Pressing the button

Why is it so hard to actually press the damn button? or in my case.. click on the icon?!

What am i ranting about now? well.. here’s the lowdown. I have this pending project, on which im supposed to put in two hours work in every night. Now.. every night, i spend doing something or the other and not clicking the icon to open the IDE. And every night, when im all drained of everything even remotely resembling energy and when all the spots in front of my eyes come together to form strange shapes… i say to myself… tomorrow! i’ll definately do it tomorrow!

Ah.. the sweet(?) life of procrastination! In the meanwhile… the deadline is getting so close i can almost feel it, smell it and reach out n touch it!

Thats about it for today…. Tomorrow… i’ll definately work on the project tomorrow.

A Cool Century!!

This is my 100th post on my blog!! wwooohhooooO! Now there’s a reason to celebrate if any!!

Who would’ve thought that signing up for a blogger account in feburary would lead me here in such a short time! and WOW how much i’ve talked about! I know a lot of you may not really be interested in knowing about my journey and what i learned about myself during the period, so you guys skip to the end, the rest.. read on. I started out with an idea to post stuff i talk about with my friends/family and other assorted people. About life, its eccentricities, post about the advice i give to others, and those given to me. I now realize that’s just too many directions and there’s no use going on about everything under the sun. So i then decided to focus my blog solely on Life in Karachi City, with just a little dose of mixed posts to spice things up. That made me realize about a new passion within me… to comment/critique and otherwise gossip about the ad campaigns running in Karachi. Also, the blog combined with a camera phone brought to the surface, appreciation for ‘pimped rides‘ (got the term of jamalsadik). Which i post here under the ‘Car-achi’ series, again a term borrowed from Karachi Metblogs. During the course of blogging, i came across a whole host of new people, with whom i share idea’s… discuss new or emerging issue’s or just plain read about the latest thorn up their sides and its really opened up my eyes to the otherside of the world. Its fun watching tv shows (or even reality shows) or reading magazines, but nothing beats hearing about stuff straight from the horses mouth (or so to speak). That ends my comments on blogging.

Now, Im dedicating the last part of this post to the memory of my top 5 favorite entries:

Icon War
The Phenomena that is the Mehran
A Pink Beetle
Urban Legends?? but Just TOO GOOD!!
you job ? should you like it ?

There! it wasnt easy.. but i did it! Next time.. it’ll be the top 5 from the next 100 entries!!

Public Transport…

I banged my car a week ago.. i thought i’d post a little on that.. but its not that interesting, just a little bump, a damaged bonnet, fender and door. Plus, it wasnt like i rammed head first into a wall or anything.. so its not that interesting.. but what *is* interesting is that yesterday i gave my car to be fixed at the showroom. And since then… im without transport :S

And like many other karachite’s, i took to the public transport since yesterday. Oh yea, by public transport, i mean the taxi and rikshaw’s.. not the busses/coaches. One thing i can definately say about it… it is very.. very… very expensive to travel on public transport here. In just two days, i’ve managed to be short by Rs. 600 which i spent hauling myself from point A to D (and various points in between).

Not that i havent travelled much on it… infact, i’ve been travelling via the karachi busses for almost 6 years before i got my car. But now, it feels as if such a long time has passed since i did it… i just cant bring myself to boarding a bus anymore, and hence now take the taxi everywhere i wanna go .

So summing up,

1. its expensive, and
2. it feels like i used to do it centuries ago.

Thats been my experience with it. All those words just to say two small sentences! lol! but i had to.. i *do* have to justify a post too you know. lol!!

The phenomena that is the Mehran

You go out in any street of Pakistan, and there’s one thing you’ll definately see! yes.. its even more pervasive than… roads. Thats right.. im talking about the good ol Suzuki Mehran! This car is really something! Why i say this? because i drive around in a Mehran (wait for my next post which will chronical the events with my car) and its fun (completely blacked out for a better word to describe the experience)!

So why blog about it all of a sudden? Two reasons.. or rather two posts by jamil sadik and rehan alvi about their expriences with it. So instead of writing anything new.. i’ll just quote from their posts (here and here).

Jamal writes

My ride (The Mehran) cost me a cool $5000, with about $600 of upgrades (A/C, stereo and speakers, alarm system…yeah, the same stuff that is standard in the crappiest Geo Metro in America). However these facts are all irrelevant, because the car gets me from point A to point B, which is alot better than my situation one week ago. It should be every man’s (and woman’s) prerogative to have a sweat-free, music-filled ride to work/school every morning. I mean, seriously, is that too much to ask? With my new pimp mobile, it certainly is not. This bad girl does 0-60 km/h (0 – 37 mph) in a lightning fast 17 seconds. That’s 35 stallions under the hood thrusting the futuristic, light-weight body of this Japanese/Pakistani hybrid forward.

While rehan starts off his post with

The car is basically a 4 door go-cart, running off a lawnmower engine which provides a stunningly awesome 35 horsepower drive. Now if that doesn’t sound like much, it’s because it isn’t. Want to know what comes standard on it, along with the one year warranty (yes you read that correctly) on parts? Well it’s basically four 12″ wheels and a windshield, making the Mehran the most stripped down car I have ever seen mass produced and sold commercially. Besides not having air conditioning, it has no power steering, no power windows and no power mirrors. Actually, it has no power whatsoever. The body is reminiscent of a 1970s assembly line production flaw and the ride comes with the free added bonus of force-feedback. Just like the latest joysticks of today, the Mehran lets you feel every bump, every vibration, every jolt as you chug along the road

but then moves on to describing just why its so damn popular

as crappy as it is on paper, this car is the Pakistani Pimp’s preferred ride. As I said above, the Mehran has sold more than any other car in Pakistan or India, EVER.

First off, this car is so small, you can park it anywhere. That doesn’t suck. Second off, it is the cheapest car you can buy in the South Asian sub-continent. Sure it’s overpriced, but that is due to the lack of competition along with crazy government taxes, two problems which plague more than just the automotive industry. Third of all, and arguably the best reason for owning one: the amazing fuel economy. Not only does this car have the option of running off of regular unleaded or natural gas, but also it gives you the option to switch between the two fuel sources on the go. Natural gas is so cheap and when you’re running off that, you can drive wherever the hell you want. It’s just that cheap. Also, the last great reason why Mehrans kick ass is that they are dirt cheap to maintain. Parts are incredibly cheap, labor is even cheaper, and the simple design of the car makes it repairable by your local village idiot mechanic.

And about sums it up! the reason’s why the mehran is an experience! They are dirt cheap to maintain! Let me explain… a side view mirror on a mehran costs roughly about Rs. 75 (i know because i’ve bought about 4 of them so far..) while the same mirror on a Honda or Corolla runs to about Rs. 800. Similarly, a side window on a mehran costs about Rs. 150 (local made) to about Rs. 600 (for imported) while the same on a larger car would start from Rs. 2000!

So above all, mehran rocks! (till i get a new car )

Friendlier than thou

Today was a day of insights into myself. Now i consider myself a friendly person, no doubt, but i do have limits to the kind/type of people i even talk with. Call it being stuck up, having an attitude problem or whatever, but its there.. and its helped me out a lot over the years. So just imagine what sort of a shock i got today when i was telling an office colleage ‘A’ about my cousin who can strike up a conversation with just about everyone and make friends left right and center, and he piped in

“he’s even friendlier than you??”

Given the fact that i’ve plainly even ignored people because i didnt want anything to do with them, to be labelled as ‘very friendly’ wasnt something i expected. If that’s what people think about me, then i really need to change my views on myself(!).

Incidently, Umar Siddiqi has also posted something about friends.. so give it a read too.

A little criticism….

i recently rambled on about how i needed structure in my life (no! not the military kind) but rather more of a slight nudging kind… and i would like to receive honest feedback on how im doing. Ofcourse, where i was thinking that… i didnt know critism could be so hard to take. Today, i was in conversation with my boss, about course delivery techniques and this line came up with was literally a smack on my face (complete with a resounding echo).

“i was really pissed off at the attitude through which you prepared for delivering the last course. Apparently you know how to deliver, but you didnt know what to deliver”

okay okay.. so maybe thats not excatly what he said, but i swear thats what i heard! talk about cutting you down to size! I immediately saw my hopes of being a trainer in the long run being slashed to pieces!

Now comes the interesting part.. what to do about it? I’m not going to take this lying down! Nor am i gonna cry about it (though its so damn tempting). Now its upto me to PROVE that im good! A little dose of criticism can do wonders for you now and again! believe you me! It did wonders to bring up my morale (reverse psychology?) and my resolve (jazba, azm and all) to do better next time.

I’ve had two more training delivery sessions since the first and before this comment, and on self reflection, i made somewhat of the same mistakes in the first one… and really prepared in the second one! We’re having another session on “Best Practices on Software Quality Assurance” in which im going to get a part (unfortunately, given my previous perfomance.. a smaller part) again. This time im gonna knock their (his) socks off.

Pray for me world!!

Gangster MD

My blog description includes the words “a little gossip” of which i have posted none off.. so from here, im starting a section just on that! And what should come first but a case Hollywood copying off Bollywood! The ONE good idea bollywood’s had in YEARS is now gettin copied by the west. Read the story here.

Gangster MD – Hollywood’s Spin on Munna Bhai MBBS

This will be a first…of sorts.  Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding fame) is all set to direct Chris Tucker as Gangster MD, in the Hollywood version of Munna Bhai MBBS, originally played by Sanjay Dutt.  Of course, given Mira Nair’s Indian origin, one can’t truly say that it’s mainstream Hollywood picking up a Bollywood script.  Nevertheless!  The movie plans are still being finalized and may include some of the original cast as well.  Filming is expected to begin after Tucker finishes shooting Rush Hour 3 with Jackie Chan in Paris this summer.

Karachi Events: Jang Hai Basanti Di – A theater play by Imran Aslam

Posting up on events as and when i find out about them. Here’s the info for a theater play being held in Karachi at the Royal Rodale Club in Defence on June 23rd. If anyone else, like me, would be going alone.. let me know and maybe we could team up! Better than going alone

The Royal Rodale

Presents

JANG HAI BASANT DI

A Comedy Theatre Play by Imran Aslam

A Production of The Grips Theatre – Karachi

Star Cast

• K. Sajeeruddin
• Faiza Kazi
• Ali Saleem
• Aysha Sheikh
• Khalid Anam

Friday June 23, 2006

9:00 pm sharp (One hour play)

Venue: Lawn Area

Entry Ticket: Rs. 250/-

Terms & Conditions:

• Entry tickets will be available at our Front Desk on cash payment only from June 5.
• Each entry ticket is valid for one person for single entry only.
• Code of the conduct and dress code of the complex should be strictly followed
• Food & Drinks from outside is not allowed and would be available on cash payment
• Their will be no Mirage Buffet on the day because of expected heavy rush.
• Children below 18 years of age strictly not allowed.
• Due to shortage of space, please book your seats well before time.

For further query and details, please contact our Front Desk / Marketing Department.

UAN: 111-000-168

info@royalrodale.com

www.royalrodale.com

Soft Launch of Rotary Club of Karachi / PN Model School

This news item is worthy of all the publicity it can get. Its people (and clubs) like these who keep the spirit of karachi alive. I personally feel pride by hearing this news, as i am also a member of a Rotaract Club (The youth wing of Rotary) called the Rotaract Club of Karachi Metropolitan. A summary of the article follows with the complete release.

The Rotary Club of Karachi, the first Rotary Club to be established in Karachi in 1933, had for quite sometime now, embarked on a project to build a Model school in the area of Lyari to cater for educataional needs of the people there. They have now completed the task, and the school is set to begin the academic year from August 2006 with two streams of pupils, females in the morning and males in the evening. The school is called Rotary Club of Karachi / PN Model School recognizing the contribution of Pakistan Navy in this endeavor by providing the land.

The complete article is as follows:

Behalf Of AZIZ MEMON

Soft Inauguration & Handing / Taking Over Ceremony
Of RC Karachi / PN Model School Lyari
On 27th May 2006

One of the first of its kind in the city, the Rotary Club of Karachi was chartered on May 11th, 1933, an outcome of the vision and initiative of its service oriented members, among whom figured personalities like Hatim A. Alavi, Hatim B,. Tayabji and Jamshed Nusserwanji. From its inception, the club has taken an active interest in the civic life of Karachi and also devoted considerable attention to the international aspect of Rotary service.

In its philanthropic efforts, the club has funded several ear and eye camps, supplied drinking water to low-lying areas and adopted several schools. Among its major projects is the supply of sewing machines and a Mass Miniature Radiography Project for the Afghan Refugees, providing resources for TB control in slums, donations of equipment and medicines to government hospitals and other welfare organizations.

It is a well known fact that in this city of over 12 million, most people live below the poverty line and are unable to provide three square meals a day for their children, let alone make available to them the education that is their right and which they so richly deserve. Even though many education projects are functioning already, the need is great and our effort is a mere drop in the very vast ocean of poverty.

As many of you may be aware, the Lyari area in Karachi is a sprawling shantytown on the outskirts of the city inhabited by lower income group populace. Like all other such localities, the town faces inadequate infrastructure facilities, education being the foremost. Over the years, the problem has compounded to an extent that the youth of the area have diverted their energies towards all sorts of anti-social activities.

Keeping this situation in view, the Rotary Club of Karachi took up a project during the tenure of Presidentship of Rtn. Aziz Memon to construct a school in Lyari on an area belonging to the Pakistan Navy and measuring 2850 sq yds, which is now complete. To recognize the Navy’s contribution to the project, the school is named as “Rotary Club of Karachi / PN Model School”.

The school constructed in the Lyari area would start academic session from August 2006 on both primary and secondary levels from Grade 1 through 10. The plan is to have two streams of pupils, one in the morning and another in the evening. The morning shift would consist of female students whereas the evening shift would cater to the needs of make students. The club hopes that the students of this new school will be able to avail of as many facilities as possible, which are available to students in other schools. For this purpose, the construction of science labs, as well stocked library, a common room, a computer lab and a sick room were also constructed. Additionally, the construction of a huge play field planned for outdoor sports will be prepared to encourage the children to take part in extra-curricular activities.

By the grace of God, the project is now complete, which will cater to the needs of approximately 1600 children in the Lyari area and provide them with good-quality, low-cost education. The total cost of the project was estimated at Rs.22 million. The need of the hour is to pool our collective resources and contribute towards the future of our nation, i.e. the children of our city.

A soft inauguration and handing / taking over ceremony was held on 27th May 2006 at Commander Logistics Office, Karachi to start the academic session of the school from 15th August 2006. Whereas the formal inauguration ceremony of Rotary Club of Karachi / PN Model School will be held on 5th August 2006.

We feel satisfaction on completion of this largest project and I am thankful to all the donors for their kind support and assistance extended to us since its inception in August 2003.

Kind regards,
Rtn. Aziz Memon
District Governor Nominee
RI District 3270,
Pakistan & Afghanistan

Technorati Tags: philantrophy, rotary, school, education

Icon Wars

This is a really cool animation made about the icon’s sitting on our desktop!
Makes you wonder what they’re doing when the screensaver’s on!

Check it out here

P.S. I tried embedding here on my blog, but im not sure about the copyright ramifications. Still its too cool not to check out.