Friends are Forever

The title may sound cliched. But the birth of my daughter has proved for the "nth" time that friends are indeed forever. (How? Well, it will take another write-up to explain why I think so, so I will not get into that discussion today.) But not all friends are forever, some friends are forever. Friendship is such a complicated relationship. I mean it always baffles me.

I talk a lot so I get along with people pretty well, provided that they do not do something to upset me. But other than that, I get along with people well from the first day I meet them. But getting along well does not necessarily make the person you are getting along well with your "friend."

I have found it tougher and tougher with time to make new friends. The people I have befriended during my school years are still my closest friends. In college, I made some close friends too. But after college? Oh no! I have been living in Minnesota, USA, for the past 5 years. In the last 5 years I have made only two good friends. I did not even give it a try. I was and am happy with the friends I made in my past life. I do not see my close friends, I do not hear their voices regularly but even so, they are my closest friends. That is why I wrote in the first paragraph that the term friendship has always baffled it. It is a relationship with another person that defies time - it does not even require the two people to talk and see each other regularly.

Thanks to facebook and countless other mobile phone apps that make it possible for me to keep in touch with my school and college friends. My friends are only a click away. When I have something important going on in my life or when I badly need to share something with another human being, all I have to do is send a quick message to the friend I want to share the "stuff" with.

With good friends, you always pick up where you left off! So, that is why I say "friends" are forever...

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Aboard the world’s longest flight

Long-haul flights can be daunting, but the idea of flying the world’s longest commercial flight can be especially daunting, even for some seasoned flyers. As an expatriate Bangladeshi living in the US, I am no stranger to long-haul flights. Even so, I was somewhat skeptical about surviving Singapore Airlines ’ SQ 23 , which takes off from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York and lands at Changi Airport, Singapore , making it the world’s longest passenger flight; a total of 19 hours from gate to gate. We drove 2.5 hours from Delaware to New York, then took an Uber to JFK after parking our car. After checking in and clearing airport security, we finally had some time to relax. Our business class tickets gave us access to the Air India lounge , where I thought their furniture could use an upgrade. The food, however, turned out to be surprisingly delicious. As we waited for our flight to start boarding, I felt that a long drive and a lengthy security c...

বসন্তের জন্য অপেক্ষা

প্রিয় ঋতু কি কেউ জিজ্ঞেস করলে বিভ্রান্ত হয়ে পড়বো। কোনটা প্রিয় ঋতু? সবগুলোই যে প্রিয়! আমার বর্তমান ঠিকানা যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের দ্বিতীয় ক্ষুদ্রতম অঙ্গরাজ্য ডেলওয়্যার।এই ডেলওয়্যারে প্রতিটা মৌসুম ভিন্নতা নিয়ে আসে। যেহেতু এখানে প্রতিটা ঋতুর একটা স্বতন্ত্র অস্তিত্ব আছে তাই তাদের প্রতি আমার পৃথক পৃথক ভালোবাসা জন্মে গেছে। প্রতিটা ঋতুই নিয়ে আসে অনন্য আমেজ, প্রকৃতি সাজে অনুপম সাজে। সেই সাজ যেন অন্য ঋতুগুলোর চেয়ে একেবারে ভিন্ন। এই যেমন এখন গুটিগুটি পায়ে এসেছে ঋতুরানী বসন্ত: আকাশে-বাতাসে ঝঙ্কৃত হচ্ছে তার আগমনী সুর, আমি সেই সুর শুনতে পাই। সবগুলো ঋতু প্রিয় হলেও নিজেকে শীতকালের বড় ভক্ত বলে দাবী করতে পারিনা। গ্রীষ্মপ্রধান দেশে যার জন্ম এবং বেড়ে ওঠা, তার পক্ষে ঠান্ডা আবহাওয়াতে মানিয়ে নেওয়া কার্যত কষ্টকর, বিশেষত সেই শীতকাল যদি চার-পাঁচ মাস স্থায়ী হয়। তাই শীতকাল বিদায় নিয়ে যখন বসন্তকাল আবির্ভূত হয় তখন এক একদিন জানলা দিয়ে বাইরে তাকিয়ে ভাবি, "এত্ত সুন্দর একটা দিন দেখার সৌভাগ্য হলো আমার!" শোবার ঘরের জানলা দিয়ে প্রভাতের বাসন্তী রঙের রোদ এসে ভাসিয়ে দেয় কাঠে...

Why teaching kids about money is more important than ever

Growing up in the '80s and '90s, we never discussed money at home. My parents never discussed it with us, so I never knew how much a kilogram of rice or a dozen eggs cost. I also did not know how much we paid for rent or utility bills. I did not know how much our family earned and how much we spent each month. Of course, we do not want to sit with our children with a spreadsheet and give them a headache, but it is important to discuss money management with children as they get older. This knowledge will help them make more informed financial decisions as adults. The Daily Star link Discussing money is often considered taboo, not only in Bangladesh but also in many other parts of the world. However, financial literacy is crucial to our financial well-being, which is closely linked to our physical and psychological well-being. I have seen people, friends, and family make poor financial decisions and sink into debt. I have seen how credit cards resulted in excessive spending a...

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