EWS experience.

Before joining SZABIST I knew I could write well but had no confidence. I had no idea what my voice (writing) would sound like. Being a part of the EWS class I have learnt a lot, all that I couldn't learn in my past school life. I now know how to keep the reader engaged, I have hopefully discovered my voice and developed a mature style of writing. Sitting in the EWS class I always thought that English should be a subject throughout my course, and would still want English as a subject. Lastly, I would thank my teacher Bina Shah, who helped me develop my writing skills and for all the help she has provided me during the course.

Propaganda

This photo was taken by photographer David Kirby, for United Colors of Beneton.

This advertisement was to promote awareness of aids and its consequences.

The image clearly dipicts a member of a family seriously hospitalized and almost in his last stages of life, due to aids.

The hidden propaganda is to evoke fear and promote safe sex.

Funny Story

I was having a routine conversation on phone with my friend Dina. Talking about how did our day go, what went wrong and her daily stories about her 'crush'. While talking to her there came another call on call-waiting on Dina's line.
Dina: "Sohail don't say anything I am adding my friend on conference."
Me: "hhhmmmm... ok."
Dina: "hey Christine!!"
Christine: " Hey Dina.. listen, tell me the way to this shoe shop called 'Scandals'."
Dina: oh... ho straight from the down mall, take first right, then there will be a 'Lingiri'
(Lin-Gi-Ri) shop, then take first left, and you will find 'Scandals'."
(listening to this I jump in the conversation)
Me: " Dina, isn't it Lingerie?
Dina: "Sohail I said Lin-Gi-Ri, so that you don't understand.
Christine: " I am off, you guys talk."
Dina: " Sohail you are so bad, you embarrassed me in front of my friend."
Me: " hahahahah... Lin-Gi-Ri"
Since that day Dina is called Lin-Gi-Ri by me and her friends.

Debate Topics

1. "Stem cells is a God gift, so why not legalise it?"
2. "If polygyny is allowed then why not polyandry?"
3. "Euthanasia is another name for murder."
4. " Its great, I can clone my girlfriend now, don't you think so?"
5. "Atheist are people without faith and they should be marginalized."

October 8- Never come back.

I was on a summer trip in Islamabad, when my uncle called me and asked me to grab my handy cam and wear my joggers. I thought we were heading for hiking or may be going for a trolley ride. I was all ready to leave and was all exited as ever. As the car started moving, I immersed myself in the beautiful scenery of Islamabad, the forests, mountains and the clear blue skies.

I usually sleep while travelling and thats exatcly what I did, I slept in the car. As the car approached its destination, my uncle shook me and said " there we are". It took me sometime to figure out where we were, holding my handy cam(shooting my home video) I asked my uncle, "what place is it?", he replied " Muzaffarabad".

As I started shooting the video I became nostalgic. Every scene reminded me of October 8-the day when an earthquake of 7.6 magnitude struck Muzaffarabad causing millions of lives and ultimate destruction. From the LCD of my camera I could see destruction, people trying to rebuild their homes but all my mind could imagine and picture was dead people. I could only remember the shock that the entire nation went through. The holy month of Ramadan seemed like a period of mourning. The day of Eid went without any celebration. The only thing I loved was the unity amongst the people. Everyone tried to help in anyway they could.

Back home in Karachi, while watching the video that I shot while asking my uncle where we were, the camera's view went from my uncle saying " Muzafarabad" to the ground and was in that position for a long time.- showing how shocked I was to hear where I stood.

Even today I pray, please God make this day a history and let this day never come back, not only for Pakistan but for the entire world.

My Terry is still missing. (9/11)

Last night was a little hard, my wife (Terry) and me had an argument over having a child. She wanted a child but I was not ready for it. I asked her to abort the child. Depressed and unwilling, she called her friend to accompany her to the hospital for her abortion.
Her friend Sharron had her office on the 45th Floor, North tower of World Trade Center. Terry called me for the final time from Sharron’s office, asking me if this is what I wanted her to do. I replied “Yes!” without even caring about her feelings.
It wasn’t late enough, the news of a plane crashing the tower spread like some virus (peple yelling on the streets). I was hoping that it is not the North Tower, which the plane collided into. My hands turned completely blue and cold. My hands were so numb that I could not even turn the television set on for the news. I was praying to Jesus to do some kind of miracle.
I left my house running down for nowhere. I kept asking, what tower Terry is in? I had lost all my senses. I could hear people scream. Each person I turned, hoping she is my wife. I could see her everywhere, yet nowhere. Finally I heard someone yell… “It’s the North Tower Daddd, I can see another plane coming close".
This was the time I realized that Terry isn’t coming back. I sat on the street unknowing where I am and what time it is. I could see people run, scream, cry and cry. Now all what I could see was dust coming towards me, like a dam has broken and the water forcing out like flood.
One of the police officers carried me to a safer zone and later dropped me home. “Tens of thousands of people must have died”- the police officer said while exiting my house. Only few thousand bodies were found later on. But my Terry is still missing.
I don’t know who to blame. Should I blame those Muslims who killed my Terry to get their ‘God knows what message’ across? Or my own self, who pushed her toward her death? But what difference will my opinion make? My…my Terry is still missing.

Thesis- "Shooting an Elephant"

Meandering through his inner conflicts, Orwell could have still taken a stand, but he immersed himself in crowd pleasing.

"Shooting an Elephant" --thesis statement

1.Crowd pleasers like Orwell oppose their own resistance to will power.
2.Recognizing oneself by using others as our microscope can put an individual in an edgy situation, like Orwell did.
3.Unless the remote is in our own hands none can control us, however Orwell had no self-control.

Blog Entry5

" Neither do I mind being judged, nor do I want their verdicts. I believe in myself, and I also know that, none can shatter the one in me."

" I also don't want to be phrased as a hypocrite, I mean what I say. Believe in me and I believe in you, is like a deal worth lies."

August 30, 2007


Letters Editor
Dawn News
Highlight on Child abuse


Dear Editor:
The article published in yesterday’s newspaper (29th August 2007) was not sufficient enough to create a drastic impact over a critical issue like child abuse.

The writer expressed feelings for the victimized children. The sentence which said, ‘Dark are those eyes, still shining with broken lights’, created empathy for those children who were brutally abused. Picturing the trauma the children are going through and how they can speak without uttering a word from their mouth, but from their eyes.

The writer should have emphasized more on the heartless men who dared to show such a deviant sexual behavior. Inform the people of the consequences and the charges that they can face. And most importantly create awareness in the society to teach their children how to protect themselves from such men.

Will it be possible to get some to these social criminals out in public and create examples?


Or will this tragedy continue to hinder the society with such evil people surrounding it?


Sohail Salim
Karachi.

Where were you last night?

Where were you last night?
Being the current father of the nation is not easy, and to answer where I was last night is tough for a President of a country. But to present myself as a role model, I would not mind answering the question.
I was sitting at my work desk, lost in my own thoughts. Looking at this my wife gave me a hug from back, and her touch made me feel secure.
When asked by her what was I thinking about?With a frozen tone I replied: “love for my country”.
She then asked: “then why am I sad”?
And with a long pause, I replied: “I am not stress with my work, I am just upset. The more I try to develop my country, make it multi-cultural and cosmopolitan; my own brothers (extremist nationals) try to stop me.

Week 2. Bina Shah

I know I am right but you are not wrong either.

Day1 redo. (Ms. Bina Shah)

Born in Karachi on 15th October 1987, Sohail Salim was the first born child in his family. Loved and cared by every member of his extended family, Sohail Salim was a quiet and adorable child. Sohail later migrated to Dubai, United Arab Emirates when he was a year old.
Sohail spent his entire life in Dubai and adapted to the Arab culture and customs. All this involved the attire the locals wore, their etiquette and their delicious cuisine. Sohail also has a keen interest in different types of cuisines and calls himself a ‘foodolic’. His favorite time pass and hobby is cooking for his family and friends. He finished his schooling in Dubai and returned to Karachi, Pakistan to do his A levels and also pursued his education doing Bachelor’s in Media Sciences from SZABIST.
His talent and creativity was projected through his direction in various commercials and his self produced , written and directed film ‘Karma’. The film revolves around a person, his past and the outcomes to his deeds. How he tries to avoid his past and how he repents for his actions and his struggle to make life peaceful. Through this Sohail tried to show his versatility and was widely acknowledged.

Day1. (Ms. Bina Shah)

Born on 15th October 1987, Sohail Salim was the first born child in his family. Loved and cared by every member of his extended family, Sohail Salim was a quiet and adorable child. Sohail Salim was born in Karachi and later migrated to Dubai, United Arab Emirates when he was a year old.
Sohail spent his entire life in Dubai and adapted to the Arab culture. He also finished his schooling in Dubai and returned to Karachi, Pakistan to do his A levels and also pursued his education doing Bachelor's in Media Sciences from SZABIST. His talent and creativity was projected through his direction in various commercials and his self produced ,written and directed film ‘Karma’. This proved to show his versatility.