Yayyyhooooooooo!!!

Wow...

I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited..!!!

You know what happened !!??!?!?!??! :D:D:D:D

I was gifted with a surprise... and what , you may ask, is the surprise..!

An Acer Aspire One Netbook!!!!! for me!!!!!!!!!!!! Meri apni!! (mine – personal!)
I know you might be rolling your eyes, but helloo!! The laptop I had, wasn't mine. It was Chotpo's.. and now she has gifted me with this netbook which is soooo awesome !!! Masha Allah!

I am so thankful to Allah .. why? Because there I was, whining yesterday , about how bad my day was, and reflecting over how bad my life generally is :P.. But now? I think differently!! I couldn't have imagined EVER being gifted with anything like this in my LIFE.. But here it is :D

This is an early birthday present :D she said.. and said she got it earlier, cuz she couldn't wait to show it to me as soon as possible! Have you ever heard of a more dear phuppo on the planet !!

Alhamdulillah :D I am soooo happy today!

Not only is this going to prove useful for working, but it's light weight and operating system (Linux!!!) is going to be an amazing change from the Windows that has made me grit my teeth with frustration!

Some pictures to round up the post eh? :)

I not so sad :S

Thing is, that every sad post, has to have something happy associated with it, so that I look back to it, and remember the meagre good things that ALSO happened, and then feel grateful to God that not ALL is lost and hopeless...

So anything good that happened in the past 2 days?

Yepp.

What?

Well, there is this university that offered me a scholarship discount on their tuition fee .. :) I know 3450 pounds doesn't reduce the tuition amount by MUCH, but it does REDUCE it.. which is the keyword.. I mean, hello! They reduced it for ME. 

How surprising and gratifying is THAT? Allah ka shukkarrr...

Then, I also managed to learn two rukuhs of Surah Maryam ..Alhamdulillah :) I mean, I know that I'll forget if I don't practise it in the car every day.. but even so, at least Im sticking to my resolve of learning it one day.. 

And finally, how and when did yesterday end? 

After clearing up everything, I sat down in front of the TV and me and mum watched Hum Sub Umeed say hain... The best part in it was the parody of the Omor'e ad.. :D Those who haven't seen the Omor'e icecream ad, may watch it here..

The ad parody was one of the funniest and saddest I have ever seen. Funniest because it used the ad exactly the way it is, and turned it around to represent Pakistan's situation currently. And saddest, because er.. the situation isn't that great right..

Here is the video.. The ad begins at 4.09 :P

And so I finally slept at 2.00 am :P, a little better. Alhamdulillah!

The day that wouldn't die...! :@

6.20 am: YELL
6.30 am: "I'm getting up, I'm getting up!!"
6.35 am: YELL
6.40 am: Gets up for fajr prayers...
6.45 am: *tries desperately to remember Surah Kahf's certain ruku, it's the middle of fardh salat*
7.00 am: Flops back to bed

9.00 am: *covers ears as a piercing noise fills the room*
9.30 am: *realises that the noise is coming from two earnestly set alarm clocks (one clock, one mobile) and hurriedly switches off*
9.45 am: YELL
9.50 am: *shoots up in bed, and runs for the jharu*

-- while jharu-ing (sweeping) overhears a member of family saying "Iss larki ka pata nahi kia hoga..!! Iss ka to bohot hee bura haal hay!! [Don't know what will become of this girl!! She is hopeless!!] --

10.00 am: *runs to the kitchen to make breakfast for family*
10.10 am: runs back and forth, from kitchen to dining room, putting things on table etc..
10.15 am: hurriedly sits down to eat something which has wholegrain but mum swears its fattening (and Im not telling what it is).
10.20 am: tries to gulp down scalding tea, but it burns...
10.30 am: *runs around getting ready...*
10.40 am: *shoots out of house and jumps into car*
11.00 am: *head feels slightly heavy** (must be due to the late night)
11.30 am: *reaches work....*

-----------WORK (so ...works) ----------------------------

1.40 pm: *Goes for prayer*
2.00 pm: tries to remember Surah Waqia .... recalls it with much difficulty
4.00 pm: Work over
4.30: Receives message that driver will be late...
4.30 - 5.30 pm: Tries to kill time by flooding somebody's comment board (:$), and emailing the very same person....
5.35 pm: Everybody at office leaves.. left alone.. (hate being alone)
5.45 pm: Driver gives a bell..
5.50 pm: *shoots down and jumps in the car*
6.00 pm: *head heavier*
6.15 pm: *head throbbing properly*
6.30 pm: Reaches home...prays Asr.
6.45 pm: Lies down and closes eyes... head heading towards a worse state
7.00 pm: YELL
7.05 pm: *gets up in a hurry*
7.10 pm: *tries to gulp down scalding tea but it burns
7.15 pm: is told: Hurry up! hurry up! I'll be late!!
7.20 pm: *shoots to the car and gets into driving seat*
7.30 pm: *head worse*
8.00 pm: Reaches Sis Susraal ... drops her off, heads home
8.15 pm: Traffic !! Mad people... junglies everywhere...
8.30 pm: *reaches home* .. head WORST.
8.35 pm: *prays magrib* ..
8.50 pm: YELL
8.55 pm: *gets up in a hurry*
9.00 pm: *shoots to the car and gets in the driving seat*
9.10 pm: Reaches Pizza outlet...
9.15 pm: *scratches head over what flavour to get*
9.20 pm: *finally decides, and is told to wait 10 mins*
9.35 pm: No Pizza....
9.45 pm: Pizza!!!
10.00 pm: *reaches home after buying some other essentials*
10.15 pm: *sits down and has dinner*
10:25 pm: YELL
10.30 pm: *gets up in a hurry and types out the two applications (a task I had promised I would complete by tonight .. it was supposed to be by 11..but somehow...er.. they had to be given to driver ..)
10.45 pm: *debates about whether isha should be prayed or tea first*
11.00 pm: *sips tea and reflects on her life*
11.30 pm: *finishes tea and wonders how to end the headache ... *

*Blogs about the day*....

*And waits for the rest of family to have dinner so that table can be cleared and dishes washed etc etc and then sleep can be even thought about... not that it's going to come easily anyway..*

The End..

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Ugh... the ego!

A pilot digs his heels in
PIA delays flight, causes huge loss

Thursday, April 09, 2009
By Ansar Abbasi

ISLAMABAD: Non-availability of a business class seat for a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) pilot delayed a scheduled flight of the national flag-carrier from Karachi to Jeddah for almost one hour and a half, only because he had refused to travel in the economy class.

Source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=171539

Basically, the PIA employees get business class to travel in, whenever they travel. So this one employee (co-pilot I think) wanted to travel from Khi to Jeddah and since the business class was full (of foreigners), he was offered a seat in the economy class.

The great man refused. I am (okay naively) surprised. What is so wrong in traveling one class lower? Does it impact your resume? Does it affect your DIET? Or your posture? (different seats I think)...what ?

So there was a nice negotiation party, with PIA officials trying to to swap one of the foreigners' seats by offering them 100 dollars to travel economy class, so that this distinguished gentleman could travel where his heart desired...

Shameful.

I believe we're all caught in this bubble, where we just don't think BEYOND a certain point. And that certain point is actually the boundary between the "I" and the "we".. where "I" ends, the bubble ends. No compromises for us.. we're special. So we should be treated as such. The position Pakistan is in right now, we're on a begging SPREE. Every day, I hear the President or the Prime Minister making speeches asking donors and "friends" for money. The pathetic state we're in, and the daily promises and "pledges" of money, surely doesn't warranty THIS kind of arrogance.

What have we to be proud of at this moment? Isn't this like, HIGH time we bowed down to Allah and prayed for ourselves with humiliation?

Talk about a bloated ego!

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JUST....friends?

Okay, I know this is a barrage of posts in one day. But they're all worth it.. at least to me.

This one I just saw, I remember making this reasoning sooo many times. It's rather become part of habit :D

But I'm glad to note that this is thought by other people too, and in a situation like this, there is only ONE way ..which is the RIGHT way..

However we, human weaklings, try to justify it :$

Enjoy the video..

Hijab :)

This is a really cool video I saw just right now (courtesy Ramblings :D). The point of this video is that when you talk about covering yourself, (hijab), and go about doing it, it becomes ironic, when all you end up doing is actually MAKING people look at you because you're dressed so attractively .. even with the hijab.

All the extra effort :P ... goes to serve the opposite of what ...er, you intended (i hope). So all the ladies out there who observe hijab .. please don't spoil the purpose of it.

Enjoy the video :)

Yes... we have it!

A poem I found pretty inspiring by Allama Iqbal.

I am born in the world as a new sun,
I have not learned the ways and fashions of the sky:
Not yet have the stars fled before my splendor,
Not yet is my quicksilver astir;
Untouched is the sea, by my dancing rays,
Untouched are the mountains by my crimson hue.
The eye of existence is not familiar with me;
I rise trembling, afraid to show myself.

Secrets of the Self, 21-28, Translated by R.A.Nicholson

It's so beautiful, the verses tell exactly the story of every human's hesitation (I can SO SO SO relate to that!)... And even WITH that hesitation, every human being has enormous potential. I mean, comparing it to the sun (with its vast amount of energy...and the ability to light up everything its rays fall on...) is like... amazing. Every human being has the power to do something different with his/her different capabilities. What matters is how they recognize their abilities, and how exactly they put them to use. Inspiring beyond inspiring :)


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Trying to learn: New Approach

In my last post, I mentioned wanting to learn Surah Maryam and made a noble decision to learn it etc. I realised today that my approach towards learning a chapter (any chapter – big or small, is not very correct). Let me explain.

When I intend to learn a chapter, the methodology I follow is not that which is taught in Hifz schools.. it seems too difficult. So what I do is that I read that Surah, every day. Once. After a looottttt of days pass by with me reciting that chapter once per day, suddenly I find myself reciting it, without looking at the text, and then I realise "Hey ! I've learned this!"

*sigh*.. the lengthiness of this approach can be gauged from the fact that when I started reciting Surah Kahf every Friday, it was 6 years ago. Now, six years later, I have learned it to the extent that I need to "look at the text" at only the last two rukuhs.

What an absolute idiot I am...

But I stuck to this methodology because it worked for me in smaller chapters, like Surah Rehman, Surah Waqia, Surah Tehreem, Qalam, Haa'aqah, Maa'rij etc etc .. so I was like, in a few days, able to read the text without looking.. but this Surah Maryam ... :'( This approach is so NOT working out.

Khair, so what I did today was that I used up my learning time.. (which is in the car when I'm coming to work.... how distracting is THAT..Allah maaf karay).. by focusing on the first six ayahs only. This method was simply not followed by me for anything (even studies -- hard to believe, I know), because of er, my extreme laziness. But it requires a will, a sense of purpose. Once you know the purpose, you can sit down and still do it. Unfortunately, during studies, I didn't see any purpose...

I'll stop rambling now. Just written this to inform anybody who is trying to learn a chapter (surah or studies) that its better to focus, rather than read the whole thing so many times it sticks to the brain.. If you're serious about learning, then it's always better to take portions and absorb, rather than gulp the whole thing down at once and get nothing done quickly.

So Alhamdulillah, first six ayahs are done. Maybe I can move this number up to ten tomorrow.. Insha Allah. Who knows.

I think posting my progress may serve as an inspiration for those who are serious about learning the Quran by heart (one of my cherished dreams). Also, it can serve as a constant reminder to myself that hey, Ive posted something for the world to see, now I HAVE to follow it up.

Lastly, one more tip. Take it from a person who has an EXTREMELY bad memory. It wasn't easy to learn the beginning Surahs of 30th chapter. I had aimed to complete the whole chapter in one Ramadan (I guess in my first year of university).. So I managed to do it all, except for 3 Surahs I think. BUT, a lil later when I didn't revise it, I could hardly remember some Surahs.. and this got me so afraid that I started reciting them all one by one in prayers. They're short and easy .. (again, take it from a forgetful brain..if I'm saying it's easy to learn, it HAS to be simple to remember). But constant practise is needed, and there is no better way than to recite them in namaz.

Hope Allah Guides us all Ameen!

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Times change .....

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Yeah. Not only is it now 2 am, instead of good old 1 am..(which seems so nice -- the night stretches out in front of you, and you feel you can stay awake forever.. But not with TWO pm. It seems like okay, you have to turn in soon now!)...

But it's also a change in my resolves!

I know this isn't a new year, nor a birthday, nor anything else. BUT.. it's a 'time change' and warrants some fresh resolutions!

1. I will learn Surah Maryam Insha Allah..bus kisi bhe tarhan (SOMEhow)... it's too bad that I don't recite it often enough to get it installed in my brain so that whenever I press that memory button, the surah would begin playing automatically and fill my mind instead of the usual stupidities that do. So I have decided to recite it as MUCH as possible. For those of you who haven't recited this particular Surah. It's wonderful. It's amazing. And it makes one believe with a lot of surity that no miracle is beyond God's Power.. and it's only got to be His Will, and things CAN happen..
It's incredible. Do read it once...you'll see.

2. Every word spoken by me, very word written (or type written) by me, every thought ...thought by me... would be worthwhile. NOT fuzul (worthless). Not baymaiinay (meaningless). Not crap (idiotic). Er.. you get the picture. I'll only speak, when I have something good/meaningful to say. I'll only write when I have great worthy things to communicate. I know this is like aiming for the sky, but at least I'll get somewhere closer to the sky, as I start climbing this ladder ! I hate the thought of time ticking away.. and in that particular nanosecond, milisecond, ......okay minute...I've done nothing. Nil. If I'm accountable for each and every second of my life, there has to be some sort of regulation in my behaviour regarding time.

So from now on, no more wasting time. No more stupid blog entries either.

3. In my schedule change, I'll try sleeping early and getting up early. Now with the time change, this isn't possible TODAY, since my one precious night hour has been eaten up (sigh), but IA from tomorrow.. I will change this habit. Bohot hogya night-owl pan. Maybe this way the sleep would be easier on me, which reminds me, last night was nasty. So early to bed and early to rise.... from tomorrow :P

4. I will become a Plan Person IA. A plan person is the sort who keeps a plan for everything in life. I didn't really believe that it would actually change things, this planning business. But it does. Er, to a 45% extent, which is a start !.. So every minute of my life is on paper from now on. Uh. Okay every day of my life. Not minute..let's not be too harsh here.

5. I will somehow complete that Arabic course which I started a long time back and never got around to finishing it. ALL it asks for is 15 minutes everyday and it should be over in a month! But me!???!?!?! Ugh!
Anyhow..(no more negative thoughts either !), I will be doing this course. For those who are interested in learning Quranic Arabic .. here is the link:

http://www.understandquran.com/courses/short-course/english.html

It's an amazing thing for people who want to have khushu and khuzu in their prayers and want to feel even better about their prayers and recitation etc.

What else?
Can't think of any more resolutions. This is enough for now. Let's see how long I stick to it. IA I plan on sticking to it like a leech. Negative connotations :) yeah.. but best results :P

I'm about to step onto the first rung.. God Help me.


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Nicer one :)

Since I felt like a complete nashukra (ungrateful wretch) complaining about all the stupidities around me.. let me compensate a bit.

Let me recount some great things said to me by people ... (would sound like boasting ..:S But it's only for rectifying my previous whines.. so it has a noble cause .. **nods very sanctimoniously**)

1. this is the most beautiful beautiful beautiful gift i ever had - although , if ur birdthday was like 10 days later....OMG, I cant even make a gift which is 1/10000th as good as this..

2. I am trillions of time sad k i will not be able to "fight" with you again :)

3. So I have seen the urge in you , be it wanting to make use of your education for our country, for religion or be it wanting to get hands on research related to your field (not many people generally think the way you do and that concern makes me want to believe that you have the potential to do brilliant if given the opportunity)....

4. This woman comes up in a wedding where I had been feeling extremely out of place (because I was the only one there in hijab abaya..) and says "May Allah Guide us all and Give us Taufeeq to dress as decently as you.."

5. "Nd I dun ve an inch of doubt, dat ur parents r lucky to have u as a daughter, ur sister is lucky to have u as a sister, ..."

And now before I choke over my own goodness....I'm off.


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And another one..

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Sometimes I wish I had an anonymous blog. I can, I know. But oh, the effort. The clicking, the movement of the tips of my fingers.

The absolute laziness, is the right expression for it.

So possible things to do when you feel fuzul (Urdu version of "crap")

Someone once said "I eat chocolates! Lots and lots of them." This is a PRETTY common way of dealing with depressed thoughts, and somehow, chocolate drives that away. Or does it? I've never tried that, though, I have made myself a nice coffee at times.

Some listen to sad songs. Ugh. What's the good in hearing people warble about their pathetic lives and their "dils" being shattered, and what not. I'd rather go for a movie. A senseless one too. Hmmm, but if you're at work... then?

Many indulge in high-calorie food (yeah besides chocolates). Really? I'd do that any time :D.. doesn't need depression to bring THAT one on.

A lot more BLOG. Oh yeah .. now we're talkin'

Some cook! Yeah. To take their minds off things! How constructive is that **sigh**. If I were to do something this good, then I'd feel good, and not remain depressed. *musing*, then this means that this is what I SHOULD do...
Uh, how? That's the question.

Does anybody "code" when depressed? ... **wondering**

Or swim? I do drown in books. But they have to be stuff like Harry Potter, or .... er. Shopaholic.

People shop, go out for walks... what not. None of that sounds appealing. I wish there was a special room in special centers specifically catering to .. the depressed.

"Come right in -- Spend an hour ... (and 500 Rupees).... Enjoy at your leisure ... The Room of Depress-ortein"

Like Mortein..? Get the joke?
*sigh*

Oh yeah I got one. Reading peoples' blogs who are having as moronic lives as your brain can ever imagine. Reading about their pain brings a perverse pleasure.. like ha! I'm not the only loon ! Here's another one! And paying thousands of dollars for therapy... only to get more depressed! How "fuzul" is that!

There are times when I wish I were a professional boxer. That would be the only reason (under the sun) for me to possess a punching bag. Whenever feeling down, I would go to that bag, and VENT it all out.

Man, that'd feel good. *huge sigh*

Pathetic ..

I have no idea why I am updating my blog when I have absolutely rubbish ideas in mind. The least rubbish is the one that I have planned to list down every bad thing that has been said to me in my life so far. Things that have bugged me, and made me think about them later on, and dwell my silly hurt heart on them... (the first one would sound the funniest)

Strange? Definitely. Pathetic moods = pathetic posts..

So.... cruelty....and heartlessness .. here we come :) **serene smile**

1. GET OUT FROM THE CLASS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2. You're so rude!!

3. You're like, always bossing me around!!

4. You're so dumb!

5. If you're like this in the virtual world, I would hate to have you as a friend in the real world. Thank God I don't know you in real life.

6. Do you EVER do anything useful around here?

7. I wonder how your family stands you..

8. You seem to think its only YOUR opinion that matters, YOUR voice that should be heard.. What about others??

9. Do you EVER excel at anything compared to your sibling????

10. I always try to keep up with your "mood swings" but ..............

11. You can't cook??

12. Okay .. so you got all these qualifications.. degree etc..............SO?

13. Ooh.. so you like tennis? Man.. do you play it as well? Eh eh eh.. from the "look" of it, I seriously don't think so.. *smirk smirk smirk*

*yawn*


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