In Search of Hope...

He has always treated me unfairly. He has crippled me but I’m capable enough to get back on my feet again. He has broken my heart so many times that I wonder if I would be able to mend it again the next time. He has made me feel hopeless for myself. He has always been inflicting hurt and pain upon me which are the only things that comfort me; sometimes, hurt and pain seem like the most beautiful feelings I’ve ever encountered. Unfortunately, still I’m unconscious to ‘happiness’, the most desired one.

                  I have always wanted to get my revenge on him but I have always been a failure at it. He is so beautiful and me being stunned by it, I have become a desperate fool and his victim. I wish he would treat me nicely just once, but he always throws me away, and, I can’t stand up to my pride because I am weak and he is strong. He is like the ruler of my heart and soul, and, enjoy playing with them just for the sake of fun. And, I let him do anything with me because I can’t do anything otherwise.

                  I beg him every day, every hour, every minute, and every second of my life to release me from his control and from the burden he is to me. I yearn to be a free bird, free from the chains that bind me to him and never let me go. But being too arrogant and  proud, he laughs at my face saying he would not let me go so easily. His laughter hurts my ears making me wish I was deaf to his frightening laugh. I’m afraid of his saying he has got more surprises for me. I am scared of those ‘surprises’, wishing death would come sooner, wishing I would rather be in hell than be his victim and waiting for those ‘surprises’.

                 I know only one thing can free me from him, and, that is death. Everyday, I wait patiently for it, as I’ve been doing my whole life, hoping I’d no longer be at his mercy. And, soon I would be like a free bird, released from a cage, with the most wonderful feeling of ‘happiness’ that would be new to me. Now, I can’t wait to the new beginning…

I don't know if a miracle happens in my favour and helps me out of the closed street!!

By: Zainab Ikram

Sec: D

Cyber Bullying

In today’s fast world, technology has spread its wings rapidly and proved to be beneficial and efficient. However, everything has its side effects. According to the most famous quote, “Excess of anything is bad.” So, same is the case with today’s technology. Many negative or immoral purposes or criminal intention have come in view. Its easy accessibility has, drastically, increased the percentage of cyber-bullying.

Cyber-bulling is a form of online harassment that is considered to be one of the various subcategories of cyber-violence. (Have Wald, 2008).

           Cyber-bullying takes place through blogs, pages and social networking websites. It’s a negative trend that is rapidly increasing among the users of internet. As a teen, I’m exposed to all kinds of online drama and bullying. If you just log on to social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, it won’t take you too long to find a status, message or comment with an insult or threat in it. I personally wonder why it has to be like this. The bullying continues via SMS and websites, and, the information spreads so quickly that it is hard to remove it from the victim's site. Unfortunately, in most cases, the culprit is difficult to find out. It is always committed willfully in order to annoy or harm the victim through threats, insults or sexual remarks with all the secrecy about the sender’s name.

            Cyber-bullying, like any other form of bullying, may cause great emotional and psychological stress, and, in extreme cases, can also become a cause for any personal damage or loss. In fact, cyber bullying has more psychological effects than traditional playground bullying. Sometimes, it results in suicide which is called cyber-cide. They are not only tough kids who bully, but usually the weak, quiet, shy, type kids tend to be more involved because it hides their identity.

            Cyber-bullying can cause depression, stress and pain to it victims . According to modern research, female victims get affected by it more than the male sufferers through feeling more self-pity and despair, where as male victims feel more angry and vengeful when find themselves unable to deal with the threats, unwanted messages or emails, or, insulting remarks, etc. And, many times, frustration  over powers them so badly that they are unable to concentrate on the real world issues such as academics, co-curricular activities, family matters and responsibilities etc.  Thus, they may end up harming themselves.

Cyber bullying is a social crime that should be rooted out at all possible cost. It’s our duty to save maximum people from the evil by fighting against it. Cyber-bullying has brought attention of media, parents, and law  enforcement agencies, but unfortunately, no specific law has been made against it. I believe that governments should take a practical stand against such criminal activities.

By: Ummamma Pervaiz Siddique

Sec: D

My Personal Statement…

I belong to a middle class but educated family. I did my matriculation and intermediate  from Karachi. I passed my matriculation and intermediate exams with 80% and 70%  marks respectively, which made me and my parents very proud of me. Then, I dreamt of doing my BBA, and my family supported me a lot. Now, my goal is to complete my BBA with a 4 GPA.

As a person, I am very kind hearted and loving. I feel happy to help out others in any kinds of problems. Similarly, I give my mother a helping hand at house chores, especially I love to cook for my family.

This way, my parents and family feel very proud of me and pray for me, which is the biggest reward. In future, I would like to go for higher studies in Business Administration.

By: Azka Manahil

Sec: D

My Personal Statement…

This is 19 years old Rehab Ahmad. I am number 2 among 4 siblings; I have an elder brother and a younger brother and a sister. I have been very bright since my childhood. I remember, those days I used to be very imaginative. Whenever I read a story book, I could imagine all its details.

           In my primary classes at a school in  Saudi Arabia,  I used to enjoy playing with remote control cars, and, at that point I decided to be an Automobile engineer. After a short while, I returned to Pakistan and got admission in Army Public School, Okara Cantt. There,  my day dreams got influenced by the school environment and I thought of joining the Pakistan Army.

            Then, I changed my school for higher classes and got admitted in D.P.S Okara. I did my matriculation and intermediate from there. I was known as a successful all rounder;  I was among the top students and was a table tennis champion at provincial, division and district levels.  Also, I was good at singing rap songs, playing piano and whatever I wanted to do.

             During my  intermediate level studies, I started to spend time on my laptop and ended up in developing my interest in software. Soon, I became famous as a ‘Multimedia guy’ in my college.  In other words, it meant software hacking, video direction editing, or anything related to our computer system. I learnt what I needed to learn. And, I did it all on my own.                  

Now, I dream of getting admission to UCA for further studies in software to become a competent IT  professional.

By: Rehab Ahmad

Sec: X

Future Journalist

My name is Zain Aftab and I belong to a family of landlords residing near Multan city of Pakistan. As an old tradition among landlords, they are least interested in getting educated. Rather, they like their children to take care of their inherited lands. So, the community in which I grew up was strict toward their rules, but by the blessing of Allah, my father was among the rare ones who wanted their children to be educated. Furthermore, I was also interested in studies.

                  That’s how I got admission in school, and in other words, I started a whole new life for myself. There, I got opportunities to interact with others and participate in co- curricular activities. Fortunately, my teachers supported me very much throughout my school life. Later, even at college, I was lucky enough to have the encouragement of my teachers all the way through.

                  On the other hand, I and my parents had to face a lot of criticism and discouragement from my relatives. However, gradually, I started realizing the difference between me and the other uneducated children of my family and our society in terms of the learning and grooming that I received through my education. Then, I felt proud of my parents for their decision of giving me an opportunity to get education and came to the conclusion how wrong it was to deprive a child from his right of being educated.

So, I decided to change the thinking of our society by my own example and provide everyone with the basic right of education. For the purpose, I chose to study Media and Education for my higher studies. I hope this way I will be better able to convey my message convincingly to the larger part of my country in order to bring a social change in our country.

By: Zain Aftab

Sec: D

Personal Statement

I am the youngest child of my parents; four others precede me. In other words, I was born at a time when I could see my parents struggling to build a better future for us. The community I grew up in was neither rich nor poor. And, they made me realize that a person’s worth is not because of his money.

About four years ago, I got an educational opportunity in Malaysia and went there for better studies. What I faced there would be hard for anyone but since I had already learnt about the value of money, friendship, family, peers, and most importantly, of myself, I made my way through all those challenges. Though I must admit that all this was really a struggle, it was worth it.

Two of those years, I spent with the thought of “being on vacation”, but the other half of the time I strived to complete my Diploma in Electrical Engineering with the best grades I could achieve.

My prominent talent is that I am really good with numbers and my practical work has always been graded with no less than good. My personal quality is that I tend to become empathetic towards everyone.

With the lessons I have learned from my mistakes and my personal experiences, I have become a better person who is still focused to his dreams and hopes, which is to build a better future around my loved ones.

By: Burhan Mahmood

Sec: X

Personal Statement

My father never got the proper education he always desired due to insufficient resources. But despite the lack of education, he made himself financially stable enough to support his family.

                 However, he provided with the best possible education to his all three children. I, being the youngest and the only daughter, have always been his favourite child. He has given me the opportunity to acquire the best quality education, sent me go to one of the top schools and has always supported my broad vision and creative ideas. In my family, a girl’s education is not given much concern. They don’t even spend enough money on their daughters’ brought up, but contrarily, my father has always given me priority over my brothers. He is my role model.

               His company and training influenced my personality like anything. Unlike my relatives,  he always taught me that there was more to just being a doctor or an engineer. Also, he helped me to be empathetic towards others by asking me to first put myself into others shoes, and then, judge and make decisions about them. Similarly, he always tried to show me both sides of a coin whenever we came across a matter. Moreover, it was he who made me realize how fortunate I had been to have everything which was not accessible for everyone. That's how my interest developed in Psychology and finally I opted for it as my career. Now,  I am proud of myself that how easily I understand people and can communicate with them without any hesitation. I read other person's mind easily and quickly and understand his unspoken intentions and desires. So, I am happy to pursue Psychology as my career and one day I would like to go for specialization in it.

By Ummama Pervaiz

Sec: D

       

Personal Statement:A Future Journalist

This is Muhammad Abdullah. I appreciate myself as a loyal and sincere person. In my school time, I used to participate in numerous sports activities and Naat competitions. And, luckily, I won many of them. Moreover, I was chosen as the Head Boy of my school twice.

             I did my intermediate privately and came to UMT by getting good marks. My all life has been like a roller coaster as I lost my father when I was only three years old. I grew up in a very mature type of circumstances that made me look serious.

            Life is very difficult and I know I can handle difficulties with ease because of my two distinctive qualities, i.e. loyalty and sincerity. I think these are the key ingredients of life. They build the foundation of every relationship, personal or professional. What I am today is due to these qualities. Rather than looking towards people for rewards of my good deeds or services, I always expect it from Allah. In future, I want to serve my country as a journalist and an anchor person.

By: Muhammad Abdullah

Sec: D

Personal Statement

It’s me, Muhammad Iftikhar; a kind and charming personality! I was born in Karachi. That time, my father was an IT Professional working at a private organization. So, he always told me about the world of IT, about computer games and that how did they develop. Often, I found the popular video games like Fifa, Mologl available in his office. Thus, my interest developed towards Computer Programming. I told my dad that I wanted to be an IT professional and he allowed me to do so. So, I came to Lahore, the city of colleges and universities, where I got admission in BS(CS) Program at GC university. I loved to play computer games and I always wondered how these games could develop. During my second semester in university, my teacher gave me a task to develop a Chess game. I was really enthusiastic about the project, but unfortunately, I didn't know anything about graphics. So, I started exploring on graphics. After a few times, I became able to use it. Finally, I accomplished my task and presented it successfully. Thus, I really learnt a lot with this small assignment. It was a turning point and afterwards I never looked back.  Today, I’m a Professional in Google organization. My passion towards games has taken me there. I want to excel in this field and I am very focused towards my goal.    

By: M. Ifthikhar

Sec: X

My Personal Statement…

Basically, I belong to Peshawar but in my childhood my father was posted to Lahore because of his job and we also came along. In the beginning, I didn’t know Urdu language and it was really hard for me to stay at school, but due to my nice teachers I could make it finally to continue my studies. As a result, I learnt to work hard. The best thing about the whole episode was that I did not leave the school in any case. By the time I was studying for my matriculation, I had developed interest in Science subjects. No doubt, again they were my great teachers who made learning a pleasant experience for me. Afterwards, I chose FSc Pre-medical but could not get enough marks to get admitted to medical college. Then, I became interested in Psychology, maybe because, unconsciously, I felt it next interesting subject after medicine, and, secondly, because I liked to understand the people around and take good care of them. So, I came to UMT to continue my studies in psychology. Here, as always, I had full support of my parents and teachers. In future, I see myself as a successful psychologist.
By: Iram Khan
Sec: D

Role of Pakistani Media

Media of a country always plays a crucial role in portraying its culture, heritage, traditions, customs, and social
philosophy. Basically, media is entrusted with the responsibility of promoting its country by highlighting its positive aspects. Media can also show the negative features of its state with the visible intention of turning the bad into the good. Also, before reporting the bitter facts they are supposed to take the governing body into confidence.

As for Pakistani media, unfortunately, it is totally off the track. Numerous news channels are always in a race to tell the people what has happened or what is going on in the country without even caring about its impact on their nation or on the country’s reputation. Moreover, different views broadcast from various channels have confused people on current affairs.

 Another major flaw of the Pakistani media is that it does not take the government in confidence before publishing any news regarding the secrets of the intelligence or the government, and consequently, the country suffers. Furthermore,  our media is greatly influenced by the Indian culture, as many times, they play Indian songs with the news or documentaries, whereas Indian media doesn’t do so. The question is why don’t we prefer Pakistani music?

Pakistani media exaggerates a lot while showing the negative aspects of the society, and, never encourages and appreciates the positive activities, trends and efforts of the people which result in  frustration among common folks.

Thus, Pakistani media is portraying a negative image of the country in the name of freedom. The world views Pakistanis as terrorist or pessimists.  Now, it’s time for our media to realize its flaws and responsibilities, and, determine its role for the betterment of the country

BY: Yahya Kha

Sec W

Time Treasure

Time is the greatest treasure that no one could ever treasure. The one thing that no amount of money, prayers or efforts, etc. can bring back is the past; the bliss of memories that have gone, despite the fact that everyone wishes for it.

It is a sad irony that even though everyone complains about the present, but when the tense changes, every single person just wants it back. That’s the sweetest bitterness of matter that once a time lost, will never return. However, the human nature just desires for the unattainable. But the clock doesn’t stop ticking till death.

On the other hand, it’s a blessing that past never comes back, no matter how gloomy or glorious it had been; if people could go back to the past to re-live it, they would just hate it as much as present. So, it’s in the interest of all the human beings that time gone never returns.

Yet, as ungrateful as they’ve been since the beginning of time, humans tend to get nostalgic at some point or the other in life, but the best way to value the past is to treasure it as memories.

On the other hand, we should let the time go in its flow. As every passing and coming moment brings something new to life to add fresh spice to it. So, its quiet enjoyable to wait and watch how life unfolds itself with all its novelty.

By: Mir Arslan Ali

Sec: X

Thank You Dad for Everything

I opened my eyes as my Daddy’s Girl. Fortunately, as being the only sister of my two elder brothers and the youngest child of my parents, I always got whatever I wanted. My father has always loved me more than anything in this world and still sees all his dreams coming true through me. As a child, I had always been the boldest  and the sharpest among his all three children. He saw in me what I think no one other than him could see. So, he  always encouraged me to perform better than the others.

Interestingly, I had always been more interested in co-curricular activities than my studies. I was only six when he got me a tutor just to teach  me Chess. Since he didn’t know how to play it but wanted to accompany me at the game, he asked me to teach him Chess. 
Despite the fact that I was born and brought up in such a society where women or girls should not be found outside  without abaya, every weekend, he used to take me to some place outside the city where there was no one to see, and I could freely learn how to skate and cycle.

He sent me to the best school at Riyad which was considered among the top 5 schools in Saudi Arabia. There, I always got 1^st position in all my extra-curricular activities, and as a result, I became very confident.

My father wanted me to be a doctor or do something to serve humanity. He, also, showed me the other side of the life. He made me realize by giving me everything that everyone didn’t has it and taught me to always be giving and kind to others selflessly. Moreover, he inculcated curiosity in me to learn more and more from life.

So, I chose to study Psychology and would become a Psychologist in future. With the back ground, now I feel myself more inquisitive about the world and the people around me. My brought up and professional education have enabled me to seek out information on various issues, sorting through it and solving problems in creative ways. Also, I learnt that life is never perfect for any one, and many times it could be mended by just a little gesture of generosity.

My Journey...

I come from a family of honest, intelligent and hardworking people. When I was a kid, my father never gave me a penny for “Free”. He used to make me realize that nothing in this world came for free. Everything has a 'price tag' and you have to earn it. So, whenever I needed some money for myself, I used to go out and wash my dad's car. At times, washing his car didn't do any good to me financially, so I used to clean his room or iron his clothes, too. Bargaining with my father was almost as talking to a wall. I used to feel a great sense of achievement when I eventually convinced him in some matters. These skills have been helping me in my professional life while convincing my clients and potential clients to get the work done for me.

After college, I got admitted to a very renowned university of Pakistan, NUST. I worked all the way up to my final year due to the brilliant genes I inherited from my parents. My journey over there made me what I am today. My teachers groomed me in such a way that having a job, which most students want after their studies, was the last thing on my to-do list. My teachers and my entrepreneurial seniors inspired me. This is why when I was in my final year in NUST, I got an opportunity and dropped out of the school to build a team of web designers to start a software firm. Since then, it has been a little above three years and we are growing on a bigger scale. It has been one of the best decisions of my life when I finally took the opportunity on the right time. My father always taught me to have a backup plan for everything you do. So now, here I am at UMT completing my degree while working and paying for my tution fee. 

Emmad Ahmed

Section X

PLEASURE OF READING

It is said that books are the best friends of a man. In this context, books include all reading material, viz., magazines, periodicals, newspapers, and, fiction and non-fiction books. According to Ruskin, books can be divided into two types—‘Books of the Hour’ and ‘Books of All times’. His classification of books is based on the nature of pleasure they provide. The books that give us temporary pleasure are categorized as books of the hour. Short stories, travel accounts, novels and literary compositions are books of the hour. On the other hand, books of all times are those that appeal to our soul and leave an everlasting impression on our minds. Such books were valued in the past, they are valued now and would have the same value in future. There is a large number of books which can be put into this category. The Ramayan, the Mahabharat, the Bible, the Gita and the plays of Shakespeare, Kalidas and Tagore are books of all times, because they are sources of inspiration to the people in the present and they will continue to inspire people in future. Another famous essayist Bacon said in his famous essay, Of Studies, “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed and some of them are to be chewed and digested.” It means that some books are to be read in parts, some are to be read but not with full attention, and some books are to be read with diligence and attention. To the first category belong newspapers, magazines , novels, and poetry, etc. They are to be read hurriedly. To the second category belong such books that are to be read carefully. To the third type belong the books that are to be studied again and again. They are books on philosophy, science and religion. The more we go through them, the more knowledge we get from them. essaysandarticles.com/education-essays/pleasures-of-reading

 The question is, why do people read? I think, they read because they like to read. It is not that everybody likes to read. But without book reading, there is no survival for human beings.  So, there is a good news for non-readers as well who love books at a distance but don’t know how to bring themselves to them. In fact, reading is a habit that can be cultivated gradually over a period of time. Once a man develops this habit like a hobby, he finds great pleasure in it. 
Books are no doubt, valuable treasures of knowledge and experiences. These treasures are open and available to all. For those who have developed a taste for reading, there is something more than mere knowledge. It is something like real happiness, pleasure and sensuous satisfaction. In short, reading offers a complete package of information, delight and sense of fulfillment. For example,

 a man after having worked hard during the day, takes a newspaper, magazine or a book of his choice to read as a way of relaxation. For a while, he forgets  about all his worries and finds solace in them. Also, it allows him to stay away from the monotony of everyday life. When a man  absorbs himself in it, he becomes unaware of his surroundings. This is the moment when he gets the real pleasure of reading.
 
TAHREEM ZAHARA

SEC: C

Importance of Education

 

      Education is one of the most important parts of  human life; without education, the training of the human mind is incomplete. No individual is a 'human being' in the working world until he is educated in the proper sense. Now, I'm not saying you're not a human being without education. Actually, our mind is made to be trained and without education a person is incomplete in that sense. Education not only provides him with information about the world around him but also teaches him how to reason, how to analyze and how to relate with the past history. Thus, he becomes a better thinker and decision maker. Without education, he is shut up in a windowless room, but with education, he finds himself in a room with all its windows opened to the outside world. Moreover, people who are not educated have less opportunity to do what they want to do.
 A person with good education will become a more dependable worker, a better citizen, and a wiser consumer. Looking at the long-term effects of education, our economy needs efficient workers, highly skilled organizers and area experts. In other words, it is an age of specialization.
People, who want to start working right after their high schools, ask what can education do for them…Well, they may prefer work over further education, but if they want to get better jobs, they will have to equip themselves with professional education. It will not only help them earn a good amount of money but also boast their self-confidence.
People who do not finish school seem to always feel like they cannot do anything and that they do not know anything. This lack of confidence may result in loss of jobs or unemployment, whereas education-oriented confidence saves people from worry about losing their jobs and helps them in finding new jobs, unless a depression hits the world like it did in the year of 2010. In short, education is a matter of life and death for both an individual and a nation.

 Razia Sultana 

Sec: C

CULTURE

Culture is a broad term which has been described by various philosophers since decades. It has been claimed by Raymond Williams to be “one of the two or three most complicated words in English language”. Different definitions of the term, Culture, may have distinct descriptive ways and criterion to evaluate human activity. It is important to define the broad base of the sophisticated term ‘culture’. Culture is a word stemming from a Latin word ‘cultura’ which means to cultivate. It is defined by Findley and Rothney as, “systems of symbols and meanings that even their creator contest, which lack fixed boundaries, that are constantly in flux, and that interact and compete with one another"
    ‘Pakistani culture’ is hard to be defined due to its complex nature. It is a topic that can be debated upon. In fact, Pakistani culture is not the way it’s supposed to be. It is influenced by many different cultures. Some people justify it as we have a shared history with various nations like Arabs, Hindus, Afghans, Turks, etc and we had been colonized by British. But in my opinion, it’s not a justified answer. It is basically a matter of unawareness about the real meaning of culture and knowledge of history. As we know, Pakistan was made in the name of Islam so that Muslims could practice their religious  activities without any hindrance. Unfortunately, we forgot about it and could not develop faith in our religion and Pakistani culture. Now, our culture is a mixture of western, Indian & other cultures. It might be because of globalization, as the geographical boundaries are meaningless because of powerful media and communication resources. On the other hand, we could not develop our film industry. So, our cinema is replaced by Indian and English cinema.

Similarly, we have a lot of foreign brands in clothing and accessories, cosmetics, shoes, food chains, etc. Even we import architecture and shopping malls. So, our new generation is very much influenced by all that. They feel proud to adopt western culture. In fact, it has now become a status symbol. They feel ‘cool’ to have an ‘independent life style.’ This way, they have forgotten all their cultural values, etiquettes and lifestyle.
  This is an alarming situation, where we have to take serious actions to rectify it. In the first place, we have to spread education