The Great Middle East Obsession

So it's proved now, I am officially besotted, smitten and fanatical about everything having even a minute ting of anything Middle East about it. It started off with Thousand Splendid Suns, an enchanting book by Mr Khalid Hossieni. I loved this book so much so that I have re-read it numerous times over the years and publicized it verbally and on blog here and here

Soon after finishing this book, I was suddenly smitten by the Afghan people, Afghanistan and its culture. I yearned to know more about the Pashtuns, Taziks and Hazaras (the main tribes in Afghanistan). It was nearly at this time that I came across this blog. Apart from now being friends with this friendly Pashtun girl, I do get my periodic updates about the ethics and culture of Pashtun people and of her cute niece Kashmala.

Meanwhile I also read The Kite Runner, which further strengthened my resolve to visit the unfortunate land of Afghanistan. By the way I have this dream of visiting Afghanistan at least once in my lifetime, I don’t know how this dream of mine will be fulfilled but I just hope I get to visit Afghanistan at least once.

After reading this book I was suddenly googling a lot about Afghanistan, its culture and also simultaneously broadening my horizons over the Middle East  in large. Then I laid my hands on Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody (which again  is a must read by the way). This book explores Iran and Iranian culture, which again was loved my me.

Soon after I read Princess by Jean P. Sasson, which explored the Saudi Arabian culture, something I was dying to know about since a long time. I devoured this emotional trauma of a book in a single day and I can’t say that I slept peacefully for days after reading this book. Now the scenario is such that I pick up pretty much any book which has even a slight inkling of anything remotely Middle East combined with subject of subjugation of women on its cover page. The very recent being For the Love of a Son, again by Jean P Sasson. This book too explores the life of Afghan women, there miserable lives and pathetic conditions. I have been reading this book in huge junks even though I am home for a vacation. I hope to be able to read all books written by Jean P Sasson (which are a lot, by the way!)

Once I am done reading these books, I always yearn for more. I am like, “No way, Am I on the last page already? So soon? I wanted more.” I make myself feel better by googling as much as I can about the culture, cuisines and people of the Middle East. The books have such heartbreaking stories and instances that they never fail to bring tears in my eyes even when I am just thinking about them. I intend to do a post which has all the lines and stories from all these books which are special to me very soon.
Stay Tuned!


Love
Sepo!

The All about ME Post

Copied this from Purvi’s blog! I have been excited to write this ever since I saw this on her blog. Finally today I got the energy and time to post it today! Read on to know more tit-bits about me!

·                     Age: 23 on 9^th Feb

·                     Bed Size: 6*3 in which I struggle to keep myself and snowy the bear.

·                     Chores that you hate: Washing Clothes, Cleaning my wardrobe (overflowing with clothes) and packing (gosh, I hate packing, never able to make up my mind for anything and always forgetting something or the other)

·                      Dogs: Nope. Not for me.

·                     Essential start to your day: Funny as it may sound I usually wake up with an urgent need to attend the call of the nature, so that pretty much starts my day!

·                     Favourite Colour: I love bright colours. Reds, Hot pinks, Purples, Electric Blues. Oh yes, bring them on!

·                     Gold or Silver: Diamonds!!

·                     Height: 5 feet 4 inches

·                     Instruments that you play: None. And not liking it but doing nothing about it.

·                     Job Title: Assistant System Engineer

·                     Kids: None

·                     Live: Born in Kashmir, Live in Jammu, Current location is Mumbai.

·                     Music: Love it. Either listening or singing!

·                     Nicknames: Chunu, Sepo, Snehu and many more!

·                     Obsessive Compulsion: Sigh. Check this out!

·                     Pet peeves: These days there are a list of things that annoy me. So I will pass this one.

·                     Quote: "I will not exist, I will live" I often say this and I believe it :)

·                     Right or left Handed: Right Handed

·                     Siblings: A sister who is 7 years older to me and blessed with a 6 month old daughter.

·                     Travel Destinations: Current wish list includes- Goa, Kerala, Sikkim and Rajasthan. Long term plans are for places like – Ireland, Germany, France, and Spain, Mauritius and lots and lots of other places!

·                     Unacceptable: Injustice, Lies and backbiting

·                     Vegetable(s) you hate: After staying away from home, I eat more or less everything

·                     What makes you run late: The extra 5 minutes of sleep with somehow turns into hours

·                     X-Rays you have had: Chest, Spine and Shoulder

·                     Yummy food that you make: I am at a learning stage, but yes I will brag and say that whatever I make comes up tasty and good. Beginners’’ luck maybe?

·                     Zodiac: Aquarius.

The NO-Blackhead Syndrome

There is this feeling inside me, which sprouts up whenever I feel that something is not right. This feeling is usually followed by a deep restlessness and an itch to make that thing right and correct. This "thing" can be brought about due to a lot of reasons varying from cleanliness (a la Monica Geller from friends) to split-ends in my hair! Yes, I am that weird.

Now I can talk at lengths about split-ends, they just freak me out, whenever I spot one in my hair, I am immediately transformed into that state I mentioned above. I just have to get rid of it somehow, believe it or not when I was a student, while studying I had this very annoying habit of fiddling with my hair, the moment I spotted any split-ends, I would immediately get rid of it with the help of a scissor I always kept by my side. In case of absence of scissor in situations wherein say I am travelling etc, I have successfully used other instruments, namely my teeth! Yes, the condition is that serious.

This is actually nothing compared to what I experience when I spot a blackhead! I have forgotten the count of how many articles and books I have read which highlight  the fact that uprooting blackheads by squeezing them with nails is a practice that should be shunned. It is something that even the cave men and women never indulged in. I have also lost the count of how many times I promised myself that I will not torture my skin anymore. But Alas, all this is forgotten the moment I spot a black nasty blackhead. What's more embarrassingly serious about this blackhead thingy is that, it's not just about me. The restlessness to uproot the blackhead props up from any blackhead, by any I mean even those which are on someone else's body. Over the years I have brutally assaulted by sister's nose and also left a staring mark on it by regularly "cleansing" it. I have shamelessly offered this service to few friends, some colleagues and random acquaintances.

Recently while in a meeting in office, there was a client who was speaking at length about, well something! The reason I cannot remember anything from that meeting is that all my attention was on his neck which has a huge blackhead smirking directly at me. Taunting me. Making it hell difficult to concentrate on anything else. Trust me it took all of my will power and strength to sit still through the meeting and stay as far as possible from that client when the meeting was over.

It was then that I realized that just how serious it has become. It feels like I am a mad mad women on a outrage to change the world into a No-Blackhead world!
      

Book Review - Unaccustomed Earth

Whenever I go about selecting books I intend to read, I take my time selecting. Taking it slow, judging the cover, taking in the jest at the back of the book. Opening the first page and analyzing the style. Thinking whether or not I will enjoy reading it. Then and only then my friends I invest my hard-earned money into that book.

However as they say sometimes "Naam he kafi hai" (The name only is enough). I picked up this book called Unaccustomed Earth even before properly read its title. The only thing that caught my eye and attention was the author's name "Jhumpa Lahiri". It was immediately decided that this book will be bought, in any case. So I quickly and randomly shuffled the pages here and there, just to explain to myself that I have not cheated and I follow my book-buying rituals religiously.

This was not the first time I was smitten by the name Jhumpa Lahiri. The first time was for The Namesake, this time it was Unaccustomed Earth. But masterpieces in their own rights. While Namesake was a story spanning generations, Unaccustomed Earth provides you the joy of 8 stories in one book. It has the typical style of Jhumpa, very subtle, in a way that will leave you wounded (with a heavy heart) without you even realizing it in a conscious sort of a way.

I found myself devouring the book, savouring it, inhaling it, deeply involved in it. Each story teaching me a little something. The simplest of the human emotions and lives bringing out a radical change in the way I see things. Feeling the pain yet I never felt it to be a overtly emotional book, like say a Thousand Splendid Suns. As much as I love that book. It had me settling it aside at regular interval while I cried my heart out at miserable lifes of Mariam and Laila. Not able to get the horrible images out of my mind even after days of finishing it.

I especially loved the end of last story. It was very touching and indirectly telling you many a things.

Can't wait to start another Jhumpa Lahiri soon enough. Till then it's Three Cups of tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

*Some Quotes*

“She supposed that all those years of loving a person who was dishonest had taught her a few things.”

 “There were times Ruma felt closer to her mother in death than she had in life, an intimacy born simply of thinking of her so often, of missing her. But she knew that this was an illusion, a mirage, and that the distance between them was now infinite, unyielding. ” “He still had the power to stagger her at timessimply the fact that he was breathing that all his organs were in their proper places that blood flowed quietly and effectively through his small sturdy limbs. He was her flesh and blood her mother had told her in the hospital the day Akash was born.” 

 “The sky was different, without color, taut and unforgiving. But the water was the most unforgiving thing, nearly black at times, cold enough, I knew, to kill me, violent enough to break me apart. The waves were immense, battering rocky beaches without sand. The farther I went, the more desolate it became, more than any place I'd been, but for this very reason the landscape drew me, claimed me as nothing had in a long time.” 

 “He owned an expensive camera that required thought before you pressed the shutter, and I quickly became his favorite subject, round-faced, missing teeth, my thick bangs in need of a trim. They are still the pictures of myself I like best, for they convey that confidence of youth I no longer possess, especially in front of a camera.”

 "Soon, likewise, my old native town will loom upon me through the haze of memory, a mist brooding over and around it; as if it were no portion of the real earth, but an overgrown village in cloud-land, …. Henceforth, it ceases to be a reality of my life. I am a citizen of somewhere else." 

Lazier - Without Resolution!

People generally start their New Year by making resolution and (not necessarily) sticking to them. New year brings out new ideas and tasks for people. First fifteen days of 2012 have passed and I am yet to come to come face to face with my plans/ideas/plannings. I am totally clueless these days about everything. If you were to ask me what day it is, it will take me approximately 5  minutes to ponder over the question and answer it. And yea, no guarantee of it to be correct.

   My office is really sucking the hell out of my life. To give you an idea of the extend of torture I will just say that from the past two weeks I am working on Saturdays (not to forget the 9AM -9PM weekdays)! After this I just crave some loneliness, good food and sleep (lots and lots of it). I have been avoiding a lot many phone calls a nd friends. In every corner of the world somebody or the other would be cursing me for the way I am behaving with my dear ones. I know they mean well and care for me, but I just don't seem to get it. I end up getting hugely irritated or shouting on people for no mistake of there's. So to avoid all this I prefer to keep missing calls and avoiding people. Really ashamed to admit it but its really easing out that building knot inside my heart whose weight was becoming difficult for me to bear.

 I have been really ignoring my blog since the last few days, though I have been occasionally dropping in a few comments on all your blogs. I was pleasantly surprised by Purvi's comment on my blog the other day where she mentioned that she has left me an award! Yeah awards make me very happy.

So, this award gave me the necessary push to start blogging. What could have been better than starting the first post of 2012 with an award. Thanks a lot for this award Purvi.

 One observation: I am becoming lazier year on year, without making any resolution for the same :|

Of Secret Santa and other Things Fun...

This week was totally and entirely about Secret Santa. Started the game here in my PG and went on to organize the same in my office. Needless to say the guessing game was super fun and ofcourse earned me a lot of brownie points (in office) and a lot of gifts (both in PG and office). And that my dear friends made me a very happy woman. Check out the pics for more details:

Various Gifts I received from Office

Closer look at this pretty little pink sand timer! {don't mind the messy room in the background}

Thats a very pretty hairband and bracelet gifted by my PG friend Sudha!

My favorite of all. He is called Snowy! Hello World :)

 Don’t you just love the festive season, everyone is in cherry moods, the markets are bustling with people, the malls are thronging with shoppers, and parties are on full swing. Talking of parties, we had a small party in my PG on the Christmas eve, nothing fancy really, some cake, little music (with mediocre speakers) and some groovy moves  with all of us in our pyjamas (well except for me,  I can’t get into the party mood without being all dolled up). So anyhow, we had fun, and slept only to find a very amusing notice sticking up proudly on our wall the next day we came back from office. It was from our land lord and read the following:

1.  MAKE SURE YOUR ID IS AVAILABLE 31 DECEMBER 2011
2. NO OUTSIDE FRIENDS ALLOWED
3. DO NOT CREATE NUISANCE TO NEIGHBORS, SOCIETY BY PLAYING LOUD MUSIC AND HATED ARGUMENTS

The NOTICE

Okay, the third point was a clue, so someone out there had complained about our little gig on Christmas Eve. Now let me tell you, it was nothing bad or over the top. As I said, it was little food, some music and some dancing, NOTHING ELSE. And let me tell you another thing, if this gig would have been done by any other family in the society, no one would have dared to question it, let alone the fact of complaining about it. Just because we are singles and girls, we have to put up with this behavior (and it’s Mumbai). I have noticed this weird kind of behavior that we PG people are subjected to, people around will be unusually interested about our life’s. The guard down stairs will keep a close watch on your timings, peek longingly (suspiciously) on all the plastic shopping bags you carry. Auntiji’s will give u askance glances. And sadly the scenario remains the same whether is Delhi or Mumbai.

Nevertheless moving ahead, so this will be my last post of 2011. 2011 ~ has been a very eventful year for me. Some important things that happened this year:

1.   My job joining came in the month of March, for the place I wanted it to be yes yes yes MUMBAI.
2.   I moved out of my home in Jammu for the first time ever. And yes it was not at all easy.
3.   I started earning and living on my own here in Mumbai.
4.   I met a lott of new people – good, bad, best, worst all types. Really. I did
5.   A lot of new friends were added into facebook, lol on a serious note, what i mean to say is that I made a lot of good friends, the ones I can trust and share my life with.
6.    A bundle of joy, my niece Supraja (Teenu) was born on 11^th July 2011.
7.    I learned a lot of new technology and open source tools like Zabbix, jmeter. Actually they have become my daily vocabulary so it would not be fair if I write about 2011 and not mention them
8.   I shopped like crazy! Oh yes I did.
9.   I hit an all time low on the blogging front when I did not post anything for 3 months altogether. But gladly I bounced back to where I belong as quickly!
10.   I learned COOKING. From daal to chapatti and sabzi to chicken, I can cook it all now!

So all in all it was an awesome year. I did have a few lonely low moments and I did hurt a few people really bad. I apologise for any intentional/unintentional harm/hurt I brought about on anybody. I thank all those you loved me or hated me, Coz in the end it has helped me in making me who I am today. I have no regrets but many dreams. So cmmon 2012, show me what you got! 

Served Hot From Mumbai..

Was going through some old pictures, when I spotted these beauties. Mumbai is at its best during the rains. Don't believe me? See for yourself...

 Sheer visual pleasure, right?