One Night Friend January 4, 2009

It was Saturday, 3^rd Jan ’09 with clock ticking at 3:00 am. I and my friend feeling bore but not sleepy thought to do some wicked stuffs. We picked up my cell and start dialing random numbers. Thought of disturbing who were in dreams, that was our nefarious idea.

Victim 1: We asked as KESC (Karachi Electricity Supply Corporation) repairman, “Is electricity available in our home?” and start giving tips on how to save electricity a man whose drowsy voice was getting furious with time.

Victim 2: We asked as customer satisfaction department of SSGC (Sui Southern Gas Supply Corporation), “We feel there is a leakage in your kitchen kindly rush and check we are outside our building”. Man-o-Man that guy jumped out of his bed with the muscle that we felt through his scream.

Victim 3: This time as a sales representative of EFU Life insurance company. But this time, a lady on the call and thankfully not sleeping as we surmised from her voice. “Mam, Are your insured or we tell some the great policies of our company which guarantees bright future for your next 7 generations of your life. Policy 1… Blah Blah Blah…. Policy 2… Blah Blah….” Opposite side was equally funny and she said you know I am mother of 3 kids and my husband is Efu manager and we said sorry.

Victim 4: Man this was the story; a sweet hello from a girl who sounds like an erudite person, my flirty friend jumped from his bed and snatched the phone. He started tantalizing her in the way guys usually do but I thought to be straight forward and how about having a one night friend? I recalled but she didn’t say anything. After some other random calls, I recalled and this time again that innocent hello. Thank god… let’s play the game then J

Avi: Hey listen up I am feeling bore tonight and looking for someone with whom I can socialize, if not more, then at least “a one night friend?

Girl: Hey, please I don’t know and I don’t believe in all the stuffs and by the way from where the hell you got my no?

Avi: first, I dialed some random no’s and found yours. I don’t know your name nor am I interested to know about you.

Girl: ok but I don’t believe in this one night friend’s thing.

Avi: Me trying to be a bit naughty, I don’t mind for long term as well?

Girl: Ohh please I don’t know have time for all these stupid things.

Avi: so what do you do that you don’t have time for these things which I would call adventurous instead of stupidity?

Girl: I am a postgraduate student and doing job at bank at the same time.

Avi: Okz so in what you are doing your post graduation?

Girl: I am doing MBA from Karachi University and done bachelors from there as well and you know what I am already engaged.

Avi: So what? Does it matter in our chat?

Girl: Na but may be for you?

Avi: Arrange or love?

Girl: Arrange but it was like my parents introduced him to me like 8 months ago and we met like 20 times before taking the final step

Avi: So if your parents introduce a strange person to you for spending your lifetime then you don’t have any problem but when it comes to me, you have problem even in chatting with me. This is called “hypocrisy.”

Girl: Yeah but we all are selfish you know……? Everyone in this world is selfish and you know what I got married as well 3 months back but he is in Malaysia and I am here because of my visa.

……………………………………………………

………………………………………………………

Bingo……!!!

It was more than 35 minutes long phone chat with a girl even whose name I don’t know nor did I ask. We shared, we laughed, we discussed, we argued and we pacified each other. It was a memorable experience of my life and I am sure for her as well. She selected her dummy name as ‘Hira’ and mine as ‘Kabeer’.

We started sharing things like we know each other since our Childhood. She discussed about her past relationships and some what so did I but in conservative way. She passed on some tips of handling the girls which was the funniest par to our conversation. Finally, We said good night to each other and we promised not to call each other again.

Whereas, My friend on other side of bed was getting boring and frustrated. He kicked me out of my own room to balcony. I don’t know we’ll chat in future or not but this adventurous ride was more than fun actually.

Once 21 June 9, 2008

Everybody cross through this phase of life where you actually have taken enough rides of life that you can sit down and review it. Today is my day, Today is 9th June ’08 and it has been whole 21 years, 10 hours, 47 minutes and 50 seconds since I have joined this world in its struggle of life. In short today is my birthday since I born on 9th June ’87 at 10 am. So happy birthday Avinash…!!!

I am neither a philosopher nor a deep-thinker but it’s just that I am reviewing my 21 years of my life that I haven’t made much difference to this world. Actually I have nothing much to write today as I have nothing to regret in my last 21 years of life. Hmmmmm….. Do I? Let me re-think again. Hmmm… so far nothing comes to my mind but it never means I haven’t done wrong anything in my life but I never mind saying sorry for anything I do wrong. Hopefully, there is no one on this planet who is hurt by me unknowingly or knowingly. If there is someone then I have just one sentence “I am sorry and now come and hug me.”

Thanks to God for giving me full time loving family who is always full of fun, joy, support and purity. So Happy Birthday you lucky Boy and best of luck for your next 21 years because this time you have to write our own history instead of reading others.

Hugs and kisses.

The Art of Blogging May 27, 2008

Blogging is very common though but still irrelevant to lots of people especially in south Asian countries. For instance, in my university batch out of 120 students only 3 owns a blog though we are students of technology. The major reason isn’t they don’t like to write or they don’t an art to write but it is they have never enjoy writing. Even I don’t consider myself as a writer but I love and enjoy writing. I love to express as every human does but every person has different way of expressing himself. When I started blogging, I remember, it was hot sunny day; I was thinking why should I write? In technical terms, why should I blog? Truly speaking, I didn’t have any answer because I didn’t have any reason actually. My first blog “No Theory in LOVE” Theory was more or less like a joke from writing perspective.

Before moving on, I want you to know basically what is blogging?

Merriam Webster: ‘A Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.”

Wikipedia: ‘Is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.”

In today’s world, blogging has become trend of expression. Expression of freedom and I don’t mind saying that blog has been the best product of web 2.0 so far. It actually fulfills the promise web 2.0. People have started expressing their political views, technical gossips, health mania, religious dilemmas and much more. Not only do those, but even governments don’t ignore them. Take the case a Saudi blogger who was put behind the bars last year only because he wrote on US-Saudi relations which US didn’t like much. Big corporate giants and small fishes, both using the blogs as new way of marketing. Take the example of vista team, they own a blog where they put updates frequently and answer the questions of people as well. So blog is not a one-way communication only.

The best about blogging is, it is something which you can show your grand children, funny haan!!! It is, I know. But it is true as well. For instance it has been almost a year now since I started my blog and sometimes I go back and read to previous articles, something’s really make me laugh. I mean, Wow. But it still feels good. I am wondering how about reading this same article or blog in age of 60. Isn’t it exciting?

Coming to point, some one asked me recently “what you get from blogging?” I replied ‘start blogging first’. Really, there is no answer to a question when it comes to expressing your emotions and feelings. I love blogging especially when I feel stressed. It makes me feel relax. Sometimes I reply to this question, ‘I don’t want a girl friend that’s why I blog’…Sounds strange haan – An stupid answer to an stupid question.

There are lots of advantages of blogging; prominently it inspires you to read. When I started blogging, I not only start thinking about my next article but I also started visiting many blogs and I really read a lot after that. Secondly, it improves your writing skills exponentially and the best thing is even you don’t notice it. In the first few months of blogging, there were few visitors on my blog even some harsh days makes the counter zero. I feel disappointed but now my blog has enough visitors which really push me to write more and more. Thank you all. After this journey of a year, I noticed there is a good way to raise blog readers that is “Tags”. The better your tags are the better the trap is and yeah pictures as well. Understanding the Google’s image searching algorithm, which functions mostly on text even when you are looking for a picture, this thing helps you as well because I tried it and I become quite successful in it. For instance, the header picture of eyes present on my blog, I renamed it to beautiful picture believe me alone on this I used to get on average 30 visitors daily using Google’s image searching.

So blogging is bit a tough nut to crack in the beginning same as like opening any new business. It teaches you to be patient. And yeah last but not least it grows your friendship circle.
Happy blogging.

Living without Brains March 3, 2008

After my visa for India was denied for second time I was quite disheartened. I decided to spend my rest of vacations in my home town, ghotki. Even though I have spent 12 years of my life over there that makes 60% of my total lifetime but this time I decided to live or see ghotki in different way, the way I never seen it before. This time I left my principles and my brain at home; so therefore no science, no psychology and no technology as well. Another thing, I promised to do was “I wouldn’t read anything.” and plus “I wouldn’t think about the time or the next moment.” That also means no books and not even newspaper; Even though it seemed impossible for me. Writing this blog on the last day of trip isn’t my intention at all but I just can’t curb myself. Though I haven’t broken my promise yet as it was for “Reading” not for “Writing” so I can write what ever I can. J

It was like living in a way that I had never experimented nor experienced before. Otherwise in those 12 years, all I used to do was computers, studies and friends. I wasn’t allowed to go out late in night nor visiting the farther places as environment isn’t as safe as it used to be in Karachi or in metro cities. Ghotki is a small town which is second most revenue generating district of the state after Karachi. People are quite business minded. Women have quite independence comparing other towns; they can go out for shopping on their own as there is a huge “ladies market”. It is also full of Hindus which ultimately gives more religious independence.

Now coming to a week long journey, I noticed something in that journey which I never did before. It may be because that living in metro city for last two years I have seen the different faces of life, some were stressful, some were sad and some wicked. But what I haven’t seen there is the true happiness and consensus with what they have. Everyone there, used to rush here or there to fulfill some materialistic desires for which even they know that this game is not going to end anywhere.

Coming to a common Ghotkian, the thing I loved most about the people there was they don’t know what time is; they really don’t care how we are spending the time; they just live the day as it comes. Wow. I wish I could have that tension free and un-materialistic life (though not even spiritual). Simple, decent, loveable and most importantly happy is what describes them the best. Someone said it right “Success is best described by how much happy and satisfied you are from your life.” And that’s why I call those people successful in their life.

An incident which I’ll never forget in my life was that three people were setting side-by-side in corner of a very narrow street enjoying the warmness of fire on very cold evening. They were discussing the current world affairs; while discussing everyone agreed whatever the other person says even though none was right. They made their own statistics figures and surprisingly even history. But in last, after spending the hours which even I didn’t notice; they were all happy and ready to live another day. What they’ll do? Even they didn’t know nor do they care about. I personally learnt a lot from that incident.

It isn’t the story of three people but it is the story of every common man living there.

Another place which I loved most and hadn’t seen before was Chana ki chae (tea). It was dhabha and very famous tea spot at national highway, 5 kms from Ghotki city. On other side, it was surrounded by green, beautiful and long farms, birds were sitting on the farms and farmers trying to keep them away, indeed every picture was a story itself; The story of nature. Me with my few friends used to go there daily in morning and spent hours and hours, indifferent to time, enjoying the cold weather with sunny sunshine and even sometimes cloudy.  I don’t like tea but as I said I kept my brain at home so therefore no rules. Those who know me, may be wouldn’t believe that I, Avinash Bhojwani, used to took 4 cups of tea in space of few hours but it is true. People coming there sit and discuss different things from politics to business with different point of views but the best thing was they discuss, they laugh and they leave with all those standpoints there. They never take home anything to think about; so next day, same people, same topics, same views and same life and yeah same tea. I was feeling that they aren’t revolving around life but they make life to dance around them and may be that is the secret behind their happiness. Surprisingly, most of the people coming there even didn’t have watch. And I was thinking why they should have.

I was thinking what they want from their life? What they used to dream? I still don’t have the exact answer but it could be they want to see themselves riding a bike or it can be they want a tractor so that their life becomes easy as most of the people coming there were farmers or the same as mine that their children going to school to educate society.

Then a sudden thought came in my mind that even they are human beings like me. When they are so happy even after not having a inch of what I have then why shouldn’t I be? My disheartened mood faded away and sudden real smile emerged. These vacations were the happiest and funniest that I ever had. It may be because I even didn’t see my watch for whole week. But I know I have to put it back on my wrist soon.

-This article was written a day before i got the visa. May be the God gifted me the visa on understanding his laws of nature.

I dont know December 24, 2007

I really don’t know what to write and for what to write. But I want to write that’s why I am writing. Do I really need a reason or issue to write for? This piece is for my self. I mean for myself. I really don’t know what I am writing. I am just writing what is coming in my mind even this line. Hmm…….. what else… what else… what else…? Yeah today I had diarrhea, two projects pending, submission and demo of projects on Friday, praying for visa. I don’t know what will happen? I want to celebrate New Year eve in Mumbai with my cousins but don’t have an idea I’ll get the visa or not. Never mind my papa tried a lot and during this process of trial I realize that how much my family cares about me. My brother went to Islamabad for my visa. My mom always soothes me that “don’t worry we’ll be in India by this time”. It doesn’t matter I go to India or not now.

I love you my family and I know they love me more than I do to them.

Believe me I even don’t know what I have written. I just put my mind on the page. And actually I am feeling better.