msaraf

Telemarketing Text Messages

I’ve been in Delhi for almost two months now, and one of the things that fascinates me the most is the barrage of unsolicited marketing text messages I receive almost daily. I have been offered lucrative “PLOTS” of all kinds in all sorts of places at all types of prices. I get an offer forContinue reading “Telemarketing Text Messages”

Papa

5 years ago I got a message in the middle of the night. It was not good news. I had never lost someone close to me (at 28 that made me pretty lucky), and the grief was surprising in it’s intensity. We all called him Papa: my parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. My Grandfather hadContinue reading “Papa”

New Year’s Eve & My Silly Superstitions

I have this crazy superstition that the way I spend New Year’s Eve, dictates how my year will go. It has happened a few times, so it has sort of stuck with me through the years. On New Year’s Eve 2007, my friend Tandi and I roamed the streets of Manhattan all night, avoiding creepyContinue reading “New Year’s Eve & My Silly Superstitions”

Thoughts on Delhi

Walking up the stairs to work today, I smelled that spicy smell of burning wood, which reminded me of the Delhi winters of my childhood. I have been back for a little over a month now (permanently) and I often have moments like this – where the smallest thing feels oddly familiar, an un-spooky déjàContinue reading “Thoughts on Delhi”

A Little Inconvenience

I’ve been in Delhi for about a month now. As I write this, a stray ant crawls across the floor of my bedroom. I barely notice them anymore; they are now a part of my daily existence. Two or three grace my shower every morning. I try not to kill them but there is noContinue reading “A Little Inconvenience”

Thoughts on Failure

Failure is defined by the Mirriam-Webster dictionary as “omission of occurrence or performance” (specifically a duty or action), “a state of inability to perform a normal function” or “a fracturing or giving way under stress”. It has a few other definitions involving bankruptcy, deterioration and the very profound “one that has failed”, but I’d likeContinue reading “Thoughts on Failure”

Worth Reading

Originally posted on Endless Parade:
Perhaps you’re unfamiliar with Lorrie Goldstein. That’s fine. We’re not here to skewer his career. Perhaps you’re unfamiliar with gang violence in Canada’s largest city. That’s fine. We’re not here to skewer Toronto. Perhaps you’re unfamiliar with the specifics of how the Toronto Sun commissions and crafts opinion columns. That’s…

Chicken and Bok Choy Soup

I have the good fortune of having many friends that like to cook and are fairly creative. Practicing Bikram so regularly makes the food I eat that much more important – it needs to be nourishing and substantial yet not incredibly heavy. This soup was made up on the spot but turned out to beContinue reading “Chicken and Bok Choy Soup”

Waiting

When you’re looking for work time morphs in such strange ways. Weekends seem long, dismal and never ending – because you know the chances of hearing from anyone are slim. Weekdays pass quickly and public holidays become this irritating inconvenience instead of a day of to relax and unwind. Every moment you are not doingContinue reading “Waiting”

Words

As a writer, I’m often faced with the problem of language and it’s limitations. Words are our tools, tools we use to shape and create images and characters, to reach into the brains of our readers and show them something they have not seen before at least in our specific version of an event orContinue reading “Words”