Lahore to Faisalabad

Lahore Skyline

I have recently shifted to Faisalabad (3 and a half months to be specific) after living my whole life (28 years to be exact) in Lahore. Lahore is where I belong, where my roots are where all my memories are.... this shift even though exciting was not easy. On one side there was this excitement of a new life and on the other hand the fear of unknown. So with a positive mindset and ready to face all the challenges me, my husband with our 1 year old son shifted to Faisalabad (of course we had no other choice because my husband’s job shifted there). 

The starting days went by adjusting and trying to settle in, making to-do and shopping lists along with list of reconstruction of the building we were living in. It further included exploring the local markets, finding departmental and grocery stores in the nearby locality. And of course the desire to look for some place similar to Lahore was always there. There is one marketplace which makes us feel as if we are back in Lahore. It’s open till late at night and has all the brightly lit malls and the colorful eye catching shops and a variety of cafes and restaurants; the type you will find in Lahore. And then there are small local shops and supposedly big marts (unlike the large departmental stores of Lahore which are nicely constructed with proper care given to the variety of items available for the customer in a friendly environment). And then the task of setting the house to make it homely, set up a running kitchen, a cozy living room and a comfortable bedroom and not to forget entertainment for my little one. It took time but was manageable to settle down in a new city and make it homely there. 

Life in Faisalabad is different. It’s like turning the life of Lahore 2 decades back (life in Lahore back in the 90s). Women still can’t move around freely, you will not see many women driving, there is no concept of a social life (the restaurants and cafes are not fun), you will not see groups of friends hanging around (and friendships with the opposite gender is still a taboo), you will not see a decent crowd at the cinemas, no good theatres and you will still find men ogling women anywhere and everywhere (making you uncomfortable everywhere). 

The places to visit include the 8 streets/bazaars built around the most popular clock tower or ghanta ghar. One can find every required item in those 8 bazaars, you name it and it is available in one of the shops there. From utilities to other household items, from shoes to clothes, from medicines to makeup items, from stationary to electronics...everything is available there. This is a must visit area. Next comes the D-Ground. Its a market built around a ground in a D-shape. It has the usual eat out places, multiple stores and shopping areas. and finally the Kohinoor City. It is considered one of the posh markets with international and national chain of stores, cafes and restaurants (my most favourite place as it reminds me of Lahore) .

One thing I realized during this transition that change is hectic. It requires mental as well as physical adaptability. You need to adapt to the new surroundings, different people and the change in air. Yes air too. Every city has its own air to breathe in (not literally of course) but the change is air is also a thing. I for sure can tell you because it took 3 weeks of fever, tiredness and migraine to adapt to the new air of Faisalabad ( it surely can be different for every individual).

4 months down the road I am comfortably settled in this new city. Life there is nice, slow and steady. And for a person like me who has never lived in any other place other than her hometown it surely is amazing and I love it! 

Faisalabad Skyline

An abstract of "What Social Network is doing to our Brain"

The video starts with showing a study conducted on monkeys. since monkeys are the only living beings with a a lot of similarities with humans, they have been a target of experiments throughout history. The focus of the experiment in this video is the social life of monkeys, which collapses after reaching a  certain number. This has been linked with humans. As per the video, the sociological research shows that the maximum natural size of the group of humans is 150 members; most humans are intimately incapable of knowing more than 150 people. This result provides the basis of the video that  why social media, via which we connect with millions of people in the virtual world is only damaging us.

Man is a social animal and the feeling of loneliness can drive him wild. The video further shows that loneliness is actually the result of running towards the idea of self actualization which is measured by career, wealth, self image and consumerism thus leading towards the "THE INNOVATION OF LONELINESS" and making loneliness the number one ailment of the common world. This innovation of loneliness has further been aggravated because of the on line social network. With readily accessible technology, in forms of computers, laptops, tablets and smart phones that are simpler and easy to use, it is easy for people to manage their social lives more effectively which becomes tainted because of the ever demanding self actualization goals. Man has becomes obsessed with the virtual life and over time quality has replaced quantity and conversation have converted into connection.

Hence leading towards loneliness which is the result of the absence of actual conversations with friends which cannot take place in a virtual environment. In actual conversation one cannot edit or delete or pretend. As the result of the obsession with the social network people try to present their optimal/desirable image of themselves spending hours making their on line profiles more and more presentable.

The social networks are not just changing what people do but also who they are by attacking man in its mostvulnerable aspect i.e. loneliness. To cut short this loneliness, social networks offers us 3 most gratifying fantasies-1) You can focus all your energy where you want 2) You will always be heard 3) You will never be alone.

People use technology to define themselves. They slip into to be thinking that by staying connected they will be less lonely but by doing this they put themselves at risk because if one does not know how to be alone he/she will always be lonely.

P.S. I  have an objection with the title. Why Facebook only? The word Facebook should be replaced with social media. This video in actual is about what Social Network is doing to our brain. Hence the title "What Social Network is doing to our Brain"

The  video is available at https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=629100760501903 

Video Credits:

                                                                                             

Cherish the Delights (Dated: 13-June-2010)

Another one of my Freelance work.
Published on 13-June-2010 in Sunday Plus by The Nation

"Life is marked by different phases. One ends, another starts instantly. One believes and hopes the next will be better than the last one. But what one fails to acknowledge is that every part has its own characteristics and events. It’s you who fail to accept and ends up blaming life.

Life is full of wonderful events and beautiful memories. It’s your perception/viewpoint which makes its disastrous for you. Childhood is the most initial phase with fading memories in your mind. The stupid acts, those pranks and plays, the childhood games, the nursery rhymes, mom’s lap to play, fights with your spouse…..the list is endless. But if you remember how your mother spanked you on doing something wrong or how your mother favored your kid sister/brother than you are wrong for ignoring the delightful memories.
The teenage life. Well it is the most difficult time for the one who is passing through that stage. Only he/she understands how he/she feels, or I would say that’s what every teenager believes. Teenagers tend to forget that our elders once went through the same stage and they also understand what you are going through. The only difference is that they are now elders and therefore unable to understand teenage problems, as teenagers believe. “Things are different now”, is the ending statement of every argument of teenagers. The best part of this phase of life is the changing approach towards life. Your friends, your free life, the school time, your crushes, your attempt to look the most beautiful girl/ boy around, the so- called diet ( which you start every week), the utterly difficult geometry problems, the neutrons and protons of physics, the indecipherable diagrams of biology and yes the chatting on msn, the fake email ids to fool your friend and the who’s who on social networking sites. These memories are more clear and the ones which you will cherish upon, for life time. But again if your forego these memories and think about how your parents put restrictions on you for hanging out late at night with friends, and never forgive your parents for that, than that’s you who is spoiling all the delights of teenage memories. Parents put restrictions all the time, because THEY ARE PARENTS. Its up to you how you go through them.
Adulthood. This phase is like a fresh beginning of your new life, and the most prominent event in this phase is ‘university life, career and marriage’, in chronological order. You are now amongst the same people, like in school, but with a different every one and with a different perspective of everything. The bunks, the late night projects, the hangouts with friends, laughter and cries with friends, taking pictures of every occasion, no more parents restricting to come back home at 7 p.m., the endless gossips, the internships, the struggle for jobs, the interview room frights, the celebrations, the proposals, the engagements ceremonies of friends, the sleepovers…again the list is endless.
Again if you remember how your friend shared her secrets more with your third friend than you or your friend scoring more marks than you than again you are ruining your life. Life is very beautiful. The bad events are a part of life. You can do nothing to avoid them. Whether its your actions which cause them to occur or a third person is responsible, they still remain a FACT. It depends on you how you take them. If you highlight the bad parts of your life then life is calamity but if you learn to live through the bad times and enjoy the good times and cherish the good memories forever than life is a sure shot success for you!!"

The Adaptation Obsession (Dated:11 July, 2010)

This article is 4 years old. it was published in the Sunday Plus magazine of The Nation.
Just sharing it here to add to my list of write ups.

"Adapted screenplays are plays which adapts its story from another source like a novel, another short play etc. Many of Hollywood screen writers get their inspiration from such sources. Infact some of the most acknowledged movies are adapted. The recent trend in Hollywood has been of adapted screenplays and they are widely acclaimed and gain widespread fame. The Oscars have a separate award for adapted screenplays with Precious (adapted from a novel Push) winning the Best Screenplay Award in the 82nd Academy awards.

A wide majority of movies that won awards in 2009, in different categories, have been adapted screen plays:  Mo’Nique won the best supporting actress for the movie Precious (adapted from a novel “Push” by Sapphire)

in Golden Globe and the 82nd Academy Awards, Up in the Air ( adapted from a movie with the same name by Walter Kim)

won the Best Screenplay in Golden Globe Awards and Jeff Bridges won the best actor award for his role in the film Crazy Heart (adapted from a novel of the same name by Thomas Cobb)

 in Golden Globe and the 82nd Academy Awards.

The past years have been full of popular adapted screenplays: The reader, Curious Case of Benjamin Button

and Revolutionary Road in 2008; Atonement, No Country for old men and Sweeney Todd in 2007 and The Departed,

The Last King of Scotland and Dream girls in 2006. This is just a few of a long list of movies which have adapted its story from different sources.

Certain adapted screenplay movies are very different from the original stories; the popular book Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown, disappointed its readers when the movie came out in May 2006.

Not just the movie it self but the change in the story at certain stages, perturbed the viewers who loved Da Vinci Code as a book. But Hollywood is also full of popular adapted screen plays like Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Shrek, and the very recent Harry Potter, which surpassed all the previously listed movies’ popularity.

The Twilight series is yet another example of successful adapted screenplays.

 It is a fantasy, romance thriller with majority of the fans lying in the age group 16-25 years, making it the number#1 movie in America in 2008. Its sequel New Moon, released in November 2009, has the sixth highest worldwide opening weekend title and Eclipse, the third in the twilight saga, is one of the most awaited film of 2010.

Adapted screenplays are viewers’ top choice now days. The majority of the viewers lie between the age group of 13-30, and these people enjoy fantasies and bookish thrillers more than an original script. Ask a 18 year old girl whether she prefers Hurt Locker, which is an original screenplay, or New Moon, which is an adapted screenplay; she will vote for New Moon.

People enjoy watching what they have read; it gives a new direction to their imagination and sketches a fine picture of their imaginings in their mind. For those who don’t read much a simple tag of ‘adapted from a best-selling novel’ is enough to attract them towards the movie.

So for all the directors out there go for a screenplay that adopts its story from a novel or any other similar source, it’s not only cheap its but also the viewers top choice nowadays!"

Pros and Cons of a 9 to 5 job for a fresh graduate

So, you have just completed your graduation from a well reputed university. You have had an amazing student life, good friends, awesome teachers and excellent grades which, according to you, look good on your CV. Now you have earned a good job, and you think you deserve it. You start your professional life with the same zeal and fervour you have carried out your studies your whole life and expect the same results.

But after some time, operating in the professional environment, you sit back and have to think a few things over. And here is gist of, not all, but major scenarios of what the corporate environment makes you.

Pros:

1. You are young, enthusiastic and eager to prove yourself. No matter how hard your job is, the feeling of self accomplishment on landing a good job, in a well reputed organization, surpasses all achievements.

                                 

2. You get to manage your own finances which makes you realize your preferences in life.
3. You get the independence you have dreaded your whole life.

4. You realize how hard it is to earn money; hence you start cutting back on you lavish and irrelevant expenditures; you start respecting your parents more and more as you realise how hard it has been for them to support your expensive education, hi-fi life style and irritating tantrums for irrelevant and overly high priced items, especially gadgets like I phones and tablets.
5. You feel happy on every accomplishment at work and feel content about your life and career.
6. Every day you have something to wake up to: another assignment, a office get together, a presentation; which is always better that having nothing on schedule and no motivation to wake up to. You have a good routine.
7. You become a practical and a  rational person who makes decisions carefully and takes calculated risk not only in professional but in personal life too.
8. Your parents, siblings and relatives start respecting you and give value to your opinion and ideas as you have stepped in practical life and all of a sudden considered sensible.

Cons:


1. After a few of months, with your liberty of doing whatever you want to do gone, you start feel like you are caged by the clock. You become a servant of time.


2. You actually realize what the statement "Tomorrow is Monday again" means. In real.

3. You get sick and tired of proving yourself again and again and yet again and all the reward you ever get is another tough assignment.

4. You come to the conclusion that the definition of independence, you have always imagined, is totally incorrect and what you have is an independently dependent life which is even worse.

5. You feel taken aback by the reality of life when you get to experience, first hand, all the hard cruel realities of life and people, your professors and parents warned you about.

6. Your social life dies.

7. You start missing out on a lot of things in life like friend's surprise birthdays, parent's anniversary dinners and long chats with friends and spouses because you have a video call, late at night, with seniors/colleagues and/or customers living in a different time zone or your boss have given you a deadline you have to meet which calls for endless late sittings and continuous over time at work

8. You finally come to the conclusion that grades really don't matter when you see the so-called-dumbest kid of class, if not doing better, than equal to you in his career which is disappointing.


Yes, all of you can relate to a lot of the above points. But this list does not mean that you have become a complete 9 to 5 freak or your life couldn't be better cos you work in an amazing company.
It just means everything in life has, both, an upside and a downside and one cannot reap all the benefits without experiencing the downsides. 

Puppets of Society!

 

Puppets of the society

We all are puppets of the society. We act the way the society wants us to act. We live the way the society wants us to live. We see what the society wants us to see. We feel what the society wants us to feel and we hear what the society wants us to hear.

Society here does not represent any big players or an influential party, it means we all. You, me, the person sitting next to you right now, your next door neighbour, a random girl from a restaurant…everyone is society. Individuals like you and me make up the society.

No matter what our values are, what we think and no matter what we believe is right, we all end up acting the way the society demands from us. Haven’t you stopped laughing loudly in a gathering, just because people eye you strangely? Even though you are just acting out of the moment, but the dubious eyes of people around you made you change habits. Making you act the way the society wants you to act.

You can not wear a burka, just because you don’t want to be the target of everyone’s judgemental microscopic eyes. And eventually you think otherwise and disregard the thought. Hardly 1 percent of the ladies have the courage to face the world. The rest are just victims of the society becoming yet another puppet. Eventually making you live the way the society wants you to live.

You think a million times before hanging out with your friends of the opposite sex, just because such mixed crowds of young people have been stereotyped by the your society. It not just makes you change your plans but it also changes your perception. You also start looking at such mixed crowds of young people the way society sees and eventually you became the victim of seeing what the society wants you to see.

Society Taught Me

Haven’t you joined the gym, or considered going to a gym because you think you are over-weight. Infact it’s not because you think you are over-weight, it’s because the society makes you feel that way. The people around you make you feel like an outcast just because you are a little different in terms of body shape and size. In reality you might not be overweight, but just because you are not like them you are forced to feel like an outcast and consider becoming like them. And again you end up becoming a puppet of the society forcing you to feel the way it wants you to feel.

No matter what we claim or what we think, we end up doing what the 

SOCIETY WANTS US TO DO!