Can i tempt you with a smoke?

Millions of people die due to smoking.

“Yeah yeah tell us something new.”

It causes lung cancer.

*Yawn*

“Been hearing that since childhood”.

Passive smoking is dangerous too; some experts say it is more dangerous than smoking itself.

“Well then, why don’t I start smoking?”
Who’s going to stop smoking after hearing these arguments. Huh?

Not me. Give me something new.

Well…let’s see.

Imagine sitting with your date having a romantic session, but it is not so romantic, it’s your first date, and she is uncomfortable and you can’t guess what it is. And then she asks you,

 “Do you smoke?”

Boy boy there goes your date down the drain. Bit pathetic isn’t it. Oh wait did you say your girl smokes too, aww man what could be more awesome than that. Combined smoking sessions late into the night, marriage and then early death, maybe 40 years, kids not even a consideration; I mean why bring those poor souls into this world who you are sure will be orphans before they are even teenagers. Cute isn’t it? Short and happy life of 40 years not even touching old age? And guess what?

Here’s the best part.

Even if u lived the full age expectancy you wouldn’t be able to play with the kids that much ‘cause the smokes sucked up your stamina, most probably the kids would have lung problems themselves, they would underperform and you would be the lucky parents to see your kids be the butt of jokes.

Did I hear you mention that couple, who smoke, have a healthy physique AND their children are not a bit affected by the smokes, in fact they are prodigies, what could be better than that?

But imagine their humiliation when you go to that friend’s wedding and his dad has asthma and won’t come near your parents maybe keep them at arm length? Boy won’t the kids feel sorry for themselves?

Hey why don’t you give us a break and mind your own business?

“Well if you don’t care for your health at least keep in mind the fact that the majority of the world smokes are in low income and middle income countries, I mean standard of living… “.

“Boy we break at PC’s in the morning and supper at Mei-kong what were you saying again?

And then your younger kid told you how the other kid said,

“I thought you had this problem because your parents fight too much. You even said they smoke. I read somewhere that low income household are more prone to smoking….”

You were telling me about the Serena Hotel?

That's how we roll!

What do you do when you are a group of ten; there are two hefty treats due in that group; and pizza is no longer financially an option coz according to a friend:

 “yar pizza se to daarh bi geeli nai hoti”

Couldn’t agree more. Well hey, don’t panic. You grab a few kilos of meat, portable oven and all the other BBQ paraphernalia and head for the open air BBQ hotspots in one of Pindi’s best parks. Oh wait; I forgot about the pickup truck aka daala. Well guys that was just what they did, the coolest bunch of brats I know, goods+8 people, all in the back of a pickup truck (thanks to our friend), the cool afternoon wind of Islamabad and here we are, on the banks of Rawal Lake. A perfect outing in perfect conditions. Well picking a spot was not a problem, as most of the people were busy at the Car and Bike show going on nearby. But starting a fire was a bit of challenge, and after playing with coals and matches Mr Weasley style aaaand being warned by the park warden of 500 rupees fine for burning the grass; we ultimately got our hands on a left over fire where a family had just left. Well with the fire up and burning three guys took the job of spearing the pieces of meat. Four others got the fire and the photographer took up his position behind the lens. An hour and a half later and we are still going strong, but the hotpot’s full and no vacancy for more tikkas to store. So out with the plates and cold drinks and raita. That was the first course. With the hotpot again ready to accept more pieces, it just got better. We were now experts in preparing BBQ and while our responsible chef took up the job beside the choolha, we went bonkers dancing around the “bonfire” Red Indian style, singing crazy songs on the top of our voices, the huge Aviary on one side and the Lake on other. It was a crazy evening getting crazier by the minute. And then our two friends who had arrived by bike didn’t feel like bearing the cold night air, and whoa whoa off with the bike on the backside of the daala,  and four crazy souls crammed beside it holding on to it. We were finally ready to depart. But wait what is that crunching sound ….Oh shit! The sound of broken china left no one in doubt that the crockery shopper had been left on the ground. But thanks to Almighty only two were broken. Finally we were off and now the real fun began. With one hand on the bike to keep it from falling due to the sudden and  random crushes of our driver with the other two lanes, and other holding onto dear pickup, we had only two choices. Ride in fear of the bike falling on top of our heads or enjoying the cool night air of Kashmir highway singing at the top of our lungs. Of course we opted for the latter. It was Bollywood pop to Rahet’s Sad; QB’s sentimental to Jawad Ahmed’s vocal. There at that time in the back of the pickup, with the air rushing at our mouths and inducing so much drag force that it was a task to speak audibly; I couldn’t help but wonder how Emma Watson managed to actually stand up with her arms spread to the horizons in the Tunnel song. But well that was movie and this was real time. Then one of our friends decided that any outing without ice-cream is not an outing so. So there is the pickup with us standing in front licking on Magnums. One hell of a time with some of the most imba guys I have ever met, I don’t think I’m a be forgetting this one. This one’s for lifetime.

Enjoying ice-cream at the petrol pump

Been there, EXPERIENCED that!

The shopping mall was a famous one, situated in an upscale section of the city. It was much frequented by the middle and upper classes of society. The car he was driving was of Japanese make, the model, an old one. Dressed in his favorite colors of black, he was the unofficial chauffeur as his elder brother, mother and sister came for shopping for the upcoming wedding in their family. He had insisted upon driving, because he was very fond of driving and was still in the learning phase. So there he sat, behind the wheel, wearing his favorite branded Tee and denim. In his heart, he thought he was looking quite handsome. And that was partially true too. Clad from hair to shoe in black; that was his color of choice and his idea of a stunning set of clothes. Inside the mall, he kept thinking about himself, how he looked, checking himself in the umpteen glass doors of the mall. It was at that instant, while loitering around the shelves that he heard:

“Excuse me, how much for this shirt?”

Flabbergasted, he turned around to find a woman and her children, holding up a tee shirt. Too ashamed for speech, he pointed towards the salesgirl, and quickly walked away towards his family. It was then he noticed that ALL the salespersons of that particular mall were dressed in some shade of black. His anger gone, he laughed to himself recalling a similar scene in a movie he had seen, except that he had no girlfriend to take to dinner to. That day he realized the importance of observation.

And just for your information, this has happened to me TWICE, both in different malls!!

A time to reflect...

The ability to feel and understand the importance of striving for the better, of improving or trying to improve your own self, your lifestyle, your every action, is an important and essential ability. Because if a person who is contented with his life, who thinks that he has achieved all there is to achieve, that the state of affairs could not be much better than the present, anyone who starts thinking like this, or develops such a mind-set, effectively puts the last nail in his coffin. Because you are alive only when your mind is full of ideas, innovation, drive, initiative. All these things, little though they may seem are part and parcel of leading a successful and fulfilling life. And it is all the more important because it is in line with the teachings of Islam, the religion for life, the whole way of life. We say it very easily, but actions define our intentions and we only have to look around you to realize how many are truthful while saying it. Imagine yourself sitting in a dinghy old crowded road side restaurant, eating the dilutest dish of pulses you have ever seen, in plates washed in a bucket full of grey water. And imagine for a moment you are enjoying it. Yes you read it correctly, you are enjoying that dish. Imagine also that it is not your only choice, that you are a well off person who can afford a 3 course dinner in a 5 star hotel, in an up scale area of the city, with eminent personalities sitting beside you. Yet you chose this dinghy old roadside restaurant, all because you think that why put in the effort to go to that hotel, which is, for all its perks, an hour’s drive away, while this road side restaurant is a 5 minutes walk from where you live. This is the feeling I am talking about. One starts to be contented with anything life has to offer. As long as there is no struggle involved, everything is fine, good, oh couldn't be better. And living in this delusion is a recipe for disaster. When one makes it the epicentre of his life, all his actions get affected by this state of mind. He doesn't put in effort for anything requiring more than just the smallest of efforts. He gets up in the morning, misses his prayers of course because that is an effort, goes to mess where food is served at his chair, goes to class, comes back to room. Not a thing more. He has a test, he starts the pc. Sees the screen for half an hour, informs his mind that he has prepared, gives the test, fails in it, does nothing because he is contented with whatever marks he got. His university, one of the best universities in the country, where the environ is reeking of competition, of the race to success, is heaven for him. All because he is contented with what he has, what (if any) skills he has, what he has achieved, nothing more. No sir absolutely not. He is in a fool’s paradise. And he enjoys it. Its ok if all his degree mates are sweating away in projects, societies, whatever. Let them do it. He is contented. He has all the things I could possibly wish for. And here his growth stops. Here his life ends. He is an avid fan of Paulo Coelho, the great life changing writer. Oh yeah life changing experiences and such stuff, that’s his speciality  But he reads it, closes the book and bang! It’s gone. None of the stuff registers with him. There is a line written somewhere about some people who cease to live after some point in their life. Because they stop exploring new options, doing new and crazy things, the thirst for adventure, it all stops. And that is where their life ends. He is experiencing the same thing. He has come to a full stop. Yeah there are a plethora of things to do, ace in studies, do a fantastic project, be a great orator, enhance your personal skills, land an awesome job, or better still, start an awesome venture, travel around the world. Oh yes he is not short of ideas, no one is. He is devoid of any wish, any dream he may have had in the past. No more, it’s all gone. All because he has lost the will, the will to do anything.

A Happening Evening, A Splendid Night...

It was a lazy evening in NUST H-12 Islamabad. Students were cooling off in the café or under the trees. Some were hurrying to the football ground. Others were heading for their hostels. Except for a bunch of crazy students who had gathered in the SCME seminar hall for, wait for it, NSS Welcome! Yes guys! Thursday 26^th was the day when the new, the old and the adventurous gathered for the exciting scavenger hunt in NUST H-12. Our young President is giving the inaugural speech in the Seminar Hall while outside the hall;

Hey, I wanna register my team for the scavenger hunt.

Sorry registration closed tomorrow.

What man, I just came to know from my friend. We have come all the way from EME, come on now!

And a bewildered EC thanks me for coming from 7 miles away while he sheepishly admits that here students don’t even come 500 metres off the road to hear about what exactly NSS is.

Back to the hall the audience is being fed to the 22+ events NSS has held in the past year when out of nowhere the audience starts clapping. After a few moments they are still clapping. And after some time when even the comparer has opened her mouth to speak again, the clapping shows no sign of ending, the person sitting next to me begins to wonder that we have strategically placed people in the seminar hall who were bribed to keep clapping and shouts out loud:

”Bhai kitne pese mile thay”.

 Oh well it’s just the love people give us. Otherwise we are only busy boosting up our registrations to give everyone a chance to stand out. And yes stand out we did. In the sun outside SADA, beside the solar water heater outside IESE, in the parking lot of SEECS, in short all over the academic area of H-12 (minus SMME), the participants were running, searching for clues and solving puzzles in a bid to claim the winning position. And even after the two long hunt they were not disappointed. Well you, wouldn’t too if you were offered a place in the air conditioned seminar hall watching a movie screening, that too after helping yourself to a well-deserved refreshment pack. And did the SCI-venger hunt+movie night boost up registrations ? Well, ask that from the first year SEECS student who I had a chance to have a chit chat with while standing on duty in the parking lot:

So what does NSS do really?

Well, it is just your average society, with a lot of glamour and dinners and lunches. All for a tiny bit of enjoyable extracurricular, combined with working together in a diverse mix of high achievers and mediocre background. And when you consider the trifling amount of work required, it really does pay off nicely.

And Thus She Was Laid To Rest………..

Day after day, she looks at me, calling me towards her with those dazzling eyes of her. Every day I resist her gestures. She seems to be saying something with her eyelashes, but when I take my face close to her, she vanishes from my view, and I can only smell the sweet fragrance of her hair. This has been happening for some time now. Every morning when most are still in bed, I wake up, ready to wash up and get dressed when I have to endure her presence. She merely stays put, all the while seducing me with those cruel looks of her. I am a man, and thus prone to her advances I admit, yet this has to stop, as I so very firmly resolve one day. So it is that I consult my friend. Understandably, he first demands to see her for himself. I am a bit reluctant at first, but hoping that this will end the matter quickly, I allow him to meet her. As expected, she had the same effect on him. He too was enthralled by her beauty, and went raving for hours after her eyes. I lost hope, as I couldn’t think what to do. She was no immediate danger, I admit, but the mere presence of her was beginning to feel extremely irritating to me, not to mention the long hours I wasted brooding over her. After all I couldn’t go on like this, wasting my mornings over her. I say morning because this was the time when I was the most prone to her gestures, and so this was the time she could torment me at will. I could not focus in class too as she kept swimming to the front of my mind, and I would tend to have a glazed look for minutes at a time. Yet my finals were approaching, and something had to be done about it. I had been thinking for days about it, and I knew it was the only solution, although hard on me I admit. For none can ignore such beauty when it comes in front of the eyes. Yet there are things more important in life, as I was constantly reminded by the datasheet plastered on the dept. notice board. So I resolved in my head. The time for grave action had come. So it was that upon coming back to hostel that day. I went straight for her. I took the CAPRI soap cover (on which her picture was) and threw it in the dustbin, complete with the tiny bit of soap that was in it. And so it was that I got rid of her. Some might say my action was too cruel. Banishing her to the murky depths of the dustbin was too harsh a punishment for too good a face. But after all she was only the brand ambassador of my soap (CAPRI). So what if her face is plastered on every CAPRI Soap bar. It was no real harm to her.

 I did this because sometimes you don’t need to provide explanation for your every action. Sometimes, the truth is not enough.

Sometimes there is a difference between what is good and what is right.

 Sometimes you have to smash the photo frame containing Emma Watson’s picture you have got hidden under your pillow. If only because you like Selena Gomez better.

 Sometimes, you just have to detach your eyes from this article, and really think exactly what you are doing right now.