This is the ninth journal entry in a series of about 15 which I wrote over a three week period while I was in Pakistan this summer. If you go to the category Pakistan Journal you can see all the entries. There are some really interesting experiences and observations which I make throughout the trip(or well at least in my opinion).

6/16/2004

Today we headed for Lahore. My brother in law met us at the airport. My father had his baggage screened and there was a problem because there was a trick pen in the bag which had a battery in it and it shocked people when they tried to press it. They asked him why he was taking it on the plane. We let them (the newly weds) sit together and the rest of the family sat separately. I had to use the bathroom so I went to the one which was closest to me. After I was done doing my duty… er..dooty…er.. dookie… when I came out there was a man waiting for me who informed me that I was using the business class bathroom and in the future I should use the economy class bathroom. I looked in front and saw that the entire business class was empty! By the time everything sank in I was already back in my seat. I thought man, I should have told that guy “Screw You!” I told my father what happened and I said that if I have to go again I will go in that same bathroom, for sure.

When we get there, there is a band of women waiting for us. It’s my mother’s aunt and her daughter in laws. They brought two cars and a driver with them. It turns out that their family is making millions (rupees or dollars? I guess rupees) a month importing efficient (power saving) air conditioners from China and selling them wholesale. Alhumdulilah I guess that meant they’d have AC at their home. They gave us a few rooms to stay in which was awfully nice of them. We also had a huge event at their house on this same night. A catering place brought all sorts of nice furniture which we laid out. Most of my father’s family was not able to attend the wedding in Karachi since it costs so much to go there form Lahore. So we held this dinner to have everyone meet the new couple. I was happy to meet my cousins new husbands who they married like two years ago (one of their kids actually lives at my house). I also reunited with cousins who I had not seen for a long time. I also met people who I had heard so much about, but never had the chance to meet. For example a girl cousin whose entire family came to America (she couldn’t because she had surpassed an age requirement for the family visa). She was very similar to two of her younger siblings who I know really well. They talked about her so much it was like we already knew her. She is married to another one of our cousins and they have two kids. My father’s parents were even brought to the event which made it really special. Since my grandfather is practically bedridden. When he was eating his dinner he was chewing it up sucking the juices out of it and then spitting it out. He is like 94 and he barely knows what is going on. I met many of my aunts whose names I can never remember. They all look like each other which doesn’t help either and there’s like 6 of them (My father has 13 brothers and sisters).

The weather is much nicer here. I tell people the heat in Lahore makes you sweat, while the heat in Karachi makes you cry. Lahore has really nice parts since its so green. Also the traffic and pollution is less than Karachi. In Karachi traffic, people just start honking their horn expecting you to get out of their way (simply because they are behind you).

Pictures from this segment of the trip:

[img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/80.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/81.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/82.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/83.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/84.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/85.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/86.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/87.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/88.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/89.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/90.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/91.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/92.jpg width=100 height=100]

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This is easily the best movie that I have seen since City of God (actually since Million Dollar Baby which I saw recently). Similarly to City of God this film is based on a true story. I guess I am a sucker for true stories. In this case it’s not just a story of one man, but of a nation in turmoil. For those who don’t know in 1994 in Rwanda there was a major clash between two ethnic tribes the Hutus and the Tutsis. I won’t get into too many details in case you would rather learn from the film. I would suggest that you watch the film as someone who is educated on the subject. Before watching Hotel Rwanda I suggest that you watch the following PBS Frontline film:

If you arent using RSS Feeds, and more specificially Live Bookmarks on Firefox you are really missing out. Check out these images (click to make bigger) to see what Im feeding myself these days. Also drop a comment saying what sites you feed!.

[img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/technology/feeds/01.gif width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/technology/feeds/02.gif width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/technology/feeds/03.gif width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/technology/feeds/04.gif width=100 height=100]

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This is the eighth journal entry in a series of about 15 which I wrote over a three week period while I was in Pakistan this summer. If you go to the category Pakistan Journal you can see all the entries. There are some really interesting experiences and observations which I make throughout the trip(or well at least in my opinion).

6/15/2004

Today we went to Pizza Hut. Anis Uncle treated us. Finally American food! I chowed down like anything. Finally! American Food! It was so good, especially since we could have meat on our Pizza! I especially enjoyed the smoked chicken pizza. My stomach was good for a while after that. My uncle jokingly said that I got what I needed (or what my stomach needed/craved). After eating that how could anyone go back to eating salan?

 At night it would get so hot I would stand on the street corner trying to catch a breeze. It was so suffocating in the homes that I wanted to sleep right on the streets.

This would be my final full day in Karachi. We had a dawat at night at the Air Cadet Club or something. It was in the army town called ‘defense’ which is heavily guarded and is one of the cleaner areas in Karachi. There are similar areas in the rest of Pakistan. My relative was using his perks again to hold this dinner. I learned that he tests airline pilots for PIA. I also learned there are a few female pilots on staff. When we get to this hall there are army guys at the entrance. The place is blasting AC which is very abnormal for most Pakistani places, except for high end homes and restaurants. The place is really nice in fact. There is a picture on the wall of  Prime Minister Gamoli and my Grandmothers brother. We had waiters serve us. You could tell that the place was high tech because not only did it have toilets but it also had toilet paper. My stomach was so messed up that I felt the need to go but I couldn’t go. My brother in law’s family was there as well. The weather was so bad on the way there that I felt like passing out. I was sitting in the front seat squished with my mother. All cars in Pakistan are manual. So this huge Suziki which has its engine under the seat (which we’re sitting on top of) is really cooking. There’s about 15 relatives of ours sitting in the back military style (two rows lined up against the walls of the van).

Pictures from this segment of the trip:

[img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/64.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/65.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/66.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/67.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/68.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/69.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/70.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/71.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/72.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/73.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/74.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/75.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/76.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/77.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/78.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/79.jpg width=100 height=100]

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This is the seventh journal entry in a series of about 15 which I wrote over a three week period while I was in Pakistan this summer. If you go to the category Pakistan Journal you can see all the entries. There are some really interesting experiences and observations which I make throughout the trip(or well at least in my opinion).

6/14/04

I realized that I need to conserve space on the pad. Last night we had dinner with my brother in law and his family. All his brothers wanted to meet their new sister in law. It was a pretty cool gathering. The youngest brother (the only one with a beard) wanted to have an Islamic Discussion. He told me that he heard that my mother has issues with the group Dawat-e-Islaami. And that he happens to be a member of that group. Then he asked what’s wrong with the group, and that we should tell him so he can leave the group if it’s not good for him. I didn’t buy his last line and knew he straight up wanted to know what beef we had with his group so he could counter it or clarify his position. So I told him that I had never heard of the group till now so I would need to know what they are all about before I could comment. So then he told me that they are the ones who wear green turbans and they give the prophet (S) the importance that no other group gives him, (I thought they probably give him the importance that no Muslim ought to give him). He also said that the prophet (S) had no shadow. And that he was not a human being and that he was made of nur (unlike us). I explained to him that I can not believe that unless there is authentic information from the Quran and Hadith. He mentioned “Love for Allah and his Rasool” so I quoted the ayah “Say O’ Messenger  if you love me (Allah) then follow me (The Rasool). And tried to explain to him that the true love of Allah and his messenger comes from obedience in application of the Qur’an. My intent was to clarify the role of the Sunnah in the life of a Muslim. He told me that he partakes in Mawlid/Milaad etc.

[The following are Amended comments;  for some odd reason I had not completed this journal entry.. and I had left it incomplete]

While we were discussing we started going back and forth and he was basically regurgitating whatever he had learned from the circles he sits in. What I was doing was presenting information to him which he probably was not well aware of. For example: Allah (S) said that he sent the messengers from amongst their own people. And I tried to prove to him that all the prophets were men, and prophet Muhammad (S) was no different. I mentioned the verse that says that Prophet Muhammad (S) is a man and he will die as all men die. My brother in law asked me to cut out the darse so everyone else could also have a chance to talk. I guess what happened was our discussion had dominated the entire room and everyone just started listening to us. I guess I hadn’t noticed since I had gone so deep in thought. They must have thought I was some sort of Molvi. As if having a beard was not enough of an indication for them. It was sad to see how young people are easily manipulated by these random sectarian groups whose elders and leaders bare little sound knowledge.

Pictures from this segment of the trip:

[img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/60.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/61.jpg width=100 height=100] [img=http://www.azeemkhan.info/images/pakistan/62.jpg width=100 height=100]

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Just Imagine the possibilities…. Imagine being able to import a PSD file into flash where each layer can be manipulated via action scripting, imagine flash animations embedded within PDF files.. sounds like a contradiction… Or even better think about being able to export a PDF of all the text in a flash file with the click of a button.. (It is usually painfully difficult to to copy and paste from a flash file). Imagine being able to export a very smooth looking video from Primiere directly into flash

 I'll leave the rest to your imagination..

It was pretty cool when Macromedia aquired allaire (Which created Cold Fusion). I have always admired the various new products Macromedia has come up with. I.e. Breeze.. that is something that I am looking forward to working with. Adobe will now own one of the most diverse collections of boxed softwares out there.  I think the only thing they need now is an operating system of thier own. Maybe they can create one using all the technolgoies they've aquired Then they can go up against Microsoft

[url=http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/software/index.php#adobe-to-acquire-macromedia-100030] more Info on the aquisition[/url]

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