Oh few hours to Twenty Ten

It doesn’t snow where i live but wordpress has graciously sent some snow on my blog. Loving it!

Where are we headed?

Everyday after signing into Google reader and skimming through Geo News and Dawn News RSS my head is swirling in a tide of news titled Karachi Violence, Karachi target killing, Karachi bomb blast, unknown militants taking over slums of Karachi etc. yet we aren’t at war according to Govt officials.
The red colored flash news bar never disappears off the local news channels.
Despite the animosity Karachites are ineffective. Many of them might have come to terms with the possibility of not returning home after a long day at work due to either they being targeted by unknown militants or an air fire downing into their bodies – fate.
Who is to blame for the deaths of the harmless work force of this metropolitan city, their efforts if not taxes nurtured this urban center. It could have been as remote as Gwader was a decade ago but none of them stepped back to seek refuge at home. Hopelessness has never taken over the youth of this city, ignoring the cruciality of this city they work on organizing fund raisers for the people of this country.
No one knows where we’re headed as a nation, gun shot wounds may seem pretty heart throbbing in Prison Break however in reality they might just put an end to our biological clocks in a second.
Uncertainty at a height yet Karachites are living it up!

From the novel “Delhi is not far” by RUSKIN BOND.

Delhi is not far (book cover)

chapter 15

- Drunkness is really a vice, because it degrades a man & humiliates him.
Prostitution is degrading, but a prostitute can still keep her dignity; thieving is degrading according to the character of the thief; begging is degrading but it is not as undignified as drunkness. In all our vices we are aware of our degradation; but in drunkness we lose are pride, our heads and above all, our natural dignity. We become so obviously & helplessly ‘human’, that we lose our glorious animal identity.

crystal clear taste

While praying the last rakha of Isha prayers i happened to lick my lips, oh they tasted nothing less than the sea water – SALTY!! I quickly pulled in my tongue and resumed praying. But just like any normal person – indicating not too pious – i was quite distracted and found it impossible to divert myself back to the leftover prayer since my mind kept going back in search of what made the lips taste so bitter?

Instantly the sacred enencephlon that i possess encoded my thoughts, making a tiny list of what could possibly be the reason to that awful taste.

i – Living close to the Arabian sea (3 minutes drive away).
ii – Sweat  (since the air con was switched off due to power failure & the generator isn’t powerful enough to generate sufficient power for the air con to be running).
iii – Water tank? – vague thought.

Pretty clear about the 1st 2 possibilities but deep down there i wasn’t satisfied.
Why is that something that’s vague is more intriguing than stuff that’s clearly defined?

After ending the prayers i brainstormed a bit more on the last pointer and came down to a satisfying answer for the reason behind SALTY lips. Karachi lacks natural water supply and we don’t have sufficient funds to setup water treatment plants, not only are the higher stages faulty, our infrastructure is poor enough to deprive us of water being supplied directly into our homes. So almost after every 2-3 days we phone up the water tanker guy; who comes in about 1hr driving a huge truck onto its back is attached a massive rusted tank full of water which is likely to be dripping on most of its way. (will add in a picture of it soon)

What made the tank rust is not only the excess humidity of the city as we’ve been blessed by the Arabian Sea which drains into the Indian Ocean, but also due to the salty water carried around within the tank. Therefore its this salty water which was been motored up into the pipelines of my washroom and runs out of the faucet making my lips salty every time i rinse my mouth or wash my face.

20 confessions at 20

1. I am a textrovert – I’d rather write than say stuff.
2. For about the past four years I’ve been living a nomadic life.
3. I’ve survived for about 2 years in Karachi and when asked about how it feels, I quote Kamila Shamsi “I have become slimmer over the years, my skin darker & my heart a litter harder.”
4. Med School is wholly responsible for my deteriorating eye sight & the one and only pair of specs i own, resemble the ultimate grannies specs – tiny, rimless and oval!
5. Am grateful to Allah and my parents for encouraging me to enroll into Medical school but i continue to love business, if God wills I’ll do MBA and pursue a career in health management.
6. I love long hair.
7. My jeans and shoes are usually expensive however my tops are dead cheap!!!
8. All my desi attire is designed by my sister
9. I give a terrible 1st impression
10. The last time i got my head shaved was in grade 5!! quite big for a girl.
11. I love CHOCOLATES, hence possess a curious case of SWEET TOOTH
12. My life revolves around my immediate family.
13. Am the baby of the house and yes i knw eh that!!!
14. My sister & I sound the same over the phone; I take that as a complement.
15. I detest airports.
16. The only kids I’ve ever loved are my niece and nephew, otherwise a big NO NO to kids.
17. I love winters, especially cold feet and hands!
18. I’ve never cursed in public – please teach me how to!!
19. By far, I have no criminal record!!
20. 10 years from now I want to move out of Karachi and live on an exquisitely modernistic farm in interior Sindh, away from the racket of the city

Yellow/Orange

An instant thought after hearing a Dhol Wala from my dorm room in Zamzama.

“His crisp yellow turban stands high up in the air, while he thrums all night long on the high streets of karachi; not just to entertain the rich but to earn himself a peice of bread to get his digestive track rolling.”

When i got to the window i realized this dhol wala was a bit different from what i had thought off. He was a pauper just like most dhol walas here in Karachi yet not dressed in yellow.

Is the yellow/orange outfit limited to the mendicant drummers outside shrines, who are oftenly hired for weddings?

Chocolate Chip CheeseCake!!

The best chocolate chip cheesecake I’ve had so far is of course the one served at the cheesecake factory.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake, Cheesecake Factory

Since Karachi doesn’t have a Cheesecake Factory and i had loads of free time i searched for chocolate chip cheesecake recipes. I haven’t tried any recipe as yet but i plan to do so soon.

Before i try em I’ll share em here.

i. Chocolate Chip Cheese Cake

Ingredients:

* CRUST
* 1 1/2 cups crushed chocolate sandwich cookies (about 15)
* 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
* 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels, divided
* FILLING
* 2 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 2 large eggs
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
* 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 300° F.

COMBINE cookie crumbs with butter in medium bowl until moistened; press onto bottom of ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup morsels.

BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs and flour. Gradually beat in evaporated milk and sour cream. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with remaining morsels.

BAKE for 25 minutes. Cover loosely with foil.

BAKE for an additional 30 to 40 minutes or until edge is set but center still moves slightly. Place in refrigerator immediately; refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Remove side of springform pan.

NOTE: Cheesecake may be baked in 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Prepare as above. Bake in preheated 300° F. oven for 20 minutes. Cover loosely with foil. Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.

ii. Chocolate Chip Cheese Cake

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS
* 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
* 1/3 cup white sugar
* 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/3 cup butter, melted
* 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
* 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
* 3 eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
* 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter and cocoa. Press onto bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Set crust aside.
2. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk; beat well. Add vanilla and eggs, and beat on medium speed until smooth. Toss 1/3 of the miniature chocolate chips with the 1 teaspoon flour to coat (this keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the cake). Mix into cheese mixture. Pour into prepared crust. Sprinkle top with remaining chocolate chips.
3. Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 1 hour. Turn off oven (do not open oven door) and leave the cake in the oven to cool in the oven for another hour. Remove from oven and cool completely. Refrigerate before removing sides of pan. Keep cake refrigerated until time to serve.

iii. Chocolate Chip CheeseCake

Ingredients
*2 (3-oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
*1 (14-oz.) can Eagle® Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
*1 egg
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*1 cup mini-chocolate chips
*1 teaspoon flour
*1 (6-oz.) Ready Crust Chocolate Pie Crust
*Chocolate Glaze (recipe follows)
*Chocolate Curls (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. With mixer, beat cheese until fluffy, gradually beat in Eagle Brand until smooth. Add egg, vanilla; mix well.
Toss chips with flour; stir into cheese mixture. Pour into crust.
Bake 35 minutes or until center springs back when lightly touched. Cool and top with glaze and curls. Serve chilled. Refrigerate leftovers.

Chocolate Glaze: Melt 1/2 cup mini-chocolate chips with 1/4 cup whipping cream; cook and stir until thickened and smooth. Immediately spread over pie.

Tip: To prevent chocolate chips from floating down to bottom of pie add chips after baking cheesecake for a short period. Remove cheesecake from oven after 5 – 10 minutes, sprinkle chocolate chips over the pie and then continue to bake for remaining baking time. Be careful when handling cheesecake, pie pan will be very hot.

Why it’s called Power Shortage

My feelings about an article on Power Crises in Karachi:

Here in Pakistan people have a tendency to emphasize on festivities that didn’t exist during the Prophet hood rather than practicing the actual duties of Islam as mentioned in the Quran and exemplified by the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H).

Sadly where i live in Karachi i don’t get to hear the Adhan of the 5 daily prayers which is the foremost thing in ISLAM but as the article mentions when it comes to such supernumerary events either as a social statement or a religious impression the celebration is grandeur than can be perceived despite the economic conditions of the city.

Friend or Foe?

Friend or Foe?

After months of precarious political ties between Pakistan & India, a Pakistani magazine publishes a  transfixing photograph showing a face painted with flags of both the countries. Such a painted face was a common site when teams from the 2 countries faced each other in the cricket stadium but now it is used to reflect the desirable political scene.

Karachi

One and half year after moving to Karachi, i received a forwarded mail – from a Karachite friend living in Riyadh – full of scenic pictures of Karachi.
Lets share em here..

The City Of LightsBin Qasim Park

Sea View, Clifton

KPT Flyover at night.