THE EXTREMES IN WEIGHT

BY LUBNAH ABDULHALIM

THE EXTREMES IN WEIGHT

Photo Courtesy: getit.in

Have you ever been called fat? Obese? Fatso? Or maybe stick, 1gb or any other kind of name related to your body size? Have you ever had people rubbing it on your face on how ugly you look because you just gained some weight or is too skinny? Well, you are not the only one.

It is always hurting and rather irritative when someone starts discriminating you by your weight or height. Many people end up having stress and being depressed for the comments they get from friends and relatives or colleagues. We tend to forget that we are all creations of people and each individual are beautiful just as they are. Sometimes the woman you laugh at for being obese could be suffering from hypertension or that very skinny boy could be suffering from diabetes. Yet still it isn’t a must that there should necessary be a reason for someone being fat or too skinny.

We can all remember as children at school, there would never miss that one boy or girl who was called fatso and everyone including the teachers would mock at their eating behaviours and body weight. The poor children always had a low esteem and are mostly exposed to bullying. Some end up hating themselves and their lives which makes them lock themselves up at home, with very few friends while others start extreme diets that rather becomes unhealthy at some points.

It has been noted though that it is mostly women who are hurt on how they are perceived in terms of body weight and height. Many take up strict diets to ensure that they lose much and never gain. The irony though is that some women, though very skinny, still deny themselves food for the fear of gaining weight. It is hereby that some become anorexic which is characterized by a phoebia of gaining weight.

For one to know whether they are underweight, normal, fat, overweight or obese you should calculate your BMI, body mass index, which is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women. The weight of each person depends on their height too and that is why for example people who are both tall and fat, have big bones and thus the weight of the bones goes both to the height and weight. So this tests clearly shows in which category one is.

Gaining weight isn’t an awful thing as most people make it seem though it is important that one takes control of their eating habits such that they grow healthily.

For those who are overweight or obese, don’t be too sad on your situation. There are ways of keeping fit and dieting such that you may be in your right weight category. As for those who are underweight, start eating well and not just well, but healthily too. Keeping fit is better than dieting that could make you fall down due to extreme food reduction. Accept yourself as you are, which is most important.

What some people forget is that one mans poison is another persons meat. The person you may consider to be fat and ugly may still seem pretty to another person. The rest of the world should show appreciation to every fat person we know instead of being insensitive by mocking them. So today, we will make it special to celebrate all the fat, overweight, obese as well as the skinny underweight all over the world cheers to you! You are beautiful as you are!

THE EVOLUTION OF THE BUIBUI

BY: Lubnah Abdulhalim

THE EVOLUTION OF THE BUIBUI

There is a lot of mystery behind the buibui and the ones who don’t wear it probably wonder how the Muslim women survive under those ‘heavy blankets’ as some would get sarcastic about. The buibui has been worn in the coast and around the world since time immemorial and many view it as Islamic  

attire.

The buibui is presumed or rather believed to be a traditional dressing by the Arab tribes and when they came to spread their religion of Islam in the Coast of Kenya, people quickly adapted to their traditions and assumed the buibui to be part of religion, which is actually not true. The Islamic religion required a woman to wear a loose fitting and non conspicuous attire in which the Arabs then, believed that the buibui was the best suiting the characteristics of the attires required. A young girl would be introduced into wearing the buibui as soon as she reached the puberty age or even earlier so that she may adapt to the culture.

The old buibui which was worn by our ancestors was the very simple one, with no shiny or beautification on it at all and the only colour used was black. The buibui itself was made of three pieces of black fabric; the lower piece that is attached to another upper piece. However, these two pieces were only attached at the back; leaving the lower piece hanging loose at the front and thus, the women then, had to hold the piece while walking. The third piece was a light fabric that looks like a veil that is attached to the upper fabric at the head. The main upper fabric had ties for tying under the chin. When one wears the main upper and lower fabrics attached only, some part of the front hair remained exposed by this. Therefore, the third light piece becomes handy. This light material had two purposes; one, the woman could pull it forward to cover the hair that is exposed and bring it down to the chin and tuck it in around the cheeks. The lady would then use the main upper fabric that is still loose to make the ‘kizoro’ which is to pull the loose piece across her chest and face, which leaves only the eyes section uncovered. Two, the woman could let the light veil fall over her face and thus covering herself completely. The piece of material however, is light enough to allow her see through though the person seeing her may not be able to clearly make out her face. It is very rare to find anyone with such a buibui nowadays with an exception of our grandmothers’ maybe or the very traditional people remaining probably in Lamu county or Zanzibar in Tanzania.

Soon afterwards, new styles of buibui came up. The open abaya at the front which could expose the dress one is wearing inside, the ones which had simple design of flowers at the end of the arm, to the buibui coats which came in various colours before they disappeared for quite a while and are now back once again. The coats look more official like and the difference between the ones that were there long time ago is that they were not body fitting like the present ones. Afterwards, came the very conspicuous buibui which have all kind of designs all over it. Slowly by slowly, the buibui evolved to be a fashion thing rather than tradition or religion.

It is believed that there are various reasons as to why Muslim women wear buibui. The first is as Islamic attire in which, the buibui is perceived as a symbol of respect, honour and dignity. The buibui is worn so that the woman may cover all her beauty and only expose it to direct family and husband. The old women would often say, ‘buibui ni stara’ to show its actual essence of it being a cover.

The old women who we probably call the grand mothers and great grand mothers of our time know of the buibui as a tradition and you may come across pagans or non practicing Muslims who still wear the buibui. This is because many have grown up seeing our parents, relatives, neighbours wearing it and we grew up believing like the buibui is the main attire and symbol of the coast region, which is actually true.

Photo Courtesy: lifeinmombasa.com

Photo Courtesy: aliexpress.com

The current generation has given a priority to fashion and all what it entails. Since the old buibui seemed too simple and unattractive to the youth of today, business personnel had no option but to make something trendy to suit their tastes. It is then that new buibui styles of all kind evolved; from the very colourful ones, to the transparent ones, to the body fitting, to the official coat buibui and much more. The Muslim clerics would not differ with me when I say that the buibui has actually lost its essence and is now taken lightly not as of before. Even the loose women use it to cover themselves while doing their dirty businesses. The current buibui is very conspicuous, shiny with much to which a man would fancy about. It is tight and has become more of fashion attire rather than a cover as previously perceived.

Now this can be hilarious but some people believe that the buibui is worn due to laziness of wearing smartly and being neat? This sounds so absurd but some people can even confess that since they wear the buibui, they tend to get lazy to wear something smart and instead go for simple clothes like the dera or such. If that same person were to walk out of the house without a buibui, she would definitely wear something totally different. Some may even go to events like weddings with very simple attires inside but with no worry since they know that the buibui is good enough and will not expose the inner dress. Those who fall under this category know themselves but then, it is obvious that that isn’t the main essence of wearing a buibui.

With all this, there are some women who still uphold the buibui with dignity and treat it like the symbol of respect it is. The buibui though, is not only found in the coast of Kenya but all over the nation too. Without being bias, we all will admit that the Somali community makes the best use of buibui of being a cover more than any other community. You would always see majority of them with the buibui and jalbab and they very well portray the ‘true Muslim woman’ image. Still, we can’t completely blame fashion for straying away the purpose of the buibui since there have come new styles like the abayatul ra’s which allows a woman ton cover herself from head to toe very well.

However you may take the buibui, let us not forget that its main purpose was to be a symbol of dignity and honour rather than fashion or beautification. As for those who feel pity on how much women in buibui suffocate, you shouldn’t worry…the buibui is our lifestyle that we are proud of!

IN THE CLUTCHES OF ENVY

IN THE CLUTCHES OF ENVY

By: Lubnah Abdulhalim

psychologytoday.com

Max came running towards me, his head held high and breathing loudly. I could clearly see the anger, lust and greed in his eyes and I knew one thing would come next-a fight. I didn’t even finish my thought when he pounced over me and let his sharp teeth dig deep into my skin. I let out a loud scream before mum and dad rushed to my room with worried faces.

“What’s happening here?” dad boomed. Max quickly let go of me and immediately started talking,

“Dad, you know that Jack never liked the idea of me ever coming here. That’s why he is doing all this to me,” Max said with so much sorrow and pretense.

“No dad, don’t listen to him. He just came over to me and bit me with no clear reason. I don’t even know what I have done,” I said with pain as I looked at the bite mark left on my hand.

“I know you will never believe me coz he is your only son but come let me show what he did…” Max said as he pulled both of my parents to the back yard. And there stood the new bicycle he was bought for just the previous night but it wasn’t new anymore. It was just an image of a bicycle with parts of it far apart. I was running out of words and I stood there in shock.

“What happened Max?” I quickly asked, still staring at the bicycle.

“Stop pretending Jack, I saw you knock it down yesterday night with that metal hockey stick of yours that you made.”

“What are you saying Max?”I asked as my mouth formed an O with what I was hearing.

“Jack, how could you do that? Didn’t I promise you that I’m going to buy you too another bike?”My mum was already agitated.

“But mum…”

“No! I don’t want to hear. How could you do that to this poor boy? Was it wrong that I wished to have another child in this house? Was I wrong that I wanted you to have a partner and a friend? I can’t believe it! You are grounded this weekend. No TV, no going for hockey matches, no phones, no nothing. You hear me?”

“MUM!!” I screamed, “Please listen to me. He is lying; I didn’t do anything that he’s saying.”

“Jack! That’s enough. Your mum has said what she needed to say,” my dad said and they left the backyard leaving me still in shock. Now, I really regretted ever agreeing to my parent’s idea of adopting another son and here was my reward for it. I just walked to my bedroom and slammed the door loudly. That night I went to bed early and I didn’t even have my dinner hoping mum would come and force me to eat but she didn’t.

Next morning, I went downstairs to the dining hall and found the table already deserted and the breakfast still on the table.

“Mum! How could you have breakfast without me! This isn’t fair at all!”

“Sorry Jack, you woke up late and Max was in a hurry so we sat and ate together,” mum shouted back from her bedroom.

“And where did he go so early today? Its weekend right?” I said as I sat down to have breakfast. I was so angry that I was seated alone for the first time in my life, but my stomach was rumbling from hunger. I had no other choice but sit down and eat.

“He said today the homeboy hockey players will be recruiting new members so he decided to join too.”

“What!?”

“Isn’t it so nice that he is getting adapted to this town? I’m so happy for him. By the way, what you did to his bicycle was never right,” she shouted, still from her bedroom.

“Mum, I told you I didn’t do what he said. How can you believe a stranger rather than your own son? And about the hockey players, there was only one new member needed and it was reserved for me.”

“Yes he told me that the chance was reserved for you but you are grounded, remember? So you won’t have the chance to go for the practice. So when he asked if he could go instead of you, I allowed him. Anyway, you are both my sons. And Max is not a stranger anymore. He has stayed with us for more than a week now.”

I stood up from my seat with rage, feeling so helpless and out of words.

“Mum! How could you do that to me! At least you should have left that chance for me. You know how much I’ve waited for this chance!”

“Jack! Max is your brother now. You should learn to share your opportunities.”

I didn’t say anything anymore and I didn’t even eat my breakfast. I took some pan cakes from the refrigerator and went with them to my room. I locked myself in there the entire day. I did my homework, read a novel, painted, played games and spent the rest of the afternoon dozing on my bed. How unfair! I thought to myself. Max was trying to live my life as he could. I knew that he envied the perfect life I was having before he came into our family. He was going to take all my chances, all my dreams…but I won’t let him do it! I never will!

My worst weekend passed by and I woke up happy Monday morning, ready to go out from the house at last. On the way to school, I met Tanya my best friend, neighbor and my desk mate in class since kindergarten. I cheered up a little bit and we walked together to school. I listened to her interesting stories which never ended. I always wondered where she got them from. We finally arrived in class and I was still listening to Tanya when the teacher came in with Max.

“Excuse me class, this is Max, Jack’s brother. Please welcome him.”

I shrugged my shoulders and looked away.

“Is this the Max you were telling me about? Oh! He looks totally innocent, not as you seem to talk about him.”

I glared hardly at her and she realized her mistake.

“Okay Jack, of course I believe in everything you say but just look at that angelic face. Is he 12 years old like us?” Tanya said anxiously.

“No, he is one year older and please let us not talk about him anymore. I don’t want to remember what a horrible weekend I had because of him.”

“What did he do this time?” Tanya asked, her eyes widening.

“Not now, I’ll tell you later. Just continue telling me about you weekend with Prisca at your aunt’s place.”

“Oh yes, where was I?” she scratched her head and continued narrating…

School was fun and at least I got distracted from Max. He had started befriending some of the boys in the class and he was busy with them. I left the school compound with Tanya and as usual, she was the one talking. Then she suddenly stopped talking.

“Oh my God! I almost forgot! Now what am I going to do?” she started whining.

“What happened?”

“Tomorrow is my mum’s birthday and I haven’t yet bought her anything yet.”

“So what? We can go buy her something after we change our clothes right now.”

“That’s exactly the problem. I didn’t save any money to buy her the present. I used my money during the weekend with Prisca.”

“Oh! And I also finished my money buying the materials to make the metal hockey stick.”

“Ah! I got a wonderful idea. My mum has always loved your paintings. Why don’t you try painting her?”

“Painting her? I’ve never painted anyone.”

“You can do it! I’m sure you can. Just try, please. I am so helpless right now.”

After a lot of persuasion, I agreed to try. Right after dinner, I went and locked myself in my room. I looked attentively at the photograph Tanya had given me of her mum and soon started painting. It was a peaceful moment and I was enjoying how I was doing it. Before I realized it, I had finished the painting and I was amazed myself how good it was. It was already past my bedtime, so I hurried and kept it safely by the window and covered it well with a piece of cloth before dropping myself on the bed and immediately dozed off.

The next morning, I was so anxious to show off my painting to Tanya. I quickly went into the bathroom to take a shower when Max called out to me.

“Jack, may I please use your laptop for a moment? I want to download something from the net. You know I wouldn’t borrow if I had mine.”

I listened and shrugged, if I was to deny then my mum was going to give me another confrontation which I didn’t want. So I let him use it. When I was out, mum shouted at the door that Tanya was there to talk to me. I quickly dressed up and let her in.

“Did you do it? Please tell me you did,” she said anxiously.

“Come here,” I said as I pulled her to where I had left the window.

“Surprise!” I slowly pulled out the piece of cloth while looking at Tanya. Her eyes widened up and she held her hand to her mouth.

“What? Didn’t you like it?” I said, surprised with her reaction. I slowly turned to look at my painting and I stood still too. The painting had been renovated! The eyes were painted red and flowing from it were red tears; looking so evil and scary. I slowly moved my hands to touch the tears that looked so fresh, but it wasn’t paint. I looked at Tanya as fear crept on my face and we both realized something…it was real blood!

TEN YEARS LATER…

“Jack! Jack! Wake up…you forgot what day it is today?” my mum came and raised the curtains to allow the sun rays fill the room.

I stretched myself and yawned loudly with a beautiful smile on my face. 

“Mum! How can I forget today?” I stood up from my bed and hugged her tightly.

I walked along with her to the backyard which looked so beautifully designed and the fresh flowers bloomed so well under the dawn sunlight.

I took a deep breath and I just couldn’t stop smiling.

“Today is my engagement day…I just can’t believe that Tanya accepted my proposal.”

“You deserve it son! Okay now, before we start having emotional scenes, go…go and prepare yourself. This is your day.”

I once more took a deep breath and let the cool breeze slap my face before going back into the house…I had finally achieved what I wanted in life. To be a famous hockey player and marry Tanya, what more did need? I started sorting out my clothes, I knew the press would not miss coming to the great engagement ceremony of the hockey player of the century, I smiled to myself.

Half an hour later, mum was back in my room to check up on my progress.

“Hey, your friends have started coming in and I just talked to Joe, the press is on its way too. You better hurry and ask Tanya how far is she with the preparations. I’ll be checking the food preparations with the cooks and…”

“Okay, okay mum, relax dear. Everything is going to be alright.”

“Okay, I’m leaving and ah! By the way, your brother Max is here from the city. You’ve got to see him before the ceremony starts..isn’t it nice to meet him after nearly eight years?”

“Oh mum, can’t I just talk to him later on? This is not the right time to meet anyone…especially not him!”

“Jack, please don’t say that. He was just a young boy when…”

“When he made you guys take me to a boarding school right? Mum please, I don’t want to hear any of that right now. You can’t say he was just a young boy while he was older than I and…didn’t you think that I was also a young boy to be sent to a boarding school so far!”

“Son, son please listen to me, didn’t we come visit you every weekend? We thought that was the best for you.”

“And the best chance for him to stay around here and win over your innocent heart isn’t it? Only God knows what stuff he made you do in my absence.”

“Jack please, Max has nothing against you…and he never will. Please meet him before the ceremony for my sake. You just graduated and it’s been years since you met, don’t you think it’s high time you cleared up the air? Please Jack...” Mum said with a shaky voice. A tear was already about to drop from her eye. She quickly gave me a kiss on my left cheek and hurried out.

I sat down heavily on my bed with a sigh. I didn’t want to see Max at all. My childhood had been a living hell all because of him. I was sent to the boarding school at fourteen and I spent the darkest days of my life in a totally different city. After completing high school I joined college the same city and Tanya had been my encouragement all the time. We kept in touch and sometimes met and here, today was my engagement day and I wouldn’t want to spoil it by any chance. Not even with the presence of my so called brother…but I had to do it, for the sake of my mother.

I let out another loud sigh when I saw a figure by the door staring at me with a crooked smile.

“Hey small brother, our hero, what’s that big sigh for? Isn’t it your big day?” Max said, coming towards me and hugged me without getting a response from me. 

“It’s been so long I have to admit. There’s a lot I got to catch up about your school life and…Tanya, hell! How were you able to convince her to marry you? I have to admit you did quite a good job. You were even able to become the famous hockey player you always wanted to be!”

“Yah, sometimes we earn what we want the hard way. Now please if you’ll excuse me, I got to get things ready and call Tanya too…”

“Okay small brother; see you out there later on.”

“Hey, don’t call me small brother and… please close the door behind you.”

He let out an enigmatic laugh and closed the door rather loudly behind him. I let out another loud sigh and immediately dialed Tanya’s cell phone number.

“Hallo Darling, how far are you with the preparations? The visitors have started arriving.”

“Hey dear, I’m just winding up. My friend Esther is just checking up on the last tiny details. Don’t worry, I’ll make it on time…Okay, have to go, you are delaying me even more…Ciao!”

I wore my sparkling clean coat and left the room. The environment outside was so welcoming. Soft music was being played and a cool breeze met me. I smiled again, this is my day and I won’t let anyone destroy it.

Slowly, the visitors started approaching me in ones and twos. Happily congratulating me, meeting old friends and trying to catch up on their lives. I moved around, ensuring everything was at its place. Then I checked my watch with a frown. It was more than one hour since I had talked to Tanya and she hadn’t yet arrived. Before I could give more thought to the matter, mum hurried to me.

“I’ve been looking for you. Tanya called half an hour ago, the car had a problem and since I couldn’t find you to pick her up, I sent Max.”

“What?! What problem is with the car? I checked everything last evening and I made sure everything was okay, including the car…and how could you allow Max to go pick her up?!”

“I don’t understand too what happened to the car…and come on Max, he offered to help and you were nowhere near.”

“I just don’t trust him mum!...and why didn’t Tanya call me directly?”

“she said she tried to call you but you weren’t picking your cell phone. Where did you leave it?”

“Oh! I forgot it in my room after talking to her earlier on. I’ll just pick it up.”

I took my cell phone from my room and went to the backyard once more. I was in high demand already. Everyone was asking on my whereabouts. I smiled and tried to be happy but I was really worried about Tanya. Another half an hour had flown and they weren’t here yet. My cell phone’s ringtone alerted me and I could see Tanya’s number on the screen. I hastily picked it up.

“Tanya, where are you? Are you okay?” I asked, panicky.

“Jack, please come take me…I need your help…” she said slowly with heavy breaths, as if in pain.

“Tanya what happened? Where are you right now?”

“I’m… at your family’s green orchard farm…please hurry…I’m in pain…”

“Tanya!” but the line was already dead.

That was enough to drive me crazy. Without saying anything to anyone, I picked my car keys and drove marathon speed, wondering how Tanya got to our family farm. It was miles far from her home. Thoughts were pondering in my brain and I could feel a tough headache coming up. I don’t know how fast I was but in half an hour, I was already there. I banged my car door and rushed to the bungalow that is there.

There was complete silence in the place, that I got a strange chill in my spine. The trees were bending and moving with scary whispers I had never heard before.

“Tanya! Tanya! Where are you?” I hurriedly moved across the rooms looking for her but I just couldn’t find her, when I suddenly heard a low groan from upstairs. I rushed up taking two stairs at a time and there she was, in the main bedroom looking all a mess!

Tanya was lying on the bed, her beautiful and elegant dress all torn up. Her make-up messy all over her face and tears were flowing continuously. I stood there in shock before I realized where Tanya’s hand was covering. Blood was freely oozing out from her stomach and she was trying to cover the wound. And then I suddenly realized what had happened, she had been shot. I quickly hurried to her while my head spinned.

“Tanya, what happened? How did you get here?” I said as I tore my shirt to cover the wound.

“Jack…it’s Max. He did all this…” she said in slow but painful sobs.

“Max?! I just knew I shouldn’t trust him! I’m going to kill him!”

“Jack, you have to know some things…while you were away, he was after me. He envied you so much and wanted all you had for himself, including me…I made it clear to him that I won’t abandon you for him. That…that always angered him…and today, he got the chance to revenge on us…” she then broke down again only this time, heavy sobs.

“Tanya, we’ll talk about that later. We got to rush to the hospital before you lose too much blood,” I said as I bent down to carry her to the car, but she held my hand and continued,

“Max came home after Esther had gone, saying you wanted to show me a surprise before the ceremony…and I trusted him enough to come here with him. When we got here…”

“What did he do to you?”I asked angrily.

“He raped me then shot me before he left. He didn’t want to see us together by the end of the day…I pretended to have died and luckily, that got him to leave…” she said in small pauses.

I wasn’t going to listen to any of that anymore. I could feel my pressure rising fast and I was about to explode from anger. Without listening anymore, I picked her up carefully and hurried downstairs then to my car. I slowly kept her beside me and quickly drove away.

“Tanya, please don’t close your eyes…try to stay awake,” I begged.

“I’m trying…” she said as her eyes lazily blinked.

“Do you know where Jack went?” I asked, trying to keep her awake.

“No, he just walked away not so long ago…he could be heading back home right now, thinking I’m dead…” she swallowed hard.

“Please Tanya…try staying awake,” I continued begging. I wasn’t really focusing on the road ahead of me. I was so confused and angry. My phone was continuously ringing and I knew it was mum…but how was I going to explain this situation to her; that her beloved other son was a monster like I said?! I had to concentrate on Tanya right now. There was no hospital nearby therefore we had to get to town. I drove faster; my hands were shaking and sweating the same time. I turned to look at Tanya and I could see her take small, light breathes before she slipped down the chair, so helpless. I crazily stepped the brakes and the car stopped with a screech.

“Tanya! You can’t die now, not today!” I shouted, shaking her by the shoulders but there was no response from her. Her hands were getting cold and her face so pale. Without realizing it, painful tears were rolling down my face…I was not going to let this pass by unrevenged! 

I took a deep breath and started driving once more…to the place the ceremony was to take place, my home.

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a text message from my mum. I opened it.

“Max, where the hell are you?! It’s getting late, and Tanya is not here yet. Jack said he didn’t find her at her house and Esther says she left her a few minutes earlier; she wanted to get ready for the occasion too. What is happening? Are you with her? Please call me back, I’m dying with worry!”

I switched off my phone angrily. Jack was playing with his cards well, but I was not going to play games with our minds. He probably thought Tanya was long dead…that it would a perfect crime with no witnesses, in a far away land, full of trees and no neighbours around. But what he didn’t know was that Tanya had enough time to call and even explain to me in details what had happened. I could finally see my home ahead of me. I went and parked my car at the front gate knowing everyone was at the backyard. No one was to see me the way I was, in bloody clothes and my face full of grim. I hurriedly entered the house through the kitchen door. I immediately spotted Jack going inside my room. I tiptoed to the nearby window and I could see how crowded the place was. At a corner was my mum with the inspector, a family friend. I could see the fear in her face and how the inspector was trying to console her.

I swallowed a bitter lump of saliva and tiptoed to my room. I peeped at Jack who was now busily perusing through my laptop. I walked in loudly and he quickly stood up in surprise.

“Little brother? You are here? ...” he said, giving me an enigmatic smile.

  “Mmmh… I was just checking…your progress here. Mum has been looking for you…” he then suddenly paused, as if realizing for the first time how bloody I was.

“Oh my God! What happened to you little brother?!”

Without a word, I continued to approach him.

“You happened to me… you are the one who has ever caused all the mess in my life! What did you do to Tanya?” I asked as I finally reached him. He took a few steps backwards.

“Tanya? I’ve not seen her today. Stop being paranoid little brother…I’m sure she’ll come right away.”

Without thinking twice, I pushed him onto the bed and let my hands reach his throat. I mercilessly strangled him, letting out all the rage in me.

“You killed Tanya, damn you!”

I could feel the heat from my body as hate and anger filled my heart.

“Jack, stop it!”Max struggled with me. We were on a head to head struggle, each one of us trying to outdo the other. Then I saw a gun beneath his sock, probably the same gun he used to kill Tanya. I quickly pulled it out before he could snatch it from me, and then mercilessly, I pulled the trigger on his forehead.

There was a sudden hush in the background. Screams then silence…they were probably wondering where that gunshot was coming from.

I could see pain all over his face and I slowly muttered in his ear,

“This is for all the damage you ever caused this family, and for Tanya…”

“Jack…” before he could say anything more, he fell back again on my bed.

I let out a heavy sigh of relief and went back to the window. Mum was still there, fear all over her face. She was busy fidgeting with her cell phone, taking quick steps towards the house with the inspector. She would soon know and she was not going to believe it. Her one son was a monster, and the other, the little brother, had become a murderer!

THE PLIGHT OF GAZA

THE PLIGHT OF GAZA

Photo Courtesy: theinternational.ae

By: Lubnah Abdulhalim

Can you feel what am feeling?
Like insects on my skin are walking
i can feel in me the chill
of the cold blood being spilt
This is for the small kid in Gaza wondering,
what's happening? They must be figuring...
All they see are the lifeless bodies
and all they see is that death is calling..
Then who are the real terrorists??
The instigators,the war catalysts?
Its those tears that break my heart
their small smiles that pain hides
When will freedom come??
When can they finally call home-sweet home? </3
#FreePalestine #FreeGaza

#Whoever you are,Wherever you please pray for these innocent souls! Allahuma nsurhum ya Rab!

THE CHAINS OF LOVE

By: Lubnah Abdulhalim

THE CHAINS OF LOVE

Photo courtesy: Unknown

Someone once said, ‘True love is like ghosts which everyone talks about but few have seen." Many people have gone up and down in search of their ‘Romeo’ or ‘Juliet’.  Many people became victims of ‘lust’ in the name of ‘love’ with the imagination of the fairy tales we read about. The youth have been so much held up in this dark cave to the extent that they can no longer stay without being in a relationship.  If I am going to trace back to our grandparents and ancestor’s time, I don’t see them having the kind of stress and depressions the youth of today have. And this is because, they very well realized that love is not everything in the world and yet still, not nothing. Many girls are weeping right now, so heart broken, so sad that the guy they trusted turned their back on them. Still, some boys somewhere have given up on life and completely lost their trust on ladies cause of a certain cheap girl who decided to play on him.

Love is that overrated feeling that can barely be described in words. For decades, people have tried to give it a definition but alas, it could never happen, because this special feeling varies from each and every person and is special in its own way.

What I could feel for my family could be pure love, for someone else; love is when he brings a present to his baby sister. Another person would describe love as when he massages her mother’s feet while for another, it is that burning feeling one feels for the opposite sex. The list could go on and on without an end. As the French proverb would explain it, ‘There is only one kind of love, but there are thousands of different copies."

Filial love is always the purest of them all. That feeling you get when your mother wakes you up with a beautiful smile and a plate on her hand for you to eat, or when you wake up and find your son washed your car for you. There’s that joy that always keeps you alive in making your family members; parents and siblings happy. After all as we all know, ‘blood is thicker than water.’ We may be married or engaged in relationships but in the end, nothing can be compared to what you feel towards your mother, father and each special individual that falls in your family tree.

The difference between prior marriage love and post marriage love may be described as a garden of flowers. Young people in search of lovers to share with a relationship, can be compared to when a young boy or girl is taken to the large garden of flowers and asked to pick the most beautiful flower in the field, he/she would rush to the first and would think ‘this is it!’ but then his eyes stray a little bit further and notices another pretty one and decides to go for the other. He will go on and on, from one flower to the next further in the field thinking, ‘I have finally found it’ and in the end, he ends up with a rotten wilted flower. While in the case of a man or woman who is genuinely looking for a life partner in matrimony when taken to the same garden of flowers, the first beautiful flower in the garden that he comes across will be sufficient for him. Thus, the love in relationships is just like taking salty water, the more you drink, the more you get thirstier.

Many have committed suicide, many have wounds that may never heal, and some remain heartbroken forever while some will never forget the deep pain of betrayal in love. Stories on love have been narrated for decades but it is important that we note that the Romeos and Juliets we read about are but an illusion that can never become a reality.

 In the bible (Corinthians 13:4-7), describes : Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.’ Just in the qur’an where love is mentioned many a times and this kind of love is always linked to the kind and generous good actions and words we say to one another.

If I were to describe love then it would be that beautiful smile you give to the orphan, the helping hand you give to your neighbour, the respect you give to your parents, the joy you create in your family, the hugs you give your friends, the charity you do to the poor, the prayers you make for the oppressed without expecting anything in return. Most importantly though is the inner love you have for yourself, for there is no day your heart will wake up and tell your soul, ‘I don’t love you anymore!’ Food for thought.

INSPIRING FAMOUS FAILURES

INSPIRING FAMOUS FAILURES

By: Lubnah Abdulhalim 

When I first came across the names of the most inspiring failures, I immediately wanted to share it to all the readers who are facing failure at the moment. Whenever I came across hardships and failed miserably in achieving what I want, I always remembered these great personalities. It is inspiring to know that the most famous successful personalities in the world are yet the most famous failures, but what makes them outstanding is how they tackled their failure to become very successful. These are just some among'st many other achievers in the world and who knows; maybe you and I could be the next people in the world charts?? Let us have the will power and confidence that we can get there someday.

                 

1. Bill Gates, founder and chairman of Microsoft, has literally changed the work culture of the world in the 21st century, by simplifying the way computer is being used. He happens to be the world's richest man for the last one decade. However, in the 70's before starting out, he was a Harvard University dropout. The most ironic part is that, he started a software company (that was soon to become Microsoft) by purchasing the software technology from "someone" for only $US50 back then.

2. Abraham Lincoln, received no more than 5 years of formal education throughout his lifetime. When he grew up, he joined politics and had 12 major failures before he was elected the 16th President of the United States of America.

3. Isaac Newton was the greatest English mathematician of his generation. His work on optics and gravitation made him one of the greatest scientists the world has even known. Many thought that Isaac was born a genius, but he wasn't! When he was young, he did very poorly in grade school, so poor that his teachers became clueless in improving his grades.

4. Ludwig van Beethoven, a German composer of classical music, is widely regarded as one of history's supreme composers. His reputation has inspired - and in many cases intimidated - composers, musicians, and audiences who were to come after him. Before the start of his career, Beethoven's music teacher once said of him "as a composer, he is hopeless". And during his career, he lost his hearing yet he managed to produce great music - a deaf man composing music, ironic isn't!

5. Thomas Edison who developed many devices which greatly influenced life in the 20th century. Edison is considered one of the most prolific inventors in history, holding 1,093 U.S patents to his name. When he was a boy his teacher told him he was too stupid to learn anything. When he set out on his own, he tried more than 9,000 experiments before he created the first successful light bulb.

6. The Woolworth Company was a retail company that was one of the original five-and-ten-cent stores. The first Woolworth's store was founded in 1878 by Frank Winfield Woolworth and soon

grew to become one of the largest retail chains in the world in the 20th century. Before starting his own business, Woolworth got a job in a dry goods store when he was 21. But his employer would not let him serve any customer because he concluded that Frank "didn't have enough common sense to serve the customers".

7. By acclamation, Michael Jordon is the greatest basketball player of all time. A phenomenal athlete with a unique combination of grace, speed, power, artistry, improvisational ability and an unquenchable competitive desire. Jordan single-handedly redefined the NBA superstar. Before joining NBA, Jordan was just an ordinary person, so ordinary that was cut from high school basketball team because of his "lack of skill".

8. Walter Disney was American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, and animator. One of the most well-known motion picture producers in the world, Disney founded a production company. The corporation, now known as The Walt Disney company, makes average revenue of US $30 billion annually. Disney started his own business from his home garage and his very first cartoon production went bankrupt. During his first press conference, a newspaper editor ridiculed Walt Disney because he had no good ideas in film production.

9. Winston Churchill failed the 6th grade. However, that never stopped him to work harder! He strived and eventually became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. Churchill is generally regarded as one of the most important leaders in Britain and world history. In a poll conducted by the BBC in 2002 to identify the "100 Greatest Britons", participants voted Churchill as the most important of all.

10. Steven Spielberg is an American film director. He has won 3 Academy Awards and ranks among the most successful filmmakers in history. Most of all, Steven was recognized as the financially most successful motion picture director of all time. During his childhood, Spielberg dropped out of junior high school. He was persuaded to come back and was placed in a learning-disabled class. He only lasted a month and then dropped out of school forever.