Don’t Shoot the Messenger

“On the plane back from smiling Thailand, where the average Buddhist`s kindness and consideration makes most Thais far better Muslims than people here could ever hope to be,”
What an opening statement! You could only view everything thru your religious prism. It only reinforces prejudices about an average Pakistani being so narrow minded. Do you seriously think that being a Muslim makes u a better human being than others by default? If one shows more kindness he or she becomes better Muslim by the same logic he must be a bad Buddhist, bad Hindu and bad Jew. I hope you are not seriousness. Wish you get more chances to see more civilized places and meet more people who are good not necessarily because of their faith but innate human goodness.

Shandana
A question, are there regulations on the distance of an underground sump/tank from sewage facilities etc in the Karachi building codes.

Ref swarrier #49

[Re: # 48

Salim, you are confusing me with the great soysauce. Liberal quantities of soy sauce may cause intestinal disorders. )) ]

Soybeans are supposed to be good for your prostate.

As to liberal quantities of soysauce causing intestinal disorders, the proof of that is the verbal diarrhea that Soysauce produces on Chowk!

Re: # 59

Oye Koi gull nahee hum hindustani mai baat-sheet karta hai tumhara saath.....

How many Minhas are ther ein Pakistan? Were you ever discriminated by Mullas?

delhiwala, i can speak two lines of punjabi, understand 3 and write none! its high on the list of things my father is ashamed of :)

salim, chat away, i have a strange urge to walk around handing out espresso shots to all the interactors

burpinder, can there BE anything more flattering than `i hate you`? much obliged...

Shandana, I think I know where this is coming from. My story ``Dev Harry and I`` (look it up, it`s on chowk) also came from the same place.

But I hate you. You say it so much better than I ever could.

``That’s the problem with the New Man. He never wants to beat people up anymore.``
LOL. Keep writing.

Minhas Behen Jee,
Enha Mushtandia di gulla da burra na ManNa.....

Tussey mere naal khul ke Gull Kar sakdey ho...

Shandana,
Please don`t get mad at us. We are trying to run up the score because we think that you are a terrific writer and deserve a quintuple century. :) Good luck.

Shandana {``At Quaid-I-Azam international airport, some local travelers ...``}

Shandana,
When did they change the name from Altaf Bhai International to Dennis Quaid International?
Also, have you considered moving to Numaish or Liaquatabad? Even Paposh sounds better than the state of Bath Island. First I hear that there is no running water in Defence (Yes, there is a God!), now you tell me Bath Island is the pits. What`s next? Eid prayers on Napier Road? :)

#52, Swarrier
It takes a strong shoulder to take a swig of moonshine. :) BTW, the bladder matter was brought up by Soy, who is too busy trying to avoid being run over by a herd of deplaning ``passengers.``

If you were backing up Kullee (very natural, of course), shame on you for allowing Soy to play leap frog. I expect you, Kullee, and Soy to sort all this out before I sober up. :) Have a good night. LOL.

The deplaning passengers looked like warriors on attack;)

Re: # 51
Salim darlin`
Methinks you`ve been tippling a bit. I know we all look alike but you see I was right behind Kully when soysauce jumped the queue, and then you come along in a stupor and start changing names, personalities(or the lack of `em), bladders, stomachs, hillybillies, allens, aliens. etc...
Go easy on the moonshine.. It`s only mid-week.-))

#49, Swarrier {``Salim, you are confusing me with the great soysauce. Liberal quantities of soy sauce may cause intestinal disorders. ))``}

Swarrier,
Did I say that y`all look alike? Now I know what poor Senator Hillbilly Allen went through. :)
Yes, you are right #48 and #50 should be addressed to the Soysauce. One more thing, my friend, you really need to stop standing so close to Soysauce (See #45 and #46). You are starting to look like one person - man that`s too close. At least two Injuns know how to queue up. :)

Swarrier #46,
I am at a loss for words when it comes to describing desis and queues. Forming a line among desis is tantamount to herding pussycats or expecting a ballet performance from break dancers. I mean mention the word ``line`` and desis` collective blood pressure rises, people storm any open window with arms and hands outstretched - some even join the fray without knowing what the fuss is all about. The usually docile and gentle men in dhotis and, even the villainously elegant ones wearing shalwars, will dash to the front, as they rip apart any intervening objects or persons. Occasionally, if not frequently, a fat lady in a well-worn sari or a mysterious creature disguised as an Arab`s tent, will push her way to the front and then beg to be treated preferentially due to her sex - as if she is about to climax anyway.

Re: # 48

Salim, you are confusing me with the great soysauce. Liberal quantities of soy sauce may cause intestinal disorders. ))

Swarrier #46 {``Could simply have been over-active bladders..``}

You, sir, are too accommodating. Maybe it was a case of intestinal pressure. :)

I think Shandana meant to title this essay as “Don’t Shoot the Passenger”.

#39
I just got back from visiting inja and could relate to your observation very well. I could see a mini-stampede developing at every landing. Could simply have been over-active bladders..

Shandana
Great artikul. I could picture everything quite vividly.
Will we have a serialisation of ``The Adventures of Kool Kat & the Dragonflies`` next? -)

Shandana, very pretty. Coming back to Pakistan after a brief vacation is a totally different experience than going back once a year (as is the case with many). The main difference being that one is not bothered with little inconveniences such as chootiyas jumping the immigration cue, because they end up being the last ones to get their bags from the broken carousels anyway. For yearly visitors (such as myself), the excitement of seeing family and friends overweighs the little airport and journey experiences, and to Paki travelers who live in Pakistan, I say, up yours motherfukers. You made your bed, now sleep in it.

Lovely read nonetheless.

Ms Minhas,
Your quality of writing is improving with every article(if that is what it is).

Good Job!

That rude, arrogant, stupid Pakistani man in front of you must be Khamkhwa.

You are too gullible not to mention men staring at you and your vulnerability. When I went to India, men would not stop staring at woman and sometimes I have to just block their view and spit hard to get their attention.

# 40, 41,

Ches amis ! Pourquoi vous les gars confondent les autres membres ici ?

Meilleurs Egards.

Mon frere Ahad,
excuzez moi. Je suis rajput. Donc je suis un peu l`indien. Vous avais de la chance parce que anglais est votre troisieme langue. Je ne vous comprends pas apres ``Habibi Salim.`` :)
Merci pour l`echange de l`idees.

Salut mon Amie Salim !
Anglais ces pas ma langue, Ces ma troisième langue, donc j`ai pas envie ton écrire en anglais, Est que tu est Pédée ?

C`est pas grave, ci tu est un peu pédée de l` inde.

Habibi Salim

Lugatul Anjalazia mafi lisani; Faheemta ya Hemaar !

{``But he would not submit to The Line. “This is the way the system works,” he declared. For five minutes he stood by himself, waiting for a counter to open. Then others began to scuttle into formation behind him, and the snake of self-interest slithered into its loathsome, familiar shape before our very eyes. ``}

Shandana,
How tragically true and how well you have described this familiar representative of typical Paki behavior. Some years ago, on a PIA flight from Pakistan to JFK, I was shocked by the circus-like atmosphere in the plane when we landed. As soon as the tires hit the ground, without any obvious signal from anyone, dozens of people, male and female, stood up to get their luggage and snaked their way to the front for a prompt exit upon arrival at the gate. We were still traveling at a dangerous speed for anyone to attempt a balancing act while trying to hold on to several pieces of luggage. The poor stewardess begged for them to sit down for their own safety and that of those seated. They did not listen. I got up and shouted ``please sit down.`` A number of them returned to their seats, but one big, fat dude used the ``F`` word and asked me why I was worried about his safety and whether I was ``first time`` (sic). I told him that I couldn`t care less for his safety, but was worried about my own should his fat ass fall on me. It was useless to argue with him as he just stood there, adamant to be the first Paki off the plane - a feat that he successfully accomplished. My faith in God was restored, when this rude and selfish gift of Pakistan to the US was still waiting for his luggage to arrive while everyone else moved on to better surroundings.

Ahad {``Last year I aslo first time visited our beloved Country Pakistan ...that there would be good changes happened on that time to our country after 8 years...
Why in the world Desi from indo/pak writes some stuff, it looks like I am reading some of William Shakespeare note or English composition 101 Book. Why they don`t write in simple English and stop writing bloody board bold British bull Blings.``}

Ahad,
So, you spent eight straight years doing kala paani? - No doubt you were overseas specializing in the English language. :)
Why do so many Pakis waste their time on Chowk, when they could be professors teaching English from the Bronx to Potsdam?

Last year I aslo first time visited our beloved Country Pakistan with lots of hopes and imaginations that there would be good changes happened on that time to our country after 8 years but Alas I really very disappointed when reached there no thing have changed a lot expect the peoples. And feel so sorry about them.

I say myself that all the Pakistani will go defiantly to the Heaven, You know why?
Coz they already had Hell experience in Pakistan. (Not kidding.. )

Why Don’t the youth do some thing cool; you are the NeXT generation Coz Now we can’t change our elder thought and behavior who always blame the politician and just talks bullshit and do not thing for the society.

I have seem lot of educated, intelligent and smart youth in Pakistan.
Do you wanna see your kids will have to face the same problems of Electricity, Education, Transportation, Discriminations which We had faced and still facing....

I really SALUTE you to your courage towards education, The Colleges and Universities students in Karachi specially the GIRLS to go in the challenging & worst type of Transportation. That show me ! That you guys have guts to challenge everything in the life

In a Flight

I noticed next seated young girl having Fresh Hina/Mandi on her hand thrilling to meet her husband, and little bite nervous for going in a new environment/ FOB.

A middle aged guy in his 30s sorrowfully read the magazine thinking about his Guree wife and new born ABCD girl and other hind his mother and father health.

Young guys in his 20s electrifying to be new Promised Land as soon as possible and sharing imagination what he saw in the Hollywood/ Bollywood. He will well knows how Seven Eleven, Race Track, McDonalds,, Pizza Hut, What a burger, Wendy`s, Ramada In, motel 6 and 8 and Dollar Store work.

Why in the world Desi from indo/pak writes some stuff, it looks like I am reading some of William Shakespeare note or English composition 101 Book. Why they don`t write in simple English and stop writing bloody board bold British bull Blings.

Next to him, a guy in gray suit & hair in his late 50s who spent half of his life between two culture, country and family for the better future for his children and himself. Made a dream house of his in which he rarely lived. When he is there he feels like a visiting guest. Out of side out of mind.

What does (Tree) ``Daraktoo Main Pasay Augg na`` Means ? Oh if you make a big jump you catch a $100 bill or if you make small jump you catch $20 bill! Right.

Two raw after, an old gentleman asking water to Airhostess; worrying about Shaadi of her Youngs daughters. After noticed a young girl with Mandi which remind him her daughter quote ``I dun wanna Marry any of your weird relative.

There are some ABCD Desi Students Male/Female who studied in great US Collages and universities and came here to visit family and friends enjoyed there trip, criticizing the systems.

A family of 5, Husband, Wife and their kids aged 5, 8 and 12. The little cute desi girl saying to Daddy ``Hi Dad! Why Dada and Dadi were crying at the airport. Did some one hurt them?`` She did not hear all the stories of King and Queen by her gunny yet.

There a Girl guy looking in the sky smiling like a love bird and reading again and again SMS/ Text message on her Mobile phone and smiling a red rose. May be She Found the Mr. Right Desi. Who don`t want to marry Passport/ Peta only?

There are also a old couple in mid 60s; Reading some holy verses and holding each others hands tightly as they were it holding for 30 years, they have fear, in the some time exciting to meet the their Desi Bahoo and grandchildren which they only seen in pictures.

later

Think Global !

Ahad

faisaluno,

his age might be a clue :) i was like that until recently, kids do change things. a couple of months ago an underage driver going at 80 mph banged into the left back seat door of my car. he managed to drag left at the last minute and my car was bigger so my son and baby in the back seat were only shaken sup. it could have had a very different ending. i chased him and managed to get his number. when the police went to the apartment listed as owners addy the woman who answered the door claimed not to have a son. it was only after some not so vieled threats that she admitted it. the kid came over at night with his father and uncle to apologise. the father said, when asked why the kid had his car keys, that he had stolen them while he was praying. when pushed further he said everybody did it.

in the first three years of his life my son has had gastro too many times to count. i`ve had to rush him to emergency with 106 temperature.

those are just examples of what exactly it is about the third world lifestyle i`m having issues with. whether i can wear sleeveless baby t`s on the street is of no interest to me.

#34
[i was stuck by his optimism]

Should not have been a surprise - with that last name!

recently i read an interview of a hindu office boy from karachi. i was stuck by his optimism -by his lack of bitterness even though people like him have received a raw deal from our society. its not easy being a minority in pak and a poor one at that. i find it amazing that some of the most bitter people i meet in pak are the people who have gotten most from our society. in contrast, some of the most resourceful people i meet are from the other end of the spectrum:

http://jang.com.pk/thenews/aug2006-weekly/nos-06-08-2006/kol.htm

Twenty-three-year old Manoj Kumar, an office boy at a pharmaceutical company claims to have seen the vicissitudes of the city of Karachi.

...Manoj: (Smiling) Well, there is nothing much to tell. We are not the privileged ones who have vast experiences to share. I belong to a poor family, so every one of us has to work day and night to make both ends meet.

....Kolachi: How much do you earn now?

Manoj: I get 6,000 rupees a month where I work. My boss is a very kind man and helps me through thick and thin. He is my mentor.

Kolachi: Have you ever thought of shifting to India?

Manoj: I and my family would never want to settle in India. There, our own relatives call us Pakistanis not Hindus, and I don`t think they can ever accept us. However, I would want to visit India once and experience how it feels to be amongst the majority of a country and not the minority.

....Kolachi: Whom do you side with while watching a Pakistan–India match?

Manoj: Although, I love Pakistan and would want to stay here forever but somehow I always side with the Indian team during a match. I admit I am quite confused on this issue.

....Kolachi: Since you are quite young and have zest and are trying to study too, what is it that you aspire to be?

Manoj: If you honestly ask me I would really want to go for my own business, but I know my limitations. The family I belong to and with the back ground I have, I know I am aiming too high. However, what I can do, and for which I have been making my base is to complete my B.Com, do some computer courses and then maybe I can get a white collar job somewhere.

...Manoj: I would say our family is amongst the lucky ones who have always had the protection of the law. As a Hindu I cannot be more thankful to the Pakistani government. The Babri Mosque incident was directly related to the Hindu community and I remember, although I was quite young that the rangers were posted outside our houses to protect us from angry mobs.

...Manoj: I like Karachi as I was born here. Besides that I think this city has a life of its own. No one is really bothered about what the other person is doing. And not to forget, that this city is a sea of opportunities. I love the tall buildings and the lights of the metropolis.

Ref Salim_Chauhan #32

[Shandana,
You are doing the right thing by going to a variety of places as a deviation. Sometimes, it just makes sense to say ``Phuket.`` :) ]

You got that right!

Men have the additional advantage of being able to say ``Bang Kok``!

shandana {``salim,
for me, lately, being in pakistan is like being in one of those relationships where you love somebody but cant neccesarily live with them. ...at the end of the day you have to ask yourself if its worth it.``}

Shandana,
You are doing the right thing by going to a variety of places as a deviation. Sometimes, it just makes sense to say ``Phuket.`` :)

I enjoy your style of magnifying the pain while keeping it interesting. Good article.

actually the author seems to have a problem with a third world lifestyle rather than karachi which is fine. while karachi`s infrastructure is pretty lame, it is still better than those available at other megacities in the sub-continent. rather beating around the bush, the author should just come out say that it sucks living in the third world and people should leave at the first opportunity that comes by.

salim,

for me, lately, being in pakistan is like being in one of those relationships where you love somebody but cant neccesarily live with them. they`re bad for you, if not bad to you, and time and time again you find yourself being the one who compromises, capitulates, changes...at the end of the day you have to ask yourself if its worth it. and no i haven`t decided yet :)

minhaj,

yes much has happened but also not enough has happened. how are you?

{``As he headed off to begin the Pakistani inquisition, I wanted to take my children (and possibly my husband, he makes a mean omelet) and flee before my bitterness became a second skin rather than a flippant mask. I wanted to protect them from the unpleasantness of scenes like the one at the airport, the flotsam of garbage that had blanketed the city on the morning of August 15th, the needless deaths by electrocution that occurred during monsoon season, the double hazards of unsanitary conditions and poor healthcare, the eardrum piercing honking of cars hemmed in by increasingly frequent traffic jams...did it really make sense to continuously invest belief into an enterprise that paid no dividends? Could a slaphappy PR job keep at bay the thought that it was called a ‘soft’ image because you had to be soft in the head to believe it? ``}

Shandana,
Other than that how do you really feel about Pakistan? :)

{``Then a well-dressed man with two children strode determinedly forward and plunked his bags and two children adjacent to the person at the top of the line, forming another one. ...
Post immigration, the large ‘No Smoking’ sign looming next to the first baggage claim area was partially obscured by a large airport official looming indolently in front of it, smoke from his lit cigarette punctuating the directive above him. ``}

Shandana,
Very descriptive and quite interesting article to vent some steam at the people responsible for our state of barbarity. Yes, some of the very ``educated,`` the well-dressed (on the outside), and the ones in power are the culprits. Where is our Pol Pot? :)

Shandana! I love your `Think Aloud Feel Aloud` essays. I guess a lot has happened since your ping pong days in Gymkhana.

Re: # 25

[......And inspite of this, as I fall asleep today, I shall still fantasize that I shall spend my last days with the smells, cacophany and hypocricy of my homeland.]

As if you have a choice!

Shandana,

Very, very nice.

......And inspite of this, as I fall asleep today, I shall still fantasize that I shall spend my last days with the smells, cacophany and hypocricy of my homeland.

harimau, u rnt a New Man, u r a very old man!
Author, whats WWE smackdown?

interesting........

there are two main advantages (and perhaps a third) that one has in pakistan, if one is from the upper-class (chowk crowd) of pakistan........one is close to one`s relatives, which is worth a lot......the second is that one is able to get a certain amount of importance and positive noterioty in pakistan that would not be available abroad......

i think, deep down inside, that second factor does have a lot of impact. people do like to be the center of attraction, to be interviewed, featured, etc. it is a basic human desire and gives a lot of satisfaction to people.......that is unavaible to nearly every pakistani in the west, unless one is at the level of imran khan type of individuals.......

i suppose the third factor is patriotism. but i think that has its limits. it depends on what condition one happens to be in. bad traffic, electricity going out etc. are tolerable. however if someone is a group of shia doctors being targeted by sunni gunmen etc. then patriotism would go out the door in most cases.......

i noticed the above when i met various IT executives in pakistan. their lifestyles are similar to those of IT executives in the usa. they meet senior govt. officials, are interviewed on TV regularly, meet with the powerful visiting delegations, get invited to functions with foreign visiting heads of states etc. if they were in the west, they would not be getting this kind of attention......

perhaps the same situation with writers, poets, authors, fashion models, etc. also........

“On the plane back from smiling Thailand, where the average Buddhist`s kindness and consideration makes most Thais far better Muslims than people here could ever hope to be,”
What an opening statement! You could only view everything thru your religious prism. It only reinforces prejudices about an average Pakistani being so narrow minded. Do you seriously think that being a Muslim makes u a better human being than others by default? If one shows more kindness he or she becomes better Muslim, by the same logic he must be a bad Buddhist, bad Hindu and bad Jew. I hope you are not serious. Wish you get more chances to see more civilized places and meet more people who are good not necessarily because of their faith but innate human goodness.

Re: # 19
Thank you, I`ll stay - :-))

#18
[I have a BA in Philosophy and Religious Studies/minor in Biochemistry]

Yaar, Kisne bhayja tujhe idhar?

Tu ghalti se yahan aa gaya?!

Yeh matrimonial board nahin hai!

Aur Ms. Shandana ki shaadi ho chuki hai! Bachche bhi hain – pyare, pyare!

Ek husband bhi hai – bechara.

#17
[I`m new to chowk]

Yaar, Murli, tu aisa kar!

Turn your back and run like hell!

Run like your pants were on fire!

Run like you were being chased by wild dogs!

While you still can.

Believe me, it is VERY sound advice.

The Great Grandson of Sayyedah Rasheedah Begum of Meerut India....

Who out there knows her?

Her father was a very well known Bozorg........

Bozorg is Farsi for Mountain.........



I am Asim Javid, proud brother to Sajal Javid and Atir Javid, and Qutaybah Imran and Sama Javaid in Lahore Pakistan......
I have a BA in Philosophy and Religious Studies/minor in Biochemistry from Louisiana State University, and presently I am in graduate school studying to be a Family Nurse Practitioner.

Re: # 16
Shandana, I enjoyed your piece very much. I`m new to chowk and your article and the responses it has received are very refreshing. I`ve read many articles where the respondents use very strong language to disagree with one another and before long, the thread simply degenerates into a sleeves-rolled-up free for all.

I`m from Bangalore, India, and I can relate very well to your article. After all, despite everything that is said and done, India and Pakistan are closer than we`d like to admit and in a lot more ways than we care to acknowledge.

thank you all for reading and responding :)

veeresh, no note taking. it begins to form some time in the morning, i`m bitchy all day because i want to get it out but dont have time to, then the kids crash and i write. pieces like this flow naturally and i look at them the next day and fix as many typos as i can, rephrase a line or two. intelligent, fact based ones are harder. i have to slog. takes me up to a week for those, prolly why i haven`t done many the last few years.

anil, you are too kind. i am no pioneer. i`m just lucky to have discovered very early in life the built in mechanism that allows me to release pressure before i implode. i think everyone has one, but not neccesarily one that requires an audience.

Thank you, Shandana, and so apt for not just Karachi but much of South Asia!

Wonderful insight, must ask you, do you take notes or is all this ad-lib before crashing at night?

#13

Jesus Christ!

Man you are trying to take a perfectly agreeable funny article and turn it into SERIOUS stuff!

What the heck is wrong with you? And why are you bringing in third party names?

Now take that Metamucil, and go to bed!

And if I may add this:

Sir, you are in USA, stop dreaming of doing great things ``back home``.

Like the little red hen, they can do it themselves!

We are all responsible for our individual actions - and nothing more, nothing less!

Shandana:

Many thoughts and personal experiences came to my mind from my life`s journey of doing things in India and silicon valley, before anyone else started what now is an avalanche. Only thing I can say, that the people who started from India succeeded and those who stated form the U.S. lost. So there is certainly a great hope for you.

I respect people who are determined to make it happen, despite the lure and opportunity for them to just pick and choose. This list now does include you and Farzana Versey, among others whom you may not know. At Chowk, I am indeed trying to be an observer in case of Yasser and Aisha now.

Earlier I had bet and lost to a close friend who had decided to move back to India in mid 80`s when it was not even opportunistic as it is now. Guess what I lost my bet, and he stayed back.

The dams you build can be dangerous. These can kill creativity and sanity to prepare you the best for clausterphobic living within the confines of these dams. Obviously it did not happen to you or Farzana. Indeed my friend had to curtail what he could have otherwise done, and accept to be happy with the family he got instead.

Do you think of yourselves as pioneers, and even robber barrons who won and build the west to overcome the clauterphobic confinement?

Bye,
Anil Kapuria

shandana,

................. this was simply wonderful - i think i`ll read it again .............. maureen dowd, eat your heart out !

Ref Annu #5

[....However, the solution is not grabbing someone from the throat or abusing others. The best way is to chnage your ownself and hope for the others to change too.]

I stand in line in India as well as in other countries. I don`t throw trash in the streets. I separate my non-recyclable trash from bio-degrdable trash in Chennai as well as in the US. I even drive in Chennai without honking the horn.

My behavior has had no impact on others.

However, that pipsqueak behind me at the cash counter was quite as a church mouse when he found himself behind me in line at the laboratory where I was waiting for my blood to be drawn.

I would venture to say that grabbong people by their throats and threatening violence gets more immediate results.

Ref UmerMurtaza #8

[Ooooh,

Look everyone, Harimau`s trying to show he`s tough. LOL.]

Nope, Harimau was trying to prove he is crazy. If there are enough crazy people on this planet, people will behave properly, not knowing when they might encounter a cray or set one off.

You see, in LA people are more careful about driving after incidents of ``road rage`` where people who are pissed off by other cutting in in front of them or some such bad behavior started shooting.

In Houston this is not necessary. People openly carry rifles and shotguns in gun racks in their vehicles. Makes for a far more civilized society.

It is clear from your remark that you have mortgaged your cohones.

PS. How I hope that the pipsueak I encountered was Soysauce!

#7 Yaar, but she is funny!

Are you trying to pin a ``target`` mark on her?

Or perhaps she is just trying to ``spread her confusion`` all over you.

It already worked on good old Harimau!

Ooooh,

Look everyone, Harimau`s trying to show he`s tough. LOL.

Umer M.

“On the plane back from smiling Thailand, where the average Buddhist`s kindness and consideration makes most Thais far better Muslims than people here could ever hope to be,”
What an opening statement! You could only view everything thru your religious prism. It only reinforces prejudices about an average Pakistani being so narrow minded. Do you seriously think that being a Muslim makes u a better human being than others by default? If one shows more kindness he or she becomes better Muslim by the same logic he must be a bad Buddhist, bad Hindu and bad Jew. I hope you are not seriousness. Wish you get more chances to see more civilized places and meet more people who are good not necessarily because of their faith but innate human goodness.

One can always dream of Phuket island. :-) One image from my one and only visit there, many years ago, is still with me - from the hotel room I could see a carpet of palm tree-tops waving in the breeze with the ocean beyond it. And Thais - with their easy ``khop khun noi``s (``thank you``s) are indeed among the politest people on earth. But watch them kick and punch in Thai kick boxing, and you realize that these guys can be tough.

The shock the writer received is nothing new. It is called cultural shock. You get a cultural shock when you leave Pakistan and a reverse cultural shock when you reach Pakistan after spending time outside especially in certain European countries. Some of the areas of life where the impact is greater than others is while driving or walking on the roads, in the shopping centers, in Government offices and especially in hospitals. However, the solution is not grabbing someone from the throat or abusing others. The best way is to chnage your ownself and hope for the others to change too.

Shandana

Enjoyed reading it. thanks.

best wishes

nhk

[....a well-dressed man with two children strode determinedly forward and plunked his bags and two children adjacent to the person at the top of the line, forming another one.]

I went to a local hospital recently and was paying for a series of laboratory tests. I was trying to count out the money from my bundles of various denominations (I ran out of 1000-rupee notes and had to count out 21 100-rupee notes) when somebody behind me told the cashier in an impatient voice to take his money before I completed my transaction beause I was taking so much time.

I turned around and asked him, ``Motherf****r, have you kept the train waiting at the entrance to the hospital?`` When he started saying something more, I grabbed him by the throat and threatened physical violence. He asked the hospital personnel to call Security. They looked at two well-dressed persons quarreling and decided not to interfere.

The motherf****r kept quiet after that.

Unfortunately, I had not yet seen the trailer to the movie ``Snakes on the Plane``. Otherwise, I would have said, ``I am getting tired of these muthaf***ing queue-breakers at this muthaf***ing hospital.``

nice one.

Hilarious! You have the God-gifted talent to take the most mundane of things and give them a funny twist. (Keep those hands away from your hubby’s neck!!!)

[That’s the problem with the New Man. He never wants to beat people up anymore.]
Those who have been beaten into pulp themselves are unlikely to become aggressive!