Sunday Morning Strangers

Sunday mornings call for a relax in the daily routine. Sunday also happens to be the day when I have intensive driving session with my instructor. so I wore my running shoes, not because I was going to run but because my instructor prefers to teach me in them.
After a lot of driving, we stopped at a road which was beautifully surrounded by tree and shrubs. After some distance it led to the main road. My instructor stopped the car on my query related to the mechanism by which the brake works. We drew to left and stopped. He drew heavily labelled diagrams  to illustrate the working which were followed by analogies that made it  much more easier for me to grasp the concept. But me, being the kinesthetic personality I am and luckily my instructor was too, we got the car. We opened the bonnet of the car, and were viewing and examining the various parts related to the brake which he had so carefully drawn.
From a distance it must have appeared that two individuals were musing how to fix the car, touching wires and several parts of the engine unable to reach a conclusive decision about how to fix the car and get going.
The road wasn't a busy one, so not many people passed us. some of the passer-bys looked at us with amazement about how could someone possibly get a car broken so early in the day, while few other just gave us sympathetic glances which were supposed to be consoling. Then, just as we finished with the mechanism of the power brake, sir tried to locate it when a motor cycle with two men drew up- probably a father-son duo and muttered some words. The younger one who was driving wore reflectors so I couldn't pinpoint whom he was talking to while the elder looked at me for an answer. I stared at them dumbfounded while sir went on explaining. getting no response, they didn't persist instead left the sight.
After shutting the bonnet, when i began to drive again the words the guy had spoken made a statement in my head which translated to should we fix it for you guys? or call help? I was happy. A random stranger, that too an Indian male (if you know what I mean) had offered to help and that too, without rubbing chauvinism in my face. Getting no answer he didn't shout or do any such thing but rather left the place, that too without swearing abut how stupid people are. pleasant surprise. :)

Dear Stranger,
Thank you for offering to fix my car (and call help if required )while I was studying the engine's parts. I couldn't piece your words together at that moment to comprehend what you exactly meant, but now that I do- here's a big thank you.

Te Amo

( Gosh, my love for Spain and Spanish seems to be spilling into the titles! :P English next time, promise! )

Love. It is really one of the most used and abused word in our vocabularies. Ask a guy who hardly knows English, he will invariably know the meaning of 'love' even if he doesn't know the number of alphabets in the language! Love has been romanticized, idealized, worshiped and what not in the past. There are legendary love stories, pray, who hasn't heard of Romeo and Juliet? Or our very own Heer and Ranjhanna? Bollywood churns out movie after movie on the same theme : love. Our daily soaps cry for change!
(Obviously it's of no avail. )
Here I'm not going to further raise the status of love but rather present my views on it. They may, rather, they are cynical, but are mine and in no way wish to alter your views forcefully on the subject.
Love to me is humorous, silly. 

1. People in love are always consumed in thoughts
Thoughts about? Heavens know what! But you always see them thinking, musing with all seriousness, as if the future of the human race hangs on their pensive thoughts. Break their train of thoughts and they still seem disconnected. You have to repeat your description (from the beginning, yes!) for them all again. 

Yeah!

2. The wrong people always end up together.
The people who you least expect to see together take their vows of eternal love in front of your eyes! The Byronic hero/heroine gets the athlete, the poet gets the cheerleader, the sports king/queen gets the extrovert, and so on.. And even though reading them here does not make you realize the intensity of harm done to the universe by such "couples", you should take my word for it. It is always weird, at times super-funny too!

3. PDA
Need I say more? 

4.Silly names, rituals and wishes
Why on earth will you be liked to be called "puchu", "guchu" or wait, how about "tweety"? There are tons more I've heard people say. Some force you to stifle a laughter and look all serious and continue with utmost normalcy whatever you were doing. Tough.
Good morning, goodnight, good class, etc., etc. The wishes and simultaneous rituals don't seem to have an end. Exhausting. 

5. Stories you don't wish to hear.
Everyone has that one friend who tells you snippets of their life, even though you beg them to stop. From how they picked up their partner's pen to what the other has/had for lunch, nothing is left out and while your friend is telling you about it, you are busy planning an escape route! God be with you!

How To Read Khaled Hosseini

Well isn't a set of hard and fast rules you need to follow in order to read Khaled Hosseini's books, this post might just help you read and understand him and his books better.

1. Khaled Hosseini books are ALWAYS an emotional roller-coaster:

 Be mentally prepared to face a lot of ups and downs in his books. There is a twist here, and then, a turn there. There are even dramatic revelations when you least expect them. Like in The Kite Runner the Truth about Hassan is so dramatic that it took me a while to put the story back together and join all the pieces together. There are moments of elation, even universal happiness if I may so, and within a few pages you might already start feeling sorry for that high you felt.

2.Try To Start Reading On a Weekend:


 This one might not apply for every reader, but it did for most of my friends. They started reading on a week day and they soon found themselves unable to work, play or concentrate on something else wholeheartedly. Their mind kept reeling back to the book, it's story, its characters and what would happen next. That is the Power of a Khaled Hosseini book, it's addictive and it has something for everyone. So try to begin reading when you have enough time to spare. It can be a weekend or a vacation or whenever you feel you'll be able to read the book at a stretch without neglecting your work or play.

3. Keep a Tissue Nearby:

  If you cry at the sad scenes in the movies or at despairing and sorrowful parts in books, it's better to keep a tissue handy. Khaled Hosseini's books are filled with Lilliputian details which might at times get the better of your emotions. and before you know it tears will be coursing down your cheeks. Also at times, the book will get you're adrenaline running, the tissue might help with the sweat too.

4.  Be Ready for Some Farsi and Urdu Words:


  Needless to mention there are word directly from Farsi and rarely even Urdu. they don't fill the entire text up, and it is not like you will not understand the book if you don't know their meaning. Mostly, Hosseini gives the meaning of the words in the context they are being said very soon after they've been used, sometimes it's the immediate next thing after the word. However, in order to get what I call The Feel of The Book, try to get the meanings of the words and find out under what circumstances they are usually used.

5. Let the Story Flow:


 Numerous themes are there in Hosseini books, all interwoven beautifully. Try your best not to abandon the book before it's over. The story might get slow at times but Do Not give up. Don't try to think of alternative tracks for the novel till you finish it, after all the writer put it all there after considerable thought. So, basically just let it Flow.