Go back to childhood –
when these weapons of mass distraction didn’t exist,
and we played with sticks and stones,
delighted in flights of handmade kites,
made flick-knives out of used ice cream sticks,
burnt leaves with magnifying glasses,
blew bubbles on jungle gyms,
raced each other and did cartwheels…
playing outside for hours on end –
no screen fatigue
nor humped necks from constantly staring down. … More Presents for the Future
A balloon filled with glitter… … More For A…
I recently thought about the people who were in my virtual circle 15 years ago, when I started blogging back 2006. I recounted their achievements: a good few have done amazing things in the literary world; some became prominent in academia; and others have done well in media. My first instinct was to compare myself to them. Thinking of what they’ve achieved in these 15 years, and immediately feeling less…without actually taking the time to think of what I have done. … More Comparison is the thief of joy
The further away we move from these fast-paced, stressful, urban environments, the more we are able to truly see and appreciate what lies out there. When we leave our own bubbles and venture into the wild, we realise that – for all the wonders of technology and convenience that humanity has produced, we can never compete with the magnificence of the natural world around us; the signs of our Creator, visible for all of humanity since time began. … More The Great Unknown
Here I sit – exactly 10 years after the biggest day of my life, wondering who I’ve become, and who I *will become* as the years keep rolling on. … More Life after Hajj: reflections a decade later
I remember rays of sunlight, streaming through the windows at my grandmother’s house when I was very small. The sun would send dust which would swirl in the light – a vision of beauty at such a young age. I also thought that the sun would sometimes dim – by itself – before brightening again, oblivious to the fact that passing clouds actually caused this phenomenon. … More Stream of Memories
On June 2nd, 2006, this blog was born. Back then, blogs were popular, social media was virtually non-existent, and people poured themselves into the posts they wrote, along with the comments they left in lively discussions attached to blog posts.
15 years later, those days are long gone, and other mediums have taken the thunder from the blogosphere (as it was affectionately known back then). … More It’s been 15 years, 586 posts, and 1358 comments
I am bound
by invisible strings.
They linger in my consciousness –
even in a moment of peace,
such as this one,
where I sit utterly alone in this room,
morning sun streaming in,
birds emitting somewhat subdued chirps,
while the hum of the highway forms ever-present white noise. … More Cutting the Strings
A day of joy, intention, and conscious remembrance of those in need. … More An Eid of Remembrance
They call it an annual visitor,
Yet that personification doesn’t capture
the beauty and essence
of the treasures this month holds.
For,
Ramadaan
is no guest to be entertained,
nor housed,
nor fed…
instead, it feeds our souls
that which we too often miss
in the haze of the rest of the year. … More These nights…
slip-sliding away..... 