How to Cheer Up

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I'm pretty cranky today... work is annoying, people are annoying and I'm generally not a nice person to be around.

Yesterday, I made a pineapple drink with my fresh pineapple, coconut cream and sugar... It was pretty good if I do say so myself (how modest :-p) but Mr. F didn't have any, so I ended up drinking the whole jug myself (I didn't want to throw it out and it goes bad pretty quickly...). Now I feel fat and cranky :P

For people wondering about my weight, yes I've put on 5 lbs, happy?

PIA - Awful People to Fly With

So I'm back in Karachi and in office... I always find it difficult to get out of holiday mode :-p.

So, PIA screwed me over yet again!! I was supposed to leave for Karachi on the 11:00 am flight from Lahore, except, a smaller plane showed up (an Airbus instead of a Boeing 777) and 50 passengers didn't get on the plane... I went back home after having said goodbye and hugged and kissed all my female relatives in Lahore and given candy to the kids :-p... embarrassing!

Mr. F made frantic phone calls to his friends in the airline industry and some kind-hearted and resourceful soul put me on the 10pm flight to Karachi. I'd bought Cinnabon the night before as a present for my sister and they went bad :(

Now I'm one of those who looks forward to airline food :-p... It's a way to distract myself and chase boredom so I'll normally eat whatever is in the little plastic tray... This time there was a sandwich and a slice of cake (gone are the days when they would serve us biryani and a greasy curry and the famous rock-hard pia bun with butter :( ). I ate the sandwich and have been paying for my greed since Sunday in the form of numerous trips to the bathroom and acute nausea... ugh!

Fiasco at the UK Visa Center

So I finally mustered the courage to apply for a UK tourist visa... After several phone calls to the call center, I managed to schedule an appointment for 8:00 am. I prepared all the documents, made copies and booked a car to take me to Fortune Center. I arrived at ten minutes to eight. A few people were already in line and I joined the queue. A lonely security guard manned the counter and we were informed that the staff might be late because of the chaos in the city (there was firing yesterday and the security situation wasn't too great, therefore, public transport wasn't running).

There was nowhere to sit, we remained standing. One lady had brought her child with her... a boy of around 18 (with mental disabilities) who clung to his mother and became increasingly restless as time went by.

The guards were unable to provide any information. We waited for the staff to arrive for almost 45 minutes in the scorching heat before walking away...

Vent

The problem with having a spouse working in the same organization (same division, same office!) is the awkwardness that comes with it... Plus, Mr. F is 10 levels senior to me so he eventually gets to decide where I end up :-P. Alhamdulilah, it's nice having a husband who takes care of things but I'd much rather have someone else make these decisions... or leave it up to fate :-|. It's also really annoying when we come home and Mr. F goes, "You should have been more assertive during the meeting." (Coming from someone else, it wouldn't have been a big deal but when it's the husband, it just sounds wrong!!! You're NOT by boss!)

Much to my consternation, I am rapidly turning into that woman (the nagging, controlling, loud-mouthed desi wife :().

10:00 pm: Husband dear, we need to get the air-conditioning fixed (Mr. F nods in agreement)

Midnight: And we need to collect the sofa cushions from Bella Interiors tomorrow (Mr. F doesn't bother replying)

6:00 am: Aunty H was asking about dinner this Saturday? Should I say yes? (Mr. F replies with a non-committal grunt and turns over, Gaia fuming)

8:00 am: Mr. F trying to be cute and cuddly. Gaia... fuming (Mr. F baffled... makes Gaia want to laugh but she controls herself and continues with the silent treatment)

8:05 am: tears trickling down Gaia's cheeks... picture of abject misery (I do this rather well... :P but save it for special occasions).

8:07 am: Mr. F capitulates... (sort of). Promises to take care of everything... happy couple :)

9:00 pm: Husband dear, we need to get the ac fixed... grunt,

People Who Don't Clean

I've lived with roommates/housemates for the past 5 years and usually, we get along great EXCEPT WHEN THEY DON'T CLEAN! It annoys me no end and it isn't even my mess!

Everyone comes home from work exhausted and heads straight to their rooms... fine, I understand. But then, they cook food and leave their half-eaten food, dirty dishes and crusty pots everywhere and spots of sauce/oil/crumbs all over the floor and counters. They also leave the windows open. I know people like fresh air and all that jazz but this is Abu Dhabi... you NEVER leave windows open unless you want fine desert sand spattered across the floor.

I, being the Obsessive-Compulsve clean freak, go and clean up after them... (plus, I'm scared of roaches and creepy crawlies in the kitchen :P). I do the dishes, sweep and mop the floor, take out the trash and wipe down the counters with Lysol. The next day, everyone ooh and aahs at the spotless kitchen (like some fairy godmother did it overnight) and proceeds to make a mess all over again...

I'm looking for retaliation tactics...