Short-est Stories

She kept crumbled paper notes, timetable-esque planners and feverishly scrawled journals close to her bedside. Some day there were to payoff, someday they were to be scrutinized as historical pieces!

THE HUNGRY AND THE FULL!

This blogpost has been written for UNEP World Environment Day's blog-competition . This year's theme is 'Think.Eat.Save - Reduce your foodprint' 

     I am in an exquisitely decorated wedding hall, teeming with people dressed-up in multihued, extravagantly sequined, silk and satin drapes. As soon as the dinner serves, all the elegantly dressed people rush towards serving tables. I stand one step away from the jam-packed tables, with an empty plate in my hands, waiting for my turn. All the sophistication lies abandoned at the seats while the people, crowding the feast-serving tables, eye for their handsome shares. Its bad manners to peek over someone’s plate, but it becomes inevitable when a mountain of salad, rice and curry towering over people’s plates, appeal for your attention. The food is sumptuous, agreed! But alas, we have only one belly to stuff all that food. The competition is stiff, but in the end, it’s the belly that wins. And so I see, at the end of the session, half-finished plates piling up on the tables. 

     Next, we see them being dumped into waste bins and then, off they go, floating with the gushing water streams or settling in landfills. This is a common sight in urban weddings of South Asian countries where weddings are vibrant, lavish and once-in-a-lifetime affairs! Estimates suggest about 15-20% of food, served in such events, is squandered. However, once you step out of this grandeur, reality hits you hard as you see children, in tattered clothes, starving and going through dumpsters, picking up food leftovers. You cannot go on, unaffected.

      A glance through this social diary makes me leaf through my personal diary! While three-time meals a day with additional tea and snack breaks is standard for most of us, there are people who find it hard to manage even two-meals per day. This is just not fair! I consider myself a ‘responsible’ eater, but a research study indicates that the annual per capita waste production in South Asia is between 6Kg and 11Kg. There’s got to be something wrong! So, I skim through my eating and squandering behaviors, looking for loopholes and here’s what I find; granted that I am not ‘the habitual squanderer’ who stockpiles food and throws them away once they are mold-ridden, expired or all soggy-ed up, the fact is I do get sloppy at times, and such sloppiness can take a heavy toll on the overall quotient of food wastage and even not just that, it magnifies the volume of waste (hence solid waste pollution) and contributes to global warming (courtesy methane emissions from landfills where food wastes eventually get dumped). So, I sit down and draft a crude plan which looks like this;

Dont's:

• Stock fruits in the fridge, lest they become soggy. Buy fresh fruits!
• Cook meals in excess. In case of leftovers, eat them the next day.
• Cook new meal until the last one has been finished.

Do's:

• Grocery shopping sensibly.
• In case of surplus food supplies, share with neighbors or the needy ones.
• Grow fresh vegetables and fruits in my garden.

     Once done, I feel good, as if a part of the global movement aimed at bringing food wastage down. Inspired, I google food saving initiatives. I take comfort in the fact that there are many people raising their voice against the food wastage trend. FAO’s initiative SAVE FOOD, together with many key partners, is probably the most vigorous drive for reducing food squandering. Similarly, UNEP’s World Environment Day theme ‘Think.Eat.Save’ is also expected to play a significant role in trimming down food wastes. According to an estimate, saving on current food wastes can nourish about 3 billion otherwise underfed people? So, I have decided to start with the man (in my case a woman) in the mirror. What about you?

Visit: http://unep.org/wed/

http://www.thinkeatsave.org/

I Welcome Thee, 2013!

In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent and the most Merciful!


    The transition has already taken place, the year 2012 has already vanished into 2013. What a leap of change in the disguise of a slight turnover! It's not even the new year by Islamic Culture, still we are praying for the coming months to be better off and stable. It's human psychology I guess, beginnings charge us with energy and fuel nervousness while endings make us emotional and somehow more decisive for the next phase. This is why we love romanticizing the end of the year and welcoming the new one. Nevertheless, there is nothing wrong in praying and pledging for a promising tomorrow, at any day or a moment.  It's the uncalled for celebrations where the reasoning fails to do business. However, I believe everyone has the right to choose their way of life and others, instead of getting all judgmental, should focus on straightening their own record.

    In the past few years, I made some very neatly cut-out resolutions as a way of 'properly' and 'orderly' initiating this supposedly new year of the Gregorian Calender. But this time, I did not. Because, I have experienced a transition in my thinking pattern. In contrary to jumping into the vast oceans of possibilities, I have decided to stick with 'small is beautiful'. Because you climb up the ladder always in an ascending order, even if your goal is not the topmost rung, and even if it is! Hence, instead of piecing together different puzzles to complete a pictures I want to have fun with all the individual pieces one at a time, and not worry about the picture they make as a whole. THIS is a potential New Year Resolution. Still, just to give my mind something to hold onto, there are three resolutions (yes very economical) for the year 2013.
1. Stronger Faith
2. Write more and Write fearlessly.
3. Go for it.

    A word about the year 2012 : In all honesty, it was a GOOD year Alhumdulilah. It was full of new experiences and getting to know different worlds. The best part is, I can sense a positive change in myself, something I have been looking forward to since a long time. I hope the year 2013 will build on 2012 and will be better even than 2012 In Shaa Allah :-).

And the show goes on..! (CLP - 1)

        Here goes my first entry in the spirit of Creative Life Project.
     
           21st December 2012, the 13th baktun in the language of Mayan civilization that belongs to an ancient chapter of history, garnered utmost attention when history interpretators declared that Mayans speculated this day to be the ultimate day of apocalypse. In my existential history, this is the first time ever I have come across an attempt of this scale at the prophecy of the end of the world. Ofcourse, being a Muslim, this supposedly piece of revelation did not jolt me, far less it didn't even interest me much because I have grown up acknowledging the fact that it takes all sorts to make the world go round even the most fanatical ones. Hence, I attributed this latest fixation of the world to that group which always have to complicate things. As the countdown approached, I became interested only, given my writer instincts, in knowing the backstory  of this unfounded theory. So, I reverted to my uber-favorite  tool, GOOGLE and googled all about Mayan and the apocalypse theory. As it turns out, Mayan was a very ancient component of Mesoamerica civilization. Mesoamerica, as obvious by its name, is used to  refer to Mexico and Central America jointly, as they were back in the 16th century. The civilization grew in harmony with the needs of the time and poured reasonable interest in architecture, mathematics and astrology. The 'Cities of Stone', the relics of Mayan Civilization, bear the testimony to their inclination towards decent architecture. And the recent apocalypse frenzy speaks volume of their astrological pursuits. However, what makes this civilization pretty 'fascinating' is its mysterious disappearance from the face of the world. Many theories have been supplemented to solve the mysteries but without any concrete proof, they remain only theories. Among these theories most prominent ones cater to overpopulation, an over-stretched spell of drought etc. Some sane historians suggest that Mayans only predicted 21st Decemeber to be a day of significance for the world and not the end of the world in itself. Post 21st December world maybe a changed version of what it used to be, either a good or bad one, but it certainly isn't ending. The fact that I am writing this post at 4:00 pm PST could not be a less obvious evidence. To a person like me, each day has the potential to change the world, inner or external, partly or wholly, it is just the matter of chance meeting what has been building up. So, I hope all those frenzied over this apocalypse-theory will get a chance to move on with their lives and instead of preparing for the end of the world, they will prepare for the end of their own lives.


           As I said, each day has the potential to bring a drastic change in your world. Today, I decided to go for that thing, to apply for it. The world is not going to change if I get it or even if I don't. Maybe it wouldn't be such a significant experience at all. But that's not the point, the point is that I am willing to take chances and for me that's what matters the most, at the moment. This one is to my Creative Life Project Initiative!

          On a side note, in my office, we stumbled on to those psuedo-life lessons' discussions where we get together under the cosy warmth of the sun and share chunks of our minds. Today, the conversation leaned towards the lifestyles. My colleagues believe that the choices you make early in your lifestyles stay with for the rest of life with you and to back up their assumptions, they provided accounts of real-life stories. I would say I do not agree with their hypothesis completely because I am a strong believer of fate and while I do believe that a person can always play in the architecture of his own life but at the same time I have always deemed the role of 'luck', and 'fate' to be equally integral. After all such discussions, there is only one 'take away message' that I get up with, I want to play my role in my life substantially. 

Creative Life Project

          If there is one thing that my heart has yearned for without being distracted by the glint of other, more shiny objects, it is this; I want to lead a life that is rich in experiences, creative in its approach, adventurous  in its feel, innovative in nature and altogether a wholesome journey. Much of the suffering, struggle and pain I have endured can be, without any exaggeration, attritbuted to this 'yearning'. But there have many several physical, psychological and fateful obstacles that have held me back and rendered a hostage to a world full of uncertainties. I have tried so hard to break through this frost, but have fallen on my back time and again. I will save all the trifling details of what projects I happend to execute and how they dissolved into thin air or what plans remained confined only to my planners and could never materialize into reality.Instead I'll skip to the part which commences from TODAY! Yes, finally I have moved on from reflecting on my past or imganing my future prospects to savoring today. So, this is my BRAND NEW project, the one that I have decided to call by the name 'Creative Life Project'.

            Being a planning maniac that I am, I have decided NOT to plan each and every detail of this paradigm-shifting project. Infact, I haven't planned anything at all. Let it be a free-fall. For once in my lifetime, I haven't put off this project keeping in perspective my 'busy' schedule. You can say that I have realized that life is, afterall, not about 'Grand' executions anyway. For a long time, I have been preaching to put one's life's bet on small things because best things come in small packages. But while this was what I wanted myself to believe, I never could actually convince my inner comrade to endorse this mindset. Because I had unconsciously opted for a way of life that doesn't exist in itself. THAT world that I so often dream of is made up of baby steps, tiny achievements and small moments. There, I said it. I've admitted my deep-dark secret out aloud in the world. Being a zealous Science student that I am, I always spice up my plans with an outline of objectives, like a research project. This project, nonetheless, is kind of a research project that will give me knowledge about 'myself', in line with the concept 'Know Thyself' that I so like.This project has just one objective to make myself feel accomplished and happy. And its methodology? Well its written in the first two lines; creativity, adventure, rich, innovative and wholesome.

               Since I am already unzipping the sachel of my well-kept secrets, let me also declare, clear and loud, that NO IT'S NOT TOO LATE. IT NEVER WAS AND NEVER IS. It was just my mind caught in a thought-trap, halted by a system hangover, fogged by the mist of uncertainty. And now I am SETTING MYSELF FREE! From today onwards, my mind will work on carving new boundaries and formulating new definitions. I wil no longer hold onto the skepticisms of the society or that of my own, for that matter.How? With a teeny bit of TRUST and  FAITH =).

       So what really is this 'Creative Life Project'? Simple, everyday I'll post in my blog a new story from my life, everyday I'll try to experiment with something new, not something grand but something small like drawing on Microsoft Paints or activities of that sort, reading a new book, coming across a new piece of wisdom, listening to a new song etc. Today is 20th December, 2012. And I'd try never to miss out a date on my blog now. Ofcourse, as a part of human experience I will. But this time, I won't make it an excuse to start-over or to give-up. I will live with my imperfections, and happily at that InshaAllah!

Lets make the Most of the Life! ;)

Confessions

Dear Diary,

          If you are to ask me what I am upto now-a-days, I'd tell you my secret. The secret that is guarded in the secrecy of my journal, in the randomness of my C-drive's folders and in the vagueness of my words. The secret that probably holds more truth in my life than many other not-so-secret secrets. And the secret that has helped me in breaking into my soul and convincing myself for the time being (not an easy task, mind you) that I need no further soul-searching for the biggest and truest passions of my life, since it had been on my to-do list all along. The secret, my friend, is that I am endeavoring hard (not that hard, though) to make the 'fear of writing' disappear from my mind, my heart and my life.For me, writing was simply a hobby, an artistic pursuit and a creativity outlet. Since when it evolved from a mere hobby to the frustration of a quality-conscious freak? My mind remains elusive about it. However, I haven't surrendered yet. I have boraded the pilot seat of my air-drive but I haven't taken off yet. Instead, I am giving myself time and space to comprehend the gears and mechanics of its working. It wasn't always like that. I was not always as much conscious, apprehensive or judgemental. Things turned around when I started expecting more of out this creative-spree than just sheer joy, when I started comparing myself to the giants and not-so-giants.So, I have  devoted myself to reading the feelings and experiences of professional writers to re-ignite the right wing of my intellectual army. I call this 'Operation Creativity' :-).  

          If others, dear diary, are to ask me the same question about my whereabouts, I'd simply supply them with  the superficial information, something that appears on the surface, something that is expected of a person supposed to be well-placed in life, something that is revered and something that doesn't raise an eyebrow. These achievements earn us points that scale-up our worth on the society's yardstick of accetibility. For this very acceptance, we would prefer concealing our struggles, vulnerabilities and shortcomings behind a plastic smile and disposable confidence. Afterall, this is an ultimate survival technique in such a critically judgemental society as ours. In the midst of the competition of sorts (beauty, wealth, talent etc.), 'being yourself' is now a mere luxury that you cannot afford unless you've hit a certain milestone in your life. Not being ourselves then become a mere pretence for someday 'becoming ourself'. But the truth is, the flavor of the society's accepted club is so addicting that once we've tasted it, it's hard to hold ourselves back. In the follow-up, we'll keep inventing new pretences and tossing in a variety of excuses just to keep the show going on, because in this basket of life, you do not get to handpick the fruit of your choice. You are handed down your share either through a particular order or via random shuffling of turns or by a lucky draw and once you get something , you can do nothing to change that, because it just isn't the society's norm. Hence, if by virtue of a good fortune, sweet serendipity or karma, you do get what you had secretely wished for, you would be a downright fool to toss it away.

        Now-a-days I am making myself believe from the darkest, shadowest corners of my mind that NOTHING is impossible for a person with passion. I want to stick this thought so firmly in my mind that it doesn't dissolve or wash away over the passing days, various experiences and phases of life. In addition to 'Operation Creativity', I am on a mission to LIVE life one day at a time. This time I really hope I will stick around InshaAllah!

It's always a Good Time!

                              Do you have issues concentrating on the present and staying relevant? Do you find it hard focusing on what's happening and easily drifts towards 'what can happen' instead? Do you fly away across distant parts of the world, even distant eras, in your imagination? Do you like living in a vague and totally fantasy-laden future? Does your imaginary world set you on a high? Do you go 'missing' from the current moment to a totally elusive world? Do you talk/think/write about that 'someday' frequently? Are you hopelessly optimistic? Do you have wild dreams that will perhaps never close in on reality? Have you ever pulled all nighters dreaming about 'that dream'? Do you often find yourself smiling to self on jumping onto some random conclusions? Do a few songs remind you of a few good times and a few bad ones? Do you lose count of time when you are busy living an imaginary life in your mind? Do you spend hours anticipating scenarios that you know are never likely to happen, but still you hope one day they well? Does one shattered dream make you more persistent for the next one? Does one good sentence, one good song or one tiny achievement dye your world in technicolor? Do you need a break after social gatherings to extract your 'me' time? Are you always busy in searching for that tiny ray of light at the end of every dark tunnel? Do you wander aimlessly often? Is your life progressing much more on the adrenaline rush than on need-basis? Do new things fascinate you quickly as they bore you? Do you have the ability to swing from one extreme to the other within a short time span?

Are you tirelessly passionate at certain times and a bit on the down side at other times? Is your Life a passion for you? Are you an enthusiastic planner but end up doing all the action in your mind-field only? Do you want experiment with everything at least once in your life-time?          

                     Welcome to my world! While a lot of research has gone into exploring the cosmos and unraveling the mysteries of the oceans, little is known about the scope of human imagination (wild imagination?) I am no recent entry in this cryptic world so I have a backpack of my own observations and hypotheses about it. And these deductions merely underpin my speculation; you can just go deeper and deeper. Nevertheless, it is a roller-coaster ride. It’ll inspire you to dance the chicken dance on the quite-so-ordinary days and leave you bewildered other times. Blues, pinks and reds will go hand in hand. And you’ll be quite a specimen of your own type ;). But know what? You’ll never be bored! ;)