Sonya Syed

15 th October 2015, that is when I wrote my last post. Although it has been more than a month but it feels as if ages have passed. I have never felt this fulfilled and complete in my entire life as I do now. Life, my professional activities every aspect has gone through enormous metamorphosis. Learning, giving, sharing and receiving are the words which could define me aptly. As for the blog I have missed it badly, every day I was experiencing something new that I was dying to share. It is most interesting that my relationship with you all through this blog is like two close friends, irrespective of the time gap after which they meet, it feels as if no time has elapsed between them- reconnection is almost immediate. So where to start from, of course the unfortunate attack on Paris and even more unfortunate the impact which this attack would have not only on the lives of Muslims in France but Muslims around the world. The attack has once again changed the world politi...

I am really excited... not because of anything big but something as little as changing the look of my blog. I am truly thankful to God for moving me away from the flower oriented themes. It felt as if I was obsessed with flowers and pink colour, it was just too much. Nature has always been my favourite subject and as I have said so many times earlier that one day I shall be living close to the blue skies, the lake, birds, sunlight and lots of flowers. It has been a crazzzzy month.... and I have been officially transformed into a juggler, trying to balance so many different subjects and aspects with my two little hands. And to add spice to all this juggling I have also changed my lifestyle. This Eid was very special in many respects but the most important part is my all-of- a- sudden health awakening process. Although I have a balanced lifestyle now but there is also a long history of unhealthy eating habits. Somehow, old living patterns which I once preferred are not w...

There is something I wanted to clear about my earlier post ‘jab we met’. In the end of the post I mentioned that I wanted to get on euro train to find my Raj. I have received emails from few of female readers who told me that they are also waiting for Raj to come into their lives, so they can live happily after.   I am sorry girls but I have to break it to you, please understand that there is no such thing as Raj- Raj do not exist. Raj and many other characters like him are only in the imagination of a creative director, amazing script and brilliant acting. Do not believe these filmy things, they are only for our entertainment.   I remember once Shah Rukh Khan was asked in an interview about the success of his legendary romantic pair with Kajol, and the reason behind the series of flop romantic films starring Kajol and her real life husband Ajay Devgan.   Shah Rukh responded, ‘camera can only capture acting, it does not have the ability to capture real...

I am truly and humbly grateful to Allah for blessing me every day with a gift of new life, a new opportunity, a fresh start, to be able to breathe in this body for another day and to experience the life around me.   Life is quite similar to biryani, it is a combination of different flavours and ingredients- some are light while others are strong, some are salty while others have savouriness. When all these different flavours combine a delicious dish of life is prepared. This Eid has been very special for me in many ways, first I met my childhood friend after ages and second is celebrating Eid with my other friend and there is one more who is always in my heart. Each of them is unique in her own way and I am the connecting thread. Where this Eid has brought joy and peace, one cannot either forget   or underestimate the loss of our Muslim brothers and sisters who lost their lives in two tragedies during Hajj this year. Neither can we forget the sacrifice our arme...

Painting by South African artist Maria Magdalena Oosthuizen Time does not pass quickly it runs with the speed of light. After a million years today I had a conversation with my kindergarten friend, who is also my first friend after I landed in this world- w e call her Azi. We met in our most beloved school New Horizons and studied together from prep 3 to grade 8. I t was her daddy and uncle who founded that school, and to this family I have the most heartfelt respect because they have given me the most precious gift- a gift of knowledge. We  became friends when we didn’t even know what the word ‘friend’ means.  Azi, ماشا الله is a Professor at one of the UAE’s leading University, following the footsteps of her family. There were so many shared memories between us, that this and hundred other posts would be insufficient.  Every weekend I would go to her place to study, to play, to listen our favourit...

ایک سلام ان تمام شہدا کے نام جنہوں نے اپنے ملک کی بقا اور وقار کے لیے جام شہادت  نوش کیا - الفاظ ختم ہو گئے آنکھیں نعم  ہوگیئں      ....وہ غازی جنہوں نے زخم کھاے الله ان کو جلد صحت یاب کرے    الله ہم سب پر اپنا رحم فرماے اور ہمارے ملک کو اس مشکل وقت سے با حفاظت  نکالے- بیشک وہ ہر چیز پے خدرت رکھتا ہے A Salute, a standing Ovation to all the brave men of our Armed forces who became Martyrs and Ghazis. The one who gave their lives for protecting us nothing can replace them, either in their families or in this country. These and many other names die in the line of duty, a duty to protect us. To us they are only names but to their families, they were living beings, their beloved sons, brothers, fathers and husbands. I know this is not pleasant and that is exactly why I have done it. I want all of us to be uncomfortable. I want you and me to take this country very seriously. What is the real wo...

It was the best title I could give to India. Recently I have developed an interesting hobby of watching international news channels whenever I could. Few weeks ago I saw a report on the wonderful tea which comes from India; an ambitious businessman was declaring his vision of selling Indian tea, fresh and straight from the tea farms, to the world via internet. Yesterday I again saw a report on Indian tea but this time it was far from the perfect picture that was shown earlier. Majority of tea in India is grown in Assam, there are enormous tea estates owned by private individuals. These tea estate owners hire many women, men and even children as their labour; these owners are responsible for giving their workers suitable accommodations, proper salary, health, sanitation and education facilities. However, the reality is farther from the truth. The workers who spent their entire lives on these tea estates to produce the best quality tea for many of the high end companies like Lip...