LIFE AS IT IS

I was a heavy packer once. If it were possible to take my entire house to a vacation, I would have probably considered that too! I would all the time take more clothes and toiletries than necessary, and when I returned from a vacation, I would always discover that I did not wear most of the clothes that I had carried.  I realised time and again there was no need to take, say, eight tops and tees for two days – maybe four would have been just enough. I understood over time that I was not doing anything wise, and that I should do something to bring an end to this habit of lugging my entire world with me everywhere I go.   The Daily Star link  It is always best to make a list of things you need to take with you - the list helps tremendously. On my last three out-of state trips, I managed to carry all my things in one carry-on luggage. I learned through experience that a lot of times it is all about how you place your clothes in your bag. For example, it is better to ...

Our ancestors picked wild berries, hunted wild animals, caught fish in lakes, and scooped up water from streams to quench their thirst and satiate their hunger. At night, they lay on their backs under a star-spangled sky and wondered how far the moon was. Mankind's love for nature therefore runs in the blood. Google Images Our DNA carries memories and experiences of the thousands of years our forefathers lived in the wilderness. And even though we don't live in the wild anymore, we bond with nature instantly and instinctively.  The Daily Star link  Sept. 20, 2016 I grew up in Dhaka. And although Dhaka was a metropolis even in the '80s and '90s, there were still safe public parks and patches of green here and there, where people could walk, rest, and enjoy nature.  As a child, I often visited the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban with my father. On fall and winter mornings, I would see dewdrops hanging lightly from blades of its lush lawn grass. I would inhale the sme...

Somehow I have grown this fascination for kitchen windows. Oh, no, wait, it was actually my last home, where I lived for exactly 3 years, that sowed this seed of love for kitchen windows into my heart and head. We moved in to a new house this past weekend and thankfully, this one boasts a kitchen window, too, although not as beautiful as the one I had in my old penthouse. But I have one, at least!  I am glad there is an opening in my kitchen through which I can catch a glimpse of the outside world as I wash dishes, fruits and vegetables. My new kitchen window overlooks my backyard, which is pretty, but not as pretty as the blue heaven, which I could enjoy from the kitchen of my seventh-floor penthouse. Through this window, too, sunshine glides in, not in the morning, but in the afternoon only. But that's okay, I can live with it.  I am content with having any kind of kitchen window because over the past 3 years, I learned that a kitchen without a window could be a suff...

When I was young, I did not know how important it was to stick to one’s long-standing values and principles. But I saw my dad do it. I will not go into detail but let’s just say, the lives of the four of us (my parents, me and my brother) changed overnight. All of a sudden, it meant making adjustments to many things - little adjustments and big adjustments. It meant getting used to taking an auto-rickshaw to college instead of a car and it meant not getting to eat chicken every day. I used to be angry with my father because I believed he was the reason my comfortable life was suddenly lost. We paid a high price for his honesty, so did he. But those events and changes in my life made me what I was to become. Today, when I look back in time, my heart fills with respect and gratitude for my father, who never budged an inch from his values, principles and what he thought was morally correct. Today, when I think of those days, I feel that I would have done the same, if I were in his pl...

A good song has healing effects on its listeners. Regardless of how much the lyrics are infused with words that wrench one's heart, I think a good song still has the power to calm a troubled mind, or soothe a heart in love or despair. A well-sung, well-written and well-composed song has therapeutic effects on the human mind. Songs share with us stories - both told and untold. Songs lift our spirits, make us smile and beam. Songs even make us shed a tear or two in the solitary hours of the night when the rest of the world is fast asleep. Some songs are so poignant that they bring back memories of the people we lost in a distant past. And some are so powerful that they touch a deep chord with us every time we listen to them.

I looked out the window at the sound of voices, voices of bubbly children. Two of them were frolicking, one biking and the fourth one was what looked like teaching himself how to skateboard. From a distance, I could barely make out what they were laughing about. I wondered if the one with a skateboard lost his balance and fell over. Or if the girl in pink skirt cracked a joke or shared a funny story from her school. Or maybe they were laughing 'cause they were just happy. The y were perhaps happy without any reason!  Do you always need a reason to laugh or to be happy? Well, if you are an adult then you do perhaps need a reason. But if you are a child, you do not really care to justify to others why you are making that ear-splitting spontaneous sound and clutching your stomach as you are swaying left to right!  One of the beauties of childhood is you can laugh without a reason - you can laugh all you want but nobody stares at you or thinks you could be out of your m...

The morning breeze of late August feels a tad bit chilly. Not the kind of chilly that covers your skin with goose bumps, but the kind of chilly that makes you want to tilt your head back, close your eyes and let your cheeks, chin and neck feel the crisp air. The gentle wind that dances in your home on a sunny August morning is the harbinger of autumn, the season that turns green leaves to red, yellow, orange, brown and a multitude of other hues only seen in this vibrant season of the year. While I am not a fan of winter, I surely am a fan of fall. It is a delight to the eyes when you spot the trees in your neighborhood experience a change in color – they toss their green to accept Mother Nature’s gifts of Venetian red, crimson, ruby, peach, tangerine, amber and marigold. On a windy fall afternoon, if you ever peek through your window, you can hear the leaves gossip about the frosty days that would soon change everything in nature. And when they finally fall off...

There are not many moments as beautiful as waking up early when most of the world is still asleep. I tiptoe to the kitchen lest my footsteps would wake my husband and daughter. Then through my small kitchen window, I try to catch a glimpse of the world outside: the tall pines, maples and birches, the grey-roofed houses and the azure sky.  Every morning, the sky dons a new canvas - an endless canvas, I must add. On that endless canvas, a young child paints; he paints with oran ge, pink and yellow, haphazardly and on top of one another.  On days when he is grumpy, he smears the canvas with blotches of gray - on those days you know the sky will burst open and drench everything below!  During the summer months when the sun is up very early, the 6 o'clock sunshine glides through my kitchen window and floods the house. The yellow light falls on the cherry wood floor, the beige wall, the round dining table and the teal sofa. Tiny particles of dust dance in the air ...

There are not many moments as beautiful as waking up early when most of the world is still asleep. I tiptoe to the kitchen lest my footsteps would wake my husband and daughter. Then through my small kitchen window, I try to catch a glimpse of the world outside: the tall pines, maples and birches, the grey-roofed houses and the azure sky.  Every morning, the sky dons a new canvas - an endless canvas, I must add. On that endless canvas, a young child paints; he paints with oran ge, pink and yellow, haphazardly and on top of one another.  On days he is grumpy, he smears the canvas with blotches of gray - on those days you know the sky will burst open and drench everything below!  During the summer months when the sun is up very early, the 6 o'clock sunshine glides through my kitchen window and floods the house. The yellow light falls on the cherry wood floor, the beige wall, the round dining table and the teal sofa. Tiny particles of dust dance in the air - a d...

By the time a young gamer reaches his fifteenth birthday, he has already killed thousands of his so-called enemies. Even though he kills all of them virtually, he still feels the adrenaline flowing through his blood every time he makes a kill. His young brain derives pleasure from wiping people off the face of the earth, on a digital screen. When he fires his AK-47 or Colt CM901, his pupils dilate; his heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure increase every time he slays. And even though he slays people day after day, he is never punished for the brutality he commits. In fact, he is rewarded with points. He also moves to the next level of the game! The Daily Star link August 9, 2016 Video gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry. According to Newzoo, a global leader in games, e-sports and mobile intelligence, the worldwide revenue of the gaming industry is expected to reach 107 billion in 2017.  But children's access to violent video games is a debatable subject ...

I am not an unsocial woman, trust me, but my mental peace is important to me, so important that I can easily shun individuals who leave me sad and irate. I do not attend large, boisterous 'deshi' parties anymore. I carefully choose my company. My conclusion from three years of attending such parties is that most people arrange and attend these get-togethers to gossip about other people's failures and inadequacies, to flaunt their own culinary accomplishments, and to flash their new wardrobes, of course.  I have realised over time that I am a complete misfit at these 'deshi' parties. I do not fit into the stifling status quo - I am not a great cook, I wear very casual clothes, and I am not an expert gossipmonger.  Also, I enjoy talking about world politics, technology, climate change, and healthy eating more than I like to talk about divorce, infertility, break-ups, extramarital affairs, clothes, jewellery, and the latest Bollywood flicks.  If I am not a misf...