Black And White Photography Entry

Click on the picture for original post.

Rules

1. Submit an original black and white photograph.
2. Submit a short piece of work telling what story the photograph is telling you.
3. Please keep both pieces of work clean and appropriate.
4. You can publish your entry on your blog and leave a link on the original post or email the blogger hosting the competition (lyndeavenue@gmail.com)
5. The deadline for this contest has been extended to 10th October. 

My Entry

And still after all this time, The Sun has never said to the Earth, "You owe me". Look what happens with love like that. It lights up the sky.

-Rumi

The Ideal Blogger (#2) Content and Consistency

Before I start off with this, I thought I'd let you guys know that I added one last section to the previous post titled "Utilize Social Media". Click here for the previous part.

Okay, let's get started (:

First off- content. This is what people judge your blog by. And this is what you should ask yourself when you open up your blog in your browser tab. "Are my blog posts actually interesting? Have I written these posts sincerely enough to catch the eye of someone who doesn't know me and probably has different interests? Is there something in the posts that a general majority should be able to relate to?"

If you're writing a personal blog, ask yourself these questons. "When I document these feelings and events, does this help me in any sort of way? Will I be able to refer back to my blog, like a diary, for these memories? Will I be able to look back at my blog to see how much has changed? Have I written sincerely enough for other people to see what my life looks like?"

The first point I'm trying to make is not about content- not yet. It's about the sincerity and depth of your writing. You can write about a circus (which is really exciting in real life) but if you don't put your heart into your words, the event will seem bland and boring on your blog- no matter how many paragraphs and lines you type away. You could write about a stroll in your neighborhood (which could be something extremely normal) but if you decide to write it sincerely and focus on the best, it can turn out to be something that your followers found worth reading.

"It is an old and true maxim that "a drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gall"

 So remember- you must write sincerely, whether you write for yourself or for your followers or for both. Give yourself time to do this. It's better to write one post with your heart than to write ten with your fingers. Trust me, quality over quantity.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

What are blogs usually about? If you look through most of your blogroll/blogfeed, you'll see that the majority of blogs that teenagers follow are written by teenagers. What does this tell you? It tells you that the target audience is related to blog content. You can't write a blog about your personal life and expect business/fashion blogs to follow you because your blog just isn't their thing. What you have to do is realize what your target audience is.

"... I happened to be excited about boats and the visitor discussed the subject in a way that seemed to me particularly interesting. After he left, I spoke of him with enthusiasm..... My aunt informed me he was a New York lawyer; that he cared nothing whatsoever about boats.... "But why then did he talk all the time about boats?... "Because he is a gentleman. He saw you were interested in boats and he talked about the things he knew would interest and please you. He made himself agreeable""

Fortunately, you, as a blogger, do not have to bend your back so far as to start blogging about something that doesn't even interest you (do you know what this means? This means that teenagers are interested in teenagers. Whatever you write will appeal to 70% of teenage bloggers). But what you do need to realize is that there are lots of teen bloggers out there and that most of your interests and blog content will overlap. Teenagers- especially those with personal blogs like this one- will write about a variety of subjects which would include

• School related subjects, for example rants/studyblrs/stationary/note-taking
• Relationships, whether it's about your parents, your siblings, your friends, your relatives, your classmates, your teachers
• Writing, for example poetry, short stories, book reviews, fandom reviews, other rants, discussions, arguments, informative articles
• Photography, which is a really popular subject among a great majority of teenage blogs and should be classified as separate from art.
• Art, whether it's drawing, sculpting, painting, singing, designing, fashion

It's not so hard writing on a personal blog (a category which quite a few bloggers are in and it is these bloggers I'm focusing on). But what you need to do is to present the same information in a unique kind of way. You need to make your blog creative so it stands out from the rest of the blogging world. You need to create your own niche.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next most important thing about content after your subject is how you present it, also known as, how creative you are with your posts. Standard posts tend to involve images or gifs, but we want your post to burst with something special! How can we achieve that?

For starters, check out tumblr for images. This is a website which is overflowing with unique ideas and text posts. You know those famous "teenager posts" and "that's so relateable posts" that are a hit on Facebook? Those all came from tumblr. Imagine what else you could find there. Literally everything, including fandom related stuff. One of my favorite personal posts was created from tumblr's vast data base of images and that post quickly made it on the "Most Popular Post" widget on the sidebar. You can check it out here.

Since you're aiming at a teenage audience, ideas like that will most probably make itself a hit.

Creativity also includes font, paragraphing and divisions. Remember, you need your blog to be easy on the eyes. There are some fonts available on blogger that really make reading a chore. I know, because I used to use a really difficult font on my blog and I didn't even know it was so hard to read because I never looked at my blog properly. Lesson learnt? Visit your blog as a reader regularly and try to understand how it looks to a visitor.

Next is paragraphing. Split your writing into proper paragraphs because, let's be honest, no one wants to read a textbook styled essay. Even if you ARE writing an essay on your blog, paragraph each point, each example separately. Your readers are not your academic examiners. They are not under a contract to read each and every word. If you thrust too much in one go, chances are you're losing a reader.

Don't forget to divide the post. There's a feature in blog writing where you can write in a variety of modes, being Heading, Sub Heading, Minor Heading and Normal. Utilize these features! Apart from these, you can also use bullet points to categorize facts and important information- or just outline the entire post at the start or at the end. It's little things like these that make your posts reader friendly.

These were some simple ways to make your posts creative. Here are some more complex ideas.

• Use your own photographs to make gifs
• Create text graphics
• Use different colors and highlights
• Present information on images (also called infographics)
• Add your own drawings (traditional or digital) to illustrate your post

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You could have a beautiful blog with fantastic posts, but what's the point of following you if the last post you made was in 2012? I have seen SO MANY amazing and fantastic blogs that have been inactive for years, and it just literally kills me. It's like finding a dead tree- tall and splendid, but it's not going to grow even one more inch. Most of these blogs have final posts like "I find blogging a chore now" or "blogging isn't fun anymore" or "I'm on hiatus", giving me the impression that if blogging becomes worrisome, a blogger is inclined to simply dump the project and leave.

Now, I'm not exactly one to talk. I HAVE been blogging 2011, but I actually started and stuck to this blog since 2013. Only one and a half year. I have yet to come across a period where blogging is something I want to drop and run away from- but I DO occasionally have writers block. Here's how I combat these periods.

Create a Blogging Notebook

That's right! It won't hurt to dedicate a notebook to your blog, would it? In fact, it would actually be super helpful! I've dedicated a notebook of mine to this blog and so far, it has really benefited me. 

I've tried re-sizing this to fit in the post area but it's not working -__- 

And remember- it's for rough ideas. Throw everything in there. I even stuff in my awards here since I realized spacing them out evenly is a better idea then doing the awards as soon as they come. Write down all the memes, all the contests, all the blog trends happening- even if you have too much on your plate already- because when you're out of ideas, this is what will keep your blog afloat.

But what if you're completely blank and have no idea about what to blog about? You need to sit down and give yourself time to think about it. Brilliant ideas don't come when they're wanted- they just arrive unexpectedly and that's just their nature. There's nothing much you can do about it- but here's what you CAN do to get the process started.

• Browse Pinterest. Here's a site that will have loads of ideas, quotes, books, projects, fashion- everything available. Just sift through all the information and find something you really like- whether it's a tutorial or a quote. Post it on your blog along with your thoughts about it- turn it into a writing exercise. (If it's a tutorial that's caught your eye, DO IT and post your results on your blog).
• Read a book from your To Be Read pile and write a book report on it! Everybody loves book reports!
• Browse through other interesting blogs and see if something inspires you to write your own post! There are lots of writing blogs out there that gather quite the resources for their readers. A good example of such a blog is "A Splash of Ink" by Sunny Smith.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Are you on a writing roll? Is creativity flowing out from your fingertips onto the keyboard? Let me advise you- don't post all at once. Pace yourself. You cannot write ten posts in one week and then be absolutely blank the next. Plan out your schedule- it's okay to write everything down and prepare a blogpost, but you won't gather readers effectively if you post everything within a short span of time. Use the "Schedule" option on the side of the page when you write your blogpost. It's bursts of creativity like this that will help cover up your blog when you're having a writer's block.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Everything highlighted in pink are excerpts from the book "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie.

Part Three of this post trilogy will be Common Courtesy.

Did you find anything lacking or any new point that could be added? It would be my pleasure to add your insights and examples to this post (I'll credit you, of course).

Tag and a Blog Party :)

20 Facts About Me 
I got nominated for this tag by Sophia M @ So Sophia where you basically just write 20 facts about yourself.
#1. I'm Muslim.
#2. I live in Pakistan
#3. I spent most of my childhood in the States
#4. I really want to be a doctor
#5. I love reading books
#6. I like talking to people about their hobbies/interests.
#7. I have this phases where I spend my time researching on Wikipedia or tumblr or whatever.
#8. I love watching anime but I'm very picky about my series.
#9. I'm a Whovian who is Sherlocked
#10. I like reading book series but sometimes I forget what happened in the previous books.
#11. I like painting and doodling but I don't really get the time to do it.
#12. I'd like to learn how to sew but I don't think I'll have time for that either.
#13. I am amazingly sensitive. I like acting tough and all, but my own sensitiveness amazes me like "What, dude, what?! Get a grip!"
#14. I talk to myself ALOT. Especially in front of the mirror, where I can try pulling on different faces.
#15. I'm going to Karachi today. I'm not sure if I'll have WiFi
#16. I used to play with dolls a lot and sew clothes for them but it's just not my thing anymore.
#17. I usually make a really big mess in the kitchen.
#18. I love handling little kids. I can't wait to meet my little cousins in Karachi.
#19. I'm a little stressed about getting into med school because I don't think I have a chance for it this year.
#20. I like candy O3O

1. What do you love about the fall season?

I'll have to explain my country's climate first xD we don't exactly have the autumn people are usually imagining. For us, autumn is just the gradual transition from summer to winter- no bright colors etc. In fact, it's so gradual, you can't tell whether it's still summer or if it's autumn. 

2. If you walked in a mall and saw a guacamole chip hat, would you wear one or eat it?

I have no idea what that is (:

3. What is one of the most frustrating or aggravating things in the blogging world?

Well, I think it's when I put a lot of effort in my blog and don't really see any proper result coming from it. Perhaps I need to fix my blogging style...

4. Would you rather build a snowman or sing in the rain? (See what I did there?)

I've never played with snow. Although I like rain better, I think I would rather build a snowman.

5. If you had to chose how you were a part of a theater or movie production, would you be: an actor, props designer, set designer, light/technical director, audio coordinator, costume director, music director, dance coordinator, stage manager, or a part of the audience?

I would probably be the set designer or the stage manager :D

6. List your blogging inspirations (blogs and people).

I take inspirations from a lot of people, but here's a list of some of them!

Maine Lyn

Riley Sinclair

Envy

F

A Girl Without A Name

Wonder Bradbury

7. Do you think you could commit yourself to a Halloween costume made of lint, or a Halloween costume made of bubble wrap?

I don't celebrate Halloween, sorry (:

8. Do you tend to photo bomb people's photos, or divert from them?

I prefer to divert since it's really no good trying to messing up someone's photographs. Bad manners.

9. What is one word you constantly have to keep looking up the definition to?

Wow, interesting question. I have no idea (: I look up a variety of words.

10. If you wrote an autobiography about yourself, what would you call it (if you couldn't place your name in the title) and why?

Probably something lame like "One out of Many" or whatever,

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

And before I finish off this post and click "Publish", here are some updates.

->Yes, I'm going to Karachi today.

-> I'm not sure if I'll have WiFi but we'll see.

-> I've scheduled part two of The Ideal Blogger Series for Saturday.

Have a nice day (:

The Ideal Blogger (#1) Follow and Feedback

I've had a lot of spare time on my hands and I had been spending it on browsing fresh blogs, leaving comments and adding a blog or two to my personal follow list. I think I've seen a lot of blogs that seemed to be missing a spark or so and after reading "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie, I have understood what it means to be an ideal blogger. 

I'm not saying my blog is ideal, but that we could all work together to the goal of being so with the blogging epiphany I had. I'd like to share my ideas and opinions with you and it would be fantastic if you guys shared something back. So, without further ado, I present to you my blog post trilogy.

Following and receiving feedback is something you cannot achieve without your readers. If you want more comments and more followers, you need your readers to do it for you. So here's the question.

How can you make your readers do what you want them to do?

"The only way I can get you to do anything is by giving you what you want.

What do you want?" 

So what do most bloggers want? Let's make a list.

--> increased traffic on their blog
--> comments on their posts
--> new followers
--> a feeling of importance or pride for their blog and their writing.

Let's face it, people are usually thinking about themselves whenever they do something. When bloggers design their pages, they think along the lines of "this will make my blog beautiful" - "This will increase my traffic" - "This will make me look better" instead of thinking along the lines of "this will make navigation for my readers easier" - "this will help readers find something they want to read" - "this will keep my readers interested".

There is a subtle difference between the two streams of thought. One focuses on what you want, the other focuses on what your readers want- and I think we all know how important attitude is!

"If there is any one secret of success," said Henry Ford, "it lies in the ability to get the other person's point of view and see things from his angle as well as your own"

 If you want someone to comment on or follow your blog, why should they do so? Would talking about how feedback makes me happy or how feedback makes my day better or how much I love feed back make you want to do it? No it doesn't! Think about it this way.

Reader: Hmm, this blog is nice, I suppose. The posts are average but it has over 50 followers. Perhaps I should leave a comment with my blog linked in it.
Blogger: Please leave a comment! I love comments! They make me happy!
Reader: I know they make you happy- heck they'd make anyone happy! The question is, will you actually look at what I had to say and will you come to my blog and see what I write about too?
Blogger: I have 200 followers! I'm too busy to comment back- did you see the 160 comments on my last post- let alone follow a noob blog like yours that only has 10 follows! I have better things to do!
Reader: Then why should I bother commenting on your post or follow your blog?
Blogger: To make me happy of course!

This is an imaginary conversation a reader has with a blogger who "loves feedback" but hardly ever gives anything in return.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Trying to appreciate your readers before they comment is not a good idea and is fairly annoying if that's your tactic for garnering more comments. What you need to do is offer your readers and incentive to comment and later on, follow. Here are some example for the text that appears before the comment form

Bad: I love comments!
Good: I reply to each and every comment!
Bad: Please share your thoughts on what I wrote!
Good: Please leave a link to your blog so I can comment back!

All this discussion was for new bloggers and new traffic. But how can you get your current followers to engage with you on their blog? Here's a list!

#Give Them Honest Feedback

No, this doesn't mean you point out their errors or start arguing with them. It means you take the best of their post and trying making the blogger feel important. You must be

"...hearty in their appreciation and lavish in their praise..."

No flattery! Sit down and read the post! Think along the following lines.

"What part of this post stood out? What part did I find interesting? How would I describe this post? Did it inspire me in any sort of way? Did it amuse me? Did it remind me of something I used to do myself? Would I like to read something similar again?"

Did anything positive come to your mind? Good! Write it down in the comment section.

#Tag Them in Awards

Here's your chance to talk about the things you love and answer questions made just for you and  keep your readers engaged- because they're the ones who are going to be nominated! Make sure you correctly mention their names, their blog's name and link it properly. It also wouldn't hurt to write a couple of sentences about each nominee- maybe about why you nominated them, what kind of blogger they are or just a heartfelt compliment. Remember, we are aiming for our readers to feel important. Your words should make them realize that you read everything they say and that you are genuinely interested in what their response to your tag/award would be.

#Add Their Blog to Your Blog

There are lots of ways you could do this. Here are three such ways.

• Swap buttons with your readers
• Place their blog on the blogfeed widget that can be put on your sidebar
• Mention their names and blogs on a post that was inspired by something they wrote.

#Utilize Social Media

Do you have links to your twitter/facebook/tumblr/other media? Are you giving out your blog email for contacting? Well and good- but remember, you need to CHECK up on those links too! There WILL be occasional bloggers who tweet to you or decide to email to you (they will be uncommon, or even rare, but they exist. Trust me, I'm one of those random people) but what I've noticed is that once a social media profile is set up for a blog, it is usually abandoned or simply inactive. But- there are some brilliant bloggers out there who are on social media and who actually take the time to reply to you.

One of my favorite bloggers, Riley Sinclair tweets every now and then and I tweet back to her. She's super nice and makes me feel really special when she thanks me for my responses to her updates. Learn from the pro bloggers who make YOU feel worth it. Remember, blogging is a social platform. You're not getting a fan-following on your blog- you're making a circle of friends!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Let's sum up what we're going to try to aim for from today onwards.

*A change of attitude- focusing on what your readers want instead of what you want and find something that satisfies both parties.

*Offer your reader incentives to comment/follow

*Make your readers feel important as an individual blogger.

*Be genuinely interested in your readers and encourage them to talk about their opinions.

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*

Everything highlighted in pink are excerpts from the book "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie.

Part Two of this post trilogy will be Content and Consistency.

Did you find anything lacking or any new point that could be added? It would be my pleasure to add your insights and examples to this post (I'll credit you, of course).

BookShelf: Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore

The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The customers are few, and they never seem to buy anything—instead, they “check out” large, obscure volumes from strange corners of the store. Suspicious, Clay engineers an analysis of the clientele’s behavior, seeking help from his variously talented friends. But when they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, they discover the bookstore’s secrets extend far beyond its walls. Rendered with irresistible brio and dazzling intelligence, Robin Sloan's Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave.

~Taken from Goodreads

Secret book clubs with an awesome name and ultra cool hide-outs and exclusive membership and activities bordering rituals- how awesome is that?! Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is definitely an interesting tale of book lovers, book societies and books! But that's not all that is discussed. A more pressing issue of ebooks vs physical books is also shown along with the part played by mega corporations which ultimately lead to the decline of the culture of reading and buying books.

Why did I like Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore? I think it's because the writer has taken our world and the world of books and has created a world in between -a world where you can just barely see all the others coinciding and overlapping each other. I just loved the feeling this book gave me- it was inspiring because (this might sound very weird) after reading a book about books, I found myself loving books even more and totally motivated to read tons more! The idea of writing a codex was intriguing and I found myself toying with the idea and concept that the writer had presented.

All in all, this book was really good- not as exciting as you'd think it is, but still satisfying and overall, extremely realistic- a quality not many fictional books seem to be able to pull off *cough*.

Sunshine Award

I'd put this award on hold since I had an interview and stuff to worry about, but now that that's over (I don't want to talk about it just yet, so maybe I'll post about it later) and my nominator is going on hiatus, I thought I'd better upload this as soon as possible. So without further chit chat, I present to you a Sunshine Award I got from Whimsical Youngster.

The rules are fairly simple, all you have to do is post five facts about yourself and then answer five questions before tagging your own nominees and giving them a different set of five questions.(:

=> FIVE FACTS

The ginormous Qmobile

1. Just downloaded instagram (finally) and trying to figure out all the cool stuff it can do apparently xD
2. I was carrying three cell phones yesterday, my cracked HTC HD7, a gigantic Qmobile and a Samsung Galaxy S. Three phones is an awful lot so I returned the Qmobile to my dad. The Galaxy S however, is a locked phone, but I've downloaded lots of apps that are faulty on the HD7 (windows phone) and am actually enjoying android. Might not be so bad switching to there.
3. I have found my favorite DOTA 2 character- the Blood Seeker. My brother says I'm a terrible player and that I should just quit, but I think I can play best as the bloodseeker and actually get a couple of kills myself (otherwise, I'm usually just dying or tagging along with my team if they're good players. Both get me labelled as a "noob").
4. This morning, my dad said I should take a course in statistics, which might be a good idea seeing as, whether I get into medical college or not, I'm literally free till December/January. He said that knowing statistics along with being a doctor makes you research oriented which is big plus since you can do more than just help patients- you could help on a wide scale since you'd be able to interpret data etc.
5. I'm trying not to scribble too much on diary because I think I'll need it before the year comes to an end. And why would I need it? Well, that's a surprise that I'll share when it happens (:

Now for the question Whimsical Youngster asked.

Q) Favorite song and why?
Actually, I don't really listen to music so I don't exactly have a favorite song. The thing is, once I listen to a song, it's going to be in my head for a couple of days and I find that very annoying as well as distracting. Solution? Stopped listening (:

Q) Name one character trait which you wish to improve.
I think I'd like to improve my lack of confidence as well as my public speaking skills. I'm a very outgoing person, so if it's possible to NOT have to do it, I won't do it. But I guess if you push me to do it, I probably will but I won't give you the best performance possible. I think I'd like to change that part of myself. People don't really get to see what kind of a person I am until they get close, I can't seem to be able to present myself to a distant audience or person. Confidence, confidence.

Q) Are you a rain or sunshine sort of person?
Ohh, rain, definitely (:

Isn't this a beautiful GIF? Look at the candle and the rain o.o

Q) Name one hobby of yours.
I enjoy reading blogs (: I tend to jump from blog to blog and see what other people have to post about etc.

Q) What super power do you want to have?
Probably something like the Avatar from ATLA/TLOK.

Now, for my set of questions.

Do you like playing video games? Which kind do you play?
What aspect of you gets complimented the most?
What do you look forward to the most during your week?
What is your preferred mode of communication?
Board games vs Card games?

The first three to comment are officially nominated and I will add your names here and you'd better do this award or you will not get any cookies >.>

September Photography

We had gone out on top of the Margalla Mountains to a resort for lunch.

My personal favorite

This post might get a part two if I get to take loads of more beautiful pictures like these (:

Picture Perfect Memories #1

Picture Perfect Memories is a monthly meme hosted by Envy at Picking Up the Pieces. I thought this was super interesting to do and now, I've finally decided to do it. Basically, you just share a picture or two that are associated with a share-worthy memory and the best part is, you don't even have to be in the picture! (how cool is that omg xD)

2011

This is a picture from the time we went to the USA for the summer. And yes, it's a picture of a beach. We spent a month in Florida (Sunshine State, loads of beaches etc etc) and for entertainment, it was either this beautiful place and a picnic or off to the local amusement park, Busch Gardens, which is, seriously, the most awesomest amusement park I have ever been to. (Haven't visited Orlando that much).

2011

That summer trip was totally amazing because it was like being back home all over again and seeing everything a little differently because you know, growing up in Pakistan does change your perspective a bit xD I thought that this was a good 'collective' memory to share because this is something I look back to fondly and hope to see it again in my future. 

Into My Mind

I thought I'd be a little creative with this post and try to let your guys see what kind of thoughts I have since they seem pretty strange -at times- to myself. I just go rambling on to myself, usually in front of a mirror and in the bathroom where my facial expressions are visible only to myself. Well, here goes xD

I'm standing in front of the mirror.

So my favorite kinds of genres would be fantasy with the hero who over turns society for the better or at least tries to- I find stories like that very interesting and easy to relate to. Better not mention any complex types of novels like 1984. Oh, I also like a Passage to India, I felt that it was a very well written novel, although it was rather long- hold on, I think a Passage of India would also be regarded as a complex novel. I have a feeling that book has too much symbolism, with all those cave echoes and what nots.

I walk out of the bathroom.

My dream was complex too, I mean it was weird. Why would a hospital guard even let me park my dinosaur in the basement parking? Weren't they afraid of it wrecking other people's private properties (cars)? Unimportant characters, seriously, even more idiotic than the dreams themselves.

I open my closet.

Oh there's that pencil with the icky holder. I wonder how it got sticky like that. I didn't even put it anywhere near glue or any other sticky things, better shove it in a corner where it can't spread it's disease. I should really try using those paints sometimes- such a waste. It would be nice to sit down and doodle around a bit now that I have so much time.

I leave the room.

So if I need to explain why I'm a doctor, I have exactly three reasons to state and out of the three, two are selfish reasons. But I'll start with the selfless reason first and that would be that I love helping people and I feel that being a doctor would be better for me because it gives an almost immediate effect on people and they are actually grateful to you. On the other hand, teachers are super helpful too and they have a much longer role in changing lives- but let's be honest, you're going to have to face the same kids for a whole year.

I go to the kitchen for a drink.

Okay and the selfish reason is that I'm rather afraid of dying so I'd like to know when I have a disease or complication before anyone else and be able to take first steps to counter it. And yes, that is super selfish if you ask me because it wouldn't benefit anyone and probably give me more stress. Wow, I'd be a wreck then, wouldn't I? Better not say that in the interview.

I take out my laptop.

What was the third reason? Hmm. Gah, I forgot the third reason. Mental facepalm. I should post on my blog more often. Wouldn't it be funny if I had a machine that could type down all the words I'm thinking? That would make things easier for me but, now that I think about it, it would be an awful lot of junk that the poor machine would be typing away at. I mean, who the heck cares about the blabbering my brain is doing. Well, it would be rather interesting, I suppose. Maybe I should make a blog post about this. I'll start with "I thought I'd be a little creative with this post and try to let you guys see what kind of thoughts I have..."

Wake Me Up When September Ends

September has not come out with a good start for me and I shall proceed to tell you why. I think this image here will surely explain it.

I gave my MCAT on the 31st of August and when you give the paper, you get to keep a carbon copy of your test and then you can calculate your marks from the answer key that would be released later that day.

I didn't think I gave a good paper, but I had my hopes, you know.

So when the answer key came out, my dad and I sat down to write down the answers and see how many I got right. So while we were checking, it looked like I did a pretty good test and that I had a chance at getting into a government college but then we sat down to calculate the actual marks and it came out to 67% which brings my aggregate marks to 75% (the 67% dragged my school grades of 83% down, or you could take it the other way around).

The only reason I didn't score so high was because I left A LOT of questions and it was because of the fear that the Academy I went to put in me. Out of 220 questions, I left 40 questions. That drags my total done questions from 100% to 80%. Out of these 220 questions, I got 27 wrong.

Because of this, and several other reasons, I decided to start another blog that would be mostly about studying tips and advice etc. Feel free to check it out here. The project is mostly aimed for students who are going for medicine and have done/are doing O or A Levels.

Anyway, I got a little depressed about this, because I am positive that I will not be able to get into a government college. The merit usually closes at around 83% and it would take a miracle to drag the merit down to my sorry 75%. 

But I've decided to get over it. I mean, how long will everyone talk about this failure? A week maybe? Besides, I don't have to really study anything anymore. There's just one official test left and I'm thinking about applying to FMDC (Federal Medical and Dental College) but they've closed their registration for now due to the dharna (sit in) Islamabad has been having for two weeks.

It's also great that Islamabad is having constant rain since this morning.

Well, I'm sorry for this shortened post, but that's all I've been wanting to say. Not a very bright or cheerful post, but I have a couple of things planned :)