http://www.AgnesPages.typepad.com

I have been blogging daily for 4 days in a row courtesy of the rain

{: Apart from the fact that I look remarkably like a lifeless wax-figure in this photo, my first thought upon seeing this was I can't believe I paid less than $5 for this Afghan cashmere coat at a bodega in Pakistan...  I mean, I saw a very similar piece in a duty-free shop recently for over $3,000 -- how crazy is that? Although it looks a tad unflattering on me in this photo it is real pretty in person, if you like cashmere pashminas then you would like this coat, or at least I, wax-figure Agnes think so... :} 

Anyway as the rain coming down heavily here has rendered us pretty much house bound for several days, I more or less finished unpacking and if I can manage to generate just a little more energy I am gonna finish going through my wardrobe and give everything I don't need to the Salvation Army. I know having lots of clothes is many women's dream but personally I am happiest when I only have what I need. 

Basically, I just narrowed it down and these are the only bags I ever really use:

All my other bags literally never get worn and are practically dyeing a slow death in the dark depths of my closet. 

The same goes for 75% of my shoes that never make it into my regular rotation, either because they are not comfortable enough to spend a whole day in but also I just can't think with the concept of ever needing to rotate more than just a few pairs at a time.

To be frank, these are the only shoes I have worn more than twice this year. {Apart from my flip-flops and clogs of course which I practically live in.} 

And by the way the only reason I ended up documenting this whole wardrobe clean-up attempt thusly deeming it blog-worthy, is that when I separated the above shoes from the ones that are headed for the Salvation Army, I remembered some of the recent flattery those middle three pairs received via blog comments. Which of course, surprised the hell out of me because my shoes are everything but classy and my only criteria besides comfort is that they have to be low-maintenance and wear-and-tear friendly looks wise. You know, like distressed jeans and rustic furniture. And a bit of a heel doesn't hurt either since I am so small.

You know, the rain has just stopped again which means I have to get going (it feels like I never get to finish my posts lately), but I am gonna say that the prospect of downsizing my wardrobe and getting rid of stuff I don't need is downright liberating. Is this what people mean when they say "less is more"?

Thanks for stopping by everyone.

Until next time.

Agnes

Worlds out of balance

{Not that I actually made it to the beach since we got back, nor have either of us been near a camera. Nor have I picked up a book. But I did drink lots of coffee and this photo happened to be on a memory card lying on the dining table and I have forgotten how much I like that shirt.}

I guess when after almost a week back home, the Head and Shoulders shampoo bottle still makes you think you're in Dubai, it's safe to assume that you haven't quite arrived back to reality yet. 

  

Is it just me or there's a definite resemblance?

Physically in Florida but still in a maze of time zones, caught up in layers of colliding realities. You can't help but change a little with each of these trips. 

Many years ago, after my first visit to an Afghani refugee camp in Pakistan, my life changed forever in ways that are hard to describe. Without getting into the horrors of it all, let's just say that after everything I experienced in that camp that day, I promised myself I was never going to complain about anything in my life ever again. 

And a few months later, back home, in the 10-items-or-less checkout line of Albertson's, there I was, bitching about the woman in front of me having 11 items in her cart.  

The many faces of Karachi {aka photo overload}

I've never quite known how to describe Karachi. 

Anyone living here or anyone who has visited here please feel free to chime in.

It's basically this gigantic metropolis of about 15 million people and while not the capital city of Pakistan (Islamabad is) it's certainly the largest and liveliest of all the Pakistani cities I've been to. It's very rich and very poor at the same time, it's both colorful and colorless, the days are mostly hot and humid and at the same time fairly dusty. Certain times it all feels very magical and fairy tale like while other times there's this post-cataclismic undertone to everything. 

I really can't describe it however hard I try and I think this is exactly why cameras were invented.  

And here's some music too, it's way better than me talking :-)

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TANITA TIKARAM: TWIST IN MY SOBRIETY (ANCIENT HEART)

   

 
 

  

  

America runs on Dunkin :-)

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for following me on this trip :-)

Until next time.

Agnes   
 

Pakistan Fashion -- Veils of terror and faces of courage

{LIVE FROM PAKISTAN #4}

Here is the Pakistani fashion-themed post I decided to whip together for those of you who are interested. 

The order of the day here, dress code wise is an adaptation of your standard Islamic gear:

EXTREMELY MODEST, FLOOR LENGTH, USUALLY LONG SLEEVED, NON-PROVOCATIVE ATTIRE WITH VARYING DEGREES OF HEAD COVERINGS. 

Some women do not cover their head at all, some cover their entire face minus the eyes, some cover all their hair but not the face and the list goes on. It is not mandatory to wear head covering per se, but let's face it, women have been beaten, disfigured and even killed for venturing outside the boundaries of the veil restricted local trends. I know these are isolated examples but they do happen.

{photo by Amirashkan Pishroo via http://iranian.com}

WHEN I PERCEIVE EVEN THE SLIGHTEST DEGREE OF CONCERN MY CAUCASIAN FEATURES SOMETIMES GENERATE HERE, YOU'LL SEE ME COVER MY HEAD, MAINLY TO AVOID THE UNWANTED ATTENTION.  

Of course it's also a considerably resourceful last minute option in the rather likely event of not having sufficient time (or water pressure) (or interest) to wash my hair. Or sometimes the local vibe just takes over my mood altogether and the scarf is begging to be incorporated into my outfit. I don't think about it all that much really, I guess, like anywhere else, you just gotta go with what feels right.

I find the colors of local spices so inspiring:

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For the most part, the modern, bright colored local outfits are not really my thing -- but I am a huge fan of the old, ethnic, preferably tribal influenced pieces. I tend to gravitate to this worn out/dusty/faded mood -- although this is definitely not what you'll see modern people wear in the streets on a typical day:

 

Pakistan, in a strange way reminds me of some of the Star Wars planets.

Although not the same hi-tech planets Dubai reminds me of. More like those desert-y ones with a sense of a post-apocalyptic feel where the Skywalkers hail from. 

Star Wars:

 

 

 {images from Star Wars}

See what I mean?  

Anyway, on a casual day or on a day in the not-so-posh areas I'd wear something like this:

{forgive my hair being such a mess -- clearly, I  should  have covered my head}

Instead of going head-to-toe local, I prefer to mix it up with my own style, whichever way I deem it practical/appropriate based on where I happen to be that day. That could span anywhere from long uncomfortable drives through the dessert on questionable roads, in questionable cars, drinking from rather questionably sealed water bottles, to lingering in an air conditioned, wrinkle-free business environment in some luxury hotel.  

On a non-big-meeting day, like today, I am likely to opt for something along this general line, even though none of this is truly local but somehow, it consummately embodies the wavelength I happen to be on most of the time:

 

Dressing for business/important meetings:

For the most part, for official meetings I stick with the same general business concept I would at home -- tailored pant suits plus high heels, except here I pay special attention to consistency with local conservative measures, i.e. long sleeves, nothing too tight or revealing, etc. When at a meeting, trying to get a contract, I just prefer to be business like and ooze competence and professionalism, if you get my drift. 

To avoid having to bring too much business gear, I try to keep the colors within an easily interchangeable mix-and-match frame as to get more milage out of each piece without having to repeat the exact same combination twice. It would be something similar to this:

 

Boring I know. Geoff loves it when I am in full business gear, I can never understand why. 

Me in business-meeting garb:

Then of course, as our local relationships advance from the negotiation/presentation phase to a having-reached-a-happy-agreement stage, the meetings tend to take on a more relaxed feel and morph into semi-formal dinners, at which point I might consider throwing in a couple of cocktail gear elements, even fancy ethnic pieces while still trying to maintain an overall modest/conservative feel. 

 

It's a bit hard to explain, because what feels appropriate in one scenario might be totally unworkable in another. 

A tad more playful & relaxed but still muted & reserved: 

 

In the end, competence will always make your fashion choices become a no-issue. 

LIKE ANY OTHER DAY IN ONE'S LIFE, IT JUST SEEMS TO BE A COMBINATION OF THE APPLICABLE LOCAL TRENDS ADAPTED TO THE OCCASION, AND I GUESS INEVITABLY SPICED UP WITH A TWIST OF ONE'S OWN STYLE.  I mean, I am not trying to look like I am not me. There's a strange sort of energy I derive from the fact that I am comfortable in my own skin and call me crazy, but when I feel under dressed, over dressed or just in general don't feel like I am dressed as myself, I actually feel powerless. Weird yes - but true.

So there you have it, this is the best I could do on the topic. 

It's hard for me to put a finger on what inspires me on a daily basis and why I like the pieces I do and not other pieces. Hope you enjoyed my post anyway.

Until next time.

Agnes

Pakistan continued

{LIVE FROM PAKISTAN #3}

{Sorry about the quality, I had to doctor this photo quite a bit -- there was a guard in it who is not allowed to have his photo taken. 

I am not very good at editing so you can totally tell that I messed around with it but I know you'll cut me some slack -- I really, really wanted to show you my local self.}

I have about 10% charge left on my laptop and we have a black out so this is probably going to be a rather short post. 

There are three power outages per day here, each one hour long, designed to preserve energy.  Most hotels, bigger restaurants and shops all have generators so this is usually a good hour to go get something to eat.

We hit this cafe almost every day but since they explicitly told me not to take photographs there, I am just not gonna tell you what it's called. Anyone in Karachi I am sure will recognize it. Here is another photo of it, notice the South African flag hanging there? 

Due to some strange turn of events, Geoff and I found ourselves in an electronics store last night lounging on foldable red lawn chairs with three local guys and five body guards watching the opening game of the World Cup. Don't ask how I ended up there! Luckily we were only made to watch the first ten minutes...

I do not actually remember experiencing scheduled power outages on our previous trips, or maybe I just didn't notice them. 

Loading some random photos here while I've still got some charge left.

I love this country so much. 

I sometimes feel as though I am a character straight out of "Arabian Nights". I love wearing local outfits or at least incorporating some pieces into my regular gear. Maybe I'll do up a post on local fashion/how I as a westerner get by here. Anyone interested?

 
I don't think these carpets would go very well with my decor back home but I would sure love to get my hands on some bags made out of old Afghani carpets...

 

Yay, the power is back -- gotta go. For a quick post, I did pretty well I think. 

Thanks for visiting. I hope you're enjoying this little peak into life in this part of the world. 

Until next time.

Agnes

*UPDATED: A quick Pakistani food post for my good friend Lucky {*I added a few photos}

{LIVE FROM PAKISTAN #2}

It's 4 in the morning, hot and humid and sticky yet I can't think of a place I'd rather be. Days are slipping by fast, and I am never quite sure what day and what time it is. 

I think it's one part jet lag, one part late night dinners with friends and two parts trying to get a lot of work done that keeps us in a time zone of our own. 

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Just stepped out of the shower and finally decided to whip up a quick little post for my good friend Lucky, who I know is on pins and needles to see some Pakistani food photos. 

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Geoff and I are just winding down from a long day in our room overlooking Clifton beach and sometimes I swear I can hear the waves of the Arabian sea at night but as Geoff has just pointed out it's probably just the moaning of the air conditioning unit.

The view from our balcony. You can't actually see the sea but it's right there. 

And all these food photos are for Lucky, who I know is dying to see them. I am not quite sure what everything is called, anyone knows what these are please feel free to chime in. All I know is kulfi and kheer. And marsala of course. And naan. Feel free to correct my spelling by the way.

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My wild guess is that this is called "batair qorma" :-) 

Condiments. Some are VERY spicy! 

Don't you worry Lucky, I have a ton more food photos and will keep posting them (they take forever to load here). 

One last one I couldn't resists, the door man:

As time permits, I plan on posting more photos. 

I am trying to keep the images on the tame side here, I am sure you're well aware that there's sort of an R-rated aspect to this part of the world but at this point I am not quite sure how much of that I should or shouldn't show here. It's practically everywhere you look. 

Thanks for visiting.

Until next time.

Agnes

x

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*EDIT: In answer to Chrissy's comment, by R-rated I wasn't referring to the violence (explosions/blasts) you see on CNN and BBC. Believe it or not, those are just a few a bad apples, the vast majority of the people here are overwhelmingly nice and friendly. They will bend over backwards to help you any way they can, really. I was actually referring to the poverty/child labor that unfortunately is a rampant sight to see around here and I will never be immune to it.

** EDIT #2: I just took a few photos on my way home last night. I haven't mastered the night settings on this camera yet but I kinda like how they turned out. Enjoy.

No parking :-)

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Traffic.

I love the local buses.
A rickshaw.    

I bid you all a good night :-)

Agnes

And so we depart -- / -- { stuck in Dubai }

{this post might be several days old by the time it appears on the blog}

10:30 AM

11:05 AM 

Welcome to Tampa International Airport. All unattended luggage will be towed. Please maintain personal contact with your belongings at all times. Welcome to Tampa International Airport. All unattended luggage will be towed. Please maintain personal contact with your belongings at all times. 

 

{image via TampaAirport.com}

I am so excited!!

11:50 AM

It's kind of fun to be blogging from airports since you've got all this time to kill anyway. 

{I am not quite sure if I am actually posting in real-time here -- since I don't appear to be online... well, by the time you read this I am likely to be in Karachi Pakistan already, all jet lagged, melting in the sweltering heat, gulping down some fresh mango juice. In a strange way, in Pakistan I always feel outside of every conceivable time zone anyway so my posts sliding out of synch with the rest of the world is actually quite an accurate reflection of the state of mind that takes over and becomes reality for the next few weeks. Apparently, even my camera thinks it's May'09... Spooky I tell you!}

By the way, I just love airports and I love how every airport carries the cascading memories of all earlier airports and travels. 

12:10 AM

Got a bit bored and started reading the magazine I bought for the flight.

12:30 AM

Apparently, animal-print is "the new black" and "pumping your own gas" is "out" while "sexy guys pumping gas for you" is "in"... I must have been living in a cave I tell you. 

12:35 AM

I need a different magazine.  

12:50 AM 

I miss Smokey already. The mental image of him longing for us at the kennel boarding spa is just killing me.

 

1:05 PM

Geoff is so excited about our layover in Toronto, I am not sure why.

 

??:?? I DON'T KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS ANYMORE

This is the part where the time stream melts into many realities. 

 

We've hardly left the US and yet I am steadily entering the bloodshot eyes/zombie stage here. I think I have officially become immune to coffee.

??-?? SOMETIME NOW-ISH 

About to board. See you at Dubai International. 

Hope they have those great falafels there -- definitely in the mood for some Middle Eastern food. 

{And a shower at the lounge before we catch the red-eye to Karachi.}

 

{Dubai - image via The Star Malaysia} 

Doesn't the United Arab Emirates look like it's straight out of Star Wars? 

I think so. 

Love;

Agnes

p/s to those in Dubai: 

Should we meet up??? I don't think we'll get to leave the airport but we do have a bit of a layover... If you're game and a trip to the airport is something you can easily execute on short notice, email me at cosmictreehouse-at-yahoo-dot-com.  

x

x

Have blog will travel

About to leave for Pakistan -- can you believe it???

All packed and ready to go. I am not the best packer in the world by the way. 

This is usually the mood/style I gravitate to when heading for the Indian subcontinent: 

(actually, this is pretty much the style I gravitate to when heading wherever)

 

This will be my 13th Pakistani trip and Geoff's 15th. Crazy, isn't it?

Pakistan being a strictly religious country, the order of the day is long sleeves and always always always floor-length attire -- the less skin showing the better if you get my drift.

 

I always have to pack two entirely different wardrobes --professional suits for big-cheese meetings, not pictured here, but then with the "real people" all I ever wanna wear is local stuff with cargo pants and jeans -- things that can withstand a massive amount of wear and tear and for some reason I am happiest in faded/dusty colors. 

Unfortunately, safety remains a major issue over there, especially for Americans, which is basically why I haven't been broadcasting our travel plans over the internet until now, although several of you have guessed it corectly. I didn't get a chance to dye my hair dark so I am just gonna have to raid my local friends' closets and get my hands on some serious scarf assemblage for blending-in (safety) purposes. I know I make it sound a bit scary and to tell you the truth sometimes it is extremely scary and other times it's not scary at all.

I can't even begin to describe how "normal" all this feels and how insanely alive and in my element I feel. I know the way many of you probably feel about Pakistan and Afghanistan but as my good friend Lucky says, Adventure is my middle name. 

Although this will be a very short trip by our standards, just a few weeks really, I do feel the same kind of excitement I always felt when we hit the road for months at a time. 

As you know, I love being outside my comfort zone. 

 

Our schedule is outragously booked, a couple of major meetings, then a few non-profit engagements and of course a long list of old friends to catch up with. I can't wait to get there! 

{Mehreen, I am gonna try and contact you once I am there and somewhat settled in. Anyone else currently there? Email me.}

Oh and since I am taking my laptop anyway I am gonna try and blog while there -- wish me some decent wifi, wish me luck and promise me lots of comments. 

See you soon.

Agnes

Another day older

 

Today was one of those early-rising days when by 3 in the afternoon your eyelids feel like they are made of lead. 

God bless the New Orleans brew. 

A great day though, complete with Geoff looking smashingly handsome in his brand new suit, Janis Joplin belting out Bobby McGee in my car, falafels, lemon tea and getting lots and lots done. Funny, isn't it, how buckling down, getting things done is the best antidote for bad-hair days. 

And the tiredness resulting from hard work? One of my favorite sensations in the world.

The good news is we are about to witness a beautiful sunset over the lake here, and if I tune out the Christmas snow flakes I have yet to scrape off of the kitchen windows a mere three months after Christmas, then our kitchen looks so other-worldly at this hour. 

 

Pretty, right? I know those cloudy, multi-colored sunsets tend to be everyone's favorite, but I love these clear-sky sunsets too. Late afternoons are my absolute favorite part of the day. Sometimes when people look at me all bewildered about what on earth I could possibly love so much about those troubled countries I am so fond of, I always think of the evening prayers leaking through my window in Pakistan, the dusty sunsets in the middle of nowhere in Africa or the humid, sticky Sri Lankan evenings on the veranda of the Galle Face Hotel... nothing I will ever be able to explain. 

Have a wonderful evening everyone -- I know I will.

Until next time.

Agnes

p/s: Does anyone know the proper word for for the decade following the 90s? (i.e. years 2000-2009). How about the decade after that (the one we are in now)? Is it called "the teens"?

TITLE CREDIT: TENNESSEE EARNIE FORD -- 16 TONS

By the way, birds don't fly because they have wings, they have wings because they fly

What I am thinking about right now:

 {Cameron Heights, Malaysia}

and

 {India}

and

 

and this too:

{young Tibetan monks}

and this too

 {Afghani refugee school}

and this:

 All that, and more. 

In reality, I am just home, about to make some tea before I hit the sack.

{The one and only Himalayan jasmine tea and speaking of world travel: a Pakistani tray, Thai napkins, my favorite Indian incense burner from Bangalore, teapot from Taiwan -- I think I will do a post soon on all the junk in my kitchen just to ease my travel withdrawal symptoms.}

Today was an ordinary day, far from my once glamorous traveling days... just the usual. Crossed the bridge:

and drove for an hour to get to Geoff's hospital...:

 {I really don't know how anyone can function without a driver's license, driving is so therapeutic}

Well, the above two pictures certainly give you a pretty accurate idea as to our "travels" these days: 

running banal errands...

{Geoff took this at Bright House customer service today, having just left the hospital and en route to pick up some fresh water. I look real classy again, I know.}

...and juggling life. 

 

One of the things I miss the most about "real" traveling is the resourcefulness that comes from staying at a monastery in some forgotten corner of Asia -- the utter simplicity and beauty of washing your body in a bucket of water. Of course, I could do that home too, but that wouldn't be resourceful in any way and it wouldn't get me out of my safety zone. 

Then the assortment of hotels we stay at, lush, fancy ones in big cities, then humble, very unfancy ones as we fan out onto dirt roads, villages and beyond. And the further away you go from safety, as luxury gets scarce, your perception of value changes, and suddenly the blanket and the tea bag you saved from the airplane are immensely valuable. The further away you go from the city, the less appropriate your city clothes become, you slowly start relying on your own instincts, throw away things you don't need and value the things you do need.  You shed the synthetic social self, the self you normally spend all your energy on presenting to the world in a certain light... And with every step you take, without ever even noticing it, this artificial version of yourself disappears completely and little by little you come to the conclusion that you're not your profession, not the picture on your driver's license, not your money, and definitely not what other people think of you.

See, you're not a different person when you travel. 

You're still you, but on the road, you're in a different context. 

The road makes you feel new.

And that is one of the many reasons I miss the open road.

{hope you enjoyed my virtual tour of the world, and a small tour of my day -- all photos were taken by Geoff and myself and most of the travel ones are low quality scans -- sorry about that}