it's weird how i never listen to the national anthem at home, but now that i'm not home, i'm looking it up on the internet!
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Monday, July 10, 2006
polska!
Yep - I'm here!! The immigration people gave me a less than amazing reception, but the reception outside the airport was great! The weather here is the most talked about topic -everyone thinks it's too hot, I'm thinking it's like Murree in the summers! The campus (where IC will take place) is beautiful, and has amazing dorms! The CC office is really cool (and I mean literally! The AC is blasting away!) and everyone's put stuff up on the walls, and there's radio music blaring away!
Proper agenda starts from tomorrow, and ends in two weeks. By then, we'll have finished planning, and will have moved onto hands-on work with the teamsters.
Haven't seen much of Warsaw, so will post more after a few days!
Proper agenda starts from tomorrow, and ends in two weeks. By then, we'll have finished planning, and will have moved onto hands-on work with the teamsters.
Haven't seen much of Warsaw, so will post more after a few days!
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
ladies and gentlemen...
...the batch of 2006 has left the building...
well...i haven't...and neither has ammar or naureen...but yesterday was the last exam day for LUMS - and for a lot, the last day in LUMS, or last night.
i now know how weird it is saying goodbye to people who've become like an extended family. how do you say goodbye to someone who was there for every important moment in your college life? you can cry, you can laugh it off, or you can do what we did and bury a time capsule (i kid you not!) at 4 am in the morning. i think, for some of us, it was a hassle-less way of saying good bye - no tears, no awkward hugs, or sad faces. we buried it with the promise that the next time we're all together (after graduation) we'll come back and dig it up. so right now, all we have to say is "see you soon", since we have to meet to dig the darned thing up anyway :)
that being said, i only recently realized how much i'm going to miss these idiots who became the most important people in my life - even when i hated them. these were the people who stuck by me in the worst of times, helped me out no matter what i needed, and let me rant and rave about everything under the sun - including them - and didn't say anything back.
...next year won't be the same without you...
well...i haven't...and neither has ammar or naureen...but yesterday was the last exam day for LUMS - and for a lot, the last day in LUMS, or last night.
i now know how weird it is saying goodbye to people who've become like an extended family. how do you say goodbye to someone who was there for every important moment in your college life? you can cry, you can laugh it off, or you can do what we did and bury a time capsule (i kid you not!) at 4 am in the morning. i think, for some of us, it was a hassle-less way of saying good bye - no tears, no awkward hugs, or sad faces. we buried it with the promise that the next time we're all together (after graduation) we'll come back and dig it up. so right now, all we have to say is "see you soon", since we have to meet to dig the darned thing up anyway :)
that being said, i only recently realized how much i'm going to miss these idiots who became the most important people in my life - even when i hated them. these were the people who stuck by me in the worst of times, helped me out no matter what i needed, and let me rant and rave about everything under the sun - including them - and didn't say anything back.
...next year won't be the same without you...
Saturday, May 20, 2006
they do...
apparently, the LUMS ITSC department has a sense of humor...
the new message boards (yes, LUMS finally has them too) have an ITSC problem solving forum, and this is one of their helpful messages:
background: it's hot as hell in Lahore right now
"OK, we have set the session time to '0' in
horde. 0 means "end session when user closes browser window. Hopefully
this will lead to the behavior you have asked for. The change will take
effect when horde is restarted. We will do that when the least number
of users are logged in because restarting will cause the users'
sessions to terminate.
Please close the window when you leave the machine. And close the door so that the cold air does not leave the room!"
the new message boards (yes, LUMS finally has them too) have an ITSC problem solving forum, and this is one of their helpful messages:
background: it's hot as hell in Lahore right now
"OK, we have set the session time to '0' in
horde. 0 means "end session when user closes browser window. Hopefully
this will lead to the behavior you have asked for. The change will take
effect when horde is restarted. We will do that when the least number
of users are logged in because restarting will cause the users'
sessions to terminate.
Please close the window when you leave the machine. And close the door so that the cold air does not leave the room!"
Thursday, May 18, 2006
George Carlin's View on Aging
Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.
"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key. You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . . You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!
But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50, And your dreams are gone.
But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would! So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60. You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday! You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90's, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!
*HOW TO STAY YOUNG*
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them!"
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9 Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key. You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . . You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!
But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50, And your dreams are gone.
But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would! So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60. You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday! You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90's, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!
*HOW TO STAY YOUNG*
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them!"
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9 Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Monday, May 08, 2006
...
i love my gmail inbox right now - it's completely empty (yes, i'm part of that irritating group of people who archive all emails after replying!). i'm so happy i finally got through the gazillions of emails that had been waiting for me... yay!
anyway - now that the farewell is over (i made a brief appearance), there's that whole feeling of it's almost over. just these exams left, and May 29th will be the last day this batch will be in the same university. of course, i have to come back after the summers end, but it'll be without all the familiar faces...dang!
anyway - lots of other boring things happening...won't bore you.
anyway - now that the farewell is over (i made a brief appearance), there's that whole feeling of it's almost over. just these exams left, and May 29th will be the last day this batch will be in the same university. of course, i have to come back after the summers end, but it'll be without all the familiar faces...dang!
anyway - lots of other boring things happening...won't bore you.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Friday, May 05, 2006
2 months and counting...
From now onwards, this shall be known as the blog of the IC CC Team Leader Special Events! Just got the email, cannot begin to describe how giddy with joy I am!
2 months from now, I'll be working on the biggest AIESEC conference of the year, with the largest team possible - in Poland!! Yay!
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Coming Home
Somebody forwarded this to me when I was in my sophomore year...
**
When you arrive at college, you know no one, you're in a strange place, and you
can't wait to go home and talk to the friends you left behind. But after a few
weeks, a few months even, you make new friends and eventually get to the point
where you don't want to go home because you don't want to miss a party on Friday
or going to the club on Saturday.
The next time you do go home, it
doesn't quite feel like home anymore. Your little brothers and sisters have
suddenly grown up and created a life that is better than spying on you. Nothing
seems the same anymore, no matter how much you try not to notice or think it's
not true.
When this reality hits, it's enormous, and the fact that no
one understands doesn't help. You find that old friends have moved on, and your
parents get on your nerves even more - they don't mean to, but they do. No one
understands what you have been through, or why you have changed. Only your
friends at school who go through it with you understand. And when you leave at
the end of the year, you leave behind those friends, and take all the memories
with you - the good, the bad and the ugly. It will hurt just as much to leave
your new friends at school as it did to leave your old friends at home.
Home will never seem the same, and you won't be able to bear the wait to
go back in the fall for more fun times, crazy moments and new friends. It
doesn't do much good to explain this to anyone back home, because no matter how
hard they try, they won't understand. Some won't even try. Family members don't
understand what you are thinking when you look around your house and notice that
nothing is the same. They may say you're imagining changes. The empty feeling
you get when you realize how much things have changed and how much you have
missed back home is hard to deal with.
But when you think about how much
you experienced in college and how you have become more independent, that empty
feeling will fade. You will be filled with memories of hanging out in your dorm
room watching movies with new friends, and that warm night you went for a walk
at 3 a.m. just to talk to a friend about a tough time. College things - the deep
conversations, the late-night parties, hours spent laughing at nothing, sad
moments when a friend is hurting - those are what will stand out the most in
your mind. In the end, you will realize that college is one of the your best
experiences.
**
When you arrive at college, you know no one, you're in a strange place, and you
can't wait to go home and talk to the friends you left behind. But after a few
weeks, a few months even, you make new friends and eventually get to the point
where you don't want to go home because you don't want to miss a party on Friday
or going to the club on Saturday.
The next time you do go home, it
doesn't quite feel like home anymore. Your little brothers and sisters have
suddenly grown up and created a life that is better than spying on you. Nothing
seems the same anymore, no matter how much you try not to notice or think it's
not true.
When this reality hits, it's enormous, and the fact that no
one understands doesn't help. You find that old friends have moved on, and your
parents get on your nerves even more - they don't mean to, but they do. No one
understands what you have been through, or why you have changed. Only your
friends at school who go through it with you understand. And when you leave at
the end of the year, you leave behind those friends, and take all the memories
with you - the good, the bad and the ugly. It will hurt just as much to leave
your new friends at school as it did to leave your old friends at home.
Home will never seem the same, and you won't be able to bear the wait to
go back in the fall for more fun times, crazy moments and new friends. It
doesn't do much good to explain this to anyone back home, because no matter how
hard they try, they won't understand. Some won't even try. Family members don't
understand what you are thinking when you look around your house and notice that
nothing is the same. They may say you're imagining changes. The empty feeling
you get when you realize how much things have changed and how much you have
missed back home is hard to deal with.
But when you think about how much
you experienced in college and how you have become more independent, that empty
feeling will fade. You will be filled with memories of hanging out in your dorm
room watching movies with new friends, and that warm night you went for a walk
at 3 a.m. just to talk to a friend about a tough time. College things - the deep
conversations, the late-night parties, hours spent laughing at nothing, sad
moments when a friend is hurting - those are what will stand out the most in
your mind. In the end, you will realize that college is one of the your best
experiences.
by Heather C., Hillsborough, NC
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
i've been thinking about skipping the farewell - for those of you who don't know what it is, it's the LUMS equivalent of the "prom", without the dates - anyway...been thinking about missing it. last year was great, it ran on for too long, but things went well - and we threw a good after-party. this year, the party might not even happen. apparently planning isn't the 2007s forte, thus they don't have money to do anything other then a measly dinner and a title! since all i was looking forward to was the party, i might as well skip the whole shingding if there isn't one, go home, get some time with the parents, something i haven't done in a while.
even if i manage to forget the party fiasco, and do attend the dinner, all dressed up in a sari, with hair all perfect and dressed to the hilt, i'm going to get bored halfway through the 430 titles. yep, 430 people will be called on stage to recieve a title - something people may or may not have suggested for them, mostly its a randomly picked song. we suggested that we could skip the whole title thing this year, why does everyone have to walk on stage like there's a parade happening. but when the organizers (the 2007s) suggested it to the rest of my class, supposedly things were thrown at them...which is just stupid!
so there went my brilliant plan of just having a concert and dinner, now we have to sit through at least 7 hours of titles (1 minute per person (yeah right!) = 430 minutes or 7.something hours). thus, i'm thinking about skipping it - after all, it's not a life altering experience...most of us will end up pissed at each other for one thing or the other, the food wil not be eaten (who can eat in a sari?) and the only tangible thing that we'll get will be that one picture we get taken by the photographer at the photo booth (which i've heard they also don't have money for!).
but i know that skipping it will mean i will have to hear the question "but why?" atleast a million times (ok, maybe just a few hundred) between the event and graduation...i'll probably make history - no one misses their farewell - and end up becoming the outcast in the group...no pictures to share, no "d'you remember blah" conversations...
so...still undecided... :)
even if i manage to forget the party fiasco, and do attend the dinner, all dressed up in a sari, with hair all perfect and dressed to the hilt, i'm going to get bored halfway through the 430 titles. yep, 430 people will be called on stage to recieve a title - something people may or may not have suggested for them, mostly its a randomly picked song. we suggested that we could skip the whole title thing this year, why does everyone have to walk on stage like there's a parade happening. but when the organizers (the 2007s) suggested it to the rest of my class, supposedly things were thrown at them...which is just stupid!
so there went my brilliant plan of just having a concert and dinner, now we have to sit through at least 7 hours of titles (1 minute per person (yeah right!) = 430 minutes or 7.something hours). thus, i'm thinking about skipping it - after all, it's not a life altering experience...most of us will end up pissed at each other for one thing or the other, the food wil not be eaten (who can eat in a sari?) and the only tangible thing that we'll get will be that one picture we get taken by the photographer at the photo booth (which i've heard they also don't have money for!).
but i know that skipping it will mean i will have to hear the question "but why?" atleast a million times (ok, maybe just a few hundred) between the event and graduation...i'll probably make history - no one misses their farewell - and end up becoming the outcast in the group...no pictures to share, no "d'you remember blah" conversations...
so...still undecided... :)
Monday, April 24, 2006
Raju...
For a creative writing class, we had to write about someone on the periphery of our lives - then we were told to alter it based on the feedback we got from the teacher/TA/class.
Original:
His day probably starts close to dawn, a trip to the market, a bike ride to LUMS. By the time the rest of us wake up and get to the store - for breakfast, or an early lunch - he's midway through his day, though you couldn't tell that from the way he reacts on seeing each and everyone of his customers. Always a smile, a reference to the previous week or the latest serial on TV. In the five minutes that you are in front of him, you have his attention, even if he has a backlog of orders he has to get to.
You would think, in all this talking, that he would mention his life, but he doesn't. That's because during the day, he's one of the students, not a worker in LUMS who has to go back to a life where he can barely support his family, but someone who relates to the average person in front of him. And for the students, thats who he is, he's the happy guy at the counter and if that's what he has to limit himself to, he will.
But if you sit in the store and try and look deeper, you'll see the stubborn spirit in him, the one that tells him to not care about authority and do things his way, you'll see the wistful looks at the new watches and mobiles everyone's sporting nowadays, the side glance at that hot girl who just ordered a juice, the stolen berries he just popped into his mouth and thinks no one noticed.
If you dig deeper, you can see who he is, and forget his circumstances, and that he's behind the counter and not in front of it. He really is no different than everyone else in this place, he doesn't have to try.
Altered:
The day starts close to dawn, a trip to the market, a bike ride to LUMS. By the time the customers start walking into the store - for breakfast, or an early lunch - it's midway through the day, but the smile doesn't reflect that. "Every customer is special, everyone must be talked to", the mantra goes through his head, "Orders can be caught up with later. Who's that new kid walking in the door? Never seen him before! Salam boss, freshie ho?"
You would think, in all this talking, that he would mention his life, but he doesn't. That's because during the day, he's one of the students, not a worker in LUMS who has to go back to a life where he can barely support his family, but someone who relates to the average person in front of him. And for these students, that's who he is. The happy guy at the counter...
"Raju this, Raju that"...the litany never stops. But somethings make it worth the while. The students treating him like he's part of the gang. Being at the front line, watching it all happen. Joining in the revelry as the LUMS teams beat GIKI again. All this makes it worth it.
It's hard sometimes. Watching all the kids go about their life without a care. A four year education gauranteed by their parent's bank accounts. But if he tries hard enough, he can be just like them, share a few laughs with the popular kids, eat the same food they eat, feel like he belongs.
But there's stubborn spirit in him, the one that tells him to not care about authority and do things his way, there are wistful looks at the new watches and mobiles everyone's sporting nowadays, the side glance at that hot girl who just ordered a juice, the stolen berries no one notices.
Dig deeper, and the real him is right there. Forget that he's behind the counter and not in front of it. He really is no different than everyone else in this place, he doesn't have to try.
I liked the original better - anyway - we don't get graded on assignments during the course, so have no idea how I did...but me is liking this class :)
Original:
His day probably starts close to dawn, a trip to the market, a bike ride to LUMS. By the time the rest of us wake up and get to the store - for breakfast, or an early lunch - he's midway through his day, though you couldn't tell that from the way he reacts on seeing each and everyone of his customers. Always a smile, a reference to the previous week or the latest serial on TV. In the five minutes that you are in front of him, you have his attention, even if he has a backlog of orders he has to get to.
You would think, in all this talking, that he would mention his life, but he doesn't. That's because during the day, he's one of the students, not a worker in LUMS who has to go back to a life where he can barely support his family, but someone who relates to the average person in front of him. And for the students, thats who he is, he's the happy guy at the counter and if that's what he has to limit himself to, he will.
But if you sit in the store and try and look deeper, you'll see the stubborn spirit in him, the one that tells him to not care about authority and do things his way, you'll see the wistful looks at the new watches and mobiles everyone's sporting nowadays, the side glance at that hot girl who just ordered a juice, the stolen berries he just popped into his mouth and thinks no one noticed.
If you dig deeper, you can see who he is, and forget his circumstances, and that he's behind the counter and not in front of it. He really is no different than everyone else in this place, he doesn't have to try.
Altered:
The day starts close to dawn, a trip to the market, a bike ride to LUMS. By the time the customers start walking into the store - for breakfast, or an early lunch - it's midway through the day, but the smile doesn't reflect that. "Every customer is special, everyone must be talked to", the mantra goes through his head, "Orders can be caught up with later. Who's that new kid walking in the door? Never seen him before! Salam boss, freshie ho?"
You would think, in all this talking, that he would mention his life, but he doesn't. That's because during the day, he's one of the students, not a worker in LUMS who has to go back to a life where he can barely support his family, but someone who relates to the average person in front of him. And for these students, that's who he is. The happy guy at the counter...
"Raju this, Raju that"...the litany never stops. But somethings make it worth the while. The students treating him like he's part of the gang. Being at the front line, watching it all happen. Joining in the revelry as the LUMS teams beat GIKI again. All this makes it worth it.
It's hard sometimes. Watching all the kids go about their life without a care. A four year education gauranteed by their parent's bank accounts. But if he tries hard enough, he can be just like them, share a few laughs with the popular kids, eat the same food they eat, feel like he belongs.
But there's stubborn spirit in him, the one that tells him to not care about authority and do things his way, there are wistful looks at the new watches and mobiles everyone's sporting nowadays, the side glance at that hot girl who just ordered a juice, the stolen berries no one notices.
Dig deeper, and the real him is right there. Forget that he's behind the counter and not in front of it. He really is no different than everyone else in this place, he doesn't have to try.
I liked the original better - anyway - we don't get graded on assignments during the course, so have no idea how I did...but me is liking this class :)
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Overload...
Finally, the overload concert pics are online. cool looking team, no? The two lines of people at the back are mostly security and roadies, the most important people in the Music Society :P
Friday, April 14, 2006
Thursday, April 13, 2006
...
don't shoot the puppy
who makes these game?? having said that - it is a must to get to level 14! hilarious!
who makes these game?? having said that - it is a must to get to level 14! hilarious!
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Sunday, April 02, 2006
overload...
last night was another insanely crazy night for the lums music society. the concert, was amazing. i'm too tired to write too much about how it went, but i've heard from people who were there - i was at the gate - that it was great music...and great security - YAY!
the band "overload" is different from the rest as it has in it, pappu saeen, who is plays the dhol. this was my first time watching him perform, and even though i was only there for the last ten minutes or so, it was really really awesome. hehe..that seems like an understatement here. there's really no describing the music, it's just great. there's a post on metroblogging lahore is you want to know more about him.
a huge thanks to the newly recruited security team who had the most difficult first day possible...you guys were awesome!!
the pic i'm putting up, i found on salman suhail's pc, hope he doesn't mind :P
pappu saeen
the band "overload" is different from the rest as it has in it, pappu saeen, who is plays the dhol. this was my first time watching him perform, and even though i was only there for the last ten minutes or so, it was really really awesome. hehe..that seems like an understatement here. there's really no describing the music, it's just great. there's a post on metroblogging lahore is you want to know more about him.
a huge thanks to the newly recruited security team who had the most difficult first day possible...you guys were awesome!!
the pic i'm putting up, i found on salman suhail's pc, hope he doesn't mind :P
pappu saeenSaturday, April 01, 2006
MC Apartment
Hey - After having seens Kurt's random attempts at trying to figure out where the MC apartment is, I finally decided to take pity on everyone trying to guide him and post the picture up myself :P
*finally got the postcard, the office says thank you*
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