Ghosts of NYE's Gone By

Hmmm,, one more year ends.. the rush to get those party tickets starts... running to the stores to get the "perfect" dress.. sitting in a massive traffic jam to get to that "perfect" party.. No offense..but some of my best memories of new years gone by are not of these noisy, over crowded parties (Hmm! No I am not jealous! I have invites to the Zouk bash... ) but of really special celebrations.. In no particular order,, listing some of them down....

1. 91-92 : The Strings, Sar kiye yeh pahad concert... nearly first row ticket, singing out loud with Dad and unlimited Pakola Ice Cream Soda
2. 91-92 : Playing Hide& Seek with rare turtles that our family friend had saved and was preserving... hiding was easy! the finding took 2 days!
3. 92-93: Zahid uncle's wedding !
4. 95: celebrating in Dhoraji in Hashim Mansion, meeting my great grand father's ghost! (No am NOT kidding or fibbing or any ing!)
5. 96: eating potato fried rice on the water tank with Poori
6. 97: baking a secret cake in Surat!
   
7. 99: Back Stage help with one of Karishma's first BIG shows! :) and meeting some really cutie pies.. who of course had eyes only for K.. But what the hell!
8. 02: Khurram saying Ballls to the New Year! coz he could not come with K, and then we riding on the back of a hilux to get to the party and then hitching a lift back into town!
   
9. 03-04: Sitting in the middle of Vishrantwadi road with army tankers moving on both sides! And Saluting the soldiers with cups of tea!
10. 07: a mad mad mad night at Shalini's place... with Lucy and gang! yeah there were some party poopers there.. but.... nothing beats bringing in the new years , sitting on a ledge 7 floors above the ground with your BFF holding onto you for dear life!
11. 08: Once again at Shalini's place.. theres food, theres music, theres sheesha (For a while! before it was sacrificed) , there;s Razi with me and some awesome company!! once again.. sitting on that ledge.. this time razi holding onto me and ANuj and I seeing if we can see from the old rifle's sight! (No it was not loaded!) and playing Uno and LIfe till God alone knows when..and then getting screamed at coming home at God Alone Knows When!

What does this year hold?

Sugar Free

The following post has no intention of hurting any sentiments.. Rather I felt that it was something funny & beautiful... this is me looking inside the asylum as the "expat" wife! so read on

So, we had a nice dinner at one of the restaurants @ KLCC and were walking about looking for some
"healthy" (snicker!) dessert... what do we see.. a Dunkin Donut!! I clomp in.. look at the selection at the counter... hear a diminutive "may I help you?", look up and ask this lovely lady for a sugar free Donut........... She looks at me and says, "What?" , I say, "Sugar Free Donut la"... she says.. "one minute", I wait...... I can see her conferring with a senior... serious discussion.. lots of gestures and eye rolling.......


So comes back this young lady.. and says, "What you want?", and me.. not ready to give up yet... ,says.. "Sugar Free Donut".... She cocks her head to one side and gives me a look which says, "there are Strange people in this world!", walks over to the donut case, takes out the fattest , whitest, sugar dusted donut and says........ "You buy this la... you pay for donut... sugal flee!"


Hmm... so this happened like, more than a year ago.. at that time my knowledge of Bhasa was limited to makan and terima kasih... I cursed, I laugh... but.. why do I mention it now?? Yesterday I went to GSC @ Mid Valley to see a movie and was at the counter waiting for my pop corn and this guy comes back and says that there is no salted pop corn and that I should take the caramel one.. and before I can say anything.. this girl, who is at the next counter.. looks at me, smiles and says, "No la... caramel pop corn no sugar free.. you give her corn in a cup.. that sugar free!" and gives me a thumbs up! I just stand there looking at her.. and she says.. I met you at Dunkin Donut last year.. You made me realise the meaning of sugar free, remember me?!!!!

Life.... What can I say

A Sad Day

Note: OK well I am not really someone who is a blogger! just trying my had at it to see if I really do remember how to write outside of my work anymore

There are so many times, when I sit and bitch about how hard life is for me.... That I have to cook.. and clean.. and that I am don't have a full time job and that I have to sit in traffic jams, that my maid comes once a week... etc.. you get the pic right? but then some stuff happens, which puts my life in perspective and makes me realise how lucky I am... For anyone from Nasr.... it's like. "count your blessings and name them one by one" kinda moment.



Yesterday was a day of sad news.... In the morning, a friend messaged and told me that another friend from college was mentioned in the obituary column :( It was a shocking moment because I "chatted" with her on Face book just a few days ago!! Turns out that she was suffering from Lung Cancer and had been in the hospital for 3 months, but only her closest people knew. Am not going to eulogise about how well I knew her.. and what great friends we were etc.. because the truth is that we were in the same class in college and then later connected via Facebook and kept in touch.. but when I heard about her and how brave she had been, it humbled me! Here was a woman in obvious pain and someone who knew she did not have much time left, but still went ahead and was concerned about everyone around her and did not tell many people about her suffering because she did not like complaining!




Before that and even for a long time after that it was a happy day.. a friend from Germany , came all the way from Glasgow to meet me (yes.. figure that out!) and we went around and had a fun time discovering Menara and BB and KLCC etc... but then we got news that her brother was involved in a fatal accident and had to rush her to the airport and onto a plane back home instantly.. and although she was crying.. not once did she complain or gripe about anything... she was so graceful.. so composed, though you could see she was paining , breaking inside.. I hope she is OK right now.



It's amazing how short life really is.. you think you can do without anyone.. you feel that you are capable of giving up anyone or anything and then something happens to a person on the periphery of your life and bang wham! you realise that you are NOT an island....



Hmmm.... It is a day I will NOT be forgetting for the longest time yet.. the next time I start griping.. am going to remember these two remarkable

Giving Thanks

I recently read a wonderful article in a Magazine called I.M (www.imag.com.my), it's an online magazine, which distributes free copies every month. It's a magazine devoted to Malaysian Individuality and I must say.. I like!

Well coming back ... They had a wonderful article written by J.A.S on Giving Thanks... and that got me thinking... Here I am.. in a place far far away from the place I used to call home till 1.5 years ago... where nearly everyday has taught me something new, a place I am now in love with.... settling here has been an experience and still is!

I got thinking.. what is it that I am thankful about in Malaysia? Yes, aside from all the happiness that Allah has given me .. here is a small list.. in NO particular order....Some of it may seem very trivial, but each of these things is something I say thanks for EVERYDAY! I tried to keep it down to 10.. otherwise this could become like the Iliad!


My Husband: Yeah yeah! :) I truly am! Here's a man who's more than ready to put up with my madness and well sometimes encourages it! I know I am responsible for any white hair he might get before he is 60 :)


My Friends: These are men and women who have helped me settle in.. who ground me!Who all can I be thankful about? I have truly been blessed with some wonderful people in my life, some I can think of right now; My first friend in KL, even before I got here, Ani.I would not have known 90% of what I know if it had not been for Jessika & Ani, I would not have known as much Bhasa as I do know if it was not for Rahima, Li-Sa, Andria, Anand and Jessika, I would not have met so many amazing people if it had not been for the awesome women at the International Women Association. Ani, Jessika, Rahima Li-Sa who are my sounding boards, Diane, who always has something awesome to say to me, Datin Pearl who ... who has been Datin Pearl! :), and everyone and anyone who I have missed.. U guys / gals have been the reason I have made it so far in KL :)


The Food: Oh My God! This is a mecca for a glutton like me! Where ever I look, there's food! I have realised that Malaysians have 2 favourite pass times: Makan Makan and Jalan Jalan :) and they thought, why waste time on doing two different activities.... why not combine them!! It's my kinda country.. U eat u shop u shop u eat.. anytime of the day or night! The choices bewilder, the taste buds in a constant state of excitement! What more can one ask for?


Everyone on Federal Highway! For letting me through! :) Need I say more!


For the Traffic Phone Rangers on the Radio: Who let me know exactly why I am not moving and entertain me while I (patiently?) wait!


For the Trains ! It's fun to see others fuming along with their cars while I whiz away to my destinations and experience how sardines feel @ rush hour!

For the sweets guy @ Masjid Jam Who makes the most awesome samosas

For the Petronas! Yes! The twin towers! for some reason, they fill me with inspiration and pride.. friends make fun of me coz I call them MY Petronas! What to do! to me they are a symbol of a nation who's motto is Boleh!

The LAnguage! Have picked up more BM in a year than telegu in the 15 years I was in AP (Ok yeah yeah! Telengana now), I know nothing to be proud of.. but the sheer exuberance of the language makes you want to learn it! if nothing else, to understand all the excitement! Some of my favourite phrases/ words .. alamak! (Yes! I thought it was a *bad* word for quite a while!), of course Makan! And Boleh! Boleh! to me signifies the spirit of the nation.. NOTHING is impossible.. We CAN! :)


Last, but definitely not the least...... The People! From the taxi driver, who taught me my first driving lesson (Ma'am in Malaysia, we wait patiently for that guy in front to finish his telefon conversation, we do not honk, even if he is causing a jam for a mile behind!), to the fruit seller who taught me how to identify a ripe mangosteen, to every single person who has smiled at me and corrected me gently when I "try" and speak in Bhasa, who direct me on the roads , who interpret in super markets for me, to the kids at Kuala Selangor, who taught me how to speak to the silver leaf monkeys!To all the policemen who have very patiently listened to me laboriously construct a sentence in BM and then said, " Yes maam, but we can speak English!" To everyone who has ever allowed me to make a royal fool of my self but NEVER ever once laughed, but rather smiled and corrected me!! To everyone who has ever tried to stereotype me. The people in this country have been so wonderful, so warm, so welcoming. Thanks for making me feel like I belong here! Your indefatigable curiosity, your unquestioning acceptance.. humbles me!

I know I have missed out so much... coz everyday I am thankful for something new! well let's just say that I am thankful for being able to be thankful every day!

Share with me.. Tell me what are you thankful for!