Perfectionism should come with a warranty tag!

Hello everyone. I am Sheikh Ghias Ahmed and I (sniff sniff) am a Perfectionist! I mean the rate at which I'm posting stuff on this Blog...what fact do you think it highlights?

The fact that:

a. I have too much of time on my hands and have nothing better to do in life
b. I don't get my way with people and this Blog is the only form of expression left
c. There is a serious problem with ME

Answer anyone?

Well the correct reason is secret answer (d) I have a problem with everything/ one which goes on/ is around me!

Yes as much as I want to deny it, being the eldest of 9 cousins (8 of them being girls) I have developed the characteristic of commenting on every single thing that goes on around me! How do I explain it better...ever seen women sitting together and watching a wedding movie? I rest my case!

I have:
a comment for every car that drives by;
a comment for every driver that drives by;
a comment for every person waiting on the zebra crossing;
a comment for every hotel/ restaurant;
a comment for every food item served in a hotel/ restaurant;
a comment for the way a everyone walks and talks;
a comment for every movie;
a comment for everyone IN that movie;
a comment for everyone NOT in that movie;
a comment for every song (rhythm, bass and beat included);
a comment for everything I see;
a comment for everything I don't see;
a comment for everything I hear;
a comment for everything I don't hear………yada yada yada

People in their quest for seeking perfection tend to over look so many things that might matter later on in life.

Perfection in its initial evaluation is superficial and this is the point where the amateurs are separated from the masters. The fundamentals change with time. ‘Perfection’ as they say lies in the eyes of the beholder, I think!


And I’m sure a day will come when all this will not matter, hopefully when I get settled down with someone who meets (if not all) at least 75% of my expectations. It will be then that I will be made to realize how imperfect I myself have been thinking on these lines.

I’m thinking of actually taking a head start and starting now! Want to save her the time and effort of trying.

And for that sweetheart, wherever/ whoever you are, Your welcome! (in advance).

Humara Intekhaabi Neeshaan! Vote for Patch & Balli!

Poetry - the ONLY way to touch the soul of a person!

I remember when I was a 5 year old stud...ppl asking me - What do you want to be when you grow up?

I bet this is one of those questions EVERY child has been asked! In my case the answer started off with a Clown to Cartoonist to Jet-fighter to Fashion designer to Chartered Accountant and now back to Clown again! I guess the asnwer to this question lies in what appeals to a person at the present point in time. Making people happy, making them smile, easing their problems/ pain and making them forget their sorrows and for a second feel as light as a feather!

Hmmmm...humanitarian talk (hehehe join UNICEF) but there lies a humanitarian in everyone of us, so no biggy!

I tell you what is a biggy though...I asked this girl what she wanted to be when she grew up and she replied "A Poet!". I asked her "WHY?" and she replied "I want to touch their souls!". Plain, simple, white, flawless, innocent and bias free thought! I like kiddies...they are the only people in the world I don't fear.

I'm 26 now (a fairly understanding age), and when I hear ghazals/ poetry written by Faiz, Roomi, Ghalib, Iqbal, Waris Shah, Bhullay Shah, TS Elliot, John Keats, Shakespear, Wordsworth...I feel! I feel those words! They make me think! I'm thankful to my Lord to be given the gift of perfect hearing well if not perfect speaking (hehehe believe it or not I used to stammer in school). I now the words dork and nerd come to mind...trust me that I'm not!

I'm not that good at urdu, never was. My teachers always said "Ahmed it would be a miracle the day you're able to put down two correctly spelled words in urdu togather on paper!". I've yet to see that day! But reading them is a pleasure and plus I usually consult Baba on what they mean.


Baba - a man of a few words . But those few words he chooses have the whole world in them!


"...Jaisay beemaar ko bay wajha qaraar aa jayee" (from the Rubbai titled Raat by Faiz Ahmed Fiaz)

Roughly translated - ...Just as if a dieing man feels peace for no reason

Its night time and Faiz is relating this to memories of someone he loves so much! Makes me smile, makes me sad, makes me loose myself in thought. Have you ever cried yourself to sleep thinking about someone?

I remember crying myself to sleep remembering God and I also remember crying myself to sleep remembering my grand mother (Bari Ami) who died this May 2005. The only closest person to me!

I'm listening to Faiz right now and writing as I go along. My thought tempo might not make sense but I have these words of a poet to blame!


I LOVE YOU BARI AMI! I KNOW YOU BELONG TO THE LIGHT SIDE...BUT YOU HAVE SOMEONE HERE ON THE DARK SIDE WHO LOVES YOU TOO! THANK YOU FOR TEACHING ME HOW TO SMILE!

"KIDS! Let me tell you this America..."

Dear reader,

They are ment to be the next generation, little packets of energy, bundles of joy, hope of the future blah blah blah... but to every hill there will always be a downside as well!

Watch the Bernie Mac show and you will know what I'm talking about!

I recently posted a formal apology over my Blog..."but America it don't work!...She got me all cornered and figured out! She know I'm too soft! Shes pushin it America...but I'm gonna back off (being the bigger and better person!)...what else to do?...she left me no choice America?!"

Its only when they cross the adult-hood border line that they start behaving like civilised humans (will Sahar ever?). I was a teenager too America...God doesn't make kids like He used to!

Anyways, I just saw King Kong and I say that the first version starring Jeff Bridges was alot better! I'm now waiting for the Choronicles of Narnia. I remember seeing the full series done by BBC TV...can't wait to see the movie!

Shades of dark

I think one of the most difficult things for a person to do is 'Self Expression'!

Q. How does a person convey the real him/ her to another person?

A. Behaviour, feelings, attitude, the way a person talks, the use of ones hands while speaking, the way a person walks, the way a person writes, the way a person looks at another person, the way a person smiles, the way a person dresses, the way a person smells, the way a person cries, the way a person reacts to differant situations...

I recently had a very interesting experiance with a 17 year old! I snubbed her with the oldest line an older person could use in his/ her defence.

"Grow up!" I said. Hehehe I look at this as the ultimate defence when I've lost focus or the urge to argue! It's the oldest trick in the book and quite frankly if it were a physical move I would class it a FOUL!

For this I am truely sorry Sahar! I didn't mean to stoop to the lowest levels of 'English grammer'. I completely understand what you ment and I guess I was MAD not to see your gesture of friendship. I'm a much better person in real life! Lets be friends?

Anyways coming back to the various faces of a person's self expression. Here is a little something I picked up:

"Raat yoon dil mein teree khowee howee yaad aaey,
Jaisay weraanay mein chupkay say bahaar aa jaaey,
Jaisay sehraaoon mein holay say chalay baad-e-naseem,
Jaisay beemaar ko bay-wajah qaraar aa jaaeey"
...a quote by Faiz Ahmed Faiz

The above is also the title song of the old pakistani drama 'Dhoop Kinaray'. The guitar work is so simple yet effective and its amazing how Nayyara Noor's voice is so...

Ok ok now I'm not all that soft pleeeeease! Dekhaway per mut jaooo, upni akal lugaoooo! Sprite! The official drink of Patch & Balli (after Seeraaj key solaymani chai!)

A Dark Patch

Halawalla Everyone!

I, obviously, am not sheikhu. I am the dark prince who posseses more souls than you can see at the bengali town on Electra.

"I am Patch"

Anyways, right now, the lord has just faxed me a new commandment:
"Feed your enemies with Indian sweets at caesar's"

and I knew just what the lord meant. I mean it is literally the best gift you can give to your foes. Balli and me went to Caesar's yesterday and after a rather early retirement from their oh-so-heavenly savouries we decided to test the indian sweets. Here's a blow-by-blow review (and I'll use a scale from 1 to 5 here):

1- "Barfi": -1/5
POWDERED MILK?

2- "Coconut Barfi": -2/5
A scrap of coconut that could've easily been mistaken for a fingernail.

3- "Laddu": -10,000,000/5
This is probably what sand tastes like

4- "Kaaju (Cashew) Barfi" : -10,000,000,000/5
I admit my benchmarks for this one are a bit higher as I am sensitive about the celestial Cashew's reputation. However, its sheer absence and , again, POWDERED MILK....arrest the baker I say!

So why shouldn't we all go and bomb caesar's? Well, because they still make the best chicken quiche and mini-pizza in the whole city. 10,000,000,000,000 points for that. Another billion for the cakes.

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England just got its worst defeat in 11 years. Kamran Akmal made a 109. Afridi's back. This is what happens when you ban an Asian, that too a Pathan.

Nickel Creek - When In Rome Lyrics

Where can a sick man go
When he can't choke down the medicine the old doc knows
A specialist came to town, but he stays at home
Sayin', 'No one knows, so I don't'
Honey, when in Rome

Where can a teacher go
Wherever she thinks people need the things she knows
Hey those books you gave us look good on the shelves at home
And they'll burn 'em in the fireplace
Teacher, when in Rome

Grab a blanket, sister
We'll make smoke signals
Bring some new blood
It feels like we're alone

Grab a blanket, brother
So we don't catch cold
From one another
I wonder if we're stuck in Rome

Where can a dead man go
The question with an answer only dead men know
But I'm gonna bet they never really feel at home
If they spent a lifetime learning
How to live in Rome

Here is a little something I was listening to on my way back home tonight. You see its not only the rhythum and beat of the song which you should be looking at...lyrics are the soul of the song!

Staind - So Far Away Lyrics

This is my life
It's not what it was before
All these feelings I've shared
And these dreams
That I'd never lived before
Somebody shake me 'cause I
I must be sleeping

Now that we're here, it's so far away
All the struggle we thought was all in vain
They all finally start to go away
Now that we're here, it's so far away
And I feel like I can face the day
I can forgive, and I'm not ashamed
To be the person I am today

These are my words
That I've never said before
I think I'm doing okay
And this smileThat I've never shown before
Somebody shake me 'cause I
I must be sleeping

Now that we're here, it's so far away
All the struggle we thought was all in vain
They all finally start to go away
Now that we're here, it's so far away
And I feel like I can face the day
I can forgive, and I'm not ashamed
To be the person I am today

I'm so afraid of waking
Please don't shake me
Afraid of waking
Please dont shake me

Now that we're here, it's so far away
All the struggle we thought was all in vain
They all finally start to go away
Now that we're here, it's so far away
And I feel like I can face the day
I can forgive, and I'm not ashamed
To be the person I am today

I love this song and wanted it to be a part of my Blog...

Fatabaruk Allahu Ahsunal Khaliqeen

Roughly translated: Glory be to Allah Who is the Greatest Creator

I’m not that much of a religious person. I openly admit! But this is one of the lines my aunt usually recites when she sees something beautiful or something which appeals to her heart.

Yesterday, as I was driving past the Old McDonalds building on Khalifa Street (along with my bud Patch) we both saw the most amazing sight!

My first reaction would be to crash the breaks (that is bad driving I realize) but then again we were already standing halt waiting for the light to turn green (so no point going there, but just to point out the intensity of the situation I would have crashed the brakes)…for two seconds the music in the background went to a level zero…and all we both were doing was pointing at that spectacle with our mouths open. Our silence was broken by the recitation of the Quranic verse above! This situation was too superior to get away with a simple WAH WAH!

A mulbari in his mid-30s wearing white roller skates struggling across the zebra line! Not to miss the half burned cigarette in his hand and the way he was flapping his hands frontward and backward (legs synchronized with the same motion).

As I struggled to snap out of the trance and capture his picture on my cell phone he had vanished amid the traffic! I thought I had seen everything, I guess this was one of God’s ways of telling us

‘…kayee jahaan aur bhi hain!’
Quote by Junoon and Allama Iqbal whoever you’re comfortable with

Come to think of it he was dressed all in white! A mulbari angel? The flapping hands? Wings? How bizarre!?

That gives a complete new meaning to the caution line BEWARE OF ROAD SURPRISES!

So keep your eyes open people! Also avoid driving under the influence of Limited Edition TWIX!

Enter the DARK side! For PATCH! 

My baby doll! 

Blog time! 

So you think couples are made in heaven? Try bottle caps!

Dear totally bored and now on the verge of breaking the screen reader…bear with me…you have come this far then the least I could do is offer you a squeeze of a Blog note…

For starters note that when I say couples I’m referring to the boarder term. I always encourage my audience to think outside the bubble, look at the global picture and have a slightly different perspective towards life.

"Thought is one thing that should never be limited!"

To be able to think outside the bubble you should be able to think inside it first. I presume my audience has at least had the privilege of attending school. If you have reached that far then congrats you’ve unknowingly managed to achieve the ability to think inside the bubble. To be able to think outside the bubble, I suggest cruising Blogs…

Now that I have prescribed the mental wavelength you are to tune into lets return to the topic in the topic bar above…

If music be an evil then I class it a ‘necessary evil’. Correlating this mystic marvel with the dark side would be the proper thing to do…10 points for Patch & Balli!

Speaking with regards to the modern age, referring to bad things as good and vice versa has become a norm.

How I was acquainted with this radiant world of magic, color, splendor, passion, pain, expression and a weird highness (druggy terminology) is a funny story. I was 5 years old and visiting Pakistan for my summer vacations (an expatriate’s delight). Those were the days of Vital Signs and Nazia/ Zohaib Hassan…the days of heart lightening pop! I still listen to their tracks and am immediately teleported to those days of eating samoosas while watching the rainfall in our open lounge! And the cool breeze! Wah Wah!

Tradition has it that the visiting party should take gifts, for relatives, when going on vacations and take gifts, from relatives, when they are about to leave. Hehehe that looks so funny when written down! I would have extrapolated but I’m a lazy bum!

A request: use your common sense dear reader, coz I’ve lost mine! Asian traditions yea yea yea I know! But trust you me they have their own charm!

Anyways coming back to the story…I had grown relatively fond of the gardener’s son. He was a very interesting chap indeed. A boy of many visions, stories and knowledge far skilled then mine, at that point of time (I shall cover the ‘Gardener and the Weed’ story under another title!). So, as I was about to leave, he hands me a cassette and tells me it was a gift he won from a Pepsi bottle cap and it was for me! And that point was one of the points in my life which I actually call A POINT IN MY LIFE!

Ever since that day till date music and I have been inseparable. I see it as a means off attaining mental salvation, relaxation, therapy…a sanctuary! Music and me were meant to be together.

I always knew that couples met in the most unrealistic and unpredictable circumstances and ways (filmy thought). So what if I met mine through the cap of a bottle and a gardener obsessed with cracking the ultimate weed formulae? The point is we made it this far, we’re happy and my love for her grows each day!

One could go on and on to describe what MUSIC means to oneself. The thing about me is I don’t judge people, never have and never will. Over and above that, I don’t imply my likes and dislikes on someone else as well, I find it extremely rude people telling other people what they should think!

I am absolutely passionate about music and I wish relationships were more like music…after all...they say music is the fruit of love!

True that…I think!

Why this Blog?

Dear reader,

Firstly, I think you have alot of spare time on your hands to be actually going through my thoughts. Secondly, I guess I have reached the point of my life where common sense makes no sense anymore! That is why I have decided to express the inexpressible through this Blog.

I figure what I write here might some day be coupled together and used to compile a best-selling biography. If it doesn’t go that far then the material here will definitely serve a time saver for me (the least).

Experiences are so hard to re-collect at the last moment and I rather have my thoughts all written down incase I’m to puff my children (to be) with a lecture.

Then again who knows, life as we all know it is just so short. I don't know how much I will be able to write but it has to start somewhere. So here is an effort!