Go green shirts!

Pace bowler Umar Gul shone bright like a star today. He took 4-6 in 18 consecutive balls and lead Pakistan to a 23-run win over England in the third one-day international at the Oval. This is the first victory for Pakistan after the shameful betting allegations came to light.

All I can say is thank heavens for heroes like Umar Gul and Aisam ul Haq. It has indeed given us all a reason to smile... in these otherwise trying, troubling times..

I love to see Green out there, especially when it looks like this :)

Introducing 'The Cheapmunks'

Suhana Baloch and Mehek Teherani. Meet the girl duo from Karachi who mix local and western tunes to make their own original blend of 'fusion' music. And not surprisingly enough, probably the first music act in Pakistan to become popular only due to viral marketing through You Tube and Facebook. So far they do this only for fun and are planning their second gig at a Cafe in Karachi. If you turn into a fan after having a listen and want to follow them, join their group on Facebook. Personally I can't wait to hear what they come up with next :)

Tennis Happy

After the worst floods Pakistan has ever suffered in its 63 year old history, corrupt cricketers and the continuous fighting in the NWFP (now Khyber Paktoonwala) Province, the hunky Aisam ul Haq has brought a bit of warmth and a glimmer of hope to the weary, tired and dejected Pakistani hearts all over the world.

Today, Aisam-ul-Haq of Pakistan and Rohan Bopanna of India played and lost the US Open Men's Doubles Final.

It is not everyday you get to see an Indian and Pakistani play on the same team and be the cause for so much shared happiness on both sides of the border. And ofcourse not everyday a Pakistani plays in a Grand Slam Final to begin with. I am all for sporting their 'Stop War, Start Tennis' t-shirt. Hope all the young minds are listening in both countries. We certainly need more like these two!

...errr...now where is my tennis racket?

What a girl wants

The oh so pretentious me does have a list of 'things' I want this Autumn...one does ocassionally succumb to the constant tirade of commercial messages neatly tucked away in almost every corner we turn...well, if I were to ever give in and I am known to hold out for quite a while, I would splurge on the following items this Autumn-Winter(or maybe I will just do some calculations of reward Vs guilt and never get around to it....)
1. The Mulberry Alexa
2. A pair of Acne Pistol boots
3. The new Ipod nano
4. An Amazon Kindle
5. A cool Norwegian Alpine knit

Ramazan in Islamabad

No matter the years that add up to my double digit age, I still feel 13 when I have to wake up for Sehri. Its not easy hearing the shrill call of the alarm followed by my mother knocking incessantly on my door and eventually opening my eyes to pitch darkness. It gets better after that though..... walking downstairs following the smell of parathas and greeting the rest of my family who is also not fully awake yet but somehow seated at the table trying to focus hard on the task at hand. Eat and drink your fill in 40 minutes. The chit chat is brief. Soon enough we are all layering our tootbrushes, brushing away and geting ready for the morning prayer. Prayers done, a few pages in the Quran read..zip in to bed I jump.

Morning arrives sooner then it should and its time to get dressed and take myself to work. Working hours are shorter and colleagues a little bit more understanding than what is usual. Its nice to have other empty stomachs for company.... they get it. Soon enough its time to avoid all the disasters waiting to happen on the road and drive home. Afternoon prayers said, and a nap under the belt, its time to join the other hungry comrades in the kitchen and help make the iftari. Welcome to the best part of the day. The entire process of preparing food when you have not eaten for over 15 hours is one of the most satisfying experiences. The azaan is heard loud and clear and some minutes later everyone reads the roza iftar dua and pops a date, followed by lots of fruit chat, many pakoras, glasses of rooh afza, and then the main course curry and chapati....ssss. Ahh...bliss. Then the much awaited cup..ss of chai over some family banter. A place for everything and everything in its place.

M

He was born exactly a month ago...on 5 August. I was not prepared for the overwhleming love I felt for him. It circled me from all sides and basically drowned me within a few minutes of laying eyes on him. He is a sweet little boy, he whimpers when he cries, pouts when he sleeps and sucks his bottle with such vigour... which continues after the bottle is long gone. I adore him so much I even changed his nappy :)

I am looking forward to his life as a toddler, boy and the man that he will become one day. Little M.

That Feeling

Today I felt like I was falling in love all over again. I could not put my finger on what actually triggered it. Maybe the music had something to do with it as i finally upgraded to a Spotify premium account which enables me to listen to my offline playlists on my Iphone whenever I want to. Yes, I am nearly a gadget freak. So I spent the day playing music, prancing around my apartment with an amused husband looking on, skipping around the city, meeting an old friend and making a new one. The weather was glorious and I felt like I could do just about anything I wanted to. I came home and there he was. The reason for that feeling.