name: nida rasheed

nickname: there have been several attempts to invent one, but none have stuck :) my name's short enough without needing a nickname...

languages spoken: english, urdu. i can understand punjabi, but any attempt to speak it usually causes the listener to laugh till they cry...

countries visited because of AIESEC: india, romania and poland...

favorite colour and why: i'll have to say blue. it calming, but fun at the same time.

what you wanted to BE when you were a child: i wanted to be someone who worked with wild animals, either because i was involved in conservation efforts, or as a photographer.

now, what do you want to do when you grow up: i want to start my own event management company in pakistan.

favorite book: to kill a mocking bird

favorite movie: almost famous

What song is stuck in your head right now: chelo - cha cha ( IC '06, CC dance!!)

Why I joined AIESEC: someone said i'd get to travel, and develop as a person. more importantly, they said i could go to india within the month. i stayed for completely different reasons :)

Passions: AIESEC, conservation, and anything else that has anything to do with animals (including animal planet!!)

Nida 2010: if my parents get their way, i'll be married with two children, probably named chintu and mintu while living somewhere close to them.
if i get my way, i'll have finished my @ internship and will be working full time in event management. i'll also have travelled to 25 countries by then, all set to achieve my goal of 30 countries by the time i hit the age of 30!

blogging ramadan...

Name: Nida Rasheed

Age: 22

Location: Lahore, Pakistan

Nationality: Pakistani

Religious background: Born a Sunni Muslim, I now fall into the "not religious" category

Current occupation: Student, President AIESEC Lahore

The thing I love the most about Ramadan: How excited people get when you talk about Eid :)

The hardest/most annoying thing about Ramadan: Water...

What I want to get out of Ramadan this year (learning/spiritual etc...) Learn to be more adaptable, accepting of other people's behaviours. Be nicer :)

My best Ramadan memory: I live on campus, and my first year here Ramadan was in the coldest winter days. I'll never forget how some students would come for Sehri (5 a.m.), all bundled up, some with a blanket, so that they wouldn't get cold on the walk from the dorms :D

The paradox of our time.

A wonderful Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet m ore problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get u p too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the m oon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and l ess.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. T hese are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember, to say, I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

short update...

yes, i'm horrible since i don't blog more often :P no time to do proper (read: long & meaningful) posts, but here's some updates:

1. am back in LUMS, classes have started. am loving/hating the life :D
2. AIESEC Lahore in the middle of recruitment! yay! am loving it!
3. missing everyone from the CC. too much i think :)
4. my brother's getting married in 3 months! excited beyond belief! it's a nine day wedding!! more details on the wedding later.

have a class to catch now!

Tagged by
Pierre

I am thinking about...
the "pierogi" I had for lunch ;)

I said...
a full sentence in Polish today :D

I want to...
go back in time and start my CC experience all over again!!

I wish...
I had more time to do all the things I want to do

I miss...
home :)

I hear...
the voices of people from 24 countries in the background :)

I wonder...
what happens to us after we die

I regret...
nothing

I am...
a work in progress

I dance...
not so well :)

I sing...
only when I'm very happy

I cry...
when I feel helpless

I am not always...
excited. (contrary to popular belief)

I write...
when there's too much going on in my head:)

I confuse...
everyone because I talk too fast

I need...
some time to myself everyday

I should try...
being less bossy

I finish...
university in three months!

I tag...
Romeo, Xeb, Kurt, Naaz, Nic, Nicole, Saba, Sohaib, Ahmed, Ehsan, Salman Suhail, Sharmeen, Aqeel

If you comment on this post::

1. I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll challenge you to try something.
3. I'll pick a colour that I associate with you.
4. I'll tell you something I like about you.
5. I'll tell you my first/clearest memory of you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something I've always wanted to ask you.
8. If I do this for you, you must re-post this on your blog.

(Clockwise from centre bottom) Nicole, Emad, Nida, Puneet, Joanna, Saba, Kurt
National President's Meeting

I was originally going to post something really sad, since I'm missing home with a vengeance right now (and home means: family, friends, @Pk, LC members, EBMs, LUMS, my turtles!) but I saw the picture we took at NPM, and I realised that soon I'll be meeting most of these people again. Can't wait!!
Weirdly enough, I even miss things like Emad calling me up to bug me about @ issues!! Have a great time at JNC!

...

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!

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!

i really need to stop accidently clicking on the "reply all" button...!!

just because your mobile phone has a camera doesn't give you the right to snap my picture anytime you want. my shoes have heels that could poke your your eyes out, but you don't see me going around jabbing them in your face do you?

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...

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!"

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.

i'm bored with this template...someone know where i can get a funky new one?
it's weird how, during exams, i'll get every last mind-numbing task done, but will refuse to open my books...

...

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.

The Social Events Team

Team Leader Social Events
Nida Rasheed (Pakistan)

Teamsters
Codruta Stefaniga (Romania)
Dorota Wysoczanska (Poland)
Ekaterina Shishchenko (Russia)
Seun Richards (Nigeria)
Siddharth Shivahare (India)
Vishal Jodhani (India)

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!

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.

by Heather C., Hillsborough, NC

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... :)