Lahore Again

Mr. F and I left for Lahore on Friday evening and had McDonalds burgers from the airport for iftar :). Things have been rather bleak... mom-in-law dearest has Dengue and she's in hospital. Haven't really been doing much except entertaining visitors who come to pay their respects. Waisay, I don't really get the whole concept of having a dozen people accompany you to the hospital... Not only do they get in the way of the doctors and nurses but end up creating a commotion in the hospital and disturb other patients.

I'd be traumatized by having 6 attendants speaking in none-too-soft voices and commenting on how haggard I look when my head's aching fit to burst.

People have been asking my if I'm expecting :P. Usually, the conversation goes something like this:

"So, it's been a year since you got married? I nod, yes. So, how far along are you?/Planning a baby yet?/Are you using contraception?/What methods?/You know, there's a new designer pill for people who want to conceive really quickly"

:P

So, happy news! I met up with a fellow Pakistani Princetonian after 3 years!!!! Twas amazing :) and we had a fine time reminiscing... *Sigh* I miss Princeton!

Sleep is Precious

My husband is (sometimes) the kindest, most patient man in the world. Yesterday, I had another tantrum/sulking session and he bore up quite well :-p.

I'd been cranky all evening and he was on the phone until 10... Then, he went to sleep at 10:15 while I stayed awake fuming and fretting and making myself ill. I decided to go and sleep in the other room because watching him sleep (innocent as lamb) was making me mad :-p. So I took myself off to the other room and tried to catch sleep... After an hour of tossing in vain, snacking on pistachios and chips and finally, eating raw sugar, I think I finally dropped off :-p

Around 1:30 am, Mr. F came to see where his wife had gone... He came and woke me up asking if everything was ok ("Hey, are you ok?" + endearments + lots of concern), Gaia wakes up all groggy and super-mad because now she's wide awake (again!)... Stayed up till Sehri while Mr. F read the Quran (he knows I wouldn't attack him if he's engaged in something like that :-p).

After Sehri, Mr. F gets ready to go back to sleep and I couldn't hold it in any more... many tears and a mini drama scene later, we both managed to sleep only to wake up again at 7:30 to come to work...

Yes, I know it sounds dumb but I had to get it out of my system

The End of Ramadan

Yet again, Karachi's come to a standstill. Petrol pumps are closed and attendance at office is thin but Mr. F and I don't really have an excuse coz we're a 15 minute drive from work :p

The last few days have been good Alhamdulilah. I attended a few iftars, made new friends and got some studying done. Work is blah... it's come to the point where my boss started avoiding me because he couldn't figure out anything for me to do! So i finally accosted him (GRE word :P) and had a heart-to-heart. He said look around, see what other people are doing and then let me know what you're interested in... I'll make it happen for you.

Problem is, there really isn't too much going on... everything's been kinda slow and I don't really have a finance background so they can't accommodate me there (even though they usually need more manpower). HR isn't my cup of tea either :(

Maybe I should just quit, start designing jewelry from home and hold exhibitions? (It's the cool new thing to do :p). Alternatively, I could just start a tuition center :p

Procrastination

Since I'll do anything to avoid studying for the GRE (making pancakes, cleaning out my cupboard and experimenting with eye make-up), I may as well pen down my thoughts for the day...

Slept at 1:00 am and woke up at 4:00 am to prepare Sehri, then I slept again after Fajr (around 5:30 am) and woke up again at 7:00 am to get ready to come to work. My schedule's been pretty messed up all of Ramzan and I haven't been able to break out of the vicious cycle. My dad bought me my ticket to Spain (that's like, the best present EVER!!!!). Thanks dad and I hope I'll be able to repay the favor some day... inshalah. I'm sorry I haven't been as attentive as I'd like to be but I want you to know, I'm always there for you...

The August Month of Ramzan

Sadly, this year, I haven't really been in the Ramzan spirit... I am fasting and praying regularly but I usually read the Quran and make time for extra prayers and consciously try to be a better person. This year, I'm just too tired (and I know that's not an excuse :-()...

I wish I could be outside enjoying the lovely weather... just now, the cloudy skies and rough sea are beckoning but I'm stuck inside :(

Married life is good Alhamdulilah. Mr. F and I are a lot more comfortable with each other now and we've generally become more patient and understanding... We've come to accept certain things about one another and given up trying to change the other person... (this took a while!).

Inshalah, I'm going to start reading the Quran again, today... maybe writing it here will give me the motivation to do it...

Iftar Menu Items so far (only mentioning the successes here... had a few flops as well):

1. Sandwiches (roast beef, chicken fajita, mint chutney & cucumber, tandoori chicken on a croissant)

2. Spaghetti with meatballs (really quick and easy!)

3. Brownies

4. Tuna kababs

5. Fruit chaat (standard, everyday fare...)

6. Mint lemonade

7. Mango pineapple smoothie

8. Chaat (the way I had it in Princeton, a hot samosa topped with chickpeas, cold yogurt and tamarind sauce)

9. Chapli kabab (fail :-( )

Iftar Menu

Fourth of Ramzan today! Only 25 or 26 more to go... :)

Planning the iftar menu is quite a chore... Yesterday, I made aloo tikki chaat, pakoras, fruit chaat and egg sandwiches... nothing too exciting. Today, I'll inshalah go with:

- Mushroom and spinach quesadillas

- Pepper steaks

- Pasta with feta cheese, olives and tomatoes

- Potato and mince cutlets (these don't quite fit with the other items but I need to use up leftover mince, :p)

On calf-skin and epi-leather

I don't attend these parties very often but Mr. F has some friends in the upper strata of Pakistani society (mostly owners of textile mills and construction companies and their wives) and so, every once in a while, I suffer through conversations such as these:

"Is that the latest Louis Vuitton?"

"Yes, Z got it for me from America, and he got the Tivoli GM XY for my mother-in-law. I think I'll exchange it with her... she just stays home all day. I have to go pick up the kids from school, I need larger bags!"

The first roza was good Alhamdulilah. I was staying with my parents, so didn't have to worry about a thing :) (no waking up early to prepare sehri/planning iftar menu/cooking dinner).

Mr. F comes back tomorrow... I think I'm becoming too emotionally dependent on him so I need to find other activities to keep myself busy, otherwise, he'll get tired of me :p

His birthday's coming up... what do you get a guy who has everything? (keeping in mind, I'm a middle-income, working woman... otherwise, I'd totally get him a Ferrari ;))

Ramadan Mubarak!

Dear People who randomly stop by... wishing you all a very Happy Ramadan!

I actually look forward to Ramadan in Pakistan... waking up together for Sehri, attending and hosting iftar parties and shopping for Eid!

Happy Fasting!