Ruminations

Pakistan: No change without spare change

2012-01-23T11:35:00.001+08:00

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

2011-09-30T14:30:00.000+08:00

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

2011-05-07T18:20:00.001+08:00

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

2011-05-02T05:27:00.000+08:00

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

2009-10-19T18:52:00.002+08:00

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

2009-09-09T22:29:00.004+08:00

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

2009-07-29T16:03:00.001+08:00

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.)

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Is Facebook past its prime?

2009-07-21T14:53:00.001+08:00

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).

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On an Article Posted On Today

2009-07-17T12:37:00.003+08:00

http://www.todayonline.com/voices/EDC090717-0000059/You-can-eat-in-your-own-car
You can eat ... in your own car | Letter from Murali S | 05:55 AM Jul 17, 2009

What a ridiculous point of view! Eat in your own car? The majority doesn't have cars in Singapore. That sounds like the sort of thing a spoilt brat would say, who doesn't understand reality. (You know the type - they were born with silver spoons in their mouths, they went to the best schools and everywhere they went, the doors opened up for them. They never understand the plight of the common man who suffers through life everyday.)

And they deployed FIVE HUNDRED people to get this done? I didn't know that. Isn't it a little extreme? You want people to live in fear every day, every time they go some where? See how freaked people are now?

You know what I think is more despicable than some spillage on the train floor? An old man standing and two rows of young people just sitting there. Why don't you fine that and make Singaporeans a little more civil? Clearly your announcements telling people to let people out of train doors before they push their way in fall on deaf ears. Civility does not come naturally to some people - especially the ones who are used to being fined before they start doing the right thing.

Besides, I've seen more vomit-covered train floors than water or coke. Having meals on a train should be fined though, sure, why not. But if you think about it, CCTVs might be a cheaper choice in the long run (you can just put up dummy CCTVs - people would never know and they would be equally effective!).

Golf ≠ Sport

2009-07-15T15:13:00.001+08:00

A Golfer needs complete silence to hit something laying on the ground, yet a Baseball/Cricket player has to deal with screaming fans and a ball flying at them at 90 km/h. Something's fishy here.

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The Bro Code - Barney Stinson (complete)

2009-07-15T10:55:00.001+08:00

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Bro Code.pdf (22039 KB)

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If I believe in Recycling, how do I deal with Cultural backlash?

2009-06-25T13:34:00.001+08:00

Sometimes there is such a disparity between culture and beliefs that it encumbers you. I wish to go for a conference on recycling in Romania, but the people I grew up with - in fact - the society I grew up in - especially close friends and family, scorn at ideas such as recycling, social responsibility and such.

It is true, my mother did teach us not to throw garbage on the streets. She taught us to try to utilize every blank spot on a piece of paper before moving on to the next one. As a mother and a school teacher, she even taught us to buy those disgusting pink-coloured 'rough copies' which are made from recycled paper in Pakistan. But when we all grew up, most of us preferred to use paper cups and plates instead of reusing porcelain ones.

Studying with a sibling in a foreign university, we often bicker about washing dishes amongst each other and friends after cooking every meal. My kid sisters who are visiting me in Singapore surprise me by the amount of paper they waste, tearing them out one by one just because of an accidental line here and a mistake there.

Awareness is not embedded in our society. It is an acquired attitude. In a corporate environment where a mistake is treated like it is the end of the world, to send out just one letter on behalf of a CEO could require up to 20 pages or even more paper being wasted in the process of rectification. To have a sip of water means wasting an 'expanded polystyrene foam' (Styrofoam) cup, when it could easily be reused while taking care of proper hygiene at the same time.

It is difficult for me to accept these things because I notice and I can not do anything about it. But of course, I am no angel myself. Being a smoker, I have extinguished thousands of cigarette butts and thrown them around unconsciously, not realising these are pieces of foam that are not bio-degradable. While at university, I have made a countless number of reprints when submitting research papers and sundry, in the name of 'presentation', for if I were to edit a printed paper using pen, it would look messy to the professor. But of course, I am able to justify each such instance that reveals my hypocrisy with regards to the cause of recycling and environmental sustainability. Human beings are justifying machines, but we can always try, can we not? That is what they say about following religion anyway, so why not a social cause?

Recycle IN is the first International Conference on recycling organized by AIESEC Timisoara, being held from July 30 to May 6, 2009. Through this conference, this branch of AIESEC in Romania is hoping to inform and educate participants (as well as the Timisoara populace) about issues such as recycling, sustainability and being friendly to the environment. The conference is split into three tracks: Out-of-service Auto Vehicles if you have an interest in the automotive industry, Waste Products to learn about recycling processes for common materials, and Electronics and Appliances for those with an interest in the Physics or History of Electronics and how they are recycled.

The conference application form is very basic and simple to fill, and the fee is just 90 Euros including meals and accommodation for EIGHT days! With that deal one can also save money to visit Serbia or Hungary.

The issue for me now is: how can I wake up this morning and sign up for a conference on recycling when I had dinner in Styrofoam plates and cups just last night?

I may blame society for inhibiting me from taking an active stance against environmentally unfriendly behaviour, but the fact is, I still allow it. It is still within my control. To resolve this disparity between culture and beliefs, I have no choice but to develop a consistent attitude, whether my close friends and family like it or not. I must minimize my hypocrisy with regards to this issue by being more environmentally friendly, whether I sign up for the conference or not. People might think I am rude for pointing out such things, but I can live with that, as long as there is some positive impact. (After all, I am still alive after pointing out facial hair and pimples on women a countless number of times!)

In the end, everyone of us likes to believe that we are good human beings (despite all the nasty and selfish things that we know we have done). So why not be proactive and assertive as we adopt better attitudes to become better human beings? The world is our stage and we are the actors, but when will we actually start doing something?

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Hold Me?

2009-06-22T08:42:00.001+08:00

Hold Me by Savage Garden
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02 Hold Me.mp3 (9123 KB)

Standing face to face, Enemies at war we build defences, And secret hiding places...

More than angry words I hate this silence, It's getting so loud, Well I want to scream, But bitterness has silenced these emotions, It's getting hard to breathe....

I'm willing to do anything, To calm the storm in my heart. I've never been the praying kind, But lately I've been down upon my knees. Not looking for a miracle, Just a reason to believe....

Now we don't live we exist, We just run through our lives; So alone....

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Remaking Women

2009-06-19T07:34:00.001+08:00

I absolutely must must MUST get hold of this book and read it - whatever the cost may be!

(Remaking Women: Feminism and Modernity in the Middle East - Lila Abu Lughod; Princeton Studies in Culture/Power/History)

In fact, this is not the only book on this topic that I want to read - there are so many others...

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Judgments of Food and Finances Influence Preferences for Potential Partners

2009-06-15T15:59:00.001+08:00

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resource-scarcity.pdf (129 KB)

Cultural psychology can be roughly understood as the combination of two theoretical perspectives—first, that people are very different in different cultures, and second, that some attributes are culturally universal (Fiske et al., 1998).

In the broader quest to determine which aspects of culture are universal and which are relative, one must look beyond specific norms and practices to the underlying processes that produced them.

(Portions of this research were presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, San Antonio, Texas, February 2001, and at the annual meeting of the Society for Judgment and Decision Making, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, November 2003.)

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We Will Not Go Down (Song for Gaza)

2009-06-08T22:40:00.001+08:00

We Will Not Go Down (Gaza) by Michael Heart
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we_will_not_go_down_6502.mp3 (4382 KB)

(Composed by Michael Heart)
Copyright 2009

A blinding flash of white light
Lit up the sky over Gaza tonight
People running for cover
Not knowing whether they’re dead or alive

They came with their tanks and their planes
With ravaging fiery flames
And nothing remains
Just a voice rising up in the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

Women and children alike
Murdered and massacred night after night
While the so-called leaders of countries afar
Debated on who’s wrong or right

But their powerless words were in vain
And the bombs fell down like acid rain
But through the tears and the blood and the pain
You can still hear that voice through the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

All Music and Content Copyrighted. All rights reserved. © 2009

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Meno Yaadan Terian Aundian Nay

2009-06-05T08:10:00.001+08:00

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Meno Yaadan Teri.mp3 (1878 KB)

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Obliterated History

2009-06-01T16:02:00.002+08:00

May 10, 2009 passed without any official or unofficial event in Pakistan to remember that historic day of May 10, 1857 when a last, ill-planned, and fatal attempt was made to get rid of the overweening English traders who were becoming de facto rulers of the vast subcontinent. What began on that Sunday morning in the town of Meerut would be later called "Ghadar" (Mutiny), "the Great Rebellion", "the Indian Mutiny", "the Revolt of 1857", "the Uprising of 1857", the "Sepoy Mutiny" by those who wrote its history for the colonized people of India and inserted this appellation in the textbooks which were to be used for generations.

When we went to school, we read about the "Ghadar" and Sayyid Ahmad Khan's account of the "Reasons for Ghadar". The appellation may have now changed to "India's First War of Independence", but there is certainly very little public discourse on the larger and long-term changes which followed that historic day.

Crushed with brutal force, this last armed resistance against the occupation of India came to an end on June 20, 1858, when Gwalior fell. A reign of terror followed. Men were tied to the mouths of cannons and blown to pieces, as Richard Holmes has vividly described in his 2005 book, Sahib: The British Soldier in India 1750-1914. A note from General Montgomery to Captain Hudson, "the butcher of Delhi" exposes how the British military high command approved cold-blooded massacre of general populace of Delhi, reminiscent of Halagu Khan's massacre of the residents of Baghdad in 1258: "All honour to you for catching the king and slaying his sons. I hope you will bag many more!"

A policy of "no prisoners" was adopted, whole villages were wiped out on the flimsiest rumours of sympathy for the local soldiers.

An estimated ten million Indians lost their lives, as Amaresh Misra describes in his two volume work, War of Civilisations: India AD 1857, published in 2008. Back in England, the accounts of atrocities of the British "Army of Retribution" were generally considered justified in the wake of exaggerated press accounts of Indian "savagery" against the "Europeans and Christians". During a year of terror that followed the events of May 1857, and for a long time to come, India went through a gigantic transformation which must be considered as one of the largest and most cruel experiment in social reengineering in modern history.

First the Company and later the British Crown, through its representative in India, the Viceroy, attempted to remake India in their own image. A society that had lived in a certain manner for centuries was remodelled from ground up. Memoirs, chronicles, letters, and personal accounts of the time describe cataclysmic events. "My dear sir," wrote Mirza Ghalib to Nawab Anwar al-Dawla, "what shall I say about the destruction of houses and mosques! The builder of the city might not have exerted so much planned effort for building them as the owners of the country [meaning the English] have for their destruction. My! my! Almost all buildings from the times of Shah Jahan within the walls of the fort and most of these in the city were demolished painstakingly and where picks and shovels and other tools did not suffice, tunnels were made and explosives were used to demolish them."

Aristocratic families of old were ruined, thousands were killed, imprisoned, or sent into exile, a whole new administrative was imposed, and new institutions were implanted which changed everything in the vast subcontinent--from the judiciary to education. The ill-fated effort also led to the insertion of the Jewel that India was, into the Crown of the British monarch, thus conveniently shifting the exploitation of Indian resources and people from the control a trading company that had come begging for concessions from the then mighty Mughals to the British monarch.

Ninety years later, when the British finally left the Indian subcontinent, they had produced so many brown sahibs that there was no further need for their physical presence; now they could achieve what they wanted remotely, although now they had to share their profits with a newly emerged tyrannical power. This shift would be so drastic that all previous history will be quickly obliterated to make room for an entirely different public discourse.

People who lose their history, simultaneously lose their future. We are such a people. Any attempt to reclaim history is simultaneously an attempt to reclaim future. Yet, it is neither the details the armed resistance against the occupiers nor the heart-wrenching accounts of those who were blown to pieces which make this attempt meaningful; it is in understanding the present in the light of the past that makes this act of recall a meaningful process of reconstruction and reassertion. Those who refuse to see their present in the light of their past, have no understanding of the extent of transformation Pakistan is now undergoing. They cannot imagine the new history of our people which will be written fifty years from now. That history will transfigure not only the May 1857, but also May 2009.

The writer is a freelance columnist.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Quantum Note
by Dr Muzaffar Iqbal
Email: quantumnotes@gmail.com

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I don't see you, but there is your nymph-smile

2009-05-31T22:41:00.002+08:00

Download now or listen on posterous

Dil Se - Ae Ajnabi.mp3 (5365 KB)

Ae Ajnabi from Dil Se, in English:

O love! You too, call me from somewhere.
I live here, broken-hearted
You spend your life, somewhere. Incomplete.

Everyday, a satin-like wind.
The satin-like wind, tells me
That pure, innocent child.
Where is she, where is it?
Where is the light, where is the life-spirit?
Incomplete, alone - we spend our life.

I don’t see you, but there is your nymph-smile
I see no face, but I see a shadow.
Where are you, where?
Where do I find you?
Where is my world?
Incomplete, you and I - wasting our life.

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Marketing, Virtual Friendships and of course, Facebook

2009-05-29T17:49:00.001+08:00

"...an average Facebook user with 500 friends actively follows the news on only 40 of them, communicates with 20, and keeps in close touch with about 10," according to an article at BusinessWeek.

Going by that, and given that I have 1272 friends, it means I actively follow the news on 101 friends, communicate with 50 (and a half, heh?), and keep in close touch with 25? But I only closely follow maybe 1-3 people! But I definitely communicate with more than 50 - through status comments, quiz comments and what not - apart from wall posts. Well, I guess it's a fair generalization still.

I'm most interested to know if the researchers can really come up with algorithms to friendships, or at least virtual friendships, because I believe that is impossible. It's all just random!

Another concern for me is, how do the researchers get their guinea pigs - the people they carry out research on? Like, let's say they want to study me because I'm such a "Facebook whore", would they just get access to my information without my consent? How many people I stalked, clicking through pictures, and viewing people's wall-to-walls and what not...

Or would they ask me first? If they do, and let's assume I say yes, does that mean I will be giving them access to my friends' information as well? Because - I think I raised this question before - who owns this data?

Naturally, Facebook terms and conditions stipulate that the users have no rights over the information, but still, it is information about ME! And while I still own the content, the statistical information could be useful too. If anyone else has a right to view it, I should be able to view it first! I also want to learn more about me and my habits!

Yes, after going through the Facebook principles, I think that any information that is provided to advertisers and marketers should be provided to me first.

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And I Thought I was Good at Brainstorming

2009-05-26T18:17:00.002+08:00

It has always come so naturally to me. To get a few people together into one place and then have everyone throw their ideas around. I would dominate, using others' ideas and improving them (or reducing them, heh), and also jumpstarting the discussion by throwing in some stupid ideas at the beginning.

Alex Osburn, who came up with the idea of brainstorming in 1957, suggested such throwing around of ideas have only four rules:

Don't criticize.
Quantity is wanted.
Combine and improve suggested ideas.
Share ALL ideas that come to mind.

If I could, I would add these two as well:

Listen.
Be positive. (until later, much later, when you have more than enough ideas.)

But the problem I've had since a long time now is that people here don't do such activities in groups. Those that do it in groups never listen to each other, and never bend to each other's wills. Then through failed layers of democracy and voting with disagreement, an idea is accepted by a group or a committee, often half-heartedly. Naturally, that affects the ultimate goals of the entire exercise, or whatever the idea is being used for.

The issue they need to understand is that creativity comes ad libitum: by being spontaneous and impromptu. A person can't sit alone at his desk and generate slogans, tag-lines, new names for products or services, or company names, or design. In this regard, I'm curious myself about how creative people function - especially in a corporate environment. Now, you can't book the meeting room each time you have to send one idea high up and can't decide between 20 ideas (only to receive a disdainful no every time).

But I'm confused, and as usual, this post doesn't serve to explain but to confuse further. I think great ideas come to you when your concentration is at its peak. Your concentration is at its peak when your presence of mind is at its height. And when it is at its height, you are most likely to be in the shower or taking a dump. You've gotta be peaceful!

On a similar note, here's a list of AMAZING tools to feed our creativity.

dead.

2009-05-24T20:54:00.004+08:00

I never wanna be Alone

2009-05-22T21:47:00.001+08:00

Alone by Creed And Tool
Download now or listen on posterous

creed and tool - miscellaneous - alone.mp3 (3642 KB)

It's been a long day at the bottom of the hill,

she died of a broken heart.

She told me I was living in the past,

drinking from a broken glass.

Chorus

I'm alone [I never wanna be alone],

now I [now I] try to face the cold.

I'm alone [I never wanna be alone],

now I [now I] try to travel home.

I walked down to the other end of the day,

just to catch those last few waves.

I held out my hand and slowly waved goodbye,

I turned now my eyes up to the sky.

Chorus

I'm alone [I never wanna be alone],

now I [now I] try to face the cold.

I'm alone [I never wanna be alone],

now I [now I] try to travel home.

She'll come back to me. [She'll come back to me.]

All alone in this mystery.

She'll come back to me.

I held out my hands into the light and I watched it die,

I know that I was part to play.

My god, my time to die.

Never want to spend my life alone.

Chorus

I'm alone [I never wanna be alone],

now I [now I] try to face the cold.

I'm alone [I never wanna be alone],

now I [now I] try to travel home.

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Django Reinhardt - Duelling Banjos (deliverance)

2009-05-22T15:16:00.001+08:00

Duelling Banjos (Deliverance) by Django Reinhardt
Download now or listen on posterous

django reinhardt - reinhardt - 01.mp3 (4800 KB)

Don't you just love musical instruments talking to each other?

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Amazing Pakistan: A picture hidden from the World (Part-1)

2009-05-22T05:38:00.002+08:00

Amazing Pakistan: A picture hidden from the World (Part-1)
Pakistan, meaning the “The land of pure” where each day the sun rises with a new hope, with an enduring majesty as the rays of light flushing down towards the snowcapped peaks of Himalaya’s and Nanga Parbat. A land where love finds a meaning in the heart warming hospitability of people, a land where history and ancient civilization mystifies one’s heart, a land where spiritualism unveils its mystery at the shrines of Sufi Saints. This is the land I belong to, this is the land I’ll die for and this is the land that defines my identity.

The Invincible 167 Million: 6th largest Nation of the World

The invincible 167 million Pakistani’s progressing forward with high hopes and a mission holding an unquenchable thirst to be the world leader’s soon. Despit the chaos, despite the ill spilled by the westeren media to demoralize the nation and to uproot the patriotism from the hearts and minds of people of this country, despite the foreign funded terrorists bombing hundreds of Pakistani’s each day painting the roads red with the blood of young children, women and men. Every drop of it shouts back loud ” You can never take us down, We’ll fight back till our last breath“. Reminding you this is the nation which has a 7th largest pool of scientists and Engineers in the World[1]. and the country that is ranked 9th in the world where English language is spoken and used as an official language [1].

Pakistan: World's 9th Largest English Speaking Country
Photo by Sultan Dogar: Abbotabad Medical College

Pakistan: World 7th largest Pool of Scientists and Engineer
Photo : Moin Ali Nawazish making a World Record by passing 23 A level Exams

The Might: 7th Nuclear Power of the World

On May 28, 1998, Pakistan became the 7th nuclear power of the world giving a loud and clear message to the enemies that this nation is fully equipped and ready to defend it’s sovereignty. Pakistan has world 7th largest standing arm forces [1] well trained possessing state of the art technology. Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is the symbol of pride for the nation and a galaxy of highly trained professionals emerged in latest technological developments. The highly skilled PAF personals are renowned for their excellence and handling of aircraft and surely are the worst fear for the enemies.

Pakistan: 7th largest Standing Arm Force in the World

Pakistan: Air force: Air Commodore MM ALAM has a world record
of shooting down 5 Indian planes in less than a Minute

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Pakistan: The Roof Top of the World
Pakistan the land of grand mountain ranges, a land that holds 4 out of 14 most highest peaks in the world. K2 the second highest mountain in the world with all it’s grandeur symbolizing the pride and strength of the people of Pakistan.

Pakistan: K2 the 2nd highest mountain peak in the World

Hunza is said to be a place ” Where Time Stops and Fairy Treads“, Kalash and Chitral are the natural wonders of the world where poetic verses find their inspirations from the beauty and elegance of high peak mountains, lush green fields and the fragrant breeze singing across the poplar trees. Some of the places which are not highlighted by the media but still due to their magnitude find their places on the World record books are ; Aisa’s Highest Railway Station Kan Mehtarzai [2] that is located 2240 meters above sea level near Quetta.

Pakistan: Asia's Highest Railway Station "Kan Mehtarzai "

Pakistan: Lalazar often termed as most beautiful place on earth

Pakistan: Nanga Parbat 9th Highest Peak in the World

What it would feel like to play a sport that is wild, challenging and manly at the top of the world surrounded by the drumbeats and the music of the reed instrument. Yes Shandur Polo tournament is played every year at World’s highest Polo ground at Shandur, Northern Pakistan.

Pakistan: Shundur Polo festival at the World's highest Polo ground

Karakoram Highway: Eighth Wonder of the World

Karakoram Highway runs through the northern areas connecting Pakistan with China’s Xingjiang province is often described as ”Eighth Wonder of the World” due to the marvel of civil engineering as it has taken 15 years to complete by the Pakistan Army Engineers in collaboration with China. It’s been labeled as ” World’s highest paved international Road” under world’s toughest terrain.

Pakistan: Karakoram Highway World's highest paved international Road

World’s Largest Deep Sea Port: Gwader

“Gwa” means Air and “Dar” means door, and the word Gawadar means ” The door of the wind” is the world’s largest deep sea port lies in southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan. The design and construction of the port is carried out in collaboration with China and it has just started it’s operation.It’s going to emerge as a world’s biggest skyline due to it’s capacity and infrastructure of handling bulk carriers. It has been declared as a Duty Free Port and Free Economic Zone by the Pakistani government that has increased the commercial worth manifolds. It has an immense geostrategic importance as it is the entrance to the Persian Gulf and is considered to be a substitute of Dubai Port.

Pakistan: Gawader: World's Largest Deep Sea Port

Khewra Mines: Second Largest Salt Mine in the World

Khewra Salt Mine located in Khewra, Jehlum Punjab, Pakistan is the second largest Salt Mine in the world and is considered to be the oldest in the subcontinent. It was said that discovery of Salt mines were not done by Alexander or his army but by their horses as they started licking the stones when they stopped here for rest. Thousand of visitors each year visit Khewra Salt mines and get fascinated by the nature’s miracle in the heart of mountains.

Pakistan: Khewra Salt Mine: Second Largest Salt Mine in the World

Haleji Lake: Asia’s largest Bird Sanctuary

Pakistan is a land of serene beauty , a country with diverse wild life , fresh water lakes, a 1046 km coast lines. Some of the most unique species of birds are found in northern Pakistan with awe-inspiring natural wonders like Lake Saiful Maluk, Lake Shandur, Dudipatsar Lake, kutwal lake, Zalzal lake and many more. But Haleji has it’s own significance as it is Asia’s largest waterfowl reserve. During winter thousands of birds of different species fly down to Haleji from Siberian colder areas

Pakistan: The heavenly Shandur Lake

Thar Desert: One amongst the largest deserts in the World

Thar is a arid region in the north western part of Indian subcontinent, it lies mostly in Indian state of Rajasthan but it covers eastern Sindh province and the southeastern portion of Pakistan’s Punjab province. It is amongst one of the largest deserts in the world rich multifaceted culture, heritage, traditions, folk tales, dances and music. The poetic expression of Kafi written by Sufi poets of Sindh resonates in the cold nights as the Thari musicians start singing them on sorrowing rhythmic beats. In the night the granules of the sand lit up like stars as the moonlight walks on them.

Pakistan: Tharparker

The land of oldest Civilization: Indus Valley and Moenjodaro

Moenjodaro is the province of Sindh, Pakistan and archeology trace back it exitence 5000 years ago. It provides an earliest instance of exemplary form of town planning and community organization and found to be as one of the oldest cities known today. It is said to be the pilgrimage of ancient ruins. The splendor of Indus Valley civilization spread over a thousand mile from the high peak snowy mountains of Kashmir to the glittering sand dunes facing the Arabian Sea. One of the oldest known civilization that flourished in the Indus river Basin embraced within its fold almost the entire country now known as Pakistan.

Pakistan: Moenjodaro, One of the oldest Civilization Known today

NB: Received as a forward by email

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Yes, You Are Right

2009-05-21T15:45:00.001+08:00

One of the most beautiful phrases to hear for any human being out there is: "Yes, you are right."

Everyone wants to be right about things they do or say - or they like to be told that the things they do or say are right. In the past week, I've been told I am right more times than my close group of friends and family have told me in a year. It's just fascinating.

I guess that is the main difference between a social and professional environment. Often, in social environments people are more prone to think that their righteousness supersedes everyone else's, and no one likes to be corrected. But in professional environments, people tend to be more ethical and more open to suggestions, feedback and critiques.

Of course, there are exceptions in every generalization (and this is a generalization).

Whatever the case, I haven't donned some kind of coporate suit to fit into this professional environment (or taken off my social suit). I am still very much myself. I must've been right all along. About most things at least, if not all.

Ah self-confidence, thou art a heartless bitch!

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2009 World University Rankings: NUS, NTU up, up!

2009-05-15T14:53:00.000+08:00

Ruminations: 2007 World University Rankings: NUS, NTU down

Talk about leaps and bounds - what massive turbulence! When I blogged about NUS rankings before, I mentioned how the university first made its appearance in the rankings by appearing #18 in 2004, and then on it was #22 in 2005, #19 in 2006, #33 in 2007 and #30 in 2008.

#10 is a pretty big deal I guess, but the QS.com Asian University Rankings are only indicative of the upcoming World Rankings - if that is possible - because I feel that Asian universities can expect a hard blow in World rankings (which are followed much more closely in the Asian world). From what I gather, this year's rankings were developed after a marriage between the US News & World Report (which uses 18 indicators) and the Joong Ang Ilbo ranking in Korea (which uses over 30 indicators). So QS.com associated itself with Chosun Ilbo, a Korean English paper that dates back to April 1933 when Korea was a Japanese colony. Funny fact - the paper's publisher was this guy named Bang Ung-mo. (Sorry Koreans. 'Bang' is funny in English and 'Ung-mo' is funny in Singapore. Combined together, it's hilarious!)

Anyway, I think the US News and World Report will still develop it's World rankings based on the 18 indicators and that just means that NUS (and other unmentionables *cough*NTU*cough*) will do badly.

To see where NUS did 'great' (but still not great enough to be Asia's best), these are the indicators and the respective weightage (note how inbound and outbound exchange do not use the word 'international'):

Asian Academic Peer Review = 30%
(academics with knowledge of research in Asian institutions)

Papers per Faculty = 15%

Citations per Paper = 15%

Student Faculty Ratio = 20%

Asian Employer Review = 10%
(employers with experience of recruiting from Asian institutions)

International Faculty = 2.5%

International Students = 2.5%

Inbound Exchange Students = 2.5%

Outbound Exchange Students = 2.5%

It's a cool Summer

2009-05-14T15:18:00.001+08:00

Yesterday was a great day. I finalized moving out of Temasek Hall and brought all my luggage to PGPR, into my room at block 27, where I'll be staying till at least July 2010 if I need to (x1). I got a call from the company where I wanted to intern asking me to start coming to work the next day onwards (x2). And I got some financial aid guarantor thing worked out finally (x3). So three times great. And then I hung out with my quasi family in Singapore, having paratha fry anda and then Pakistani Chinese later (that I also got to take-away!).

Although the heart aches, I won't have much time to worry about it this Summer. Firstly, I have my internship, and to give a feel of what it's like, my first day has been rather busy - upon my arrival they asked me to prepare marketing collaterals and print out 45 copies before the lunch break and I proofread the CEO's letter that was supposed to go with it; then after lunch I head down to the other company office at Science Park to meet up with the IT company to work on our company's website and see if the interface is satisfactory; and the rest of the day I do research on incorporating Slingbox or a similar new media technology for a new business model for the company.

Tomorrow I will be ushering at the Imagine for Red fashion show at Vivo City after work, and the next day I am meeting Radu to work on the project he's been working on with other AIESECers - I might be able to assist them in their blogging efforts. The same day I have promised some SPY people my presence at a home karaoke get-together. Sunday the same group of people are going to the beach, and that is where we will finalize our plans for the play we're gonna do later.

The play is a major undertaking as it will involve auditions, rehearsals, bookings, sourcing for props and costumes, and most of all, development of the script. Let's see how it works out, but so far, the four of us working on this seem to be highly motivated.

And last but definitely not least, my mother and two younger siblings are coming to Singapore to visit me and my sister in June! Finally this is a Summer in Singapore that I'm looking forward to!

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Hold Me Tonight

2009-05-09T04:22:00.001+08:00

Hold Me by Savage Garden
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02 Hold Me.mp3 (9123 KB)

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One Spoon

2009-05-07T19:25:00.001+08:00

Today when I went to get my Annalakshmi-delivered hall food, I only got one spoon.

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Most Heavily Bombed Country in History

2009-05-06T08:38:00.001+08:00

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Geopolitics.Bombs_over_Cambodia_Kiernan.pdf (228 KB)

Data released by Clinton in 2000 shows that America bombed Cambodia with 2,756,941 tons of bombs. To put this into perspective, the Allies dropped just over 2 million tons of bombs during allof World War II, INCLUDING the bombs that struck Hiroshima and Nagasaki: 15,000 and 20,000 tons, respectively.

Cambodia may well be the most heavily bombed country in history.

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A Sikh Writing All This, by Khushwant Singh

2009-05-05T07:03:00.001+08:00

Prejudice is like poison. Unless purged out of one’s mind in early stages, it can spread like cancer and make one incapable of differentiating between right and wrong. Of the many kinds of prejudice, the worst is to believe that one’s own religion is superior to all others, which may be tolerated but never taken seriously or accepted as equally valid as one’s own.

The most misunderstood of the major religions today is Islam, which, after Christianity, is the second most widely practiced religion in the world. It also gains more converts than any of the other religions. Prejudice against Islam was spread in Christendom from the time Muslims gained dominance in the Middle East, North Africa and Spain. Christian crusaders failed in their missions to crush Islam in its homeland but continued to vilify its founder, Mohammed.

The emergence of militant Islamic groups like Al Qaida and Taliban gave them reasons to do so. The attack on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington on September 11, 2001 provided fresh ammunition to vilifiers of Islam.

Since then Islamophobia has been deliberately spread throughout the non-Muslim world. The two principle contentions of the anti-Islamists are that Islam was spread by the sword and that its founder-Prophet was not the paragon of virtue that Muslims make him out to be.

It can be proved by historical evidence that Islam was not forced upon the people; it was readily accepted by millions because it offered them new values, principally equality of mankind and rights to women that were unheard of in those times. In countries like Indonesia and Malayasia, Islam was not forced on the population by Muslim invaders but by Muslim missionaries.

Muslims are extremely sensitive to criticism of their Prophet. A popular adage in Persian is: “ba khuda diwaana basho, ba Mohammed hoshiar! — “say what you like about God, but beware of what you say about Mohammed.”

They regard him as the most perfect man who ever trod upon the earth, a successor of Adam, Moses, Noah, Abraham and Christ. He was the last of the Prophets. If you honestly want to know how Muslims see him, you ought to take a good look at his life and teachings, which he claimed had been revealed to him by God. It would be as wrong to judge him by the doings of Al Qaida and Taliban or by the fatwas periodically pronounced by Ayatollahs and half-baked mullahs.

You do not judge Hinduism of the Vedas and Upanishads by the doings of Hindus who, in the name of Hindutva, destroy mosques, murder missionaries and nuns, vandalize libraries and works of art. You do not judge the teachings of the Sikh gurus by the utterances of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and by the murder of innocents by his hooligans. Likewise, judge Mohammed by what he taught and stood for and not by what his so-called followers do in his name.

Mohammed was born in Mecca in 570 A D. He lost both his parents while still a child and was brought up by his grandfather and uncle.. He managed the business of a widow, whom he later married. She bore him six children. He took no other wife until she died.

He was 40 years old when he started having revelations while in trance. They proclaimed Mohammed as the new messiah. Such revelation kept coming at random, sometimes dealing with problems at hand, at other times with matters spiritual. They were memorized or written down by his admirers and became the Quran, which means recitation.

It should be kept in mind that Mohammed was not preaching ideas of his own but only reiterating most of what was already in the Judaic creed. Allah was the Arabic name for God before him. Similarly, Islam was ‘surrender’ and salman was ‘peace’.

Mecca was the main market city of the Bedouin tribes. They gathered at the Kaaba, the huge courtyard with the black meteorite embedded in it during two pilgrimages — the bigger Haj and the lesser Umrah.

Mohammed accepted Judaic traditions regarding food which is halaal (lawful) or haraam (forbidden, such as pig meat), names of the five daily prayers and circumcision of male children.

Mohammed only asserted the oneness of God that did not accept of any equal such as the stone goddesses worshiped by different tribes. Mohammed never forced people to accept his faith and indeed quoted Allah’s message of freedom of faith. “There must be no coercion in matters of faith — la ikra f’il deen.” Further: “And if God had so willed, He would have made you all one single command; but He willed otherwise in order to test you by means of what He has vouchsafed unto you. Vie, then with one another in doing good works!”

As might have been expected, Mohammed’s mission roused fierce hostility. Many attempts were made to assassinate him but he had miraculously escaped. Ultimately, in 622 AD he was advised to flee from Mecca to Medina. This is known as the Hijra (emigration) and recognized as the beginning of the Muslim calendar.

Meccans made a few attempts to capture Medina but were ousted. Muslim armies led by Mohammed triumphed and returned to Mecca as conquerors. By the time Mohammed died in Medina in 632 AD, the Arabian peninsula was united as a confederacy of different tribes under the banner of Islam.

Most of the ill-founded criticism against Mohammed is directed towards the number of women he married after the death of his first wife, Khadijah. This has to be seen in the perspective of Arabian society of the time. Tribes lived by warring against each other and looting caravans. There were heavy casualties of men, creating serious gender imbalance. Widows and orphans of men killed had to be provided with homes and sustenance. Otherwise they took to prostitution or begging. So they were given protection by being taken in marriages. Also, matrimonial alliances were a good way of creating bonds between different tribes.

Mohammed did nothing not acceptable to his people. He went further: he was the first teacher to proclaim that the best union was a monogamous marriage and fixed the maximum limit to four, provided a man could keep all of his wives equally happy — which was most unlikely.

The pertinent verse in the Quran reads: “And if you have reason to fear you might not act equitably towards orphans, then marry from among other women who are lawful to you, even two or three or four; but if you have reason to fear you might not be able to treat them with equal fairness, then only one.” Bear in mind that at that time polygamy was the norm in patriarchal societies all over the world.

To make a beginning in clearing your mind of anti-Muslim prejudices, I suggest you read Karen Armstrong’s “Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time”. Armstrong is the leading writer on comparative religions today. She is not Muslim.

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Counting down from 10

2009-05-03T09:33:00.001+08:00

Ten things you wish you could say to 10 different people right now:

1. You are an asswipe for not embracing new media technologies and not staying in touch via Facebook, Windows Live and hardly email.
2. I wish those days would return when we were together having a great time all the time.
3. I hope you know that if it wasn't for your love for me, I would've given up long ago. I owe you everything.
4. You are so thoughtless and selfish at times, I wonder if it is because you were raised in a bubble.
5. We have something interesting going on here, so why not try to make it work?
6. You grow more and more stupid everyday. Quit the rebellious phase already. You're not 13 any more.
7. I hope one day you can join the family as I have accepted you the way you are, despite your flaws.
8. In another place, another world, another time, we would have been just perfect for each other. I'm sorry things can't work out in this world.
9. You have been absent my whole life. And you have hardly done much for me. But whenever you take a step towards me, I feel the happiness in my heart.
10. I hope you can stop being obnoxious because you don't need to be, in order to be my closest friend.

Nine things about yourself:
1. I'm writing this on my first first day of mugging for final exams.
2. I started hating fish after coming to Singapore but I just had the best stir-fried Rau Machli (Salmon) for breakfast and I'm loving it! (Oops, lawsuit from McD's)
3. I have a knack for "connecting people" together. I've been told I glue people together.
4. I'm an idealist with some realism and pragmatism thrown in.
5. I love randomness. Plans fail.
6. I want I want I want a french-press to make coffee!
7. I'm weird.
8. I can't wait to start my own family.
9. I am seeking the truth about religion and world politics.

Eight ways to win your heart:
1. Take interest in everything I do. (But don't become a stalker.)
2. Listen to what I say. (Don't ignore things.)
3. Challenge me and debate me without letting it become a fight.
4. Don't make judgements about me if you can't take judgements about yourself.
5. Don't be self-righteous. I would hate to slap you in the face with your hypocrisy.
6. Stop the pessimism - I don't have the energy to listen to your negativity.
7. Make me laugh.
8. Laugh. Smile.

Seven things that cross your mind a lot:
1. Do I have time for a smoke?
2. Can I delay this?
3. Why is the world like this?
4. Is my sister doing x/y/z?
5. Maybe there is something new on my Facebook/Gmail?
6. How can I enjoy this time more?
7. Why can't people just communicate better and solve EVERY problem?

Six things you want to happen to you before you die:
1. Fall in love with the person I marry.
2. Finish my book.
3. Become famous.
4. Start my NGO.
5. See my kids graduate.
6. Understand a faith.

Five turn offs:
1. Pessimism.
2. Being chicken.
3. Interruption.
4. Hair.
5. Selfishness.

Four turn ons:
1. Smell like flowers.
2. Know your clothes (and flaunt them regularly).
3. Know when to be in charge and when not to be.
4. Respects my faith, my dreams, my family and believes in me.

Three smilies that describe your life:
1 =/
2. =\
3. :S

Two things you wish you never did:
1. June 2008
2. September 2008

One confession:
1. I'm looking forward to having some alone time for the next 3 months or so, but I'm also terrified of it.

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What is the Koran?

2009-05-02T16:32:00.001+08:00

Download now or preview on posterous

What Is the Koran.pdf (273 KB)

Researchers with a variety of academic and theological interests are proposing controversial theories about the Koran and Islamic history, and are striving to reinterpret Islam for the modern world. This is, as one scholar puts it, a "sensitive business".

by Toby Lester (January 1999)

-----

Here are some excerpts from the 12-page article with the same title as this post. If you wish to read it in full-length, you may download the .pdf file attached. I am also attaching some links to some of the references used or mentioned in this article (others don't work any more):

Patricia Crone. Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam. Princeton University Press. 1987. Beginning with pg. 231.

Fred Donner. The Early Islamic Conquests. Princeton Univ Press, 1981, beg with pg. 251.

Thank-you Rabayl for sharing this article with me. I found this article very useful for my critical study of Islam in World History.

I share this here, not because I agree (or disagree for that matter) with the content, but because it challenges me to think outside the box as I consider alternate realities, and make my own decision on whether to accept or reject them. I believe religion is a personal matter, and the excerpts below are just to highlight some portions of the article for the person who just desires to brisk through rather than read the whole thing.

-----

..."So many Muslims have this belief that everything between the two covers of the Koran is just God's unaltered word," he says. "They like to quote the textual work that shows that the Bible has a history and did not fall straight out of the sky, but until now the Koran has been out of this discussion. The only way to break through this wall is to prove that the Koran has a history too. The Sana'a fragments will help us to do this."...

...If Christ is the Word of God made flesh, the Koran is the Word of God made text, and questioning its sanctity or authority is thus considered an outright attack on Islam—as Salman Rushdie knows all too well....

...A particularly eloquent protest came in 1987, in the Muslim World Book Review, in a paper titled "Method Against Truth: Orientalism and Qur'anic Studies," by the Muslim critic S. Parvez Manzoor. Placing the origins of Western Koranic scholarship in "the polemical marshes of medieval Christianity" and describing its contemporary state as a "cul-de-sac of its own making," Manzoor orchestrated a complex and layered assault on the entire Western approach to Islam. He opened his

essay in a rage:

The Orientalist enterprise of Qur'anic studies, whatever its other merits and services, was a project born of spite, bred in frustration and nourished by vengeance: the spite of the powerful for the powerless, the frustration of the "rational" towards the "superstitious" and the vengeance of the "orthodox" against the "non-conformist." At the greatest hour of his worldly-triumph, the Western man, coordinating the powers of the State, Church and Academia, launched his most determined assault on the citadel of Muslim faith. All the aberrant streaks of his arrogant personality—its reckless rationalism, its world-domineering phantasy and its sectarian fanaticism—joined in an unholy conspiracy to dislodge the Muslim Scripture from its firmly entrenched position as the epitome of historic authenticity and moral unassailability. The ultimate trophy that the Western man sought by his dare-devil venture was the Muslim mind itself. In order to rid the West forever of the "problem" of Islam, he reasoned, Muslim consciousness must be made to despair of the cognitive certainty of the Divine message revealed to the Prophet. Only a Muslim confounded of the historical authenticity or doctrinal autonomy of the Qur'anic revelation would abdicate his universal mission and hence pose no challenge to the global domination of the West. Such, at least, seems to have been the tacit, if not the explicit, rationale of the Orientalist assault on the Qur'an.

...Abu Zaid steadfastly maintains that he is a pious Muslim, but contends that the Koran's manifest content—for example, the often archaic laws about the treatment of women for which Islam is infamous—is much less important than its complex, regenerative, and spiritually nourishing latent content. The orthodox Islamic view, Abu Zaid claims, is stultifying; it reduces a divine, eternal, and dynamic text to a fixed human interpretation with no more life and meaning than "a trinket ... a

talisman ... or an ornament."...

... Despite the unusual structure, however, what generally surprises newcomers to the Koran is the degree to which it draws on the same beliefs and stories that appear in the Bible. God (Allah in Arabic) rules supreme: he is the all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-merciful Being who has created the world and its creatures; he sends messages and laws through prophets to help guide human existence; and, at a time in the future known only to him, he will bring about the end of the world and the Day of Judgment. Adam, the first man, is expelled from Paradise for eating from the forbidden tree. Noah builds an ark to save a select few from a flood brought on by the wrath of God. Abraham prepares himself to sacrifice his son at God's bidding. Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt and receives a revelation on Mount Sinai. Jesus—born of the Virgin Mary and referred to as the Messiah—works miracles, has disciples, and rises to heaven...

...Wansbrough's arcane theories have been contagious in certain scholarly circles, but many Muslims understandably have found them deeply offensive. S. Parvez Manzoor, for example, has described the Koranic studies of Wansbrough and others as "a naked discourse of power" and "an outburst of psychopathic vandalism." But not even Manzoor argues for a retreat from the critical enterprise of Koranic studies; instead he urges Muslims to defeat the Western revisionists on the

"epistemological battlefield," admitting that "sooner or later [we Muslims] will have to approach the Koran from methodological assumptions and parameters that are radically at odds with the ones consecrated by our tradition."...

...Islam became one of the world's great religions in part because of its openness to social change and new ideas. (Centuries ago, when Europe was mired in its feudal Dark Ages, the sages of a flourishing Islamic civilization opened an era of great scientific and philosophical discovery. The ideas of the ancient Greeks and Romans might never have been introduced to Europe were it not for the Islamic historians and philosophers who rediscovered and revived them.) Islam's own history shows that the prevailing conception of the Koran is not the only one ever to have existed, and the recent history of biblical scholarship shows that not all critical-historical studies of a holy scripture are antagonistic. They can instead be carried out with the aim of spiritual and cultural regeneration. They can, as Mohammed Arkoun puts it, demystify the text while reaffirming "the relevance of its larger intuitions."...

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Why I hate to be on-time for Examinations

2009-05-02T14:06:00.004+08:00

You arrive at the examinations venue; surrounded by hundreds of students. Every student is reading from heavy books and big stacks of notes. Some are discussing complex questions and displaying what they've learnt so far. Finally, one by one, they all head in. The procters/invigilators stand there in front of each row, asking you your seat number and guiding you, just like when you board a flight. But they're not smiling or trying to please you here. They're just trying to scare you.

You sit there for a while, with pin-drop silence in the room - the only sound being the papers shuffling and sliding against the table as answer booklets and exam papers are handed out. Then the head examiner reaches for the microphone. A shrilling playback sound pierces through your ears, leaving you partly deaf, such that you now hear a constant tone.

The examiner finally begins his announcements. You will not be permitted to leave this room for blah blah minutes before the exam timings end. You make a mental note to try to finish earlier, making you a tad more nervous. You may use blah-coloured pens and 2B pencils only. You quickly check your stationary if everything is in order. You freak out when you realise your pencil is HB. But you're too scared you will get scolded if you raise your hand to ask an invigilator if HB pencils can be machine-read. You are not allowed to bring cell-phones to the exam venue; any cell phones found would be confiscated. What bullshit, you tell yourself. You are already there and your cell phone is in your pocket. You look around while you secretly take out your cell phone from your pocket to ensure it is in Silent mode. Cheating in examinations is considered an extremely serious offence which may lead to expulsion from the University. You know that! God. Are they just trying to freak you out here? It's not like you want to get expelled. If you have accidentally taken revision notes or other unauthorised material into the examination room, surrender them immediately to the supervisor. Crap. You have my notes in the exam hall, but they're lying in the corner with everyone else's bags. After-all, you didn't bring them in to cheat. And what do they mean 'surrender' anyway? Is this a hostile situation? Okay, I'll just ignore that one. Do not look at other candidates’ answers, and do not talk or communicate in any way with other candidates since this may lead to suspicion of copying. Are they kidding you? Seriously? What if you are just looking around subconsciously because that is what you do when you're thinking about your answers? The examinees are like 10 metres apart! How the hell do they think you can see another candidate's answers? You're not Jack Bennett of the Bionic-Six with super-sight. Ah, Bionic-1 was the coolest of them all.

This goes on for a while, until your hands are trembling so much that you actually find the step-by-step instructions for filling out the name, student number and exam codes useful (even though it's fairly obvious that you write your name under 'Name' and so on).

Eventually, the examiner allows you to begin. You have 1 hour 45 minutes to finish this test. Pens and pencils out. 1. 2. 3. Go!

Okay, maybe that is not exactly how it goes for everyone (some examiners are nice enough to wish you good luck before putting you on the timer). But generally speaking, they try their level best to freak you out of your wits. They shatter your confidence. And they all give you stern looks all the time. If you're a favourite of your professor, then the students give you those looks and you can almost hear them praying that you screw up your test.

I just think the best solution is to lose 5-10 minutes on your test so that you can perform better. When you arrive late, you're ushered into the hall like a celebrity. You don't have to walk through rows and rows of tables as someone would always escort you to your seat and personally hand you your answer booklet and test paper. All the other kids stare at you in disbelief because they can't imagine being late for an exam! And your confidence gets a 200% boost when you just smile at them, take your seat, stretch your arms lazily and begin filling in your name and other details. The bottom-line is, you have the presence of mind that is required to excel in an exam, which can not be replaced by tens of hours of studying and the intense paranoia that consumes most students in my class.

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Cartoons I like

2009-04-28T04:29:00.001+08:00

This random compilation has been underway for a while now. Apart from some random ones, most of them are from xkcd , Mike Luckovich (2006 Pulitzer Winner), Michael Ramirez (2008 Pulitzer Winner), Nick Anderson , Clay Bennett , and Carlos Latuff.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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To be read when exams are over and I'm jobless

2009-04-28T02:14:00.001+08:00

The Idiot's Guide to Pakistan

By Nicholas Schmidle

My Country, Caving to the Taliban

By Mohammed Hanif

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Informed Comment

Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion

Juan Cole is President of the Global Americana Institute

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Pakistan Crisis and Social Statistics

Ozone Hole Causes Antarctic Sea Ice to Expand, Slows Warming

By Alex Morales

China’s ICBC profits beat expectations

Alarmism does not help

The Taliban's accession to the position they occupy today is a logical culmination of the Pakistani state project as it has been executed since 1978

By Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

Obama's first 100 days take sharp turn from Bush era

By David Jackson, USA TODAY

Amid US criticism, Pakistan again battles Taliban

By NAHAL TOOSI – 12 hours ago

Report: Facebook to open up to developers

by Steven Musil

Why Google Wants You to Google Yourself

By TOM MCNICHOL

Taliban shave men for listening to music in Buner

PESHAWAR: Taliban militants in Buner district shaved the heads and moustaches of four Pakistani men as punishment for listening to music, one of the men said Sunday.

Ahmadinejad speech: full text [PDF link]

This is the full text of the speech Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave at the Durban Review Conference, a UN conference on racism, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday, 20th April 2009.

Iran leader sparks walkout at UN over Israel

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Seasons in the Sun (and nerd nests in NUS!)

2009-04-28T00:43:00.002+08:00

I just love, love, love (!) this song!

Seasons In The Sun by Terry Jacks
Download now or listen on posterous

terry jacks - seasons in the sun.mp3 (3288 KB)

Oh, and w.r.t. the heat in Singapore and the exam season, here are a few pictures of nerd nests around NUS, on a Sunday!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Covert Actions by the US?

2009-03-18T23:43:00.006+08:00

U.S. Weighs Taliban Strike Into Pakistan (By DAVID E. SANGER and ERIC SCHMITT, Published: March 17, 2009)

It is possible that the decisions about covert actions will never be publicly announced!?

What is this like, cutting the sugar intake of grandpa without him knowing? "Oh, it's for his own good, you see." What excuse is protecting your own sovereignty when it's at the expense of another's? You want to protect your country, go watch your seas, your skies and your borders. You have no fucking right to come to my country just to protect your own.

You think you know better while sitting thousands of miles away? You think your Principals Committee knows about ground realities? I don't think so. What is this about, huh, the new world order? You're well aware that our country does not support these terrorists. You know we are taking steps to resolve the situation by conducting our own covert operations. It affects us more than it affects you, you see.

And either ways, it is our nationals who become "civilian casualties" - such an infuriating word - "casualty". What is the etymology of the word? Innocent people who are killed casually?

Look, the bottom-line is, our civilians' lives are not less valuable than your civilians' lives. I do not endorse any terrorist attacks that result in such casualties. Islam very well doesn't. And Pakistan doesn't.

As for the political turmoil in Pakistan - it's been in turmoil ever since its inception. And it has always come through. Your skewed world-view won't let you see the real Pakistan. Stop making excuses. Read up on it some more, and try to reduce your ignorance.

And not that anyone doesn't know this, religious terrorism does not only stem from Islam. In India, there is a terrorist organization for almost every religion. The Sikhs have the Bhindranwale group (BTFK and others), and if you remember, Indra Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh guard. The Christians have several terrorist organizations in Tripura that have conducted various attacks on Hindus. Then you have the ULFA that does not represent any specific religious group as they target Muslims and Hindus alike. The Maoists have conducted more terrorist attacks than any other terrorist organization in India. So go do your homework and learn about other terrorist groups as well.

In Sri Lanka, there are Hindu Terrorists (so what if the media doesn't use that term - they use it for Muslims so we can use the same logic, can't we? Yes, I'm talking about LTTE - the Tamil Tigers), who have killed 604 soldiers and 177 civilians during past 72 hours in Mullaitivu. In the UK, Irish Catholic Terrorists known as the Real IRA bombed BBC headquarters in 2001. IRA has conducted more terrorist attacks in the UK than the recent surge of 'Muslim' Terrorism combined. In Spain and France, the terrorist organization is ETA. In Africa, the list of terrorist organizations is exhaustive, but we all know about the The Lord's Salvation Army that trains and exploits children for their terrorist activities.

My point is: just leave Pakistan alone. We're not like Afghanistan or Iraq. We have nuclear warheads, and no Pakistani wants them to be used.

Peace.

PS. Our President may be a jackass but our nation is not.

Jolene!

2009-03-10T03:17:00.001+08:00

Joleen
Download now or listen on posterous

Dolly Parton - Jolene.mp3 (3744 KB)

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene,
I'm begging of you please don't take my man.
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene,
Please don't take him just because you can.

Your beauty is beyond compare,
With flaming locks of auburn hair,
With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green.
Your smile is like a breath of spring;
Your voice is soft like summer rain,
And I cannot compete with you, Jolene.

He talks about you in his sleep,
An' there's nothing I can do to keep,
From crying when he calls your name, Jolene.
And I can easily understand,
How you could easily take my man,
But you don't know what he means to me, Jolene.

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene,
I'm begging of you please don't take my man.
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene,
Please don't take him just because you can.

You could have your choice of men,
But I could never love again.
He's the only one for me, Jolene.
I had to have this talk with you:
My happiness depends on you,
And whatever you decide to do, Jolene.

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene,
I'm begging of you please don't take my man.
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene,
Please don't take him even though you can.

Jolene. ( Jolene.)

By Dolly Parton

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Chanda Re Chanda Re

2009-03-04T16:03:00.003+08:00

Download now or listen on posterous

CHANDA RE CHANDA.MP3 (5564 KB)

Kabhi tou zameen par aa....

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For Good

2009-01-23T16:53:00.000+08:00

All her fragrances came to an end. No more joyous conversations on the phone. No more updating status messages on online services with implied meanings that were known to her alone.

Promises made but not kept. Issues not resolved. Too many people inbetween. He let her go...

For good.

For good!

She was the fresh bud upon his thorns. She neutralized him. He wanted to neutralize her. God had found their inverse and placed them in front of each other. Valentines forever.

Communication. The closer he came the more he got pushed back. He had a lot to say. He had a lot of nothing to say. A voice unheard?

A voice unheard. A murmuring one. A whimpering one. Agonizing her.

Uncertainty meant 'never', she thought. Ranting and pointing his finger at everything but himself! I will miss you. You took a stand on every little thing. You sure could yell. And so loud.

But you could be the one. The one who saves me from my own existence. Why are you so eager to identify with someone above the ground? Someone prepared to lead the way. Would this someone die for you?

Will you? Will you now? Would you die for me? Don't you fucking lie.

Don't you step out of line.

Don't you fucking lie.

I won't say goodbye. You do it. And then face yourself. If you can.

Random

2008-12-16T01:30:00.001+08:00

Self-conservation is a defense mechanism. When persons employ mechanisms like projection and principalization, they are obviously intent on protecting psychological territory integral to what is usually defined as the "self". Many complex strategies are employed to maintain a preferred self, somewhat irrespective of whether that self-definition matches customary "reality" criteria.

Greenwalf (1980) pictured most dramatically the extent to which individuals manipulate and distort information to bolster their self-concepts. He indicated that persons are engaged in a constant process of revising history so that it will be congruent with preferred notions of the self.

Reframing performance strategy: To dismiss failure by "inappropriate" justification of what has been done.

Transformed responsibility strategy: Calls for acknowledging failure but minimizing responsibility for it (e.g. due to temporary or "not really like me" mistakes).

M. W. Martin (1985) noted that a favourite form of self-excusing revolves around drinking alcohol, which permits rationalization of failure by attribution to one's intoxicated state.

Albert Camus: Each of us insists on being innocent at all cost, even if he has to accuse the whole human race and heaven itself.

Swann and Read (1981): "In the course of their social relationships, there is a systematic tendency for people to solicit feedback that verifies and confirms their self-conceptions."

Continued: "During their social encounters, individuals may actively bring their interaction partners' interactions evaluations into harmony with their self-conceptions. To wit, the man who conceives himself to be intimidating may sustain this conception by behaving in ways that induce others to grovel in his presence; the woman who views herself as unlovable may validate this conception by acting in ways that foster rejection by her would-be lovers."

9/11

2008-09-11T07:47:00.004+08:00

Today is the day that Muslims were outcast in the entire media-brainwashed world. Those images of the planes crashing into the building being played over and over again as if it was the most ridiculous thing ever - I mean, who would think a plane can be crashed into a building? Architects and engineers apparently. Yes, they have been designing plane-crash-proof buildings since a few decades and the WTC towers were specially designed to absorb impact. Anyway, screw conspiracy theories. Who doesn't remember those videos?

Everyone agrees it was a horrible tragedy. 2752 dead. 2752 families ruined. But no one realizes the horror of the aftermath.

The millions and billions of Muslims that practice their faith in moderation began to get identified as terrorists. People like Aafia Siddiqui who may be considered a little on the extreme side because they try to preach ended up suffering immensely, and the thousands that went 'missing' are all tragic stories untold.

Compare Aafia's case with the Catholic number of missionaries traveling to India alone each year (a huge number) - you will learn that the world is quite open to preaching - only not by Muslims any more.

Why? They're potential terrorists? Now isn't that a little extremist I say!

Yes. Today was a horrible day indeed. Horrible, horrible day.

Clichés

2008-09-09T02:39:00.000+08:00

Sometimes you really wish you could believe in cliches. Like if you love someone, you should let them go and if they come back to you, you know you really have something going.

I really hope it's true.

Ramadan Mubarak!

2008-09-04T03:00:00.004+08:00

The month where all hypocrites come out and practice being Muslim or trying to be Muslim has arrived. In case you don't know, Ramadan is the month where Muslims (that's followers of Islam, not terrorists, for your kind information) are supposed to fast (means eating or drinking nothing) from dawn till dusk. The whole idea is for 'haves' to feel the suffering of the 'have-nots' etcetera.

So what is so hypocritical about this month of Ramadan, or the month of Hypocrisy if they decided to rename it? Well, you see, Muslims are supposed to do a lot of things and there's no flexibility allowed. You have to pray 5 times a day. You can not engage in pre-marital or extra-marital consummation. Sodomy is not allowed. You need to give a portion of your income to the poor (that is not tax). You can not consume alcohol. You can not see a woman's hair (or a woman show hers). Etcetera.

When Ramadan arrives, people showing one or more of the above-mentioned forbidden behaviours stop demonstrating them temporarily. Hell, a rapist could stop raping people and think he's being religious. What's wrong with that, they say, it's out of respect! They respect the month of Ramadan!

But if they respect the month of Ramadan so much, why don't they respect God's other commands? Just because God said blessings will be multiplied in this month doesn't mean you can be 'good' for this period and then continue being 'bad', does it?

With respect to sins, the way it works (in Islam at least) is that you commit a sin, beg for forgiveness and never do it again. Odds are, the All-Forgiving will forgive. But if you don't beg for forgiveness, and you are certain you will be sinning again, then how can you expect all your temporary goodness to be accepted?

It's like a cold-hearted criminal becoming good in prison only to continue being a criminal as soon as he is out.

Ramadan is not a prison for Muslims. (Though you will see many of them treating it like that!)

What's more, even though fasting means not eating, so many Muslims end up gaining weight! How is that? Well, they eat at dawn, they eat at dusk, and often have dinner as well. But they eat more to make up. Yes, they eat approximately twice as much because they have to go the whole day without food - which is really hard - considering the air-conditioner makes your throat dry (which some may think is worse than what a construction worker might go through lifting bricks and all, but oh well).

Another hypocritical thing about Ramadan is that it's the ultimate excuse for laziness. Public servants and private employees all alike take long breaks for prayers (in other Islamic months they would usually not even pray) and they will not get any work done because well, they're feeling hungry. ("Mujhe roza lag raha hei" - I can feel the fast!) What kind of an evil boss would make a hungry person work, right?

However, the most hypocritical thing that Muslims do in Ramadan is being self-righteous. Just because a person fasts gives him or her the license to indicate to others that they're not a good person because they don't fast, or pray, or say their Tarawwi. I mean, what is that all about? You've been bad all year, and then suddenly, because of culture and society (or the misconception that you're a Muslim just because you were born one) you think you are better than another? That is just not acceptable.

So what's this rant about then? Well firstly, I want to wish all Muslims (hypocritical and those who are not) a very blissful Ramadan. And secondly, to announce that I will not be a hypocrite this Ramadan; hence I will not fast this 9th month of 1429, Islamic year.

Due apologies to God and no one else.

Satanic Voices in my Head

2008-07-25T02:13:00.001+08:00

Everyday we go on with our monotonous lives without ever really thinking. Which is why whenever we have free time we get to think things a lot. Over and through. Up and down. Thoroughly. Comparing past and present scenarios. Imagining future ones. How it has been. How would it be. What is the best angle for the chair to be at so that you can catch the fan, the TV and keep an eye on the pot if something is cooking. And you get to make conclusions.

Thinking. It's such a complex task that humans do without even thinking (intended pun). Or do they?

Did you know that before we move any muscle or perform any action, it takes our mind 1.5 seconds to make it happen?

You must be thinking that can't be true - because you fold your arms as soon as you think it - you scratch your nose as soon as you feel the itch - you slap him across his face as soon as he tries to feel you up.

It appears that our brain has a separate component - the subconscious. It's the subconscious where the electrical signals start working 1.5 seconds before we say something or perform any action. We are not aware of it, but we already know it. (Hey, don't try to negate me - ask the scientists and researchers who did the MRI tests to confirm this fact.)

So now, what is this 'subconscious' anyway? Another fairy tale? They say it's always more active than the rest of our brain, and it takes in each and every detail about everything we do or say like a sponge (yet it never helps us during our exams). It's so weird.

But think about it. Our mind tells us whatever the subconscious tells it. Right? And apparently our subconscious is not exactly in our control. We take direction from it. We don't direct it ourselves. Then whose control is it under?

All those media messages that we receive day in day out - has anyone ever thought about how they affect us?

In the early '90s when the dish antenna was still something new - in Pakistan at least - I remember there was some kind of campaign that asked people to switch off their television screens for a whole week. The advert featured a little girl staring at the tube with the audio blaring and the commentary said something like, "Is this your child or the network's child? What kind of values will she have? What kind of ideals will she look up to?" Etcetera etcetera. Then they asked people to switch off their televisions for a week.

This example is important. Because someone realised a long time ago that this tube - this TV screen that we stay glued to whenever we don't have anything else to do has the power to dominate our subconscious.

Does anyone remember the famous RATS incident during one of those US political campaigns? See, what they usually do is that they run words over the screen for as long as a millisecond - long enough for our subconscious to store it but too short for us to actually notice it. So that when our subconscious finally reveals those words to us as thoughts, we think they are our own thoughts.

The RATS incident was when the word RATS appeared during Bush's TV appearance (if I am not mistaken) for long enough for people to just see it. Still, only some people remembered it though.

So where was I? Ah yes, thinking! Yes. Nowadays we don't think. We let the tube do the thinking for us. We let the tube decide which football league to support, or which actor's performance to be impressed by. That is partly true for me at least - I rely on movie reviews a lot. I know some people who actually read the reviews after watching the movie. I try to write my own afterwards, heh. On Flixster!

So anyway, thinking is good. It makes the mind cloudy for a bit, which is a signal that something is going on (the machinery is still functional). It can help straighten things out as well. It can help you decide what you really want (or don't want) out of life. It can help you decide things regarding your family, friends and relationships.

Life is still a mystery to me though. I don't understand a lot of things. And I am adamant on finding answers for myself. Lucky for you, you don't have to do the thinking (or the searching). You just keep reading.

*in an evil satanic voice*
Give me the reigns of your subconscious! Muahahaha!

Dream about End of World

2008-07-07T03:59:00.001+08:00

I had a weird dream last. A weird weird dream. There were hundreds and thousands of people out on the street. And they would go to each and every house and make every person come out. All of them were angrily chanting "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammad is His Prophet" in Arabic, and they were all very loud. Most people would just come down because of the noise without anyone having to bring them.

Muslims would join the parade (not sure if that is what it was) and non-Muslims would be given a choice - either to accept Islam (and start saying the chant) or be slaughtered right there.

It was a deadly war of some sort. The street I saw in my dream was one at Model Town Extension, near my father's place in Lahore. The left right after the Model Town graveyard.

The funny thing is, I am not even a religious person, let being religiously extremist aside. Neither would there be more than 1% non-Muslims in that area I saw. But from my dream it seemed it was something happening the world over.

It was scary. I was scared in my dream.

I feel fine now after waking up. Cheers.

Mass Hypnosis

2008-07-01T07:10:00.001+08:00

Most of you are just so brainwashed by the media that you don't even see it. You say Pakistan harbours terrorists. You say stuff like "Pakistan is a terrorist state". You say that stuff without even realizing how ignorant you sound.

If anyone gets to call Pakistan a terrorist country, it's a Pakistani.

Why? Because it's so bloody ironic that it's funny.

No one else has the right to try to be funny because they don't have the right to.

Pakistan is at war within its own borders. It's Pakistanis against non-Pakistanis. Religious extremists from another place versus liberals who helped form Pakistan. Pakistanis are not terrorists.

Americans fueled money into the Pakistan army so they could help the Taliban crush Russia. Yes, Talibans did it with America's aid. Why did Pakistan agree to do it? Because India was a major threat and Pakistan could use the extra money for defence.

Then the Taliban went out of control and the U.S. needed Pakistan's help because they were in the best position since the Pakistan army trained them in the first place. Why did Pakistan agree to do it? Because the other option was to go on war with America.

Now Pakistan is launching Taliban offensives within its borders. and American forces are killing innocent Pakistanis mistaking them for Taliban. When the whole world hears the words 'terrorist' and 'Pakistan' in the same headline without reading the print they think they know so much about the world? My beloved country is a mess. The least we deserve is not to be thought of as dangerous or terrorist-like in any way.

And all of this is for what? This is not our war. Maybe it's a war for oil? For greed? A one-world government? American dominance over the world? A world war III spoiler? I don't know.

I just don't want to hear anyone calling Pakistan a terrorist state again. Ever.

Go get your facts right. And don't let the mass media hypnotize you.

Why I carry on with AIESEC

2008-06-16T01:57:00.002+08:00

Okay I get it. I think I now know why I continue with AIESEC despite everything.

AIESEC gives me things to do. Things to do give me the sense of purpose in everyday life (that doesn't have to be long-term, but can be). The sense of purpose gives me direction in day-to-day activities. The direction keeps me from straying away and doing useless things.

Useless things include sitting idly online, or with friends, or just lying on my bed.

I'm not saying that doing these things doesn't give me pleasure. Of course it does. But sometimes you need to stick to a few things and obviate hedonism in order to make progress.

Or to stick to a pattern of making progress (as opposed to sticking to a pattern of epicurean and self-destructive tendencies).

Heading in the right direction means having more fulfilling days, filled with achievement(s) that boost my morale and increase my self-confidence.

At some events, participating in AIESEC despite ridicule from friends actually gives me the motivation to go on with the struggle (that is life).

Motivation strengthens the mind.

Friends

2008-06-15T23:59:00.002+08:00

You can forgive your friends for anything. Whether it is for literally inhaling that last piece of chocolate you asked them to save for you, or even for stealing your girlfriend. But you can't forgive them for spitting on your dreams.

It's just sad when that happens. You feel like they don't respect you or what you aim to do in life. They can't provide you with the motivation you need to keep steering towards your goals. From that point on, you don't feel like sharing your joys and successes and eventually the friendship wears off.

I guess that is just normal in life. Good friends come and go. After all, you need to have perfect understanding and friendship with just one person in this world.

That elusive one.

If we're lucky, all of us will find that one, get married and have hundreds and thousands of (hypothetical) kids.

Of course, most of us are jinxed.

Sears vs K-Mart

2008-06-02T15:12:00.003+08:00

Hit by Realizations

2008-05-29T17:30:00.004+08:00

People don't 'get' me. As much as I explain myself every so often, I realize I am still considered to be a weird guy.

I realize I am not the type who would say, "Haha! I was right all along!" I would stay quiet and expect the other person would realize it without me having to make any fuss about it.

I laugh when I am embarrassed, disgraced, anxious, nervous, angry or anything. I realize my laughter is taken as 'mockery' in a lot of circumstances. I don't mock.

I realize I use sarcasm solely for my personal amusement. I hardly wish to communicate my sarcasm to other people. It's a joke within my head - followed by laughter within my head.

I realize I perform much better when I feel inadequate. Like, when I am late, I get that guilty feeling that pushes me to accomplish more.

I realize I don't like to react to things. I internalize it and try to be pragmatic when I get over it. On the outside I would joke about it.

I believe that idealism supersedes any other ism and I will always fight for it. But I realize that pragmatism is what enables you to move on in life and make progress.

I make excellent judgments. And I rationalize my judgments very well. But I realize I am often wrong.

I realize that I have so many friends that I am left with none at times. They all think I have other friends to count on.

If someone gets the credit for something I have done, I feel happy for them. I realize that makes me gullible so people take advantage of me.

I realize people only keep a tally of the things they do for me, not things I do for them. I wish I would keep a tally like that too but I don't or can't.

I toy with people's minds in attempts to open them up. I realize that expanding people's mindsets is much harder than it might appear to be; and the consequences can be drastic if done too fast.

I realize I have hundreds of dreams yet I follow not a single one of them truly.

The "F word"...

2008-05-21T14:52:00.004+08:00

Quote from copyblogger:

Oh, those dreaded ‘F’ words. ‘Finish’, along with ‘focus’ and ‘follow through’ are words that make creative types cringe.

Focus? Why? Living in the land of possibility is so much fun! I have so many great ideas, it’s really impossible to focus on only one.

Follow through? Groan. It’s much easier to entertain new and energizing ideas! I can’t get organized enough to follow through on project ideas.

Finish? Death! If I finish something, then I have to face the reality of whether it’s any good or not – will anyone want my work?

My comment: Ditto.

Note: I haven't copied the entire post. Click here to see it on copyblogger.

Shh....!

2008-05-20T13:07:00.002+08:00

Jobless as I am, I am making a list of various words I can think of that have the 'sh' sound. There are at least 11 different ways different alphabets make the 'sh' sound. Check them out:

'C' - social/Associate (soshul/assoshiate)
'Ch' - chalet (shallay)
'Psh' - pshaw (shaw)
'S' - surely/sure (shorely/shore)
'Sch' - schist (shist)
'Sc' - conscience (conshunss)
'Sh' - shabby (shabby)
'Se' - nauseous (noshus)
'Si' - tension (tenshun)
'Ssi' - mission (mishun)
'Ti' - dictation (dictashun)

This just goes on to prove that English is not a phonetic language at all. If you know the IPA (the crazy alphabets next to the words in dictionaries) you will know what I mean. Inglish iz a phunny languwage indeed.

Love-Hate - Arguments

2008-05-18T05:43:00.003+08:00

It had endured many strong winds and drafts. The kind of weather it was used to, there was always one air current or another. At times - it got so used to the currents - it would not even realize it had been tolerating one.

There were many arguments. Mostly about support and about the leaves. The winds made the branch weak. Its connection to its home branch had been weakened by the excessive winds and it often supported itself with the help of nearby branches and the fencing.

One of the major arguments it often had was with the wind itself. The wind always had a response that made the branch feel worse about the accusation.

The branch would say to the tree, "Over the years, you have done nothing but wear me out. I find it hard to support myself, and I need your help. If you could, you could perhaps reduce the pressure on me so that I can just survive."

And the wind would respond, "You make it look like I'm the bad guy here. I have always brought about changes to your life. I take away the dry leaves that you are unable to support any more and you are able to grow fresh leaves in their place that give you the energy to go on.
"Where would you be without me? How can you always look at things your way and not mine? I travel miles to do you this favour and this is how you thank me? By questioning my motives?"

The branch would shudder and give away, gullible as always. It could never win the argument - in that instant at least. But when it would look back, it could always think of so many things it could have said to win the argument. Like, what it had done for the branch - without keeping count.

Who helped the wind slow down so that it could not become a tornado and be blamed for the lives of so many? The dry leaves it gave the wind allowed it to go and make some stranger's land fertile, rather than its own. And the branch lent the fragrance of its all but one flower to the wind so that it could charm its way everywhere it went.

Moreover, the wind had brought hails, snow and rain with it upon the branch. And it had not only taken away the dry leaves, but also carried away many fresh and healthy ones. And it never showed that it cared.

The wind and the branch never communicate efficiently enough to have a good relationship. They would always be partners at times, enemies at others.

You can't hate without loving, or love without hating.

My Summer Internship 2008

2008-05-14T14:17:00.003+08:00

The company where I work for my internship is located at International Business Park. It's a much calmer place compared to my experience of working at Raffles Place, but there aren't many interns here. Sadly, that means having lunch by myself, or in the company of Gold 90.5 FM.

On my first day of work, the Managing Director for the Singapore office of my company joined me for lunch. I guess I didn't realize the kind of chit-chat I should have had with him at the time. I told him about how I was having trouble with getting on-campus accommodation and I laughed nervously when I told him how homeless I was - bunking-in at a different friend's place every night. I went on to explain to him how I was trying to appeal for accommodation and how simple it may be. He kept a listening ear and in the end of the discussion, he said in a stern voice, "Being homeless in Singapore is not funny".

I guess in the one week or so that I've been working here I have lost the impression I had made in my interview and now I am trying to work my ass off to prove myself.

The work they want me to do for them is boring at best, but I get to call all around the world in search of information. The work I want to do for them, and this they allow - even facilitate, is to write news stories for their publications.

My timings are 9:00 am to 5:30 and the lunch break is one hour, but they are very flexible. For instance, I'm not considered late as long as I arrive before 10:00 am. I can leave as early as 5:00 pm if I want, but that is not always possible if you haven't finished your work. As a new (and the only) intern, I don't have that much work, but it's building up gradually.

Compared to where I was working before - as a telemarketer at a call center selling loans and credit cards - the lunch break here is also flexible. You can take it any time you want - usually between 12:00 noon and 2:00 pm. (At my previous job, the lunch break was fixed from 1:00 pm to 2:00 and my boss would give me steam if I was even a minute late. My supervisor then went on to tell me that the break was in effect 50 minutes only.)

I can go out for a smoke whenever I want. I mean, I've never tried to abuse this because I value the luxury. For my call center job, there were two 15-minute breaks, which were awarded if you met your team goals. Often, there would be no break at all. In smokers' world, that was genocide.

Only yesterday I was going through a 4-hour AIESEC transition session (from the current to the new executive board - unfortunately I'm in both) and there was no break. I had dinner during the session and my nicotine level dropped rapidly. On top of it, I had coffee afterwards so I was dying for a cigarette. When the promised break was not 'awarded', I felt like killing someone. Let me tell you, this session was being held 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm, after a whole day of work (or in my case, a half-day of work that was followed by a rushed and hectic trip to the airport to drop my sister off as she left for Pakistan).

I hate it when non-smokers don't understand smokers. Or when they're not even half considerate. For us it's like denying a thirsty person water. Oh well. I won't bark.

I wrote this post in the time I saved in my lunch break today (it was raining and I had to run to the food court where I work). I've been carrying my umbrella everyday since my internship began. Today is the only time I wasn't carrying it and it's been raining all day. So typically unpredictable, this Singapore weather!

Selling Blogs

2008-04-21T04:38:00.003+08:00

With a title like that, you would probably expect some advice on how to make money from your blogs. Sorry to disappoint you if that was your expectation when you clicked in.

What I mean by selling blogs is selling the idea of blogging to someone who doesn't blog - something I have done a lot in the past months (well, ever since I started to blog myself). Naturally, some of these people (to my surprise, actually) started blogging and some of the more established ones are by:

Regina Escobar (a student at NUS)
Shubhangi Faujdar (a student at NUS and an AIESECer)
and, Won Jang (an AIESECer from Korea who is currently visiting India, then returning to Singapore)

So my dear readers, do check out their blogs because at least one of them told me my blog inspired them to start writing, which is a very heart-warming compliment indeed.

And while you're at it, two more people have joined in and they have some impressive posts, to say the least. They are by:

Muhammad Usman Aslam Mahar (student at NUS and an AIESECer as well)
and, Vasudha Ram (student at NUS and an AIESECer too)

So hang around their virtual homes (i.e. their blogs), read their stuff and comment if you will.

The exam period is floating in the air in NUS and everyone is tensed up in this Reading Week, so a little distraction might only help. (Sorry if it doesn't!)

Disclaimer: I should say that I wasn't the only factor to have influenced the above-mentioned writers to start blogging; all I am saying is that I played a role (to whatever extent) in convincing them to start writing, and this is my way of showing my appreciation for them by making this post.

All About The Money

2008-04-19T03:00:00.001+08:00

You're always happy when you are out spending money, aren't you? But is that really happiness? Is that really fun?

Think about it. You go out with friends, watch a movie, grab a bite to eat, stumble upon a bar on the way back where you have a few drinks, and maybe grab an ice-cream somewhere along the way. As you go to bed that night, you have a smile on your face that says, "I have friends. I hang out with them and it's fun. I am so lucky."

And that is the story of just one day when you went out to have a little fun. There are at least 30 days in each month (yeah, yeah, I know that about Feb).

All is well until you reach the end of the month (or the beginning, depending on your cycle), when you start receiving your bills and (oh no!) bank statements. Only then you realize how much fun it had really been.

Unfortunately, we soon realize that money doesn't grow on trees. And if it did, others wouldn't have been as lazy as you and would've gotten to them first, leaving nothing for you. Yes; yes. I am not writing anything new here. This is not a new phenomenon I have discovered. It's an age-old adage.

It forces me to think, why, after being such smart and intelligent people (at least most of us), why do we keep doing the same things? Vicious circles. Why are we so afraid to say no?

Are we afraid that we might be disliked by our peers? Or looked down upon?

I don't know about you all out there but I could certainly learn a lesson or two in the art of saying 'no' and sticking with that decision.

And while we're on this, why can't people understand that 'no' doesn't mean, "Keep asking me again and again until I say 'yes'"? That's like offering someone a cigarette over and over again when they just announced they've quit smoking.

*Madonna sings in the background: "'Cause we are living in a material world..."*

I just wish I would not get suckered into this capitalist mumbo-jumbo about money making us all happy just by spending it. It does not give us all we need in life. I don't buy it.

But I see no outs.

Sometimes I find another world inside my mind
When I realize the crazy things we do
It makes me feel ashamed to be alive
It makes me wanna run away and hide

It's all about the money
It's all about the dum dum du du du dum
I don't think it's funny
To see us fade away
It's all about the money
It's all about the dum dum du du du dum
And I think we got it all wrong anyway

We find strange ways
Of showing them how much we really care
When in fact we just don't seem to care at all
This pretty world is getting out of hand
So tell me how we fail to understand

It's all about the money
All about the dum dum du du du dum
I don't think it's funny
To see us fade away
It's all about the money
It's all about the dum dum du du du dum
And I think we got it all wrong anyway, anyway

'Cause it's all about the money

It's all about the money
All about the dum dum du du du dum
I don't think it's funny
To see us fade away
It's all about the money
All about the dum dum du du du dum
And I think we got it all wrong anyway

It's all about the money
It's all about the dum dum du du du dum
I don't think it's funny
To see us fade away
It's all about the money
It's all about the dum dum du du du dum
And I think we got it all wrong anyway, anyway

Job Interviews

2008-04-14T07:19:00.002+08:00

G-E-E-K-!

2008-04-14T07:15:00.001+08:00

I am a geek. It's official.

I can't help but to have outbursts of geek talk. It doesn't matter if I am sitting in a group of non-geeks. I just can't help myself.

I start Facebook groups like Revive BillMonk to protest the errors in the BillMonk service (which is actually an excellent service by the way). And my reason is that I just can't believe there's a fantastic website out there that has a major bug and it's not being fixed.

I use Mozilla Firefox because it has add-ons like the Facebook toolbar, the Google toolbar, SearchStatus 1.21 that shows Alexa and PageRank rankings, and Screengrab! 0.93, that helps save the entire web page as an image (very useful).

I also manage to hang Firefox because I don't restart it for days, have more than 15 tabs open at any given time, and I have two different versions of Adobe Acrobat (8.0 and 8.1) installed on my computer. There are times when I open a page that requires a Java applet to run (Internet banking or Facebook image uploader) while I open an Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) document in another tab, when at the same time a Facebook Notification (from the toolbar) pops up and that totally crashes my browser.

Thankfully, Mozilla saves all the web pages that are open before it hangs and when I open it again I get the option to 'Restore Session'. *smiles cheekily*

When I talk about things that totally inspire me, people often zone out because they don't want to listen to geek-talk (or know how to). You could get me started by saying something absurd like, "Yahoo is better than Google".

I am so passionate about most Google products that I just won't tolerate an accusation like that. Yeah, I use most Google products: AdSense, AdWords, Analytics, Base, Blogger, Calendar, Docs, Gmail, Groups, iGoogle, Maps, Notebook, orkut, Picasa Web Albums, Reader, Talk, Web History, and Webmaster Tools.

Why was there a need to make this post? Why tell the world you're a geek?

It's fairly simple - when people hear me talk (yap!) about geeky stuff, they feel like calling me a geek. But people are polite (yes, it's true!) so they don't.

But I don't mind being called a geek. It's only true. So go right ahead. Say it.

PS. This post may not make any sense at all. If you bothered reading it, you are either jobless or you just can't consume any more text books (reference to the NUS exam period). To the latter, I wish good luck.

Whims and Feelings

2008-03-30T01:49:00.002+08:00

It's a weird feeling to not feel. To not care. To be oblivious to life. Desensitization.

You feel larger than life. You think life will bend to accommodate your whims and fantasies. Not the other way around.

You stop valuing people. Relationships. You give up hope on humankind. You fall into a downward spiral.

You feel better when you think of her. You continue to dream, to fantasize. And life starts to make some sense again. Until you get that email.

You try to contain it all in your head. You tell yourself you can deal with it. You can make it.

You just need someone to hold your hand.

PMS - Verb or Noun?

2008-03-25T03:42:00.005+08:00

Sure you think it's a sensitive topic to discuss - whether you're a guy or a girl, or anywhere in between. But it's a fact of life, you know, like death, or halawa. These things exist in life and you have to learn to deal with them.

Personally, I think PMS is great if you're the one who's doing it. (In this context, PMS means whining - read on for more details.) For example, my computer has been PMSing since a few weeks now. Low disk space errors, viruses and what not. I finally reinstalled Windows but the errors continued. So I re-reinstalled it. It feels much better now after I have given it enough attention but every now and then it asks me to restart it so that some new updates can be installed. But I have too many PMSers to deal with. So I'm moving on.

That brings me to the question of what is this PMS. How do you pronounce this word? It's pee-em-ess by the way, and that is the noun form, and so is PMSer - a person who is PMSing. Pee-em-ess-ing is the verb.

PMS is the state/act (noun/verb) of acting out on an impulse of your emotions. To PMS effectively, you must make sure you don't rationalize or use any logic. Intuition and bad judgment will get you the attention you deserve.

To tackle PMS, think of it as war. Either you can be the brave warrior that fights on the forefront and doesn't step back. The warrior would continue to battle until he either dies or wins. Or you can be the one that runs away - hoping the war would end soon on its own and life would return to normal.

PMS is exhibited by many but only a few people realize they are dealing with it when they are dealing with it. Your cell phone could be PMSing, or your browser, your guy friends, your girl friends, your boyfriend or girlfriend, your siblings, the weather, the stove, school assignments, your leather boots, Photoshop, bank balance - just about anything!

So watch out!

Disclaimer: I used the computer's PMS as an example to illustrate that this phenomenon is not observed in just one gender or species. I am definitely not comparing women to computers. PMS is prevalent in every living and non-living thing and the sooner we become aware of it (and learn the tackle it) the better off we will be. Good luck to you.

31 days

2008-03-21T11:50:00.003+08:00

After such massive abuse, there is no choice left but to reinstall Windows.

Status Updates on Facebook

2008-03-14T04:20:00.003+08:00

March 13:

Nabeel is running through tissue paper rolls and cussing at the NUS CCA points' system.

12:03pm

Nabeel is running through tissue paper rolls.

7:27am

March 10:

Nabeel 's greatest dream is to see ZERO UNREAD emails in his inbox...

8:41am

March 9:

Nabeel is pulling his hair out!!!! *&%^$%@!

7:11pm

March 6:

Nabeel is sick and tired of being sick and tired.

7:35pm

March 1:

Nabeel wants to ride the world's largest observation wheel and then compare it with the eye in London.

8:46pm

February 28:

Nabeel has Chlorine in his lungs.

8:48pm

February 27:

Nabeel is keeping the faith...

5:25pm

Nabeel feels like a tabula rasa.

1:38pm

Nabeel is grilled.

1:31am

February 25:

Nabeel is in for some massive grilling.

2:47am

February 22:

Nabeel is dead dead dead (and the week has not really ended for him).

3:49pm

February 21:

Nabeel is dead.

11:46am

February 19:

Nabeel is going through his crisis week.

8:30pm

February 17:

Nabeel is sneezing like a pig... Oh wait, do pigs sneeze?

5:21pm

Nabeel is looking for Sweeney Todd but can't find it on Ares.

6:11am

February 16:

Nabeel is lovin' it.

3:09pm

February 15:

Nabeel is the internal communications expert in Yahoo!

3:27pm

Valentine's, what else?

2008-02-14T22:15:00.002+08:00

Last Valentine's I was miserable and I shared this video on my blog.

This year it is different for some reason but those glazy eyed, dazed-face couples and the heart-shaped balloons still annoy the hell out of me. Whatever you guys do when you're in love, keep it in the closet! PDAs aren't really my thing. (That's Public Displays of Affection you geek!)

Anyway, Happy Valentine's Day to you all. If you also think this day is stupid, that's cool, but don't sit home alone tonight. Go out and buy yourself some chocolate.

Updates... Sneeze attack!

2008-02-11T14:43:00.001+08:00

I've been out from the "blogging scene" since quite some time so what all have I been up to?

I watched The Notebook and The Kite Runner yesterday - both awesome movies that are able to deliver goosebumps and very real emotions (you know the kind you can feel in your eyes). I recommend them both even if you have the least bit of a feminine side.

Day before yesterday we finally initiated the Global Village project with the first meeting of the OC. I was lucky to be able to get hold of some talented people from AIESEC in NUS and now it's all about implementation and a little bit of brainstorming as we come up with proposals and what not. I have yet to send out the minutes though. I need to speak to the LCP about some things first so I'm procrastinating a bit. But what can an LC event be without the president's help?

Right now I am sitting down at the lovers' den near Central Forum and I'm working on a web critique that I have to write for my publications module. I'm handing it in late so I need to make it very good to make up for the penalty. I've picked the AIESEC Singapore website to critique and the other four websites need to be of similar organisations so I'm picking iHippo, Work and Travel USA, JobsCentral, NUS Exchange and one other.

Speaking of the lovers' den, it's quite empty here considering it's the love season - St Valentine's coming up and all. I guess this place is still somewhat original and not commercialised (but it could be done very effectively, I believe).

Later I am attending WWF's Living Planet Report (multi-disciplinary perspectives on climate change). If someone from the AIESEC Environmental Awareness PBoX is there, we might even speak to WWF about a possible partnership or something of the sort.

Tomorrow I have 7 hours of non-stop lectures/tutorials (Tuesdays I am booked from 10 am to 5 pm) and then The Ridge elections at 6:30 or something. Still not sure if I want to run for anything.

I also have to complete my EB application because I have decided I want to be in next year's AIESEC in NUS executive board. But I can't find my old application - it would've helped so much! Wish me luck as I am sure there will be good competition!

Oh, and I have signed up for Arabic language classes that will be every Wednesday (starting day after tomorrow) 5 to 7 pm. The downside to this is that it leaves me broke, and now I need to quit smoking to save some money. More on that on my War On Smoking blog (I'm selling my last 50g packet of Drum tobacco if anyone wants it for S$20).

I haven't done any cooking this semester and my sister has been picking up the slack. The other day I soaked some red (kidney) beans in water for two days and they went bad because I didn't cook them. They were just lying there and had to be thrown away. I hate wastage of food! So I need to do some cooking real soon!

And last, I am applying for internships for this Summer (there's this one Development Traineesheep in China that really caught my attention) but I am not sure if I want to apply through AIESEC (there's this one with Bloomberg Singapore that I really like). So I am not sure what I should do. I also want to plan it in such a way so that I can visit Pakistan again for a month or so at the end of the 3-month summer vacaton.

So what have you been up to?

Sneeze attack!

Black and White World

2008-02-09T15:45:00.000+08:00

I wonder how it can be so easy for people to live in a completely black and white world. Where philosophies, logic and arguments can not reach any conclusion because of the very nature of this kind of world.

Reasons.

Excuses? Arguments? What are reasons? Why is it so hard to understand them; to deal with them? Why do some people choose to accept reasons and others choose to ignore them?

Do reasons represent what is morally grey? Do they represent everything that falls between the black and the white?

Are all the colours of life just a bunch of reasons?

I don't fathom reasons. I don't like excuses. I always like to do what is best and what is the most appropriate. But I still have reasons.

If a father, who is supposed to go to an event that is important to his daughter, isn't able to make it because of, guess what - reasons, does that make him a bad guy?

The answer is: in a black and white world that would make him a bad guy.

But life can not be just that black and white, now can it? Reasons are always there to be accepted, so that life can move on and show all its colours in all their glory.

There is a reason why everything turns out to be the way it does. In fact, there are always numerous reasons - and tons and tons of different perspectives. I'm saying there are even more than two sides to every story.

Life is not black and white. Accept it the way it is and learn to understand all the perspectives.

It's too cliched but I'll still say it - forgive, and forget - the two things that will always make you happy and your life colourful.

Experience of a Singaporean in Pakistan

2008-02-02T03:15:00.000+08:00

Zafirah is an NUS graduate who was in the AIESEC national team in 2005-2006 as President. She has been doing an AIESEC internship in Karachi, the ex-capital of Pakistan and here she shares some of her experiences and opinions about Pakistani culture. It is a good read, especially for Pakistanis.

Hey everyone!

Hope you're all doing well. Here in Pakistan it's business as usual. I "visited" Singapore last week for a wedding, and have now returned to Karachi. It's a long email here, recapping thoughts and sharing experiences. So read on only if you have time!

It's been eventful in the past 5 months, and having it peaceful like now, it's quite strange I must say. In Karachi we've had the floods in July/August, the first Benazir assasination attempt, the Karachi Express train derailed, the state of emergency imposed by Musharraf, the assasination of Benazir, post Benazir fiasco, and now upcoming elections. Quite exciting times indeed!

Truth be told, I can now understand why most Pakistani's have become numb to political developments in the country. I still remember when the state of emergency was declared. Us interns were so worried, yet the Pakistani AIESECers shrugged it off as no big deal. Today, we read the newspapers and nothing surprises us anymore. The worst seems to have already happened, one of Pakistan's most influential political leader was killed and no particular group has been identified as being responsible for her death.

And now with elections around the corner, everyone is looking forward for it to be OVER. It doesn't matter who wins, as long as there is somebody! Because then there is certainty and with certainty, whether good or bad will bring stability because people know what to expect and how to deal with the circumstances.

Anyway, politics aside...

I was once asked about how women are treated here in Pakistan. And I am being totally frank here, (albeit with a bit of humour) the women are loved, respected, but sometimes overprotected. Being a woman I am entitled to priviledges that men never enjoy. For example:

1) In bargaining for the rickshaw, all I need is a tilt of the head and pleading eyes and the drivers just sigh..... and give in to my asking price! :)

2) If I were driving, I would always get my way on the roads. ALWAYS, no questions asked!

3) If in the elevator, men would squeeze themselves like sardines into the corners to allow me to get on, and even then still give me lots of breathing room!

Generally, living alone in Pakistan as a woman is really quite safe. However in career development, it is still evolving. Mindsets are being challenged within less educated families as it is not accepted for a daughter to be working, what more developing a career? Making an independent, individualistic choice by the daughter is virtually unheard of. From my interactions with young ladies here who have finished their education, from both better-off families and poor families, these ladies have limited options. This is because what they want to do in their own future is determined by their family's approval. e.g. getting married, starting a family.

Of course there are ladies who are given the opportunity to develop their own talents, pursue their chosen careers, and not protected from making their own mistakes and learning from them. However these cases are rare, from what I observe, looking at the number of women entrusted with top management positions.

As a trainee, we can observe, question and hopefully inspire positive change in this environment we are in. Through daily interactions, conversations, and leading by example. Which brings me to my point! (Yes, this long email has a purpose, especially for those that might be considering but haven't decided on exchange yet!)

Through the AIESEC experience, we hope to develop change agents with entrepreneurial, socially responsible, active learner, etc.. characteristics. Which seems like a lot of fluff for me when I was a new member! And I never really understood how effective it really is, until NOW! Exchange is and should remain the most integral part, because it just makes everything fall into place.

Being here in Pakistan has challenged me, changed me, made me realise even more what I am capable of, what I need to do, what my life purposes are, and how I can get there.

For those that are applying for exchange I wish you all the best and may you realise your potential even more!

For those that are still thinking about going for exchange.... I'd say just go for it! Don't let the opportunity pass because there may not be a next time later on...

For those undecided where to go for exchange.... Come to Pakistan! What you see on TV is just a tiny fraction of life events here, and if I can survive for this long, so can you. I believe we have a few development traineeships and management traineeships available. If you're interested, drop me a mail :)

All the best!

Zafirah Mohamed

The Middle Class Effect

2008-01-22T13:20:00.000+08:00

By Osman A. Khairi and Kamran Khan

Curiously, Pakistan passes through a cycle of political tumult and unrest after about every ten years that somehow leads to a change of the ‘faces’. After the political upheavals of 1958, 1968, 1977-78, 1988, and 1998-99 we are about to enter into 2008 with yet another ‘middle class revolution’ brewing in some urban areas.

Politics is much like Plato’s allegory of a cave where we do not see the real world but only the images of the people outside the cave being formed on the wall. Likewise, on the Pakistan political stage, we do not see the ‘reality’ but only the ‘images’ that are being projected onto the screen, now immensely powerful images with global satellite TV.

Sentimental viewers of mostly middle classes tend to get so much emotionally involved in the play that they start ascribing their own latent ‘dreams’ and memories of their own unfulfilled youthful desires to the different ‘players’ on the screen.

All politics is essentially the interplay of some conflicting powers competing for expanding or protecting their interests. Modern politics is also the art of camouflaging this conflict in some more ‘popular’ garbs. We are at times at a loss to discern the real conflict beneath the multiple layers of covering.

Let’s attempt to see what is happening around us and who the real ‘players’ are?

Today, in our political life we are witnessing mainly five contradictions/paradoxes interacting with each other on different planes:

(i) The underlying conflict between the US-led western powers’ hegemonic interests in the south and central Asian region and a powerful and politically dominant Pakistan military that is now armed with nuclear weapons. Currently, this conflict has become the main driver of most political happenings in the country and is directly impacting all other conflicts in our society.

(ii) The conflict between the directly ruling military and the political power blocks of ruling elite who aspire to extract their pound of flesh in the plunder of national wealth. This conflict has been generally the most dominant factor in our national politics till 1988.

(iii) The internal conflict among political parties representing coalitions of different power blocks competing with each other for a power and wealth sharing role with the military and in the process seeking blessings and patronage of the western imperial powers.

(iv) The aspirations of the expanding middle classes for a greater role for themselves in the governance and the system of patronage currently dominated by only a small ruling elite. These aspirations are usually expressed in Op-Ed pages and Letters to Editors in English Newspapers and on electronic media in terms of demands for more social and political ‘freedoms’ in line with western democratic political models, The middle class aspirations of at least the urban areas of Sindh have found an independent political representation in the form of MQM. A rising middle class of Punjab has yet to find an independent political representation.

(v) The burgeoning desires and demands of common men and women and the toiling masses of the country for emancipation from oppressive poverty and an unfulfilled dream for better living that can meet their basic needs of shelter, health and education have not yet found any voice and political representation.

In the world arena, G8 powers and China are simultaneously competing and collaborating with each other for expanding their economies. The US has taken an outright aggressive posture to dominate the world economy with brute force and is prepared to unleash new wars to demonstrate its capability to do so for gaining exclusive control of the world’s energy resources to ensure its continued hegemony. The world’s largest oil and gas reserves, so critically vital for the industrially developed economies having the ambition of playing the role of global powers, are located in and around the regions of the Middle East and the Central Asia. Most of the oil supplies pass through the Persian Gulf. Pakistan with its large standing army and nuclear weapons is located too dangerously close to these prized regions. China critically needs an outlet in this area through Pakistan to resist any blockade of its vital energy supplies. This global conflict has now become a predominant factor in the politics of many weaker economies like Pakistan which happen to be located in the vortex of this global energy game. Earlier, before the development of colonial and post-colonial world, international conflicts seldom played this high level of disturbing influence on the local politics and domestic power conflicts usually played dominant roles in the societies. Now for a long time the local interest groups of the ruling classes do not have sufficient political and military strength to challenge the global players and have no choice but to compete among themselves for seeking a role to serve one or the other dominant player in the bigger global power game and during the currency of this ‘appointment’ skim off some national wealth for themselves in awarding state controlled contracts and in the deals for procurement of weapons from their masters.

In 1947 Pakistan was founded in areas with predominantly agrarian and tribal socio-political structures and matured political institutions were conspicuous by their absence. The only state institution in this part that was fairly matured and developed was the military that was mostly recruited by the British colonial administration from the Punjab and parts of NWFP. The Pakistan army having strong and disciplined institutional support system soon gained preeminence in the newly formed state structures in early 1950’s and finally established its direct rule in 1958, ruthlessly suppressing the nascent political evolutionary process. The landed aristocracy and the merchant bourgeoisie soon assumed the role of junior collaborators and quickly learnt the politics of gaining economic benefits through patronage of military generals. Building its own independent extensive revenue-generating economic base, Pakistan military became the sole negotiator for the country in the international power game during the cold war. The rising imperial power in the Asian theater, the US swiftly developed direct links with a strong standing army in south Asia to counter balance the Soviet Union and China’s growing influence in the region and the Middle East.

Exploiting the opportunity provided by China’s breaking away from the Soviet Union’s camp in early 1960’s, the Pakistan army clearly tilted towards China to seek protection from a possible pincer attack of soviet dominated powers; from India on its eastern border and from Afghanistan on the west. The China card also provided a timely lever to the Pakistan army for bolstering its position in its negotiations for more military aid from the US and European powers. Extra-ordinarily warm Pak-China Friendship in 1960s and 1970s was the need of Pakistan army to mitigate the fear of betrayal from the US and the West in Pakistan army’s attempt to resist Indian hegemony in south Asia.

During the process of the economic growth in the last about 50 years the middle classes have steadily expanded in numbers, increasing disposable incomes and social influence while accumulation of wealth in large urban areas has dramatically increased in the last about 10 years. Sharing of some benefits of the economic growth during military’s first direct rule in Ayub’s era produced first signs of middle class gaining strength and consequently asking for more political freedoms and greater role in governance. Primarily the youth of those middle classes who actually benefited from the magic of state sponsored capitalism came out on the streets demanding freedoms in 1968, a beginning of the first radical students’ movement in the country. Triggered by the students’ agitation, the first (and, perhaps, the last) mass political upheaval was witnessed in Pakistan when Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto cleverly exploited political discontentment of the middle classes and successfully agitated the urban poor by inviting them for ‘gherao aur jalao’ raising a radical slogan of the promise of "roti, kapra, aur makan" (bread, clothing and rooftop)!

Contrary to general belief, barring a few marginal concessions, this haphazard demonstration of the street power and ‘labour agitation’ did not yield any fruits in the form of meaningful ‘political freedoms’. In fact, as usual, it resulted in a ‘counter-revolution’ from the army, which again assumed the role of ‘direct ruler’ with Yahya Khan imposing another martial law. It was the subsequent humiliating defeat of Pakistan army in the East Pakistan and the eastern part winning its independence in December 1971 that, in fact, forced the Pakistan Army to concede to the civilian rule by handing over the political power to populist Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

Unfortunately, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto squandered this first and probably the last opportunity to permanently lay the foundation of a civilian political rule in Pakistan and soon succumbed to his own complexes and in pursuit of his personal whims and political vendetta he unwittingly helped resurrect the arbitrary powers of the military. Army soon recouped its strength and struck back in vengeance in 1977. Bhutto, a populist elected Prime Minister from the political elite of the country, was hanged essentially for the unpardonable crime of personally humiliating the Pakistan army.

Soon a major event occurred on the western borders of Pakistan. Soviet army walked into Afghanistan in 1979 to bolster the tottering pro-soviet regime. Pakistan army became the darling of the west and billions of US dollars were pumped by the West and the Saudi Arabia through Pakistan army to whip up an Islamic Jihad against godless communists – a US backed proxy war against Soviet Union. Intoxicated with dreams of establishing a pure Islamic Caliphate, Islamic Jihad volunteers were recruited by CIA from all over Muslim world and trained and equipped to fight a guerrilla war in Afghanistan. Pakistan army gained immense regional influence while few individual generals amassed huge wealth by skimming off the weapons supply line. To consolidate its tight control over domestic politics, with a green light from Washington, Pakistan army succeeded in creating ‘constitutional safeguards’ of assuming an arbitrator’s role by obtaining the indirect power through the office of the President to dissolve the elected parliament whenever it feels the ‘integrity’ of Pakistan is threatened. The political structure of the country was thus permanently skewed. The political landscape of south and central Asia significantly changed after the withdrawal of Soviet Union from Afghanistan and signing of the Geneva Accord. After successfully inflicting fatal wounds to the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, the USA wished to ‘pack up’ and leave like shooting of a Hollywood movie coming to an end. But in the words of Zbigniew Brezinski ‘some stirred up’ Islamic Jihadis and Pakistan army were not too pleased with the idea. Soon Pakistan army chief and President General Zia ul Haq and a galaxy of key military generals together with the US ambassador were blown up in a mysterious military plane crash near Bahawalpur in 1988.

The army temporarily suffered a shock and stepped back. The power was transferred to a pliant civilian set up under Benazir Bhutto, the daughter of hanged Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Thereafter, it is a long and sad story of corrupt and inept politicians coming and going, in a merry-go-round one after the other, at the pleasure of real power brokers as part of the ‘permanent establishment’, and in the process amassing enormous wealth for themselves and their cronies in a state sponsored plunder of national wealth.

After the collapse of the Soviet empire, the global political landscape has changed significantly. The US backed Iraq-Iran war had come to an end in 1988 without a conclusion. The US lured its protégé Saddam Hussein walking into Kuwait and then immediately unleashed a ‘Desert Storm’ in the Middle East and successfully destroyed the Iraqi Army, a war machine becoming quite strong and well equipped during the previous war. Pakistan army is another politically well entrenched, well-oiled and fully equipped war behemoth in this sensitive region that needed to be cut down to the size. Pressure on GHQ was gradually mounted while at the same time collaborating on many vital matters of mutual interest. Meanwhile, Pakistan army succeeded in gaining some strategic depth by carving out an area of influence in Afghanistan with the help of Taliban that it created in its religious-military training schools in Pakistan. After initial enthusiasm of the US for a stable regime not hostile to their designs for access to oil in the region (who cares if it was openly trampling democratic and women’s rights in the name of mediaeval Islamic Caliphate), the obstinate Taliban in collusion with Pakistan army were turning out to be a hard nut to crack. For the US strategic planners, the genie of Islamic Jihadis that they had gleefully created was not prepared to roll back into the bottle. On top of it, Pakistan defiantly exploded its nuclear devices in 1998 in response to India’s nuclear detonations. A dangerous missile race for acquiring long range nuclear devices delivery capability ensued in the region making it even more volatile and explosive. Eventually, the birds came back to roost. On the morning of infamous 9/11 the Taliban-protected Al-Qaeda struck like lightening at the US symbols of hegemony by destroying World Trade Centre in New York and damaging the Pentagon in Washington. The world was not to remain the same.

A ‘War of Terror’ in retaliation was unleashed with full US imperial military might in Afghanistan, leaving little choice for other allies including next door Pakistan but to acquiesce or being ‘thrown back into the stone age’. Pakistan hurriedly complied. Next target of full frontal attack was beleaguered Iraq, which is now practically dismembered and only rubble has remained there to bounce, reminding the destruction of Baghdad by the Mongol hordes of Helegu Khan in 1258. Saddam Hussein is executed to make a horrible example for others and a strategic control over enormous oil wealth in the region is successfully demonstrated to terrorize the whole world. Sabers are now rattling for the next target in Iran and again Pakistan army’s role in future in the new war game would be critical.

For some time now US think tanks like Carnegie Endowment Institute of International Relations have been building up a case that Pakistan army has long been using the bogey of Islamic Fundamentalists under its own patronage to scare the Western world and every time succeeds in negotiating a ‘deal’ for itself when pressures are mounted. Suggestions are being made to finally call the bluff and sort out this matter once and for all. It is, however, ironic that both the adversaries successfully use these Islamic Fundos (some of them are truly misguided and some are downright corrupt) towards scoring points over each other. Now the full steam is on. Diplomatic pressure was put on Pakistan military to come to terms with chosen ‘political leadership’ of Benazir Bhutto, who is obviously too eager to play the game at whatever terms. Amusingly reminiscing his association with Benazir Bhutto in Oxford, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) President Richard Hass introduced her recently in August 2007 to a galaxy of real global power brokers in a gathering in Washington as the selected candidate for the new job in Pakistan. We know CFR is the most influential body of the powerful policy makers in the USA. Most of the US doctrines that have had significant impact on the course of world history were always first expressed in CFR and its organ Foreign Affairs. The recent notable example is Samuel Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations (on the intriguing origins and history of CFR and its likes sometime later). Pak-Iran oil refinery, Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, and other gas pipeline projects in the region are scuttled under pressure from the US. China came to the rescue of Gwadar Port project and is investing significant sums to gain a strategic outlet for its oil supplies and trade routes from the region. No wonder, there was a sudden upsurge in an almost dead horse of Baloch nationalist movement operating from its bases in Afghanistan and most of the project work in the province came to a stand still. Full sympathy to a genuine movement for Baloch national rights and for equitable distribution of their natural resources, but a sudden championing of this ‘national cause’ by likes of Akbar Bugti was a little more then what the eyes can see on the media. When army brutally eliminated the irritating thorn of Akbar Bugti and his militia in a ‘clinical operation’, a Pakistani Taliban commander Abdullah Mehsud who spent five years in Guantanamo Bay and was handed over to the US backed Karzai regime in Afghanistan, reappears and abducts two Chinese engineers of whom one was later killed. There is a simultaneous rise in militant Jihadi movements in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan soon spreading into otherwise settled areas of Swat and adjoining territories. Reportedly, India has set up more Consulate offices in Afghanistan then in any other country in the world, all of them in the eastern provinces bordering Pakistan. Both Baloch liberation movement activists and Red Mosque militant Jihadis in Islamabad and other towns in the northern areas started specifically targeting Chinese nationals, leaving all American and European nationals undisturbed. It is a strange and unexplainable phenomenon in view of the long tradition of almost sentimental Pak-China friendship traditions. Dubious Islamic Jihadi groups defiantly challenged government writ in the heart of Islamabad and in Swat and strangely, otherwise quite liberal media, suddenly started unleashing a blitzkrieg in sympathy of the antics of fundamentalist militant Jihadis. Western media power and the local and foreign NGO groups and Internet groups are all in unison and an unusual display of global sympathy with the fighters of democratic rights on the streets of Pakistani towns out of the whole world is too good to believe.

In this backdrop higher judiciary also started displaying an over enthusiastic activism that was almost bordering on sheer adventurism in the given state structures, though, undoubtedly taking up very valid causes, specially those that are very close to the hearts of the middle classes and the Intelligentsia of the country. There was a marked increase in suicidal bomb attacks at different military and civilian targets inside cities and towns of Pakistan.

As expected, the besieged Pakistan army struck back in retaliation and ruthlessly crushed Islamic Jihadis in Islamabad and took draconian measures against recalcitrant judiciary and the media. Eventually, emergency is declared in the country suspending the fundamental and human rights and most of the activist judges of the superior courts have been summarily dispensed with. Some sections of the Intelligentsia, particularly the lawyers and journalists have come out on the streets to protest against government’s high-handedness and strict measures. The new and affluent middle class developing in Punjab is particularly agitated, quite vocally giving it an ethnic undertone. For the first time in history otherwise completely apolitical students of elite educational institutes like LUMS and FAST in Lahore, where mostly sons and daughters of affluent classes are enrolled, have shown some signs of political agitation on their campuses.

But no intelligent observer can escape noticing that the common men and the masses are conspicuously absent from this drama being played on the streets of Lahore and partly in Karachi ostensibly for the peoples’ ‘democratic rights’. A common man has apparently learnt its lessons in the street agitations of 1968 and in 1977, which were nothing more then stage shows organized by some powers to topple one set of rulers and bring other more pliant cliques, eagerly bidding for a new role in the changed circumstances. No wonder, all agitation is specifically for the change of faces only. Even the rhetoric is ostensibly for western democratic rights that are more suited to warm up the affluent middle classes and the influential opinion makers in Intelligentsia and no promise for the change of common men’s life is forthcoming. Street demos ‘organized’ in some large urban centres are typically characterized by pretty faces of some well-fed women wearing designer dark glasses gleefully holding placards and banners with slogans all written in English where only a minority can read or write even Urdu, let alone chaste English language! Photographs of these demos, perhaps, have better ‘news value’ for the next morning local and international newspapers. In street power shows mostly filled with hired workers dancing mechanically atop large contract vehicles and curious onlookers in the sides, the same old tried and tested faces of corrupt politicians bejeweled with diamond studded accessories and protected by bullet-proof vehicles and rings of private security guards appear masquerading as ‘champions of democracy’. It is said, history repeats itself; first time as a tragedy, second time as a farce. All political parties have conveniently forgotten to even talk about the solutions for real issues faced by toiling men and women every day in our cities, small towns and the villages. It seems having learnt their lessons of the powerful mass appeal of the slogans of 1968 agitation, army and the ruling elite have agreed not to raise that genie again in Pakistan’s politics. There is a consensus on a clear shift from the real issues.

It seems currently a war of nerves is being fought between Pakistan army and the global powers bent upon gradually putting it in a tight corner and clipping its wings. Each party is scoring winning points over the other in each successive covert battle. Though, Musharraf regime is generally accused of selling its soul to its American masters in the ‘war on terror’, the indications are that while collaborating with the US led coalition in its broad policy objectives, it seems to have taken a posture of ‘strategic defiance’ in terms of domestic political affairs and its relations with China and Iran. To put international opinion pressures, a well orchestrated media war has been unleashed in the West to embarrass Pakistan. There is an unusual display of clear and direct interference in the domestic political affairs by the US and other European diplomats. There is a flurry of publicly admonishing statements and frequent arrivals in the country of plenipotentiaries of imperial west ‘advising’ how to behave. Strangely, US Ambassador is openly visiting the houses of leading lights of the protest movement against sitting government. Apparently, it is a delightful moment for a slavish middle class Intelligentsia. It is, however, ironic that the elite civic society which accuses the government of succumbing to the pressures of the US masters after 9/11 and becoming a stooge in the hands of US and the west in their fight against terror and killing its own people, in the same breath, is taking immense pride in these acts of the viceroys of the west. Gleeful acceptance of such brazen foreign interference in the internal political affairs of the country is setting a bad precedent that will continue to haunt this nation for a long time. We have lost our national pride and don’t even notice it. Last such shameful interference was only seen in 1977 when a beleaguered Bhutto agreed to let then Saudi Ambassador act like a supreme arbiter with a whip in his hands deciding matters between the interlocutors of PPP government and the arrested PNA leaders in Sihala Rest House near Islamabad in the wake of violent anti-government agitation on the charges of Bhutto’s rigging of the elections.

In politics and international relations there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies. Those who have today locked their horns defending own turfs on some disagreements may tomorrow become friends and collaborators and turn against those who are happily siding with either of the two. This has been amply demonstrated in the last 60 years of the history of Pakistan politics and the last more than 2,500 years of world history. No need to get emotionally trapped in a particular moment in time and space. We need to take, using a modern term, ‘Google Earth’ view of the global events of history in a larger perspective, moving in time.

What options do we have?

To be fair, I am at a loss. For the first time in my life (24 to be precise), I am clueless. On the one hand we have an army that has dominated the politics in our country for the last about 50 years and has been ruling us directly or indirectly. Taking advantage of its paramount political power, it has also greatly expanded its own business empire directly competing with civic society and continues to drain better part of our national resources on unproductive activities to the clear disadvantage of public health, education and common well being. All saner elements of our society wish to see army limiting itself to its primary job of defending the borders; political institutions to be built and democratic rights of the people to be restored; and a fair and equitable distribution of fruits of the economic growth among all classes of society to ensure shelter, gainful employment, education and health facilities for everyone. We all know that no one voluntarily relinquishes its power and privileges and bestows equal rights on others as a gift. One must fight for it.

On the other hand we have an aggressive juggernaut of US expansion in the region trampling national sovereignty of countries under its feet with impunity. It wants to maul Pakistan army not for any love of the people of Pakistan or for its compulsive desire for restoration of democracy in every country. For global powers nuclear assets in the hands of a politically dominant strong standing army with some ‘stirred up’ Islamic fundamentalists lurking around is too big a risk for their designs in the region. They have clearly reserved greater roles for India to play in the region, which seems too eager to play ball with them. They are out for grabbing resources for themselves and preventing others (China) from gaining any strategic control over them. If there are few irritants on their way like Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan or may be Iran or Pakistan tomorrow, they wouldn’t hesitate to obliterate them, if required. They are known to support and bolster ruthless tyrants and military dictators as long as they serve their purpose and then hang them on the streets. Inviting foreign tyrants and military powers to settle scores with domestic adversaries has never been a wise course of action. Abbasi caliph in Baghdad was foolish to invite Changez Khan to restore his power against oppressive Seljuq Turks. Mongol hordes came happily with a blazing trail of blood and destruction behind them. Some Iraqis who had thought that US and NATO forces will come and deliver them from the oppression of tyrant Saddam Hussein by handing them over a democratic Iraq on the plate must be cursing the day the US forces landed in Iraq to restore ‘democracy’ in the country, which has unfortunately witnessed its own destruction at the hands of invading armies more than any other country in the world.

Should we support and countenance all draconian measures and undemocratic actions of our military rulers? Not really. We need a long-term and sustained struggle for restoration of democracy, good governance and establishment of a fair economic system in our country. This is going to be a long journey. No heroic short cuts are there. There is no point in raising a premature counter-productive storm that cannot be sustained. Infantile adventurism in total disregard of given situation and relative strengths of different institutions and interest groups in the society will only lead to more repressive counter-measures and loss of even those meager gains that were made earlier over a period of time. In a misplaced enthusiasm of few of us who genuinely believe that a revolution has begun that will usher in a new era for replicating a matured European or US political governance model in a country where tribalism and feudal culture is still dominant even among the middle classes, we may unwittingly end up playing assigned stage roles for others. We should not be deceived by looking at ‘images’ formed on media and ascribing our own noble thoughts and imaginary ‘role models’ to them. Common men and women are perhaps more pragmatic and with their lessons learnt in the past can see better through the colorful political fog spread through media and have understandably abstained from it. Though I hate to draw this parallel, but for those who believe in peoples’ democratic rights I would remind that the democratic rights’ score card of its many champions including present day ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ is not very encouraging either.

Such are, perhaps, the realities of life.

The following is the photo of the proposed map (2015) being taught at the CIA academies. More on this in a post made by Sohaib Athar.

Confusion

2008-01-15T22:17:00.000+08:00

Is extreme hatred stronger than extreme love? Can one take over the other? Can you love and hate a person at the same time? Can you hate a person enough to want to kill him? But have love and admiration for him at the same time?

If not, then one of these feelings must not be true.

But which one?

I'm glad 2007 is over

2008-01-01T13:25:00.000+08:00

I mean sure, it is generally accepted as a lucky number but 7 (or '07 or 007 whatever you think sounds cooler) hasn't been a good one in many aspects. Global warming has been established as a real concern, all of research has started going in the direction of alternative fuel sources, and a lot of other random stuff.

Like the Red Mosque incident, or the Swat one, or the Balochi tribes crisis, or the clash with the judiciary and the resulting lawyer backlash, or the State of Emergency, or the trains that got derailed and hundreds who died, or Benazir Bhutto's murder (I refuse to call her 'Shaheed') and countless other random deaths and incidents caused by hooligans.

Or how my GPA has fallen compared to the previous year's, or how my sister has joined NUS, or that quitting smoking hasn't materialised as my previous new year's resolution: "I'll quit before the year is over (23:59, 31st December 2007)". Also a bunch of other random stuff I wish never had happened.

Wish I could delete all my blog posts from last year as if none of that had ever happened.

But it's done with!

It's over!

2008 is the new year and today is proof of it. A lot of people often wish they could rewind their lives and start from zero again. Well, today, 01-01 (1st January) could be that starting point.

You can use this chance to set new goals, and start planning about achieving them. And make sure they all lead (one way or the other) to love, career and recognition. What else does anyone want, really?

This year I intend to work on my grades so I graduate by the end of this year and kick the smoking habit along the way. That is a concise yet measurable goal right there.

So kick off your heels, do a little dance if you have to, look at your face in the mirror, smile, and tell yourself, "Happy new year!"

Happy new year to all! The new year still hasn't started in many parts around the world, so it's still early enough to wish.

So, I don't care what they say, Michael Jackson was a genius and here's proof of it right here (YouTube video: Off The Wall):

When the world is on your shoulder
Gotta straighten up your act and boogie down
If you can't hang with the feeling
Then there ain't no room for you this part of town
'Cause we're the party people night and day
Livin' crazy that's the only way

So tonight gotta leave that nine to five upon the shelf
And just enjoy yourself
Groove, let the madness in the music get to you
Life ain't so bad at all
If you live it off the wall
Life ain't so bad at all (live life off the wall)
Live your life off the wall (live it off the wall)

You can shout out all you want to
'Cause there ain't no sin in folks all getting loud
If you take the chance and do it
Then there ain't no one who's gonna put you down
'Cause we're the party people night and day
Livin' crazy that's the only way

So tonight gotta leave that nine to five upon the shelf
And just enjoy yourself
C'mon and groove, and let the madness in the music get to you
Life ain't so bad at all
If you live it off the wall
Life ain't so bad at all (live life off the wall)
Live your life off the wall (live it off the wall)

Do what you want to do
There ain't no rules it's up to you (ain't no rules it's all up to you)
It's time to come alive
And party on right through the night (all right)

Gotta hide your inhibitions
Gotta let that fool loose deep inside your soul
Want to see an exhibition
Better do it now before you get too old
'Cause we're the party people night and day
Livin' crazy that's the only way

Benazir Bhutto's Death

2007-12-29T05:54:00.000+08:00

The major fiber optic lines are cut, gas stations are being burnt (that is why they're all closed), ATM machines are being broken down and we're told to remain inside our homes because the situation outside may be dangerous. I don't know for sure, but my friend who just came over tells me he hardly saw more than three cars on his way here. Usually it would take him more than 40 minutes to get here because of the insane amount of cars on the road. But he says nothing is really happening out there. It's just that something might happen.

I'll admit, I was one of those who said, "And she survived!?" after Benazir's motorcade was attacked upon her arrival in October. But now when I look at the complete anarchy in our country I realize that this tragedy will just further ruin the great nation's image. The whole world only gets to see these things in an exaggerated form and they don't know the peace and tranquility it offers - that I have experienced all my life.

Benazir's death is as sudden as it is sad. She was one of those well-educated politicians our country has hardly seen. The Bhutto family could be considered to be the reason why democracy was seen as possible in Pakistan in the first place because of their style of politics. Both her brothers were killed, her father was killed and now herself. Two shots in the head and one in the neck - while wearing a bullet proof jacket, sitting in a bullet proof car.

I am now anxiously waiting for the next Newsweek issue and I bet it would have something to say about Pakistan on the cover page.

I think to myself, isn't Pakistan like one of those contacts on Facebook that always show up on your homepage or at the top of your "Recently Updated" pages?

So what, that makes Pakistan an attention seeker?

What it means to be in Lahore

2007-12-25T06:42:00.000+08:00

Stuck in one of those moving parking lots they call roads nowadays, I noticed the car right in front of me moving backwards in neutral gear. It was about to hit my car! I meant to blare my car horn and put the car in reverse gear but instead I just honked and moved the car forwards right into it. My car's bumper fell off! (There goes my record of driving since 13 years and never having met with a single accident!) To be fair, it was only a minor accident and the other person's Suzuki Baleno's bumper paint came off slightly. He stopped his car and I could've made a dash, but I just wanted to be responsible, you know? So I stopped and apologized, and the two men just shrugged it off. At that point I thought to myself, "I love this city!"

See, Lahore's not just about driving for me. It's about the world of interaction with its people that comes with it. The honk patterns, the meanings of a single beam or a double, the coordination with the plethora of pedestrians jaywalking, the movement of the bicycles in the center of the road, and more recently, the weird looking rickshaws. Lately, you can find dozens of these new-age rickshaws that run on compressed natural gas (CNG), painted in unaesthetic colours, shaped like shoe boxes and that can now hold more than two passengers. For those of you who have been on the Canal Road, you know it's also about guessing whether the next underpass would fall on your left or your right, and for anyone who has never been to Lahore during election time, it's about those hundreds and thousands of cars with all kinds of weird Pakistan flags on them - insignias of various political parties' the owner of the car supports or promotes. You can also see the banners and posters of them all across town.

Pakistani politics... *chuckles*

Everyone I know who is reasonably intellectually sound has their own version to the overplus of stories behind the current and recent 'situations'.

"The emergency was a hoax to just get rid of the chief justice that opposed him."

"Musharraf did the right thing by imposing State of Emergency - this nation needs discipline!"

"They're all liars and thieves, all of them, so my idea is, why bother?"

"Emergency!? What emergency? You see anything that has changed in my life? Has anything changed in your life?"

I don't have my own version I guess. I really don't know who to believe or who to side with. So I'll just leave it to that. I didn't register for the elections anyway so I can't vote and that little piece of red tape means my voice can't be heard.

The love is amazing here. You see it first at the airport, where a bunch of your friends could come to meet you and to hand you a pack of cigarettes so you have something to smoke when you get home without making your parents stop on the way. Not to mention the ten or so relatives who could come to pick you up even if your arrival was supposed to be a surprise.

If you arrive home in Lahore after a long time, all you need to do is to eat some street food and get sick. You will get the massages, the special treatment (that means a load of things) and all the (junk) food you desire. Anything you may want, just u.t.t.e.r.i.t.

It's not all that much fun being sick though, I mean, if you are really sick - you know, with high fever and all (which I was). Then you have got to make trips to the doctors and the pathology laboratories and eat throat-gagging tablets and capsules. But love is worth it, right?

I feel one thing I will distinctly remember about this trip to Lahore would be those medical trips I made - and I made a lot of them in the one week or so I've been here. The specialist doctor's opinion that could cost me nearly five hundred Singaporean dollars costs me five hundred rupees here, which is less than fifteen Singapore dollars. Since I've been here, I've seen dentists (plural, yes), a skin specialist, other specialist physicians and a phlebotomist.

Just to be clear though, I'm not that sick. Well yeah I was for one day and it was totally worth it. But otherwise I am perfectly alright. I am just being greedy by seeing all these specialist doctors who wouldn't even turn to look at you and give you an informal diagnosis for a nominal fee back in university land (that's Singapurah, lah!).

And you know what's the funniest thing about restaurants here? Just like we have smoking corners or smoking tables in Singapore (sometimes) we have non-smoking tables and corners in Lahore!

Only some of these fork lifters have dropped cars in the past:

Passengers Create Electricity at MRT Stations

2007-12-08T08:32:00.001+08:00

The East Japan Railway Company (JR-East), aiming to develop more environmentally friendly train stations, has been doing research on some sort of human-powered electricity generation system.

If the research provides reasonable results, the "ticket gate electricity generation system" could provide a fraction of the electricity consumed by huge and busy train stations.

The system relies on a series of 'piezo' elements embedded in the floor under the ticket gates, which generate electricity from the pressure and vibration they receive as people walk over it. If the system is attached to some high-efficiency storage system, these ticket gate generators could serve as a supplementary source of energy in this time of global warming awakening.

Currently the system is being tested at the JR-East head office in Shibuya and they might have installed it at other outlets by now, but it seems like it will take a while before such technologies will make it to Singapore MRT stations.

Women Can Now Wee Anywhere!

2007-12-03T19:15:00.000+08:00

Picture: The Whiz Plus

It sounds crazy, I know, but there are loads of women out there who complain they can't sit on toilet seats in publics washrooms, let alone doing it behind a bush.

There are these feministic 'ladies' who think it's unfair that God made man such that he can open his zipper and wee anywhere whereas a woman just can't do that.

The company called WhizBiz is selling three different models of what they call The Whiz. One is for indoors use, one is for outdoors (it's made of some high-tech plasma coating so that all liquid is repelled and it always remains dry), and there is one for collecting midstream samples for tests as well.

Everyday, women are becoming more and more like men and vice versa. Just think of all those guys who don't wee standing up any more because it's not 'decent' - and now these women are going to feel 'enpowered' that they can wee standing up. I mean, if you look at the symbolic significance of these things happening, you will see that the world we live in doesn't make much sense any more. It doesn't to me.

Containing Angelina Jolie's Hotness in a Burqa

2007-12-01T18:56:00.000+08:00

In her movie A Mighty Heart, Angelina plays a journalist's wife stuck in Pakistan where the movie shooting took place. Yes, Jon Stewart asks an impertinent question: Can the Burqa conceal her hotness?

[The Daily Show link]

I hurt

2007-11-30T01:49:00.000+08:00

I've been hurt. I've been hurt today by someone dear and close to me.

To be thought of as conceited. To be thought of as someone who has ulterior motives. To be thought of as someone who would push a loved one down just to stay on top of the food chain. To be disrespected. To be talked down to. I've been hurt.

I've been hurt that I am not thought of as the man I think I am today. I've been hurt that my integrity had to come into question. I've been hurt that it always has to be this way. Always.

Things are often the way they are because of nature's scheme, society's prejudices or just plain old chance. There are choices made for everyone that they haven't made themselves. Life is full of it. Some are good. Some are bad. But if we all start finding places to bury blame, then everyone's a goner, now isn't it?

Whether it's good advice, honest suggestion or real fact, it always has to suffer brutal force. Action reaction.

It's always the case - one moment you're on top of the world, and the next, you come crashing down. Life, is a sine wave.

Persistence is key.

I shall endure.

Stinkfist

2007-11-28T19:20:00.000+08:00

Something has to change.
Un-deniable dilemma.
Boredom's not a burden
Anyone should bear.

Constant over stimu-lation numbs me
but I would not want you
any other way.

It's not enough.
I need more.
Nothing seems to satisfy.
I don't want it.
I just need it.
To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.

Finger deep within the borderline.
Show me that you love me and that we belong together.
Relax, turn around and take my hand.

I can help you change
Tired moments into pleasure.
Say the word and we'll be
Well upon our way.

Blend and balance
Pain and comfort
Deep within you
Till you will not want me any other way.

[YouTube link]

It's not enough.
I need more.
Nothing seems to satisfy.
I don't want it.
I just need it.
To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.

Knuckle deep inside the borderline.
This may hurt a little but it's something you'll get used to.
Relax. Slip away.

Something kinda sad about
the way that things have come to be.
Desensitized to everything.
What became of subtlety?

How can this mean anything to me
If I really don't feel anything at all?

I'll keep digging till
I feel something.

Elbow deep inside the borderline.
Show me that you love me and that we belong together.
Shoulder deep within the borderline.
Relax. Turn around and take my hand.

Media Giants Set Agenda

2007-11-27T19:30:00.000+08:00

After Musharraf: Why the future might look bright for Pakistan.

Suddenly the world is talking about taking down Musharraf because he has 'become dangerous'. I wonder if political advisers get their policy cues from these media giants. It's so easy for countries like the U.S. of A to take complete U-turns on their policies so suddenly. I really wonder what's really going on. I mean, the guy did get his Supreme Court to dismiss 5 out of the 6 petitions against his presidency. And all the parties have boycott the elections except for Benny's PPP. Crazy. And I thought I would get to vote in free-and-fair elections when I go back home. What sadness.

But the 13th army general has finally announced he will step down this Thursday, November 29th as Chief of Army Staff (COAS). That is, of course, because he will take oath as the president of the country for the next 5 years! This will be the tenth year of Musharraf's power struggle since October 1998 as he opens up the COAS position in favour of General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani. Looks like Musharraf won, finally.

Right?

Pakistani Rockstar On Emergency

2007-11-17T09:30:00.000+08:00

Thankfully, by now, the US is "beginning to understand that Musharraf has become part of the problem" (New York Times article). But Benazir still holds the keys to the hearts of the Western media as the 'saviour for democracy', which is disturbing.

Here, I publish a Pakistani rockstar's insight on the situation in Pakistan in its entirety - thanks to Emad's blog where I found it.

Salman Ahmad was the founder of the internationally acclaimed Pakistani rock band Junoon and has gone solo now. He is also a social activist and the UN goodwill ambassador for HIV/AIDS.

As the world watches, Pakistan, a nation armed with nuclear weapons, descends into political chaos, much attention has been given to two leaders competing for power – the current dictator, General Pervez Musharraf, and the media-savvy Benazir Bhutto. The White House, for the moment, appears to be backing Musharraf as its best bet in the so-called "war on terror," while the world media and the western liberal elite see Bhutto as a democratic savior for a country mired in Islamic fundamentalism.

Both fail to recognize the core of the problem that plagues Pakistani politics and society.l believe that without a strong and independent judiciary,Pakistan will be forever at the mercy of power grabbing dictators and politicians.Its the lack of oversight and institutional accountability which leads to the coups and counter coups and helps perpetuate a constant state of instability in the country.

As an artist and a social activist I have worked extensively with both Musharraf and Bhutto's governments on peace initiatives and social uplift themes before, and have been disillusioned by their lack of commitment and political will to get any real work done while spending most of their time in consolidating their power bases.

On several occasions after September 11th, I was invited to General Musharraf's house in Islamabad, and was surprised to see him even join me onstage in concert to help support a united national anti-extremist front. I,like many others of my generation,initially believed and supported his commitment to introduce a new era of "enlightened moderation" in Pakistan, a nation that was hijacked by religious fanatics during the American-backed military dictatorship of General Zia ul-Haq in the 1980s.

Unfortunately General Musharraf forgot that artists like myself are not seduced by presidential palaces or official praise. We had supported him for his promise of fighting extremism,bringing accountability into politics,opening up a free and independent media and reducing the immoral gap between Pakistan's rich and poor communities.No amount of political song and dance or governmental fear-mongering can make us look the other way while he imposes emergency rule,intimidates the media, dismantles the judiciary and muzzles any form of dissent against his flawed vision of democracy which is doomed to fail without the respect for civil institutions.

And yet Benazir Bhutto is no savior. The queen of hypocrisy and media manipulation, she has managed to hypnotize Western liberal classes with her false claims to represent progressive elements in the Muslim world. Ms. Bhutto is a charlatan and a false prophet of democracy. How can she insist on being a democrat while selfishly appointing herself life chairperson of the Pakistan people's party? Her years as Pakistan's prime minister witnessed staggering levels of corruption and billion-dollar graft that left even the most cynical Pakistanis speechless. Benazir's own niece and sister in law accuse her of conspiring to murder her own brother,Murtaza,who was becoming a thorn for her government and a real challenge to her power during her second term as prime minister.She continues to see Pakistan as her personal feudal fiefdom to be pillaged and plundered at will and threatens to bring back the rule of the gangster rather than the rule of law.

During the late nineties I recorded a song called "Accountability" [YouTube link] along with a music video that satirized Pakistani politicians like Bhutto whose corruption scandals were being reported in international publications like The New York Times and Newsweek. Her government's response was to ban the music video and threaten my life. In the years since Bhutto fled the country to escape investigation of her family's corrupt activities, her greed to regain power has blinded her from the genuine struggle being waged by Pakistanis on behalf of true democracy. One of her own party members,the lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan, who won the case for the restoration of the Chief justice of the supreme court, still languishes in jail along with thousands of others while Benazir attends diplomatic receptions and makes speeches about freedom and liberty. Earlier this year,while lawyers and human rights activists faced injury and death for standing up to Musharraf's authoritarian regime, she was sipping lemonade on the sunny beaches of Dubai waiting for her go ahead from Washington.

So if neither the path of the military strongman nor the path of the feudal democrat serves the needs of Pakistan, what is an alternative model? The answer comes from within the genesis of Pakistan's freedom movement:One needs to only look at Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah's struggle and sacrifice as a clear example of legal and political activism.Jinnah ,belonging to the Muslim middle class of India,was a strict constitutional lawyer,and an exellent blend of both Islamic and Western values of social justice.60 years on, the vast majority of Pakistanis still look back at him as being the best role model for Pakistani politics.Although secular in outlook he quoted his inspiration to be Prophet Muhammad,who he recalled as being the greatest law giver in history.Tenacious and uncorruptible to the core,Jinnah, sacrificed his life and property arguing the case for Pakistan and won independance from the British imperialists.The US and its allies need to unequivocally support civil society:the Pakistani supreme court judges, lawyers,journalists and human rights activists who are fighting to protect the rule of law.That in itself is the best weapon against the extremists and will also provide a safeguard against other adventurous leaders.

Shakespeare warned that the first instinct of a dictator is to "kill the lawyers." He was right. It is the lawyers and the Judiciary who are the hope and the future of Pakistan. Let's stand by their side and not surrender to the Pharoahs and the false prophets, whether they are clothed in a military uniform or a stylish Hermes scarf.

Loving Pakistan to Bits - Literally

2007-11-14T06:15:00.000+08:00

Students all over Pakistan are 'celebrating' Black Day everyday in Pakistan (at least the university LUMS is) - holding processions, hunger strikes (since 12th in LUMS) and what not. The General can not ignore them, but he will still do whatever he wants.

(Click here to download a press release issued by LUMS about the arrest and bail of its faculty members.)

I have always had a tendency to try and think opposite to whatever is popular or the things mainstream says. It is what gives me a broader world-view and I feel it contributes to my understanding of scenarios as I can often imagine and see two sides to a story with storming ease. Often, I see more than two.

In the current scenario, Mushy boy may as well be the Genghis Khan Pakistani blogs, YouTube videos, CNN, Geo and other media channels are saying he is; that this may be a martial law rather than a 'State of Emergency'; that holding processions and peaceful rallies may be the best form of 'action' to bring about positive change; but what if?

What if Musharraf's activities really are justified given the information that is only available at his level? What if such information is really so sensitive that it can not be made public? What if whatever Mushy boy is doing really is in the best interest of Pakistan - even if it doesn't appear so?

Now I am not saying that Mushy boy is a good boy. I do know that Benny Booto is definitely not a good girl either - especially the way she is holding rallies (unsuccessfully) to bring back democracy but at the same time not saying jack about reinstating the judiciary. I don't have much faith in Imran Khan either because power corrupts the soul, and why would this famous cricketer be an exception? I don't want Qazi Hussain Ahmad to take power by using Islam as his weapon and then proceeding brainwash the entire country.

YouTube link

Me, and countless other Pakistanis don't want an 'extremist' government. We don't want a secular state either where Pakistan can build casinos and more breweries. It's a very hypocritical mix that we want, and I say that because it is neither truly Islamic nor truly democratic (because of Shariah/Islamic Law). We think it should remain an Islamic State - that is what most want, I believe.

The Pakistani public is always being deceived. I remember they said Nawazi was good for the country with all his reforms, underpasses and the motorway. He was taken down by Musharraf and exposed as corrupt. Earlier, Benny Booto's government was also doing okay until she was taken over by Nawazi and exposed as owning castles and what not in the UK. Mushy boy was also very popular - "best thing to happen to this country" they would say - but now I'm sure all such people think otherwise. What is the real truth, no one knows. No one ever does until it is too late.

I sometimes even question the legitimacy of Quaid's (Jinnah) reasons to form Pakistan as a homeland for Muslims - did he want an Islamic state with Islamic law or did he want a so-called nation that consisted of corrupt politicians, breweries and loudspeakers in mosques that can brainwash civilians?

Many would say I am not a patriot for questioning Quaid here, or choosing to study abroad, and planning to work abroad later (I have a work bond with the Singapore government). The truth is that I am passionate about my country and I love it to bits - not the kind of bits it is in right now though.

An AIESECer, Emad Nadim, seems to be in the know and his blog is worth visiting as he updates it regularly with information and perspectives on the current crisis in Pakistan.

Click here to see Emad's blog.

2007 World University Rankings: NUS, NTU down

2007-11-09T07:40:00.000+08:00

National University of Singapore (NUS) appeared at #18 in the 2004 Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) World University Rankings but most Singaporeans weren't aware of it. When it showed up at rank #22 in the 2005 Rankings, NUSians celebrated their success. In 2006 it was better - NUS jumped to spot #19. Everyone probably thought at the time that whatever NUS administration, faculty and students were doing, it was just right - that they were moving in the right direction. Which is why this year might come as a shock to many.

NUS is ranked #33 in the THES World University Rankings to be released this year - a rank shared with the University of British Columbia (Canada) and University of Queensland (Australia). It is now ranked lower than McGill University (Canada), which has gone up to secure rank #12.

Even Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has fallen from grace, going down from #61 in 2006 to #69, but that is not much if you look at all the others that have fallen harder.

University of California, Berkeley (US) is down to #22 from #8 (that is a big fall for that university); University of Geneva (Switzerland) is down to #105 from #39; Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands) is down to #130 from #67; Macquarie University (Australia) is down to 168 from #82; UNAM (Mexico) is down to #192 from #74; and Washington University in St. Louis (US) is down to #161 from #48!

But we can see big uprises as well: UniCAMP (Brazil) is up from #448 to #177 (what a leap!); University of Florida (US) is up from #226 to #135; University of Western Ontario (Canada) is up from #215 to #126; Ohio State University (US) is up from #219 to #120; and University of Waterloo (Canada) is up from #204 to #112!

So there is definitely something different about this year's rankings. I went through the trouble of checking it out and here's what I could find:

One of the things different in this year's THES QS World University Rankings is that peer reviewers were prevented from promoting their own university. Using peer reviews is one of the basic methodologies used to make the rankings (40% weightage in 2005) and this difference alone seems to show surprising effects in this year's ranking.

Now, THES rankings actually began in 2004 and have proved to be useful on many occasions but they were criticized more often and debated over and over. Back then, they used Thomson's Web of Science - represented by "ESI" as the only available, well-reputed citation data that measured the research strength by university and seemed most appropriate at the time.

Scopus on the other hand, which was also born in 2004 seems to have evolved over time: the Scopus database responds better to queries; it also covers more sources in languages other than English; and it places less emphasis on mere publications leading to greater representation of research done by universities. Another good thing about using Scopus is that it removes the bias towards American universities resulting in a reduced advantage in their favour for this indicator.

In a nutshell, ESI and Scopus both have their merits but the only criticism of using Scopus is that it does not track citations before 1996, and that actually makes it better because THES does not look at data beyond the past 5 years (at least for this year's ranking). So another thing different about the 2007 rankings is that THES has used Scopus to come up with them.

Here I present to you:
The 2007 THES - QS World University Rankings (Top 200)
(Download link for HTML file)

PDF version here.

To compare these rankings with the US News one - America's Best Colleges 2008 (featuring top 124 in the U.S. of A only), click here. (Thanks Kenneth for the link.)

Below is an article published in The Straits Times:

Nov 8, 2007

NUS drops from 19 to 33 in global rankings

But shift is due to new method of compilation, NUS' low staff-to-student ratio

By Sandra Davie, Education Correspondent

THE National University of Singapore (NUS) took a tumble, from 19th spot to No. 33 this year, in the ranking of the world's top 200 universities published by The Times of London Higher Education Supplement on Thursday.

However, this is due to a new way of scoring, said QS, the careers and education group that compiled the much-followed ranking.

It said, with the change, NUS' previously high scores in certain categories such as the percentage of international faculty, did not give it much overall advantage this year.

On the other hand, NUS' low score on staff- to-student ratio affected its ranking.

Mr Nunzio Quacquarelli, managing director of London-based QS, said NUS continues to do well in all other categories.

NUS improved its score this year for the number of academic citations faculty members notched up. It scored 84 out of 100 here.

'There is no doubt it is one of the elite universities of the world,' said Mr Quacquarelli.

'NUS and NTU's placing in the top 100 are recognition of the quality of education that Singapore's universities offer.'

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) ranked No. 69 this year, down from its 61st spot last year. Singapore Management University is not ranked because of its specialisation in business.

There are six categories.

Forty per cent of the total score depends on what academics from around the world think of the universities; while global employers' keenness to recruit their graduates counts for 10 per cent.

The numbers of foreign students and staff a university attracts are worth 5 per cent each; and the ratios of students to staff and academic citations to staff count for 20 per cent each.

NUS president Shih Choon Fong said: 'NUS still has good standing' as one of the top 50 universities and as one of the top five in Asia.

He said NUS will continue to 'enhance students' experience and push for world class research'. He pointed out that NUS' effort in improving research is already showing in the citation score.

On the staff-student ratio, he said many universities in the United States have significantly higher budgets and endowments and can thus afford to keep their enrolments low and faculty counts high.

He added: 'We don't want to go and hire more faculty just to boost the numbers. We want to ensure they are top quality in their field.'

NUS currently has a 1,944-strong faculty, of which 52 per cent are from overseas.

Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford and Yale universities maintained their top four positions for the second year. University College London and the University of Chicago join the top 10 for the first time.

Apart from NUS, the London School of Economics was also affected by the scoring changes, dropping from 17th last year to 59th this year. Stanford fell from sixth to 19th.

The universities of Tokyo, Hong Kong, Kyoto, Beijing, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Tsinghua and Osaka were other Asian institutions in this year's top 50.

Mr Martin Ince, contributing editor of The Times Higher Education Supplement, noted: 'The 2007 rankings show that the US and UK model of independent universities supported with significant state funding, produces great results, but they also prove that academic excellence is found on every continent.'

Author's edit: I apologize but I realized that NUS was ranked #18 in the 2004 ranking (as opposed to not being ranked at all as I said when I made this post). Sorry for the mistake. I have corrected it now.

Emergency Not Entirely a Consipiracy

2007-11-07T07:50:00.000+08:00

All the international media are telling the world there is some kind of conspiracy as to what Musharraf is telling the people of Pakistan and the actions he is taking. Their implication is that Musharraf, in his address to the nation, declared the state of emergency solely to control the situation regarding extremists. Then they say this is not true.

In the address, Musharraf tries his best to explain how the collapse of the judiciary is related to the spread of extremism, such as releasing confirmed terrorists from prison, and he implies that these released felons may be the ones behind the attacks in Karachi and Rawalpindi. The judiciary, the legislative and the executive pillars of the government need to become one, Musharraf explains. The judiciary can not be pulling the strings in other political bodies.

The situation is terrible to say the least, and I am no fan of Musharraf at the moment either. Whatever justifications he may give, there are definitely signs of a struggle to maintain his grip on power that Musharraf is unable to let go. But BBC News, ABC News, USA Today and all these major news sources are portraying a more negative image of Musharraf's reasons to declare a state on emergency.

On the cover page of last week's Newsweek issue, well in advance of the emergency, it says:

The Most Dangerous Nation In the World Isn't Iraq.
It's Pakistan.

The US keeps threatening to 'review' its aid to Pakistan - as if it will terminate it. If it does there may be some relief to the Pakistani public who have never seen any sign of the US $10 billion Pakistan has reportedly received up till now. But such a move would mean Bush would stop his support for Musharraf in his self-proclaimed War on Terror and that would have dire consequences for the army general. Such a move by the US could pronounce consequences for the general public as well, because Musharraf intends to remain dictator for what might be at least a year from now because that is how long the elections are to be withheld.

What's more, when I see clippings of protests by students, lawyers and others, I can not tell from the tone of their voices what they mean to say when they shout, "Go, Musharraf go!"

Do they mean, "Go on, Musharraf, go on!" or "Go away, Musharraf go away!"?

Don't get killed now Musharraf - that's what I say - you have dug your grave very deep this time, and this country can't afford to go into utter anarchy just now.

My entry for Silk Road Poetry Slam

2007-11-07T00:10:00.000+08:00

Smooth sliding down the Silk
By Nabeel Khalid

Standing on the top of the Mindai Mountain
I can see my silk route
I will leave Singapurah on a carriage
With old friends and new

An alchemist in search of Gold
Air-borne with great insight
Cheeky townsfolk and crazy festivals
Hand-loomed carpets on which we dance

We dance wild in our khussas with their curled toes
Drink from porcelain bowls made by a man from Lanchou
Bangles play music as women cheer
Unaware of the missing caravans and lost merchandise

Children cry as pirates enter
They eye the remaining gold-threaded cloth;
The Ruby necklaces from Varanasi;
And expensive carpets from Persia

Disputes and deceitful companions
Leave us searching for a pirates trail
Tattered clothes; sand in feet
Mirage after mirage; deaths on schedule

Landslides arrive like automatic burials
Down glaciers on the Hindu Kush
We make it to palm trees and waterfalls
A lack of motivation met by lush green mountains

At the Meluhha I eventually arrive home
I taste the water of the ancient Indus
I wash my face; I close my eyes
And in my head; the journey begins again

This blog is PG-13

2007-11-02T23:24:00.000+08:00

Free Maryland Dating

This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:

sex (9x)
cock (1x)

I can't believe I used the word 'cock'! It must be in a different context I'm sure though. I can't seem to locate it... Oh wait - there it is - in the Links section. The link to Talking Cock dot com! Damn!

Things I want to eat when I go back home

2007-10-30T03:12:00.000+08:00

Yes, I've already started making my lists!

Saag Gosht with Makai ki Roti (From Gawal Mandi, Lahore)
Nehari (From Waris or Mohammadi)
Haleem (Anywhere!)
Chicken Biryani (Made by my mother)
Chicken Tikka (From Afghani Tikka Shop near Bhayya's, Lahore)
Pizza (Pronta from Pizza Time)
Phalliyan Gosht (Made by my mother)
Curry (Made by my grandmother)
Paye (Made by my grandmother)
Laal Lobia (Made by my mother)
Chicken Kofta (Made by my mother)
Seekh Kebab (From Bhayya's)
Chapli Kebab (From that place in Main Market, Lahore)
Falooda (From that place near Gawal Mandi, Lahore)
Keema Katlama (From that Halwa Poori shop in Barkat Market, Lahore)
Rau Fish (From Basheer Dar-ul-Mahi)
Chicken Garlic Mayo Roll (From Hot'n'Spicy, Karachi)

The curse

2007-10-23T18:27:00.000+08:00

The curse of Windows Live Messenger: Yes, that is what it is called now - deal with it - stop calling it MSN!

I've said this a number of times while speaking to my friends but I'll repeat it here:

I could be voice chatting with such excellent voice quality that it would seem like a normal telephone call - over Skype, or even Windows Live Messenger (WLM) itself. But when it comes to transmission of text messages (compared to packets of sound data), WLM fails. I mean, it's text! It takes the lowest amount of kilobytes to transfer! What is wrong with Live!

In comparison, Google Talk is excellent. It serves its purpose at least - it transmits text messages whenever you send or receive them, and it is done effortlessly. If it's not delivered, you're informed right away - unlike Live. It doesn't have those corny emoticons or flash animations that make WLM more popular but at least it delivers what it promises - a reliable mode of communication.

So then, why not just switch to Google Talk? In this day and age of 'Web 2.0' - that annoying buzz word - you are still unable to sign on to multiple IMs (that's Instant Message/Messenger you dorks!) using one service. And why I still use WLM is because of my extensive contact list with people I have to or need to stay in touch with. And these people don't recognize the value of a service like Google Talk. At least, not yet.

So I have to keep both services active.

But sometimes WLM's eeriness becomes a blessing in disguise. You might send a stupid message to your contact - an unthought ask-out, an enraged comment, a comment revealing your stupidity, or something of the sort - and then a split second later you would realise you didn't want to send that message - but it's too late then. Your contact would reply back, appearing to ignore your insane comment and you would begin to wonder what you need to do then... Just a few seconds later, your stupid message bounces back. You're saved! Those are the only times you can stop cussing at WLM. (Unfortunately, as per my experience, messages that are not delivered successfully are not always bounced back either, which makes two-way communication nearly impossible.)

A Flash Idea in the Desert

2007-10-21T06:35:00.000+08:00

Cen Sen
(715-770)

Riding to the West frontier seems to the Heaven,
Since my leaving home, the full moon twice seen.
I wonder where I will be staying tonight
As the flat desert vast without human sight.

(Tr. Z. Manfield)