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"It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it." I was born Mohammad Zaid, and I cannot help it, nor do I wish to... Now, I am pursuing B. Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Integral University, Lucknow. And also I was born in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, on 7th January, 1994.
I was raised amongst a middle class family that gave priority to the education but my family itself has been a dominant institution in my life. My mom, who had died about two years back, has played a key role in my life. She had taught me independence - from quite an early age, I learned how to cook and this was a valuable lesson which has made me appreciate my home and my material goods. Mom also encouraged me to work for what I wanted - I have a part-time job from age of 17. This has taught me to earn what I get. Mom taught me how to read - this is the most important and wonderful gift I have ever received. I love reading and books have fired my imagination and been a valuable part of my learning for many years. She has always emphasized that I became active and respectful, also always stated that I was a curious and malicious child back. I think it is true, even now, I cultivate an eagerly desire of knowledge and curiosity.
I am the the first son of my parents and living a relatively smooth life, thanks to my father who is a very considerate and hard working personality. He has been an employee in BSNL telecommunication exchange for over 20 years. My younger brother and I learned sincerity and modesty from him who is so strict and yet compassionate and encourages us in every way possible to aim for the highest achievement level. It was due to the constant persuasion of my father that enabled me to inculcate an inquisitive nature to explore about the things.
I have adopted different roles within family i.e. I have performed the role of a caretaker for younger brother , tutored my young cousins, etc . These roles are prototypes of bigger roles . So now I am fully well versed to perform different roles in larger communities .
Indian families are multi-faceted where one has to intermingle and interact with other family members with different attitudes , dispositions , beliefs and ideas . Living in such environment enabled me to live with harmony and peace in a multi-faceted and diverse community and has produced inter-cultural competence. This further helped me to understand and respect the ideas , beliefs and attitudes of different people. Being an Indian, I possess many qualities which are the core of being an Indian such as I give familial and kinship bonds greater importance and priority. Many qualities and behaviors are only found in Indian people including me; for example we mostly prefer temporary alternatives instead of stable methods (funny but true), we all eat the food cooked at one hearth, share a common income and common property, we all know how to adjust three people in place of two, we always ask for a dirty cloth for cleaning purposes & so on.
I live in an extended family which encourages frequent visits; financial assistance; aid and support in childcare and household chores; and involvement and participation in life-cycle events such as births, marriages, deaths, and festival celebrations. I think that merely taking birth in India or just acquiring nationality certificate does not works; it doesn't makes us true Indians. Instead, the kind of family I'm having represents the true and original India.
I am not an atheist, I'm a follower of Islam and therefore I always attach a great importance to the book of Allah; its recitation, memorization and understanding. Likewise I attach great importance to the Hadith (Prophetic narrations) by my learning and understanding of it. I always remember Allah Almighty while starting and closing a work, before eating supper, in times of happiness and grief and much more. As said in the Holy Book -- And those who respect their trusts and covenants; (Al-Ma'aarij: 32) -- I do always leave no stone unturned in fulfilling the promises I have made. Since I'm Muslim, I do believe in the Judgement Day and always perform what is Halaal and abstain everything that is Haraam. Another great effect of Islam on me is that besides Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.), I also respect Jesus Christ, whom Christians worship as well as I also respect Ezra (p.b.u.h.), whom the Jews worship, from the bottom of my heart.
I have always been a bright student of my school. I have scored ninety percent marks in high school and eighty thee percent marks in intermediate from Brains Convent College. In my classes, I always enjoyed learning about physical science and planning my future as an engineer, which was als a dream of my parents too. But the biggest problem with me was opting the field of study. It was really a difficult job because I have always been fascinated by both computer softwares and mechanics. They were and still are my favorite subjects. Choosing one of them was like eating only one of my two favourite dishes- pizza or paratha. I took many advices on the issue from my teachers, friends and relatives and then went for Mechanical Engineering, not because they asked me to opt it, but because till then, I had already planned to do a small software development course after completing my education, in free times.
One of the main characteristics about me is that I am caring and very compassionate. I always try to help my friends and all. Apart from my love for other people, I love animals and have over the years acquired different pets. Another interesting fact about me is that people who don't know me think I'm shy and people who do know me wish I were!
There are lots of interesting things about me. I don't mind wearing lightly soiled clothes through the day (frankly, I don't care at all), but I need the cleanest clothes when I activate the snooze button at my slumber. I can laugh alone (of course, not without a reason!). I can't go to bed without brushing my teeth and reading atleast one page of a book. I love my books and take great care of them. In fact I'm too emotional about my books. A person can easily win my wrath by messing with my books.
When tired, a splash of ice-cold water on face works miracles on me. I can go on for the day with just a breakfast and a bottle of apple juice! I usually tend to infer more about a person from what he talks of others than he talks of himself.
I can't come to terms that cricket is a religion in my country. To me, it is the MOST wasteful of sports, after Golf. I don't believe in astrology too much. It is an approximate science, though. Nevertheless, many a times I'm tempted to believe I'm a true Capricornian. Also, I don't mind doing stupid reckless things with my close friends around. After all I'm still my 'young and stupid' phase of life.
Sometimes I believe I think more than I should, more thoughtful than I should be. I might look exceptionally unruffled in most pensive of situations, but that does not necessarily always reflect my inner state. I prefer to wear unfashionable comfortable clothes over smart looking unwieldy ones. I live thriftily, for most part; I think a lot about money, but I'm NOT money minded. I believe that smile can work wonders. Everyone who doesn't agree with me is my friend! To me, there's no such thing as a Stupid Question (only unless, the intention of question is to show the participation). I am of the thinking that the games of politics (and not the politics), greed and jealousy are the biggest weapons of Satin against humanity. I am very optimistic about my pessimism. Usually, I don't tend to worry about what people think of me, unless they are someone very important in my life. I'm extremely intolerant of songs and music not suiting my taste.
My bedroom will always smell good.If anyone comes near my room, he will always hear soft soothing ambient music playing in my room. I like neat-n-tidy bed with a crease-less sheet on it (just like in your hotel rooms). Yet I prefer sleeping on hard-surface, with just a quilt between me and the floor and one of my legs not covered with the quilt.
Talking about the things that I love and enjoy, the list is endless because every new and interesting thing triggers me... Few of those lovely things include numbering from zero instead of one, taking photographs wherever I go, Linux, the fragrance of wet mud and of petroleum products, my dreams, scrambling on paper while listening to my teacher's lecture, chocolates and sweet curd (in anything and everything), Steaming hot cup of ginger-cardamom-pepper milk-tea, Cold coffee (decaf and light) with ice-cream, the fragrance of Jasmine and Lavender, camouflage design, everything my Mommy had cooked for me, Origami, arcane regular expressions, and the list is still growing.
There are also lots of things that I hate and this list is also endless for the same reason. I hate drinkers, smokers, druggies, other people like that. I hate bad things and that they even exist. I hate the fact that although I have seen several people who were decent people in high school become scum. I hate guilt trips. I hate that I'm so easily influenced by guilt. I hate when people are so manipulative! I hate people who have no awareness of other people (like people who make sudden turns or stops whilst walking in the street without thinking that other people might be right behind them). I hate people who don't even know what common sense is? I hate how people are so emotional and caring when before they never cared. I hate having to take my suit to the dry cleaners. I hate people who are full of greed. I hate inconsiderate parkers. I hate it that people criticize me and find fault with so many things (they look for things all the time). Though I love facebook, I hate the friend suggestions list on facebook. I hate the 'I wish to be fair' posts on facebook. I hate those who update each and every moment of their life on the internet. I hate people who don't know how to use a thing but still use it and then calls it evil as the worse part has already occurred (I came to know this fact when our Professional Communication teacher of the last semester has organized a debate on "Social Networks: Boon or Bane"). I hate people who making everything into some kind of sexual joke. I hate the stigma that society has towards geeks. Sure, we prefer to read books at a library instead of partying the weekend away. I hate people that just because certain video games are hard or if they doesn't understand a movie, they abuses it. I hate people who can't be serious about anything.I hate to suffocate my feet inside any footwear (you will often see me roaming around bare-footed at home). I hate how I feel like writing this makes me feel like such a big hater.
Since no one is perfect, so is me and I fully understand this fact. Besides being a great hater of things, there are lots of other ill habits of mine. I leave the toilet seat up. I don't usually get out of bed until my father has started to frown upon me. I eat heaps of fast food. I forget to complete the household works. I drink too much coke. I'll sleep for weeks at a time with no sheet on my bed. I sleep on the couch with the TV on. I'll realize I have something very important to do, I'll go and play video games instead. I leave my clothes everywhere. I always bore my friends. I try to win too much. I have an overwhelming desire to add two cents to every discussion. I am many times judgmental. I have a very bad temper. I always start explaining my negative thoughts when I am not asked. Many times I am absent minded. I always fail to express my gratitude. Lack of personal hygiene and body odor is a big turn-off to me. I prefer to wear unfashionable comfortable clothes over smart looking unwieldy ones. May be that's the reason why most of the strangers always give a weird look upon me in the first meeting.
I'm not a loner, but from time to time I need some time alone to re-contemplate the meaning of life. This has turned out to be the greatest hurdle (after shortage of topics for small talks) for me in making new friends. I don't like to celebrate my birthdays. I think I'm too afraid of celebrations. As to WHY... I don't know yet. One fine morning I was introspecting as why can't I be normal like everyone else and enjoy birthdays, parties, dancing, etc. After much deliberation a voice came from the deep sub-conscious.. 'You are scared of celebrations, Zaid!' I gasped in utter disbelief. I sat there for few minutes, only to realize to my horror that it was every bit TRUE!
I am always afraid that these negative qualities should have greatly affected my position in the society. But to my surprise, I find none of those interfering in my social life. May be its because I might look exceptionally unruffled in most pensive of situations, though that doesn't necessarily always reflect my inner state. Or may be its because only a handful have ever seen my bad temper. It seems to me that my friends and relatives as well as my family accepts me as who I am and not as like whom I should be (I'm feeling lucky now!!). There may be some problems with the strangers at first because of my reserved nature (though I'm not an introvert), but as the time passes, I always make them realize the difference between an introvert and a geek and the outcome always comes out to be better than expected.
As per my goals, the word 'goal' always makes me sing "That's My Goal" by Shayne ward, which is my favourite song after "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day. Coming back to my goals, I hope to shape my personality better in this term. I hope to get better at communication skills. My long term goal has always been to reach the principal success through hard work and capabilities of the brain in a challenging and human related environment and to find a career with a good opportunity which give a chance of work satisfaction, appreciate good works and believes in building a long term relation like getting a job in aerospace sector for which I am deeply dedicated.
