20 Days of Summer - Part I

Yes, I am guilty of not posting much ever since I joined Med School. But hey, that was kind of expected. Alright, so, AKU has given (read: mercifully blessed) us with like twenty days of holidays (ask for more holidays and they'll make you bow down to their mercy for 20 days is apparently enough). Anyways, the plan is not to let even a single day of holidays go to waste.

And, here's what has been happening so far.

Day before Day Zero and Day Zero: 
Watched X-men and flew home the next day. So, the last time I went home I checked in like a minute before the check in was about to close and ran to the boarding area. This time I checked in two hours before the boarding. Call it a lesson well learnt or living on the extremes, I made it home and that's the point :D

X-men: Days of Future Past. Best movie with the best 3-D graphics *_*
And, flying home. Look, they're even showing off their plane tickets in the bottom left photo.

Day One:
Just lazed around at home. Slept whenever I got the chance. Well, I couldn't possibly sleep whenever I wanted to because Labibah (my baby sister) was too happy to have me back home and couldn't bear the sight of me sleeping. Yeah. Happens.

Didn't get time to doodle much. Hopefully this shall suffice.

Day 2:
Breakfast at Khasala Dam. Yeah. We packed food and ate it by the waterrrrr :D

Pre-Breakfast: In search of a nice spot for the breakfast picnic.
Post Breakfast: Splashes in the water.---The picture's taking a lot of time to load. So, later, maybe.

Day 3: 
Visit to Islamabad. Met my Dadi, Dada, Nani, Mamoo and Maami. Yeah, that's a lot of relations. One just can't NOT visit them. I love my family.

Captured the sunset in Islambad as we were going to Nani's home.

Day 4:
Off to Lahooooore! Yeah, one of Baba's random trips. And, of course, we love tag along and add flavour to those long drives with our useless arguments, stopovers at almost every rest station at the motorway and sessions of watching old movies to revive all the memories.

When it was my turn to sit at the front. Yes, we usually tend to argue over who gets to sit at the front too.
(Note: Only applicable when Mama's not there. Otherwise, the front seat's reserved for her)

Day 5:
Meeting AKU friends at Lahore. I've been to Lahore many times but have never had any hang outs with friends there. This one was a first. And, spent hours and hours at Readings too. (Well, DUH)

Well, obviously I can't reveal the faces unless I get consent from each one of them for displaying their picture on a publicly open blog. Yes, I hid my face too. It seemed odd in the midst of all the colorful circles.

Day 6:
It's craft tiiiime. I sewed a bag! Yes, I spent almost the entire day doing so. So proud of myself :')

Note: The beads, key chains and shizz to funkicise the bag have yet to be added.

Day 7:
Off to the North. We had planned on camping in Naran for the night but got late so spent the night in Balakot. Know what, if you really actually want to experience the sceneery that surrounds the not-so-straight road then stick your head out of the jeep or out of the sunroof. Depends on your choice of vehicle. A Sun Roof worked excellently for us though! ^_^

View from my room's window. That's Kurram River flowing from Babusar Top right there.

Day 8:
The day that's can be perfectly called as 'One Heck Of A Day'. Well, Baba sprained his ankle and realised he can't really walk when we reached Naran. We headed off to Batakundi from Naran where the Lalazar Hotels are very homely and best for a person who can't walk much. Cancelled the camping and trekking plans because Baba couldn't accompany us so it wouldn't have been worth it.

Photographic experiments at Batakundi Take #1

Photographic experiments at Batakundi Take #2

Day 9:
Came back hoooome. Well, our van had a lot of troubles so spent like three to four hours in Mansehra just chilling at the mechanic's.

Ok, so there are a few places where the glaciers have taken over the roads. The area has been cleared up (as shown in the picture just as science books show images with texts) but one of the ways wasn't very smooth and that spoiled our van. 

Day 10:
That's Today. Well, I blogged. That counts for something. And, just watched She's The Man with the sister. One of the best childhood movies :')

I'm a HUNKY DUDE!

So, that's ten days down and ten more to go. Time sure does fly by very very verrryyyyy fast. 

Back at the Road Not Taken

Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey BLOG ^_^

No, I shall not keep calm. I've missed blogging, I've missed having no study to do and I've missed reading whenever and wherever I felt like it. Well, even thought this won't last very long. I will be going to a good Medical School in a few months (I really really hope and pray that I do). But, I still have free time on my hands for now.

Well, nothing much happened in the past few weeks except the study-eat-sleep routine. 

Apart from that, remember how my family randomly plans road trips? Yeah, that happened. This time, we headed off for Abottabad. Of course, I took my pile of course books along and while they explored the city I sat back in our room to study.

This one time I went out for a walk with Mama, Baba and my little brother Abdullah just after the sunrise. We came across this road among the woods that reminded me of 'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost.

I happen to be NOT a photographer, just captured this one because it fit the poem so perfectly.
And, my very awesome friend, Maheen Khan, thought so too. ^_^
P.S. The title of this photograph is not the same as the poem, that would be stealing probably. I guess :p

Also, started The Book Thief. Many say it's the best read ever. *fingers crossed*

Trip to the North

Warning: Below are not-so-cheery emotions that contradict with the motto of this blog. 

Read at your own discretion.

I remember how I gave my blog a Green theme last year on 14th August. That day was special and amazing, because last year I got the most unexpected yet the most amazing results. Alhamdullillah.

I've spent an entire year floating on that 'Happy Cloud'. I made it when it was least expected from me to.

I guess, I had sketched out a mental image of the same happening this year too. But, it didn't.
My grades turned out to be lower than my own expectations, let alone the expectations of those around me.

"Expectations torment us, in the end. Yes, they do."

Well, just as I thought I had lost it all and would not make it through, my family planned a road trip!
Did I mention before about how random my family is? I LOVE THEM.

It was supposed to be a one-day trip to any Northern City. Instead, my Baba drove all the way to Malakand. He then randomly decided to go meet a friend in the Swat Valley. And, then just as randomly we headed off to Malam jabba as well. Yeah, it turned into a two-day trip to beautiful areas. I guess, sometimes all one needs is a trip to the North.

"It's the green, I tell you. Green has this calming effect; a soothing aura."

I had not gotten out of bed since I got to know about my result. I detested every minute of the way that I had not wanted to be on a road trip; I'd rather watch rerun of Friends at home. I do not remember any hour that passed without a crying tantrum from my end. What was I supposed to do? I talked to my friends, didn't attend most of the calls or return the messages asking about my result and lent out the anger on my family who have a lot of patience for bearing with me and well... didn't write it down until I read Fahaad's Blog Post. You can read it here.

"Our own problems seem way way easier when we know that someone out there has faced the same that we did."

A view from Malam jabba I captured using my cellphone.
LOOK AT THOSE CLOUDS ^__^
Oh and, did I mention that Malam Jabba is on top of the mountains?
It's the place where the phrase 'ON TOP OF THE WORLD' suits best :D 

"Prepare for the worst. Hope for the best. Let God take care of the rest."

A the end of the day, this trip cured me. It could have been my worst fall ever. But, it wasn't. And, it isn't. I'm ready with my newest battle armor,  my newest strength and my even more newest resolve. Yeah, this can count as an over-use of the word 'newest'. 

"We are not born once, but again and again" -William Charles.

Barrel Roll ^_^

Remember how I wrote about the skin burning Summers in the last post?
Well, the very next day after that post it started raining. A LOT.
LIKE, VERY A LOT LOT LOT ^_^
And, the weather has been pleasant since then.

Also, I'M GOING TO KARACHI TOMORROW!
YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAAAAAAAYYY!

Also, also, I recently finished this Ink on Watercolour Doodle.

I've been experimenting with Synthetic Enamel Paint these days and trying to paint the wooden boxes at my home to make them look worthwhile. Will post updates on that after I return from Karachi.

I SO HAPPY ^_^

A Barrel Roll to Happiness, maybe?

A Month

I left Karachi on 7th June 2013, today is the 7th of July. Exactly a month since I bade farewell to the place I fell in love with in just two years. 

I wish I had taken more pictures, I wish I had taken out time and explored every corner of the city where the winds never leave you and the sea is best place to hangout, and I wish I could turn back time to experience Karachi as it deserves to be experienced.

With all the thoughts I stumbled on a breath-taking video on Facebook, and the nostalgic feelings mounted up in a tower taller than Jack's Beanstalk. I miss the ever busy Shahra-e-Faisal, the new 'buzz' of going to Hyperstar and Hardees, the rocks of Manora, the sunset by the Shahra-e-Faisal bridge (It's sad how I never learned the name of that bridge), the moment one feels a part of a great culture by the old buildings next to Zainab Market and the drive on a road that leads to Naheed Super Market which has trees lined up on both its sides (Yes, I didn't learn this road's name either). Well, even though I don't live in Karachi anymore, but I know that a part of me still resides there. I hope I get to visit Karachi sooner than soon.

Oh and, you can watch the video of Karachi Time Lapse here, IT'S AMAZING ^_^ :

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=556931211031136

The video and this picture above is by Fazz Kazi.
(https://www.facebook.com/FazzKazi)

THANK YOU FAZZ KAZI.

I LOVE YOU KARACHI.

Moving, Yet Again (Take 2) -Featuring: Marvin.

*Puts away her books for Medical College Entry Test for a while*

I wonder what would it be like for a passerby to witness an oh-so-random family like mines.
Aaaaah.. This time I won't be the narrator, I'll write the second part of the story of shifting from Karachi to Kamra from the perspective of a person who saw us the entire time. Observed us. Noted down our actions. Ok, this is getting creepy. But, I guess I've made my point.

So, here it is. 'Moving Yet, Again (Take 2)' from the eyes of Marvin :D

Note for the wise: This story is very real. Apart from the introduction of 'Marvin'.

I'm sitting in the corner of the Business Express Waiting Lounge in Karachi. It'll be my first trip in this train, the one train that will 'bring in a new era in Pakistan Railways'. I guess I am looking forward to the trip but I'll be travelling alone, so I'm not so sure. Even though I chose to go my train rather than an airplane myself. 'For the Spirit of Adventure!'. A 17-hour journey all by myself, well it's good I brought along Inferno. Nothing better than Robert Langdon for company :)

That's when I spot them. Two little children racing to get the spot in the lounge right in front of the Air Conditioner. I mean, isn't the entire room cold? Wait, what? Now their dad is giving them money so that they go and get snacks as he gets the seat in front of the Air Conditioner. This wasn't entirely it. The mom then stepped in and sat with the dad, following her were a dozen bags! There was a girl keeping watch on the bags, their daughter I suppose. Ok, so three kids and two parents, but what's with all the bags?! I keep my cellphone in hand in case they start threatening the people that there are explosives in the bags. But, that doesn't happen. Three other people, two guys and a girl who looks the same age as the elder daughter enter the lounge in a while, they're here to see off the family. To be honest, I thought they were a part of the family, which would've explained the gazillion bags but they didn't get on the train. So, yeah.

You know I wouldn't have been surprised if their bags
were strapped to the roof just so that their compartment
would have room to sit in.

Ok, before you get any second thoughts. I know who got on the train and that no bags were left behind not because I'm a stalker or anything, but because I got the compartment right next to this ummmm... 'different' family. No sooner were we all boarded and the train took off, there is a loud banging sound from the compartment next door. 'BANG!' I ignore, Langdon's in Italy after all. 'BANG BANG DUM THUSH' I ignore. I can't possibly leave Robert with partial amnesia alone. 'DUM DUM DHA DHA DHAAAAA!' Ok. This is creepy now. I open the door to my compartment realising that the noises are from the compartment of the 'different family' and the train's guard and the conductor are trying their best to open the door. Yes, the lock of the compartment wasn't unlocking. Well, the guard managed to pry the door open and the family decided to keep it open for the entire journey. I came out of my compartment and sat by the window in the hall way of the train, i guess that's what it's called. Only to find both the little kids stumble out of the compartment saying 'We want chocolate frogs? Where's the trolley guy with Bertie Bott's every flavored jelly beans and Chocolate frogs?' Oh, so they are Harry Potter fans too is what crosses my mind just as the 'trolley guy' turns up. Them both end up getting loads of board games, while the mom, dad and elder daughter are snuggled up reading books.

I bet the entire train heard the noises!

The dad closes his book and as if knowing that he's hungry the mom closes her book too and takes out the food bag. Ok, don't judge me. But, this was one family I couldn't help but notice. No sooner are they done with their lunch, the little two climb up on the upper bunk of the compartment, but they  look down every other second and tell their mom about what's happening on the upper bunk. 'Mamaaaa, Abdullah just drew a tree on his sketch pad' 'Maamaaaaa, I beat her in Checkers'.. and it continues. In the meanwhile, the dad starts on with his stories of the 'young days' when he used to travel by train all the time. Well, the little kids get bored with their board games and the mom and the elder daughter start their 'duels' of board game. Now, it's a duel because the entire family seemed in a state of war. The little brother had sided with the elder daughter while the little daughter had sided with the mom. The dad was the judge. Their compartment rang with battle cries! It was a LUDO match. 'KILL THE YELLOW ONE IN FRONT OF YOUUU!' 'LUBAINAAAAA! DIE! DIE! DIE' 'NOOOOOOO' 'Calm down, calm down, it's just a game' 'I WILL NOT GIVE UP WITHOUT A FIGHT'.. Oh well, the mom won at the end. Very soon, they were sleepy only to find out the there were no blankets left for their compartment. But, yeah. They had a bed sheet in one of their gaziilion bags and the dad got off at the next station and bought chaddar too. The elder daughter came out in the halfway, engrossed in her book again while the rest of them slept. But, the lights were only turned off only after the little brother got done with his 'Sock Puppet Show'..

World War III? Probably.

And, they closed the compartment's door. Where was I? Oh yeah, Langdon. He kept me company during the night while the elder daughter was lost in Cecelia Ahern's words. Oh, and know what? We reached Lahore two hours early the next day!

And, I thought I'll get bored. 

Note from Lubaina: We're two brothers and two sisters in reality. But, one of my brother's was already in Lahore. This story would have been more dramatic with him and his theatrical antics though :P

Next stop: Kamra. Finally :D

Note for the wise: the doodles above have been doodled by me. I'd like it if these are not plagiarized :)

Moving, Yet Again (Take 1)

Featuring: Barney Nutcase Family and Habshis. (What could be better? :') )
In case I forget when I turn eighty: both the names above are of the amazing-estestestest family and best-estestest group of friends I found at Karachi :)

So much to write, such little time.

To make it short: I’m done with my A Levels, no school anymore. *sigh* *And, another sigh* And, I moved, yet again, from Karachi to Kamra (Yeah, you might have to Google-ofy this city, it’s near Attock but unknown to even most of the Pakis) *SIIIIIGH*

The timetable and 'Past Paper Count' I had pasted on my wall during CIEs.
Won't be needing this anymore :D

 I’ll be starting off with my Out Of the Odds in a few weeks, but before that, this traveler owes the world a story. A story of all the sdfghjklgfdvbfrt-esses (Read: I do not have words to describe all that happened as we left Karachi and came to Kamra)

Note for the wise: If I were the reader and not the writer here, I would probably have closed this blog post by now and moved onto a read that actually makes sense.

Still reading? Well, no matter what happens, remember this:

My newest obsession: Hand-lettering :D

Yeah, before telling my friends or gulping down the news of ‘moving, yet again’ that was stuck like a huge bite of burger that refused to go in while making me seem like the most uncivilized person as the mayo plastered my face, and clothes too... Ok, this is a weird expression. But, oh well. I doodled this 'Life is but an ADVENTURE' poster knowing that whatever happens, does happen for the best. Sounds cliched, but oh well. I write' oh well' too much no? Oh well...

And then, I got down to texting my friends and letting them know that I’ll be moving the very next day of our last exam. Hahaha, yeah, many of my ‘Barney Nutcase Family’ members were ready to kidnap me and keep me in Karachi. You know, it’s not such a bad idea. And then, in came their tries of working out a ‘Farewell Party’ for me on the last day of our exam. Maaaayyyyyyyn, I love them :’)

Also, they made me feel as if I’m sick and going to die :3.. Yeah, that was the level of effort they were putting in as they wanted me to leave Karachi HAPPY-LY. And, I did :D

After the exam what is worth being remembered is the baffoonry at Amara’s home after exam, then the ultra-mega-acts-of-awesome-ness at the Grill House (them lot made a freakin’ tower of cans as the waiters and Manager of that place gave us ‘the eyes’. If only looks could drive us out of a restaurant :3) and then off to PAF Museum for the rides :D Too childish? Meh. We’re young B) We battled it out in the dodging cars SIX TIMES! By the end of it, most of us had aching arms and disoriented noses and rattled teeth and churning stomachs. (No, no, thankfully we had no accidents :3) Bbuuuuut, it was worth it.

By the way, this hangout had the largest turn up of all the hangouts of the two years!

See, I’m loved xD

The Dodging Cars all lined up :D
It's not a clear picture, but it sums up the essence of it :')

If this wasn’t enough. As soon as I got back home I had another group of friends ready to take me to the Arenaaaaa ^_^

Did I write how loved I felt that day? 

Oh and I fell during Ice Skating at the Arena. Lubaina has a good day and no accidents happen? Hahaha. Wait. HAHHAHAHHAHAHAHA. Never happens.

Buuut, the best part about the ice skating rink was GIRL POWER XD Mayn, I’ve been waiting to write this down since daaaayyysssss. The guys in the rink didn’t really know how to ice skate while us girls whizzed passed them in attempts of making them fall down (Yeah, call us evil.. But then, Meeshal and I did get paid back by falling down ourselves too, no?)

I had a good good day :’)

Only to wake up the next morning with high fever and a back ache ‘cause of the fall during ice skating. But, that story’s for another day. For now, I have stupid study to do to get an admission at a stupid medical college. They say, we need to stay positive. Soooo, I guess it’ll be ‘veerrryyy niiiccceee’ study to do to get into a ‘verrryyy niiiiiccceee’ medical college. Don’t judge, I’m not this two-faced the rest of the times.

P.S. FEELS SO GOOOD TO BE BACK ^____^
I’ve missed writing out everything random-ly-lame-ly-weird-no-matter-what-it-is at my blog :’)

Meeshal, Maheen, Kajol, Sadia, Mehraz, Moaaz, Khushhal, Junaid, Mehraz, Amara, Najam, Tooba, Saad Haseeb, Saad Rafi, Ubaid, Hassaan AK (Hassaan Akhrot Khan :p), Zeest, Wasti, Aqsa Bongi, Minahil, Rija, Iqra and Abdullah.

YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME ^_^ 

I OWE THE LAST DAYS AT KARACHI KI HAPPINESS TO YOU GUYS ^_^
(Yeah, even though most of the above probably won't read this post 'cause they're 'too cool with the shades on' or too engrossed in the 'entry test studies'. But, this post would've been incomplete without their mention. So, yeah)