Tackling the mess...

Yeah, so whenever I go on vacation, I try to take the clothes the kids will outgrow (and those that they have already outgrown) so that I can leave them there and buy new ones.
This year, on account of a huge slash in the weight limit allowed on the airline of our choice, most of such stuff was distributed here only. The more essential things were packed. It was only when I was at the Airline counter, that I was told that the weight limit is still the same (ARGH!). Point to remember for future visits.
See, living abroad, we do not have the luxury of having storerooms (or storage) in the aparetment we live in, so every space and nook and cranny needs to be optimized for maximum storage. Every vacation trip means new stuff bought back from home, and for it to go in those storage spaces (optimized!!) something better come out.
Thus, another sorting needs to be done after vacations, as there are clothes that the kids have outgrown DURING the vacations and there are things that my husband and I no longer can wear (due to various reasons, from fashion to weight [less said, the better])...
So back at it ... the season will change again soon hopefully, we will get to use the woolies this year (unlike last year, when they were all taken out and put right back in after 2 months in anticipation of chilly winds without them being touched). There will be a debate in various gatherings on whether we get to see winter or not, as the mercury here has been consistent now as it was before the summer break.
My kids (as per the cartoon above) are brilliant at occupying small open and empty spaces with their stuff, in rooms other that their own, as their own room does not provide them the luxury of small open and empty spaces. For this they look towards me, and I oblige them once a month. My son is a bookworm and he has taken after me to read books and pile them up one upon the other, where they can tip and spill over with the slightest touch. Sigh!
I know I have a clean side to me as well, why couldnt he have taken after me that way! Now as I prepare my tools of the trade (empty cartons, empty shopping bags), wish me luck! I'm getting serious!

Back from Vacations

asalam alaikum
       Its been a week since I got back alhamdolillah, and what a vacation it was.
       Man plans and thinks up so many things to do once you go back to your home country and have 2 months+ at your disposal and then Allah shows us that no matter what we have planned for and how, it will only happen as Allah wants it to. So plan all you may, but do say InshaAllah, so that not only Allah makes it possible but also makes it easy.
       Karachi never fails to welcome me, alhamdolillah, and the moment you come out of the airport ... the weather was such a welcome break from the heat I left behind. Then, it shows you its other face ;) (Karachi I mean :P)
       This time, I could only get in touch with a handful of people from Karachi but I did manage to meet up with a lot of those who live abroad or outside Karachi. July means rains and the strange things was that this year the rains were very early, they started back in June and the first week I was there, the kids had a great time soaking theirselves to their bones in the rain.Rain water tastes so good, doesnt it :)
       Upcountry it was a different picture and slowly and gradually, floods started and the areas devastated by the flood continued to grow as the days progressed. Ironically, people were praying for rain and then, they came and stayed and the waters didnt recede nor evaporate but just kept growing and growing from 1000s of cusecs to 100,000s cusecs in the various rivers and streams and canals all over the country, wiping away villages and towns and changed the entire geography of Pakistan's irrigation system.
       Ramazan started soon after and rescue and relief operations started off and continue to date. There were millions of people stuck in thick muddy water, flowing at a dangerous rate, taking away huge stretches of roads, bridges, buildings, trees, plantation, vehicles, livestock and human beings.
       People opened up their hearts and homes to those who had lost everything in the floods. If I focus on the good deeds, alhamdolillah, they are enough to make us get back to living as they were before the flood, but unfortunately, there are elements that bring out the worst in people and this summer, we happened to see how people exploited others and used boats to steal from those who had fled their homes and they also continue their crimes. Good deeds and good people will eventually overcome those who are bad or do bad, if others join in and put in their two cents, inshaAllah with Allah's will.
       The current state of affairs is pretty bleak all over the world, and the reason I wasnt updating my blog was because I wanted something good to happen, so that I could write on a cheerful note. My mistake was that I wasnt looking in the right place... if you look for trouble, you are bound to run into it. So, Im not looking for it anymore.
        Im not turning a blind eye to the evils in the society, rather, I'm looking towards the good things and looking for ways where I can improve with my teeny tiny effort. InshaAllah, as conditions worsen, they are bound to pick up and so the flood effectees are moving back home, the water is receeding.
           We will have a tough time getting back on our feet as a country but inshaAllah, get up we will and move on too. Anything can happen, if only you believe (and I do).
Take care.
masalama.