Originally written: March 14, 2003
1st Revision: March 14, 2006
It was a fine afternoon, and I was attending the weekly lab of Artificial Intelligence.
We were given a program named ELIZA to study. “This program”, our instructor had said, “chats with its user. But before we look at its source and understand how it works, you might find it interesting to have some conversation with it for a few minutes.”
I, alongwith Imran and Wse, ran ELIZA. The cursor started blinking. I typed and the chat went like this…
Me: “Hi”
ELIZA: “Hello”
Me: “I am Saadat.”
ELIZA: “Why are you Saadat?”
Needless to say, Imran and Wse kept laughing for at least 5 minutes after reading that. As for me, I am still trying to find the answer to this question.
I have wondered, though, if text-to-speech softwares can pronounce my name correctly. My current experience says no. In fact, even humans can have some difficulty in pronouncing my name when written in English. That is why I had made it a habit once to tell the Urdu alphabets of my name too when somebody would inquire about it. Seen - Ain - Alif - Daal - Tay. Some people have advised me to write my name as Sa’aadat. But those are too many a’s if you ask me. And besides, I like the way it already is. Saadat.
Anyway, by now you must have concluded that I love my name, so let’s move on.
I was born in Rawalpindi, and the day was 8th of June. That makes me a Gemini. Don’t know if I am one or not, but I like it, nonetheless. Geminis multi-task, and are full of mood switches. So am I. But the downside with multi tasking is, that I almost always never complete any of those simultaneous tasks, (or at least, finish them in time). Geminis also like to talk, but I like to talk nonsense.
My interests are vast and wide… and short-termed. I get bored quickly, you see. Surfing the web is one of my favourite pastime activities. I like to read books too, but in my very own way. Mystery, literature, popular fiction, religion, newspaper columns, comics… I like them all. Textbooks, I always study after my exams. Music and movies have their share in my interests, but I can’t name any favourites. (I maintain my distance from Bollywood, by the way).
In my childhood, I used to collect postage stamps as a hobby. (Basically, I started collecting them because I declared stamp collection as my hobby in an essay that I wrote in 3rd grade.) Those stamp albums might be buried somewhere in heaps of junk, and I kinda feel sorry for them. Some were really cool.
Speaking of my hobbies, one of them is wasting time. Next hobby is suffering from the consequences of first one.
I used to have many personal websites too, containing all that stuff about me and my family and my interests and my mates and etc. Now, this blog is all I have as my web presence.
Don’t know what else to say.
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong> in your comment.[p:ur] and [/p]. To write an English word/sentence within an Urdu paragraph, wrap it between [w:en] and [/w]. To write an Urdu word/sentence within an English paragraph (or to write your name in Urdu in the ‘Name’ field), wrap it between [w:ur] and [/w]. More details and examples are here.
36 comments
Ulta phulta
Jul 8th, 2003 at 3:15 am
Assalamualaikum S’aadutt
came across your diary, just read 2 entries, your ‘bachpan ke din’, and this one.
)
you write really well, are you doing A-levels or what?
…I especially enjoy those urdu words that pop in now and then, i write in my diary that way too :>
-Well salaam from doha.
(know where that is?
Saadat
Jul 11th, 2003 at 7:21 pm
LOL!
So I have got readers from Qatar… that’s cool. Well, Ulta Phulta, I am not doing A-levels (nor have I done it) I am doing my bachelors in Computer Science. Thanks for liking my style anyway!
Saadat
Jul 11th, 2003 at 7:22 pm
Oh, I forgot… Wa-alaikum-us-Salaam!
Ejaz Asi
Aug 25th, 2003 at 2:16 pm
Very entertaining kid you seem to be. I especially love your “urdu” words, its always cute and refreshing to see these words making us remembered of where we come from. And yep, never get bothered by Ultey Seedhey log, keep up the great work.
Regards,
Ejaz Asi
Saadat
Aug 28th, 2003 at 12:51 pm
Thanks, Ejaz… I’m honoured!
ayesha
Nov 9th, 2003 at 3:07 am
Saadat
Nov 9th, 2003 at 3:13 pm
Not her again!
Kidding.
Diana...
Dec 12th, 2003 at 9:19 pm
ol yes..being gemini myself..i feel for u man LOL
Tennille
Feb 20th, 2004 at 1:45 am
Yes, Viva La Gemini! lol
imran
Mar 4th, 2004 at 10:28 pm
g-e-m-i-n-i hhhaaayyyayyy!!!!!
( n u kno man why)
Saadat
Mar 7th, 2004 at 7:34 pm
Haye haye!
Nimra
Mar 31st, 2004 at 2:15 am
Asalaam. i enjoyed reading your random thoughts and laughed out loud too
. visit my blog sometime. take care
Anum
Jun 6th, 2004 at 3:04 pm
Saadat
Jun 8th, 2004 at 10:17 am
Nimra: Wa-alaikum-us-Salam. And I know I’m late in saying this, but thanks for visiting
Anum: LOL! Well said!
NJ
Jul 11th, 2004 at 8:26 am
hey i like ur blog…
gemini… im gemini too…
paras
Jul 21st, 2004 at 7:48 am
first of all salaamz. was just browsing by and saw the sight and then u jumped up and grabbed my attention, and then i couldn’t resist myself and HAD to write. you are definetly a social butterfly, but very complex with lots of layers. maybe i’m wrong but thats the impression i got. just wanted to say that the blog is very interesting. when i first read it i cheered that i had finally found someone who talked aloud to themselves>> (ur faq). i can relate about the name mistakes too. but the thing is, now even the mistaken pronounciation is part of me. anyway, i’m dragging this small hello and input to eternity. maybe uve stopped reading by now, i wouldnt mind if u had at all. but anyways Allah hafiz. enjoy life, but u don’t need me to tell u that, ur doing a good job already.
KhudSar
Dec 27th, 2004 at 12:02 am
geminiology is this a fachion.
SaroosH
Jan 22nd, 2005 at 9:37 am
sucha interesting inTro…
morgan
Mar 5th, 2005 at 4:12 am
Nice intro, definately composed by a gemini. I’m a June 6th gemini myself!!!!
Ayesha
Aug 21st, 2005 at 8:18 pm
LOL!, it was Coolest intro I have ever ever seen..! heh, nice meeting ya Saadat
, you owm a coolest blog too, its simply awesome 
adnan
Dec 22nd, 2005 at 8:38 am
saadat bhaee, first of all lemme tell u i m NOT AT ALL a gemini so that makes me stand apart .heheh…i m a leo and a very pro one at that wid all my loyalties n stuff….but ur blog ( or wateva its called , m not that familiar wid all these terminlogies going around )is interesting indeed…n seein that u belong to the same streets that i belonged to immersed me into intense nostalgia for a while n well yea u sounded so similar to someone ( bad thing is m unable to recall that someone now….this amnesia is takin its toll on me )..but anyhow the overall EXPERIENCE of readin u have been nice n refreshing n actually made me sit a bit more n write all this. by now u must have a pretty fair andaza keh bolnay kee adat nahi hay mujhay and i ma very kamgo person. only speak wen utmost req. and this not speakin much really helps me in ma profession of psychiatry as well…
another interesting affect that this blog has on me is that somehow i feel curious enough to start doing something like it as well…seems a nice way to speak theirselves out for ppl like me who usually pefer to remain silent and only talk as n wen required.btw i m not in rwp at the moment , i m found in the outback australia, the place is called alice springs n amid alot of kangaroos n sekeda insects , u find a few human beings around as well(including me .. 
)..have a good day n keep scribbling.. 
knicq
Apr 15th, 2006 at 3:54 am
Oh well, I have two siblings and a child who are gemini. I am surrounded by them chotey bhai. You are of course a most welcome addition.
Lovely introduction, loved the frequent punch lines.
You really should post more often…
I promise we will continue to beseech you like we do nonetheless…
hani
May 5th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
I live in Qatar too just like Ulta Phulta, but so far I haven’t come across any other Pakistani blogger in Qatar
Hammad
Jul 6th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
Salam, well your name isnt so difficult as you mentioned or is it me not getting the right thing.. ?
Faisal
Dec 28th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
hi saadat.. well thats my first time i have visited you webpage and kinda liked it
keep up the good work buddy 
.. c u soon … fortunately or unfortunately at FAST 
Esther Carney
May 10th, 2008 at 5:52 am
Hi Saadat,
Very nice webpage. I see you like reading, although now you are studying and probably socializing too, I bet you won’t have much time for it anymore.
Well if you would like a free novel, I would be happy to post it to you, if you would review it on your website. (if you didn’t like it after you read it you could say so and I wouldn’t be offended as even a bad review is publicity I guess).
It’s action/adventure genre with a tough female lead. It does have lots of swear words in it though.
Love esther
karachiwali
Jul 4th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
count me in…am a gemini too
Saadat
Jul 5th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
I think I should dedicate a separate page for Geminis…
zaki mirza
Aug 11th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Hello Saadat,
A very pleasant blog indeed. I’m surprised and shocked to see a fastian, that too in graduate degree be so colorful (if at all you’re from FAST and my intelligence is good). Over all theme is very good and I especially admire your sense of humor. Looking forward to reading more stuff from your blog, adding you to my feed aggregator
Saadat
Aug 11th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Zaki,
Thank you for visiting, and for leaving such nice comments. I left some at your place as well!
Dinky Mind
Aug 28th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Oh you’re Gemini? Thank God I’m not
Every second person (rather every one and a half-th person) on your blog is a gemini… why don’t you make a separate blog for all these geminians? :p
Saadat
Aug 28th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Dinky Mind,
Yes, thank God you aren’t a Gemini!
humaira
Nov 12th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
you have a very cool blog. Well written
Saadat
Nov 12th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Thank you, Humaira.
Absar
Nov 19th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Hey! 9th June here!
Saadat
Nov 19th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Absar, yeah, I know. You are a day younger than me.