Closing Pandora's Box

I read a book not too long ago and a particular scene regarding things really caught my attention and got me thinking.

“Almost everyone to whom I introduced Jennifer remarked on how self-possessed she appeared for one who had experienced so much tragedy. Indeed, she did have a remarkably assured manner, and in particular a capacity to make light of setbacks which might have brought other girls her age to tears. A good example of this was her reaction concerning her trunk.”

The girl Jennifer is a young orphaned teenager who is adopted by Christopher, the I of the story. She had been waiting a very long time for her trunk containing her valuable possessions to be delivered to the UK from Canada. Christopher received a letter informing him that the trunk had been lost at sea. On informing her, she just laughed it off.

When after two or three days she had still shown no sign of distress over her loss, I felt inclined to talk with her, and one morning after breakfast, spotting her wandering about in the garden, went out to join her.

…When I stepped down on to the lawn, Jennifer was drifting about the garden with a toy horse in her hand, dreamily walking it along the tops of the hedges and bushes. I remember being rather concerned the toy might be harmed by the dew and was on the verge of pointing this out to her. But in the end, as I came up, I said simply:

“That was rotten luck about your things. You’ve taken it awfully well, but it must have been a terrible shock.”

… “It’s all right. I’m not upset. After all, they were just things. When you’ve lost your mother and your father, you can’t care so much about things, can you?” With that, she gave her little laugh.

… “You know, Jenny, I’m not sure that’s true. You might say a thing like that to a lot of people and they’d believe you. But you see, I know it’s not true. When I came from Shanghai, the things that came in my trunk, those things, they were important to me… What I’m trying to say is that for me, my trunk was special. If it got lost, I’d have been upset.”

She shrugged and put her horse up to her cheek. “I was upset. But I’m not any more. You have to look forward in life.”

Today we live in a very materialistic society. A survey of parents reported in the BBC showed that one-third of under-10s possess their own mobile phone¹. The Guardian describes it ‘a materialistic trap’². Parents are forced to work longer hours to provide money to fulfil these materialistic desires and thus spend less time with their children. The media plays a significant role in this brain washing of children making them feel they have to own a particular thing or gadget to look cool or to improve. When I was 10, I was too busy playing watching Power Rangers and re-enacting it out with my friends in the park. In this materialistic mind-trap, many people forget the value of the things that matter in life. Things can easily be replaced. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but the day after, or the day after that.

I was discussing this with my friend the General and he said, “Yes it’s true. People give preference to materialistic things. But I think sometimes some things are worth cherishing. When a person is no longer with you, sometimes all you have to remember that person is the things they left behind.”

I have a many such things, which my mum calls junk, but they hold such sentimental value I wouldn’t get rid of them for the world. Because they remind me of what once was, but could no longer be.

Do you have any such things?

_________________________________

Title: Good Riddance – Green Day
All quotes are taken from the book “When we were orphans” By Kazuo Ishiguro
¹Third of under-tens own mobiles – BBC
²UK children stuck in ‘materialistic trap’ – The Guardian

Some of you may remember Mr Bristol from one of my previous posts. Here’s another assembly of his that I’d like to share with you. It was a story this time and I’ll try and tell it as well as I can remember:

***

He was a staunch believer in God and had been so for many years. Having enjoyed a rather well to do life, with little problems there was never a time when his faith was tested, that is until the flood hit. Nothing like it had ever been seen before. The tops of some buildings could be seen sticking out of the water gasping for air but others had been completely drowned. It had become submerged under water like the lost city of Atlantis, except it wasn’t quite lost yet. Those that lived in big houses or were able to access high buildings waited on rooftops for the rescue services. He was standing at the top of his house with many other people, men and women, boys and girls and waited. A raft came by. They asked him to get on but he refused, “My God will save me.” He continued to pray for his Lord to rescue him. A little while later a small boat came to them and those people that were unable to get onto the raft left the rooftop via the boat. Once again he was asked to join them but once again he replied, “My God will save me.” When the boat left, he started praying again. After some time had elapsed a helicopter came by. It had been scanning the area looking for any remaining survivors. The helicopter sent down a ladder and the pilot spoke, “We are running out of fuel and this will be our last trip so count this your lucky day.” But the man was waiting for his God to save him and refused to climb up into the helicopter. After waiting for some time and after pleading with the man to take the chance he had, the helicopter flew away back to safety. Again, the man began to pray and it continued to rain heavily. The God he was waiting for didn’t come down from the heavens and save him. The real God tried to help him 3 times, but he never realised and did not accept that help.

***

People say we should only ask God for help. After all he is the Protector, the Sustainer, the Provider and the one who created us. I disagree with that. Yes we should pray for God to help us, but like the man in the flood, we shouldn’t expect Him to come down from the heavens and hand us a tenner to pay for the shoes we want to buy, or whisper in our ears when we need help with a question in an exam, or give us a shoulder on which to cry. He sends His angels, makes things happen, or puts an idea in the mind of another person who in turn becomes your angel.

Living in a materialistic world, people tend to give great precedence to clothes that can be replaced when ripped, to laptops that can be replaced when they break down or to cars that can be replaced when they stop working. One thing that we fail to remember the importance of is the people. The family that God chose for us and the family we chose for ourselves, our friends. Once they’re gone, they won’t be coming back. They are our angels that God specially gave to us with the duty to make us laugh when we are down, to steal chips off when we are hungry, to give us a shoulder on which to cry our sorrows and to hold our hand when we are lost.

You can have all the money in the world, but the richness of love, of friendship and of family is more valuable than all that. The value of angels cannot be estimated with pieces of paper and metal.

_________________________________

Title: I have a dream – West Life

Dear Readers,

A very warm Eid Mubarak to you all and your loved ones. May this day (whether you celebrated yesterday or are celebrating today) be full of laughter, happiness, joy and fun for you, you, you and everyone.

Having just passed through the blessed month of Ramadhan, during which we intensified our prayers and sacrifices, do not forget those less fortunate than ourselves and have not the means to celebrate Eid today. Remember them in your prayers and your actions. May Allah teach us the ways of worshiping Him in a manner that earns His rewards and may He enable us to continue the good deeds we did this month for the days yet to come.

With lots of love, jalebis and best wishes,

Nas <3 x

*****

This is a true story

A man stopped a person, and asked him to direct his gaze to the heavens. “Look,” he said pointing. “Can you see the cluster of stars there?” The man stared intently and replied, “Yes I see it.” He stopped many other people and asked them the same question. A lot of them gave the same answer as the first man. Truth of the matter was, there was no cluster of stars, but sometimes we believe things are there because they are meant to be or because he said so. Ever wondered why Eid is celebrated on so many different days here in the UK? Well this is it, without going into the depth of the matter. Now take a look at this and tell me, anyone celebrating on Thursday?

[This is a scheduled post]

Whenever I am out an about on my own I don’t usually listen to music. Instead I spend my time invoking Durood Shareef, reciting verses of the Qur’an I have been learning and also any prayers prayers that I know. Last year, I was sitting on the tram minding my own business when a girl came and sat in front of me.

“Salaam,” she said. “I just caught a few words of what you were saying. I just heard Muhammad and Ibrahim.”

“Walaikum Salaam. Yeah, I was reciting Durood Shareef,” I replied smiling at her thick American accent.

“Oh what’s that, could you teach it to me? You see I took my Shahadah a few days ago, and am still new to to the whole thing,” she explained.

“Masha’Allah, that’s excellent. I’m happy for you. Okay repeat after me, and I’ll tell you the translation as well afterwards,” I said.

*****

Every Friday we would wish each other Jummu’ah mubarak and catch up on the week via email. As always, I emailed her one Friday morning but didn’t receive a reply. I waited. The next Friday came and went. She’s probably busy, it is summer after all. A few weeks went by and I emailed her again. Nothing. A month went by and still no reply from her. I tried calling her but her number was disconnected. 2 months later, last weekend I received a text from one of her friends:

“She was involved in a car crash and died in hospital,” was all it said.

إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ - To Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.

*****

I have written about death before, after Charley passed away. So I guess I don’t have much more to say. Oh I miss you all. . I guess it’s life.

_________________________________

Title: Another one bites the dust - Queen

Here’s a recap on the year. Fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the reading ride:

August is described as a month of change, a month in which shedding takes place in preparation of new beginnings. It was in this month that I wrote my first ever blog post, giving a brief overview of the story of Pandora and her box as well as justifying my joining of the blogging world. I told you about the life lessons I learnt from my first ever driving lesson about trust and being able to give what you expect in return. My last post of the month was revolved around the quote ‘Instead of loving your enemies, treat your friends a little better,’ and we discussed the giving of gifts.

It was in September that I posted my reflections on the passing away of a dear friend in a document titled ‘For your Story’. A few days later it was Eid and I shared a short poem with you. Seeing my brother run out half naked from the toilet inspired my next post and you told me about your fears. Having gotten over fear of spiders and heights, I told you my thoughts about the dark side of love in which one is totally blinded and thus oblivious to the pain they are being put through. With the beginning of schools, colleges and universities I shared with you a poem a friend sent to me and we talked about the importance of time. The next and last post of the month was another spider related story but this time it was about how a spider helped me get an A* in my biology GCSE and in the process reaffirm my faith in God.

The month of October began with the sharing of the butterfly of happiness. Then I asked whether you thought too much and gave you a small activity which helped you decide. In the subsequent post we discussed the difficulties of saying sorry and the potential benefits of it. Having been attending the volunteer training at the hospice I shared with you some of the things I learnt about honesty, hope, communication and understanding. Continuing with the same theme the next post dealt with the positive aspects of love, not of the romantic kind but that which is derived from being human and mutual understanding.

‘I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky,’ was the title of the initial post of the penultimate month of the year  about dreaming. Next I told you my mother’s advice about tomorrow and shared a poem about the topic topic. This was followed by three short posts about Remembrance Day, Eid and a comical clip with an important message. A few days later I presented my thoughts on hate concentrating in particular on terrorism after listening to a discussion on radio [Part 2]. To end the month, I showed you a picture my friend sent to me and also a song about climbing the mountains of life.

Continuing my theme of hate [Part 2], I shared my thoughts on the hate preaching nature of some Islamic schools in Britain. You then told me examples of stupid things you had heard or seen in our next discussion. This was followed by the 3^rd and final post on the hate series and contained a beautiful interview with a niqabi lady. Happiness seen at the bottom of a microscope was then spread among my readers. Coping with grief and birthdays were on the agenda of two great friends, one deceased and one still beautifully young. Death was also mentioned in the subsequent post and I shared an extract from an excellent book. To end the year I shared with you a few facts about myself and the happiness from an award I received.

Beginning the new year in traditional fashion I told you my resolutions for the year. The 6th marked one 1 year since the passing away of a dear friend and apart from a poem, I told you how my feelings had changed. On a much lighter note we then watched a good scene from a not so good film about dreamers. My little sister provided me with chocolate love and I forwarded you some. Next we stared at the heavens and took delight from the beauty of the stars. This was followed by a recollection of a mundane and somewhat eventful day at university. On the topic of university we discussed positive mental attitude in relation to complimentary medicines. I then showed you the front cover of my set of reflections that a friend made for me and you told me you’d like me to impart my medical knowledge. But before I did that I gave you a brief summary of a Khutbah (Friday Sermon) and explained why you were beautiful.

You started the month by telling me some of the things you believed in but were unable to prove. I then told you about the bank account we have which is topped up with more than £80,000 each night. After this I told you the importance of darkness and how it helps to see the light by showing you a picture. Soon after that we celebrated my birthday together and then I shared with you a leaflet I made on the link between Vitamins and Alzheimer’s. Continuing with the medical theme information about the cardiovascular system was shared. This was followed by an inspirational song video I found on  friend’s blog and thought I’d share it with you guys. The uprisings in the Middle East then began to dominate the news. I made you laugh by sharing with you some conversations with some friends and wished you all a happy weekend.

You finally got to see what I looked like and this made way to even more pictures from our family trip to Brugge. Next I shared with you something from my high school folder. I put forward to you another few inspirational extracts from a book which taught the value of living. Having quickly forgotten that, I showed you how I wasted time in my lectures. We then discussed the issue of anti-Semitism in parts of the Muslim community. With continuing unrest in the world, I wrote my first poem in 3 years and we prayed together for those in need. The month ended with us discussing an interview I posted with Britain’s most feminist Muslim.

April was mainly a month of awards. I received the inspiration award, stylish blogger award and the seriously rad blog award. In between all that I shared with you a conversation I had with a work colleague about the pornography industry.

The month of May was quiet due to exams, and when they finished I shared with you some thoughts and photos I made while gardening. Next you told me what you thought of my fictional writing when I shared a piece about an unknown individual. Finally, I requested your prayers for my father going into surgery.

The General kicked off the month with a guest post about none other than myself.This was then followed by an exclusive interview in which you were able to learn about me. Another guest post was next, by Max, who shared the beautifully inspiring story of the emperor moth. I then told you about a primary school teacher that ate dog food. The month then ended with a discussion about choices.

July was a very quiet month, with my writer’s block in full swing. I shared with you my High School Motto and we discussed perseverance.

I shared with you a speech I gave at the mosque. This was followed with even more awards. Most recently, I posted a few photos from my local area of the rioting that took place here in London and the rest of the UK.

*****

[This is a scheduled post]

________________________________

Title: Welcome to wherever you are – Bon Jovi.

Riots and looting started in London on Saturday and have spread all over the country. They were here too, and shops were looted and burned and people made homeless. Here are a few pictures from my town:

A family furniture store that has withstood both world wars up in flames:

And in the morning:

The ashes of a bus:

This was just at the end of our road:

This is what it looked like in the morning:

And from where the water is being poured. Those are flats on top of the shops:

The remnants of an Asian clothes store:

The ironic sticker left on a completely empty gold shop:

How they got into another gold shop:

I saw a toddler wearing a motorbike helmet, walking beside his mother carrying a packet of pampers nappies which they had looted from Sommerfield.

I heard an Asian man with his arms full of toilet rolls say, “Yaar, if only I had a car.”

I saw a woman steal someone’s wheelie bin, which she filled up with alcohol from the Sommerfield storage area and Tesco and wheel it home.

I heard of a woman wearing Superdrug uniform looting Superdrug.

I heard the cries of a lady whose house was on fire.

I saw an injured pregnant lady ask for refuge at our mosque and we fed her the food prepared for iftaar and gave her drink until the ambulance came.

I saw armoured vehicles containing riot police from Cambridgeshire, Devon and Cornwall and Wales the day after. But by then it was all over.

*****

Please remember all those around England who have been made victims of such selfish, stupid and sickening actions. People have lost business’s, their homes, their loved ones and in some cases their lives. May this violence end soon, and may peace return to the streets of this country.

Please also remember the suffering of those around the world who due to war, famine, natural disasters and or disease are also undergoing difficult times.

________________________________

Title: Nursery rhyme.
Photos that are not my own were taken from here and here.

I have always been a last minute person. Actually that’s a lie. There was once a time when I used to be extremely efficient, getting things done waaaaaaay before time. But now I’ve realised when it comes to even the most important of things, I leave them till the night before or do them on the day they were due. Essays are one prime example of this. Last year, I can’t recall the number of times I rang or texted the General, telling him how I was having a panic attack because I still had to write 1,500 words of an essay and was going at a rate of 80 words an hour. That’s just a little more than a word a minute. The same happened with my dissertation. Anyway, the point I was trying to make is…yeah you get the picture. This post will not be too long (I always say that and end up writing loads) as I plan to just pass on a few awards I have recently received. Without more beating around the bush, and before I forget due to my laziness, let’s get down to business.

I love This Blog:

This award was given to me by the most lovely Vice Versa (@Cryptic Crap). Ulti Pulti (as I shall call her, with her permission that I still need to get), is relatively new to blogging having only started in April while she should been busy revising for her A-Levels. Her blog is excellent and I very much enjoy reading whatever her fingers type. Apart from the awesome text, her ability to use paint to create stunning (and hilarious) pictures always amazes me. So much so, that you may soon be seeing some of her artwork on my blog. In the mean time, I would highly recommend you visit her blog and see for yourself.

I wish to thank you Ulti Pulti for bestowing this award upon me, for which I am very much honoured!

This is a very difficult award to give, seeing as I only follow blogs that I thoroughly love and enjoy reading. I shall therefore make sure to give this to those people I have not awarded before:

• Reverieriver’s (@Reverie River) blog is excellent. It is like a chest full of treasure in which you know you will always find something of great value; the glittering golden currency of knowledge, rich rubies saturated with thought that get your grey matter going and other pearls and sapphires and emeralds that keep you captivated for a long time. There are very few people out there who when they go to the sacred house for Umrah, remember strangers in their prayers. She is one of those few and I think that speaks volumes about her great personality.
• Welcome to Random Town by lil-bee is a blog that I have recently started following. Her verbal “diarrhoea” is always amusing to read, thought provoking at times and straight to the point. Though she has been blogging since the day she was born, reminding me of Stewie from Family Guy, her ability to write good posts has not declined (maybe because the average length of her posts is about 6 lines). Being Bengali, she reminds me of the General who is awesome thus I make the assumption she is too.
• I don’t think I have ever awarded normal.is.overrated. (AKA Dr R Neo) who is owner of the blog Conceal your thoughts. Contrary to the name of the blog, her posts saturated with her views, questions and comments, all of which are really worthwhile reading, thought provoking and extremely well written. Witty, wicked and worthwhile are just three words I would use to describe her blog. We were recently given a sneak preview of her creativity with words and I can honestly say the manner in which she is able to command words and captivate readers is startling. I think hers is one of the blogs in which you are bound to find a post or topic that will make you nod your head in agreement or smile in amusement. Don’t believe me? Go check it out for yourselves!

Influential blogger:

I have never believed myself to be a good writer and so was genuinely amazed when I discovered Hamza (@Teenage Mutiny) had awarded me with the Influential Blogger award. It is truly speechlessnessising to know that one person at least thinks that. Hamza’s blog is always excellent to read, dolloped with humour, clever and punctuated with more puns than a errrm *insert appropriate word here*. I’d like to offer him my heartfelt thanks for giving me this award, and I hope and pray that my blog can continue to influence, if not people, at least one person.

While thinking of who I should pass this award onto, the first name that came in my head was Leah’s (@Leah’s Treasures). Why you ask? While thinking of the why, I realised one of the main reasons I thoroughly enjoy reading this blog is because of the person that writes it. A truly lovely person whose good nature is infectious. I don’t think I could say a single negative thing about her even if I tried lying. Her blog is just as amazing as she is. The quality of her posts is second to none, each one giving the reader food for thought, giving the reader something to relate to, and each one is just so human. The beauty of this blog lies in its simplicity. Coupled with the fact that at the time of her 1st blogiversary, last Thursday, she had in excess of 400 followers which speaks volumes as to why she is a worthy recipient of this award.

I hope and pray that you all have an excellent, productive and enjoyable week ahead. Stay amazing, stay smiling.

PS
This post was written in a bit of a hurry so please excuse any grammatical and or others errors that make your eyebrows hit your hairline.

________________________________

Title: I thank you – Sam and Dave