The Perfect Bride for the Perfect Prince

Once upon a time, there lived handsome prince who was very picky and choosy. When he was little, he always wanted to be fed by his ma all the time. When he was old enough to hunt, he only used bow and arrows made by a certain specific carpenter who lived far away. He ate apples freshly plucked from the tree before he ate and always preferred the best of everything. 

The King and Queen were worried as he grew up and was old enough to get married. The Prince was their only son and as  they grew old, they wanted him to get married and have children. however, the Prince remained a bachelor and didn't show any interest in any girl at all. 

So the King and the Queen threw a ball where all the beautiful maidens of the kingdom were invited. The Prince met with the maidens and politely spoke to them but he doesn't seem to fall for the even the fairest and the prettiest of them. He didn't look happy as time passed and he just mingled among the crowd. 

"Whats the matter son?", asked the King as his son didn't look happy and looked as if he was about to leave. 

"I'm tired father, I'd like to retire to my chamber now", the Prince replied. 

"You seem to be sad son, isn't there a girl among the crowd you like", asked the Queen. 

"I'm afraid not, I can't seem to find the perfect girl for me among the crowd dear mother, forgive me," said the Prince apologetically. 

The Prince left the ball and the king and queen entertained their guest until everybody left. That night the King and Queen could not sleep. They were awake all night thinking and thinking of what they would do and towards morning, the Queen had a great idea. 

The next morning, over breakfast the queen informed the prince about her plan to get him the perfect bride and to her joy, he agreed and he thought that she was a genius! 

And so the messengers started their journey to deliver the invitation cards to a grand ball that would be held in a months time in their kingdom. A princess from each kingdom was invited and they were suppose to present themselves in the ball and a small performance was also expected from them to show their talents as well. They were also told that the winner of this competition would be the princess to me married to the prince. 

As the day neared of the grand ball, princesses from different kingdoms arrived and were given chambers from the castle. The prince kept to himself and didn't meet any of the princess taking part in the competition. Beautiful princess belonging to different kingdoms roamed around the castle in their fancy gowns. They were rather curious about this prince who wanted the perfect bride. This made all the princess excited about the competition and they all wanted to do their best. 

Finally the day that they have all been waiting for arrived. The Prince emerged from his chamber and entered the grand hall decorated for the ball. The princesses nearly fainted when they saw how handsome he was. The King, Queen and the Prince sat at the front row and the princess introduced themselves one by one. 

Next they were given the opportunity to perform any item that they wanted to show their talents. Some princesses performed a dance, while the others sang beautiful songs. Some of them even narrated a beautiful story where the whole audience was mesmerized. Some of them did magic tricks while others showed their skill of archery. 

After this performance, the best ten princesses were chosen and they were asked a question by the judging panel. the King, Queen and the Prince. Finally the princesses were asked to help themselves to the banquet while the results were finalized. 

They all waited nervously ignoring the rich banquet especially prepared for them. Finally the King addressed the gathering. He thanked all the princess for accepting the invitation and attending the grand ball. He also said that if he had to choose a bride from such a beautiful and talented crowd, he would have gone mad, but his son has made up his mind and he would be making the announcement!. 

As the Prince took his place next to his father in the limelight, for a minute, all the princesses held their breath and waited. They could hardly contain themselves. Everyone wanted to be his wife because he was so handsome and was so perfect in every way. The way he walked, the way he ate, looked and smiles was just perfect. They didn't see any flaw in him. 

"All the princesses here are beautiful, it's a pity I have to choose one", said the Prince with a smile on his face. 

"I'm not just looking for a beautiful bride, but I'm looking for someone smart, talented and a companion who would keep me happy for the rest of my life", he further explained. 

To this, all the princess in the crowd nodded like puppets! 

"So I have chosen the princess from China because I fell in love with her beauty and her beautiful character as well. I'm not denying that she has the most gorgeous complexion or the silkiest hair of all. He graceful dance enthralled me like no other girl could! She kind, compassionate and funny too! I can't find a better life partner than the Princess from China. 

To this, the whole crowd agreed. All the princesses have spent about a week together in the castle because they arrived early to be briefed about the competition and they have spent a considerable amount of time together getting to know each other too. They all knew that the Princess from China was beautiful and she always went out of her way to help others. 

Indeed the perfect Prince has chosen the perfect Princess as his bride! The King and Queen were overjoyed. The whole kingdom celebrated and the perfect couple were married as soon as the King and Queen of China arrived. 

So the very first beauty pageant was held a long time ago by the perfect Prince to find the perfect bride for him. Of course, they lived happily ever after!

~ The End ~

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DHONTHI

Today is Mariyam Suha's (my little sister) birthday and she is not in Male'. Maly has been begging me to call her but she's far away and I don't think she's is up either. She has made a card and present too! This shows how fond she is of her aunt Dhonthi.

Birthday card made by Maly

This is the card she made for her. The girl wearing blue is Maleesha (my daughter) and her Dhonthi is wearing red. Mummu (my son, Mishaal) is wearing green and he is crawling. She says she drew a purple cake and a purple crayon because Dhonthi likes purple colour. She also said she would have drawn a purple flame but purple flames is not real and then she laughed! Oh and there are helium balloons too floating in the air...see the strings aren't tied to anything.

The birthday present! 

Now this really shows how much Maly loves her aunt! The fact that Maly cannot give a prsent today did not keep her from getting her one. She kept on telling me that she wanted to give a present today and I kept on explaining that it would be impossible to send one instantly to Dhonthi today. So she finally drew this soft toy and says this is her present, tell her that the tag is also visible and upload this on Facebook so that Dhonthi would see it.

This is Maly playing baseball. 

Finally, this is the last drawing that she wanted to show Dhonthi. Maly can now hit a ball with her bat. She likes to play baseball and I have to be the pitcher all the time! I actually can't wait for her to come home, so that Dhonthi and Maly can enjoy playing together!

The best grandfather in the world.

My grandfather (Hussain Naseer), My little sister (Aminath Shifa) and Beebi (Ibrahim Kashif Naseer) 

When I think about my childhood now, I have a lot of memories of happy, unforgettable incidents. Some very fond memories of my grandfather Hussain Naseer would be among the best of all.

We use to live with my mothers extended family. I was an only child at home for many years before my little sister (Aminath Shifa) and Beebi arrived. We had a beautiful garden in our house. Yes, I'm talking about Male'! I use to play all by myself most of the time. My cousins would visit during the weekend and my mom would take me to visit grandma every now and then. During my childhood, besides my parents, the next person with whom I used to hangout most was my grandfather.

He use to tell me stories all the time and I believed every single word until later when I grew old enough to understand that most of them were fabricated and was the work of great story teller. Anyway, I was enchanted and perhaps its because of him that I actually got interested in story writing. There was no internet or cable TV, but I can assure you all that time spent with my grandfather was more educational and I learned so much from him.

Every evening my mom would bath me and dress me up. I would look like a princess in my best clothes and shoes. I would run around in the garden and play. I also wait quite eagerly for grandfather to come out of his room too. You see, every day I miss Mr Moll and the Barbapapa passing our house. My grandfather would shout when I reach the other side of the garden that they are coming. I would run with all my might and as I reach the door, panting like anything, he would just say...they just turned the corner and are not visible anymore! And I believed him every day! I was preschool back then!

We also had a secret that I never told anyone. Well until last year anyway! My mom would not allow me to eat custard or sweets after 5 in the afternoon because it would spoil my dinner. Custard was one of my favourites and my grandpa used to smuggle treats into his room and I would enjoy custard (most of the time) while we watched cartoon. I told my mother only this year and she sure was surprised!

My grandfather was a very famous singer in his day. Even now some of the radio stations would play his songs and it's really nice to hear his voice every now and then. Most of the time I stop whatever I'm doing and its like I'm travelling back in time...I'm a little girl and my grandfather is standing in front of me.

This is my favourite song by my grandfather:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kv65s09N6U&noredirect=1

I worked as a temporary teacher for one year and when I gave a present to grandfather from what I earned. The happiness that radiated from his face something I would always cherish in heart. Later he told my mum that I was the first grandchild to give him a present from what I have earned.

As we grew up he grew old and he was very sick for a long time. The memories of him in ICU and hospital still saddens me. When he was admitted in ICU, we use to visit him and sit outside taking turn one by one going in to see him. When we went in, he would hold out hand and talk. One night, a nurse came out looking rather worried. I quickly went towards the door thinking something must have gone wrong. She asked me to follow her and she led me to his bed. I was relieved to see that he was alright and wondered why the nurse looked so worried. Well, I soon found out! He had been asking for a mango juice and the nurse didn't understand. He was quite exasperated!

He loved mangoes and he ate cornflakes out straight out of the box like we eat thelli banbukeyo! When he was ill, one day I gave him a box of cornflakes and he finished it on the spot. During the few days with us, he use to eat a lot of oranges too. My mum made sure that we had oranges at home all the time. He loved perfume and he was always nicely groomed and dressed. 

I still miss my Kaafa (grandfather in Dhivehi) and will miss him as long as I live. I wish that he lived long enough to see me graduate, get married and have children. He would have been so proud. When I received my Diploma, he watched me on TV. H would have adored my children and spoiled them rotten and Maly and Mummu would definitely wait for their favourite cartoon characters to walk by our house too! He was the best grandpa in the whole world.

My Uncle

Mohamed Naseer 

For each and everyone of us, our families are very important for many reasons. In each family there would be a great entertainer, comedian, wise person, goody two shoes, know it alls, best chef and so on. We love our family members unconditionally and sometimes, we are more attached to some of them.  

I'm going to tell you all about my uncle, Thuththonbe. He is my uncle from my mother's side and his name is Mohamed Naseer. I just came back from his funeral. He passed away last night at the age of 67. 

I remember when I was about eight years old, he visited us one night. I was already in bed when he came, but I went to greet him. That night he taught asked me about my bedtime routine and whether recited the shahaadha and recited ayatul kursi and some other surahs. I told him that I had because I already knew them by heart and then he taught me this dhuaa that he said would help learn. I still recite it before I sleep every night and I taught this dhuaa to my daughter as well. 

Thuththonbe would visit us every now and then and he would tell us stories and give us advice whenever he visited us. His presence meant so much for us because whenever my grandfather was fatally ill or needed help, Thuththonbe would always be around.  

When my grandfather passed away in 2004, he visited house even more. He took care of my grandfathers youngest children like his own. He was a constant source of inspiration, good advice (especially when we needed it), unlimited love and entertainment too. He would come at around eight o'clock and tell us stories about his training in Sri Lanka (he was a former policeman) and some horror stories about shadows and ghosts, and we were hungry for more every night. 

When I had a very horrible experience (it's hard to explain), Thuththonbe was the only person who was able to fully understand what was happening to me and help me. Some people would not believe what I felt, saw and experience and perhaps, may laugh at me. I don't care! All I know is that it was real and whatever Thuththonbe has given me did save me. For this reason, I would forever be indebted to him. If my grandfather was alive, he would have done the same for me. 

In 2007 he visited me in the hospital when I had my daughter. I would never forget what he said the first time he held my daughter. He told Maly that he was her grandfather. I was so overwhelmed because that would be the exact words my grandfather would use if he were around when I had children. 

I visited him in 2011 when I knew I was pregnant to personally tell Thuththonbe, it was around December. Yes, he was very happy for me and even more happy that I visited him. I wish I had visited him more often because lately, I'm so busy with work and taking care of my children that I hardly go any where.  

Yesterday at around 1 pm my mother and I were in the kitchen and all of a sudden we thought of him and spoke about him. I realized that the last time I saw him was when Beebi was admitted in hospital about 4 months ago. I thought of calling him and checked my phone, I didn't have his number and thought I'll get his number and call him later. 

And then at night at around eleven thirty Beebi called me with the news that he was no more.I hurried to the hospital and there he was. I stood there beside his bed looking at his face knowing that I would never be able to hear his voice again. No more horror stories or advice when we are about to make an important decision. 

I felt as sad and lost as I did when my grandfather passed away because Thuththonbe is very dear and special for many reasons. I've known him all my life and he is not just a family member (name sake), I know him and he has done so much for me that I would always remember him and pray for him. 

Once a teacher, always a teacher!

Back in 2001 when I was just eighteen years old, I entered a classroom when I got the job as a temporary teacher. Yes, without any training I went into a classroom of third graders and greeted them. I was just suppose to fill in as their teachers was on sick leave. However, I did think about what I would do before I went.

I played hang man with them. Come on, it’s educational. I was helping them with their spelling and vocabulary and the kids enjoyed a lot. I was overwhelmed with the way they shook my hand as I greeted them when the bell rang and they asked me to come back. Then and there I decided that I would be a teacher!

Children can be funny, adorable and so many things at the same time. After completing Diploma in Primary Teaching, I joined Ghiyasuddin School. I was given a class and I taught all the subject except Islam, Dhivehi, Quruan and Music. I loved my job and especially my class.

My students were a bunch of seven plus year olds with toothless smiles. They were just so darn cute. Really, I was like every five minutes going...AAAAWW!! Some of them even offered milk packets and half of their cupcakes. I refused of course and the next day when all the kids left, there was a mom waiting to talk to me privately.

She had a kind smile on her face as she approached me and explained that her daughter was very upset that I didn’t accept “the interval” that she brought for me and cried herself to sleep! I felt horrible!! Apparently, she was worried and sad that I didn’t eat anything during the interval period and that I would be SO hungry! So she asked me to just accept it so that her little girl would be happy.

So I explained that it was not a good idea! What if other kids in the class wanted to bring something too! What if they went home and cried until their parents bought a snack for the teacher too! It would have been horrible! Luckily, this mom did understand. So what I did was, I told the little girl that every day I ate a huge plate of rice and curry that my mother cooked and drank a gigantic glass of juice so I never go hungry until I go home.

See what I mean! They are just adorable!

You might wonder why I pursued higher education in language teaching for higher grades after teaching in the primary grades for two years and moved on to teaching higher grades! Well it’s not that I hated or didn’t like primary grades, I loved teaching primary grades but I was constantly advised by my superiors that my language was too high and to simplify my speech (do not use big words) because children wouldn’t understand me! And besides, English language was my favourite subject and there was something about teachers who taught English language (they were the most popular and considered our favourite). And to become a teacher who taught English language was one of my favourite dreams from my childhood!

I remember the first time my supervisor observed my lesson. She was impressed but she said that I used too many big words! And she particularly noted down “volunteered” and said that this particular word was not in the second grade syllabus! But I pointed out that the kids understood me and came forward to write the answer on the board! And besides, to enrich their vocabulary, every week I introduced three new words that I wrote on the side of the black board and got them to use them in their writing and when they spoke! Of course I explained the meaning and drilled them every day before starting the lesson and throughout the week, I would ask them what they meant and or ask them to write a sentence on the board using one of the new words.

However, she told me not overdo it as these children were very young and try to just simply my speech. And I was suppose to encourage them to speak in English!

This reminds me of another incident that I would never ever forget! As I’ve said earlier, I was suppose to get my second graders to speak in English and I was doing my very best! I gave rewards and praised them if they tried! They didn’t have to be prefect…if they tried…that was good was good enough for me. And praising and the not so perfect star that I drew on the star chart did the trick.

Every Thursday was dictation day and during the interval period as the kids ate their snacks, I sat at my desk and quickly tried to mark the books so that I could give them their badges before they went home. As I was marking a girl walked up to me and muttered Miiissss!

So I asked her, “What is it dear?”

The girl said, “Meeeeeeeees.”

So I asked her again, “Come on, tell me now…what is it?”

Again she muttered, “Miss thiiiiiiisssssssssss!”

Without taking my eyes from the book that I was marking, I asked her again, “This what dear?”

The girl finally blurted out what she wanted to say, “Miss this omelet hurts!”

“WHAT OMELET and how can an omelet HURT!!!!” I thought! I stopped marking and looked up to see her pointing at a rash on her chin! 

You see, in Dhivehi we call pimple bihi and to lots of them or a rash bihigandu. Only then I realized she didn't know the word for bihigandu and was trying to think of a word to use. Interestingly...bis means egg in our language and bisgandu is omelet, so I guess she used omelet because that was the closest word she could think of!!!

I realized how hard my students were working to speak in English and for a teacher, that’s the best reward. I was overjoyed!

I miss teaching younger children but then I do not regret the fact that I left primary grades and moved on. I don’t think I would be very happy teaching the same grade (and constantly simplifying what I wanted to say) for the rest of my life. I like to try new jobs and teach different grades, teach in different institutes and simply enrich my experience as a teacher. So it’s just me, I like to move forward in my career and be a bit more adventurous and try new things I suppose! Yes, I do plan to pursue higher education (STILL) and may be try something new!

But I don’t see myself doing anything else…I mean besides teaching. I just love teaching and I can’t even imagine myself in another profession! 

My Friend Malik

Mohamed Malik

I've met so many people from different parts of this country when I studied in MNU (Maldives National University). That’s one of the best things about studying in MNU. Different people from different islands would join and if you are training to become a teacher, then the chances of meeting someone from each atoll would be very high in your group or class. I've met so many kind, cool, smart and amazing people from MNU that I would never ever forget.

One of them includes Malik. He has straight black hair and he is fair. I bet all the girls in the class were jealous of his beautiful unblemished skin. Seriously, for a guy his skin was really pretty and his face reminds me of Fair and Lovely commercials shown on Hindi channels. Yup, his face is as smooth as a baby’s bottom. However, I always thought that he was mad or angry! Always!!! He had this piercing angry eyes which always happened to be glaring. When he enters the class, his eyes would sweep over the entire class and he would have this smirk on his face. It would look like he is sneaking in and he has got a time bomb or something in his pocket that could go off any second! So I used to avoid him at all costs until I learned that he is actually a very nice guy.  

I remember many incidents from our Phonetics and Phonology class. Our lecturer was Ms. Yooliya. She is really sweet, kind and funny. When Ms. Yooli walks into the class, I bet the grumpiest and most bitter people cannot resist her charm. Yes, we would be grinning from ear to ear as we go along learning to pronounce words and other things.  We loved her class because learning was so much fun with Ms. Yooli. 

For our first assignment, we were asked to choose an audio clip and write using phonetics symbols. And for those of us who were struggling, Ms. Yooli said that we could get help from our friends who have already studied this subject. Well, Malik told me that he had a friend who got an HD (Higher Distinction) and this friend was going to help him.

Apparently, this friend was doing much more than helping. We heard about it from a very irritated Ms. Yooli a couple of days later. Malik and this friend met at a café to give some very innocent tips. They were seated on the second floor, in the open area because it was a lovely day and the breeze was just lovely they didn't want to sit in the dark stale AC area. Boy, he was pleased as punch because he was sure that he would get full marks from the assignment.

Meanwhile in the building in front of this café, on the second floor lived Ms. Yooli. On this exact day Malik’s friend was helping him with his assignment Ms. Yooli happened to come and stand near the window and spotted both of them. Yes, she caught them red handed. She quickly fished the mobile phone from her pocket and dialed Malik’s number. As Malik sipped away on his Lavazza and looked pleased, he was quite shocked as he pulled out his mobile phone from his pocket. Ms. Yooli told us that the first thing he did was look around! Hahaa! And then when he answered his phone, Ms. Yooli said that he wouldn’t have needed the phone to hear her ask him what he was doing! We had a jolly good time in class. Yes, Ms. Yooli told us about the incident over and over and we all laughed.

We also had to do a mid-semester exam too. I sat in the second row and my desk was near the teacher’s desk. Guess who was sitting in front of me. Yes, it was Malik. Half way through the exam, he got permission and left the class. He returned a while later and when Ms. Yooli turned her back, Malik turned back and something! I don’t remember what he said, but I think he said that he left the exam hall because he was bored. And then I asked him whether the paper was easy or difficult, very quietly of course. You won’t believe what he did next! He lifted up his paper and actually started showing me his answers. I was so scared that I nearly pooped into my pants. Luckily Ms. Yooli didn’t catch us!

After a few months, I saw Malik with a huge afro! Well, I’m talking about his Facebook display picture. When I inquired about it, I was told another great tale that I must tell my readers about. Yes, hold your horses, I’m about to share what happened to Malik and his afro.

To start with, the afro was actually a wig! Yes a wig! He was quite pleased with himself when he bought the wig because it fit his head perfectly and looked quite natural and went well with his face and all. So he wore the wig quite proudly and looked tough when he walked on the streets feeling like a Paatey! Unfortunately his cover was blown in the most heartbreaking manner.

Wearing his menacing Paatey wig and equipped with a dangerous smile on his face, Malik walked towards Dine More restaurant knowing that people were looking at him. It was a bit windy and his afro danced beautifully on top of his head. Suddenly a gust of strong breeze that must have come straight from the ocean caught his hair and pulled it off his head. He would have felt less embarrassed if he didn't have to chase or to be more precise, run after it like you do to catch a wild chicken. He had to run for quite a distance before he was able to catch it. By then there wasn't a single living being who hadn't observed this spectacle with a bemused smile on their faces and he didn't have the courage to wear it again.

Later I learned that he is not angry all the time, he just looks angry and people assume that he is a short tempered guy because he speaks his mind. Unlike most cowardly people, he doesn't refrain from speaking the truth. He doesn't try to win anyone’s approval, he just doesn't give a damn about what people thought of him. Which is in fact something very rare nowadays! I believe we need more men like Malik to run schools so that they would speak out the truth instead of being a puppy who would obey their masters every demand even if it was wrong.

Malik is actually a very nice guy too. I needed a wig and when I mentioned that I needed one, he offered to bring it by to JS. I especially like his status updates on FB, yup, they always crack me up! Now he is the principal of a school and I have no doubt that he is the kind of principal who could do the impossible and help the schools in rural areas to develop. He is also one of the best photographers I know. He is a talented guy. Yes, Malik rocks! He is one of the coolest friends and one of the most unique and interesting person that I have met from MNU.

My beautiful princess....Maleesha

Fathimath Maleesha Ahmed [22nd November 2013]

Last week my daughter graduated from preschool. Yes, I was so proud when she came down with the certificate wearing her fancy little red gown. Both my husband and I clapped like anything and some parents I knew from my daughters class turned with a smile on their face knowing that they would be doing the same when their children’s names were called. 

Malee receiving her certificate

Indeed it was a very important milestone for our daughter Maleesha and us. Time flies and the little bundle of joy that we held in our arms have now grown up and is ready for big kids school. I am so happy with her achievements and am ready with her to overcome the obstacles that she would face in the future. One thing I’m quite certain is that she is smart and will give her best no matter how hard or difficult it is. And that is the key to success and her mommy and daddy will always be there, so basically she has nothing to worry about. 

Children are so innocent and pure and as she grows up, I fear for her. I wish I could protect her from all the evil around us. I wish I could just destroy and get rid all the bad influences and people in the world so that our children could grow up safe and protected. But I suppose we need those bad influences to teach our children what is right and what is wrong and I hopefully would be there to tell and guide her in every stage of life until she is ready to fly on her own. 

Dressed up for a school event

I love my children more than anything in the world and I know that they love me too, but I didn’t realize how much Maly loved me and appreciated what both my husband I do for her until quite recently. You see, she’s just six years old so I assumed that she loved me to bits and never thought of how deeply she thought about everyday activities. I was so amazed to learn that she is so mature and wise for her age. Let me tell you how I found out. 

She is down with fever, right now even she has a mild fever and in the afternoon my husband would take her to the clinic to get some tests done. Anyway, I was at work day before yesterday when my mother called and said that she was vomiting. So I quickly went home and on my way I went to the shop and bought some of her favourite food. Eating would be the least favourite thing to do, especially when we are running a high fever, isn’t it? So just imagine how bad it would be for little children! 

Posing for the camera

So, as soon as I got home, I made an omelet and boiled some sausages for her. She was quite weak so I let her lie down on bed and tried to feed her. After eating a little bit and drinking juice, she sat up and said the most beautiful words that I have ever heard and would remember for the rest of my life.

Maly: “Mommy, you are always cooking delicious food for me. You are always taking me to school and helping me to learn. And you are always taking care of me. You are the greatest mommy in the world. I love you so much.” 

For a minute, I was speechless. I was teary eyed and I can’t explain how loved I felt. I have never felt so happy in my entire life. I could withstand all the injustices and unfairness's in life as long as my sweet little girl is there beside me. I know for sure that she would love me and there is no question about it, I would love and protect her till my last breath. Not only my daughter, I would love all my children. I am sure my son would love me as much as my daughter and when he could express his feelings, he would do the same. He is just one and half right now! 

My daughter and I

I can’t wait for her to start school and watch her grow up to be a great young woman. Quite often I keep on wishing that both my children would remain little so that I could bath them, powder their little booty, make up silly stories to impress them and simply just take care of them. However, I am also very eager and curious about them too. I wonder whether my daughter would be an astronaut like she says or be the next Einstein! She can be a stewardess or a housewife if she wants! I just want her to be happy and that would be the answer to my prayer from the day I learnt that I was going to be a mother.

People

     

In life we meet people from all walks of life. Some are meant to stay in your life forever, whereas the others, they are just visitors who don’t make much of a difference in our lives. Some people remembered for their kindness, generosity and wild sense of humour that even the mere thought of their names brings a smile to our face. 

When we think about our acquaintances, there are those who taught us important lessons in life that forever, we are grateful to them. Such people include family members, teachers and close friends.

I guess as we go along our journey of life, we meet people who betray us, humiliate us and make our lives miserable too. Should we forget about them and hold to the memories of those sweet loved ones who have helped us from day one? No! 

We should remember them too, because, no matter how difficult it is for us to recall such fragments of memories stored in the dark corners of our hearts, they are not less valuable than what we have learned from the people who love us. It is because of them that we are stronger today. In some cases, it is mainly because of them that we succeed in life. 

But we realise the importance of such people later in life. I wonder whether it’s easy to forgive and forget. As for me, I do forgive, but I always remember the lesson that I’ve learned so that I would never fall prey for such a person’s malicious traps. 

As I have mentioned before, we meet people from all walks of life and once we learn a lesson from an enemy, we keep an eye out for such people. But how do we spot those tricky enemies who pretend to be our friends? I bet this would be a very complicated task.

Some people like to brag about their wealth and the bounties of pleasure they enjoy in everyday life. They especially like to make commoners feel even more underprivileged by showing off their fancy shoes, new dresses that they buy every month and the number of classes their children attend. 

No, jealousy is not the issue here. When someone continuously brags about the silver spoons that were placed in their mouth from the very beginning, and from time to time point out how unfortunate others are, I mean literally telling them with a cheery smile on their face, that can be a bit hard to forgive and forget. 

Being mean and hurting someone’s feelings intentionally by asking a person how many books have their child read and when the answer in book 1, looking at that person with a disgusted and shocked look on their face when they know quite clearly that his or her child had language delay and cannot read as well as theirs is unforgivable. Not only that, standing there when the other party feels uncomfortable and refuse to make eye contact, saying out loud, still reading book 1 is beyond being mean! 

Perhaps the privileged do enjoy pointing out to others, that their house, which by the way was built by saving all the hard earned money they have earned and saved, would fall over their heads in matter of seconds is simply cruel. And to add injury to the wound, saying that you have to deal with that construction worker who does a lousy job for years to come as you have no other way, where as I got rid of him! Oops! Lucky me! Now what do you make of such a character! 

 Such people pretend to be your friend, acting all sweet and nice in front of everyone and saying hurtful things when no one is around. Do they feel superior by ridiculing someone’s financial status?  Perhaps they enjoy the fact that they are treated differently by all the levels of an organization just because they come from a different class and would like to remind the lower class about their place.

One could think of many examples on how such people ridicule the unfortunate group of people, but what is important here is, what should we do? Kiss their ass and remind them how blessed they are, accept favourism and breaking of rules just to favour them as something normal and how it is suppose to be and keep one’s mouth shut? Well, some people are not that timid! They talk about their rights too! But that’s when they get blamed! Sadly, yes! They get blamed and everyone would take the blessed angel’s side. 

In the end, they go around stressing it’s the lowers classes fault or perhaps, they have a problem, that’s why they say certain inappropriate things. Of course, when someone reply or response came out after tolerating much hurtful behaviour and trying patiently to ignore it and in the end, out of frustration, blurting out something becomes that persons fault. Though this heartless person has insulted to the level, that forgiveness is even inconsiderable, it is the other parties fault. Always.

So how do we get along with such FRIENDS, (if it is a must) stay away from them as much as you can. Communicate when the need is vital and plug your ears around them so that you don’t have to listen to a word that they utter to ridicule you! I know, it’s very easy to just type away but to practice this in real life would be tough. 

And it’s always better to be with those caring and loving people in your life who doesn't make you uncomfortable or make you feel like you belong in the gutter! Some people are so kind and generous and they fit in quite well, where ever they go, no matter from where they come. Perhaps they don’t like to brag or for them, money and their privileges are not everything in the world. May be they know that it’s not the most important thing in life. 

In the end, I guess we all find it in our hearts to forgive everyone, no matter how cruel they were, after sometime! Forgiveness is the key to happiness, but sometimes, it can be difficult. However, it’s worth it. Perhaps they do have a place in our life too. May be that’s how we are assessed how tolerant and patient we are. So I would say, forgive but always remember the lesson you learnt. 

  Each person we meet teaches us something and if you are smart, stay away from the so called pretend friends and hold on to those gems who makes you smile even when you've had the most rotten day of your life. They are the true friends that you should never let go.