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mariammagsi · 5 months

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Christmas in Pakistan

Image: Annual traditions of decorating and lighting up the Christmas tree at our family's residence in Karachi, Pakistan. © Mariam Magsi

As an immigrant from Pakistan who has called Canada home for 18 years, whenever the winter holidays come around, I am often asked the following question: Do you celebrate Christmas in Pakistan?

While some folks approach these topics through a lens of othering, others are genuinely curious to know more about my motherland and the kinds of holidays and festivities we celebrate. Despite a rising influx of influencers and white tourists flocking to various provinces of Pakistan, and with a breadth of material available online, for the most part, a lot of folks have no knowledge about the existence of non-Muslim communities in Pakistan, such as Hindu, Christian and Zoroastrian Pakistanis and how their respective religious vernacular has evolved in the region, impacted and shaped by several socio-political and cultural factors.

I must also preface this blog piece by stating, that while there are some communities, clans and families practicing pluralism and religious/cultural diversity in Pakistan, religious minorities continue to face oppression and marginalization by intolerant and hegemonic right-wing forces. I received a firsthand glimpse into this rising intolerance, when several members of my Pakistani community reached out at the end of last year to say that “Muslims should not say Merry Christmas to Christians as it is haram” (unlawful or forbidden). Because I was raised in a pluralistic household, I reject the creation of insular, exclusionary, rigid and polar worlds.

Image: One of Asia's largest bulletproof crosses, towering over Karachi's only operational Christian cemetery known as Gora Qabristan or "White man's graveyard." © Mariam Magsi

I had the unique privilege of being raised by a Punjabi mother is Punjabi and a Baloch father. They originate from entirely different provincial and cultural backgrounds, and fought very hard to transcend ethnic segregation, race and class to be together, despite several barriers. They struggled with lack of support and financial challenges, and several of their family members were vocally against their Baloch Punjabi union. Still, they persisted, and persevered. Within our home, our caregivers consisted of people from every religious background imaginable, including Hindu and Christian. As the years went by and our family grew, people from the Philippines, Bangladesh and Afghanistan also joined our home. Elders from my paternal Baloch Magsi clan also became important life guides and lived in our house with us. I was offered a healthy, robust exposure to multiple generations and their unique ways of worshiping, eating, dressing and living within the same household.

Image: My mother, siblings and I traveling through Jhal Magsi, Balochistan, the Philippines and Karachi, Pakistan with our diverse caregivers and family members. © Magsi Family Archives

My siblings and I were enrolled in a Catholic convent school nestled within a British education system. Celebrating Christmas in school was as natural as celebrating Eid. My parents shared close ties with the local and foreign Christian nuns who ran the establishment and had also forged friendships with priests in the clergy. To further illustrate this closeness, one of my sisters was even christened in the chapel at the school. There was a seamless integration of Islam with Christianity, and there was nothing abnormal about it. One could be rooted in their faith of birth, and fluid with faith-based practices. This helped us develop a flexible understanding of faith-based practices and how they are not static, but constantly evolving through contact with environmental influences and encounters.

Image: Filling out festive greeting cards to be snail mailed to my loved ones. © Mariam Magsi

The days leading up to Christmas were filled with so much excitement. A fresh stack of greeting cards was placed in front of us on the night of Christmas eve, and by the next morning the cards were filled with warm wishes in our writing, ready to be given out with gift packages to all of our loved ones. I remember visiting the local bakery to order fresh, creamy, soft-sponge cakes, crispy chicken patties and marzipans. Then we’d go to the bazaar with our mother to pick out colourful fruit baskets, festive ornaments and a Christmas tree. One year we even found fake snow that came in a can and erupted like silly string. We wore new and sparkly clothes, just like we did on Eid holidays, and made our way to St. Anthony’s church for Christmas mass with our Christian caregivers. We’d sing along with all the hymns, walk up to the priests to get communion, and then zip back around using holy water to cross ourselves. There was nothing odd or other worldly about it. I remember looking around at the congregation and noticing that there were so many people in skirts and dresses in one setting in Pakistan. The sounds of heels clicking away on the glossy floors would echo against the stained glass windows. Women would reach into their glittering, sequined purses and pull out hand-held fans to cool their sweaty brows, while using wrinkled tissue paper to blot their melting, crimson lipstick. After Christmas mass, my siblings, caregivers and I would pile up into our pick-up truck and head straight to school to wish the nuns, and distribute gifts to the clergy.

Image: A letter from our Christian Pakistani family friends, Ms Theresa and Uncle Gaspar dated November 25th, 1994. This was the first letter they mailed over to our family after their migration to Canada. © Magsi Family Archives

Late Christmas nights were usually spent with family friends Uncle Gaspar and Ms. Theresa in their apartment. The elders gathered around bottles of secretly imported brandy, rum and wine, while us kids dashed to the dessert table ornamented with some of the world’s finest homemade toffee, fudge and cakes made by Ms.Theresa, who was not only my educator, but also very close with my mother. Today, like most other Christian people in our networks, many families have migrated to Canada, UK and USA for higher income opportunities, safety and religious freedom. Many of these migrations began in the 90s and year after year, our festive celebrations and get-togethers grew smaller with more and more Christian Pakistanis leaving the country on a permanent basis.

One of my closest paternal aunts is American with Nicaraguan roots. When she arrived in Pakistan from the USA to join our family, she brought with her many American holiday traditions that became the norm in our homes over Christmas time. Every December, Chachi (paternal aunt) Carmen opened her doors to all of the family’s children for tree decoration traditions, stuffed turkey with mashed potatoes and merrymaking.

Chinese and Pinoy foods were also a regular feature on our festive dinner tables. Our primary caregiver, Ate (older sister) Flordeliza Sauza introduced us to many foods from her motherland, such as, Pancit, Chicken Adobo and Siopao, which we greatly enjoyed especially over festive, winter holidays. Though Ate Liza, as we lovingly know her, identifies as Catholic, she seamlessly adopted many Muslim faith-based practices as well. She not only prayed with us on Fridays, but she also participated in Zikr (meditative chanting of the 99 names of Allah in Arabic). On Sundays, we went to church with her.

Image: Lighting candles at an Orthodox monastery in Milton, Ontario in memory of our deceased loved ones. © Mariam Magsi

After my marriage to a person from the Balkans, my own awareness and knowledge about Christmas has expanded. After all, we were primarily exposed to Catholicism in Pakistan. Though my husband converted to Islam and now identifies as Muslim, he was born in an Orthodox Christian family, and we have chosen to carry on many of the beautiful Christmas and Easter traditions he was raised with. January 7th is Orthodox Christmas. We usually start the day by making a trip to the monastery and light candles for our deceased loved ones in honour of their memory. Traditionally, on Orthodox Christmas eve, people place “badnjak” (oak tree branches) into a fire, but because this isn’t possible in urban households, a community center or monastery is usually designated for the ritual. Of the many food traditions I have observed and adopted from my beloved’s mother, one of my favourites is hiding coins, cloves and other items in bread to signify luck, wealth and health. The bread is baked fresh, and the entire family comes around the dinner table to break into it. Everyone receives a portion of the bread, usually with a symbolic item hidden inside that will signify the trajectory of the year pertaining to health and good fortune.

Image: My beloved, Gordan Sumanski and I, celebrating Catholic and Orthodox Christmas in our home in Toronto. © Mariam Magsi

Holidays Mubarak! Merry Christmas!

Image: Allah engraved in Arabic on wood, an Orthodox crucifix rosary from Egypt and a Turkish evil eye installed on the entrance wall of our home in Toronto. © Mariam Magsi

#christmas #holidays #islam #christianity #pluralism #canada #pakistan #serbia #lovestories #family #tolerance #love

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cafelacus · 9 months

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To spend more time at a café, get familiar with its appealing features

Since they act as meeting places for both residents and tourists, restaurants and cafés are crucial to the city's dynamic culture. Coffee shops are great locations for a variety of social and cultural activities, from business meetings to first dates.

Body: Leaving the house for the evening may lead you on a journey you never expected. You are free to go anywhere you want, whenever you want, without having to make any appointments or participate in boring small talk. The following advice will help you make the most of your time at the best cafe taupo.

It's wonderful to see individuals from various ages and backgrounds playing board games together.

It's wonderful to see that board games are once again popular since they're a terrific way to spend time with friends and family. The area is perfect for group activities since it offers a broad range of entertainment possibilities. You may presume that bringing board games and lingering for a long won't offend the regulars at your favourite coffee shop. It's fantastic that you may still use our services even if you don't often buy from us. Making a good decision from the cafe menu may make all the difference.

Thanks to live online broadcasts, fans may now watch their prefered sports whenever it's convenient for them.

Because Indian sports fans are as devoted to their teams and clubs as supporters throughout the globe, public screenings there are consistently crowded. The football game between Germany and Brazil and the cricket match between India and Pakistan are probably likely to be thrilling. Going to a live sporting event with your friends is the best way to let your competitive side run wild.

It's wonderful that places like open-mic nights and stand-up comedy shows give folks the chance to perform for an audience and amuse them.

Performing a clown performance might generate a lot of chuckles.

If the restaurant feels you are being disruptive, they could ask you to leave. Even if you lack the self-assurance to do impromptu stand-up performances in public settings like coffee shops or open mic nights, you may still have fun. No matter whether a person is timid or extroverted, or if they like to eat by themselves or with others, these events are ideal for everyone.

Listening to someone else read the poetry aloud is an expressive and engaging approach to interact with the poem's ideas and feelings. If the reader or listener is able to immerse themselves in the written or spoken word, a deeper connection to the story may be felt. The correct tone and delivery might turn a poetry reading into a special occasion. Selecting the right cafe in taupo is crucial in this case.

Friday night poetry readings may not be to everyone's taste, but they can be a lot of fun for those with more sophisticated tastes. For aspiring young poets, holding poetry readings and inviting famous poets to read from their work may be a terrific learning experience. By adopting this strategy, one may increase their chances of making a difference, learning more, and developing deep relationships with others who share their interests. Because it raises sales without placing excessive pressure on clients, businesses like this kind of advertising.

Conclusion

Even if you're not currently stuck on anything, spending time with other writers is a great way to maintain your inspiration and drive. Whether or whether you have this condition, it's usually a good idea to hang out with people who share your interests. It's wonderful to see writers from many ethnic origins collaborating. This group consists of copywriters, journalists, advertising specialists, and professional content writers. Relay writing is one of the enjoyable things a group of people could do when they come together to brainstorm.

Author Bio: David is a professional writer working on the cafe menu and so you will be getting all the information matters.

#cafe menu #best cafe taupo #cafe in taupo #cafelacus

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digimarketingexpert · 2 years

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Instant Pot Vegan Dal Makhani- Healthier Dal Makhani

The healthier, vegan, and gluten-free Instant Pot Vegan Dal Makhani is a great alternative to the conventional Dal Makhani. Dal Makhani is a vegan black lentil dal curry made with black lentils dal makhani. This simple one-pot dal goes well with Jeera rice or parathas.

"Rich and buttery" are two words that come to mind when someone discusses Dal Makhani. Dal makhani is an authentic Indian comfort meal that the entire family can enjoy. It's quick and simple to cook thanks to the instant pot dal makhani. This dal curry is ideal for cool days, days when you need a pick-me-up, or simply days when you want to eat something wonderful.

Dal refers to both the ingredient–pulses such as black lentil dal, split peas, chickpeas (chana), kidney beans, and more–and the meal in India. Please see my Restaurant-Style Dal Tadka blog entry for additional information on dal and the many pulses used in dal.

There are dals for regular use and dals for special occasions, and Dal Makhani fits squarely into the latter category. It's quite rich and decadent, and it's probably my favourite dal.

Vegan Dal Makhani is a North Indian dal that originated in modern-day India and Pakistan's Punjab area. It was formally "created" in the mid-twentieth century by well-known chef and restaurateur Kundan Lal Gujral, but its origins date back further.

(1) whole urad dal is used to make Dal Makhani (also known as black gram). They're the seeds of Vigna mungo, a leguminous plant with a thin black shell and a white seed inside.

The pulses (lentils and beans) are cooked for several hours, or even overnight, with spices, aromatics, and tomatoes. The thick, viscous texture comes from the slow boiling. It also has a lot of butter and cream in it. It's traditionally cooked in a tandoor (clay) oven or in large pots over massive wood flames, which gives it a smokey flavour.

Tips for cooking Instant Pot Dal Makhani

Soaking:

Soaking any form of dried whole beans or dried peas overnight or for 8 to 9 hours is usually beneficial. Soaking beans reduces the amount of phytic acid in the beans, which causes indigestion and gas, making them more digestible. Soaking the beans also speeds up the cooking process.

Rinsing

Rinse the soaked beans in the water a couple of times before cooking. The beans should next be cooked in freshwater after draining all of the water. This also lowers phytic acid levels.

Freshness of Lentils

Fresh beans and legumes should be used. Beans that are too old or have reached the end of their shelf life may take a long time to cook and may not cook thoroughly enough to achieve a melt-in-your-mouth feel. Beans that aren't fully cooked can also cause stomach problems.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes play a significant role in this dish. You could also use canned tomatoes or tomato puree (1 cup). Choose sweet and ripe tomatoes for fresh tomatoes. Do not use tomatoes that are extremely sour or tart.

Cooking a proper dal makhani dish can be a time-consuming task. If you want a delicious Indian-style dal makhani but don't have time to prepare it, don't panic. Haldiram's is always there to assist you. The grocery shop sells instant pot dal makhani, which you can eat at any time of day without having to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Haldiram's has opened a store in the United States for those who do not live in India but want to sample authentic Indian cuisine. You can now get ready to eat foods from Haldiram's UK website or a nearby store in the UK. Now you can get vegan dal makhani that is ready to eat and experience the real taste!

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jazy3 · 3 years

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Thoughts on Grey’s Anatomy: 17X7

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

They did it! I can’t believe it! They actually killed DeLuca off! I’m so happy right now! As long time readers will know I have never been a Andrew DeLuca fan and I speculated back in the summer that they might be planning to write his character off after it was revealed that the planned finale for Season 16 included an explosion that was supposed to claim the life of one of the characters. I speculated that DeLuca was the most likely candidate with Tom and Jackson being the most likely runners up because I felt that they had gone as far as they could with DeLuca’s character and there wasn’t much left for him to do on the show.

Add that to the fact that the actor who plays DeLuca said a bunch of stuff to the press last year where he spoiled some pretty major plot points and stated that he knew things about where the show was going when he hadn’t even read a single script for the season yet and I was pretty sure his days were numbered. That being said, the show had teased us a bunch of times about firing, killing, or writing off the character during seasons 15 and 16 and they never went through with it so a big part of me was skeptical that they ever would.

But it turns out I was right! His days were numbered and they wound up killing him off in the Mid-Season Premiere! I’m still in shock. It hasn’t really sunk in yet to be honest. This episode honestly made me wish we’d gotten to see the remaining episodes and finale of Season 16 as planned. Based on what we know it looks like the plan was for Richard, Bailey, Meredith, and Carina to stage an intervention, DeLuca was to go away and get treatment and return to the hospital only to die tragically in an explosion.

Season 17 would have opened with the characters finding out about that and mourning his death and I think it would have been interesting to see Meredith navigate that as in the Finale Hayes asked her out and she said yes. It seems likely that if the COVID-19 Pandemic had not hit when it did and shut down production and altered filming for this season we would have seen Meredith and Hayes go out for a drink and start dating.

Seeing Meredith navigate the loss of her ex-boyfriend who she was no longer close to while in the beginning stages of her relationship with Hayes would have been very interesting and I’m sorry we didn’t get to see that. I’m also sorry that due to safety restrictions Meredith and Hayes haven’t had much screen time this season, but it looks like that’s about to change as I’ll get into a bit later.

Back to the episode at hand. I never liked DeLuca as a character and I hated him with Meredith so I’m glad that they killed him off and that we never have to deal with that nonsense again. I’m glad that they caught the human trafficker Opal and took those people down. I was never super invested in that storyline so I’m glad they wrapped that up. I feel so bad for Carina though. She’s a great character and is wonderfully acted by Stefania Spampinato.

My heart broke for her in this episode because while I won’t miss her brother I know that she will and will be absolutely gutted when she finds out that he’s died especially after she worked so hard to get him help and treatment for his Bipolar Disorder. I’m glad she has Maya there to support her.

LOL at Bailey sleeping through the whole damn episode! What did I miss indeed! That poor woman slept through DeLuca getting stabbed, almost dying, not dying, having surgery twice, and then actually dying as well as the other shenanigans going on at the hospital. I loved that she was asleep at Meredith’s bedside especially after they spent a good chunk of Season 16 fighting.

I also feel really bad for Richard in that he’s obviously grateful that DeLuca helped save his life and wanted to help and when Owen turned him down because it wasn’t a good idea for him to scrub in Richard lurked in the background in the OR gallery the whole time to make sure that everything was okay. Plus he can’t talk to Meredith about it right now because she’s in a coma which must be so difficult for him. The extra stress also puts his sobriety at risk and that worries me.

I got to be honest I am struggling to understand Teddy’s point of view this season. She’s being really awful! She’s being cruel to Tom. She was cruel to Owen. I don't know what Teddy expected to have happen. Both Cristina and Amelia walked away from their marriages to Owen and moved on with their lives in large part because they realized Owen was in love with Teddy and always would be.

And then she finally gets what she’s wanted all these years and the minute she realizes Amelia’s baby might be Owen’s and not Link’s she runs back to Tom and has a several months long affair with him and then drops him like a hot potato as soon as she realizes that the baby is Link’s and after Owen finds out about the affair she refuses to talk to Tom for months and then comes crawling back to him and wants to be his friend after Owen makes it clear he wants nothing to do with her. WTF?

I feel bad for Tom. I really like his character. He’s super interesting and complex and he deserves better than someone who treats him like that. Tom is a good man at heart and he treated Teddy like gold and in return she’s done nothing but break his heart and stomp all over him when he’s already down. He deserves someone better. I’ve never been an Owen fan, but honestly Teddy is behaving so horribly I’m on his side on this one.

They had some great scenes in the OR together, but Teddy clearly read too much into it. Every time he gives her a crumb she’s convinced he’s forgiven her and wants to give her a second chance and that’s not it at all. Owen has been clear. He doesn’t forgive her and he doesn’t want to get back together with her. All he wants is to co-parent peacefully and work together as colleagues because he values her skills as a surgeon. That’s it.

It was cute to see Teddy Face Timing with Leo. I’m glad they are finding safe ways to incorporate the kids into the story. Speaking of which, the scene where Amelia and Maggie tell Zola that her Mom has been placed on a vent and she might not come off it was heartbreaking. That kid has grown into her own as an actress and really holds her own in that scene.

Her line about how she didn’t want them to tell Bailey or Ellis yet because they’re too young to understand broke me heart. Zola’s only a few years older than them but she’s old enough to understand the impact of what’s happening in a way that they can’t. And she remembers how hard it was when Derek died. When Cristina left. When Alex left. She doesn’t want to put her siblings though the same thing especially when Alex’s departure is still so fresh for them and they never got a chance to really know their Dad. The fact that Zola can recognize that at such a young age is raw and heart breaking.

We saw Winston and Maggie reconnect this episode which would have been super hot and enjoyable if Meredith hadn’t just been put on a ventilator! The scene where Jackson showed up looking for Maggie was too funny! I loved the scenes with Jackson, Link, and Winston in the backyard having beers! Winston has a great sense of humour and seems to be a calming presence. I like the idea of those three being friends.

Link’s face when he realized that Winston doesn’t know that Maggie and Jackson used to date and are also step-siblings. I’ll be interested to see Winston’s reaction when that comes out. I loved Link’s rant about how worried he was about Meredith and what her declining health and potential death was doing and would do to Amelia. Did anyone else catch that he called Amelia his wife? I’m calling it. They’re foreshadowing an Amelink wedding!

I liked hearing Jackson talk about how Meredith is family and they’re all worried and Winston’s comments about how all they can do is just keeping moving physically and metaphorically. I’m also loving Amelia and Maggie’s wardrobes this season. Their sweaters in this episode were gorgeous! Hats off to the wardrobe department! They’re looking good!

I loved seeing Jo and Hayes work together again because I love their friendship, but to be honest I was expecting more of the friendly teasing and banter of last season where she egged him on about Meredith and they traded barbs. Their scenes in this episode were a lot more intense and agitated. She totally played him with that line about Meredith.

He kept saying no to taking Luna to see her Mom and so Jo made it personal for him. If Meredith asked to see her kids Hayes would never say no and he would move heaven and earth for her. By making that connection Jo got him to agree to her plan. I also love that the reason he kept saying no in the beginning was because of what happened to Meredith.

She went from laughing and joking to being put on a vent and he doesn’t want to run the risk with any other patient and it’s obviously eating him up inside. He misses her. He cares about her and he’s clearly terrified about the possibility of her not waking up. That being said, Jo’s line where she compared Alex leaving her for Izzie because he found out he had kids he didn’t know he had and sending her a heartfelt letter to Hayes spending years watching his wife and the mother of his two boys die of cancer was way out of line. Super not okay. I really think that Jo is going to adopt that baby. I think that’s why they are setting up her interest in OBGYN.

In other news, Nico is still a terrible boyfriend to Levi. I honestly don’t know why Levi puts up with him. Levi really shone in this episode I think. He felt responsible for what happened, but instead of bungling things and making things worse like he might have done in the past he got out of his own way and asked Dr. Khan who was a vascular surgeon in Pakistan prior to immigrating to the U.S. to take his place.

I feel like this episode implies that the Beach is limbo now as I don’t know how else DeLuca could have ended up there as he wasn’t someone who was close to Meredith the way that Derek, George, Richard, and Bailey are. Not sure how I feel about that as I was kind of liking the is it a COVID dream is it the afterlife ambiguity.

Onto next week’s promo! I’m not excited that they appear to be setting up an episode in which the other characters mourn DeLuca’s passing as none of the other characters apart from Carina were really that close to him. They spent the last two seasons establishing that everyone hated his guts, considered him a nuisance, and only put up with him because they had to. So to me the other characters mourning him doesn’t feel authentic or real. It just feels forced.

There are several things I am excited about though. Seeing Maggie’s reaction to his death I think will be interesting. She was visibly upset and ran to his side when Alex beat him up in Season 13 and mourning the loss of your ex-boyfriend who you were no longer close to while being in a committed relationship with someone new I think is an interesting dynamic. She’s kinda standing in for Meredith here because she’s on a vent.

I’d like to see Catherine support Richard and make up for her horrible behaviour last season. And the best thing of all: Hayes!!! In the promo trailer we see Hayes sitting at Meredith’s bedside talking to her about how she needs to fight and how they all need her to fight. Bring it on! It’s about damn time! And Derek’s back and he’s … fishing? I’m excited to see what happens there and if they actually get to talk and have a real conversation this time. It has also been announced that Sarah Drew will be returning for a cameo as Dr. April Kepner this season so I’m excited for that!

Until next time!

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parivarma · 2 years

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NAME: Pari Yameena Varma AGE: 27 BIRTH DATE: November 23 ZODIAC SIGN: Sagittarius MORAL ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral MBTI: Esfp GENDER: Cis Woman SEXUALITY: Bisexual PRONOUNS: She/Her OCCUPATION: Server at Copper Fig & Actress

pari wasn’t born in the united states, she was born in pakistan but then moved when she twelve years old. she has a big family and family means a lot to her in this world. her father is a big bollywood actor and an upcoming hollywood actor as he has two mansions in california. her mother is a doctor, a tough one at that. although she is a doctor she had always wanted to be a dancer but an injury took away her dreams and so she forced her dreams upon pari. which took a toll.

because of her mother’s pressure for her to be perfect, especially after the move, pari developed an eating disorder. at one point she was 80 pounds. but she got roles after roles so what was the problem? her mother. it took a few years to realize this and eventually she parted ways. even though it hurt she knew it was what was best for her. she still talked a lot with her five siblings and her dad, that would never change. well, hopefully.

soon after she got caught up in a romance that soon lead to the use of drugs and she was hooked. her parents tried to help her but she didn’t let them, it cost her their trust after she nearly robbed them of valuables one summer. one big arguement later and pari ran. a year or two later she gained some help and after the third rehabilitation, she found herself in a town in barton point. nine months clean she found a job that she eventually grew good at and got herself a small house.

currently working at garden boulevard as a server, she hopes to move on from there and into some kind of fashion industry or just continue on with the occasional acting job. she lived off her parents money so getting a regular job was offputting but she adjusted, making it seem like the job was acting job and her character was a server.

losing contact with her parents, she only keeps in contact with her younger brother - the two have always been the closest among her other siblings. she hopes one day that she can face them and have them forgive her but her mother being the most stubborn person she has ever known, and her father being too busy for any other matters, she highly doubts it.

her interests include dancing, skating, shopping, yoga, sewing, the colour pink, one night stands, collecting rocks, playing the violin.

she has two dogs, four fish, and a snake.

#bpoint:intro #about pari #eating disorder tw #addiction tw #weight tw

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islamicrays · 4 years

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I was 16 when I was told that I wouldn’t be able to have kids.

To be honest, it didn’t bother me at that age. Maybe because I was clueless about marriage, having a family etc. But it affected my mother a lot. She was scared about the future of her daughter. Of course I was bothered of the diagnosis of PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) but I was easily distracted by school, friends and everything a teenager generally lives for.

How did I end up at the doctors you may ask? A dermatologist after looking at my (very natural, because of age) acne told me that I should get an ultrasound done because she’s never seen a face like mine.

When I was getting married, I remember asking my mother how I would get rid of my PCOS and how I would be able to have kids (societal pressure really gets to you). We visited some doctors and I made some lifestyle changes to deal with the diagnosis I was given. My ultrasound report became my introduction. I was merely seen as a case of PCOS, nothing else was considered. They told me lose weight, I was already extremely thin. They tried to put me on Glucophage without proper tests, they wanted me to take hormonal medicines to ‘fix’ my period cycle which was already fine.

I hated going to the hospital. I absolutely despised judgemental doctors. Maybe I was introduced to the ones who would just view me as someone who had no idea of her own body and will eat anything we prescribe her. I know that patients need to trust their doctors but you really need to make us trust you. The general patient-practitioner relationship we see in Pakistan doesn’t reflect the ‘working for humanity idea’ doctors usually have. Rather, we have to visit people who are ready to rip you off and label you with things that change your life forever.

Fast forward to when I skipped my period. I thought something was wrong with me. And that I would need some medical help before conceiving. But the two lines on the strip opened my eyes to a new reality. How was I pregnant? Didn’t I need help? Didn’t the doctor say I would have difficulty in having kids?

After my ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy, I came to know that I didn’t really have PCOs! I was misdiagnosed! Can you believe it? The details are another whole story. But, I based my life on one ultrasound and worried myself sick because of that. And not one doctor told me to reconfirm the diagnosis made. So from one doctor to another and so on, they just wanted to fill me up with medicines but they didn’t guide me holistically. They didn’t care to notice how I or others around me were affected mentally by their diagnosis.

This happens to a lot of people. Hundreds and thousands of people. Each year. They’re severely affected by wrong diagnosis. They begin to lose hope and start believing in whatever was told to them. Even if it’s absolutely wrong. And then you get stuck in the cycle of hopping from one doctor to another without really make lifestyle changes that would help you in the first place.

When I held Lina for the first time, I was reminded of her words. ‘This ultrasound shows that you can’t have kids.’ As I held my baby I thanked Allah for the blessing in my hands but I kept thinking about how many girls have to go through this ever single day. Being told that they wouldn’t be able to have children.

Your diagnosis isn’t greater than His power. Always remember that. Begin to believe in miracles because they really do happen. Science and the medical world have helped people but has also taken their lives both physically and figuratively.

PS. In no way do I mean that children determine your worth. There are many women who can’t have kids and that’s His Will. I am pointing a finger at misdiagnosis and the setback one faces because of it. Also, most importantly, I just want to remind everyone not to lose hope, not to be scared and to stay strong when faced with challenges because you don’t know what’s waiting for you at the end of day ❤️

-Hira Zubair

#quote #muslim #allah #muslimah #dua #marriage #love #kids

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aboutcaseyaffleck · 3 years

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BOSTON BY CASEY AFFLECK

October 25, 2020 For the record, what follows is nostalgia, false memories, and generalizations. But it’s all true. I grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, across the Charles River from Boston proper. Cambridge was one of the most diverse, multicultural cities in America. It was a beautiful, colorful, vibrant place. People from all over the world lived there, all mixed-up together. It is the place I was born and will return to, God willing. It is the city with the smells and sounds and tastes and people I love the most. Despite how much I loved it, when I look at old photos, I often look like this:

I’m in the front in the blue shirt. My best friend was Michael, the tall kid in the red shirt, whose family came from Barbados. Through the middle school years, anytime we weren’t in school we were roaming the streets like Dickensian urchins.

In the ‘90s, Cambridge got rid of rent control. Families who had lived there for four or five generations were squeezed out. Now the city is gentrified; but when I was growing up there, it was scrappy and beautiful. It was mostly working people, except for West Cambridge—where wealthy families lived, where professors lived. Where Cornel West, Yo-Yo Ma, and the Governor lived. East Cambridge was working-class Portuguese families, butcher shops, funeral parlors, and tow yards. Cambridgeport, where I lived, was mostly poor, Italian, Black, Greek, and Irish families. North Cambridge had some big housing projects and the school where my mom taught fifth grade—in a gigantic cement structure called The Tobin School that felt like it was far away because I would have to take a train AND a bus to get there. In reality, it’s like three miles from where we lived.

This is me hanging out in her classroom:

As people and places evolve, the past always reveals blemishes unseen at the time. However, Massachusetts manages, as time unfolds, to be a place that was so often on the right side. Not always, but often enough that I am proud to be from Cambridge, Massachusetts, no matter what.

From Massachusetts came the first national publication denouncing slavery, America’s “first feminist”, and The Cambridge Woman’s Suffrage League, which formed in 1886. My high school had the first girl to play tackle football in that division. Cambridge voted-in the first openly gay African-American mayor in our country. Right now our mayor is a very popular and forward-thinking Muslim woman who immigrated from Pakistan named Sumbul Siddiqui. We have marvels of architecture, science, and tech. It was in Cambridge that the very first email was ever sent (and received). And every year the Red Sox stand up to the wealthier bullies from the Bronx. These are all things we are immensely proud of, but nobody is resting on these laurels.

I am going to tell you about the places I remember fondly, whether they are still there or not.

Luckily, the city’s history isn’t going anywhere, and it hasn’t lost all of its charms. It is a place best seen by walking. So just walk. It’s also seasonal. Different activities for different seasons. But if you can hoof it for a few miles do this: start at the Old North Church and go by Paul Revere House, through Faneuil Hall, by The Old State House through Boston Common, through the Back Bay, go left and pass through Roxbury, another left, and go through South Boston till you hit the water and go left till you hit the Children’s Museum. Sit down and relax. If you just want a path, walk that. Map it or wander around. The city is full of little back streets with lots of character.

MY BOSTON FAVORITES

When looking for things to do and see in the area, you can ask ten people and get ten different answers. You will get a long list of historical buildings, or you will get names of some of the country’s prettiest parks, or you will get pointed toward the campuses of some of the very best schools in the world. But for every Bunker Hill, there are ten other places you haven’t heard of. So I am going to tell you about the places I remember fondly, whether they are still there or not. The thing about Boston is you can miss all the best stuff, and you will still leave thinking it is one of the best cities on Earth. Have fun.

Pinocchio Pizza, Harvard Square. I asked my son to describe it. He says, “the food is good but the vibe is fire, old school; whatever, just get a slice and sit on the ground. That’s why I like it.” I have no idea why he wants to sit on the ground, but I guess that’s part of the charm of the place. We’re both vegan so we both scrape the cheese off and eat bread and sauce. That should tell you something.

Oleana Restaurant on Hampshire Street in Cambridge. Chef Ana Sortun is a baller. The food is Turkish inspired, and it is delicious. Always. Friendly people, pretty inside, and it is in a nice residential neighborhood. My dad lived in an apartment a few blocks away behind a Store 24 until he was evicted back in 1989.

Maharaja, Harvard Square. Incredible Indian food. And it has one of the only third-story views of Harvard Square.

Veggie Galaxy is great diner food. It is vegan. It has breakfast, lunch, dinner, milkshakes and other deserts. All day and all night food that is filling and really good.

Life Alive Organic will serve you the healthiest and heartiest meal you can find anywhere. It’s across the street from City Hall, the post office, and the oldest YMCA in the country.

Cantab Lounge, where my dad was a bartender, and then a janitor when he was too drunk to be a bartender. I drank six thousand ginger ales, sitting in the corner at a sticky table while he worked. Forever it was a bar for postal workers that opened at 10 am, where alcoholics ate hard-boiled eggs from jars that had been sitting on the bar top for two weeks. A couple of days after initially writing this, I got an email from the owner. It is being sold after tens of thousands of years. I don’t know why I care because I don’t exactly have any fond memories from the place, but seeing the brick-and-mortar of your childhood torn down is a kind of mid-life, coming-of-age moment. Life is change.

Darwins Ltd coffee shop and attached mini-grocer and sandwich spot. If you get a coffee and then walk west two blocks on Mt. Auburn St. you will discover on your right a nice little park with a fountain to hang out. It is called Longfellow Park. Or you can look to your left and you will see the Charles River, and you can stroll there.

Fomu for dessert.

Zhu Pan Asian Cuisine and True Bistro for good vegan food.

Newbury Comics is famous and cool.

Million Year Picnic is for comic connoisseurs. They are both great. And they were both plagued by roving bands of middle school thieves in my day. The most notorious was named Mathew Maher. He is now a well-known theater actor on Broadway and appeared in the comic book movie Captain Marvel. But back then he stole shit.

Harvard Coop is the best place to browse for books. Especially the kids section. We spend hours there and nobody kicks us out.

After the game ended everyone would come out and buy sausages [from me] on their way home, then I would clean up and go into a bar outside the park, where my boss was drinking and I’d wait till he was done so I could get a ride home. I was 12 years old. A couple of years ago I threw out the first pitch. Life is change.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is my favorite museum in town, maybe anywhere. It was once her home and it features an indoor garden that is perfect. It also has a great collection of art from around the world. Back on March 18, 1990, two famous paintings were stolen from the museum. As I remember it, a couple of guys showed up in the morning in police uniforms and the guard let them in. They tied the guard up and took a dozen paintings—Vermeer, Rembrandt, Degas—and vanished. The FBI never found them and never found the art. There are two plaques below two empty spaces on the walls to this day. On some days, classical musicians perform in random rooms while you walk around. You won’t want to leave.

Fenway Park. Greatest professional sports arena of any kind. I used to sell sausages in front of the Cask ‘N Flagon, a bar behind The Green Monster.

It is the best baseball bar in the country. When everyone was in the park watching the game, and there was nobody buying food, I would go in and find a seat and watch the game with whoever I was working with; I have seen hundreds of games from every part of the park. After the game ended everyone would come out and buy sausages on their way home, then I would clean up and go into a bar outside the park, where my boss was drinking and I’d wait till he was done so I could get a ride home. I was 12 years old. A couple of years ago I threw out the first pitch. Life is change.

Plimoth Plantation is a living museum in Plymouth, which is 40 minutes from Boston. It is amazing. The actors working there are some of the best I have seen anywhere. If you are even mildly interested in history you have to go there.

Fresh Pond is where you can go running or biking. Two and a half-mile loop.

Or you could hit The Emerald Necklace which is a great run that hits many of the best green areas, Franklin Park included. When we were young we would hop the fence and swim in the water. That isn’t done anymore ever, and everyone has grown up and leading better, more responsible lives.

John Weeks Footbridge is a very pretty, very old, brick walking bridge that spans the Charles River. Watching the Charles Regatta from here is awesome. That is in the Fall. But it’s also great any night.

The King School is a grade school not too far from there. It has maybe the best playground in the city. If you are there in the summer you can just walk on. When I was a kid, the King School is where a girl went who I was head over heels in love with. I finally got a shot at winning her heart in my early twenties and blew it.

Mount Auburn Cemetery is beautiful if you like that kind of thing. Lots of cool people are buried there, and the trees and stones are really nice. It’s a maze but just walk uphill. You will reach a monument with a great view of the city.

The American Repertory Theater puts on good plays. I grew up going there cause a friend of my mother’s directed many of the shows and could sneak us in the back. I wasn’t the adult making that decision; had I known better I would have scraped together the ticket price and supported the arts.

Boston Common is beautiful but you have to avoid all the shopping around it. If you have to shop go to:

NOMAD on Mass Ave in Cambridge is a store that you shouldn’t miss. In a world lost to chain stores and general homogenization of everything, Nomad is the real deal. Deb Colburn has been curating this place since I was ten. It is her store, and she has been trying to wake people up to folk art from around the world since Reagan was in office.

Bodega is a hidden high-end sneaker and casual wear store that must be entered through an unmarked door inside a bodega on a nearby side street. It’s cool how they have done it. Great presentation. Kids will like it.

KIDS ACTIVITIES

There are lots of things you can force your kids to do—things they won’t like the sound of at first, but will ultimately enjoy.

IMAGE CAPTIONS, LEFT TO RIGHT

On a rainy day, hop on the T and ride around town all day reading comics. Then stand outside in the warm rain (kids from LA don’t get this much).

Looking at murals. Cambridge has great murals everywhere. They are old and, incredibly, not vandalized. This one has been on this wall near the river since I was a kid. The child is mine and he is sick of walking around Cambridge.

If you feel like a pilgrim hit the gift shop at Plimoth Plantation.

Playing chess at Leavitt & Pierce Tobacco. You can inhale the scent of pipe tobacco without smoking it, and rent a chess set, clock, and table for $2 an hour in a beautiful old, wood-paneled shop with great ambiance.

Going to the oldest YMCA in the country.

Kayaking on the Charles River. You can get your kayak on Soldiers Field Rd. Take it east under all the bridges until you get to the inlet at Kendell Sq. It will all be clear. It will take about an hour.

Climbing the stairs at Harvard Football Stadium.

Reading books at the Harvard Coop.

NEARBY BOSTON

If you wanna go a little farther, go out to Gloucester for the day. Swim, eat, walk around, go back.

Whale watching sounds like a lame tourist trap but seeing whales up close will change the way you think about life on Earth.

You can take the ferry from Downtown Boston to Provincetown. It is a great place to visit or stay a few days while in town. Ptown is the eastern-most point on the continent. I might be making that up, but it’s close. It’s an arm that sticks out into the Atlantic. It’s really lovely there with a great vibe all around. You can’t have a bad time and everyone is super happy to be there. The beaches are all beautiful. Sharks mostly only eat the seals and won’t come any closer to shore than two feet—but if you want to see a great white up close, we can make that happen.

Cape Cod has some great flea markets. If you plan on spending time on vacation with your family you can find some essentials, like a medieval battle helmet, at the flea market.

SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS

30 minutes on the local train line from downtown. Made famous by the Salem witch trials; a fun place to visit and walk around for about 128 minutes. Newburyport and Rockport lines, which depart from Boston’s North Station, stop at the Salem station. You can go into the homes of people who lived during the witch hunt.

The House of the Seven Gables, made famous by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne‘s novel The House of the Seven Gables, is a 1668 colonial mansion in Salem, Massachusetts named for its gables. The house is now a non-profit museum, with an admission fee charged for tours, as well as an active settlement house with programs for children. It was built for Captain John Turner and stayed with the family for three generations.

The Jonathan Corwin House in Salem, Massachusetts, known as The Witch House, was the home of Judge Jonathan Corwin. It is the only structure still standing in Salem with direct ties to the Salem witch trials of 1692, thought to be built between 1620 and 1642. Corwin bought it in 1675 when he was 35, and he lived there for more than 40 years. The house remained in the Corwin family until the mid-19th century and is located in the McIntire Historic District.

A MECCA FOR ARTISTS

Lastly, for centuries, Cambridge has been a mecca for artists, especially writers. Here are some spots to see if you like that kind of thing:

The corner of JFK Street and 1390 Massachusetts Avenue. This is a good spot. Here is why: America’s FIRST PUBLISHED POET was a woman named Anne Bradstreet who died in 1672 and lived on this spot! It went through lots of changes, and 300 years later, by the time I was walking around, it became a great burger place called THE TASTY. In 1996 or whatever, The Tasty appears in the movie Good Will Hunting in the scene when Matt Damon kisses Minnie Driver. It might have also appeared in the film Love Story back in the 70s. I mix them up. Now it is a CVS. God help us.

The Longfellow House. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow lived at 105 Brattle Street. The great poet taught at Harvard and lived in the Georgian mansion from 1837 until his death in 1882. Before the author, George Washington used the house as his headquarters during the Siege of Boston. The house is open to the public, and it is where I had my eighth-grade graduation ceremony. The mayor attended and forgot the name of our school in his address to the kids. I heard people mutter that he was drunk. I can’t blame him. I had my first drinks hours before that ceremony.

71 Cherry Street, Cambridge. The woman considered to be American’s FIRST feminist, Margaret Fuller, was born and lived here.

Henry and Alice James lived at 20 Quincy Street. The house was knocked down in 1930 and the Harvard Faculty Club was erected there.

W.E.B. DuBois lived at 20 Flagg Street. The writer and pioneer of civil rights rented a room in this Cambridgeport home from 1890 to 1893. This is blocks from my childhood home. He was the first African American to receive a degree from Harvard.

Robert Frost lived at 35 Brewster Street. Frost, who attended high school in Lawrence, Massachusetts, lived in the West Cambridge home from 1943 to 1963.

T.S. Eliot lived at 16 Ash Street.

E.E. Cummings lived at 104 Irving Street. He was an innovator. He also wrote a poem about “Cambridge Women”. He lived at the Irving Street home from 1892 until about 1917.

Also you can find homes of the genius Nabokov and the great and beloved Julia Childs if you look around.

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#casey affleck #quote #feature #boston

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leverage-ot3 · 4 years

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notable moments from The Beantown Bailout Job

leverage 2.01

(see link for a video on this episode that captured literally all of my reactions and will undoubtedly capture yours too)

Manager: You found that stolen Monet in Florence, saved your company a $25 million payout. That identity-theft case, you saved $15 million.

nate sees .00005 seconds of normal life and yeets the hell out

- - - - -

(The lobby is teaming with people when Nate walks in. A sign shows that Sophie is starring in The Sound of Music. He sees Parker at the ticket counter)

Parker: Picking up for one.

Ticket Agent: Last name?

Parker: Parker.

Ticket Agent: First name?

Parker: No. Just one name.

Ticket Agent: Great. I hope you enjoy it.

(Parker turns to see Nate across the room and smiles)

Hardison: Parker?

(Parker looks to her right to see Hardison. The sound of Eliot’s laughter from across the lobby draws Hardison’s attention)

Eliot (to women): All right. After the show, then. I'll see you.

(Eliot turns and sees the others. The all meet in the center of the lobby)

Nate: Eliot.

Parker: Nate.

Hardison: Parker.

Eliot: Hardison.

Eliot: So, how have you...

Nate: Good. Good. Great. You?

Eliot: Fantastic. Six months of traveling. Did a couple of big jobs.

Hardison: eah. Me, too. Great off time. Well, I bought an oxygen tank. Cool, nice.

Parker: Yeah, super. I've been really super, too.

Nate: Yeah, she didn't tell me that you guys would..

this is that dinner scene from shrek 2 right???

also, parker’s lil smile when she sees nate, hardison’s big smile when he sees parker + hardison says parker and eliot says hardison = ot3 acknowledging each other

- - - - -

Hardison: I didn't know you could sing.

Sophie: You know. Not as well as I act, but, yeah.

Hardison: Oh

- - - - -

Sophie: Uhhgh…

Hardison: Yeah, you know, I'm sure the reviews will be...

(Sophie hands Hardison her phone)

Hardison: …on the news website already.

Parker (grabs the phone): Really? Wow. "Never before has a production of 'The Sound Of Music' made me root for the Nazis. (Hardison gestures something like ‘WHY’ to Parker and she gestures something like ‘JDJSJSJ SORRY’ back)

POOR SOPHIE LMFAO

- - - - -

Sophie: No. No, no, no. Stop it. There is nothing you can say that's gonna make me feel better.

Parker: I know what could make you feel better. We should steal something.

Nate: No, no.

Sophie: Yes! We could do it together.

Eliot: I like this. Get right back up on the bike.

Parker: Bike of crime.

Nate: Didn't you earlier tell me how great your new lives were?

Parker: Yeah, well, I stole the Hope Diamond.

Nate: What?

Parker: (Everyone looks surprised. Eliot looks like he is going to say something.) And then I put it back. Yeah, 'cause I was bored. Didn't care.

Hardison: I spent three days hacking the white house e-mail. No buzz.

Nate: See?

Hardison: But we are doing some pretty hinky stuff in Pakistan. Hinky.

Sophie: Look, I'm miserable. They're miserable. (to Eliot) Okay, what have you been doing the last six months?

Eliot: I was in Pakistan. (Parker grins)

Hardison: You see what you did? You took the world's best criminals, hitter, hacker, grifter, thief, you took us, and you broke us.

Nate: No, no. I-I, what I did, I taught you how to help people. That's all.

Parker: Exactly.

Sophie: Yeah.

Eliot: This is the problem, with being the good guy. It gets under your skin.

Sophie: Look, Nate. You have to have some poor, little lost soul somewhere who needs a little extra-legal aid.

Nate: Look, we all agreed that we'd just move on.

Sophie: Yeah, but we're... We're thieves.

Nate: Not me. Look, it was great. It was fun. It was wonderful while it lasted, but I was drunk most of the time, to be honest with you. And I… A little crazy.

Eliot: Yeah, but you were good.

Parker: You were the best.

Hardison: We were the best.

Parker: Yeah.

Nate: Listen, really, I owe all of you. And I'm very proud of what we did. I-I really am. But I got my life back, and I intend to keep it that way. And I am not a thief. (stands up) It was great to see all of you. Good night. (leaves)

BIKE OF CRIME + also bruh let them have their found family, nate

- - - - -

(Nate enters the dim room and looks around. Behind him, the Thug opens the door and comes at him with a knife. Nate sees the reflection in a pot lid and turns to block the blow. Sophie comes in behind the Thug)

Sophie: Oi! Does your mother sew? (headbutts Thug) Stitch that.

(Thug runs out of the condo. Nate runs out after him, but Thug gets away. As he reenters the condo, Sophie hits him in the head with a cookie sheet and Nate falls to the floor)

Sophie: Ah! Bugger

she tried, your honor + her tough talk and then AH BUGGER

- - - - -

(the next morning, Nate wakes up on the couch to the sound of Parker eating. Parker is wearing a Nun’s habit, smiles and moves away. Sophie comes downstairs wearing Nate’s shirt)

Nate: That's my shirt.

Sophie: Yeah. I stayed the night to make sure you were okay. You what? But don't worry. I didn't look under your bed. I know that's where guys keep weird, kinky stuff.

Nate: There's nothing under my bed.

Parker (opens cupboard): This is all coffee.

Nate: Get out of there! (sees Hardison and Eliot at the table) What are you guys doing? (gets up) Come on, get out of here. Get all this stuff out of here. You're planning something. I know it. Come on. Get out of my house.

...

Hardison: Look, nobody else is gonna help that guy and his little girl. Okay, that's what we do. We help people. By the way, I compared Sophie's description of your attacker to the accident footage from the security camera.

(Hardison pushes a few buttons on the laptop and zooms in on the Thug’s face to begin a facial recognition search through various cameras in the area)

Hardison: Do you realize, on average, people are caught on security cameras 13 times a day? ATM cameras, traffic cameras. It's crazy, man, but we can track him. We can. Well, I lost him in this.

Eliot: Yeah, well, I found this empty briefcase belonging to a Matt Kerrigan at that intersection.

...

Eliot: Yeah, well, the problem is, these two cats went down to the safety deposit boxes.

Parker: Which is the only room in every bank, with absolutely no cameras.

Hardison: Which means we up, baby. (puts on a priest’s collar) They tried to kill Kerrigan for what was in the briefcase. We're gonna steal it back.

Eliot (laughs): She was dressed that way 'cause she's doing a con.

Nate: What, you thought she was dressed like a nun for no reason?

Eliot: It's Parker.

...

(Nate walks away)

Sophie (to Eliot): So, you going?

Eliot: I'm not going anywhere. The man has 700 sports channels.

Sophie: You want to see what he's got under his bed?

Eliot: N-no, I do not.

Sophie: Icky

- - - - -

(Parker opens her Bible to reveal a lock duplication kit with a depression in the plastic of the master key)

[Flashback]

(Parker takes the key from the Bank Manager’s pocket as Hardison talks, pressing the key into the form before replacing it into the Bank Manager’s pocket)

Hardison: And the children... The children thank you. They will send you a card just as soon as we buy them tiny pencils. And teach them how to spell. It's a two-step process, you see.

[Bank Vault]

Parker: Superglue and a heat-activated polymer to set it. Seven seconds, instant plastic key. (hands Hardison the Bible) Shake it.

Hardison: What?

Parker: Shake the bible.

Hardison: This is even more wrong.

(Hardison: takes the Bible and begins shaking it while Parker picks box 5076)

they’re so competent ugh

- - - - -

Hardison: I did look for you. For six months.

HE LOOKED FOR HER FOR SIX MONTHS

- - - - -

Parker: I think people are like locks. Really complicated and frustrating. But you can't force them. You have to take time and be fiddly.

Hardison: Fiddly?

Parker: You learn to be patient, and just wait until you hear the...

(the lock opens and the door swings wide)

- - - - -

(Hardison is sitting on the couch going through some paperwork and working on a laptop. Several boards have been set up with information about the case)

Nate: Now, this is not "gone." This is "more."

Hardison: Yeah, I, uh, I scanned the documents in Leary's box, but I wanted to print out a few pages.

Nate: I asked—I asked Eliot to get rid of this stuff. Now there's more stuff.

Hardison: Did you? Oh, we-we crossed, but didn't see each other. He didn't tell me.

Nate: Oh, that's how you're gonna play this?

Hardison: Oh, man. Look... (stands up and sniffs)

Nate: What?

Hardison: Is that... What is that aroma? That's that apple shampoo that's open.

Nate: You've been up in my shower, rummaging around?

Hardison: Man's in a strange bathroom, he's got a lot of time to kill... Nate, Nate, Nat-

I CANNOT

- - - - -

Nate: Grew up in the same neighborhood. The O'Hares are mobbed up. These are all mob businesses you're talking about here.

Hardison: Mob?

Nate: Where's Eliot?

Hardison: Oops.

Nate: What?

[Warehouse]

(Eliot is going through boxes when his phone rings. He answers)

Eliot: Yeah, Hardison. This is the third place I checked. It's all the same. What do you mean mob?

Thug: Hey!

(three men approach, one of them the Thug, who has his nose bandaged and is carrying a baseball bat)

Eliot: Oh, that mob. (hangs up)

hardison’s “whoops” followed by I HAVE TO WARN MY BOYFRIEND + in this episode we have eliot using a baseball bat as a weapon which is yet another piece in the continuation of eliot using things as weapons that are not supposed to be used as weapons

+ he apologizes to the guy that just had a nose job for beating him up and punching him in the nose he’s baby

- - - - -

(Nate opens the refrigerator to find it full of Hardison’s orange soda)

Nate: Seriously?

(Nate turns to see the island covered in food and dishes)

Nate: You know, guys, there is a dishwasher here.

Eliot: You're out of ice.

he literally can’t get rid of them + also I WONDER whose orange soda that is

- - - - -

parker robot dancing in the 80s jacket and looking DIRECTLY at eliot lmfao

- - - - -

Nate: What? Sophie, how do you catch mob guys?

Sophie: Ah, two glasses of Chianti and a story about my grandma in Sicily

- - - - -

Nate: Well, yeah. I mean, if you have a body in the trunk of your car, you're gonna drive under the speed limit, aren't you?

Parker: You know, when you're sober, your metaphors get creepier

- - - - -

eliot and parker sitting next to each other? cute

- - - - -

Hardison: Mr. Leary, I'm Detective Costello, with the Massachusetts State Police. This is Detective Costigan. I believe you met with our chief, Lieutenant Bonanno

more aliases to keep track of

- - - - -

Parker: We're investigating your colleague Matt Kerrigan's (air quotes) "car accident."

Leary: So you don't think it was an accident?

Hardison: Of course not. She did the finger thing. You got that. Everybody gets that.

Parker: Did I do it right?

Hardison: No. No. This guy just... (pulls picture from his pocket)

~ a few moments later ~

Parker: I did it right, didn't I?

Hardison: It was perfect.

Parker: I knew I did it right.

Hardison: It was beautiful execution. Absolutely.

Parker: Just like you taught me. I did it. (she smiles brightly)

Hardison: Yeah. Yeah, you did it. I like it. Yeah. (gives her a thumbs up)

SHES LEARNING IM SO PROUD OF HER

- - - - -

Eliot: Hey, this detonator - If I'm around the corner, is it still gonna be in range?

Hardison: Should be. I haven't worked out all the kinks yet. Sometimes the things just go off.

Eliot: Whoa, whoa, wait. Hey. I thought you said this thing was safe.

Hardison: Mostly. Mostly safe. I was very specific. Sometimes the frequencies get messed up.

Eliot: What frequencies, man? Huh? I got these things in my pants.

Hardison: Like, you know, a garage-door opener, a car alarm.

(a car alarm chirps then goes off, making Eliot jump. He moves away angrily)

Parker: What are the odds that Eliot's crotch will actually explode?

Eliot: Damn it, Hardison! (stalks off)

chaotic ot3

- - - - -

Sophie (shows passport): Annie Kroy.

O’Hare (grabs passport): Name's familiar.

Sophie: My family does business in North London with Terry Adams, and a couple of other organizations. We handle the money.

Nate (getting up): Yeah, see, what they do is they clean the money.

some people think that annie kroy is sophie’s true identity. I think, if anything, it would be her duchess alias but can you IMAGINE mob child sophie??? also, hi. im jackie and I wholeheartedly believe annie kroy has killed a man.

- - - - -

(Eliot is parked outside of the bank when Leary comes out, looking at files. Eliot hits a remote and the sound of gunfire fills the street as the squibs go off. People scream and Leary dives for cover. Eliot laughs and closes his window.)

chaotic eliot

- - - - -

Leary: And for that, the government hunts them down like dogs. People like me, we took billions from the banks. Billions. And what did the government do when they finally caught us? They wrote us a giant check and begged us to make it all better.

that’s disturbing

- - - - -

(Parker uses a taser on O’Hare and Hardison pulls up a recorder)

I think that was the first time parker tasered someone and we love to see it

- - - - -

Nate: So, how did you do it?

Eliot (gets up): Detonator, (holds up remote, reaches into his shirt and pulls out ketchup wrapper) ketchup.

Nate: Ah, the classics.

Sophie: Oh (hops happily), I love a good death scene

- - - - -

parker in a nun costume smelling money and saying “ahhhh” is certainly a mood

- - - - -

Leary: I was tricked. I was tricked. It wasn't me, you understand?

Bonanno: Somebody tricked you into bringing a briefcase full of evidence of your own crimes straight to the police? Come on, Mr. Leary. Nobody's that smart. Get him out of here

THEY ARE T H A T SMART

- - - - -

Zoe: Thank you. There are wolves in the world. But sometimes they're the good guys, I guess.

I didn’t like that whole metaphor because it felt kinda cliche but whatever, they ARE the good guys

+ bruh why is hardison wearing glasses??? him and eliot will sometimes wear them and honestly I don’t know who actually needs them and for what at this point ???

- - - - -

(Nate enters the condo to find that Hardison has installed five of six large monitors on the wall and is working on the last one)

Nate: Whoa, whoa. What are you doing there?

Hardison: I'm running this cat 5 cable to the--

Nate: Oh, no, no, no, no. You don't understand. No, I don't want to have these monitors in my apartment. No.

(Parker opens the door and walks in carrying a large painting)

Parker: Coming through!

Nate: No, these must go. What? No! Parker, no! Not that paint--I don't ever want to see that painting.

Parker: (shaking the painting as she talks in a funny voice) “Hi, I'm old Nate, and I live here, too."

Nate: You can't just break in here and start hanging--

Hardison: Oh, yeah, yeah. For repairs or renovation, your landlord has full access to your dwelling. It's in the lease.

Nate: What are you doing reading my lease?

Hardison: I bought the building.

Nate: You bought the... You're my landlord?

Hardison: Yeah. (holds his hand out for a fistbump) Yeah.

(Nate looks away, then hears the sound of a chain saw. He turns to see the end of a chain saw come through the wall)

Nate: No, no! No! No!

(Part of the wall falls to reveal Eliot holding the chainsaw and grinning. Nate coughs and both Parker and Hardison put their arms around him)

CHAOTIC OT3 + THEIR TIRED DAD

#leverage #leverage 2.01 #leverage 2x01 #the beantown bailout job #leverage season 2 #season 2 #notable moments #mine

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sahoolatkaroffcial · 3 years

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What happened to a monk who sold his Ferrari?

Now I am talking about the best-selling Book by a world-renowned author and motivational speaker; Robin Sharma. A few years ago, he wrote the book, “The monk who sold his Ferrari”. That book was about an inspirational and spiritual journey of a man; who goes out of the house. He explores himself. He tries many new things in life. He completely cuts off himself from the technology. No cellphone, no internet, no music, no motorbike or car. He was there in a natural atmosphere.

He was eating naturally, sleeping in jungles, and meeting with fewer people. He started to feel the importance of life. The experience was phenomenal. He learned a lot of good. Robin says that there were no enemies or foes of mine. I was only thinking good for everyone. I was eating less and healthy. I was happy. I was spending time with myself. And happened what? He says that after a few months when I finished that self-exploring journey there was a lot of unique that was unexperienced before.

So, this is also a different point of view. This is altogether a different story he told us. He explored a world where there was no technology, no electricity, and no high-rise building. This was only he and the marvels of nature all around him. He says after finishing this expedition; I became healthier and happier. He says; there was no shop around me. No worry of usury and tension of paying interest amount on the credit card.

This is also a point to ponder over. Buying things more and more is taking away the peace of mind.

Are we not continuously running after our desires?

According to this story, this man prefers to live life without any technology. He was happy to spend life with nature.

Yes, I accept that technology and makes us more dependent on things. It makes people lazy and inactive. They use it even for their smaller tasks. But we cannot neglect its importance in our daily routine lives. Our desires for more advanced things are increasing day by day. As we are thinking about Why Does Music Touch The Soul? just like that, Here we are going to discuss the importance of Technology in our lives.

Communication: The first and foremost thing is that it makes it easy to communicate with our family and friends. Yes, we are talking about the smartphone. It is one of the advanced gadgets that. We cannot expect our lives without it.

Online Shopping: Technology is also helpful in shopping. You can buy anything from anywhere through the advancement in technology. You do not need to go to that particular place to shop for your favorite things. Just place an order and get good at your doorstep. Now this summer, you can also buy home appliances on installments and other Home Appliances in Pakistan.

Security: Now the technology provides us high security and protection. It keeps us more secure with different security devices like Door cam, spycam, and other tracking applications.

Internet: Another benefit of technology is that it makes it possible to connect and share ideas from any part of the world. You can get any type of information over the globe. Learn everything from everywhere with computer and internet.

#home & lifestyle #home appliances #online shopping in pakistan #Sahoolat Kar

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keplercryptids · 4 years

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nonfiction LGBTQ+ books i read this year

i read a lot this year, and a good chunk of it was LGBTQ+ nonfiction. so i thought it might be nice to list what i read. as a note, many of these books deal with LGBTQ history in the United States. too often, mainstream US-centric LGBTQ texts focus on white middle-class cisgender folks, though I’ve done my best to balance that as much as possible with other perspectives. (that being said, if you got ‘em, i would LOVE book recommendations that tackle worldwide/non-white LGBTQ issues!)

Accessibility notes: Given the nature of the genre, there’s a lot of intense discussion re: homophobia and transphobia. Basically every book listed covers those things to some extent, and I’ve specified where there’s additional potentially triggering content. (If you have specific questions about triggers, please let me know!) also, some of these books are on the academic side. I’ve done my best to note when a book was very academic or when I found it to be more readable. (full disclosure on that note: I’m a college grad and voracious reader without any reading-specific learning disabilities, so my opinion may be different than yours!) as a final note, I was able to access most of these as e-books/audiobooks through my local library. I live in a major metropolitan area, if that gives you any idea of how easy it’ll be for you to find these books. I’ve noted when a book was more difficult to get my hands on.

History

Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World 1890-1940 by George Chauncey. As the title suggests, this book focuses on gay male communities in NYC pre-World War 2. Even with that limited scope, this is an important read to better understand gay male history in the early 20th century. Gay communities thrived in the early 1900s and this snapshot of that is really wonderful. This is definitely more of an academic read, but I highly recommend it. while it definitely focuses on white middle-class gay men, there was more discussion of poor and/or gay men of color than i had actually expected, so that’s nice. (CW for rape and sexual assault, homophobic violence and medicalization of homosexuality.)

Queering the Color Line: Race and the Invention of Homosexuality in American Culture by Siobhan B. Somerville. Finally, a book about queer history that actually talks about black people! I was expecting more of a history book, whereas this was more of a critique of specific novels, plays and movies of the early 1900s and was way more focused than i was expecting. don’t get me wrong, I majored in English lit so i’m super into that kind of analysis as well, it just wasn’t as far-reaching as I would have liked. Also, it’s very academic. (Only the print version was available at my library.) (CW for racism, mentions of slavery.)

Transgender History by Susan Striker. This book describes itself as an “approachable introductory text” to transgender history in the US, which I agree with. It’s a pretty short read given the enormity of the topic, so it doesn’t go into much detail about specific groups or events, but imo it’s a good introduction. Especially interesting to me was the information about where and when TERF ideology began. Academic but on the easier-to-read side. (CW for transphobia, gross TERF rhetoric, brief mentions of the AIDS crisis, police violence.)

Gay Revolution by Lillian Faderman. okay so, I gave this 1 star. it’s probably a good book if you know absolutely nothing about US LGBTQ history and want an intro, but a review on goodreads said that it should be called Gay Assimilation instead and i completely agree. Faderman focuses on white middle-to-upper class gay and lesbian assimilationists, often at the expense of radical queer and trans people of color. The latter is hardly mentioned at all, which is ridiculous given trans folks’ contributions to the LGBTQ movement. When radical people ARE mentioned, it’s often in a disparaging way, or in a way that positions the radicals as too extreme. Faderman constantly repeats the refrain that the fight for LGBT rights was “just like what black people did for their rights” without any addendum about why that is...not a good take. There’s no meaningful discussion of race, class or intersectionality. She lauds Obama as a hero for the gays and there’s a ton (I mean a TON) of content about how military acceptance + gay marriage = we won, or whatever. anyway, i wasn’t a fan, although many of the events and organizations discussed in this book are important to know just from a factual basis. (CW for all the stuff I mentioned, plus police violence, medicalization of homosexuality. it’s also fucking LONG so i recommend the audiobook, lol.)

Queer (In)Justice: The Criminalization of LGBT People in the United States by Joey L. Mogul, Andrea J. Ritchie, and Kay Whitlock. This is “a searing examination of queer experiences--as ‘suspects,’ defendants, prisoners, and survivors of crime.” A frequently upsetting but super important read about how LGBTQ identities have been policed in the past, and currently are policed today. i wish there was more focus on trans folks, but other than that it’s a solid read. (CW for all the things you’d expect a book about policing and imprisoning LGBTQ folks to include: police and institutionalized violence, sexual assault, transphobia, homophobia.)

Stonewall by Martin Duberman. This book follows the lives and activism of six LGBTQ folks before, during and after the Stonewall riots. Note: Stonewall itself is only discussed in one chapter about 2/3 of the way through, the rest of the book dedicated to the six individuals’ lives and activism up to and after that point. It’s a history book with a strong narrative focus that I found to be a fairly accessible read. (CW for minors engaging in sex work and sexual predation by adults, sexual and domestic violence, police violence, drug and alcohol abuse, mentions of suicide.)

And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts. This is a HEAVY but really important read about the AIDS epidemic in the US, tracking the disease and the political/cultural response from about 1980-1985. It’s journalistic nonfiction, so although it’s a very long book I found it easier to read than more academic-y books. the only thing i really disliked was how the book demonized “Patient Zero” in quite unfair ways, but it was originally published in ‘87 so that explains part of it. I want to stress again that it’s heavy, as you’d expect a book about thousands of deaths to be. (CW: oh boy where to start. Graphic descriptions of disease/death, graphic descriptions of sex, medical neglect, republican nonsense.)

Memoirs, essays, etc

Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme edited by Ivan E. Coyote. i felt mixed about this one! i appreciated the different perspectives regarding gender and desire, especially since this anthology contains a lot of essays by people who came of age in the 60s-80s (so there’s a historical bent too). but some of the essays feel dated, at best, and offensive at worst. there was more than one instance of TERF-y ideology thrown in. probably 1/4 of the essays were really really great, and i’d still recommend reading it in order to form your own opinions--also, imo it’s useful to see where TERF ideology comes from. this book was harder to find, and i had to order a print version through interlibrary loan. (CW for a few TERFy essays. i read this earlier in the year so it’s possible i’m forgetting some other triggers, sorry!)

Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation by (editors) Kate Bornstein and S. Bear Bergman. Serving as a follow-up of sorts to Bornstein’s Gender Outlaw, this is a collection of narratives by transgender and gender-nonconforming folks. While not “history” in a technical sense, many of the writers are 30+ and give a wide array of LGBTQ+ experiences, past and present, that are important. I didn’t agree with every single viewpoint, of course, duh! But some of the essays were really powerful and overall it’s a good read. (CW for one essay about eating disorders, some outdated language/reclaimed slurs as to be expected--language is one of the main themes of the collection actually so the “outdatedness” is important.)

S/He by Minnie Bruce Pratt. A memoir published in 1995, focusing on Minnie’s life, marriage, gender identity, eventual coming out and relationship with Leslie Feinberg. i really enjoyed this one. it was beautifully written. there are many erotic elements to this memoir so keep that in mind. also was a little harder to get, and i had to order a print version via interlibrary loan. (i read this awhile ago and can’t remember specific triggers, sorry! if anyone knows of some, please let me know.)

I’m Afraid of Men by Vivek Shraya. A memoir by a trans woman ruminating on masculinity. it’s beautiful and very short (truly more of a longform essay), so it’s a good one if you don’t have the attention span/time for longer books. (CW for sexism, harassment, transphobia.)

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde. god, this memoir is gorgeous and is one of my favorite books of the year. it chronicles Audre’s childhood in Harlem and her coming-of-age in the 1950s as a lesbian. ultimately, this is a book about love and that resonates throughout every page. idk can you tell i loved this book so much??? (CW for child abuse, sexual assault, a friend’s suicide, racism.)

We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib. suuuuch a good book! Samra writes about her life as she and her family arrive in Canada as refugees from Pakistan in her early childhood, onto her life today as a queer Muslim woman of color, photographer and activist. beautifully written and just such an important perspective. Only the print version was available at my library. (CW for child sexual assault, a suicide attempt and suicidal ideation, non-graphic mentions of domestic violence, racism and sexism.)

Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kababe. this is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel memoir about the author’s journey of discovering eir identity as queer. i related to a lot of it, which was great on a personal level, but i also think it could be a great educational tool for those wanting to know more about gender queerness (especially for those who prefer graphic novels!) (CW for gender dysphoria, descriptions of gynecological exams, imagery of blood and a couple pages depicting being impaled, some nudity, vomit.)

#lgbtq history #lgbtq #book recs #lgbtq books #lgbtq nonfiction #booktalk #queer history #queer

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blackswaneuroparedux · 4 years

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Anonymous asked: From the news European countries have been easing the lock down but restaurants and cafes remain closed. So what do you do for food? Do you cook? Are you a good cook? Do you enjoy cooking?

You are right to say in Europe things have been easing up a little. However each European country is responding differently as things present themselves on the ground. In France and in Paris in particular the lock down has eased with shops re-opening and schools have limited re-opening. The shops allow a limited number of people in at any one time so there is a queue usually (orderly and well humoured it has be said, at least in my experience). Cafes and restaurants remain closed pending a further review - in early June I think. But some eateries do deliveries for pick ups by a side window.

I cook. Just how well is more debatable as my criteria for success is not to kill others or myself. So judged on that score I would say I’m a reasonably decent cook. I hate to admit it but next to British food Norwegian food is not really much to write home about. I’m actually being harsh on British cuisine. I know everyone goes on about how bad British food is but it’s a cliche and untrue given the plethora of of cooking TV shows and just how dramatically British cuisine has changed in the last 30 years. I’ve been lucky to have dined at some really great restaurants from childhood because my father in particular was a foodie and we ate well.

I would like to say I learned a lot from my mother but I didn’t pay as much attention as I should have. She could very cook well but she did so rarely and at a time when we siblings didn’t take much interest. My Norwegian mother was fortunate to learn culinary skills on a cooking course for girls one summer in the Swiss alps at a finishing school as she was also at a nearby boarding school. Her parents thought she would make a good homely wife and hostess - but typically Norwegian my mother had other ideas. Still, a lot of what she learned had stayed with her and she developed a keen interest in French style of cooking to be able to cook well when she wanted to.

When we lived overseas in some countries - such as in India, Pakistan, Dubai and China - we had native cooks and servants and I remember spending a lot of time watching how the food was being made in the kitchen with the friendly cook. And I learned a few things here and there. We didn’t just eat ‘British food’ at home but actually enjoyed the local cuisine. I loved walking in the bazaars and eating street food - it was tasty and so much fun. My parents would put on lavish parties and that was always catered. I did learn from my mother when I did pay attention and her example stayed with me.

At boarding school and university I would cook as well but again nothing exceptional. Often I would have friends around and we would cook together and I would be naturally curious as to how they made a dish that was from their country and I learned on the hoof from them. At university I also started to write down recipes and kept a record of them in a file. So quick and easy meals from little ingredients because of an essay crisis or during a revision slog or the occasional dinner party where I sweated on making dishes from well thumbed cook books. No one died so encouraged I carried on cooking.

I do love cooking because it allows me to have the mental space to think about other things other than work or personal stuff. It gives me a lot of peace in cooking for myself and for others. I’m not a seat by the pants kind of cook. I envy those who can just naturally toss ingredients together and come up with something divine. I am quite regimented. I like to have all my ingredients clearly cut and put on plates in the right order. I like order over chaos. It doesn’t mean my mind is regimented. I can cook a recipe from muscle memory but I need to have order on the kitchen table.

These days I’m fortunate that I get to dine in some very fine Michelin starred restaurants on my business travels and it’s made a more discerning foodie. I avoid restaurant food in hotels for instance because consistently they disappoint. Instead I always plan ahead if I know I am going to a foreign city I will reserve a table during my stay of a restaurant recommended by foodie friends I respect. Often I have to choose the restaurant for a corporate client we may be schmoozing and that has broadened my knowledge and palate to find the right restaurant through trial and error. In Paris too with friends usually we go and try out restaurants that are on the rise and off the tourist beaten track. For the food gourmand though Lyon is the place to go for a pilgrimage. It is after all the place where the great French chef Paul Bocuse was based.

At home I do like to cook for dinner parties in my apartment. It takes planning in terms of deciding what dishes to cook - French cuisine naturally. Through Parisian friends I am more discerning where to go to get the required ingredients. I plan the whole dinner party like a military operation in terms of the logistics. Some may laugh but I take to heart what the great French chef Jacques Pepin once said that, “great cooking favours the prepared hands”.

As a ritual I always do my vegetable shopping in the weekend food market stalls or I go to particular boutiques shops where there is an artisanal element on display. Even what to cook I take into account the people I am bringing together and how they might get a long over the food. The French never bring a bottle of wine to a dinner party as one might in England. It would be considered rude. And yet wine is a serious accompaniment to the food served. Fortunately for me I co-own a vineyard with my two cousins out in the sticks of rural France so I have become greatly educated about wine and my little wine collection is sufficient for all occasions.

I think through osmosis I have become a better cook and I can feel it every time I go back to England to see friends or my family. I do look on horrified at what they are eating some times. But I have to remind myself not to fall into the trap of being a Parisian food snob. In England I think the food in restaurants has greatly improved but it’s also true that less and less people know how to cook. This is also increasingly true in France too, especially Paris. Fast food and pre-cooked meals from restaurants as well as Uber/Deliveroo are changing things habits. Habits such as cooking dishes were handed down from generation to generation but instead are at your ready made finger tips.

One of my French friends is a chef trained food critic for a major magazine and he has helped me become a better cook. I feel like I am in a piano class with a stern teacher as he slaps my hands in irritation if I try to write down notes instead of paying close attention to the wafting aromas. To him food is spiritual and aesthetic experience that has to be engaged with the heart and the soul. He keeps chiding me that “You are not cooking. You are making love”.

I don’t quite feel as lyrical or mystical as he but I appreciate the passion and this marvellous trait of actually caring.

From him and other French friends I feel I’ve become a better chef by absorbing certain key principles in good and healthy cooking: never rush cooking as if you’re chasing a missed bus but savour every moment; eat as fresh and natural as possible; local and seasonal are best; left your ingredients be your seasoning; fat is your friend, use butter over olive oil in dishes; never waste food, use all of it; everything in moderation; and every meal is a celebration and not an ordeal.

The last one in particular is important. A meal is not about eating (or drinking of good wine) it’s about the conversation. In the same way it is impossible for an Italian to cook for one person - try making lasagne or any pasta dish for one because you’ll end up making it for five - so it is for the French. Good food is nothing without good conversation.

For the French a successful evening isn’t just judged by the food but also by the talk around the table. The French love to pontificate, gyrate, and muse on any topic under the sun. It’s not just about the knowledge or intellect one brings to the table but also a worthy argument. A true argument isn’t to exclude people but an invitation to draw people in with their own unique views to come to some settled truth. A riposte must nick but never wound for good manners are premium. Wit and charm are prized but courtesy and grace are precious. Parisians tend to have elevated convivial conversations and yet outside of Paris the conversations are more earthy and hearty - ate least that’s been my experience. Either way conversation is a companion to cooking.

I’ve learned this last principle from my lockdown experience with my neighbours in the small apartment building I live in. Most of the residents have bolted before the lockdown to their country homes in Normandy and Bretagne. A few have remained for different reasons. During the lock down phase a couple of us have been buying food for the more senior aged neighbours.

In particular two neighbours I have done their personal shopping for them since they are classified at risk. One is a retired army general and another is retired art gallery owner. They both have gourmand tastes and I have to trek to particular shops to buy the things they want, usually preserves or cheeses or pastries. I often cook for them and often it’s dishes they are used to having so I’m extending my culinary range. They are both fussy eaters used to having a gourmand palate so I feel like I’m at school sometimes having to be corrected now and again as well as being graded.

They were at first wary of letting me cook for them because they thought I was another English barbarian but I slowly won them over. I’ve even got them to try some very English things. The cakes I did went down well but they really liked my scones as well as the clotted cream and jam to go with it. Here I must thank my new Fortnum and Mason’s cook book which has an excellent recipe for scones. I’m surprised at how quickly people have taken to them. So much so it’s become a weekend ritual with the other residents of the building.

We gather at the weekends in the enclosed court yard and with some the small kids having the freedom to run around a little the rest of us sit and chat and we share food that we’ve all cooked. We listen to music played by two residents each proficient on the violin and cello. It’s a fantastic bonding experience and it brings us closer together to the point we have our own WhatsApp group and we help each other out when we can. And surely that is another reason why one enjoys cooking is the sheer pleasure that you hope to bring to others through the taste of food.

If I have learned anything then it’s that is no good or a bad cuisine, just the one you like the best. We all have taste, even if we don’t realise it. Whether a person cooks well or badly it doesn’t stop you understanding the difference between what tastes good and what doesn’t.

For me cooking is precious. Cooking brings rhythm and meaning to my life.

Thanks for your question.

#ask #question #cooking #cook #cuisine #food #personal #scones

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religioused · 4 years

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Stolen Identity: The Bush is Still Burning

by Gary Simpson

Exodus 3:1-15 (KJV)

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

And the angel of theLord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

Reflection:

We get a lot of news from the United States. My feed on Twitter is full of news about protests. On TikTok, I am able to see short video clips of protests for racial justice. I feel exhausted by all of the protests, hatred, violence, shootings. Part of what makes the news so discouraging and exhausting is that I know we struggle with so much racism Canada.

There is a theme of dual identities in today’s Hebrew Scriptures. For some of us, the term dual identity is new. A dual identity is when a person has an identity in a minority group and has an identity in the larger community. I will give a few examples, so you have a sense of dual identities. An Indigenous person may identify as First Nation and Canadian at the same time. A person whose family immigrated to Canada from Pakistan may identify as Pakistani and Canadian. Being LGBT+ and Christian is a dual identity. Variety might be the spice of life, but people living with dual identities might find that diversity is challenging. Young people find it difficult when the values and customs at home are not shared by many other people living in Canada. In some cases, the two identities may be considered to be mutually exclusive. After 9/11, some people mistakenly thought that Muslims could not be good Americans. Islamophobia increased after 9/11. LGBT+ people of faith are often rejected by many people in both their houses of worship and the LGBT+ community.

I am going to summarize events leading up to today's Hebrew Scripture reading. The children of Israel moved to Egypt because of the famine in their homeland. Initially, they were welcome in Egypt because Jacob, an Israelite, was a powerful official in the Egyptian government. Then a new Pharoah, who did not understand how much Jacob did for Egypt, came to power. The new Pharoah was frightened by the number of Israelite immigrants in the country. This new Pharoah instituted a policy of slavery over the children of Israel. Egyptians were put in charge of groups of the Israelite men to make sure that they worked hard. The New International Version says the Egyptians worked the Israelites "ruthlessly." To the Egyptians, it felt like the more the children of Israel were oppressed, the more Israelites there were.

The midwives were told to kill the Israelite baby boys when they were born, but the midwives had a good sense of medical ethics and refused to kill them. Pharoah eventually ordered that all baby boys be thrown into the Nile River. Moses' mother hid him for a few months and then she placed Moses in a basket and left him in the reeds along the Nile River. The Pharoah's daughter went to that part of the river to bathe. When she saw the basket and the baby in the basket, she knew that Moses was an Israelite baby. Moses sister was watching and she went to the king's daughter and volunteered to find a Hebrew woman who could nurse the baby. After Moses was old enough that he did not need to be breast fed, Moses went to live with the king's daughter, as if he was her son. Pharoah's daughter chose the name Moses because she drew the baby out of the water.(1) Moses name was a foreshadowing of what took place. In Hebrew, there is a sense that the name Moses meant "the one drawing out"(2) and Moses ends up playing a vital role in drawing the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Moses was raised with the Egyptians, as an Egyptian. As a child, he had his identity stolen from him. Having dual and conflicting identities can be the source of a lot of personal stress and pain. When people have dual identities, there are times when they feel forced to choose one identity or the other. In other cases, they embrace both identities and face rejection from many other people who share one of their identities. There is something about having experienced oppression that makes some people into powerful activists.

We are uncertain why Moses went to check on how things were with his people, the children of Israel. He might have been trying to connect more with his identity as an Israelite. He might have curious about what it was like to be an Israelite. He notices an Egyptian beating a Hebrew man. Thinking nobody is watching, he kills the Egyptian and buries him. When Moses realizes that the murder was witnessed, he fled to Midian, which kept the Pharoah from killing him.

Josephus, the Jewish historian, tells a story about Moses, which might not be factually correct. In Josephus' story, young Moses threw the Pharoah's crown on the floor. According to the book of Hebrews, Moses chose to give up the advantages of royalty to "throw in his lot with his own people."(3)

While in Midian, Moses notices the daughters of a Midianite priest, Jethro, are drawing water from a well. Some shepherds drive Jethro’s daughters away from the well. Moses came to the rescue of the ladies and he helped draw water for their flocks. This action shows Moses' "passion for justice."(4) Jethro hears about what happened from his daughters. He tells them to invite Moses to their home, so Moses can have something to eat. Jethro ends up giving one of his daughters to Moses to have as a wife.

For Moses, Midian was a safe place to live. He did not have to worry about death threats from the Pharaoh. He could live in relative pace, but the Midianites were not his people. Even though he married a Midianite lady, it was not his home and he was not with his people. The name of Moses’ son gives us a sense that he was not at home in Midian. Moses names his son Gershom, which can mean "a stranger there.”(5) I am left wondering if he chose the name "a stranger" for his son to emphasize the fact that Moses was a stranger in Midian. One of my Bible commentaries notes that Moses might have named his son "a stranger there," as a way of reminding himself that his "destiny" is with the children of Israel, not the Midianites where he is living.(6)

Moses notices the burning bush. What catches Moses’ attention is that the bush is on fire, but it is not burning. The fact that the bush burns, but is not burned up, illustrates the permanent nature of the children of Israel. The bush is a symbol of the Israelites and the fire is a symbol of their persecution.(7) The fire also represents God’s presence.(8)

God heard the crying of the Israelites who were slaves in Egypt. God will use Moses to liberate the children of Israel from slavery and to take them to the promised land. Moses is to tell the children of Israel that God is going to rescue them. Then Moses asks a key question. Moses wants to know God's name, so he can tell the children of Israel who the God is who is going to rescue them from oppression in Egypt.

And we hear God's famous answer. "I am who I am." Other people translate the name God told Moses in a different way. A few Bible commentators support the translation “I am that I am.” Commentaries by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, Joseph Benson and Charles Ellicott seem to give credibility to the translation “I am that I am.”(9) There are a number of meanings that can come from “I am that I am.” Commentators such as Matthew Henry emphasize the sense that this means God is “eternal and unchangeable.”(10) I wonder if the answer God gave Moses means this:

I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I am that, I am. I am the I am that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob worshipped. I am that, I am. In other words, “I am that, I am,” might mean, I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I am that God.

When I think of God's answer, my mind goes back to 1970 when the Government of Canada enacted the War Measures Act. The Act gave the government power to temporarily suspend some human rights. When asked how far he was prepared to take the War Measures Act, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau said, "Just watch me.”(11) I wonder if the message that God was sending to the children of Israel, who may have doubted that God would do what was needed to deliver them, was, “Just watch me.” To those who feel things all is hopeless, that there is no hope for a just society, a message from this text can be that God is prepared to go as far as it takes to support you. “Just watch God.”

I want to speak directly to those who have had their identity stolen, to those who straight, European Canadian society expected to talk, act, think, look, and worship God like straight European Christians.

• Indigenous peoples living in Canada and the United States. The European colonizers and settlers stole your identity.

• Descendants of Black slaves. We stole you and your identity.

• Asians. We stole your identity.

• LGBT+. We stole your identity.

• To all groups who we called an abomination or treated like an abomination.

Genesis 46:34 "every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”(12) There are a few reasons why shepherds might have been considered to be an abomination. There is a possibility that some shepherds waged an aggressive war against the Egyptians.(13) Because the word abomination is used, shepherds might not have shared the same religion as most Egyptians.(14) The shepherds may have killed some of the animals that Egyptians considered sacred.(15) How shepherds were viewed is seen in some ancient art. In ancient art, shepherds were depicted as unshaven and poorly dressed. Shepherds were considered to be a little “rude and rough.”(16)

With God’s help, Moses brought the children of Israel out of slavery and to the very edge of the promised land. I think he is the greatest spiritual leader of the Hebrew Scriptures. And Moses, a shepherd, was an abomination. God chose Moses, an abomination to the Egyptians, to stand up to the Pharaoh and to lead the children of Israel out of slavery. You may have been marginalized, considered to be vile, an abomination. Do not internalize messages of hate. You are chosen by God to lead, to make a difference. In some cases, you will make a difference by changing many hearts, one heart at a time. In other cases, you may change many hearts at once.

Desmond Tutu gave a tremendous challenge to Black South Africans, when he said, “Be nice to the whites, they need you to rediscover their humanity.”(17) My hope is that in some way you will help people discover their humanity.

Now I want to speak to those who do not have dual identities. Desmond Tutu has a challenge for us too. Our call is to do ordinary acts of love. Tutu says, “Your ordinary acts of love and hope point to the extraordinary promise that every human life is of inestimable value.”(18) So practice random and intentional acts of kindness.

And Desmond Tutu’s challenge for everybody. Our challenge is to talk to the people we fear or hate the most. Tutu says, “Peace comes when you talk to the guy you most hate. And that's where the courage of a leader comes, because when you sit down with your enemy, you as a leader must already have very considerable confidence from your own constituency.(19)

End Notes

(1) Exodus 2:10 (NIV).

(2) Merrill F. Unger. Unger's Bible Handbook: An Essential Guide to Understanding the Bible. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1967), 89.

(3) William Neil, translator. William Neil's One Volume Bible Commentary. (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1973), 71 and Unger (1967), 89.

(4) Neil (1973), 71.

(5) "Gershom: Smith's Bible Dictionary." Bible Study Tools. <https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/smiths-bible-dictionary/gershom.html>.

(6) Neil (1973), 71.

(7) Unger (1967), 89.

(8) Neil (1973), 72.

(9) “Exodus 3:14.” Bible Hub. n.d., 03 August 2020. <https://biblehub.com/commentaries/exodus/3-14.htm>.

(10) “Exodus 3:14.” Bible Hub. n.d., 03 August 2020. <https://biblehub.com/commentaries/exodus/3-14.htm>.

(11) “CBC Archives: Just Watch Me, 1970.” Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, YouTube. n.d., 03 August 2020. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfUq9b1XTa0>.

(12) English Standard Version.

(13) Matthew Poole. Matthew Poole's Commentary. n.d., 01 August 2020. <https://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/46-34.htm>.

(14) Charles John Ellicott, ed. Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers. (London: Cassell and Company, 1905) n.d., 01 August 2020. <https://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/46-34.htm>.

(15) Ellicott (1905) n.d., 01 August 2020. <https://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/46-34.htm>, Joseph Benson. Benson Commentary of the Old and New Testaments. (New York: T. Carlton & J. Porter, 1857) n.d., 01 August 2020. <https://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/46-34.htm>, and Poole. 01 August 2020. <https://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/46-34.htm>.

(16) Ellicott (1905) n.d., 01 August 2020. <https://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/46-34.htm>.

(17) Desmond Tutu Quotes. Brainy Quote. n.d., 26 August 2020. <https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/desmond-tutu-quotes>.

(18) Desmond Tutu Quotes. Brainy Quote. n.d., 26 August 2020. <https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/desmond-tutu-quotes_3>.

(19) Desmond Tutu Quotes. Briany Quote. n.d., 26 August 2020. <https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/desmond-tutu-quotes>.

#christian #sermon #church #bible #love #lgbt #black lives matter #Indigenous #Aboriginal #First Nation #discrimination #prejudice #protests

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zunair · 4 years

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In conversation With Madiha Ifthikar

Madiha Ifthikar is a proud daughter of Iftikhar Ahmed and Rehana Iftikhar, born in Islamabad. She started her career at the age of 17, known for her breathtaking acting and lovely smile. Her eye-catching expressions made people hooked to TV screens. She has done quite a several dramas which include: Souteli, Kaise Yeh Junoon, Dil Dard Dhuan, Andata, etc.

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Madiha Ifthikar has work with the renowned actors of her time but now happily married and settled in Dubai.

We recently had a conversation with her and which is as follows:

SP: How are you spending your quarantine? Madiha. Well, we had time to spend with our family, we cook together, eat together, play together, we value the time Allah has given. He has given us the chance to connect with him. We try to do as much for the people as we could( without posting it on social media ;). So I am enjoying my quarantine.

SP: Tell us about your journey in the entertainment industry. Madiha: It was a beautiful journey, most people know how I got into media. I was the luckiest young girl back then who has worked with almost all the senior renowned actors and learned a lot from them. I made amazing friends who are my family now. My fraternity is always there for each other.

SP: One difference you have observed in the entertainment industry after you left. Madiha: That’s a difficult question. When I joined media our seniors use to say their time was the best time now that I am senior I’ll say our time was the best time so I think people change, thinking change, behaviors change according to the period. So I have seen a lot of difference now there’s positive and negative. The only thing I want to see is to be professional and be sincere with your work. SP. What are your favorite new age actors? Madiha. I am not a good person to ask this question as I don’t watch dramas a lot and have very little knowledge about new actors, but recently I like Yumna for her role in Pyar k Sadqay. She has a great margin to act and she is doing justice to it. SP: Any actor of the current era, you want to work with. Madiha: I want to work with all the new actors. Because every actor has it’s own style and character and you get to learn new things and methods. SP: What is your opinion on the streaming of Turkish content? Madiha: This is a good step, I am and was never against the content from other countries. I agree that We should promote our culture and traditions but showing other cultures and that too from the golden era which is giving you awareness about your religion about your forefathers isn’t a harm. Turkish dramas are binge-watching. We should on air such projects which are not based on extramarital affairs, sister enemies, love triangle. We need to see the bigger picture now.’

SP: Where do you see the future of the entertainment industry? Madiha: I was expecting a change of scripts and concepts a little bit, when I came back I was surprised that the new era is also working on the same scripts which we have done many times. There is a different cast but the same story, unfortunately, we are out of stories and no one has the courage to experiment on new stories. We need to come up with different subjects which could help the young generation to be a better person. Life is not about love, revenge, betrayal there’s more to it.

SP: What is your opinion on films currently made in the country? Madiha: I am glad that our film industry is reviving and we get to see Pakistani movies in different countries now. I feel proud at least we are taking small steps to make our film industry run in the whole world, InshAllah.

SP: Who is your inspiration in life?

Madiha: My parents are my biggest inspiration. I’ve seen my parents work selflessly for the betterment of our deaf community. They have started ‘Bolty Hath’ to make normal people communicate easily with differently Abled and they have encouraged them not to take their disability as their weakness but make it their strength. I want to be like my parents one day.

SP: One thing you love/hate about yourself. Madiha: I love that I am very selfless I can’t see anyone in distress. I hate that I expect a lot from the people who are close to me. I should stop expecting to make my life easier. SP: Any regret in life? Madiha: Nt really, I did what I always wanted. I have lived my life the way I pictured when I was young, I got married to the person I love the most. I don’t have any regrets, Allahmdullilah.

SP: Three things about you the world doesn’t know.

Madiha: There’s no such thing that people doesn’t know about me. I am an open book .

SP: The most underrated and overrated drama/film you recently saw. Madiha: Joker was overrated and IT was underrated.

SP: any message to your fans who miss seeing you on screen. Madiha: My fans who are missing me I miss you all too. you can follow me on Instagram:http://www.instagram.com/madihaiftikharofficial.You will not miss me anymore because I’ll be more connected to you there then dramas.

Thank you Madiha for being a great sport through out the interview. Wish you all the best for your future ahead.

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