Friends FOREVER!

It’s been a WEEK since I lasted posted my blog entry and it has been intentional! I fell in LOVE... yes in Love with the Number 100!! I wanted to keep seeing that number some more and so I thought I should keep it cool and wait for a bit and then post an entry! But now, after a week, I realized, my respects to the NUMBER has been paid and my thoughts need to be released and more importantly 200 sounds like an even more interesting number, better still 300.. or 400... or... LOL!! Touch wood!

SO armed with THAT motivation in hand and a tummy ache which has bound me at home, here I am in front of the computer about to key in my 101th BLOG entry!! Yay!! :D

Last Saturday while I was on my way completing a few errands of mine, My bestie Pooj, pinged me asking me to write something about US for this Facebook competition looking to find the best of best two friends in Dubai and was very keen that we participate and more importantly WIN! 

SO there I was in this long never ending queue in the Bank, and this came as a welcome exercise, I had something productive to do in that time, isn't it? Standing there completely oblivious to the people in front of me and to the people behind me, I started punching in....

Forever is a really long time! I used to wonder how people talk so casually about this theory that we cannot even fully fathom or wrap our minds around. But then sometimes, very rarely mind you, we have a *Friend*, a dear dear one and we immediately begin to sense that our souls are very closely and deeply connected. This connection, we then know is, above all time and space. We instantaneously know that wherever we are in our lives, whoever we turn into, we will always, always remain friends.

Through rivers of tears and fiery fights, sweet smiles, lots of love and horrible hate, bitter betrayal and deadly debates, I would always and forever have faith in You just as you have had for ME... Even if we do not see each other for days, months or years (God forbid) we are able to pick up right from where we left off and it will be alright!! Now I know what people mean when they say friends forever. For I have one such best friend myself!

That was fastest little note that I have written... without thinking, without blinking and without a moment of pause! I guess that is what Friendships are all about isn't it? Well for those of you who are wondering IF we won the competition, Nope we didn’t… :P But winning the competition isn't going to make any difference to our friendship (Isn’t it Pooj?) which has stood the test to time and lots of other things... Winning it merely would have probably got us some sort of a Gift! :P LOL!!! 

Then again, Gifts are temporary and Friends are FOREVER! Love YOU! 

This too Shall Pass!

For many reasons, which rather remain unsaid, I have been a little low, to put it mildly and I have been trying to figure out how to get over this situation and this mood.

It's not easy to behave NORMAL, especially when you're not feeling that NORMAL...Things have improved, some things are the same, and some things I'm just trying to let go of.

I'm also trying to remember that life is a journey and we must accept both the flaws and the pros! I think where the problem lies... It's just that remembering the journey in the exact way that is it is coming down really HARD on me.

I perpetually keep thinking about the future. And what it holds for me. I've always been the one with a plan. When I was younger I knew where I wanted to be by now. Most of it, I am happy to say, I HAVE ticked off my plan, but some of the others I haven't been able to. Why you may ask? It's not fault of mine... absolutely none, but I have to bear the brunt of so many other things and all that in turn curbs my growth, my productivity and my life!

While randomly facebooking, filled with all these emotions and more, I happen to have a glance over my Professor, Mr Haque's Sir new post of FB and there it was..... "This too shall pass!"

Yes that is what I wanted to know... That is all I needed to know right now!

I realized that if I can endure for this minute, this fleeting moment of self doubt and  self pity, or whatever else is happening to me... If I could believe that I am TRUE and that the darkness will all but fade away... If I could gather the courage to remain calm and quiet while I feel the entire universe closing in on me clinging on to nothing else but GOD, especially when everyone else seems to doubt me... If I can bear all this no matter how heavy my heart is or no matter how gloomy the moment may be.. then this will pass way, just as it came into my life!

I want to believe that nothing or no one can defeat me, pull me down, demean me, crush my dreams, as long as I know I have the energy to withstand all this. And how will I withstand all this? Because I know that HE, HE will be there for me, untie all that is knotted around me, entangling me, binding me in gloom, obscurity and darkness!

Because I know there has to be a bright sunny Morning after a dark, overcast, depressing Night!

All I want to know from HIM is that My Morning is Near! At least a dream, a hint, an indication, a sign or an intimation... Something to give me that Strength!

That's all I ask for! That's all I NEED!

By the way, this is my 100th Post! So Congratulations to ME!! :)

That would be ME!

When I first conceived this blog, I didn’t know if I would keep up! I didn't know whether I would write daily or weekly or monthly at least! I didn't know if I would be able to continue to think of topics on the go. I didn't know if I would get constructive criticism, negative feedback, followers, or even so many people viewing my page.  All I knew was I wanted to create one and I did just that!

Now when I look at My Blog, nearing my 100th post (this being the 99th Post) I am filled with pride and delight! I am extremely thankful and happy that, despite all other things not going in the direction that I would like it to, at least my blog continues to be my Saathi, my friend and my support!

When I write, I am often faced with the predicament about what to write? Why to write? Write about ME? Why aren't you writing about ME? And many many more such questions!

I am an aspiring author, not now, much much later in life when I have no energy to do all the things that I do now, I would like to author a Book. One that will be very close to my heart like all things I do! I would like to think I am pretty decent at writing and a blog is the most expected thing for a writer actively looking enhancing his/ her writing skills and also ones who are looking for an agent or publisher.

But believe me, I’m not writing this blog for that reason. I started thinking about writing this blog so as to release my thoughts, put it down, let people know my ideas, my thoughts. Thoughts are water, flowing down over different terrains, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes a complete a draught, taking the shapes and the form of the environment, trying to leave its mark somewhere...

It's like a release for me, a task which I have to complete!! A self imposed assignment!

I didn't intend to use this platform as a part of self-marketing exercise... Though I don't see any harm in the same. But that's not why I started it.

A few days earlier, while having a normal conversation with a friend, he said, what you up to? I said I am just about to post my next blog post, to which he replied, I will read it if I don't get sleep! My immediate response was Well, I don't care if you do or not, I write it for Myself!

Yes I write for MYSELF… If you would like to read it, I am more than happy and thankful for that, be it because you can't get sleep at night or because you feel entertained! If you don't, well its your choice! :)

What else can I say? It’s simply not in me to expect people to read my words purely for the superficial reason of listening to my words of wisdom isn't it...

But still I have the feeling that I did have something I wanted to share with the world, something that I would want everyone to read, understand and probably give me there feedback on and that is why I kept on writing.

I didn’t know what it was that made me continue, but I could feel it!! It was like this Old song, which we keep humming but just can't get the lyrics... like a long lost friend you suddenly think of but can place her name... like it right there at the tip of your tongue but can’t seem to get out! As I continued writing, I knew with all conviction that, yes, there is something I could say.

Searching and researching, thinking why I write and why I write as if my life depended on it? I looked up............. yes Of course, Google!!!

What were other people blogging about? Why do they blog? I came across this webpage – which gives you like 100 or so different  Blog Topics I Hope YOU Write (http://www.chrisbrogan.com/100-blog-topics-i-hope-you-write/).

It had a list of unbelievable blog topics, some so vague and random, some more reasonable but soo many of them... Going through the list, My eyes unexpectedly stopped on one of the titles... it read as ‘Somebody Has To Say It.’ That was a TING moment for me!

I couldn't stop blushing!! Yep don't ask, but that's what I did, Blush! It was there was all along... and I didn't realize! And Mr. Chris Brogan, Someone, sitting in a far away land hand shown me every subtly why I was Blogging!!

 I love to and intend to continue blogging about the common and off limit topics of religion, politics, and sport and many more, though I know I am not an expert on the same, but no harm in voicing one’s opinions yeah? I may shock, instigate, or make use of extensive sarcasm! I hope to entertain… Simple!

This Blog is for all things ME, My take on life, people, beauty, design, art, GOD, politics and much much more!

So that it’s it.

Somebody has to say it. And that, my lovely friends would be ME!

Moroccan Delight!

There is a point every week or so when I realize that I’ve fallen behind schedule on my personal grooming. It’s mostly when I glance at my chipped nail paint, or unruly hair. I can be really lazy when it comes to applying those mud masks, trimming those nails and painting them. (I am a complete disaster when it comes to doing my nails, but then I have my wonderful sister who is ever ready to help me make my hands look presentable!!) In order to keep myself on track I have devised these biweekly visits to the parlor to stay in good presentable shape!

And what more would one need, if one has a really dear friend who is obsessed with grooming and keeping herself prim and proper at all times, like I do? Well, then you will be well on track! My dear friend Pooja, is a delight when it comes to grooming and knowing what to do and WHERE. So when a couple of weeks back she pinged me saying I found this really cool place to get a Moroccan Bath (We had planned to get one done a really long time back)! I was like what are we waiting for and jumped at the offer! Little did we know what was in store for us!!

For those of you who like me are not aware of what exactly the Moroccan bath is, here is a little information thanks to the Google Gods!! The Moroccan Bath is a steam bath with certain gravitational soap made from Olive oil and washcloth that is originated in Morocco and found its way throughout North Africa and the Middle East. Just like the Bathhouses in ancient Italy, the Bath has beauty, cultural and social functions. It became a tradition for women, where they gather to relax after days of work and house chores. It also became a social event where women come together to chat and enjoy the company of each other away from all the hassle of the outside world.

So we, that my sister, Pooja and I along with Mamma. (Yup, My mum as well, not for a Moroccan bath, mind you, but because she was getting increasingly paranoid that We were going to place that we hadn’t been to before and THAT too for a Moroccan bath, what if there are hidden cameras, she said... Lol!! But you can't really blame her, there are many a sick bunch of psychos who might be doing exactly that in some places for all you know!) We all head down to this salon in Al Nahda, at the allocated time and are greeted by not one, not two but THREE brusque ARAB women!! LOL… Just seeing them, made me want to turn around and RUN! But then we were there and WE just had to get it DONE!! So once Mum was given all the briefing and soon as she had completed her little investigation, she left us there! And we wait, in a frenzy of rapid giggles, and a bundle of nerves with Peppermint tea set in front of us, simple and minimalist interiors in all its glory and a vigorous Arabic song in the background.

A few minutes later, we were summoned or rather told abruptly “Two, Two, Come!” Only once we stopped laughing did we realize she was asking us to go in for our session in groups of two!! Since in our case it was three of us, so naturally it meant One and two… I thought now if I have to shower with someone, that will have to be with my sister, because, a) she is my sister and b) Why scandalize Pooja… right??

But alas, My respite was short lived, Our Arab friend soon asked, in broken English, for all of us to get in together!!! LOL!! In the shock of this information, me and my sister, LAUGHED LAUGHED and LAUGHED so more, Pooja looks appalled and the 4 foot Arab lady glares!!!!

So I tell Pooj, you go first and we will join you later as a ploy to delay the session, but within few minutes, the before mentioned midget insists we join as well!!

I will have to say right now that, it was a life changing experience because never in my life did I imagine that I would let someone see me in that state, forget being in that state with my sister and my best friend, and two Arab women!!!! LOL

Once we are ushered into the steam room, wherein I was soon surrounded by billowing white clouds, which rendered it impossible to see anything more than a few feet away. After a while, I noticed that, close to me Pooja was sitting and a little further close to an indistinguishable bed, I could descry a dark shape. In a moment, it had materialized in the form of the very large and nearly naked Arab woman, who beckoned to me ominously. Summoning all my courage, I followed her; she sat me down on the floor in front of her, lathered me up, washed then began the scrubbing!!! As you lie there on a table with an older Arabic woman scrubbing your skin raw with the most coarse-sandpaper like exfoliating glove you will feel a lot many things! The foremost emotion was that of FEAR, fear that she might kill me if I dared to laugh but that was completely a figment of my imagination.

The environment inside the sauna, with visibly embarrassed Pooja, and us crazy sisters, was very much uhmmm, social, the ladies insisted on having a good gossip session whilst they giving us the ritual bath! They laughed (albeit like witches, Oh I seem have company!! :P) and sang, made faces (I am guessing to ease out our very visible tension on having to lay like that, while they went about doing OUR business! LOL) but on the whole they were really very wonderful ladies! :P

If you have never been given a very rough spa treatment by a female version of Hercules, you have never lived. By the time she decided I was clean, I was also thoroughly weird- ed out. She then proceeded to and lathered up my hair, shampoo and condition it as well! When I emerged a couple of hours later (or so it seemed), pink with the scrubbing, I was glad that I had been able to have the Moroccan Bath experience.

Anyway, it has been three days since and I still feel squeaky clean as I sit here and write this. Refresh. Light. Rejuvenated. NEW. Reborn. If you need a quick pick-me-up, run off to a Moroccan bath near you. It’s amazing what pampering yourself does for your state of mind not to mention your state of Body!

Style in FOCUS!

Roberto Cavalli shades, a Hermes Birkin bag and Understated Pearls!

Mix all the above with striking good looks, conservatively stylish clothes, impeccable style sense, a pinch of politics and Voila... you have HRK!!

                                      

Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan’s youngest and first woman foreign minister, has definitely caught the attention of the young and the old, from the members of the fashion circuit to the members of the parliament, from Twitter to Facebook! The fashion fraternity started contemptuously appreciating her style and admiring her choicest of shoes, handbags, movie star sunglasses etc..etc..

But was this what she aimed to do that??

During her ongoing Delhi visit, it was her dressing and her style sense that captured the Media frenzy in Delhi, in India and definitely all around the world. For the moment, all the attention is about her fashion sense, in fact this made me wonder, what did she actually come to India for? Oh yes, the India-Pakistan dialogue, and the bilateral talks! 

It's hilarious how the focus was on everything from her pearls, kurtas, linens, pants, brands and all things very remarkable, but what about her political agenda! Just a doubt, isn't the FOCUS being ripped apart from the Main Cause?? Do we not want to have radical changes or rather at least HOPE for changes to be brought about in terms of our relationship with our neighboring country? Or are we happy and content having ONE more style icon?  

Leaders from Pakistan in the past have also been appreciated for their style. Right from Mohammad Ali Jinnah to Benazir Bhutto have all been recognized for their immaculate sense of style and dressing, creating a unique blend of class and fashion but certainly NOT at the cost of overlooking the Job at hand!

I am not raising a an accusation against HRK, for all you know she might actually succeed in bringing out noteworthy and essential transformations on the face of Indo Pak Relations. But My question is had HRK, been the youngest male foreign minister of Pakistan with an impeccable style sense, would WE have actually bothered pulling down or misconstruing him and his political ideologies? Would we have raised a voice against his looks and his style sense?

"From her blue tunic pants ensemble to her Roberto Cavalli shades, everything grabbed Indian eyeballs, with media coverage of her accessories practically overshadowing the India-Pakistan dialogue...," the Journal said.

It's not her ensemble that overshadowed the Dialogue it's the misapprehended *Media Coverage* that failed to highlight the actual dialogue!

Electronic media time and again shows its real face in this sort of vulgar gender approach. They were not able to see or rather do not want to see, HRK, as a leader of new generation of Pakistani, come to represent the view of young generation of Pakistanis.

HRK was perfectly dressed as per the protocol and since when is someone's dressing sense being quoted for under one's ideology, Political forecast and concepts?

I had recently read somewhere that "With the appointment of HRK, Pakistan is on a overdrive to repair its public image in light of recent events". Really, Is that possible? To repair the damage done, by appointing a so called pretty faced style icon?? Can we not grow to accept that there can also be Substance along with Style? Why are we not ready to believe and acknowledge this?

What can be seen as a matter of debate is that her Hermes, Birkins, Roberto Cavallis, LV's and Prada all amount to some serious cash, this in turn can make her look like a paradox considering the country she is representing is still battling grave issues like terror attacks, poverty, backwardness and illiteracy.

But considering, HRK is from a rich and affluent background, it should be perfectly acceptable, but that is certainly not the case, as we CAN and WILL take her seriously only once her appearance is toned out to a level of simplicity (Read No brands!). All this so that she can be in sync with the state of her country and the matter she wants to address. That is the way WE ARE!

HRK is a powerful woman with an affluent aura and she’s flawless with her wardrobe. She is a graduate from the Unites States and is the youngest politician, a woman politician at that, in a staunchly patriarchal country, Isn't that an achievement itself??

We have come to accept women in politics but to do that she has to have a Story, some drama lurking behind, she has to be a Jayalalitha, Mamata or Mayawati. Politicians are usually not aware about brands, but HRK knows about them and loves accessorizing, but is it fair to penalize her based on this? Hasn't anyone heard of Power Dressing? 

I see no reason why she should be apologetic about her style, her persona and her beauty!!