Academic Year 2005-6. Keywords.
Etihad. Heathrow. Long X-ray queue, spending 2 extra hours like all other students (folks at home getting worried something was wrong). Mahmood Mamu. The Tube (first time after 7/7, realizing it was just normal). Nice meal at Kingsbury. Wireless signal(s) from Mahmood Mamu’s neighbors on my laptop (the west is indeed free). LSE (all deserted (3 tuns, etc. closed)). LSE Private Accommodation Office. Tec(first ADMIS-er). London Underground by day, so many people everywhere. Library (past the turn-stiles).
Samad. Registration. Collective house hunting. Discovering Thames(‘s close proximity to LSE). Chicken Cottage. ADMIS induction. Ian Angell. Smithson. Sudhanshu. So many other people taking the course (relief). St. Athans Hotel (cheap BnB near Russell Square recommended by LSE Accommodation office).
Classes. Angell’s first Lecture on Failures of IT. Bowden Court Hall, Notting Hill Gate. Alberto (Football fan(atic) Spanish roommate). Anna (finally someone at Bowden Court you did not have to repeat sentences for). Long walks on Oxford Street and Covent Garden. Ramadhan (no access to any kitchen, no sehri, breaking fast with juice on the way back, an hour before dinner at Bowden Court mess opened). South Asia Earthquake (why us always, in everything?). Walking to LSE and back via Oxford Street (all proceeds to earthquake relief). Cricket, England’s tour of Pakistan (Thank you Lord. Thank you Inzi, Shoaib, Woolmer, Kamran Akmal and the rest.(Not all is bad), Reading cricket headlines on the streets in Evening Standard stalls, pathetic coverage in the English press, English penchant for excuses on losing (“Hotel fever” in Pakitan’s case)). Eid! Bumping into Samad on Bakerloo line on the way to Eid prayer! (yet another sign)
Dashing off to Lionel Robbins building to catch Ken Livingstone (mayor of London) speech, ending up sharing elevator space with him (what A city!) George Galloway @ Old Theatre (Smashin’). (Non-academic material at the) Library (Leftist literature heaven). Carsten Sorensen’s lectures (Mexican waves in class). Accomodation Office reply. Great Dover Street Residence. Shifting (lugging suitcases up and down the tube and changing lines, with physical and moral support from Samad). A Kitchen! First (ever?) self-cooked meal: Tuna/vegetable/chicken sausages (I was too excited). Flatmates. Salsa (heh). Systems Design Project Group 27: Alex, Ken, Ugo and Kabir.
Abu’s sickness. Dashing home (as planned). Second (and more) opinions. The pain. The strength. The will. The prayers and the concerns (of people I had just come to know). Coming back, only when I made sure I would be returning. Lent term. Abu’s surgery date. Everyone’s support. Dashing home again. Saadia getting me from airport (wow (I feel old)). Seeing Abu. Mafraq Hospital (meals). The surgeon (angel). Uncle Razzaq (angel II). Uncle Azhar (good times at the hospital). Abu back at home. Saadia the official family driver. Ammi’s food. Catching up with live Cricket and Pakistani Politics with mom and dad (life).
Back in time just before the Lent term action picks up. IT and Development (nice(the human side of things). Techno-legal perspectives of Information Systems (wow(the cool side of things)). Oxford Internet Institute. Getting to know more people: Sudhanshu, Kabir, Maarten, Assel, Umer bhai, amongst others. Getting to know Samad better (and vice versa, over table tennis, long, very late walks in the heart of London, political and social debates, discussing new books and movies with political under-tones, cooking). Discussing the journal/publication idea with Kabir (later to be christened IS-Channel during a late night skype session).
The winter that wouldn’t go. What a crappy city. Always running/walking fast to reach the destination. Information Systems. The London distractions: Free music performances, leftist books, humanistic speeches, great people (mostly in a hurry). (The famous Omer Tariq of London’s) Chicken Karrahee. The (Ammi-style) Kebabs (certifications from flatmates of assured success as a Kebab-shop guy). TESCO! ASDA!! Value deals!!! Long talks with Samad and Sudhanshu. Getting to know the Goldman Sachs’ and Merill Lynch’s from the McKinsey’s and the Deloittes. (Forgive me Lord, I am but human)
Leicester Square. Sounds. 101. Prince Charles Cinema. Downloaded movies. Desperate Housewives ;)
The summer that finally arrived. The exam preparation that was pending. Information Systems makes sense (right before exams). IS Channel makes progress. Exams. Afternoons in parks. Mornings in Parks (with the day’s Guardian). Manchester (Baji, Asim bhai and the kids). Manchester (Tooth extraction with Dr. Chao, wisdom tooth (interesting)). Manchester (wedding food and fun with Uncle Azhar and family).
Post-exam chill. Dissertation Readings: Amartya Sen and others. Seeing Brian Eno live. Seeing Tariq Ali live. Seeing the queen live. Seeing Blue Man group (only promo). Results (nice). Packing.
A later update shall be posted as and when more things happen.
Samad. Registration. Collective house hunting. Discovering Thames(‘s close proximity to LSE). Chicken Cottage. ADMIS induction. Ian Angell. Smithson. Sudhanshu. So many other people taking the course (relief). St. Athans Hotel (cheap BnB near Russell Square recommended by LSE Accommodation office).
Classes. Angell’s first Lecture on Failures of IT. Bowden Court Hall, Notting Hill Gate. Alberto (Football fan(atic) Spanish roommate). Anna (finally someone at Bowden Court you did not have to repeat sentences for). Long walks on Oxford Street and Covent Garden. Ramadhan (no access to any kitchen, no sehri, breaking fast with juice on the way back, an hour before dinner at Bowden Court mess opened). South Asia Earthquake (why us always, in everything?). Walking to LSE and back via Oxford Street (all proceeds to earthquake relief). Cricket, England’s tour of Pakistan (Thank you Lord. Thank you Inzi, Shoaib, Woolmer, Kamran Akmal and the rest.(Not all is bad), Reading cricket headlines on the streets in Evening Standard stalls, pathetic coverage in the English press, English penchant for excuses on losing (“Hotel fever” in Pakitan’s case)). Eid! Bumping into Samad on Bakerloo line on the way to Eid prayer! (yet another sign)
Dashing off to Lionel Robbins building to catch Ken Livingstone (mayor of London) speech, ending up sharing elevator space with him (what A city!) George Galloway @ Old Theatre (Smashin’). (Non-academic material at the) Library (Leftist literature heaven). Carsten Sorensen’s lectures (Mexican waves in class). Accomodation Office reply. Great Dover Street Residence. Shifting (lugging suitcases up and down the tube and changing lines, with physical and moral support from Samad). A Kitchen! First (ever?) self-cooked meal: Tuna/vegetable/chicken sausages (I was too excited). Flatmates. Salsa (heh). Systems Design Project Group 27: Alex, Ken, Ugo and Kabir.
Abu’s sickness. Dashing home (as planned). Second (and more) opinions. The pain. The strength. The will. The prayers and the concerns (of people I had just come to know). Coming back, only when I made sure I would be returning. Lent term. Abu’s surgery date. Everyone’s support. Dashing home again. Saadia getting me from airport (wow (I feel old)). Seeing Abu. Mafraq Hospital (meals). The surgeon (angel). Uncle Razzaq (angel II). Uncle Azhar (good times at the hospital). Abu back at home. Saadia the official family driver. Ammi’s food. Catching up with live Cricket and Pakistani Politics with mom and dad (life).
Back in time just before the Lent term action picks up. IT and Development (nice(the human side of things). Techno-legal perspectives of Information Systems (wow(the cool side of things)). Oxford Internet Institute. Getting to know more people: Sudhanshu, Kabir, Maarten, Assel, Umer bhai, amongst others. Getting to know Samad better (and vice versa, over table tennis, long, very late walks in the heart of London, political and social debates, discussing new books and movies with political under-tones, cooking). Discussing the journal/publication idea with Kabir (later to be christened IS-Channel during a late night skype session).
The winter that wouldn’t go. What a crappy city. Always running/walking fast to reach the destination. Information Systems. The London distractions: Free music performances, leftist books, humanistic speeches, great people (mostly in a hurry). (The famous Omer Tariq of London’s) Chicken Karrahee. The (Ammi-style) Kebabs (certifications from flatmates of assured success as a Kebab-shop guy). TESCO! ASDA!! Value deals!!! Long talks with Samad and Sudhanshu. Getting to know the Goldman Sachs’ and Merill Lynch’s from the McKinsey’s and the Deloittes. (Forgive me Lord, I am but human)
Leicester Square. Sounds. 101. Prince Charles Cinema. Downloaded movies. Desperate Housewives ;)
The summer that finally arrived. The exam preparation that was pending. Information Systems makes sense (right before exams). IS Channel makes progress. Exams. Afternoons in parks. Mornings in Parks (with the day’s Guardian). Manchester (Baji, Asim bhai and the kids). Manchester (Tooth extraction with Dr. Chao, wisdom tooth (interesting)). Manchester (wedding food and fun with Uncle Azhar and family).
Post-exam chill. Dissertation Readings: Amartya Sen and others. Seeing Brian Eno live. Seeing Tariq Ali live. Seeing the queen live. Seeing Blue Man group (only promo). Results (nice). Packing.
A later update shall be posted as and when more things happen.
posted by Omer at 2:22 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home