Saturday, January 28, 2006

Lord of the Flies

A good book has wings, and you can soar high.
Lord of the Flies is the one I've been reading for days, and some minutes ago I finished it. It is indeed a good experience, and I would insist everyone to read William Golding's works. He rules over a different genre of language. One can literally feel the words crawl up to one's reasoning, I should say.
I always interact with the books I am reading, I feel the characters under my skin sometimes, and when I share their emotion, I come to know that the author has conquered another reader. I have a good mind to start with Darkness Visible tomorrow, Golding has surely cast his spell upon me.

Friday, January 20, 2006

Bokader poddo :) 0001

গৃহযুদ্ধ বাঁধে নাকি ... সারাক্ষণ ভয়ে ভয়ে থাকি
আকাশে আকাশে তবু মেঘ দিয়ে নানা ছবি আঁকি
প্রতিবেশী আঙ্কেল বাঁকা হেসে হাঁক ছেড়ে বলে
"সাবধান হও ছেলে, ঝামেলার নেই বেশি বাকি।"

আসলেই, সামনে তো রাজনীতি ভয়াবহ ঘোলা
সারা দেশ জুড়ে খ্যালে প্রয়াত নেতার বড় পোলা
বিরোধীরা ছিছি করে, হরতাল থাকে মাস জুড়ে
আমার আকাশে দেখি কালো মেঘ ভাসে গালফোলা।

আকাশের আঁকিবুকি আমি ছাড়া আর কেউ বোঝে
সেই সন্দেহ মোর মনে আজো আসে নাই তো যে
প্রতিবেশী আঙ্কেল গর্জান, "দ্যাখো কান্ডটা!
জান নিয়ে টানাটানি, এই ব্যাটা ভালোবাসা খোঁজে!"

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Lulling the allnighters to sleep?

BTRC [Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission] has issued a decree (should it be called a decree) to the Mobile Phone Operators in Bangladesh to cease the "free" packages to continue. According to their Chairman, this free packages, invariably enduring the period between midnight and sunrise, are debilitating to the morale of young generation. These free packages are also keeping the network full to the brim, and emergency could really be left aside due to the unprecedented reponse to the lure of having free chat all night long, observes the commission.
As if putting a tarrif on the night-calls would get these young people off the habit.
Our Mobile Moghuls mourn this decree. I have seen them, almost on the verge of shedding tears, throwing up their anxieties on the present and future of their business, and the whole show reminded me of my uncle's crocodile farm. One of the marketing machos kept a somber, long face and commented that freebies are popular worldwide, and there is no such decree in any country in these days. One of his competitors but brother at arms, retorted that the timing of this decree indicates a favor accomplished to one of his competitors, while he is being loved in the butt, and that is not fair. And they talked about their dreams of taking Bangladesh to the golden age of telecom and their nightmares on having been brutally tripped in this journey by this decree-with-no-foresight by BTRC.
The subscribers are also not very comfortable with this decree. They were having fun with these free packages, they could find a little shade while the scorching tarrifs felt like a pain in the purse under the sun, and a little cool breeze of not-spending-but-chatting-on charged up their spirits. Why should free things be banned like these?
I'm ashamed to say, I found it funny. I laughed a lot when this reportage was being televised. Perhaps guilty pleasure, but I was having a lot of it. But everything simmers down after some moment.
First of all, are these packages really free? I don't think so. It's been quite a while since one giant launched this package, visibly targetted at the population group stirred by puberty, and also those who couldn't shake the pubertal memories off. And they are not to be blamed. The cellphone has become an icon for them, a separate entity to present them to the world. This tool has become their regent. The home phone is still a taboo, it's somehow kept under the vigilant eyes of disciplinarian parents, but the cellphone is beyond any muzzle. So why not sneaking into the nightlife? And nightlife, I regret to say being a veteran, is never free.
It's only human. It's only normal. Everyone gets these urges to mingle with people, especially of opposite sex. I shouldn't be preaching about parental controls because I ducked under it too when I was younger, but it seems, just as the usage rates, parental control also offers some peak, offpeak, and super offpeak hours.
Why letting it loose on the night and tightening up the noose in daytime? The offpeak is quite a misnomer if we're talking about night in Bangladesh now, the operators have successfully yielded a higher usage at night now. So we have a whole 24 hours of peak now. So why not charging less per pulse? Let people talk whenever they like at less tarrif, but for god's sake, let these guys have some decent sleep!
BTRC could never play a technically viable and correct role, but they have let some sharks loose, pretty loose and now they're trying to tame it like a dolphin. It's pretty difficult when people become bite-aholic, don't you think so?
I demand a 24 hour long 1 BDT/min connections, and let me pick my own peak to call my friends, families and beloved.

Saturday, January 14, 2006

O Baluchistan!

I will live to see the states of Sindh and Baluchistan achieving their freedom from the abomination we call Pakistan.
At long last, the Baluch people have risen to liberate their country from Pakistan. Aqbar Khan Bughti, their leader has declared it as a war of liberation of Baluchi people.
The abominable pakistani army has once again been deployed to murder unarmed people who have raised voice for economic fair share and an end to the oppression ever since the birth of pakistan, just like we did 35 years ago. We fought with the bloodthirsty rapists the pakistanis are so proud of, who are wrongfully praised to be an Army, armed to the teeth ... and the same abomination has now hurled itself upon the Baluch people.
The people of Baluchistan is now seeking help from Iran to left and India to far right, defending themselves against the Army of Mosharrof. I hope with all my heart that Baluch people will win freedom from Pakistan.
To the liberated Baluchistan. Salaam.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Fun Puns

Check these out.


Shotgun wedding: A case of wife or death.

A man needs a mistress just to break the monogamy.

Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?

Condoms should be used on every conceivable occasion.

When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I.

A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two tired.

In democracy your vote counts. In feudalism your count votes.

She was engaged to a boyfriend with a wooden leg but broke it off.

He often broke into song because he couldn't find the key.

Every calendar's days are numbered.

A midget fortune-teller who escapes from prison is a small medium atlarge.

Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead-to-know basis.

Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.

Monday, January 09, 2006

2006!

It took me more than a week to get a feel of this year, and get back to my blog. By the way, I don't think anyone reads my blogs anymore, so I chose to be naughty from now on.
The first thing I noticed about the year is it's freaking balls-freezing chilly. I spent last two winters in Dhaka with a skinny shawl, and most of the time it was sweaty. Now this year I bought a new sweater, all red and hey, womenfolk identified some sexiness in us together, I mean me and my sweater ... but one of my colleagues anointed me with the title of Cardigan-Man, that asshole! And what more, I've dusted out my old faithful Blue jacket, warm like the embrace of the beloved, and damn, it's still freezing cold around. I developed a cold last year, I mean couple of weeks ago, and it persisted.
The second thing is that I'm looking for a job, just like last year January. In a week I'll quit my job and become a horny unemployed guy with a sexy red sweater, he he he.
Enough for a week. I'll call it a day.