Last Thursday the world watched a giant balloon floating over the state of Colorado thinking it took off with a 6 year old boy inside. Local authorities were contacted, air traffic in and out of the Denver airport was grounded and many people were glued to the TV following the path of the balloon and praying that the boy inside is safe. The telecast lasted for over two hours and the story was plastered all over the internet. When the balloon finally landed in a field and people came to know that there was no one inside, more panic ensued. Speculations were flying everywhere; Did the boy fall off? Was he trapped inside? Was there a chance for him to come out of this ordeal alive? A widespread search for the boy commenced only to discover that he had been hiding in his attic all this time and fell asleep. The world took a collective sigh of relief and offered their gratitude that the boy was unharmed, but the next day the mood changed as their were speculations that the family planned this whole thing and duped the entire world. After all, they wasted many resources that could have been used elsewhere. Latest I've heard is that police is investigating this whole thing as a hoax. They found out that the family is very TV savvy and have already appeared on a reality show. Also upon examining the balloon, scientists have concluded that there is no way the balloon could've taken off with the little boy inside as it was not sturdy enough.
This story captivated me also as it was unfolding but in light of all this new information, I cannot help but wonder what has happened to us? Why are we in such a need to get noticed? Why are parents putting their kids through such stunts to make a quick buck or get famous? This exploitation cannot be healthy in any way. I remember being a kid and life was very simple back then, but for kids growing up today there is so much pressure, so many expectations. The family that pulled this stunt for 15 minutes of fame probably won't think it was worth it when they are slapped with a number of criminal charges. They won't think it's funny when the CPS will come in their home and take their children away. The consequences for such actions are never good. Look at John and Kate! What a mess they have made of their lives. If they weren't doing the reality show and went through the same ordeal in private, maybe their kids wouldn't have gone through what they are going through right now. I bet it's not fun to hear about or watch your parents flaunting their dirty laundry in public. These kids will probably have to hear about this and suffer consequences for a long time because of their public exposure.
Another thing that annoys me is parents entering their children in beauty pageants. All the fake teeth, makeup and focus on vanity can go through a kid's head. I don't know why parents don't learn from child artists who, after losing their fame, can hardly function in society. They usually fall victim to drugs, sex and alcohol. Children are meant to live their childhood not to act like adults before their time. They should be taught how to play with their dolls, action figures, ball and bikes, not how to act in front of the camera so that mommy and daddy can live their dreams at their expense.
R
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Nadia's Story
Here is another Story I wrote not too long ago. Just want to see what you guys think.
His name was Javed and he first saw Nadia in a shopping mall. It was love at first sight for him and from that moment on he made it his mission to find out everything about her. He would stand outside her college just to get a glimpse of her, send her roses and chocolates and write love letters with his blood. It didn’t take long for him to win her over as she found him insanely attractive. They began exchanging love letters and having discreet phone conversations. One day Javed suggested that they meet at his friend’s house. Nadia was reluctant at first but Javed assured her that she had nothing to be afraid of, she can trust him. Her trust in him grew when he kept his word and didn’t try anything she would feel uncomfortable with. They started meeting regularly and every time Javed gained a little more mileage with her. Within a couple of weeks they were making out and Nadia liked how it felt. She liked all the sensations her body felt when she was in his arms and she liked how his lips tasted and every time they parted she wanted more of him. One day Javed extended an invitation to spend the whole night with him. Nadia was certainly tempted but she was also very afraid. Somewhere in the back of her mind she feared the unknown but she was hopelessly in love with this guy and just wanted to live in the moment. She recruited one of her friends to go to her mother and father to ask if Nadia can spend the night at her house. Nadia knew that it was a difficult task as her parents did not allow her to stay away from home for too long, especially at night. After much cajoling by her friend they finally gave in. Nadia carefully packed her overnight bag with scented lotions and a nighty she had bought a few days ago and headed to meet Javed. He picked her up on his bike at a local bus station and they drove off to his friend’s house. The tiny apartment was filled with fresh flowers and lovely romantic lighting. Nadia excused herself and went to the bathroom to change. As she slipped out of her clothes, her heart started beating really fast. Meanwhile, Javed put on some soft music and settled on the bed waiting for her. She stepped out of the bathroom, her eyes planted on the floor as she felt extremely conscious in the semi revealing nighty. When Javed saw her he let out a sigh. She was breathtaking and he just couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He got up from the bed and went close to her, real close. She found his gaze piercing like he could see every detail of her body. He put his arms around her and she laid her head on his muscular chest. They held each other for what seemed like an eternity. Then he lowered his head and kissed her on her forehead and went down inch by inch until he reached her lips. He held himself back but Nadia couldn’t stand it anymore. She raised her lips to his and unleashed the passion. They kissed right there standing until Nadia’s knees felt weak and her legs couldn’t stand her weight anymore. She leaned fully into his body and he led her to the bed. She laid flat on her back and pulled him close to her until his body was directly over her. He fit her perfectly. He removed his shirt and pants as she watched him provocatively. He was so handsome, chiseled to perfection. He found her staring at her and smiled. She looked away. He slipped beside her and reached for her nighty. She hesitated so he turned the light off. Slowly he removed her nighty and she pulled the covers over her all the way to her throat as she had never undressed in front of anyone, not even her own mother, not after she turned ten. Slowly Javed pulled her closer to him and she let all her inhibitions go. He drove inside her and she let out a cry but after a moment, the pain was gone and she started swimming in the deep blue ocean of pleasure.
The next morning she woke up in his arms a completely different person. Now she was a woman who just spent the most glorious night of her life with the man she loved. After that magical night they were always eager to repeat the passion play. Nadia would bunk her college and they would sneak to Javed’s friend’s house where they would drive each other crazy with desire. With every get-together Nadia was getting bolder and more aware of her sexuality but as this seemed like an ideal arrangement for Javed, she was ready to think about her future, their future. Often she would mention that she wanted to marry him and spend the rest of her life with him and he would tell her that they had all the time in the world to think about the future but right now they should just enjoy what they have. His evasive answers started to make Nadia very uncomfortable especially when she was late. She was never late. She confided in one of her friends and they went out and bought a home pregnancy test from a store about an hour away from their home. Nadia was frightened as she peed on the stick. She kept praying that it was negative and this was just an isolated event where she was a few days late but her stars had something else in store for her. When she saw two lines on the stick her worst fear came to life. She sank on the couch, sick to her stomach and unable to breathe.
She called Javed and told him that she needed to see him. He told her to head to his friend’s house and he’ll join her. When he came over Nadia clung to him and began crying hysterically. Javed became worried and tried to calm her down. After a few moments she found enough strength to tell him the truth. He was clearly surprised but he reassured her that there was no reason to panic. He also told her that he’ll talk to his parents that night and send them to her house with a formal proposal of marriage. Nadia was relieved. This is exactly what she expected from Javed. He loved her and he was ready to stand by her. She went home that night and slept peacefully while dreaming of a beautiful life with Javed and their new baby.
Four days passed since she had told Javed but he hadn’t contacted her. This was not unusual because he often had to go out of town for work for weeks at a time but time was not on their side right now because it was slipping away with every breath.
One day while helping her mother in the kitchen she felt nauseated. She ran to the bathroom and Mrs. Qureshi followed her. They say that mothers have a very strong sixth sense and her mother’s sixth sense was telling her that something was terribly wrong. Nadia came out of the bathroom and found her mother standing there. She could sense what was going through her mother’s head and she could not face her. As she headed to her room, Mrs. Qureshi stopped her in her tracks.
“Nadia what is going on?” She asked
“I don’t know, must be something I ate.” Nadia lied
“Look me in the eye and tell me the truth.” She came and stood right in front of Nadia
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Nadia tried to fight back tears. She just wanted to buy some time until Javed returned.
“Why did you throw up all of a sudden? Tell me what you have done.” Mrs. Qureshi was not about to let go.
“Mummy…Mummy…” Nadia broke down and embraced her mother tightly.
“Oh my God…Oh my God…Tell me you didn’t do anything wrong. Tell me you didn’t sacrifice our pride and honor. Tell me you didn’t shame us in front of the world. Tell me…Tell me.” She was fiercely shaking Nadia who continued to cry.
“I am sorry mummy, I am so sorry.”
“Who is he? Who is he with whom you have blackened our reputation?”
“Mummy please…Mummy please forgive me…I made a terrible mistake…Please”
“Tell me his name.”
“His name is Javed. I met him six months ago…mummy he loves me…he loves me a lot and he wants to marry me.”
After hearing this Mrs. Qureshi calmed down a bit and sat down on Nadia’s bed. She came up with a strategy where she will meet Javed and talk to him herself. Then she would talk to his parents and they would arrange a very small religious ceremony where they would get married.
Next day Nadia tried to call Javed but his phone number was disconnected. She was confused and dialed the number several times only to hear the same message over and over again. Frustrated she threw her phone and started crying. She didn’t want to believe that Javed may have been a jerk who took advantage of her and when she got pregnant with his child, made a run for it. She wanted to believe that all the things he said to her, all the promises he made to her were sincere and that he truly loved her. She wanted to believe that he wanted this child and a life together as much as she but as days went by she was getting very nervous. She didn’t have another contact number for him. She did not even know where he lived but she knew where his friend lived so one day she went over to the apartment only to find a family with two small kids living there. The woman told her that they moved in a week ago and did not have any information about the previous tenant. Nadia was clearly distraught. It had happened. Javed did turn out to be a complete jerk whose only goal was to have sex with her. Now what? What was she going to do? How was she going to tell her mother that the father of her baby had disappeared in thin air? How was she going to face the world as an unwed mother? What has she done? She was hating herself at this moment for letting a man take advantage of her like that. Surely her parents raised her to know better but Javed broke her resolve and left her to fend for herself. She was never going to forgive him and she was never going to forgive herself.
Mrs. Qureshi was sitting in Nadia’s room with her head in her hands. Nadia had just told her everything and was now sitting across from her crying. Mrs. Qureshi looked up and said,
“Stop crying. Crying won’t solve the problems you have gotten us into.” Her tone was harsh as she was angry at her daughter and also sad for her.
“There is only one solution. We must abort the child.” She said
“No” Nadia shouted and gripped her stomach with both arms protecting her unborn child.
“Nadia don’t be a fool. There is no other way.”
“No..mummy..no…please don’t do this.” Nadia lowered herself on the floor and grabbed her mother’s feet for mercy.
“Nadia we don’t have a choice. You are an unmarried girl and to get pregnant is a sin. If anyone gets a wind of this we will be outcast from the society. People will spit on us. Who will marry you?” Mrs. Qureshi started babbling in an effort to rationalize the situation.
“But mummy no one has to know. I can go away from here. Far away with my baby.” All of a sudden Nadia was talking like a grown woman and not a teenager.
“This is not possible. You will do as I say. I will not let you deprecate us anymore than you already have.”
She left the room leaving Nadia on the floor. When she got to her room Mr.Qureshi was reading his newspaper. He was unaware of all the happenings in his own home and Mrs.Qureshi preferred it that way. She knew that if her husband finds out the truth he is capable of murdering his own daughter in the name of family honor and pride. Nadia will have to do as she says this is the only way she can save the family’s honor and her daughter’s life. She decided to call her only sister and ask her to come and help her with this difficult decision and when her sister reached she did everything in her power to convince Nadia to do as being told. Nadia rebelled but ultimately made the decision to terminate her pregnancy in order to save her and her family’s honor. Her aunt stayed back for another few months because following the abortion Nadia had fallen into severe bout of depression. She had become zombie like and stayed in her room either listening to sad songs or sleeping. Her mom and aunt knew that for Nadia killing the baby was like cutting off a body part but they were also sure that she will heal with time and they were right because Nadia did recover. She picked herself up and joined a vocational class. Her life had become very routine. Every day she went to class, worked on her assignment, came home, helped her mom in the kitchen and went to sleep. She had lost her zest for life and it broke her mother’s heart to see her this way. She desperately prayed for a miracle that would take Nadia out of this ordeal and change her life. Her prayers were answered the day her childhood friend called from Lahore and said that her son was coming to Karachi for a job interview and would be staying with them a few days. Parvez came and instantly fell in love with this beautiful, quiet girl who had certain sadness in her eyes and secrets in her heart. He immediately decided that Nadia was the girl he wanted to marry. Somehow he felt the urge to take all her sorrows away and give her a life full of love and beauty. When Nadia heard about Parvez’s proposal she told her mom that she wanted to tell him the truth about her past but her mom ruled against it. She did not want to lose a guy like Parvez because she was convinced that once he learns the truth, he will not want to have anything to do with Nadia. For days Nadia struggled with the decision because she did not want to start a new life with a lie. She liked Parvez and did not want to keep him in the dark. As her future husband he had every right to know the truth; hence, she wrote everything in a letter and patiently waited for his reply. She was ready to face rejection but to her surprise Parvez’s decision was not altered. They married with all the fanfare and as promised Parvez lived up to all the promises he made and showered so much love on her that she forgot all about the past and became the same fun loving and spirited girl she always was.
His name was Javed and he first saw Nadia in a shopping mall. It was love at first sight for him and from that moment on he made it his mission to find out everything about her. He would stand outside her college just to get a glimpse of her, send her roses and chocolates and write love letters with his blood. It didn’t take long for him to win her over as she found him insanely attractive. They began exchanging love letters and having discreet phone conversations. One day Javed suggested that they meet at his friend’s house. Nadia was reluctant at first but Javed assured her that she had nothing to be afraid of, she can trust him. Her trust in him grew when he kept his word and didn’t try anything she would feel uncomfortable with. They started meeting regularly and every time Javed gained a little more mileage with her. Within a couple of weeks they were making out and Nadia liked how it felt. She liked all the sensations her body felt when she was in his arms and she liked how his lips tasted and every time they parted she wanted more of him. One day Javed extended an invitation to spend the whole night with him. Nadia was certainly tempted but she was also very afraid. Somewhere in the back of her mind she feared the unknown but she was hopelessly in love with this guy and just wanted to live in the moment. She recruited one of her friends to go to her mother and father to ask if Nadia can spend the night at her house. Nadia knew that it was a difficult task as her parents did not allow her to stay away from home for too long, especially at night. After much cajoling by her friend they finally gave in. Nadia carefully packed her overnight bag with scented lotions and a nighty she had bought a few days ago and headed to meet Javed. He picked her up on his bike at a local bus station and they drove off to his friend’s house. The tiny apartment was filled with fresh flowers and lovely romantic lighting. Nadia excused herself and went to the bathroom to change. As she slipped out of her clothes, her heart started beating really fast. Meanwhile, Javed put on some soft music and settled on the bed waiting for her. She stepped out of the bathroom, her eyes planted on the floor as she felt extremely conscious in the semi revealing nighty. When Javed saw her he let out a sigh. She was breathtaking and he just couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He got up from the bed and went close to her, real close. She found his gaze piercing like he could see every detail of her body. He put his arms around her and she laid her head on his muscular chest. They held each other for what seemed like an eternity. Then he lowered his head and kissed her on her forehead and went down inch by inch until he reached her lips. He held himself back but Nadia couldn’t stand it anymore. She raised her lips to his and unleashed the passion. They kissed right there standing until Nadia’s knees felt weak and her legs couldn’t stand her weight anymore. She leaned fully into his body and he led her to the bed. She laid flat on her back and pulled him close to her until his body was directly over her. He fit her perfectly. He removed his shirt and pants as she watched him provocatively. He was so handsome, chiseled to perfection. He found her staring at her and smiled. She looked away. He slipped beside her and reached for her nighty. She hesitated so he turned the light off. Slowly he removed her nighty and she pulled the covers over her all the way to her throat as she had never undressed in front of anyone, not even her own mother, not after she turned ten. Slowly Javed pulled her closer to him and she let all her inhibitions go. He drove inside her and she let out a cry but after a moment, the pain was gone and she started swimming in the deep blue ocean of pleasure.
The next morning she woke up in his arms a completely different person. Now she was a woman who just spent the most glorious night of her life with the man she loved. After that magical night they were always eager to repeat the passion play. Nadia would bunk her college and they would sneak to Javed’s friend’s house where they would drive each other crazy with desire. With every get-together Nadia was getting bolder and more aware of her sexuality but as this seemed like an ideal arrangement for Javed, she was ready to think about her future, their future. Often she would mention that she wanted to marry him and spend the rest of her life with him and he would tell her that they had all the time in the world to think about the future but right now they should just enjoy what they have. His evasive answers started to make Nadia very uncomfortable especially when she was late. She was never late. She confided in one of her friends and they went out and bought a home pregnancy test from a store about an hour away from their home. Nadia was frightened as she peed on the stick. She kept praying that it was negative and this was just an isolated event where she was a few days late but her stars had something else in store for her. When she saw two lines on the stick her worst fear came to life. She sank on the couch, sick to her stomach and unable to breathe.
She called Javed and told him that she needed to see him. He told her to head to his friend’s house and he’ll join her. When he came over Nadia clung to him and began crying hysterically. Javed became worried and tried to calm her down. After a few moments she found enough strength to tell him the truth. He was clearly surprised but he reassured her that there was no reason to panic. He also told her that he’ll talk to his parents that night and send them to her house with a formal proposal of marriage. Nadia was relieved. This is exactly what she expected from Javed. He loved her and he was ready to stand by her. She went home that night and slept peacefully while dreaming of a beautiful life with Javed and their new baby.
Four days passed since she had told Javed but he hadn’t contacted her. This was not unusual because he often had to go out of town for work for weeks at a time but time was not on their side right now because it was slipping away with every breath.
One day while helping her mother in the kitchen she felt nauseated. She ran to the bathroom and Mrs. Qureshi followed her. They say that mothers have a very strong sixth sense and her mother’s sixth sense was telling her that something was terribly wrong. Nadia came out of the bathroom and found her mother standing there. She could sense what was going through her mother’s head and she could not face her. As she headed to her room, Mrs. Qureshi stopped her in her tracks.
“Nadia what is going on?” She asked
“I don’t know, must be something I ate.” Nadia lied
“Look me in the eye and tell me the truth.” She came and stood right in front of Nadia
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Nadia tried to fight back tears. She just wanted to buy some time until Javed returned.
“Why did you throw up all of a sudden? Tell me what you have done.” Mrs. Qureshi was not about to let go.
“Mummy…Mummy…” Nadia broke down and embraced her mother tightly.
“Oh my God…Oh my God…Tell me you didn’t do anything wrong. Tell me you didn’t sacrifice our pride and honor. Tell me you didn’t shame us in front of the world. Tell me…Tell me.” She was fiercely shaking Nadia who continued to cry.
“I am sorry mummy, I am so sorry.”
“Who is he? Who is he with whom you have blackened our reputation?”
“Mummy please…Mummy please forgive me…I made a terrible mistake…Please”
“Tell me his name.”
“His name is Javed. I met him six months ago…mummy he loves me…he loves me a lot and he wants to marry me.”
After hearing this Mrs. Qureshi calmed down a bit and sat down on Nadia’s bed. She came up with a strategy where she will meet Javed and talk to him herself. Then she would talk to his parents and they would arrange a very small religious ceremony where they would get married.
Next day Nadia tried to call Javed but his phone number was disconnected. She was confused and dialed the number several times only to hear the same message over and over again. Frustrated she threw her phone and started crying. She didn’t want to believe that Javed may have been a jerk who took advantage of her and when she got pregnant with his child, made a run for it. She wanted to believe that all the things he said to her, all the promises he made to her were sincere and that he truly loved her. She wanted to believe that he wanted this child and a life together as much as she but as days went by she was getting very nervous. She didn’t have another contact number for him. She did not even know where he lived but she knew where his friend lived so one day she went over to the apartment only to find a family with two small kids living there. The woman told her that they moved in a week ago and did not have any information about the previous tenant. Nadia was clearly distraught. It had happened. Javed did turn out to be a complete jerk whose only goal was to have sex with her. Now what? What was she going to do? How was she going to tell her mother that the father of her baby had disappeared in thin air? How was she going to face the world as an unwed mother? What has she done? She was hating herself at this moment for letting a man take advantage of her like that. Surely her parents raised her to know better but Javed broke her resolve and left her to fend for herself. She was never going to forgive him and she was never going to forgive herself.
Mrs. Qureshi was sitting in Nadia’s room with her head in her hands. Nadia had just told her everything and was now sitting across from her crying. Mrs. Qureshi looked up and said,
“Stop crying. Crying won’t solve the problems you have gotten us into.” Her tone was harsh as she was angry at her daughter and also sad for her.
“There is only one solution. We must abort the child.” She said
“No” Nadia shouted and gripped her stomach with both arms protecting her unborn child.
“Nadia don’t be a fool. There is no other way.”
“No..mummy..no…please don’t do this.” Nadia lowered herself on the floor and grabbed her mother’s feet for mercy.
“Nadia we don’t have a choice. You are an unmarried girl and to get pregnant is a sin. If anyone gets a wind of this we will be outcast from the society. People will spit on us. Who will marry you?” Mrs. Qureshi started babbling in an effort to rationalize the situation.
“But mummy no one has to know. I can go away from here. Far away with my baby.” All of a sudden Nadia was talking like a grown woman and not a teenager.
“This is not possible. You will do as I say. I will not let you deprecate us anymore than you already have.”
She left the room leaving Nadia on the floor. When she got to her room Mr.Qureshi was reading his newspaper. He was unaware of all the happenings in his own home and Mrs.Qureshi preferred it that way. She knew that if her husband finds out the truth he is capable of murdering his own daughter in the name of family honor and pride. Nadia will have to do as she says this is the only way she can save the family’s honor and her daughter’s life. She decided to call her only sister and ask her to come and help her with this difficult decision and when her sister reached she did everything in her power to convince Nadia to do as being told. Nadia rebelled but ultimately made the decision to terminate her pregnancy in order to save her and her family’s honor. Her aunt stayed back for another few months because following the abortion Nadia had fallen into severe bout of depression. She had become zombie like and stayed in her room either listening to sad songs or sleeping. Her mom and aunt knew that for Nadia killing the baby was like cutting off a body part but they were also sure that she will heal with time and they were right because Nadia did recover. She picked herself up and joined a vocational class. Her life had become very routine. Every day she went to class, worked on her assignment, came home, helped her mom in the kitchen and went to sleep. She had lost her zest for life and it broke her mother’s heart to see her this way. She desperately prayed for a miracle that would take Nadia out of this ordeal and change her life. Her prayers were answered the day her childhood friend called from Lahore and said that her son was coming to Karachi for a job interview and would be staying with them a few days. Parvez came and instantly fell in love with this beautiful, quiet girl who had certain sadness in her eyes and secrets in her heart. He immediately decided that Nadia was the girl he wanted to marry. Somehow he felt the urge to take all her sorrows away and give her a life full of love and beauty. When Nadia heard about Parvez’s proposal she told her mom that she wanted to tell him the truth about her past but her mom ruled against it. She did not want to lose a guy like Parvez because she was convinced that once he learns the truth, he will not want to have anything to do with Nadia. For days Nadia struggled with the decision because she did not want to start a new life with a lie. She liked Parvez and did not want to keep him in the dark. As her future husband he had every right to know the truth; hence, she wrote everything in a letter and patiently waited for his reply. She was ready to face rejection but to her surprise Parvez’s decision was not altered. They married with all the fanfare and as promised Parvez lived up to all the promises he made and showered so much love on her that she forgot all about the past and became the same fun loving and spirited girl she always was.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
R.I.P. MJ
As I watched the recap of Michael Jackson's memorial on the news I couldn't help but think that he has become bigger than ever in death then he was alive. Michael Jackson was undoubtedly very talented and broke records worldwide but his recent years kept him in the news more for his personal life rather than the amazing music he made.
I remember the first time I saw Thriller, honestly it scared the crap out of me but I couldn't help myself from watching it over and over again. That was my introduction to the phenomenon called Michael Jackson. Although I was never a huge fan, Jackson's music was always around. His songs and dance moves were copied and recopied all around the world. His moonwalk became so popular that every kid wanted to perfect it. He was a legend and there was no argument about it.
Then in the late 90s things changed. He appeared different physically. Tabloids began churning stories about his numerous plastic surgeries and a skin disorder that made his color lighter and lighter. He was criticised and accused for having fondness for children and for inviting them to his house. I always heard and saw these stories with a certain indifference but last week it was revealed that he tried to return to his own childhood by giving underpriviledged children a few moments of joy. He built a massive amusement park so these kids could play for hours without a care in the world. After all that's what a childhood is all about, but for Michael it was different, much different. When other kids were playing with their bikes, Michael was in the recording studio exercising his vocal cords for hours. They blame his father who was extremely ambitious for his sons and when he realized the potential in Michael, he pushed him even harder. I don't know how much truth is in these stories but it all kind of makes sense now. Maybe he was a tortured soul who was looking for genuine love and affection that he never received from his own father. He became a father and a very devoted one indeed. He loved his children immensely and from his daughter's heartfelt speech today, one can conclude that the kids also adored their father.
It is sad to see this superstar gone so soon but I guess when you are sitting on top of the world it kind of gets lonely up there. You seem to leave the people who know you for the person you are behind and acquire a new set of entourage. The difference is that these new so called friends don't have your best interests at heart. They don't know you for you but for what you do and how much money you have. Like Britney and Anna Nicole, Michael Jackson also had many people around him who did whatever he asked them to do as long as he kept their pockets full.
Indeed it is sad and this is my tribute the one and only King of Pop.
I remember the first time I saw Thriller, honestly it scared the crap out of me but I couldn't help myself from watching it over and over again. That was my introduction to the phenomenon called Michael Jackson. Although I was never a huge fan, Jackson's music was always around. His songs and dance moves were copied and recopied all around the world. His moonwalk became so popular that every kid wanted to perfect it. He was a legend and there was no argument about it.
Then in the late 90s things changed. He appeared different physically. Tabloids began churning stories about his numerous plastic surgeries and a skin disorder that made his color lighter and lighter. He was criticised and accused for having fondness for children and for inviting them to his house. I always heard and saw these stories with a certain indifference but last week it was revealed that he tried to return to his own childhood by giving underpriviledged children a few moments of joy. He built a massive amusement park so these kids could play for hours without a care in the world. After all that's what a childhood is all about, but for Michael it was different, much different. When other kids were playing with their bikes, Michael was in the recording studio exercising his vocal cords for hours. They blame his father who was extremely ambitious for his sons and when he realized the potential in Michael, he pushed him even harder. I don't know how much truth is in these stories but it all kind of makes sense now. Maybe he was a tortured soul who was looking for genuine love and affection that he never received from his own father. He became a father and a very devoted one indeed. He loved his children immensely and from his daughter's heartfelt speech today, one can conclude that the kids also adored their father.
It is sad to see this superstar gone so soon but I guess when you are sitting on top of the world it kind of gets lonely up there. You seem to leave the people who know you for the person you are behind and acquire a new set of entourage. The difference is that these new so called friends don't have your best interests at heart. They don't know you for you but for what you do and how much money you have. Like Britney and Anna Nicole, Michael Jackson also had many people around him who did whatever he asked them to do as long as he kept their pockets full.
Indeed it is sad and this is my tribute the one and only King of Pop.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
NBA Playoffs
This is a great time of the year when NBA playoffs are going on especially when your favorite team is in it (so far...). I love the Dallas Mavericks and think very strongly that they have a potential to beat any team in the NBA if they wanted to but it seems like the team is having so many issues with injuries, personal problems and an inability to under perform. I want to go back to the year when Mavs made it all the way to the finals only to lose to Miami. In my opinion, that was the death of them. The following year they lost to Golden State in the first round despite having won the most games in the league. Last year they lost again in the first round and this year when their entry into the playoffs was doubtful, they pulled themselves up and had a tremendous run at the end of the regular season. I was so happy that the Mavs were back. Then they went on to beat the Spurs in the first round only to face the Denver Thuggets. I swear this Denver team is dirty and frankly messed up. I actually liked Chauncey Billups when he played for the Pistons but now he's one of the Thugs and what's with the birdman character. Frankly he looks ridiculous!! Throughout this series they have played dirty while Mavs have kept their composure and played with dignity. Game three was the biggest injustice to the Mavs when a corrupt official decided not to call the foul at the end and giving Carmello Anthony an opportunity to make a wide open three. I admit that Mavs can be sloppy but c'mon people give them a break. It seems to me that Mavericks do not get any respect in the league and for that my husband says that they need to win a championship and only then they will be able to shut people up. I know that Denver will win this series but as a fan I want the Mavs to get it together, make any necessary changes and come back next year with a vengence. The fans surely deserve it!!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Economics 101
I don't know about anyone else but I am really getting sick of all the talk about the bad economy. Everyone from news correspondents to wall street experts to the President are projecting gloom and doom for this country. I just wanted to go over some of the things that have put us in this crisis.
First, the sub prime mortgages are responsible for a major chunk of the this mess. So many people opened fake companies and got on this bandwagon in order to make a quick buck and many vulnerable Americans who had the American dream of owning a home with a yard and a white picket fence fell for it. Most of them knew that they did not have the credit score nor the savings to afford a home but clever loan sharks made them believe that they could own a home for next to nothing. I blame these greedy people but hold the buyers equally responsible.
Another reason for this crisis is the American culture of spending. We love to spend the money we don't have. Let's say you have ten credit cards with a combined limit of $100,000. Does that mean that you have $100,000 to spend? NO! That money is not yours. That money comes with a million strings attached because each credit card comes with very high finance charges. If you charge a $2000 TV today and pay the minimum balance every month, that TV can end up costing you more than $10,000 before you can own it and chances are that by the time you finish paying it off it's time to buy a new TV!
My favorite financial advisor Suze Orman does not mince words when she gives financial advice to people and I love her for it. She tells it like it is and does not show mercy. One thing she said that really stuck with me is that, "You do not have savings when you have debt" Most people in America do not consider credit card balance as debt because they continue to pay on it, but any balance on that card is a debt even if you have money in your savings account. She points out that the number one priority of people in these economic times is to pay off your credit card debt.
Finally, we are in this situation because there are many big executives who only thought about fattening their pocket books at the expense of hard working taxpaying people. In my opinion there should be a salary cap for every professional out there. If our President can only make $400,000 a year, is it fair for the CEO of FEDEX to make $9,000,000 in salary and bonuses a year? I would even propose to cap salaries of athletes and movie stars who make ridiculous amounts of money. They say that California is 400 billion dollars in debt. I say that if every actor in Hollywood pooled their money together they can certainly get California out of debt.
My goal is not to preach but to make people aware that we are responsible for getting where we are today and we alone can make small changes to get us out of this situation.
R
First, the sub prime mortgages are responsible for a major chunk of the this mess. So many people opened fake companies and got on this bandwagon in order to make a quick buck and many vulnerable Americans who had the American dream of owning a home with a yard and a white picket fence fell for it. Most of them knew that they did not have the credit score nor the savings to afford a home but clever loan sharks made them believe that they could own a home for next to nothing. I blame these greedy people but hold the buyers equally responsible.
Another reason for this crisis is the American culture of spending. We love to spend the money we don't have. Let's say you have ten credit cards with a combined limit of $100,000. Does that mean that you have $100,000 to spend? NO! That money is not yours. That money comes with a million strings attached because each credit card comes with very high finance charges. If you charge a $2000 TV today and pay the minimum balance every month, that TV can end up costing you more than $10,000 before you can own it and chances are that by the time you finish paying it off it's time to buy a new TV!
My favorite financial advisor Suze Orman does not mince words when she gives financial advice to people and I love her for it. She tells it like it is and does not show mercy. One thing she said that really stuck with me is that, "You do not have savings when you have debt" Most people in America do not consider credit card balance as debt because they continue to pay on it, but any balance on that card is a debt even if you have money in your savings account. She points out that the number one priority of people in these economic times is to pay off your credit card debt.
Finally, we are in this situation because there are many big executives who only thought about fattening their pocket books at the expense of hard working taxpaying people. In my opinion there should be a salary cap for every professional out there. If our President can only make $400,000 a year, is it fair for the CEO of FEDEX to make $9,000,000 in salary and bonuses a year? I would even propose to cap salaries of athletes and movie stars who make ridiculous amounts of money. They say that California is 400 billion dollars in debt. I say that if every actor in Hollywood pooled their money together they can certainly get California out of debt.
My goal is not to preach but to make people aware that we are responsible for getting where we are today and we alone can make small changes to get us out of this situation.
R
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Rise of the Machines
Last night I was watching Oprah who was interviewing actor Dennis Quaid about how his newborn twins nearly died due to a medical mistake. The babies developed some kind of infection few days after they were born and Dennis and his wife took them to Cedar Sinai hospital in Los Angeles. There due to human error they were given an overdose of antibiotics which led the twins to get sick and then treated. Now the babies are happy toddlers. My blog is not about them but it's about the change that was brought in after this error. Cedar Sinai went electronic where every medication has a bar code which is scanned by a handheld scanner which feeds into a computer and only after that the medication is dispensed. All this to avoid human error.
OK so I was touched by this story and I like the fact that change has been put in place but how come we give machines such credibility over humans? After all aren't all machines made by humans? I love something my husband says, "A machine is only as intelligent as the human being who built it." Touche.
Now lets talk about how much the humans who built these machines are dependent on them. For example, cell phones. How many of us carry practically our whole lives in our cell phones? How many of us know five numbers of our family and friends without looking at the contacts on our phone? First it was saving phone numbers on it to save us from memorizing numbers or carrying a bulky diary. Now our music, calendar, alarm, camera and Internet are all on our phones. We would rather lose an arm but God forbid if our phone should get lost. I personally love my cellphone because I can save phone numbers but is that an excuse for not remembering my mom's number? What if I am stranded somewhere and don't have my phone with me. Will my mom ever know if I am dead or alive? Scary thought huh?
Cell phones are genius and texting and email capabilities on them has made life so much easier. We can send and receive texts and emails instantly. No more excuses such as, "I was in the bathroom", because you can take it there too. But I think this texting business has gone too far. Personally I'd like to hear from a loved one when it is my birthday and not get a text that says HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! in all caps with three exclamation points at the end. Or better yet just send a message on Facebook. Now don't even get me started about that!
However there are many benefits to having machines in our homes and offices. It's time efficient and predictable but machines shouldn't replace human intelligence. God has named us superior beings over all his creatures for a reason after all. I am afraid that dependence on machines have made us complacent and also stupid. We don't see a reason to use our brains when we have calculators, computers and fancy gadgets to help us. The other day I was trying to have a competition among students in my religious education class and asked the kids if anyone had a quarter to flip. One of the students handed me his iPhone which had a coin on the screen. I looked at him puzzled, "You want me to flip your phone in the air?" he looked at me like "no dummy" you just shake it and the coin will flip a few times and then stop. Whoa! Isn't that something? All I wanted was a good old coin to flip in the air.
Another place machines are making their presence felt are in the medical field. It is really awesome that a programmed robot can perform a very complicated surgery in which the physician is videoconferenced from across the country. I don't know about you but I would want my doctor to be IN the room and NOT across the country when I am on the operating table.
Machines are great but I don't want them to take over the world.
R
OK so I was touched by this story and I like the fact that change has been put in place but how come we give machines such credibility over humans? After all aren't all machines made by humans? I love something my husband says, "A machine is only as intelligent as the human being who built it." Touche.
Now lets talk about how much the humans who built these machines are dependent on them. For example, cell phones. How many of us carry practically our whole lives in our cell phones? How many of us know five numbers of our family and friends without looking at the contacts on our phone? First it was saving phone numbers on it to save us from memorizing numbers or carrying a bulky diary. Now our music, calendar, alarm, camera and Internet are all on our phones. We would rather lose an arm but God forbid if our phone should get lost. I personally love my cellphone because I can save phone numbers but is that an excuse for not remembering my mom's number? What if I am stranded somewhere and don't have my phone with me. Will my mom ever know if I am dead or alive? Scary thought huh?
Cell phones are genius and texting and email capabilities on them has made life so much easier. We can send and receive texts and emails instantly. No more excuses such as, "I was in the bathroom", because you can take it there too. But I think this texting business has gone too far. Personally I'd like to hear from a loved one when it is my birthday and not get a text that says HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! in all caps with three exclamation points at the end. Or better yet just send a message on Facebook. Now don't even get me started about that!
However there are many benefits to having machines in our homes and offices. It's time efficient and predictable but machines shouldn't replace human intelligence. God has named us superior beings over all his creatures for a reason after all. I am afraid that dependence on machines have made us complacent and also stupid. We don't see a reason to use our brains when we have calculators, computers and fancy gadgets to help us. The other day I was trying to have a competition among students in my religious education class and asked the kids if anyone had a quarter to flip. One of the students handed me his iPhone which had a coin on the screen. I looked at him puzzled, "You want me to flip your phone in the air?" he looked at me like "no dummy" you just shake it and the coin will flip a few times and then stop. Whoa! Isn't that something? All I wanted was a good old coin to flip in the air.
Another place machines are making their presence felt are in the medical field. It is really awesome that a programmed robot can perform a very complicated surgery in which the physician is videoconferenced from across the country. I don't know about you but I would want my doctor to be IN the room and NOT across the country when I am on the operating table.
Machines are great but I don't want them to take over the world.
R
Sunday, March 1, 2009
To Eat or not to Eat
Ever wonder why foods that are good for us taste so bad? I have yet to try a low calorie food that does not taste like cardboard. Granted that foods such as Lean Cuisine and Smart ones are good for you but they contain ridiculous amounts of sodium which can make you retain water in your body...which can give you a bloated look...so on and so forth.
I love the slogan Weight Watchers has, "diets don't work weight watchers does". Yeah only until you pay a weekly fee and have to go through the humiliation of getting weighed once a week. I tried it and it worked for the most part because the worst feeling in the world is when you have deprived yourself of all the regular foods and resorted to eating rabbit food and bread that tastes like....NOTHING...you get on that scale and it shows that you have gained TWO POUNDS. But how is that possible? I was so good all week. So weight watchers does work but it's a slow process and most of us don't have that kind of patience.
Recently I followed a diet that claimed you could lose up to 9 pounds in 11 days. Now I am a big skeptic when it comes to fad diets and don't fall for the gimmick, but my co worker's mother had tried it and she lost about 8 pounds. I figured that even if I lose five pounds that would be quite an accomplishment. So I logged onto the website, paid the mandatory fees and downloaded the custom made menu which comprised of three things, Milk, Eggs and peanuts. That's it! I was supposed to live on these for 11 days!! I mean I like eggs and but eating them three times a day was a little too much for me. Still I deiced to stick to it because the $40 were not refundable and besides I had bragged about it to all my coworkers and I was not going to let them call me a liar...or a coward...or a quitter..nope that was certainly not going to happen. I told myself to suck it up and do this. To my surprise I was able to stick to it and even lost four pounds. I was so proud of myself. Then I got off the diet and gained 8 pounds.
There is no quick fix to losing weight. You have to eat the low calorie, high fiber, cardboard tasting food and you have to exercise. Believe me I read every article about diets on the Internet and follow all the latest trends. I tell my mother and sister what to eat and what to avoid like I am their personal dietitian or trainer but I always procrastinate and don't follow my own advice because I tell myself that I know all the right things to do and it's just a matter of time before I get started.
The reason I am putting all this out there is because I need to make a commitment to myself that this is the year to reach my goal weight, this is the year to get healthy, this is the year to start prevention of all the potential ailments that creep up on you as your get older, this is the year to be proud of. Maybe by reading this blog some of you will get inspired to the same and if nothing else you can throw it back on my face by saying "FOLLOW YOUR OWN ADVICE."
R
I love the slogan Weight Watchers has, "diets don't work weight watchers does". Yeah only until you pay a weekly fee and have to go through the humiliation of getting weighed once a week. I tried it and it worked for the most part because the worst feeling in the world is when you have deprived yourself of all the regular foods and resorted to eating rabbit food and bread that tastes like....NOTHING...you get on that scale and it shows that you have gained TWO POUNDS. But how is that possible? I was so good all week. So weight watchers does work but it's a slow process and most of us don't have that kind of patience.
Recently I followed a diet that claimed you could lose up to 9 pounds in 11 days. Now I am a big skeptic when it comes to fad diets and don't fall for the gimmick, but my co worker's mother had tried it and she lost about 8 pounds. I figured that even if I lose five pounds that would be quite an accomplishment. So I logged onto the website, paid the mandatory fees and downloaded the custom made menu which comprised of three things, Milk, Eggs and peanuts. That's it! I was supposed to live on these for 11 days!! I mean I like eggs and but eating them three times a day was a little too much for me. Still I deiced to stick to it because the $40 were not refundable and besides I had bragged about it to all my coworkers and I was not going to let them call me a liar...or a coward...or a quitter..nope that was certainly not going to happen. I told myself to suck it up and do this. To my surprise I was able to stick to it and even lost four pounds. I was so proud of myself. Then I got off the diet and gained 8 pounds.
There is no quick fix to losing weight. You have to eat the low calorie, high fiber, cardboard tasting food and you have to exercise. Believe me I read every article about diets on the Internet and follow all the latest trends. I tell my mother and sister what to eat and what to avoid like I am their personal dietitian or trainer but I always procrastinate and don't follow my own advice because I tell myself that I know all the right things to do and it's just a matter of time before I get started.
The reason I am putting all this out there is because I need to make a commitment to myself that this is the year to reach my goal weight, this is the year to get healthy, this is the year to start prevention of all the potential ailments that creep up on you as your get older, this is the year to be proud of. Maybe by reading this blog some of you will get inspired to the same and if nothing else you can throw it back on my face by saying "FOLLOW YOUR OWN ADVICE."
R
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