allah hafiz,khuda hafiz,asalam-e-laikum or plain ol ok bye?

in order to distinguish ourselves from the indians,pakistan for some reason has been trying to arabize itself in the mistaken impression that by being more like arabs we would automatically become better muslims.one indication of this amongst many is the almost complete annihlation of the word khuda hafiz from our vocabulary.its either Allah hafiz(by far the most popular),asalam-e-laikum or bye bubye ok what have you.in india, the muslims there use khuda hafiz.its urdu for allah hafiz.here in order to be better muslims we've incorporated the arab word Allah hafiz.now to be honest this in itself isnt a big deal.but it symbolizes this wierd mindset born and bred from state propoganda and indoctrination started in earnest under general zia that we are muslims and that being muslim means being like arabs.anyway i try my best to say Khuda hafiz in response to Allah hafiz whenever i can.what do y'all say/

sci-fi fan-atic??

i didnt know i was a sci fi fan till very recently.ok i really am not into the alien/sigourney weaver sci fi action at all.instead ive been watching this corny,yet highly entertainingly thought provoking tv series called star gate.watching three seasons on the go means that obviously some of the characters can become quite lame and annoying.but the point im trying to make is that im fascinated by what lies out there.it just doesnt add up that in this huge ass universe,forget galaxy we r all by our lonesome self.i just find that hard to fathom.the pyramids of egypt,the slabs of easter island,the pyramids of the aztecs/incas.how were these built.where was the technology.for example the stone carvings of easter island are just mind boggling in size.a thousand of these carved statues form a ring around the island.maybe it was us who did all of this and maybe we are alone.but just as mankind spread all over the earth i think God made such a huge universe for us to explore and colonise?hehe talk bt being random.btw concept of stargate is too cool.its geeky but too cool.i just love the way theyve incorporated ancient mythologies.everything makes sense now.hehe

urban development

in recent years Pakistan's major cities have witnessed major changes and transformations.lots of commercial development has taken place.as im in Lahore, i just wanted to discuss trhe development in Lahore.main boulevard used to be totally resedential a decade ago.now its the hotest piece of real estate in town.plazasa are being erected left right and center.i have no problem with such development as long as its planned.by planning i mean that if we are tachnically going to be having a downtown area extending down from mall road into gulberg it should be planned meticulously. while plazas are being constructed, no parking structures are availanble for the increasing number of cars.underground parking has simply not taken off.2ndly unlike karachi it seems that lahoris really dont buy into the apartment living culture which is sad cos i would love to live in an apartment in a few yrs which is located in the heart of the city.instead of ugly looking concrete blocks there should be road side cafes,shops,restaurants and cineplexes planned as well.who will do this planning.God knows.but if someone doesnt act now itll be too late.in the next five to ten yrs gulberg will have become totally commercialised.it can be made into a gorgeous city centre where there are shops,boutiques, entertainment centers,theatres,parks etc.so far it seems the only shops worth opening are cloth and fabric shops.there is no concept of walking as such.cos there is no concept of footpaths.anyway wats wrong with dreaming.all i see is unplanned development and unlimited urban sprawl as defence tries to reach the indian border while private developers seek to build housing society upon housing society towards raiwind,okara,sheikhupura.
also a word about the old city.just by beutifying one little street,the one where cukoos is, the local area's economy has received a great boost.just imagine if more and more mohallas were beuitifed.it would become a tourist haven.touristss would flock to shalmi,the traditional eastern bazaar where everything from spices to electronics will be available.right now shalmi is a mess.and its home to the citys richest traders.indifference,apathy corruption is just too great.

piracy

an RJ on city FM89 posed a very interesting question today.she asked whther piracy of movies/music etc is a good thing.from a selfish point of view its been a blessing for me.ive gotten to buy so many dvds and cds its hard to imagine i wouldve been able to do if piracy hadnt existed.downloading and burning music has also been one of my favorite pastimes.however in all honesty i do feel guilty.cos im contributing to a rip off.rip off of hard working talented artists.but then if piracy is eliminated, entertainment, so little that it is will become very expensive in Pakistan.i fervently desire for good cinemas in lahore.huge sprawling cineplex's showing the latest movies having good popcorn nd the likes.but tht cant happen until piracy is tackled.i mean we can go back to the stage of movie rentals.i dont know as a consumer im very happy.but at the end of the day its cruel denying artists what they so richly deserve.