MASTER THE MIND, BE A MASTERMIND...

        

          The most precious asset and virtue of a human being is his "Mind". It helps a man to conduct himself without ignorance. One who realizes then prodigious power of mind will never let it go astray because, mind alone can ensure his legitimate relationship with his passion. But, mans's unlimited and unreasonable desires lead him into the clutches of his own senses and vagaries, resulting in untold miseries. By belittling mind, humans are dehumanizing themselves and dragging themselves away from their passion, merely unintentionally. Without understanding anything about mind, to blame it, is meaningless and, to sit in meditation is sheer idleness. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the nature of mind is essential. The mind is an adroit substance. Its actions are strange. It is responsible for both happiness and sorrow, good as well as bad, positivity as well as negativity. It is the foremost duty of man to channelize mind in a proper way. Mind is a conglomeration of thoughts. Just as many threads spun together make up the cloth, so also many thoughts make up the mind. No thought, no mind either. We have to eschew bad thoughts and try harboring good ones to lead a better shade of life...

-PRAGYA RAVIKANTH 

VIOLENCE IN FILMS

           

          “He takes a hard look around him taking note of the dozen men surrounding him waiting to pounce. He stares at them with his stony eyes and makes a mental note of the weapons each person has in hand. Sweat drips down his neck as he inhales the musty air around him. He moves a step forward and two men sprint towards him. He raises his fist and, whaam, both the men fall down face first onto the ground. Four other men rush towards him, he flicks the man in front and all four fall down. Punches fly in the air in all direction as he single handedly defeats the entire gang. Dust fills the air and the hero emerges from it looking back at the doom of the men that tried to attack him.”

       Recognize that?  Well my friend if you are into movies, I guarantee that you have seen a scene similar to that in nearly all action packed movies. Almost all movies these days seem to showcase such elaborate and exaggerated scenes where the hero raises his hand and fifteen men fall down all at once. It’s funny how in the entire movie the hero might be a common man, just like us going to a job and everything but when suddenly the heroine get it trouble (god knows why she gets in trouble in the first place) the hero turns into this exceptional superhuman with hands stronger than iron and a threshold larger than that of Hercules himself! It’s remarkable how the hero suddenly becomes the macho man of the year flinging guys in the air that are twice his size. Also the entire boulevard magically turns into a catastrophe even though the fight is going on in one single part of the street.  And the funniest thing, no one expects him to pay for the damage he just caused. He just casually walk away dusting off his jacket. If you even try to do something like that you’ll get shoes thrown and trust me, you don’t have the threshold of Hercules.

Another thing I have a hard time understanding is the cars. I mean what is up with those cars. You see 1987 mustangs, Bugatti’s and Ferraris just blowing up in the air. The hero throws a punch and POW a car blows up, JUST LIKE THAT. What the point of having such a beauty in the act if you plan on blowing it up two seconds into the scene? And did I mention the people that are around? Instead of fleeing the place like sane people they stop to admire the shenanigans of the hero and his satanic friends. And exactly on cue they astonishingly drop everything in their hands to clap at the victory of the hero. They are so flabbergasted that the forget all they were doing just to cheer the hero. Everything is considered ‘normal’ in a movie from expensive cars blowing up to heroic ninjas and unholy destruction of the city.

So the point of building up this never ending rant was basically to say that movies nowadays have become so over the top and dramatic that it is considered mandatory to have at least one histrionic scene, be it any movie. They maybe a little too exaggerated but it’s all good if you take it nonchalantly and not get fixated on trying to become a superhuman, because trust me, (I have tried) you can’t.

-JUVERIA IQBAL 

ALTER EGO

                        

                    You push your hair back, straighten your clothes and face the stranger in front of you. You stare into his eyes as you try to contemplate his story. You observe him as he stares back at you, looking on intently. You notice his flaws, his imperfections and everything that god made wrong in him when something catches your attention. His eyes, you notice the way his eyes gleam as if they were telling you something. You raise your hand trying to reach out to him but you can’t. You try to speak but nothing comes out of your mouth. You move a step back and he moves with you. You try to deny what’s in front of you as you look back at the mirror. A part of you want to forget what you see. You close your eyes trying to escape the reality. A harsh reality you are not ready to accept. You question everything about yourself. You open your eyes and ask your reflection,

“What have I become?”

When did you become so ignorant that you lost your own identity? You got so distracted trying to please the people around you, trying to fit in with the rest of the world that you forgot who you really were. You were so busy trying to please the people around you that you never noticed the person in front of you was slowly fading away. You got lost in the sea of approval. You pushed the passion you had so deep inside, you forgot it every existed. You were living in the world of someone else for so long, that you mistook it as your own. You were told to follow the norms of the society, so you did. Every step you tried to take forward you were pushed back and criticized. So you stopped. You stopped trying.

You take one last look at the stranger in front of you. You look into his helpless eyes, trying to find something to hold on to. Afraid to hedge out of the rules you were told to follow, you give up. You turn your back to your reflection and carry on with your life, pushing your identity deeper and deeper inside.

-JUVERIA IQBAL

Sometimes looking down is not falling behind. Its the time we take before having a flight..

                             

                                WHEN DREAMING IS NOT ENOUGH

There is a gap between idea and action that is hard for many of us to bridge.There are those ideas that are just passing blips on our radar and passing daydreams.We are all born different, some more than others.We all grow with our abilities and differences.Since we are kids, we all have dreams but sometimes having big dreams is just not enough.To make our dreams come true, we need to do something.For instance,if you want to win the lottery,first of all you need to buy a ticket.Even after doing that,there's no guarantee that you will win the lottery.So the more you'll do , the more chances you'll have to win this lottery. 

The truth is, all of us love to dream as it gives us a feeling of satisfaction and makes us feel as if we are living in a better world. A world where all our desires are fulfilled and all the negativity and pain from our lives have vanished.For getting this kind of pleasure, a lot of people spend most of their lives in dreaming big and waiting for the right opportunity to work for their dreams.But while being engrossed in our dreams , we forget to realize that we are wasting our time thinking about an imaginary world rather than investing our time in creating one.

The difference between dreams and achievements is hard work and consistency.So if you have a desire to live in your dream, convert your " DREAM WORLD" into reality.This can be done by setting goals, learning some new skills and applying them in your life and being persistent about your views and opinions. We've got just one life, so wake up and fight for what you want . Only then can you have the pleasure of living a life with zero regrets and lots of peace.

    

                                                        

PINK AND PEARLS

                  PINK AND PEARLS

  Born as a daughter, she is her father's
                            Princess,
     First time he holds her, leaves him
                           Breathless,                                  As she turns four,she dances and                                  twirls,
   On her birthday, dressed in Pink and                                Pearls.
            As she grows to be a teen,                    At home she is hardly seen,
       Fights with her mother over little                                 things,
      She dreams about the day she can                        spread her wings.
      A few more years, pink changes                      shades to Gepe and blush,
       She notices him,she had her first                                   crush,
    Then she feels that the world is fake,
           As she suffers from her first                                    heartbreak.
           Myriad are her experiences,
    Yet she cultivates a mask that no one                               notices,
  She grows closer to her mother and
        Adores her father once again,
 Their advice is no longer a constrain.
      She finds the man of her dreams,
   Who loves her and with his action this                          he means,
  A long way she has come from playing
           With dolls and tea houses,
   She cries as she leaves her father's                                house.
 As the baby kicks, she never complains,
    For the miracle growing in her, she
           Willingly suffers the pains,
 Now it is the time for her daughter to                        walk and twirl,
       Dressed in bubblegum Pink and                                      pearls.
From a daughter to a wife and now a                             mother,
  From a rebel to the one who holds her                      family together,
  Through thick and thin, by her man                              she has stood ,
     She is, like every girl, a Paragon OF                       Womanhood.

STORY

Dr. Grey- The Time Traveler

As usual Edward woke up early in the morning for school. He got out of his bed, went straight to the bathroom, took a shower and wore his uniform. ‘Boring’, he thought to himself. Edward was not just a normal guy. He did like video games but preferred visiting new places and exploring new things over them. He wanted to travel the whole world. Straight from the hot dreary deserts of Abu Dhabi to the cold dry deserts of Alaska. From the Eiffel Tower to the magnificent Taj Mahal. He wanted to capture the whole world in his camera. But he knew it was not possible. His parents were always busy. They did not have time to take him to different places.

Edward got ready, ate his breakfast and left for school. As he stepped out of his home, he felt the light warm breeze touching his face. It was a perfect day. Spring, Sun high in the skylight breeze. All of them made a perfect platter. As he was walking down the pavement, he heard some footsteps. He turned around but found no one. He started to walk again. He again heard the sound of some footsteps, this time followed with the tik- tok of a clock. Edwards’s heart started beating faster than ever! He slowly took out the bottle from his bag pack and turned around. Again he could see no one.

‘Mr. Footsteps, don’t think that I can’t see you, I am really smart!’ Edward said though he was scared. He turned to his original place. ‘AHHHHHHH…..’ he screamed and fell back on the ground. As he was turning around, he saw a tall man, wearing a long white coat, the kind worn by doctors and black trousers. He was wearing horn- rimmed spectacles and looked like one of those evil scientists from the super hero movies. ‘He must be some evil scientist trying to kill me. I must run away.’ Edward thought to himself.

‘Oh c’mon I’m not some evil scientist who is trying to kill you!’ said the man.

‘How did you know what I was thinking?’ Edward asked, still lying on the ground.

‘Well, you know Edward…..’ ‘You know my name!!! Oh God, you must be some murderer who is trying to kidnap me to get money from my parents!’ The man was interrupted by Edward.

‘Well,’ the man said who looked really disappointed,’ I am Dr. Grey. I am a Time traveler. I can hear what you think and do what you dream you dream of.’ He said to Edward with a smile. He looked manipulative. ‘What do you mean, err… Dr. Grey?’ Edward questioned him. He found the man, who claimed to be a time traveler, really interesting. Of course, anyone would find a time traveler interesting. ‘I know you want to travel the whole world…..I can help you with that.’ Dr. Grey said, this time with a friendly smile.

‘Yeah….I really want to travel around the world. Can you really help me with that?’ Edward asked standing up and cleaning his shorts.

‘Want to try?’ Dr. Grey asked. Even before he could answer, he was in some other world. Everything went black; he was being pressed very hard from all directions. He saw Dr. Grey with a stop watch his hand eyes closed. He was murmuring something. In no time he was in the middle of a crowded street. Neon lights were everywhere. Bid billboards covered the glass buildings. Everyone was busy in their own lives. In a matter of time, Edward realized he was in the city of his dreams, New York.

‘Dr. Grey’ Edward screamed with excitement. ‘I Know kid.’ said the time traveler rolling his eyes. There was a click. Again, same background, pressure from all directions and then there they were, in front of The Eiffel Tower. ‘Oh God!!! I Wish I had bought my camera!’ Edward said, unable to control his happiness. ‘Even if you had bought camera, you wouldn’t have been able to click photos.’ Dr Grey informed. ‘Why?’ asked Edward.  ‘Time leaves no traces!’ answered Dr. Grey.

Click! They were standing in front of the magnificent Taj Mahal! ‘Breathtaking!’ exclaimed Edward. ‘Indeed.’ said Dr. Grey. Click! They were in front of the Big Ben. Another click. The Leaning Tower of Pisa. Click and they were in the middle of The Amazon Forest. It was raining heavily there. ‘Oh no! I’m all wet. Mum’s gonna kill me.’ Edward said in a disgusted tone. ‘No worry, you will dry in your next destination.’ Edward looked at the Dr., confused.

With a click they were again time travelling. They were now in Abu Dhabi. The hot winds were blowing in all the directions. ‘Oh we dried up!’ Edward looked up at Dr. Grey and smiled. Dr. Grey smiled back. ‘I told you!’ he said.

With another click they were back to their original place, from where they had started their world tour. ‘It was a breathtaking journey Dr. Thank you. Thank you so much!’ Edward exclaimed with joy. He started jumping up down. He could not express his happiness in words.

There was a click sound again. Edward turned around but this time he could neither see any monument nor Dr. Grey. He had disappeared mysteriously. Edward smiled to himself. ‘Thank you, Dr. Grey.’ He smiled and said to himself.

Edward returned home. Smiling and regaining his memories.

‘How was your day, Edward?’ asked his mom.

Edward turned around, smiled and answered, ‘Great! Amazing! It was fun.’

Edward said and went to his bed. He could not stop thinking about the adventures of the day. He heard a click.

‘Dr. Grey!!!’ he jumped out of his bed. But he realized it was just his clock, nothing else or… no one else!

-PALAK SINGH

IX-A

All XII students to kindly go through this piece.

Transcript of The importance of Mise-en-scene

The importance of Mise-en-scene
in film Mise en scene is made up of five elements:
Settings & Props
Costumes, hair & make up
Facial expression & body language
Lighting and colour
Positioning of character & objects within a frame Costume, hair & make up Facial Expressions Mise en scene Settings Settings are where the action of a film takes place. They can help us understand where and when the film is set. Settings and location play an important part in film-making and are not just 'backgrounds'. Settings can manipulate an audience by building certain expectations. Props are artifacts used in film, they can be used to convey a sense of period that the film was set in and identify the genre of the film for the audience, this is known as iconography. These act as an indicator, to identity the personality of the character, also their status and job. They immediately tell us, what society the film is based around and what time period the film is set in. Facial expressions gives us a clear indicator of how someone is feeling. For example, if the character had a stern face, the audience will assume the character is angry. If this expression is held for to long, we get a sense that something is going to happen. Also, the body language of a character reflects a relationship between the 2 subjects, for example a girl in pain, grasping her neck, head tilted away from the camera. Mise en scene is a french term, meaning 'what is put into a scene or frame'. Basically everything that you see on screen. it provides information in front of the camera, communicating crucial information to the audience

Mise en scene reinforces the idea that films are constructed, nothing happens by chance. everything the viewer see's has been carefully placed, so that the audience can be drawn into the storyline of the scene Poisitioning within a frame The position of a character or object, draws the viewers attention highlighting the importance of that character/object. Positioning in a frame could also be used to portray the relationship between people. Lighting & Colour This element of Mise en scene, is used to achieve a number of effects: To highlight importance within a frame, to make a character seem more mysterious by shading sections of the face or body, to reflect the mental state or hidden emotions of a character.
(Bright = happy, dark = Mysterious) The End

Movie Review: "Finding Dory"

MOVIE REVIEW : "Finding Dory"

Pixar has a excellent track record when it comes to sequels, but for a minute there it looked like " Finding Dory" wasn't going to work. The aquatic adventure "Finding Nemo" came out all the back in 2003; kids who grewup with it aren't kids anymore . Maybe they had forgotten about it?

Aside from that, blue tang Dory (EllendeGeners) made a good sidekick in the original , but was she really up for carrying a whole film by herself ? No need for worrying , it doesn't take long to see that the film is a success on every level . You just have to look at the $9.2 million it made on Thursday night (on it way to a record $136million weekend) to know that the film is commercial success, and you just have to watch Dory in the first few minutes to know that it's a creative one.

We first see Dory as a child in this movie, and whatever defenses you have against cuteness ,she swims right past them. Her eyes take up half of her body, and her words and actions are fittingly precious. She and her parents (Diane keaton Eugene levy) struggle together with her short-term memory loss, and they're as admirable as can be.

But Dory soon gets separated and can't find her way back. She grows up among strangers, fish with varying degrees of tolerance about her disability eventually she aligns herself with clown-fish Marlin (Albert Brooks) , and together they go looking for his son Nemo, with Dory firgetting that she's supposed to be looking for her own family.

Now it's a year later and Dory is a member in Marlin's family. Nemo(Hayden Rolence) is still in school and Dory helps out as a teacher's assistant . A lesson in migration teaches the class that animals have instincts that lead them back to their families. Dory realizes that she must have a family, and slowly she starts regaining childhood memories.

She sets off to find them, and Morlin and Nemo tag along, forever indebted to their forgetful friend, but sure enough they soon find themselves separated, trapped, and in danger.

The adventure leads them to a marine theme park, which at times resembles seas with Nemo and friends at Disney's Epic Park. There they meet a colourful cast of supporting characters, including Hank and Octopus (Ed O'nil), whoes secret shame is that he's a septopus, and who wants nothing more than to be shipped to a facility in cleveland.

Then there are whales destiny(Kaitlin oslon) and Bailey(Ty Burrell). She has vision problems and he allegedly has hearing problems. They have to work together and push eachother. A pair of sealions (Idrin Elba and Domnic lelest) are also scene stealers, especially when they're fighting off a third sea lion who's trying to usurp their favourite rock.

The characters determination to overcome their unique obstacles teaches kids a good lesson about having patience with people who have disabilities, whether it be friends, family, strangers, or themselves.

More than anything, "Finding Dory" is a heartfelt movie with some heart- pumping moments and some hearty launghs.

Three stars out of five.

"Finding Dory" is rated PG for mild thematic elements. Its running time is 97 minutes.

Father's Day is now a thing - But my father is not a fan

Growing up, I couldn't imagine a special day for mothers or fathers. Whatever for? The last thing a typical Indian kid wants is attention from dad, because that usually means you're in trouble.In many Indian homes, gender roles are fairly rigid. Fathers are breadwinners, mothers are homemakers. Mom takes care of the house and kids. Dad? Generally tired, he's the ultimate authority to enforce rules being challenged or scold you for bad grades .My father was the heavy hand, when he spoke it was like The Master Has Spoken. I remember feeling absolutely thunderstruck watching an American dad doing handstands with his kids in a Delhi swimming pool. Who knew dads could do things like that?
As i am growing up, my father and i are growing  quite close too.  We have started to have real conversations, share feelings, thoughts, even talk about the past. But I never expended money or brain-space on what to gift him for Father's Day.
 Then in June 2016,out of blue , my brother asked me,"what are we giving Baba for father's day"? 
I blame it on gift shops. They began promoting the holiday and offering gift cards which has clearly brainwashed my brother.As if birthdays weren't hard enough to think of gifts.
So what to give my 59 year old father,who thinks gifts for father's day are a waste of money?
To find out , i asked  him directly
"When is father's day"?,he countered
Sunday , i told him laughing
"Nothing," he said thoughtfully ,"Just , a nice big hug"
I said i'd do that anyway
By this time he was laughing too ,Well then" he answered " What more do i want"?

                                         Rhythm Of  Life..

The clock is silent
nowadays clocks no longer
need to make
that rhythmic sound of life.

We have moved on
and everything is changed
I am no longer sad
I don't weep for you.

In still moments
I see you solitary, reflective-
running with the wind along the waterfront
with your Walkman on.

Radio waves carry words
of a song we shared
and I am free to smile
at the thought of you.

Big and handsome
the scent of you
like a powerful beast lingers
untamed by this world.

I know you still swim with dolphins
in the cold North Sea
I know you still laugh .I know you live by the seasons
and time is not your enemy,
the clock is silent
I don't weep for you, I weep for me.
and drink wine with friends.

ONE IS NOT A NUMBER...

 One isn't just an AMBITION,

                                        One is a DEMONSTRATION.......

                    One is not a POSITION or TITLE,

                                             One is ACTION and EXAMPLE.......

                         One doesn't only KNOW THE WAY,

                                   One SHOWS THE WAY........

                                    One doesn't simply POWER THEIR TEAM,

                                             One also EMPOWERS THEM........ 

       One isn't just a POSITION,

                     One is ACTION........

One isn't just a GOAL,

               One is a PLAN....

                          One doesn't just create FOLLOWERS,

                           One create LEADERS.....

       One doesn't JUST TELLS,

          One SHOWS...

               One isn't just an AUTHORITY,

                          One is INSPIRATION....

    One isn't just about 'ME'

                    One is about 'WE'......

         One isn't IMMEDIATE, but

                   One is DEFINITE....

        One isn't just an ABILITY,

                                     One is a RESPONSIBILITY.....

SO BE THE ONE....

                                    TE3N - FILM REVIEW

The fascination of “Te3n” (no, that’s not a misprint — the title is pronounced “teen,” which is Hindi for the number three, which refers to the trio of lead characters) is that although it’s a gritty procedural thriller about a kidnapping and child murder, with themes of loss, violence, justice, and revenge, the movie is much quieter around the edges than its American counterpart would be. This is an underworld drama in which the excitement of solving crime rarely overshadows the disturbance that crime causes (even for those committing it). “Te3n” may, in fact, be too quiet to succeed here; it’s both pokier and longer than it needs to be. Yet if you stick with it, you’ll know what it feels like to watch an extended episode of “Law & Order: Kolkata” in which the powers of law enforcement generate all the more intrigue for not totally knowing what they’re doing.

The central character, John Biswas (Amitabh Bachchan), is a grandfather with stiff limbs, a full head of grayish hair, and heavy-framed glasses, all of which combine to make him look like the soul of senior ineffectuality. For the last eight years, John has gone down to the police station almost every day, trying to get to the bottom of what happened to his 8-year-old granddaughter, Angela, who was kidnapped eight years ago and then killed. (The perpetrator was never found.) John holds himself responsible, but the police have little interest in re-opening the case. That is, not until there’s a second kidnapping eight years later, and this one bears such an uncanny similarity to the first one — same voice issuing muffled threats over the phone, same intricate ransom exchange plan, same sinister B-movie black van — that it seems all but obvious the original monster is back.

After eight years of agony, John decides to investigate the original case himself, and he starts to turn up clues. He spies a girl from an orphanage for the deaf and dumb wearing Angela’s long-lost white wool hat, which leads back to a charity donation made by a local Imambara, which adjoins a cemetery in which a metal trunk was dug up, and that trunk contained a pen, which bore the swan insignia of the Land Measurement Office, whose bureaucrats knew that John was selling some property.

The very banality of this detail is convincing (well, except for the part about the girl showing up in the hat), and also…a little banal. “Te3n” is two hours and 13 minutes long, and for close to the first hour, it’s watchable in a slightly sodden way. The original police inspector on the case, Father Martin Das (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), was so dispirited by his inability to catch the kidnapper that he had a spiritual breakdown, joining the priesthood because he could no longer believe in any plan that wasn’t God’s. The new case lures him back in: Still wearing his priestly collar, he becomes the unofficial partner of Sarita Sarker (Vidya Balan), the lead officer on the case, who keeps saying things like, “You may have stopped wearing the uniform, but you still sound like a policeman!”

“Te3n,” fortunately, grows both gnarlier and better as it goes along. The film actually has an intermission, and the first half ends with a cliff-hanger, as the ransom exchange of the first kidnapping is duplicated, this time with the police on the ball. The director, Ribhu Dasgupta, creates some distinctly Hitchcockian suspense centered around a crew of Army cadets on a train (one of whom we’re led to think is the kidnapper in disguise). Then there’s a chase, and the kidnapper is caught and revealed, at which point your jaw drops open at least halfway.

But is he really the kidnapper? “Te3n” is a remake of the 2013 Korean thriller “Montage,” and the movie has a curlicued, good-guys-pretending-to-be-bad-guys (and vice versa) twistiness that is very Korean. Frankly, the twists, when they come, are more gripping than the atmosphere of fraying sadness. Amitabh Bachchan, the fabled Indian actor who plays Johnny, gives the kind of impacted, implosive performance that brings to mind the depressed-everyman Al Pacino of a movie like “Manglehorn,” but most of the other cast members, compelling as they are, don’t get enough to work with. “Te3n” desperately wants to succeed as a human drama that transcends the facile suspense of who done it. The movie doesn’t fully live up to that ambition, but the good news is that it’s just Bollywood enough to show you what deeply familiar thriller conventions feel like when they’re made with different spices.

           MAZE RUNNER BY JAMES DASHNER - book review

The Maze Runner is the first book in a trilogy written by the American author James Dashner. The book was first published in 2009. The similarities between The Hunger Games, Divergent and The Maze Runner are striking. Firstly, the setting is a post-apocalyptic world with an authoritarian regime, secondly a young teenage hero or heroine decides to fight against the rulers, and finally the heroes are being tested in a trial and have to fight for life or death.

In The Hunger Games the hero, Katniss Everdeen, and the world the story plays in, Panem, are introduced at the beginning and only later in the book the actual trials start. Quite in contrast, The Maze Runner kicks off directly in the middle of the trial and as the title says, a seemingly unsolvable maze must be solved.

Thomas, the sixteen years old hero, remembers nothing about himself except his name. His memory has been wiped, as have all the memories of the Gladers, the teenagers who inhabit the maze. The only thing Thomas can recall is that he must solve the Maze to save himself and the other Gladers. The maze is gigantic and the fifty boys who are caught in it live on a farm in the middle of the maze, an area called the Glade. Every day a small number of the boys, the Runners, leave the Glade and head out into the unknown to find a way out and Thomas wants to become one of them.

As if solving a gigantic maze wouldn't be challenging enough, the walls of the maze move every night to create new dead ends and new paths. And each night the walls directly surrounding the Glade, the place where the boys live, close and shield the Gladers against the dreadful monsters that inhabit the maze. It has been two years since the first boys have found themselves in the maze with wiped-out memories and now Thomas has joined them. He soon notices that he knows more about the maze and the reason why they have all been placed in it. With his help the Gladers are closer to solving the maze than ever before.

The story is very action-packed and reading the book feels very much like watching a movie. In contrast to The Hunger Games, where twenty-four boys and girls must kill each other, The Maze Runner seems more like a mystery book. In my opinion, The Maze Runner is more suitable for younger readers. Reading The Maze Runner really feels more like watching a movie. The book is also written in the the third person, whereas The Hunger Games is written in the first person, which allows reals insight into Katniss's thoughts and puts you in the middle of the action.

I think The Maze Runner definitely is a good book and I am looking forward to the movie, which will be action-packed and thrilling, just like the book. However, in comparison to The Hunger Games The Maze Runner doesn't feel as realistic and serious, thus isn't as engaging and shocking.

MY LITTLE SCARS.

I can feel my nails dig into my palms,

The same way I feel their words pierce through my heart.

Their eyes are lasers that fall on my skull, 

And their hands are whips that scar my body.
Do they realise what they do to me? 

Do they know what I’ve become? 

Do I even matter to them anymore?

Do they even care as they did?
I sit here alone

Staring at the walls

Of the house that was once mine,

The place I used to call home

It doesn’t feels like home anymore

When did that happen? 

When did everything change? 

Will I ever feel like home again? 
My nails still dig into my palms,

Tiny curves of pain full my hands..

… For now 

They’ll be gone soon

  Those little scars.

But I will still be here,

Wondering when my world fell apart.
Much pain,

HIGH SCHOOL

         
                              For the last 4 years the only constant thing in my mind was getting done with high school, graduating and escaping the wrath of tests, exams and subjects that never even registered in my brain. As I came closer and closer to the last year of school I started counting months and days till I could finally get away from school once and for all. But as I was making my elaborate plans of escaping, something clicked inside my mind. Maybe all these years of rigorous hard work (which was triggered by hours long counselling sessions by my parents) looked like a torture torpedo waiting to detonate but i had learned so much these past years. I was slowly shaping and molding into a new person. Every little experience I’ve had till now has changed the way I look at things, and myself. Yes some days were worse than others but each tiny little experience made me realize how important all of this was. it was like climbing up a ladder that never ends, some days the ladder would feel wonky and out of balance, like everything would come crashing down any minute while the rest of the days it felt like I could jump up a dozen step and still not be out of breath. Every step forward felt like an achievement that I get to celebrate with myself.

After spending almost 3 and a half years in high school I can finally say one thing for certain. School, though may not sound so fun and wonderful, shapes you into the person you are. You are slowly pushed onto the slide of reality, a slow, excruciating slide filled with bumps and stops all along the way but nevertheless an adventurous one.

Take me back in time and I still wouldn’t change a single experience I’ve had.

- JUVERIA IQBAL

FIND YOUR WAY HOME.

The place where you can prance around in your pajamas, tie your hair in a bun and drag yourself off the floor.

Where you can slump into the couch and watch reruns for hours while immersing your sorrow in a tub of chocolate ice cream.

When breakfast can be had at 1, lunch at 5, dinner at 12 and a piece of dense chocolate cake at 3 in the morning, cause it ain’t never to late to have dessert.

But is that what a home is supposed to mean?

So, go out.

Meet new people, even if you want to stay holed up in your pillows and quilt.
Stand in the sun, and feel the warmth on your face though all that you feel within is damp, cold.

Talk, laugh and smile, practice. And with time the lump in your throat when someone asks about him, the stabbing pain will get pushed away, deep down, somewhere. That is all what you need for now and let time work its way out.

Home is a place to rest.

We are too young to be this sad, tired and worn out, no?