think rewind January 30, 2008

so since i stopped blogging..i have…

interned at a great place! Shell Gas (LPG) Pakistan Ltd…where i got to intern in the HR department under the coolest boss (Raza Jamali) and the best coworker (Sabika) and the most enriching (some would say boring..but i enjoyed it a LOT) task…i revised the HR policies of the organization…most people dont get around to doing this task till they retire…but i was lucky enough to do it in my first job =)

required lotsa long hours…which meant lots of madness at work…

the bottom line is, if u get to work there ever… DO IT! it’ll be lots of fun…it may sound funny but i actually looked forward to going to work…office talk and random trips to ebco with sabika and the girls were the bomb! and the coffeee..uff..the sexiest coffee on earth!

and it was hilarious the way sabika always managed to scream at someone or do something naive and rj kitni take karta thaa…hehe

good memories =)

and then it was the beginning of the end..quite literally! my last year at IBA where i have spent 4 years of my life..spending even weekends with the same people, the same hospital green walls, the same 6 benches that we used to fight about and then those pillars…those ever changing,but never green lawns…

yes i will miss IBA

it didnt quite sink in till January when my testimonial chart went up…before that we were too busy handling evening classes..trying to get used to never being at home and still studying

but now that all of us have gotten used to skipping classes (even the best of us) and playing cards…or playing ludo…or even KINGs…i think im going to miss this place very much

so if a get very sentimental…its oki =)…i have good reason to!

i have a philosophy final tomorrow May 6, 2007

the course is called philosophy of islam…i don’t pay attention is class (like everyone else). but yet am getting a good grade in the course….there was that brief threat of an F after i got a 7th absence organizing a seminar….but the teacher has promised me that i won’t get an F…theres nothing worse than an F for a lameass course like philosophy of islam on your transcript….that too when you’re one of the better grades in the course in the semester

to those who are a bit lost, my University has a regimented attendance policy, one that says that if in the duration of the semester, you are absent for more than 6 times in a course, you are awarded an F, and thus bring your GPA down marginally…plus you have to repeat the course…

i have a bad headache, its really hot, i cant be bothered to study financial management cz the exam is on Wednesday and i only have one chapter left to do

and yes im not studying philosophy bcz the teacher is a kind old soul who tells us the questions beforehand, along with the answers…as long as we know them, and can bullshit about them, we’re good….you’d think everyone gets As….but see theres a catch…no one really knows what he grades on….even when two people have identical answers, he chooses to give one an F and the other an A….and its not related to class participation, or how chummy you are with him out of class…indiscriminate marking in every sense of the word

oh and i’ve booked my tickets with the new budget airline , air arabia…their tickets are computer printouts, they don’t serve meals on board *so yeah u grab a value meal before u get on board*…and their tickets are realllllyyy cheap

i really should be studying!!

http://tastyresearch.wordpress.com/2006/12/26/the-effectiveness-of-self-imposed-deadlines-on-procrastination/

guess who’s back in blogging action May 1, 2007

*yayy*

my blog’s back after a friggin 5 months

pakistani servers are weird…anyway…i dont have much tiem to blog…have lots of updates….but here’s the bulletin for the time being:

• semester almost over. ends in a week….projects still pending! i submit my last one on Thursday!
• finals start Monday….and i have a really spread out schedule…so hopefully I’ll get lots of studying done
• i leave for Saudi on the 16th hopefully…going for just 10 days..to get my iqama paper work in order
• get back end may, start with my summer course *calculus…which i conveniently dropped last year*
• still haven’t got an internship…then again..I’m not the only one…about 90% of my batch *including the top 10%* don’t have jobs to their name….

and in other news: ADP had a great gig that i missed once again…courtesy of the 80’s themed farewell dinner at IBA* which was a resounding FLOP and a tribute to the 8 people in asad khalil’s life…yeesh! *i mean fine your the BASC (Business Administration Students Club…think of it as a student council) VP but hello, public servant, can u PLEASE stop harping about your friends, how you won in the elections, and how generally you and the rest of your outcast friends are ALL that..no one gives a crap!*

find gig reviews, and links to the gggrrrreeaaat Aunty Disco Project on my sidebar

today just happens to be Labour Day..and its a public holiday in Pakistan…its ironic that the white collared people get to enjoy this holiday, but the true laborers: the farmers in the rural areas, the domestic help, the drivers, the construction workers….all of them are still working!

bs bs and more bs December 14, 2006

exams over…which means i’ve had more than my share of spewing bullshit

and yes i will write loads in the days to come

am going home tmw nite!! *yayy*

thought of the day:

An arrow can be shot only by dragging it back,
so when life is dragging you back with difficulties..
it means that its going 2 launch u into the victory

point noted

catharsis December 3, 2006

i just figured out that i can flunk all my exams this semester and still NOT drop out of IBA

and u have nooo idea how appealing that isss

i dont wannntttt to studdyyyy

stupid US treasury bills…linux commands…spot rates…chi tests and ANOVA

boooo hoooooo

i cant wait for these two weeks to end!!

distractions galore

just managed to download akheer by juggy D..i love the saarangi on it…and theres slight rain outside…cloudy weather…chilly breeze


*sighs*

~~ beach ~~ November 27, 2006

should’ve been typed and posted by the 12th,max 15th of november…but i jst didnt get time!!

in spite of the fact that i didnt have afshan mahmood to give me company this time on the beach, and the dismal gang of roghani and MAK were arranging the beach trip this time, i still went to the beach

why? cz its *the beach!* everyone enjoys the sun,sands and sea isnt it? now typically beach trips involve a notice being put up and people jst arriving *late* at city campus so tht we can pile up into a bus on a sunday morning and have an MTV grind of sorts in Pakistan =P

this time we had to get permission slips signed *absuuuurd rule…do we look like second graders going on a field trip to the zoo???*…hell we’re at university and the though of going up to ur parents to get a permission slip signed was jst plain ridiculous! so most of us faked our signatures and were there at city campus on sunday the 12th of november… there seemed to barely any people there…and there was a whole fuss when it came to the buses…

before the beach..thats fariya behind baba

anyhow we got to the beach..the hut had a really nice view of the glittering beach…and the girls actually had two rooms and a proper loo to themselves…the poor guys i think had a tiny room and a curtain!

anyway…since there were such few of us, we stuck together and ventured into the sea…instead of going oooh..nice water…all we did was “OUCH! rock!” “dont go there, rock range” and they were sharp rocks…i dont think anyone came back with uninjured feet….and then there were bits of the beach tht felt like cow dung* under ur feet*…the dj was pathetic *untill roghani came up and took over the show from him*, lunch was really late…and i was missing afshan waayyyy tooo much listening to the songs!

spent quite a lot of time w/ BBA1s who were intent on trying to drown poor fariya, who hadnt even brought along a spare shirt…we finally gave up trying to enjoy the sea and came out to bask in the sun….it was there we saw a competition of sorts…there were about 8 guys building a sand pile, and a little closeby, just 3 girls…the guys had a huuuuge pile n they kept mocking the poor girls….seeing the poor girls being victimized, i gathered around friends, and we decided tht our sand pile’s going to be bigger…hehe..and guess what! we accomplished it…at one point we had a huge crowd around us cheering! hehe chhoti chhoti khushiyan! and then sum guy fell on the sand piles…and ended up destroying both…huge sand fight followed

us on the sand pile

since the beach was too rocky, people found things to do onshore…camel rides, beach volley, kho kho, kabaddi, i think i saw a game of tag too…and then we had the *couples* hehe…and the 5 person dance parties…

and afterrr…and yes af thats ALL the people who turned up from our class..i think abeera isnt there..she was too wet to appear on camera
[IMG][/IMG]

in retrospect, the beach was really just as bad we expected it to be…crappy water, pathetic arrangements, and low turnout

i expected better from roghani!!

next event he organized was the annual dinner on saturday! and hah…we have finally come to a time when the only people performing onstage will be from people within IBA!! lack of funds to have a proper concert? I dont think sooooooo…more about the annual dinner later..im currently going in chronological order…next up is the ~seminar~!

nooo i havent given up blogging November 21, 2006

i just can’t find the tiiimmmeeee :S

wht’ve i been upto?

way too much!

last sunday was the beach trip, with toooo rocky a beach, lots of sand castles, mundane walks on the seashore, missing people and a BAD dj *detailed,illustrated blog to feature in the days to come*

erm, then monday-wednesday: *BIG BLUR* interviews, play, seminar work, assignments….

thursday the day before the seminar: i think it was also fariya’s bday..crazy lunch at Arizona Grill…oh and murtaza abbas was the angel who told me that i’d been made social sciences manager…*yayy*

friday: the seminar itself…way too much happened tht day *again detailed blog to be there in the days to come*

saturday: panic and rehearsals at city campus…my actors playing *ditch* like always

sunday: talentopia, oh and what a great day tht was…*blog AND videos coming up*

im sorry im being a ditcher and all, cz i just cant find the time to blog…currently working on my social sciences poster!

oh and yes, i’ve got finals in abt 10 days…i SHOULD be freaking out!

but am also heading home on the 16th!

can’t waitttttt

P.S.: that has to be my shortest and most random blog yet!

love hate relationship November 11, 2006

i sound too IBA centric in my blog..at least thats what i think..most prolly cz i spend MOST of my time either there or doing work for there…out of obligation and not out of choice! and the season up ahead is such when we’ll get NO weekends and meet IBA people 7 *and a half* days a week…im NOT complaining

since the convocation was just around the corner, the iba admin had been painting pillars walls and poles left right and center….doors polished and light fixtures changed..all for the big today when our (dis)honored governor, Dr. Ishrat ul Ibad actually bothered blessing our premises,and our dear Director Mr. Danishmand made a point to *surprise surprise* harp onnnn and onnnn about the glory of the IBA

dont get me wrong…i love the place…favoritism and all! No matter how much u hate IBA for whtever, its policies, its system,its people,its rigidities…u eventually come around to loving it for its *legacy*…the legacy that all of us IBA people come to be part of…and again, the true IBA person is that who has spent at least 4 years here…ive seen grown macho guys as well as the most emotionally resistant of girls crumble to their knees at the thought of leaving IBA behind

*sighs* and yes i know i’ll cry when i leave too..its a love hate relationship really

one reason to love IBA : they’re finally acknowledging a management guru….Abdul Sattar Edhi was awarded an honorary doctorate today …he got a doctorate for social services management..and it was so humbling to meet him…i felt honored to be speaking to him…*respect* thru n thru for the man who’s gone out of his way to make a difference to the world…my last post was about bring frozen…and there were quite a few times when i was reminded of my post when i was at the convocation today…when we heard him speak *and there were very few of us listening* about how he was an utterly uneducated man…we were in utter shock when he said that he had read only 2 books in his whole life..and that too in Gujrati[hindi dialect]…he said he didnt deserve to be called maulana[religious cleric] since he could not even read the Quraan…he was illiterate and he had to rely on tape recordings of Quraanic recitation and translation for his Islamic education…when he was being taken for lunch by the IBA hotshots..he saw us girls standing there smiling at him and he came up to us and started talking to us..saying out of the blue “itne saalon main maulanaon ne mujhe poocha bhi nahi..aur aaj in logon ne mujhe degree de di”[ for all these years the religious clergy never acknowledged me..and today these good people have bestowed a degree on me]…the look of utter contentment on his face was a sight to marvel…i didnt have the courage to ask for a picture with him..i didnt think i was capable of standing in the same frame….he is just plain WOW…just shows that literacy does not make one educated =)

anyway..while maulana edhi was giving his speech behind me was a huge audience…of students and parents…who were busy chattering amongst themselves and not even bothering to clap when Dr. Edhi was given his doctorate…it quite honestly pissed me off…i said in the last post about people being numb to their conscience and just NOT listening to the people who matter..and here was evidence of that…and i wish i cdve been disproved…

ho hum…i wont get depressed over the lack of conscience and humanity in people!!! i won’t i won’t i won’t!

anyway..it was good meeting old friends today…people who have graduated..and managed to get a few white hairs already..some of them losing their hair..some of them changing their hair color…it sounds so odd…me discussing people’s hair…hehe..cant help but notice!! =P *yes sarah..nothing has changed*

which reminds me…the newest member of the blogosphere is *drumroll*..my jaaaannnnnnuuuuu sarah khan =D as sarah would put it *harippa* =D

mucho awaited November 7, 2006

i know i know..i have a lot of explaining to dooo…where have i been? to cut the long story short, i was sick after eid…went to uni and everything…not very enthusiastically…but had to cz my hourlies were jussttt around the corner…got a dressing down from my Business and Society teacher cz i didnt hand in the assignment on time AGAIN and made a lame excuse that she refused to fall for! hehe..i have a knack for doing that… i was supposed to read articles for my Financial Institutions and Markets course once [tahira jaffery ]…and i hadnt read them…so when she asked me in class i said “err…i couldnt find them” so she’s like “what couldnt u find..the articles, or the newspaper??“…so i said ” newspaper“…so she rolled her eyes and kicked me out of class…and the irony of it is that NO ONE had read the crappy article…but only a select few *tee hee* got kicked out…

yeah but flashback to hourlies this time around…they were okie..considering that i hadnt really prepared..god bless the IBA admin that scheduled our hourlies to be at the end of the day so that we used to come in the morning and cram off each other till the exam took place at around noon…which reminds me, that the IBA admin has made a new ABSUUUURRRDDD rule..students not allowed to stay on campus after hours :S…apparently some naive couple was making out on campus after hours *rumor yet to be verified*, and the rest of us poor souls have to suffer as a consequence

also a feature of the hourlies that for the first time in my 5 semesters at the Institute of Business Administration (Karachi) i saw an hourly NOT being taken on time…oh and what a spectacle of mismanagement the day was! We were sitting right there for our papers to arrive…answer booklets filled out, for the dastardly Statistical Inference exam that lay ahead, formulas crammed *and scribbled at the back of our answer bookslets*…and we waited and waited and grew restless and started cracking typical section two wisecracks about our dheeelllaaa instructor *much to the annoyance of the BBA 1 bachas who were quite intent on doing their exam*…until 15 minutes had elapsed and we realized that the papers just werent coming..manoj[day programs officer] was pacing the corridors as lost as ever,victimizing our poor dimunitive class rep munazzah for being *irresponsible*

so we left university that day, told that the exam would take place the next day…we grumbled and protested *futilely of course* at the injustice of having to do 3 hourlies in a day…it was a friday so we got home early and just as i was about to drag my poor tired body into bed, i got a call from ammar…giving me the worst possible news…”we have an exam at 6 at the city campus…er….2 hours from now“…and the dumb campus is a good hours drive from my place anyway…after considerable firefighting, we got to the place and gave the exam, under the supervision of mobin khalili and manoj….that was really something….as if we didnt get enough of IBA in the day time, we were now giving exams in the evening…WHAT STANDARDS our Dear Dean would say in his infinite naivete!

*sighs*…too much IBA talk….

a day before the hourlies, there was a lecture by Karen Armstrong at the Aga Khan University on Religion that ammar and i just could not resist…fine our hourlies were dismal, but in the words of sohaib and ammar:
“jaana must hai..hourlies toh hotay rahengay..karen armstrong roz roz nahi aati [we must go...exams are a regular feature, karen armstrong isnt!]“….so we went and it was anything but regretful..enlightening on the evolution of religion and how there are concurrent themes running though every religion…and for once we were surrounded by an audience that wasnt just students….it included senior citizens, philanthropists, celebrities, educators, and even students like ourselves…and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves…its apparent that the karachi audiences are starved for such lectures since 3 small auditoriums and the large AKU auditorium were all PACKED, with people filling in every inch of carpet they could find!

*reminds self to live life to the hilt*

and yes i should continue this in the next blog cz sid *my loyal blogosphere navigator* inisists that i post regularly…every day..which i intend to do! hehe..arent u going to enjoy that!

and yes i intend to start blogging on News soon..read the most mundane of articles and have loads of thoughts in response…which should rightfully be placed in my blog =P

Further Reading on Karen Armstrong:
http://jang.com.pk/thenews/nov2006-weekly/nos-05-11-2006/kol.htm#3

ho hum..as random as ever! October 17, 2006

hmmm

its almost been a week and i havent blogged…what have i been busy with? i have absolutely NOOOO idea

typically when i get home from university i head to the kitchen…work for iftar there..nap for an hour…wake up for iftar…and then jst help around the house i know i havent been sleeping..cant really bring myself to study this semester for some reason! so what HAVE i been upto this week…*contemplates*

i know i slept REALLY late on saturday nite..was watching this documentary on national geographic about how south americans cross into the US…was depressing really…people get mauled and killed after they leave their families…they WALK for most of the way and are obviously undocumented…

erm…and i know i watched lage raho munnabhai sumwhere during tht time…cute movie..just like the first part…comedy with a cause! although i think the whole MAHATMA GANDHI thing has been blown out of proportion, i agree tht he was really different in his problemsolving approach…but it only works on people with a conscience…difficult breed in todays time when children are brought up to be ruthles insensitive and self serving

also watched this documentary tht mullah waqar very graciously gave me about the misconceptions regarding the hudood ordinance…i didnt have much interest in the issue in the first place..primarily because i see no reason to laws being debated in a country like pakistan where one can only PRAY for enforcement! so its nothing new if old laws are being twisted around by the people in power to exploit the underlings of society… if we revise the laws, im sure the corrupt legal system will ensure tht the interests of the powerful are served

the image they show of the blindfolded lady is so ironic..where on the one hand its supposed to symbolize tht all are equal, it also shows that often, even laws turn a blind eye to justice

*sighs*

wht else

had another one of those rediscovery and self improvement talks with lili…talking to her is sooo invigorating! tht woman makes one think!! and sorta read over sardar’s piece…but then decided tht i was too tired to actually sit down n read it with concentration…so im going to do tht soon!

songs..which remind me tht im craving listening to nazar by ADP…talal is being an ass and making me jealous cz he gets to listen to it before i do *grumbles*..r u listening al fatah!

oh and sid has been a sweetheart and has added me to her friends list on her blog..*yayy*..now if only the tech idiot i am could learn how to put friends up on blogs! and im whining again al fatah, cz u havent added me to urs yet ..hehe

ummmmmmmmm….my msn is acting really *GAY in the words of dj tal * rite now..so im logging in logging out…having random conversations with the issues gang…honestly…technology really tests my patience! especially when it has the word LIVE in its name it is anything BUT that

on the agenda for the next couple of days:

iftar with the batch: which has been delayed so many times now tht its not even funny anymore…was initially supposed to be after the elections.. a sob event for the losers tht is bba5 …so tht we could mourn not getting those 20 odd votes….and tht was wayyyy before ramadan…i was supposed to coordinate with murtaza abbas *aka don w/ decieving looks ;P*…and i never really got down to doing tht till ramadan happened..*arent i the procrastinator*…so we decided it would be iftar…then we got down to convincing people to go for ifatr..out of the blue murtaza told everyone tht we’re going for dinner on monday…since it was the 21st of ramadan people bailed out…so we decided okie..wednesday should be it ..iftar bas khatam!…but its ammar’s mom’s birthday, n we cant really have the thing without our failed politician so its been pushed to thursday..and im NOT taking any crap excuses now…ive been txting and retxting plans like crazy listening to ppl whine about the place, the money…*grumbles*..i cant be an event manager…i’d end up sobbing in a corner cz people CANT be happy!

sending out seminar invites: got the sexiest guest list today…and wht made me happiest was to see ahmed mustafa haq’s name…really miss him! the one funloving carefree cheetah on campus…has officially become the hot corporate with THE voice tht he was destined to be..im sure just as carefree, an funloving and CHEETAH as before here..wreaking havoc at the indigo office!

sending out the article to cK: yes i promise i will update it and send it to u

going n harrassing the tailor to gimmme my clooottthhheeesss…n harrassing my brother into taking me for mehndi on chand raat..hhe

studying for the hourlies! *yipes* hourlies n 3 reports due right after eid…plus the seminar and interviews for societies and *scream!*

oh and next blog shd be on cricket..wanted to talk abt it today..but i think this is long enough..and too many fonts!

i already have too many ppl telling me tht my blogs are too long *screws up nose*

oh and sarah jaannuuuuu…u made my dayyyyyy!!! ur comments cheered me up sooooooo much *hugs*…love u!

now the rest of u silent readers…comment!