In my teenage life, I always used to watch all the travel guide TV shows which aired on PTV & PTV World and by watching them I always felt so proud that I live in such a beautiful country and I always wished and dreamed that one day I will travel to Northern Areas of Pakistan.

But, I didn’t have permission from home and neither have enough money to spend on travelling. So I waited for the day that whenever I started to earn, the first thing I wanna do is to travel to up north no matter what.

Finally in Oct 2009, my wish came true. Me with three of my colleagues and friends M. Omair, FurSid and Azfar planned a trip to visit Skardu and Hunza. I always have thought that I would go to Murree or Abbottabad or somewhere near to these places like Naran Kaghan or Saiful Muluk which I have always watched on all the travel guide TV programs. But I must say that I was travelling for the first time to up north Pakistan and I found Skardu, Deosai & Hunza the most beautiful places that I have seen or watched on those  TV shows or on magazines.

So four guys from Karachi, pumped up, excited, feeling adventurous, wanted to take a break from work and spend a vacation with no computer or internet around; traveled all the way from Karachi to Islamabad and then Skardu by plane and from here start the Day 1
(Experience the trip with pictures & videos from each day below)

Day 1 (Saturday, Oct 17, 09)

• Upper Kachura Lake
• Lower Kachura (Shangrilla) Lake

Pictures from Day 1

• Photos by M. Omair
• Photos by FurSid

Video from Day 1

Day 2 (Sunday, Oct 18, 09)

• Shigar Fort / Valley
• Satpara Lake
• Budha Rock
• Kharpocho Fort

Pictures from Day 2

• Photos by FurSid
• Photos by M. Omair (Part 1 & Part 2)

Video from Day 2

Day 3 (Monday, Oct 19, 09)

• Khaplu Fort / Mosque
• Machlu Village / Mosque
• Skardu White Sand Desert

Pictures from Day 3

• Photos by M. Omair (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 & Part 5)
• Photos by FurSid (Part 1 & Part 2)

Video from Day 3

Day 4 (Tuesday, Oct 20, 09)

• Satpara Village
• Deosai National Park
• Shatung
• Bara Pani
• Kala Pani
• Sheosar Lake
• Chillum Choki
• Astore

Pictures from Day 4

• Photos by FurSid
• Photos by M. Omair (Part 1 & Part 2)

Video from Day 4

Day 5 (Wednesday, Oct 21, 09)

• Astore
• Raikot
• Jhing
• Ferry Meadows
• Nanga Parbat

Pictures from Day 5

• Photos by M. Omair (Part 1 & Part 2)
• Photos by FurSid

Video from Day 5

Day 6 (Thursday, Oct 22, 09)

• Ferry Meadows
• Raikot
• Juglot
• Gilgit
• Rahimabad
• Hunza

 Pictures from Day 6

• Photos by M. Omair (Part 1 & Part 2)

Video from Day 6

Day 7 (Friday, Oct 23, 09)

• Hunza (Karimabad)
• Baltit Fort
• Ultar
• Hunza Bazaar
• Rakaposhi Peak
• School / Hostel / Girls

 Pictures from Day 7

• Photos by M. Omair (Part 1 & Part 2)

Video from Day 7

I shot all these videos from my Nokia E51 mobile handset as I couldn’t arrange or buy a good camera at that time. So sorry for the shaky and bad quality footage.

Finally, I would like to thank M. Omair & FurSid for deciding & finalizing the road map of our trip. Tariq Sulemani, for all the generous help & support through out the trip. Sulaiman Alriyami from Oman, for making me realize that our country is the most beautiful country in nature wise comparing to other countries. Azfar, without him the fun we had on the trip wouldn’t be same.

“Khatam”

Photo Courtesy: M. Omair

Aha! finally Zair posted something on his blog! - I know that I will get these kind of comments when I publish this post or might not get any comments at all as I think no one gives a sh*t on what I have been upto in my life .

Its been like more then two years now since I actually blogged. In these past 2 – 3 years I have gone through many good & bad phases in life. A lot of things have been changed – my life, routine, priorities, colleagues, family, friends, best-friends. Ok, f**k it I’m not going to write bit*hy stuff here.

Well I think posting personal stuff on a blog is when you feel alone and this might be the reason that I’m blogging right now! and I’m very much willing to continue it from now on but not very-personal-feeling-lonely kind of bit*hy stuff . I will be going to blog about some-personal-stuff, random thoughts, music, videos, movies, trips & tours, tutorials, links, tips & tricks, work-related-stuff and whatever I feel like sharing on my blog.

Some quick updates:

• I have been very much active on twitter lately so follow me there @zairabbas and say hello!
• Some new videos on my youtube channel http://youtube.com/zairabbas – check them out! like them, share them or leave comment!
• I post cool stuff on my tumblr too!
• And I have updated my blog theme as well – yes its a free theme! As I’m lazy when its come to designing & developing for myself! I might change it or keep it or might actually design and develop a site & a blog from scratch for myself one day but for now I’m happy with it.

Next blog update will be about my trip to Skardu Hunza in 2009 and some of my experimental youtube videos with BTS or tutorials and some work-related-stuff! (this line is for me to remember what I have to blog about next time! )

Photo Courtesy: Adil Siddiq Awan

National Anthem of Pakistan Lyrics with Translation

Pak sar zameen shadbad
Blessed be the sacred land

Kishwar-e-haseen shadbad
Happy be the bounteous realm

Tu nishan-e-azm-e-Aalishan
Symbol of high resolve

Arz-e-Pakistan
Land of Pakistan!

Markaz-e-yaqeen shadbad
Blessed be thou, citadel of faith

Pak sar zameen ka nizam
The order of this sacred land

Quwat-e-ukhuwat-e-awam
Is the might of the brotherhood of the people

Qaum mulk saltanat
May the nation, the country, and the state

Payinda tabinda bad
Shine in glory everlasting!

Shadbad manzil-e-murad
Blessed be the goal of our ambition

Parcham-e-sitara-o- hilal
This flag of the crescent and star

Rehbar-e-taraqqi-o-kamal
Leads the way to progress and perfection

Tarjaman-e-mazi shan-e-hal
Interpreter of our past, glory of our present

Jan-e-istaqbal
Inspiration of our future!

Saya-e-khuda-e-zuljalal
Symbol of the protection of God, Owner of Majesty

Few details about National Anthem of Pakistan:

Music composer, Mr. Ahmed Ghulamali Chhagla, had the privilege to compose Pakistan’s National Anthem in 1949. Mr. Chhagla died four years later in 1953.

Mr. Chhagla used twenty-one musical instruments and thirty-eight different tones to compose Pakistan’s National Anthem.

The duration of Pakistan’s National Anthem is eighty seconds.

Seven hundred twenty three poets submitted their songs to the the Pakistani government.

The government of Pakistan approved Mr. Hafeez Jalundhary’s lyrics, which he had written in 1952. Thus, Mr. Hafeez Jalundhary’s poetry was transformed into Pakistan’s National Anthem.

Additionally, the Pakistani government awarded Rs. 10,000 to Mr. Hafeez Jalundhary. Mr. Hafeez Jalundhary was born in 1900 and died in 1982.

Mr. Hafeez Jalundhary used Persian words in the Pakistan’s National Anthem. The only exception is the word ‘ka’ which is an Urdu word.

The eleven singers below had the honor to lent their voice to Pakistan’s National Anthem:

1. Ahmed Rushdi.
2. Shamim Bano.
3. Kokab Jehan.
4. Rasheeda Begum.
5. Najam Ara.
6. Naseema Shaheen.
7. Zawar Husain.
8. Akhtar Abbas.
9. Ghulam Dastagir.
10. Anwar Zaheer.
11. Akhtar Wassi.

Pakistan’s National Anthem was broadcast for the first time from Pakistani radio stations on August 13, 1954.

For more details, click here.

Me:

So this is what I blogged about after 445 days. National Anthem of Pakistan is the only thing came up on my mind when I was thinking about this Independence day. So this is it, nothing new just posting the lyrics with translation cause I can see that people in Pakistan are forgetting their Qaumi Tarana. So this might help and  please just respect, love & serve your country and be united.

Do check the videos below.

Love,
Zair

EP – Shor Macha:

Yes I’m all coke’d out. Just launched Coke Studio season two website (http://www.cokestudio.com.pk/) after a hectic week at office with three nites just like last year with season one. So thought to share my experience of this season too.

The Design:

Omair & me again on the design of the second season’s website of Coke Studio. We both worked really hard on the design this time. Did so many research and paperwork on both the design & development, made so many wireframes and sitemap before the start. Initially, he started the design then I takeover as he took leaves for the trip and then again he came back and did some final touches and we all know the magic he has in his hands. He surely is a Photoshop Rockstar! good work bro! .

The Development:

Again, I was leading the development. Choose WordPress as its my favorite platform. This time worked really hard to make it more dynamic and a good use of WordPress power and also worked hard on the typography and fonts with complete web standards and SEO. I used cufón javascript framework to use customized fonts on the website and found out that its very promising and far more better then sIFR that I used on the last season‘s website and the fonts are making the website more sexy this time . I recommend cufón.

The Support:

I & Omair choose FurSid and Talal for the help & support on different section of the website as it is going to be very huge one from the last year. So they both are in the Coke Studio team. FurSid is with me on the development and we both are digging WordPress hard and Talal is helping us on the Video Player and Desktop Widget. Oh yes the desktop widget for Coke Studio will be out soon with the launch of Episode 1 hopefully . I would like to thanks Rohail Hyatt, Farhan Shaikh, FurSid and Talal for their support and we need more of your time on Coke Studio’s website.

That’s all for now. More things are coming up on Coke Studio website so keep checking and do follow it on Twitter and Facebook for more updates

As the title says it all. I’m obsessed with WordPress more after the launch of 2.7. The new Admin UI and features are just great.  What I like the most in new WordPress is the updation of plugins & WordPress. This will probably be the last time I upgraded my blog manually. Now whenever WordPress have updates to install, I’m just two-click away – awesome.  Wanna know more about the new WordPress 2.7, click here.

Oh yes, I’m alive . Damn, I haven’t updated my blog since ages. Okay there is so much to tell and write about so here I go:

Work:

1. Teabreak v2.0 
   Didn’t do much on this version, just a helping hand with Shahzad
2. SOCH ’08 
   Got this project from batty. I liked the cause and  it was great working with Rumaisa Reem and Kiran Nazish, specially Rumaisa. I hope I did justice to this project in such a short timeline.
3. Learning jQuery 
   On a very beginner stage rite now.
4. WAP/Mobile websites
   Did a basic WAP project at office (can’t share the link here). The optimization for mobiles take hell loads of time . But its again a good experience for me – learned something. Oh btw, my blog is now mobile friendly .
5. My website
   Yeah I’m working on my website . Hopefully, it will be launched by end of Jan 2009

Blogging:

Many of my friend have started blogging. Adil Siddiq is one of them, my really good friend, do check his blog http://adilsiddiq.wordpress.com and also Ali Hamza’s blog

Movies:

I’m now regularly watching movies, downloading from torrent, watching in Cinema or at Adil’s place . Recently watched these movies

1. Batman – The Dark Knight (awesome movie)
2. Dostana
3. Golmaal Returns
4. My Sassy Girl (nice movie)
5. Never Back Down
6. Hellboy II
7. Hancock
8. Keith
9. Kung Fu Panda (good movie)
10. Madagascar 2 (I like to move it, move it )
11. Rock On!!! (good movie)
12. The Secret (very nice documentary – recommended by Sundus, my colleague)
13. Wall E (good movie)

Flickr Meetup:

Went to Mubarak Village with Photo Club Karachi (PCK) Flickr Group on 02 Nov 08. Did some photography there. Now I seriously need a good camera . Planning to go on next meetup which will be held this month

Music:

Listening to these albums and singles now a days

1. Noori’s new single Do Dil
2. Nickelback’s album Darkhorse
3. Dido’s album Safe Trip Home
4. David Cook‘s singles and covers
5. David Archuleta‘s singles and covers
6. Linkin Park‘s Road to Revolution Concert and album Songs From The Underground

That’s it from myside. Take good care of urself

Love and Peace,
ZA

Hello, my friends

Hope you all are doing good! sorry for being away from the world of blogs and blogging. I miss you all (specially dehog, supersizeme, rockstar, batster, kurri patakhi, asim, ronin and many other blogers). I have been very busy with work, job and everything that happening around me. I did Coke Studio along with M. Omair at office. It was a great experience for us to work on this project and I’m honored that I got a chance to meet Mr. Rohail Hyatt(from Vital Signs). He is so down to earth, very kind and what a personality he has. I would personally like to thanks Fahad and Shahzad who helped us at the launch of this project. You guys rock!.

So here I’m, back to this world again so Rock on! and yes I can turn into Hulk with a smile on face. I no need anger to become powerful (I like this movie and specially the ending . I didn’t liked the previous hulk movie but this one is good)

Love you all,
-zair (the hulka hulk )

What is Coke Studio

Coke Studio is a journey into the heart of a recording studio where you will be able to experience the magic of live music being performed by some of the most talented musicians and artists of Pakistan.

Born out of a dream to merge tradition with modern, consistency with change, we have embarked on a journey to create a first hand experience for you to witness live studio sessions – something very few people have witnessed before as studio recording sessions are a secretive process normally only reserved for producers and musicians to witness and experience.

The performances of Coke Studio were recorded live in front of a select studio audience in Karachi in February 2008. Featuring in these performances are Duets by Ali Azmat and Rahet Fateh Ali Khan, Strings and Ustaad Hussain Baksh Gullu and Ali Zafar and Tufail. There are also select performances by Mauj, Sajid and Zeeshan and other traditional percussion performers. The Coke Studio House Band features Gumby on drums, Omran Shafique on guitars, Mannu on Bass, Zeeshan on keyboards and turntables, Saba and Selina on backing vocals, Shezi and Babur on percussions and a 4-piece Baluchi percussion band led by Abdul Latif. Rohail Hyatt is the producer of Coke Studio.

So get ready to experience fusion music like you’ve never heard before. Get ready for Coke Studio… Starting 8th June at 10:00 PM (PST) on your favorite TV and Radio Channels

Producer:

ROHAIL HYATT

Artists:

• ALI AZMAT
• RAHAT FATEH ALI KHAN
• STRINGS
• HUSSAIN BAKHSH GULLO
• ALI ZAFAR
• SAIN TUFAIL
• OMRAN SHAFIQUE
• ZEESHAN PARWEZ
• GUMBY

Website:

http://www.cokestudio.com.pk

Keep visiting the website for more information.

Promo:

youtube: http://www.youtube.com/cokestudio

Strings – Koi Anay Wala Hai
Strings is always being my favorite band since “sir kiye”. I always like their work and I love this new song and new video.

Audioslave – Cochise
Old track but loving it more these days as it’s also an OST for Iron Man

I was tagged by Kurri and Supersizeme. I would like to tag Rockstar and Shahzad.

1. Last movie you saw in a theatre?
“National Treasure 2” and I actually fell asleep while watching that movie lol . Can’t wait to see “Iron Man” in theatre.

2. What book are you reading?
Book? What book? I mostly read blogs, work related stuff and others chat only

3. Favorite board game?
Ludo

4. Favorite magazine?
NewWebPick Online Magazine or any magazine which is related to arts, graphics and technology.

5. Favorite smells?
Petrol, Cigar, Axe, Brut, anything which smells good.

6. Favorite sounds?
Guitars, piano, drums and violin. Mostly like Pakistani and Farangi rock music.

7. Worst feeling in the world?
To be ignored.

8. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?
Oh no, I’m late again for office.

9. Favorite fast food place?
KFC, Hot n Spicy, Ice n Spice, Bovichic.

10. Future child’s name?
Hain

11. Finish this statement. “If I had lot of money I’d….?
Make a movie.

12. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?
No!

13. Storms – cool or scary?
Both.

14. Favorite drink?
Water come first then Nestle Orange Juice, 7up, Sprite or Mountain Dew

15. Finish this statement, “If I had the time I would….”?
Play games, watch my favorite cartoons and movies.

16. Do you eat the stems on broccoli?
No!

17. If you could dye your hair any color, what would be your choice?
Brown, Red, Blue. Aur mein ghar se bahar

18. Name all the different cities/towns you’ve lived in?
Karachi my home town. Islamabad, Hyderabad, Quetta and Iran.

19. Favorite sports to watch?
20-20 Cricket and Fifa.

20. One nice thing about the person who sent this to you?
You all are great. I love you all

21. What’s under your bed?
Rats and Cats

22. Would you like to be born as yourself again?
No!

23. Morning person, or night owl?
Kind of both but mostly night owl.

24. Over easy, or sunny side up?
Sunny side up

25. Favorite place to relax?
Bathroom

26. Favorite pie?
Cow Pie = “Phajje ke paye” lol

Hello blogomates!

First I would like to tell about my health that I’m better now, thank God and I would like to thank to all the people who prayed for my health!. Thank you all . But I have to be very careful now (No-more-bahar-ka-khana).

Guess what? I am back to work after a week and got screwed at day first lol. Which is not a new thing for me or for any of my colleague. Its just the work load and everyone in my team is pissed off. I just want to say to my team that be focused, do your work with responsibility, take things easy and deliver the work properly. And its apply to me aswell

And good news for my team that more new projects lining up to drop into my team’s plate(I mean dish, its no more a plate now) so Shahzad and Talal – be ready. But lets finish our current projects first.

Teabreak, have to work on the new designs’ development on this weekend with Shahzad and have to complete it as soon as possible.

So yeah I’m busy busy now. It’s 8:50 pm and I’m at office. Leaving for home in 50 mins and signing out from here. But I cant stop myself on listening to this one hell crap hilarious song / video which embedded at the end of this post. Video discovered by Shahzad. hahahaha lol

Love,
-zair

http://vimeo.com/942978

Lip Dub – Tambureddu HD from Leonardo Dalessandri on Vimeo.