most of you, I am sure, know this man. I can't believe I didn't write about him before. Like American Idol, India has htis show called SaReGaMaPa (that's the different sur's one sings in...sur is...tone)...Anyhow, I think this guy is toooooooo cool and I love hearing him sing and I didn't see it on TV but on my beloved You Tube, which I have not had time to scour with the same urgency I used to in London. Grad school obviously didn't keep me busy enough....
He didn't win the competition in the end however, he should have.
It's a lovely song. Dude is from Pakistan. They get internationals in to sing. It's a fun show. I have no idea what is going on with it now. There was this girl from America on the show too. Mauli something. She sang well too and didn't stop being her bad ass desi American self.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Monday, June 02, 2008
Stuff like this makes me mad
Ok, so I am just as concerned as the next person about the victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, but god, I am getting irritated and sick at the whole conversation around letting in foreign aid workers (and I am well aware that my livelihood depends on being let into places)...
A quote from this alert net article:
And more:
The Criminal Neglect from my POV is the fact that we have people that need help, we seem to think that only FOREIGN aid workers can do this, there is WFP on the ground and should just be mobilizing local people (who are going to the regions to deliver aid themselves, whatever they can afford to), and instead, our hang up is on visas to let in WESTERN aid workers. Have all the other people/aid workers in the world that is not in the WEST died or something ? Is it really just rhetoric when we talk about community participation and consultation and local solutions since when we have the time to show that yeah, it's not just lip service and local solutions, partners, communities can be used, we sit around twiddling our thumbs waiting for the WESTERN experts to come in.... such bullshit.
If we as the international community were really concerned about the PEOPLE, the victims (of both the cyclone and the regime (and with that line, there goes any chance of my job there)), we would be making huge efforts to get aid to the people in any manner we could. I refuse to believe that agencies on the ground already cannot do that. Just cuz some foreign aid workers can't get in everyone gets into a huff. So childish. Organize with what you have on the ground, and if you have people who are willing to work, you can do this. It is that simple. if the UN thinks there is still relief that needs to go out, GO DO IT using the local capacities available and there are local capacities available....there always are. Deal with the messed up nature of the government later. Now is not the time for petty politics. Gawd!
A quote from this alert net article:
A major problem in delivering foreign aid has been an inability to get enough international aid workers into the worst-hit Irrawaddy delta due to visa hurdles and red tape.
And more:
"We haven't been able to get the whole mechanism going. Progress has been slow," Hakan Tongul, deputy director in Myanmar of the U.N.'s World Food Programme, told Reuters in Yangon.
Around 500,000 people have received some food and water since the storm struck nearly a month ago, but another 200,000 have received no international help at all, he said.
"CRIMINAL NEGLECT"
Some 45 U.N. visa requests were approved after junta leader Senior General Than Shwe promised last week to allow in "all" legitimate foreign aid workers, but obstacles remain.
One western aid worker said on Saturday that a two-day processing period to enter the delta area, which had been earlier cut from two weeks, had now increased to three.
Speaking to reporters in Singapore, Gates, whose government is one of Myanmar's harshest critics, accused the generals of "criminal neglect".
The Criminal Neglect from my POV is the fact that we have people that need help, we seem to think that only FOREIGN aid workers can do this, there is WFP on the ground and should just be mobilizing local people (who are going to the regions to deliver aid themselves, whatever they can afford to), and instead, our hang up is on visas to let in WESTERN aid workers. Have all the other people/aid workers in the world that is not in the WEST died or something ? Is it really just rhetoric when we talk about community participation and consultation and local solutions since when we have the time to show that yeah, it's not just lip service and local solutions, partners, communities can be used, we sit around twiddling our thumbs waiting for the WESTERN experts to come in.... such bullshit.
If we as the international community were really concerned about the PEOPLE, the victims (of both the cyclone and the regime (and with that line, there goes any chance of my job there)), we would be making huge efforts to get aid to the people in any manner we could. I refuse to believe that agencies on the ground already cannot do that. Just cuz some foreign aid workers can't get in everyone gets into a huff. So childish. Organize with what you have on the ground, and if you have people who are willing to work, you can do this. It is that simple. if the UN thinks there is still relief that needs to go out, GO DO IT using the local capacities available and there are local capacities available....there always are. Deal with the messed up nature of the government later. Now is not the time for petty politics. Gawd!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Dear Future Employer
You may have googled me and found my blog...I don't really hide it. My current employer big boss man just recently, as in this last week, said to me, careful Zehra, your blog is out there and more and more, employers use google and can see blogs etc and read about you and gauge your employability on it. I didn't believe that employability was a word but my spell checker is not picking it up so I guess it is...good one. Learned something new today, but I digress...
I think it's sweet that my Big Boss is telling me to be careful of my internet footprint. I don't want to make fun of British people since I do love them, but dude, how is it that they are sooooooo far behind on the curve? Things always seem to be at least 5 years behind in the UK than they are in the States. I am fully aware and would hope that I would be googled before I took a job. I google future potential employers. (MR if you are reading this since I just applied for a job with you, only good interesting things showed up)...
I am who I am, and this blog is meant to entertain and keep me sane. It's thoughts and bits and pieces all strung together and it's mostly apolitical...mostly. But when working, I am super careful about what I write and tend to keep off controversial stuff. It's cool. I don't really have an issue with it. I hope you don't either.
My line manager said something interesting to me about how annoying I can be. Turns out I am not, which I still find hard to believe since he is a Brit and I am an American and a loud one at that and overly earnest about work, but it seems the only time I annoyed him was on the phone interview. After which he hired me even though he found me irritating. I still think he is being diplomatic since I think I am a handful to manage but in a good way. I let my managers manage me, which is important.
So yeah....if you all are reading this and wondering if you are going to hire me, the answer to that is yes, you do want to hire me. Even if I am irritating over a phone interview. At workshops, when we are laying out 'ground rules (phones on silent, when someone is talking we listen, respect for all opinions etc), I sometimes say to the group, I know I sound American and I know it can be grating on the ear and soul, but really, give it 15 minutes and it will be OK. You will get over it. Which irritates people that I say stuff like that since I am doing it in an American accent and attitude which yeah, most people hate, but really, in 15 minutes, they figure out it's not so bad and they like me.
What a weird post this is. But I enjoyed writing it. I don't really expect any future employer to really be reading this...just being facetious since it's fun and I wanted to make fun of Brits being behind the curve on the "INTERNET". Don't really like missing chances to be able to publicly make fun of the Brits...we are a language separated by culture. And I only make fun since I love you so much....
I think it's sweet that my Big Boss is telling me to be careful of my internet footprint. I don't want to make fun of British people since I do love them, but dude, how is it that they are sooooooo far behind on the curve? Things always seem to be at least 5 years behind in the UK than they are in the States. I am fully aware and would hope that I would be googled before I took a job. I google future potential employers. (MR if you are reading this since I just applied for a job with you, only good interesting things showed up)...
I am who I am, and this blog is meant to entertain and keep me sane. It's thoughts and bits and pieces all strung together and it's mostly apolitical...mostly. But when working, I am super careful about what I write and tend to keep off controversial stuff. It's cool. I don't really have an issue with it. I hope you don't either.
My line manager said something interesting to me about how annoying I can be. Turns out I am not, which I still find hard to believe since he is a Brit and I am an American and a loud one at that and overly earnest about work, but it seems the only time I annoyed him was on the phone interview. After which he hired me even though he found me irritating. I still think he is being diplomatic since I think I am a handful to manage but in a good way. I let my managers manage me, which is important.
So yeah....if you all are reading this and wondering if you are going to hire me, the answer to that is yes, you do want to hire me. Even if I am irritating over a phone interview. At workshops, when we are laying out 'ground rules (phones on silent, when someone is talking we listen, respect for all opinions etc), I sometimes say to the group, I know I sound American and I know it can be grating on the ear and soul, but really, give it 15 minutes and it will be OK. You will get over it. Which irritates people that I say stuff like that since I am doing it in an American accent and attitude which yeah, most people hate, but really, in 15 minutes, they figure out it's not so bad and they like me.
What a weird post this is. But I enjoyed writing it. I don't really expect any future employer to really be reading this...just being facetious since it's fun and I wanted to make fun of Brits being behind the curve on the "INTERNET". Don't really like missing chances to be able to publicly make fun of the Brits...we are a language separated by culture. And I only make fun since I love you so much....
Space Toilet
I don't seem to be writing anything of my own but rather, just posting stuff I find...but what can I do when it is just so funny....
There is a space toilet on the fritz, according to CNN. The astronauts have rigged up something they can pee through and luckily, the solid waste function of the toilet is still working.
I wrote a post about living on the moon recently...I said I didn't want to. Fritzing toilets have sealed the astronaut deal for me. Not interested.
There is a space toilet on the fritz, according to CNN. The astronauts have rigged up something they can pee through and luckily, the solid waste function of the toilet is still working.
I wrote a post about living on the moon recently...I said I didn't want to. Fritzing toilets have sealed the astronaut deal for me. Not interested.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
This is why I love the French
Just read this on CNN and you need to read his quote in the accent that the French dude in that Ricky Bobby movie of Will Ferrell, which is called Talladega Nights or something would say it.
The dude wanted to skydive 25 miles down to Earth but his sky diving balloon got messed up and escaped him. He could get blood clots and die etc.... His quotes on the issue are excellent.
I have a post on French aid workers that needs to happen one day. I love you guys. Don't let the rest of us aid workers get you down...but again, that is what I love about you....you just don't give a fuck (said in a French accent).
The dude wanted to skydive 25 miles down to Earth but his sky diving balloon got messed up and escaped him. He could get blood clots and die etc.... His quotes on the issue are excellent.
I have a post on French aid workers that needs to happen one day. I love you guys. Don't let the rest of us aid workers get you down...but again, that is what I love about you....you just don't give a fuck (said in a French accent).
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Yes, I want to go
to Burma....
Two months more to go in Sri Lanka.
My great grandfather made his fortunes in Burma. Back in the day.
That's all i wanted to say for now. Well, that's not true. Lots to say but little time.
No plans to go yet. Yet a desire to do so.
Two months more to go in Sri Lanka.
My great grandfather made his fortunes in Burma. Back in the day.
That's all i wanted to say for now. Well, that's not true. Lots to say but little time.
No plans to go yet. Yet a desire to do so.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Who wants to live on the moon?
Just saw this article on the beeb about how plants thrive on moon dust or something...maybe I should have read it properly, but sometimes the impression we get when we read is more important than what we read (don't EVER quote me on that anyone!), and there was crazy scientist talk going on and they seem to be getting their knickers in a twist and are saying, hey, you could in fact, live on the moon!
I don't want to. I think it would be boring and too much responsibility. You would have to be soooo super careful about not messing anything up since messing up the moon means messing up Earth and it would piss off a lot of people. I know we should be careful about the Earth, and I do my bit. A bit. I guess there could be a renegade bunch on the moon, American like, who could be like, well, too bad suckas, we live here now and we will do whatever we want to do and save yourself since it's not our problem, we got to live on and pollute the moon and mess up your ocean flows, light etc and it's too bad for you but you got to do what you got to do.
It can't be nice, can it, living on the moon?
I did this career profiling thing last night with Mick and Hrusi (my colleagues) and there was 50 questions or so, and no results yet since we only put in the answers for Mick and H and I will someday sit down with all the numbers we wrote and stick them into the computer and see what it churns out but they were asking about Nature and how much one would like to work with Nature and if you know the names of plants and animals (tree, monkey, nasty snake 1, nasty snake 2, Ampara birds of paradise numbers 47, 52, and 5, grass that is tall, or green, dried up, poohed on by cows/elephants....I know my Nature), and as much as I would like to like Nature, I don't think I would do so well if I had a job that was about Nature. Or Math, or Science, or Computers. I like computers, but not if I have to sit in front of one for work all day. I can sit in front of one if not obliged to and can just google all day or pimp fight on Facebook (which is even more evil now).
Hrusi, who is awesome, made me sit down and write down what I can do (I kept drawing a blank which was scary but then it was ok, I started remembering who I was and what I had done before which didn't have to do with my current job) and community mobilisation, training/mentoring and coordination are the three things I love and want to continue to do. I would like to be a goat farmer one day and make goat cheese but that is some time away (and I will write books at that time and have a B&B/bookstore cafe where I will serve home made soup with my fab goat cheese) and being a chef would be lovely but I think too stressful (give me conflict zones over a 5 star restaurant to work in, any day), and even though I love music, no way I can make money off of it (I don't think that part of my brain functions properly), so, I think I need to look for a job that combines the first three things I started this rambling paragraph with. Don't know if it exists. I feel like my mom in this situation. She wanted to be a mom but also a physician and when she was at work, she thought about us and when with us, about work (I could never tell, but so she says) and if I am not doing one of the three things I want to do in this sector, I feel like I am missing out on something that I want to be doing.
Woe is me. Boo Hoo. I am sure something will turn up, appropriate for the likes of me.
I want to like the idea of living on the moon, but I don't think it's going to work out for me.
I don't want to. I think it would be boring and too much responsibility. You would have to be soooo super careful about not messing anything up since messing up the moon means messing up Earth and it would piss off a lot of people. I know we should be careful about the Earth, and I do my bit. A bit. I guess there could be a renegade bunch on the moon, American like, who could be like, well, too bad suckas, we live here now and we will do whatever we want to do and save yourself since it's not our problem, we got to live on and pollute the moon and mess up your ocean flows, light etc and it's too bad for you but you got to do what you got to do.
It can't be nice, can it, living on the moon?
I did this career profiling thing last night with Mick and Hrusi (my colleagues) and there was 50 questions or so, and no results yet since we only put in the answers for Mick and H and I will someday sit down with all the numbers we wrote and stick them into the computer and see what it churns out but they were asking about Nature and how much one would like to work with Nature and if you know the names of plants and animals (tree, monkey, nasty snake 1, nasty snake 2, Ampara birds of paradise numbers 47, 52, and 5, grass that is tall, or green, dried up, poohed on by cows/elephants....I know my Nature), and as much as I would like to like Nature, I don't think I would do so well if I had a job that was about Nature. Or Math, or Science, or Computers. I like computers, but not if I have to sit in front of one for work all day. I can sit in front of one if not obliged to and can just google all day or pimp fight on Facebook (which is even more evil now).
Hrusi, who is awesome, made me sit down and write down what I can do (I kept drawing a blank which was scary but then it was ok, I started remembering who I was and what I had done before which didn't have to do with my current job) and community mobilisation, training/mentoring and coordination are the three things I love and want to continue to do. I would like to be a goat farmer one day and make goat cheese but that is some time away (and I will write books at that time and have a B&B/bookstore cafe where I will serve home made soup with my fab goat cheese) and being a chef would be lovely but I think too stressful (give me conflict zones over a 5 star restaurant to work in, any day), and even though I love music, no way I can make money off of it (I don't think that part of my brain functions properly), so, I think I need to look for a job that combines the first three things I started this rambling paragraph with. Don't know if it exists. I feel like my mom in this situation. She wanted to be a mom but also a physician and when she was at work, she thought about us and when with us, about work (I could never tell, but so she says) and if I am not doing one of the three things I want to do in this sector, I feel like I am missing out on something that I want to be doing.
Woe is me. Boo Hoo. I am sure something will turn up, appropriate for the likes of me.
I want to like the idea of living on the moon, but I don't think it's going to work out for me.
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