Merry Christmas (though it's a week late) and Happy New Year!

Yup, I'm a slacker!

So Christmas was fairly decent, though SO different! It was about 20 degrees celsius outside, no snow, no Christmas tree, no presents, no family. But we had a nice time regardless.

Christmas eve was spent at the Colonel's house. We played a present swapping game, ate delicious food, drank, and were visited by a naughty Santa.

Just a bunch of Canadians on Christmas eve

Me, opening the pashmina I got from Santa (the Colonel)

On Christmas day, Rod, myself and two of our guy friends went out and did touristy things. 

 Like visiting Saidpur Village, which I love so dearly

 Chilling with monkeys on the Margalla Hills

 Going to see Faisal Mosque up close for the first time

 Everyone wanted a photo with the white people

 Hanging out at Rawal Lake (which really isn't much to write home about)

And having Thai food for dinner at Wild Rice in the Serena Hotel

I attempted to stay awake until 2am (damn you time zones) to Skype with the fam, and I only was able to see a few of them for literally 2 minutes because the connection was so shit (and it wasn't me this time!) which was really unfortunate, especially because I was tired, cranky, and missing home, and had stayed up WAY past my bedtime for nothing. Oh well. So I cried, and then dried my tears and went to bed so that Rod wouldn't know. "You shouldn't have come if you were going to miss them!" LOL are you for real? Of course I'm going to miss them, how could I not? But I'm still going to go out and live my life, and sure, I'll miss them along the way, no doubt about it, but I don't normally get that down about it. Ah well.

Then New Years Eve was pretty low key. We had signed up to go to the Brit Club and/or French Club but instead we just went to the Canada Club, watched the hockey game, drank by the fire, listened to Rod play the guitar, and got wasted. A little too wasted. It doesn't happen often at all though, so I guess it's okay to let loose every once in awhile. Except I was laid out on the couch for the entirety of New Years Day, which was a complete waste. 

Did anyone make any resolutions this year? I never do, but I decided I would this year. 

Get healthy, quit smoking, save money for a down payment on a house, travel travel travel, and quit biting my nails are among them. Hopefully I'll keep to most, if not all, of them! *fingers crossed*

A job and a Christmas party.

Sorry that I haven't written in awhile, but I haven't had a whole lot to say.

I started work this past Wednesday. I am super excited about it, and I hope I'm good at it, as it will look amazing on my resume when I return to Canada, and hopefully will lead to something bigger and better.

On the first day I went to have lunch with the High Commissioner, who hosts a welcome lunch every 2 or 3 months for all the newcomers. It just so happened that it was on my first day, which was a bit nerve wracking but he's very easy to talk to and not at all intimidating.

Then yesterday I went to a luncheon at the Brit Club, I'm not entirely sure what it was for, but I think it was for everyone in the Immigration Departments, from all the missions in Islamabad. I met a really nice Norwegian guy and there was good food and free alcohol. :)

That night was the work Christmas party, which was a lot of fun! I dragged Rod along with me, and he got to meet some of my colleagues, there was a turkey feast, more free alcohol, a band, and we sang Christmas carols, which really helped to put me in the Christmas spirit. It's quite hard to get in that spirit when you're a Canadian and there's no snow and it's 15 degrees outside, the trees still have leaves on them, though they are losing them, there aren't any decorations on the houses. It's just really odd to be in a Muslim country during Christmas. But what can you do?