Sonya Syed

Five cardinal principles to heal and be healed for a lifetime…. FOR TODAY I WILL NOT WORRY. FOR TODAY I WILL NOT BE ANGRY. FOR TODAY I WILL BE HONEST. FOR TODAY I WILL COUNT MY BLESSINGS. FOR TODAY I WILL SHOW LOVE AND RESPECT TO EVERY LIVING BEING.. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Each day is a lifetime in miniature! To awaken every morning is be born again,    To fall asleep at night is to die to the day. In between waking and sleeping are the golden hours of the day. What we think we cannot do for lifetime , We can do for day time . Anyone can strive to be happy for a day and to spread happiness around.   Anyone can rise above fear for a day and meet each situation with courage. Anyone can hold his temper for a day and gurad the words he speaks. Anyone can remain honest for a day and carry his burden heroically. Anyone ca...

For some time I wanted to go for natural alternatives for aerosols like air-freshener and mosquito repellants and anywhere I turned for some guidance I couldn’t find suitable alternative. I have tried incense sticks (Agarbatti) but their sharp aroma gave me a headache and with the kind of toxins that are included in these sticks the idea was quickly rejected. So yesterday when I read somewhere about burning frankincense (Loban or لوبان ) for fragrance it caught my attention. After a bit research I found that frankincense (an aromatic gum resin obtained from African and Asian trees of the genus Boswellia) , is not only a natural bacteria killer and mosquito repellant but it has profound effects on mental states of a person. John Hopkins University conducted a research on the effects of natural aromas and found that aroma of burning frankincense is highly effective for depression, anxiety, bronchitis, laryngitis, ulcers, nausea, hypertension, and so on. The smell of frankin...

What makes one truly rich when there is a lot of money in your bank account or when people pray for you without you asking them to do so. Of course having a heavy bank account is a nice thought but what is more wonderful is when people who are not living in your proximity, or they are not related to you by blood, or with whom you are not meeting on daily basis so they would remember you in prayers and still they pray for your peace and health. I feel abundant and extremely rich today when my childhood friend Maria whom I hardly see or talk in months told me that she always pray for my peace of mind. One of my senior lawyer on his return after performing Hajj told me that my name came to his mind even in the hustle of the pilgrim and he too prayed for my peace of mind. These people who I meet sometimes in months or years not only remembers me but pray for me; what more could I want from life.   It makes me wonder that my not-so-peaceful state of mind is evident to so m...

Even though if one doesn’t belong to any particular religious sect but it is in the days of Moharram, the first month of new Islamic year, there is a certain melancholy in the air. We collectively experience this sorrow in the form of frustration or boredom, irritation or even lethargy without apparent reasons. The tragedy of the Great Sacrifice made by the Grand Children of Prophet Muhammad ( May Peace Be Upon Them) and their Companions shall always remain with all of us till eternity. The guilt however is that we as Muslims have failed miserably to uphold the dignity of those Great Sacrifices which were done for us. From tomorrow starts the new week with the routine hustle bustle and for me it would have few new activities; this has been a long weekend of holidays with hardly any outdoor activity. I was eager to do something creative with the evening time and now I have an idea as to what I shall be doing. Lately mind has become devoid of any thoughts, which is actua...

I need to have some interesting activity for my evenings as it in these very moments I am most disillusioned and have no particular direction to do anything. There are options of watching TV and of course computer and a connection with you all. However, in order to be with you with all my focus and heightened senses I need some beforehand zest. There is a pile of papers sitting on my desk and rather than handling it I am trying my best to avoid this bunch. When we decide to do something our mind’s preconceived ideas about the result of our work sets the mood. If we know that there is a possibility of favorable results we would give our heart and soul to the work. On the other hand if we believe that the outcome might be gloomy we tend to shy away from that work. Our mind decides everything for us in advance. The question here is how does it know all that when it hasn’t even tried. Definitely there are ground realities and on the basis of   which realities our mind rati...

I sat yesterday to write something but could not find any thing of substance to share and moved away. Probably when there is so much to share that when you try to speak you are overwhelmed and nothing can be expressed. I have a new aspiration although it is not new because I first had its inclination in 2005. My new aspiration is to learn about the mechanics of stock exchanges, securities and business. No I am not becoming a securities investor/advisor nor I wish to start my brokerage house but strangely enough I feel a strong urge to learn this subject. In 2005 I had this urge and in 2006 when I actually started to work at security brokerage house I completely forgot about my wish. Mainly because I was an indirect part of the securities business due to my attachment with the company’s construction business for which I was mainly appointed. So all the time while I was there it was more to do with real estate and company matters rather than shares or stock market. Now whe...

It is heartbreaking when one is unable to help or guide a person who is in need of your guidance but due to certain circumstances one is abstained from extending a helping hand.   Something of the like happened with me and all I was able to do is be nice to her. Life at times drags in you such situations when you are equipped to guide and support but you are left helpless. So I pray that she gets the best of guidance and support.   If you cannot help anybody then at least be polite about it. I believe even if you cannot physically help somebody then let your intentions be compassionate because kind intentions can reach faster than physical actions. As I was returning with a heavy heart from emailing her my reply I saw something; a direction for myself. For months I have been searching internet for a particular program but was unable to find anything matching up with my requirements. Now there it was out-of-the-blue right in front of me, a program which exactly...