let me wallow!!

have you ever had an epiphany? a revelation so great that you feel its surreal, ephemeral even? me neither. what i do come across are blunt bits of 'in yo fayce!' truth. some things i can live with, some not so much.

lately something happened after which i wanted to really get into the zone (of my sadness). i wanted to shut people out, be passive aggressive, seclude myself, take lonesome walks in the cold, smoke up, the works... but something really really different happened this time; i rode my cycle and everything seemed to be right (read: this friend of mine refused to let me drown myself in sorrow. she called and texted, and came by and made me feel like it's always alright. atleast not as bad as we might want to think it is. and especially that nothing is as bad as it seems in the present. if only i had wallowed in sadness completely for a couple of days i might actually had been depressed. and now she's gone made me feel kinda stupid for almost feeling sorry for myself, given it doesnt take a lot to get me there).

if only all problems in life could be solved by a bit of cycling!

growing up

there's a reason why i never like movies like Wake Up Sid: they're too real for me. most people watch a movie like that and go 'meh...' and i'm like 'wtf! gtfomofo!' because i like to think my life is something unique until some asshole comes along and makes a movie about some of it. is that the height of individuality one can possibly achieve? to be one-upped by a bloody bollywood movie?

do you know i still don't have a clue about what to do in life. i thought i was unique in that thought.. but no, turns out there are millions just as lost as myself, and i'm just one of that million.. this is not where i want to be, and i've got no one to tell me which way is up.. people say its maybe a good thing to let one "discover" things on their own, which is a bag of shit on fire really.. because sometimes, someone does need you to tell them what to do and take some blame for any shit that hits the fan along the way..

i need to grow up, but growing up means having to realise that the afore-written paragraph is crap, and one really does need to make the right decisions and own up to them to grow... as a person...

my response to: Proud to be a Fastian!

Obviously, the smart thing to do is to appreciate your university and remember the good stuff. Most mistakes/misfortunes in life, we can choose to forget, but ones university is the one thing that NO ONE lets you forget; friends, family, em...ployers, colleagues, subordinates... children. Its the one thing that can never be wiped clean, never forgotten!
And about appreciating the finer things about the university that granted us Undergraduate degrees like they were used shoes; what bothers (at least me) isn't what was wrong with the university, but how wrong it was, and how good it could've been, if not for the douchebaggery of a lot of different individuals. Its about extant expectations crushed in an instant (a semester), its about nascent dreams blown away... but well, I don't suppose this is either the time or the forum for a veteran Fastian to launch a tirade against the organization which, admittedly, did give him a couple of very good friends and taught him a lot about life.

the thing about photos

I couldn't ever really define what i like about photos. For one, its easier to just see with your eyes than take a picture; you remember most of it anyway. And capturing a Kodak moment is one thing, but taking a good photo is really bloody hard, especially with a manual; you're adjusting your position, and your lens, and the aperture, and the shutter speed, AND the iso, and then, leg cramp! yea, it happens that way sometimes.

The thing about a good photo is that it can transform any regular, absolutely average thing or event into something truly magnificent. Some times you can capture something so unique, you might never have known it existed if not for the fact that you pushed that little black button at just the right time. Try taking a picture of the mug you drink tea in everyday, focus on the tip of the rim, and whoa! You'd be like, is that my mug?! and then you'd be like, it totally is! and then you'd be like, sweet! :P

being bored...

A lot happened yesterday, some of which made me realise a couple of things about somethings... Primarily, i realised that its definitely NOT okay just to get bored of something. I pride myself on being very straightforward and kinda blunt, and i like to say stuff like it is. But its not supposed to be done that way all the time. You have to sugar-coat stuff most of the time, and you just can't let people know what you're feeling, because that kind of information leakage comes and bites you in the ass- repeatedly!

Its not okay to just lose interest and get bored of something. When that happens, you should always ask yourself why you're bored, and hopefully you'll come up with something that keeps you interested. Because being straightforward is one thing, and whining like a bitch is another- being an ass is another, but we'll get to that some other day. Spouting optimism isn't really my thing, but i suppose you have to have some of it to stay happy.

i dreamed a dream in time gone by: picture of health

i dreamed a dream in time gone by: picture of health: "day dreamingchain smokingalways laughingalways jokingi remain the samedid i tell you that i love you?[-all saints]"

How To Build A Perfect Footballer

Posted 24/07/10 13:22
Courtesy: Paul little, Football365

As part of the fallout from England's inept performances at the recent World Cup, I have become concerned that should my two-year-old son one day become a professional footballer in these islands he will become just another one of those useless automatons we saw in South Africa.

To avoid such a sorry fate, I have come up with five strategies to mould him into a gifted, intuitive, creative, visionary livewire. I intend to implement some or all of these steps for the good of my son and the good of football. And as the FA considers the development of National Football Centre, perhaps they could do worse than track the progress of my program when they are planning the structures required to return English football to the summit of the international game.


1 - Instil hunger, drive and ambition
It is often argued that the greatest talents of the game honed their talents in slums where kicking a rolled up sock whilst avoiding state-sponsored death squads was the only diversion from their poverty stricken upbringing. To that end, we will holiday in the slums of Rio over the next few years with a view to a permanent move. Whilst I work on arrangements for that, I will be bringing up my son in a cardboard box in the back garden.


2 - Nurture natural balance
Some years back former Ireland boss Brian Kerr remarked that in his latter years in charge of the Irish youth sides the players coming through the system lacked the natural balance and fluidity of movement of their African and South American counterparts. He blamed this on the fact that kids in Ireland no longer played as actively outdoors as they used too. Over-protective parents, computer games and telly were at the heart of this sorry evolution. Kids no longer climbed trees, rode bikes, and tottered along high walls surrounding electricity sub-stations.

To try and counter this, my boy will be denied technological distraction in his early years. He will also have to traverse a narrow beam over a pit on a unicycle to get his meals of chicken, beans and pasta. When he is older, I will have him hunted by a pack of rabid dogs to encourage him to run and climb.


3 - Low centre of gravity
I have noted that many of the world's great players at the present are short in stature. Xavi, Iniesta and Messi are the obvious examples. Consequently, I am investigating ways of stunting a young man's growth to ensure that critical low centre of gravity. Does smoking still do the job? Or would placing heavy weights on hid head and shoulders be more effective?


4 - Awareness
Watch Xavi, Iniesta, Messi - their peripheral vision is so impressive that surely there is more at play? Have their other senses - hearing or smell, for example - been enhanced in some way?

It is worth investigation. So, I'm considering some drills where family members will throw objects at the young lad as he plays, to try and get him to get his head up and encourage greater awareness. As he develops, we may increase the difficulty with the use of a blindfold, scented rocks and a large cudgel with small bells attached.


5 - A controlled diet of televisual football
Eventually, the boy must see football on the telly and be encouraged to dream. English football will not be allowed - for there lies only ruin, heartbreak and confusion. I am considering a controlled and rigorous immersion diet of Barcelona in full flow. To that end, I have purchased a set of the eyelid clamps used in Clockwork Orange as visual aids.

Paul Little

my blog is carbon neutral... or at least it will be...

I've added a badge and heres a link to the webpage: http://www.kaufda.de/umwelt/carbon-neutral/
its a german initiative by the looks of it, and its great, and heres why:
when we look at it, it doesnt seem like we're harming the environment at all, sitting comfortably at home, on our laptops, watchin tv... all we're doing is using some electricity right? its not like our tv's and laptops run on fossil fuels or anything... but no, at a macro scale, we are quite directly using raw resources... and on that same scale, we are contributing towards destroying a lot of the environment...
its time to give something back i suppose; and i really hope they do plant that tree, and take care of it too, anything to help yknow...
theres this other thing that came to my mind too; we've been using up a lot of paper to write and stuff, and well, paper comes from trees, and we have contributed to a lot of deforestation in lieu of that, i guess... so if these guys plant a tree for every blog, it might actually reverse that process... i suggest you check out the site if you have a blog, or even if you dont... :)

the frog and me

I used to wonder why the frog is considered the closest to humans (in terms of anatomy). Maybe its because we actually descend from frogs and not monkeys, maybe its just a coincidnence, or maybe God thought that this was the only creature He could spare to teach the humans about their bodies, who knows really?

Now I'm not much of a NatGeo person, but i noticed this one thing about frogs that NatGeo didn't notice. Ever happened to you that you're driving along the road after a nice bit of rain, and you notice that frog on the edge of the road just... there, maybe waiting for you to pass by or something. But as you close in on the frog, it does something amazing; it takes a leap of faith and starts crossing the road, knowing full well that anything could happen now. It doesn't stop, it doesn't turn back, it keeps hopping. Hoppity, hop, then... most of the time; splat!, but sometimes, there's this one audacious frog who gets to the other side of the road. You miss the splat, but you give some solid brotha' respect! to the little green guy who got through.

The point is, that the frog is like us, because it thinks like us! Humans always keep trying to destroy themselves, and not only in a negative way. I suppose that last statement is a little blunt, but the statement comes up quite often in most semi-serious conversations with good company. Facts like what the humans are doing to each other and what humans are doing to the earth are common examples of how humans are destructive by nature. The way we're compared to yeast is also a good example; yeast keeps feeding on its own excrement until its ruined, just fyi. Sometimes humans destroy themselves for a cause, for someone else, for love maybe, i don't know, and most of the time they do go splat, rhetorical of course, but sometimes they get to the other side, and many people acknowledge how amazing a feat they've witnessed against appalling odds.

I've written this between 3am and 4am, which is never a good idea, and it felt like it took me forever. I don't know what its going to sound like later, because i forgot most of what i wanted to write, and this is just a theory; I'll need to get my degree in BioPhysics before I can substantiate my hypothesis, yknow...

like a BAUSSS!!!

Whats the deal with coming on time anyway?! who does that anymore? haven't we evolved enough to do all the work we're supposed to do in twenty minutes less time than usual now? I think we have; maybe even thirty minutes less time.

When i was working in ABB i thought this might be too much site work for my taste, but i really wasn't running the show so i expected things to be different once i got permanent. I didn't get the job there. I kept looking for another job, expecting the average desk job to be one of those pleasures that seemed so distant, and alluring just because of that.

Now i do have a desk job, and apart from the time i'm working,( which is quite frankly, just a little more than half of my office hours) it sucks balls, yes, BALLS!
what, in the name of gillani's left moustache is one supposed to do while not working and still in the office? do you chat? facebook? blog? call someone? something that would make you look significantly busy when you're actually not. Or one could do the "working proactively thing" y'know; that should be something.

i imagine a desk job would only be bearable if one were to be the boss, otherwise...

10 thoughts on England being knocked out of the World Cup

1. This worldcup just came at the wrong time for England. The clubs are in turmoil, there are hardly any English players left in the squads of the major teams. And no Arsene, Walcott doesn't count. And an unfit and off-form Rooney to top it off.
2. For a team that claims to be built from the back, the defensive performance was, simply put, a disgrace.
3. The goal from Upson was fantastic, and had that Lampard goal not been disallowed, the scenario would've been much different. England would've lost on penalties, thats the English way of exiting tournaments, see?
4. The injury to Michael Ballack has been a revelation for Germany because it gave Bastian Schweinsteiger the chance to reveal himself like he did. Ozil and Muller were great too. Muller's first goal; rarely have i seen an assist so selfless! kudo's to Ozil!
5. Beckham looked great didn't he?
6. Contrary to popular belief, there was tactically nothing wrong with England (with the exception of the substitutions made), they just had a very weak squad.
7. After the first three games, Capello should've realised Rooney isn't really working out. He's a great player, but just that he's too out of form right now, and you cant blame him, coming back from injury, its difficult. And thus, he should've given the Crouch-Defoe pairing a chance.
8. The commentator in the England-Germany match made a very insightful comment about the academies in England versus the academies in Germany; clearly, lax spending in that regard in England clubs is showing now. England do have prospects in players like Lennon, Welbeck, Rodwell, Baxter, Gosling etc., but they need to play at the highest level of European football to be as good, and as confident as the German youngsters last night.
9. Capello should NOT be sacked, ever! the formation was sound, the tactics were sound, what wasn't was the squads general fitness and the level of the players involved, none of which were Capello's fault.
10. As a cynic, I have to say: Thank God England's goal was disallowed, because if it were not, we would be looking at widespread riots all across England! Not because England would've won, they would've still lost in all eventuality, but because now the England fan can always say "What if?!..."

blog hop!

Wayne Rooney: Really not all that! (courtesy: football365)

Although I don't agree with all of it, but still its a very well written little mailbox article

Wayne Rooney: It's A Myth
Though it may be unwise to write on the eve of a game where I could well be silenced by the reverberations of a good performance, I thought I'd take this opportunity to ask the media and fellow mail-boxers to stop waxing quite so lyrical about Mr. Rooney.

Aware that my longer and less sensationalist emails are rarely published, I'll try to make this one shorter and unqualified by reasonableness.

1. Wayne Rooney really shouldn't be considered among the best in the world. Certainly he had a good season, but technically it is a little embarrasing to compare him to Ronaldo and Messi, who are just plain vastly better footballers.

2. Wayne Rooney had a good season for Manchester United because the team was built around his strengths. They played a wide 4-5-1 formation that focussed on crossing as often as possible, hence a) he scored an awful lot of headers; and b) Manchester United created an awful lot of own goals. This solution is not applicable to England for several reasons:

i. it would involve having wingers who can cross - and we sent Mr. Johnson home; and
ii. Our other good players don't fit particularly well into it - we'd probably have to drop Lampard, and Steven Gerrard really doesn't have the tactical discipline for any formation which isn't built around him.

Therefore don't expect miracles of him, he'll play for us like a slightly more confident version of the Wayne we saw during the Ronaldo era.

3. Finally, would people please stop advocating a 4-4-1-1 with Gerrard behind Rooney; I'm talking especially to Mr. Shearer. This proposal seems to be built on two flawed presuppositions:

i. this would suit our two most talented players; and
Ii. This has brought the best out of 'Stevie G' at Liverpool.

Erroneous, erroneous on both counts. Gerrard playing just behind a front man requires a front man who actually stays up front all the time, creates space, and finds holes. Mr. Capello tried this formation early on in his tenure, and Steve came off the pitch and said to the media it didn't work because Wayne wouldn't stay high enough. He's a good striker in his own way, but he's not the same type of striker as Fernando Torres.

Furthermore the formation which brings so much out of Gerrard is acutally a 4-2-3-1, not a 4-4-1-1. This may sound trivial, but the former requires two holding players, one of which is a fantastic deep-lying playmaker. Frank Lampard is many things, but a Xabi Alonso type player he is not. Take Mr. Alonso away from that formation and replace him with someone average and/or ill-suited to the role and the end product is a p***-poor season for both Liverpool and Gerrard.

Essentially: leave it to Fabio, there is absolutely no doubt he's already considered your ideas and ruled them out because his appreciation of the finer points of the game are derived from years of footballing experience, not from Championship Manager.

Rant over.
Luke Johnson

10 Conclusions from Brazil 2-1 PRK

1. That commie Korean team is the ugliest team i have ever seen, never mind the football. All of them with their communist red kits, their un-branded commie shoes, and their commie haircuts. Never have i seen a team so unappealing and devoid of flair! and I've seen Greece play.
2. England should learn that playing two defensive midfielders (like Brazil) doesn't mean you can't have a go at the other team.
3. What was wrong with Luis Fabiano last night? if Brazil are banking on all their goals coming from Maicon, then its okay, but if not, then Luis needs to step it up.
4. The lads at 365 say Brazil barely scraped a victory, when that's not true; the way Korea were playing was a good defensive formation to try and go for a draw, but it was bound to break down eventually.
5. AND PRK were lucky, more than anything else, to still be in the game at half-time.
6. I don't know about you guys, but i think Brazil should play with two up front instead of one.
7. Brazil's matches against Portugal and Ivory Coast will be easier to win (and more fun to watch) if they play just a little better than they did last night.
8. Portugal and Ivory Coast's matches against PRK will be just as boring as watching Greece v Slovakia, and will probably be draws as well.
9. Seeing Bastos last night was a revalation. I wonder which big *cough* Madrid *cough* club would go after him this summer.
10. All those commie Koreans were so ooglaaayy! wait, I said that already!

10 conclusions from ENG 1 - 1 USA

1. Rooney will perform best when the fate of the world does not depend on him.
2. Donovan definitely learned a thing or two from Beckham while they were in the states together.
3. England have three right footed right mid-fielders; none of whom can put a good ball in. Makes me wish Bentley were in the squad.
4. Milners apparently best in central midfield. Which explains why he went for citeh and not a champions league club.
5. Ashley Cole couldn't take care of Cherondulou or whatever his name was- shame on him!
6. Summing up Lampards night (see picture):
7. Heskey was Englands best player on the night, and thats saying something!
8. Bob Bradley looks like two G.I. Joe's made a baby, who turned out to be a wuss.
9. Lampard should not start another game for England if they aspire to win this World Cup.
10. Shaun Wright Phillips... I won't even bother wasting blog space on that guy! wait... oh snap!

England 1-1 USA (Part 1 of 2)

So, England drew last night. Now, where to start; Lampard, team selection, lack of spark or how beautifully Donovan's learned to cross in the ball? I think I'll start off with team selection.

Last nights team selection would've been great if England's manager were not Don Fabio, but alas, it was. He's put together a great group of individuals, who for their own clubs are given supreme confidence to have a go at the game if they want, they're all playmakers and finishers (I'm focusing on the midfield right now), but the England setup is structured around one man: Wayne Mark Rooney. As a result of this current setup, Lennon tried to square a ball to Rooney when we all know he was capable of scoring if he just shot across goal around the 30th minute in the first half. Last night everyone attacking for England was trying to do set it up for Rooney rather than have a go themselves. Capello must be a very scary man to have completely destroyed all free will in the England squad! The only three goal scoring chances i remember last night were Gerrard's goal in the 4th minute, Johnson's drive into the box, and Heskey's missed screamer. None of these three moves directly involved Rooney.

I'm not trying to take anything away from Rooney, but with Capello's strategy for England's main man so obvious, all Rooney could do was this:

On the other hand, USA's focus on Rooney did give Heskey a chance to have some of the limelight, especially in the second half. Kudo's to him for the pass for Gerrard's goal as well. I'm not going to talk about Rob Greens misfortune quite yet, still a lot of midfielders left. Lampard for quite anonymous for the whole match, he didn't even look like he was trying. Gerrard did well for me; worked hard, earned his shirt.

Lennon should never had started, Milner should've been deployed on the right with Joe Cole coming in on the left. Aaron Lennon scared the living bejesus out of poor Bocanegra towards the end of the second half, which only goes to say that that is only what he's good for. SWP could've been given ten minutes in place of Lampard at the end.

The Library

I went to the library yesterday with my friend. The only library i'd spent a significant amount of time in was either the library at BDC, which is a long time ago frankly, or the library at FAST. Btw, the library I visited yesterday was the Library at LUMS. Comparing the libraries of my university and my current workplace makes me feel horrible, but I'll do it anyway for the greater good. If the LUMS library was a person, the eye-gunk it would have after a long blissfull sleep would be the FAST library.

The incessant need to ridicule the place I've spent five good years of my life is uncanny. Unfortunately, it has got nothing to do with all that happened between that library trip and now. Being there, and seeing all those books, neatly categorised and just ready for the eager dawdlers perusal, was fascinating. I daydreamed about reading all the books in the World War II section; from the five-volume accounts of Churchill to the books by authors unknown to me on the deceptions by both sides in the war. I imagined writing a paper and getting critical acclaim. I came back soon enough, saw the section on philosophy. I even chose my space in the sitting area this time, wondering what people might make of me sitting hours at end rooted on the same spot taking notes from dozens of books and publications.

It made me think about wether i really want to do that research, or is it just an involuntary, constant and pathetic bid for attention and praise? I use the word 'wether' a lot when i write, its strange how I never recall reading it elsewhere. Anyway, ofcourse having written a paper on something never earlier discussed, or even just being that much more informed about something is an achievement in itself. But I don't think i just want the satisfaction of just knowing all that i (would) know; I'd want to be lauded for it all, and that doesn't happen that easily. Is wanting that too needy, or too normal? Surely people don't write books and publications just to impart knowledge, they do want to be known for their work.

I still got myself a book about Stauffenberg; the guy in the Valkyrie movie. I suppose i can try starting off with something I already know and then move on to things slightly more complicated.

I went to the library to browse through the Physics section today. I was always self-assured about the relationship between physics and myself. I planned on buying a journal and get started on learning it all from the start, making notes, revising all the physics i went through in university and maybe a bit more, give my GRE and get an immaculate score, get a scholarship at Oxford, and teach at USC. The whole idea is plausible, and is directly proportional to the amount of confidence one would have in themselves. I'd wanted to end this on a bombshell, but I got nothing.

"they want you to watch porn you sillys!!"- Tariq Qureshi

Just last night, i was discussing the situation in Pakistan with my rebel mamoo from Purdue, i told him (he's well informed, so he already knew but still he entertained my grievance) how facebook was blocked since yesterday morning, and that youtube and wikipedia were blocked as well. I was all whiny about how there isn't anything left to do on the internet anymore, and after the most briefest yet thoughtful of pauses he goes like "They want you to watch porn, silly!". I laughed so hard I thought I'd probably break something, and it was mostly because it just made so much sense!

it took most of us quite some time to switch our internet browsing preferences from desibaba to sites that construed a much positive influence on our lives like youtube, wiki, and such. And yet more time to stop searching for boobies on youtube and start following people like Norman Finkelstein, Imran Khan and Carl Sagan (and RWJ =3). Just when things got better these ignorant bitches in the Pakistan High Court went on and blocked Facebook and these other sites.

Lets discuss the motive; I got an sms yesterday, the gist of which was that by banning facebook in Pakistan, Facebook just lost 2 Billion Euro, yea you heard me, 2 Billion Euro, and if we keep up this stupidity for the next 7 days, Facebook's losses will reach around 40 Billion Euro. If even for a moment, we consider the aforementioned claims as true, it would be a testament to all those loafers in Pakistan who make a couple of dozen facebook accounts on facebook and send fraaandship requests to women all day, and play a lot of farmville in their spare time (and needless to say add their other accounts as neighbors). Its quite pathetic to suggest facebook would actually be losing money right now, and to talk about this further is like insulting my own intelligence. Haven't they heard of the thing about that the harder you squeeze, the more that will slip through your fingers?

The decision to block out Facebook doesn't make much sense to me, and most such decisions don't, which led me to my Nonsense-lativity Theory: "Blocking Facebook doesn't make sense anyway, and now once that its blocked, unblocking it eventualy would make no sense at all, so if we are to assume that nothing the Pakistani government will do in the future will make sense, then Facebook should be back on in a couple of days." I know! seems simple enough dunnit?!

Commenting on the original "Draw Muhammad Day" issue; the message the muslim populus should have been getting accross should have been that no matter what anyone writes, or draws about the Prophet (pbuh), it will never influence what we think of Him (pbuh) or the regard we have for Him (pbuh) in our hearts. Seems simple enough, doesn't it? (sigh)

me, the bad guy?

http://falseperceptions.blogspot.com/2007/10/bad-guy.html

I just read this post by a friend, and its got me thinking (even amidst the facebook fiasco in the country) about what guy i am. the bad guy, or the bad guy with the dirty little secret...? If we were to assume that one had to be one or the other, i'd probably be the bad guy.

Not because the bad guy is the good guy in this scenario, but because i've found myself in the the shoes of the "bad guy" just one too many times. If only everyone would've read that post i just read.

What to do after Facebook...

No no, put down the blade you were going to cut your wrists with, and get off the roof if you were gonna throw yourself over. This is definitely not the way to cope with the absence of facebook in your life.

You should start off with counting what you REALLY did on fb all day, think about it... think really hard. If any of the things you did involved farmville you should go kill yourself now! drown yourself, its more painful that way. But think about it, you never really did anything constructive on fb anyway. Now you probably think i'm going to try and convince you that its all for the best.

But its not, everyone has the right to waste a bit of time on facebook, (even you losers who play farmville and any other zynga game other than mafia wars) and I hate the PTA for taking that away from us. They should probably be sued or something, but i don't think we can do that in pakistan.

Does the fb block really achieve anything? i don't think so, but we have short memories, and we'll probably switch to something else (you should remember how we discarded Orkut like it was just a piece of meat).

Why I will not boycott Facebook on the 20th

My name is Adnan Ali and this is why I will not sign off or boycott Facebook on May 20, 2010.

As you know someone has created a page on Facebook to collaborate the “Draw Muhammad Day”, NauzibAllah , Astaghfar, shame on the antagonist and participants.

Muslims on Facebook are outraged by this act of blasphemy and due to our immense respect and love for our Prophet Muhammad PBUH, have been reporting the page in the Racist / Hate Speech category. I have done so myself. Apparently Facebook has not acted upon what we Muslims think are its own rules and policies about user generated content on Facebook.

Since then, there has been a growing demand by the Muslims on Facebook to boycott the platform and it has been rumored that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has been asked by the Pakistan government to block Facebook or the disputed Page’s URL. [Update: ProPakistani.pk is reporting that PTA has indeed blocked the Page URL.]

I will not be supporting any such boycott by Muslim users of Facebook, nor shall I support any block or ban by the PTA. Here is why:
1. Boycotts are the easy way out. Boycotts achieve little and they are just a self satisfaction tool.

2. If the 2,359,620 Pakistanis choose to delete their accounts on Facebook, it is going to make no economic or social difference on Facebook.

3. This is a media war. Muslims have always been prone to emotional discourse which provides immense pleasure to our enemies. Moreover, boycotts are going to leave the social media space open for those who hold wrong beliefs about our Prophet PBUH.

4. Why should PTA ban this page in Pakistan? It does not have jurisdiction over other countries. So, PTA is stopping Muslims in Pakistan from accessing this page? How does that make sense? Why are Muslims in Pakistanis visiting this page in the first place? I think that no Muslim worth his salt would visit such pages and therefore PTA can stay away from banning the internet.

5. Allowing government interruption and censure on the internet will lead to precedence. Which sites will be next? Local sites where the government is criticized for politics and policy? This is a wrong and dangerous step and we should not in any case accept government censure of the internet in Pakistan.

6. Boycotting something like this will only give it more life. Imagine all the status messages that have the link of the page. We are actually spreading this virus rather than burying it. Add to this, other pages and groups created by Muslims which highlight the content of the blasphemous page. This is ridiculous behavior.

7. Our emotional outbursts are only going to be picked up by mainstream media and then everyone can join and laugh at our activities.

8. For most of us so called aggrieved people, we disrespect, ridicule and deny the teachings of Prophet Muhammad PBUH when we do not offer prayers, do not fast, lie, steal, bribe or accept bribes, engage in immoral activities etc. So I do not consider that being a Muslim gives us any moral high ground in this situation. As Muslim youth, we are the least educated in Islam. A majority has not opened the Quran or read a Tafseer in ages. A little introspection never hurts.

Here is what I would do if I was so inclined to do so:

1. Instead of promoting the blasphemous content by adding the link to my status message and creating groups and pages that showcase this content, I would sit and contemplate why this is happening.

2. Have no confusion; this is another organized attack just like the original cartoons. They know how we will react to such outrageous behavior. They know that we will boil our blood in emotional outrage and then destroy our own properties, kill our own citizens and provide another body blow to our weak economy.

3. As a reply, I would create a Facebook Group or Page to praise the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, highlight his teachings, his achievements, and his famous sayings, how he taught us to treat the poor and the children and the women. How the Prophet Muhammad PBUH urged caution and care and taught rules even for war.

4. I would ask people to record 1 minute videos about why they love Prophet Muhammad PBUH and recite their favorite Hadeeth.

5. I would narrate how Islam teaches respect for all Prophets of Allah and our faith is incomplete without believing in the Prophets of Allah.

6. I would encourage western and non-muslim scholars to visit the page and add their comments about this issue.

7. I would hope and encourage all Muslims to join this page rather than having small silos of their own. In fact, unity is the only solution here.

I am confident that my solution is better than emotional outbursts and impotent activities like boycotts and governments bans of websites.

The new Miss USA

Just Friggin Inevitable, Wasn't it? - The Mail Online

Bruised to the core, bid team can move on - Times Online

Bruised to the core, bid team can move on - Times Online

the Triesman story

The Triesman Story

some of the awesomest dialogues of ALL TIME!!

Ryu: Get the hell out of my way!
Bison : So, aren't you the big he-man? now is the opportunity to see how good your legendary fighting skills really are!
Ryu: Aah! move or I'll go through ya!
Bison: All this talk and no action, you're probably not too concerned about your friend, he's probably dead by now...
Ryu: I'll show you action!!!



Bison: you worthless maggot! No one has ever toppled me before! (I clearly underestimated this man...)

The name game

I heard the expression 'the name game' used for the first time during the England world-cup selections for the 2002 World Cup. I consider myself something of a tactician, true, that most of my tactics haven't worked out, but still I'm better than most others because I've tried a lot of times. Selecting a workable team for the World Cup seems like an easy enough process doesn't it? But seeing how so many England managers have got it wrong, there really must be some catch to it! Apart from all the bureucratic FA bull, an England manager still has a lot of power and authority, but the system isn't working.
The time has come now for an armchair manager to step up and take the reins! (namely myself). So lets name a properly subjective and biased 30-man England side for once;

Goal Guardians (yes, i coined this just now): David James, Joe Hart, Paul Robinson
Defenders: J. Terry, L. King, G. Johnson, A. Cole, R. Ferdinand, L. Baines, R. Shawcross, P. Jagielka, M. Dawson, Johnson (Birmingham), M. Upson.
Midfielders: F. Lampard, S. Gerrard, J. Cole, S. Parker, A. Johnson, A. Lennon, J. Milner, D. Bentley, G. Barry, P. Scholes, T. Walcott.
Forwards: W. Rooney, P. Crouch, J. Defoe, G. Agbonlahor, B. Zamora. D. Bent.

These are all in order of preference, so, for the 23-man squad, we keep the three keepers, lose the last two defenders, lose the last two midfielders, lose the last two forwards and we still have one extra man. The only area to trim in lose one of the four right midfielders, or accept that Scholes wont be joining us. Even if Scholes doesn't join us, we should take another striker with us. Walcott can be deployed as one, but its really difficult to comprehend what Walcott is about, he was found wanting in the last world cup, and he has been found wanting on most occasions during Arsenal's mediocre season (enough of the team average-age, and long-term plan nonsense, burn Arsenal, BURN!). Milner works his socks off and runs about the field like a headless chicken, but to excellent effect i must say! Aaron Lennon is the best impact winger we could have, and Bentley throws in the most lovely crosses in from the right.
But the real problem with the last paragraph is that I don't see any of our fine right midfielders making their way into even a five-midfield starting outfit. With the likes of Lampard, Gerrard, Parker, A. Johnson and J. Cole, you can't see any of the above mentioned RM's breaking through. The only chance any of them have is if A. Johnson plays like Saeed Ajmal would in Englands friendlies, or if J. Cole asks out Terrys ex.
Another question is wether or not to deploy Rooney as a lone striker. Does Rooney really need someone holding up the ball for him after his spectacular season for United? Its a question I can't answer. The only reason why the Heskey-Rooney love affair works is that only Heskey, of all the potential hold-up strikers, is ready not to be the target man. And its natural, why would Zamora, who's having a fantastic season for Fulham, hold up the ball for Rooney? Crouch could do the job well if he was ever given a starting position, because contrary to popular belief, Crouch really isn't as good with his head as he is with his feet.
This article is giving me a headache! you go Capello!

The 30- man Three-Lions squad is here!

http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_6147280,00.html

shock exclusions of Jagielka and Gabby Agbonlahor. Ridiculous inclusions of Jamie Carra, SWP, and Warnock!

Calling a friend

You pick up the phone to call a friend, you hold the phone, staring deep into its hypothetical eyes. You run your thumb across the green 'send' button... thinking. It looks back at you- the phone- asking a question: "What are you gonna say anyway?". And you start thinking.

You want to talk and you would've called and just done so, if the damn little piece of complicated machinery in your hand hadn't just asked you such an unnerving question right at the last moment. You think (when I say you, i really mean me, but bear with me) hard about what to say, should you just stick to the hi, hellos? Or start off with something dramatic? Maybe burst out into song... Does the other person even want to hear you sing? I'd think not. But you've got stuff on your mind haven't you? Something you want to say so bad, even though its probably not that important. You wonder if you'll get the right response even when you're sure you will. You don't want to sound too gloomy, in case you bring your friends mood down as well. But you don't wanna sound immensely jolly either, your friend might not be in the mood for that.

'buzz!'; new text message, it happens every time you're in deep thought, and you check your message hoping its something awesome. Its a stupid forward message like always. You forgot what you were thinking. You pick up your phone out of habit, the contact book is still open and look at who's names highlighted; exactly the person you wanted to talk to. You remember what you spent the last half hour doing. You clear your mind and just press the green button...

If only calling a friend were as easy as this.

WHAT THE FUCK?!

WHAT THE FUCK is wrong with people in this country? How did we come to this? Why is the model of our society based on screwing people over? Have you ever noticed that people actually take pleasure in screwing over people around them just for the sake of it...?

This is what i witnessed today: I was in the second lane, and this incident took place in the first, this Corolla was driving pretty slow, slow enough not to be in the first lane. Now this other Corolla came up behind the first and started honking the fuck out of his horn like he was gonna crap his pants or somethin'. Now the second Corolla guy was an asshole, I admit, but guess what the first one does? He bloody slams on his brakes and the second slams into the back of the first one. What the fuck was THAT? These two weren't even drivers (chauffers), they actually looked like sane, God fearing individuals. Thank goodness i was moving too fast to witness the end of that debacle!

And yesterday. I was parked in the Liberty U, and actually properly parked (thank my lucky stars!). Anyway, the car to my right started backing out- oh, and for those of you who aren't familiar with the parking situation in Liberty, its a complete buttcrack!; double parking and all that shit- and a car, two cars to the right started backing out. This driver dude was parked behind the car to my right, so he moved his car a little ahead to let the car on my right back out. Now driver dudes who bring the mem sahibs to Liberty really love to properly park their cars, sit in the shit position on the parapet wall of the Liberty walkway and scratch their balls. So like every other ball scratching driver, the one moving his car was eager for the chance to give his a little scratch. Now as he moved his car forward, the car two spaces to my right started to back out, he was very stuck, and irritated, because if he'd waited those few moments of time, he could've parked where the second car was backing out. Anyway, he backed up to let the second car out, but because of his lapse of concentration due to his itching whatever, this other ball scratcher quickly parked in the place of the second. Well he still had the spot the first car vacated but no! this asswipe in a Lancer honks the living shit out of all of us and parks his car in the spot to my right. WHY screw over the poor driver dude? whose only wish in life was to sit on that parapet and have a little public scratch...

Somehow, we've degenerated into that annoying little kid from the simpsons, the pinnacle of whose life is to have a good "HA HA!" at some poor bastard. All I'm waiting for is for us to turn yellow any moment now...

an open letter to sania mirza

http://www.fakingnews.com/2010/04/an-open-letter-to-sania-mirza-returned-by-postal-department/

johnny rants!

http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8746_6053477,00.html

Not perfect, but atleast its a start...

http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8746_6060897,00.html

by John Nicholson, courtesy: football365.com