Have been busy at work these days, really busy. At home, I can't setup my mood to write.
My next post will be covering our trip to Peshawar last weekend, will be writing about that soon, don't know exactly when. Then, I am aiming to write something about "Spiders", but need to complete some research about them. I'll soon be creating a technical blog, on which I'll be posting mainly on Java & Flash technologies and will try to cover the best practices learnt from my experiences.
I'm planning to goto Karachi the coming weekend, really missing it.
Monday, February 28, 2005
Monday, February 14, 2005
I am proud of my Parents
Parents, a blessing from Allah, what would I be if I wouldn't have the parents I have. I didn't realize their vision & approach till I was 16, but since then I have been analyzing all of it, though there had been second thoughts during all of this, but now I am 100% convinced. My love & respect for them is increasing gradually since then. From the very beginning, they have been working hard to bring us up, especially my elder brother and me. They had their own parents as well to take care of.
They had only negligible financial reserves to start with. They had a vision for both of us and they worked really hard to achieve the goals, leaving aside the constraints and personal motivation levels. They had their financial plans, which they have now achieved and all seems smooth, but it isn’t. They got us very good standard schooling and worked everyday consistently to make us better human beings. The amount of sacrifice and the amount of struggle, in terms of time, energy, money & use of intelligence is simply invaluable. One small example of their decision-making ability is that they changed our schools for a better secondary education, keeping in line with their vision. Not only they wanted us to be good at studies, but also in other areas.
From Montessori to Kindergarten (and sometimes during primary & secondary), my mother used to pick my brother and me up from school in a local bus or a rickshaw, depending upon the saving they did in the month. If you add this to the responsibilities of maintaining our home as well as cooking and other daily activities, it's a hell lot of work and pressure. But she made it look all easy.
My father worked harder and harder to make as much money as to raise both of us in the best of his control. He worked hard at his office, as well as at home to teach us, as well as doing work at home, all by himself, yet keeping everything simple.
They got me a new PC (386 dx) when I was in 9th, the price of which was not compatible with our financial position. I had a major accident when I was in 10th, fracturing two of my bones. I had major operations going on, needed a good surgeon. They arranged all of it, again sacrificing their plans financially. I was not a good student at all at that point in time and still they loved me as if I were their best child. They did everything for me during that time, more than what I needed. I still remember the support I had from my father when I was on bed rest for a few months. Add this to raising two other children within financial boundaries, and you'll imagine the pressure, and the energy required.
We also went for annual trips to several countries and I am amazed at how they managed to do that. The education after intermediate was expensive for us, as we were struggling to some extent financially. Yet, they managed it. I saw them shopping, I saw them eating, I saw them saving each & every paisa they can, yet they spent all the money they can on us to make us the best.
And now, I am proud to claim that they have succeeded in all of that, our education, financial stability, home environment, relationship with others & the family reputation, etc. My brother is a Chartered Accountant, working outside the country with one of the world's best companies. I am here in Islamabad, again in one of the better companies in Pakistan, earning a good salary. All the credit goes to our parents and all the sacrifice they had faced for us.
It's human nature that the realization comes with experience and I am sure people have gone through the age where you feel like your parents haven't done anything for you and I am quite sure that, that age is still to come (or may have come already) when one realizes the efforts of one's parents and then an era comes where you are the parent!
The age from 30 to 50 (depending upon the birth of kids) is an age for extreme struggle and careful decision-making and I haven't seen many who have gone through that with success in all areas. There's a lot to do for them, in fact I'll never be able to return fully what they had given me. I must end by saying that praying for them and doing anything they want should be one of our main goals.
They had only negligible financial reserves to start with. They had a vision for both of us and they worked really hard to achieve the goals, leaving aside the constraints and personal motivation levels. They had their financial plans, which they have now achieved and all seems smooth, but it isn’t. They got us very good standard schooling and worked everyday consistently to make us better human beings. The amount of sacrifice and the amount of struggle, in terms of time, energy, money & use of intelligence is simply invaluable. One small example of their decision-making ability is that they changed our schools for a better secondary education, keeping in line with their vision. Not only they wanted us to be good at studies, but also in other areas.
From Montessori to Kindergarten (and sometimes during primary & secondary), my mother used to pick my brother and me up from school in a local bus or a rickshaw, depending upon the saving they did in the month. If you add this to the responsibilities of maintaining our home as well as cooking and other daily activities, it's a hell lot of work and pressure. But she made it look all easy.
My father worked harder and harder to make as much money as to raise both of us in the best of his control. He worked hard at his office, as well as at home to teach us, as well as doing work at home, all by himself, yet keeping everything simple.
They got me a new PC (386 dx) when I was in 9th, the price of which was not compatible with our financial position. I had a major accident when I was in 10th, fracturing two of my bones. I had major operations going on, needed a good surgeon. They arranged all of it, again sacrificing their plans financially. I was not a good student at all at that point in time and still they loved me as if I were their best child. They did everything for me during that time, more than what I needed. I still remember the support I had from my father when I was on bed rest for a few months. Add this to raising two other children within financial boundaries, and you'll imagine the pressure, and the energy required.
We also went for annual trips to several countries and I am amazed at how they managed to do that. The education after intermediate was expensive for us, as we were struggling to some extent financially. Yet, they managed it. I saw them shopping, I saw them eating, I saw them saving each & every paisa they can, yet they spent all the money they can on us to make us the best.
And now, I am proud to claim that they have succeeded in all of that, our education, financial stability, home environment, relationship with others & the family reputation, etc. My brother is a Chartered Accountant, working outside the country with one of the world's best companies. I am here in Islamabad, again in one of the better companies in Pakistan, earning a good salary. All the credit goes to our parents and all the sacrifice they had faced for us.
It's human nature that the realization comes with experience and I am sure people have gone through the age where you feel like your parents haven't done anything for you and I am quite sure that, that age is still to come (or may have come already) when one realizes the efforts of one's parents and then an era comes where you are the parent!
The age from 30 to 50 (depending upon the birth of kids) is an age for extreme struggle and careful decision-making and I haven't seen many who have gone through that with success in all areas. There's a lot to do for them, in fact I'll never be able to return fully what they had given me. I must end by saying that praying for them and doing anything they want should be one of our main goals.
Monday, February 07, 2005
Snowy Weekend
Last thursday, I alongwith two friends decided to have a trip to Murree/Bhurban on Saturday/Sunday. We planned to reach Murree on Saturday, stay overnight and return back the next day after doing lunch at PC Bhurban. Murree is around 60 Kms from Islamabad and it usually takes around 1.5 hours to reach.
We left Islamabad at around 12 noon in Tahir's red Daewoo Racer with original Hankook tyres, and quickly reached the snowy mountains which started around 20 Kms before Murree. As we moved ahead, we encountered a huge traffic jam somewhere around 15 Kms before our destination. Kids & even grown-ups came out of their vehicles and started throwing snowballs on each other as well as the slow moving traffic. We were hit a few times as well. There was snow here and there, everywhere.
Finally, after 3 hours, the slow traffic was converted into low traffic and we reached Murree in no time. Mall road was closed down for all sorts of traffic, so we looked out for the first decent hotel in the way. Hence, we checked-in at Murree Tabaash Hotel and quickly turned the heater on and made ourselves comfortable. At around 6 pm, we got out of the room to check out the atmosphere at Mall road.
We reached Popeye after viewing the public around us and had coffee & soup to warm ourselves. We then decided to visit Kashmir Point and enjoy the view. In the way, we got hold of 3 ice spikes and enjoyed eating 'em. Moving forward, we enjoyed the beautiful, yet creepy pathway with snow crystals glowing in the dim light and light clouds surround. The way got more creepy, as there weren't many people going towards our destination, so we decided to take a 180 degrees turn for the sake of our healths. During our return-back to hotel, we had dinner and again enjoyed the beautiful atmosphere around us. We headed back to our hotel at around 10 pm and enjoyed the services of our temporary heater.
Indus Music was the only visible channel from a list of good channels, so we enjoyed it while playing Black Queen. At around 2 am, we decided to sleep and planned the next day. During the night, Amir realized that he'd caught cold because of which his chest was filled with a lot of pain. He couldn't sleep all night and so at around 7 am we decided to drop the plan for Bhurban and get back. But, it was snowing heavily, infact we soon realized that it had been snowing the whole night and it would be very adventurous to drive in that sort of weather. At around 10 am, it was still snowing, but there was little traffic as well. So, we decided to check-out and head back to Islamabad.
While we were leaving, I realized that the atmosphere created by the falling snow was extremely enjoyable. Wind was blowing as well, making the scene more attractive. But, we had to move, move on and head back, head back to home, home having comfort, comfort which we strive for. We left at 10:15 am!
A few tips for people who go on a snowy trip are:
-Driver & car should be excellent & confident, in order to handle the worst of the situations.
-Keep ultra-warm clothes. An extra set of everything is highly recommended.
-Keep a high buffer of time for extreme conditions.
-All the participants should be strong enough to cope up with you.
We left Islamabad at around 12 noon in Tahir's red Daewoo Racer with original Hankook tyres, and quickly reached the snowy mountains which started around 20 Kms before Murree. As we moved ahead, we encountered a huge traffic jam somewhere around 15 Kms before our destination. Kids & even grown-ups came out of their vehicles and started throwing snowballs on each other as well as the slow moving traffic. We were hit a few times as well. There was snow here and there, everywhere.
Finally, after 3 hours, the slow traffic was converted into low traffic and we reached Murree in no time. Mall road was closed down for all sorts of traffic, so we looked out for the first decent hotel in the way. Hence, we checked-in at Murree Tabaash Hotel and quickly turned the heater on and made ourselves comfortable. At around 6 pm, we got out of the room to check out the atmosphere at Mall road.
We reached Popeye after viewing the public around us and had coffee & soup to warm ourselves. We then decided to visit Kashmir Point and enjoy the view. In the way, we got hold of 3 ice spikes and enjoyed eating 'em. Moving forward, we enjoyed the beautiful, yet creepy pathway with snow crystals glowing in the dim light and light clouds surround. The way got more creepy, as there weren't many people going towards our destination, so we decided to take a 180 degrees turn for the sake of our healths. During our return-back to hotel, we had dinner and again enjoyed the beautiful atmosphere around us. We headed back to our hotel at around 10 pm and enjoyed the services of our temporary heater.
Indus Music was the only visible channel from a list of good channels, so we enjoyed it while playing Black Queen. At around 2 am, we decided to sleep and planned the next day. During the night, Amir realized that he'd caught cold because of which his chest was filled with a lot of pain. He couldn't sleep all night and so at around 7 am we decided to drop the plan for Bhurban and get back. But, it was snowing heavily, infact we soon realized that it had been snowing the whole night and it would be very adventurous to drive in that sort of weather. At around 10 am, it was still snowing, but there was little traffic as well. So, we decided to check-out and head back to Islamabad.
While we were leaving, I realized that the atmosphere created by the falling snow was extremely enjoyable. Wind was blowing as well, making the scene more attractive. But, we had to move, move on and head back, head back to home, home having comfort, comfort which we strive for. We left at 10:15 am!
A few tips for people who go on a snowy trip are:
-Driver & car should be excellent & confident, in order to handle the worst of the situations.
-Keep ultra-warm clothes. An extra set of everything is highly recommended.
-Keep a high buffer of time for extreme conditions.
-All the participants should be strong enough to cope up with you.
Monday, January 24, 2005
A game of perceptions
After quite some time, I finally spent good amount of time at the hometown. While I was there, the thought of returning back to Islamabad next week, really made me feel bad. Throughout the week, I enjoyed the time spent there, but internally it wasn't amusing. On the last day in Karachi, I met a good friend of mine and we talked about a few things over a cup of tea. He refreshed & defined a few things related to motivation, which I used to practice somewhat, but never thought of them that way. The main idea of this post is based upon the ideas given to me by Ali Nasim, who used to be my Project Manager at connect2web. Though I have written it according to my perception and have also tried to induce some ideas according to my experience. So here goes.
Quite often we tend to dislike our surrounding due to some factors, simply because they are not in line with our expectations or how we want them to be. Surrounding is a general word and specifically speaking it comprises of people, atmosphere, weather, work, etc. The cause of our dislike might be one of these major factors not being in line. Motivation lessens whenever something is not in line with what we desire or need or simply because of the "doesn't matter" attitude. But, there are two things we can always do; either change it or adapt it. Most of the time, we can't change it because it isn't always in our control. So, we have one choice and that is to adapt accordingly. Moving forward we have two choices; either make it exciting or make it boring. Really, this choice is in our hands and we only need to realize it.
But, for that we have to set our goals or at least some rules to follow in life. Equally important, we need to think upon where we need to go. After selecting the path to follow, if we consider everything in life as temporary, we can easily comprehend each situation as a stepping-stone. This in turn induces excitement in whatever we do (even if we don't like it) and eventually we enjoy it (as it's temporary) and thus good mood occurs. The motivation comes pretty easily after that.
But, considering current as temporary might lead to lack of motivation to improve the surroundings. What to do now? Here comes another concept and that is called excellence. Again it's a game of choice and what we choose is what we get. Islam also preaches the concept of excellence in whatever we do, may it be performing the role of a husband or a wife, a father or a son or it can be as simple as making a cup of tea and can all the way go to creating a business empire. Or we can simply disqualify this concept and don't try to perform well which only leads to dissatisfaction in the end. The choice is in our hands!
Life is a game of perceptions, only the way we perceive things matters and it sets our motivation level, and I think high motivation can do wonders. One can only realize the real significance of high motivation if he's gone through a phase of negligible motivation. Intelligence, knowledge and hard work are nothing without motivation. One can even get excited in making a cup of tea by setting the right perception. On the other hand, working on some high tech space technology stuff can be boring for someone without the right perception and eventually affects the activity and the satisfaction level of the performer.
Quite often we tend to dislike our surrounding due to some factors, simply because they are not in line with our expectations or how we want them to be. Surrounding is a general word and specifically speaking it comprises of people, atmosphere, weather, work, etc. The cause of our dislike might be one of these major factors not being in line. Motivation lessens whenever something is not in line with what we desire or need or simply because of the "doesn't matter" attitude. But, there are two things we can always do; either change it or adapt it. Most of the time, we can't change it because it isn't always in our control. So, we have one choice and that is to adapt accordingly. Moving forward we have two choices; either make it exciting or make it boring. Really, this choice is in our hands and we only need to realize it.
But, for that we have to set our goals or at least some rules to follow in life. Equally important, we need to think upon where we need to go. After selecting the path to follow, if we consider everything in life as temporary, we can easily comprehend each situation as a stepping-stone. This in turn induces excitement in whatever we do (even if we don't like it) and eventually we enjoy it (as it's temporary) and thus good mood occurs. The motivation comes pretty easily after that.
But, considering current as temporary might lead to lack of motivation to improve the surroundings. What to do now? Here comes another concept and that is called excellence. Again it's a game of choice and what we choose is what we get. Islam also preaches the concept of excellence in whatever we do, may it be performing the role of a husband or a wife, a father or a son or it can be as simple as making a cup of tea and can all the way go to creating a business empire. Or we can simply disqualify this concept and don't try to perform well which only leads to dissatisfaction in the end. The choice is in our hands!
Life is a game of perceptions, only the way we perceive things matters and it sets our motivation level, and I think high motivation can do wonders. One can only realize the real significance of high motivation if he's gone through a phase of negligible motivation. Intelligence, knowledge and hard work are nothing without motivation. One can even get excited in making a cup of tea by setting the right perception. On the other hand, working on some high tech space technology stuff can be boring for someone without the right perception and eventually affects the activity and the satisfaction level of the performer.
Friday, January 14, 2005
Current Telecom affairs in Pakistan..
Telecard's GO CDMA, a wireless CDMA phone service, launched in Karachi on 12th January.
A friend of mine working at Telecard as GO CDMA's product manager provided me the following information:
Recently Paktel GSM also lowered its rates to the lowest around, here are the details (as they claim):
A friend of mine working at Telecard as GO CDMA's product manager provided me the following information:
- CDMA based Wireless phone service. Competition: PTCL.
- Its a wireless landline connection, that works on CDMA technology (better than GSM).
- PTCL charges Rs. 2.01, they charge Rs. 0.40.
- Phone is also internet enabled, meaning wireless internet across Karachi, you can carry the phone around with you.
- 144 kbps network supported, actual speeds are around 30 - 40k download.
- Launch across pakistan within 2 months.
- Lowest Internet rate package is Rs. 299 for 25 hours, highest is Unlimited for 1499.
- Amazing response, sales outlets are CONSTANTLY full.
Recently Paktel GSM also lowered its rates to the lowest around, here are the details (as they claim):
- Local Call Rate 3.75 / min Airtime (does "Airtime" signify something?).
- This applies to calling to any PTCL number (to any city in Pakistan), any other mobile network or from Paktel to Paktel. All calls will be charged the same local rate!
As far as I can recall, Warid Telecom is also planning for a limited launch somewhere around the end of January and a full fledge launch will be done somewhere around the mid of April.
Telenor will also be launching their service pretty soon, as far as I can recall it'll be in mid March.
With Paktel's offer & the current development going on, it's obvious that Mobilink & Ufone will have to improve their service as well as lower their rates in order to retain the market share. At least, we as customers, will most probably get a broadened choice & surely will benefit from the proceedings.
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Collaborative Marketing
Have been thinking about this for quite some time. Just a concept, don't know whether it's practiced or not, nor have searched about this concept. So here goes:
The concept is simple: a group of people somehow related to each other market or forward each other's ideas & works. It can be done professionally or on personal levels, for a work of art to writings to software to an idea of a business or a talent. In other words, Person A either markets for Person B in exchange to Person B's marketing for him, or for any other favor or simply nothing (just plays the role of a friend).
I have already been practicing this with a group of friends, although all of them might not know that they are actually doing this e.g. a friend recommends some other friend to a company for employment, providing a link to other blog on your blog, etc. If you observe it carefully, there is benefit for both of them here, which I think is pretty implicit and I shouldn't be explaining why.
But everyone does what is mentioned the examples; it’s not something new. The point is to extend this practice to the extent that we benefit exponentially and through lesser effort. The power of sharing ideas & concepts is pretty much underestimated by many. Alliance of the good auto-magically broadens your horizon.
A few of the benefits of this are:
- No cost! Lesser Effort.
- Customized direct marketing i.e. the marketer is directly presenting himself as the advocate for the work being marketed.
- Better credibility e.g. the target audience has a relationship with the marketer, and every relationship has credibility on both sides.
Though, a few factors should be taken care of and one should be heedful enough to get the right results e.g. the marketer should have some credibility. Of course, key basic factors of marketing apply here as well e.g. Target audience, building up the mindset of the product, etc.
Just an idea, I shall try to come up with something more specific and a few more examples in the next version, the date of which is unknown. Comments are highly appreciated!
Monday, January 03, 2005
Place, Song, Movies..
Place
Last week, it rained pretty heavily in Islamabad. On friday, we went to "Pir Sohawa", a spot that comes after Daman-e-Koh and is a must-visit place for anyone coming to Islamabad. It takes around 20-30 minutes from Islamabad, once you are on the road for Daman-e-Koh. A cool and cold place (in winters) and one has to be prepared for bad weather as well.
Song
Recently listened to the song "Haan Yehee Rasta Hai" from the Indian movie Lakshya, here are a few lines from it (Roman Urdu version):
Haan yehee rasta hai tera, tu nay pehchaana hai
Haan yehee rasta hai tera, tu nay ab jaanaa hai
Tujhay ab yeh dikhaana hai...Roke tujhko aandhiyan, yeh zameen aur aasman
Payega jo lakshya hai tera...Lakshya ko har haal mein paana hain
Mushkil koi aajaaye tau, parbat koi takraaye jo
Taaqat koi dikhlaaye tau, toofan koi mandlaaye tau
Mushkil koi aajaaye tau, parbat koi takraaye tau
Barsay chaahay amber say aag, liptay chaahay pairon say naag
Payega jo lakshya hai tera...Lakshya ko har haal mein paana hain
Motivating, yeah? The beauty of these types of songs are that they can be used for motivating anyone for anything e.g. patriotism, career, study, etc. The combination of lyrics & music is excellent.
Movies
Here are a few movies that I watched recently and would like to share with you:
The Sixth Sense - Genre: Suspense; Pace: Slow; Action: None; Rating: Family movie
A movie about a young boy who can see & communicate with dead people's spirits, but he's not fascinated by this power, rather he fears about it. As the movie progresses, a psychiatrist tries to help him and both of them discover that these dead people are trying to communicate something to the boy for a purpose & he should do something for them in order to overcome this fear.
Hidalgo - Genre: Adventure; Pace: Average; Action: Rare; Rating: Family Movie
A story of a man & a fast horse named Hidalgo who are invited to participate in a multiple day Annual Traditional Arabian race which spans across a few Arabian countries, the race terrain mostly being desert. The movie is about the physical & mental hardships faced by him & his horse as the race progresses.
Euro Trip - Genre: Comedy (American Pie style); Pace: Above Average; Action: None; Rating: Contains a few odd scenes & obscene language.
A young man, from USA, falls in love with a woman, from Germany, as he communicates with her online. He then decides to meet and tell her about it. For that he teams up with his friends to go for a trip to Europe. As they go along, they face a few mishaps but finally reach the destination & meet the girl. The entertainment in the process is too good.
Swades (Indian) - Genre: Thinking over it; Pace: Average; Action: None; Rating: Family Movie
A bright engineer working at NASA, but basically from India, comes for a trip to his village in India on his vacations. Here, on seeing the hardships faced by the locals, he decides to do some good for his home village. In between, he falls in love with a woman as well, his childhood friend. The film depicts his emotional conflict i.e. whether to stay in India or return to the US.
Next
Currently am thinking over the next post, it might most probably be technical, but strongly depends upon the mood and situation.
Last week, it rained pretty heavily in Islamabad. On friday, we went to "Pir Sohawa", a spot that comes after Daman-e-Koh and is a must-visit place for anyone coming to Islamabad. It takes around 20-30 minutes from Islamabad, once you are on the road for Daman-e-Koh. A cool and cold place (in winters) and one has to be prepared for bad weather as well.
Song
Recently listened to the song "Haan Yehee Rasta Hai" from the Indian movie Lakshya, here are a few lines from it (Roman Urdu version):
Haan yehee rasta hai tera, tu nay pehchaana hai
Haan yehee rasta hai tera, tu nay ab jaanaa hai
Tujhay ab yeh dikhaana hai...Roke tujhko aandhiyan, yeh zameen aur aasman
Payega jo lakshya hai tera...Lakshya ko har haal mein paana hain
Mushkil koi aajaaye tau, parbat koi takraaye jo
Taaqat koi dikhlaaye tau, toofan koi mandlaaye tau
Mushkil koi aajaaye tau, parbat koi takraaye tau
Barsay chaahay amber say aag, liptay chaahay pairon say naag
Payega jo lakshya hai tera...Lakshya ko har haal mein paana hain
Motivating, yeah? The beauty of these types of songs are that they can be used for motivating anyone for anything e.g. patriotism, career, study, etc. The combination of lyrics & music is excellent.
Movies
Here are a few movies that I watched recently and would like to share with you:
The Sixth Sense - Genre: Suspense; Pace: Slow; Action: None; Rating: Family movie
A movie about a young boy who can see & communicate with dead people's spirits, but he's not fascinated by this power, rather he fears about it. As the movie progresses, a psychiatrist tries to help him and both of them discover that these dead people are trying to communicate something to the boy for a purpose & he should do something for them in order to overcome this fear.
Hidalgo - Genre: Adventure; Pace: Average; Action: Rare; Rating: Family Movie
A story of a man & a fast horse named Hidalgo who are invited to participate in a multiple day Annual Traditional Arabian race which spans across a few Arabian countries, the race terrain mostly being desert. The movie is about the physical & mental hardships faced by him & his horse as the race progresses.
Euro Trip - Genre: Comedy (American Pie style); Pace: Above Average; Action: None; Rating: Contains a few odd scenes & obscene language.
A young man, from USA, falls in love with a woman, from Germany, as he communicates with her online. He then decides to meet and tell her about it. For that he teams up with his friends to go for a trip to Europe. As they go along, they face a few mishaps but finally reach the destination & meet the girl. The entertainment in the process is too good.
Swades (Indian) - Genre: Thinking over it; Pace: Average; Action: None; Rating: Family Movie
A bright engineer working at NASA, but basically from India, comes for a trip to his village in India on his vacations. Here, on seeing the hardships faced by the locals, he decides to do some good for his home village. In between, he falls in love with a woman as well, his childhood friend. The film depicts his emotional conflict i.e. whether to stay in India or return to the US.
Next
Currently am thinking over the next post, it might most probably be technical, but strongly depends upon the mood and situation.
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