lingo of my inner voice

Monday, February 27, 2006

Pehchaan - A breakthrough

Mehreen Jabbar is one of the most talented and genius directors of Pakistan. She is one of those directors who tried something new when the Pakistani media scene was following a typical formula.. she introduced depth and meaning into plays accompanied by an unusual way of story telling which won her many acclaims. This exception, her talent and alot of other reasons makes her my favorite. Mehreen has bagged lots of awards in Pakistan and International fesvitals for her thought-provoking and unique telefilms. She has always been a motivation for a creative person in me. More about her here.

PEHCHAAN is the recent project, a 13 episode serial directed by Mehreen Jabbar. It was shot in New York and New Jersey as she has been living in Brooklyn in the past year so so. I have seen so much growth in her work. She worked with writer Azra and shaped up a interesting plot and story for the serial which revolves around the lives of three Pakistani girls living and working in New York, their stories and conflicts as they relate to US-based Pakistani Diaspora in general.

All scenes were shot very aesthetically making every frame beautiful and worth-watching. The camera work was very different which we don't usually see, shot by a handheld camera. Pallete was very similar to the movie BLACK, still looking different. The styling was very real and not wrong to say cool because the story was set in chilly winters of New York. And ohh so loved the soundtrack. I seriously don't like soundtracks which have lyrics unless its melody is brilliant.

Okay so plot and twists in tale(at end of every episode) were interesting, camerawork and soundtrack was also perfect but like every serial success lies if the actors are good, Pehchaan too has an awesome cast.. good naah rather great.

Deepti Gupta who enacted the role of Kiran gave the best performance. She was the queen.. seriously!! Afterall she had a very good theatre background in India, Malaysia and New York. It is such a treat to watch her performance. Her Dialouge delivery is so good but her gestures and expressions speak louder. The transitions for one emotion from other in a single scene were flawless. I think I haven't seen such talented actress in my life. Sonia Rehman, Rehan Sheikh, Mini Warsi, Ismail Bashey, Bittu Walia, Padma Khanna, Khalid Nizami, Samina, Sunny Sharif.. everyone was at their best.

Last episode rocked. The way the story and the romance progressed and the end was so touching. There are so many scenes which are my favorite but the best scenes were obviously of Deepti, the last scenes and the scene were she saw adil first.. oh my God you can't get such perfect expression. Ohh I love her as an actor.

Great Job Mehreen!! Will miss the performances and the tururu soundtrack for sure. This saturday will be void but nice memories will always be there to cherish inshallah.

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 6:21 PM :: 4 Comments:

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Saturday, February 25, 2006

Complex Creativity

The problem with creative people are that they are open to ideas but they just go too much in detail that sometimes the actual purpose fades away, that they couldn't understand other person's perspective. I don't mean that detail is not important. I seriously believe that God lies in details and it makes the project a success or a flop. Creative minds are filled with ideas, when one idea is not yet finished the other pops in and then the main product just messes up, or atleast you get confused and lose your focus to what you were doing and what you wanted to do. Afterall adjective known as artistic is a synonym for insane. I don't know whether I am creative or not but you can surely count me in the insane lot :p I know what I am writing, I mean trying to write isn't making any sense but sometimes a day's incident shouldn't be written in a way which explains what and how it happened because it isn't important what happened but why it happened.. I mean the philosophy behind that one interaction. Okay I know I babble alot but you can't object, I have ownership and possession of this blog.. yea yea you all know I am an accounting student so I betta shutup but the dheet I am, I wont.. not that easily!!

Okay back to the world of creativity. The most inspiring or creative thing for me is a good artistic movie. Movies will always come first, then ofcourse writing, then maybe music and finally painting. Black won 11 filmfare awards. Mostly all actors and technicians won awards in all the categories in which they were nominated. Black missed the dialouges, screenplay and art direction awards. They were best in it man but afterall all awards can't be given to one film or else other will go empty-handed. Ayesha Kapoor is the world's best child actress for sure. Oprah just loves a child actress who worked in movie 'I am Sam'.. I just don't remember her name but I would say she is nobody infront of Ayesha. Sach main she is the star and the surprise package of the movie. I hated Amitabh before but I admit his second inning is rocking. He is in his 60's or maybe 70's but he can still set screen on fire, all he needs is a good character and great director. Rani Mukherjee is so awesome that she doesn't need any comments. She has no dialouges in this film but still its the most powerful performance in 3 decades of hindi cinema. She acts and her expressions are so perfect that guys also cried :p. It was both magic of her acting talent and story. Director is aesthetic genius. The film says it all. Each frame is perfect, grand and beautiful. BLACK IS THE BEST MOVIE EVER!!
More on Black here.

Btw Filmfare awards this time was flop and fair. Flop because the hosts were telling jokes which were so stupid that you can't even enough laugh on single of them. On the contrary one can be angry in vain. Secondly, the performances were so boring and pheekhi that I felt like ewww!! Where the energy man?! And why it is fair is already explained in the post.

Damn I missed today's episode of Pehchaan. It was the last one, now I have to wait for 10 bloody hours for retelcast which mean I won't be able to sleep well as I have to get early to catch it up. This is the best work of Mehreen till date.

Just a note, new blog links are added on sidebar. They are fantabulous.. make sure that you check 'em out.

And above all, my uncle's daughter is in ICU. She is very serious. Doctors are saying that she has a very less chance of surviving. She needs your prayers. Today is his wedding anniversy and her sweet little daughter is in life or death situation. I know God will do the thing which in their best interst, HE is kind. But I want her to live and have a great future. I hope the best happens and I know what will happen will be the best.

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 11:49 PM :: 8 Comments:

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Friday, February 24, 2006

ABOUT YOUR MOM

You will need some tissue papers so make sure you fetch them before reading this. I won't wait for Mother's Day to publish this post so here it is.. another wonder truth email.

ABOUT YOUR MOM


1. When you were 1 year old, she fed you and bathed you. You thanked her by crying all the night.

2. When you were 2 years old, she taught you to walk. You thanked her by running away when she called.

3. When you were 3 years old, she made all your meals with love. You thanked her by tossing your plate on the floor.

4. When you were 4 years old, she gave you some rayons. You thanked her by coloring the dinning roomtable.

5. When you were 5 years old, she dressed you for the holidays. You thanked her by looping into the nearest pile of mud.

6. When you were 6 years old, she walked you into school. You thanked her by screaming, "I'M NOT GOING".

7. When you were 7 years old, she bought you a baseball. You thanked her by throwing it through the next-door-neighbor window.

8. When you were 8 years old, she handed you an ice cream. You thanked her by dripping it all over your lap.

9. When you were 9 years old, she paid for piano lessons. You thanked her by never even bothering to practice it.

10. When you were 10 years old, she drove you all day, from soccer to gymnastic to one birthday party after another. You thanked her by jumping out of the car and never looking back.

11. When you were 11 years old, she took you and your friends to the movies. You thanked her by asking to sit in the different row.

12. When you were 12 years old, she warned you not to watch certain TV shows. You thanked her by waiting until she left the house.

13. When you were 13, she suggested a haircut that was becoming. You thanked her by telling her she had no taste.

14. When you were 14, she paid for a month away at summer camp. You thanked her by forgetting to write a single letter.

15. When you were 15, she came home from work, looking for a hug. You thanked her by having your bedroom door locked.

16. When you were 16, she taught you how to drove her car. You thanked her by taking it every chance you could.

17. When you were 17, she was expecting an important call. You thanked her by being on the phone all night.

18. When you were 18, she cried at your school graduation. You thanked her by staying out partying until dawn.

19. When you were 19, she paid for your college tuition, drove you to campus, carried your bags. You thanked her by saying good-bye outside the dorm so you wouldn't be embarrassed in front of you friends.

20. When you were 20, she asked whether you were seeing anyone. You thanked her by saying "It's none of your business".

21. When you were 21, she suggested certain careers for your future. You thanked her by saying "I don't want to be like you".

22. When you were 22, she hugged you at your college graduation. You thanked her by asking whether she could pay for a trip to Europe.

23. When you were 23, she gave you furniture for your first apartment. You thanked her by telling your friend it was ugly.

24. When you were 24, she met your fiance and asked about your plans for the future. You thanked her by glaring and growling, "Muuhh-ther, please!"

25. When you were 25, she helped to pay for your wedding, and she cried and told how deeply she loved you. You thanked her by moving halfway across the country.

26. When you were 30, she called with some advice on the baby. You thanked by telling her, "Things are different now."

27. When you were 40, she called to remind you of a relative's birthday. You thanked her by saying you were "really busy right now."

28. When you were 50, she fell ill and needed you to take care of her. You thanked her by reading about the burden parents become to their children.

29. And then, one day, she quietly died. And everything you never did, came crashing down like thunder on your heart.



IF SHE' S STILL AROUND, NEVER FORGET TO LOVE HER MORE THAN EVER.
AND IF SHE' S NOT, REMEMBER HER UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 4:03 PM :: 1 Comments:

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Thursday, February 23, 2006



This is an email that I got today.. its so damn hilarious and some points are so true. Everyone will treasure this email because it doesn't offer any treasure ;)

I no longer can drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.
I no longer drink anything out of a can because I will get sick from the rat feces and urine.
I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.
I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.
I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.
I no longer use margarine because it's one molecule away from being plastic.
I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.
I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are actually Al-Qaeda in disguise.
I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a stupid number for which I will get the phone bill from hell with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore, and Uzbekistan.
I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.
I no longer date the opposite sex because they will take my kidneys and leave me taking a nap in a bathtub full of ice.
I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.
Thanks to you, I have learned that God only answers my prayers if I forward
an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes. (Geez,
the Bible or Quran did not mention it works that way!)
I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl who is about to die in the hospital (for the 1,387,258th time).
I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

Yes, I want to thank all of you soooooooo much for looking out for me! I will now return the favor.

If you don't send this e-mail to at least 1200 people in the next 60 seconds, a large bird with diarrhea will crap on your head at 5:00 PM this afternoon and the fleas of a thousand camels will infest your armpits. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's 8th husband's 2nd cousin's 3rd husband's ex-wife's mother's beautician!

Truth is always bitter but I didn't know it can be funny too.

LMAO... I couldn't stop myself from laughing like hell, uff my belly hurts!

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 8:38 PM :: 2 Comments:

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Wednesday, February 22, 2006

FINALLY!!! yaay!

Okay so by the grace of God, today's paper went very well and it was so easy. I got 86% percent marks.. again all credit goes to my dear God. Finally I have passed all five papers of CAT which means now I can jump into ACCA scheme.. yipppeee!! *Screams with half-dead throat*

Now I need to go and rest because these last days were damn hectic. On normal days I quite hardly manage to have normal eight-our sleeps but this week there were even less sleeping hours and the stress just don't ask.. now its FINALLY over yaay! I will sleep for I think about zillions years and then will be back tomorrow to talk to this friggin bloggy webpage ;)

Cya

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 6:08 PM :: 7 Comments:

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Monday, February 20, 2006

All is because of my dear God's blessings :)

I know this is neither 22nd nor my exams are over but today I got a pending result about which I was neither confident but it was very crucial result. And guess what, yours truly passed the paper with flying colors by the grace of God.. yes every color you can imagine, I mean the result is fantabulous. I wasn't expecting to score that much which so much much for everyone because I was like whether I will pass or not :) I hope I get a position but I don't want to anticipate much because time will tell.

Pappu paas hogaya yaay!! where is my cadbury? Pass hogaya wohi bohat hai :p

One paper left.. 22nd feb is the date of exam and the same date will bring me the result. Your prayers are highly needed, now I am not that confident about myself but yes I am confident about God's decision :p Cya laters!!

Update: My uncle congratulated me this way,

Keep up, God with us!


Keep up God, ... with us.

He is genius. We both think alike. I hope you got my point ;)

On a serious note, ever wondered who made us this way? All the praises is for HIM.

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 1:54 PM :: 10 Comments:

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Friday, February 17, 2006

Break

I am again taking a examination leave from lolz!! This whole idea cracks me up :p This time I am confident about my preparations but you never know naa so please keep praying. Nonetheless everything will happen as God want it to happen. Will be back on wednesday and inshallah with a good news. Keep tuned in :)

And before leaving look what I won!!

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 6:15 PM :: 7 Comments:

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Wednesday, February 15, 2006

The Real Islam

I got a very informative and reflective mail from someone that I wanted to share with all too. I hope it will clear alot of misconceptions.

The offensive cartoons of the Prophet of Islam in the Danish media are NOT defensible in the name of freedom of the press, not only because they deeply offend more than a billion Muslims of the world, mostly peaceful and exemplary citizens of whatever country, but also because they distort truth and represent ignorance, and they intensify the malice plaguing our world today. The representation of Prophet Muhammad as a proponent of violence (Muslim violence against innocent people is perpetrated by a very small ultra-fringe minority of all Muslims) is a total fallacy. In defence of the truth, I recreat below an excerpt out of an opening statement I made as a panel member at a public forum held in a church in the USA exactly two months after 9/11:
"Western rhetoric often paints the picture that Islam promotes violence. To say that Islam promotes violence and terrorism because of what the likes of bin Laden do is as erroneous as saying that Christianity promoted the genocide of Jews by Hitler's Nazi Germany, simply because Hitler professed to be a Christian. Remember, the KKK also declared proudly their religious preferences and enemies based on religion. Does that make all Anglo-Saxon Protestants KKKs? Again, let us be careful about wild generalizations. The problem of terrorism lies with context and interpretation. Karen Armstrong at Harvard has a great article on this subject (K. Armstrong: The True, Peaceful Face of Islam, TIME Magazine, 11/01/2001), and I am going to borrow a little from her here. First of all, some say that Islam started out warring, that the Prophet himself was a warrior. Let us understand the context. Pre-Islamic Arabia was caught up in a vicious cycle of warfare, in which tribe fought tribe in a pattern of vendetta and counter-vendetta. Prophet Muhammad himself survived several assassination attempts, and the early Muslim community narrowly escaped extermination by the powerful city of Mecca. The Prophet had to fight a deadly war in order to survive, but as soon as he felt his people were safe, he devoted his attention to building up a peaceful coalition of tribes and achieved victory by an ingenious and inspiring campaign of non-violence. When he died in 632, he had almost single-handedly brought peace to war-torn Arabia in a matter of a few years, and had united the Arabs enough that they could mount the most impressive spread of any religion within just one century. And during that century and for the next two or three centuries, they were humanistic enough to adopt and positively integrate into the Islamic and Arab fabrics the best of the many cultures they encountered. In sharp contrast, a substantial part of the present Muslim world, rather than selectively integrating the best of the West into their fabrics, are failing to stay abreast of real progress and are prone to wallow in lost past glories and to blame the West for their own failures and damaged self-esteem. But this caNOT be blamed on Islam or the Prophet of Islam.

Because the Qur’an was revealed in the context of all-out war, several passages in it deal with the conduct of armed struggle. Warfare was a desperate business on the Arabian Peninsula. A chieftain was not expected to spare survivors after a battle, and some of the Quranic injunctions seem to share this spirit. Muslims are ordered to "slay (enemies) wherever you find them!" (Holy Quran 4:89). Extremists such as bin Laden like to quote such verses, but do so selectively. They do not include the exhortations to peace, which in almost every case follow these ferocious passages immediately, like this one which follows the verse I just read: "But, if they let you be, and do not make war on you, and offer you peace, God does not allow you to harm them." (4:90) In the Quran, therefore, the only permissible war is one of self-defence. According to the Quran, Muslims may not begin hostilities (2:190). Warfare is always evil, but sometimes you have to fight in order to avoid the kind of persecution that Mecca inflicted on Muslims (2:191; 2:217), or to preserve decent values (4:75; 22:40). The Quran quotes the Torah, the Jewish Scriptures, which permits people to retaliate eye-for-eye and tooth-for-tooth, but like the Gospels, the Quran suggests that it is meritorious to forgo revenge in a spirit of charity (5:45). Hostilities must be brought to an end as quickly as possible, and must cease the minute the enemy sues for peace (2:192-3).

And then there is the matter of jihad. The primary meaning of the word is not 'holy war', but rather it is 'struggle'. The Prophet was careful to distinguish between the greater jihad (jihadul akbar), which refers to the constant inner struggle against one's own vile instincts, one's ego, indeed a struggle most of us do a poor job of, as opposed to the lesser jihad (jihadul ashgar), which is the struggle of self-defence. To me, the word jihad almost always means this inner struggle. It is also important to recognize that Islam did not, and does not, impose itself by the sword. In a statement in which the Arabic is extremely emphatic, the Quran insists, "There must be no coercion in matters of faith" (2:256). Constantly, Muslims are enjoined to respect Jews and Christians, identified in the Quran as the People of the Book, who worship the same God (29:46). In another verse, God tells all human beings, "O people! We have formed you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another" (49:13) --- not to conquer, convert, subjugate, revile or slaughter, but to reach out toward each other with intelligence and understanding.

So why the suicide bombings, the hijackings and the massacre of innocent civilians? Far from being endorsed by the Quran, such killing violates some of its sacred tenets. Islam teaches that suicide is a mortal sin deserving of eternal damnation. It is unnatural. The point is that during the 20th century, the militant form of piety, often known as fundamentalism, has erupted in every major religion as a rebellion against modernity. Every fundamentalist movement in Judaism, Christianity and Islam is convinced that liberal, secular society is determined to wipe out religion. In such a battle for survival, fundamentalists often feel justified in ignoring the more compassionate and humanistic principles of their faith. But in amplifying the more aggressive passages that exist in all scriptures, they distort the tradition. In its essence, Islam is completely consistent with modernity if modernity means the state-of-the-art of knowledge and skills and technology, etc. within a humanistic framework. But if modernity means anything and everything western, including its degenerate aspects, then it is not Islam that is in need of modernization, but rather modernity that is in need of Islamization. At the same time, there is no doubt that many misled Muslims, and especially some Muslim states, especially in the Mideast, are in serious need of humanistic modernization and genuine Islamization, both of which they are conspicuously short on. Such humanism is part of the teaching of Islam and its Prophet.

Let me close by reiterating that Islam and the West have a common enemy in terrorism. We must be allies in eradicating terrorism, and we must be not only rational in this, but I hope that we will also rise above this to be spiritual. Going to war, nation after nation, is not the answer. That way, we will soon demolish the global coalition, and encourage anti-Americanism and more terrorism. Instead, let us be more selective about who the real terrorists and their supporters are, and go after them more surgically. And let the Taliban be replaced with a representative secular government, one in which the views of one brand of any religion are not forced on all by law. And at the same time, globally, let us address the fundamental causes of anti-Americanism. And please be assured that not only little people like me, but also an increasing number of important Muslim leaders, like the Aga Khan, are speaking out and taking actions to bring about changes in the Muslim world to adapt it better to the ever modern humanistic Islam. ... Let us keep our perspective moral and civilized, for that is the kind of nation I have so far been proud, most of the time, to have adopted as my home. America is a very great nation, a civilized nation, with a great intellectual tradition I value enormously. Let us not forget to be spiritual also. Thank you."

-Noor Gillani

I hope it helped!

PS: What is happening on the name of Islam these days and what these political ignorant non-religious group of mullahs(I am not targetting all) are doing with my country and religion.. I seriously condemn it. It just makes me more sad. No use, nothing positive.. everything is still the same, maybe even worse. They make me feel ashamed of being a paki. Sach main they have gone nuts.. they were already like that nothing new. They have done not a single good for my country and now they are ruining the dignity of Islam too in the eyes of non-muslims but as always say that Islam is so diverse in its nature that the whole Islam should not be blamed for the act of one sick group. Above it Danish and insensitive Norway Press has no minds whatsoeva, their act was not a freedom of speech but a misuse of the power of speech. Humans use your brains.. I guess humans are not humans anymore, it doesn't matter which religion they belong to. Simple is baat hai Give Respect, Get Respect!!

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 5:38 PM :: 3 Comments:

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Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Be my love!!

I love you all my bloggy friends.

Thanks for sharing your wisdom always.

Sometimes Valentine's Day do make me lonely and I am sure many others too ;). Anyways I have so many people in my love who love me and care about me so I am always thankful. There is some type for that special someone to come into my life, till then I will ch!ll :p The thing is don't glue this day with cupids and lovers only remember and wish everyone to whom you love whether they are your parents, family, friends, that special someone or God. Spread the love today and always!!

Related Posts:
American-cupids-attacking-iraqis (Weirdest valentine's day post ever)
She is my valentine! (one word SPECIAL)
Sabaina (Love story with a twist!)
France and Coffee (My Love)
100 Things about me (This is called self love!)
My Chinese Symbol (Figure out the reason by yourself)

Opinion Poll:
  • Which love song would you like to listen on Valentine's Day?
  • What gift would you like to give to your lover and what would you like to receive in return - if both of you had no financial or other restrictions?
  • What is Love?
  • Why Valentine's Day?


Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 2:32 PM :: 8 Comments:

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What element is your love?

Your Love Element Is Metal

In love, you inspire and respect your partner.
For you, love is all about fusing together for one incredible life experience.

You attract others with wit and a bit of flash.
Your flirting style is defined by making others want and value you.

Greatness and optimism are the cornerstones of your love life.
You may let go too easily, but you never get weighed down by your past.

You connect best with: Earth

Avoid: Fire

You and another Metal element: will control and smother each other

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 2:37 AM :: 3 Comments:

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Sunday, February 12, 2006

My teen side is Inexistent

"Controversies about you are disturbing but conterversies about others are interesting."
-Karan Johar

Ohh I think what Karan said in his show Koffee with Karan, I used to fancy it in my teens. Yes those gossips like who seeing who and laughing on someone's misery. I don't regret it because it was just like a tiny drop in the ocean of life. I think that I didn't had sense at that time of what life is all about so it is not a big deal for me right here right now. Now if someone creates any kind of scandal I am the one to leave the room if possible. The thing I regret is that this is my last year in teens.. and it has been a hard year because I don't feel like a teen anymore, either I feel like a kid or I feel like a grown up.. ohh just leave it. Its disgusting! Yes I will be twenty this year which mean I am turning into a budda(it means I am getting old). Okay so I have a modest amount of grey hair on my scalp and I think that most of my fun side has lost somewhere specially since one and a half year.. maybe its because of the fact that I am missing campus life - its not less than ordeal to get professional education instead of a degree. I need some urgent help!

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 11:19 PM :: 6 Comments:

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Straight Out of the cap

Okay so I just came back from a get together or say dinner arranged by my maternal family or say uncles. Our family is such an item.. eid khatam hogayi muharram aagaya aur ab daawat horahi hai, one word insane. I think it is very tough to live in joint family, I am happy that I am single and only child of my parents. But sometimes I feel that my paternal cousins should have been living in Karachi instead of pardes. It would have been so much fun to meet each other because in my naniyaal its other way round. I just miss bhaiya brother type feeling. Tody they saw me after a long time. The whole new makeover and weightloss made yours truly the talk the evening :p The room filled with girl cousins and I am getting praises.. now that feels nice ;) So girls just want a topic to talk whole evening, so without any delay 'how to lose weight' became the topic then late comers i.e. boys also joined in. One of my cousin's asked me five times that WHO AM I? AM I RAHEEL? This was only fun part of evening which kept me sane. But let me tell you that being thin doesn't means that you are getting weak. For God sake, use your minds ek toh I am trying to get healthy and you uncles are asking me that am I getting weak?! Mota tha tab musibat, patla hogaya toh bhi musibat.. atleast kam ;)

My maternal family is extremely boring.. and believe me it is such an underrated statement. On the top of it, I don't like formalities and after those bajillion handshakes my hand seriously hurts. If anyone comes give him a handshake, if someone goes give him a handshake and if you yourself is leaving then plenty more handshakes.. uff this seriously sucks. Biryani had so much ghee that despite eating little my stomach still aches. Today I also got to know that my uncle who is about 60 or something watches, follows and enjoys Indian Idol.. now this is so cool. And my another uncle loves to see lolly movies on filmazia.. not this is even more cool(Is it?!)

My sleeping schedule has all gone haywire. Seriously I sleep and wake up at odd timings. I am unable to set a sane pattern as I am very poor in these things. Because of this my studies is also getting effected. I have my paper on 22nd and I am getting nowhere. The guilt is rising.. I can make time to write posts and check your blogs(which I am not doing so regularly and I am regret that), but when it comes to studies I can't even manage them. It is not like I don't study at all but I know I can do loads more. I was talking about how brain dynamics and I asked one student that have he ever had goat's brain and I tell you he was about to vomit. OMG!! sometimes teaching can get wacko weird. Yesterday night, I watched Shaadi Online. Okay so when you have nothing to do beside studying, watch Shaadi Online. Its a great timepass. This doesn't mean that I watch Shaadi Online with great enthusiasm and loyality.. mashallah se I am not that faarig aur naa hi itna pagal. But I can appear on that silly show if you give me 1 million US Dollars. I have increased my rates =P I will write a whole good lot on this best worst show in history of Pakistani Media in some other post but for now I just wanna express my hatred for those people who say that they want a housewife. I mean its okay but if someone says that I want a housewife because I want a housekeeper and sweeper then its pathetic. How more narrowminded can you be?! These days my internet and computer both are angry with me for no reason.. they are lame, they refuse to work when I need them. Duh!! I think this post is a mess so I should stop writing. Enough for today. Chill Kero.

PS: I don't know how people can waste their time in long boring family dinners where all they do is watch television or say each other's faces. And I am planning to start a petition for anti-handshakes in dinner, parties and college campuses.

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 12:14 AM :: 0 Comments:

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Saturday, February 11, 2006

If you dread tags then dread me!! muahahahahaha

GH yesterday and Aisha once tagged me, so here I am completing my duty.

Four Jobs I’ve Had in My Life
  • Computer Teacher
  • English Language Teacher
  • Tution Teacher
  • In short I have been a teacher whole my life.. thatz makes me so annoying :p
Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over
  • Black
  • Kal Ho Na Ho
  • Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
  • Khamoshi
Four Places I Have Lived
  • My Home
  • North Nazimabad, Karachi
  • Sind(and in the village Khyber in interior sind for whole one day.. that was the funniest, tiring, thirsty and torturing experience ever :p)
  • Pakistan
And if you thing that these are four different places then let me make your doubts clear. I have lived my whole life is the same house in which I was born .

Four TV Shows I Love(d) To Watch
  • Hip Hip Hurray and Hum Paanch (on Zee)
  • Khichidi and Baa, Bahu aur Baby (on Star Plus.. I just hate Star Plus little less because of these two dramas)
  • Pehchaan and Mere Paas Paas (on HumTV)
  • Indian Idol, Simpsons and Kumar's at no. 42.. Am I forgetting any of my fav shows?!
Okay I know I've cheated but everything is fair in love, war and tags my dear.

Four Places I Have Been On Vacations
Shabbo, why did you asked me this question.. why? I have never been to any city for vacation except that Khyber which also a trip for a cause. I like to spend my summers in more productive way.

Four Websites I Visit Daily
  • Blogger and Blogs
  • Yahoo Mail
  • Orkut
  • Indiafm
Four Favorite Foods
  • Chicken Biryani
  • Chicken Karhayi, Qeema and Nihari
  • Dhokhras and Dosas
  • Pizza, Subway Sandwiches and Pasta
Did I mention Chocolates and Donuts?!

Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now
  • Disney World screaming and dancing with Uncle Donald.
  • In Mumbai, munching popcorns and watching a good film in some multiplex.
  • In some studio or location, shooting a scence of some movie.. uff I want to do this so badly sach mein.
  • AKHSS.. I want to go back into my college days. Uff woh muftas, laughs, fights and paagalpan.
Four People I Tag Next

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 5:30 PM :: 2 Comments:

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Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Are our minds alive like our hearts?

We all know how much western culture is messed up, especially on the ethical, political and social grounds.. its a different matter that they don't understand this because they are enjoying living this way. The recent blasphemy shown by Danish press by publishing cartoons, mocking the holiest figure of Islam, Prophet Muhammad(Peace Be Upon Him). This act has offended and hurt sentiments of Muslims worldwide. This whole issue raised a point in global arena that how much freedom is acceptable? The problem with west is that they think freedom means you can do everything, no strings attached. But as you have to pay price of everything, freedom also brings a duty on all of us. The duty of respecting other's existence and don't harm them in any way; physically and emotionally.

This act ignited anger in every Muslim but how we dealt with it on religious or national levels, is still a disgrace. Yes I know all that rallys of protest did help in getting all the media attention and also an apology from Danish government but did it contributed in projecting a more positive and real image of Islam and the message of our beloved prophet? I don't think so. Most arab countries banned the products, okay its somewhat acceptable but still not logical. But didn't you think those protests put us in even worse view.. what they perception will get from it? Maybe a perception that Muslims are people who only know to shout, scream and attack. Wouldn't it have been more influencial that our muslim religious leaders and government officials have sent letters with more logical grounds to the Danish government representing our disgust in more positive way than banning those danish products? Wouldn't it have been more effective that our media would have contributed even more than showing those protests? I saw all this in news after the issue was half rotten, and media felt that they have done their duty by just telecasting the news, was nothing more in all this that should have been taken care of?

Over all this, Irani Newspaper has also announced an international competition for cartoons on Holocaust competition to condemn this act. Is this right?! Certainly not, what kind of example are we trying to set. Don't you think that it is completing immoral that if were hurt by an act, you will try to replicate it to hurt others. Have we ever thought what are positive steps are we taking in order to improve the image of Islam in world? All we know is to cry and scream. And by the time arrives for using our minds we are all exhausted. You are not living in the era of horses, camels and swords.. that era was there 1400 yrs. ago. Now it is 2006.. I think it is a high time that we try to bridge gaps between nations and religions and try to accept each other the way they are. It is the only way to kill this hatred.

It is important to condemn wrong things but people will only listen when you will change those things in you too. Haven't we seen offensive comments in past on arab media about christianity and judaism? Isn't the arab media filled with sunni people and isn't the government control the journalism and shia's are pressurized against freedom of speech. We talk about freedom of speech still we don't follow it.

We need to take these steps on urgent basis and unitedly,
  • Try to resolve issues between communities in a more peaceful and positive way. By this I mean something like this and this. You can also sign this petition.
  • We need to bridge gaps between religions and nations by showing our respect, help and care.
  • Try to solve the problems inside our sects. Let us be more tolerable amongst each other. When we say that Prophet Muhammad will help us all as an ummat on the day of judgement that this means we all are one family. First we need to be united and improve ourselves.
  • Freedom of speech should also be exercised in Muslim media too. Without hurting other sect or without pressurizing anyone.
  • Freedom of speech doesn't mean that Christians can say anything about Arabs or vice versa. This thing should be taken care of at all places.
  • We need to look at politics and religion as different entities, same as India and China does. Even India and China doesn't follow it perfectly but they are better than all of us in this respect. If among religion and politics, any one element gets backing from another then conflicts will emerge then God forbid we can't expect another World War.
On a much lighter note, after completion of audition's stage of American Idol Season 5.. I can claim this confidently that most of wannabees who didn't make it were suffering from Constipation and they only came and sing to solve this problem. One also asked permission to Simon to go to bathroom in middle of his audition as he wanted to pee. Bwahahaha!!

Be Peaceful!!

Pic By: Google Search

Update: BBC plans to show the controversial cartoons anytime tonight. We oppose such an irresponsible display. This will send another wave of anger among Muslim Ummah through out the world. Raise your voice against this display on this cell number: 00448700100222

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 10:07 PM :: 8 Comments:

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Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Sorry dear if you are the best, you gotta go!!

I lurrrve to see reality tv shows, specially those who appreciate and encourage talent like Indian Idol. Okay I don't watch it only for fun, I think it is somekind of confidence or hope booster for all artistic type of people. As I am mad.. only little mad not completely completely wala mad, I like to get connected to the details of the program.. I mean I choose some contestants as my favorite and then follow their progress very seriously so I can enjoy every part of it. I think it used to be like this, but since Indian Idol 2 has started intensity of my madness has lower down.. just because I know there is no use of doing all this because you will always get disappointed as Indian public has majority of emotional fools who will never respect talent so it is evident that the best person will never win the competition. Second best still have some chance, only if he is a male because there is gender-biasness ki inteha in public's perception :@ or maybe girls vote much more than boys ;)

At this moment I am more angry than sad. In some of my previous posts, I have said that all past results of Indian Idol 2 were shocking. But today's was not only shocking, unfair rather it was an insult of true singing talent. Nothing new it has always been like this in these stupid reality tv shows because idiots are choosing the winner. Despite of the fact that Ravi, Panna and Sandeep are still there and singing some very bad amateurish stuff, Monali is out. Shit!! I mean she was the best, yes the best. She was extremely beautiful. She always presented herself nicely. She got the best clothes in show. She looked so very cute when she smiled.. more cute then uXuf's bakri(goat). She always talked so innocently and sweetly that you can have a crush on her, at the very moment when she opens her mouth to speak.. as having a crush even before having any conversation with that person seems abnormal to me. Okay now lets talk about her talent. She has a very versatile copyrighted voice.. a spark that I never saw in others. She understood the lyrics and her expression were so accurate at every place, and her beautiful expressive eyes.. Uff Dammit!! I am getting furious sach mein. Her performance was always upto the mark which includes her dancing skills too. None of her performances were monotonous, she always tried something new, something creative and innovative. What can you ask more in your Idol? Yes all she missed was that she neither was absurd nor she belonged to less developed area, so didn't gather any sympathy like other contestants and unfortunately got voted out.. sad state of affairs really!! As 'the one' who has to be eliminated in that episode know it beforehand unlike other participants and judges. So she kept on wispering that I don't want to go and she kept weeping even before the announcement of result because she already knew that she had to go despite being such strong contender. Luck's poor victim!! Chalo never mind, afterall its a game. She will soon sing in somer hindi movie as one of the judges, Anu Malik has promised her for a playback break. Still yaar if you are human(human not for the sake of human but a proper human with a heart) then you will feel bad for anyone who deserved it. You cried, judges also cried along you, public was already upset so they also cried because they can't see you go but the contestants got relieved because the best one is out of the game which is in their benefit :( Ironically her last song was 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kahena'(Don't say I am leaving)

Will miss you sweetheart!! The show will never be the same, not only for me but for million others for sure.

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 11:59 PM :: 2 Comments:

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In the middle of sleep...

"When sorrows filled his heart and he complained to God.. accidently his eyes glanced at things others don't possess and he started feeling so much blessed. Afterall it is scarcity that gives the value to abudance."

I saw something today in dream and then cried in middle of the sleep. It is fear or love I don't know but it made me realize how much I am blessed, how much my God loves me. I wouldn't share the dream because it is of no importance for you but it was a life-changing moment for me.

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 6:19 PM :: 2 Comments:

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Monday, February 06, 2006

Comments - a wonder feature in blogs

Enough fights, now let me do some other productive thing =P But before that I want make one thing clear by saying that I hate smokers doesn't mean that they are bad people, it only reflects my annoyance towards the act because it harms other people and nature. And if people think that I don't have a life, I am happy and content but also have associated a purpose to my life and all my actions revolve around it. You can say I am little different or maybe little abnormal =P

This post is opinionated based on certain observations since I have joined blogosphere, you don't necessarily have to agree with it. I am neither trying to set an example or impose something on others nor I am trying to criticize others. Unaiza's comment gave me idea to discuss about this issue. Thanks Unaiza!!

Thanks to blogger, we all have a free blog. We all use our blogs for different reasons, some use it as a personal journal, some use it a plaform to satiate their creative urges and some use it for potpourri of things. Then we also have access to a useful feature called Comments. Now everyone talks about blogs so I thought we should try to do something new, lets talk about comments. I personally find comments very useful because it helps me find opinions of others and discuss issues or experiences with them. Some bloggers might perceive it in a different way. Some think that these comments are just for hi, hello. Some think that these comments should be always nice and sweet. Some think that these comments should be general and not personal. Briefly, every person want comments to be in a certain way. But all of the above atleast don't work for me. I think there can be only two type of interactions, either open or none. If you allow comments for a post then be ready for any kind of comment and reply it in a proper manner or else just close the option. I personally think that blog is not a personal space. If you think your life is personal then why you discuss it in front of hundreds of readers. As comments are like byproduct of post, so if you share them in posts you are yourself asking for it. I am human afterall, I have certain perceptions, I have certain emotions and I also have certain duties. I always prefer in being honest than sweet.. lies are afterall lies. I think blogs or internet is something bigger than hi hello. Seriously I don't care for making friends just for hi hello because these kind of people are already in abudance in my life =P. I always respect other blogger's comment but that doesn't mean that I agree to it. I find comments and posts to be a learning experience than entertainment.. still humor is a very important element of any conversation.

Conflicts in comments are not so unusual. One major reason that I observed was categories. Some time bloggers make mistake of naming their category wrong. There is a clear difference between category termed as 'Joke' and category termed as 'Drunk'. Drunk can include personal incidents so if you mistakenly name joke as drunk then you are asking for troubles. Secondly, people don't want to listen. Thirdly, people don't want to listen. They don't want come of their shell. They don't want to share their opinions, maybe because they are insecure or else they want things to be their way but world doesn't function like this. Being a peaceful person, I usually don't invite or entertain conflicts but if some other person invites me for it then I find them yet another way to learn and make them understand your point. For me it is never about winning or losing. These games are way too childish for me. I don't really take interest in personal lives of people but I do care about humanity and nature in general context for sure.

Now your turn, tell me what you think about comments? How you treat your visitors? How you want to be treated in comments?

Be positive, Happy and Peaceful Blogging!!

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 5:04 PM :: 3 Comments:

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Sunday, February 05, 2006

Don't take life so easily!!

Sometimes people see us not the way we are, they see us how their friends or peers look at us. Yes, this is very true. I know these people don't have anything else against you, they are really nice to the core but the peers they have always make their misunderstandings with others because either they are jealous, confused or maybe just their minds are not bigger than peas. These people's friends don't think and then unconsciously or maybe consciously makes a web and obviously their friend also believe them blindly, and all the loss is of that third person who gets trapped despite being innocent just because these people won't listen. I would listen to my friend's advice always but would never believe him blindly. I will always think about the issue. After all I have my own mind, my own personality and my own values so I think I can make the decision wisely by myself. I hope that others also treat/think this way.

I think I won't make or enjoy any friendships on blogger from now on.. atleast not from any teen or young person living in states or any european country. I am not being a racist but yes I think these people are really messed up with their values. They smoke, drink and do all the shit stuff which is not in my dictionary of how I personally perceive a proper culture but these things can be acceptable to the extent that people have moral values and they are not harming others. Let me define what is moral and what is not moral. Giving someone an honest advice is moral and then you receive disrespect from that person just because you higlighted some bitter realities of their personality is IMMORAL. If you care about someone just because you think that they have given you somekind of happiness - not important whether small or big - and you wan't to repay him/her back by helping that person is moral but then receiving a curse from him/her just because you were true and they might have some insecurity or complexes is IMMORAL. Sticking to your values and taking initiatives for a good purpose which will help and change lives of others is moral and when other person emails you back and tells you that your sincere hlep was far more worse than a spam then this reply is IMMORAL. If you think that I am wrong then perceive me as it is because I seriously don't care, because I know from inside that I am right and it won't stop me from doing all that which is important to me. I won't always comment at your blogs with nice and sweet comments but believe you me that it will be honest and straight for sure. I think it is you who are messed up not me and what problems that life might have given you are mere your own cultivation.

I think today's youth, generally worldwide and specifically those who are living in western world(this might to be their birth origin), takes life so easily. Most of us, use our blogs, blogger and internet as whole just as a mode of entertainment and fun, not as a productive and educational resource.. and honestly this is a very sad state of affairs. I know how impressive is HOPE's readership but I don't care, I will still work for it because if only one person gets some help and hope then it will give me much more happiness and then your sweet and nice comments.

In end All I want to say rather write is that I HATE SMOKERS, they might be nice people but they are causing harm to the earth and the society and the people living in it. You may like to have a lung cancer but that doesn't mean that you have right to do everything and anything and harm others.

"There is no relationship between two persons but relation itself is a separate entity and we, the people, are the links in it. Firm relation needs to ensure every link in the whole chain is strong; and sometimes being strong means – being flexible."
-JonyBr's Wisdom

Update: Being against something doesn't mean that you are conservative, and it doesn't mean that a country which has certain restrictions(by the way Pakistan doesn't have such fiere situation because it is developing) doesn't produce liberal thinkers. Liberal thinkers give respect but don't compromise on the values. Its not only me but many people from US and Europe themselves think that people misuse their freedom. Freedom doesn't mean that you can unconsciously/consciously harm someone from an act. If you can't deal with your life, its okay.. do drugs and ruin yourself, atleast not others. Go and check some facts about smoking.
And lady, there is difference between giving Advice and Harrassing others. According to Oxford dictionary because maybe you think that I am being conservative so I thought authentic reference would be better: Harrass is a subject to intimidation and Advice is guidance or recommendation. Secondly, you told me once that you wanted to stop smoking. If you wouldn't have said that I won't even say it that way, I would have said Smoking is injurious to health and environment and I would have stopped at that full stop. If you want prove then check my comment's on other blogs on the same issue. And by saying that online people don't know about your personal life doesn't prove you right because if you are harming someone then it doesn't matter at which situation your life stands. By the way, seriously I don't care about what people think but I completely care about what others do and if it can harm mankind I will raise my voice but in a decent manner. As I practice it so I also take constructive criticism positively and think about it but doesn't mean that I don't have a life of my own. It doesn't mean that I want you to change. It only means that on both logical and emotional ground, I am sound and wouldn't compromise on self respect and entertain stupid replies. "As years go by, generations change, what people thought was wrong becomes normal in society's eyes but it doesn't mean that it becomes right, it stills remains wrong."

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 12:01 PM :: 2 Comments:

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Saturday, February 04, 2006

Wanna Upsize your Positive Quotient?!

Just a reminder!!!

My other blog "H.O.P.E." is now shifted to http://upsizethehope.blogspot.com

Every 'FRIDAY' will bring new hope in your life with a brand new article inshallah.

H.O.P.E. is heading towards the next level and your support is all it needs, and maybe you also need it ;)

If you have linked it before, then please update the link. If you haven't then banner info is here:
Help Us in Spreading the Message - Banner info

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 12:05 AM :: 0 Comments:

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Thursday, February 02, 2006

Leptospirosis- Must to read!!

This incident happened recently in North Texas. A woman went boating one Sunday taking with her some cans of coke which she put into the refrigerator of the boat. On Monday she was taken to the hospital and placed in the Intensive Care Unit. She died on Wednesday.

The autopsy concluded she died of Leptospirosis. This was traced to the can of coke she drank from, not using a glass. Tests showed that the can was infected by dried rat urine and hence the disease Leptospirosis.

Rat urine contains toxic and deathly substances. It is highly recommended to thoroughly wash the upper part of soda cans before drinking out of them. The cans are typically stocked in warehouses and transported straight to the shops without being cleaned.

A study at NYCU showed that the tops of soda cans are more contaminated than public toilets (i.e).. full of germs and bacteria. So wash them with water before putting them to the mouth to avoid any kind of fatal accident.

Please forward this message to all the people you care about.

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 5:56 PM :: 5 Comments:

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What kind of coffee are you?

You Are a Frappacino

At your best, you are: fun loving, sweet, and modern

At your worst, you are: childish and over indulgent

You drink coffee when: you're craving something sweet

Your caffeine addiction level: low

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 3:13 PM :: 0 Comments:

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