Rising Soap

Real-life dramain the office
By Sabrina F. Ahmad

And now, the moment you've been waiting for, dear readers…yes, a sneak peek into the interaction between the nuts that bring you the RS week after week…

INTRODUCING OUR CAST OF CHARACTERS FOR THIS WEEK:

The Mood Dude, The Girl Next Door, Da Big Boss (The Editor), Riyana, Alex, Armeen, Afreen, Mishel, Nusrat (one of our recent recruits, who's been hiding out of the way, but I've caught her this week…huhuhaha), Ishita, Alien-Angel.

Episode Four:
Quiet day at the office. Try picturing the typical office scenario…small cubicles, computers, glass doors, the low humming of the AC's, the tap tapping of fingers against the various keyboards. Let the movie camera of your mind's eye do a slow sweep of the scenario, past the frosted glass doors of the conference room, past the quiet people of the Star City section, past the RS cubicle, with the unearthly light shimmering in the corner, past…wait, wait…sweep back…right, RS cubicle. Zoom in now, zoom…okay freeze. All eyes on the dazzle…oh, okay. The Girl Next Door, Riyana, and Nusrat are sharing some private joke, and the combined glint from their braces is bright enough to light up the cubicle.

Riyana: "Hey, TGND, what's with the new 'do?"
(All eyes on The Girl Next Door, who's sporting stick-straight hair)
Alien Angel: "You look different."
TGND: "It's the hair."
Mood Dude: "Looks nice."
TGND: (panicking) "Okay, okay…Mood Dude just paid me a compliment…what's wrong with my hair? Does it look like a fright wig?"
Mood Dude: "What did I say?"
Alien Angel: (cutting in) "Anyone check the mail?"
Riyana: "Yes I did. Mood Dude…you…you…didn't download my article yet!"
TGND: "Dude…your negative vibes are really going to bring you down one of these days."
Mood Dude: "Women! I'll never understand them!"
TGND sits down to edit her write-up. A shadow falls over the keyboard. She whips around.
TGND: "Mishel! Stop snooping! Get lost!"
Mishel: (making a villain face) "Sure…after I finish reading that."
TGND: "After last week? I don't think so…" (pushes him away).
(Enter the rest of today's credited cast in a body)
DBB: "Sabrina, get lost…I don't want the next few minutes turning up in Soap"

So, I wait and watch while DBB gives the team a pep talk, and then they get down to some brainstorming. It's all quiet and routine, and then suddenly, the peace is shattered by a loud series of cracks. Bomb attack? Hardly. While DBB was giving directions, our crackpot hero managed to get a marker cap stuck inside a rotating fan, and the thing was being tossed about by those metal blades with ear-shattering results.

DBB: "Okay, guys, I can take a hint. Now submit your work and get lost…and by the way, your bills aren't ready yet, so you don't get paid till next week."

Naturally, this last announcement is followed by groans of disappointment. Not everyone's going home empty-handed, though. The twins and TGND were spotted standing in a corner making a secret transaction.So will DBB's secret pep-talk work? What was the shady deal that TGND and her 'bhabis' have struck? Are Mood Dude's negative vibes really out of control? Find out next week…

It's Not Your Problem Anymore

Dear Riyana,

I fell in love with a girl a few months ago. She is very beautiful and she has a tremendous personality. I really love her. She is in class 8 and I am in class 9. It seems to me that she is also polite. I am dazzled by her. The problem is that I don't know whether she likes me or not. I did not express my feelings for her because I did not want to lose her forever. She does not stare at me that often though I think she knows that I do. I'm not sure though. I absolutely love her. And I know this is no silly crush that is going to wear off. I may be in class 9 but I think I'm prepared for a relationship like this and it seems to me that she is too. I am not really sure what to do. I cannot just go and tell her that because I think would create a conflict and I could lose her for good. Please help me, Riyana! Good day and sweet dreams!
Gorur Bhai

Dear Bhai,

If you are so sure about yourself and the girl, would my advice really count? It wouldn't. But I would still suggest that you not jump to conclusions and take a step at a time and be friends. You are too young. But hey! This is my advice, my only advice. The decision is yours.
Riyana

Dear Riyana,

I believe in soul mates and that the 'right' person is out there for me. And I am constantly on the search for him. Every new person I meet...I think could be a potential possibility. The problem is that I already have a BF. He's very good and caring and I like being around and with him. But I know that he's not the one for me. I do 'love' him though. But there is just something missing in our relationship. Maybe it's the fact that I think he isn't on the same 'understanding level' as me. It makes me feel frustrated and want to get rid of him at times. Then again, I do like him and he'll be so heart broken if I tell him this. I know you'll tell me I'm too young (18) to be looking for the right person. I know that too. But it constantly disturbs me...what should I do?
Soul-searching

Dear Soul-searching,

It's not a question of finding the right guy that should worry. You should be worried about your current boyfriend. Your treating him like insurance and that's bad. I would suggest you re-evaluate your relationship with him and then think about right and wrong.
Riyana

Dear NP,

I'm sorry I can't give you a personal reply. It's not allowed. But I will tell you what to do. The problem has to be reported, both to the parents and the appropriate authorities and action must be taken. Counselling should also be given a chance. It's the best medication now.
Riyana

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Mail your problems to [email protected] and we'll try our best to solve them. Due to limited space, I'm afraid we're only able to print one problem at a time. Please have patience and give us ample time to reply and print your problem.

Riyana

Cool Adda

LOCATION: Geneva Camp fried food stalls Let's face it; man cannot live by bread alone. It's too healthful. So man needs all kinds of fried foods to clog the arteries and die an untimely death. It helps to make way for more people.

The "chaap" houses are perfect for such gatherings because you cannot just eat food with a single mindedness like that of a truck driver running down pedestrians. You have to look left and right and spit out the inedible pieces. You also have to voice your comments on everything from nuclear disarmament to Chanda Rani's dance on ATN.

An adda with food is the best of all addas. In medieval ages the right of passage was earned by jousting, dragon slaying and shooting apples off people's heads with an arrow. Eating fired 'chaap' (a.k.a. meat) is a similar trick for boys of this generation. If your stomach survives you become a man. Of course, then you die of ulcers and cholesterol.

Related topics include boasting of cast iron stomachs that can withstand everything. Then there is the boasting of each individual knowing of the best place in town for a particular dish. Turns out everyone knows a different 'best' place.

The adda is mainly about appreciating food. Wash your meat down with a bowl of chicken. It's literally a legendary dish mainly because thee is only a hint of chicken in it. Probably the chicken stepped into the bowl for a few seconds.

What with all the oil coursing fluidly down your arteries you get up and wipe your hands. It's another legendary innovation. You use newspapers and magazine ages. Carry along a copy of Rising Stars. It has very good water retention capabilities. I know because I just cleaned up spilled juice.
Eat, boast and be merry.

By Gokhra

tete-a-tete

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK:
"Sometimes it's better to just sit back, clam up and hope for the best."

Danny DeVito

 

Hey everyone!

Okay, I got a LOT of mail this week that I want to talk about. Let's begin on a positive note at least. A couple of you sent me some really cute e-cards…thanks a lot. Also, I'm happy with some of the correspondence I've been having with some of you.
It seems that Riyana has raised some storm with her explanation of the work we do at the RS. It has also raised some expectations of finding instant jobs here. I hate to be a wet blanket, but all the vacancies we had recently have been filled. Don't lose hope, though. If this is about getting your work published, just mail them to [email protected], and, if it fulfils certain criteria (decent grammar/spelling, clean, slang-free language, original work, and relevant written matter) then it will get selected for printing, if not right away, then as soon as possible. I got a couple of really rude mails where people were really incensed because their work wasn't printed, and to them I'll just say…if your mails are any indication of your writing style, it should be self-evident as to why your work wasn't printed. People! We've said it before, and I'm going to say it for the very last time…HAVE PATIENCE! We deal with over a hundred mails per week! You can't expect everyone's work to get published instantly…the RS is only an 8-page magazine, for crying out loud!
Finally, before I move on to this week's featured letter, I'd like to request everyone to show some respect and consideration for other people. We often get mails where people criticize the printed articles, and yes, a good dose of constructive criticism never hurts anybody. When the criticism overrides common decency and becomes personal and insulting, however, it only goes to show the small-mindedness of the critic. Mind you, this is the kind of 'troll' criticism that caused "The Connection" to be shut down. Readers, do you really want your teen magazine to suffer because of some people who'd resort to nastiness to get some attention? You decide.
Now for this week's featured letter. This one's from Tanjila, who says:
"There's a show called "Small Wonder" that made me wonder about part-time jobs. In foreign countries kids don't waste their time during vacations. I think in Bangladesh we should have part-time jobs too. Kids over 9 are matured enough to do jobs. No matter what job you take, whether sweeping or cleaning a supermarket. Being the child of well-off parents should not discourage us from trying our hands in menial labor. We are growing, our thoughts are expanding. Some people say the atmosphere of Bangladesh isn't good because there are criminals and it is not safe for children to do jobs, that we are young we should not go and do something on our own. Well, we are the future of the country, and we are forgetting that if there's a will there's a way. Maybe we can find jobs on our own, like selling hand made cards, taking care of other's garden etc. this can't be shameful or something unfeasible. Other countries do have this and we should copy the GOOD things of the Western world not the BAD things, and if the other countries don't have this we'll show 'em."
Now here's some food for thought. I think one of our writers have addressed this issue this week; if not, it'll come out soon, and hopefully it'll answer some questions that might be raised. In the meantime, if any of you have anything to add to this, please feel free to write in.
That's all for this week then. Take care.

Send your polls, opinions and comments to: [email protected]

By The Girl Next Door