For Official Humans of Pakistan group!

At this late hr, when the world is fast asleep, I tried to peek into the inspirational world online. I am a regular follower of Humans of New York (HONY), Humans of Bombay and Pakistan.

Lately, I've been seeing a pattern on the Humans of Pakistan posts. Most of their posts are revolving around education...anything related to it. The hurdles one faced, breaking the glass ceiling effect etc. You name it and they have it. Now, I am not saying they are not inspirational enough. But if you look at the story telling lines of other groups and if you manage to notice; how they make intricate and beautiful little things, shine bright in the spotlight in a very powerful yet engaging conversational manner you'll understand what I am trying to say here.

The posts of HOP lack the naive nature of everyday acts of kindness. The smallest of the gesture which made your heart melt or the ones where your faith in humanity was restored, to say the least, are the kinds of posts they are lacking. I'll quote a couple of stories which I learned online and I wanted them to be brought to HOP platform in a very different way or maybe just the way they were shared as original.

A post was up on soulsis Pakistan (I hope I am naming the correct group) where 2 daughters and their mother were out for shopping. Their car engine broke down in the middle of the road. While the entire traffic was busy honking and making an already anxious group of ladies more miserable, a guy came up fixed their engine, told them about the nearest car workshop and made sure they were safe on board again. When this story was posted with the candid picture of the guy and a thank-you note, somehow the real guy who helped saw it and responded. Now, I badly wanted someone should do a retro version of the event with the guy s perspective. That should have been a hell of an inspiration to our youth, which is unfortunately under a hormonal surge, and feel it necessary to pass a cheesy comment every now n then rather than helping like a gentleman. At least that's how I would have done it.

The second incident was when an acquaintance of mine lost two of their phones in cab, and the cab driver returned it and had to cross the entire city just to return the cell phones. This story does not sound inspirational enough until and unless you've had your phone snatched or accidentally lost it in a public transport and never found it again. The grief is impeccable. And for someone who relieves you of the agony, deserves a public applause in this fast and the furious era.

Another incident which has just popped in my mind dates back to 2005-2006. In my very own city, Hyderabad. A friend of mine had accidently hit an "Applied For Registration", a week old, brand new vehicle from the back ruining and smashing its rear. The uncle who owned it demanded a payback, which was quite obvious! And was agreed to be given so. He later that evening, showed up at the residence and told my friend's father that I've forgiven and won't take cash either. Upon asking what made him change his mind, he told the father that when you were told about the incident your reaction and your voice tone was such that you are in immense anger (which was quite obvious!) So, at that precise moment I felt that I don't know what you will say or do to your child. And I only knew that you will be harsh enough to cause a heartbreak. Your child is my child and, today is Shab barat ( the holy night in Shabaan) It is a night of forgiveness so I have forgiven and I expect you to do the same! These are the kind of posts I would like to be scalloped and brought to the plate.

Their posts are an inspiration, that is a big Yes! But there are several unlit areas where our unsung heroes reside and we need to bring out those hidden stories to the larger canvas as well.

I just hope I was able to effectively communicate what I genuinely felt. With lots and lots of heartwarming success wishes to the team of Humans of Pakistan!

Regards,

What goes around never surely comes around !

I am gonna start by asking all of you when was the last time you made a terrible terrible mistake at work? 

Got it?

 Eh? okay, think some more....

Now got it...?

 Yeah, I know how it felt. But I am gonna ask you, do you remember who rescued you? Somebody must have, either beautifully or in an ugliest possible way. So who was it?

Hmm...you remember the relief, right? Or how you badly wished that someone rescued you and when they did, you felt lighter. Now, snap back in present time. How many of you plan to give the same feeling back to the society. When was the last time you forgave someone over something which caused you a fortune? When was the last time you "relieved" someone of their agony.... AND most importantly, did you do it without getting anything in return except the satisfaction of fulfilling your purpose as a human being.

……..when was it? If you can recall then I would like to give a standing ovation. Because most of us don't do that! And that is the precise reason why I chose my title for today. None of us make the effort to do something good as a return for all the good which was done to us or for us. It's high time we change our strategy! 

I believe in Karma. I also believe in the positive energy and that, it finds its way back to you no matter what part of the globe you go and hide in. There are some things you should do for self-satisfaction, giving back to the society is one. Whenever you felt overwhelmed by somebody’s kind gesture, kindly, immediately replicate it for someone else. Reciprocate the chance to change someone’s life, essentially a person who can do nothing for you in return. In this way, they won’t burden your soul with pride. Let your ego suffer a bit. You’ll feel the eternal sunshine enlightening your soul. C’mon! let's feed our scarred souls a bit and let this August be Ours!

On this 70^th Birthday of our beloved country, I would like to give everyone an idea. An idea to start a vicious circle of peace, patience, and positivity. Trust the day you do it, you will be happy as a bee!

Not so Cheap Thrills :)

There are certain songs which make you nostalgic and then there are those which allow you to make memories. This post is particularly important because I am not a crazy huge fan of media be it films, dramas or anything else. But I had to write it all down! So, there were all these posts about the Indian bride dancing her way through the wedding day preps. I saw it. The song was catchy. When I learned the lyrics it made my stomach cringe and I missed my inner circle. So, this post is for you Marium, Razia, Falak, Iqra, Asma. These lovely ladies tolerate me happily when I am high on ketchup, pizza, chai or anything that's edible or piyable :) ..... you name it :D They are the ones who make me forget my phone and practically everything else in the world. All of us love to talk. We talk so much, not to mention we all talk at the same time, that no one listens :)


Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills!)

The thing is the thrills with you guys are not so cheap. They are worth the moon :) You guys are breath of fresh air through and through. You don't just celebrate me at my worst you make my day when I am at my best too (I knowwww, it sounds weird but that's the way we are!). We celebrate, not enjoy but Celebrate the bad moods! with each other. Occasionally, just like that, I'll throw a sarcastic comment andddd here you go!

I got all I need
No I ain't got cash
I ain't got cash
But I got you baby :)

That's veryyy true! :P BUT soon there'll be destination holiday you guys, just hang in there and wait for like 40 more years :P Well, somethings are priceless and they come in handy just like our gatherings, at adda (pizzahut) or adda no.2: Falak's home. Marium invites us to her place also, very secretively though and she just forgets to actually tell us that we are invited to her house on a particular day :P (referring to an incident which happened in high school)


Come on come on, turn the radio on
It's Saturday and it won't be long
Gotta paint my nails, put my high heels on
It's Saturday and it won't be long 

In my version, it would be: it's Sunday (for us, of course!). Our radio and newscaster or broadcaster is Falak. At our gatherings you can show off or on very conveniently, mostly because none of us care :P We talk, throw words and unfinished stories at each other and get out :D It's usually later in the night our watssap helps us in finishing those stories/gossips.



Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight

Who needs it when you have a master chef like Asma, awesome-est baker like Iqra, and Falak's aaalooo! And faalsay ka juice, YES, I mean who does that, knock knock, Answer is: Falak. In her wedding this cutie gave us the goodie bags and in her own farewell party she brought me a bottle of wine (read that as falsay ka juice) matlab pampering ki hadd hai :) She is the event organizer with such fun activities that we all just do not move from her house until and unless we have to :P

 Now Marium would be thinking that I left her out. Yes darling I did :P that's because you have forgotten my homemade aftari that I sent you waayyy back and you never fed me pizza! apna wala! 
And Razia you need to re-surface a lil more, scene mn ayn aap! Having said that whenever I meet her she never forgets to fill the table with all my fav snacks.
This post is an appreciation blog for my Oxygen (s) in town. Because of them, other than My family, Hyderabad is Home :)
And yes sometimes, only sometimes home is not four walls, its two eyes and a heartbeat.




(10 eyes in my case :P)

A Review For the Doobie Donuts (Hyderabad)

When it comes to eateries, Hyderabad did not seem to have a lot of options 3-4 years back. There still  is dearth of a casual chai/coffee shop for students to hang out or a place where they can sometimes sit and do assignments Or simply kill time.

Such places are in abundance worldwide and even in Karachi. There is Dunkin Donuts, which is my favorite spot for doing my assignments. There is Dolmen Mall food-court. These places are customer friendly in every possible way be it availability of internet connection or discount deals.

However, happily enough things are changing in my hometown. So about a month or so ago I came across this online donut franchise, based in Hyderabad. As I was home and had nothing better to do on 1^st May holiday, I ordered nutty chocolate donut and one white milk donut. Their facebook page is quick to respond and order was confirmed. I sent them a google map screenshot of my location (it always helps while placing online orders).

The order was delivered in the given time slot. Donuts were super fresh. The smell was appetizing. They were soft and neatly packed. White chocolate on top was smooth, did not decompose and did not taste bitter.  That was a major plus for me. Nutty donuts had a crackling effect which I like with something as soft and spongy as donuts. The donuts are not pricey and have good value for money.

So, this Eid I decided to try their Cake and my pick was a Rainbow Cake and Oreo Cake.

Let’s start with Rainbow cake. It was moist. Colors were bright. Sponge was soft and gooey but just the right amount not too gooey. The chocolate on top was generous and it blended well with the taste of sponge.

The Oreo cake had a perfect appearance in accordance with a festive, Eid cake. I ordered with a little customization so mine had no oreos on top, alternatively it had chocolate chips sprinkled in the center top part. Topping was light and fluffy. The only thing which could be improved is that may be adding middle rather thick layer of frosting in between the upper and lower part of the sponge that will prevent the drying effect which occurs as you dig in towards center. It cost me around rs 720/ for 2 pounds and a free delivery (Eid special).

On the whole;

Delivery: 08/10

Taste: 09/10

Packaging: 10/10

Response rate: 10/10

Price: 10/10

Amazing one-liners!

·        Chai aur beizzati ka koi waqt nahi hota

·        Baatein croron ki aur dukaan pakoron ki

·        Tou boond baarish ki aur mein Karachi ka rehne wala

·        Part-I hojata hai II nahi hota (regarding FCPS)

·        Jis mein khair nahi us mein sirf sair hai

·        Jo dikhta hai wo bikta hai

·        Chota packet, barra dhamaka

·        Jal b rahay ho, jala b rahay ho!

·        Crackpot se Jackpot :P

•     Ye cheez mere aziz

These are a few of the one-liners that are used in everyday practice. I just assembled them in this one post.

Courtesy: Hiba, Pashmeena, Summaiya, Falak and myself

Independence is bliss

Independence is a privilege, be it financial or moral. It comes with a lot of responsibilities for sure but at the same time it enables you to liberate the inner true you. It comes with a steep learning curve. It lets you stumble upon the wrong choices and move past the right ones with ease.

Let’s first understand that why is it necessary for our youth especially girls to be independent. Independence is something which allows you to take control of your life let alone finances. Less emotional dependency permits you to foster your inner confidence. You do not suffer from distress and dismay that is part and parcel of being socially and emotional dependent. Now I am not saying that social support is not at all important, it is, but you don’t have to rely emotionally on somebody, dragging them into every situation life throws at you. You become far better decision maker with a broader vision. You set yourself free from wearing off your emotional reserves. Sense of accomplishment tends to build up the self-esteem and the person appears to be less dependent and less needy. You tend to take responsibility of your every action.

I was grown in a full house with subtle amount of money, not mine of course :P. But it made a lot of difference in the reactionary aspects of my behavior. We never sulked over something we could not have. We never felt entitled to privileges rather believed in earning them. Everything fell into place until I, like many other youngsters of our part of the world entered the corporate world. It was then only it hit us that the same background which prevented the reactionary actions provoked a rather odd set of circumstances. So, I was with a group of youngsters only last week when it hit me that the satisfying wealth we all have, has made us all fall in a cumbersome situation. There are many of us who have struggled hard and fought for our place in a reputable university in the most market compatible and highest paying fields. We have wrestled through the exams, assignments, fulfilling the required quotas and so on. And now that we have arrived, in this competitive world of business what has hit us hard is the fact that there is no place (majority of cases) for warriors like us in the big commercialized world. We get sidelined by the quacks, by the people with impressive gigs but no proper degree in the easiest way. You have the degree and the diligence and devout for the job but you are not required. And then when you get the job, the pay scale does not amuse you or satiate your hunger for independence. The salary is not market competitive on the mere basis of the fact that you are from a sound financial background and hence don't need the money. 

When you start a job your first instinct is to buy a house or a car. You want to start saving and investing from the beginning. Money plays a key role in pursuit of happiness. It makes you carefree and content. You want to be independent and on your own. When the job fails to give you all this you look for other sources of income. You try out different things in order to have that extra edge. The concept of passive income allows you to remain independent for a long term. It is about protecting your hard earned money. By investing, basically what one is trying to do is to safeguard the welfare and well being of the family and business that one has built.

What I am trying to say is let us create a world with an open field where each one of us has a chance of standing out. Let us not demean the degree. Let’s just give all prospective M.D’s, CEO s a chance. The skills matters and so does that degree. The hours spent in front of computers, books, laptops for completing a task matters too. The money, energy and time put into all the academic years needs to be recognized. If only our youth doesn’t feel so bad about “wasting” the time in college, they can willingly do wonders.

Gratitude brings about a heartfelt regard of what you have and will have in future. It allows giving back to the society in myriad ways.

PROVERBIAL HEALTH

The notion, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”, aptly illustrates the ideology that physical well-being of an individual depends largely on intake of food which is not only healthy and fulfills the daily calorie requirement but also helps in boosting the immune system. A very common example of this would be carrot (for the eye-sight) and milk (for strengthening the bones). Different cultures, religions and regions have their own set of beliefs in terms of “healthy food”.

I am going to list down a few of the foods/fruits which are commonly associated with a specific health benefit.

1) DATES:

Date being the integral part of Aftaar, as Ramzan is just around the corner, so I thought it deserves to be mentioned first. Dates are used to break fast (Aftaar) almost everywhere in Muslim world. It is a common knowledge that Dates are good for health as they contain fiber, they boost mental activity, are prompt source of energy. But did you know that Dates facilitates labour during child birth minimizing the need for induction!

2) BANANA:

 There’s a Banana Diet, DID YOU KNOW IT ! It is a common knowledge that bananas are good for health and heart but a banana diet is all you need to know if you’re trying to lose some extra pounds!

3) CLOVE:

Well we all have used clove as a spice in our food. Little did we know that it’s something more than just an anti-inflammatory, anti-septic, anti-oxidant and what not? The benefit which will take you by surprise is, it numbs the pain and can be used effectively in tooth-ache, VOILA! So no more panic attacks in the middle of the night, in case of tooth-ache just chew on to the clove for a few minute and your pain will be gone!

4) CUCUMBER:

Cucumber keeps you hydrated. It is good for skin (yeah for those dark circles too!). What you do not know is the fact that if you need a quick chunk of vitamin it is your vegie fast food, it is also a quick remedy for headache. In addition to all this, it is a good source for vitamin B, fights cancer and is effective in joint pain.

5) FISH:

A known fact about Fish is it prevents asthma in children and is deliciousJ. A lesser known fact about Fish is that it also helps prevent Alzheimer’s in elderly! It is a source of Vit-D and helps regulate emotion centers in Grey matter of brain.

6) LEMON:

Warm lemon water is recommended for High blood pressure. It contains potassium and is the only food which is anionic in nature.

7) TEA:

For people like me it’s always: “But first tea”.

Tea is a diuretic! It increases your urine output and contains less amount of caffeine than coffee. A teabag can also be used for stopping bleeding from an oozing tooth socket after fresh extraction of a tooth.

8) BEETROOT:

Beetroot is the best source of energy, nutrient, anti-oxidants etc. But it is also used as a remedy for dandruff (Wow!). It improves blood circulation of scalp and helps cleansing the pores. The beetroot juice is massaged on scalp and helps in opening of pores and hence promotes absorption of nutrients.

9) YOGURT:

It is rich in calcium, helps in digestion, and good for skin…..yeah! That’s old news. How many of you were aware that yogurt is actually used to clean the brass ware! Use a damp cloth, rub some yogurt and Aha!

Hocus pocus, stains get out of focus!

10) CHOCOLATE:

The old cliché: chocolate is good for heart, mitigates mental stress and alleviates the mood. A more recent revelation would be that consumption of dark chocolate actually reduces your hunger leading to weight loss. 

So how many of the above mentioned health benefits did you know already? 

A Special Review For a Meeting held for Members Of UNIQUE AND INDEPENDENT FORUM

How many of you have heard about women entrepreneurs’ support group? No, I am not talking about the usual closed-group-only-for-women on Facebook, but the actual platform where individual home-based start-ups have meet and greet with not only each other but with a panel of specialists where their day to day queries are answered.

Let me tell you about one. As ethereal as it sounds, it was nonetheless an invigorating experience to see different businesses under one roof trying to detangle the chords, from finances to marketing strategies to collection of payments, you name the query and it was answered briskly with a swift solution. Unique and independent forum is run by Zenub Babur Butt. It caters to different meet-ups for the entrepreneurs from all walks of life, and provides platform for the newbies for showcasing their work and to get their questions, about business management, answered. On April 21, 2017 I attended one such rendezvous held at AwaamGah on Khayaban-e-Ittehad, Karachi. I was exhilarated by the whole idea of this support group. Zenub gathered the mentors including Rija Bakhtiar (the make-up artist from Reviews), Faiza Yousuf (I.T. skills trainer for USAID, teaches at FAST-NU and IU), NoorJehan Arif (from delta writers) and Muhammad Shoaib Ullah (financial advisor for the Central Bank of Turkey and payment system advisor for Central Bank of Iran). The worthy panelists and managing partners of the event (i.e. Zenub and Aneesa Unus) tailored the event in a stepwise fashion where we hit off by starting with the basics of business. Rija enlightened the audience about importance of color integration, looks and hair (the dos and donts). The conversation moved from generalizing the fashion to the importance of I.T. in visibility of your venture. Faiza Yousuf’s fair and fruitful advice on social media presence, selling from personal profile (good idea vs. bad idea), the specification details to photography of the product were pleasant yet practical. I kept wondering like the other worthy members, that these minute details could make or break a potential customer. What if you ordered a vase and on delivery it turned out to be flower pot not more than 30cm in height! (Happens a lot… right!)

Moving on, to NoorJehan’s well explained fluent thoughts on the entirety and exclusiveness of your product included not to frequently post about something you really want to sell. It’ll ruin the uniqueness of the product. Asking for reviews, thank-you notes, birthday messages will add value to your venture. Shoaib talked about the financial breakout and risk estimation, which is often not envisaged by the newbies. He emphasized on maintaining the financial breakout for just 3 months and short term review of profit and keeping the cash flow integrated. The archaic payment methods sometimes lead to trouble in money transfer, especially from abroad. The new methods of faster and safer money transfer were told to the audience and how to go about them. The conversation molded in to a more interactive discussion as questions were posed by the attendees and the queries were simultaneously answered by the panelists and their own varied experiences exchanged.

The session was followed by tea, networking session and the certificate distribution among the premium members and giveaways were given to the mentors. Giveaways sponsors included Aneesa Unus and inhouse creations. The creative partners included Dhinchaks Printers Packaging for the props. The photographer for the event: Saran photography.

Zenub’s work is to apprise the premium members of the group, of their rights as an entrepreneur, how to deal with day to day stress, and how to gel in your persona with your work on every cellular level. It’s all about giving back to the newly blossoming community of home-based businesses. This is something you struggle to find within you or your surroundings. Platforms like these are not only working as support groups but could also lead to potential joint ventures among the peers which are part of such forums.

Some of the home-based businesses (you can find their online pages on facebook) I came across in this particular event were:

S & S (Shazia and Saima)

The Trendy Trienkets (Rekha Khatri)

Abrish (Afsheen)

V2 (previously known as Hues) (Uzma) 

A n Z collection (Aatika Noman)

Home Solutions featuring customized bags, organizers etc. (Tasnim Murtaza)

Heaven's Drapes (Nargis)

Durr e shehwar (Hand painted, block print fabrics, scarfs, shirts, dupattas)

Hawwa Helping Hand (Shamsa Jabeen J Ahmed)

Ambreen (Indelath)

Shabana Asif (Event organizer, Boutique)

 

MENTORS

GROUP PHOTO

Discussion with penalists and organizers of the event

Diaries of an orthodontic resident

Mid-week Crisis

What this one brings you is an insight, as to what happens after you’ve survived the Monday blues.

“Ek, do, teen…….paanch” I finished counting out loud the third time. And was putting away the impression boxes ehatayat se like the Holy Grail. My roommate walked in and exclaimed,

“ ye kia haiii!!! “ she looked inquisitive and picked up one model, rotating it from right to left and left to right.

“mere exam cases” , I said beaming with joy (just like when you scored a 100 on a math test or more appropriately I simulated the smile of a first yr resident who while filling the logs smile at piles of case files he has and thinks they are ALL his exam cases. Unlike the senior who have lost all. Perks of day dreaming! Little do they know k dosre saal 30 mn se 10 bhi mushkil hee bachnay and by fourth yr….. well an evil laugh would suffice (A). By fourth yr my dearies, you’ll be begging on your knees for cases to stay. Whereas I think, by that time you should be on your knees in front of a girl for a different reason altogether!

“They look creepy, ewww, apka dil nahi chahta ye daant torr dein” , contempt was evident in her eyes, my heart skipped a beat. I took the model and placed it back in the box as quickly as possible. I explained her, the torture of five exam cases and she asked casually opening the air filled bag of 3 cocomos, “so how many do you have? “

“I had 15”

“Had matlab”

“Had matlab ab 5 bachay hain” . I was explaining the stories of what happened to my RIP exam cases when the whatssap message tone beeped. I opened inbox and there it was! I don’t know how many of your patients send you audio recorded messages on whatssap. Most of my patients do that and its creepy when you are typing the text and in return you get a 5 minute recording of how Ibrahim broke the band and somehow they want the assurance that its loose and not broken. The recordings goes like…

“The clip on back teeth, not the front teeth, is may be loose, may be broken. The brackets on front teeth are fine. It’s the clip. Which you had placed after separators. The clip which is present on Big teeth, not the small ones ahead of big teeth. The clip which are 4 in total, 2 in upper jaw, 2 in lower jaw, one on each side. The steel clips. Ibrahim is feeling the clip. It’s not hurting but he can feel it. He has not eaten anything (since the dinosaurs died :P) but the clip is loose somehow, should he visit you? (No he should visit Grand Canyon and have a blast there :P)

“How the band was broken”, I typed and pressed Send. My roommate was ROFL witnessing the weird communication ever.

“Pata nahi”, there came the most innocent reply ever ( as if the steel decided to decompose and fade into oblivion on its own apparently! )

“and it’s not broken, it’s loose”

“It’s broken” I typed and asked the mother to drop-by for the “oppointmin”. 

I dropped on the bed to sleep and to struggle through the nightmares of loosing anymore patients.

Diaries of a Second year Resident

Some day in mid April

“jo garri chalata hai wo for sure rikshay mein nahi beth sakta”

I thought as I climbed in mushkil-se-mila-hua CNG riksha and dropped right down with my legs high up in a perfect yoga aasan. There was no cushion on the backseat and just after I retrieved from my aasan rikshay wala exclaimed with a molar to molar smile, “baaji dhayaan se, seat thori tooti hui hai” .

After a super bumpy ride and a sleepy morning session at hospital, I rushed to the OPD only to face my worst nightmare. So, it was a gifted case from a senior  who apparently left the cruel dental world and made sure I did too :P . As soon as I was seated and slid near only to examine her mouth, she motioned to stop me and asked the most dreaded question of all times in the world of orthodontics , “doctor, mera tareetment kab khatam hoga” , ( “jab tum fuzool sawal pochna band karo gi aur hospital anay ki zehmat karogi! “ , the thought crossed my mind) I smiled and said the most cheesy line ever, “inshaALLAH jald” .

“Lekin dr…..”

I interrupted this time in midway, “dekhiye ab tak khatam ho chukka hota agar pichle kuch arse mn regular ai hotin aur brackets loose na huay hotay aur agar…..” , as I narrated my usual ek-sau-ek factors I started removing the wire so that she is compelled to be quiet. Before she left I managed to bulldoze her with all sorts of regimens and made sure she is all confused from 3 different types of elastics going in all directions.

It was around noon, as I waited for the instruments, I survived a massive heartattack as my beloved exam case told me that she is getting married in a six months’ time, that too with a gummy smile and ye-baray-baray incisors (the front teeth) and with windows from all extraction spaces wide open. All of a sudden you want to be the character of a Paki film which says, “ye shaadi nahi hosakti!”

I became a self-obsessed Evil Queen (pun intended) for a while and prayed k mangni toot jaye as I Heartily congratulated her followed by a lecture on importance of education in modern world and how it’ll be difficult to manage studies after marriage and she should delay it and so on (you know!) in case she lends an ear.

O.K. this is the last one J

So, if you guys remember there was some Indian ad about an amplifier sort of electric appliance which showed a female lover, who in a very naughty-shy manner calls her boyfriend “LIAARRRRRR” in a high pitched-shrill. If you remember the advertisement you’ll get my response towards the third patient of the day. I asked and he told me “I haven’t eaten chaalia/supari”. Right at the time when  I was trying to get hold of a ghundon mein (bracket and wires ofcourse you nerds!) phansi hui big chaalia.

At the end of an emotionally long tiring day, I came back uchalti-koodti in a rickshaw. As I climbed the stairs my worst nightmare came true (as it did on every other day) The Billi sleeping right infront of my apartment door.  I tip-toed here and there for a while but it didn’t work. Billi did not wakeup all by herself and did not let me steer clear :P. The not-so blowing wind brought my hero along, The Sabzi wala! I called out “Bhai zara ooper aiye ga” he came climbing two stairs at a time for a possible masala-dar scene but was ticked-off not to find one. He hushed the cat away and I tripped towards the door, dropped my mobile (it was a home-coming ritual back in those days) and entered the Gosha-e-aafiyat only to find peace within.