Post-Exams Freedom!!!

How often do you think about utilizing time in a predefined way?

Have you ever given any thought to making the most of your freedom?

I don’t know about anyone else, but those, who take time as a rare commodity, surely do so. Oh yeah! I mean those who have been blessed with never-ending exams by ‘those’.

Actual worth of time, and specifically the time to spend at your own discretion, is known only by a person who gets free from exams.

This unique feeling gives him repeated waves of excitement and happiness, as many times as he thinks about all the time he’s got.

He feels himself to be the luckiest person on earth. He can watch all the movies he wants, read all the books he wants, and go anywhere, like a free bird.

Getting free from exams is like breathing some fresh air, after being locked in some deepest dungeons, which have never seen a ray of light or felt a breeze of fresh air. Its only darkness everywhere down there.

All I can say is, be grateful for the time you’ve got and make the most of it. Cheers!

Examophobia !!

Have you started taking interest in things you normally hate?

Has every stupid futile thing is this world started grabbing your attention?

Do you feel like doing everything you normally hate?

Are you being attracted to Facebook more than ever?

If yes, I'm afraid you too have become a victim of 'Examophobia'. These symptoms are observed when the time left in exams is too short but the patient tries to calm himself down with these fake time killing activities.

I've been a victim for years. I know how it feels like when exams are nearer than ever and you're still not prepared.

Stress rises to an unfathomable level and there's no way out from this sticky exam web. Time starts to run thrice as fast as it normally does. A day seems to end as soon as it starts and at the end of the day, all a person does it pitying and regretting his lack of time management. Each passing second brings him closer to this great peril, contrary to his discretion.

When he gets mentally exhausted (for not doing anything) cause of all this stress, he tries to find ways to escape this situation. Then come the above mentioned symptoms.

Everything in the world starts to seem twice more appealing than it normally does. Everything but studies becomes the most enjoyable thing on earth. Facebook becomes a magical virtual world, games become awesome adrenaline filled roller coaster rides, movies become the most beautiful treat to visual senses. A person's perception regarding almost everything starts to change.

And when the situation reaches its most critical point, a person starts writing blogs.

Well, best of luck to those who are facing 'Examophobia'. Hope you guys find some interest in things which eventually pay off as well. Same goes for me.

Cheers !

To Dream Or Not To Dream !

The only thing which has no restrictions on it, which is completely free and you don't need to reach a certain age limit to have it, Dreams !

No one can stop you from dreaming and interestingly no one can force you to do so either. Dreams have been the reason behind marvelous inventions and discoveries and at the same time, they've served as a point of inception for huge destruction. Its a very interesting fact, a person's perception depends upon his ability to dream. If he dreams big, he is definitely an optimist. And if he's scared of his dreams being shattered, he's a pessimist.


'Dreams Do Come True', only if a person has that required level of zeal, enthusiasm and sincerity to make it come true. Nothing can throw hurdles on his way to success then. Nature designs his way and no other force is great enough to hamper the force of nature. There is no way he'll be unsuccessful then.

The intensity of dreaming depends upon a person's creativity and perception. If one has an impression that something is impossible to be done, it really would be impossible but only for 'HIM'. But if someone is determined to do the impossible, nothing can stop him then. Of course criticism might hamper his determination initially but this criticism can make his sincerity toward his goal even stronger. Such is the magic of constructive criticism.

Surprisingly this dream-big thing has been working quite fine for me. So go ahead and start dreaming !

Oh yes, you can even go and steal the moon (Despicable Me). Its all about dreaming big.

Cheers !

Flightless Bird !

He always wanted to have an independent, luxurious and princely life. He wanted to do what his heart wanted, he wanted to go where the wind took him. But he couldn't deny one concrete fact, the only constraint to all his desires, he was just like a flightless bird.

He could see others fly so high, content with their attempts to touch the sky. But he could never reach out and join them. He just saw them, envied them and cried. What else could he do, he was just like a flightless bird.

He had hundreds of scores of unfulfilled desires, some kingly and some childlike, but it was futile to wish for the impossible. He saw them getting what they didn't even need, saw them being uninterested in the things he always dreamed of. What else could he do ,he was just like a flightless bird.

He could hardly walk a league while they covered scores of miles, spinning round and round in the sky. He just saw them and pitied his fortune. What else could he do, he was just like a flightless bird.

Amid all this gloom, envy and desires, he saw that he was not alone. There were others like him who were happy the way they were. That was how nature chose him to be and that was how he was supposed to be. He finally unveiled this secret, in order to stay happy one needs to be what one actually is.

And he was glad, he was just like a flightless bird.

Music is my lifeline !

Could that story about 'The Pied Piper' luring all the rats out of the city on the tune of his pipe ever be true?

Well, I think yes.

Music can be so magical, a person only realizes it when he feels it. Its not like it takes you on a whole new magical journey, but it does bring a slight variation in your mood which might sometimes go unnoticed. It can make you happy when you're sad or it can open the doors of grief while you're in a perfectly normal mood. It can even scare you sometimes.

As soon as those sound waves touch your ears, a frenzy begins. It all depends upon how you let the music take control of your emotions. If you resist it, you'll never be able to observe its enchantment.

New genres of music have been popping up every other day, which is quite exciting. Exploring new music has no limits, there are unlimited artists from different corners of world who have been creating some awesome music everyday.

'What sort of music do I like?' is quite a difficult question, which might require an exhaustively comprehensive answer.

Lets put it this way, the music I like is spread over a HUGE range.

Like, I like music from 'Yesterday by The Beatles' to 'Tik tok by Kesha'.

Or, I like music from 'Speed of sound by Coldplay' to '7 things by Miley Cyrus' (Wait ! Miley Cyrus ! I know I need to see a shrink.)

I don't follow any specific era or genre of music, may be cause I haven't restricted my mind yet. If a tune makes me feel good, that's enough justification for it to be on my playlist. I never force myself to get stuck in just one era. And those who are stuck, seem to be buried deep down beneath the foundation of a glitzy and full-of-life buiding. C'mon, explore it people !

There are some songs which I hold on to for years (like 'I'm with you by Avril Lavigne') and there are some songs which I go gaga for, but that's just for a couple of days (mostly Indian songs).

Music indeed is my life line or its my last resort. Whenever I want to be lonely in a crowded room, all I do is I get those earphones fixed in my ears and turn the full volume on. So music is also a savior, as it saves me from unwanted socializing.

Well, there is music which renders no one unaffected (almost), like 'Hey there Delilah by Plain While T's'. I was so inspired that I once tried to record that song in my voice, and ultimate result was a disaster.

Whatever the consequences, my love for music will never get hampered.

Have fun listening to your favorite music. Cheers !

A blessing !

Rain is a blessing for Karachiites, which is rarely bestowed.

Its a natural shower which doesn't only washes everything externally but gives everyone a spiritual clean up.

It washes away all the negativity in human mind and gives it a much needed dose of optimism which is reflected by the vast sky filled with beautiful clouds.

Rain makes everything look so gorgeously stunning. The clouds, droplets dwelling on the edges of leaves, exquisite patterns of clouds, unlimited colors formed in the sky with Sun in the background. Everything is a treat to human senses.

Specially the cold breezes of air which help us forget the hectic schedule of a day with scorching heat, the sound of droplets hitting the ground like countless diamonds falling on a surface of glass and the unique aroma of rain.

Rain makes me feel so alive and refreshes me in a way nothing else can do. Here are some of the pics I took while enjoying the rain:

How to enhance your Movie-Watching experience !

Watching movies is one of the best ways to utilize leisure time. In particular those movies which are thought provoking and a treat to your visual senses. The best way to enjoy movies is to realize the actual purpose behind their creation --- that is to have a good time. Movies can be a real treat when someone stops being judgmental and turns the 'fun mode' on.

Its true, some movies can get really really painful and its just impossible to tolerate such movies for more than a couple of minutes. Some movies just don't make any sense and they're straightly directed toward the audience of quite a similar kind --- which don't make any sense.

My theory regarding a good movie is somewhat like this:

• Movies which ultimately leave you in a satisfying mood.
• Movies which touch your emotions and you start caring for the characters.
• Movies which are evaluated by your own senses as 'GOOD'.

If this criteria is met, why ever listen to those stupid critics then. The only job those stupid critics can do is to spoil your movie watching experience. Thank God I never followed those mentally retarded people, otherwise right now I too would be one of those cognitively lost and pessimist guys who have unfortunately lost their ability to see the bright side. All they can do is criticizing, criticizing and criticizing.

The fact that nothing on Earth is perfect or flawless can never be denied, it all depends upon how you evaluate it. You can even mess your own life up just by pointing out all the negative aspects of it, it all depends upon how you look at it. Just these two factors, perception and attitude, can lead you to happiness only if you have the ability to use them for your own good.

Well, lets get back to movies.

Now if a simple movie guy watches a scene from an average movie which just makes him feel good, he will be satisfied with it.

And at the same time, if a psycho critic (who's favorite hobby is to take out flaws from the darkest of the depths) watches the same scene, all he will do is he'll ignore the emotions emanating from the screen and drive his thoughts toward all the retarded flaws which are naturally prone to be there in everything.

Now my theory for enjoying movies:

• Ignore stupid critics who will completely spoil the movie for you and beware ! They'll drive your thoughts to the 'restricted' area.
  
• Appreciate a movie if it makes you feel good.
• Watch it, enjoy it, have a good time and ultimately forget it if you want to. Don't be a super-hero who's on a mission to make this world a place for flawless movies.

Hope you have a great time watching your favorite movies. Cheers !

Random Definitions !!!

Food:
It includes unlimited edibles which vary in tastes. By some people it is also referred to as the only reason why they're alive.

Academy:
A place where every student goes for the purpose of having fun, dating and killing time. This place is also used for studies but that scenario is rare.

Book:
A thing which is used by a person when he runs out of sleeping pills. It can also be used for killing time.

Facebook: A social networking site where you can update as many status's as you want, upload as many pics as you want and share as many videos as you want. You might also get some comments as a response. This site is also used for playing FarmVille and many other games as well.

Comment: A response over an activity. Such activities include: status updates, pics, videos, links etc.

Vampires: These are totally gorgeous, breathtaking, stunning creatures which feed themselves on blood of other creatures. A modified and obviously better version of vampires sparkle/glitter when they're exposed to sunlight. Their eyes also change color, for example, they become coal black when they're thirsty. Following are the types of vampires:

1. Bad Vampires: They feed themselves on the blood of humans. They are equally breathtaking but they have blood-red colored eyes. Example of such vampires may be Victoria, her friends and her army of newborn vampires.

2. Vegetarian Vampires: They feed themselves on the blood of animals. Their eyes change colors ranging from beautiful shades of gold to coal black. Example of such vampires may be the Cullen clan and some others.

Music: Specialized sound waves of various kinds which can throw human beings listening to them in various moods. These sounds range from being awesome (Atif, Linkin Park etc) to disgusting (Himesh Reshamiya).

Movies: These are a combination of motion picture and sound waves. These have almost all the attributes of music. These also range from being awesome (Lord of the Rings, Twilight, Harry Potter etc) to disgusting (Radio, Team - The Force etc).

Teacher: A respectable person who sings the best lullaby in town. He has the ability to control you adrenaline rush and turn it into a wave of drowsiness.

Comic books: Story books with lots of pictures in it. These books have all the attributes of being focused at audience of age group 7-10 years but these are read by the age group 11-?.

ICAP: Institute of Can't-Pass-Module-C Accountants of Pakistan. Its an institute which leaves no stone unturned in making sure that its students keep visiting it every 6 months for a substantial part of their lives.

Wrestling: A show where half-naked men act like they're fighting each other. A fact regarding this phenomenon is still unknown i.e. what actually is the reason behind GUYS watching it. (Spooky !)

C M Punk (read: Dork): A futile human being who can do nothing but publicity stunts by running some fake campaigns and hypnotizing innocent youth.

A regretful day of a CA student !!!

'Where's this sweet sound coming from?' He thinks while being disturbed from a sweet dream. Half dreaming and half awake he starts looking for his cell phone like some blind man searching for a lost coin in the dark. He switches the alarm off as soon as he finds it and goes back to the world he was just forced out from. A short while passes and the disturbing sound starts again and as soon as his mind starts coming back to the real world, he thinks 'DAMN ! It was the second alarm which means its 6:00 am. Oh no ! its too late already. I had BCBS scheduled at 5:00.'

And then he jumps out of his bed, washes his face like he's having a war with that running water, gets his stuff and starts 'trying' to study. He's just done reading a single page when he realizes that its 7:00 am already.'DAMN ! I had a class at 8:00 today and I'm late already', He thinks. He changes his outfits if he manages to steal a bit of time, packs his books and stuff in that bag with the 'Academy Logo' on it and runs all the way to the bus stop. Waiting for the bus at the bus stop he utilizes his time planning his day and normally plans to cover a substantial part of his course in a span of 12 hours.

In the mean time the bus arrives and just like forever, its full. He somehow reaches his academy and gets to the class. The hardest thing for him to do in the class is to keep his eyes open and his senses working. Last 20-25 minutes of the class take forever to end and 'NOTHING MAKES HIM HAPPIER' than the moment the class ends. But good times are normally for just a short span. He tries to refresh himself in the time till the next class starts and the same thing goes on in the next class as well.

Just when he gets free from those classes filled with enchanted air which can make anyone sleepy, he heads towards the library with the intention of studying all what's left to study. He goes to the library and very much enthusiastically opens his books. Just when he's done with a couple of pages the enchanted air starts attacking his senses once again but he's reminded by the fear of ICAP that he's not allowed to have this luxury at all. He's not even studied 10% of what he actually planned when he finds out that the only resource he needed i.e. TIME is over !

On his way back home he regrets for all the things he shouldn't have traded his time for. 'Bloody Hell ! I didn't even complete the questions I was given as assignment', that's what he thinks while having his dinner. He takes out his books once again but everything seems so blurred this time, he tries his best to decipher what's written but all of a sudden it feels like he's got the worst kind of Dyslexia.

When there's no other way left, he finally puts up the uncovered stuff for the next morning. That's how another regretful day ends but his mind keeps thinking, thinking and thinking....

There is magic in the blue !

There is something extremely fascinating, overly enchanting and magically mysterious about the blue world. Fascinating is the color of water, enchanting is the sparkling reflection of Sun on the roaring waves that never seem to get tired and mysterious are the depths of the blue.

Fortunate nature adorers like me can never get enough of the sound of waves, cool breezes of moist air, walking on the wet sand, color of water which keeps changing as the Sun moves on. Everything enchanting the already enchanted adorer even more !!

There is always something new in the blue, waiting to make me wonder, to make me adore it even more, to make me never wanna leave.

Each tide gives my soul a new wave of freshness, washes away all the disturbing memories of this world.

Watching the blue till the limit of sight gives a sense of infinity, a sense of freedom. Freedom to conquer the impossible.

These never ending tides inspire my conscience, makes it wanna have all the attributes the tides have, makes it wanna have such a determination which never gets hampered no matter what consequences it has to face.

Here are some of the memories of the magical blue infinity I never wanted to let go of:

Refreshing Sight !

Sparkling Waves

Reflection of the Sun

Colors of the Sea

A complete sense of Freedom

A sense of Infinity

Exquisite !

Library Mania !!!!

Just a couple of months ago, if someone asked me,"Man, how do you study in the library? Its just impossible !". My reply used to be,"Don't be stupid ! That's the right place with right kinda atmosphere to study." But now I've realized this fact in the past couple of weeks about what actually was the logic behind such statements.

We all enter in the library with an absolute intention to study, well, no other intention is possible anyway. But here's what happens to me in the library.

Having entered the library, the very first mission is to get a suitable seat which usually ends up being the one next to a good friend. Saying 'Hi' and taking out books and stuff eat up the initial 15 minutes. Then after finally settling down, just when the books get opened, everything else in the world suddenly feels so appealing. As a result, the mind stops working and starts sending messages to other body parts to do the same. It reminds the stomach about the time it last had some food in it, it reminds the eyes about the time they last slept. And just when its finished convincing all the body parts, it shuts down with the message 'Immediate break needed'.

While having the break, time passes like a jet plane. The intended 5 minutes break turns into 50 minutes and we don't get the slightest idea about where did the time go.

Well, after coming back and settling down once again, the conclusion drawn turns out to be that the mood to study has gone out to roam about a bit, till then lets use a bit of FACEBOOK. In the mean time some friend cracks a joke in a whisper and a series of laughter starts which goes on and on.

Then suddenly the librarian knocks his table like a Bollywood movie judge and says 'Time to close the Library !'.

Cheers !

Texting Fever !!!

It felt like magic just a decade ago. How you could save yourself from a buck-blasting call just by sending a simple text message. Texting was the in-thing but not that much common. No one had thought about the consequences of this magical service. The situation was all normal when there were huge constraints of monopolized service charges which were keeping the text flood under control.


But as the saying goes, 'Time and tide wait for none'.. Wait ! Was that even a saying?

Whatever ! Time moved on anyway and competitor telecom companies started moving in. With the advent of these new competitors the monopolized situation changed into a fierce competition. The service charges went down and let the text flood loose.

Its been years since that text flood was unleashed upon us and it shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

Well, texting is quite useful at times:

Missing a friend? Your hand autonomously reaches your cell and types 'Hey ! What's up?'

Not sure about tomorrow's class schedule? Your cell is the solution.

Its some friend's birthday? The autonomous process starts again.

There are a hundred more reasons to send a text but you get so damn irritated when you receive unsolicited texts with unrealistic information and as a cherry on the top they contain threats as well, in case you show a bit of sluggishness in forwarding those stupid texts to at least 15 or 20 people.

Then comes the turn of those 'Good Morning' texts which don't seem to stop even when the morning turns into a full fledged day.

The day moves on and then come those 'supposed-to-be-funny' texts specially those torturing the soul of 'Faraz'.

Oh! I just saw my cell's LCD flash. Seems like its one of those 'Good Night' texts. Cheers !

FM and FB.. A love story !

It all started almost two years ago when a friend of mine visited my place and I came across the very famous question 'Are you on FB?' for the very first time. I replied quite honestly as 'What on Earth is FB !' I was then showered with all the good things only FB could offer. It all sounded like a sales pitch but ultimately I was forced to create my FB account. It was all Greek to me at that time cause I was into all that scrapping stuff on orkut.

Minutes turned into hours and hours turned into days, time went on & on and I forgot that I even had an account on FB.

Then the most incredible thing of my life happened. My classes of CA Module-A started at a very well known institution in Karachi. There I came across that same question again and this time I had a positive reply.
Just when the level of my curiosity reached its peak, I gathered all my courage and logged on to my FB page. I then texted some of my classmates and asked them for their FB ids. That's how I started adding friends.

Time rolled on once again and then something happened which accelerated my love for FB like anything. I created a group for my classmates. Everyone joined that group which ultimately became our virtual playground. I started spending a substantial part of my day doing fun stuff on FB. These notifications, status updates, shared videos, comments, pics.. everything was making me go gaga over FB.

Well, I handed that group over to one of my classmates just when I felt that my studies were being neglected but my love for FB didn't get hampered at all.

Next thing I knew was that I was spending hours and hours on FB uploading pics, sharing links, commenting on posts and most of all.. playing FarmVille.

FB saved me from being a socially isolated bibliophile and I thank FB for that. Thanks to all my friends for being there and tolerating my frequent status updates and commenting on them as well. Cheers !

My (controversial) way of staying happy !

One thing that can never be bought with wealth, yet easiest to get.. Yeah ! I'm talking about happiness. It's all around you only if you let your senses evaluate your surroundings in the best possible way.

In the past few days I've observed the factors which lead me to inherent happiness. These factors might sound stupid but that's just what I've observed.

1. Avoid people who make you feel bad and join the ones who become a source of smile on your face.

   
   

2. Do what your heart says and do it just at the right time.

3. Observe the beauty hidden deep down inside every simple and small thing (even if its a lizard).

4. Nothing is unethical as long as it gives you inherent happiness. (This unethical does not include anything outside the scope of cultural values set by your society)

5. Do a regular session of INTRA-PERSONAL COMMUNICATION, just to find out what it is you really want.

6. Set the goals which really motivate you.

These few steps are working quite fine for me and I hope they will keep helping me in staying happy. Cheers !