Celebrating snowfall [hailstorm] in Lahore
Saturday, 26 February 2011
Believe it or not – the above video is not a fake or a scene from Murree or Abbottabad. It is Lahore that received a massive hailstorm a yesterday that looked as if it had had real snowfall. This is really amazing and awesome. People rush to Murree, the nearest place one can enjoy true winters with snow falling. But this hailstorm was a blessing for those who have never been to Murree and have never seen so much of snow. The drive along the Lahore Canal seems beautiful.
God luck, Lahorites!! Enjoy the chill, says
Related: Equally strange was snowfall in Islamabad in 2008
With thanks to Jalal HB.
Labels: Lahore
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Saturday, February 26, 2011,
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Top bloggers
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Browsing the blogsphere, I came to a list of 30 most influential bloggers and website owners of 2010 that includes some of my most favorit bloggers from Darren Rowse to Chris Garrett and many others (some names of my personal favs like Seth Godin and more are not there in the list) in between.
Living in the attention age, these skilled and serious professional are creating waves in their areas of interest, catching and holding attention of millions of readers by their hard work.
How do they do that? How do they get tons of site traffic for search engines? How do they make money from blogging? In addition to the repute their names they have earned and quality they deliver, I found out that some of those are posting as much as 40 articles per day (average). They are doing it for a long time and most of them are pretty old in this field (age of the domain matters). As they write better, people link to their articles increases their link popularity (number and quality of back links) that ultimately leaders to higher Google page rank that make their pages appear higher in searches. All this is so interlinked and happens simultaneously and you really can’t separate one action from the other.
Explore these top bloggers and see what they are offering and how? How do they create an impact? Can they contribute to your own success as a blogger?
Labels: Bloggers, Fine Art of Blogging
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Thursday, February 24, 2011,
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Wave of revolt comes from Egypt over to Libya
That is what Kadhafi has earned during past forty years of rule? Related: Freedom uploading
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Thursday, February 24, 2011,
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I am at war with myself
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
You seem to be doing odd thing all the time – sitting in sun and avoiding cold water during summers, sitting in shad and having chilled water in winters, keeping awake during nights, eating less and walking the streets despite having the facility of transport. Everyone else goes to gardens whereas you go for wilderness.I am all right. Only I am at war with myself.
What for?
To conquer myself!
What will you achieve by this?
I will be able to get what I want done by myself – creation of a new world.
Translated from Sitaroon Ki Bastiyan by Abbas Khan
Labels: Abbas Khan, Books, Fiction, Literature, Sitaroon Ki Bastiyan
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Wednesday, February 23, 2011,
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Karachi chapter get together
Saturday, 19 February 2011
Karachi chapter [55 PMA Long Course] get together on Feb 12, 2011
Labels: 55 PMA, Get Together, Karachi, Men At Their Best
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Saturday, February 19, 2011,
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Cricket World Cup 2011 fever
Friday, 18 February 2011
Pakistani sand artist Muhammad Arif gestures after building a sand sculpture of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup 2011 on the seashore of Karachi. – Photo by AP
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posted by S A J Shirazi @ Friday, February 18, 2011,
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The loniliest place on Earth
Thursday, 17 February 2011
Labels: Sweet Tweets
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Thursday, February 17, 2011,
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Changing marriage reception timings
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
Sitting in a cozy and majestic hall of DeSOM, Jalal Hameed Bhatti (who had come from Islamabad), Athar, Khalid Javed, Tariq and your truly (Men at Their Best from 55 PMA Long Course), on the eve of Mehndi of Abbas’ son and enjoying Mehndi rituals by young people dressed in colorful attires clearly noted one thing; the changing pattern of marriage functions and strict adherence to 7 to 10 timings.
Not long ago any marriage reception in Lahore would go on and on, people joining late and parties going on till early hours of the next mornings. This government has put a ban on timings (earlier they put a restriction on lavish food and enforced one dish) making it 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM affair. Very welcome relief for both the families of those getting married as well as the guests. The way this new restriction has been taken shows that it was needed.
Though we saw some folks still coming in to attend Mehndi when we were leaving (at around 10:00 PM) but I think this change has been well received.
Hoping to see more course mates today evening at Barat reception, same place and same timings!
Update: The marriage reception (Feb 15, 2011) was very grand. More friends joined and enjoyed in strict timing. Everyone praised the timing.
There was bigger gathering on Walima (on Feb 16, 2011). Bring Javed Baloch, Brtig Nadir Mir, Arshad Javed Khokhar, Rauf, Nauman Siddiqui, Athar, Jalal., Tariq Fazal, Jvaed Phalia, Iqbal, Tariq Dada, Mahmood Tariq and Waqar joined the Walima reception and made it memorable.
There was bigger gathering on Walima (on Feb 16, 2011). Bring Javed Baloch, Brtig Nadir Mir, Arshad Javed Khokhar, Rauf, Nauman Siddiqui, Athar, Jalal., Tariq Fazal, Jvaed Phalia, Iqbal, Tariq Dada, Mahmood Tariq and Waqar joined the Walima reception and made it memorable.
Labels: 55 PMA
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Tuesday, February 15, 2011,
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Will you be my Valentine?
Monday, 14 February 2011
Labels: Culture, Valentine, Valentine's Day
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Monday, February 14, 2011,
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Sailboat in sea without wind
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
Labels: Sweet Tweets
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Tuesday, February 08, 2011,
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Send free SMS any where in Pakistan
Sunday, 6 February 2011
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Labels: Cellular Teledensity, SMS, Text Message
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Sunday, February 06, 2011,
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Sustainable farming
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Guest post by by Aaron Kah
Mamma Bitang, is a Heifer International Cameroon resourceful farmer at the Noubou village in Moutourwa sub-division in Mayo Kani Division of the Far North Region of Cameroon. Mamma, mother of ten (6 boys and 4 girls) received relevant knowledge on treating animals with herbs through her Groupe d’Initiative Commune Wudmezle in 2009 during a Heifer International Cameroon sponsored training workshop on livestock rearing and donation. Mamma like other women in her group was offered a series of lessons on animal husbandry, gender equity, sanitation and hygiene and ethnoveterinary medicine. To strengthen the trainings each farm family was given 4 animals a ram and 3 sheep each in compensation of their loyalty to the teachings and prescriptions. Mamma had her share.
Before Heifer International Cameroon’s gift of knowledge and animals to Mamma and her group, they kept a few animals locally and depended on veterinarian doctors for treatment. This was costly for the poor peasant farmers, whose only source of income was their farm out. Mamma retained the ethnoveterinary sensitization campaign as a best option of remembering her roots “When I was growing up, I saw my father using herbs to treat animals and the method was very effective” she said.
With little or no vet doctors present in those days Young Girls like Mamma saw herbal treatment of animals as a cultural practice but it soon died off with the passage of time. Heifer International Cameroon’s drilling ignited the passion in the woman. “I do treat bloat in sheep with groundnut oil by giving the animal small quantity of the oil and in about six hours the stomach releases all the gas” Mamma said. Mamma treats diarrhea in sheep by giving the animal Cassia occidentalis (Kenkeliba) plants mixed in their feed. To sustain her treatment process the farmer has planted these plants around her family house for easy accessibility.
Mamma has passed on this gift of treatment with other community members. “Mamma’s knowledge of animal treatment is very effective” Djouma Boukoi president of Groupe d’Initiative Commune des Djinandra, explained after applying the treatment procedures from Mamma to treat her animals of diarrhea. Mamma has been on hand for trainings within and beyond her community for the training of farmers on building animals health with plants and herbs. “I am happy to know that other farmers have learnt from me” she said. After receiving her animal from Heifer international Cameroon, the farmers has recorded only one death in a community where animals die on a daily bases. “I now have six sheep after selling one during the feast of the ram,” Mamma said elatedly.
This woman knows when and what to give to a particular animal when it’s sick. This experience has attracted other farmers to her and she is making a steady income from the treatment of animals. Mamma has also passed on the knowledge of treatment to her children and her animals have received proper care and management. She has used income for this venture to afford basic food crops for her family and her children school needs and medical bills. As Mamma’s project continued to flourish she had extended a word of thank you to Heifer International Cameroon for stabilizing her animal welfare.
Caption: Mamma in front of her barn with her sheep
Labels: Cameroon
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Thursday, February 03, 2011,
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Add signature to blog post
You might want to add a custom automatic signature below each of your blog posts. This would be more useful if you are running a Team Blog with multiple authors. You can use unique signatures for each author. The same can be done on a single author blog also, like my signature in this post.
Create a signature online using My Live Signature
Labels: Fine Art of Blogging
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Thursday, February 03, 2011,
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Year end blogging review
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
Obviously, one of the biggest (tangible) values I received from blogging is blogging revenue. I have continued my making money experiments at different platforms and with variety of affiliate programs with sufficient degrees of success (here I am posting some of the images to get the idea). Before I discuss making money by blogging, let me hasten to add that money is not the only measurement of blogs’ worth.
During 2010, I mainly concentrated on two of my blogs - Light Within (Personal) and Doodh Patti (Travel and Food) - and started third by the name Logic is Variable (yes, I dated it back from 2009) where I achieve my articles that appear in print media. Others few where I write have been primarily supporting my main blogs.
This year, I experienced with blog flipping, a blog model that is yet new here in our local blogsphere. In that blog contents were pulled, composed and hopefully will come out in book form next year; 2011. I have seen the dummy of the coming book and it feels good to hold. I am celebrating the success to flip my blog by planning more of blog flipping and am already working on two; one in the field of Social Media and another about Collaborative Web Technologies next year.
This year, I experienced with blog flipping, a blog model that is yet new here in our local blogsphere. In that blog contents were pulled, composed and hopefully will come out in book form next year; 2011. I have seen the dummy of the coming book and it feels good to hold. I am celebrating the success to flip my blog by planning more of blog flipping and am already working on two; one in the field of Social Media and another about Collaborative Web Technologies next year.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, local market is now ready to work with bloggers and pay them for their work. During 2010, I persuaded three different organizations to start, run and maintain their blogs. Even individuals are showing interest to start personal branding and reputation management through blogs. I hope to go ahead with this segment where I will urge whosoever I can to start a personal blog.
Fact that SEO professional are approaching bloggers to get help in their SEO efforts might come as a surprise to some. I have been working with one of the reputed SEO companies supporting their projects with contents and links. It is win win situation for both bloggers as well as those working in the field of SEO.
Last but the one I take most pride and pleasure is that I pushed some friends into blogging. They all started from question like what is a blog and are now in the middle of blogging fusion and as far as I can say are enjoying. Three of them are now substantial bloggers. Two of them have already monetized their blog efforts and are also making money.
My blogging had a year of tremendous growth during 2010, in both revenue and networking. For this I extend my most gracious thanks to ever one who has ever been read or left comments. The sheer amount of content I was able to develop this year is impressive, both in scope and depth.
My goal for the next year is to convert awareness into commitment. It is simply not enough to know. One needs commitment to convert awareness into reality by action to make a change.
Follow Light Within on Facebook and follow sAJs on Twitter for much more all day long.
Labels: Fine Art of Blogging, Making Money Online, New Year Resolution
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Tuesday, February 01, 2011,
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