So finally the construction work is over. Our home was a complete mess during last two weeks. Mazdoors, mistri's, plumbers, paint wala and ufff so many other people qabzafyied it. It's been such a difficult, tough, crazy, hectic, horrible, terrible, miserable, pathatic and etc etc week for me. I want to add more words but my vocab is limited. Kaash mein ne angrezi achi tarah seekhi hoti ;). But anyways it's over now and the house looks neat which is always a great feeling. But we had to cut some parts of that huge Aam ka drakht (mango tree) just outside my room which I am going to miss.

It was a learning experience for me. I can safely get any construction work done in future. From hiring to firing (now thats really tough ask.. me?), mistri's disappearing in the middle of work I went through almost everything. Most difficult thing is to manage labor. They basically dont want to work but still wanna get paid. Oh well dont we all want it most of the times and our bosses make us work? ;). And even more difficult if you try to do it nicely, one has to become a bit harsh and only then things are done the right way.

In another news I couldn't sleep well for 5-6 days due to this work thingie and now I will be leaving for isloo tomorrow morning for a day or two, driving by myself. mera kia bane ga. So many things are happening in such a short span of time but I am hoping things would slow down sometime next week.

I need a break from everything and I can't seem to have it. I think I am stuck for now. Oh and one great thing is that my sister and brother have finally decided to come and visit us right after Eid in their Christmas holidays. It's been three years since we sat on a dinner table, all of us. I am really excited. I miss the time when we were together but I guess thats ok :)

heh .. :P

A friend of mine sent me a few breathe taking pictures of hurricane Katrina. Not sure who took these but fascinating :).

The Dome of Rock - Jerusalem

Perhaps the most holy city in the world. Equally important for Muslims, Christians and Jewish people. While highly charged with intense religious devotion and visited by countless pilgrims and sages, Jerusalem has also been ravaged by thirty centuries of warfare and strife.



It is a place of beauty and divinity, mystery and paradox; a sacred site which no modern spiritual seeker should fail to experience.

If given a choice Jerusalem will be the first city I really wish to see atleast once in my life time. Which 5 cities you have in your hit list? :)

Roman Villa Discovered Via Google Earth

What a cool story this is. If you are even a little bit interested in Archeology then go and read this.

Some random pictures from my Swat trip in June 2003.

An early morning in Swat.


Saido Shareef


View from the room I was staying in. That black spots are because of the passing by clouds.

random stuff

The Ten Stupidest Utopias!
from Plato to the internet
By Jeremy Adam Smith
Read Here

Iqbal Bano - Live


A Lake Michigan Sunset - Taken from Mushtaq Ali's blog with thanks .. :)

This one reminds of River Swat - September 2004

tag shag

hmmm ... tagged by psnob so had to do it :)

5 years ago:
Was still trying to understand how to be a good enough Nokar. Resigned from my first job and joined forces with a bunch of crazy people who shared their dream with me. Killed a young 21 years old hacker and became all-serious professional.
Was in process of self discovery, realized later that it was a never ending process so still doing the same :P

1 Year ago:
Was back in University and really enjoying this time around. Realized that it was time to leave a few things behind and move on. Discovered that I didn’t need a full time job anymore which was most satisfying feeling. opening up a bit more. got interested in the blogging world .. atrophying and gorpy were the first ever blogs i found.. made a few friends

5 songs I know all the words to:
Human Touch - Bruce Springsteen
River of dreams – Billy Joel
Unforgettable – Nat Cole King
Dreams – John Lennon
I can’t make you love me – George Michael

5 songs i wish i knew all the words to: (couldn't resist adding this one)
If I ever feel better – Phoenix
Higher Ground – UB40
Don’t think twice, it’s alright – Bob Dylan
La Vie En Rose – Patricia Kaas
In this world - Moby

5 Snacks I enjoy:
pineapplecake
anything with chocolate
pringles
Shwarma (if that counts? :D)
Pakore, Ramadhan is near ;o)

5 Things I'd do w/ $100 million dollars:
Build a safe heaven for beggar children
Do something to clean this country
see all the places in that movie Out of Africa :D
Visit Malta, Sicily & Spain
Buy a jet plane and Hitler’s 1940’s castle in Germany

5 places I would run away to:
North Pole :P
The 11th or 12th century
My messy room
White Palace in Swat
Lahore


5 things I would never wear:
funky pant
A red shiny shirt
baggy jeans
Those tight funky t-shirts which I call machar daani
Anything chamakdaar :D

5 favorite tv shows:
Alf
Mind your language
Perfect Strangers
Friends
Mr. Bean :P

5 greatest joys:
Driving 80km/h+ on a rainy day, one hand out from car window and feeling the rain drops and air on my hand.
An occasional walk in the rain. Barish mein bheegna :D
Escaping from Lahore once in a while
Watching sunrise in Hunza valley from PTDC motel.. wish i could stay there longer
Watching discovery channel :D

5 favorite toys:

hmmm.. that’s a rather difficult one ..
computers
little kidz :P
my cat brutus
umm and anything fluffy and shiny


5 People I'm Tagging:
thats the most difficult one .. ;)

Austeeg,ordered chaos,gorpy,heewa,Hell is other people

haha, isn't it such a cute little fight? :D

For a change ....

Something unusual happened today. I could have saved someone from something and I did not. Even though I know that person didn't desrve it BUT I am supposed to be considerate. The true test of character is when you have power and you choose not to exercise it. This is what I have been taught.

For the first time in my life, I was cruel. I was one of them and it doesn't feel good.

There is still a long way to go, a lot more to learn :)

In other news, my boss wants me to come back full time. He thinks I am the most valuable technical asset his company has. He also thinks I inspire people I work with which is probably the best compliment one could ever get. Though I know that every boss says something similar when they need you and my boss must have said exactly the same to, i dunno, 10-15 people? :D. Liars. But I would like to believe he is telling the truth, for a change. Let me enjoy this for a brief moment :)

Afsoos that I will have to turn down such a tempting offer. I know am a fool. But I can't help it, I am in love with my fake darwaishi, freedom and the feeling of NOT being Nokar of anyone :)

The Other Wanderer

Once on a time I met another man of the roads. He too was a little mad, and thus spoke to me:
"I am a wanderer. Oftentimes it seems that I walk the earth among pygmies. And because my head is seventy cubits farther from the earth than theirs, it creates higher and freer thoughts.
"But in truth I walk not among men but above them, and all they can see of me is my footprints in their open fields.
"And often have I heard them discuss and disagree over the shape and size of my footprints. For there are some who say, 'These are the tracks of a mammoth that roamed the earth in the far past.' And others say, 'Nay, these are places where meteors have fallen from the distant stars.'
"But you, my friend, you know full well that they are naught save the footprints of a wanderer."

Khalil Gibran

Fossils reveal flying prehistoric giants

A palaentologist points to fossilized prints from a pterosaur, a distant cousin of the dinosaur which flew 75 million years before birds took to the air, in the inland of Crayssac, southwestern France(AFP/File /Georges Gobet).

Read the full story here

These are the days of the open hand
They will not be the last
Look around now
These are the days of the beggars and the choosers

This is the year of the hungry man
Whose place is in the past
Hand in hand with ignorance
And legitimate excuses

The rich declare themselves poor
And most of us are not sure
If we have too much
But we'll take our chances
'Cause God's stopped keeping score
I guess somewhere along the way
He must have let us all out to play
Turned his back and all God's children
Crept out the back door

And it's hard to love, there's so much to hate
Hanging on to hope
When there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above say it's much too much too late
Well maybe we should all be praying for time

These are the days of the empty hand
Oh you hold on to what you can
And charity is a coat you wear twice a year

This is the year of the guilty man
Your television takes a stand
And you find that what was over there is over here

So you scream from behind your door
Say what's mine is mine and not yours
I may have too much but I'll take my chances
'Cause God's stopped keeping score
And you cling to the things they sold you
Did you cover your eyes when they told you
That he can't come back
'Cause he has no children to come back for

It's hard to love there's so much to hate
Hanging on to hope when there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above say it's much too late
So maybe we should all be praying for time

Praying for Time by George Michael

Sunrise

What could cause such rays of dark? Dark sky rays were caught in spectacular fashion earlier this month above Utah, USA. The cause is something surprisingly familiar: shadows. Clouds near the horizon can block sunlight from reflecting off air, making columns outward from the Sun appear unusually dark. Cloud shadows can be thought of as the complement of the more commonly highlighted crepuscular rays, also visible above, where sunlight pours though cloud holes. Sometimes, on the opposite side of the sky, anticrepuscular rays can also be seen.

Source: NASA Web Site