Hey all,
my house pictures are up. If you want to see them, leave a comment for me and I will send you the link. Have a nice evening,
Mansur
Friday, February 11, 2005
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Quick Updates
Hey all,
UPDATE #1:
I am extremely happy today. At 915pm, Dubai time, the satellite man came and fixed my satellite tv. Now I receive satellite channels. Yipee! There is Good News and there is Bad News. Good News: I get all the channels for free, which includes Pehla (Asian) and Showtime (Western). Bad News: These free channels are only one for five days! After the first five days, the decoder will switch to Pehla Basic which is mostly Asian entertainment.
UPDATE #2:
I know I told you all I will be reading One Hundred Years of Solituide. Well, I picked it up and there is a Family Tree of the characters in the novel in the beginning. They are Spanish names, and I put the book down after the first few pages. Maybe I am not the kind of intellectual person I thought I was!
UPDATE #3:
In the bargain, I am reading another book called The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon, who is a Britisher. This book is so much fun to read and is light on the mind. I have already read seven chapters and will finish it up in a day or two. This is one of those book I dont want to finish fast. I dont want the fun to end quick!
UPDATE #4:
I got the Butterfly Abs. This is a small butterfly shaped ab exerciser. You know the one you see on the Home Shopping channels. This device is so small and I just have to put it on my abs and let the machine do the work.
UPDATE #5:
I also have the CD for Jay Sean called Me Against Myself. For those in the know, Jay Sean is British-Asian whose songs include Stolen, Me Against Myself and Got My Eyes on You. It is a fairly good cd, the kind you can put on for background music while I slave over the cooker (lol!)
Update #6:
Tomorrow is a public holiday because it is Hijri New Year. I dont know what I will be doing. For all I know, I may be sleeping in!
I am out of here to go watch some television now.
take care you all,
Mansur
UPDATE #1:
I am extremely happy today. At 915pm, Dubai time, the satellite man came and fixed my satellite tv. Now I receive satellite channels. Yipee! There is Good News and there is Bad News. Good News: I get all the channels for free, which includes Pehla (Asian) and Showtime (Western). Bad News: These free channels are only one for five days! After the first five days, the decoder will switch to Pehla Basic which is mostly Asian entertainment.
UPDATE #2:
I know I told you all I will be reading One Hundred Years of Solituide. Well, I picked it up and there is a Family Tree of the characters in the novel in the beginning. They are Spanish names, and I put the book down after the first few pages. Maybe I am not the kind of intellectual person I thought I was!
UPDATE #3:
In the bargain, I am reading another book called The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon, who is a Britisher. This book is so much fun to read and is light on the mind. I have already read seven chapters and will finish it up in a day or two. This is one of those book I dont want to finish fast. I dont want the fun to end quick!
UPDATE #4:
I got the Butterfly Abs. This is a small butterfly shaped ab exerciser. You know the one you see on the Home Shopping channels. This device is so small and I just have to put it on my abs and let the machine do the work.
UPDATE #5:
I also have the CD for Jay Sean called Me Against Myself. For those in the know, Jay Sean is British-Asian whose songs include Stolen, Me Against Myself and Got My Eyes on You. It is a fairly good cd, the kind you can put on for background music while I slave over the cooker (lol!)
Update #6:
Tomorrow is a public holiday because it is Hijri New Year. I dont know what I will be doing. For all I know, I may be sleeping in!
I am out of here to go watch some television now.
take care you all,
Mansur
Classics vs Modern
Hey all,
I was listening to this old Indian song called Kabhie Kabhie. Embarassingly enough, today is the first time I actually paid attention to the lyrics. Earlier, I would just listen to the first line and press the next button. I thought this song was very over rated and did not understand why everyone liked it so much. The lyrics to this song are so, well, lyrical and so ultra-romantic.
Which brings me to the point that older classical songs are so much better than the new ones being churned out today. Be it Indian, Pakistani or English songs, the older ones are so much nicer and more listen-able. The old songs had great lyrics, no lewdy wordings, and the music was simple enough for you to listen to the lyrics and ponder over its meaning. Today, the mass-produced songs are basically about the music itself. More emphasis is placed on the music.
That is not to say that today's songs are bad or trashy. There are some really great songs, but somehow, their shelf life is not too long. I mean, I remember songs from the 80s that are still played today. The songs we get from Britney and Jennifer Lopez are hits for a while and then the songs fade away. In the Indian/ Pakistan music industy, the songs that are popular are actually old classic songs that have been re-sung or remixed.
Kabhie kabhie mere dil mein khayal aata hai.....
Mansur
I was listening to this old Indian song called Kabhie Kabhie. Embarassingly enough, today is the first time I actually paid attention to the lyrics. Earlier, I would just listen to the first line and press the next button. I thought this song was very over rated and did not understand why everyone liked it so much. The lyrics to this song are so, well, lyrical and so ultra-romantic.
Which brings me to the point that older classical songs are so much better than the new ones being churned out today. Be it Indian, Pakistani or English songs, the older ones are so much nicer and more listen-able. The old songs had great lyrics, no lewdy wordings, and the music was simple enough for you to listen to the lyrics and ponder over its meaning. Today, the mass-produced songs are basically about the music itself. More emphasis is placed on the music.
That is not to say that today's songs are bad or trashy. There are some really great songs, but somehow, their shelf life is not too long. I mean, I remember songs from the 80s that are still played today. The songs we get from Britney and Jennifer Lopez are hits for a while and then the songs fade away. In the Indian/ Pakistan music industy, the songs that are popular are actually old classic songs that have been re-sung or remixed.
Kabhie kabhie mere dil mein khayal aata hai.....
Mansur
Monday, February 07, 2005
Basant Festival
Hey all,
Basant is the annual kite flying festival held in Lahore, Pakistan to celebrate the arival of Spring. The following article talks about the events that took place in Lahore. I think its just plain sad.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/sgazette/Data/2005/2/7/Art_187801.XML
Mansur
Basant is the annual kite flying festival held in Lahore, Pakistan to celebrate the arival of Spring. The following article talks about the events that took place in Lahore. I think its just plain sad.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/sgazette/Data/2005/2/7/Art_187801.XML
Mansur
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Hey
(The title does not refer to the status of my life!)
One evening as I was watching Oprah on the hot channel MBC 2, she was talking about her Book Club. She was talking about this particular book, and towards the end she said, "If you can only read one book in your lifetime, then this is that one book." She gifted each member of her audience a copy of this book. The book is called One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I checked out the numerous websites, and apparently this author is one of the world most famous one. I managed to get that book, and I have just started to read it today. I am bracing myself for a book of a lifetime. I am prepared to be challenged with new ideas and reevaluate my present thinking.
I will let you know what the experience is when I finish reading the book!
Mansur
(The title does not refer to the status of my life!)
One evening as I was watching Oprah on the hot channel MBC 2, she was talking about her Book Club. She was talking about this particular book, and towards the end she said, "If you can only read one book in your lifetime, then this is that one book." She gifted each member of her audience a copy of this book. The book is called One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I checked out the numerous websites, and apparently this author is one of the world most famous one. I managed to get that book, and I have just started to read it today. I am bracing myself for a book of a lifetime. I am prepared to be challenged with new ideas and reevaluate my present thinking.
I will let you know what the experience is when I finish reading the book!
Mansur
Dorms or Apartment?
Hey all,
the satellite people called today and by 7pm, I should hopefully be connected to the rest of the world, including JJKN. LOL!
I left my building in the morning today and my watchman was sitting there. I have struck a friendly rapport with him, and he is extremely nice. Yesterday, he saw my mom leaving for the airport, and so today, he was like: we are here for you; if you are lonely, let us know. The first thing that hit me was: living in your own place sure is better than living in the dorms. I could only think back of the time I was at university and staying the dorms there (of which I have no fond memories!)
I had a great time in the dorms when I was in the US, but here in the Emirates, I had a really bad time. There were so many issues that made the dorm atmosphere sombre and gloomy. The biggest issue I had was the curfew time. I had to be in my dorm by 11pm weekdays and 12midnight weekends. When I shared this with my friends, they could not believe it. Being at an American University, I have to observe curfew timings. There was only one supervisor who was a nice person. The others were like sadistic prison wardens who were hell-bent on making sure to note down which students came late. Of course, some students bribed some of the supervisors to not mark them absent.
I did not understand why the authorities at my university were so keen to get the students back in the dorms by 11pm. I mean, we were dealing with students who were as old as 25! I guess some universities dont learn-- and they claim to have a lively, jovial atmosphere in the dorms.
Living in my own place is so awesome. I cannot believe the freedom I have. I think the students who enjoyed living in the dorms were those students coming from places like Saudi and were making the most of the freedom they had in the Emirates.
Is there anyone out there who prefers to live in the dorms??
Mansur
the satellite people called today and by 7pm, I should hopefully be connected to the rest of the world, including JJKN. LOL!
I left my building in the morning today and my watchman was sitting there. I have struck a friendly rapport with him, and he is extremely nice. Yesterday, he saw my mom leaving for the airport, and so today, he was like: we are here for you; if you are lonely, let us know. The first thing that hit me was: living in your own place sure is better than living in the dorms. I could only think back of the time I was at university and staying the dorms there (of which I have no fond memories!)
I had a great time in the dorms when I was in the US, but here in the Emirates, I had a really bad time. There were so many issues that made the dorm atmosphere sombre and gloomy. The biggest issue I had was the curfew time. I had to be in my dorm by 11pm weekdays and 12midnight weekends. When I shared this with my friends, they could not believe it. Being at an American University, I have to observe curfew timings. There was only one supervisor who was a nice person. The others were like sadistic prison wardens who were hell-bent on making sure to note down which students came late. Of course, some students bribed some of the supervisors to not mark them absent.
I did not understand why the authorities at my university were so keen to get the students back in the dorms by 11pm. I mean, we were dealing with students who were as old as 25! I guess some universities dont learn-- and they claim to have a lively, jovial atmosphere in the dorms.
Living in my own place is so awesome. I cannot believe the freedom I have. I think the students who enjoyed living in the dorms were those students coming from places like Saudi and were making the most of the freedom they had in the Emirates.
Is there anyone out there who prefers to live in the dorms??
Mansur
So Disconnected
My satellite is still not fixed up. I think they will fix it up tomorrow evening. I feel so disconnected from the world. Somehow I got so caught up with my new place, and settling that I did not realize that there is a messed up world out there. I just cannot wait to get back on the tv and watch the news. So disconnected now....
Mansur
Mansur
Saturday, February 05, 2005
The Invitation
Hi everyone,
Now that I am settled in my house, I am e*tending out an invitation to you all to stay with me whenever you are Dubai. For the last couple of days, I have been walking around my blocks. Here is what you will find near my house:
1. Blue Souq/ Gold Souq
2. All the fast foods-- Subways, McDonalds, Burger King, Hardees, KFC, Pizza E*press
3. Dunkin Donuts
4. A huge park ideal for walking and rela*ing
5. Numerous grocery shops
6. Spinneys - Local hi-class supermarket chain
7. Several Internet cafes
However the coolest thing is that just across the road from my house is the famous Buheirah corniche. This is the most popular place in the city. Loads of people walk around the lagoon. There is also a fountain in the middle of the lagoon, which the government claims is the 3rd highest in the world (I think its a lie!)
So, the invitation is out there. Please drop by.
Mansur
PS The keyboard is defective and does not let me type the 24th letter of the alphabet.
Now that I am settled in my house, I am e*tending out an invitation to you all to stay with me whenever you are Dubai. For the last couple of days, I have been walking around my blocks. Here is what you will find near my house:
1. Blue Souq/ Gold Souq
2. All the fast foods-- Subways, McDonalds, Burger King, Hardees, KFC, Pizza E*press
3. Dunkin Donuts
4. A huge park ideal for walking and rela*ing
5. Numerous grocery shops
6. Spinneys - Local hi-class supermarket chain
7. Several Internet cafes
However the coolest thing is that just across the road from my house is the famous Buheirah corniche. This is the most popular place in the city. Loads of people walk around the lagoon. There is also a fountain in the middle of the lagoon, which the government claims is the 3rd highest in the world (I think its a lie!)
So, the invitation is out there. Please drop by.
Mansur
PS The keyboard is defective and does not let me type the 24th letter of the alphabet.
Friday, February 04, 2005
The Double Words
Hey all,
Have you noticed how when some people who speak Urdu sometimes say the same word twice with a new letter in the beginning? I think they say it when they want to stress on something. Here are some examples:
* Kaam waam karliya hai?
* Movie shovie dekh li?
* Larki wadki nahin dekhi koi?
* Khaana waana kha liya?
* Kitaab witaab par lo!
* Gaadi waadi chala li?
* Bag shag le lo!
* Koi paani waani pee lo!
* TV Sheevee hai?
There are loads of others as well, and sometimes, the second word is an actual English word, like Bag shag!
Anyways, that was just a thought on my mind.
You all take care!
Mansur
Have you noticed how when some people who speak Urdu sometimes say the same word twice with a new letter in the beginning? I think they say it when they want to stress on something. Here are some examples:
* Kaam waam karliya hai?
* Movie shovie dekh li?
* Larki wadki nahin dekhi koi?
* Khaana waana kha liya?
* Kitaab witaab par lo!
* Gaadi waadi chala li?
* Bag shag le lo!
* Koi paani waani pee lo!
* TV Sheevee hai?
There are loads of others as well, and sometimes, the second word is an actual English word, like Bag shag!
Anyways, that was just a thought on my mind.
You all take care!
Mansur
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
The Attack of the South-Indians
Hey all,
I have been living in UAE for more than five years, and left the country. I came back to Sharjah after one year away, and in the process of settling in my new house, I have been attacked by not one, but more than one South Indians.
Whatever I had to get done: gas connection, laundry and grocery shops below the flats, cleaning, all involved South Indians. However, the one who takes the cake for being the supreme queen of South Indian was a lady at the satellite dish company from whom I subscribed.
I will not get into details for that will only lead me to slander her and I dont want to do that! Some people have told me that South Indians are very shrewd and clever, conniving type of people. Gosh!
I have yet to deal with another one today evening. It's like a scene from the c-grade movie Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, except here its Attack of the Killer South Indians!
Mansur
I have been living in UAE for more than five years, and left the country. I came back to Sharjah after one year away, and in the process of settling in my new house, I have been attacked by not one, but more than one South Indians.
Whatever I had to get done: gas connection, laundry and grocery shops below the flats, cleaning, all involved South Indians. However, the one who takes the cake for being the supreme queen of South Indian was a lady at the satellite dish company from whom I subscribed.
I will not get into details for that will only lead me to slander her and I dont want to do that! Some people have told me that South Indians are very shrewd and clever, conniving type of people. Gosh!
I have yet to deal with another one today evening. It's like a scene from the c-grade movie Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, except here its Attack of the Killer South Indians!
Mansur
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