Marriage Woes...

Hello people,

Ever since I came to Lahore, I have been inundated with comments about marriage! When you will you marry? What are you waiting for? You will get too old? Look, I know this girl- she is really nice for you! It's one thing to have close family members talk to you like this, but it's another thing when distant relatives you don't even meet for ages start recommending potential wives to you in your face!

I have realized that this is a Pakistani thing. Marriage is a big deal, and with that we have different thoughts. Today's generation is vastly different from their parent's generation. Arranged marriage versus love marriage. One time meeting between couples to countless meetings. 2 months engagement to 6 months engagements.

The one annoying thing having to deal with this whole issue is the age factor. I am 30 now. In the mindset of the people here, 30 is just stretching it. If I don't get married when I am 30 then I will be too old to marry. It's like as if its a curse to marry at 31 or something. The same thing goes for girls who are crossing 21/22. Once they cross that, they are categorized into a different strata, and thus get men of a certain age. I don't know who came up with this number thing, but it's pointless. Coming from abroad, I myself don't agree with this age thing. It's not a big deal if I don't marry when I am 30. What's more important: that I marry just because I have hit 30, or I marry when I find the right girl for myself?

It's a funny situation dealing with people regarding marriage. I have learnt to take it in my stride. Let people say what they want to. They don't know me well enough to start dictating when and where and with who should I get married. :-)

Mansur

Hello friends,

I saw a bunch of movies since I came to Pakistan. Too many to give them individual posts, but will share briefly about them.

The Holiday

Pure escapism for those seeking that perfect romantic comedy. Diaz and Winslet are two lonely women living in the States and UK. They exchange their homes and lives for the xmas breaks, only to find themselves in the arms of men they start falling in love with. Cultural issues crop and we follow the lives of these two women. Will or wont they stay with the new man or move back to their home country? I loved Winslet's performance in this movie.

Little Children:

An adult movie, but handled very maturely and delicately. Two different storyline integrate at the local pool where people come with their little children for a swim. Two couple meet there and embark on an adulterous affair, with unexpected consequences, while a sex offender just out of jail is trying to get back into society, struggling with his feelings of resistance being surrounded with little children everywhere. Watch it for it's stark honest views of such relationships and how prejudicial and biased society can be towards others.

Hostel 2

Strictly for fans for Hostel 1. Hostel 2 is in the similar vein as the first part except the protagonists are all female. It's bloodier, gorier and nastier. So-so movie.

Captivity

Another movie capturing on the success of Saw. Captivity sees a fashion model being held captive by an obsessive fan. We have to endure her endless attempts at escape. boring!

Evan Almighty

Pan's Labyrinth

The Simpsons Movie

28 Weeks Later

Vacancy

1408

An Inconvenient Truth

6 Kids on a Cycle!

Hello people,


I saw this and absolutely had to take a picture. Some people car pool, these kids decide to bike pool. If you count, you can see 6 kids on one bike. I had such a riotious day after taking this picture.

Happy Independence Day to all Pakistanis!

Mansur

14th August 2007

Hello friends,

I know it's been so long since I last posted anything on my blog. So much has been happening I don't even know where to start.

For one, I have finally moved out of Dubai back to my hometown Lahore in Pakistan. It feels great to be here, and I don't miss Dubai a whole lot (except my friends!) Secondly, I started my new job, which is going good so far-- the only downside is the 1 hour commuting one way! Thirdly, I am busy with the finishing stages of the house my family is having built. It's a very exciting project for all of us, as we all have the privilege of getting to do the bedroom and bathroom our own way!

Tomorrow is a public holiday. 14th August 2007 will make Pakistan 60 years old. I am not doing anything because I don't see a reason to celebrate. The state of Pakistan is in a pathetic state with all the politics and dirty games being played by the politicians. The common man is still suffering out there while the rich are living a lifestyle of wealth and luxury. It's sad to see such a massive contrast between the poor and the rich.

Happy Independence day to Pakistanis all over. As for me, I am having a bunch of relatives/ friends come over to my apartment to hang out/ watch movie/ have dinner. I am thinking maybe I should cook something. :-)

Cheers you all, and I hope to start blogging more regularly now.


Mansour

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Hello friends,

It is with much disappointment that I am writing this post. My friend I went to see the midnight screening of Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix, which is based on book # 5. Book # 7, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is about to be released soon here in the UAE, and there is just so much mega-excitement all over town, to the point where one superstore is bringing a Daniel Radcliffe lookalike to town to take pictures with the kids (lame I think!)

The Order of Phoenix was a very drab affair. The formula for the movie seemed pretty much like the first part, where we see Harry suffer with his relatives and being teased by his cousin. An owl sends a message to Harry, whereby he is told he is expelled from Hogwarts because he used his magic powers outside of school. Yawn! There is a court scene where they decide whether to keep Harry in school or expel him. Yawn! A new professor comes to Hogwarts and restricts everything for the kids. Yawn! Harry starts up his own army to fight Lord Voldemort and in the process starts to develop romantic feelings for an Asian girl (who is conveniently forgotten at the end of the movie!) Yawn! Harry starts to feel the evil inside of him (pretty much like Spiderman who had this evil nature in him in part 3) Yawn! A final climatic battle takes place, and everything is resolved and the kids go back home in their train! YAWN!

I didn't understand what the hype was all about. Sure, it's an interesting movie, but the predictability factor set in and everything I was seeing in this movie, I had seen before. There was nothing new to it, apart from a couple of new creatures and characters, which wasn't good because Harry's friend Ron was relegated into the background! However it was refreshing to see the kids grown up and at times it felt like this was not a kiddie movie anymore. Harry Potter 5 is a serious, dark movie with a lot of underlying adult themes and with a lot more talking and less action. No doubt, the visual effects were amazing, but that didn't help me retain my interest in the movie like the first 3 parts.

If this is the way part 6 and 7 will be like, then I say there should be no more books after part 7. I hope they do something drastic and bring new stuff to the next sequel.

As for now, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix gets a 2 out 5 for me.

Mansur

A Salute to Dubai

Hello friends,

Now that I am preparing to leave Dubai for good, I thought I would do a quick recap of all the good moments I have had in Dubai. More than the city itself, I think what made my stay memorable here were my friends and the fun things we got to do together. I don't even know where to start: concerts, desert safari, rain dance, countless dinners and movies, ski Dubai, beaches, snorkel ling, Hatta trips, museums, art exhibitions, dining in fancy five start restaurants, seeing Burj Al Arab from the inside, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain trips, malls, shopping, Global Village, Dubai Shopping Festival, Wild Wadi and the list goes on. Sadly enough, there have also been some tragic moments here in Dubai, of which I will not get into because I want to leave with good memories. :-)

So a salute to Dubai for giving me an amazing 8 years, and I hope I get to live here again sometimes soon (right after all the traffic mess is sorted out and construction has been completed!)

Mansur

Surprise Farewell!

Hello friends,

On Thursday night, I made plans to hang out with Sam. I gave him the option of meeting wherever and wherever and he came back to me asking to meet up with him at the Jumeirah Beach Park. I was a little late getting there, and when I did, I was not allowed in. It was after a little bit of haggling with the local lady inside the booth that she let me in. I met up with Sam, and we sat down on the grass. I thought maybe this would be the last time I would get to hang out with him.

I don't know how to explain to you what happened next. The quietness that Sam and I were in was suddenly pierced with loud shouts, and from behind me Adam, Karun and Gaelle jumped on me, screaming as loud as they could. It was just a YELL! A SCREAM I can not tell you how shocked I was. I had a million swear words running in my head, and I had to cover my mouth to prevent myself from saying out all the expletives! (I always cover my mouth everytime I want to say a swear word!) It was so surreal, I literally had to take deep breaths as I savored the moment. Now there 7 more people in the group!





After the initial shock and surprise, we went to the local cafeteria and had dinner and juices. There is just something about this group of people that lifts my spirits. Just being their presences gives me so much comfort and joy, I cannot even begin to explain why. We hung out at Nisin's place where we stayed till 1am. It certainly was a surprise to see everyone giving me such an awesome farewell. These are friends who I know I will cherish, and for them to even think of doing something like this for meant the world to me. I love the fact that I have international friends. Let me count the nationalities in this group: Pakistani (1), Indian (2), Egyptian/ Scot (2), Germany (2), Cameroon (1), Argentinian (1).


Mansur

Road Trips

Hello friends,

I know I have been out of the loop for a while. Things have just got so hectic here with my packing up and leaving Dubai, I don't even know where to begin sharing about my experiences. I finally managed to furnish my apartments at International City, and am waiting now for suitable tenants. Once that's done, then I will get a steady source of income for myself.

Last Friday, a bunch of us went to Abu Dhabi for a road trip, and to check out the Emirates Palace Hotel there. It was my first time to Abu Dhabi, and we all had a great time, checking out the city, hanging out and spending a lot of time at the Emirates Palace Hotel, which indeed is very palatial and much much better than the Burj Al Arab. We checked out the Marina Mall, where we had ice cream, and then later proceeded to the Corniche. Abu Dhabi is about 1.5 hours away from Dubai, and it's a long drive, but with great company in my car, the long drive became all the more worthwhile!


Two days ago, we went to Al Ain to meet up with my friend Sam there. Al Ain was my first time as well, and we had a blast in the car, with loud music, and a video being made. Al Ain was certainly a wonderful road trip, with a lot of greenery and a very idyllic and laid back atmosphere. It almost didn't seem like I was in UAE anymore. At the food court, Sam recommended to us the Egyptian Kofta grill sandwich was surprisingly quite good.

We also celebrated a friend's birthday at TGI Fridays, which also became an opportunity for my small circle of friends to spend our last moments together and share our thoughts. I had them sign a picture frame, in which I would put our pictures.

I am leaving Dubai for good on Saturday morning, and moving back to Lahore, Pakistan. I have very mixed feelings as I prepre myself mentally to go back home and leave my friends behind here.

Mansur

17 Years Later

Hello friends,

I didn't know what my friend would look like. It would be 17years since I last saw him in Jeddah. It was quite a surprise when I received the phone call right out of the blue!

"Mansur, it's me Omair!"

I didn't have the words to react and all I could do was blurt out: OMAIR!

My mind was transported back to the early 90s when he was still there in Jeddah. Everything came back in seconds: the house, he and his family, the swimming pool we all swam in, the musical evenings we attended at his house and much much more. It was with much excitement and anticipation that I was waiting with to see him after 17 years.

Naturally, he was shocked to see me grown so tall, for he remembered me as a kid, when I was a mere 13years old, and shorter than him. I remembered him as being our big brother in school. He was also in a popular school play, and he had this role of a rock star, and so I kind of looked up to him as a big brother. Back to 2007, we had a lot of catching up to do. Since my parents were here too, he and I could not really catch up on a lot since. I told him directly: I need to lock you and I up in a solitary room and catch up on the last 17 years.

Last night, we went out for dinner, with another Jeddah friend. It was a lot of fun catching up and reminiscing old Jeddah memories, ranging from camel meat in Balad, to Conti school days, to Saudi Channel 2 to Jamel the Camel! I wish I could get into the details of all that we talked, but a lot of it was personal stuff.

Old Jeddah Buddies: Me, Mariam, Omair

17 years is a long time to meet up with an old Jeddah friend. Surely, it was the sweetest thing!

Mansur

The Last Supper

Hello friends,

Because I am leaving Dubai to go back to Pakistan soon, I treated out three of my friends to Noodle House at Madinat Jumeirah. Noodle House is one of my favorite places to have dinner. It's a blend between a casual- fine dining experience. They are famous for their noodles-- in my opinion, their roasted duck is the best dish there-- and their food is consistently delicious.

When we got there, we had to wait for about 40 minutes to get a table for four. That's how popular it is. We all took this opportunity to share with each other with what's been happening in our lives. I always enjoy spending time with these friends because with them, I can be who I really am. I can shed my inhibitions and just be who I am.

40 minutes later, we get our table and we were really hungry by this time. We ordered our drinks- my passion sensation was truly awesome, and the others ordered four season Asian, a concoction of various fruits. To help my friends know what to order, I had the waitress show us a sample of the different kind of noodles available: shanghai, Singaporean, egg and one more I can't recall now. They were certainly amazed to see that there could be so many different variety of noodles. Gaelle and I went for the Roasted Duck, and as a side order took steamed rice and Thai Chicken with Cashew Nuts. Sam ordered Shanghai Beef Noodles, and Nisin ordered Singapore Noodles with Chicken. While waiting for our food, we took a lot of pictures with each other.

When the food finally arrived, we just dove in and truly satisfied ourselves. It was as always delicious and truly an amazing meal. So full were we, we didn't have any space left for desserts. It certainly was a sad moment for me to know that I will be leaving this awesome group of friends behind as I move to a new phase of my life, but I know these friends will always be in my heart. Before we left, I told each of them that I have a special gift to give to them, and that it's an extremely personal gift, who I give to people who I can trust wholeheartedly. I took out their gift bags, which had a pack of Hershey's chocolates, and a copy of the book I had written. It was a delight to see their expression as they were in awe of holding the book. They were so over-whelmed; emotions over came them and they didn't know what to say. Nisin wanted to start reading my book already at the table. Gaelle had to tell the guys to close the book and come back to earth.

( Nisin, Me, Sam, Gaelle)

Moments like this draw us closer, and takes the level of our friendship to a whole new level. I love these friends, and they mean the world to me. Gaelle, Nisin and Sam, you guys are so the best, and I am honored and privileged to have you as my friends.

Mansur