Zainab's Writings

I can't believe how easy writing list poems is- you can have so much fun with them. I made this one up less than a week ago when I was furious about being underestimated by everyone just because I'm young . Then I came up with this. The words were rushing into my brain so fast that I didn't even bother to take out a notebook and just scribbled what was coming into my mind onto the writing board. Just because we're young Just because we're young we're underestimated and called little pests Just because we're young we can't be trusted Just because we're young we're called immature Just because we're young we can't drive Just because we're young we get yelled at and scolded for no reason at all Just because we're young we can't vote Just because we're young our opinion doesn't matter Just because we're young we aren't taken seriously Just because we're young we don't count Ju...

Hi guys! I'm so sorry I couldn't post here for so long- let me see... I'm posting after more than seventy days!!!  That's quite a lot. I was really busy with stuff like business and things and then there was Ramadan and well- I sort of got writer's block after that, but now its over so I'm here with one of my first catalogue/list poems. I was attending this five-day workshop at the British Council library called 'Spoken word and Language Skills' (with Spoken Stage )and there they taught us how to write a catalogue or list poem. The idea is very simple-you just have to write a list, without worrying about beats and rhythm and syllables and everything. This is the second list poem I wrote-and read aloud- at the workshop. So, here goes: Sadness Sadness is friends not turning up at twelve (even though they said they would) Sadness is not being able to post on my blog for too long Sadness is the ice cream cone that fell from my hands even before I too...

We visited Quetta a couple of weeks ago. Quetta is a very cultural city, and one of the most unique places I have ever visited.Here is an essay that I wrote about Quetta. Before visiting Quetta, I used to wonder, ‘What is Quetta like?’ When I visited Quetta, I realised that Quetta is not like any other city of Pakistan. It is a unique city, and to appreciate its beauty you must not compare it with any other place. Quetta is the capital of the Balochistan province, and is located in North-west Pakistan. Quetta is a growing city, with a population of 1.172 million. Quetta is not very green, unlike the lush green northern areas of Pakistan. However, wildlife does exist in Quetta,-or used to, at least-but is vanishing due to the increase in urbanisation. The Chakor - a pale fawn coloured, red beaked bird species-and the Markhor ; an endangered mountain goat species, are animals home to Quetta. There are basically two types of landscapes you get to see in Quetta; mountains-of ev...

Hello readers, and welcome back! This post is to announce that this blog is three years old today! In these three wonderful years on blogger, I've made it to: 110 posts, 9,170 page views, and 411 comments(including my own replies) Thanks everyone for reading my posts and commenting on them! I will be looking forward to another happy year with you all!

Hi Readers, and Welcome back! I’m really sorry for not being able to post for the past two months (I do aim to post more often and regularly in the future, though.) Anyways, spring is just around the corner and so I decided to share with you guys what I’m reading this spring!             1.  How to Make Money using Etsy :        A guide to the online Marketplace for Crafts and Handmade Products Author: Timothy Adams Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Length: 222 pages ISBN: 978-0-470-94456-1 I found this book at a local library. Ever since we’ve started our own  small business, Clayholds ( www.clayholds.blogspot.com/ ), I’m often finding books on business and making money whenever we visit the library. However, unlike some of the books I’ve found on business, How to Make Money using Etsy is quite an interesting read and gives you practical tips on how you can set up your shop on Etsy. The book isn’t at...

I do not know what really triggered it, but I think it was the world of books which inspired me to write. I had always been an avid reader since the age of three, and at six I read-an abridged version of- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer , at seven I read Jane Eyre , and began reading Harry Potter . Of course, I understood only a fraction of the words used in them, but that did not prevent me from reading them. I marvelled at the rich vocabulary, and the unique way the authors used to express their feelings and describe a scene. Thus, inspired from books, I began to write as well. At first I wrote only stories, but the list grew rapidly. I was soon writing poetry, which began from simple, childish poems such as ‘I have a cat, It sits on a mat’, but grew to more thoughtful works of poetry. As I started school late-at the age of five- I had a lot of opportunity to write before that, and it was unrestricted, free writing. I had the freedom to let my ideas flow free, and nobody pointed ...

Only recently I was looking at an old notebook of mine, reading the English essays I wrote before my English papers. At the end of the notebook I had copied down Creative Writing topics from past papers. As I read the list of topics, I came across one I found increasingly interesting. The topic was: 'Write a story in which loosing a passport OR an identity card plays an important part.' I found it so interesting that I began working on it straightaway. I thoroughly enjoyed myself writing it. It was days  after that I had written anything other than my history, geography, and Islamiyat answers! “Ahem. Your ID card, please,” said the plump, moustached guard at the entrance gate of the university. “The ID card?” I blurted out. “Uh, yes, I do believe I have it somewhere in my bag” I said, half to myself. Just looking at the grim-faced guard made me nervous. I unzipped my bulging hand bag which I had purchased only three days ago at the start of the university session. The g...

Book: A Day in Your Life 24 hours inside the Human Body Author: Dr. Hilary Jones Length: 399 pages Publisher: CORGI Books Year of Publication: 2014 ISBN:  10: 0552159514 A Day in Your Life, by Dr. Hilary Jones takes you on a trip inside the bodies of the Enniman family: Adam, his wife Eve, their three children, Ben, Poppy, and Ruby, and their pet dog Rufus. This book will “ tell you about all the utterly incredible things your body does all on its own, without you ever being conscious of it. It will explain why you dream and what exactly is it that wakes you up in the morning and fall asleep at night, it tells you why you yawn or laugh, and how you see, hear, and taste. It describes how your breathing and digestion simply happen without you even having to think about it and how your heart, no bigger than the size of your clenched fist, unfailingly goes on beating billions of times during your lifetime without ever getting tired.” (Excerpt from the book) A Day in...

My name is Rani. I was bought up and cared for at a farm in Gujranwala. In the farm, I had no worries, only pressure to produce more milk. The farmer, Fazal-din, was a kind-hearted person and treated all of us with love. My life was full of all sorts of luxuries and comforts a cow could have. I was allowed to stroll all over the farm, to graze in the lush green meadows and to eat as much grass as I wanted to. I could lie in the hot, Punjab sun for simply as long as I wanted to and only at night would the farmer collect all of us and lock us up in the barn. And none of us minded that, let me assure you.  The sight of the heavy padlock, and the sound of Fazal-din’s heavy snores- which echoed in the barn at night- gave us a deep sense of security. Those were the days, let me tell you. It was only in September that I entered the world outside the farm. And I discovered it was a greedy world. A world full of envy, jealousy, and deception.  The people here were hateful and des...

I had been attempting to write a story with a word limit of hundred words for several days. But it was extremely challenging, so I loosened my restriction to 150 words. Here is the story(it has no title yet): As I stared between the bars of the prison cell, I deeply regretted my visit to the jewellery shop. It had not been a good idea at all, since I had no money on me. Just as I had entered the store, a dazzling gold necklace caught my eye. It was a beauty; all studded with tiny, shimmering rubies. I glanced at the price tag. My face fell. It was too expensive. When no one was looking, I silently unhooked the necklace from its stand and dropped it into my pocket. Then I casually headed towards the exit. It all happened in seconds. The security guard grabbed me by the collar and started yelling at me. The proof against me was in my pocket, and before I knew it, I was taken off to jail... I could not think anymore. I buried my head in my knees and started crying. ...