Life

 Ajeeb mukaam par thehra hai qaafila zindagi ka

Sukoon dhoondne chale thay, neend bhi gawa baithay

That rings so true when you think about it. When you're young you feel like adults have it all. That's THE life. And so you can't wait to grow older and become an adult, thinking that that is what sukoon (peace) looks like.

Alas, and then you realize that that is definitely not the case. As they say, with great power comes great electricity bill responsibility. As you grow older, responsibilities pile up. You become part of the rat race and then there's no stopping.

Its only when you get hit with something like the pandemic, do you realize what life is about, what everything is all about.

The world, literally changed when COVID hit. I don't want to get into details because everyone experienced it, but now it feels like, we're slowly slipping back into the pre-COVID life. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, or if that is what "normal" is but it just feels different. I have begun to feel that we didn't learn anything from the pandemic. We're going back to our old selves. It might not be a bad thing but.. I don't know.

My mind is a scattered mess today. I thought posting would help me order my thoughts but I'm too distracted.

Take care people, until next time.

Oh My GOD!!!

I hope you read the title in Janice's voice because that's how I wrote it.

It's been 11 years since I last posted. Can't believe it. For a few years I had actually forgotten the password of this account. Got locked out of the email etc. etc. Even today, had to jump through quite a few hoops to gain back access to this.

Hmmm... Where to begin from. Well, starting from 2013 onwards till now: I'm married, have got kids and living the happy married life, alhumdolillah.

I think I got in touch on and off with blogger friends but haven't been in touch with anyone for sometime now.

I started and finished my master's degree. That was one awesome ride. Made friends who were at least 12-15 years younger than me. Felt young being around those young people. And they never made me feel old (not that I am old) :) )

What else, what else... Oh yes, COVID. I know we've all seen a lot about COVID during that time, but I think that period left a lasting impression on all of us. Some of us lost loved ones as well but I won't go there today.

I hope everyone is doing well and smiling. I do plan to post on and off, now that I have dusted off my typewriter :-P

Please take care everyone. And if you're one of the old readers, please do comment. it would mean a lot :)

Ramadan

Falling ill is one of the worst things that can happen to a person living alone in pardes (foreign country).

From our childhood we have seen that every kid gets special and extra attention when they fall ill. I guess that sort of gets saved in memory and we expect special/extra attention whenever we get sick. However, there is no one there to give you that attention when you're living alone :(

I have been unwell since the past few weeks. Had severe fever and cough and flu for about four days and it drained me of all energy. Had to stop fasting for a few days because was too weak. I'm much better now alhamdolillah but the cough hasn't left me. Plus there is this itch in my throat which is very annoying.

When I was young and would go to the doctor with my parents, they would ask all the questions about what can I eat, what to avoid etc. etc. Now, the doctor just stays silent, I stay silent. He asks what's wrong, I tell him. He prescribes the medicine and that's it. Transaction over. Feels so robotic. I hate going to the doctor and I only went this time because I could feel that I wasn't well.

Bought a thermometer, panadol etc. first time in my life. (Yeah yeah, I know I'm spoiled). Ghar main to (at home) these things are readily available in a drawer or fridge etc. You feel really homesick during this time.

Ramadan has started and has gone by really quickly as well. Today is already the 16th roza.

It is so hot here these days plus it's really tough on us who have a cooking disability (not willing nor able to cook). You wake up at 3 am, go out in the heat to a restaurant to have sehri. Similarly, since there is no one to make pakoray, chaat etc., you have to go and directly have dinner for iftar instead of all those Ramadan specific yummy treats (pakoray, samosay, cholay, fruit chaat, dahi baray, I should stop before I start drooling (oops too late) :P )

However, I am glad at how Ramadan is going. The cooking disability has been with me for a while now. I really should learn how to cook.( Can't really live on boiled eggs and tea.)

Hope all is well with all of you and Ramadan is going well.

Keep smiling and keep blogging :)

As salam u alaikum

It really has been a while. The last time I blogged was last Ramadan. Can't believe how quickly time passes.

I guess one post per year doesn't really qualify me to call myself a blogger. So I'll be just a random writer, writing whenever I feel like it or get time.

So much has happened since then. Hmm, where to start from.

The weather here is extremely hot these days. And along with that, there is a lot of humidity. You get drenched even if you stand outside for five minutes. The problem is that it is as cold inside (due to the air conditioning) as it is hot outside. As a result, yours truly now has a bad cold and cough. Please pray for me. I am always in need of prayers.


I turned 30 last year (yay). The big Three O. Doesn't seem like a major accomplishment I guess :) But alhamdolillah, I am grateful to Allah. We never think about this but despite all the bad things that we do, Allah still gives us so much freedom and leeway. I read somewhere that (start of a bad translation) don't be unhappy that Allah doesn't fulfill your wishes immediately instead, be thankful that He does not punish you immediately for your sins.



Ramadan, the holiest of months is upon us. I read somewhere that you should at least finish reading the whole Quran in Ramadan and then finish one more in between one Ramadan and the next. I am planning to do it in-sha-Allah. If you do too then please comment as it will encourage me and others to do so as well. (By others, I mean the non-existent readers ;) )

I guess this is about it for today. Will post again (soon in-sha-Allah).

Take care friends, keep smiling and keep blogging :)

Long time, no see

Muddat hui sayyad nay chora bhi to kia chora
Tab-e-parwaaz nahin, rah-e-chaman yaad nahin

I thought of blogging so tried to log in, then I realized that I have forgotten my password so went through the reset process. Two things reminded me of the shair mentioned above. The first one (not as important) was the realization that I haven\t blogged anything in a year. You get bust with other things and forget that you even have a blog. And then when you come back to check you discover that; One: you have forgotten your password and Two: you don't know what to write about or in fact how to write :(

The second and most important is about how you get sucked in by the activities of this world, your job, your life, your family, your friends etc. and get so busy that you forget the important stuff, you
forget that there is someone who had made allof this possible and you haven't thanked Him at all.

We get so busy with our life that most of us realize this too late that our main goal is to be successful not in this world but in the hereafter. And by the time we realize this, we don't even know what to do, where to begin.

Ramadan, the holiest of all months is upon us, please pray for all Muslims that may Allah forgive all our sins and keep us on the right path. Also, please pray for all non-Muslims that may Allah guide them to the right path.

That is all for today my friends, keep smiling and keep blogging :)

Hmmmm

It seriously seems like ages since I last updated. I hate this... this writer's block. I've just lost interest in reading and writing. It's been a while since I read a good book and as I said it's been quite a while now since I blogged.

Update on Life: Life is good alhamdolillah. Thanks to Allah, I am surrounded by nice people. Oh yes, that reminds me, Ramadan Mubarak to everyone. May Allah bestow His choicest blessing on you and your family and may you have a very blessed Ramadan, ameen. And if I don't see you then I wish you a very happy Eid as well. May each coming Eid bring you more and more happiness and prosperity, ameen :)

Anyways, can't think of much to write now. Oh yes, the weather here is very very very hot. I mean just walking to the restaurant at 3 a.m. in the morning was dreadful(Yes, I said 3 a.m. when the sun isn't up). I guess it was 40 or 50, even the AC there didnt seem to change anything. In case, you were wondering, I go to a restaurant nearby for sehri since I don't cook and cornflakes/oatmeal don't make a filling sehri (believe me, I've tried).

Take care everyone, keep smiling and keep blogging.

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Bachna aay haseenooo, loo main aagaya :P

Okay, I admit that the subject doesn't look (or sound) the way I wanted it to come out. However, I am sure it delivers the message, which is that I am back.

Wellll, one would then ask that was I gone before that I have come "back" now??

Anyways, life is going well alhamdolillah. I went to Pakistan a few weeks ago and it felt awesome. Although I went for ten days but time flew by so quickly that it felt as if I had just exited the airport and was now entering it again :(

Cricket fever is all over the place here with people cheering for their home teams. But I don't know why, I have lost all interest in the game. There was a time when I was crazy about cricket and you could ask me the latest score of any match happening at that time. But these days, I wouldn't even know who is playing whom.

Went to the Atlantis with colleagues last week and it was awesome. We talked, laughed and had a lot of fun. The food wasn't that great but we had a great time.

I just saw that my last post was on 16 December 2010!!! Seems like such a long time ago. It's just that I saw another blogger's blog just now and not only had the person updated but had also changed the template so that sort of made me make a post. I am thinking of changing the template as well, something green and white in line with 23 March, Pakistan Resolution Day :). Let's see, I'll update it if I get time.

Anyways, take care people, keep smiling and keep blogging :)

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