Ashura

The tenth dawn of Islam's new year,

Seventy-two of the bravest who had nothing to fear,

Came out to battle for our pride,

Knowing that the journey to Heaven would be their very next ride.

On the blistering sands, under the scorching sun,

Stood the mighty Hussein, a soldier second to none,

With the fragrance of musk, it had to be said,

The skies of Karbala were already turning red.

Every ally wanted the honor of being first,

To drink the honey of paradise and quench their thirst,

As each one's body fell on the sand and mud,

It was Ashura, the day the skies wept blood.

A marriage in the tent during this grieving hour,

Abdullah knew that the time was not far,

In the attire of a groom, He set out to fight,

Realizing the loss, Sakina cried throughout that night..

Abbas did not even drink a sip from the river,

But was hit by arrows from the trees' rear,

Hussein's final support ascended to the heavens,

It was now only Hussein and those inhumane devils.

But, Ali Akbar, the very valiant youngster the world has seen,

Was hit in the heart during the pinnacle of His teens,

The face of the Prophet (SA) with blood was smeared,

Hussein's tears completely drenched His beard.

Asgar, the courageous six month old prince,

Fought for Islam's pride without hesitance,

Until that heartless satan let his arrow fly,

Young Ali Asgar's blood was taken by the sky.

Hussein ibn Ali, the Noble Son, and The Greatest Martyr,

Stood ready to fight with absolutely no fear,

Until a teary eyed Jibrael descended from the Heavens,

Allah's wish is Your sacrifice Oh Highborn Eminence.

Hussein happily welcomed Allah's Missive,

Bowed down to Sajdah for the future billions,

Zainab, cried aloud at the sight of Her mind's eye,

Upon witnessing Her imperial brother peacefully die.

Princess Sakina with Her cheeks so blue,

From all the slapping that mad man put Her through,

Those hellion's horses were allowed to run,

And on the Holy Bodies, further damage was done.

Tears roll down my cheeks as I pen these verses,

Remembering the pain of Hussein and His masses,

But if it wasn't for Hussein we wouldn't be where we are,

We wouldn't be Mumins, our faith would be sour.

Maula Mohammad (TUS), you're the Dai of Hussein,

My guidance, my leader, and my chieftain,

May you live for years, till the Day of Judgment,

I am your slave, that's my life's biggest achievement.

That Night..!!

The week after Halloween, the partying and trick or treating had come to an end but the spookiness was still floating around.. And to add to it, I watched a short horror film just before going to bed. http://www.takethislollipop.com/ - If you really, want to get freaked out, then go ahead and try it..!!

Over?? If most have you have watched the creepy video above, you will definitely relate to what was going on in my mind that night.. So after doing some more surfing around on facebook, (Yes, I don't learn my lesson early, and you can say that I had been warned..!!) I decided to call it a night..

I was sleeping comfortably for about 2 hours when suddenly I heard a noise outside my main door.. (The paper thin walls in LA..!! SIGH!!! ) My subconscious still had the creepy stalker following me.. and I felt that somebody was trying to open the door and get in. I finally mustered some courage and went and checked the door.. Gleeful, that it was nothing but my stupid imagination, I came back to bed and went to sleep. About an hour later, I started hearing noises again, only this time, it was coming from my balcony. I tried to distract myself from that noise and went back to sleep. But periodically there were some sounds that kept waking me up..

Proven wrong the last time, I kept telling myself.. that it is nothing but a mere delusion.. I tried putting myself to sleep but the intermittent clamor and clatter just wouldn't let me..! And then all of a sudden, I saw something move through the blinds.. I was scared to death this time, I knew this couldn't be a hallucination. There was someone out there..!! And I was alone at home, unarmed..!! I panicked and freaked, and thought of the most sensible action to keep myself safe.

And when my brain, along with the rest of my body had frozen, I couldnt think of anything other than calling a friend, who was hundreds of miles away and asking for instructions. Luckily for me at 3.15 AM, my friend answered that phone call and instructed me to call 911 and stay in bed. He instructed me to stay calm and not make any movements that would hint the person outside that I am awake. And so I did.. Until... the Air Conditioner suddenly stopped working. Now the Sherlock Holmes in me led me to find a relation between the AC duct in the balcony and the so-called person in the balcony. Another act of foolishness was to grab hold of the AC remote, and find out if the stalker/robber/imaginary guy outside had played around with the AC. So I restarted it.. :( (Another proof, of not learning lessons at once).

Oh and between all this craziness, I did make a call to 911 and they assured me that officers will be over asap. So, after I spoke to 911, I called my friend again as I thought, it would be good to have a witness on phone in case something were to happen to me.. All this while, I kept hearing the crackling sounds at regular intervals...

Counting each second that was passing by till the officers were to come rescue me, I was on the verge of s**ting bricks..!! And then suddenly I saw torch lights on my windows and a loud knock on the door... I jumped out of my bed, looking for a knife and asked with a completely fake yet confident noise... WHO's IT? And the officers were here...!!!!! Yes, finally at 4 AM, I had 4 men in uniform walk into my apartment and run into the balcony to find that BLOODY #$#^#^%$#$ cardboard boxes and empty bottles... Yes, Ironic as it may sound, it was the Santa Ana winds.. Yes... it wasnt the best end to my super suspense filled night.. I chickened out to the relentless winds... It was empty boxes and other trash from a party at my place, that had been left out... And the crazy winds, got the worse out of me... Relieved, yet embarrased, I escorted the cops out of my house.. and hoped to get some sleep...

And that was the end of my foolishness for that night.. :(

Chattering Raindrops...!!

Ever fell in Love??? More-so, ever fell in love with the rains..??

I have..!! Always have been in love with them.. Being a true Mumbaikar at heart, rains are an integral part of my life.. Although rains or monsoons as we call it,aren't fancied by all Mumbaikars. But I have cherished my encounters with each spell of rain.. Be it the first shower that marks the beginning of the monsoon season, the smell of wet mud that accompanies, the chaos of bringing in the clothes hung outside,  dancing in the puddles, or being drenched from head to toe due to lack of public transportation during the down-pour.. They all make me feel nostalgic..

Living in California, that's one part that I miss about Mumbai (Bombay). The RAINS!! They were always my savior and protector.. Even after the 26th July incident in Mumbai, the rains still held that special place in my heart..We could miss school on a day with heavy rains, so that meant missing an exam or an important submission.. and my dear Rains would bear the brunt on my behalf.. It was always associated with the fun for me.. I enjoyed eating hot bhajiyas and vada pavs when it was pouring hard.. I enjoyed those uber-long walks back from school, with water-clogging in many streets and alleys.. Aahhh if only those days were to come back..!! The shopping for gum boots and umbrellas and rain-coats.. was just adding to all the fun and frolic just before schools start..!!

I wouldn't do justice to the rains if I try to sum up all those endearing flashes associated with it.. The rainbows, the wet leaves, the greenery around, the splattering of rain drops, the peacock's enchanting dance to invite the rains, thundering and lightning, I could just go on and on and on..!! A drenched dog drying himself, children playing football in all the mud and muck and enjoying getting dirty, its just a beautiful sight to see everyone enjoying themselves.. including the earth, that feels satisfied, quenching its thirst after a hot and scorching summer.

Even today, the slightest of drizzle brightens me up.. I know that may sound weird to many people, since the Rain Gods aren't the best mood makers.. But for me, it denotes the season of Love, the season of happiness, the season of being simply carefree.. The cold outside fires up the warmth within me.. I enjoy having a hot cup of coffee or a hot meal with my family.. I look forward to that intimacy with my partner during such amorous moments.. It is no doubt popular as the season of FIRST LOVE..!! puppy love, cuddly moments.. you can call it what you want..!!

Ending on that note, I am off to enjoy my cup of hot chocolate and some hot bhajiyas.. on another rainy day in California.. :)

The Ugly Duckling..

The ugly duckling was a famous fairytale written by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Anderson. The story tells of a homely little bird born in a barnyard who suffers abuse from his neighbors until, much to his delight (and to the surprise of others), he matures into a beautiful swan, the most beautiful bird of all. The story is beloved around the world as a tale about personal transformation for the better. This tale has been translated in 44 different languages. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Greek, Japanese, Spanish to name a few.

The tale begins when a mother duck's eggs hatch. One of the little birds is perceived by the duck’s neighbors as a homely little creature and suffers much verbal and physical abuse. He wanders sadly from the barnyard and lives with wild ducks and geese until hunters slaughter the flocks. He then finds a home with an old woman but her cat and hen tease him mercilessly and again he sets off on his own. He sees a flock of migrating wild swans; he is delighted and excited but he cannot join them. Winter arrives. A farmer finds and carries the freezing little bird home, but the foundling is frightened by the farmer’s noisy children and flees the house. He spends a miserable winter alone in the outdoors but, when spring arrives, he is welcomed into a flock of beautiful swans for he has matured into one of them.

The author later confessed that the story was "a reflection of my own life". Andersen himself was a tall, ugly boy with a big nose and big feet, and when he grew up with a beautiful singing voice and a passion for the theatre he was cruelly teased and mocked by other children"

There are a lot of children even today, who are considered as ugly ducklings, and I particularly want to emphasize of children suffering from dyslexia. I would like to begin with a short list of possible dyslexia symptoms in children.

• a noticeable difference between the pupil's ability and their actual achievement.
If you notice that a child who appears to be average or bright when they are talking to you is struggling to read, spell or cope with math/s, this may be the strongest indicator that they may be dyslexic. It is very common for dyslexic children to be quite able, especially in the areas of creativity (art, drama, drawing, etc.) and physical co-ordination (physical education, swimming, sports, model-making, etc.).

• a family history of learning difficulties;

• difficulties with spelling;

Spelling is the activity which causes most difficulty for dyslexic children. Noticing spelling errors in short, simple words is the way in which most dyslexic children first come our attention.

• confusion over left and right;

• writing letters or numbers backwards;

You will have noticed some children who mix up 'b' and 'd', or even 'p' and the number 9. These letters are the same in their mirror image, and cause regular confusion for a dyslexic person

• difficulties with math/s;

• difficulties with organizing themselves;

• difficulty following 2- or 3-step instructions.

'Go to Mrs. Brown and ask her if Peter Smith is in school today. Oh, yes, and ask if I can borrow her dictionary' - such an instruction is just too much! It involves both sequencing and memory skills, and you would be very surprised to see a dyslexic child return with the dictionary and information about Peter Smith! Dyslexic children love to take messages as much as any other child, but it has to be a less complicated instruction

No two dyslexic children are exactly alike, and the above symptoms are just the more common ones. The list is not exhaustive, and not every dyslexic child would show all of these signs. However, if a child is having difficulties with spelling and writing, and has some of these signs, it may be time to think about the possibility of a professional assessment.

• A Description of One Child's Dyslexia Symptoms - detailed outline by a teacher of one dyslexic child's difficulties with reading, spelling and copying from the board.

• David's difficulties - one dyslexic child's symptoms - difficulties with self-confidence and writing.
• Lowered self-confidence in one girl - Alice, who does not want to go to school, and who is getting bad reports. (Lower down the page).

• ABC's to helping the dyslexic student in the regular classroom - Frequently in the regular classroom dyslexic children suffer. Due to lack of understanding of the students learning process the educator may see the student as slow and unmotivated. These misconceptions may lead to low self-esteem of the dyslexic student. Once there is understanding of the dyslexic student and the learning process there are some ways to help the dyslexic student in the regular classroom.

In the End I would like to mention some of the Famous Swans. Yes, these are famous celebrities who were dyslexic, but overcame their inabilities to transform themselves from ugly ducklings to to Beautiful Swans..!!

Orlando Bloom - Bloom was raised in the Church of England. As a child, he managed to get through The King's School Canterbury and St Edmund's School in Canterbury despite his dyslexia. He was encouraged by his mother to take art and drama classes

Tom Cruise - He has said that Scientology, specifically the L. Ron Hubbard Study Tech, helped him overcome dyslexia.

Steve Jobs – CEO of Apple Computers. The brain behind the I-pod, I-phone, and I-pad.

Walt Disney- American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist.

Thomas Alva Edison - American inventor, scientist, and businessman who developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb.

John Lennon - his school reports were damning: "Certainly on the road to failure, hopeless, rather a clown in class wasting other pupils' time.

Erin Brockovich-Ellis - American legal clerk and environmental activist.

Salma Hayek, Pablo Picasso, Lionardo Da Vinci, Magic Johnson, Jon Lennon, Alexander Graham Bell, John F Kennedy and our dear author Hans Christian Anderson himself.

The first one..

Hi,
It seems so strange writing my first blog.. I dunno how well I will do with it and how far I will continue. But today, I just decided I needed a place to pen down all those thoughts that I just wanted to pour out...

As a child I had a teddy bear, Goldie, who I would share all my feelings and thoughts with.. As I became older, I felt the need to write a diary.. I did that many times, but was always caught by mom.. I really hated it wen she read all those things I had written in it..

Special moments that I had penned down, the very first's in my life were all preciously stored in there till the mystery was unraveled.. :P
The first time I had a crush on someone... My first boyfriend.. The first time a guy touched me and I felt butterflies in my stomach.. all of my life's first moments...

Well, so since I have started with this blog as my first, there should be a first moment in my first entry too right????
OK, so my blogs first is as follows...

It was a bright Wednesday morning, unlike the predictions of the day before that it would be raining and forecasts of a rain storm. I thanked God that it was not raining on the day of my driving test.. (this is because whenever I drove in the rain before this, I had someone next to me handling the windshield wipers for me.. ;] ) I had even planned to postpone my visit looking at the weather conditions, but the system could only make changes during the business hours.. So I was stuck.. I had to go ahead with it. With jitters in my stomach, I finally reached the California DMV office in Downtown LA. 'Downtown'.. sounds like such a posh location, but the DMV is far far from it. It a slaughter house of kinds..
Let me give you a brief introduction to our Super Los Angeles Downtown DMV. It is a place that has no order, no system, grumpy faces, n ugly people. Sorry to sound a little harsh. But that is what it is..!!!! You will see a long line of people, waiting in the sun to get in.. (which I dont seem to understand, since they already have an online appointed system) Mostly people come in with toddlers.. (another thing I dont understand.. how does everyone coming to the DMV have a child, and has no one heard of a baby sitter????) Alright, this place stinks.. the waiting area is super dirty.. and the people at the Counters are sooooo soooo slow.. I think it is a universal habit for government employees to work slow.
Alright, back to my D-day.. I reached the DMV 20 minutes before my scheduled appointment time.. Desi's as we are, we love to find our way through the system. Ok, even though I thought I was smart enough to be there early, I still waited for 90 mins. post my appointment time.. YES.. a total of 110 mins just waiting for my turn.. That is how efficient the system here works..!! Alright, so the moment of truth was right there.. My Driving Officer came to me.. Checked my paper work..
"All Good", he said to me.
"Hands signs - OK."
"Lights - OK."
"Wipers - Good."
"Horn - Alright."
And then he came inside and sat next to me..... UUUfffff... I said to myself, "This is it gurl.. Prove yourself". It was similar to the feeling the spartans had in 300 before they were facing the enemy's army. :P
He started taking me around and making small notes in his pad. (Which scared me to death.. I was like why is this person scribbling away to glory??? Was he even seeing my driving?? ) While I was driving, more than paying attention to any else I was counting how many minutes had past since we were on the road. hehe.. I knew as long as I finish my 20 mins, I had a good good chance to PASS.
Those 20 minutes were gone. And much to his surprise, as well as mine, I got him safely back to pavilion. He asked me to park and told me, "I have good news for you as well as some bad news. Which one would you like to hear first?" Sheepishly, I answered, "Bad one first." (I thought how bad could the bad one be??) He said, "I'm sorry but you have failed the Test." And that is when I thought, 'OK gurl, since you have already lost your chance, bring out the devil in you and tell him how mean and sick he was to waste my 20 mins and give me this news.' He probably realised how pissed I was with my "OH SHIT", and went ahead and gave me his SO-CALLED GOOD NEWS.. "With a little bit of practice you will be good". YA RIGHT JACK-ASS. (I did not say that, but I'm sure he would have understood my expression.)
He then mentioned my boyfriend, would not be too happy with this news of mine. To which, I corrected him, saying I was there with my brother..... OOOHHHHH, What a sudden change of personality...!!!! From the strict, irritating DMV officer, who had just failed me, I saw a not-so-gradual transformation to a cool dude, who said I just PASSED.
I was like WWHHHAAATTT???
He was like, "Yes.! And we can celebrate by going for coffee to Starbucks."
Oh, I so understood his intentions. I said, "Sure! But not right now, I need to return my zipcar in the next ten minutes, so why dont you POLITELY F*** OFF." Of course, I was kind enough to say that after he ticked the PASSED on my driving sheet and signed below it. You see, personality transformations are quite often see on me as well. Especially, if I have the opportunity of meeting a person with similar traits.

And yes, there I was happily with my California Driver's License.. My first US ID.. Long awaited and much required.. One unforgettable day in my life..

Thanks for bearing with me guys.. hope to continue writing..

Cheers,
Damsel.