Another rather eventful year has been inching towards an end. Some wise person said the end of one thing is the beginning of another. This year was such that I’d like to remember and forget at the same time. I never make a conscious effort of remembering things; it is just that I can’t forget. So last night I took a deep plunge (again an unconscious effort) in the ocean of memories. I don’t know why odd and strange thoughts were pouring. Let’s take a sneak peek into the absurdness of my thoughtful streamline:

Wire Microphone: What was with those old wire microphones that we would see in the PTV stage shows in 80s and 90s? I mean did you ever notice the way the host or the guest while singing or talking fiddle with it. And if the host had to come down from stage to talk with the guests they would constantly juggle with the wire. It could make anyone trip over it. Now that is what I call absurd. I have no clue how the thought of those microphones came to my mind in the middle of the night. The pop icons of 80s, Nazia & Zoheb, would play with it while singing. They had their own distinct style and since I used to watch them on TV a lot so that thing seem to be embedded in subconscious. Besides, many actors and singers gave birth to unique style while performing with microphone in hand. Some instances are: Papa Kehte Hain – Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Ruk Ja O’ Dil – Dil Wale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge.

For years the pop singers have been using different sort of microphones in their song videos and sometimes the rock stars really go wild with it. Yes, once a rock star kicked the mike stand after ending his performance. That was his style you know!

Junoonistan: I am from Junoonistan! That is how I introduce myself in the cyber world. Why is that so? Someone asked me once. Let me explain although I don’t feel obliged to be giving explanations but anyway, this is sort of interesting or at least I feel so. My dreamsville is a bizarre place because I think, I see the strangest dreams and they are like movies. Continuous. Vivid. Full of drama and emotions. I literally look forward to sleeping because I know I’d see something bizarre or amusing. I can meet people over there who aren’t with me anymore. And my dreams do trigger the ideas of several stories in my mind. So basically it is a total crazy place that I visit every night (sometimes in day time too) hence I call it Junoonistan.

My Machine: I got my present machine *pause*… my computer… in December 2006. That was my first exclusive, personal machine protected with passwords etc. I have my whole world in it. There is no world without memories. I was considering changing or switching to new one because this one, due to excessive use has been aging fast. Like the keys are acting up. You never know when the whole system conked out. But then I sort of got emotional to think that I have so many memories attached with it. I had had the most amazing conversations with friends and family on it. I typed so many stories, poems and blogs using this machine. So definitely whenever I changed it I will miss it. I hate being ‘emo’ but what can I do I am like that *sniff sniff*!

Memories: Memory is the recurring theme of my stories, poems and general blogs. There are certain memories that I like recalling because I always feel happy to think about them. Then there are some memories that are though not bad in the real sense but still suffocate me. So I try not to think about them. The opening line in Garcia’s ‘Love in the time of Cholera’ is, ‘The scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.’ I feel such suffocating memories remind me the scent of bitter almonds. Something that you want to spit out as soon they dissolve the bitterness in your mouth. My relationship with memories would always be that of love-hate!

New Year Resolution: Losers make New Year Resolutions! Have you ever noticed that successful people make assessments of their success and not resolutions? My resolutions always rot between the old pages of my diary. I hardly stick by them so I rebelled a few years ago and stopped making resolutions. Well, at least, I saved myself from imminent frustration that one is bound to face upon failing to fulfill those resolutions. Life should be uncomplicated and simple!

Camera’s Eye: Are you scared of it? Especially the video camera fitted in the four inch device that stays in everyone’s pocket. I am not a camera shy but I believe no one should be filmed without prior permission. It was for that reason the makers introduced loud default ‘click’ sound in every camera so that the person get to know whose photo has been taken. These days every news network encourage people to film the disaster, an accident or an act of terrorism and then share the footage with them. Camera, camera, it’s everywhere and sometimes I feel being living under the watchful eye of ‘big brother’. It irritates me sometimes!

Music: I am reverting back to it. I am discovering some new and interesting music these days both classic and the latest one. I think I gave enough of cold shoulder to it. Music keeps one occupied and it often gives birth to new ideas to write. It was due to this I thought of getting an iPod Shuffle. I’d get digital and my music library will become compact!

Expectations: Is it good to nurture them? What about those that are within believable, achievable limit but still fail to fulfill? I think I would never understand the complex nature of expectations. I know one thing, if you expect from a person and the expectations don’t fulfill it hurts but if you expect from God and the expectations fail it kills.

Vital Signs & Junoon: Almost everyone who grew up in 90s loves both these bands. I am no exception. I have beautiful memories of those days and I can’t believe what a music freak I used to be. They gave us some of the true evergreen songs. I kept listening to them throughout the year and most probably will do so in future!

2010: Like always is linked with one word, ‘anticipation’.

And then I dozed off… but the last thought before entering Junoonistan was that I have got visitors from all across the world on my blog. And once, that is a couple of weeks back to be precise, someone visited my blog from, Ouagadougou … I admit I had never heard of that city/country before. I admit that I can’t even pronounce that name. But I welcome the lone visitor. Hope you found on my blog what you were searching for!

Happy New Year all!

Phishing is the process to acquire someone’s sensitive information like passwords and credit card details. It is a fraudulent and punishable criminal act.

From the last two or three months I am receiving phishing mails in my hotmail account. The mails are apparently from senders who are in my contact list or somehow I know them and the text is something like that:

Greetings!

Howdy? Had a damn boring day today :s
Whats up at your place?
Anyway, I can bet you’re going to smile after reading this…

It’s Easy, Secure and Free!

Try it Now, Click Here

Thanks

I clicked on the link to find out where the heck it leads to. So it led me to that phishing page asking the users to check who have blocked them on messenger. Clever because people are always curious to know as to who have blocked them! About five, six years ago there used to be such websites who had those applications where you would enter your email ID and it would tell if any of your contacts were online. With time the MSN transformed to Windows Live Messenger and with the introduction of new and improved privacy it became impossible to know using those block checkers which of your contacts were online and had you blocked.

One should be careful regarding personal details online. That’s why Yahoo urges the users to make a special sign in seal for the Yahoo Mail page so that one could identify his/her page for the particular computer.

This shows that the cyber miscreants and the programmers are always trying to get the better of each other.

Confession time: I had been once the victim of a phishing website

I got the idea of this post from Haris. Once again without any formal invitation I am taking a liberty to make my own post about 7 overrated things. I think there are too many things that the whole world is crazy about but for some reason I find them being blow out of proportion. My list begins with:

Twilight Saga: Ah! I would never understand why the whole world is hooked to the books and then to the movies. Like first they read books, and then they watch movies, Twilight and New Moon. And then they watch them again and again. Wherever you go people incessantly keep discussing them. The young girls are smitten by the charm of Edward Cullen. Give me a break! Who romance a vampire as shown in the movie? This entire craze gets sickening really.

I have watched Twilight. It is an alright movie nothing special at all. It reminded me of rather an unknown movie called ‘The Faculty’. I haven’t watched the New Moon and have no plan of watching it anytime in future. I would save myself from an evident headache that I will get by watching it.

NRO: NRO or The National Reconciliation Ordinance by Musharraff and its subsequent annulment is yet another overrated thing. The entire Pakistani media is busy debating it day and night. Who cares! I mean these crooks have gotten away with everything in the past and they will carve out several ways of absolving themselves of all the sins once again. The black money would be turned white, transferred abroad or would be invested in Pakistan. But it will never reach to the tax payers or the poor people of this country to whom it actually belongs. So let the media milk NRO, let the people be hooked to it but for me it is like beating the dead horse.

Google Wave: Until summers the entire world was waiting with abetted breath for the release of this new and innovative application by the trusted name in the cyber world. It released. I didn’t have it initially, so I started trying to get an invite. I did get eventually. One, two, three – with a thumbing heart I signed into it and poof… the entire magic evaporated in the thin air with half an hour or so. I am still unable to define it fully. So it is one of those things that the world discussed so much but it proved to be a damp squib at least for now.

Facebook: I am off it and I am happy! I wouldn’t say much because I consider it a sin wasting time on discussing as to how overrated this social networking website is. That sums it all.

Indian Soap Operas: Women addicted to it actually schedule their lives and daily commitments according to the timings of their favorite soaps that have been running almost five days a week since ages. I literally grow up but not these silly soaps. Wonder why women love these saas/bahu sagas too much? If Marx would have been alive he would have changed his statement to Indian soap operas are the opium of masses.

Tiger Woods’ Scandal(s): I know the media all over the world thrive on celeb-gossip but there is a limit to everything. So the story was that Mr. Woods, the renowned and world number one golfer crashed his car into fire hydrant and then into his neighbor’s tree. All the news networks broke the news on 27th of November that Tiger Woods had been seriously injured in a car accident. The world thought they are going to lose their beloved golfer but he was released from the hospital in a few hours and had only sustained minor injuries. And since then the media has been constantly buzzing with the aftermath of Woods’ accident and that is his infidelity. Apparently, he was fighting and texting when he crashed his car. So far at least seven (the number goes well with the overrated title) of his mistresses have been surfaced. Some are bargirls; some are strippers while one is a porn star. He has a weird taste in women!

2012: Several hundred years ago the Mayan people had made calendars and certain astrological calculations. Then they recorded everything in their language which seemed coded and signed to the modern man. Some enthusiastic people over the years decoded those signs and claimed that the intelligent Mayan people had actually predicted the end of the world in 2012. So as per Mayan prediction some fatal catastrophe would result the end of this world! I wouldn’t mind the ultimate end of the world in 2012 but I have a feeling that the media and the Hollywood (by releasing the movie 2012) are just creating paranoia amongst the ordinary and bored people.

I would say people should stop worrying about the world’s end in 2012 and instead concentrate their energies on rather better things. 2012 might well be another Y2K when the CNN had started a countdown that the entire world’s computers would stop working on 1st January 2000 and that would mean a virtual collapse of the whole world. Nothing happened. Even my slow as a mule Pentium 1 processor didn’t stop working. So chill people!

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My friends: BMK, Aadill, Captureunivers, Yasser and others consider yourselves tagged!

Klashinfolk, Ali Azmat’s second solo album released in August-September (2008) and I didn’t even know about it. The reason is that I am away from the main stream Pakistani media since long. I have my own reasons for distancing myself… although at one time watching TV would consume most of my time.

I don’t know how I stumbled upon one of Ali’s songs from ‘Klashinfolk’ recently and took an instant liking. I checked the entire album online and liked most of the songs. I especially liked the interesting cover and inlay of the CD. I couldn’t find his CD since it’s been out of stock so I downloaded the songs from internet.

Many people have been raising eyebrows about the CD cover design and art because it shows Freemasonry logo and symbols. In one picture Ali Azmat is imitating Hitler’s salute. The cover and design is quite novel and it is basically this novelty which appealed to me a lot. I don’t care if Ali Azmat is a member of the ‘brotherhood’ (as some people thought) or not. Besides the title name of the album is also very unique; ‘Klashinfolk’ – Clashin’ folk – the people who clash or at loggerhead – it also sounds the reverse of the ‘Kalashnikov’!

Ali Azmat’s voice holds charm for me. Maybe, by listening to him, I sort of relive my teenage years when I used to buy and listen to ‘Junoon’s’ albums religiously (tapes at that time). I liked the music of ‘Klashinfolk’ more than the words or vocals. The words are typical like those I have grown up listening to. The vocals of Ali Azmat are good as usual. But the compositions and music is wonderful. I had liked a couple of songs from his first solo album, ‘Social Circus’ such as ‘Na Re Na’ and ‘Teri Perchaiyan’ but in my view this album is better than the ‘Social Circus’.

I still miss the band ‘Junoon’ and it wouldn’t be fair to compare this album with any of the ‘Junoon’s’ previous works.

Listening to the songs from ‘Klashinfolk’ in a low volume on headphones is a new experience that I am enjoying these days.

Here is one of my favorites: Naina

Disclaimer: This by no means is a promotional blog post. I like weird things at times so if you want to listen to the album, do it on your own risk!

The trailer of Karan Johar’s upcoming movie My Name is Khan was released yesterday on the TV channels. I checked the promo today on YouTube and was totally mesmerized by it. Kajol is looking gorgeous and extremely at ease with Shahrukh Khan as usual. Their impeccable chemistry could be felt on screen. While Shahrukh Khan, I lovingly call the character ‘A(u)rtistic’ Khan – looks incredible.

This is yet another movie made in the backdrop of 9/11 and how the main character(s) suffer due to post-9/11 paranoia regarding Muslims in North America but it explores more of a human side of the suffering. I am sure this isn’t anything hardcore and typical jingoistic flick.

It’s after such a long time that I have been excitingly waiting for the release of any film. It will come out in February 2010. In August, I had posted a blog about the First Look of the movie. This time I am posting a promo. Enjoy!

PS: I am wondering about my excitement. It could be due to:

• Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Karan Johar trio is back after eight-nine years.
• I like Karan’s movies – the ones that he directs.
• I can’t recall when was the last time I watched SRK in a proper full length role.
• Whenever he plays a ‘different’ role – he promises something new to offer (Remember Chak De!)
• Positive vibes – and I have no explanations for that. Sometimes things instantly click!

Yesterday the Peshawar-based journalists were flown in the military helicopters to Nawaz Kot area in South Waziristan; where the Taliban had established a fake paradise. According to the journalists who took the round of the place, the walls of the rooms were painted with the rivers overflowing with milk and honey, picturesque valleys and the beautiful Hoors.

It’s clear now how these Taliban employed every technique in the book to lure and brainwash the teenagers; who would later be used as suicide bombers. The same house where make-believe paradise was created had a ‘slaughterhouse’ for murdering security forces and most probably those kidnapped for ransom.

Brainwashing

The dictionary meaning of the brainwashing is: Intensive, forcible indoctrination, usually political or religious, aimed at destroying a person’s basic convictions and attitudes and replacing them with an alternative set of fixed beliefs. In the literary context we find the best example of brainwashed people in George Orwell’s novel 1984. In the novel that is set in London of 1984 all the inhabitants are living mechanical lives with no freedom whatsoever. Those who try to rebel meet with tragic end! At the same time their country is at war… continuous and never ending war.

The idea of brainwashing could also be found in the unclassified CIA documents where they conducted a series of experiments on people in order to ascertain whether they could mold their thinking and then use the subjects for their interests. The concept of Manchurian Candidate is also the same. Where a person is controlled through several brainwashing techniques and his mind doesn’t remain in his own control. Such a person does what he’s been directed by his controller.

Preparing to Die

Preparing the young boys to die is not an easy task, not even if they hail from the poor and battered families. Still how these Taliban in the mountains can so easily prepare the brigade of suicide bombers? One thing is that since majority of these bombers hail from illiterate families with no religious or other education, their parents usually never take pain to transfer the ethics or principles of morality and simply hand over their children to the local Jihadis who promise education, food and shelter all under the same roof. That is the first step of recruitment.

Once the child is away from family these recruiters can do anything they like with them. It includes, training them to make bombs and carrying out suicide mission and gun battle etc. Every mission needs motivation in life. And these young would-be suicide bombers are motivated by making believe that this worldly life has no meaning; the real life is what awaits them in the paradise with all the voluptuous Hoors and the best of delicacies. It doesn’t take much effort to distort any Quranic verse or Hadith according to their own vested interests because these children are usually never trained to question. And those who have doubts have no choice; they’d either be slaughtered and if not then to blow themselves up. The use of inducing drugs couldn’t be ruled out either as one of the would-be suicide bombers, captured in Bajaur by the security forces said, he had been given drugs before sending out on his mission to kill the Imam of a local mosque.

Paradise of the Assassins

I was quite taken aback to read about the discovery of an artificial paradise. Till date we were only aware about the motivating religious songs and training videos; the posters of dead and would-be suicide bombers etc. But when I read about a make-believe paradise created by Taliban in the far flung area of Waziristan, instantly, a remarkable Urdu novel Firdous-e-Bari’n written by Abdul Haleem Sharar in 1899 came to my mind. My first introduction with this novel happened when I read a chapter from this novel titled Pario’n Ka Ghol in our Urdu text book. I found it quite interesting and bought the novel.

The novel talks about a secret society called the Sect of Spirituality. The main aim of this sect is to rule out Islam and for that reason they establish a fake paradise in the beautiful and unreachable mountains. Their network of spies is impeccable and when they successfully brainwash people they use them as assassins. Once the job is done, the assassin is drugged and brought to the artificial paradise. That is his reward for carrying out the heinous crime of assassination of a known figure while the assassin believes he is living an afterlife.

It boggles my mind as to how true and relevant the story of that novel is to this age. I am not sure about the truth of historical context of Firdous-e-Bari’n but here is one account:

Firdous e Bareen (or فردوس برین in Persian and Urdu) was the name of the garden, supposedly located in the fortress of Alamut, in the Elburz mountains of Northern Iran, in which Hassan-i-Sabah and his band of Nizari Ismaili Shiite Hashshashin took refuge.

According to some accounts, this garden, imitating paradise or heaven, was furnished with all luxuries of life, even a rivulet of wine and was used to recruit Sabah’s assassins. The recruit was drugged to simulate “dying,” only to later awaken in a garden and be served a sumptuous feast by virgins. The supplicant was then convinced he was in Heaven and that Sabah was a minion of the divinity and that all of his orders should be followed, even to death.

The novel Firdous e Bareen, written by Indian Muslim novelist Abdul Halim Sharar, gives a biographical account of Hassan, a youth lured and captured by Sabah’s men and then forced into his assassination machinery.

This only leaves me with certain questions. Are Taliban that advance and successful with their techniques to prepare the hoards of suicide bombers – the same bombers who come to cities and wreak havoc on the innocent people? Is there any way to counter the propaganda unleashed by Taliban? Can we change the minds of an illiterate youth who set out in search of the real paradise but end up in the paradise of fools?

Ugh! I am sick of writing teeny-weeny poems and stories. I should be writing better, readable and quality stuff. But all I do is to churn out substandard stuff especially the poems. I had written those poems sometime back. Today while sifting through one of the documents I came across those and thought to post them. How bold I have become for posting the poor poems that should have been discarded!

I was wondering why most of my poems are so dark and gray. Amazingly, most of the times they hardly reflect my inner feelings yet I write them down. Does this mean something has gone terribly wrong with my imaginative power? Oh well, when you would see (Interior Minister) Rahman Malik and snakes, MJ and Meera in your dreams; hear the gory stuff related to Pakistan and it’s poor and battered people on everyday basis. Then you would sure end up writing such low quality stuff like I did.

On the other hand, I am wondering is this some other kind of writer’s block. Where you can think of ideas but can’t write them down and when you ultimately do write, it turns out to be an ignorable piece of crap.

There is another problem as well that I can’t write even general, day to day stuff in an interesting narrative either. Blue? Maybe! Maybe not! But I want to break free and express all that’s going on in my mind. My mind starts to race at the most unexpected times, such as when I am getting ready to sleep. Or I am offering prayers. Or I am engaged in other important tasks. I do write down important notes and points but I lose the fluency and string of thoughts. And with that I lose an interest as well to produce the idea bubbling in my mind on paper. So many wonderful ideas have died in my mind that way.

Pause.

After reading the above lines that I wrote a few minutes back, I think I’m going too hard on myself. I should take things easy. After all this blog is my space and I have a right to post anything I like. So please readers bear with my teeny-weeny creative writing for I am going through creative blue

He always wanted to kiss her on her well shaped – thick lips – that would curve into the world’s most charming smile. His friends thought he was in lust. He believed it to be love. But it never happened. She left. He remained right there where he was; hoping for her return, waiting for their reunion and writhing in pain.

She never returned. So the movies were always wrong where the man and woman finally meet. Perhaps movies were not that wrong as much as his thinking was. He failed to let her go when she had no feelings for him.

Separation – finally
Took its toll
Dark circles
Tired eyes
Dishelved hair
Haggard face
Heavy steps
Wrenched heart
Tempestuous mind
An empty soul
Are all that define me these days!

I was accused
Of being
Sarcastic
Pokey
Vitriolic
And rightist
Yes, I do admit
I had a bit of all those traits
But
Did that make me love you less?