Zainab's Writings

Some sounds are beautiful. They relax you and make you happy. My favorite sounds are natural sounds, especially that of birds chirping merrily at dawn and by sunset. They seem so calm, engaging, and peaceful!  Sometimes their chirping seems jolly while sometimes the birdsong feels sad. But it is always wonderful. When I hear a bird chirping, it piques my curiosity and interests me a lot. I just cannot resist the temptation to follow that sound and search for the little bird which is creating that sound. When a bird chirps, I feel it is like an invitation for me to explore the world. I also admire the soft rustling sound of the sea. The beautiful atmosphere and the quiet, hushed sound of the calm sea seem mysterious too. Yet it is soothing, a perfect lullaby that will make you sleep if you drop into a deck chair. The faint and delicate sound of the sea splashing on the golden sands seems meaningful, too. At times the sound seems inviting, while sometimes it feels unwelcoming. I...

Before I begin let me tell you that this was an O level's topic, and all the characteristics of me, my mom and my house are completely  and totally  fictitious. Enjoy! It was a pleasant Sunday Morning, and as usual, I woke up late. Brushing hair out of my eyes, I went downstairs for breakfast to find my mother all dressed up, swinging a huge purse in her arms. Eyeing me, she smiled broadly, greeting me good morning. Then she pointed towards the egg and toast on the table, and said, “Hurry up, beta, we have to go to the market today.” I groaned. It was a beautiful morning, and I wanted to spend it lounging about at home. Nonetheless, I obeyed. I picked aimlessly at the breakfast and slurped up most of the milk. Then I went upstairs to change. Pretty soon, I was ready for the shopping trip. I stepped down the stairs to find my mother waiting for me. She rattled the bunch of keys in her hand impatiently, and I accompanied her to the car. Once in the car, I asked my mot...

"Time is like footsteps. Once here, never again, leaving traces behind" ~Zainab Salman

If I had a room of my own that I could decorate as I wished, it would be pretty different than the rest of the rooms of the house. I would paint the ceiling a clear sky blue. The fan’s wings would be painted red, yellow, and blue, in bright oil paints, so when the fan would be switched on, would become a blur of colors. I would paint one of the walls a sweet purple with big silver polkas. Above it I would print in block letters, ‘My Art Gallery’. I would hang there, framed, the best of my sketches, paintings, drawings, and canvases. My bed would be a big double bed, because I would often invite my friends to spend a night with me. It would have a supple mattress and plump pillows for comfortable sleep. I would buy plain sheets and pillowcases and would decorate them beautifully with fabric markers.The side walls would have big windows to make the room light and airy. I would hang on them pretty chic blinds. My closet would be small and compact, containing a few simple dresse...

Title: The Number Devil Author: Hans Magnus Enzensberger Illustrator: Rotraut Susanne Berner Translated by: Michael Henry Hein Pubisher: Granta Books First Published: 1997, in German ISBN: 978-1-84708-0530 Robert is a twelve year old boy who hates Maths. One night he meets the Number devil in a dream, who changes his perception about Maths. Each night, Robert meets The Number Devil who shows him that there is more to Mathematics than he thinks. He shows him lots of Math Tricks and theories. He teaches him lots of Math concepts including Fractions, decimals, division, squares, cubes, and their roots, Prime Numbers (and the sieve of Eratosthenes) Fibonacci Numbers, Combinations, Imaginary Numbers, and factorials, in a charming way, all with interesting examples and witty stories. Very soon, Robert and the Number Devil become friends. Robert looks forward to meet the Number Devil every night. The Number Devil shows him what numbers are, how important they are a...

Puzzles 1.Creative Connections: Eye, light, blood. How can you connect all three together? Answer: with the word red. Red added to the beginning or end of these words will make another word or phrase. Similarly, do with these: 1.        Flower, tan, day 2.        Board, tea, world 3.        All, come, eat 4.        Honey, light, moon 5.        Fort, shirt, good 6.        Stool, big, ball 7.        Seat, set, step 2. Drawing Disorders Try drawing the shape below without lifting your pen and tracing over lines. 3.  Letter Lengtheners PAFT can represent a lot of things, such as Plant A Fir Tree, or Play A Fine Tune. Similarly, make as many as you can for SIDE, in 5 minutes 4. Ways with Words Sweet can mean sugary,(a cake) pretty, (a dress) cu...

1.     State bank Museum, Karachi-Pakistan’s first money museum 2.    Ibn e qasim park, Karachi-one of the most beautiful parks of karachi 3.     Quaid e Azam  House museum, Karachi-quaid’s house, relics and belongings 4.     Lahore museum-a detailed museum on just everything 5.    Wonder world, Lahore-the world of fun 6.   Javed Manzil, Lahore- allama iqbal’s house 7.    Shalamar bagh, Lahore-a garden from the time of Moghul emperor shah jahan 8.    Museum of science and technology, Lahore-the best science museum I’ve ever visited 9.    Lok Virsa Museum, Islamabad-A museum of Pakistani culture and heritage 10. Bird Park, Islamabad-A park for birds and parrots 11.   Natural History Museum, Islamabad-A museum about the rich natural history of Pakistan 12. Pakistan Movement Museum, Islamabad-A museum about the Pakistan movement and founding fathers

I road this short insight on the beautiful roads to Kashmir after a trip there. Here it is. Enjoy! The roads to Kashmir were really dangerous but touchingly beautiful, too.We saw loads of pine trees laden with pine cones. There were huge lakes of clear blue water and gushing steams that had started naturally between old rocks. We saw flocks of big, shaggy mountain goats and spotted cows grazing on the mountains. There were many types of trees and plants,too. We drove between huge green mountains, sometimes between clouds, fog, and rain. I washed my hands and face from a stream and looked for pine cones. On almost every dangerous turn we saw huge rocks that had slided off the mountains. They were dangerous roads that grew even more dangerous because of landsliding and traffic.   I felt like a tiny creature in a huge room. There was everything much greater than myself. I was awestruck by the beauty of the vast and beautiful landscape, and ultimately felt the greatness of th...

I recently made this project on Scratch. I am working on this idea for a long time. I was making another project, but it  flopped, because the scripting was imperfect. Then I began working on the tree. It took me more than two months to finish this! But I did have a fun time making it. Instructions: -Click the Green Flag -Use arrow keys to switch slides HAVE FUN! :D

'Our Iceberg Is Melting’ sounds like a book on global warming, but surprisingly, as I discovered when I started reading, it is not. It is about changing and striving for better. The book is written like a fable by two change specialists and is a fun but meaningful read. The authors have brilliantly crafted a plot to embed their wisdom and insights on change. The first author, John P. Kotter is a leadership and change guru at Harvard. He has written over 20 honored books some of which are bestsellers. Holger Rathgeber, the co-author, has a vast experience of working with organizations to help them implement the strategies of change. The story is about a colony of penguins living on a huge iceberg in Antarctica. The Iceberg had been there for a long time and the penguins believed that it would last forever. The iceberg is surrounded by sea rich in food and shelter to protect them from storms. Among the two hundred and sixty eight penguins, Fred is an unusually observant penguin ...

 I need only 25 posts to make it to 100! I lost count of my posts some time ago but I just realized I've got Seventy-five. TO MYSELF!

"Humility and dignity may  seem like opposites,  but you need to  have humility to feel dignified" ~Zainab  Salman

I made this Powerpoint Presentation about Algebra in daily life recently. Enjoy!!! Algebra from Zamboozee

This is a story which I have been working on for months. Although this was meant to be a Novella ( a short novel) it turns out to be what they call 'a short story'. This is 1,196 words long, making it barely a short story. Because the topic is a patriotic one, I decided to post it today on 14th August. I hope this will make people realize how valuable Pakistan is. Pakistan Zindabad! Mr. and Mrs. Khan lived in Karachi but they were always saying how good America was. “Just like a dream”, Mr. Khan often said and his wife agreed. America was very much more luxurious, safer, and better in every way than her own country. She longed to live there. After all, who would want to live in Pakistan?  A poor third world country with dirty streets , load shedding, an unjust government and unfair laws. And no hope of things getting better, either.  Mrs. Khan knew America was the best option-and she dreamed of going there all the time. * * * The alarm sounded, waking them up. Mr...

I was inspired by the green flag that fluttered on a neighbor's roof. 'Keep the flag Flying'', I whispered to myself. Then I wrote a poem. Here it is. The times are bad, People are sad. But all hope is not lost, We won’t give up-at any cost. Keep the Flag Flying! And things will improve. Our fathers’ struggle won’t be a waste, We’ve got to save it, Hurry, Make haste! Nothing for us is out of bounds, Let’s get together to nurse the nation’s wounds. Keep the flag flying! All hope is not yet lost. We all love our country, that love is enough, And even though the work seems tough, If all of us tend to do it, We’ll manage it in the end. Keep the flag flying! Nothing is too difficult. Keep the flag flying, Pakistanis!

I wrote this a few days back when I couldn't write anything but really wanted to. I stare at the blank paper, And wonder what to write. I know this will fill soon, And will be gray, no longer white. What will fill these empty lines, What will I write here? What will kill the emptiness of the blank paper's stare? I hope I write something soon, Just to fill the pages, I really hope to write soon, 'Cause I haven't written for ages!

Treasure Hunt is a game which involves some thinking as well as physical activity. Although it is not so popular, but it is loved by most kids. Try it out with Younger siblings or cousins. Initially, I knew how to play Treasure Hunt but we rarely played it. I tried it with my younger cousin and brother once, and they really enjoyed it(probably because the treasure was sweets!) I discovered two ways of playing this game-with a map and with clues. Here's how you can play Treasure Hunt; What You Need: -A pen -Paper -Treasure(could be anything, like sweets or balloons or stickers. Even a glass of juice would do.) -Kids(preferably 1-4) How to prepare the game: -Choose how you want to play it-map or clues? -For a map, take a paper and draw on it the map of your house or park, wherever you're playing. Make a 'Key' for what represents what. Add the treasure in the key. Draw the treasure in the map in lots of places. -For clues, take small r...

It is Ramadan and the weather is getting unbearably hot. There are over a 1000 heatwave deaths in Sindh and Karachi.  Almost everyone wonders why there is a sudden rise in temperatures! Why is it getting too hot???? Why are we always freezing or boiling? Global Warming is the answer. Let me explain this thing to you. There is a protective layer outside the earth called the Ozone Layer. All the pollution has caused a hole in the Ozone Layer. The Ozone Layer used to Protect the earth from the Sun's harmful rays. Now the sun shines right through the hole. We cannot patch up this hole!!! All we can do is to stop it from getting more hot. But we're not doing much, are we???? "Factories cause Pollution!," you'll say. "We're completely innocent!" Or are we? We are not. We have a fair share for causing Global Warming! The Air Conditioners and Heaters we switch on whenever we want are helping it to warm some more. If you ever look at the back side...

I recently wrote two poems, one of which I created my own rhyme pattern for. This poem(it has no title yet,)is as below: Watch Where you're going, Realize what you're doing, Head for the straight path. Think before following, Think before accepting, Think, and it'll be ok. There's not only white, not only black, There are some grey parts too, There's always some good, and always some bad, in whatever we all do. Weird, eh??? I don't like this poem much, too. I don't really get what I'm trying to say-probably why it doesn't have a name. Though I like the, um, last(triplet???) part very much, because it has a better rhythmic sense than the first and second ones. The other poem, which I wrote just recently, is better. It's titled; "Nature" and it has the normal rhyme pattern. Here goes: Nature Lots of leaves and flowers, The wind and the showers, The sun so bright, the radiant moon, And fluffy clouds in the day at n...

This is a(another!) PPT I  finished making. This Presentation is about Turkey, a Eurasian Country which is rich in culture and history. I have tried my best to make this presentation interesting and I hope it is. If you like it, I expect you to leave a comment. Turkey from Zamboozee

  In our society, advertising plays the key role for excessive buying. The ads that our media presents urge people to buy products of a particular brand. The companies that make the stuff we buy have a strategy: They advertise the things that are not our needs. There is no need to advertise for our needs! We have to get our needs, no matter what. They mainly advertise for our wants our secondary needs in the papers and T.V. The companies do their best to make their ads flashy. They include people like film stars, cricketers, doctors, scientists, cartoon characters and statements, music and actions, anything that would appeal to their targeted customers.  Advertising is simply a trap. They get us in their cycle only to earn money. Often, we fall in to their trap of the ads and buy the unnecessary stuff. Their job is to get their stuff sold, while our job is to prevent ourselves from buying them.  Though what we really do, is buy their stuff. Whenever we go to the...

Hi Readers! I am posting after along time. This is a PowerPoint Presentation about Hydraulics, a concept in Science. View this PPT to know more about it.

Reading and not Writing  is like  Taking and not Returning                 ~Zainab Salman

There are lots of things I'd love to try, and which I rarely get the opportunity to do! I invented these recipes by myself. Although most are completely barmy, I'd love to try the corn cups someday! I am sharing these recipes with all of you, and I trust you not to try them! Only the Ice cream is tried and tested, and I don't have a hint whether you'll like it or not!!!! Richest Chocolate Sandwich What You’ll Need: -Two thin Slices of a plain Chocolate cake (without icing, I mean!) -Chocolate Hazelnut Spread/Melted Cooking Chocolate -Shredded Coocunut -Twix bars -1/2 a cup of Hot Chocolate What to do: -Spread both the slices of cake with the spread. -On one of the slices, add a layer of Twix bars cut into tiny pieces. -Cover the slices with the other one to from a sandwich. -Pour the Hot Chocolate on top. -Serve warm with lots of shredded coconut sprinkled on top. Corn Cups What You’ll Need: -Boiled Corn -Two large eggs -Small c...

Homeschooling in Pakistan is not very common as people think that homeschoolers cannot study and educational institutes are the only place where people can learn. Homeschooling can be a very difficult decision for parents to make especially if you’re living in Pakistan.  First of all, people make all sorts of comments like “You’re not going to send your kids to School???? I can’t believe it!” and then there’s that ever so common “How will they learn?”!  People believe that learning is some rocket science that only schools can assist kids to do and nobody can learn without it. In the olden days, there was nothing such as school  and  parents would teach their kids whatever was considered important. They told their children the ways and rules of living, their manners; they taught them skills, like farming and knitting. There was no way parents would agree to send their kids to someone else who would teach them  their ways and punish them in any way they like ...

The computer of life has critical battery and the charger is lost.  Instead of searching around for it, complete your work and prepare for the end.                                                                                                            ~Zainab Salman

This is an article that I wrote for Thinker's Club-an awesome club for kids(if you're interested, visit  thinkersclubonline.blogspot.com )   I have basically compiled it from some of the stuff discussed in the Club, while others are points I wrote completely by myself. Anyways, here it is! We rarely think about them, but Needs and Wants are an important part of our lives. Lots of things in  our lives like shopping and buying things depend upon it. Needs and Wants gradually become part of our thinking. Needs are very important things that are necessary to have in order for us to survive. Wants can be anything-anything that we want for ourselves. Often, we forget and buy stuff without thinking whether they are our needs or wants. Needs and Wants are divided into these categories so that they are easier to understand: Primary Needs: -Basic: Like clothes to wear -Functional: Things that are necessary for the Need to work-like the clothes to be stitch...

1.        Can there be any such animal that is considered as extinct but is still alive? 2.       How was yoghurt created for the first time? 3.       Can there be a time when there are no jewels or gold inside the earth-when all of it has been                 discovered? 4.       Why is there no gravity and oxygen in space? 5.       Is zero a negative integer or a positive integer? 6.     Why does time pass by? 7.       Is there no gravity underwater? 8.  Is there a liquid thinner than water? 9.  Can there be life without language?

Goes on, and ahead, And then with a mighty jerk- Stops. Never to begin again.

Thousands of Animals out there in the world, Are hopeless-starved to death, And although we're pretending not to know, We're giving those animals a threat. A threat for hunting and shooting them out, A threat for making them die, A threat that means to destroy their homes, A threat that's mean and sly. We aim to cut down all the trees, And hope to dirty the land, We try to make the earth polluted, And now it's getting out of hand. But what we're starting to forget is, That the animals live here, too, It's not their fault but they are too, Suffering with me and you!!!

"Life is like a journey, Every one keeps going on till they reach their destinations" ~ Zainab Salman

A  great blessing I have is the big Neem tree outside the house. The tree is   huge. Nobody really knows how old it is, but my eldest uncle, wh has been living in this house since he was a baby, told me that it was pretty much the same size as now when he was about my age. It is estimated that the tree is about a hundred years old. The tree, probably because of it's enormous size, is a home to lots of birds. It has around 4 eagle's nests on it(which are really huge) loads of crows live on it and uncountable sparrows are home on the tree. Apart from all these, lots of unusual and unknown birds often pay a visit. I remember seeing a shiny blue bird and a red and fawn coloured bird on the tree. The leaves of the tree have been used for medicinal purposes to heal and soothe illnesses and sometimes to cool the body-temperature in summers herbaly. Often, I watch the tree, and the different kind of birds that are chirping away pleasantly on a branch. I am thankful for this tre...

Everyone has a reason of pride, a reason to be proud over something. Something I feel proud about is my country. Pakistan is a country which I need and my country needs me. But what I am noticing and feeling, strongly, is that many people don't seem to love their country, and are starting to devalue it. Some people express their opinions by going abroad, leaving their home-country, while others keep complaining and cursing the country and it's government. What I am trying to say is, that some people find no reasoning for loving their country. People need to know that their country has almost everything, and God definitely chose Pakistan to be their homeland, and not Africa, Antarctica, or America, because of some reason, right??? The most important things I see in this country and it's people, are... ...Brotherhood and unity amongst the people... ...The richness of the land, and the variety of wildlife we have here... ...The culture, the heritage, and the languages.....

A limerick is a five-lined-poem. They are very simple and easy to write, the only rules are: the first, second and fifth line, and the third and fourth line should rhyme and have  an equal number of syllables. Also, a limerick is supposed to be funny. Here is my third limerick, (my first and second are also shared on this blog, but they aren't much good.)about school and schooling. Place of education: They call it a School, A place where you're supposed to act like a fool, It's purely stupidity, oh yes, that's true, Where they are heading for; I don't have a clue, And they have great ideas, if you break a rule. Note: Remember, limerick's are supposed to be funny. Please suggest ways I could improve mine in the comments because I think advice is really important, especially when you need to get better at something. Oh, and I think it doesn't rhyme on the tone of limericks. I can't understand why....

This is to inform all the readers of this blog that I have been blogging for almost an year now. This blog will turn one on 23rd of March, 2015. On this blog, I have:  Successfully published 52 posts, (including this one) lots of poetry, stories, scratch projects, articles, and quotes, both by me and other people...  Got lots of comments on them, thanks to my relatives and friends...   Got a total of 1651 page views on them...  And have 3 people who follow me. Blogging turned out to be a learning experience for me, and I discovered lots of benefits, including the following: My writing has improved a lot. If you view my first two posts,an article and a poem, published in March,2014 you will find a lot of changes, and signs of improvement.  I have learnt how to post expressive and good comments(at least I think so) on other people's blogs. I have learnt to and have created/help create 3 blogs, except my own, 2 of my friend's, and 1 of my cousi...

This is a project that I made on Scratch-a really awesome website.  To begin, click the green flag and follow the girl's instructions, the rest works by itself. Enjoy! If this doesn't work, view the  Orignal project

They are not 'twinkling stars' we see, they are the satellites, It is all only god's earth, but still for rights we fight. The fertilizer laid on ground is mistaken for soil, It is the whole in ozone layer, not sun, for why we boil. Light bulbs can never replace:elegance of the moon, Heaters can not provide:warmth of afternoon. Dyed hair never looked good, everyone does it, all the same, Glamour makes you forget; meaning of life, the aim. People sometimes forget: artificial means unreal, Artificial only looks good, nature is good in real.

Ali hungrily chewed on the old piece of yesterday’s bread he was having for lunch. Sweat dripped on his forehead.  “It’s hard work, working in the fields”, he thought desperately as he wiped it with the back of his hand. Finishing the rest of his lunch, he handed  the plate over to his mother who was washing the dishes at the tiny sink of their earthen hut. Trrring!!! The phone sounded, interrupting Ali from his thoughts.   “Son”, his mother turned to him. “Can you please get it? I’m busy.” Ali nodded and picked up the receiver of the ancient telephone which sat on a ‘stand’ made of old bricks after checking the number which looked like his friend Bilal’s. “Hi pal, how’s it goin’?” said the voice at the other end.         “How’s what going??”asked a puzzled Ali.  “Come on! You know what I’m talking about!” He heard someone say. “No, I don’t,” said Ali. “Oh forget it. It’s useless talking to you anyway.” Said some...