Hey friends,
I got a parking ticket on my car in the morning as I left. I was so upset because in the 10 years of my driving, I have never received a parking ticket, a fine or even an accident. I was so proud of my skills as a competent driver, never even getting something as minor as a fender bender. I think it has something to do with my motor and observational skills compensating for my loss of hearing. You know how they say blind people have a better sense of smell. One of the senses makes up for the loss of another sense.
Anyways, back to the traffic fine ticket. It's all in Arabic, being in Sharjah, its understandable. But EVERYTHING is in Arabic. How am I supposed to know why I am fined? I went to the Sharjah Police website to feed in my fine number and it shows up as saying that the record is not on file. So, in other words, I am not fined or what? I had someone check this parking ticket, and he said it's not even your car. This ticket is for a car from Khorfakkan, and even the license plate number is not matching up to yours. So how come I saw this wedged between my windshielf and wiper? Maybe someone else stuck it up here from their car.
Phew, I was so relieved. So this ticket turned out to be some other car and not mine as the license plate noted on the ticket doesnt match to mine. I can now go back to saying that I am fine-tickets free now.
Mansur
UPDATE: the ticket is for my car, however, the police officer wrote down the wrong numbers off the licence plate. Silly him. Now I don't know if I should pay or not.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Hands Full
Hey friends,
Here is what I did with my cousin yesterday.
1. Went to Global Village, as part of Dubai Shopping festival, to the booth at the Pakistani pavilion, where we sorted out the merchandise.
2. Walked around the Global Village, visiting the different countries pavilions. Some were really disappointing, while others were interesting.
2.5 Played hand games, and won nothing.
3. Went to Mall of Emirates.
4. Tried out the racing simulation game, complete on massive hydraulics with three tv screens around us giving us a very realistic sensation of racing in a real environment. My cousin beat me in the race.
5. Played two games of bowling.
6. Drove to Ibn Battuta Mall, and watched Eragon.
7. Had my favortie chocolate crepes, which they delivered to us inside the cinema..
I know it seems pretty boring, but actually turned out be a lot of fun!
Mansur
Here is what I did with my cousin yesterday.
1. Went to Global Village, as part of Dubai Shopping festival, to the booth at the Pakistani pavilion, where we sorted out the merchandise.
2. Walked around the Global Village, visiting the different countries pavilions. Some were really disappointing, while others were interesting.
2.5 Played hand games, and won nothing.
3. Went to Mall of Emirates.
4. Tried out the racing simulation game, complete on massive hydraulics with three tv screens around us giving us a very realistic sensation of racing in a real environment. My cousin beat me in the race.
5. Played two games of bowling.
6. Drove to Ibn Battuta Mall, and watched Eragon.
7. Had my favortie chocolate crepes, which they delivered to us inside the cinema..
I know it seems pretty boring, but actually turned out be a lot of fun!
Mansur
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
DIFF Salutes Shahrukh Khan
Hey friends,
Hands up all you who don't know who ShahRukh Khan is? He is the current King Khan of Bollywood, and he was here recently in Dubai for the Dubai International Film Festival. My sister is a die hard fan of his, as are almost every other female, and she insisted I take her to the venue to see him live in person. While I am not a huge fan of SRK (I prefer Aamir Khan- of Lagaan, Dil Chahta and Rang De Basanti fame), I still took my sister because all nice brothers do.
Having called up the Madinat Jumeirah Box Office days before the show, they promised me the tickets will be available on the same day before the event. On the morning of the event, my sister and I got dressed up and drove over to Madinat Jumeirah. Somehow I was not as excited as she was. Arriving at the box office, we were told that the tickets are completely sold out. I was not susprised at the poor customer service. I knew something like this would happen. They assured us that while they said tickets were available in the morning, they will still be available at 3pm. Dubai is famous for mismanagment everywhere, and it was becoming very evident here as the organizers were shouting here and there, pushing and shoving people around, not setting up the stand by queues well, showing a complete sense of mismanagement and disorganized. We were made to stand in the stand by queue and thankfully my sister and I were the first one.
There were people with complimentary passes who were smirking at us as they made their way in. It was becoming obvious on their faces that they showed some sense of superiority over us who were standing in the stand by queue. Again, another sign of the fakeness of Dubai people. Soon we saw about 10 local arab girls, completely covered in abayas and holding digital camers and autograph books in hand, asking the organizers to let them just take pictures and get his autograpghs. "Ma'am, you have to pay 200dhs to get in." No, they didn't want to pay. They just wanted to take pictures. They were refused, and so all 10 of them stood in line before us. Such dedication from local fans towards SRK. Thankfully, at 3pm, we managed to get our tickets and made our way in.
The show started late (does anything ever start on time in Dubai?). When it was advertised everywhere as 3pm, and requested everyone to show up on time, the show started about 30 minutes lates. We were shown initially a montage of SRK's famous film moments and dialogue, and while watching that, I realized how accomplished of an actor he is. The host came up and narrated to us SRK's parents love story, which was indeed very heart felt, and little bit about his upbringing. SRK parents died before he reached his stardom, and he wishes his parents were still alive to have seen him hit such levels of fame.
Soon, SRK came on stage from the side, and whole auditorium erupted in applause, whistling and name calling. I don't know what it was, but SRK was emanating such a strong energy in the auditorium I actually got goosebumps, and I am not even a huge fan of his. Even the host talked about his spiritual energy emanating from him and I realized what the host meant. SRK was given his first international film award by the president of the Dubai International Film Festival.
As soon as SRK sat down, Riz Khan, the ex-anchor of CNN, showed up for a casual question and answer session. I won't get into the whole thing, but there three people that stood out from the audience. One were two sisters, complete in hijab and abayas, screaming out in delight how they are the number one fans and how they want to take pictures with him in between the two sisters. They were just too hilarious. The second person was a women my sister and I befriended, who was from Lahore (Go Lahore!) and she told SRK how much he was welcome to come to Pakistan and honor the country with his presence. Amidst his inshallahs, SRK said he has some extended family in Pakistan and he looks forward to coming to Pak. The third person, who was also from Lahore, grabbed hold of the microphone, and accused SRK of acting in films whose storylines were taken directly off old Pakistani films. "I can tell you right here, right now all of the Pakistani movies from which you have stole the film from." He trailed on and on, to the point where my sister got infuriated and shouted at him to stop this nonsense and grabbed hold of his microphone. Such an embarrasing character.
In short, the event lasted not even an hour, and while it was awesome seeing SRK in person, and getting me to develop a huge admiration for him as an actor and a person, I was disappointed at the management of the festival and the unprofessionalism. Poor organization. Late start. Over priced tickets for less than 60 minutes show. Giving wrong information over hotline. It will be ages before Dubai can be on the world map of film festivals. Come on Dubai, if you want to be on the same stage as Cannes and Venice film festivals, you really need to get your act together.
Mansur
Hands up all you who don't know who ShahRukh Khan is? He is the current King Khan of Bollywood, and he was here recently in Dubai for the Dubai International Film Festival. My sister is a die hard fan of his, as are almost every other female, and she insisted I take her to the venue to see him live in person. While I am not a huge fan of SRK (I prefer Aamir Khan- of Lagaan, Dil Chahta and Rang De Basanti fame), I still took my sister because all nice brothers do.
Having called up the Madinat Jumeirah Box Office days before the show, they promised me the tickets will be available on the same day before the event. On the morning of the event, my sister and I got dressed up and drove over to Madinat Jumeirah. Somehow I was not as excited as she was. Arriving at the box office, we were told that the tickets are completely sold out. I was not susprised at the poor customer service. I knew something like this would happen. They assured us that while they said tickets were available in the morning, they will still be available at 3pm. Dubai is famous for mismanagment everywhere, and it was becoming very evident here as the organizers were shouting here and there, pushing and shoving people around, not setting up the stand by queues well, showing a complete sense of mismanagement and disorganized. We were made to stand in the stand by queue and thankfully my sister and I were the first one.
There were people with complimentary passes who were smirking at us as they made their way in. It was becoming obvious on their faces that they showed some sense of superiority over us who were standing in the stand by queue. Again, another sign of the fakeness of Dubai people. Soon we saw about 10 local arab girls, completely covered in abayas and holding digital camers and autograph books in hand, asking the organizers to let them just take pictures and get his autograpghs. "Ma'am, you have to pay 200dhs to get in." No, they didn't want to pay. They just wanted to take pictures. They were refused, and so all 10 of them stood in line before us. Such dedication from local fans towards SRK. Thankfully, at 3pm, we managed to get our tickets and made our way in.
The show started late (does anything ever start on time in Dubai?). When it was advertised everywhere as 3pm, and requested everyone to show up on time, the show started about 30 minutes lates. We were shown initially a montage of SRK's famous film moments and dialogue, and while watching that, I realized how accomplished of an actor he is. The host came up and narrated to us SRK's parents love story, which was indeed very heart felt, and little bit about his upbringing. SRK parents died before he reached his stardom, and he wishes his parents were still alive to have seen him hit such levels of fame.
Soon, SRK came on stage from the side, and whole auditorium erupted in applause, whistling and name calling. I don't know what it was, but SRK was emanating such a strong energy in the auditorium I actually got goosebumps, and I am not even a huge fan of his. Even the host talked about his spiritual energy emanating from him and I realized what the host meant. SRK was given his first international film award by the president of the Dubai International Film Festival.
As soon as SRK sat down, Riz Khan, the ex-anchor of CNN, showed up for a casual question and answer session. I won't get into the whole thing, but there three people that stood out from the audience. One were two sisters, complete in hijab and abayas, screaming out in delight how they are the number one fans and how they want to take pictures with him in between the two sisters. They were just too hilarious. The second person was a women my sister and I befriended, who was from Lahore (Go Lahore!) and she told SRK how much he was welcome to come to Pakistan and honor the country with his presence. Amidst his inshallahs, SRK said he has some extended family in Pakistan and he looks forward to coming to Pak. The third person, who was also from Lahore, grabbed hold of the microphone, and accused SRK of acting in films whose storylines were taken directly off old Pakistani films. "I can tell you right here, right now all of the Pakistani movies from which you have stole the film from." He trailed on and on, to the point where my sister got infuriated and shouted at him to stop this nonsense and grabbed hold of his microphone. Such an embarrasing character.
In short, the event lasted not even an hour, and while it was awesome seeing SRK in person, and getting me to develop a huge admiration for him as an actor and a person, I was disappointed at the management of the festival and the unprofessionalism. Poor organization. Late start. Over priced tickets for less than 60 minutes show. Giving wrong information over hotline. It will be ages before Dubai can be on the world map of film festivals. Come on Dubai, if you want to be on the same stage as Cannes and Venice film festivals, you really need to get your act together.
Mansur
Monday, December 25, 2006
Happy Christmas
Hello friends,
Happy Christmas to everyone who is celebrating this occasion today. I checked up the history of Christmas on Wikipedia and found out lots of fascinating tid-bits about Christmas. Christianity Today also have some articles about Christmas. However, one of the facts that caught me by surprise was that "December 25 as a birthdate for Jesus is merely traditional, and is not widely considered to be his actual date of birth." Here's another article which talks about how Christmas was never meant to be on December 25th.
I remember when I was in Jeddah Prep, which was a British school in Jeddah, every December we would have a Christmas play in which entire class would perform. I can clearly remember my parents coming to one show where my class sang Christmas songs on stage. I don't remember what the songs were but I remember singing out words like Bethlehem, Jesus, Mary, Virgin and Star. I also remember another year, my class did the "On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..." song, and I was one of the Turtle Doves, all dressed up.
However, the coolest thing was that Santa Clause would come and visit us in our classrooms, complete in his red suit, with black belt, red cap, white beard and a large sack of toys. When I would get my toy, I would be in such awe because it would exactly be the toy that I told my parents I wanted a week ago. It was later on in 5th grade where the secret connection between Santa and my parents was exposed and Santa was no more real to me anymore. :-)
By the way, December 25th each year is a public holiday in Pakistan because it is also the birth date of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. (Funnily enough, his death happened on September 11th.)
Happy Christmas to everyone who is celebrating this occasion today. I checked up the history of Christmas on Wikipedia and found out lots of fascinating tid-bits about Christmas. Christianity Today also have some articles about Christmas. However, one of the facts that caught me by surprise was that "December 25 as a birthdate for Jesus is merely traditional, and is not widely considered to be his actual date of birth." Here's another article which talks about how Christmas was never meant to be on December 25th.
I remember when I was in Jeddah Prep, which was a British school in Jeddah, every December we would have a Christmas play in which entire class would perform. I can clearly remember my parents coming to one show where my class sang Christmas songs on stage. I don't remember what the songs were but I remember singing out words like Bethlehem, Jesus, Mary, Virgin and Star. I also remember another year, my class did the "On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..." song, and I was one of the Turtle Doves, all dressed up.
However, the coolest thing was that Santa Clause would come and visit us in our classrooms, complete in his red suit, with black belt, red cap, white beard and a large sack of toys. When I would get my toy, I would be in such awe because it would exactly be the toy that I told my parents I wanted a week ago. It was later on in 5th grade where the secret connection between Santa and my parents was exposed and Santa was no more real to me anymore. :-)
By the way, December 25th each year is a public holiday in Pakistan because it is also the birth date of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. (Funnily enough, his death happened on September 11th.)
Xmas tree, Mina Salam, Dubai
(courtesy of Pbase.com, Brian McMorrow)
So happy Christmas to everyone celebrating it today and a very happy new year.
Mansur
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Saudi Marriages end in Divorces
Hey friends,
Just browsing randomly online through the gulf newspapers, I was startled to read two articles on similair topics: marriages in Saudi Arabia. While one article talks about the alarming increase in divorces- 1 in 4 marriages end in divorce - the other article talks about how the lawmakers- men always- allow for new policies to be legalized to allow the local men to have various kind of marriages, including the weekend and friendship marriages (as quoted from Emirates Today that unfortunately don't have an archives section as of yet online). The point being made that Saudi lawmakers, both religious and liberals, are passing fatwas and laws to allow for men to have marriages of convenience, and hurting the women's life in the process.
I am sure everyone has heard of Misyar marriages, which "can be described as a legal framework of marriage in which a Muslim couple is united by the bonds of marriage, based on the usual Islamic marriage contract, but without the husband having to take the usual financial commitments with respect to his wife." But what's this new concept of weekend and friendship marriage?
And the real question is why are these marriages are failing? A lot of critics will indeed say its because of the cultural invasion from the West and the increasing freedoms the women in the kingdom are getting, but I think the issue stems from within the Kingdom. I don't know the answer to this question, but there could be several factors. Arranged marriages could be one, with the young girl and guys unable to talk with their potential husbands/ wives before marrige. The concept of dating is nil. There are youths trying to hook up with girls/ guys through technology.
Will the society in the Kingdom allow for more freedom, or continue its way through restricting the contact between the sexes, possibly causing for these marriages to fail? Is there any connection between the freedom granted to women to work, thereby giving them more independence and assertiveness, causing for marriages to Saudi men to fail? I don't know, and I am not sure we will get a definite and clear answer since there is no civic body to sit down and discuss and analyze this extremely worrying trend.
In America, 1 in 2 marriages end in divorce. In Saudi Arabia, 1 in 4 marriages end in divorce.
Mansur
Just browsing randomly online through the gulf newspapers, I was startled to read two articles on similair topics: marriages in Saudi Arabia. While one article talks about the alarming increase in divorces- 1 in 4 marriages end in divorce - the other article talks about how the lawmakers- men always- allow for new policies to be legalized to allow the local men to have various kind of marriages, including the weekend and friendship marriages (as quoted from Emirates Today that unfortunately don't have an archives section as of yet online). The point being made that Saudi lawmakers, both religious and liberals, are passing fatwas and laws to allow for men to have marriages of convenience, and hurting the women's life in the process.
I am sure everyone has heard of Misyar marriages, which "can be described as a legal framework of marriage in which a Muslim couple is united by the bonds of marriage, based on the usual Islamic marriage contract, but without the husband having to take the usual financial commitments with respect to his wife." But what's this new concept of weekend and friendship marriage?
And the real question is why are these marriages are failing? A lot of critics will indeed say its because of the cultural invasion from the West and the increasing freedoms the women in the kingdom are getting, but I think the issue stems from within the Kingdom. I don't know the answer to this question, but there could be several factors. Arranged marriages could be one, with the young girl and guys unable to talk with their potential husbands/ wives before marrige. The concept of dating is nil. There are youths trying to hook up with girls/ guys through technology.
Will the society in the Kingdom allow for more freedom, or continue its way through restricting the contact between the sexes, possibly causing for these marriages to fail? Is there any connection between the freedom granted to women to work, thereby giving them more independence and assertiveness, causing for marriages to Saudi men to fail? I don't know, and I am not sure we will get a definite and clear answer since there is no civic body to sit down and discuss and analyze this extremely worrying trend.
In America, 1 in 2 marriages end in divorce. In Saudi Arabia, 1 in 4 marriages end in divorce.
Mansur
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Several Movies
Hey friends,
Couple of new movies I saw recently.
Happy Feet
Don't watch this one, unless you wanna a penguin move his feet happily throughout the movie. While its technically brilliant, with great animations, the story line was very weak with quick jump in the plot. I thought it would be a similair movie to Ice Age but I was very wrong. With a stellar voice cast, including Robin Williams, Nicole Kidman, Elijah Wood among other, I am disappointed in this movie, despite all the critical acclaims and praise.
Hard Candy
Saw this on DVD. One amazing movie. A man in his mid 30s has an internet chat with a 14yr old. The 14yr old girl thinks the man is a peadophile who stalked and killed her good friend. She accepts his invitation to his place under the pretense that he will take modelling pictures of her. While that happens, she drugs him and when he wakes up, he is tied and bound while the girl looks for evidence. A cat and mouse game ensues, with every second full of tension as to whether who is innocent, who is guilty and one long scene will have all gusy cross their legs in anxiety.
Casino Royale
James Bond latest one. I thought the new actor Daniel Craig was all right. Being blue eyed blond hair didn't make a drastic change from the previous bonds, and Craig's acting abilities were adept. The movie opens up in black and white and it became obvious they were trying to transition the old bond to the new one so the blond hair blue eyes don't come as a shock. While there are amazing action set pieces (namely the construction site chase, sinking of building in Venice) the rest of the movie faltered here and there. The torture scene was a shocking one, all the more so as I was sitting with my dad watching the naked Bond getting his balls whacked.
Mansur
Couple of new movies I saw recently.
Happy Feet
Don't watch this one, unless you wanna a penguin move his feet happily throughout the movie. While its technically brilliant, with great animations, the story line was very weak with quick jump in the plot. I thought it would be a similair movie to Ice Age but I was very wrong. With a stellar voice cast, including Robin Williams, Nicole Kidman, Elijah Wood among other, I am disappointed in this movie, despite all the critical acclaims and praise.
Hard Candy
Saw this on DVD. One amazing movie. A man in his mid 30s has an internet chat with a 14yr old. The 14yr old girl thinks the man is a peadophile who stalked and killed her good friend. She accepts his invitation to his place under the pretense that he will take modelling pictures of her. While that happens, she drugs him and when he wakes up, he is tied and bound while the girl looks for evidence. A cat and mouse game ensues, with every second full of tension as to whether who is innocent, who is guilty and one long scene will have all gusy cross their legs in anxiety.
Casino Royale
James Bond latest one. I thought the new actor Daniel Craig was all right. Being blue eyed blond hair didn't make a drastic change from the previous bonds, and Craig's acting abilities were adept. The movie opens up in black and white and it became obvious they were trying to transition the old bond to the new one so the blond hair blue eyes don't come as a shock. While there are amazing action set pieces (namely the construction site chase, sinking of building in Venice) the rest of the movie faltered here and there. The torture scene was a shocking one, all the more so as I was sitting with my dad watching the naked Bond getting his balls whacked.
Mansur
Movie:: Apocolypto
Hey friends,
If you watch one movie this winter, make sure its Mel Gibson's Apocolypto. I took interest in this movie after Gibson announced his new movie after completing The Passion of the Christ. Apocolytpo is based on the Mayan/ Incan civilization. Like who would watch a movie based on a dead civilization. I tell you, when I was watching this movie, I didn't feel like I was watching a movie, but ratehr felt like as I was transported to the Mayan civilzation and that all that happens on screen happened in reality.
The entire movie is shot in the local Mayan dialect with English subtitles, which is actually very effective, just like it was in The Passion of the Christ. Because everyone were speakig the local dialect, it made the film all the more realistic.
The movie follows the life of one man, who is separated from his pregnant wife and son as a rival tribe take the men and women hostage to their own territory. Where there are taken we don't know, but once we find out what their fate is, it's horrifying, so much so, four people left the cinema as their stomachs could probably not digest what was unfolding on the screen. While the captives are being faced with their new destiny, fate intercedes and sets our hero free from his destiny. He manages to escape all the while his enemies are after him. The rest of the movie is a ticking time bomb as he has to make it in time to save his family all the while escaping his enemies, and in the process realizes what his ultimate destiny in life is.
It's an amazing movie. It's a very provocative movie. You are forced to express your feelings, whether you are in awe, in shock, in suspence, in tears, in laughter, whatever it is, you are provoked. The suspense is very high. The reality factor is high. Not once do you think you are watching actors, but are immersed in the Mayan civilization. Check out the passion and energy of Jaguar Paw. Check out the determination of the mother seeking to save her sons. Check the young son giving hope to his mother. If you shed away the language, the culture, the customs, you see a love story at heart, and indeed a very touching one.
And with this movie, I am a huge Mel Gibson fan now!
Mansur
(Warning to those with weak of heart: the violence in this movie is ultra-realistic and gruesome, just like it was in The Passion of the Christ.)
If you watch one movie this winter, make sure its Mel Gibson's Apocolypto. I took interest in this movie after Gibson announced his new movie after completing The Passion of the Christ. Apocolytpo is based on the Mayan/ Incan civilization. Like who would watch a movie based on a dead civilization. I tell you, when I was watching this movie, I didn't feel like I was watching a movie, but ratehr felt like as I was transported to the Mayan civilzation and that all that happens on screen happened in reality.
The entire movie is shot in the local Mayan dialect with English subtitles, which is actually very effective, just like it was in The Passion of the Christ. Because everyone were speakig the local dialect, it made the film all the more realistic.
The movie follows the life of one man, who is separated from his pregnant wife and son as a rival tribe take the men and women hostage to their own territory. Where there are taken we don't know, but once we find out what their fate is, it's horrifying, so much so, four people left the cinema as their stomachs could probably not digest what was unfolding on the screen. While the captives are being faced with their new destiny, fate intercedes and sets our hero free from his destiny. He manages to escape all the while his enemies are after him. The rest of the movie is a ticking time bomb as he has to make it in time to save his family all the while escaping his enemies, and in the process realizes what his ultimate destiny in life is.
It's an amazing movie. It's a very provocative movie. You are forced to express your feelings, whether you are in awe, in shock, in suspence, in tears, in laughter, whatever it is, you are provoked. The suspense is very high. The reality factor is high. Not once do you think you are watching actors, but are immersed in the Mayan civilization. Check out the passion and energy of Jaguar Paw. Check out the determination of the mother seeking to save her sons. Check the young son giving hope to his mother. If you shed away the language, the culture, the customs, you see a love story at heart, and indeed a very touching one.
And with this movie, I am a huge Mel Gibson fan now!
Mansur
(Warning to those with weak of heart: the violence in this movie is ultra-realistic and gruesome, just like it was in The Passion of the Christ.)
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Switch over
Hey friends,
Has anyone made the switch over to the new version of the blogger? I am trying so hard to move there, but somehow it's not letting me move. Maybe my two blogs are too massive. I am excited by the new version.
On a personal front, I have some exciting news. I will be moving to Dubai next month. I have given my final notice to my landlord in Sharjah, and so I will be leaving my apartment here in Sharjah on 15th January 2007. It will be exactly two years for me here. So I am indeed very excited to move to Dubai now.
More exciting news later.
Mansur
Has anyone made the switch over to the new version of the blogger? I am trying so hard to move there, but somehow it's not letting me move. Maybe my two blogs are too massive. I am excited by the new version.
On a personal front, I have some exciting news. I will be moving to Dubai next month. I have given my final notice to my landlord in Sharjah, and so I will be leaving my apartment here in Sharjah on 15th January 2007. It will be exactly two years for me here. So I am indeed very excited to move to Dubai now.
More exciting news later.
Mansur
Monday, December 04, 2006
New Books
Hey guys,
I have just finished reading two books which I think others might benefit from.
One is Paulo Coelho's Like the Flowing River. Coelho is one of my all time favorite author and I fell in love with his work when I first read Veronika Decides to Die. Then on, I bought all his books and read them in a go. Like the Flowing River is a collection of his thoughts compiled in this book for the first time. It's truly amazing to see how he connects all his thoughts to the ways of the universe. He always sees something bigger than the situation he is in. He connects nature to God, and through many of his entries, it's all what our purpose in this world is.
The other amazing book I read is Pakistan: In the Eye of the Storm by Owen Bennett Jones, and for the first time I have read a book on Pakistan which gave me a very detailed history of how Pakistan was born and the various factions of the countries and their origins. Jones also talks about the arrivals and departures of so many of the so-called leaders of Pakistan, and goes into details the times Pakistan was taken hostaage by the Army. Jones also talks about President Musharraf's role since he took over in the bloodless coup and the challenges he's facing while in power. This book doesn't bog you down with boring historical facts and idea, but is written in a very captivating and engaginng manner that anyone with the remotest interest in Pakistan will find it a joy to read. In fact, in my opinion, this is is the best book on Pakistan's history that I have read.
Mansur
I have just finished reading two books which I think others might benefit from.
One is Paulo Coelho's Like the Flowing River. Coelho is one of my all time favorite author and I fell in love with his work when I first read Veronika Decides to Die. Then on, I bought all his books and read them in a go. Like the Flowing River is a collection of his thoughts compiled in this book for the first time. It's truly amazing to see how he connects all his thoughts to the ways of the universe. He always sees something bigger than the situation he is in. He connects nature to God, and through many of his entries, it's all what our purpose in this world is.
The other amazing book I read is Pakistan: In the Eye of the Storm by Owen Bennett Jones, and for the first time I have read a book on Pakistan which gave me a very detailed history of how Pakistan was born and the various factions of the countries and their origins. Jones also talks about the arrivals and departures of so many of the so-called leaders of Pakistan, and goes into details the times Pakistan was taken hostaage by the Army. Jones also talks about President Musharraf's role since he took over in the bloodless coup and the challenges he's facing while in power. This book doesn't bog you down with boring historical facts and idea, but is written in a very captivating and engaginng manner that anyone with the remotest interest in Pakistan will find it a joy to read. In fact, in my opinion, this is is the best book on Pakistan's history that I have read.
Mansur
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Blogger's Block
Hey guys,
I honestly don't know what to write. I am going through the Blogger's Block again.
We had so much rain here today, so much so, the roads outside of my house are flooded with cars stuck and traffic jam. Talk about road planning. There isn't any provision for any water to be drained away.
And on that note, Happy National Day to all the citizens of UAE.
Mansur
I honestly don't know what to write. I am going through the Blogger's Block again.
We had so much rain here today, so much so, the roads outside of my house are flooded with cars stuck and traffic jam. Talk about road planning. There isn't any provision for any water to be drained away.
And on that note, Happy National Day to all the citizens of UAE.
Mansur
Friday, December 01, 2006
Updates...
Hello everyone,
I have been so busy this entire week that I didn't get a chance to blog at all. I apologize for that, although I have so much to blog about. I have been jotting down in my journal. We have a long weekend this weekend, as 2nd December is UAE National Day. I have no special plans, but will probably update my blog and write new stuff. By the way, my parents and sister are coming in to Dubai on the 8th of December and will be staying here for a while. Oh, on Saturday my friends and I are going to the Ideal Home Exhibition, to check out ideas for our new places we will be moving to next year inshallah.
Mansur
I have been so busy this entire week that I didn't get a chance to blog at all. I apologize for that, although I have so much to blog about. I have been jotting down in my journal. We have a long weekend this weekend, as 2nd December is UAE National Day. I have no special plans, but will probably update my blog and write new stuff. By the way, my parents and sister are coming in to Dubai on the 8th of December and will be staying here for a while. Oh, on Saturday my friends and I are going to the Ideal Home Exhibition, to check out ideas for our new places we will be moving to next year inshallah.
Mansur
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