Au revoir

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Last year, for a week or so, my boss asked me to time-in at 9 which means to wake up much earlier than usual. I saluted those people who wake up early and embrace the polluted air, honking buses, side-hitting bikes, and long queues at the signal. I spent that week cursing drivers, pedestrians, and many other things and sighed thankfully when it ended.

For two consecutive years, I enjoyed the luxury of coming to work at 10 am. It’s the kind of time people wish for but to me, it knocked on my door itself. Waking up at 9 and snoozing alarm thrice has almost become a ritual that will no longer be followed.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, only time will tell.

Coming to the office when everyone else has already reached is a privilege in a hustling bustling metro. I hardly had to face traffic jams or wait in long queues for the signal to go green. The best part is I never felt like waking up at the same time as I did in academic days. There were ease and laziness both that prevailed.

But that is not all.

I will have to leave my comfort zone of alarm snoozing, social networking, news watching, boss bugging, team talking, and most importantly bullying. A lot of stuff happened but I escaped all only by wearing ID. I write this while getting info on renewing my driving license which I never bothered before. And yes, I will also miss the untimely buzz on my phone.

Things are always sweet & sour at work but it’s the sweetness that keeps us sane.

So I am hoping that when I bid my farewell, my tenure here forms into sugar cubes to keep me strong and going.

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Ban Book

And finally the Facebook is banned in Pakistan till May 31st, 2010.

The order came from legislative level nationwide after much hype of created from Pakistani facebookers against "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day". Since morning the news was making rounds and now finally at 5:15 pm, I captured the image on my work desk. 

Hmph, I say we should have ignored these stupid people who are plain attention seekers. But then of all the countries, we pretend to be Muslim's Mecca (Sheikh do you hear me or busy at harem?)

According to my boss, this is a clear conspiracy to keep us away from technology, instead Pakistanis should have created an application or some event where we could draw these Dutch or cartoonists. 

On my end, I think its cruel to me. First Pak. govt. put ban till month end and from June 1st, I will have it ban in my new office. 

Poor me :(



Update May 20:  Wikipedia too is restricted and Facebook banned for indefinite period.

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Cast, Creed, and Men

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A few nights back, during a discussion about men, I realized some use-your-common-sense facts and defended my ideology. The conversation included my mother, sister, paternal aunt and me.

Inter-ethnic unions can ensue in lifelong rivalries and expulsion from a family which makes life harder for the girl especially. With all the enlightened moderation Pakistan owns, the people are still not out of the mindsets which compel them to follow culture, not religion.

Argument kicked off when my aunty said that she thinks Punjabi men are not respectful towards women and cannot be good husbands, my mother followed her.  Her conviction is based on what she or many of us Urdu-speaking are instilled with since childhood against the Punjabi, Pathan, Sindhi, and Balochi. And I personally don’t blame them for this because the situation is vice-versa all over Pakistan.

According to my mother, men from tribal or feudal backgrounds don’t consider women human and mistreat them. I countered her by citing examples of so-called sophisticated Mahajir men who have beaten their wives, abused them, and womanize. Both of the women were quite.

I think that even after knowing the truth, we are not courageous enough to defy the system. Men or a woman must not b stereotyped on an ethnic basis. Men are mostly what their mothers make of them.

I have met people from various backgrounds who consider Mahajir men to be more sophisticated than any other ethnicity present in the country. I tend to disagree with them because humans should remain humans instead of being identified from their caste or creed. Baloch man can be as good as any Urdu speaking.

If a man had to be identified by his ethnicity, then am sure, the finest men should be Arabs for Muslims.

Muslims are just too good at denominating themselves into sects and Pakistanis master the division of a nation.

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