The Team tells all

Durdana Ghias
It's been almost eleven months since I joined RS. Every Thursday when we meet, TGND has to toil through the meeting to keep us quiet and get things done. DBB, our editor, is so sweet and childlike even when she rounds on us she looks sweet and I often feel like laughing (though I never do that!) instead of feeling overly berated.

Yet sometimes things are not quite smooth. Like you did your assignment on the day bmfore your exam and then you camm to know that it is not going to be published because the same story was done by another section. To add insult to injury the next few days you see two double articles published in the three different pages, and nobody is bothered about that. It is my fir{t job as a journalist. To me journalism is like an addiction and working for RS is simply great.

Shayera Moula
I was going to bring out this ceremonious and even political (!) speech about how wonderful it has been working for the Rising Stars, but why lie right? Ahem… now that I have got hold of your attention, I will be completely honest about this. In the first few meetings we were literally called "vegetables". We were threatened to get fired over and over again by our charming boss. After giving our best shot on motivational skills (which was to finally start gossiping with the other staff members about what a bad day we had all ventured) our blue-blooded editor couldn't take it anymore and she just burst out with so much anger and frustration that one of our staff members actually ended up losing his accent (name will not be specified because I want to remain alive!). But that just meant that the rest of us couldn't decide weather the accent was real or fake anymore!

This was way back around February to May and we have come very far now. Yes there are times when we are all referred to as the less vital creations of God but in the end of the day we are a team that manages to keep RS running at the same time e are also all friends that support each other emotionally! It feels great to lay back in our chairs and just brainstorm about anything that comes to anyone's mind. Frequently, other staff workers in the office make a quick five seconds glance at us with fiery eyes that says "wish I could use the mute button on you kids", and we manage a ten seconds silence (long enough for the by-passers to pass far away!) Still, the feeling is colossal and the experience has been tremendou{! No I am not hoping that such {tatements will be enough bribery to let me stay at RS but I am just very glad to be a part of such a relaxing yet energetic affair.

Taskin Rahman
The Rising Stars experience is one that I believe, can't be described in words. Let's try. We have meetings every Thursdays, attended by our bosses, TGND and DBB. The participants of the meetings are pretty colorful. We have all types. There is one guy who got 11 As in his O' levels, and myself who hasn't ever seen an 'A' in his results. The interesting part is we get to work with people with the most creative amazing ideas. There is another member of the RS family who's obsessed with suicides and murders. We too believe in monarchy, and thus we have a pink princess with a pink cell and more importantly a car which has given me lifts as many times as I have been to the RS. We have a gameboy at RS, no not the Nintendo Gameboy, but one who comes up with gaming solutions throughout the year. A few thank you(s) to end it, goes to Sabrina, Haroon Sir, Mom and Dad, Nan and Didon, Fayek, Moin, Atisha, Bouland, Mishael, Tipu, Tanjib, Rumana, Munia and Tahnia. That's all. More RS more fright.

Maherin Ahmed
To the RS readers, working in the RS might seem to be a perfect oppoztunity for recoonition, being 'popular' and earning fast the pocket money. However, that is not the case. The job is equally balanced, with a lot of hard work, and responsibilities.

The ambience in the RS meetings is usually amicable, but when it comes to meeting deadlines, the job can sometimes get pretty gruelling. Coming up with a topic, conducting a thorough research, structuring the essay, and then to make it interesting can sometime{ become an arduous ordeal. But, at the end of the day, the hard work pays off. I can get to see my articles getting nation-wide coverage on the very supplement. To sum it all, working for the RS is truly a great honour and the experience is an enjoyable one. The whole team is well equipped with competitive and well-skilled contributors.

Maliha Bassam
The best part about RS is the fact that I've met some of the most amazing people here. Really smart, interesting and fun people who share the one common trait that binds us all: our love for writing.

My fellow writers aren't just people who I meet once in a weekly meeting: but real people and friends who have taught me some things that I should know about.

Meetings are a blast: a concoction of making-your-eyes-roll kind of wackiness, rolling-on-the-floor-and-laughing kind of craziness. It's a miracle how TGND hasn't bitten my head off yet despite my issues over not understanding the part about thm 'limit' in 'word limit'.

The Girl Next Door
Funny how life works. I'd been an avid reader of the RS since it came out in 1992, but never actually thought I'd end up working here. An 'artistic' hour in detention at school, a chance encounter, and a lost manuscript later, I suddenly find myself sitting in on the weekly meetings at the headquarters of my favorite teen magazine.

The idea for 'Tete-a-tete" started as a joke between myself and probably Hamdu Mia or Mood Dude, which DBB just picked up on, and the rest, as the old cliché goes, is history.

Three years and many bittersweet moments later, I find myself handling the newest team, working with a smorgasbord of crazy, creative minds, dueling with deadly deadlines and treacherous technical problems, and I'm loving every moment of it. RS rocks!

AES
First impressions? Hmmm...Everyone's sooo freaky! I mean, a guy with an awful smirk, a spooky gruesome twosome, a girl named Marwa (no offense meant, but I just think it's odd)…there's more! A guy who shaves his legs, Gollum, a tall, thin 'boss', who intimidated me at first and is now my amazing friend, and the most flirtatious guy in the world.

Highs: meeting amazing and weird people...making some great friends…getting the experience of working in a magazine (sure going to look oood in my college applications…he he)

Lows: Deadlines, meeting{ at 4 o' clock in the afternoon (just after school)...and a cranky DBB.

Tawsif Saleheen
Its pretty cool working for the RS. If nothing else, it at least gives you the legitimate excuse to bunk Chemistry classes. TGND is a lovely assignment editor to work with. (Wink, wink!) Only... if you submit your articles on time, she calls you charming, and if you fail to meet the dead-lines, she gets your face slapped by a tuna fish!!

My co-workers at the RS are pretty cool too. Of course, they come up with all sorts of weird nicks, like AES (pronounce "A$$") and Lord Niloy (someone should tell this kid to get a brain transplant). But, they also happen to be some of the most talented kids in the town. Otherwise, they wont have been working with me.
By the way, Honey Monster is really sweet.

Jennifer Ashraf
A colleague of mine had told me that the people at RS were a bunch of snobs who thought they were above reporters from Chittagong just because they live in Dhaka. I realized just how wrong she was in her opinion of them when I first walked into the RS office.

Being from Chittagong, I usually have no idea what goes on in the meetings most of the time, but I must say that TGNL has been a miaowino darling by keeping me updated on all the planning and getting me introduced to the team. Her memos are what I wait for every Friday night

Working at RS isn't always a bed of roses. You have to meet deadlines, come up with new ideas, work around the clock and still get criticized by readers. However, the team makes it all worthwhile.

When I came over, some of the members took me out, and showed me how to rock the RS way. I haven't laughed this much in ages!

I love working here, despite all the minor hardships, and I'll really miss all my new friends when I have to go back. Miao!

Niloy
Working in Rising Stars is a highly interesting, exciting and rewarding experience. The mxperience is as interesting as playing Dhaka Racing, as exciting as arranging cards in Freecell and as rewarding as finishing a Minesweeper game.

Best wishes for a happy New Year

It's been a long and crazy year. We've had ups and downs, blips and bloopers, long discussions, kooky controversies, wacky themes and more…and you, |he readers, have been with us through the whole trip. Not only have you witnessed the various developments in the magazine, you've also supported us and helped us grow, through yo}r letters, contribution and e-mails. Also, more importantly, you have been a part of some important causes, helping others with your generous donations.

This has been a year of teamwork and cooperation, where we worked together to make a difference. In recognition of tha|, here is a warm Shout Out from the Rising Stars to all its wonderful readers. Keep reading RS, and let's all work together to take this magazine to new heights. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year, and may all your wishes come true.

RS Desk