i am to lead and learn.

An Initiative of the Blogging Society (2015-16), The City School, PAF Chapter A Levels. (´☣౪☣)

[pafians-blog]

What Even.

You're midway into your flight when you, feeling bored, decided to surf the Internet. You read breaking news about another plane disappearance. You're on that flight.

I checked the map on the large TV screen, six more hours until we land. Ugh. “Travelling alone sure is boring!” I thought. This was the first time I was travelling alone, some people may be scared but I wasn’t scared at all. Since my parents both work as airline crew I had already been on hundreds of flights before, the experience was nothing new. Not having anyone to talk to and having already watched all the inflight ‘feature films’, I decided to use the charged internet for a while. It wasn’t that expensive, 1 dollar for every hindered mega-bytes was fine by me.

Unlike most people, instead of going on Facebook or Twitter, the first thing I did is go on Reddit. The front page, as usual had posts about cute cat pictures, some guy who broke his ceiling trying to make a pizza for the first time, another post about the world’s fattest kangaroo. Haha. Pretty typical stuff, I switched to the ‘Hot’ tab to have a look at some of the trending news. One of the threads caught my eye. ‘Flight PK 789 has gone missing’ “Another missing plane, how does this keep happening?” I thought. I clicked to view the details and it opened into the /r/worldnews subreddit. Then it occurred to me that PK is the code for Pakistan! “Wait what… a Pakistani flight?” It said,’PIA’s flight PK 789 en route from Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, to Pearson International Airport, Toronto, went missing just as it left the European coast into the Atlantic…’

Now it hit me. “THIS IS MY FLIGHT!! What? It must be a mistake!” I quickly bent down and opened my hand carry’s outer pocket to check my flight number. People gave me strange looks due to my sudden behaviour but it didn’t matter, was it April 1st  or something?? Sure enough my boarding pass said the same. PK 789 KHI to YYZ.

Now I was extremely confused. I pressed the help button and a young flight attendant was by my side in a minute. I told her to tell me that I’m crazy and showed her my iPad. She gave it back to me and without saying a word went back to the galley she came from. I could see from her face that she didn’t quite know what was going on either. After a minute she came back with another attendant, a rather bulky lady who assured me that it was a mistake and everything would be fine. Well, that didn’t help. It wasn’t just reddit. I went on BBC and CNN just to double check. When I opened Geo.tv just to check for the final time the internet stopped working, and so did the large television. Most of the passengers were asleep but a few others began to notice the peculiar antics just as I did.

I had no idea what to do. Was this even real? Was I going mad?? While I was thinking the airplane took a sudden nosedive. YEAH, THIS IS DEFINITELY REAL. I buckled my seatbelt  

and bent forward with my hands over my head just as the safety manual said so. The oxygen masks dropped and people started frantically putting them on. I saw the young flight attendant who came to me get catapulted to the back of the plane. Poor woman probably had a family. I didn’t have time to think about her, I had to put on the Oxygen mask or I would suffocate! It was barely out of reach, things were flying around, and a baby’s bottle full of milk hit my head. OWWWWW! I screamed, still unable to reach the oxygen mask. Then after the longest minute of my life the airplane straightened again. “THE PILOTS HAVE SURELY GONE MAD” I thought. I finally got hold of my oxygen mask. Only then did I realize the severity of the situation. Two thirds of the passengers were unconscious, some probably even dead. The others were distraught and damaged like me. The baby bottle left a bigger mark than I thought when I realized the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. My teeth had cut into my cheek.

I barely had time to get a feel for the situation when I heard noises again. “MOVE MOVE MOVE” … “SECTOR CLEAR SIR”. I heard footsteps and voices of people who sounded like they were wearing gas masks. They were getting closer and closer. “WE’VE GOT A LIVE ONE” bang “Did they just shoot a passenger?? Oh my god. I have to do something. I can’t die like this”. Not having been able to come up with an insanely good idea I decided my best option was to play dead or be dead. I lied on the ground like the rest of the passengers and closed my eyes. The footsteps were all around me now. They were in my cabin. I heard them looking through the already opened head racks. They were looking for something. One of the footsteps grew closer and closer toward me and then the noise stopped. I heard him pick up my iPad.

“WHAT HAPPENED PRIVATE? WHY DID YOU STOP? DID YOU FIND IT?” “NO SIR! BUT THIS KID ALREADY KNEW OF THE HIJACKING. WE NEED HIM ALIVE AND WE NEED TO FIND OUT IF HE KNOWS ANYMORE” “TAKE HIM OUTSIDE!” Outside? We’re in the air for God’s sake! What outside? “SIR YES SIR!” They would obviously torture me for information if I showed them I was awake. I kept playing dead.

The man who appeared to be ex-army picked me up with and carried me to the door. I could still hear the airplane engines, we definitely didn’t land! What on earth was going on? Do I dare open my eyes?

With me still in his hands, the man opened the door and jumped outside. I couldn’t take it anymore. WHAT WAS GOING ON? I opened my eyes to see a large man. His body was tall and slender, fully black. He had long arms and legs and thin fingers which looked like claws. I couldn’t discern any clothes, the black looked like his skin. He definitely wasn’t human, I tried to make out his face…but I couldn’t make out any facial features - all I could see was the blackness in his eyes.

Then I looked down, we weren’t falling, the airplane had long sped past us but we were still there, hovering, in the air. Another aircraft suddenly visualized in front of me, right out of thin air. A door opened and the man carried me in like I was his pet or something. Another large man greeted me, “Hello human… Sweet dreams”. He then pierced a small needle into the center of my forehead, and then, everything went dark.

Written By: Faryab Haye.

[pafians-blog]

PAFMUN 2017: The Countdown Begins.

PAFMUN, PAFMUN, PAFMUN. [[crowd chants violently]] There’s a buzz in the air as the days are passing by and PAFMUN is getting closer and closer. Especially after such a long hiatus. It is kind of surreal that PAFMUN is just a week away and believe me it has been one heck of a ride. From an insider’s perspective it has been chaotic to say the very least. But in the end it’ll all be worth it. Whether it be the all day shoots, running around like headless chickens for sponsors or staying at the printing place for hours on end (a special round of applause for Abeer, Chhabra, Konain Bhai and Nabeel for their tireless efforts gg guys gg), PAFMUN has consumed all of our lives. Personally, writing the guidebook, the invite, various documents and every single post that goes up on the page just how Mr. President wants it (you’re welcome Faheem xD) was so ridiculously tedious and time consuming but the excitement trumps the work load any day. I know for a fact that half of the directorate will probably go crazy any day now (if we haven’t already that is).

Campus drives for registrations and then to sell concert passes. Passes are selling like hotcakes and the hype seems to be growing (still kinda crazy how two of Pakistan’s biggest artists will be live in concert for our second social omg). It’s insane how much a single MUN conference is bringing everyone together. Everyone is on their toes waiting for PAFMUN to officially start, we have been working on this one event for months to make it a success. Going to various schools and pitching PAFMUN to alot of people out of which I’m sure multiple people didn’t want to listen (dimagh khapana apna) is a difficult job to do.

Here’s to hoping all our efforts are worth it and this year’s PAFMUN conference is a huge success. There’s only one week to go! Get your outfits ready, your research done and all your prep wrapped up because before you know it you’ll be sitting in the opening ceremony of the biggest school based MUN in Pakistan.

Written By: Nida Fatima.

[pafians-blog]

Mehfil-e-Naat.

On Friday, the 27th of January, students of the A Level Section gathered together for a humble Mehfil-e-Naat, also marking the unveiling of the Auditorium for its first event, which had been under construction since the past few months. The A2 students, hearts still heavy with the events of last year’s Milad, did a praiseworthy job in bringing life to the whole setting. Upon descending the Auditorium stairs, one was greeted by the Heads of the student council as well as Miss Shazia (because no mercy for trouble-makers, duh) who handed out rose gajray to the girls, with tables lined along the walls carrying bouquets of roses, for the end of the ceremony. The Auditorium room itself was gorgeously set, with a stage and a blue backdrop overlooking the sitting area, walls draped in yellow and speckled with flowers. Customary white sheets lined the room from wall to wall for the audience to settle down on with fresh rose petals strewn here and there, while Sir Simon (a maroon dupatta draped around his neck, OUTFIT ON POINT!), Miss Aisha and other important figures were seated at the far end of the room on couches. The Mehfil commenced at 10:00 am, as Minza Haque and Haya Tariq led the audience through performance by performance consisting of poetry in the praise of Prophet Mohammad PBUH. Our ears were greeted by the soothing voices of students and teachers alike from the A Levels Section, some sweet and slow, others passionate and booming. There were quite a few stunners, like Ayan Jamal with Faaslon ko Takalluf, Shah Ahmed with Mu’allim, and our very own Deputy Headgirl Dua Qazi with Shah-e-Madina, all three surprising us with their intensely melodious voices that had us swaying with every note. All the recitals, however had one thing in common which was soulfulness that radiated from the vocals and almost touched each and every person sitting in the room. We were even bestowed with the pleasure of having our Headmaster Sir Shahid Shakeel contribute to the Mehfil by reciting ‘Barray naseeb ki baat hai’ which was followed by Sir Simon coming up on the stage and commending the properties of reverence, faith, unity and discipline that the students of the A Level section so eloquently portrayed that morning. The event wrapped up soon after with a few more naatein, during which Miss Mehwish handed out scented crepe paper flowers to everyone which turned out to be a winner amongst the girls, and Undela Adeeb and Dua Qazi took the stage to give us a few facts about the Holy Prophet (PBUH), which totally seemed well-prepared and practiced ahead of time as they read facts out of their mobile phones and Undela said “It’s good to know about him, so we can follow him”. Top notch opener right there. The morning concluded with Sir Makeen Qureshi engaging every heart in the room in prayer, much of it dedicated to Imran Afroz, the soul we had to say goodbye to much earlier than any one of us could’ve anticipated, and as people filed out of the Auditorium, they were all given the trademark heart-shaped barfi, so everyone went home happy. All in all, it was a successful and pleasant event, despite the fact that a quarter of the strength of the audience was lost after the first half hour. We met many unexpectedly harmonic voices, we praised the Prophet PBUH in our fullest spirits, boys and girls donned elegant white kameez shalwar, and the best part? Sir Simon stayed right from the beginning till the end even though he probably didn’t understand a single word. <3 Written by: Ayesha Ahmed

[pafians-blog]

To Take Over The Planet.. (or not).

Well, 2017 has finally begun. Time to actually do those New Year’s resolutions we’ll know we will be brushing our hands of within a week. Maybe less. I’ll study every day. I’ll stop using Snapchat so much. I’ll try to be a better person. All of it goes out the window at one point or the other. Along with our dignity.

For us seniors, we’re almost through with this two year long joyride. For the AS: hang on a little longer. (And don’t throw up on me.)

Not to say that it hasn’t been interesting. Chapter has all sorts of interesting sights and people if you know where to look. See that guy? He's a Marxist. There goes a guy who denies being a homosapien (Did you just assume my species?). If nothing then there’s always an occasional bystander in the ground who gets hit by a random ball. And no, that isn’t a dustbin. It’s a magical box where all our hopes and dreams reside.

Not to be entirely unoptimistic. Sure we may have lost Alan Rickman, David Bowie and Leonard Cohen and a bunch of others but hey, we survived. Another day to embarrass ourselves, procrastinate and listen to good music. And here we thought that we’d started our A levels with high spirits. Planning to apply to Ivy’s and all. Make a change. Be Malala. (Or not.)

Delusions, delusions. What can I say? Us teenagers aren’t applauded for our foresight or practicality. Well, I guess we are, in the rare event that one of us is able to muster any.

But there you go. The Lord’s handed you another year. Make use of it. Sure, you won’t be curing cancer or saving an endangered species, but…may be you will? 2016 proved you can’t really predict what kind of chaos going to happen, so just dive in headfirst. Let’s see. You might just take over the planet. Or do nothing at all. Point is, take a chance.

Written By: Huda Hamid.

[pafians-blog]

College Night 2016.

Everyone was pretty psyched for College Night (or College Day more like it), and I was no less. However, my Saturday started off with two and a half grueling hours of Math with Sir Raja. So obviously, by the time I went downstairs to join the others, the event was already in full swing with students from various other TCS branches (mostly weird-looking boys) milling about. People in A-levels who are new to Chapter were hanging out with their old pals. And then there were also some of our alumni hanging out with our seniors. Because of my math class, I wasn't able to attend any of the first sessions, and I had volunteering duty for the second session.

I must say, it was my first time being a volunteer, and it was a really fun experience for me. My duty was to stand outside the door and guard, making sure that no one enters the classroom in between session so that it went smoothly. I guess my favorite part of it all was being all cocky and telling off the students from other TCS branches not to go through the corridors while the sessions were going on, in my made up American - on point, I must add - English accent.

After that, I attended the third session in Room B which was conducted by Khalid Malik, the reputable RJ-actor-whatever. He was a really fun guy (sort of) and the session was delightful (kinda). He shared with us his experiences of getting to where he got today and told us a few tips about how to live an extraordinary life. I sure did learn a thing or two. (Except I was dying of hunger too. And he kept talking and talking and talking. Did I mention the two and a half hours of hell I went through in the morning?).

After that I ate food since I was so dead due to the hunger. Various food stalls were set up in the main ground by reputable franchises such as KFC and such to vendors selling shawarma and pizza along with juices and soft drinks.

Buying all of my much needed grub, I headed over to the Junior Section area where universities from Pakistan and abroad had set up their stalls. It was a wonderful and intriguing experience talking to all the pleasant representatives and knowing more about what their universities had to offer.

The Battle of the Bands was supposed to start at 5 in the evening. But hey, doing everything by the clock is so mainstream and overrated these days (*eyeroll*). So it started at somewhat around 6:30? Areesha will fill you in on the deets about that.

The day we'd all been impatiently waiting for - COLLEGE NIGHT. To say that I was excited is an understatement. There were going to be guest speakers -Dr Markus Heidingsfelder of Habib University, FM 89's Khalid Malik, GEO News Mubashir Zaidi, along with the filmmaker and producer of 'Lahore Se Aagey' Wajahut Rauf to name a few. Career counseling by educationists and university orientations of national and international universities were also going to be conducted.

But who am I kidding? We were all there for one thing - THE BATTLE OF THE BANDS.

The Battle of the Bands was going to be judged by none other than Salman Ahmed of Junoon and Pakistan Idol's Omer Sheikh. Szabist President Shahnaz Wazir Ali was the chief guest of the event. All the branches of The City School were going to perform live and each participant was waiting anxiously for their three minutes of fame and the moment when their dreams would become a reality.

The event was to start at 5pm sharp. Keeping up with my tradition of being "fashionably late" I expected the concert to be in full swing by the time I arrived but thankfully it hadn't begun yet. That gave me time to catch up with my friends who'd been volunteering since 11am. (Let's take a moment here and appreciate the hard work of all the volunteers - 👏👏👏 )

It started with Samina Ahmed welcoming us . She then went on to tell us how her NGO was making an effort to eradicate polio from Pakistan and how it was providing awareness about AIDS and promoting education amongst underprivileged children.

The main highlight of the event was when Salman Ahmed took to the stage and performed some of the classic and iconic hits. The crowd went wild and sang along with him which was honestly the best sound I'd ever heard.

Now came the performances.

The most entertaining was hands down the Champion song - ( I mean how can you not like two adorable kids trying to rap and dance awkwardly at the same time? ) They lived up to their hype and were adored by the audience that stormed the stage and had a good time dancing along with them .

Anyways, it was time. The Battle of the Bands was about to begin. Acting like an insane fangirl I grabbed anyone who was willing to come along and marched on to the front of the stage so that I'd have a good view.

The students performing from chapter included Sabine and Mehreen-who sang Lightweight, Yumna Rehman - Wildest Dreams and Ali Sohail Soch Na Sake.

I went home early so I wasn't able to see any of the participants from chapter perform but I later found out that Ali Sohail had won from Chapter and it was Areeb (who sang Afreen Afreen ) from Gulshan Campus that won the battle of the bands. So in the end it was a proud moment for all Pafians.

The event was a success - but I hope next time they make the stage higher so all of us "fabulously short" people can see properly and are not made to sit in the sand at the front with people from the R.O blocking our view. (Thanks.)

(It was fun being a volunteer during the Battle of the Bands event, too! I got to stand away from the crowd and had a clear view of the stage without sweaty students blocking my way. In a nutshell, the whole day was pretty hectic. But when you spend it with the right people, you always end up having a good time. ❣)

Written By: Ariba Khan and Areesha Khan.

[pafians-blog]

Welcome 2016.

At last, the event we were all waiting for finally happened on October 21st 2016, our "welcome party" (yaaaaaay😪😪😪). Even though we thought the party was going to be awful, it exceeded our expectations and it was a wonderful night.

The party kicked off with the seniors roasting each other, making the juniors laugh hysterically and the seniors feeling embarrassed. Now, I'm sure most of us were confused when numerous people took over the stage for the next performance. Who knew it was the Chapter Records who had prepared an awesome mashup. ( am I the only one who was surprised when the guy suddenly started rapping? )

Moreover, little did we know, there was a video created by Chapter Studios that reminded us all about the amazing memories we created, especially the seniors since it's their last year. Let's not forget to mention how cool the stage looked, I mean the disco ball which adorned the vast stage with different colors of lights, so shiny and sparkly! Thank you to whoever arranged that. This brings us to talk about the dances which received a huge round of applause by everyone. The As and A2s working together to make an incredible performance was surely commendable. ( shoutout to the guy who performed solo, you were epic)

Soon after the dance performances, it was finally time for the thing we were all dying for, the rave. It started with the host announcing that the DJ was in the house which made everyone go crazy in excitement.Everyone danced like no one was watching them to the amazing beats that the dj played and the joy on their faces was priceless as their hands waved in the air, showing the colorful glow bands on their arms and the glow sticks in their hands. 

[https://www.facebook.com/bijoora/videos/vb.100007083408344/1816004911978938/?type=2&theater]

The shocking yet hilarious moment came when our principal, Sir Simon started raving with the students. I'm sure that's a sight none of us will forget in a while.

Soon after the rave, dinner was served. The food was scrumptious and was very well organized. ( although there were not enough seats.)  Also, can we please not forget about how phenomenal everyone looked. I mean girls, your winged eyeliner was on point.

In the end, I'm sure we can all agree that the party was pretty impressive. The seniors worked hard to make this party enjoyable for the juniors and also themselves.  The security team should be credited for their hard work and how well they managed to handle the whole party. It was a party that will never be forgotten and will always live with us in our memories.

Written By: Zara Ashfaq and Faryal Haye.

[pafians-blog]

The Faces Behind The Madness: Get To Know Us.

A little insight into who the people in the blogging society this year really are. Tbh we’re all a bunch of weirdos (but we aren’t THAT bad I swear).

Nida Fatima, 18:

President of The Blogging Society. 

Paradox. I care too much yet I don’t care at all. I’m an open book while being very closed off. I can be the nicest person on the planet or a she-demon that has erupted straight out of the depths of Hell (only if you get on my bad side dw). Unapologetically different. Currently perfecting how to rock that angsty hipster Tumblr blogger vibe (I think I’ve got it down tbh). Caffeine dependent lifeform. Obsessed with any form of art, cats (and puppies), travel Amateur writer and poet. I use music, writing and books as a form of escapism. Fluent in many languages; English, Urdu, Sarcasm and Sass. (Can speak a little Italian and Spanish too.) Future psychiatrist. (Got more issues than Vogue, darling.)

Meet my little minions! (lol love you guys)

Mahad Tariq, 18:

Vice President of The Blogging Society.

Mahad Tariq! The name says it all, doesn't it? (No? Ok lets move on). Just a friendly reminder, I’m the new vice president of this society (I just have to remind that every now and then *lmao tru). Well basically I’m slack, the laziest person you'll meet (Nida will surely agree on that *damn straight I agree), and you would be probably reading this post much earlier if he had not delayed his submission. Some people live for the thrill, some for the entertainment, I live for sarcasm (same bro same). So he hails from GC (ikr! So cool. *[[virtual eye roll]]), and according to him the main reason he applied to Chapter is because it has a swimming pool!( lol chotti chotti khushiyaan xD). I love anyone with a good sense of humour and a little substance to their personality, so if you qualify feel free to befriend him, and you won't regret it (or maybe you will idk man you decide). Feel free to approach me if you need anything, and if it's in my power I'll provide you with whatever you need (usually nothing is in my power tbh). In short he's useless.

Ayesha Ahmed, 18:

General Secretary of The Blogging Society.

Want to live in a world where books are free, friends aren't fake and chocolate doesn't make you fat. I love the process of pouring out uncollected thoughts and sewing them together to form beautiful sentences. Can sometimes come to detest how I'm a people pleaser by nature, but oh well. I live by the rule ‘khush raho aur rehne do’. c’:

Alina Ihsan, 19:

Hi. *smiles nervously and waves excitedly*

‘Sup? I'm an avid reader and an amateur writer. If you love movies, books, indie or jazz music, TV shows, rain, coffee, pandas or have an uncanny love for travelling then, hello. Meet your new best friend. Just don't ask me what I wanna be when I grow up (because I literally don't know) or what makes me interesting because I'm unapologetically, extra-ordinarily too ordinary. Idk how to end this so that's all folks. Byebye.

Faryab Haye, 17:

I'm an Aquarius. I went to this fancy space camp thing called Buraq so I'm a Buraqian. I like reading, reddit oh and math.

Huda Hamid, 17:

INTP. Feminist. Very ‘gay’. Bookworm. Loves irony and petrichor. **Hates getting her picture taken.

Faryal Haye, 16:

The names Faryal Haye. I laugh at almost everything and turn into a tomato most of the time. Live and breathe anime and kpop. I'm awkward but chill. Heh.

Zara Ashfaq, 18:

Yo Zara here. Just an 18 year old seriously obsessed with travelling, superheroes, and food. I laugh at literally anything so if you judge me I will kill you lol bye suckaaaaaas.

Areesha Khan, 17:

Random human being that likes corny jokes. Bibliophile. In an on again off again relationship with mange-anime. Hasn’t read and or seen Harry Potter and doesn’t plan on doing so. Currently has no aim in life. Warning: approach with caution subject is prone to bouts of stupidity and lameness.

Ariba Khan, 17:

I am a girl with little to no talent and very low self-esteem. However, I do love to read and write. You will always see me carrying around a novel or two in my hands at school (wait, college) along with my notoriously big iPhone 6 Plus (which I seem to forget almost everywhere). I love to watch anime and am a major hardcore Naruto fan (dattebayo!). I like to think that I can draw. I tend to embarrass myself nearly all the time when I'm around people. My friends tell me that I'm a fun person to be around but they can always be lying since I am always pressured into buying them free food (not free for me though).

Mohammad Somama bin Tehmoor, 18:

Libra. Petrolhead. A caffeine-dependent life-form. People call me Japanese. ._.

Eat, sleep, football and repeat! :'D

Fahadullah Hussaini, 17:

Hello, nice to meet you! What? Oh, you want to know more about me. Well then, here goes. I’m a procrastinator, pessimist and an insomniac. Possessive, insensitive, insecure. By nature, I deem it my duty to judge everything around me. So beware I will find you and judge you. Oh I see so you want to know about my skills? Well here’s a little weird thing. Hmmm, I can scratch my nose with my toe and yes, I can also make a glass fall just by tilting it at an angle at which the resultant would satisfy its weight and make it drop. Apart from that I have been a best delegate at some MUN’s and have also aced few writing competitions. My interests? I take interest in people, what they do (especially what they do wrong) and in what they should be doing. I know you appreciate this comic exaggeration. Nice to meet ya.

Muzzamil Tariq, 18:

I’m this tall dude who you probably don’t know, waiting for the perfect opportunity to do something with my life. Interests would be scifi and reading stuff off the internet.

[pafians-blog]

A Warm Welcome To Our Lovely AS (kinda).

To the newly arrived AS batch, your loving seniors welcome you to A'Levels at Chapter. Now I know what it means to finally enter college; the freedom to finally be an adult, what a joyful moment that must be for you.

Now my job here is to bring you close to reality, to tell you what others won’t. Simply put the two years that you’ll spend here will be something to remember for sure. You’ll love it and you’ll hate it all the same, it will be your paradise and your warzone. :)) (Editor's note: lmao that pillowtalk reference though ok mahad ok)

Before I even start, can I just tell you how lucky you new folks are!? Like seriously you have top notch management this year. SUPER cooperative. (editor's note: and they're so nice like omg what) The things we went through last year. #CancelandChill

Can we just talk about how cool the principal is? Seriously! He’s cheerful all the time, greets everyone whenever he goes by and has a soft spot for humor not to forget his sense of fashion. :P (sorry Sir Simon xD) ( and he’s famous as well, lately seen on the red carpet for 3 Bahadur) Super cool!

Now you’ve already been welcomed with the great news of PAFMUN. YES PAFMUN IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING.  It's been so long I've forgotten the last time it was held. Be grateful your part of the batch that will witness its revival. (you tell 'em Mahad lmao)

The fact that you’ll be getting your own jackets makes me kinda jealous. Like we had to see our seniors strut around all day in their matching jackets, while we wore our rung barange sweaters and hoodies (no unity yaar dekho). So unless your from the A2s, you have no right to comment how paindu the designs are and whether you like it or not. Pyaar sey dey rahay hain toh sharafat sey pehnlo beta!

Coming to what to expect this year, and given by how active this year’s societies are you should expect a lot!

You’ll probably get a lot of events here and there. (finger's crossed let's not jinx it ok pls thenks)

First comes the bakesale, now all Chapter walay should already know the whole format, but for the newcomers from other schools you should know how it actually works. Bake sale is basically a carnival minus its commonly used name. It will be held 3 to 4 times throughout the year, and you’ll be allowed to setup stalls as well. Now if you dream of doubling your investments in few hours then you’re at the right place. Everything sells in the bakesales from biryani to the overly-priced fries, everything is bound to bring you in some profit. (Suno iski baat. Paisa beta paisa. Kaam ki cheez hai. Take notes. xD)

A little advice, lower your stalks in the start because that’s when the vultures/friends and colleagues attack your stall, want everything for free just because they know you! (Ikr the parchi system works everywhere). The actual business starts as soon as the juniors visit. They come in masses (you’ll be surprised that that much students actually exist in chapter). They just want to get their hands on everything, will eat everything, will purchase everything, they don’t care how much you price the items, they’re just here for the time of their life. Let them be! (editor's note: no seriously listen to him and let them be they're tiny savages I tell you)

In between you’ll probably have some more events. we had Theatrics and Vibrance last year (Very successful!). Not to forget the field trip, I hope they plan on going to the beach again. That was hella fun. (He's right y'know.)

And in the end you’re suppose to give us a sweet farewell, pay for the whole thing. Now let me emphasize again YOU have to PAY for OUR farewell. Now I hope our seniors are not reading this but we were quite cooperative juniors, paid the mentioned amount without any drama. :) (looool pls don't be like some of us)

Just a reminder; don’t even think of going all Sheikh Rasheed on us ( we won’t be running after you). Sharafat sey paisay jama karna shuru kerdo. My advice: simply save the money you make in bakesales to pay for our farewell! xD

PROBLEM SOLVED!

All in all this year will be a roller coaster ride of emotions and let me tell you; no matter how prepared you think you are, you're not. Don't let that scare you though, it's going to be worth it.

Written By: Mahad Tariq.

[pafians-blog]

Reality Checks.

Ahhh, the not so memorable first day of A-levels, the day you feel like you're going to charm everyone with your awesome personality and good looks so everyone would want to be your friend-

Okay let's not fall too deep into an imaginary land. Your expectations might have been as high as the Empire State Building but soon they come crashing down as things do not go how you expected them to. Let's picture this, you happily go to school thinking about hanging out with your friends and actually getting some knowledge into your head by studying, but in reality you end up having no classes on that particular day. Now you're probably thinking that's a good thing, but it's not. Why? Because all your friends have classes which basically means you're going to be all alone the whole day. (Sigh.)

In my case, I was flooded with many different emotions including nervousness and excitement on the first day. I tried keeping my expectations as low as possible as I did not want to be let down by anything. But it was inevitable I mean, reaching school you find many students crowding around a small soft board, bumping into each other trying to check their timetables and figure out their classes, only to find out that they're separated from their friends yet again, isn't really an ideal situation. As if being separated from your friends by choosing different colleges wasn't enough, your timetables don't match at all. why is the world so cruel.

I've been watching the A levels building from afar since I was a kid, and seeing all the teenagers chilling out during their free periods made me feel exhilarated for what was yet to come. I'm a grown up (teenager) now, and this is not what I expected. I did not expect sunshine and rainbows, (maybe a little less wind though), I did expect their to be bumps and bruises along the way.  Just like that, finding out we're not allowed to use our cellphones was a disappointment although that doesn't really matter much since almost everyone still uses them, making a dozen trips to the headmaster’s office (Farewell, Sir Adnan) and still not having your timetable fixed was frustrating. But at the end of the day it hits you and you realize you're finally in A-levels.

You made it and you're one step closer to university. Give yourself a pat on the back for that. Let's think about it in this way, the first day might not have been the greatest, but it is the first of many. It is the start of many memorable amazing days to come.

Don’t believe me? Here’s another point of view. (editor’s note: you guys believe them. trust me, believe them.)

Funny isn't it? I've spent my last 11 years in school, not knowing what college is like, although I had a glimpse of college life from my elder sister and was curiously awaiting the day when I would start it. It wasn't long before that I started my college and to my surprise, it's  not how I expected it to be.

I always imagined my first day of college to be amazing. However, things don't always go as planned. It was 8:15 AM, and I was very confidently walking to my class and went inside a classroom filled with numerous students, and very casually, sat in the last seat. Little did I know, I was in the wrong classroom. I heard the sir talking about fractions and I was bemused, thinking, I AM in the right classroom, right? I suddenly looked at the board and read MATHEMATICS, written in capital letters and got so annoyed. I quickly got up and realized everyone was ogling me and dashed out of the classroom. Instead of feeling embarrassed, I was laughing to myself.

I quickly went downstairs, bumping into random people while walking and squeezing through a bunch of people, struggling to look at which class I'm in,  who were surrounded around the board that had classes pinned on it. I finally heard someone calling out my name and soon realized it was my best friend who I was meeting after three months. That's one of the best things about college, you  don't have consecutive lessons and you can spend time with your friends. One thing that was really exasperating was the ''no using phones'' policy (like are you kidding me c’mon). Another thing that really bothered me was that changing any of our subjects took way longer than I thought. Although I didn't agonize over that problem as much, it still concerned me if they'd change my subject or not.

Some of us have such high expectations about the first day of college, thinking it'll  go exactly the way we want it to and it'll be phenomenal and honestly speaking, we shouldn't. Some people think their first day would be exactly as they show in movies. The girl's book's fall, crashing down on the floor and some random hottie comes running over helping her pick them up and they both fall in love all of a sudden. Hello? This isn't a typical teenage movie. It's real life and you've gotta realize that before it's too late. We might face many ups and downs at college but that's alright, because at the end of the day we love it and create so many wonderful memories that will always be remembered and when we look back after many years, we'll remember an exhilarating adventure that we were a part of.

Written By: Faryal Haye and Zara Ashfaq.

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Field Guide For Surviving Your AS Year In Chapter: (….Because sometimes, having to come at 8 am to attend a class at 12 pm is just too much.)

AS year taught me a lot of things. It showed me how far up I’ve stepped on the ladder since O levels, the sudden change in my daily school routine, and pushed me to the brink of insanity. And since A levels at PAF Chapter is really…something, I felt like endowing the new bunch with the wisdoms of those who have survived to tell the tale, would be a promising asset because kids, you seriously you don’t know what you’re in for..hahaha...ha…ha..*cries internally* 1) YOU HAVE NEVER STUDIED ENOUGH

Sorry for being such a buzzkill, but this is the truest truth anyone will tell you. O-levels was cakewalk compared to AS, right? Well you’re in for a rough ride, child, because A2 will want you wishing you were back in AS! 2) HAPPY WIFE, HAPPY LIFE

By wife, I mean Miss Shazia (and Miss Mehwish), and by life, your two years here at this humble dwelling. Basically, this duo can be your BFFL or make you wish you were never born. Fortunately, all it will take to achieve the former is dishing out your best stuff when it comes to latakna making good with teachers. So, laughing at their mean jokes=never having your mobile phone taken again. Oh, or you could just be into sports. #TheFavoritismIsReal P.S. To give you an idea, this is coming from someone who got yelled at for having her hair down, when guess how many others got away without so much as a glare?:))) 3) UTLIZE THE SOCIETIES

Lazing around in the corridors is our favorite low-maintenance way to make the free periods fire by but if you want to stand prominent in your senior year, the time to start is NOW. FIND your strengths, LOOK for your interests and nourish them so you can have a value addition into your ECAs. It is very easy to sink into the bliss of constant complaining and blaming the school for all your shortcomings, but in truth, this will do more damage to YOU than it will bring about any change anywhere else. 4) DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF URDU

I know, I know, you vowed never to write a freaking khulaasa in your life again after the O Levels’ CIE, but here you are, and Mathematics just wants to see you cry. Well, look no further! Urdu is accepted as a principle subject in most universities across Pakistan, including IBA, LUMS and SZABIST. It won’t do much for those applying abroad other than be counted as a foreign language, but for the rest of us what it WILL do is take immense pressure off our shoulders, and guess what percentage of students in the graduating Batch of 2016 got an A in Urdu? 90%, no bull. This is not about discouraging you, but the difficulty level of A levels is set meters higher than O Levels. If it’s been more than one term and you’re still having problems, change your subjects sooner instead of having no other choice than to cover curriculum for TWO whole years in A2. 5) DON’T FREAK OUT ABOUT GP So writing is not your strongest suit, and you reaaally don’t want to disappoint Miss Carol (sweetheart) again, here’s a revelation: 95% of the time, GP will not help you in admission into university since it has zero credits. The saving grace however, is that an A in GP will be regarded during the continuation of scholarship in A2, so it’s not 100% useless. 6) BEWARE OF THE HOEZZ The number of people who will use you as a means of spending their spare time is horrifyingly big. Ditto for those who will call you their best friend if you own a DSLR. Know who’s real with you, and filter your social life, because now is the time to discover new and important things, NOW is when the building blocks of your personality since your early teenage years will be cemented. And while we can all be held accountable for sustaining some friendships solely for the purpose of survival, what matters most is to keep your priorities in check. 9) THERE IS NO SAFETY NET Do NOT harbor illusions that if all else fails, you’ll give a retake in the middle of A2, or give accelerated CIEs, or worse yet, get private in A2, because all of these are stressful as hell, and only those who absolutely have to go this route, do. 8) AND LASTLY..THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE OF ALL..SERIOUSLY, I MEAN IT 

PIYAR MOHABBAT DHOKA HAI,  PERHLAY BETA, MAUKA HAI. (Sorry for all the truth bombs, here’s a picture of how awesome Chapter really is.)

Written by: Ayesha Ahmed. 

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Part Two: Change.

Changes? Well they can be favorable or unpropitious. However on a personal note I strongly believe that every alteration has both pros and cons. I mean just think for yourself floods on one hand can wreak havoc across a country but at the same time the crops in certain low lying areas would wither and die without them.

Moving from school to college is no different. Obviously the changes may not be that severe but they are still quite impactful when we talk about a specific individual. After approximately spending 10 years with the same group of people, in the same kind of setup life changes drastically when you leave behind your friends, irresponsibilities of life, childhood memories and everything you have owned as a child or a teenager.

For me moving from Boys Campus to Chapter was not only about moving from an all boys school to a co-education system in fact it was much much bigger. Being a boy I had naturally always fancied throughout my life about studying with girls and  having some sort of connection with them (which I presume does not need any explanation). But ever since I have moved into a co-ed system I have realized one thing: ‘All that glitters is not gold’ (no offence)

Trust, this is the most honest thing you would hear, for today at least. For me moving from a single sex school to a co-ed was like moving from a state of peace and tranquility to a world of ruthless politics and diplomacy. Your friends who you once owned are no more yours as they have updated their relationship status, you have to be extra cautious about following the norms (previously I was instructed I could not run in the corridors else I would fall now I never do so as I fear bumping into a girl), you have to come all properly dressed up unlike previous time when you could just walk in unkempt else you would be subject to some awful remarks. Moreover any mistake in this stage of life would leave a mark on your life for eternity. Imagine pranking a girl and running away only to get caught, no wonder you are doomed.

On the other hand I accept that there have been some ups too. I believe I am much more confident than I previously was, I feel more mature and rational enough to differentiate between right and wrong. Moving to Chapter has groomed me as a man. I have the ability to trust some people and distrust some whereas in school everybody was my ‘friend’.

To conclude, I will say that it is too early to decide whether this experience has been advantageous or disadvantageous. All I can say is that I hope that this phase of my life proves to be the delightful and memorable.

Written By: Fahadullah Hussaini.

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Part One: Not So Alien.

From a boy who spent a large chunk of his life studying in an all boys school and socializing among the male species as well, I thought I would be a nervous wreck when I came to college. But in all honesty it was the complete opposite of what I was thinking. Yeah I mean the first two weeks were nothing but once things started rolling it became a whole lot more different.

Here I was thinking that I would be stepping into an alien world but later I realized that they were the humans and I was acting like an alien (ET phone home?). The ‘they’ I’m referring to is the female species, girls. I felt like I would be nothing infront of them. I always thought they were these innocent creatures untouched by the world’s weirdness (I was SO wrong), turns out they can be way more mean and deceiving than even guys. Even when they’re just socializing with you they seem to be up against you (or something). At the end of the day, it’s all fun and socializing with them isn’t that hard. Of course new experiences are always somewhat difficult but just a dash of confidence works perfectly here. If a guy wants to talk to a girl chances are she also wants to talk to him cause really we are all just looking for friends (nobody wants to spend two years as a loner I mean c’mon), it is as simple as that. I won’t lie sometimes it’ll be really awkward but you’ll get over it, that’s how you learn to live in this world.

‘The world is a harsh mistress’, you can’t please everyone so just be yourself and good things will come your way (eventually).

Written By: Muzzamil Tariq.

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When will the selection list for singing for chapter records be posted ?

Very soon! Next week tops.

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Junkie? Society?

Since this year has come to an end, I feel like I can write a VERY controversial article and get away with it. #YAS 

Today, I would like to talk about something that I have found very unusual at the school. A school, considered a sanctuary, is supposed to be a haven from the cruel outside world. Another word for a home, a fountain of endless enlightenment. But something extremely bizarre has been noticed by me through the course of my first year here at the A-Level Section. 

Now many of you might think that this may be something as trivial as the fact that the school cats receive more attention than any student. Which is true. Buuuut it isn't what I want to talk about today. 

DISCLAIMER: Pls don’t be offended. Please. 

Many of you may have already witnessed the band of  'druggies' that walk the school like shadows in the daylight. They seem like normal people when you talk to them... But even if you do have a conversation with them during school hours, I urge you to not take a single word they say seriously.... Because, they're probably stoned. But hey! They're still good people.. 

  They'll come out of nowhere, and they'll be recruiting their men to go hide at the shadiest of locations around the whole school, so as to avoid Miss Shazia. So kids, if you think that you've spotted a really neat crib for your squad to hang at. Then think again, if it's at a quiet place, it's already one of the rendezvous destinations of the 'Junkie Society'. SEE WHAT I DID THERE????? 

  And there's always that one poor soul that misses to be with the squad during their 'prime-time'. Because the kid's probably taking a class, or doing his homework or what not. And when he remembers that he has to be there or he'll miss his daily dose of ahem (sumthin, sumthin).. They rush to find the least occupied place in the entire section, attempting to avoid Miss Shazia's death stare, only to find that his m8's have started before him. LOL. LIKE HOW DARE YOU?? 

   And the only explanation that the others  are capable of conveying after is defined by this picture below.. 

  Jokes apart, though: the purpose of this wasn't to harm anyone. This is only for comedic purposes. Thank you for your time. 

Editor's Notes: I have no idea what this entire article is about. I'm only posting it in hopes that someone out there does. 

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Field Trip! Beach Party! What do I even call it?!

I’m extra extra, super cheesy topping with jalapeno sauce extra, late to writing this (once again) (who even is surprised at this point tbh?) but in my very strong defense: I had a Maths mock. Which did not go well, thanks for asking. Which is really, what tends to happen when you don’t study for an exam. Kind of like what I’m doing right now - I mean, I do have a physics exam coming up soon, but nooo, Murtaza would rather I write this blog. Well, okay, Murtaza - if I fail and end up ruining my life, it’s on you. Just so we’re clear.

When we were first told of the field trip, it honestly seemed too good to be true. Like. What. Really?! I didn’t even know they did field trips at Chapter in the first place. (They do.)

With the date being set to the 3rd of March, and the venue the notorious Turtle Beach, which… is somewhere.. in Karachi.. I think.., the students of PAF Chapter A Levels’ Section got ready to have the time of their lives, on a beach, 10 days before the mocks started. Classic. (Just a little heads up, by the way: I’ve been studying Physics for the last 4 hours.. so if I fail to make sense at any point here or use a word that may not be found in the standard Oxford English Language Dictionary™, excuse me. It’s the sun, all this brightness really takes a toll on my dark, dark soul.)

ANYWAY. The actual day finally finally arrives, with people coming into the school wearing all sorts of flowery dresses, or not, and taking about ten thousand selfies, or not. You’d take one look at the cluster of girls inside and all around all the three washrooms, and you’d think someone died in ther— I should really be doing Physics right now. Sir Amir will murder me if I fail.

Really.

The circular said we were supposed to leave the school at 9 am. I’ll tell you what I was doing at 9 am. Applying eyeliner. These circulars.. they lie better than any politician, let me tell you. I mean, I’m not even sure if the beach we went on was even Turtle Beach to begin with, but we’ll get on that later. Around 9:15, everyone was boarded in their respective buses, with various teachers and staff calling out names and making sure the student/van arrangement wasn’t being meddled with. Smh. “Student/van arrangement” what even is up with me. I could’ve finished the entire Quantum Physics by now.

Word has it, that someone from the A2s actually sneaked onto the buses without permission to go to the trip (they didn’t pay the money stuff on time, I believe). And you didn’t hear this from me, but that certain someone was none other than Mohammad Farhan, who once ran up for the position of Head Boy and ended up losing.. with the second least number of votes.. lol. The administration asked him to get off the bus several times, I think, calling him multiple times and whatnot - but boy, he did not budge from his damned seat. Something to be said about going through with whatever you start, man.

When we finally reached the beach, all of us (which were potentially more than 300 students) (I think) were stuffed into one hut, to the point of suffocation. And the hut was on fleek too, with a bent bed, broken sofa set, no mirrors in the washroom, and the room so beautifully stuffy; you could feel death and misery looming on you like a mist cloud. Assuming there is something known as a mist cloud - I really wouldn’t know. Practically, therefore, forced to be outside; we went and my God, it was lit. Camels, camels, and more camels; horses, horses, and more horses; people, people, and thankfully not even more people. The sun shined to it’s utmost capability, bent on tanning and potentially burning off anyone dumb enough to venture outside without sunscreen. (Me. It was me. I forgot to put on sunscreen.) There were cameras everywhere, people laughing and splashing their friends with bucket-loads of water, the seaweed getting stuck to everyone’s feet with the determination of never ever letting go of their freaking foot, which could only be rivaled by the camel walas’ determination to convince people to take a ride.

I’m saying this on the risk of someone, and by someone I mean everyone, telling me I’m lying and kissing $%& of the admin staff or what not, but. It was awesome. I’m sorry you didn’t come Ali, and chose to waste your life rotting away in your room with snapchat and your poor math skills, but. It really was awesome. I mean, admittedly, the songs played by the DJ could really have been better - but hey, who cares? There was volleyball and food and ugly songs and water water water and cameras and unicorns and sea horses and rainbows and potatoes and starfishes and I just really, really like Taylor Swift. What. I don’t even know. They didn’t play Taylor Swift. I think. Did they play Taylor Swift? What am I saying? I should be studying…

On a brighter note, I discovered one of my classmates was actually…

(A rat? No, I knew that already.)

(A secret ballerina? Nope.)

….AQUAMAN!!! *cue the fishy music* (Ha ha. Get it? Fish?)

People danced with their hearts out, threw water on each other with their hearts out, and our beloved Mohsin Mustafa decided making a video would be easier and lesser time-consuming than actually bothering to take pictures.. so.. he made a video. Smh. You can find it anywhere on his profile, he posted it like 57 times. RIP.

Khushi dekho zara.. it's like they've never been to a beach before.

Probably safe to say everyone loved this beach field trip. I mean, judging from almost 40+ posts on the blog.. and the never-ending statuses.. one would call it a major heart-wrenching success. Around 3:20 pm, everyone was yelled at and dragged from the beach/hut into the vans once again, and finally, finally, finally, we went off back to school, a satisfying ending to perhaps the highlight of this entire school year.

white girl: *points to pants* white girl: *laughs*

Thank you to Anoosha and Murtaza for working so hard for this trip, as well as to Ismail and Hoorulain. Thank you to the entire administration and the staff for organizing and managing the event so well. Thank you to Osama Thara for absolutely nothing; oh, wait. Thank you Osama for constantly asking me to mention you in a blog. Attention seeker, much? You’re welcome.

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