My Blog Closing Down!

Dear readers,

It is with much sadness that I have to announce the closure of my blog.

Not many people are following it. I feel like I am writing to a blank wall. If I want to do that, I can go write in my journal, by hand!

To the two-three people who write in to me, I am sorry. I will keep you updated on emails.

Thank you to everyone who commented on my articles. Maybe this is where my writing career comes to an end.

Bye

Mansur :’(

Job: Blogging!

Hey everyone,

Sometimes I have so much fun blogging, I wish it were a permanent job. I want to be able to blog on line, and for every comment I get, I could get a commission or something. With the way its going presently, I dont get a whole lot of comment, but if I knew I was being paid, I would be more consistent! I dont know if there are jobs available out there where you can get paid to blog!

Mansur

Moutain Dew?

Hi,

I had the privilege of drinking Mountain Dew last week at a gathering. Never before this had I tasted or drunk Mountain Dew. Since there were no other drinks available, I had no choice. Now, when I drank it, I was not sure what Mountain Dew wants to be. We know Coke has that particular flavor, 7 Up had the lemon/lime flavor and Miranda has that orange flavor. What is Mountain Dew? Throughout my drinking of Mountain Dew, I was thinking I was drinking 7 Up! Sometimes I think people drink Moutain Dew because it makes them different!

What the heck is Mountain Dew?

Mansur

The Passion of the Christ

Hi everyone,

The Passion of the Christ is probably the most talked about, and probably the most controversial movie of 2004. It is beig released in Dubai tomorrow, for Easter. I for one still have not seen the movie. My friends in Saudi saw it on the pirated DVD, and I chose not to watch it. Tomorrow, I will have an opportunity to watch it and I am kind of excited by it. I am going with a group of people, and one of the girls said she cannot bear watching the movie again, because it was too gory for her.

I am excited!

Mansur

Pakistani Identity Crisis?

Hey everyone,

Two days ago, I was at a conference and there I met with an Indian. We were talking about stuff and suddenly he asked me: where are you from? I told him to take a guess. He said he was not sure and I encouraged him to take a guess! He started ranting off; American, British, European and I was like NO, NO and NO. He finally settled on: Canadian. He was so sure I was a Canadian, and he even picked out Toronto as my hometown. I told him: Sorry to burst your bubble, but I am from Pakistan and before you go on about anything else, I am 100% Pakistani. His jaws dropped.

I know there are lots of generalizations and stereotypes floating out there. Everyone’s perception of what a Pakistani is basically someone who is short, dark, not so good looking and in the labor class. I wouldn’t blame for thinking that way since majority of the Pakistanis in the Middle East are like that.

Which brings me to the point: what defines a Pakistani? Does it make less of a Pakistani if I listen to English songs, wear American branded clothes, watch Hollywood Movies and read Western novels? I dont watch cricket and I dont eat spicy foods nor drink tea, all of which is typical Pakistani. Does that make me less of a Pakistani? Does it make me less Pakistani if I dont wear my national dress? Or if I dont know the national anthem? I have lived abroad my whole life, and only two years in Pakistan when I went to the high school.

So sometimes it is very confusing for people like me who have lived abroad out whole lives to understand what it is to be a Pakistani. However, in my opinion, I think one is a Pakistani when one is a proud patriot of the country he/ she is from. I dont think one needs to wear the national dress, listen to Pakistani music, watch cricket and eat spicy foods to be a Pakistani. I identify with my country of Pakistan, and even though the political/ economic situation in the country is not worth mentioning, I still have a love for my country. Sure there are some things in the nation that I dont agree with, namely corruption, but that does not change the fact that I am a Pakistani. In fact, it only strenghthens my desire to do something for the betterment of Pakistan.

I think one is a Pakistani when one learns to love oneself and understands where one is coming from. In my case, I dont do all that what Pakistanis do, but in my heart I know I will always be a Pakistani. I will never in my lifetime say that I am half Pakistani half Saudi, or anything like that. I can fool a lot of people and say, I am half American half Pakistani and talk in an American accent, but I dont do that. In any case, I have a lot of fun telling people I am from Pakistan because it immediately breaks the stereotypical image, and people think: hmm, so not all Pakistanis are like what we thought they would be!

So, one is not a Pakistani when one listens to Pakistani music, wear the national dress, watch cricket, know the national anthem or speak Urdu. One is a Pakistani when one can identify with the nation of Pakistan and learns to be a patriot and proud of the country he/she is from.

Proud Pakistani,
Mansur