A rapid drop in altitude, deafening noise, sheer chaos, emergency alarms going off, doors and walls shuddering violently and people crying out loud! This is not an account of a plane crash. Rather, it’s about a whole airline company coming crashing down; an organisation which has completely lost direction. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), once soaring high in the skies of the aviation industry, has fallen into an abyss of financial and image crisis. So this is an account of our national flag carrier that used to be the nation’s pride; it is about Pakistan International Airlines. I still remember the time when PIA was one of the few things we could talk about with our heads held high. We felt pride not at the condition of the age-old planes or technology; not at the in-flight entertainment system or even the food. It was not pride in the basic comfort and facilities provided. Rather, this pride, was for the people working in PIA – the quality and finesse of the pilots, the expertise and competence of the technical staff and engineers, the knowledge and capability of the cabin crew, and of course their grace and beauty. My aunt was a PIA air hostess and I remember the awe she struck when she entered the house after coming back from a flight; in her sleek uniform with that trade-mark 'dupatta' on her head, looking absolutely  exquisite and thoroughly graceful. Well-educated, cultured, intelligent and service driven - these were some of the qualities that were synonymous with the majority of PIA’s crew and staff. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Crew of a PIA Super Constellation (AP-AJZ) led by Capt. Raja Zia with Thailand’s royal couple at Dacca Airport, East Pakistan, on March 21, 1962. Photo: Ahmed Saeed Siddiqi's collection[/caption] My father was also part of the travel and airline industry and the fascinating stories he told me about PIA's performance during the mid-1960s and early 1980s, always made me wonder. Sadly, today many of those stories might sound unreal. A glimpse of the past My father would tell me about Air Marshal Nur Khan, Managing Director of PIA, under whose exemplary leadership there were frequent surprise checks in the odd hours of night or early morning. He would personally check, not just the aircrafts but also other minute details such as the cleanliness of the staff’s uniforms and the condition of the check-in counters. The image of PIA, as the national flag carrier, was taken very seriously. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="567"] PIA's very first jetliner Boeing 707-321 is under the command of Malik Nur Khan. Photo: Abbas Ali's Collection[/caption] PIA made it compulsory for these passengers to be presentable and be properly dressed, as each of them was an “ambassador” of Pakistan. At times, had to report several hours prior to departure at the Karachi airport, where the sales manager would take them personally in shuttle buses to “Lunda Bazaar” and each would be bought a set of dresses, mostly suits, for them to change into before boarding an aircraft to London. I still remember when PIA began to help set up a new airline for a country known as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where I used to live,  in the mid-1980s. I read in the newspaper that PIA pilots and engineers were training and grooming the staff of this new airline called Emirates and I still recall the pride I felt at being a Pakistani. It was fascinating to learn that in 1975, PIA selected its new uniforms through an open competition. The winning entry was designed by Sir Hardy Amies, the designer of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. The very fact that designers like Sir Amies and Pierre Cardin considered it prestigious enough to attach their names with PIA is heart-warming and heart-breaking at the same time. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="540"] Famous Hollywood stars Ava Gardner and Stewart Granger arrive at Lahore Airport, 1954. The actors arrived in Lahore with a full filming crew to shoot a major portion of the film ‘Bhowani Junction.’[/caption] The road to decline Growing up in Dubai, I saw the emergence of Emirates Airlines over the years as one of the best airlines in the world, winning numerous global awards and establishing itself as a multi-billion dollar profit-making brand with one of the largest and most modern aircraft fleets. I gradually felt my loyalties shifting towards Emirates and at the same time felt guilty for choosing it every time I had a choice. Honestly, I felt like a step-son when travelling by PIA - losing my luggage, eating tasteless food or staring at a TV-less seat in front of me during the entire journey, despite paying the same or higher air fare. On the other hand, increasingly I noticed that Emirates did not compromise on beauty, service or the grace of their crew.  As PIA continued on its downward spiral, I felt it was too much to ask for loyalty. With the decline in service and quality, PIA got trapped into endless scandals and losses, not just in dollar value but in goodwill and reputation. It’s hard to believe that the airline that was Asia’s first to acquire a jet plane in its fleet back in the 1960s, has fallen behind all its peers in the race to upgrade, update and improve its image. How does one explain that the first Asian airline ever to receive maintenance approval by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the past has been banned by the European Union in 2007 based on safety concerns for its aging fleet? Who would believe that the first airline ever to show in-flight movies on international routes and to use the first computer ever in Pakistan, would someday lose its customer base because people would perceive it as archaic and out-dated. What went wrong? Although there is a lot of information on the reasons for PIA’s downfall, I would rather not quote boring statistics. For me, all those negative numbers and record losses are merely a symptom and not the cause. The recent incident of a PIA pilot being arrested at Manchester airport for being drunk was an all-time low in the history of an organisation that has a glorious past. Any iota of pride that Pakistanis had for its national carrier or its highly responsible and competent pilots was snatched away, thanks to the son of some military general with a few bad habits. Even if there were any loyal souls left in the European countries where PIA flights cannot land, who were trying to convince foreigners that banning PIA is unfair and based on unfounded fears, they would surely be eating up their words after this incident. How do you explain the stupidity of one person which puts the safety standards of the entire organisation at risk? This incident, along with the case of the three stewards who were arrested on charges of harassing a female passenger, might be among the few instances that came to light. There may be many such things that go unreported on a daily basis. Sadly, such instances are merely a reflection of the low self-esteem of the people attached to an institution that lost its esteem years ago due to corruption, poor judgement, weak decisions and above all, complacency.

From the initial joy to the various apprehensions; the journey to the operation room to even afterwards, I was quite prepared for everything. ‘What to expect when you’re expecting’ had been my constant companion during my pregnancy period. If not that, Google had an answer to any of the queries that ever came to my mind. However, I wish they had also imparted some advice regarding what to expect with your social circle, and more importantly how to deal with it. Moms to be, here’s what you should be prepared to deal with in the near future. The unwanted, uncalled for advice This is one thing you will get plenty of - unwanted advice, in contrast to rest, sleep or peace for quite a long time. Interesting thing is, a lot of it will be contradictory and will leave you bewildered.

“Beta, bachay ko nazlay mein angrezi dawa na dou” (Dear, don’t give your child English medicine when she has the flu”)

“Newborns shouldn’t be given water”

“Bachay barray ho kar pani nahi piye ga, abhi se dou!” (Children don’t drink enough water once they have grown up; make them drink more from now!)

“Beti hai? Chalo koi baat nahi, agli dafa Allah (SWT) beta de dega.” (Is it a daughter? Oh it’s alright; Allah (SWT) will grant you a son next time.)

“Oh ho! Rang saaf nahi hai, kis par gayi hai” (Oh my! The skin isn’t fair. Whom does the baby resemble?) “Why isn’t her weight increasing?” “She has taken after her mom. It would have been better if she resembled her grandmother.”

“Yes aunty sorry, my bad. I forgot to tell God the details when I placed her order, will make sure I do it the next time.”

The last time I put thoughts to paper was a year and a half ago, when my husband and I moved back to Pakistan from the US. It happened very suddenly, under very sad circumstances, and there we were – thrust into a disorienting new life, filling roles we had never anticipated, never wanted, inhabiting, once again, the cloistered, uninspiring world of Lahore’s privileged class. Much elapsed during the past 18 months in Lahore – much to rejoice and remember. Engagements, bridal showers, weddings. Baby showers, and babies! Farewell parties and welcome-back parties, birthday parties and Pictionary parties. PTI fever, elections, and Pakistan’s first peaceful political transition. Cliff-diving in Khanpur under a shower of shooting stars, dancing arm-and-arm with Kalash women as spring blossomed in the Hindukush,  tracking brown bears and chasing golden marmots in the unearthly plains of Deosai. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Exploring Deosai Plains. Photo: Manal Khan[/caption] I rediscovered my love of history, of abandoned old places that teemed with a thousand stories and ghosts and memories, thanks to a research job at LUMS. I spent many days wandering the cool corridors of  Lahore Museum, many hours contemplating the uncanny beauty of the Fasting Siddhartha, whom I had the privilege of photographing up-close. I stood beneath the most prodigious tree in the world in Harappa. I got down on my knees with a shovel and brush during a student archaeological excavation in Taxila, personally recovering the 2,000-year old terracotta bowl of a Gandhara Buddhist monk. But, there was also dissatisfaction. Frustration. Restlessness. When we were not travelling, we were in Lahore. And Lahore was, well, warm. Convenient. Static. Living there again was like a replay of our childhood; like watching a favourite old movie on repeat. After a while it got monotonous,  somewhat annoying, and a little disappointing. In Lahore, I could see what the trajectory of my life would be, the next 10 years down. It was all planned out, neatly copied from upper-class society’s handbook, with but minor divergences here and there. It wasn’t a bad plan. In fact, it was a perfectly good, even cushy plan, one that would have made a lot of people quite happy. Not me. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] The prodigious banyan tree of Harappa, over 500 years old. Photo: Manal Khan[/caption] There were other things, too, about Lahore, and about Pakistan, things that had bothered me growing up but now seemed magnified to alarming proportions – the incomprehensible extremes of wealth and want, the insurmountable divisiveness of class, and, most worrying of all, the overwhelming  self-righteousness and religiosity. You could not escape it. Everywhere, from TV talk shows to political rallies, drawing rooms to doctors’ clinics, there was a national fixation with religion. Everybody, it seemed, was desperate to convince others – and themselves – of their absolute piety, their A+ scorecard-of-duties-towards-God, their superficial Muslim-ness. Instead of the genuine, unselfconscious goodness that shines through truly spiritual people, in Pakistanis I just saw fear. Religion for them wasn’t about peace, and love, and knowledge. Religion was base.  Religion was social security. Religion was a tool of power. I wanted to say to these superficial Muslims, to all Pakistanis: Just look at the state of our country. Do you really believe that religion has helped us? Has it at any level, be it individual, societal or state, improved the country? Has it alleviated poverty,  reduced rape and murder, mitigated corruption? Have we as a nation achieved anything positive, anything progressive, in the suffocating garb of “religion”? No. On the contrary, we, as a nation, have become more intolerant, more oppressive, more barbaric, as our outward religious zeal reaches new heights. And we still do not realise it. The Matric-fail maulvi at the local mosque still preaches that a woman wearing jeans in public is jahannumi, Hell-bound, the TV reporter interviewing an old peasant who has lost his home in a flood wants to know if he kept his Ramazan fasts, and that educated, apparently “modern” aunty you met at a family dinner launches into a sermon that the reason Pakistan is beset with crises is because we don’t pray enough. That was the most terrifying thing I found about Lahore, and about Pakistan. It had become a place where no other framework for discussion about the future of the country, about anything at all, was possible. We were mired in religion. We were stuck. We were deeply and hopelessly stuck. As for the people who thought differently, the elite and “enlightened” class that I belonged to, they responded to the onslaught by retreating further and further into their elite Matrix – a sequestered, protected world where they met up with friends over Mocha Cappuccinos at trendy New York-style cafes, where they shopped for designer Italian handbags in centrally air-conditioned shopping malls, where their children spoke English with American accents and dressed up for Halloween, where alcohol flowed at raucous dance parties behind the gates of a sprawling farmhouse. It was a parallel universe, where we all lived free, modern lives, like citizens of a free, modern country, utterly disconnected from the “other” Pakistan, the bigger Pakistan, and for all intents and purposes, the “real” Pakistan. Yet perhaps it was our only survival, the only way to keep sane and creative and happy for those of us who chose to live in our native country. But I could not reconcile myself with it. I found it schizophrenic. Perhaps living abroad had changed me too much. I could not find balance, I could not find peace in Lahore. So when Z applied to and got selected for a European Union PhD scholarship based in Madrid, Spain, I was thrilled – and a little relieved. Was I looking for an escape? Maybe. Was that the only solution? I don’t know. When we left Lahore, on that eerie twilight flight in August, our lives packed into just one suitcase and backpack each, it was bittersweet. I was sad to say goodbye to loved ones, to friends and family whom I had spent such wonderful moments with in the past year and a half. I would miss being a part of their lives. And I would miss the incomparable natural beauty of Pakistan – beauty and heritage that is disappearing day by day due to neglect and ignorance. Yet, I knew that I had to go. I knew that staying in Lahore – “settling for” Lahore – buying joras from Khaadi, attending tea parties, managing servants, the odd freelancing or part-time job at LUMS, was not going to make me happy. And we could not depend on the love of family and friends to sustain us forever. At the end of the day, everybody had their own lives to lead, their own paths to carve,  their own hearts to follow. And that is how we ended up in Madrid. Sitting here in our apartment, a cozy, parquet-floored one-bedroom affair, I can hear the babble of excited young voices below the window, a medley of idioms and accents; the clink of glasses and clatter of dishes from neighbouring restaurants; the smoky strumming of a flamenco guitar, the wheezy chorus of an accordion; the cries of Nigerian hawkers and Bengali street-peddlers, and the low hum of the occasional taxi cab, rolling along the cobbled streets of this lively old pedestrian barrio of the Spanish capital. A new city, new adventures, new memories. New inspiration. This post originally appeared here.

We all have certain happy childhood memories that we cherish throughout our lives. Some of these include playing with our siblings while others circle around spending time with our friends. And then there are those when we just enjoy the sheer thrill of watching someone else’s skull being crushed into the ground during a fight in an arena. No, I am not talking about childhood fights. Quite a few of my happiest memories originated from the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) matches aired on television. The way two wrestlers are left in a cell to tear each other apart is simply beautiful. It’s not the violence, but the beauty in the violence which makes me love the sport so much. However, I have realised that the tournaments being held nowadays are not as great as the ones from back in the day. These new professional wrestlers just cannot create the same magic in the sport as the previous ones did. After I watched the recent ‘Hell in a Cell’ series, I was utterly disappointed. I could tell that the fight was staged and the wrestlers were mere actors trying to put up a good show. That raw passion, symbolic of wrestling, was just not there. How can a wrestling fan feel the excitement of a match when he knows that the match is just pretend play? [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] The Undertaker climbing the cage during a match. Photo: WWE official website[/caption] The wrestling matches of the past were sadistically brilliant. Especially the ‘Hell in a Cell’ series, also called the ‘Devil’s playground’ by many. For those of you who do not know what the ‘Hell in a Cell’ tournament is about, here is a short description of this majestic series. As the name suggests, wrestlers are left in a cell to overcome their opponent; whoever walks out ‘alive’, wins. All this takes place whilst a frenzied crowd cheers for the fight to go on. There have been many other cage matches in the WWE but, for me, Hell in a Cell has created more historic moments than any other cage match. There are numerous classic fights that have come out of this genre of wrestling but I will only go through three most popular matches of the series. 1)      The Undertaker (Mark William Calaway) vs Brock Lesnar This match was huge during its time and wrestling fans everywhere were anxious to watch it. WWE had become dark; its image was that of a ruthless sport where only the strongest and most fit wrestlers could survive. Brock Lesnar was seen as WWE’s main champion. Lesnars’ rise to champion took place after he defeated The Rock (Dwayne Douglas Johnson) multiple times, and also caused internal bleedings to Hulk Hogan. Before the said match took place, there had already been a feud between the Undertaker and Lesnar. Both wrestlers had dominated each other in the prior weeks’ matches and Undertaker was favoured by many to win the match, even with his fractured wrist. The two opponents were so vicious that had Undertaker been allowed to take his cast inside the cage, he would have used it to his advantage and broken Lesnar’s skull open. Understandably, due to interferences by Lesnar’s manager, Undertaker was not allowed to do so. The rest of the match saw both contestants (Undertaker in particular) getting bruised and bloodied, with an intensely involved audience going absolutely wild. After showing off an array of fighting techniques, Lesnar made the final blow. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Lesnar getting at the top of the cell, his winning belt in hand. Photo: WWE official website[/caption] The match ended with the Undertaker lying in a pool of blood and Lesnar getting at the top of the cell, his winning belt in hand, enforcing his symbolic supremacy in the game. Many fans, including myself, were convinced that Lesnar was going to be the next big thing. Triple H (Paul Michael Levesque) vs HBK Shawn Michaels This match is one of my personnel favourites. Triple H and Shawn Michaels had been best of friends, in the arena as well as in real life. Though as part of Kayfabe, Triple H turned on his ‘friend’ and smashed his head in a car’s windscreen. What followed was one long rivalry between the two which consisted of ‘unsanctioned’, no-rule street fights between the two. After Michaels’ triumph in an elimination chamber match and Triple H’s win in the ‘Last Man Standing Match’ series, the ‘Hell in a Cell’ match was the only tournament left which could decide the final winner between the two maestros of wrestling. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640"] Triple H (Paul Michael Levesque) and HBK Shawn Michaels. Photo: WWE official website[/caption] The match was so intense that in the end, both contestants were finding it hard to stand firm and they actually had to hold each other to get up for the final ending. Eventually Triple H was successful, but both lay unconscious for several moments after the match had ended. Undertaker vs Mankind (Mick Foley) In terms of wrestling techniques, this match might not be the greatest of all time. However it has made some pretty great memories for wrestling fans. This match was one of those phenomenal things whose impact cannot be truly felt until one has seen it for themselves, experiencing it firsthand. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Stills from 'Hell in a Cell' match of 1998[/caption] At one point in the match, Mankind decided to attack the Undertaker by climbing the cage and then fighting him from the top. However, the Undertaker was quick to gauge his plan and went after Mankind. On reaching the top, there was a heated match between the two, until the Undertaker threw Mankind off the cage. He fell 16 feet down! The fight was so intense that after the Undertaker made his move on Mankind, the commentators actually had to ask the referee if Mankind was still alive. Mankind was on the ground, showing no signs of life. Undertaker too thought that he might have killed his opponent and fellow wrestlers backstage also had similar suspicions. Fortunately, Mankind was still alive and the match continued as soon as he got up again. The 16 feet fall, however, gave him a dislocated shoulder but he seemed resilient to finish it. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Mankind falling off the cage. Photo: WWE official website[/caption] The Undertaker, later in Mankind’s biography, said that he thought the unintentional fall had really killed him. The match ended with Undertaker’s signature tombstone move. Unfortunately, since WWE has enforced stricter rules for fighting, the excitement in these matches has decreased. It has been difficult to maintain that charisma in the new era where WWE is targeting younger audience with the likes of John Cena as their main champion – who is not very popular amongst old wrestling fans. WWE has given me and many others from my generation, many treasures. These matches, with their close to reality stunts, have been a great source of entertainment for me. Too bad the same action is no longer seen today.

“I have and always will live in Canada.”

“Maybe I’ll get a nice hot cup of cappuccino on the way.”

“Welcome to Karachi.”

“Mein darakht ke neechay hota hoon, agar kabhi bhi zaroorat ho.” (I am usually standing under the tree, if you ever need me.)

My Twitter feed is abuzz these days with the Prime Minister's Youth Loan Program. From concerned individuals trying to better understand the terms and conditions of the loan, to those who have found a new ball for their political ping pong, this initiative has garnered enough interest to continue to headline news and spark debates. From an economics perspective, more people vying for their business would create competition and thus lead to lower and more efficient prices, a benefit any consumer would appreciate. Who would pass up a bargain the next time you are out looking for sneakers? New businesses would create jobs that would employ people and provide for families. It would, hopefully, generate more tax revenues for the state. It would get some of our easily brainwashed youths off the street and turned into productive members of our society. So what really could go wrong? First off, it is reported that initially only 100,000 people will get to access this loan. What criteria, apart from the one published, would be used to select these individuals? How many of these loans have already been earmarked for those that have run the current government’s campaign in the previous election? What vetting mechanisms will be in place to prevent this? How much of this money could have been used to set up schools designed to provide apprenticeships or create skilled labour? Perhaps the biggest question is how likely are the target applicants, mostly educated yet underprivileged youth, to find guarantors? Even if some do find a guarantor -- someone who must be a government employee serving in Grade 15 or above -- who is to say the system will not be exploited to funnel the money back to the guarantor? These are just some of the many questions that come to mind. For anyone who is not already aware, nepotism is quite popular in our country. What the youth program might inadvertently do is pump more ‘idle’ cash into a system riddled with corruption and inflation. Instead of creating jobs, competition and lower prices, it could do quite the opposite, as if daily sustenance wasn’t expensive enough already. Since the program is in its infancy, many of these issues can be addressed through an ongoing (not after the fact) external audit. As a country mired in problems aplenty, we should look for the silver lining in the many things that happen around us. The youth needs to feel the government is serious about creating opportunities, especially those that may otherwise be drawn towards extremism. We should welcome the thought, and hope against hope this doesn’t go down the same path as the yellow cab scheme or the infamous laptop debacles’ sorry distribution. [poll id="313"]

Recently, I came across a piece of news about the Punjab government’s decision to replace traditional course books with iPads next year. Adopting advanced technology in education is a really good idea and it has already been successfully implemented by the United States, the United Kingdom, China, India, Australia and a host of other countries. These nations have the potential advantages of reducing expenses on books, saving trees, student-centric learning, greater collaboration with other students and access to wider resources of education. However, there are a number of underlying issues -- some fairly obvious -- that rule out the idea of introducing e-learning in our government schools. Technology awareness and limited expertise Resourcing adequate expertise is a big challenge. Teachers need to be trained in using iPads effectively and have sound knowledge about all the teacher-student resources available. Teachers, who are not tech-savvy, will find it difficult to switch to new technologies and in the absence of a standardised plan for creating, storing, researching, assessing, managing and using teaching materials, the real benefits of e-learning will not be utilised to the fullest. Energy related problems In an energy-crisis hit country, where load-shedding extends to as many as 20 hours a day, how would students charge their gadgets? The average battery life of a tablet is 7.26 hours while the average normal school day is of eight hours, which means the iPads need to be charged during school hours and, in the frequently extended and irregular load-shedding hours, this may not be possible. Infrastructure issues Most schools in rural areas of Pakistan lack buildings, electricity and other basic facilities. Would it be sane to think of providing additional power outlets and wifi facilities without having a building? It would be like having lots of cars but no road to drive them on. Internet connectivity Those countries that have adopted this system of education are relying on high-speed, low cost 3G and 4G networks of communication, while the cost of accessing the internet in Pakistan is still on the high side. How would the government address this issue? The affordability factor Would this system be an affordable one for the common man? One who sends his children to government schools rather than high profile private schools? Wouldn’t it make it even more difficult for the common man to realise his dreams of a good education for his child? Affording the latest gadget for his children and getting it fixed, in case of any malfunction, would be a great challenge for a low income person, let alone those who have no income at all. Such technology would do more harm to our literacy rate than good. Finances and budgets If the gadgets are to be provided by the government, how would it manage to allocate its limited educational funds to cover the hardware, software and license costs for educational content and applications? Moreover, the implementation costs for e-textbooks on tablets are much higher than printed textbooks. Digital divide How would the government ensure that all the schools have equal and timely access to this new system of learning and how would it bridge the gap between the technology-equipped schools and the non-technology-equipped schools in the mean time? Home internet bandwidth would be needed for students to connect to the central library resources and with other fellow students, the absence of which would mean that students lacking this facility may not be able to complete their home assignments. Designing the curriculum Which syllabus will be chosen to be replaced by e-learning? The Urdu-medium syllabus, the English-medium syllabus or the Oxford syllabus? Educational technology is a vehicle, not a solution. How the curriculum is designed is the key. Before moving on to any educational technology, it would be worthwhile to consider the uniformity of the syllabi. The content matters more than the medium used to deliver it. To conclude: expecting educational technology to bring a change to our literacy rates, without addressing these issues would be like expecting a toddler to run before he has learned to walk with firm feet. Do you think the initiative can be a success without paying heed to the aforementioned issues?

It was time for Tables, Ladders and Chairs (TLC). That moment in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) when things started to change and a new landscape came forth. Sunday night featured various filler matches and two high-profiled handicap matches but of course the highlight was the unification of the company’s biggest titles. Be warned that the following review contains spoilers, features and debatable opinions and focuses on the entertainment that is the WWE Pay Per View (PPV). The former Indie gods faced their toughest challenge  It is one thing to compete against a formidable opponent but it is quite another to take on a team by yourself. CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, legends that emerged from the Indie circuit, faced their respective three-on-one handicap matches against two of the most intimidating trios – the tactical hounds, the Shield and the insanity-prone Wyatt Family. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x18g4ee_cm-punk-vs-the-shield_sport[/embed] Both Bryan and Punk showcased their amazing wrestling abilities in the ring and showed that they could compete against the best new talent that the company had to offer. It was like watching the present generation of the company facing its future. The match between CM Punk and the Shield had a lot of back-and-forth with a predictable domination by the Shield. Roman Reigns however, made one mistake by trying to spear CM Punk out of the ring resulting in him being out of the match. Without the units’ muscle the Shield had problems over-powering the ‘Best in the World’. Towards the end of the match Reigns missed another spear and hit Dean Ambrose instead, costing them the match. Tempers were running high and it seemed like the Cerberus had one head that might stray. Recent events even hinted that Reigns was not happy with his position on the team. Bryan came out as the star of the night but the atmosphere of the arena changed when the creepy Wyatt Family walked down the ramp. Bryan was dominated almost throughout the match as the Wyatt Family tried to de-throne the former WWE champion. It looked like they were trying to break Bryan down both physically and mentally, especially with moves like the devastating Vertical Suplex Drop. Although Daniel Bryan put up a great fight, being the swift and fierce rapid fighter that he is, he was cut short by the Wyatt Family’s brutal combination of force and peculiar technique. The tides changed in the Diva's division It is no secret that women's wrestling has been on the downfall. Long gone are the days when talent such as the Fabulous Moolah, the star power of Trish Stratus or the ability of Lita graced the international squared circle. However, Natalya and AJ Lee stepped into the TLC PPV and represented a heartbeat, a struggle and a hope for the women's division in the WWE. As recently as a few months ago all the Diva's matches were considered toilet breaks and lasted under five minutes. However, this match featured great storytelling and in-ring manoeuvres by the cream of the division. Natalya seemed like a true descendant of the legendary Hart family packing lineage and showed the power and technical strength that her family is known for. On the other hand, there was the new rebellious and arguably the most charismatic Diva in the company at the moment, AJ Lee. AJ however, fought through all the offenses and out-wrestled one of the Harts, retaining her championship and making it even more prestigious. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x18g4js_tlc-2013-aj-lee-vs-natalya_school[/embed] Although the Diva division had its share of embarrassing representation, these two wrestlers sparked some hope in the company for female talent. They showed that there is more to them than their pretty faces and fan service. The Tag Team was on fire  With all the hype created, viewers had only anticipated and looked forward to the World Title's main event. But then came the Tag Teams of the company. The Rhodes Brothers defended their titles against veterans Rey Mysterio and Big Show, Ryback and Curtis Axell and Cesaro and Swagger. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="398"] Ryback exerts his dominance over Cody Rhodes in the opening moments of the match. Photo: WWE Official Website[/caption] It was a Fatal Four Way tag match and delivered the entertainment it promised. The chaotic match featured numerous memorable moments. Cesaro provided his monthly spot for the PPV and this time it was a delayed gutwrench suplex. Goldust used a springboard back elbow and a top-rope Hurricanrana. When was the last time viewers got to see that? The match did not go so well for the heel teams as they were eliminated first.But the Rhodes Brothers emerged victorious and retained their championships against the two veterans that had come so close. The unified champion This is not the first time the company has unified two major championships. The first undisputed WWE champion – World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and WWE title holder – was Chris Jericho back in 2001 who won the title from both, the Rock and Stone Cold who were the best of their era. He was also tweeting during the event. https://twitter.com/IAmJericho/status/412476537078677504 The new unification showcased the 13 times World Champion John Cena and the nine times World Champion Randy Orton. Both men are accustomed to controversy but happen to be the most decorated superstars of this generation of professional wrestling. The titles they were defending predate the formation of the company itself and are the very pillars of the industry. This match was to decide which of these stars would be the face of the company and what would be the conclusion of their long rivalry. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x18gv83_wwe-tlc-ppv-2013-john-cena-vs-randy-orton-unification-review_sport[/embed] All the tools available were used in the match – tables, ladders and chairs. Sickening chair shots reverberated around the arena and from our TV sets and computer screens. When Orton was thrown on the Spanish announcer’s table, I wondered when that table would meet its certain demise. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Victory seemed to be in Cena's grasp after he put Orton through the Spanish announce table. Photo: WWE Official Website[/caption] Their back and forth surrounded the ring side and there was a point when Cena was handcuffed to the bottom rope. But the famous powerhouse managed to struggle out of that predicament and stayed in the fight. Although TLC only featured one Tables, Ladders and Chairs match, it was definitely worth the wait. All the weapons and more played a part in this match including the microphone and the ring itself! The high-risk manoeuvres that we are used to may have been missing from the match but that did not stop it from being entertaining. There was more to this match then a showdown of finishers; there were high hopes, shattered dreams, storytelling and in the end Randy Orton prevailed in becoming the Unified Champion and the face of the WWE. https://twitter.com/SeanGrandePBP/status/412428751205441536 https://twitter.com/StephMcMahon/status/412432632170164224 The main event might not have been ‘match of the year’ but it did leave the crowd pleased. The handicap matches served their purpose, the Wyatt Family was established as a dominating force and the Shield was cracked. The Divas had a good showing and we had a stellar Tag Team bout that shadowed the rest of the night's fillers. Overall, it was good Pay Per View and a new game for the locker room. And now we wait. Until next time.

On a recent trip to Karachi’s Hawks Bay beach, I was taking a walk and thinking about the past year. There were some highs and lows, both on a personal level and for the country. In all respects it has been an extraordinary year. The country went through a massive election and witnessed a peaceful change of guard in the political spheres. It also saw the meteoric rise and then farcical irrelevance of a major political party while another came to terms with an ever changing post-election scenario. There were pockets of good news followed by disheartening reports of attacks, economic issues amid promises of a utopian Pakistan by the powers that be. There were personal highs and lows too, snippets of happy news juxtaposed by moments of deep grief brought about by national events and deaths of young family members. In the middle of my reverie, I chanced upon an astrologer. Wild and unkempt in a Kiplingesque way, he yelled that he was a true fakir, a follower of Bulleh Shah and could see that I need help. Surrounded in a mist of acrid smoke from a sputtering fire and what seemed like home-made cheroots, playing an ‘ektara’ with a few stray dogs for company and perched on the decaying patio of a derelict beach house, he looked every inch like an avatar of the Delphic oracle. Promising to open the doors to the future he got up and did a little shimmy to prove his ‘spiritual’ credentials. The man was obviously a charlatan but his sing-song plea and notions of grandeur pricked my curiosity and I agreed for to let him tell me my future but more importantly reveal the mysteries for the country. Our “sabzi” team will continue to frustrate and bewilder...

“Baba, tell me about the vagaries of the one unifying force in Pakistan; the Pakistan cricket team.” “My son that is a very difficult question. You see even the stars themselves cannot comprehend the workings of something so complex and I need an offering to coax the spirits to yield their knowledge.”

“The green team will continue to frustrate and bewilder…”

“My son I was saying sabzi, the sabzi team will be as inconsistent as the prices of the tomatoes and onions, sky high one day and lower than a politician’s morals the other day. Young players will make their mark only to be swept aside and occasional brilliance of a bearded one which will mask his overwhelming and frequent failures. The dunce, no don’t interrupt, I don’t mean professor, I do mean dunce. He will still be around blocking the way to success and the aged one will play on and on till the sea turns to salt and the Almighty ends it all.”

“Ah you want to know about power. Well there are new faces in the corridors of power, different ones wearing stars and robes, and living in the white palace. Much is expected but beware, the more things change the more they remain the same. However, there is expected peace across the eastern border. The estranged brothers will unite and we shall have a great coming together of voices for the coming reunion. Many will oppose this, yes many who rely on hate and prejudice to earn their way, but the voices of the people shall prevail and we shall soon revel in what joins us, rather than waste time on what keeps us apart.”

 “My son you do test the spirits. Yes bright words from the powerful are marred by dark nights and there is little succor for the people. Seeds of hope are being laid by the young, the bright and honest. There is work being done with neighbours both who look like us and the yellow ones, and I am hopeful that with this new found peace with our old friends, and new, we will be able to see the seeds flower into fruitful trees. There are those who are trying to harness the very waters, the riches in the ground and the forces of creation to create power but it remains to be seen whether the disruptive forces will let this go through. I can promise you that cooling your home in summer and warming it in winter will be much more expensive than before and the lines of people around those gas things will get longer than the river indus. The ones who deal in blood and death will continue to do so as long as there is confusion about the means of tackling them. Those who can are dithering will cause the most harm and certain forces will refuse to even label them as killers and disrupters of God’s peace. Until one gets justice for the weakest and everyone is allowed to live their life there will be unending strife. My son, a great thinker once said that a nation can live without religion but cannot survive without justice and tolerance.”

 “There is some good news there. New institutions are coming up and many old ones are opening doors to unexplored realms of knowledge. We were under the impression that studying one area in isolation is best but true knowledge and prosperity comes from the understanding of how it all interconnects. I know of at least one such centre of knowledge that is starting next year and the makers are friends of the nation and have a name to go along with that. Meanwhile our students at the junior level will continue to astound all with their achievements. I pray for a day in which they stay here and work towards a better Pakistan. Perhaps the winds of change in education will sway their sails and anchor their boats on our shores while others also look to cross the seas to flock back to the motherland.”

“Your life is inseparable from the life of the people and the nation. You will prosper if the nation prospers, your hopes and wishes are intertwined with the prayers of the multitudes and even though you will face success and failure it will not be in isolation. You will find love, riches, fame and fortune but it is like this dust if it does not make you a better person. Yes there are challenges but they are not insurmountable and remember that each day and each year carries its own hope. And remember, love others and stay generous.”

Ek baat asaan naal hans ker jee

Tusi dil wich merey wasdey-o

Aywein sathoon door kion nasdey-o

Naaley ghaat jadoo dil khasdey-o

Bas ker jee hun bas ker jee

(Talk to me with a smile

You live in my heart

And yet you beguile me

I am charmed with your name on my lip

You try as usual and give me a slip

Enough is enough)

England, after ruling the Ashes series over the last few years, was outclassed by Australia by a huge margin of 5-0 and lost its beloved trophy to the victors. After a very long time, the English team had finally reached perfection and it was claimed that they could beat any team at any venue – which they actually did for a couple of years – before all hell broke loose in the form of the Ashes (pun intended).  [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] The Australian cricket team celebrate their victory in the Ashes series 2014. Photo: AFP[/caption] England proudly stood at its pinnacle where the team had at least three to four substitute players for every position – be it bowling, batting or even wicket-keeping. However, the question is, did this copious amount of talent actually belong to the English soil? The answer is a big ‘No’. England has become a sight similar to the World XI team, where the players belong to all parts of the world. One such player, who has served England immensely and given his 100% to the team, is Eoin Morgan – Irish by origin. He made his debut from Ireland but after seeing the player’s impressive performance, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decided to bring him under the English flag. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Eoin Morgan. Photo: Reuters[/caption] Morgan acts as the captain of the English T20 squad in the absence of Stuart Broad and there are fair chances of him being the next skipper of both the limited-overs games. So it is safe to assume that the Irish player is benefitting England’s cricket tremendously. They also picked up the Irish pacer Boyd Rankin, who played with Morgan. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Boyd Rankin. Photo: Reuters[/caption] In addition, the star batsman from the English side – Kevin Pieterson – is not originally from England either. Peterson is actually a South African by birth but he never played cricket for the Proteas. However, he has represented his native district of Natal, where he was born. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Kevin Pietersen. Photo: Reuters[/caption] Another South African who anchors the English batting line-up is Jonathan Trott. He has been a key player in the English batting line-up for about three to four years now and has risen to the occasion whenever his team needs him. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Jonathan Trott. Photo: Reuters[/caption] Matt Prior is also from the same league. He is responsible for a number of wins for England – especially in the Ashes – but he hails from Johannesburg. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Matt Prior. Photo: Reuters[/caption] Although the urn returned to Australia in the current Ashes series and the English side performed miserably, I do not mean to claim that players with different nationalities do not give their best for the team that they play for. In fact, as far as I am concerned, the only positive point that England had in the series was Ben Stokes – who is also not English by birth and belongs to another Aussie rival country – New Zealand. Like Morgan, Ben also seems to be a key candidate for the future of the English team. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Ben Stokes. Photo: Reuters[/caption] Indeed, there are many cricketers currently playing for England who do not have an English background – Monty Panesar, Sajid Mahmood and others. It seems like England is actually facing a dearth of native players. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Monty Panesar. Photo: Reuters[/caption]   [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Sajid Mahmood. Photo: Reuters[/caption] These are only a few non-English players who have brought glory to England’s cricket team in recent years. Hence, although England’s team is full of extraordinary talent, very little of it hails from the English soil itself. If you take away players like Eion Morgan, Kevin Peterson or Jonathan Trott, the English people will definitely lose the flair that they currently have. For a nation that is the pioneer of this wonderful sport, this situation can become alarming. Is the England soil not fertile enough anymore to produce quality cricketers?

Veena Malik has found a new claim to fame. And this time it is at the opposite end of the pendulum. Suddenly modelling, acting, dancing and all showbiz-related content has been deemed un-Islamic. By Veena Malik. Yes, Veena Malik. Don’t believe me? [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1a663d_veena-malik-in-umrah_shortfilms[/embed] Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against practicing one’s faith but no one can publicly criticise another’s profession in the name of religion. No one can have the audacity to turn on someone or something that made you who you are. Not even Veena Malik. Who is she to decide about the sanctity of the showbiz industry? Yes, people can change; they can become more devout and pious. But they cannot criticise the actions of others and especially, not on national television. And what annoys me is that the media gave her ‘affected’ message live coverage. The same media that made her what she is today. We all know about her initial journey of failure as an actress in Lollywood and then her failed attempt at acting in TV shows. Her fortune only changed for the better after she acted in Pakistan’s popular comedy show Hum Sab Umeed Say Hain. Then she tried her luck in India where once again, she acted in a succession of failures including Zindagi 50-50, Gali Gali Mein Chor Hai and Tere Naal Love Hogaya. While in India, she created quite a controversy when participating in Big Boss and with her ‘allegedly’ nude photo shoot for the Indian online edition of the international monthly men’s lifestyle magazine FHM. And if this photo shoot was not enough, the next drama on the plate was her tattoo which was visible during the shoot. The tattoo happened to be of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and after this, there were speculations that Veena was acting as a Pakistani spy in India – a claim she vehemently denied, of course. My point is that Veena has gone out of her way to create a spectacle out of everything she has put herself into. And she has done a good job, judging from the fame she has accumulated over the years. I don’t think there is anyone who would not know of Veena Malik. They might not have seen her pictures, shows or movies, but they would still know who she is and why she is famous. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Veena Malik has always gone out of her way to create a spectacle out of everything she has put herself into. Photo: File[/caption] So, this new video just seems like another theatrical attempt to add some spice to her life (and to that of others too). I am not to trying to compare her actions to those of a regular woman (since she has clearly shown that she isn’t one) but she needs to understand that there are several ways to resolve issues. And not all of them have to be so dramatic. Take the example of Sunny Leone. When the Indo-Canadian moved from the adult film industry to Bollywood, she spoke about her past in a matter-of-fact way. She never denied that it had been a part of her life but neither did she speak ill about the adult film industry. And then, along comes Veena, clad in her abaya and hijab, setting off for Umrah and asking people for forgiveness for her ‘past mistakes’ and requesting them to pray for her so that she is able to stick to this ‘change’ in her life. She has announced her retirement from the Indian and Pakistani film industry but has promised that she will only work for social welfare projects in the future. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300"] She has announced her retirement from the film industry and has claimed that she will only work for social welfare projects. Photo: File[/caption] Her supporters will argue that it is customary to ask for prayers and forgiveness when heading off to a pilgrimage. But coming on air and asking for ‘forgiveness for her past mistakes’ just seems insulting to the media industry – the very industry that welcomed her and made her who she is today. Or was yesterday. I just think that religion is one’s personal domain and flaunting her ‘Naik Perveen-ness’ in our faces, just like she flaunted all her other assets in our faces yesterday, is in poor taste. Just because she has decided to set out on a new part in her life does not mean that the entire film industry is un-Islamic and is on the path to despair. She has claimed in her interviews that ‘well-wishers from all over the world have been congratulating her and sending her prayers’. I think that had she made this move in a more discreet and subtle way, her well-wishers would have been much more in number. And I might have been one of them.

We aren’t perfect. We cannot always make witty remarks and indulge in interesting conversations all the time. All of us make the one off faux pas – tell someone they have bad body odour or say things jokingly only to have the other person offended. Sounds familiar? This happens all the time. If it weren’t for it, then you and I would be the only two people living a monotonous life. Being social animals, we can’t possibly avoid interaction. We will do things that are embarrassing or things that will put us in awkward positions. There are guidebooks and rules for such social etiquettes. But even if we memorise them by heart, we will not be able to dance to its tunes every day. There are so many of them that it is difficult to be on the right track. And sometimes, it’s just downright impossible. So here I am, not as an answer to your prayers but to tell you that there is basically no safe exit for such frivolities. Not even a memory eraser to help you get a clean slate… sigh. So rather than whining and feeling ashamed of things, let’s all understand that awkward is the new regular and we have to survive it. The thing you all need to understand and realise is that we will survive it and will laugh about it in the years to come. For now, lets’ just go down memory lane and recall the awkwardness. So here’s a list of the 10 most awkward moments we have all been through at least once in our lives. 1) When you try to make someone laugh... and fail miserably We were standing watching the end of a boring ceremony. It was out of the blue that I decided to share a joke to lighten the moment. I read the joke a few days back and it was still fresh in my mind, at least that’s what I thought. So I began. The joke went on for two minutes until I came to the punch line and then I waited for my friend to laugh at the joke. All she said was

“That’s your joke?”

 

“Are you okay?”

“Hello… I’m talking to you.”

“I’m worried about the business, it’s not doing so well. What about you?”

“The headmistress has asked me to resign because of the threats to the school. And all the staff members want me to leave as soon as possible.”

“Well it’s a difficult time for our community. Customers have been avoiding our shop and I don’t know how to get them back.”

“Even Ali has said his classmates are behaving in a weird manner towards him. I have spoken to the school but they don’t seem ready to do anything. I don’t think we can continue living in such an environment.”

“What do you want me to do?” “We could move. To a different city even, but I can’t live here.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll think of something.”

“I’ve found our new home!”

“Here we are!”

“Well, what do you think of our beautiful new house?”

“It looks good and the area seems nice.” “Seems okay,” Ali muttered.

“Let me show you around. I’m sure you will be happy here, it’s a very nice neighbourhood.”

“They seem nice.” “Yes they do,” Fatima agreed.

“Can you hear knocking? I think someone’s at the door.”

“My friend bought this bike for his son but it’s too big for him. He thought you might like it for your son instead.”

“Thank you very much. This is so kind of you. I’m sure Ali will love it.”

“Our neighbour has just given me this for Ali and its brand new!”

“Wow! I’ve never known such a kind neighbour. Ali will be thrilled with it. Let’s call him out here.”

“It’s just the right size for him.”

“What’s wrong?” he demanded. “We’ve had a report of a stolen bicycle at this address,” they replied.

“WHAT???”

Being a first generation Mohajir might have felt like stepping into an exciting new territory full of adventures in reassertion of identity, a deeper assimilation into the national fabric and finding a voice in a country teeming with provincialism. However, as a second generation Mohajir reflecting over the three decades that have transpired since, it seems that these were nothing short of a fool’s dreams that at least I could have survived without. Objectively, I feel that having chased these dreams has actually left me more devoid in numerous avenues than empowered. Retrospectively, I find it hard to understand why we had to push for an ‘identity’ in a country that was in reality created as our collective identity regardless of language, race or creed. However, much to the contrary, the forthcoming generations of Mohajirs, myself included, are ostracised for having migrated from India while the groups that did not fret are more comfortably assimilated in the national soil. Talk about giving the dog a bad name and hanging him. I continue being increasingly convinced that the label of Mohajir has made it near impossible for me to be accepted as a Pakistani in Pakistan. In fact, I wonder where exactly I belong. Personally, I believe it was entirely unnecessary to have even attempted to carve out a ‘niche or identity’ for us in a country that was made for all of us anyway. I feel like I’m labelled as an outsider on account of being Urdu speaking. And on the political front, regardless of whether or not I agree with the party agenda, being Urdu speaking makes me an unwitting member of the only political party representing me. Interestingly enough, Urdu speaking, like myself, are now even arrogantly brushed aside by ‘rishta walis’ (aunties with proposals) who have added the ‘Urdu speaking’ clause to their regular questionnaire. Many a times when making selections, we, Urdu speaking girls, are not usually preferred. This is just one of many ways we are side-lined in the social avenues. I hate to be blunt but the steadily increasing notoriety of the party over the years has polished off on the whole lot of us and has a lot to do with the situation. Overly simplistic as it may sound, I often wonder why it was at all necessary to have created the student association specifically for Mohajirs or Urdu speaking. Initially, the Mohajir students were grouped aside and gradually, the label spread to the Urdu speaking population in general that had emigrated from India. I think I was better off labelled ‘Muslim’ in a non-Muslim country than as a whole different creed of Muslim who is shunned in a Muslim country. On that note, I don’t even know why we are even called ‘immigrants’. An entirely new country emerged on the globe in the form of Pakistan on August 14, 1947 and our elders moved here as new citizens. So why the label ‘Mohajir’ at all? This forced label only hurts my presence, my participation and my identity in a country that I consider my own but that has gradually disowned me over the years. As a student, I stood out among my peers in my educational institutions. Now I stand out among my colleagues and in my social circles. The fact that I know only Urdu and English is enough indication that I am a Mohajir. Residents of the other four provinces speak the third provincial language and even if they don’t, it is certainly spoken in their homes. I have even noticed people getting visibly uncomfortable around me. They prefer to flock together with ‘similar feathers’ and give preference to another province resident rather than an ‘Urdu speaking’ like myself. My list of complaints could go on and on. Don’t pat my head and tell me it is all in my head because it is not. We have started to suffer a lot now and the situation can no longer be brushed aside as a story in our heads or simple paranoia. Karachi has become a crazy hell hole and the burning city has stamped our infamous presence and name in the discussion columns around the world, which is soon disregarded. Frankly, I have turned into a minority in the country, representing the white part of our flag, and sadly enough, minorities aren’t very kindly accommodated here, especially, an unsavoury one. By hook or by crook, I might enjoy an upper hand in Karachi but in the other areas I am not looked at very kindly. Despite having emigrated from India, being a Mohajir wouldn’t have been such an ‘issue’ if it hadn’t been ‘made such an issue’ with the emergence of an identity that honestly is no help to the common man. So dear countrymen, do me a favour and refer to me as a Pakistanis and not Urdu speaking or Mohajir. Putting tags on each other and setting each other aside does nothing to strengthen our or the country’s identity internationally or domestically. It only demotes Pakistan at a time when it is imperative to pull together as a whole and not break apart into pieces based on labels, which might be hard to put together later.

Stories do more than just entertain, they define us. Stories give meaning and context to what would otherwise be a collection of easily forgettable facts. They say behind every brand is a story and thus Facebook just started a new chapter of their fairy tale by launching a new app Paper. Facebook, a company which has gone from a dorm room conception to a $150 billion capitalisation, outshined the social media industry by introducing the new app that focuses on the idea of stories. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="253"] Source: Itunes[/caption] The app is available for download on iOS devices only. [embed width="620"]http://vimeo.com/85421325[/embed] As I work in a paper-free environment for a technology based company, the above video evoked the nostalgic feelings about the good old tech-free times. The screeching sound of pen, the joy of paper folding, the rhythmic tone of a typewriter and the humming birds took me down memory lane. I felt these visual moments were framed to stir-up senses, chiefly the power of perceiving by touch. When I downloaded the app, I was greeted with an introductory video and a brief walk-through of what it’s capable of. Before fading into the background, it accustomed me to all of its features and let me dip into the wonderland. I found it as an interesting dichotomy; Paper taking the standard Facebook feed and reinvigorating it as an immersive, alluring scrolling set of screens. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="253"] Source: Itunes[/caption] It compiles photos, videos, blogs and feed items into sections that are easy to consume without any buttons, menus and other distractions. News stories appear like small cards, which can be flipped over for further reading. Everything appears in full screen with a profusion of fluid animation effects and all you have to do is to swipe, pinch the screen or just tilt to explore high-resolution pictures. Goodbye buttons and welcome swipes. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="253"] Source: Itunes[/caption] Apart from your feed, you can dig into topics where you will see stories and visuals selected by novel algorithms. So is the ‘flipboard’ look-a-like app with the ‘Apple’ introductory video just another derivative app with more graphic, full-screen photos, videos and prettified status updates? Is Paper the solution to any problems or is it just anticipating a change in how people will want to read and browse things? [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="253"] Source: Itunes[/caption] I believe that this is an extremely powerful extraction of the news feed tailored to specific interests that will enable visionary publishers to direct a series of content through stories. I was overwhelmed to learn that Paper comprises of news that fits the user personally. Just imagine someone designing a newspaper just for you or you drafting one on your own. As the application furnishes the user’s interest by custom-made newsfeed, I sense this will enable Facebook to recapture old-fashioned individuals like me who migrated to Twitter ages ago. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="253"] Source: Itunes[/caption] Over and above, we can anticipate a break-through for media companies to make the most of this new feature set. Initially, organising topic-based stories will allow media giants to grab the attention of users in long-form content. It will be comparatively easy to make content viral by just leaking sections of the story over a span of couple of days rather than a full publish. These shorter chunks could create anticipation for the next episode and the users could follow the story as it unfolds. It will be easier to keep a track of stories and their analysis through a few swipes. I perceive the strength to follow the news as it breaks, transforms and surfaces the truth all from one specific feed, as a blessing. It’s simply more than an e-reader.

There is a very famous poem, by a very famous poet, written in a more hopeful and exuberant time. It has been set to wonderful, cheerful music and is taught to children everywhere. And in the video below, a child sings something that sounds very much like it. But listen carefully. The music has the same happy lilt, but the words are horribly different. So different, in fact, that a few people I showed this video to were seriously offended at what they consider to be a serious perversion of a great piece of art. The original poem and its English translation is only a Google search away, but the words to the one in the video go something like this: [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1awnq0_aao-bacho-sair-karain-tumko-pakistan-ki-2014_news#from=embediframe[/embed]

“Come children; let me show you around my Pakistan, Cheap are held our lives here and that of every other man. Nations are auctioned off all day on the assembly floors, Here is an open market for the soul of every pious man. All you’ll see is security and check posts, numerous, in our way, And yet the people drop like flies and bombs explode here every day. Criminals walk free while at the police stations, to our dismay, Prisoners only, their pictures are, for notice boards to display. A war is on at all times for the seat of the top man, Come children; let me show you around my Pakistan. The dwellers of these streets are called ‘leaders’ with a lot of pride, They get the cheerful votes of people beleaguered from every side, And the happiness, my children, of these people I have often spied, Give them a single meal a day and truly they are satisfied. For inflation or the energy crisis, do you have the attention span? Come children; let me show you around my Pakistan. Be very careful, when you leave safety for the great outdoors, And soon as soon, return my dear, leave all of your undone chores, The thief, the kidnapper have started competing and keeping scores, Warn all friends, all family and everyone you count as yours, You will lose your life, if for a ransom; you’ve not made a plan. Come children; let me show you around my Pakistan, Cheap are held our lives here and that of every other man.”

“It’s not as bad as all that, there are plenty of good things to be found here still” is what they say.

Recently moving from Canada, where I’ve lived practically my entire life, to Pakistan, I’ve had to do a lot of learning.  Here are few of the things I have learnt since coming to Pakistan: 1) My mother-in-law asked me to clean char maghaz. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="320"] Source: Reactiongifs[/caption] I was relieved to learn that I was supposed to clean seeds and not four animal brains. 2) There is no uncle by the name of ‘lal baig’. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"] Source: Reactiongifs[/caption] 3) Don’t’ wear bronzer in Pakistan; rather than getting compliments on a healthy glow, aunties will recommend Fair and Lovely. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="225"] Source: Reactiongifs[/caption] 4) Chukandar (beets) and chuchandar (mole) are very different. You should have seen the look on my husband face when I said I put chuchandar in the curry. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"] Source: Reactiongifs[/caption] 5) The concept of not littering is practically non-existent. After carrying an empty can for 20 minutes in search of a trash can, I was forced to throw it where my flat disposes trash, in a pile behind the building. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="370"] Source: Reactiongifs[/caption] 6) You will get many evil stares if you call a Zuhljina a horse. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="245"] Source: Reactiongifs[/caption] 7) While we are on the topic horses, there is a difference between gora (foreigner) and ghora (horse). To my dismay, it was people who were visiting the office from a foreign embassy, not a bunch of horses. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="319"] Source: Reactiongifs[/caption] 8) Green smoothies are unheard of – nobody makes spinach smoothies. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="499"] Source: Reactiongifs[/caption] 9) Milk can be stored in the pantry, it never goes sour! Is it even milk…? [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="320"] Source: Reactiongifs[/caption] 10) No matter how loose ones clothes are or the hijab on my head, I am not modestly dressed unless I carry a dupatta; yet it does not matter if it’s net or completely sheer. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"] Source: Reactiongifs[/caption] 11) Flagyl, the pill for stomach problems of all kinds, is my best friend. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"] Source: Reactiongifs[/caption] 12) Bharay huweh tindeh is the most uselessly annoying dish to prepare in the world.

• Chop the tindeh,
• Peel the tindeh,
• Scoop out the insides,
• Cook the inside goop,
• Refill the tindeh with the inside goop,
• Find the other half of the tindeh and place it on top of the filled one,
• Tie up the tindeh with string and cook it again.
• Remove the string before serving?

My story is one that is not worth listening to. It is poorly scripted and lacks punctuation and depth. It lingers on too long and then stops suddenly, as if looking for a new introduction to an already spoiled plot. It dies too often or does it sleep? I do not know. It becomes dormant so it could be either. Its commas occur once too often and the colons, which are otherwise latent with the charm of novelty and surprise, act as full stops. Its full stops end half-lived sentences which miserably rise and fall, full of verbs which do and die, parted too long from their adverbs. The adverbs themselves are barred from the confines of this page by the black and white scenery of inaction and lethargy. Conversely, its adjectives do exist but there are no nouns. Hence, in the story the adjectives roam the drab scenery like colours begging for a blank canvas – the beggars of the page in search of their lovers – things that they could define… But those nouns do not exist. There are no paragraphs for there is no transition like a violin bow being dragged across a string for a single note, which nervously glances at its master waiting for him to introduce a new sound before it reaches its end. Hyperbole is carefully kept beyond reach and the innocent wanderings of desperate adjectives used to beautify the dreadfully boring and ordinary existence of things, are not only thwarted but discouraged through violent monotony. This makes the descriptions dreary and frightful for they tell the reader things as they are; not in their essence or perceived emotion but in their awful accurate reality. There is no climax, only bursts of deluded enthusiasm that rise to the level of maddening passion but are unable to maintain that level. They find themselves on the poorly built scaffold of anxiety and self-doubt. Its sentences, unthinkingly, obey other sentences; sentences that are correct in their structure but poorly phrased in their essence. Its conversations are bound by inverted commas but the speech it contains is not its own. The speech is written elsewhere, in other stories, by other people, thus making the singular mode of expression, of its character, crudely phrased and skilfully borrowed. How unlucky is the character! The presentation is untidy with words scribbled and corrected in quick, relentless successions. The vocabulary is monotonous and pretentious, a translucent screen failing in its attempts to be opaque, so that it may hide what lies behind it. It is entirely shallow and without meaning, a fault that stems from the writer having given it a title and purpose even before its initiation. However, the end of the story, which takes us to the deathbed of our character, gives birth to the only genuine juxtaposition in the entire passage. It takes the story from dreary descriptions and dry climaxes to a single line of speech from our now physically frail hero. It has no punctuation and it has no structure – the vocabulary is simple and true… … And so is the sentiment. It happens as the already dead character rises from his bed, throws himself to the floor and murmurs,

“They made me fear falling so much... I stopped walking.”

I was spending a lazy afternoon lounging in the Osama bin Laden library, bemoaning the dire lack of buildings honouring our local murderers, when my Smartphone informed me of this fascinating new development. I learned of a mosque being erected in Faizabad that is to be named after the man who killed the former governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer. The very idea of a mosque, a sacred house of worship, being named after a man who attained his glory by murdering another man in cold blood, may reasonably offend certain people. Certain people like, say, Sherbano Taseer, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and Mehreen Zahra, who expressed their disappointment on social media. https://twitter.com/sharmeenochinoy/status/460729602521202688 https://twitter.com/shehrbanotaseer/status/460673932119781378 https://twitter.com/mehreenzahra/status/460678541756334080 I, on the other hand, gave up a long time ago trying to convince people to not revere criminals. I don’t make the trends; I merely follow them. So in that spirit, allow me to present my recommendations for new crime-themed venues expected to pop up around Pakistan’s capital city in the near future. Ejaz Tikka House Named after Muhammed Ejaz, the serial killer responsible for the deaths of three innocent men as part of his crusade against homosexuality, the restaurant serves Pakistani and continental dishes for the discerning foodie. Though the arrested killer now expresses regret over his actions, the conservative owners of this up and coming restaurant in Blue Area, Islamabad, have chosen to lionise him by renaming their establishment after him. The restaurant also possesses a permit for sale of alcoholic beverages, mirroring the irony of its self-righteous, criminal namesake having sexual relations with the men before attacking them. Javed Iqbal Stationery Store The proud owners of this popular stationery and book depot are now renaming their shop after Javed Iqbal, the man who confessed to murdering 100 people back in 1999. Though the criminal died in 2001, the store owner has made the decision to keep his name alive. When approached for comment on the controversial move, the owner said, “All my friends are doing it!” He was referring to the recent rise in establishments named after known criminals. Amir Qayyum Pharmacy The store’s logo depicts a red brick to symbolise the life and crime of the brutal “brick killer” from 2005. The psychopathic serial killer responsible for 14 murders, carried out with a brick, is to be honoured with a new drug store opening up in G-8. Furthermore, the store is promising to hand out all drugs over-the-counter to customers of all ages, without demanding prescriptions, as part of its opening day celebration. This, again, in honour of Amir Qayyum, who happened to be a notorious drug addict. El Qaeda Café This high-end Mexican-themed café in sector-F, Islamabad, is expected to open its doors to the fine people of the twin cities, in a few short weeks. On its launch ceremony, the café expects to welcome big-name celebrities from Waziristan and Paktika province of Afghanistan, including (names redacted). Our reviewers award their death-by-chocolate pastry an impressive 4.5/5 stars, though they advise patrons to avoid the red velvet cake, which may contain dodgy ingredients. Musa Bridal Salon I expressed my confusion to the veteran cosmetologist from I-8, regarding her decision to name the beauty parlour after a nine-month-old Musa Khan charged with attempted murder. The embarrassed owner admitted that she wanted to name her store after a murderer in accordance with the ongoing trend in Islamabad, but had no idea of Musa’s real age. She regrets her hasty decision and is currently studying a list of Pakistani mass murderers to find a new name for her salon. __________________ Pakistani murder victims die twice; once at the crime scene and a second time when throngs of the criminal’s supporters, backed by the silence of an entire nation, arrive to garland him. Unsurprisingly, this will become an opportunity for Qadri-apologists to hack our liberals with their own double-edged sword of ‘free speech’. So be it. Your right to publicly praise terrorists and murderers is seemingly protected under the umbrella of free expression (when nothing else, from criticism of the Army to scrutiny of Pakistani culture, really is). But the next time your Eastern neighbour points and laughs at you, or the ‘dreaded Western media’ portrays you in a negative light, know that it won’t be malicious propaganda. It’d be because your capital city, bearing the name of your state religion, has a library named after Osama bin Laden and a mosque named after Mumtaz Qadri. PLEASE NOTE: The Express Tribune’s Blogs Desk reserves the right to change, select and/or edit the title of posts submitted to The Express Tribune’s Blogs Page.

Do you really think single women are the only ones stressing about their shrinking marriage options? According to my keen observation, single men in their 30s also face a similar dilemma of wanting to get married. Men in their 20s continue to live in a bubble where they think they will be young forever. But in their early 30s, they see an old man who has a sound career but is in a relationship which is going nowhere and looks at other men of his age who are already fathers. There comes a point in their life when they worry that if they find a partner now, by the time they get married and start a family, they will probably be 45 when their first child goes to kindergarten. And this sends shrills down their spines. I know men who are in their early 30s and wish they weren’t single. I think it is becoming as stressful for men as it is for single women. I have a good looking male friend, 29-years-old, who has lost love quite a few times. He has the looks, is well-educated, creative, earns well and is modern but grounded. In short, he has all the traits that are required to be considered a ‘potential marriage candidate’. But he is still single. I know he is scared of being alone and wants someone to love but has been pushed to a verge where he is afraid of commitment now. After talking to a lot of people, I have concluded a few reasons why men do not get married till after their mid-30s, even if they want to get married much earlier. To be honest and upfront, the main reason for the rise in this predicament is that women have become materialistic. They do not want love and companionship as much as they want someone to pay for their retail therapy, take them out to new restaurants and provide them with a hassle-free lavish life. All you women who are gasping at this statement know that there is some truth to this statement. Is it really the end of their ‘bachelor life’? Men do not want to get married because they believe they will have to choose spending time with their wives over their friends. Some are even afraid of marriage, parenthood and the responsibility that comes with it. They delay marriage because they want to settle in their career first as they are afraid they will not be able to pay for the grand wedding, the best wedding photographer, the bride’s Louboutins and Jimmy Choos for the wedding and of course the shaadi ka jora (wedding outfit) which is only worn for a few hours but costs a fortune. They are afraid that after spending, rather wasting, their hard earned money on wedding festivities, they are still expected to buy designer lawns, take pampering holiday trips to Turkey and Malaysia, all because that’s where one of friends went after the wedding and all her friends are wearing Sana Safinaz and Asim Jofa lawn outfits. Ladies, it’s time to come up with a new check list I don’t know how to put this but the checklist women have for their eligible partner is disturbing and trivial. They want to know how much money he makes so that they can calculate the number of shoes and bags that will be piling up in their closet. It’s like it has become a ‘shortcut’ to a lavish lifestyle they’ve been accustomed to or dream of. I know having a good education and sufficient earning is essential but that is not what I am referring to. Women’s priorities have changed. From the times when it used to be about finding a decent man who could provide you with stability, love and care, it has now become about how much he can provide. And for this very reason, men have now become unsure of the whole constitution of marriage and question its very foundation. Even though the women they end up marrying sincerely love them and are good wives, men sometimes wonder if it’s because of what they can provide is why the marriage is working. And looking at the check list, men are put off from marriage as they feel it will only be a life of providing and materialism. A wedding to be remembered Men these days think twice before getting married especially when it comes to affording a marriage, monetarily not responsibility wise. Some men even end up postponing their marriage plans so that they are able to afford the wedding ceremony the wife-to-be and her family so desires. Everything is new to them also Men are afraid of losing their personal space too. Yes, given the fact that it is the woman who leaves everything behind and moves into the guy’s house but we also need to understand that he has to share his room and his space with someone else, something which he hasn’t done in a while since he shared a room with his college roommate. Also, men aren’t used to answering to their mothers about their activities or what time they’re coming home. All of that suddenly changes, and every action has to be justified. So give him time to become accustomed to this new relationship and change. Stop asking questions and keeping a track of what time he left work, how long the drive from work was and what time he came home. As a wife, one also needs to respect his family and his family values. He already has to constantly prove to his family, and mother in specific, that his love for them has not changed just because he has an additional important person in his life. He has been living in the same house with the same people for approximately three decades. So, try to understand his situation and cut him some slack instead of taunting the person that his priorities need to be altered. Yes, we live in a male dominated society and men have more prospective options than women do, but it does not change the fact that men do not want to stay single and ‘be in a relationship’ forever. Woman need to realise that they are educated and can earn and live on their own. If they are looking for marriage and someone who they happily want to spend the rest of their lives with, it should solely be for partnership and love, not for his money.