Thursday, April 23, 2015

Full to Fuller House ......a tradition and a legacy continues


Three little cute girls, their widowed father, a rocking uncle and a goofy comedian friend were the much loved characters of the popular US tv sitcom "Full House". Their house was always "full" of laughter, friends, sibling rivalry and funny incidents. The program premiered in 1987 and aired regularly till 1995 in the United States. The legacy of Full House is very different from many other popular American sitcoms like Sienfield and Friends. It appealed to all members of the family.The high energy within the Tanner household and their ability to welcome everyone in their very happy Full House not only struck a cord with the American audience but was also able to attract  a large number of foreign viewers. The show introduced not only "me" but many teenagers like me, who enjoyed the moon walk of Michael Jackson and hip style of Maddona  in the 1980s to an " average American Family".  Full House" taught us( those living outside USA) that America is not just a funky place or just a dominating " super power" but it is a country whose people shares similar social values like people of any other country. It's a place where friends help friends and where neighbors drop by unannounced, at all sorts of odd hours. I guess this show was somewhat able to launch a very positive image of America all across the globe. It was created by Jeff Franklin, was on air for 8 seasons and broadcasted 192 episodes.

Sitcoms are short 30 minutes family shows aired on television around evening dinner time.Full House was watched by almost 11 million viewers per  episode  in 1995 the year when it aired the last episode. After cancellation, Full House went on to gain even more popularity in syndication, where it was said to be so popular that there would always be an episode of Full House airing somewhere in the world. Today in 2015,  Full House still airs in 11 countries, including the United States.

The show chronicles Danny Tanner who along with his best friend and his brother-in-law is raising his three daughters. DJ the oldest is the outgoing one, Stephanie the middle one is funny and outrageous and the youngest Michealle  is the adorable one. Their house is centre of all activities where school friends gather for  Girl Scout meetings and study sessions, where the sisters argue uncontrollably. Almost every episode had a very positive theme attached to it, it taught  a lesson of compassion and endurance. The laughs were always in abundance, may it be at the expense of DJ"s annoying best friend Kimmy Gibbler or the cute Stephanie or around Uncle Jesse"s obsession with his hair.

It's been almost 3 decades since the show premiered ......the teenagers of 80s have transformed into parents of teenagers in the year 2015. The passage of years has not diminished the attraction of "Full House", it is being watched by the school aged kids of today. Full House is that one show which does not has an ancient feel attached to it ......when I look at my own teenaged kids laying down on the couch, giggling as they watch the re-runs of "Full House" after dinner, I smile at them and think how dramatically our habits and our personality traits are transferred into our children.

It was announced on April 20, 2015 that the channel Netflix would broadcast a new 13 episode sequel of Full House rightfully named as "Fuller House", in 2016.

Monday, April 20, 2015

Tale of two cities

TALE OF TWO CITIES

A popular comment in popular culture is "NewYork never sleeps"......referring to the restaurants, pubs, shops and streets which are never vacant in NewYork. The lights are always on, streets are always crowded with tourists from all over the world......buying, eating, partying, laughing across this magnificent city. People are busy gazing at high rise buildings, brightly illuminated bill boards,thunder of cars and cabs.Hundreds of thousands of people visit the Big Apple every day!!!

There is another city far away from NY tucked in a dessert in a different continent named Mecca. It is one of the two most sacred places of the Muslims of the world. Mecca also never sleeps ........people are busy circulating the Kabba all day long, day or night. They travel to the dessert of Saudi Arabia to catch a glimpse of the "House of Allah". People pray, perform tawaf or sayee or just sit and gaze at the magnificent black cube.They travel from all over the world to catch a sight of the Holy Mosque. The bright lights inside the mosque, on streets and of the hotels illuminate this city. Men, women and children roam around this glorifying city, everyone wanting to spend more time with His or Her God, praying for health , wealth, happiness. Popular comment in Mecca is :Entering Kaaba is like entering into God's Mercy.

People are mesmerized by the beauty and glitz of NewYork.
People forget who they are and where they are from when they disembark at Mecca.

A spiritual journey ....... A captivating journey !!!

One for the love of luxuries of life , one for the love of the creator of life ........

Monday, April 6, 2015

Cruel Ironies of Life

Cruel Ironies of life ........

"Feroz please pay this electric bill", Salima handed the bill to her husband on the breakfast table.
"How much is it?", he asked taking a sip of his tea.
"Rs 25,000", she replied.
"How many times I have told you to be careful, this is a lot", Feroz sounded angry.
"My children cannot stay without the AC in this scrotching  heat", Salima was not at all concerned.

"Salamat Ali these are Rs 50,000 , 25,000 for electric bill and 25,000 is your salary for this month. Please pay the bill today", he explained his driver.
"Jee Sahab", replied Salamat Ali.

"Here take this  month"s salary, I will not ask anyone for loan this month, you will have only these Rs 25,000
to spend ", said Salamat Ali handing the money to his wife Nasim Bano that night when he got home close to midnight after work.
Nasim Bano looked at her 5 young children sleeping in the tiny apartment in dim light.
"How will I buy new books for Saad, pay rent, buy groceries, buy new chappals for Sughra, pay school fees , utility bills and get the ceiling fixed", thought Nasim Bano
"Ya Allah help me", she prayed.

"Ami I like this dress I want to buy it for my Jahez", said Lyla.
"Beti you already have bought so many, why are you buying another one", her mother Mrs Amin argued.
"Come on Ami don't be so cheap", Lyla the very spoiled daughter of Mrs Amin handed the dress to the salesgirl.
Mrs Amin reluctantly handed her credit card to Ayesha the salesgirl.
Ayesha who was helping the two ladies wondered why there is so much disparity in the world.
"It is so ironic I get up early in the morning change two buses to come to this mall to work in this boutique, I earn  Rs 25,000 after one month"s hard work and some other young girl spends Rs 25,000 in just few minutes , quite conveniently", she wondered as she packed the dress.
"Maybe one day my qismat will change", Ayesha assured herself.
Ayesha worked as a salesperson in a designer boutique to support her parents and younger siblings.

Alimuddin found a wallet inside the shirt of one of his clients, while he was sorting out the clothes at his Dhobi Ghat  in the outskirts of the city.He opened the wallet , it belonged to Mr R.K.Inam a famous dentist in the city. It contained his credit cards, few receipts, photographs and Rs 25,000 in cash.
He counted the money.
" Should I return the wallet or just keep it, I can tell them that I did not find anything if they ask, I can use these Rs 25,000 to repair the only bathroom in my house and to pay some of my debt.I am upto my eyeballs in debt. I need this money,these dentists charge Rs 2,000 from every patient, he will make this much money in two days",
Alimuddin was a poor Dhobi who was only earning member of the family comprising 4 kids, parents and a wife to support. They lived in a tiny two bedroom house in the slums of the city.
Alimuddin could not sleep that night " he had never stole any thing in his life, he desperately needed money, Please God forgive me but I am tired and helpless ", he prayed.

All these people live in the city of Karachi , their lifestyles, their priorities are very different from each other......
They all need money ......
Rs 25,000  is very important to each and everyone of them, some spend it through a period of one month, some spend it in one hour, some use it for their luxuries, some use it to get over their worries......

Why the gap between the have"s and the have nots is always expanding?

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Queen of eBay

QUEEN OF eBAY

 She was not an heiress or obtained a degree from an Ivy League College.Her first sale was a stolen book. Hers is a highly unprecedented story of one girl"s struggle against all odds.
A story of a boss of an extraordinary business empire who happens to be an ordinary girl.

In a span of 8 years this community college drop out can be rightfully termed as the Queen of eBay. The modern day rags to riches story of  Sophia Amoruso is of a hardworking girl who used to work as a sandwich artist at "Subway" and a shoe sales person. Her teenaged years were spent hitchhiking, stealing , and dumpster diving. Her eye for fashion led her to launch an online clothing store. Amorouso spent her time looking for vintage clothes while working at the front desk at a San Francisco Art School.
She launched her e-bay store named Nasty Gal.....a term originally coined after a 1975 Betty Davis album and the singer’s outspoken lifestyle.
She became the CEO of Nasty Gal and developed it into the fastest-growing online retailer in the United States.
Nasty Gal sells vintage , bohemian theme ladies clothes, shoes and accessories. Sophia  Amoruso is not only a highly creative visionary but also a savvy modern-day entrepreneur who has been named by Forbes as “Fashion’s New Phenom".

Sophia has penned her first highly anticipated, book titled #GIRLBOSS which will hit book stands on May 6 ,2015. The book tells Amoruso’s extraordinary life story and offers insights on entrepreneurship and career advice for youth especially young women. At only 30 years old, Amoruso has become one of the most prominent figures in retail business. She has become a cultural icon.Amoruso’s Nasty Gal has sparked a cult following in her venture on eBay. In just five years (and after being kicked off the site in 2008), the brand has grown into a one-stop shop and online retail paradise with a huge following of fashion risk-takers. By the beginning of this year NastyGal, the online clothing retailer had an annual sale of over $100 million.


Amoruso now manages over 300 employees in a 50,000-square-foot L.A. office. Most of the employees in her spacious new office are women.The walls of the office are adorned with framed magazine articles about Amoruso and sounds of songs by Rihanna playing on the office sound system. She buys her inventory through local vendors as well as going through boxes of vintage clothing from international sellers.Nasty Gal initially took a loan to launch the business. It took the company eight years and a lot of hard work to become successful in eight years.Nasty Gal accessories are bought by buyers in close to 150 countries.

Like most books by CEOs, #GIRLBOSS is a marketing tool.....an effort to promote the author"s business but it is also a highly passionate project. When someone tweeted a complaint about the book’s title, suggesting that grown women shouldn’t be calling themselves girls, Amoruso responded immediately and quite smartly "How’s #BROADBOSS? "

So if you are looking for a source of inspiration to start a new venture go through the chapters of #GIRLBOSS

Amoruso "s advice "Be Bossy".......

Friday, April 3, 2015

How a broken family broke her personality

How a "broken family" , broke her personality

Relationships between two adults do not have to last forever. Relationships between two adults who have kids together always last.
Relationships can be bitter but they don't always need to be discussed loudly , angrily ......especially in front of the children.

"My parents stopped loving each other and that is OK. Having a child means being willing to put the child first, and when you divorce or separate from the parent of your children, you need to remember that your child deserves to be put first. The child adores you both, and hearing or seeing you bitterly discussing the other hurts the child. You may not think they hear, or understand your passive aggressive tones.......but they do".

"I had no say in how my parents broke our family down; no chance to say it was too messy .You can't sugarcoat a family breakdown, but you can protect your child , you should not expose them to the ugliness of your already broken relationship ", said my friend Saadia who is a product of a broken family, a product of divorce a very bitter divorce.

Saadia added "Don't stay together for the kids, but break up softly for your children instead".