Beautiful!

As said in my earlier posts, I have lived in U.A.E. for many years, which means I had the privilege to meet people from various different nationalities.

Once I was with my friends at the DubaiCreekPark when we came across an elderly couple from U.K. They were tourists and since it was winter at that time they were loving the weather (because the winter in U.A.E. is like the summer in U.K.).

We talked about places in U.A.E. and some known places in U.K. which me and my friends knew from the stories we read at school (At that time I hadn’t been to U.K.).

Then our conversation went to the differences in our lifestyles. They said their son and daughter in law live in a house with one son, who’s very cute. But it’s not like it is in most Asian countries where after retirement, parents stay with their kids. They said it’s very unlikely that their daughter in law would tolerate them for more than a week. And they said, most of their time is spent in travelling. Their next stop being Thailand. They complained about the teenage girls being pregnant in U.K. and overall the lifestyle of the youngsters over there. I and my friends were a little shocked as we thought that the European people preferred this way of living. They preferred to stay on their own.

Anyways, when I went to DubaiPharmacyCollege after some years. There were teachers from Pakistan, India, U.K., France etc. We were sitting in the college’s cafe and again a similar debate started. But this time the teacher from U.K. got emotional, stood up and said: ‘I bet none of you people staying away from your parents call them everyday. Well, let me tell you, I call my mom every single day’.

Plus, the Indian teacher told us about how even in our countries we see numerous cases where the people tell their parents to get out of the house. Even here in Pakistan every once in a while there’s a case being shown on telly where they show parents living in Edhi.

So, I don’t really think we should pinpoint people from specific nation and say they don’t love their parents as much!  The kids that do love their parents will show care towards them in their own way and those who don’t, won’t. (regardless of where they are from).

Najma Aijaz

Your thought and mine – Khalil Gibran

I read this poem some years ago written by Khalil Gibran from Lebanon. I liked it as it had something different to say. Here’ an extract from the poem:

Your thought urges you to marry wealth and notability. Mine commands self-reliance. Your thought advocates fame and show, mine cousels me and implores me to cast aside notoriety and treat it like a grain of sand cast upon the shore of etnernity. You thought instills in your heart arrogance and superiority. Mine plants within me love for peace and the desire for independence. Your thought begets dreams of palaces with furniture of sandalwood studded with jewels and beds made of twisted silk threads. My thoughts speak softly in my ears: ‘Be clean of body and spirit even if you have nowhere to lay your head.’ Your thought makes you aspire to tittles and offices. Mine exhorts me to humble services. You have your thought and I have mine.

Najma Aijaz, 25th April 2012

eimaan

Perfumes are very popular in the Arab world. Back in 2009 my roomie, Sahar,  was from Sudan.  She was very fond of scents.  She used to lit Oud in the evenings and I began liking it. It used to make me feel lighter.

Oud 

Fortunately I have brought Oud with me here in Pakistan. I haven’t used it as yet. I am waiting for a special moment. It’s only now that I am here I realize there are so many little things and details that I know of the Arabic culture. I mean obviously I am born there but it’s only now that these things seem different to me, because they aren’t here. People rarely know stuff called Oud.  Plus here, like my neighbours, use Agarbatti on special occasions. But it’s not the same. I don’t like Agarbattis! 

Agarbatti

Anyway, this isn’t what this post’s about. I…

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Why IS time so important anyway?

I recently attended dars (religious lecture) where the mentor was explaining about how important it is to not waste time and utilize it well.

There were once 2 men in Delhi (India) who were visiting a Muslim scholar to take an oath/pledge. While they were at the mosque they began comparing the size of their mosque’s wodhu tank (wash basin) with the wodhu tank at this mosque. They were not aware how the Muslim scholar looked like, so continued discussing that, while the Muslim scholar was nearby and heard them.

When they came to him to take the oath the scholar said to them to go and measure their mosque’s wodhu basin (wash basin) with this mosque’s wodhu tank before taking any oath!

The 2 men uncertain at first, realized that the scholar said this because they were wasting their time.

Clock tower in Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Just yesterday I heard this incident and today I got to know a colleague of mine, Saad,  who’s senior to me was telling us about his article ship days (intern ships for chartered accountancy students) in KPMG company. He told his company he would not be able to work before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m. and on the weekends (Saturdays and Sundays). The reason was that he had a job in Hyderabad (2 hour drive from Karachi– the place he was in). He taught students accountancy in Hyderabad and used to go there on Fridays nights. There were times he used to reach Karachi on Monday mornings straight at the office! Plus after some time, during his article ship days, he opened his own institute under his dad’s name (because it’s not allowed for students doing article ship to open an institute). He spent time over there as well and still does. He teaches many commerce related subjects and I have attended his classes for one of my subjects, corporate reporting. I found him a really good teacher. That’s obvious as he has masha Allah worked so hard for where he is now.

Even at dars, the scholar said we can’t imagine the sawab we get from Allah (SWT) treasures when we recite Subhan Allah. So why not should we recite Alhumdulilah, Astaghfirulla and these beautiful words more often (while at the car, while sitting idle etc or even specifically taking time out to recite them.)

I read Railway Children by E. Nesbit during childhood and remember a part of it: When Peter’s at the bridge doing nothing he says that doing something in a place makes it much more beautiful and lively.

So let’s  utilize our time and make our surroundings more beautiful and lively 🙂

Najma Aijaz, 15th April 2012

Since I have studied in U.A.E. with the international students, I think culture shock is something students should be taught about.

On an e-Journey with Generation Y

Having travelled a lot over the last 10 years, I have really enjoyed visiting many countries learning of their history, geography, cultures, religions and ideologies. However, for the first time, I suffered culture shock on two different occasions on our recent autumn break and now can fully understand what it implies.
Easter Eggs
As we were traveling through four different countries, mainly by public buses, I did not want to carry Easter eggs and thought I would just buy them close to Easter Sunday. To my dismay, I could not find any eggs anywhere. On Easter Saturday we were staying in Mostar, which is a predominantly muslim country. I tried the smaller shops and the supermarkets that were close to the old city, but to no avail. This caught me unawares and left me with a void that can only be described as culture shock.
Locked in a bathroom
Enjoying…

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Learning Center for Inside Awareness

While you learn, would you please make your faces not so serious that you would think you’re mourning over someone.  There is nothing more pleasant, more important, more interesting than learning…..We are learning-and….being serious means not learning, but rather trying to learn, not understanding what’s being taught and writing it down so you can study it to satisfy the teacher.  (Moshe Feldernkrais, Amherst 6/9/80)

Printed in The Feldenkrais Journal, #24 2011 – Letter from the Editor – Katrin Smithback

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Dancing Fountain

The entrancing performance of light, music and water that has changed the face of Dubai forever.

Anyone that happens to visit Dubai should check out the Dancing fountain at the Dubai mall. I loved it. I remember visiting it with my friends and family. Then whenever I used to feel tensed/lonely/depressed I used to drive to the Dubai mall and sit and watch the dancing fountain (usually on the weekdays when there were less people). It was soothing.

The songs that are played (or atleast were played when I was in Dubai were : a song in Swahili. I know it’s Swahili as my friend, Ilham from Tanzania spoke Swahili. Then there was the Arab world’s top-selling dance number Shik Shak Shok and the signature piece of world-renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, Con te partiro (Time to Say Goodbye).

Celebrating relationships

As said in my previous posts, I want to write about what people love doing. And here is one of my friend, who expresses herself by creating greetings cards for people:

Valentine’s collection

My personal

favoriteAll cards by ‘Card Booth’ are HAND MADE and are the property of ‘Haute Pink Couture’.

You are free to browse through  albums on Card booth’s face book page  https://www.facebook.com/pages/CArd-BOOth/186258781482190?sk=info.

Card Booth handle all types of greeting events that includes:

– Birthday cards
– Valentine cards
– Baby shower cards
– Mother’s Day cards
– Anniversary cards
– Easter day cards
– Christmas cards
– Invitation cards
– Thank you cards
– Friendship cards
– Get well soon cards
– Eid cards
– Ramadan cards
– Diwali cards
– Holiday cards
– Photo cards
– Humor cards
– and any other occasions of your choice.

The cards are created by Shafaq Usmani and if interested (specially for people living in U.A.E.) her contact info. is:

Contact info

Phone	+971 508529000
Email	shafaq.iusman@gmail.com

I hope to write about more about people’s creative works. Expressing one’s self in relationships IS important and what better way to do it than with greeting cards. Aren’t the greeting cards beautifully made? Share your thoughts and comments with me.  

Najma Aijaz, 9th April 2012