Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

The "Squeakquel" to 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' has been released. Here's a short clip of the cute Chipettes singing 'Single Ladies'. Love it! :)

You're My Dude

When I met JD, I had little to no belief in this thing called love. Miraculously and as if by some unknown logic, we fell into the meant-to-be pairing. Its been two years since then and as each day passes by, my faith in 'us' grows deeper and stronger.I couldn't understand it before. Or maybe I was thinking too much about waiting for 'it' to happen. But then I learned. Its here, its all around me, its what binds him and me, it is what pours into our hearts as we walk this path together.

JD is out of the country on a business trip. Which means we have to stay apart for 25 days. Which means I miss him like crazy. Which also means that we weren't together on his birthday yesterday.

Happy Birthday, shon. Thank you for always being there for me, for showing me the way, for holding my hand through it all. I hope we can be the best for each other. I hope our little heavenly abode can nurture our dreams and our hopes. I love you.

Oh So Pretty

I saw these at the Islamabad Club the other day. Aren't they just beautiful?

I Think I Saved a Puppy Today

So I'm in my car standing at a traffic light when I notice a tiny black stray puppy crossing the road. Just as it reaches my lane, the light turns green, and if you know the crazy traffic in Pakistan, you'll know when I say... the light turned green. The puppy took a step forward, then backward, then forward, then crouched down in fear right in front of me. So obviously being the angel soul that I am being considerate towards all living beings, I wait until it can cross ahead of me onto the safe green roadside. The puppy, instead, crawled right under my car and took shelter.

I get out of the car amidst great honking (*Oh great! the female driver screwed her car*) and bow down to try to locate the puppy. Meanwhile two policemen who only happened to be motoring by, stopped to help. Them and a couple of other street boys try their best to pull out the puppy but it was so scared that it snapped and howled at any hand reaching towards him.

One of the policeman convinces me that the puppy is crouched in the middle so I can actually drive right over without hurting it. After much speculation, I climb back in and drive two inches ahead.

Policeman 1: Go! Go!

Policeman 2: No stop!

Policeman 1: I'm telling you go go!

Policeman 2: Yes okay go go!

Street boy: Stop, stop! Its crawling right alongside the right tire!

I halt with utmost fear on my face.

Policeman 1: Ok, don't move because now you'll really kill it!

After much trying and coaxing and jolting, the puppy refuses to come out. In all this while, the light turned red from green, then red again, then green again and every single car is slowing down to look on to the confusion (*Oh great! the female driver killed a dog*).

Policeman 1: Look here, you have got to just drive over it. I think its death has been written.

*Is he kidding me?? Did he just say that?*

Me: Definitely not on my watch. I'll stay right here until it comes out safe and alive.

So they, and the cars behind mine, figure there's no other way out and so taking the leap, some guy from the left roadside comes up, takes the wiper from one of the street boys, bows down, pulls the puppy out, picks it up and takes it to the other side of the road. Just like that. Took about ten seconds.

Traffic Policeman: Now ma'am, can you please move your car along?

p.s. If you were driving along the airport road this evening and saw a girl cause a traffic halt... that was me.

(photo courtesy: Google Images)

Happy Feet

Didn't you just love the movie "Happy Feet"?

I did, and now I cannot wait for its sequel. Yes, yes. Happy Feet 2 is in filming and is scheduled to release on November 18, 2011.

By the way, did you know that this film is dedicated to Steve Irwin? Steve Irwin also voiced the role of Trev, one of the elephant seals, in the film. What a remarkable personality. Steve Irwin's that is, not the elephant seal. May your memory live on forever mate.

Yet Another Sad Day On Our Calendar

On December 4th, as the muezzin called them for Friday prayers, fathers and sons walked towards the mosque at Parade Lane, Rawalpindi.

Friday prayers hold great importance in our culture. Even if one is not regular in prayer or visiting the mosque, Friday afternoons are seen dedicated to faith and praying. All Muslims throng towards the mosques in clean traditional shalwar kameez to offer their regards to Allah and pray for peace and prosperity. No rank or class defines them. All stand equal in rows, all bow down with humbleness and all raise their hands in prayer.

While 300 faithful prepared for Salat in this particular mosque, four men, four heartless immoral men, entered the mosque, threw hand grenades around and started firing. The last row which is usually occupied by children suffered the greater loss. The men did not stop at one fire. They repeatedly fired at each person. Then two of those men blew themselves up with suicide jackets.

36 people died, 17 of them children. 75 people were wounded.

While every single house in the locality is mourning the loss of their loved ones, there are families who have lost ALL male members of their family. Fathers and sons, brothers, siblings together have gone.

The complete city was at a standstill. Funeral after funeral, passed our eyes through the roads. My father lost one friend and visited to mourn the loss of another friend's son.

To see some online memorials from friends and families, please take some time out and click on the following links:

• 'In loving memory of Bilal Riaz'
• 'Hashim Masood - you won't be forgotten' 
• 'Saad Saadiq - we will miss you'
• 'Saad Saadiq'
  
• 'In loving memory of Waleed Mumtaz'
• 'In loving memory of Flg Off. Minhaj ul Hassan'
• 'In loving memory of Lt. Col. Fakhar ul Hassan'
• 'In loving memory of Huzaifa Durrani'

Eid Mubarak

Eid ul Azha just passed and I went to celebrate the occasion in the beautiful city of Abbotabad, JD's hometown. Now I have another bakra to miss :(

Here are some pictures from my trip. Look out for our special guest who came peeking through the garden :)