Year in Review: 2011

And another year draws to a close...

I don't think there is any need to mention that 2011 was a rather eventful year...Japan, Pakistan, Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Sudan, USA, UK, the Eurozone, all have seen rather significant years, some politically and almost all economically. But this is not the point I am going to dwell on here...there's plenty of other sources for these details...

From a personal perspective, I feel very happy to have had a good year. 2011 has been a significant year, and a good one at that: I have now finished my undergraduate education.

From an academic perspective, I have managed to cap 5 years at university with a strong performance in the final year, leading to first class honours in engineering and a healthy distinction average in the commerce degree (I have attributed the credits for this here). Looking back, barring 2008, I have had a good run at uni. S1-2008 was a low point, but that's life I suppose...almost everything is prone to ups and downs, and I wasn't immune to taking a hit where my attention faltered slightly...

I would reiterate here, I would not have had this success without the motivation from family, and the assistance of academics, particularly the supervisor of my Final Year Project.

There were other developments in the year as well...I bade farewell to the city of Muscat in February, and in July, in absentia my ties from the city were brought to an end when my parents moved back to my home country permanently. I recapped that experience here. In late November I also bade farewell to Howitt Hall, which had been my place of residence for the straight 5 years that I was at Monash.

I now find myself in a transitional phase in life; I am yet to enter the workforce properly, and in the course of the same, I am awaiting the finalisation of residency status. With the end of a good year in 2011, I do sincerely hope and pray that 2012 carries on in a similar streak.

I got what was then my seventh mobile handset in February, and the eight joined the fray in October. A ninth handset may join the club as well if necessary, as the Blackberry is will be retired soon on expiry of contract.Ofcourse I will not run through the chronological list of these handsets again; the newest addition to the kitty is a Nexus S though.

I had obtained my driving license in late 2010, and this year I took refresher lessons to get myself acquainted with the roads of Melbourne...a vehicle may be on the cards, but that is something I postponed in July, and I dont see any definite time-frame for getting it as yet.

This is the first New Year's Eve that I spent in Melbourne, away from family. It was a different experience altogether for me to spend New Year's Eve in sweltering heat instead of Muscat's mild or Lahore's brutally cold winters.

As usual, the roundup of random stuff from the year:

I havent seen any movies which I liked strongly enough to get a place on the blog. 

Coke Studio produced all of 3 good tracks this time. "Ni Oothaan Wale" by Ataullah Khan tops my list, followed by "Panchi" by Jal and "Daanah pa Daanah" by Akhtar Chanal/Komal Rizvi.

The Australian Dollar seems to have developed a floor at the parity level...it has fluctuated between 110.81 and 93 US Cents, but seems to have stabilised at 99-104 cents.

I came close to closing this blog a few times, but decided against it...

And without boring you guys much more, I'll wind up this blog here. For those who had a good year, I wish you an even more prosperous 2012. For those who aren't satisfied with 2011, I wish you a good year up ahead, and hope that 2012 brings to you all that you desired but couldn't get in 2011.

Once again, I wish all readers of my blog a very happy and prosperous new year!

Drawing to a close...

Last week, my stint as an undergraduate student finally came to an end. It has been a long 5 years, but all's well that ends well. I am beyond happy to meet and exceed expectations of friends and family, and meeting and somewhat outdoing my own expectations as well. I also had the privilege and honour of imparting knowledge to the people in the batches to follow me as a tutor/demonstrator.

It has been a long journey to say the least...five years of happiness, struggle, toil and turmoil, sleepless nights, days spent with exhaustion and red eyes (due to lack of sleep) dragging on the body, dotted with the celebratory moments for accomplishments, and the very invigorating visits to family. These five years have had all sorts of ups and downs...much like a roller-coaster, I've had moments of  happiness, disappointment, frustration, relief, anger, loneliness, joyful company, and the list goes on...

I have learned a lot from my experience at university, and I hope to carry it forward as useful learning as I transition from education to the workplace in due course hopefully. It goes without saying, there are a number of people who have shaped and influenced my thoughts over the years, and I cannot miss out on acknowledging their contributions.

It is rather needless to say, but I absolutely could not have accomplished whatever I have done without support, motivation and encouragement from Mom, Dad and my sister. Their encouragement, words of wisdom and doses of motivation at just the right times have always helped me get myself back on track during moments of frustration and disappointment, and sometimes where i would have been inclined to throw my hands up and say "who cares", their support always got me back into thinking "bring it on!". Their happiness when I got to my goals is my motivation as well. I feel proud and privileged to be from this family, and I bow to acknowledge the part they have played in making me what I am. You may be thousands of miles away in person, but in spirit you have always and always been here for me. Your belief in me is what led me to take on a subject area I had no background whatsoever in, and finish it in good form. To Mom, Dad and Sis, I bow down to you, and I hope I will be able to fulfill your expectations in the future as well.

One also learns a lot from teachers, and my teachers all the way from kindergarten to university have had some effect on me. If there's one person I would single out for appreciation, it would be supervisor during the final-year research project. My first encounter with the soft-spoken gentleman with a rather unobtrusive presence was back in second-year. Not only has he been an excellent classroom teacher, but he has played the role of a mentor through and through. From counselling me when I needed, to teaching me skills for real life, and teaching me to look beyond stereotypes and cliches, I owe a lot to him. He has dispensed some bitter medicine to me on more than one occassion, but every single time I got something good out of it. And I cannot help but mention the supervision and guidance during the final year project. Very few supervisors would be able to match his approachability, and I acknowledge that with all sincerity. To you, Sir, I bow in acknowledgement of your contribution in making me what I am. You are a truely a mentor and teacher in truest sense, I hope I get to work with you in the future as well.

I have been fortunate to have supportive friends all the way through school, and university was no exception. I have made a number of friends over the years, and many of them are friends for a long long time to come. I would also acknowledge their support and appreciation through and years, and especially those who have been here with me in absence of family members. They'll know who I'm referring to when they read this. To all of you, I acknowledge your support and presence, and I hope we stay friends for the future as well.

There also some people who are no longer on the same terms with me as they were, but if one of you happens to read this, be aware that I always appreciate good things, and needless to mention, I do acknowledge the time we had as friends, and do wish you all the best for the future as well.

On 12-Feb-2007 I entered the Robert Blackwood Hall for the welcome address to university. and on 13-Dec-2011 I entered the building again for the hand-shake to culminate 5 academic years at university.

Once again, I bow and acknowledge to my family, friends, teachers and all well-wishers.

It may be time to move on...

This is perhaps not the first time I'm posting this...but the signs seem to get stronger every time it occurs...

I started my blog nearly five years ago...and it has been a companion to me ever since. The blog has allowed me to connect with, interact with and get to know many new people, many of whom I've never met in person yet.

I have used the blog to review, ramble, critique, discuss and even sometimes show off a bit...but as life goes on, everyone comes to a stage in life where the realisation gets overwhelmingly strong. The realisation that it's time to move on...

When I started blogging, the situation for blogging was like that of a vibrant, active playground, and I indeed made many new acquaintances and friends while blogging and interacting with other bloggers. However, with most people whose blogs kept me coming back to this platform moving away from it, and with my own personal and academic commitments beginning to mount, it may soon be time for me to hang up the gloves and move on.

Provided I get enough time on my hands, I will try to write another series of blog entries which will reflect on my journey from the curious, tentative 12-year old to the current day...

It does give an ache to the heart to distance myself from something which has grown with me, there are always points in life where the decision to move on it a natural follow-through of events...

I am entering a phase in life which is very probably going to bring with it a lot of change, and this may well be part of the same...

This is not meant to be a good-bye post though...

Cliches and Conventions

I had an interesting conversation with a friend recently; it was about potential pathways we intend to take after completion of undergraduate education (which, for both of us, is a matter of weeks). When asked about continuation of studies at a research post-graduate level, my reply and the following conversation with him was quite intriguing. It was a semi-hostile convo almost,  but not an argument. That is not the main point here though...

I have always loved to hate cliches and the "book" answers for things. Particularly now, when I believe me and my peers are at an age where we should be making decisions on practicality rather than fulfillment of stereotypes. Let it be very clear though, that I am in no way rebutting my friend's argument or challenging/downplaying his decision for his own career. What I am coming to is the comments I received on my potential career choice methodology.

I'm not sure about the rarity of my type, but I am one of the very few in my direct vicinity who have studied a double tertiary qualification, and my choice of specialisation on both sides makes the two degrees quite separable from each other. So in addition to choosing between going out into the workforce and returning for post-graduate qualifications later and carrying on for post-graduate qualifications right after the end of this course, I also have to make a choice between two distinct career lines. Each has its own set of post-graduate qualifications to suit, but the mechanisms are wildly different (engineering being best served by a masters  degree relevant to the area of work, and possibly rounded with an MBA, accounting requiring completion of a CA or CPA followed by an MBA to complete the suite, and these are only one of each side's possible combinations). Ofcourse entry into research or academia would require doctoral qualifications.

I am heavily leaning towards entering the workforce after completion of this course...and the reasons for that are possibly too long (and/or boring) to stick them all up here...but my friends reaction to this was "this means you are interested in money rather than knowledge"...Perhaps sealing his take was the fact that I have implied on more than one occasion that my choice of career structuring would also depend on monetary considerations.

This is not the first time I've had people put the tag on me of prioritising money over "book-value" items like "knowledge", "passion" etc...and to put it honestly, it irks me to no end. Ofcourse my choice of career is influenced by monetary expectations...money is not all there is in the equation, but that certainly says nothing to diminish its importance. My family has invested significant capital into my education, and it is only fair that I expect to recoup some or all of it in due time.

There was a time when I loved to say I'll follow my "passions" and what not. Now I feel I'm repeating stuff from fantasies if I were to say that. Or maybe following my motivation and passion is what I'm doing...just that money and career progression are now part of my motivation factors in choosing a career...

In times when things get rough, "passion" is not going to help if events like the GFC mow down your Super...and neither will love of an occupation come to help...

All that said, I do not advocate everyone to start chasing investment banking as a career...some extent of attachment with where you work is perhaps important. While I don't discount that, how many of you would actually consider replying with "no thanks" when offered a significant monetary incentive to switch career lines?

All said and considered, I stand firm by my thoughts still...I do consider the monetary aspect in making the life-changing decision of career lines in a few weeks or months. Materialistic? Perhaps. But I don't have a habit of lying to myself and taking solace in aligning with cliches and stereotypes verbally, only to contradict myself implicitly. I know how it will pan out later down if I were to make a decision...so why not accept the underlying reality all through and use it here as well?

Music Choices: Coke Studio 2011

Coke Studio is one TV program I look forward to every year (well, close enough to "looking forward" to it). Some of you may remember though, that I gave the 2010 season a total miss...none of the 2010 performances made it to my Music Choices column, simply because I didn't feel they were good enough. That, ofcourse, is my subjective opinion only.

The 2011 version is a somewhat refreshing change, although the number of genuinely good performances is relatively small. There seems to be a peculiar trend with many performances this year, especially the collaborations, in that they sound more like 2 back-to-back individual performances rather than one cohesive performance. I'll get to specific examples in a moment.

There seems to be a relatively consistent trend of 1 song per episode that stands out, and the rest seem to be gap-fillers of sorts...without further ado, here's my choices from this year...once again, a reminder that the list is not in any order of preference.

Daanah Pa Daanah / Laal Meri Pat (Akhtar Chanal Zahri/Komal Rizvi)

This is a collaboration between Akhtar Chanal, a Balochi/Brahvi folk singer and Komal Rizvi, a singer with reasonably good voice...

This performance illustrates the disjointed performance syndrome very well...From the start to 3:50, let Akhtar and Komal take you on a vocal journey through the rugged terrain of Balochistan...the lyrics are mostly in Brahvi, but subtitles do the job. From around 4:00 onwards, Komal renders the classic sufi song "Laal Meri Pat"...she doesn't do too bad a job, and Akhtar provides a good backing.

What strikes me is how much flair Komal shows through the performance...perhaps it's her background from TV, but she lends a lot of graceful vanity to the song...

Looking at how much Komal seems to focus on providing some grace and flair for the camera, you almost wait for her to drop a note....she carries it through quite fine except for a few niggles here and there.

Overall, a good performance. However, I don't think it goes very well in a singular video...this could very easily have been two standalone songs on their own.

Ni Oothan Wale (Ataullan Khan Essakhelvi)

This is the absolute best of Coke Studio 2011. In fact, after Javed Bashir's "Aj Latha Naeeo" in 2009, this is the first performance which delivers that level of excellence.

Ataullah is a household name in Pakistan, especially in Punjab...and this performance is very well up to his name and fame. The first minute builds up to it nicely, and from there it's just brilliant.

This song also has subtitles for those who don't understand the lyrics. As a further aid, I'll add some explanation as well.

This song is about the legend of Sassi and Punnun, two lovers from the Balochistan region (Kech to be precise). Punnun was a prince, and once the two lovers united, his brothers were able to drug him, and sneak out with him in the dead of the night. The song is based on poetry by Bari Nizami, which urges Sassi not to fall asleep or her love would be stolen from her. There are some other analogies in it as well, including the legend of Sohni/Mahiwal.

Back to the song, the music and lyrics complement each other very well, and because it is a singular performance, it does not suffer from the disjointed song syndrome. The last minute or so is more of a poetic narrative, but flows smoothly from the faster main song.

Panchi/Tere Ishq Mein (Jal and Quratulain Balouch "QB")



This is a reasonably good performance, but suffers from the disjoint song syndrome very severely. Not only could this have been two songs, it would have worked much better that way.

I've never been a huge fan of Jal except the odd one out good performances they sometimes come up with, but they have managed to salvage a song out quite well...

Previously I've always disliked their song "Panchi" but this one is not bad at all. And from 2:45 onwards is the second performance. It's a cover of the Sindhi/Urdu Song "Huma Huma/Allah Allah kar bhaiya" by Mohammed Ali Shehki and Allan Faqir from 1986.

QB does a good job at the second song, but I feel she was under-utilised. The song "Tere Ishq Mein" could easily have been expanded to a performance in its own right.

Back to why I like this song, for the first time I've seen Gauhar sing properly...and QB's vocals are very strong. Good job overall.

That's about it for the performances from this year's Coke Studio which dont have me reaching for the change song button.

Other performances aren't really worth mentioning (subjective opinion again) but there are some which I can't help but mention...

In Episode 5, Komal Rizvi absolutely destroyed the legendary "Lambi Judaai" song...when trying a song by Reshma ji, you have to possess a certain level of aura and quality...sorry Komal, doesn't cut it this time. Meesha Shafi really took it head-on and came out on top last year, but Komal didn't. Better luck next time.

In Episode 1, Jal again come up with 2 disjointed performances in one video...and in that, they murdered, mutilated and butchered Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's "Dam Mast Qalandar"...thumbs down.

Bilal Khan was disappointingly medicore all the way through...perhaps he should focus more on vocals than making contorted facial expressions when singing....

Sanam Marvi doesn't strike any chords in the mind either...very raw sounding, and very wayward vocal belting at times...there's just something missing in her performances that keeps her songs well south of the thumbs up in my opinion.

I'm not into orthodox qawwali, so I cant really comment on how those were...but they sounded quite monotonous and repetitive as such.

Coke Stduio seems to be turning victim to its own success over time...over the last couple of years the decline has been quite sharp in the number of performances that really stand out. Many of the songs just look like they were meant to fill gaps in the air time...

A Goodbye in Absentia...

I've almost always had a case of double identity...I'm one of the many OSP citizens of my country. I was born in my own country (Pakistan), but hardly remember the time when I left it for the scorching mountainous and coastal city, Muscat, capital of Oman.

It was some time in early 1990 when my mother moved over to Muscat to accompany my father who had moved several months ahead of her. I was all of 18 months old at the time. Being brought up in the country where for almost 7-8 months in a year, even survival without air-conditioning would be unimaginable, transport other than cars is as abundant as kangaroos is Polynesia, I do remain thankful to my parents for not letting my mind slip into a state of confusion about myself. I am the child of expatriate parents, but at heart I remain firmly a true citizen of where I was born, and the culture of that land still shapes me.

As I grew up in the city of Muscat, I saw the city and country grow up alongside. From a silent, subdued presence on the horn of the Arabian peninsula to a sprawling, fast-paced and dense city, and from a sporadic bunch of mid-rise buildings dotting the low-lying skyline to a city getting more and more crammed by the day. I saw the city grow from 2-lane to 4-lane highways, Toyota Cressidas and Coronas on the road giving way to Camrys and Avalons over time (perhaps 10 for each 1 superseded judging from the traffic on the roads now), mountains being blown up to make way for traffic, and evolution of shopping from streetside haggling to supersize malls. The changes the city went through are probably well too many for me to either enumerate or describe in words properly.

Not all has been a bed of roses obviously...being the capital of a country heavily dependent on petroleum products for revenue, I've also seen through the times when it got hit hard. I can relate to a lot of "benchmarks" that would in my memory let me draw a somewhat rough timeline correlating the changes I underwent while living in the city under perpetual metamorphosis itself. I have faint memories of the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis, and how it became the talk of the town when Oil tumbled to US$8/bbl, and took down the entire GCC region's economy with it. I remember the aftermath of the 2001 recession when every psychological barrier oil prices broke led to louder and louder mental cheers in the region. That was a time when I was a curious 12-year old trying to make sense of what people from a generation above meant by "barrels" of oil and the surrounding terminology...that planted the seeds in my mind of following financial markets, and over time I did further this a lot more. The day remains in my mind quite vividly when my father gave me the business section of Khaleej Times in response to my repeated questions...the habit of opening newspapers by the business section remains to this day too. Perhaps a bit tangential to the main theme I was at, but indirectly, I don't think I would have developed the keenness into news and current affairs had the events of 1998 not eventuated. (Fuel prices in Pakistan did not start to invite loud outcries until much later).

Where I believe that Muscat was almost the perfect city to live in till before the 2007-08 crisis, I also believe that the word "almost" had its value increased tremendously post-2008. It was a bit painful to watch the once serene city where one could get from work to home in 15 minutes turn to a crowded concrete jungle where getting from A to B became more painful than Lahore's most crowded roads at times, and that is saying something, and the city where once the common man could afford himself transform into an ultra-expensive metropolis getting more and more shallow over time.Over time it seemed that the city has transitioned into more concrete and less substance.

However, this does nothing to take away the subtle charm the city of Muscat has about it in my mind. It is still a city I love, for its values of tolerance and diversity. I never came across a city where people from so many origins and cultures coexist in total harmony and contribute to the progress of themselves as well as the city and country rather than hindering themselves and the economy. It is a city where all faiths are free to practice, where the government ensures an environment of harmony between all. There is a certain indescribable "character" to the place which always attracts me to it. I made almost all of my good friends in Muscat, and many of them are friends to this day.

However, a few days ago, I bid goodbye to the city, and to my double identity, albeit in absentia. While I am in another country in pursuit of higher education, my parents have moved back to my home country on a permanent basis.

I feel saddened by the realisation that I will not set foot for the foreseeable future in the city that gave me so much, that shaped so much of me, and has become a part of me. When I was boarding the flight outbound from Muscat in March, heading back for resumption of the academic year, I had a faint feeling that it might be the last time I was there. And last week, it came to be realised. I am somewhat confused about the feelings emanating from the realisation; one part of me is sad, and one part of me says "no worries mate! move on with life"...

I will miss the late night drives along the Corniche, the crowding at the Lulu Hypermarket cash counters towards the starting week of every month, my friends who I may not get to meet again, Pakistan School Muscat, the respect the whole place had towards the month of Ramadhan, and the list goes on...I will miss the city, and the character the place has...

To the credit of my parents, they did realise that at some stage it would be time to bid adieu to the place and my thoughts towards Pakistan have been shaped as they should have. The importance of Muscat to me does not diminish the importance of Lahore...

It comes down as very heavy on the heart whenever I think back over the times I've had in the city...and even heavier is perhaps the feeling that I may not get to meet some of my best and closest friends in person...

So in absentia, I bid farewell, and say goodbye to the city of Muscat...it will always be a part of me, and always have a place in my heart. May prosperity always be with you, Muscat, and you will always remain in my heart and mind as the place that gave me much more than I can remember.

Probably the only words that I can use to sum up are the words I spoke in a soft whisper looking out the window of the plane as it took off from Muscat when I was leaving it in March...

خُدا حافِظ مسقط
 Khuda Hafiz Muscat.

Your place in my heart is permanent. I cannot say when (if at all) I may get to set foot on the soil of Muscat again...I may not live there, but the city lives in my heart now...

Random Thoughts Scribble-box II

Another random one from my diary archives...

Living in fantasy is easy because fantasy bends whichever way you want...living in reality in much harder because reality resists bending to your will. Reality has to be made to bend your way by determination, strategy, force, coercion and more often than not, a combination of more than one out of these...but more importantly, living in fantasy is the equivalent of kicking the can down the road. At the end of the road, reality will have to be faced anyhow.

There is no particular contextual importance to this one on a case-in-point basis...but I find this is the approach I've always used to life in making decisions...

However, nothing wrong with a little bit of fantasy here and there...but when fantasies engulf you in a bubble, the consequences can be painful when the bubble deflates...