LIFE AS IT IS

I hired a taxi (Uber) this afternoon to pick up my daughter from school. I always chat with my drivers 'cause I think every person has a unique story to tell. And I love to hear other people's stories. All my Uber drivers happen to drive taxi part time for some extra income. My driver today was a middle-aged Nigerian man, who migrated to the U.S. in 1981. He is a realtor (real estate agent) by profession and drives with Uber only part time. He worked as a banker for 11 years in Nigeria before moving to the U.S. Anyway, after he dropped me off at my place, he said, "Let me give you a book." The he handed me a book and I was surprised to see that he was the writer! He took the book back, saying, "Let me sign it for you." So, here I have this book written by a Nigerian man on the challenges African immigrants, especially young African men and women, face in America. I so look forward to reading it!!

What would it be like If everything went as planned? Boring? Exciting?  Exciting? How? There’d never be anything To look forward to. If you could see what was coming, If you could predict birth, An accident or imminent death,  You would start affecting future, And plan for everything, Every little thing! You’d plan to avoid the ugly, To stop the bad, To welcome the good. But then life’d not be life Only a tedious journey to afterlife. © Wara Karim

The Daily Star (Jan. 12, 2016)  The Daily Star link ‘Tis the party season again! Weddings, rooftop BBQ parties, picnics, and what not. While you pick outfits for yourself for these social gatherings, especially weddings, engagement and birthday parties, as a parent, you also have to select clothes and shoes for your young child.   Dresses never go out of fashion, they just don't. This season, dresses with glitter and sequins are in for little girls. A dress with a black terry top with all-over glitter and a chiffon skirt with pleats can be a timeless partywear for your five-year-old.   There are also some things that you can do at home without making much investment. For instance, you can sew beads and rhinestones on your child's simple-looking dress to transform it into a partywear. A handful of rhinestones around the neck of a dress will change the way it looks, but do not overdo because you do not want your little girl's dress to have as many stones as your kur...

ভয় পেয়ে যখন আমি মা, মা বলে ডাকি, মা তো আমার কয়না কথা  মা দিয়েছে ফাঁকি৷ মাকে ছোঁব ভেবে আমি  হাত বাড়িয়ে দেই,  বুকের ভিতর কে যেন কয়, কোথায়? মা তো তোমার নেই! মা যে আমার চলে গেছে না ফেরার এক দেশে,   মা'কে ছাড়া জীবন গড়ায় দিন পেরিয়ে মাসে৷  সবাই বলে মা নাকি আজ দূর আকাশের তারা! তারা নাকি ওরাই হয় যাচ্ছে ছেড়ে যারা৷ © Wara Karim

Pause, Please pause. Now think, Think hard, Think a li'l longer. Think of past, future Think of death. Ask, ask yourself, What it's you're running after, If it's really worth your time, And your leisure. You have sacrificed so much To be at the top, To be rich and famous. I say, That's fine... As long as you don't regret Tomorrow, or 25 years from today, For all the things you missed in life. © Wara Karim