Im Getting Married

I don’t know how we’re going to pull it off, but its happening.

Now that it’s been two months that the little one arrived, and with the family finally returning home to realize there’s a wedding to host next month, I thought I’d finally have a chance to regain my thunder. Although…its not happeninnnnnng!!

¾ of the Aussies arrived at last. The little one is adorable and Yahya, well he’s a completely different story. It took me two days to realize that ‘Aa tu’ means ‘thank you’ in Yoyo-land. I think he combines English, Urdu and a hint of Chinese all wrapped up in a fancy Australian accent.

We were sitting on the sofa looking at Yahya being high on chocolate when Apa said,

‘I have an excellent idea for Mehndi…’

*relief*

Finally somebody thinks of me and my wedding next month and how we could possibly make it THE wedding of our lives.

‘…I’ll make a bright rust pocketed kameez for Yahya with a white shalwar, and I’ll get a yellow gold stole to hang around his neck. My son is going to look great’, Apa finished.

Reality Check # 1: Dear Bride, you are NOT a princess.

Enter Henry Potter

Forget the traditional callous villains and their all out public displays of evil, power controlling tactics. Times have changed and so has the persona of rogues, which kind of reminds me of theatre.

Actually…completely reminds me of theatre.

Forget Star Plus, its all about the broadway musicals now. Drama, mystery, glamour, music, charm, bling bling, ah but most importantly… *ka chink*!!

Say hello to Mr Potter. Squatty, cunning and just plain mean he matches Umbridge’s style of corporate action. He walks on a drum beat and cocks his eyes like a chameleon. You know he may even change his colors too but then I’d have to observe him more to find out. But why, why oh why must there always be an evil figure looming around waiting for the tiniest chance to pounce at you from the darkness. Darkness… *sigh*. If only I knew it was darkness underneath the sunshine disguise.

Sometimes, yes some times, I really want to believe that behind every sneaky ‘shmuck’ (as Tanya would call them), is a sad story of a lonesome past. Somewhere underneath the reactionary disbelief and failure to find a befitting retort, I feel sorry for such people. To spend your whole life making other people’s days miserable while making sure that they convey something or the other to not let two people stay happy…they really wouldn’t be sleeping peacefully, would they?

Dear Allah, I hope you’re watching…

'Lullaby' - Creed

"Hush my love now don't you cry

Everything will be all right
Close your eyes and drift in dream
Rest in peaceful sleep

If there's one thing I hope I've shown you
Just give love to all

Oh my love in my arms tight
Every day you give me life
As I drift off to your world
Rest in peaceful sleep

I know there's one thing that you've shown me
Just give love to all"

I Miss Uxi

I imagine she would have shouted out excitedly on the telephone repeating over and over again “OH MY GOD YOU ARE GETTING MARRIED” and jumped around the whole room. She would have opened her cupboard, thrown out some random clothes into a bag. The zip would tear. She would laugh out loud. She would grab a messenger bag off the floor, squeeze in as many clothes as she possibly could, leave the others aside and announce to herself that she’s going to Islamabad.

She would spend all her time on Daewoo talking on the telephone with her friends telling them her cousin was getting married. Or...she'll sing out loud.

And when she would get here, she’d care no more for public or traffic. She’d spread her arms wide and run to hug me…

…if she were alive

I found one of her poems somewhere...

COTTON CANDY DREAMS

So clearly do the crystal eyes speak,
Such depth in their mute words,
How can one but not feel touched,
By the way they see the world?

I saw the eyes of the naked child,
The truth in them, so clear and bright,
The desperation, the hopelessness, the cry,
The tears forever possessing the eye.

I saw the eyes of a beggar boy,
Begging to be held, begging to be loved,
Begging for care, begging for hope,
Begging for a world, begging for a life.

I saw the eyes of the beaten child,
Scared and stiff, ready to die,
The eyes were full of terror and sorrow,
Glowing dimmer with every tomorrow.

I saw the eyes of the child, who worked,
Day and night in the burning, scorching heat,
Look at the eyes of that lonely, homeless boy,
Who builds the foundation of homes of love.

I saw the eyes of the illiterate child,
Who saw me going to school everyday,
Who saw me climbing each step of knowledge,
While he waited every week for his pay check.

I saw the eyes of that utterly deprived sister,
Who was the student of the household,
Who saw her brother through the door of enlightenment,
A border she was never allowed to cross.

Look into those injured eyes for once,
Try to understand their desperate plea,
Try to look through my eyes,
In which the hopes and dreams are still free.

The mystery of those eyes shimmers and shines,
Waiting for you and me to clarify it,
The tears halt and stay,
Waiting for you and me to dry them.

The hearts are crouched in their darkness,
Waiting for you and me to light them again,
The feelings are long since desolate,
Waiting for you and me to feel them.

So lets be the raindrop in the desert,
Lets be the raft in the river,
Lets be the white doves that soar through the sky,
Lets be the answer to their cry.

Lets be the light of their eye,
Lets be the hope of their sigh,
Lets be the warmth of their hugs,
Lets be the love of their lives.

Murree Road Galore

Through most days, Murree Road is quite entertaining as far as advertising is concerned. What with the loadshedding despair and all, there are a lot of "catchy" ads for UPS going around.

"Luminous"!? whats there to "luminate" when the batteries die out!!


One can not possibly ignore the 'Karegar' advertising. This guy is actually the owner of the shop and of course who else to exclusively model for the shop than him. To my utter delight, yes delight, i found this gentleman sitting, with the same expression, behind a desk in the centre of the shop. Oh joy!


Now Shoaib Malik couldn't have held that razor any better, could he? Unless he was literally contemplating on some weird canvas of life. "Hmmm...."

Ramadan

Resolutions:

I will not shout out to pedestrians who are touring in the middle of the road

I will not smack my head when either a donkey or a buffalo stops to smile at me while I tactfully maneuver my car around

I will not comment on women drivers who refuse to use side / rear mirrors or go over 40km/hour.

I will be nice to Umbridge. Really.

I will neither keep an eye on the office clock nor publicly express my relief and sheer joy when I get off from work early this month.

By the way, I might become a Burger King person after this creative piece of advertising...