Election Times II (Courtesy: PAF Chapter Journalism Society)

Aamna Aziz Rajput
A1-C1
Member of PAF Chapter Journalism Society.

Note: The members of the Journalism Society submitted their articles regarding the experience of 'Election Fever' at PAF Chapter A-Levels section. The best entries were selected to be published at the blog. So, what you're going to read below is a masterpiece conjured up by the Journalism Society. Enjoy.

One thing that I've picked during my life at Chapter is that Election campaign is a pretty serious business. It’s like a fully fledged three course meal with appetizing starters, a mouth watering main course and the calorie inducing desserts! And I bet you, this year, it was no less delicious!

It started off with the high spirited and not completely honest speeches. Them persuading us of the capabilities they claimed to posses, and as for the spectators … well, we applauded at the rightful intervals, bless us. The speeches were indeed remarkable; very Martin Luther style in the case of Mehraz Khan, but all in all, I was left perplexed with who to vote for…

And once, we’d had a good mouthful of the appetizers, the main dish was served. Ah, the CAMPAIGN! So colorful and mesmerizing, never had my eyes experienced such zeal, and I've lived a long life if you must know. “Angry birds” fluttering around the “dhol waale”, "loudspeakers" hollering "victory", "eagles” flying beyond “infinity” and the “fist” uplifting our “smiles”! It brought bliss how, although competing against each other, they were all able to bring the school as one! We cheered and rejoiced and danced, while our young politicians talked themselves red, white and blue in the faces. Music, rocking the place, confetti swaying and uniforms plastered with the vibrant support badges; it could have been easily mistaken as a punk rock concert, oh we like to move it, move it!

Trumpets were blown, as the royalties were lifted in the air, by their aficionados, them cheering and basically just proving how they deserved every bit of the respect. It was a sight worth a million dollars, and was beautifully captured by our future Athar Shahzads! Moaaz Sidat, Areeba Haqqi, Shayan Baig and many others preserved it all in the best way possible (although I look very ugly in most, but that’s a personal problem and no pun is intended on their photography skills, ‘cause these are geniuses we are dealing with!)

And after flying high to our skies with Aimen and Sadia, reaching infinity with Zeest, dancing to the beats of Ammar and Ahmed, smiling with Makati, and having grown a powerful fist with Mehraz, we headed to choose the best and most deserving of them all-to cast votes.

"Post Campaign Clean-up"

Under Ma’am Shireen’s watchful eye, the votes were cast, with fair means and a disciplined air. But as we all know it’s not the voting that’s democracy but the counting… thus, the unnerving suspense took place in the guts of all candidates with the hopes of victory in all hearts.

And then the wait was over! Uproar erupted as Mehraz Khan and Zeest Hasan were titled Head Boy and Head Girl, respectively with Ali Asghar Makati and Anusha Khalid following their lead as deputy heads! Although, I hold just as much respect for all the other candidates and appreciate their sportsmen spirit, I cannot deny that I’m very happy with the result! These guys are simply the best and we students have used our voting power quite wisely, and so I look forward to a very fun filled, enthralling, yet, educationally healthy session under their lead. Don’t let us down guys, we brought you up!

P.S: Makati, ice lollies? Smooth move. But I didn't get one, care to explain?

Election Times (Courtesy: PAF Chapter Journalism Society)

Shamail Ahmed Siddiqui.
A1S5
Member of PAF Chapter Journalism Society.

Note: The members of Journalism Society submitted their articles regarding the experience of 'Election Fever' at PAF Chapter A-levels Section. The best entries were selected to be published at the blog. So, what you're going to read below is a masterpiece conjured up by the Journalism Society. Enjoy :)

                                                                                                                                            

What shall we call an event that signifies one of the most epic competitions of college life? The epic competition that is just a little over three days? The epic competition which gets people chanting for the person they support? The epic comp- oh well I hope you have already guessed by now because I just can’t wait to talk about the elections for Head Boy and Head Girl!

Of the many events designated to happen in the course of the year, elections hold the highest importance for many. I can’t say the people cherish the democratic sense it gives them more than the freebies and stickers, but we are teenagers right? The bake sale, MUNs and other events are also a lot of fun, but seriously fellas, nothing; I repeat nothing holds a candle to the hype and tension involved in the PAF Chapter A level elections. And if you can’t feel it, it’s probably because you or I weren't nominated. Sad I know, but let’s talk more about elections here, shall we?

So after the nominees were finalized, all that remained was the fun part. Creative ideas for the campaigning were put forth by all the candidates’ respective supporters. But considering the symbols chosen this time, I’d say the supporters weren't the only ones getting creative. Believe me, the symbols ranged from birds to infinity, literally. And not only the normal birds, I’m talking cute angry little birds we love slinging on woodwork. Totally an indicator of the bearer’s ambitions I guess. Then there were symbols from the tried and tested list- the dhol and the normal birds. I guess some things never loose there charm eh? Also, the smile and the thumbs up, boy did these two catch on. Besides perfectly reflecting the personalities of the respective candidates, they were just…catchy. Anyhow the stereo was nothing short of a star, as nothing drives up some 18 year olds than the good ol’ loudspeaker. Not to mention they represented great rhetorical prowess. Speaking of prowess there was a fist too, which perfectly complemented the bearer’s overpowering aura. And when I say aura, I mean the area in which your size falls while others pale in comparison. Also from the infinite choice of symbols there was also on the list… u guessed it, infinity. Crazy as it sounds; it looked pretty cool when you consider spider man’s eyes look just like that- super fancy.

So when the campaign speeches were given, every candidate vigorously justified the purpose of their symbol plastered on virtually every wall and corner of the A level block. The speeches were impressive, with every speech reflecting the personal style of the candidate; a factor that mattered more than the content itself. But what speech is complete without boat loads of hoo-hahs and boos from the audience? And trust me, there were plenty of both. Not that it’s a bad thing, but seriously, a little actual listening wouldn't hurt you people!

Alright, now let’s get straight to the par- I mean...active campaigning. Not the word ending in ‘y’ with a ‘t’ preceding it. If you are done with the guessing let’s talk about the major day, the day when tension is at its peak, and candidates resort to all sorts of tricks in the book to snatch voters from other opponents. Frankly speaking, that means a full-fledged war in the battleground. Pledged to their duty, a plentiful number of DSLRs were also eagerly snapping away at all the heated moments. Alas, all that handshaking with random people early in the days didn't pay off and what actually remained were those close loyal friends willing to lift 70+ KG on their shoulders. Slogans were shouted out loud (pun intended) and some slogans- not so loud. I’ll leave the not-so-loud slogans to your imagination but as far as the loud slogans are concerned, they were totally typical run-off-the-mill slogans. As our headmistress wonderfully put it, “someone has been watching too much TV lately”.

An Election Campaign Train :D

But that’s where the similarities end. I mean how often do you see popsicles getting hurled at public? Not to mention candies. Oh the insanity! And there were trumpets! Talk about crazy! To top it off, there were dhol-walas and their digital counterpart, the speaker walas, to add to the craziness. People jumped their hearts out, shouting like mad men along with it. The excitement was amazing, though some found it paler than yesteryear’s campaign. I blame it partly on the heat, though that didn't stop the ladies to jump into the thicket of all the commotion. They were hailed across on chairs on the shoulders of their fans, while some chose to simply stand and get their message across. At the end of the day, which sadly did came, everyone felt like they had the time of their lives. And certainly they did because no one was worried about the decision planned for the next day, which leads us to…

The day came when we cast our votes. Yes, a remarkably anticipated day, the voting day consists of two parts; Voting in morning and results in mid-day. And well not so surprisingly, handshaking with random people was still not out of the question. But well u just can’t sit and give up right? No one likes a sore loser, so better put up that fake smile. Anyhow when the results were to be announced, the guessing game was in full swing, with students betting on who will win. The crowd raised their hands in uproar when Mehraz, the fist became head boy and Ali (a.k.a Makati) the smile got to be deputy head boy for 2012-13. The voices weren't any less raucous when Zeest, infinity, was declared head girl and Anusha the thumbs up was declared deputy head girl. These fellas then came to thank whoever came to their mind and all that with cheeky smiles set on their faces. Congrats fellas, now treat please!

Our Student Council Heads 2012-2013

"As you look back on your life you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
-Mark Twain

Before anything else is said or written, let's give credit where it's due.

Aimen Nadeem-For the amazing lollies and Angry bird Shirts

Anusha Khalid-For Keepin' it Simple

Ahmed Tariq-For carrying on the 'Dhol' Legacy

Ammar Zaidi-For the best campaign ever.

Aliasgher Makati-For motivating us to stay smart so that it's easier to surf the crowd.

Mehraz Khan-For the most inspiring campaign speech.

Zeest Hassan-For coming up with the most Unique Symbol.

Sadia Sadiq-For the Ties and the T-shirts and the Headbands and the Eclairs =D

Rimsha Imran-For showing that whether one wins or not, the smile is kept.

Shahrukh Naveed-For setting an example of what being truly determined is like.

No matter who became the Head of the Student Council, you guys gave us the best week the Pafians could ask for 
and as Ms.Shireen said 

"You are meant for much greater success in life. You gave the winners a tough fight."

A look at the Crowd Surfing Moments of the Heads.

Mehraz Khan-Head Boy

Zeest Hassan Qureshi-Head Girl

Aliasgher Makati-Deputy Head Boy

Anusha Khalid-Deputy Head Girl

CHEERS. :D

Of Campaigns and Losses.

Just looking back at the campaigns.
While some lost their minds after seeing around ten 'Dhol Waalas',
and some lost their cheering crowd,
and some lost their NIKON Body cap,
and some lost the charts and banners they had put their effort in,
and some lost their chance of getting a Lolly,
and some didn't get even get the Ding-Dongs nor the Eclairs,
and some lost their little 'trumpet like thing-a-ma-jig'
and some their hopes,
while all the losses were dealt with and the blows faced,
behold! The greatest loss of all!

Yes, somebody lost their Shoe's sole. What a tragedy to walk on the face of the Earth without a Shoe Sole!
You are more than welcome to claim the Shoe Sole if it's yours though.

Photography Credits: Areeba Haqqi

Ten in the Zone.

Well, you have to be a lost soul if you still have not recognized the Head Boy and the Head Girl nominees.
After all, the candidates of the batch of 2013 have outshined the previous batches in the number of pan flexes put up. Yes, you read it right. There were around twenty pan flexes put up! That’s a lot of pan flex, and a lot of money too. I’ll leave your clever mindset to guess the number of banners, charts, posters and flyers put up.

Today was the first day of putting up Banners and Posters and if one stood in the ground, the A-level section seemed to have undergone some kind of Plastic Surgery. It had its red walls replaced by banners and posters ranging in all colors and sizes. Batch of 2013 is in the zone! :D

Without further a due, meet our Head Boy and Head Girl candidates :D
(In alphabetical order this time)

Head Boy Candidates

1) Ahmed Tariq.
Where to find him: At Outreach camps, collecting charity.
How to recognize him: He’s the one campaigning at Naushad’s Tuition Centre.
His Symbol: Dhol (Mustafa Jamshed style, Yo xD)

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2) Ali Asgher Makati.
Where to find him: A2S2. Yes, he is found in his class :D
How to recognize him: He’s the one who smiles the most and his way of saying ‘hello’ is a high-five.
His Symbol: Smile.

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3) Mehraz Ali Khan.
Where to find him: The School Canteen.
How to recognize him: He’s the tallest one in the A-level section with a shoe size that leaves Big Foot behind.
His Symbol: Fist.

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4) Shahrukh Naveed.
Where to find him: Theatre/Drama auditions/any place that requires a ‘dramatic effects’.
How to recognize him: He’s the one who put up ELEVEN pan flexes. Only. :P
His Symbol: Victory.

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5) Syed Ammar Zaidi.
Where to find him: He’ll be there wherever Faizan Ahmed is.
How to recognize him: He’s the Gulshan guy. =D
His Symbol: Loud Speakers.

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Head Girl Candidates.

1) Aimen Nadeem.
Where to find her: In the corridor in front of the General Classes.
How to recognize her: She’s the one who used the ‘Don’t Vote For Me’ tagline in her speech.
Her Symbol: Angry Birds (They’re CUTE =D )

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2) Anusha Khalid.
Where to find her: The Volleyball Court.
How to recognize her: You’ll find her expressing her passion for volleyball and then smiling with her dimples.
Her Symbol: Thumbs Up.

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3) Rimsha Imran.
Where to find her: The Counselors’ Office doing any kind of work she can possibly do.
How to recognize her: She’s the one who’s usually roaming around with papers and telling people what to do. =)
Her Symbol: Courage.

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4) Sadia Sadiq.
Where to find her: With the A2S1 groupies.
How to recognize her: Do you see the girl who is walking a bounce and a cheery smile that says ‘life’s good’? That’s Sadia J
Her Symbol: Eagle

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5) Zeest Hassan Qureshi.
Where to Find Her: Find a Guitar, you’ll find Zeest with it.
How to recognize her: She’s the one who’s got herself engaged with almost every co-curricular activity she could possibly manage.
Her Symbol: Infinity.

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Public Service Message: Brace yourself for the campaigns on Monday, you never know what to expect. Batch of 2013 after all =D

If Only..

Contributed by: Zeest Hassan Qureshi

A2S4

It is a tribute to the worst 'man-made' disaster that this nation faced on 12th September 2012.
The Karachi garment factory inferno took around two hundred lives.
One life is too many, around two hundred lives is too much.

As Zeest has written below: May the hearts of the dear ones of the victims from the factory catastrophe be granted with patience.

Shortlisting on a Rainy Day.

One can never get tired of the moment when it starts pouring and the entire A-level section rushes to the grounds.
The pitter patter,
the splashes,
the combined cheers,
the water fights as it rains,
moments one has to be insane not to love.

Rain at PAF Chapter.

A 'Rainy Moment' captured.
Photography Credits: Saad Haseeb.

In the midst off all the rain, the list of the shortlisted candidates was put up. Then taken down, and then put up back again with amendments.

Yes, the two different notices did cause confusion as the shortlisted candidates grew from four to five, but all in team spirit yes ? :D

If you're still wondering, this is being written about the shortlisted HEADBOY and HEADGIRL candidates.

So finally the final candidates (in no particular order) are,

HEADBOY
-Mehraz Khan
-Aliasgher Makati
-Ammar Zaidi
-Ahmed Tariq
-Shahrukh Naveed

HEADGIRL
-Zeest Hassan
-Sadia Sadiq
-Anusha Khalid
-Rimsha Imran
-Aimen Nadeem

Let Games Election Campaigns Begin! :D

P.S. Last two classes are surely free next Thursday for election campaigns, remember to fight for your right if a teacher doesn't give you off in these two classes. Just saying :D

Before the Votes are Cast.

The moment the A-level branch seems to have goody-goody students.
The moment when one is seen helping the other.
The moment A2s are overly-kind with AS.
The moment the A-level section seems like a harmonious place.

Now what would this moment be ?
You guessed it right,
Pre-Election Campaigns!

Hey AS, don't be fooled by the helping hands and the friendly smiles. Vote for the you think best.
Hey A2, we better get good treats for all the campaigns we do for you guys.

LET THE ELECTION FEVER BEGIN! B|

Soon to begin.
Make it 'Facebook Invasion' though xD
If you get what I mean.

I Was There When it Happened.

Syeda Ramsha Wasti.

I partially covered my face with my lily white hands in order to hide a peculiar expression of shock, repugnance, and terror that had suddenly appeared on my face; my painfully straightened fingers could feel and sense my cheeks, which were continuously getting piping hot, despite the singular feeling of fear that had overtaken me. There was a permanent gap in my memory; a grey spot on the memory plate of my brain which annoyed me and portrayed me as a helpless creature in front of myself. Logic begged the question: How did I end up in this place? But my brain, clearly, failed to answer that. I looked around for some sign of life, for something that could give me a clue or at least, subside the Grim Phantom, fear, that was building up in my body. 

My eyes wandered in vain for several nano seconds, but then I saw a man wearing richly ornamented clothes. His clothes were, probably, made from the best quality linen with decorated buttons; his fingers were all installed with beautiful yet huge manly colored rings. It appeared to me as if wearing heavy jewelry was his way of unveiling his manhood and exposing his wealth. His ear rings, bracelets, necklaces and pendants were so sparkly and shiny that I was obligated to take my eyes off them. I would like to mention here that his black kohl lined eyes, bluish green powdered eye lids and henna dyed lips amplified my fear. As he was getting close, my stomach was tying up in knots and it felt like lava was traveling up the esophagus. Then he straightened himself up, stared in my direction, and approached me. “Enta meen?” he said. His alien language drowned me in the pool of confusion when suddenly, my eyes landed upon my hand in which I was holding a cellular phone to which an automatic translator was attached; I immediately turned it on. The man gave me a confused glance and spoke again, “Who are you? And what kind of clothes are you wearing?” I pondered over his question for a while and looked at my cellular phone to detect the date, time, and place. To my utmost disbelief, my phone told me it was 11 am on 14th September 2630 BC in Egypt. “Hello. My name is Syeda and I came here to view the magnificent Pyramids along with my family and friends. While I was trying to visualize how exactly the pyramids were made, I ended up in your century, the century in which the first pyramid was built. I don’t know how this happened. I know this sound pretty absurd, but please, try to believe me”. The man again stared at me with a confused expression because the two way system of translator was not working; it was only one way due to which I could understand him but he couldn’t grasp a single word of my language. I cursed the translator and eyed the man whose confusion was transforming into anger and I could see that in his eyes since eyes are windows to the soul.

 “You must be a spy from Arab. You should be taken to the King immediately,” he roared. He, then, grabbed my collar and literally dragged me to the castle in front of which we appeared like tiny ants. “Here, this way!” he said hurriedly. I wanted to defend myself, wanted to tell him the truth but knowing that he wouldn’t understand a word, staying quiet was the best option. We were inside the castle now. To me, it didn’t appear like a castle from the inside; it was heaven. Yes, it was heaven, indeed. It was a great dominion where there was neither the excessive heat, nor the excessive cold; a sense of delight pervaded my soul by looking at it. Pearls were scattered here and there and the entire place was decorated by the vessels of silver and cups of crystal. I could actually see my reflection in the mirrored floor and through that; I was also able to see the difference that existed between the man’s and my dressing. We were alien to each other, but destined to meet. Wearing the finest linen clothing and walking in this beautiful, heavenly castle, he belonged there while I didn’t. The features of Muslim paradise, that my father told me when I was a kid, were running through my head as I was getting dragged. I didn’t know where he was taking me, but he abruptly stopped in front of two enormous, dove like white doors. I don’t know how to describe the feeling that seeped into me, when he knocked on the door. It was, perhaps, a mixture of curiosity and fear. Am I going to die? Would they kill me? But what did I do? How did I get here? Would that woman ‘Fate’ just let me die in a snap without giving me a chance to see my family one last time? My brain was bombarded with questions to which I didn’t have answers, frustration was building up. 

Before I could think any further, two men similarly dressed as the one holding my collar opened the doors and let us in. One of them, perhaps the one who brought me, threw me on the floor; however, they started talking to each other in low voices. All I could hear was that the King was terribly sick and was at a verge of death. They described the King’s condition in this manner: His body had turned completely yellow and his eyes were bulging out of the sockets. From what I heard, I concluded that he must be suffering from Jaundice. A little while later, another court man entered and stammered, “Kkk-ing…O-u-r God...is gg-one!” My mind was at a loss to make a connection between king and god. Who died, after all? Is it the king or the god? But how can God die? So actually, my history was right when he told me that Kings held a mysterious position in an ancient Egyptian society. They were ranked somewhere between king and divine. This was quite surprising to me. I put my thoughts aside and tried to concentrate on my surrounding. In a moment’s time, thousands and thousands of people gathered outside the castle and the atmosphere turned gloomy while tears ran down people’s eyes. “Had my president died, I would have never cried,” I murmured to myself. “Though Our Mighty has died, his ‘ka’, a part of his spirit, is still alive. Hence, he’s the King of the Dead now. And in order to protect and preserve this part of his spirit, we need to build a pyramid in which He can be entombed. If we didn’t, catastrophe can take over the entire Egypt. Yes, the entire Egypt!!” an old man from the crowd voiced these sentences out loud. By this point, my brain was actually spinning. This was all so shocking for me that my brain was about to get paralyzed. I wanted to scream, my heart craved to go back home and butterflies were building up in my stomach. 

One of the king’s men stepped forward and separated some people from the crowd. From their appearances, I could guess that they were builders since their clothes were mud-spattered. They were assigned the task of building a pyramid to preserve the Holy King’s body. And unfortunately, I was also sent with the builders as a punishment of spying on Egypt. We all were provided with certain specifications according to which a pyramid had to be built. As I skimmed through the specifications, my heart skipped a beat. The pyramid had to be modeled on a sacred stone of ‘Benben’ at right angles to the true directions and its shape was considered according to the datum line. The north south direction was decided by taking into account the rising and the setting of the sun. However, the east west direction was by observing the shadows of the sun light. Everything that the king would need in his afterlife had to be provided to him in the pyramid which included the vessels made of clay, stone, gold, furniture, food, doll like servants know as Ushabti. I always thought that the people before were far behind us in technology, but after seeing the designing, structure, and planning of the pyramid with my own mortal eyes, I had to change my mind set. I closed my eyes to take a shut eye for a little while and I felt like I was being lifted up the ground. I kept my eyes closed and then, it happened; I was back with my family and friends in the modern day Egypt and the time was exactly 11 am on 14th September 2012. 

I was surprised that family and friends didn't even bother to ask me where I was for the past so many hours. When we passed by another pyramid, I told my friend that I actually took part in the construction of it on which he cracked up, and started laughing insanely. I know it is all insane and unbelievable, but believe me, I am not lying. This actually happened!

Welcoming AS.

Reported by: Lubaina Ehsan

5th September 2012, the day A2s had been waiting for since weeks.
Yes, the day of the arrival of the new batch of AS level.

Before the A2s could welcome the new batch, it was rain that took them in.
Then the notices saying 'A2 suspension for two weeks if caught ragging'.

Well, well, welcome to The City School PAF Chapter A-levels AS.

No matter how much you were ragged today or how many people ate from your lunch money, you'll soon realize that PAF Chapter A-levels is like your second home and the experiences you have here are beyond comparison.

Wishing all of you the best two years ahead.

For A2s: Best one year ahead.