January 2016 – Being An Eccentric

So I am back at the airport in just 2 months and am going for a much-awaited holiday of 2016 (yes,already! 😜) because it’s my best friend’s wedding. There are many factors that are predictably going to make this trip one of my most memorable trips of my life so far. It’s a first for many aspects. My first solo trip to Kerala, a place I have never been to before (although it is one of the most popular tourist hubs of my country), my first stay at a friend’s house ( I know that sounds crazy but sleepovers have always been a NO-NO with my parents) and the first wedding of a friend I will be attending. And also a first Christian wedding I would be witnessing. So yes, I am super excited. And I love airports. I love the eclectic mix of people I see here. Although I must say, traveling without company makes one feel lonely, even though they are surrounded by so many people. Strange, huh?

Alright then, the announcement has been made. Boarding gate has been opened. So I shall post next from ‘God’s own country’, Kerala!

“You need to write, Lubna. You need to write. You have to write. About the trip to Singapore. About the world and what your brain comprehends it as. There is so much going on around, so much to opinionate. WRITE!”, urges the writer in me. “Maybe later”, replies my lazy alter ego. These constant internal battles have prevented me from blogging for so long. But today, I finally felt that ‘later’ has come and my mind is buzzing with thoughts that need to be placed somewhere. In a virtual post, in somebody’s thoughts.

So season’s greetings first and wishing all of you a very Happy New Year! I frankly do not understand what the hype is all about, why top cities of the world compete in releasing the most extravagant of fireworks (like we need another contributor for Ozone depletion), why people start making resolutions (that mostly remain just that) and why everyone feels that its the start of a new life ahead. I don’t mean to be an antagonist here, but my point is why should New Year be chosen particularly to make changes to one’s life or start over again when it can be done at any point in the year. Why wait for 1st of January to start a healthy, happy and peaceful life? Every day is a new day and each day offers you the chance to start over, undo the worst, outdo the best. New Year has become just another event of extravagance and glitz courtesy of excellent marketing skills of huge business banners. The whole meaning of this ‘family’ holiday has thus been corrupted by many, if not all.

This New Year’s Eve, I (and many others who had flocked off to Burj Khalifa in Dubai to witness the fireworks) saw ‘The Address’ Hotel burn. And this burning building impacted me profoundly by teaching me something new about life. About humans. How selfish and foolish we sometimes can be. We are taken aback when we see a hotel on fire. Some of us say a silent prayer for the possible victims. Some of us take photographs to update our social media with live news. Some of us take selfies with a building on fire as the background. Yes, selfies. Some of us are impatient and just want to see the fireworks we have been waiting for the whole night. This over-optimism can also be interpretative of ignorance. People are ignorant of the dangers of society and the pains of fellow human beings, of course until they face the same ordeal someday. I guess our brains our just wired like that. I just have to get used to this idea.

Leaving you all to digest this bit, I shall return with something happier next time.