An update?

Hahaha I'm so full of shit.

Just wanted to let yall know that this blog is on hiatus till December 7th.

Blame exams.

Or me for using them as an excuse.

10 HOURS TO DRIVING TEST!

10 HOURS TO DRIVING TEST!

Well would you believe it!

So this whole time I'm complaining about how bad the situation in Pakistan is.

Turns out Malaysia hasn't got it all that good either. For those of you who don't know, the police recently started gassing protesters.

Now I don't know much about Malaysian politics so I'll just link you to Nick's blog who really has quite a bit covered on it.

The world's a bitch right now people. A complete fucking bitch.

The unbelievable bullshit gets even more unbelievable!

More people on the street and even more getting arrested. Bush said that he had talked to Musharraf and told him to step down and then he continued to praise Musharraf by saying how much he "cared" for his people and was trying his best to restore democracy. USA announced how they thought the state of emergency won't last more than 2 weeks.

That same day 800 more protesters got arrested for "treason" and it was said that the state of emergency would go on for ATLEAST a month.

The sadder thing is that most of the people against Musharraf are supporting Bhutto right now than any other opposition leader.

Imran Khan, who was one helluva of a cricketer, never managed to strike it big in politics probably because its hard for people to take a celebrity that seriously. But I think right now he's the only one making some good enough points. From hiding, he gave an interview to BBC asking why other opposition leaders were being arrested and running for their lives while Bhutto could run around openly giving press conferences. Didn't Bhutto return to Pakistan by agreeing to a power-sharing deal with Musharraf? What happened to all those corruption charges against her that forced Nawaz Sharriff to be kicked out of Pakistan? Also never in any of her speeches "against" Musharraf had she mentioned that the judiciary had to be restored.

He went on to say that what was happening in Pakistan was the same thing that was happening in Burma and the USA was acting similar to how they acted in Burma.

If Musharraf gets kicked out and Bhutto comes in, it wouldn't be much of a difference. Yet people for some reason run out onto the street ready to die for her every whim and she's not afraid to make them. Almost anyone with enough education can realize that her and Musharraf are working together to play with the public just how her and Nawaz Sharriff did in the past.

According to Musharraf elections will be held in mid-February giving him ample time to completely finish of the judiciary and replace it with his own minions, get them to agree that its alright for him to remain President and army cheif and that the elections he rigged to win are valid and he will receive a five year term.

USA will praise him for restoring democracy and Pakistan will be back where it was last year. All politicians will rejoice at the restoration of corruption and continue to eat away at the foundation of Pakistan, which was never that strong to start with.

On the "brighter" side of things, Musharraf will be kicked out and Bhutto will win the elections. She will declare that she is taking over from Musharraf at being USA's personal 24/7 bitch while in the background Musharraf will also be working with her.

USA will praise her for restoring democracy and Pakistan will be back where it was last year. All politicians will rejoice at the restoration of corruption and continue to eat away at the foundation of Pakistan, which was never that strong to start with.


In other happier news, Pakistan WON against India in one of the greatest cricket matches of all time. WOOHOO. Incase you are wondering how much longer I intend to have all my posts be so political instead of returning to the mindless drivel I used to have before then the answer is I don't know. When something worth blogging about happens, I'll do it.

A plea for help

A thousand or so years ago, it was easy for dictatorship to work. A single man could rule a kingdom simply by instilling fear in its residents or keeping them in the dark. With transport not being modernized as it is today, it was even easier to completely cut all contact with the outside world and ensure that nothing got in his way. Freedom was easy to suppress.

How little things have changed over a thousand years.

Even when I was signing in I was ready to come on and just post a bitching about Musharraf, make a few jokes to get my point across and go to sleep. It was then that I realized I had a weapon that those a thousand years ago could only wish for. A power which all of us have nowadays and that can be used for the most littlest of things.

Its amazing how much power a blog can give us. Complete freedom of speech. And the internet ensures that anything can just travel around in a few seconds without us having to fear for our lives. For this entry I have a favour to ask of everyone, which I shall do shortly.

For those of you who don't know what's going on in Pakistan, I will give you a quick update.

It's been 60 years since Pakistan got its independence. 10 years before Malaysia. In that time, the leaders that have followed have used the country as their own playground. About 50% of Pakistan is illiterate, not because education is not present but because people's right to it has been suppressed. Because once you learn to think you realize the difference between right and wrong and learn to stand up for your beliefs. This would mean you would know the complete bullshit being blabbered by the different politicians and try to shut them up. Ofcourse they can't accept this as it would stop them from ruining the lives of millions of people, just to make a quick buck.

As each new leader came, he continued from where the last had left and manipulated the people in his own unique way. While other countries prospered, the best Pakistan could hope for is to not get any worse than it already was.

It's funny how much damage or repair a single man can do. As corruption prospered under Musharraf, the chances of him continuing his rule grew higher. All he needed to do was convince the Chief Justice to do him a slight favour. Surely he would be trying to make some cash on the side just as everyone else was.

Alas, how one man can change a country in a single day that has gone in the same direction for 60 years. The Chief Justice not only declined his offer but completely turned the legal system around. Suddenly lawyers or judges were not so intimidated to send a criminal to prison. They no longer feared the threats or want the "rewards".

So what happens when a politician is on the verge of receiving what he deserves? Easy. He declares a state of emergency and takes over by sheer power. He cuts of all forms of media and ensures that the people realize that freedom is nothing more than a myth.

And what about that one person who dares to stand up? That person who comes every half a century? He is dragged by his hair by a petty constable and thrown on the road outside his house.

But the match had been lit and it was too late to blow it out. The fire was on its way. Thousands of lawyers were on the streets. They had tasted freedom and they weren't going to give it up.

There is no guarantee that the leader to come after Musharraf will be any better but atleast the public will regain the right to choose their own leader no matter how corrupt he is. Atleast it can be said that there is corruption going on in the background rather than most politicians proudly accepting it and making it clear that whoever doesn't follow their ways will be punished accordingly.

My plea to you is simple. While the people of Pakistan might not have their freedom right now, we do. We have all the resources present to stand up for a country that might for once have a chance to grow under a proper legal system if not for that one dictator.

Almost everyone reading this have blogs. You might not realize the importance of this but if two people who read your blog that don't read mine, then thats two people more who can realize the extent of what is going on and appreciate what they have more.

I might not be as good at words as some of you. Maybe you can word it better than I have. Maybe you can inspire more people to stand up for what is right.

We can all blog everyday about how our day went but sometimes we have the resources to do something bigger than most of us are capable of. Its just if we are willing to take the chance or care enough to go for it. So please, typing a post that takes you 5 minutes to do so can be worth more than any protest that are taking all of a person's life.

Musharraf can only stand in power as long as people don't stand up to him. Yahoo has already stopped updating on what is going on. Once people outside the country stop caring, Musharraf's power will only continue to grow.

This isn't about being Pakistani, or Musharraf or even politics. This is about each person having the right to freedom. This is about you having the right to say whatever you want. Whether it is a thousand words in a blog or 2 lines in your MSN nickname.

PS: Gah this all sounded better in my head than it does on paper...uhh screen. Ahh well thats what you get for blogging on 5 hours of sleep.

Emergency Update...

Martial Law has just been declared in Pakistan.

Funny how Yahoo news has the heading as "Pakistan's Musharraf declares emergency" instead of "Pakistan's President Musharraf declares emergency".

Fucking cunt.

(Musharraf, not Yahoo)

The long due "Thank you" post.

Regardless of the few setbacks and assholes mentioned in the last post (which I might add I don't even remember writing and was quite shocked to find my blog updated this morning, THATS how tired I was last night) the overall event was a success on the enjoyment side of it even if it was a failure on the financial side. Ofcourse it has to do with the fact that almost everyone put in a 110% when it really mattered, even if they had lagged behind earlier. Apart from the student council there are many other people, without who this party would have really not been possible. So in no particular order, I'd like to thank the following:


Sharmin and David
For those of you who REALLY never read this blog, I met Sharmin during the play. Infact she was the very first cast member I interacted with I think and probably the only person in Taylors who knew what a Maz was.

Anways it was only after the play ended that I found out she could ACTUALLY sing and when I heard her I was already trying to figure out ways to get her to sing at the Halloween party which was already being somewhat planned. Ofcourse when I found out that she didn't want people to even find out about her talent, I gave up hope.

Cut short to a week ago when I call her cousin and find out that she had volunteered to sing at the party. That was an exciting time.

Infact the main reason I worked so hard for the party was partly because of her. I knew that I had invited a few friends and if this didn't turn out a success it would now be very embarrassing for me. Especially if Sharmin showed up and the whole thing sucked and she thought "When did Zohaib become a SPA member?" (inside joke :D).

Anways I really really owe her a lot for agreeing to perform. To be completely honest even I was a bit worried on how we would fit her acoustic style in with the two rock bands. But she really pulled it off quite well. Hell, even the band members who were hanging outside after their performance came in to see her sing. I actually heard some say "I really want to see Sharmin sing". What few people who were present all moved in front. I know Mathew and YY were very shocked to see her perform that well. She might be modest about it but she really got the party somewhat started at that time.

Her cousin agreeing to play without ever meeting us was really awesome of him too.

Apart from how thankful I am, I also feel quite guilty and angry.

Guilty because I felt I should have given them more attention. Sure, there was alot to do but I should have found the time to give them more attention and kept up on my word to get them the drinks. I also feel guilty because of the lights and sounds. They had mentioned how they wanted the lights to be and I was sure I had told someone to do it but when I came in I found the DJ lights on as well. I told the DJ to turn them off but it was already half way into their performance. Also they should have also had more time for a sound check.

Angry because Priscilla's $150 band started practicing at the back of MPH during their performance. You'd think if you call yourselves professionals, and charge as such, you'd act like it. Still though noone payed attention to them as they all moved in front to watch Sharmin and David.

We might not have seemed like it at the event but you have no idea how grateful we were for you agreeing to do it. So on behalf of the whole of student council I thank you and apologize at the same time.

The Absinthe Association
When you are getting paid for something, no matter how badly things go you manage to find a way.

But when you are doing something as a favour, most people after some time would just give up.

Not these guys. After seeing first hand how disorientated we all were and having half their band drop out and also seeing that the party was a failure in the beginning and not getting the equipment they needed they still went up on stage and performed.

There was no money involved and they absolutely had no reason to perform and all the right reasons to cancel it but they still went ahead.

With all the setbacks they still managed to kick the show off pretty damn well. For that we really owe them big time.

So for that I'm sure we'd all really like to thank them for everything and just let everyone know that these guys are REALLY good and if you didn't come to the Halloween party you missed out on one helluva performance.

Yugi and that band with the really long name
Its amazing how for the party to be a success everything had to come together perfectly. I know I've said this for everyone but I really don't feel this party would have worked out without Yugi.

In the beginning I thought we could afford to pay Yugi but when he attended one of our meetings he voluntarily declined the money. I mean what kind of person agrees to perform and turns down the cash when they really don't need to?

I think everyone who attended can say he turned a very dull party completely around.

Everyone kept telling me "Awesome job on getting the emcee" but the truth is even I was blown away by how well he handled everything on such little preparation time with such little to work with.

Oh and apart from all that he also got us another awesome band!
----

Basically we owe all these people ALOT. They had absolutely nothing to gain from helping us out but they still put in 200%.

I cannot state in words how much we owe you guys.

So Thank You All once more!

Are you fucking serious?

Just got back from the halloween party a few minutes ago. Now normally after organizing such an event the first blog entry should be to thank all the people that need thanking. But in the last 12 hours I've had 2 minutes of time where I was sitting down, 4 cigs in the last hour, I've been the only one who never had a proper drink and to cut it short I'm fucking exhausted. These conditions make it just right for a bitchfest of a post. Therefore the thanking post comes tomorrow when I can think straight and don't have to really rush it.

So the idea is simple. Every once in awhile I'll have a "Are you fucking serious?" post where I don't hold back anything and try to be as honest as possible about whatever the topic is about. Today's topic: The Three Bitches and a Halloween Party.

Honestly though I've been itching to just blast out about how everyone has been behaving and didn't want to let it all out while the planning was going on and cause avoidable drama but now that it's all over, I can go all out.

Though now that it is all over I really don't have as much to complain about as I thought I would. As Chi Ho pointed out to me during the making of the play, people really really lack common sense nowadays and make it harder than it actually has to be. That said everyone atleast tried their best and gave it their all.

Well not everyone.

Now one day before the event you'd think everyone would show up for the meeting unless something really urgent came up right? Only 6 people did. All guys.

It didn't help that when me and Akash stayed back till 7 we saw Priscilla (Vice president of the organising committee, I might add), Wai Chi and that other bitch whose name I can't be fucked to remember coming out of Asia Cafe and being polite enough to wave at us and give us a smile.

Ofcourse the day itself when we are all at it from 1-8 with minimal breaks its also just a tad bit annoying when they show up around 7:30 to put the food on the table and then just disappear again. Oh and in the middle they dropped by to complain how the stage was too small for the dancers they payed $150 for a 2 minute performance, which noone really wanted. When all the other performers who are not getting payed anything can be so fucking awesome about the whole thing (again, the thanking comes next post) I don't see why the fuck the group getting payed for doing god knows what have the right to complain.

Oh and we made a loss. No surprise there. Even less surprising is the fact that Priscilla and all gave out tickets without collecting the money for it or accounting for all their tickets.

In the event itself, it seemed the guests were helping out more than they were. Infact they brought alcohol in. See I have no problem with alcohol at the event if its served OUTSIDE the MPH but when people start throwing up because of you and you don't have the decency to even bother cleaning it up and completely ignore the other people cleaning it up, you need to seriously be given a reality check.

People, me included, complained alot about how Alex handled the whole thing and how noone was setting up ticket booths or were going around giving refunds but the thing is it was a first time for everyone organising something of this magnitude and its just crazy to expect us to get everything right but I felt everyone (almost) gave it their 100% and thats what really mattered here. Things that did go horribly wrong were all because of Princesszilla and her groupies and the sad part is that Alex gets all the blame by the teachers, while the rest of Taylors blame the student council as a whole. Sure I feel he could have been a bit stricter but even now Priscilla was complaining about how "bossy" he was. When you take charge, you get screwed no matter if you are nice or not and thats what happened with him.

The fact that Alex came forward and volunteered to do the whole thing and stayed till the end shows he gave it whatever he had and I don't think he should be getting all the blame that he is getting. I also don't think that we should also be getting those "dude you guys suck!" stares that we are getting.

For Priscilla, Wai Chi and all of them, I hope that you guys are just plain spoiled brats or I'll seriously have to ask "Were you fucking serious?"