i have never understood people's fascination with their childhood, and their wish to rewind life to that period. especially because these are all individuals in their late 20s or 30s! in general, i do not want to go backwards- i am excited about all the new milestones, experiences, people and places i have yet to encounter. i admit though, that i do infrequently think of being back at uni, in cairo -that was a wonderful time, that was when i became ME, when i finally grew into my own skin. but being a kid again? no, thank you.
i don't think i had a bad childhood, but i just don't see what was so great about it either. i recall the pressures of school (and madressah!), the limitations regarding clothes, food, places to go and even friends, and i shudder to think about returning there. how does that compare with the freedom of today, a job i love and am passionate about, meaningful relationships with friends and family, and so many other things?! perhaps i will feel differently 20 or 30 years later, but for now, i am happy in the present, and looking forward to the future.
it's interesting that most of these people mourning their lost childhood are all indians/bohras -does that make a difference? is there something special about the indian childhood that i'm unaware of? or are their lives today not fulfilling enough?
22 July 2010
16 July 2010
new words
here's me doing my homework-
interesting: fascinating, intriguing, appealing, amusing, engaging
weird: unusual, bizarre, funky, deviant, peculiar, exceptional
funny: absurd, droll, entertaining, goofy, whimsical
scary: intimidating, formidable, alarming, spooky, unnerving
new word of the day: pulchritude, meaning great physical beauty
interesting: fascinating, intriguing, appealing, amusing, engaging
weird: unusual, bizarre, funky, deviant, peculiar, exceptional
funny: absurd, droll, entertaining, goofy, whimsical
scary: intimidating, formidable, alarming, spooky, unnerving
new word of the day: pulchritude, meaning great physical beauty
sweet
having sent around a few pics of H's and myself, i received variations of the following comments:
"both of you cannot stop smiling!"
"u look so cute together!!!!!!!! AND SO HAPPY!!!!!!!"
"you look beautiful in these pictures, so glowing, and i have never seen you smile so wide!"
i feel blessed and loved! thank you everyone :)
"both of you cannot stop smiling!"
"u look so cute together!!!!!!!! AND SO HAPPY!!!!!!!"
"you look beautiful in these pictures, so glowing, and i have never seen you smile so wide!"
i feel blessed and loved! thank you everyone :)
14 July 2010
lost and found
i have wanted to write for the past couple of days, but there was nothing specific i wanted to say. or, more accurately, i wasn't sure what i wanted to say here, on this blog.. today, the need to write, to have words move from my head to my fingertips to the screen was overwhelming, and so i thought of using some creative writing prompts to channel my energy into words. many of the exercises i checked out were interesting, but two particularly grabbed me: writing about things i've lost and found, and randomly picking words from a dictionary and writing around them.
i have a dictionary on my desk at work, and another at home. i cannot remember the last time i opened either. there was a time when i was quite particular about increasing and refining my vocab, when i would meticulously check out every word i did not know, when i would 'learn' a new word every week. i miss that time. i seem to have lost that drive, that motivation to excel, to improve, to grow. my vocab is so stagnant now, so incestuous. i use the same words for both work and play. in fact, i use such few words that i have imbued them all with various levels of meanings (to H's consternation!). so, my homework will be to find replacements for funny, interesting, weird and scared! i will also attempt to open the dictionary at least once a week.
now for the creative writing dictionary exercise: forte, possession, wanton, bucket
she finally found the bucket. hands on her hips, she grinned happily at the shiny redness. her grin faded a little as she took in all the possessions packed into it. was that a sock there? blowing out a few breaths, she bent down and began emptying colored pebbles, a bottle of bubble liquid, two plastic spades, mouldy socks, some books that were falling apart. she no longer remembered whether these belonged to her or her brother. most likely to her brother; books and words were his forte. she found words too dense, complicated. she was happier with pictures, images. she loved to draw-people, plants, objects. once she was done with the bucket, she would go back to her latest sketch of her wanton cat.
**
that was fun! maybe i should do this weekly too.. :)
i have a dictionary on my desk at work, and another at home. i cannot remember the last time i opened either. there was a time when i was quite particular about increasing and refining my vocab, when i would meticulously check out every word i did not know, when i would 'learn' a new word every week. i miss that time. i seem to have lost that drive, that motivation to excel, to improve, to grow. my vocab is so stagnant now, so incestuous. i use the same words for both work and play. in fact, i use such few words that i have imbued them all with various levels of meanings (to H's consternation!). so, my homework will be to find replacements for funny, interesting, weird and scared! i will also attempt to open the dictionary at least once a week.
now for the creative writing dictionary exercise: forte, possession, wanton, bucket
she finally found the bucket. hands on her hips, she grinned happily at the shiny redness. her grin faded a little as she took in all the possessions packed into it. was that a sock there? blowing out a few breaths, she bent down and began emptying colored pebbles, a bottle of bubble liquid, two plastic spades, mouldy socks, some books that were falling apart. she no longer remembered whether these belonged to her or her brother. most likely to her brother; books and words were his forte. she found words too dense, complicated. she was happier with pictures, images. she loved to draw-people, plants, objects. once she was done with the bucket, she would go back to her latest sketch of her wanton cat.
**
that was fun! maybe i should do this weekly too.. :)
30 June 2010
boredom
i am bored. with all my friends out of town, i am at a loss for social and intellectual stimulation. there are no interesting movies to watch, shows to attend, even the blogs i read seem to be on leave!
i hope that next week, next month will be better, that i will be overloaded with stimulation, which may even translate into more blog posts, inshallah!
i hope that next week, next month will be better, that i will be overloaded with stimulation, which may even translate into more blog posts, inshallah!
23 June 2010
ghostwritten
"Backpackers are strange. I have a lot in common with them. We live nowhere, and we are strangers everywhere. We drift, often on a whim, searching for something to search for. We are both parasites: I live in my hosts' minds, and sift through his or her memories to understand the world. Caspar's breed live in a host country that is never their own, and use its culture and landscape to learn, or stave off boredom."
"I know eleven languages, but there are some tunes that language cannot play... Sometimes language can't even read the music of meaning."
"On John's side of the bed was a John-shaped hollow. I rolled into it, the cosiest place on earth."
"Hives of life rumbled on the other sides of the floor, walls and ceiling. The tenement across the alley was so close that our window frames seemed to share the same glass."
i am always sad when i finish a book. more so, when it's one by david mitchell (or haruki murakami, whose influences can be found in mitchell's writing). ghostwritten was mitchell's first novel, and it was surprisingly difficult to get a hold of. when i saw it in the bookstore a while ago, i immediately picked it up!
like cloud atlas, ghostwritten consists of nine different stories. some of the chapters (themes and characters) were particularly enjoyable. i have to say that i was a little disappointed with the ending though, which leaves you somewhat hanging and with several questions unanswered. in that sense cloud atlas is much better thought out. regardless, i enjoyed the book, and mo muntervary, bat, zookeeper, noncorpa and the tea shack will stay with me awhile.
"I know eleven languages, but there are some tunes that language cannot play... Sometimes language can't even read the music of meaning."
"On John's side of the bed was a John-shaped hollow. I rolled into it, the cosiest place on earth."
"Hives of life rumbled on the other sides of the floor, walls and ceiling. The tenement across the alley was so close that our window frames seemed to share the same glass."
i am always sad when i finish a book. more so, when it's one by david mitchell (or haruki murakami, whose influences can be found in mitchell's writing). ghostwritten was mitchell's first novel, and it was surprisingly difficult to get a hold of. when i saw it in the bookstore a while ago, i immediately picked it up!
like cloud atlas, ghostwritten consists of nine different stories. some of the chapters (themes and characters) were particularly enjoyable. i have to say that i was a little disappointed with the ending though, which leaves you somewhat hanging and with several questions unanswered. in that sense cloud atlas is much better thought out. regardless, i enjoyed the book, and mo muntervary, bat, zookeeper, noncorpa and the tea shack will stay with me awhile.
june 17, 2010
so i can come back some time and laugh some more:
"Your energy is largely focused on--if not devoted to--the concept of love right now. Love really is all you need, especially when it arrives in such an amazing package. Someone has recently entered (or is just about to enter) your life, and you feel like they may actually be too good to be true. Stop pinching yourself and just open your eyes--this really is happening to you, and you don't want to miss it."
:)))
"Your energy is largely focused on--if not devoted to--the concept of love right now. Love really is all you need, especially when it arrives in such an amazing package. Someone has recently entered (or is just about to enter) your life, and you feel like they may actually be too good to be true. Stop pinching yourself and just open your eyes--this really is happening to you, and you don't want to miss it."
:)))
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