Midsummer Night’s Dream Reflection

-        How well did you know your lines?  What challenges did you face in learning them?

Answer: 

I believe that I knew my lines pretty well, although when performing it, I had difficulty. I could have put more time into learning the lines with emotion. There was also the reason that our group did not practice a lot, and as we all know; practice makes perfect. The challenges I faced in learning them were that as they were not rhyming, they would be harder than the other lines that rhyme, but overall. I had no large issue in learning the lines. 

-        Did putting on this performance help you to better understand Shakespeare’s play?  Why or why not?

Answer: 

Yes, putting on this performance did help me better understand Shakespeare's play, in the way that I would know what emotions were needed to be used at what time. When learning the lines, getting tips from others, and then presenting, I got a better understanding of how emotion is a large part of the play. 

-        How well did your group work together in preparing for this performance?  What went well?  What didn’t go well?  What will you do differently next time?

Answer: 

I believe that our group did just okay in preparing for the performance, we did not put a huge amount of time into it, only the amount we thought was needed. Fazeel's and Ammad's scenes went exceptionally well, as they performed it with emotion, using their arms, and putting effort into what they said. The things that didn't go very well, were possibly the prologue, I liked it, but there was no emotion, and this is being nervous, scared, and frightened. There was little movement of the hands, but I think that it would require a little more, although good for a first time.  Over all I think that we did good, although we need to spend more time in practising. Next time, the motto will be E.A.P (Effort, Attitude, Participation). 

-        How creative was your group in presenting this scene?

Answer:
Our group was very creative in presenting the play and all of the scenes, we attempted to try a Pakistani twist, whilst still keeping the theme and plot of the play the same. 

Book Review

During the spring break I had the opportunity to read one of the five epic books; I am Number 4, by Pittacus Lore also known as James Frey. The majority of the story takes place in Ohio, although with the characters moving around so much and running, it does not have a definite setting. I am Number 4 features a difficult struggle for survival, John Smith and his guardian Henri have been fleeing from the Mogadorians, an inhuman race of beasts, that invaded John’s home planet when he was just a child. Nine garde (faster, stronger and more agile than normal humans) children escaped from the planet, three have been hunted down and killed, and John is next... Each time one of these nine are killed, the others get a scar on their leg, each child has his own power, and with it comes his own symbol, when the child dies, his symbol is burnt on the leg of the others. The Mogadorians can only kill the nine in an ascending order, first Number 1, then Number 2,  then Number 3, and so onwards. The garde will not die if they are not killed in this order; the Mogadorians are here, on earth, to finish the job that they had started. These nine garde children and their guardians are the last of their race; they are being hunted, one by one...

I am Number 4 concerns survival; John Smith (Number 4) comes to planet earth from Lorien, his home planet, with eight other individuals. In the story, John receives his special abilities also known as legacies, which have been passed down by his parents, in his teenage years. These legacies can be powers like resistance to fire, the ability to communicate with animals, and telekinesis, the ability to move objects and sometimes even people with your mind or hand gestures. John and his guardian Henri have to stay alive until John is strong enough and has the other five Garde with him, only then will they be able to have a chance against the Mogadorians.  In the novel, John meets a number of people who he grows attached to, this is ironic because on Lorien, the people are not like humans, if they get attached to someone, it’s forever. John already knows Henri; he’s as close as a father to John as anyone can be. The first person John meets is Sarah Hart, who loves to take photos and John falls in love with her. John also encounters Mark James, Sarah’s ex boyfriend, who is also on the school football team, he is an eccentric character, and always enjoys to pick on Sam. Sam Goode believes in the existence of aliens and so did his father, his father has been missing for many years now, and Sam believes that aliens have abducted him.  John also meets Number Six, who has also lost her guardian; she is fierce and saved Number 4 from his death.  

I am Number 4 is a fantastic book, I liked every aspect of the story and thoroughly enjoyed the plot and the intricacy behind the characters and the setting. I actually enjoy books that have action, thriller, adventure, science fiction and those that show super human abilities, and powers such as this one. This novel certainly portrayed everything I would want in a book, including survival of the fittest, both for the antagonist and the protagonist. I would rate this book 5/5.

I would highly recommend that people, who enjoy novels with adventure, super human abilities, and science fiction, read this book. It is a fantastic book, and is the first of a five part series. I am looking forward to reading the next part of the book, The Power of Six. 

Team Self-Evaluation Antigone in 5

Ibrahim Razi

Working collaboratively as part of a team is a vitally important 21st century skill.  Take a few moments to reflect on your recent experience working as a team to put together your Antigone adaptations.  Rate your team as “Excellent,” “Good,” “Fair,” or “Poor” in each of the following areas:

Team Involvement:  All members of the team were actively and substantively involved in team discussions.

Excellent  

Time Management:  The team was able to complete the project in a timely manner and to submit a final product everyone could be proud of by the assignment due date.

Good

Establishing and Following Guidelines:  The team established and followed goals, roles, and responsibilities.

Excellent

Professional Communication:  The members of the team interacted with one another in a respectful and professional tone. Communication was clear with no typographical or grammatical errors.

Excellent

Next, respond to each of the following questions:

Was this team experience a positive one for you?  Why or why not?

This team experience was a positive one for me; I enjoyed making the Antigone in 5 movie. I had the chance to make friendships stronger, experience new environments and I learnt both my strengths and weaknesses in acting.  The best thing overall was that I had fun while doing and I wish to do it again in the future.

What can you, personally, do to improve future team collaborations?

I did have to leave early on the last day of shooting which included our last scene, this became problematic and the team had to improvise. I would say that I should be more available in the future. In the future, we should as a team, shorten the length of time we spend of making scene. We should also pay close attention to every scene and definitely learn out lines.

A Woman Whom I Admire....

Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu ­commonly known as Mother Teresa, born 26^th August 1910, is attributed as one of the world’s most inspirational, admired, and respected woman of all time.  From an early age Agnes was tremendously fascinated by the stories of the lives of missionaries, and by the age of 12 she persuaded herself to commit to religious life. Agnes learnt Bengali and taught at the St. Teresa’s School, a schoolhouse not particularly far from her convent in the Himalayan Mountains. It was in that school that Agnes took her vows and became a nun; there she opted for the name Teresa, the Spanish spelling of the patron saint of missionaries, Thérèse de Lisieux.  It was at that moment that Teresa was struck with distress and disturbance by the poverty around her in Calcutta. She believed that god had sent her a message to give herself to the deprived and underprivileged.  The strongest, most heartfelt woman I know is, Mother Teresa.  

Mother Teresa did what other people have only thought about; she gave herself into helping the poor and sick. She is one of the many women in history that have devoted themselves to care for the underprivileged, poor, sick, blind, deaf and disabled. The modern world we live in is a cruel and harsh place filled with a decreasing amount of people like Mother Teresa.  Her devotion has not only recognized my admiration, it has also documented her to winning many prizes, such as the Nobel Peace Prize, it is one of the greatest honours to achieve this prize, let alone many more.  Even after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, she exclaimed discretely that the awarded money go to the poor in Calcutta, here again she is putting others’ needs before hers. My respect, appreciation and admiration are truly dissolved unto Mother Teresa’s work and drive for change in her final last two decades, here she had fallen sick during, and began suffering critical health problems, but nothing would discourage her from fulfilling her mission of helping the poor and deprived. It is the drive to finish what she had started, to keep serving the underprivileged, which makes me respect her.

Saint Mother Teresa, as she was named after her death, was a woman who strived to achieve her goal. Her strength came from the poor, the weak and the deprived; she worked till her death to make the underprivileged’s lives better, she wanted to secure their future, she put their needs in-front of hers. Even when the Pope had offered Mother Teresa his limo, she did what other would only imagine; she sold the luxurious car and gave the money to her charities.  Mother Teresa’s entire life was based around the unfortunate and underprivileged, and as we might think of this as a burden, she thought of it as her duty.

Let us more and more insist on raising funds of love, of kindness, of understanding, of peace. Money will come if we seek the Kingdom of God – the rest will be given. – Mother Teresa. 

Sources:
Picture
Quote
Mother Teresa Wikipedia Biography
Mother Teresa Nobel Prize (How she came to achieve it and why she refused it, ect)
Mother Teresa - A Message from God (Video) and Extended history on her life

Of Mice and Men Wordle

Of Mice and Men, Book vs. Movie

Within the last few days, we gazed upon a new movie, in marvel of its exciting comparison to the plot of the book, Of Mice and Men.  The movie, as well as the book, could be shown as a playwright, as the plot of the story can be pronounced in a series of ways, such as book, movie, and play. Nevertheless, it did not come to my surprise when some aspects of the movie had been altered and some scenes deleted. It would be wise for anyone who is aspiring to watch the movie, to read the book first, as the differences are quite noticeable.

Of Mice and Men, the movie, was very well directed and the setting of the movie was spectacular.  The film did not surprise me a lot, except the way that the characters were portrayed, as I would have expected Slim to be like the head and boss of the bunkhouse, but he was not shown like that. Also I was surprised that when Curley’s wife died, he did not cry or remorse petulantly, Curley just went for his gun and went after him. I would have expected that the movie would have paid some attention to death, as all the movies do, but unfortunately, it did not.

As the film had its accolades attributed by myself, I did also have a few negatives and confident needs for improvements in the film.  I was irritated with some aspects of the film, such as deletion of scenes, such as when Candy’s wife dawdles into Crook’s room and conjures a conversation and a threat to Crooks. Also, at the end of the book, Lennie has illusions about a giant rabbit and his aunt Clara, this scene was deleted and it could have provided us with vital information about how he thought about his actions and what he thought he could do to fix them.  This also may have attracted a larger scope of an audience; nevertheless, the scenes which were implemented in the story were very well projected.

The film did help me understand elements of the book more clearly, such as the bond between George and Lennie, the film portrayed true friendship and it made me realise that there is more to them, than meets the eye.  The film also helped me truly recognize the importance of friendship and what it means to be a friend.  The movie did to some extent help me comprehend the situation of symbolism in the book.

Of Mice and Men the film had a very interesting cast, some of the choices of actors made by the casting call I did not see eye to eye, but otherwise it was a fantastic film, complemented by an exceptional cast. In the book, we see that George Milton is portrayed as a small character, who acts as a father figure, and depends on Lennie frequently.  Although in the movie, George is similar to Lennie in the way that they are both nearly the same height and Lennie depends on George a lot.  Furthermore, I imagined Slim as a muscular, tall, broad shouldered, handy and clever man, whereas in the movie, we see Slim as a character much like George, medium height, somewhat build, not too handy but can get a job done and has a short temper. Except for these characters, nothing else came to surprise in the film about the casting.

The ending of Of Mice and Men, came as no surprise as we all knew that Lennie was going to die, as we had read the novella. The ending did make me understand more clearly that George killed Lennie, out of his love for him and also for Lennie’s benefit and possible his own. I would have sought for a longer ending, in which there would be an increasing build up to the climax in which Lennie would have died. In the book, we saw that George spoke to and comforted Lennie about the dream farm in which he took the surge of the breath of friendship and then shot him. Whereas, in the movie, we see that George begins to converse to Lennie about the farm and explains about its amenities, but then he hastily shoots him, this may have been because it was too difficult for George to bear any more time to wait. 

I believe that the movie and book are both great versions of the same spectacular story, but in my opinion, I preferred the book to the novel.  Nonetheless, the movie was brilliant, the cast were tremendous and I would love to watch it again and find more insights about the characters and their relationships to one another. 

Challenge #1

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” – Oprah Winfrey. I love to do many things; this can be learning new things and expanding my views about certain aspects of a subject or playing sports, although only some sports come to my advantage, which I enjoy doing. These can be baseball, hockey, badminton, tennis, rugby and cricket. I have been playing these sports since the age of approximately nine or ten. I love these sports because I know them very well, each and every element, and playing smart and strong is the only way to win.

  The thing that love about sports is that it gets my mind working and thinking better, it keeps me fit and healthy and through these sports I have made countless amounts of friends. The thing that I adore about learning new things is that, it increases my overall knowledge; it provides me with something to talk about when I am with a teacher or with a parent, it is a great conversation starter. Lastly it gives me the opportunity to show colleges and universities which I, in the future, will apply for, a good understanding of each and every topic, therefore I know every subject.  

 My overall passion that surpasses all the others is sports. Looking at my physique, it would strike people that I do not like sports and don’t enjoy playing and participating in them.  “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. Although the veracity is that sports are fantastic and even when I am bored, I will pick up a ball or grab a racket of some sort and start playing, its extraordinary that the amount of times I have been bored is at a smaller level compared the amount of times I have gone out to a club and started playing a sport with cousins, family members or my brother. I actually am planning to try out for numerous SIASAs such as SIASA basketball, badminton, and cricket.

 From sports I clean out and forget all my worries and my stress decrease while I play, therefore when I am done playing, I go home with a refreshed mind and energized body. This then helps me study better as well. 

Challenge #2

Lahore is a monumental city with a vast overwhelming history about how it got to be.  Each and every corner situated in Lahore is a new adventure leading to an innovative story with compelling characters

. 

My knowledge does not surpass to what it should be of Lahore, even though I was born in Lahore, I lived in the U.K for practically 12 or lesser years. I love that place for its vast space and recreational time and its people, but it wasn't me, it’s not who I am, it’s what I was manipulated into.  

I love Lahore, it is by far the most superlative place I have lived in, Lahore is my home, I cannot hate me home, this is what describes me, but to a better extent. Lahore is the best place for many reasons, one being what my parents call the “bargaining method”; it is very easy to lower the price of a good even when the price is fixed. I myself use this method to fix the prices and they agree to my demands, most of the time, if not they kick me out of the shop, it’s quite funny actually.

The extravagant restaurants in Lahore dazzle my mind with a buzz, with the western restaurants located around populated areas and then home desi food and desi restaurants located on the outskirts of traffic jams and deep within Lahore, to the heart of the city.

I am jaw dropped at how little space there is in Lahore, but what rejuvenates me is the thought of how that space is used. I see people on the streets playing football, cricket, badminton, many sports and they utilize these sports into the space that they have. It’s something I am proud of.

Most of all, I adore that when you’re in Lahore it is never hard or never too late to make friends; they will always be knocking at your door. These friends that you make here and now, will be with you forever, begging to help you in any way, willing to do the tedious of things that will please you.

Although on the other hand, I also have a few dislikes towards Lahore, but I cannot hate this city, it’s my home and I don’t hate my home. There always be as there has been in the near past the horrific traffic that Lahore is known for. Every car in the city that will belt the horn at you when the traffic lights hit green, I have never seen this in west, the reasons for this are unknown to me but I do know that people in Lahore need to be more considerate about other people.

In actual fact there is one thing which infuriates me; this is that people in Lahore do not give way to those crossing the street. They jolt past like irritating maniacs and deport their politeness. I myself have to keep telling my driver or whoever it may be driving the car to give way to the people crossing the road or waiting patiently on the side-walks and tell him to wait kindly in respect.

Poverty is largely increasing issue in Lahore that has been nurturing its self from birth. I see it every single day of my life; it’s not what I want to see. I know that one man practically founded Pakistan and with it inside the city of Lahore, in this way of poverty we are destroying the terms and values of which this man created this nation, it is never too late to go back and correct out wrongs, do it before it is late.

                This community has suffered a lot, I believe that I could give way to people when they are crossing the road, it’s a small thing but it counts.  I could also talk politely to people at traffic lights and tell them to wait patiently for me to start. I could also talk to family members about helping those in poverty and provide them with food and shelter. It could be a system just as the one in Nectar in a Sieve, in the temple. I know that some of my family members have already worked closely with people to help those in poverty but much more could be done.

                I know that whilst living in England, my friends who are fellow class mates of mine have asked me questions regarding the topic of terrorism and political instability. This did compel me to feel threatened, gloomy and irritated. I will give two quotes by two great people, “In the case of news, we should always wait for the sacrament of confirmation” – Voltaire, a French enlightened idealist.  “People write negative things, cause they feel that’s what sells. Good news to them, doesn't sell” – Michael Jackson. What I am about to tell you is what I told my peers at that time.

Lahore is a wonderful place to live with magical and monumental people and figures, inspiring adventures and innovative stories. Don’t believe in what the news accumulates about Pakistan, the news is just a manipulative way to sell lies. Of course there is bomb blasts in Pakistan and there are riots, that doesn't mean that they happen every day and it’s not everyone or anyone who are/is doing these bombardments. It’s just a group of people doing what they will stop ghastly things from occurring.  Furthermore with the revealing of Osama Bin Laden, countries are blaming Pakistan to hiding his location and are compelled to say that Pakistan is a terrorist country. Pakistan is a country like any other, of course there is terrorism and political instability but life goes on and people are living their days onwards. Pakistan is a safe country to live in and is a thriving nation to educate in. Only believe what you see with your own two eyes.

Challenge #3

Living in Pakistan, I can see s a lot of what can be done and improved and what should be done. The main things that strike my eyes with silver a bullet are some key terms that you can put together and analyze in your own perception, these words are, poverty, hunger, children, parents, women, joblessness, men, love, care, support and me.

                Very recently our grade 10 class went to an orphanage called SOS: Children’s Village, we met lots of children and a few young adolescents, all of them were very polite, saying hello when I walked past observing their homes and their lives. They were all very well mannered, fun to be around and talk to and great companions. I have never such a spark of fun and happiness in children in many years, therefore it was a great warming feeling, all of them were ready to play as soon as we arrived.

                All of these children made me feel like a toddler again, playing with them, conversing with them and learning new things from them. They showed me where they lived and took to play cricket with them. All of this made me realize that they have a very good system going on, they have people to look after them and care for and nurture them, sometimes from a very young age. I for one love kids, they connect with me very well and I too. I actually met a small young boy named Ahmed, he was one of the cutest and politest boys I have ever seen or talked to in my life. Not to mention, an inspiring and innovating cricketer. I learnt a lot about him, he told me he likes to study and play cricket and when he grows up, he wants to be a professional cricketer such as Shahid Afridi, this is exactly what he told me in his own words. He wants to be the next Shahid Afridi and be better than him, and from my perspective, he has the talent and the mindset, so nothing is stopping him. Furthermore when the boys would come up to me and call me sir and mister, I would keep telling them I am not your and please don’t call me mister, I am your brother.

                This whole trip or life experience made me reflect back at my past and think what I could have done that could have improved me. Moreover it made think how precious life, parents and family are, and how we and possibly I as well have been taking them for granted. This now correlates to my previous post about being thankful. It makes me feel sad and slightly happy at the same time when I think of those children, sad in the way that they have “no” family and makes me think how much I take mine for granted. It make me happy in the sense that they have a family and that family are the children of SOS, it’s better than nothing and I hope that they do not take this for granted.  

                Upon return I was depressed and sad due to the fact that the children have no idea what is ahead of them and what could I do to help them. It strikes in relief, comfort and happiness that there are summer programs where volunteers are permitted to go into SOS: Children’s Village and help out the faculty members and staff. Finally I wish that in the future I work closely to helping those children as my grandmother has been doing in the past.  I hope to be attending SOS again in the future and not for my C.V, but for myself. 

Challenge #4

This year at L.A.S, things have changed a lot, some of them are good but others are terrible, although nevertheless I have learnt so much in these few months so far that I am able to now apply it to myself and my life as of now.

                There are many elements of many subjects that I have learnt; I will only illustrate two things from two different classes. The classes are French and English, I have increased my knowledge and understanding about books and pieces of text and the art of speaking a language.

                In English 10, this year I have learnt numerous things that will help me in the future in College and University. Although by far all of the things that have come to my understanding, I have learnt how to do public speaking, I'm not the best at it, but I try and succeed to my wishes. I have been in L.A.S for 1 year now, and this is my second year in which I have been attempting public speaking. Last year I provided a speech to the class about the dengue epidemic and how it is affecting Pakistan and what it has done to people. Unfortunately I did not get selected to put forward the speech in the TAB; I lost to a fantastic speech fast food and McDonald.   

                This year I have bestowed a speech about the YouTube censorship in Pakistan and when it occurred around the world and how it affected the countries that were facing the censorship. Yet I lost again this year to three great speeches.

                Although what I had learned was that do not be frightened to give speeches and when you’re up there, at the podium, make every second count, each second is a path to winning or losing.

                I practised doing my speech to my family and they jaw dropped at the sight of what the speech was about and how our English class had been doing a speech contest involving the whole school and it was an open-ended thing.  

                When the day came to deliver the speech, I marched to the podium, remembering every note that my family had told me to do. I started; each line was like a beautiful painting being created in my perception. The only problems that I had with my speech were a few errors, time constraint, length of my speech and some of the information would have been a little out dated.  

                Now that I know how to deliver a speech and how to write one as well, I will attempt at writing one at the next chance I get. I am gratified to my teacher Ms. Maloney, in giving me the opportunity to deliver a speech, although it could use editing and a reimbursement of language. 

Here is the link to my Storybird on the English class public speaking: 

http://storybird.com/books/the-fight-for-knowledge-ibrahim-vs-public-speaking/

                The second thing that I learnt this year was in French and it was not one thing it was many things that are under the “umbrella” of a topic. I have been taking French for approximately 7 years now and this is not just in L.A.S, but this is in Europe.

                In all my time in a French class, I never got one topic, something that was so difficult in my eyes that it made me feel ignorant, as everything in French is interconnected; therefore if you know one thing, you know how to solve the next.

                This year, with the help of Mr François  my French teacher, I learnt passé compose (past tense), how to use verbs and employ them into the past tense.

                Although this may seem something small, but it meant a lot to me, as I had learnt something which I was never good at and thank god I know it now, because part of French exam is based on the core concept of past tense. 

Challenge #5

                What I do now, affects my future in a positive or a negative way, which is for me to find out when I get to that position. These few years ahead, depend on my future, but for me to have a good future, I need to know what job I want to do and where I want to go to do that job and learn how to do it.

                When I was young boy, I had always admired to be a doctor; I knew what was needed to do this, because my father is a doctor.  The contemplation of becoming a doctor like my father was exciting yet fearsome, as the long wearisome hours of working in one place and discovering new people to analyze with concepts that I would have learnt in college or university.

                Over the years my interception of new courses in schools and perseverance to obtain knowledge grew, so did my familiarity of different jobs. This then widened my views to new jobs that I hope, would sustain and maintain me to be content and comfortable with life and its tedious or blissful challenges ahead

.  

                There are a few professions that catch my eye, although some may seem in my reach in my eyes, others seem as to achieve them, there needs to be a lot of effort put in, nevertheless, I am willing to do what I can to reach my goals.

                Architecture has always fascinated me, as it beautiful to look and each and every thing is to perfection, much like the Rolls Royce people, owners and builders dictate about their cars.  This is a great profession to get into, and since the age of 10 I have been accompanied by my parents to professions as such as they believe that my mind is built with handmade equipment. Therefore saying that I should be able to draw good blueprints of architecture and employing them in real life.  To achieve this profession, I will have to be able to get a good GPA and go to either MIT or SIC-Arc (Southern California Institute of Architecture).

                There is also business that interests me, as making good as supplying them all around the world, may this from textile mills to fast food restaurants, business acquires knowledge of area, time and location, with the elements that make up business. I would love to do business as it is a great profession and you help others whilst helping yourself. For me to achieve this, I would have to go to London school of business and finance, and from this then I can also go into accounting as that also interests me and links into business and this school very well.

               There is profession that draws my mind to a new level of knowledge, it comes under the "umbrella" of doctorate. This is neurosurgery, since the past 2 years, I have loved the idea of neuroscience, a branch which comes under biology, which is what I am studying as of this year and I love the subject, it is very interesting and forthcoming to me.  For me to get into this profession I would need an excellent GPA, with outstanding SAT scores complemented by an exceptional C.V. The college or university which would back this profession up really well would be Stanford University, division of Neuroscience or Johns Hopkins University, division of Neuroscience. My father had said that if I would want to get into neuroscience, the best university for me would be Johns Hopkins. It would require me work a lot, but I am willing to do that, for it will benefit my future.

                The profession that nearly my entire family has is doctor. This would be the obvious path to go to, as since my family has an abundance of it, why not have another one in the family.  Although I would leave this for me to decide later as I still have time before I have to pick which profession I have to get into and therefore which university will back it up and support it. 

13 Ways to Screw up you College Interview...

13 Ways to Screw up your College Interview was a wonderful, exciting and humorous play, I could not stop laughing and smiling at each and every scene. 

At arrival I assumed my seat at the top of the TAB and patiently waited for the play to begin by conjuring conversations with my peers. The play was introduced by Ms. Bendick and she also introduced faculty members and some of the parents that may be on the board on the school. The play began with Misha Rafiq’s scene, where she assumed that any question asked to her, she would interpret it in a different way, therefore this was a funny scene.

Out of the entire play, I enjoyed and admired two scenes, which were incredibly portrayed.  The first scene I enjoyed was Raees Saeed’s; his fantastic acting skills drew me towards the stage and made me sit at the edge of my seat, waiting to gabble out my laughter, his character shone through him and his acting emotions, every line allowed me to believe as if he was the character he was playing, although I would have desired it to be longer, nevertheless very well done.

The second one was Zuhair Tauqeer’s, he played the character that had many “bad” childhood experiences, which in reality were mere issues or things which come with growing up and living your life. Every one of his flashbacks to the past were hilarious, his eye contact with the audience and his humorous tone and weeping, were very plausible and excellent. There was a part in his scene where he was crying and hugging the interviewer (Yusuf Khawaja), he also coughed at the interviewer, and I don’t believe that this was intentional, it was due to him being sick and in the stages of recovering, nevertheless he played this into his scene and this is the best thing that an actor can do, make every non intentional which is not in the script, a part of it, therefore implement it in the act and so the audience would never know the difference from the script and what has been added to it. He did a phenomenal job at this and it played very well for the audience as they laughed their socks off.

The scene that made me laugh the most was Salman Asghar’s , way to screw up your college interview. This bizarre and random interview drew me towards the edge of my seat with laughter. The “gorilla” like dance was implemented very well by Salman and the music or song which was played, complemented the dance.

The only thing I didn't like about the play was that the scenes were short, although the play finished within an hour, I would have wanted longer scenes but nevertheless it was a fantastic play and very well choreographed by students and teachers. A job well done, I look forward to the next play. 

It's never too late...

My life in grade 5 was great time, although it could have been much better. I did what any other 10 year old boy did; I played video games, played a minor amount of sports and studied.

I enjoyed playing only a few sports though, only those I was good at, I had no idea how to play any others, I did not like trying out new things and experimenting with life, I still do, to this day. I wish I knew that I should have tried new sports then I actually might have been good at them, such as cricket and hockey and soccer. I have been doing hockey since the age of thirteen now and I think I'm pretty good at it; I would have been much better if only I knew. I did not like experimenting with life, but because I didn't like it, I was forced to experiment, that is why I am here today in Pakistan, I tried and I like the change quite a lot.

I wish I knew how to overcome my fears, such as the fear of heights, at that age it would have helped me a lot.  Since then I have been going on many trips all over the world with my different schools and with families and I would have had to force myself to overcome them, it actually worked but then the effect wears off. I wish I had conquered all my fears and challenges that linger on to this day since grade 5.

I wish I knew that failure is success, only when you learn from it. I was a lazy kid back then, and when a test day came, I would have hoped for the best, without studying for it my grades plummeted and I would say to myself, I will get better at tests without really learning from my mistakes and now, with the help of many great teachers and the support of my parents, my failures are successes.

I wish I knew that pain is worth it. I couldn't really appreciate life until it had knocked my down a few towns, I could not really appreciate happiness until I knew sadness, I wish I knew that the end reward is far greater than the struggle gone through to achieve it, such as, you have to struggle to climb up a mountainside, only then will you appreciate the overwhelming and awe-aspiring view, otherwise it will the same as looking out of a window at your home.

I wish I knew that friends are like brothers and sisters, they are irreplaceable, saying this would mean that I would have more friends that can be, but I all ready do.  I wish I knew that you can’t measure and weigh friendship; everyone is equal in your eyes.

I wish I knew that passion is important, I wish I would have done things that make me happy, instead what others want me to do and what makes everyone happy, except me.

It’s never too late to learn and appreciate the things around you.

Make every moment count. 

To be or not to be, that is the question...

I am thankful to all those, who have shown me the brightest light in dark and led to to the right path.

I am thankful to be the son of two very loving, supportive and caring parents.

I'm thankful for my friends, good people I can count on near and far, I will never have enough or too many.

I am thankful for sleeping in a bed at night, many people around the world and in Lahore have not received a  place to sleep, I see this everyday of my life. 

I am thankful for living in many places and finding different cultures and experiencing them first hand.

I am thankful for the moon and stars, even when I am feeling dark at nights, I find the brightest light in the night to light me up.

I am thankful for food on our table, I know there are difficult times around all around the world with poverty and hunger.

I am thankful for having problems and challenges, without them I cannot learn where my mistakes are and fix them.

I am thankful that I can go to school, I have seen children and teens around the world that are not able to have something like this.

  I am thankful for having a brother that is the best one that can be, I could not ask for a better one.

I am thankful to be happy almost all the time.

I am greatly thankful for my life, I couldn't ask for anything better.

I am thankful for being me.

I am grateful to those that have read what I have been thankful for through my life,

will you do it to?

The Boy That Hoped

The boy screams as his parents get hauled away from him, he can only hope.

He whines and moans for the pain is longing inside of him.

A small dark figure approaches to greet the boy, he is surprised, the boy gropes for him.

The figure kneels down and grabs at the boy, “come now, it’s time”, the figure whispers.  

The boy’s hand is locked in the figure; he now can only wish to elope.

They arrive at a small muddy piece of land, the globules of rain pouring down as the boy is tied.

A firing squad stands steadfast aiming at the boy, he can only hope. 

Reflection on the Speeches (Speech Competition)

Mohammad Ibrahim Razi
Ms. Maloney
 English 10A
11/19/12

 Reflective Blog Posts 

Grade 7 

 Grade 7’s speeches were thought out very well beyond my expectations of speeches correlating to their ages. In my perspective the winner should have been Omer Nazir, as his speech was very well organized, he started of very well, his posture was fantastic, his tone about his topic was as if we knew nothing and he was the teacher. He related the topic of socialism very well to his own experiences such as in Canada. The judges picked Niya Raazee as the winner of the grade 7 speech competition, but it came to my attention that when she first delivered her speech, she forgot most of it as after 30 seconds into the speech and this seems as if she had not practised her speech enough. Furthermore out of the judge’s courtesy and of Ms. Maloney’s she was given a second chance, and she won. This seems very unfair as she was given a second chance and the others were not, the other speeches also might have improved if they were to do them again. Therefore I do not agree with the judges choices.

 Grade 8

 Grade 8’s speeches were the comparatively same to the ones I have heard before, such as Anna Timble’s speech about women’s rights, it did not catch my eye as it has been done many times before. In my opinion the winner should have been Amal Khan, as her speech was something that really got me thinking about how we are “neglecting” our home language, Urdu and speak other foreign languages. Amal’s speech was different to the other speeches and taught me a lesson that Urdu is something that should be saved and used more often in homes that other languages. Amal was pacing herself when speaking and was rewarded by being in the time barrier. She applied good examples identifying what we need to do to save Urdu and she showed us that Urdu has equal importance to any other language. Lastly, Amal said that the westernisation of television programs is affecting our language, so we need to watch more Pakistani/middle eastern shows or even neglect the western programs. Therefore I do not agree with the judges choices about the winner, although Celina’s topic was very nice, I firmly believe that the tables were laid out in Amal’s speech, she was just explaining what was already there and what we disregard in our lives.

 Grade 9

Grade 9, had one of the best speeches I have ever heard. Asma Rekhif’s speech about “the silent killer”, described what rumours can do t people. She explained that they can tear people apart; they destroy friendships and distort the boundary between who is your friend and who isn't. Asma explained how rumours are built, that they are inside of people, waiting to burst and explode, showing their true colours. She had a nice even tone to relate to the topic. Asma showed that great understanding of the topic, through well researched and thought out facts. She delivered the speech very well and included a few hand gestures, but I preferably would want more gestures, to show the level of confidence. Asma had the best speech in grade 9, and it was very well planned out, she explained that rumours even happen in LAS and they break people of their bonds. . This is very true as I have seen this in my life as well. Therefore she has shown that you need to think before you say something. She related it to herself and exclaimed that it needed to stop. In addition, therefore I agree with the judges choices in awarding Asma winner of the grade 9 speech competition.

 Grade 10 

 Grade 10’s speeches were very informative, each speech and topic stated its views very clearly and backing them up with many reasons and facts. I strongly believe that Fatima Bokhari was had the best speech. She compared teenage life in the 1950s to 2000s in Pakistan; this was a topic I really wanted to hear. All of Fatima’s points were correct and exact, and they were even backed up with evidence from her grandparent’s childhoods. She showed that teenage life in the 2000s has become more lenient, whilst teenage life in the 1950s was a struggle for teens as they were not allowed to see other girls, they must sit at the dinner table when eating. All of these points were clearly stated. She showed integrity in her grandparent’s childhoods as they abided by the rules. Fatima memorized her speech completely, whilst others did not, doing so she was able to show her confidence. She used many hand gestures to state points and divide facts to one side of the argument and then to the other. Her posture was straight and her speech was an informative and persuasive one as she asked us to respect and honour our grandparent’s rights and morals, such as honesty and principles that were set by their parents. Her tone of the topic was informative and persuasive, that of a well speaker. Furthermore her voice could be heard from the back, where I sat. Therefore I agree with the judge’s opinions in Fatima Bokhari winning the grade 10 speech competition. 

Grade 11

 Grade 11’s speeches were very different to each other and each topic and each speech clearly put forward their view about the topic with relation to the speaker. I believe that out of the three speakers, Daayam Sial had the best speech but there were minor errors with delivering. Although even with these errors he still had the best speech which was cleverly planned out. Daayam’s speech was about “why people do crazy things”, he explained in his speech that people to it to seek attention sometimes, and neglect someone of something, such as Malala being shot in the head because the Taliban wanted to deny her the right of education. Also Daayam related his topic to himself which was very good, and he said that he is a licensed scuba diver and he does it for the adrenaline. I liked Daayam’s speech above all because it was something that I have never heard off and was anticipating to hear. When delivering Daayam spoke loud and clear, but overtime, he increased the pace of speaking and this distorted some of the facts and things he said as I could not hear then clear enough. I believe he was speaking quickly but it was enough for everyone to still hear what he said. He threw his voice to the corners of the TAB, which was fantastic to hear. He had good eye contact and good hand gestures explaining his facts. He was doing an informative speech. In the end, I do agree with the judge’s opinion in saying Daayam was the best in grade 11 and therefore wins.

 Grade 12 

 Grade 12’s speeches for me were under my expectations; I believe that they should be done with more though and have more facts and vocabulary. Nevertheless there has to be a winner and for the winner was Zohat Parvez, she did her speech on “be the change”, and this would mean that instead of saying you will do something, or saying you will change Pakistan to become a better nations, do it. Don’t talk about changes that you want them to happen, make the changes happen, get up and do something about it. This was actually a very nice speech, it talked about if you can talk about things that you want happening, you can make them happen. Zohat did an excellent job in relating the amount of demanded changes in Pakistan to other countries such as the U.S. and the U.K. She clearly and firmly stated that you should go abroad to study and learn, but then come back to Pakistan to make it a thriving nation as it was. Make changes in Pakistan that others could not make and have only talked about making. She related the speech to excellent examples such as a TED talk which she attended and also to LAS students. When giving the speech, Zohat was excellent with eye contact she had a persuasive tone in her voice. Her voice spread to the bowels of the each seat in the TAB, it would be heard clearly and the facts were well researched. Her hand gestures were slightly lacking in confidence but they were enough to persuade the audience. I agree with the judge’s views about Zohat Parvez winning the grade 12 speech competition, her speech was well researched and very well rounded off.

 My Speech

 My speech was about the YouTube ban in Pakistan and other countries as well. I believe that research wise; I did a good job as there were lots of facts examples and lots of relation to Pakistan and videos concerning Pakistan. When overlooking my thesis, I believe that it does not really back up and support the introduction, so in the future I would want to have a tighter introduction stating my views about the YouTube ban. The most exasperating thing for me is that I did not time myself properly, my speech was too long. I had too much information in the speech and I should have preserved time and then used it for practising and getting my speech in the correct time constraint. Next time in the speech competition I would only use information in places where it is needed. I would focus more on the thesis and the time limit and keep in mind the content of my work. Also I would use more hand gestures to explain topics and show views and also talk at a nice, moderate pace. Lastly, I would memorize my speech and try to deliver it without any notes or such and still keep my eye contact constant.

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