Calm and quiet times

Calm and quiet times

Hello, and welcome to what is only my second blog post. Read on, I guarantee you won't regret it!

Conundrum:

                In 2 weeks’ time, I am going home. It will be Diwali and I want to get my parents and sister something special. Not only special, but also meaningful. So Karachi biscuits go out the window. Also I will go shopping with them, so buying stuff which I can get there easily also doesn’t make sense. Novels are well appreciated at my house, so I am taking novels. But it feels insufficient. Art and craft stuff is also well liked, I could get those. I heard there is a night bazaar near my place, I can go and check the place out. The only problem is I really have no experience in buying stuff. If I buy something and they didn’t like it, then what? I will have to learn how to buy these things, and also look for quality in them. I appreciate any tips anyone can give me.(Actually the dolls shown in the below image are used in Kolu, the doll festival which is celebrated in our family.)

Pyaar ka Punchnaama 2:

                A few days ago I went with my friends to watch Pyaar ka Punchnaama 2. I must be one of the very few people who has not watched the first movie. I kinda expected a story, which became clear very early on that there was not going to be one. The humor was good. The ladies were better. The trademark rant was great. After some thought, I realized something. The movie was not only about 3 manipulative women who try to bend men to their will. It was also about 3 spineless men who caved in to each and every demand of their respective SO’s without batting an eyelid. I agree that the movie could not have been real; most women aren’t like that. But men are also at fault at times. Not many men will agree to this. My opinion might not be a popular one, but it definitely is food for thought.

Arsenal:

                Two matches this week and two wins is more than I had asked for. Watford was a must win, to keep pace with the leaders City. Everyone else won, so the pressure was on Arsenal to get the three points. And the Gunners did just that. Tactically I had expected Watford to sit back and counter. But to my pleasant surprise, Watford started pressing us. The first half was even, the score at the break reflecting the performances of both teams. After the break, their players began to tire, and Arsenal took full advantage of it, turned on the style, putting 3 goals past a resolute defense. Bayern Munich came to town for the next game. With Arsenal’s Champions’ League hopes already hanging by a thread, nothing but a win would have sufficed. Arsene Wenger got the tactics right and the players executed them to perfection. This game was worth the trouble of watching the game at 3 in the morning. And the headache that I endured for the whole of the next day in office. We needed a perfect game and we got exactly that. Players, fans, and the manager were outstanding. Next Everton and after that a Capital One Cup game followed by the return clash at the Allianz Arena. Crunch games ahead.

Keyboard, Italian:

                A new song is proving quite difficult to learn, and more practice will be required. My keyboard does not play fingered chords and metronome together. So I play the metronome on my mobile during practice. Not exactly convenient, but I do not have any other choice as well. The new song has complex hand movement and is also played at a faster pace and a 3-4 beat signature. It could be a while before I get a hang of it.

                Duolingo is cranking the gears up, increasing the difficulty. Sentences are complex, and the new grammar structures are quite difficult to remember. I mean it is sort of contradicting the structure I learned earlier. After some research, it turns out that the language is confusing not just me, but also many other learners. On the plus side, I am beginning to understand the news they read on Italian radio. TuneIn has also helped a lot. Overall, I am enjoying learning both. They are the most exciting part of the day by some distance!

Random thoughts, new mobile:

                I came across the subreddit www.reddit.com/r/writingprompts. It is a subreddit for short story writers. I read some fantastic short stories and recommend my readers to have a pop at it as well. Maybe one day I will also submit a short story myself!

                The new mobile is great. I am already getting a lot more use out of it. Kindle reader is the best in the ebook readers available on mobile and I intend to read books on it. I have an Instagram account thanks to the device. I haven’t posted anything yet. More on that later.

                Sorry it turned out to be such a long post. I guess I just had a lot to say! I am off to watch the Real Madrid-PSG game now! Arrivederci till the next post!