Happy Birthday!

Today was special and will always be.

Today is the day I wait for all year round.

Today is finally here.

Happy Birthday my Khadeeja.

Birthday Prayer

Thank you, God, for giving me another year of life.
Thank you for all the people who remembered me today
by sending cards, and letters, gifts and good wishes.

Thank you for all the experience of this past year;
for times of success which will always be happy memories,
for times of failure which reminded me of my own weakness and of my need for you,
for times of joy when the sun was shining,
for times of sadness which drove me to you.

Forgive me
for the hours I wasted,
for the chances I failed to take,
for the opportunities I missed this past year.
Help me in the days ahead to make this the best year yet,
and through it to bring good credit to myself,
happiness and pride to my loved ones,
and joy to you. Amen.

Courtesy www.beliefnet.com

Vote For My Photo

Dear friends

Here's a request

I'm taking part in a competition and all you have to do is vote for my photograph by liking it.

Like the page first here http://www.facebook.com/lipton.mind

and then like my photo http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=107019519368145&set=a.106597019410395.7530.101843649885732

Thanks and please do this soon as there is less time.

Khadeeja.

Tired...

I'm tired of saying, "It's okay"

Tired of pretending it doesn't matter

Tired of chasing love

Tired of living this life

Tired of it all.

Day 30 — A Lovely Color But ... Not Edible

Day 29 — Hopes, Dreams and Plans for 2010

Well, 2010 is going to be over quite soon, so then no point in talking about my dreams and hopes for the year and besides I have forgotten what I had planned for in the start. Haha.

Day 28 — Your Favorite Place To Shop

I'm not at all a shopaholic though yet I do shop for the basic necessities of course. I'd count Y-block Defence, Khan Tower and Cavalry Market in my places to shop.

Day 27 — Your Essence Is

Whoa! I'm in Heaven every time I catch a whiff of it. Amazing!

Day 26 — Describe Your Week

From Monday to Friday I have College and then two days off. Mondays are extremely depressive,long and I feel too home-sick. Tuesdays are all about getting settled with the routine. Wednesdays are hectic and I keep longing for the days to rush and the week to end. But at the end of the day I let loose by listening to some good music on the radio. Thursdays are a little cheerful and bring relief as there are less number of classes. Then Fridays, oh blissful, just feel like jumping in the air to think the end of the week is finally here. Saturdays are bound to be my favourite day of the week. Total freedom and relaxing environment of home, and I can rise late and sleep late too. Meaning double fun. Sundays are boring, slow and the dread of the Monday morning lies ahead.

Day 25 — What Are You Waiting For

Oh my... What am I waiting for...? Wel. I'm waiting for the day my fondest desire comes true! =')

Enough said.

Day 24 — A Video Game

Needless to say, Need For Speed is the most popular driving video game of all time. I have too many fond childhood memories associated with it.... *nostalgia*

Day 23 — A YouTube Video

The other day we were studying Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development in the Psychology class. Here's a video about the second stage called the preoperational stage.

This stage occurs between ages two and six. Language development is one of the hallmarks of this period. Piaget noted that children in this stage do not yet understand concrete logic, cannot mentally manipulate information, and are unable to take the point of view of other people, which he termed egocentrism.

Another well-known experiment involves demonstrating a child's understanding of conservation. In one conservation experiment, equal amounts of liquid are poured into two identical containers. The liquid in one container is then poured into a different shaped cup, such as a tall and thin cup, or a short and wide cup. Children are then asked which cup holds the most liquid. Despite seeing that the liquid amounts were equal, children almost always choose the cup that appears fuller.

Piaget conducted a number of similar experiments on conservation of number, length, mass, weight, volume, and quantity. Piaget found that few children showed any understanding of conservation prior to the age of five.

Day 22 — A Website

That's tough. Um, I think I'll write about Dad's website. So if you need help with preparing for competitive exams/interviews or if you have like some psychological issue or if you want to take some personality assessment, then you must visit www.bzaman.com.

Hope that helped!

Cheerio!

Day 21 — A Recipe

Cheesy Pancakes Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1 slice of cheddar cheese (diced)
• 1/4 cup capsicum (diced)
• 1/2 tomato (diced)
• 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil
• Salt and black pepper to taste

METHOD

Beat egg, add flour and milk. Add rest of the ingredients. Heat oil in a frying pan. Pour the mixture on the entire base of the pan. Fry until golden brown. Roll and dress with ketchup.

Serves 2.

Day 20 — A Hobby of Yours

Um. I guess I could say Blogging... because I blog when I am bored and have nothing else to do. So that's what a hobby is, after all.

Day 19 — A Talent of Yours

Painting! I love to paint! You can see the slideshow of my paintings over the years at the end of all the posts on this page. I work with water-colours and pastels.

Day 18 — Whatever Tickles Your Fancy

Oh yes it does!

Day 17 — An Art Piece

California-born artist Loran Speck draws the inspiration for his still-life paintings from the realist artists of the Renaissance such as Caravaggio, Rembrandt and Rubens. I particularly like this work of his.

Day 16 — A Song That Makes You Cry (or nearly)

Out of Reach by Gabrielle. One hell of a perfect song. ='(

Day 15 — An Ever-Green Poem

This poem touches my heart and makes me want to cry...

Remembrance

by Emily Bronte

Cold in the earth -- and the deep snow piled above thee,
Far, far removed, cold in the dreary grave!
Have I forgot, my only Love, to love thee,
Severed at last by Time's all-severing wave?

Now, when alone, do my thoughts no longer hover
Over the mountains, on that northern shore,
Resting their wings where heath and fern leaves cover
Thy noble heart forever, ever more?

Cold in the earth -- and fifteen wild Decembers,
From those brown hills, have melted into spring;
Faithful, indeed, is the spirit that remembers
After such years of change and suffering!

Sweet Love of youth, forgive, if I forget thee,
While the world's tide is bearing me along;
Other desires and other hopes beset me,
Hopes which obscure, but cannot do thee wrong!

No later light has lightened up my heaven,
No second morn has ever shone for me;
All my life's bliss from thy dear life was given,
All my life's bliss is in the grave with thee.

But, when the days of golden dreams had perished,
And even Despair was powerless to destroy,
Then did I learn how existence could be cherished,
Strengthened, and fed without the aid of joy.

Then did I check the tears of useless passion --
Weaned my young soul from yearning after thine;
Sternly denied its burning wish to hasten
Down to that tomb already more than mine.

And, even yet, I dare not let it languish,
Dare not indulge in memory's rapturous pain;
Once drinking deep of that divinest anguish,
How could I seek the empty world again?

Day 14 — A Non-fictional Book

Too interesting and keeps me engrossed for hours. Basically its about learning methods and in this excellent book Peter Kline spells out how parents, in particular, can use the world’s most fun-filled and effective methods to bring out the "everyday genius" in their children.

Kline is well known for his strong belief that "learning is most effective when it’s fun", and his book sparkles with this concept. Specially recommended as a beginner’s guide to the world’s best learning methods. Maybe I would want to pursue educational psychology because of this book! 5 stars!

Day 13 — A Fictional Book

It's the best novel I've read so far. The character of the hero (Shane) and heroine (Paula) have totally swept beneath my feet. It really goes out to say that nothing can come between the two of you, if you're meant to be. ♥ Must Read.

Day 12 — A Magazine You Enjoy Reading

One hell of a great mag! From the jokes to the book-section, love every bit of it. Awesome! Can't do without a daily dose of it.

Day 11 — A Photo That Makes You Drool

Yummy! *drools over*

Day 10 — A Photo You Just Can't Help Sighing At

Day 09 — A Photo You Took

Macro photography at its best!

Day 08 — A Photo That Makes You Sad

Day 07 — A Photo That Makes You Happy

Day 06 — Your Favorite Restaurant

It is certainly hard to name a single dine-out place, anyhow I would name Shezan Regale thats in H-block, Defence. Both dinner and a la carte are available there. Its a great place with good food.

Day 05 — Your Favorite Quote

John Wooden said: 'The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.' And he said it so right. The respect that is generated through this travels down to the children; who do so in return and their off springs practise it and it makes a world of difference. Just one right turn. =)

Day 04 — Your Favorite Time of the Day

Late afternoons are my best time of the day. I'm usually on my own, savouring every bit of my long sought solitude. Keeping things low-key, I often indulge in a novel, play some soft rock/country music. This habitually invokes nostalgia and some poetic juices too. ;)

Day 03 — Your Favorite Sport

It all began with Euro 2004 when football got the better of me and I became its die-hard fan. Though not much of a fan of the Premier League matches, I can’t think of missing an exciting World Cup or Euro fixture.

I had serious affections with my top favourite countries namely Germany, England, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France and Greece; until Germany made its way to the Euro 2008 finals and lost to Spain. From then on, Spain is out of the list. Call me sentimental or whatever. Then when the French guy head-butted the Greek person, France went out of the list too. Yes, I’m extremely biased. And then all the good guys in the English team played no more, I lost interest in it too. So yeah, here I end up with the short-listed favourites!

My craziness about football doesn’t end here. I have countless pictures, photos, images, desktop wallpapers of my favourite players and for this I’m not prejudiced, preferring the European teams, I have Kaka, Messi, Drogba, Tevez and the like in my collection too.

And as for winning or losing, favourites remain favourites, don’t they?

Day 02 — Your Favorite Movie

The saddest and the sweetest and the best movie ever. Shane West and Mandy Moore did it so well. =')

And the dialogues are written across my heart.

Day 01 — Your Favorite Song

This song took my breath away when I first heard it. And it does so every time I hear it. Though it's quite tough to pick a single song from a list of above 300 songs but If You're Not The One is 'the' song of my life. Awesome piece of art. Take a listen.

The 30 Day Challenge

I found this on some blog last month, I totally forgot whose blog was it though. Anyhow, here's the 30 Day Challenge - a somewhat personalised version.

Here's the list for Oct 2010

Day 01 — Your favorite song

Day 02 — Your favorite movie

Day 03 — Your favorite sport

Day 04 — Your favorite time of the day

Day 05 — Your favorite quote

Day 06 — Your favorite restaurant

Day 07 — A photo that makes you happy

Day 08 — A photo that makes you sad

Day 09 — A photo you took

Day 10 — A photo you just can't help sighing at

Day 11 — A photo that makes you drool

Day 12 — A magazine you enjoy reading

Day 13 — A fictional book

Day 14 — A non-fictional book

Day 15 — An ever-green poem

Day 16 — A song that makes you cry (or nearly)

Day 17 — An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)

Day 18 — Whatever tickles your fancy

Day 19 — A talent of yours

Day 20 — A hobby of yours

Day 21 — A recipe

Day 22 — A website

Day 23 — A YouTube video

Day 24 — A video game

Day 25 — What are you waiting for

Day 26 — Describe your week

Day 27 — Your essence is

Day 28 — Your favorite place to shop

Day 29 — Hopes, dreams and plans for 2010

Day 30 — A lovely color but ... Not edible

Commitment

He slipped the ring onto her finger; it didn't fit. He tried all the fingers of her left and then moved on to the right, only to go back to the left ring finger. It was loose, but he left it there.

"You're a skeleton, you know.", he chuckled.

"Uh huh?"

"Yeah, I need to fatten you up", and he sealed the commitment with a kiss.

Harvest Moon

The moon
hangs low.
Deathly pale
like all life drenched out of it.
Lonesome and mysterious
Distant and bewitching.
The moon speaks of an agony
similar to mine.

Little Surprises

I got a little surprise for Mum today. I brought home my college magazine and guess what, four of my poems got published in there! Poems that are now nearly 3 years old by the way. But still, Mum was delighted. And I guess I'll send some more recent stuff this year. =D

From Inner Joy to Inner Pain

Torture. Love has a way of doing that. Just when you're sailing smoothly, a storm picks up and swings you to and fro, throwing you roughly from shore to ocean and spins and whirls and crushes you like waves in the ocean and tosses you back into the dark sea. There is no way out of this vicious circle. *Sigh*.

That Should Be Me

Here's this JB song I've been drooling over lately. Lyrics are in the video. Enjoy! =(

My Sweet Surrender

Oh God, I am nothing without you!

Only you can build me or destroy me

So here I give myself to you

Please take care of me!

Post-Eid

The best thing about Eid-ul-Fitr is applying mehndi on your hands and interestingly enough that's the only thing I ever did this Eid.

I love the fresh aroma of henna and the intricate patterns of designs sort of take me into a realm of fantasy....

Anyhow here's my piece of art to flaunt with till the colour remains!

Pain

Piercing

Agony

Inflicting

Nostalgia

Music of My Soul

A rhythm forms a melody within me

picks up a beat

then dies out.

It comes again

sweeter, stronger, more rhythmic

I hum back to it

memorise it

and sing it t myself

It's the music of my soul.

It's Coming!

The feeling of approaching winter is like the awesomest feeling in the world. And guess what, I'm feeling it since yesterday. Whoa. I totally love the bright blue skies with fluffy white clouds. Winter's on its way!

Boredom Front

I woke up in the middle of the night and threw up, like practically. But I'm feeling sicker now. Bored too. And terribly lonely, though it's Eid today. *sigh* Weirdness. :/

Anyway, Happy Eid everyone!

A Yearning That Hangs On Still

A shuffling of footsteps.

I look out, but there’s no one.

I try to fall back to sleep, staring up at the sky peppered with stars.

Something warm touches my shoulder lightly.

I look back, but there’s nothing.

I feel my guardian angel’s presence.

A longing.

A yearning

that hangs on still.

Haiku - Beauty

Beauty is old age.
For beauty is in wisdom,
which never dies young.

Surface Tension

Negativity hangs
like a cloud
enshrouding body
and soul.
Needing
just a ray
to break
the surface tension.

Summer

Sitting

Under

Mild

Monsoon

Eating

Raspberries

Cooking

Creativity

Outshines the

Ordinary recipes yet

Keeping

Its flavour and

Natural

Goodness

Today

Tomorrow

Of the

Dreams that

Arrested

Yesterday

Beauty

Bringing

Enormous

Admiration along with

Undeniable

Timeless

Yearning

A New Life

The flame sways and dies.
A match struck to give it life.
It smiles brightly now.

Published!

My poem got published in the weekly In-newspaper magazine Us ( The News International) for the very first time.

The Art Of Camouflage

By Maryam Mirza

A crevice

in the vast

expanse of land

is my abode.

An insignificant

fissure

in the fathomless

terra firma

is my dwelling.

Search for me, 

if you can.

Impossible

it will be.

For I have mastered

the art of

camouflage. 

Yay me!!!

Emotional Upsurge

Brimming, overflowing, spilling

Gushing, splashing, flowing

Surging, erupting, eroding

Boiling, bubbling, simmering

Fuming, raging, steaming

Sedating.. receding

Falling and rising and reaching a climax.

They govern my life.

Breathless

Before I

Realised

Everything

Around me

Turned

Heaven-like

Leaving me gasping for

Every breath that my

Stunned

Soul took

On Hope

You are a part of me

and I'm a part of you

Our souls are one

and our hearts too

Soon we shall be together

There's no need to feel blue

Life shall bloom again

Our joys many and worries few

So I lift up my hands in prayer

and pray with a hope anew!

Equal Intensity

Love and hate.
Equally intense.
Yet polar opposites.
Divided by a fine line
that doesn't take
long to cross.
A single sentence
can pull the trigger
of resentment
causing emotions
to spill over
the other side.

The Angel

Her halo shines and glistens.
But her prayers they go unlistened.
She does His bidding,
abstains from sins.
And hopes someday He'll listen.

Love

Lots

Of

Vivacious

Emotions

Mia Goes Solo

New blog on the block...

Que Sera Sera: Life of Desi Burger.

Random rants, ramblings, musings, anything and everything under the sun =P

But this doesn't mean I'll stop writing on Fantasy Front. I'm still there

Ciao

Alive Still

Alive still.
Heart beating blood
he stumbles
on the ledge
breathing dirt
and musty grass
and a scent
he had long forgotten
the scent of hope
of life
of freedom
away from the stronghold
of tyrrany
but it is a road
with daunting tasks
so little done
so much to do

Childhood Never Leaves You

I had a first time experience of making a paratha today. I was on my own and that was actually good!

So I rolled a portion of dough on the flour board and it took up a strange shape, not a circle, not a square but like an irregular blotch of ink. While working with the rolling pin I could not help but reminisce about my childhood when my elder sister and I used to make bread with play dough in a kitchen set up with toy utensils in front of the mirror on the dresser.

It was the time when food was almost any colour and plasticy in texture, could be served cold ans stored for months. Good were those innocent days!

Her Little Life

Sunlight slashed through the blinds sending a bar code of rays onto her pale, slumberous face. They caressed her, tickled her awake, till he eyes were fully open, reflecting the golden flecks. The white cotton sheets, the satin of her fantasies, rustled as she freed herself of them. The bed creaked with relief as she stood to support her own weight; it wouldn’t be long before it gave way, hopefully she wouldn’t be in it when it did. She dreamed of making it big one day, becoming larger than life. But that would have to wait, right now the leaky faucet beckoned.

Wilderness

Wandering

In

Loneliness

Deathly

Emptiness

Roaring

Noises

Embracing

Sudden

Silence

Ramblings - I Hate Maths

I bury myself deep into my mathematics textbook, allowing calculus and analytic geometry to wreak havoc in my brain, in the hope that it’ll help me absorb some theorems. I have no idea why I let my mom talk me into taking mathematics in college. It makes a weird combination with my other majors; Economics and English Literature. I hate Math, numbers play tricks on me. Words are a lot friendlier; they go with a flow, almost liquid. And at least x doesn’t have a million different possible meanings in English.

Birthday

Being the world to someone

I brought so much joy

Receiving twice the affection

Tenderly showered with

Hugs and kisses

Days go on

And I turn another

Year old

Prompt # 1 at AcrosticOnly

The Work Of Art

The brush flew over the pale canvass lazily. The tint darkened with each stroke. The babyish glow turned to a faint blush, delicate and flattering against the pallor. The artist kept on working to get the desired shade. The brush swept and rose, swept and rose for the last time; perfection reached. She looked it into the mirror and smiled at her work of art.

Last Night...

Last night I drove. I drove my car to the end of city limits and myself to the edge of sanity. “Bullet For My Valentine” pouring from the speakers and flooding my brain helped keep out the sadistic thoughts bent on hijacking me. Shrill guitar riffs and heavy drumbeats have a way of doing that. But I was too preoccupied to head bang. Good thing, I always end up with a crick in my neck after doing that.

Wish

Wanting

It

So

Helplessly

Hope

Holding

On

Persistently

Each time

Dreams

Drifting away from

Reality

Escaping to find solace

Among the games that

Mind plays with the

Soul

Hell

This is a really weird poem that I wrote some time ago. It's my take on what Hell will be like... Repetition of what you dread.

The phone rings.
She picks it up.
Shock.
And the receiver falls.
*****
The phone rings.
She hesitates,
picks it up.
Shock.
And the receiver falls.
*****
The phone rings.
She sits tight.
Prays the deja-vu would end.
She picks it up.
Horror.
And the receiver drops.
*****
The phone rings.
She wont pick it up.
She wont.
But she does.
Shock.
Horror.
And the receiver drops.

The Escape

He walked in, donned in a polo neck and dark green slacks, with his typical messed-up hair, she knew before even looking up that he had arrived. The strong aroma of his cologne was hard to ignore.

Finally, she lifted her head of burnished, burgundy tresses; her green eyes darting towards his face. He slowly bent over the table, waiting for her pent up anger to erupt...

She stood up, pushed her chair in and trampled to the door,

"Don't you ever be this late again." She muttered, fuming with rage.

"Alright." He mumbled under his breath as he picked up her baggage. 'Is that all?' he has wanted to ask but knew it would make her explode again. So he silently stuffed his blue Maserati with the bags, slipped on his sun-glasses and whiffed off to their ultimate escape.

Mouth-watering

Mother

Often

Understands

The

Hourly

Wants

About

Tasty

Eatables

Required

In

New

Generation

Prompt # 5 at AcrosticOnly

Drunk

He stumbled, fell and phased out. And the grimace held even in unconsciousness, even though you'd expect the muscles to relax. The alcohol coursed freely in his veins, poisoning blood and his already poisoned existence. The belt in his hand lay like a snake slithering to kill it's own master. His wife regained her senses and ordered herself under control. And then she wiped her bloody lip and dialed 911.

Waiting

She watched her favorite piece of crockery float away from her while she stood on the only visible chunk of land for miles at end. She had always loved water, dreamed of traveling south to the shore to see the beauty that was the ocean. But now she had lost everything to water, her family, her home, her belongings, and her life. Drenched to the bone with only the clothes on her back and an ache in her belly that was unmistakably hunger, she waited to be rescued. Day gave way to night and the sun took over again. And she’s still there, waiting.

Life

Life
Is
For
Eternity

Tiger

Terror
In its
Green
Eyes
Rages

Prompt # 9 at AcrosticOnly

The Boston Sunset

The leaves start their gossip,

As the wind passes them.

The mist is unsettled

as the feet swarm the area.

Figures in black,

with downcast eyes,

Keepers of a dark secret.

The stony silence.

The stifled sobs;

The tears mixing with the rain.

The dirt is leveled

and the mourners pay

their last respects

to the Boston sunset.

A Nation On Its Deathbed

Yesterday she turned 63 though she looks much older than that, weak, feeble and frail. Socially ostracized, drowned in debts and flood water and mourning the loss of its off springs to extremists and foreign drone attacks, she is left on the mercy and kindness of others. Tears of blood are shed each passing day as she witnesses her impending doom. She can only be saved if her children unite against the powers bent on destroying her. Only they can bring her back to her former glory. For she is their motherland, Pakistan – the land that once resounded with songs of peace.

Uncertainty is Nothing New

Upward, downward

Forward, backward

I'm at the crossroads of my life

Don't know where to turn

Don't know where to head

It all seems the same at the start

but who knows what's ahead!