Posted by alizafar on May 18, 2011 in
General 
As I turn a year closer to moving on, felt like sharing stuff. Perhaps something personal.
I was having a casual discussion with a friend in the plane the other day and shared some thoughts and he compelled me to share them with more people as it might help someone. And since people keep asking me for tips and ways to acquire their dreams and I don’t really know what to say,I will try today without sounding preachy. All I can do is share my thought process which may help. I will try make it simple. May be kids will pick something up. Most adults seem pretty fixed and “sorted†anyway. So I’ll share whatever comes to mind. See if anything helps:
1) I have always felt connected to a force beyond my comprehension. The connection was more unconscious in beginning but later became conscious and more aware and now works by default. It brings in a sense of extreme positivity, love and thankfulness-A force that mainly drives me on a daily basis besides my passion for art and hard work.
2) I have always felt drawn towards compassion more than indifference.
3) I have always believed in the day of my dreams coming true and visualized it from the start and refused to believe otherwise even when told by someone close as a friend or relative. Most importantly, I worked hard for it day and night.
4) I do not judge/hate people on the basis of their religion, culture, creed, faith, origin, ideas etc. I respect and value each one for their own.
5) I believe that my path was my own to follow and one must learn to create his/her own learning from good virtues of others’.
6) I try not to fear. Instead embrace it.
7) I love to learn and I love to make people happy.
8) I believe that we are all extensions of each other and by hurting someone else we hurt ourselves.
9) I make mistakes and have my deficiencies but i try to realize them and work to correct them everyday.
10) I respect each and every person/animal/plant/ thing in existence regardless, but I believe in standing up for what is right and fight for it; I believe for which I must know what “right†is that can only happen through thinking, asking, listening, reading, learning and practicing and do all of this with an open, unbiased and rational mindset.
11) I believe that sometimes the only way to learn is to unlearn first.
12) I respect what my teachers, my parents or my traditions taught me but I believed in moving further on from their on my own guts to discover more in an effort to keep enhancing my own quality of life and others effected by it.
13) I love life and I believe it doesn’t end. Just like this note doesn’t end here…
Posted by alizafar on Dec 16, 2010 in
General Hi. It’s been a while. Well i saw that movie Social network last night and how Mark Elliot Zuckerberg’s ( creator of facebook) blog effected him.Interesting watch. I thought the guy acted brilliantly. The initial scene where the girl breaks up with him is such a long scene but they both acted it out so naturally that it engrosses you completely… atleast that’s what it did for me.Good watch. check it out.
Posted by alizafar on Aug 15, 2010 in
General
Type A ;
This type of Rozay dar has the following characteristics
1)Â Â He makes sure to stuff himself with parathas and lasees (may be food suppliments) during sehry to prevent hunger from putting him in any kind of pain or misery the next day which can accidently lead him to test himself or provide an opportunity to relook at his desires and change for better.
2)  Since now he has kept the Roza, he would go around asking everyone if they have kept it or not. Hoping someone would say “no†in embarrassment and he will rise to the occasion as a better Muslim in his own eyes and give a monstrous, demeaning look to the non-rozay dar.
3)  He waits for aftary to feast on pakoras and other unhealthy fried food but more than that…… his cigarette.
4)Â Â During his day, he displays occasional bursts of impatient and intolerant behavior at home and at workplace but mostly on the street in traffic, making the lives of the people around him hell with the horn!
5)  He feels confident that he has “pleased†God with this “selfless†act and may continue with his wrong doings throughout the year. Of course he feels next year  same month he can again “please” Him by completing his full set of Rozaz and will again be forgiven for all the times he has cheated and hurt people.
Type B :
1)  He is a silent rozaydaar  who keeps such matters confined to himself and God.
2)Â Â He does not give a look of pity to other non rozay daars neither does he think that the whole world would go to hell except him and those who are fasting.
3)Â Â He is simple and affectionate and predominantly humble.
4)Â Â Kids love him.
5)Â Â He keeps his sehri and aftari healthy and simple and prevents stuffing.
6)Â Â He stops his children to boo away other children in school who are not fasting.
7)Â Â He is honest in his dealing with or without a roza, during ramadan and after ramadan.
8)  He does not wait for Ramadan to finish so that he can get back to his lecherous lifestyle . He likes to maintain that balance of good  and evil through out the year.
Type C :
1)Â Â This is the guy you would find claiming his superiority over all other sects and religions since he is a muslim and spend hours on internet forums demonizing, offending and abusing other people and religions.
2)  During Ramadan he blesses himself further by doubling his rounds of the shops and markets to check out women and  girls. He harasss them in kindness and follows them to their houses in an attempt to pass his numbers for late night delights instead of wasting time watching porn.
3)  You will also find him using cuss words loudly in public places after aftari while smoking a joint and planning his fights with the other gangs the next day. Who can stop him for making it into heaven since “ yeh to saaray rozay rakhta hai! Pooray 30 !â€
Type D :
1)Â Â Nothing much to be said about this one. He wakes up till sehry and goes to sleep after that. Wakes up 10 minutes before aftary. Feeds on fruit chart etc. Pretty harmless.
Type E :
If you are not any of the above then this is you!
Posted by alizafar on Aug 15, 2010 in
General I have landed in Pakistan, a country surrounded by serenity, seduced by a sincere sense of security. People of various sects, religion and race walking hand in hand, ignorant of imparity, in a place once hard to maintain sanity. They say there was a time when poor bled in despair while the burjuva fed on vanity and others looted on the name of charity.
I am surprised to notice the rulers here, who live like ordinary servants of the state somewhere. They say once so well had they mastered the art of corruption, that they themselves would decide the result of an election. People struck again and again by destruction, continued facing the wrath as one nation; swam across floods and nurtured natural disasters, holding the hand of the Holy Master.
My purpose here in Pakistan is not for business, in fact it is to capture the scenic beauty of the most breathtaking mountains and well reserved rivers. Though the thought of terrorism gives me the shivers, but that was long ago when there was no one to deliver.
I have a keen interest in knowing how they got out of their plight. Under what light did they put up the fight that was fought till they got it right. How they began living than surviving. How their politicians now worry of peace and progress alone rather than ostentatious means to stick to the throne. Love prevails and no lawlessness now and they seem all set to show the world “howâ€.
A woman’s life and happiness was once left to the mercy of her husband, father or brother. Now she is divine, she is the holy and she is the mother. Art was burnt and artists in pain while musicians beat the drum in vain. He who spoke some wisdom was considered insane and such merciless and the brutality much hard to tame. Exposed was it all by the media and put to shame but sometimes the anchors themselves involved in the game.
I love the music of this land. It is like slipping sand in an angelic hand. It is like pouring water on God’s demand. How must one fathom the versatility of its resonance, for all you hear in it is a child’s innocence. It might’ve taken a hundred years for this land to reach to it’s innocence, but they say it was worth every note that sang, every word that wrote, every eye that saw, every drop that bled and every word unsaid. What beneath my feet is not just soil they say. It is the lives and souls of many crushed to make us step on a surface that smells like soya and reaps of diamonds. This he tells me is the new Pakistan !
Posted by alizafar on Aug 8, 2010 in
General Writing a blog after a long time. Newer means like twitter and facebook kind of do the needful in communicating the needful but of course nothing like writing without restriction of letters. What’s happening? Well to start with my wife might leave me soon. She says I can’t help practice singing and now dialogues in my sleep. Woke up today and realized it was Sunday. Read some sweet reviews by the news instep. I like the fact that instep makes it a point to promote and encourage local talent rather than putting them down or filling space with foreign celebrity news. Also interesting to notice that Katreena and Kareena are now the new Lux and Head n shoulder ambassadors for Pak campaigns also. The president and the shoe episode is warped in itself but so is everything around here at the moment with your largest city on stand down mode and the rest of the country in stand drown mode. One feels proud to see how the public gathers to respond and help their fellow country men but sad to see ….. America and others announce generous aid but the damage is far bigger and more has to be done locally and internationally. Have devised a plan with Mobilink Jazz to allow people give donations through a simple sms. Going live on a telethon tonight to do my bit and ask for more from people. Pakistanis especially the poor certainly deserve a standing ovation for having to face the toughest times over and over again with such bravery! May be the governments haven’t been able to set examples for the world but people of Pakistan always have for those who wish to see! Peace to all.
Posted by alizafar on Jun 20, 2010 in
General It was indeed a shocker to find out that both our hard disks had crashed in America and all our data to the website was lost including my blogs. After a hard work of many days, Zain and the website team put up a brand new website for you.Hope you like it. The blog section is back too. Finally i can write in length without worrying about the word limit. If anyone has anyone of my old blogs saved kindly send through so we can put them back on.
Well as you know i am in Mumbai promoting the film. Rumors about us getting any threats regarding the film are circulating in the press but they’re not true. Also about my visa issues. Well there were none. The indian visa officers were very kind to me and i am here for a while. The film has nothing in it which can be offensive to anyone. It’s a light-hearted comedy and a satire on the whole post 9/11 era and how things became so difficult for Pakistanis. Ali Hassan who is a Pakistani reporter is deported from the plan due to suspicion just because he is a Pakistani. It is then his struggle to somehow make it to america and reach his American dream and of course the blonde wife. Tomorrow is the big press conference followed by music album release so am excited. Missed you guys here. Keep in touch. Will update more.
As I turn a year closer to moving on, felt like sharing stuff. Perhaps something personal.