Pakistan with all its ups and downs is a nation that loves to celebrate occasions. That is probably because of the rich culture we possess and the never say die attitude our nation has. Over the years we have been through a lot of incidents, and, good or bad, they have made us stronger. Pakistanis never miss an opportunity to celebrate anything and New Year ‘s is an auspicious occasion that everyone celebrates with sheer joy.
On New Year’s Eve everyone seems to be in high spirits across the country, from elderly to the younger generation, cheering in their own way. The young generation is usually seen gathering at the main markets and streets, setting fire works and having fun, while the grown ups get together dining in with friends and family.

To celebrate the New Year in our Islamabad office, we covered the office with colorful decorations and enjoyed a nice party. The decorations set a nice mood for all of the staff members here, and set the tone for a fun little party.

As to my personal life, this year my maternal uncle is visiting Pakistan from the US after nine long years. We are already having lots of fun with him, shopping all day long and spending some quality time with the family. This New Year we are going to set off fireworks and enjoy late night barbecue until we’ve had enough of the day. I am really excited about all this.
The sales team will be celebrating the New Year by going out to lunch on the day off. We will be having soup as an appetizer and then chicken for lunch at a nice restaurant in Rawalpindi. We have other plans to go out for shopping after the lunch. We might stick together for tea before heading home at night.

It’s close to the end of the year 2013 and we are already planning and making New Year resolutions. Though it’s tough to leave the past behind, but we should plan for the next year accordingly without forgetting the previous mistakes we made.

Following are some New Year resolutions from our United States and Pakistan team members:

Nabeel Ilyas:
I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year, one that is full of blessings.  This coming year I will strive to create a better image of Pakistan and take part in efforts to promote universal peace and harmony. New Year means new you, so I want to be a new and better person, learn more and overcome my fears.

Andrea Gudbergsson:
My New Year’s resolution is to get a better grasp at the Spanish language. I want to become a better writer and speaker in Spanish. I also want to commit to running and run more frequently. My goal for this year is to complete my second marathon in a faster time than my first marathon. My third resolution is to become more confident in my decisions.

Asma Khurshid:
My new year’s resolution is to make up for my shortcomings, I strive to be normal, talk less, listen more, laugh more, be diplomatic, worry less, plan more, give more, spend less and I hope my new year will be a healthy and blessed one. Like they say, do good and good comes your way. That’s also part of the plan.

Anne Sutherland:
For my New Year’s Resolution I’d like to write stories for fun more. I’d also like to study Japanese and Urdu more.

Nasir Tariq:
My new year’s resolution is that I want to improve my managerial skills and want to be much more flexible to new changes coming ahead. I would also like to improve my skills by learning new technologies and best practices, so I can guide my teams much better and efficiently.

Ryan Querbach:
In 2014 I would like to learn to stop sweating the small things in life. I would also like to read more, learn a new skill and take a trip somewhere.