Election 2013-Accessorizing the Campaign

Amna Rizwan, A2C1

Fluorescent colors, personalized and symbolic promoters everywhere. Everything, from top to bottom, for the allocated time span. Every nook and cranny of the red-bricked home is accessorized. The air filled with the beat of drums, the procession of human trains and the sight of bhangra. Amateur and experienced photographers, in and around the crowd, their cameras clicking non-stop. A buzz of activity; ladies and gentlemen, you are a witness to the election campaign at PAF Chapter.

From the nominee selection to verbal convincing even before the AS arrived, campaigning was in the air. The interviews and final contestant announcements opened up the floor for the contest. Then came the candidate speeches; energetic, inspiring and most importantly convincing. The competition was tough, and as our HM says, “Each and every candidate is already a winner.”

Towards the final campaigning day, preparation in the red-bricked walls was evident. Boosting the spirit of elections. The variety of colors and symbols ranged from black cannons to silver phoenixes, to beige swords to royal blue superman, gold bolts to minion yellows and red Vs to white doves. Facebook campaigns had status updates from PAFians and non PAFians. DPs and cover photos went viral. Even the alumni had their say, campaigning for their friends. The underprivileged of the society were not forgotten. A stall was set up where bands were sold for charity purposes.  Handmade posters and stickers were seen. Professional posters and panaflexes were equally popular. Catchy slogans ‘Chapter Ki Jaan’ and symbolic logos ‘dove’ and ‘superman’ made their impact.  Not just the red bricked walls, but the staircases and even the roof held the charts. The canteen, windows of the common room, corridors and classroom doors weren't spared either.

Credits: Khurram Kamran

Innovative ideas accessorizing the election campaign were witnessed. Some of them actually won hearts over. The Mera-Sultan-inspired head bands were an instant favorite. Some really cute Minion arm bands were circulated. The demand was so high that most fell short in supply. Stickers and bracelets embellished. A real favorite among girls were the bolt-shaped earrings and hairpins. Even boys appreciated that idea! The beige sashes promoting the Sword of Chapter were very consistent; from speeches to the actual campaign, their presence was consistent. The sunglasses couture has uniqueness of its own. Browsing through election albums, the yellow capes and blue t-shirts are easily the most noticeable accessory. Distinguishing supporters of one candidate from another, the black, red and white, and superman t-shirts made their marks. Face and hand painting had its share. In the beat of dhol, the action of bhangra and the flash of camera was the symbolic danda and its honorable owner. The danda symbolizes and maintains control, in its habitat of best fit, the left hand of the HM A level section, Mrs Shireen Karamally.

The 90-minute campaign made its mark. It fulfilled its purpose. It enabled the final choice. In the limited time, the excitement is dense, fun is jam-packed thus it’s a plan appreciated.

The excitement, the moment pride must have a humble end. All’s well that comes out clean. Under our HM, the candidates and their supporters cleaned up. They cleaned up the graffiti showered, the banners, posters and the stickers. With stakes raised high, they jharoo-ed the ground, packed it up and wrapped up the election campaign at PAF Chapter. No one wanted to be disqualified from the elections, at the cost of Ms Shireen’s displeasure.

Elections 2013: So far so good!

Soaleha  Suri A2 S4

Ever since the start of this session I have been noticing some big changes in the Pafian behavior. Spirits of friendship, unity, brotherhood and harmony are at unusual peaks and though most AS students think it’s 
a norm at chapter, the A2s definitely know the story behind it; yes, I am talking about the spell, the election campaign spell everyone is under.

And it begins...

The nominees are putting their best efforts to prove themselves worthy of votes which was evident from their persuasive and enthusiastic speeches. The competition is tough. With bolts, cannons and swords in the battlefield , that tiny dove surely has a lot to deal with. Meanwhile some people are already celebrating victory, at least that’s what their symbol shows. On the other side we have superman, phoenix and the adorable minions striving to prove that they are from beyond this world. Their qualities might be different but they all have the same goal: to lead their fellow Pafians in the best of ways and serve their school with pride.
While the eager candidates are struggling to get on top, they would be nowhere without their huge army of supporters. Their undying efforts to make their leaders win is truly overwhelming. So what if superman’s speech was lacking superiority, his loyal supporters have got his back no matter what. But the bewildering cries and thrilling response we saw during the speeches was just a trailer. The action packed campaign day has came. Did the cannon balls overpower the bolts? Did superman really come to the rescue? Which Khan army will win? Whatever happens nonstop fun was guaranteed and achieved.

And of course, we cleaned up all of our 'fun' too. ^__^

So brace yourselves and be wise in your judgments if you really want another year without regrets.

PAFEX

Yesterday was the day when I felt proud of a choice I had made. A choice that led me to choose PAF Chapter for my A Levels. Want to know why I am in such an emo mood? Well, read on then.

A Levels is the step preceding university life and therefore we spend a major chunk of our time deciding which university is affordable/achievable and has all the right things we require. If you are a non-Pafian, this work is probably done behind a computer screen. However, we decided to do things a bit differently. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we had universities to come and visit us, answer our endless questions and to sum it up, make things a LOT easier for us.

I, on the behalf of the student body, congratulate and pay my gratitude to the people responsible for making it possible. Thank-you Miss Bushra for coming with this initiative, Miss Naureen for handling everything and ensuring PAFEX became a possibility, and yes thank you Miss Shireen for supporting this idea, we understand it wasn't an easy task.

Indeed it was a great learning experience. ^_^

Moving on, lets have a look at what happened when the event was concluded. As expected, the students and visitors left off with satisfied expressions and could be sure of a job well done. :D
However, there was a group looking extremely sullen and lagging behind giving an impression of lethargy. Well, to clarify these were those hard working people who worked the ENTIRE day, ran around, ensured that every demand was satisfied and the event was as perfect as it could be. Miss Shireen would have thought that praising them and giving these volunteers a big smile would work, but to her dismay, they turned out to be materialistic. (Imagine that. XD)

Resembles to a Selaani treat, right? :P Credit: Shayan Riyaz

So today they were rewarded by an exclusive treat. BIRYANI was distributed. Ohh, they must be loving Miss Shireen. ^_^  Knowing them well, Ma'am even took a picture of them devouring biryani so they couldn't deny this on a later date.

This is it, Chapter News will be back with more updates. :D

We all own fears, don't we?

We all own fears, don't we?

By: Mehak Saleem A1S5

Source: http://www.iliketoquote.com/being-great-starts-by-being-fearless-fearless-starts-by-having-faith-having-faith-starts-by-letting-go-its-hard-but-not-impossible/

We all have fears inside that sometimes retain us to bring out our best.
Fears that have no dead end.
Fears that we think will be the cause of our destruction.
They can be of any shape or size, they hold us from carrying out our lives with fearlessness- and that later on fills us with guilt that we have wasted our valuable time in false statements.

 Marianne Williamson best describes this fear which had filled me with great enthusiasm to observe and take into account this feeling we all share.
 “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Not many people understand that we cannot be the same as others. We cannot replicate others. We are what we are; this is a deep truth which many consider as their biggest fear. Some people consider their biggest fear to be feeling alone.  Though they are never alone! We all have that one hand upon us that will protect us. We have our God, our faith that brings and buries down all these thoughts that preserve us to enjoy life and the bounties how they are truly meant to be. 

We are all unique, we are all beautiful. No man has the right to make fun of someone else's fear.
We consider everyone else other than ourselves to be perfect; we have fears that slow us down in the will to obtain perfection. Not many can be brave enough to fight their inner fears but in the end that will be the ultimate victory! They say after every loss there is a definite win that awaits us. That win will be better than the ones we have accomplished with our strengths. Our weaknesses will be there to boost us up in a whole new level.

Fears can be those that bring us down, knock us bad or even that tells us that we are not good enough. It spreads chaos in our lives silently and when we see others successful we weep about how we could have had it all! 

Just a bit of hope can change the scenario; just a bit of Faith can ease the pain.

It’s okay to be scared. In fact even the most fanatic supporters have all had their fears in their time.
But that never stopped them from bringing out their views! These are the very same people who brought dramatic change in the theories that had been believed on for centuries. They had will power that's what made them succeed!

Why is it that the most popular kids are looked up as role models? Is it because of the way they carry themselves? Or just because we want the sort of attention they process?  We think they are pretty , we think they have no flaw, we BELIEVE that they are one step ahead of us though they may be just as average as you think you are because they might not have been given the sort of Qualities you attain.

Velma from Scooby doo once said “All that glitters is not gold”.


Of course I cannot replicate the exact same picture here but she has been my favorite character so it’s hard not to quote her. The point was that those people covered in all the shimmer have things to hide, things that they might not be proud 0f. They are just like we are and maybe that is why to hide their inner captivity, they consider people around them as wounded and helpless just as they might be – they have mind that no one else can read and thus we consider them superior.

The best way to run away from it all is to bring down all your fears on a piece of paper ,
think hard on what you could have done with that fear if you were not scared of it and then slowly and gradually try to erase the word IMPOSSIBLE – because what I believe is Nothing is Impossible !


And I quote: 
“Do one thing every day that scares you.” 
― Eleanor Roosevelt

Surely one day we will be the winners,
We will accelerate in life just as the others have.
We will be subjected to victories through our life,
Verily man has been made God’s best creation and we all our destined for greatness!

Science & commerce

Science v commerce

Science & commerce

Amna Rizwan

Doctor beti, engineer beta; typical preferences of typical elders.

A general mindset in our society which even our teachers firmly believe is that science students are superior to those with commerce or humanities subject combinations. I have experienced being a science as well as a commerce student and have, to date been unable figure out any valid reason for this approach.

An interesting claim, “Science wale kuch banaenge nhi to commerce wale bechenge kya?” I ask you, “Commerce wale invest nhi kren ge, bechenge nhi to science wale khaaenge kya?”

Source: Internet

Have you ever been interested in an article about an invention which excluded the economic significance or lacked statistic info? Would you ever choose to buy a gadget which wasn’t well-marketed? Do you think GM food can survive the competition against organic food on its own? Can a business evaluate profitability or detect fraud if its accounts aren't proper? Can engineers on their own decide then manage the best use for the world’s tallest structure?

Of course not! On their own, engineers cannot determine the ideal method of manufacture or the welfare-maximizing level of output. They rarely acquire skills to predict demand in future, identify phenomena like inflation, depreciation of a currency, to set the market price. On their own, doctors and engineers cannot benefit the world much.

The bottom-line: do not underestimate any subject, any field; they exist because a NEED is felt for them. Each individual comes with strength of their own (a lesson from 3 idiots . Some have creative minds, others think logically. Mathematics is not superior to sociology. Science is not superior to commerce.  Rather, immense will and efforts are needed to study new subjects that are not English-Urdu-math-science-Islamiat we've always had. Each field has a significance of its own. Each subject requires its share of hard work and effort, has an importance and deserves its share of respect. J Acquiring education itself, then applying a literate person’s approach to life is success.

Life is not about competition and comparison, least of all for stereotypical grading. Stereotypical grading reduces productivity by inducing a defensive attitude in students, diverting their energies from the actual purpose; studies. Let’s omit the science v commerce thoughts, and switch to a healthier approach where choices are respected, hard work appreciated and stereotypes curbed. A level is time when a student (18-year-old) realize their strengths (and polish them) and their weaknesses (and work on them). ^.^ Make a wise choice, insert your will in your decision and stand by it. Be confident about and be respected. 

Berry and Benny, Over and Out.

On 10th of September 2013 Berry and Benny officially hand over this blog to AbdulSattar Zahid , Mahrukh Mohsin and Marium Parekh. (Yes, Berry and Benny graduated) We trust that they will take care of this blog with their LIFE. 

So, an official welcome to the three new heads of this blog! 
And, an official goodbye as Berry and Benny sail away.

Meet Berry and Benny.

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Yes, this post couldn't have been complete without our farewell notes

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"I'm finalising the editing schedule for the blog"
"We're working on the Yearbook's stuff"
"Going to buy Chocolates for the award ceremony"
"Zubairi, Zubairi, What to doooo?!"

"Through out the past year, the above phrases have became my 'Cushion Statements'. In this world we can't apparate (sadly), thus, I had to excuse myself from various events JUST because there was Blogging Society's work to be done.

All that was done, could not have been done alone. I'm glad I had Ayesha Zubairi's Amazing-ness by my side. And, of course, the best-with-no-comparison-out-of-this-world Editors at the Student Blog Team. You guys are the Best-est. Also, Ms. Shireen Karamally, Ms. Seema Rasheed, Ms.Naureen Ahmad and Ms. Bushra Siddiqui, Berry and I have no words to thank you all for the support. :')

Now, saying goodbye to this blog seems unreal. Yes, it still does. But, what has to be done must be done.

Hey Upcoming Batches at PAF Chapter A Levels, take care of this Blogging Society like you have not taken care of anything or anybody ever before."

Lubaina Ehsan
President Blogging Society 2012-2013
Signing Off

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"The blog has been everything somebody can wish for to make their last year at school worth every minute , which is why I’ve been procrastinating bidding it goodbye. Having read Lubaina’s before writing this, I will keep this short because her note got me emotional. Chapter couldn’t have gotten a better society, run by a better head who was an exceptional leader and a role model. The Student Blog Team exceeded our expectations with their enthusiasm and support. AbdulSattar, Minahil, Mahrukh, Usman Baig, Usman Aqeel, Mahnoor and Maheen, Sarmad, Marium Parekh, Hiba and Bhimani, you lot have been the best team ever, the blog wouldn’t have been where it is now if it wasn’t for each and every one of you! 

Finally, thank you to Makati for being an amazing friend, because if it wouldn’t have been for you, I wouldn’t be writing this note. And thank you, Asad Boolani for being there."

Ayesha S. Zubairi
Vice President Blogging Society 2012-2013
Signing Off.

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Sigh. Guess this will be the last Berry and Benny post at this blog. We bade this blog and this group farewell with a very last initiative that was thought of by none other than Aliasgher Makati. A Group for the Class of 2013 to stay in contact at 

So, Class of 2013, wait no more and join this group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/237154636433075/

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It is as if this blog has a way of making all those associated with it be at peace with their creative yet awesomely weird side.

Witness as this blog casts its spell on the three newly appointed heads and their team too. Welcome, AbdulSattar, Mahrukh Mohsin and Marium Parekh!

May the blessings of our beloved founders and mentors, Ali Mehdi Ziadi and Syeda Ramsha Wasti, be with you.

Finally (Sadly) Over and out, Berry and Benny. ---