Why You Should/ShouldN'T Play DOTA2

Defense of The Ancients 2- a popular game in the geek world, filled with your classic characters, the tanks, the mages, the support and the thrill of battle between the classes. I got hooked up to this game by my brother earlier this year (sometime after summer) and I'll admit, the game is enjoyable and fairly easy to conduct. However, there are a couple of downsides to this game too. 

What is DOTA2 about though? Basically, it's a game set in a closed arena. You'll have five characters on each side with a base and a couple of towers, making ten characters in play. You have creeps spawning after every few minutes. Your job is to take your creep wave into the enemy land and destroy their base (called Ancient, thus Defense of the Ancient). 

If I had read an article like the one I'm going to write- before I had started playing- I probably would have thought twice about downloading it and stopped playing without thinking twice. But that's just what I would have done and what a lot of people wouldn't do. Nevertheless, here's all you need to know about-

Let's talk about why you should play DOTA2 and what is it exactly that makes this game enjoyable and addicting? (I'd ask my brother but he's kind of busy in a match at the moment) DOTA noob Kanra is here to do some game promotion!

First of all- the graphics of this game are amazing. From the characters, to the creeps, to the entire arena, the look of everything is amazing. You'd think such a detailed game would lag and go really slow but actually, game play is smooth and you can just sit and watch your character run here and there and be amazed. The characters (called "heroes") are produced to appear lifelike- while standing, they appear to be breathing and if you leave them alone too long, they'll probably do a tap dance to entertain themselves. (Oh and if you write LOL in chat, they actually LAUGH OUT LOUD). (I just had to say that).

The arena, or the battlefield has great graphics too. Change between day and night causes the arena to appear completely different during the respective time. Heroes running over water creates ripples and if you happened to have used a tango on a tree, you can watch it disappear and then suddenly shoot up in a rapid replay of growth several minutes later.

Developers don't make games for beauty though. They make it so that you find yourself challenged. I said, earlier, that conducting the game is fairly easy- you direct your Hero to a location with a mouse, move the camera with the keyboard, select spells and target with your cursor. It sounds easy but the game is dynamic. You have five Heroes on each side (ten players in all, including you) and each of them acts individually (whether playing against Bots or against Players). Then you have the Creeps who come out wave after wave, trying to push into enemy territory. Oh, also, remember how everyone is individual? That means they have a Hero who also has their own unique powers which they can use whenever they want and maybe end up killing you over and over and not letting your Hero do anything heroic. (see what I did there)

The game isn't that simple, we conclude. There are lots of things that compound to this fact. There is no easy way to play the game. You must fight if you want to level up and get money- but if you die, you lose a whole chunk and your respawn time increases after each death (along with the cash needed if you want to get out early). However if you manage to kill a Hero, you might get a substantial increase in cash (depends on how much the Hero was carrying) along with a boost in experience. Each character has different stats- mages are squishy, tanks are tanky and carrys love to gank. But guess what- there's a shop in the game and you can build up your character in ANY way you want. You could take the squishy Crystal Maiden and make her a tank by boosting her strength stats, increasing her health and raising her defenses (provided you manage to hoard enough money without getting killed- which would be really difficult considering how squishy she is, but okay).

Point to be noted? DOTA2 has a variety of characters and playing styles to choose from. You could turn a support based character into a carry, or a mage into a ganker or whatever, really. You take your character and you build it up the way you want. There are three major stats in each character, being strength (increases health points) agility (increases the number of attacks per second) or intelligence (increases your mana pool). Personally, I'm a big fan of agility characters- I like watching my Heroes hit rapidly and pull down someone's health points. But you could give your Hero lots of health and have them survive longer in fights (and maybe be able to get out alive, thus saving you money) or give them intelligence based items and have an enormous mana pool to spam spells from without burning out! The choice is completely yours.

Remember what I said about there being ten players in all? And each of them being individual and unique? DOTA2 is a game based on strategy and teamwork. I've seen some of the Bots of DOTA2 play really cleverly- luring a player with a loner Hero deep into enemy lanes to have the rest of the team gank on it and wipe you out (and I've been wiped like that, honestly). This is a game where, along with your own playing, you have to keep an eye out on what your team mates are doing and lend a hand in if possible. Everyone's Hero is different and has different abilities- there's definitely a time for each of them to shine- provided you know what you're doing. Also, if you've done teamwork sort of work, you'd know how hard it is to get everything just right- so it's going to be doubly hard doing that, whether it's with Bot teammates or Player teammates, adding to the challenge of the game.

What are my favorite Heroes in DOTA2? Well, I'm biased towards long range characters. I love the way I can stand outside the fight and get a few hits and run away before I get killed (which doesn't happen that much, sadly). At the same time, I like female Heroes. (I'm incredibly biased, amn't I?) Nevertheless, here are top three heroes in my list who are..

Female

Drow Ranger (Agility based Long range Hero), Legion Commander (Strength based Melee Hero), Lina (Intelligence based Long Range Hero)

Over Powered

Bloodseeker (Agility based Melee Hero), Viper (Agility+Intelligence based Long Range Hero), Sniper (Agility based Long Ranged Hero)

Personal Favorites

Legion Commander (because she's so awesome), Viper (because he poisons and how cool is that), Sniper (because running away with him sounds easy and he mega kills around level 15ish)

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

We talked about the dazzling side of DOTA2 but I promised to write why you shouldN'T play as well! And that's exactly what we're going to talk about now. The game sounds amazing and intriguing but- why shouldn't you play it?

First of all, this game is highly addicting. You'll be having so much fun building up your character in each game and trying to kill other people and dying that you won't realize how much time you've spent on one game (which is an average of at least thirty minutes to a full hour- if we're talking about the shortest time span). Think about it. You need to level up your character, carry your creep wave to the enemy, destroy towers, kill Heroes, advance deeper in and then raid the base- while your enemy is doing the absolute same. It's definitely going to take quite a bit of time.

On top of that, since every game starts with all the characters at level one, it's going to add to the addiction. How about I build this character in that way now? How about I take another character? How about I play as a jungler and just farm next time? There are a variety of Heroes, build up styles, playing styles and not to mention the situation itself, making each and every game you play unique. The possibilities of game play is endless and just as engaging as the first. 

On the other hand, DOTA2 can also get extremely frustrating (doesn't that happen in every game?). It is difficult to "learn" to be a pro player- even by practice- so if you're a newbie who didn't click in to the set up, chances are you'll never click in (yeah, that's me). If you mess up in a game once, chances are that you're going to be targeted (whether by bots or players) because your mistake will make you look vulnerable. Even if you're strong, all your enemies are going to go for killing you first because you'll look easy and against a big group, you will be the first to fall. All because of that one tiny mistake.

So you frequently mess up your game and keep getting targeted and you want to improve your playing style. Let me tell you something- I've been playing for a while and I haven't figured out how to level up my own playing so I can't advise anyone on that. Also, I don't like admitting I'm a really bad player. Conclusion? More frustration while badly playing a game you're already bad at and can't improve in.

Last but not least, DOTA2 has the option of online play. Oh, let me warn you. The DOTA2 community is harsh and unforgiving. Online rules aside, I'm talking about the players. If you die, you're stamped as a noob loudly and if you repeat that mistake (even after repeatedly announcing your own noob-ness) there are high chances of being abused. Oh and you know what I do? I mute all my team mates and don't get to see what they're saying and then I do whatever I want and make the team lose. This is going to happen every single time so I just stick to bot games nowadays.

But if we decide to put aside the issues put up by players in online play, we end up with two other problems. First of all, while playing online, you cannot PAUSE the game (because there's other people playing and they're not going to like the pause) so forget playing online casually. You would really have to sit down and dedicate a solid hour to your game, playing online. Next, if you lag, you can say "Game Over" for you because not only does only YOUR game stop, but your character is going to be stranded and (1) miss out on experience and loot (2) become easy killing targets if abandoned near your area frontier. Easy solution to online play would be to just play offline with bots. Much less hassle.

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

So here's why you should and shouldn't play DOTA2. I've put my reasons forward, coupled with my own experiences and now it's your turn to decide on what you're going to do. Are you going to dive into this rich world of Heroes and battle or just do the smart thing and walk past?

Medical College + GIF Spam

In an earlier post, I talked about my interview at Shifa, a private medical college in my city. I had passed the test and given the interview on the 22nd of October. Through hacks at medstudentz.com, I had gotten my hands on the merit list for the candidates and my name was #30 on the list!! Yesterday, I got a letter in the mail confirming this by inviting me to join the MBBS class of 2019! Isn't this exciting! I'm totally excited! In fact, I'm so happy and excited, I've been a little overwhelmed!

Anyway, I promised to write about my interview properly and so here we go. I'm only writing the gist or whatever I thought was really important.

"You are holding interviews for a job position and one of the applicants says that due to his father's ill health, he was unable to complete the application in time. He is now asking for an interview. What would you do?"

Me: Well, I'd ask him to bring some sort of proof of what he's saying, like a medical certificate of his father and see whether it was really serious or not.
Her: So you think you'd be able to judge whether the condition was serious enough for the candidate to personally attend to?
Me: No, I'd show the certificate to a physician and ask for his advice.
Her: Good, but what if the condition was fifty-fifty?
Me: Then I'd ask at least three physicians and take the majority opinion.
Her: Good, okay. Well, we finished your interview early.
Me: Oh okay. So, uh. What do you think about the Shifa and PMDC issue?
Her: That's not a problem, it'll be resolved in no time.

 "You had an argument with one of your classmates. Your teacher has divided the class into groups and both of you are in the same group. You want the groups to be changed. Request your teacher for this"

Me: Uh. Hello, I'm a student in your class and I have something I wanted to discuss with you.
Her: *nods*
Me: Uh. You recently divided our class into groups for a study project and I want to ask you to change groups.
Her: Why?
Me: Because there's someone in my group who I cannot get along with.
Her: Why?
Me: *flustered* Well, we had an argument and I think our feelings will disturb the rest of the group.
Her: Who started the argument?
Me: *thinking along the lines of 'what the hell'* Uh. Well I'm not sure I could answer that question properly since I'd be biased in my own favor.
Her: Did you think about apologizing?
Me: I think we should give it time to cool off before apologizing.
Her: Okay but why should I change the groups? It's been this way for weeks and it would disturb the class dynamics.
Me: *I think we're roleplaying in two different time sets* I'll find someone willing to change groups.
Her: No one will change groups-
Me: *turns slightly frustrated and mad* No, I will find someone. Let me take care of this and then you can change the groups.
Her: Okay, tell me what the fight was about.
Me: *still mad* I didn't like her so we fought.
Her: Why didn't you like her?
Me: *realizes this was a bad course of action to take* Uh.. she uh... She does her work really late.
Her:...
Me:... *realizes this was a stupid reason to fight imaginary friend with and go complain to teacher for*
Her: ...
Me: *stares at shoes*

"What qualities should a good doctor have? Relate an incident which shows that you possess this quality"

Me: Relate an incident? That's going to be difficult.
Her: No it wont, just tell me something that you did at home or at school that would prove any positive quality needed for being a good doctor.
Me: *clearly confused and has no idea what to say*
Her: Why don't you tell me about an internship you did.
Me: Oh, yeah, I've done a few internships, Most of them were about teaching children in katchi abadis, not like, educating them, but trying to get them interested in reading books and stories and stuff.
Her: So what did you learn about yourself?
Me: I learned that I'm pretty patient. It's really hard to control a group of 8 year olds and keep them entertained *gets an approving nod from interviewer*
Her: And what was the drawback?
Me: Well, the only drawback I felt was the language barrier.
Her: *leans forward* Language barrier?
Me: My Urdu isn't topnotch and for katchi abadi children who are fluent in Punjabi and Urdu, it was a little hard for me to communicate properly with them.
Her: Your Urdu?
Me: Yeah, I came from the States about seven years ago. My Urdu is good for conversation, but it's mostly filled with English words, which I'm sure you know, those children would not have understood so easily.
Her: That's true. So what did you think about Pakistan's education system?
Me: Uh- *bells rungs to end interview*

"You run a tertiary government hospital which is supposed to provide free medication. However, you have a shortage and patients have to end up paying themselves. What would you do?

Me: I'd file a report to the government.
Her: ...
Me: And maybe start a trust or an NGO to get funds for these people.
Her: ...
Me: ...
Her: ...
Me: ....
Her: ...
Me: *sniffs*
Her: You have a cold?
Me: Yeah, it's just mild. It started on the weekend.
Her: Are you taking medicine?
Me: No, just hot milk in the morning.
Her: ...
Me: ....
*bell rings*

"You were exiting a car parking when you hit the car next to you and break something. The security guard sees and informs you that it is Doctor Y's car and he has been told of this incident. Call Doctor Y and tell him what happened"

Me: Hi, my name is Kanra and I accidentally hit your car in the parking lot.
Him: Yeah, the security guard told me, I asked him to get a hold of you. Did you come by yourself or did he send you?
Me: .... I came myself.
Him: Good, so you came by yourself?
Me: Yeah, I felt it would  be better to deal with this problem face to face.
Him: Okay, so do you have a license?
Me: No...
Him: Then why were you driving?
Me: Wait, are we talking about real life or the scenario?
Him: ... the scenario.
Me: Oh! Then I'd have a license!
Him: ... Okay so if you have a license, you must be a careless driver to have hit my car.
Me: It was an accident and besides, my ability to park and unpark a car doesn't really affect how I drive on the streets.
Him: Fair enough. So who's going to pay for the damage?
Me: I'll pay it.
Him: Are you going to pay it or get your parents to pay it?
Me: It was my mistake so I should pay for it.
Him: Okay, that'll be all.

 "You are a drug addict and you really want to get admission into a college. The college is conducting screening tests. What would you do?"

Me: I'd sign up for a rehabilitation program.
Her: But you don't have enough time to get the drug out of your system. What would you do then?
Me: I'd tell the college about my problem and ask them to make concessions for me. I'll tell them I'll join a rehabilitation program and kick off this habit.
Her: Would you think about switching your urine sample with someone else's?
Me: No way! That wouldn't be fair. I would go straight up to the administration.
Her: Okay. Do you think drug addicts should be doctors?
Me: Well, if they kick off the habit, then I think they should definitely become doctors so they can help other people kick it off.
Her: Oh you're taking it in a positive light. Good good.
Me: *psychology classes paid off! whoop whoop!!*
Her: Okay so what do you think about someone taking drugs in your class?
Me: I'd be okay with that person being in my class and I probably wouldn't have anything against them personally, but I'd like to stay away from that person.
Her: Why?
Me: I don't want them turning me into an addict.
Her: How do you think most people turn into addicts?
Me: I imagine someone randomly hands it to them and says "Hey check this!" and they taste it and get addicted.
Her: So is it their fault their addicted?
Me: No, it's not their fault if their addicted but they have the power to kick it off. If they stay addicted, it's definitely their fault.
Her: What would you do if one of your friends starts taking drugs?
Me: I'd talk to her and then call her parents and say "Do you know that your daughter takes drugs?"
Her: What about smokers?
Me: I don't have a problem with smokers as long as they're not smoking in front of me. They can go outside and so it or whatever, but not infront of me. They should respect my feelings about smoking the way I respected theirs.
Her: So why are you lenient towards smoking than towards drugs?
Me: Well, I think drugs are more dangerous, you'd literally watch a human being degrade into an animal. I think that's scary and as a friend, I should stop that from happening.
*bell rings*

 "Here is a table of a survey conducted by an ice cream company who wants to launch a new flavor. Look at the data and explain which flavor they should launch"

This one would be really hard to explain because there was a table of data and I kept referring back to it but the main point I focused on was restricted samples and how you CANNOT survey ice cream flavors from adults when it's actually the children who consume it and to put flavors that people like up front, not random flavors the ice cream company likes.

"Why do you want to be a doctor?"

I can't remember this one really well, but just this snippet.
Him: 70% of females sit at home after getting a degree.
Me: I will be that 30%

And that is how my interview ended xD My percentage was 68%/87.5% and my final percentage is 79%. That means that out of 12.5, I scored an 11 in my interview. Not bad, don't you think? ;)

Oh, and as a sort of celebration for this, I got an iPhone 5 xD pretty random, yeah? I can finally use apps like Whatsapp and Instagram decently (: I still have the Windows with me though.

Now because I have loads of GIFs and this is my blog and I can do whatever I want-

So Kanra, what're you going to do with an iPhone 5?

I haven't really thought about it but-

Don't tell anyone but-

Maybe take a selfie?

And don't tell anyone or..

Cause-

I never realized how much fun it is to talk with GIFs sorry for spamming you guys but that's how happy I am xD

Expedition Trail 6

Trail 6: one of the many man-made trails made for tourists to scale the sides of the Margalla Mountains located outside of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. Situated between the beautiful Faisal Mosque and the scenic mountains, the trail has it's own parking lot which is closed off and on a Sunday with lovely weather, is a perfect cricket ground for visitors. Trail visitors are greeted by trees planted in memory of individuals of the Marker family (whoever the heck they are) followed by a Visitor's Information Center and a sitting area with swings and a bird watch tower (which looks more like a small tree house).

Faisal Masjid, with it's scenic background- the Margalla Mountains and the sky.

Trail 6 passes through the Kavani Valley and leads all the way up to Chak Jabbi in four miles. The trail includes a smooth track for mountain biking as well as sitting areas for hikers. A stream follows some part of the trail as well, so during your climb, you can listen to the gurgling of water or decide to take a break and dip your feet in too.

Cause dates are cool and posting articles as evidence makes you look professional.

My family and I had set out to conquer this trail and reach Jabbi. We started this expedition with the clothes on our back, the shoes on our feet and a bottle of water. The start of the trail was smooth, easy rise and had several signs along the way asking visitors not to litter and to carry back their garbage. Further along the trail came a sign saying "Jabbi" and leading to another trail and that's where the rise became a bit steeper and the environment gave off a feeling of being in a jungle, isolated.

Nice sitting area, right?

The trail was quiet with birds chirping and was shaded by trees all around. The weather was good too so hiking seemed pretty easy and relaxing- coupled with the fact that we were stopping at every sitting area and stream to either: take a couple of pictures, have a hydrating drink or take off our shoes and socks and stick our feet in the running water.

My brother took off just one shoe.

We had crossed the 2.0 kilometer mark when the trail became really steep and climbing became tough business- especially since we lost the company of the trickling stream. We stopped and had a voting: Go on the last 2 kilometers and see Jabbi or head back? Majority voted on going back and ending the expedition. On our way, it was time for Zuhr and we could hear the adhan coming all the way from the masjid.

Doesn't this look tropical? Don't be fooled, this is in the middle of a mountain forest.

It was a great trip and an amazing experience. Even though the expedition turned out to be a failure since we didn't achieve our aim, we still had loads of fun! For anyone who is planning to be a tourist in Islamabad, you should definitely visit Faisal Mosque and swing by Trail 6  for some exercise too!

Picture Perfect Memories #2

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)

LET ME EXPLAIN FIRST

Weddings are a really big affair in almost every culture- Pakistan isn't an exception. This is an event which excites people from every single age and class because weddings mean shiny new clothes, jewelry, big get-to-gathers, food and excitement in the air. Well, my family hadn't attended a wedding for quite a few months so all my little cousins decided to have a wedding of their own- with dolls.

From Left to Right --> Bride's sister, Bride, Groom, Groom's sister.

It was a full-fledged affair, I tell you. There was a four foot tall mother-in-law fussing with the bride's mother (bth of the moms were sisters, btw) and people bringing gifts for the couple (usurped by the little mommies again) and then all the traditional customs being carried out- including a marriage document being signed .__. (Gudda and Gurya respectively)

My favorite one is the part where the bride's family steals the groom's shoe and the poor guy has to sit down and haggle with his in-laws over the price for getting his shoes back. This part was taken over by the older cousins and there was a whole play about it- where the bride is like "Give him his shoe back!" and the groom is like "I'm just a doll! I don't have any money!" and the bride's sister is like "Pay up 2000 rupees or your shoes will never see the light of day!"

After all that festivity, it was decided that the bride would have to be handed over to her inlaws (or, in the care of the elder sister) but the bride's mom (younger sister) didn't like this one bit and spirited the bride away to give her a bath and wash her up- which of course, ruined all the care taken into making sure the bride was spic and span for her wedding. This caused a great uproar between the elder sister and the younger sister and the mother of both (my aunt) had to resolve this issue.

This was literally, a one of a kind wedding and it was absolutely hilarious. I loved this memory, and that's why I decided to share it with you (: 

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

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. 

TLOK + Sunshine + Liebster Award

The third season of The Legend Of Korra titled Change has just come to an end and it was amazing in the most unexpected ways possible. The finale started out with the main bad guy, Zaheer giving Korra the option of surrendering herself to save the Airbenders he has captured- and for a seemingly noble guy (he talks about stuff like giving people true freedom and he acts like he thinks he's right and is a good guy and all) he doublecrosses Korra- capturing her and keeping the Airbenders.

^super awesome xD^

The fight scenes were amazing and everything was brilliant and I loved all of it. In the second part, the Red Lotus (an organization created to get rid of the Avatar) poisons Korra, forcing her into the Avatar state so they could kill her and thus end the Avatar cycle.

Korra's Avatar State was so brutal and violent and it was the complete anti-thesis of the last time the Avatar went berserk- when Aang faced off against Ozai. Aang's State was totally defensive while Ozai tried bringing him down. Here, Korra is the one who is bent after Zaheer while he flies around like Superman.

^violent crazy Korra omg I love her^

One of the reasons why I really love this show is because of the strong female characters. There's Lin Beifong and her sister, Su. Then there's Asami who doesn't bend but she is totally awesome too.

And the last scene just literally killed me- Jinora being declared an airbending master aside.

OMG LOOK AT HER. I just want to hug her to pieces and cry and omg I haven't felt this way about any character except that velveteen bunny rabbit in the story I read when I was eight years old (even though the rabbit had the happiest ending in that same story ever) and maybe Itachi (and heck, he died- Korra's not dead but this hurts much more ;n;)

This season was also much more violent as compared to the last two seasons and I think ALL of the TLOK fans have realized WHY Nickelodeon stopped airing it. It's just too graphic for children.

This lady gets suffocated.
This lady combusts her own head.
This lady gets electrocuted.
This guy brings down an entire cave in an effort to suicide.


[If you don't understand what I'm talking about, it's okay. You can start watching the Legend of Korra- the first three seasons are complete and available online]

The Sunshine Award

I got nominated by F @ The Fence Of Stars for the Sunshine Award where you have to tell people five facts about yourself, answer five questions by your nominator and give five questions of your own. Here we go >.>

Five Facts about Me

1. I love reading- reading anything! I'll read books, articles and blogs. I love telling people how much I liked their writing, or what I think could improve it.

2. I mentioned a velveteen rabbit I cried for when I was eight. It was the first story in this big story collection book and it was about a toy rabbit who got abandoned by his owner and how the poor rabbit waited and waited and how it rained and how he got soggy and I think this was too much for my eight year old self. I remember bawling for this rabbit every time I read the story (which my mother used to make me read out loud so I could improve my English. The reading sessions ended with both of us delicately skipping this first story).

3. I am a neat freak and my notes will be the most beautiful thing you will ever hold in your hand.

4. I'm starting to get a little worried about my MCAT since there's just a week left but I've been preparing for this for almost two or three months now so I'm a little scared of all the hidden mental stress my mind may be carrying. The last thing I need is my brain melting down before the test.

5. My friends have started university (some of them) and I am jealous because they have such beautiful campuses and dorms and omg I don't think I could find anything comparable to those in medical universities here.

F's Questions and My Answers

What is your favorite mythical creature? DRAGONS! xD

If you had to change accents, which would you choose? Either British or Australian :p

What was the last good book you read? I just finished reading 1984 by George Orwell. It was definitely good, in a frightening sort of way.

What is your favorite modern slang word/phrase? Hmm. This is a tricky question because it seems modern slang is something we use every day without noticing how much we use it. I don't think I'd be able to pinpoint any such phrases from my own speech D:

What is a little known fact you just found out? You cant touch your nose with your tongue like Toothless can.

^Omg did you actually try it xD^

My Questions For You

1. What is your favorite part of your favorite season?
2. Describe one event that happened to you this summer which you will probably remember for the rest of your life xD
3. The worst book ever written- in your opinion?
4. Natural tourist spots (eg beaches) vs man made tourist spots (eg amusement parks)- where would you rather go?

5. If you could invent something out of a science fiction novel or movie, what would you make?

My nominees

Lindsey Evenstar

Yasmine M

Envy

Celeste Marie

Ima Writer

Liebster Award

I got nominated for this by Whimsical Youngster @ The Starry-Eyed Dreamer. Thank you for nominating me :)

Q) What is the most important lesson you have learnt?

Well, my parents (actually, my father mostly) are usually stressing about how grades are not necessary proof of your intelligence and grasp of your studies. The main thing is to understand what you're doing first- before getting ready for a test. You could memorize everything and ace the test or you could sit down and understand everything and ace life :)

Q) What are you most scared of?

A) Cockroaches. Definitely cockroaches. Slimy little bugs. It doesn't help that I recently read a manga called Terraformars which is about humanity conquering Mars by introducing a mold and cockroaches there. The cockroaches were meant to absorb the heat of the sun and thus raise Mars' temperature while the mold was there to nourish the cockroaches. Anyway, so the manga started with this space expedition off to see how Mars was doing and to clean off the little pests. So they landed and they were like "Omg this is just like Earth now!" and they looked for the cockroaches except the cockroaches were man-sized and distinctly humanoid (evolved cockroaches) and so imagine that tiny little bug being mansized. Not only is it inhumanely fast but it's also indestructible and the cockroaches (now called Terraformers) literally pick off the human characters. The manga is pretty graphic and the cockroaches- ew. They have traumatized me.

Q) Do you believe in love at first sight?

A) There are lots of things you will love at first site but you probably won't get them anytime soon.

LOL KASHAF THIS IS FOR YOU xD

Q) If you had a time machine, what era would you travel to?

A) If I had a Time And Relative Dimension in Space (aka, a time machine) the first thing I'd do is probably sing the Doctor Who theme whenever I can. (WOOOO EEEEE OOOOOOO DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN WOOOO EEEE) And after that I'm going to high five my TARDIS

And after THAT I will try to go join the Sherlock universe xD and wow Sherlock will my wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff xD

But in all sincerity, I think I'd take my time machine and go 1400 ish years into the past :)

Q) What is your favorite show?

A) Well, I'm not sure about that. I'd probably say Doctor Who (again) and Sherlock (again).

Q) If you could use one cosmetic product for the rest of your life, which would you choose and why?

A) I don't apply cosmetics on my face soooo.

Q) What fictional character do you relate to the most?

A) Probably Korra. She's a very realistic and relatable character. (My spellcheck tell me relatable is not a word o.o)

Q) What is your guilty pleasure?

A) Browsing on tumblr or playing games or typing up this blogpost (which has spanned at least four days) when I should actually be studying >.>

Q) What are you looking forward to?

A) I am looking forward to Eid and my MCAT result (even though I haven't given the test yet) and an acceptance letter from RMC and I might go to Karachi so looking forward to that as well.

Q) If you were stranded on an island, what one person and three items would you bring?

A) I think I'd bring Cinder, from the Lunar Chronicles (cause her author reckons Cinder's the best when it comes to deserted islands) and as for the three items, my time machine TARDIS from the earlier question would be more than enough xD

Q) Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?

A) Depends on how they blew their first one.

My questions

Your favorite social media website and why?

Do you think good and evil is most definitely good and evil?

What do you usually do when you're faced with a difficult decision?

How do you manage to calm down if you find yourself in a panic?

What is the most exciting thing to look forward to in school/university?

What advice would you give to the you of five years ago?

Share the last share-worthy memory you have had.

Television VS Internet- which would you rather let go of?

The best book you've read so far?

What kind of art do you prefer to dabble in?

Do you think your past should dictate your future?

My nominees

The Fence of Stars

Maine Lyn

A Girl Without A Name

Hasiva

MJ

Thanks for reading this post all the way to the bottom. 

If you got nominated and you don't want to do it, it's okay! 

If you want to do it and you didn't get nominated, let me know. 

If you want to get nominated but you don't wanna do it, well. >.>