Save Me from My Well Wishers

Dear fahidaliraza:
You`re right; I was ispired by your grand father`s essay which I had read in 1951.
Mohammad Gill

Dont you think this article resembles Mr Syed Sajjad Hyder Yaldaram`s `Mujhe Mere Doston Se Bachao` :) I`m asking because I`m Mr Hyder`s great grandson.

Just asking okay, not accusing or anything!

Fahd

Dear SR:

It`s never too late to wish some one well. Thanks for your feedback. I am enjoying my ``unemployment`` (according to my son) or ``self-employment`` (my perspective). But then it`s not even a week after my last day at work.

Thank God I don`t have to drive to work and back (26-30 miles each way) on freeways which are under repairs for the last year and a half. It gets worse during winter.

Now I am master of my own spatial and temporal domains. Wishing you well,

Mohammad Gill

Dear Gill sahib, sorry for this belated input, but since I am no longer retired (as of September 5 th, 2005) I didn`t get the time to log online and read about your happy departure from the work force.

I hope you enjoy your retirement, unlike another interactor`s 75 year old father-in-law whose wife cannot stand him. (or is it he who cannot stand the neurotic wife?) I have surely enjoyed my retirement for almost 20 years, until now. We all do heroic (read:foolish) things in life. So I decided to act heroic and get a job, if only to find out whether I was even employable. Be careful what you seek they say, for you might just find it. Don`t know if I can survive within the ranks of the working stiff for any length of time, but I`ve given them at least a one year commitment.

I tell you this going out of the house to work every day (or almost every day in my case -- 3 days a week to be precise) is not all its cracked up to be. I frankly miss my afternoon siesta, not to mention my late morning walks around the horse pastures. But alas, as Ghalib once said, ``Voh din g-ayaa jo keh-tay thaa-y keh nokar nehi houN meiN`` (gone are the days when [we] said that `I am not a servant`)...

Please go about and have lots of fun.

...SR

Inter-actors:

I thank all of you for your kind thoughts and feelings about my retirement. Thanks for not advising me how to `plan the retirement.` I have thought of some tentative things which if worked would keep me more busy than my previous `working life.` I am not bored yet; again it`s still too early to make any judgment.

My wife has gone out on some ladies` party today and I`m cooking lunch at home. Wishing you well,

Mohammad Gill

well!i am actually your type of fellow.......even much careless than you.....atleast you planned your life for career and job........but i even didn`t bother myself to plan my life for my career.........and i lost many things but still i`ve many things in my hand......but still those things are going unplanned like you went on unplanned.........and you should be thankfull to your GOD because i think you suffered a great life till yet and it happens very rarely........people like you and me don`t die to go to boredom.....we just find our ways to kill our free time...........and time goes on........but what we need...........just some good things happened in past to pass time.....we will keep thinking about those incident and will keep going...........and we won`t die to go to boredom.......

Mr. Gill,

Congratulations and good luck.

Hamidm`s story reminds me of what Colin Powell told a reporter after his first retirement during Clinton administration. His wife told him flatly not to expect freshly cooked lunch because she was used to do her things over all those years. Poor guy told the reporter that now his most important decision around 11am is whether he will make his own sandwich or go to some neighborhood diner.

No wonder he was so loyal to W for rescuing him from his miserable retirement.

Hallo... enjoy the time you have and travel the world if you can!

cheerio,
-zensufi-

this piece was very nice.. real and witty

you should have lots more time to write

all the best

Dr.,

Congrats on moving on to your next phase of life. Hope you have an equally meaningful experience and hope to see more of your contributions,

Thanks,
Avkrishna

congratulaions and all the best, gill saab.

i apologise for this intrusion - hope you understand and forgive - t


What: Demonstration against the Pakistani Government’s Failure to Protect Women from Rape, Murder, and other Human Rights Violations.

Who: Asian-American Network Against Abuse of Women (ANAA) and Amnesty International’s New York City Women’s Human Rights Action Team.

When: Saturday, September 17th, 2005, from 12 noon to 3 pm


Where: Outside the Roosevelt Hotel, Madison and East 45th Street, New York City, where Pakistan’s President General Pervez Musharraf will be staying.

Why: The Government of Pakistan has consistently failed to provide protection for its citizens, especially women, who are denied the most basic human rights. Pakistan has no law against domestic violence, and rape and honor killings are committed with impunity. Two recent cases have received a great deal of publicity. Dr. Shazia Khalid was raped
by an army officer who was never prosecuted, and she was forced to seek asylum in the United Kingdom. A tribal court sentenced Mukhtar Mai (also known as Mukhtar Bibi) to gang rape as punishment for an offense allegedly committed by her brother. Pakistan’s President will be in New York for the United Nation’s World Summit. In an unprecedented protest, human rights activists will gather outside his hotel to demand that he repeal unjust laws and defend the human rights of women against Taliban-like religious extremists.

Speakers:
A statement from Muktar Mai will be read.
Dr Shazia Khalid (by speakerphone from England)
Dr Amna Buttar, Asian-American Network Against the Abuse of Women
Anis Haroon, Aurat Foundation
Purvi Shah, Sakhi; Nisha Varia, Human Rights Watch
Nadia Gareeb, Amnesty International US
Raza Ali Mir, Activist and Scholar
Afrasiab Khatak, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
Sonia Mansoor, Sanctuary for Families
Taina Bien-Aime, Equality Now
Archi Piyati, Human Rights First
Saadia Toor, PAGE - Pakistani Activists for Gender Equality

Visuals: Hundreds of chanting women, men and children; vivid signs with images of victims of violence; powerful speakers.

Website: www.4anaa.org

Contact:
Ijaz Syed (ANAA): 408-838-0952; syedi@sbcglobal.net
Jeanne Bergman (Amnesty): 212-979-7213; wheedle@earthlink.net

Nicely written Doc.

All the best. No worries, we had the same apprehensions at my home when Dad retired, and in fact the first time he did, it was premature and he had to go back to work within a year, similar to hamidm`s dad or granddad or wheover, but once he got used to the idea that he didn`t need to PLAN it, just plan FOR it (y`know moneywise n all), it became a lot easier. Second stint in retirement is working well for all concerned :))))

Now that you have nothing to do, perhaps you can contribute more to chowk and not just on quantum mechanics and Einstein`s love life??!!! (hehe, jus kiddin)

Dear Mr Gill,

Please don`t listen to Nazar Hayat Khan dada ji. As they say in Punjabi NHK `sattaray, bahatray gaye.`

But one thing is very true that you don`t have to say

Ji dhoodata hai phir wohi Fursat ke raat din
Baithay rahain Tasavur-e-jana kiye huay.

Also you can tell Mrs Gill

Chaahay hai phir kisi ko mukabil mein aarazoo
Surmay se tez dashan-e-mizgan kiye huay.


All the best. Have fun. Please keep Mrs Gill happy and no fighting.

All the best again

Gill

Why retire?

Come to Pakistan - make low cost houses for the poor & sell. There is annual demand of 8 lakhs houses! Give back something to the society. Building a house is as involved a job as bringing up a goat.

I liked the understandiung of your wife - wish my wife could do the same!

As for retiring, I think I am now an experienced Retiree. On the verge of my Third retirement. Leaving for Colombo to join one of the UN bodies. Any Chowkie from Colombo?

nhk

Inter-actors:

My internet was down since morning so I couldn`t respond individually.

Regarding Hindvi`s questions, I don`t have any simple answer. I think if one stays focused on which one is interested, he can manage to do a whole lot.

Farzana:

Our department usually gives wrist watches to its employees on retirement. To a selected few, I was informed, usually a brass water meter with a coin slot in it is given; it can be used as piggy bank. The name of the honoree is written on it. Luckily, I was one of them.

adnan_rafiq:

I have answered your question in the article.

drlokraj:

I am reminded of a somewhat indecent joke regarding my situation or the situation you alluded to (Beemar Padnay Par) but I`ll let it pass. Thanks for your kind thoughts.

Post #3

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, dost-mittar, jang, temporal, Azure, Jawahara, and tahmed32:

I appreciate your comments and thank you for them. I`ll enjoy my retirement. We went out for dinner tonight and I tried to pay the bill. My son put his credit card on the table and said, ``Remember, you`re unemployed now.``

hamidm2:

I don`t believe I`ll have to face a situation similar to your dad`s. He retired at the age of 58 while I am 70. Although I can handle a job, I don`t have any will to do it. I want to relax and take it easy.

My wife and I have different and non-intruding routines. She is downstairs most of the time in the family room watching Z-TV or PTV while I am upstairs with a book or watching TV selectively. I managed to watch some interesting tennis matches in the U.S. Open. At other times, I am in the basement on the computer. At meals time, she hollers for me. So we stay out of each other`s hairs. Not that we don`t like each other. We love each other, that is the reason we`re still together albeit in different worlds. This works quite well.

Beej:

I hadn`t posted my response yet and I saw your poem. Thanks for your kind feelings. Wishing you all well,

Mohammad G