life – Amber Hasan

Baking, Canada, Children, Desi, Family, Food

O Canada

July 1, 2015 No Comments

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!

Thoughts

Direct dil say….

November 22, 2012 No Comments

I felt like this some months back, when I was in a limbo, trying to deny a fact, while it remained one. and I just felt it now, right now. As if someone is holding my heart and just crushing it in the palm of their hand.

Life has always been like this…. And I am sure all of us experience it that way…. The first breathe we take, is so uncertain. Would it go on? Would it stop? The first step taken as a toddler, is never certain-one might trip, might fall; still it is taken. The first attempt to run, sit, stand, write, read, laugh, swim, drive, jump, fight, hit, punch, love- the list goes on… The uncertainty continues…so does our voluntary and involuntary actions….Not knowing the results, we see light at the end of the tunnel in our own respective way and we continue this journey, to go on all our lives.

For me, I’ve always seen the glass half-full!! Or say FULL. In the worst of situations, I’ve pulled myself together and hoped for things to get better…And they did!! Exams, work, personal matters, matters of heart-everything! I remember at work when we were about to conduct a workshop and my colleagues would freak out on the low attendance, I would tell them “Ho jaega” (We’ll do it) and they would ask “How can you say that with just a day left?” and I would reply “I don’t know” . And the Sunday morning, my boss would ask, “What did you do?” I didn’t know. I still do not know.

May be its my utmost belief in God, may be the vibes of my positivity attract all the other positive auras, or may be its just sheer luck, time after time- I don’t know!

All I knew then and all I know now is that if you really want something from the core of your heart, you get it. The path may be difficult, the signs not clear, you might have second thoughts, the time not defined-however if you know what you want and how bad you want it, the key is to just holding on to it and not stepping back, come what may!

For one, I don’t and will never step back from what I desire. God has always been kind. He can’t not fulfill my dream!

“Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me… Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”

― Shel Silverstein

Uncategorized

Living my life…..

September 12, 2012 1 Comment

As if being in Karachi wasn’t enough, add to it whole lot of food from around the world, bestest of company of people to remember every single moment and gallons of rain-That’s a special magical recipe one could use any time any where to brighten up any day or night.

PIA Boeing at Toronto Pearson International Terminal

I landed in Karachi after 5years 15 days 19 hours amidst scorching sun and humidity levels reaching 36degrees. Everyone before and during my 14 hours long, non stop flight kept trying to convince me that Pakistan specially Karachi is a mess, there is terrorism, there is street crimes, dirt, pollution, no electricity, unimaginable mehngai and what not…and that I am going to run back in maximum a month (Some even called it 10 days)….

Well the moment I landed at Quaid e Azam International Airport, Karachi, my heart skipped a beat. No literally it did! I looked outside the window and it felt like a scene out of the Johnny Depp starrer BLOW where he lands in Mexico for some drug trafficking.(Not that I matched his intentions in anyway:) I was confused-Let me say I wanted to feel at home being back in Karachi, however at the same time I wasn`t sure if I would.

I got into the line at immigration looking at which I thought it would easily be another hour before I could finally get to the luggage belt. To my relief, I was offered an instant rescue by hiring a porter, who would push, pull, hurt, hit, drag, even slap any one to take me to the front of the row-just so he can get his money fast!!

Swiss Cheese & Mushroom burger at Hardees

Outside, the same sticky humid air hugged me, kissed me…..There is magic in this city…Or may be I only feel so because I have spent my life here….But I know a lot of people, in fact most people, who leave their birth place after ages and live happily ever after in one place or another…..For me, I could never pull myself out of the trance…..I’ve missed Karachi, every single day, that I lived away!

Shahrah e Faisal in rain

My family told me that today was one of the hottest day after long. Ramadan has been cool and great but just today it was hot-May be it was mother nature’s way of giving me a jolt back to the reality. The moment I reached home, my cell phone started ringing….Yes my local Pakistani number…Thanks to my ever caring friends like Shakila, Sana, Anju, Aquil and my huge family who remembered I was in town now. My FB was also full of messages of those who didn’t have my number. Itni muhabbat aur kahan milegy??

The next day wasn’t any different. I’d planned (yes I really did) to go for some beauty routine-facial, mani and pedicure plus to buy some grocery stuff from the new local chains like Metro or Naheed and also to buy some trendy clothes from Zamzama for Eid.

Steak with Chardonnay sauce at Forty 4

Not that I failed entirely. I managed to get a facial, reach the nearest Metro for some quick stroll across the aisles and finally picking up a little fight at the checkout counter and thats it. The heat wasn’t letting me move any single step more. So much for Zamzama or even Naheed’s!!

The whole day of Eid was spent confided in a room, with air conditioner and laptop. Thanks to KESC there was no load-shedding that day. The second day came. Barely eaten anything, I was still in the one Pakistani dress my sister got for me. That was the only one that would keep me cool. I waited for a friend to call as an escape-NO CALL!!

And then came the third day-Dressed in a 100% polyester chiffon dress, in full makeup, I landed at one of the Eid dawats at my uncles. By now, I was in full Pakistani swing.Garmi hay toa kia hua??

Today is my 26th day…Ahhhhh really?? My god….I am scared…Why is it passing so fast??? I have had a blast- From shopping at Bahadurabad for clothes to kachchay amrood, from Zahid’s Nihari to Forty 4, from Flamingo’s chaat to dhagay walay kebabs, from shopping in Hyperstar to Imtiaz, from endlessly and aimlessly driving just to stay out a little more, from Ahmer to Shakeela to Urooj to Prof. Moiz; from khala’s, phuphoo’s to tailors, from T20’s thrilling matches to the most beautiful rain in the world, I cant even count it all. The blessings are endless!! The joy is super!

Crowd cheering in the Cricket stadium

To all those who warned me and still are warning that “Jub tumhari gaari gunpoint per snatch hogy toa pata chlega” (When your car will be snatched at gunpoint, you’ll know) or “Jub traffic main jaogy toa samajh aaega” (When you’ll go out in traffic you’ll know) or “Jub baarish k paani main gaari band hogy toa maza aaega” (When you’ll be stuck in the rain, you’ll enjoy then)-PLEASE STOP!!!

Karachi Beach

I have been driving in this crazy city with the craziest of drivers for about 2 weeks now. I am still fresh. I had a little diarrhea-I’m still energetic. I have been out thrice; I want to make it umpteen; I had been stuck in rain twice; I want more!

Nothing, absolutely nothing in the world can make me not like this city.This city gave me friends, family, education, knowledge, food, money, status, strength, confidence, charm, memories-simply myself!!

Karachi I am in love with you…all over again….