Story Of One Rejected In Love (Of KIT KAT)

Life is full of surprises and startling revelations. Agreed? No? Well let me share with you a bitter sweet experience. Today was NUST Science Society’s event TECHTALK.I came all the way from EME College to attend it in H12 NUST.. Why am I making it an issue of attending this event? Because being a student from EME I feel very much the absence of effective public transport system in the twin cities. So as I was saying I attended this seminar on Zero Energy Homes by Saad Asif CEO Nexton group of companies. At the end of the seminar there was this interactive question and answer session in which the organizers asked some questions from the audience based on the knowledge given by the speaker. Correct answer warranted a free Kit Kat medium bar ( I happen to love Kit Kat very much ). On the first question asked I eagerly raised my hand determined to win a Kit Kat (i hadn’t eaten a Kit Kat for a long time).

Question: What is the biggest source of power consumption in homes?

Me(effectively misinterpreting the question and with everyone’s eyes on me): Iron

(Silence)…

…

…

God, why did I raise my hand? Why? But then the organizer pronounced my answer as incorrect, and I was relieved of my misery.

Not to be deterred I raised my hand again a few questions later. This time I damned as hell knew my answer was right because I happen to have done a lot of reading on this stuff.

Question: What is the first step to power efficiency?

Me: Reduction of power losses in distribution and transmission.

Now of course the question asked was WHAT the first step was. Not HOW you do it. Of course you improve the power transmission and distribution by better wires and insulation. Again nobody seems to understand my answer and the organizer again pronounces my answer as incorrect.

Now, I am seething. Alone, sitting in the corner of the seminar hall. With half of the directors siting behind me, I feel like a fool. Well you tell me, if I said milk was beneficial for children. And you said no, not the milk, but the cow is beneficial. What would be your reaction? Part of me wanted to raise hell in the middle of the hall and challenge the organizer’s decision. But then I thought better of it and looked forward to the free samosas and tea awaiting me.

In short this (embarrassing) experience taught me that the organizing package comes with a few letdowns too, one of them being that no prizes for you for answering a question correctly in a quiz which you are organizing. As I am an NSS member so obviously they wouldn’t give chocolates to me , one of their own. For if we (NSS Members) started taking the chocolates how would you justify those two tables outside the seminar hall filled with samosas and tea J

Can i tempt you with a smoke?

Millions of people die due to smoking.

“Yeah yeah tell us something new.”

It causes lung cancer.

*Yawn*

“Been hearing that since childhood”.

Passive smoking is dangerous too; some experts say it is more dangerous than smoking itself.

“Well then, why don’t I start smoking?”
Who’s going to stop smoking after hearing these arguments. Huh?

Not me. Give me something new.

Well…let’s see.

Imagine sitting with your date having a romantic session, but it is not so romantic, it’s your first date, and she is uncomfortable and you can’t guess what it is. And then she asks you,

 “Do you smoke?”

Boy boy there goes your date down the drain. Bit pathetic isn’t it. Oh wait did you say your girl smokes too, aww man what could be more awesome than that. Combined smoking sessions late into the night, marriage and then early death, maybe 40 years, kids not even a consideration; I mean why bring those poor souls into this world who you are sure will be orphans before they are even teenagers. Cute isn’t it? Short and happy life of 40 years not even touching old age? And guess what?

Here’s the best part.

Even if u lived the full age expectancy you wouldn’t be able to play with the kids that much ‘cause the smokes sucked up your stamina, most probably the kids would have lung problems themselves, they would underperform and you would be the lucky parents to see your kids be the butt of jokes.

Did I hear you mention that couple, who smoke, have a healthy physique AND their children are not a bit affected by the smokes, in fact they are prodigies, what could be better than that?

But imagine their humiliation when you go to that friend’s wedding and his dad has asthma and won’t come near your parents maybe keep them at arm length? Boy won’t the kids feel sorry for themselves?

Hey why don’t you give us a break and mind your own business?

“Well if you don’t care for your health at least keep in mind the fact that the majority of the world smokes are in low income and middle income countries, I mean standard of living… “.

“Boy we break at PC’s in the morning and supper at Mei-kong what were you saying again?

And then your younger kid told you how the other kid said,

“I thought you had this problem because your parents fight too much. You even said they smoke. I read somewhere that low income household are more prone to smoking….”

You were telling me about the Serena Hotel?

That's how we roll!

What do you do when you are a group of ten; there are two hefty treats due in that group; and pizza is no longer financially an option coz according to a friend:

 “yar pizza se to daarh bi geeli nai hoti”

Couldn’t agree more. Well hey, don’t panic. You grab a few kilos of meat, portable oven and all the other BBQ paraphernalia and head for the open air BBQ hotspots in one of Pindi’s best parks. Oh wait; I forgot about the pickup truck aka daala. Well guys that was just what they did, the coolest bunch of brats I know, goods+8 people, all in the back of a pickup truck (thanks to our friend), the cool afternoon wind of Islamabad and here we are, on the banks of Rawal Lake. A perfect outing in perfect conditions. Well picking a spot was not a problem, as most of the people were busy at the Car and Bike show going on nearby. But starting a fire was a bit of challenge, and after playing with coals and matches Mr Weasley style aaaand being warned by the park warden of 500 rupees fine for burning the grass; we ultimately got our hands on a left over fire where a family had just left. Well with the fire up and burning three guys took the job of spearing the pieces of meat. Four others got the fire and the photographer took up his position behind the lens. An hour and a half later and we are still going strong, but the hotpot’s full and no vacancy for more tikkas to store. So out with the plates and cold drinks and raita. That was the first course. With the hotpot again ready to accept more pieces, it just got better. We were now experts in preparing BBQ and while our responsible chef took up the job beside the choolha, we went bonkers dancing around the “bonfire” Red Indian style, singing crazy songs on the top of our voices, the huge Aviary on one side and the Lake on other. It was a crazy evening getting crazier by the minute. And then our two friends who had arrived by bike didn’t feel like bearing the cold night air, and whoa whoa off with the bike on the backside of the daala,  and four crazy souls crammed beside it holding on to it. We were finally ready to depart. But wait what is that crunching sound ….Oh shit! The sound of broken china left no one in doubt that the crockery shopper had been left on the ground. But thanks to Almighty only two were broken. Finally we were off and now the real fun began. With one hand on the bike to keep it from falling due to the sudden and  random crushes of our driver with the other two lanes, and other holding onto dear pickup, we had only two choices. Ride in fear of the bike falling on top of our heads or enjoying the cool night air of Kashmir highway singing at the top of our lungs. Of course we opted for the latter. It was Bollywood pop to Rahet’s Sad; QB’s sentimental to Jawad Ahmed’s vocal. There at that time in the back of the pickup, with the air rushing at our mouths and inducing so much drag force that it was a task to speak audibly; I couldn’t help but wonder how Emma Watson managed to actually stand up with her arms spread to the horizons in the Tunnel song. But well that was movie and this was real time. Then one of our friends decided that any outing without ice-cream is not an outing so. So there is the pickup with us standing in front licking on Magnums. One hell of a time with some of the most imba guys I have ever met, I don’t think I’m a be forgetting this one. This one’s for lifetime.

Enjoying ice-cream at the petrol pump