Packing up

Project: Making dead kitchen paintings come alive.

Artists: Maarten and Omer.

Random thoughts.

As we cross new milestones, speeding through previously unchartered (though oft-fantasized) territory, new entries are added to the pool of existing ambitions. What were previously fragments of thought in the imagination solidify in front of our eyes, painting a picture of what could lie ahead. It is at such moments when a bit of achievement - a tiny bit, that is mostly owed to the opportunities we get in life rather than our own talents or abilties, - coupled with some adventurous wishful thinking point to new avenues, that proper investigation, research and thought and also some emotional measurement (what is one's "gut feeling" about it?) should be carried out to ascertain one's choices.

Can we leap higher? Are there higher summits? Can we be truly unique and special? Do we have it in us? These are questions that need to be answered.

Academic Year 2005-6. Images

View from window



















View from the Chair

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.

(Most)Rock-stars and other stories

The problem with both seems to be their claim to being champions of all issues ethical and moral. Then something comes up and they see their own interest with it, and its fine to contradict yourself.

Take Ali Azmat (of Junoon fame). He really is representative of the majority of Pakistani media. There's nothing wrong with a uniformed Chief executive for the nation as far as there are more channels (80 in number) and other outlets for people like him to live their lives comfortably. See him explode into a verbal marathon of apologetic mumbo-jumbo justifying their support for the current regime on IM's On the Fringe here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8265162940344781446&q=ali+azmat+IM

Guy doesn't know his facts well though. Talks about Bangalore as heaven (hoping the current govt will take us there) and then says Karnataka has a 100% literacy rate! That's Kerala. Karanataka's is in the 60's.

Another interesting watch is Salman Ahmed's (also of Junoon) documentary on Muslims in America post 9/11. Watch out for his republican aunt. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4899233805507290178&q=junoon

Primrose Hill

(Or how to fit most of the central london skyline in one pic)

The Blue Man Group.

Even before my Blue Man Group-fever had died out, (I saw them at the above performance at Leicester Square) someone had uploaded this at you tube. Please see more of Blue Man performances on Google Vdo's and You Tube, and if possible, go see them live.

So much...

has been seen in the last three days, its just amazing. Some stuff you plan and wait for years to see, and some you have no idea and it just appears out of thin air in front of view and thousands of other tourists and you thank fate/heavens/the Almighty for being so kind.

The Queen outside St. Paul, with Charles and the kids, so near (this while on way to LSE), then seeing/paying a silent tribute (of their love) to Diana and Dodi at the small memorial kept in Harrods, then the museums, then Tariq Ali (finally got to see him, current ppl in my: to-see-list: None(perhaps I need to discover more?)), then seeing the Queen again at the Trooping of the Colours parade today morning and then seeing snippets of the West-End plays (for free) at "West End Live!" at Leicester Square, then seeing an awesome music/dance display by Sri Lankan artistes at Trafalgar Square.

Best days to visit London: Mid-late June.
pics to follow.

View through the window

shots taken of the London sky through the window.

Firing off Job Applications...

... with renewed zeal.

Gotta nail a good job.

Soon...

(Sorry self conscience, but I'll return to passive, non-commital, non-invasive, peaceful mode in a while(if the world permits)Until then, I'm selling my soul. To the highest bidder (or the first taker?)).

Are you Triskaidekaphobic?

It is the fear of the number 13. The fear of Friday the 13th is paraskavedekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia. Yes.

BACK! (and football fever)

Yes. I'm back. Apologies for not being so earlier. But rest assured that I have been involved in "constructive activities" and I am as excited about writing again as you are about reading.

Things are going to be a bit haphazard. I might end up blogging multiple times a day, depending on the amount of interesting stuff around.

So anyways, let's start with FOOTBALL FEVER. As usual, I'm going to be as involved in such a mainstream activity as watching football, as I've been in other mainstream activities of late (Da Vinci code (book/movie) to name one). So yes, I checked the scores of the first game (in case anyone asks) and pleased to know that I'm in the majority of the world population who did not watch the opening ceremony (a minority of 1.5 billion did).

The question on everyone's mind seems to be: Will Rooney play or not? (more sleepless nights)