Whole. Happy. Lost?

So I shared this in an instagram post but I wanted to expand it a bit.
And I am not even sure if this post makes sense or not but let's give it a shot!

We're often too happy and indulgent in our present states and that is not a bad thing at all. If anything, it is wonderful to feel and to be happy, to feel complete and at peace, even after some of our wishes have not been fulfilled. 

There can be times where we feel we can do better and move forward but we don't. Why start over again when you at last have found a happy place? The future is highly unpredictable and the probability of being 'whole and happy' is largely 50% or less. But if you really work towards it and you find the things you wanted once at a certain point in life right now, why won't you get it!? Some may say they are over it, they found something better, some might say that they don't think about it anymore. 

But everything in life, or almost everything is at a chance, right? Take your chances. Enjoy your happiness, appreciate it even but head for the new goal, who knows how much happier will you be there or with it? Who knows what you will learn in that newer journey or who will you meet? Will you find yourself or how about a part if you that you thought never existed?

Leaving your comfort zone is painful and scary and you may loathe new journey and may want to smack my face if you did so after reading this but perhaps you can say that you tried. You tried to a new thing. You tried to find happiness. You tried to learn something new.

Failure is not a bad thing at all, absolutely not! But failure without trying, that can be something that one may regret at some point in life. Maybe they won't, another possibility but my God, life is such a cocktail of 'Mayebes' and "What ifs'! 

You are in a dream and in a garden, late at night. You see fireflies and you can feel the roses and the grass. You can hear a water stream nearby. You lay down and look at the stars.
You feel at peace, complete and whole.
You can see something illuminate at a distance and then you hear a voice, "Go. See what it is. Take it."
You ask, "But what is it?"
"It is your happiness. Leave this comfort and go for that. It will better than being whole. Sadly, only you can make the light your own. Take the journey beyond the stream."
You ask, "But why now? Not when I prayed for it?"
The voice says, "Because it was being perfected with your longing. Its ready."Take it. It is yours now. But maybe it always was."

MOOR - Movie Preview and Music Review

Moor (meaning Mother in Pashto) is an upcoming Pakistani movie directed by Jamshed Mahmood Khan, also known as Jami and produced by Nadeem Mandviwalla. The film is slated for release on August 14, 2015.

The film has a star cast of Hameed Sheikh, Samiya Mumtaz, Shaz Khan, Abdul Qadir, Sonya Hussyn, Ayaz Samoo, Shabbir Rana, Habib Panazayi and Azlan Shah.

Cinematography by Farhan Hafeez. Music by Strings.

The link for the trailer:  https://www.facebook.com/moorofficialpage/videos/674196659379875/

Now with the trailer we get what the movie is about and I was astound by what it has to offer. The pacing plot, the clever dialogues, the attention grabbing music and of course the spot on acting skills of the cast.

We are the at the stage of 'revival of Pakistani cinema' and a revival comes when movies of all sorts are made, We recently had drama, comedy, more comedy, drama and that works but the revival is like a cocktail and a good cocktail needs a balance of flavors and Moor offers us just that. It is subtle, it is sober, it is hardcore and it is serious with all things that make a good feature film; something that moviegoers and movie enthusiasts prefer. Will it be at par with the expectations? I think YES! but time will tell. Bring it on August 14th!

One thing that I personally am looking forward in Moor is the part of staying connected to your roots. Your mother, your nation, your learning and your actions and how it all effects you.

Another fantastic aspect of this movie is its music, that has been composed by Pakistani band Strings, and lyrics by Anwer Maqsood.
Music is an integral dimension of the movie and it sort of makes or breaks certain situations, Moor in this case has the music widely in its favor and as you listen to it, you get to know why!

With music from Strings, you get to hear artists such as Javed Bashir, Meesha Shafi, Rahim Shah, Rahma Ali and Noman Farooqi.
Here's the track by track review:

Jogiya by Javed Bashir: This song is pure gold! It touches you, its the kind of song that you play while on long drives. The feel of the song leaves you speechless and Mr. Bashir's vocals Mr. Maqsood's lyrics take you to another place.

Eva by Meesha Shafi: I call this the star track of the album. Its loud, its amazing, it makes you sing and bang your head. Meesha's vocals work their usual charm and that's why this is easily the summer anthem of the year!

Talabgar Hoon by Javed Bashir: This is a song with a soul. The composition is divine, as are the words. There is a certain feel of hope and faith in this song that is very easy to relate to. Again, Mr. Bashir's vocals work their magic. This song is raw, real and beautiful.

Tum Ho by Strings: This a very sweet offering from the heavy album and it has its own charm with Strings themselves on the vocals. Simple, sweet song with simple lyrics that has its own enchantment to it. Strings' soft track will make you smile.

Gul Bashri by Rahim Shah: This is a strong track and the best part about it is that its language. You may not understand it but you feel its power and its aura with Shah's vocals and the musical arrangement . This track may just portray the essence of the movie.

Jeye Jeye Ja by Rahma Ali, Noman Farooqi and Nisha Ali: Yet another beautiful offering from the album. Its has a very patriotic feel to it. The flute adds an amazing texture to the tone and the soft, melodious vocals compliment the instruments.

Ku Ku Ku by Strings: This is a Strings song through and through! They are totally in their element and the listeners get the early 2000s feel with this track. This is the surprise song of the album. You don't expect this kind of music but it hits you and you groove to it and catch its clever lyrics. Well done, Strings!

Peera Ho by Noman Farooqi: This song may not be a general listener's cup of tea but I'd say it is well aligned with the whole feel of the movie and if one concentrates, the lyrics are divine and the vocals of Farooqi get you through the track if you are about to skip.

Themes 1,2,3,4 and 5: To keep it short, I'd say the themes are magnificent and in a way prepare you for the entire and general feel of the movie itself. Simple, melodious arrangements. I would like to see how they are incorporated in the movie.

The trailer sets the tone and mood, leaves you wondering and excited and the music grabs your attention. This is a movie not to be missed.

Also, I really thing that we should go out and support our cinema and at least see the hard work that has been put in, not only by the actors and director but the entire team; on and behind the screen, pre and post production. Good luck to the entire team!

Catch MOOR in cinemas on August 14, 2015.

Why Does It Take Time For Some Prayers To Be Answered?

We pray, all of us; intentionally or unintentionally. You may wonder 'unintentionally? how?' Well, I think when we say "Oh I really hope blah blah blah happens" that's really a prayer in disguise.

We pray for and over everything but sometimes we wonder why does it take so much time for some prayers to be answered? And I am talking about the important prayers here, the urgent ones, the make-or-break situation/prayers, life defining ones.

We pray for our sick parents, dying parents, siblings, our family members who may be in distress, who may have an operation, have a crisis on-hand. We pray for ourselves. We may be sick, we may be dying, we may have a really tough paper the next day, we have the result coming of  a very tough yet a very important exam. We pray for friends who may be going through similar situations as mentioned.

We turn to God, we pray. We have faith and we really wish for these prayers to be answered. Why wouldn't we? These are matters of utter urgency. A dying parent, anyone in surgery, exam(s) that determine your entire career. And sometimes we see a delay; everything at a pause. Nothing happening. Your parent is still sick, the family member still making no recovery, the bad grade, the distressed friend and we question why haven't these been answered? I wasn't asking for an iPhone or a new house, this was beyond urgent and important and God knows that. And we pray again. We wish. We hope.

We often pray in grief, and there are 5 very well knows stages of grief. Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance.

We pray when we are in denial, we turn a blind eye to the truth and get into the 'wishful-miracle thinking' mode. We become angry; we question God, we question His ignorance, we question our motives, we may stop praying but we never cease to hope. We bargain, we offer up everything in exchange, we offer up our souls for a chance of our prayer to be heard, for God to change His plan and grant us the lifeline. We become depressed, we start to understand the failure but we never lose hope, our strong hope and willpower keeps us at it. We accept, we say He knows best but we are secretly angry and secretly depressed, we don't prefer the loss of a parent, the loss of a loved one, the loss of a career or a year of hard work, we just can't.

Some things make sense, some we understand; some are just down dead hilarious and unacceptable.
The loss breaks us. We may lose faith,w e lose hope, we don't find a way to continue.

Picture Credit: berlin-artparasites on facebook. Artwork by Harriet Lee-Merrion Illustration

So why is it? Why does it take time for some prayers to be heard? We prayed. We have/had faith at the highest of degree known to us, we offer up our souls.
-Nobody knows. If you have answers other than 'God's plans' and 'God knows best' please let me know.

Just A Theory

So I have this theory, it may not make any sense but what gives!

Nothing is absolute. Not people nor their attitude towards life (in general), there is this constant change, and time is the factor.

Time makes us travel, makes us see things; and we change, willingly or unwillingly and the people around us too; sooner or later, for better or for worse. Its sort of inevitable. But the thing is that they should be understanding enough. Not a bad thing if they aren't because its understandable, good if they are.

Because they may really not know what caused the change in them or in you but they can try, stick around, accept the change and accept the change as time takes them, together. Because as much as we say that we don't need anyone, we sort of do. And if we really don't, then its at least pleasant to have someone at your back who will slap you, taunt you, make sense to you, hug you and give cake to you!

                                           Picture from Facebook page: berlin-artparasites. 
                                                            Artwork by Alex Stoddard


So, there is bound to be change, big or small, we just have to be open about it. And for what would we like, for people to understand it, bear with us, understand us, we should do the same to them. In the end, we may have each other, as humans; and acceptance is the key.

Patari, Pakistani Music's New (Mazaydaar) Platform

Patari in the words of Patari:

"A revolutionary platform for discovering and streaming Pakistani music in an exclusive invite-only beta"

Pakistan is a country of music lovers and the country has seen and felt great music. Unfortunately there has nothing been happening to give it a boost. SoundCloud doesn't have all the Paki music, YouTube is still an eid ka chaand for us, concerts and gigs rarely happen and do we even have music channels?!

In the midst of all this, Patari may be our ray of light. Although it's just a new born baby (venture) it has generated a good buzz. Patari is a very cool initiative to have (almost) all Pakistani music available for the people to discover and stream. All the way from Nazia Hassan to Hadiqa to Ali Zafar to new, emerging indie bands, Patari has them all. If for nothing, let's appreciate the decades of records they have for us to enjoy!

Currently it is at beta version and works via an invite-only service, but I am sure that is to change as they grow and find more stability.

The founders of this mazaydaar cheez are Khalid Bajwa, Humayun Haroon, Iqbal Talaat and Faisal Sherjan. How they came up up and what drove them could be read in their Dawn and Tribune interviews.

 The Founders. (Picture from Patari Facebook page)

What strikes to me, as a music lover and an active user of Patari is their dedication for the venture, for music lovers around them and how they balance the culture, being hip and of course, the music in this new cocktail.

Having used Patari for some time now, I always wonder what's next for them. Currently, they already have some good compilations lined up for us in their 'sections' of Genres, Top Charts and Moods; all three having some real good tracks, equally as good as the names and creativity of those 'sections'.

Any new venture requires a good push and capital, financed by the founders only and with help from Plan9, a Punjab government initiative to help start up businesses. And with the passage of time and their growth, I only wait for they hold for us in the future.

And another great thing about these guys is their fun, funk and interaction with their users. Having done no advertising, they got popular solely with the word of mouth and their applause worthy media team. I'll get back to that in a minute, but just look at their work space!

Patari Office. (Picture from Patari Facebook page)

 A good job requires a good space, I am sure and this is where all the 'magic' happens from the programming to the interaction.

Speaking of interaction, I am a fan of their social media (considering how I shamelessly almost flirt with patari) and how much I mention them with each song. And they respond back in the funniest/cutest/mazaydaar ways. I think that's the trick! Knowing your users, knowing what they may want and shaping it up. Kudos!

Patari also holds music gigs in the cities, had one in Karachi recently and having one in Islamabad too, and this allows them to engage with the audience and for the audience to get to know the new music scene and the upcoming bands. (I personally love Siknader ka Madar). And I think this what we need. As we go revive our cinemas, we need a platform for music, something simple and easy yet effective.

I would say that Pakistani music lovers should definitely give Patari a chance, by registering at www.patari.pk and waiting for an invite (works better if you bribe the kitties with milk). And once you're in, you'll understand the world they created and how much it would mean to them, to us and music itself for Patari to flourish.

Being a fresh venture, they have had good success, but sky is the limit I reckon. Only time will tell what the kitties have in store for us. I wish them luck, funds, consents, more luck and milk!


*This piece was written using the information from their Dawn and Tribune interviews.