17th August 2006, I broke my own record of being stuck in traffic...from 4 hours a few years back to 5!!! I am sure many people would have their own stories about the day as the lightning and rain struck right at the time most office people start leaving their offices....
We saw the rain for a little while from our office doors and windows and when it settled at around 6:00pm we left the office. Trying to avoid pools and waterfalls inside PECHS we finally managed to hit Shahrah-e-Faisal expecting a running traffic...well it was a running traffic but only till Baluch Colony Bridge after which there was a deep swimming pool almost 5.5 feet deep. No kidding as a guy was waving his hand till his neck when he came from inside the pool....
That was the place we got stuck for 3 hours...a stand still...a big reason for the jam was that all lanes on the other side of the road normally used to U-turn and go back towards Cantt Station was jam packed with cars coming in the wrong direction...there were 6 lanes and all filled with WRONG-WAY cars...hence the jam...also people had left their cars not expecting any movement of the traffic causing even more problems...a water in the carbonater problem is differnt but parking and leaving after coming WRONG way is....AMAZING....
Anyway they were able to clear the tail from FTC and we managed to find one lane out of those 6 and snuck our way home....but not before the clock had moved from 6:00pm to 11:00pm...
Lots of questions....not many answers...
Don’t we people have a common sense to come wrong way? Don’t we have any foresight? I am sure there are quite a few who would disagree...and I trust them to the full. I say this because I was told by many people who had come wrong way that it was actually the TRAFFIC POLICE who was sending them wrong way...so the traffic police was sending everyone wrongly to avoid traffic in THEIR area...so they were able to show CLEAR ROADS in front of AGA KHAN Hospital and TARIQ Road...heheh...well they were bound to be clear cos both ends of the roads were in too deep a pool for anyone to go through....
The Clifton area, Bath Island and the underpass...I was told were too much flooded... and these are recent developments...there is apparently no rainwater drainage system...its about time we do have that....there were 28 recorded deaths due to electrocution, one in the baluch colony swimming pool....it was scary to say the least....and heaps of deaths would have occurred inside ambulances carrying people stuck in traffic....hospitals like Jinnah, NICVD and Child Ward having pools in front of them...and many to follow due to the dangerous toxic waste adding to the drinking water and many diseases generated from collected swimming pools...
And I am not even mentioning the poor people whose houses fell down or water poured into their homes...
Who is to blame? The government, previous government? We, the people? Traffic police? Or is there no one to blame...and someone has a solution...?
Well I know for one thing that the whole city cannot be dug up to have an drainage world under the roads of Karachi...that doesn’t sound practical considering the fact that it would be a 10 year project and the frequency of government changes and the killing of all projects started by the previous government wouldn’t let us ever be able to completely build such a drainage system....
Does anybody know how much money the city of Karachi generates each day?? The next day had to be a public holiday keeping most offices closed and most people couldn’t reach their offices which were open...I know that when a war is on...the targets are such locations such as bridges, big office towers and only reasons are to break as much communication as possible to bring the city/country in a cut-off state...communications were pretty much terminated with most cellular networks having big problems...as well...along with stuck road traffic...
well the rain did a much better job than any other nuclear weapon I have heard of...it deemed us WASTED... countries in a cold war with us should not have a Nuclear plan. They should start working on a RAIN creation project in which they could create artificial rain and send it over through artificial winds...we are doomed...
Its amazing how cities like Islamabad and even Lahore have such great rainwater plans...yes it rains more over there so they have good drainage systems to counter that but its not like KARACHI is a desert and it would never rain here....there should be a drainage system EXISTENT at least...and I am not talking about the GUTTER drainage system...I am more hinting towards a RAINWATER drainage system...
Sad state of affairs...and we can’t really do anything either it seems...or can we?
Abida Parveen - The Inimitable
Abida Parveen, a legendary folk singer and one of the great assets of Pakistan. People copy greats like Madam Noor Jehan, Mehdi Hasan, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and what not. After all its just the voice that sells, so if someone can imitate a great voice well, he might as well minting some money then. However, when it comes to Abida Parveen she is just simply uncopyable and unique. I dont think anybody can copy her style, the only reason being that she is as true as it could get. Talk about the poetry, the music, the 'raag' and the whole ambiance thats around her performance its as close to reality as it could get.
I was lucky enough to listen to a live performance at Karachi Club this last weekend. It was by far the best I heard comparing from 2 others I have heard before. Only accompanied by a harmonium, a tabla and a dhol, Abida jee created a trance-like atmosphere. Bulley shah, Sachal Sarmast, Amir Khusro, you name it she got it. She has sung a whole album of Faiz. She is as versatile as you could get. From Ghazal to folk, its a complete musical learning experience.
One should prepare to let go of himself when he comes to listen to her. She gets on a magic carpet and asks you jump along if you want...then you can go all the way up to another floor out of this world...where its relaxing and its pure...its a place where your questions start getting some answers and this life and the world starts making a lot more sense than it usually does...
Sufism and sufi music is a simple expression of the truth about life...and Abida Jee is definitely the best portrayal out of them all... where bulley shah left it...abida jee delivers it to a further audience...making more sense...
'Chhaiti Aaween o Tabeeba...nai tay mein MARR GAYYAN...!!!'
I was lucky enough to listen to a live performance at Karachi Club this last weekend. It was by far the best I heard comparing from 2 others I have heard before. Only accompanied by a harmonium, a tabla and a dhol, Abida jee created a trance-like atmosphere. Bulley shah, Sachal Sarmast, Amir Khusro, you name it she got it. She has sung a whole album of Faiz. She is as versatile as you could get. From Ghazal to folk, its a complete musical learning experience.
One should prepare to let go of himself when he comes to listen to her. She gets on a magic carpet and asks you jump along if you want...then you can go all the way up to another floor out of this world...where its relaxing and its pure...its a place where your questions start getting some answers and this life and the world starts making a lot more sense than it usually does...
Sufism and sufi music is a simple expression of the truth about life...and Abida Jee is definitely the best portrayal out of them all... where bulley shah left it...abida jee delivers it to a further audience...making more sense...
'Chhaiti Aaween o Tabeeba...nai tay mein MARR GAYYAN...!!!'
Get a grip on your problems...
Real Estate - The 'REAL' Story
The Real Estate business is one of the most craziest businesses I ve ever seen. All these people really do is have HUGE telephone bills and manipulate...the customer. They are supposed to just evaluate the market and be ready for any questions from a potential buyer or investor but they actually go much farther than that.
A real estate guy might say that he is getting only 2% from the deal you make but that is at least 4% as he said the same to the other party as well. There is a buyer and there is a seller. So if a property is sold for 100,000 he actually made 4,000 and not 2,000 as he claims. He got 2k from the buyer and 2k from the seller. Not bad eh? Considering the fact that all he did was make two parties meet and do the deal. By the way the deals are made in at least 8 digits these days...when we talk about the current market in Pakistan...
All the above sounds pretty normal doesnt it? It gets nasty when they try to manipulate you. An average person would do a property deal in what 5 years on the average at least. So you can't expect him to know how the market is doing or what the property values. You trust your estate agent. Unfortunately, they use that to their advantage.
I can bet most people will agree that you can never get the BEST price through a Real Estate Agent. It may be a good price but it will never be the BEST price, it just can never be. I think its cos BEST is a relative term depending on who's perspective it is.
Whenever you go to sell your property you get things like 'Oh the market is down these days...' and if you are a buyer.... 'Oh prices are on a hike!!...' Its just so confusing. I am at the start of building up serious life and when it comes to finances I am at my first BIG BUY state as I call it. So all i see around me is that prices are so high and everything. I dont see myself ever making that BIG BUY...will the price ever come down?? How does anybody make that BIG BUY?? My father says...you need one good break and that doesnt really come unless you go against your will...he says people who actually make their own home either get it from inheritance....or they make at least one crooked thing to make the break....it doesnt have to be a ROBBERY...hehe...its just something that the person wouldnt normally do....
There are also real estate agents who work on MAKE CUSTOMERS strategy...they will get a person a BIG BREAK on his first deal and make up on every next one...only the first deal is the GREAT one....the rest are just average...ones...
Its a complex story...and a complex business....still waiting for the BIG BREAK...to get some lumpsome cash in hand...lets see....what develops...
A real estate guy might say that he is getting only 2% from the deal you make but that is at least 4% as he said the same to the other party as well. There is a buyer and there is a seller. So if a property is sold for 100,000 he actually made 4,000 and not 2,000 as he claims. He got 2k from the buyer and 2k from the seller. Not bad eh? Considering the fact that all he did was make two parties meet and do the deal. By the way the deals are made in at least 8 digits these days...when we talk about the current market in Pakistan...
All the above sounds pretty normal doesnt it? It gets nasty when they try to manipulate you. An average person would do a property deal in what 5 years on the average at least. So you can't expect him to know how the market is doing or what the property values. You trust your estate agent. Unfortunately, they use that to their advantage.
I can bet most people will agree that you can never get the BEST price through a Real Estate Agent. It may be a good price but it will never be the BEST price, it just can never be. I think its cos BEST is a relative term depending on who's perspective it is.
Whenever you go to sell your property you get things like 'Oh the market is down these days...' and if you are a buyer.... 'Oh prices are on a hike!!...' Its just so confusing. I am at the start of building up serious life and when it comes to finances I am at my first BIG BUY state as I call it. So all i see around me is that prices are so high and everything. I dont see myself ever making that BIG BUY...will the price ever come down?? How does anybody make that BIG BUY?? My father says...you need one good break and that doesnt really come unless you go against your will...he says people who actually make their own home either get it from inheritance....or they make at least one crooked thing to make the break....it doesnt have to be a ROBBERY...hehe...its just something that the person wouldnt normally do....
There are also real estate agents who work on MAKE CUSTOMERS strategy...they will get a person a BIG BREAK on his first deal and make up on every next one...only the first deal is the GREAT one....the rest are just average...ones...
Its a complex story...and a complex business....still waiting for the BIG BREAK...to get some lumpsome cash in hand...lets see....what develops...
Different Ways to ANNOY PEOPLE!!!
1. Specify that your drive-through order is "to go."
2. Learn Morse code, and have conversations with friends in public
consisting entirely of "Beeeep Bip Bip Beeep Bip..."
3. Speak only in a "robot" voice.
4. Push all the flat Lego pieces together tightly.
5. Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark, 17 inch
paper, 98 copies.
6. Stomp on little plastic ketchup packets.
7. Leave your turn signal on for fifty miles.
8. Name your dog "Dog."
9. Insist on keeping your car windshield wipers running in all
weather conditions "to keep them tuned up."
10. Reply to everything someone says with "that's what YOU think."
11. Forget the punchline to a long joke, but assure the listener it
was a "real hoot."
12. Practice making fax and modem noises.
13. Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and "cc:"
them to your boss.
14. Make beeping noises when a large person backs up.
15. Invent nonsense computer jargon in conversations, and see if
people play along to avoid the appearance of ignorance.
16. Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with the
prophecy."
17. Wear a special hip holster for your remote control.
18. Do not add any inflection to the end of your sentences, producing
awkward silences with the impression that you'll be saying more any
moment.
19. Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over
your ears.
20. Disassemble your pen and "accidentally" flip the ink cartridge
across the room.
21. Give a play-by-play account of a persons every action in a nasal
voice.
22. Holler random numbers while someone is counting.
23. Adjust the tint on your TV so that all the people are green, and
insist to others that you "like it that way."
24. Drum on every available surface.
25. Staple papers in the middle of the page.
26. Ask 1-800 operators for dates.
27. Produce a rental video consisting entirely of dire FBI copyright
warnings.
28. Sew anti-theft detector strips into peoples backpacks.
29. Hide dairy products in inaccessible places.
30. Write the surprise ending to a novel on its first page.
31. Set alarms for random times.
32. Publicly investigate just how slowly you can make a "croaking"
noise.
33. Honk and wave to strangers.
34. Change channels five minutes before the end of every show.
35. Wear your pants backwards.
36. Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply eat their
complimentary mints by the cash register.
37. Begin all your sentences with "ooh la la!"
38. ONLY TYPE IN UPPERCASE.
39. only type in lowercase.
40. dont use any punctuation either
41. Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones and reroute whole
streets.
42. Pay for your dinner with pennies.
43. Repeat everything someone says, as a question.
44. Write "X - BURIED TREASURE" in random spots on all of someone's
roadmaps.
45. Repeat the following conversation a dozen times: "Do you hear
that?" "What?" "Never mind, its gone now."
46. Demand that everyone address you as "Conquistador."
47. At the laundromat, use one dryer for each of your socks.
48. Wear a cape that says "Magnificent One."
49. As much as possible, skip rather than walk.
50. Stand over someone's shoulder, mumbling, as they read.
51. Pretend your computer's mouse is a CB radio, and talk to it.
52. Inform others that they exist only in your imagination.
53. Ask people what gender they are.
54. Lick the filling out of all the Oreos, and place the cookie parts
back.
55. Routinely handcuff yourself to furniture, informing the curious
that you don't want to fall off "in case the big one comes".
56. While making presentations, occasionally bob your head. like a
parakeet.
57. Lie obviously about trivial things such as the time of day.
58. Change your name to "AaJohn Aaaaasmith" for the great glory of
being first in the phone book. Claim it's a Hawaiian name, and demand
that people pronounce each "a."
59. Sit in your front yard pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to
see if they slow down.
60. Chew on pens that you've borrowed.
61. Wear a LOT of cologne.
62. Listen to 33rpm records at 45rpm speed, and claim the faster
speed is necessary because of your "superior mental processing."
63. Sing along at the opera.
64. Mow your lawn with scissors.
65. Ask the waitress for an extra seat for your "imaginary friend."
66. Go to a poetry recital and ask why each poem doesn't rhyme.
67. Ask your co-workers mysterious questions, and then scribble their
answers in a notebook. Mutter something about "psychological
profiles."
68. Stare at static on the TV and claim you can see a "magic
picture."
69. Select the same song on the jukebox fifty times.
70. Never make eye contact.
71. Never break eye contact.
72. Make appointments for the 31st of September.
73. Invite lots of people to other people's parties.
74. BLOG THE ABOVE!!!!
2. Learn Morse code, and have conversations with friends in public
consisting entirely of "Beeeep Bip Bip Beeep Bip..."
3. Speak only in a "robot" voice.
4. Push all the flat Lego pieces together tightly.
5. Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark, 17 inch
paper, 98 copies.
6. Stomp on little plastic ketchup packets.
7. Leave your turn signal on for fifty miles.
8. Name your dog "Dog."
9. Insist on keeping your car windshield wipers running in all
weather conditions "to keep them tuned up."
10. Reply to everything someone says with "that's what YOU think."
11. Forget the punchline to a long joke, but assure the listener it
was a "real hoot."
12. Practice making fax and modem noises.
13. Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and "cc:"
them to your boss.
14. Make beeping noises when a large person backs up.
15. Invent nonsense computer jargon in conversations, and see if
people play along to avoid the appearance of ignorance.
16. Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with the
prophecy."
17. Wear a special hip holster for your remote control.
18. Do not add any inflection to the end of your sentences, producing
awkward silences with the impression that you'll be saying more any
moment.
19. Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over
your ears.
20. Disassemble your pen and "accidentally" flip the ink cartridge
across the room.
21. Give a play-by-play account of a persons every action in a nasal
voice.
22. Holler random numbers while someone is counting.
23. Adjust the tint on your TV so that all the people are green, and
insist to others that you "like it that way."
24. Drum on every available surface.
25. Staple papers in the middle of the page.
26. Ask 1-800 operators for dates.
27. Produce a rental video consisting entirely of dire FBI copyright
warnings.
28. Sew anti-theft detector strips into peoples backpacks.
29. Hide dairy products in inaccessible places.
30. Write the surprise ending to a novel on its first page.
31. Set alarms for random times.
32. Publicly investigate just how slowly you can make a "croaking"
noise.
33. Honk and wave to strangers.
34. Change channels five minutes before the end of every show.
35. Wear your pants backwards.
36. Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply eat their
complimentary mints by the cash register.
37. Begin all your sentences with "ooh la la!"
38. ONLY TYPE IN UPPERCASE.
39. only type in lowercase.
40. dont use any punctuation either
41. Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones and reroute whole
streets.
42. Pay for your dinner with pennies.
43. Repeat everything someone says, as a question.
44. Write "X - BURIED TREASURE" in random spots on all of someone's
roadmaps.
45. Repeat the following conversation a dozen times: "Do you hear
that?" "What?" "Never mind, its gone now."
46. Demand that everyone address you as "Conquistador."
47. At the laundromat, use one dryer for each of your socks.
48. Wear a cape that says "Magnificent One."
49. As much as possible, skip rather than walk.
50. Stand over someone's shoulder, mumbling, as they read.
51. Pretend your computer's mouse is a CB radio, and talk to it.
52. Inform others that they exist only in your imagination.
53. Ask people what gender they are.
54. Lick the filling out of all the Oreos, and place the cookie parts
back.
55. Routinely handcuff yourself to furniture, informing the curious
that you don't want to fall off "in case the big one comes".
56. While making presentations, occasionally bob your head. like a
parakeet.
57. Lie obviously about trivial things such as the time of day.
58. Change your name to "AaJohn Aaaaasmith" for the great glory of
being first in the phone book. Claim it's a Hawaiian name, and demand
that people pronounce each "a."
59. Sit in your front yard pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to
see if they slow down.
60. Chew on pens that you've borrowed.
61. Wear a LOT of cologne.
62. Listen to 33rpm records at 45rpm speed, and claim the faster
speed is necessary because of your "superior mental processing."
63. Sing along at the opera.
64. Mow your lawn with scissors.
65. Ask the waitress for an extra seat for your "imaginary friend."
66. Go to a poetry recital and ask why each poem doesn't rhyme.
67. Ask your co-workers mysterious questions, and then scribble their
answers in a notebook. Mutter something about "psychological
profiles."
68. Stare at static on the TV and claim you can see a "magic
picture."
69. Select the same song on the jukebox fifty times.
70. Never make eye contact.
71. Never break eye contact.
72. Make appointments for the 31st of September.
73. Invite lots of people to other people's parties.
74. BLOG THE ABOVE!!!!
My BIRTHDAY blog
2nd August 1981....A person was downloaded from heaven...he was named Umar Tariq Pirzada...It wasn't going to be that...if my Grandpa had had his way...it would ve been........umm......wait....lemme tell the background...
Starting over again...2nd August 1981...it was not just an ordinary Sunday it was also...1st SHAWWAL of the Islamic Calendar....yes people Umar Tariq Pirzada was born on RAMADAN EID!!! The night before EID...CHAND RAAT my mom wore bangles and had a normal CHAND RAAT as everyone...and I wasn't expected for another few weeks...I was just in too much of a rush I guess to download on EID....!! My Grandpa wanted to name me....EID MOHAMMAD or EIDU!!! Lucky me...my father looked at me as a Darwesh SON and was also a Big fan of Hazrat Umar (RA). I was named after the great Caliph...Alhumdulillah...
Today 25 years later....I have a good SILVER JUBILEE under my belt...an important milestone to sit and relax and look back on a well lived life Alhumdulillah....lots of faults, defects, but hey....nobody can speak about perfection...
Without making this a LONG LONG BLOG...I would just like to thank the people who remember this day and wish me every year...its just amazing ....I know I am not a good person when it comes to remembering and even if remembering, not good at wishing...people...but all you guys are amazing...its a tough tough job....
I have always wanted one thing when I talk about doing anything and that is 'Making A Difference...' Whenever I meet someone, talk to someone, listen to someone....my objective is to make a difference....and that works well towards building relationships and friends...
Today all the people who remembered me....made a big difference for me in an otherwise....ordinary wednesday....another 2nd August....THANK YOU ALL....
Do pray for me and family whenever I am remembered....I hope no one keeps any negativity about me cos that would disturb me....Whenever I am remembered, I want to be remembered as a good guy...who made a difference....
Starting over again...2nd August 1981...it was not just an ordinary Sunday it was also...1st SHAWWAL of the Islamic Calendar....yes people Umar Tariq Pirzada was born on RAMADAN EID!!! The night before EID...CHAND RAAT my mom wore bangles and had a normal CHAND RAAT as everyone...and I wasn't expected for another few weeks...I was just in too much of a rush I guess to download on EID....!! My Grandpa wanted to name me....EID MOHAMMAD or EIDU!!! Lucky me...my father looked at me as a Darwesh SON and was also a Big fan of Hazrat Umar (RA). I was named after the great Caliph...Alhumdulillah...
Today 25 years later....I have a good SILVER JUBILEE under my belt...an important milestone to sit and relax and look back on a well lived life Alhumdulillah....lots of faults, defects, but hey....nobody can speak about perfection...
Without making this a LONG LONG BLOG...I would just like to thank the people who remember this day and wish me every year...its just amazing ....I know I am not a good person when it comes to remembering and even if remembering, not good at wishing...people...but all you guys are amazing...its a tough tough job....
I have always wanted one thing when I talk about doing anything and that is 'Making A Difference...' Whenever I meet someone, talk to someone, listen to someone....my objective is to make a difference....and that works well towards building relationships and friends...
Today all the people who remembered me....made a big difference for me in an otherwise....ordinary wednesday....another 2nd August....THANK YOU ALL....
Do pray for me and family whenever I am remembered....I hope no one keeps any negativity about me cos that would disturb me....Whenever I am remembered, I want to be remembered as a good guy...who made a difference....
Rain Rain GO AWAY...
Karachi has been hit by MONSOON rains and I attended a MONSOON wedding yesterday. The father of the bride, young at heart but definitely age has taken his toll on him looked exhausted yet relieved at the joyous occasion. It wasn't a dream daughter's wedding. The ground booked weeks ago was no longer in the category of MARRIAGE LAWNS it was more in the MARRIAGE PONDS category or maybe a POSH word...'POOLSIDE' heheh...
Anyway, a few calls here and an empty pocket there...he managed to get a hotel hall...to get things back on track...GREAT JOB!!!
The prime minister had asked the people to pray for rains...cos its the season where crops require water and there is big shortage...well I AM SURE...there are quite a few believers here...cos Alhumdulillah Allah does listen...but umm...was this really a blessing?....now we have water everywhere....LITERALLY...
In fact it was the first time I saw a MOSQUE filled with water inside...I got off for the Zuhr Jammat and saw the whole road in front as a POOL and the mosque filled with water... my question of 'What about the Jamaat?' was answered in the best possible way... The Maulvi Sahb was near by... 'This IS a chance for Jihad!!'... he pulled up his Shalwar and down he went...doing everything but swimming towards the MOSQUE...way to go Maulvi Sahb...I skipped Jamaat yesterday...
It is almost like, we dont deserve it...or we cant handle it...14 people died...the electricity system is in disarray and not to talk about the POOLS!!! Underpasses FILLED UP....FELL IN!!! Traffic jams....delays...and what not? The most revenue generating city of Pakistan to a standstill...hey we dont need war....or nuclear attacks....JUST SEND US SOME RAIN!!!
So is rain really a blessing?? Food for thought...
Anyway, a few calls here and an empty pocket there...he managed to get a hotel hall...to get things back on track...GREAT JOB!!!
The prime minister had asked the people to pray for rains...cos its the season where crops require water and there is big shortage...well I AM SURE...there are quite a few believers here...cos Alhumdulillah Allah does listen...but umm...was this really a blessing?....now we have water everywhere....LITERALLY...
In fact it was the first time I saw a MOSQUE filled with water inside...I got off for the Zuhr Jammat and saw the whole road in front as a POOL and the mosque filled with water... my question of 'What about the Jamaat?' was answered in the best possible way... The Maulvi Sahb was near by... 'This IS a chance for Jihad!!'... he pulled up his Shalwar and down he went...doing everything but swimming towards the MOSQUE...way to go Maulvi Sahb...I skipped Jamaat yesterday...
It is almost like, we dont deserve it...or we cant handle it...14 people died...the electricity system is in disarray and not to talk about the POOLS!!! Underpasses FILLED UP....FELL IN!!! Traffic jams....delays...and what not? The most revenue generating city of Pakistan to a standstill...hey we dont need war....or nuclear attacks....JUST SEND US SOME RAIN!!!
So is rain really a blessing?? Food for thought...
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