Mad Rush..

I don't know why everyone in London is in such a rush...Every freshie who visits London for the first time notices this thing instantly...Everyone walks so briskly...Everyone is even running on the escalators and you fear that someone would just topple you over or slip over...Its like you think what is their hurry...Why, oh Why...Seriously, it makes you think that perhaps time really is money and these people are in reality running after this money...But then you think perhaps its easier to simplify...Har kisi ki koi kahaani hoti hai, shaid in ki bhee ho...Then when I was waiting for the train in the station,I saw a desi woman in her mid to late twenties crying and I was like God what must be wrong with her...I didn't have time to go and ask her as my train was about to arrive...But it just stuck to my mind...What must be her woe??? There are so many stories of girls from Pakistan getting married to pakistani guys born and raised here and then when they get here they get totally mis-treated by these jerks who turn out to be alcoholics who turn up late, are always in a stupor and sleep around etc...Painful stories...What would be her story...

Tagged, you're IT!!!

I was tagged on by a friend...Whoever reads this is obligated to complete this for his/her own blog/notes as well

You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages or comments you and asks. -- and believe me, the temptation to explain some of these will be overwhelming nothing is exactly as it seems. Yes or No Only!

Now, here's what you're supposed to do. . . Copy and paste this into your blog, delete my answers, type in your answers and tag other friends

Been arrested? --- No

Kissed someone you didn't like? --- Yes

Slept in until 5 PM? --- Yes

Run a red light? --- Yes

Been suspended from school? --- No

Experienced love at first sight? --- No

Totaled your car in an accident?--- No

Been fired from a job? --- No

Fired somebody? --- No

Sang karaoke? --- No

Pointed a gun at someone? --- No

Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? --- Yes

Caught a snowflake on your tongue? --- No

Kissed in the rain? --- No

Had a close brush with death (your own)? --- Yes

Seen someone die? --- Yes

Played spin-the-bottle? --- Yes

Smoked a cigar? --- Yes

Sat on a rooftop? --- Yes

Smuggled something into another country? --- No

Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes? --- No

Broken a bone? --- No

Skipped school? --- Yes

Eaten a bug? --- Yes

Sleepwalked? --- No

Walked a moonlit beach? --- Yes

Rode a motorcycle? --- Yes

Dumped someone? --- No

Lied to avoid a ticket? ---No

Ridden in a helicopter? --- No

Shaved your head? --- Yes

Made your boyfriend/girlfriend cry? --- Yes

Eaten snake? --- No

Marched/Protested? --- Yes

Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? --- No

Puked on amusement ride? --- No

Seriously & intentionally boycotted something? --- Yes

Been in a band? --- No

Been on TV? --- No

Shot a gun? --- No

Skinny-dipped? --- No

Gave someone stitches? --- Yes

Ridden a surfboard? --- No

Had surgery? --- Yes

Streaked? --- No

Taken by ambulance to hospital? --- No

Passed out when not drinking? --- Yes

Peed on a bush? --- No

Donated Blood? --- No

Grabbed electric fence? --- No

Eaten alligator meat? --- No

Killed an animal when not hunting? --- Yes

Peed your pants in public? --- Yes :D

Snuck into a movie without paying? --- Yes

Written graffiti? --- No

Still love someone you shouldn't? --- ...Yes

Been in handcuffs? --- No

Believe in love? --- Yes

Sleep on a certain side of the bed? --- Yes

le vrai amour...

Niraj Chag revisited...

You know I just somehow stumbled across the song I shared earlier: "Khwaab"...It was made by Niraj Chag, an upcoming musical director/composer based in UK...I think he's released two albums: "along the dusty road" and "lost souls"...ahem ahem...lol, since this blog is incidentally named "map4lostsouls", therefore, I thought it would be a good idea for all lost souls who visit it to sample the sounds of Niraj Chag...I think the songs are growing on me...He uses different singers for his songs.,, The lyrics are really lovely, unlike the commercialized stuff which lyricists pen out these days...Even the videos are very well thought out and compliment the lyrics and the beats..My sis didn't like the vocal quality that much, however I think it takes time to grow on you...I hope you like it as well...Comments are welcome on this one...Just spread the love :D

London bliss...

This London Eid trip was wonderful in more ways than one...Something really amazing happnened, something that I've wanted ever since I was little...Something thats a milestone in life...Details would be disclosed soon...Its too early but i'm so very happyyy I went to London...Alhamdulillah :) :D

Song of the day :)

I had promised you guys a song on the weekend...It was supposed to be related to a previous post on Bertrand Russels Essay BUT its kinda sorta in the same theme, but not entirely.....The voice is so sweeet :)..It is Khwaab by Niraj Chag....Very deep and meaningful...I live the line: "kia meri zindagi aik eik khwaab hai, it seems so true...Enjoy!!!

Woh jab meri rahat ke
Kadam the maaz bhoot
Mere anda yeh samandar
Meri dhukhoon ka mar hoon
Barson guzare hai aap
Dil pe nahin aetbaar
Kal joothi meri jawani
Aaj hai kahani

Kya meri zindagi, ek khwaab hai
Kitni lambe, yeh raat hai
Bikhre sapne, bichre apne
Yaad chupke se rulati hai
Kya meri zindagi, ek khwaab hai
Kitni lambe, yeh raat hai
Bikhre sapne, bichre apne
Yaad chupke se rulati hai

Aise pighal jaate hai
Mere dil mein samaate hai
Sapne saja jaate hai
Aur jakar paate hai
Zindagi ka yeh safar
Koi samjhe to nahin
Yehi rasta hai mera
Koi aata hi nahin

Kya meri zindagi, ek khwaab hai
Kitni lambe, yeh raat hai
Bikhre sapne, bichre apne
Yaad chupke se rulati hai
Kya meri zindagi, ek khwaab hai
Kitni lambe, yeh raat hai
Bikhre sapne, bichre apne
Yaad chupke se rulati ha

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Verse 1
There was a season when my steps were unwavering
Within me was this ocean
That would repair and cure me of all my pains
But at the passing of time
I am no longer certain of my hearts integrity
The days of my youth
Now only an abstract memory

Chorus
Is my essence just a delusion?
How long do I submit to such a night
Where dreams are shattered
And mine forsake me
My silent cries reveal the stains of my memory

Verse 2:
Everything is fragmented its falling apart
Yet perfectly connected, attached, aligned in my heart
A collage of hopes I had commissioned from within
Were denied me and blotted out
They cannot understand my lifes journey
So I alone must complete it

Middle 8:
Disconnected from my thoughts
Disconnected from my dreams
This life
This road in silent suffering I must travel

Sights and sounds of a tennis match...

I went, I saw and I enjoyed...02 arena was amazing, a breathtaking site from the site located in south east London on Greenwich Peninsula...We stood on the opposite site of river thames staring it with open mouths...I mean it was a site to behold with the river Thames flowing in the forefront of the wonderfully well-lit domed structure...A bit about the history of O2 Arena (courtesy wikipedia)...It is a purpose built arena housing a cinema, indoor tennis comples, shops, bars etc...It has capacity of up to 23,000 depending on the event and is ranked as one of the largest indoor arenas in Europe and after Madison Square Garden in New York and Manchester Arena, it is the third most popular venue for concerts etc in the world...

Anyhoo, enough about the history...Now to the part of watching a tennis match live...J said he had watched the final of wimbedlon live and according to him this indoor arena for tennis was better than that....It was hugee...so many levels and we were right up there...The lightning was amazing...slightly darker in the crowd but the centre court was perfectly lit making it easy to follow the ball, the player movements etc...There was a huge screen as well where you could see the replays etc...The environment was the best...Everyone would be waiting for the serve all silent and then someone would break the silence by calling the players first name by saying something like comeon Robin (Robin Sorderlings' first name)...Then when a game was over, a very colourful digital advertisment strip would be lit up and circle the arena's layers...In the breaks, some popular songs tune was played and someone would start singing along, others joining too in clapping or stomping their feet (kinda sorta like the NBA games style if that is something easy to comprehend)....There was a lot of clapping, and oooo's aaaaaa's when a point was closely competed...In short it was an amazing experience, like one of those once in a lifetime thingo's: to watch a tennis match live in an indoor arena...The game was well competed too, going down to the full sets and trust me tennis is really fast paced when you watch it live with the ball going from one end to the other in matters of seconds...On tv, we can see it with many slow motion replays etc but live its extremely fast paced with players running across courts at lightening speed and groaning alot too :)...So yea, if you guys have a bucket list, you should definitly add watching a tennis match live...I, for one can check that off :D

Interesting watch...

Cheesy Eid Sms's

I'm sure this post will be lame but its meant to be for laughs...Just look what some of our fellow countrymen come up with as Eid Sms wishes :S
-------------------------------------
DO U think u are smart,
attractive
well gromd
&
competetive
if yes
then reply with ur full Bio Data bcoz,
city Govt
Has aranged a Bakra Beuty contest on this eid.
--------------------------------------
Kash aap Bakra hoty
Hum aap ko ghas khilaty
Pyar se aap k sing hilaty
Or pochty sms bhenjne me kanjoos
Kun?
Mein?
Ya
Aap!
Tu aap pyar se bolty
mein…mein…mein…mein…
(im speechless...stunned...scarred for life)
****************
On the pages of roses
Wit da ink of moon light
With da hand of luv
A pen of prayers has written
Only 3 Words for u
"HAPPY EID MUBARAK"

****************
From Home to home, and heart to heart,
From one place to another
The warmth and joy of EID,
Brings us closer to each other.
!!Eid Mubarak!!

****************
* ,* This
* / ,/' BUNCH
'///',* of
"%" FLOWERS
Is Being Specially Delivered To
"U"&vur FAMILY

Just to say.
"Happy Advance EID MUBARAK".

****************
May on this EID the Plate of ur life is filled
with juicy Kababs & Tikkas topped with Chatni of
Happiness & covered with Salad of Love.
"EID MUBARAK"
(My fav :P)
****************

May every blossom in the garden of life
bright ur eid with joy and fill ur days with the
sweet fragrance of happiness
(Eid Mubarak)

****************
May the blessing of Allah
bright the days ahead
& may joy & peace
fill ur heart
in the sweetest way
may this eid be
a happy and memorable one
Eid Mubarak
****************
~ *~ *~ May this Eid day bring U
Every thing U R hoping 4
And may every day ahead
B filled with happiness
WISH YOU A Happy EID
****************

Kash is eid par main tara bakra hota
R tu nay mujy pyar say pakra hota
Tu apny hathoon say mujy pattay khilati (OMG...really...LAME?)
Tu mujy main main kar kay bulati
R sham ko gali main sath ghumati
Sara din main taray sath rahta
Rat ko sardi say akra hota
Kash is eid par main tara bakra hota
Phir eid pr main zibah ho jata
Tari khatar main kat mar jata
Tari muhabbat main kuch assa jakra hota
Kash is eid par main tumhara bakra hota

(HAHAHAHAHA....I had a stomach ache laughing at this one)

****************

Some wordz can b left unsaid
Some feelingz can b left unexpressed
Bt person like YOU can nvr b forgotton on this day
**** EID MubARaK ****
(ahem ahem...Gosh!)
****************

Ap nay Kya Socha SMS Ni Aay ga
Socha Yh Dost Aap ko Yun hee Bhool Jay ga Yh To Adat Hay Hamari Satany Ke
Warna itna Piyara Dost Eid Pr Kon Bhulana Chahy ga
HAPPY EID GREETINGS

****************
Zindagi k her pal khushion se kam na ho,
Aap ka her din eid ke din se kam na ho,
Aisa eid k din ap ko hamesha naseeb ho,
Jis main koi dukh koi ghum pass na ho
Eid Mubarak

****************

ay chaand
jub wo tari taraf dakhain
to unhain kuch yaad dilaana
mudhar sa kuch geet sunana
orr kahna
tumhain koi yaad karta ha
tari aarzo,tari umeed karta ha
koi aaj bhi
tumhain dakh kar eid karta ha.

(haiii..bakra eid hai dumbo..chand go went gone 10 days ago)
****************

Yun Khilonoon Sy Kb Tk Dil Bahlao Gy,
Jb Koi Ni Ho Ga To Khud Ko TANHA Pao Gy,
Choti EID To Chalo Guzr Gyi Lakin,
Wada Kro BARI EID Py Zaro0r Nahao Gy!

****************
Ik Sawal,
Ap EiD Kasi Guzarna Psand Karo gy?
.
.
.
.
.
.
Plz Yaar Yh Na Khna Tumhary Saath
Mujy Pahly he 35 larkion sy yh Offer a chuki hy.

(Tauba!)
****************

Udasyoon ki shaam or yadoon ka samaan
apni palkon pa sitaray hargiz na laain ga
rakhna sanbhal ka tum chand khushyan mery lia
main lout kar aaon ga phr eid manien ga

****************

On the holy occasion of eid
i wish the warmth
of our friendship always
remains the same
Eid Mubarak..

(Imagine someone actually saying that with fraaaaaaaaandsheeeep instead of friendship)

****************
Kya jashan manaoon kh aaj Eid ha,
ya dard e dil jagaon ka aaj Eid ha,
lagaya nahi ha us ne galay pyar se mujhay,
main kaise maan jaon ka aaj Eid ha
(nakaam ashiq tau har jaga entry maraain gai hainay...bechari ko chain sai jeenay do)
***************

Qaatal hijaab kay pardoon ko kaat dallo,
Dikhlla do rukh ka nazara kay Eid aye ha.
Saara saal hum nay judai main guzaar hi dia,
Ab nahin ho ga guzaara kay Eid aye ha.

****************
May Allah this occasion flood ur life with happiness,
u heart with love, ur soul with spiritual ,
ur mind with wisdom,
wishing u a very Happy Eid Mubarak

(lol...i can well imagine someone from Toba tek singh coming up with that line)
****************
No time iz like Eid
With its charm and magic
When fun & frolic of little ones
Add beautify 2 the view!
HAVE A WONDERFUL EID
(HAHA@ froloc of little ones!!!)
****************
When my arms can't reach people close to my heart.
I always hug them with my prayers.
May Allah's peace be with u.
A very happy eid mubarak 2 U.

****************
Of all the days to celebrate
this out shines the rest,
Here is hopeing that,
this EID is happiest and best
****************
May tha blessings of Allah
fill ur life with happiness
and open all the doors of success
now nd always.

Eid Mubarak

****************
Luk Outside
Its so pleasant!
Sun Smiling 4 u
Trees Dancing 4 u
Birds singing 4 u
Becoz I requested them all 2 wish u
!!EID MUBARAK!!

(Dekho, bhai sahab ki request sai sab kuch :S...I wonder how trees look when they dance :S)
****************
May the magic of this EID bring lots of happiness in your life and may it fill ur HEART wid wonders.
Happy EID Greetings
****************

Do u know the Meanings of EID?
It means "ENJOY in DUNIYA" Dear
So, In ur life all moments bring EID 4 u
Wish EID MUBARAK to you and your family.

****************
Chupkay sy chand ke Roshni Choo Jay Ap ko
Dheery Say Yh Hawa Kuch Kh Jay Ap ko
Dil Sy jo Chahty Hoo Maang Lo Khuda Sy
Hum Dua Karty Hain Mil Jay Woo Ap ko
EID MUBARAk Greetings

(LOL!)

EID MUBARAK, plain and simple and pulllleeez think twice before you consider using these for your eid sms's unless you really want to act cheesy deliberately!!!

Eid Mubarak...

Well, no holiday on eid for me...No way of catching the eid namaz and its the second bakra eid away from home...However, if its any consolation, I will get off work at 2 and J sqaured would be coming down here to london and we're gonna watch the ATP World Finals in O2 Arena...That would be a treat to watch...Only the top 8 seeds of the worldplay...Imagine legends like Federer and Nadal along with amazing players like Murray, Djokovic, Davydenko et al..Any suggestions for any fancy restaurants in London worth going to??? I know for sure that I'll get a cinnabun and perhaps a shawerma from Beirut on Edgeware road but its Eid, so a proper meal is also due

Anyhow I wish you an amazingly wonderful joyous Eid...May God bless you with all the happiness and success and most importantly, what I realized about Eid is the fact that its never the same without family...So take this time and savour it and make the most of it by spending it with your families and loved ones...This Eid in particular is based on the spirit of sacrifise and charity, so do remember to contribute all you can...Sometime tomorrow in Pakistan, an un-named, unknown Goat will be sacrifised as my contribution to this Eid ritual...I just pray that it had spent a fulfilling, complete life...That when it getss slaughtered, it experiences no pain or suffering and that its soul immediately goes to heaven to be re-united with its lost family...That its meat goes on to feed the needy, especially the children who get some much needed proteins...I know I'm pagal but when I was young, I had a goat which I got really attached to in the days leading to Eid and then they cut him up...To make matters worse my cousins made me watch it in that impressionble age...It was torture and it broke my little heart...I became pale and blacked out..I couldn't eat mutton after that :S...

Anyhooo, Eid Mubarak!!!! Enjoy and have fun...Remember in prayers and please forgive me if I've done, said or written anything that offended or hurt you...

Aunty Destiny...

I have a love hate relationship with Ms. Destiny...She perplexes me greatly...Playing around with us mere mortals like this, sometimes to our sheer delight, sometimes to sheer confusion

Anyhow, there was a junior back in my uni who was really keen on getting a job here in UK in the same profession as me...So, he contacted me sometime last year...I didn't know him much....Just said hello-hi once through a common friend...Anyhow I went out of my way to help him with all the applications and job-interview tips reviewing everything and sending looooong e-mails of the do's and do nots etc...He came for two interviews in London but failed to land a job and went back...That must have been shattering for him and any other person would have been totally gutted but he tried for it again and this time through some sheer trick of fate got an interview in a firm based in the same city as I am...He succeeded in getting the job, went back to Pak, partyed in the last year of uni (like me)...He got nikkah-fied to the love of his life before coming here and last week I helped him in his flat viewings etc...Guess where aunty destiny made him get a flat??? In the very building I live in!!! So, he'll be going back to Pak in the Christmas break to rukhsati-fy his wife who's finally got the dependent visa and come start living in close proximity...Its weird na??? Someone who was a mere acquaintance an year ago somehow after all this not only got a job in the same city as you, but also ended up in the same apartment complex...Plus his marriage to the love of his life was expedited coz he got this job, a job which in Pk rs terms is still a six figure salary and hence gives the in-laws comfort in handing over their daughter..I hope these lovebirds get along well with the two J's or as me and my flatmate call them J^2 (J sqaured)...Btw, their flat has now been codenamed J-land...

Mohsin Hamid's take on moving back to Pakistan...

Mohsin Hamid is perhaps the best english writer of Pakistan, atleast from our generation...I really loved this article...Someday, hopefully soon, I want to move back to my country...No matter what the skeptics think...It is still my land, the land of my forefathers....As he rightly pointed out,it is still a place where hope and tolerance can flourish Inshallah...Perhaps, someday like Mohsin, I'll find a sign too :)


http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/nov/23/london-family-pakistan-hope-tolerance

The sound of birds...

Today, all of a sudden while working, I heard the sounds of some birds twittering and I go hmmm, come to think of it, why do I hear birds so rarely here...During my trip to Pakistan a few months ago, the first thing I noticed was the sound of birds twittering and crows crowing (or whatever they do)...And I rarely heard them in UK...Like once in a blue moon, probably a bit during the spring season, but hardly!! My dad also noticed this when he came here...And I go, abu they are all very well mannered and polite, unlike the Pakistani crows (kawway) who keep on blurting like crazy...But when I went back home and slept at something like 8-9 in the mornings, I felt that I missed these kawwas (crows) and chiryas (sparrows) and their early morning twittering...I remember my Grandma (God bless her soul) used to say that these birds wake up early in the morning and praise God and sing tunes of His praise and I go thinking, obviously UK kai tau birds bhee waisay hongay, Godless kisam kai...BUT, then i realized that its purely scientific....The fact that its mostly cold here all year round and the weather is depressing, perhaps, they just fly south to warmer and more humane climates...So yea, Pakistan seems to be a bird haven in that sence...Here, the ones that remain are the overfed bulky obese pigeons that you find in the town squares...They look like footballs and shit around so much coz they feed all day long on the snacks that tourists throw at them...I remember, I was once having a photo session with a few friends at the famous trafalgur square in central london (typical freshie/fob style) and for a moment I left my overcoat on a bench near the fountains and when I came back it was pooed-on by the adorable round lazy arsed pigeons...Felt like kicking one of them where it hurts but then realized that would be too cruel :)

A despo article...

God!!! A friend forwarded me this article and I HAD TO SHARE!!! Apparently guys in isloo are having troubles finding girls/getting hitched it appears...So some wise guy wrote this article...Seems outdated though, like written some two years ago..Worth a laugh or two :D

http://islamabad.metblogs.com/2007/06/10/where-to-get-hitched-or-ditched/

Driving...

I sooo miss the feel of driving a car...I'm tired of taking lift from my collegues...Theres' something about driving, the inexplicable control, of freedom thats hard to explain...Come this Christmas, Inshallah, I'll buy a car...Rumours are abound that my younger sister has become quite the "Pakistani driver" with the traditional honking, fast zig-zaggy driving and giving the "look", the "evil eye" to anyone who dares drives rashly in front of her...My mom goes that she reads the kalima everytime she sits in the car with my sister but she's now taking the car to her uni everyday...I'm jealously jj'd!!!

Bertrand Russels Essay

That Man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the end they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collocations of atoms; that no fire, no heroism, no intensity of thought and feeling, can preserve an individual life beyond the grave; that all the labours of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius, are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system, and that the whole temple of Man's achievement must inevitably be buried beneath the debris of a universe in ruins -- all these things, if not quite beyond dispute, are yet so nearly certain, that no philosophy which rejects them can hope to stand. Only within the scaffolding of these truths, only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair, can the soul's habitation henceforth be safely built.

I guess this seems to be the mantra of fast-paced modern living in the twenty first century. It envisages the erosion of all religious barriers with the Nafs (self) emerging as the only God to worship. It was in the seventies that many philosophies which glorified greed and selfishness became widespread and popularly accepted. For example, Ayn Rand preached the “Virtues of Selfishness,” and a group of bestsellers like “Looking Out For Number 1” insisted that it was the moral duty of everyone to look out for their own self interests, and not to be concerned about others.The result was that we started living in a world where everyone was selfishly living their own lives, looking after their own narrow interests, where no one cared about anyone else besides themselves. People value most highly being loved, respected and cared for by others. Those who selfishly pursue their own goals can never get the happiness they seek, because we can get love only when we are able to give love. So, we are trapped in a viscious cycle of greed, selfishness, exhibitionism and huge egos reulting in a resonating silence that rings in the very hollowness of our souls. We live empty lives running after meaningless materialistic things. We can never be content or we never try to. Its just sad.In the end,its just a case of me,myself and I for the great majority of people. There should be a song for the occasion/post...I would think of it later sometime over the weekend. Just some thing to make you think :[

Quotes by Sa'di

Sa'di was a Persian poet who lived in the medieval period (between the 12th and 13th Century) known for his wonderful poetry and wisdom...Just sample a few of his pearls of wisdom:

-A little and a little, collected together,becomes a great deal; the heap in the barn consists of single grains, and drop by drop make the inundation.

-An enemy to whom you show your kindness becomes your friend, excepting lust, the indulgance of which increases its enmity.

-Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy.

-Pride thyself on what virtue thou hast, and not on thy parentage.

-A scholar without diligence is a lover without money.

-Roam abroad in the world, and take thy fill of its enjoyments before the day shall come when thou must quit it for good.

-An ill-humored man is a prisoner at the mercy of an enemy from whom he can never escape.

-God gives sleep to the bad, in order that the good may be undisturbed.

-Nothing is so good for an ignorant man as silence; and if he was sensible of this he would not be ignorant.

-Whoever hath washed his hands of living - utters his mind without misgiving.

-Kings need the company of the intelligent far more than the intelligent need the society of kings”

-People are crying up the rich and variegated plumage of the peacock, and he is himself blushing at the sight of his ugly feet.

-Whatever makes an impression on the heart seems lovely in the eye.

-Better is the sinner who hath thoughts about God, than the saint who hath only the show of sanctity.

-I fear God and next to God I mostly fear them that fear him not.

-They asked Lucman, the fabulist, From whom did you learn manners? He answered: From the unmannerly.

-The beloved of the Almighty are: the rich who have the humility of the poor, and the poor who have the magnanimity of the rich.

-Whenever you argue with another wiser than yourself in order that others may admire your wisdom,they will discover your ignorance.

-When the belly is empty,the body becomes spirit; and when it is full, the spirit becomes body.

-Use a sweet tongue, courtesy, and gentleness, and thou mayest manage to guide an elephant by a hair.

-He who learns the rules of wisdom, without conforming to them in his life, is like a man who labored in his fields, but did not sow.

-The rose and the thorn, and sorrow and gladness are linked together.


-Take care what you say before a wall, as you cannot tell who may be behind it.

-The greedy man is incontent with a whole world set before him.

-If thou covetest riches, ask not but for contentment, which is an immense treasure.

-To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand head-bowings in prayer.

-Were the diver to think on the jaws of the shark, he would never lay hands on the precious pearl.

-A man is insensitive to the relish of proserity till he has tasted adversity.

-A traveler without knowledge is like a bird without wings.

-A little beauty is preferable to much wealth.

-Life is in the keeping of a single breath and the world is an existence between two annihilations

-Whatever is produced in haste goes easily to waste

-Who washes his hands of life, says whatever he has in his heart.

-"O bird of the morning, learn love from the moth
Because it burnt, lost its life, and found no voice.
These pretenders are ignorantly in search of Him,
Because he who obtained knowledge has not returned.

O thou who art above all imaginations, conjectures, opinions and
ideas,
Above anything people have said or we have heard or read,
The assembly is finished and life has reached its term
And we have, as at first, remained powerless in describing thee. "
— Sa'di (The Gulistan of Sa'di)

This poem by Sa'di is on the entrance to the Hall of Nations of the UN building in New York with this call for breaking all barriers:

Human beings are members of a whole,
In creation of one essence and soul.
If one member is afflicted with pain,
Other members uneasy will remain.
If you have no sympathy for human pain,
The name of human you cannot retain.

These poems were quoted by Obama in his speeches:

The Children of Adam

The children of Adam are limbs of each other
Having been created of one essence.
When the calamity of time afflicts one limb
The other limbs cannot remain at rest.
If thou hast no sympathy for the troubles of others
Thou art unworthy to be called by the name of a man

The Heavens

May the clouds, the wind, the moon,
the sun and the heavens give you strength
that you might find bread and not eat in ignorance

-I never complained of the vicissitudes of fortune, nor suffered my face to be overcast at the revolution of the heavens, except once, when my feet were bare, and I had not the means of obtaining shoes. I came to the chief of Kfah in a state of much dejection, and saw there a man who had no feet. I returned thanks to God and acknowledged his mercies, and endured my want of shoes with patience, and exclaimed,
“Roast fowl to him that’s sated will seem less
Upon the board than leaves of garden cress.
While, in the sight of helpless poverty,
Boiled turnip will a roasted pullet be.”

Of journeying the benefits are many: the freshness it bringeth to the heart, the seeing and hearing of marvelous things, the delight of beholding new cities, the meeting of unknown friends, and the learning of high manners. (This one is so true about travelling).

Passion Fruit...

Today I had a mixed fruit salad box from Sainsbury for breakfast...The fruits were "exotic ones" and one fruit name in particular caught my attention: PASSION FRUIT...I was like, hmmm!!! Intersting!!! Then, I thought to myself, it must be some sort of aphrodesiac in the same league as clams, chocolates and the most potent one of them all: warm milk with honey

Its interesting how different cultures have different concepts of aphrodesiacs. For example, pomegranate is a symbol of fertility with its abundant seeds, especially amongst the Chinese. Other foods known for their aphrodesiac properties include bananas, peaches, oats...

I'm not sure what this post was for...Proabably, the side-effects of Passion Fruit??? Or sitting in a room full of girls for so long??

Warm whitechocolate banana and passion fruit honey infused milkshake/smoothie anyone? :P ;)

Comparative Musical Studies..

I loved the names of some of the SS courses that were taught in uni...There was compartive religion and I guess compartive politics...So, this great song has been sung by all these great artists, each has added his/her own touch to it...Pick the one you like (:

Poem of the day...

Uskay maseeha kai naam aik nazam

Ajbabi!
Kabhi zindagi main agar tu akela ho
aur dard had sai ghuzar jai
Ankhain teri baat-bai-baat par ro parain
Tab koi ajnabi
teri tanhai kai chand ka naram hala banay
teri kamat ka saya banay
teray zakhmon par marham rakhay
teri palkon sai shabnam chunay
teray dukh ka maseeha banay
-Parvin Shakir

(Maseeha-Messiah (Saviour),baat-bai-baat=for no apparent reason,kamat=i think its ur height but im not sure, like daraaz qamat is a tall person, so its basically someone will shadow your entire stature/being, marham=something that heals a wound, shabnam= dew drops, palkon=eye-lashes; dont know what chand ka naram hala banay means...any ideas? :S)

Khalil Gibran-Quotes

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow...Khalil Gibran

Food for thought...

Well its not some deep philosophical post...Its about foood or my gastronomical experiences if thats a word (Thinking...is it?)...I loved chemistry as a school boy, mixing different chemicals to see what reactions they produced...Hell I even once mixed something without the lab assistant watching and the test tube started shaking and a flame lit up on its surface...So thats how my cooking works too...Its like I start with the basics of a recipe and then i just use my own creative flair...Somehow it always turns up yummy...Like the lasagne I made yesterday...Should I write its recipe? Well I think cooking here is easier...I mean, I got dolmio's lasagne pack which has the white sauce, the red tomato sauce and the lasagne strips...Ideally lasagne is made best with minced meat but I tried using boneless chicken (breast fillet pieces)...Marinaded them up in garlic ginger paste, a few drops of lemon juice,rosemary, lil bit of yogurt,soya sauce, Shaan (TM) chicken tikka masala and freshly ground black pepper...Next comes the messy yucky part of mixing the whole gooey stuff with your own bare hands...I don't know how hygienic it gets but the experts think thats the best way to mix up the mariande so that it infused in well with the meat...Leave the marinade to settle in for atleast an hour...In the mean time you can stir fry the veggies...I usually get an already processed and ready cut tray of mushroom stir fry from tesco...Then fry the chicken till its tender and add in the dolmio tomato sauce and keep stirring till its all one settled mixture...Add the veggies (you can add thin round strips of aubergine-baingan and courgettes as well)...Then let the mixture reach a boil and make sure its not watery...Lay the boiled lasagne strips in a layer on a microwaveable rectangular dish...Place the chicken, veggie tomato sauce mixture on the strips, then a add a layer of white dolmio sauce plus ricotta cheese...repeat until you have three layers...On the top layer add finely shredded mozzarella cheese and top it with some oregano herbs and Parmesan cheese...Place in a pre-heated oven at around 180 degrees celcius...I guess it takes 10-15 min and you would know that its done when it turns golden, brown on top...Serve it piping hot!!!

So yes, the above recipe makes amzaing far-aghne...jk...Its heavy in calories like I'm sure one piece would have atleast 1000 calories...After all I'm using three different types of cheese and two sauces...But oh well: Char dinon ki zindagi hai kofat (worry/pareshani/tension) sai kia faida, khao piyo, aish karo aur khushi sai so jao...

Keeping in line with the food theme, have you guys ever tried having warm/hot ghulab jaman with ice cream...I had it a few days back in Jimmy Spices and its a desi version of cake alaska, ifact jaman-gilgati (gilgit seems to be the equivalent of alsaka, cold and in the north)...

They've opened up a new place just walking distance from my aprtment...Its appropriately named entices...Hell, it entices me whenever I am on a local job as its on my way to work...It has that whole american diner concept...kinda sorta like "tinsel town in london"...waffles, pancakes, sundaes and exotic ice creams...My sweet tooth will probably lead to my downfall someday...

I read a flog about new restaurants opening up and guess what three amazing restaurants have opened up in lahore...Hardeez!!! When I was in the middle east that was my favourite fast food restaurant...I would be so insistenat and ziddi that I wanna go to Hardeez...preferred it to mcdonalds, kfc and the lot and now its opened up in lhr just after I've left the city...Why couldn't it be opened an year or two before...I'll definitly visit it when I go back home after my exams next summer IA...Also, I've heard from friends that these three restaurants are worth trying as well: 1) Chapter 1 & 2)Chez Nur and 3)Burger Hub

Its not that I'm so fanatic about food that I look around searching sites and what not...Actually I'm on an e-mail post thingo whereby all my uni-classmates from lhr arrange get-togethers and what not...I tend to read them and I want my "other" friends to go have fun eating out at these places as well at some point during the coming Eid holidays...Being the gentlemen that I am, here are the reviews and addresses of these restaurants:

http://www.tossdown.com
/eomain.php?rid=550

http://www.tossdown.com/eomain.php?rid=1125

http://www.tossdown.com/eomain.php?rid=1117

http://www.tossdown.com/eomain.php?rid=985&timing=iftar




Finally...look at these beauties from Hardeez...mmmmmm...IM HUNGRY NOW...mamaaaaa bhook lagiiii haiiiiiiiiiiiiii

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10 minutes of peace and Zen quotes :D

This was an amazing video...Its basically a collection of amazing scenery from Japan (I think) and its filled with Zen quotes...For those of you who don't know Zen is a form/offshoot of Buddhism and basically Zen masters like Confucius have wonderful quotes filled with wisdom and insight...My orthodox Muslim brothers might argue that why should one seek wisdom from a "non-Islamic" source when all the wisdom is already there in our Holy Book and traditions...Its just that I believe wisdom or knowledge cannot be confined to one school of thought...Afterall God sent 124,000 prophets/messengers to this world of which only a handful (24 or 26, have to recheck) are mentioned in the Holy Quran...So, its quite possible that the wisdom they bestowed might have filtered through these quotes, scriptures etc...My point being, all these streams of knowledge might originate from different sources but in the end they meander and flow through to the main sea of knowledge and that is the infinite wisdom and knowledge of God...Watch the above video after a long stressful day of work or studies/exams and I am quite confident the sights (garden) and sounds (Yanni's song of an angel) will soothe you and take all your stress away...In line with todays' new found knowledge, I'm sharing some well known Zen-master quotes that I googled for this post...Enjoy...May the force be with you (:

QUOTES

If you want to be free,
Get to know your real self.
It has no form, no appearance,
No root, no basis, no abode,
But is lively and buoyant.
It responds with versatile facility,
But its function cannot be located.
Therefore when you look for it,
You become further from it;
When you seek it
You turn away from it all the more.
- Linji (d. 867)

"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare"

"Beginning is easy, continuing is hard"

"Your smile determines how you see and think about the world around you"

“Sometimes it’s important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it’s essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow.” Douglas Pagels

dailyzen: "“You begin saving the world by saving one person at a time; all else is grandiose romanticism or politics.”

If you want a certain thing, you must first be a certain person. Once you are that certain person, obtaining that certain thing will no longer be a concern of yours.

“Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer.” William S. Burroughs

“Said the river to the seeker, “Does one really have to fret about enlightenment? No matter which way I turn, I’m homeward bound.” Anthoney De Mello

“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” Etty Hillesum

“Don’t seek, don’t search, don’t ask, don’t knock, don’t demand – relax. If you relax, it comes. If you relax, it is there. If you relax, you start vibrating with it.” Osho

“God is a synergetic experience. Science can never reveal it, philosophy can never come to it – only a poetic approach, a very passive, very loving approach, can.” Osho

“This art of resting the mind and the power of dismissing from it all care and worry is probably one of the secrets of energy in our great men.” Captain J. A. Hadfield

“It is better to practice a little than talk a lot.” Muso Kokushi

“Nothing is permanent in this wicked world – not even our troubles.” Charlie Chaplin

“The tighter you squeeze, the less you have.” Ma-Tsu

“No matter how much pressure you feel at work, if you could find ways to relax for at least five minutes every hour, you’d be more productive.” Dr. Joyce Brothers

“Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer.” William S. Burroughs

“Ten thousand flowers in spring
the moon in autumn,
a cool breeze in summer,
snow in winter.
If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things,
this is the best season of your life.” Wu-men

It takes a wise man to learn from his mistakes, but an even wiser man to learn from others.

Zen Proverb. Only when you can be extremely pliable and soft can you be extremely hard and strong.

Zen Proverb. Sit, walk, or run, but don't wobble.

A person who no matter how desperate the situation gives others hope, is a true leader-Daisaku Ikeda (Obviously zardari isn't a leader by that definition)

Chehra by Parvin Shakir...

This song was sung by vital signs in the good old early 90's and then a singer did a tribute to Vital signs and did a cover of the song...As is the trend, even the lyrics for this song are penned by PS (:

I get so notalgic whenever I hear vital signs...Instantly takes me to times bygone...

Documentary on life of Parvin Shakir...

I know, I know...You must think I'm obsessed with Parvin Shakir (May her soul rest in peace, Ameen)...Lekin kia karoon...She is such an inspiring poetess...And like my fascination with anything I get to know that thing/person as much as I possibly can, researching in-depth...So, I think its really important to know and study the life of a poet in order to gain a better understanding of his/her poetry...This documentary should be seen in conjunction with this article to know what Parveen (or Paro as she was called by her friends and family) stood for...

Article:

http://pakistaniat.com/2009/11/17/parveen-shakir-%E2%80%93-%E2%80%98coins-of-my-truthfulness%E2%80%99/#

Documentary

Punjaabi Dubbing...Hillarious

This clip posted on a friends' wall made me laugh my guts out...After a longggggg time I've heard something as hilarious as this in Punjabi, especially the part where they say: "lay duss"...I'm sure you'll love it too...Let it brighten your day too :D

Song of the day :)

Another wonderful ghazal penned down by Parvin Shakir sung by Tina Sani...Its simple and amazing...I don't think any translation is needed for this one :)

Poem of the day...(Rumi)

THE SHIP SUNK IN LOVE

For my heart is Love’s dwelling.
If You will burn Your house, burn it, Love!
Who will say, ‘It’s not allowed’?
Burn this house thoroughly!
The lover’s house improves with fire.
From now on I will make burning my aim,
From now on I will make burning my aim,
for I am like the candle: burning only makes me brighter.
Abandon sleep tonight; traverse for one night
the region of the sleepless.
Look upon these lovers who have become distraught
and like moths have died in union with the One Beloved.
Look upon this ship of God’s creatures
and see how it is sunk in Love.

Mathnawi VI, 617-623
The Rumi Collection, Edited by Kabir Helminski

Headache...

Ahhhh...My brain is now short circuited, deep friend and disintegrated into pulp...For this job, I have been confined for hours on end into a room where I am the only male member of a female oriented team...God!!! Its sheer torture...I mean they talk and talk and talk about everything under the sky...Its not stop! Like a barrage constantly killing your brain cells...The thing is they don't even talk about anything remotely mentally stimulating...Its shoes, shopping clothes, lingerie, food, weight control and gossiping about office politics, celebrities, Brit Tv shoes (strictly come dancing, big brother,Britains got talent) and their favorite topic: boyfriends...I never knew girls gossip so much about their bf's behind their back...Like literally discussing everything, the good, the bad, the downright private stuff...There's a recent research which has proven that women cannot keep a secret for more than 47 hours on average and that seems so true from what I've observed as well...See for yourself:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6199822/Women-cannot-keep-a-secret-for-longer-than-47-hours.html

As if all that wasn't bad enough, they have to torture me further...I'm busy number crunching trying to make sence of something and lost in my train of thought when all of a sudden they hafto get my opinion on something and I'm like whaaaat, totally oblivious of the whole scenario...And often its the tricky minefield questions like asking the male side of a relationship problem, totally hypothetical like if you were in such and such's place what would you have done...Obviously, I just can't blurt out anything...I have to weight my words and diplomatically answer so as to curb my instinctive Pakistani mard mentality...But its so weird...My work efficiency has gone down the drain...Its not like I've never been with girls before...Usually I always had some male comrade with me who could also take the fire...Now I'm against the wall...Plus these collegues are what a friend would call "bubblicious", characterized by shrill OMG's and shopaholic tendencies...Its funny how they would be talking about their weight control dream of having the perfect slim figure and while discussing all the diet plans, they end up munching a whole box of cadbury's chocolate fingers :S...If spending almost 12 hours working with them isn't enough, they expect me to accompany them to dinner in the hotel as well and that means another 2 hours of their chik chik chuk chuk...And how could I forget mentioning the 15-20 min drive that I have to endure coz I take a lift from one of them in their girly little "mini-cooper" :(

When I'm finally back in the hotel room all tired hoping that I would doze off, a buzz keeps ringing in my head; a byproduct of all the shrilly voices I have to hear all day long...Ahhh, the things we have to go through for our livelihoods...My commiserations, thoughts and prayers with the normal sensible girls who probably have to go through all this trauma everyday of their lives :P

Poem of the day (Parvin Shakir)

While having breakfast (extra large costa caramel latte and almond/cherry muffin), I stumbled across this wonderful poem by Parvin Shakir...This one is about love and longing...I know people would call it mushy or sappy...But its beautiful....And thats the thing about blogging...You don't have to care about what people think...Its yours, only yours...Its for you to vent out, to provide an outlet to your emotions, your feelings....Trust me its better if you let these feelings out into the open rather than letting them ferment inside...I heard it in a documentary yesterday about the freedom of press and what not...The person said: "opinions are like assholes, everyone has them"...So don't care about what people think, unless they are people who are giving their opinions for your betterment, for constructive feedback...

Anyhow, atleast its great to know that someone so talented and eloquent lived in Pakistan, and that too a woman...I got it from a blog called Jahan-e-Rumi and so I would like to acknowledge its writer, who tried his best to translate it...As he said in his blog, it is "Dedicated to those who stand by the sea of evening colours and moods and want to merge with their expanse. And, to someone who lives with time present and time past with equal ease"...

Yay Haseen Shaam Apni

ABHI JIS MEIN GHULL RAHI HAI
TERE PAIRHAN KI KHUSHBOO
ABHI JIS MEIN KHIL RAHE HAIN
MERE KHWAAB KE SHAGOOFAY
ZARA DAIR KA HAI MANZAR

ZARA DAIR MEIN UFAQ PER
KHILAY GA KOI SITARA
TERI SIMT DEKH KER WOH
KARE GA KOI ISHARA
TERE DIL KO AAYE GA PHIR
KISI AUR KA BULAWA
KOI KISSA-E-JUDAI

KOI KAAR-E-NAMUKAMAL
KOI KHWAAB-E-NASHAGUFTA
KOI BAAT KEHNE WALI
KISI AUR AADMI SE

HUMEIN CHAAHIYE THA MILNA
KISI EHD-E-MEHRBAAN MEIN
KISI KHWAAB KE YAKEEN MEIN
KISI AUR AASMAAN PER
KISI AUR SARZAMEEN MEIN
HUMEIN CHAAHIYE THA MILNA

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

This melting evening of ours
Where everything dissolves
the scent of your clothes
the blossoming
sprouts of my dreams
All dissolve

A deferred vision, this is

In a little while,
a star will emerge on the horizon
To gaze at you
Meaningfully…!
Your heart shall then reminisce
the echo of a memory
The tale of a separation,
Of an unfinished moment
Of unblossomed dreams, things unsaid

We ought to have met
In times, considerate
In pursuit of attainable dreams
On a different sky
On a different earth
We ought to have met

-Translated by Raza Rumi

To top it all off, this poem/ghazal has also been sung by Tina Sani :)

under my umbrella...

Its getting really chilly and rainy these days: vintage british weather...cold, dark, gloomy and wet...When I leave for work its dark and when I return its dark...I remember how in Pakistan everyone is so fond of rain and people look forward to the rainy monsoon season hoping that it brings respite from the raging sun and the suffocating heat...I remember how as children we used to go out and play in the rain...Mama would make special pakora or the basin wali curry...yumm..here its the opposite...Just like people complain back home about heat and humidity, here people complain about the grey dull skies and the rain...People wish they could store sunlight in some package or box...The slightest bit of sunlight makes them strip off their clothes and lie/laze under the sunrays in their skimpy clothes :s...my cousins and friends think that my complexion has become fairer and I go duh what else would you expect when you spend whole weeks without seeing sooraj mamoo...I just hope I don't turn into vampire...Waisay I think that might be fun actually :p...I guess we humans are just programmed that way...We aren't content with our prevalent situation...If we have too much sun we would crave for rain and vice versa when it rains too much...Waisay I don't mind rain as much as the other local people hate it...Its just that I'm jinxed when it comes to umbrellas...Either I lose them somewhere like a train, client site or a friends home or I simply forget taking it with me and sometimes I just get soaked in the cold winter rain for no reason...And no!!! Its not coz of the fact that I can use it as an excuse to stand under some chicks' umbrella although I must say that it has happened on some occasions but that's just coz these people have some itch to be overly nice and helpful ;)...Ahhh..I'm tired now:imagine waking up at 5:45 am in the morning and catching a 1.5 hour train to London, then taking the tube in rushour, changing 2 lines and finally catching an overhead train to reach the client in rainy cold weather carrying a heavy bag as well...I think I should get a hot tub bubble bath....mmmmmmm....Adios

Jehovah Sanctus Unus...

I read on a friend's blog about people having different "concepts of God" and I had to disagree...The greatest reality that exists within every human being is THE concept of God, of a deity, of a Supreme being...That concept is one and the same and that is the ultimate reality...So there aren't any two ways to the concept of God...All of us come from that God and all of us will in the end return to that God...In the words of Karen Armstrong:

"God was not the exclusive property of one tradition , but was the source of all human knowledge: God is the light of the heavens and the Earth. Allah explained this in one of the mystical verses in the Quran. The divine light could not be confined to any individual lamp, but was common to them all, enshrined in every one of them:

"The parable (ayah) of the light is, as it were, that of a niche containing a lamp; the lamp is [enclosed in glass], the glass [shining] like a radiant star: [a lamp] is lit from a blessed tree---an olive tree that is neither of the east not the west---the oil whereof [is so bright that it] would well-nigh give light [of itself], even though fire had not touched it---light upon light [Surah Nur]

So, all religions in whatever way or means just lead to the same Truth, the same Reality, and the same one Being...No, the concept of God can never be different...The road leading up to Him can be, but its fine as long as it leads to Him

-Some excerpt from Karen Armstrongs' book "Muhammad" SAW

Song of the day (:

This version of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably numb" is sung by a Pakistani new singer Arooj Aftab with the legendry Amir Zaki on the guitar...Its amazing...Some of my friends have gone as far as to say that Arooj's version is as good as Pink Floyds'...I hope you enjoy it :D

What is love???

"What is love? There is nothing in the world, neither man nor devil nor anything, that I hold as suspect as love, for it penetrates the soul more than any other thing. Nothing exists, that so fills and blinds the heart as love does. Therefore, unless you have those weapons that subdue it, the soul plunges through love into an immense abyss...
...Because even the love felt by the soul, if it is not forearmed, if it is felt warmly, then falls or proceeds in disorder. Oh, love has various properties: first the soul grows tender, then it sickens... but then it feels true warmth of divine love and cries out and moans and becomes the stone flung in the forge to melt into lime , and it cackles, licked by the flame."

-Ubertino,The Name of the Rose.

Poem of the day...(Parvin Shakir)

Ku-ba-ku
kuu-ba-kuu phail gaii
baat shanaasaii kii
us ne Khushbuu kii tarah
merii paziraaii kii

kaise keh duun ki
mujhe chhor diyaa hai us ne
baat to sach hai
magar baat hai rusvai ki

us ne jalatii hui peshaani pe
jab haath rakhaa
ruuh tak aa gai
taasiir masiihaai ki

teraa pahalu
tere dil kii tarah aabaad rahe
tujh pe guzare na qayaamat
shab-e-tanhaaii ki

vo kahin bhii gayaa, lauta
to mere paas aayaa
bas yahii baat hai achi
mere harajai ki

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Petal to petal, spore to spore
Rumors of love, spread, door to door
Like the sweet scent, of a blooming rose
He courted me, ever so slow

How can I say, he has left me
He is here, no more
The infamy of this truth

I cannot ignore

As he lay his healing palm
On my torrid brow
A feeling of rejuvenation
Reached deep into my soul

May, he, be in your arms
The one, you adore
May, the night of separation
Never knock on your door

Wherever he went; he returned
He came back to me
His fickle virtue is enough
To keep me happy

Poem courtesy: http://www.chowk.com/articles/6553

This poem was also sung by Mehdi Hasan :)

Uloo ka patha...

Just type in "ullo ka patha" in google's images, these pics come up...Enjoy ;)

Is there a way?!?!

Well, this one is an essay written by my brother about the current situation in Pakistan...He's just 17 year old and it is interesting to gauge how a 17 year old teenager is reacting to the current dire situation in Pakistan...There might be spelling mistakes and/or grammar mistakes but it's a good effort :)

IS THERE A WAY?

I sit in front of the television and watch the steady stream of news. What was 15 is now 25.The death toll skips up, and the reporter mentions it with nonchalant casualness.Outside, sirens roar. A deathly silence overshadows the streets of Islamabad. It’s a cold and miserable night. I start to wonder about those dead, and can’t help but imagine the horror they would’ve felt upon coming across a terrorist. The sheer helplessness they would’ve felt, just before they would’ve been ripped to pieces. What would’ve been their last thoughts?

Today, deep in thought, I realize that my life, and indeed those of other Pakistanis, is not in my own hand. Its spiraling out of control.Today, I realize that not only is my life hanging on the press of a button, it’s in the hands of a crazy fanatic. They say fate, destiny has been predecided.Today, I can’t help but wonder, my fate is just a minefield.Today,I might be lucky,tomorrow,I might step on a mine, and even If tomorrow I live to see the sunrise, the chances that I survive the minefield are slim. What should I do then? Wait for the mines to blow up themselves? Sit comfortably home and let it all pass?

Somehow, both of these options sound right and wrong at the same time. Somewhere, in my mind, a cautious voice tells me to keep myself safe at all costs. Let them do what they want to. Let the bullets fly. Let the blood fall.Afterall, it’s not mine, is it? Why should I worry then? Why should I care?

At the same time, a ferocious, almost fanatical voice urges me to get out of my house and Fight. For my own safety. For my rights. This is my land. And these are my people. I should, rather, I must care. For 62 years, my people have stood in the way of bullets. For 62 years, they have fought, been injured, and killed, to ensure my own safety. What kind of a payback am I giving them by sitting at home; standing at a safe distance and observing the nation that they built for me crumble to pieces?

I get out of my house and watch the hordes of people pass by; I can’t help but notice their facial expressions. Each one carries a montage of panic on his face. Each one is lost in his own world. In between, someone falls to the ground. Everyone passes by, merely glancing, and slowing their pace momentarily, before briskly turning and getting lost into their thoughts again.


The sirens roar and the ambulances rush by as I stand on the road, Lost in my own thoughts like everyone else. It starts to rain. Which makes everyone hurry some more. I don’t know what I want to do anymore. All of a sudden, maybe because of the rain, or the deafening silence, or the sirens, I feel terribly depressed. My heart sinks, and I feel helpless. I look for something to do. To help, somehow, to make it better. Failing at doing so, I sit down, feeling appallingly powerless. How I would give anything right now to make it better myself. How I would love a gun right now to gun down each and every one of those fanatics. The urge is overwhelming.

Suddenly, it hits me. I recognize that I'm not the first one to feel this urge. My emotion, however overwhelming is the result of a single blast. My mind travels to Northern Pakistan. And I begin to imagine the scenario there. Here there is no suicide blast. The silence is still dominant. From the sky, a barrage of rockets comes and blows away nearly the whole street. There are pleas for help; there are screams of pain, and helplessness everywhere. Somewhere, a motherless child cries. From the rubble a little girl emerges, soaked in blood. From another corner, a father emerges, holding a lifeless daughter in his hands.Somewhere else; a man utters a last cry and welcomes death. The little girl cries for a while and then faints. Yet another air strike turns rubble to dust. A fire starts, and this time, no siren heads towards it. The blood flows; I can actually see it .I turn around and see a child on the pavement near me. He is relatively unharmed, and I move towards him. For a moment, just gazing into those blue eyes, makes me forget everything that’s gone wrong. This is for a moment only though, a single bullet rips through the air and hits the child square in the chest. This time however, I do not wish for a gun, I have it in my hands, and I swear to gun down and wound everyone who’s responsible for this.

Back in the street, I can’t help but think who’s right and who’s wrong.Us, for letting them being bombed and killed, or them for fighting back? Us for staying silent while they died or them for making their opinions heard? Them for resorting to violence or us for fighting in retaliation?

I realize that Pakistan is suffering, not because its inhabitants have chosen to fight, but because they’ve been forced to, by Americans, and by every other nation pretending to be a moderator of peace. Every Pakistani is fighting for his own reasons, against the wrong people. We’ve been wounded internally, with a wound that is affecting the whole body drastically.


It dawns upon me that the enemies of the nation have already achieved what they wanted to. Gone is the trust that kept everyone together. Gone is the blatant desire to help everyone else in need. Not only are they succeeding in ripping the nation apart from the outside, they’ve crippled it from the inside. Today, in the silent darkness, I admit, for the first time, I’m scared. For the first time, I’m not happy because college’s closed.Im not happy because I have all the time to play that latest game, or to play as much soccer as I want. I’m scared, because they’re winning and we’re losing. Because they’ve stolen that trust, and left us crippled. Because I’m on the losing side. And since for the first time, I cannot enjoy that in the blissful ignorance of childhood, I’m worried at what’s about to
come.

Back inside, I switch on the television. They’re broadcasting the funeral of one of the numerous soldiers martyred in one of the numerous clashes today. I’m surprised to see the amount of people gathered there. There’re literally hundreds of them. All of them united in grief. In sharing the loss with those related to the soldier. I scan the faces, searching for those related to the martyr, but fail to find them. Each face is contorted in sadness, each having a strange similarity to the other. I can’t help but notice, there’s a bizarre unison in the crowd.

I am about to switch off the television when I hear a shout of “Pakistan Zindabad!” from the crowd. At first, it’s just a person’s voice. Soon, the voice turns into a shout and the shout into a roar. A moment later the, whole crowd is following with feverish intensity. Even though I am a hundred miles away, I find myself mouthing the words. Even though I don’t even know the name of the person martyred, I find myself grief stricken. Even though most of those joining the chant don’t know the age or rank of the soldier, they are all united. By the ropes of passion, and patriotism.

It is amidst this moment of passion, that I find myself concluding, we still have a chance. We as a nation are no different to a human body. We have been cut. But to survive, we have to stick together, and clot those wounds that are edging the life out of us. Only If we can do that, then maybe, just maybe, we can come out of this mess unharmed, not only a single country, but a single nation.

I raise the volume of the television, and allow the chants to pierce the heavy silence of the night. There is a way, I think, and I smile.


“Pakistan Zindabad!”

Garbage truck story re-visited...

Dear Readers,

It has been brought to my attention by Ms.Dawn that the Garbage Truck Story(TM) has been authored by David J. Pollay. It can be found on http://davidjpollay.typepad.com/david_j_pollay/lawofthegarbagetruck.html

I'm sure all of us deeply appreciated this amazing story and how it meant so much for us in terms of our own observations and how we react to potential "garbage trucks" we see out there.Let us take this opportunity to acknowledge David for narrating/authoring this story.It definitely gave us a new perspective on life. Thank you David :)

I've seen Dawn's comments on "other blogs" as well who like me tend to copy something without making an effort to try to search for the actual author. So I think all of us should do the right thing and acknowledge David by appreciating his story in our blogs (: :p

How maths makes the world go round...

An insightful article on how mathematics figures in every aspect of our lives....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/6439621/How-maths-makes-the-world-go-round.html

Poem of the day...(Parvin Shakir)

This poem by Parvin Shakir is about "ayadat" which is basically when you go visit someone who is ill and wish them well...Its wonderful....So whenever you're ill or unwell (which I hope and pray is rare), think of this as a dedication and a wish from me hoping that you get well soon :D

AYADAT

Putjharr (autumn/fall) kay mausam main tujhko
kon say phool ka tohfa bhaijoon
mera aangan khali hay
lekin meri aankhon main
naik duaoon ki shabnam hay
shabnam ka har tara
tera aanchal tham kay kehta hay
khushboo,geet,hawa,pani aur rang ko chahnay vali laDki!
jaldi say acchi hoja
subh-e-bahar ki aankhain kabsay
teri narm hansi ka rasta dekh rahi haiN
—————————————————

There are no more flowers left
in the burning garden of my desires
this is the season of the falling leaves.
Yet a dew of sincere wishes
still fills my eyes
like shining stars that enlighten
the dark alleys you walk through
silently whispering into your listening ears
wishing you well
You that love the fragrance of newly blossomed flowers
and the sprightly breeze,
the gently flowing clear water of silent rivers
and the bright colors of life
Get well soon for there waits for you
a new morning of the spring season
waiting to catch a glimpse of your smile...

Checking out...

No, no, no...It's not what you're thinking out...Gandi zehniat...Its when you "check-out" of a hotel...That's what I have to do quite often, sometimes week after week...So, today I checked-out once again...It feels weird...That room provided you shelter, warmth, comfort and peace for a particular period...If, for example, you think that your life is finite and lets say it can be divided into 40,000 units. just think that 5 units of that total were spent in that room...I know I must be sounding like a total nutcase nerd...However, I just feel when you live out of the briefcase, you tend to experience such feelings...You tend to develop a soft corner for the hotel room that was your home away from home...

Not only that but I think I've discoverd a new-found appreciation of my own place, my own flat...After a week at a hotel, I long for my home, my room, my kitchen...The fact that its mine...The fact that its familiarity breeds a sence of belonging...I look forward to meeting my friends...I plan stuff for the weekend...Hell, I must admit that I even look forward to the cleaning/sorting stuff in my room...I feel like cooking something home-cooked yourself because you get bored of eating out the whole week...Most importantly, I look forward to my own bed, my pillows, my quilt...I just love my home...I don't think I could have settled as easily here if it wasn't for this flat...Everything about it...Its furnishing, its decor, its lighting...Its temperature is always perfectly comfortable...After a long day at work when I'm coming back on a train and then walking back from the station on a rainy windy evening, its just the warmth and comfort of my home I look forward to the most...Being dead in the city centre, its so convenient to go to the main shopping malls and high street shops...Everything is just 5-10 minutes walk away...

I know probably this post just seems pointless...You would wonder what this person is trying to say...I know people say home is where the heart is but I guess what I'm trying to say is that when you need to find the heart to live in a new place, or atleast make it bearable, you need a home, a place where you can go back and find your peace of mind and probably a decent, deep sleep which I always do whenever I'm sleeping in my own room in my flat...A hotel room might serve you well as a temporary home,however, it can never take its place...Yet you feel a certain pang when you leave it because that place served you well...That happened when I left my dorms after four years in uni...To a lesser extent that same feeling briefly surfaces when I'm shutting down the hotel room's door with all my luggage in my hands...In the end, there is no place like home and that's the bottomline...

I just felt like putting this as the song of the day:

Poem of the day...(Parvin Shakir)

Parveen Shakir, being a woman herself, quite eloquently depicts the plight of ordinary women in Pakistan...Some would say she has feminist tendencies in her poems but for me it's just her way of highlighting how ordinary women lead silent painful lives day after day in Pakistan...In a society where the birth of daughter for many is still considered a day to mourn, it is sad just to know that they are treated as mere burdens/doormats all their lives...The poem below is titled "The wife of Bashira" (No Bashira isn't a woman...Bashira is usually the nick given to someone called Bashir in Punjabi villages)

The Wife Of Bashira
Perveen Shakir
Translated from the Urdu by Baidar Bakht and Leslie Lavigne

Oh, you pitiable thing!
The lowliest
Of mammals!
You rib-born, worn as a shoe!
When your brother
Would butterfly in the garden,
Your flower-like hands
Would carry a broomstick
Taller than you.
Holding the corner of your mother´s gown,
You learnt so many household chores:
Making cow-dung cakes,
Cutting firewood,
Mixing fodder for the cattle.
But your mother
Always kept the pat of butter
For your brother´s bread
And curry from last night.
Eating leftovers
And wearing rags,
When you came to puberty,
Your father hated you even more.
He kept a close watch
On all your movements,
As if you would elope with someone
At the first opportunity.
The day you turned sixteen,
One man unburdened his soul
To the body of another.
The sty and master changed,
Your job remained the same,
In fact, increased.
Now, your duties included
Humouring the breadwinner at night, as well;
And becoming pregnant every year;
And looking after the house
Until just before giving birth.
The husband´s job was up to bed,
The rest assigned to you.
What a job!
No wages, no days off,
No rituals of resignation.
Even beasts of burden are permitted to rest
On a burning afternoon
In the shade of a tree.
No such moment is there for you.
The bypath of your life has no such tree.
Alas! It seems your life
Is the punishment for sins
Committed in past lives.
If you sell your body,
You´re a prostitute.
You trade your soul
And are called a wife.
For how long
Will these insults be heaped upon you
At the hands of time?
For the sake of a morsel of bread,
And a cup full of water,
How long will you go on
Sacrificing yourself...???

Rose and the moon...an excerpt from Like a flowing river

Just love to share these little excerpts that just spring back to my mind...I have been reminded to properly reference all excerpts from other sources, lest, they are mistaken to be my own writing...Just remember the fact that whenever a piece of writing seems really nice or way beyond my league, then know that it has been plagiarized :P... Rest assured that if and when I do plagiarize, it is definitely worthwhile in most cases...So here you go (:

A rose dreamed day and night about bees, but no bee ever landed on her petals.

The flower, however, continued to dream. During the long nights, she imagined a heaven full of bees, which flew down to bestow fond kisses on her. By doing this, she was able to last until the next day, when she opened again to the light of the sun.

One night, the moon, who knew of the rose's loneliness, asked: "Aren't you tired of waiting?"

"Possibly, but I have to keep trying."

"Why?"

"Because if I don't remain open, I will simply fade away."

At times, when loneliness seems to crush all beauty, the only way to resist is to remain open.

-From "Like a flowing river"--Paulo Coehlo

Poet of the month...Parveen Shakir (1st poem)

I have fallen in love with her poetry...She died an early death in a car accident in Islamabad...However, there is no doubt that she was the finest female poetess of Pakistan...This is the English translation of one of her poems:

WHERE AM I?

Where am I in your life? In the morning breeze or the evening star, hesitant drizzle or sharp rain, silver moonlight or hot noon, deep thoughts or casual tunes? Where am I in your life? Down from work, a weekend’s interval on a beach, or an unintended silken release between your fingers from serial smoke? Or a readily replenished, freshened moment without wine, or a moment’s leave, anonymous, between the breaking of one dream of love and another’s beginning? Where am I in your life?

-Parveen Shakir Translated from the Urdu by Alamgir Hashmi

Picture with a Caption....

I'm sure there isn't a single female out there in Pakistan who hasn't been subjected to the x-ray like ogling stares of random tom dick and haryy's or in Punjabi terms every maja saja in the markets, educational institutions, roads, streets etc...In local language, these people are called "poonds" and their staring sport is known as "poondi"...Literally every guy would have started indulging in poondi as soon as he hits puberty...Some people reckon its due to the segregated nature of our society where guys/gals don't have the opportunity to meet/interact openly...I still think it's the result of upbringing and to some extent genetic as well...In pardes, I've seen guys who've been raised and brought up here staring like anything...Plus its not gender specific...These staring games, glances or as some put it "line karwana" is carried out as much from the girls side as it is by the boys...Just simply consider the fact that whenever a girl notices that a boy is staring at her, that means she saw him and their eyes must have met for that...Its simply a national problem...We are just a nation of "starers"...Is it because of the fact that we don't know how to mind our own business or value others privacy or is it coz we just don't have anything better to do...For example, during my early days in UK, I felt so awkward sitting in the London tube where you're literally opposite to a row of seats with people sitting facing you...So, naturally, I tended to stare or atleast observe these people...I mean so many nationalities, so many different people, all sitting waiting to reach their destination...So, a friend noticing that just handed me a newspaper and said that its the best way to avoid irritating other people by falling pray to the stare game...Now that is what I do when I'm on a train or a tube...I just read a book or a magazine or solve a sudoku puzzle...If I'm walking, I just listen to something on my cell...That way you just remain aloof and don't delve into staring or poond-i-fyng (verb: act of poondi)...

However, having said that, I know that in Pakistan poondi will never end...Its the thing to do for teenagers and uni/college going young people...Its like these guys would only go out on weekends to Jinnah Super or Hotspot/Gellato for the sole purpose of Poondi, to check out the girls or vice versa...I guess its just something that people have to learn to live with...Its really odd for foreigners or people who've lived all their lives abroad to reconcile with...I think you just get immune or "desensitized" to it just like I'm now desensitized to what my friend would call the "nanga-manga-pan" of western society ;) :D



The above pic was on a friend's profile and the caption for it was: DEDICATED to all the past, present, junior and senior POONDS..Whose eagle eyes matched to those of a PREDATOR DRONE...In recognition of their achievement, dedication and having a Phd. in this intricate art, and for mastering the technique soooo well they all at least deserve a Sitara-i-Imtiaz...

Girls getting pwned...

Well, this vdo might seem painful, condescending, patronizing, stupid and significantly reeking of male chauvinism BUT it's also guaranteed to make you laugh your arse off...Well it worked for me...After a hard tiring day of work, these vdo's just let me take my mind off things :D

Amazing parody....

Haha...I almost laughed my guts out...Someone from Apple must have made this vdo to diss the new Windows 7...Apologies for the bits with obscene language but I just had to share it :)

Amazing song of the day...

Guys, i'm off to another city, another hotel, another experience...Don't know how it will fare out...In celebration of this fact, I'm sharing this amazing song which is kinda sorta appropriately titled "Dill-e-mann Musafar-e-mann" which translates to "my heart my fellow traveller"...Well not really but you get the point, it still had musafir yar...anyhow i've loved it and I hope so do you...Au'revoir

Kaho tau laut jate hain-A poem

I'm not sure who the poet is for this poem...I found it in a video that someone had made showing the once "unspoiled" beauty of Pakistan which has been forgotten in the war that we are fighting these days...It urges the people to go back and return to the days of the past when sence and order once preavailed...However, as it is a poem, it can be seen in other contexts too and that is its beauty...For anyone who reads it, it will convey a different meaning...Kaho tau laut jatay hain

-Kaho To Laut Jatey Hain
-Abhi To Baat Lamhou'n Tak Hai Saaloun Tak Nahi Aaii
-Abhi Muskanou'n Kii Nobat Bhi Na'alou'n Tak Nahi Aaii
-Abhi To Koii Majboorii Khyalou'n Tak Nahi Aaii
-Abhi To Gard Pairou'n Tak Hai Baaloun Tak Nahi Aaii

-Kaho To Lout Jatey Hain
-Chalo ikk Faisla Karney Shajar Kii Oar Jatey Hai'n

-Abhi Kajal Kii Dourii Surkh Galou'n Tak Nahi Aaii
-Zubaan Dantou'n Talak Hai Zehar Pyalou'n Tak Nahi Aaii
-Abhi To Mushk E Kastoorii Ghazalou'n Tak Nahi Aaii

-Abhi Roodad E Be-Unwaan Humarey Darmiyaa'n Hai
-jo Dunya Walloun ki nazrou'n mai ab tak hii Nahi Aii

-Kaho To Lout Jatey Hain

-Abhi Nazdeek Hain Ghar Aur Manzil Door Hai Apni
-Mabada Naar Ho Jaye Yeh Hastii Noor Hai Apni
-Kaho To Lout Jatey Hain

-Yeh Rasta Pyar Ka Rasta
-Rasan Ka Daar Ka Rasta
-Bohat Dushwaar Hai Janaa
-K Is Rastey Ka Har Zarra Bhi ik Kohsaar Hai Janaa
-Kaho To Lout Jatey Hain

-Meray Barey Na Kuch Socho

-Tumhara Narm O Nazuk Haath Ho gur Meray Hathou'n Mein
-To Main Samjho'n K Jaisey Do Jhaa'n Hain Meri Muthii Mein
-Tumhara Kurb Ho To Mushkilie'n Kafoor Ho Jaie'n
-Yeh Andhay Aur Kaaley Raastey Pur-Noor Ho Jaie'n
-Tumharey Gaisoou'n Kii Chaoun Mil Jaye
-To Sooraj Sey Ulajhna Baat Hii Kya Hai
-Utha Lo Apna Saya To Meri Auqaat Hii Kya Hai
-Mujhey Maloom Hai Itna K Daiyem Zindgii Posheeda Hai In Chaar Qadmoun Mein
-Bohet Sii Raahatian Muzmir Hain In Dushwaar Rastou'n Mein

-Meray Barey Na Kuch Socho
-Tum Apni Baat Batlaao
-Kaho to Chaltey Rehtey Hain
-Kaho To Lout Jatey Hain