Dinazad

clouds

Writing sometimes is painful…gnawing and arthritic post recess. After being hit by a lull, I compose tidbits of words. They are my word clouds; my poems in pretense; they lift me up; they express my...

back to prose - the howler

In memory of Aunty Jahiliya, ninety-ish, who passed away last Sunday. She was unschooled yet had the wit and wisdom of an alim. She was our Scheherazade, our very own story teller."Que pasa?", the...

birthdays

July was the birthday-est month for my family. The month started with my brother-in-law’s birthday, followed by two sisters-in-law, then my husband, my dear house help of twelve years (same day as...

rhymes we learned in childhood

Here is a rhyme we spouted when we were children:Bate, bate chocolate (pronounced tso-ko-la-te)Uncle Borja ta bateThe above one was taught by pompous older cousins. Several years later, when we were...

a survey

I like the look of bullets in a write-up. When I went back to school (for the nth time) two years ago, a few lecturers wanted our answers to exam questions in bullets – much like – enumerated items....

today's entries - justice and one more heroine

Today, I opened up my husband's mail (opening mails is an unspoken act of habit between me and my husband in the absence of either one so we may not miss any important messages from the outside...

nasi lemak on sundays

Sunday is when people oversleep and miss a lot. For one, the sounds on a Sunday morning - they are quite different from any other day. There is a peculiar mood too - perhaps because you don't have to...

my daughter, my critic

Last night's conversation:Meeza: Mummy, why do you have to blog?Me: Same reason as you do 'friendster' - expressing myself, reaching out.Meeza: Ooohhh (with narrowed eyes meaning 'I see').Me: Would...

a tradition of Whiskas giving

We are threesome shopping at a supermarket near our home. Somewhere after the detergents/softeners aisle, I can see my daughter taking a large bag of Whiskas and putting it in the trolley. The...

getting lost in yoga

Finally, I went to yoga class. Today I brought along my old water bottle plus pre-conceived notions of yoga - of contorted bodies and vocal cords articulating the ommms. I also had anticipations of...