Sonya Syed

Despite all our efforts for fast paced life, time has a proclivity to take the lead. With winter swiftly imminent days are becoming shorter and shorter. And it seem we are in a rut. My close friend Sadia’s little one Mustafa had some indisposition since last week. Till today I didn’t have any idea about his state; however, throughout this week there was this unvarying feeling to call her and I feel awful due to my laziness. Of course there wasn’t anything that I could have done for her but simply being there for her would have been nice. The good news is Mustafa is doing well now. Delight is a natural outcome when something brilliant and extraordinary emerges from a small and simple idea. I have been a bit uneasy and needed a platform from where I would be able to catch the right train for my desired destination in life. Since last month I have been getting some new ideas about how to carry on with my life both professionally and personally, writing this blog was one of those ma...

It is always a delight to watch a black & white movie, especially the films from the 1940’s- 50’s era made in Hollywood, Bollywood or Pakistani Industry. They posses a certain magic and a sense of comfort and familiarity for me, I can spend my entire day just loosing myself in the magic. I was reading some really interesting material from my favorite site www.oprah.com, according to it, depression which is one the most illness of our times every third person suffers from this problem; however, the degree of severity varies. Most common reasons for this disease are stress, loss of a loved one, financial crisis, childhood issues, or excessive negative thinking. And to treat the problem a widely prescribed drug Prozac is given to increase serotonin levels (a brain chemical responsible for giving happy feeling). But now the latest research tells us that depression is caused due to a defect in the formation and function of neurons something much higher than chemical imbalances. Simpl...

With so many technologies being introduced our lives have become a lot easier, some being good and some not so good depending on how we use them. I am by nature somewhat an old fashioned person I like to be loyal to the things that I have been used to for a long time; for instance, swapping VCR with DVD players was rather uncomfortable for me. Similarly, microwaves have taken every household by storm, but they cannot compete with the warming of food on regular stoves. All the flavors and hydration remain intact on stoves while microwaves do everything in few seconds but it somehow it fails to retain the basic moisture and essence. Initially due to their controversial nature microwave was forbidden in our home but with the arrival of some authentic researches like Engineering University in USA and Australia, I fail to recall their names; our health concerns were satisfied. My Mami decided to change the setting of her room and few major decisions were taken in this regard, and I am gl...

The Greatest, the most Compassionate everything begins and ends from Him, He is everywhere, He is all the Intelligence and He is in all and Is everything, and I am nothing. The I am sounds pompous and if there is two then the love is not pure. No duality should exist between the lover and the beloved. Fridays and Saturdays are mostly exciting; however, Sundays are usually dull and long. I got up early which isn’t usually the case with me but I owe this early rising to one of my favorite TV show. Most of the time is spent usually taking care of chores. One of the most difficult of them is doing something for my own good i.e. exercise. Some days are high in energy and some are low. What is required is discipline and dedication. I prayed so much to get disciplined in this area of my life. After sometime I realized that both of these traits are not sent from heaven in some package rather these are the qualities which we are required to develop within ourselves, day by day. Which means t...

It is said, "that a way to a person’s heart is through his stomach”. If there is any iota of truth in this saying then I believe my highway is overloaded with heavy traffic. Since Eid I have been continuously eating meat in one form or another,الحمد لله. Yesterday, it was a barbeque party given by my adored 18 year old cousin Nabeel who argued that his accomplishments should be highly recognized and mentioned in my blog. Jokes apart, I must say that he did a pretty splendid job and the food was really mouthwatering. It is strange to see how guys are excited about the concept of barbeque which I personally deem an extremely laborious activity. I have seen and heard about quite a few gentlemen who get some kind of pleasure in all this exercise. I was watching somewhere that this inclination in men to do barbeque is a legacy of the cavemen from the stone-age where males were responsible for creating heat from stones to protect their female and children from cold weather and women we...

Sunsets used to have a melancholic effect on me, I was unable to comprehend as to why people were fascinated and would have their pictures taken at dusk especially at seaside. Most of my academic life I preferred to study in evening shifts but I was never comfortable with this time in particular. Until I saw the sunset in Singapore, it was beyond my teeny weenie imagination that an end of a day could be so captivating and serene. I have been fortunate enough to travel to some countries but nothing matched the evenings in Singapore; everyone was celebrating life, very dressed up with perfect hair. Almost all the taxis we hired the drivers were either whistling or humming some tunes. It was really odd for someone coming from Pakistan to observe such behavior, me & my family were like “oh gosh, this driver is a suspicious character”. In Pakistan if a stranger sings and even worse if he whistles in front of ladies it is considered impoliteness bordering to offensiveness. Luckily for u...

No electricity at office something went terribly wrong with the wiring. However, I must say that the building management is co-operative and is trying its best to solve the problem. With no fans or A.C. it’s really hot for December. But In the midst of nothingness and silence I had a moment to be still and when I looked around me a sudden flash of subtle energy went through me and in that instance I realized how much I’m blessed with. I was born in a family where my birth was received wholeheartedly; I have all of my senses intact; health, eyes, hands, legs. I had the love & care of my parents, more than enough food, luxuries, resources, education, loyal & sincere friends, opportunities to work with some of the best people in the business, this office, my home. Above all, the freedom to take my own decisions. The list goes on and on of the countless blessings when compared to the things that I prayed for but haven’t received yet or the things that went wrong in my life are...