Fall seven times, get up eighth

Third Position: Sitwat Atiq of class A1G1

'You're amazing and strong, and I'm so proud of you'

She screamed at the top of her lungs as the smoke of her burning heart infiltrated the facade of composure she had adapted. She was in undefinable pain. This was her battle against the destructive monstrous path of life. She felt like the walls were closing in on her. She did not know where she was heading or the exact moment, when the pretentious journey of this sinful life would end up abandoning her. She had been damaged and isolated one too many times before, to the point where her own trepidation overpowered her obsequious imagination. Life felt like this never ending loop of desires, hope and destruction. All she wanted was to be released, all she wanted was for the pain to end. She smashed the lamp off of the wall and stormed to the bathroom destroying everything in her path, she picked up the bottle of sleeping pills and swallowed as many as she could. She had read that it hurt less that way. She picked up the blade and put it to her wrist and right then and there, when she was about to cut herself and get it all over with, her mother rushed into the room, tears streaming down her face, and embraced her.

They curled on the floor and cried and in that moment she wished she could undo the pain that she had caused her mother. She did not understand where the selfishness had surfaced from, could she be that selfish? Hurting the one person she had sworn she would always love in the process of finding an escape to her own pain and suffering? Was she capable of committing an act so cruel? Was she capable of putting someone she loved through that kind of pain? In that moment she clearly understood that life was simply a choice, while death was a decision. She was hurt, trampled on and broken but she was not weak, and in that moment, all her ambivalence was swept away. If life was truly a battle, she would give her all. Maybe she would lose a couple fights along the way, maybe she would burn to pieces and fall apart, maybe it would leave her speechless and broken but she would not give up without a fight. She would never capitulate to the injustice. This was the moment that she realized that we should smile for a change even though we all are different and the smiles are not the same, even though deep inside we are broken we can still smile through the pain because the only thing that is constant in this life is change. Every situation you find yourself in, all the fear and the pain in the world is temporary and we should not allow it to stop us from taking chances and being happy. How could we possibly know how something might end up if we are afraid to try it in the first place? In that moment, she understood that failure and imperfections are okay, they are not curses. They are gifts that we fail to understand the values of. One must know the pain of failure to truly cherish the pleasures of success. It helps people work hard for what they want and once a person goes through something themselves, they understand what it truly feels like and are generally kinder to others and have a lot more compassion. She understood that she would never cause anyone the kind of pain that she herself was compelled to go through. She understood that it did not matter what other people said even though their words still hurt, she deserved way better and she should have known her worth all along from the very start. From that day she knew that she would always love the skin she wears, and her natural hair, the scars on her wrists and all the stretch marks that do appear because she is everything, and more. And her imperfections are parts of her that she should adore. She understood that she would never allow other people to define her capabilities and that her failures are only mild hitches to the final destination and she should learn from them. And if she does fall along the way, she will rise. And she will give it her all.

I opened my eyes and stared at my reflection in the mirror.

'You are amazing and strong, and I am so proud of you',

Edited by: Rida Manzar

Everybody's Favourite Pokemon

Written by: Sakina Abbas

 

Life’s funny, people are funnier, their existence is the funniest. It’s just downright amusing how most of you don’t seem remember the dates in school but you DO remember two to three highly important days of the week: Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. I would have linked that to 'the hackneyed non-existent force', but the reality is that while some of you desperately wait for the aforementioned days to arrive because you want to laugh at people who will be given a chance to embrace their momentary popularity, some of you dread these days because you fear that people might get to know of your secret existence. Remember, it’s perfectly alright to exist. Don’t feel inferior. *inserts those sincere smiles of Chucky and Annabelle*

Well, now that I’m done with expressing my thought of the day, let us get down and let us get straight. Ladies and not-so-gentle-men, I extend a not-so-warm welcome to you. We are back with Humans of PAF Chapter and today’s Human is none other than..

 

“You heard that I was trouble but you couldn’t resist, I make them good girls go bad..”

Tsk tsk, why! It’s our very own Alishboy! *WOOT WOOOOT*

Yes, folks, be surprised. Her real name is Alishboy while she’s sometimes called by Alishba Wamiq. Speaking of her name, I, on a very personal note, find her name ... playful. Oh, yes. Christian Grey style. *inserts hearts. Human. Hearts. Yes.* Anyway, it’s a nice, creative name. It could be ‘Alishbro’, ‘Alishbabe’, ‘Alishba’aaaa’, ‘Alishbhai’, ‘Alishbaba’, ‘Alishbano’ and so on and so forth. And coincidentally, her multifarious personalities exactly pair with the aforementioned could-have-been names!

For beginners, Alishba is a normal human being; she eats, sleeps and breathes. See? Perfectly normal here, nothing to be suspicious about.

For amateurs, Alishba evolves into an Alishbro. As the name suggests, she will always be your ‘bro’. Bros before foes, that’s right. If you’re a guy, you can comfortably talk to her about WWE, breaking bones and necks and what not. On the other hand, if you’re a girl, you can easily tell her who you like and who you don’t, and all the weird girl-gossips. You can be her sister and she will be your brother. But if you watch Game of Thrones, ummm, don’t expect this Jaime to treat you like his Cersei. Wallahi bro, al-haraam! Albeit, the brotherliness within her is SO much that it literally oozes out of her in a way that she would bro-zone you if you ever made a move.

The much needed evidence.

Now, for trainees, Alishbro then evolves into an Alishbhai. Okay, grammar fetishists, don’t get thinking of the juxtaposition of the two evolved forms. Pokedex, defines Alishbhai as, “The evolved form of Alishbro, Alishbhai is the mean version of a normal bro. She may appear to be sweet while actually exercising all her sarcasm over you.” If you’re a trainee, you’re talking to her and she’s innocently smiling at you, if not giving you a good shower of sarcastic words, she’s plotting to poke you with a machete, repeatedly. *sighs* Okay, okay! I confess! Alishbhai used to bully me! *cries inconsolably* Well, she still does. *sniffs*

Then, as you become a food lover, Alishbhai will evolve into Alishba’aaaa. Not only will you love to have food-gossips with her, but you will also want to have food with her. “You’re my hunny-bun, sugarplum, pumpy-umpy-umpkin, you’re my sweety pie..” OHMYGOD, SHE’S SO ADORABLE. SHE’S THE MOST DELICIOUS POTATO I HAVE NOT DEVOURED AS YET. *holds up the fork and the knife*

 

*burrrp* Moving on, as you finally become the master, Alishba’aaa will evolve into either an Alishbabe, Alishbano or Alishbaba. It all depends on the kind of experiences you’ve had with her. Alishbabe will be your personal homey with whom you can have all sorts of talk, ranging from hatred to gossips and love. Alishbano, on the other hand, will be your grandma, offering you food and psychiatric talks.

Individual: I hate her for being so fake. Sometimes I wish I could kill her.

Alishbano: Itni si baat ki tension kioun leti ho? Kafan-dafan ka mein intezaam karloungi.

Someone: Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?
Alishbano: Of course, honey-boo-boo. Grandma will love you, unconditionally, to infinity and beyond.

Whereas, Alishbaba will be your .. Baba Fooka. She will predict obvious things for you and will only make you somewhat hopeful and happier about your ‘unquestionable’ existence.

Now, the aforesaid is bound to happen. But you all have your own stories buried in the back of your heads and so does she:

 

I: What sets you apart from the crowd?
Alishba: Alishbro, yar? Naam he kaafi hai. Oh! And I also secretly make videos of my friends while they're engrossed in their stupid acts, and later, I blackmail them with my precious evidence. Yamna calls me Express News. Teehee.
I: You’re always seen having a good laugh. What's your secret to happiness?
Alishba: John Cena! *giggles* Albeit, happiness is a mood, not a destination. People believe there are ways to 'achieve' happiness. I think happiness is everywhere. My secret to happiness is being grateful for the tiniest of blessings in life, making someone laugh, creating stupid memories and above all, helping someone through their tough time(s) and plastering a smile on their face.
I: What is your wildest imagination?
Alishba: I want to be an agent. Those cool ones you see in TV shows like Castle and all the action movies. I also wanted to be a wrestler before, though. *drools over John Cena* I like fighting .. So what?
I: Are there any misconceptions about you?
Alishba: Well, according to my ask.fm account, the greatest misconception about me is that I ‘ACT’ like a boy to get attention, which I find really stupid. I mean why would I act like a guy to get guys' attention? That's plain creepy. I am the way you see me walking around, there is nothing to pretending. Like I didn’t even start calling myself a boy on my own in the first place ..
I: Who is Alishba Wamiq?
Alishba: Alishba Wamiq is a girl people love to refer to as a boy. When her father passed away 5 years ago, she learned how to keep her head up even when everything comes crashing down. She learned there's more to people than what they really show. At times the people you think are your own, leave you hanging while people outside the family circle become your strongest support. She is one of those people who would make you laugh even if she herself had no reason to smile. She's been told so many times that she is strong and someone her father would be proud of and that means the world to her. Her goal in life is to be a role model for her younger brothers. And even though she can't really replace a personality like that, she wants to inspire her family like her father once did.

On a personal note though, Alishba is indeed one of the strongest girls I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and simply writing a page or two on her would not suffice. In fact, NO possible combination of the 26 English alphabets will be sufficient to define Alishba. You’re bound to love her for who she is and if you don’t, then I’m happy to inform you that you’re mentally unstable and you belong behind the bars, in a zoo. Yes.

This was Alishba’s story. What’s yours?

Until next Wednesday, au revoir.

CIMA BUSINESS QUIZ 2015

Written by: Inshirah Tahir

Edited by: Romesa Hassan

While the  lazy morning of this Sunday saw most of us fast asleep in our cozy little beds or procrastinating in front of the television; it also saw some devoted individuals from among us who were wide awake and completely busy pondering over their books and notes (well, they did have to complete the entire accounting syllabus *sigh*) with the primary ambition, to once again use the best of their abilities and make each and every one of us who is connected to the red bricks proud of their intellect and their victory.
 Thus these determined individuals of The City School PAF Chapter once again headed out to prove, as they have done many times before, that when it comes to business they are ready to take on and conquer any challenge that comes their way!  Fortunately it turns out they had the perfect platform to portray their skills and knowledge in a brilliantly productive manner.
The students participating comprised of eleven teams: Yamna Naeem, Sufyan Ehsan, Mahzaib Usman, Saud Siddiqui, Yumna Sohail, Moneeb Moin, Sohaib Yousaf, Ali, Abdul Rafay, Sakina Abbas, Sumayya Hanif, Sami Saeed, Anosha Aftab, Usna Tariq, Nawal, Almas Zafar, Iman Sohail, Shahayar Zaidi, Madiha Amjad, Shahzad Ibrahim, Dua Hamid, Muhammed Usman, Yasal Shariq Siddiqui, Hamzauddin Siddiqui, Kiran Shahid, Yousha bin Khalid and Isha Mustafa.
 Determined as always the AS participants set out to this year’s CIMA Business Quiz at the Dawood Public School only to be met by an unfortunate misunderstanding as Yousha bin Khalid had somehow been included in more than one team thus at 8 am the participants were faced with the predicament of finding a suitable replacement for Yousha and also with the almost impossible challenge of convincing another suitable teenager to leave the comfort of his or her bed and be prepared to bring his/her best skills to the table! Luckily after about a hundred calls, the participants were rescued by their knight in the shining armor  (or in the shining school uniform) in the form of *TADAAAAA* Shahayar Ziadi! 
The AS students firstly went forward to the first round of the Quiz that comprised of a test which  incorporated various multiple choice questions. Once these tests were marked only the top ten scoring teams from this round were to qualify to the second round. One of our AS teams comprising of students from A1C3 soared through this round and managed to make it straight through to the final!
Then as 1:00 pm drew closer  the AS participants, after hours of a demanding competition, set to proceed home, our tenacious A2 students were reporting to the Dawood Public School at 12: 15 pm. Eventhough the A2s did not have any trouble with the registrations, they too were faced with pressing challenges to put their best abilities and business minds to test. The A2, also managed to score auspiciously in the first round and thus the final round of the competition saw our triumphant team comprising of Sakina Abbas, Summaya Hanif and Sami Saeed competing against some of the most cut-throat schools of the city, once again ready to make us proud by securing the fifth position. Our AS did not let us down either, one team secured the second postion and the other fifth!! *woohoo*

But wait, let us not lose sight of the fact that what these young business minds earned at the Business quiz was a day not just full of challenges to test their business knowledge but some events that had been arranged for them to make certain that no one leaves the competition without some memories to cherish! These included a very informative and engaging lecture by Sir Ahmed Saya on stress management; during which he asked a rhetorical question as to how many of the people in the audience did not face stress problems. Among the only three people who did not feel stress in their daily routine; while the rest of us struggle under the pressure, were all Pafians!! (yes, we must hunt them down and make them share their secret with us) Lastly, there was the arrival of Mr. Faraz Farooqi, whose popularity was evident by the fact that he could not have left until he took selfies with all his fans (evidence on Instagram…). As you will notice by the smiles on our fellows faces in all pictures, the day was an ultimate success for them as they also got the much awaited chance to meet some old friends and what is better than these sudden reunions!

Our awesome team making us proud! :')

We Mistook Him for Being Innocent

Written by: Sakina Abbas

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, humans and/or animals, and anyone else who has been left out, WE ARE BACK WITH HUMANS OF PAF CHAPTER. *inserts fan-girl screams*

Honestly, I am clueless whether you guys were anxiously waiting for this Issue or just nervously biting your whatever-little-remains-of-your-nails in the slightest of hope that you did not get stalked overnight and you did not get the privilege of bathing in the spotlight of your own little amusements. Ha! Talk about being an embarrassing person and then getting laughed at. *slow claps*

Anyhow, I shall not keep you waiting any longer. Tonight’s Human of PAF Chapter is none other than ..

“kho na jaye yeh taarey zameen par..”

Yes, that’s right. We’re talking about Ishaant Nandkishore Awasti, people!

Naturally, all of you should know who Ishaant is. For those dimwits who are entirely clueless about the mere existence of this ‘highly-imaginative’ kid, I shall present you with his nickname. His real name is Ishaant blahblahblah and he’s SOMETIMES referred to as Affan Ather. Or should I say, Aaaaaffan Ather? -Courtesy of our AS Economics’ teacher, Sir Osman. *salutes*

I know, the former is easier to remember.

So let us get down and let us get straight. You see, Ishaant is not like you or me; he is a special kid with special inborn talents. Okay, I KNOW I just got your attention when you read that Ishaant has some 'talents' too and you’re definitely eager to find out about his capabilities because you’re overwhelmed with the very thought of the aforesaid but, let us keep that in store for later..

Anyway, Ishaant is the second most popular person I’ve had the pleasure of crossing paths with. I mean, you should totally see how every single person in the world turns out to be somehow related to him and I’m not even kidding. Moreover, he looks innocent and studious, but he is not. I repeat, HE IS NOT INNOCENT AT ALL. Looks are deceiving, yes..
But, seriously. What else would you make of a person who literally follows you everywhere in PAFMUN to take your photos just because you told him to? Though, honestly speaking, *hushed whisper* he never even took good photos of me. Talk about betrayal! I disown you, Ishaant! I’m kidding, who will take my candid shots in the school?!

Moreover, he is always lost in his little bubble of utopia. You give him numbers, he will just stare at you like a dumbfounded creature. You give him words, he will ask you why he’s studying with YOU in the first place. You give him an opportunity to take photos of you, he will say, “kia faaida? Bandey ki jab shakal he achi nai hai tou tasveer keisey achi aasakti hai?” But if you give him food, he will be your obsequious pet who will follow you everywhere. Literally. Everywhere. *organ piano plays in the distance*

Nonetheless, despite all of his naturally amusing inborn talents, one can simply not fail to have some sympathy for him. His name is not Ishaant for no reason, after all..

So why Ishaant? Why choose to write about him? Well, everyone has a story to tell and so does he. This is how our investigation 'happened':

I: What’s so unique about you that distinguishes you from the rest of the imbeciles?
Ishaant: Baba Kayhaan once told me, “zindagi mein jis cheez ke peechey bhaagogey, woh cheez tumsey dur bhaagey gi.” That’s why I don’t run after girls.

I: Okay, aside from the aforesaid, what sets you apart from the crowd?

Ishaant: Bilal kehta hai..

I: Yar tum khud bhe kuch kehtey ho apney baarey mein?!

Ishaant: Ummm, no.

I: Anyway, are there any misconceptions about you that you would like to clear?

Ishaant: Yes! People think that I’m always free just because I’m sitting in front of the washroom most of the time. The fact that a teacher does not permit me to sit in a class is another thing but, washroom is a place where anyone can come, irrespective of his decision to go inside or not. Plus, I don’t know why people often call me by the first three alphabets of the English language. I don’t even know what they mean when they call me that because I’m just too naive and innocent. Don’t you think so?

I: Oh, totally.. Alright, one final question. What’s your story, Affan?
Ishaant: I used to be an introvert and I would always be buried in the books. I had almost no social life. Then, after I entered this phase of A Levels, I found myself in a group that transformed me in the best of the ways. My friends took me to places and had me socializing to a great degree; I finally felt a sense of belonging. I would always be studying before, but then one of my friends told me that a piece of paper cannot determine my future or my capabilities. That’s when I became confident and content with my perfect imperfections. What people say or do to me does not move me now. I know who I am and I know what I’m made of. No one can build my future for me because I believe that the best way to predict one's future is to build one. For once, I want to be pragmatic. I want everyone to know that I haven't been lost in my reveries for no reason.. I’m Affan Ather, after all. Naam tou suna hoga?

This was Affan’s story. What’s yours?
Until next Wednesday, au revoir!