I can honestly say now that while being in Canada, I had taken a lot of things for granted. Its the little things that mean so much. Its these little things that now carry a lot of weight for me.

Light. Electricity. Gas. Imagine your life without it. Five months ago I would not be able to imagine it either, until now. We rely so much on electric power that it affects every aspect of our life.

For more than 20 hours, all of Karachi has been out of power. It started off with slight interruptions through out the evening but then the lights went off permanently. Even the generator at the women's hostel in AKU stopped working for awhile. Because I was extremely hungry and there was no gas to cook, a friend and I went out to eat. Roads and streets were dark. People everywhere. So many cars on the road. Friends and strangers sitting in parks, conversing with each other. Families and friends sitting outside having chai (tea). Boys playing cricket outside with their street friends.

On the downside, many people hardly slept because it was too hot. Some slept on the rooftops of their apartment buildings. Those who could not afford to eat out at restaurants, slept hungry. Little kids afraid of the dark, held on to their mothers all night. Unable to work on assignments and upcoming deadlines. Unable to bathe. Unable to cook. Unable to touch. Unable to SEE.

Sadly, this situation is not new for the people of Pakistan. In fact, it is a regular occurrence. Sure some households have generators and other backup powers source, but not everyone is that fortunate. Pakistanis plan their days accordingly because they know that the power will go at anytime. Food is cooked as early as possible. Clothes for the next day are ironed out. But when I asked them, "Doesn't it bother you when the power goes off daily?" They answer, "Yes it does but we are used to it now." These individuals try to do with what they have but people like me are dying with out power. No AC to cool me down. No Internet to surf the net. Luxuries for many.

Something sad happened when the power went out last night. A baby from a government hospital was kidnapped. I do not know who was part of this horrific and sadistic act, but I would not be surprised if you told me that the doctors and nurses played a part. Only God knows where this child is right now. Only God knows what is in store for her/him. I can give you some ideas, but that should be left for another blog.

In my opinion, Pakistan has an abundant amount of natural resources and manpower if utilized adequately and ethically. Too bad the wealth this country has to offer is not actualized.