Happy New Year!

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Tomorrow will be another New Year.Year 2010!New day, new blessings.Don't let yesterday's failure ruin the beauty of today.Blessings of God are new every morning.Today has its own promise of love, forgiveness, joy and success.Happy New Year to all my friends in the blogging world.Let's hope for the best in the year 2010.

Remembering Benazir Bhutto

Today is Benazir Bhutto's second death anniversary.
Benazir Bhutto was the first lady to rule any muslim country in this world. She was also one of the most influencial leaders of South Asia.

Benazir Bhutto was born in Karachi, Pakistan to a prominent political family. At the age of 16 she left her homeland to study at Harvard’s Radcliffe College. After completing her undergraduate degree at Radcliffe she studied at England’s Oxford University, where she was awarded a second degree in 1977.

Later that year she returned to Pakistan where her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, had been elected prime minister, but days after her arrival, the military seized power and her father was imprisoned. In 1979 he was hanged by the military government of General Zia Ul Haq.

Bhutto herself was also arrested many times over the following years, and was detained for three years before being permitted to leave the country in 1984. She settled in London, but along with her two brothers, she founded an underground organization to resist the military dictatorship. When her brother died in 1985, she returned to Pakistan for his burial, and was again arrested for participating in anti-government rallies.

She returned to London after her release, and martial law was lifted in Pakistan at the end of the year. Anti-Zia demonstrations resumed and Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan in April 1986. The public response to her return was tumultuous, and she publicly called for the resignation of Zia Ul Haq, whose government had executed her father.

She was elected co-chairwoman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) along with her mother, and when free elections were finally held in 1988, she herself became Prime Minister. At 35, she was one of the youngest chief executives in the world, and the first woman to serve as prime minister in an Islamic country.

Only two years into her first term, President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dismissed Bhutto from office. She initiated an anti-corruption campaign, and in 1993 was re-elected as Prime Minister. While in office, she brought electricity to the countryside and built schools all over the country. She made hunger, housing and health care her top priorities, and looked forward to continuing to modernize Pakistan.

At the same time, Bhutto faced constant opposition from the Islamic fundamentalist movement. Her brother Mir Murtaza, who had been estranged from Benazir since their father’s death, returned from abroad and leveled charges of corruption at Benazir’s husband, Asif Ali Zardari. Mir Murtaza died when his bodyguard became involved in a gunfight with police in Karachi. The Pakistani public was shocked by this turn of events and PPP supporters were divided over the charges against Zardari.

In 1996 President Leghari of Pakistan dismissed Benazir Bhutto from office, alleging mismanagement, and dissolved the National Assembly. A Bhutto re-election bid failed in 1997, and the next elected government, headed by the more conservative Nawaz Sharif, was overthrown by the military. Bhutto’s husband was imprisoned, and once again, she was forced to leave her homeland. For nine years, she and her children lived in exile in London, where she continued to advocate the restoration of democracy in Pakistan. In the autumn of 2007, in the face of death threats from radical Islamists, and the hostility of the government, she returned to her native country.

Although she was greeted by enthusiastic crowds, within hours of her arrival, her motorcade was attacked by a suicide bomber. She survived this first assassination attempt, although more than 100 bystanders died in the attack. With national elections scheduled for January 2008, her Pakistan People’s Party was poised for a victory that would make Bhutto prime minister once again. Only a few weeks before the election, the extremists struck again. After a campaign rally in Rawalpindi, a gunman fired at her car before detonating a bomb, killing himself and more than 20 bystanders. Bhutto was rushed to the hospital, but soon succumbed to injuries suffered in the attack. In the wake of her death, rioting erupted throughout the country. The loss of the country’s most popular democratic leader has plunged Pakistan into turmoil, intensifying the dangerous instability of a nuclear-armed nation in a highly volatile region.(Source)

Merry Christmas To All!

Christmas Glitter GraphicsWishing all my blogger friends around the world, A very MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Afrikaans - een plesierige kerfees
Arabic - I'D MIILAD SAID OUA SANA SAIDA
Argentine - Felices Pasquas Y felices ano Nuevo
Armenian - Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand
Azeri - Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun
Basque - Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!
Bohemian - Vesele Vanoce
Brazilian - Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo
Breton - Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat
Bulgarian - Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo
Chinese - (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan (Catonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun
Cornish - Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth
Cree - Mitho Makosi Kesikansi
Croatian - Sretan Bozic
Czech - Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok
Danish - Glædelig Jul
Dutch - Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!
English - Merry Christmas
Esperanto - Gajan Kristnaskon
Estonian - Ruumsaid juuluphi
Farsi - Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad
Finnish - Hyvaa joulua
French - Joyeux Noel
Frisian - Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!
German - Froehliche Weihnachten
Greek - Kala Christouyenna!
Hawaiian - Mele Kalikimaka
Hebrew - Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova
Hindi - Shub Naya Baras
Hungarian - Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket
Icelandic - Gledileg Jol
Indonesian - Selamat Hari Natal
Iraqi - Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Irish - Nollaig Shona Dhuit
Italian - Buone Feste Natalizie
Japanese - Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Korean - Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Latvian - Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!
Lithuanian - Linksmu Kaledu
Manx - Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa
Maori - Meri Kirihimete
Marathi - Shub Naya Varsh
Navajo - Merry Keshmish
Norwegian - God Jul
Pennsylvania German - En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!
Polish - Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia
Portuguese - Boas Festas
Rapa-Nui - Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua
Rumanian - Sarbatori vesele
Russian - Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom
Serbian - Hristos se rodi
Slovakian - Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce
Sami - Buorrit Juovllat
Samoan - La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou
Scots Gaelic - Nollaig chridheil huibh
Serb-Croatian - Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina
Singhalese - Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
Slovak - Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok
Slovene - Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto
Spanish - Feliz Navidad
Swedish - God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År
Tagalog - Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon
Tamil - Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal
Thai - Sawadee Pee Mai
Turkish - Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian - Srozhdestvom Kristovym
Urdu - Naya Saal Mubarak Ho
Vietnamese - Chung Mung Giang Sinh
Welsh - Nadolig Llawen
Yugoslavian - Cestitamo Bozic
Papua New Guinea - Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu

A Nose for a Nose, Ears for Ears

This the latest news in Lahore today.A Pakistani court has ordered that two men have their ears and noses cut off, as punishment for doing the same to a woman who refused to marry one of them.The two brothers were found guilty of kidnapping 20-year-old Fazeelat Bibi, one of their cousins, in September.The judge in Lahore also sentenced them to life in prison.Sentence was passed on Monday under a rarely invoked Islamic law dating from the 1980s. In the past, similar sentences have been revoked on appeal.Government prosecutor Ehtisham Qadir said the punishment had been awarded in accordance with the Islamic principle of "an eye for an eye".I hope a lot of abused women out there will fight for their case too.Kudos to the judge.Sentences like this will bring fear to those who would commit this crimes in future.For more of the news, read here and here.

Gold, part of the Bride's Dowry

In Pakistani tradition, you have to give dowry if your daughter get married.Mostly, it consist of household appliances, household furnitures, beddings, house decors,plates, pans , cutleries all kitchen things, clothes, gold(jewelry sets), gifts to the inlaws(in the form of clothes/jewelries,etc.), and sometimes if the bride's family is very rich, even a house & lot and a car is also provided.The bridal dress is mostly adorned with embroidery using gold wires,precious stones and beads.

Click on the badges to see more entries.

My Holiday Wish

I feel bored tonight so I decided to answer some quizzes, and true enough, this is what I really want on Christmas.

Your Holiday Wish is Being with Family and Friends

The holidays are near and dear to your heart. You don't need much to make you happy this time of year. As long as you're able to be near the people you love most, you are content. It's really that simple. You want nothing more than a full house of people celebrating the season. It doesn't matter if it's your house or not, just as long as everyone is there. And if someone doesn't happen to be around during the holidays, you think about him or her often. You get very sentimental this time of year.

What's Your Holiday Wish?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

Violence Against Pakistani Women

Violence against women is rampant around the world.Here in Pakistan, especially in the villages and other rural areas, women are still abuse, humiliated, beheaded, burn alive either with acid or kerosene.The worst part is that they were abused by their own family members, the people that are supposed to protect them, are the ones committing these barbaric crimes.To whom, they can ask for help?I really pity these women, I just hope, one day, they will all unite to stop this violence.But the process, is very slow.......because they are scared that they will be disowned by their family members and they have nobody to turn to.

Naveed & Madiha's Wedding

Naveed is my husband's cousin.We attended his wedding last week.Though, I taken a lot of pics,I'm only sharing those with red, because this is my entry for Ruby Tuesday this week.Thanks to Mary T for hosting this wonderful meme.

I'm inviting everyone to join Ruby Tuesday.

Mellow Yellow Monday

Seen this lovely hibiscus in my friend's garden today.I was not able to join MYM for few weeks because I ran out of pics with a dash of yellow :( To join the fun, click on the badge.

3 Year Old Girl Killed Because of Doctor's Negligence

This incident has been in the news nowadays here in Lahore, in Tv and in print.This cute little girl named Imanae Malik was injected with the wrong medicine, obviously prescribed by an inexperienced doctor.Her parents are seeking justice for her death.
Full Story
Photos from www.imanae.co.uk

A Very Sad Wedding Day

I was crying while reading this news today.I felt so much pity to the bride.Pastor Ed Gabuat of the Miracle of Life, a Born Again Christian church, said tears were rolling down the faces of everyone in attendance when they saw the bride, who was carrying her baby, walk toward the altar with her groom's coffin being pushed beside her. The groom was one of five staffers of Periodico Ini, a Koronadal City-based weekly newspaper, killed in the Maguindanao Massacre last November 23.For more of the news, read
here.

Tikka Boti Kebab

We had a barbecue party on our rooftop the other night.Tikka Boti kebab is one of my favourite grilled items here in Pakistan.Here's the recipe:

Ingredients: 1 kg. mutton/beef/lamb (cubed), 4 tbsps. raw papaya paste, 1 tbsp. garlic paste, 1 tbsp. ginger paste, 1 teaspoon salt , one half cup yoghurt, 1 teaspoon chili powder
Instructions:Mix all the spices, including yoghurt and papaya paste.Coat the meatcubes with it.Marinate for 6-8 hours or preferably overnight.Thread on skewers and grill for 5-6 minutes on each side or until done.Serve with Naan, Onion rings, Mint Chutney.Serving:3-4 persons

It's Eid-ul-adha!

Eid-Ul-Adha is also known as the day of sacrifice or the feast of sacrifice or commonly as Bakr-Eid, the celebrations start after the Haj. The first day of Eid-Ul–Adha is celebrated on the tenth day of Duhl-Hijja, that is the last month of the Islamic year. The festival is celebrated to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his only son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God. However, God provided a ram in place once Ibrahim demonstrated his willingness to follow God's commands.Muslims, who can afford to do so, offer domestic animals, usually sheep, as a symbol of Ibrahim's sacrifice. The meat is distributed for consumption to family, friends and to the poor and needy. In this occasion, I would like to extend my heartfelt wishes to my Muslim brothers and sisters, May everyone have a blessed Eid!

Condemn the Maguindanao Massacre!

This incident happened in Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao in Ampatuan, Maguindanao.It's very near my hometown, Kidapawan City.Killings, massacres, kidnappings are very rampant in this area while I was growing up but never I heard such incident as brutal and barbaric as this one.For more stories read here and here.View more slideshows.

Sunday in ICU

I promised my sons to watch the Snake Show yesterday but I was admitted at ICU, Mayo Hospital due to abnormal heartbeat.I went up and down the 15-step stairs three times, since my bedroom is located uptairs.I was bringing the laundry down because it's wash day.On the 3rd time, I almost fainted and my heart was beating too fast and I felt severe pain in my heart.I was crying due to the pain.So I was rushed to the hospital.I was immediately rushed to ICU, and doctors tried to normalized my heartbeat.I thought, I was gonna die, because after 2 hours of trying, my heartbeat is 240/ minute.they don't have choice but to give me electric shock.I refused.I told them, if my heart stop beating, then do it.The heart speacialist who was off duty but summoned, came at that moment, luckily, with massage and a lot of injections, my heartbeat was normalized, so do with my blood pressure.So now, on doctor's advice, no housework for me, bedrest if possible.How can I, when I have 3 sons to take care and a good househelp is impossible to find in this country.A lot of Filipina domestic helpers here, but honestly, I can't afford to pay $500/month.

Ruby Tuesday #4

To see more photos, go Maryt site.

Mellow Yellow Monday #6

.
This post is in response to my friend's request,
Liza in Brunei.She wants to see my family.Well, it's only me and my kids Liz because my husband is always the one taking photos.
This my entry for this week's

Head on to Drowsey Monkey's site for more photos with a dash of yellow.

Salwar Kameez, the National Dress

When my friends found out that I'm maried to a Pakistani, the first thing they usually ask is, "So you are wearing salwar kameez?"(with a hint of mockery)What's wrong with wearing it, even famous people are spotted using this type of dress. Salwar Kameez is the national dress here,so I also have to wear it or else people will keep staring at me if I wear jeans and T-shirt. When we wear it, we usually use a long scarf or shawl called dupatta around the neck or to cover the head.

Ruby Tuesday #3 Hibiscus

Mellow Yellow Monday #5

Seen this flower on the roadside yesterday.Sorry, the photo is not clear.I used my phone since I didn't bring my camera.

Click the logo to visit the blog. Feel free to join this wonderful meme especially if you love yellow. Thanks to Drowsey Monkey for hosting this photo meme. Happy MYM!

Halloween Greetings

Happy Halloween To ALL!
Halloween Graphic Comments
Halloween Graphic Comments

DST Ends Today

Pakistan will end its daylight saving time (DST) at midnight (00:00) between Saturday, October 31, and Sunday, November 1, 2009, which will see the clocks move back by one hour. Lucky me, I can sleep another hour in morning.Waking up very early to prepare the kids for school in cold season is really a big problem for me because I am lazy to get up.Anyhow, I'm thankful that summer is over.This summer was the worst, as load shedding (brownouts) was every other hour, due to power shortage that this country is facing.What I've heard, the government decided to start DST on April 15 and end DST on 1st November on an annual basis.

Hillary Clinton in Town

Yes, Hillary Clinton is here in Pakistan, since yesterday.Her visit was not announce for security reasons.I only knew today because I saw her in TV having a dialogue with students here in Lahore.Go
here for more news about her 3-day visit.

Ruby Tuesday #2 Bride

Here's my 2nd entry for:

Mellow Yellow Monday #4

It's Monday once again, time for my favorite meme.To view more photos, or to join , just click on the badge.Thanks to Drowsey Monkey for hosting this wonderful meme.Have a great week ahead!