Gotta friend?

Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life. ~*Bob Marley*~

Demise

So her father died on December 16. He left the world in unconsciousness. He was in deep pain. Cancer cells reached his brain through blood and made his condition more severe. What an unbelievable situation where you wish anything for your parent that can ease their pain, be it death. She could not come. She saw her father though Skype. That was unbearable but it had passed. Time has to pass. For her, regrets of not being here during his last days would remain alive but life will still go on. May Allah forgive him, make his next life peaceful and grant him a special place in Jannah and give strength to my friend and her family to bear this great loss. Ameen!

Feeling terrible

I do't know what type of days these are. When one things goes wrong, every thing follows it. When you are going through the bad times, all bad news are searching for you, whether these are about you or about the people you are associated with. My very close friend's father is in hospital and is unconscious from last three days. She is out of the county for her PhD. This is making me really very upset. I can understand what she would be feeling right now and that makes me feeling so terrible and sad. I dont know how to respond to her emails and what to say in return, how to console her. She cant come right now and that's not only killing her, but me as well. Uncle is a very lively person. I always saw him welcoming me and  laughing on our stupid jokes. He has been suffering from liver cancer which is at its last stage. Seeing a cheerful person on machines is unbearable. May Allah give him healthy life. It's of course not a big deal for Him. And may Allah give strength to my dear friend and create an opportunity that she can return for a short time and spend few moments with her family in this time of distress.

I hear parents saying that parents cannot see their children in a suffering. To this, I would say that it's killing for children as well to see their ever loving parents suffering in a terrible situation like this.  I remember how my mother's illness used to kill me every day. Millions of thanks to Allah Almighty that He has blessed her with health. But how I can forget those moments. That's why whenever I hear about anyone's parents in the same situation, it makes me all teary. Prayers!

Beauty Tip # 10987

As I have done with learning makeup, now I have started searching and collecting beauty tips which should focus on preserving and enhancing your natural beauty. I thought I should share these tips. This blog is actually my diary so posting these tips here will be handy for me to use in future.

Get Rid Of Black Heads In 5 Minutes:

• -Half lemon and 3-4 drops of honey. Rub the lemon on your face, emphasize the black head prone areas like nose, chin etc.
• -Leave the lemon and honey mixture on your face for 5 minutes, then wash it with cold water. 
• -You will see the results immediately. Additionally, lemon juice will also fade other marks/spots on the face and honey will moisturize.
• -Really can feel/see the difference.

Grow your eyelashes:

• -Wash an old mascara or nail polish container, 
• -Fill with 1/4 of the container with castor oil, 
• - 1/2 vitamin E oil, 1/4 aloe vera gel. 
• -Mix together as well as you can with your mascara wand, and apply a light layer to lashes every night before bed. 
• -Castor oil thickens your lashes while aloe vera gel lengthens. 
• -Vitamin E accelerates length. After one month, you will notice stronger, longer, more beautiful eyelashes.

Makeup tips for me

Remember I was so enthusiastic to learning makeup but I did not write anything about it. You know why? because of this!

So I met this girl who was daughter of my father's friend. She was very nice and friendly. Their family lives in Dearborn, Michigan and I spent my winter break with them. So this cheerful girl used to work part time at a saloon there. Since then, I have been asking her questions about my makeup off and on. Once she did my makeup and advised me following that actually made me lazy to learn doing makeup:

>Your facial features are very prominent. Never ever apply heavy makeup on your face. It would make you look older ( :-o ) 

>Whatever you apply on your whole face, always always go for lightest lipstick shade. And she recommended me Victoria's Secret 's lip gloss of No. 10. 

>Do not ever try to apply eye liner (no please I just bought the expensive L'Oreal eyeliner). You have little hooded eyes and would become more hooded as you grow older, eyeliner would make you look over loaded. Only a good makeup artist can apply eyeliner on your eyes. You should avoid it (Now I realized why I looked sleepy and overloaded in my old photos on weddings). 

>As you have hooded eyes, you should always apply highlighter under your eyebrows.

>Apply a darker shade from the middle to the outer end of your eyes. Avoid rang barangay (colorful) eye shadows. You look more sophisticated with one shade.

>Mascara is good for you. Apply it excessively. It would make your eye lashes more longer and eye-catching. 

>Apply a lighter blush under your cheek bones and on chin. That's all.

>Tie your hair loosely and leave few bangs on your face. Will give you a soft and slim look (and she cut my bangs for the first time in my life and yes I allowed her).

That's all for my makeup!

Whenever I recall these tips, I feel more lazy. I like the kind of makeup that makes you look what you are, not to make you an entirely new person. I laugh when people compliments ladies after makeup; "Wow you are looking beautiful. Pehchani nahi ja rahi bilkul". hehe....

Landi Kotal, Egypt and Turkey

Your first question would be "what's the link among three of these places?" and some would consider the title ridiculous too. But before you would become more judgmental, let me clarify that there is absolutely no link among these. Lemme put it more precisely, I simply long to visit these three places. Why? Well I have to dig in it why do I want so. It's not a newly built wish. It would not be wrong if I would say I have been wishing to visit these places from my childhood, OK fine, since I got consciousnesses. Fine now? Here comes the question WHY. First of all, I like travelling ALOT. Seeing new places and meeting new people are my favoritest things ever. I have a long list of places I want to visit and it keeps changing time by time. But these three places remained at the top. Let me answer one by one the WHY question:

Landi Kotal:

The main reason, why I want to visit Landi Kotal, is my nani's cherished memories about it which we used to listen like from ever. Her father was DSP before and after the creation of Pakistan. He was posted at many places in the subcontinent and he usually kept his family with him where ever he got posted. And where he couldn't be able to keep them with him, he usually brought them for a short trips. Our bedtime stories (and sometimes daytime stories as well) were and still are used to be all about the cities, people, traditions, etc of all those places he got the chance to serve at. The most exciting place I found among all is Landi Kotal. There is no serious reason for that but the places like it fascinates me like anything. He was posted in any nearby area of Landi Kotal (I dont remember right now which was the area) but he could not keep his family there, so the whole family took a train to visit the Landi Kotal.

Landi Kotal or Landikotal is situated in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan. It is 1,072 meters above the sea and is the highest point on the Khyber Pass. It is also the route to Peshawar. It is the last railway station of Pakistan. From here, you can view Afghanistan on the other side of the border. Landi Kotal was used to be a tourist destination years back. I remember watching Travel Guide of Pakistan (a very famous and my fav PTV show. I used to be extremely jealous of its host that he got the chance to see the whole Pakistan free of cost, hn) about Landi Kotal which strengthened my urge to visit this place.

Khyber Train Safari is the most enthralling thing about Landi Kotal which is described as a journey into time and history. It used to be a weakly and then bimonthly service. The safari train ran between Peshawar and Landi Kotal through Khyber Pass. The train used to cover a total of 52 kilometers (32 ml) through 33 tunnels and 92 bridges and culverts and its track passed unusually through the runway of Peshawar Airport. Just imagine the thrill!!. 

The heartbreaking news is that the safari service was closed due to the washing away of railway track and bridges by flood. The security situation is not so good there these days. The roads which were beautifully built once, are completely broken now due to the heavy trucks and containers loaded with the tons of NATO supply transporting to US troops in Afghanistan. I met a woman in hospital who was from Landi Kotal. I used to ask her alot about LK. She told me that the distance between Peshawar and Landi Kotal was of approx. 2 hours but now it took 4 to 6 hrs to reach Peshawar because the trucks and containers with NATO supplies would drive very slowly and create traffic jams badly.

How unfortunate it is! I am Pakistani, living in Pakistan, want to visit another city of Pakistan but cannot for many reasons. But I still hope and pray that Landi Kotal would become tourists' destination and may its all beauty and charms come back again with no going back!!

Egypt:

The Mummy? The Mummy Returns? Indiana Jones? Well these movies happened to accelerate my enthusaism of seeing Egypt at least once in my whole life. I am a history loving person. Ancient history and remains of old civilizations mesmerize me. I found the Old Kingdom of Egypt as the most influential old civilization among all. When I read or watch any movie or documentary about these, I feel myself breathing in their age of thousands years back. I just want to ride a camel and get in to the Pyramids. It's so fun to read about their old kings, queens and princes. Mystery attracts me big time. And I found  Egyptian kingdom deadly mysterious.

There were many Egyptian students studying at my school in USA. I always wanted to make Egyptian friends so that I could arrange my Egypt tour easily. But you know when there is a motive behind any relationship, it would never get started. Darn! And the other reason was the Egyptian guys are not different from Pakistani guys. They used to stare like hell.

Another interesting incident. An Egyptian guy started taking interest in my friend. He liked her alot and then ended up proposing her. My friend was not ready at the beginning but seeing that guy's eagerness, I jumped in and finally convinced my friend to marry her. And you would catch my inside motive too ;P . My smooth trip to Egypt was not far away. They got engaged after the involvement of their families. He was very thankful to me and used to call me baji. He was a gentleman. The we returned. Wedding plans were under discussion. He visited my friend in Pakistan once. Everything was going fine. I still do not know what happened exactly but on his returned to Egypt, he broke the engagement and got married to an Egyptian girl. And left us with "Haw haye". He never contacted again, neither he received our calls. He suddenly came and got vanished from our lives. My first expression on all this was; "How would we go to Egypt now?". Yes sometimes I act mean, very mean. I am a despised person and should be loathed for all my valuable thoughts. I somehow held myself responsible for it too. I should have not insisted my friend to go for him. But khair their families were involved too. I got the punishment too. They had planned wedding in January 2013 which meant seeing pyramids very soon. I am not seeing my wish come true sooner or later. But who knows!

Turkey:

We all read alot about Turkey in our text books. Who can forget about the splendid  Ottoman Empire and then the Khilafat Movement. Turkey remained significantly important in Muslim world for centuries. I would be writing a separate post about Turkey in near future. It deserves it. The way Turkey has preserved their ancient history is very captivating. Their ancient majids, splendid gardens, old huge libraries, beaches, beautiful weather, newly built infrastructure, I wanna see the signs from my eyes how they once ruled the world, then faced the decline and now again at the take off position. And I also want to the Pamukkale, the aka Cotton Castle :)

Sophi's Relatable Post # 379

Those who do not know me think I am a reticent and a very reserved person, but those who know me wish I were!!