Daily Prompt: Exhale

Tell us about a time when everything seemed to be going wrong__ and then, suddenly you knew it would be all right.

I could not think of writing about everything going wrong in my life. I decided to write a fiction using this prompt.

Samina a twenty year old girl, made up her mind to leave Kolkata and go to Dhaka to continue her studies. Her eldest sister was living in Dhaka at that time.

She had a ready made residence waiting for her to live. Her sister and the nieces were delighted to have her, she was pleased as well.

Samina registered in the local university to continue her studies. Things were going well she became friends with one of her classmates.

At the end of the year, it was time for her first exam, she was not  ready for it. It would be wise not to sit for the exam. She knew she’d fail the exams,  and decided to repeat the course.

Next year she registered again for the same course, she continued neglecting her studies, this time it was worse she fell in love. Her friends noticed she spent all her time  writing letters to her boyfriend. As a result she was unprepared for the exam at the end of the year. This time she sat for the exam and fortunately passed but  was last in her class.

She registered for the second year course. Her sister found out about her love affair and tried to discourage her. She was afraid if her parents knew about her boyfriend, they would make her go back to Kolkata.She thought the only way to avoid her sister and her parents’ interference in her  life,  it would be best for her  to move to the University residence.

She started her courses, but her mind was elsewhere, as a result she failed the final exam.

She quit school, her parents were informed about her love affair. They felt it was better she got married, she’d be happy.

After months of preparation the date for the wedding was  settled. Invitation cards were sent  out to friends and relatives for the big day. Exactly a week before the wedding, Samina received a letter from her future husband.  He wrote:

Dear Samina,

I am sorry I cannot marry you. I have decided to marry another woman, my sin for not marrying you, would be far greater if I don’t marry her.

Samina’s world fell apart, she did not expect such an outcome. Everything went wrong for her.

Her parents and her siblings hoped that her fate would change for the better some day, that this was a lesson, she’ll learn from it and  hopefully will be all right.

…………………………………………….:)

 

 

Daily Prompt: Idyllic

What does you ideal community look like?How is it organized, and how is community life structured? What values does the community share?

My ideal community is a medium sized city, it is neat and clean, in times of snow the city workers clear the snow. Garbage is collected weekly. Every other week we are supposed to collect recyclable items separately and the regular garbage in normal bags, and place them on the curb.

We have a postal system, they deliver our mail Monday to Friday.

We have a number of grocery stores where we can buy fresh and frozen produce, also fresh milk, cheese,and butter.These stores also carry cleaning stuff.

We have volunteers who take care of food and clothing donated by the citizens.

We have hospitals where the patients are treated by trained physicians.

We have one university, it offers a variety of courses to the students, from computer science to medicine and arts and science as well.

Our airport is international, you can travel anywhere from here, of course one has to use connecting flights.

We have a variety of festivals which the people can enjoy at certain times of the year.

I think our community is an ideal community.

……………………………….. 🙂

DP Daily Prompt: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

You get some incredibly,amazingly,wonderfully fantastic news. What’s the first you do?

When I managed to register for the online course I thought this news was incredibly,amazingly, wonderfully fantastic. What can be better, I cannot think. I have managed to discipline myself.

Studying hard was never in my vocabulary while I was in college and university. I didn’t think it was important to top the list or something crazy like that. I was contented to turn pages looking for topics that can be in the exam, which I should study for the exams. It helped me I did not fall but barely walked through.

Then came the post graduate program by this time my confidence was a bit shaky, I did what the other students normally do , I studied hard. This time I walked without a cane, my brain assured me I won’t fall. My profs were happy I was using my potential.

My interviewers probably liked my personality, they never turned me away from scholarships and jobs I applied for.

This course put me on the right path, I study regularly, I read books and even enjoy them. I’m always anxious for the next lesson. It’s so wonderful for  me, I cannot think of anything better than this. I’ve already got my awesome news , there is nothing else that can make me happier.

The only sad thing for me was losing my precious father when I was twelve. Everything else for me was good news, God Willing!

……………………

k: https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2015/04/07/dp-daily-promp…expialidocious/

365 Writing Prompts: Humble Pie

Tell us about a time you found out after the fact that you’d been mistaken and you had to eat a serving of humble pie.

I met  Mini in the university, she was friendly and very charming, she and I became friends immediately.She introduced me to her family members who lived in Dhaka. They were always very nice to me,every time they had a party, I was the first one on their list.

Mini’s family moved from Calcutta to Dhaka permanently, her parents did not because her father had a pharmacy   which he was planning to sell.Her sisters and brothers moved to Dhaka.

Once her eldest sister had a party in her house, I was invited, the food served was very tasty, there was beef, chicken, fish, all kinds of vegetables and salads it was a huge affair.

Mini’s sister was an excellent cook, she worked for days organizing the party. Her food was delicious, she forced me to try every single dish she cooked, only my mother cooked slightly better. I loved the atmosphere they all treated me like one of their relatives, I never felt out of place when I went to their house.

It was a dinner party I’ll never forget!

: https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/11/29/365-writing-prompts-humble-pie

 

 

DP Daily Prompts: Trio no. 4

Today you can write about anything, in whatever genre or form, but your post must include a speeding car, a phone call, and a crisp bright morning.( Wildcard: you can swap any of the above for a good joke.)

Yesterday was a bright crisp morning. I went out to gather the leaves, which fell after the wind storm, instead of calling the lawn care people again to clear the leaves, I took advantage of a rain free day.

I probably gathered a few handfuls when I felt my feet were cold, the sun was deceiving actually it was very cold. I stopped and came inside. I picked up my phone and called the visa company about the confusion of my refund, she told me everything was fine and I have nothing to worry.

My attention was distracted when I heard a lot of noise on the street outside my house, to my horror there was a  student running with a bottle in his hand, he stole it from the nearby house and wanted to celebrate his failure in the midterm exam. I was in awe someone celebrating for failing an exam, this is new, I’ve never heard it before.

I went out of the house to find out if it was true, I asked my neighbor, she told me this particular student already failed twice, he was warned by his parents if he failed again he’d have to pack his bags and come  home.

The said student tried to convince his parents university was not for him, he’d rather work on a farm, look after cattle and grow his own food. When he couldn’t convince them he took the route of failing his courses, “smart isn’t it,” my neighbor quipped!

https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/dp-daily-prompts-trio-no-4/

365 Writing Prompts : About Page for the Future

Write the About page for your blog in ten years.

My about page will not change in ten years, it’ll  basically be  the same,except it would be like Shakespeare’s ,”As you like it, “I will go through the stages of my development. I won’t be able to write about me as a baby, I don’t have any recollection of that, I must have gone through the stages of infancy as other babies did.

However I remember my sister told me me when I was a baby I used to faint a lot.Once my aunt had me in her lap and all of a sudden I fainted. She was so scared, she apologized to my mother she said, “Apa( big sister)I didn’t do anything, she just fainted.”

My eldest sister was annoyed she said, “Do not worry auntie she always faints like that.”

I can’t remember my toddler stage either, and no one told me how good or bad I was. So that stage is out of the way.

At my school stage whenever that started I made excuses when the temperature outdoors was unbearably cold or the opposite. I’d pretend I have a tummy ache, headache or I’m cold once again depending on the temperature.

In college I was a quiet teenager, had some friends and a lot of inquisitive classmates, their repeated question was, why I am studying Urdu, if I am a Bengali. I did not care enough to answer that question.

From college to university was a giant leap stage for me, everything and every one were too big and difficult to handle, from the reference books to the profs to my fellow students, I was one under age student who had no business being there.

After going through the university I ventured to go for a degree in M.ed, professor Elliott stared at me as if saying inwardly, you got to be kidding, I don’t want someone like you studying here, then the words came out speedily, only because I was unable to hear his thoughts, “You are too young!.”

The later stages will follow when I have time!

: https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/11/08/365-writing-pr…for-the-future/

 

Fiction: Confusion

It was the first day of class, the university was buzzing with first year students, there weren’t enough volunteers to direct the traffic in the overcrowded building.

It was Marcy’s first trip in the city which to her seemed too large, she came from a small fishing community in Fogo, she found a small corner in the corridor sat down and watched all the other students running helter-skelter, is this what university is about she asked herself?

Suddenly she heard a voice from behind, “are you lost, I’m Socrates, you might think who named me, well who else my parents they think the name might influence me to be a Philosopher, did you ever hear such a thing in your life?”

Marcy was tongue- tied how will she respond, there were a million words in her brain, she was unable to speak, Socrates knew the girl was too shy to speak, to make her feel at ease, he told her where he was from and what he wanted to study, he certainly was not in favor of studying Philosophy.

His lighthearted conversation helped her relax, she said very softly, “my name is Marcy,this is my first visit in the city, I like you, I want to be your friend.”

https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/09/26/fiction-confusion/

DP Daily Prompts: Discussion Enders

We’ve all had exchanges where we came up with the perfect reply —- ten minutes too late. Write down one of those,but this time, make sure to sign off with your grand slam (unused) zinger.

It happened when I was a student at the university, there were over a hundred of us in that particular class, most of them were male students, only three of us were female.

The prof gave us an assignment in our tutorial class, my two classmates did not understand the question ,they requested me to show mine, I thought it doesn’t hurt they’ll know how to write the assignment.

With our papers in front of him, the prof. gave a curious look and then, he said,”Who copied whom?”

I was stunned, nothing came out of my mouth, afterwards I felt I should have said something.

I should have said, “Sir, they were having trouble with the question, they didn’t know how to answer. I gave them my papers  to see how to do it, I did not know they’ll copy mine.”

Those words never came out, to this day I wonder who the prof. thought had actually written the assignment.

https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/08/25/dp-daily-promp…cussion-enders/

 

 

365 Writing Prompts: Fifteen Credits

Another school semester will soon begin. If you’re in school, are you looking forward to starting classes? If you’re out of school, what do you miss about it— or are you glad those days are over?

I am not in school I took care of my studies a while ago. Sometimes I miss the atmosphere of school. I recall one of my profs was quite strange, when we’d see him coming towards us we’d be ready to wish him “Salaam”, meaning peace be on you, our words would be stuck in our throats, he’d turn around and look the other way, this was in the university. as usual we’d talk among ourselves about how strange he was.

Then there was Sr. Joseph Mary in college, before I could wish her,’good morning,afternoon or evening,’ depending on the time of day.

She’d quickly remind me, “Chaman, I hope you won’t go to your uncle’s house for the week-end.”

I’d say nothing and try to move on,then the question is louder,’Did you hear me my dear?’

I’d have no choice but to say, ‘Yes Sr. Joseph Mary.’

In London it was Prof. Baird, he’d wish me before I opened my mouth, “Good Morning, Miss Sabeth, how are you?”

My reply, “I’m fine Mr. Baird.”

I’d then quickly go into the classroom and open my phonetics book and pretend to study, so Prof. Baird wouldn’t ask any further questions.

It was a carefree life in school, after classes depending on where I was, I’d either go straight to my residence or in London I’d go to one of the stores, it was  Selfridges ,  I loved checking all the interesting things, I’d go from floor to floor it was my way of spending time, I dreaded going back to the residence because I knew I’d be homesick.

I miss my Profs., Sister Joseph Mary and also some of my classmates.

Now I registered for online courses, it’s stress-free, I see no one and no one sees me. I love the fact I do not have to dress up to be in this school. I’m studying about poet and philosopher Iqbal and enjoying a lot. The best part is we have no exam. We get a certificate at the end of a course.

I am using a video of Mary Hopkins, the lyrics  , “those were the days”, although we didn’t hang out in the tavern or drank,what is similar is we were young, and we never thought our days of fun will be over. Making fun of our teachers was one thing that made us laugh the most.

: https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/08/21/365-writing-pr…ifteen-credits

 

 

 

een-credits

 

365 Writing Prompts: life, happy,sleep!

Scribble down the first ten words that come to mind.Pick three of them. There’s your post title.Now write.

and, poets, reality, be, gone, life, sleep, eat, gone, happy.

You may wonder why I chose the above three words to write my post. My feeling is they seem to connect with each other.

There are certain things important in life such as: happy and sleep. you cannot be happy, if you are unable to sleep, for your body it’s necessary , after the day’s hard work your body needs rest, sleep is the best way of getting rest.

A tired body cannot be happy. I know when I’m awake all night I’m a very unhappy person, I value my sleep too much.

When I was in the university, my room mate suggested I should not go to bed earlier than my classmates, they will do better in the exam than me. I took her advice and studied till 2:00 a.m before my exam next morning. I was sick in the exam hall, my mind was blank I couldn’t recall what I had studied that night. I thought I’d fail, I was worried, luckily I was able to calm down and finish my exam.

From then on I advised my room mate, not to give me anymore pointers how long I should study, I knew what I needed to do well, it was to have a good night’s sleep before the exam.

I believe in the phrase,” early to bed,early to rise makes a person, healthy and wealthy and wise.”

nk: https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/08/17/365-writing-prompts/