His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby marsh. He dropped his tools and ran to the marshthere, stuck to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman’s thin surroundings; an elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy that farmer Fleming had saved.“I want to repay you,” said the nobleman. “You saved my son’s life.”“No, I can’t accept payment for what I did,” the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer’s own son came to the door of the family hut.“Is that your son?” the nobleman asked. “Yes,” the farmer replied proudly.“I’ll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he’ll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of.” And that he did.Farmer Fleming’s son attended the very best schools and in time, graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.Years afterward, the same nobleman’s son who was saved from the marsh was stricken with pneumonia.What saved his life this time? Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son’s name? Sir Winston Churchill.When you practice the boomerang effect, you may actually notice a sense of relief because you don’t have to control things and keep score anymore. This is a newfound freedom when you can focus on your networking and allow the return to happen of its own accord. When you concentrate on supporting the other people in your network, you’ll receive an abundance of ideas, support and referrals.

Usually I hate dogs the most. A week ago I watched a movie of dog's loyality named "Hachi: A Dog's Tale" that made me cry. Its a true story of a dog's faith, devotion and undying love for his master. I made my mind to write something about the dog just after that. It was the dog's true loyality that  made me write a blog on it even after many days. Finally got some time to write on him. So here is the story...  

The real Hachiko

            Hachiko was born on a farm near the city Ōdate, Akita Perfecture in Japan on 10th Novemer 1923. In 1924, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department in the University of Tokyo adopted Hachiko as a pet. The master took care of the dog as it was his own son. The dog use to leave his master in the morning and use to greet him at the end of each day at the nearby Shibuya train station. This daily routine continued untill May 1925, when professor Ueno did not return home from university. The professsor suffered from cerebral hemorrhage and died, never returning to the train station where Hachiko was waiting. For the next nine years, Haciko waited at the train station for his master's return. His precise presence was noticed each day when the train was due at the station.

            People who work at the train station had seen Hachiko and his master together each day. Initial reaction of those people was not friendly until an article was published in the newspaper about Hachiko's loyality on 4 October 1932. The dog then earned a fame nation wide and people then started bringing treats and food for him during his wait. His faithfullness to his master's memory impressed the people of Japan as a spirit of family loyality all should strive to achieve.

               In April 1934, a bronze statue in his likeness was erected at Shibuya Station, and Hachiko himself was present at its unveiling.

Hachiko statue at Shibuya Train Station 

            Hachiko died on March 8, 1935 and was found on a street in Shibuya.

The first thing after watching the movie came in my mind was that even animals show such a true loyality and devotion to their master then why we humans are enemies of our own blood relations.??? And its the question still wandering in my mind.

                

A professor was giving a lecture to his students on stress management. He raised a glass of water and asked the audience, "How heavy do you think this glass of water is?"
The students answers ranged from 20 gram to 500 gram.
The professsor said to them: "It does not matter on the absolute weight. It depends on how long you hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it is OK. If I hold it for an hour, I will have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance. It is the exact same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, we will not be able to carry on, the burden becoming increasingly heavier.
What you have to do is to put the glass down, rest for a while before holding it up again. We have to put down the burden periodically, so that we can be refreshed and be able to carry on. So before you return home from work tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it back home. You can pick it up tomorrow."

Moral: Whatever burdens you are having now on your shoulders, let it down for a moment if you can. Pick it up again later when you have rested. Just feel easy and relax. Life is short, Enjoy it...!!!

In ancient times, a King had a boulder (a large rock, typically one that has been worn smooth by erosion) placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.

Some of the King's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant (a poor farmer of low social status who owns or rents a small piece of land for cultivation) came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the huge rock, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much effort and straining, he finally succeeded.

After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. He picked up the purse and saw that the purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand.

Moral: Every obstacle presents an oppertunity to improve one's condition.

Now a days, people are seen complaining about the issues, but nobody solves or tries to solve those issues except very very few. If everybody sincerely play his/her role in solving those issues, the problems will probably reduced if not come to an end at all.

Hazrat Ali (R.A), the fourth Caliph of Islam asked the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) one day about the principles which governed his general behaviour. He replied:

• Knowledge is my Capital.
• Reason is the basis of my Relegion.
• Desire is my mount for Riding.
• Zikr (Remembrance) of Allah the Almighty is my Comrade.
• Confidence is my Treasure.
• Anxiety is my Companion.
• Science is my Arm.
• Patience is my Mantle.
• Contentment is my Booty.
• Modesty is my Pride.
• Renunciation of pleasure is my Profession.
• Certitude is my Food.
• Truth is my Intercessor.
• Obedience is my Grandeur.
• Struggle is my habitude and the delight of my heart is Prayers.

Its been 11 years since our three families had an unforgettable visit to Naran. It was the same day 24th July 2002,  when our family along with the two families of my maternal uncles set off for Naran from Garhi Habibullah. The memorable expedition started early in the morning. The weather was clear, it was a bright sunny day. We travelled along the River Kunhar and reached Paras at about 11 am. Road was under construction so we had to stop and wait until the FWO made it clear. There we had an unforgettable moment. As along as we were waiting there, suddenly it started land sliding. I with my cousin were sitting in the vehicle while rest of the family members were out. A large stone hitting the roof of the vehicle went to the river sideby. My father also got injured by a stone hitting on his foot. Most of the people return from there but we din't lost hope and aimed to finish our tour properly. After a short while, road was cleared and continued our journey. Had lunch in a hotel nearby the riverside. After reaching Naran, we put our mangoes in the freezing river to make them cold and enjoyed them. Then we hired Jeeps off towards the Lake Saiful Malook. It was a stunning view at the lake. The icy cold lake was surrounded by mountains having white snow on them. It was feeling like a cold winter of December in the month of July. We couldn't stay there for a long time due to extreme weather. The sky was soon covered with dark clouds signing of a heavy rainfall. We moved back to the jeeps so to get back for home. The story doesn't end up here. It started raining cats and dogs. While returning back, we came to know that the brakes of the vehicle are now out of order. Oh my God...!!! In the thunder lightening and heavy rain, we all got scared. Reciting the Holy Verses, slowly and steadily we continued our journey and at last reached home safe and sound. Those moments were unforgettable for me and all those who were with us. It seems like that happened yesterday. But now that tour is a part of our sweet memories. :)       

About the Lake:

Lake Saif ul Malook  is a famous tourist resort. There is also a fictional story named Saif ul Malook associated with the lake. The weather here is moderate during day time while the temperature drops to minus degrees at night.  It is located about 8 kilometers (5 miles) north from the town of Naran in northern end of Kaghan Valley, in District Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

          The lake with its majestic and mesmerizing natural beauty, pleasant atmosphere and associated tale and history, attracts thousands of tourists each year from all around the country during the summer.                         The lake is also famous for being habitat of large size Brown Trout fish, which weigh up to 7 kilograms. Lake Saif ul Malook also provides a marvelous view of Malika Parbat, which is the highest peak of Kaghan Valley.

Altitude:

Lake Saif ul Malook is one of the highest alpine lakes of Pakistan. It is located at an altitude of 3,224 meters (10, 578 feet) above sea level.

Depth:

There are lots of controversies about the depth of Lake Saif ul Malook. In fact, there is no authentic source to tell the exact depth of lake. The local people of the valley say Lake Saif ul Malook is 1 kilometer deep, some of them says it is 1.7 kilometers. However, a team which recently conducted a survey on all alpine lakes of Northern Areas of Pakistan told that the depth of Lake Saif ul Malook is 50 feet.

If we take a look at figures given above, the one (50 feet) provided by the team which conducted survey seems to be more realistic, as if we consider the geography of the area surrounding the lake, it would be marvel of nature for a lake to be 1-1.7 kilometers deep at an altitude of 3 kilometers above sea level.

Story of Lake Saif ul Malook:

The classic story of Lake Saif ul Malook is written by Sufi poet Mian Muhammad Bakhsh. It is written in the form of poetic verses.

The story is about a Persian Prince named Saif ul Malook who fell in love with a fairy named Badi-ul-Jamal (Glory of the moon), whom he saw in his dreams. The Prince thus started his journey to find his beloved fairy Badi-ul-Jamal. He was clueless in his restless journey until he met a Devish (Holy man), who told him how he can find her. Devish also told him that he had to go through many exams before he could find and marry Badi-ul-Jamal, because she was a fairy and Prince was human.

The Prince then starts his journey for the impossible in the name of his love. The rest of the story chronicles the challenges he faced during his journey and the spiritual lessons he learned on the way.

Cultivated in the garden of Life,

Friendship is the strongest power.

As pure as a dewdrop,

A dear friend is sometimes dearer than Life.

During the days of FIT (Frontiers of Information Technology) Tour back in december 2012, me and a fellow member Umar set up to explore Sarena Hotel Islamabad. We moved through corridors, elevators, lawns, gymnasiums, different floors and bar clubs, taking pictures of each other and things placed for the comfort and pleasure of the visitors. While wandering there, we came across an Art Gallery which was located inside the Hotel and was a place of amusement for the Art Lovers. We stepped inside it. Founding nobody inside the Gallery, I started to take pictures of the monuments and the portraits that were hanged on the wall. As soon as I took  the second snapshot, an aged person of about 50 years stepped inside the gallery roaring at me that: "Don't you know its not allowed to take pictures inside a gallery? What you have done. People took snapshots of these master pieces and then make copies of it" I got confused and replied in a sense that I knew that I have done something wrong: "Sorry Sir I didn't know ealier that  it is forbibben to take pictures inside a gallery." Saying Sorry again to him, we rushed out the gallery and tried to walk as fast as we could, just to get out of sight of that person. We reached into the lawn of the hotel laughing at each other upon the mistake that we have just made and the reward of that we received from the owner of the gallery.

                  The days passed and I got busy in my daily routine. One day while surfing the internet I came across the same picture of the portrait I took inside the gallery, I got curious and tried to find out more about that portrait. Upon little searching, I was wondered to see that the picture of the portrait I took was a world famous portrait. The portrait named “The Last Supper” was a portrait by an Italian Artist "Leonardo da Vinci".

About the Portrait

Leonardo's most famous painting of the 1490's is "The Last Supper", painted for the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria della Grazie in Milan. The painting represents the last meal shared by Jesus with his disciples before his capture and death. It shows specifically the moment when Jesus has just said: "One of you will betray me". Leonardo tells the story of the consternation that this statement caused to the twelve followers of Jesus.

      When finished, the painting was acclaimed as a masterpiece of design and characterization. But it deteriorated rapidly, so that within a hundred years it was described by one viewer as "completely ruined". Leonardo, instead of using the reliable technique of fresco, had used tempera over a ground that was mainly gesso, resulting in a surface which was subject to mold and to flaking. Despite this, the painting has remained one of the most reproduced works of art, countless copies being made in every medium from carpets to cameos.

I was pleased to see that the snap I captured and for which I endured the unpleasant and harsh words of the owner of the gallery was a master piece. I forgot about what actually happened while capturing the portrait. The feeling of happiness of knowing to capture a historical masterpiece overcame the feeling of suffering in the gallery. 

While getting stuck on playing a flash file in ASP.Net, I found a simple solution to it. So I found it better to share this with others.

Step 1

Go to the website www.flash-control.net Download FlashControl v2.4 Free version (Free version works perfectly), or you can buy full version from the site.

Step 2

Unzip the file and put it somewhere on the your hard drive, e.g "C:\Users\Saad\Documents". Now in Visual Studio, open the Toolbox window, right-click on a tab (you can create a new one if you want) and select “Choose items…”, then on the “.Net Framework components” tab click “Browse…” and select the “FlashControl.dll” file located in "C:\Users\Saad\Documents". Finally click the “OK” button and FlashControl appears on the Toolbox.(if not just restat visual studio) Now you can drag and drop it on your webform in the Visual Studio designer.

Step 3

Now add a flash file in your Visual Studio Project.

Step 4

In the properties panel of the flash control, go to the MovieUrl and specify the path of your flash file in your project. You can set rest of the properties as per your needs.

Run your project to play the flash file in browser.

Note:

You can apply your own CSS to beautify the content of the flash control.

The above mentioned procedure is tested by me in Visual Studio 2012 and works perfectly.

Three days back, on 1 June 2013, I had a trip to Ayubia, Nathiagali and Murree. It was a bright sunny day when our class got permitted to go on a trip after an year. Woke up early in the morning, went to hostal to pick up a buddy who wasn't ready to go on trip due to submission of projects ahead. Then hurried to the student affairs where bus was waiting for us. We left university at 8 am reciting verses of journey . The journey started well. As soon as we reached Harnoi, classmates made the advisor to stop for a while there. Then the classfellows startes to shower water at each other. Those who were running far were lifted up by two or three classfellows and were throw down in the water. This lasted for 30 to 35 minutes and everybody  including advisor with their wet clothes moved to bus and started marching towards the destination.

At about 10.30 am, we reached Ayubia where we had a cup of tea in the company of monkeys. They welcomed us at the hotel.

One female monkey whose baby was stuck with her mom, came quickly, opened the shopper, took a packet of biscuits and ran away. After having all this fun, we moved to the chair lifts and then enjoyed the ride up to the top. Their we had some snaps with eagles, horse and then had a ride on boat that was thrilling. 

After that we had lunch in the hotel near by. Then move back to the chair lifts and started moving towards Murree. In Murree we were left with only one hour. Some classmates were seen shopping there and rest were walking on the Mall Road,  and then we move back to bus. The journey started back towards the home. Stopped at Nathiagali, bought some chicken chillies coke, enjoyed that in bus because we were having no more time to stay there. At about 8:30 pm, the bus dropped me near the home and a fantastic day ended with this. I enjoyed alot with the classmates and it turned out to be one of the memorable day of my life.