autumn 2007

Autumn would be my favorite season of the year if it didn't ensue the fear of a cold winter ahead.

on two wheels

(a motorcycle in Karachi, Pakistan 2007)

Last night was a beautiful night for a bike ride. I was on my way back from a coffee shop, it was pitch dark on the streets and all I could hear subtle hum of my tires rolling over the asphalt. The speed and the disconnect from the world always puts me in a perfect euphoric state. I get so much thinking done on my bike, but I am not alone in enjoying this blissful state of mind while biking; Kary B. Mullis discovered Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) while coasting on the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to Mendocino on a motorcycle.
Dr. Mullis was awarded a Nobel Prize for this discovery and if you have spent any time in a lab you know how important this is in most scientific research. PCR machines amplify small pieces of DNA into millions of copies. Next time you are watching CSI you should thank someone thinking hard on a motorcycle.

Plants for the workspace

Moss 2007


I have a new desk (thanks to my brother) and there is nothing like a peaceful work space. I have been doing a little research on how to add a green to this picture. These are my top four picks

4: Epipremnum aureum (Pothos): I grew up with this plant in every corner of the house. My mom espeically likes it and I think my grandmother have one on her mantle piece. It deserves to be higher on this list but I really need something new and different. I think it might be a good choice because it is so hardy and the green and white leaves contrast so well. It would also be great in low light. Most people plant these in hanging baskets or let them hang down from a table.

3: Crassula ovata (Jade) : OK! This is a popular plant and I have had one for a while and just recently

2: Chamaedorea elegans (bella) : I recently found discovereed this plant, even though I am sure I have seen it around. It is perfect as and office / indoor plant and looks beautiful.

1: Monstera deliciosa (Fruit Salad Plant, Ceriman, Monster fruit, Monsterio Delicio, Monstereo, Swiss Cheese Plant, Mexican Breadfruit) : I saw this plant at my friends apartment recently and my mom had a huge one of these are our old house. With proper care it can grow pretty big and I might not be able to keep it on my desk but it would be perfect for the study room or my office.


If you have other recommendations please let me know because I am going to make the final decision very soon.

pete's dream

So one of my friends just told me that he has been dating Paris Hilton for the past few weeks and has since totally changed his impression of her. I guess in real life she is a really down to earth and even a little insecure. He said that he feels really comfortable hanging out with her and they have had great conversations. Since, my friend lives in Michigan, Paris has been visiting frequently and they even had to share a room with his brother for a few nights.
Of course, I asked the obvious questions about what he thinks about the paparazzi and the constant media attention and he said that he hasn't had to deal with it as much lately. It is incredible how easisly the media can distort our opinion of a person. I hope them the best of luck in the land of z's.

text message from a friend

Khalid! :) i'm getting married in a park by the river on saturday! Don't ask! Can u come? Only close friends and some family :)

Photo: In the field; Pakistan 2007

All scientific work is incomplete - whether it be observational or experimental. All scientific work is liable to be upset or modified by advancing knowledge. That does not confer upon us a freedom to ignore the knowledge we already have, or to postpone the action that it appears to demand at a given time.

Who knows, asked Rober Browning, but the world may end tonight? True, but on available evidence most of us make ready to commute on the 8.30 next day.

Sir Austin Bradford Hills. "The Environment and Disease: Association or Causation?" 1965 The Royal Society of Medicine.

Karachi, Pakistan

I am back from Karachi and slowly uploading my pictures

my british cousins

"no, its W H A T with a silent 'h' and 't'"

radio

I was scanning the radio and I heard some really good techno so I turned it up a bit and the dj goes "put your hands up, put your hands up, put your hands up for DETROIT". There are so many things around this city that remind me of the US. This guy at the university had a Detroit Red Wings decal on his motorcycle, another guy selling paan was wearing a Michigan State University t-shirt. There are McDonalds and KFCs at every turn of the street.
There are awesome coffee shops all around but thankfully Starbucks hasn't (yet) take over this side of the world.

See Pakistan

I really wish I had time to take a road trip from Karachi to Lahore, or better yet if the Blue Barrons made a trip to the Pakitan we could make it a 2 week cross country (literally) bike trip.

I think that is the best idea I have had in a long time

.


My friend and I made a list of things to do while I am here in Karachi and I am slowly checking them off.
I really wish I could post pictures with this blog. Today, I am going to try to get some of the negatives scanned.

.

I am becoming more of a Pakistani every day
Here is proof:

-I drink called PAKOLA for lunch
-I bargain like a CHAMP
-I speak in punjabi when I joke
-I don't even flinch when a bus 2 feet from hitting the car
-I cross busy roads like I have been doing it all my life

barbers in Pakistan

For the last couple of days I have had bad gastroenteritis because I thought I was hardcore enough to eat street food. I guess there is a little bit of "gora" in me. To freshen up a little bit I went to this hip barber shop. My beard was starting to get a little out of control and many people had recommended that I go there (hidden agenda, who knows?). The barber spent about 20 minutes perfecting my beard. After that, there was a chai break . . . of course!. Next, he started trimming my hair and as soon as he got done a cold glass of Mountain Dew apeared infront of me. I started getting up thinking this had to be it but he sat me back down. The barber gave me a facial and put on a mask. THEN, I got the most AMAZING head, neck, and back massage! Keep in mind, all I asked for was a beard trim but everything else was just part of the package.

So far, I think this has been the coolest thing I have discovered in Pakistan.

I am going back next week.

This is a traffic jam

Notice; Cars, busses, motorcycles, rickshaws, bicycles, and pedestrians all roll together because lanes are for whussies.

The best cup of chai

I am not a regular chai drinker; it seems that some people can't funtion without chai. I have to admit, in Pakistan it is hard to go a day without a cup. Everyone I meet offers me a chai, everytime I walk in someone's office their secretary brings chai. I recently met a really cool doctor; he and his secretary had a code word for chai. I didn't even have time to accept or refuse the offer and in a few minutes they was chai on the desk . . . "how much sugar do you take?"
Anyways, today was a beautiful day here in Karachi, the clouds have been saving us from the intense solar heat and we have had a non-stop breeze from the West. I woke up from a long nap and asked one of the people who work here for chai (dood patti style). I sat outside in the lawn sipped on this perfect cup. It is still breezy and that made for the best combination of hot and cold. Suddenly, all the parrots and crows stopped singing thir respective songs, the sun started setting, and as I was sipping the last few drops of chai the sound of adan started emanating from mosques around me; "allaaaaaah ho Akbar". I don't think I will forget that moment for a long time because it will define how much fun I had in Karachi on summer.

by E. Koohan Paik

Things like this make me want to be a liberal arts major.

"To replace an indigenous language with a colonial tongue immediately puts the native at a disadvantage. As the colonized mind realigns to the worldview and universe embodied in the new language, it begins to rationalize the world through colonial eyes. Soon, the colonized people see all things native as inferior, including themselves, so they acquiesce to assimilation and exploitation. The phenomenon is known as internalized oppression. Once the mental landscape has been conquered, the rest is easy."

VIA C. Ryan

street people

Yesterday, I saw two really cute old beggars. I got out of the car and sat on the curb with them and had a nice chat. I don't know what it is about some people that I can't help but wanting to learn everything them. I have made some life-long friends this way.
I had my SLR with me and I really wanted to take a portrait of them. Unfortunately, they apologized and asked me not to. I will probably never see them again but no one can stop me from snapping my built-in shutters.