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Showing posts from 2006

Eid Mubarak & Happy New Year !!

It's Eid Ul Adha in Bangladesh. Eid Mubarak to all. I've got a goat in my toilet and a cow downstairs. This is the best Eid ever!! Then goat starts crying if it doesnt see anyone, so i had to put it in the toilet. I've left the toilet door open so that it can see me while I try to sleep in my room. It's the first day of 2007. Hope it goes well.

Cattle-log

We bought a cow today for the Qurbani. That’s not what this blog is about. It’s about how we brought the cow from the cattle market to our house. I’ll remember this day for rest of my life. Let’s jump into the journey from cattle market to home then.. Me, my dad, Bindi, Towhid and Nuru went to cattle market this evening. We bought the cow from the cattle market of sector 6, Uttara. After we bought the cow, while we were waiting to end the formalities of the buying, the cow scared a boy and the boy dropped about 50 notes of 500 taka. They were all in the mud. We were all laughing at him, little did we know about our imminent future! We had to cross a dual carriageway to get home. The dual carriageway is about a mile away from our house. We managed to cross the dual carriageway with some difficulties, as soon as we went on the pavement, a taxi cab beeped at the cow and the cow went erratic. It pulled all three of its strings and ran away from us. In the process it dragged Bindi to the gr

A legalised Murder

It's Eid - Ul - Adha in UK. Eid Mubarak to all my friends and family in UK and the Arab world. Woke up with the news of the death of Saddam Hussein. While I fully understand that Saddam Hussein deserved the punishment, I can't but stop thinking about the western leaders who had been backing him throughout his brutal rule in Iraq. They have escaped without even their names being mentioned in the court proceedings. Saddam got the punishment he deserved, but I don't think the court proceedings were fair enough. Anyway, it's not my call. I am waiting to see how the Iraqi people react to this execution. What really surprises me is that, how Saddam kept the integrity of Iraq. The Shia , Sunni and Kurdish people all lived more or less harmoniously under his regime. Now the US led Iraqi government is failing to stabilize the country. Another thing is, most of Saddam's alleged crimes were done when Saddam was a friend of the West. Why didn't they say anything then? The

Tenders: the root of corruption in Bangladesh

Bangladesh was 3rd in the corrupted countries index published by Transparency International in 2006. Corruption in Bangladesh is deeply rooted in the development and administrative works undertaken by the Bangladesh government. The main incentive for the politicians to get engaged in the development of infrastructure of Bangladesh lies within the tender culture. From the student activists to the top level politicians, everyone gets a fair share of money from the administrative and development works undertaken by the government. The other day, I was speaking to some of the government officials who have served at the Bangladesh government secretariat. One of them told me that, whenever a tender is called, the corrupted officials and the politicians keep at least 30% of the money in their own pocket. Therefore, the contractors do substandard work due to lack of fund. We see that, every year in rainy season how the holes become evident in the streets due to the lack of proper ingredients i

Merry Christmas and a Happy Wedding !!

Merry Christmas to all my celebrating folks in UK. I went to the wedding of my mum's cousin in Mirpur, Dhaka. I haven't been to a wedding in Bangladesh in a long time, so it was a welcome experience. Had a good time with all the family members. And met some newfound family members too!!

A better day for the Bangladeshis

Awami League led14-alliance have agreed to participate in the election with the current voter list. This is amazing to the people who know the Awami League style of politics. I am really surprised!! I am becoming a fan of Awami League now. They have learnt a lot since the last election! The people of Bangladesh now know that whoever rules the country is going to be corrupted, and they accept it. Awami League now also understand that people aren't so much bothered who rules the country as long as they can feel safe when they go to bed after hard work of the day. I congratulate 14-alliance for making such a wise decision. In future Awami League should learn from this lesson and avoid violent protests in the street. It will do them a world of good. People don't like hortals (strike) anymore. Another encouraging news is, Bangladesh Bank today forecast the economy would grow 7.1 percent in the current fiscal year through June, a record projection for Bangladesh. I think this is a re

Bangladesh Voter List : Make the Army useful

Bangladesh politics has again dived in uncertainty as the 14-party alliance has refused to hand in their nominations without the correction of voter list. I have never been an ardent supporter of Awami League lead 14-party alliance. But I agree with them on this issue. Reason being, for the first time in my lifetime I have seen Awami League coming up with a constructive idea which they are not following up with street violence and hortals (strike). The voter list of Bangladesh is largely inaccurate. It has been inaccurate since the inception of the country. The country doesn’t have an ID card system like Pakistan or India. Bangladeshi citizens aren’t issued with social security numbers either. So it’s really hard to keep count of the actual population. Moreover, 60% of the population are illiterate, which doesn’t help when it comes to census. Most of the population don’t even understand the need of a census. Some of the rural areas are always left untouched during the census. I have ne

Eid is on 1st January

The Eid Ul Adha will be observed on 1st January 2007 in Bangladesh. The first day of the gregorian calender is Eid!! I think the New Years Eve is going to be a bit different in Bangladesh this year. In UK the Eid Ul Adha will be observed on 30 December 2006 Inshallah. It's the festive season in the Christian world. I have been missing the festive season as I am now in Bangladesh. I wish all my colleagues and friends in UK a very merry christmas and a very happy new year. Specially to Fai Wan who starts new job on 5th January!! All the best to you Fai! You have been an outstanding colleague at work, and it was an absolute pleasure to work with you!! New year and new job, I bet you couldn't wish for more!!! Ferdous apu, Pervez bhai, Brishti and Farabih came to our house today. It was really nice to see them after a long time. Ferdous apu hasn't changed a bit. Still really fun to talk to. My mum's cousin's wedding is going to take place on 25 December Inshallah. My mum

Where's the party yaar?

I watched " Where's the Party Yaar? "this afternoon on TV. The film is about an Indian guy who goes to USA as a student. Then he gets into all sorts of trouble including falling in love with an American born and raised Indian girl. Obviously, being a FOB (Fresh off the boat) he was prejudiced everywhere he went. In the mean time he had to leave his uncle's house as he didn't get on with his cousin who was also raised in America. The film shows the culture of the American Desis. And how someone from India tries to get on with the US culture. The whole film was shot in the USA apart from few minutes at the beginning. Most of the crew were American born South-Asians so the film had a flavour of originality. The whole film was in English. I think the film had a very good touch of reality which matched my personal experience in UK to some extent. I would ask all the students who are planning to go to a western country from South-Asian countries to watch the movie. The

A journey by Rickshaw

Today I went to Dhaka University to meet my friend Miraz Ahmed. With him, I decided to go to Old Dhaka by rickshaw. It didn’t take long to get to Old Dhaka. We first went to Agamasi Lane and got caught up in huge rickshaw traffic. The traffic was literally static so we had to leave the rickshaw and take a walk to through the lanes of Old Dhaka. Now let me describe Old Dhaka. The widths of roads have been same for last 200 years, but the population of Old Dhaka have increased tenfold. Therefore, there is always a traffic chaos. Rickshaws are the only means of travelling through the narrow roads there. No traffic lights, no signal, no presence of traffic law. Everyone tries to squeeze through the lanes however they can. We first went to Bongshal, then went to Nababpur Road. We decided to taste Falooda at the Star Hotel. It was delicious. We then walked around Old Dhaka for an hour. To me, the Old Dhaka looked like a filthy place. Rubbishes were scattered everywhere, non-existence of side

The Match(es)

Me and Towhid went to watch cricket match between Bangladesh V. Zimbabwe at Mirpur Shere-E-Bangla stadium today. Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe by 3 wickets as usual. I was disappointed at the performance of the Bangladeshi top order batsmen, though. In the evening watched the Manchester derby between Man U and Man City. Man U won 3-1. I was still disappointed at the United’s performance. City only lost because of their poor defending. After watching the game, I managed to catch the move ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ on Star Movies. The movie was good. Like the lips of AJ.

Tickets !!

Bought tickets for Bangladesh V. Zimbabwe 5th One Day International Cricket match yesterday. After that went to Baridhara, then went to Dhanmondi. Me, Rajib, Rana, Salim and Sabbir were there. Went to Gulshan today. Just did some window shopping with Sabbir, Salim and Rana. Looking forward to the ODI cricket match tomorrow. Me and Towhid are going to watch the match Inshallah.

How to convert .docx without MS Office 2007

Suppose, your client just emailed a Microsoft Word 2007 document ending with a .docx extension but you have no clue about how to open and print the file or convert from docx to .doc and other text formats. No worries, here are some very simple solutions on handling .docx file when you don't have Microsoft Office Word 2007. The .docx files, which are now the default file extension in Microsoft Word 2007, are essentially a bunch of zipped XML documents - you can even rename the file extension from .docx to .zip and then extract the file contents using Winzip or some other decompression tools . In order to convert .docx documents to .doc format, just download the free Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack from here . This will help you open, print, edit and save .docx files in Office 2000, Office XP, or Office 2003. And if you are on Mac, you can get the Microsoft Office Open XML File Format Converter for Mac here - this converts .docx to .rtf (rich text format) files which can be vi

DITF 2006

Went to Dhaka International Trade Fair 2006 with Sabbir, Rajib and Salim. It was quite a hectic day. DITF 2006 is a huge initiative by Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau which is held in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in Dhaka. Lot of foreign and local companies took part in the fair. The facilities in the fair was okay. I think there are still scopes for improvement to reduce the dust level in the fair. Also the Entry, exit, toilets and the mosque should be signposted in a better way. It was a good experience overall.

Bad day for English Cricket, good day for Bangladesh cricket

England have lost the second Ashes test in adelaide. The way they lost the match hurts me a lot. For first two days of the test England was hoping to win, then when they couldn't get OZs out in the first innings, they were hoping to manage at least a draw. But a collapse in the 2nd innings saw them lose the test. I know that Trescothik and Vaughan are out of team but still this kind of demoralising loss will not help England keeping the Ashes. Now,I don't think England have a chance to keep Ashes this year. Apart from Bell and Pietersen, most of the English batsmen are playing carelessly, and the bowlers can't bowl at all. Hoggard isn't the best of the pace bowlers, Harmison forgot how to bowl, Giles can't spin so Flintoff is taking most of the pressure with the ball. I think Panesar should be included in the team, Giles has never been a test standard bowler. Even Bangladeshi first class tournaments have better bowler than him. On the other hand, Bangladesh beat Zim

Few more movies, few more games..

Last few days have been monotonous to say the least. I spent the days just watching movies and cricket on TV thanks to our beloved polititians of Bangladesh. The two day long blockade has been called off, so I am hoping for a more eventful day tomorrow Inshallah. I watched few movies along with Ashes and Bangladesh V. Zimbabwe cricket series over last few days. I watched nearly all of the James Bond movies ever produced. I also watched Alexander . Thought the movie was bullshit. I also bought all of 4 Harry Potter movies, and tried to watch them all.

Windows Vista and Office 2007

Windows Vista and Office 2007 are being released today. Windows Vista is the name of the latest release of Microsoft Windows, a line of graphical operating systems used on personal computers, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. Prior to its announcement on July 22, 2005, Vista was known byits codename Longhorn. On November 8, 2006, Windows Vista development was completed and is now in the release to manufacturing stage; Microsoft has stated that the scheduled release dates are currently November 30, 2006 for volume license customers and worldwide availability on January 30, 2007. Windows Vista English Edition was released to MSDN subscribers on November 16, 2006. These release dates come more than five years after the release of Windows XP, Microsoft's current consumer and business operating system, making it the longest time span between major releases of Windows. Only early adopters will upgrade to Vista straight away - for example passion

I don't want what I need, I want what I want..

Hello world, I am back after a long time. I had few busy days and I haven't been able do my blog. I have been out all day of every day over the last few days. Busy meeting friends. Gossipping like old time. Roamed around every corner of Dhaka. Also watched a lot of films over last few days. Some of them being ' Love Actually ' and ' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift '. Both brilliant films. The Fast and the Furious was a fast paced movie. I don't think it was as good as ' The Fast and the Furious ' , but it was still a good movie. 'Love Actually' was a brilliant film though. I am not really keen on English romantic comedies. The only reason I wanted to watch the film was because there is a remake of 'Love Actually' is being made in Bollywood called ' Salam -E- Ishq ' which is due to be released soon. The film 'Love Actually' just dissolved my heart! I really feel embarrassed to write the word 'dissolved' but

Dhoom 2

Watched Dhoom 2 today. Not as brilliant as I thougt it would be from the commercials. But still quite good by the Indian standard. The first half of the movie was full of unbelievable and unrealistic stunts. Uday Chopra's annoying comedy was really eyesore. Bipasha Basu didn't even have a role in the movie. I think she was just taken in the movie for the bikini shots. Ash and Hrithik were the main attraction of the movie and they kind of lived up to the expectation. Abhishek's performance was okay. Overall rating 7 out of 10. The movie lacked the pace that an action thirller movie requires.

Rehna hain tere dil mein

The 14 party alliance have called off the countrywide blockade today following the resignation of the CEC M.A.A. I am glad that I will be able to roam around again Inshallah. Watched Rehna hain tere dil mein this afternoon. I wish my life was like the film. Not to be. It would be like Titanic revisited. Anyway.... Humayun and Nazrul mama came this evening from Australia. We had a really good get together after a long time. Humayun mama is always a good laugh. He is a teacher at Curtin University in Perth, Australia..really great person to speak to. Nazrul Mama is also practicing medicine in an Australian Hospital. Now I know where I got my brain from ;-) Samdani is staying over tonight...

The Da Vinci Code

Watched the famous/controversial movie ' The Da Vinci Code ' today. Quite complex yet interesting movie. Fiction as it is, part of the story often seemed to be true. I didn't read the book by Dan Brown. I wish I did. But the movie did glue me to the couch for the whole length of it. Especially, it was very brave to bring of the author & producer to discuss the truth on the Jesus. According to the Islam Jesus was just a prophet, not the son of God. Which was supported in the movie. I do not know much about Constantine of Rome endorsing the Myth of Jesus being son of God. I will have to do more research about it. I wish I was in UK now, I could do the research easily as I have access to lot of information there. Then again I never had enough time to do any sort of reading while I was in UK. I will have to find out the bookshops in Dhaka.

Iraq: Another India?

I have just finished watching the news on TV. The USA is proposing to break Iraq down into 3 parts. The northern part will be for the Kurds, the middle part for the Sunnis and the southern part for the Shias. I am absolutely disgusted at this proposal. At first the USA and its allies attacked a sovereign country (for WMD!!). They completely destroyed the country for no good reason. Then they failed to restructure and reunite the country. So they decided to break the country down into 3 different parts! I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a plan of the USA well before they invaded Iraq so that they could destroy a strong and oil rich country in Middle-East. This suspicion arises as the USA and its allies couldn’t find the alleged WMD they claimed that Iraq possessed. I am also surprised to follow up the incidents as they developed in Iraq. The Shias and Sunnis never had such a large scale fighting under Saddam’s regime. (And he was the dictator/killer/oppressor) But now under USA’s patron

In the line of fire- A review

An eventful day. Went to Dhanmondi Rifles Square today to buy groceries from Agora. I then went to Samdani's uni to meet him. Caught a Black Cab back home. Bought Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's autobiography 'In the line of Fire'. Quite an interesting read, not sure if all the content is 100% truth. But still good. Musharraf hasn't been totally honest about 1971 conflict between West Pakistan, East Pakistan and India in the book. He totally missed the massacre and genocide on 25 August 1971 in Dhaka. But at least he said the war was the result of Bhutto and Yahya Khan's arrogance and stupidity. Although it seemed to me that, the book contained fabricated facts, it was an interesting read indeed. I did like some of his ideas. The poor soul tried to be friends with BJP government in India. How was this ever going to be possible? BJP is lead by the most amounts of dunderheads in India. I quite like the present government in India. Dr. Manmohon Singh looks l

Nothing to lose !!

Early start of the day for me. Watching ' Nothing to lose ' with Miraz on Star Movies . Watching the movie for 5th time. Martin Lawrence rocks! Went to Banani cemetry in the afternoon to attend the funeral prayer (Janaja) of Sony apu's father in law. Then went to another relatives house in Banani.

Fever !!

Feel ferverish today. Couldn't go out at all. Shurid bhai & Shoaib bhai came to our house. We had lunch together. They came to see the in laws of Sony apu. Sony apu's father in law passed away yesterday. My Khalamoni and cousins came today as well. It was a quite a good family gathering after a long time. Salim, Shahadat and Miraz came in the evening. Miraz will be staying over tonight.

Casino Royale

Watched Casino Royale today. Daniel Craig made a worthy appearance in the movie, fitted in perfectly in the 007's shoe. Brilliant stunts and screenplay made the movie a perfect leisure experience. Well done Daniel, you've made strong point back to your critics!

No Blockade !!

The blockade in Dhaka has been postponed. I went to Majijheel with Hosnee. Just went there and came back. First time in Matijheel in 4 years. Not much changed though..apart from few high rise buildings. The picture is of Hosnee...

Kyun mera dil hara

Bright sunny afternoon in dhaka. Just came back from mosque after attending the Zuhr prayer. All the fighting and corruption of Bangladesh are failing to demoralise me. I am still enjoying Bangladesh. I feel better than I have ever felt before. Listening to a song by Pakistani singer Fakhir. The song is ' Kyun mera dil hara '. Dhaka city centre is chaotic with all the meetings of different political parties, my dad is at work in the city centre too. People are reluctantly going about doing their works amid the violence in the city centre. Weird, strange and brave people of Dhaka! Rajib, Samdani and Sabbir came to my house today. I would like to round the blog up with a joke today.. Letter from husband (who is living abroad) to his wife Dear Sweetheart I can't send my salary this month, so I am sending 100 kisses. You are my sweetheart Your husband Allan ============ ========= ========= ========= His wife replied back after some days to her husband Dearest sweetheart, Thanks

New office policy

Dress Code: You are advised to come to work dressed according to your salary. If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we will assume you are doing well financially and therefore you do not need a pay rise. If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a pay rise. If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a pay rise. Sick Days: We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work. Bereavement Leave: This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or co-workers. Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend the funeral arrangements in your place. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon. We will be glad

Java released under the General Public License (GPL)

In a development that could shake up the software industry, Sun is releasing the Java programming language under the General Public License (GPL). Both Java Platform Micro Edition (Java ME), which is used on mobile devices, and Java Platform Standard Edition (Java SE) software, used for desktop applications, are being released immediately under GPLv2. The Java class libraries will be released over the next six months. Rumours that Sun was poised to make Java open source emerged last week, but there may still be surprise over its choice of licence. Sun's own Community Development and Distribution License (CDDL) was another option. Sun's server-side Java Platform Enterprise Edition software is already open sourced under the CDDL, through the GlassFish project. This enterprise edition will now also be available under GPLv2. Sun is also hoping that Linux distributions such as Debian and Fedora will now include Java. At present they don't, because it has not been freely availab

Lazy day

Watched Baby's day out today. Salim came over in the evening. Had a little chat. Then watched Shaadi se pehle....funny movie. Did some update on my website's image gallery. Going to start working on my www.knowledge-management.info website soon Inshallah.

Salam E Ishq

Salam E Ishq O meri jaan Zara Kabul kaar lo Hum se ishq karne ki Jara se bhool kaar lo

Love only happens once, the rest is just life.

Found that fantastic line from Shael's song. It may be is true. There is some kind of innocence that surrounds the first relationship which doesn't exist in the relationships thereafter. Bad news for all the people who didn't succeed in their first relationship! I have been chatting online for straight two days. The boys and girls in Bangladesh are really funny. Really enjoying chatting to them. It's a different experience.

KFC

It's public holiday in Bangladesh today (National Revolution and Solidarity Day). Met up with friends in the afternoon. Miraz stayed over last night. Went to KFC with Rana, Rajib and Samdani in the afternoon. Amir phoned me today, saying that he really misses me. Really nice to know that I am still being missed in UK. I miss the life in UK. I had my own space. It was nice. But I have a family here, which I really missed while I was in UK. I can't complain really. Met Hossain Bhai at Gulshan Mosque after Magrib prayer.

KFC Pictures

My black guitar (and my black Ray-Ban)

Another Guitar !!

Bought another guitar today. Quite funky Bangladeshi guitar. Spent whole afternoon in the Dhaka University area. Bought a copy of Bible. Started to read now. Should be an interesting read.

Another one bites the dust !!

Went to the airport this morning to see off Arman bhai. He's off to Riyadh for few months on business. He was visibly upset as he was leaving. I knew exactly how he was feeling as I had been the victim of the same scenario for past few years. Hope he has a safe journey. Just found out today that Dhoom 2 will be out on 24th of November. Can't wait. In the evening, met up with Rajib, Russell, Sabbir and Salim. We all walked together for about 2 hours within Uttara- just like the school days. And then sat down next to Uttara Lake. Brought back some old fond memories. Miraz is here again to stay over.

Keno...

Manusher jibon ta khubi odvut, khub kore kono jinish chaileo majhe majhe pawa jai na. Khubi koshter bepar. Koshto gulo bhular kono oshudh thakle bhalo hoto. "Bindu ami tumi amay ghire britter vitor shudhu tumi acho...matal ami tomar preme, tai orthohin shobi je prem laage"...Tahsan's song...amazing..Miraz gave me the song last night. Went to Bashundhara City in the evening with Salim.

DVD shop

আমার ছোট ভাই তাওহীদকে একটি ডিভিডি রেন্টাল শপ কিনে দিয়েছি। ও সেখান থেকে DVD এবং VCD ভাড়া দেবে।দোকানটি তার ছাত্রাবস্থায় কিছু হাতখরচের টাকা জোগাবে। দোকানটি উত্তরায়।

C'est la vie

I have had another average day today. Went out in Uttara to get few stuff. Thats all. This huge amount of recess is giving me enough time for some low level philosophical thought. I also have enough time to look back at the days that have gone past in my life. One thing I have noticed in my life was that, we always try to get closer to some people who do not deserve to be liked by any human being. The reason I am writing this blog today is, I have noticed that in my life, I have tried to get closer to some people at times not realising that, those people are not decent enough to be friends with any human being. And when I realised that I shouldn't have tried to be friends with those people, it was too late by then. I first experienced this when I was in England. Although I met some really good people at work, at uni and within the extended family, I saw the dark side of human nature in some people, who really surprised me. Especially within my extended family, although I had some r

A busy day for a change

Spent whole day yesterday on the car. Had to get some parts changed. Went to Ashulia for a drive at night. Tawhid, Salim and Taufique went too. Went to Dhaka New Market and Nilkhet today. Bought some clothes, also bought some household stuff. Getting busier in Dhaka.

A better day

Looks like the politicians have finally started to use their brains. Fighting in the city of Dhaka has ended. I am quite relieved. Went to Sabbir and Shahadat's house in Baridhara. Salim was with me. Rajib went their too. Had a laugh. We then went to a fast food shop in Gulshan. Now I feel like I am back to Bangladesh. Read 5 novels by Humayun Ahmed since last night. Feel like I am back to the college days. The picture is of our house in Uttara.

Uncertainity

Has been another boring day today. I have been housebound for most of the day. The political condition has brought the country to a standstill. Everyone is unsure about what is going on in the country. The president of Bangladesh has just taken over the power of Chief Adviser of the country. I think he has taken the decision hurriedly. I am assuming he was under pressure from the BNP government to take over the post. The president's decision to take over the power of Chief Adviser might spark the riot by the Awami League again. The citizens of the country are fed up with the power struggle between the politicians. I hope the politicians stops to think about themselves and start to think about the country soon.

Chaotic Dhaka

Dhaka has been brought to a standstill by the arrogant standoff of the goverment and the opposition parties. Both the parties have got their paid goons to destroy the infrastructure of the city centre of Dhaka and surrounding areas. Politicians have always been a curse for the country and they are just proving to be weeds that the country hasnt been unable to uproot yet. Justice K M Hassan has rightly refused to take power today, and the chief secretaries of both parties are at Presidence's residence to discuss the next course of action. Hope they can use their brains properly today.

Mirpur

Went to Mirpur today to visit my mum's cousins there. Also met Tamim after a long time. Had to rush home due to mad political situation.

Dhanmondi

Went to Dhanmondi with Rajib and Salim like the old days in Chittagong. Had fun. Went to 'American Burger' later on.

Eid Mubarak

It's Eid ul Fitr in Bangladesh today. I have prayed the eid prayer at the IES mosque. Me and my brothers had mini fireworks show on the roof top last night. Went to few relatives house in the morning. Then wen to graveyard to do ziarat. Friends came down to visit me in the evening. Picture is of my brother with fireworks

Eid is on 25th

Eid is going to be observed on 25th October in Bangladesh. Middle-eastern, North American and European countries are observing eid today. Last few days have been really hecting but enjoyable for me. Mad shopping in the crowded shopping malls have been the story of everyday since I arrived Dhaka. It's been fun so far. Looking forward to Eid in Dhaka after a long time Inshallah.

Shono- Habib Wahid

Habib released his new album for Eid. It's called ' Shono '. Liked two songs from the album. 'Shopner Cheyeo Modhur' and 'Jaadu'. Watched 'Fast and Furious' after a long time today. Also watched part of 'Krrish'. Just stayed indoor for most of the day.

Interview of Dr. Yunus

Telephone interview with Professor Muhammad Yunus immediately following the announcement of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, October 13, 2006. The interviewer is Adam Smith, Editor-in-Chief of Nobelprize.org. [Muhammad Yunus] – Hello, hello. [AS] – Hello, Professor Yunus? [MY] – Yes, yes, yes, speaking. [AS] – Hello, thank you, my name's Adam Smith. I'm calling from the website of the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm to congratulate you, and just to ask ... [MY] – Oh, thank you so much. [AS] – We record one minute of interview with new Laureates as soon as they hear, so this is for this purpose. [MY] – OK. [AS] – I just wanted to ask you ... [MY] – OK, go ahead. [AS] – Two very quick questions. The first is, obviously the prize will bring greatly increased publicity for your work, is there a particular message... [MY] – Absolutely. [AS] – Is there any particular message you would like to use the opportunity to get across? [MY] – The one message that we are trying to promote all the tim

The Collegiates and Dr. Yunus

I have been speaking to my friends from Chittagong Collegiate School about arranging a reception for Dr. Muhammad Yunus for his Nobel Peace Price 2006. We have an alumni association called 'The Collegiates'. I am going to try to get some sponsors who can sponsor the reception which will be held at the Chittagong Collegiate School premises Inshallah. There is a reception at China-Bangladesh Friendship Conference hall tomorrow at 1400 BST. Thinking of going there Inshallah. Bangladesh is standing tall and showing the world that we can show world the way for poverty reduction. More success to come Inshallah....

Bangladesh annihilate Zimbabwe

Bangladesh slaughtered Zimbabwe today at the ICC Champions Trophy qualifying round. Sadly they still failed to qualify for the next round due to the dismal performance in the two previous games. All in all a good day for Bangladesh.

Text: Nobel Peace Prize citation

Here is the official English text of the Norwegian Nobel Committee's citation in awarding the 2006 Peace Prize to Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank. "The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2006, divided into two equal parts, to Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank for their efforts to create economic and social development from below. Lasting peace cannot be achieved unless large population groups find ways in which to break out of poverty. Micro-credit is one such means. Development from below also serves to advance democracy and human rights. Muhammad Yunus has shown himself to be a leader who has managed to translate visions into practical action for the benefit of millions of people, not only in Bangladesh, but also in many other countries. Loans to poor people without any financial security had appeared to be an impossible idea. From modest beginnings three decades ago, Yunus has, first and foremost through Grameen Bank, developed micro-

Congratulations Dr. Muhammad Yunus !!

Dr. Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh has won Nobel Peace Prize for 2006. I am absolutely delighted at the news. This should motivate the success hungry Bangladeshis who have been struggling since the inception of the country. I am also very proud of Dr. Yunus as he is a student of Chittagong Collegiate School where I went for my Secondary education. I hope that this success will allow the Bangladeshis to dream big and lead the country to prosperity. A profile of Dr. Yunus can be found by clicking HERE .

Life in Dhaka

Life has taken a complete U-turn as far as I am concerned. I now have a family to live with, which is quite a new experience to me. It’s taking time for me to get used to it. Dhaka is at its usual haphazard best. Traffic is heavy and the experience is worsened by fierce overtaking. I am sweating like a pig all the time due to the scorching heat of October. Hopefully next month will bring some mild weather. I have been shopping around for Eid. Bought couple of shirts and pairs of trousers from ‘ Soul Dance ’-quite good shop, sells funky clothes. Gulshan is a no go zone. Traffic is always static there; I wonder how people ever get anything done in Gulshan. I haven’t been to Motijheel yet. Motijheel is the city centre of Dhaka. I haven’t dared to go there after hearing about the horrible traffic jams there. My dad works there and it takes him about 2 hours to travel about 15 miles each way. On the plus side, I don’t cook anymore. I am spending like a millionaire’s kid. Catching up with l

What a day !!

My brother Tawhid dropped his fish bowl and cut his both hands in few places. I had to take him to hospital. He needed 7 stiches on one hand. It was a real mess. Both his hands are now bandaged. Some strange thoughts are crossing my mind. Amar mone hoi Allah'r kono odvut plan ache amake nie. Ami gobhir agroho nie tar plan dekhar jonno opekkha korchi. Ami jante chai, kivabe amar mrittu hobe, kivabe bie hobe (adou hobe kina) , ami kothay chakri korbo, ittadi. Shob kichu uni thik kore rekhechen, kintu ami tar kichui jani na. Emonki andaz o korte parchi na. Khub odvut!!

Spark Internet

Got internet connection from spark in Uttara. Not bad. Got good speed for 2500 taka per month. Paid 2500 taka for installation. Did a lot of running around in last few days. And fasting. Quite exhausted. Catching up on my emails now.

In Dhaka now

Arrived Dhaka at 8.30 am local time. Finished immigration in half an hour and I was at home by 09.10 am local time. Pokhraj apu and Dulabhai came to see me off yesterday. Junaid's cousin was at the airport. He was a great help. Changed my seat and gave me a better one. Enjoyed the flight. Glad to see the family.

Flying out today

I will be flying out of Manchester today Inshallah. Should arrive Dhaka via Dubai on saturday at 0240 GMT. Please pray for my safe journey. I won't be fasting on friday and saturday due to travelling. (Musafir) Hoping to catch up the rojas in Dhaka. More updates from Dhaka Inshallah.

Adios Didsbury

I have just emptied my last 3 years residence today. I have so much memories of the Flat 5, 71 Palatine Road, Manchester, M20 3LJ. Really missing my place, and in UK, I am now officially homeless !! Not actually, I still have the fund to spend the night in a hotel and catch the flight for Bangladesh tomorrow. Jasmine Apu came at 3pm and helped me to pack all my stuff. Really pleased and grateful to her. Feels strange to leave Manchester. Really, really weired. My suitcase is really overweight, I think Emirates is gonna charge me extra tomorrow. Really exhausted, have binned about 10 pairs of shoes. And lots of other things. 4 bags of stuff were taken to Pokhraj apu's house yesterday. About 10 bag worth of stuff are going to charity. Jasmine apu is keeping another 5 bags. I don't know how I am ever gonna collect these stuff when I am back.

No Internet !!!

My NTL digital set top box has been taken away yesterday. I have no internet at home now!! The end of a 3 year long shit service from NTL. The pick up guy was 1 hour late and I spent an hour on the phone to complain against the service then got cut off by their abrupt customer care staff called Gemma. Anyway, saw Junaid off at Piccadilly Station today. He's off to Aberdeen. My flat is now more or less empty. Getting rid of most of the stuff.

Ramadan

Ramadan starts today. My last week in England. Feels strange. Knowing that I won't be back to Manchester to live again. Really painful to leave few things you care about so much. But then again I am hoping to get something new Inshallah. Hopefully I will be back for my MBA next year Inshallah.

Awaken Manchester

The city of Manchester is back to its vibrant best again. Freshers' week is here and the Manchester's student community are back. Oxford rd and Wilmslow rd are packed with students with eyes full of joy and dreams-planning to go out and celebrate the get together after the break. Supermarkets are full of students getting their usual cereals, beans and beer. And takeaways are back in business again. Welcome Back Students-Welcome Back Manchester.

Habib - Bhalo Bashbo (Lyrics)

I am addicted to this song.The song is by Habib Wahid who sung it for the movie 'Hridoyer Kotha'. Amazing song. I have been listening to the song for last one week day in day out and still can't get enough. I have had numerous requests to translate the meaning of the lyrics. I am not a poet/lyricist, therefore, I am not confident enough to translate such a lovely piece of work in English. Below is the transliteration of lyrics of the Song. Bhalo Bashbo re bondhu tomay jotone Amar moner ghore chander alo chuiya chuiya pore Pushe rakhbore bondhu tomay jotone Dudhe alta gayer boron rup je kancha shona Anchol diya dhaika raikho chokh jeno pore na Ami prothom dekhe pagol hoilam Monto aar mane na Kache aisho bondhu premer karone Bhalo baisho re bondhu amay jotone Nishi bhore jonak nache monero gohin bone Shopno dekhao bondhu tumi niguro alingone Tomay maya dilam shohag dilam nilam apon kore Pashe thakbore bondhu tomar karone Bhalo bashbore bondhu tomay jotone ভালোবাসবো বাসবো রে