u/Beginning-Progress55

Just sharing something that happened with us one Muharram.

Mobile signals were naturally affected and even internet wasn't working properly. My mom was sending haleem and kheer to my nani's house. With her high-quality cutlery and all. We explained the complete address to the rider, in case he can't call us after leaving.

My nani's house is 30 minutes away from our house, at max. After like 45-50 mins, we called the rider on whatsapp multiple times. He picked up and said I'm here. Called my nani and she came out to look but he was nowhere. Called the rider again, and he said he's in a different street, will get there in 5 minutes. This went on for about an hour until we realized he doesn't plan to deliver.

My dad got so furious he took the phone, called the rider and asked "Bhai aap ko deliver karna bhi hai ya nai??" And he said "Nai nai ab nahi karoon ga deliver" and cut the call. Meanwhile my mother was bawling her eyes out because her expensive bartan were just taken by a random bykea guy 😭😭

I was at an ice cream shop near my place with my friend. We were talking about how the job market's tough, our lives are difficult, we don't get to enjoy, etc. Same old things.

A little kid entered the shop with her sister. She went to the counter and asked for a single scoop ice cream. He said "150 hogaye aap ke" she said "Uncle mere pass tou sirf 100 hain" but they gave her the ice cream anyway.

Its funny how me and my friend became quiet and started reflecting on our conversations, spending habits and our privileged life. It was exceedingly difficult to digest the fact that those kids didn't even have 50 rupees more. Meanwhile, we spend upwards of 10-15k at restaurants and walk out like nothing.

Those kids actually enjoyed every bit of their ice cream. They were so excited, they could hardly wait till the guy gave them their ice cream.

It's the little things, they say. But honestly, its everything. If you are reading this you're probably using a phone or a laptop or some device. Most people in Pakistan still survive on that button wala chota phone. A lot of people barely have 3 meals a day. A lot to think about considering we get to decide what we'll eat everyday. Along with other big perks and privileges. Just wanted to share something that made me and my friend grateful, if even for a bit.

I'm saying this with all my heart, if you have a child at home, please please please, do not let them near any sources of heat and fire. Whether that's the stove, cylinder, a cup of chai, food, etc. Anything that can be remotely hot. Even if you think its harmless do not take the risk. Children are unpredictable and better to be safe than sorry.

A kid in my family got burned really badly because she was playing around near a heat source. Need prayers for her but I also want others to watch out for their children.

I hope God holds you accountable for every person who suffered because of your extremist views and practices. You guys literally disturbed thousands of people. Lekin koi kuch kehnay wala ya poochne wala nai hai. Lagay raho sab.

Life is a constant humbling reminder that even if you think you're in the clear, you can still be a villain in somebody's book.

There's this kid who lives right across my house. I met him on eid. This is how our convo went:

Him: Aap Sheeraz (fake name) hain na?

Me: Han han.

Him: Aap poora poora din parhtay thay O levels mai?

Me: Nai tou, kyun?

Him: Meri ami bata rahi thi. Na aap bahar jatay thay, na ghoomte phirte thay.

Now, I've met this kid and his siblings a couple of times and I always sensed that they didn't like me in particular. Things didn't make sense until today. I asked my mom later and I got to know the kids' mom is my mom's friend. She visits our house every few months and takes advice related to her children, their education, coaching etc.

Apparently, my mom bragged about my grades on O A levels and how I was an immaculate student. Also suggested them coaching and other things. No wonder those kids dislike me. To them, I am that door ka parhaku rishtedaar who has nothing to do except studying.

The kids' mom is very inspired by me and my academic achievements and she wants her kids to follow the same path.

But her ways are totally wrong. She's probably comparing them to me 24/7 and destroying their childhood in the process.

I feel terrible. Its useless trying to explain anything to my mom or that aunty and I don't think talking to the kids will make any difference so now I'm just stuck with being hated by kids..

I've been up practically all night. I ended up writing a post here in the morning because I don't know who else to narrate all this to.

Last night, I was coming back from the gym so I stopped by a grocery store. Picking up random stuff like eggs, bread, chips, biscuits and candies for my nephew. The bill was short of 3k and I didn't even flinch when I paid with my card. As I was going out, I saw a girl, must be 15-16, laying on a piece of Milk Pak cardboard on the ground. It was really hot and humid, so naturally she was drenched with sweat. She was probably laying there takay AC ki thori si hawa ajaye. I noticed that she was playing with a random stick, probably the only toy she had.

Since then, I've been thinking about all the blessings I have and all the times I've been ungrateful. I knew I was coming home to a beautiful house, a proper bathroom where I have clean water. I have all the products I need to clean myself, I have fresh clothes, an air conditioner that's gonna keep me cool and a comfortable bed to rest on. And the list goes on...

I couldn't help but think of the hard ground that the girl will probably spend her entire night sleeping. And God knows how many nights she spends sleeping on the ground. What does she eat? How long has she been wearing those clothes? How does she feel when she sees people like me walking out of the mart with bags full of snacks and stuff? And will she ever get to enjoy the things we do? Probably not.

I feel so ungrateful right now and I just wanted to share all this with you guys. Hoping somebody sees their blessings and feels better about their life and circumstances. For most people, its really bad out there. I don't have numbers but the majority is being crushed by inflation. People don't have a place to sleep, or food to eat. Still, they live by. I think all of us have to re-adjust our mindset. If you are still reading, chances are you don't sleep on a pavement. Chances are, you at least get 2 meals per day. Going by bare minimum even that is a lot to be grateful for these days.

For the longest time, I used to think this was normal, but I'm trying to learn from my mistakes. I don't know if this is normal but I can go by months without talking to my siblings or family. We only talk when it's necessary, and I don't remember the last time I casually called or talked to them about my life/job/hobbies etc.

My family has somewhat accepted the fact that I'm not that social, and I don't conform to social norms like that but new people are always complaining about my behavior. To me, natural is better. I don't force myself to message people or call them just to hold up friendships/relationships. If I feel like it, I'll call or message, and it might go on for hours. I won't wish someone happy birthday just because nahi kia tou bura lagay ga. And in return, I won't expect any wishes either.

Is this normal for other Pakistanis on this sub? Do you guys relate to this, too? I feel like we've all had or have weird childhood experiences that shape who we are today. For me, being raw and genuine is important. I can't stand being fake or pretending to care about somebody or something when I don't. Because of this, people think I just don't care or I'm selfish but I genuinely think I do care and remember people but it's just very hard for me to "show" that I care. I don't do things for the sake of showing and I hate being who I'm not. If I genuinely like you, I will do things without being asked.

I'm looking for genuine opinions and advice. I want to figure out if I'm normal or if something is terribly wrong with me...

I'm just really disappointed at this point. For the last 8 months, I have been applying everywhere. I've exhausted almost every job portal at this point. Waking up to emails that start with "Unfortunately..." is very normal to me now and it has come to a point where I doubt my skills, abilities and self worth. Yes, its been that bad.

I've been seeing this really good job offer on LinkedIn for around 7 months. I keep applying to it, hoping to get a chance. I never got a response out of them. I told myself, "This is a big company, they must have a lot of applicants." So I kept applying whenever it popped up.

A week ago, I saw that my friend made it into the HR department of that company. Naturally, I was very happy for him. But I couldn't resist asking him about that job post. He took a few days, and he told me the truth just last night. He said the company doesn't need the position right now. And they already have an internal hire, they're just floating it on LinkedIn to "Stay in the market". For a second, I thought he was messing with me, but he said this is very common. If you're not actively posting job posts on LinkedIn, people forget about your company. So when you actually want to hire someone, people won't remember you as much. Some companies actually create fake jobs just for the same reason.

So you're telling me, for the past 7 months, I've been ringing the doorbell of an empty house? I'm here struggling with my self-worth, polishing my resume every week, curating personalized cover letters, wasting time looking up and messaging HR on LinkedIn - just to know that the job doesn't even exist for externals? How is any of this fair? Who's asking for accountability from these companies? I'm thinking about all the jobs I applied to over the past few months. How do I know which ones are real? I honestly don't feel like putting any effort into all this now.

If I didn't have my friend in HR, I would've probably told myself I'm not a good fit for this position. My application is so pathetic that HR won't even view my CV, despite me applying multiple times. Which is completely untrue.

I'd love to get maximum responses for this question. I'm seeing a lot of jobs where HR doesn't mention the pay. Instead, they ask you to reveal your expectations and range, possibly wanting people to undermine themselves.

I was stuck in a similar situation a while ago. HR bluntly said we haven't decided any range or budget so we're asking candidates about their expectations.

How do I make sure I receive a range from HR every single time?