Friday 30 October 2015

TELENOR BRIDAL COUTURE WEEK RETURNS TO THE MUGHAL CITY OF GARDENS WITH ITS 11th EDITION

Karachi October 29, 2015: Pakistan’s premier entertainment network, HUM Network is proud to announce dates of the 11th Telenor Bridal Couture Week by HUM Sitaray. The country’s biggest bridal fashion extravaganza will dazzle Lahore from the 11th to the 13th of December 2015, while presenting the latest bridal trends by leading Pakistani and International fashion designers on the runway in its 11th installment.

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TBCW 2015 will feature 27 upcoming and top fashion designers from Pakistan along with some prominent international designers. Fashion sensation, HSY will continue his long standing relations with the platform by choreographing the show.
Telecommunication giant Telenor continues its support for the platform for the 2nd year running. The format of the fashion will also feature Telenor Karo Mumkin, an initiative to provide aspiring fashion designers with an opportunity to present their collections on the Pakistani fashion scene’s most coveted runway.
TBCW, since its inception, has proved to be a strong platform for marketing local bridal trends both locally and internationally. Over the years it has provided a platform not only for Pakistan’s prominent designers but also given the aspiring and emerging talent in our country an opportunity to stand side by side these fashion gurus and present their skills. TBCW has now become the only preferred platform for fashion and jewellery designers for promoting and exhibiting their wares to local and foreign buyers.
Held twice a year, Bridal Couture Week was pioneered by HUM Network five years ago with the objective of promoting Pakistan’s bridal industry. The grand bridal show has now become the most eagerly awaited event of the fashion industry, and has continued to exceed expectations with each passing show.

Wednesday 28 October 2015

7 Unique Restaurants Around The World


Chilout Ice Lounge Dubai
1. Ice Restaurant (Dubai)
The Dubai Ice restaurant stands out with its outstanding ice ambiance. Items such as benches, chairs, plates and even the ice bar is perfectly designed and sculpted from ice. The ice cold (literally) restaurant is luxurious and beautiful. To make sure the ice doesn’t melt, the restaurant has hired resources from Canada-based Ice culture Inc.

Sky Kitchen
2. A380 Sky Kitchen (Taiwan)
The A380 In-Flight Kitchen in Taiwan is designed as a Jet Air Plane. When eating here, it feels like you are sitting on a flight and having a delicious meal. The interesting flight experience restaurant also has baggage compartments, blue seats and flight attendants at your service.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
3. Ithaa Undersea Restaurant (Maldives)
Ithaa is located 5 meters below sea level at the Hilton Maldives Resort. It is the world’s first undersea restaurant that offers plenty of culinary options and a perfect surrounding of transparent acrylic tunnel. Initially, one might feel a little terrified with fish swimming around while eating, but I can guarantee you the restaurants beauty will captivate you and get rid of the fear in a short time!

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4. Dinner in the Sky (multiple locations)
Dinner in the sky is especially unique because the table and chairs are suspended at a height of 50 meters above the ground. The hotel is designed by professionals, and carefully placed as customer safety is a top priority. Once everyone is seated (on ground) the restaurant flies up, and once in the air you can eat and enjoy your meal!

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5. Yellow Tree House, New Zealand
Thanks to the Yellow Tree House restaurant, all fantasies about eating in a tree house come true. The ravishing restaurant is built around a redwood tree forest in New Zealand. The place was designed specifically as a part of the marketing campaign of area’s yellow pages, but is now available for private parties only.

Hajime Japanese Restaurant
6. Hajime Restaurant, Bangkok
Hajime Restaurant in Bangkok is a robot-run restaurant. The owners have invested millions of dollars in purchasing and retaining those adorable Autobots. They roam around you, entertain you and serve you the delectable Japanese delicacies.

Rock Restaurant Tanzania
7.The Rock – Zanzibar, Tanzania
The restaurant is situated on a rock in Tanzania. It is considered as an extremely beautiful and calm eating experience, where you get served with mouth-watering food in the middle of the sea and on top of a rock.
If you are planning your vacations to traverse the beauty of Pakistan, then don’t miss the chance of getting delighted with the savory delicacies of Sindh and KPK.

Fourth Pakistani makes it to the Red Bull Music Academy Ziyad Habib a.k.a Noahs Heark Profile

Ziyad Habib’s interest in music originated from watching his neighbors’ elatedly playing guitar, before a fruitful spell at audio technology college set him off down his own path. As a fan he quickly found his favorites, a diverse array spanning from Four Tet and Burial to Lloyd Miller and Mulatu Astatke. Under the guise of noahs heark he crafts techno-slanted ambient soundscapes – which veer from the loose and glitchy to the probing and layered – while retaining a keen sense of fun and experimentation. Part of the Hear Now collective, he’s recently been investing his time into mixing and mastering HN releases, mentoring artists, and fine-tuning his live set.

Photo credit - Sean Ogara
Photo Credit - Jasper Muse

Fun Facts about Punjab

Punjab translates to ‘five waters’, the Bea, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej .It is the largest province of Pakistan with a population of over 101 million .Punjab has the highest literary rate in Pakistan, at 79.21% .
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Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) is one of Pakistan’s leading colleges and is located in Punjab’s capital city, Lahore . Seven Languages are spoken in Punjab; Punjabi (Majhi, Saraiki, Hindko), Urdu, English, Sindhi, Arab, Balochi and Pashto .
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The Badshahi Mosque and Shalimar Garden from the reign of the Mughals from 1524-1739 are located in Lahore, Punjab . Punjab is divided into thirty six districts covering 79,284 square miles .Khewra Salt Mine is the world’s second largest salt mine and it is located in Islamabad, Punjab .

Travel Apps

Modern technology has advanced rapidly over the following decade, making routine tasks easier to perform. This is possible through our smartphones, which offer their customers with a vast variety of applications to choose from. Mobile Applications are efficient, and can help you quickly solve any problem at hand.

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When travelling, you have a limited amount of time and knowledge about the areas you’re visiting, making travel apps very useful. Trip Advisor is an American travel website, which was founded in 2000. The App includes travel- related content, personal reviews; tips and pictures, which can help you, plan out and organize the days of your vacation.
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Google Maps is a desktop web mapping service developed by Google. It offers satellite imagery, 360° panoramic views of streets, real-time traffic conditions, and route planning for traveling by foot, car, bicycle or public transportation. If you’re lost, Google Maps will help you find your way, so don’t worry!

Thursday 22 October 2015

Maan – HUM’s newest play

The story of HUM’s newest play revolves around love, devotion and deceit. The plot highlights the perfect world of the married couple Eman and Wafa and their two daughters Hareem and Hania. A lower middle-class family, they struggle to make both ends meet but with their love and respect for one another their family grows stronger with each passing day. However, one day Eman’s perfect world turns upside down when his older daughter is diagnosed with atrial septal defect. Eman is overtaken with guilt of not being able to take care of his family’s needs and his daughters’ medical bills. The story takes an exciting turn when Eman accidently meets his ex-fiancée who uses this situation to her advantage. How will Eman react to this new development in their lives? To find out, watch Maan only on HUM.
Writer: Shehla Shakoor
Director: Amin Iqbal
Producer: Abdullah Qadwani & Asad Qureshi (7th Sky Production)
Cast: Meekal Zulfikar, Kiran Haq, Seemi Raheel, Maha Warsi and Waseem
Date & Times: Every Monday at 8:00 pm
Total Episode: 27
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Affordable tablets to use when one travels

Travelling is most exciting when you are accompanied by travel gadgets that can help entertain you during long layovers, flights, and simply be a guide for sight seeing. Below is a list of some affordable hi-tech tablets that can be your perfect travel partner.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 T-230 :
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Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 was launched in May 2014. Tit has a 7.0 inch display, 800 x 1280 pixels resolution, 1.5 GB RAM and is powered by Android OS. It costsPKR 15,500only.
Huawei Media Pad 7- Youth Series :
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The Huwaei media tablets are well designed with a 7.0 inch display, Android 4.3, 4GB RAM and Quad Core. The Huawei tablet is sold at a very affordable price of will bring innovation at your fingertips within an amazing price range of PKR 12,500 – PKR 16,000.
Acer Iconia Series :
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Acer Iconia is a series of a different range of tablets – the more expensive it is the better the feautres provided. The price band for these tablets ranges from PKR 12,500 to PKR 69,900.
LG Pad 7.0 :
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LG Pad 7.0 series will reinvigorate your senses with its crystal clear resolution and high definition color display. The LG tablet has 8GB storage space, 1 GB RAM, Android 4.4 OS,5 MP camera and offers many more exciting features at a price of PKR 17,000 PKR.
QMobile QTab Q850 7.85″ :
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QMobileQTab Q850 is known for its technology and great features. The tablet comes with 8 GB storage, 1GB RAM, Android 4.2, 5 MP camera and Dual Sim. Now you can cherish all those happy moments of your journey, at an amazing price of PKR16,500.
To make full use of these hi tech gadgets, download Jovago app and book hotel online anywhere anytime!

Wednesday 21 October 2015

Marine Life of Pakistan

Mugger Crocodile
The Mugger Crocodile, ‘water monster’, is commonly referred to as the Indus Crocodile. It is the national reptile of Pakistan, found on the Makran Coast and the Delta Marshlands of Sindh. These crocodiles are dark grey, tan or brown in colour!
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Sea Turtles
Along the shores of the Balochistan and Sindh beaches, five endangered sea turtle species are still surviving. They are the Green Sea turtles, Hawksbill turtles, Loggerhead turtles, Olive Ridley turtles and Leatherback turtles.
Yellow-Bellied Sea Snakes
The yellow belly sea snake is formally known as Pelamis Platura. The colours of the snake are variably, but are commonly yellow and brown. The venom is highly potent and can cause muscular paralysis.
Bhulan Dolphin
The Bhulan Dolphin is also known as the Indus River Dolphin. The species are close to extinction and only populate 690 km of the Indus River. The species have elongated beaks and protruding front teeth.
Rainbow Trout
Rainbow trout weighs between 1-20 pounds. The fish are either of a blue-green colour or an olive green colour or a silvery colour. The fish have a distinct red stripe from their gills to their tails.
Red Tail Butterfly Fish
The fish is 18cm long, shaded brown with light scales. Its face is black and white striped where as the tip of its tail is bright red and black.

Faisalabad-The Manchester of Pakistan

The city of Faisalabad is located in the province of Punjab. Formerly, the town was known as Lyallpur, and today it is known as Faisalabad. Faisalabad is recognized as the Manchester of Pakistan, for being the trade center of the country and is also the third most populated city in Pakistan.
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According to a world back report released in 2010, Faisalabad is famous for being one of the best places to do business. It is home to several industries, universities, historical landmarks and amusement spots. Faisalabad is also renowned for its production of cotton, wheat, sugarcane and fruits. Lastly, another reason why Faisalabad is famous is because of its affiliation with renowned figures such as Arfa Karim,Rameez Raja and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Jovago’s Top 3 :
Clock Tower :
The Faisalabad Clock Tower known as GhantaGhar -is an ancient monument in the city. It was built in 1903 by the British, and has been well kept making it one of the most beautiful, ancient monuments in Faisalabad. The clock tower is an enormous red brick structure, placed at the center of eight local markets of the town. From the top of the tower, you can view the whole city – it is completely endearing.
Lyall Monument :
The Lyall Monument is located in the Jinnah Garden in Faisalabad. The landmark was built in memory of Sir James Lyall, who founded the city during the colonial era. It is a white cemented structure that resembles the church tower and reflects the historical traces of the city.
Gatwala Wildlife Park :
The Gatwala Wildlife Park is a huge wildlife park situated in the Gatwala town in Faisalabad. The main attractions in the park are the green fields, rides for children, flowing canals, bamboo grooves, forestry, cafeteria and two lakes. These lakes are famous for being home to crocodiles and boating adventure.
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Faisalabad is best-known for its delicious and traditional Punjabi cuisine. When in Faisalabad don’t forget to have the specials such as Lamb Chops, Shami Kebabs, DahiBhale, Paya Curry, Roghni Naan and the soothing taste of Doodh Patti Tea.
Shopping :
Finding a perfect shopping bazaar in Faisalabad is very easy as the city is renowned for its textile industries. Faislabadi fashion is quite traditional, where ShalwarKameez is the common attire forfemales accompanied by Bangles and Parandas. You can also find several brand outlets located near local markets and enormous shopping malls.
Hotels :
To book a hotel in Faisalabad visit the Jovago.com site and find amazing deals at the cheapest prices. Your perfect stay one click away!
Money :
Pakistan Rupees, All International Credit Cards (Visa/MasterCard) are accepted by the ATM.
Exchange Rate :
http://www.xe.com/currency/pkr-pakistani-rupeexchange Rate
Country Code :
+92 41
Airport :
Faisalabad International Airport is located on Jhand Road; 10 km south west from the city center.

Wednesday 14 October 2015

SAMBA BANK SELECTS IBM INFRASTRUCTURE TO RUN TEMENOS T-24 CORE BANKING SOLUTION

InfoTech Pvt Ltd, a leading Systems Integrator and Technology solutions company, along with IBM Pakistan, one of the largest IT Solutions providers, take immense pride in announcing an agreement signed with SAMBA Bank Limited to incorporate IBM Hardware and Software Solutions to host their Core Banking System, Temenos (T24).

SAMBA Bank Limited, a subsidiary of Samba Financial Group of Saudi Arabia decided to host their core banking solution on complete IBM middleware stack with IBM DB2 Database which shall enable Samba Bank to integrate their front end and back end systems seamlessly. The Bank also selected IBM POWER8-based servers, based on the first open server platform and the first processor designed for Big Data, IBM storage and industry’s most advanced IBM Flash Systems which will allow them to build highly efficient and flexible performance optimized system.


Speaking on the occasion, the President & CEO of Samba Bank, Mr. ShahidSattar stated that “This strategic alliance with IBM& InfoTech will enable Samba Bank to provide maximum up time to its branch network with the best of breed technology to run the core banking application along with faster time to market.

To mark the occasion, Naseer A. Akhtar, CEO InfoTech Pvt Ltd remarked, “SAMBA Bank has taken a vital step to ensure a strengthened core banking infrastructure, allowing improvement for customers, support and profitability initiatives. InfoTech has a rich history and experience with the banking industry and we work tirelessly with them to define and implement a technology roadmap that best delivers their strategic goals.”

To mark the occasion IBM’s Country General Manager Humayun Bashir said “We are proud to be partnering with SAMBA Bank for this initiative where the Bank will notice a fair reduction in data processing time and shall be able to draw key insights faster,” He further added that “IBM is the supplier of infrastructure, resiliency and managed services to 80% of Pakistani Banks and we are proud to be partnering with Samba Bank for this key initiative.”


Tuesday 13 October 2015

Pakistan’s Influential Poets

Muhammad Iqbal
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Sir Muhammad Iqbal is commonly known as Allama Iqbal. He was born on the 9th of November 1877, and passed away on 21st April 1938. He was a poet, a philosopher and a politician who influenced the Pakistan Movement. King George V knighted him, giving him the title of ‘Sir’. His famous works are Asrar-e-Khudi, Rumuz-e-Bekhudi, Payam-e-Mashriq, Zabur-e-Ajam, and Javed Nama.
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Faiz Ahmad Faiz
Faiz Ahmad Faiz was born on the 13th of February 1911 and passed away on the 20th of November 1984.He was an influential and revolutionary poet, who was nominated four times for the Nobel Prize for literature. He was a notable member of the Progressive Writers’ Movement (PWM), and was awarded with MBE in 1946, the Nigar Awards in 1953, the Lenin Peace Prize in 1963, Nishan-e-Imtiaz in 1990 and the Avicenna Prize in 2006. His famous works are Naqsh-e-Faryadi, Dast-e-Sabah and Zindan-nama.
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Parveen Shakir
Parveen Shahkir was born on the 24th of November 1952 and passed away on the 26th of December 1994. She was a poet and a teacher, who published her first volume of poetry, Khushbu (Fragrance) in 1976. She continued to write poetry, and the following volumes have been compiled to form Mah-e-Tamam [Full Moon] with the exception of Kaf-e-Aina. Parveen Shahkir was awarded with the Pride of Performance, for her contributions to Pakistani literature.
Abu Al-Asar Hafeez Jullundhuri
Abu Al-Asar was born on the 14th of January 1900 and passed away on the 21st of December 1982. He was an Urdu poet who wrote the lyrics for the National Anthem of Pakistan. His other famous works are Shahnama-e-Islam and the Hymn of Kashmir. He received the Pride of Performance Award and Hilal-e-Imtiaz.
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Zehra Nigah
Zehra Nigah is an Urdu poet and scriptwriter from Pakistan who was born on the 14th of May 1937. She has written several television serials, including Pinjar. Zehra has published only two volumes of poetry, Shaam ka Pehla Taara (The First Star of the Evening) and Waraq (Page). She was also honored with the Pride of Performance award.
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Fun Facts about Sindh

The capital city of Sindh is Karachi, the commercial hub of Pakistan and one of the largest populated cities in the world.Sindh is the second largest province in Pakistan, with a population of over 40 million people.Sindh acquired is name from the Arabic word for the Indus River, Sindh. There is an ancient saying “Just as Egypt is the gift of Nile, Sindh is the gift of the Indus”.

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The Sindhi culture is embodied by the craftsmanship of its people, and the handicrafts they create. Ever since the Indus Valley Civilization, Sindh has maintained a reputation for producing exquisite textiles, detailed pottery, leather work, embroidered carpets etc.
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The Indus Valley Civilization which dates back to 3300 BCE flourished on the basins of the Indus river.Sindh is an agrarian economy and its principal crops are wheat, rice, cotton, oilseeds, sugarcane, and fruits.Pakistan’s biggest international airport is situated in Sindh and is widely known as the Quaid-e-Azam International airport.
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Sindh is known as Bab-ul-Islam (Gateway to Islam in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent). At least 80 percent of the Sindhi’s are Muslim.Sindh’s three main barrages are the Sukkur barrage, Kotri barrage, and Guddu barrage.