Author: farooq Page 29 of 45

Blabbering on a Saturday

On February 14, 2015

It is very rare to wake up during the early hours of the morning on a Saturday. It’s Saturday, you know.
So, today when I did (Accidentally), after having slept midway while watching Supernatural, I was a little surprised at myself. Perhaps, the cycling around town after work helped in the dozing off process!
Made myself a hot cup of coffee, sat on the stairs around balcony sipping it, while getting a little dose of Vitamin-D. Sadly, the view from our balcony isn’t that great. Mostly because we live inside this highly congested residential area of Bangalore, even though I tried to indulge myself into the world around from the confines of 4th Floor.

Morning gets better when you start off with this.

Generally these stray moments with myself are supposed to result in putting me in deep thoughts. Thoughts about life and crap. But I was actually thinking Electricity bills, filling out the groceries, washing clothes and other “important” crap.
Aaah!! The pleasures of the damned working life.
Finally, I also made plans to take my bicycle to the Decathlon store for its first servicing and also to work on a few writing assignments that are due. But well, plans remain plans, especially when I make them.
Yet to even take a shower or to clean the place, which only happens once-a-week. No, not both just the cleaning part. Thankfully, the dinner last night was cooked keeping in mind the Saturday laziness and hence Brunch went well.
Switching off the never-ending tv series’ is tough but well I finally did it and ended up blabbering a little to feed the starving blog. Interesting fact, the blog lost a few posts and lots of amazing comments due to my stupidity and GoDaddys’ over efficiency. But with the Almighty’s grace, it is back in order.

I should accept that it did scared the hell outta me, when I thought I would lose ALL my content. It would have been just impossible to start off again.
I do wonder though, whether it would have resulted in a sort of blogging death or would have given a fresh new start to my writing. Kind of like being born again, right? Who doesn’t want a clean slate ?
Only in this case, the slate remains a testimony to how life and perspectives have changed over time as far as I’m concerned.
But, I’m still trying to make this as a fresh start to writing. It’s a new day and a there’s’ always something to write.

Asus Indiblogger Meet 2015

By farooq

On February 1, 2015

In Others

Blog events are fun. (More so, when you get free food too :P).

Venue of the meet was ITC Gardenia at 5.30 PM. Thankfully, my office is just round the block and my (super awesome) btwin cleared the traffic in a jiffy. Pedaling my way to the venue was tiring but the mood at the meet surely got me all excited.

And whatever little rustiness was still theer, the opening music act got me rid of that too.

Best part of any Blogger meet is to be with the community. It feels the right place for you to belong, surrounded by bloggers all over the place. It gets even more amazing as you end up meeting new folks. It’s the place where you become friends with the bloggers as well as the place where those blog become faces.

ASUS Indibogger meet, Bangalore

This one was organized by ASUS for the launch of its new sleek devices or as they call it, Sleeek. Yes, with an extra “e”. The theme was #GoSleeekAsusExperience which featured ASUS’s All-In-One PC ET 2040 and the sleeek EeeBook X205.

I have been a fan of ASUS, right from the time I got my laptop. The one on which I still write without any trouble for the last 3 years of continuous hard-core usage. These amazing people had even gifted me their amazing zenfone 5 for this blog. Talk about being awesome. This Asus guy even agreed to take a selfie with some of our folks too.

The meet had an amazing host in the form of Anoop. We bloggers indulged in a little “beg, borrow & steal ” of sorts, by asking for persona belongings from each other. It was fun. More than the activity it was fun meeting lots of new people.

We also ended up performing as the “Pirates of the Caribbean” with the theme of blogging. I personally liked the act of another team which performed on Bollywood dialogues. There was an act on Gangnam style and 300!! Spaartaa as well.

After it all ended. It was time for food. Yes, the biggest attraction 😛

One guy honestly even told,that it was the sole reason for his attendance.

It was an amazing expereince like always to meet fellow bloggers and spend time to meet people who are equally crazy.

In the end, this picture sums it all up beautifully.

.. and it was amazing…#IndiBloggerMeet

Thank you Indiblogger and ASUS for this. Looking forward to many more. 🙂

Remembering RK Laxman

By farooq

On January 27, 2015

In Others

Every morning, before handing over the newspaper to my Grandpa, I used to check out this page in the newspaper. Among all the other things I used to check, there were these cartoons which always topped the list. It was very rare that I understood those. But I made it a point to read and understand them.

Much as I miss handing over the newspapers as well as I miss my grandpa, I also miss the joy of once-in-a-blue-moon feeling of having understood those cartoons. Most of the times, it was grandpa who would try to help me out in understanding them.

The name of RK Laxman is synonymous with those cartoons. It was then; it is now and will be for a long time.

A picture speaks a thousand words. His cartoons spoke more than that. Over the years, they have explained the plight of the common man without the paint of biased viewpoints which the media of today reeks of.

The appeal of those cartoons is not limited to any age-group but catered to one and all. They brought out the plight of a common man. The problems of the common man, just with the help of his cartoons.

His name is synonymous with these cartoons which he began in 1951 in the cartoon strip, “You said it”.

His cartoons were a very important part of his famous brother, RK Narayan’s Malgudi days adaptation on Television.

RK Laxman, you’ll always be remembered. RIP.

Today, I’m gonna Write

By farooq

On January 26, 2015

In Random Philosophy

Writing is very instinct based. sometimes, you just don’t feel like writing and sometimes all your head wants is, to go hard at the keyboard.
Life’s like this too. Most of the times, we are laid back and push ourselves into not doing anything. We don’t want to remain in this state of not doing anything but we still end up.
Newton’s law of motion couldn’t have found a better example for inertia.
What we can do is, prolong those periods when we are trying not to be lazy. We should try to make use of the time, when we strongly feel that we are not in that zone of laziness.
Being organised is tough, but isn’t impossible.

Writing

With maintaining a day job and trying to find time for things like writing gets more difficult.
But today, I plan to change this. I plan to just write.
The idea is to complete all the pending write-ups. All the issues shouting out of my head will be put down in writing.
It is not everyday that one get this feeling, so in case you accidentally come wandering around something like that.Maybe it would be something other than writing in your case.

Go and start off, what your laziness has been stopping you from doing.

I’m Writing.

Freedom of speech ?

By farooq

On January 23, 2015

In Politics & Social Issues

Have you ever wondered how families of criminals, murderers, rapists feel when one of their own gets arrested for their crimes, or it comes out that one has done any crimes ?

When terror attacks happen (which, apparently only Muslims commit), we get the exact same feeling. The feeling that someone from our extended Islamic community did the horrifying act. We feel hurt, just like anyone else. To tell you the truth, we feel more hurt than anyone else. Its understood that some of you, who would be reading this will have their own notions about Islam and Muslims, notions which are largely part of how you see us painted by Media.

Picture this, “a shooter opens fire in a school in London”

and this, “A jihadi-militant opens fire in a school in london”

I don’t even have to tell you, to create opinions on your own about Muslims and Islam, as you already might have.

I don’t want to make this another “justification”, which we have to do after every attack and that is partly why I didn’t even made a statement condemning it. Why, you ask ?

Well, because that is what we do. It is as if to tell the world that we didn’t do that, there were some nut-heads at work, so please don’t brand us along with them.

Being branded is not new to us, we have grown accustomed to it. We have to carry an additional baggage of feeling hurt and guilty that there are people who wouldn’t blink an eye before blaming Islam for everything that happens by the acts of a few. I’m tired. Actually, we are tired. But then, there is always this hope that people will understand this, someday.

We are questioned for everything.

There’s Bakried (Eid-ul-Azha), and a whole lot of organisations up in arms telling the world about so many animals being sacrificed in the name of religion. Yes, we do sacrifice animals in the name of our religion, we eat the meat, distribute it among the poor and even revere that meat for days and not waste it.

Media brings out topics on terrorism and asking us views of Muslims on that. Please keep a note, we condemn every one of those attacks. We also condemn all attacks on our religion. We also condemn derogatory speeches or cartoons which violate our religious practices. We, also condemn the attacks on people in the name of our religion or Prophet. We don’t want to kill people who don’t agree with us, but then what you can do about some crazy ones ?

We are responsible for so many things. All the problems in the world is just because of us. Right ?

Someone even filed a petition to stop the morning azaan (early morning call to prayer) as it disturbs sleep. Talk about freedom of speech. Irony, anyone ?

I’m all okay, and so would other Muslims be, with the idea of freedom of speech. But don’t be selective in that. The daily, which was hell-bent on publishing offensive Islamic cartoons, rejected a few cartoons publications as they were antisemitism. Yeah, right freedom of speech!!

I’m okay, sad but okay, to see people use their freedom of speech. But it is very difficult to digest the hypocrisy. Just don’t support Freedom of speech for your convenience.

For the record, I don’t like Tasleema Nasreen or Salman Rushdie, because their idea of Islam is wrong. I won’t go and kill them or issue fatwas against them. I didn’t liked MF hussain too, I wouldn’t have let him leave India too.

This quote, sums up my Idea of Free speech perfectly

Don’t blow the horn of Freedom of speech when you are the one speaking.

To MSD: A fan-letter

By farooq

On December 30, 2014

In Sports

There were no “news leaks” floating around about retirement, there was no marketing to make a full-house farewell and nor there was any photo-op to bid farewell to the longer format of the game. Everything was same as it has always been.

A silent march, with stumps in his hands, and the same attitude which he has always carried on, he called it a day.

[Picture Courtesy: Crickradar.com]

I won’t argue with people on whether he was better in tests than One dayers or he wasn’t in any or any random accusation which the anti-dhoni brigade will come up with.

You die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. Was he slowly inching towards that ?

For someone who has admired him from the time he played in the India-A squad in Zimbabwe, and then being called in for the Bangladesh tour, it is difficult to imagine him being the villain. Not now, not ever.

It is not just the aggressive batting style, or his captain cool avatar but also the way he has carried himself off the field. He is an icon.

Its a little unusual to take in, that he has retired. But with him still being there for ODI’s is a relief.

Kohli is amazing batsmen and it would be great to see him lead the test side with his brand of aggressive captaincy.

To the captain, who carried the team of veterans as well as youngsters.

[Picture Courtesy: India.com]

Cheers to Mahendra Singh Dhoni!! You’ll always remain an icon.

2014 in review by WordPress.com

By farooq

On December 30, 2014

In Others

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 8,900 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

PK: The Muslim Story

By farooq

On December 29, 2014

In Movies & Entertainment, Politics & Social Issues

PK.

To take the message of PK (or even OMG!!, which was a far better film than PK) in the context of just one religion is confining it to a tiny circle.

True that the movie focused mainly on how Hinduism has been ransacked by Godmen and traditions which are more aimed at money-making than spiritual, but look closely and you find it in every religion.

All religions in their most authentic forms without the time-induced “traditions” being added for the sake of uniformity, for politicization, and more importantly, convenience has diluted them. To speak about any other religion other than Islam would be wrong. First, because of the ideological difference and second, because I know comparatively more about my religion than the rest. Comparatively, is the word here.

When you notice people thronging mazaars (Sufi Shrines like Ajmer), it is the general tendency to associate it with Muslims and Islam. The question arises, whether it actually is or not?

Islam is a monotheistic religion. Muslims only believe in the concept of One True God, i.e. Allah and any associations or comparison is not part of it. So, to put it just, you are to ask for all your needs from Allah. Through all your prayers, you communicate with Allah, place your needs and desires before him, and expect him and only him to fulfill it. It is that belief, a true connection gets established. Everything depends on your intention and your belief that it is only Allah who can fulfill it.

There is a sizable chunk of Muslims, who visits mazaars, (Indian Subcontinent) and tries to bridge the connection through the saints to speedily make their desires and needs fulfilled. I have heard many Muslims term this as zarriya (pathway) to Allah, and the saints do sifarish (recommendation) for these prayers.

Now, many (includes many of my close relatives who might frown upon me saying this) follow this path. While there are others, who consider this as shirk (Establishing partners with Allah). I can go and express my views on this, but for now, it is not relevant, and for many, it will be difficult to comprehend.

These mazaars are a place where you buy some sweets to be put up for niyaaz (or fateha) inside mazaars. Practices range from placing a chaadar (piece of cloth) over their mausoleum (burying place of the saint). Some even say, they are not dead and have just put up a veil from the world. Although Islam clearly mentions “Kullu nafsin, zaikatul maut” meaning every living being has to taste death.

Now, are these part of Islam? In my opinion, it is not. But people still do it. Muslims still always follow these practices.

I don’t even want to add about terrorism and its misinterpretation of Jihaad.

As a Muslim and a believer, should I not try to bring out these practices which are not part of my religion but are being followed or people are being made to follow by the so-called moulanas ??

Now, consider the same situation for the plot of the movie PK, which focuses largely on the Hindu side of the story. Of how the religion has ended up being connected to a “wrong number” by these babas.

Is your protest driven by the fact that it is a Muslim Aamir khan portraying PK. Why single out PK, when you had Paresh Rawal playing almost the same and even more serious character in OMG!!?

Believe me, writing this line about Aamir sounded ridiculous to me. But then have heard many points to this very angle for the film’s plot.

If you protest that your religious belief about Hinduism has been hurt, then I’ll stand by you to make sure that PK or for that matter any other movie doesn’t do so again. But if your protest is based on why Only Hinduism, then please little re-think and view the whole issue in the larger context.

Religion doesn’t need Godmen but people who become men of God and form a connection with the Almighty. Who is it in your case? The God or these Babas or maulanas?

on the road to be a writer…

By farooq

On November 30, 2014

In Random Philosophy

Saw two back-to-back movies today. My general instinct is to come back home and write a review on them. Today too, I tried the same. Two lines into it, and I just didn’t felt like. Not that I don’t like writing them or find it too much of an effort, but I’ve got a little tired of routine. Of being monotonous. This is, one very important part of that routine.

Not that this is going to stop altogether, I will write them once in a while, but just trying to break free from the routine. It’s been long since I even experimented with my writing. Frankly, I never give this the attention it deserves. I never get tired of telling about how I love writing. But do I? I just try to find the easy way to express something out. Writing movie reviews, is not at all writing. At least, not according to me. It is more of describing your experience and more of a resource for generating a viewership for your blog.

Even this attempt to blabbering about me not writing is not some unique piece of content being written upon. If I could remember correctly, my attempts to get back to writing have in itself generated many posts. To quote a few of them, An attempt to get back to writing and kicking the writer’s block. Ironically, the second one dealt with 5 ways to solve the problem 😛

And this isn’t all. Started off two short story series, namely The Broken glass and An Idiots love story before that, and couldn’t finish even those. It is not just about the laziness, of which I’m so full of but life being in no particular direction. All I crave for is peace. The ultimate desire to go some place quiet. Just sit there with my laptop and pen down things I really want to write about. Earlier this imagination was filled with me, living in a secluded old cosy house overlooking the city, with me writing by the view of the window. The imagination has surely modified itself with time, but the vague picture remains the same.

Writing something good and feeling it to be good yourself when you read it, is an achievement. I never feel like re-reading my posts to edit things, to correct things. I know I should, but apart from the visible grammar errors, there never seems to be a need to make changes. I believe it was in that moment which I thought of writing that sentence the way I thought. It was the naked picture that my words portrayed there, in putting fancy clothes on it to make it good later, will definitely make it appreciative. But in that craving of appreciation, I left the opportunity to introduce the true self of that sentence.

To a large extent, many write from how the audience or the readers would take the piece written. I won’t totally exclude myself from that list, but my true self will only come across if I write from that part of my heart which doesn’t focus entirely on that.

I’m choosing the road. Will try to travel along, hopefully a little faster this time and complete those unfinished stories with endings they deserve.

6 months after I started working

By farooq

On November 28, 2014

In Others

Friday.

Last Working day of this month. The penultimate month of the year is about to end. I have my confirmation letter in the drawer beside me. Oh yes, completed 6 months on the job and can officially throw away the trainee tag out of my Job title. (Aah! That feeling 🙂 )

The weekend is almost there, right when I’ll step outside the office, the anticipation growing, while I type this. Work has been roadblocked by the absence of one of my boss (Oh, I have 5 of them) and the urge to write something instead of continuing to work for the day.

There’s a lot to be said about what’s my work like to me, but with the lack of any comparative standard (as this is my first job), I’m at a loss of words (actually, appropriate words).

I’ve prepared this list of things that I’ve got to do, and things that I’ve done. The list stares at me in the board of my cubicle. It’s a long list of things. But the post-its on top of that elusive list tells me, If I can do those, I can kick the others’ asses too :P.

It has been years since I’ve regained my confidence. Getting it back has been the biggest achievement for me in the last 6 months. To categorize this as having “proven myself”, will be too much of an exaggeration but yes, would love to brag that the road has been chosen (chosen wisely). Sometimes, I wonder how thing would have been had I taken the Sales job offered back then. But then, I am thankful for this one.

t-marketer-concept

A lot of credit goes to how things went during my MBA days. And this includes both good and the bad (Ohh, real bad!!). Somehow, the way things fell in place only makes me understand the beauty of Allah. I mean with every day, I become more mesmerized of his blessings. I’ve been really lucky in a lot of things.

One other chapter (I call them as chapters too) that I’ve added to my life in these months is fulfilling my desire to travel. It is not just about the places which I travel to, but the journey itself. My one-trip-a-month has been going on right since I joined this job. I do look forward for many more such trips, especially now when I’ll get to have more leaves (Permanent, you know 😛 ). While Pondicherry was the first time I travelled, explored and immersed in a place. Mumbai, with its charm and Mangalore with friends had its own magic. And of course the bike trip to yelagiri was another way to catch up with nature, myself and falling in love with the road.

A job teaches you a lot of things. To manage yourself completely. Learning to handle your finances, to look forward to salary day and yes to forget about everything related to work over the weekend!! (I’ve already forgot :P)

It has its share of frustrations as well. The work-cribbing, the bad coffee, bottle-necks, deadline pressures, work getting more technically inclined (you have no idea, from MBA in Marketing to being branded a web developer in office) and no system in place.

But when I look at things from a different angle, understanding of not looking at your bosses or work environment from the eyes of existing employees, necessary deadlines to make me complete work faster, learning technical things which any other Marketing job, wouldn’t have made me do and working like a one-man army without a constraint.

Did I forget something? Yes bad coffee?? They replaced the machine so its decent now. And even if not, there should be one thing to crib about your office right? 😛