Bhutto assassinated

What a sad and scary event to mark the end of 2007. The death of a strong female leader, the upheaval of an already torn country. I'm still processing my thoughts on this. Right now, all I can do is feel -- anger, fear, sadness. And leave with some quotes from Benazir Bhutto.

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"I told him on my oath in his death cell, I would carry on his work." – Recalling a visit to her father, former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, before his execution in 1979.

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"The primary message of the visit and the talks will be that freedom has returned to Pakistan. It is not only a success for the people of Pakistan but for all those who believe in freedom." – Preparing for a visit to the United States in 1989, a few months after she first took office as prime minister.

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"The voter has gotten more demanding. In 1988, the voters just wanted democracy. Our campaign was much more general then. Now we are more specific." – 1993 Associated Press interview on her ultimately successful bid for re-election. She had been ousted in 1990.

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"I always said that I was innocent and a victim of a politically motivated trial." – Commenting in 2001 when her 1999 conviction on corruption charges was suspended and a new trial ordered.

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"I haven't given myself away. I belong to myself and I always shall." – Vowing in 1987 that her arranged Islamic marriage to Karachi businessman Asif Ali Zardari would not upstage her political career.

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"Democracy needs support and the best support for democracy comes from other democracies. Democratic nations should ... come together in an association designed to help each other and promote what is a universal value – democracy." – 1989 speech at Harvard University.

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"We have to modify our campaign to some extent because of the suicide bombings. We will continue to meet the public. We will not be deterred." – In October, shortly after narrowly escaping a suicide bombing on her return to Pakistan from an eight-year exile.

For posterity's sake

Here is the note I posted to my friends on my forum & fb.

Christmas came early this year...

because I'm done my MBA!!!! And now that I'm done, here's where I'll say my many long-owed thank-yous.

It still hasn't entirely sunk in, but it's finished and I am officially an MBA grad. What a trip! I've learned so much in the last 4 years and met so many interesting people. I know I've subjected you guys to mostly rants, but I am really going to miss the vast diversity of people and making fabulous new friends. People from Korea, India, China, Netherlands, France, England, Australia, U.S., Mexico, Iran, Germany, Denmark, and I'm sure I'm missing a lot more places. From across all industries and vocations, too. What an amazing experience! And the profs, too, some of whom I know I'll stay in touch with for a long, long time. Such a total gift and privilege to be able to get to know them.

And YOU GUYS!!! Thank you SO much for being here for me--for letting me vent, answering questions, encouraging me when I was down, helping me in subject areas I was struggling, never tiring of filling out endless surveys. I owe you a big debt of gratitude and I won't forget it.

And to my friends, both on and off the board, thank you for understanding when I couldn't make it out to events and patiently waiting for me to finish. I can't wait to be in touch and visiting more often.

And finally to my family... My husband for many, many nights flying solo with the monkey and picking up the slack when it came to housework. And listening to me bitch. And bitch and bitch and bitch. Lol! And still loving me endlessly through it. My mom and my il's for understanding how tired I am and how things could be overwhelming. My brothers and sister, for not caring if their cards were several weeks or months late.

And my little man.... For all those times he helped drive me to school and for colouring in my textbooks and for distracting me from the pressure and reminding me of what is really important in life.

Gah...I don't know what I did to deserve it all, but THANK YOU.

As much as I can't wait to move on and have my time back again, I will never forget this chapter in my life.