PTCL Broadband

For someone who lives in a city suburb like me, getting the state-of-the-art facilities like DSL from ISPs is always a pain. Although DSL and Cable have been around for a couple of years in the city, no ISP had bothered to expand it to remote telephone exchanges like mine. And so my area had been starved of broadband connectivity uptill now when PTCL decided to start off their broadband operations. And you know what, within days of starting off, they had received hundred of applications! I wonder why other ISPs didn't see the wisdom in starting off in such remote and previously cut-off areas as well, since a lack of competition would have resulted to scores of people signing up for them! Anyway, I couldn't be more happier and signed up instantly for a 256kbps connection costing me Rs. 1199/month.

The service has been pretty good so far, except for a couple of days ago when the PTCL link had been damaged rendering DSL inoperable for 5-6 hours. Bearable I'd say .. but the speed's been damn good at all times. Another thing that works in my favor is the Fiber Optic line I switched to last year, finally giving up on the old copper lines, which seemed to never get rid of their noise problem. I don't know if it's mal-management or what, but the PTCL guys can't seem to keep the copper wires running devoid of noise for a week straight! Good thing I switched to fiber optic which is just wonderful ... even on dial-up!

So, all in all, I'm a happy PTCL customer - so far! :)

TV Series Galore!

For those of us still reeling from our defeat to India at the Twenty20 final, there couldn't be a better way to move on than to switch the focus to a brand new season of some awesome TV series! I'm talking about Prison Break and Heroes ladies and gentlemen! PB's third season kicked off last week (and I'm downloading it right now on my DSL!) and Heroes season two is set to start next week! So, all in all, we're in for a treat of TV Series!! wohoo ... and not before long, LOST will come back too and the tv season will be in full swing.

Naheeeen!!

Naheeeeeeeeen!! was what I cried out when Misbah lofted his cheeky flick attempt to fine leg, only to be caught by that bugger Sreesanth! It felt like an ineffable thump in my chest! What a pulsating game! and what heartbreak at the end! :( Full credit to Misbah though for making a game out of nothing, when the team once again choked when it mattered the most ... but it was Misbah who single-handedly won us the game ... almost!

Losing to India is doubly painful ... but I guess I'll get over it slowly!

Image courtesy Cricinfo.com.

Congrats Team Pakistan!

I write this post having just witnessed the Pakistani side overcome New Zealand in Cape Town - with relative ease I must say, even though Pakistan lost some wickets and it seemingly became tight in the end, but with so many wickets in hand you expect a team to win ... so Congratulations to all for a job well done!

It is a pleasant surprise to see our side playing so well after the much-vaunted debacle at the ODI World Cup earlier this year. It's been like a breath of fresh air in times when Pakistani sports are possibly at their lowest ebb. Hockey's going down the drain; Squash looks far from its glorious past, and there aren't any others we're real good at ... so cherish the moment while they last I say! It's gonna be one heck of a final for sure! And I hope we win ... It would be welcome distraction from all the violence and political turmoil the people of this country have had to live with over the past few weeks. With all the doom and gloom elsewhere, I'm sure a victory on Monday would go a long way in raising our spirits as a nation.

Go Team Pakistan! Make us Proud!

Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy's keynote at NED Convention 2007

An excellent keynote delivered by Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy at the recently held NED Alumni Convention in Silicon Valley. He talks about the power of ideas and how our universities need to be the center of ideas. He also talks about how simply allocating millions of rupees to the HEC budget isnt going to bring about a change in the country. You'll be astonished to hear some of the examples he gave of the misuse of such valuable funding. Like I said, a MUST Listen!

5 Myths About Terrorism

Six years after 9/11, all too many Americans still have only a vague idea of what does -- and doesn't -- motivate terrorists. It doesn't help that many politicians exploit the anxiety that terrorism evokes to promote their own agendas.

read more | digg story

StumbleUpon

This site is for those *free* moments you get at work or home when you got nothing important to do except surf around the web. Well, there couldn't be a more excellent alternative to installing the StumbleUpon toolbar. All you gotta do is sign-up on their site and choose your Interests (more like the kind of sites you'd love to visit in free time) - popular choices include online games, quizzes, optical illusions and the like.

Once installed, it sits nicely there below the address bar and once you're free, you click on the "Stumble" button to start stumbling and visiting random and cool sites in the process :). I've found some great sites using this service and I recommend you try it out!

Happy Surfing!

Peter answers...

We've had this prank going on at work today about PeterAnswers.com. If you haven't seen it yet, then you need to cuz it's great fun and an ideal way to play a prank on friends/family etc. All you gotta do is visit the site where you'll be presented with a petition and a question field. Try going through it normally the first time just to familiarize yourself with the site. Note the colon ":" at the end of each of these queries. This is essential because without it, you will not be able to proceed to the question box. Once you type the phrase and enter the colon your cursor will automatically be in the question box. You can ask any question you like, but you must end it with a question mark "?".

Now, how to pull the prank:

1. Gather a friend or two and sit at the computer. You must be the one typing in order for the prank to work. :)
   
2. Have someone else think of a question. You need to know the question before you type anything.
3. Type a period "." in the "Insert Petition" box. You'll notice that the letter "P" will appear instead of a period.
4. Type in the answer to the question. As you type each letter or number of the answer, the screen will display one more letter of the phrase, "Peter, please answer the following question:" This means no one will know that you're typing the answer to the question, because it looks like you're typing, "Peter, please answer the following question:".
5. Type another period "." when you're done entering the answer. When you type another period, the next letter of the petition phrase ("Peter, please answer the following question:") will appear.
6. Complete the petition phrase. Once you've typed the second period, the actual letters you type will show up on the screen. Now, just finish the phrase, being sure to end it with the colon.
7. Type in the question. Just as above, the cursor will jump to the question box as soon as you enter the colon. Type the question that was asked, and end it with a question mark. Peter will think for a second and then display the answer that you typed.
8. Watch your friends freak out as they see the answer right! If your friends don't know that you typed in the answer, they will be flabbergasted! :). You can probably keep them amazed for quite a while as long as they don't start paying close attention to what your fingers are actually typing ... heh :)

Have fun! ;)

Choosing a career path

I have always been a strong advocate of choosing a profession based on one's interest rather than some market-condition or financial basis. I know this may not be particularly easy, especially for someone living in Pakistan, but I, for one, can't imagine how people can decide to study something or become someone they never *really* wanted to! To me that is totally absurd!

Take my case, I have always been fond of Computers - Computer Sciences in particular. I was fortunate enough to pursue a degree based on my interest rather than on some shabby market condition. I was always going to become a Computer Engineer no matter what. And for all those who thought the market had been saturated of Computer Engineers and there were going to be no more jobs available for a while - I would just like to say that instead of using your short-sighted thinking and going after the market, why not concentrate on getting a professional degree of your liking and working hard to be the best in it. It is only through love and passion for your interests that you will be able to go the extra mile and contribute to its advancement. Alhamdulillah today, there are plenty of job opportunities available for software and system engineers in Karachi and the rest of the country.

Someone forwarded me the following link some time ago, and I'd like to share it seeing that we're talking about CS. It's a nice little article on the several attainable degrees in the Computer Sciences discipline. Check it out to figure out the nuances of each of those degrees:
http://compsci.ca/blog/6-degrees-of-computer-science/

Also, what ticks me off a lot is the lack of research aptitude in today's students. Nobody likes to work independently and pursue a specialization - at least in the several engineering fields that I know of. That may well be because of household pressures etc. but how can you expect a country to prosper when there are little or no specialized people being produced every year! Just compare our research publications with those of other countries and you'll know why we are where we are - staring at the abyss.

Power sharing or Power saving?

It seems Mushy is bent on keeping the President's chair for as long as humanly possible - and for that, he's now performed the cardinal sin of negotiating with those who he once vowed to stop getting back in power! Such a true reflection of politics in this country, where you go back on your word at your convenience!

I wonder how long will the "people" bear such madness in the name of ruling. It is a nation we're talking about here, and yet all these freaking idiots care about is getting back into power and serving their assumed Gods and Goddesses sitting all the way across the Atlantic! How shallow can you get really!

I've said it a million times, no sane person would ever want those two jack**** to return to power but since when did the government did what its people wanted? It seems we're destined for another stint of looting and plundering in the name of restoration of democracy. The only way those two could stay out of power is when the Supreme Court rules against them too. Surely there's enough evidence around to convict those two of their misdeeds while they were in power. Here's hoping something of that sort materializes.

Funny Connecticut Sign

:)

To see or not to see...

There is an ongoing debate these days over Shoaib Mansoor's film Khuda Kay Liyay. There's already a Fatwa out doing the proverbial rounds on the net discouraging people from watching the film - but I, for one, intend to see it and form my own opinion of it rather than take their word for it. I won't be surprised if the mullahs have taken the insults out of context - just like they started parading these fatwas against that Apple product that resembled the cube and that the mullahs mistook for a look-alike of Ka'aba. Nut bags!

Watch the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAoTD072n04

Pakistan on National Geographic

September’s national geographic magazine features an article by Don Belt, titled “Struggle for the soul of Pakistan”. It’s available online at:
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0709/pakistan/pakistan.html

Worth a read. Do check it out.

I STILL love Pakistan

In response to BuzzVines' Still Love Pakistan Campaign

I STILL love Pakistan because it's my identity. No matter where I go, I will ALWAYS be recognized as a Pakistani - and am damn proud of it. Sure the people who've ruled my country have left no stone unturned in ruining and looting it for their personal gain but that does not change what Pakistan stands for, WHY we fought for it and what personal sacrifices it took to achieve it - that will always remain the same. And that is why I'll always love Pakistan.

Happy Birthday to me!

23 years of loitering, ignorance and hypocrisy ... and its set to continue ! =)

Rock on razzman! :P

Oh and special thanks to all those who wished on this momentous day ... especially my office buddies! Thanks guys !

Of Energy and Motivation

While having a discussion on our way back from work on Friday night, a co-worker talked about how there are two types of motivation that drive us: Intrinsic and Extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is from within, when one forces oneself to achieve something absolutely necessary, for instance, in order to make ends meet. And then there is extrinsic motivation; such motivation is dependent on external things such as getting money, promotion or praise from superiors.

Anyhow, what I've always wondered is how people manage to muster the motivation and energy to engage in so many activities that they have little time left for themselves at the end of the day. Through the course of University and Work, I've seen people who besides studying/working also undertake tutoring at tuition centers or at homes or perform some other tasks besides working leaving me wondering how on earth do they find the energy to do this all week in week out?! I must be a lazy bum by their standards as I can't even manage to drag myself to the gym every now and then! :(

A cousin of mine, an exercise freak I must add, will have my head when he finds out I haven't been to the fitness center in 3 weeks! (having taken a 6-month membership!) :P Nevermind that, the question is how to find the motivation required to get so much done?! A mondo cool physique ? An impressed girl ? Nah ... I guess I'll have to keep looking for something better to increase my infinitesimal levels of motivation. Got any ideas ?

Haye Accounting

My latest job requires me to get acquainted with Accounting and its principles leading up to some advanced concepts too. Now for someone who has an engineering background, this is no easy task I tell you! In fact, the first few sessions were so boring, I almost fell asleep! :P … Thankfully, now I have started getting the hang of it a bit as some bull has made its way in me head if you know what I’m saying! :)

Two cheers for Accrual-based accounting apparently, it follows the US GAAP principle where as cash-based does not. Something to do with realizing revenue at the proper time. The real mind-boggling stuff for any accounting newbie is to learn when certain types of accounts are debited and when they are credited. Couldn't they just make one freaking rule for everything?! I guess not! Asset and expense accounts, apparently, are debited on increase and credited on decrease whereas liability, equity and revenue accounts are credited on increase and debited on decrease! You see my predicament? Now we talk of acquisitions and depreciations like it’s our jargon … uff … still needs some getting used to. More on it later.

What the hell is going on ?

Three attacks in as many days that have left over 65 people dead! What on earth is happening in Pakistan ?! To be brutally honest, I did support the operation ... but not the way it was carried out. There were startling revelations afterwards ... most notably of White Phosphorous being used by the Army and of course Dr. Shahid Masood's column in JANG.

The conditions haven't been this bad for some time. All security forces in Pakistan are under constant attack by suicide bombers and sympathizers of Ghazi Rasheed. Did we need to kill each and every person inside the mosque to prove our point ?! Like I said in the case of Bugti, I refuse to believe that this was the only option ... despite what Mushy said on the telly. Killing your own people brutally does not make an example out of them, it makes martyrs out of them that will haunt Pakistani forces for years to come!

Also, never have I witnessed Pak Army being lambasted by its own people so much before. I think it also important to understand that for all its discipline, all it is doing is following orders. The soldiers know what they are told by their superiors and do what they are ordered to do. I just hope the situation stabilizes and we do not have any more bombings - although I highly doubt it.

You know what sickens me the most?! That even if we get rid of Mushy, there is no one to turn to. Bibi and Sharif sahab are convicted looters and criminals and should not be allowed another term. Who does that leave then? The MMA ? Please! Who else ? No one! Our predicament is such that not only are we screwed right now ... there is potential to be screwed ever so more in the future if the govt. changes for the worse. Only time will tell.

Tandrusti Hazaar Naimat Hay

I've had this freaking cough for the last three freaking weeks and it took a turn for the worst last night! Damn! Now it's real bad and I know I could have prevented it :(! The doctor seemed startled as to how it could get so bad from the last time I visited him ... Anyway, a bit of 'BADD PARHAIZI' and there you go..

Right now, I got a running nose, a cough that is so bad ... it's not even funny! And as a result of all this, I have a bad fever too !

Changed Life

It's been a while since I last posted to this blog. A lot has happened after May ... I've gotten a job at a software house in down here in Karachi and life's been changed ever since. I am sure everyone takes their time getting used to a working life where you have to spend the best part of the day at this singe place all week long! Believe me, it takes some getting used to for a fresh graduate! Anyway, the experience has been worthwhile and I hope it continues to be that way for as long as I stay here.

Life really gets busy tenfold when youi start a job. I can't seem to remember if I've ever craved for weekends this much before :)! All of the week's work now invariably gets dumped on the weekend and all the movies, TV series etc. have to wait till the weekend too. I finished the LOST - Season 3 last week and have now started watching the Star Trek - The Next Generation series. Besides that, I read Digital Fortress and plan to get my hands on the The 11th Commandment which a friend recommended. So all in all, life is whizzing at warp ten speed and while having to witness unusually high amounts of rain. And there's more fore casted for tomorrow and day after ... damn!