Happy Birthday Eesha! This one's totally dedicated to you :)

There is this amazing girl I know, and I am lucky enough to call her my best friend. She is incredibly inspirational, smart, crazy, understanding, affectionate, pure, and absolutely wonderful. She is brilliant at Math (now that’s something that deserves an applause :P) and is a superb artist as well – multitalented in the most realistic sense. She can get a little scientific at times too, with her insect-fascination and stuff, but I love every bit of her exquisite personality.  In fact, I am already running out of words to describe her remarkable self – truly she’s beautiful inside out. Her heart is of gold, and sometimes I wonder how someone like me can possibly deserve to have someone as amazing as her as my best friend. 

She always cares for me so much and makes me feel so loved. She listens to my rants about relevant and irrelevant stuff patiently, and gives me the best advice in the world. She cheers me right up when I am feeling down in the dumps, and never judges me for all my harshness that I tend to exhibit at times. She is one person whom I can trust fully and easily, with every little thing of mine – tangible or not – and I know she’ll never break my trust. She is the ‘best friend’ in the truest sense, never complaining, never judging, and never forcing me to accept her views.

Our thoughts may differ on many matters, but being the calm, sensible, and patient person she is, she never forces me to accept that she’s right. In fact, in the end when I am indeed proved wrong and she right, she never says “I told you so” but instead stands by side, helps me up from my fall, and offers me words of comfort. She never shows the possessiveness of a best friend (which I tend to show way too often) but is there for me quietly just the same. Her reassuring and understanding manner always tells me that no matter what happens, things will get better. Without her, I don’t know how I’d able to cope with half the things in my life. When I cry, she silently hugs me. 

When I cry while on skype or chat, she calmly handles me (I still don’t know how she does it) in a way that I instantly feel better – the distance between us doesn’t matter. When I am angry, and I vent out all my frustration on her, she never says a word but lets me rant, then helps me to regain my senses slowly (after which I profusely apologize and she goes as far as to say “It’s not your fault, you don’t have to apologize for anything.”). When I am happy, she joins me in my happiness as if her own, and when I am excited, she squeals in delight right with me. She has become a part of my family, and I cannot imagine my life without her anymore. 

And so, without further ado, I wish this beautiful girl a very Happy Birthday. Eesha, my amazing, amazing best friend – no my sister – without whom I’d truly be lost, I love you so much and hope that you have hundreds of glorious years ahead of you, every moment of each year filled with love, happiness, prosperity, and success, and that I am a part of this awesome life of yours, that one day when you’re old and grey and knitting sweaters and talking about your grandchildren, I am right there with you… and that we can still share this same beautiful bond that we share now. You officially become an adult today, and I am so proud of you. I hope you achieve all your dreams and get all the happiness in the world, because if there’s anyone who deserves it, it’s you. Thank you for being such a great friend to me, and here’s wishing you the happiest of birthdays once again. 

Always & Forever <3

Take Me Away (poem)

Take me away to a world
where there is no blood and murder, 
'Cause I don't want to stay
when violence here is dearly nurtured.

Take me away to a world
devoid of discord and terror,
'Cause I don't belong here 
amidst screams of horror.

Take me away to a world
free from cruelty and torment
'Cause I can't reside here
surrounded by songs of lament.

Take me away to a world 
bereft of slaughter and carnage, 
'Cause I can't breathe
in this baleful crimson haze.

Take me away to a world
that doesn't harbour enmity and hate,
'Cause I have no place here
with tragedy looming over my fate.

Take me away to a world 
unaware of rage and malice
'Cause I want to live in a world
that values love, hope, and peace. 

{Composed by Me}

Moving forward... (poem)

A step ahead, a glance behind
Onward she moves, memories in mind
Night by night, day by day,
The clock carries on ticking away.

Eyes on victory, goal is set
Marching on, towards a future unread
Dusks set in, followed by dawns,
The time keeps moving on and on.

Beauty in words, confident stance
Longing to reach, almost in a trance
Seconds race, moments pass,
The instants continue to shift into hours.

A smile in place, head held high
Closer she gets, not a single tired sigh
Hourglasses fill, the sand falls
Days and months, not coming to a halt. 

Hope in heart, fire in psyche
Past fades, as she nears the light
The present shifts, her future is free, 
Time didn't stop but neither did she. 

*not sure if this poem makes much sense, but it is inspired by the above image.

A short update on my bearings!

It has been a long time since I last blogged, we are already two months into 2013, and so far, things have been going pretty well. So, I thought, why not drop in a small post announcing that I am still alive and well, and haven't forgotten about this little thing I run. However, I don't have anything new to share. I am simply having a fabulous time, seeing that I am currently on holidays (semester break) in Tanzania, with my lovely parents.

It's crazy how time flies by. It seems like just yesterday when I was entering Foundation at University, and now, I have completed the first semester of my degree with a nice set of grades. Two and half more years, and I'll be graduating!

Well, as of now, I can only look forward to the future, work hard towards a bright one, and hope for the best. But before that, I shall enjoy these holidays to the fullest. After all, I still have a month or so left until I have to jump in again into the busy university schedule and say goodbye to leisure time.

Enjoying the benefits of home!

End of the World... or Humanity? {A result of some musings}

Today is December 21st, 2012. According to what some have been saying, and the Mayan Calendar, the world is supposed to end today. However, I don't see any disasters around me currently, or hear any news from NASA about a huge asteroid shooting towards the Earth. So, I think it will be safe to say that the "End of the World" is definitely not approaching, not any time soon at least.

Or is it? If you see the world through my eyes, the end is here. Or at least, the end of humanity and mankind is. We no longer cherish life, or the people around us, not even animals, or nature, or this earth. We have all drowned in our selfishness so much, that we have become indifferent to what is happening around us. War, genocide, abuse, mass murder, rape, animal cruelty, gluttony, bullying, greed, waste - it has all become something "normal", something that happens everyday, something that we watch or read about in the News, yet don't give a second thought on.

As long as it is not happening to me, why should I waste my time thinking about it, worrying about it, trying to do something about it? I am a normal person leading a normal life, what can I do anyway? What difference can one man make anyway? - Such is the attitude of us, and I say us, because I am no different either, and it is a pity, a shame. We say, "I heard about the school children shooting in Connecticut, it is awful." "I heard about the gang rape in Delhi, how terrible." And that is about it. We simply ponder over it for half a second, and then move on with our lives. But no one stops to wonder, where has the humanity disappeared? No one stops to think, why do people commit such deeds? No one says, I should try to do something about it. And why would we? After all, we are no saints. We can't just give up the normalcy of our lives and set on an almost impossible task of righting the wrongs in this world.

Yet, it is us who let it get to this point. It is us who cause the wrongs in the world. It is us who have made the task of righting the wrongs impossible. And now, perhaps it is too late to do anything about it. Perhaps, this is it. Perhaps the brink of the end of humanity, of compassion, of love, of care, of empathy, of sympathy, of standing up and doing something, has been reached.

Nevertheless, one shouldn't stop hoping. If you still believe that maybe the world hasn't been sucked into darkness yet, that maybe there is still a chance of saving what little of humanity is left among us, hold on to that belief. Don't give in, and don't just wonder, do something about it. A small act of kindness, such as even stopping a human, if you see one, from abusing a fellow human, may not seem to make much of a difference, but it does make the smallest of differences. Or if nothing, at least try to be a better human, and maybe, just maybe, your goodness may inspire others to reach into and bring back their own humanity. A million small acts like that, a billion people tapping back into their humanity, and we may just save this world. 

I'll consider this my new beginning - I'll try to be a better human from today. Will you?

An experience in the Langkawi Island

I have been meaning to blog my trip to the Langkawi island for quite some time - it's been over two weeks since the trip now - but what with University taking up most of my time, I couldn't get around to doing so until today. 

Recently, my friends and I went to the Langkawi island (in Malaysia) for 3 days during the Deepavali holidays. Needless to say, it was one amazing holiday.

First off, we visited the most famous beach in Langkawi - Cenang Beach, and were not disappointed. The ocean was simply magnificent and left us mesmerized. Here's a shot of its beauty:

After admiring the ocean for a while, we decided to indulge in some water sports. The first on the list was Para-sailing  Words cannot do justice to the experience of Para-sailing  It is one of the most beautiful activities I've ever experienced. Sailing in the sky while the boat drives your direction, looking at the whole ocean and the island from the top, feeling the air kiss your body - it just puts everything in perspective. The feeling of literally flying in the sky is truly remarkable - so relaxing, so refreshing, it just makes all your worries melt away. 

Para-sailing made me realize how beautiful our world actually is, how lovely the nature is, and how little we appreciate and cherish it. As I said, words cannot capture the beauty and thrill of it, and neither can pictures - but here's a snap of me para-sailing anyway, hoping it can give you a glimpse of what it was like (The snap is of when I am nearing the ground, about to land in a few minutes... the height of the entire "flying" session was way higher than this).

And this one is a view from the top, captured while Para-sailing by one of my friends:

And here's another:

After Para-sailing  the next activity we indulged in was the "Banana Boat fall".  It basically involved riding on a boat in the shape of a banana. The uniqueness of it was that the boat was that it was inflatable, without any "sides". We were supposed to wear life-jackets while riding it, since the main purpose of this activity is falling in the ocean mid-way through the ride multiple times. 

It was quite scary but hilarious at the same time every time we desperately tried to catch on, but fell in the deep waters anyway with no shore in sight (thank God for the life-jackets), and not being able to feel any land beneath our feet. I wish I had a snap of this thrilling experience, but sadly, we couldn't take along a camera.

Then, we also did Jet-skiing and Snorkelling. For these, we went to Tengah Beach, which is another beautiful beach with an amazing ocean. The view of the sunset here is also very popular, and we realized why when we witnessed it for ourselves. I don't think the camera could really capture the beauty of the sunset at the beach, but here's a snap anyway:

Returning to Jet-skiing and Snorkelling, sadly there are no pictures of the experiences, but they were both extremely fun. Jet-Skiing was like taking a tour of the sea, except that it involved quite "rash driving", if you know what I mean ;)

As for Snorkelling  it was like a tour of the ocean as well, except that it was below the waters, and not above. Admiring the various corals, small fishes, and various kinds of plants, I could just ponder over how underwater is an entirely different world with numerous mysteries.

Apart from these activities, and simply chilling and swimming in the ocean, we also paid a visit to this special "Black Sands Beach" in Langkawi. I was amazed to see that the sand of that beach is really black, though it is a bitter reminder of how polluted our world has become, because this black sand is not a nature's miracle, but a product of years and years of factory excretions of cassiterite and stannous oxide which have turned the sand black. Anyhow, it was definitely a strange site for me to witness, so here is a picture of us standing on the black sand:

Here's another shot of the beach:

Well, that pretty much wraps up all the main highlights of our trip to the island. It was definitely a beautiful place to visit, with amazing things to offer, and I loved every minute of the trip - right from the relaxing in the hotel tucked away in the countryside, to the breathtaking experience of parasailing, and the thrill of jet-skiing, banana boat, and snorkelling. 

The best part of the trip though was the pure blissful joy my friends and I experienced from spending quality time with each other without any worries in the world, be it by playing in the sea like little kids, or by walking peacefully on the beach talking about our dreams and hopes for the future. We have made memories that I'll cherish in my heart forever. 

My Girls <3

Hope (poem)

There is hope in the prayers of the woman
who bows before God everyday –
Hope for her wishes to be fulfilled.

There is hope in the tears of the mother
who bids her child goodbye –
Hope for prosperity and success.

There is hope in the tight hug of the brother
who comforts his little sister –
Hope for things to get better.

There is hope in the jokes of the guy
who visits his mate in the hospital –
Hope for his friend’s good health.

There is hope in the shy smile of the boy 
who sits alone at lunch everyday –
Hope for a new friend.

There is hope in the hesitant blush of the girl
who nurses her broken heart –
Hope for finding true love someday.

There is hope in the shining eyes of the bride 
who enters her new home –
Hope for a future full of warmth.

There is hope in the confessions of the man
who has committed too many mistakes –
Hope for forgiveness someday. 

There is hope in the laughter of the girl
who has never been able to walk –
Hope for a normal life.

There is hope in the calm stance of the man 
who has always been blind –
Hope for the vision of the light of day.

There is hope in the heart of someone
somewhere all the time –
Hope inspiring someone else to not give up. 

{Composed by Me}

Never stop hoping; with hope comes faith, and faith shall guide you in the right direction.

I should have known... (poem)

I should have known
that you were going to break my heart
when you started saying hello
with that smirk on your face.

I should have known
that you were going to break my heart
when the smiles you sent my way
stopped reaching your eyes.

I should have known
that you were going to break my heart
when the way you talked
turned restless and bored.

I should have known 
that you were going to break my heart
when the hugs you gave me
became half-hearted shrugs.

I should have known
that you were going to break my heart
when the lengthy phone conversations
changed into hours of waiting for your call.

I should have known 
that you were going to break my heart
when the affectionate visits
evolved into a series of excuses.

I should have known
that you were going to break my heart
when the love in your eyes
transformed into coldness and indifference.

{Composed by me}

Living On... (poem)

She still lives on in the shining eyes
of the sister that she heartily adored,
She still lives on in the love of the parents
that first brought her to this world.

She still lives on in the melted wax
of the candle that burnt by night,
She still lives on in the thorny roses
that have long since sadly died.

She still lives on in the shattered glass
of the mirror that once reflected her smile,
She still lives on in the stopped clock
that once showed the correct time.

She still lives on in the stale wine
of the half-filled cup from which she sipped,
She still lives on in the crumpled sheets
that are now almost entirely ripped.

She still lives on in the yellowed pages
of the books that she so dearly read,
She still lives on in the broken photo frames
that she once looked at every night before going to bed.

She still lives on in the tattered remains
of the diary that she once penned,
She still lives on in the half-finished letter
that she never got the chance to send.

She still lives on in the dreary darkness 
of the home that she once occupied,
She still lives on in the hearts of those
that visit it everyday - not to let her memories die.

{Composed  by Me}

Author's note: This poem is not dedicated to anyone. Thankfully, no one I love has died in recent times. 

Distance brings us closer (A slightly homesick rant)

Today, as I was talking on Skype with my parents, it suddenly dawned on me how much I love them and miss them.

As I listened to my Mum talk animatedly about her brief visit to Muscat (Oman), I couldn't help but smile. I truly miss her while I am here - away from home. Listening to her voice full with passion and awe as she talked about the beauty of Muscat, made my heart ache for her. I suddenly wanted to be there with her, to see her eyes light up with excitement while narrating her experience, to see the smile gracing her lips while reminiscing about the beauty of the place, to see her carefree laugh rather than just listen to it - I was seized by the desire to see it all in person, yet I of course I couldn't.

Same goes for my father. As I told him all about my classes, my teachers, my progress, my upcoming trip to Langkawi (my first only-with-friends trip here in Malaysia) I could hear it in his voice that he was proud of me - of his little girl having grown up - and I wanted to see that pride I had yearned for so much in his eyes. I could feel the smile in his voice as I chattered on about this and that, and all I really wanted was to look at that smile for myself.

It is a wonder, how my parents and I have come a long way since before I left for Malaysia. Who would have thought that about an year ago, I argued with them, was irritated by them at times, didn't want to talk to them - all those angst-filled teen years seem so foolish to me now. Our petty "fights" with each other, especially between my Mom and I, were not worth it at all, because in the end whether she shows it or not, she loves me, she wants the best for me, and of course I love her too. It's silly that it took me an year of separation to realize this. 

Now, I yearn for their presence, I miss my Mum scolding me, I miss my Dad giving me "lectures", I miss all those weekend-outs together, and I regret the time I've lost fighting with them, perhaps even disliking them at times, and wishing to be away from them, when instead I could have spent those moments loving them, understanding them, helping them, caring for them, and just feeling happy being close to them. 

Oh well, time once gone never comes back, but when I visit them during my holidays, I'll sure try to make up for all I have lost. Ultimately, in a way, I am grateful that this distance between us brought me closer to them.

I love you Mom and Dad, forever and always... here's to cherishing moments with you:

P.S. If you are still lucky to be able to stay with your parents at all times, make the most of it - love them as they love you, try to understand them, and don't waste precious moments fighting with them, because you never know when you may be separated from them.