Resurrection ...

Hello earthlings (and aliens if they read it) ... after ~ 11 months ... I thought I should resume blotting (yup ... not blogging) ... there are so many thoughts that pass by without being captured ... its like wasting something so precious ... so even if its just one line ... lets just write it down ... and maybe ... sometime ... someday ... we can put it all together like the pieces of a puzzle ... and see what's really there ...

so this marks the RESURRECTION (with a small "R" please) ...

Confessions ...

Lightening can strike twice at the same place

The subject line is something people may not agree to. But, its OK! Life is too complicated to for all of us to agree on one thing or the other ... but the fact that yes ... you cannot be certain. Experiences vary from person to person, so setting the context right, what is shared is one experience, one set of feelings ...

As humans, we connect, we associate, we link, we flow, we resonate and then ... all of it just stops ... some of us detach easy ... and some linger on ...

When you linger on ... when you hold onto it ... it hurts when you breathe ... its because the association is important enough to become part of you ... and to decapitate a part of you is never easy ...

The process of detachment involves moving away ... or some would call it ... moving ON ... indeed a logical strategy ... but what if the connection has manifested ... what if the feelings have turned into habits ... what if the association has had a moulding effect on you ... then this strategy fails ... as in ... you can't move away from YOURSELF ... 'cause day in and day out ... when you look at yourself in the mirror ... and even when you don't ... those connections will come marching back ... you will have no where to hide ... and then ... to the rescue is TIME ... its a solution to everything ... one may need to stop breathing for a while ... but with time ... the pain will subside ... the strategy in this case is a matter of choice ... I opine that its better to face it ... then chicken out!

Normally ... one may experience this the first time ... and avoid the next ... but there are imbeciles ... with whom ... this resonating philosophy occurs more than once ... so the subject line ... is more like ... that the person asks for lighting to strike ... which still doesn't change the bottom line ... i.e. it strikes twice!!!

In another perspective ... is that person really plain stupid .. an imbecile ... to say ... fall for it ... more than once ... or is it that one really isn't much in control ... guess this one needs to be left open for debate ...

O-N-E

It amazing how one word, at times, encapsulates every intricacy of your life, how one person simply completes you, how one moment defines you, how one mistake destroys you...

"One" is such an amazing quantity. It always this "one" in the whole wide universe that makes the difference ... rest don't matter! How this "one" changes your life altogether ... and come to think of it ... "one" is just a bit more than none!!!

Favour Bank

A very interesting excerpt from the book “The Zahir” by Paulo Coelho

What is this Favour Bank?

You Know. Everyone knows.

Possibly, but I still haven’t quite grasped what you’re saying

It was an American writer who first mentioned it. It’s the most powerful bank in the world, and you’ll find it in every sphere of life

Yes, But I come from a country without a literary traditions. What Favours could I do for anyone?

That doesn’t matter in the least. Let me give you an example: I know that you’re an up-and-coming write and that, one day, you’ll be very influential. I know this, because, like you, I too was once ambitious, independent, honest. I no longer have the energy I once had, but I want to help you because I can’t or don’t want to grind to a halt just yet. I’m not dreaming about retirement, I am still dreaming about the fascinating struggle that is life, power and glory.

I start making deposits in your account – not cash deposits you understand, but contacts. I introduce you to such and such a person, I arrange certain deals, as long as they are legal. You know that you owe me something, but I never ask you for anything.

And then one day…

Exactly. One day, I’ll ask you for a Favour and you could, of course, say NO, but you are conscious of being in my debt. You do what I ask, I continue to help you, and other people see that you are a decent, loyal sort of person and so they too make a deposit in your account – always in the form of contacts because this world is made up of contacts and nothing else. They too will one day ask you for a Favour, and you’ll respect and help the people who have helped you, and, in time, you’ll have spread your net worldwide, you’ll know everyone you need to know and your influence will keep on growing.

I could refuse to do what you ask me to do

You could. The Favour Bank is a risky investment, just like any other bank. You refuse to grant me the Favour I asked you, in the belief that I helped you because you deserved to be helped, because you are the best and everyone should automatically recognize your talent. Fine, I say thank you very much and ask someone else into whose account I’ve also made various deposits; but from then on, everyone knows, without me having to say a word, that you are not to be trusted.

You’ll grow only half as much as you could be grown, and certainly not as much as you would have liked to. At a certain point, your life will begin to decline, you got halfway, but not all the way, you are half-happy and half-sad, neither frustrated, not fulfilled. You’re neither cold not hot, you’re lukewarm, and as an evangelist in some holy book says: “Lukewarm things are not pleasing to the palate”

What is Love?

Love is a very interesting concept.  Tautology is something that is always true and Contradiction is something that is never true. Love is somewhere in between. Love is something I would call “contradictory tautology”. In love, you are willing to give away everything without expecting anything in return, peak of selflessness. Yet, you would never share your love and be very possessive, peak of selfishness. A test of love is separation; it’s like absence is to love as wind is to fire, it extinguishes the small and kindles the great!

Kaho ab kya kahun tum say

Kaho ab kya kahun tum say

Batao kya likhun tum ko

Mujhay tamheed do koi

Mujhay umeed do koi

Naya ik lafz ho koi

Jahan say baat chal niklay

Meri mushkil ka hal niklay

Batao lehja kaisa ho

Keh tum say baat karni hai

Kaho ab kya irada hai

Mujhay izhar karna hai

Keh tum ko yeh batana hai

Keh aksar yaad aatay ho!

How Much a Word Costs???

Something I wrote a few years ago ...

Standing in the middle of nowhere,
Walking under the sun, here and there.
Feeling restless, mind’s heavy,
Moon is one, though stars are many.
Want to say something,
But the words won’t support.
Damn, I’m so confused,
It’s like the connection’s lose.
It’s eating me out,
Can’t cry out loud.
What good be my words,
For them, I am just absurd.
Wanna ask just one thing,
Before I’m lost,
Damn it, tell me,
How much a word costs???

Selfless or selfish?!?

A dictionary definition of selflessness is "showing unselfish concern for the welfare of others" and here unselfish means "disregarding your own advantages and welfare over those of others" ... easy isn't it!? No! Not at all ... there is no such thing as selflessness ... whatever we do ... wherever we go ... all those acts ... whether seemingly so or not ... are driven by selfishness.
It doesn't matter if you give charity ... it doesn't matter if you extend a hand for a noble cause ... everything is driven by selfish motives!
So, like, if you hurt yourself real bad just to stay away from someone, to protect them ... even that is not selfless ... infact this maybe THE MOST SELFISH act in the entire world! If you take a hit for someone who really doesn't know or care ... this still doesn't qualify for the same! Even if you bleed it out ... even if you suffocate ... even if it eats you all inside ... even if it takes away your sleep ... even if you become unresponsive to whatever is happening around you ... whatever the heck it is ... its damn selfish!

Changophobia

After this much while, I finally have enough build up to pour it down!
What I feel can be best described as a split! Something on my mind just keep bothering me over and over and at least seemingly, it seems as if its a ghost! I can't pin point what it is. But boy has it ruined my mood ... All this has pushed me in a state of uncertainty ... I don't like anything ... i can't decide what I want ... its like the worst feeling ever!
I know and am sure its temporary and with time ... it'll eventually go away ... just a good night's sleep or maybe two!
But under the abstraction ... maybe I know the reason ... I fear the change! I fear it because its not in my control ... its against my will ... it renders me helpless ... with nothing to hold onto ... but I guess ... this change ... for that matter ... any change is inevitable! My not wanting it won't stop it from happening ... my fear won't steer the fate away ... Somethings are destined to happen ... its only a matter of sooner or later ... and I guess I have held onto "later" long enough ... long enough that it has transitioned into "sooner" ... aah wish I could freeze time :-( ... But, don't have no choice no more ... gotta face it then ... peace out!

Armour of deceit ...

Whenever one feels vulnerable ... there are a few ways out! Obviously prevention is better than cure ... but if somehow something slips ... one should have a plan B or be rammed! One option is to become a hermit but this option is not always viable as, living in a milieu, you can't just shut everyone out! And infact, sometimes, becoming a recluse may increase the exposure and a chance to get a hit, as you'll be standing out, which obviously won't be desirable! The other option is to resort to deceit or figuratively, wear an armour that deflects away the inquisitions and act as a tool of savior! This camaflouge is not detrimental to anyone else, but be careful not to dissolve into it, you may be lost forever! Anyways, usually, the armour of deceit serves the purpose of isolation & isolation stymies vulnerability!

Random Scribbling

Sometimes it is so strange that first you have someone to talk to, but all of a sudden, it becomes just an echo, and the next thing you know, you can’t even hear yourself scream! It is like you are in a box with one-sided mirror as walls. And the mirror side is on the outside; People outside just see themselves but you think they are staring at you – you shout out, you try to break out, but the confinement is insuperable! Sometimes, you are sooo haunted by the dreams that even if you are really sleepy, you choose not to close your eyes! Sometimes you wish so hard and your mind wanders off to a place where you fail to distinguish between what’s real and what’s fake! In moments like these, one needs an anchor; someone who could reverse the chain from unheard scream to echo to something better. Lucky are those who find one!

Chicago's own killer diller promo!

A batch-mate and a good friend Muhammad Ali Ibrahim was not only busy in internship but also in producing a play "Chicago" ... check out the promo video right HERE

Men and women ... what they want

Came across this really interesting rather hilarious article ... check it out right HERE

Becoming A CEO

Everybody want to be a CEO ... some of their own start-ups ... and some in the corporate world! But for everyone, this article is interesting! So, How does one become a CEO, check it out HERE

How to dress for success at work

Came across this interesting article ... worthwhile reading it (and following it!) Click HERE to access it

Outbreak

When will media be the bolster of truth? Airing everything said isn’t truth; making a note of everything without corroborating credibility is a sin and almost every single broadcast corporation is culpable. I recently watched a movie "The Kingdom". It was a typical movie in a sense that (supposedly) bad guys blew up so-called good guy, then the good-guys went after the bad guys, eradicated them and justice was restored.WOW. How they make it so simple, well, that's a whole different story to be told (maybe later) but what was intriguing to me (in that movie) was the backdrop of the movie. The movie started with a preview of the history when oil was discovered in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, became a fuel source, the oil embargo, 9/11 which means of course AL QAEDA (I know that by now, you can guess the whole story). The whole movie projects as if American are angels and innocent and Al-Qaeda people are the accomplice of the devil, if not the devil themselves, how Americans are a peaceful breed, making the Holy Land their permanent abode, extracting away the resources as they need, not bothering anyone, but HELL! They are doing it ‘cause they need to do it. And the owners of THE BLACK GOLD, the locals, ain’t getting any sort of benefit from it. In fact, American are sitting pretty, enjoying all the luxuries of life they can ever imagine. Now, is that FAIR? Too much injustice always leads to what is happening these days. I don’t mean to justify the acts like suicide bombing or the sort of aggression that prevails in this world now, but before starting to blame anyone, the analysis should be thorough enough to cover the all the bases. By the way, who gave USA the authority to police around anyway?