tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41938857022908487862012-01-28T21:32:49.475-05:00Introspection, retrospection, and the art of immigrant living.Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.comBlogger771100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-38672928830938821222012-01-12T11:59:00.007-05:002012-01-12T12:30:54.895-05:00

It's ironic that hot sauce has occupied an important place in in my pantry after I moved from Pakistan. Pakistani food, you see, packs enough heat to make any condiments absolutely frivolous. Back in Karachi, the only time I ever used hot sauce was to add to an already simmering chicken corn soup over winter. Today, I add hot sauce to pasta sauce when cooking on the stove; to stir fried chicken;

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-66582093639213173952012-01-09T16:55:00.010-05:002012-01-10T11:33:49.478-05:00

In the past week, my ten month old son has punched me in my left eye, pulled individual strands of my hair till I yelped in pain, and kicked me in the face upwards of two dozen times as I slept at night. And yet, when he rubs his plump little fingers on the couch --fingers coated with the spicy hummus he just discovered in a closed Styrofoam container on a side table-- all I do is mildly chide

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-9442327655720765912011-11-17T20:41:00.006-05:002012-01-12T12:26:15.189-05:00

Being a South-Asian, your palate is so conditioned by spice, you tend to not always appreciate the simpler things in life. Like a simple roast for instance. I've been wanting to roast chicken non-desi style lately, but was skeptical. After all, I am yet to be impressed by restaurant roast chicken, and I've tried it a-plenty and in various parts of the world. Unless it was marinated overnight in

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-17561103248969041982011-10-03T01:04:00.003-04:002011-10-03T10:50:01.448-04:00

What is it that makes women so susceptible to the smallest slight once they've scoured practically the highest mountain for human endurance: giving birth to a child. One would think that successfully delivering a living, breathing person would open gates for some kind of new, thriving confidence that would make them a seamless amalgam of wonder woman and Minerva. Well, it doesn't. Touchy-feely

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-5291885026671769022011-08-12T22:16:00.030-04:002012-01-09T23:07:36.412-05:00

So took the kid to Chef Tony's so we could have their nice three course meal deal for 40 bucks (great steak satay- like a rarer, juicier version of boti kabab).Consequences:1. He stayed exactly five minutes in his car seat, and began moaning in that funny, moany voice he reserves for these occasions (ooooooumh, grrroooounph) beseechingly until we took him out;2. Mission accomplished, he proceeded

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-65646859971668454292011-08-09T15:05:00.014-04:002012-01-12T12:26:35.528-05:00

The problem with Indian lunch buffets is that they seem to be bent upon catering to everybody. 'Everybody' includes folks who have never tasted Indian food before, people for whom eating lentils and green-tinted yogurt is a huge ethnic culinary adventure, and people for whom 'spice' has previously implied a dash of cinnamon (I'm talking to you, Midwesterners). And this is why most Indian lunch

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-13393898344720068362011-08-09T10:04:00.004-04:002011-08-09T10:09:09.784-04:00

...if writing a blog is really just a way of fooling people into thinking you're a writer and not high/delusional/a little bipolar. Because you're really just sitting in a corner talking to yourself quite eloquently.

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-30948150632619084922011-08-08T15:56:00.007-04:002011-08-08T22:11:58.951-04:00

Since TQ and I are so devoted to eating out in the 'DMV' and trying each and every one of Groupon copycats in order to afford doing it, I might as well render my two cents on my obsession with food. I was a late blooming foodie. For all of my childhood, I had been a half-hearted eater; my mother would force nutritional supplements down my throat because she was so tired of hearing people, in

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-11325767768486299452011-08-08T15:34:00.006-04:002011-08-08T15:51:12.455-04:00

I love WaPo's Ezra Klein. If your response is Ezra Who?, please Google (verb) before proceeding. Despite his failure to acknowledge my existence on Twitter (considering he was one of the first people I dug up on Twitter to whom I was neither related nor professionally obligated to follow), here's why: 1. He often tweets links to quirky comic blogs. 2. He is a funny wonk (which makes his column

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-27045947527166443942011-08-08T15:27:00.003-04:002011-08-08T15:34:11.822-04:00

I have decided to...drum roll...reclaim this blog. I'm not entirely certain what has brought on this sudden relapse into another prematurely orphaned project of mine. Two possible reasons: One, I am finally re-inspired. Two, I am soon to be unemployed. Might as well have a vent handy. Project alpha: Change the name of this blog. It is not cool anymore to name a blog after yourself. Working on it.

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-63960566367553083682010-03-17T10:53:00.008-04:002010-03-20T08:43:44.636-04:00

A few days ago, the chief minister of the Punjab province came into the limelight, for a strange, ill-advised commentary on the Taliban's recent attacks in Lahore (see Dawn's unusually strong-worded editorial about it here). Sharif was also chief minister, Pubjab in 1999 when his brother, then PM Nawaz Sharif, was ousted by Parvez Musharraf during a bloodless military coup. The Sharif brothers

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-84106749480363204242010-03-10T15:01:00.006-05:002010-03-10T16:31:11.200-05:00

On a lighter note, Sunday's Oscar ceremony was typically boring and overlong, which is fine and expected, but there was something especially annoying about it this time. Apparently, some genius gave them the idea that broadcasting Barbara Walteresque testimonials by actor friends of the nominees would keep those flighty audiences rooted in their seats. Well, here's what it came off as. Not that

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-4980221170465051332010-02-23T15:05:00.018-05:002010-02-26T13:02:42.073-05:00

Three days ago, Washington Post reported that that U.S. investigators have formally concluded the late Bruce Ivins, a government scientist, to have acted alone in the 2001 anthrax attacks that killed five people and sickened 17 others. Bruce Ivins' actions bear testimony to a complicated fact: brilliant minds are more than capable of causing mindless, even inexplicable terror. Most of us will nod

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-29435309732309130862010-02-13T10:51:00.011-05:002010-03-19T09:38:02.478-04:00

Since I have nothing original to say, I will let T.S. Eliot speak for me this sunny, wintry Saturday. My favorite excerpts from the very tedious, and very beautiful, Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock.--Let us go then, you and I, When the evening is spread out against the sky Like a patient etherised upon a table; Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets, The muttering retreats Of

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-3787493933639892882010-01-12T10:39:00.008-05:002010-01-12T10:54:14.135-05:00

For the last year, I've been involved in starting a Washington DC chapter of The Citizens Foundation USA (http://www.tcfusa.org/), my favorite charity (and once employer) that builds schools in underprivileged communities throughout Pakistan. My fellow members and I recently chose a particular school project to support through our fundraising efforts (information about the project at the bottom

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-58988228181655452222009-12-26T11:10:00.020-05:002010-01-13T07:37:12.875-05:00

Is It's Complicated a great movie? Of course not. Whether it's a great romantic comedy though, is a whole other story. It has all the usual flaws romantic comedies can't be complete without. As always, the movie's characters never have to worry about life's mundane problems, like money or bad plumbing. They live in perfect, designer homes. And they have nauseatingly perfect and loving family

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-2096059905856556292009-12-23T15:54:00.024-05:002010-01-12T13:09:08.576-05:00

Note: Spoiler AlertI had been very excited to see Up in the Air. The trailer showed a classic Hollywood recipe for success: George Clooney, a cynical, impossibly handsome vagabond who's bit of a prick, and passes cynical and adorably unashamed judgment on every facet of life until he has a change of heart, meets his perfect match, and is redeemed. Oh and there’s that side story involving his

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-50938544069113201952009-10-10T10:18:00.009-04:002009-12-26T11:57:20.702-05:00

You’re stuck indefinitely in a bubble of soap and antiseptic liquid, the overpowering scent of alcohol compounds that promise to exfoliate you of the insurmountable…dirt. What an inadequate word to describe an object of a lifetime of inexplicable and inconvenient fear. But it's not just that. There are the ticks. Nobody wants to know what lurks behind that slightly fidgety, but still apparently

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-19502179520711076142009-07-20T14:15:00.040-04:002010-03-10T15:28:43.385-05:00

LA Times states that in a Zogby International poll taken earlier this year, 44% of Americans said marijuana should be taxed and legally regulated like alcohol and cigarettes. Here's probably why: Annual American Deaths Caused by Drugs: Tobacco: 400,000Alcohol: 100,000All Legal Drugs: 20,000ALL Illegal Drugs: 15,000Caffeine: 2,000Aspirin: 500Marijuana: 0(National Institute of Drug Abuse)Yet, it

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-57952478425595456062009-07-09T23:28:00.010-04:002009-12-26T11:57:38.414-05:00

Two days ago, I came across some sad news. My friend Tazeen's father had passed away after fighting a long illness. In the few years that I've known Tazeen, I never got the opportunity to meet her father. However, last month on father's day while her father was being treated in the hospital, Tazeen wrote this heart-wrenching article for him, which acquainted me with the wonderful man who raised

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-11572609772366347942009-05-04T15:43:00.004-04:002009-05-04T16:27:43.548-04:00

Fear travels fast in turbulent times. A few weeks ago, a friend in Karachi wrote to me about women around her feeling afraid of harassment by pro-Taliban men when they went out in public. She quoted incidents she had heard of occurring in shopping markets frequented by the elite of the city. As residents of the bustling, diverse economic capitol of Pakistan brace themselves for more political

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-72921193383922697482009-05-04T15:13:00.011-04:002009-05-04T16:23:13.447-04:00

As things in Pakistan steadily deteriorate, political pundits on the American media are now predicting a takeover of the state by the Taliban, citing the attacks on Buner, less than sixty miles away from the Pakistani capitol. The latest casualty figures released by the Pakistani military in Buner show some success for the army, which says its operation is continuing smoothly. But civilian deaths

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-75365683081847349982009-03-31T13:29:00.018-04:002009-07-11T10:03:00.444-04:00

So I slept with my bedroom door locked yesterday. I realized last evening, much to my anguish (while watching 'Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day' in bed) that I had never spent a night alone in a house before. I must be the only twenty-six year old woman I know in this country with that dubious honor, which thankfully lives no more after yesterday.And despite a night of checking the front door lock

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-8351460783301018442009-03-20T10:51:00.007-04:002009-12-26T11:58:10.404-05:00

The Shawshank Redemption, the 1994 movie based on Stephen King's novella, never gets old. Despite its length (it's about two and a half hours long), the calm and steady narration, and the lack of graphic action, the movie holds me still in anticipation of what I already know and expect...each and every time. I can watch it again and again and still share that feeling of relief, freedom and

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-49186791484457850442009-03-09T10:31:00.003-04:002009-03-09T10:35:53.086-04:00

A friend's letter to the editor of the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, in the wake of the recent attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore:-----The armed attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team convoy and the resulting loss of life of our brave police officers have proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that Pakistan has been taken hostage. It has become hostage to the whims of armed extremists,

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-83036437685819893992009-02-26T10:40:00.014-05:002009-02-26T16:19:07.109-05:00

As I listen to the haunting 'Trip to Pakistan' by Celtic Spring, once again, I feel I'm no longer in front of a computer screen, on this chair, inside my home in Maryland. I am, instead, years away; sitting alone in a cable-chair, that slowly, meticulously makes its way into the valley below the mountains surrounding Nathia Gali. Spring is at its prime, and the tiny and wild, yellow and white

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-29870968769223710002009-02-20T18:05:00.016-05:002009-03-09T10:31:07.260-04:00

This is a drawing by ten-year old Ruqayya, a student at the TCF School in Machar Colony, Karachi. It appeared in a feature in the newspaper DAWN, that invited school-going children from different socio-economic strata in Karachi to draw their vision of a future Pakistan. Not surprisingly, the young artists were infinitely more optimistic and hopeful about Pakistan's future than the adults are. In

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-73110314387270532642009-02-18T12:35:00.012-05:002009-02-20T09:07:37.798-05:00

By enlisting Sufi Muhammad's support, the authors of the new political approach hope to be able to drive a wedge between the father-in-law and the son-in-law, with the former promising to declare the armed struggle un-Islamic if the militants refuse to lay down their arms. --Ismail Khan in Dawn (Photo of Fazlullah, courtesy NBC)The Swat saga has taken a sharp twist with the Pakistani government

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-72904123711993195882009-02-02T15:49:00.034-05:002009-02-17T13:39:09.902-05:00

Today I want to talk about my favorite charity, my first employer, and my pet cause that is so close to my heart, I haven't been able to get away from it since I first entered the seventh floor of the shabby N.I.C building in Karachi, three years ago. I joined The Citizens Foundation (TCF to everyone) right after my MBA. I actually applied there right after a die-hard idealistic, and rather

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-10808217105051751952009-01-22T09:10:00.028-05:002009-02-17T16:10:13.234-05:00

Tuesday January 20, 2009Inauguration Day 6:00: Gloves, hats, six layers of clothing: check. Route maps: Check. Books to read in line: Check. Shayan(sister-in-law), Taimoor(husband) and I set out to the capitol via Glenmont Metro, which is a tiny walk from our home. 6:20: I can't believe we're already in the train and on our way! This mob is totally manageable. 7:10: We're here! As we try to

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-72919468697393093382009-01-19T16:00:00.028-05:002009-01-21T18:37:30.317-05:00

Tazeen posted a picture of a banner prohibiting women from entry into a cloth market in Swat, the breathtaking valley that once used to be a bustling tourist spot with an economy that thrived on nature lovers, honeymooners and export of its vast mineral resources. I went to Swat when I was ten, with family, and have pictures to prove what a happy little piece of heaven it used to be. I remember

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-70575569246274724882009-01-16T13:39:00.005-05:002009-01-19T16:16:07.552-05:00

Madiha is pouring over job advertisements in her pajamas, with re-runs of Becker playing in the background. She has also been contemplating shampooing her hair and reading her Juma'a namaz for a few hours now.It's not as depressing as it sounds. It's more.

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-23622594023815971882009-01-12T11:16:00.003-05:002009-01-24T23:17:54.509-05:00

There is something incomprehensible about being frozen in a needless limbo amidst the never-stopping motion of need. A week from now is the inauguration and I could be excitedly planning what to do. Last week, I met a gentleman who could, possibly, be my ticket to a new, dream job. I could be on the phone with him right now, following up. There is no cooked food in the fridge. I could be...

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-16119151254809370492008-12-23T11:37:00.024-05:002009-01-16T13:38:52.878-05:00

Where did my first Christmas in Maryland go? I do remember being here. I arrived in October, visited NY for a few days, and then I was here...getting to know the man I'd married, searching for a job, learning to cook, learning to operate the DVR, and reveling in an odd sort of nostalgia for things I used to despise but missed. So it seems amidst all the life-altering cooking and speculating, I

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-68950257431558721092008-11-06T15:08:00.004-05:002008-11-06T15:14:45.104-05:00

The OnionNovember 06, 2008LOS ANGELES — Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant had a typically solid performance from the field last night, scoring 25 points to propel his team to a holy shit, it's hard to believe these words are even gracing this page, but on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008, the American people elected a black man to the office of the President of the United States.Words really can't describe

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-29486233935354273702008-11-06T11:00:00.002-05:002008-11-06T11:40:36.046-05:00

After a dream vacation (where you have your mom worrying about what you had for breakfast and don't have to do your own laundry) I am back. The end of the elections; Ohio going for Obama; MQ and TQ killing a half-dead mouse from above the couch; lots and lots of Pakistan-made prettiness for our house; and beautiful, beautiful fall. There is too much to talk about, too little time. Too many

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-39306251339759675142008-09-16T11:47:00.011-04:002008-09-16T12:56:28.089-04:00

Did this for NGLCC BIZ -- a comparison between the two candidates' policies on four internal issues: taxes, health, energy and foreign trade. Broken into four parts, below is the first installment, on taxes. -----------------While comparing both the candidates’ economic agendas, one thing is quickly made clear – both have retained the basic economic thrust of their parties. That said, both claim

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-12051292085581947062008-08-27T17:08:00.009-04:002008-08-28T21:28:51.421-04:00

I don't care if most of America and all of television media consider Dennish Kucinich a nutjob -- his speech at the DNC deserved at least a few minutes of airtime on cable TV, so joyfully dedicated to 'election historians' and coverage of sullen Hillary supporters. Instead of sticking with good old CSPAN that broadcast the convention SANS the historians and commentators, we decided to support the

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-87002904231294669682008-08-20T10:08:00.005-04:002008-08-20T22:14:59.938-04:00

AAJ TV - February 2, 2008

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-22746036206515815092008-08-18T11:28:00.014-04:002008-08-18T15:13:35.804-04:00

So there were no desi food stalls to stuff my face at, no green flags, no national songs. Just my crystal clear memory of torn little paper flags kissing the ground, and buildings wasting electricity in the name of celebration. But looking so criminally beautiful in the process. Instead, over the weekend, there was my family (insert smiley here) and George Washington's darkly sparse mansion:

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-956274771003898912008-08-14T10:29:00.006-04:002008-08-20T10:07:42.663-04:00

August 14, 2008 -- Happy independence day to all Pakistanis (and to all Indians who celebrate their independence tomorrow). So I'm trying to find out what homesick Pakistani-Americans in DC are doing this weekend to celebrate, it being my first independence day as one. I need something to anchor my once-a-year patriotism with -- basically stuff my face with food at desi stalls blasting forgotten

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-60565072472042128382008-08-04T13:22:00.010-04:002008-08-04T13:33:23.656-04:00

'I'm Thinking...Marketing,' Says Horrible, Horrible ManNew York, July 31, 2008 — Twenty three year old Louis Deenan, undeniably the most detestable, loathsome individual ever to walk the earth, willfully decided Monday to devote his miserable life and all of its awful ambitions to the field of marketing. "I think it's the career path that will best utilize my networking skills and my ability to

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-12893002805158027012008-07-21T14:44:00.021-04:002008-07-23T21:42:46.466-04:00

So Mamma Mia!...was an unlikely choice for a movie I'd go to the theatre to watch. Not just because it's a bag of sap and some seriously over-the-top acting (although that should be my prime reason) but because it's a musical. Musicals and Madiha don't go together, not even when they're oscar-nominated, artistically gory ones like Sweeney Todd. But I gave in to the secret, appropriately-ashamed

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-13360611515559348612008-07-17T14:37:00.000-04:002008-07-17T14:38:10.519-04:00

Don't know much about dancin'Thats why I write this songOne of my legs is shorter than the other is'nd both my feets too long-Frank Zappa in "Dancing Fool"

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-41231850970476264422008-07-16T14:17:00.006-04:002008-07-16T14:31:31.873-04:00

Now here's protesting done in style:). Gotta love Tom Toles.

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-55363473352324747642008-07-14T12:28:00.028-04:002008-07-16T14:17:37.001-04:00

So there's the expected hue and cry over the latest cover of The New Yorker which shows a cartoon depicting Obama in the oval office, dressed in the republican-fantasized MuslimTerroristAttire (good detail. The shalwar is just a tad above the ankle). Bumping fists with him is an angry Michelle Obama with a menacing afro, touting a machine gun and caustic smirk that seems to transmit a call for

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-51014876170495446392008-07-09T14:05:00.013-04:002008-07-15T15:11:04.600-04:00

I was searching for an old cover story I did for the Kolachi pages to use as a writing sample, and found this instead (why is Yahoo! search suddenly more effective than Google? This is highly disturbing). I think I wrote this after a visit to Macchar Colony in July last year, during the shooting of a documentary with some friends. This forgotten piece is making me a little nostalgic, and a little

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-47709738971096163662008-07-07T15:15:00.017-04:002008-08-06T12:29:11.003-04:00

I arrived in the US about eight months ago, to get married in Houston and move to Maryland, where I live now. My last visit had been less than a year ago, during which I met my husband. The one before that was when I was seven years old. My memories of that visit constitute mainly of Disney Land and my first snow outside the tiny New York apartment belonging to my dad's friend, where we stayed

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-46288007815400314142008-06-27T14:20:00.012-04:002008-07-08T15:00:06.996-04:00

And the Second Richest Pakistani Man in the World is: Asif Ali ZardariCo-chairperson, Pakistan People's PartyWorth: £900m ($1.8billion) Industry: Eh...PoliticsAsif Zardari, famously dubbed “Mr 10%”, is the previously unknown, partying son of a small-time politician and landowner who struck gold by marrying the country's most strikingly prominent female politician, former Prime Minister Benzair

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-10333368949871129552008-06-19T14:40:00.009-04:002008-06-20T12:12:30.755-04:00

In Dawn, today:Arms worth $6bn bought in five years, says reportBy M. ZiauddinLONDON, June 18: Pakistan purchased arms worth $6 billion in the last five years, according to a report put out by the UK’s Defence and Security Organisation.Saudi Arabia was the largest importer over the period with $31bn, followed by India with $18bn and the US $17bn. Three countries — Australia ($11bn), Canada ($10bn

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-67874442282683484782008-06-19T14:13:00.003-04:002008-06-19T14:15:59.455-04:00

The REAL SHOCKING TRUTH about Barack Obama: Barack Obama is a DEVOUT CHRISTIAN. His favorite book is the BIBLE, which he has memorized. His name means HE WHO LOVES JESUS in the ancient language of Aramaic. He is PROUD that Jesus was an American. Courtesy: One of many more here

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-31362168495152164892008-06-16T15:09:00.003-04:002008-06-19T14:12:12.398-04:00

After a week’s hiatus I opened the Dawn website and went straight to The Review pages, deliberately avoiding reading about the Afghanistan threats, Asif Zardari and the price hikes. I like to think when you’re feeling feverish God’s okay with the escapism. The first article I came across was written by an acquaintance who recently, like me, got married and moved abroad (Bradford in her case). The

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-85103638194211580402008-06-04T17:26:00.001-04:002009-02-26T14:33:35.405-05:00

My throat feels like tied down to a few bags of wet cement. I hate thunderstorms and wet weather, and my feelings of uncertainty and insecurity somehow always coincide with the disappearance of the sun. At the Metro today, I saw a family today. Four people with that distinct Punjabi nose that I'm way too familiar with. For the first time in life seeing the familiar Punjabi nose made me happy;

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-12671889248823138532008-05-29T15:05:00.000-04:002008-05-29T15:18:20.707-04:00

You know you’re getting old when you stop enjoying the roller coasters. Last year, while in Houston, we went to an amusement park called Keema (tee hee). While in Keema, I went on a ride that I can now only remember as waahiyaat –loosely translated as ‘outstandingly awful’. Basically the thing suddenly flips upside down a few seconds after going up in the air, and then stays there. For an

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-58538207638027502642008-05-28T16:15:00.000-04:002008-05-28T16:43:53.726-04:00

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-25556099179823888482008-05-23T14:38:00.000-04:002008-05-23T14:44:38.449-04:00

Dana Milbank, in his column ‘Washington Sketch’ in the Post writes today: "Here are some things we can look forward to learning about Barack Obama: • That he was mentored in high school by a member of the Soviet-controlled Communist Party. • That he launched his Illinois state Senate campaign in the home of a terrorist and a killer. • That while serving as a state senator, he was a member of a

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-49361884344057339982008-05-20T22:37:00.000-04:002008-05-22T22:47:50.116-04:00

We usually wait most of our lives for a grand finale of some sort...what would be the happiest day of our lives; what it would feel like, what it would take. The happiest days of our lives, it seems, usually come by when we're not looking, and shockingly, more than once. Like just a random, ordinary day when you didn't happen to get sad even once, didn't lose your temper at any family member or

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-49477164084326422802008-05-14T10:06:00.002-04:002010-02-24T13:12:23.723-05:00

In her victory speech after the West Virginia Primary, Hillary Clinton quoted the bible and country music. She then made a false reference to the Indiana Primary by saying she had come in from behind (she had been the projected winner). And later, with her characteristic self-approving smirk said, "I am winning in the Swing States. And we have done it by standing up for the deepest principles in

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-36811709370333953422008-05-09T12:19:00.001-04:002008-07-15T15:09:08.390-04:00

Several years ago, I made a memorable trip to Nathiagali (hill station, Pakistan) with my friends. The trip included a seven kilometer hike in the precarious woods near our hotel, which was right at the top of the mountain that is home to Nathiagali. Our guide was a thirteen year old valley native who assured us that we were taking a road not taken (it was, not because of the mind-blowing beauty

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-56235645430935075482008-04-21T15:13:00.001-04:002008-07-15T15:12:25.557-04:00

It feels strange, somehow not right, to be so out of touch with news you once devoured, and almost militantly kept up to date with. I learn my news about Pakistani politics now from my mom (carefully chosen snippets), my friend Tazeen's blog (frustrated forecasts for impending doom) and from the Pakistani newspaper Dawn's website (never replaces reading the actual paper, never satisfies).

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-44877831952005838182008-04-14T14:22:00.001-04:002008-07-15T15:11:56.802-04:00

I applied to a job the other day – a startup magazine looking for writers for their entertainment section, who would write about DC’s bars, restaurants and various happening events that would attract its younger readership. Since I don’t drink, although I’ve been to a few bars and two excellent clubs (historic visits all of them), Taimoor politely hinted that I may not get the job given its

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-49427996514298863762008-04-09T17:47:00.000-04:002008-05-22T22:49:08.853-04:00

Raat youn dil mein teri khoi hui yaad aaiJaise weeranay mein chupke se bahar aa jayeeJaise sehraoon mein holay se chalay bad-e-naseemJaise beemar ko bewajah qarar ajayee-Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-52427414677551162782008-04-08T12:32:00.001-04:002008-07-15T15:09:30.702-04:00

magnolias, cherry blossoms and then some. spring is beautiful.

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-52733129655510809672008-04-08T12:24:00.002-04:002008-07-15T15:08:48.049-04:00

"Alright, smile..."*smiles*"Say I love youuuu...""bakwas na kerr.."*Click*:)

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-53840202708892431782008-04-02T13:14:00.000-04:002008-05-22T22:49:18.450-04:00

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-63858194380877845892008-03-25T13:59:00.000-04:002008-04-09T17:50:03.999-04:00

Today, my friend Tazeen (http://tazeen-tazeen.blogspot.com/)wrote:"Just because najam sethi is not brimming with love and praise for the cross eyed CJ, the so called united students movement calls him 'master of yellow journalism'! What they forgot was that Najam Sethi was beaten up and paraded naked by the police when a certain mr nawaz sharif was PM with a very heavy mandate because The Friday

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-51844706877444171632008-03-24T11:38:00.001-04:002008-07-15T15:09:55.195-04:00

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-34952775881434377132008-03-21T10:58:00.000-04:002008-04-09T13:26:40.097-04:00

beach in the carribbean, courtesy travis brownI've never been a beach-person, really. Water and I don't do well together; I can't swim, never tried to learn, and I've often had creepy dreams about drowning which, I think, imply sexual frustration according to Freud. Anyway, that said, there is something to be said for a brief, quiet moment at the beach...as if you and the eerily calm sea were the

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-75737268430116043262008-03-19T11:59:00.001-04:002008-07-15T15:10:14.647-04:00

"I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton's Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I've gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world's poorest nations. I am

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-39433320608099585052008-03-19T11:49:00.000-04:002008-04-01T14:19:37.287-04:00

this is a weird, sad morning. bad dreams just ruin your whole day don't they

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-18317597687013339832008-03-17T12:22:00.000-04:002008-05-13T16:16:49.832-04:00

They say it does good to each of us every now and then to be brought down from the high horse...given a good little ego beating. But it's got to come with better timing than this...what if the ego was standing with its pants down alReady when someone decided it was time to teach you a lesson in, um, humility? --Asif Zardari might become Pakistan PM. Oh how the the scum of the earth have risen

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-16780409234905671232008-03-12T09:35:00.000-04:002008-03-17T12:36:17.619-04:00

so while it is good to catch up with the history of spying, the very movie-like real spy stories, see Bond's original Aston Martin in person, and the lipstick shotgun, and the implications of how out of control a monster KGB was but CIA wasn't during the cold war (they didn't say anything, they implied), the spy museum of DC plays a trick on its visitors not many will forgive. It makes them

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-73555390184745078262008-03-09T15:36:00.000-04:002008-03-09T15:51:17.642-04:00

So Aisha says it wasn't a jack, but a spannerI still think it was a jack...I mean, what does She know, it was Her car after all

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-59795351935057803202008-03-08T11:01:00.000-05:002008-03-14T11:44:31.367-04:00

I'd forgotten just how much fun girls-night-out can be. Yesterday night was funA year ago, I think, when I was engaged and hence free of my parents' judicious inquiries about every minute spent outside the house after ten pm, Aisha, Nida, Rahma and I took upon a fateful, but the most crazily memorable night out together. We had dinner, watched a soppy romantic comedy in what is Karachi only

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-84875506100335973862008-03-07T11:11:00.000-05:002008-03-12T09:50:34.813-04:00

there's a funny contrast among people in the street in this country's cities. A majority are the city stereotype who wouldn't turn around and look even if you stood naked on their way to work/metro/school/wherever else people go to at 8:30 am. And then there are the eager homeless who, it seems, look forward each day to be bumped into. Yesterday afternoon I was stopped by a wild-haired guy in the

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-81212160538678538442008-03-06T14:51:00.000-05:002008-03-06T14:53:03.443-05:00

This song keeps going on and on in my mind…I wish I could sing it at the top of my voice and get it out of my system. But I'm at work.

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193885702290848786.post-42188051886498289152008-03-06T14:43:00.000-05:002008-03-06T14:50:46.493-05:00

I've always thought this verse from Urdu poetry so rightly tells the story of our lives.Hazaron khuwahishen aisee kay her khwahish pey dam niklayBohat niklay meray armaa'n, mager phir bhi kam niklayYeah I can't translate this without mutilating it. There's probably a translation online...someday I'll look and copy pasteLong or short, every life begins and ends with hopes and dreams which run in a

Madiha W.Q.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06004995604291413209noreply@blogger.com0