A Thought...

Gar Firdaus Ruh-e-Zameen Ast

If Paradise Exists on the face of the Earth

Hameen Asto

It is here

Hameen Ast0

It is here

Hameen Ast0

It is here

- The Mughal Emperor Jehangir, upon his arrival in Kashmir

Kashmir has been ravaged by war between India and Pakistan, who have fought over the fabled paradise since Partition and Independence in 1947.

If god(s) exist(s)....

perhaps HE

perhaps SHE

or

perhaps IT

was jealous of Kashmir being labelled paradise and caused India and Pakistan, and China to an extent, to make paradise seem like a living hell.

That's it for now...and remember...to be born again, first you must die

~nabz

Thanks to Steve McCurry and National Geographic for the picture...

A Pet Peeve and Other Things

I'm on drugs. Seriously. I just had all of my wisdom teeth removed, and so, have been eating lots of codeine and penicillin. Fun? Well, not really. The codeine doesn't really help to assuage the pain and all it does is make me drowsy about an hour after I take it. And the penicillin is just to help fight against potential infection. So...all four sides of my mouth hurt...not fun...and it's worse cuz I have a 15 page paper I need to write by Monday.

But that's not the reason for this post. Actually, I'm gonna tell yall bout a pet peeve of mine.

People not saying goodbye.

I hate it, when you're on MSN, and have been talking to someone for at least 15 minutes and the conversation hits a lull and then the person decides to sign off but doesn't say goodbye. Like WTF! seriously, it's bad manners people! Even if you don't believe in saying goodbye, just say see you soon or talk to you later or take care or au revoir. I just don't get some people. Ok fine, if the conversation isn't going well fine sign off...but at least have the manners to say bye. ARGH. And it's even worse when people do it when you're talking on the phone or something. Seriously. Rude..very rude...

I'm pissed off.

So...remember...if you're ever talking to me...say bye or see you soon or some other version of the same idea...or be prepared to face my wrath.

That's it for now...ciao, adios, au revoir...and remember...to be born again, first you must die

~me

Let There Be Light...

During this recent bout of horrible weather in V-city, I started inching towards the world of blasphemy. Shaitan decided to disgrace himself further to attain angelhood and I hoped that I were the Christian God...

I wanted light.

If I were the Christian God, I would've said...

Let There Be Light

and would've solved the problems of V-city.

I didn't have to be the CG. The light's back. I'm warm now and am not living in my refrigerator.

I still don't like the Russians.



That's it for now...ciao, adios, au revoir...and remember...to be born again, first you must die


~me

Dysfunctia

All is not well in happy-land

The wispy clouds have brought with them

Rain and the anger of thunder

While the munchkins retain their plastered smiles

The little mole-rat sticks his head out of his

Burrow and is hit by lightening

The munchkins, smelling the smell of fire, pull-up

All the lollipop trees by their roots and

Throw them to the nice sea-monster

Who hastens to eat as many as she can and

Chokes to death on the chocolate trunks

The munchkins smile and go back to sleep.

ZzzszzZ

If you steal this, I will seriously make hakka noodles out of you.

That's it for now...ciao, adios, au revoir...and remember...to be born again, first you must die

~me

From Russia, With Love....ya right!

Aah..so it's been a while since I last posted here - for two reasons. The beginning of this week (Tuesday/Wednesday) I had exams - my last ones..and then after that...surprise surprise the power went out.

There was a huge storm on the Wet Coast. Seriously. 150 km/hour winds in some places (we were lucky; it only got to 90 km/hour at our house), falling trees (which were really freaking me out) and no electricity. At the height of the storm, 250000 people in the city (almost a quarter of the population) were without power. And did I say that it's colder here than in the capital city - which is usually covered by snow right now. The storm's winds came from Russia. What the **** are the Russians doing these days? Gosh..first they poison people with radioactive material (polonium 210) and now they send winds across the Pacific to mess with our lives. Argh..not feeling much love towards Russia and Vladi these days...

So. Our power went out Thursday night...so technically, Friday morning (3:00am) and still hasn't shown up. Needless to say, our house is freezing. There was so much frost outside I thought it had snowed...It's so cold that we've basically emptied our fridge and are keeping our milk on the kitchen counter. Hmm, maybe I should consider sleeping in the fridge. Last night, I slept in my sleeping bag - the one that's good for sleeping outside in -20 Celsius weather. And when I woke up, I needed food. So, shivering, I went downstairs. I'd decided I didnt want to drink the milk so was going to have some bread and butter. But...the butter was frozen - solid. Somehow, I managed to get it onto the bread. And then my dad came down...and I had the brilliant idea to melt the butter over a candle...it actually worked.

We still don't have power so I'm at Veepland...which is so nice and warm and has light! I've been feeling bad for the homeless people in the city. First, we were under a boil-water advisory for 12 days (and it was snowing/raining horribly hard during that time) and now there's not much power in the city. It's so cold in my house. Imagine how cold it is on the streets.

I have no idea what's happening to this side of the country or why it's happening. If it's because of global warming and its side effects, then this country and the rest of the world need to get their acts together and do something. This is the first time I've experienced something like this. It's not that bad right now, but what if it gets worse? What if this becomes a regular occurrence? Then....we're screwed...seriously screwed...


That's it for now...ciao, adios, au revoir...and remember...to be born again, first you must die

~me

An Adventure in Veepland...

so, today Arriba and I decided to meet up at Veepland again to go over some more military take-overs, the storming of holy temples, the policy of lashing women for being raped and other not-so-nice-events that unfortunately happened in the unfortunate lands of I and P. This tryst with the subcontinent's at-times horrific and disgusting history didn't last as long as the last one; nor was it as exciting.

We didn't get table darling. Some guy was there and it was bad. So we found another one and it served us relatively well..nowhere near to table darling..but oh well. So we studied hard and then decided it was time for coffee...when my phone rang...

The bridge had been closed. And for anyone who lives in this city, you know what horrible things happen when it closes..There was so much wind that the causeway had been blocked by trees and branches...and so they closed the bridge, during rush hour. And so, I was ordered to get on the first bus from Veepland and to get home before the weather got worse. V-city is famous for shutting down at the slightest inclement weather. Seriously, it'll rain constantly for 29 days and nothing will happen. But it starts getting windy and everything shuts down. It sux.

So I left Veepland as quickly as I could (without my coffee..yes it was that bad) and ran outside to get a bus. I saw the 240 (my bus) waiting at the bus stop..and ran across the street in order to catch it. I had to run across the other street but had to wait for the traffic to stop...and as soon as it did, the bus decided to leave from the stop. And so, Arriba and I ran...we ran fast and my boots almost came off. And thankfully, the bus had stopped at a red light. So we got to the bus, and the bus driver was on the phone with translink...and so I knocked on the door. He didn't open it. Arriba and I waited 5 minutes, in the pouring rain and howling wind, but he didnt open the door. When he finally opened it, my glasses were so wet i could barely see. After bidding adieu to Arriba, I got onto the bus and sat down....hoping that I'd be able to get home (I think I forgot to say that I had..well have...an exam tomorrow morning at 8:30am and need to leave my house by 7am...so I was worried)

The stupid bus driver didn't tell us that the bridge was actually closed, and started down the road towards the bridge. Afterwards, he told us that he was actually taking us to Waterfront Station so that we could catch the SeaBus. I was pissed-off because I could've taken the Skytrain with Arriba but was made to waste 25 minutes going down a street I didnt have to.

So we finally got to the station..and boy the water was rough...apparently, the wind was so bad that a couple of flags had gotten ripped in half...and so, I got onto the SeaBus and made it across the water safe and sound...

I still haven't had my coffee though...so I'm sad. Maybe Arriba and I will get some coffee after our exam tomorrow...who knows...

Anyway..back to studying...meh (I'm almost done..yay!)


That's it for now...ciao, adios, au revoir...and remember...to be born again, first you must die


~me

To Those Writing Exams...a gift

yes...it's that time of year again, the time that every test-hating student dreads - exam time (dumdumdummmm). I hate tests, therefore, I hate exams...but...i've finally (i think and i hope), after 11 years of writing exams (they made me start writing them in grade 4..can u believe it grade 4!!!) figured out 'THE WAY' to study for them...

WARNING: follow these guidelines at your own risk. I am famous for (or I consider myself famous for) procrastinating about not procrastinating - have fun getting your heads around that one...procrastinating about not procrastinating..(it's similar to my 'distracted from distraction by distraction' theory...)

1. DO NOT study in your room
2. if you have to study in your room. DO NOT study on your bed - you will probably...well no, you WILL fall asleep sooner or later
3. keep the room you are studying in as cold as possible - this way you will want to get your work over as fast as possible and will write faster to keep yourself warm
4. turn-off the wireless switch on your laptop (haha..i tend to not follow this one much, as you can tell...but I've done it when I've had papers due in 2 hours...it really works! especially if you're a FB or MSN addict..)
5. DO NOT sit on the floor...this makes for sore behinds and after a while (ie a couple of days of studying) studying while sitting down is virtually impossible
6. find a chair that isn't too comfy (ie...don't study on the leather couch)
7. if you're the type of person that needs to eat something all the time while you're studying, drink instead of eating....
8. drink tea or coffee...tea's better for you...
9. if you study better at night, sleep the ENTIRE day and stay up the entire night
10. if you study better during the day, sleep the ENTIRE night and stay up all day
11. if you have other people living in your house with you, scream at them until they get the point and stay away
12. turn-off your phone or put it on silent (no vibrate either) mode
13. DO NOT munch on candy that your grandma gave you 2 years ago...you'll get a stomach ache and then won't be able to study

The most important thing to remember though...

make sure you know when your exam is...otherwise, my friend, you are totally screwed

Back to studying...

That's it for now...ciao, adios, au revoir...and remember...to be born again, first you must die (DO NOT apply this to exams..otherwise, you might think that you need to fail your exams to succeed in life. if you're in uni...not good. Some people say that no-one will look at your marks in the future. Believe me you, they will!)

~me

(btw...this post is for all those people who like procrastinating during exams...my gift to you...)

Stealing A Table...Nerd Style & Other Stories

Allo all! So today was a multo exciting day- I spent the day with Arriba at Veepland (VPL for all of those not 'in the know') and we studied hard..oh so hard...we drew maps of countries, spelled names and memorized 39 pages of history - full of military coups (THERE WAS ONE IN FIJI TODAY! HOW EXCITING :D), political intrigues, wars, extramarital affairs and lots more juicy gossip/history. And so we started as soon as the VPL opened, running inside the glass doors with hundreds of Chinese students,hungry for knowledge. But about 6 hours into the ordeal, we were hungry for a different sort of thing - food. We'd had our share of gossip and voyeurism and studying and were ready for some stomach worshipping. But there was a problem...

Our table was perfect - there was no overhead light fixture to disturb our mental waves, there was a high enough glass window to hide our constant voyeurism, there were no nerds/geeks around us (apart from our own shadows) to bother us or to be bothered by our constant exercising of our academic vocal skills, and the table was of a great size as well. But we were famished...and we needed our table for when we exercised our brains after having exercised our stomach muscles...so we were in a conundrum (awesome word by the way...)

We thought we'd steal the table. But then, we would've had to take it with us along Robson..well we'd have to get it past the security guy to whom I later said that I'd stolen a couple of books, and past all the other librarians and random peoples. And then onto Robson and to the Indian restaurant with the relatively cute waiter and the sardarji who was in a bad mood (he probably had had too many dry rotis...seriously they were dry..or maybe not enough sugar in the chai). And then we were afraid of the pesky flies...yes...those wannabe nerds who wanted to steal our table and hovered around us while we were putting our stuff in our bags. We took our time and annoyed them to no end. TAKE THAT! pesky flies - I swat my fly swatter at you and ruin your hair..hahahahaha!!!!

So we decided to abandon table darling in that spot and went for our session of stomach worshipping. We both cried. It was a sad moment - truly sad. But afterwards, we found another table - and it served us well.

But the other story, well idea, that deserves space in this land of randomness is one that happened before entering Veepland. Actually, it occurred on the outskirts of the land, by the bridge that separates Veepland from the ordinary world of V-city. There was a group of people advertising for institutions of learning like the University of Upper Iowa (which is actually in Canada) and they were giving candy-canes to people who took flyers from them.

Now, this one guy - he looked like someone who would definitely NOT be going to school in the near future - walked up to the booth and admired the candy-canes for a bit. Realizing that he wasn't going to be able to just steal one, he proceeded to take a flyer and to ask the lady standing there a couple of questions. Now, the author has no idea what questions were asked, but did see the man reaching into the box of candy and taking a candy-cane. He was about to take another when he saw the lady looking at him, and so, he diverted his attention and his hand to another of the flyers. After having asked his questions, he gave the flyers back to the lady and walked away - with a candy-cane in his hand. That, my friends, is the way to steal a candy-cane.

So, please do not think that I am advocating theft in this particular post. I'm not. Let's hope that that is clear to you all. I'm merely providing snippets (another great word..especially if you think of life as a sort of collage) of my daily existence to those who care or wish to read/partake in it.

Anyway,

That's it for now...ciao, adios, au revoir...and remember...to be born again, first you must die

~me

True Ramblings....

Meh. It's exam time, and I'm sitting on my floor, with my laptop on my lap, a headache in my head and a cold in my nose and my toes. It sucks - seriously. I spent the entire day reading notes for one of the three polisci courses I'm taking this term (bad idea trust me - but not nearly as bad as taking 4 in a term, which I was going to do).

And then I went to the ortho today. I'm quite old to go to the ortho. My sister first went when she was nine. I'm 10 years older than she was back then, and so, I seriously don't think I need braces. But if you haven't noticed, and god(s) know why I'm putting this up here, my two front teeth are a teeny bit longer than the rest of my teeth...as the ortho guy puts it...1.5 millimetres longer than they should be. And to rectify this seemingly not-so-important important problem, he wants me to wear braces for 16 months. 16 MONTHS!!! (which means I'd have braces during my grad photos..the horror)...and wants to charge me in excess of $5500!! all for two teeth that are 1.5 MILLIMETRES longer than they should be...so after he told me, and I had imbibed the shock..that is..if u can imbibe shock (it all depends on whether shock is a liquid a solid or a gas...or maybe it's in one of those transition phases), I asked him why he couldn't just file down the teeth. It'd be easier (for both of us) and plus I wouldn't have to wear braces during my grad photos (I'm not usually this shallow - puhlease). He wasn't very happy. But it's the polisci nature to critique and ask questions. So, I said..."I'll think about it." and left.

And then I came back home and started my readings again. And my head hurts, and I can't study (case in point this post) and really want to just go down and watch tv but being me I can't bring myself to commit that crime (it's a crime during exam week - trust me on this one). And I have a fever too and I know I'm complaining but I don't do it that often, I think, so ya...this is a boring post..I know...but..as I said, it's one of true ramblings.

I have no idea where I'm going with this; I'm just writing - note the use of the semi-colon. I need some sleep..last week I barely slept...maximum 4 hours a day...well night...and that's not enough...some nights I slept maybe 2 hours...which is why I'm now sick...but I guess I've rambled on for a long enough time..so....u know what's coming next eh??? (oh..which reminds me..Stephane Dion won! ARGH! I wanted Ignatieff to win - he's smart [degrees from UofT, Oxford, Harvard. Taught at UBC, Cambridge, Harvard. Speaks fluent, like FLUENT French and English. and isn't your typical politician...this country needs smart people in parliament..otherwise it'll just go to the dogs. anyone watched Question Period recently??? I was watching it today - it was horrible! well, not as bad as the chair throwing in the Kuomintang..but still..])

Anywhooooooo....

That's it for now...ciao, adios, au revoir...and remember...to be born again, first you must die

~me

Politics in Selfistan

I haven't quite decided whether politics actually exists in Selfistan or whether it enjoys a purgatory-like neither-here-nor-there state. But whatever its true nature, it definitely influeces and impacts Selfistan. For a while now, I have been wondering whether Selfistan can have its own Foreign Policy - similar to that of others Stans such as Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Stan the Man. Oops, scrap that last one. (BTW, i spelled Kyrgyzstan from memory - are you proud of me?)

I guess Selfistan's Foreign Policy is anything that I spew that doesn't relate to what I'm doing to/for myself. So, my views on the world and the weather in my city, rather than Selfistan, could be considered Foreign Policy. But seriously, if this wasn't serious enough for you, it's time to move onto something else. Obviously it's going to be connected to politics - that issssss what this post is about - but it's something that I, unfortunately, wasn't smart enough to come-up with.

The fellows here - http://www.satirewire.com/news/jan02/axis.shtml - wrote it. It's quite brilliant, because it's the type of stuff I love writing and reading. I've always maintained since yesterday (well..no..since before yesterday...please say you got the oxymoron-ness of that) that it's important to look at things in both serious and light lights (that's what they call a homonym). Anyway...again, I didn't have the pleasure of writing this but definitely enjoyed reading it...and hopefully you will too...


Warning, if you are politically disinclined or have a ***** ** **** ***, too bad....
____________________________________________________________

Bitter after being snubbed for membership in the "Axis of Evil," Libya, China, and Syria today announced they had formed the "Axis of Just as Evil," which they said would be way eviler than that stupid Iran-Iraq-North Korea axis President Bush warned of his State of the Union address.

Axis of Evil members, however, immediately dismissed the new axis as having, for starters, a really dumb name. "Right. They are Just as Evil... in their dreams!" declared North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. "Everybody knows we're the best evils... best at being evil... we're the best."

Diplomats from Syria denied they were jealous over being excluded, although they conceded they did ask if they could join the Axis of Evil. "They told us it was full," said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "An Axis can't have more than three countries," explained Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. "This is not my rule, it's tradition. In World War II you had Germany, Italy, and Japan in the evil Axis. So you can only have three. And a secret handshake. Ours is wicked cool."

THE AXIS PANDEMIC

International reaction to Bush's Axis of Evil declaration was swift, as within minutes, France surrendered. Elsewhere, peer-conscious nations rushed to gain triumvirate status in what became a game of geopolitical chairs. Cuba, Sudan, and Serbia said they had formed the Axis of Somewhat Evil, forcing Somalia to join with Uganda and Myanmar in the Axis of Occasionally Evil, while Bulgaria, Indonesia and Russia established the Axis of Not So Much Evil Really As Just Generally Disagreeable.

With the criteria suddenly expanded and all the desirable clubs filling up, Sierra Leone, El Salvador, and Rwanda applied to be called the Axis of Countries That Aren't the Worst But Certainly Won't Be Asked to Host the Olympics; Canada, Mexico, and Australia formed the Axis of Nations That Are Actually Quite Nice But Secretly Have Nasty Thoughts About America, while Spain, Scotland, and New Zealand established the Axis of Countries That Sometimes Ask Sheep to Wear Lipstick. "That's not a threat, really, just something we like to do," said Scottish Executive First Minister Jack McConnell.

While wondering if the other nations of the world weren't perhaps making fun of him, a cautious Bush granted approval for most axes, although he rejected the establishment of the Axis of Countries Whose Names End in "Guay," accusing one of its members of filing a false application. Officials from Paraguay, Uruguay, and Chadguay denied the charges.

Israel, meanwhile, insisted it didn't want to join any Axis, but privately, world leaders said that's only because no one asked them.
_____________________________________________________________


That's it for now....ciao, adios, au revoir...and remember...to be born again, first you must die

~me

Amusing Oneself In Selfistan....

Now, whoever has lived on their own knows that it's hard to do. When you come home after a hard days work - be it in the large MNC or at Macdonalds or at university or even at the local pub (but that might be a hard night's work) - it's always nice if someone has prepared dinner for you, has cleaned up the pizza boxes from the midnight snack you ordered and has done your laundry. But apart from the tedious activities that are somewhat necessary (in other words - necessary because no-one wants to live in a mould-friendly house), it's just nice if there's someone to talk to when you come home. Living in silence, although fun at times, is not always preferable to a nice big party.

It's kind of the same in Selfistan. But, it's different as well. I guess, living alone is often a result of circumstance, whereas living in Selfistan is a choice - kind of like the choice one makes to drink a cup of coffee, which I need to - but much more important than that one...obviously.

So how do I keep myself sane in Selfistan. Hmm, I guess it's a combination of talking to myself, keeping myself occupied, talking to my imaginary friends, and, most importantly......









writing posts such as these.




yes, it's true..the only reason I wrote this was to amuse myself - but you should've figured that out from the title....and honestly...don't take the 'ways to amuse oneself' too seriously. I dont have imaginary friends...just thought I'd clarify that...


That's it for now, ciao, adios, au revoir...and remember...to be born again, first you must die

~me

The Weather in Selfistan

I'm stuck in a dilemma - one of white powdery snow, non-potable water, darkness. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my dilemma is one of the weather. Quite beautiful weather, in fact, but horribly annoying - non-potable water, skating-rink-like university campuses, and blackouts. Did I mention that I live in a city that has been consistently rated among the best 3 cities to live in - AROUND THE WORLD!

But, my real question is, can the weather change in Selfistan? Like, if it's Selfistan, shouldn't one have the ability to change the weather at will? Can't I, theoretically, say "Let there be snow" and make it snow? What about "Let there be sun"? Does not having the capability to change the weather in Selfistan defeat the entire purpose of said land and contradict the definition of said said (sic) land? So, if I'm fed-up with the weather (not totally fed-up..just with the ice and the hundreds of milimetres of rain and the undrinkable water - yes, that's what non-potable means) can I just imagine that it's nice and sunny? and then be happy?

Ahh, the power of the mind. I heard that yogis - the actual ones, not your neighbour who goes to yoga classes every week - can actually cause themselves to levitate with the power of their minds. I find that fascinating. If the mind is actually powerful enough to lift something, can it also avert/push something? Can the power of many minds together halt a falling atomic bomb in its path of destruction? Can the seemingly fantastical Mathilda-esque actions be made real?

Fascinating....

But enough digression - you'll find that I do this a lot - digress that is. Back to my original idea(s) about the weather - you'll also find I like talking about abstract and sometimes odd issues. Outside, it's -10 Celsius, which is absolutely crazy. It's icy out there and there's a lot of snow. Apparently the powers above (god, gods, mother nature, clouds) are going to drop some more snow on us. Fortunately....the weather in Selfistan is much nicer: 15 Celsius, with a 10% chance of showers .

That's it for now, ciao, adios, au revoir....and remember...to be born again, first you must die

~me

ps: i took that picture....while making a snow angel...yes, I got wet

Books: your BF or GF????

Hello again. Well, in my last post, I talked about how books could be one's boyfriend or girlfriend, and I'm sure people gawked and stared and cried out in horror and fainted. Ya, rite. Most of you probably just went by it and didn't give it another thought - but, as always, I could be wrong. I'm sure there was at least one person who thought about the thought - about my idea (for those of you that needed further clarification).

And so, voila! Here is my explanation about the thought that I thought during my thought process on the other thought, which was a thought on the absurdities surrounding the thought of giving a Nobel Prize to Naipaul but not to Rushdie....what a horrible thought.

A book is like one's boyfriend..or girlfriend...let's just stick to bf/gf for the sake of my fingers, which are already tired....

Again, a book is like one's bf/gf because...

• it can keep you company when you feel horrible or are alone
• it can provide comfort
• you can curl-up with it
• a relationship develops between you and the characters (characteristics of the bf/gf) in the book
• you feel sad when it ends
• but you were happy while it lasted
• it triggers different emotions
• it can make you cry
• it can make you laugh
• it gives you pleasure (just the happy type...:P)
• it can make you (want to) throw it across the room at a wall (not advisable for bf/gfs...trust me - not that I've tried or anything...but...no-one wants to go to jail)
• the memory of it (the story) will stay with you long after you've finished it...

but the reason books are MUCH better than bf/gfs is that......(drum roll please)

and this is only if you still live with your parents....

you can take it to bed and your parents won't mind

hehe...yes...so that's books as bfs/gfs for you...

That's it for now, ciao, adios, au revoir....and remember...to be born again, first you must die

~me

Welcome to Selfistan

Welcome to Selfistan - a land, well webpage, where all you see and read is stuff that I want you to see and read. Haha, I feel powerful - like a censor. Imagine how much power one has - the power to control opinions, the power to control decisions - the power to control lives. Obviously, I'm not saying that peoples' opinions and lives will change because of this blog - but I'd like to think that I'll influence them in some way...wouldn't anyone?

So...why am I, Nabz, writing a blog...well starting a blog...All the other 'blog' like things i've tried have never worked - from MSN Spaces, to Facebook Notes...to keeping a diary. I guess...everything deserves a try..so why not this? And the good thing about this one will be that I wont be chained down by thoughts of what people I know will think about my posts. Which is always nice - I guess, there won't be much self-censorship on this blog. It is Selfistan...

Selfistan...odd word eh? Well..yes and no. If you haven't guessed already, it's a hybrid..Self (the English word for oneself) and Stan (a word, occurring in Urdu definitely and possibly in Arabic - although I'm not sure about that one. Perhaps it has roots in Persian as well....but whatever its origin...it means 'land' or 'place'). So Selfistan is - My Land

But, as much as I'd love to think that I'm ingenious and witty enough to think up such a name, I can't give myself the credit. Yes, I'm not that smart. Salman Rushdie is though..he's a brilliant writer if you haven't read any of his stuff - and TOTALLY deserves the Nobel Prize for Literature...more than V.S. Naipaul...(source of high tension..lol). Anyway...so Selfistan appears in his book "Shalimar the Clown" (quite an awesome book, if you're looking - wow that sounds as if one's looking for a bf or a gf...but honestly...books can be like bf's or gf's...more on that later).

Why not demand freedom for one's bedroom, or call one's toilet a republic?

Why not stand still and draw a circle around your feet and name it Selfistan?

So, in a way, this webpage is the circle around my feet. Enjoy the ramblings that I'll put up (hopefully) regularly. And leave comments, please....even if it's to say Hi or This is so boring I'm never reading your stuff again. It's a free world - I honestly don't care.

That's it for now, ciao, adios, au revoir....and remember...to be born again, first you must die (Salman Rushdie...again).

~me