CIO Campus Connexions – FASTians Shine Once Again!

Once again, we FASTians proved to be the best in our business at CIO Campus Connexions held on Friday, 11th February at The Royal Rodale Club. CIO Campus Connexions was an event held to bridge the gap between the academia and the industry. Students from different renowned institutes and personnel from various high-profile companies were invited to participate in this event. CIO Pakistan has been bringing such initiatives to the forefront recently where students and industry personnel engage in various discussions and issues to help understand and negotiate expectations and ideas of the students. There were three rounds in all. The Mentoring Session (the name of which I am unable to recall), the knock-out round and the board of fame round. We FASTians took part in the Knock-out and Board of Fame Sessions, details of which are as follows:

The Knock-Out Round:

In the Knock-out round, the students, faculty and industry representatives were given a chance to debate and convey their perspectives about a hypothesis, which was provided to them on-the-spot. Some of the hypotheses were:

• Companies don’t want innovators, they want team leads.
• Industry doesn’t support research, institutions burden students without experience.
• Branded University, High Salary job in a multinational – Our society just wouldn’t come out of the “comfort zones”.
• There is no IT infrastructure or scope for entrepreneurship in Pakistan
• Individualism vs. Nationalism. What makes a person stay in Pakistan?

We got to hear a bit heaty, a bit rational and some very hilarious point-of-views from the representatives, but all in all, the discussion proved to open up minds and clear up misconceptions.

Arifa Batool won the best student speaker award for her ideas on the hypothesis given to her.

Board of Fame:

In this round, 10 students were to compete against each other and present their solutions to a Business/Technology problem. Ideas were written on Napkins with the best contender selected from 10-15 minute pitches by the participating students.

Syed Ali Raza secured the 1^st Position for his technology idea and Arifa Batool clentched the 3^rd position!

Ali’s Idea:

Named “Downtown“, it was all about using the power of social networking to uplift our interaction in other fields such as education, business etc. Consider replacing Facebook’s feature of “photos” with actual books and software.

“Application and software downloading is becoming increasingly popular these days with cutting-edge technology available readily over the Internet. But the problem remains in finding the right software from the right place. With the competition increasing, it is often the case that irrelevant or useless software is downloaded because of lack of reviews and guidance available at websites.”

– Quoted from Downtown

Arifa’s Idea:

Twitter for “iPhone”…Twitter for “BlackBerry”…Twitter for “Android”…and here you go, twitter for “Windows Phone 7″. Tired of writing a separate app for every other humanely possible platform ever? Bearing with the platform requirements (in my opinion, nakhrey of the platforms) makes the life of a developer pretty exhausting. Enters “mFusion” – Code once. Run on multiple. With mFusion you just need to write the app in a custom phone XML and mFusion would make it executable on all platforms! This project is currently under-construction as Arifa and her groupmates’ (Niyaz Noor Ali, Bilal Shaikh, Farrukh Zafar) Final Year Project!

Heartiest Congratulations to the winners! FASTians shine once again :) Looking forward to more events like these.

Tags: CIO, events, FAST, FAST-NU, IT

2010 in review

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is on fire!.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 3,300 times in 2010. That’s about 8 full 747s.

 

In 2010, there were 11 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 23 posts. There were 6 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 2mb.

The busiest day of the year was September 26th with 66 views. The most popular post that day was Bachpan.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, khi.nu.edu.pk, blog.codinghazard.com, twitter.com, and anum07.wordpress.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for central park, central park new york, gothic, gothic images, and notebook doodles.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Bachpan September 2010
12 comments and 2 Likes on WordPress.com

2

The Voice June 2008
7 comments

3

My Memories in Red February 2010
10 comments

4

14 Ways to Beat the Load-Shedding Blues! April 2010
7 comments

5

About Me May 2008
1 comment

15 minutes at Quaidabad

In my 3.5 years of FASTian life, I’ve never known why the public buses stop at Quaidabad for SO long! It’s not that I’ve never been curious about it, but I’m just too lazy to find out.

From my home to my university, Quaidabad seems like one small alien channel in between. With all the buses lined up one behind the other, waiting for God-knows-what or God-knows-who, one gets ample time to look around. It happens to be a very small, but densely packed marketplace. Has shops of all shapes and sizes, selling goods ranging from food to apparel and hardware.

The people are alien and they pour in from each corner of that narrow road that is already over-loaded with traffic. Men, who look not worse than drug addicts and women, who are even terribly dressed than the rural public, is what you will normally see. The funny part (or maybe the sad part) is that you can not decide whether the people are beggars or actually non-beggars, terrorists or anti-terrorists, junkies or non-junkies… You never know, that tall, long-haired, heavy mustached guy standing across the road could be behind the recent bombings! Once in a blue moon would a decently dressed-up lady mount your bus from Quaidabad, and you would be forced to wonder – “What possible business could SHE have here?!”. The point is, you can not tell apart these people from their appearance.

They all speak a language that is so alien to me. For a second, I wonder if I really am in part of Karachi. Then I remember that this is exactly the beauty of Karachi – it’s a cultural hub, showing you the shades of all cultures on just one canvas.

Soon, the bus starts lurking forward and I thank God that I’m out of this Bermuda Triangle kind of territory…

Expectations – my first-ever TWM blog post =P

So, I was going through old emails, and found something mighty hilarious (Well, it is hilarious. At least for me!)

Following is what I wrote when I first applied for membership in content team of The WebMasters =P They asked me to write something…anything. This is what I came up with. *sighs*

Well, they rejected me =P

Honestly, now that I look upon it, I don’t get a single word out of the philosophy that I’ve gone on and on about in this post =P So yeah, I don’t blame those poor guys.

As of now, the present – I am in the position where I give such tasks to poor kids wanting to join TWM. LOL. Hahaha. =D

Behold…

Expectations, what are they? It is, perhaps, a very strange emotion that rules almost everyone’s life. It is a belief that tells us that even the most unlikely of events may well take place. And when things don’t turn out to be the way we had perceived, dejection and disappointment enter the picture.

People have numerous expectations from their lives, from their loved ones, from their careers, and from themselves. There is a common perception that one should never expect too much because eventually things might end up drastically. What I wonder is that whether having expectations is as bad as people claim it to be.

I believe that expecting something from life is equivalent to expecting something from yourself, because we are the ones responsible for anything that happens to us. It is wrong not to expect much from life if you do not have the urge, the motivation or the desire to achieve it. Many people often face failure when their expectations go overboard. That leads to sadness, pain and misery. Many give up but there are some who take a step back and make a running leap. Such people know how to make smart choices in life.

False expectations only crop up when one gets deeply attached to a specific goal. For instance, at a workplace, a person works hard for a raise in his salary. If he puts all his effort in his job but at the same time he doesn’t get emotionally involved in that work, then the fact that he excels or not wouldn’t make a difference to him. That is known as “detached attachment”.

Expectations are different when it comes to relationships and social behaviour. In this area of our life, people tend to behave quite immoderately. They literally ‘cling’ to their friends or loved ones and forget that everyone needs some space. In such cases what might seem a minutest thing to one person can be a phenomenal deed for another. And when things turn out to be otherwise, the blame goes on to the ‘trust’ factor. Trust is the primary ingredient any relationship. This trust takes a lot of time to build up but it only takes a fraction of insecurity for its intensity to decline.

The bottom line is that expecting something from others is okay as long as one has contributed sincerely too. Believing in yourself is the key to a positive outcome. Do expect things from others but do not go overboard in your feelings because, “Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy”.

Dated: 27/8/07.

 

Yawning already? Good.

Bachpan

Woh bachpan kitna acha tha, jab rait se khela karti thi,

Aur bhaagh mein khilay phoolon ko, subh shaam takaa karti thi.

Apni dunya ki mai, malika hua karti thi-

Aik hath mein guriya hoti thi, aur cycle pe raaj mai karti thi.

Na thi mujh ko parwah, kisi ki wafa ki,

Na tha hosh mujh ko, kaisay chalay gi zindagi ki yeh gaari.

Lagti thi chot gar kabhi, tou ansu’on se mai roti thi,

Magar sabar tha itna k wapas uth khari hoti thi.

Ammi Abbu ke beech har raat mai soya karti thi,

Chonka de gar kabhi koi khuwaab, tou lori ammi sunaya karti thi.

Na tha khof kabhi k yun bhatak jaun gee mai rastay mein,

Na tha jana kabhi k yun gir jaun gee mai iss garh mein.

Ab na hai koi lori jo chamkaye mera andhera,

Na hai koi guriya jo banay tanhai ka sahara.

Na hun mai malika ab kisi shehr ki,

Na hai meri nazar mein meri zindagi ka rasta.

Mai nikal pari hun iss safar pe ban k aik aurat,

Karna hai jis ko ab apni har mushkil ka saamna.

Lagay gar chot kabhi tou rona nahi hai,

Pairon mein gar hon aablay tou bhi darna nahi hai.

Na rakhni hai koi umeed k day ga koi sahara,

Na karna hai bharosa k milay ga koi kinara.

Gayi jo kabhi uss paar, tou poochun gi apne rabb se,

Kyun cheen’ta hai woh hum se hamaray bachpan ki dunya,

Woh rang, woh bahaar, aur woh roshan nazaara!

- My first attempt at Urdu Poetry :)

Tags: bachpan, urdu poem

Rework – The best motivational book

I recently came across this book called “Rework”, it’s written by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier – the founders of 37signals. For a person like me who tends to give up on new ideas easily, this was the best motivational book ever! Just by going through the excerpts I found myself breathing fresh air and wanting to get back in the game ;)

For those who are rolling their eyes wondering — my “game” is Computer Science and Software Development =P

What I loved about this book is that they support the idea of doing things simple. In order to succeed, you don’t really need to have an idea that involves some juicy rocket science. And my personal belief is that it’s perfectly okay to build a better wheel of something sucky that already exists.

Some of the key arguments this book mentions can be accessed here: http://scr.bi/9N8gfL

Happy Reading!

Perfect vs Genuine

An awesome passage that I stumbled upon while surfing the web:

Don’t be afraid to show your flaws. Imperfections are real and people respond to real. It’s why we like real flowers that wilt, not perfect plastic ones that never change. Don’t worry about how you’re supposed to sound and how you’re supposed to act. Show the world what you’re really like, warts and all. So talk like you really talk. Reveal things that others are unwilling to discuss. Be upfront about your shortcomings. Show the latest version of what you’re working on, even if you’re not done yet. It’s OK if it’s not perfect. You might not seem as professional, but you will seem a lot more genuine.

- From the book Rework by Jason Fried

Got me thinking – there’s a thin line between being perfect and being genuine! :D

Somewhere Else

I just want to be somewhere else,

somewhere which is anywhere than this,

somewhere which is pure,

somewhere which is free,

somewhere which is me.

Turn back the pages of time,

this could be a King’s dream…

But today it just feels like,

one eternal tragedy.

And I just want to be somewhere else,

somewhere which is anywhere than this,

somewhere which is alive,

somewhere which is dear,

somewhere which is real.

Hope

Somewhere while reading this you might feel that words of wisdom are overrated. Some of you might think that by twisting and turning my words and by giving metaphors I’m trying to make myself look smart =P But ask the one who’s lost, ask him about the value of having hope. If just a reassurance, a pat on the back can set someone’s life back on track, then why not :) I write this ’cause I’ve come to believe this.

Life without hope is like a home without a shelter — it suffers scorching heat and thunderstorms. Failure fogs hope. But hope is killed from the roots when you start living with the regret that comes after failure.

Don’t concentrate your life on just one goal, one objective. In other words, don’t hold on too tight to something that it trembles within your grasp and tries to break free…because once you lose something that you desperately wanted, you’ll be left with nothing in the end. This nothingness is the home of all kinds of bad feelings; madness, desperation, sadness, regret, guilt…

Remember, hope is a feeling that can not survive amidst all those bad emotions. Embrace positivity and cultivate hope. Take life one step at a time, one milestone at a time. If you think that you live an aimless life then you will eventually find a way leading towards an aimless life. Create aims if you don’t have any. Then give them your best. Believe in yourself and your potentials. Everyone is good at “something”. Nothing in this world is “useless” — even shit is used to make fertilizers :)

To all those lost souls who are trying to find a way out towards happiness. Life kicks you around every once in a while. But that is no reason to stop living. Hope lights my way in the passage of guilt and regret. Let it light yours too. Don’t fret if all doors are closed; sunshine can flow even through the tiniest hole :)

14 Ways to Beat the Load-Shedding Blues!

Load shedding is a major problem of our country. We get to taste the flavor of not having electricity almost three to four hours a day, and, if you’re lucky enough, you’ll have no electricity half the day!

Since we live in a fast paced world where almost everything runs with the aid of electricity, life can get too tough without it. I fear we are approaching the era when we humans would also live on electricity rather than food or oxygen.

So before we reach that time when having or not having electricity becomes a matter of life and death, here are a few live-saving activities that you can comfort yourself with during dark times:

Indulge in a book

If you’re an avid fan of reading books then fear not, my friend! Books can be man’s best friend. Learn to keep company with a book and I guarantee you that you will never be alone. Try reading horror stories in candle light – your dark room would add the perfect touch to the moment.

Call a Friend that you haven’t Seen in Ages

There is no electricity. There is nothing you can do. However, there is one small thing that you have been avoiding for God knows how many years! Yes, you haven’t called your old school mate in ages now, and somehow that friend now believes that you are being rude. Seize this opportunity and defend yourself! You don’t want to lose another friend, do you? What if you need this person’s help sometime later in your life? If, however, the battery of your phone is low and since you cannot charge it, then you should go read the next point.

Do Some Soul-Searching

Face it: there is no light in your life and you cannot do anything about it. Sit down for a while and relax yourself (while ignoring the sweat and heat), and think about yourself, just yourself. Think about how you can make your personality better. Think about what you plan to do with your life. Shine a little light on your soul. Life is priceless :D

Go Camping!

So is this going to be six to eight hours of painful load-shedding? Is it getting too much on your nerves? Well then pack your bags and go camping! Trust me, if you’ve never been camping before then it will take you a few good hours to build a tent. Perfect utilization of the ample time you have at hand!

Wash Your Car

Look at the dust on your car. It’s high time that you clean it before the neighbour’s children start making funny little pictures of you on the windscreen.

Talk to your Parents

When was last time you took some time off your work and had a little talk with your parents? This is a good opportunity to get out of your small world and find out what’s going on in their lives :D

Count the Stars

If in the middle of the night the electricity suddenly goes off, go to your rooftop and look at the sky. Beautiful, isn’t it? You can count the stars; I bet you will find many of them joining together forming weird shapes and objects in the sky. It’s a fun activity to kill boredom.

Try Out Yoga

Yes, practice staying STILL for one good hour! Yoga happens to be a very healthy exercise for the mind. Many professional yogis believe that human mind can visit many great places through extreme concentration and focus.

Make your kids do homework

If you have kids, and if they have homework then you should really consider it your duty to make them do their homework! You surely wouldn’t want them to ruin their future like you did yourself.

Go Shopping!

Go to some air-conditioned mall and use away your credit card.

Call KESC

…and take out all your anger at the guy on the other end telling him that you’ll sue his company if he didn’t restore power to your area!

Make Lemonade

Lemons are good for health, and lemonade is good for beating the heat!

Plan for the day ahead

It is believed that success is a result of good planning. So make plans of how you’ll spend the following day and make the most of it.

Start a Countdown

Waiting for something is really hard, especially if it’s electricity that you’re waiting for.  You can start a countdown till the lights get back on and kill the time!

We can’t do much about solving the electricity problem in our country. All we can do is hope that in future years we get to see a prosperous Pakistan. Meanwhile, we can indulge in some of the above mentioned activities and enjoy life!