Fatima's Archives

Here is a sonnet I wrote on 'Chess'. It's my first sonnet, hope you like it. And by the way, I've broken the rule of putting ten syllables in each line. I didn't know we had to and I had already written the whole sonnet before I found out the syllable restriction. I'm just posting it here anyway, but I promise to share a perfect sonnet soon! Chess is a wonderful game It causes you to think It isn't at all slow and lame And is over before you can blink It makes you think mathematically And you learn from different situations You have to use your brain, totally It's been played around for generations White is the opponent of black Black is the opponent of white There's plotting and killing between the white and black It's all a great big fight! But more than anything, chess is a challenge Where you have to show your revenge

These are the answers I wrote of some questions that were shared in Thinkers' Club. This is also shared on Thinkers' Club's blog , but I'm sharing them here too, because they are detailed answers that took me a long time to write. What is the role of tone and facial expressions in our communication? Our tone and facial expressions have a very important role in our communication. If a person really means what he or she is saying, their tone and facial expressions would match their words. For example, if I’m persuading someone to do something, my tone would be determined and I wouldn’t look angry or bored. But if I’m pretending to be nice to someone I actually hate, my fake smiles might even be detectable and my tone could even give the game away. Is it possible for a person to be fully responsible for his\her tone? In a way yes, and in another way, no. I think our tones depend on our mood and feelings at that moment. A person may sound unintentionally ru...

This is a painting I made on Canvas.  Actually, this is the first canvas I ever painted. I first drew on it with a pencil, then painted it with Acrylic Paints. Hope you like it. :)

Here's a piece of writing by me. The topic is taken from an O level past paper of English Language. Do electronic forms of communication, for example emails and texts, make writing letters unimportant now? What is your opinion? Give examples and reasons to support your view. I agree with the opinion that electronic forms of communication have made writing letters seem unimportant in today’s world. Like always, people move towards the easier and more convenient options, so with the arrival of technology, people are beginning to forget how they used to communicate with loved ones living far away in the past. One reason for moving on to electronic forms of communication is that it’s fast. If you post a letter today, it would take at least two till three days to reach its destination while an email or text message hardly takes a second. Also, emails and most social networking sites are free while sending a letter through post costs money. Another reason is that the p...

I recently visited this website called www.lumosity.com  and I think it's a great website so I'm writing about it. This website is about developing and training your brain through various brain games. There are five categories; Speed, Memory, Attention, Flexibility, and Problem Solving. When you first sign up, they ask you some questions about you to know about your brain. They are based on what are your strong points and what you need to develop. Then, according to your answers, they recommend  the  games. You will get a score according to your progress and you will see yourself improve. You can play many games for free, but to have complete access to the whole site, you have to pay a fixed amount of money per month. I think this is a good chance to develop yourself according to what your brain needs. Besides, these games are better than the usual computer  games.

Here are some pictures I drew on Paint. They aren't brilliant or perfect, but I'm sharing them because these pictures are some of the best I ever drew on Paint and I like them. A Rainbow An Ice Cream Toothbrush and Toothpaste A Heart

This is a review about a Museum I had written when I was on a trip to Muscat. It was a cool and windy day on 12 th January, 2014. We had decided to visit a Children’s Museum in Muscat. My sister, Zainab, had read about it on the Internet and everyone was eager too visit it. We had woken up at around 9:15, and by the time the whole family was out the main door, it was 11:43. We walked to Al Qurum Park, which is not very far where we were staying. Al Qurum Park is a huge and beautiful, well-maintained natural park. We went inside and started walking straight forward. One end of the park opens towards the Children’s Museum. It took us around 35 minutes to reach the museum which was a dome shaped building. The walk was long and tiring, but once inside the museum, we could realize that the long walk was worth it. In the museum, we were greeted by Arab women. Baba bought tickets for us all, and then we started looking at the experiments. The museum was a Science one. The ac...

My father gave me some questions about Positive and Negative Thinking and asked me to write down my answers for them. I am sharing them here with my answers. What in your opinion is positive thinking? Positive thinking is looking at each situation positively and not losing hope. What in your opinion is negative thinking? Negative thinking can be called, in my opinion, ‘Jumping to the worst conclusions’. It can also be thinking critically of others. What are the factors that make us negative? The factors that make us negative can be negative feelings like jealousy, hate, and envy. There can also be some wrong acts that we did in the past, like backbiting, that can make us negative. What are the factors that make us positive? Being satisfied and happy, and when all our needs are fulfilled can make us positive. Situations when it is REALLY hard to stay positive:           When someone betrays me         ...

I wrote this article for Thinkers' Club. It is also published on it's blog along with the research work of many other members.  Please visit:  http://www.thinkersclubonline.blogspot.com/ To travel by using the help of stars, I think we need to understand the stars first. We’d need to know which star appears when, which stars are moving, and which stars can help us find the way. (This whole subject is called astronomy). Once we can understand the stars, we can travel by their help. For example, if I have to go to a certain place by the help of stars, first, I’ll have to locate which star is directly above the place I want to reach. I can travel by following that star and reach exactly the place below that star. I read a book called The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and in that book, caravans are crossing the huge Egyptian desserts with the help of stars. Although that was just a story, people do actually travel by the help of stars. In fact, sailors use stars as t...

I shared this very short story on the Thinkers' Club Blog, and I'm sharing it here too. It is a little different from the Original Version , but is written by me. Just as I got out of my hiding place under the bed, A girl entered the room. I stayed still, hoping to be unnoticed, but her terrible eyes spotted me and she screamed so loudly, that my ears hurt! I ran back under the bed, terrified! I  was so frightened that someone would kill me if I came out, so I stayed inside all day long until night. And when everything was quiet and everyone fell asleep, I changed my home to a safer place with other creatures of my kind.

Dear friends, I am participating in a  Thinkers' Club which has recently started at ERDC for children of 10-15 years. I have created it's blog with my friend Azka. Please do visit this;  thinkersclubonline.blogspot.com If you wish to join Thinkers' Club, send your request at thinkersclub.erdc@gmail.com  Also, I would really like it if you comment there, and tell others to visit it. (because I'm maintaining it) Thank you

I read this somewhere and I really liked it so I'm sharing it here. When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country. But it too seemed immovable. As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it. And now as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family. From their inspiration and encouragement, I would have then been able to better my country and, who knows, I may have even changed the world.   I think this is true and happens with all of us that we seem to busy thinking about everyone and don't concentrate on ourselves. If we start with ourselves, we can change the world by inspiring them to do what we d...

Hello Everyone! I recently joined this website, Coursera , and I think it's a great online resourse, so I'm writing about it.  On this website, there are hundreds of online courses from different universities all of the world. There are lots of categories to choose and other than the usual subjects, there are some pretty interesting subjects too. Although this website is meant for university students, and mostly university students are using it, interested individuals and younger students can join too.  After signing up for free, you can browse courses and enroll yourself in whichever you like. In a course, there are weekly video lectures, quizzes, student forums, peer assessments, and lots more. In the end, you get a final grade according to your performance. The courses are all free, only if you want a Verified Certificate, you have to pay for it. Getting a Certificate is not at all necessary, it's just  like a kind of degree, and I don't t...

You can reuse junk materials and make wonderful craft items out of them. Here are some things I made by using junk materials. Some of these are made of old things and I made some of them at a Summer Creativity Camp and some are my own ideas. These things may seem a bit childish, but they are fun to make, specially if you like creating things This is a 3D bird made from a paper plate. I took a paper plate and folded it in half. Then I painted it yellow and attached pieces of foam for feathers on one side. I made a head on paper and pasted it on the bird.  I made this at the Summer Camp.  T his purple chair is made from a carton of  Milkpak. Does it seem like it? In a Summer Camp class, we all were given a carton of Milkpak and we had to make something out of it. For making this, I had to flatten the box and shape it like a chair. Then I painted it purple and decorated it a little. I attached straws for legs, (one is missing in the picture). This is a slab pot...

Sitting quietly upon a tree For the whole world to see When falls from her tail, a feather And someone starts to chase her So now she has to flee Gathering up her courage She flies over a cottage Smiling over her beak With the sun at it's peak She finds another place to settle This kind of poetry is called a limerick. This is the second time I wrote a limerick. Find out more: What is a Limerick   My First Limerick I wrote this poem when I was in Fatima Fertilizer Company for a week.

Dear People I have added a poll on my blog in which you have to vote on who's your Favourite Author. The time is limited for voting and please give your vote. The results will be shown next month. Kindly vote on your favourite Author. If it is not one of those who I've mentioned, select the one you like best from the options available. The authors mentioned are well known and I hope you've read their books. These are the authors, select the one you like best: J.K Rowling Paulo Coelho Roald Dahl Ishtiaq Ahmed Enid Blyton By the way, if the poll does not work, post a comment saying who your favourite author is. P.S: If you follow my blog by email, you will receive updates whenever I post something new. 

There are electricity shortage problems all over Pakistan. But people do not care about the amount of electricity produced, they consume whatever they want even if it takes too much electricity. Therefore, in several places the power supply becomes very limited and ends up in long hours of load shedding and power cuts. Here are some quick and easy ways to save electricity. Don't always iron your clothes, unless it's really necessary. Every now and then, look around the house; in case there are extra lights on, turn them off. If people are working in different rooms, gather them in one room so that less electricity is used. Open doors and windows for ventilation rather than Air Conditioners. When choosing lights, prefer LEDs, as they don't consume much energy. When leaving a room, turn off the electricity supplies. When leaving the house, make sure ALL electricity supplies are turned off. Keep power supplies like Microwave and Television turned off. I know it ...

When I woke up on the morning of 12th April, there was excitement in the air. Today, I, along with my siblings and close friends, were holding a great big event. This evening, we were going to hold a Handicraft Sale and Craft Exhibitions. Also, we were going to perform seven different poems of Allama Iqbal! This was going to be a great day! This was a kind of fund raising event. You see, there's a drought in the desert TharParker, the largest desert in Pakistan. We had decided to donate the money to those drought hit areas. We had made a 100+ Handicrafts to sell. The estimated income was around Rs. 2000. When everyone was gathered, we started the arrangements and rehearsals. We were doing Craft Displays of Pottery, Paper Mache and Italian Dough. We were also displaying some things that we had made from wood in a Wood Workshop in L2L Academy. We all were very excited and the time hurried away. After endless rehearsals, setting everything, removing our to-do lists from the soft bo...

Happiness is something you cannot define It's not what happens when you dine It isn't exactly awaiting you fate Nor is it looking at today's date Being happy means you're really glad And maybe with your mum and dad When you're excited and having fun Or playing outside in the sun Being happy means not being sad And I hope that's most of the time lad!

Our trip to Muscat went by in a blur. All I can remember about it now is the day we arrived and the day we left. and just a few precious moments in between. Muscat is amazing. You could call it a Dream City. It was peaceful, green, and cleaner than any other place I've seen. Believe me, no one even honks the car horns. The people are beautiful and very polite. There are several museums in Muscat. Although it's modern and well developed, they've preserved their history amazingly. But I think that the main reason for enjoying our three week long trip was that my favouite cousins live there. Of course, we visited several museums, parks, and places there, but the memories that remain will not be of any museum or park or restaurant , but of the time our family spent with my aunt, uncle and cousins. I never really missed Karachi, my home city, while I was in Muscat, but now that I'm back here, I miss Muscat really much. But you know, I would never ever wish that I lived in...

I had recently shared my first limerick on this blog and I soon found out that hardly anyone knew what a limerick was. So I decided to write on 'What are Limericks?' Written below is what I could gather on the topic. According to an Oxford Dictionary, "a limerick is a type of humorous poem with five lines, the first two rhyming with the last."  Limericks aren't very common but they are funny and interesting to read. They are also a lot harder to write than normal poetry. I hope that reading this has given you some kind of idea of what a limerick is. If not, please google it up. Anyway, thanks for reading. And also, please see the limerick that I wrote, It's here on my blog.

Parents Sometimes as gentle as a dove Sometimes being very shove Forcing me to tie my hair Which makes me look like a tennis player Filled with unconditional love

The moment I step outside my door I see the rubbish heap has grown a lot more Holding my nose, I hurry away Towards the little place where I thought the trees sway But when I arrive, oh what a shock! This place is as bare as a rock There are buildings that seem to scrape the sky Leaving back all green trees to die Where all those flowers used to bloom Are now just stories, full of doom In not just one country, or a nation In this century, every generation Doesn't care about nature's beauties They seem too busy with their own duties If only people would realize That Mother Earth has a definite size It won't grow with the rubbish you throw Or the attitude you show So please, reuse, reduce, recycle For short distances, use a bicycle Stop throwing litter everywhere And make sure people are aware That saving the Earth is  everyone's job And if we don't do it, we won't have a log

Scratch  Scratch is an online community, a project of MIT University in USA. It’s a place where people from all over the world share their ideas with others in the form of projects. For example, if I want to share a story I wrote, I would start a project (online), type up my story, illustrate it, and then share it for the whole world to view, comment, and give feedback on it. Other than stories, you can make art, animations, games, and many other things to share with Scratchers. And unlike facebook and twitter, this social media is a creative way to express yourself. An advantage of it is that people from anywhere around the globe can look at your projects, love, favourite, and comment on them. You can make friends online and chat with them. And the best thing is that it is all for free, just a few clicks away. But before you join, I’d like to give you a small advice. Many people start using Scratch to express themselves creatively, but after a while, they forget this re...

After dinner you crave a snack Something sweet and tasty to get your good mood back Some cookies perhaps, those chocolate chip ones Or a plate of warm, freshly baked buns A scoop of ice cream, yes you're right I dream of eating it all day and night. A bar of chocolate, a piece of candy These are the things that are really handy But tonight, anything would go As long as it is sweet, you know

Sibling are so annoying Little ones always crying They want to be loved And can't bear to be scolded Brothers aren't so brainy And sometimes they go crazy Sisters are rather bossy Trying to look more glossy  But after all they're lovely too I just say to them; I love you!