Solemn London

(Extremism is like a cancer, eating deep into our freedom…)

As a lover of peace, freedom, and justice, I am appalled and sickened by the continuous senseless attack on innocent people by Islamist Extremism. Enough is enough! This evil must be rooted out, we can’t allow this to continue. Things has to change. Our tolerance as a nation is akin to weakness, most of my friends, even Muslims, believed as a country, we’ve pandered towards Islamist extremism, we need that to stop!

As a Christian, I can’t openly practice my faith if I were in Saudi Arabia but here in the UK, and every part of Europe, Muslims are free to practice their faith. I believe liberalism and political correctness is changing the landscape of this country.

In the wake of the Manchester and London Bridge Attack, I read William Blake’s poem with tears in my eyes!

I wandered through each chartered street,
Near where the chartered Thames does flow,
A mark in every face I meet,
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every man,
In every infant’s cry of fear,
In every voice, in every ban,
The mind-forged manacles I hear:

How the chimney-sweeper’s cry
Every blackening church appals,
And the hapless soldier’s sigh
Runs in blood down palace-walls.

But most, through midnight streets I hear
How the youthful harlot’s curse
Blasts the new-born infant’s tear,
And blights with plagues the marriage-hearse.

************

Islamist terrorism will not prevail in our nation but I also believe the Muslim communities have a lot to do to eradicate the vermin of extremism.

What are the Imams teaching young impressionable youths in their mosques? Why are young virile Muslims full of hatred and bitterness against Westernisation? I do believe that most of those who hate this country shouldn’t have any business living here.

There would continually be an excuse for evil to reign. The West had been blamed for majority of the crisis in the Middle East but if I remember correctly, the Arab Spring was not caused by the West. I believe in love, forgiveness, and peace. But I also believe in justice. And if there was one consolation to the debacle and orgy of violence unleashed on our cities in recent days, the death of the three cowardly Jihadists was decisive and just.

In this sad times, I pray for the families of everyone affected by the Manchester and London Bridge Attack. As our Prime Minister had said, Enough Is Enough!!!

On Humanity And Idiosyncrasies

Dec4

15473127814_89bfd63928_o (2)

(My ideal place to be now!)

“Man surprised me most about humanity. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.
Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.” Dalai Lama

If we continually observe the world, it’s really filled with sad news, war, war, and war! Yet in the midst of the seemingly absurd, grotesque, insane, and obscene, we have to carry on living.

My husband and I were having one of our ‘philosophical chats’ when he quoted Dalai Lama, it hit me like a sledgehammer; am I working too hard?

However, after a brief soul-searching I came to this verdict: I love life, I really enjoy living even when I’m working hard and juggling multiple responsibilities with kids screaming for my attention, countless office deadlines and uncooperative plots ( my novels and several other manuscripts I’m working on).

I am absolutely certain that I enjoy my idiosyncratic attitude to living because life has no part two, there are no dress rehearsals or a delete button. We take what we have, use it wisely and hope for the best, and I think we ought to strive to find joy in life in any way we can.

December is a month of frenzy cum feverish spending, planning, office parties. Why not pause for a while, enjoy the snow-capped mountains, (if there’s one in your vicinity), the fake reindeer, and annoying Christmas jingles that normally grated on your nerves.

I intend to, I hope you’ll all enjoy everyday living.

Have a fantastic weekend friends!

Much love, always. 🙂

The Palm Tree Theory

Oct23

”All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”

J.R.R Tolkien (1892-1973)

Palm trees are known to withstand severe storms. After a thorough bashing, you could still see palm trees standing, often times bent, but still in the race with a shot. I’ll relate this to us. Undoubtedly, we face storms in our lives and I think there’s no living soul on this planet who doesn’t have one teeny-weeny thing troubling them. Some could be as sublime as breathing, financial woes, all sorts. I’ve seen friends who are so ill, they couldn’t sleep without an oxygen tank close to their bed. However within a month, they’re back to work. Life continues.

Resilience, courage, and determination helps us ride the storm and that’s the theory of palm trees. They don’t give up, they simply adapt to their circumstances, maybe beaten sore but still around. And I think we could borrow a leaf from their philosophy too, storms may come but we can do what we do best, ride through it!

To the people of Mexico, who could soon be battling Hurricane Patricia, I wish everyone would be safe. I sincerely hope everyone would ride through this unscathed!

Now to sunnier news: October is my bestest (pardon my pun) month. I turned 40 on the 14th. Thankfully, I don’t feel or look it yet. I hope to stay that way but who am I kidding? 🙂

I hope everyone’s been good. I’ve visited as many blogs as I could and would continue to do so. To many of us sliding slowly into the cold ( I resisted the urge to write ‘fray’ ), stay warm. To those in sunnier parts of the world, enjoy the sun.

Have a wonderful weekend my friends and I’ll leave you with this song:

Much love, always! 🙂

Out Of The Ashes

Jul8

(Photo credit: Flickr)

I believe in life after death, not every one does, but I do. Human beings aren’t merely flesh and blood, we have souls, and soul are indestructible. I’ve got friends who are atheists, so I’m not going to expand too much on this before I start a debate that would rival a sitting in the House of Commons.

Yesterday marked exactly ten years when people with warped views of life took the lives of 52 Londoners, they also left almost 100 people with life changing injuries and scars. Yeah I know, my post is a day late but the topic isn’t. After work yesterday, I caught a few glimpse on the news and was sad at such wanton destruction of human lives. But I was proud, (in fact, I still am) to be a Londoner. Years has passed, but we’ve grown stronger as a city. More tourists visited London than ever before, I love travelling on the tube, bus or on a private car. It’s testament to the fact that evil will and cannot win.

If we read the news, there’s always stuff that would make our tummies churn (my daughter always says that), but life isn’t all gore and horror. There’s the incomparable breath of fresh air, there’s the sheer joy of clean water, what about the juicy goodness of an orange? The list is endless, life is good, and it’s tough, I won’t dispute that.

The relatives of the 7/7 bombing and the senseless and needless attack in Sousse would be comforted by the love and prayers sent their way. I believe in prayers but I also believe in living each day with a heart of thanksgiving in spite of my circumstances, that, I believe is what would keep me sane and out of the ashes of stress and despair. My husband used to say that everyone has problems, it’s just our ways of dealing with life’s daily grind that’s different.

I would end my post with this simple quote from Groucho Marx, ‘I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.’ NP: I’m still writing, albeit slowly. I’ve informed my publisher of my inability to submit my manuscripts until next year. Life seems to have a way of sending many distractions my way and I always oblige 🙂 I hope everyone is fine. Please, stay safe! Much love to you guys, always! 🙂 🙂

Living In The Moment…

Nov5

(Photo credit: Flickr)

The most important thing is to enjoy your life – to be happy – it’s all that matters. Audrey Hepburn

I agree with Audrey on this and I hope everyone is having the time of their lives. Time certainly flies with incredible speed, I can’t believe that it’s almost five weeks since my last post, I’ve been neck-deep in series of projects which is going on fine but I miss everyone dearly. I’ve often squeezed time out to visit some of your blogs, but I find it extremely hard to write my posts. My work load has lessened considerably, I’ve dealt with most of the deadlines, and finally, I can breathe amidst the chaos that was my office.

A lot has happened, I celebrated my birthday on Oct 14th, it was a blast, and the rest of the month flew past. I hope everyone is okay? I’ll be visiting all your blogs often as time permits. I would also be updating this site often now, I miss you guys! 🙂

Now, on living in the moment, on October 29, 1941, Winston Churchill visited Harrow’s school graduation in London and said these immortal words,

”Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

I know someone would find this quote helpful, it certainly made me realise that to live my life well, in the moment, I just have to believe and press on towards my goal. I want this to be a short post, so I’ll cut it down now! 🙂

I hope you’ve all had a great week so far, I wish you all joy, peace, and protection! Stay safe friends and don’t get into trouble.

Much love, always. 🙂

The Beast

Feb3

(Photo Credit: Flickr)

Laura had trouble sleeping, she watched enviously as her husband slept soundly like a baby. She closed her eyes and willed her body to relax, fifteen minutes later, it worked, and she drifted off into a fitful sleep. Claps of thunder woke her up hours later, reluctantly, she opened her eyes and listened as flashes of light competed in a show of power. However, amidst the thunderous symphony, she also detected a faint but familiar sound, she listened and froze with fright when she realised it was the voice of Anna, her fourteen year old daughter.

She turned to touch her husband, but he wasn’t there. Panicking, she leapt out of bed and slowly crept down the stairs. Someone was in her home, a stranger. Her heart in her mouth, she moved stealthily, afraid to alert the intruder. By now, Anna was howling, Laura threw caution to the wind and breezed into the kitchen, grabbed a large knife and dashed into her daughter’s room.

Ashley, her husband of eighteen mouths was lying on top of her daughter, naked waist down. Anna stopped crying when she saw her mother and Laura felt alien, as she seemed to move out of her body… Swiftly, she raised the knife above her head.

………..

Two years later, Anna walked briskly down a hallway, her heart beating with love. It was Valentines Day, and, the love of her life is in prison. Many people called her mother a beast, but she knew that it was her Step-father who was the real beast. He had repeatedly raped her, threatening to kill her mother if she uttered a single word to a living soul. As far as Anna was concerned, the death of Ashley was a welcome relief. Her mother would be out in a couple of years, and with her mother by her side, life couldn’t be better. They would live happily ever after!

………….

NP: I am a realistic writer, if you’ve read any of my books, you should know by now that I’m not afraid to tackle difficult subjects, and this was a very difficult topic for me to write. Many women are trapped in abusive relationships, where their partners are raping or had raped their daughters – it’s an ugly scenario. But it could be stopped: there are warning signs really, when your partner is unduly interested in your daughter, that leery, lustful look is often too glaring to hide, (mind you, not all Step-fathers are Ashley!) Left for me, I wish all marriages ended with ‘the happily ever after theme,’ but that would be living in a fairy tale world. Even though I don’t support what Laura did, the beast in some people cannot be tamed, they can only be stopped!

………….

Where there are beasts, there are also saints. Like Hugh Mackay would say: ‘ Nothing is perfect. Life is messy. Relationships are complex. Outcomes are uncertain. People are irrational.’

I hope you’ll all have a pleasant week. I’ll be back on Thursday with a very interesting topic in my ‘happily ever after theme!’

Much love, always!

🙂 🙂

The Borrowers

Oct10

(Photo credit: Flickr)

Ethan smiled and his blue eyes danced with glee, the contract was a done deal. He strode toward his private jet, a man with the world under his feet. He felt like he owned the universe but at the corner of his eyes, he saw a glimmer… And that was the last thing he remembered…

++ ++ ++ ++

Raja hid under the bed, his heart beating with fury, but his impotent rage would achieve nothing. He gritted his teeth and dug his nails into the brown smelly carpet. Then the men came in stealthily, searching for their target, their cold ruthless eyes noticed a flicker of a movement.

And they smiled.

Then the rapid sound of gunfire reverberated throughout the estate…

++ ++ ++ ++

Jonathan stretched his long taunt body on the sofa, his accountant breathing down his neck in excitement.
‘We did it,’ Jonathan said with a boyish grin. Two hundred million pounds worth of cocaine had sailed through unscathed.

Then the accountant’s smile slowly faded like a receding shadow.

‘Honey,’ his new wife called from the bedroom, ‘I’m waiting!’
Jonathan stood to his feet and then saw the gun,

His heart froze.

********************

‘The glory that goes with wealth is fleeting and fragile; virtue is a possession glorious and eternal.’ Sallust

I consider all men (by that I mean everyone!) as borrowers, we’re living on borrowed time. No one is going to physically live forever, and the earlier we let that sink into our subconscious mind, the better for us. When we realise how futile it is to wage wars, to keep malice and abhor love, I guess we’ve cracked the code to world peace!

I’m happy to be writing this, although I’m still navigating slowly through my deluge of deadlines but things are looking up. And I also have great news – I now have the official release date for my upcoming supernatural thriller, 16th of December 2013! I want to garner as many reviews as I can get, it always boost sales.

Please, if anyone is interested in giving a sincere review, do let me know and once my publisher releases the ARC (Advance Review Copies) I’ll send it to as many of my friends as possible. Thanks for your friendship, I’ve visited several blogs and enjoyed reading diverse and richly entertaining contents. I’ll still continue to do so, and if I’ve not stopped by yours, please bear with me and I’ll visit soon!

Enjoy the rest of your week and have a fantastic weekend!

Much love, always!

🙂

A Loud, Noisy World…

Sep23

(Photo credit: Flickr)

A loud, noisy world.

Cacophony of sounds

reverberated everywhere.

Hatred danced openly,

while love is in remission.

Wars and rumours

of war danced freely on our streets.

Toddlers were afraid to chuckle.

A little peace, a little love

We Plead.

But instead

We got

Bullet wounds.

Snipers.

Terrorists.

And paedophiles,

Roamed freely.

A loud, Noisy World.

I hope for peace

and pray for love.

Elusive as it is…

I won’t give up!

It seems killings, deaths, wars has become a bit of a pastime in the world now, Kenya‘s mall killings, Pakistani Christians (women and children murdered), the naval base killings in the U.S, Syria‘s on going war, turmoil in Egypt, Philippine‘s rebels. The list is endless. My daughter asked me yesterday, ‘mum, why can’t we have peace in the world?’ I had no answer to her question. She’s just seven, yet, I can’t shield her from the cruelty of our world. The noise is a constant ringing sound… but you know me, I’m a diehard optimist – I still believe we can live in peace, we just need to start acting it. Like that picture, I hopefully long for peace and quietness in our world…

I pray you’ll all have a peaceful week, and please keep safe!

Much love, always!

🙂

Sitting On The Fence!

May29

(Photo Credit: Andrea Krappweis)

I really want to make this a short post, but I guess I’ll just flow with the current. I’ve read and watched with a growing amount of apprehension at the recent UN decision to lift the arms embargo in Syria… I know – some of you might scoff or even snigger, what’s Syria got to do with me? But please, just read on.

Syria is comfortably in the Middle East, faraway from your suburban street with well laid lawns and ripening flowers in their blooms. You watched your kids get on the school bus, (or you take them) like I do every blessed morning but Syria can really come to our doorstep to hunt us.

Remember world war 2? Most of you don’t, I wasn’t even born then. Okay, let me bring things closer, what about Afghanistan? Osama Bin Laden? Yeah, at least that should jolt your memory. What about the Soviet Union and their infamous treaty with Hitler? And Hitler is not one to keep to little flimsy deals, he didn’t and he still invaded the Soviets, millions lost their lives. Well, Soviet Union has not learnt its (her? he?) lessons! The Soviets are still supporting Assad’s bloody campaign, with Iran!

What am I driving at, you may wonder. People are dying daily in Syria, blood is literally flowing on the streets unhindered, and to make matters worse, UN has lifted the arms embargo, and Britain and France would be sending arms to rebels. I even saw John McCain ( he lost the Presidential race against President Obama) in the papers grinning with some of the rebels.

Some people believed CIA had a lot do with Osama Bin Laden, check this article here; http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/24198

I don’t care because the guy is dead, but if the report is true, won’t the same thing happen in Syria? If the rebels eventually overthrow Bashar Assad, won’t the rebels turn against the West, like Osama did and then we’ll be talking about another wave of terrorism? The Middle East is considered a volatile region, war is not pretty, thousands are dying daily, sending arms to a fragmented country on the brink of collapse is just going to make things bad.

There’s little or nothing I can do but write, after all, some said ‘the pen is mightier than the sword,’ (or the nukes) as the case may be. I’m not sitting on the fence, I’ve said my piece. I just pray and hope that one day, we’ll see an end to all wars, suffering, hunger, hatred, bitterness…

Do you notice the gathering clouds in that picture? It’s a huge contrast to the power lines and beautiful landscape. I hope Syria would not blight our lives, I pray they (international community) would find a solution to end the blood shed soon, but not arming the rebels. It’s not a comfortable thought! Fighting violence with violence can only result in more casualties!

I hope this beautiful world of ours will not drench herself in the blood of the innocent.

Much love friends, and thanks for reading this post!

Inner Peace…

May25

(Photo credit: Marabelo)

I sat by the lake and the wind caressed my face.

I played with my hands and listened to nature.

I surrounded myself with quietness.

The Lake lady appeared.

She sat beside me and asked,

‘Are you troubled?’

‘No, I’m not,’

I replied with a vigorous shake of my head.

‘I was looking for peace,’ I added.

‘Only you can give yourself peace,’ She said

‘Yeah, I know and now I have it,’ I told her.

‘It’s noisy out there,’ she observed, and her eyes looked sad.

‘I don’t allow the noise get to me, I have found my peace.’ I said.

‘You’re the lucky one,’

‘There’s no such thing as luck, I decide to be at peace with myself

and the world I live in. It’s a beautiful world, I only need to open my eyes

and see.’

We listened to the sound of the lake.

And the mountains whisper,

‘Peace.’

This ‘poetic thought’ is symbolic, I hope you can get the true meaning. A place of peace is very easy. You’re the master of your destiny, you decide what course your life takes. You can have peace, if you want.

Have a nice weekend dear friends… Live well!

Much love, always. 🙂