We Had No Geometry

When you think of our future together, what do you see?

Parallel lines.

Oh.

What do you see?

A pair of sine and cosine waves.

See. Parallel lines.

These Beautiful Women, Lost Under The Stars

In the 25 years of my life, I have met some extremely fascinating women. Women with assiduous levels of strength and courage. Women who wage daily wars with their worlds; who have still made something of themselves despite being bound by an almost draconian society that seems to leave almost all of us suffocated by its orthodox ideology.

So today, I want to give these women a tribute. I want them to know how much I appreciate them, how much I am inspired by their lives, how much I wish to have the same grace and dignity with which they handle all their struggles and just how plain grateful I am for the comfort and support I find within them. So this one goes as a shout out to them and all those women world over who have found themselves in a similar place, but are yet to be broken down.

To Nasreen, Fatima, Shama and Shakeela: Women who have shown me the meaning of unconditional love and support and have taught me what family really means. They have given up their careers to build and raise the family of which I am so proud to be a part of and for which, no matter how many times I tell them I love them, it will never be enough. From these women, I have learnt what it means to make sacrifices for the ones you love, I have learnt respect and I have learnt how important it is to be a better person. I have seen their families bring them down, push them around and take them for granted and I have seen them do nothing, but give more love in return. They have taught me to have the courage to pursue my dreams no matter what stage of life I am in and to never give up on the ones you love. From them, I have learnt how to carry on even though never appreciated, to hope no matter how horrible the circumstance,  to keep on living even when everything seems to have been taken away from you and to leave what you have called home all your life and start over new in a place completely alien.

To Sahar: The sister, the best friend, the confidante, the tutor, the money lender, the stuff bringer, the feeder and over all evil genius. The one in whose lap I have cried for hours about my broken heart. The one who has seen me fail and fall countless times, but who never gave up on me. The one who I have watched suffer through intense trauma and tragedy, who has battled with depression and bipolar and who has known her own various heartbreaks which might leave many with a colder heart or a broken spirit, but she has only emerged with a bigger heart than I thought was possible. She has taught me how to be kind to strangers and forgiving to the most horrid of transgressions. She is, more often than not, my voice of wisdom. From her I have learnt what hard work really means. Truly, she is one of the most amazing women I know.

To my very own Amy Lee*: I hate to admit it, but when I first met her, she came across as someone with a one tracked mind; the kind that starts at clothes, ends at shoes and thinks of make-up in between. I've never been more wrong. She is this amazingly talented and really witty person who is a great writer, artist, singer and photographer. She has so much going for her, if only she realized it. She went through a few years of an abusive relationship and she bore it all without a soul knowing what was happening. Unlike others I have known, she didn't let it affect the way she dealt with other people around her. She was always cheerful and lively, making everyone around her laugh and have a good time. And even when things fell apart, other than her closest friends, she has never bad mouthed the guy nor bitched about him in anyway. She has taught me how important it is to put your problems aside and not let your issues ruin other people's day, that it is essential to be the bigger person in the relationship, not to give in to your baser instincts to try and destroy the other person and just try your best to carry on with the little pride you have left.

To Azeelia: Even though she recently became a part of our family, it feels like I have known her forever. She just recently lost a baby, but her morale and courage and the brave face she put up when most people would just give up on everything deserves a standing ovation. Each day that I meet her, she instills in me a whole new spirit of hope and faith. My problems are minute compared to hers and yet, she has accepted them with humbleness and dignity and dealt with them with far more grace and character than I have. I've learnt from her not to question God each time something goes wrong and sometimes, to trust Him and the way He plays the cards even if sometimes, it feels like He's cheating. And I want to thank her for not letting my faith go to hell.

To Samia: I haven't known her for so long, but from her I've learnt that broken homes don't always result in damaged children. Even though she's seen her parents go through an awful divorce, she has turned out to be a strong and stable person, not letting her circumstances influence who she became and how she lived her life.  She went to medical college and is now a doctor. She's one of the more down to earth and level headed people I know. Her story makes me realize that who you become is in your hands alone. No matter how dysfunctional your family and no matter how messed up the people around you, you alone are the molder of your character and your life and it is in your hands to make or break yourself.

To Maera: One of my best friends; crazy to the core. Although I've only known her for four years, it seems like a lifetime. She brought into my life a whole other level of friendship, love and of course the drama that comes with these things. I have watched her struggle with relationships and career choices and am often left  bewildered with the fire and spirit with which she lives her life and deals with her issues. With her, I have learnt not to take things too seriously and  how important it is to let go and just have some fun. She is this sexy, spirited, funny and crazy person who has made life a lot more bearable and pleasant.

And To Hani: Hani very recently came into my life, but left quite an impression. Her life has been, to say the least, chaotic. She's been through two divorces and in a society such as ours, that is seen as a major "humiliation". For her, everyday is a battle between doing what makes her happy and whats "right". She refused to stay in a marriage that didn't make her happy even though the world seemed to stand against her. She has built herself as a credible and respected individual in her field. From her, I have realized that it is important to have dreams, to be yourself no matter how scandalous that might be for others, to fight for what makes you happy and what you want, to not let the world's image of you bother you in anyway, to never let anyone try and change you just because it suits them and to be a successful individual in your own right.  She is a woman of mettle and I admire her for the battles she fights everyday.

If you know even one woman like the ones I have mentioned above, consider yourself lucky for you have a support system that is so powerful and unfailing, you can never lose your way.

It Is Written In The Dust, It Is Whispered In The Wind

You, who I met through some horrid twist of fate. You, who in an instant took my breath away. You, who swept me off my feet with your laughing eyes. You, who held my hand in the garden by night. You, who showed me a world I never knew before. You,who plucked away my doubts about the existence of happiness. You, who made me dream of dreams I had never dreamed before. You, who made me laugh like a child swinging up high. You, who made me feel as beautiful as a swan on a crystal, clear lake. You, who whispered sweet nothings in my ear as I fell asleep. You, who said you loved me. 

And you, to whom it was nothing, but a game. And you, who walked across my heart and crushed it to bits. And you, who took my spirit and dragged it across a bed of thorns. And you, who has left nothing except tears in my eyes. And you, who is the reason for these endless, sleepless nights. And you, who never even dreamed one dream of me. And you, who told me I was worth nothing in this world. And you, who made me feel smaller than the smallest creature on this earth. And you, who told me nothing I did was ever good enough. And you, who left me with pitiful glances and questioning eyes. And you, who I can't hate even if I tried. 

And you, with a smile on your face and a dagger in your hand.
You, who I could have loved forever. 

Arrest This Man

The problem, I believe, is that the men of this country are raised with absolutely no sense of responsibility or accountability. They go about causing absolute chaos in the world; saying what they want, doing whatever they like with such total lack of concern for everyone and everything around them that it disgusts me to no end. Their parents treat them like little gods, giving in to their every whim and letting them walk away from every mess they create without question, let alone having them clean it up. And I don't mean the mess in their room (although I strongly believe it starts from there!) 

They grow up with a feeling of total immunity because they are never held accountable for any wrong they do. And that is how they spend their entire life. They do what they want whenever they feel like it without any clue as to how their actions affect others. They just don't understand that things they do or say can hurt another human being. They throw their weight around thinking its their fucking birthright. 

It is so important for parents to raise their sons right. Get him to fucking pick up that wet towel and hang it up to dry. Make him clean up his damn room and pick up after himself. And what the hell is up with not making them do their own dirty dishes. My own brothers will just come at random times of the day or night, eat and then just leave the dishes in the sink, never bothering to wash them. And whose fault is it? They really expect that everything just miraculously gets done. If they do something wrong, hold them responsible. Make them realize that they screwed up and need to fix it or else. Otherwise they just go through life selfish and self absorbed, like little babies throwing tantrums when things don't go their way. They have no semblance of respect for other people and cannot cope when real life suddenly hits them in the fucking face. They cannot grasp why the whole world isn't doing their bidding. Suddenly, they have to work for the respect and love they once got without question. They can't figure out why people aren't willing to wait on them hand and foot regardless of the jackasses they are being. Heck, they don't even understand that they are being jackasses. They don't understand why people walk away, why relationships break down, why they lose their jobs, why their children alienate them; the list of why's is then endless. 

This destructive attitude that parents have really has to change. Loving your kid is one thing, but smothering them with it so that they know and expect no other kind of emotion is another. Everybody needs tough love. 

Because your love can protect them from a lot of things, but karma isn't one them.