Opinions and Rants. Opinionated Rants.

16/12/2014 Image not owned by me It has been a few days since the Peshawar tragedy but a tragedy this huge will garner attention for years to come. And right now, it is all we can talk about. And with good reason, an event like this deems for a nation to feel pain forevermore. That being said, a source of outlet for most of our grief seems to be social networking sites. Twitter and Facebook to be exact. The users from Pakistan’s profiles on both sites have ‘gone black’. There are a myriad of posts on both about people exclaiming about how the horrific event has affected them and what actions the government should take towards the beasts who committed this crime. And as good as that is, seeing that nation is awake and demanding revenge. There is a downside. Some of stories being shared are getting exaggerated. I don’t know from where the distorted tale originates but it horrifies me that so many people are doing this. So much so that the deceased Principals son made a sta

No one to talk to? Alone in your room? No plans for the evening? Wow, you must be lonely. Umm, no. Well okay, if that is the case most of the times, maybe. But once in a while I think everyone needs this. Everyone needs alone time. There is a particular feeling in being alone that I absolutely love. When the setting is just right. The lighting is perfect, mostly right before sunset. There is not a soul around. There is nothing but silence all around you. And it doesn't matter if you're outside, looking at the scene unfold among the trees. Or if you're in your room, sitting near your window in the quaint sunlight. Not a soul around. You're all by yourself in the soft light from the setting sun and you feel completely at peace. And you're left alone to wonder. About anything. Be it idle fantasies, or harsh realities. To ponder over the meaning of life. Anything. Without any disturbances, without anyone influencing your thoughts. Just put away your phone and sta

We live in Pakistan, so it is safe to assume we have a ton of people poking their unwanted noses in our personal business. Well, let's even forget that, poking their noses in our business is SOMEWHAT tolerable. But the habit that really irks me and has my blood boiling is when they comment on your life.  I kid you not, some relatives actually think this it is their moral obligation to tell you or rather not even tell but make an absolutely useless deducation about something in your life. I have encountered this personally so many times and have heard about this from my friends just as much.  Like when you get in to a university, 'Oh, woh tou achi university nahi hai, meri beti tou LUMS ja rahi he' (That's not really a good university, my daughter is going to LUMS). Um, okay? Good for her but i'm pretty happy and don't need your 'pity'. I am not kidding, they actually pity you and are convinced that you aren't happy.  'Aw, don't be sad,

I recently started university and being in a new place, I had to start from scratch to make friends, to make introductions. As cliched as it may sound, I have come to the point where I am forced to ask myself a question I honestly do not know the answer to. Who am I? I have always defined myself in the roles I play. As a daughter, sister, friend, student and the list goes on. But I now realize that I don't know who I am.I just know who I have to be and when. The realization hit me when I was asked to describe myself in two lines. I couldn't think of anything. I was blank. I know what I like and dislike. Is that what makes a human, a person? Is that who I am? The things that I like and dislike? There are times when I think I am just a mere reflection. A reflection of the opinions around me. My mentality totally shaped by society. My mannerism, exactly like my parents. My likes and dislikes like those of my friends. My self esteem based on the amount of likes I get on a pic

Why is it so offensive to be a woman? This is the question I want to ask everyone. And I want an answer, I want reasons. I want to know what is so humiliating about being a woman. So much so that it is an insult. An insult we have come to accept as normal in society. An insult which when directed at men, leads to fist fights and boils everyone's blood.  And its not only men who use this insult, its women too. I've seem countless tweets, Facebook posts, forward messages or blog posts for that matter, which by the way are just as much by women as men, who label Justin Bieber, or currently popular in Pakistan Bilawal Bhutto as a woman.   All right, we've labelled him. Now the only insulting in this insult to me is, you thinking that being a woman is so downright degrading that labeling anyone as one is the most hurtful comeback you can think of. Wow, that hurt. Being called a woman has totally shattered your enemies confidence. You just called him such a filthy word, a w

This is a post that I am sure EVERYONE can relate to. Every Desi at least. So I compiled a list of 5 relatives (no specific order) everyone has and can not stand. All of us have these characters present in our families and most of us could do without them. 1. The 'What Grades Did You Get?': Image: Comics By Arslan These are personally my most dreaded relatives (mostly because I'm dumb and my grades are an embarrassment). These relatives will not wish you on your birthday but will be the first ones to call you on results day. And if they have kids who are a year or two older than you or if you're particularly unlucky, as old as you, well then prepare for a lifetime of comparisons, 'Haan phir kya bana? Meri beti k tou Masha'Allah 9A*s aye hain, us ne tou parha he nahi tha, bus meri beti *chokes up*, khair batao phir kya bana hmmm?'                                           God forbid if your grades weren't what you wanted them to be or e

After the morning show fad comes another obsession which is sweeping our nation; game shows. These game shows are going crazy and I mean CRAZY. Every channel has one and they're all giving away hundreds of prizes everyday courtesy their sponsors (some of whom seem to be sponsoring every show).  You guessed it! I am talking about Pakistan's two 'FAVOURITE' shows, Pakistan Ghar and Jeeto Pakistan. The two places you get a ton of stuff at only the price of your dignity.  One of the shows that I will talk about is supposed to be (emphasis on SUPPOSED) religious. Hordes of people are on every show answering questions and performing horrendous tasks in order to win prizes. But most of the truly cringe worthy antics are saved for those who wish to win a motorcycle. Yes. The ever enchanting motorcycle which our nation seems to lust after.  But first let's get something straight, you can't blame the people. I used to as well but then I realized everything is

In light of recent horrific events occurring in the Gaza strip against Palestinians, there has been a huge social media uproar about the issue. People are demanding governments to take action. But today I only talk about us, the Pakistanis. Most of the people I see on social media are in solidarity with Gaza and I applaud the effort, I applaud our unity and I applaud our concern. Every little effort counts.    But with every tweet and Facebook post there are hundreds of those who beg to differ and ask whether the deaths in Gaza are the only things that matter and whether we have forgotten about our very own IDPs, Shia Killings or the people who die every day in Karachi. From this the question arises, is one life more precious than the other? Don't all deaths mean the same? The answer is no. And we have known this for some time. The death of the rich matter more and poor are left to fend for themselves, it's the sad truth and we have come to accept it as a given in soc