Unreal start to the new year

It happened less than 200 meters from where I live. I first noticed a lot of smoke rising into the sky, and within minutes, I was struggling to breathe. I was most worried about my brother's one-month-old daughter. The best we could do was shut all the windows of the house. But what was happening? It was ten minutes to New Year's Eve. Surely it couldn’t be fireworks. I decided to go out and see for myself.

The protestors had completely blocked the city for over four days now. I hate living in Karachi at the moment, yet I love being a citizen of this city. It’s honestly the most complicated love-hate relationship I’ve ever been in.

There has been a tribal war between two sects in the northern part of Pakistan, and one of them decided to protest in Karachi. Karachi, the biggest city in Pakistan, a city on whose economy the whole country depends, has been brought to a standstill by these protesters.

On New Year's Eve, the police finally decided to take action against the protesters after five days of inaction. There was a violent clash between the protesters and the police force. The police were firing smoke grenades and tear gas shells at the protesters, who were determined to hold their ground. Amidst this chaos, the entire furniture market was burned to ashes. God knows how—it’s something I wasn’t there to witness.

But this didn’t dampen my spirits for the new year—a year filled with new hopes and new dreams. I am proud of myself for what I was able to achieve in 2024. For many, it’s a dream to accomplish what I have in 2024. And what is that? Let me list it out for you:

My Work

I was successfully able to polish my skills as a dentist working as an independent dentist in a clinic of my own. As I said, a dream for many. I can only thank God for what I was able to achieve regarding my work and the peservance I showed in order to achieve this. I am satisfied with what I have been able to do, easing down the ailments of my patients.

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My love for travel

Sometimes my family doesn’t understand the feeling I have when I randomly blurt out during a family dinner that I’m planning a solo trip. I love biking. My dream for 2025 is to travel across the entire country on my bike. But for that, I need a good bike, and to get one, I need to save up. Still, I’m confident that I’ll be able to pull it off, inshaAllah.

The year 2024 was a year of traveling for me. I set out to explore the beauty of this nation—and I did it all alone.

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The Comeback

My biggest achievement in terms of personal satisfaction has been my comeback in football after five long years. I had been away from the game for over five years due to various responsibilities. Then, one fine evening in 2024, I decided to make a comeback, and I haven’t looked back since.

I’ve been selected by a local club, I’m playing in a local league, and I absolutely love what I’m doing.

There are many other things I am proud of from 2024, but the list would be too long to cover. One of them is improving my friendships and family ties, making time for the things that truly matter—like building meaningful connections with my loved ones.

It has truly been a year of blessings for me. For instance, I made a comeback on Steemit after a long break, and I haven’t looked back since. But the best thing that happened to me in 2024, by far, has been the birth of my niece and nephew. I became an uncle....twice, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

I'll end this post with this picture that I took. A smiling picture of me hoping to keep the same spirit and smile in 2025. The world is getting scarier and scarier day by day and the least we can do is play our part individually in making it a peaceful and an inclusive place for everyone.