Young Adult Dystopian Novels........How Do I Analyze them??

Who doesn't love dystopian novels?? At least, I know that I do. These novels are full of action and are so addictive. They benefit us in ways that we can't imagine. They give us the sense that every individual has power and has the tendency to bring change in their system. Dystopian novels inspire people to question their authorities and not to follow any system blindly. Systems are to be followed, if and only if  they follow certain standards of morality and ethics. Too much good talk, eh? Now lets see "the faults in our novels" :-D

First and foremost, do children or young adults have to be the ones to read these novels? I mean there is so much bloodshed, use of weapons (Guns, Knives, Bows, etc.), and rebellious behavior. Its very natural that young people are at an very delicate age. These books give us a sense of being continuously at war (take Divergent Trilogy for example. There is  war in each of its novels). When we don't have any thing to rebel against, its our parents that have to face our rude behavior. We think our rights are being denied and we rebel against things that are good or beneficial for us. 

Even I, who am quite a dependent girl, like this rebelliousness. I was so amazed by my own behavior when I read Delirium trilogy. In the first book the main heroine was shy, delicate, stressed, worried, and dependent and I was like, "I don't like her. She is just like me!!", and " What's the fun in that?". In the second novel, however, she turned rebellious. She knew how to use guns, open locks, etc. Then, I liked her and on some of her dialogues I would say, "This is incredible." So do you get my point??? 

I was once asked that what do you learn from reading novels. I replied that for shooting for a long distance you exhale and for shooting at a nearer target you exhale (I don't know if either of these statements is correct because I don't clearly remember my answer).

Secondly, I see that in such novels, and many other young adult novels, the writer's build up characters do not act as people do in that age. I mean you know four right. Can you imagine in the movie an 18 year old four??? I can't. I know that his situation molded him into this but the skills that he had and his seriousness, I don't think any 18 year old can do it. However, the ages of characters of The Hunger Games were agreeable. 

Lastly, sometimes reading so much destruction and bloodshed makes makes the reader  irritable and rude. Mostly I seek company in novels, but sometimes they give me a severe headache.

Don't you think that we need novels that are a bit lighter. I mean why should children be shown a destructed world. Why be pessimistic, rather than optimistic about our species? We can show a world without violence and this may give good moral lessons to young people. Novels like Jane Eyre. I have moved on from this genre of novel. I feel that these stories are foolish. There is always a 15, 16, 17 or 18 years old hero and heroine saving the whole world. To me, these novels should be read, but at an age such as above 16. Early teenager shouldn't be given these novel. Do you agree with me?

Hey, What is Water Footprinting????

Water footpriting?? You may not know what water footprinting is. It is a relatively new terminology. Water footprint measures the amount of water used to produce each of the goods and services we use. According to waterfootprint.org,

The water footprint is a measure of humanity’s appropriation of fresh water in volumes of water consumed and/or polluted.

The water footprint looks at both direct and indirect water use of a process, product, company or sector and includes water consumption and pollution throughout the full production cycle from the supply chain to the end-user. For example, water footprint of dairy products can be calculated. This water footprint would also include the water that the cow or any other animal uses, the water footprint of the food that it eats, etc.

Water footprints are of three type:

Green water footprint is water from precipitation that is stored in the root zone of soil and evaporated, transpired or incorporated by plants. It is particularly relevant for agricultural, horticultural and forestry products.

Blue water footprint is water that has been sourced from surface or groundwater resources and is either evaporated, incorporated into a product or taken from one body of water and returned to another, or returned at a different time. Irrigated agriculture, industry and domestic water use can each have a blue water footprint.

Grey water footprint is the amount of fresh water required to assimilate pollutants.The grey water footprint considers point-sources of pollution, or other diffuse sources.

We consume alot of products and services daily. For example, we use water, eat rice, cereals, we buy new clothes, etc. These all products have their own water footprint. So,it is our duty to recognize and leave such products that have large water footprint. For example, coffee and meat have very high water footprints. So, we should avoid coffee and meat when we can.

Following is contribution of various products and services to the global water footprint.

You can calculate your water footprints can be calculated through this interactive quiz.

You can also check you nations water footprint, water availability, etc., through this interactive explorer.

Other than water footprints, there are many other types of footprints. Major footprints are,

1. Ecological Footprint: Measures the use of bio-productive space.
2. Carbon Footprint: Measures the emission of gases that contribute to global warming.
3. Water Footprint: Measures the consumption and contamination of freshwater resources.
4. Nitrogen Footprint: Measures the amount of nitrogen released into the environment in relation to consumption.

     If you like this post or want more information about this (although I am not any expert but I worked on this as a project), please do comment.

3 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

I tried out this amazing recipe today. This chocolate mug cake was easy to make and very delicious to eat. I loved this recipe because I didn't have to use my gas oven, which either half cooks or burns cakes when I try to cook them properly.  This cake is made in a microwave oven.

Ingredients

4 Tablespoon flour

4 Tablespoons of milk

4 Tablespoons of oil

4 Tablespoons of sugar

2 Tablespoon cocoa

1 egg

3 Teaspoon chocolate chips (optional)

1/2 Teaspoon vanilla extract (some even add jam but I didn't add the last two ingredients)

Method

1. First mix all the dry ingredients in a coffee mug.

Tip: Remember use castor sugar or powered sugar.

2. Now add egg in it and then add milk and oil.

3. Mix the batter thoroughly.

4. Place this coffee mug in microwave oven. Set the power at 1000W for 3 minutes.

5. Take out the coffee mug and cool it. Then serve.

Tip: You have to balance the amount of sugar added.For example, I had to add 5 tbs. because I was'nt adding any  chocolate chips.

Have fun!!!

Reference:

http://www.food.com/recipe/5-minute-chocolate-mug-cake-354827?photo=352932

What is my hobby???Obviously reading!

I was in 5th grade when my mother gave me a novel of Enid Blyton. She gave me this novel so that I could improve my English speaking skills and creative writing. After Famous Five, I read R.L. Stine's novels. Then Harry Potter, Hunger games, Divergent, Pride and Prejudice and so many more.  Reading  is my hobby. Reading helps me to get rid of stress. It keeps me for a limited time in a world other than my own. Whenever I an reading a novel, from its start till its end I feel light and happy.  But its not like I am reading novels all the time. I just vigorously (really I read a trilogy in nearly a week on my laptop and then I was having a headache for many many days) read novels in the beginning of the semester and after  week or so I stop touching any novel.

There has always been a query in my mind. How do people get inspired by novels? I mean I read Alchemist but its not like I changed because of it, but I do know some people who do get inspired by it. Although I don't get inspired easily, I was inspired by a religious Urdu novel.

Now that I am addicted to novels, my mother often tells me that she regrets the day she handed me that novel :-D. She knows every story that I read because I share all of them. Although she wasn't interested in Harry Potter, she knew all the story by heart. I even caught her telling my father about the disparities between the books and the movies. Sometimes I get astonished when someone tells me that I told them something. It's because I am way to talkative and try to share the things I like with others.

Moreover, I am trying to develop interest in books and newspapers. I also check the blogs that I follow. I love information. Anyway here is a poll, please participate if you can.

Be informed about your country's governance!

Let me share something really exciting that I learned this semester in my optional subject, "Governance and Public trust". Some of you, like me, won't know what governance is. Governance is the process of decision making and the process by which these decisions are implemented or not implemented.

Unlike government, governance includes all the stakeholders. Three main stakeholders of governance  are civil society, government, and market. These three make governance at national. Good governance is a normative (opinion based) concept. Good  governance includes parameter, such as it is  participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law. For further information on this topic, click here.

Different agencies calculate governance standards. These include World Bank, Asian Development Bank, UNESCAP, etc. Here I will tell you a website where you can find governance percentile rank ( more rank near 100 more high is the governance level) of your country through parameters such as government effectiveness and efficiency, rule of law, voice and accountability, etc. You can compare the rank of your country  with other countries and the rank of these indicator under different political regimes.

Step 1

Go to this website  http://databank.worldbank.org/data/views/variableselection/selectvariables.aspx?source=Worldwide-Governance-Indicators

Step 2

You will see Country, Timeline, and Series. Select the wanted series (parameter), timeline, and country. If you will select two countries then you can compare the selected indicator over the selected timeline. 

Step 3

After you have selected your required information look at the information given in the top right corner. You would see table, map, graph, etc. Click on the type in which you want to use this data. You can also download graphs in excel sheets and the click line graph icon to form a line graph.

 

I enjoyed this practical, I hope you will. Even if you are not interested just try this activity once. With these indicators you can have informed opinions. You can argue on the basis of facts.

'In my time' (میرے زمانہ میں)

It has been only two decades since I was born and I already refer to my childhood as  'In my time' (میرے زمانہ میں). When I try to explain my seven year younger sister something, I often use this term.  My mother then laughs at me and tells me that I speak as if I am so very old. To me, though, this seems a very correct notion. The time that I am in now is completely different from that of my childhood. I will elaborate these feeling with certain experiences of my own:

1. When I was a child, mobile phones were not so common. I remember that we used to go to a PCO (telephone booth) and call our relatives. There used to be a card, which ,when used, allowed us to talk for few minutes. Some time after this my father bought a mobile phone. This phone had a blue screen with black font. This screen was no bigger then a scientific calculator's screen. We also had a telephone installed later on. Then we bought a computer. We used a card (more specifically called Rabata Online) to connect to the internet. A relative of mine had a phone with camera and colors, and it was like a wonder for me. Now you see smart phones have so many functions and are so commonly used. Has not the technology improved in these two decades??

2. The entertainment industry has changed a great deal. Hollywood and English music has suffered a less sudden change then bollywood. When I was a kid there would be a brave and good hero and a nice and beautiful heroine in most of the movies. The music used to be soft and the voices for heroine's singing used to be shrill. Now-a-days women with heavy and less shrill voices are preferred. Heroes are mostly thieves, etc. The idea of beauty has changed a great deal.

A heroine of that time

A heroine of this time

Above all, I have changed. Not because I have grown up, but because I am not the same person, in nature, anymore. I, in my own account, have improved a lot. My interests changed. I developed new hobbies, such as reading novels (I love to read novels). I have observed my errors and weaknesses, and  I have tried and am trying to improve. I have changed from over confident to less confident (this is wrong but also good at times). My tastes have changed, my choices are now more well thought of. Nevertheless, change is still required and change is inevitable.

There was a time when I asked my parents that how can they tell anybody, whose relative died, who they do not know properly that we are so sorry for your loss and that the person who died was a very good or important person.

Now that I am few years older, I can understand their condition. I will explain my feelings by using some of my experiences.

A couple of weeks ago my van fellow told me that she had been absent in the last week because of her father's death. In response I looked at her once and then bent by head down. I felt burden all over my chest. I couldn't breathe easily. I then lift up  my head and looked at others who were listening. I met there gaze. At that moment I wanted to condole. I wanted to tell her that how sorry I was for her loss, but no words came. My mouth was dry. Usually I am  very talkative but at that time I could say nothing. The strength that she was showing was looking like a weakness to me. When I see strong people in these circumstances I think that I don't know how hard they are trying right know. Like if I'll break them if I will say something.

A few months back, I came to know that my class fellows mother died. When she came back to university I had to condole her. I went to her. I though of appropriate words, but there were no words. I just  lightly touched her shoulder and said 'I feel sad about your mother's death'.

I feel sorrow because now I can fully realize how important a family is. I love my family and I realize that as I am growing my parents are also aging. Now I feel the pain others are facing. Condolence has been recommended in my religion.

So please take care of your parents, you grand parents, and your brothers and sisters. Love them.