Hello 2023

 I have decided to write down my ramblings again. Not really expecting anyone to read them. Its more for the sake of keeping records of what I am doing. 

The first weekend of 2023 was BUSY! This weekend included first ever Pickleball game, two dinners with friends and an engagement party! Needless to say, I am tired today. I will not slow down though! Meeting with friends after dinner tonight for adda! 

Raffae started a new job today. 

Daily Musings 7/7/2020

Books I am reading:

How to be an Antiracist
https://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Antiracist-Ibram-Kendi/dp/0525509283/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2NTOW23D3HL0B&dchild=1&keywords=how+to+bean+antiracist+by+ibram+x.+kendi&qid=1594141431&sprefix=how+to+be+an+%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-1

American Dirt
https://www.amazon.com/American-Dirt-Novel-Jeanine-Cummins-ebook/dp/B07QQLCZY1/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=american+dirt&qid=1594141492&sr=8-1

Movies/TV Shows:

My Lovely Sam Soon

Highlight of the day:

I went to the post office for the first time since March I think! Plastic barriers between postal workers and customers ofcourse. Everyone kept their distances and wore masks. I was happy with my experience. 

My two cents on HIMYM

Spoiler Alert: If you haven't watched the season finale yet, don't read beyond this line!

I know what is bothering me about the season finale of HIMYM! Yes, I should have realized that all along, Robin would have to be "The One" for Ted. I actually like the fact that Robin and Barney got divorced, because Barney is Barney! He can't be "not Barney"! What I hate is the fact that the creators of HIMYM casted the perfect person (Cristin Milioti) as the mother!

I fell in love with her the second I saw her! The phrase "Cute as a Button" was coined just for her! She totally had me with her rendition of "La Vie en Rose". She jelled with the gang so well. I was invested in her! Like Lily said, (When Ted called her asking for a date) "Not like this!". In my mind, she was supposed to be the one, the one that makes Ted forget all about Robin, the angel who is going to erase all Ted's sad memories and fill his life with perfection. I'm even ok with her dying. I wanted Ted to go on reminiscing about the good like he had with Tracy. Instead, he went for Robin again!

So I am going to pretend this is what I saw on the finale! Alternate Ending

Pushing the limits

I LOVE The Walking Dead. I love watching how people would react if pushed to their limits. Do you still stay honorable like Rick or adapt to the environment like Carol? I want to think that I'd be bad-ass like Michonne, but who knows! I might just go psycho Bitch like Lizzie! Hope I never have to find out! 

Friendship is ........

- picking up the phone and start talking where you left off last time. It doesn't matter that we haven't talked to each other in months.
- driving out 20 minutes to pick up your friend for a get-together because her car is in the shop
- leaving a fun conversation to go with a friend  driving out 20 minutes to pick up the home-stranded friend
- cooking after work because your friends are coming over for dinner
- leaving  a get-together an hour away from home at 1:30 AM when you are leaving for vacation at 6:00 AM
- meet up for lunch whenever our busy schedules will allow to catch up on anything and everything even though I an not a fan of Payton whom you adore.
- enjoying a glass of red wine while we watch The Walking Dead and text each other with gory details.
- common obsessions I share with my gal pals - netflix, aging, John Abraham, sarees, texting, kids, cooking, working out.

I am so very fortunate that I have all these amazing people in my life! I love you all from the bottom of my heart.

Loss of Innocence

Growing up in Bangladesh, one thing I was scared of were thieves. I used to hear stories from family members, neighbors - how someone broke into their houses late at night (or in broad daylight if no one was home) and took clothes, food, toys - what not. I remember, I used to wake up at night and would be terrified to open my eyes thinking, what if I open my eyes and see a thief in the room with me! What am I going to do! I also have this vivid memory of waking up one morning to a lot of shouting from outside. Our watchman had captured a thief who was trying to get into the kitchen at the middle of the night. He was tied up in the front yard of my Grandfather's house. As was customary, he probably got beaten up by the watchman and then let go. After all, everyone understood why someone would come to steal from your house - they were dirt poor. To a small child though, that was incomprehensible and they were some sort of monster to be scared of. Watching "Top of the Lake" on Netflix the other night, I was reminded of this memory.

The story of "Top of the Lake" revolves around Tui - a 12 year old who tries to kill herself because she is pregnant. While the police department tries to figure out who the father of the child is, the town unravels around pedophiles, gang rape drugs, teenagers being introduced to free drugs so their addiction can later be used to lure them into prostitution. It was very disturbing. While I really enjoyed the acting, the cinematography, I was also really shaken to the core by this award winning mini-series.

My childhood was so much simpler in a way - all I had to be worried about were thieves. Nowadays, kids had to be warned about so many things! Now that I have Zoya, anytime I see any news or movies about little girls, I just want to break down and cry. I don't ever want her to experience any of the modern day monsters. It’s not just thieves nowadays - it's random people with guns, pedophiles, random people with crazy ideas in their heads, terrorists, drugs. What would I not give to live in a world where little girls stay innocent longer; they play with their friends out in the backyard without being worried about some stranger abducting them; they walk over to the community pool without being followed by some creep in a van (that happened in our neighborhood); where they hang out at the mall with their with their friends without worrying about losing their life because a random person decides to show up with a gun.

And little boys are not excluded either. You can't send them to any activates without worrying about what they are being exposed to. It’s not just the drugs, guns that you worry about, there's also Peer Pressure, Bullying to worry about. What were innocent rituals of growing up, have now turned into weapons of destruction. I crave the innocence of my childhood for my kids, I try to protect them as much as I can, but then I wonder by sheltering them, am I preparing them to face the world out there.

Sherlock

Yes, yes! I've been bitten by the Sherlock bug too. What a bromance! Has to be TV's greatest bromance of all time. The chemistry between Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman is perfect, the rest of the supporting cast also fit their character to the tee. I love how they use technology!! It's set in the 21st century, yet they are following the storyline quite nicely. Every single character is well developed. I can't decide who I like more!! Can't wait to watch the next season!

Curvy and Beautiful

This, that and other led me to an article on Yahoo about a plus sized lingerie model who has cancer and is still modeling despite her bald head, scars. I somehow missed the "Plus size" part of the title and thought  what's so different about bald head!! Alek Wek is a bald supermodel. I still went ahead and clicked on the link and saw her picture. What I am really impressed with is the lingerie company! That's quite ballsy of them to have a real woman with not so perfect curves, visible surgery scars as model. I'll have to check out their website.  

Read more here....

Link I am Loving Today

How cool is this dad! I wish I were this imaginative! 

What to do with old cards

I don't know about you, but I HATE throwing away cards I get from family and friends! Over the years, I have accumulated quite a collection! I am also into recycle and reuse mode nowadays and this morning, I started thinking maybe I can scan the cards I want to keep and then figure out something to do with the cards themselves - maybe make gift tags out of the cards, or postcards. Then I thought I'd ask good, old google what it thinks I should do with cards. Among the usual, this one URL caught my eye. Turns out St. Jude's Hospital takes donations of old cards year around and then they turn it into new cards! What a great idea! I'm sending all my cards their way. Won't you?

Follow this link for more information. :-)  

Resolution 2014

1. Get PMP Certification done this year. Been saying it for years! Time to do it is now!
2. Lose 2 pounds every month. Eat healthier and exercise.
3. Call 3 people (friends/family) every weekend.
4. Read 4 books every month - preferably 3 fiction and 1 non-fiction.
5. Exercise 5 times a week - Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat and Sun?
6. Travel to 6 places. Starting the year in Arizona! 1 down, 5 more to go!
7. Learn 7 new recipes and try them on unsuspecting friends!
8. Update my blog at least 8 times in 2014! Not much to ask for!
9. Appreciate life's little pleasures 9 times over a week. Smile from a stranger, a pretty flower, a baby - whatever it may be, take time to enjoy it.
10. Volunteer at least 10 times - at kids school, at work. Maybe find a new organization?

The Walking Dead Sunday

While we are waiting to find out what the governor is really up to, here are some links to keep us busy:

Funny Collection of The Walking Dead Memes

Walking Center - Meme Center

The Perfect Riding Boot

I finally found it! My closet is always missing something or other. Recently, I've been feeling the need for a casual pair of boots that I can throw on over the weekend to run errands, take the kids to their activities when its bone-chillingly cold outside. I perused all the usual websites, but came out empty handed. Until today! I was at the mall earlier today. My mall adventures, yes adventures, are usually short. I know what I want and I go straight to the specific store I have in mind, grab what I need and leave. As I was on my way out, trying not to bump into gazillion women that were crowding next to the MAC counter - they had some sort of special event going on - I decided to walk through the shoe department to the exit. And just like that, my eye caught the perfect pair of brown leather riding boots.

Isn't she a beauty?! :-) Can't wait to try them on tomorrow! 

So ..........

Thinking about coming back to the blogworld. Stay tuned! 

Remembering 9/11

It was a normal Tuesday morning. I got to work and logged in to my laptop. Ping. Ping. Ping. My IM window blinked. I opened it and saw a co-worker who was working from home had the following message for me:

 

A plane just hit one of the twin towers!!!!!!!!!

 

He was the office prankster. My reaction was "Yeah right!" It was around 9:00. Couple of minutes later, again ping,ping, ping! This time the message was scary.

 

"Oh my God!!!!!!!!!!!!! Another plane just hit the other tower. I'm watching it live on CNN!!!!!!!!"

 

That really got my scared. I tried to go over to the CNN website and it was not loading. People started talking around us. My manager showed up. "Hey, did you guys hear the news? We are going over to Sears across the street."

 

We all went. Sears had all their TVs tuned to CNN and we watched in horror the events of the day unfolding. As the towers collapsed in front of our eyes, I was sure my friend who worked at 7 World Trade Center was gone. We couldn't stop watching, we couldn't peel our eyes away from the TV - this unimaginable horror. Who was responsible? How can someone kill innocent people just like that? How deep does your hatred need to be to go down to this level?

 

I went home at some point and stayed in front of the tv all night watching rescue efforts and news. As the words came pouring "Osama Bin Laden", "Al Qaeda" - I was terrified. I am a Muslim. What's going to happen to the Muslims in US now?! I took the next day off, again wrapping myself in a blanket, stayed in front of the TV and watched news. I cried  for all the people that lost their lives, for the fire-fighters and rescuers who died trying to save complete strangers. 

 

The following day, I went to work with a lot of shame on my shoulder. I felt responsible. I am sure all decent Muslims around the world felt the same. I came to US with not a penny to my name. People here have embraced me with open arms, the country has given me opportunities to get a college degree, to get a decent job. In return, my people have destroyed normal life in US. I knew life was never going to be the same in US. At the same time, I heard from people around me, who assured me that they don't consider me an outsider, that they know I am personally not responsible. Friends wrote emails to me, co-workers left notes, chocolates for me on my desk. In the middle of all this destruction, the beauty of human nature shined the brightest and restored my faith in humanity.