Seven Hundred and Twelve lost Dreams

An expanse of dull, unending clouds stretched across the sky’s canvas, bestowing only hints of the power of the sun. The sun, like a large grandeur orange fireball in the distance was partially cloaked by the hanging clouds. It was orange as the sky like a ghost almost. Yet even from behind the trees, it seemed to stare at her, a silent ball of wonderment that was really a ragging ball of hellish fury. 

The edge of the earth was burning with the last light of the day just like her hopes were burning with her last ray of optimism. The evening sky was pulling the fire under and as the fight continued, the sun submitted to tranquillity, just like she submitted her seven hundred and twelve dreams to nothingness. 

As the light reluctantly gave way to darkness, she sat there wondering how relatable the process of nature is to her life. 

As she stole another look at the sky, she was struck by the darkness of the night, darker than smeared charcoal, small splashes of gold glittering here and there as if an artist has brazenly attempted to light it without aim. 

At that dead hour of the night, when all was still, when there was not a sound to be heard, counting with hollow voice the footsteps of time in ceaseless round, she turned to the Ephemeris and found there, by calculations made years ago, that when that clock tells a certain hour, a star which she never saw will be in the field of the telescope, flit through and then disappear.  The moment approaches and the star, mute with eloquence, comes smiling and dancing into the field and at the instant predicted even to the fraction of a second, it makes its transit and is gone.  Gone.  Lost. Totally lost. Lost like her dreams. Seven hundred and twelve dreams. With emotions too deep for the organs of speech, her heart swells out with unutterable anthems of sadness.

But not so far away but so far away, there was a puff of a visible mass of condensed water vapour floating in the atmosphere, bright as her wildest dreams but dark as her worst nightmare. It could set her free or it could trap her in invisible barriers. Barriers that could confine her and leave her heavy with desperation without the slimmest chances of survival.

Just when there seemed no escape, the harvest moon made its way to the centre of the sky, dusted with rust, brown and gold tones, intimately bound with the land, breaking the unwavering darkness that had enveloped the night until then.

By ; Ramsha Ekhlaque

Fear- The Silent Murderer!

WRITTEN BY: NIDA MEHMOOD A2-S4 

It pulls you out of a crowd, irradiates your heart and stabs it without an ounce of pity. Fear is a murderer. A cold-blooded murderer, and it doesn't come uninvited.

Each day we give birth to fear and nourish it. Fear should be distinguished from, but is closely related to, the emotion anxiety, which occurs as the result of threats which are perceived to be uncontrollable or unavoidable.

Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.

 It will take away your laughter, comfort and satisfaction. It will push you into an abyss of misery and leave you there to muse at things that may not even happen. Like a wolf that howls so loudly that its heard a hundred miles far away. In the midst of the tiny reality where your existence rests, fear will drag you out and make you shiver. It will make a normal day turn into a haunted macrocosm that you will be forced to live in. With no options, you will have to abjure. That's what fear does to you. A thousand times over, it will kill you, slowly and silently, without you even knowing about it.

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear." --- H.P. Lovecraft

Things Work Out Just Fine

By: Mehak Saleem

I was once a carefree kid. Once, that's all. After sometime, a calamity struck me and I grew up.

It doesn't sound that bad once you actually get to be an adult. People assume that as you grow older, you tend to become wiser. Nah, not really. It all depends upon how much you can bear. By the time I got my senses to 'work and function' properly, I was 12. However, to actually ‘use’ the functioning brain, I had to wait till I was 16. With time, I keep learning, I keep changing and I keep defining my existence. This is one capability I did not possess a few years ago; common sense is the ability that I developed over the years and maybe, just maybe it'll keep on growing day by day, year by year.

I have walked those rough paths which ultimately break and wear you down and crush every last bit of hope left inside you. At one time, I gave up. I just thought no matter what I do, my prayers will be left unanswered and I'll be as miserable as I was back then.

After one entire year when I look at myself, I seem to comprehend and juxtapose the situation I was in, back then, and the circumstances that surround me now. It was a difficult time. I would stand still and blame everything around me for my miserable state of mind, but what I failed to understand was how my life is going to be as easy as I want it to be or how difficult I make it.

All these years, I was picked on, annoyed, bullied, but I managed to get myself back on track, every SINGLE time. In this selfish world, people will only talk to you for the sake of their reputation and their benefit. Our slogan should be, ‘Each act of kindness comes with a price.’ It's sad but it's true. Before you start Googling the author, I'm going to do you all a favour and admit that there isn't any author for this. These are just a handful of words typed down by someone who feels the need to understand the purpose of her existence.

Many a time, I was asked of what I wanted to be. Instantly, I knew the answer to this question. I had a statement memorised in the back of my head, ‘I want to be an architect.’ But for a fraction of a second, I went into those deep thoughts where the world momentarily stops and allows you to re-think your words. If the world actually stopped, our tongues would be in our mouths and we would be doing the whole humanity a favour by thinking twice before thoughtlessly throwing words out of our mouths.

Back to the ‘exaggerated’ momentary pause. I used to think whether it is my ambition to be an architect or is it just something that I wanted to be called. Now, I'm half way to graduation and I finally began to search for universities. I finally began to look up things for my future, but it didn't feel right to me, not as yet..

In this busy schedule, when we plan out our futures way before they are even meant to be executed, I realised that whatever we do is destined to happen. Every breath, every step, every action and every word counts in structuring your future. Being a good child, being grateful to your parents and being thankful to your Lord no matter what stage you go through. These are just some of the pivotal elements of your monument of success. Now, who wouldn't want to unveil an exemplary monument?! AND, if things get rough and tough, just remember, it all shall pass. It took me a long while to realise this.
I'm thankful that I have a few people who helped me realise this. Not everyone can be that lucky. You can have all the friends to laugh with you and to have fun with, but you will merely find a handful of people who would love you and care for you for all the right reasons, without any beneficial purpose for themselves. I'm finally satisfied with my situation.

No matter what place I'm in now, years from now, this will all be a memory that I actually learned from. Such memories turn into an advice for others and if you've lived through a time like this (which I hope you don't ever have to), you'll see that people will call you strong and wise. That's the best reward you can get; to be credited for standing stiff, and not still, through those days!

A Game of Thrones

Elections? Naaah. “A Game of Thrones” has a better ring to it. Don’t you think?
Well, Friday, the 19th of September was the day the red bricks got plastered with art and the ground became a battlefield. Don’t worry no swords or arrows were used but the weapons in disguise were the 'dhol walay'. Yes, folks. Apparently, what I observed was that whichever candidate had the dhol waley standing next to them had the most supporters at that time. Sadly, they were the neutral party and I saw them swaying from one candidate’s side to the next. Shamefully, I would like to admit that I too found myself moving along with them, despite the fact that I had two of my very close friends standing up for the post of Headgirl and Headboy. *THE MIGHTY POWER OF THE DHOL* ! Another star of the campaign was the red mega phone which became everyone’s sweetheart. Trust me, when I say 'everyone', I literally mean EVERY SINGLE PERSON! I saw one junior slyly stealing the little sweetheart from someone’s hand, only to get robbed from him a second later. *sigh*

Enough rambling on my behalf, it’s time for me to break down every single detail about each candidate’s (read contender’s) campaign.

Rasool Naseer (aka bhai bhai)
Symbol: Ace Of Spades
Well, rumour has it that this lad was stuck in the office, battling his way with an Accounts' test, during the campaign time. My handy spies confirmed this. *A big salute to them*
He eventually won that battle, uhhm, I hope so, and was greeted by his trusty supporters in the ground. One major stand-out of his campaign was that distinctive chant of one of his supporters which no one, not even he himself understood.  Overall I feel Mr bhai bhai, (okay I really need to stop probing him with this) had the most energetic crowd and his panaflex won the imaginary panaflex battle. One thing which I noticed is that this guy definitely likes to keep everyone together, which I suppose, is a good thing.

Sabeeh Mohiuddin
Symbol: Hammer
I mostly saw him mounted on someone’s shoulder and taking into account his physique, I don’t think it was that big of a problem for many of his supporters. I half expected him to show up with a hammer, but oh well, he did say his intention was not to bang people. Mr Mohiuddin is known for his preposterous, yet highly entertaining actions. He initiated a new tradition of asking for votes while riding a bicycle. Sadly, he didn’t have a proper cloth to form his cape and in the end had to use Injila’s dupatta, which he now has to pay for. Sabeeh's campaign also included the Train Ride for his supporters, which not only proved to be fun but also an important highlight for the day!

Salman Saeed
Symbol: Basketball
Personally, I felt that his campaign was the only one which was properly organized and his supporters did not leave his side. That was a big thing, considering the fact that I saw so many “lottas” (people who do not stick to one party). His coordination with Yumna Sohail was admirable. Sources told me that he too had issues sitting on his supporters' shoulders and at one instant, almost fell back and had to be pushed forward. Lucky he has so many guy admirers *wink wink* otherwise he would have taken a really bad fall! Well Salman, I am pretty sure you were thankful to have them at that point.

Talha Ahmed
Symbol: Falcon
This guy was only campaigning for the sake of his friends. A good friend he is, indeed. My spies did see him doing the bhangra. I am glad he’s enjoying just running for the post and not biting off his nails like the other contenders.

Moving on to the contenders for the Headgirl post. Yes peeps, these ladies are vicious during their battle. *wink wink*

Injila Bilal
Symbol: Infinity
Well, her headband was a serious win-win for me.  This pretty lady had the most loyal bunch of supporters by her side. At points, I did see her enviously looking at the dhol walay, while they were with some other group. Her first time on the chair which was being lifted and she seemed to be sweating bullets but still managed to charm the people around her. Towards the end, I did see signs of distress on her face. Hmmm, I wonder why? One thing that left me in awe at the end of the day was that her flawless skin did not show a hint of tan. How do you do it, Ms. Infinity?

Saira Rizvi
Symbol: Laurel
“You held me down but I got up
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like a thunder gonna shake the ground”
Yes folks these are the lyrics which instantly pop up in the mind the second I recall this pretty lady’s campaign. She got pushed down from her chair and dropped by her supporters so many times that I lost count. However, she got herself up and carried on with her campaigning with immense energy and enthusiasm. Her panaflex was the biggest amongst all the lady contenders. She’s the first Headgirl candidate who called the dhol waley to school. Plus, her laurel hair bands were immensely cute. I stole one off someone’s head. *giggles*

Yumna Sohail
Symbol: Peace
Two major things:
PINK PINK PINK! Everywhere I turned, I could only see the color pink incorporated by her supporters in various ways. Her group of supporters were extremely organized. Thumbs up to this darling for that!
“VOTE FOR YUMNA” but first, lemme take a selfie!
Yes after stalking her supporters on facebook I realized that her campaigning lot had the most selfies. Overall, her supporters were the brightest of them all.

Huma  Shoukat
Symbol: Crown
Umm, well, she had a few loyal supporters by her side but I think Mr. Obama forgot to send in his forces to support her.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that The Music Society had lined up a concert during the campaign, but sadly, or maybe not, someone messed up their mic. I wonder who that was. *wink wink* . 12 o clock marked the end of the election campaign and Rasool Naseer did not waste that moment to promote himself, while conveying Ms. Hila’s announcement.  An opportunist he is! Wait, the fun didn’t end there; it actually 'started' for several of us because all the candidates, along with those who were an active part of the campaign were asked to clean up all the mess. That’s when most of the candidates decided to hit the road, but too bad, there isn’t a secret tunnel in Chapter which can act as an exit during moments like this. Under  the watchful gaze of Ms. Hila, almost everyone was seen cleaning up.

Well, I guess that’s all, peeps! On a parting note, I would just like to say that Monday will be the day when all of us will vote for who we feel is deserving. At this point, all I can say is that every single candidate is deserving, otherwise they wouldn’t have gotten this far. So choose wisely, very wisely, indeed!

P.s. All those who claimed that they’ll vote for that person who’s campaign will be the most fun, I hope this article helped.. NOT.
P.p.s: I used the word 'dhol waley' way too many times.

Written by: Romesa Hassan

Edited by: Mehak Saleem

Contenders for the posts of Headboy and Headgirl - Untold Stories

Disclaimer: Reader’s discretion advised. The following content is highly punny. Readers are strictly advised to read it at their own risk, in order to prevent their brains from overheating in trying to comprehend the puns.

 

As you all know, elections for the Headboy and Headgirl are around the corner and a buzz of activity prolongs in PAF Chapter A Levels’ Section. I hereby reveal the contenders’ untold stories.

 

Contestants for the post of Headgirl

 

Saira Rizvi

Symbol: Laurel

"Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?"

What you know: The Committee for which she was an ACD in PAFMUN ‘14 ended up discussing whether Liverpool was better than Manchester United (of course it’s MANU that’s better, everyone knows that). I have no idea why she told us that, though. She is a good beat-boxer and a MUNNER. She is a good human being, herself. Period.

What you don’t know: She’s a blonde; does not get jokes quite easily. If you think you can flatter her with your ‘amazing’ sense of humour, then you’re mistaken. Rumour has it that she’s committed to Ian Somerhalder. The picture inserted above was captured at the Teen Choice Awards of 2013. Such love, much wow.

 

Yumna Sohail AKA Yumna Salvatore

Symbol: Peace

'Awwwwwwwn' is her most-often used word.

What you know: She’s a Canadian with an awfully seductive accent which leads to an obvious fact that she’s well-versed in the English language. Now where was this noticeable? In her speech, of course. No further elaborations required on this subject, period.

What you don’t know: She idolizes Damon Salvatore a little more than anyone else does, on the face of this Earth. By changing her name from Yumna Sohail to Yumna Salvatore, on Facebook, she was apparently trying to impart the fact that she’s married to Damon. Sweet mother of utopia. Other than that, she is quite naive; will unquestioningly believe almost anything you tell her. Also, she will laugh at all your jokes, even if she does not get them and even if you think you’re acting like a duck. Quack quack.

 

Huma Shoukat

Symbol: Crown

The Grumpy Human gives her death stare.

What you know: She has shaken hands with Obama. She has studied abroad for one year. She is planning to transform the school canteen into a cafeteria?! Say what? A couple of years ago, Mr. Gary White, our former Vice Principal also had a few plans for this school, but he ended up getting transferred to Dubai.. I wonder if he shook hands with Obama too.
What you don’t know: Almost nothing? Well, she did tell you all about herself in the speech. I mean, I can now die a happy person, knowing someone in my school shook hands with Obama. On a serious note, though, irrespective of the aforementioned ‘mature plans’ of hers, she IS quite mature and experienced.

 

Injila Bilal

Symbol: Infinity

"Yeh Dove heina?" "Han, yehi Dove hai!"

What you know: She is cute, period. Oh yeah, she is talented and quite experienced too.

What you don’t know: HER SKIN DOES NOT GET TANNED NO MATTER HOW RIGOROUSLY SHE PLAYS BASKETBALL UNDER THE SCORCHING SUN. *turns Caps off* Just how rare is that? It may sound dumb, but hey, mind you! I bet this is something none of you freshies knew. Adding on, she only irons the front of her uniform, and that too, pathetically. Furthermore, she’s a GREAT make-up artist. The reason her face looks so pretty is that she uses lipstick on her cheeks (just sometimes). So if you have a party to attend and your beautician is all booked for the time, you may always go to Injila, or should I say, Angel-a?

 

Khurrum Kamran

Symbol: Sheep (Baaaa)

#TeamKK

What you know: He’s the President of the Creative Society. Other than that, you know nothing, juniors. (GoT reference)

What you don’t know: There are but a few instances in history when a good leader arises amidst the pool of corrupt individuals, trying to represent a group of maniacs. That is not the case here. We found not just a good leader, but a GREAT leader whom we believe and trust. KK is the person we have been searching for, and now that we have found her, we shall make sure she gets to represent us forevermore! Apparently, this photo, along with the ‘#KK4HEADGIRL’ has gone viral over Facebook, stimulating everyone’s interest into KK, who has all the potential to be our next Headgirl.

 

Contestants for the post of Headboy

 

Rasool Naseer

Symbol: The Ace of Spades

The words 'Rasool bhai' is an understatement here..

What you know: He’s a hardworking lad who did not make any fake promises to you all, such as allowing drugs in the school. Adding to this, you also know that he’s going to consider himself as your ‘bhai’ in ‘all situations, under all circumstances’. Please note that this was NOT a GoT reference. In fact, this is a clear-cut reference to Altaf bhai (according to many people). Bhai? Bhai. And bhai will be our always. #TheFaultInOurBhai.

What you don’t know: His love for biryani is far greater than his love for anything. Also, he’s quite proficient in solving all your problems, and by ‘all’ I literally mean ‘every’ type of problem. Though, I must confess that Rasool is a Goody-Two-Shoes; he has always been a decent person and it’s difficult to get dirt on him.

 



Talha Ahmed

Symbol: Falcon

Clearly, Miley Cyrus idolizes Talha..

What you know: He is real, he exists. Everyone has heard of him, but the vast majority does not even know him. So much for his ‘popularity’. Also, he stood up for this highly prestigious post because of his friends. Other people are going on about the ALS ice-bucket challenge, but this intellectual lad thought of doing the Headboy Challenge. Beware, fellow contestants, Talha is the most competitive of all the contenders! At least, this is my assertion. Adding on, he wants you to take hold of him if you have any issues. Umm, no further explanations required here, period.

What you don’t know: As somber as he seemed to be while delivering his speech, he is the complete opposite of that. A fun person who’s almost always up to some nuisance or the other. Guys, it is Talha who initiated the famous ‘tongue-gesture’ which is now very commonly used by Miley Cyrus. Please someone award him with a Nobel Prize! Our girl, Huma can put in a good word for him with Obama now, no?

 

  

Sabeeh Mohiuddin

Symbol: Hammer

"Bachna ae Haseeno, lo mein agaya."

What you know: He's good-looking. That's it. That's all you ladies notice. *sigh* Anyway, you also know that he does not intend on banging anyone this year. However, we can't say he hasn't done so, in the past. I am, of course, professionally speaking of 'banging' in the light of the definition provided by the Oxford Dictionary, 'A resounding stroke or blow, for eg. a nasty bang on the head.' So let's admit it. We have most definitely seen Sabeeh banging a few people.

What you don't know: He is quite irritating, but convincing and dedicated at the same time. He may appear to be quite immature, but at times, he can actually astound you with his words and actions, hence changing the most intense and heated-up conversations into something interesting and funny. No clearer reference could be provided than Ms. Naureen's words which go like, "When Sabeeh is speaking maturely, it really IS something."

Salman Saeed

Symbol: Basketball

One word: Dostana

What you know: He’s a good basketball player who works a little too hard for every single thing. You could call him Mr. Goody-two-shoes, keeping in mind the very restricted knowledge you have on him.

What you don’t know: He has broken the stereotype of the ‘commonly known personality traits’ through which you identify a Gulshanite. Just how rare is that?! Also, according to some of his friends, many guys are into him and they actually flirt with him for some reason. Adding on, he’s a food-disposal; you place any food in his mouth and POOF! One minute, and it has gone down to his stomach already. Furthermore, Sabeeh may not intend to bang anyone this year, but it cannot be said for Salman. Why? Because his symbol is a basketball and he has banged tons already.

 

Alishboy Wamiq

Symbol: Unidentified

"They see me rollin', they hatin'."

What you know: Alishba, most commonly recognised as Alishboy is the Commerce President of the Buddy Support Society. She also walks and talks like a ‘boi’.

What you don’t know: Not long ago in a not-so-distant land, some girls unleashed some unspeakable words! But a sagacious Samurai warrior wielding magic words stepped forth to oppose them. Yes, I edited the introductory words of Samurai Jack to make it look posh. In other words, Alishboy is proud to have herself called a boy. And I believe, she is the perfect candidate to be unofficially contesting for the post of Headboy. Trust me on this one, guys. We need leaders like her, I mean, him.

 

So, there you have it. Untold stories of all the candidates contesting for the posts of Headboy and Headgirl. With all the aforesaid, have you now made up your mind as to who you will be casting your vote for? Well, I have! My vote is for Alishboy and KK! What about you?!

 

Written by: Sakina Abbas

Edited by: Rushna Burney