The Moment

Does the Life contain the Moments

Or, the Moments contain the Life...

 

 

P.S. If Moments contain Life, my life is complete

Adventures of Punjabi mother- (Dubai)

Me- Mom, I am going to Dubai. 

Mom- Good. Enjoy.

Me- Do you know where is it.

Mom- Of course, I know. It's near Pakistan. 

Me- Well, technically yes. But that's not the best way to describe its location.

Mom- I know people go there for Haj also.

Me- Mom, no. That's Saudi Arabia.

Mom- You don't need to tell me. I have seen the white maxi dress they wear. The people there are called ammm… Shaa… Shuu….Shiii…

Me- You mean Sheikhs?

Mom- Yes, Sheikhs. And be careful.

Me- About what?

Mom- Sheikh‎s.

Me- Huh?

Mom- Shut up! You don't know. I have seen it in movies. They are barbarous. They ride camels and throw men thirsty in the desert .

Me- @/:(#$%%&&*) @+!?:;@#@#@ 

The Season to look Mad is back

Have you ever made to feel dumb? Like, a friend calls you for a Halloween party and you reach there in your true ‘spirits’ only to realize that you missed reading the announcement that the theme was changed to ‘dress to express’. We all have faced a similar situations in life (just that I face them more frequently).

A similar one what a Hongkonger faces during so called ‘winters’. Coming from Northern India, the word ‘winter’ doesn’t scare me (though it disturbs). And I used to be greatly offended looking at Mumbai people decked up in caps/shawls and gloves if the temperature ever touched 20 C.

Winter arrives in Hong Kong in Cathay. It just lands! And it doesn't take too long for it to clear immigration and hit the city.

Since December started from Monday, I wanted to welcome it by trying to sleep without an Air-Con at night but I couldn’t. And the very next morning, I spent a shivery Tuesday while I went unprepared in a sleeveless dress when it suddenly landed with 12 C.

So last night, I ransacked my winter suitcase and found a cardigan that least smelt of pigs which I wore to work today with 'I-am-good' attitude. And guess what. It was a hot day today! (Yeah! hot and smelly for me).

Because Winter in Hong Kong keeps making small uninformed trips to Macau/ China/ Taiwan making a bigger fool of its residents.

A particular day from the last winters was an epic incident which I never fail to narrate each time anyone asks me ‘how are winters in HK’. This is my reaction-

I left my jacket in office. Next morning, on my way to work, I prayed to all the Gods of all religions (and regions) to save me from getting frozen. It was 4 C with real feel of may be 2 C. I hugged my jacket at 10 am. I started to sweat at 4 pm when it rose to 20 C so I left it again at office; and in the evening, I came back half way to take it back.  

And you’ll always be ‘judged’ on the street wearing a trench coat in 22 C that you decided to wear considering the chilly morning.
The classic question remains unanswered- "should I or should I not". Well, I don't know what to wear tomorrow but I'll make sure to to re-wash my locked winter-wear.

The formula is same- it will rain only when you forget your umbrella. 

P.S. Winter and Summer come by same flight.

Life is drunken Reality...

Life is...

the taller, drunken Reality 
looking down at
the shorter, sober Fiction.

Game of Fear

Fear has another face.

Perhaps fear has two sides. One known and the unknown.

Like in horror movies, initially the spirits keep scaring you by leaving their imprints- blood in the basin, squeaking doors, unidentified reflections, flying curtains; without actually showing up. Leaving it to your fancy to create fear as much as you wish for.

And after an hour of peek-a-boo, they suddenly appear. Point Blank. Without a notice period. Like a straightforward question of yes or no at a gun-point. Where you just participate in a game of pre-decided (and unfair) rules and periods.

And it shows you all the possibilities of your probable and most improbable failures. And like you experience it in your dreams- trying to run but you can’t get up, finding yourself naked in public, a dead one appearing or being run over by a vehicle. You face the most gruesome side of unquestioned surrender.

I had been comparing which one is scarier- when you know what lies ahead or when you don’t. All my life I have been scared of the unknown. Wasting my time on painting the cruelest images of it, anticipating the worst and listlessly pumping myself with hopeful quotes. And this time, I faced it. Like that victim in the horror movie who faces but survives in the end. 

And the truth is- what you face scares you the least. If you get to ‘see’ the ghost of your fear, you become resistant to its daunting appearance. Though it will not evaporate till you suck all the panicy- poisonous fluid out of it, yourself.  

And when you start to move on, the unfamiliar one becomes the next contestant.

The game of tennis with Fear of receiving and passing off the ball will keep running the show for life. Don’t worry about missing to hit back but make sure to hit back harder each time you do!