The Would-Be Writer

The journey from strangers to friends is a fun one. I mean meeting someone; you never can imagine what the story will be like. I read somewhere, that every person is a story. Their story merges with the people who they meet and interact with. It leads to an interconnected web. If you think about it, it is quite an amazing thing to envision. It starts with a very simple hello, how are you and before you know it, it becomes have you had dinner/lunch, are you alright, I know something is wrong. Until one day you cross from in front of each other and don’t even know if that even happened or not. You fail to remember the time, when just looking at the person; you could know what exactly was going on. But wait, what do you do when this happens? Should it be regret for the rest of your life? Or should you try to make things work? Or should you just let things be as they are and let the ebb and flow of time lead you to where it is supposed to be. This journey might have ended; the en...

Have you ever attended a stand-up comedy show? Well let me tell you what it’s like. Don’t get me wrong, if my tone seems like it wasn’t a fun thing to do. Being a writer, the power of words is something that I am well aware of. When it comes to stand-up comedy, it isn’t only about the words, it becomes part and parcel with the presentation and delivery of the punch line. #comedymasala was my second experience for a comedy show. A little back ground in what exactly #comedymasla is…. Comedy Masala is a platform which was founded by Umar Rana in 2010. Starting as a stand-up comedy show, put together on a weekly basis, this has now become a giant known all over the world. The concept behind putting this together has now progressed to a level where there is no limit to the audience reach they have. #comedymasala was held in Karachi, Pakistan for 3 days. I was honored to attend the show on the opening night. It was held at PACC, where the audience comprised of expectant individuals, ...

Ever heard of a girl being extremely racy without being cheap? Ever heard of a guy being considered cheap for being racy? Double standards? Or just how the world works? Well believe it or not, I will not be discussing the double standards tonight. I want to talk about how girls aren’t allowed to be racy or thought of as someone who can have racy thoughts. I hope everybody reading this piece is above 18, because tonight I feel a little bold. Before we really get into it, let me give you a little bit of context to what this is really about. I am not a feminist. Even though I might be schooled about the various definitions of what it means to be a feminist, I have my idea of what I am and what I am not. I am completely and totally old school. Meaning what you might ask then let me tell you, you will have to bear with me for a bit though. So yes, I am a woman, who works, studies, looks after her responsibilities at home, is unmarried, not dying to get married, capable of running her ...

Hello dear readers. Hope you are all doing good. I have a decision to make, a conundrum if you might. And I would like your help with it . Now you might ask me what is it with this conundrum, which makes it especially tough to handle on my own. Well let me tell you a little story. I have a bad habit of looking for the good in people. Even if they don’t have any. To which you might question, if I know I have this problem, why do I not go and fix it. Well to that my response would be because I’m stupid. Or might be possible that I am just well no other word than delusional. Alright let’s strap our boots and get into it.  So yes, the conundrum I’m in is that I would like to have this person in my life. As we were friends, or so I thought. Please note here dear readers, that I refer to myself as delusional. So yes, we were friends, however, as per this person, it is alright to discuss me with anyone other than with me. Now let me ask you this, is this right or...

Isn’t life a funny thing, when you have it isn’t valued much. But when you don’t have it, well can’t really speak for the dead. Who knows how much fun they are having. But hang in there with me, while I explain to you why I am talking about it. Currently my grandmother is not well. She has many problems which have now caused her to become bed ridden. She isn’t eating solids, and has to be helped for multiple things. The thing about my grandmother, and why it is so difficult for us (our family) to see her this is, she was the life of all our parties. A woman who was widowed at a very young age, when both her sons were not working/earning. She managed to uproot her family from Islamabad to Karachi, just so she could be closer to her family. She was looking for support, where she got none. She married off two daughters, married one son multiple times (never worked out) and was capable enough of running the whole household herself. From cooking to cleaning to helping her daughters wi...

I was out with a friend today. Lovely amazing person to spend time with. And we were chatting, during which he reminded me that my blogs have been missing comedy as of late. I highly apologize to my readers. I agree my blogs have been of the dreary nature. To me my writing is whatever comes to mind, and lately it has been all sad and sorry. Let me tell you dear readers, I am a happy person. I do get upset to a point where I don’t let go of that thought. But I try and find the humor in things also. I have been known to make a joke or two. Lame ones I might add, but jokes nonetheless. So yes, someone took my toy from me, that is what I want to talk about. As children we are always at loggerheads with people around us, at kindergarten, the sandbox, among siblings, where we do not like to share. When it comes to sharing we grow up and learn to control our urges. However, as young kids, we have the tendency to cry out he/she took my toy away. How many times have you heard your younger...

So what do you do when relationships end. What specifically do you do when your friendships end? What do you do when you see someone who you have given something to and they carelessly hand it over to someone? To me even if the relationship ended on bad terms, anything and everything handed to me as a gift should be kept as such. A gift from someone who you once cared about. What should be your reaction when you see they have handed it to someone carelessly. Is it an act of contempt, hate, or is it just something you let go of and never look back on? At the end of the day what should be your reaction. Should we ask for our things back? Or is it alright to have them handed about and bandied in your face. See relationships are fragile, yes they break, yes they might not be long lasting. But what I believe is that you don’t insult the other person by such petty acts. Or is it human nature to separate yourself from all that is a reminder of them? Whatever the reason is, I would lik...

What is happiness? Is it when you see your child smile for the first time? Is it when you actually see your parents smile at you with pride? Or is it just sitting and laughing with your friends? Or possibly for you your happiness is siting with your partner and just being. What is happiness to you? Do you actually know? Or is it just an idea you have in your mind, which you run around to conform with. Everyone is different, everyone has a different way of doing things. To each and every one, the idea of happiness is different. But the real question is, do you actually know what makes you happy? Do you actually know what gives you a tingle up your spine? Do you know what actually causes butterflies in your tummy? I thought I knew, but slowly and gradually, that tingle, those butterflies have disappeared. They are now non-existent. In the race to grow up, be an adult, I have lost all that I thought or perceived to make me happy. Those butterflies I'm talking about, that excit...

Sitting at the conference table, during a meeting, looking around at everyone sitting there and finally realizing that you are alone. In a meeting of around 10 people, you are completely and totally alone. There is no one you can look towards and smile. You know the smile I’m talking about, the smile of recognition, the smile of knowing someone is there with you. That is what was missing today. It was one of the biggest meetings of my life, and I felt completely out of sorts and a stranger throughout it all. Like a complete interloper. I realize I have always written when things are not going well for me, or when I’m low. But I would like to point out, what good is a pen and paper, when you are feeling completely alone and miserable. So move on if you do not want to read a whiny post. Ever had that feeling that you are completely alone in a crowd, even when there are people around? I feel that a lot. Everyone will be talking, laughing and enjoying the surroundings, and I will get t...

It isn’t fair, how you care for people, and get nothing in return. So many of you will stand up and say, but why expect from someone, when you know people are callous. But then I like to reiterate that hey if you care for someone, you hope to God that they notice and will keep that in mind. Through the many years of my life, yes I say many because that’s what it feels like, I have noticed that relationships may it be platonic, romantic or familial ones, always are somehow one sided. It always makes me wonder why? How is it possible for someone to care about people and not get anything in return? I believe in giving till the end.  Recently, well not really I have come to a conclusion, that no matter what I do, it won’t ever be enough for someone who wants to be aloof and uncaring. So I came up with a solution, which was to adopt a scorched earth like policy. This policy entails that there will come moments, when at the end of the day I will have had enough. And on those days...

Simple, small wishes are what life really comes down to at some point. Well not always, but sometimes. In summers, in Pakistan, we get this flower, known as the Motia, a flower of the Jasmine family. It is the most beautiful and simple flower I have ever come across. Roses, are by far the most adored flower in world. While the motia is the most underrated flower I have come across. However, it is my favorite flower. Its scent is the simple and sweet and elegant. There is nothing like it in the world. It embodies everything that is related to feminism. In my city, they make bangles of this flower. It can be found at every stop light in our city. Simple, elegant bangles can be found selling at every corner of city. If a man buys me a bangle of motia, he would have a road straight to the heart. What it means, getting such a bangle from a man, is that he thought about you while he stopped at a light. What a woman really wants, is to know that the man she thinks about at multiple time...

I have heard that over time, people become bitter and disappointed. I have also seen it happen. When you want something and other people are getting it. I have seen it happen. What I would like to where the line is. Where does it end being something you want, and something you want because someone else has it. There are no limitations in a human being’s life. So it shouldn’t be a problem when they don’t get something they want right? Well personally thinking I don’t think it’s a problem. But it is for some. There are two ways of looking at it. What might they be? Well one is to strive for what you want until you get what you want. In this case, you damn the consequences and the havoc you might wreak. The other is to think it is not for you and move onto something else. Since you are an adult and you really care about the consequences. Or you can just say it wasn’t your ball game and let it go completely. But let me share one thing with you. What’s life if not for a little bit o...

Let us start by saying that we all have our fault lines. Some might accept theirs while others might very sweetly and amazingly well. But let’s be real, we aren’t those people. We embrace the weirdness that is US. We also make sure we don’t shy away from the fault lines found in us. For example, I had a discussion recently where I labelled myself an optimist who is a cynical realist. What that means you might ask? It is when someone with all their heart wishes for the best, but knows that the world is crummy place and doesn’t amount up too much. So as a cynical realist, it is my responsibility, self-anointed one I might add, to be able to make sure that I spread around the realism which I foresee. For example, there is no such thing as love. Ok hold on, I don’t mean there is no love per se. there is love. I mean look at our parents, they put up with our shitty existence and all our fault lines no matter what. All of you out there who have been kicked out of their homes, need to...

So I have been away for quite some time. There was no post on new year's eve as is my norm. Neither was there one on my birthday or through one of the major changes which I just went through. But today, right now right here, I want to write.  A friend once said to me, that once I actually fall in love, or have a partner, I won't feel the need to write. I wholeheartedly disagreed with him at that time. But then I realized he was right. However, on another note, I'm still single. The reason I have not been able to pen my thoughts, is simple: I don't feel the need to externalize my thoughts anymore. I am extrovert, turned into an introvert. My extrovert fights against it, but then I think that is what growing up is all about.  Ok back to why I want to write today, so it will be a disjointed piece, hope it is not crucified. Its been a whole year to date, that my grandfather passed away. And I have been feeling his absence a lot recently. Probably because I am going thro...