Ready to Airport

(I started writing this blog two months ago. I could only write a few lines when I had to stop. I remained so busy during those past days that couldn't get a chance to look back at the blog. tonight, I began writing the remaining part and finished quickly as I was full of enthusiasm to share my thoughts with you- I hope you will enjoy reading it)

Like all my blogs, the title doesn't simply go to the most straightforward meaning and has nothing to do with my scheduled visit to Pakistan. As you go on, the title would become comprehensive.

Last month, my nephew visited me in Netherlands. We had a great time together after almost 5.5 years. Because of him, I traveled so much that I had not done in past two years time spent here. Nephew had a very unplanned sort of visit and we were making very spontaneous decisions regarding our visits, shopping, eating, hanging out and that was the most exciting and fun part of being with him. Like rest of plans, our visit to Paris was also sort of unplanned. I was planning for Barcelona but we ended up in Paris; the city of love, the city of lights, the city of fragrances and I would add my own given names to Paris later. From Paris, the only image popping up in my mind was Eiffel Tower. For me, meanings of Paris were confined to a big tall tower standing in the center of the city and nothing else. I had some preconceived ideas about Eiffel Tower itself and these were creeping in my mind due to the noble work of my countrymen who had visited it before. According to them, if a person had ever seen electric transmission grid pole, he/ she doesn't need to go to Paris. Eiffel Tower is just like a transmission grid pole. These were the words from few people who had visited it before and the words were cruel for a person who had always dreamed to see Eiffel Tower. Also, it raised serious questions to the fact that Eiffel Tower is the most visited paid monument in the world. Since it is also among the seven wonders of the world, I was highly surprised by such a description of it. Anyways, the journey begun and we took a night coach to Paris. The journey was sort of difficult as it was an overnight journey and it was a chilling outside. We finally made our journey to Paris early morning. Another evidence of our lack of planning was that we didn't even take a city map of Paris. We were expecting that Eiffel Tower would come to welcome us on the bus station ( No it isn't so, we expected that we would get city map from tour guide on the bus station). Anyways, we came out of the bus station and started looking for an enormous, tall architecture somewhere and headed towards some unknown direction. We were in fact moving away from the tower where a charming French lady guided us the way to Eiffel Tower. Before that, we had heard many stories about the French people that they do not speak to you until you talk to them in French. The first lady negated all those (un)fabricated stories. After a walk of like 2 KM, we eventually saw something. Hurray... that was the Big Tower. Wow. We made it. We were congratulating each other for making such less efforts to search it. But, we didn't go to see the tower. Paris was amazing. Whatever street we were taking, it was pulling us so much and attracted our attention such vigorously that we thought this would be the most amazing place of Paris but it wasn't true. Before going to France, I had visited some tourism inductive places like UAE, a couple  of cities in Germany, Belgium, almost all famous cities of NL and Luxembourg, but I was never so much intoxicated by any sort of Beautiful Architecture and Magical Sights. If I start to write everything, then my blog will be a travel log and thats not what I intended to write before starting this blog.

After some hours of rigorous walk and seeing almost all famous places of Paris, we planned heading towards Eiffel Tower before our energies end up and we would need to call it a day. The area nearby the tower was full of immigrants selling the French souvenirs and trying to talk to you in Hindi, Urdu, Spanish, Malay (whatever you tell them about your nationality) and trying to be-fool you by charging more than double the price of each article. Every time some corps popped up, they started the relay race to get away from them. There were so many tourists like us and this made us to think that it might be some special day of celebration, although it was just a normal day. I saw Eiffel Tower. The simple description was that it was huge, and its top was reaching skies. I had no plans to go to the top, partially because there was no lift on that day and one had to take stairs and other reason was that I wasn't that much impressed by it (as my mind was already polluted by the fellow colleagues). Suddenly my nephew drew my attention towards someone. He was a "Desi" guy, having one big luggage bag in one hand and another even bigger handcarry and a laptop bag on his shoulder. With all this burden, he was busy taking the photos of Eiffel Tower with a professional camera. My nephew told me, "look at this 'Ready to Airport' guy". "He would have a short stop over in Paris, and he is quickly making the photos to show to his family and friends that he has been to Eiffel Tower. Just by making photos from so far, he would be fooling people that he has actually visited it. What do you see from so far, without experiencing it by looking from top to down rather than the site from down to the top". I was burst into laughter by his impulsive remarks but I started making it clear to him that I won't to go the top either. My nephew is often over-bearing and highly stubborn. He didn't stop until I took the way to the queue buying tickets to take the stairs. We started climbing up the stairs and an Italian couple was behind us. They started a competition with us to see who moves fastest to the second floor. It wasn't an easy job, as even reaching the second floor needs you to take more than 700 stairs. It wasn't Ovais who gave up, but I decided to separate myself from this competition as my legs started to get out-of-control, shivering, shaking moving here an there. This was the time when I started "feeling" the place. Looking at it from inside and taking different angles to view it, it was something more than awesome. We were amazed by the fact that this tower was built in 1890, and despite the fact that lightening struck it many times but a wonderful piece of architecture was standing on the earth with all its pride and magnificence. I simply have no words to express how I felt after actually experiencing it. At one end, you see the rivers and canals moving across the city and from the other side, you see Napoleon's tomb and church, and another view takes you to a beautiful park of Sacre-Cceur Basilica. and further views catch your attention towards the marvelous architecture of the city as a result of the vast mid-nineteenth century urban re-modelling. The more I write, the more I would feel the urge to give you the nicest view of the city but before I become too boring for you, I stop describing Paris here. 

I said to my nephew that if I had not experienced to go up and observed it with my eyes rather than the eyes of camera or camcoder, I won't have the same feelings. Thank you for being so bossy to take me up. He felt a little bit overconfident at that time and was also happy for me that I proved to be a nice companion and despite my knee problem, I made it to the highest point we could reach.I would never forget this experience ever in my life. 

The purpose of telling this big, long story is that there are many people around us who we have some preconceived idea of. We judge them from our own angles. No matter how smart we think we are in recognizing people, but we are bounded by our weaknesses. We miss many good people from our lives who would otherwise be our friends. We judge them either through the eyes of our society or their appearance. Once we have a beforehand opinion about them, we don't try to know them, to experience them, to dig them or to come closer to them. We never realize that every society has its own weaknesses and every society has some binding forces like culture, religion, social norms etc. which frames the way a good person should look like. Once that person doesn't fit into that frame, we consider him/ her to be an alien and we expel them from our society by actually not making them part of our society. Although heterogeneity is the beauty of every society but we want all homogeneous masses around us. I would emphasize the need of knowing people through your own lens, learn them, give them chance to change your thoughts. Perhaps, in their lens, you yourself are also not fitting very well and thats the reason they keep distance from you and you keep distance from them and the vicious cycle continues. If you don't believe me, ask your best friend what he/she had thought about you before actually coming closer to you. I am sure their preconceived ideas about you would bring not a smile but a laughter on your face. Don't miss good people from your life as life is a "One Voucher Gift". If you do not make most out of it, you will be a looser. Just like the "Ready to Airport" guy who would go back tell his friends that Eiffel Tower looks like "Electric Transmission Grid Pole", you might have some ordinary thoughts about some exceptional people around you. 

Cherish every moment of your life because it will never come again. "Being Happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you have decided to look beyond the imperfections". Stay Happy and wish you a nice time ahead. 

One out of Billion reasons to love WINTER

Winter is back. The land is covered with white monster all over. Winter has its own traits. Life gets frozen just like the canals in Amsterdam and people avoid going out unless they really have something to do. For me, this is the season when I can go deep inside me and feel myself. Summer is usually fun and there are so many things to do that the "real me" is ignored.

I like winter and I have a billion of reasons to like it. I like winter because its funny; funny because it makes all the girls looks alike - (apparently) Muslim. Some girls go far beyond even the Burqa wearing girls. One can barely see their eyes :). I love winters because I like polar bears. Since my childhood, I had a heart filled desire to see them walking around me. I don't live in polar region, yet winter makes human look like polar bears. With loads of sweaters inside that are squeezed up and buttoned by the outer covering (the coat or the jacket) makes everyone walk like Polar Bears. People look cute yet indistinguishable. You are looking for Mr. A but the problem is that everybody from Mr. A to Mr. Z all look similar. In autumn when the tees become deprived of their leaves, the winter can no longer handle this sight and come with all its frozen energies to cover trees with snow and trees start to look like made of glass. It looks like everything around is fake.

I like winter because everything around me looks like a palace made of glass and I can walk on the streets without taking care that a car or a bike can come in my way. It gets darker very soon and the psychological effect is that people rush for home quickly. The sun is on vacations usually in winters and if he manages to come somehow, stays only for a while and sleep behind the tons of clouds. When everybody is back home soon, different units of family get a chance to have a chit-chat over dining table and gives a beautiful glimpse of all the chairs occupied by each person in the family. We are progressing yet this progress comes at a price of lesser interaction between members of the family. Winter gives a natural chance to you to sit back and look at yourself and your family, acknowledge the love, cherish the moments spent together, come closer, get rid of a mechanic life. In the time when children are growing up by only seeing their father over webcam, it gives a chance to actually meet them and feel their warmth. While the snow is hugging the bare stems of trees, winter brings an opportunity to hug your loved ones and protect them. The money that you spend on your family vanishes quickly but the love that you give them is eternal. Let us unite, let us learn to love those who can never be replaced by your mates or colleagues. Get the warmth that cannot be attached into the email, receive the love that cannot delivered through Skype, establish feelings that your mobile cannot communicate, feel the sensation that cannot be emancipated through the webcam. Get along with each other before its too late. If you have not seen your family for a long time, lighten your pockets and spend some money to go back and see them. If you often see them, give them more time because in todays time, living together doesn't really mean "being together". While the inter-room communication in the same house is taking place through messages over MSN, get some time to unite in one room, under one roof and start having the "Actual Conversation". Give your voice a chance to directly go to the ears of your loved ones, rather than taking an indirect path of first going through the Satellite, getting processed over the "Server" and then coming back to earth to touch your beloved. Get out of the virtual world and live in the actual world for a little while. Get rid of your favorite laptop and your newly purchased BB or iP, and look around for real "Human". Its never too late- its never too late.

And finally for you mother: I am dying to see you and missing you intensely. I would hug you soon inshAllah just like the snow set on the trees, I would soon share your feelings that you have accumulated since last time we last saw each other, I would protect you from missing me, I would capture the smile that you would have on your face when you will see me on the airport and would wipe your tears that would be coming along accompanying your smile. Maaam, I am coming soon. (inshAllah)

Wi-Fi is dangerous for the environment and humankind » IT - Chuiko | Technology News, IT News

Wi-Fi is dangerous for the environment and humankind » IT - Chuiko Technology News, IT News

Women at work

Before I start to write any further, I want to make a clarification that this is not an advertisement of a Dutch brand, rather I am referring to the actual meaning of the subject. When women in Pakistan go out for work, they encounter three broad categories of their male colleagues. I would give a name to each one of them. The first one is "Open" category, which means that these guys are relatively young, open, willing to help (only women) but often their help is useless, give women some nice ( though personal) suggestions and lots of efforts to develop frankness. The second category is the "Jealous " ones; they lack the skills of articulated speech, or somehow fall short in their looks, style or because of slightly over-aging problem, they cannot offer a helping hand or give open suggestions. Because of this, they just talk behind (of course not something good). A third category is called neutral/ nice. Their presence or absence doesn't matter much for your work.

Oops, I missed the most important category of males. I would call it "Risky Olds". They are the first generation of your organization at the time when third generation is also mature enough. They don't know how to work, or rather the working methodologies they know are now obsolete. Their task is to look around for a potential life partner in the presence of at least two or three wives at house just to avail the relaxation from Islam to the fullest extent. The most peculiar attribute of this group is their age approaching retirement very soon  (from job as well as life) but although there are some minorities in this which are not fulfilling this age requirement. I am not calling them "Risky" because of their fragile health problems and their vulnerability to death soon but because they might be really Risky for your job.

These forces from all corners of your office make the life of working women hell. Personal suggestions are as great in number as there are stars on the sky. Of course these come from the first group I have mentioned above. Advises such as there is no progress in job if you don't dress like a model, the turbans on your head are the major obstacle to your promotion, eating out ensures handsome bonuses, looks are important than her hard work etc. are the most common ones. The comments from the second group are as bitter as hemlock. They are not willing to accept the abilities of women and if her hard work and sincerity give her an elevation in the job title, they cannot digest it and they make such heinous comments that the opposite gender start to think that its better to quit the job rather than putting your respect aside just for few pennies. They cut stupid jokes when the first group is trying to help you (which you don't want at all). In their jealousy, they even dare to give remarks about your family such as "Respectable people don't send their daughters/ sisters out for work", or "She earns money not because of work but because of extra time spent with the boss". They are not ready to accept any success that you achieve due to your hard work". The fourth and the most dangerous group makes your day-to-day life very difficult. They give you heavy tasks such that you have to stay longer than the office hours so that later on, when there is no mode of transportation left, they can offer you a service to drop you at home (plus a dinner in a nice restaurant). If you cannot help them, they will make your survival difficult in your job.

This is the tale of every woman who goes out for work. Considering Pakistan as one of the most expensive countries of Asia, average middle class families are trodden down due to the hiking prices. The high sloped inflation arise the need that females should help their male counterparts in earning the bread and butter for the family. This is a very serious issue that when she goes out, she is not given the due respect. On the contrary, she has to face such circumstances that makes her life miserable. She cannot share her problems because she thinks that this may put her into big troubles and she also doesn't want to lose her job. Even if the family doesn't need women's support in earning, the economic development does not discriminate between the genders. It straightforwardly put the need that 52% of the population cannot just sit behind and watch the game of economic development silently. She has to come forward for economic development of her country. As her education level increases, this enhances the need that she should work because we lack educated workforce. She has to come forward to contribute in country's development and growth. The comments she hears from her colleagues kill her from inside. When they tell her that she cannot develop if she wears Islamic cloths,  come without wearing any makeover, or not giving proper style to her hair, it is nothing but their personal desire to make her disabled in her job. No job requires you to look nice but what job wants from you is your dedication, sincerity and decency. When they give her stress by offering lunch/dinner/lift and look for every possible opportunity to pick or drop her (like a primary school van driver), this actually restricts her opportunity to work. I would request the indecent masses of our society to treat women nicely because our holy Prophet P.B.U.H. always asserted to treat her nicely and that "She is like a delicate pearl". Nobody treats a "delicate pearl" this way.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star(s)

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

This was the first poem that I learnt during my childhood. Me and my sister were chanting this line whole day when we learnt it, but only and only the first line because we didn't know the rest of the poem. I could never imagine these little stars would have a deep impact in my life ahead and my whole work would circulate around exploring these little yet important stars.

It didn't take that longer recognizing the importance of stars in my life. As soon as I began with the "most practical thing" of my life by getting enrolled into a school, I realized there was a whole game of stars going on there. Don't confuse it by assuming that we were taught by the celebrity stars in the class room. No, but the stars were something everybody was striving for. You wear a neat uniform-you get a star, your shoes are polished-star, your homework is intelligible-star, you are not talking in the classroom-star. So all good works were acknowledged and rewarded by these stars yet the definition of "good work" was itself very subjective. But I missed one critical point that it was not only star itself that matters, but the color is also important. This reality broke many "tiny" hearts even before they had blossomed. This was about my life before I struck a double figure into my age thingie. When I grew older, I heard about this phenomena once again from some big Lollywood hit where a woman misses her lover so much so that she developed "Insomnia" and she had to count the star all night to get some sleep. My eld. sis. was so much overwhelmed by this idea that she recommended the same technique whenever anyone of had a sleeping disorder.

Things went on and on, until I discovered there is a world for socially accepted (but not admitted) human species in the world. It took a 7 hours flight from home to Tilburg in heading towards this world of research. One friday, when I was heading to a masjid for Prayers, a colleague of mine asked me to say hi to God (he might be too shy or busy to visit God himself). As I nodded, he came up with another request. "Would you also ask God to give me some significance". This was something I understood spontaneously but I wanted more clarifications so I asked him precisely would he wanted. Ask God to give me more three stars on the variables I want. Clear enough? he said sarcastically. Thats where I went into my past without a time machine like in "Back to the future". Aaah, three stars. Eventually I noticed he ended up in something where he might have started the journey of education. This would be partially true about him but completely true about me. My search for three stars reached the apex when I started my own research work. My thesis all went into looking for these stars day and night. Now I came to realize the value of those three stars and in the wink of an eye, I went two decades back. Now I pray about those three stars because I do really care about the variables that takes weeks and months to be created yet without having a single star on them.

For those friends who don't know what these stars are all about, I would like to explain in Laymen's term. Usually the economists shows the importance of their defined variables by putting stars on their coefficient. Three stars if your variable is really important and playing a significant role in the stated problem, two stars if its important and one star if its little important. A "No significance" signal is delivered decently by putting nothing at all on the coefficient. This decency has been developed because there is no black star phenomena in here. Had there been the similar "KG Black Star" playing a role here, the economists would surely have shown their anger by putting this black monster over their variable particularly if they had worked really hard creating it yet the variable was of no significance.

Dear All, don't just forget to pray for significance in my case also. I pray that May Almighty gives this significance to all members of research community. Amen. :)

A Researcher

Every profession has its pros and cons; and research profession is no exception. Perhaps the most important and dominant feature of researcher is the one with which they earn their bread and butter, but saying this in a straight forward manner would make it a very negative profession. Let me rephrase it to make it sounds softer. Any research work is developed by a prior work; through either inspiration taken from that work or pointing out some weaknesses in the existing work, refining, value adding and developing an end product which is (probably) better than the one which is the foundation of this work. Here comes the controversial point I wanted to state earlier. If they do not criticize, they can’t develop, and if they can’t develop, they are finished. Hence the most distinguishing feature of a researcher is to point out (often unnecessarily) mistakes in others be it related to their work, personality, character or whatsoever. A researcher by nature or by profession is bound to pick out every minute point, digging out gratuitously all those things on which they can develop a theory or a model.

There is one important point in the discussion above; if you are a researcher and you do not have this “peculiar trait” in you, you should rather not waste time in this area anymore. If you want to be a researcher, particularly a successful one, make sure that every other word comes out of your mouth brings criticism on the counter-party. For the counter party; I believe it’s a right moment to put a word of advice. Perhaps day-to-day interaction with a researcher is hazardous to your health, career and motivation level. They can “rightly” point out all those personality characteristics in you that can be obstacle in your way to success. The most disappointing point comes is their declaration that you cannot move with your present weaknesses. They would amplify your weaknesses so much that at some point in time, you will start thinking how destiny can be so cruel to put all the weakness in this non-researcher class, blessing your opponent with all the rights, courage and strength such that they can easily judge you on their own set scale.

It is never wise to start an argument with a researcher. The one who starts such argument deserves a death sentence because otherwise he will hang himself from the roof and finish himself with his own hands.

Another dominant feature of a Researcher is their short memory. When it comes together with her “Always Criticizing” nature, then some really cute but annoying incidences happen. One fine Monday you go to office and you will be complemented by her, saying you look nice in red tie. The other week she is at odds with you and she will harshly tell you how horrible you look in the same old tie.

Probably with time, you might go crazy spending more and more time with a researcher. And that brings a very pitiful and afflicted person into the scene; who else, Researcher’s life partner. It is unintelligible that their life was perfect without a husband/wife, but still they chose to ruin the life of a human. From morning till dusk, you will always see them pushing their heads against their sophisticated models (which they develop perfectly matching with their nature), still they chose to get married. They are among those for whom it is said that they only see their kids growing horizontally not vertically. It is because when they leave house, their kids are sleeping and the time they come back from work, they are again sleeping ( Of course, who chooses to work at 1:00am or 2:00 am in the morning and going back again early morning before the sun shows up). Since they rarely comes in contact with the sun, whenever they chooses to expose to sun, it hides behind the clouds and then the clouds are also not behind their friends and they protest in form of loud and scary thunderclap and rain. So the researchers always seem to complain against the harsh weather. This is my personal opinion.

With their own weaknesses, personality traits and everything, world is incomplete without this special class of living beings. They develop and destroy and then develop and then destroy and that’s how sometimes they come up with some solution to a problem. They can surely live without world but world cannot live without them. We need them because we have no choice. They make our world a better place to live in. 

An Eye Opening Article

This article is for "millions of those Pakistanis" who have their hearts ruled by political leaders like Altaf Hussain. I personally have no grievances against MQM be it Muttahida or Muhajir. Being a Karachiite myself, I personally believe that all ethnicities have complete right of representing themselves thereby fostering an environment of healthy competition by competing with each other on positive grounds. I appreciate the cause for which this party (MQM) was created and I would still favor that cause. Karachi generates 70% revenue of the country and people living there should have a fair representation in Provincial /National Assembly accordingly.

My concerns with Aftaf started not because of any ethnic cause. Most of us have a very short memory. I can easily say that nobody knows what I am going to tell today. It was the time of early 90's (just before Altaf flee to UK), I was though very young but my parents developed a habit in me to read a page of newspaper every day for them. This is the time when a child needs answers of every thing and if he/ she doesn't get a satisfactory reply then his/ her mind strive to get the information from all possible sources such that the issue gets a perminant place in his/ her brain. I remember once I read in the newspaper, "An image of Altaf Hussain appeared on a leaf of Croton (a plant) by itself". I couldn't understand. I enquired my parents about that news? As my mother listened to the news, a mixed feeling of astonishment and infuriation appeared over her face. "This isn't possible", she replied. "It is pure lie which could have many purposes. She tried to explain it in simple words to make it intelligible for me. It can be that he wants to gain overnight fame or it can be the case that at a later stage, he will claim himself to be a Prophet or a saintly person". "But does he not fear God then ", I asked. Perhaps not. God knows. She wrapped up the topic and dropped the discussion.

Some days later, another similar news appeared and this time also, it was the headline. "Image of Altaf Hussain appeared on a rock of a mosque". People were praising Mr. A like anything. I again referred to my parents. My mother explained that there is no Prophet or Saint whose image can be appeared. In fact, Islam prohibits depiction of humans, animals, or any form of figurative subjects. We all were shocked how a top newspaper was disseminating such baseless information which were purely coinciding with Islam.

I still cannot forget or forgive this. I wonder in which form Altaf is ruling over the hearts of people? This is a claim made by a friend of mine who is asking me to apologize over my last blog. I just made a mockery of his speech style. He is not a prophet (nazobillah) whose respect is incumbent on me. I have a question with those having their hearts a dwelling for Altaf? Do they consider him a god or a prophet or a saint?

I have a question from all educated people and educated not in terms of holding this many degrees and this many diplomas, but educated in their mind; Do you not reckon that this was a malicious plea made by so called leader of our highly educated ethnicity? Don't you think that he was planning to announce his false prophecy? Why do we forget the history? There are many many other allegations against Altaf, but media doesn't highlight his past which has a dust of "Kufr" over it. In fact, media played a very negative role at that time by spreading this flimsy and unscropulous information in the public. Every body should be afraid of standing in front of Allah at the day of Judgment, and particularly those who blindly trusted this piece of ---.

Now I want to tell a very interesting fact that took place soon after these two news. Operation 92 took place and Altaf had to flee from Pakistan. Because of making such false claim, Allah removed him from that land where altaf was seeing himself as god and it has been 19 years so far, he never got a chance to come back. Even though his party remained in government through out, but due to his false claims, he was plucked from the roots and I am sure he will never get a chance to return. Mighty is Allah and Has all the powers.

I would stand by my words in my last blog and at no price, I am going to apologize. This is the least I can do being a Muslim! Thank you all for making this article to an end (I know its hard to read or listen about Altaf).