I enjoyed Marina Hyde’s columns in the Guardian, at least the political ones and sometimes the pop culture ones. They were a bit of relief during the horrible UK politics around 2019. But then she went away on a break and came back, and the columns definitely feel quite mean-spirited, especially the pop culture ones […]
blog
Lungis
Went down a rabbit hole of sorts, thinking about lungis, the sarongs worn in Pakistan, now largely by ancient farmworkers, at least in the urban imagination. There must have once been a whole spectrum of them, as they were handwoven. Each region with its own patterns? In Jhang I hear the weave could you tell […]
As usual, late to the game
Finally tried out ChatGPT about six months after all the rest of the world. Even knowing what it’s capable of, it was startling to begin with, but interesting how quickly one started to recognise the non-style of the ChatGPT style, the written equivalent of a composite portrait. I can definitely see that will be useful […]
Dining with the neoliberals
Invited to dinner by a relative I’m fond of and reached to find that she’d also invited a couple of other aunts and uncles. It was an uninteresting evening, though enlivened by a couple of neoliberal uncles of a kind whom I, in my global woke bubble, rarely encounter, so it was refreshing to see […]
Tea time of the new school
Went with a friend to her place. She now lives in the upstairs portion of her grandmother’s house in belated acknowledgement of adulthood whilst an unmarried woman. The joys of being 40. Had tea with her and another friend in this interesting new environment, however conversation was dominated by the punctures on the second friend’s […]
Sacred calling
It’s so bad, Allah forgive me, but for me Buddhism is very interesting. You know, I really like the teaching. It speaks to my heart. My favourite Buddhist teaching is that life is terrible. So true.
Old school tea time
Went to a school friend’s place for tea this afternoon. She and her mother live alone and were our closest neighbours when I was in my teens. We carpooled together. The house looked and felt much the same, but the occupants were older and less angry than they used to be. Age comes to us […]
Lockdowns
This evening I was supposed to go to a birthday dinner, and in fact was supposed to convey some essential components of the dinner including the cake, the candles and a bag of smoked salmon. Then, about half an hour before I was to leave I got a message saying wait. The venue is in […]
News and views
The Dawn newspaper today, with three quite ridiculous headlines of roughly equal seriousness: A journalist of my acquaintance popped by this afternoon and was more despairing than I’ve ever seen him, and this is someone who reported during the terrorism years. I must say, I share his glumness at the tide of unseriousness that has […]
Sinking back
Sinking back into Lahore today, a little underslept, and the usual quiet drowsiness. I feel less at home every time I come, and wonder if I will keep coming when those I wish to be with are no longer there.