To kill a Mockingbird

I read ‘To kill a Mockingbird’ the first time when I was in college; borrowed the book from Jasniya, I think. I liked the book a lot then, for one thing, it was a child’s version of life, which mostly depicts innocence that no grown-up can display. Secondly, the character Atticus struck me as an ideal parent and a human being with scruples. Moreover, after all these years (5, to be approximate), I still do remember the name of that admirable character, in part, because it was mentioned in an article about Gregory Peck after his death.

I started reading the book a few days back, for the second time. I must admit that probably after reading past the first few pages, I was wondering why we did not have this book or any excerpts of it in our curriculum. It was not just a book, it was one filled with good principles and morals, I’d recommend it as one of our lessons in English. About halfway through the book, whenever I picked it up and read through it I got this lump in my throat, some emotion that I cant even describe; I was applauding Atticus for the way he brought up his children, for his sense of equality, for his being sensible and realistic.

One of those commendable moments was when he was telling his son never to kill a Mockingbird and the reason behind that advice. Today, when I was reading the final chapters of the book, I was overwhelmed, partly because I had some reasons of my own which unexpectedly saddened me, but also because of Mr. Arthur Radley. I was trying to picture it all in my mind - Scout, Jem, Atticus and the rest of them, how it would have been to live there in Maycomb County that year.

After reading the book for the second time, I would request, more than recommend, everyone else to read it. After reading ‘The Class’ by Erich Seagal, it felt like I got a lot of experience, a whole different kind, the kind that I felt when I was in college, one that you had to live through to comprehend the essence of it. After reading ‘To kill a Mockingbird’, it feels like I went through a class, a training of some kind, that one ought to have to live a satisfied, dignified, complete life. Such is the intensity of that book.

10 things…

10 things that annoy me

1. My dad, in general.
2. The sound of water (from the AC, the apartment above ours) dripping & hitting my bedroom AC (I've even lost sleep coz of that).
3. Anyone opening closed doors and not shutting it properly once they leave the room.
4. Parents of kids that go crazy; they don’t bother to control the kids, they simply ignore the kids as if it’s someone else’s problem now. I’ve named the lot ‘The Satan kids & the Asshole parents’
5. Dad’s cigarette smoke seeping into my bedroom when I am trying hard to sleep. The smoke totally disturbs my sleep.
6. Dripping water from a broken faucet.
7. Wet bathroom floors.
8. Inquisitive cab drivers, asking questions like

‘Coming from work?’, ‘You take the cab daily?’, ‘Where are you from?’, ‘Are you married?’

even after showing clear signs of disinterest and dislike of such probing.
9. Buzzing mosquitoes (applicable in India), loud noise from the nearby construction site, sound of a door banging in the other room, television cacophony that somehow manages to hit my ear drums even through layers of closed doors & walls – all of these, especially when I am trying to get some sleep, coz at times, sleep comes very hard for me.
10. This one isn’t annoying, it’s plainly disgusting: people digging their nose in public, they aren’t even aware it’s extremely disgusting to others. [A nose-picking colleague of mine was one of many reasons I quit Siemens earlier this year.] Pick your nose, you need to get clean nose, but why in front of others, why make others go through the ordeal??

10 things I like that aren't routine stuff

1. Getting a bunch of lovely fresh flowers from your friend, and its not even your birthday!
2. The excitement that goes with planning & throwing a surprise birthday party (or any party for that matter).
3. Watching a movie that is much talked about and the movie lives up to your expectations.
4. Trying out a new dish and getting raving reviews for it.
5. A piece of jewelry or accessory that took time to select & then getting compliments for it. It makes all the time & effort spent really worth it.
6. A good book, reading for the first time or just simply re-reading it (like now when I'm reading 'To kill a Mockingbird' for the second time).
7. Listening to a new song and instantly liking it, the tunes and the lyrics.
8. Meeting up with friends and spending quality time with them, not just a few minutes or an hour.
9. Finding an old letter from your late grandfather or an old birthday card from a high-school friend or your old journal. Reading it brings back a feeling that you can’t feel in a thousand years!
10. Remembering the meaning of a new word that you picked up recently. It’s quite an accomplishment!

[PS: Just in case you are wondering, I am not one of those sleep-loving freaks and I haven't taken up sleeping as a hobby. It's just that I get Insomnia on & off, so times when sleep & the sleepy-feeling comes less, I can be quite the grouch; my hostelmates (in college) can vouch for that :P ]

My Rendezvous with Bliss!

This feels good. Warm tongues of fire caress my body, from my eyelashes to my feet and here I am lying, lazing, enjoying. When I thought it through in my mind before, it hadn’t seemed so good, now that I am here, I am really glad. It’s another world altogether, calm, cool, carefree. I think I should do this more often. Maybe I will. Now that I’m all warmed up, maybe I should close my eyes, rest them a bit. This feels so good, I could moan with delight. Ecstasy!

When I got here, I wasn’t sure I’d stay for long even though I came prepared. Bikini, beach sandals, towels, tanning lotion, sunglasses and a copy of Cosmopolitan – yes, all geared up for a long swim and some sunbathing. First I thought I’d just stroll along the beach and sit back and watch the ocean. But coming here to Half Moon Bay so early in the morning, I got the place all to myself, except for an occasional jogger.

I put my things down near a coconut shell that had finally found a resting place. I walked down the beach, undecided on whether I should take a quick swim or not. The ocean looked awfully tempting, as if it were a stage set just for me. The water was cold, so I thought I’d just take a quick dip and settle back with the magazine. Oh! I was so wrong; the water was really chilly, brrrrr!! At the least, the jolt woke me up completely.

I got out of the water almost an hour later. Wow! I hadn’t felt so fresh in weeks - the long swim in the cold beach, the warm wind blowing seaward, and the sun fully out of its covers, shining bright. After quickly drying myself, I spread out my other dry towel and quickly began to work on my tan I had been planning to get but postponing for weeks.

At some point I had fallen asleep and was woken up by a noisy growl coming from the insides of me. I smiled; I knew I had to end this blissful morning out in the sun - I was hungry. I changed back into my white T and comfy blue jeans and slipped my feet into my white sandals. I packed my stuff and as I walked back to my car I realized I was going to do this every Friday morning. The very thought of it got me smiling even harder. And with that I was on my way home to a bowl of breakfast cereal...Mmmm yummy!!

[Yes, another attempt at creative writing, though I am not sure how creative it is expressing my love for the ocean!]

Sub'haan Allah

I watched 'Fanaa' the other day. Verdict: I'll watch it again sometime soon which means that I liked the movie.

Kajol looks like a fresh flower in bloom, and it's the first time I find her good-looking. Refreshing.

Aamir Khan looks sexy...though I adore his acting, I wasn't ever fida over him. Saif is my all-time fav actor, I think, since his 'Ashique Aawara'!! Well, Aamir looks hot, old but hot. Who cares the age factor, if anything I favor it, after all I am a big fan of Richard Gere & his pepper-n-salt hair :D

The li'l kid, he's such a cutie pie. In particular I liked the part where he chooses Rahul Dravid for his dad. Actually, it was a smart move on Zooni's side. Good thinking.

The names in the movie - Rayhaan & Zooni, very attractive names, especially Zooni, never heard that one before.

Some of the songs in it are good too, the title track especially.

Most of all, what I enjoyed the most about the movie was that I understood more or less all the dialogues, which is amazing. I just somehow happened to know the meanings of all those words, or at least understand them from the context, which is never the case. Hmmm...maybe my Urdu's stronger than my awful Hindi vocabulary :D

As a direct consequence of understanding the dialogues, I must say, Rayhaan's courting Zooni was irresistable. Man, I got goosebumps :P

Tabu reminded me of my friend Marilyn (she hates that). I was so reminded coz of the character, not coz of any resemblance. Kiran Kher & Rishi Kapoor had a good chemistry. I've always like Kher, except for maybe in 'Devadaas'. That one movie I club it along with 'Gone with the Wind'. I rate it - 'Blwaak'. Such shitty movies!

By the way, does anyone know the meaning of Fanaa ??

Damn them

I have discovered that I do hate a particular sect of people- the Israelis. I have a long list of people or people of a particular region that I dislike, but 'hate' I am noticing for the first time.

All offence meant to the Israelis, I hate them for their selfish, genocidal tendencies. I happened to watch the Spielberg movie 'Munich' just a few day before the Lebanon offensive/invasion/brutalites. I actually got irritated at the mentality of those Israelis in the movie, for the way they were avenging the murders of their sportsmen, and their reasoning. Sure I don't justify terrorism as an act of retaliation, but I also don't ignore the reasons that lead to a terrorist act.

In Munich, Mossad recruits 6 people to form a team that executes each Palestinian involved in the Munich massacre. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Fine, no problem. But thats not what happens, if 8 Israelis were killed, the Israelis in turn kill over 50 people (the count rising by their Beirut attacks, or massacre rather). Again, I can somehow justify the number saying that in an operation, sometimes numbers rise. But its not the head count or the methods implemented that infuriate me. It's Israel's complete insensitivity to other nation's lives. In the movie, they keep saying that each Israeli life is important, invalueable. So what, Palestinian lives don't matter? That doesn't matter, that's how the Knesset, Mossad and all Israelis consider. That their lives are valueable, as if they are superior to other races.

It was just a few days before I watched Munich, that the Israeli troops started firing missles & bombing parts of Palestine, for what, the capture of one soldier. People, its ONE measly soldier, not a dozen, not fifty, just ONE. I say 'just' since coz of that ONE soldier, they start the bombing and the result is an average of 15 dead Palestinians per bombing, yes, FIFTEEN & they are DEAD, unlike the CAPTURED Israeli soldier.

That's what, Israelis feel superior, and act it too. They have utter disregard for human lives if the human is not Israeli or Jewish. No wonder no one wants to give them land, they'll take out their superior-ass-act.

For a very secular mind, I, for once am coming to hate Jews. I thought the scope of my hatred was limited to my dad, looks like there scope for more.

A New Day Has Come

I like the Celine Dion song ‘A new day has come’ , but I hate the lyrics, it really irritates me.

For me, that new day never seems to be coming. I am waiting for so long for a miracle to come, like everyone told. I am being strong just as how everyone expects me to hold on and not shed a tear.

But there’s only this murky, evil darkness. There’s no angel, there’s no love, I don’t even see a light in the sky.

"Let the rain come down & wash away my tears", but for me the rain only further dampens my bleak, futile life.

I still try to stay strong, patient, waiting for that miracle. I only hope the wait is not eternal.