History was written on the back of the horse

History was written on the back of the horse, originally uploaded by !shtiaQ Ahmed.

They gallop and trot, whinny and neigh, capturing our imagination — and our hearts. Indeed, horses are said to have done more to change human history than any other domestic animal, once upon a time carrying explorers to new frontiers and mighty armies to great conquests. Though their glory days may be in the past, these hoofed creatures continue to enthrall us.

As it is said, "History was written on the back of the horse."

In Northern Areas of Pakistan, the legacy of horse continues when each year Polo being played at the highest ground in the world; Shandur. Where polo is still being played in its original form along with the Bushkazi in upper NWFP province.

In the plains of Punjab there is a game called Tent Pegging being played using the skillful art of riding and hitting the target with pin point accuracy… It is also considered to be a sign of power and pride.

The tradition continues as polo, tent pegging, and bushkazi florish as time is passing by. My point here is why we promote western sports like cricket, football when we have rich sports of ourself like Bandar Killa, Peetho Garam, Tent Pegging, Polo, Bushkazi. I never saw these matches at national level over the television.

Its time to think and reflect.

Taken: Murree Brewery Polo Cup prize distribution, 2009.

Borit Panorama

Borit Panorama, originally uploaded by !shtiaQ Ahmed.

Borit Lake or Borith Lake is situated in Gojal Area, Upper Hunza Valley, Northern Areas of Pakistan which is also known as Gilgit Baltistan region…. A short 2 KM jeep trek from Karaoram Highway or short day hike from the Pasu can lead you to the perfect harmony of nature with the lake which is fed from somewhere deep in the ground as there is no outlet and inlet of this body of saline water… This results in perfect silence environment where one can find a broad range of migratory birds.

Better watch Big

or Enjoy the Orignal

Taken: Merge of seven vertical shots at the bank of Borit Lake, Gojal Area, Upper Hunza, Northern Areas of Pakistan.

Peaceful Stillness

Peaceful Stillness, originally uploaded by !shtiaQ Ahmed.

Silence is the space in which sound can exist. Stillness is the space in which life comes to life.

If you listen only to the sounds, only to the noise, there is much that you will miss. Listen also to the silence, to the space between the sounds.

Listen to the silence, and what you’ll hear are the limitless possibilities. Experience the stillness, and you’ll discover how it feels to be fully aware.

It’s great when life is filled with sounds, colors, activity and excitement. It’s even better when all that activity of living is grounded in real and meaningful purpose.
In silence you come to hear that meaning. In stillness you come to know that purpose.

Make a place in each day for the peaceful stillness. For it is the place where all that is possible takes shape.

Larger View

Taken: Murree Express Way, Korang Valley, Islamabad, Pakistan

My Homeland

My Homeland, originally uploaded by !shtiaQ Ahmed.

That is what i call MY HOMELAND,Yes indeed it is a hidden paradise When I see from the eyes of western person I see it as a desert and barren country…but perhaps one should see it through my lens…and then one would come to know that why it is a hidden paradise.

Well the spirituality of my homeland is not just restricted to the intangible belief systems. It also reflects in the splendors of Mother Nature. From the pristine peaks in the north to the mangroves of the Indus delta, Pakistan blends climates, geographies, terrains in its melting pot. Within hours of leaving an arid zone, one enters into a fertile delta. And again a few more hours put you right in front of otherworldly mountains.

It is said that "you cannot belong to the world until you belong to your country".

We all have dreams. We all have expectations. But Pakistan would not change until we try to make some contributions. We are the culprits because we don’t have nationalism in ourselves.We ourselves don’t make any changes but if we don’t make any changes than a time will come when there is nothing to change. Recall the words of Dr martin Luther King ‘Our lives began to end the day we keep silent on things that matter". To us our country matters a lot therefore we need to bring a change. A positive one…

Large View

Taken: Sost Boarder Post, Upper Hunza Valley, Gilgit Baltistan, Northern Areas of Pakistan.

Sweet Po Taters

Sweet Po Taters, originally uploaded by !shtiaQ Ahmed.

Some people never seem motivated to participate,
but are just content to watch while others do the work.
They are called "Spec Taters".

Some people never do anything to help, but are gifted
at finding fault with the way others do the work.
They are called "Comment Taters".

Some people are very bossy and like to tell others what
to do, but don’t want to soil their own hands.
They are called "Dick Taters".

Some people are always looking to cause problems by
asking others to agree with them. It is too hot or too cold, too
sour or too sweet.
They ?are called "Agie Taters".

There are those who say they will help, but somehow
just never get around to actually doing the promised help.
They are called "Hezzie Taters".

Some people can put up a front and pretend to be
someone they are not.
They are called "Immy Taters".

Then there are those who love others. They are always prepared to stop whatever they are doing and lend a helping hand.
They bring real sunshine into the lives of others.
They are called "Sweet Po Taters".

Dedicated to my Loving & Caring Wife….

Taken: Nice November Good Morning Sunshine

Truly Good Life

Truly Good Life, originally uploaded by !shtiaQ Ahmed.

Value and appreciate the good times that you’ve known and the good things that you have. But don’t worry about holding on to them so much that you miss the opportunity to fully live. Keep the treasured memories safe and secure in the attic of your life. But don’t pile them up so deeply that you cannot get out the door.

Large View

Every day presents you with new opportunities to make more beautiful memories. Every moment is your chance for a fresh and original experience of life’s treasure. It’s great when you can remember how good life has been. It’s even better to know, again and again in every moment, how truly good life is.
Life’s abundance does not run out. In fact, the more good things you experience, the more good things there are to be experienced. You cannot lose the joy and beauty that you’ve already known. So move confidently forward and experience even more.

Taken: From Paye Meadows a view of Kewai, Sharan & Musa Mat, Kaghan Valley, Pakistan.

Spiritual Nature

Spiritual Nature, originally uploaded by !shtiaQ Ahmed.

Take a closer look at the spiritual nature of individual trees. It isn’t difficult to imagine trees as having a personalities of their own. They seem to reflect moods over the passing seasons.

The ancient Greeks believed in wood nymphs called dryads. A hamadryad was a specific kind of nature spirit so closely tied to the life of her tree she would sicken and die along with it, or perish if it was cut down.

Even from a purely scientific perspective, trees appear almost divinely significant in natural communities. They are capable of miracles, cleansing the air of pollutants and greenhouse gases, building rich rain-forest habitats on the thinnest of tropical topsoils, processes science and technology can’t duplicate.

Trees connect us by their roots to soil and the Earth, by their branches to the sky, by their leaves to the light, by their lives to past and future generations, to our memories and our hope for things to come.

Humans maintain a strong affinity for trees. They are prominent mythological symbols in cultures around the world. Lets take a time out and sit between these beautiful creatures of God in the small town of Ban in Galyat Region of Punjab. A sure place to know the Nature as Spiritual Guide.

Missed Opportunities

Missed Opportunities, originally uploaded by !shtiaQ Ahmed.

The average person gets 500,000 hours to do with them what they will. You can spend them watching TV, sleeping, whining, working, playing, living or some combination of the above.

Opportunities come to everyone but it depends on how you choose to define an opportunity.
It could be an investment, relationship, career or any other type of break, luck or future unknown. One of my favorite quotes is by Mark Twain when he said that luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

What exactly is an opportunity?
Is it the chance to begin again?
Is it an unplanned for blessing?
Is it meeting a stranger who is destined to become your best friend?
Is it the result of hard work, patience and persistence?
Is it one of many blessings or miracles that cross our path regardless of whether we are ready for them or not?

Or, is it just fate or destiny dropping a special gift in your lap and then leaving it up to you whether you notice it or not or do something or anything with it? I know that during my life I have had many opportunities that I missed and many that I embraced.

Here’s the problem. How do you know it is in fact an opportunity with future good fortune waiting in the wings? you know it by watching all your fellows chilling out beside the Rohtas Fort and latter enjoying the sunset beside the river Jehlum….

That Rohtas Trip was actually a missed opportunity for me.

Cheerfulness

Cheerfulness, originally uploaded by !shtiaQ Ahmed.

Cheerfulness removes the rust from the mind, lubricates our inward machinery, and enables us to do our work with fewer creaks and ;groans. If people were universally cheerful, probably there wouldn’t be half the quarreling or a tenth part of the wickedness ;there is. Cheerfulness, too, promotes health and immortality. Cheerful people live longest here on earth, afterward in our hearts.

The Last Great Unexplored Continent

The Last Great Unexplored Continent , originally uploaded by !shtiaQ Ahmed.

George Bernard Shaw said, “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, they make them.”

Well, it’s pretty apparent, isn’t it? And every person who discovered this believed (for a while) that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about.

How does it work? Why do we become what we think about? Well, I’ll tell you how it works, as far as we know. To do this, I want to tell you about a situation that parallels the human mind.

Suppose a farmer has some land, and it’s good, fertile land. The land gives the farmer a choice; he may plant in that land whatever he chooses. The land doesn’t care. It’s up to the farmer to make the decision.

We’re comparing the human mind with the land because the mind, like the land, doesn’t care what you plant in it. It will return what you plant, but it doesn’t care what you plant.

Now, let’s say that the farmer has two seeds in his hand- one is a seed of corn, the other is nightshade, a deadly poison. He digs two little holes in the earth and he plants both seeds-one corn, the other nightshade. He covers up the holes, waters and takes care of the land…and what will happen? Invariably, the land will return what was planted. As it’s written in the Bible,
 
“As ye sow, so shall ye reap.”

Remember the land doesn’t care. It will return poison in just as wonderful abundance as it will corn. So up come the two plants – one corn, one poison.

The human mind is far more fertile, far more incredible and mysterious than the land, but it works the same way. It doesn’t care what we plant… success…or failure. A concrete, worthwhile goal…or confusion, misunderstanding, fear, anxiety and so on. But what we plant it must return to us.

You see, the human mind is the last great unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams. It will return anything we want to plant.

Taken: Somewhere Northeast of Islamabad, over looking Rawal Lake