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| Now Playing: Bad Boy for Life by P. Diddy I'm going through a revival of old-school hip-hop. The cheesy bass thumps with ridiculously pimped out cars with lots of random money flashing, etc brings back fond memories of some interesting music tastes. I start with music because of this video by the New York Times: http://bit.ly/3O4vk3Basically as an overview, the reporter raises a very valid point. Almost everyone in Pakistan realizes that we're at war. A civil war of sorts since we are targeting our own civilians in an effort to remove elements that are locally and foreign based. The media is actively supporting military action in the affected areas, the government has acknowledged that we are indeed at war, yet socially we continue to ignore the war aspect of this conflict. The reporter brings the point home by saying that our own musicians, people that the youth often look upto and mirror aren't singing about the sacrifice that families and soldiers are going through. They're not singing about the families that have been displaced, they're not singing about the dead soldiers, they're not singing about the people who die everyday in the cities of Pakistan; they keep talking about "foreign" elements. I'm not necessarily a pro-America or pro-Pakistani element, but the point struck a chord with me. We let this people exist in Pakistan, we let them integrate into our society, we let them take the poor and turn them into monsters. We've let them hijack religion and justify killing; something that Islam abhors with untold clarity. There are rules of conflict that are to be respected regardless of the situation, yet these criminals flout them everytime a bomber walks into a crowded market. Shezad Roy's song "Laga Raay" was brilliant when it came out. I loved it because it took shots at EVERYONE. The religious, the lawyers, the politicians, the general public, the West; no one was left untouched. It was basically a very accurate representation of what has been happening in Pakistan. It's not just a "foreign element" that's hurting us, it's our lack of action. We know who these people are, we know where they're coming from, but we can't seem to condemn them. The few innocent people that do end up becoming targets and ultimately killed. I find this situation similar to sticking your head in the sand and hoping that the problem will go away. Right now, we need the educated masses to help build a proper system to support these actions. When we, the youth, decide to stay in Pakistan and work towards bringing a change in good governance and cultural values can we change Pakistan. If we all continue to escape abroad, it's pointless complaining about a system that doesn't work. That's all for now. Plan to write more about Pakistan in the near future. kbai. | | |
| Now Playing: Low Addict (Flo Rida vs. Plump DJs) by Party Ben Long break. Not my fault. Kthnxbai. Currently I am in love with this song. The perfect mashup of two songs that you'd never think would work. Even those who don't like mashups, just flip through anything on the following websites www.djearworm.com or www.partyben.com. A quick recap, the country is headin' down the toilet. I am afraid to admit it, but I seriously think we're not going to be around for very long as the current Pakistan I seem to enjoy. I'd never thought that militants would have the audacity of hitting educational institutes. It's just a heartless thing to do. These poor kids are the ones that are going to inherit this place, not you guys since you're too busy blowing yourselves up. Sadly enough, the campus that the militants struck is next door to the main campus of my university in Islamabad. It's interesting to note though that some people are claiming that educational institutions should be open. Yes, it's very easy to play the idealism card. Yet everyone has to realize what a proper security plan is. The problem is that most people fall into this wonderful complacency because you never assume that it will be the people you see on a day to day basis. You ignore the usual policies and think nothing of it. That's when terrorists strike. I remember the days in Saudi where we still had to go through multiple security checks regardless of who or how long we had lived on the compound. It was irritating, aggravating and frustrating, but it kept us safe. School was the same thing; ID cards, metal detectors, extensive vehicle checks, surveillance cameras, proactive intelligence, etc. If you are at war - which as Pakistanis, we are - you need to be prepared for everything. Something that our country has never really been serious or logical about. Most educational institutes are located in heavily populated residential areas that do not have the necessary facilities to let emergency services reach them in time or ensure proper security plans can be executed. In light of the recent attacks, it makes sense for universities to enact some proper policies and begin to shore up their security measures. After they think the situation is safe, then educational institutes should not close regardless of the situation. I'm working now. GO CHECK OUT www.tkxel.com/blog. I do all their market intelligence news. It's great fun. Toodles. | | |
| Now Playing: Homecoming - Kanye West feat. Chris Martin
I'm officially 22 years of age. My birthday as usual sucked beyond even the most crappiest standards. Midterms, school, family and other random issues that often pervade my life made a wonderful coordinated surgical strike on my day.
But the real icing on the cake was the crippling migraines that followed. I have a history of migraines, normally they're strong, but manageable. Pop a few painkillers, sleep for around 2 hours or so, and I'm completely back to normal. This current set are a real set of miserable asses.
My entire head felt like it was on fire. A sharp pains lanced throughout out my forehead spaced equally at 10 degrees with a massive throbbing on the crown of my head. Add to this blurry vision and every step feeling like a flak grenade exploding inside my head. The pain was so bad that the usual set of painkillers failed. To compound further on the problem, the pain was bad enough to stop me from sleeping so 3 nights of no sleep further added to the problem.
After a diagnosis from the doctor, who really couldn't explain the intensity of these migraines, just slated it to stress and lack of sleep.
With that in the context of my birthday, I'm a real happy camper. Why I bother, it's absolutely pointless, there's not much ado as it is. I'm happier alone than with friends.
The only wish I have is to see Sandra again. I have this whole sappy scene in mind, and I don't want to let go of it. I miss her.
*fin*
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| Now Playing: Ministry of Sound Clubbers Guide *Summer 2007*
Clearly I shouldn't be allowed near a blogging site. I rarely ever update this in comparison to my previous entries. Apparently I'm easily distracted by shiny things, school and work.
I just got a message from a very close friend of mine from high school talking about how she's getting in touch with God and religion as a whole. I wholeheartedly respect her decision to do so and congratulate on her initiative to get back to something that requires a phenomenal amount of faith and belief. You know who you are, and I wish you the best of luck.
It's been a hectic few months. Work, school, house, errands, etc have all accumulated in a ferocious manner to steal any available time that I may have. Yet again, some basic updates, there's another new car in the house, and my random ability to get into accidents in said cars. Sadly, it's rarely ever my fault and somehow I'm the one with damage to my vehicle. Nonetheless, I'm happy with it, the more the merrier.
Normally, I'd be whinging about something right about now, but honestly I can't think of anything. Maybe it's the complacency of the daily routine, but things seem to be working out nicely. I've started working which has meant that my evenings and mornings are packed with meetings with a client along with constant workloads from my boss. It's a nice change from the usual boring evenings I have which involve the Internet and copious amounts of downloading of TV shows and music. For once, I can say I'm rather pleased with how things are working out. I have this odd nature of not being able to sit idly for a very long period. I need to be doing something, whether it be fiddling with my PC, chatting, wandering around or just reading; I need to be preoccupied with something. With such a heavy workload nowadays academically and professionally, I feel productive after a very long time. Ordinarily I'd be irritable without anything to do, but ever since I've been piled down with work and school, I've been fairly happy. Snappy at times, but for the most part, happy.
Unfortunately, the idiocy of university life doesn't seem to leave me. As a group project for a class, we've been forced to create ridiculously large groups. As a result, I'm being forced to work with people that I've had issues. These issues generally stem from the apparent self-righteousness that people reserve for themselves, yet find it amusing to degrade and humiliate others. When I bitchslap said people verbally, they get uppity and then start complaining about the "evil" Hasan. To the friends that know me well, I've always been honest with them. If I didn't like you, I rarely ever would have talked to you. If I do talk to you, it may have been a redeeming quality that I accidently believed you had and then you destroyed any self-integrity you had through your words or actions. Coming back to the point, since my business partner/friend and I get along very well and have generally done well academically, people are running over each other to get into our group. What I find amusing is that they think buttering up to my partner will change my opinion of them, sadly, it won't. You're now a bigger asshat than ever, don't patronize by telling my partner that you're in a difficult place, and we'll work. We both know the level of work almost anyone puts into a group this large. We'll be doing all the work and you'll just take credit for it. You're better off treating me to lunch and saying that's the most you're capable of doing. I'd appreciate that rather than half-assed copy-pastes from Wikipedia to pass as your work on a business plan for this project.
Sorry, I didn't mean to turn this post into a rant, but after around 3 dozen calls to both of us, frankly, I just want to shoot the next person to call.
Moving on; I'm working again as a business consultant with a firm again. It's absolutely wonderful to be doing this work again. Hectic workschedules, idiot clients, but it comes with perks, your own personal workload, business lunches, random meetings and undue respect in the offices you walk into. Being an entrepreneur is great considering that I will most likely setup a consulting company during my life somewhere, somehow. My boss is pretty relaxed and teaches as we move along the project. Basically we're redesigning SOPs for a government organization using the ISO 9000:2000 standards. I didn't like the CS world that much, but this is definitely more like the job I'd dreamed about. Clients, meetings, travel, etc. All good stuff.
I always promise to make more relevant posts, but clearly I can't seem to focus. The music is playing, the weather is great, and I'm off to sit outside and enjoy both.
Toodles.
P.S. To my earlier friend, I think I'm going to use you as an excuse to start blogging more regularly on so that you have an incentive to post more on Xanga and I'll post back in response.
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| Now Playing: Pogo by Digitialism
The start of another new year and I barely posted anything in the entire year. A fitting review is needed, but it's pointless. Nothing interesting really has happened that warrants a significant post. In timeless tradition, I apologize for the intermittent posts. The usual combination of reasons have resulted in my inability to post anything at all.
Foremost, the political scenario with regards to Pakistan and India. As usual, we've managed to create such a tense and hostile situation where everyone is itching to get into a fight. I've yet to understand the evidence presented by the Indian government, if we ever get to see it, that damningly holds Pakistan accountable for the entire Mumbai incidents. I'm absurdly pacifist at times, however, this does not mean someone can trample over me because I won't put up a fight. A paradox in its own right, but nonetheless, the general saying, "Respect is earned when it is given," jumps to mind. The entire terrorism wave is not something someone singlehandedly created. It was the cumulative efforts of a number of state governments that had vested interests with the creation of a private brainwashed militant force that was easily swayed by religious and political propaganda. For the few people who still believe that Pakistan is harboring these militants, I simply say review the news from a local Pakistani website about the number of suicide bombings in our cities. It's not something any country actively looks forward to. It ruins lives, changes destinies, and generally fucks things up to put it coarsely. Every time I hear the usual inane concept that we are harboring these terrorists, I just want them to see the amount of blood splattered on our sidewalks thanks to these monsters. I want them to see that we value life more than many anything else. Sadly, I know there are people that won't be swayed and the usual accusations will continue. Hopefully with education and self-awareness, people can change and work together rather than kill one another.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Words cannot begin to describe how the Israelis have unflinchingly perpetrated genocide on a civilization that shares so much culture, history and values with them. Not stating there are two sides to a story, but this is murder on innocent civilians. Air strikes and commandos do not spread anything besides hatred and anger. This will come back to haunt the Israelis in the future. Open dialogue and acceptance will help turn the general population against those elements, both Israeli and Palestinian, who enjoy the bloodshed of war. Unfortunately, I have a sinking feeling that the conflict in this region can never end due to the history of it alone. The number of countless wars, destruction of civilizations, hatred and inflexibility of thought will drag on for many millennia.
Personal business.
Yet again, my fiercely independent nature continues to clash with attempts to tame me. This generally results in a series of long pointless arguments with significant yelling. I understand that I may be inexperienced or such, it makes no sense that I cannot make a seasoned decision. Alas, yet another struggle that no one seems to understand the significance of.
School went surprisingly well in comparison to the disaster I was expecting. Short of one course, I was pleasantly surprised with the 4 A's that I got in some rather oddball courses. The next semester should be more interesting as well since we've gotten into the real core components of our majors. Marketing is pretty interesting as it is, enough math to make it tolerable with lots of creativity to make enjoyable. How someone can major in finance and not be bored with looking at numbers for the rest of their lives is beyond me.
Welcoming the new year in with more pessimism and hatred as usual.
2009, we welcome you with a significant amount of sneer and cynicism.
*Fin.*
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