Do Grades Really Matter?

All students have their eyes on one thing: good grades. They over-burden themselves with textbooks and notes, sacrificing a healthy diet and a good night's sleep. All they want to achieve is success in tests and exams. Pressure from parents and teachers and the desire to be praised drives them to the extremes. Why can't adults accept the fact that not all children can be good at everything? Do grades really matter? I feel like universities have a very superficial criteria of acceptance. They only like to look at grade sheets and a candidate's potential is over-looked. Years from now our grades won't be all that matters. I'm not saying that grades don't matter at all, it's just that there's more to life than straight As. I myself attained straight As but i don't go around boasting or putting others down. We should look beyond a person's grades because they don't represent a person's personality or even intelligence. What matters is how someone conducts themselves.

Dog Helps Boy Overcome Agoraphobia

Owen, a 7 year old boy became withdrawn when he realized that his rare genetic condition made him different from others. Owen suffers from Schwartz-Jampel syndrome, which means his muscles are always tense. He was afraid to go out and face people. His father Will adopted an Anatolian Shepherd, Haatchi from a rescue center after reading about him on Facebook  Haatchi himself had a difficult start in life, suffering horrific injuries when he was tied to a railway line and hit by a train. He was found days later, with a mangled tail and back leg. His tail and leg had to be amputated and no one would adopt him. When Will brought Haatchi home, the dog and Owen immediately developed a friendship. The little boy now like to venture out with his pal and take him to dog shows. Haatchi has really helped Owen overcome his troubles and fears and the change seen in Owen is remarkable Stories like these just strengthen my love for animals because I believe that they are better friends than any human can ever be!

Jessica Biel & Justin Timberlake Marry In Italy

Hollywood singer/actor Justin Timberlake wed actress Jessica Biel in a ceremony in Italy. The exact date of the wedding is unknown but the couple partied on the beach with family and friends before exchanging vows. Timberlake rose to fame in the boy band N'Sync and Biel broke into movies with 2003's Texas chainsaw Massacre. The pair has had an on and off relationship since 2007 and announced their engagement at the beginning of this year. Few Hollywood relationships really last but there are always exceptions like Will Smith and Jada Pinkett smith who have been married since 1997 and Tom Hanks who has been with Rota Wilson since 1988. It will be interesting to see how long this marriage lasts. If it doesn't last a year, I wouldn't be surprised

Pakistanis Set Number Of World Records

As the decision for the record of most people singing the national anthem is still in process, Pakistanis got ready to set a number of other world records. This weekend was one of bizarre record attempts that took place in Lahore. Mohammad Mansha set a new record for making chapati breads which included mixing, kneading, spinning and cooking three in 3 minutes and 14 seconds. Mehek Gul, a 12 year old girl set the record for arranging the chess pieces on a board using only one hand. her time was 45 seconds. These events were held as part of a week long festival for the youth. Guinness World Records adjudicator Gareth Deaves was present to ensure that there was no foul play and to make decisions Other records set included one by Mohammad Nauman who electrified the crowd in Lahore as he wired a household plug in just 35 seconds.Daniel Gill and Mohammad Rizwan also set a record by heading a football between them 335 times in 45 seconds. It is good to know that our people are also taking part in such events with so much patriotism and vigour. This way we can show the world just how far we can go.

I Hate Blogging

This daily blogging thing is just getting on my nerves, It needs to be over soon. Well, it will be tomorrow. I don't know what to blog about because I've run out of topics. Blogging is really not my thing. I cannot put my thoughts and emotions into words so this blog is just a headache. Right now I can only rant about how I don't know what to write and how much I hate this. But I can't do anything about it because it's an assignment and I really don't want to flunk this course. Tomorrow when I'm done with my last post. I'll feel like I'm the happiest girl on the planet. Tomorrow, please come soon!

Malala Back On Her Feet

Malala, the Pakistani girl shot the head by Taliban for promoting education for women has been able to stand on her feet with help for the first time since being shot in the head. Though she is unable to talk just yet, she has been communicating by writing notes says Doctor Dave Rosser who is the medical director at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where Malala is being treated. She still has an infection but is stable and keen to know more about her condition. This young girl is definitely an example for all of us. It's amazing how she has been fighting and standing strong despite all the threats and danger to her life. Let's all hope and pray that she gets back to good health soon.

Pakistan Attempts To Breaks World Record

On the 20th of October, 70,000 Pakistanis gathered at Lahore stadium in an attempt to break the Guinness World record for the mos people to sing the national anthem. Children and grown ups alike were present with patriotism running through the veins After the anthem there were slogans of 'Pakistan Zindabad'. Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was also present to sing the anthem and according to the organizers two officials of the Guinness Book of World Records were present as well. The process of determining whether we have indeed broken the record is a time-consuming one. If it is confirmed then Pakistan's name will be entered in the Guinness Book World Records in 2013. The current record holder is India. It's a great feeling to know that despite all the crisis that Pakistan is facing right now, Pakistanis still have patriotism and hope within and if need be, are ready to lay down their lives for their country. Long Live Pakistan!

Aamir Khan Goes For Hajj With Mother

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan set off for a two week trip with his mother to perform Hajj, the holy pilgrimage that is performed in the city of Mecca. The actor has a couple of films lined up for release including Dhoom 3 in which he will play the role of a villain and Talaash in which he will be playing a cop. As he left with his mother to begin his journey, there was a lot of security guards making a protective ring around the duo and they were surrounded by many people. It is good to see that the actor hasn't completely ignored his religion. Aamir's father Tahir Hussain was a producer and Aamir has definitely carried on his father's legacy with his hugely successful career.

Veena Malik : Why All The Hate?

We all have heard that name. We all know who she is. For those who don't, Veena Malik is a Pakistani actress who rose to fame after appearing in the hit Indian show Bigg Boss which is basically the Indian equivalent of Big Brother. Her raunchy behaviour on the show and subsequent project choices have made her a favourite controversial figure. Appearing in Bollywood item songs in skimpy clothing, doing a nude photo shoot and with the recent release of her song, she has garnered angry looks from the Pakistani public and fatwas from Maulvis. I feel like we should leave her alone and let her do what she wants to. It's her life after all. What amuses me is that we choose to bash her but overlook all the vulgar Lollywood movies with our actresses doing ten times more vulgar things than Veena is. And what about Ali Zafar and Meera? They both have acted in raunchy Indian movies but our media never said a word about them. No fatwas no nothing. Then why all the hypocrisy? For heaven's sake, let Veena live her life. W should be focusing on the more important issues that actually need our attention. And if you still think that Veena is a shame to our country then go take a second look at Lollywood movies.

Happy Birthday Eminem!

The legendary rap star Marshall Mathers, better known by his stage name Eminem turned 39 today October 17th. His twenty year career has been a hugely successful one as he has released one after another hit album. The Slim Shady LP released in 1999 was his debut album and instantly made him a star. However he has also been through lows, like his battle with prescription drug addiction and alcoholism. Now he's clean, making great music as always and being an amazing father to his daughters. Hopefully he'll continue writing great rhymes and entertaining us for years to come. And maybe one day I'll be able to tick off  'See Eminem Live' from my to things-to-do-before-I-die-list. Happy Birthday Eminem. I LOVE YOU.

Moon Sighted. Eid on 27th

The Zil-Hajj moon has been sighted and Eid-ul-Azha is to be on Saturday, October 27th. A meeting of the Ruet-e-Hilal committee in Karachi was headed by Mufti Munib-ur-Rehman and included representatives from other departments such as the Navy. This means that Eid in Saudi Arabia and UAE would be a day before, on the 26th. Streets are full of cows, goats and sheep as the days are ticking by. Everyone is looking forward to the day and the thought of Pulao and Nihari are already making everyone's mouths water!

Online Shopping In Pakistan

Us Pakistani women used to envy women abroad because they have the privilege of shopping online. With life getting busier every day, it is often a hassle to take out time for shopping. And what's a life without shopping?! Shop till you drop, that's what every woman wants to do. Recently however the online shopping trend in Pakistan is growing and local businesses on Facebook have emerged as well as a few websites like Just4girls.pk. There's always the fear of being the victim of online frauds since many people do take advantage of vulnerable women who are new to this whole experience. But certain Facebook pages and the aforementioned website can be trusted, allowing Pakistani girls and women to experience the pleasures of online shopping and get access to brands that are not available locally. Products range from clothes, shoes, bags to cosmetics etc. Now we can just sit at home and enjoy shopping. I personally have yet to experience online shopping but I will be placing my first order very soon. I can't wait! So girls go ahead and take full advantage of this amazing opportunity. Happy Shopping! :)

Former Cambodian King Dies At 89

 King Norodom Sihanouk, former king of Cambodia died on Monday at the age of 89 in China. His body is to be returned to his country. Sihanouk became king in 1941 when he was still a teenager and led Cambodia to independence from France in 1953. He was an influential figure and loved by his people. The coffin will be taken from the airport to the palace and around 100,00 people are expected to line the route. He helped bring stability to his country and supporters are mourning the death of a great man.

Perfect Symmetry : Our Left And Right Are Not The Same

Many of us can go crazy over small imperfections that we spot in the mirror. We've always been told how our left and right sides are always different but it's still no relief to see differences in the two sides. Photographer Julian Wolkenstein carried out a project to show how much of a difference there really is between the two sides and the results were astonishing. Check out the link below and see it for yourself!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1367633/Perfect-symmetry-How-look-sides-face-identical.html

Networks Down For Security

With the deteriorating situation of our country, one can not help but be afraid when stepping out of their homes. On Chaand raat we experienced a huge problem. All cellphone networks were shut down and there was no way of contacting friends and family who were out and about. With the increasing dependance on cell phones, this was a huge blow to people all over Pakistan as a whole day without networks was unbearable. Now this was done for security, to catch terrorists off guard so they could not carry out acts of terrorism in public places. And since cell phone triggered bombs seem to be a favourite for these people, the networks were abruptly and unexpectedly shut down. Although it was in a way a good move in the sense that it failed all potential disasters, it's just sad to know that we have to go to such extremes to be safe.

Rolling Stones To Celebrate 50 Years

Legendary Rock band The Rolling Stones are to celebrate 50 years together by performing live for the first time in five years. They will have two gigs in their hometown London and two in New Jersey. This is a big news for their fans as this might be the last chance to see their favourite band performing live. Tickets however are going to be expensive . But true fans will do anything they can to get their hands on the tickets as this will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many.

UK Doctors say Malala Has Good Chances Of Recovery

Malala, the 14 year old girl who was shot by the Taliban for advocating  education for girls has been flown to  Birmingham for further treatment. Doctors in Pakistan removed the bullets and stabilized her and now the UK doctors say that she has chances of making good recovery. This will require treatments to repair her damaged skull and intensive neuro-rehabilitation. All prayers are with her and she will hopefully be in good health once again.

Pakistani Film To Premiere At Mumbai Film Festival

 Pakistani director Iram Parveen Bilal's film 'Josh' is set to be showcased at Mami Mumbai Film Festival in the world cinema category. The film whose English title is 'Against The Grain' is about a privileged woman whose life is shattered in a single moment, about the country's youth standing against feudalism. Renowned actors including Amina Sheikh and Mohib Mirza make up the cast. After the international success of Pakistani films like 'Bol' and 'Khuda Ke Liye,' I hope that this film also proves to be a big hit and a ray of hope for the Pakistani film industry. If we keep up with movies of such high standards then very soon our film industry will shine through and be known around the world.

Naegleria Fowleri Virus In Pakistan

Naegleria Fowleri Transmission Cycle

Cases of Naegleria Fowleri are being reported in Pakistan. Naegleria is a microscopic amoeba that can cause a very rare, but severe, infection of the brain. The amoeba is commonly found in warm freshwater (for example, lakes, rivers, and hot springs) and soil. Only one species of Naegleria infects humans: Naegleria fowleri. Naegleria fowleri infects people by entering the body through the nose. This typically occurs when people go swimming or diving in warm freshwater places, like lakes and rivers. In very rare instances, Naegleria infections may also occur when contaminated water from other sources (such as inadequately chlorinated swimming pool water or heated tap water < 47°C) enters the nose. Once the amoeba enters the brain, it causes a usually fatal infection called Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM). It is advised that you use boiled water because this virus can send a person into coma and can be fatal. Please take care of yourself and your children and hopefully we won't be hearing about any more fatalities caused by this virus.

Most Depressing Day Of The Week?

As the weekend comes to an end, all of us try to mentally prepare ourselves for the week ahead, whether it be a school week or a work week. Most of us hate Mondays. It just seems like a horrible day after a nice weekend of relaxing. A study shows that Mondays are in fact more depressing than we thought. Researchers say that on average we don't crack our first smile until 11.16 am and employees are quite low on productivity. Other studies however say that it is actually Sunday which is the most depressing day of the week. Researchers suggest indulging in activities like online shopping and buying chocolate to reduce the Monday blues. For me though it is Sunday which is more depressing than Monday because the anticipation of the hectic week ahead just ruins my mood. So I guess I'm going to start looking for activities to keep me busy on Sundays because it's one day I absolutely loathe!

Bullying Needs To Stop

There are countless stories all over the internet about bullying leading to youngsters taking their own lives. Bullying is more common than we care to acknowledge. It is prevalent in schools where pre-teens as well as teenagers are victims of this horrible act at the hands of their fellow students. These youngsters are bullied about the most trivial of things such as weight, their style of dressing or just the fact that they don't mingle with other students much. At their age these students find it difficult to confide in someone about what they are going through and instead choose the other way out, taking their own lives to escape their misery. This is a very serious matter and schools need to look into it and implement strict policies against bullying.. Schools also need to teach their students about the disastrous consequences of bullying and encourage troubled students to meet up with counselors who can help them out. It's just heart-breaking to read about such incidents and hopefully one day bullying will be completely eliminated and no student will have to end their life.

http://www.oddee.com/item_98356.aspx

My Top 10 Favourite 'Rainy Night' Movies

Rainy days are my favourite! The soothing sound of the downpour and the calm atmosphere is all I need to turn my mood from a sour one to a peasant one. And with rainy nights comes the thrill of sitting down in front of  a nice movie with a steaming hot cup of coffee in my hands. Here is a list of ten (in no particular order) movies that in my humble opinion are a sure-fire way to add that extra bit of  fun to your rainy nights.

1.  The Shining
2.  The Ward
3.  When a Stranger Calls
4.  Jeepers Creeper
5.  Identity
6.  Mute Witness
7.  Vacancy
8.  Shutter Island
9.  Fear
10. Vertigo

So next time it rains, give one of these a shot and have an awesome rainy night. I hope you guys enjoy these!

Amitabh Bachan Turns 70

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachan turned 70 on October 11th. He is known worldwide and is regarded as the most influential actor in the history of Indian cinema. Die hard fans consider him God. He has had a hugely successful career in the Indian industry, spanning over four decades. Basically he is the Robert De Niro of Bollywood. His birthday seemed more of a national festival, with portraits on walls and school-going children as well as youngsters and adults alike celebrating it with great zeal and joy. I just think he is very over-rated and it's time for him to sit at home and rest. It's tiring seeing his face on every channel and every show. Yes, he's done some great work but now it' time he stops. He isn't a God and people should stop treating him like one

Prayers For Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai, the 14 year old girl from Swat, Pakistan has been a leading advocate for women's right to education at such a young age. She rose to fame at the tender age of 11 when she began writing a diary under the name of Gul Makai, about life under the Taliban rule. Since then she has been internationally recognized as a highly influential and inspiring figure. Unfortunately she was shot in the head a few days ago in her school bus and is now in the hospital in a stable but critical condition. Celebrities from all over the world have also condemned this coward act by the Taliban. In fact Madonna recently dedicated a song to Malala at her L.A concert. It's just really frustrating to see that these men who are apparently fighting in the name of Islam are doing nothing but distorting our religion. Educating women is just as important as educating men and these extremists need to realize that women have rights too. Their vision is blurred with hatred against women. Anyone who tries to do something for women or this country is seen as a threat to religion. How is that a threat to religion? Or anything or anyone? Please pray for Malala's speedy recovery because she is also someone's daughter. She is Pakistan's daughter and can do big things for our country.

Bollywood Remakes : What's The Point?

Last week I watched the Hollywood film 'Identity'. Yes it's an old one, but I never really got around to watching it before and only just got the chance when a friend let me borrow her DVD. Ok so the movie was amazing, but midway through it, a particular scene made me think I'd seen it before and that's when it clicked. I'd definitely seen it before, except that it was an Indian version. It makes me angry. Why does Bollywood remake all the amazing Hollywood movies? I mean, Bollywood's pretty huge and I'm sure they have the capacity to make good,original movies. I've watched a lot of their originals and I absolutely loved them. Then why is it that almost every new Indian movie is a remake of a Hollywood one? Bollywood needs to stop with the remakes and go back to making awesome original movies. Till then, I am definitely not watching any more Bollywood movies.

The New Craze: Turkish Dramas

Pretty Turkish women and gorgeous Turkish men seem to be reigning over Pakistani TV screens lately. Apparently this is the new trend. Turkish dramas dubbed in Urdu are all the craze right now. Everyone is talking about what happened in the latest episodes and when the next one is going to air. It's just crazy. The most popular one seems to be Ishq-e-Mumnoon (Love Forbidden) with a name that on it's own has the ability to attract viewers. That combined with the gorgeous cast, what more does the public want. There's eye candy for both men and women. But with channels airing foreign dramas, it seems like our own actors' jobs are under serious threat. The demand for these dramas is increasing and ratings of our own dramas are going down. I think that TV channels should keep a limit to these foreign dramas and give more time to our own dramas because this is one area where our country seems to be doing great (well except cricket of course!) and we seem to be very keen on destroying it ourselves.

Gangnam Style!

Oppa Gangnam Style! Nearly all of us are familiar with these three words as Korean pop star Psy's catchy single 'Gangnam Style' has already taken over the music world by a storm. Released as a single from his sixth studio album, the song has become an international phenomenon. It has become a favourite for parties and other occasions and has also inspired numerous parodies. Psy has become the first Korean artist to get such a big break in the American music industry and has already appeared on numerous shows including The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Celebrities like Katy Perry, Tom Cruise and Britney Spears are also big fans. His signature 'invisible horse dance' has also become a huge favourite with everyone trying to imitate it. West Indies cricket player Chris Gayles is one on the list of many celebrities trying to do the absolutely hilarious and fun dance move. Sometimes, even I break out into the move when I'm on my own! That's how awesome it is. If you guys haven't already listened to the song, you are missing out on the big thing of the moment. So go ahead and give it a try and in no time you'll be breaking out into the horse dance too :)

Romney Steals The Spotlight

The first presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney aired on October 3rd 2012 and the world saw Obama's crushing defeat at the hands of Romney.

It was clearly a lopsided victory. Throughout the debate Romney was very focused on what points he wanted to make and he did that with precision and  confidence. Obama however, always tried to divert attention from the matter at hand by beginning with mentioning his anniversary and telling his wife that he is the 'luckiest man on earth' to have her. It seems like Obama is really fond of this strategy as even in his victory speech in 2008 he tried to get attention by mentions of his late grandmother and his family to show just how much of a family man he is. He should have been confident with his head held up high but instead it could be seen that he was looking down for the most part and had a forced smile on his face. Romney seemed eager to address the president But Obama having been the leader for the past 4 years, instead of being able to give a solid reply to the points that Romney raised, was completely at a loss for words that would combat his opponent's words and went on rambling without getting to a point. He was clearly agitated and uncomfortable with Romney's command and questions and this was very evident in his exaggerated smile and pained expressions. And despite speaking for 4 minutes longer than Romney, Obama failed to arrive at a specific or valid point, his words were just scattered and didn't mesh well enough with each other to drive home a solid argument

Romney's performance was appreciated by everyone and there was a universal agreement that he clearly crushed Obama with his confidence, words and knowledge.

Facebook, Please.

Nearly all of us use Facebook and many of us spend hours on it daily. It's just so addictive, it might as well be a drug. But with the recent changes that Facebook has made, many users have expressed concerns over their privacy. Many changes are made without the users being notified. For example now every time you change your profile picture, you have to customize the setting for that individual picture , and if you forget to do so your picture may be viewed by people who are not on your friend list. This is just one example. There are many other changes that are making user information easily accessible and that surely makes many uncomfortable. Yet people have become so dependent on the social networking site that despite these concerns there seems to be no decrease in time that is spent on it. Please Facebook, don't do this to us. This needs to stop.

Rare Twist On Pakistan's Blashpemy Laws

We hear everyday about blasphemy cases filed against minorities in Pakistan. A recent example being Rimsha Masih who was freed of the charge and flown to an unidentified location to protect the twelve year old. In a rare twist on the blasphemy laws of Pakistan, a group of Muslim men suspected of ransacking the Hindu Sri Krishna Ram temple in Karachi may face blasphemy charges. The attack took place on September 21st and the statues of Hindu Gods were destroyed and the holy books torn. However none of the attackers have been found yet and if caught, it is unsure what the punishment would be. Maybe this will pave way for the protection of the rights of minorities in Pakistan and deter the Muslim extremists from violence against minorities.