Nabeel's Cosmos

Watermelon Boats ... a Summer Sweetness

2008-07-05T16:23:00.004-05:00

The invigorating fragrances of ripe fruits, the buzzing sounds of bees and hummingbirds, colorful flowers, and that refreshing breeze; this is how we know, summer is here.

A best way we celebrate the sweltering heat of summer, is to enjoy our favorite fruits, organic, fresh from Farmers Markets :)

The treat here is not just the sweet watermelons, but also the creative yet classy way, 'Sugarlips' presents it.

Abe Lincoln + Obama = Abama?

2008-06-08T19:04:00.004-05:00

Ron English, an aspiring artist paints this clever, creative yet humorous collage of Obama and Abe Lincoln seen as one. It is a part of his book, "Popaganda, The Art and Crimes of Ron English"

Abraham Obama - Abama

Post World War II - World Map

2008-06-03T17:03:00.006-05:00

I find this post world war II map very interesting, as it shows us how it has all changed. The countries that were once together, are now two separate beings. For better or worst, one can never tell. Today, we have about 195 countries, for those who don't know.

click image to see a high-res version

Combating Global Warming

2008-05-25T16:25:00.005-05:00

We all hear about Global Warming, but know very little about how to stop or minimize it. We are told to use less energy, electricity, fuel etc. but are not shown the resources on how to, effectively, perform these tasks.

The image lists various items to help fight global warming

I agree, it is easier said than done. Let's take flying for example. I fly recurrently, because it is faster compared to traveling by land or sea. So instead of being grounded, perhaps the aviation industry should come into play and use cleaner fuel and fuel friendly engines.

Reducing Junk mail: Find out how to cancel/reduce unwanted mail.

Farmers Market: You can search for a farmers market in your area using google maps.

Carbon Footprint: Reduce your carbon footprint, but first calculate your CO2 impact on the planet.

A World of Tea...

2008-03-12T00:26:00.011-05:00

We love tea, or should I say we all love tea? :)

Tea/Chai is our favorite drink of the day. The story of tea began in ancient China over 5,000 years ago and it is the most commonly consumed beverage in the world after water. So the bottom line is all hail tea and enjoy the wafting aromas of fruit tea!

we clicked this shot as soon as we reached home and can't wait to enjoy the promising flavors inside this artistic tea packet.

One might find this interesting, according to a research, tea is healthier than water. Think about, if you are having tea, you are not only getting water but also various herbs and such from the type of tea bag.

Happy Birthday Nabeel...

2008-02-26T11:49:00.003-06:00

In childhood days, birthdays are meant to be a celebration, boisterous laughs, myriad of looks, pleasant surprises, zealous claps, scrumptious food, beautiful ornamentation and heaps of gifts. Life goes on and once we stepped out of the age I mentioned above, everything seems funny and we even get shy just to think about what we have been up to in our childhood days :)

Anyways, putting feelings into words is always been difficult for me, just wanted to do something simple to say Happy Birthday to you and to put that smile I love so much back on your face :) There are no gifts (just kidding) no words, no songs, that can truly show how much that I appreciate that you were born. I wish you peace, happy times and lots of prayers. So all that is left to say is have a very special day today, I mean have the best day of your life today...Hugs :)

Happy Birthday Nabeel...bohut bohut salgirah mubarak :)
Have a day of fun and laughter :)
Lots of hugs and prayers :)

The Hyena Men

2008-02-23T21:41:00.013-06:00

The Hyena Men (Gadawan Kura), are the great performers of Nigeria. But be aware, their feat is not for the faint of heart. For example in the act, "mouth to mouth" the Hyena men place raw meat in their mouths and the hyenas snatch it with their large teeth. Now remember, Hyenas have one of the strongest bite force in the animal kingdom. They come right after the Great white shark and Alligator snapping turtle.

Abdullahi Mohammed with Mainasara, Ogere-Remo, Nigeria 2007

Mallam Galadima Ahmadu with Jamis, Nigeria 2005

Mallam Galadima Ahmadu with Jamis, Abuja, Nigeria 2007

Another Valentine's Day

2008-02-13T18:45:00.004-06:00

Even though Valentine’s Day is over rated, I have always followed a custom, i.e. writing a poem for my sweetheart Nahal. Every verse in the poem, has a meaning, and every word; significant. However, there’s one thing common in all my poems, the inspiration. So with all my love, my sweetheart, my inspiration; Happy Valentine’s Day and I love you :)

Unaccustomed to the peri rays,
Illusory, but sunlit ways.

I stood alone with a parching tear,
But all of it changed when you came near.

Keeping me warm, in the slumber chill,
The moon like shape, your statue still.

Rules of Thumb - Every rule of thumb in one place

2008-01-27T11:55:00.000-06:00

Often we find ourselves referring to a rule of thumb about a particular topic. "The rule of thumb is..." and the sentence goes on. But I have always wondered how many of these rules exist and how relevant, logical and funny do they sound. Well Rulesofthumb.org lists every rule of thumb on earth and has become a gargantuan, easily search able database.

When the bird and the bird book disagree, believe the bird.

The African elephant has an ear shaped like Africa. The Indian elephant has an ear shaped like India.

If it's raining hard enough to make bubbles in a puddle, it will rain all day

The Human Marvels

2007-12-08T16:52:00.000-06:00

The Human Marvels shows peculiar prodigies and puzzling physical phenomenon, vindicating those who were once labeled as freaks. The term human oddity is replaced within these pages, it is a fascinating and enlightening site.

Dick Hilburn – The Quarter-Man
Dick Hilburn was born in, North Carolina and was physically incomplete. Despite what would normally be considered a crippling handicap, he possessed an unconquerable spirit and indomitable work ethic which allowed him to exceed the ambitions of many able-bodied men.

Man is often greater than the sum of his parts.

Caroline Crachami - The Sicilian Fairy
The first individual to be medically cited with primordial dwarfism was Caroline Crachami. The story of ‘The Sicilian Fairy’ is inspiring, tragic and empowering all at once depending on which version of her biography one believes.

These tiny people, these seemingly fragile, delicate and near ethereal human beings conjure images of gossamer fairies and quaint folk stories.

Captain Fred Walters and Other Blue People
Argyria is an extremely rare condition caused by the ingestion of elemental silver, silver dust or silver compounds and the most dramatic effect of argyria is that the skin is colored blue or bluish-grey.

Captain Fred Walters was born in England in 1855 and was a captain in the British army

An Artistic Obsession

2007-08-28T16:28:00.000-05:00

On September 2004 Kate, a 30 year old Mississippi woman, started hand drawing her credit card statements. The idea behind it was to draw six monthly statements from six different credit cards, until all of them are paid off. What do you get out of it? i.e. is it an obsession (obsessive compulsive) or simply an artistic mind at work?

Statement from Chase bank and Target store

Statement from Juniper and Visa card

In the Booth - A gallery of vintage snapshots

2007-08-19T19:25:00.000-05:00

In the Booth is a massive gallery of vintage photo booth pictures. I love everything vintage, especially people of that period. As you can see from the photos, the smiles are wider, the innocence purer, dove like shyness, and an eyeful grace. Photo booths, in those days, were the primary source of pictures, for the average person.

The outfit on the left, seems like that of an air hostess. How pretty, the hat and the bow. And the kid, awww.

Great smile in the end, love the hairstyle. This teenager has confidence, he has style.

The elderly lady has an impish smile and a dark rose lipstick, I love it. The lady on the left is dressed elegantly and the look has pride.

I am very fond of the guy on the left, with his pipe and hat. Serious, no funny business personality, I am just sure of

Street Performer - Old Market

2007-08-14T20:02:00.001-05:00

We were in the Old Market Area, Omaha, strolling down the brick road, visiting various shops that had an appealing feel for art and design, when we stopped as we noticed the melodious symphony coming out of this man's cello.

A street performer playing a cello, an opus treat for us.

Map of countries with Universal Healthcare

2007-08-06T12:54:00.000-05:00

I am sure you all have seen Michael Moore's documentary about the Health care in America, Sicko. The fundamental premise of the movie is about the benefits of Universal Health care and the drawbacks of our current health care system. Below is a chart that shows countries with Universal Health care available. To name a few: UK, France, Canada ...

click the image to view high-res map. I've added some country names but not all.

Whimsical...

2007-07-27T20:14:00.001-05:00

My heart faltered, when I looked at this teal blue Bandalleno tunic/kameez, embellished with sequins and beads in flowery motifs on sleeves and bodice. We all need little indulgence once in a while to bolster our spirits, don't we? So besides spending money on manicure, I ended up buying this tunic/kameez ;o)

Cartooning blindfolded

2007-07-17T11:42:00.000-05:00

In 1947 Life Magazine asked some famous comic strip artists to to draw their famous characters while wearing a blindfold. The result is amazing. More pictures can be seen here

Dick Tracy is a hard-hitting, fast-shooting, and supremely intelligent detective

Secret Agent Corrigan a.k.a X-9, a private eye

Brandy, heroine of Johnny Hazard comic strip.

The Gumps, a popular comic strip about a middle-class family, was created by Sidney Smith

A Sunflower of Mangoes :)

2007-07-03T23:03:00.000-05:00

Mango is regarded as the queen of fruits in tropical areas of the world. It has been my most and all time favorite fruit. I miss Pakistani summers, sitting outside in bone-scorching heat or in verandas, having mangoes with my siblings and cousins along with boisterous laughs, non-stop gossip sessions, fighting over mangoes, are some of the best childhood reminiscences of my life :)

Adorn Your Feet

2007-06-21T00:39:00.000-05:00

I'm blessed with great love, friends and family. Recently Nabeel bought me a lovely pair of beautifully ornate jewel toned Jaipuri Chappals and I LOVE IT :) They are so comfortable and goes with so many of my Shalwar Kameez and skirts :)

The Spine Stories

2007-06-09T19:56:00.000-05:00

A book's spine is not merely a matter of assembling it's content's (bookbinding) which originated around 1st century, but it also tells a story by itself. Below is a clever project by Nina Katchadourian, a multi-talented artist. Now the question is, does your book shelf tell a story?

History of the Universe,... The first world, The Cell...

Women looking after Nietzsche. What is to be done?...

Bleeding optimist, you bet! Drawn and quartered happily for love

Water Figures - A Dance of Colors

2007-06-02T18:02:00.001-05:00

Here is a stunning gallery of colored water droplets captured through high speed photography. The gallery is composed by footopa and is called, Water Sculptures. By altering the adjustments and using the right composition of fluids, they obtain all kinds of figures or dancing droplets.

The Obesity Chart

2007-05-26T20:55:00.000-05:00

Below is an obesity chart by nation, based on data taken from Wikipedia. Sadly, the United States is leading when it comes to over weightiness. The chart displays the percentage of population oder than 15 with a body-mass index greater than 30. Click on the image for a higher resolution.

The Feast of Roses

2007-05-20T15:30:00.001-05:00

"The Feast of Roses" a beautifully written sequel to The Twentieth Wife relates the married life of Mehrunnisa, the twentieth and most beloved wife of Emperor Jahangir, better known as Nur Jahan. I have a love affair with historical romance novels, and "The Feast of Roses" didn't disappoint me. The author's storytelling is masterful, you can actually visualize the sights of the sumptuous Mughal empire, smell the aromas, feel the desert heat, chess games, love, lust, friendship, betrayal and so much more. Both novels were page turners and I enjoyed immensely :) If someone is interested in South Asian history, they'll enjoy these novels as well :)

Enhance Your Beauty...

2007-05-10T01:03:00.000-05:00

It’s a myth that necklaces symbolize desires especially material avarice. Himalayan nomads wore necklaces like these for Ornamentation,wealth and protection. Love the simplicity and enhancing beauty of this silver and warm amber talisman pendant, very similar to many found in ancient cultures across the globe and this adds a bold accent to both causal and festive outfits. Hand-crafted by talented artisans in Northern Pakistan :)

The Anatomy of a Cartoon Character

2007-05-05T22:49:00.000-05:00

Skeletal Systems is a character study of various cartoon characters. One has to think, what are the most typical features of cartoon characters, and usually it is distorted shapes and mismatched proportions, but still they depict human form. Below you can see skeleton renderings of some cartoon characters, to the best of judgment of course.

Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory. I don't think his body can support the weight of his head, but it does, Genius!!

Betty Boop - with an Oddly shaped skull

Bubbles from The Power Puff Girls - Notice the eye sockets, covering half of the head.

The Babel Fish - Hitchhiker's Guide to Galaxy

2007-04-27T09:59:00.000-05:00

The oddest thing in the Universe, Babel fish, is a fictional species of fish in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, that can instantly translate any language to any other language. If you stick a Babel Fish in your ear, you are instantly able to understand anything that is said to you in any form of language.

Ignore the part about god vs. man .. that was a poor example and a theorem .. but the Babel fish is amazing :)