It rains in Islamabad when the dust settles down … for the country we can’t be so sure.

Image Courtesy: Dawn

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In Islamabad a shopkeeper has unique way to shun borrowers off … we all don’t see restoration of judiciary any time soon. The crisis is still on =\

Image Courtesy: Khabrain

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Spotted at blue area, just outside BankAl- Islami.

Every shopping area and road in Islamabad is crutinzed by a car lifter (exact term, anyone?) these days … so if you care to double park, think again =))

Picture/Post Courtesy: Mansoor (ex-IMB/KMB author)

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This plaque on the wall of the lobby at the Islamabad Club is always good for refreshing one’s memory of the list of heads of state Pakistan has had from Ayub Khan onwards. And a useful illustration of the fact that half of them have been military men.

Hopefully, Gen. Zia-ul-Haq will remain the record-holder for longest-standing patron - even though Gen. Musharraf seems to be trying his utmost to surpass him.

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ELECTRONIC SPEED DETECTORS ON 7TH AVENUE ISLAMABAD, originally uploaded by www.first-pakistan.blogspot.com.

Now people would probably slow down at the said spot to see their speeds .. I hope it gives birth to traffic mayhem on highway, Not!

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Shah Sharabeel hits the city again, this time with a musical tale to tell. The city has seen Phantom of the Opera, Moulin Rouge, You only Merry Twice , and Bombay dreams.

The group on Facebook reveals:

A love story which will sweep you of your feet… you will remember it not for days, weeks or months you will remember it for ages.. A grand Musical directed by SHAH SHARAHBEEL.

A musical you must not miss, It will lift the art of Entertainment to new Heights.

So if you feel you can act, dance, choreograph, design sets, costumes, direct … probably you can jump in to Islamabad Club at 1600 on May 11 for auditions.

More Info.

For Auditions call Tepu: 0345 589 6070

ps: Nay I wasnt paid for this post =\  If you are thinking about that … see if shah sharabeel is reading :~)

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ADMIROR, originally uploaded by Citizen of Two Worlds.

Ah han =)))

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Like dinosaurs, when it comes to Marine life … the only thing that sounds ferociously appealing to me is SHARK. And I definitely never thought that I’ll buy 1 kg of shark for Rs. 195 ;-)

Well not so fast we can now. Metro (yup Metro fever’s now down yet :~)) is letting you do that. last weekend when I went there the fish standing lying tall on the ice was definitely not Shark. When I passed the Marine corner today, wooohooo… Shark … a big big  shark was so aesthetically displayed. I  almost jumped at the sight and a pic of him (or her :D) with the kids was inevitable…. !

So here’s it for ya ….

Meet Mr. Shark and His Kids 

I hope selling Sharks is not violating any rules … shark’s a shark … I dont think its a FARM FISH … any idea if its selling is legally just?

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You definitely have read Fatima’s Marine experience a few days earlier. Finally, I ot the chance to visit Metro too … its huge and its interesting.

The bakery is lucratively enticing  … but then meat section is no less.  Its chilly considering the loadsheddings country-wide … seem like a heaven =)

The Goat and Cow anatomical charts a lot  looked amazing … nicely displayed … ideal for Eid ul Adhaa (Azhaa … if you wana read so).  So now you can know whats a Bong and whats Puth.
Clean, hygienic and  wrapped bakray were  a delight to watch =))  see for yourself…!

Read more

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Even more tragic that all this happened in a Hospital.

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News are Sheikh Rasheed is trying his best for a return in NA. He has already obtained the nomination papers for contesting the forthcoming by-elections from NA-55 constituency.

“Ferzand-e-Rawalpindi” Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has been winning election from the constituency of NA-55 since 1985. However, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) candidates Makhdoom Syed Javaid Hashmi and Muhammad Hanif Abbasi crushed King’s Party candidate Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed with capacious margin in 2008 general elections from the constituencies of NA-55 and NA-56 respectively. Makhdoom Javaid Hashmi vacated the NA-55.

Sheikh Rasheed will contest eighth consecutive election from the constituency of NA-55.
The by-election will be held on June 18, 2008.

Good Luck Sheikh Sahab :~P

Courtesy: The Nation

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Like every 1st May, posts are made and news pieces are written all over the globe to share the care we have for the labor class.

Regardless of the fact that do we pay any heed to their needs or the simple fact they are all-human-just-like-us on other 364 days of the year; the picture below can cause anyone to feel instantly en grief for the poor kid who’s working when he’s still a youngling. But in today’s soaring dearness what more to expect?? Be it an adult or a kid … both have to work hard to earn a few bucks only. That hardly helps in meeting the two ends.

I read a few articles today and ‘am for many days crying out about CHILD LABOR at large. The situation seems similar to those earthquake days when, oblivious of the difficult terrain of Kashmir, western media was saying Pakistani army is not just trying hard.

Child labor is an issue that needs to be healed deep. When their are mouths to fed, they dont care about age. And for that matter should they be?? With milk, oil, flour, meat, chicken, eggs, vegetables, rice … all out of one’s reach … you can do two things. Either Steal/Beg or Earn. And they are earning.

What do you think?? Will we be able to eradicate this … will we ever be prosperous enough to give books in these beautiful lil’ hands. About knowledge, they are gaining it though the hard way.

As for US, we are enjoying yet another off-day … sad it doesn’t collide in with the weekend.

<< Haymarket Affair in Chicago

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When I went to the Marriott recently with my family, I felt like we were making a trip to a foreign country. I am alluding not to the stark and opulent contrast of the hotel to the rest of the country, but to the gauntlet of security checks we had to permeate in order to get inside and finally reach the Nadia - where we only really intended to have an innocent little high tea. Now, while I am getting used to seeing all the metal detectors and airport-style x-ray things at hotels and shopping areas alike, the obstacle course at the Marriott was still rather overwhelming. I realized just how overwhelming when I entered the lobby and the very first thing I thought to myself was upon seeing the aquarium: “These fish probably have more peace of mind than anyone else in the city, living in a fortress like this.”

I shook the thought away and resumed making my way to my tension-free high tea.

The whole thing reminded me of another similar experience a couple of months ago at the Serena. My friend and I had taken the wrong bus from Quaid-e-Azam University, and after being taken through all sorts of irrelevant sectors, were alarmed to see that we were heading back to university. Wanting nothing more than to avoid completing a full circle and ending up back where we had started, we told the bus driver to let us off there and then. There and then, incidentally, happened to be right in front of the Serena in the early afternoon.

“Want to go inside and explore?” suggested my friend.

“Sure!” I said, always game. So we walked up to the main gate.

Now, my friend wears a nikaab. Not only that: in her arms she was carrying one of our textbooks. And of all the textbooks in the world, it just happened to be the one with the words “International Politics of TERRORISM” written in big letters on the front.

So there we were, two strange pedestrians walking up to the main gate of Serena, one of us carrying a huge suspicious-looking backpack, and the other dressed in a black nikaab and abaaya, brandishing a book about terrorism.

 Naturally, we were stopped in our tracks by a couple of guards and an alarmed-looking man with a walkie-talkie.

 ”Asalamoalaikum,” we said, good-naturedly.

“Walaikumasalam,” replied the walkie-talkie man, warily. ”Aap kahaan say aa rahi hain?”

“Quaid-e-Azam University.”

He scrutinized us more closely, still uncertain.

We grinned back, at our most charming. My friend is used to being regarded suspiciously because of her appearance.

“Aap nay kidher jaana hai?” he asked.

“Er. Lunch karnay?”

He gave us another appraising look and I could almost see the wheels turning frantically in his head. Then he just stood aside and directed us in.

When we were inside, we laughed so much our stomachs ached. We hadn’t brought enough money to be able to afford even a breadstick at Serena, so we just explored the hotel, admiring the architecture and decor and taking joy-rides on the elevator. We even did the old knocking on someone’s door and running away bit on the third floor. Then we got bored and decided to leave. On the way out, my friend whipped out her phone and started making a video of the hotel - with no other intention, I assure you, than of immortalizing a memorable afternoon.

From their posts at the gate, the security people stared uneasily. But what could the poor dears do, after all? My friend and I laughed all the way home.

Disclaimer: Some readers have made the error of not reading attentively and assuming that the author merely played a cruel prank on the good security people at Serena. She would like to reassure all such readers that the situation at the Serena was by no means intentional or staged, but purely coincidental. The author has intended no disrespect to any security guards, terrorists, or fish, and is very grateful for all the measures being taken to keep the citizens of Islamabad safe. She does, however, believe in finding humour in (almost) all things.

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It was a little funny - and a little sad - how excited I got the other day upon visiting the Fish section at Metro. Wide-eyed, tugging at the sleeves of family members, going on and on: “They have sharks here! SHARKS!” While other people had their noses pinched and were picking out what they’d like for dinner, I stood there with a gleeful expression on my face and took pictures. I was so excited that I think my blood cells have multiplied tenfold. The only time I’d seen sharks in real life before was at an underwater aquarium in Singapore.

I didn’t photograph all the fish of course, but there were many, many kinds. I kept thinking, if we can have sharks and eels and crabs in a store, we should so have live ones in an aquarium as well. Sharks.. real, whole SHARKS, right here in Islamabad!

Later it also occurred to me that not many people in Islamabad would actually buy these marine creatures, or even dream of eating them. It made me sad to think of them having been rendered lifeless for nothing.

I am seriously considering going back and buying one of the crabs to keep as a pet. I’ll keep him with me for as long as I must, and the next time I visit a seaside town, I’ll set him free.

I wonder how my cat would react to this plan though.

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