Good vs. Evil. The boundries might have blurred but yet the battle rages on. Not only on earth but also in each of us. I am not going to categorize what is good and what is evil in this battle on earth. I am going to talk about the battle that rages in all of us. The everpresent, tussle and tug-o-war, that causes us to rethink some of our actions. Some have it easier than others. In some good has made significant conquests and gained much ground, bringing evil to a crushing defeat, albeit not total destruction, since destruction of evil in us, is not possible for we are flawed human beings in our inherent nature. In others, evil has taken such a hold, that even the rays of good are blocked out by perpetual and utter darkness. Most of us have it harder though, with good and evil headbutting, making and losing ground each day. Who will win? Perhaps neither. But will we take an active part in the fight or will we only silently spectate and let fate takes its course? But you can change fate and as such we can take a side in this battle within us. What side will you choose? Will you choose good or will you choose evil. It all depends on you. Not taking the side of good and making an effort for its cause, will automatically side you with evil. In our religion and in many others, non-chalence and non-commital to good, is surrendering to evil... Because, my fellow warriors, there is no neutrality in this battle. Choose your destiny, pick up the weapons of your consciousness, belief and character, and fight on. You will find me in the camp marked "good", for I have chosen a side consciously today, and from there, if you choose the same, we shall fight this battle together and give it, at least in ourselves, some semblence of conclusion.
New Years Resolution No. 1 concluded.
P.S: I am flying to LA tomorrow and from then on, I do not know if I will have net access at my hotel room there. So will see whats up down there and update if things work out. Otherwise wait till I get settled and all :).
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Monday, December 26, 2005
Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah - I Salute Thee
I wanted to reread about the life of the Quaid again and reaffirm my being a Pakistani. Therefore me and my brother found a few articles concerning the great man. Here, I share with you, some of the quotes from people who knew the Quaid one way or another and had the honour of meeting.
* "Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all three." - Stanley Wolpert on Jinnah.
* "There is no man or woman living who imputes anything against his honour or honesty. He was the most upright person, I knew." - The last chief justice of India Lord Patrick Spencer.
* "Gandhi died by the hands of an assassin; Jinnah died by his devotion to Pakistan." - Lord Pethick Lawrence, the former Secretary of State for India.
* "Contributed more than any other man to Pakistan's survival." - Richard Symons.
* "The greatest man I ever met." - The Agha Khan.
* "The most important man in Asia." - Beverley Nichols, the author of `Verdict on India'.
* "An outstanding figure of this century not only in India, but in the whole world." - Dr. Kailashnath Katju, the West Bengal Governor in 1948.
* "One of the greatest leaders in the Muslim world." - Abdul Rahman Azzam Pasha, Secretary General of the Arab League.
* The Grand Mufti of Palestine considered his death as a "great loss" to the entire world of Islam.
* "Mr Jinnah, was great as a lawyer, once great as a Congressman, great as a leader of Muslims, great as a world politician and diplomat, and greatest of all as a man of action, By Mr. Jinnah's passing away, the world has lost one of the greatest statesmen and Pakistan its life-giver, philosopher and guide." - Surat Chandra Bose, leader of the Forward Bloc wing of the Indian National Congress.
* "Quaid-i-Azam was the originator of the dream that became Pakistan, architect of the State and father of the world's largest Muslim Nation. Mr Jinnah was the recipient of a devotion and loyalty seldom accorded to any man." - President Harry S. Truman of USA.
Quaid-e-Azam on his last message to the nation, on 14 August, 1948, said, "The foundations of your State have been laid and it is now for you to build and build as quickly and as well as you can".
Alas we failed our Quaid miserably in the years that ensued. I hope we can still learn and come to grips with our destiny and realize his dreams. InshAllah.
Pakistan Zinabad. Pakistan Paindabad.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
I Am Cute Right ? - ميں پياری ہوں نا ؟
Here is pic of twinkle that my dad sent me recently. I guess twinkle was trying to be extra cute or she might have been trying to pose for the camera. She has been known to do that at times. You decide.
ٹوينکل کی يہ تصوير ميرے ابو نے حال ہی ميں مجھے بھيجی تھی۔ ميرا خيال ہے کہ، ٹوينکل تصوير ميں کيوٹ بننے کی کوشيش کر رہی تھی يا پھر کيمرے کے ليے پوز کر رہی تھی۔ ٹوينکل وقًت فوقًت، کيمرے کے ليے پوز مارتی رہتی ہے۔ آپ خود اندازہ لگايں۔Saturday, December 24, 2005
Women Rights Please? - عورتوں کے حقوق ؟
I read a news article today, that reingnited in me, the desire to talk about women rights in Pakistan. Why is it that women are so downtrodden in our society ? In the villages, towns, and cities of Pakistan, women are second class citizens. Agreed that it is the same all over the world, but the contrasts between male and female life are sharper in Pakistan than compared to the societies of the West. To be clear, I am not referring to the freedom of the less than favorable aspects of society such as skimpy clothes and the like. I am referring to rights as accorded to a woman by Islam. The Sonia Naz case and now this only proves yet again, that women need better rights in Pakistan. Let us hope and pray that, one day, women will have equal rights, not just in the educated but uneducated sections of our society. InshAllah. You can read the full story here.
ميں نے آج اخبار ميں ايک مضمون پڑھا جس کی بنا پر ميں نے، پاکستان ميں، عورتوں کے حقوق کے موضوع پر لکھنے کی ٹھانی۔ ہمارے معاشرے ميں عورتيں اتنی ستم ظريفی کا شکار کيوں ہيں؟ پاکستان کے گاوں اور چھوٹے بڑے شہروں ميں، عورتوں کی درجہ دوئم حيثيت ہے۔ يہ درست ہے کہ مغرب ميں بھی کچھ حد تک يہی حال ہے، ليکن ہمارے ہاں ايک مرد اور عورت کی زندگی ميں زمين آسمان کا فرق ہے۔ ميں معاشرے کی ان باتوں کا ذکر نہيں کر رہا جن کی اسلام اجازت نہيں ديتا مثلاً بےپردگی وغيرہ۔ ميں اُن حقوق کا ذکر کر رہا ہوں جو عورت کو اسلام نے ديۓ ہيں۔ سونيا ناذ اور اب يہ، اِس بات کا ثبوت ہيں کہ ہمارے ملک ميں، عورتوں کو بہتر حقوق کی اشد ضرورت ہے۔ آيں ہم سب دعا کريں کہ ايک دن عورتوں کو برابر حقوق فراہم ہوں گے، ناکہ صرف پڑھے لکھے بلکہ انپڑھ طبقے ميں بھی۔ انشاﷲ ۔آپ پوری سٹوری يہاں پڑھ سکتے ہيں۔
Friday, December 23, 2005
First Words Of Urdu - اردو کے پہلے الفاظ
I thought I would write some words in Urdu today. So I installed some urdu fonts. I am thinking of writing the remaining posts in Urdu and English both. Give me your comments in this regard. (P.S: Note I have pronounced Fonts as FANTS in Urdu and also fobbish Urdu with lots of repetition, lol. Bear with me. I am new to this thing and writing urdu after a lapse of 5 years. The translations will not be word for word but the general meaning will be the same in its entirety. I also might not be able to translate every post into Urdu and some will be only English depending on the time I have on that day). آج ميں نے سوچا کہ ميں اردو ميں کچ لکھوں۔ اس سلسلے ميں، ميں نے اردو کے فانٹز اِنسٹال کيے ہيں۔ اب ميں سوچ رہا ہوں کہ باقی ساری پوسٹس اردو اور انگلش دونوں ميں لکھوں۔ آپ لوگ اپنی راۓ ديں اس بارے ميں۔Thursday, December 22, 2005
Final Things To Do Before Moving
OK the time to move for me is getting closer and closer still. December 30th is catching upto me and before long I will have to board that flight to Los Angeles. As such, there are a number of things that need doing urgently now. I have to close my bank account here because the no name small bank limited to the Mid West, is not in California. I wish the Bank of America had a branch here. It would have made my life so much more easier.
The packing is still kinda slugglish these days. I have to seriously pickup the speed and finish it. The good thing is there are two more boxes left to pack. The sooner I finish it, the less the stress, clamour and hubhub at the last minute. The reduced pressure might even help me enjoy my move, so tomorrow and in the next few days, I intend to finish my packing. Then I go give them to Fedex to be delivered over to my new apartment in California.
I also have to throw away a lot of junk I seem to have accumulated during my three year stay in the apartment. Junk such as about 200 National Geographic magazines. Now National Geographic is a great reference magazine which I wouldn't mind collecting. But they are heavy and lugging them all the way to California is going to cost me an arm and a leg. And last but not least, I have to clean my apartment to hand it over, back to the landlord, which in this case is my University (since I live on campus). There go the mile high stacks of pizza boxes and the Donut box castles.
So much to do and so little time. Wait, who am I kidding. I still have time. I wish I hadn't gotten this lazy. Time to put the pedal to the proverbial metal and get cracking.
The packing is still kinda slugglish these days. I have to seriously pickup the speed and finish it. The good thing is there are two more boxes left to pack. The sooner I finish it, the less the stress, clamour and hubhub at the last minute. The reduced pressure might even help me enjoy my move, so tomorrow and in the next few days, I intend to finish my packing. Then I go give them to Fedex to be delivered over to my new apartment in California.
I also have to throw away a lot of junk I seem to have accumulated during my three year stay in the apartment. Junk such as about 200 National Geographic magazines. Now National Geographic is a great reference magazine which I wouldn't mind collecting. But they are heavy and lugging them all the way to California is going to cost me an arm and a leg. And last but not least, I have to clean my apartment to hand it over, back to the landlord, which in this case is my University (since I live on campus). There go the mile high stacks of pizza boxes and the Donut box castles.
So much to do and so little time. Wait, who am I kidding. I still have time. I wish I hadn't gotten this lazy. Time to put the pedal to the proverbial metal and get cracking.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
The Inventor of the World Wide Web Has His Own Blog
The Inventor of the World Wide Web finally has his own blog. When I read this news, I was happy and surprised at the same time. Now I can look at the writing and words of a man that single handedly changed the way we retreive and access this huge and immense repository of information called the World Wide Web. You can read the full story which follows:
You can find his blog here.
" Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, has begun to write his own blog. The news has caused a ripple around the blogging community with hundreds of comments posted on the first message.
While Berners-Lee has doubtless had many opportunities to address the web audience and indeed has occasionally done so as the Director of the World Wide Web Consortium, this is the first time that he has taken to writing publicly from a personal viewpoint.
The first post merely explains that while he has access to creating web pages, he wonders what this blogging thingy is all about and has decided to try it. He has since said that the blog is intended to be mostly concerned with 'geeky semantic web stuff mostly'. Any questions relating to the operation of the W3C should be addressed to the working groups.
In his typical low key fashion Lee simply began writing his blog without fanfare and it took a couple of days before it was noticed by the blogging community. There are now some 455 comments to the first message, many of which are either awed to be commenting on the blog of the web's founder or simply thanking him."
By Steve Malone at PC Pro
You can find his blog here.
Why I Blog
A lot of people have been asking themselves the question, why do we blog, what are our reasons to blog and such, what motivates us to keep tapping at the keyboard in this cyber realm. Well I thought I would ponder on the same questions myself and tell you guys why I blog.
There have been times when I wanted to blogicide my blog and move on. I resisted the temptation to do so and stuck around with it. I stuck around because I forgot I was going to blogicide it really. Had I remembered it, you would not have been reading this post right now. But once I did come back to blogging again, I stuck around with it cuz I realised a few things. When I had started blogging, I wanted to get on the blogging bandwagon more than anything. There was a huge hoopala over it and I wanted to see what the commotion was about. That was my prime motivator for starting. But as I started blogging, I could see myself imagine other uses and advantages of blogging. When I think about the reasons as of now, these ones come to mind.
1. A blog gives you a stored repository of your own thoughts years down the line. You might one day even forget you had committed these thoughts to be written. Pleasent surprises often spring up reading your own thoughts. You might even learn a thing or two from your old posts. I know I have.
2. Writing helps your increase your own imagination and thought process. Writing, like reading books, helps us visualize.
3. A blog helps your get over an ordeal in its own way. You write about something and then you learn to overcome it. Down the line, you might be faced with the same prospect and you might find comfort in your own words it seems.
4. An added reason I started my blog was also because I realized I wanted a webspace of my own. I wanted to have an avenue where I could put my HTML and CSS coding skills to use and see the fruits of my labour. I constantly update my templates and tweak them around and play with them and hence I learn. Monkeywrenching is the best approach to learning.
5. Blogging helps me meet people I would not have in other circumstances. It helps me make myself a better person by reading their thoughts sometimes. If someone has made the mistake I have, I offer advice and if someone has made the mistake I might in the future, I try to learn from it.
In the end, a blog is like a beautiful memory book for some, a ranting place for others and a discussion forum on some specific aspect for the rest of em. It all depends on your own personal reasons. Mine are all of the previous three.
There have been times when I wanted to blogicide my blog and move on. I resisted the temptation to do so and stuck around with it. I stuck around because I forgot I was going to blogicide it really. Had I remembered it, you would not have been reading this post right now. But once I did come back to blogging again, I stuck around with it cuz I realised a few things. When I had started blogging, I wanted to get on the blogging bandwagon more than anything. There was a huge hoopala over it and I wanted to see what the commotion was about. That was my prime motivator for starting. But as I started blogging, I could see myself imagine other uses and advantages of blogging. When I think about the reasons as of now, these ones come to mind.
1. A blog gives you a stored repository of your own thoughts years down the line. You might one day even forget you had committed these thoughts to be written. Pleasent surprises often spring up reading your own thoughts. You might even learn a thing or two from your old posts. I know I have.
2. Writing helps your increase your own imagination and thought process. Writing, like reading books, helps us visualize.
3. A blog helps your get over an ordeal in its own way. You write about something and then you learn to overcome it. Down the line, you might be faced with the same prospect and you might find comfort in your own words it seems.
4. An added reason I started my blog was also because I realized I wanted a webspace of my own. I wanted to have an avenue where I could put my HTML and CSS coding skills to use and see the fruits of my labour. I constantly update my templates and tweak them around and play with them and hence I learn. Monkeywrenching is the best approach to learning.
5. Blogging helps me meet people I would not have in other circumstances. It helps me make myself a better person by reading their thoughts sometimes. If someone has made the mistake I have, I offer advice and if someone has made the mistake I might in the future, I try to learn from it.
In the end, a blog is like a beautiful memory book for some, a ranting place for others and a discussion forum on some specific aspect for the rest of em. It all depends on your own personal reasons. Mine are all of the previous three.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Changes To The Template
OK I made some changes to the template today. I have been told by a lot of people, that my blog lacked color and was too bland. Well, after researching on how colors go together, and since I took a color course when I was in college, I made some changes to the colors of the template. Hope you guys like it over the last one. Do remember to give critiques, comments and suggestions. Thankyou.
MP3 + Toilet Seat
Well, it seems the Japanese have done it again. A Japanese sanitary company by the name of Toto has made the World's first MP3 enabled toilet seat, named Apricot. It comes fully loaded with a remote control. MP3s are loaded persumably via an SD memory card. It is expected to sell for around 800 Bucks or so. Now with that amount of money, you would expect it to have colon cancer analysis, in-built self cleaning and a massager too.
IF you spend your days and nights and recreational time in the bathroom, reading novels and stuff, this is your best bet. And oh you might want to get yourself checked by a behavioural psychiatrist.
P.S That girl in the picture looks mightily surprised, don't you think? Wonder if she is listening to a catchy tune or something.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Congratulations Pakistan
Congratulations to the Pakistan team on a fine bowling performance in the 4th ODI to wrap up the series 3-1, with one ODI still to go. The bowling has been superb, the batting has matured as well and there have been a lot of positives and good things about the new Pakistan team.
Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt have both been good mainstay opening batsmen for Pakistan and it seems the opening pair problem might have a solution at hand. Both play with maturity beyond their years and are a good prospect for the team. I hope they continue to develop and give Pakistan crickets years of more service. On the other hand, Yosuf has been inconsistant and is still prone to getting out via LBW. Younis Khan has had a poor form in the ODI's with two successive ducks in the last 2 ODIs. They need to raise their game a bit if they are to be ready for the World Cup.
Shoaib Akhtar, Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan, Danish Kaneria, Soaib Malik and Sahid Afridi have been great with the ball during the tour. Shoaib especially has proved a lot of people wrong. I hope he continues to keep himself fit and firing for the World Cup. Danish is also maturing and would be a welcome addition to the ODI squad just like he is in the Tests. Soaib Malik and Shahid Afridi bowl well together too. Rana Naveed might just as well have cemented his place in the ODI squad with his thrilling ODI performance this series. The guy has control and can bat a little as well.
Last in all, Inzy has been a great captain. He has a talismanic effect on the other members of the team. The way he directs his field placement, his composed and calm body language and his experience, have all lent a hand in the development of Pakistan cricket. IF and when Pakistan manage to win the World Cup, it would be the cherry topping to the desert that is Inzy's career. InshAllah.
Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt have both been good mainstay opening batsmen for Pakistan and it seems the opening pair problem might have a solution at hand. Both play with maturity beyond their years and are a good prospect for the team. I hope they continue to develop and give Pakistan crickets years of more service. On the other hand, Yosuf has been inconsistant and is still prone to getting out via LBW. Younis Khan has had a poor form in the ODI's with two successive ducks in the last 2 ODIs. They need to raise their game a bit if they are to be ready for the World Cup.
Shoaib Akhtar, Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan, Danish Kaneria, Soaib Malik and Sahid Afridi have been great with the ball during the tour. Shoaib especially has proved a lot of people wrong. I hope he continues to keep himself fit and firing for the World Cup. Danish is also maturing and would be a welcome addition to the ODI squad just like he is in the Tests. Soaib Malik and Shahid Afridi bowl well together too. Rana Naveed might just as well have cemented his place in the ODI squad with his thrilling ODI performance this series. The guy has control and can bat a little as well.
Last in all, Inzy has been a great captain. He has a talismanic effect on the other members of the team. The way he directs his field placement, his composed and calm body language and his experience, have all lent a hand in the development of Pakistan cricket. IF and when Pakistan manage to win the World Cup, it would be the cherry topping to the desert that is Inzy's career. InshAllah.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
I-20 Issues
Well I got an email today from the USC Office of International Student Services (OIS). They informed me that they have made a small error in processing my new I-20. They wrote Fall 2006 as my joining/starting semester date instead of Spring 2006. Well, they assured me there won't be any problems and once I arrive there on the 4th of January, they will correct it. The reason I am kind of worried is because my Optional Practical Training expires in Febraury 2006 and Fall 2006 semesters normally start in August 2006. I don't want the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to have any wrong ideas about me. I am saving the OIS's email as proof for the DHS should problems arise. Let us hope and see what happens.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Added del.icio.us tagging and bookmarking
I have added del.icio.us tagging and bookmarking to my blog today. I went over all my previous posts and also tagged and filed them. Del.icio.us is a bookmarking service that lets you bookmark websites and information you find over the internet either using tags or without them. The advantage of the service is that you can access your bookmarks and favorites from any computer with an internet connection. This is great for researchers, students and other people. It is also great for sharing favorite links and wish lists etc with your friends. If you have a del.icio.us and if you like any of my posts, you can see the bookmark to del.icio.us link at the bottom. Just got to click that. Give it a try. It might seem daunting at first, but it is a lot of fun and of great use.
On another note please tell me if you are having problems with the loading times on my blog. It seems the LIVE feeds on the right take too much time to load from Feeddigest. I want you guys to give me your comments stating whether it is slow or not slow. Depending on that, I will either remove them or keep them. I would appreciate your comments in this regard. Thanks guys.
On another note please tell me if you are having problems with the loading times on my blog. It seems the LIVE feeds on the right take too much time to load from Feeddigest. I want you guys to give me your comments stating whether it is slow or not slow. Depending on that, I will either remove them or keep them. I would appreciate your comments in this regard. Thanks guys.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Highlights of the 3rd ODI - Pakistan Innings
Here I am posting a link to the Pakistan innings batting of the 3rd ODI. Some person put this up on filefront. I do not condone this btw, as this is most definately a copyright infringement since the person used the highlights off the sky sports channel. I provide it as is, since I came across it today. Download it if you want to.
Edited: My friend showed me the link the England Batting Innings.
First Innings - 3rd ODI
Second Innings - 3rd ODI
Edited: My friend showed me the link the England Batting Innings.
First Innings - 3rd ODI
Second Innings - 3rd ODI
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
The ever snuggleable, huggable and cuddleable munchkins
I thought i'd post some pics of my cats twinkle and casper. As some of you know Casper is a persian shorthair and his mate, Twinkle is a turkish angora. Casper is about an year older than Twinkle. Below are some of their pics from the hundreds I have. Enjoy.
Casper and twinkle enjoying a lazy day on the couch. Talk about hounding all the coach to yourself.
Casper in all his regal glory. One of the most whitest and cutest cats i've seen to this day, everytime I see him, it still doesn't cease to amaze me how beautiful he is. He is always active as hell and causing mischief in the house is his favorite passtime. His way of showing affection is by butting his head on your body, and also as a way to gain attention. Is the world greatest goalkeeper of the pingpong ball, doing dives and acrobatics.
Twinkle having some time away to herself. Normally she follows you around everywhere, unlike Casper. She loves to be cuddled and stroked. One of the best features of her's is that she sits with you for long times on end while you work. A miscarriage of Casper's and her kittens haven't deterred her from being the all around best snuggleable cat that she is.
Casper and twinkle enjoying a lazy day on the couch. Talk about hounding all the coach to yourself.
Casper in all his regal glory. One of the most whitest and cutest cats i've seen to this day, everytime I see him, it still doesn't cease to amaze me how beautiful he is. He is always active as hell and causing mischief in the house is his favorite passtime. His way of showing affection is by butting his head on your body, and also as a way to gain attention. Is the world greatest goalkeeper of the pingpong ball, doing dives and acrobatics.
Twinkle having some time away to herself. Normally she follows you around everywhere, unlike Casper. She loves to be cuddled and stroked. One of the best features of her's is that she sits with you for long times on end while you work. A miscarriage of Casper's and her kittens haven't deterred her from being the all around best snuggleable cat that she is.
Hurrah! The new Template is Live
The new template is live now. You can see the differences between this one and the old one.. Maybe you can notice em, maybe you can't. But its all good. I love the neat look of this one. Learnt a lot about CSS in coding this one. Give suggestions, comments, critiques. Does it look ok on your browser or not Etc. Let the page fully load before you say for sure that the columns overlap. If they do overlap, let me know your Screen resolution and browser type please. Thanks. If you want help with yours, email me your questions and I will help you. Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Reply
A friend of mine posted these things below as quantifiers of a desi or asian. You can read her excellent post here. I thought it would be fun if I answered these as a way to get to know each other. Here go my own comments on each point. If you guy's arent the sorta people who guard their personal lives like they are a sacred testament from God, then pass these around and add comments as they apply to you. It's a good way to know one another and their backgrounds (I think).
* Your house smells like fried onions. -- Nope it smells like normal.
*When you tell your parents you got 98%, and they ask you what happened to the other two percent. -- True, So true.
* There is a sale on any item, you buy 100 of them. -- Nope. Depends on the item really. If it's, CD-RW Discs, then yea. If it's a sack of potatoes, no.
* You make tea in a saucepan.-- Who does that honestly? DO THEY really do that? :|
* You never buy bin bags, but use your saved grocery bags for it.-- Ditto
* You put your clothes in suitcases instead of wardrobes. -- Always
* You call an older person you've never met before "uncle". -- True
* You hide everything from your parents. -- On the contrary, I tell them everything. Always been open and frank with my parents. No barriers whatsoever.
* Your mother does everything for you if you are male. -- I tend to do it myself. She is my mother so she wants to do things, But then she would have done the same if I had a sister.
*You do all the housework and cooking if you are female.-- My mom and dad do both together and I do it too.
* Your relatives alone could populate a small city.-- Yes
* You study law, medicine or engineering at university. -- Definately.
* You were thick so you studied computer science or business instead.-- No I love computers but granted.
* You went to a university as far away from home as possible. -- Yes
* You still came back home to live with your parents after you had finished. -- Havent finished but will. Gotta keep em with me always InshAllah.
* Your best friend got married at the age of 18. -- Never had a best friend. Only close friend I have is still unmarried. Poor sod.
* You know no one who has studied music. -- I know 3 who study Music.
* You use chilli sauce instead of tomato ketchup. -- Hot Damn true :D
* You fight over who pays the dinner bill. -- Sometimes depending on circumstances and the person.
* You say you hate Indian films(/songs) but secretly watch(/hear) them with your parents. -- I just had to reply to this and its false in my case. My parents dont watch Indian movies either.. (Note: I am Kashmiri to the core).
* You teach Westerners swearwords in your language.-- Only to male westerners.
* You order Indian food in your own language to impress the people you're with but the waiters don't understand you. -- Indian Food? :). I order Pakistani food in my own language and the waiter better understand it if I am in a Desi resturant lol.
* You avoid public places when with a member of the opposite sex, especially if there is an acquaintance within a 250 miles radius. -- No, I act normal.
* You always say "open the light" instead of "turn the light on". -- I had a 272 Computer Based Toefl Score and a 530/700 in the GRE English Section lol. I say it with turn the light on :D.
* You secure your baggage with a rope. -- Normal Zipper works fine.
* You're walking out of customs with your trolley at the airport and you see all twenty-five members of your family who have come to pick you up. -- Yes. LOVE.. They love me over there :_).
* You get very upset when airlines refuse to accept your luggage which is just 80 lbs. overweight.-- Mine is always 5 pounds to 10 pounds and I end up paying 200 Dollars for it but I get it on the plane :).
* You go back to your parents' country and people treat you like a member of the royal family. -- True, but then my grandfather is a Supreme Court Judge in Azad Kashmir and respected.
* You ask your dad a simple question and he tells you story of how he had to walk miles barefoot just to get to school. -- Only because it's the truth :). God bless them for doing that so we could earn a decent education today and live in comfort.
*(For females) Your brother had no curfew while you had to be home at 11pm -- Mom tells the same story lol. In my family men and women are equal.
* When you were little you always wondered why your English friends waited until after breakfast to brush their teeth when you did it first thing in the morning -- I did it after breakfast too.
* To your English friends, oil is used purely for cooking and not as a grooming aid -- I never used oil as gromming aid.
* Your parents have nicknames but only because people they work with just stop when trying to read their names -- My dad and mom don't have nicknames.
* You have annoying nicknames like Chotu or Chicku -- I had a quite Imposing one :). It was "Beta"
* Your parents drink 6 cups of tea a day -- Dad drinks tea more true.
* Your parents call all your friends "Beta" (son) whether they are PAK or not -- LOL No.
* Your parents push the concept of an arranged marriage on you and try to demonstrate how well it works whenever they're not fighting. -- No. I have freedom to do what I wish in relation to marriage as long as the girl is Ahle Kitab (Christian, Jew, Muslim).
* Your parents compare you to all of their friends' kids. -- Yes and i love it when I come out on top. It's a great feeling, honestly.
* At least once a week your mom says, "I want to go to India/Pakistan/Sri lanka" -- No.
* No one ever seems to call ahead of time to say they are coming over for a visit. -- They always call.
* Your parents worry what other people will think if you're not going to be a doctor/ lawyer/ engineer. -- Nope.
* Your house smells like fried onions. -- Nope it smells like normal.
*When you tell your parents you got 98%, and they ask you what happened to the other two percent. -- True, So true.
* There is a sale on any item, you buy 100 of them. -- Nope. Depends on the item really. If it's, CD-RW Discs, then yea. If it's a sack of potatoes, no.
* You make tea in a saucepan.-- Who does that honestly? DO THEY really do that? :|
* You never buy bin bags, but use your saved grocery bags for it.-- Ditto
* You put your clothes in suitcases instead of wardrobes. -- Always
* You call an older person you've never met before "uncle". -- True
* You hide everything from your parents. -- On the contrary, I tell them everything. Always been open and frank with my parents. No barriers whatsoever.
* Your mother does everything for you if you are male. -- I tend to do it myself. She is my mother so she wants to do things, But then she would have done the same if I had a sister.
*You do all the housework and cooking if you are female.-- My mom and dad do both together and I do it too.
* Your relatives alone could populate a small city.-- Yes
* You study law, medicine or engineering at university. -- Definately.
* You were thick so you studied computer science or business instead.-- No I love computers but granted.
* You went to a university as far away from home as possible. -- Yes
* You still came back home to live with your parents after you had finished. -- Havent finished but will. Gotta keep em with me always InshAllah.
* Your best friend got married at the age of 18. -- Never had a best friend. Only close friend I have is still unmarried. Poor sod.
* You know no one who has studied music. -- I know 3 who study Music.
* You use chilli sauce instead of tomato ketchup. -- Hot Damn true :D
* You fight over who pays the dinner bill. -- Sometimes depending on circumstances and the person.
* You say you hate Indian films(/songs) but secretly watch(/hear) them with your parents. -- I just had to reply to this and its false in my case. My parents dont watch Indian movies either.. (Note: I am Kashmiri to the core).
* You teach Westerners swearwords in your language.-- Only to male westerners.
* You order Indian food in your own language to impress the people you're with but the waiters don't understand you. -- Indian Food? :). I order Pakistani food in my own language and the waiter better understand it if I am in a Desi resturant lol.
* You avoid public places when with a member of the opposite sex, especially if there is an acquaintance within a 250 miles radius. -- No, I act normal.
* You always say "open the light" instead of "turn the light on". -- I had a 272 Computer Based Toefl Score and a 530/700 in the GRE English Section lol. I say it with turn the light on :D.
* You secure your baggage with a rope. -- Normal Zipper works fine.
* You're walking out of customs with your trolley at the airport and you see all twenty-five members of your family who have come to pick you up. -- Yes. LOVE.. They love me over there :_).
* You get very upset when airlines refuse to accept your luggage which is just 80 lbs. overweight.-- Mine is always 5 pounds to 10 pounds and I end up paying 200 Dollars for it but I get it on the plane :).
* You go back to your parents' country and people treat you like a member of the royal family. -- True, but then my grandfather is a Supreme Court Judge in Azad Kashmir and respected.
* You ask your dad a simple question and he tells you story of how he had to walk miles barefoot just to get to school. -- Only because it's the truth :). God bless them for doing that so we could earn a decent education today and live in comfort.
*(For females) Your brother had no curfew while you had to be home at 11pm -- Mom tells the same story lol. In my family men and women are equal.
* When you were little you always wondered why your English friends waited until after breakfast to brush their teeth when you did it first thing in the morning -- I did it after breakfast too.
* To your English friends, oil is used purely for cooking and not as a grooming aid -- I never used oil as gromming aid.
* Your parents have nicknames but only because people they work with just stop when trying to read their names -- My dad and mom don't have nicknames.
* You have annoying nicknames like Chotu or Chicku -- I had a quite Imposing one :). It was "Beta"
* Your parents drink 6 cups of tea a day -- Dad drinks tea more true.
* Your parents call all your friends "Beta" (son) whether they are PAK or not -- LOL No.
* Your parents push the concept of an arranged marriage on you and try to demonstrate how well it works whenever they're not fighting. -- No. I have freedom to do what I wish in relation to marriage as long as the girl is Ahle Kitab (Christian, Jew, Muslim).
* Your parents compare you to all of their friends' kids. -- Yes and i love it when I come out on top. It's a great feeling, honestly.
* At least once a week your mom says, "I want to go to India/Pakistan/Sri lanka" -- No.
* No one ever seems to call ahead of time to say they are coming over for a visit. -- They always call.
* Your parents worry what other people will think if you're not going to be a doctor/ lawyer/ engineer. -- Nope.
Added Live Feeds to the right
Below the Appeal Ads, I have put in a Live feed digest so I don't miss any of your guys' posts. It is updated in realtime and shows me the topics you post. The other guys can use them too to get to each other's feeds.. Enjoy
Made Minor changes to the template
As some of you might notice, I made minor adjustments to the formatting to the template. I am coding a new one and will be up shortly. For now I am testing it on this blog so you might see subtle changes while you visit. Let me know what you think. Right now I have changed the headings on the sides and the main header at the top.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Some Posts where I posted images - For your Perusal
These are some of the posts from my archives where I have posted images of the pictures that are my own property (about my cats). Enjoy.
Cat Couple
Master of the Drawing Room
Lovely Little Critter
Cat Couple
Master of the Drawing Room
Lovely Little Critter
Copyright Issues
As you might have noticed I have removed the images of the Hotel and the USC images from the blog as well as some other images cuz of copyright issues that cropped up. Mind you, I wasn't warned or anything like that. I just want to play it safe since a Lawyer friend of mine in the US, a US national, told me to play it safe and remove them and only use royalty free images. Since I could not find any information about the images I had being copyright or royalty free, I removed them to be safe. I seriously need to get my own digital camera soon. Hopefully when I start a job in LA, I will get me one. Until then this place is gonna be bland but bear with me. Only words for now. I suggest all of you to also check the images you have on your weblogs for copyright issues. If you are in Pakistan, you might be safely out of reach but to those in the West, play it safe.
If you guys want to learn some good places where you can find royalty free photos and etc you can read this article I found.
Royalty Free Images Information
If you guys want to learn some good places where you can find royalty free photos and etc you can read this article I found.
Royalty Free Images Information
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Nerd King
Ok I found this on a friend's blog and proceeded to take it .. here is what I got.
Your Score Summary
Overall, you scored as follows:
1% scored higher (more nerdy), and
99% scored lower (less nerdy).
What does this mean? Your nerdiness is:
All hail the monstrous nerd. You are by far the SUPREME NERD GOD!!!
Own Thoughts: I had thought I would score pretty high on that test already, since everyone that knows me calls me a nerd already. Books, Computers and all around introverted geek. But this blew my expectations :D.
Your Score Summary
Overall, you scored as follows:
1% scored higher (more nerdy), and
99% scored lower (less nerdy).
What does this mean? Your nerdiness is:
All hail the monstrous nerd. You are by far the SUPREME NERD GOD!!!
Own Thoughts: I had thought I would score pretty high on that test already, since everyone that knows me calls me a nerd already. Books, Computers and all around introverted geek. But this blew my expectations :D.
Love at first sight.. An Analysis
What is love at first sight? Do you believe in it? I get asked that questions a lot and I always said "there is no such thing" and "no", always. Love at first sight is a concept romanticized and popularized by the media. Books, music and even poetry to some extent have played a much publicized role in bringing it to the forefront. So why you might ask don't I believe in love at first sight. Because anything that happens at first sight is based on well .. sight. And so it is based on beauty perhaps? swagger? sazziness of the person? ok granted you fall in love with the person based on how he/she looks. Does it last? Does beauty even last? So why would anyone want to fall in love with such a finite and every present fallacy as beauty? Beauty should never be a deciding factor alone in love, at least eternal love. That is just my two cents. Many of you might not agree but your entitled to your opinions.
In my view, love happens once you really know the person. It takes time to foster and develop. That is why I think love after marriage is the most sure fire way to have ANY chance, if at all, of ever lasting love. But you might ask then, what is love to me, its inherent definition. Love is a genuine caring for someone and the desire to be with them for a hell long time I say. Sometimes true love happens when the two people don't even think on it. They keep on living life together, caring for one another and as such grow closer. We romanticizers give it the name Love. To them its a way of life. I see so many young couples exchanging valentine's day cards and flowers etc. It amuses me when they break up after an year or two later or their so called love marriage falls apart soon after they marry. Granted some might get lucky and live happily ever after but that, my friends, is again the media speaking. "Happily ever after...". The marriages don't last and most of the times love isn't even based on true precursors of character, habits, and inner qualities. It is based on "love at first sight". I would call it "infatuation at first sight".
In my view, love happens once you really know the person. It takes time to foster and develop. That is why I think love after marriage is the most sure fire way to have ANY chance, if at all, of ever lasting love. But you might ask then, what is love to me, its inherent definition. Love is a genuine caring for someone and the desire to be with them for a hell long time I say. Sometimes true love happens when the two people don't even think on it. They keep on living life together, caring for one another and as such grow closer. We romanticizers give it the name Love. To them its a way of life. I see so many young couples exchanging valentine's day cards and flowers etc. It amuses me when they break up after an year or two later or their so called love marriage falls apart soon after they marry. Granted some might get lucky and live happily ever after but that, my friends, is again the media speaking. "Happily ever after...". The marriages don't last and most of the times love isn't even based on true precursors of character, habits, and inner qualities. It is based on "love at first sight". I would call it "infatuation at first sight".
Saturday, December 10, 2005
King's Quest IX Saved
As many of you have know, I made a post in request from another avid fan of the King's Quest games to let Vivendi games allow the fans continue to make the game. If you want to read more about the post I made, here is the link:
My Previous Post a few weeks ago.
The good news is that Vivendi has agreed to listen to us Fans. Hurray to all the fans of King's Quest games. Rejoice brothers and sisters. We did it!
There are a few news articles about our endeavours. You can read them here.
MTV news
IGN
1 Up
Thanks Mark for bringing them to my attention.
My Previous Post a few weeks ago.
The good news is that Vivendi has agreed to listen to us Fans. Hurray to all the fans of King's Quest games. Rejoice brothers and sisters. We did it!
There are a few news articles about our endeavours. You can read them here.
MTV news
IGN
1 Up
Thanks Mark for bringing them to my attention.
Lying on the Internet.. An Analysis
Today, I wanna talk about a common and much too obvious phenomenon rampant on the internet. Lying. Sure we lie everyday in real life infront of people and sometimes we do it with so much abondon and disregard, that we forget we are sinning. But that is not what this post is about. This is about lying on the internet. Sure if you ask someone who does lie, he or she will never admit it to you. Their answer is more along the lines of "how can you trust anyone on the internet, for all I know, you could be lying too". See denial. I can safely say that I haven't lied to anyone in real or on the internet, for that matter, for a long time. Why you might ask ?. Well because the saying that God is closer to you than your shahrag or life vein, is actually quite true. Here are the reasons why I think lying on the internet is the same as lying in real life. Some might not agree with me but I tell them to do read this post and think about it:
1. Actions have their basis on Will. In Urdinglish this is "Aemal ka Daromadar Niyyaton par hay" meaning your actions are based on your intentions. So if you lie in cyberspace, it is you, the person wanting to lie, knowingly, even if it is cyberspace. As such God doesn't really make a distinction of lying in real or cyberspace because the thought and the desire to lie comes from one source. The human himself/herself.
2. When you lie, irregardless of if someone else is lying or not, you destroy the common bond of trust you might have created with the person. The logic of "you could be lying too", is a fallacy and hardly is a genuine excuse to lie on your own. If you have trouble trusting someone, the best way is to say so and be done with it rather than live a lie and drag it.
3. Even if you don't believe in any form of God, your conscience has to say something to you when you lie. Only the most die hard liars and habitual I might add, have no consciential feelings when they lie.
Now as to why do people lie. Some might think it appropriate that they can lie here without getting caught. Heck cyberspace is known for its anonymity. Girls acting a guys and guys acting as girls. It's all a very sordid affair. Heck in PC games that let me play as a girl character, if I wanted to, I still haven't ever made a female character, it amazes me how so many men do it with wanton ease. Fooling or Playing on the internet is a crass and low game and in the end, like I said, I see so many people doing it, some are even my friends and I just hope God is merciful on them cause playing with someones emotions is a very dangerous affair. But that is a different topic which I will dissect later.
1. Actions have their basis on Will. In Urdinglish this is "Aemal ka Daromadar Niyyaton par hay" meaning your actions are based on your intentions. So if you lie in cyberspace, it is you, the person wanting to lie, knowingly, even if it is cyberspace. As such God doesn't really make a distinction of lying in real or cyberspace because the thought and the desire to lie comes from one source. The human himself/herself.
2. When you lie, irregardless of if someone else is lying or not, you destroy the common bond of trust you might have created with the person. The logic of "you could be lying too", is a fallacy and hardly is a genuine excuse to lie on your own. If you have trouble trusting someone, the best way is to say so and be done with it rather than live a lie and drag it.
3. Even if you don't believe in any form of God, your conscience has to say something to you when you lie. Only the most die hard liars and habitual I might add, have no consciential feelings when they lie.
Now as to why do people lie. Some might think it appropriate that they can lie here without getting caught. Heck cyberspace is known for its anonymity. Girls acting a guys and guys acting as girls. It's all a very sordid affair. Heck in PC games that let me play as a girl character, if I wanted to, I still haven't ever made a female character, it amazes me how so many men do it with wanton ease. Fooling or Playing on the internet is a crass and low game and in the end, like I said, I see so many people doing it, some are even my friends and I just hope God is merciful on them cause playing with someones emotions is a very dangerous affair. But that is a different topic which I will dissect later.
Friday, December 09, 2005
Care for a Dip Anyone?
----Image removed due to copyright issues :). Sorry guys. But you saw it already :D.---
This is the hotel/Inn where I will be staying near the USC campus. I will arrive there on the 30th and bunk until the 5th. Will attend the International Student Orientation from the 4th to the 6th. I will definately be taking a dip in the pool while I am staying there..
Here is a question for all of you, "What place on earth gives you the opportunity for a dip in a pool when the rest of the country is Freezing?" The answer is California :D.
Viva la Pakistan, Viva la USC, Viva la California.
This is the hotel/Inn where I will be staying near the USC campus. I will arrive there on the 30th and bunk until the 5th. Will attend the International Student Orientation from the 4th to the 6th. I will definately be taking a dip in the pool while I am staying there..
Here is a question for all of you, "What place on earth gives you the opportunity for a dip in a pool when the rest of the country is Freezing?" The answer is California :D.
Viva la Pakistan, Viva la USC, Viva la California.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
And the date to move draws near
Ok so the 30th of December is coming closer everyday. Before long, I will have to move to Los Angeles and to USC that awaits me. Lots of problems got solved this week. I finally ironed out the details of my personal belongings going to California. Will ship em by Fedex around the 29th and they will most likely reach there around the 3rd or 4th of January. Had to take special permission from the USC Housing office, cuz normally, they cannot accept your luggage before your checkin into your apartment has been finalized and stuff. But I was given special permission to send in my belongings before I came and they would be held until I checkin.
Although I was told, I will have to keep the number of boxes to about 5 in total. Reason given was that there are around 800 or so students moving into that apartment complex alone. (Side Note: There are around 50 complexes, dorms and apartment areas maintained by USC Housing). So now it looks like I will have to dispose off some of the stuff I had to make sure I don't exceed the 5 box limit.
I also got me a reservation at a Hotel so I can stay there from the 30th till the 5th of January, which is Movin Day at the University. The support staff and all the people related to housing help new students settle into their new apartments/dorms stuff. The Inn/Hotel is pretty close to the campus itself.
Although I was told, I will have to keep the number of boxes to about 5 in total. Reason given was that there are around 800 or so students moving into that apartment complex alone. (Side Note: There are around 50 complexes, dorms and apartment areas maintained by USC Housing). So now it looks like I will have to dispose off some of the stuff I had to make sure I don't exceed the 5 box limit.
I also got me a reservation at a Hotel so I can stay there from the 30th till the 5th of January, which is Movin Day at the University. The support staff and all the people related to housing help new students settle into their new apartments/dorms stuff. The Inn/Hotel is pretty close to the campus itself.
Monday, December 05, 2005
USC - In Pictures
Here are some pictures I got off the internet of USC. It is a very old University and commands a lot of respect in the US. Its Engineering and Sciences school is ranked 7th in the US and its US's 3rd largest private research University. I am very proud to be going to USC. I hope I can live upto its expectations and graduate on a high note. Once I go there myself, expect this blog to get a lot of pictures, that I will take myself :). For now these will have to do.
--- Images removed due to copyright issues. Sorry guys. To those that saw well hurrah, to those that didn't wait till I get my digital camera and put up my own ---
--- Images removed due to copyright issues. Sorry guys. To those that saw well hurrah, to those that didn't wait till I get my digital camera and put up my own ---
Friday, December 02, 2005
Nvidia GeForce Go 7800 GTX
The GeForce 7800 GTX chip
Wowser.. the next generation graphics chipset is finally out and my, is it scorcher. It has more power than the Geforce 6800 but still falls a little short of its desktop sibling. It is still the fastest graphical processing Unit on the planet on a laptop. Don't expect this to come out on budget and thin and light laptops. The heat factors and the price of this unit make the price of the laptop soar as well. Users of the old Gefroce 6800 Go cards, like me (coolface), will be able to add this module into their existing laptops without further modifications to the heating system of the laptop.
The Graphical Module
Listening to:
Currently in love with the following tracks:
1. E-type - Forever More (Trance/Dance)
2. Levy 9 - I'm Not Scared (Trance/Dance)
3. Silent Circle - Night Train (Trance/Dance)
1. E-type - Forever More (Trance/Dance)
2. Levy 9 - I'm Not Scared (Trance/Dance)
3. Silent Circle - Night Train (Trance/Dance)
Apartment Assigned
An apartment was assigned to me on the USC campus by the USC Housing office. It is a 4 person 2 bedroom apartment but the thing is I will have to share it with 2 other people apart from me and my brother. Never shared an apartment or even a room with anyone else, other than my brother so this will be a new experience for me. Looking forward to it really. Been browing the internet for some tips as to how to deal with roomates and all that. Seems communication and compromise are some of the top things. Laying down the ground rules and then having everyone follow them :D. Will give me a new prespective on myself and a good learning experience I think. Seeing yourself from the eyes of another person, other than your brother and then making yourself better with what critiques you get, makes you a better person in the longer run I guess. I hope I get some good apartment mates though otherwise it will be hell :D.
I will probably move out and get my own apartment with me and my brother only in it, if things don't work out and the roommates are overrly hard to get along with and stuff. Will start looking for apartments after I land in LA. At least for the first semester, my fate and that of my apartment-mates to be, is intertwined.
I will probably move out and get my own apartment with me and my brother only in it, if things don't work out and the roommates are overrly hard to get along with and stuff. Will start looking for apartments after I land in LA. At least for the first semester, my fate and that of my apartment-mates to be, is intertwined.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Sold my TV and stuff
Not much happening these days. Sold my TV for a good 120 bucks and now I am trying to pack my other stuff. Things falling into place now. The only thing that is still not sure is the apartment in LA. The USC housing services will assign an apartment soon for the Spring 2006 semester for graduate students.
Still waiting on my new glasses to be made. They look really cool. Once I get em, i'll post a snap of me with em on :D.
Still waiting on my new glasses to be made. They look really cool. Once I get em, i'll post a snap of me with em on :D.
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