Blog post with loads of pics coming in soon… Keep checking…..
Sneak peek into an ice-cream/summer themed birthday party!
10 pins that make STALKING so funny
With the advent of “Social Media” comes the risks attached to it. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, Instagram…The list goes on…. And then everyday we see posts warning us that our posts can be misused, we can be blackmailed, manipulated and yet there is this urge of posting the pic of our Saturday night dinner, and tagging our family or friends.
Well I don’t blame you because I have the same habit.
And perhaps there is an ex-friend, some jealous relatives, some lowlife colleagues or just the guy who packs your grocery at the corner store, simply anyone who may or may not be on your friends or followers list, who just make it a point to visit your profile, see your posts and simply know whats happening in your life.
Stalkers come in all shapes and sizes. You may know them or may not. You may have met them or you might have not. You may know you’re being stalked and you may not.
Just yesterday while browsing for some DIY ideas, I came across some images that are just so amazingly hilarious that it felt like these are the sounds that I often hear in my mind.
Here are ten that I thought summed it up immaculately or personally hit the right cords;P
1. What a tribute-Love this one!!
2. Low life or no life?
3. Lose some pounds baby; you’d feel better!
4. Ha ha ha ha ha….
5. But yes I am the centre of the world eh…
6. Yes? Yes!
7. Ooooo
8. My business is not YOUR business
9. Be careful!
10. A big one!!
So next time you are posting something online, remember to caption it “STALKING IS INJURIOUS FOR HEALTH”
Pakistan-A loved dilemma
It feels like its been ages since I’m living in Canada. I love and admire this country that has embraced me with open arms and warmth. Yet I hear the word Pakistan and my heartbeat fastens and the adrenaline gushes in my veins. After all its Pakistan we’re talking about.
The resilient and most incredible nation in the world, that has been seeing blood, terror and dead bodies of its men, women and children for past so many decades and yet if you step on any street in any city, you’d feel this is some piece of heaven. Yes our hearts are shattered but our souls are still in tact. We still enjoy little moments of happiness after and before death strikes.
So as a proud Pakistani I’d been thinking about the goodness that is all actually made in Pakistan or belongs to Pakistan. Here is a list of six little but amazing things that I believe spell Pakistan!
1. Pakola
What else could compete with the green goodness that is contained in the little green bottle or can. No its not what turned Bruce Banner into Hulk but it definitely has the potential, with the rich cream soda flavour and sweetness. Ive tried so many different kinds of cream soda, but trust me nothing comes close. And the best thing, it doesn’t give you the typical acidic feeling that one might experience after consuming other types of soda. Wish there was a better marketing strategy and this thing could give Coca-cola and Pepsi a run!
2. Urdu
Yes it roots back to the times of subcontinental India, but it is something that draws a line between the two neighbouring countries. “Yes its not Salwaar(Traditional pants); it is Shalwaar!” And it is definitely not Hindi. Urdu is made up of so many other languages but that is our national language and we are proud of it.
3.Truck art
Since the independence in 1947, Pakistan runs basically on trucks and buses to transport people as well as goods. These trucks and buses are decorated with some of the most spectacular pieces of art that is famous worldwide. These art forms vary from delicate detailing on the outside of the truck to amazing mirror and lights work and poetic calligraphy.
4.Pathaan ki chai
And since I mentioned trucks, truck art is incomplete without a dhaaba and Pathaan ki chai i.e. doodh patti(Milk & tea leaves). It is basically a staple of the road side cafes aka dhaabas on the highways or trunk roads that usually cater to these hard working truck drivers when out on the road, and in the cities to people who just want to have a cup of tea. This chai is special because it is brewed with loads of milk for hours and is sweet enough to give you a sugar rush. Most of these road side dhaabas were and are owned by the hardworking tribal people from the north of Pakistan, hence the name.
5. Peshawari Ice cream
I remember the first time I went to Pakistan from Dubai and I had this horrible craving of Peshawari ice-cream and my brother got me three litre packs of it, that I licked to the last drop within an hour. Yes that’s how good it is. You’d forget Ben & Jerry’s, Haagen Daz and Baskin-Robbins when this hand-made, buttery, sweet white heaven melts on your tongue and you feel the tiny butter spots on your palate. It actually was a Karachi special and later on took over the rest of the country. Named after the roots of its inventors, it is not your typical Vanilla or White chocolate flavoured ice cream though it is quite similar in the colour and texture- Update your bucket lists folks!
5.TV Drama
I grew up in Karachi with only two television channels, but the best part of it was even those two channels could draw an audience all over the world, because of the dramas that were aired. And now there are a good hundred or so television channels for news, entertainment, food, religion, music and what not. And still Pakistani television dramas top the charts. There was a jolt few years ago when the Indian soap serials started to steal the limelight. But from Tanhaaiyan, to Meri Zaat Zarra e Benishaan, to Mera Naam Yousuf hay to Humsafar, Pakistani dramas remain unbeatable!
Choice
Featured image courtesy: Fursid.com
Present-Surprise Sugar Cookies
Since birth I have a little issue, a teeny tiny bug that always reined me towards the paths less travelled. I always found different things better. The price tag(read obstacles, hardships) was not the matter, never was. It was always the worth of that different thing for me that made me steer into that direction, regardless of the opposing forces.
Okay enough bragging Amber…
This Ramadan had been a very very busy one, thanks to my 18 month old little labbittt who has this unending, never tiring, not to mention unnerving energy to keep the chores coming in for me. I still managed to do doe crafts and test my skills.
Every year for Eid I try to offer my cake-shop customers something new, something unique, something different. It works for me both ways. One that my customers are happy to find goodies that are otherwise rare or entirely unavailable at other places. Second, I make extra batches and keep them for family and friends so they enjoy a different treat every time. And above all, I get to hear “My mom is the bestest baker with the bestest idea” and trust me nothing beats that!
So while I was on my mission to explore, create or remake something different, I sought help from Google Mamoo(Mom’s brother) As always Mamoo Jan did not disappoint me and brought me a horde of different images and recipes. But I was still looking for something different, yet easy because my baby-yes that says it all.
I had time constraint, plus the energy constraint as the hot summer fasts were about 17-18 hours long and for a person like me who misses about 70% of the sehris, it was a difficult task when mixed with other chores.
And then I struck gold. While I was going through the same colourfully designed cookies that are hours of back breaking labor and delicate crafting, I came across this amazing love-at-first-sight treasure box kind of cookies. The ones that are sure to spark excitement as they slide those little basked lids and smiles when they actually reach those candies tucked inside! Its a win!
You know Eid for Muslims is like Christmas for Christians. Damn I sound such mommy-like.Well, living in a foreign land, it sometimes gets really difficult for parents like myself to keep our children focused. They see all these glamorous and sparkling festivals like Easter and Halloween and Christmas-thanks to the Corporate cycle though. And we tell them, we celebrate Eid. Okay what is Eid Mamma? Oh that boring day back home where you spend the entire Chaand raat either getting Mehndi(Henna) done or just having fun on the streets, and then you offer Salah in the morning and then hit the sack for the entire day. Then wake up in the evening and go see some relatives or eat out etc?
Nay!!
We got to make sure that our Eid here is as sparkly and shiny as our neighbours Christmas or Halloween is. To tell them little minds that ours is a beautiful religion and it gives us all the more chance to celebrate all the beautiful festivals just like any other religion.
So we here, thousands of kilometres away from our roots, try to make every possible effort to make their faith strong and their identity positive, while still maintaining their innocence and happiness. Since I always tell them that Eid is like our Christmas, hence the presence of all the shiny wrapped presents and if not then something that is close. Which is why the thought of these baked beauties just made my day!
I replaced Skittles from the original recipe with jelly beans. I also had the chance of a life time to research Twizzlers. And boy am I happy. The Pull n’ Peel Cherry flavoured Twizzlers are to only OU Kosher, but are also approved as vegan edible candy.
I got small braided baskets from Dollarama and lined those with gold coloured paper. I placed the cookies inside and left it uncovered so when the baskets were handed over, the kids were actually jumping to explore whats wrapped inside the treasure boxes. Unfortunately I could not get proper pictures of the finished baskets but just this random one from my iPhone that I took to send to hubby and even that I forgot to send to him.
Recipe adopted with thanks from Erica’s Sweet Tooth
[yumprint-recipe id=’1′]
Of Hilals and sightings
I just read on Facebook: Quote: “It is haraam to fast on Eid, yet half of the Muslims are fasting today. It is a major sin to leave a Farz Roza(fast) and yet half of the Muslims are celebrating Eid. Who is answerable for this?”
Ramadan this year started without much of a confusion. Muslims all over the world generally observed 1st Ramadan on June 17th. Even my neighbours who are from Middle East and usually follow festivals as per back home, were pleasantly surprised that Pakistanis, Indians, Arabs and Muslims in general in the neighbourhood were celebrating Ramadan together which is very rare.
Last night was the 29th of Ramadan and about 80% people were sure that 1st Shawwal would fall on Friday July 17th and Eid ul Fitr would be celebrated.
However, about 15 minutes after Iftaar, Hilal Committee of Toronto announced that there was no sighting of moon and hence we shall have 30 blessed days of Ramadan and Eid would be on Saturday July 18th.
I was surprised, yet happy and satisfied. There is no point in celebrating Eid or any festival just because people back home are celebrating it. Called a couple of relatives, informed them and the feeling was mutual.
And there was this chaos on Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp. Women telling each other on groups that they are wrong. Endless fights. Then someone tweeted from Hilal Committee’s Twitter handle after midnight that they are reverting their decision and Eid shall be Friday July 17th.
Few minutes later they tweeted that the account was hacked by someone and the tweet was falsely sent. and that there is no change in decision. While Social Media was abuzz with people posting news of moon sightings in Edmonton and California and hence emphasizing that Eid should be on Friday, some parts of USA including Houston, Miami, Newyork, Philadelphia were already preparing for Eid on Friday as for them it was decided from about a month before.
I wonder why there has to be so much division on such a small issue. Isn’t Eid supposed to be a blessing from Allah SWT for the faithful after fasting for 30 days. Why can’t here be unity? Why can’t ISNA and HSCNA and all the big wigs get together and find a solution for this?
And imagine the sorry state of affairs when I visited ISNA website just moments earlier, the main banner wished Eid Mubarak, while the date mentioned it was still 30th Ramadan. Sigh!
I am no scholar; just an ordinary Muslim who does not want to be divided in two parts because half of the family is celebrating Eid one day and the other half on the other. I do not have the knowledge to decide which Masjid is right and which distance parameters does my residence fall in. I, as a Muslim follower, do put my faith in these scholars and they can’t just get away with decisions just so it is easy to book the halls for Eid prayers in advance or because the other group follows some other school of thought.
Time has moved, advanced. Let us not give others any chance to ridicule us. Eid is Allah’s blessing. Let it be that!
15 relatives we all love /hate
Well yes I was born in a Desi household, amidst hordes of relatives. We lived in a joint family system. My mother had 9 siblings and my father had 10- Yes I know but they say they did not have TV in those times, hence no other entertainment- If you know what I mean!
Only my uncle and paternal grandparents lived with us, but then there was a never ending party at home and everyone was kind of always present. So my childhood and tween years introduced me to many different versions of aunts and uncles and cousins. And then of course the extended families that spice up the scenario further.
Most in my list are not so positive characters but then that is my personal opinion and my list. Yours might be different and better or worse-who knows!
1- Always-there-for you sister:
If there is one blessing in form of a blood relation, after mother, it definitely has to be a sister. I am the eldest of the ONLY four children of my parents. My sister even though younger, is the smarter and calm one, while I have always been the emotional and impulsive one. Matters of heart, love or anything else, she is my one stop solution. We have our fair share of arguments and quarrels but then what is a relationship without that? Ive personally witnessed women, paternal and maternal aunts, my cousins who would not hesitate to suck the better life out of a sister of theirs; who would selfishly leave the weak one on a side and carry on with the ones that suit their lives. I guess it is because of what they learn from their mothers, and i know what I did from mine.
2-Annoying Brother:
Aren’t they always annoying? Lets move on.
3- The Always-Behind-Your-Back Cousin:
Yes? The same one you thought of. Who would always wear the exact or almost exact replica of what you wore in the last party and with amicable resistance, express how our outfits are so similar. Or who would write their profiles with exactly same details as yours and when you inquire when did you go to this school or bought this cell phone or learnt to drive or had this love-affair, they would remind you that you are jealous of them and that they been on this stuff for ages!
4-The Know-It-All Cousin:
So there are so many different varieties of them. All sizes and packages. This is the one who writes “tat” for “that”, “ov” for “of” and “thankew” for “thank you”. You dare to correct them and they dish out their envy and ignorance upon you, labelling you jealous. You talk to them in Urdu and they respond in English(their version of it of course) They also prefer to ignore all the fame and fortune that comes your way because acknowledgement of it would only make them lesser of a person that is beyond their tolerance. Pretentious much? I so want to laugh!
5-The Materialistic Cousin:
“Oh I love that lipstick-can I have it?” “When you are done with this dress, its gonna be mine okay?” “Oh this stand needs to be wiped before I put these things here-” You turn around and they are gone. Exactly that type!
6-The Absolutely Fascinated Cousin:
If it was possible, they’d make an idol of you and start worshipping it. This type sees only the good in you, beyond good rather. You’re a role model for them and they just want to be you.
7-The Secretive Cousin:
She pretends she is your best friend; then one day you find out its her second child’s first birthday and you’re like what?
8- The Mirror-Image Aunt:
Of course she is an aunt so she can not copy your dress or shoes or jewellery so she tries to make up for it for all the rest of the things. What your children do, what set of glasses in your kitchen, what kind of hutch in the living room?
9- The Always-There-For-You Aunt:
She may be mean, outspoken and always angry but you get into any trouble and she is the first one to always reach. Call her what ever but this overcomes everything else.
10-The Dreaming-Of-A-Perfect-DIL Aunt:
Since you were a child, you always got special attention from her. More and better presents, love, attention, special introductions at parties-You name it. And it was only when you realized this affection was because of the eligible bachelor cousin at your Aunt’s place who was a perfect prospect for you!
11- The Crying Aunt:
No her tears are not because she is emotional. She cries because she can not bear to see your splendid new house, or glittering diamonds or fearless ride. So she cries!
12-The Always-Sick Aunt:
No its not making fun of any one who is sick. But this one has the same excuse for everything. From why she eats different(better) food than the rest of the family to why she has put on lumps of fat: the answer is always because she is sick and hence she also gets all the multivitamins-Irony!
13- The Crackhead Uncle:
“Oh uncle I got a gold-medal and an amazing job offer from Microsoft”
“Well these days it is so easy to get a gold medal. Ours were the times when one had to work hard. And what ever is Microsoft?”
14-The Free-Bit-Of-Advice Uncle:
You talk about wanting to eat an orange in front of him and he starts about the cost, advantages, disadvantages, dos and don’ts of orange. You would simply want to never even think about orange again!
15-Devil’s advocate uncle/brother:
They attend the services at the local place of worship regularly and talk about faith and belief and how to dress appropriately and how to help others so they ought to right in whatever they are doing. Guess what? They are not. Because no matter what they preach, they sure do not practice it themselves and it is obvious.
But then the one thing that my mother always used to refer to:
And fear Allah through Whom you demand, and (do not cut the relations of) womb (kinship, blood relations)
-4:1
And to Him shall we return
He was young, he was amazing, he was loving, he was caring….
I never met him but what I know from his Facebook updates and from his wife, who happened to be my second cousin, he was an amazing father, a loving husband and a caring son. I’ve known this girl as a sweet and shy little girl from our childhood, with sparkling grey eyes. Well I could not then decide and still can’t figure out if her eyes are grey or blue. But yes I could tell she was happy with him because her eyes would tell me so.
And then I reconnected with her, years later, thanks to Social Media. She is a learned one and is a lecturer at a local institution back home. She would always remember my birthday and wish me luck on all the happy moments.
And just today I found out that this handsome young guy, who she was wife to, is no more. He lost his life in a road accident last night. I was shocked, I was in tears. I thought of the two cute children, this beautiful young girl and I ask the Almighty “Why?”
I had no answer. I couldn’t help but wake my sister up in the middle of the night and share with her. Her response was similar to mine. We both cried, we both felt sad and bad and what not.
This is life; such is life…
PS: Do remember this family in your prayers. May Allah grant him highest place in paradise. May Allah give this bereaved family the strength and courage to take them through this difficult time-Aameen
O Canada
Last night as I prepared these red velvet cupcakes, the girls asked if they could watch O’Canada on YouTube. I put it on, and guess what? I got the same goosebumps; just like the ones that I always get when the national anthem of Pakistan is played. Does that mean I am Canadian now? Does that mean the new bill C-24 poses no threat to me? Does that mean my vacation travels and tax information would not be shared? Oh well, lets not talk about all that at least today. Happy Canada Day 🇨🇦
May our maple syrup gets sweeter (and pure), may our Tim Hortons gets stronger, may our poutine get richer, may our oil sands remain oilier, may our moose remain loved, may our winters grow shorter, may our summers are happier(and affordable), may our sports get some attention by the rulers and not by selling mittens, may the diversity continues to grow, may the tolerance becomes equal for every one-Amen!
Oh Karachi!
They say a picture speaks a thousand words..
But this one right here left me speechless…..
I live in Canada. And the moment I say “Canada”, snow and cold is the first word that comes to mind. We have extreme temperatures here about 9 months a year and even in those three months that we call summer, weather is never reliable. We dance when the weather hits double digits, and 16 degrees is like Ooo La La!
July 1st evening has never been the same; I remember going to see fireworks with n extra hoodie on because the weather is chilly. Yes on July 1st!
During winter, temperatures in my region reach to -30 and -40. And this is nothing compared to further northern provinces where these are not extreme but regular temperatures. Yet life goes on!
As soon as the weather is forecasted, city governments announce Extreme Cold Weather alerts which means that shelters and warm centres are open and accessible for the homeless and the poor.
The communities help each other. even my lovely neighbours offer to blow our snow when there is a snow storm and its impossible for one person to clean the drive way.
Yes we pay taxes, and then those taxes are spent on situations like these to help keep things running. Its not an ideal world, it has its own flaws and corruption and politics and what not.
Yet when I saw the picture above, I was short of words…..
I am a Karachiite, and I love Karachi. This is the city that feeds millions all over the country, regardless of their ethnicity, culture, religion or race. The resilient people living here have seen things like street crimes, gang wars, political fights, load-shedding and what not. We are the people, who when hear that a storm is about to hit our coast, run to Clifton to see where the storm is coming from and how. We get married and bury our loved ones in the shade of gunfire, explosives and curfew. Everyone who wants power claims he loves Karachi.
Yet when it comes to situations like this heat wave that has swallowed about 700 plus lives in 3 days and that even the local media here in Toronto and global media is giving full coverage in prime time, Karachi is no body’s business. Everyone tries to push Karachi in someone else’s court and everyone runs away. Karachi becomes a prostitute for these shameless creatures called our rulers who want to have all the fun with her, but do not want to own her! If it were not for the brave and courageous people of Karachi, who are always all by themselves when it comes to situations like these, Karachi would not be the same!
I have also spent few years in Dubai and I know what and how 47-48 degrees feel like. But I guess even the Arabs that we always so keenly make fun of, have some respite and humanity. They work evening or night hours, when the mercury goes down a bit. Air conditioners and cold water is everybody’s basic right. Well kind of as I have also seen poor expats working with charcoal and cement in that scorching sun.
And then to top it off the holy month of Ramadan. Where the ordinary people do not know that Islam is not asking you to kill yourself in the name of pleasing Allah. If you’re sick or fear of being sick (Read heat stroke) do not fast.
Plus in Ramadan, everything, i.e., milk, yogurt, ice, fruits, electricity and hence water either disappear from the markets or are out of reach of the common people. So imagine fasting while living on the Sun!
I had been reading so many Do’s and Dont’s about this heatwave, so I thought its going to be a good idea if I sum those up in here. I googled couple of these and found some on Twitter.
- Stop/break fast. Allah is the ever merciful; He knows!
- Heat stroke is the most serious form of heat injury and is considered a medical emergency.
- People over 50 are most at risk, although anyone can be affected because of improper ventilation, dehydration or chronic ailments.
- Throbbing headache, dizziness, lack of sweating despite the heat, nausea and vomiting, rapid heartbeat & breathing, behavioral changes such as confusion, disorientation and unconsciousness are but some symptoms of Heat stroke. DO NOT IGNORE!
- If some one or yourself have any of these, fan air while wetting skin with water.
- Apply ice packs to armpits, groin, neck, and back. Because these areas are rich with blood vessels close to the skin, cooling them may reduce body temperature.
- RUSH to the hospital. And try not to take the entire family as the Emergency rooms are already crowded.
- Keep an eye on elderly neighbours and try to check about their well being.
- House maids, servants and drivers are humans too. Try to schedule them during late or early hours of the day, hand them some water bottles before they leave and let them use that air conditioner that is otherwise not allowed!
There are many people who are doing volunteer work on their own. Find someone and if nothing then at least get some cold water bottles to the nearest local hospital. It doesn’t have to be mineral water. Even clean, boiled tap water would do. Remember every good deed is multiplied many times in this holy month!
I called my father as he is old and alone and I am concerned about his well being. And he goes, ” I am okay, you people stay indoors, its hot over there I’ve learned so take care of my babies!”
So basically he was telling me not to worry for him in 47 degrees without water and electricity while I should watch for myself and children as it was 25 degrees in GTA today. Parents are always parents!
My own sister had some serious diarrhoea and nausea last night. After I finish these lines, I am going to call her.
Stay safe Karachi… You are love and are loved!