u/GenZia

I opened an account at HBL Islamic about 2 years ago, and I'm ready to move on.

They recently abandoned their 'HBL Islamic' banking app, after nuking their online banking option through desktop browsers a year ago, forcing customers to use their 'HBL Mobile' app, and that's the final straw for me personally.

The app is riddled with spyware and telemetry*, sends constant spam notifications, and refuses to work if Developer Options (for ADB Wireless Debugging) or Accessibility Services (for my DNS and VPN) are enabled, or if Location and Notification permissions are manually revoked by the user.

Anyhow, I'm looking for a bank with full online banking support (on desktop browsers like Firefox), with an app that doesn't require Google Play Store/Services to be active, and doesn't throw a hissy fit over Developer Options or Accessibility Services being enabled.

Am I being too ambitious here?!

...

*Some examples of the domains my DNS caught the app sending data to:

app-measurement.com, firebaselogging-pa.googleapis.com, firebase-settings.crashlytics.com, metrics-dra.dt.dbankcloud.com, firebaseinstallations.googleapis.com, openlocation-dra.platform.dbankcloud.com

All of these domains collect my personal information, usage events, usage behavior, online profiling, crash logs, and device/install identifiers, while also tracking my activity. The last one constantly pings my location and sends it to its mothership.

On the subway today, a man came up to me to start a conversation. He made small talk, a lonely man talking about the weather and other things. I tried to be pleasant and accommodating, but my head hurt from his banality. I almost didn't notice it had happened, but I suddenly threw up all over him. He was not pleased, and I couldn't stop laughing.

😂🤣😁😃😆

...

Read it in Morgan Freeman's voice for best results...

While I've largely transitioned to FOSS, there are still a few proprietary Windows programs that lack decent FOSS alternatives.

The problem with almost all of them is that they're subscription-based, something I hate with a passion, as I'm a strong believer in ownership.

My philosophy is basically: "If I can't own it, I'll pirate it." The problem is, even piracy has been getting enshittified lately.

Most piracy sites have started forcing users onto freemium file hosts like Rapidgator, which are next to useless without a premium subscription... unless you don't mind downloading at literal dial-up speeds!

So, if you want to keep your pirated software up to date, you end up paying a subscription anyway, which begs the question:

Why the fuck should I do that?!

If I wanted subscription-based software, I'd just get it from the developers instead of dealing with cracked releases that hackers pinky-promise are malware-free.

Even FMHY, a "megathread" recommended by almost everyone on Reddit, seems to push subscription-based piracy sites like LRepacks first and foremost. LRepacks used to be pretty decent, but now it seems you can't download anything without joining their Russian bandwagon for a monthly 'fee.'

I suppose the spirit of piracy died somewhere along the way and became the very thing it once promised to eradicate.

Thankfully, the gaming piracy scene is still excellent, but I won't be terribly surprised if the likes of DODI or FitGirl eventually start shoving monthly subscriptions down gamers' throats.

Rant over!

I was in Class 2, and there was this girl from Class 4; let's call her B (as in Bilbatori or, well, Beyotch), who somehow had an axe to grind with me.

Not sure why.

I was just a shy, quiet kid who wasn't too keen on socializing. I would spend recess in the classroom, doodling random crap in my rough book, enjoying lunch in the quiet, and generally minding my own business. I've always enjoyed my own company, and besides, I never saw the big idea of playing outside under the blistering sun, surrounded by screaming kids jacked up on sugar (I'm oversensitive to high-pitched noise), getting all sweaty and smelly in the process.

Counterproductive.

I suppose my "anti-social" traits somehow offended B, because she would religiously show up at my classroom during recess, often flanked by her crony, another fourth grader, and proceed to give me a hard time. She would eat my lunch, pull me around by my tie, forcing me to bark like a dog or baa like a sheep (rather kinky, in hindsight), confiscate my brand new stationery (much to the annoyance of my mother), say mean things (she was an absolute potty mouth), and generally make what was supposed to be quiet "me time" miserable.

That went on for quite a while. I eventually started spending recess outside with other (screaming) kids, power in numbers and all, but even there she would find new, creative ways to antagonize me, like hitting me with banana peels (they hurt like hell) or throwing water on my head from first floor.

Feisty little beyo... thing.

I ratted her out to my class teacher more than once, but the teacher didn't seem to care. My best guess is that she thought bullying built character (perhaps it does) or, worse still, boys can't be bullied by girls. I eventually tattled to my new teacher, a smart, young, idealistic (perhaps to a fault) woman in her early twenties with an apparent soft spot for social outcasts like me considering she would put me in the spotlight (much to my annoyance), almost always pick me for class readings, and force me take part in normie activities like sack races and crap (they were a big thing back in the '90s, apparently).

To her credit, she actually confronted B the Big Bad Beyotch. And that's when the real drama ensued.

The next day, when B showed up at recess for her daily ritual, she was ablaze into a little fireball. With a red face, she marched straight up to me, accused me of ratting her out, and tried to squeeze a confession out of me, but like the spineless gummy bear that I was, I categorically denied all her accusations, called them baseless, and decried a witch hunt, something that only pissed her off more.

Fed up with my cowardice, she slapped me right across the face and... well, that's when I finally snapped. I got up and pushed her as hard as I could. To be honest, I expected her to soak it up like nothing, seeing as she had several years on me, not to mention inches and kilos (not that she was big or chubby), yet she dropped right onto her bum like a sack of potatoes. Guess I took her by surprise.

I'll never forget the look on her face.

From the ground, she looked up straight into my eyes, her own welled up with tears, wearing an odd expression of shock, disbelief, and... well, betrayal; like she didn't expect me to behave like the others.

Other boys, I mean.

And then she put her head between her knees and quietly started sobbing, and I just stood there like a deer caught in the headlights, more than a little surprised by myself, as violence has never been my cup of tea (I prefer lesser people to commit it on my behalf, being an armchair general).

It was just a spur of the moment.

I fully expected her to come back with a vengeance, but... nothing. Absolutely nothing. After what felt like an eternity, she slowly stood up, wiped away her tears with her sleeve, and quietly left the classroom, still sobbing softly, without even looking in my general direction. The thing that surprises me the most (perhaps even pisses me off a little) is that she never tried to get even, never ratted me out, and just stopped bothering me altogether. Because at the very least, it would’ve absolved me of my guilty conscience—but nope, complete silent treatment.

So annoying.

And even today, almost 30 freakin' years later (time sure does fly), I feel guilt whenever I revisit that incident, not because she didn't deserve it (she did a little bit), but because I never got the chance (nor the guts) to smooth things over with her, as she soon moved on to Class 5, which was in a different school wing, separate from the boys'.

So yeah, the story ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I suppose that's the reason it's still fresh in my memory.

Oh well.

I'm an old(ish) man and I remember how fond I was of Daal Masoor as a kid, but now it feels almost as tasteless as rice, to the point that I have to add garlic-fried chicken to make it tolerable.

Any idea why that is?

Are farmers growing high-yield pulse varieties or something that can produce a ton of crop but don't taste anything like they used to back in the day?

More importantly, are there any stores or places in Lahore where I can find decent-quality Daal?

I've tried almost all major store chains in my area (Allama Iqbal Town) and, frankly, I'm feeling so fed up that I wouldn't mind doing some actual legwork if it means getting Daals with good, or even decent, taste.

https://preview.redd.it/j8u92fvuxh5h1.png?width=1642&format=png&auto=webp&s=2e32e00c88f57d152ac8f571a68f90378f35e2b7