In a very interesting development all (at least according to my sources) New Year balls which were scheduled today on New Years eve have been delayed by one day as it seems the Core Commander Karachi has informed the organisers that the team of Rangers would be unavailable to extend their security protocol late into the night as the jawans have to offer early morning prayers themselves.

It now seems that tickets have become a hot commodity especially from those who were a little reluctant to join the drinking festival on Chaad Raat, now the its probably an even better excuse to dance away the Eid celebrations, who cares about 2007, its the drinking and dancing that’s more important (am I too sarcastic)

2006 last sunset…

Another year went by filling in the heart of Karachites with memories that are a part of history now.
Along with the entire killing, the bomb blasts and the mobile snatching came the development of the city. New flyovers, underpasses, buildings… A clean and better-looking city is what we expect.
As the new sun rises in the horizons of the city, I wish every citizen a peaceful, merrier and better life.
The specialty of this year is that it brings along with it the joys of Eid-ul-Azha, pointing towards BBQ parties, skin distribution, lots of meat and happy BBQs.

Wishing a very Happy Eid and a very happy new year to the Karachiites.
May the year ahead bring peace, tranquility and contentment to the citizens of not only Karachi but also the countrymen and Muslims in other parts of the globe.(Amen)

Imagine you deaf or dumb or blind and living in Karachi.
Where would you go to school?What kind of career would you have?Who would marry you?
It is tough being disabled in this city.You get very little respect and support.Most people just dismiss disabled people from their rightful existence.Yet they move on,with a spirit so great that it is fascinating to watch.One such institution supporting a dignified cause for people with audio and visual impairements is Ida Rieu.
Ida Rieu not only has a school for people with the above mentioned impairements,it has a hostel,a match-making place,an old persons’ home and just a solid piece of positive reinforcement.Karachi is blessed with an institution like this one.This is what the city’s spirit is all about.Resilience and the passion to accept.Let us love these people.Let us allow Karachi to live-

The following is an article while appeared in Daily Jang’s magazine, the City Pulse. Written by George Sadiq. It was too good not to reproduce here.

Karachi is a recreation starved city with negligible leisure facilities that puts an extra burden on the mental and physical well being of its population. However, there is no dearth of serenity, natural beauty, bird watching and blind dolphins in and around Karachi. What takes is just an effort to explore it. The mangroves forest in the Indus Delta and the beaches around Karachi have them all.

Indus Delta is the fifth largest delta in the world. The fan-shaped delta consists of creeks, estuaries, mud flats, sand dunes, mangrove habitat, marshes and sea bays. It shelters 82,669 hectares of mangroves, which comprises 97 percent of the total mangrove area in the country and is said to be the largest coastal mangrove forest in the world. In its goal to conserve the biodiversity of the Earth, the international WWF has recognised over 200 globally unique eco-regions. The magnificent Indus Delta is one of them. A large number of species of birds, (including the threatened Dalmatian pelican) of fish and shrimps, and of dolphins (Plumbeous dolphin, Finless porpoise, and Bottlenose dolphin), humpback whale and reptiles are found here.
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Karachi’s very own and favorite improvisational comedy troupe BlackFish is back in action to make you laugh like you have laughed never before. They are creative, they are talented and they are performing for us on Sunday, 7th of January at PACC, 8 Pm Sharp. If you want Ultimate fun and quality entertainment, don’t miss this for anything, At least I wont ;).

Tickets available at Agha’s.

Kowloon is an old Chinese restaurant, I have been visiting this place since I was a kid, around fifteen years back this place served the best Chinese food in Karachi and my visit to this restaurant a few days back proved that nothing besides the pricing in the menu has changed in so many years.
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There’s a lot for the CDGK and authorities in charge of the city to do, and the list of resolutions can be endless, the last resolution that KMB proposes is that of a greener and cleaner Karachi.
The city authorities has done quite a lot for the beautification of the city lately with developments of new parks, fountains etc but what will be really appreciated is an effective garbage disposal system. In lot of areas, we see piles of garbage dumped on roadsides and drains overflowing.
Lets hope 2007 brings an end to that.

While driving around Clifton these days, one sees work being done the drainage system, which are being opened after the recent floodings of the area. This was confirmed by Dawn which reports that the work has been officially started from the 26th to provide a storm water drainage system which will cater to the needs of the area “for 100 years”. The project, being done by chineese engineers from what i’ve seen on the boards around the area, is being undertaken at an expense of Rs165 million and will be completed in four months.

If there’s one thing our city nazim knows how to get publicity on, its the drainage systems being installed throughout the city. Indeed, many of the newer roads have stood the test of time after the recent torrential rains. The one area which was badly affected was clifton, and now we see a brand new drainage system being constructed there. The next area was II Chundrigar road, where the nazim has said that a modern drainage system is being planned together with the newly reconstructed road.

Lets hope these developments put an end to the rain misery and for once allow us to actually enjoy the rainy season, instead of being stranded and wondering just how will be get home.

Traditionally the best way to dispose of the mounds of meat in everyones house, BarBQ season is what follows immediately after Eid Ul Azha here in Karachi. Starting immediately from the second day of eid and going anywhere upto the next three weeks, gardens, rooftops and the beach are used for the most fun of get togethers you can have. This year, even the merchants are getting on the bandwagon.

Angheetis (or BBQ Pits) of various sizes for Sale in Dehli Colony, complete with all BBQ paraphernalia. I always wanted to know where i’d be able to get one of these. Now i do.

Be it for cellphones, electronics, leather jackets, jewelry or for any other hardware requirement, we all find ourselves in Saddar more often than we’d like to. I say this because it is next to impossible to find a parking spot in the Electronics market or on Zaibunnissa Street and it unnecessarily burdens what could be a fairly convenient transaction. The lack of proper parking lots not only adds to the woes of the usual customer but exacerbates the worries of stereos or cars themselves being stolen.
The advent of the shopping mall culture has relieved most people of their parking troubles but this is yet to be seen in main downtown Saddar. I, for one, hate driving to Saddar for these reasons and would like to hear how other people get around this menace including and not limited to parking inside IBA, Atrium Mall or OMI ;)
So how do you do it?