Tuesday, July 01, 2008

close to my heart

MY FAVOURITE PHOTOGRAPHIC SUBJECT :)







i had to post these pictures of azaad, he spent 6 days with us, while mum was in the clinic,they all spent the weekend, just after imaans birth, it was so heart wrenching to see this little family off, on Monday, i was hard pressed to hold back the tears,they seem to be doing fine back in their own home,

azaad and i were having a game of hide and seek when i captured these shots, his mischievous smile, all to evident, this ones gonna be a heart breaker.
usha's last post, had me thinking, no one in my family tunes in to this blog, and i prattle on about the kids constantly, i think it is better that they don't,...though my niece and nephew are now featured in cyberspace, thanks to their proud aunty :)
hope they don't hate me for this when they are older

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

welcome to the family


dadi and imaan


imaan


natasha and azaad

welcome to the family little imaan. my niece arrived this morning at 10 am, azaad went to visit his sister this afternoon, but he seemed more attached to a juicy pear then his beautiful new sister, really she is the epitome of pretty in pink.

asalaamualikum, imaan. we proudly welcome you into the pahad family. may allah bless you with happiness,good health, wealth,a loving family and all the blessings this world has to offer.you are a joy to us, both dada and dadi love you as they love azaad, may you always add to the laughter and joy in this family.

i know i had a tear in my eye, as i read the adzaan in your ear this afternoon, you are a joy to all of us, know that you are loved unconditionally,that you have a home and family, that embrace you, and love you know and always.

new addition to the family

azaad's little sister, came into the world this morning.she is healthy and looks like her sibling, all this according to the proud father. my niece is a most welcome addition to the family, and i can not wait to pay her a visit this afternoon,the camera will be with me, so i hope to be posting a picture later today.

her father has a name in mind, so all will be revealed, once this proud aunt, has a chance to visit her new niece :)

it is amazing, how the news travelled faster than the speed of light, ahmed called me around 11am, just after he got out of theatre, and simultaneously, my mum was getting calls of congratulations, her friends daughter was assisting in theatre, before you could say bob's your uncle, the telephone lines were burning up,it enforcers the fact that life is lived in the proverbial bubble, where everyone knows you and you know everyone, very hard to keep a secret i think, but some secrets are not meant to be hidden.

well i can see not much work happening at thois office today, but hey babies don't come everyday.
lots of love little niece.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

my first birthday


sleeping my birthday away :)


natasha,azaad,ahmed


azaad reached his first birthday this weekend. a true pahad he slept through the day, leaving all the adults waiting anxiously to see him blow out the candle.

not being able to wait, hunger pangs ruling the day, we tucked in while the baby of the hour slept, eventually he got up,not really in the partying mood, he allowed the rest of us some enjoyment, when he dug his fingers in the cake, at twelve months, it is more a celebration for all the adults in the family, rather than the little person, who takes center stage, it was fathers day as well, both his dada and daddy, took a back seat, yesterday.

my aunt made the most amazing, chicken soup for the soul, and some heavenly subs, all of which were devoured before baby woke from his long afternoon nap,all in all it was a good day.

Monday, June 02, 2008

things that conjur memories



this weekend was spent, emptying cupboards and repacking,as we are having work done in the house,long forgotten items, came to light, which had us all talking and remembering the past.
the most important for me was a collection of vinyl, lp's.when we were three and two respectively, Ahmed and i made a trip to India, with mum. what i remember most, is this song, "hainna bolo bolo", a brother and sister and their mum and dad, that is what we were then, and this movie became my all time favourite, we sang along, to the song, it was a magical time. while unpacking i came across the movie soundtrack, in it's original cover,my grandmother had sent it over from India, and together with "puff the magic dragon", this is all we played on the stereo system,
"zindagi ek safar". is another song i remember, from my heady youth, when age was a single digit, and rajash khanna was my hero,i posted this song as well, just couldn't get it on here, so see the previous post.
one just cannot bin these memories, i have carefully packed away, the LP'S,and am definitely going to reconnect the turntable, my niece and nephew should have the pleasure of listening to these magical sounds, "hainna bolo bolo, mummy ko daddy se pyar he", magic.
then there was "puff the magic dragon" who lived by the sea,still in it's original cover, and well preserved, i can still remember the lyrics, two cultures, one English the other Indian, they melted into one then,and provided much laughter and fun, i wander, if these old movies are available to purchase, that, would be a treat.

packing up all these items, was not an enjoyable process, back breaking, exhausting work, then there was the cupboard full of photo albums, these are still more fun to page through then the digital photo's on my pc, perusing these tomes, held back work for a good few hours, black and white pictures of us as babies, arshad's baby pictures in colour, the world had changed when he arrived, colour photo's and tv, had arrived.the pictures though, brought back the happy times, we all agreed that azaad in his serious moments, is the image of his father at that age, when he smiles he has the look of his mother,the wanders of genetics.
Ahmed and i had a little red gadget, looked like a tv, you put the lp on top, and inserted the slide into the slot on the side, so the story of the three little pigs, moved in picture form, while the soundtrack played, what a great toy, we both still remember it, that was our version of tv, the toy was given away years ago, but never forgotten, know there is the cartoon network on satellite, just not the same .

then there was my mothers wedding dress, tucked behind some other stuff, so tiny it wouldn't go over my knees, in the pictures, she looks young and fragile, with movie star looks,didn't rub off on me, but the dress didn't get binned either, a 1960's leather suit,in black, still with us today. perhaps someone in the family, will one day enjoy a vintage wedding gown.

most of the things we fingered and touched, didn't make the bin, sentimentality i guess, really why do we hang on? for the memories, for the sights, sounds and smells that make us remember, the happy and sad times, my grandmothers blue dress, with it's hand embroidered gold zari work, she embroidered herself,my mum wore it to a function once, to great effect, i had occasion to don it, and it was a hit. a reminder of gran,a family heirloom, it will not reach the bin,like my nana baji's hat, he wore it daily, it is now the property of my maternal uncle, who has kept it all these years.

arshads red mittens, that he wore when it snowed, 22 years ago, the picture of his fat tears rolling down his cheeks as he stood in the snow, an ingrained memory, azaad might wear those mittens someday.

these are the things that new generations, must be taught to value, it tells the tale of our history, and brings those departed closer, a somber thought, yet it has so much potential, there is a history of life imprinted, in each of these items.

Andaaz - Zindagi Ek Safar



couldn't place in this on my memory blog, but this movie holds the happiest memories for me. rajesh khanna was the hero of my youth. SRK cannot begin to reach the cult status that rajesh khanna held in my life, he was larger than life. the ultimate romantic hero.

all these memories came floating back, when i found the vinyl LP, "andaaz". in it's original packaging and in working order.
i wander if any of you, still have these old things, that you cannot bring yourself to throw out?

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Flames of Hate - Alive Man Being Burnt To Death



if these can't be accessed, please check them out on youtube.the pictures tell a horrific tale, which as the saying goes, says more than a thousand words.
shame on you south africa, this is a wake up call to our government, which as usual will go unheeded,

Sky News report Racial Violence Spreads in South Africa

we should be embarrased, by these news reports. after all this how will SAFA,manage to keep the 2010 world cup hopes alive, certainly if i was a football fan, this would not be my destination of choice.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

xenophobia

south africa, is once again making world headlines for all the wrong reasons.
the townships are ablaze, with rampaging criminals, intent on rooting out foreigners,
where does one lay the blame for these atrocities.
government:
1. ineffectual immigration laws
2. badly policed borders
3. sorry excuse of a home affairs department
4. corruption.(pay the right official get an id document)
5. inadequate service delivery.

immigrants
1. illegal aliens
2. illegal business. (crime, drugs, house break in's, armed robbery,car hijackings, the list is endless.)
3. no regard for local municipal by laws
4. no regard for the rule of law, period.

not every immigrant that has entered our borders, is deserving, of the list above, there are those that have brought in invaluable skills, who have provided much needed services to this country, then there are those, who have added to our bad reputation of being the most violent, criminal riddled country, on this planet, we put the Brazilian ghetto's to shame. our governments lack of foresight has allowed,disgruntled south african's to be roused into a mob, on the hunt to root out the immigrants in their communities, it has been a systematic, countrywide purging of foreigners from the mainly black townships, minister essop pahad, is sighting right wing elements,he might be correct, as seen in Italy, and other parts of Europe, xenophobic attacks, are usually carried out, by the ultra right wing, grow up,.... south Africa has far more sinister issues at work here,
lack of service delivery, an unwillingness to inculcate in the local population, the need to work, for what one needs in life, the abolishing of a feeling of entitlement, without a strong work ethic,an understanding that we all need to come to the party, these attacks will never stop, once the foreigners, are rooted out, why not move in on the minorities, hell they are doing better than the township dwellers, it is a cycle that will never end.

what i believe.
1. government should jack up immigration controlls
2. genuine refugees, should be put in camps, run in conjunction with the UN
3. allowing people to get lost in the townships, doesn't help. you have a singularly large, unemployed population, who's work ethic is sorely lacking,who will use any excuse, to demand services, and not work towards earning it.
4. provide essential skills training for your local population, so they may be gainfully employed
5. embark on an education campaign, to teach your population, that nothing, comes for nothing.
6. all those who think, that this, is an encroachment of human rights, can jump in the lake, south african's need to be taught work ethic, government running away from being hard on locals because they are black, doesn't work, it just encourages people to be lazy,
7. south african businesses are taxed a skills development levy, so dammit get off your lazy bureaucratic asses and go about teaching people skills, what are you taxing companies for, if you are incapable of utilising your resources properly.
8. police those places that are largely populated by immigrants, and ensure that local by laws are adhered to. instead of taking bribes from illegal roadside hawkers, get them off the streets, into organised, shopping areas
9. where immigrants, are dumping garbage, as if downtown Johannesburg, is downtown Mogadishu, charge them, enforce municipal by laws that regulate garbage dumping, don't take bribes and turn a blind eye.immigrants in Europe seem to be able to live within the regulations, why should it be different here.
10. when your local rebel rouses, spout crap, about so called Indian areas, being cleaner, instead of allowing it to develop into racial crisis, why not educate them, by letting them know, that it is the homeowners in those arrears that are out there everyday, getting their streets swept,what harm is there in sweeping the pavement outside your own properties.but if you said that to a "black" person, you would be a racist.
11. hell, all that is required is to teach your population common sense, and most especially teach them that every damn thing in life comes from hard work.

for the past 16 months, we have literally been living on a construction site, a job that should have taken 6 months, is know into it's 16Th month, no work ethic,
the electrical company, sends out a team of no less than 12 men.
they arrive at 7.30 am. start work just before 12am, leave by 2.30 pm. in that time, they play football in the room they should be chasing, to lay electrical wiring,one guy uses the machine to cut into the floor, eleven guys have on music, play football, talk about sex they had the night before, sleep on any available space, the result, there work is shocking, and i would never recommend them to anyone.
the contractor on sight, chargers R20000.00 a month for a foreman, who spends all his time sleeping in his truck, the workers spend all there time sleeping, he never comes in to supervise.
that is unskilled and skilled labour on a small contracting job, what does that say about the mentality, and caliber of workers in this country.
then there was the plasterer, he was from Mozambique, started at 8am, and didn't leave the job, until he finished what he was doing, efficient and talented, what does that say about the caliber of the south African worker.
the same for the Angolan painter,the Mozambican tiler....so the lazy nincompoop south Africans are on a mission to get rid of the only people who have any real work ethic, all because we are just to lazy,that feeling of entitlement, that should be wiped out of our psyche, we need to learn that nothing comes for nothing. i cannot say that often enough.

Monday, May 19, 2008

my first tooth



it's been three months and then some... azaad is know eleven months old and the first tooth has made it's appearance,the little guy really suffered before that tiny sliver of a tooth cut through the surface,the other's are showing signs of making there appearance, he smiled through it all,babies are so resilient, then i suppose that's how we are designed.

life around here has been hectic, the building site we are living on show's no sign of completion yet, and winter is setting in with a vengeance, i just hope it all comes to an end soon.

About Me

rouhana pahad
johannesburg, gauteng, South Africa
passionate bout all things literary. dislike, stupidity and insincerity.
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