: : s m u d g e : : s t i c k : :

Of wile and winter

2007-12-04T18:35:00.000-08:00

The winds tonight
so cold and piercing
so sharp and biting
just cutting through

The winds tonight
so frore and freezing
so icy, frosty
so much like you

So you think you can tell?

2007-11-12T20:00:00.000-08:00

I, for one, could never ...

spaces

2007-10-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

she dreamt of spaces, corners, turns
of dying lies and false concerns
I dreamt of love and passions, free
I dreamt of her, she dreamt of me

Where do you go now?

2007-08-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

Sweet child, where do you go from here.

Resurrection

2007-07-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

When you stop writing, you stop thinking as well. Its been quite a while since I actually wrote something and with the previous premise, it implies that I have stopped thinking as well. With so many things going around, may be its better to be an amalgam of the scarecrow, tin-man and lion. So where, my friend, is the yellow brick road?

Ford: What's with the whole two-head thing?
Zaphod: Oh, yeah, apparently you can't be president with a whole brain.

~Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

UserFriendly Strip Comments

2006-02-27T01:20:00.000-08:00

UserFriendly Strip Comments

of grey roads and dead leaves

2006-02-26T00:16:00.000-08:00

I don't like Lahore today. The mall road is blocked. You cant come in from the cantt side, you cant leave to the cantt side. Theres almost zero traffic on the roads and all you see is MPs, traffic police, rangeers and poilcemen wandering around or just standing with those big rectangular things in their hands ( the ones used to hold back the stones when they fall ). It reeks of something i havent smelled all my life living here and to top it, i dont know what it is. Perhaps its fear or oppression or bloated egos or effusive emotions or just good old mass stupidity. Whatever it is, its taking away the spirit of my city, making it seem like a dried leaf blown away on the road by a stong breeze, a leaf which is an epitome of beauty as it sways over the air cussions slowly falling to the ground, but has the ultimate fate of being crushed over by passing cars a million times until all that is left of it is a bleak piece of tattered and dead veins. May be i just got off the wrong side of the bed, but I dont like Lahore today.

0wn3d

2006-02-24T12:05:00.000-08:00

..and the things you used to own, now they own you

Or atleast this is what Chuck says. Chuck is my firend. He told me a lot when i met him first. Then he told me some more. When I could learn nothing from him, i forgot about him until i saw something which reminded me that i once new someone named Chuck. Since then, i get reminded of him everytime i buy a pair of new shoes or a new pair of jeans. So here's a tribute....

You get a new job. Its perfect. You say you'll never get another job like it again. Time passes and after a couple of years you are satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, you've got your job issue handled. Then the right cell phone. The nikes. The car. then you are trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you own...

2006-02-22T10:51:00.000-08:00

The cloudless sky is no more tonight. The green is all dried up. Black night covers everything but the brightness of the mind. And we have nothing more to say.

acetaminophen and psuedoephedrine

2006-01-07T10:12:00.000-08:00

"Flu is the mind-killer. Flue is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my flu... And when it is gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the flueis gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

(appologies to the poor soul of Frank Herbert)

What i need is a couple of hundred bucks of sanity, a drop of lemon, one quarter plate chicken biryani, hot water, three big rolls of tissue, a new dustbin to throw them in (after being used ofcourse) and a cup of mocha (the last item is negotiatable)

gimme gimme!

"Running Out Of Days"

2005-12-05T13:05:00.000-08:00

And all these little things in life they all create this haze
There’s too many things to get done, and I’m running out of days

~3 DOORS DOWN

2005-11-24T06:52:00.000-08:00

How do you get a cow into a car?
Open the car door, put the cow inside, close the door
How do you get a 2 cows and 4 dakoits into a Volks Wagon?
This news article claims that 4 dakoits were injured while trying to smuggle two cows in a CAR. Yes, a car. Its a classical problem for the topology students out there so if any one of you has an answer, please enlighten everyone.

Here's the cold.. Where is winter?

2005-11-20T10:58:00.000-08:00

Lahore is cold tonight. Its getting a bit foggy after 11 on roads and ppl have started taking out blankets and quilts now. Out of the 8 ppl that I saw at a coffee shop today, 7 were wearing either a sweater or a jacket. The 8th one was a lady who insisted on wearing a sleevless shirt inspite of the cold ( how they manage this is still beyond me .. do they come in cold-blooded modes too? ). I also saw the first round-the-corner coffee machine today; a lot of more will start replacing the cone machines as temperatures go down.

Lahore is cold tonight, but there are thing still missing. I still havent seen the typical 'mongphali ki rehri' (peanut push cart) with a little coal pot resting in a large peanut pile and a gas lamp on one side. I still havent heard the kid with the cooler full of boiled eggs shouting 'garam-aanday' in the streets. I still havent tasted the pink kashmiri tea with a thick layer of pista and almond coated malai from the big steel ki daigchi out on the road. I still havent smelled the wood that the chowkidars burn in a tin can to keep themselves warm at night. I still havent felt the cold chilling penetrating fog that freezes my ears so much that they start hurting.

Lahore is cold tonight but a winter night, its not... so here's the cold, where is winter?

Rai-wind's of Change

2005-11-18T10:57:00.000-08:00

Since the three day "Tablighi Ijtama" has started from today, its not recommended to go out in the rush hour specially on the 'neher-o-neher' route. The whole canal road is full of traffic jams from Jalo to Thokar and I got a taste of it while going towards the University Campus today.

The Raiwind Tableeghi Ijtama is known to change a lot of people overnight. Junaid Jamshaid and Saeed Anwar are some well known examples. I still havent had my share of changes so far but I guess i'll pay a visit one of these years. Whats quite intersting about the tableeghi ppl is their call for dars after namaz which is almost a standard all over Pakistan. I wonder if they use the same lines outside Pakistan.

Meri... apki.. bulkay poori duniya ki kamyabi Allah ta`alla nay apnay deen main rakhi hay. Yeh deen hamari zindgai main kis terha aye ga, is kay liyay shadeed mehnat ki zaroorat hay. Baqiya namaz kay baad issi mehnat kay baray main kuch behas ho gi. Tamaam hazrat tashreef rakhain, Inshallah bohat faida ho ga

(heres an almost word to word translation.. couldnt find an english equivalent for "deen")

Mine... Your...infact the whole world's success has been placed in His religion by Allah. How this religion will enter in our lives, it requires a lot of effort. After the remaining prayers, we'll have a discussion about this same effort. Everyone please stay back, (God willing) it will be very beneficial.

2005-11-09T22:12:00.000-08:00

sticks n stones may break our bones....

na ray na na .. 50 50

2005-11-04T08:36:00.000-08:00

I went to a friend's place today and he made me notice this sign at the outer wall of this school. It says, "Half of the genius is sweet". Its not a typo from my side .. the word 'sweet' is ACTUALLY written over there. Edison baba said that 'genius is 1% inspiration and 99% prespiration', but lahoris are known to have a sweet tooth and thus this sign. Or may be they are just refering to a new brang of biscuits. Genius biscuits. Half of the 'genius' is sweet. Half of 'genius' is salty. na ray na na... 50 50. (very very tasty tasty).

Rent a Relative

2005-11-04T08:35:00.000-08:00

Got this from a recent magazine (excuse my bad photography). Roughly translated, it says that in Rajhistan (India), theres a new agency which rents guests for weddings!. The agency, "Best Guest Center" is located in Jodh Pur and they have successfully offered their services to about 10 ceremonies now. The market consists of people who are dont have enough relatives or have a fight with them and need to take people to their weddings. The 'service providers' offer them services in form of professionals, immaculately dressed and trained, at a rate of about Rs.600 per night (roughly $10). Now consider yourself being payed just for dressing up and eating food at the expense of your client. Not bad eh? I think it can be set up as an online C2C (consumer to consumer) portal as well. Any takers?

Resting in Peace

2005-11-04T08:32:00.000-08:00

One of the few traditions on eid is paying a visit to the qabrustan right after eid prayers. If you happen to stop by in normal days, it usually has a very soothing atmosphere there and you cant see anyone around except for 1 or 2 employees. But on Eid days, all you see is men and kids and even some women, coming in hoards to offer faateh for their dear departed. Its over-crowded, over-flowered and over-'agarbati'-ized but its one of those things that complete the Eid day.

2005-10-31T17:41:00.000-08:00

...

People and Emails

2005-10-31T17:12:00.000-08:00

People are like emails. You get a lot of them coming your way but reply to only a few. Only the interesting ones get forwarded. You search them when you want to find something specific among the lot. All of them have a header and a footer. If sent where they dont belong, they bounce back. Some are flagged for follow up when they are needed.

People are like emails. Some are plain and simple, while others, colorful and bold. You also get some oblique ones once in a while. Theres always a lot of junk coming your way and most of them remain unread. The ones you have read already and dont want to keep are deleted. Others survive and are archived to remain in your account as long as theres space left.

And when you need space, they get deleted too.

gravity sucks

2005-10-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

gravity should not be taken lightly :)

The World is Right

2005-10-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

Lahoris are perfect drivers. No really - we are perfect drivers for the right-hand-side driving rules. We always make sure that the slowest moving cars go to the right most lanes. I realized this when i saw that the driver of the civic climbing the jinnah flyover at not more than 15 kmph made sure that it remained in the right most lane. As a lahori with the 'perfect' traffic sense, i overtook it from the left. Further down a single lane, i almost avoided a head on with a bike because the man on it insisted to drive 'perfectly' and took a right turn by coming to the right most side. I was wrong - he was right (pun intended). I sincerely advise the traffic control department to consider changing to the 'right' side of the lane for driving. After all, more than half the world uses them and the current rules imply a colonial residue in our law making (*snickers*). Anyone from the traffic police reading this blog, please consider my proposal if you want to make people in lahore atleast perfect drivers in essentially zero time.

LUMS Earth Quake Relief Report

2005-10-28T04:31:00.000-07:00

This report is from a mail dated Oct 22 but the observations mentioned would still be helpful, and most guidelines provided below would still be true. The summary is that well meaning individuals are spending time and money in doing the wrong things BY NOT FINDING OUT THE CORRECT WAY of delivery.

VISIT TO KASHMIR. BAGH, KURUM KHAR, DIR COT AND HUB CHOWKI.

OCT. 15TH AND 16TH 2005.
Dr. Nasir Afghan…Professor at LUMS.
Mr. Ali Raja…… LUMS alumni, civil engineer, contractor.
Mr. Shahid Khan…NGO. Indus Earth Trust. CEO.

This was a 2 day intensive visit to assess the reality on the ground for ourselves and conclude the most appropriate way of providing physical comfort before and after the winter, to the areas most affected by the earth quake. Our interest was to identify a small community with whom we could be the most affective in social mobilization and rebuilding homes, using earth quake resistant structural methods. To this end we traveled to three areas higher than Bagh, which had been badly affected by the Earthquake.

Our analysis on the social level indicates that it is imperative that all assistance, no matter what form, is channeled either through NGOs who know the area and/or have good networking, OR through the army. The latter is extremely well organized and dedicated to the relief operation. They also have personnel who are equipped and trained to reach remote villages, which can only be accessed by foot. Their input to this relief cannot be over emphasized.

There is complete chaos in Bagh as truck after truck is dumping their goods either on the roadside or any field they can find. Trucks are being stopped en route and goods distributed to people, thus holding up traffic for hours. These are drivers who have been hired to go to Bagh, issue the goods and return for the next consignment. Obviously they are either ignoring their instructions to deliver specifically to NGOs/Army or have been given inadequate instructions from the source.

We came across mile upon mile of relief trucks from Pakistan, UK (Bradford, Leicester, Manchester) and Germany. Doctors from Turkey, Malaysia and Sweden. Mobile clinics and of course Idi ambulances.

Unfortunately we saw no evidence of Kashmirs either helping themselves or helping fellow Kasmiris that have suffered because of this disaster. In speaking to others there also appears no evidence of Kasmiri politicians helping their people.

Brother not helping brother (specific example), communities watching rescue efforts being conducted by either the army, volunteers from Pakistan or foreign aid workers. The Govt.college in Bagh has been completely destroyed. Yesterday- 16 th Oct- I saw and filmed only 6 army personnel trying to bring out the bodies of 25 students that are still buried in the classrooms. This college is 5 minutes walk from the main bazaar- which is intact and full of people. Not a single Kashmiri was there to assist the army except for one teacher. No one from the community helped to bury any dead body that was not known to them. They lay there for days, until the army or Idi buried them.

Categorically, from the time we were there, no out break of plague or cholera has been reported, as has been in the media.

The best NOGs we came across in the area, are Islamic Relief who have been there for many years and NRSP.

LUMS has established a camp in the Bagh army camp with 22 students from their Mountain Treking Team. These young men under the leadership of Dr. Soaib Khan ( professor at LUMS), have provided invaluable service by reaching villages on foot, given assistance to survivors and provided accurate in the field information – an aspect that is often overlooked. They are distributing corrugated metal sheets, tents, medicines, blankets and warm clothing before the snows come. LUMS is also considering a long term rehabilitation programme somewhere in Kashmir.

URGENT NEED.
- Our assessment is that in the mountains no one- at least to the three communities we spoke- is willing to leave their destroyed homes. Land and property is almost sacred to these people. All the timber that has been used to build these houses can be reused, furniture can repaired and most important all their worldly possessions are buried under the collapsed roof. These people will guard their destroyed homes through the winter and start rebuilding in the spring- March.
In our opinion very few, if any, will come to live in the relief tent camps being set up at great expense.

- Blankets and warm clothing.
- Gas cylinders with cooking ring.
- Flash lights.
- Lanterns.
- Snow falls up to 3-4 ft deep. Admittedly tents are better than nothing, but only the really well built ones will be able to with stand the snow load.
- Corrugated metal sheeting, to enable the villagers to at least build one room themselves to pass the winter. The villagers are asking for these NOW so that they can build themselves the walls needed for this room. There is plenty of material that they can be salvaged from their destroyed homes to do this.
- [8-10 ( 3'x12') sheets will provide a roof for a room 10'x 8'. Costing approx. Rs.800/sheet.]
- Most of the villagers have already stocked up for food to see them through the 3 months of harsh winter. This is routine every year. Some requested atta and rice.

WHAT IS NOT NEEDED.
- Owing to a lack of understanding of what the communities really need, the media and NGOs- who are not operating here- have provided information which is inaccurate. In any disaster it is very important to get accurate advise and where not available than go and check it yourself. In many ways we have altered our thinking in the way we will provide both long and short term relief by this visit.

- Bottled water. We saw many places- roads, fields- where crates upon crates of mineral water have been thrown. The people here get their water from streams which are healthier and have genuine minerals in them. Bottled water is being used for washing clothes and vehicles. In time they will find there way to the market for sale to tourists.
- Old clothing. Completely abandoned by the road side in stacks. Only sweaters are needed. Other clothing is of no use. They have been rejected.
- Food of any type except rice and atta.
- There are plenty of medicines with the right people (doctors, health field workers, clinics, field hospitals). Sending these without it being specifically ear marked for a medical official/clinic/field hospital will lead to waste. We saw many examples of cardboard boxes lying in fields with the contents strewn on the ground. Syringes, drips for transfusion, heavy duty antibiotics, panadol, stomach ailments medicines, cough mixtures, bandages, swabs, ointments. Not only will these become an environmental hazard but are dangerous. It is only a matter of time before children start playing with these items. Puncture themselves or swallow something that will create great harm.
- The point here is that well meaning individuals are spending time and money in doing the wrong things BY NOT FINDING OUT THE CORRECT WAY of delivery.

OUR CONCLUSIONS.

- These communities need very specific help both in the short and long term..
- Contact NGOs/army working in the area and listen to what they advise.
- If anyone is a large donor and not affiliated with an NGO, than go yourself to the field and make your own assessment. Take people who know this business with you.
- In the short term provide items that we have identified in the NEED list. (There are bound to be others.)
- Be careful in the delivery system. Tents which we had ear marked for a specific location, being sent by another NGO, were high jacked along the way and very sadly the driver and doctor accompanying were killed. Choose your routes very carefully and have sufficient man power to provide protection. Most of the trucks we saw had 3-5 people traveling in the truck. Send with army convoy or definitely travel in groups.
- The most important aspect of providing assistance will be the long term re habilitation, re construction programme. Carefully choose the area you feel most comfortable in. Do not enter an area where you have no experience yourself or are not being advised by experienced people in the field.
- Donate money to ONLY those organisations/ institutions you know will deliver.
- Be aware; there are bandits are out there to take what they can- goods, money- and prevent your resources from ever reaching its target. It's a cruel world.

Shahid Khan.
CEO.
Indus Earth Trust

041.009

2005-10-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

Say: What! do you indeed disbelieve in Him Who created the earth in two periods, and do you set up equals with Him? That is the Lord of the Worlds.
And He made in it mountains above its surface, and He blessed therein and made therein its foods, in four periods: alike for the seekers.
Then He directed Himself to the heaven and it is a vapor, so He said to it and to the earth: Come both, willingly or unwillingly. They both said: We come willingly. So He ordained them seven heavens in two periods, and revealed in every heaven its affair; and We adorned the lower heaven with brilliant stars and (made it) to guard; that is the decree of the Mighty, the Knowing.

capanna della pizza

2005-10-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

[ exaggeratedly based on a recent experinece of a friend .. excuse the yuckiness ]

Lizzies and Gentlefrogs!!

This is karmoo the frog reporting to you about the latest Aftaar deal at pizza hut johar town branch. For all you insect lovering amphibians out there, its a must-go--not-to-miss deal. At the entrance, you are greeted with buzzing flies and if you just happen to stand there a while, it is quite tempting to take your big tongue out and slurp!!! when they buzz near your mouth... but no!.. "aap ka tu roza hay"...

You move inside and choose a table. Although all the waiters are human, they are thoughtfull enough to keep your tastes in mind and offer you an "almost alive" fly for aftari on a plate instead of their usual khajoor (see picture below). Good service, init? In the salad section (bzzzzzzz), you drool over a new dip called "musca domestica en maiz" (housefly in maize) as you can actually see a crunchy munchy fly in there. Sadly, its not alive.

You come back to sit on the table and the waiter fills your glass up with deflated de-gasofied pepsi so that you dont get bloated when you drink it (who thought of carbonating a drink? didnt they know CO2 can kill you if its there in large quantities)... you let some of the flies buzzing around take a walk on the glass rim to make sure that theres no 'gas' left in the soft drink (if theres any left, the fly would suffocate and die, no?). Then comes the pizza.. since you are not interested in chicken and beef pizzas at all, you have your fill with all the "chota gosht" flying around. The waiters have already opened the door to let the other flies in and you walk out of the place savouring the sweet salad aftertaste.

This is karmoo the frog reporting to you from lahore di street, hoping you'll enjoy pizza hut as much as we do.

2005-10-27T07:01:00.000-07:00

Here's something i got from a friend. Please pass this around if you have any contacts among people who'll be involved in the rebulding process. From what i have heard, PVC is a very cheap material and fibre concrete is normal concrete mixed with fibre.

39:41

2005-10-25T15:36:00.000-07:00

"Its Allah who takes the souls at the time of their death, and those that die not during their sleep; then He withholds those on whom He has passed the decree of death and sends the others back till an appointed term; most surely there are signs in this for a people who reflect"

capanna della pizza

2005-10-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

[ exaggeratedly based on a recent experinece of a friend .. excuse the yuckiness ]

Lizzies and Gentlefrogs!!

This is karmoo the frog reporting to you about the latest Aftaar deal at pizza hut johar town branch. For all you insect lovering amphibians out there, its a must-go--not-to-miss deal. At the entrance, you are greeted with buzzing flies and if you just happen to stand there a while, it is quite tempting to take your big tongue out and slurp!!! when they buzz near your mouth... but no!.. "aap ka tu roza hay"...

You move inside and choose a table. Although all the waiters are human, they are thoughtfull enough to keep your tastes in mind and offer you an "almost alive" fly for aftari on a plate instead of their usual khajoor (see picture below). Good service, init? In the salad section (bzzzzzzz), you drool over a new dip called "musca domestica en maiz" (housefly in maize) as you can actually see a crunchy munchy fly in there. Sadly, its not alive.

[ reconstruction of the actual event ]

You come back to sit on the table and the waiter fills your glass up with deflated de-gasofied pepsi so that you dont get bloated when you drink it (who thought of carbonating a drink? didnt they know CO2 can kill you if its there in large quantities)... you let some of the flies buzzing around take a walk on the glass rim to make sure that theres no 'gas' left in the soft drink (if theres any left, the fly would suffocate and die, no?). Then comes the pizza.. since you are not interested in chicken and beef pizzas at all, you have your fill with all the "chota gosht" flying around. The waiters have already opened the door to let the other flies in and you walk out of the place savouring the sweet salad aftertaste.

This is karmoo the frog reporting to you from lahore di street, hoping you'll enjoy pizza hut as much as we do.

[ also poublished @ Lahore Metblog]

2005-10-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

and write i will...

If you live in (or near) the cantt area, take a stroll down Sarfaraz Rafiqui road on a saturday night. Its the road which goes from girja chowk staight towards Askari 1 Flats. Walking (running/driving/crawling) on that the road after midnight, you are sure to find kids (larkay baalay) utilizing the street lights as it should be. No, its not for reading, its for cricket!

Since the road has an average of about one car per minute after midnight, its a perfect place for quick 10 over matches. Just tonight, I could spot atleast three differnt cricket matches being played on that road. The wickets for two of these 'pitches' were bricks but the third party somehow managed to get hold of a chair in the place. Its usually a strictly "all shots - no running game" so if you wanna kill time on a weekend, just challange these kids for a midnight tape ball match on this 'lahore di sohni tay sunsaan sarak' .

2005-10-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

redundancy. if you are a bookworm and want to kill time, just goto galaxy book store in the basement of that plaza behind the liberty petrol pump. They have LOADS of cheap books, mostly out of the karachi container shipments, and so many of them. Some dont even make sense. The ones which do are unwanted. ever wonder who will buy a 'single' copy of 'a guide to lesbian an gay theaters' or 'java 1.1'? Furthermore, they dont have space so they have to line them up on the floor. a lot of them are unsorted so you can easily find Wrox ki XML wali book sharing shelf space with sheikh-spear. A lot of stuff for children is just lying there waiting to be discovered. THe good thing is that they have (atlast) added an urdu section ( the one at the far end in the pic) so theres still some sanity among the chaos. happy hunting.

QUAKE 4

2005-10-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

Its out and it rox!

I am Harry Potter

2005-10-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

I am harry potter.

Who are you ?

017.013

2005-10-16T13:58:00.000-07:00

And We have made every man's actions to cling to his neck, and We will bring forth to him on the resurrection day a book which he will find wide open.

Gives a new meaning to "apnay geraybaan main jhaankna"

Tents from China

2005-10-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

Got this on a mailing list. You can contact aijaz or Imran Aslam for more details. Take a look at this as well.

Volunteers in China are working on buying and sending tents from Bejing to Pakistan. A C130 is expected to fly from Beijing in next 3 or 4 days i.e. around 20th Oct. If you are interested in sending money for tents, please contact us (info given below) ASAP. We can also arrange blankets from Beijing and other relief goods. We only buy things and handover it to Pakistani embassy in Beijing but in case you need, we can try to send these goods specifically directed to some NGO or ogranization. Please be quick and repsonsive.

Adeeb Ashraf (FAST graduate, Techlogix employee)
Beijing (GMT+8)
Office: +86 10 8282 5482 (210)
042-2106516 (Calls will be charged as calls to Lahore number, but Adeeb will receive it on internet on voip service)

Imran Aslam (LUMS graduate, Techlogix employee)
Mobile: +86 1371 8958 303
Office: +86 10 8282 5482 (209)
Home: +86 10 62965859

Bank Information for Transferring Money Directly to China:
Nauman Ahmad Zaffar
account number 4080900-01880550683
Shangdi Branch, beijing
Bank of China

010.099

2005-10-10T17:54:00.000-07:00

And if your Lord had pleased, surely all those who are in the earth would have believed, all of them; will you then force men till they become believers?

010.067

2005-10-10T17:36:00.000-07:00

He it is Who made for you the night that you might rest in it, and the day giving light; most surely there are signs in it for a people who would hear.

for people who would HEAR. hearing .. sound... ears.. radar... waves... what ashould we listen to ? Are there sounds above the human spectrum ?

The day of the 32 sunsets.

2005-10-08T06:43:00.000-07:00

"You have 16 orbits a day, so that's a sunrise and a sunset every 45 minutes," Olsen told students"...
Newsday.com: NJ scientist speaks to students from space station

so there are like 24*60 minutes in a day or 24*15*4 minutes and if theres a sunrise every 45 minutes , it implies theres a sunset every 45 minutes too. so the number of sunsets in a sandard earth day will be (24*15*4)/(15*3) = 32. Not as much as the little prince but still enough....

To get as much sunsets as the little prince (i.e. 44 in case you have missed reading The Little Prince), you'll need (24*60)/44 minutes which is approximately every 33 minutes (32.7272 to be 'almost' exact. i never like rational numbers). If we do at at the same altitude as that of the international space station, it will be roughly 22 orbits per day. But that would mean going a bit faster than they currently are which would introduce a lot more complexities for NASA i am sure. :)

006.133

2005-10-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

And your Lord is the Self-sufficient one, the Lord of mercy; if He pleases, He may take you off, and make whom He pleases successors after you, even as He raised you up from the seed of another people.

Multiple possible meanings. The most obvious one is that we are children of our forefathers, may be Noah (A.S.) becomes the immediate grand parent as the world population was totally destroyed and then multiplied again. But what if it means that we are from the seed of 'other' people, 'not of our race' perhaps. Not quite the homo sapien that we know of but a bit different?

Question: What does it mean by zur-riyat

in-so-maniac

2005-10-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

what do you do when you cant sleep? tossing and turnign in the bed.. the slow grr-grr of the fan making it harder to focus on sleeping.. (yes we need to focus!)... neendiya pur is just around the corner, we'll reach there in a while. please extinguish your pathetic worldly thoughts and fasten your seat belts..

but then the sudden urge to get up and do some of the 'pathetic worldly things' that have been eating your mind for the past 2 hours (while you were safely in bed, tossing and turning)... and then you actually DO get up and finsih some of those things... just beacuase sleep is not as close as it seemed a while ago...

Random Thought: one way to catch a wave is to draw a plane in curved space.

Comment spammed

2005-09-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

I got spammed. Comment spammed. And i've just made up a new term i guess. Thankyou fran, whoever you are for visiting this desolate coreder even if it was for spreading apam

'runjish hi sahi, dil hi dukhanay kay liyay aa'

: : s m u d g e : : s t i c k : :

2005-09-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

~ if everyone is different, the only way to be different is to be same.

2005-08-10T15:32:00.000-07:00

"The important thing is not to stop questioning" - Einstein

2005-08-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

reflections... ice and coke.

2005-08-04T13:54:00.000-07:00

'you are fading'

bold

2005-08-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

Hi.
I need words. Would you be one?
I need sentences as well. How about a life sentence?
You are an ancient sentence, in dire need of translation.
The grey numbers just dont add up. or do they do that cuz they are'nt grey but gray instead.
Hi. Alls well.

2005-07-27T09:59:00.000-07:00

Faiz

2005-07-25T18:23:00.000-07:00

< insert psuedo-intellectual comment here >