Disposable income, where art thou?

As I stepped out today, the air seemed different. It wasn't the same biting cold that it had been for the past wintery months. It was laced with a healthy yellow glow from the shining sun. The sky was just the right shade of light blue. The weather had changed. That was enough to remind me of all the things that have been changing recently. Life is at a peculiar stage right now, like a desert engulfed in a sandstorm everything is shifting and changing and what lies ahead is not so clear. I'll tell you one other thing thats changing. The damn prices.

Inflation is biting away at everyones heels right now and if our wallets were girls then they would be ecstatic because they are slimming down fast. I can't count the number of times me and my friends have walked into a nice looking establishment, sat down, looked at the prices and then had a brainstorming session on how to walk out without making our financial situation apparent to anyone. Usually it involves "I dunno, nothing on the menu strikes me as interesting, we'll be back in five minutes". Oh yeah, we've done that. Don't you dare judge me..... and stop giving me that look. A lesson to the uninitiated, walk in, ask for the menu, do not under any circumstance sit down, if the prices seem manageable given the funds at hand park your behind on the nearest table, else use the "5 minute" line mentioned above, remember to thank TAB later.

So while me and a friend (henceforth, Adeel) were discussing the trials and tribulations of the life of a trainee at work it was inevitable that the topic of our pay package (don't ask) and the prices today would come up. An idea hit us, both of us having studied economics vaguely remembered that time when we were half awake in class and managed to hear the teacher say "blah blah blah consumer price index blah blah blah inflation". For those who might not know about what the consumer price index (CPI) is, I'll try to wrap it up in a single line. A CPI is a list on which the prices of various items are listed and tracked over time to get an idea of the prevailing rate of inflation in the country. If you're the Sherlock Holmes type and thats not enough for you then you can always do this or this. Back on point; me and Adeel remembered consumer price index and decided to make our own little index, the Student Price Index.

And now the curious wonder what the Student Price Index is? Well, the Student Price Index (henceforth, the SPI) is a list on which items vital to the student/trainee are listed and their prices are tracked over time to get an idea of the prevailing rate of inflation the student/trainee must endure in his academic life. Driven to help students everywhere, we set out to create the SPI that as of yet existed only in our heads. After hours of interviews, calculations and research, the SPI was turned into reality. The fruits of our labour are shown below.

So there you go. Now you know what you're up against. Time to go to parliament and start a discussion on what to do about this grave issue. To explain a bit on whats going on above, the items selected are those that the student finds themselves dealing out cash for the most. The year 2010 is selected as the base year because well, no one remembered how much a roll paratha cost back in 2000 (Rs. 45, FYI). The prices of the same items in the year 2011 are listed as well and the change over one year is calculated to arrive at the figure for inflation. But it doesn't stop there. The items are also given a weightage according to how important they are. To explain the concept of weightage, items that are considered closer to being necessities get a high weightage. Luxury items get a low weightage. Why is this done? Well, a 50% increase in the price of a Bentley may not have everyone reconsidering sending their child to college but a 50% increase in the price of wheat is a surefire way to start a revolution in the country. The result of this economics lesson is that the inflation rate comes out to 27%. Fun fact, that actually is the inflation rate of our country at the moment (so you know we did a good job :D). However, after weighting, for us students the inflation rate is somewhat closer to 20%.

The SPI is something that just started out as a joke and the list is in no way complete. But it was a fun exercise and I'm actually interested making it into a proper index so I would love feedback on the matter. For one, having a full and proper list of items that students and trainees spend their money on is important. Second, this is actually the work of two guys, so the list doesn't take into account items that the girls would normally spend on. You can leave a comment or make a post on the forum (highly recommended).

The updated version of the SPI can always be found here. For now, tis time to wrap up this post and return to dreaming of that big paycheck that I'll hopefully be collecting someday.

Talha A. B.

Stop and Stare

This might sound entertaining but honestly what i'm about to discuss here is not short of being an epidemic itself. My dears, I talk about the one and only "STARING" habit which is such an inborn "value" that it sort of accompanies ethnic origin at birth. Face it, WE are a curious nation. We were born wide eyed and even now the existence of the opposite gender never ceases to amaze us. Of course the main problem is girls complaining about the full body scan rather than the other way around. I mean, face it, if a guy catches a girl looking at him intently, with a silly one corner smile he is more likely to puff up his chest than to tug at lose hair strands. BUT there are both sides to a discussion and boys, I will do you justice.

Every Pakistani woman is aware of the fact that when she leaves the house she will be scanned from head to toe by any male individual who frequents her path. If you think its because of wearing something provocative, well think again. I'm not saying thats not a big way to get yourself "hounded" but generally no beauty, height, weight or amount of layers has anything to do with it. And honestly who are we to define provocative; it is too relative. So yes take a walk and start the count; the security guard of the house up front, two teenagers returning from tuition, the regular uncle on a cycle, the guy fixing some phone line, the the shopkeeper, regular suited corporate guy driving down the road, etc. It is like this paranoia that the woman has come to ignore and even accept.

This was a sensitive issue to write on. Though common enough, Miss Q here had to search high and low for answers, talk openly to her male acquaintances as to the reason behind this predicament and observe others all the same being victimised herself. My question, "WHY?". The answer "instinct". The answer took me back to this article I read in the Readers' Digest once about attraction in general. Basically what that article said was, the guy and the girl "size" each other up. Any person, man or woman carries with them this compatibility criteria and when they come across someone who fits that criteria it creates this invisible thread of connection between them. Think about it, if the staring guy's good looking you're not THAT unpleased and well if he's not he's just a shameless loser with no respect for women isn't he? The thing is girls, half of the time you and me don't realise that we give out these signals of approval. I'm not saying such instinct is wrong. It is this instinct that is enabling the population to grow this rapidly.

But look here, there HAS to be something about Pakistan that's different right. What about, say the European countries. Did their hormones get exhausted? Its weird how we claim to be more loyal since most of us stay hitched to the same guy/girl post/pre mid-twenty's age till the time one of the spouses passes away. I get how the single generation scours the market but what I don't get is how every man AND woman doesn't become blurry for a guy/girl when he/she has chosen one to be there forever. It is outrageous, the crimes being done on the name of religion but noone knows the basics OF the religion. I might only be touching "looking" but we all know its an area open for creativity and physicality.

And girls, despite what i said about provocative clothing being a relative term, we all know our cultural limits now don't we. If we exceed those limits we are compelling the male population to to go gaga. Even though speaking from the sisterhood I know how inappropriately some female individuals have come to behave. Like, VERY inappropriate. If the girl deserves to be left alone and not harrassed then the guys deserve less impetus to invoke certain desires. Sometimes I feel its the lack of entertainment that this happens; either its too pricey or too scarce. Of course this somewhat justifies the labour, working class but NOT the "Burger bachay". "Poondi" as the guys like to call it is a social event held at strategic spots usually in large groups. They're easy to spot, mostly at "open" eateries, a bit dressed up, facing the same direction and they usually won't buy anything to eat since they might need to change location at some indefinite time. Then come the "Poondi approvers", girls, mostly young, giggly, basically what the audience is facing and having the silly notion that its because they are so hot/pretty. *sigh*. Oh and they too shall refrain from eating since they consider it a turnoff. What as waste, pass me those fries!

So here i am taking everyone's side. Im so great aren't I? The thing is God created the woman to be loved and respected , not pieced down by body proportions. That's the way it is; the woman needs more respect in this regard than the man because of who and what she is. See, I cannot under any circumstances open my gate at 12 am and walk down to some corner shop 5 minutes away while maybe a guy can. So yeah, just because a woman is apparently admiring someone's bulgy muscles doesnt give the muscle man the same right. (Oh please don't whine, you guys get to do more fun stuff ALREADY). The gist of it is, admire the beauty of the human being, single them out but be DISCREET, or else very soon you lose respect and ultimately credibility. There's admiration and then there's harrasment. Of course the labouror breaking down the road will never read this but maybe some high-ups will and thus serve as an example. Now run off my kids, I pronounce you brothers and sisters. Kidding! :P

Until next time, this is Sara Q thinking of getting some well deserved sleep!

I've seen this already

It is only as we age that we realize how wonderful childhood can be. It is at that time that our mind experiences one of the most wonderful feelings it can. That is, the feeling of discovering something new. Once we become accustomed to life and living such moments are few and far apart. I've recently rediscovered this feeling, though not because I've found or learned something new but because I've been shown and reminded of what it used to be like. You see, right now I'm living in a house with four babies. Four noisy, clever, hilarious, excitable, annoying, cute babies. Its hard to explain but watching these little guys kick, scream and raise hell is fun. It takes me back to that time when every single thing I saw was new and exciting, every little thing was a huge catalyst for the imagination. The world was still full of mystery back then.

I'm still somewhat of a child I guess. I'm always looking for something new to experience and when I find it I get bored with it fast. The list of things I've started and never finished is a very long one. Just a few things off the top off my head that are on the said list: tennis, horse riding, golf, guitar playing, dj-ing, making a website, drawing a comic, photography, writing a short story and making an award winning video game. Its always the same. I stumble upon something, I'm overcome with excitement, I work at it for a while and then the interest wanes till finally I move on to something else.

The thrill of starting something new is indescribable. I was extremely enthusiastic when I started this blog but like all my previous endeavors my interest began to fade. But, all is well now, for some odd reason I can't bring myself to quit. As I've discovered recently, a creative Talha equals a happy Talha. So, these days I find myself rediscovering things that I had abandoned a while ago and what I've realized is, no matter how many times you do something, it can always surprise you. Any activity or hobby, whatever you want to call it, is like getting to know someone. When you find out that you are somewhat compatible there is that initial excitement and as you go along you keep discovering new things about them. You get surprised at every turn. Of course there are the occasional rough spots, but commitment is what carries you through.

So, these days its all about starting where I left off. Its not the same as that feeling that we have in our childhood when we experience something new. It's a more different feeling but different doesn't mean bad. The point is, our experience in life changes how we experience life. What we look for and what we find is different. We've seen so much that we think its hard to be surprised anymore. We're wrong. So, what this means for now is that I get back to dj-ing and story writing. I introduced myself to them a long time ago and its time I got to know them a bit better.

Hopefully the next post won't be as random,
Talha A. B.

Green gone black

 

Long time no see followers. We’ve just been REALLY busy. A lot of significant and insignificant things have taken place since I last posted something here. As far as the national level is concerned though, most of what’s happening nowadays is not only significant but significantly horrifying too.

 It probably started with the Air Blue plane crash. That one came with a personal connection too. Like my equally busy co-author said; there were 150 people on that plane but somehow all of the 18 million were connected to someone on that plane, directly or indirectly. Of course the devastating flood was already doing what it does best somewhere in the background. And then it came onto the big screen. More than half of the country got affected by the flood. The loss of human lives is another thing but the survival of the remaining is more than just a toll on the unaffected.

 Here we all were worrying about the water when some people thought of adding some fire to the pot. I’m talking repeated bomb blasts, firings and target killings. The fact that a totally disinterested and innocent pedestrian can be made a target just for the heck of it just scares the hell out of me. As if that wasn’t enough a mob killed two kids with their bare hands in the midst of onlookers and policemen somewhere in Sialkot.

 Add in the total drainage of State reserves, glutinous corrupt politicians playing blame games all the time, Cricketing scandals, skyrocketing prices, diplomatic dirt with God knows how many countries, the US of A making us lick their boots and oh yeah we even got a 6.3 shaker a few weeks ago to shake off what’s left of us. Yes, my dear Pakistanis, we are officially screwed. In fact we are SO screwed that it might eradicate my inability to swear. And yeah, that’s saying something.

 But guess what nothing up there is new, nothing you and I don’t know about already. So yeah, let’s look through the other end of the periscope for a change. Let’s stop saying that Zardari will rot in hell or Imran Khan will be our savior or who’s corrupt and who’s here with a fake degree. Let’s talk about Pakistan, the people/ citizens for a change. Are WE doing our bit too or just sitting around like spoilt kids waiting to be spoon-fed. I know you guys don’t want to hear this but it’s all us. We no longer deserve anything. Now at this exact point people usually say “Why would God do this to us, we’re the best Muslim country in the world. Look at blah and blah, look at what they wear” etc etc. The thing is it’s not about being a good Muslim anymore. Hell, I hardly think anyone knows what a good original Muslim is supposed to look and feel like. People all over this world are not screwed, Muslims or not. WE NEED TO BE GOOD PEOPLE, PEOPLE. Honestly, we do that and we’ll actually become good Muslims.

 So what am I talking about? I’m talking how wildly animalistic we’ve all become. Ready to snatch and steal everything thinking it’s our right. What do you think was going through the mind of those ruthless men while they were beating those boys to death? It’s a frustration we carry with us at all time, ready to not just beat but actually eat the pulp out of anyone we can find. That mob was not just a mob; it represented US, Pakistanis who have severely slipped down to the down most rung of the human race ladder.

 Think about it, these days people will rip off, lie, cheat, steal or even murder someone on a good day. For those of you who think this is a bit too much read on for day to day ventures; people will keep polluting a place because they think one wrapper doesn’t make a difference, talk back rudely to some shopkeeper, not give way on the fast lane and when they do it’ll come with a complementary hand action and colorful vocabulary, waste resources and power knowing they are scarce, call a woman ‘baji’ and as soon as her back turns give her a nice MRI, honk rudely on the roads without rhyme or reason, try to sell off expired goods, arrive late at meetings and on weddings because ‘that’s how it is’, break into queues, carry out full fledge 'phaddas' over the most immature reasons possible, bully anyone who classifies as a subordinate, even make up dirty rumours etc. etc. And even without these everyday happenings the average Pakistani has become this combination of aggression, jealousy and impatience and when they see someone who's not, a big conversion is underway for the poor soul. Its the "If my life sucks so should yours" routine.

The thing is two wrongs don’t make a right. Oh God teach this concept to this country, please! (Yeah that includes me too. NONE of us are bathed in milk at the moment :P). When one person is in the wrong it makes him a total loser not an excuse or justification for us to repeat that. So the plan is as simple as my name; if ALL of us do what we’re supposed to and do it right we are SO out of this. That includes everyone, from some high profile CEO to an office janitor.

But you know what the real problem is? We just don’t CARE anymore. See, people mix up love and care. We all say we love the country but we don’t CARE about it. BIG difference ma dears. It’s like any relationship actually; we need to contribute into it or we’re in for a big time break-up very, VERY soon! This is one relationship we need to start fixing, like NOW!

 

Think about it. Until next time and hoping it comes soon,

Sara Q.

 

Plus or minus?

There is a wedding going on. Everyone’s pretty overdressed and wearing way too much jewelry. Then again, this is not a normal wedding. The bride finally agreed to move on and marry someone. You know, to get past the loss of her husband who drove over a cliff and his body was never found. His belongings and identification documents were totally intact though. Bad luck I guess. Just as the final act of the ceremony is being carried out a gentleman appears declaring himself as the lost husband. That can’t be, cries the bride. It is so, says the intruder and he quickly tells how he was rescued by some local villagers and as his face was totally distorted and there was no photograph available the plastic surgeon gave him the face of his own dead son. Silence! The cameraman goes wild. For some odd reason he not only captures the expressions of the main characters but anyone he can find; including all the badly dressed guests and the waiter holding the tray. I guess the next move would be to actually prove through an exhaustive question and answer session that he is in fact the same guy. Why he was out of the picture for so long is of course another story.

Sounds familiar right? This is a scene typical of all those Indian soaps on Star plus/One, Sony, Zee etc. Basically they’re predictable. Anyone can just think along the strangest lines and concoct a complete script. Here’s a list of some other clichés we discover even before they are declared:

• The guy and the girl who are totally in love with each other will never get married. At least not in the beginning.
• The person who seems the sweetest will always be the villain.
• Two people who totally hate each other in the beginning will ultimately wind up together.
• There will always be a handy plastic surgeon nearby.
• If someone is in an accident the only think that will be distorted will be their face. Thus the handy plastic surgeon.
• People have selective amnesia like they have the flu.
• You can buy the whole population in order to carry out an evil plan.
• People talk to themselves aloud; very very loud thereby revealing their plan, good or bad.
• There will always be a handy eavesdropper somewhere. His job made easier as the doors will always be carelessly open, ALL the time.
• The script writers have no biological sense. For e.g. If a girl is unable to enslave a certain gentleman she will simply ‘pretend’ she’s pregnant and get away with it.
• If something big has to be revealed, an unraveling of a previously discovered evil plot, it will all be done in the middle of some poor bloke’s wedding/engagement/reception. And then all the guests shake their heads and leave.
• There is always an undiscovered illegitimate child out there.
• Sometimes a guy/girl will consent to a marriage only to take some sort of revenge.
• If a person is wrongfully blaming another, the other will never put up any defense. I actually pull my hair out when that happens.
• People can waste their entire lives only to wait for someone to grow up so they can take revenge. What a waste!
• The transition from good to evil and vice versa is as easy as a change of clothes.
• There is no need to mourn a dead person. He’ll turn up sooner or later.

Everyday when I come down to dinner I’m greeted with the ‘dhum dhum tana nana dhum dhum’ soundtrack. I was never allowed to talk in between serials but now it is an even bigger crime. I repeatedly tell my mom that I only comment when the soundtrack and flashes come on. Also, when something big is revealed with an even bigger reaction and an additional soundtrack (dhak dhak dhina dhina dhaaa) you can actually listen to a full song on some other channel. Unfortunately, my strategic interruption is not appreciated. And thanks to the looming exam threat I seem to have lost my previous jurisdiction of holding the remote and commanding it. Of course I can avoid all that by just walking off but family TV time is something none of us wants to lose.

So yes I have to endure like many others. The funny thing is that we do end up watching them. I mean we curse, overuse the words ‘lame’ and ‘stupid’ over and over again but we end up watching; amidst the remote snatching and begging to change the channel. Is it because they are so totally impractical that our minds just go numb and simply get entertained without reason or logic. Having said that, sometimes there does come a serial that focuses on normalcy too. I remember watching one about four women and their individual lives. It had topics such as wife beatings, vulnerability of teenage girls and a mother fighting cancer. It was a job well done I must say. Anyway, that apart the question is what is so alluring about these dramas that our mothers, grandmothers and aunts totally weave their routines around them?

The first is easy; time span. You can sit for hours watching back to backs but technically its just 30 minutes each right? Second is the culture difference. Technically what they show is neither our religion nor culture so whatever moral or immoral goes on we don’t give a damn. Thirdly, even with all the riff raff I’ve talked about upstairs they are made to seem interesting. I mean even if something totally non practical as marriage for revenge happens the audience will be excited at such a concept; especially when they know that the girl/boy will fall for the other ultimately. And lastly, there is so much devastation around us that it actually helps to look at foreign faces. Add in the fact that the quality of Pakistani dramas went so downhill in the ‘middle’ ages that people reverted to Indian ones and well got too comfortable to revert back!

I really miss those times, the PTV prime time. A decent serial everyday from 7:45 to 8:45 pm. This is coming from the generation that experienced “Alpha, bravo, Charlie”, “Kashkol”, “Bandhan”, “Laag” and many others that I can’t recall. The comedy too was awesome. Imagine the “UFONE” team in a 45 minutes play and you’ll get the picture. If you go back even further you get names like “Aangan terha” and “Ankahi”. The emphasis at that time was on the writing and acting. It was never supposed to be fancy or anything. Dramas were about normal, everyday people going through ordinary and extraordinary experiences. You could relate to the characters, connect with their grief or joy. They were all of a decent length; maximum 13 episodes. Sometimes, they showed these single episode short plays based on some social issue. Nothing! And I mean NOTHING can compare to those times. Not all these three channels combined together.

Then came the dark ages. The funding probably halted. There was a national writer’s block probably. Only a few programs were worth watching. It was all downhill after that; especially when came the stampede of private channels. Writers and directors wanted new horizons where they could open up their wings more, think a bit provocative maybe. I’m not at all against the depiction of the taboos of society because frankly they’re a part of it. What totally pissed me off was the wrong depiction of our culture. Cultural shock it was. Scanty clothing, vulgar behaviour on national television and above all the embarrassment that all of this was transmitted abroad too. I mean just because they were private channels didn’t give them the right to go all out on everything. It was almost desperate. The comedy went to such a depth that I don’t think it can ever recover. If you suffer from bulimia you can actually try it out; it would make throwing up easier.

So it was then that the cable guys decided to bring in fresh meat. Lo and behold, Star Plus made an entry. This change was welcomed with open arms because to be frank Indian movies might be all stripped; the dramas are a total opposite. Yes, there are exceptions but they are prominently looked at as something rotten and unclean. The moral of the story is that no one forgets their roots; they might be going wayward due to the versatile nature of the film industry but here on television it’s all prim, proper, sacrificial and traditional.

However, I see an improvement now. Saw this drama on a private channel and found it very refreshing. It was realistic and you could actually relate to it. The strange fact is that it was a sad one but the sadness or the screw ups of the characters didn’t seem frustrating at all. The gist of Indian dramas is that they are wholly and solely based on misunderstandings. If you look at it this way these dramas are actually shows of pessimism. They stretch endlessly thereby justifying the fact that there can never be an end to problems or human devastation; it is like you get rid of one problem and another one just comes up. It all runs on evil I tell you.

Unsurprisingly I can go on and on but I promised myself I’d stay close to the point. No need to feel sarcastic, this IS to the point; just an elongated one. To conclude I would like to announce that PTV is sort of back again. Let us not ignore it anymore. If our channels are recovering we should at least give them a chance. Let’s just give the Indian background banshee singer a little break and dive into local waters. And that would also go for the aunty next door who’s watching a repeat telecast at two in the morning. It appears that the “dhoom tana nana” beat is my lullaby for tonight.

I will return soon my loyal readers. Till then, this sleep deprived person bids you goodnight! We shall meet again. Up up and away!!!! (Yeah I should definitely get some sleep now).

Until next time, this is Sara Q DOZING off! :)

Some pictures + a thousand words

I'm sure most of you have already noticed that this will be a different than usual post. Photography is one of those passions that almost everyone has but not all get to pursue it. Fortunately the basic need is a camera; need not be the professional SLR one. A simple digital one will do for the time being. Click away amateurishly. Who knows, your passion might die there and then. At least you won't call it 'abandoned' anymore. So yeah as I was saying, this is different from my usual philosophical interpretations (read self-created). The following are some random images I took round my house. To be honest they have sort of a philosophical take too. Anyway here they are; random as random can be:

Straightforwardly, this is a junction of a blue wall and an orange wall. This wall deserves the honour to be on this cool blog because it is highly responsible for the unsurpassed creativity that Sara Q is famous for. It's the blue actually. It gives ideas; and not just for writing the blog or poetry or my journal. There have actually been a few "eureka" moments as well (don't ask). The orange is this happy colour. It's like this stimulant; I look at it and start feeling positive. No idea if that's actually been proven scientifically or not. The 'blue' theory is true though.

This here is the ‘Centaurus’ under construction. Named the ‘landmark of Pakistan’ (honestly, how many landmarks are there?) this multi-something project promises a seven star hotel, a luxury apartment complex and a mall complete with a movie theatre et all. Anyway, this is not a promotion, it’s just this huge building that will have all the fun stuff mentioned above but as of now, for someone like me only two things matter concerning this project; whether it’s going to block my sun once completed and second is understandably the security of the workers involved. This is actually an after hour shot. Usually you can see tiny, speck size construction workers moving about. What would seem like an impossible feat to us is a livelihood for them. Oh yeah, count in diversion of traffic as a concern too.

For antique lovers: this is an antique! I found this lying somewhere in the house and gave it a new status when found out that it was more than a hundred years old. It is a sort of an heirloom too actually. On further investigation on its origin I was told it was actually passed down to my grandmother when she got married. And so it resides on my fireplace. People say it's dumb to get attached to materials but i say it's not the materials it's the memory or the person associated with them.

An original Harry Potter collectible. The 'Knight Bus' that could take you anywhere as long as it was on earth. When I mention Harry Potter people always seem amused. Little do they know Harry is not about a young boy waving a wand and saying a few words. Harry Potter is a concept, a getaway from this weird humdrum of life. It sort of transports you to this other world which might be a fantasy place but it follows the same principles we follow; right and wrong, good and evil. life and death. Just like we have to make sacrifices in this world to get a happy ending, same goes with Potter. What can I say, the concept will never cease to have its influence on me. :)

Thick black rimmed glasses are actually the most stereotyped thing in the world. Words like ‘geek’ and ‘nerd’ have always been associated with them. It’s like people never realized there were actually eyes behind the lenses. It became easier when ‘anti-glare’ ones were introduced though. Though this stereotype stays I’m happy to see that glasses have actually experienced a rebirth in the western world. And well lets face it; fashion travels super fast eastwards. Big names are seen sporting dark rimmed spectacles on the red carpet and award shows. So just like the world is starting to get over the ‘size zero’ concept I guess glasses are gradually getting a new meaning. There was actually a girl my junior who was a total 24/7 black rimmed glasses person and she was the most sought after female of the batch. I guess there is still hope for that minority. :P

I guess we all know that the human heart has always been associated with the concept of love. What I don't get is that the heart is this spongy thing with valves coming out of every direction. Then how come the 'heart' associated with love got this shape. Well I know a spongy thing with valves though totally amazing would look a bit strange on greeting cards and teddy bears. However, as to how this shape really came into being is a total mystery to me. Please enlighten me if anyone else knows.

The classic question; is the glass half empty or half full. How do you see it?How would you want to see it? A total optimism/pessimism choice.

An African man and woman carry water buckets on their heads. The one on the left is the woman. If you look closely you can see she's also carrying a baby. It is more prominent in the shadow rather than the original piece.

This is actually a figment of the "Flag movement" I talked about in an earlier post. The fact that our flag is an integral part of our lives as Pakistanis. It is more of a 'back to basics' concept. First realise how the flag came into being because it is humanly impossible to imagine the whole country in such a manner. A simple glance on the back of the car can provoke thoughtfulness or a realisation of our true identity. Maybe a humble reminder that no matter how much screwed up we are these days we are still ONE. Just like Talha A.B reminded us of our blessings in his last post.

A lost cause? Something we had but don’t have anymore. It’s surprising how much we Pakistanis look up to cricket to boost our ‘terrorised’ spirits. Unfortunately, like my co-author said the whole political/social instability seems to have gotten them too. Nothing seemed to go right this season; as if there was this dark cloud looming overhead. Like some curse.

Anyway, this equipment you see here is in every Pakistani home irrespective of economic situation or gender configuration. Yes, even I’m a self declared cricketer :D.

Street cricket is like this getaway and even a platform for getting ‘discovered’. It’s not just some leisurely activity. It can mean war; tournaments, challenges, a fight for glory b/w 2 different sides of the neighbourhood. Yep THAT serious. In the current situation it has become this outlet for rage. In many cases disappeared completely thanks to parents worrying over security. The latter has actually caused the young generation to go totally couch potato. Whatever exercise they got in these meager two hours is now kaput. Great! Now we have another potential evil to get rid off; obesity.

A lamp. With a light bulb. Emitting light that is obviously not needed right now so I’ll just switch it off. Somehow, under the country’s current electricity deprived situation it is unfit to fashionably photograph a lamp. This was a lucky first shot.

A mirror. Chemical composition has something to do with silver I guess. Obviously, it reflects our appearance but what else does it do. It helps us feed on narcissism. Sometimes elevates our appearance related insecurities. For some it is an obsession (think on the lines of Snow White; ‘mirror mirror on the wall…..remember?) It shows us who we are in our own eyes, even if we try to hide our truths, good or bad. It’s actually our own self looking at us in a ‘are you sure’ manner. Mirrors help us gain confidence too, its like looking yourself in the eye, accepting what you see. Like Talha A. B puts it; you need to bathe in your own glory sometimes. There are many superstitions surrounding mirrors but let’s not scare our minimal amount of readers away. Add in magic too (the mirror of ‘Erised’ in “Harry Potter”). The terms ‘mirror’ and ‘reflection’ are used as metaphors to convey love, telepathy and understanding too. As writes a local poet “He saw her as no mirror could reveal her to herself”. (The rest is unimportant and explicit)

Surprisingly this picture was taken less than a month ago. This is a tree right outside my house and it's surprising because now its all green and 'springy'. I was strolling in my driveway one day when i noticed the myriad of colours behind this tree. It was near sunset. I quickly ran in for the camera and captured it, afraid that the light will go bad. Weirdly yet logically i see the same array of colours in the backdrop the next day, same time. It was then I realised that this was like an indirect second chance. I mean, even if my batteries had been dead I could have easily caught this image on camera the next day or any day for a while, before the backdrop changed course due to weather. Somehow it seemed appropriate that this picture should mark the end of my post.

On first glance this leafless, apparently dead tree against a subtle sunset gives this forlorn look but the fact that it stays in the same position all year round, grows leaves, sheds leaves, its background goes from dull to bright and bright to dull gives a lesson in itself. It’s here to stay. Just because it braves against all forces of nature doesn’t make it any more lifeless than us. It makes it strong and steadfast.

And like I said, if nature is so forgiving that it provided the same pattern and array of colours the next day then why can’t we, as humans be forgiving. What’s so great about us? Who do we think we are? Why can’t we give someone a second chance, or nature or situations or events? Everything! To be honest most importantly why can’t we give our own selves a second chance, a break perhaps?

I’ll let you guys sleep on it. Remember it is only when you learn to love and accept yourself that others learn to love and accept you. Think about it.

Until next time, Sara Q is signing off.

The blessings on my table

We all love our country more than any other country in the world. It's what makes us who we are. Pakistani. It is the womb that gave birth to us and it is the soil to which we will return. Just like how we somehow feel the pain of a loved one, seeing our motherland bleed causes us great pain. Once again, our country has suffered a horrifying blow and the price was the blood and lives of its sons. You know the event that I refer to. It is the terror attacks that occurred in Lahore.

These days it seems that the mood in Pakistan keeps getting more and more gloomy. Even our national cricket and hockey teams seem very depressed. The poor guys feel so down that they haven't been able to perform at peak levels recently and as a result have suffered many (very humiliating) defeats. It seems we Pakistani's just can't get a lucky break these days.

Everything seems to working against us, in an almost conspiracy like manner.

As a nation, we are all suffering from depression. So whats the most basic strategy to counter this? Well, like I've been told many times by a countless number of people, the trick is to look at the positive side of things. Like they say, Always look on the bright side of life. That is what this weeks post is about, looking at all that is great about this country, aside from the fact that me and Sara Q. were born here. Here we go:

1. This one is a no brainer. Freedom. We were born free. Now I know that given the conditions of the country we're not as free as we'd like to think, but thats our fault, we let things get like this.
2. We are not a nation of quitters. We are a resilient nation. Obsession with a cause is what gave us the country and this obsession is what allows us to keep it. We've been hanging on by a thread since 1947 and no amount of predator missiles will make us let go.
3. Our nation is overflowing with talent and potential. How many times have our kids gotten out of this world results in A-Levels? We won the cricket world cup and countless other tournaments on pure talent without the presence of any formal sports coaching facilities. Same for hockey. The day we tap into our potential will be the the day we take over the world.
4. We have an amazing cricket team and hockey team. Sure, they're going through a rough patch right now, but we all know once they get rolling they'll knock down any opponent they're up against.
5. Whats the one thing that any Pakistani returning from foreign lands crave? You know this, stop reading for five seconds and try to guess this. Chances are you'll need less than three. The answer is, mangoes. We've got all four seasons and each season brings with its own tasty produce.
6. We are a nation blessed with beauty. Beautiful people surrounded by beautiful scenery. Whether its valleys surrounded by mountains blanketed in white and green or rolling plains with rivers carving through or historical locations with a million stories to tell, we've got it all.
7. Our armed forces are top notch. They've got the training, they've got the tech and most importantly, they've got a dedication to protect this country that no other soldier in the world possesses.

This is not really the whole list. It's only a small fragment of it. But, I'd love to complete it or at least make it really long so comment like crazy with your reasons that make you say Pakistan Zindabad.

Till the next post,

Talha A. B.