Crow's Nest...

Surgery is tough. Requires lots of work and staying in the ward long hours. Yet it is enjoyable and addictive. As in my case so addictive that you start volunteering for extra calls--->what am I INSANE?

sing the song 

Blogging is a full time job. It demands persistence and consistent hard work. This I have realized in this time , while off from school. While I had all the time to keep myself abreast of the latest developments in different areas I wrote and wrote pretty regularly. Now that I am back in the hostel and have many other things on my mind I can't find things to write about. It seems that the posts will turn more and more personal again till the time I have reprieve from this place and a little peace of mind.    One more thing can be said about blogging_it requires a full stomach. Yes it does! You simply cant think of writing if your tummy is not full and constantly fed over and over again.

Almost magnificant.    Got a chance to see the mens hockey match between Pakistan and South Korea. It was a treat to watch. The whole game was full of speed and enthusiasm on the part of the players from both the teams. Pakistanis wer the better of the two and deserved to win. We won 3-0. If we keep on playing like that i would predict a gold in these olympics. One more suggestion, please don't commit the mistake of watching the match on PTV network.

Shaukat Aziz Winning. As already expected Shaukat is winning from both constituencies. Interestingly BBC urdu on radio set the news in this way, 'By-elections are being held in the two constituencies in Pakistan to get the PM-Designate Shaukat Aziz elected...'    Three opponents were assasinated in Attock just before the elections. This shows that the dictator is ready to kill to get his candidate to win. No arrests have been made. FIR has been sealed. The car used for the assasination has remained in police use . The accused in the assasinations are the District Nazim of Attock city, who, is In-law of the Current Prime Minister. Even the Pakistan Election Commission secretery addmitted that the assasinations have undoubtedly spread fear in the voters. Voters know that if they vote against the appointed candidate they will meet the same fate.    Supporters of the opposition candidates in Mithi were held captives for long hours and then later release...

Oval heroes.    The other day I was watching this programme on our national network. The programme was dedicated to the cricketers who comprised the team which one their first ever test against the english in England. The home team was then very strong and had many renowned players in its 11 member squad while the touring team was a collection of amateurs under the captaincy of Hafeez Kardar, the legendary disciplinarian. The hero in the oval ground was our fast bowler Fazal Mehmood. This, then, young blue-eyed, feary and enthusiastic young man took 12 wickets in the test for 99 runs. It is said that he was in such magnificent form that he would mark the place for the field to stand saying that next bowl will be a catch right at this place, never failing in what he said.    The win brought the Pakistani team in the limelight and the people of the world came to know that we as a nation have a potential to excel in every field, given a fair chance. ...

United we stand.    I was watching the late hour news on the PTV network the other day. In the trading and economic news section there was this news report on the Sialkot International Airport . This is an under construction project for both domestic and cargo purposes. The amazing thing about the whole affair is that it is being built not by any govt. agency but by the inhabitants of the city themselves on self help basis. The Sialkotians are indeed coming up to the expectations of their great philosopher and poet Allama Iqbal.    Since Sialkot is majorly an industrial city with major exports in sports goods and surgical instruments there was a dire need for a way of quick delivery of these items to their destinations abroad. As our govt. has decided never to take the right initiative the people of the city took it upon themselves to build an International airport which could cater to their needs of cargo shipment. Thus a group of industrialists got ...

Nirma Narma.    The film actress Nirma is probably the sweet heart of the media these days. She has been covered on and off the set more than any other actress on our filmy scene. She was featured on the Geo programme 'Aik din Geo kay sath' where she was presented as the prototype of a filmy diva in lollywood. Today she was the guest in the PTV's breakfast telecast 'Rising Pakistan'. When Nirma is there how am I supposed to change the station or abandon the TV. She is such a magnet in terms of her IQ level. The whole interview was one hilarious episode of pretension upon pretension. I suppose thats what these artists are made to do, to pretend. She would tell a lie upon a lie and the anchor, who was enjoying himself, would keep on asking her humiliating questions, to which she had no answers. But my problem is different. My problem is that these people are not worthy of being portrayed by the media as ideals for our young generation. What is the take home...

The atrocities committed by the coalition forces in Iraq remind me again and again of the fact that United Nations has become a redundant organization. A tool in the hands of the powerful nations. The coalition forces are murdering hundreds of innocent Iraqis, in broad daylight, yet the UN is a silent spectator. All they can muster up is a few words of regret here and a few of caution there. I would blame the world powers for bringing the organization to this level of pity and uselessness.    The condition of the United Nations can be compared to any of the govt. run institutions in a country like Pakistan. Where all the people of the world keep on harping on the tune that United Nations doesn't do this it doesn't do that and that it is weak here and useless there they don't realize that it is us who make these institutions weak or strong. These institutions are there to help us but only if we accept there help. USA could have gone to uprooting Saddam with all the...

14th August 2004.    In this hour of joy we must remember our muslim brothers and sisters in Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Palestine and Kashmir, who are at the mercy of brutal savages. May Allah help them in these roubled times and grant them their much needed freedom and may Justice be served.

A very Happy Independence day.

Youth day, day before yesterday.    Youth day was celebrated all over the world day before yesterday, they say, with full vigour and vim. Same must have been the case in Pakistan because we are a part of this world believe it or not. An important part since our dictator decided to side with might instead of abiding by what was right.    I am a part of Pakistani youth; being a part of this section of society is a completely different experience. Experience that our elders have passed through and children are yet to gain.    The question is whether the Pakistani youth is being up to the mark in helping this country prosper and progress against all odds that surround it. The answer is neither simple nor short. Rather the question is much more primaryin nature, 'Does Pakistani youth know what needs to be done to help Pakistan?'    I think making our youth realize the need of the hour is the need of the hour. Our youth is in d...

Why I did that    One day a man came to the great teacher Bahaudin. He asked for help in his problems, and guidance on the path of the teaching.    Bahaudin told him to abandon spiritual studies, and to leave his court at once. A kind hearted visitor began to remonstrate with Bahaudin. 'You shall have a demonstration,' said the sage.    At that moment a bird flew into the room, darting hither and thither, not knowing where to go in order to escape. The sufi waited until the bird settled near the only open window of the chamber; and then suddenly clapped his hands. Alarmed, the bird flew straight through the opening of the window, to freedom.    'To him the sound must have been something of a shock, even an affront, do you not agree?' said Bahaudin.

This, Too, Will Pass.    A powerful king, ruler of many domains, was in a position of such magnificence that wise men were his mere employees. And yet one day he felt himself confused and called the sages to him.    He said:    'I do not know the cause, but something impels me to seek certain ring, one that will enable me to stabilize my state. I must have such a ring. And this ring must be one which, when I am unhappy, will make me joyful. At the same time, if I am unhappy happy and look upon it, I must be made sad.'    The wise men consulted one another, and threw themselves into deep contemplation, and finally they came to a decision as to the character of this ring which would suit their king.    The ring which they devised was one upon which was inscribed the legend: THIS, TOO, WILL PASS

Want to read about modern day slavery in United states of America read this three part story 1 , 2 , 3 .

Rain Rain come some other day!    Its raining here and temperatures have dropped down to comfortable levels. This year round monsoon has been extra gracious on the people of Punjab and elsewhere. There have been rains the whole summer and the sun has had little chance to spread its sizzling heat. It is good in one way as the provinces will defer their quarrels over water for a little longer now.    We here have this joke that whenever we need rain we don't have to do anything but ask Abbu to order pesticides be sprayed on the cotton crop. I don't know if it is mere chance or what but every time our cotton crop is sprayed with pesticides it rains almost instantaneously. As if the clouds have this way of knowing when it rains death on the pests of the crop so it can come to their rescue. This has been going on for last one and a half month now. Wouldn't say it has pleased my father much as it incurs a heavy loss on him every time a spray goes to waste ...

Fear spiders do you?    Well spiders though small in size have large tendencies to freak humans much larger in size. People fear spiders to an extent of obsession that impairs their daily functioning. Scientists might have the solution to this crippling phobia of spiders and other similar phobias in the shape of virtual reality programmes that take their user to a place where he/she can befriend the eight legged freak gradually coming to terms with its existence and thus lessening the unnecessary fear.    Researchers are trying to find ways to lessen the perception of pain in patients who have painful long recovery from severe burn injuries. According to one approach our brain can process a limited number of inputs at one given time thus if we provide our brain with some virtual activity while a painful procedure is being done on the patient the brain will remain distracted towards the virtual world and have very little perception of severe pain. Many s...

Faking an assassination.    This is something our leaders have gained expertise in recent past. Those who planned to kill Musharraf on the Lai pull in Rawalpindi one fateful evening were mere fools for they detonated the bomb after the convoy had crossed the bridge. Even I know this that when you have to blow someone on a bridge you do damage in front of the car not on its tail. Well this is not a valid argument a passionate lover of the regime may argue and I give up on convincing any such gentlemen. Then there comes the second attempt at the precious life of the dictator. This time around it was even bigger fool who made the attempt. The place, if you have seen it, is a one way road with a barrier of rock solid cement about foot or so high between the two opposite lanes of the road. That banished fool who tried to ram the explosive laden car into the motorcade of the dictator was on the other side of the barrier. There was no way that his car could have made acr...

Pakistan and India seem to be on the road to progress. talks on all issues EXCEPT Kashmir are underway and more or less meeting success atleast to the delight of the Indians. Our coward dictator is leaving no stone unturned in leading this nation of 14 crore into dungeon full of darkness. Our leaders are trying to make us believe that we are the weakest and most positionless nation on the face of this earth and thus have no right to stand for and by the truth. At least this seems to be the story in the case of talks that were recently held between the two countries on the issue of pulling back forces from the Siachin glacier. Siachin, the highest battle ground in the world, is mostly Pakistani territory into which Indian forces sneaked in in Zia-ul-Haq's time. We have sovereign right to that piece of land this is a fact that can't be denied nor can it be dispelled by any amount of argument that is kept under the parameters of logic and sanity. Why does Musharraf call him...

While nothing better to do at my home I was going through this really old edition of this local magazine. the edition was interestingly a special feature edition on doctors and malpractice in Pakistan. 20 odd pages were full of text which told of stories from all the corners of the country about mishandling of patients by the doctors. I had some idea of the situation before coming across this text but after reading it I am a bit alarmed at the prevailing situation. Cases of neglect are not rare occurrences, as one might like to think, rather they seem to be an essential part and parcel of Pakistan doctor's daily practice.    Medicine is a respectable field. mainly because when a patient comes to a doctor he entrusts to him his most precious belonging that is his health. Nothing can be more important to a person of ordinary means or otherwise than his own good health. It is thus a doctor's moral as well as professional duty to respect this trust and help his patient...