Darkest Day in the History!

What happened on 16th December in Peshawar Army School is extremely tragic. Unfathomable crime against humanity. 141 people including 131 kids killed in the school by Taliban Terrorists!
My emotions are taking over my ability to channel my thoughts into a blog entry. Listening and reading dreadful stories of what transpired during the shoot out - pictures, news and interviews you are exposed to, more perturbable one gets. What are the parents of those kids going through? Oh God!
People asking me "Were the attackers Muslims?". My answer is "They were not even Humans!"
Such barbaric and heinous crime. It was reported by one of the survivor, one of the attacker said to another "I have killed all the kids, now what" to which the other attacker replied "wait for Army to arrive and we shall kill them next".
Have been grown up hearing all incidents and tragedies happening in Pakistan but this is the mother of all tragedies happened in Pakistan. This is our 9/11 - darkest day in this history of Pakistan. The price Pakistan is paying for eradicating extremism (in the form of Taliban) from its soil.
May Allah assuage the parent's suffering. May Allah protect the people from Pakistan from outside evil. May Allah bring the severest punishment on the attackers and the people behind it. Never under estimate the power of a Dua.
I advise people to remember the victims in your thoughts and prayers. I urge the people in power not to see this as an opportunity to pull a publicity stunt to score quick brownie points. Actions like candle vigils, donations, walk , etc - as long it is done with right intentions.
Media and non-Pakistani people responses were much to be desired but again it is time for us to stay united and not get carried away with trivial matter. Support system should be re-built amongst the countrymen that is more important as we got hurt the most!

Personal Insight into Project Management

[Disclaimer - The article below was written for a Project Management Course. The thoughts are of my personal and does not represent the company's (CAASCO) view points. Many details have been omitted/dramatized]


Project Description:

“You are off the hook for now Ali” – stated Victor, the Finance Director of CAA Insurance. He along with 3 other Managers from different business units (Adjuster, Claims and Reporting) were testing the new Finance Reports while I (Architect/Developer) was on the conference bridge hearing them validate those reports. I have to admit my heart beat was racing. As much I was relieved that I don’t have to ‘face’ them while they are doing their UAT (User Acceptance Test) in Montreal office but at the same time oblivion of what is going on there in the conference. The project deployed was in 2 days and any major defect discovered would put the project schedule in jeopardy.

The project was called ‘Finance Gateway Reporting’ project. The Reports were mix of daily pulls and monthly pulls. The data source of the Reports were ‘cubes’ (aka Multi-dimensional Data entities) from our Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) which were to be hosted in SharePoint. The business stakeholders were ‘straight shooters’ – they want accurate numbers in the Report. Difference of 0$ between the Reports was the criteria as Reports would be useless if not otherwise. All the Reports have to reconcile with each other and displays detailed-transaction level details that can be drilled-up to summary level.

The Finance Gateway Report Project kick-off was 6 weeks before. The timelines delegated to the Business were aggressive. In the planning phase, all the stakeholders along with a Project Coordinator (acting as a Project Manager), a Business Analyst, a Quality Assurance Analyst and me – the solo Developer/Architect were present. I estimated timelines based on ‘sunshine’ scenarios and full time dedicated effort for the project. The timelines had to be given during the Planning phase meeting. To give correct work effort estimate while you were on the hot seat was as good as using a black box to generate random number for the work tasks.

However, the project was deemed successful with on time delivery and execution. Measurable acceptance criteria (eg. Bug Tracker for bugs) were set in place. Agile methodology was adopted and we had daily ‘scrum’ meetings hosted by the Project Coordinator every morning. The objective of these Scrum meeting was to give a succinct account of your status: tasks accomplished and task intend to do next and apprise about any obstructions or challenges encountered. The meetings were kept with 10 min run time. This was a platform where business were informed in every step of the project. Any ambiguous (or redundant) business case was raised for clarification during the scrum meetings. Project Coordinator would update the ‘sticky notes’ on the board along with email send out to everyone ensuring any changes or updates we have captured are not missed.

The challenge I experienced was in the planning phase when the Finance Director said “Why can’t the IT get the damn Reports right.” The Reports were simple tabular (with expand/collapse feature along with Export to Excel/PDF), so it was perceived as less development effort. At the same time, not plucking the correct data from the data warehouse and displaying it in the Report was also perceived as a callous attitude with no due diligence of the IT in front of business.  Moreover, there is this popular perception around EDW in Business Intelligence world, “Data goes in to EDW to die” hurting our cause of delivering the Reports. It was my first client-facing project at CAA Insurance and knowing the history of IT vs Business; I saw this as an opportunity as not only to redeem IT but also to establish myself as a force to reckon (sounds cheesy).


The goal of winning business’ heart or better put - to salvage the reputation of IT in front of Business was the driving force that led the project to be successful. The daily scrums were seen as a transparency barometer gauging not only the progress of the project but also gauging the authenticity and intention of everyone involved. I used that opportunity to foster stronger relationship with the Business. Raising the ‘umbrella high’ sets the tone of the project. I would promptly set-up a meeting with a Business person to explain or proof of having this in the Report instead of asking next day at the Scrum meeting. Being proactive and showing ‘human’ side by showing empathy and care to their requirement goes a long way in not only making the project successful but also fostering relationship with Business.

All risks were put on the table and were managed by having placed them in risk registers and having an action items against that risk as part of risk mitigation plan. The inherent risk that was not explicitly enunciated was the business knowledge. Able to understand the business and able to converse in Insurance business jargon was a steep learning curve.

Project Analysis
In terms of following best practices with building trust and transparency, project scope was clearly defined. Work breakdown structure (WBS) and Solution Design Document (SDD) were documented with sign offs from key stakeholders. One of the key scope for the project was that data inception is assumed to be from the Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) and not from the heterogeneous data sources that feed the EDW. This was the highlighted clause that was made sure it is well understood across the table and no surprises crop up during the project execution.

If one of the sources feed an erroneous data into EDW, the projects that are in progress for that faulty system must be notified and are responsible for the fix. The onus of that is conveniently transferred to other project. The projects at CAA run in isolation. Project boundaries are high enough for other projects to see.  Raising the issue with the leadership was also futile. Different projects deal with different systems. Different teams work on different systems. In order to tell the Project Manager for ‘SystemA’ to tweak their design was easy said than done. Each Project Manager wants his/her project to succeed. Each project runs in isolation with having no incentive for cross-project learning. This ties to the structure (or lackof) for cross-project learning. Each Project’s objective is to execute on time with absolutely no bargain. In the scope of the project it was conveniently addressed that other system’s issues would not impact our delivery. I had raised the concern of not sharing knowledge amongst projects does not bring the most value to the organization. My concerns were shrugged off by “that’s how Agile works – I know it’s a drawback” remarks from the Project Coordinator.

Adaptive Project Organization is what CAA projects need to apply. In Adaptive Project Organization, all projects are dealt as part of a same body. If any part of the pains, whole body feels the heat. Such integrated project organization allows better resource sharing and also better equipped with facing the stakeholders. Although the overall approach is ‘Chaotic’ but the project was dealt with ‘Adaptive’ mindset. Resources were highly committed to the projects. Personally speaking I had worked lot of long hours every day during the project so that the project could see light at the end of the tunnel on time. We had a ‘Demo’ every Friday to the Business emphasizing engaged project culture and being transparent and open to Business.

The Project Coordinator ensured everyone was aligned with Project and the progress was pacing well towards the finishing line. The Project Coordinator also raised the umbrella by negotiating delivering the ‘functional aspect’ of the Report was higher importance than the ‘cosmetic aspects’ of the Project. Project Coordinator took the Business in confidence that any ‘cosmetic bug’ that arises during UAT will be taken care during the warranty period as delivering Reports with data-integrity was placed in higher value. Cosmetic bugs (e.g. number formatting to 3 decimal instead of 2 decimals, font color and size, or order of columns) will not hinder or impact the delivery of the Project. This was a key win as we certainly did not want the Project to get delayed because of a font size!

Management showing trust after seeing our efforts was also heartening. After all both units (IT and Business) work for the same organization. Both have the same motivation and drive to succeed. Management understand the value IT brings to the table. Management also noticed the off-hours efforts being put in the project. This was also a reason why Management agreed to delay the cosmetic enhancements during the warranty period and focus on the core Report functionality (e.g. Logic of data retrieval and the calculations based on Claims Payments, Reversals, and other charges).

Best Practices:

The three best practices that I would adopt in my career based on my experience and the takeaways from the course are:

-         Raising the Umbrella high: Trust has to be earned and cannot be taken for granted. When Raising the Umbrella high, it sets the tone of the project and gives Management confidence that the project is in ‘good hands’.

-        Identifying risks and plan to tackle it: This is something I should strive more in my career. I have a tendency to follow “sunshine scenarios” and not even account for any potential risk or concerns. Be able to identify risks and putting on the table is half the battle won. To plan and mitigate and abate those risks is the other piece of the puzzle. The biggest risk in my project was the dependency (or intersection points) with other systems (and teams). To coordinate the dependency and escalate it should be included in the plan.

-         Communicate with Intent: This single trait makes or breaks a project. Keeping the Business Management in the loop and making sure everyone is aligned with the requirements and how those requirements are tied into strategy. If the communication is with intent and transparency, any challenge will be dealt with care from all the stakeholders. Be it Scrum meeting, email communication, weekly Demo – communicate with intend is winning over Business through work ethics.

Recommendation

Even though Project execution and delivery was near-flawless but it was much to be desired in terms of graduating from ‘Chaotic’ to ‘Adaptive’ project leadership at CAA.

To have a Project charter underlining Project strategy and Project leadership gives the projects some branding and therefore a responsibility. The onus of delivery was heavily skewed towards the Architect (me in this case) and the Project Coordinator. The responsibility should be shared and resources should be better planned out. To adopt a Project leadership where projects are integrated as single unit and treated fairly rather than me (first project) facing business clients and appointing a Project Coordinator instead of a Project Manager. Projects sharing best practices and lessons learned amongst projects strengthening Project Implementation and Strategy. This practice of leveraging knowledge from other projects can be iterated and included in the Project resource kit. To have a holistic Project implementation plan amongst projects where time estimates can be negotiated and risks be identified and put into the plan schedule. 

RIP Sidd !

      Nov 30, 2014 - We had our graduation picture taken today. Can't believe our program is nearing an end. Every team had an assigned time slot for the picture session. All the guys were mandated to wear white shirt. Since the pictures were taken from waist level up, so no bottoms were required; I mean specified :-)
We (Team MacDonald) had our working+admin session after the picture session; where we ironed out some crinkles about the just-delivered team assignment (course:Decision Analytics). We had our Lead, Second Lead selected for the next module (which is also our last). Also, Chair and Scribe roles were filled for the future months as well.
It was around 3:30ish in the afternoon when our meeting ended. I looked outside the window - it was still not raining. I cherished the thought of getting home quickly to spend few hours of daylight with family before dusk breaks marking the end of another blink-and-miss weekend. I packed my stuff and was passing by our facility hallway where few solemn looking classmates broke the news - a fatal car accident that took the life of our class mate Siddarth Bains!
To say we were in a shock is an understatement. It felt hell broke loose. People who were coming in to have their picture taken, the news made the smile on their faces disappear quickly and throw them in emotional turmoil of shock, disbelief and pain.I was feeling no different.
Sidd (as he was fondly called) was a gem of a person. A through gentleman, humble and kind human being. I regret not interacting with him on personal level but whatever conversations I had with him - short talks during class breaks, in the kitchen etc - it was sweet and genuine exchange of words.
It is a testing time for his parents. It is a testing time for class of MMA 2015. Through this program we have had 2 Kingston sessions (both 8 days duration) and 6 months covered so far in Toronto facility. We also had our Holiday party last night which was almost a 90% turnout. MMA 2015 is one big family now. Loosing a member that to in a form of a genuine caring person is indeed a huge loss! This tragedy has made us come closer and realize humanity triumphs over all other differences.
Nevertheless, came home and tried to find solace in my kids. Hugged and spend time with my kids to deflect the heavy emotions but Sidd's smiling face kept coming to my mind. Good people always leave early - he was only 35 years.
On a philosophical note, life is short and unpredictable. Value the relationships you have. Value the life you have. Bring out the goodness in people and overlook people's blemishes. Spread happiness, spread kindness. RIP Sidd !

Context

"5?? WHAT???..POTATOES" yelled my high school teacher at the poor student who was summoned for an answer to a physics problem. The appropriate answer would had been "5 Amperes" (unit for Current). Half knowledge and half-baked information are both dangerous. Embellishing or providing context to data completes and enriches the picture.
Doing Masters in Management Analytics - you realize the importance of context even more: providing results and describing the data within or between the groups. Able to narrate a story or convey a message behind those numbers is what providing context is. Providing context is providing background information that makes people understand the mentioned quote, text , graph etc. It is like fine tuning one's lens to provide a clear picture midst the blurriness.
Same methodology can be applied to different facets of life. Your behavior with others can be rational-ed when providing context behind it. This enables you to understand them better and deal with it accordingly.

Pillution

Woke up with a severe headache this morning. Brushed my way to work in a rush without giving my headache to much attention, partly thinking its due to MMS (Monday Morning Sickness). When I got to work , my head was feeling as if someone is smashing my head against the wall. I resisted the pain and retorted to 'numb' state which I was clearly not. Got an Advil and a Tylenol from a co-worker. Placed it in front of me and braving to weather the pain without taking those pills - whom was I kidding at the end?
The ordeal was an excruciating one. Besides being a totally unproductive day it was a painful one nevertheless. Head was pounding by every minute. Drank lot of warm water,walked out of the office for fresh air - nothing worked.
After getting home with an hour drive, the pain didn't assuage a bit. Not to miss out the family time with my kids - I succumbed to the guilt and gulped a Tylenol down my throat and voila! The headache left me like a donkey's horn. As Tylenol advertisement tagline correctly says "Get back to your normal' whatever that is."
My normal was -
- Played with my daughter and fed my son.
- Watched Emmy Award. Ecstatic to see Jim Parson and Bryan Cranston winning Best Comedian and Best Actor awards respectively. Breaking Bad being the best Drama and Modern Family being the best comedy drama !
- Started the blog
- Started the Angry Bird 3-D puzzle with my son
- Took out the garbage.
- Slept early at 11 pm for a change.

I try to resist painkillers as I've heard and read that they are the number 1 cause for Kidney failure ! Avoiding pills and opting for herbal alternate is always the best way - but unfortunately, we live in a 'quick-fix' and an 'instant' phase where slow-and-brewing is considered stone age.

No 'Esc' from Pill !

6 years ago [25th July 2008]...

Can't believe my son has turned 6 MA ! He is turning out to be a great kid - who is observing and imitating our each and every dialogues/behaviors - gets freaky sometimes.
Some of the key characteristics that will give us some insight how is personality is shaping:

- Has some sort of identity confusion which is part and parcel of having parents on either side of LoC
- Speaks and understands Urdu which we are very proud of. [Will be joining French immersion school from September IA]
- Carnivore by hereditary.
- Loves Soccer, Cricket and Basketball. Not too fond of Water sports. Enrolled in Gymnastics, Soccer and Swimming classes.
- Goes to Quran classes every weekend [not by choice]
- Good ear for music - enjoys Pakistani songs more. With 'Aloo Anday' being the top in the list and 'Kola veri' last
- Loves playing and taking care of his baby sister Sheza
- Style sense - sometimes gets adamant of what he does and does not wants to wear. Prefers long sleeves.
- Superhero fan - Spider-Man and McQueen(if counted as a Super-Hero) being his favorites (5th and 4th Birthday cakes respectively)
- Sleeps in his room and not experienced any 'accidents' so far
- Nan/Paratha Lover. Loves when my mom makes 'Tikkiya' and 'Warqai Parathas' for him. He once said "Ammi makes the BEST rotis in the WORLD" (He calls my mom 'Ammi' and all the bread variations as 'Rotis')
- Loves to play with his cousins and wants to be part of 'League of Big Boyz'
- Loves making new friends and participating in activities
- Displays leadership qualities by giving instructions to his friends
- Traveled to UAE(Abu Dhabhi, Dubai, Sharjah,Al-Ain), Turkey(Istanbul), Italy(Florence,Rome,Venice), Saudi Arabia (Riyadh,Jeddah,Makkah/Madinah) and France(Paris) and counting (*hint: Europe again)
- Favorite destination - Disney World (Florida) - duh !
- Inclination for playing Guitar. [His mom suggests to make him learn Piano instead - still undecided but I have to agree]
- Loves watching belly-dancing without a blink
- Loves 'his' iPad. That is his companion wherever we go.

Parenting is no way easy, especially when it comes to the first one. By far we are not the perfect parents, have erred numerous times but to acknowledge your mistake and make sure it does not affect him negatively is the key. More than the worldly possessions, it is the values and high morals that we need to inculcate in him.
For a plant to blossom one needs to provide a conducive environment for optimized growth. Parenting is no way different: provide an atmosphere where one is nurtured, cared and loved.
I read a quote which was from a child to his father "The best gift you can give us is by being nice to our mother" . Couldn't agree more to it. In today's time - the quote should be modified by swapping the mother and father from the quote (To wife: "joke tha jee....tussey naraz mat hoo")
We strongly believe in providing highest education as that is the main reason why our parents migrated to Canada to begin with. Have a RESP account for him which I started when he was born. Alhamdulilah that has been growing well. I want him to be an Engineer and my wife wants him to be a Doctor - another part and parcel of having brown parents.

Some random stories from the past:
- I remember picking/dropping him off at DayCare. Got to hear tons of DayCare stories - some of them were hilarious. Initial Days were the most challenging part for all of us but Alhamdulilah overcame that albeit in 4 months or more.
- His hand 'fracture' on his 4th birthday. Had a Red color fiber-cast
- Spending father-son day with him on Friday when I used to work from home. We used to play, eat and pray
- He was shocked when got to know SRK is Indian. His voice almost became chokey. Later said "Does SRK hates Pakistan"
- Took him to the funeral of Majid Uncle (I picked him from DayCare after work and went straight to the funeral proceedings). Explained him why Majid Uncle's kids were crying and where did Majid Uncle go. [Later censured by wife]
P.S - I have tons of more - will create a separate blog entry :)

Hope to give him more love, care for him more, nurture him more! Parenting is a journey where we are constantly learning. Hope to learn and grow with him and have the best Father-Son relation with him IA!


Below is the Note I wrote on Facebook after 2 days when Shayaan was born {July 27th 2008]:

Assalam Guys!
Thanks a lot for the immense love and adulations showered upon us and to the newest member of our team! By the Grace of Allah, on 25th July Friday @ 12:06 am, Saba gave birth to a healthy baby boy. We have named him Shayaan Ali Farooqi. I am so proud to say that he resembles his mother a lot! Subhanallah!
The joy of holding your baby in your arms is extremely over-whelming. With perpetual stream of tears rolling from eyes and the humbleness towards the Giver, the Provider, the Greatest is beyond any words to do justice to the feeling.
I and Saba would like to thank each and everyone from bottom of our hearts. Please continue to make duas for us 3. We are indeed very touched with the incessant calls/text messages since Shayaan is born. Just a matter of few hours after Shayaan was born, my facebook posts jumped to 1891 (3.2% increase) from 1851 (I sound more as a Stock broker now lol). Visited by so many friends which were either coming during break or after work. We received so many bouquets/sweet boxes too! The whole point is that we are very very touched and would like to thank again and again for your gratitude.
I will post the pictures soon . And by the way, congrats to you guys as well for becoming cha-chas, mamus, khalas and phoppus. I am sure you guys must be feeling young now ;)
Love you guys!

Ali and Saba

Towing Data Analytics?

       

Data Analytics-driven Telematics holds a bright future for CAA

        Winter 2009, when the dispatching unit of CAA South Central Ontario (CAASCO) was getting bombarded with calls from members for car assistance. It was a brutal snowstorm paralyzing half the GTA. GTA had experienced the highest casualties related to automobile in that year[1]. It was also the most financial drain for the company as property and auto claims depleted our pool of reserves. By end of 2009, CAA SCO (South Central Ontario) was in a loss of $29 m. Tethering into bankruptcy and by 2013 in a surplus of $ 1.9 m. Miracle isn’t it? What magic wand did we acquire that turned our fortunes? Ironic how we look elsewhere for solution when the solution exists right in front us the whole time: data and people.

In corporate circles, executives vouch for data being akin to gold. I have a different tale to tell: Data has the potential to be gold. Data is worth stack of hard drives collecting dust in company Data Centers unless we churn data into gold!

“Leveraging customer Data and doing some simple eye-balling was the need for the hour ” Jay Woo - President and CEO CAA SCO

 A home owner claiming for sewerage repairs for three consecutive years without Premium go up a cent1. An auto insurance policy holder heaping demerit points for impaired driving and still manages to retain the same Premium by threatening to dessert us. Under pressure from increasing competition, we recognized that our viability and sustainability depended on taking a hard look at analytics at each of our pillars – customer, operations and finance.

Jay Woo, President and CEO of CAASCO said: “Leveraging customer data and doing some simply eye balling was the need for the hour.” We had reached our inflection point. We identified our ‘Analytically Challenged’ framework and processes and re-evaluated and aligned our strategy to being customer-focus and data-driven one.
     
Business Intelligence and Data Analytics was the key component in reaching our goal and thus keeping us afloat. We did cherry-picking in terms of whom to target for our home and auto insurance. We segmented the market and focused on the piece of a pie that we were most interested. The pilot project was named ‘Risk Segmentation’ which was put in place in 2010 to increase our market share.

Enterprise-wide KPIs were laid out by business which enabled us to exploit those areas in our ‘analytical sandbox’ or ‘Center of Excellence’ for analytics. Same methodology and processes were scaled to other product lines and business units within the organization. We were able to minimize our loss ratio and by 2013 we were leading insurer with the least loss ratio. This by no means was a flash in the pan, detailed and articulate analytics enabled us to see value hidden in the data and realize its true potential via analytics.

By transforming insights into actions, we are now able to prioritize our future investments. We are now aiming to being ‘Analytical Innovators’ from ‘Analytical Practitioners’. This will enable us to be achieve competitive differentiation as well as fine tune our market segmentation. Adopting analytics made us turn challenges such as customer-retention, anti-fraud practices and misaligned marketing campaigns into opportunities. True strength of our analytics will be tested when we start gathering even more data ‘gems’ from our telematics this year (We have recently launched our UBI-tool called Telematics last year). This will shift us from being in ‘What happened” and “Why it happened” mode to “What is happening now” mode. The amount of data we will collect and to realize the data’s value is the essence of data analytics. To exploit the ever-increasing data with degree of rationale in real time is where we will be focusing our attention to. Driven by analytics, we can provide BPO (Best Product Option and BPA (Best Product Action) to the customer.

Data Analytics is by far not the domain for growth seeking companies only. Established companies can leverage data analytics in seeking efficiency, seeking new markets or even fine tuning their strategy based on analytics. Data analytics should be ingrained in a company’s DNA, driving forward its strategy and implementing its goals. Over-time, companies will witness data-driven decision making branches out across companies cementing more value and trust in analytics 

 As I write this article, one should be cognizant that the data is being accumulated at an exponential power and the ability to churn data into gold is the bottleneck. To identify ‘strategic information’ from ‘noise’ that is being flooded from structured and unstructured sources and mold them into ‘single version of truth’   is only half the battle. To ‘predict’ with reasonably amount of accuracy , mitigating risk , providing timely customer engagements are some of the opportunities that will drive our company forward – after all we are in the business of ‘making bad days good  and good days better’ .

[Disclaimer - The article above was written for a Management Course about Analytics practices in current workplace. The thoughts are of my personal and does not represent the company's (CAASCO) view points. Many details have been omitted from the blog.]

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[1] CAASCO Portal

Rebellion by Heart

        Heard that song "Batameez Dil"? That songs really reflects my attitude. I like to trod on the untrodden.
In part to be classified as 'cool' and in part to explore the other side of things. I end up being called 'Chuppa Rustum' for doing the unexpected. To defy the conventional custom or norm in culture has always given me satisfaction. Being raised with my twin, I was always touted as the 'mischievous twin'; lead all the pranks and menace while my twin  obediently followed my instructions. Going against the tide was restricted to cultural domain only ; wish could had been more courageous in different domains.
        I am reminded if this trait when I skip Taraweeh in Ramadan. Although my not praying Taraweeh stems from apathy and not from ignorance or rebelliousness. I am no scholar or hold authority to issue 'fatwa' nor I want people to get judgmental about it either. Discussion of "pray 20 or 8 Taraweeh" , "which taraweeh is the quick one" and packaged with fund-raising and Islamic talks disturbs me and what is more worrisome is when people consider skipping Taraweeh tantamount to skipping a fard (obligatory) namaz.
      For me praying Taraweeh in congregation is akin to mechanical drone following the lmam from one posture to another for an hour plus. It can be made self-entertaining when mind wanders and hatches thoughts or can be an ordeal affair if standing next to a burp gun.
      Devoting oneself to religious act for self-realization, self-improvement and inner-peace should be the ultimate goal of a religious act; with out it - you are simply wasting your time. Since Taraweeh is an optional prayer, it has the same reward when prayed in solitary - but that it is to laborious to recite 16 or 40 (depend on 8 or 20 taraweeh) different Surahs when you can simply stand behind the imam and boast about your religious commitment.
      Having said that, 10 days of Ramadan has passed, with time totally a constraint - hope to do whatever religious act or remembrance I can with pure intent and dedication. After all, it is having heart at the right place :)

 

TGIF

      After starting my MMA program at Queen's University, weekends are not the same any more and more worryingly Fridays are not the same any more. The joy of being end of the week , wearing casual clothes (it is business casual for rest of the week), waking up lil late and taking extended lunch break (includes Friday prayers) has all ebbed away. Putting things in perspective negates or reinforces emotions.
      Having able put 'things' into 'buckets' simplifies your life emotionally. It acts like a 'shocker' that absorbs the extreme emotions. The outward forces impacts or shapes your perspective and the resultant behavior.
'Friday' is not an outward force, it is just an event that is cyclic in nature and one can not react and re-adjust constantly for this.
      Everyone reaches an 'inflection point' in their life, where they see themselves thrust in different domain or pushed out of their peripheral zone into a new, uncharted, untrodden path. But what makes you realize that you have reached your 'inflection point'? Translated into simple terms, this can be considered of maturity process :). At this age , I shall comment "dair ayaa durust ayaa" (better late than never)
     

Popeyes recipe

          Nope it is not the KFC-rival fried chicken Recipe I am about to blog, I will leave that for the franchisee to sell that poison(I do like it I admit). This is about Palak Ghosht.
Spinach (Palak) has always been associated with Popeye the Sailor Man. Since my childhood Palak Ghost has been one of my favorite desi dishes partly because I was made to belief that my biceps and triceps will protrude instantly and I will go in to some sort of super hero transformation saving my 'Lilly' from Brut - kids imaginations are weird sometimes ; I finally realize it after my seeing my 6 year old son talk.
Ok so my wife and kids were coming back from Houston and I was suppose to pick them up from Buffalo on Saturday afternoon which means I had only few hours of window on Friday evening to restore the order of our place and prepare some food for dinner next day. I resisted catering from outside as they had it enough while there (It was my wife's cousin's wedding they went to attend) ; I also resisted my mom's food as I wanted to make something myself.
I did the grocery from a desi store after work and here how the events leading to Palak Gosht unfolded. I started at 11:30 pm on 13th June Friday - pretty daring to be in the kitchen cooking by myself on that day lol. Preparation time was almost an hour (I was making Karhai Chicken simultaneously as well). It was my first ever attempt and I used one helpline : calling my mom in the middle of the night for re-reinforcements.
- 1.5 lb of veal meat (washed ,cleaned and cut into bite-sized pieces)
- Half Ginger - peeled, chopped and MB-ed*
- Few Garlic cloves - chopped and MB-ed*
- 2 onions - peeled, sliced
- Heat the oil in a Vessel ('Pateli' for Urdu and 'Bagona' for Hyderabadi) and put the above items and stir it
 - Generous pinch of Salt, light sprinkle of Turmeric Powder,  Coriandar Powder (1 teaspoon) and Red Chili Powder (1 teaspoon) and 2 cups of water and close the lid for 30 mins on medium-low heat
- Toss 2 diced tomatoes into the mix and keep stirring it
- Throw in frozen spinach pack in it and keep stirring it
- Dial down the ignition to low heat and keep stirring it
- Check if the meat is tender  (by sampling a random piece from the Vessel and try to dissect it)
- Add in a pinch of Garam masala and toss some whole green chillis and keep ...... (you know the drill)
- Keep the heat low and keep stirring, this painful and tedious step is called 'Bhoonna'
- Put it away from the oven and transfer it in a white dish with a green spoon (Yes , presentation is equally important as food preparation :) )
- Ready to devour. It tasted good and my wife and in-laws were amazed that I made it myself :)
Pretty sure made Popeye - the Sailor Man proud too (A)

*MB-ed - process involves making a paste by using Magic Bullet

Using Magic Bullet to make garlic paste

Chopped Ginger ready to feed Magic Bullet next

making the Onion 'golden brown'

The end result

Rejection before Approval

 
History is littered with examples of great personalities that were ridiculed, rejected, outclassed, ostracized or whatever adjective you can use to describe how they were treated not-one-of-them to one-of-them! Sheer belief and unyielding resoluteness in their struggle led them to taste success !
These obstacles arises to test us how bad we really want something, it by no means an end of the road.
Einstein said: "Genius is 1 percent talent and 99 percent is perspiration". The wisdom behind struggle before success , pain before gain and ....well...you get the point...is simply interleaved with simple philosphy : you expand your emotional, intellectual, and all other faculties to better equip for the bigger and better things out there. To make yourself more worthy and deserving, stumbling before will make you cherish your victory even more.
Had a fruitful discussion with a friend today and he said that failures are groundwork for our success later. Couldn't have summarized any better. We aka Hans Sapiens with limited range of senses with myopic views are totally unaware of the grand scheme of things that we fall under. We should just "Stay calm and work hard" and not fret to much about the fate of the end result. We can only be called 'Experienced' when we go through obstacles and pitfalls. It is okay to get knocked down, important is to get up !
Whenever you fail , remember success is around the corner. The taste of failure will only make the taste of success sweet and worth the wait. Never give up, keep trying till you 'click' at the end.
To end on a lighter note, I was rejected by dozen of girls before one said yes and I quickly married her before she ponders on her decision :)

Start of new chapter

After nearly 8 years of academic drought, I have finally enrolled in a Master’s program! Yes, I didn't believe in that at first. I came across the ad on LinkedIn about this brand new program and it was just an instinct yes. Masters that would complement my current skills yet take me to new levels still within my area of (desired) expertise. The program name is Masters of Management Analytics (MMA) – sounds much ‘cooler’ than the dull and ubiquitous MBA. After all the grinding rituals (Application, Resume, Transcripts, References, Skype interview) I got accepted end of last year! [My GMAT was waived – yes suckers !!! ]

I will be endeavoring this part time for one year program starting in June. Our 2-day workshop just concluded last weekend. Now I realize what I have put myself into! Morning till late in the afternoon – stats workshops! Although Math is my strong area (I am a Brown after all) but stats was my weakest (and lowest) link.

I am looking for many take-a-ways from the program besides the three letters next to my name. The habit of getting out of my comfort zone and explore new terrain is definitely I will be focusing on. Negotiations, Collaboration, resolving conflicts, solving problem, presentation and much more!

I will look up to various people for motivation, beside the students, my mom – she did her 2^nd degree in ECE after coming to Canada while working and taking care of the house. My uncle – who studied for his USMLE while working and supporting family with 2 teenagers. My friends (Hisham , Hasham (not related lol) ,Asif and Nauman Abbasi ) who pursued their MBAs part-time while working and supporting their respected families.My other motivation will be my kids; to hold them in my arms while posing for a picture at my graduation ceremony IA.  (you can laugh I get it lol)

This of course comes with a price; balancing academics with work and young-and-growing family and having more energy and planning time effectively will be the biggest challenges! With parent’s prayers and wishes I can overcome the anxiety. Oh almost forgot, not to mention my wife’s unfaltering support (I will chew my words later for this lol).

Woh humsafar tha

Re-visited the song after ages and alas it still holds its magic ! The 'thunderousique' voice of QB, the charm of Mr. Ashar, the innocence of Khizr flash in your mind. After 'Dhoop Kinarey' this is the next Pakistani Urdu Drama that has been etched in my soul for the longest time to come (woah !)
Most watched Pakistani Urdu Drama of all times is certainly a big achievement; considering it fended off challenges from Indian Saas-Bahu soap operas and Imran Khan rallies.
Brief mention needs to be mentioned about the song; it was originally sung by the legendary Abida Parveen. It was written by Naseer Turabi in 1971 depicting the tragic separation of East and West Pakistan:

                Keh Dhoop aur chaon ka alam raha..Judai na they
               Woh Hamsafar tha...haan...woh humsafar thaa...

The lead pair + QB became household names, they cashed in by asking over-the-roof price.

'Happy' - Pharrell Williams

At this point not a living soul might not have either listened,chimed and danced on this one (Confession: I have done 2 of the three). This worldwide viral song has unique DNA that makes it an infectious one! In more than 18 countries it has reached number one song for the week(s).

This song is written, produced and sang by Pharrell Williams. This song was also nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar at the Academy Awards after being featured in the film Despicable Me 2 last year. It was forgettable when I first watched it as I was getting amused by Minions rather than paying heed to the song. Later, same song was played in a public place where my son (5.5 years) exclaimed proudly that he recognizes the song. I again shrugged it off and smiled back acknowledging his observation.

What is the 'recipe' of this amazing song? Simple lyrics, upbeat music, unique voice. Another contributing factor is the people! The audience which after 'consuming' it are 'contributing' to the value of the song by recording joyously their own city and miming along and sharing it ! A wonderful place where we live where psychological factor such as Collaboration meets Social web. Better put - Human Social Web spreading happiness !

Desi Weddings -Part 1: Mehndi

                   Last night watched my cousin's 'Wedding' DVD held in Karachi,Pakistan. By Wedding I mean extended wedding with 3 DVDs for each occasion.

I will blog one for each occasion to maintain the mood (and interest hopefully) as well do justice to each event instead of summarizing all the events in one blog.

'Mehndi' is pre-wedding ceremony which serves as the primer or ice-breaker for the heavy ceremonies that follows typically on consecutive days.Mehndi has typically yellow color theme signifying the color of Mehndi or Henna. The Bride-to-be embraces a yellow/orange/green shalwar kameez or some variant - choridaar or a gharghra with colored-braid following and adorned with fresh flower bangles and ear-rings. She typically wears minimal makeup and head is mounted either straight or downward direction depending on the liberal factor of both the parties. The event is also primarily a Bride-to-be event but with changing times , the invitation is extend to the Groom-to-be as well.

Groom-to-be wears a designer shalwar kameez of white color usually with Peshawari Chappal (not the infamously Paul Smith designed shoe)  and dons a shawl wrapped around his neck and flowing sideways as well. He will typically have a stubble or a light beard with intention to shave it off on Wedding day.
 Mehndi has the 'rustic' feel with stage decorated with hand painted pots and instead of a couch you have a swing to seat the couple-to-be - again trying to create a rural world in an urban world.

Special mention needs to be made about the 'entry' of the Bride-to-be. She is carried in a cart type of structure with window carvings on the side and closed from front,back and top. It is carried by 4 people holding the extended wood logs protruding from the base of the cart and placing it on the shoulder. It is a very responsible job as the life of the Bride-to-be is in your hands - or shoulder rather  The Groom-to-be enters subsequently walking under the roof of chadar/dupatta held by his siblings.

After the couple-to-be are all settled and placed in the swing separated by 0.01mm distance; what ritual comes next is to unsettle their gastronomical endurance. Married women and close family members feed them with gamut of sweets and apply Mehndi on their hands. The couple try to consume as little as possible as feeders try to be generous in their feed. The matter is really tested when kids join the feeding party.

Appropriate songs are sang from both sides which usually serves as tit-for-tat song competition teasing each party - all in good humor. Keeping family sensitivities in mind - an elaborate dance performances also takes place with songs from famous Bollywood movies.

Mehndi is the event where 'sky is the limit' - in terms of decoration (stage,hall , cart,center pieces) finer decorations (from the spoon in which they are fed to dinner theme) , exhaustive dance and song practice. Since there is no 'protocol' - people usually enjoy Mehndi the most. I will reserve my opinion after the completion of the subsequent blogs but I think I have already given away ;)

B-Day

       So a year older, wiser (Ahemm) and richer (Cough). Another weekend has passed and another birthday has passed! Yes, it was another of my 30+ birthday on 4th April which I share with my twin.
With one more line etched on my face, receding hair line, growing gut and hair sprouting from unusual places - official entry into the mid-life crisis! Besides New Year's eve , this is the second time in a year when I try to self-reflect and muster courage to walk on the untrodden path and be a role model albeit without a plan !

"30s is the new 20s" - seems like a self-fulfilling prophecy where you can let a decade pass and continue your usual life without reflecting deeply upon the changing relationship between you and the people around you. More importantly, the changes happening inside you! What is brewing inside your body (no pun intended) is what you are outside not the other way around.
As time is ticking so is our potential clock - the opportunities as they might be limitless but our faculty of sense are limited, our resources are limited and our life span is - limited. Act before you wonder why you are getting 20-30% discount at your next haircut or a visit to BulkBarn - that is your Senior's Discount :-)
The desire to be healthy is burning like never before. Hope to play squash more regularly, eat healthy (except for Popeyes Chicken :D), immerse in spiritual acts, engage in volunteer work, enroll in classes/course,  travel more, cook (my wife's nightmare if I step into the kitchen), read, listen to more podcasts and watch more TED videos. How would I do it - no plan !


http://www.ted.com/talks/meg_jay_why_30_is_not_the_new_20

Social Marketing Design

Acting like a morning zombie straight from Walking Dead episode, part of my morning regiment - besides dreading out of bed; is to lineup faithfully at coffee drive-thru and display my lack of vocal prowess by repeating my order twice.Once the first sip of coffee has passed my throat I could feel the reinvigorating affect and the entrusted  'with power comes responsibility' power bestowed upon me of saving the mankind !

For the last year or so I have 'converted' as I may say it - from a double-double Tim Hortons fan to McCafe fan. What I say next might be tantamount to blasphemy but McCafe is better than Tim Hortons ! There I had to say it.

McCafe's roasted Arabica bean is no match to Tim Hortons - period!

Besides that - McCafe cups ! Every cup is a winner ! I am more convinced that you will be hit by lightning than win a free coffee in Roll-up-the-Rim Tim Horton's Cup. Every McCafe cup brings you 1/7th step closer to the finishing line.

Their cups are intelligently designed - keeps your coffee warmer; easy to snap back the lid; less prone to spilling it while driving and sipping. And once you remove the shiny sticker and post it on the coffee card; the cup has a graceful exit into the recyclable bin as opposed to facing the chagrin of a winless drinker.

I have witnessed many empty 'Timmie' (as fondly called) cups with rolled-up rim thrown away on the sidewalk or even cut-away prize text from the rim cups - both cases meeting the same fate. 

The brand still 'talks' even it is 'disposed off'. A product designed to be more social gets along well with the environment. Having a good product is half the battle won. Having a great design is icing at the top of the cake. Time for more caffeine.

To Go or Not

In a crisscross road of my life. The decision that would impact not only the undertakers but the generation before and after as well.
Being an IT professional , we create data flow chart creating logical flow for every 'decision' path. Ironically this time cannot architect life paths emanating from this decision.
The longer time you take , the longer you come to a conclusion and that's precisely the situation I am facing.