Disaster unfolding

 Ego, greed, and bullying tactics. 

That is what most wars are all about, and this one is no exception. 

The common man- woman has been caught in the crossfire and forced to fight a war that he or she cares little about.

Thousands of innocent lives will be sacrificed to satisfy some politicians' sordid ambition. Families will be torn asunder and millions lost in concrete damages.

However, it takes two hands to clap, so let's not start blaming just one party. Nor is this a knee jerk reaction. 

Everyone saw it coming and predicted it right down to precise details. It was no covert operation, to say the least .

Now, the time for threats and counter threats is over, and the world is faced with another colossal catastrophe of unthinkable dimensions, and more misery, death and destruction are inevitable. 

What strikes me as a trifle odd is that one country is being bombed to smithereens, and besides some vague sanctions, no one has lifted a finger to help. 

Sending good wishes, prayers and hoping for a quick and diplomatic end to this war is all I am reading about. That is wishful thinking as things unfold today.

Am I missing something ? Isn't this horrifying?

Where is Nato? Where are those cowboys with their horses and guns? 

While politicians and diplomats smoke their gold tipped cigars and sip nectar from crystal goblets in their plush mansions, there is suffering of unimaginable proportions unfolding by the minute.

Then as they say,' this too shall pass' .

Pass it will, but when will this madness end 

Politics is indeed a dirty game played by scoundrels without a conscience - awfully appaling.

Early mornings

 Even on weekends, I am out of bed like a lark. No , not singing or anything so crazy but just up!

Lying in bed, when already awake, has never appealed to me . I find it boring and a waste of precious time. I love the weekends!

As a young boy in Allahabad, I woke early every day to hear Radio Ceylon , read the Northern India Patrika, and play with our dog before getting ready and cycling to school or work.

In Pune, it was the same - morning duty at Bishops or early morning tuition classes and I was never late. 

So here in Dubai it's the newspapers, tea and quiet contemplation. 

Oh yes ,the phone and the cat too. I check WhatsApp and FB while the tea water boils and I tickle her with my toes. It's called multi tasking! 

In fact she wakes me up, walks me down the steps, hangs around a bit, and then goes back up to sleep, at the foot of my bed.

Bright , sunny , cool , invigorating mornings in the UAE are not for sleeping.

I presume that as one gets older , one sleeps less ! 

Thankfully, we have less Covid news and the world seems to be healing . It's about time.

However , we do have the shenanigans of some world leaders to ponder over.

The untidy haired Mr J who partied during Covid, the shrewd Mr P who people say is waiting to invade , the sly Mr M and his grandiose plans and a few others.

Then, on an early morning news chanel , I was not surprised to see the joker blowing his own TRUMPet.

He did vow and say, 'I'll be back' , didn't he?

Am sorry for digressing .

It's a lovely morning and I have things to do,so have a wonderful day - stay positive and blessed.

Husband Appreciation day

 Ok girls & guys- ladies and gentlemen reading this .

 Here is some unsolicited, yet important information. You can call it trivia if you wish, but you probably don't know this unless you have spare time like me who wakes at 5 am even on a weekend!

 

This year, on April 16th, there is something big coming up . Excited to read on ?

It's something that occurs on the 3rd Saturday of April every year. Any guesses?

So giddy up my friends ...

It's HUSBAND APPRECIATION DAY.

So all you wives or partners out there - stop smirking, sniggering, laughing, tittering, giggling or whatever else you are doing after reading about this very special day and plan as to what YOU are going to do to show your appreciation for your man.

Don't plan to shoot the messenger as this is good news.

Here is your chance to appreciate, pamper and show more than normal appreciation.

This is no joke.

Husbands - you can let me have details later .

Having my books bound

 

Something that came to mind when I saw a torn book a short while ago …...

I am sure many Millennials, and all Gen Z, have never heard of the term, ‘Have your book bound’.

For the uninitiated, having books bound was something quite common back in the day. When a text book binding came lose, and there was imminent danger of losing pages, we did not discard the books- instead we took them and had them bound afresh, and they came back as good as new – at least that’s what we felt. I didn’t cost much either.

We did the same with story books which were far too precious to throw away. At times five or ten  thin comics were bound into just one book, and many a lazy afternoon were spent reading.

I vividly remember buying text books, second hand, before the start of the academic year in school – then taking the torn ones to a shop, and getting them bound. At times, the binding was a trifle too tight and one or two words at the start of every line were stitched in, but the main thing was we had a book to use.

The book was usually bound with dark blue or dark maroon binding and looked rather smart.

Do any of you older ones, who follow my posts, remember the ‘book binding’ process and did you or your parents ever tell you to get a book bound?

My friends from Allahabad would definitely be very familiar with having books bound.

Haircut for Christmas

 Had a hair cut for Christmas. It's short and I am the only one who likes it in the family . What style ? No style , just short! 

Walked in. Told him to cut my hair. He did his job - that was followed by the customary showing me the back of my head in a mirror. 

Often wonder why they do that and with such aplomb too. 

I nodded,  he looked satisfied as I paid him and walked out a few grams lighter. 

I am a no fuss person where haircuts are concerned. 

Now with 2 daughters out of the house and only the wife with me, there are less jokes to contend with , and none that I can't parry with ease.

But it's the 'look' to which I am yet to find a suitable answer to. 

When I returned from a hair cut today I got 'the look' . No comment - just a look or a glance and then she looked away. 

I think I saw a smirk but then again I had just come in from the sun. 

Years ago I stopped asking the usual question' How does my hair look' because there would be a flurry of responses which all meant the same thing - ' it looks aweful ' 

Anyway , I think I look awesome!

Tricky toothpicks

 A small mishap occurred while shifting house and home today  - very small.

It's 6 am. I am a nervous traveller and probably an equally nervous shifter . Just realized this today. 

I woke at 4.45  am and while making my tea I decided to multi task . I realized that multi tasking at work is something I do so well , and with extreme  regularity, but trying that at home, with the weight of the shift playing on my mind, was a very different experience. 

I saw one of those small containers which have about a few hundred toothpicks in them and decided to put   it into a plastic bag.

I know you're wondering as to why that caught my attention. Now I am wondering the same thing .

Needless to add the tea water came to a boil at exactly the same time.

Being extremely particular about my tea , there was a momentary lapse of concentration  and the wretched toothpicks spilled on to the counter top. 

Not wanting the wife to give me a morning lecture as she would be apt to do if she saw the mess , I attempted to put the toothpicks back into the container as quickly as possible. Easier said than done and this  is the point of this mini story.

There were definitely a few hundred tooth picks that fell out,  but only half could fit back in. My rather thick fingers and thumb didn't help ease the struggle . 

How the Dickens they pack them so tightly  beats me. Surely it is an art or maybe a science for all you know. 

Anyway,  after quite a struggle, I managed to put half the amount back and binned the rest .

My tea was cold by then and the packers would soon be  ringing the doorbell. 

My wife was none the wiser .

Here ends my story.

Have the courage ....

 

Have the courage

To do the right thing

To stand up and say ‘No I don’t agree’

To speak up for the oppressed and the wronged

And hold firm to your belief.

 

Have the courage

To voice your opinion

When your heart tells you, you’re right

‘Group think’ if you know what it is

Can be a destructive force.

 

Have the courage

And quality of mind and spirit

To defy conventional beliefs

That have stood the test of time

Just because no one asked

That all pertinent ‘WHY’

 

Have the courage

To question those in authority

Who attempt to play God

 And punish others

When no punishment is due

 

Have the courage my friend

To be virtuous and upright.

It will not be easy

But if you’re just and fair

It will give you peace of mind

in the end