Great Expectations - The Yield

He was running as hard as he could. His legs were starting to ache. Just a few more steps, just a few more and I will win this, he thought. He was a hairsbreadth from the ribbon and he tumbled..

Stage Fright and Stumbling Students

Hello everyone! This post comes from a blogger friend of mine. Mario Elia is a movie buff and blogs at Waffle Reviews. Do check out his blog when you're thinking about a movie to watch! Happy Reading 

Having nothing to say is a universal issue, it affects even the best of us. Whether it is in a social situation or in the middle of a job interview, we all try to avoid going blank.

Why Do I Blog?

So, I was reading +Ryan J Williams' post "The Purpose Of Blogging" and am compelled to write about my own reasons for blogging. This blog is very young and I'm simply in love with the world of blogging. Here's why:

You Get To Have Your Say

 

Blogging's my outlet
Photo Credits: Vima

What I post is my say, what you comment is yours and a kaleidoscope of opinions forms. Bloggers and readers from all the various aspects of life (and yeah, timezones too) can interact and a whole new world opens up. I don't know, I just like to hear opinions (I'm the listening kind) and I can spend all day reading blogs, commenting and replying to the comments that some nice folks leave here. I have quite a long blogroll and I'll share it with you people if you want me to.

The Caged Dove

Raza approached the rusty metal cage with extraordinary caution. Extraordinary because ordinary caution was too ordinary among children his age. They were taught to approach almost everything slowly and nimbly, unexploded bombs and missile parts were running rampant in their land and it was only normal that kids his age possessed a rather extensive knowledge of such unpleasant stuff. It was part of a self-designed plan by the elders to cut down on children casualties. When he was near enough, he gently prodded the rust infected cage and the captive inside opened an eye. He flinched and retraced a few steps. No sound came from within, but the cage reeked of a pungent smell. He leaned forward and took another whiff. He recognized that smell. Everyone recognized the smell of this particular disinfectant. When war's upon you, such things were the most useful.

Reasons You Should Make Pen Pals

Sorry folks, I haven’t blogged for quite a few days, but I was into some blogging stuff and made a few friends on the way. This prompted me to write on pen pals and here I am.

Don't Talk to Strangers! Pen Pals!

How I Came Across Pen Pals

Photo credits: ihave3kids via photopin cc

Blogging is fun in various ways, one of which is that you get to make new friends - friends that are not barred by the boundaries of countries, religions or
race. I was never a person with zillions of friends and I still am not. I do have friends though, just not too many. With having a lot of friends, things can get quite messy. Everyone’s asking for time, expectations get heightened and you (or they) fail to touch the mark. Then there are secrets, preferences, jealousy, relationships, but I’m a guy so I’m clean on that. However, pen friends or pen pals have turned out to be quite an exciting episode for me.

My First Guest Post!

Hello Folks!

In case you're in a hurry, here's the post.

I haven't been Idle (I rarely am). I'm on my last episode of Luther, have started reading "Doctor Sleep" by Stephen King and am trying to learn some HTML and CSS for my blog. I had watched "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" sometime back, but had the fortune of watching "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" just yesterday. I wrote about the movie on my friend's blog, you can read it here. He's a movie blogger and has awesome reviews at his blog.

Thanks, hope you'll like it :)

My Eid Experience

This post is about how I spent my Eid. It has to with religion and for people other than Muslims, Eid is our own festival of merriment, just as Christmas is for Christians :) If this doesn't interest you, you can always wait for my next post :D

Thanks to +Shayan Ahmed  and +fakiha iram for the suggestions :)

It all started last night, Chaand Raat or the eve before Eid, whatever you settle on calling it. Out of the blue, my sister decided on getting henna (mehendi) applied on her hands. I was asked to be the driver and I

The Blessing

“Get the hell out of here! You tramps bang this door next time and I’ll skin y’all!” I could not hold back my tears. I was trying hard to make friends and dad had just given them a very warm welcome.

We’re a family of three, I’m the only child. Mom is a devout Christian and we’re a regular duo at the church. I don’t include my dad in the word “we” because I loathe him. He’s a drunkard and we never know

How to be an achiever

Some pointers on becoming an achiever

Good grades, physical fitness or proficiency in anything as random as gardening – achieving is the key, and the key to achieving is hard work. Though learning processes do vary from task to task, here are some fundamental ideas aside from hard work that would apply to achieving almost anything. 

Defenders Of The Sea - Navy's Importance

The seamen
Courtesy Pak Armed Forces

Me and my younger brother were talking to my dad about the water shortage (we face one these days). The discussion eventually drifted off to sea and the navy. This is what followed:

We Really Need To Do It Ourselves

This one's made from rolled up magazines
Courtesy Curbly

Nothing fancy this time, this is just a little opinion of mine. I went to visit a very dear friend, who happens to be my neighbour too. Whenever we want to get away from the "home" air, we text and meet up. And yeah, when there's nothing to do, we watch TV together.

We were watching TV at his place when his mom informed us that the electrician had arrived. I was kinda baffled, I knew they didn't have any plans for any

The Search For Utopia

"They're so huge! When they walk, all earth shakes. They can flatten mountains like they're a lump of clay!" I dared not say this aloud, father would start off with one of his many lectures that I had memorized by experience.

Another Malaysian Aircraft Down - What's Happening?

The Malaysians Airlines Flight 370 went missing on 8th April, less than an hour after it's takeoff from Kuala Lumpur. The passengers of the ill fated airplane never made it to their destination, Beijing. The tragedy has been repeated, This time it is the MH17.

Her Eternal Love

She refuses to let go
Courtesy PTSD Perspectives

She walked through the corridor slowly. David was arguing with some seniors. He knew which celebrity would be starring in which television series, which of them had broken up and the other ins and outs of the celebrity business. He caught her glance, dropped

Many Promises To Keep

The Promise
Courtesy Buried With Children

She came back home and marched straight to her room. The parents exchanged confused looks. She would always run to her dad and it took considerable effort to persuade her to abandon his lap. Also, she came back quite early today. On usual days, Fatima would have to call her in and she would run in with a pace that not many 5 year olds could match.

The Brazilians Lose It Yet Again

The 3rd place winners
Courtesy Goal News

The Brazilian fans are heartbroken. Out of frustration, they boo on their own players. Marcelo and Neymar too were watching their team get beaten up by the Dutch. A disappointing performance from Brazil. The first break for the Dutch came when Van Persie got a lofted pass, headed it into the air,

All Eyes Await The World Cup Final

Thomas Muller
Courtesy Fifa

The Star Studded Germans Or The Lucky Argentinians?

The long awaited World Cup's end finally approaches, as the final for the ultimate prize of what have been possibly the best world cup ever, will be played in no more than 24 hours time at Estadio do Maracana, Rio De Janeiro at 16:00 local time between the mighty Germans and a potentially strong Argentinian side.

The Suffering in Ghaza, Palestine

It's summers. While you are sunbathing, the Palestinians bathe in their own blood.

Courtesy Green Software

What was the crime of Muhammad Abu Khdeir? He didn’t do any harm to the three Israeli teens. He was killed in the name of one word – Retaliation. Killing is rather a weak word, he was kidnapped and burnt alive. 6 Israelis confessed to this heinous crime, enraging Palestinians. As if the brutality wasn’t enough, Tareq Abu Khdeir was beaten by Israeli police at his slain cousin Muhammad’s  funeral. Excuses and reasoning followed.

Best Anime To Watch This Summer

Courtesy Meme generator

Summers are here and everyone tends to run out of things to do later or sooner. Anime are an excellent cure for boredom. Anime are Japanese cartoons in simple terms, but rest assured, I am not pushing you for Tom and Jerry. Anime are pretty serious stuff and have various genres. They can range from thrillers to drama and to the much famous theme; Martial arts, ninja, shounin or whatever you'd like to call it

Sergio Romero - The Beast

Sergio Romero Saves The Day

Sergio Romero
Courtesy Fifa

Argentina don't owe it to Messi this time, they owe it all to Sergio Romero. Who would've thought that this man, about whom critics were all over saying he lacked the skill, would actually pave the way for Argentina for the World cup 2014 trophy. Forget the 90 minutes, forget the two halves of additional time, the penalty shootout is what had all the oomph.

Van Persie Or Messi? Who's it gonna be?

Lionel Messi
Courtesy Thee Poch Times

Time ticks away and an hour remains till the match between Argentina and Netherlands. The Dutch led by Robin Van Persie and with stars like Arjen Robben and Sneijder to pump in the attack, Argentina's defense has got to have a hard time. Great miracles are expected of the 27 years old Argentinian star Lionel Messi who has won the Ballon d'Or thrice, but Messi is sure to miss Angel di Maria who was ruled out because of a thigh injury in the last match. Messi often relied on di Maria for attacks and in the quarterfinal it was him who took the pass off Messi and tried to score but it took a deflection and became an assist for Gonzalez Higuain who transformed it into a goal.

Ramadan - An Observation

"Ramadan is the (month) in which the Quran was sent down, as a guide to mankind and a clear guidance and judgment (so that mankind will distinguish from right and wrong).." (Q 2:183)

The Holy month of Ramadan is upon us and everyone is fasting, but other than abstaining from food and drink, there is still much to do to preserve the sanctity of Ramadan. The sun is showing much energy and the textile industry has really reaped off it. One can see women in all types of objectionable poses and clothing, which might be accepted in our rather borrowed culture but certainly not in our pure religion.

Doughnuts - The Lighter Side

The word doughnut needs no explaining, nearly everyone is familiar with it. It is called "sufganiyah" in Israel and the Malaysians call it "Kuih keria". Nevertheless, it is a simple and delicious dessert with unique variations. A particular type of doughnut, The Boston Cream is so famous that it made its way far away to Pakistan and is called as "Navaz Sharif" variety, funnily after the current Prime Minister of Pakistan though.

Assorted Doughnuts
Courtesy Toria Vey

Now that I've said all about the fame of this simple little dessert, what actually is a doughnut?
Flour is made into a dough and then deep fried, but that doesn't make it a doughnut quite yet. What's unique of the doughnut is that it has a circular shape with a circle cut out from the center, it's actually a baked flour ring. To give it this ring shape, a doughnut cutter is used which will cut out a circle from the center

Is This Really A World Cup Semifinal?

Humilation For Brazil. Germany 5, Brazil 0.

So I wake up all night and am super excited to watch Brazil take on Germany, but they never really "took" on Germany. With the clock approaching the 40th minute, I'm compelled to create this blog because the match is going really crazy. Germany have topped up 2 goals and Brazil had only a couple of attacks, put aside the offside fouls.

The Brazilian Stalwart Neymar.
Courtesy Winner Worlcup 2014

Brazilian stalwart Neymar is injured and out, but that is no reason for this humiliation.
In the quarter final match, when Brazilian captain and defender Thiago Silva got a yellow card, their coach Scolari's disappointment was sincere. Having bagged 2 yellow cards, the most celebrated defender is missing this match and Germans are simply massacring the feeble Brazilian defense. David Luiz who has been assigned captaincy for this match, is desperate and helpless. He's doing all he can