A little break

The funny thing is that we always keep trying to break the monotony. Little moves are made, strategies thought up, plans brought forward, all to break that dreaded monotony! See it's just not the "mono" age anymore. This is the "hi-fi stereo" age, where everything has to be dynamic and constantly changing. I guess our acceptance and appreciation for each other has ended. Is this the reason that now when you hear marriage, you automatically think divorce? When you hear of some blossoming high-school romance, you know it's doomed! Even friendships these days have somehow become fickle, and keep changing at a mercurial rate!

See I remember my grandmother and how happy she was getting up at 4-5 in the morning, offering her Fajr prayers, reciting the Quran, then heaving two pieces of bread with tea...Every single day I saw her do that (of course until she lost her sight, and then her mind), and still when I shut my eyes to think of peace, I can see her sitting on her little bed, her little hands going over the large version of the Quran. Her copy of the Quran was just huge, the biggest I've seen yet!

She never complained of monotony, she never rallied with her neighbours for equal rights, she never even complained when she was treated like shit in her last days in this world. It isn't that she wasn't educated, her very early morning routine was followed by a late morning routine of reading the news paper, always. She was fully aware of all that surrounded her, all the changes happening in this world about her. I think (even though I'm not sure) that she was there at the public address in which Liaqat Ali Khan was shot. I'm sure she was there every time a new KL Saighal film was released.

See she was at peace with her life, she didn't long for change, she knew how to appreciate how wonderful things were as they were. And it's not like she had it easy. Lost her husband quite early. Then saw her grown son at the peak of his youth die the most tragic death. She was also witness to some extreme financial upheavals. But she trod on, steady and sure. Always calm, at peace, and loving it. Not trying to overcome any monotony but just making most of whatever was thrown her way.

And now, now I see all these friends, family, people in general around me. All have one thing in common, they are all restless, as if trying to break free from earth's orbit. I am probably front row among all these people, who want change, but have no idea what that change is.

See even the movies we love are the ones in which something unexpected happens, and even our reality shows have nothing to do the with the reality of life. We just see glimpses of the changes we would love so much in these shows.

I guess the solution to all this is slowing down, we are moving too fast to feel what we are feeling at the moment, we are always interested in what lies ahead. I guess this is the ideal time to take up fortune telling as a profession. A Masters in Palmistry or something, because everyone is interested in that, and there's definitely a big buck in that!

But I feel that if we slow down, relax and just look around us, and fully absorb all that surrounds us, this restlessness would seize to exist, and then maybe, just maybe, we'd all be like my grandmother...

Happy with what we have, and not dying of desperation for what we want!

OK, that's enough bleak thoughts for now! Hey, not bleak, but hopeful thoughts! Yeah right!

So yesterday my mother and Alina went over to buy the bridal dress for Alina, and also evaluated the options that would make me resemble a clown the most on the wedding day. That must've been fun.

Hey Osama showed up out of nowhere, on an 8 hour notice, and well, this week should be nice! See the monotony broken. Ha ha!

Had a nice long chat with Babar today, and want to save some portions with me, so I'd just paste them here.


fraz_nayyar: waisay when usama called me day before at night and said he was coming, i thought u'd be giving a surprise as well, kay daikh fuzzay main aa gaya, visa lag gaya
mbabarhaq: kaash
fraz_nayyar: wohee na
fraz_nayyar: kaashhhh...
.
.
.
fraz_nayyar: yaadaain...
fraz_nayyar: waaday...
fraz_nayyar: awaaz daytay na KAASHHhhh...
fraz_nayyar: ha ha
mbabarhaq: uffffffff how good were all the khookas and our meeting
mbabarhaq: even if we met once a week it really provide a lot of comfort
fraz_nayyar: haan, and i never really appreciated that fully
fraz_nayyar: the importance of just sitting there with the flies and cups of tea and sub standard cigarettes!
mbabarhaq: qasam say
mbabarhaq: lying on the manjees
fraz_nayyar: hai! aur woh jo baan kay nishaan par jaatay thay haatoan par
fraz_nayyar: ustaad g cheeni thoree ghat rakhna
mbabarhaq: uffff kitnee freedom theee
mbabarhaq: raaat koo 12 bajay muree bike per
mbabarhaq: sounds like a fantasy
fraz_nayyar: i just took a very very long breath
fraz_nayyar: jaa rahay hain, urtay huay
fraz_nayyar: burrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
fraz_nayyar: babar token daaal
fraz_nayyar: beech main taqreebna game over bhee ho gaya tha
.
.
.
fraz_nayyar: waisay babar honestly, ab naheen lagta aisa time phir aayay ga
mbabarhaq: yup lagta tu yoon hee hai
mbabarhaq: but if we get together tu who knoes
mbabarhaq: might get the energy again
fraz_nayyar: haan yeh to hai
fraz_nayyar: waisay energy kee jab zaroorat partee hai to nikal hee aatee hai!
mbabarhaq: woheee na
mbabarhaq: ufff v swam all the way to my place
mbabarhaq: and worked non stop for hours and hours
fraz_nayyar: ha ha
fraz_nayyar: yaara woh to main bhool hee gaya tha
fraz_nayyar: nobody wud believe that waisay
mbabarhaq: threw away our mid term paper just like that
fraz_nayyar: that we swam to ur place wearing our boots
fraz_nayyar: haha
fraz_nayyar: got a 1 in that course
fraz_nayyar: waisay i blew away a mid twice, once with Aijaz, and teh otehr time with u
.
.
.


But the game never got over, and well that's good isn't it! Is it?

Next time then!