Updates…

Hello everyone,

I have been so busy this entire week that I didn’t get a chance to blog at all. I apologize for that, although I have so much to blog about. I have been jotting down in my journal. We have a long weekend this weekend, as 2nd December is UAE National Day. I have no special plans, but will probably update my blog and write new stuff. By the way, my parents and sister are coming in to Dubai on the 8th of December and will be staying here for a while. Oh, on Saturday my friends and I are going to the Ideal Home Exhibition, to check out ideas for our new places we will be moving to next year inshallah.

Mansur

Punjabi…?

Hello people,

One of the major revelations to me in Lahore this trip happened when we were all out at a coffee shop. My friend Maria asked me what caste I was and I told her that I am Punjabi. My whole life I had convinced myself that I am Punjabi, which is one of the four provinces of Pakistan (the others are Sindhis, Balochis and NWFP). So my cousin told me we are Kakazay, which is a certain caste, and it turned out that Kakazays are actually Pathans, the group of people who predominantly live in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. It turns out that if I follow the ancestry from my dad, to his dad and beyond, we come in from the line of Pathans. My whole life I have been telling people I am Punjabi when I am actually a Pathan. My confusion arose because we all speak Punjabi and so I thought we were naturally Punjabis, but as it turned out the offspring of Kakazays have been living in Lahore too. Anyways, to everyone who I told I am Punjabi, I am not, I am a Pathan.

Mansur

Some Pictures…

Hello everyone,

Here are some random pictures I took from my recent trip to Lahore. All pictures were taken from my new Nokia N80 phone. Amazing phone.

This was a donkey I saw in the local bazaar. My mom was inside shopping while I was waiting in the car. This donkey had the saddest eyes, and I could sense what a plight it was for him to be carrying such a huge burden on his shoulders. I asked the man to sell the donkey to me so I could set him free from captivity. The man thought I was crazy.

Here are six boys on one bike. It can only happen in Lahore. It was pretty darn amazing to see the cyclist balance all five boys around him to be able to drive around bends and main roads. Lol.

This is my sister Areej with the exquisite henna design on her hand which was made by one of our second cousin.

That’s me and my sister. I always buy brown colored shalwar kameez, but this year, I opted for a dark purple striped khadee suit. It’s amazing and it’s my favorite piece of clothing now.

Me with a cat at a friend’s house. They had two cats and the girls were treating them like they were some piece of furniture. When I asked one of the girl to give me one cat, she threw this cat across the room! Literally THREW the cat as if I were supposed to catch it.

My best friend from high school for the last 10 years, Maria. This was taken at Hot Fuzon (pronounced fusion), which is a pertty decent place to get desserts. We hung out here with some of my cousins and my sister till 1am, after which my mom and uncle were making frantic calls to get back home fast!

My favorite cousin in the whole world, Hina. She and I really hit it off this trip. We always do, but this trip was very meaningful. She takes pride in confiding in me and I treat her like a sister I never had (I have to say this before I get any marriage questions!)

Zaeem and Adeen by the pool.

My nephew Zaeem, or Zaymi as we call him affectionately. He loved being in control of the elevator of the hotel they all stayed in. He was just the cutest thing ever.

Mansur

Marriage Vows, I mean Woes…

Hello,

One of the reason why I went to Pakistan for so long this recent trip was to spend time looking for the right girl for marriage. I was supposed to be there for a month, but my stay eventually exceeded to 40 days. I was initially excited, for I was pretty sure I would find the right person on this trip. My aunty had lined up a list of families who my mom and I were supposed to go meet. My aunt was hopeful, as were we.

The first thing that we realized was that I went to Pakistan in the month of Ramadan. That’s the month everyone is fasting, and hardly any meetings happen between prospective families. However, there were two families that I did get to meet during Ramadan, and both families were all right, and the girls exceeded my expectations. However, things didn’t work out with these families. The first girl we met showed too much attitude. The second girl’s father refused to let the girl and I meet in absence of any elders.

So after Eid, we met up with several more families, but things were just not clicking. You see, I was not just looking at the girl. I was looking at the entire family package for everything matters. It’s not just about the boy and the girl; I need to know what kind of family I will be getting myself into. I remember meeting one family who spoke in such heavy Urdu, with very basic English, and I knew I would not be able to get into that family, despite their daughter being a great girl.

I was indeed a little disappointed I didn’t find any girl. The situation was such that a large pool of girls were either in two camps: in hijabs (nothing wrong with that, but not what I am looking for) or too partying-shartying kind, with drinking and a long list of boyfriends (they can do whatever they want, but these kind of girls aren’t what I am looking for!) Where are the girls who are in the middle, the moderates ones? According to one of my relatives, they are all abroad, or are all engaged or hooked to someone or the other. The problem boiled to the fact that I don’t live in Pakistan thus rendering me out of the social scene.

The good news is that since my parents have moved to Lahore, they will soon be meeting people they know, and through them we can get to know of families who are looking for a guy for their daughter. I tell you, it’s not just about the guy and girl anymore, its a lot more than that.

The coolest thing was that I met up with Maria, my high school friend after three years, and it was awesome meeting up with here. We had been in touch ever since we left high school 10 years ago, and it’s amazing how our friendship has lasted. Of course, I had to hear from everyone why I don’t consider for marriage, since she is single too. I would tell them, Maria and I have discussed this issue and we have our reasons.

My brother and his family were here, and having met up with my niece (3yrs) and nephew (1yr) I so wanted to get married and have kids of my own. I am so ready. I have a job, a house and a car, and I need is a wife.

A quick question. There is one girl we know of who is a great girl, coming from an amazing family, very rich, well educated and down to earth. However, she is a divorcee with a 1yr old baby. I was ready to consider her but many around me were advising me not to. I don’t see anything wrong, so why should others?

Mansur

Goodness Gracious Me

Hey friends,

I don’t know how many of you have seen the Asian British comedy sketch show Goodness Gracious Me. I bought the entire collection (three series) and have been watching and re-watching them. They are just absolutely the best, and a lot of it does ring true. Who doesn’t have an uncle who tells them to come to them for everything? Who doesn’t have an aunty who tells everyone she can make it at home for nothing? Who doesn’t know aunts who force feed you at meal time? Who doesn’t aunties who brag about their sons? These character sketches and whole lot more are just too funny. I guarantee you, watching these episodes over and over certainly does make you laugh out loud.

I don’t know if non-Asians can truly appreciate the Asian humor though.

Mansur