A really funny incident happened recently. I was parking the car in reverse in Reef Mall parking lot, where I was taking Naqiyah while her mom went for Slum Dog Millionair. Seeing the obvious attention that I was paying to parking the car properly she commented:
Be careful how you park the car. If you park wrongly policeman will give you a fine.(Thats fine, however she immediately repeated) - If you don't park properly policeman will give you a Good!:)
Ofcourse explaining to her that a good is not a fine, although fine means good was not so easily done :)
Monday, January 26, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Amnesty 100 days campaign
Obmama represents hope.. never more so evident as during my recent trip in Africa.. there you can see people selling Obmama portraits.. calling Kenyan Airlines - Obama Airlines, and surprise surprise Nigerian Foreign minister saying this shows that African people have to stop blaming the world for their woe's and backwardness and start taking their future in their own hands (One of the titles in Kenyan airport shop - 'How Europe kept Africa backward').
Besides these ofcourse we have middle east, global economy and many other things.. but close to my heart and for which Obama already has gotten thumbs up and brownie points from me is human rights.. Obmana has made a good start by many of his pr0nouncement for closure of Gautanamo Bay.. Checkout this wishlist for more that we hope is done:
Besides these ofcourse we have middle east, global economy and many other things.. but close to my heart and for which Obama already has gotten thumbs up and brownie points from me is human rights.. Obmana has made a good start by many of his pr0nouncement for closure of Gautanamo Bay.. Checkout this wishlist for more that we hope is done:
Sunday, January 18, 2009
You have something for me ?
Nigeria.. crossing the border is quite an experiance as recounted by friend of his first experiance. Luckily for him, now since he's a Member of Parliment of neighbouring Country (cant give specifics and his name, to protect his identity, he still has to visit Nigeria from time to time), from now on he only travels by his friend Nigerian Ambassador's official vehical when he needs to cross to visit Nigeria.. nyway story is relevant cause i'm in process of trying to cross over by land to visit Lagos ( foolhardy some say..) tommorow will know the final result.. seems some chinese crossed over from benin and decided to stay there ( God knows why!) and hence the difficulties to get visa are compounded..
My friend's experiance:
Guard : Welcome.. Hope you are fine
My friend: (thinking.. wow such friendly people) Bonjour!( Speaks french generally)
Guard : Passport please.
My friend hands it over...
Guard : You have something for me?
My friend: Doesn't quite understand and says no...
Guard: Keeps the passport aside.. now my friend is in one corner, parked to the side.. waiting..
after half an hour...
My friend: Sir.. my passport..? is it checked?
Guard: You have something for me?
My friend : No , Sir!
Guard: We need to do security check.. step into that room please..
My friend having clean concience goes into the room..
Guard: Starts searching him... You have something for me?
My friend.. obstinate as ever.. no sir! (Guards in question are young kids who generally we'd not take seriously)
Guard materialises a packet of Cocain from his own pocket..
Guard: What is this.. you are trying to smuggle cocain into my country!!!!...You have something for me??
My friend now sweating : No , No, Thats not mine...!!! I did not have that!
Guard: No! It was with you, You are trying to smuggle drugs into my country!!
Guard starts to file an official report of the drug catch...
My friend: What you want.. take , here 100 USD(removes from his shoes - cause most people going to Nigeria tend to tuck away money in different supposedly inaccessible places)
Guard: Thats not enough... 1000 USD....
My friend : What ??? 1000 USD for what!!!!
Guard continues writing the report till my friend has litereally stripped himself and given all he has...
Guard finally convinced that he's taken all stamps my friends passport and tell's him to go ahead.
My friend: No, No, I want to go back to my country... Now I have no money, no need to go to lagos..
Guard: No! You have to go, finish your business and come!!!
Ofcourse Guard doesn't accept my friend to go back to Benin.. finally my friend goes ahead and takes a long u-turn ahead to Benin border...
At the border crossing to cross over to Benin on the Nigerian side, to get an exit stamp...
Guard : You have something for me ?????
My friend's experiance:
Guard : Welcome.. Hope you are fine
My friend: (thinking.. wow such friendly people) Bonjour!( Speaks french generally)
Guard : Passport please.
My friend hands it over...
Guard : You have something for me?
My friend: Doesn't quite understand and says no...
Guard: Keeps the passport aside.. now my friend is in one corner, parked to the side.. waiting..
after half an hour...
My friend: Sir.. my passport..? is it checked?
Guard: You have something for me?
My friend : No , Sir!
Guard: We need to do security check.. step into that room please..
My friend having clean concience goes into the room..
Guard: Starts searching him... You have something for me?
My friend.. obstinate as ever.. no sir! (Guards in question are young kids who generally we'd not take seriously)
Guard materialises a packet of Cocain from his own pocket..
Guard: What is this.. you are trying to smuggle cocain into my country!!!!...You have something for me??
My friend now sweating : No , No, Thats not mine...!!! I did not have that!
Guard: No! It was with you, You are trying to smuggle drugs into my country!!
Guard starts to file an official report of the drug catch...
My friend: What you want.. take , here 100 USD(removes from his shoes - cause most people going to Nigeria tend to tuck away money in different supposedly inaccessible places)
Guard: Thats not enough... 1000 USD....
My friend : What ??? 1000 USD for what!!!!
Guard continues writing the report till my friend has litereally stripped himself and given all he has...
Guard finally convinced that he's taken all stamps my friends passport and tell's him to go ahead.
My friend: No, No, I want to go back to my country... Now I have no money, no need to go to lagos..
Guard: No! You have to go, finish your business and come!!!
Ofcourse Guard doesn't accept my friend to go back to Benin.. finally my friend goes ahead and takes a long u-turn ahead to Benin border...
At the border crossing to cross over to Benin on the Nigerian side, to get an exit stamp...
Guard : You have something for me ?????
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Too Busy!!!!
I come across day in and day out with people unwilling to do the needful. They claim they're busy. Kind of frustrating for me. I feel only time one is too busy to do something, is when one doesn't want to do it badly enough. Its question of priorities.
Accordingly if I don't want to do something, or don't do it, I generally try and avoid saying that I'm too busy. I know in my heart that I either forgot about it or really didn't just want to do it.
Surprisingly most of the time its not me complaining that I'm busy. Its people telling me that I'm doing too many things. As if that makes the value of each individual piece of work, project or task any less inspired and well done. They kind of figure that they can disconsider my contribution because I'm anyway contributing for so many things. One credit stolen, withheld or discounted for from me isn't going to harm me is it!...
Well it does, not me.. it harms them. I am less inclined to put the task which they would need done in my list of to do tasks. They are more likely to hear the word which I so want to avoid using, from me. I'm more likely next time to tell them .. i'm too busy :)
Accordingly if I don't want to do something, or don't do it, I generally try and avoid saying that I'm too busy. I know in my heart that I either forgot about it or really didn't just want to do it.
Surprisingly most of the time its not me complaining that I'm busy. Its people telling me that I'm doing too many things. As if that makes the value of each individual piece of work, project or task any less inspired and well done. They kind of figure that they can disconsider my contribution because I'm anyway contributing for so many things. One credit stolen, withheld or discounted for from me isn't going to harm me is it!...
Well it does, not me.. it harms them. I am less inclined to put the task which they would need done in my list of to do tasks. They are more likely to hear the word which I so want to avoid using, from me. I'm more likely next time to tell them .. i'm too busy :)
Innocence beyond belief
Life is good. Beautiful. Joyous.
Naqiyah changes my perspective on life. Being with her. Looking at her smiling face when I come home. Justifies the reason for my existence.
All of the above is obvious. All parents feel the same. I’m just putting it there so I remember the feeling. She’s not with me just now. But I can’t let go of the feeling I get when she’s there. The thought of her can inspire those same feelings back. Feeling that life is glorious!
Specially poignant and memorable is one thing she does. Its so innocent and beautiful that my throat chokes and I give out that chortle of laugh that I generally do when I’m embarrassed at my feelings having overwhelmed me and am about to cry having a lump in my throat.
What she does is .. she turns round and round in circle with her arms spread out the way kids tend to do, or she makes me pick her up and turn her around. After a few twirls and whirls when she’s still again she says ‘ Papa be careful.. the room is moving’.
Naqiyah changes my perspective on life. Being with her. Looking at her smiling face when I come home. Justifies the reason for my existence.
All of the above is obvious. All parents feel the same. I’m just putting it there so I remember the feeling. She’s not with me just now. But I can’t let go of the feeling I get when she’s there. The thought of her can inspire those same feelings back. Feeling that life is glorious!
Specially poignant and memorable is one thing she does. Its so innocent and beautiful that my throat chokes and I give out that chortle of laugh that I generally do when I’m embarrassed at my feelings having overwhelmed me and am about to cry having a lump in my throat.
What she does is .. she turns round and round in circle with her arms spread out the way kids tend to do, or she makes me pick her up and turn her around. After a few twirls and whirls when she’s still again she says ‘ Papa be careful.. the room is moving’.
Music Fusion
Listening to A R RAHMAN my all time favorite composer at 2 am in morning and blogging away! Talk about luxery. This sort of luxery is only afforded to me due to a small chance happening of Umaima being away to Mumbai while I happen to be in Dubai. Surprisingly given the fact that she's been going to India atleast 3 - 4 times a year its testimony to my vagabond existance that this is first time this has happend.. Normally its surely the other way around where, I'm travelling and she's in Dubai.
Today while driving like a maniac, listening to music, I was just thinking back about music I like. I started also considering the fact that music induces euphoria in me. Specially when I am driving. Inevibtably my foot is pumping on the accelerator, and with my clapping and gesturing in tune with the music, I guess in my instance its more dangerous to listen to music in Car while driving as compared to talking on the phone while doing the same!
Back to the music though and my title of fusion, in the car I was listening to sweedish group ARASH.. (Disk gifted by Oleg, check them out at http://www.arash.com/.. fusion of russian, bollywood , raggae and some persian.. his sounds really know no boundry) .. track bora bora (russian number) got back memory of long 700 KM night drive from Dniprederzhinsk to Ternopil from central to western Ukraine, which I'd undertaken in old depliated manual Nissan Sunny at night, while Oleg and Yuri (my friends who I'd met first time on that first trip to Ukraine) dozzed. Aaah, nostalgia!
Just before that with a chinese friend Limming happend to come accross a pleasent surprise. He'd just come down from beijing today, and being of the timid cautious nature that normally chinese engineers tend to be, he turned down my offer for taking him out to an Indian dinner. So instead I offered to take him for a Hot Pot. However traffic outside my showroom and near my car park wavered my resolve and I told him instead we'd go to another Chinese restaurant which was walking distance from my house. It so turned out that this restaurant happened to have been converted into Sichuan Hotpot joint. Last that I'd been to this place was 4 years back, when I and Umaima had entered it on an impulse. When we went in, and didn't realise that being a authentic chinese place the waitress wouldn't really speak english (what goes by the name of chinese in India and most other places around the world really is an alien taste to most of my chinese friends)!... Well we found out soon enough. With some gesturing we asked for menu. However and I write this with a smile , we took one look at the menu, saw the dish pricing at 30 to 40 AED per dish and walked right out :).. Anyway , with Limming, I saw that the place had been renauvated into a Ho Go ( hotpot restaurant - my fillipina friends use some other term, have to confirm what they say). I was happy that my promise of hotpot to Limming would be fulfilled however he seemed to have another idea. Sichuan hotpot tends to be one of the spiciest kind of food you'd ever have. He said it was too hot for the weather (we'd just had a 20 mins walk in 35 deg evening time temp outside). I told the waitress to give laad and bu laad combo pot ( half hot and half plain soup, I was not about to pass up opportunity to get spicedup). Although the food was not so special ( this was my second experiance with Dubai hotpot and both the times i've been disappointed) however i was treated to 'Yo Mayo Iga Yaanshuba' ( or something to that effect). One of my personal favorite songs in Chinese along with 'Kuba Kuba' ( a man may not cry - which Li sings so well). Again accompanied by a lot of nostalgia, memories of my numerous evenings in KTVs in China, and/or travelling around in someone friends car etc ( interesting point being that in most cases Car is the place where I most listen to music).
So, Chinese, Iranian, Russian, Hindi and English in an evening. Normal enough for my average day, and reflection of fusion of cultures and tastes in my life.
Today while driving like a maniac, listening to music, I was just thinking back about music I like. I started also considering the fact that music induces euphoria in me. Specially when I am driving. Inevibtably my foot is pumping on the accelerator, and with my clapping and gesturing in tune with the music, I guess in my instance its more dangerous to listen to music in Car while driving as compared to talking on the phone while doing the same!
Back to the music though and my title of fusion, in the car I was listening to sweedish group ARASH.. (Disk gifted by Oleg, check them out at http://www.arash.com/.. fusion of russian, bollywood , raggae and some persian.. his sounds really know no boundry) .. track bora bora (russian number) got back memory of long 700 KM night drive from Dniprederzhinsk to Ternopil from central to western Ukraine, which I'd undertaken in old depliated manual Nissan Sunny at night, while Oleg and Yuri (my friends who I'd met first time on that first trip to Ukraine) dozzed. Aaah, nostalgia!
Just before that with a chinese friend Limming happend to come accross a pleasent surprise. He'd just come down from beijing today, and being of the timid cautious nature that normally chinese engineers tend to be, he turned down my offer for taking him out to an Indian dinner. So instead I offered to take him for a Hot Pot. However traffic outside my showroom and near my car park wavered my resolve and I told him instead we'd go to another Chinese restaurant which was walking distance from my house. It so turned out that this restaurant happened to have been converted into Sichuan Hotpot joint. Last that I'd been to this place was 4 years back, when I and Umaima had entered it on an impulse. When we went in, and didn't realise that being a authentic chinese place the waitress wouldn't really speak english (what goes by the name of chinese in India and most other places around the world really is an alien taste to most of my chinese friends)!... Well we found out soon enough. With some gesturing we asked for menu. However and I write this with a smile , we took one look at the menu, saw the dish pricing at 30 to 40 AED per dish and walked right out :).. Anyway , with Limming, I saw that the place had been renauvated into a Ho Go ( hotpot restaurant - my fillipina friends use some other term, have to confirm what they say). I was happy that my promise of hotpot to Limming would be fulfilled however he seemed to have another idea. Sichuan hotpot tends to be one of the spiciest kind of food you'd ever have. He said it was too hot for the weather (we'd just had a 20 mins walk in 35 deg evening time temp outside). I told the waitress to give laad and bu laad combo pot ( half hot and half plain soup, I was not about to pass up opportunity to get spicedup). Although the food was not so special ( this was my second experiance with Dubai hotpot and both the times i've been disappointed) however i was treated to 'Yo Mayo Iga Yaanshuba' ( or something to that effect). One of my personal favorite songs in Chinese along with 'Kuba Kuba' ( a man may not cry - which Li sings so well). Again accompanied by a lot of nostalgia, memories of my numerous evenings in KTVs in China, and/or travelling around in someone friends car etc ( interesting point being that in most cases Car is the place where I most listen to music).
So, Chinese, Iranian, Russian, Hindi and English in an evening. Normal enough for my average day, and reflection of fusion of cultures and tastes in my life.
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