On a goodnights sleep

Imagine you lie on your bed all ready to fall asleep you just cant sleep. The reason being that all sorts of things are coming to mind. From what you are going to do tomorrow to what you did as a kid. Thoughts thoughts and thoughts. Your mind is cluttered with them. So you try to enter this meditative state consciously in which you think of nothing. The intention being that you will rid yourself of all thoughts and finally fall asleep.

However, what if in these flurry of thoughts you will stumble upon one that will change the course of your life forever, What if that one thought makes you richer than you have ever hoped to be (or happier than you have ever wanted to be it just depends on the story of success you tell yourself). So now the dilemma is either keep tossing and turning in your sleep hoping you will someday think of something that will change everything or control your thoughts and get a good nights sleep.

I battle with this on most nights that I am going to sleep and now that you have read it, you will too.
I wish you peaceful sleep.

Places

Severe writers block going on. I havent written in 3 months and cant think of anything to write about.
Something that comes to mind is that recently I have been travelling alot in Pakistan. Only in this year, I have been to Skardu with Florian, Multan Bahwalpur and Dirawar Fort with Flo, Hamza and Zeeshan and then Chitral with Hamza and Zeeshan. This blog entry is taking the shape of a personal diary but I have to write something so writing something I am.

There are only few places left in Pakistan for me to see. Top amongst them would be Balochistan because I have never been there. I might plan a trip to Quetta and Gwadar. I have high hopes from it and feel that it would be alot of fun. I have also never been to Naran and Jheel Saif-ul-Malook. Someday I will. 

She just wants her kid to be happy

Today I am going to write about the maid we have had in our house since as far as I can remember. She has worked for the family for more years than I have been alive.

10 years ago, I overheard her having a conversation with another maid in which she questioned how all her life she basically worked for this one family. That how she couldn’t believe that that was all there was to life. That ALL her life she will work for the same family earning a meager amount and that’s it, then her life is over. There was disappointment in her tone, disbelief in her words and utter resignation in her air.

Quite recently, a relative of mine suggested that she should send her son (who has come of age I think he is 17 now) to some vocational training center where he can learn to be a mechanic, an electrician or a plumber.  She didn’t out rightly deny the idea, in fact pursued it to some end as well, but some days later, she came up to me and told me very directly. She said if she wanted to make him a plumber, she wouldn’t have sent him to school in the first place. She would directly send him to work at a plumber and by now at 17 he would have learnt quite a bit of work. She didn’t want him to do anything that required no formal education.

She doesn’t want to continue being part of the class that she is part of. She doesn’t want that her kid would work at other people’s houses (which she herself did all her life). She wants him to move up a step in the social ladder but the people around him wouldn’t let her.
Another aspect of this situation is that all her life she believed education will help her change things for the kid and now her faith is education is waning. She thought in order to be rich, you need to be educated. I don’t want to be the one who tells us that the number 1 criteria to be rich is try to be born at the right place. 

Death

If you study astronomy, then you are so amazed and appalled by the complexity of the universe that nothing else excites you like that anymore. Well nothing but life. With all its colours, shades, varieties, types and forms contained on earth alone, life remains one of the two most fascinating things ever.

The only thing that does justice to the beauty of life is quite paradoxically, death. I couldn’t have imagined a better end to life than the fact that one day, all of it must end. There is so much poetic beauty in it but only if you care enough to look. What a great end death is. Poems should be written about it and songs should be sung. Songs that highlight all human endeavors and struggles coupled with all the different sorts of feelings humans come factory assembled with. Top amongst them would be ambition, the will to achieve something or the oft heard of and never really scientifically ascertained feeling of love that allegedly fills the cosmos with its beauty. How about jealousy? The “I wish I had more of this thing I see my friend has”. Then there should tales of great kings that thought they were gods or of mighty empires that dreamed of ruling the world. Then there should be music. After all we connect so deeply with it. All the best melodies should be compiled all great records re-mastered and remade. All these things fade into oblivion when compared with the ultimate champion of all cool things, death. For only death and decay is real, everything else is a facade.  

Flowers and Chocolates

On this day which has been deemed by profit hungry corporations to be the Valentines day couples all over the world are showing love and affection towards their better halves. Yet here I am sitting down writing this note, thinking about the following. 

I wonder how this tradition of bringing flowers and bouquets for your girlfriends and wives ever came into existence. This is so utterly meaningless. I think its just another of those things that just happen because that’s how its always happened. Flowers serve no purpose whatsoever. They cant be cooked or eaten, worn, and do not provide shelter, heck they don’t even smell good these days. They are just there. Us men have to give it to these girls every Valentines day, every anniversary dinner, every time they are mad at us and every time we want to make them feel loved.

On the contrary though, I think chocolates are the absolute best way to show how much love you have for your other half. You give her chocolates and that means that you don’t mind her eating all that chocolate and becoming fat. You would love her unequivocally. No questions asked.

Happy Valentines day world. 

Linguistically Speaking

Is there a difference between the words angry, annoyed, irritated,irked perturbed? What about the differences between imitate, emulate, copy, mimic? These words are similar in meaning but do they mean exactly the same thing? Being a person who is very particular about what words I use to describe what I intend to say, I think these synonyms although similar in meaning are not absolutely interchangeable. Meaning thereby when I say I “intend” to say something, it’s not exactly the same as saying that I “want” to say something. I think this is the case with everyone. It is easy to tell the context of the conversation by carefully scrutinizing the words used in it. Albeit small, there is still a difference in meaning we associate with different words.

This makes me wonder. What if we associate slightly different meanings to the same word? What if when I say the word annoy, I intend to say something which is ever so slightly different than what the listener thinks I meant. What sort of problems could this create?

If I were to elaborate on this point a little bit, it would follow that we make sure our friends or people we love associate the same emotions and meaning to certain words as we do. Or maybe that’s how it already is. Maybe only those people become friends whose meanings of words mean similar things.

I suggest we pay very close attention to this phenomenon. We have to be extremely perceptive of it. For if we are not, this has potential to cause problems where there should be none. 

Evolution in Language

Having learnt three different languages on three different points in my life has taught me but one thing only. The way humans construct languages is brimming with flaws and imperfections. Take for example this sentence “I am having dinner”. What if this 6 syllable sound was reduced to only 1 syllable like “lik”. Now every time anyone says “Lik” we know that person is having dinner. Take another sample sentence like “the dinner is delicious”. Let us use the monosyllabic “Rut” to mean this.

What if we could construct a whole language like that. Virtually all the sentences that one can construct in a language will be coded with a single syllabic sound. I concede that it will drastically increase the number of words in the dictionary of this language and non-native speakers will find learning this language more difficult than learning German but just imagine the increase in the velocity of communication between people. Things like “Do you like it?” will be replaced with “Nak” and thats it. The point if across.

However, I wonder what effect having such a language will  have on the culture of the human civilization. Would conversations be shorter? Would we speak less? Would people have thoughts that they don’t have words for? How would poetry in such a language flourish, if at all. How would that language evolve? Would there be slang in it? How about curse words? Or would it be just too hard to learn. After all there can be virtually an infinite number of sentences in a language. Could we ever run out of syllables? We could start using two syllables then. But how do I know that isn't the way our current languages started. These questions can only be answered if such a language were to exist.

But for now, let us put this theory into test and see if the reader understands this piece of communication.

“Lik”

“Nak?”                                                                                         

“Rut”.

The Earthquake; 2015 Edition

Two days ago, South Asia was hit by a severe earthquake that is being deemed the strongest one in the history of Pakistan. The wiki article is already calling it the "Afghanistan Earthquake 2015" for reasons unknown to scientists. Following is what transpired to me as the quake hit Pakistan.

I was on the main boulevard in Defense casually talking to two other passengers when we suddenly realized that there were lots of people outside this particular bank. Upon further introspection, we realized everyone had gotten out of the buildings. We kind of figured it was an earthquake. Either that or there was a meteor approaching us from space and people wanted to get a sneak peek at that. Anyway, thats my version of what happened to me during the earthquake. Needless to say this is as boring as watching Golf on TV. okay I concede not that boring.

So ever since then everyone I meet and everywhere I go, people have been sharing their experience of the earthquake. Things like "I saw the buildings shudder" and " Man! I really starting to pray to God" and what not are to be heard often. I know its not a popular "betrachtungweise"(point of view) but I really feel bad that I have no cool story about the earthquake to share. Now or ever. I mean imagine the year is 2035 and there is like a minor quake something like a 0.7 of the Richter scale and now everyone is talking about the 2005 quake and the 2015 Quake. Imagine my shame when I tell them " hey. I was driving so I didnt feel it."  I also realize that now that I have written this I know for sure I am prone to the spell of the evil eye(that's my translation for "nazar lag jana"). For if anything happens to me in the future, people are going to be like" see! he was making jokes on his blog about the earthquake. Look what happened". This is so going to make the dead me so mad.



Or I could just make a cool story about the whole thing. I mean something like so the earth went asunder and a monster the size of Goalath shouted obscenities in Punjabi at me for no particular reason but wait thats too much. How about something like "hey  I was having a fancy lunch at the fancies place in town (check out the in built check-in within the story) and the manager came and said "oh dear Sir! allow me to escort you outside the building and here are two more fancy drinks for the way"

No. I was driving, and I didnt feel it. Damm

On Being back to Pakistan

The first post this blog outlined that its purpose was to scribble down the events of my European adventure. However considering that I have been back for a week now, I still think I should continue with this blog. Its sort of become something I enjoy, an activity that lets me vent out my thoughts. And there are always things you can write about.

Today I will just write that its been around 10 days that I have been back, and it alredy feels like I never left. Thankfully I have some pictures and videos to prove me wrong. Another thing that I have wondered about and not yet written is that I find it interesting how when we dream, people are the first things to change yet places are the last. For me ever since I have been back, my REM sleep has shown me places in Europe, I was in Berlin for the first 3 nights, then in Paris, and yesterday I went to Prague, I remember thinking to myself that hey “I am going to Prague for the third time”. I think there must be a study that talks about it. I not however not going to google that. 

Why do we travel?

S: Do we think that all the pictures of the Eiffel tower
that we have seen online may be cropped or morphed? Why is it important for us
to look at it with our own eyes? Do we think it’s going to look any different
when we see it with our own eyes? 



Sherry: Well. Obviously it’s going to look the way we expect
it to look and it’s not whether we believe the pictures. It’s about the
experience. 



S: A friend recently posted some pictures on Facebook with the
Eiffel tower as a backdrop and with the caption that read “I love Paris so much
that I want to live here for all my life”. Do you think he really means it?”



Sherry: Probably not. Facebook is a publicity stunt machine.
And people say things there they don’t really mean. But that doesn’t necessarily
mean there aren’t people in the world who want to live in Paris ONLY because it
look beautiful to them.








Reproduced above is a conversation that I had a week ago with
a friend en-route to Paris. Virtually everyone that I have ever met in my life
wants to travel, explore new place and be where s/he has never been before and
everyone has different reasons for it.



Personally for me, I travel to come in contact with people
from all over the world. It is of particular interest to me when I meet people
whose first language, religion, skin colour and ways of thinking about life are
different than my own. Sure places and monuments are important as well but it is
the fresh crispness of extraordinary interpersonal experiences that drive many
of my decisions to travel and explore. I enjoin upon others to share their
reasons to travel often in person, but I have noticed it doesn’t elicit the
sort of response that I require. The responses are typically of the sort that makes
this question seem trivial and pointless, which in my opinion is anything but.

Bis Jetzt

Heute ist der erste mal, dass ich etwas auf Deutsch schreibe. Mein Ziel ist zu wissen wie gut ich Deutsch schreiben kann. Ich habe jetzt in Deutschland, übrigens zu sagen in Berlin für ungefähr 2 Jahre und 2 Monate gewohnt Hier habe ich sehr viele interessante und merkwürdige Erfahrungen gemacht. Heute rede ich Über ein paar. Los gehts


Gestern war ich in einem Geburtstag Party eingeladen. Eine Freundin von mir, die mit mir Deutsch gelernt hattet, war 22 geworden. Ich finde es interessant , diese Leute zu treffen und mit ihnen Deutsch zu reden. Ich denke das ist eine eindeutige Fortsritt in Richtung eine neu Sprache in kopf zu haben. Wann wir diese Deutsch unterricht gemacht hatten, konnten wir gar nichts reden aber gestern hatten wir Überall auf Deutsch geredet.

Aber das ist nicht nur was geändert ist seit ich hier bin. Es gibt viele andere Sachen. Und wichtigste ist mich Selbs.Ich kann jetzt kochen putzen wacshen kurzlich zu sagen ich kann uber mich selbs pflegen. Es freut mich dass ich diese dinge machen kann. Ich habe mit vilee menshen aus der gaze Welt getroffen und speichere in mein Kopf unfassbbare unzahlbarre Erfahrungen.

Einer Spanische Freund von mir hat gestern erklärt das es gibt Leute auf der Erde, die denken dass die Kultur vom ihrem Land ist unterschiedlich als die Kultur die sie selbst haben. Ich weiss nicht genau was es bedeutet oder ob es passieren kann aber ich finde es zu interessant. Er ist auch auf der Meinung der die aus Spanien und Deutschland ganz anders sind aber das kann ich unbedingt nicht glauben. Alle europäische nah ehrlich zu Sagan alle Menschen die die Hautfarbe weis haben sind gleich. Ich habe alles mit nur eine streiche gemalt.

Dogs

“Really? But why don’t you let dogs inside the house?” She asked me with utter incredulity in her voice white petting the two dogs that she has had for the last 10 years. Her words were in response to my narrating the story about this very morning when I woke up because one of the two dogs licked my hand when I was fast asleep. I didn’t really know how to answer the question she asked. I mean what do I tell a German to whom a dog is part of the family. I tried nonetheless

“Well! You see. Its because dogs are……..

And I paused mid sentence and figured that telling her that dogs are considered unclean would be thoughtless and culturally insensitive so I dug deep inside my mind for another explanation

“Well! In our religion and culture dogs are kept only for reasons of security and therefore it is best if they stay outside the house” was all I could muster.

She looked puzzled and for the life of her could not understand why this was the case. And I was puzzled too because for the life of me I could understand why dogs could be allowed inside the house. 

It doesnt look that way at all.

So having known R for two years as a close friend and having learnt we share things in common which transcend cultural boundaries, I believe I owe him a blog entry.

On a walking tour in Munich, everyone gets asked whether they have been to the Oktoberfest, and only R raises his hand. R is in a habit of raising his hand to questions that follow the general theme “Have you been to “insert name of a country/city here”.

R is currently the most well-travelled friend that I have. He has been to the US, the whole of Europe, south East Asia, India, and other places. I know this not because he told me one fine day of all places he has visited but rather I accumulated all the isolated accounts I have heard from him of places he has been to. However the reason I write this is not this.

The reason I write this is what he told me one fine day when we sit in my room which I make no effort to tidy up when he comes now because he comes often and is cool with my untidiness and he tells me this

“Sherry my boy, when I was young I used to think we were poor because I lived in a one storey house while the others kids lived in a two storey one. It was only when I went to college that that my dad told me he could afford it that I learnt it was not the case. I didn’t like those kids who flaunted being rich and I decided I will never flaunt. And now when I talk about all these places I have been to I always hope it does not come out as if I am trying to boast. Please tell me honestly Sherry, does it?”

He left me thinking as to how great a man he really is. He actually learnt something from his experiences in life. That almost never happens.

I used the word culture too many times in this one

So in the bar that I frequent multiple times a week, I saw a Muslim man from Yemen wearing his traditional dress. That got my attention and I hit up a conversation with him. He told me that he was doing his masters in Architecture from Humbolt University. When he heard that I was from Pakistan, he greeted me with an “Asalam-Alikum” (he assumed that I must be Muslim). I asked him about the recent situation in Yemen and what he thought about Pakistan’s involvement within it. He told me that he had lived in Berlin for the past 3 years, did not care about politics at home and didn't wish to speak about it with me.

He spoke German (he didn’t speak English at all) with an extremely Arabic accent, had a beard, and on his head he wore the traditional head cover. Coupled with the dress, it was quite stereo-typically Arabic. I thought to myself that maybe during the three years that he has lived here, his old Arabic clothes might have worn out, but here he was, carrying his Arabness and Yemenness proudly in this bar. But what amazed me was this. I wondered why a man who looks like in his late 20s, thinks he should represent a certain culture. I mean no one asked him if we wanted to be born in Yemen. This decision was entrusted upon him by where he was born.  His culture, like his religion is nothing he chose but something he just inherited. I wonder how much reason he thinks he has to claim that it is his.

I see this happening a lot, people from the Middle East would be Arab and Muslim, and dress in a certain way. I say this not from an observer’s point of view, but from the point of view of people who wear their culture in foreign countries. Why do they feel the need to represent their culture? Why do people even think their culture is the culture of the place they were born and raised into? Couldn't they just choose something that they like? Say could this guy start acting all Argentinean or say Russian? And if he does, would he become representative of that other culture? I know people can change religions, but can they also change their cultures? I guess not. But what if they HAVE to change it because maybe they don’t fit into their own culture?

The reason I ask this is because there might be people who are just forced to live a certain way because they are born into it. (Women in Saudi Arabia?) Also imagine transgender people who claim to be in the body of the other gender. Like transgender people claim they don’t belong in the body they have currently posses, people might also argue that they don’t belong in the culture they currently have let alone feel the need to flaunt it.

This guy then asked me about my plans for the coming Ramadan, and that where do I pray in Berlin (he continued to assume that I was Muslim and that too a practicing one). However, while he asked me this, he sipped the beer that he was carrying all the while that we were talking to each other, so I guess he follows religion selectively, but does he also do the same when it comes to culture?

The Left is right.

After having followed YouTube religiously for quite some time, I can safely say that what ails the relationship between the Muslim world and the West is not religion, culture, or heritage but differing opinions on the political spectrum.

Take for example a pastor in the US who posts something online which might be considered sacrilegious to Muslims. The direct aftermath is a series of Fatwas from the Muslim world that would put millions of dollars on the pastor’s head as bounty. US embassies are raided, scandalized, and attacked all over the Muslim world. Effigies of US presidents are burned, US products are boycotted (well except KFC and Coca Cola of course) and the West is tarred with the same brush as being generally insensitive to the sensitivities of Muslims. Muslim clerics make sure that people start to believe how EVERYONE in the US is against Muslims, and how they chant anti Muslim slogans day in and day out. They would also convince people that everyone in the world (which is generally the US, and Israel) is against their religion and their country and therefore they need to be protected.

Meanwhile, when aforementioned events are made public through television or the internet, people in the US begin actually fearing the worst. They start to think that maybe ALL Muslims hate the US, and that maybe ALL of them are crazy nut heads hell bent on destroying effigies, and embassies, and killing their ambassadors. Subsequently, this becomes impetus for another round of hatred from both sides. Essentially each side feeds on the anger, and ignorance of the other. These people are also convinced that they are in danger and in need of protection.

However, I think most of what we hear in the mainstream media is the opinion of the right and the centre right. Basically, we are told what the rightists in the West think about the rightists in the Muslim world and vice versa, which is almost always ugly. Most people, but rightists in particular in Pakistan (my country of origin) don’t even know that there are people in the US who are anti war, anti discrimination, anti immigration prohibition laws, but NOT anti Muslim. These people stand for liberal values, and generally will not shy away from criticizing their own country, religion, or political association. Progressives like Jon Stewart will tell you when they think that Protective Edge is the Möbius strip of issues.

In the same way, I am sure that there are some people in the US, mostly working for Fox News, that don’t know that there is a growing, blooming, and thriving community within the Muslim world which recognizes itself as liberal and progressive. These people do not hate everything that is Western, and in some cases may as well cherish Western principles. Agreed, sometimes it may be difficult for them to speak out openly against their governments for fear of their lives, but they nevertheless stand for liberal values.  Furthermore, these people may just be as Muslim as all others that we stereo typically consider Muslims and yet these liberals are included in the generalized statement or even the consideration of the statement that “All Muslims are terrorists”. This obviously makes no sense whatsoever.

So what the liberals from both sides need to do is to be more vocal about their point of views. We don’t want wars, we want intercultural, interfaith, inter-sex, and inter-race harmony. It might take some time but we will have it. The best way to do it is speak out more and more often and tell everyone tell we exist and this is what we stand for. Like I just did.

on the events of 16th December 2014

I sit here write this post today engulfed in unspeakable unthinkable unimaginable grief over the event when the Taliban stormed into an Army Public School and massacred 142 people from whom 132 were school kids.

A tragedy of this sort has never taken place in the history of the world let alone Pakistan and Pakistan is shuddering with its repercussions. Throughout Pakistan, condemnations have been streaming in. Personally, I dont think any language has a word to describe parents who lose their children, and to think that all those kids perished like the way they did. Deplorable

I could not believe the news when I heard it, for I kept thinking about the kids I have in my family. When I begin to consider what those families might be going through who have lost someone in this senseless barbarity, it brings tears to my eyes.

I picture what might have happened in the school. The kids would be studying, most but not all. Some would be talking to their friends, some might also be drawing something on a piece of paper. Some would have plans to go play cricket, or football or something after school. Some would be in the fear of the exams that they would have to take next month, or maybe excited about getting the winter break.

and then they hear gunfire like they have never heard before and people barge in to their classes carrying weapons. They kill their teacher, I wonder what would the kids have felt when that happened. and to see your friends die right in front of your eyes. and then to know you will be next.

but I wonder, the terrorists would see little children, half their own height perhaps, clad in uniforms. What would have they have seen? I wonder. The look in the kids eyes. What did the terrorists think then, what they think before, They didn't think did they. They aren't humans are they. 

Unfortunate Indeed

So my companion, my friend, my point of contact in needs of time , my lovely laptop, suffered a fate worse than any other when I fell from my bike while it was in my backpack along with 3 soda bottles. What transpired is as follows.

I realized It was going to be one of the last sunny days in Berlin. I decided it deserved to be enjoyed with a flavor (weil ich die Sonne genissen moechte). So I hopped on my bike along with my backpack to a grocery shop which was a bit farther away than the place I usually go to. The sun looked like all those things they say it looks like when writers and poets praise it.

I got there pretty soon, which was good because I was getting tired of riding the bike. At the shop, I purchased all that money could buy, fit it into my backpack with space to spare, and soon was on my way back. This is where the weather and hence this blog takes a turn for the worse. While I was coming back, it started raining, which should have made me ride the bike a bit more carefully but didn't and the unspeakable happened. I fell from my bike. When I got up I realized my laptop was inside and when I finally managed to get it out, it was dripping with water, soda and what not. I rushed back home, disassembled it all I could, let it be for 3 days, tried to switch it on the fourth, and was disappointed that it didn't on the 5th.

The day after? The day after I questioned many things I had held dear all my life. Like how important it really was to enjoy the sun, or to take the bike or to forget it had the laptop inside and that it rained and the events were set in motion.

The day after that, I spent the whole day cursing fate and thinking how unfortunate did I really have to be for it to happen to me. I thought how utterly meaningless and pointless this whole affair was that led me to this state of laptoplessness. I felt so unfortunate, so so unfortunate that it was just a very small mistake, what were the chances of that happening. I am sure that doesn't happen to alot of people. I am sure.

and the subsequent day, Phillip Hughes got hit on his head while playing for a domestic cricket match and died.

Do you speak German?

I am often asked this question "Do you speak German now?".  As of right now I dont really know how I should answer this question and be factually accurate at the same time, for my dilemma is this.
If someone who doesn't speak German at all (which is the majority of the people that I know in my life) listens to me having a conversation with someone in German, he would think I am fluent whereas in  essence I would have to actually learn as much more German as I already do now to be fluent.

So the point I want to make is this. This question is invalid because there is no clear answer that will both satisfy the listener and myself. . All I can hope for is that the listener knows about the "common European Framework of Referance for Languages" and then I can simply say. B2 or whatever I want to say.

But it makes me wonder in how many others things does the same thing apply?  Maybe we are always on a line but instead choose to answer many questions with a "Yes I am fluent" without fully thinking about it. 

First class passengers

“Attention please! Emirates flight EK450 is ready for departure. Passengers travelling on business class and first class please board the plane from gate number 42, all other passengers please remain seated”

A group of select few move towards the gate to board the plane and disappear out of sight.

“Attention please! Emirates flight EK450 is ready for departure. Passengers travelling on Platinum and gold class please board the plane from gate number 42. All other passengers please remain seated until further notice”

Another group of select few move towards the gate and disappear out of sight.

“Attention please! Emirates flight EK450 is ready for departure. Passengers travelling on Silver and Bronze class please board the plane from gate number 42. All other passengers remain seated until further notice”

Another group of people now get up and line up to board the plane.

“Attention please ! Emirates flight EK 450 is ready for departure. All passengers are requested to board the plane from gate number 42.

And a huge throng of people gets up and lines up to get on board.

It is sad that I only had to add one class (the bronze class) to the number of classes above but what I fail to truly understand is why we need classes to sit on a chair in the sky fitted to a metallic bird that travels at 600 km/hour. and its not like the passengers on first class are going to reach sooner than the ones on economy.

The plane I boarded twice in a month was an A380, the world’s largest aircraft at least as of the writing of the following full stop. The aircraft has two decks, the main deck and upper deck. I say this because I got to know the business class and first class passengers get to board the upper deck. What is so special about being 10 feet above other people who are already several thousand feet above the ground eludes me altogether.

And the last parable that I am going to share with you guys is that what classes in air fares remind me of is the Hindu caste system which was much prevalent in ancient India. For purposes of comparison it should be noted that both the systems are called classes.  

However I am sure there are many people who would disagree to my idea of an ideal world where airlines would offer only one class of fare but I am sure everyone can see how unnatural and artificial this particular divide is. Makes me think humanity thrives on creating hierarchies like these. Indeed sad.

But truth be told, the view from the upper deck of this particular A 380 is fantastic.

                          

Euro Trip

I havent written in a while, and the reason is because I have been travelling. Ofcourse its just an excuse the truth is, I am just lazy.

After much deliberation and thought, on the 6^th of September I went touring Europe finally. I saw Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Venice and Vienna and I think from all places I have been to so far, I like Vienna the most.

Then a month ago I went back to Lahore, Pakistan for a month and consequently found something that gives more meaning to the phrase “there is no place like home” and only two days ago I got back to Berlin. Why I am writing all these details. Because I want to make it sound like I was occupied and didn’t have any time to blog. I hope this alibi would work. A brief intro to the places I visited.

Amsterdam is a nice city and I feel it is the epitome of everything western European. Its quiet lenient on things like prostitution and cannabis which makes sense because I feel in the modern world, there is no justification for these things to be banned.  

I went to Brussels because I had to see Kaiser “the Kallu” Sheikh. I had hoped that Kallu would be the only interesting thing in the town but I was pleasantly proven wrong when I discovered that Brussels too has the traditional European square called the Grand place and it really was worth a visit.

In Paris I was hosted by an Isreali Parisian middle aged man who didn’t eat non Kosher food but because of him I had exclusive access to places like the Louvre and other points of interests in Paris. Paris is a big city and that means one has to walk a lot. The Champs Elyse’s is to me just a road (not even a cobblestone street) that has shops for the worlds largest brands and since they are all one road its considered novel. I failed to see utterly what all the fuss was about.

I went to Geneva because it houses the European centre for nuclear research; the CERN. It was exactly how I had expected it to be, a marvel of scientific advancement. I truly had a great time there. I stayed in Geneva with a Chinese person who was pursuing his PhD on global warming. That is when he told me that the city Venice may not be there in another 20 years and it needs to be visited now. And that’s exactly what and why I did.

Next I went to Milan and was hosted by an Italian. I stayed in Seregno which is a bit north of Milan. I was in Milan only for a day that I decided that Venice must be visited for reasons already stated. I had a failed attempt to hitchhike to Venice which had me stranded in the middle of an Autostrate in Italy. How things could have worked out better I don’t know.

When I reached Venice I was completely exhausted from touring all these cities and went straight ahead and found myself a nice place to sleep. The next day I went around the small island and found it be absolutely different from all the other places I had ever seen. For one thing the police in Venice ride water scooters to maintain law and order. That almost never happens anywhere else.

And my last stop was Vienna. What I think about Vienna is that if I was asked to choose one city that I would like to live in that would be Vienna. It is an extremely beautiful city with its old town reeking of medieval charm and beauty. A walk in Vienna is like a walk across time and history. I would like to go back to Vienna someday to discover more. I hope I am able to do that soon.

And then I returned to Berlin. With its bustling city life I consider Berlin to be a must visit place on a tour to Europe.