Saqib Ullah
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Stories (89)
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Borrowed Time Café
The first time I stumbled upon the Borrowed Time Café, I was late for work and desperate for caffeine. It wasn’t on any map, and I had never noticed it before, though I must have walked that street a hundred times. The sign above the door was simple, hand-painted: Borrowed Time Café. The words shimmered faintly in the morning light, as though they didn’t quite belong to this world.
By Saqib Ullah4 months ago in Fiction
The Psychology of Regret: Why We Can’t Let Go of the Past
Regret is one of those emotions that almost everyone carries like an invisible backpack. It shows up in small ways—like wishing you had spoken up in a meeting—or in heavier forms, such as replaying a failed relationship or career choice over and over in your mind. Psychologists call regret a counterfactual emotion because it grows from imagining “what could have been” if only we had chosen differently. And while regret can be painful, understanding how it works in the human brain can help us learn how to move forward instead of getting trapped in endless “what ifs.”
By Saqib Ullah4 months ago in FYI
Michael Osborne: Finding Life Lessons in Obituaries
When you press play on an episode of Famous & Gravy, you’re not just listening to a podcast. You’re stepping into a thoughtful, often humorous, and always curious space where life, death, and legacy intertwine. The voice guiding you through this journey belongs to Michael Osborne, co-creator and co-host of the show. His tone is warm and engaging, equal parts storyteller and philosopher, and his curiosity is infectious. Michael’s role in shaping Famous & Gravy makes him not just a podcaster, but a guide through questions that most of us consider only in fleeting moments.
By Saqib Ullah4 months ago in Journal
The 3 A.M. Writer: Why Inspiration Comes at Night
There is something about three in the morning that feels like it belongs to no one but you. The world outside has quieted down. Cars have stopped rushing. Neighbors are finally asleep. Even the air feels different—thicker, slower, more private. And somewhere in that stillness, when most people are tucked beneath their blankets, writers like me find ourselves wide awake, fingers hovering over keyboards or pens scratching furiously across paper.
By Saqib Ullah4 months ago in Writers
My Mother-in-Law, Last Words, and My Marriage
Life often weaves stories we never imagine, and sometimes the most unexpected bonds leave the deepest marks on our hearts. My relationship with my mother-in-law was one such story. In many families, the connection between a wife and her husband’s mother is painted with tension or distance, but for me, it was a tale of love, guidance, and a farewell that changed the very foundation of my marriage.
By Saqib Ullah4 months ago in Fiction
Imran Khan: From Cricket Legend to Nation’s Leader
Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi’s life is a tale of determination, resilience, and transformation. Born on October 5, 1952, in Lahore, Pakistan, he grew up in a family that valued education and discipline. His father, Ikramullah Khan Niazi, was a civil engineer, and his mother, Shaukat Khanum, instilled in him the values of compassion and strength. From an early age, Imran showed a unique blend of physical vigor and a restless spirit that hinted at the extraordinary path his life would take.
By Saqib Ullah4 months ago in Motivation
The Future of Loneliness in a Connected World
We live in an age where connection has never been easier. A single tap can bring someone’s face onto our screen from across the globe. We scroll through lives, emotions, and stories at the speed of a swipe. Yet, paradoxically, loneliness is at its highest recorded levels. The more we connect digitally, the more many of us feel disconnected within. The future of loneliness is not shaped by a lack of communication, but by what we truly need from it.
By Saqib Ullah4 months ago in FYI
Do Animals Grieve Like Humans?
Grief is often thought of as uniquely human — the heavy ache of absence, the silence after laughter, the yearning for what can never return. But if we look closely at the natural world, we see signs that we may not be alone in this experience. Elephants lingering over bones, whales carrying their dead calves for miles, dogs lying beside their owners’ graves — all hint at a truth both humbling and profound: animals, too, may grieve.
By Saqib Ullah4 months ago in FYI
Living Between Two Cultures
I often say I have two homes, though neither of them fully claims me. One is the place of my parents — rich with traditions, stories, and flavors that carry the weight of generations. The other is the land where I was born and raised — a country that shaped my accent, my friendships, and my sense of independence.
By Saqib Ullah4 months ago in Humans
When the Sky Forgets Its Stars
There was a night when the sky went dark. Not the usual kind of dark — the comforting velvet that cradles the moon and lets the stars scatter across it like spilled diamonds. No, this darkness was heavier. It swallowed the horizon, as though the universe itself had turned its back.
By Saqib Ullah4 months ago in Poets
The Day I Unplugged My Life
I didn’t plan it. In fact, if you’d asked me a year ago, I would have laughed at the idea. A whole week without my phone, without emails, without endless scrolling? It sounded like a nightmare. But life has a way of nudging us into experiments we never thought we’d choose for ourselves.
By Saqib Ullah4 months ago in Humans
The Library of Forgotten Dreams
Elias was a quiet man who had grown accustomed to silence. His apartment was small, his life predictable: wake, work, return, sleep. At forty-three, he had no family, no companions beyond the occasional exchange with his landlord. His greatest habit was wandering the city at night, as if the dark streets might reveal something the daylight concealed.
By Saqib Ullah4 months ago in Fiction
