Heart Talk: Life With a Creative Partner

Life with a creative partner… 

When Ahsan’s sister told us that he is studying film production to be a ‘cinematographer’, there was silence in the drawing room for a bit. Yes, ours was an arranged marriage and this was the first time his family came over. I, for one, did not know how to pronounce the word cinematographer, let alone know what such a fancy professional did. Back then I only knew few professions… doctor, engineer, teacher, chartered accountant. How did we end up getting married is a story for another post but, the point is that I married a cinematographer and entered into the world of creative people. 

Travel Diary: Kallar Kahar

Travelling does not have to be an expensive and elaborate experience. It does not have to have a train or a plane ride and visas and passports. You do not need to save all year to go on one vacation. I have learned to appreciate and take joy in visiting and exploring little towns and have realized that sometimes you underestimate the beauty of something just because it is easy to reach and sometimes you spend a big amount only to be disappointed. After our first international move, it took us five years to go on our first 'international' vacation together. We were struggling financially and managing our lives in a new country and a vacation seemed like an expense that we could not afford. That, however, did not stop us from taking numerous little trips to places that we could at least drive to. Every other long weekend, we would select a small town or village and go exploring. It got me wondering why I never thought of doing this in my own country. 

So, now on all my trips to Pakistan, even though, I am always struggling with the shortage of time versus the tasks at hand, if I manage to squeeze in a small adventure to a new destination, the mission is accomplished. 

Heart Talk: Always Choose Happiness

Hello Friends, Chai Pi loo… 

Celebrating 10 Years of Expat Life

Time is a fascinating concept. I am the kind of person who loves to measure passing time in days, months and years. I am a walking calendar in that way. I have to put my mind at ease by adding a proper number to vague measures of times like a few years ago, a couple of months ago. But, what makes me happier is reaching a milestone and to be able to replace that number with a fancy word. 

Like... March of 2019 marks a ‘decade’ of living an expat life - a reminder that it has been a ‘decade’ to that leap of faith we took... you see what I meant by a fancy word? 

I will be doing a tiny series of posts about the journey so far by answering some of the commonly asked questions 

Let's get a cup of tea first... 

Short Travel Story: TDF Ghar, Karachi

One of the new places that I went to in Karachi was The Dawood Foundation (TDF) Ghar. A place from where I finally managed to get a photograph with Karachi’s iconic landmark; mausoleum of Quaid e Azam, the founder of Pakistan. Built in the 1930s, this home was fighting legal issues since 1991 when it was occupied by land grabbing mafia. Finally, in 2016 the case ended and it is now turned into a public space. It has been kept in its original condition with some restoration work. You will be fascinated by the handcrafted tiles, lamps, grills and rooms decked with antiques and collectables that are almost 90 years old. 

Review: Cakesville (Karachi Pakistan)

Usually, I am quite a good sport and love challenges in life except.... baking! This is the only challenge in life that I gave up after a few flopped experiments including one in which I sent a half baked cake to my to-be (at that time) mother in law. She still accepted me as her daughter in law though 😀 But, I knew that not everyone will be as kind as her in life so I gave up on baking to avoid such life-threatening risks! My love for cakes and especially homemade cakes, however, just keeps getting stronger. 

Welcome 2019

Tears and smiles, pains and gains, failures and successes; from a rocky start to a complete meltdown in the mid of the year to picking up myself and ending the year with a heart ever so grateful for this beautiful life, for opportunities, for lessons, for people who came and people who left. For the constants in life who never change and the constant changes that shape our lives…. 2018 was all THIS and MORE.