My Secret to Tell

  
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/a-mystery-wrapped-in-an-enigma/

A Mystery Wrapped in an Enigma

Tell us something most people probably don’t know about you.

It’s My Party – 2

I have long given up on holding parties at my home, even when R (my husband) was alive. If I have to — I invite the guests to a local restaurant. That takes care of it. It’s a costly endeavor, but I don’t have to toil, and groan at the amount of work involved in arranging a party.

R’s third death anniversary is on August the second. To send Blessings his way I will have to gather ladies to come for a Khatam Quran (reading of the Quran). This year I am planning it ahead of time in July. Why July? Because my daughter along with her family is coming to spend Eid-ul-Fitr with me. Inshallah!

Nola can help me with the guests, the reading, and the cooking. I don’t plan to cook all the dishes at home. There is a good restaurant from where I can get delicious seekh kababs, and other mouth watering food.

It will still be a lot of work as each lady will be bringing her children along. I can’t expect the ladies minus children. The men folk will be at work so they won’t participate. 

I am looking forward with trepidation. It will look odd to hold a Khatam Quran in a restaurant, hence the holding at home. I can only hope it goes well, so please send good wishes my way. 

  
Above is R. Allah’s Blessings, and Peace on him.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/its-my-party/

It’s My Party

You’re throwing a party — for you! Tell us all about the food, drink, events, and party favours you’ll have for your event of a lifetime. Use any theme you like — it’s *your* party!

In Search of New Clothes

Back home when seasons change shops in Peshawar are filled with women shoppers, all trying to buy new clothes. Somehow women never get their fill of clothes. And if there is a wedding in sight that calls for more new clothes to have. I can safely say that a tailor makes more money than any other person.

Summer prints are so colorful. New varieties come out each season, and they lure you into buying. That’s what happens to me. I am not there to buy in the first place. I simply accompanied someone to help in choosing, and I end up getting more clothes.

The shops promises reduced prices, but when the bill reaches your hand you find out that the ones you bought weren’t the reduced ones.

  
In the above picture are the clothes I wore for my son’s wedding.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/the-clothes-may-make-the-woman/

The Clothes (May) Make the (Wo)man

How important are clothes to you? Describe your style, if you have one, and tell us how appearance impacts how you feel about yourself

Going Nowhere

  

Muscat. Photo thanks to son-in-law FJ
With my (late) husband out of the picture, my two children decide my fate —- where to go, and how?

My son S rarely goes anywhere with his work schedules. In the almost two years of my living with him (on May 11 it will be exactly two years), we have only been to Dallas, and Galveston. 

With my daughter Nola, life is a whirlwind. You never know where you are going to end up? She is another extreme. Last year it was Boston, and Raleigh, North Carolina. I only went to Boston. She wanted me to come to Raleigh. I didn’t go (I had been to North Carolina in 2006), so she came here to Houston to see me, and each day we were on a sight seeing trip. 

I am looking forward to her visit in July this year (Inshallah), and see where, and what I am seeing?

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/the-happy-wanderer/

The Happy Wanderer

What’s your travel style? Are you itinerary and schedule driven, needing to have every step mapped out in advance or are you content to arrive without a plan and let happenstance be your guide?

Barter

  

 How dismal the thought! But If I have to survive I will try to do any work —teaching, cooking, sewing whatever.

When we were living in Sylhet (Bangladesh) my (late) husband, and I did some bartering (or you can say exchange), of our own. Sylhet was a place where pineapples  grew in abundance.

We used to send pineapples to friends in Chittagong, and Dinajpur. In return we would get mangoes, and Lichees. We had our fill of mangoes, and Lichees in those bygone days.

Women of poor families in the village used to help my mother-in-law in housework—- cooking, doing laundry, and cleaning. In return m-I-l would give them food for the family. 

Till this day (back home), when I need fresh wheat flour, or corn flour from the village flourmill, the mill owner keeps a part of wheat, or corn in exchange for grounding the rest. 

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/barter-system/

Barter System

If the world worked on a barter system, how would you fare? Would you have services to barter? Would you be successful, or would you struggle?

Photo Credit: Google.

Me — A Komodo Dragon!

  

I took the Google Earth Day Quiz, and look what I found. I am a Komodo Dragon. My reading was: I have an appetite for life – as well as the ability to swallow an entire goat.

In reality I would hate to be this animal. I watched a video of it attacking a Water Buffalo, and injecting venom into it. 

Go on take a quiz, and find out which type of an animal you are.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/slash-and-burn/

Slash and Burn

Write 500 words on any topic you like. Now remove 250 of them without changing the essence of your post.

Just Let me

I agree “It’s never a good idea to discuss religion or politics” with anyone. Any controversial topic should be avoided. You really don’t know how a topic is going to be received. 

If I am present at such an ordeal, I play it safe. I listen to the heavy weights carry on, and make myself scarce. It’s their ground, and however much they want to stomp, or roar, it’s fine with me.

Why trouble myself, or bother? Life isn’t easy to live, so why make it a battleground.

There is one thing which I can’t take, and that’s someone making derogatory remarks against my religion, or my Prophet (peace be upon him). I never pass any remarks against other religions. It’s an individual right to have your own beliefs, so let me have my own.

 

Surah Al-Kafirun (chapter 109) from Quran

Translation:

 In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Say “Oh! Disbelievers 

I worship not that which you worship

Nor will you worship that which I worship

And I shall not worship that which you are worshipping

Nor will you worship that which I worship

To you be your religion, and to me my religion”.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/polite-company/

Polite Company

“It’s never a good idea to discuss religion or politics with people you don’t really know.” Agree or disagree?

All the Colors

An enlarged framed photograph (of me) hung on the back wall of our king size bed in our old bedroom, when my husband was alive. I look out of it holding in my hands white flowers of Motia. It was taken by our son, who was camera phobic in those days. 

It was Eid day. I was expecting more guests in the evening. I had come out to gather the white flowers to make the rooms smell nice, when my son snapped a photo. It was a lovely shot — catching the brilliant green of the grass, and trees, the violet pink shade of my dress, the orange, and yellow streaks of the setting sun in the blue sky; the riot of colors of the sweet peas behind my back, and the red geraniums which bloomed in the flower pots.

The photo lies in the attic now, as are the other photos; except for a framed photo of my husband in uniform which is in the hallway. The colors have gone away.

  

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/roy-g-biv/

Roy G. Biv

Write about anything you’d like, but make sure that all seven colors of the rainbow — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet — make an appearance in the post, either through word or image.

My Planet My Space

  

Photo is of insides of Lahore Fort (Shahi Qila) in Lahore, Pakistan. I cut out the images of my daughter, and son-in-law FJ. Photo sent to me by FJ.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/interplanet-janet/

Interplanet Janet

You get to design your own planet: tell us all about your planet — the weather, the seasons, the inhabitants. Go.

As I Hoped

  

Things never turned out as I planned.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/all-its-cracked-up-to-be/

All It’s Cracked Up to Be

Tell us about a time when everything actually turned out exactly as you’d hoped.