Amusing Oneself In Selfistan....

Now, whoever has lived on their own knows that it's hard to do. When you come home after a hard days work - be it in the large MNC or at Macdonalds or at university or even at the local pub (but that might be a hard night's work) - it's always nice if someone has prepared dinner for you, has cleaned up the pizza boxes from the midnight snack you ordered and has done your laundry. But apart from the tedious activities that are somewhat necessary (in other words - necessary because no-one wants to live in a mould-friendly house), it's just nice if there's someone to talk to when you come home. Living in silence, although fun at times, is not always preferable to a nice big party.

It's kind of the same in Selfistan. But, it's different as well. I guess, living alone is often a result of circumstance, whereas living in Selfistan is a choice - kind of like the choice one makes to drink a cup of coffee, which I need to - but much more important than that one...obviously.

So how do I keep myself sane in Selfistan. Hmm, I guess it's a combination of talking to myself, keeping myself occupied, talking to my imaginary friends, and, most importantly......









writing posts such as these.




yes, it's true..the only reason I wrote this was to amuse myself - but you should've figured that out from the title....and honestly...don't take the 'ways to amuse oneself' too seriously. I dont have imaginary friends...just thought I'd clarify that...


That's it for now, ciao, adios, au revoir...and remember...to be born again, first you must die

~me

The Weather in Selfistan

I'm stuck in a dilemma - one of white powdery snow, non-potable water, darkness. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my dilemma is one of the weather. Quite beautiful weather, in fact, but horribly annoying - non-potable water, skating-rink-like university campuses, and blackouts. Did I mention that I live in a city that has been consistently rated among the best 3 cities to live in - AROUND THE WORLD!

But, my real question is, can the weather change in Selfistan? Like, if it's Selfistan, shouldn't one have the ability to change the weather at will? Can't I, theoretically, say "Let there be snow" and make it snow? What about "Let there be sun"? Does not having the capability to change the weather in Selfistan defeat the entire purpose of said land and contradict the definition of said said (sic) land? So, if I'm fed-up with the weather (not totally fed-up..just with the ice and the hundreds of milimetres of rain and the undrinkable water - yes, that's what non-potable means) can I just imagine that it's nice and sunny? and then be happy?

Ahh, the power of the mind. I heard that yogis - the actual ones, not your neighbour who goes to yoga classes every week - can actually cause themselves to levitate with the power of their minds. I find that fascinating. If the mind is actually powerful enough to lift something, can it also avert/push something? Can the power of many minds together halt a falling atomic bomb in its path of destruction? Can the seemingly fantastical Mathilda-esque actions be made real?

Fascinating....

But enough digression - you'll find that I do this a lot - digress that is. Back to my original idea(s) about the weather - you'll also find I like talking about abstract and sometimes odd issues. Outside, it's -10 Celsius, which is absolutely crazy. It's icy out there and there's a lot of snow. Apparently the powers above (god, gods, mother nature, clouds) are going to drop some more snow on us. Fortunately....the weather in Selfistan is much nicer: 15 Celsius, with a 10% chance of showers .

That's it for now, ciao, adios, au revoir....and remember...to be born again, first you must die

~me

ps: i took that picture....while making a snow angel...yes, I got wet

Books: your BF or GF????

Hello again. Well, in my last post, I talked about how books could be one's boyfriend or girlfriend, and I'm sure people gawked and stared and cried out in horror and fainted. Ya, rite. Most of you probably just went by it and didn't give it another thought - but, as always, I could be wrong. I'm sure there was at least one person who thought about the thought - about my idea (for those of you that needed further clarification).

And so, voila! Here is my explanation about the thought that I thought during my thought process on the other thought, which was a thought on the absurdities surrounding the thought of giving a Nobel Prize to Naipaul but not to Rushdie....what a horrible thought.

A book is like one's boyfriend..or girlfriend...let's just stick to bf/gf for the sake of my fingers, which are already tired....

Again, a book is like one's bf/gf because...

• it can keep you company when you feel horrible or are alone
• it can provide comfort
• you can curl-up with it
• a relationship develops between you and the characters (characteristics of the bf/gf) in the book
• you feel sad when it ends
• but you were happy while it lasted
• it triggers different emotions
• it can make you cry
• it can make you laugh
• it gives you pleasure (just the happy type...:P)
• it can make you (want to) throw it across the room at a wall (not advisable for bf/gfs...trust me - not that I've tried or anything...but...no-one wants to go to jail)
• the memory of it (the story) will stay with you long after you've finished it...

but the reason books are MUCH better than bf/gfs is that......(drum roll please)

and this is only if you still live with your parents....

you can take it to bed and your parents won't mind

hehe...yes...so that's books as bfs/gfs for you...

That's it for now, ciao, adios, au revoir....and remember...to be born again, first you must die

~me

Welcome to Selfistan

Welcome to Selfistan - a land, well webpage, where all you see and read is stuff that I want you to see and read. Haha, I feel powerful - like a censor. Imagine how much power one has - the power to control opinions, the power to control decisions - the power to control lives. Obviously, I'm not saying that peoples' opinions and lives will change because of this blog - but I'd like to think that I'll influence them in some way...wouldn't anyone?

So...why am I, Nabz, writing a blog...well starting a blog...All the other 'blog' like things i've tried have never worked - from MSN Spaces, to Facebook Notes...to keeping a diary. I guess...everything deserves a try..so why not this? And the good thing about this one will be that I wont be chained down by thoughts of what people I know will think about my posts. Which is always nice - I guess, there won't be much self-censorship on this blog. It is Selfistan...

Selfistan...odd word eh? Well..yes and no. If you haven't guessed already, it's a hybrid..Self (the English word for oneself) and Stan (a word, occurring in Urdu definitely and possibly in Arabic - although I'm not sure about that one. Perhaps it has roots in Persian as well....but whatever its origin...it means 'land' or 'place'). So Selfistan is - My Land

But, as much as I'd love to think that I'm ingenious and witty enough to think up such a name, I can't give myself the credit. Yes, I'm not that smart. Salman Rushdie is though..he's a brilliant writer if you haven't read any of his stuff - and TOTALLY deserves the Nobel Prize for Literature...more than V.S. Naipaul...(source of high tension..lol). Anyway...so Selfistan appears in his book "Shalimar the Clown" (quite an awesome book, if you're looking - wow that sounds as if one's looking for a bf or a gf...but honestly...books can be like bf's or gf's...more on that later).

Why not demand freedom for one's bedroom, or call one's toilet a republic?

Why not stand still and draw a circle around your feet and name it Selfistan?

So, in a way, this webpage is the circle around my feet. Enjoy the ramblings that I'll put up (hopefully) regularly. And leave comments, please....even if it's to say Hi or This is so boring I'm never reading your stuff again. It's a free world - I honestly don't care.

That's it for now, ciao, adios, au revoir....and remember...to be born again, first you must die (Salman Rushdie...again).

~me