Symptoms of Addiction to Internet ! ! ! !

1. A friend stops to see you since your phone has been busy-----for a year!!!!!"
2. You forgot how to work the TV remote control.
3. You see something funny and scream, "LOL, LOL."
4. You tell everyone, that after surgery, your mom went to ICQ ......instead of ICU!
5. You sign off and your screen says you were on for 3 days and 45 minutes.
6. You placed the refrigerator beside your computer.
7. You buy a laptop and a cell phone so you can have ICQ in your car.
8. Tech support calls YOU for help.
9. You beg your friends to get an account so you can "hang out."
10. You get a second phone line just to call out for pizza.
11. You purchase a vanity car license plate with your screen name on it.
12. You say "he he he he" or "heh heh heh" instead of laughing.
13. You say "SCROLL UP" when someone asks what it was you said.
14. You find out divorce papers had been served on you 6 months ago.
15. You talk on the phone with the same person you are sending an instant message to. (uh oh...I've done this! LOL)
16. You look at an annoying person off line and wish that you had your ignore
button handy.
17. You start to experience "withdrawal" after not being online for awhile.
18. You say......."Where did the time go??"
19. You sit on ICQ for 6 hours for that certain special person to sign on.
20. You get up in the morning and go online before getting your coffee.
21. .....You end your sentences with.....three or more periods.......
22. Your shoes are suddenly 2 sizes too small.
23. You think faster than the computer. <----Not difficult for me
24. You enter a room and get greeted by 25 people with {{{hugs}}} and ** kisses**.
25. Being called a newbie is a major insult to you.
26. You're on the phone and say BRB.
27. Your teacher or boss recommends a drug test for the blood shot eyes.
28. Your answering machine/voice mail sounds a little like this...."BRB. Leave your S/N
and I'll TTYL ASAP".
29. You get up at 2:00 AM to go to the bathroom and turn the computer on instead.
30. You need to be pried from your computer by the Jaws-of-life.

The Exam Fever

Starting from yesterday, I've totally been stuck in my mid-term exams.
The first one was of Business Law and I'm writing this when the next one, Macroeconomics, is just round the corner.

Hope to perform well and be back in time to update you people with the latest of my ideas, thoughts and favorite things...

Wish me best of luck!

Review: 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'

If the third film in the Harry Potter series, last year's "Prisoner of Azkaban," seemed frightening with its soul-sucking Dementors and its German expressionist aesthetic, then the fourth installment, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," will have kids quaking in their seats and perhaps wishing they had an invisibility cloak to hide beneath.

This "Potter" earns its PG-13 rating a first for the previously PG series about the boy wizard as Harry grows into adolescence and learns more about his powers and his past. Of course, young fans have already devoured the J.K. Rowling books that provide the basis for the films, so they know what's coming. (The author is up to No. 6 out of seven planned.) But reading it on the page and seeing it on the screen can be two entirely different experiences, and several scenes will be disturbing to viewers regardless of age.

"Goblet of Fire" features the return of the dreaded Lord Voldemort He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named the dark warlock who killed Harry's parents and tried to kill him, too, when he was just an infant. (Having survived the attack is what gives Harry a certain mystique among his professors and classmates at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; it also gave him his trademark lightning-bolt scar on his forehead.)

As played by an unrecognizable Ralph Fiennes, Voldemort appears hairless and noseless, hissing and threatening in the moonlight a smooth, almost effeminate incarnation of the Devil, surrounded by cloaked minions.

Even scarier, though, is the maze Harry must navigate as a competitor in the dangerous Triwizard Tournament. The giant hedges that serve as the maze walls aren't just tall and the pathways aren't just narrow they're also predatory, collapsing violently on their inhabitants, sensing and feeding on their fears, trying to swallow them whole. (Bet Stanley Kubrick wishes he'd thought of that when he made "The Shining")

While these are the most extreme examples of the movie's intensity, they're also the ones that are the most emotionally powerful. Director Mike Newell has crafted a film full of images that are vast and wondrous, but strangely detached and obviously artificial, similar to the look of the "Lord of the Rings" movies. You can appreciate the enormity of the visuals, but they seem so distant, it's difficult to feel engaged by them.

But with Newell at the helm the first English director following American Chris Columbus, who did the first two parts, and Mexican Alfonso Cuaron, who did the third and best thus far "Goblet of Fire" seems more in touch with the innate Britishness of Rowling's books, both in its sense of humor and in its boarding-school setting.

Read the Full Review here...



Watch "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" Trailers and Clips

PIA creates world commercial aviation history

Pakistan Inter-national Airlines (PIA) has created world commercial aviation history by flying newly-manufactured Boeing 777 LR (Long Range)-- the first airline in the world to fly it from Hong Kong to Heathrow -- the wrong way around the globe.

According to a press release on Thursday, flying from Hong Kong it went overhead Japan, then across the Pacific Ocean flying over Hawaii to overhead San Francisco, then onwards across North American continent to overhead New York, flying still farther across the Atlantic Ocean to land at Heathrow Airport, London, non-stop and in one giant leap lasting slightly less than 24 hours.

The trip which broke 18 minutes flight time record of Airbus 340 and also Boeing's 747-400's record from London to Sydney, flew 12,600 miles or more than half circumference of the globe.

Flying at 83 Mach or 17 Mach less than the speed of sound, the 35 persons onboard, including eight cockpit crew members, witnessed two sunrises and even had scheduled sleep timings in the bunkers onboard. Among five Boeing pilots were Capt Susana Darcy, Boeing 777 Test Pilot and Capt Frank Santoni, representing the Boeing Company.

Along with five Boeing pilots, Commander Asif Reza, senior vice president flight operations PIA, was in command and assisted by Captain Mohammed Ilyas Malik, designated as check pilot Boeing 777 in PIA, to fly the aircraft as Boeing's "Launch Customer", pending delivery of this very first plane to PIA, registered in Pakistan AP-BGY.

A Singapore Airline pilot was also on board, as the Singapore Airline is evaluating buying this airplane after PIA.

The event was reminiscent of another such record breaking flight by PIA nearly four decades earlier, when commander Abdullah Baig, the most famous pilot of PIA flying newly manufactured Boeing 720, eased into a jet stream during cruise with consummate skill to break the London-Karachi flight time record. staff report.

Source: Daily Times Newspaper

The Tsunami survival!

I was on a comfortable vacation at a paradise island. Music, cocktails, beaches, Palm trees, sun n' sand, all were quite plentiful there. I can remember how enjoyable was each moment spent on that heaven.

But, then, it was that unfateful morning. After having a good night's sleep, I came out of my personal cabin facing the shore of a beach and found out that the waves were behaving strangely.

I, actually saw the height, size and force of the waves increase by each landing on the shore. In no time, I could figure out that the next one's going to thrash the cottages. Worried and terrified, I ran into mine, locked it and got hold of one of the two steel poles supporting the roof. And then, it was the one big water splash that went through the wooden walls of the cabin by breaking the cottage into shatters. With eyes closed, I could feel water lifting me up from the ground. It felt like I had slipped into a deep cold-water swimming pool. Despite loosing solid land under my feet, the grip on pole was strong enough to prevent me from being washed away back to the sea.

The sea was calm, once again, and, I was lying on the same beach but with nothing except ruins of wood and steel in view. As I managed to get out of the trauma, the best thing that happened to me was that I woke up!

Man! that was one freaky dream...

Humor from Great Minds

“As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two...”
Sir Norman Wisdom

“One of the most difficult things in the world is to convince a woman that even a bargain costs money.”
Edgar Watson Howe

“A true friend is one who overlooks your failures and tolerates your success!”
Doug Larson

“A harmful truth is always better then...a useful lie!”
Eric Bolton

“When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bike. Then I realized that The Lord doesn't work that way, so I stole one and asked him to forgive me.”
Erno Philips

“ I only go to work on days that don't end in a 'y'.”
Robert Paul

“We spend the first twelve months of our children's liv! es teaching them to walk and talk and the next twelve telling them to sit down and shut up.”
Phyllis Diller

“Laughter is the closest distance between two people.”
Victor Borge

“Start every day with a smile and get it over with.”
W.C. Fields

“Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else.”
Will Rogers

“Always get married early in the morning. That way, if it doesn't work out, you haven't wasted a whole day.”
Mickey Rooney

“Women now have choices. They can be married, not married, have a job, not have a job, be married with children, unmarried with children.
Men have the same choice we've always had: work or prison.”
Tim Allen

“If you never want to see a man again, say, 'I love you, I want to marry you. I want to have children...' - they leave skid marks.”
Rita Rudner

“I'm not afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens.”
Woody Allen

“Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't.”
Erica Jong

“Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out of it alive.”
Elbert Hubbard

“Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use.”
Wendell Johnson

“I've been in love with the same woman for forty-one years. If my wife finds out, she'll kill me.”
Henry Youngman

Balance Sheet of Life

Our Birth is our Opening Balance
Our Death is our Closing Balance

Our Prejudiced Views are our Liabilities
Our Creative Ideas are our Assets

Heart is our Current Asset
Soul is our Fixed Asset

Brain is our Fixed Deposit
Thinking is our Current Account

Achievements are our Capital
Character & Morals, our Stock-in-Trade

Friends are our General Reserves
Values & Behaviour are our Goodwill

Patience is our Interest Earned
Love is our Dividend

Children are our Bonus Issues
Education is Brands / Patents

Knowledge is our Investment
Experience is our Premium Account

The Aim is to Tally the Balance Sheet Accurately.
The Goal is to get the Best Presented Accounts Award

Choorian; the Eid colors

Choorian or Bangles are an essential part of Eid festivities. Made up of colorful glass, these bangles are most popular among girls and women of all ages.

As part of the celebrations, male members of the family buy this stuff for their mothers, sisters and children.



Choorian add colors to happy occasions like eid and marriages and are a sign of happiness and joy.



Well before the Eid day, street markets all across the city are full of colors and beautiful designs with women trying on & buying these as part of their Eid shopping. These are some of the views from Chand Raat; the night before Eid...

Eid Mubarak from Hasan Mubarak

Dear All,

Assalam o Alaikum

I would like to wish all of my family, friends and fellow bloggers a very very happy & prosperous EID.

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.•*´¨: *•. .•* *EID MUBARAK**•. .•
/.•*•.\ ¸..•¤**¤•.,.•¤**¤•.*. ¤•..,.•

_./'\._¸¸.•¤**¤•.¸.•¤**¤•.¸.•¤•.
*•. .•* * EID MUBARAK* *•. .•*
/.•*•.\ ¸..•¤**¤•.,.•¤**¤•..,.•¤**

_./'\._¸¸.•¤**¤•.¸.•¤**¤•.¸.•¤¤•.¸.•
.•*´¨: *•. .•* *EID MUBARAK**•. .•
/.•*•.\ ¸..•¤**¤•.,.•¤**¤•.*. ¤•..,.•

May this Eid bring you all the happiness, health and wealth. And may your life be filled with success and many more triumphant moments. Amen!

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Its EID!; Sharing a sad moment of happiness...

The moon sighting has just been announced which means that we, here in Pakistan, will celebrate the happy, holy occasion of EID tomorrow.

EID is to Muslims as Christmas is to Christians. It comes as a gift from God for those who kept fasting throughout the Holy month of Ramadan. It is for those who have 'actually' learnt something during this period of self-control and patience.

EID will be celebrated tomorrow. The early morning prayer ceremony will mark the beginning of the occasion. Later during the day friends and family will have reunions and celebrations. There will be charity, there will be sharing and there would be fun too.

But, in many ways, this EID will be different from the previpous ones. It is because EID will not be all about happiness for hundred of thousands of our fellows this time. It would, rather, be an occasion that will grieve them for the moments spent with their loved ones as many of them are no more.

We will celebrate with then as we are never going to forget our brothers and sisters in grief.

May God help them smile and celebrate again, forever and ever! Amen.

Photographer of the Year 2005

I just came across "2005 News website Photographer of the Year" competition at BBC NEWS' website.

My personal vote went to Tom Sullam for the above picture. I loved the above picture for its color contrasts. The silvers, greys and the goldens in this photograph are just mind-blowing.

What do you say about this picture??



You can also vote for your very choice at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4392574.stm

The Last Wish...

If you were in this situation, what would you last wish for?

Hello Halloween!

"Halloween" at Wikipedia:

"Halloween is an observance celebrated on the night of October 31, usually by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting candy. It is celebrated in much of the Western world, though most common in the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada and sometimes in Australia and New Zealand. Irish, Scots and other immigrants brought older versions of the tradition to North America in the 19th century. Most other Western countries have embraced Halloween as a part of American pop culture in the late 20th century.

The term "Halloween" is derived from Hallowe'en, an old contraction, still retained in Scotland and some parts of Canada, of "All Hallow's Eve," so called as it is the day before All Saints day (observed by some Christians, including Roman Catholics), which used to be called "All Hallows," derived from All Hallowed Souls. In Ireland, the name was Hallow Eve and this name is still used by some older people. Halloween was formerly also sometimes called All Saints' Eve. The holiday was a day of religious festivities in various northern European pagan traditions, until it was appropriated by Christian missionaries and given a Christian reinterpretation. In Mexico, All Saint's Day, following Halloween, is the Day of the Dead.

Halloween is also called Pooky Night in some parts of Ireland, presumably named after the púca, a mischievous spirit.

In Britain and Ireland in particular, the pagan Celts celebrated the Day of the Dead on All Hallows Day (1st November). The spirits supposedly rose from the dead and, in order to attract them, food was left on the doors. To scare off the evil spirits, the Celts wore masks. When the Romans invaded Britain, they embellished the tradition with their own, which is the celebration of the harvest and honoring the dead. These traditions were then passed on to the United States and Canada.

Halloween is sometimes associated with the occult. Many European cultural traditions hold that Halloween is one of the "liminal" times of the year when the spirit world can make contact with the natural world and when magic is most potent (see, for example, Catalan mythology about witches).

Anoka, Minnesota, USA, self-proclaimed "Halloween Capital of the World," celebrates with a large civic parade.

Salem, Massachusetts, USA, also has laid claim to the title "Halloween Capital of the World," though Salem has tried to seperate itself from its history in the subject of witchcraft. Despite that, the city does see a great deal of tourism surrounding the Salem witch trials, especially around Halloween."

By the way, What Monster do you wish to be??

Checking your Moral Sense...

Moral Dilemma

This test only has one question, but it's a very important one. By giving an honest answer, you will discover where you stand morally. The test features an unlikely, completely fictional situation in which you will have to make a decision. Remember that your answer needs to be honest, yet spontaneous. Please scroll down slowly and give due consideration to each line.

THE SITUATION

You are in Florida, Miami to be specific. There is chaos all around you caused by a hurricane with severe flooding. This is a flood of biblical proportions.

You are photo journalist working for a major newspaper, and you're caught in the middle of this epic disaster. The situation is nearly hopeless. You're trying to shoot career-making photos. There are houses and people swirling around you, some disappearing under the water. Nature is unleashing all of its destructive fury yet you are relatively safe in a boat with some food and a mobile phone.

THE TEST

Suddenly you see a man in the water. He is desperately fighting for his life, trying not to be taken down with the debris. You move closer. Somehow the man looks familiar. You suddenly realize who it is.

It's the president of the US - George W. Bush.

At the same time you notice that the raging waters are about to take him under forever. You have two options; you can save the life of the president, or you can shoot a dramatic Pulitzer Prize winning photo, documenting the death of one of the world's most famous and powerful men.

THE QUESTION

Here's the question, and please give an honest answer from the heart....

Would you select high contrast colour film, or would you go with the classic simplicity of black and white?

Watch Out!, for the demon's coming

The fear's rising, the omens are not so good. It could be anywhere; even at your nearest McDonald's regardless of where on earth you live. Bird Flu's coming back...

hoooo ha ha ha!

Watch out for next time you sneeze after having Chicken in your meal; it may not be a good sign either for the late chicken or for you own health.

Watch out man, watch out!

Water; God's Blessing by Drops

More than seven more hours to go and I'm already feeling thirsty like anything. My throat has been dry for a good many 'ticks' and now I think it would lead to malfunctioning of my voice box. I've never been that dry-throated for the last 20 days of fasting.

It seems like my taste buds are producing much less effective saliva these days. Just like mercury, it is gulped by me without wetting my throat.

Warning Warning: These signs show that I am soon going to start coughing (khaou khaou), which, in turn would restrict consumption of hot and spicy pakkorras, chilli sauce stuff and chilled liquids at Iftaar time.

Keeping a Roza, as Muslims call it; the act of fasting, helps us in experiencing the hard life lived by our less previliged brothers and sisters. And right now, I can realize the misery of millions of people living without SAFE drinking water or just even water, as in case of thousands who have been unable to get relief in Northern parts of my own country.

Water, indeed, is one of God's greatest blessings on humanity. And, today, I can realize this more than before...

Brownie in a Box...

Yesterday, I gave a small scale eat-feast to all of my friends; a brownie in a box. Yes, it was my belated birthday treat; one of the first steps towards normalizing my life.

Keeping in view the impossibility of taking my friends out for a feast, I found this one as quite a feasible and an affordable option. Each one of my friend was granted a box with a brownie. Some of them, however, were able to fool me and got more than a single box.

It was quite interesting to see people peeking repeatedly into their boxes and not being able to taste or even touch those choco fudges. Everyone was getting tempted by the aroma of fresh dark chocolate in walnuts and the doubly double chocolate brownies by Masoom's. It was such a case due to the Holy month of Ramadan during which all of Muslims fast, and for my friends, it wasn't before a full one and a half hours that they could taste this heavenly stuff.

I wonder if there was someone who was unable to hold on till 5:25; the Iftaar time.

Are you, too, getting tempted ??

Hoping for the good times to return

It surely has been a difficult time for all of us here in Pakistan. The month of Ramadan always brings up a new flavour to life in the form of celebrations, Iftaar parties and, last but not least, the joyous occasion of Eid. But, this time around, everything's so gloomy and sad. It isn't only about the surroundings, it is also about the people who have not smiled, about the flowers that haven't bloomed and about the birds that haven't sung since that unfateful day.

The only thing I want to believe is that good times are going to return. Those beautiful valleys will again be filled with the melodious jingles of life. Everyone would be happy and merry again. People will smile; they will celebrate again, like they used to do before.

The incurred loss can not be recovered, therefore, we should try to work for a better future for the sake of those who have suffered, and for our country as a whole.

Life will be going on, and it must be for the better. But, we should promise that we will keep helping our brothers and sisters who have been through this tragedy, that we will not ignore the surviving and will keep remembering those who have left us.

We'll reconstruct Springfield High School alongwith hundreds of other schools that have been grounded, and just like it was used to, this land will again bloom like a paradise, forever.

This is the only way we can recover from this tragedy, the losses brought by it and from the sorrows that have followed it...

The act of helping the helpless...

In view of the calamity causing thousands of deaths in Pakistan, we at IBIT, University of the Punjab, launched a full scale relief drive. The relief effort was fully backed and co-ordinated by the SEC (Student Executive Committee), of which, I am the Secretary.

Sacks of warm clothes

The response was overwhemling with people helping us in collection of supplies, medicines and cash. In a short span of just 4 days, we were able to collect more than Rs.100,000. This was in addition to assembly of 120 family boxes containing basic supplies in the form of packets of pulses, wheat, rice, sugar, salt, biscuits, 2 bottles of water, 2 packs of milk, a blanket/quilt, some clothes, candles and matches.

Friends helping in preparation of Family Boxes

A Family Box

Other goods, that were collected in bulk and packed up separately, included warm clothes, bottled water, packaged milk, grains, juices and big boxes of medical supplies.

Food collections

Most of the collected money was spent on buying much-needed tents to be used as shelter by people suffering from hunger, thirst and the up-coming freezing winter.

Being a member of the SEC, I, alongwith other members, had to sacrifice some of my lectures, a bit of studies and had to devote much time and effort. But, it surely was not in vain. As our first truck carrying goods and tents has reached the affected areas yeasterday, I feel more delighted and satisfied than ever, for being able to HELP someone in need.

Stepping into 19th Saal (year)

Today's the first day in 19th year of my life. Yes, yesterday was my birthday and I feel quite delighted about turning 19.

Like the previous one, this birthday also fell in the Holy month of Ramadan; the month of fasting in Islam. For that reason, it did spare me from giving any treat to my friends and fellows for the time being. However, I know they are not going to let go of me after all. I'm still considering different options for that.

This birthday was strange in the sense that the first person to wish me was a complete stranger. It happened so that I had to visit a bank for some purpose on Sunday, 16th of October. While I was filling the forms, the Bank Manager whom I had hardly met before wished me Happy Birthday! in advance... It came out that he had already checked on my birthdate on the forms before my arrival.

The day 'was' special for me and despite being in a sad state of mind for the last few days, I decided to forget everything else. My elder brother was the first one to come up with a present in the form of a Mobile reload prepaid card of considerable monetary value. The younger fellow gave me a Nirala laddoo box; it was so sweet of him. Parents, as always, blessed me with their blessings and some very Blue currency notes. The celebration was as simple as it could get. However, a bigger family eat-out Birthday Iftaari is still due...