• Setting foot into the territory of the capital city, Islamabad, is getting more and more tiresome, difficult, annoying, hectic, frustrating, exasperating and much more, with each bomb blast (including attempts) that is caused in the country or the city itself.
• Reaching Islamabad with ease is inversely proportional to the number of blasts taking place in the city.
• To come to the city of serenity, Islamabad, painlessly is now not more than a sweet & serene dream.
• Ways to reach Islamabad easily and quickly and are only fragments of imagination.
• Anyone who boasts of getting inside Islamabad from somewhere out of the city can only be deemed a “Sheikhi Khora”.

Note: I know time of travel is a significant variable but I had to take out my frustration somehow and somewhere. ;-)

It was the year 1970 when this day got recognition as Earth Day. The founder of this day is considered to be Gaylord Nelson who was a US senator from Wisconsin at that time. He proposed a nationwide environmental protest that would bring the attention of the political higher ups of that time towards this issue. He also hoped to create a strong awareness among the masses that would in turn bring this environment issue onto the national agenda.

Started out as a national protest in the US, this movement of awareness spread among other nations as well. It was 1990 when it went global. That year Earth Day was celebrated by many countries throughout the world. Since then this tradition is being followed regularly, each year.

Even though I have not seen any posters advertising this day on the streets of Islamabad, nor have I yet seen anything related to this in the newspaper, but I believe that out nation is also among those celebrating this day. I, for one, am fully up for it. What about you?

PS: I am not only up for celebrating days but i believe in action as well. Hope you all do too.

More information:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Regional/Islamabad/21-Apr-2009/World-Earth-Day-tomorrow
http://www.earthday.net/node/77
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day

Women's Day

Be it or not… women here are playing their part in homemaking financially or morally.

I sometimes think days like these are probably for west only. Wording it more aptly.. “West kay chonchlay“.   Lives of a common pakistani woman goes unaffected whether it be 8th march or no … you think what about this day? Or even about celebrating such a day?

To read more on Women’s day history, click here.

Image Courtesy: Daily Times

Pretty Flowers

I hope the winter season stays a bit longer but can’t wait to see spring time either.

Danay Getting Roasted

These days he has two types of danay to offer. One is makai (corn) and the other is channay (some kind of chick-peas). He would roast these in front of you in the big pan containing salt of some kind. When he is done, he will transfer those ‘now roasted’ danay to a small paper bag (looks tiny at times) and hand over to you. You can enjoy these ‘healthy’ treats from as low as Rs 5.00 to as much as you can afford & handle (rather your teeth and tummy can handle), not to mention till the danay-wala’s stocks last.

Different Varieties

My mouth is already watering but I cannot spot the danay wala from my window yet. Maybe its too early for him to arrive. I guess I will have to wait a bit and then with my whole army (gal pals in office) I will charge and conquer (satisfy my relish that is).

Energy Savers on Streets

Are we now so “advanced” that we are using energy savers to light our streets? Or have we transformed into such “responsible citizens” that let alone our homes, we are lighting our streets with energy savers to “conserve energy”?

PS: I could be the biggest fool who does not know the difference between an energy saver and the original bulb for such sockets. ;-) If somebody can clarify, please do.

Rally on Jinnah Avenue

PS: I didn’t really put my life in danger so please be at ease. ;-)

Like the other day my mom was coming back from dropping my sister to school (yes I don’t wake up and drop and I’m a lousy son) on her way back (near 9^th avenue, H-8 parallel road). There was a kid around 8 years old with a donkey cart when the donkey slipped and fell and the stuff on the cart fell over it, keeping the poor thing down. If that wasn’t enough the ‘nakel’ was strangling the little fellow. The kid was screaming and asking out for everyone to help him and crying on the top of his voice. The things were too heavy for him to lift them alone, while the poor creature struggled to breath. Mom dropped to help the child but just couldn’t while everyone just passed by late for work I presume.

So ya, I just love Islamabad for its fancy schools and its fancy education, let’s bring justice walks and save the world parades. So welcome all, to Islamabad the Educated!

Time to go home is near once again and I am having jitters just by thinking about yesterday’s traffic jam. I don’t want to meet the same fate again and I don’t want that dreadful headache. I want the Expressway to be ‘free’ of such bottlenecks. Let’s see how the Expressway treats me on today’s journey home. I am keeping my fingers crossed. :-D

(Fake perfume Man)

It’s natural human nature to want to feel good. Feel fresh. Hygiene is the word they give it. In the quest to be hygienic a human being uses the help of many a things. Water, soap, face-wash, and last but never the least important thing, perfumes. They apparently come in all shapes and sizes. Some are cheap, some are not.

Here is the tale of a person selling these very perfumes claiming they are “100 % original”. You may come across this table in the picture above if you stroll around the “Gol Market” in Jinnah super and go towards the parking area. Attractive table I tell you. Loads of different colorful bottles, posters, the whole nine-yards. Everything you’d want in a good perfume/fragrance store, right at your disposal. The reason I am writing this is to let all who read know that these perfumes/fragrances, that the seller dude claims as being original, are sadly NOT original. You may find a “daniel hill desire” instead of a “dunhill desire” and be told by the seller that it infact is ” a misprint”. Many people in the quest for cheap fragrances that seemingly look “good” get ripped off here. He will tell you that this is ‘custom ka maal” which some “Pia dude” bought. The story as it stands, is not authentic because he tells one person something else, and one person something else. Cunning salesman. But then again, people would argue “this man needs to make a living too”. But then again, he could tell people they are fake, and earn a living too. He charges 1200 rs for a cologne to one person and for the same cologne, he charges someone 1500. The tricks of being a salesman, look for people who WANT something badly and rip them off as bad as you possibly can. I have passed by this table many times, even stopped to listen to what he tells his customers. But then again, if someone from the PIA brings them in, however he does, i’m sure he tips people off too so that they don’t get caught. I am not aware of the custom repurcussions for bringing in stuff from outside and selling it telling people it’s from the customs but this person right here, this person in the picture, is just a poor salesman who tells people what his cunning senior salesman tells him to say.

So people, the next time you want to buy a “branded” perfume for a loved one or for yourself, in order to save yourself a few hundred rupees, don’t get ripped off and buy stuff from here. It’s fake, it starts to smell weird after a while, and the bottle does break.

Hooray for daniel hill.. ermm dunhill!!! *waves hands*