A Walk Down Memory Lane

The other day I was out with my friend, Asim, for a walk in the neighborhood. With no particular place in mind, we were simply milling around for a while before entering an old park near my home. This park was one of those places where I had spent my childhood. Maybe I was coming here after 7 years or so.

It was an amazing feeling. The park was still kept well but things were falling apart.. The benches, the swings, the slides all reminded of the old days when we as kids use to jump around relentlessly. The grass was still green and the bushes were maintained well. It wasn't exactly a huge park but then, as a kid everything in the world appears so big and daunting. Memories slowly were coming back. The time spent, the friends with whom the games were played, the picnics, the fights. Everything was coming back slowly.

It was after dusk that we were walking and the park was pretty much deserted. Except for a couple of families around nobody was about. It resembled an old forgotten ghost park where everything seems to be old or dusty but gives you the impression that it's still alive. The fountain at the entrance was not working anymore. The canteen where we used to line up to buy the chips and candies was gone. The tiles were coming apart. There was a huge water tower right at the centre of the park. It was still standing tall and strong. It gave a nice pleasant feeling. Reminded of so many things of ages ago. Or rather of what felt like ages. It's strange to think how fast we grew up. Strange because it feels like yesterday but at the same time also feels as if it was another lifetime. This mix-bag feeling usually comes on, when there is a strong physical reminder of a memory. In my case, the park..

It was a good walk. One that made me remember a part of my playing and jumping around days. The park may not bask in it's previous glory but then surely it's there as a nice reminder of events to everyone who have grown up around and with it.

The Big Man Retires

The end was not what had been anticipated, especially the hasty manner in which it arrived. Ultimately, it did not matter as Pakistan cricket bade a teary, emotional farewell to Inzamam-ul-Haq at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. A world class cricketer in both forms of the game, Inzi was a class act. With him now gone, it has opened a huge gap between two generations not only in Pakistani cricket but also at the International level where all the greats seem to be going off one after the another.

The board renamed an enclosure in his honour and a brief visual presentation of his achievements was shown on the big screen. As he said goodbye to "my boys", his successor as captain, Shoaib Malik, broke down. He wasn't alone.
Javed Miandad's position as Pakistan's record Test run-scorer stays intact, just, and though Inzamam regretted not breaking it, he had 16 satisfied years to look back at.

Arguably one of the best batsmen of modern times, Inzi batted each innings with patience and aggression when required. His deft touch won Pakistan many matches. He was always the silent man, contemplating his next move and executing it to perfection. The world of cricket has indeed bid farewell to a legend who was not only a match winner for his country but also a champion of the game.

One of my all-time favorite cricketers, Inzamam will be missed not only by the sport but also by all his admirers and supporters over the playing years. We all pray the best for him in years to come as he starts building a hospital in his hometown of Multan, just like his mentor Imran Khan who always said that Inzi was the best player of pace in world cricket placing him in the game's elite.

Eid Mubarak!

Wishing everyone a very happy Eid-ul-fitr! May Allah shower his choicest blessings on all of us with all the health, wealth, peace, success, joys and happiness.. Amen. Have a wonderful time, take care..

The Power to think

Thought is a wonderful tool. I would rather put it as, a wonderful and powerful tool. It is indeed powerful, how thoughts take us to different heights, we are diverted from mundane, trivialities, and taken to lofty ideals. This same power sometimes make us overly analytical that what would have been a beautiful, emotional, natural interaction is reduced to an indifferent exchange.

This is because of that fear of rejection, the feeling of making one’s feelings known, the feeling of showing one’s weakness, one’s vulnerability. Not realizing that such displays makes us even stronger. All said and done, thoughts are the powerhouse. The force behind any individual. It's what separates one from another. I think it's a wonderful freedom of expression, whether in public or private. The ability to think is what makes us human. Your mind is one place where nobody can intervene (unless you're ready to believe in mind readers, mind freaks etc!) or invade. It's your personal space. Thoughts often lay down the foundation for ideas. A thought pondered consciously over time might become our best thought.

The result of positive, empowered thinking might, indeed, be that you are healthier, happier, or wealthier, but the real benefit is that you are a free, empowered person. Negative thinking, which is really synonymous with not having command of your own thoughts, is extremely dis empowering – even debilitating. Why? Think about when a negative thought comes to mind. The emotions and feelings associated with the thought start to rise. Who is in control at that moment; you or the negative thought?

The fact is that people who think for themselves are independent, capable individuals who can achieve just about anything. People who allow societal norms or other people to do their thinking for them (negative thinking) quickly become dependent and unable to move forward in their lives.

When looked at in this vein it becomes clear that the ability to develop, manage, and maintain your own thinking tends towards greater personal freedom. That power to think is the basis on which greater achievement is possible.