Among the delights of our current way of living is that weekends take on themes and routines that never become stale. Here, in Egypt, living within an easy stroll of the Valley of Kings, what is there to do but to visit tombs of a weekend. We began with a lunch of koshary at a […]
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To Nubia
It was a long day’s driving, but pleasant as it passed through interesting landscapes of barren hills with a vivid streak of green between, and drab houses made of worn brick, but the walls inside the balconies were painted vivid colours, sometimes with patterns or immense flowers, so I think the houses must not be […]
An upset, of sorts
I spoke to someone back in Pakistan today, and they told me that they voted PTI out of protest – not because they supported it, not because they admired Handsome, but simply out of a sense of fairness and because they wanted to say ‘no’ to those behind the scenes. A thought process that many, […]
Over-committing
As usual I find myself over-committing. A new client I was keen on asked for some work, I said yes. An older client asked for some work, I said yes. Meanwhile, a third client has me working virtually full-time. Well, a couple of weeks to get through.
The day before
The day before the election, telling that this is one of the featured stories on the Dawn website: This morning I spoke to someone in Pakistan who was in a chatty mood, clearly a little excited by the election. He asked me whom I would vote for, I told the truth that in Pakistani elections […]
After the revolution
The last time we were in Egypt was shortly after the Arab Spring, and there was a feeling of hope and dread. This time, hopelessness, of a kind that I feel I see again and again, wherever I go in the world. The mood of this age, a season of ashes. We went for dinner […]
So long lizards
We finished The Bear, as much as has been released last night, and it’s now one of my favourite TV series ever. There was so much to enjoy about it: superb directing, writing and acting, great characters, subtlety, an amazing facility with taking things that are stereotyped or sentimental, and handling them with delicacy to […]
Hard day
A hard day today, I’m not sure why. I woke up feeling trapped by work, though there was not much going on, and then was a bit caught and fumbly at meetings. I had a fairly straightforwaed piece to write and here I am still not-writing it, half an hour after the end of the […]
Ministry of fun
Read a news item that made me grumpy: Nur Khan airbase wants action against ‘pigeon cages’ in vicinity. The basant that I grew up with is gone, the mehfils died long before I was born, and now they want to shut down another graceful urban past-time, and all for a bunch of military planes and […]
Not covid
The GF developed a sore throat last night and this morning woke feeling rather ill. It wasn’t covid if the test is to be believed, so we both remain free of the pest even as it rises again. What a strange time it was, and still is for some people, though I think without all […]