Busy, busy, busy

and I'm loving it :) I hate sitting idle and having nothing to do and nerdy as it sounds, I get a high writing personal statements for grad school. So the US Embassy people are being lazy and still haven't returned my passport! I emailed them a couple of weeks back as I needed my passport to take the GRE and I'm still waiting for them to respond :-(

Alhamdulilah, I'm sort of settling into married life and getting used to "us" instead of "me" (and it definitely took me a while getting used to the idea!!!).

Mr. F and I are having "discussions" as to whether or not I should change my name post-marriage... I personally don't want to, I like my name and I'm quite happy being me but I have a feeling I'll eventually capitulate if it means a lot to Mr. F. Also, I don't think he'll enjoy being called Mr. and Mrs. Gaia on wedding invitation cards ;)

Office Blues

These days, mornings are slightly chilly and I've turned into a sloth :(. I set my alarm for 8:35 am (it's the bugle on the Nokia E5) and press snooze until Mr. F politely informs me that he's ready to leave... Then, I jump out of bed, put on some clothes and proceed to do my hair and makeup in the car which irritates my poor husband no end...

Since I'm still without a supervisor, work is pretty slow. I'm mostly surfing the net and finishing up grad school applications. Here's the essay question for Kennedy School: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" (I need to write a 1,000 words for it... any suggestions would be most welcome :)).

Since the only other females in the office are on leave, I have no one to eat lunch with :(. A new girl will be joining in Jan but she'll be reporting to Mr. F... majorly awkward! She can't bitch about her boss to me (which is what most people do during lunch and I can't be myself either). Plus, they'll be traveling together, working on fun projects while I'm bored at work (ok, so maybe I'm a little jealous).

Have a great weekend!

Thanksgiving

Back to work after a glorious week in Lahore *sigh*

The mornings were lovely... crisp, fresh weather, clear skies and sunshine filtered through ancient banyan and oak trees. Mr. F's family home is in Cannt. The house is over 150 years old and some parts are falling into disrepair but the grounds are beautiful! There are lemon trees and lime trees, vegetable patches (lettuce, spinach, mint and various herbs), rose bushes and clementines. The lemons had just begun to ripen and turn yellow, so each morning, my 8-year old niece would collect the fallen lemons in a basket and we'd make lemonade with lots and lots of sugar :)

My step-mother-in-law taught me how to make doodh patti. I've never been a tea drinker but I've grown to like this particular version. Evening were usually spent shopping, sightseeing and entertaining with the family. One of my nephews is older than me and two brothers-in-law are younger so family dynamics are interesting... lol. I guess I'm the cool bahu/bhabi/mami/chachi from Karachi who listens to Lady Gaga and Rihanna and has gora friends :)

One of my friends from Princeton was visiting over Eid so we had fun showing him around. He's white from Nashville, Tennessee but moved to Kabul after graduation so he's familiar with Muslim culture. I think he managed to see more of Lahore than I have, including a Pappu Sain concert at Baba Shah Jamal. He came over for Eid dinner and all the kids wanted to shake hands with him :)

It's good to be back though! I can be my casual, unkempt self in baggy pajamas and t-shirt and Karachi weather's turned pleasant.

Have a great week y'all and Happy Thanksgiving!

Grad School Applications

Ana lazy jiddan jiddan! When it comes to writing personal statements, sample policy memos and studying for the GRE, I'd rather do the dishes, iron my clothes, clean out the cupboard or watch Golmaal 3 :o Please dear God, let me be done with it by the end of today.

I've lost some of my ambition/drive post-marriage and yes, it's mostly my fault. It's easy to settle into a routine and "go with the flow". Previously, I could plan for the future, quit my job or travel to Poland without my decision impacting anyone else... now, I feel a slight twinge of guilt (?)

Yesterday, Mr. F took me shopping :) It was sort of what I imagined married life would be like... having a guy carry my bags while I spend his money :p. Tonight inshalah, we'll leave for Lahore and I'll get to wear winter boots and socks and my Princeton hoodie :)

Local Lahori Recipes

I'll inshalah be going to Lahore for Eid! I'm supposed to "cook" proper desi food. So, to all you people from Lahore or Kashmir or with roots in Punjab, what are some decent dishes? Simple, easy and yummy recipes would be appreciated :)

Casual Relationships

So, I've been having interesting conversations with people (aged 22-32) regarding their views on casual relationships (as opposed to being in a committed relationship). Basically what this entails is getting to know someone for a short-term relationship, sleeping with them and then moving on, no strings attached. The rules of the game are made clear right at the beginning. Most of these people are successful in their careers, make decent money and consider themselves morally righteous. Eventually they would like to settle down with "the one" and live happily ever after, meanwhile there's no harm in having some fun.

My questions to you dear readers are:

1. Would you reveal to your future spouse/significant other that you've ahem... done the rounds?

2. If yes, would you spill the beans pre-engagement? post-marriage?

3. Would you be comfortable with your spouse/significant other having similar experience?

4. Can you still be "friends" with someone after having been bed-buddies?

Happy Diwali 2010

Wishing you all Happy Diwali! Enjoy the meethas :)

Love,

Gaia