Yet another Mela 
Date: Sunday , August 24, 2008
Timings: 12 PM to 6 PM
Venue: Eastville Park, Bristol.
Islamic Cultural Festival 2008
So if you are in Bristol, do come. As yet I dont know the stuff that would be there, as this would be my first time, but we should come to see at least. Organizers will feel good
Categories: Bristol · Fun
Tagged: Culture, Festival, Mela, Muslim
It happend second time, yesterday.
First time, it was my house mat, Michael. We were in kitchen and probably were talking about the pizza he was just taking out of the oven, when he asked:
“For how long have you been in the UK?”
Me: Less than two months …
Michael: Ohhh! But you speak good English. Where are you from?
Me: I am from Pakistan.
Michael: Do you guys speak English in Pakistan?
Me: No, we don’t.
Micheal: Then … ? (how come you are good at it?)
Me: … aaa … ummm .. (no answer)
And just yesterday, I was at bank. The customer service officer (CSO), who was herself an Easteren European, and hence not English, was processing my credit card application, when she asked the same question: (you are asked this everywhere btw)
“For how long have you been in the UK?”
Me: Less than two months.
CSO: Ohh! But you speak good English. Do you speak English in Pakistan?
Me: No, we don’t.
CSO: Then, where did you learn it from?
Me: umm .. aaa.. My university degree was taught in English (the best I could come up with), so …
CSO: Arrite. You know I studied English for 5 years, but still I am not good at it.
Me: I see.
I was in hurry, as it was lunch break and I had to get back to office, so it just got off my mind. But at night, when I was talking to MUF, the bank just came up, and so did this conversation. And I was ashamed of myself. Things just get different, and you actually get to realize it.
Its been more than a month I am here, and am beginning to get comfortable with the accent here, although in the start, it was not that good. I used to get many things wrong, and it was MUF who helped me all the way along. And if you can actually speak and understand English, it helps if you are in an English speaking community, but just yesterday .. it dawned on me … its not that good.
A late realization though …
Categories: Bristol · Life - as it goes by
Its Umair this time. I think its been more than a couple of weeks now since he got married. And as expected Umair took bhabhi along to Deosai Plains in the first week of wedding; my heartiest sympathies with the lady. I don’t know if she is the trekking kind of, if she is, fortunate for her, if she is not, hard luck maa’m.
We, me n MUF, called Umair a couple of days back, and he was quite angry. Although the reason he mentioned was “Ab yaad aaya he“, but who knows 
As I mentioned sometime back, most of my friends have either got married, or are getting married soon. In the start we used to sympathize with the ones actually involved, and would sometime laugh on them, look poor guy. But tables are turning now, and things are happening the other way around 
Khair …
Heartiest congratulations Umair. Good luck. May Allah bless your family.
Categories: Friends · Life - as it goes by
Tagged: Sweet things in life, wedding
Before coming to England, I was under the impression, like most of people who haven’t been here, that these gora log must be living a mechinical life, with no time for life itself. Working fulltime, and drinking for the rest of it . I was wrong.
They do work, and drink, but then they get to spare a lot of time, may be more than us, for themselves, their lives, and their families. Throughout the week, they would work like anything, and throughout the weekend, they would enjoy like anything. They always have their weekends already planned. And you know what, every month or so, there gonna be some festival, or mela as we know it. Its hardly been a month I am here, and there has already been two in the city.
Over the last weekend, it was annual harbourside festival in Bristol. Entry was free, so quite a lot of people were there, so were we; me n MUF
Notables included an open air circus, BBC headroom; they were teaching Djembe Drum along with other things, and a couple of jigs going on. Luckily when we reached for the jig, a Sikh band was performing and the beat of dhol was so tempting that we cudn’t help actually moving our legs. And then, it was not just us, it was eveybody standing there. As we say, Gora qaum pagal hui wi thi. I have the video with me, will try to upload it but not sure if I will actually be able to as its around 40 mb. But you have to accept, dhol rocks.
Circus was also fun. We witnessed some really amazing performances, particulary a guy doing rope dance (i dont know if its the exact term, but cudn’t think of anything more appropriate). It was a rope hung vertically, and the guy sort of danced on it, on the drum-beat. Ammmazing … I must say.
It was an experience of its own.
And just yesterday MUF told me about this. Its over this weekend. We may be going, but only to see the baloons flying around as I am a bit tight on money nowadays , praying for the salary day to come ASAP.
Khair …
Lets hope I could upload the stuff for harbourside festival. Meanwhile you can have a look at this, this, this and this.
Categories: Bristol · Fun · Life - as it goes by
Tagged: 2008, Festival, Harbourside
