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ok Day 2, last night again went for a walk to a near by bazaar. It is loaded with electronics shops, textile shops and used furniture ones(dont remember the name of the place). Was there for more than 2 hours, just walked walked and walked. Had dinner in one of the Lebanese restaurants. Food was good but expensive and it is not easy to understand meaning of different food names :P and usually waiters end up explaining to me how it is made :P. Need to look for some desi food outlets and soon. Still waiting to get the furniture allowance so that I can buy the "important stuff", errr its taking time and I need those stuff soon. Was planning to goto Gitex today which some desis also call as "shitex" :P but its my first time here so will go. My Colleague was supposed to go with me(infact he was supposed to take me along) but today he had to attend a seminar in Dubai and just now he calls me and says that he is going there errrrrrrrrrrrr, me pissed. anyways I might go out at night and watch some movie, me very quickly running short of cash. Need my cheque soon!!!!

Updates from Al-Ain

Alrite guys finally an update after nine days of landing. I guess I should first describe Al-Ain a bit. Al-Ain is very much like Islamabad, ok weather wise no way. But it is green, it is quiet and it has far lesser crowd than Dubai. But not many places to hang around. Just couple of malls but the best thing they do have a cinema :D and am already done with two movies. First week was pretty boring, I was staying in a rest house which didn’t have more than 100 rooms. University’s requirement is that every new employee has to go through a medical test and before that you cannot start your work nor they will shift you to your apartment and I mean a “thorough medical test”, yups guessed right. Got that done on Saturday and reports came back on Tuesday so guys I am a medically fit man :P.

Suddenly there I found myself with loads of time and nothing to do and am telling you its not a good feeling. All I did was read or roam around in malls and explore the area. My mp3 player came in real handy, especially during long walks at night, when I would head back after dinner. Will not suggest anyone using a cab for shorter distances and I am thinking of getting a cycle till I get my license. Also communication is expensive here, one single sms to any paki cell number costs me 9 Rs. and making calls isn’t cheap either, have already spent quite a sum on making phone calls to home(must cut). Got keys of an apartment actually its not an apartment, small 3 bedroom villa with TV lounge and dining separate. So its pretty big for a single man. Went to dubai on Thursday (I guess I will be making frequent visits at the weekends) so could not shift there immediately. Came back Friday night and yesterday I have finally shifted to my own place. It is seriously no easy task setting up your own place, even if I got it with a bed, sofa, cupboard and a dinning table. Still with this much furniture, there are so many small things to purchase. I was just roaming around in carre four and was picking up anything which looked suitable. If you don’t have a clear mind what you are supposed to buy you tend to waste quite a lot of time and money. Anyhow so shifted there last evening and went out straight away to check out the neighborhood and more importantly to get couple of curtains(cant sleep with open windows). Walked a lot, seems like a good area with a shopping area near by and a good small mall and couple of restaurants too. Now I need to rush back again and wash dishes :S, wont start cooking until I get a fridge and a better stove. Lets c. anyways people here is an update on what is happening I am sure it is a crappy write once again and one in which I have missed many details, but anyways will be posting quite frequently now.

PS: don’t have phone line at home, cant have it until I get my ID and that is not a week before. So no TV no fone at home :(, just me , my books and my PSP.

Bye all.

Farewell

So its time, time to say goodbye to my friends, my city and my family. I must say these five years(starting after my graduation in May 2000) right from the day 1 have taught me numerous lessons that I have lost the count. Experienced so much that it has changed my complete view of life. Taught me how to fight and get my work done. Made me meet so many wonderful people that I feel blessed, Made me lose so many of them maybe because I was ungrateful. Maybe I was trying to hold them too tight and they escaped like the sand does through palm of our hands. Above all came a lot closer to my mother, the gap which was created by my four years education in hostel had gotten completely wiped out. Although we had our differences in opinions in some “aspects” but that brought us much closer and we started understanding each other. I can clearly feel the disappointment in her, she still believes that I could have find a better opportunity here and could have lived with her. Maybe I could have, I tried but failed and found this opportunity to bring necessary changes in my career life. Lets hope and pray that I don’t fail myself. Lastly I am gonna miss this city, every single thing about this city I am gonna miss :(. Its people, its characteristic life, its babes ;), its stupid traffic, screwed up roads, its eat outs, its Sea sub kuch will be missed. I guess I should end here, will try to update as soon as possible. Till then Goodbye all, Goodluck to you and to your families.

Allah hafiz

PS: Thanks to all who wished me in previous post.

Soon Departing

An update after ages it seems and sure it is, last one was on 1st of September and its already 12th today. Anyways so what is keeping me busy these days? Frankly I believe its my laziness :D, it seems after my last day at work, sleep has overtaken me as if it was waiting for its opportunity. On Monday flew to Islamabad to get my degree attested from HEC(and here is a note for everyone who has studied outside sindh but do live in sindh that whenever you need to get your degrees attested from some Eduction Authorithy trip to HEC Islamabad is the only solution), came back that night. Degree was attested with the help of a visit to the Dean of one of the NUST’s Department(that was not required if the darn HEC people had updated their site and had removed PEC registeration as of one of the requirement). Didn’t sleep that night and went to work for my last day. So on Tuesday 6th of September came an end to one of the memorable period of my life, where I achieved a lot, gained lots of confidence and started to believe in myself. It was one emotional day and I was last to leave my room.
Since then in mornings I have been going out visiting different ministries getting my degrees attested, passport stamped and getting done all those formalities(costing me a fortune, trust me it doesn’t come cheap). In evenings when I am supposed to meet up with my friends or do some shopping I have been sleeping instead, only to wake up at night and watch US Open, yup Sidz I did and I did.

But woah some US Open this was, specially Day 10 when we had Guillermo Coria vs. Robby Ginepri Match,Andre Agassi vs. James Black and in between Elena Dementieva vs. Lindsay Davenport. All three were awesome and never sure of result matches. All three were perfect examples of never say die approach. The Guillermo Coria vs. Robby Ginepri Match was one where after each game, match was swinging to one player then another and it was a perfect setup for the later matches of that night. Then on Day 12 came the heart breaker when Sharapova lost to Kim Clijsters, although Sharapova played one of her worst games but one thing she showed that she has brains. When her primary style of play wasn’t working she switched to secondary plan and really executed it well. I believe the break she took after second set allowed Kim Clijsters to come back into the match and take the third set. And finally today Andre Aggasi after winning 3 consecutive 5 setters had to face the mighty Roger Federer and it all seemed Aggasi will atleast take it to 5 sets but Fedrer wanted to party early and in the end won 6-3,2-6,7-6,6-1. Although my mom was in complete favor of Aggasi(So was I) to win but it was not to be. But the 35 year old fella had a great great run in this tourney and made it clear that even at the age of 35 one can play some of the best tennis, specially some of his returns were just breathtaking.

Oh btw on Wednesday(night) or Thursday(morning) I will be flying to Dubai inshAllah and from there will be taken to Al-Ain. I seriously wanted to do so many things before departing but I guess I will have to leave them where they are and hope that some day I will have my chance. Don’t think my mom is quite happy with all this she finds it as a forced decision or one which could have been avoided(if I had been satisfied with my career path which I was heading) rather than one which was over due. She thinks its in our family to go abroad just for the heck of it :D, maybe she is right time will tell.
Lets hope things turn out bright. Btw I have been tagged by this Pilot guy and will surely come back to it but who would I tag (I wonder).

Birthday Day and Preparations

A Big Thank to all of you :D, you guys rock. 27th was fun infact after some years I really enjoyed this day :). Cake was liked so much by everyone that I had to take another one today :D. anyways so on evening of 27th we(me and office colleagues, actually it was my farewell too) went for bowling at millennium mall. Guess what I actually for once played really well(impression maar raha tha ;) on some “guests”). Was neck to neck with my project manager before from out of nowhere he hit two strikes and rest was history. We ended up on 137 and 106 respectively. But that was still second highest score among 22 of us :P. In between the games there was cake-cutting ceremony yea a 27 year old budha cut the cake too :P. After the game went for dinner at a local karhai wala with charpais to sit on. Food as usual was amazing. So it ended up all well and I must say thanks to all my colleagues for their participation and affection.

Finally on Monday and Tuesday I was able to do some shopping and I guess as far as cloths are concerned I am done with them, now what is left is some household stuff and I think food packs :D. That reminds me I must try one of those shaan cooking masalas, lets see I hope time milay.

I am also planning to change my cell phone before I depart, prices of cell phones don’t differ much here and there or maybe I should get one from there not sure who will purchase mine there. Here atleast I can get one in exchange with mine. But in any case I am planning to get Nokia 6630 just because it looks like a perfect upgrade to my remote control looking 3650 :P. anyhow guys I should end now, feeling kinda depressed these days as days are getting closer and I am realizing the fact that I will miss many good things in life. Plus a stupid event today late in evening ruined my mood more (as if I was wanting for more). Hoping that I wake up on a better side of bed tomorrow infact today its passed 3 AM already :D, adios.