Issue 5

UOSTimes
Issue 5, June 2016
PUBLISHED BY
General Mass Comunication in English (MCE) students,
College of Communication,
University of Sharjah.
DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATION
Dr. Abderrahmane Azzi,
Dean of the College of Communication.
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE:
SUPERVISOR
Dr. Suzana D. Zdravkovska
COPY EDITORS (Students)
Rujman Ishtiaq
Ivana J. Swarna
SECTION EDITORS (Students)
Sara Tamim
Amirah Abdallah
Mikail Atiyeh
Salwa Jakvani
DESIGNERS (Students)
Rujman Ishtiaq
Ivana J. Swarna
CONTRIBUTORS
Sana Ashraf
Mehthab Abdul Malik
Hiba Memon
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Congratulations from His Highness
Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi
“On behalf of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme
Council, Ruler of Sharjah, and President of the University of Sharjah, and the University community,
I am delighted to extend sincere congratulations to the College of Communications for
successfully obtaining the accreditation of its undergraduate program by the U.S. Accrediting
Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC). This is a tremendous
accomplishment, and your efforts are highly appreciated.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude and appreciation to all
members of faculty, who worked diligently to meet the accreditation criteria and satisfy the
ecommendations of the accreditation visiting team. I would further like to offer special gratitude
and appreciation to Professor Abderrahmane Azzi, Dean of the College of Communication, who
successfully oversaw, coordinated and engaged in all aspects of the accreditation process.
Your tireless efforts, and those of faculty members in the College, have proven very rewarding,
and accreditation of the College’s undergraduate program brings the University great pride.
Attaining international accreditation of University programs is considered one of our highest aims,
since the reputation of the University and the quality of our educational programs depends upon
meeting the highest of international academic standards. Your efforts to obtain accreditation
from such a renowned accrediting body as ACEJMC reflect determination to accomplish the
University’s mission and competence as educators in the highly important field of
communications.
Once again, thank you for your outstanding efforts and I wish you much continued success.”
Professor Hamid M.K. Al Naimiy,
Chancellor of the University
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News
cont
Q & A with Professor Paul Parsons
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Lebanese Cultural Club Shines at Global Day
10
12
Graduation Projects’ Exhibition
Feature
Trending
Trend-
4
Taking over the Internet
False Advertisement?
Do Video Games Make Us More Violent?
Heavy Metal - Music of the Devil?
Happiness Based on Vanity
18
20
22
Call me a nerd, I don’t care.
24
Are video games beneficial to your health?
26
The Satirical Take-over
28
Feeling good: Is it the harmony in blue or the sweetness in pink?
30
tent
Entertainment
Trending
Has the Hollywood Creativity Well Run Dry?
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The Breathtaking 40 Rules of love
34
A Little Game Called UNDERTALE
36
0
Review
14
16
Creative Writing
Opinion
The First Time We Met
An Encounter that Changed My Life
Spaced Out
38
40
42
5
News | Q & A With Professor Paul Parsons
Q & A With Prof
The College of Communication has been internationally accredited by The
Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC) in May 2016. The
accreditation team visited our college on the 17th and 18th of March 2016. UOS Times’ section
editors, Mikail Atiyeh & Sara Tamim, sat down with Professor Paul Parsons, Dean of the School of
Communications at Elon University and part of the team. He’s the longest-serving dean of a single
communications school or journalism college in the United States of America. We were honoured
to have had the opportunity to sit down with him and ask a few questions during his visit:
Mikail: I looked into your bio and I noticed some interesting things. Are there any other hobbies besides golf that you like to do in your free time?
Professor Paul: My wife says that I need more hobbies and that I’m so consumed with work that I
really need to develop more hobbies besides golf. I do read… a lot! So I enjoy a good book and
whenever I feel like I have several hours of this day or that day, I would choose a good book to
read. I particularly like fiction but golf is my activity outside other than walking. So I would go
walking even though it’s sort of boring but I can’t really say I have any other hobbies.
Mikail: You have seen a lot of facilities around here in our university, is there anything you would
want to change or that could become better? And what is your part in all of this?
Professor Paul: Well, as I think about how to answer this question, I’ll just say that the team of four
of us, we subdivide parts of our study. So one of the other team members is assigned facilities so
his job has been to go through the facility and to look at it and think about what might be a good
suggestion. I’ve been looking at the leadership, the governance and the administration of the
college. I’ve been looking at the diversity of the college in terms of faculty, students and the
curriculum. I also service the team chair so I’m the one that pulls all of the pieces together into one
document and we’ll be doing that this afternoon to present our draft of our report to the dean,
hopefully some time tonight. But back to your facility question, I’ll be thinking of what I have
observed but certainly it is a college that has a lot of open space and I like that idea. It’s
organised in a way where I can move around in it easily. One of the students today commented
on a “Hangout space” and actually when I heard I thought, that is a very good idea! It’s one that
I have never thought about until she had commented on it. A college does need a space where
students can interact with others and there may be space like that on campus. Even though
there’s a cafeteria that is 2 minutes away, it still wouldn’t hurt having a hangout space within the
building itself. Our hangout spaces in my school have computers and printers and so students go
to it and they just can hang out and have a beverage or print something out before class and so a
space like that might be a good idea in the college.
“A college does need a space where students
can interact with others and there may be a
space like that on campus.”
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fessor Paul Parsons
Mikail: Obviously you’re a person that
loves to travel a lot, are there any
places you still want to cover or go
to?
Professor Paul: I’ve not been to Russia,
I want to visit there and Scandinavian
countries. Obviously one of the things
about travel is you often see places
for only a short period of time and
so you have a richer experience of
understanding the world if you can
spend a long time in a place.
“ You have a
richer experience
of understanding
the world if you
can spend a long
time in a place.”
Professor Paul Parsons during the Interview
Sara: Without going into a lot of details due to the short time we have here, I would like to talk
about your accomplishments. You’ve started, if I’m not wrong since 1974 and it has been about 41
to 42 years in this field. So during that time what are your proudest accomplishments?
Professor Paul: I’ll make an observation before answering that. When I became a teacher, I was in
my early 30’s and so my students sort of looked at me like an older brother but of course the
students stay the same age as I get older so I became like everyone’s father and I’m afraid now
I’m approaching becoming like a grandfather to the students but that’s the thrill of being a professor. Dealing with young people and there’s an optimism and a forward thinking, philosophy and it’s
really enjoyable spending your day with young people who are on their beginning stages of their
career. So to answer your question about accomplishments…
I suppose my leading accomplishment is becoming dean of the school and right now I’m the
longest serving dean of communications in the US and yes I’m the longest serving in Elon university.
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Sara: Like I have mentioned earlier that you have been in this field since a very long time, in your
opinion, where do you expect to see the field of Mass communication/media in the next 10 years?
Professor Paul: We are experiencing a lot of convergence, so a lot of programs are setup to be like
wells. So we’re realising that future students probably need more of a lake. Some programs have
PR and advertising curriculum and it’s separate. We have what’s called a strategic
communications major, it’s the combinations of PR and advertising. In this college the word
journalism seems to mean print journalism and broadcast news is in the electronic media
specialisation. We have round the word “journalism” to mean all forms of news so, journalism to us,
can be print, broadcast, web, mobile all forms of news information. So those are two examples of
how convergence we think of bringing fields together and so instead of a lot of little wells, we are
trying to create larger lakes.Third example is that we have a cinema program (film making) and
then we have students who are interested in TV programming and TV production. We have combined them as well in to one major and it’s because professionals used to live in either the cinema
world or the TV world. But today, at least in the US they are going back and forth between the two.
So we decided why should we have a separate curriculum? So what it resulted in is we have one
curriculum that is about news called journalism. And we have one about the world of persuasion,
that’s PR and advertising. Then we have a world about entertainment that’s cinema and TV. So if
we organised our curriculum in a different way and that has happened just in the last 5 years or so
and we are trying to anticipate what would we think would be the changes that would happen in
the world of communication and media in the future.
Section Editors Mikail Atiyeh and Sara Tamim interviewing Professor Paul Parsons
Sara: As we all know, you have previously worked with the United Press International and The Associated Press for 10 years. Could you tell us how did you get the chance to work with one of the
most famous news agencies in the world? Is it possible for students like us to ever get the chance to
work with them in the future?
Professor Paul: I was a journalism major at Baylor University (in Texas) and editor of the daily student
newspaper. While in college, I spent summers working in newsrooms as an intern so that, when I
graduated, I had a good job offer. After a few years, I had the opportunity to join UPI. UPI at the
time was the #2 news agency to The Associated Press. Five years later, AP offered me a position
as an editor, which I accepted. I worked only in the U.S. in these roles, although both UPI and AP
(and other U.S. news organizations) have overseas bureaus and reporters. Increasingly, U.S. news
organizations are relying on journalists within other nations rather than sending American journalists
abroad. So a journalist in the UAE could become a correspondent for the AP, I think, but fewer
full-time positions exist abroad today than a decade or two ago.
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Sara: From your experience, what do you think could be the biggest challenges that a journalism
student could face in this field?
Professor Paul: The flow of information is incredibly fast today. Instead of having time to think long
and hard before deciding what to do when faced with a sensitive story, the speed of journalism
today — and especially social media — drives journalists to making quicker and quicker decisions.
That increases the odds of error.
Sara: I want to know, in your personal opinion, can a journalist really be 100% objective and independent?
Professor Paul: 100% objective? No. All of us have beliefs, perspectives and opinions that will
influence and colour how we see the world. But I do believe that a journalist can strive to be
objective in ways that prevent beliefs, perspectives and opinions from intruding into a news story. I
teach students that they can’t be 100% objective, but they can be 100% fair. Regarding being
independent, a freelance journalist can be. Most journalists work for a news organization, so their
editors often will assign them stories to pursue. If you mean independent of “influencers,” yes I
believe a journalist can be. The journalists I know (and that I sought to be) don’t take favours from
“influencers” or let others sway their stories.
Sara: If you had to go through the journey that made you to the person you are today, all over
again, what is it that you would have done differently?
Professor Paul: I’m quite happy with my career route. Earlier in life, I really wanted to work as a journalist in Washington, D.C. I had my opportunity to do that with the AP when I was in my early 30s.
But by then, my wife had a satisfying job as a schoolteacher where we lived, we were located
close to both sets of families, and I enjoyed what I was doing. So I declined the opportunity. Life
can intervene in one’s aspirations sometimes! Thus, no regrets.
“We are all curious people, but some people
are curious only for a moment, and they don’t
feed it and it goes away.”
Sara: Since you have travelled to many places including China, Singapore, Kuwait and KSA, now
that you have visited us and spoken to us personally, what is it that you found different about our
students that has caught your attention?
Professor Paul: It’s not the differences that caught my attention as much as the similarities. I found
bright, ambitious and optimistic students in each country. They may speak different languages and
have different cultural aspects, but a love of learning — and a desire to make something of themselves — exists all across our globe. That makes me very appreciative of universities. They are the
incubators of great talent that will lead the various nations in the future. For instance, the student
body at the University of Sharjah right now includes those who will become government, business
and media leaders in the UAE’s future. So what caught my attention in Sharjah was how much talent I could see in the students today that will empower the UAE of tomorrow.
Sara: If a student in Journalism or Mass communication walked up to you asking for your advice
and you only had a few minutes to give them your best tip, what would you tell them?
Professor Paul: I would start by saying - always feed your curiosity. We are all curious people but
some people are only curious for only a moment and they don’t feed it and it goes away. I would
say that a journalist needs to always find out an answer to all his/her questions. So to me that’s really what a good journalist does - always trying to find out answers to all the questions that come
along your way.
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News | Lebanese Cultural Club Shines at Global Day
Lebanese Cultural Club
Shines at Global Day
By Amira Abdallah
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On the 17th and 18th of March, the Lebanese Cultural Club participated in the Global Day and
had its own booth at the event. Global Day is the biggest event that University of Sharjah holds
every year in the main building. This year, the club impressed all of the visitors that attended and
was the “talk of the town” after the event got over.
The booth was inspired by a museum of Lebanon and was divided into four parts. The first part was
a photo booth with a green screen where the wallpaper was later edited into Lebanese sites such
as Jeita Grotto, Downtown and Baalbek. The second part of the booth had two walls where
photos of the most important celebrities were hung on, in a timeline. The third part was a
kitchen where the most delicious Lebanese food and famous Lebanese sweets were being served.
The fourth part was a lounge inspired by a traditional Lebanese garden where people could eat
and drink. They also had two folklore dances that represented Lebanese heritage which was performed on the main stage.
The Lebanese Cultural Club booth was one of the most successful booths of Global Day. What
made it unique were the teamwork and the spirit of the team. I was one of the organizers in the
Lebanese Cultural Club for Global Day and it felt so good to do this for my country and represent it
in the best way possible. Every member had an incredible spirit of patriotism and only that let
Lebanon shine so bright at the event.
Picture Credits: Lebanese Cultural Club
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News | Graduation Projects’ Exhibition
Congratulat
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tions Grads!
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Trending | Taking Over The Internet
Taking
over the
internet
By: Hiba Abu-kuhail
Does the question “Haven’t you heard about *insert a
new dumb thing that’s taking over the internet*?” ring a
bell to you? The answer is it doesn’t only ring a bell; it
rings a freaking huge gong for everyone who has lived
in these past 10 years with their faces stuck to their
computer screens. In this age and time people can’t seem
to put their phones down for more than 10 minutes
and if they could they would be labelled as people with
strong wil s. This addiction that has invaded their minds
is the sole reason for making things trend. It is the
reason for things “taking over the internet”.
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You would think that creating something to take over the internet is hard and
highly unlikely to happen, but with the recent trends popping out of nowhere
this assumption might be wrong. For example remember the “black and blue”
or “white and gold” dress? In the beginning of 2015, this dilemma has swept the
nation. It became an international phenomenon. The public have split into two
groups to debate this issue. Scientists also participated in this to make scientific
clarifications of why this dress could appear black and blue to some people,
and white and gold to others. It was a completely unusual matter to be discussing, yet most of the population were in on the topic and debating the colour
of this dress. It was featured multiple of times on the news; talk show hosts even
went as far as getting the person who created this whole argument to their
programs to show the audience the real dress. And to think it was only a dress
that had the ability to unite people from different countries, cultures, races and
age into two groups.
Recent examples of unusually dumb things taking over the internet and
trending worldwide is the “Damn, Daniel” video. It’s a video of two guys in high
school; one is behind the camera telling the other guy who wears fancy shoes
to school “Damn, Daniel”. Again you’d think this would never get trendy in any
sort of way but miraculously it did for some reason. And the reason for this is
people are now as have been stated before more online on the
internet than offline doing ordinary things. This heavy use of it leads to more and
more information being scattered all over and ending up everywhere, which
explains why now everyone established that when someone says “damn,
Daniel” , its perceived as a compliment. And soon enough, like many other
words and phrases that have been invented by the people of the
internet, it’ll be part of the official language and stated in dictionaries and used
by a lot of people in their daily lives.
However the internet is a two edged sword; what could appear to be an
all-out beneficial instrument to use to share information can also lead to
horrific ending for some people. In 2014, the trend was the Ice Bucket
Challenge. It was to spread awareness of a progressive neurodegenerative
disease called ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). It was a good trend to
follow as this campaign has raised money for research and development of a
cure for it. But in the case of firefighters from Kentucky, USA the trend proved to
be dangerous. Electricity from a power line shocked four firefighters
standing on a ladder as they sprayed water on college students that were
trying to pull off this charity stunt. One of the firefighters later died from
burn-related injuries while the others were dispatched after some time from a
hospital later that week. Another incident was of a teenager in the UK who
has died tragically after attempting to dive into a disused quarry. His body was
found after a four hour search and he is thought to have jumped feet first off a
cliff into shallow waters.
The influence the internet has on this world is showing more and more as the
years pass by. People are following loads of trends, be it a beneficial one or a
dumb thing that suddenly pops out of nowhere. Trends are taking over this world
and the fact is there is now way out of this vortex any time soon whether we
like it or not. Setting trends now is becoming a much easier job than it was and
getting things to take over the internet isn’t as hard either. So all climb aboard
on the trendy express!
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Trending | False Advertisement?
false adve
By: Rujma
Highlighter. Bronzer. Blending.
I’m pretty sure you all know what I’m talking about.
The art of contouring is a trend that has taken over
the world. Go through your instagram feed once and
there will be multiple clips of girls contouring their
faces with copious amounts of make-up products.
There is so much effort that goes into achieving that
perfect contour. But is it really worth all that time and
effort?
According to Merriam-Webster, contour means the
outline or outer edge of something. And in make-up
language, this means defining or
outlining certain features of your face such as
your cheekbones, chin or nose. But this trend has
crossed another level and now girls have started
contouring other body parts such as their arms, legs
or neck, which, in my opinion, is going too far.
Contouring your body means that your body will look
a certain way, and that shows how heavily influenced
we all are by the beauty standards of our society.
Because our legs are ‘supposed’ to look like that, we
will contour them to make it appear that way.
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rtisement?
an Ishtiaq
There are other types of contouring trends too: clown
contouring, tape contouring and even using a spoon
to contour. And youtuber ‘NikkieTutorials’ has made a
parody of all these different methods using kitchen
utensils such as forks, ladles and even a bottle opener.
It goes to show that even beauty gurus find all the
effort being put behind this trend to be hilarious.
Furthermore, contouring tutorials are so interesting to
watch because it is so mesmerizing to see how much a
person can change. But you also realize how
deceiving it can be; below that mask of make-up is a
person who looks completely different than what she
appears to be.
The trend also makes everyone look so generic.
Everyone has the same facial structure painted on:
High cheekbones, a thin nose and a sharp chin. But the
reason why we humans look so different from each
other is because we are all unique and diverse. The
layers of make-up strip us off this uniqueness.
Make-up is a way to express ourselves and to feel
confident. We cannot tell people what they can or
cannot put on their faces. But contouring does not
deserve the attention that it is getting. Instead of
changing beauty standards and perceptions, trends
like these only just make it worse. If you don’t contour,
that’s awesome and if you do, that’s perfectly fine too.
But beauty should be a subjective factor, not an
objective one.
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Feature | Do video games make us more violent?
There is a common misconception which claims that those who play violent video games
become violent. Now, first off, let’s all agree that aggression is a very common byproduct of
playing video games but it doesn’t happen all the time.
A research from Oxford University claims that, it isn’t the graphic bloody content or gruesome
gameplay in video games that generate violent behavior in players. The root of the evil
actually lays in the failure and frustration that humans experience when gaming. Co-author
of the Oxford study, Richard Ryan, explains, “When people feel they have no control over
the outcome of a game, that leads to violent, aggressive behavior. We saw that in our experiments. If you press someone’s competencies, they’ll become more aggressive, and our
affects held up whether the games were violent or not.”
Instead of focusing just on the content and storyline of games, the researchers also monitored the psychological side of players trying to complete a task – which is trying to beat the
game or finish a level, or win a match online. It’s basic human nature to want to succeed
and be great at things, and when you’re losing over and over again, it makes sense that all
emotions may turn for the worse. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to beat your friend at your
favorite game or trying to finish off a hard boss fight – if you are lousy, you feel lousy!
Do Video G
Us More
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Games Make
Violent?
By Mikail Atiyeh
These Oxford researchers rounded up 600 college-aged humans and tested them with video
game experiments – while utilizing violent and non-violent games. The researchers manipulated
the variables of the games by changing its difficulty or punishing the players by having them
submerge their hands under cold water whenever they lost the game. The experiments
concluded that when players experience threats to their ego, it can cause them to be hostile
and mean to others.
It’s only natural that we tend to show our ugly hostile side from time to time when things don’t
go our way. So with that being said, doesn’t this really apply to all aspects of our existence and
not only gaming? No one wants to feel stupid or inadequate – because those feelings can
lead to insecurities, embarrassment or pure violent behavior. So when a gamer becomes
violent, is he/she so different than anyone else? Absolutely not.
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Feature | Heavy Metal-Music of the Devil?
Heavy metal
Music of the devil?
Are metal heads a threat to society?
Metalhead is a term given to the fans of heavy
metal music. Heavy metal is basically a genre
of rock music that had developed in the late
1960s and early 1970s largely around many
areas in the United States and the United
Kingdom. A New York Times critic named “Jon
Pareles” once wrote: “In the taxonomy of
popular music, heavy metal is a major
subspecies of hardrock, the breed with less
syncopation, less blues, more showmanship
and more brute force.”
single black metal band is satanic. This is
because your music taste doesn’t define your
religious beliefs. A person can enjoy listening
to Katy Perry and Ariana Grande and still be
a Satanist. Listening to pop, rap, or R&B music
doesn’t make you faithful nor does listening to
extreme metal mean you’re faithless. It’s
music; religion as a whole should be kept out
of music.
There are a lot of subgenres of metal such as
thrash metal, death metal, black metal, glam
metal, metalcore and many others. The people who are not familiar with the subculture
tend to mix these subgenres together. They
often associate this type of music with selfharm, depression, crime, as well as Satanism.
Music by definition is an art form and cultural
activity whose medium is sound and silence.
Most people listen to music for a variety of
reasons. Some use it to make themselves feel
better if they’re having a stressful day. Others
may use it as a healthy way of dealing with
depression and sadness, they use it as a form
of release and an escape from the pressure
and the stress of daily life.
Heavy metal has always been amenable to
criticism due to the depressing and dark lyrical
content, shocking imagery, and of course, the
extreme loudness of the music. There are a lot
of misconceptions about this genre in
particular, but the most common and the
main controversial concept is that the music
is somehow linked to Satanism. And that the
musicians themselves have satanic beliefs because of their image and their dark lyrics. Sure,
there are satanic metal bands out there and
they’re usually known for black metal.
However, that doesn’t, by any means; confirm
that heavy metal is dangerous or that every
Studies have shown that heavy metal music
can positively influence its listeners, inspiring
emotions like calmness, happiness and relaxation rather than negative ones such as anger,
rage and hate. According to a new study by
the University of Queensland, the Australian
research institution in Brisbane, extreme music
can actually help to process anger instead of
causing it. Honors student Leah Sharman and
Dr. Genevieve Dingle studied 39 regular
extreme music listeners between the ages of
18 and 34, focusing on heavy metal, emo,
punk, hardcore, screamo, etc. “We found the
music regulated sadness and enhanced
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By: Radwa Emad
positive emotions. When experiencing anger,
extreme music fans liked to listen to the music
that could match their anger” said Sharman.
“The music helped them explore the full gamut
of emotion they felt but also left them feeling
more active and inspired.”
Some University of Sharjah students were asked
to give their opinion on heavy metal music.
English literature student, Shatha said: “I listen
to music to get me in a good mood and to
make me feel better, and I don’t get this with
heavy metal”. She added: “I have an open
mind, I’m not against it, I would consider listening to it once but I wouldn’t do it again maybe”.
Another English literature student, Ruqaia, said:
“I don’t like it because it carries bad messages to young teenagers and it’s too loud and I
think it’s inappropriate for anyone to listen to
it anyway.” She also said that she has always
known it’s a bad influence on kids because
that’s what most people told her. Here’s where
it gets complicated. Some people know that
it’s just a type of music and it doesn’t necessarily have a bad impact on the people in the
metal community. And of course, there are
the ignorant people who just develop an opinion based on what they’ve heard from people
without actually taking the time to research
and understand what it’s all about themselves.
Speaking of ignorance, metal musicians
often get blamed for gruesome crimes. For
instance, Nu and thrash metal band “Slipknot”
had been blamed for inspiring school murder.
It all started when a sword-wielding schoolboy
killed two students and two gardeners.
According to reports, he was wearing
Slipknot’s drummer- Jordison’s mask.
Again, enjoying the music of a band like
“Slipknot” doesn’t make you a serial killer.
Listening to rap doesn’t make you a gangster.
Take action movies as an example. The
directors who create those movies certainly
don’t advocate murder & crime. People don’t
care because they know it is a form of
entertainment. Think of heavy metal as a
horror movie. Nobody complains about how
almost all horror movies talk about paranormal
activity, the devil and supernatural powers.
People understand that the goal is to
entertain the viewer, they don’t enforce an
idea or a belief. You are an individual, you’re
free to believe what you want to believe.
Interestingly enough, heavy metal music started off as “scary music”. People basically
paid to get scared. The lyrics were pretty dark and talked about the devil, and they still
do until now. Remember, the whole point is to scare. People actually forget that music is an art, and musicians are artists who express themselves through music and lyrics.
Heavy metal musicians may seem shocking to you, but they are, like any other artists,
expressing their dark personalities through dark themed, chaotic live shows and dark
lyrical content. At the end of the day, music is there to entertain. If this type of entertainment is not for you then let it go and find something else that interests you. Heavy
metal is a dark, mysterious yet an inspiring art. You either get it, or you don’t.
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Feature | Happiness Based on Vanity
HAPPINES
ON VA
Today, every activity we do online has taken over on an absolutely superficial meaning, one
that outlines our thirst for being accepted on social media in this generation. At some point,
we are all found guilty of wanting to fit in with the “cool kids” but this obsession has driven
some teens to go out of the way in order to become someone else’s role model or as they
would like to call it these days “life goals”.
It all seems like another innocent trend to post pictures on Instagram that could get you a
tonne of likes but what we failed to observe is how teenagers are spending tremendous
amount of money they cannot afford on taking pictures and selfies in order to impress their
followers for about, well… 10 seconds.
Whether it was purchasing photo editing apps that makes them look flawless, dressing up in
clothes they cannot afford, going to expensive restaurants to order meals just to snap
pictures of them or even doing activities solely for the sake of checking-in and looking cool
in the eyes of their followers. Just the idea of looking like you’re living ‘the life’ is becoming
the ultimate goal to achieve. It has clearly become an obsession for teenagers to act a
certain way and speak a certain language in order to be valued among others. It has
reached a point where teens are completely reconstructing words such as “Bae”, “Goals”
and “Slay” by changing their meaning just for the sake of feeling hip and trendy but, are
they really achieving any “goals”?
ON VA
HAPPINES
22
SS BASED
ANITY
Whether it was celebrities’ like Kim Kardashian that has marketed herself through her
unique physical appearance or the famous Middle-eastern Entrepreneur Huda Kattan
(Huda Beauty) who possesses a true talent, all of those famous Instagram-ers are playing
a massive role in shaping the lives of teenagers.
Teenagers now are dedicating themselves to building a world where being superficial is
a major “key to success”. But what they do not realise is how they have been enslaved
by the social media, wasting time and money on things that don’t even make them truly
happy. They strongly believe that the number of likes and followers they are getting on
their Instagram pages is correlated to their self-worth. It is sad and narcissistic but then
again, what are we doing besides encourage this behaviour?
Locking yourself in a virtual world where looking at shiny and pretty things that seem
happy is much easier than being real with yourself. We are unconsciously wasting our real
lives away, heavily sedated by the idea of social approval and social status, hiding
behind social media and not knowing what we are without it - Happiness based on
vanity.
ANITY
SS BASED
By Sara Tamim
23
Opinion | Call me a nerd, I don’t care.
Call
n e
i don
By : Yara
As for someone who has been wearing glasses for over
15 years now, the terms nerd, geek and smart have been
haunting me throughout the years. Looking at the bright
side, I realized that I’m not the only one called such
nicknames!
For years, people with glasses have been stereotyped as
being a ‘nerd’ or a ‘geek’. But scientists have always
believed that genes, rather than education were more
important in determining poor vision. Scientific studies also
proved that, the smarter you are the more likely you are to
suffer from sight problems, myopia and nearsightedness.
According to a research done by the British collage of
optometrists, one third of Brits believe that specs make a
person look more professional while 45% of the
respondents believe spec wearers look more intelligent.
Additionally, 40% of the respondents said they’d consider
wearing glasses even if they didn’t need them just to up
their chances of landing a job!
So do people with normal vision ever get eye-glasses just
for the sake of appearing smarter??
24
me a
r d
n’t care..
Mansour
“Some people do request glasses just for job interviews,”
said Dr. Jeffrey J. Walline, an optometrist.
In my opinion, some people are just mentally lazy. If they can
put the rest of the world into neat little boxes and
categorize them that way, then they don’t have to think as
much. They tend to list any individual with glasses and braces
under the same category instead of getting to know them
well and see how different they are compared to those who
share the same physical characteristics with them.
My glasses have always been a part of my face and a part of
my personality as well. They reflect my personality and who I
am in a way no one can ever imagine. They’re the first thing
I search for when I wake up and the last thing I take off when
I go to sleep. They have shared thousands of priceless
memories with me. In fact, I used to sleep with my glasses
on when I was a kid believing that they’d make me see my
dreams with a better sight. So why mock someone for
something that means a lot to them?
Additionally, neither straight A’s nor glasses or braces make
you a nerd or a geek. These stereotypes should make you feel
proud of yourself and the way you look. People should look
deep within you not just at you.
And remember that at the end of the day:
“Faithless to be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to
make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson.
25
Opinion | Are video games beneficial to your health?
e
r
A
o
e
d
i
V
s
e
m
Ga
l
a
i
c
i
f
e
n
e
B
r
u
o
Y
to
?
h
t
l
a
e
H
By: Mikail Atiyeh
26
Video games provide a fun escape from reality. They’re
often perceived as violent, lazy and a waste of time by some – the debate has raged on for years. So are there any
positive effects from playing video game?
Before we get ahead of ourselves, it’s important to know that too
much of anything can be bad. So if you binge and do nothing but
play video games, the risks probably outweigh any benefits.
Of course, video games can actually be very educational as well.
There are certainly many games used as effective teaching tools for
both young and old. They may even help kids with who suffer from
dyslexia read more effectively. In a small study, dyslexic children who
played regular video games ended up reading faster and more
accurately. Other studies have also found
improvements in eye sights; not only can they see smaller details more
clearly, but they have an easier time differentiating colors. This is very
important, as this is one of the things that
diminish first with age.
Many studies have actually shown increases in cognitive function after playing video games. One study in particular had participants play
Super Mario 64 for 30 minutes a day over 2 months. Later on, the brains
of these participants saw an increase in areas of brain
matter associated with memory, strategic planning and fine motor skills
compared to those who have not played video games.
Surprisingly, even action games can increase attention to detail in
individuals. Also, if you play video games 5-10 hours a week, your brain
becomes more efficient in the regions
associated with attention.
As technology continues to transform medicine, some surgeries are being completed with the insertion of cameras and remote control toolsthese surgeries have very clear parallels to video games with a screen
and controller device. Unsurprisingly, young doctors who play video
games show fewer errors and faster completion than those who don’t
have any exposure to video games whatsoever.
All of these health benefits and skills that derive from gaming are only
useful if you use them – which you can’t, if all you do is just play video
games. So enjoy your downtime and relax with your games in moderation, but get out there and keep your life diverse as well,
because there’s more to life than just video games.
27
Opinion | The Satirical Take-over
The
Satirical
Take-over
By: Lina Nasser
28
With the success of shows like “Last Week Tonight”,
“The Daily Show” and “Full Frontal”, one thing has
been made crystal clear: satirical news programs
have taken over. Many young people
(especially the millennials) make up a majority of
these shows’ audiences. They have also stated that
they prefer these shows over actual news programs;
in fact, some have even said that they consider
these programs as a primary source of
information for current events. Yes, that’s right. Some
actually trust the commentary of comedians over
that of journalists and news anchors.
Firstly, the reason why people prefer these “fake
news” programs is that, real news programs can be
incredibly boring. You sit and watch someone at
their desk talk about a certain issue, and cut away
occasionally or there is a field piece. However, in Last
Week Tonight, John Oliver discusses an important
and often overlooked issue in an interesting way. He
disperses genuinely funny jokes in fourteen to twenty
minutes pieces that contain a bevy of valuable
information.
Another reason is that, since majority of the news is
about negative events, the matter of the news itself
is negative. This can easily leave the viewer feeling
quite depressed. But watching a piece that’s littered
with jokes helps alleviate the potential sadness.
A third and possibly the most important reason “fake
news” is taking precedence over real news is that,
news anchors feel disingenuous. A lot of times, when
watching a news program, it’s quite clear that this is
a scheduled program. The news readers are
quite informal, serious and stiff. When watching a
satirical news show, this is never the case. The
“anchor” or more accurately comedian is quite
warm, speaks in a jovial tone and makes the viewer
feel as if they are close friends. As a bit of an
added bonus, being comedians they are allowed
to say certain things that news anchors aren’t. They
are not bound down by the standards of professional
journalists. They can insult politicians’ and give their
own biased opinions on certain issues. In a sense,
they may also project the
feelings of the common man, who often times may
feel that the media doesn’t accurately represent
their interests.
As the traditional media industry seems to be close
to drawing its last breath, perhaps, it would be useful
for news outlets to take a look at these goofy shows.
Based on their viewership numbers,
they are clearly doing something right. Maybe shows
like this (that combine entertainment and
information) are the future of the news industry.
29
Opinion | Feeling good: Is it the harmony in blue or the sweetness in pink?
Feeling
good:
is it the
har mony in
blue or the
sweetness in
pink?
By: Salwa Jakvani
30
The blue of the ocean brings tranquility and the moonlight white stirs romance. The bright
yellow rushes the adrenaline creating excitement and sometimes brings about anxiety. Merely,
a play of colors changes or enhances the mood. You would not have thought that something
as trivial as colors could have such a drastic affect, did you?
Psychology says that colors can affect your blood pressure, metabolism and eyestrain which in
turn can affect your mood, behaviors, and actions. Yes, some of your perceptions about color
may come through culture and experiences which is subjective. For example, the color white
in some cultures signifies peace while in others it is a sign of mourning. However, some colors
also have universal meanings and effects.
Colors in the red area of the spectrum are often considered warm, pulsating and passionate.
At lighter end such as pinks, would often be considered sweet and lovely while red is
considered passion, romance and love. If we go further down the dark end of red, it turns into
anger and fury. On the blue spectrum- which includes shades of turquoise and greens, are
associated with tranquility, peace and calm. However, on the darker end of that is sadness
and grief.
Hence, a person’s mood can change depending on the color they are exposed to. But, it is
not necessary that the color may have the universal affect since the cultural and personal
opinions interfere.
Psychologically, blue picks you up and red takes you down. The blues in nature like the sky and
ocean may create a calming essence. Furthermore, in other researches it has been found that
color has affected behavior in surprising ways. For example, installing blue street lights led to
reduction in crime!
Another study found out that football teams wearing black are likely to receive more penalties
than those who are not wearing black. Now, that’s the catch! Black, initially, is a color that is
associated with negativity but the current generation associated black with ‘being cool’!
Hence, black is an ‘in’ color.
Similarly, red marks on our test papers often bring us down and irritate us. That simply is a
relatable example of how color plays with our emotions. I know I never liked red crosses on
my paper; it always brought me down when I went back to revise! Why do you think
teachers use red? It gives them authority and so red becomes a dominating color.
In fact, ancient Egyptians and Chinese used colors to heal—chromo therapy. Red
was used to increase circulation; yellow was thought to stimulate the nerves while
orange was used to heal the lungs and to increase energy levels. Finally, shades of
blue were believed to soothe a person.
Therefore, colors have impacted moods and behaviors for centuries now. What
we are exposed is what we become and feel. Thus, be careful with what you paint
your room next time!
31
Entertainment | Has the Hollywood creativity well run dry?
Has The
Hollywood
Creativity
Well
Run Dry?
32
Is it just me or is Hollywood in a bit of a slump lately? The majority of the films that
have come out in recent years just seem to be similar to each other; not so much in
storyline but in source material.
When I look at the trailers for the latest movies, I feel like I’m drowning in a sea of
reboots sequels, and remakes. Many of these reboots and remakes simply take the
original story and rehash it. They don’t bother to add new twists or an interesting
take. This leaves me (and many of you, I’m sure) wondering “what was the point?”
Was there really a need for a
Spiderman reboot only five years after the last film of the trilogy came out? Was a
Carrie remake in 2013 necessary? What was wrong or missing in the original 1978
Carrie film?
Many movies nowadays have sequels even though it’s unnecessary. Sequels are
generally known for rarely being able to build on the story. This is such an often
occurrence that there is a term for this: sequelitis. Sequelitis refers to the decay of a
movie franchise over time. This means, that the first sequel tends to be either
decent or mediocre, the sequels that follow get worse and worse.
The problem isn’t just with reboots and sequels. There also seems to be a trend of
making franchises out of anything. This problem is especially palpable with horror
movies. There are about 9 movies in the “A Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise and
12 movies in the “Friday the 13th” franchise (if you include remakes and reboots). I
personally think that these horror franchises are among the most tedious and
unnecessary anthologies created. One, two maybe even three movies in a slasher
series are fine, but nine and twelve are just ridiculous. How many times can we sit
down and watch a serial killer in a creepy mask like Freddy
Kruger and Jason Voorhees murder a bunch of teenagers in gruesome ways?
As a surprise to really no one, these films usually get terrible reviews by movie critics.
At this point, you might be wondering, if the quality of these films are downgrading
and box office critics can’t stand them, why do they continue to be made? The
answer is simple and pretty straightforward. These movies are almost always guaranteed to make money hand over fist. Audiences who loved the first movie will go
and see the second one just to see what happened to the characters that they
liked. Apparently, Hollywood bigwigs care more about the amount of money
being generated than about making good movies. So, it looks like we’re going to
be stuck in this current “remake madness” pit for at least a little while.
By Lina Nasser
33
Review| The Breathtaking 40 rules of Love
The Breathtaking
“How we see God is a direct reflection of how we see ourselves. If God
brings to mind mostly fear and blame, it means there is too much fear and
blame welled inside of us. If we see God as full
of love and compassion, so are we.”
This is the first rule of love, out of forty by Shams of Tabriz.
The rest of 39 rules lie in the breath-taking novel, 40 Rules of Love, by
Elif Shafak. She is a French-born Turkish novelist and a feminist and this is one
of her best sellers.
The novel consists of two parallel narratives: the present-day narrative is about
an unhappily married Jewish housewife named Ella who’s reading the Sweet
Blasphemy as part of her work. The Sweet Blasphemy is the
second narrative of this novel which is actually about a ‘wandering dervish
searching for God high and low’, Shams of Tabriz. He is also a mystic Sufi and
to pass on his knowledge, he seeks a companion which later turns out to be
a great Islamic scholar and poet, Rumi. As Ella progresses through the book
she’s reading, she gets acquainted with the writer of Sweet Blasphemy, Aziz
Z. Zahra. Elif wrote the second narrative in several peoples’ perspectives such
as Shams, Rumi, The Killer, The Beggar, Kerra and many other
characters. The flow is fast-paced, told in first-person fragments and interlaced
with Shams’ 40 rules of love.
It is through Sweet Blasphemy we learn the depth of 40 rules of love and how
platonic love between Rumi and Shams of Tabriz develops. Their friendship
faces several difficulties although through these difficulties both of them learn
a great deal about each other in many ways especially spiritually. It is through
this that we learn of how the Sufi dance came about and how Rumi evolved
into a famous poet. Hence, it also changes Ella’s views on love and life
encouraging her to take a huge life turning step.
34
g 40 Rules of Love
By: Salwa Jakvani
Personally, the novel gives a mesmerizing perception of love, friendship and
the belief in God. It is indeed a thought provoking and a possibly a life
changing novel; with its perfect flow of writing and beautiful messages
throughout the novel that is conveyed through its famous characters. I would
have never seen or learnt about these eminent people in such a manner,
but this novel has portrayed them and the spiritual message in a new light.
A soul mate doesn’t always have to be romantically involved; a true friend
can be a lover, a companion and a soul mate. Even the simplest of things
are given a beautiful perspective and a unique angle. Shafak has done a
brilliant job describing love and the traits, behaviors and qualities of a true
lover.
Indeed, the novel is ostentatious, heart-stirring and exceptional!
Shams of Tabriz was one of the reasons behind Rumi and his poetry; which is
still alive, even today, after hundreds of years. The essence in his poetry turns
cold hearts into softness.
Read the book and find out what real companionship and love means.
It’s one of ‘his’ rules,
“Intellect and love are made of different materials. Intellect ties people in
knots and risks nothing, but love dissolves all tangles and risks everything.
Intellect is always cautious and advises, ‘Beware too much ecstasy,’ whereas
love says, ‘Oh, never mind! Take the plunge!’ Intellect does not easily break
down, whereas love can effortlessly reduce itself to rubble. But treasures are
hidden among ruins. A broken heart hides treasures.”
35
Review | A little game called Undertale
A Little Game Ca
By: Mikai
If you spent any time in online gaming communities, then I’m sure some of you have been
wondering what this little game called UNDERTALE is all about. It’s been talked by practically
everyone lately and at one point it was top rated on most gaming review sites – which in turn
was awarded Game of the Year for Change. Well, if you don’t know what UNDERTALE is, let me
enlighten you on perhaps the most innovative and captivating game of this generation, and
possibly one of the best RPG’s (Role Playing Game) of all time.
Now, you might think to brush off a game like this by its simple aesthetics. After all, it’s not the
most graphically intensive game ever, but it doesn’t have to be. It employs a retro-like aesthetic
with a unique art style that is very polished and well done. It surprisingly has a brilliant art
direction – every single enemy you face is designed superbly and differently, giving each of
them a very distinctive personality and feel – making most characters in the game quite
memorable. Just by listening to the sound effects for different characters’ dialogue, you can
easily determine their character and persona – even without any real voice acting. Even
UNDERTALE’s music is one of the best things; every soundtrack you hear has a sense of life to it,
and at times, you may end up becoming so engrossed by it regardless of what you’re doing in
the game.
UNDERTALE’s story is an emotional one – it is among the simplest and most compelling stories I’ve
personally experienced. What makes it all the more immersive and interesting is the fact that
every decision you make everything you do or don’t, will affect the story in some
profound way. The overall plot of the game is very well done and the choices you make do in
fact manifest itself in the story. It’s one of those instances where your own path really feels like
your own story. I could go on and on with gushing about the story, but I’d rather not spoil it for
you, because UNDERTALE is a game best played blindly.
36
alled UNDERTALE
il Atiyeh
UNDERTALE is, in its simplest form, a turned-based RPG. However, unlike every other RPG, you
can actually advance through the whole game without killing or fighting a single enemy.
Instead, you can choose to act and go about different ways to spare each enemy. And that
is the overall message of UNDERTALE – it’s that you can get through life by having mercy and
showing kindness to others – in other words, fighting is pointless. However, if you do choose to
fight, killing enemies becomes quite terrifying and challenging.
UNDERTALE challenges all the fundamental elements of the RPG genre by being a simple little
game. There’s no repetitive grinding, no corny melodramatic dialogues – it’s so concise – and
yet it says more in 5 hours than most games do in 50.
I honestly cannot recommend this game enough for you.
UNDERTALE is a game that everyone should play at least once – I believe anyone can enjoy it
because of how unique and captivating it is. It’s a huge breath of fresh air for gamers, as it packs
an emotional experience built around its diverse quality of music and dynamic characters that
instills a sense of immersion and authenticity to the world.
So what are you waiting for? Go play it
already!
37
Creative Writing | The First Time We Met
The
First
Ti
By Sana Ashraf
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Yesterday was the first time I met an angel.
I was seated with my friend by a table that held a
mountain of books, and both of our laptops. After half an hour of discussing equations
for our upcoming exam, I saw two women waiting for their order by the counter. One of
them had wings, and they were big –so big that it must’ve been extremely inconvenient
for her to pass by the café’s entrance door. She carried them gracefully like her smile.
They were blue at their core, with feathers white and grey like the sky that cloudy day.
Her yellow eyelashes curled up to her forehead, and her hair was white.
To my pleasant surprise, they sat at the table beside us. I could overhear the girl with the
magical wings speak over and over, and for two hours, she barely ever stopped. I could
not stop looking. I did try, of course. I had to remain subtle or else they’d have considered me a creep. Behind her eyelashes were glittering stars, as though galaxies seen
from a painter’s brush.
38
I contemplated walking up and saying anything. I contemplated for a while.
After I mustered all the guts in me, I walked towards them, firmly placed my
hand on the table and said, “Excuse me.”
“Yes?” they both answered.
I finally looked towards the winged girl’s friend and said, “I think you look very
beautiful.”
ime
We
Met
39
An Encounter Tha
Creative Writing | An Encounter that Changed My Life
T
here was I, with a smile on my face midst of blooming lilies. Sunshine running towards the
earth to give it the warmth it so longingly needed. In black dress, I walked among the flowers
feeling beautiful as ever. But there stood she, in a flawless white dress, face ever so elegant,
and the hair flying along with the rhythm of the wind. The heart beat slowed down, dread
filled it in. She was beautiful. And I, only existed. The sun shined brightly but only to be pushed
away by the dark clouds.
I opened my eyes abruptly, only to see my sister laughing at me. I hurriedly shut the
window to cover myself from the pouring rain.
“I am drenched in rain, all thanks to you.” I grimaced.
A smirk was all I got as a reply. Unfortunately, my plan to glare at her for an apology didn’t
seemed to work out. Perhaps it’s because I am younger than her.
We were on our way to our cousin’s wedding. Don’t ask me who, we had too many. My
father thought it would be fun for us to travel by train since we rarely got the chance.
Indian trains are not fancy nor are they clean, making my sister and mother
uncomfortable. The effect of living in U.A.E I guess. I didn’t mind it. Well, except for the
amount of people that kept staring and having loud conversations. But that is what
reminded me that I am indeed in India, well that and the rusty train, and the rain, and smell.
The list could go on. The effect of growing up in UAE makes you somehow
intolerant to anything unpleasant. The blinding sun we could deal with but this was a
definition of chaos. A beautiful chaos but nobody would admit that they enjoy this
ruckus.
The said father was sleeping through it all, leaving us to deal with the unpleasant. The journey
was 12 hours long. All of our relatives were travelling with us too; some of them in the same
compartment and others somewhere else. At the beginning it was fun, with the games and
gossips. Later on, we got too tired of each other’s voices and faces. So everyone left to mind
their own business.
I got up needing to stretch my body from sitting too long. I told my sister that I am going for a
walk; she looked up and instructed me to keep my phone with me and not to go too far. Our
relationship is basically built on these little things, for an outsider we looked like strangers. Only
we know that we care for each other. We were different. I am six years younger and in a
fantasy world whilst she was the insightful, mature woman.
I slowly started walking with no destination in mind. Everyone was either asleep, or in a deep
conversation about either something stupid or politics. Everyone in India talk
politics. Even me, and my opinion was that it needed a good flush to rid itself from
corruption.
The train is usually divided into many compartments, ranging from the general
compartment to the A/C three tiers. Without a shadow of a doubt, the best way to see India
is not on a plane at 35,000 feet, but at ground level on the incredible Indian railway system.
40
at Changed My Life
In fact, no visit to India is complete without experiencing the bustle of Indian railway stations
and a safe & comfortable journey on an Indian express train with the tea seller’s welcome
cry of ‘Chai, chai, garam chai’ or ‘samosa vadai sabar’ coming down the aisle. It brings
you closer to everything that matters.
With James Bay’s rendition of Stealing Cars playing through my headphones, I walked down
the aisle; looking at the different faces and expressions on either side of the aisle, with the
wind slowly lifting me up from everything around. Reality was fading and I was in my own
world again.
The train was slowing down, indications that a station is nearing.
There I saw a face, through the small opening of the compartment’s door. Water drops
dripping down the face, hair and clothes dirty and drenched in rain. Only a bundle beside
him and it felt like nobody could see him. He was sitting on the wet mud staring into the sky.
But I did.
The face; weary, weather-beaten and lived in, but somehow there was light. The face had
a beatific expression, looking up at the dark brooding sky with a smile. The eyes outwardly
seemed tired, but when you look carefully enough, you could see that it was twinkling with
wonder.
I don’t know why I saw it.
But I did.
I saw a man with no possession, drenched in rain, dirty; sitting blissfully enjoying the beauty
of everything the way it was.
No complains.
He was fading, but I was still; thoughts rushing to my mind that I simply couldn’t contain or
comprehend.
Little voices in my head protested, “Beauty is not what you see but the feeling it gives you.
Don’t hope for it to please you. It won’t give you compliments, won’t ever leave you when
you are old like they say. It will stay. It will stay. It’s not for everyone to see or praise. Beauty is
more than a
definition. Beauty is a man sitting in the middle of nowhere, drenched in rain, with no possession to his name; an old man still finding the boring old troubling rain astonishing. ”
My legs grew taller, and my mind grew bigger rather than smaller. He didn’t change my life
but he changed the way I see certain things and that changed my life.
“In gratitude to the old man who remained young at heart. “
By Mehtab Abdul Malik
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
41
Creative Writing | Spaced Out
42
SPACED
OUT
” A daydream is a meal at which images are eaten. Some of us are gourmets,
some gourmands, and a good many take their images precooked out of a can
and swallow them down whole, absent-mindedly and with little relish. ”
~W.H. Auden
The hustle and bustle of life can quite get to you sometimes, doesn’t it?
We’re chained to this planet, in shackles made of responsibilities, of our
gadgets, of our ailments and our necessities. There’s no time to think. There’s
no time to speak. There’s only enough time to run, run, run andYou die.
No you’re not a rotting corpse, six feet underground. But you may as well be.
We’ve mapped our entire lives out. We’ve planed everything from day one.
To reach our goals and to taste the fruit of all that hard work in the end. To
get our hands on everything tangible and relish the materialism. As long as it
lasts. When we were but young and healthy, we were constantly on the brink
of spontaneity. Each of us had our own personal spaceships. We would glide
through the asteroids, float amidst the stars of hope and we would dangle
from the edge of the moon. But we don’t do that now, do we?
We grow up too fast. Remember that kid in the class, the one who sat at the
back, staring out the window; physically he would be there, in the class. But his
mind? Oh, his mind would be elsewhere, jetting off in discovery of new planets
to explore.
What have we done to ourselves? We have become so indulged in this life,
so involved with obligations, so immersed in our laptops and our phones. We
have locked up our spaceships in our closets and have forgotten the very
essence of our childhood. The very essence of our youth.
Do those journeys, those adventures mean nothing to us now? The freedom of
being in a foreign place, the feeling of solitude and bliss, the feeling that you
were so high up in the clouds, no one would dare drag you back to Earth.
So listen up my little daydreamers, my space aficionados, my friends from the
other Worlds.
Do not let life rule you. Do make your goals a reality, but do not forget to set
off on a flight every now and then. Do not let people sap all the energy out of
you. Do not let obstacles weigh you down. Do not let misery take over you. Do
not let yourself be forever bound in shackles. And most of all, do not forget to
dream.
By Hiba Memon,
College of Engineering
43
MCE
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