Sunday Stealing: The Strange Question Meme

Part 2

26. What color is your watch?
I have one Brown and a Black

27. What do you think of when you hear “Australia”?
Racism

28. Would you strip for money?
No

29. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
I prefer the drive thru.

30. What is your favorite number?
Two

31. Who’s the last person you talked to on the phone?
My dad.

32. Any plans today?
Nope.

33. In how many states have you lived?
1 state.

34. Biggest annoyance right now?
Am not annoyed right now.

35. Last song listened to?
An Arabic song..."Ya Dab Dab" by Nancy Ajram. I have no clue what the song means but I like it's sound.

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards?
Nahhhh

37. Do you have a maid service clean your house?
No

38. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
Anything that is comfortable.

39. Are you jealous of anyone?
I dont think so. They are time when I probably am envious of certain people but nothing harmful. I am quite contended with my life.

40. Is anyone jealous of you?
Again, I dont think so.

41. Do you love anyone?
TRUELY, MADLY, DEEPLY.

42. Do any of your friends have children?
Yes. Quite a few of them.

43. What do you usually do during the day?
Wash, clean, vaccuum, cook, read....

44. Do you hate anyone that you know right now?
No. They are 1 or 2 people I cant stand, but 'hate' is too strong a word.

45. Do you use the word hello daily?
Yes.

46. What color is your car?
Silver grey

47. What size wedding ring do you wear?
It fits me well and looks good on my hand...who cares what size it is?

48. Are you thinking about someone right now?
No.

49. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
No

50. How did you get your worst scar?
I got it, a couple of years ago, in the form of a 'person'.

Precious Smile

Sometimes a smile can convey more than words. A smile can complete your day. A smile can give you a good night’s sleep.

A long time ago V, me and 2 other friends went to the Al-Nakheel beach to spend the evening. We packed home cooked food, grabbed some chips a bottle of Pepsi and we drove off to have some good time. It was nothing less than a picnic. Infact it was a picnic.

The Nakheel beach is a beautiful place with lovely parks throughout the stretch of the beach. On either sides of the road you will find families having a good time and kids playing football, flying ‘spiderman’ kites, riding tri-cycles… It is a place full of life. And there is always the appetizing aroma of barbeque in the air.

After a while I wanted to take a walk in the grass, barefoot. I love the feel of grass on my bare feet. V joined me. We then noticed a shadow, from the park lights, of a little girl, not more than 6 years, following us. We turned back and she ran away laughing. I noticed that girl a while ago running around and playing with someone who I thought was her father. She again slowly started walking behind us and we turned back. She seemed to enjoy this small game as she kept doing it and laughing. She gave us 2 pamphlets that she picked up in the park. I made a boat out of it, V made a rocket and gave it to her. She took it and ran away giggling to where her family was sitting.

She kept coming back with more and more such papers and we kept making the same things. She seemed to enjoy it all. She said something in Arabic that we didn’t understand but we knew she was having fun.

We started having our dinner and still the kid kept coming. We offered her to sit with us and eat but she handed over some more papers. We finally served some food in a plate and gave her thinking she will eat. She smiled, said something, took the plate and went back to where her family was sitting. After about 10 minutes, she came again and stood before us extending the plate as if asking for more. She again went back with the plate to where her family was sitting.

After some time, I saw her walking towards us with the plate in her hand and a smile on her lips. I was about to serve her some more food when she said “Khallas. Shukhraan!! Shukhraan!!” (Finished. Thank you!). She left the plate next to me and ran towards the beach, washed her hands, came back to us, gave a contented smile and said something and ran away. We couldn’t follow what she said except for ‘Shukhraan!!’. But her smile conveyed more than her words.

What she did next was so unexpected. As we were packing our stuff and getting ready to leave, she came to me and gave me a small packet which had some leftover popcorn. She shoved it into my hand, again said ‘Shukhraan!’, shook my hand with her innocent smile and ran away.

Yesterday, for some reason I kept remembering the smile on that little girls face. It was priceless! And it made my day. Again.

Pleeease Teachaaaa…

I have recently started giving tuitions to 2 kids, a girl and a boy. They are in class II and U.K.G. respectively. Schools here have reopened after 3 months of vacation. When I agreed to teach them, on the request of their mother, I was glad that I will have something more to do, to kill some time every day. I was excited as teaching is something I have always enjoyed doing.

The boy cries everyday refusing to come to tuition. His mother literally pushes him inside my house. On the first day, when he sat sulking in a corner, I told him I’d give him a cup-cake if he came in and did his home-work. It worked. The next day, to my surprise, he said, “Teachaa, first you give me cake, then I do my home work.” Too smart. I realized soon that he is a ‘born negotiator’ . He has to negotiate for everything and anything. I say, read this spelling aloud 10 times and he will say “Please teachaa, 10 times no reading. Only 5 times.” When I say write One to Twelve, he says ‘Please teachaa, I no write. I tell. Please…please….please…please…” Yeah, he will keep on saying please till he realizes that there is no use.

On the first day, just to brush up, I gave the girl some additions and subtractions.. “2 in the mind, 3 on the fingers. After 2…3, 4, 5.”

I smiled to myself. That was how we all did our additions. She has a whole lot of questions like, “Where you ‘buyed’ this dress teachaa?”, “You know rangoli teachaa?” “For tuition we have summer holidays teachaa?”

It is amazing how kids can surprise us. They all do the same things but in their individual style. Their questions are so innocent and concepts so simple. They don’t even need a joke to laugh. They are always excited about something and have always have something to tell. But soon I realized that teaching some one that young is not as easy as I thought. Their attention span is short and they keep getting restless by the second.

Children are sure are a different world altogether.

Sunday Stealing: The Strange Question Meme, Part 1

1. What is the color of your toothbrush?

White and blue

2. Name one person who made you smile today.

My hubby. But it's still 8:10 am and I am sure they will be more people by end of day who will make me smile.

3. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?

Washing the morning tea cups.

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago?

Making my breakfast.

5. What is your favorite candy bar?

I dont like candy. Too sweet for my liking.

6. Have you ever been to a strip club?

Nope.

7. What is the last thing you said aloud?

"Bye!" to my friend on the phone.

8. What is your favorite ice cream? How to choose?

Belgium Dark Chocolate.

9. What was the last thing you had to drink?

Water

10. Do you like your wallet?

I LOVE IT!

11. What was the last thing you ate?

A banana.

12. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?

No.

13. The last sporting event you watched?

Cricket on tv last night. I cant even understand the game but hubby dear was watcing and I just happened to see now and then.

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?

Plain salt.

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to?

To my hubby.

16. Ever go camping?

No.

17. Do you take vitamins daily?

Not everyday. I keep forgetting taking them sometimes. (Guess I need some memory pills.)

18. Do you go to church every Sunday?

No. I dont go to a temple everyday either and have never been to a mosque.

19. Do you have a tan?

Nope.

20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza?

Oh yeah.

21. Do you drink your soda with a straw?

Sometimes I do.

22. What did your last text message say?

The last message was a service message from my service provider. It was in Arabic so I have no clue what it means.

23. What are you doing tomorrow?

Nothing different from what I'm doing today.

24. Favorite color?

Black, White and shades of Yellow.

25. Look to your left; what do you see?

I see a wall.

Sunday Stealing: One Long Meme (Part One)

1. The phone rings. Who will it to be? Either Nidhi or Seema, my friends.
2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart? Ofcourse. Arn't we supposed to?
3. In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener? Talker.
4. Do you take compliments well? Nope. I start feeling embarrassed.
5. Do you play Sudoku? No.
6. If abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive? I think so.
7. Did you ever go to camp as a kid? No.
8. What was your favorite game as a kid? Hide and Seek I think.
9. If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew she was married, would you? NO. And I am happily married so persuing anybody is out of question.
10. Could you date someone with different religious beliefs than you? I could, as long as the other person respects my beliefs.
11. Do you like to pursue or be pursued? A bit of both.
12. Use three words to describe yourself? Happy, Sensible and Loyal
13. Do any songs make you cry? Oh yeah. Quite a few of them.
14. Are you continuing your education? Formal education, no. But the process of learning is something that will never stop.
15. Do you know how to shoot a gun? Nope.
16. Have you ever taken pictures in a photo booth? A photo studio but not in a booth.
17. How often do you read books? All the time.
18. Do you think more about the past, present or future? A bit of all. But more about NOW.It keeps me happy.
19. What is your favorite children’s book? I love Tinkle comics. I still buy them in railway stations.
20.What color are your eyes? Dark brown.
21. How tall are you? 5.2 1/2"
22. Where is your dream house located? My dad made one opposite the sea in my home town. I will make the other in the middle of nature. With lots of greenery, in a small quaint place. Definetly not in a big polluted noisey city.
23. If your house was on fire, what would be the first thing you grabbed? My cell phone. A couple of years ago, it would have been my handbag 'coz I would have all my stuff, wallet, ID, cell phone, charger...everything in there. Now I hardly use my handbag.
24. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden? We dont have one here.
25. Where was the furthest place you traveled today? While answering question no. 22, I travelled all the way to my Dream house. "Someday. Somewhere."
26. Do you like mustard? I do. It is the best part of a hot-dog.

TV is Boring.

Gone are the days of the “Saas Bahu” drama. Now it is reality shows everywhere. Not that the saas bahu serials were any good.
I once, long time ago, did make the mistake of watching 2 episode one of the “K” serials with my aunt. I had no clue what it was about them kept the women folk glued to TV’s. They were so irritating, annoying and ridiculous.

And now reality shows have taken over. They are there on every channel. One hardly get to see a decent entertainer on TV these days. Unless ofcourse you are a sucker for either gross or bitchy stuff.

There is so much bitching and foul language on the show that there is more “beep” than their actual talk. I learnt swear words in college and my little brother in school. Kids these days are probably learning all that in play school itself. The thought itself is horrifying. Contestants are just not tired of bitching about each other. How negative can one be?

And then there are another set of shows which are so gross that make it difficult for me to have a meal if watch it even for a couple of minutes. Cockroaches, spiders, snakes…yukkkk. How the hell can one just let them crawl all over? And that too half naked. Seriously, aren’t the contestants half naked most of the time? I am not prude but am not out of my mind either. I sometimes wonder if all these people are confuse between being modern and being western.

What’s the point of having so many channels when we don’t get decent stuff to watch. I wonder if it because of lack of creativity. TV channels compete in being gross and bitchy and disgusting.

Seriously, TV, these day's is such a bore.

How many other things are we missing?

I am blogging after so long that I almost forgot my blogspot password. I guess I have a tendency to 'shut off' every now and then.

I read the following article, an email forward, I thought I should share it. I don’t know if it is a true story as claimed, but then, it could be.

Washington, DC, Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes, a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried to meet his schedule.......

4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:
A 3-year-old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money, but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the Metro Station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.... How many other things are we missing?