Past

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. Bringing up the past, especially when it concerns someone you love can be extremely hurtful...

I never thought I'd be the jealous/possessive type :P Guess it all changes when you get married...

It is pretty unfair though. Pakistani society frowns upon girls having "been around" but if a guy were to have a little "experience" it's considered no big deal... After all, boys will be boys and all that jazz.

A friend who'd been engaged for 3 years recently broke it off. I wonder how completely one can recover after being emotionally attached to a person for so long and move on...

New Office

We've moved! To a brand new floor and I have a new cubicle... I've put up a new calendar and displayed rocks from Thar and shells from the beach to "make it my own" :). I also got bright pink post-its... and for no logical reason, looking at them makes me happy.

My boss is sitting in a cubicle 3 feet away from me but thankfully there's a frosted glass partition so he can't see me :p. Mr. F is in the cubicle next to my boss' so I take the extra-long route to the bathroom to avoid passing by him :P. Being married to a co-worker is still pretty awkward... (I thought everyone would become normal after the wedding but apparently our colleagues are starved for gossip).

Currently suffering from EXTREME mood swings! Yesterday, I was bubbly and smiling and the day before that, I couldn't stop the flow of tears... very Bollywood-ish and my poor husband was rather traumatized. I googled my symptoms and it may be post-nuptial depression and no, I'm normally not a hypochondriac :P.

Mom and Dad came to visit me yesterday for the first time since I moved into my new home... it wasn't too awkward but I still felt funny... Mr. F cooked pasta and they were super-impressed... lol.

Hope everyone's Ramadan is going well!

<3

Ramadan Mubarak!

Koh Samui from the plane :)

Ramadan Kareem everyone! Hope the month brings many blessings to our families and our country and eases the sufferings of all the sufferers...

My first "married" roza's been ok so far Alhamdulilah. Woke up for Sehri and woke up Mr. F too. I'd made sooji ka halwa specially for him but he didn't even touch it (heart crumbles). Thankfully, I didn't go ahead and make omelettes and parathas too :|... I think I'll let him live off cereal and toast :p

It's the first time I'm experiencing official "Ramadan timings" 7:00am to 2:30pm... I'm trying really really hard to stay alert at work (FYI, no one showed up until 7:45am... Mr. F and I are dorks :p).

I really really really want to go to Austria but Mr. F's been there already. Actually, he's already been to China, S. Africa, Italy, Spain and France and I haven't :'(. Would it be weird/inappropriate if I were to vacation somewhere with my friends instead?

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Although I've Alhamdulilah been happily married for a month now, I still don't feel married. It's more like staying over at my boyfriend's apartment :P.

I think I'm supposed to feel totally in love, can't seem to stay apart, yadda yadda but I connected with Mr. F more during the engagement period (long talks on the phone, random conversations, eagerly waiting for texts...)

Now that we're actually living together, I barely see him (except when I walk past his office). I think I had more company living with roommates in college and in Abu Dhabi :P and at home with my bro and sis...

Continuing with the train of thought sparked by a comment on my last post, I'll try to make sense of what I'm doing right now. Yes, inshallah I still plan to go for a Masters... perhaps even a Phd and I definitely want to do something meaningful with my life (inshalah). And thankfully, Mr. F is very supportive (so far :p).

I just need to figure out a way to balance my responsibilities toward my new family without losing sight of my own goals.

Following is a list of donation links, relief resources, organizations and individuals working to support flood victims of Pakistan. This data has been gathered from the media and other public sources.

Besides sending cash through below mentioned charity organizations, we can support by providing following commodities.

* Clothing: Clothes of various sizes, Beddings, Shoes

* Utensils: Jerricans (large plastic cans that hold 20 liters of water or other liquids), Crockery, Buckets

* Toiletries: Tissues, Soaps, Dettol (antibacterial cleaners), Towels

* Food: Rice, Sugar, Flour (Atta), Onions, Potatoes, Cooking oil, Tea, Milk (tetra packs or powder), Safe drinking water, Cooked Food

Medicines:

1. Water purification tablets.

2. Life saving drugs.

3. Vaccines for malaria, cholera, typhoid, influenza.

4. Pain killers including strong ones like morphine derivatives, tremadol, pethadine, kinz .

5. Antibiotics e.g. tetnus, amoxil, gentamycin.

6. IV cannulas

7. IV Drip sets

8. IV drips: normal saline, ringerlactate

9. Local anesthetics (injections)

10. Cotton bandages, cotton.

11. Surgical instruments: e.g needle holders, forceps, tweezers.

12. Suturing materials, Skin staples.

Charity Organizations in Pakistan:

Al-Khidmat Foundation:

Donate here: http://www.facebook.com/l/13074q-JdsREV0A4VOrdx0DGvuA;al-khidmatfoundation.org/donate-here.php

Edhi Foundation: Donate here: http://www.facebook.com/l/13074d4ovhGTezOoVXkhEhdPm6A;www.edhifoundation.com/contact.asp

SUNGI:

Donate here: http://www.facebook.com/l/13074JRL1_bZtEw-FDNhlp2MkVQ;sungi.org/emergency_donations_contact_information.html

Pakistan Red Crescent Society:

PRCS has offices in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and Muzaffarabad. Please see: http://www.facebook.com/l/1307431uOA3Hno2HCPJyb2aAWEQ;www.prcs.org.pk/help.asp

Pakistani Youth: Please see:http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=140364565986483&ref=mf

An independent group of students:

see: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=147776388569606&ref=nf

The Volunteers/ Voice of the Civil Society:

VOTCS with the help of our Pak Army jawans will be sending Provisions to the affectees. VOTCS is now a registered (No. DSW 3369-K) welfare organization in Pakistan, and is operating as a Non-Profit, Public Charity in the North America, Inc. - 501(C)(3) Organization(Tax Exempted)

HABIB BANK LIMITED ACCOUNT NO IS 1549-79001393-03

For more info call:

Hadia khan@03018245999

Sadia Haroon@03218251122

Irum Farooque@03002332142

International Charity Organizations:

Islamic Relief USA: Donate here: http://www.facebook.com/l/13074XFM-N1k5xYaFOQVY5qE63Q;www.islamicreliefusa.org/Page.aspx?pid=463

UNHCR: Donate here: http://www.facebook.com/l/13074qcQ6S0rviupd5zUDKKOPcQ;www.unhcr.org/emergency/pakistan/global_landing.html

United Nation’s World Food Programme: Donations are tax deductible for number of countries. Donate here: http://www.facebook.com/l/13074r4-Q6wj4FoqZlFC-5CqcLA;https://secure.my-websites.org/supporter/donatenow.do?n=gbss&dfdbid=1044253

Plan International ( Pakistan specific): http://www.facebook.com/l/13074r4-Q6wj4FoqZlFC-5CqcLA;https://secure.my-websites.org/supporter/donatenow.do?n=gbss&dfdbid=1044253

Moti ho ke aana (Gain some weight when you visit next time)

The above advice was given to me by Mr. F's phuppi (paternal aunt) as I was leaving for Karachi. I hastened to tell her that I'm not on a diet and that I love food but she gave me a sly smile and pointed to her ample tummy and mimed a pregnant belly... Understanding dawned... aaaahh... right. So basically, she was trying to tell me (not very subtly) that I should begin procreating asap.

During my 9 days in the lovely city of Lahore, I was asked not less than 6 times when I'm planning to have my first kid... and I was meeting most of these people for the first time :P. The first couple of times, Mr. F chimed in with "jab Allah ki marzi" (whenever God wills) since the wife was dumbfounded... lol.

Another huge cultural difference between Karachi and Lahore is the concept of privacy. In Lahore, it's considered perfectly normal for people (family, guests staying over, servants) to barge into the room of a newly-wed couple at odd times during the day (and night) without knocking or announcing their presence. This can lead to some major awkward moments and poor Mr. F's become paranoid about locking and bolting doors :"P

And the days go by...

I think I'm sort of settling into the routine of married life. Mostly, it's the same as before except I now have a constant roommate :). Waisay, I can honestly say guys are 90% alike unlike us complicated females and they're simple creatures :P.

Even though my husband and I have a pretty large age difference, I don't really feel it... in fact, I sometimes feel older specially when he acts like a 5-year old and has a temper tantrum.

I made banana pancakes for brunch on Saturday and they turned out nice (according to my lowly standards) but Mr. F only had one :'(. Otherwise, we've been attending dawats every day so I don't really have to do anything besides dress up and make small talk with my husband's friends' wives.

Pakistan's been going through a series of crises for the past week and a half... First the Air Blue crash, then, the floods in Khyber Pakhtunkwha and yesterday, the assassination of an MQM leader followed by general violence in Karachi... I fear for this country.