Wednesday, August 03, 2005
on old carssomehow all the cars that abbu's got at his office are old toyotas, the rectangle- shaped ones. and as old cars are wont to be, they've springy, comfortable back seats that are somehow muuuch bigger than new cars (i think it's the lack of a bucket seat setup) with nubby, sometimes furry (like velvet) upholstery. they're like laps. and old cars, they smell lovely! like old books, and fourteenth august and winter coats hung in a closet. but mostly like parchment-paper old books with worn hardback cloth binding.
on making new friends
there're the obvious ones: interesting, funny british convert, s. khala's really wonderful best friend. rediscovering s.khala (instant love). but the best one, i think, was a curly black little doggie called fluff :D he wore a red collar with a small silver bone-shaped charm with his name on it, and he was so smart! him and i had a good understanding by the end of it, what a cutie pie he was! aloof until you said hello, which i did, and snuck in a pat on the head; worked like a charm :)
on meditation
imagine a lake, at dusk; that time of dark and light. the sky is pale, bright blue and the trees are thick and smell like damp woods do. and imagine yourself wading into the lake- the water is cool, but not cold, and dark, but not frightening like a bog, and you are parting the waves gently, skimming the water lightly as you walk into it. slowly, going in perhaps up to your ears. it's quiet and peaceful...s.khala said i went really deep, and shouldn't do it too often. i think she's right because i did it yesterday and still haven't come out of it properly, i think. but it was magic. tingly, even.
on proliferation of aunts
i like khalas. i like calling women i love 'khala', real or otherwise. there's a personal cosiness, a 'you-are-mine' possessiveness to it that i adore. so meeting a real khala (blood, obviously) after what is literally ten years is superduper fantastic. m.khala came over too and there was a nice little women-of-family powwow. i love them all, marks pajama wearing, iron-scalding (it was long as my finger and kehti hain 'it didn't hurt at all!'), idiomatic urdu speaking, head-covering, thorny book-writing....there's one for everyone, and they're all gorgeous! i loooove :D
on the return of the prodigal sister (filmi is allowed hokayyy)
sana's back from iran! finally, there's only so much of having two beds to put one's stuff on that a body can take. and she got me a beautifully illustrated, four-language translated, hardback gorgeous Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam!! YEEEAAAYY! t'was the best present ever, now i've that, and deewan-e-hafiz from abbu's trip to iran years and years ago. so authentic ;) and a gorgeous ring, talk about eid hojani. nothing like sisters to know exactly what to buy for you. right now i've put her to thinking of something to write inside of the book for me. and the pictures and the stories, woo hoo! dasti trip for her, but i'm quite glad to have her back.
Mina at 9:37 PM
