Women..

I had the chance to attend a focus group session on the financial awareness of indian women aged 40 and above, as a documentor. Though intially i went into this cos i was coerced by my cousin, i came out of it glad with a new perspective on life.. This because the focus grp i was a part of was a group divorcees, employed or self-employed. It made me realise how fortunate I am, and how the choices we make in life determine the direction our life takes.

51 year old, emotionally strong, pretty, has a son who's 30 now. Husband left her when her son was just born. She braced the stormy waters and is now an independent, successful woman (successful by my standards, though that is highly subjective) who is debt-free and has investments and plans for the near future.

Hers was a love marriage. Being born in a wealthy family, she moved out to marry the first (and only) love of her life. She led a very poor life, all for the sake of her husband who brought her nothing but unhappiness. Highly suspicious, with a strong case of inferiority complex, he brought other women home, tortured her emotionally and physically even when she was pregnant. When the baby was born, he deserted her and left, leaving her alone in the rental flat with no one to turn to.

She attemped suicide and wanted to kill the baby too, didnt have the heart and survived, coming out stronger. She went to work, puting on a happy, normal facade amidst the tragic life she led, didnt believe in taking loans or having debts and single handedly raised her 30 year old son, who has a good education and a job now. She never let him feel inferior to those from happy families. The heart of a mum and the strength of a mother. amazing.

46 years old, 22 years of being a homemaker, now struggling to keep a shop going in tekka. aspires to train and develop the talents in the younger generation who do nt have academic qualifications. after 22 years of marriage, and dependency and trust on her man, she realised he had another woman. Is now going through divorce and fighting for custody of her 2 children aged 17 and 20 who are with the father, who is btw, fithy rich with a swimming pool etc in their home. I just pray god give her strength and show her a way out. She spoke abt hw there were days when she had to struggle with no money for even food.

50 years old, completed her diploma at 46 so she could take a better job. and single handedly raising her son who is 17, and a very promising student and son. She is fortunate to be blessed with such a son and vice versa. Lost her husband to a woman who 'helped to settle some financial problems they had'.

Before the 3 of them walked out of the room that day, they hugged me tight and told me thank you for listening. They asked me to be strong. These women, all affected in one way or other, shared their stories cos they wanted to provide strength to the one who was going through the divorce. They wanted her to be strong and not break down the way they did initally.

That day, i learnt about the strength of a woman. About hw optimism is everyting. Wat u tink is wat ur life becomes.

and also the true meaning of inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raajiuun. HE gave it to you, and HE can take it away at anytime. AND HE has every right to.

To all women out there, this stories are not meant to instill fear that men will not be faithful in the long run. But rather, regardless of what life throws your way, you have to come out on top and be strong. We may be weaker physically, but HE sure has given us emotional strength that will enable us to tide through everything.

And of cos, ALWAYS save for a rainy day. You never know when a need arises.

Lists..

List of things that I should do:

Quit worrying about everything - whether its the finances, the confirmation letter, the preps, unhappiness watever, just leave it. if its meant to happen it will. leave it to HIM

Adopt a healthy lifestyle - i haven exercised in a while and i'm getting lazy! bad bad bad.. no use complaining that my weight is going up slowly. i have to do something about it. and the diet.. got to stop the fast food, nuts and walnut cakes once and for all. if at 37 a healthy guy can get a heart attack, i'd better start doing something about my lifestyle.

Be happy - i am blessed in many ways. i have to be more positive and not get upset at small things. *count my blessings, not the tears*

Stop procrastinating! - this is my no one pitfall. have to do something about it.

Be a more understanding person - people around me are going thru more stress and unhappiness than i am. i have to put them b4 me. esp bee and anna.


Things i can strike off my wishlist.
Holiday to Bintan
Degree with distinction (Inshah Allah)
New job with better pay (Alhamdulila)
Everlasting love - i believe so.

Met rashi after eons yday. its good. i miss the fun times we used to have talking on the pone almost daily for hrs. we've grown up and r so busy with our lives. quite sad also. suggested we take a trip together before oct. inshah allah hope it materialises.

have to go down to SIM to pay my last membership fee. procrastinating on tat too!. haiz. i need to prioritise man.

Jodhaa Akber

Randomly caught Jodhaa Akbar with bee on Saturday and it proved to be one of the best movies i've watched in a while. I'd give the movie 4.5 stars out of 5. A MUST WATCH. Though the movie was a tad too long, at 3 hr 40 mins, I must say I never checked my watch during this time. I still remember King Kong was such a drag at 3 hrs that I was wishing it'd end.

Its been the longest times since i watched a historical epic and enjoyed it. The last I remember Asoka was quite a bore and i never got to watch Swades. As a reviewer said, 'JODHAA AKBAR leaves you spellbound, enthralled, entranced and awestruck. Ashutosh Gowariker makes the legendary characters come alive on screen.'

True enough the scenes were mostly so magnificient and opulent, I was amazed.

The storyplot: Set in the sixteenth century, JODHAA AKBAR is a love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a great Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a Rajput princess, Jodhaa.

The characters did justice to their roles with Hrithick playing Akbar and Aishwarya playing Jodhaa. I left the theatre thinking no other might have suit the roles better - they were done to perfection. Hrithick delivered the performance with such confidence, precision and character while Aishwarya, she was amazing with her emotions display, not to mention the beautiful costumes and jewellery.

A.R Rahman's music certainly contributed to the success of the movie, his background tunes and song numbers was captivating. And not to mention Amitabh Bachan's voice narrating the story definitely gave strength.

Did I mention the other characters playing Jodha's cousin brother and Sharifudeen (the villain somesort) were VERY good looking too. haha. must say theres alot of eye candy in the movie.

Some scenes that were worthy of mention in the movie include:

The war sequence at the beginning. You realize the scale and magnitude of the film at the very beginning.

Hrithik taming an out-of-control elephant. It shows the courage and confidence of the young emperor

The two pre-conditions set by Jodhaa, before her marriage to Akbar. Makes you wonder for a while if Akbar would accept it or the movie would take a 360 twist

The immediate sequence, when Ash is asked to taste the food herself by Ila before she's about to serve the food to the Emperor and his associates. Once done, Hrithik demanding that he be served the meal from the same platter that Jodhaa had used. This was really sweet. It kinda showed the start of the love blossoming.

The scenes when Hritick is completely awestruck by Aishwarya's beauty. cute.

The intermission point, which sows the seeds of a misunderstanding between Hrithik and Ash

Post-interval, Hrithik returning to Amer to get Ash back to Agra and the welcome ceremony by his mother-in-law.

The sword fight the very next morning, between Hrithik and Ash. There is a point when Hrithick reminds Ash "Pls remember I am your husband" in a joking manner.

The 'Azeem-o-Shaan Shahenshah' track, when the entire kingdom hails Hrithik.

The fight in the climax between Sharifudeen and Akbar. Definitely keeps ones attention.

Despite the controversies sorrounding the movie, I still think that everyone who enjoys a good plot should catch this movie in the theatre. Cos honestly, your home theatre system cannot bring out the enormity of the war scenes and the magnificience of the sets.

Also, check out the beatiful costumes and jewels.