A new camera!

I just bought myself a digital SLR camera - a Nikon D50! It's been great using it and I consider it a worthwhile investment for a prosumer. Anyway, here is a shot of me and a friend of mine, Khushi Shah, who is studying conservational architecture at Le Centre des Hautes Etudes de Chaillot. At the background is the Versailles palace, which, I thought was way too gaudy. With that kind of wastage of money, it's easy to see why the French Revolution happened. On the other hand, the expansive garden, depsite its degenerated state in the cold, was such a treat!



Here's another picture of the lovely garden...

Mysterious ode to Bush creeps into Pakistani textbooks

This has got to be the weirdest bit of news I have heard in a long time. BBC reports that Pakistani children suddenly found a mysterious poem in their textbooks that glorified an anonymous leader. Obviously, they did not need a A Q Khan to decipher who it was for the first letter of each line, if read vertically, spells out "President George W Bush"! Incredible how such a stinking piece of verse, even if not aimed at Bush, got into the textbooks! Read it for yourself...

The Leader by Anonymous

Patient and steady with all he must bear,
Ready to meet every challenge with care,
Easy in manner, yet solid as steel,
Strong in his faith, refreshingly real.
Isn't afraid to propose what is bold,
Doesn't conform to the usual mould,
Eyes that have foresight, for hindsight won't do,
Never backs down when he sees what is true,
Tells it all straight, and means it all too.
Going forward and knowing he's right,
Even when doubted for why he would fight,
Over and over he makes his case clear,
Reaching to touch the ones who won't hear.
Growing in strength he won't be unnerved,
Ever assuring he'll stand by his word.
Wanting the world to join his firm stand,
Bracing for war, but praying for peace,
Using his power so evil will cease,
So much a leader and worthy of trust,
Here stands a man who will do what he must.