Cameras, kitties, and more trips.

Sorry, I am really crap at keeping up with this blog! (I doubt anyone reads it anyway, aside from a few family members I know)

ANYWAY.

There was a bit of a rough patch there, but things are starting to pick back up again. Thank goodness. I nearly bought a plane ticket home, and would have done, if it didn't jump $700 while I was humming and hawing over it and waiting for my boss to give me the go ahead. She never did. And I probably should have just booked it anyway (she would have said yes), but it's too late now.

Although, that being said, they do say everything comes in threes, and I was blindsided by two life altering things in the past month. So I am just waiting for the third bombshell to drop.

There was an earthquake today. I was wondering why my chair was shaking, while I was in my Counter Terrorism training class. Charlotte grabs the handles of her chair, informs me that it's an earthquake, and tells the whole class to get outside. Years of living in Japan has made her uber paranoid about quakes.

Um. Work is still good. I like having a life outside of the Canadians.

I splurged and ordered myself my first DSLR (that's a camera, for you non photography folk) and spent way too much money on it, but it's lovely and I can't wait to figure out how to work the thing properly. I think it was a good investment, seen as we travel all the time.

We've got a trip to Venice and a Mediterranean cruise booked for next month, a trip to the Northern parts of Pakistan is tentatively planned for June or July, and then in October we're off to Egypt and Jordan. We'll go away again in December for Christmas (not Canada - don't get any funny ideas!), then again in March or April of 2014, and then sometime in May or June we'll go on our house hunting trip back in Canada, and then in July we'll be home!

Speaking of house hunting. From time to time I'll look at houses for sale in the areas that we're hoping to be posted to, and I fell in love with one today. I'm sure we won't be posted there, but it's nice to dream.

What else? Oh, I'm having 5 out of 9 tattoos removed. It's probably the most painful thing I've ever put myself through, but no pain, no gain. I'm contemplating having two more removed as well. What stupid ideas I had when I was younger.

K. I think I've rambled on long enough! Here, have a couple photos of the stray kitten I feed (taken with the new camera). She's been around since November and it seems like she hasn't grown at all.

Yesterday

Yesterday was one of the best days that I have had in a very long time.

Ever since September, we have been restricted to using Armoured Vehicles, with a driver, and since there are only so many AV's, when you need to go out, you're supposed to make it as quick as possible. But they lifted that recently, and so yesterday we were able to go out in our own vehicle, by ourselves. It was so nice to be able to just drive ourselves around, especially since I haven't gone out in quite awhile and was starting to feel like a caged animal. (It's not hard to feel that way, when you're surrounded by concrete walls, razor wire, bars on all of the windows and doors, barriers, check points, etc)

So Rod and I had a wonderful time yesterday, we went to the shoemakers to pick up a pair of boots that I was having made, McDonald's for lunch, to the butcher and vegetable market, to the candy shop to pick up some snacks, and to Tribal Arts, which was by far the highlight of the day. We had been trying to go there for several weeks now, but every time we went it was always closed, and finally it was open! And it is my new favourite place, and probably where most of my money is going to go from now on.

It's basically a maze of a shop, full of old pieces of wood, old doors, trunks, cabinets, that the owner, Shirazi, turns into beautiful pieces of furniture. I wasn't really expecting to buy anything, but Rod fell in love with one piece in particular, and so we came away with that, and have another one on hold. I am in love with it, but I want to see if I can find another piece that I like more, and if not, I'll buy it. Rod's will be delivered sometime this week. There were so many things that I wanted there, and it's perfect because we don't really have that much furniture back in Canada, and these are all things that we need. Not to mention that they all have a story to tell, instead of just buying some mass produced piece of furniture at IKEA that everyone else has, and isn't even built that well. The piece that Rod got is going to be a liquor cabinet, it's over 150 years old, made of Rosewood, from Punjab, and was used to store grain. It's beautiful.

 What I put on hold

 What Roderick bought. For $290! Can you believe it?

Then we had Lars and Mike over for a game night. It was Lars' last night here in Islamabad, and he's off to Nairobi for a week and then back to Ottawa. So we played Balderdash and ate junk food and laughed our heads off and had a wonderful time. I'm sure going to miss him. He was a TD, which means Temporary Duty, they come in and out a lot and are only here for 6 weeks. And most often, I tend to like them a lot more than the people who are here permanently, so it's always sad to see them go.

 One of my resolutions is to be healthier, hence the ginger ale while the boys drink Breezers

Once everyone left, I booked the flights for our trip to South Africa next month! I cannot wait. Not only is it Africa and maybe I'll see a lion (and then I can die happy) but I'm going to be staying with one of my best friends, Riki, whom I met when we were both living in the Netherlands. Woohoo :)

And have I mentioned that I am 2 weeks smoke free? Let's hope I can keep it up.

Libra Jewellers

During our first tour of Islamabad, nearly 3 months ago now, we were taken to Libra Jewellers. We had a quick look around and soon forgot about it. Then a couple of weeks ago, D went to pick up a necklace he had made for his wife while we were out and about. Of course, we got to browsing and looking at all the gems and Roderick decided that we should have some things made for me. 

The best part about it is that (like everything else here) you can design it yourself. You get to pick out the gem stones, the setting, the size, the colour, the shape, everything! And it's so affordable! At first, I had a purple amethyst necklace made. The jeweller thought that I was crazy for the way I wanted it to be set (it almost looks like a heart) as he would have set it the other way, to look like a triangle. But I'm so happy with the way it turned out, and am now patiently waiting for the heart shaped earrings that I'm having made to match. Then I had an earring and necklace set made up, of green peridot, because it's my favourite colour. And how amazing do they look with my green shalwar kameez? :) 

Yep, I am spoiled rotten.

A Shoppers Paradise

It's true, Dubai is a shoppers paradise. Before my departure from Pakistan, everyone told me to "go shopping!" I didn't really think it would be as amazing as they made it out to be, but I was wrong, once again. It's got everything from Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Prada, all the other designers that you can think of, to Lush, Bath and Body Works, The Body Shop, Sephora, to Pull & Bear, Bershka, Oysho, and Women'Secret, and many, many more. So after being in Pakistan for two months, which literally has nothing, this was like being in heaven. And I went nuts!

Unfortunately for me, I overpacked (as usual), so now I really don't know how I'm going to fit all of my new purchases in my already stuffed suitcase. I've asked the others if anyone had any extra room for me, but I haven't heard back yet. Keeping my fingers crossed.

And since I have nothing better to do, I figure I'd show you all what I've purchased :) And remember, you can always click on the photo to make it bigger.

 Grey, Navy and Pink cardigans from Pull & Bear

 Pink Blazer and Black Peacoat also from Pull & Bear

 $6 skirts from Mercado

 4 of the same tops from Bershka. These are so comfy! 

 Seven Dwarfs pajamas from Oysho

 Thumper and Miss Bunny pajamas from Oysho

 Comfy yoga top from Oysho

 Chip and Dale hoody from Oysho

 Bambi undies from Oysho

 Super comfy slippers from Oysho

 Body wash from Bath and Body Works

 Lotions from Bath and Body Works

 THE Cutest magnets from Camel Company

 Another magnet from Camel Company

 A metal tray from some souvenir shop. I figure it would be useful on a table by the front door for keys or something? I also bought a wooden box with camels and "UAE" on the lid but it's wrapped in bubble wrap. 

 My purse was getting pretty heavy and hurting my shoulder so I decided to grab a backpack. They're always handy for traveling anyway. 

 You know you're getting old when you're on vacation in Dubai and buy cushion covers for your couch that's back in Canada and you won't see for another 2 years or more. Haha! 

 Billabong hats (2 for me, 1 for Roderick) from Studio R

 Callaway golf shirt and Fox shirt were both from Mercado, while the Nike workout shirt is from Sun & Sand Sport

 Quiksilver shirts for Rod from Studio R

Reebok workout shirts from Studio R. The little one is for me, obviously! 

Yep, looking at all this stuff, I definitely went a bit overboard! But the best part is? I didn't have to pay a dime, and neither did Rod. Thank you very much! 

The Shoemaker

A couple of weeks ago, Rasheed took Roderick to his shoemaker, and then later on to the place where we purchased my Shalwar Kameez. We went back the other night to pick the shoes up, and wow, I was amazed. Not only at how awesome they look, but just how they do it. Everything is done by hand, and the help of an ancient sewing machine.

The custom, handmade, leather shoes were 3500 rupees, the equivalent of about $35 CAD. (And to think the other day we spent $30 on a 24pack of Shweppes, a box of crackers and a jug of orange juice - sheesh! imports!). How can you go wrong? Especially when you design it exactly how you want it, and it's made to fit your feet. He's super happy with the outcome, and I don't blame him.

 Roderick wearing both pairs of shoes

 How sexy are these?

When we went to pick them up, I brought 3 pictures with me of shoes that I would like to have made. So I should have those within 15 days, and I can't wait to see how they'll look.

Who needs sweat shops and mass-produced, overpriced shoes when you've got a shoemaker? ;)