Free SMS to Pakistan from the Internet

Following up from my previous post about sending Free SMS to Pakistan from the Internet, today a colleague shared a link from propakistani.pk over email. Apparently, as long as you worship Lord Googleuddin, you can NOW send free SMS to Pakistan - but only to Mobilink customers.

SMS sent by Gmail users to Mobilink subscribers will be free of cost, but with limited daily credits. Gmail offers initial SMS credit for 50 SMSes, which decreases each time you send an SMS from the Gmail chat client. Every time you receive an SMS message in Chat (for example when a phone user replies to one of your messages) your credit increases by five, up to a maximum of 50.

Pssst, you can also send an SMS to your own phone, and then reply to that message multiple times to get 5 credits for each reply. This is legal, as you’re buying credits by paying your phone company - finally they're getting smarter - maybe they read my previous blog post.

As usual, Google has been smart about it - the way they've designed it gets rid of spammers, who will not have credits after sending the first 50 messages - and how many new Google accounts are they going to make, right?

Right.

But it sucks that other operators in Pakistan haven't picked this service up because, see, with Mobile Number Portability it is impossible to detect the mobile service provider your contact is using (just by looking at the number). So now it will be hit and trial for most of us if we use the free SMS service, and if we get a reply back - only THEN we will know our contact has a Mobilink number and that they received our message.

But hello! Taraqqi!

Overseas Pakistanis will be pleased.

Pakistan: No change without spare change

Pakistan: No change without spare change

As I landed in my home country somewhere around the end of 2009 after a few years, I had not realized that this was not the same Pakistan I had left only a few years ago.

Friends poked fun at me, and nowadays the ones who return after a similar gap share the same observations I had been making then - that Pakistan has changed, somewhat.

But it is very hard to determine what has changed. Allow me to share some random observations.

When I left Pakistan, female models' faces in billboards (in Lahore) had been melanined with paint by Jamiat walas. Rewinding a bit farther in the same era during Benazir Bhutto's stint at running the country, the South Asian fusion band Junoon got banned for 7 years for writing a song called Ehtesab which poked fun at corrupt politicians who shrugged off accountability (ehtesab).

By contrast, today I see way more female flesh in advertisements (warning: inner maulvi/aunty speaking!) and well, I'm sure everyone has seen Veena Malik's FHM photo online, even if the actual magazine cover had been sprawled over by black markers.

Owls: Wise in your language, but otherwise in ours.

You must've heard Shehzad Roy's new single - Apney Ulloo? I mean, wow. He goes through the ENTIRE history of Pakistan and charges Pakistan with worshipping the US (apney ulloo - goray goray!) throughout the song. And he is nowhere close to being banned - Salman Ahmed must feel awful for being muted when he tried to raise awareness on the same lines, having to resort to more subtle and subliminal techniques back then...

Things have certainly changed.

When I think Pakistani TV, my mind still thinks of PTV, STN, Geo and ARY. Back then, Musharraf was closing TV stations at will (after giving them the independence they still enjoy today) and things were, well, more conservative. There was no Mathira taking obnoxious calls, live on air, I tell you!

For one reason or another, but mostly because I'm a new media person who believes in freedom of choice, I have not watched television here in Pakistan. (I believe I am a smart human being who doesn't need TV programming to determine what I should watch; when to watch it.)

However, I have caught glimpses at work or at relatives' places and I was disturbed to see shows like Big Boss, though enthused to see shows like Hasb-e-haal that try to educate people, somewhat (minus that ever-present hyena in the show - no offence to her personally). But once I was at a florist's shop in DHA Karachi, and they couldn't stop laughing at this guy being beaten by a civilian woman, just to tell her later she was on candid camera! I mean, this is the kind of fart comedy culture that has stupefied the American population (among others) for years, and distracted talented people from pursuing content that supercharges intellect.

But yesterday I discovered that at least some things haven't changed in Pakistan all these years: the aunties. If you haven't seen this video already, I embed it here for it is a must watch:

Samaa TV's Subah Saweray Maya Kay Sath airs Mondays through Saturdays, 9 am to 11 am (repeats on Sundays at 10 am). My wife doesn't allow me to have any thoughts on this Gheirat Brigade by aunties because I tend to get sexist but here I quote Nimra, an environmentalist in Pakistan. She says:

Why arent these upper-class pseudo-liberal aunties (otherwise known as the real mullahs) going to the cafes in Zamzama to track down their daughters and thier friends? Why arent they going to five-star hotels where rich men bring thier mistresses? Apparently, dating, among other things is moral and liberal if you are rich but if you go to a park you are to be chased and humiliated? The greatest oppressor of women in Pakistan is other Pakistani women.

People ask me why I carry a copy of my Nikah-Nama (marriage certificate) in my wallet. With aunties like that chasing dating women (while wearing those shuttlecock burqas, I tell you!) and Police like this, I feel a lot safer with my Nikah-Nama in my pocket. But I have never had to take it out, so far.

When you come to Pakistan, you should know that self-righteousness knows no bounds here. We hide our inner hypocrisies well, and most of the time, our Inshallah's, Mashallah's, and Allahu's are cover-ups induced by our inner-but-overriding, holier-than-thou ego.

(Also we are {in} a hopeless state so it is more comforting for most of us to think there is an All-Seeing Superbeing out there - even if deep down inside we don't really think Anyone's watching us.)

Hoho.

Author's note: Samaa has already taken their video down. We found a replacement link, and will try to continually do so.

Re: Evolution is false…and the Sun goes round the Earth

Response to: http://goo.gl/LU5xO (blog post) via@jhaque_ (on Twitter)


"Evolution is a scam by evil scientists out to disprove Creation? Hardly. Its time to grow up and update our worldview."

Couldn't have responded better myself. If you believe, you can't question the existence of God and his disciples, but everything else, you can - only to understand more.

The classic example of the drowning man rescue where he sends the rescue team away because he believes God will save him. He still needs a 'means' to get through to you - be it DNA or "Allah" written in Arabic through trees. (Of course, he drowns!)

Ignorance should be prosecuted - just because faith is blind doesn't mean you become blind despite it's instructions. You need to see, hear, and try to understand even more, until you have conviction about every topic that interests you, even if the slightest bit.

Author's note: Slight edits made before republishing comment.

Everyday is Mother's Day

There's a reason why they call it 'mother tongue'. A mother is not just a person or just a relative. A mother is an institution, and for me, she is an inspiration. So here I'd like to share some random things that make my mother a superwoman...

• When her youngest daughter was born, the nurse congratulated me on becoming an uncle. I corrected her and she stared at me and my mother in disbelief. Sometimes, for fun, I call her 'Aapi' in public. ('Aapi' means older sister, and strangers buy it.)
• She has overcome divorce and moved forward by making vows for a second time. In a country like Pakistan, it takes tremendous energy, will and confidence to make such a move. 
• She has raised four children - all of them confident, with good self-esteem and good manners. Her children are models for others and people give examples of her upbringing in the family. Some can't even imagine raising their kids so well.
• She may have celebrated her golden jubilee, but she's not old. She's doing another postgraduate program, which she's juggling with a full-time job that requires her to travel frequently. 
• Her assignments require her to blog. She uses Facebook regularly but now she has entered the blogosphere as well!
• Did I mention my mother is gorgeous?! She is. 
• She has never ignored her parents or siblings. She always gives them love, as much as she can.
• She lost her sister who she loved like a daughter. Despite that, life goes on, and while that's sad, it's amazing that she has that drive energy to always move forward.

And this list could go on forever. I owe my mother everything, and I am reminded of that everyday. I don't need a commercial Mother's Day to remind me of these things. Everyday is Mother's Day for me. 

I love you Ma jee! 

Reviving a dead blog

It's been a while since I've written anything on my blog. It blows. Simple reason: need to update the template, remove the link to "Photobook", and also add/remove some social elements here. I'm working for a social media company now and it's high time I fix all this. I started with my twitter account @nubeals - unfollowed almost 500 people who weren't even active (and spoilt my numbers). Reviving this will take loads of time but for now, I have at least begun the process.

In due time I'll roll out a new template. Till then, well, hello dear blogosphere! :)

NUS still at #30 while NTU continues to fall

National University of Singapore retained it's position in the world rankings this time around - great news for the university and its students!

Harvard is #1 as usual, while my favourite, Princeton, is still at #8. Australian National University is at #17 now and even McGill is doing decently, at #18. Brown, an ivy league, is now below NUS (at #31)!

The major challenger of NUS in the university education market in Singapore, Nanyang Technological University has fallen further down to #73 - surely there must be something they're not doing right. But at the same time, they must be doing something right since they haven't had a significant drop in the past 4 years or so (it was at #61 in 2006). However, when top schools like Purdue are hovering at #87, Singapore universities should be content with what they got.

But what I learnt after making my previous post on university rankings is that they don't really represent all that a university has to offer. They focus a lot on research publications by the universities, which is why top schools continue to retain their top positions because of all the Nobel prizes they have accumulated in the past couple of centuries (I'm exaggerating!). And then of course, the results are naturally skewed towards US universities, no matter how hard they try to remove the bias.

Needless to say, I am glad my university has such achievements that I can boast about.

Crossed the Uncle Barrier

Had my first surprise birthday party last night. It was a mini one; simple yet elegant. And very surprising indeed. Coordinated by my oldest friend's younger sister, I'm glad about the people who did show up. They would pretty much make my close friends' list, with some major inclusions, of course.

I turned 26, which I think is the official age when a person can not be offended if called an uncle or an aunt. The first time I was called an uncle was when I was 12 (the person who called me 'uncle' was 17.) After 14 years of getting offended, I will now make a conscious effort on my part not to get offended if called an uncle. 'Nabeel Uncle'. Hah!

Slept very late, very little and then woke up early to only partially complete an assignment. Made it to the first class, then rushed back to change into formals. I just had to attend at least one of the P&G recruitment talks in NUS. It was quite useless though. All the information you need is on the website. After attending my second class in formals, I rushed back to PGP to change into my Squash gear, only to rush for a match I was sure to lose - and lost not as gracefully as I could have, I suppose. The IFG will soon be over for the FASS Squash team. Sad.

Now I shall shower to proceed with the business that is my birthday, and head down to commonwealth to distribute some flyers for the Pub Crawl I am helping organise. The party is exactly one week from now and I wait in earnest. Imagine! About 500 people, mostly comprising exchange students, from all the major universities of Singapore, wearing the same t-shirt, with funny things written on each one of them. As we head down from Boon Lay MRT to our final destination, the party will be lead to a new club opening.

So I am distributing flyers on my birthday. And then maybe I will hang out with the sister and the friends if they are present. There is nothing to be happy about though. I mean, it's my birthday, but so what. I turned 26. I have so much to do in my life and less time left now. What is there to celebrate or to be jeery about?

I removed my birthday from Facebook. I only wanted those people to wish me who really remembered (and naturally some who would notice other people's wishes on my wall to find out and wish too). Indeed, it has been a successful experiment. I got more personal and direct birthday wishes by sms or calls. Much better than 100 wall posts from people who just want me to reply back and create some action on their dull walls.

The real reason not to be happy, however, would be that my friend Rashmi passed away a few days ago. Despite all the nasty things in 2009, typhoid got to her, and the always-smiling, pleasant girl I shared so much (platonic) love with, passed away. All the YIP people found out last night, and teary calls were exchanged across continents (YIP = Youth Initiative for Peace). It sucks that such a beautiful person passed away. I hope that her sister and mother have the courage to deal with this, especially since they have already lost the male member of the family five years ago. I can not imagine their pain.

Here is an excerpt from one of the emails Rashmi sent to Pavi in recent times, followed by a testimonial that Rashmi wrote for me in 2003:

but this year is diff, its the phoenix's rise. crazy but feel like im entering womahood and its intoxicating. this past one month, ive seen things through such a different lens that i don't seem to know the person i was before that. phew. pretty good, huh.

ive been tingling with insights beyond my intellectually much scoffed at books. sensing my paths-to-be and sidestepping rocks. stories from a diff time are talking effortlessly to me people have been opening their innerworlds to me without our knowledge.

maybe im just living on a cloud, its easy being on this frozen island. or maybe this really is a new life unravelled. maybe its preparation for the next hundred years of sunrises and hearbreaks. or maybe it'll all be blown away in the wind at dawn tomorrow. now, i sound like im going to the battlefield,lol. but you must know i love you true. and don't care what you think or do, as long as you can see the ray of sunlight on my palm that i stole just for you.

in solidarity and other big words,

rushme

She had a full life, and I hope she is in a better place now, looking down at us, smiling as always. She will be missed.

Free SMS to Pakistan from the Internet

It has been MONTHS since I've been searching for a reliable way to send 'SMS messages' (Short Message Service) to Pakistan. On a side-note, I think "SMS Message" is a case of RAS Syndrome (or Redundant Acronym Syndrome Syndrome) - it's not perfectly clear if it is, though.

There was a time somewhere around 2007 when any Internet user could send Mobilink subscribers messages from the Mobilink website. Not any more. This was back when sms2pk.com also gained much popularity but the site doesn't function any more. Nothing works. And sending international SMS is expensive.

I don't understand why mobile service providers wouldn't want to provide such a service free of charge. Consider a typical scenario when an expatriate wants to SMS back home. I will either send less messages to save cost, or not send them at all. Usually it is so expensive that I might as well just call if I must communicate. Unless, of course, I find a way to send SMS from the Internet for free. Generally, the person I message will end up replying to my cell phone ($$$ for the mobile service provider) or replying to the online applet I used to SMS (again, $$$ for the mobile service provider). So I don't understand why mobile service providers in Pakistan do not offer this service ( especially when they are advanced enough to allow Facebook updates and what not just by sending a message to some number).

I tried searching blogs and Internet forums to find a service that at least talked about this service but the only useful thread I found had posts made in 2006 or 2007, and the others were also useless.

For Singapore, at least SingTel and Starhub allow Internet SMS. SingTel Internet SMS is a little troublesome, because you have to register with the site, but at least anyone can register - it is not limited to SingTel subscribers only. Starhub WebSMS is the absolute best! That is how simple and convenient it should be. And it is a great service to offer subscribers, isn't it? You're enabling communication and making a few extra bucks at the same time - what else does a mobile service provider do?

Currently, the WaridTel website PROBABLY offers such a feature, but only for its subscribers and to sign up, you must enter your Warid number. Isn't that just like chopping off your own feet? IF they offer this service for free, only limited to their subscribers, they're just losing out on the money they could make. Anyway, I am not even sure if that service works. I will have to ask a friend to let me use his number to register for an account (when you register, they send the activation code to the number by SMS).

I also registered for isms.pk which is in beta mode and promises to send free SMS to any number in Pakistan. They have yet to email me my password yet, and if the email never arrives, that means the site has failed already. I learned of this website from that expired thread I spoke of earlier.

From a political perspective, I'm guessing that such a service may not be possible any time soon thanks Mr 10%'s insecurity when he got the interior minister to ban ANY kind of jokes about him (or the government) - all SMS messages and email messages containing indecent, provocative and ill-motivated stories against the civilian leadership (primarily making fun of Zardari) are considered criminal offences, with 14 years in prison as the maximum sentence. Yeah, they're still calling it a democracy.
*chuckle*

I want to send free SMS to Pakistan!

(Note to mobile service providers: Paid is also fine as long as it's dirt-cheap - but then it mustn't have daily limits, heh. Mastercard/Visa payment please.)

Posted via email from nubeals's posterous

Is Facebook past its prime?

http://www.macworld.com/article/141565/2009/07/facebook.html
Is Facebook past its prime? | by Hillary Rhodes, PC World

To add my two cents, I use Facebook primarily for the hot debates (politics/religion) when friends post articles (I'm Pakistani, so you can imagine there is loads to debate about).

And secondly, it IS a good tool to stay in touch with friends and family - even distant relatives, as they upload pictures and videos and the comments allow us to record our reactions after seeing them. Status updates are another way to connect with other people and are excellent for extroverts.

Of course people go overboard with these two things I mentioned as well, and on occasion I might have done that too, but the only worst-case scenario is that people will 'hide' your posts. Which is perfectly fine - you only want those people to listen to you who WANT to listen to you.

I don't care for the quizzes and the games myself. Facebook was almost destroyed when the apps took over, almost a year ago. Right now the quizzes are playing the same role. I really think Facebook doesn't need to evolve much - just stay the same so that we can explain how to adjust privacy settings to our grandparents (when they secretly get in touch with their high school sweethearts and need to hide that interaction from their wives).

Posted via email from nubeals's posterous