The Discoveries. Episode I.

By

Syeda Ramsha Wasti & Ali Mehdi Zaidi

I am sitting at the counter, drinking tequila. Shot after shot. I have never tasted tequila before. People tell me its strong, I don’t see it. To tell you the truth, I don’t see the girl behind the counter. I don’t see the beautiful ceiling. I don’t see the magnificent furniture. I guess I am too lost. Too disappointed. No, no, not disappointed but destroyed. Yes that is the word: destroyed. Destroyed completely, blown to pieces. Every last ounce of hope shattered, thrown back in the jungle, left to be finished off by the vultures. Come vultures come. I don’t mind them coming. At least, I will not go to waste. At least someone would be happy. No, but I am happy too. Happy to be finished, happy for the end. There is no purpose to live so I wait. Wait for the axe to drop. Wait for the end. I am enjoying my tequila. Well, not enjoying but gulping and sipping. I take a sip and wait. Wait for the right time. As soon as it comes, I’ll pay the girl and walk to my home. But maybe I shouldn’t pay her. But what well would the money bring to me? I’ll pay her more. Maybe she has a child, maybe she is lucky. Who knows!? I’ll walk home to the peace, and quiet.

I still have a decision to make; one last decision. The most important decision. Well, not important, but the most defining one. One that sets my legacy. The gun in the drawer, the acid in the cabinet or a jump from the roof? I can’t decide. It’s so confusing. I think it’s the alcohol. Yes, it’s the alcohol. Take gun, load it, put it in your mouth, pull the trigger, boom - short and simple. I like it. No pain and no wait. I hate waiting. But there would be a mess, a splash of brain on the wall. Someone would have to clean it up. Who? Grab the acid, open the lid, drink it...ah, but there’s a wait. I don’t want to wait. Sorry acid, you’re unable to help. Don’t worry though; I know how you feel. That is all that I wanted to do as well: help. This is my punishment- the jump.  A long walk to the roof, then jump. It would be fast, but I am not in the mood to walk. No, not today. Today is my day, my holiday.

What does a jump show? It tells nothing. Maybe it was an accident. It puts everything in doubt. I don’t want any more doubts. No, no doubts, not about my, Sui…, Ah, I can’t say that word, A shot to the head, then. It shows intent. It would be my decision, my death. It’ll let the world know about my disappointments, my frustrations.

I am sitting at the counter, drinking tequila. I have made a decision- a shot to the head. I am gulping my tequila too fast now. The girl behind the counter is looking at me. Looking at me with a look of disgust, or maybe it's pity? Maybe she’s laughing at me? I don’t care. Laugh all you want, losers. Yes, you are all losers. I am the winner; the smart one. I found a way out, a short cut. While you wait for the miseries to slowly erode you, while you wait to get old and die helplessly, I have found a way. I will die my way on my terms. I am happy.

It’s my fifth shot now. I am seeing everything now including the girl behind the counter. Beautiful she is, but deceptive, very deceptive. The beauty is a mask for the horrors that lie beneath. It always is. Bait thrown by the prey, tempting, alluring, inviting, but as soon as you move in, the real face erupts out of the shadow to reveal the horrors. I don’t care anymore. I see the ceiling as well. It's glorious. The design and finishing are just breathtaking. I won’t miss it though. This is my final shot. Sixth, that is. As soon as I finish, I’ll head home for the finale of my life. I rotate the straw in a circular motion as if mixing, but there is nothing to mix. It seems the beautiful design that is forming is begging me not to do it, but alas, I will. Can’t you understand all is lost?

 I am sipping the last drops now. The liquid is unwilling to leave the glass, unwilling to let go of the embrace. It is making that noise-a cry I always thought about . A cry I choose to ignore. As the lost drops go down my throat and as I get up to leave, I feel a hand on my shoulder. A firm yet gentle hand followed by a whisper in my ear from an authoritative and determined voice; the kind you would expect from a four star general. “Don’t do what you’re about to do”. My first impulse is to run, to hit the man and run, run as far away as I can. I don’t know why, but I stay. What can possibly go wrong? The worst he can do is, kill me, in which case he’d be doing me a big favor. He can’t change my mind. No, not after what I’ve gone through. I turn around to look at the man. His countenance is divine. A man of no more than fifty, he has a white beard but he looks young and energetic. He has a spiritual presence, an almost therapeutic touch that only adds to his charm. Quite frankly, I am over-whelmed by his personality. “You’re closing the book too early”, he says.  He then stares in my eyes, probing, discovering. It seems as if he is reading my darkest secrets, my most inner thoughts. I want to turn away, to stop myself from being unlocked but I can’t. I can’t turn away. After ages, the man, as if satisfied by the proceeding s thus far, walks away.  

I am perplexed by this meeting with the stranger. Who is he? how did he know about my intents? Should I listen to him?

Smallville - Umair Ali (Prod . J.cole) Lyric Video

By 

Umair Ali

Pictures are indeed worth a thousand words.

By Salar Umar.

If you want to have a look at some of his other pictures, hit the following links:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Salar-Umar-Photography/147812691919740
and
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Salar-Umar-Photography/147812691919740

"You don’t know"

                                        By Umaiya Rehman. 

           

There are words in my head

But I don’t know what to say

There are words on my lips

But they just won’t stay

It’s all jumbled up inside me

And I just can’t take it anymore.

‘Cause you don’t know what it feels like to be left behind

‘Cause you don’t know what it’s like to be left alone

You don't have to go through this everyday

You don’t know who I am.

Laying on my bed, staring at the ceiling

And the film rolling in my eyes

Hand in hand walking down the beaches

And picnics in the park

Angels in the snow, birds in the sky

And that was the day of our last goodbye.

And you don’t know what it feels like to be left behind

You don’t know what it takes to stand this way

And you don’t know what it feels like to be hollow

You don’t know what it’s like to live for a change.

Slammed the door shut and you walked out on me

And I can still hear you say that it was easy

And honestly I agree

‘Cause you don’t know what it feels like to be left behind

‘Cause you don’t know what it’s like to be left alone

You didn't have to go through this everyday

You never turned and looked my way.

‘Cause you don’t know what it feels like to be left behind

‘Cause you don’t know what it’s like to be left alone

You didn't have to go through this everyday

You don’t know who I am. 

Pictures 1.1

By 

Osama Khalil

To support and see more of his work, visit

Osama Khalil.

Great Work, Man.

• • The picture of the city at night is of Islamabad taken from a hill top restaurant in the Margalla hills known as monal. PS, I had to reduce the size. This picture is really beautiful

'Raindrops on my car's window' in Islamabad.

These pictures were taken at Islamabad. They somewhat depict how blind people see lights as we do. The pictures are of car headlights taken out of focus, and refered to as bokeh.

This doesn't in anyway promote "Sheeshas". Don't blame us.

These pictures were taken during a visit to the flood affected area of badin in the tharparkar desert. The picture of the girls was taken at a make shift school for the children of the flood affectees at a relief camp set up by the Pakistan army.

The Lost Soul

By Neha Batool (A1C2)

Sitting alone on the ground,
I feel your arms wrapped around.

I know you're here somewhere,
But my tear-filled eyes see you nowhere.

With you gone it feels as if a hole has been punched through my heart,
But I’ll wait for a thousand years without any rest.

The world seems to go on and on,
My sanity screams at me live on.

But i am a lost soul with nowhere to go,
Guess this is the path life has given me to choose.

Maid of Honor.

By

Umaiya Rehman

Just a moments worth of wait and that’s all it’ll take

For me to turn around and run right back to you

Set our differences apart and for once be true

Cause I can’t take no more and it’s not a moment too soon

It was a fairy tale, you know how we were

It was a childish dream; you always knew what we thought to be

Just there like the stars and moon

We would fight like the ships and crew

But there was always this something that I couldn’t say

No matter how far I let loose in front of you

Just the fear of losing you is what stopped me time and time again

From telling you what I felt and that is that I love you

And here I am standing at the altar only I’m not the bride

In fact the maid of honor and know what’s funny

You’re the groom

And though I may have said its not a moment too soon

It’s a moment too late in fact

And there’s just this one thing I want to say

It was a fairy tale, you know how we were

It was a childish dream; you know what we thought to be

Just there like the stars and moon

We would fight like the ships and crew

And I just really want you to know
I love you

And now with the priest pronouncing you as man and wife

 its time to say goodbye and to see you for one last time

Goodbye love, hope we never meet again.

Sincerely yours,

Maid of Honor 

Pictures 2.0

By

Salar Umar

To catch more of his work, visit

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Salar-Umar-Photography/147812691919740

                  &

http://www.flickr.com/photos/salarumarshots/

Sketches

By

Abdur Rafay Atif

Here are some sketches made from charcoal,

Enjoy.

The truth about our World.

An interesting video where John Perkins, former "Economic Hitman" tells how US foreign policy works.

For further information read the book,

Confessions of an Economic Hitman.

Cover of "For the first time"..!!

By

Umair Ali

To support and catch more of his work...

Visit.http://www.reverbnation.com/umairali
http://www.facebook.com/UmairGravity

and i know lifes shit
but i just feel , conceal it with shit unreal
to deal with the fact that i exist
im here blinded i see no bliss
im climbing this long abyss
living with no air to sniff , kinda stiff
but i wont quit it yo .im here alone with endless flows
i rose above those who got me blown
and girl think again , while i get a pen and relive the times
the story never ends . yea
im aheada my time im always missing what im leaving behind.
a broken triumph ayo id be dead if im lying
but u da reason of this steady decline
i cant define what im feeling inside
its like a seeded the cries that reside wayy
deep within me i cry i cant
believe when i see you go by
its like a part of me just fold up and died.

The events of Karbala and our duties.!!

By

Syed Ali Mehdi

As the 10^th of Moharram approaches and black flags fly high in remembrance of the great sacrifice by Imam Hussain, as we once again remember the day when the day when 72 innocent people were brutally murdered and their bodies trampled under horses, we must ask ourselves what was the purpose of that glorious sacrifice? What was the essential message that the grandson of the prophet was trying to deliver? Why is it that we have remembered it, for 1400 years?

If you look at it, the event of Karbala was neither the bloodiest nor the most sophisticated battle in History, then why is it so important? The answer to that question is simple; it was the stark and huge contrast between right and wrong that made it so significant. At one end you had Evil, pure evil, evil that was willing to do anything to promote its evil schemes and achieve its goals and that included massacring the very family that had given them the religion they claimed to represent. On the other hand, you had right, right in its most pure form, right that was willing to sacrifice everything to protect what was right and that included sacrificing the family of the Holy Prophet. In essence, the events of Karbala are not a battle between one right and one wrong but a battle between every right and every wrong that will walk on this planet.

The message of Karbala is not for anyone community, time or religion. It is a universal message, for all communities, and all times, that will remain valid throughout History, a message that will tell every man, woman or child that no matter how old or young you are, it is your solemn duty to rise up against evil, against injustices and protect what is right even if that means giving the lives of your children and your family. It is this message that has helped millions all over the world because once they see that in History, a man went out against a well equipped army of 30,000 with a group of 72 people that included man as old as 80 and although he sacrificed everything, his sacrifice protected what was right and vanquished the evil in society, it gives them hope and they realize that no matter how small your army is, no matter how powerful your enemy, the truth will always prevail.

It is our duty in this time to learn from the message of Karbala and rise up against the injustices in our society, be it economic, social or indeed political. We live in a time where we see innocent people dying every day some from drone attacks others from domestic violence and so in this time of extreme injustices, the events of Karbala demand of us that rise up against evil in our societies and learn something from Imam Hussain, learn that to protect the innocent and fight against the oppressors we should not be afraid of sacrificing.

It is however clear, that everyone will not sacrifice and indeed it is not required that everyone sacrifice their life every time they see an injustice, so a more important question arises; Given the injustices in our society, what is our duty? First of all, if there is a mass gathering of right versus wrongs, a gathering similar to that of Karbala, we must choose the right and stop at nothing to make sure that right prevails and that includes sacrificing our families. However until that situation develops, I believe that in our everyday lives we have three levels at which we can perform our duties. First, if we see oppression we must physically rise against it and make efforts to stop that injustice. Second, if it is beyond our capability to rise against oppression, we must speak out against it and acknowledge that there is injustice, acknowledge that wrong is indeed wrong. Third, if it is not possible to speak out against an injustice, we must, in our mind and heart, hate the oppressors and believe within ourselves that given the chance and opportunity to rise up against them, we would do it with all our determination and commitment.

In this time of great crisis’s Karbala teaches us to rise up against whosoever does injustice and as Humans before anything else, we must accept this message and instead of fighting amongst ourselves we must fight against the real culprits in whatever capacity we can, because to ignore an act of injustice and not react, is equivalent to committing the act itself.

Rap. The art and controversy!!

By

Umar Ayub

Now I ain't tryna be the greatest
I used to hate hip-hop... yup, because the women degraded

The above verse from a rap by Lupe fiasco shows my love for rap. Rap in my understanding is one of the best, soothing and message convening type or form of art there is. Although the greatness of rap music is handicapped by bad influence and is harassed by those who do not respect the art but it is up to the listener to distinguish what he wants to listen.

Many years ago the Vatican City banned a man and his work from their influence. He was hated so much that the language he based his work on was banned to protect the innocent from his corrupt ideas and influences. This man was none other than Shakespeare himself; and he wrote about love. Today we are taught to respect his art in schools and his words are instilled in our hearts and minds. Rap music is called Poetry of the streets as it is based on poetry as it is the use of words to describe an emotion or tell a story. It is the modern day version of poetry as the rapist talks about his struggle, problems in general, love, describes a fantasy or even narrates a story. Just like the play Macbeth, a man overcomes his ethics and moral values in greed and promise of power, it was a play by Shakespeare .Lupe Fiasco‘s rap “All Black Everything” is a descriptive of a world in which black people were never oppressed and turned slaves and were respected as a nation like every other.

Shakespeare writes

 “Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate”

He compliments someone on her beauty compairing to a summer day which was a rare and pleasant time in England.

J Cole raps

Young nigga with his jeans low

Nice fella just got a mean flow

Never seen rich but he’s seen po(or)

Mr. Dollar and a Dream in case you didn’t know

            J cole explains that a young guy looks dangerous and is troubled and people judge him by his attire although he is a good person by heart and he has potential to conquer his dreams and He will!.......

Rap culture is a well known phenomenon. Today people generally dislike rap music because of two reasons. The first being they consider it offensive and vulgar. The second that it promotes bad behavior and vulgarity. These arguments are well justified and I do support young kids should not listen to rap music as they might not understand it like some of the work done in renaissance Italy.

 Rap has no restrictions and rhyming two sentences can become a rap or can they? The argument is that who do you listen to and Why? Not afraid (song about going forth), Beautiful (rap song about how pretty you are inside), and Words I never said (rap song about oppression in the Middle East). These are the songs what I listen to and basically that is the free media gives. If one can distinguish between good and bad then he can appreciate the art of Rap Music.rap artists like soulja boi and Lil Wayne although have a good fan following but they don’t do justice with the art. Such rappers disgrace rap music and represent it in a very bad manner. These people are not respected and although they commend a fan following and sell record albums but it’s for the same reason wrestling, star plus soaps and NASCAR has a following …….. audience varies in opinion! 

To conclude I say that if one can distinguish between art; he will surely love rap music as it has influenced me and my personality

"Arachnophobic"

Spiderbro story on 4Chan. We have shared this on our blog since it's funny yet depressing. 

Have this cute girl over for dinner one night
See cockroach in the kitchen
"Darn it, the girl I brought home is going to think I'm disgusting"
Spiderbro darts out from under the cabinet and grabs it
I freak out and go to stomp on him
He looks up at me
I hesitate
He pulls the roach under the counter and kills it for me
I go back to dinner

Alright, fine, he can stay

He killed bugs for me all year, even other spiders
I would drop bits of meat on the floor for him to eat
We became fast friends

Dark and stormy night
Burglars break in to rape my girlfriend and kill me
Tackle the first one but the second one pulls a gun out and points it at my face
Prepared to die
Look up
Spiderbro is on the ceiling
Drops onto burglar's face, bites his eye
Burglar freaks out and starts flailing around
I grab the gun
Girlfriend calls the cops
Police come, arrest burglars

I spend the next day looking for Spiderbro
No sign of him
Check his home, see a pile of cockroaches he never ate, just killed and wrapped up for me
Spiderbro gave his life for me
Never forget.