Saturday centus- The End

Its a really really busy time for me- KPI's to meet, hyperactive baby, etc. So blogging has taken a backseat. But I just couldn't resist Jenny's prompt. It was way too challenging to miss...so here I go:

‘The End’

The movie was over

“Do you wanna go home?”

“It’ll be empty”

“She’s enjoying at university”

*sniff*

And they sat for another show

My Daddy Strongest

Ok blog time again now. I have told you about Mehreen, Arfaz and my mom. But I have not really told you about my dad. So I thought today for Mama Kat’s writing prompt, I will tell you ten things I love about my dad

1. Where there is a will, there is a way: I think this saying was created after they saw my dad. His will power is so unbelievably strong that I cant even describe it. He was once upon a time a very hot tempered person. And one fine day, he decided “That’s it, I am not going to get angry any more.” Now I don’t know of anyone who stopped getting angry after a decision. But he did. He started practicing yoga (at 6am, if I may add) and did not avoid it even for a single day- not during weekends, not during vacations, never. And now he is as cool as cucumber.

2. Knowledge: My dad can talk about anything under the sun. And I mean it. Even though he comes from a corner of India which was once considered a really under developed place, he just knows so much about so many things. The other day I came home and said “Oh, you know that great golfer who died?” “Seve Ballesteros?” “How do you know Seve Ballesteros?” “He was champion from the mid 70-s to the 90-s when you were in school. Why wouldn’t I know him? And why are you calling him Seve on your news? He is Severiano Ballesteros”

3. Care- He is probably one of the most caring persons I have ever met. From the stray cat in the parking lot to my mom, he cares about every single thing in the world. If I am sick, he will make coffee, prepare the steam, not let me eat anything even at room temperature, etc.

4. Meticulousness: I don’t think dad has had even a single bill that was overdue. We have never had any reminders about electricity, water, house rent and phone bills. Every month on the 2^nd, my dad would give me the money to pay my fees (you see in those days, the salary was paid on the 1^st). Even today, he gets my car serviced, passed and insured two weeks before the due date and makes sure that everything is up to date.

5. Advice- Dad has a way of giving advice in the most subtle way but hitting it right in the eye. He tells a story or quotes a verse from the Quran but after years of experience I know that he means it as an advice to us, maybe to kick a habit or get over some bad experience or encourage us to be more forgiving. It always works.

6. Memory: Age has weathered it a bit but my dad has photographic memory. When I was young, we never used to have a phone book in the house because my dad knew every single phone number, house number and even the car number plates of everyone!

7. Professionalism: In my 24 years of life, my dad has not taken more than 10 days of sick leave. And all those days, he was so sick that he could barely move. He is also one of the most loyal persons I have seen- you know the kind who wont even make a local call on the office phone. He is so dedicated to the company that I think to myself, if I had 10 such people in a business I begin some day, I could conquer the world.

8. Careful Spending: If I looked for it, I think I will find the spending record of my dad from the day I was born. Every single penny he spends is written down, tabulated and calculated at the end of the month.

9. Value: I will always remember the values dad taught. Once I said to him “Dad I am first in class in the final exam results.” And he just hugged me. The next month I went and told him about how my friend had asked me to cheat on an exam so that I could get full marks but I refused. He congratulated me. In the evening, he brought me a huge box of 76 color pencils which I had been wanting for a really long but which was a bit of luxury back then. “Never cheat,” dad said, “it will never ever get you anywhere”

10. Different roles: He is so good at every single role in his life- he is an amazing son, he is an amazing husband, he is the most amazing dad and he is such an amazing grandfather.

This one is for my superhero dad!!!

My Colleagues desk

So I promised to introduce you to my colleagues’ desks and show you how it reflects their character. Didn’t do it last week so I am doing two at a time

Malak, Feyaza and I make up the reporting team. People joke that we are Peter’s Angles (like Charlie’s Angels). Peter? Peter is our news head. So let me introduce you to Malak and Feyaza.

Malak is the young, independent, fearless reporter who fought to go to Libya when the unrest kicked off. But of course our bosses had more sense than that- you see Malak has a knack. If trouble doesn’t come to her, she will go looking for trouble. She is an artist and paints amazingly well. The 500 million pictures on her desk, shows how she likes to visualize everything. An yes she is a bit of a show off as well- she has got pictures of her with Usher, John Legend and Shaggy right there on the left. She loves her coffee and that’s the mug in which she drinks her bitter, black coffee- something that would have me puking for a week. All those tiny figures on top are souvenirs she brought back from her trips abroad- half of them for pleasure and half for charity. Last year she went to Uganda to help orphans- yes this girl has a heart of gold J (Malak Harb you better buy me a big fat treat for all this)

P.S.- And oh!!! I will let you into a secret- its not out in the open but once I opened Malak’s drawer to get something and found loads of stuff including a spoon I had lent her about a year ago. We in the news team firmly believe that there is an inhabitable ecosystem in there

Feyaza- who actually mentored me into radio- is a bit of a nutty person. Doesn’t really know what she wants. So she pins up the ‘randomest’ things on her desk. There is an invite to the launch of Steve Madden in Dubai. Then there is a leaflet about Mongolian circus (like seriously??). Then there is a scan report of my baby when I was pregnant with her and above that is her pic when she was born. Then she has a poem about England. She is actually South African but she lived in Liverpool for bit so she thinks of it as home. She is also a Liverpool lunatic and generally goes insane before a major game. And then you can see the Rolling Stone lips- she even has its mouse pad. On the right are the pics of the most important people in her life- reflects how close she is to her family.

Saturday Centus

People have taken such different tangents to Jenny's prompt this week. So here I go

"What would you like to do in life?" Mum would ask me when I was a girl. "I'd like to teach the world to sing," I'd say. And she would nod- without laughing, without teasing but with an air of plain understanding. How could she take me so seriously? But her conviction inspired me

Years later as a music teacher, I received a lot of media attention when I won an award. My mom smiled with satisfaction as she looked at the papers. I peered over her shoulder at the headline “Mute girl teaches the world to sing.”

Alphabe Thursday- C is for Cat

One of the best things about being a parent is watching your baby grow into a young individual. Mehreen has a toy cat which she is very scared of. It can sing, it can dance and it has green eyes that light up. I think that's what scares her the most.

So for months we have been trying to get rid of her fear but she refused to go anywhere near the offender. We had almost given up hope and the poor fella retired to a corner of her toy box. Two days ago Arfaz took it out and Mehreen wasnt scared.

She hovered around for about an hour before finally touching it fleetingly. We all clapped in delight. But my camera wasn't quick enough to catch it...

Mother's Day

So my friend Shafeena is having a blog giveaway. It has just given me a reason to finally pen down this ode to my dear mother which was long overdue. It means a lot to me simply because I have tried and included as many memories as I could of the different things my mom has done for me as I grew up. So here we go

How can I ever thank you enough
For the countless nights you sat awake when I was a baby
To pacify me and get me to sleep
In the searing May heat during Ramadan
While still sore from the birthing wounds


How can I ever thank you enough
For the time you gave up a promising career when I was a child
To be with me as I grew up
Picking me up when I fell, holding my hand when I struggled
And cheering me on when I succeeded


How can I ever thank you enough
For the number of times you lost sleep when I started school
Sewing a last-minute fancy dress costume
Completing a difficult project
Or just sitting with me as I studied


How can I ever thank you enough
For the times you filled the gap in my life when I was pre-teen
As I grew up an only child
Doubling up as my friend, sister, confidante
And counseling me through life


How can I ever thank you enough
For dealing with my tantrums when I was a teenager
And rebellions
As I fought with you
Not realizing you were practicing tough love

How can I ever thank you enough
For encouraging when I was going to university
To follow my dream of becoming a journalist
As everyone criticized
And said I was making a mistake

How can I ever thank you enough
For supporting me when I was getting married
Putting your heart and soul into the wedding preparation
And making sure
That it was a dream wedding


How can I ever thank you enough
For fulfilling all my cravings when I was pregnant
Going to great lengths to get me traditional medicinal herbs
Massaging my legs
And staying up with me when I couldn’t sleep

How can I ever thank you enough
For standing by me when I was giving birth
Holding my hand, giving me strength
And not even leaving my side to catch the first glimpse of your granddaughter
Because you knew I needed you the most

How can I ever thank you enough
For taking care of me when I was a mother
And looking after my daughter
Just like you had looked after me
Soothing me to sleep while you stayed awake


How can I ever thank you enough
For calming me when I was juggling work and motherhood
Looking after my baby while I was at work
Making sure that I had enough rest
And running the household smoothly


No, I can never thank you enough
For being my strength, comfort and serenity
But this ode to you, my mother
Is to just tell you
I bow to you in respect, humility and sincerity to say

You are the Best Mother In The World
Happy Mother’s Day

Saturday Centus- First Anniversary

Although the traditional gift for a first anniversary is paper I had something better in mind-a culinary treat.

"But do you even know where the kitchen is?" My worried friends asked.

"I'll manage"



"What's this?" Asked brother in law

"Grilled chicken"

"Looks more like charred to death chicken"

"And what's this," asked sister.

"Cheesecake" I was beaming.

"Are you sure you didn’t use chalk powder?" she questioned. "What's that smell?"

And suddenly there was a knock on the door.



Last I heard my b-i-l had broken into his pension savings to rebuild their burnt kitchen