Wakeup Pakistan

2007-12-27T23:07:00.000-06:00

Benazir Bhutto: Brave, Courageous, Daring

You will always be missed!

(1953-2007)

Hi - Part IV

2007-03-19T11:01:00.000-05:00

Previous parts: part I, part II, and part III.

Dear SD,

Well I hope the mental exercise is healthy.....

I really liked your analysis of evolution. I was a student of hostory and reading such a simple yet true description of the process of evolution was a treat for the mind. But again, there is something that i don't think I agree with, that is ur case history of Russia and China. Do u really think they emerged powerful after revolution? The Csars were thrown out and there was the hege revolution in USSR in 1917. What was the result??? Chaos and ultimately the disintegration. Try reading Alec Nove's works or for that matter the novel We the Living by Ayn Rand to understand the destruction that revolution brought along with it. Again, China, I believe is not a healthy example. I will again refer u to a book, Wild Swans written by Jung Chang. These countries may be powerful now but the price that they paid was something don't approve of. To become powerful we cannot destroy the lives of onwhole generation and sadly that was what happened in these two countries.

Yes evolution through education is what is the need of the day. But where is it happening? We are either too stuck up with the past or we don't want to come out of the traditional and archaic beliefs. We just don't want to progress. Even today we apply reason only when it suits our convenience. You will find educated people opposing love marriages, inter caste marriages. A woman smoking is still considered taboo in many parts of this country although situation is diff in the big cities although a man doing the same is quite ok. But thats not the point. What I am trying to convey is that inspite of education our archaic beliefs cloud our reasoning. We never tell a girl to not smoke because its bad for her health but because a girl shouldn't do so.

SD, I really wish that we get the education that opens our mind and liberates our spirit. Something which allows us to REASON. It is only then that we can reach the zenith.

As always,

Awaiting your reply,

Natasha.

My reply:

Hi Natasha,

You are right about the bloodshed that took place in China and the USSR. And if you read my earlier response, I agree with you that this sort of bloodshed is unnecessary if the evolution is taking place naturally. It is simple, if evolution is stopped, revolution would take place naturally and you can't prevent it. Post-revolution process should be evolution again and not faked or aritificial evolution - the case for USSR and partially China now. France, on the other hand, after the revolution started the natural evolution process. Like I said earlier, we should try to follow the evolution taking place in the U.S. and the U.K.

Sadly, in today's day of age, the education we get doesn't teach us to nurture REASON. We are expected to learn to make more money and be successful at job. Our reasoning is clouded by our beliefs, cultural values because we have not nurtured REASON enough. We feel that we are making the right decision based upon our reasoning, but it is not the true reason, I was talking about earlier.

Natasha, I was wondering if I could publish our email conversation on my blog. I would only publish it if you approve of this request.

Last thing, I am not a psychology or a world history expert. Whatever we have discussed is something what I feel about human psyche and world politics. You may or may not find all my arguments in any books.

S.D.

Please feel free to comment. Final part coming soon.

Hi - Part III

2007-03-01T08:34:00.000-06:00

First two parts are available here: Part I and Part II.

Kindly, read the first two parts to understand the conversation presented below.

Dear SD,

First, I never asked for your name all I had asked was to whom should I address this mail to and I got my answer. Thanks. U're right. Our culture inspite of having so many similarities are very distinct. The kind of liberties I have here as a girl I would not enjoy there. And this I am not saying from mere presumption, my best friends have just come back from Pakistan and it was keenly observed by them. Our cultures have become very different. Our outlook towards life, society, religion, women.... everything is different. I dont know if we have been able to preserve culture in India. U know what we are doing??? We are preserving what is not necessary and sadly forgetting that what is necessary. As it is the advent of Victorian morality has made us a bunch of hypocrites.

To be friends what is needed is sharing the common bond and accepting and realising the changes that has come in 60 years. We should accept and respect ur culture and vice versa.

As with regard to religion, I always believe that it should be very personal. The moment religion is made public or it becomes ur sole identity there will be problems. At the end religion is just a means to do good and be a nice human being. Then why is it that we fight over it? Does fighting in the name of religion make us good humans? Does any one... Christ, Allah, Ram, Buddha teach us to fight over who is better. Sadly even the educated fail to realise this. Thankfully India being a secular country we don't face any torture as a minority community although there are communal strifes, which I as I said earlier just another perversion of human mind.

SD, I again ask you who decides what is right and what is wrong? What is right for you may be wrong for me.....

As always,

Awaiting your reply,

Natasha.

My Reply:

Natasha,
Your questions are good mental exercise :)

We all are aware of the process of evolution. This is not only true for living organisms but for situations as well. People, cultures, societies, situations adapt themselves to better suit the environments around them. Environments or conditions are generally the first instinct the mass has towards an incident. For example, in some cultures, having a homosexual relationship can cause some concerns, because that is what the instincts dictate. Human instincts, from the recorded time, has had two outcomes in general - FLIGHT or FIGHT. When we educate ourselves, we try to nurture a third instinct outcome - REASON, and this in turn leads to either NEGOTIATE or COMPROMISE. And it gets complicated now. Basically, how we react as a nation/community/group to an incident is what creates the situation, leading to our response of either FLIGHT or FIGHT and if we are lucky to be educated, then, hopefully, to REASON/NEGOTIATE/COMPROMISE. This is the evolution cycle.

Now the counter-part of evolution is, quite obviously, revolution. Revolutions take place when the evolution process has stopped and the progress is stagnant. Revolutions try to speed up the evolution process artificially at the expense of murders, civil wars, etc. Three out of the five permanent security council members have gone through a revolution in the past - i.e. China, Russia, and France. In recent history, Iran also had a revolution too. Revolutions cause a lot of bloodshed, but countries emerging from a revolution are more stronger, healthier and unified.

Two countries that didn't have a revolution from the security council are the U.S. and the U.K. Now they went through a healthy evolution process. And that is something we all should aim for - i.e. that is the healthy evolution process. We shouldn't start copying or following their footsteps. For evolution to take place, we would have to educate ourselves, rely on REASON, and learn to grow on our own, rather then copying.

I have tried my best to make it simpler for you and I hope this helps.

S.D.

Again, Part IV coming shortly.

Hi - Part II

2007-02-16T09:40:00.000-06:00

If you have not read the first part, kindly do so here: Part I.

Now, lets begin with part II:

Hi,

To some extent I agree with you. Ours is a civilization which is 5000 years old and we were the most developed. We can boast of doctors like Susrut, Charaka, mathematicians like Aryabhatta, Ramanujan, architectural wonders like the Taj Mahal or badshahi mosque,etc. But do u know where did we lose all that? Our internal, factional, communal and religious strife. The sad part we never thought of ourselves as a nation and fought for it. There was a Punjab, a Maratha, A hindu kingdom or a Muslim Kingdom..... But there was no feeling of nationality... no pride in our achievement because we were too consumed by internal bickerings. And the British took advantage of this lack of unity and pushed us 5oo years back. It is sad that the two countries which have the same history, the same culture are sworn enemies today. But tell me honestly how many of us relate to this hatred. It is again a result of our internal strifes. Those who drew the lines went ahead and divided our thoughts and action.Do let me know if u agree or disagree..

And, yes. I agree that a fusion of culture is needed but whoo decides the degree of this fusion. Who decides what is got of the East and what is good of the West? It is again a matter of perception...

Awaiting a reply again,

Regards,

Natasha

PS. Was wondering whom should I address this mail to, I mean I dont know your name.

My reply:

Natasha,
I agree with you to a certain extent. Pakistan and India have been separate countries for almost 60 years now. During these sixty years, the animosity against one and another gave birth to a different culture and mind set. Now, we are, believe it or not, almost 60 years apart. I praise your country for taking the steps necessary to preserve your culture to a certain extent. We sadly lack that here. Now, the right thing to do is to preserve what we have now and then start building bridges with other cultures, countries and religions, rather than, jumping ships and instantly doing what we are told to do just to prove that we are good friends. This causes a huge side effect of loss of self-respect. Now, I am talking of Pakistan alone right now. I firmly believe that we can be two separate countries (India + Pakistan) with our own identity and values and still be good friends and we won't be the first ones in doing so. Take, for example, England and France or China and Japan. Similar, yet distinct cultures, but they are still friendly nations.

I have seen best outputs and results when people from different countries and religions work together. Diversity is indeed power. I am proud to be a Muslim, but that does not mean that I start blaming Hindus or Christians. Sadly, this exact thing is happening - that is, the use of blame game and division on the basis of diversity.

And for who is to decide about the fusion? It is up to us, the collective us, to make this fusion happen. We as people decide what goes in and what stays out. As educated folks, we should be able to make clear distinction between right or wrong - regardless of eastern or western culture.

I am extremely sorry, but I can't give you my real name. I have been in deep trouble before for expressing my feelings and beliefs, hence, the reason why I have started using a pseudonym. Although, I don't try very hard to hide my real identity, but it is one of my stupid rules, where I try not to give my real name out. I hope this won't disrupt our discussion over such important matters. You may address me as `S.D`. :)

Regards,

S.D.

Part III coming soon. Comments are welcome!

Hi (an email conversation) - Part I

2007-02-05T09:31:00.000-06:00

I recently was engaged in an email conversation with a (new) friend from the neighboring country - India. Her name is Natasha and she decided to contact me with few questions after going through my blog. I am posting our conversation below, in parts due to its length, without making any changes to the original content - except for correcting the typos (in red). As always, contact me for further clarification.

Hi,

i accidentally came across your blog and after reading it I felt that I had to ask you certain things. We are a world apart although we are hardly some hundred kms apart. So I believe our views will be very different.

I am actually mailing you because I was a little confused. First, why are you against foreign songs and movies (esp.Indian), what is un Islamic about liking Indian or any other foreign movies or songs. Second, why are you so judgmental? And third, why are you contradicting yourself? You talk with genuine hatred about people havin amreekan accent and english and western culture. But, you write ur blog in english and I must say good english, you actually have a post which has the lyrics of IRIS...... I am confused..... Would like to know what are actually your views??? And how many of these do you stick to....

Oh, Congrats on your wedding!!!!!

Awaiting a reply from your end.

--
Warm Regards,
Natasha

My reply:

Natasha,
I am glad to see that you took the time to contact me and understand
my point of view. Natasha, I have nothing against Indians, Americans,
or for that matter any other culture or religion. As a matter of fact,
I have friends from all over the world, including Jews, Christians,
Hindus, Muslims, Indians, Palestinians, Israelis, etc. You ask why am
I contradicting my own thought process and beliefs? May be, I am just
not good at writing this, but my problem is with people who just
blindly copy. Simply put, we have become a nation of followers then
leaders that we ought to be. Our civilizations (yours and mine) were
centuries ahead from the rest of the world. And rather than producing
scientists and mathematicians, now all we produce is dancers and
actors who lack creativity on all fronts.

You asked me that I write perfect English, yet I am sort of against
the use of it. Actually, I am not! Surprised. Well it's simple. I use
English, because I have command over the language unlike most folks
who are again just copying or just following what they are taught.
Even if I assume that the entire nation has gained command over the
language, still I believe that we should still try to protect our
cultural values. The fusion of both cultures, and I mean a true
fusion, where we also have to offer something, rather then just
copying, would only bring a great future.

I hope this clears things up. Please let me know if you don't feel
satisfied by my answer.

Sincerely,

Some Desi

Second part of this post coming soon but I would love to see your comments.

History lesson

2006-12-18T04:37:00.000-06:00

No, I am neither dead nor have I been kidnapped by Martians. I am still very much alive and kicking, AlhamduLilah - الحمد لله (Praise to God). Well the history of the past few months is:

1. I have become an openBSD user at a limited scale and I love openBSD.
2. I got married.
3. Unix rocks.
4. I am NOT activily involved in the OSX86 project anymore. Sorry folks, but can't help you with OSX86 problems anymore.
5. I am and have been saving money to get myself a new MacBook Pro. Donations are welcome ;)
6. I am STILL activily invovled with Asterisk and its implementation.
7. Got myself a DSL connection and a US landline number - DSL is paid for, US number is free.
8. BIND is cool.
9. Went for an Umrah with my family. Got married there, by the way.
10. If you have not guessed it by now, I love wikipedia.
11. I have collected a huge library of e-books and try to read them all at a consistent pace.
12. Vista is okay, but OS X is better. Obviously, Unix/Linux are the best.
13. My hard drive almost crashed on my Mac. Good thing, I take backups regularly. Got a new 100GB HDD - 20GB more than the last one.
14. I have had my current job for over two years now and that is the longest period I have worked for any employer. Got a promotion and a raise as well. Getting job offers, waiting for a good one.
15. I got myself two HTC Universals -- see pictures.
16. HTC Universal is a good device, now, only if I can put linux on it.
17. Someone stole my 1GB SD Card from one of my HTC Universal.

Please don't hate me. I will try to blog regularly.

Think Different - Use Apple

2006-02-28T08:18:00.000-06:00

Question: How difficult it is to use Apple products?

Answer: Not very difficult, because:

my Powerbook G4 has a wide screen, so I can watch movies when I am free.

and trust me, I really enjoy watching movies and doing work on it. Look, how focused I am.

I can listen to my iPod when relaxing.

With a few clicks, I am able to log into the most advanced and secure operating system.

Hmmm, may be it is time to get the new MacBook Pro, since, I am such an advanced user :)

HowTo: Dual boot Mac OS X86 and Win XP

2006-02-26T09:45:00.000-06:00

You will need:

1. SSE2/SSE3 enabled processor: Download WCPUID application and run it. See if your processor is supported.
2. Mac OSx86 'Deadmoo' image: If you can find it, then you can install it. Google for torrent and pheNIX. Find the Marklar-Tiger.dmg. A .dmg file is a disk image of Mac OS X.
3. DVD Burner and DVD ROM
4. UltraISO: Download it from here. Trial version works for us.
5. A Patch :) - Google for Generic_OSx86_Install_DVD_Patcher_Release1.rar and download this file.
6. Partition Magic (or any other partitioning software)
7. Windows bootable disc: Your Win XP installation CD works and we need this just to be on the safe side.

Creating the DVD:
After downloading the DVD image, convert the .dmg file into an .iso file using Ultraiso. Launch Ultraiso, go to tools, select convert. Find the .dmg file and save it as an .iso file.

Unrar the patch file (point 5 - see above) and Marklar-Tiger-patch-release1 file inside the original rar file. Run ppf-o-matic3 and select the newly created .iso file and select Marklar-Tiger-patch-release1.ppf file in the Marklar-Tiger-patch-release1 folder. Click on the Apply button. Now you have a patched version, that should install on most hardwares although you would still need SSE2/SSE3 enabled processors.

Now burn the .iso file onto a blank DVD.

Creating Partitions:
Make sure you have two partitions and also make sure that the Mac OSx86 partition has more than 6 GB in it. If you already have this setup and Win XP installed, then you can proceed to the installation step. Otherwise, you can google for creating two partitions using Partition magic. This is basic stuff and anyone should be able to do it.

Installation:
Insert the burnt DVD in your DVD ROM. Make sure your BIOS is able to boot from DVD before a hard disk. Now you will be presented with a boot menu, that looks something like this:

Press enter to proceed. After the spining ball, you should see the Mac OS X installation setup.

Click on Utilities in the top menu and select Disk Utility. This would show you two partitions in it. Select the non-WinXP partition and format it as Mac OS Extended (journaled) - PLEASE NOTE: Make sure you select the correct partition. If you don't (and in some cases, even if you do) you might lose all stuff on the hard disk, so be very CAREFUL. Don't blame me, if you lose data or if your computer starts acting wierd.

Once you have completed the formating of the partition, you can quit Disk Utility (press alt-Q on the keyboard). Now you will be back in the setup. Now you can simply do a next, next, next to complete the installation. Advanced users can choose not to install printer drivers by clicking on the customize button during the setup. Once, your installation is complete, your computer would reboot.

Boot from the Mac OSx86 DVD again and hit enter at the boot menu. When the Mac OS X setup starts again, goto Utilities (in the top menu) and select Startup Disk. It would show three disks - Win XP Partition, Mac OSX Partition and the DVD Drive (your options might differ). Select the Win XP partition and reboot the computer. Remove the Mac OSx86 DVD and let your computer boot normally. Now, your computer would boot into Windows XP. Login with an administrator account. Goto Start menu --> Run --> Type "compmgmt.msc" and hit enter. In the left hand column, under the storage menu, select 'Disk management'. Now right-click on your WinXP partition (most probably C drive) and select 'Mark partition as active'. The last step allows you to boot to Windows XP without a bootable disk.

Now go to 'Start Menu' --> Run --> type 'cmd.exe' and hit enter. Now type the following:
1. c: [hit enter]
2. cd \ [hit enter]
3. debug.exe [hit enter]

Now paste the following:
N CHAIN0
E100 fa 31 c0 8e d0 bc f0 ff fb 8e c0 8e d8 be 00 7c
E110 bf 00 e0 fc b9 00 01 f2 a5 ea 1e e0 00 00 66 31
E120 c0 66 a3 91 e1 a2 95 e1 b4 41 bb aa 55 cd 13 72
E130 0e 81 fb 55 aa 75 08 f6 c1 01 0f 95 06 95 e1 b0
E140 01 31 db 8e c3 bb 00 10 89 de c7 04 00 00 c7 44
E150 02 01 00 66 c7 44 08 00 00 00 00 e8 b2 00 72 08
E160 bf be 11 b4 00 e8 0f 00 fe c2 f6 c2 04 74 af be
E170 7b e1 e8 f6 00 eb fe 51 56 81 7d 40 55 aa 0f 85
E180 8b 00 89 fe b9 04 00 80 7c 04 ab 74 0f 80 7c 04
E190 a8 74 09 80 7c 04 af 74 03 e9 2b 00 b0 01 bb 00
E1a0 00 8e c3 bb 00 7c e8 67 00 72 1c 81 bf fe 01 55
E1b0 aa 0f 85 58 00 66 8b 44 08 66 03 06 91 e1 66 89
E1c0 44 08 ea 00 7c 00 00 81 c6 10 00 e2 ba 89 fe b9
E1d0 04 00 8a 44 04 3c 05 74 11 3c 0f 74 0d 3c 85 74
E1e0 09 81 c6 10 00 e2 eb e9 23 00 b0 01 31 db 8e c3
E1f0 bb 00 12 e8 1a 00 72 e9 08 e4 75 09 66 8b 6c 08
E200 66 89 2e 91 e1 fe c4 bf be 13 e8 6a ff 5e 59 c3
E210 51 f6 06 95 e1 01 74 0a b9 05 00 e8 24 00 73 0c
E220 e2 f9 b9 05 00 e8 06 00 73 02 e2 f9 59 c3 60 8a
E230 74 01 8b 4c 02 b4 02 cd 13 73 05 31 c0 cd 13 f9
E240 61 c3 60 89 e5 1e 1e 66 8b 0e 91 e1 66 03 4c 08
E250 66 51 06 53 30 e4 50 68 10 00 89 e6 b4 42 cd 13
E260 73 05 31 c0 cd 13 f9 89 ec 61 c3 bb 01 00 fc ac
E270 3c 00 74 06 b4 0e cd 10 eb f5 c3 0a 0d 43 68 61
E280 69 6e 20 62 6f 6f 74 69 6e 67 20 65 72 72 6f 72
E290 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
E2f0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 55 aa
RCX
200
W
Q

Now close the command-prompt window and open up C:\boot.ini in notepad. At the end, add this line:
c:\CHAIN0="Apple Mac OS X x86"
Save and close the file now.

Now you should have a dual-booting machine with Win XP and Mac OS X on it. When you will boot your machine, you will be presented with two operating systems. Note: If you select 'Apple Mac OS X x86', it will give you another boot menu. In this boot menu, you will have to select Mac OS X again, otherwise it would move back to the first boot menu.

If this breaks your computer somehow, please don't blame me. This set up worked perfectly for me and in most cases it should work for you too. If you are stuck and need help, google the error message or the problem you are encountering. You will find a lot of information at osx86project.org and their wiki site. If everything fails, drop me an email and I can try to help you out. If the problem is trivial and easy to solve, I might not reply to your email. I do welcome feedback.

PS: You will find some more screenshots and photos below, in my last post.

And we have a mactel in the house

2006-02-16T09:30:00.000-06:00

And this time, I was successful in installing Mac OS X on my work IBM Thinkpad R50e - hence, a Mactel (Mac - intel). It is a dualboot machine with Win XP and Mac OS X. I, originally, had Win XP and (K)Ubuntu on this machine, but for the sake of science, I decided to put OSx86 on the (K)Ubuntu partition. I am attaching some screenshots for interested parties. Feast your eyes, ladies and gentleman:

I will write more about once, I have more time.

Past, Present & Future

2005-12-04T08:11:00.000-06:00

1947:
Muslims of India gain independence after seven years of struggle. Motivated by the dreams of Iqbal and Jinnah, the Muslims of India decide that they need a seperate country to practice Islam freely while embracing the changing times. Jinnah and Iqbal dreamt of a country where democracy was the way of the government and Islam would be of prime importance. Both of them believed that this was acheivable without hurting Islam or democracy. They believed that there was a reasonable logic behind getting a new country rather then muslims living in India after the Britons have left. They sincerely believed that we should create our own culture- a more Islamic culture. In my opinion, they were right, and this was our past.

2005:
Muslims of Pakistan are very advanced. If Jinnah was alive, he would have cried and most likely commited suicide. Pakistan is nothing what he dreamt of. Now, you see women without Dupattas and scarfs and wearing sleeveless shirts and low-cut, skin tight jeans. Perhaps, today's pakistani women is forgetting how Ms. Fatima Jinnah observed her dressing? Sorry, if I am very explicit, but the pakistani women are being used for selling products that otherwise won't sell. I can point several billboards in the city of Karachi alone that have explicit and very embarassing images, but, I will let you find a few. Specifically, you will find a few on Shahrah-e-Faisal.
Turn on the radio and you will only hear Indian songs on Pakistani FM Channels. Specifically, FM 103 is the one that play indian music 95 percent of the time. It is sad to see how we are destroying our younger generations and making them a slave of indian culture. Another notable channel is FM 96 which only plays very explicit english songs. Songs that would be censored in the United States, are freely broadcasted without anyone taking a notice. Sadly, some lady (I believe her name was Mrs. Sheerazi) wanted to listen to Black Eyed Peas - My Humps. I won't tell you what the lyrics sound like, but be warned they are very explicit and shouldn't be aired on free waves, SPECIALLY in the ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN?
Geo Network is trying to revolutionize the television experience by broadcasting indian dramas and shows. ARY's Fashion TV Pakistan is yet another slap in the faces of the people who fought for this country in 1947. Indus Vision shows cartoon shows for kids around 5 pm every day with dubbing in hindi - yet another innocent attempt at corrupting the young pakistani generation and sadly, Urdu. Musik TV broadcasts a program called "Bang tu Bajega", which has teenagers discussing and idolizing indian actors and fashion. Once, they showed an episode where one team (boys) were arguing with another team (girls) about skin tight clothes and fashion in general in Pakistan. I guess, by now you get the picture but I have listed very few examples. You will find countless attempts of corrupting pakistanis (young and old, man and woman, etc.) minds, destroying our heritage and historical past, and Jinnah's dream of a modern democratic and yet Islamic state in newspapers and print media, television and radio, and pathetically educational institutes.
Future:
I will let you decide the future. I, personally, believe that we are a dead nation. We have reached a point from which a return won't be easy. Perhaps, most people already know all of the above and are anticipating the outcome but then again most people who are reading this are well educated and learned. What about the majority of the uneducated and illiterate nation that believes and practices what it sees on TV and hears on radio? You be the judge!

PS: I wrote this article last week and since, then a lot has changed. Cable networks have stopped broadcasting Indian channels due to certain restrictions put forward by PEMRA and their seems some unrest on this issue. Cable networks are broadcasting telephone numbers for PEMRA so that people can call and beg them to put the indian channels back. Truly, PATHETIC.

Some Desi - Teddy's Middle Name is Techno (vol.1)

2005-10-24T04:19:00.000-05:00

Song: Some Desi - Teddy's Middle Name is Techno (vol.1)
Artist: Some Desi feat. Teddy
Composer: Some Desi
Download: Link
Podcast: Link

Earthquake Footage from Lahore

2005-10-17T13:20:00.000-05:00

I am uploading the footage of October 8th earthquake in Lahore. I got this footage from a person who doesn't want to disclose his identity. You can download it from here also. This video would get downloaded if you have subscribed for the Wakeup Pakistan Podcast.

(edit: Unfortuanately, iTunes fails to download this video as a podcast. You can still download the file from the link provided in the post)

Help the earthquake victims

2005-10-10T12:15:00.000-05:00

Please help the earthquake victims of Pakistan, India and the Kashmir region by giving your donations to the following organizations:

AmeriCares - http://www.americares.org/
(800) 486-HELP

The British Red Cross - http://www.redcross.org.uk/
(44-20) 870-170-9240

The American Red Cross - http://www.redcross.org
(800) HELP-NOW

The International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies -
http://www.ifrc.org/
(41-22) 730-4222

The Indian Red Cross - http://www.indianredcross.org/donation.html

The Pakistani Red Crescent - http://www.prcs.org.pk/

Canadian Red Cross - http://www.redcross.ca/
(800) 418-1111

CARE - http://www.care.org/
(800) 422-7385

Concern Worldwide - http://www.concern.net/
(353-1) 850-410-510

Direct Relief International - http://www.directrelief.org/
(805) 964-4767

International Medical Corps - http://www.imcworldwide.org/
(800) 481-4462

The International Rescue Committee - http://www.theirc.org/
(877) REFUGEE

Habitat for Humanity International - http://www.habitat.org/
(800) HABITAT

Islamic Relief - http://www.islamic-relief.com/
(44-121) 622 0622

Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders - http://www.msf.org/
(212) 679-6800

Mercy Corps - http://www.mercycorps.org/
(888) 256-1900

Muslim Aid - http://www.muslimaid.org/
(44-20) 7377-4200

UNICEF - http://www.unicef.org/
(800) 4UNICEF

UNHCR - http://www.unhcr.org/
(800) 770-1100

More details are posted at: http://quakehelp.blogspot.com/.

Please pray for the deceased and the survivors. Send as many donations as you can to help the devasted people of the earthquake tragedy.

IslamiCast - Islamic [Pod]Cast

2005-10-04T15:09:00.000-05:00

AssalamuAlaikum Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am starting IslamiCast.blogspot.com as a Islamic Podcast Feed. If you are not sure what this means, then please read this. To make a long story, short, if you subscribe to this podcast, your computer (or more specifically, your Podcatcher - which probably would be iTunes) would download the podcast shows (which would be Islamic Informative Shows or Quranic recitation) automatically. All you need to do is fire up your Podcatcher (e.g. iTunes, iPodder, etc.) and be connected to the internet AFTER you have subscribed to this feed.

I welcome other people to join this noble cause and contribute their own shows and ideas on this podcast feed. If you need to contact me in this regard, please send your emails to wakeuppakistan[at]gmail[dot]com.

IslamiCast will also get a better look as soon as I am done with the design, although, I welcome people to design this site and let me know. Frankly, I am not very good at designing websites.

If you want to subscribe to this podcast, then please kindly drag the image in this post into your iTunes and you will be subscribed automatically.

Regards and AssalamuAlaikum

Some Desi

Googling Earth

2005-09-23T06:42:00.000-05:00

I have been using Google Earth to find a few places all over the world. I have gathered a few screenshots and I will let you guess these places. (Click on thumbnails to view images)

Now, this is not Area 51 or CIA headquarter but the place I work in

This is where I went for my A-Levels. I am sure a lot of people recognize this place :)

This place is where I went for kindergarten, junior and middle school.

Below is the place where I live. Guess where I live, and may be you can win a visit to my house for free chocolates :oP

This is where I spent 3 years of my life. I will give you a hint: this city is also known as the windy city.
Courtesy of: Google Earth

A diamond

2005-09-12T09:59:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you are moving through the fog and you can't see anything clearly. But, then suddenly the fog clears up and you see the most beautiful thing in your entire life. You want to live this moment forever but its short and you know it. You want to capture it, but this most beautiful thing disappears, forever. All your left with is memories and regret.

These memories and regrets are the most valuable things left with you and they help you turn from coal to diamond. So has been the case with me.

Not a single night passes by without her thoughts but I have learnt a lot along the way. Its amazing how the human brain evolves and you start learning more and more as time progresses and your experience grows. But, no matter how hard I try, she is gone- never to return. I know she reads my blog, sometimes, but I don't want her to feel bad about me. It was all my fault.

If you read my blog regularly, you would remember my post about forgetting her and moving on. But, I guess some things are just so beautiful that you just can't forget them and move on. And this is what I have learnt recently. I have tried to keep myself busy in doing things that would take my attention away from her, but, alas, I keep failing.

I know she is happy and she should be. Atleast, thats what I want for her. She has every right to be happy and my prayers will always be for her well-being. And, I guess, I will be missing her and cherishing her memory, always. The beauty of here eyes and the glimpse of her face would always help me become a diamond.

As for me, I am at a difficult cross-section. My mother wants me to get married (or engaged, atleast) and I can't do that. That would not be fair. I can't turn down my mother and I can't break my promise (remember: If not the one, it should rather be none). No matter how hard I try to forget HER, I will fail and that would be not be fair to my wife-to-be. You don't do love, it just happens and it happened to me only once.

Pluto: 75th Anniversary

2005-08-30T11:56:00.000-05:00

I am sending my name to Pluto. You can too: here.

Chain blog comment ... continued!

2005-08-18T09:18:00.000-05:00

comment on this post, and....
1. I'll respond with a random thought I have about you.
2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I'll pick a flavor of jello to wrestle with you in.
4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me (or so we think).
5. I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6. I'll tell you what intoxicant you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
8. If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal.**** Not really, but it would be nice to continue it on. :)

[via Dinky Mind]

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This is what Dinky Mind says about me:

1: Mamaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
2: your own compositions/ gone in 60 secs.
3: mmmmmmm...I'll tell you later :)
4: OLPM! (I know you must have forgotten it) :P
5: *recalls* my memory ain't that good :). the one who was always seen studying something.
6: B&H.
7: Why are you so intelligentttttt? And why don't you become angry??????

Tell you the truth, I am not very good at these things, but now I can't turn down my neice, can I? :)

These hands

2005-08-17T09:26:00.000-05:00

These hands go up in prayers, when I am sick
These hands wipe my tears, when I am in pain
These hands feed me, when I am hungry
These hands work hard, to see me happy
These hands are beautiful, for they are my mother's.

I love you Ma for everything you have done for me. Indeed, you are the greatest Ma and I thank God for giving me the best mom in the world.

Interview: Meet Dan

2005-08-13T10:41:00.000-05:00

Folks, my first interview. Dan - an awesome guy from the U.S. Like most Americans I have met, this guy is just full of energy and is very accepting of our cultural values. He even tries to sing pakistani songs and is picking up Urdu real quick. He was kind enough to give me some time so that I can hear his thoughts about Pakistan and Pakistanis.

This interview is available us a podcast. About podcasts, read more here.

(Being my first interview, it has a lot of mistakes here and there. So, help me correct them by pointing them out in the comment box below).

Can ye'all handle this?

2005-08-08T12:27:00.000-05:00

Motivated by what Absar had to say about podcasting and me, I decided to make a button for my podcast. And would you believe it, it came out rather good. I mean, I am not very good at graphic and web page designing. But this button did come out pretty good. In fact, I was planning not to change the current blog template, but it seems, I might work on something along the same lines as the button I have designed for my podcast. The button has nothing special to it, but it just looks, whatchamacallit, coool =).

Goo Goo Dolls - Iris

2005-08-07T16:51:00.000-05:00

I have just fallen in love with this song. The lyrics say it all.

Goo Goo Dolls - Iris

And I'd give up forever to touch you
Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now

And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight

And I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything seems like the movies
Yeah you bleed just to know your alive

And I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am

Introducing: Some Desi - Rap-art

2005-08-07T10:10:00.000-05:00

I am releasing my third number. Hope you will enjoy it. Do let me know if I should make any changes to it. By the way, this work is also under Creative-Commons, so feel free to play with it!

You should be able to download this songs by right-clicking on the title field and selecting "Save target as...". You can also click on this link to download this track.

People who have subscribed to my podcast, shouldn't have any problems downloading. If you are unsure about the podcast, please read this post.

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For some reason, I am unable to publish my podcast RSS feed in iTunes. It keeps on saying that my country in AOL doesn't have an iTMS (iTunes Music Store). I am not buying any music from iTMS, but I just want to publish my RSS feed there. I will figure out something for it.

will the real Some Desi, please stand up?

2005-08-05T11:48:00.000-05:00

I want to clear some confusion in this blog post. One of my reader (A.S.) decided to put up the URL of Wakeup Pakistan on his MSN and his friends thought I WAS HIM! LOL, no I am not him. Mr. A.S. is a very nice person but not me :) . Poor guy sent me an email requesting me to clear up things. =)

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It is also sad to see that Musharraf has lost it completely when he says, "The campaign has to be sustained and has a number of facets. It is not only expulsion of foreign students (of seminaries). It has a number of directions to work on and that is what we are doing.” Pakistani Office of Foriegn Affairs is supporting the idea of expelling international/foriegn students. I mean what is wrong with these guys? New York city and the United States were the victims of 9/11 but still they didn't expell any international/foriegn students outta their country. In fact, American people supported me and protected me from people who were pissed at Muslims. But to see something like this coming from the President of Pakistan, just makes me hang my head in shame.

Latest additions in my book collection

2005-08-01T12:47:00.000-05:00

This is my moment of pride. I have finally recieved my original books from States and I have already started reading them. I had ordered:
1. Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X (by Aaron Hillegass)
2. Programming in Objective-C (by Stephen G. Kochan)

Apple/Mac/OSX is one of the rarest platform that has actually intrigued me into programming for this platform. I have been a windows user for quite some time now, but I never wanted or felt like programming on the Windows platform.

So be prepared, here I come with my Mac OS X applications :o)