Facade of Love

Facade of an eternal love
The veil finally lifted
An over dragged play
A very predictable climax
Still a round of applause
For the players who persisted
Had something up your sleeve
You knew the game well
Waited for the moment
Ultimately…cheated
Lines, colours and imagination
The composition is revolting
I’ll keep wondering why
The picture was painted

27th February, 2006. Published in US Magazine, The News

Am I to be Blamed?

"Intense, ambitious and only slightly panicked, Kate Winslet is the finest actress of her generation." (Mark Harris, Time Magazine).

Enchanting it is to think that this is the Hanna Schmitz of ‘The Reader’. Transfixed and spell bounded, I kept looking at this cover page of Time magazine for a whole one minute. Am I to be blamed?


http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1880401,00.html

Same Road, Keener Eyes

Destination: Islamabad, Reason: Business, Date: 22nd March, 2009.

1:30 pm: The bus hostess has just finished praying, invoking divine help and blessings for the journey. First in Urdu and then in a very well-rehearsed English she has asked the passengers to fasten their seat belts which seems not made for my girth. She has also made clear that according to regulation number xyz (don’t remember) smoking is forbidden in the bus. No wonder my Dad always insists on taking his own car.

Fortunately there are no kids in the bus this time. They can be a source of unlimited torture. Once coming to Lahore from Karachi by train, there were three implacable children sitting at back. By the time we entered Punjab, I felt like strangling them. Don’t be so shocked; wait till you experience that kind of trauma.

When I was young and my Dad used to take me to zoo, museum or any other trip, he always asked me to write an essay after coming back. Not that I ever wrote it but today I feel like the same old boy. Baba, here you go. I dedicate this to you.

2:30 pm: We have been served snacks in not so good looking lunch boxes. Let me guess first, a tiny packet of biscuits and a sandwich. Let me open it now. 3,2,1...Wow, we have got Lays ladies and gentlemen. This pack of chips has taken Pakistan by storm. They are everywhere and have become our staple diet. It is so much fun to eat them during lectures because as they say, you can’t hide the crunch. I don't know why we do it. We somehow feel manlier by taking such risks(panga to be more precise).

There is an old couple sitting across the aisle. Somehow they seem too cozy for such an age. Way past love's usual expiry date. The fat lady behind me (I haven’t seen her but she just sounds fat) is ceaselessly blabbering. My mother says she sounds like the protagonist of the book she is reading, ‘The Diary of a Social Butterfly’.

3:30 pm: I wonder whether the capital of the country has changed since I last visited it five years back. I still expect to inhale the usual fresh and scented air of the city. The balance of power is shifted though. The General has left and a democratically elected government holds the reigns now. The Lal Masjid showdown is kind of over. Safely sitting back in Lahore, we saw the whole incident unfold. Many innocent lives were lost and strong repercussions are still being felt to this very day.

4:30 pm: The salt range has started. This extraordinary terrain was the thing which made me cry when I first travelled by motorway. It still shakes me up. The infinite curiosity is ignited. I want to tread these hills like an avid archaeologist or paleontologist. I want to explore this region. In my hand is a book, ‘Geometry of God’ by Uzma Aslam Khan. It tells about the expedition carried out by paleontologist in this region in 1980. They found evidence of the oldest known primitive whale, named PAKICETUS (Pakistani Whale). It lived 50 million years ago and had an amphibious lifestyle and ranged in size from small dog to large wolf. It looked something like this.

6:15 pm: Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.

Interview by The Pakistani Spectator

The Pakistani Spectator (TPS) is an independent blog rendering views, news and opinions on Pakistani politics in specific and world politics in general with respect to Pakistan. They have been conducting a series of interviews with notable Pakistani bloggers, writers and web masters.

My interview was published today and you can see it here.
http://www.pakspectator.com/interview-with-blogger-hamza-ahmad-qureshi/

I would like to thank Ms. Ghazala Khan and her team at TPS for this opportunity.

My Not-So-Perfect Chocolate Mousse

Well, of course it's not perfect. I can work on the presentation a lot more; the taste was scrumptilicious though. It should be served in martini glasses (if I ever found them) with a swirl of whipped cream (which I didn't have at that time) on it. Chocolate shavings should be more visible, I shredded them too finely. Moreover, I took it out from the refrigerator after just an hour. Huge mistake!
I'll definitely post the picture of the improved version when I give it a try again. For now, I am thinking … cheesecake!

INGREDIENTS

• 150 g dark chocolate
• 4 egg whites
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 2 tbsp of unsalted butter (optional)
• 2 tbsp of coffee (optional)

METHOD

• Melt the chocolate over a Bain-main until smooth. (You may add butter in it)
• Beat the egg whites to soft peaks, sprinkle over the sugar and continue beating until a stiff meringue a minute or two later. (Soft peaks can be refrigerated for a while for better results)
• Beat the yolks with orange zest.(You may use coffee as well)
• Whisk the chocolate into the yolks.(Chocolate should be preferably at room temperature)
• Fold in a spoonful of whites, then pour the remaining whites and fold gently to combine evenly. (Don't stir, it will ruin everything)
• Pour the mousse in a serving bowl, cover well with plastic and refrigerate at least a few hours.(Some say at least 8 hours)
• Serve garnished with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and a little orange zest.

Diagnosed

Reading the blog, My Evolution, I finally found a diagnosis for myself. I’ll copy a part of the original post here.

“Volume Obsessive-Compulsive disorder (VOCD) is a mental or personality disorder… Under this disorder folks need to adjust their TV s volume to a specific number, otherwise they get a bit uncomfortable or disturbed… Some believe that it’s common among mathematicians or somehow or the other associated with the fields of accounting/ business/ finance minded folks…”

I always had this repulsion towards odd numbers. Volume should always be in even numbers. Somehow they give a sense of harmony :).

Masala vs. BBC Food

People at Masala tv really thought they could match Heston’s perfection, Rick’s experience and Nigella’s desserts? Well, they just might if they gather up some courage to cut short program timings. Just listen to the running commentary for minor details, making every move visible to the hapless viewers. From picking up the vegetable from the table top to taking it to the wash basin, opening the tap, washing it properly because it’s healthy, closing the tap because wasting water is not a good idea, bring the vegetable back to the table, pick up the knife... be careful when using it…

Audience is forced to listen to chefs’ constant chatter and yes, they talk a lot. It would also help not to provide every program with its very own dedicated phone line. Cooking show cum family drama is nauseating. The chefs start to sound more like agony aunts. Brigades of aunties call from all over the country, inspired by chefs’ loquaciousness and making sure that the entire family (including 3 and 4 years old chintoo and mintoo respectively) get to talk to the chef and his very pretty sidekick/co-host before putting down the receiver.

Then there are the accents and postures. I didn’t know if you have to cook pasta properly, you are not allowed to speak normally and have to twist and coil your tongue to make sure that the food tastes right out of a kitchen in Rome.

What happened to the good old aprons and toques? Do you have to look like an American brat before you make an American pie? Some chefs and almost all sidekicks/co-hosts are dressed to perfection. Flowing dupattas, shimmering jewelry, thick makeup; quoting a marketing teacher, “very cute but no!”

A little bit more professionalism and a lot less cuteness is needed.

Perhaps a comparison

STAGES OF NAFS (SELF/EGO):

• Nafs al-kamila : Perfected Self, Union with God, Attainment of Universal Consciousness.
• Nafs al-mardiyya: Satisfying Self, Total Submission, Merging of God with the Individual.
• Nafs al-radiyya:Fulfilled self, Initial Merging Union of the Individual with God.
• Nafs al-mutma'inna: Tranquil Self, Degree of detachment from worldly concerns, Increasing awareness of the Presence of God in all things.
• Nafs al-mulhama: Inspired Self, Beginning of genuine spiritual integration, Release from turanny of physical instincts & desires of the ego.
• Nafs al-lawwama: Blaming Self, Awakening of Conscience, Realization of one's actions.
• Nafs al-ammara: Commanding Self, Entirely governed by passions & instincts(False Pride, Greed, Envy, Lust, Back Biting, Stinginess, Malice).

MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

I don't know whether a comparison exists or not but yes I wanted to see and analyze these pyramids together. In Maslow's pyramid there is an increasing indulgence in self as we go up while in the former pyramid, same amount of effort is being put to detach from the self.