Longing for the past

I have been sitting on the bean bag next to my bed. The lights are out, and I only have my laptop from this era working. Just look at what man has achieved within just a century. Looking back at the past, I can’t help myself but to be amazed at the amount of development man has done. We have really pushed ourselves forward, and to the extreme to make inventions that might spoil us, help us and at the same time amaze us.

It is a good thing that it’s not hot. The cool wind is whistling, and making my curtains dance like break-dancers. Its pitch dark and there seems to be peace everywhere. No television noise, no neighbour’s car horns and no shouting. Its mid night and everyone is snuggled in their quilts. Enjoying their sleep and relaxing from a hard day’s work. There is a picture of my grand-dad with his classmates, at saint xeviers, on my bedside. Looking at the black and white picture, I am drawn into the picture’s charismatic colours and gesture. It’s class of 1936-37 majoring in Mathematics. Life must have been so simple then yet extremely complex in its own way when the Hindu’s the Muslims were living in the same country under the British rule.

What source of entertainment would they be having? What would be their daily routine? Waking up at dawn, going to school or respective work place, having all type of biasness and politics, trying to feed the family by working second shifts, on returning home after a hard day’s work, spending some quality time with the whole family of 4 to 10 siblings. Mischief was only allowed by the young ones, while the elder siblings were role models for their innocent and young ones, listening to the gramophone which was the HiFi music system back then. Transitioning myself back in time I turn on the radio to experience what it feels like being back then and Fm 89 started playing the hits from the 90’s (The time when I discovered music and grew old with). The soothing music is taking control over my emotions. I can now feel an out of body experience and on looking at myself I am in the same era as my grand-dad.

Everything is so beautiful. I don’t want to change a thing. This moment is priceless. If only I was born a few decades before, maybe I would have been able to know my grand-dads better and study them closely. Experience what our fore-fathers have gone through and witness the history in the making and be apart of it.

Everything is perfect when all of a sudden the lights are back on and I find myself in the 21st century being a victim of my neighbour’s harsh loud television, car horns, and disturbing the elegant and delicate twilight of the night.

Connect2pk

Initially a team of four and a final year project, these students turned professionals have translated their idea and executed it with mere excellence. Studied from NU-FAST, these students had pitched the idea of creating a computer phone and alas a year after graduation, they continued it they have made it and going national with their idea.

“Connect2pk” is a user friendly application which enables the user to talk to anyone internationally at the cost of local calls. All you have to do is download their software and get registered and wallaaah… The interface is like a mobile phone on which you can dial any number and talk to another person on his/her landline or mobile. Kudos to Basit and his team memebers.

Her Oldage her curse

 Ma, wake up! Its time to wake up ma!” was the kind attempt of the son. She opened her eyes to see her devoted son standing next to her bed and politely insisting to freshen up. “Ma, come on! let me help you. Take my hand and let me help you stand.” She got up but with an outcry of pain.

After being assisted she sat on the chair where she has been sitting for ages. Every morning and after breakfast she likes sitting on that particular seat facing the entrance, in front of the television which she hardly sees, and right next to the phone. Everything is at arms length from her. She has raised her son like an angel, full of family values and he has provided her with everything she has wanted.

After her son has gone to work, she while sitting on her seat can’t help but think continuously about her past/future. “Oh God, time has flown literally like a bullet. The last time I remember I was sitting with my husband, hand in hand, going to listen to a gramophone. It was really astonishing and fascinating to be one of the lucky people to be entertained with the gramophone. We used to get so amazed to hear music on it. On the contrary, the devices being invented these days are just beyond me. I think if I leave the television on for a long time it will get spoilt or maybe blow up or something. What is this computer and mobile phone. Its beyond my logic how they work. I have two wonderful kids and with the grace of God, they are happily married and have children of their own.” She has always had a soft corner and felt closer to her daughter and grandchildren. “I think I’d call her up and ask how they are doing, especially the youngest young. Oh my, how am I going to use the phone? My body really hurts. I have become really old. I have only a few days left in this world. I know I am causing everyone trouble; I shouldn’t be doing such things. My husband; he was an angel. I miss him a lot. I think my room door is open. Jane (the youngest grandchild from her daughter) has her paper on the Friday. I am sure she has to study hard for it. She truly is my favourite. I wonder what is my daughter-in-law doing this very minute? She is going to send so much to eat and I won’t be able to finish it. I still have so much kept in the fridge. I think the food my daughter-in-law sends me, I’ll save it for Jane. When will my son come home? He is always late!”

Its 6pm and her son comes home tired from work. He wants to relax and watch some comedy shows but instead has to do house chores first. After some time she says to her son, “I am hungry and take me to the kitchen to eat.” She has been whining about her body ache the whole day. She mentions that she can do everything herself, and still neither does she prefer any help from anyone nor likes to accept help from others, and she can’t walk on her own. Her son keeps his cool and remembers the time when he was crying in his cradle, it was his ma who attended to him. But in return she starts shouting at him telling him how incompetent he is and leaving him frustrated and helpless since he knows her mother has only a few more months to live, and everyone has left her but him.  

Bad Day @ your Office

Having a bad day at the office??… Check the link below

http://glumbert.com/media/baddayoffice

Thanks to Faisal’s blog from where I got this amazing video!

Curse of Nature

Beep beep…Beep beep…Beep beep… It struck 6am. It is below freezing point outside. Last night before crashing on the bed he had turned on the heater and to let the fumes escape left the window over his bed open, which in turn is making him shiver as the cold breeze gently seeps into his room.

While getting ready for work he couldn’t help but notice that his car is snow-covered. He looked at his watched and tries to rush with his breakfast as he was late for work. He ran out of his house towards his 1985 Dodge Mini Ram. Suddenly there is a shout from behind, JD where do you think you are going? He unwillingly looks behind and sees his mom pointing to his lunch.  

JD has always been a down to earth person. He always found delight in other’s joy. Never did he think solely for himself. He reached his office just in the nick of time. He thinks today seems to be a good day to start off with the week. Eventually people started coming to him for help. On agreeing to help one within a few hours a couple of people had approached him to do their work and he being affable without thinking twice always agreed to help them which resulted in a pile of work on his desk other than his own work.

Suddenly its 9pm and he still has loads of work to do, while his colleagues were at home spending time with their families and loved ones. JD is now depressed and lonely. Yet he finishes his promised work and reaches home around 11pm only to hear his old mother shouting at him for being late. She thinks he is late because he out partying and drinking.

He tucked his mother under the bed sheets and sat in front of the television. He couldn’t help but feel over exerted and de-motivated. After completing some chores he crashes on his bed. The next few days are like any other day, practically identical but exhausting from the previous one.

Time flew by really quickly and a few months had passed now. He now had come a point where he had it with people taking undue advantage of him everyday. He came to a decision, not to agree to help anyone for once, since no one every does it for him. On declining to help, JD is demoted from his current position and has been asked to change his attitude.

On hearing such news, he enters the state of hysteria. He reaches home to be greeted by his old, irritated mother once again. With the insane actions during the day he had developed a splitting headache. While taking some sleeping pills, his mother shouts for some water. He runs to her room with a glass to quench her thirst. After tending to her, he comes back to his room and takes some more pills forgetting that he had already taken some before.

The next morning there are paramedics breaking his door down, only to find him lying peacefully and cold blooded in bed. As the news spreads his friends, family and office colleagues, attended his funeral. Everyone acknowledging JD’s selfless nature but failing to appreciate at the right time.