Flying home

As the semester culminates in the form of Exams next week, I'm already looking forward to it since I'm set to board a Karachi-bound flight the very next day! Yayy! As much as transatlantic travel can be mentally and physically exhausting, the sight of halal fast foods of Doha (my transit city) and the joy of being reunited with friends and family makes it all the more bearable.

Living alone has its advantages and disadvantages. You get to do stuff you like - whatever, whenever. You also tend to become a bit more responsible (supposedly) since you're more independent .... mostly because there's no one to help you out with your chores (laundry, cooking et al.) Still, I've seen people become lazier and ever so more carefree with no one around nagging them to clean up and stuff. Hey, I don't care how people live their lives or how they take care of their personal hygiene ... but it annoys me sometimes. Anyway, coming back to the topic of the post in question ... I'm really looking forward to landing back in Karachi, the chaotic, polluted streets, the kachray kay dhairs (as much as I despise them), normal left-hand driving, faster internet etc. etc. One thing I'm certainly not looking forward to is the dreaded load-shedding :(. Oh boy, that is one thing I have not missed about Karachi at all!

Life in USA so far has been pretty interesting. As soon as people find out I'm from Pakistan, they want to discuss the current situation with me and get my views on it. I have made no secret of my animosity towards the past American government, its continued support for Israel n all. But surprisingly, more people agree with me than I thought. I don't know if the fact that I encounter "enlightened" people in and around my campus is whats responsible for this sentiment or whether its a general sentiment among the public. I should write more on this on a separate post perhaps. For now, I'm excited to be going home. Karachi rocks in its own way. There's no place like it. Period.

Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles

I've been inundated with work these days and there's hardly enough time to watch TV or play games. But the time I do get every now and then, I spend some of it catching up on the TV series I like watching. The one that's the subject of this post is Terminator : Sarah Connor Chronicles. I'm a big sci-fi fan (if you don't already know) and I heard there's a new TV series about the Terminator out, but it wasn't until I landed here in the land of the free that I started watching it online. Anyway, it's first season was really very good and got me hooked alright. The second season took a dip in the middle when the storyline just became downright boring, but boy did it finish on a high or what! Its season 2 finale aired last friday and it was a total cliffhanger I tell you! One of the best finales I have seen for sure! If you're a T2 fan then you absolutely have to see this. There's so many interesting questions it poses, and I would hate to see the series not being renewed for it's third season, which it richly deserves IMO.

Here's hoping the guys over at FOX see the light and let the show continue. There's also a Terminator movie coming out next month - Terminator Salvation. If that movie proves to be a success (I'm really hoping it is) coupled with the fact that the show ended on a high, it should be reason enough to renew the show. Here's hoping.

Words of Wisdom

"There are four causes of infidelity and loss of belief in Allah: hankering after whims, a passion to dispute every argument, deviation from truth; and dissension, because whoever hankers after whims does not incline towards truth; whoever keeps on disputing every argument on account of his ignorance, will always remain blind to truth, whoever deviates from truth because of ignorance, will always take good for evil and evil for good and he will always remain intoxicated with misguidance. And whoever makes a breach (with Allah and His Messenger) his path becomes difficult, his affairs will become complicated and his way to salvation will be uncertain.

Similarly, doubt has also four aspects absurd reason- ing; fear; vacillation and hesitation; and unreasonable surrender to infidelity, because one who has accustomed himself to unreasonable and absurd discussions will never see the Light of Truth and will always live in the darkness of ignorance. One who is afraid to face facts (of life, death and the life after death) will always turn away from ultimate reality, one who allows doubts and uncertainties to vacillate him will always be under the control of Satan and one who surrenders himself to infidelity accepts damnation in both the worlds."

Hazrat Ali (A.S)

Source: http://www.al-islam.org/masoom/sayings/saying5.html

Pizza Chronicles

So I tried my hand at baking today with a Frozen cold cheese Pizza. The instructions seemed simple enough. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees; stick the pizza in there; let it bake (or burn) for 15 minutes straight and voila, you got a hot and delicious pizza .... NOT! Instead, it ended up looking something like this:


Oh well, I guess with every disappointment comes a lesson (South Park style). I learned something today i.e., to pay more attention this things I'm "trying a hand at" for the first time! Nothing is as easy as it seems. duh!

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

I know this video has probably done the rounds a lot already, and chances are if you haven't seen the video yet you'd have at least read the transcript of this wonderful speech by Steve Jobs at Stanford in 2005.

There are so many important and inspirational things to this talk and I wanted to archive it here for my blog, and of course for those few who haven't come across it yet.

The text of the speech is available here.

Busy?

"The busiest people I have known in my life always have time enough to do everything. Those who do nothing are always tired and pay no attention to the little amount of work they are required to do. They complain constantly that the day is too short. The truth is, they are afraid to fight a good fight."

Page 51 of Pilgrimage, by Paulo Coelho

Found at Whiz Kid Woes

The Credit Crisis Visualized

A great visualization of the current financial crisis we find ourselves in.

Courtesy: Crisisofcredit.com by Jonathan Jarvis.

Speechless

Literally speechless about what happened in Lahore today. Mortified at the fact that they were guaranteed security yet this still took place. So much for our guarantees now. I just don't know what else to say. I'm glad no one from their team got hurt and I salute the brave policeman who died protecting them, not to mention the driver who drove them away from the scene.

Things just seem to be going from bad to worse for us. For once, I hope the investigation reveals the perpetrators of this heinous act. Those animals should be caught asap and brought before the courts, and their masterminds should be exposed no matter who they are!

Related Links:

Sangakkara's account of events

Younis - Kill cricket, create terrorists

Beverage Concoctions

Have you ever felt crazy enough to try some weird combination of different beverages? I have! I remember I was introduced to it by my brother, and he learned it at his college (why is everything crazy associated with college life?). Anyway, the first beverage concoction that I tried was Sprite + Milk. It was awesome! After that I've tried Pepsi Milk (so-so), Fanta Milk (not so good), and lastly Vimto Milk (very good!). Vimto Milk tastes kinda like Rooh Afza, except with bubbles and gas. Sprite Milk still wins hands down though.

It is incredibly easy to make your beverage concoction, just do as follows:

1/2 glass of milk
+
1/2 glass of the beverage of your choice

Pour milk, then beverage and stir a little and VOILA! You got a brand new drink! Although I don't guarantee it'll always taste good :P Sprite and Vimto Milk still rock though! So, go ahead ... give it a try :)

Scenes from Pakistan

I came across bilishy's post about a Boston.com story entitled Scenes from Pakistan which is aimed at depicting the current situation prevalent in Pakistan, .

It was interesting going through the comments in that post. Apart from the inane and moronic views of some trolls, it was nice to see some positive comments from others that really put the situation into perspective. As for my opinion, I think the pictures paint a very bleak and gory picture of Pakistan (NWFP in particular), not that it isn't half-true or anything. The recent truce with the Taliban in the Swat valley is something to be concerned about. While it will bring much-needed peace to the region, what remains to be seen is the concessions the Taliban are willing to make (if any) in imposing their Shariah law in the region. I would be gutted to see if girls' schools continue to remain closed under the new truce. That would undoubtedly signal a defeat for us hopeful of making Swat the wonderful tourist destination it once was.

But Swat is not our only problem at the moment. The Taliban element that seems to have grown more and more on our side of the border in the wake of the US invasion has also resulted in an increase in sectarian violence, particular in Kurram Agency and Parachinar. I'm surprised no leader of ours hasn't said that in public especially when the Americans have the audacity to question our intentions in fighting this war on terror.

The collection of pictures, overall, was very moving. Just goes to show the dire straits our beautiful country finds itself in. If there was any time we needed some really sincere leadership, it is NOW but sadly look who we have for a leader!. Recent events like this don't exactly fill you with confidence either.

Don't Make Fun Of Grad Students

Here's another one from 30 Rock

Hilarious! :)

Funny

This cracks me up everytime it shows up on facebook :P

I know, I know ... if anything, this is a reflection of us and our dire straits. Don't get me started on that.

Superbowl

Superbowl is undoubtedly THE single biggest sporting event in the US. The attention it gets, in terms of TV commercials and other publicity is just amazing. Stores even put out special sales on TVs just for this single event! It is expected that somewhere to the tune of 130 million people will watch this year's game between the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers! Moreover, they're expecting that around 90 million will take a bathroom break during the half-time! That's more than half of Pakistan's entire population, or the entire population of Mumbai! Can you imagine an entire city going to the toilet AT THE SAME TIME? It'll be just like that!

More fun facts include an estimate of chips being consumed on that day (20,000 tons), guacamole (8 million pounds). Tickets which initially cost a whopping $500-$1000 have been known to change hands days before the game for as much as $2000-$4000. Ridiculous if you ask me! And they say Football (Soccer) has become commercialized! And may I remind you that we are in a recession? The number of private jets flying in to watch the Superbowl is down as a result. Ha!

For first-time viewers, American football seems to be the most hideous game on earth quite frankly, a rip-ff of Rugby (that's what I thought when I first saw it). But as it turns out, the game is quite complicated with a plethora of rules newbies like me have a hard time fathoming at first. You have to grow up watching it to develop the kind of appreciation for it like we have for cricket back in desi-land. And boy do they love their football or what! If I cited trucks as the object of their obsession in my listing of weird american facts, football most definitely trumps that.

I still prefer the real football (or Soccer as they call it here), that's still a million times better than this IMO. Still, that doesn't mean I won't be watching Superbowl this year. My only issue with them is that they call the winners `World Champions`. Oh come on, this isn't WWE for crying out loud!

Looked at yourself in the mirror lately?

Following story has been taken from Paulo's short stories collection - previously posted on an old blog of mine here:

The Window and the Mirror

A very rich young man went to see a Rabbi in order to ask his advice about what he should do with his life. The Rabbi led him over to the window and asked him:

'What can you see through the glass?'

'I can see men coming and going and a blind man begging for alms in the street.'
Then the Rabbi showed him a large mirror and said to him:

'Look in this mirror and tell me what you see.'

'I can see myself.'

'And you can't see the others. Notice that the window and the mirror are both made of the same basic material, glass; but in the mirror, because the glass is coated with a fine layer of silver, all you can see is yourself. You should compare yourself to these two kinds of glass. Poor, you saw other people and felt compassion for them. Rich - covered in silver - you see yourself. You will only be worth anything when you have the courage to tear away the coating of silver covering your eyes in order to be able to see again and love your fellow man.'

Cold!

It's freaking cold here today. I like winter ... snow I mean. But not Quetta-like winds at sub-zero temperatures, they freak me the hell out. I believe today's high is -4. Imagine that! Good thing it's not here to stay, the temperature goes above zero soon.

I cannot imagine how people in Canada survive, it's not natural, honestly.

Blogs from Gaza

Read the horrific accounts of residents of Gaza of unending Israeli terrorism going on there every day. Israel is trying to paint a very different picture of the conflict lying about bombing tunnels, human shields, and militant targets when the evidence points to the contrary. Get the real picture from these blogs:

Gaza Strip - The Untold Story

Ingaza

Diary of a Palestinian Mother

Is there no nation in this world that will stand up to this oppression?!

Why the blind support of Israel?

I, for one, am shocked and aghast at the blind support given to Israel by the United States of America. No matter how heinous Israel's crimes are, there is NEVER a condemnation of it's actions by the US. Even if the countries share a lot of their national interests, you would think given the humanitarian crisis that has resulted there as a result and the number of innocent casualties that have occurred in the wake of the attacks, there would be *some* criticism for such action and calls for a ceasefire and to this day, there are none. More than 600 Palestinians are dead as a result of the Israeli offensive and thousands are injured. How can the world simply let Israel continue this massacre without raising a voice?!

It is this blind support of Israel that is the prime factor in America's unpopularity in Asia and the rest of the world. There is a feeling that no matter what Israel does, America will ALWAYS support it effectively giving Israel the green light to do whatever it wants to do. Israel claims it's bombings are highly precise and accurate, but the images out of Gaza tell a different story altogether. Besides, where is the sense in claiming the lives of hundreds of civilians as a result of a couple of deaths by Hamas rockets in Israel? Can it not get it through their heads that such indiscriminate killing will only ensure that such hatred and animosity for Israel continues, and a new generation will grow up with the sole aim of killing Israelis. I do not know what Hamas were thinking firing rockets at Israeli cities. Killing of civilians is wrong, no matter who does it but the Israeli response, as usual, has been inhumane and brutal and the US support for it is equally pathetic. It is a circle with no beginning and no end. Violence breeds violence. Period.

Ashura

The Tenth of Muharram - better known as the Day of Ashura - is a source of deep mourning and grief for the Prophet's (P.B.U.H) followers. The day marks the brave sacrifice given by Hazrat Imam Hussain (A.S) and his brave companions. To this day, there are some morons who think all this was a political war between two "Princes". If that were the case, why would have the Imam brought along his family and children? Did he not have the foresight to see the eventual outcome of the situation that was developing? This post is primarily aimed at my foreign readers (Yes, I have a few I'm told) so I'll avoid the inane questions and doubts devoid of common sense shown by some of our Muslim brethren.

Every year, the arrival of Muharram is marked with majalis (lectures) aimed at making people realize the greatness of this sacrifice in the context of history and the far-reaching repercussions it has to this day. Had it not been for this sacrifice, the Islam we'd have had today would've been anything but the one that was brought by our Prophet (P.B.U.H). As a poet has famously said:

Qatl-e-Hussain Asal Mein Marg-e-Yazid Hay
Islam Zinda Hota Hay Har Karbala Kay Baad
(Killing of Hussain is actually the death of Yazeed
Islam is revived after every Karbala - implying every year in the month of Muharram)

While it is extremely important to remember this sacrifice year-on-year, what is also equally important is to understand the message of Karbala and try to apply it to our daily lives. As Imam Jafar-e-Sadiq (A.S.) said:
Kullu Youm-e-Ashura, Kullu Arz-e-Karbala
(Every day is Ashura, Every Land is Karbala).

Indeed, the message of Karbala is much much more profound than we believe it to be. What the Imam means by saying that is the fact that the message of Karbala is not limited to a certain period in history. In fact, it is so profound that every living being can take something from this great sacrifice and apply it to their lives no matter where they are and what time period they live in. Quoting another poet:

Insaan ko baidaar to ho lainay do
Har Qaum pukaaray gi hamaray hain Hussain
(Let humanity wake up from its slumber
Every nation will cry out: Hussain is ours!)

The poet wants to convey the fact the message of Karbala is truly universal and is valid for all humanity regardless of race, cast, creed and other differences. It is a slap to the face of oppression, tyranny and falsehood that continues in one form or another to this day. Imam Hussain (A.S.) by his remarkable actions has created an eternal distinction between good and evil, and that good is worth every sacrifice, no matter how big.

Shah Ast Hussain, Baadshah Ast Hussain
Deen Ast Hussain, Deen-Panah Ast Hussain
Sar Daad Na Daad, Dast dar Dast-e-Yazeed
Haqqa kay binaey La Ilah Ast Hussain
(Ruler is Hussain, Emperor is Hussain
Faith is Hussain, Guardian of Faith is Hussain
He gave his head, but refused to give his hand (in allegiance)
Indeed, Hussain is the foundation of La-Ilah (religion of truth) )

Alla humma La'an Qatla-tal Hussain-e-wa Ashaabehi
(May Allah curse the murderes of Hussain and his companions) Amen!

Image courtesy: Saeed-Art

Gaza bleeds again

Another massacre in Gaza continues as the world watches on silently. How long will this oppression last? A once "invincible" army which couldn't even defeat a determined militia is now picking on innocent women and children to get its point across.

Image courtesy: Carlos Latuff

Let it snow!

Landed in Seattle last night for a quick 2-week trip. Saw snow today for the first time. Ever.


Needless to say, I'm lovin' it!