I was “THERE”, headed towards Zero Point and eventually Jinnah Avenue, when the signboard said “You are HERE!”.

You Are Here

Now i am confused that WHERE my location was. “Here”, “there” where? Probably “somewhere”. But does anyone “care”? Yes or no would anybody like to “share”? I must be “beware”, not to make anyone “flare” (up). Thanks you all for your stamina to “bear”. *giggles*

And now for the pleasure of the travelers, the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) presents blockage of yet another piece of another road of Islamabad. Painted concrete blocks have been used for visual pleasure. The blockage spreads over a little area that starts in front of the Capital Development authority building till the end of the ISI building. The blockage makes sure that while one is on Shahrah-e-Suharwardy and headed towards Abpara, one has to take many U V W turns and detour towards the destination via either Kashmir Highway or several smaller roads on the other side. The other side of the double road (Shahrah-e-Suharwardy), from Abpara to Zero Point has generously been left un-blocked. This is a limited time offer and may be discontinued anytime ITP personnel please. So do not waste time and avail the opportunity to travel on this currently un-blocked side of the road.

Everybody is welcome to come to this area for the first time and get stuck there, only to be redirected by the ITP representatives to some other road. Regular travelers are welcome to pass by that blockage and look at that route with a heavy heart full of hope for the restoration of that path.

Stay tuned for more “attractions”!

And when the sunlight shines on the towers of Islamabad, it only enhances their grandeur.

Shaheed e Millat Secretariat & State Life Building

Ok since everything seems to be falling apart right now (at least seems like it). I thought it would be a good time to post something completely irrelevant, something that doesn’t make my blood boil or give me sleepless nights.

Whenever there is a industrial area near a city like we have one in Islamabad. There’s always the matter of pollution, the traffic and all its issue and I totally agree to that. I really do, but the fact is it’s not going anywhere for quite a while. So if we have to live with it why not enjoy the good stuff, yes I did say the good stuff. You can always see the glass half full now can’t you (didn’t we learn anything from psychology class?). So this is my way of seeing the glass half full. I drive past this place for years now, the molten red Iron, the masked works men and tons of iron it’s just surreal somehow.

So let’s just sit back relax and enjoy the crises.Here a little glimpse into a factory at 3.00am.

(more…)

Right now this might look like the stairway to heaven, but i think this is the possible elevated pathway (crossing) for pedestrians on the Islamabad Expressway.

Pathway/Crossing

I am pretty certain that this will turn out to be an overhead bridge for people on foot, making it easier for them to cross the road (reason for this assumption is the similarity of this structure with the the under construction overhead bridges on 7th Avenue). At the same time it might make the life easier for the motorists who might get rid of the yellow speed breakers on the road. Pat on the back for whoever has taken up this initiative to get these bridges built. A little spanking for them as well because it took them so long to take some appropriate useful action.

PS: I guess all will be well if the end is well. ;-)

The weather yesterday was rainy but lovely. Everything looked squeaky clean. The scenery presented a wonderful display of splendor and serenity. Even the market places looked nice. It was a bit difficulty to move around because of water up above (rain) and down below (puddles). *giggles* But it was worth going out and physically experiencing the weather. I for one, went to Gol Market in Jinnah Super. Here is a glimpse of how it looked:

Gol Market: From Afar

The multi-coloured umbrellas put in place also gave the market a nice loook:

Gol Market (Closeup)

It looked much more marvelous than these pictures and it was fun having the hot “shawarma” there in the slightly chilly atmosphere. This place is recommended to all to go and have some outdoor food/fun. :-)

For the past couple of days I have been passing through these mini ‘cars kay darya’ (rivers of cars). Traffic jams are now a part of my life but these new mini jam-like formations were a bit annoying.

Cars Ka Darya

The first day was the toughest I guess. When I approached to plunge the first mini jam, I was wondering what was causing it (I passed through two more on my way to office). I tried using up all my grey cells thinking about the reason but failed (both at using up all the grey cells as well as finding the clue to the problem). Then I uttered this a bit loudly. My confusions were instantly removed by my father. Here’s what was causing the ‘problem’:

Yello Bump

These yellow speed breakers were tiny but were seemingly causing massive halts to the raging traffic. At first I was annoyed as well as furious on seeing these speed breaking, jam causing yellow elements on the Expressway. But soon I realized the purpose and calmed down.

The Expressway is not passing through far off unpopulated lands. It passes through very richly populated areas. And when this is the case, people on both sides of the divide need to cross to the other side from time to time. Generally the cars on that road are speeding and rarely ever slow down to allow the pedestrians to walk across. If that continued, it would have become a bigger ‘hell’ for the people on foot to cross the road (since the road is not better and wider, it results in more speeding cars).

So I am now welcoming these yellow speed breakers as a positive change. What about the rest of you?

I was busy working (ok i was surfing a bit too) when i heard a mob like noise that was coming from outside. I got up, went up to the window and looked outside to find out what was going on. I saw a group of people walking walking on Jinnah Avenue and chanting some slogans. I could not find out what the rally was about. Even though i hung myself out of the window (as much as i could without falling) to catch a glimpse of the writings on the banners, but i failed. Today i tried finding about the rally by scanning the newspapers but failed yet again. If anyone knows, do let me know. Meanwhile check out the snap i took by putting my life at risk by hanging out of the window. ;-)

Rally on Jinnah Avenue

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

Yesterday (Friday) the weather in Islamabad was rainy and cloudy. In other words it was really lovely and romantic. I was having a hard time keeping myself glued to the seat working and not going up the window more frequently to catch a glimpse of the fluffy friends in the sky. I did manage to enjoy the weather on first contact basis (and not from the window) during my lunch time. The plan was to walk up to Mr Cod, have a meal and walk back. The ‘walking to’ part could not be fulfilled as the drizzle got heavy that time and we had to get a taxi. But the rest was successfully accomplished. Woo hoo!

Here’s how the clouds looked through the lens of my cam and the window of my office:

View of the Clouds from Green Trust Tower (My Office)

The ‘towers’ of Islamabad looked really cool under the white candy floss (read clouds):

Islamabad 'Towers' Standing Tall Looking Cool

I have one last shot from yesterday to share. Took it from the wooden rail of China Chowk underpass. Aren’t the clouds hovering over Margalla Hills amazing? I know they don’t look half as good in the picture as the real thing, but at least they do look good:

Clouds Over the Margalla Hills

Looking forward to seeing more such clouds on Monday. :-D

This is a test of your knowledge and observation power. This is a challenge. This is a chance to shake your grey cells and dazzle the rest. This is …. umm I guess i better stop with this and get to the point. Well this is a sign board that says ‘Marvi Road’. Many of us would have passed by it some time in our life (if we are in Islamabad or visit it frequently). Many of us probably pass by it every day. So who can tell the whereabouts of this board (and off course the road)? Can you tell of any nearby landmarks as well? ;-)

Marvi Road

PS: If your answer is wrong, you will not be judged or banished from here. Give it a try! ;-)