BLOG is a funny word

Good Morning LUMS!

2008-04-14T23:16:00.001+05:00

Tuesdays & Fridays

10am to 11am PST

The Morning Show

with Umer and Adeel!

http://radio.lums.edu.pk

Enjoy!

Suna Suna Jeewan - Alamgir

2008-02-17T21:27:00.001+05:00

I posted this song earlier - this is a better quality one

Zindagi Ke Safar me

2008-02-06T17:47:00.001+05:00

What-e song, what-e lyrics

Let me be

2008-02-06T17:41:00.001+05:00

"Dear Surrounding,

Stop reminding me. Let me forget. I have been patient. Stop putting thoughts in my mind.

Wipe them clean. Leave no trace. Give me the control now.

And please stop coming in my dreams and talking to me."

Truth about Pakistan

2008-01-23T02:15:00.001+05:00

Oneiro

2008-01-21T19:25:00.001+05:00

A short film Irfan made in our freshman year (2005-06) at LUMS. I'm playing the confused guy :)

open your eyes

2008-01-08T22:37:00.001+05:00

Lord Macaulay's Address to the British Parliament 2 February, 1835

Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay

Comment Send this story to a friend

"I have travelled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such caliber that I do not think we would ever conquer this country unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and therefore I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self esteem, their native culture, and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation."

http://www.hansadutta.com/ART_WSP/Macaulay.html

Facebook users trading privacy for friends?

2007-10-02T21:57:00.000+05:00

http://www.dawn.com/2007/09/30/int13.htm

By Alice Ritchie

PARIS: Social networking sites like Facebook have wooed millions of users with their easy format for keeping in touch but left them navigating the pitfalls of interacting online — is it really private?

The debate — which some debunk — is heating up after the once-exclusive Facebook recently began listing users' profiles on public search engines like Google and Yahoo!

On the networking sites, users create profiles detailing their likes and dislikes, listing contacts, work and school background, and downloading photos to meet up, often daily, with old and new friends on the Internet.

But to do this effectively requires posting personal information that could expose users to spying by ID fraudsters, teachers, employers, stalkers, even parents, not to mention advertisers looking to target their products.

Catherine Dwyer, a lecturer at New York's Pace University who specialises in social networking sites, summed up the conundrum.

"If you want any kind of interaction you have to be engaged and reveal things," she said. "Privacy means having a small number of friends, but that is not really consistent with being a fully engaged user." Data posted on Facebook, which was started at Harvard University in 2004 but has grown rapidly over the last year to reach a global membership of 42 million, is not in theory open to everyone.

Customised privacy settings allow users to restrict access to people they accept as friends or those in their school or work network.

This provides more protection than the older networking site MySpace, which Dwyer said attracts 47 million unique users in the US every month, where profiles are open to the public.

However, when Facebook announced the new link with search engines like Google, it triggered concern that what began as a cozy tool for college students to stay in touch has bloated into a crass online directory.

Facebook engineer Phil Fung defended the move as one to "help more people connect" — which could translate into more advertising, thus more worth ahead of a possible public listing on the stock market — and stressed that the same privacy settings would still apply.

But a study released in Britain last month by global IT security firm Sophos found many members were not using these settings effectively.

The firm created a fake profile and asked 200 strangers to be its friend.

Forty-one per cent agreed, giving the firm complete access to their profiles including enough information to "guess users' passwords, impersonate them or even stalk them," said Sophos technology consultant Graham Cluley.

He said that though Facebook gave them tools to protect themselves, people were "undoing all that good work through carelessness and being preoccupied with the kudos of having more Facebook friends than their peers".

Sophos warns specifically of the dangers of ID fraud posed by such behaviour, although Tony Neate, managing director of Get Safe Online, an Internet safety campaign sponsored by the UK government, cautioned against "scaremongering." The former police detective recalled a recent case of a woman whose purse was stolen in a nightclub in London — thieves looked her name up on the Internet and used the details posted there to "run amok" with her credit cards.

But such cases were rare, he said. "It's not about scaremongering but about education. Be aware of what you are putting online and what people could use." Sometimes the "spies" are unexpected.

Users, often teenagers or 20-somethings, have been caught short by university officials and future employers who have used the networking site to check up on a person's behaviour.

Oxford University student Alex Hill told The Guardian newspaper in July that she had been charged by university authorities "for breaching rules and being disorderly' on the basis of photographic evidence from Facebook." The student union has now advised students to tighten restrictions on their Facebook profiles, although its president, Martin McCluskey, said that many people continue to allow access to everyone from the Oxford University network — which includes tens of thousands of people.

For some users, the privacy stakes are even higher — a political storm broke out last month when the media reported that the 17-year-old daughter of US Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani had joined a Facebook group in support of a Democratic rival candidate Barack Obama. She had to take down her profile.

"We are really heading into new modes of publishing ourselves, we are kind of learning on the job," university lecturer Dwyer said. "People trust their own judgment." Charlotte MacCormack, a 17-year-old Facebook user from London, which now has the site's biggest network, conceded that it was "hard to be sure" who could access her details online.

"On the other hand, if I were that worried about it, I wouldn't be on here," she said.—AFP

2007-08-11T18:47:00.001+05:00

Independence Day - 14th August

Is it just me or is the spirit dying?
Where is the 'nationalism'?
Maybe it was limited to cricket.
Or maybe I'm seeing what I am becoming.

2007-08-05T21:50:00.000+05:00

Which Heroes Character Are You?
	You are Peter. You're too sincere, but it works for you. Your family is very supportive despite your idealism.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

2007-07-26T12:21:00.000+05:00

Karachi - from a passenger's seat!

(CLICK to view pictures)

Suna Suna by Alamgir

2007-07-26T12:02:00.001+05:00

If I made a list of Top Ten songs ever, I'd include this one in it! Although I've never heard a proper recorded version :D

Colours of Pakistan!

2007-07-25T11:08:00.001+05:00

(Advert - Habib Bank Limited)

2007-07-02T01:45:00.000+05:00

Nomanul Haq is one of the most respected names in the scholarly, academic, intellectual and literary circles around the world. He is one of the few writers in contempory times who holds on to 'Intellectual Honesty and Integrity'. He has a deep interest in Islamic Philosophy, Sufism, Islamic art and history and Literature!

He speaks many languages, including English, Arabic, Persian and German. (More about him at the end of the post)

Since last year he has been part of LUMS, which is a big thing for our university.
I came across the following 'letter'/'article' that he wrote almost 20 years ago, when he was a professor at Harvard.
________________________________

February 23, 1989

Salman Rushdie, Blame Yourself

By S. NOMANUL HAQ

AMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Dear Salman Rushdie, A few years ago, when I read your ''Midnight's Children,'' I was overwhelmed. It was not the exuberance of your narrative and stylistic craft, nor the threads of your rich imagination woven with such effective intellectual control that engulfed me. Rather, it was your formidable grasp of history and, through that, of the psyche of a complex culture in all its variations that formed the substratum of your tale.

And yet it is this question of your knowledge of history that I shall raise in connection with your seriously and alarmingly controversial ''The Satanic Verses.''

Let me say at once that I do hold you as an artist, not as a historian or a psychologist - nor, indeed, as a theologian. But, at the same time, you do make use of what are facts of history and psychology, giving them your own distinct treatment.

No writer, you will agree, writes in a historical vacuum. But then, a responsible artist does not, without powerful grounds, mutilate history. Nor, unless there exists a mammoth justification, does he disregard the sensibilities and sensitivities of his own milieu, especially when it forms both the subject matter and the bulk of his or her audience.

Strangely, what I am saying is something that I learned from none other than yourself. You might recall your telling criticism of Sir Richard Attenborough's celebrated film ''Gandhi.'' You enraged Sir Richard, but in the controversy I remained your passionate supporter.

You censured the film for disregarding or minimizing certain important historical facts. And you said that in a work of an artistic nature, one cannot say everything, that there has to be a choice - but that there has to be a rationale of choice. One selects not to mislead but to make the story more meaningful. Ironically, this has precisely been your lapse in the ''The Satanic Verses.''

Most of your Western audience are unable to gauge the acuteness of your blow to the very core of the Indian subcontinental culture. They cannot estimate the seriousness of the injury because they do not know the history of the aggrieved.

You do know it and therefore one feels that you foresaw, at least to some extent, the consequences.

There is in your book, for example, the phantasmagoria of your own namesake Salman's corruption of the revealed word by his erroneous rendering of the words of Mahound.

Here the veil is too thin to cover the identity of Mahound: he can be understood in no other way than as a caricature of the Muslim Prophet. You do know that Islam is consistently, acutely and uniquely sensitive to its scripture. Ordinarily, Arabic is written without short vowels, but no copy of the Koran today is vowelless: Muslims insist that it should and can be read only in one way. The Muslim view is that even incorrectly reading the Koran is a cardinal sin. The Koran is neither read nor recited in translation for the very reason that translation might introduce alteration.

This matter is deadly serious and to make it a subject of insensitive fantasy is equally serious.

There is a further issue that your Western reader does not sense: that your corrupt Salman is the namesake not only of you in your book but of a historical personage who was a Persian companion of the Prophet, a companion who has been accorded a particularly elevated status by the Shiites. Given the militancy of the Shiites, when you made Salman the polluter of the revelation, you knew that you were planting your hand in the cluster of bees!

Your response to the uproar has been wavering and inconsistent, and your defense has the odor of self-righteousness. You say that people who have not read your book have no right to criticize it. But do you really think that reading the book will drastically alter their opinions?

Then you talk about freedom of expression. Free speech is a tricky issue and cannot be taken too literally. What do you think the response of black Americans would be if you were to mock the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? Or the reaction of the Jewish community if you were to eulogize Hitler? Or the anger of a pious Hindu if you were to present a graphic description of the slaughtering of a cow?

And to say that the Muslim world has demonstrated a total lack of dignity and tolerance is to utter a historical irrelevance. The Muslim nations have not gone through the turmoils of the Enlightenment and they have seen no scientific revolution; their sensibilities are different. Often, a peaceful demonstration is not their way and we cannot change them overnight. The best thing is to avoid hitting their most sensitive chords. And, Mr. Rushdie, you knew that. As for your waverings, you started out by expressing regret over the fact that you did not write even a more controversial book. You accused the leaders of the angry demonstration in Islamabad of exploiting a religious slogan for secular and political ends: They may have done so, but what about the innocent and ignorant people who died in the violence? You expressed no sympathy for them.

And now you issue a three-sentence statement that, at best, has the semblance of regret. Quite honestly, Mr. Rushdie, your heart does not beat in this statement, your expression is glaringly perfunctory.

I am saddened that a bounty has been placed on your head and that a great writer like you, rather than presenting himself to the public, is in hiding. You have elicited the rage of entire nations. This is a pity. But, Mr. Rushdie, you have cut them and they are bleeding: Do something quickly to heal the wound.

S. Nomanul Haq is a tutor in the history of science at Harvard University.

_______________________________________

Haq studied physics as an undergraduate at England's Hull University, and then, at University College London, the history of philosophy and of science as well as Islamic studies. At the doctoral level, he went as a London University transfer student to Harvard, where he did his graduate work in the history of Arabic science, and Near Eastern languages and civilizations.

A member and advisor of several international academic bodies and institutions, Haq has held faculty positions at Tufts, Brown, and Rutgers, and has published widely. His book Names, Natures, and Things-a work in the history of alchemy-has already appeared in two editions, published by Kluwer of the Netherlands. He is General Editor of the book series Studies in Islamic Philosophy of the Oxford University Press, and is a co-editor of a work on science-religion dialogue, God, Life, and the Cosmos, an Ashgate publication. Among numerous others, Professor Haq has published in periodicals such as Daedalus; Isis; the Journal of the American and Oriental Society; the Oxford Journal of Islamic Studies, and Dialog; and he has contributed to the Blackwell Companion to Environmental Philosophy; Routledge History of Islamic Philosophy; the Encyclopaedia of Islam; the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World; and the New York Times.

2007-06-30T21:37:00.000+05:00

Pakistan-Bashing Pakistanis

Something I wrote for a 'discussion forum':

" I realized something over last week and something happened today that made me want to discuss it with everyone on this group.

I have been spending time with a 'foreigner' this past week and a couple of times while driving with friends, I said some things that say a lot about our 'mindset' as Pakistanis. He/she was talking about his/her car accident and that he/she got a lot of money from the insurance but chose to put it in the bank instead of using it on the car, and almost like a reflex-action I said, "Pakistani style huh!" and we joked about it. Why would I say such a thing?

I was only thinking about this when today I attended the Outgoing Preparatory Seminar and we did many discussions, exercises and mock-presentations about Pakistan and cultures and understanding. And over and over I heard people talk about how they would tell their hosts that we do not have 'democracy' but we're working towards it; or that they would tell them that Pakistan is not all about 'terrorists' and 'bombs' and 'burka'!

Where is this automatic assumption coming from that 'democracy' is the only correct way of life and the pressing need to justify ourselves? Mads Stockwell was there and he correctly pointed out that someone from China (for example) wouldn't expect him/herself or a Pakistani to justify the 'lack of Democracy'. My point here is not whether one should or should not choose and idealize democracy, it is how we talk and think about our reality.

Another thing that bugged me was why 'burka' was mentioned in the same list of negative stereotypes as 'terrorists' and 'bombs'? Yes, people should find out that not all women wear a burka in Pakistan but while we open their eyes to the numbers why do our own eyes remain closed to the idea of burka itself. Why the automatic belief that it is something bad and again the need to be apologetic about it. Why the automatic assumption that all (or even most) women that wear it are forced to wear it?

Charity begins at home and while we in AIESEC encourage that we open our minds to other cultures and embrace the diversity on a larger level; maybe we should stop for a second and also focus on the importance of understanding our own culture. If we are to make an impact we should first change ourselves and when we do, we should first be open to and accept what we represent. There are two important things here. Firstly, we should be honest about what Pakistan is, what our traditions are. And if we disagree with something then we should be honest about that as well, but at the same time try to explain it from the point of view of someone who agrees with it.

Constructive criticism is one thing, but Pakistan-bashing by Pakistanis themselves is another. Who will respect us and our traditions if we do not respect ourselves? Why do we have to be apologetic each time we are explaining a certain tradition / practice in a foreign setting?

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating and not all of us are like that, but there is definitely a tendency amongst some of us (Pakistanis) who either enjoy bashing our own culture or feel embarrassed when questioned about it. In AIESEC we celebrate diversity and let's not forget that all local cultures and traditions of the world add to the diversity, thus when someone comes from another culture, we should understand that they might feel 'different' and help them understand ours, in the best way possible. With honesty, integrity and politeness; and without worrying about how he/she will judge us. "

AIESEC?

2007-06-28T21:19:00.001+05:00

This past week I met three new individuals. Mariko, Marina and Mads! Mariko is from Japan, Marina from Canada - her mother is Russain and father Somali and Mads is from Scotland - his mother is Danish and father is American!

annoyed :S

2007-06-15T04:46:00.001+05:00

why does gtalk stop working?

why is there a need to sleep?

why can't murphy just die

2007-06-07T06:32:00.001+05:00

I play a suicide bomber in a music video Irfan made for some competition in Kenya.
Click Here to watch!

moderation vs extremism

2007-06-06T18:28:00.001+05:00

Who decides what is moderation?

Usually us Muslims are not so obsessed with our moderation as far as the farz rituals are concerned. Five times prayers, fasting in Ramazan, Hajj and Jihad (at least when it is Jihad against the nafs, which as most people – Muslims and non-muslim orientalists alike – will quote as Jihad-e-Akbar). But as soon as one begins to take a step further, for example, to spend more time in the masjid; or invite people vocally for salat; talk about Islam and Allah in the drawing room discussions, it comes under observation. In other words, when he begins to act as a Muslim beyond the faraiz, or shall I say, begins to show signs of 'Islam' in the non-ritual proceedings of the day, he ceases to be 'moderate'. And if he continues in the same direction and allows 'Islam' to be the basis of his decisions regarding education, friendship, leisure, employment, marriage etc., he turns into what we call a 'fanatic'.

Beyond that, when he adopts the sunnah in his dress and appearance; in his day-to-day habits of eating, drinking and walking, he is dangerously close to the 'extreme'. But it is not easy to reach this extreme: for him to travel from the state of so-called moderation to extremism, he might have to let go off some friends; listen to constant 'advice' urging him to become 'normal'; and deal with people who are 'disappointed' in him.

Further more, he will be given lectures on 'balance' and how one should take 'deen' and 'dunya' side by side. But it is with little realization that the argument will only backfire because if true balance is what they are wishing for then (for example) they should encourage one to study 'deen' for 4 years after they have studied 'dunya' for 4 years in their BSc, if not BEFORE their 4 years of BSc. This is probably the minimum one can do to claim 'balance' because it overlooks the 13 something years of formal schooling which was mostly (if not all) 'dunya' based. But we are not (and I am including myself) ready to strive for this balance and this fact blatantly translates from our preference and love for the 'world': the sheer obession to fulfill our desires to the maximum in our 60-80 years of life. And this preference is over, and at the cost of what? A life which is forever! So much for the 'fore-sight' of the 21st century man!

And let me not blame the 'other' because, in this path to achieving the Qurb of Allah, of attaining love for Allah and His Messenger, I will have to face not only people around me, but also myself – my nafs. Who has enslaved me and I do not even know.

I just decided...

2007-05-02T22:57:00.001+05:00

that I want to settle down and spend the rest of my life in Islamabad.

Why? I dont know.

Just decided that an hour ago when I came out of tarqa after having dinner and could hardly breath amidst the traffic jam: honking, smoke, pollution.

Ponder..

2007-04-25T03:33:00.001+05:00

This week…

1) Student Seung-Hui Cho shot and killed 32 people before committing suicide on Monday, April 16, 2007

2) Israel Kills Eight Palestinians, Including 17-Year-Old Girl
In the West Bank, Israeli forces killed eight Palestinians over the past two days including a 17-year-old girl and a Palestinian police officer. Six of the Palestinians were killed on Saturday making it the deadliest day so far this year in the occupied territories.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/23/1349255

3) The same day (Monday) a group of unknown gunmen blew up a house in Jabalia refugee camp located in the northern region of the Gaza Strip on Monday morning.

http://www.imemc.org/article/47850

4) And a group of unknown gunmen detonated a bomb near a police car that was guarding the house of ex-Palestinian foreign Minster Dr. Mahmod Al Zahar, in Gaza City.

5) The Israeli army invaded several parts of the West Bank and abducted eight civilians on Monday morning

6) 60 die in Iraq

7) Israeli forces assassinated a Palestinian activist in Jenin after having arrested him. The Israelis also invaded West Bank towns 33 times and arrested 70 people, including children.

8) Also, 5 Palestinian civilians (2 women and 3 children) were wounded by the IOF gunfire in the West Bank

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2228&Itemid=31

9) On Tuesday evening, 17 April 2007, an Israeli settler fired at a number of Palestinian children who were cultivating almonds in Taqqou' village, south of Bethlehem. One of the children was seriously wounded by a gunshot to the head.

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2228&Itemid=31

10) 219 Killed In Somalia Over Past Week
In Somalia, fierce fighting between U.S.-backed Ethiopian forces and backers of Somalia's Islamic Courts Union has entered its sixth day. On Sunday at least 51 people died. The death toll over the past week has now reached more than 219.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/23/1349255

But….

1) Virginia Governor Declares Day Of Mourning For Victims Of Campus Massacre
http://www.fox19.com/Global/story.asp?S=6403203&nav=0zHF

2)Tens of Thousands Mourn Victims Of School Shooting

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/18/1548251

3) Nation remembers VT victims as gunman's family issues statement

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=251587

4) Virginia in Day of Mourning

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/134889.html

5) Memorial Services Held For Victims of Virginia Tech Killing
Memorial services were held across the country this weekend for the 32 victims of last week's mass shooting at Virginia Tech

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/23/1349255

6) South Korea prays for Virginia Tech victims

South Koreans joined Americans in mourning for the victims of April 16 shootings in Blacksburg Virginia.

http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=9139

I'm not suggesting that we should not mourn what happened in Virginia Tech, but what about everything else that happened? Is it not our responsibility to think about them aswell? Should we not also mourn their blood? Should that not be equally talked about in the media? What is fair?

THINK...

Blogging Made Easy

2007-04-15T17:54:00.001+05:00

I have blog-phases. Or just phases about these 'things' in general. Things such as Orkut, Face Book, Blogs, Spaces...

I call them things because someone forgot to name them in a group. What are they? Personal Forums? 'Come take a peak into my life page'?

So sometime ago, while one of my phases, I deleted my Orkut account. And I am quite glad I did. Although at a cost, because now I am not in touch with many old friends or people that are not around me. But it is fair right? Because it's meant to be like that. One moves on. One makes new friends. I mean what is the joy in meeting an old friend after 10 years if you have been scrapping him all this time?? And if you're THAT zeolous about keeping in touch then make an effort! Call him, email him, write him a letter!

Face book is a different league all together. It's EVIL!

Akhtar logs on and the first thing he see's on his home-page: "Feroz has written 'xyz' on Shakila's wall"!!

Now why would they want Akhtar to know if Feroz has been talking to Shakila?

Really! Why!? lol - crazy!

Anyway, so if you're reading this you're thinking what is the relevance of my words to the heading (Blogging Made Easy)?

Well the relevance is that while I was browsing through the settings, I figured I can actually 'email' my post to the blog!

This might be a very old 'option' but I never knew about it! - well now I do and it might mean that I will blog more often (atleast when i'm in my pro-blog phases!)

2006-07-21T21:35:00.000+05:00

"Who is the villain?"
"Hezbullah"
"Did Israel over-react?"
"No Israel is only defending itself - and rightly so!"

This, Ladies and Gentleman, is what I see on television everyday.

Over what? 2 soldiers? Yes - I admit their lives are very important. But bombing the whole country to rubbles? First the Beirut airport - trapping 100s of people in the city, then Southern and Northern Lebanon, and finally troops fighting on the borders.
Now they're preparing for a full-fledged ground invasion of Lebanon.

Destroying bridges that took years to build? Demolishing buildings (with people in them - civilians); highways and roads? Attacking the country from air, sea and land!
And what is the justification? To destroy Hezbullah? To bomb 'buildings' because they MIGHT have something to do with them? Hah!

And what do we see on CNN? on Fox?
"Rockets Rain on Haifa"

I was watching CNN the other day and every 5 minutes they would show something about:
Israeli families and how their childer are scared
and further,
an elaborate report on 'Haifa' and the fear of attack amongst the innocent jew civilians;
and further,
an update on how many Israeli soldiers were killed.

and in very small font at the bottom of the screen it would say:
'100 killed in region'.
"in region" ??? "in region" ?????
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? IN LEBANON sir, in Lebanon..

The death ratio is 1 Israeli : 10 Lebanese.
What you see below is Lebanon. How often do you see a picture like that from Israel?

And what do we see on TV ?
What do you think the world is? STUPID?

Sadly, it's true - we are stupid!

And blind...and dumb....and cowardly....

CLICK HERE to see what the world sees

2006-06-12T18:06:00.000+05:00

i got my first dog.
it feels......... i dunno
its the first time ever...so....u know

(no i'm not going crazy, thats not an actual 'dog' i'm talking about)

2006-06-03T10:41:00.000+05:00

We (my brother and I) were ‘googling’ my name the other day. Just to see if Google can find me! And it did! Three results upon searching for 'Syed Adeel Hasan' and 2 of them were actually me! Haha! That’s so cool!
Thanks to the LES website who have my name in their member list. And the LUMS CS Dept for putting up the lab sign up sheets online!

Here is a picture from their business idea competition that Syre and I participated in. The first picture shows us handling the scrutiny in the Q & A session. And in the second one – well I’m just sitting there while somebody else is presenting!

Got back home (Karachi) a few days ago. It was an 18-hour train journey from Lahore, 16 of which I spent sleeping in my top berth, because I hadn’t slept in 2 days before that. Being home is nice! Although the only family I have here these days are my brother, his wife and their jaanu son Usman! I had been thinking it’ll take a couple of days before we make friends again, but he came to me instantly as I extended my arms! (He’s a year and a half.)

My routine is still messed up. I am up all night and sleep most of the day. Today instead of forcing myself to sleep in the morning, I went outside and sat down on a chair enjoying the morning breeze (A typical pleasant Karachi morning!!); singing and texting friends, disturbing them in their sleep. (None of them replied!)

So I opened the locks to the main gates, and took Dildar’s cycle to Phase 4 (Dildar works for us). I cycled on the silent, safe roads, breathing fresh air, singing on my way. Finally I reach the ‘Pathan ka hotal’ and order six paratha’s: 2 for myself, and 1 each for everyone at home. I also bought 1 litre of milk – yes the non-packet one that comes in those transparent plastic bags! I wanted it because when you boil them you get a layer of ‘cream’ (malai) on top, and you take it off in a bowl, put it in the fridge for a while and then eat it with jam and bread or sugar etc.

Since everyone was asleep, I decided to make some breakfast for everyone as a surprise. So I took 2 onions and cut them (they way they’re supposed to be cut for an omelet). It was hard! And took VERY long! Lol.
I made tea - ‘doodh patti’ – 2 teaspoons full of ‘chai ki patti’ and six spoons full of sugar in the 1 litre milk and cooked it with a lid on top!
It proved to be the best breakfast I’ve had in weeks! And everyone else is enjoying it now as I write this post in Ms.Word. My brother’s telling me ‘save kar lo bhai, pata nahi kab light chali jaye’ (save the document, you never know when the electricity might fail.)!

2006-05-28T20:38:00.000+05:00

Sometimes even the end of the tunnel is a dead-end! You are told since you start going to school that if you work hard and hope for the best you'll get what you dream of! Hahaha. I bet whoever came up with that 'logic' is pointing and laughing at us.

No. This picture doesn't in any way mean that I'm pessimistic (excuse my spellings). I just like it. I dont think this picture even represents pessimism. It's just part of being 'realistic' that one is aware of a possibility like this one: you pursue the light (at the end of the tunnel) and it might not be what you had thought it to be all your life! Right??

---------
Today was my last exam. I am now off until September because I'm not taking the Summer quarter. Stupid decision.
Most of my friends went back to Karachi a couple of hours ago. I haven't slept properly in a few days so I'm very sleepy right now. Also the campus is dead. But they're playing MI-3 at SC3 (thats the name of the auditorium).

It's a bad print. I cant decide whether I want to, or dont want to watch it. Lol. Yes - I cant decide what I want. It's a simple decision and I cant make it! What will I do as OCP?
I even paid the Rs.10. entry ticket our beloved Alpha Society charges. I got a seat too. And some girl was sitting beside me. But then the phone ringed - who? -> OVAIS YAZDANI!!. Thank you for calling me right when the movie had just begun: Tom Cruise was kissing his wife-to-be.
I answered the phone but he couldn't hear me. This happend twice.
The third time I HAD to get up and walk out. He wants me to go with him somewhere for dinner. And now (5 minutes after I hung up) I'm in the e-lab doing this 'new/ hip' thing called BLOGGING!

So why didn't I walk right back in? I didn't even take my 10 bucks back (considering I could've, because the guy on the door collecting money is a friend)?

I dont know.

"LUMUN vs AIESEC!"
A statement like that does not exist at the moment.
But by 10th of September it will all change.
It will be
AIESEC vs LUMUM..

15th September...
AIESEC vs lumun

end of first quarter..
AIESEC vs ... nothing..

*evil grin*

Am I hungry? I dont know.

I'm thinking whether or not I should take a copy of the movie I acted in ("Oneiro") home. Would I want my brothers, their wives and kids watching me screaming, running, being dead in a movie? Lol. I dont know.

2006-05-26T20:47:00.000+05:00

So we cant get that letter from the Minstry of External Affairs in India! Great!
There goes 'Goa'!

Anyway, it's not the end of the world - I have WORK to do!
I'm excited about getting a 'business-card'. It'll be weird handing it to people: "Hello, I'm Adeel - I have a business card. Here you go"!

I"m having a conversation with a friend right now over google talk who goes to NED in Karachi, and she seems to have a huge problem with the place because of the 'people'.

She says: "u try wearing a patiala shalwar and the guys go like..."aray daikh teri patiala aa gai.."!!"

And I respond:
so its fine if a good looking 'hip' guy with stylish hair wearing an expensive tshirt smiles at you, but its not fine if somebody 'expresses' the same gut instincts in crude urdu - becuase they weren't brought the 'English medium' style?

Sad!

I want to travel to certain places in the world.
A friend of mine and I made this pact once, that when we're 30 and we're married

(it's an impossibility that we wont, because both of us are like "Monday we'll get our degrees, we'll get our photo taken and we'll run off the stage like mad and get married that same night." Lol.)

we'd go on a world tour with our respective wives. Yes - so thats the plan.
The places I wanna go to (countries / cities):

London - I just have to!
Palestine
Beirut
Saudi Arab
Sweden
Poland
Turkey - definitely
LA
Syria
Tokyo

I want to crash another wedding very soon aswell.

2006-05-25T04:44:00.000+05:00

ok i think i lost some of the text i wrote earlier...so here i go again.
this is a picture from the day i got elected as OCP recruitment...

The traditional AIESEC way of announcing the the winner is that the candidates stand side by side facing the audience and then the elected one is announced pouring/throwing water on their head...

its fun!!

2006-05-25T03:43:00.000+05:00

i found out that RAUSING executive center is named after Rausing - who was this guy...lol..
i forgot exactly who he was...
so guys...there u go...rausing is not about 'arousing' like we've tried to figure it out.....its just some DUDE !
-------------
they put a cap on Economics !!
how can they do that??
bloody lums people...
wat of students like me who were 'chilling' because they hate ACF?
DAMN you - whoever thought of this new "policy"..
---------------
Today, i announced the 3 people team i selected (out of the 8 that had applied)...
it was interesting interviewing them.
I learnt so many things about them, i learnt so many things in general.
The decision was mind wracking (i used to spell that as wrecking, until nida corrected me)...
Anyway, so the team is Sunayna, Obeid and Usman.
I think we'll make a great time - the fun is about to begin.

I have to have a meeting with them asap - share expectations, set goals...
before that i have to come up with a 'time-line' myself..week by week tasks
---------------
i have to buy a 'diary / planner' - i cant seem to manage without one
--------------
I head back to karachi in a week!! Looking forward to it..
oh - I screwed my linear algebra exam - like literally !! Gonna have to repeat the course..
--------------

2006-05-13T20:00:00.000+05:00

Last night was crazy. Syre wanted to eat cake and offered to treat us, so we drove to this place (i forget its name) but it was ***************interuption: ayesha mulla just came out of no where, asking me if i would use a wrapping paper, coz her roommate is transferring to canada and she got her this pendant thing (excuse the spelling) from this place in parktowers in karachi, similar to the one some character in desperate housewives wears*********************

Anyway, so it was 3 in the morning and they didn't have any good cakes left so we bought 'individual' pastries (mind the spelling) - i got a strawberry cheese cake slice - it was yummy!

Then we went to a cheap roadside eating place called 'silverspoon' where some of us has ' chicken miyo rolls' - the waiter was a bit 'colourful / tootie fruitie' if u know wat i mean. Lol
We played truth and dare, which almost always turns out to be 'truth' only, coz nobody chooses to do a dare. We asked each other to rate 5 hottest guys at lums, that one should go after if he's gay. Hahahaha.

We got back to lums in time for 'fajr' prayers. Ali shahid was persistant that we do 'sheesha' so we DID sheesha till 6:30 (Ali, Usama and I). Lol it was crazy, coz it made our heads spin. And we told each other some crazy stuff that usually just stays in the 'heart' - serious bonding! Lol

Right now I was evaluating OCVP applications - have to structure interviews now! It should be exciting.

I have to make a presentation with syre tonight about this 'business plan' that he thought of. If we get selected out of the 10 other plans tomorrow, we will get a cash prize!

..................................out

2006-05-07T23:07:00.000+05:00

TASTING TASTING...
TESTING TESTING..
lol
my first time (blogging, that is)

BLOG is a funny word

Good Morning LUMS!

Suna Suna Jeewan - Alamgir

Zindagi Ke Safar me

Let me be

Truth about Pakistan

Oneiro

open your eyes

Lord Macaulay's Address to the British Parliament 2 February, 1835

Facebook users trading privacy for friends?

Which Heroes Character Are You?

Suna Suna by Alamgir

Colours of Pakistan!

February 23, 1989

By S. NOMANUL HAQ

AIESEC?

annoyed :S

moderation vs extremism

I just decided...

Ponder..

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