Imthiaz Blog

Thanks to Iyad for making me a fan for another TV series Dexter. My whole weekend was spent watching this series. Plot of the season 1 as follows taken from WikiPedia

Orphaned at the age of three and harboring a traumatic secret, Dexter (Michael C. Hall, Six Feet Under) was adopted by a Miami police officer named Harry Morgan who recognized his sociopathic tendencies and, instead of getting him professional help, taught him to channel his gruesome passion for killing and dissecting in a “constructive” way: by killing people who “deserve it”. His victims, however, include not only heinous criminals (such as mob assassins and serial killers of the innocent), but also less clearly abhorrent characters, such as a young alcoholic responsible for multiple vehicular homicides, and a nurse who poisons patients believing it is to end their pain. Most have slipped through the justice system, though it is not clear any effort was ever made to prosecute some of them, for example the nurse.

To satisfy his interest in blood and to ease his own crimes, Dexter works as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department. Although his drive to kill is unflinching (otherwise overcome by a feeling of “emptiness”) Dexter is, through extensive instruction from Harry, able to fake normal emotions and keep up his appearance as a socially responsible human being. He is well-liked by most of his colleagues (with the exception of Sgt. James Doakes), his girlfriend, Rita (a psychologically damaged rape victim who Dexter uses as “cover” despite his lack of feelings or interest in sex), and her children. The first season focuses mostly on “The Ice Truck Killer” — a serial killer eluding the Miami PD who is communicating with Dexter through his crime scenes. Dexter’s sister Deborah begins dating Rudy, who is revealed to the audience to be the Ice Truck Killer. At the end of the season Rudy attempts to kill Deborah, but is stopped by Dexter. Rudy reveals that he is Dexter’s brother. Dexter has no choice but to kill him and make his death look like a suicide.

Doakes doesn’t accept the suicide theory and starts tailing Dexter because of his personal suspicions. Rita’s ex-husband, set up by Dexter for a felony parole violation, is back in prison proclaiming his innocence, and points Rita to a clue to the truth about Dexter. The season ends with Dexter and his sister entering a crime scene, with Dexter imagining a tickertape parade for himself, complete with confetti and airplane fly-over, and the crowd praising him for his fine work “taking out the garbage.”

For those who love action and thriller this is gonna be a good treat

Enjoy !!!!

After so much struggle and fight with my brother I finally got my Mackbook Pro 17inch model.  Today we had big discussion on the car and finally my loving brother has agreed to buy a mac for our personal use. We went in the night to iStyle store in Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai and bought it. Since I am a member in Emirates Mac User group (EMUG) I got a 6% discount :-). Thanks to Magnus for helping me out in sending me temporary ID card, without which I would have lost my discount. In the the discount money I went greedy and upgraded my RAM memory to full 4 GB.

It is really super fast and very large screen. I am really exicted about my new toy added to my gadget collection. Thanks to Dinesh for converting me into a mac user. He has successfully made me into a mac adict. Good nite

Today we had a surprise birthday party for my friend Sheeban.

<?php
$age = (INT) (60 + ( 50- (round(8.6667*9))));
print “He is {$age} years old :p”;
?>

Happy B’day Buddy and live life king size.

Saab please don’t shoot me

Last summer, I learned about the Two Oceans Ultra marathon, a 56-km race around Cape Town that touches both the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Touted as the “most beautiful race in the world”, it’s a challenging run that takes you over two mountain peaks before finally ending on the grassy fields of the University of Cape Town.

I made a note to myself to sign up when registrations opened on October 31, and I was one of the first people to sign up. Right, that’s the easy part out the way - now, I need to get “match fit.” After running a very tough New York Marathon in November with no training two weeks after my grandmother’s death, I had really suffered through the race, and I vowed not to repeat the experience in Cape Town.

From December to March, I took on a grueling 12-week schedule that required upwards of 50km of running every week, which is no mean feat when trying to balance the demands of my job at Flip, and trying to maintain some semblance of a social and family life. My mantra - first the run, then the fun - served me well as I managed long nights of running on the weekends before heading out with my friends for the usual abuse.

While on one of my early training runs, I decided to try and raise some money for charity to help me get my inspiration on those days when I just couldn’t face putting on my shoes and pounding the pavement for two hours. I set up a webpage - www.justgiving.com/yousef - and pledged the money to SOS Children’s Villages in Botswana, which provides family homes and vocational training to over 300 children in their villages in Tlokweng and Francistown. A third village is currently underway in Serowe, which will provide a home for 120 orphaned and abandoned children.

Fast forward to March 21, the night before the race. Suddenly, the reality of the challenge dawns on me - I need to run the best race of my life for 6 and 1/2 hours in order to stay ahead of the cutoff points and finish the race. Thoughts of self-doubt swirled through my mind all night. “What if I cramp up and can’t finish? How will I face all my friends and family if I don’t make it?” A few phone calls to my girlfriend and my family helped ease my worries, but I was so scared. Early to bed, for a 4:00 start.

On the way to the race, my taxi driver says to me “I don’t understand you runners. What’s wrong with a beer and television to enjoy yourself.” It’s 4:45 am, the wind is blowing a gale outside my car, and I’m starting to think the same thing.

• 0 km: We’re at the start, and 15,000 other runners have assembled for the race. Runner are identified by colors (white for normal runners, blue for veterans who’ve done Two Oceans more than ten times, and orange for international runners). The sight of men and women as old as my parents with blue numbers is reassuring. Surely if they can do this, so can I?



• 5 km: We’re now well into the race, and I’ve been running a solid 6:00/km pace, my usual training speed. I’m feeling strong, and my dreaded right calf muscle hasn’t uttered a peep of protest yet.
• 17 km: We’ve turned into St. James Bay, and the boring part of the run is over. It’s all coastal roads and forest from here on out. Still hitting my 6-minute pace.
• 25 km: I’ve passed the first of the cutoff points, with 20 minutes to spare. Feeling strong, and thinking I just might get through this.



• 28 KM: I’m halfway there. I’m getting out of my comfort zone now, and we’ve begun the first uphill climb, a 6km gradual run up Chapman’s Peak. Many of the runners have started to walk now, but I put my head down and keep running up that hill. Along the way, I spot a blind runner and his guide in front of me. It was so humbling to see someone with a disability to bravely conquering such a challenge. Respect.
• 30km: we’ve coming around the bend, and the beautiful sights of Nordhoek Beach blow me away, not to mention the gale force winds pounding us on the mountain. This really is heaven.
• 34km: I’ve reached the next cutoff point, and the top of Chapman’s Peak. Despite the mad wind blowing, I know that the worst is now behind me, and it’s time to cruise. Time to take it up a notch and make up some lost time on downhill to Hout Bay
• 38km: Another cutoff point passed, and I’m feeling. I’ve hardly stopped running, and I’m feeling so good. Coming down into Hout Bay, the streets are bursting with well-wishers and spectators - kids cheering for their dads and eager friends who dragged themselves off their couches.
• 42.2km: I’ve now run a marathon in 4:29. Only five minutes off my personal best, and 40 minutes faster than my New York time last November. I’m on fire, but getting tired. Only one more cutoff point left to beat at the top of Constantia Nek, and I’ve got an hour to get there. I’m well ahead of the curve.
• 46km: I’ve reached the top of Constantia Nek, 30 minutes ahead of the cutoff, and it’s downhill all the way from here. My victory lap has officially begun. We now begin a long descent through the Tokai Forest down to Newlands.
• 54km: The finish line is just around the corner, and I know I’m almost there. I’m running along Isaac, a true Two Oceans veteran in his 50s, who’s running his 20th Two Oceans. According to him, he used to run Two Oceans in 3:40 when he was my age.
• 56km: At last, I’m here. When my feet touch the grass of the UCT stadium, it’s like a dream come true. I had visualized the grass of the finish line so many times in my mind that I can’t believe I’ve made it. The crowds are cheering, and I’m literally jumping and down with pleasure.

I’ve made it in 6:22:59. Thank you to everyone for your wishes, your support, and the $2,000 in charity money that I raised. On to the next challenge - the Stockholm Marathon in May!

Source - Flip Blog