Khanabadosh...

Another new chapter in my life started four months ago. I have relocated to Sydney and started a new job. This relocation was very exhausting. There were a lot of things that I had to take care of and look after during this relocation. It all started with a job offer I got from a renowned company in Sydney. The job seemed good; I was happy with the money, and the role also looked promising. After little thought, I decided to accept the offer and I resigned from my Brisbane job. This triggered a long to-do list. I had to leave my apartment in Brisbane in the same condition as it was when I leased it, with literally no spots on the wall or on the floor. Then I have to arrange for a removalist to move my stuff from Brisbane to Sydney and put it in storage till I find a new place in Sydney. So, completing all the pending work at my current job, searching for cleaners who could make a good exit, cleaning my apartment, finding a reasonable removalist company along with storage, looking for a new apartment in Sydney, booking tickets to Sydney and arranging a hotel stay for some initial days were some of the main tasks that I had to do. When I found the cleaner and removalist, they came with a little added drama. The cleaner had his appointment list full and had his own work timings; the removalists had a different day to pick up stuff from my apartment, which was again different from the end date of my apartment lease; and my last working day at the office was a totally different day. Having to synchronise tasks and manage timing for all these activities consumed a lot of my brain power, and I had to arrange a stay in a hotel in Brisbane additionally. However, all the tasks were done completely and in the way I wanted, and I prepared to say good bye to Brisbane. On the final day, 2 hours before the flight, I booked the flight tickets, and during the flight takeoff, I booked a hotel in Sydney. When I arrived in Sydney, I submitted an application for an apartment, which was approved, and after a week, I shifted there. The new job seemed to be fine. My new apartment was not as stylish as my previous one was, but it was still the best option I had at that moment. It took me some weeks to settle down in the new suburb. I already had some acquaintances in that suburb. Therefore, it was a relief to me that at least my social life here in Sydney would be better than in Brisbane. My new apartment was bigger than the previous one, so I had to buy a lot of new furniture for it. After settling down, the next big thing was to get a driving license. Unfortunately, a Pakistani licence cannot be converted into an Australian licence directly. One has to pass a written and practical driving test first. Driving in Sydney is very different from Lahore. There are a lot of rules and signs to follow. The law is strict and people do follow it. A practical driving test is a nightmare. They won’t let you pass it easily on the first attempt. You have to be very careful during a test. One small mistake and you fail. I had been driving in Pakistan for many years, but the practical test troubled me a lot. I had to take classes from driving instructors and failed the test twice. Finally, after some effort and spending lots of money, I passed the test. The next thing was to buy a car. There are so many choices here in Sydney as compared to Pakistan. But luckily, things here are straight-forward, and there are seldom any chances of dealers lying about the history of cars. You can also search for the details of a second-hand car on the internet before you buy it. After buying a car, the next best thing that happened was the birth of my second child. My daughter, Mysha.

It’s been four months since I moved to Sydney, but it seems like a really long time. I have finally decided now to stay in Sydney as long as I am in Australia. I don’t want to experience relocation again now. I am done with them. In Sha Allah, the only relocation I am looking forward to now is the one when I will relocate back to Lahore permanently.

2012: A year in review – My Challenges

Here goes 2012. Apparently, the apocalypse didn't happen this year. But my personal life did face some tremors and I am still feeling their after-shocks. 2012 started with a bang. In December 2011, I resigned from Telenor and decided to relocate to Australia with my family. So at the start of January, I wrapped up everything from Islamabad and moved back to Lahore. Islamabad is a beautiful and nice city. But personally, I would still prefer Lahore over it at any cost. Anyway, on January 24th, I flew to Australia along with my wife and son. The initial few weeks were very exhausting for me mentally; settling up in a new country; looking for a place to live; buying household stuff; getting familiar with the new environment and system; and starting a whole new job and company. Apart from all this, the very fact that I didn't have any acquaintances or friends in the new city to help me out, so to make myself accustomed to everything was the biggest challenge of my life. Luckily, by the grace of Allah, I didn't face much difficulty. Thanks to an office assignment, I got a chance to live in Sydney in April or May. During that time, I came to know that my mother was suffering from Hepatitis C. Apart from that, I have faced an awful personal experience in my life. The whole month of June and afterwards became very tough for me emotionally. I got homesick and, at times, regretted coming to Australia. It took me a few months to find ample peace to live with it. I visited Pakistan in October and there I almost forgot that I had not been living there for the past 9 months. After coming back, I went back again to that old feeling, but after a few weeks, I again found peace. As I said, I could still feel the after-shocks at times.

Overall, it was a challenging year for me and my family. It was an emotionally very tough year for me, and it was my fault that I let my emotions drive me. This year tested me on many personal grounds. In spite of all those tests, I am still here, steadfast and rock steady. I guess now I should now wait for the rewards of those tests.

The previous year has also made me realise how blessed I am by Allah for having such a fortunate family and friends.

Maths of Life

I am a strong believer in Makafat-e-amal. I believe everyone faces the consequences of their actions in their lives. What goes around comes around. If you intentionally hurt someone or harm someone emotionally, physically, mentally, or financially, then sooner or later you will also face that pain. If you are the source of happiness for someone, then someday someone else will provide you with happiness. Life always does its maths and gives the results, even in the end. I have faced it. This is sometimes the only thing that keeps me from exacting vengeance on those who have wronged me. I try to forgive people and rest my case in the hands of Allah. Sooner or later, the truth will be revealed. The true faces of people are exposed, and everyone is rewarded and punished for their actions. I always try to be true to people and help them selflessly with good intentions and with everything I have, because I know that sooner or later, I will be rewarded for that. It is difficult to forgive people or to help someone wholeheartedly from whom you can’t expect any favor, but then life is very unpredictable, and you never know in which phase of it you need happiness the most. You may find sorrow instead. Simply have faith in Allah, be patient, and do good to everyone you meet without any ill will. In the end, it will take you down the road to success and happiness.

I am vulnerable...

These days, I am going through a very difficult phase in my life. A recent incident just showed me how vulnerable I am. During the past few weeks, I have put everything at stake... My life... my career... my relationship... my family. I just can’t believe in myself that I have been so stupid and foolish. In going through everything, I hurt the person who is closest to me, even though that person doesn’t have to do anything with it. I feel very guilty about myself. In my heart, I regret a lot of decisions I made in my life. I can’t turn back all those decisions... I am too far from that now... But from now on, I can only make it work better. Even though I feel I don’t have the courage to make things better, I know I must do so... as it will be good for me, my wife, my son, and my family. May Allah help me during this phase of my life.

Only Hope floats in deep end of Ocean...

There are moments in life when all you just need are a few words of affection; a slight assertion of hope; and a little appreciation, even though they are not meant and are coated with layers of lies. These small things can help you to move forward in life and give you courage to fight against the odds that you face in life. Sometimes all that you need is just one person who stands beside you, who believes in you and assures you that, in the end, everything will be fine; that person’s assurance that "All the obstacles and problems are transitory. If good times are not there, then surely bad times won’t last that long. A little hard work and patience are all that is needed. And in the end, it will make everything fine". This small piece of hope can do wonders in your life and help you achieve things you might not have even thought about. That small stone of hope transforms into a mountain of strength. Patience and believe that everything happens for a reason and it's only there to make you stronger so that you can value the reward at the end, which you will get.

I have seen people who are deprived of hope. They left things in the middle during difficult times in their lives. They don’t fight back for something of value and back out during such situations. Even when they are close to their destination, they quit their journey. I believe that each journey enriches our experience. It extends our limits beyond our own and others' imaginations and prepares us to achieve greater things. Times do change, and they change for the good. The best thing that one learns from difficult times is that the person discovers their ability to survive, and it makes one strong enough to deal with such situations in the end. In life, not everything goes according to what you had planned. But you can always try and struggle for it to make it work. And the right people always take something good from the unplanned things that life offers them, and they make them worthwhile by shaping them according to what they have planned. I have personally experienced a lot of such situations. I have failed a hundred times, but I have never let a failure drain my energy and hope. And with each failure, I have always learned something new, which has led me to a way of success which I had never planned.

Democra(c/z)y

I earlier thought that I would be voting for Imran Khan in the coming elections. But now I have decided I won’t be voting for anyone. It’s not like that I am in favour or against any particular political party or personality. It’s just that I do not support the idea of democrazy (democracy) anymore. I am very much against the idea of men ruling over men, whether in the form of aristocracy or democracy. Democracy is more suitable for welfare states where government officials have high moral values and have strict accountability. But in third world countries like Pakistan, where governments are corrupt and ruthless and people are divided into different sects, races, and castes, and where more than half of the population is illiterate, their minds are always occupied with earning enough to buy bread for their family at the end of the day. In such societies, democracy is greatly abused by powerful people. Meritocracy can be a good alternative, meanwhile, for such states.

2011: A year in review – Extending the Limits...

At the beginning of every year, I am in the habit of writing a post in which I highlight the important events of the previous year and the changes they made in my life. I couldn't do so for 2011. Since the beginning of this year, I have been very busy. Now, after more than 6 months, I have found an opportunity and I don’t want to stop this tradition. Let me start with my memories of 2011.

The year started with me and my wife shifting to Islamabad. I rented the ground portion of the house in the G10/4 sector. Its area was 5 marla (or may be less than that), and I was paying Rs. 18000 as rent, which was way less than the rent of other houses in the same area (as told to me). The house was definitely not worth it, but I didn’t have any other option and I didn’t want to live in guest houses anymore. We lived in that house for almost two and a half months, and then I went to Norway for one month. I had a skiing accident over there and got a brief concussion. Meanwhile, my sister from the UK visited Lahore. It was fun to spend time with her and her kids. In May, I had my firstborn. It was the happiest day of my life. I lived in a guest house for 2 months during that period in F8. Later that July, my family returned to Islamabad, and I rented a house at G11. It was a pretty nice place. In September, I got Australian immigration, and I started making up my mind about what I should do. Meanwhile, one of my really good friends lost his parents in a row, my brother got dengue, I had awful experiences at work and lost a friend at my workplace, and I have been travelling between Islamabad and Lahore back and forth. In November, I again visited Norway for the last time. During that trip, I got a job offer from an Australian company. I have decided to opt for that option. On my return, I resigned from Telenor and started preparing myself to face a new era in my life.

In short, if I conclude 2011, I will say it was a very hectic year for me because of all the travelling between cities, multiple relocations, and adjusting to a totally new city on my own. The good part was, in the end, it made me realise how far I could extend my limit. But if I ever come across a similar situation again, I think I will never again take decisions in that way in which I took them in 2011.

Happy life to you all....