Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Do you have a heart ?

I closed my eyes and turned my face as the teacher demonstrated the dissection of a frog for some yet another experimental procedure.This was n't the first time I was watching an animal being dissected,infact I have performed dissections on cadavers too, but the sight of the poor, living, frog kicking its legs in despair and writhing in agony as it is malhandled while being transferred from tank to tank before being anesthetized is just too much to watch. It once happened that a frog my friend was dissecting regained conciousness in mid dissection and started kicking its legs,splashing water from the dissection dish all over the place !!!!

Teachers and scientists argue that the dissections are for an educational purpose and that " the use of a few little animals provides us with the knowledge to save the lives of many" but I still feel that the act of using alive organisms for dissections is inhuman and cruel.What possible crime or sin have those poor 'lower class' of living organisms done to deserve being split open or experimented upon ? Does being born with far greater intellect and curiosity than those creatures give man the right to use them for its most inhuman desires ? They are the creations of God as equally as we are.


Flipping through the pages of any Textbook of Physiology,Kinesiology, toxicology etc you will find numerous examples and cases where dogs are given pain stimulants, a tachycardia is induced,viruses are injected or even kidneys are clamped !. Yes, I am a medical student and I know that these experiments have given us valuable treasures of information and knowledge that has helped in the progress of Science and sparked a plethora of ground breaking revelations and researches.But thats not it , over the centuries man has grown to be sadistic.The lust for superiority in knowledge has overshadowed and taken over his more compassionate side.What his 'experimental subjects',as scientists say, go through to satiate their appetite for knowledge is lesser of their concerns and they now dissect, operate,slash, electrocute,imprison and toxicate animals without even the slightest trace of remorse or compunction.


Today man is using animals, next it may start trading the poor, unprivileged cast of people to experiment upon!! for lust has no end, it just grows indefinitely !!


This post was originally posted on my other blog which I'm planning to close down ....

Friday, June 25, 2010

Birthday update


We celebrated Mubashir's birthday on Wednesday..Yeah the same Mubashir who comes up with ideas so ingenius you'd be left wondering what he feeds his brains with ! But of course he's a dear friend and we were really looking forward to the day the "world was enlightened by ideas" 20 or so years ago.

Jokes apart, I must say, of all the people that we friends have surprised, Mubashir was the one who reacted in the most heartiest way, he just couldn't hide his grin. I wonder whether the reason behind it was the cake, the cards, the present we gave him, or our cameras flashing across his face !!

All this birthday galore is making me more and more excited for my own birthday.I just cant wait for 19th July anymore, the secretive little Uzma is busy making my present and she would n't even allow a glimpse...But anyways I love her for putting in all that effort for a chimp like me :D

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

First OOTD !

It was my aunts wedding, and what did I wear?  *drums rolling* a totally traditional dress by Rizwan Moazzam. I just love the colour and the traditional chunri dupatta that goes with it.

*Dopatta- the extra piece of fabric thats hanging on both sides of me
*Chunri - its a special way of dyeing fabric with various colours  to yield a special pattern

She's back..and she's better...

So after viewing around 150 blog templates, previewing atleast 50 of them and even applying a hand full, this is finally it !! If you visited my blog frequently in the meantime ( although you had no reason to) you must've seen the background change quite often. I'd apply a template for a while and then remove it.Some were too dark, some too bright, some too depressing and some..well..they just weren't 'me'..because I think a blog should reflect your own style while going with the theme. So anyways, I hope you like it.Criticism and suggestions are welcome as always..

Saturday, June 19, 2010

I'm still striving to build a better look for my blog, I've removed the old template for a change but you'll have to bear this intense pink until come I up with a new one..Wish me luck !

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Mid summer love

I'm not on a very hectic study schedule and so I have time to open my eyes, look around, shake away the numbness and fall in love again ! So what am I in love with these days ? Here it goes...

1 -  Loving the  food

Seven layered 'Death by chocolate' cake from 'Pie in the Sky'..No matter how many times or how much I eat it, it still tastes divine. Ooh that mousse and cream and chocolate...ummm..its simply-a- killer ! I somehow deleted the picture from my pc !! And that should be a sobering thought for all those who are on a diet these days !

2 - Loving the Brand

If there's a brand I'm in love with these days, it has gotta be 'Saeed Ghani'. They manufacture skin, hair, and nail care products..and what makes them different ??? all their products are herbal ! No chemicals and hence no unwanted side effects. The fact that their products are herbal makes them cheaper too. And variety is simply astounding, hair conditioners, facial masks, scrubs, massage oils, cleansers, henna, kohl and what not. Name it, they got it ! My mom's an ultimate fan, there's no way she leaves the shop with at least a bag full of purchase.



3 - Loving the Song

'Paimona' a classic song by Zeb and Haniya.This isn't exactly a very new song and is actually a poem by "Omar Khayyam"  but I was recently introduced to it by a friend.Zeb and Haniya make the first female band of Pakistan and featured their debut 'Chup' about 2 - 3 years back. Of all my mid summer loves this one is THE closest to my heart..The instrument you'll hear playing for the first  1:14  mins is called 'rubab' a musical instrument popular in Persia and Afghanistan. The song is in Persian so I couldn't understand it the first time I heard it but I later found a subd version, so here it goes..Don't miss it ( or you'll regret it for sure !)




4 - Loving the Possession

I'm currently really happy of buying these pair of sandals I bought from the mall while out shopping with friends..



5 - Loving the book

30 second successories by Faez Saeyal .. Its got 365 quotations and an inspirational message for every day of the year.

6 - Loving the TV show

Daam (Trap) by Mahreen Jabbar.Here's a prelude of the story which I got from the official website.Zahra Hidayatullah and Maliha Sami have been close friends for over seven years. Zahra belongs to a lower middle class family and Maliha comes from an upper class household, yet their class difference has never threatened their unbreakable bond. Maliha has been there for her friend through many hardships, though she never really knew the extent of the mental anguish that plagued Zahra's life.
The first blow to their friendship domes when Maliha's older brother Junaid, shows his interest in marrying Zahra. Her parents have no objection to the union, but it comes as a real shock to Maliha. Somehow Maliha is not able to fathom the thought that her best friend could marry her only brother. Daam is the story of the price that she pays to her best friend to stop this marriage and how that price becomes a Daam (trap) for all of them.

Here's the trailer

                                  

The reason I'm loving it is that its wonderfully directed and I just love stories based on friendships and student life.

8 -Lovin to wait for

My birthday in July, and the secret present that Uzma is making me. She couldn't keep the secret that she is making something, Lol. The nature of the present is still unknown to me though !

9 - Loving the saying

This is actually a hadith (saying by the holy prophet, peace be upon him)

“Treasure five things before five others: Your youth before old-age; your health before illness; your wealth before poverty; your free time before becoming occupied, and your life before death." [Source - Tirmidhi]

I really like how all the things we usually are unthankful of and later regret are summarised in this one saying.

10- Loving the hobby

I am a change in the change . Yeah I guess thats how I can most accurately describe myself. I can absolutely love something I hated doing to the core previously or can suddenly be uninterested in something that had been a life line. One of the places I'm least found at, is the Kitchen. All my trips to the kitchen usually do not last more than 5 mins (Thats exactly how much time it takes to drink water and grab something from the fridge ) But these days, I'm loving experimenting with all the ingredients and making something different (and edible !)

11- Loving the drink

I'm up for anything with Lemon or orange in it. Its basically the flavour I like but I get the added advantage of getting sufficient Vitamin C's. And of course the two ultimate heat freezing drinks that I've mentioned here


12- Loving the Ice cream

Strawberry Cheesecake !!!!

13 - Loving the ultimate summer commodity

My sunglasses ! With a thin (very thin) row of bling on the edge.

14 - Loving the to wear

Anything made out of the fabric - lawn ! Thats what possibly every female in Pakistan wears in the summers. I love it because its airy, light and absorbs sweat. We have lawn exhibitions by most brands in the start of summer every year to display their new and exclusive designs and variety, lawn has evolved from simply fabric to a fashion statement over the years.The choice of having them stitched to suit your needs, rests on you.Prices range from Rs 350 - 3000 per dress. 


15 - Loving to say

"Zabardast"  ( Great)

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Should I ? or should I not ?

I'm typing this post after opening the layout page for the umpteenth time in three months, and like always I gave up on editing because of my indecisiveness. So instead of wasting more time on thinking whether I should really change the layout or not . I'm just gonna pose this as a question to all of my faithful readers out there. Do you like the present look and design of my blog or would you rather see some changes ? If yes, what kind of changes ? All kinds of suggestions and criticisms shall be appreciated by this indecisive little creature to the other side of your screen..Trust me, just go ahead and say it

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Yay ! Im really really happy. I just got my first blog award from NiSara from Beneath the Kohl ! She is a girl with immense talent and great writing skills ! Thank you very much NiSara , thanks indeed !


I'll pass it on to some blogs that I really enjoy , here goes

Carl's pottery and life blog
JayMay:Life lessons
Confessions of a shopaholic Medical student

I hope I haven't missed out on anyone, and if I have and I somehow wake up in the middle of the night thinking of how I should've given it to someone and did'nt I'll come online and make sure I do !!

P.S - Dont forget to pass it on to your favourite blogs !

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Tricks and dodges !!

The first ever expected diamond in my life was nothing but a betrayal ! A false hope that changed my life for four good memorable days ! But like every other dramatic episode in my life this one also ended in deception, painful, miserable deception...

Now for all those who thought I was getting engaged/married, you must've missed reading my previous posts, had you done that you would've known that the diamond I was referring to was the cyclone 'Phet' !! Thai for diamond..(The only diamond that us Karachite's ever got scared off, I'm sure.) And for all those who figured it out without reading my posts , go get ur IQ level checked , I'm sure Mensa needs more members :)

Any ways, so the the well awaited, well feared of and well talked/ written about cyclone chose to spare us and deflect itself to the east ! Even though it was something to be thankful about all that waiting and preparation made it something to loathe. I mean all that program cancellations, safety measures and even exam postponements for some ended in nothing..But anyways there were rains and the weather turned from unbearably hot to pleasant for about 48 hours, so that's an upside..And even though I was a little upset with nothing happening I'm still thanking Allah for saving Karachi from destruction..and alongside I pray that Allah help those who are in distress along the eastern regions of Pakistan and even in the west where the cyclone did wreck havoc..may God give them the strength to rise above it all ..Amen

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Awaiting the mighty beast !!

I'm sitting in my room, in front of the window, watching the intermittent, fluctuant rains. Its been this way since 1 am last night, when I started getting text messages from my friends all hyped up and excited about the rain. Yeah thats how we Karachite's react to rain and cloudy weather. I remember reading books by English writers back in school where the author would describe a sunny weather as pleasant and uplifting, and all my class fellows including me would be amazed at the writers altered sense of perception ! The teacher would then smile at us and explain how the English have rains and cloudy weather all the time so the sun is always a welcomed guest. So you see we tend to like things that are new or are less frequent in our lives. As is the case of rains in the hot, sunny lives of Karachite's . We hardly get to see rains besides the few monsoon drizzles in July. But yes we are pretty afraid of cyclones and destructive forces of nature just like all the other people around the globe !

Anyways, so I was up till 3 am last night constantly texting my friends about how the weather was in their locality and what they've been upto. One of my friends Maria lives right next to the beach ! And with the cyclone just lurking around the corners of Karachi's shore she was constantly updating us of the weather situation there ! With friends like Maria and cellphone's who needs news channels ?.. So its still raining and as per the news the cyclone is 200 km away, Karachi is fully prepared and praying , lets see how much power the mighty 'Phet' has to unleash on us !

Phet , Thai for diamond is the name that's been given to this cyclone !
The coast of Karachi - Courtesy Dawn.com

 So all you people out there keep praying for Karachi !

Saturday, June 5, 2010

The gate opens, and out walks Najwa !

The world seemed like a changed place after I stepped out of the examination hall ! The winds felt cooler, the trees were greener, the birds were chirpier and even the naggy guard at the gate felt like such an angel !! My minding was whirling into the possibilities of  having a good eight hours sleep, looking at myself in the mirror , good food and talking to my mom to my hearts content ! Ummm no I havent been back from serving a sentence in prison, really no ! I just got back after taking my last exam of this semester :) And boy was it a tough semester, I had to put myself into self exile to study, could'nt even get enough sleep ! And I'm not exaggerating, during the viva today , the examiner actually asked me if I had a normal LFT ( Liver Function test) because my eyes looked yellow and jaundicised to him !!( Yikes , hey, wait, readers please dont run away , I assure you I'm not suffering from Hepatitis and am neither a source of any other contagious disease ! You can all come back now ! ) My eyes turn yellowish whenever I'm exhausted but it was the first time someone commented that way , I must have been fatigued for sure !  But anyways enough of the exam talk, there's a lot more to yak yak about.

The Cyclone ' Phet ' is on its way to strike Karachi, there've been warnings and alerts splashing across TV screens , newspapers and the radio for the past three days or so !  According to the latest news it might just strike sometime in the evening today or tomorrow morning. All the ships have been docked safe, the advertisements on the bill boards across Karachi have been brought down to make them stable to face the winds , mommy dearest has cleaned all the possible water outlets we have in the house and my nani (grandma) has her old energizer torch all set and functional !! And well all I've done is get my laptop fully charged !...Jokes apart , I hope the cyclone doesn't cause much damage and my fellow Karachites are all saved from all sorts of casualties !

 A picture as the cyclone takes aim at Oman before striking Karachi !