There's someone who's taking the color out of my picture, who's causing darkness all around, robbing my markets of life. The voices, once chirpy and excited have all gone quiet. I wait for my death to hit me sometime.There's just so much one gets to hear that’s wrong with the system and the society that sometimes we wonder if there's anything at all that's right. But then there's always something that might brighten us up even if for a split second. This post goes out to all the people who are victims of Monday blues and are thinking of something to look forward to, this Monday and a few more.
The Ramadan timings.
Gone are the days when it used to be cold and it was hard getting up without a blanket wrapped around yourself, the sehris are more like any other meal of the day. Of course the extra consumption of yogurt does make you feel much better about yourself, but imagine if its a Monday. Sehri takes an entirely different shape as we keep convincing ourselves that today is just another day at the same office you go everyday to. But it's not that easy I've learnt. So you start thinking of things to look forward to.
The best way is to go to other extreme of your day at work which is when you're driving back home. Thinking of that time eases a little pressure on the shoulders sometimes and the thought that you'll be going home while the sun's still out makes you even happier.
But then again these are mere thoughts, the day always goes on at its pace. But one thing you notice is that the tea cups from desks and coffee mugs are understandably absent and work goes on at a slower pace. If I'm not exaggerating its always a good time to shout out to someone at the other end of the office to discuss last night's news bulletin, our country is a happening place.
Somehow there's a general understanding amongst most people that not a lot of work can be expected during Ramadan, except obviously if yours is a company that does greater business in Ramadan. So, across the board the Ramadan phenomenon prevails. This certainly gives a relief from the merciless corporate grind of today.
As the day ages, people start looking at their watches and wall clocks, starting to wind up the work hours before the clock strikes home. This is one of the longest times of the day when you do everything to ensure that the time passes quickly. Inside everyone knows, overtime isn't expected plus the boss has to go home early too, he has Iftar parties to attend, what more could you ask for?
And finally the agonizingly slow clock strikes out, and immediately there's this urge to scream 'freedom' as loud as possible. And this is the part of the day you thought at sehri about. You make a mental note of this event to cherish next Monday so that you can avoid the Monday blues, but then you remember you did that last Monday too.
Suddenly all you have in mind is the slow drive back home and a bed that's ready for you to tuck into, and that too at 4pm. This is how work was meant to be.
Every hour here is pretty strange. Lets take one of the 12 examples each day.
6:59…shucks one minute left that’s it, damn I had to iron clothes, make a smoothie, iron my clothes, dust the car and now there’d no light in the garage, had to vacuum my carpet, my cell’s running out of battery so is my laptop, and a bigger problem, only one minute till my modem goes off nadd I can post this post no longer, I had to do my research for my report, had to mail umair my cv, had to change my status on facebook, well that I can do from my cell too but still, I had to watch that match on tv and fight with sis for the remote, damn the match would be over effectively when the electricity comes back again, one minute one minute one minute, damn, so much to do so little time, so little so little what should I do first….mmmmmmmm
7:00…*BLUCK*
In the dim light of UPS powered energy savers and noisy fans I sit there in helplessness, almost expecting to be surprised by the WAPDA people, that for once we’d have another hour of civilization. But no. Strangely, WAPDA employs sadistically punctual people but who can blame them, its obviously very pleasing to make so many millions helpless with the push of one button…aaargh…
7:01… haye its okay, I can rest for a while, play solitaire till the battery of the lappy goes out…sigh sigh sigh
And an hour passes, like the negative part of the sine wave, yes its that mechanical now.
7:59… power’s about to be back what should I do what should I do…yessssssssss I’m so lucky its gonna come back yoohoo…
Like it wasn’t supposed to…
8:00… thank God…lets see…hmmmmmm…I’m so happy I cant think of anything to do, really, Kasmay…so happy so happy….woohoooo
And the happiness lasts for another 59 minutes. Needless to say, nothing can be done in that time period, because of sheer joy. Its like the most intense high, experienced 12 times everyday yet more powerful than the last.
Who needs drugs?
Good time for another one :p
well I’ve been doing a lot. But I don’t think I should mention all of that. Its like I began a completely new life. A really beautiful one. Other than that, I might quote some of my adventures from time to time.
And btw it feels really strange to be writing again, because for the past 6 7 months, the stuff I have written has been of completely different nature :p writing on my blog seems completely different. But I will settle down inshaAllah. Once I get back my blog friends that is :p.
One person I know who’d be reading this is mubi, not because she was a very loyal reader but because I’m going to bug her into reading this, and like a good girl she will (pardon the makhan :p). All the other people I might have to wait for but then Mr. Smacula has never dissppointed me, always been an excellent senior, a UETian helping another. There are other people too, but there’s no way I can remind them that I exist L these two I can catch thru that thing called facebook. But not to worry, I brought it all onto me myself.
So much has been going on in and around our beloved piece of land these days. And so much has not been happening. I say that because half the day, there is no electricity anyways. Like literally ofr 12 hours we are in the dark. Remember when we were kids we used to wonder about lands imn the arctic where it used to be a whole season of day and another of night?? Ab paish kartay hain new and improved, ek ghanta din aur ek raat. Like a zebra, black white black white, and surprisingly that’s the only thing we are more than consistent at, they don’t miss a chance to make us sweat. And rightly so, we’re the poor citizens and not people who go around the city in their 4x4s, looking at the common man in disgust. We are the disgusting common men. People who sweat and go dark and don’t have air conditioners that run on generators fueled by the government’s purse. I have a lot on my mind with regard to all that. And its gonna come out soon inshaAllah.
Ahm ahm…its kinda awkward, slightly difficult and extremely embarrassing. Its like ummmmm…like a village guy who had a little bit of respect in his village, runs away from his home, his village and after some time, realizes that Damn! I need to go back. Not that the village needs the negligent chap, but for his own sake.
Now he’s in a predicament, a very awkward situation. He doesn’t know how he will be greeted. He could be welcomed with garlands, he could be. Or, he could be thrown stones at. But these two situations would only be considered if he ummmm is not forgotten. He could be ignored, all the people he had got to know would have certainly moved on and rightly so, he wasn’t much of a company either, not to regular not to committed in his commitments to them not too interested in his interests. So when he went away, not a lot of people exactly saw the butterfly effect, they didn’t feel it. But like I said, the village boy felt the gravity of what he had done, what he had missed and what he was missing. And he realized that because his life had become the most beautiful the most wholesome it had ever been. It had changed completely from the last time he saw his village. And he was made to realize by the person who changed his life that the village was an integral part of him.
He doesn’t know if there will be people who’d visit him when he’d go to the village, doesn’t even know if he’d ever get a place to live in. that doesn’t mean the people are cruel or mean or unwelcoming, but it’s a common observation and a deserved punishment for being negligent towards something you love so much.
But then, that’s life, when someone makes you realize something, some mistake, it makes you a better person, and it makes you even better if you go back on the mistake if you can and ask for the people involved to take you back if they can. Certainly the other villagers have been really nice people.
Maybe, its time I go back, irrespective of the treatment I’d receive.
To anyone who missed me, I’m sorry. To all the ones who didn’t, its good I don’t have to apologise to everyone :p…
But it feels awesome to be back to my blog. Been long.
And thankyou MAQ for making me realize.
Btw MAQ is the person who made my life the most beautiful a person could have.
True love brings you back from the deepest of dungeons.
