," she continued, "the hours I spent the week before that, practicing. Even the birds wouldn't touch the first three cakes!
"I couldn't help but ask. "Why?"
"Because the first one got burnt, the second one was only half cooked, and in the third one, I forgot to add sugar.
"It was just like her, to try to divert the conversation.
"I mean why did you spend so much time on baking me a cake?"She looked at me like I'd asked her why the sun rises in the east.
"For your birthday, stupid. Of course, I also wanted to beat every gift you've ever got me. Try beating this one.
" She was grinning like she'd won the world championship.As far as I was concerned, she had.I
'd never spent a week making her anything. I'd never even spent an hour making her anything. Getting her a gift normally involved me taking her to the store, letting her choose and use my credit card. Suddenly, I felt cheap.
"Thanks," was the only thing I could say."Thanks a lot."
"Hey. Are you getting senti on me again?"
I was.
I was still mulling over my feelings for Sania the next day at work when my boss asked to speak to me.I went over to his cabin and he started with the usual greetings, asking how work was going and whether I was comfortable. He then told me that the company wanted to send me to UAE for a couple of years.
Normally, this wouldn't have made much of a difference to me.I could work anywhere and didn't have too much love for visiting places foreign. But right then, the first thought that came to me was that I'd be away from Sania for two whole years. Twenty-four hours before, I'd have been disappointed to lose her company. But right then, I was devastated. That was when I knew I was in love with her. I'd had crushes before. Lots of them. But this was different.
"Do you have any problem in going?" my boss asked, since I hadn't responded.
"Not really," I replied.
What else could I say? That I was in love, and couldn't bear the separation?
"When do I have to leave?"I had a month.
"Wow! UAE,Dubai! Great! I've heard it's a fantastic city!
Did you know there is no winter& the temperature reaches 50c?" Sania was obviously very excited about my going.S
She didn't seem to share my disappointment on what I now saw as 'separation'.
I had not decided then if I was going to tell her how I felt. We'd known each other for a little over a year, and we were very close, but beyond some mild flirting, the relationship had never got even close to romantic.That was, of course, until I found out she had spent a week baking me a cake.
It's funny how small things seem to make such a big difference.
"What happened?" she asked.
"You don't seem very happy."
"Oh," I replied, "it's just that it's so sudden, that's all.And you know I was never all that interested in going to UAE."
"What an idiot. Go see the place. I've heard the women there are amazingly beautiful." She had a sly smile on her face. I wanted to tell her I didn't care if I laid my eyes on another woman again, if she wasn't with me. But I didn't.
I realized that I only had another month with her. She'd rejected every guy who'd asked her out ever since I'd known her. I didn't want the same to happen to me, and I didn't want to make it awkward between us. I didn't want to risk that month. I wanted it to be the best time I had ever spent with her.
After I came back from the UAE, I might not even get to meet heragain. Two years was a long time.We ate out almost every night. We visited some of the best restaurants in the city.She also helped me shop for warm clothes, formalwear, shoes, toothpaste and a million things I'd never have thought of on my own.
"You need to buy a nail-cutter." My roommates and I shared one.
"I've prepared a list of must-have medicines that you should carry."
"Your iron won't work in the UAE. No point buying one here as you need one that works there . You can buy one at a Carrefore or Lulu as soon as you get there."
"You need at least two pairs of formal shoes and at least ten pairs of dark socks. The Mid east Coast has a formal dress code. And you won't do your laundry more than once a week or two."
"How many ties do you have? And which trousers do your blazers go with?"
"Better get a haircut before you leave from here. Knowing you, you'll postpone the first haircut for too long.
"She'd call me up at one in the morning to tell me to add 'one more item' to my list.And with every passing day, I was falling more deeply in love with her.The month swept by quickly.
The day I was supposed to leave, I asked her to come with me to the airport.
"Of course, dumbo.You think I'd let you go just like that, or what?"
After packing my bags for me and checking the lists for the hundredth time, she finally pronounced me "Good to go."
We reached the airport four hours early to beat the rush, because it was an international flight. She got a visitor's pass to sit in the waiting area while I went ahead and checked-in my bags. Sania had got a spring balance from somewhere and so we knew my bags were well within the weight limit. I finished the formalities and came to sit with her. We had only a few hours before I had to go for my security-check.
We decided to get something to eat at the food court. And all the time, the one thing that was going through my head was that, after this, I wouldn't see her for at least another two years.
"Hey, Champ. Why so glum?" She saved 'Champ' for special days. Normally, it was just 'dumbo', 'bozo', 'ape-man', 'matchstick man', 'weirdo', or if she was very irritated with me, 'nutcase'.
"I don't want to go," I said.
"I don't want you to go either."
"No, you don't understand." I couldn't hold it in any longer.
"I can't stand the thought of living without you by my side."She stared at me.There was a strange look in her eyes. I couldn't read it.
"I am madly in love with you, Sania."At this, a sound escaped her lips that sounded like a cross between a sob and a laugh."Well, dumbo, you've picked an absolutely fabulous time to tell me about it!
"A tear escaped her eyes. It was all I could do to stop myself from wiping it off her cheeks."How long have you felt this way?" She seemed amused, though she was definitely crying.I didn't know what to make of it.
"From the day I found out you had baked me a cake."She laughed.
"That's all it took?Well, bozo, I guess a way to a man's heart is certainly through his stomach! Hold it.A month? You waited a month?
You were the one who kept saying that if you really liked a girl you wouldn't waste a day in telling her!" She was smiling widely now. It looked funny, with her eyes all wet.
"Well, I was confused. How did I know how you'd react? In fact, I still don't understand your reaction. I thought it would change things between us. You've rejected every guy who ever proposed to you!"
"That's because I'm in love with you, you overgrown idiot!"
"What?" Somehow, I'd never expected her to say that. She was in love with me?
"How long have you been in love with me?"
"Ever since the day you offered to carry my suitcase for me."
"But that was the first day I met you!"
"I guess I was always a sucker for chivalry."
"All this time you've been in love with me and you never said anything! Then you go and complain that I waited a month!"
"You guys are so bad at reading a girl's mind."
"You women are so good at keeping your thoughts a secret! Even Einstein couldn't figure you out."
"Einstein was a nerd. Casanova, on the other hand, understood us very well."
"I love you."
"I know."That moment, my dear friends, was magic. I looked into her eyes and took her hands in mine. Physical contact for us had been limited, until then, to a punch in the arm, a slap on the back of the head, or giving each other a 'high five'."You realize, don't you," she said, "that this is our first date?" Leave it to her to notice the little things.
"I really don't want to go." I'd always maintained that love is a bucketful of emotions. I wasn't exactly delighted to be proved right.
"Don't worry. I'm coming there in a couple of months."
"How? On a Visit visa?"She laughed. "For that, I'll have to wait, won't I? I've got a project in Abudhabi.
"I couldn't believe my ears. "What? When did that happen? You never even told me!"
"Well, I wasn't sure you'd propose before you left. And I couldn't exactly sacrifice you to those UAE women, could I? I had to watch out for myself. So I went on a project-hunting spree. There is an opportunity coming up for a project in about two months. Someone is coming back to India, so I'll be taking his place. They want me there for a little less than two years.
" She was beaming."I realized I had struck gold!"
"And if I'd not told you how I felt? When were you planning on telling me about it?"
"Around a month before I reached there. I had to make it look natural. Or you'd think I was desperate."
"Well, you are desperate!" This was incredible. All I'd done in the past month had been to mope around, listen to sad songs and write her letters that I never intended her to read."You've been scheming all this while! How come you didn't lay a trap for me a year ago?"
"I tried giving you hints, dumbo, but you just wouldn't pay attention!"She was laughing.
"You're the only guy I ever spent any time with. Wasn't that a big enough hint?"
That was true. She would happily join a group of boys to go to a cricket match, but I now realized, only if I was one of them.
"What if I had rejected you?"
I was extremely flattered that she'd been crazy about me for a year. My ego was swelling.
"You must be kidding!" she was clearly amused.
"I get proposed to every few days. You are the one who's been rejected more times in the last year than I can count on two pairs of hands!
"She really knew how to burst my bubble.
"Hey," she said softly, "don't look so dejected.
I said 'Yes', didn't I?"I grinned.
"Yes, you did.
And you've made me a very happy man. But you know what would make me even happier?"
"What?"
"If you learn to cook as good as you bake cakes.
"So she punched me in the arm again.
Brothers love to Sis
Brothers love to SisThis is a bit long story..but worth reading...FEELS GOOD...----------------------------------------------------------------
I cried for my brother 6 times. I was born in a secluded village of a mountain. Days by days my parents plowed the yellow dry soil with their backs facing the sky.I have a younger brother, 3 years younger than me.
Once, to buy a handkerchief which all girls around me seemed to have, I stole 5 dirhams from my father's drawer. Father known about it right away.He made my younger brother and me kneeled against the wall, with a bamboo stick in his hand. 'Who stole the money?' he asked.
I was stunned, too afraid to talk. Father didn't hear any of us admit, so he said, 'Fine, if nobody wants to admit, you two should be beaten!'He lifted up the bamboo stick.Suddenly, my younger brother gripped father's hand and said,' Dad, I was the one who did it!'The long stick smacked on my brother's back repeatedly.Father was so angry that he kept on whipped my brother until he lost his breath.
After that, he sat down on our stone bed and scolded my brother, 'You have learnt to steal from your own house now, what other embarrassing things you will do in the future?? You should be beaten to death! You shameless thief!'That night, mother and I hugged my brother. His body full of injuries, but he didn't shed a single tear.In the middle of the night, all of sudden I cried out loudly.My brother covered my mouth with his little hand and said, ' Sis, now don't cry anymore. Everything has happened.
'I still hate myself for didn't have enough courage to admit what I had done.Years gone by, but the incident still looked like it just happened yesterday.I will never forget my brother's expression when he protected me. That year, my brother was 8 years old; I was 11 years old.When my brother was in his last year of his lower secondary school, he was accepted in an upper secondary school in the central. At the same time, I was accepted into a province's university.
That night, father squatted in the yard, smoking, packet by packet. I could hear him said, 'Both our children have good results? very good results?'Mother wiped off her tears and sighed,' What is the use? How can we possibly finance both of them?'At that time, my brother walked out, he stood in front of father and said,'Dad, I don't want to continue my study anymore, I have read enough books.
'Father swung his hand and slapped brother on his face.'Why do you have a spirit so damn weak? Even if it means I have to beg for money on the streets, I will send you two to school until you both finish your study!'And then, he started to knock on every house in the village to borrow money.I stuck out my hand as soft as I can to my brother's swollen face, and said, 'A boy has to continue his study; If not, he will not be able to leave this depths of poverty.
'Me, on the other hand, had decided not to further my study to university.Who knows on the next day, before dawn, my brother left the house with a few pieces of worn-out clothes and a few dry beans. He sneaked to the side of my bed and left a note on my pillow; 'Sis, get into an university is not easy.I will go find a job and send money to you.'I held the note while sitting on my bed, and cried until I lost my voice.
That year, my brother was 17 years old; I was 20 years old. With the money father borrowed from the whole village, and money my brother earned from carrying cement on his back at construction site,finally, I managed to get to the third year of my study in the university.One day, I was studying in my room, when my roommate came in and told me,'There's a villager wait for you outside!'Why is there a villager looking for me? I walked out, and saw my brother from afar, His whole body is dirty, covered by dust, cement and sands. I asked him, 'Why don't you tell my roommate that you are my brother?'He replied with a smile,' Look at my appearance.
What will they think if they know that I am your brother? Don't they laugh at you?'I felt so touched, and tears filled my eyes. I swept away dusts from my brother's body. And said with a lump in my throat, ' I don't care of what people say! You are my brother no matter what your appearance is?
'From his pocket, he took out a butterfly hair clip. He wore it on me,andsaid, 'I saw all the girls in town are wearing it. So, I think you should also have one.'I could not hold back myself anymore. I pulled my brother into my arms and cried and cried.That year, my brother was 20 years old;
I was 23 years old.
The first time I brought my boyfriend home, the broken window had been repaired.And it looked so clean inside the house.After, my boyfriend went home, I danced like a small girl in front of my mother, 'Mom, you don't have to spend so many time cleaning the house!'But she said with a smile,' It was your brother who went home early to clean the house. Didn't you see the wound on his hand? He was injured while replacing the window.' I went into my brother's small bedroom.Looking at his thin face, I felt like there are hundreds of needle pricked in my heart.I put some ointment on his wound and bandaged it, 'Does it hurt? ' I asked him. 'No, it doesn't hurt. You know, when I was working in the construction site, stones falling on my feet all the time. Even that could not stop me from working and?'In the middle of the sentence, he stopped. I turned my back on him and tears rolling down my face. That year, my brother was 23 years old; I was 26 years old.
After I got married, I lived in the city. Lots of time my husband invited my parents to come and live with us, but they didn't want.They said, once they left the village,they didn't know what to do. My brother also didn't agree, he said, 'Sis, you just taking care of your parents-in-law. I will take care of mom and dad here.'My husband became the director of his factory. We wanted my brother to get the job as the manager in the department of maintenance.
But my brother rejected the offer. He insisted on starting to work as a reparation worker.
One day, my brother was on the top of a ladder repairing a cable, when he got electrocuted, and was sent to the hospital. My husband and I visited him. Looked at the white gypsum on his leg, I grumbled,'Why did you reject to be a manager? Manager will not do something dangerous like this. Look at you now, such a serious injury. Why you didn't want to listen to us?'With a serious expression on his face, he defended on his decision, 'Think of brother-in-law?he just became the director, and I almost uneducated.If Ibecame the manager, what kind of rumors will fly around?'My husband's eyes filled up with tears, and then I said, 'But you lack in education also because of me!' 'Why talking about the past?' My brother held my hand.That year, he was 26 years old and I was 29 years old.
My brother was 30 years old when he married a farmer girl from the village. In his wedding reception, the master of ceremonies asked him, 'Who is the one you respect and love the most?'Without thinking, he answered,' My sister.' He continued by telling a story I could not even remember. 'When I was in primary school, the school was in different village.Everyday, my sister and I walked for 2 hours to go school and go home.
One day, I lost one of my pair of gloves. My sister gave me one of hers. She only wore one glove and walked for so far. When we got home, her hand was so trembled because of the weather that was so cold that she could not even hold her chopsticks. From that day on, I swore that as long as I live, I would take care of my sister and be good to her.'Applause filled up the room. All guests turned their attentions to me.Words were so hard to come out from my mouth, 'In my whole life, the one I would like to thank the most is my brother,' And in this happy occasion,in front of the crowd, tears rolling down my face again.
*****************************************************************
Love and care for the one you love every single days of your life.
You may think what you did is just a small deed, but to that someone, it may mean a lot.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Laymans letters
A compilation of few letters written by myself published in local news paper.
24 December 2005
Needed: freeze on rent hike (WWW.Khaleejtimes.ae)
22 november 2005
TV censorship
16 November 2005
Khaleejtimes 11/10/05 (www.Khaleejtimes.ae)
Demand and supply
11 October 2005
Gulf news 3/10/05 (www.gulfnews.com)
Put it to vote
26 September 2005
Khaleejtimes(www.khaleejtimes.ae)
Issues and approach to faith
My Note- would like to see the world where Politics & religion segregated.where people love people just as humans nothing more nothing less.
Editor's note: Peace Days, in one form or another international or world are declared
on occasion by the UN or other respected bodies.
My note- Feel helpless about the happenings in this world.I am a peace loving guy.
Khaleej times-4th July, 2005
Letter to Editor
No basic facilities 4 July 2005
Khaleej Times-5th May( www.khaleejtimes.ae)
Letter to the editor
DEC 2005
Beyond the veil24 December 2005
- THE article, ‘Beyond the veil’, by Irfan Hussain (KT, Dec 22) is quite interesting in the sense that it highlights the plight of women by family bondage.Women should be more vocal, united and forthcoming if they really want to change discrimination. It is not going to happen outright, but will take its own time. Things have to change internally and the steps they take will ultimately lead the society to change and to accept them. There are societal values that support discrimination against women and legitimise violence against them. An example is the honour killing. This is so common in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Jordan. What honour, and what values? Isn’t this horrific?Marriage by force is another case in point and this issue is common in the religions of the subcontinent. Until prejudice and injustice and discrimination are ended for all people, none of us can claim to be truly free. Women should stand up and speak against the culture of shame and also fight for their rights which they feel they are being deprived of rather than having a common agenda of aping men. However having said that, in my opinion, men and women cannot be equal. Men and women are stronger in their own respects. The problem is when we are trying to equalise the opposites. Both need each other and both are strong in their own ways. Women and men are different and it is proven scientifically that men and women think differently. Both have different physical characteristics. I always believed that one should not try to act stronger or control the other, but instead go hand in hand to achieve the common ground. Therein lies the solution, and instead of fighting for equality one should fight for respect, dignity, discrimination and their common rights.
— Ahsan Ghouri, Abu Dhabi
Smile please (www.gulfnews.com)
- Smile is the only curve that straightens things up. But why do most people not smile at all, be it strangers or neighbours? Many would have encountered people in the elevators trying to avoid looking at you. The atmosphere in the lift is definitely heavy and dry. Is it because of lack of trust or no concern for fellow human beings?
From Mr A. Ghori,Abu Dhabi
NOV-2005
Fortune-telling
26 November 2005(www.khaleejtimes.ae) - THE world is fast developing in all aspects but people cannot keep pace with the development and fall back to old habits and superstitions. I am appalled by the acts of the sensation-mongering media, which beam shows related to fallacy, which in turn make gullible people fall in to traps like questionable sciences. A favourite local radio & TV channel catering to a wide audience have on their show numerology & astrology. I feel this pseudo- science has its basis on fear & ignorance of people. Therefore, we need to encourage people to shun this habit of depending on numbers & stars in the constellation clashing with the stars of birth, thereby giving the person luck or bad luck. It does have a placebo effect for sure, and that is all to it in my opinion. Many people whose religious beliefs strictly forbid superstition still are anxious to follow this false superstitious belief. This is not a good sign. Destiny of any person is determined by his own efforts & by God's will.
— Ahsan Ghori, Abu Dhabi
Needed: freeze on rent hike (WWW.Khaleejtimes.ae)
22 november 2005
- FOOD, clothing and shelter are the basic needs of human beings. Now the UAE is facing a situation which reminds me of the famous words by a traveller, while he was on a journey in the sea. "Water, water everywhere, not a drop to drink". The situation is almost the same with regard to shelter here, and I say, "Buildings, buildings everywhere, but not one is affordable for a stay". The authorities may think of innovative ideas to sort this problem out, by not favouring one over the other.
— Ahsan Ghori, Abu Dhabi
TV censorship
16 November 2005
- CENSORSHIP in television by authorities is required for sure. The simple reason is that we are living in a society bound by rules and regulations, and hence we need to be careful not to offend other people's sentiments. What is acceptable for one person is not acceptable for another. The word "free" is so pleasing to hear, but the truth is, if we are free to do whatever we want to do, then there will be only chaos and confusion. So, somewhere down the line, there is need for controls and limits. In mathematics, when we have limits, we arrive at a formula that helps to solve the problem; and when there is no limit, it becomes infinity with no solution in sight. Therefore, the logic is always to limit oneself to arrive at a solution. The method adopted may vary but the solution and conclusion is the same. Censorship varies from country to country, but one should know the limits and follow the rules set by any country. Opinions vary, values vary, outlook varies, but if one considers and respects others' opinions, rather than impose their opinions on others, that would be better.
— Ahsan Ghori, Abu Dhabi
Sightings and celebrations
10 November 2005
- RELIGION is very sensitive issue. People are so scared to discuss anything about religion fearing a backlash.Many times as a layman when I try to discuss religion or express my logical thinking on many religious issues, the reply I get is ''let us leave it to people who have learned religion and follow what they say with no questions asked whatsoever''. When Mr. Galadari wrote about this moon sighting issue, many of us agree with him but dare not question anyone. I should say that I totally agree with him, as Islam is the religion of unity. As far as and wherever possible, we should show unity and brotherhood. I also agree with the reply of Mr. Moideen (KT Nov -6) that it is not possible to unify and have a standard time for the whole world, as the time zones are different. However having said that, there is certainly room for improvement. For example, back home in India Eid was celebrated on different dates in the same state or province. This causes problems regarding declaration of holidays for the authorities as they are unsure when to give them.Many times, they declare restricted holiday during Eid and as the term itself suggests, it is because of a restriction in the Muslim mind for whatever reason. It will be more convincing and helpful for Muslims if scholars or learned men come up with unanimous decisions on such issues acceptable to all.It is high time we bring about uniformity in our religious observances and show the world the solidarity in faith and brotherhood.
— Ahsan Ghori, Abu Dhabi
Smile, please!
www.Khaleejtimes.ae
3 November 2005
- SMILE is the only curve that straightens things up, but then, why do most people not smile at all, be it strangers or even neighbours residing in the same building. Many of you would have encountered people in the elevators trying to avoid looking at you. They look up, down or at those numbering buttons in the lift, waiting desperately with their mouths shut for the elevator to reach their respective floors. The atmosphere in the lift is definitely heavy and dry. Many a time, one can sense the uneasiness amongst the crowd. Does a pleasing smile cost them anything at all? Same is the case when you go to a shop .The salesperson hardly smiles. There is a Chinese saying which says don’t open a shop unless you like to smile. Why is this innocuous smile missing with the people in this part of the world? I wonder what could be the reason! Is it because of a lack of trust or no concern for fellow human beings? Can anyone enlighten me on this?
— A. G., Abu Dhabi
Why two-tier holiday system?
3 November 2005
- RAMADAN is the month of sacrifice, patience, giving and goodwill. The people working in the private sector after month-long preparations are put to the test right on the eve of Eid on having to be patient and not to be envious or show jealousy. They have to accept the two-tier holiday system wherein the private sector follows the Islamic calendar (Shawwal 1&2 of Hijri year 1426) as holidays, and the public sector follows the Georgian calendar (Nov 2 to 6, Year 2005) as holidays. Now, can anyone explain to me why can’t the public sector employees also follow the same holidays as for the private sector or vice-versa.Many countries around the world follow the same rule as far as holidays are concerned — be it public or private sector. As we are going global, let’s go global in this regard also. The shopping festival has started and the slogan is ‘One world, one family one people’. Is this true?
— Ahsan Ghori, Abu Dhabi
Khaleejtimes 25/10/05
Scene at an accident spot
25 October 2005
- THIS is the scene when an accident happened on Shaikh Zayed Road. The huge mass of humanity that had collected itself there made me think. Were all of them there out of concern? Was sympathy, empathy, pity and all other synonyms for that fellow feeling we have, the reason? Or, was it just curiosity? Or, were people so bored with their routine life that any event was a welcome change?To me, that definitely seemed a reason when the vehicles stopped and formed a long queue on the scene. Many drivers and passengers got down from the vehicles and rushed to the spot. While they returned to their respective vehicles, they promptly gave answers about the event they just witnessed to the heads popping out of the cars from the vehicles. I wonder if this helps in any way to those who are affected or to the paramedics who are desperately helping the victims. It is only a hindrance to them.However, having said that it is just a human inclination towards some happening, the news of that will soon spread like wildfire by word of mouth. Whatever it is, one thing is sure — humanity swarms at any spectacle, be it an accident or anything else. Can’t help it, can we?
— Ahsan Ghori, Abu Dhabi
Khaleej times 23/10/05(www.Khaleejtimes.ae)
Importance of education
23 October 2005
- EDUCATION is very important for any man or woman. If one is not educated, one is not enlightened. Since women are forced or rather kept away from education, it is easy to suppress them, so that men can have their way.I think what Mr Galadari says is that woman’s education should be the number one priority for any government, (Comment, KT, Oct. 14) let it be a developed, developing or underdeveloped world. There is a saying if you educate a man you educate one person, but if you educate a woman you educate an entire family.Since women are less educated as per statistics, this should be the top priority. By education, one widens one’s knowledge, understands basic rights, and fights for those rights. This, I think, is empowerment. People have a mistaken belief that economic independence will lead to women’s empowerment, thereby to their emancipation from all problems, which is not always the case.I have seen many women earning more money than men by doing hard labour, but still suffering at the hands of men who get drunk and beat up their wives. Educated workingwomen supplement the family income, and men look out for educated women as partners to double their income, but the woman’s rights do not change and it remains the same as before. So many women end up doing dual roles. In short, they get exploited.I think education is important for them to understand and fight for their rights. Also the system, the culture, tradition all should be understood and changed with the times so as to suit and keep pace with the developing world. Many ridiculous, traditional customs, which suppress women, are still practised. Each and every activity should have sound reasoning.For one to be emancipated, people’s attitudes too should change. Money is power and too much of it can do more damage than good if one has a wrong attitude. Therefore, along with education, a whole lot of things should change, and somewhere, we need to make a beginning. The whole world should consider all human beings as equal and do away with discrimination of any kind.
— Ahsan Ghori, by e-mail
Khaleej times, 22/10/05
Rules are for human beings
22 October 2005
- MUCH has been talked about workers’ timings and its effect on productivity. A couple of months ago, it was about midday break for workers during the summer months. Now, it is about reduced timings during the holy month of Ramadan. I feel these reductions in timing are given, taking into consideration the ability of human beings to cope with extreme temperatures or to accommodate the rigours of fasting the whole day without even drinking a drop of water. In both the cases, the body is prone to lose its vital requirement of water and get dehydrated.This could sometimes turn out to be fatal if the body is strained beyond its limits. Production is not everything. Human beings are not machines. Therefore, the rules laid down by the local authorities are justified. The labour authorities also are doing a good job by bringing the culprits who violate the law to book. However, as the number of people on vigil is proportionately less than required, some companies are flouting the laws. One should obey the laws of the country either as employers or as employees. The least any country would expect is that people obey the laws of the land as long as they are here. I hope we all adhere to the rules laid down in this fast developing and tolerant country.
— Ahsan Ghori, Abu Dhabi
Gulf News (www.gulfnews.com)
Quite proportionate 18/10/05
- It is common sense that the fasting person cannot be productive beyond 6 hours.
When a person is fasting, he cannot even drink a drop of water and hence the body is prone to dehydration.
The labour law stipulates 8 hours of work for a normal human being, based on the capacity of the human body for maximum productivity.
Now, can anyone tell me how efficient a dehydrated human being can be? Got to be less than 8 hours, therefore 8-2 = 6 hours is fair enough.
From A.Ghori,Abudhabi
Note : This letter is in response to an artilce written in gulf news advocating normal working hours during the month of Ramadan.
Khaleej Times 16/10/05 (www.khaleejtimes.ae)
Wastage of food
16 October 2005
- IT CANNOT be more precise than this’ is my response to Mr Galadari’s Comment on ‘Fasting and Ramadan’ (KT, Oct 13). The basic problem of Muslims is that they don’t understand or misunderstand the real objective of following the rituals. During Ramadan, I have seen many families inviting their friends and relatives for Iftar and often, one could witness a palatial arrangement of various dishes to break the fast, and then a lavish dinner follows after prayers. It has become a sort of competition.The womenfolk talk about the dishes they prepared and try to outdo the other when their turn comes to serve the platter. Do they think about the poor man who works so hard in the sun with just one meal for him and his family to survive. I think they do not. Many take advantage during the Ramadan month by being lazy at work. I have seen many a time work getting delayed because people are lethargic even early in the morning when they start work. The reasons could be celebrations dragging into late in the night in many cases.It has become common for people to say that if you want to get any job done, do it either before or after the Ramadan month, because during Ramadan, work will take its own time to get done. Already, with shortened working hours and sluggish workers, it’s obvious that this is what one can expect.The majority of our ‘ummah’ is illiterate, and it is the obligation of the educated to educate the illiterate the right way, so that people understand why God has commanded us to follow the rituals the right way by first understanding and then practising. It’s not the ritual that is important, but the real factor hidden behind each ritual. That is what purifies our soul and gets us closer to God.
— Ahsan Ghori, by e-mail
******
- I AGREE 100 per cent with Mr Galadari and again request my Muslim brothers and sisters to please refrain from unnecessary expenditures, and instead divert that money towards the poor and the needy. In general, it is observed that the public here in this region wastes a lot of food. There are millions of Muslim infants, women and children dying every day due to hunger around the globe, especially in Africa. So, think about them and exercise your responsibilities accordingly.
— Arif, Sharjah
Khaleejtimes 11/10/05 (www.Khaleejtimes.ae)
Demand and supply
11 October 2005
- WITH reference to Francis’ letter about demand and supply (KT, Oct 6), I feel what he says is logically correct, but it’s not always right to use the statement ‘If you don’t feel like it here, just leave.’ Many who come here to work and live in this country consider it as their own. So, to say ‘just leave this place’ is not only inappropriate, but also downright rude. Housing here has definitely become a nightmare due to escalating rents, especially for low and middle income employees.The real estate industry has taken over the market and trying to gauge the people by creating a hype. People who have lived comfortably as per their earnings suddenly find themselves squeezing into one room to make ends meet. The sudden escalation in rents — in some cases as much as 50 per cent — has made people appeal for help to find a place to live. The government has also announced about building low-cost houses. This has to be expedited. Right now, many people are priced out of the market and living in sharing accommodation which also reflects in the standard of living in this country.So, to project a vibrant UAE, the government needs to swiftly take action in this regard, as many have started to live frugally. Hope the UAE becomes the best place to live on the earth in all respects for all people, the poor included.
— Ahsan Ghori, Abu Dhabi
Gulf news 3/10/05 (www.gulfnews.com)
Put it to vote
- I refer to the news item "A taboo waiting to be broken" (Gulf News, September 29) regarding women driving cars in Saudi Arabia.
Why don't the authorities solve the problem by involving women themselves as it concerns them?
Why not ask Saudi women their views about being allowed to drive cars by conducting a poll.
Based on the result, the authorities can have a clear idea whether to allow women to drive and thereby stop undue outside interference in their country's internal affairs.
From Mr A. Ghori,Abu Dhabi
Stress — the great killer
2 October 2005
- WITH reference to your article ‘Mental stress needs proper attention’ (KT, Sept 27), I agree with your views and my views are very much close to yours. I feel sympathy and anger at the same time that an entire family was wiped out in a brutal way, presumably because of some mental disorder of one man. Cannot imagine the horror the children or his wife would have gone through when this man (suspect) or any man would have attacked them due to an insane mind caused by stress and various factors. When it comes to the mind, it is difficult to read anyone’s mind unless you say it out.Many times, I have heard people say it’s all in the mind. It’s the mind that matters, but the fact is many neglect this grey matter. Stress, if not properly managed, is a killer. Not only does it take a person’s life, but it also has a ripple effect on the society in general. I used to wonder why so many institutes related to human conditioning have mushroomed in the UAE, which was not the case 10 years ago. Many would have heard in the media about these stress-busters like hypnotherapy, laughter therapy, aroma therapy, Yoga to ‘Art of living’ centres .When did we forget the art to live? Perhaps, due to the incredibly fast-paced development in this part of the world, human beings are not conditioned to cope with the pace, without being stressed. Therefore, we need this external support in the name of institutes for de-stressing ourselves, but it reminds me of the wonderful support system God has devised in the name of family for us and its role of being supportive to each other.
Khaleej times (www.khaleejtimes.ae)
Stress kills
29 September 2005
- WITH reference to your ‘Comment’ (Mental stress needs proper attention, KT, Sept 27), I am in agreement with your views. I am also sympathetic and angry at the same time. An entire family gets wiped out in a brutal manner, presumably because of the mental disorder of one man. I cannot imagine the horror the children or his wife would have gone through when this man went about insanely attacking and slaughtering them.When it comes to the ‘mind’, it is difficult to read it. I have heard people say ‘it’s all in the mind’. It’s the mind that matters. Yet, many of us neglect the grey matter.Stress, if not properly managed, is a killer. Not only does it take a person’s life, but it also has a ripple effect on the society in general. In recent times, many institutes related to human conditioning have mushroomed in the UAE. This was not the case 10 years ago. The media has spoken about hypnotherapy, laughter therapy, yoga and art of living centres. When did we forget the art to live? Perhaps the incredibly fast-paced development in this part of the world is to blame. We need this external support in the name of institutes to de-stress ourselves. Meanwhile, we have forgotten about the wonderful support system God has devised for us in the name of ‘family’. Instead, what we have is the ‘nuclear family’.Nuclear families kill interaction between people. Men and women are ruled by materialism, and success is measured in terms of the bank balance. The culture of showing off and other social evils creep in. The outcome is an increase in the divorce rate, and broken families.The author, fortunately found support in his family with which he was able to handle the situation. I agree wholeheartedly with him. There can be no wrong in the system God gave to humanity.
— Ahsan Ghori, by e-mail
************
YOUR 'Comment' on the Sharjah tragedy in which the whole family of a depressed and stressed Indian engineer was wiped out was well thought out. Except in some parts of the developed world, disorders of the mind are often brushed under the carpet. People tend to forget that a large number of physical illnesses are psychosomatic, i.e., affecting or resulting from the conditions of both mind and body. City life drives individuals to shrink their outer world, which leads to an imbalance in the inner world of dreams, aspirations, emotional bonds, value systems, etc. The dissatisfaction, anxieties and depressions arising out of the deficiencies felt in that inner world could have been balanced by the outer world and the bonding, care and concern it can offer them. Your personal example of family support in crisis and the way you overcame the same was an example to prove this.Life is uncertain, fragile and delicate. Yet we need to live it. But remember the mind matters. And please do not mistake money as happiness. Nor are material possessions your passport to greatness. Draw a line between need and greed. If there is anything that can soothe your life, it is positive human relationship. Commitment, mutual concern, bonding without ulterior motives etc. make relationships beautiful, be it with spouse, friends or relatives.
— Vijay Kumar, Mumbai, India
Gulf news 28/9/05 (www.gulfnews.com)
Survival of humanity - If the contracting company is not able to pay wages on time, it is unfit to be in the business. Also, if the market is unable to pay money to the contracting company for the job done, the company must stop the work immediately and the government should expedite the process to rehabilitate the handicapped market players. The question here is not about the system but survival of humanity and human rights.
26 September 2005
Khaleejtimes(www.khaleejtimes.ae)
Issues and approach to faith
- WITH reference to your article ‘Liberating faith, rigid followers’, I think you have missed certain dictums from our book which clearly state that Muslim women and men should be modestly dressed. Now, the question is, how modest is modest? I think the dress Sania wore at the US Open left nothing more to the imagination and was certainly not acceptable if she claims to be one who follows the faith. I am a great fan of Sania and I believe she has the capability to reach the top 20 in the world. Being a tennis lover and player myself, I appreciate her game and am proud of her achievement. About the question of the so-called scholars giving out a fatwa, I agree with you, the members of the community have to put their heads down in shame. The prepostrous statements of the so-called ulema does not speak for the majority of Muslims. We need not be too liberal like the Westerners, which is against our faith, but a somewhere-in-between solution could be found, to keep pace with the world and at the same time not to be left out. —
Ahsan Ghori, by e-mail
Sania-Hue & cry - Where were the Mullas & Maulvis when Sania was climbing up the ladder in the tennis world & was yet to become a celebrity? Didnt she belong to Muslim faith then to warrant a fatwa about her attire she used to wear as a budding player. I thing what the mullas are doing is mere sensationalizing the case & letting the world know that Muslims are late thinkers. They do not take any notice or ignore to take action against women of muslim faith who expose themselves by wearing clothes which are not acceptable as per muslim faith later they make a hue & cry when the damage is already done. I wonder how this postmortem will serve the purpose other than sprinkling salt in the wound. Some might argue it is better late than never but I firmly believe Muslims should curb things that are not acceptable to their faith at grassroots levels & not after it has blown out as it will only show them in bad light.
-Ahsan Ghori
note - this was not published
Gulf news ,11th sep 2005(www.gulfnews.com)
- Pride and prejudice
President George W. Bush says he will not ask for help but will accept any help that comes from anywhere.
What is the problem if he asks for help? How can one think of ego at a time when the country is reeling from a disaster?
When calamity strikes, we realise how interdependent we are on one another.
That is the reality. However, as time passes and with our short-term memory, we soon forget all this and are back to our 'normal' self and our false ego.
That is the irony.
From Mr A. Ghori,Abu Dhabi
Khaleej Times, 10th Sep 2005(www.khaleejtimes.ae)
The ‘superpower’ too is vulnerable
10 September 2005
- WHY would the world’s richest country accept donations, but not ask for it. Isn’t it false pride? We proclaim we are independent and proudly brag about being so. We go on with our life until some sort of calamity strikes us and makes us realise how interdependent we are with one another. However, as time passes, our memory being short-term, soon we forget all that and are back to our so-called normally abnormal selves. Right from the things we eat, walk or drive to work, each and every activity is linked to a system of dependency. Even our life depends on another person. Take for example you are driving to work and though you are a good driver, for you to reach the destination safely, your life depends on how good the other person drives or follows the system. Nevertheless, if nothing unfortunate happens and you reach your destination safely, you feel elated about your driving capabilities. You even proclaim that you no longer have to depend on anyone to reach the place, but the fact is you are dependent on the machine that you drive and so many other factors. You think you are independent, but in reality you are not. You are actually interdependent. A ‘feel-good’ factor is always there when you can satiate your ego by saying I am independent. That is the irony. All are interdependent and not independent. Even after your death, you are dependent on another person to dispose of your body. The world will be a better place if we all accept the fact that we are interdependent and not independent. I feel the term ‘independent’ should be removed from our vocabulary as we all need each other. Katrina, nature’s fury, taught us a lesson that I hope people won’t forget, especially the so-called superpower.
— Ahsan Ghori, Abu Dhabi
Khaleej Times,29th July
Suspicious spouse
29 July 2005
- I WAS really taken aback on reading the KT report of a Syrian barber beating his second wife to death for standing in the balcony and that too after 10 pm. This kind of cruelty is beyond comprehension in this modern age. The poor lady must have suffered silently since her marriage.There are many such suspicious and narrow-minded husbands who enjoy treating their wives as slaves and beating them up as and when they like even for silly reasons. It's high time that men and women are given equal status, and encourage victims of such atrocity to report it to the authorities, failing which they get away scot free. Hope this "wife beater" gets the punishment he deserves so that others are discouraged from acting in this way.
— Name withheld on request
Khaleej Times,2nd August - Suspicious spouse
2 August 2005
- I REFER to the letter, Suspicious spouse, (KT July 29). I agree that it is barbaric for a man to beat his wife to death. But if the second wife of this Syrian man had obeyed her husband's advice, not to stand in the balcony or peep through window unnecessarily, she would have fulfilled her husband's wishes and command and then she would be alive now and her husband would not have ended up in jail. In married life, it is expected that both the partners take the advice of each other in the right spirit. In my view, every man is suspicious and narrow-minded in dealing with the issue concerning woman. No man is a saint. When a man looks at a woman, his look is always lewd, if the woman moves freely, it gives him wrong signals. A woman standing in the balcony or peeping through window or roaming without any purpose will always be giving wrong signals to a man. Can any man deny my contention?
Kamal by e-mail - More on ‘suspicious spouses’
3 August 2005
- THIS is in response to suspicious spouse, (KT, Aug 2) by Kamal. I agree with Kamal when he says " in married life, it is expected that both the partners take the advice of each other in the right spirit." I personally feel this Syrian husband was insecure in his second marriage, and probably he felt his young wife will cheat on him. Perhaps, to show his actual control on her, he resorted to beating her black and blue. Unfortunately, the outcome was fatal. If their marriage had been based on love, trust and respect and if this Syrian man had acted in a mature way he wouldn't have landed in cell.May be, suspicion is the basic instinct of human nature, especially in a relationship concerning love and marriage but it is essential to force trust in our minds before falling into the trap of suspicion, which comes very easily in anyone's mind. I am sorry to say that this Syrian man was very possessive and violent, and it is this nature that landed him in jail.
— Sneha Stephen, Dubai
******
- WITH reference to Suspicious spouse (KT, Aug 2) , I must say that I am shocked to read the preposterous statement that 'his wife should have fulfilled husband's wishes and command'. Then he goes on to say that 'advice should be taken in the right spirit by husband and wife. I wonder, how he put the blame on the dead victim, and that too for not obliging to the narrow thinking and chauvinism of her husband, who eventually murdered her? To me, anyone who kills his wife for seeing her on the balcony is a monster. What kind of civilisation is this where women cannot even look out from the balcony or breathe fresh air. I feel pity for the women who need to take permission from their men to even look out from the balconies. I guess for people like Kamal, the only purpose balcony serves is for drying and hanging clothes. I would like to inform him that in places like Abu Dhabi there is a penalty for hanging clothes in the balcony whereas there is no penalty or fine for looking out from the balcony.
— Ahsan Ghori, Abu Dhabi
******
THE 'suspicious' man's place is definitely in the prison. I am referring to the Syrian man who beat her wife to death for standing on the balcony of the house. People who are guilty are more suspicious. Moreover, man is supposed to be stronger than the woman, so it is expected that he should be tolerant.
— Dr M. Bhaijee, Michigan, USA
Khaleej Times13th July, 2005
What’s faith got to do with it?
13 July 2005
- WITH reference to your article ‘Why link terror to religion’ (KT, July 12), I agree with your comments about the misconception. But then again, I feel Muslim clerics and leaders should strongly condemn the terrorists with no buts. These only portray them in such a way that the Muslim Ummah have a soft corner for the terrorist actions as a reaction. I think we should distance from the terrorist completely and no justification for terrorist actions shall be accepted or given credence. Moreover, as fatwas are issued against those who desecrate the religion of Islam and teachings, they should also be issued against these terrorists who, as you rightly say, do not belong to our religion. They quote scriptures for their actions and the clerics should strongly come out against this. The problem here is because they quote the scriptures for their actions which is misconstrued as the belief and faith of the people who belong to Islam by others. Hence, the term ‘Islamic terrorist’ I suppose, whereas other terrorists whom you mention in your article never quoted the scriptures. We also have to look into ourselves and correct the wrongs. It’s time all are treated as equals with no discrimination. It is time for introspection, but at the same time, we do not agree with the western media and the hype they create. I feel Islam is the best religion with the worst followers.
My Note- would like to see the world where Politics & religion segregated.where people love people just as humans nothing more nothing less.
Gulf news-13th July, 2005
- I've heard enough of these bombings, killings, hatred and terrorism. The smiles on people's faces are fast disappearing. Why don't we have a World Peace Day like Father's Day, Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. It is time the world addresses this issue to give peace a chance. At least give it a try.
Editor's note: Peace Days, in one form or another international or world are declared
on occasion by the UN or other respected bodies.
My note- Feel helpless about the happenings in this world.I am a peace loving guy.
Khaleej times-4th July, 2005
Letter to Editor
No basic facilities 4 July 2005
- COMPANIES are ready to pay fines instead of stopping work. Fines have minimal effect as the authorities already have a taste of it, trying to impose it on speeding vehicles. Instead, if responsible contractors are asked to stay in the hot sun for two hours every day, outside their cool AC cabins, I think they will better understand the plight of labourers and shut their vocal cords for two months until the temperature settles down. Isn’t this a humane approach? I believe so.
— A Ghori, Abu Dhabi
MyNote-my feelings about the poor labourers & how they are exploited
Gulf News, 30th may,2005
Letter to the editor
Noble work
- I am a parent of a special-care child living in Abu Dhabi.
The school held its annual day function recently. While watching the performance,
I observed the expressions of the audience and was choked with emotion seeing them
smile wholeheartedly and applaud in unison whenever a child, with great determination,
walked up after stumbling to the stage to perform.
When the parents went up to the stage to sing with the children, I could only think how
lucky we are to have the Indian Ladies Association which provides special care for children.
Hats off to the staff.
From Mr A Ghori,Abu Dhabi - My note-She is my daughter SAFA a cute one.
She is Down syndrome girl. Please Pray for her health & for us to bring her up the best we can.
Response
- Gulf news 1st june, 2005
They need usI attended the Indian Ladies Association Special Care Centre's open day and I agree with Mr A Ghori ("Noble work" Gulf News, May 30). Every child's performance was magical, thanks to the dedicated staff and volunteers who work for months towards this special day
A very special school with very special staff who do an incredible job in caring for the children who attend. If anyone is looking for a worthwhile cause to support, look no further.
These ladies are in dire need of funds to help them to continue to brighten the lives of many special children and raise awareness for the plight of special needs children in Abu Dhabi
From Ms D. LongDubai
Khaleej Times-5th May( www.khaleejtimes.ae)
Letter to the editor
Visa woes ,5 May 2005
- MY MOTHER applied for a visit visa to the UK on 2nd May at the UK > embassy, Abu Dhabi for a visit to her son and family. She waited for four long hours before being called for the interview, and then the visa was rejected. The reason given by the visa officer was that she was going to the UK to look after her son’s kids and is not going to come back to the UAE as the son in the UK is earning more money than her son here. The officer never realised that being a widowed mother, she was entitled on compassionate grounds to stay with her son as his dependent. Also, she chose the UAE because the weather in the UK is too cold for her to bear. I fail to understand how a 67-year-old lady is going to look after the son’s kids, when in reality, it is she who has to be looked after and also why a 67-year-old would want to jump visas and live illegally there. Can’t comprehend the thinking of visa officers and how they are they trained to refuse genuine cases. The UAE, being a compassionate country, granted her the residence visa.
— A Ghori, Abu Dhabi - MyNote-My mom got visa in her second attempt.The letter did have an role to play as the officer enquired about the letter & explained the reasons for rejecting the visa to me.
About Me
- Name: AHSAN GHORI
- Location: Abudhabi, Abudhabi, United Arab Emirates
Well, I am polite & honest guy & would like to see the world as a peaceful place to live in.Hate discrimination to the core.I am a simpleton. Clue to my residence & nick name No one lives above me & the door number is add 1 to unluckiest day & then a egg for 3. Right down below is a place where people come to satisfy their appetite & then there is a paint shop & (fairy tale title which ends with beast)-shop. My nick is chosen from one among the three shops.
Links
Previous Posts
- Laymans Touching Stories
- Laymans articles
- My daughter SAFA
- Laymans jokes
- Laymans Poems
- Laymans stories
- Laymans letters
Archives
