Aren't you tired of playing the Superhero?

Has it ever happened to you that one person makes you feel like you are super natural? As if you have this invincible power of healing and inspiration. They stick with you and open up to you like no one else. They share the darkest of their endless night and you began to unweave them from it. Soon it becomes your foremost responsibility. All this hard work starts to pay when you see them grow and glow like never before.

The more they wrap around you like a parasitic plant. That’s okay though, you are intoxicated with that noble feeling. This so called NOBLE act becomes the entire purpose of your existence. When they text, call or try to reach you, you feel indebted to respond.

Now that nights have turned to brighter days, you feel blessed to see this is all your sunshine that gleams far and wide. Then there comes a day when the night falls on your end. You start to crave someone who would listen, and believe you are as human as they are. Or maybe return the one-fourth part of what you give? Sadly you cannot suddenly tax something that has been free for all these years.

The truth is out for all to see, yet you kick the leftovers of your ego aside and keep doing your thing. You play the shrink when you need one for yourself lately. Why? For they give you a beautiful meaning to your life, make you feel you can fix things. Or maybe this is LOVE for they make you a better person.

And one day you happily text your one and only reason for living and ZAP! They are gone. GONE! On the bigger picture it is for the best. Unfortunately you only see the rooms get exceedingly darker. Everyone seems to be yelling at you. Nothing makes sense anymore. Routine becomes Robotic and life feels like being thrown in a cactus field every day.

Nope, it never happened to me.

Creative people have this unyielding need to fix things. And it starts to become more of curse when this madness exceeds to ‘Fixing People’. Just the idea to play the superhero and saving life is infatuation enough. What we lack to understand is there are people who enjoy sadness, moaning and living in their pasts. It is who they are; they pity themselves and seek it in others for survival. Yeah I can’t deny the highest level of CUTENESS factor in these people though. Unfortunately it adds to the need to be their cured and pampered. It’s about time you stop fixing them since no one can play the healer. There is only one HEALER, and He heals best. Let your Creator do His job. 

Loca for a new language!

Hola! Como esta? Bien. Y tu? Adios!

There you have my life’s hard work for this language. It all started back when our older cousin challenged us to sing a Spanish song as fluent as any BSB Song. It took us two days to write that Spanish song for we kids were to naive to Google lyrics. Hence we had to invent our own Spanish that would sound exactly like Ricky Martin’s. Now when I look back I wonder why we went through all that trouble. How annoying aggressive kids we would have been. In a week we learned the entire song by heart. And that’s where we began to enjoy the taste of Espanol.

Most of the famous international songs had pretty inappropriate lyrics. However it was Spanish and that’s all we cared about as kids. We’d write and memorize these songs as a fun hobby. Only now after so many years I actually understand that highly embarrassing gibberish.

How insulting it is when Natives translate a language you already know. Now I get enraged when people translate Spanish and more enraged when I fail to ketchup with their Spanish-ness!

Here is the golden advice I’d like to share. One of my sagacious English Teacher used to say, whoever wants to learn a new language should listen to songs in that language. This works magically for good songs have good vocabulary. Also the repetition of that song helps our minds to remember and interpret words faster. Loca for Pablo Alboran, well he teach me Spanish, plus he is umm... cute?  

Now that I can understand Spanish. Oh who am I kidding? But hey! It is not impossible. Even if it's ENGLISH or whatever language you are struggling with, be patient and keep going. No class or school can make you fluent and feed you with prodigious vocabulary. The only profound way is to create an environment around you that helps you a bit each day. The media, TV, radio, music, internet everything should be in that remote language. 

Besides that, try to find just one person who can help. Whether they are the native speaker or just another pathetic endeavor like you, would assist a great deal. They keep you motivated when you start to run low on your fuel and destination is still blur. 

It doesn't have to be stressful at all. Enjoy and live every word of it. Speak it with people around you even if they throw you weird looks. During my vacations I got so deeply indulged into it that I started to see NIGHTMARES in Spanish! My mother wakes me up for Fajar payer and she’s yelling at me in Espanol! Then I’d decide to take a day’s break to get my sanity back. Until that happens to you, go Coo-Coo for your Favorite Language!

Use Filter for Cartoons too

Before you proceed, I believe every language has it's beauty. This article isn't against any culture or language, it's strictly about education of Muslim kids. 

It was another cheerful Iftar party and everyone was dressed nicely. I was surrounded by excited kids as usual. Seeking a way out when my 7 year old cousin pulls me down and asks, “Aapa me sundar lag rahi hon?” A loud and clear THUNDERSTORM fell on my ears along with it. I repeat to hear the correction “SUNDAR?” but instead of translating she just nods. I was so furious that I could hit her with that Pakora in my hand.

Holding tight on her tiny shoulders, as if I’m trying to bring her back to her URDU senses. My next question was obviously to find the source and she goes giggling, “BARBIE CARTOON”.  Or precisely she meant HINDI translated Barbie cartoons!

In case you think I’m being too melodramatic, it does not stop there. Cartoons they watch are translated in Hindi. Additionally they are watching cartoons tailor-made of Non-Muslims kids. Like who is this “Chota Peem? Meam? Neam?” or whatever the name is. And why the heck parents are buying kids the “Chota Leem” chips in Pakistan!

This Hindi-fever penetration in Pakistan has become unavoidable.  However it’s profusely convenient to blame the parents alone. Blaming mothers in particular for everything wrong with the kids. Parents have to run the house too; they can’t be around kids all the time. Neither do they have any control over what kids learn from their friends at school. Well there is no "mea culpa!" in such horrendous predicament.

On the other end, why don’t the authorities take some actions against it? I mean there was uproar for those “Never-ending-Saas-Baho-serials”. They were despised, avoided, later blocked and banned entirely. In turn Pakistani Urdu soaps were encouraged and cherished. What about cartoons which hold such vital audience? Not just ban this “chinoti, pooch, sundar” but encourage something better.

We desperately need tailor-made cartoons for Muslim kids. There is colossal talent in Pakistan Ma Sha Allah, we just need to appreciate it more. Till then please watch what you expose your kids to, even if it’s just a Chips pack.