A friend and I drove (were driven) down to Multan today, which is where I am now. It was not a entirely smooth journey, as yesterday the driver who was supposed to take us called in sick with the hiccups so we had to arrange an alternative at some inconvenience. Then we left in the […]
Did they really think
apropos of this post that no one in Lahore cares about air pollution?
Feelin judgy
Someone asked about wireless earphones that could be used in a 15 minute sauna. A sharp intake of breath from all the Finns, and this startling response: We really should be wiped off this planet. The other thing that had me feeling really judgy was this article in the Guardian: ‘I was asked to find […]
A very large box
A sibling was leaving today and taking along a very large oil painting. It couldn’t be removed from the frame as it was hammered in so enthusiastically that there was a risk the canvas would tear. So I had a very large box constructed, a centimetre larger on all sides than the painting, which would […]
Unexpected emotion
The women’s T20 world cup is on; the second innings of the Pakistan/ New Zealand match for a place in the semi-final has only just begun. The Pakistan team is not particularly good, but I found myself welling up a little to see my father watching intently, and even the cook lingering as he cleared […]
Creating a market
I forgot to mention yesterday the ridiculous ad that was played before the film. It was for toilet paper, and clearly a struggle in a society where lotas and hand-held bidets are the default and toilet paper is regarded with some disgust. So they went for toilet paper for drying to avoid humidity around the […]
Mighty wind
Last night there was a mighty storm, an andhi that blew dust and tree branches every where and brought the temperature down by several degrees. Something crashed mightily, bringing three of the four people in the dashing out into the cold wind, but it was too dark and windy to see. I suspected, we all […]
Art attack
Today was the first proper day of the Lahore biennale and also Imran Khan’s birthday, so much of the city was in lockdown against a birthday dharna. In the morning (or, correctly, around noon, which is morning in Lahore) I went to one of the galleries which I thought was likely to be accessible but […]
Change of career
Amidst a whirl of social engagements (of which I dropped the final one of exhaustion), one was a rather ceremonial visit from a relative to thank me for helping his son with his application essays. There is a roaring business in education consultancies these days, people taking lakhs to get children into universities abroad by […]
Old school
Went for a haircut this morning, and it was a step right back into the Lahore I grew up in, complete with a photo of the hairdresser having tea with Princess Diana from the days of Imran Khan’s first wedding, by now probably a stamp of authentication for a certain Lahori pedigree. She’s an old […]