Independence

Happy Independence Day to both Pakistan and India – a bit late I know but what the heck!

I bet my little brother Billy had a wicked time – they always make a big thing about it in Pakistan and I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed it whenever I went abroad during my summer hols.

Just thinking about how some countries are celebrating their independence after fighting so hard for it all those years ago and then there are countries that are struggling to find their feet after going through such a major upheaval within their country … referring to places such as Iraq if you haven’t already guessed.

Anyway looking forward to Ashar’s wedding on the 31st of august the second family wedding this summer. Honestly I’ve waited ages for at least one of my cousins to get married and now all of a sudden two happen at once. We planned Sana’s for ages but I think Ashar’s was a big surprise; not that he wasn’t ever going to get married, but more along the lines of that he never dropped any hints that he was planning it!

Right off to go do some work now… not quite sure what though, lol!

Woohoo!

I’m in! I’m in! I’m in! WOOHOO!!! Will update later! Right now too hyper! :P

Summer Hols/ DIY

Dad and Bilal left for Pakistan for these summer hols on the 2nd August and it feels a bit weird without the pair of them around the house, but in a way it’s nice to spend time with just mum and Aisha. No stressing or running around after Bilal etc, it’s nice just to enjoy each others company and have some time to ourselves.

Took on the huge task of swapping rooms with dad as my room is the quietest (apparently). Also although both rooms are a similar size according to my dad, I have a lot of crap (I don’t think so!) and since his room is larger (only slightly), I’d be better off in that one. So whilst dad is off on his hols, I’m swapping our things around. I’m having to go past Aisha’s bedroom lugging furniture etc and every time I’ve passed her doorway I always manage to catch this funny look in her eyes. It’s the one that makes me doubt myself and think that I may actually be as weird as Aishi thinks I am. She has this way of making you feel like a complete nutter and that she’s the only sane person in the room… which was probably true at that moment in time.

It’s funny how much stuff we collect over the years without realising and everything seems to be all really really important and you can’t throw it out… ever! OK so I admit it, it turns out I do actually have a lot of stuff but at the same time my dearest daddy also has an equal amount of stuff but the difference being his is really important or so he reckons. I found invoices of things he bought from the year I was born. Why does he need that anymore?! Actually thinking about it a lot of the men in my family are hoarders… must be a genetic thing, lol.

I couldn’t handle shifting anymore stuff around so I decided to take a break. Currently I’m covered in dust (due to moving dad’s stuff that hasn’t been shifted in years!) and sat with Aisha who’s making weird faces at me which either a) she thinks she’s being funny or b) she wants me to leave her room as I’m making it look untidy - the latter being much more likely although our Aisha does think she is a funny funny girl! Had a talk with mum and discovered that she wants us to decorate the hallway (Translation: she wants ME to decorate the hallway) before dad gets back as it will be a nice surprise fro him. Did my parents not learn after how long it took us to wallpaper the lounge last summer?! Mum and I can’t even agree on a colour for the walls at the moment (I want light blue but then again I don’t really care and mum wants light pink… eww, never gonna happen!) Other stuff aside from the decorating to look forward to (urgh) is Ashar bhai’s wedding at the end of August. Yay!

Right I’d better get back to lugging stuff around. I’ve managed to dismantle my bed and now need to put it back together otherwise I won’t have anywhere to sleep tonight!

How time flies...

I still can’t grasp how quickly times goes by! Just a few months ago, I had so many things that needed to be taken care of before the summer finished and the year came to an end. Waiting to hand in my dissertation, end of my final year at uni, the graduation ball, my graduation day, family weddings, hols abroad and so on.

One of the things this summer was my cousin Sana’s wedding, which felt like it went on forever, lol. But then again she was the first one to get married out of my generation plus it was a whole lot of fun and it certainly kept the family busy.

12th Nov 2005 – Nikkah (Islamic wedding ceremony)
24th June 2006 – Registration (Requirements of British law)
27th July 2006 – Mendhi (The equivalent of the hen night)
29th July 2006 – Baraat (The wedding reception from the Bride’s side)
30th July 2006 – Walima (The wedding reception from the Groom’s side)

I will eventually get round to putting up the pictures I took at the wedding up on my flickr website at some stage and even if I don’t plenty of my other family members have done so already!