Google's Pakistani Doodle - Happy Independence Day

Google's today's doodle is perhaps one of the very best. And i am saying this from a Pakistani perspective. Take a look and see for yourself. 

Note: Click on the image to view a larger version. View the bottom right of the image to confirm the date for the special doodle.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY to all Pakistanis all around the world. May Allah keep our country progressing on the path of prosperity and success always. 

PS: If you have viewed this post well in time, there may still be time left for you to see the doodle for yourself. Just type in www.google.com.pk and you are good to go!

An Ode to "Metro" (The Bus Project)

The "bee" of the Rawalpindi/Islamabad Metro Bus project is stinging like anything these days. Every day is a struggle to commute from one city to the other and back. Here is what we are going through: 

Every day we think of a "clever" route to pursue! Getting there shows the "cleverer" world is there too! 

We try to make way through the "gaps"! If we're lucky, we avoid the traffic "traps"!

We huff and puff! The drive is rough!

Moving inch by inch, at every turn we cringe! 

Temperatures rise and tempers shoot! You wanna' give everybody a "boot"! (They wanna do it too!)

You get the picture, right? How many of  you are facing the same plight?

The Dreary Man

An attempt at creating a portrait out of words.  

The dreary man looked older than his years. He was perhaps in his late forties or even younger. He was clad in a white shalwar qameez. A white crocheted cap was sitting neatly on his head and on his feet he wore dust covered slippers. His snowy bearded face made him look respectable according to the society’s standards. His somewhat trembling lips were holding on to a cigarette which presumably was a cheap brand affordable to him. He had a slight limp in his walk which he was confidently covering by trying to walk as straight as possible.

The hardships of the life had left a mark on his overall persona. The difficulties he had been going through all his life were clearly evident. The lines, features and expressions on his face were a witness to his destitution. But he was going strong; as strong as can be. He was boldly facing the hurdles of his life and bravely fighting them off. He was not spreading his hand in front of people to beg for alms. He was continuing to rightfully “earn” a livelihood by working. He had not let the difficulties beat him up or extinguish the flame of life burning within him. 

He was still standing tall; a noble man with flowing dignity.

And the Ice-Breaking Question Was .....

Just remembered a funny incident and REALLY wanted to share. So here goes *wink*

I went to a seminar once. I went alone, on my own and on my own initiative. I was hoping to learn a lot and gather loads from the experience. In the whole bunch, I could see only a few girls. Following my female tendency, I was hoping that that group of girls would let me in their tiny circle too, to allow me to chat and get comfy with the surroundings.

I was standing all alone at the first tea break. Suddenly I saw that bunch of gals approaching. My heartbeat started to increase a bit. I felt excitement and anxiety at the same time. I couldn’t believe it that after hours of sitting and being alone I was finally going to be taken under the feather by fellow female attendees. With every step they took, my excitement mounted.

And then came the glorious moment, the moment I was spoken to. I was expecting an introduction from them, or a query about my own self, or at least a friendly “hello” to break the ice. What my ears heard was incomprehensible for the first few fractions of the second. I couldn’t believe what I had heard. But I was soon pushed back into reality and realized that what I heard was correct.

And those words were, “Where is the bathroom?” :-P

Death of a Storyteller and the Rebirth

When a storyteller runs out of stories to tell, it is her or his death. Not being able to do what you are best at, is devastating. When the creativity flow stops, everything stops. The brain never comes to a stand still alone. It brings down the whole world of a person along with it. 

So have I run out of stories to tell? Nope. Am i facing hindrance in doing what i am best at? No. Have i stopped being creative? Wouldn't say that. Has my brain come to a stand still and halted all operations of my little world? Not really. 

So what was all THAT about. Well i don't actually believe for any of the above to be true, but for a while it did feel that way. I did feel frozen and blocked. I did have a feeling of being chained and not being able to break free. My brain did feel like being on a hiatus as far as story telling was concerned.

But now everything is turning back to normal. The stories are dying to be told and the blog is longing to have posts.

I once again want to thank the handful of regular visitors for continuously visiting the blog and believing in my storytelling abilities while i myself had some doubts.   :-)

Montalista

I was promoting this page at all the possible places. But the one most important page i forgot to promote this on was my very own blog :-P How absent minded can I be! Well now that i am awake, here is the link:

Montalista Facebook Page: 
http://www.facebook.com/montalista

It is a page selling jewellery (as a start). More items are being added gradually.
 
Do take a look and hit "Like" if you like what you see there. Don't forget to leave feedback so that the page can be improved. Thanks in advance for your support :-)

Happy New Year 2013 :-)

Today was the first day of the new Gregorian year 2013. The most significant about the day was that it is my sister's birthday. But other than that it was pretty much like any other day. Come to think of it, it was even slower than my normal days. I was supposed to be in office which i wasn't. I was supposed to be a 100% healthy person. That i wasn't also. I was supposed to start out with some kind of a bang. Never heard even a rattle, let alone a bang. I had wanted to do lots on this day thinking that whatever i do today will have an impact on my whole year (the full year would be kinda reflection of my enthusiastic efforts and achievements of this day). Nothing of the sort happened. 

I wonder if that or something similar happened to you too. Perhaps you all also wanted to mark this day in some way and were not able to (or perhaps you were able to tick all the items in your New Year Day check list).

But no matter how this day passed, i wish everybody a very happy and blessed new year. May the new year bring lots of joys and fulfillment of aspirations. May Allah remain kind on us all and bestow upon us all the mercy and kindness. :-)

One of a Kind Picnic Trip

Wife: Honey! Would you prefer peanuts or almonds?

Husband: I don’t know. I don’t like either.

Wife: Ok I guess I will pack both for myself. I’ll get some Chilghozay (pine nuts) for you. Would that be ok?

Husband: Sure.

Wife: Hmm I need my muffler. It could get really cold like the other night. Should I pack one for you? It would keep you warm.

Husband: Don’t know.

Wife: Ok I’ll pack one anyway. And I’m also taking an extra sweater for myself. I think your jacket is already in the car, right?

Husband: Hmm yeah.

Wife: Would you need anything else? Think, think, think!

Husband: Nope.

Wife: Let me think if I’d need anything else. I’ll take my knitting, in case there is a long wait. Should I take some sweets and toffees also? Or perhaps some crisps and biscuits? Are there any bananas in the kitchen?

Husband: Forget them dear and lets go now.

Some Random Relative: Looks like you guys have packed for an overnight picnic trip? Where are you going?

Husband & Wife: To get CNG! 

*GIGGLES* 

PS: I wonder how many people would relate to this. ;-)

Dulha Tayyar Kea Jata Hai

Hair Dresser - Dulha Tayyar Kea Jata Hai Originally uploaded by Monazza Talha

Hoshiyar, Khabardar - Zimadari dulha tayyar kernay tak mehduud hai. Baad kay kisi nuqsaan ka idara zimadar na ho ga. Apni zimadari per dulha tayyar kervaaeay. Shukria

Manjanib - Sakoon Hair Dresser

After reading this display of this one additional service provided by the hair dresser (as seen in the picture above), i just couldn't stop laughing. I know that just like brides, grooms also get themselves ready from a "parlour" or "salon". But the wording was just hilarious. Apologies to the ones who can't read Urdu. Hope the rest can fully enjoy the picture and the photographed writings. :-) *giggles*

PS: The disclaimer in italics was a creation of my own naughty mind. The Hair Dresser had nothing to do with it.  Iss paigham kee waja say honay walay har qisam kay nuqsan kee zimadari fidvi ko qabool hai. *giggles*

Ghost Writing Equivalent to Plagiarism?

I friend of mine recently made a point that I should not project myself as a “plagiarist”. She added that since ghost writing is like steeling, it is nothing but plagiarism. She also said that she considered me to be an honest person and did not think I would EVER do such a dreadful act. (She was reading my Intro on this blog of mine.)

For me ghost writing is any piece of text that you create with which you cannot tag your name to acknowledge the world of the authorship.

When I think of Ghost Writing, several things come to my mind that can be considered so (some help taken from Wikipedia's topic "Ghostwriter" in compiling my following list):

• Writing articles for a blog or publication.
• Contributing to a book.
• Helping someone not good in a language to express their ideas in a decent way (for a blog, or forum, or Facebook status etc).
• Drafting or editing somebody's autobiography
• Preparing a speech or public statement for a politician.
• Preparing a presentation for an administrative or managerial person.
• Writing profession or career based articles for consultants of respective domain.
• Preparing a technical document for a client.
• Compiling a project proposal for someone.

I consider all of the above points ethical and am willing to indulge in this, provided I am not exploited to do so. If due compensation is paid, I would be more than happy to do any and all of the above (and more too).

Now I can think of some other ghost writing tasks also that are unethical in my opinion: 

• Writing a thesis for a student.
• Preparing a paper or report for a student.
• Doing an assignment for a school, college or university student. 

I never have done this and nor do I plan to do so even if it is a highly paid job.

People are ghosting almost all the time. The work we do in our office is not always tagged with our name. Artisans who prepare beautiful items seldom carve or embroider their names on each masterpiece they create. I have never seen workmen like carpenters, tailors, carpet weavers and cooks leaving their initials on the items they prepare and the work they do. The compensation everybody is getting in almost all of these cases is monetary. People are getting paid to do all this. They are providing their expertise and creating their respective contributory substances in exchange for wages or payments. We can’t label all these and similar people “plagiarists”, now can we?

Anybody can have their own views about anything. And mine about ghost writing are that it is not equivalent to ‘plagiarism’. One just needs to set the right ethical limits according to one's beliefs.