Diary of a musing teen

Isn't it weird how time flies? It seems like just yesterday that you were perfectly content to stay home all day, doing nothing but watching cartoons and munching on Dairy Milk chocolate, and today you are almost an adult in other words, a teen.

A teen with dreams, a teen with hopes, aspirations, ambitions; a teen with problems, disappointments and also familiar with the realisation that every time something goes wrong in your perfectly decorated life, you can no longer run and unburden all your troubles (with tears, in many cases) upon your parents. Everyone starts looking at you with a little respect, little expectations, and suddenly YOU are burdened with the responsibility of fulfilling those expectations.

Exciting, but what if you fail? Or worse, what if you DON'T WANT to succeed? For as long as I can remember, my mum wanted me to be a doctor. I had also fallen in love with that dream of hers until I was twelve (hey, lets face it doctors do look quite exciting with their stethoscopes and their white coats).

Suddenly it dawned on me that doctors do not just walk around looking smart and impressive in their white clothing they actually do work! Operations I don't think anyone likes them. Imagine how you would feel if your parents just came and calmly told you "Dear X, get ready. We are going to the hospital for an operation to get your appendix removed". How would you feel? I know I'd be terrified. Now imagine how the doctor would feel hope you get the picture!

What is also scary is the way most of my friends are obsessed (read my lips O B S S E S S E D) with their careers. Let's face it, careers are important I admit that. Yet, there's something known as freedom of choice. My mum is still fixated on the idea of me coming home to her as a doctor. She thinks I live in a 'fantasy world' with dream ambitions. To illustrate her point, the last time three of my friends came over, she started a conversation involving careers in an attempt to show me that each of my friend's have their lives and careers sorted out while I was being so stubborn to compromise with her.

I hardly pointed out the tiny fact that all three of my friends were studying Business, because they wanted to do so and not because their parents were forcing them. I know that in the end there seems to be a huge possibility that I'll finally give in to her, but there's also a huge chance that I'll end up with regrets. Somehow a line from a poem by Robert Frost keeps coming back to me 'the road not taken…'

By Jennifer Ashraf

Beware of net girls

MY good buddy Mousum can be called an 'Internet worm'. He likes to spend his free times with chatting on the net. So, their phone line always remains engaged. Mostly, he enjoys chatting with girls.

Last week he was chatting with a girl on the net. She told her name was Mishti. "Wow, what a sweet name?, Mousum exclaimed. She just turned on 16 this year.

They were chatting like they know each other for a long time but in fact it was their first meeting on the net. After having chatted for couple of hours Mousum chanced his luck and wanted to know her phone number. Lucky him!

She agreed to give her phone number. As soon as Mousum got her phone number, he disconnected his Internet connection and jumped towards the phone set. He dialled the number, 7121---.

A voice received the call from the other side. "Hello…. Hello?"
Mousum said, "hello, is Mishti there?"

Then the voice replied, "yes, which Mishti (sweet) you want to have?" Mousum wondered, "what are you talking about! I want to talk to Mishti.?

The voice yelled, "you want to talk to Mishti (sweet)! are you nuts?" Mousum then gently asked, "tell me, isn't it Mishti's house?" The voice rudely replied, "What you are up to? You first called at a sweetmeat shop and now want to talk to Mishti (sweet)! You are crazy and also driving me crazy? The voice annoyingly hung up.

Guys, guess you understood why shouldn't we chat with girls. Beware of the net girls.

By Abdul Fatha Asif

Howzzat!

Smokers often have interesting stories to tell. I'm not a smoker myself but I have interesting stories to tell too, stories I've heard from people. Many of these stories are real life experiences, some of them occurring during the month of Ramadan. This is the month when fasting smokers have to pass the ultimate test of endurance all day long and finally get to breath life after iftar. So whenever I go to some iftar party, I always notice some people disappearing into thin air and reappearing all of a sudden like a mob. You know what they were doing, don't you?

The story I'm about to tell is about this classmate of mine. It was Ramadan and he was fasting. So right after iftar, he became desperate for a smoke. He rushed outdoors and made his way towards this pond in their area. (Any sensible person wouldn't smoke near his own place!) When he was about to light his cigarette, he realized that he had forgotten to bring a match in all the rush. Just then he saw this other guy smoking nearby. Now I've noticed that there's this unofficial multilateral treaty between smokers that one smoker should always help another smoker with a fire. So my friend approached the other smoker, who was standing with his back towards him.

Right then the unthinkable happened. The other smoker turned out to be my friend's elder brother! (I'd love to see the expressions on their faces!) Now the real twist lies in the fact that neither brother knew of the other's secret habit. As a result, both brothers fell into jeopardy because of this unforeseen event. Anyway, unfortunately my friend had to wait longer for the long awaited smoke. Fortunately, the event wasn't reported because of common interests shared by both parties. Now howzzat!

By Hamdu Mia

Why did the chicken cross the road?

That's the million-dollar question for which everyone has an answer of their own. We decided to ask the RS team what they think, and this is what they had to say:
Mood Dude: "Who cares why it crossed? What matters is how…what was the chicken driving?"
Solitary Sniper: "The Force was with it…or maybe it was a Super Chicken on a mission to save Earth from the Evil Vegetarians…"
Ayesha: "Maybe, like, it, umm…wanted to…thing…umm…cross the road-thingy."
Marwa: "I don't know (Well, actually I do, but if I said that, then I wouldn't get to use these cool brackets).
The Girl Next Door (yes folks, she's still around): (Burp!) "Chicken? I didn't see any chicken…" *looks around guiltily *
Synergie: "The laws of biology state that chickens have this innate desire to cross the roads…"
DBB (The RS Editor): "Uff…stupid brat chicken…crossing the road and wasting my time…hey, one of you do an assignment on it!"
Hamdu Mia: "I'm not sure, but if I met the chicken, I'd strangle it…just because the dumb thing crossed the road, I have to answer all these stupid questions asked by people who don't have anything better to do"

By Sabrina F Ahmad

Poems

Ups and Downs

It's not always easy to lead a life.
The strain of walking, the pressure of talking
But if that was only what was to it!
Read this, memorize that;
Don't slouch on the couch
Don't snore, don't grouch.
And never, ever tell lies.
Early to bed and early to rise…

(Leads to circles beneath the eyes.)

And sometimes there are dreary days
That seem to stay forever,
Gritty not to go away.
And worse is the case
If there's no way to waste
A couple of dimes on ones own taste.
But what about those brilliant days…
Feel a tender breeze brush your face,
Believing you could weave time and space.
Touch a silver petal and dip in a golden lake.
Every star is yours to wish and take.
Dream any dream, Risk any stake.
Life isn't easy, but the beauties in it are true,
So cherish them for they are quite few.
And value the one's who love you.

By- Farzana Yasmeen

The Search

I search for valleys and search for river
But I find none.
I search for unity and search for peace
But war continues,
Nothing matters to people now
Except for themselves.
I search for a life
Which could be as fun as,
My dreamland,
But the world puts it's weight
On my shoulder.
The increasing pressure is just unbearable.
I search for love and search for hope
And the search continues??

By Rakshinda Huq