The Mental Institute

Youth Entrepreneurship in UAE; An excrept

2017-11-13T10:09:00.001-08:00

UAE despite being ranked 8^th highest per capita incomes and high standard living, has an unemployment ratio of 14 %. About 80 % jobs go to foreign professionals. With the criticality of the matter, entrepreneurship been added to diversification well to tap into hidden potential, by consulting literature and demographics to identify potential initiatives. The initiatives were rooted for by stakeholders, entrepreneurs, and youth consultants.

The idea was planted in the age group 15-34 years, making up about 42 % of UAE population, because the age group has 18% unemployment rate, with a concentration of 62% women. There is a hefty concentration of 25% students which is severely in needs of opportunities. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor reflect that self-employment (Total Early Stage Entrepreneurial Activity or TEA) is about 1%, out of total 3% unemployment concentration in UAE, as compared to 35% in Lebanon and 30% in Korea.

What’s most challenging in bringing youth to the initiative, is probably the allures of high salary, secure job and additional benefits promised by public sector. UAE doesn’t have a supporting culture towards the startups, primarily because of obsessive compulsive fear of failure. As per “Entrepreneurship – An Emirati Perspective” four out of five Emirati entrepreneurs were employed when they started a new venture.

The government recognize the importance of venture startups and has thus contributed towards developing a safe eco-system for young entrepreneurs. The International Labor Organization’s Framework has set goals for three stage map to develop favorable ecosystem. On a macro-level, the policy and programs are set to be governed on easy terms, while taking bankruptcy off the table. The micro-level support contributes towards the education, exposure, and role model development for motivational purposes. And meso-level support builds up network associations, mentors the professional, provide funds and incubator support.

UAE has started to develop a comradery, yet competitive infrastructure comparative to Malaysia, Korea and Lebanon, who so happens to have a higher rate of self-employment. It has been highly recommended to promote entrepreneurship on all levels of education and learning activities, and develop a tolerating environment for startups both in economical and emotional capacities.

The Key to High Returns Is a Disciplined Strategy By Ken Hawkins in Review

2017-11-13T10:06:00.002-08:00

The act of allocating your resources, given the opportunity, to gain future benefits, is a basic human trait. No matter what state of mind you are in, you are always striving to achieve exponential results on your invested time, money and efforts.

The investment however, needs to be thought out carefully because if you are not careful, you will end up depleting your available resources. What prompted the need of investment personnel is their access to a well-thought and carefully strategized process. If you think about it, investment strategy is merely the result of research and diversification, founded on the Warren Buffett's good investing principle, capped with a cold-calculated emotional state.

Consider the process of tending a garden, you need to take care of it before expecting flowers and plants prospering there. The investment is the same, you have to work for effective investment strategy.

Strategic Asset Mix

The strategic asset mixed is a well-thought diversified asset allocating strategy, where your investment is divided into different asset classes like securities, bonds, stocks etc. and then this portfolio is projected over the period of investment, limited by the risk/reward tolerance and investor goals. The investor makes the call here and no co-relation between asset classes is kept to ensure that there is no overlapping in portfolio.

The strategic asset mix also needs rebalancing over a period of time owing to the increase (bullish) or decrease (bearish) in the current strategic mix. The rebalancing is needed because an equity of 30 % may rise up to 40 % or decrease to 25 %, so to keep the strategic asset mix, it is advised to sell or buy the equities.

Tactical Asset Allocation

The tactical allocation, like the name suggests, attempts portfolio allocation on the basis of forecasting. It takes a specific trend into consideration, analyzes the effect of the trends and owing to the information it adds value to outperforming classes (overweighting) and decrease the weight of underperforming asset classes (underweighting).

Security Selection Strategies

There are dozens of strategies when you are looking to the allocation of portfolio.

Some strategies take capital’s growth into account, and invest with companies or equities that are doing better than the most of their competitors. To look for a stable growth based strategy, there are a few things that are taken into account; the historical earnings, the forward earning plan, management’s control and the potential of the asset to double in 5-year period

Another option is to take value of the stock into account and invest where the stock’s purchasing value less than intrinsic value. The strategy is not widely considered because of the fact that most of the investments are done on the basis of present growth.

In some cases, the capitalization on the stocks (momentum) is taken into account. An investor looks for an uphill trend, assuming that the trend is likely to go down, and invest with the momentum of the securities.

Another example of strategies would be to consider the possibility of a top-down or bottom-up approach.

The top-down investment take the results into account and then divide the portfolio into various components accordingly. Whereas the bottom-up approach takes the value of stock into account and move up to the bigger picture scenario.

The need of strategy

If you consider the over process, the strategy is a necessity. Without thinking a process thorough, you are most likely to get stuck and may not be able to survive the consequences. Rationally, having a strategic advantage trumps jumping in blind.

Developing or Borrowing?

If you take a moment and consider your life as an example, everything you are doing is a part of a bigger construct, that you want to achieve. Now, on a more competitive level, the struggle isn’t always enough, the importance is the achievement itself.

In investment, a strategy is of value, when it works for you. More so, it is always advised to lay out your own path. The strategy needs to be based on economic growth, policies, interest rates and market trends.

Due to the complexity of the strategic process, it is often advised to delegate decision making to a trustworthy financial advisor, who has the time and resources to manage your portfolio effectively and efficiently.

Head over to the Investopedia.com for Source article.

KUWAIT STOCK EXCHANGE; A REVIEW

2017-11-13T10:01:00.000-08:00

Before the inception of Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE), a few partner shareholding companies were serving as a pivotal point for the country’s investment platform, but the real progress towards becoming one of the best emerging SE started with KSE.

The idea of a national exchange market was legislated in October 1962, and it was achieved in 1977, and named as Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) in 1983. KSE was among the very first and foremost stock exchange market in the Gulf, named as the second largest and strongest exchange market after Saudi Arabia. The Kuwait’s National Exchange has been regulated by the combine efforts of Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Kuwait, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Kuwait Stock Exchange.

The KSE was a first step to make Kuwait a safe haven for investors, with the only goal of strengthening country’s economy, with a clear and concise code of conduct for secure entities and securities transactions. With the introduction of Kuwaiti Cooperation Council, foreign capital investors were allowed to take control of up to 40 % of holdings. Currently US investors hold the stacks of about 11 Billion ever increasing constantly.

The KSE came this far by adopting to change with the changing market, and accepting the need of change. About 18 months earlier, KSE was handed over to Boursa Kuwait Securities Company (BKSC), after an extensive planning and control strategy evaluation. Since it privatization and management take over by Boursa Kuwait Securities Company (BKSC), as of September 2017, the KSE is experiencing one of the largest inflow of funds and foreign investment after its inclusion to Financial Times Stock Exchange list of Secondary Emerging Market.

Importance of Capital Market

The Capital markets are the backbone of economy because they are medium for buying and selling equity and debt instruments. Capital markets are responsible for paving the pathway for channeling investment between investors, institutions and users of the capital. The capital market is consisted of;

a) A primary market, which deals in stock and bonds

b) A secondary market, which deals in trading securities

The Capital Market is based on IPOs, Bonds and outlooks. It is basically a lonr-term investment that exceeds a time frame of more than a year. The capital markets are invested in, to generate more capital gains.

According to the US Securities and Exchange commission, a nation is only as strong as its economy. The more stable and enriched the capital market is, the more money is on hand for organizations, creating a productive environment for people, generating jobs and opportunities on ground.

The capital market however has its flaws as well. A sinking investment in one part of the world creates a ripple throughout the world, effecting a lot of economies. The wars in one part of the country, tanked economy all around the globe. The 1990-91 invasion of invasion of US brought a dry patch of investments in Kuwait and many other countries, owing the country was in state of distress.

Capital Market of Kuwait; The Capital Market Authority

The steady climb of Kuwait Stock Exchange has not been easy. It took a lot of efforts and legislations to pave the way for the progress seen today. One of the major growth factor of KSE’s souring rise was to acknowledge the importance of capital markets.

The turning point was the Capital Market Law, that came to pass in 2010, with the goal of shifting overall performance and market value, creating the regulatory institution of Capital Market Authority (CMA).

History of Kuwait Capital market

The Kuwait has one of the oldest capital market in Gulf region. The concept of share issuance was developed in early 1950, when business came together to lay the foundation of National Bank of Kuwait (NBK). With the early brush of share creation started the journey of NBK that has seen fruits of about 77 years now.

The capital market at that time was loosely held accountable and was solely governed by the businessmen that started the endeavor. However, with time, the legislation was put in place to protect the investors.

In early 1970, the capital market of Kuwait started to rise due to influx of return on the investment in oil sector. But the lack of a clear set of instruction to lead capital market resulted in a sudden crash of the market in 1977. The government stepped in to bail out the investors but the incident started a chain of legislation directed to hold the market together.

Rise of the Souk Al Manak

Out of the ashes of 1977 market crash, rose the Souk Al Manak (Camel Market), a new market that attracted investors in bulk around 1978. However, the market was again shorted due to a grave mistake of accepting cheques by the investors. In 1982, when the cheques started to bounce, the market came down tumbling again. Only this time, Souk Al Manak took down all the financial institutes of Kuwait, with the sole exception of National Bank of Kuwait.

First Step towards the Inception of KSE

With the fall of Souk Al Manak, the government once again bailed out the investors, but taking serious notice of the failure, instated formal institute of Kuwait Stock Exchange with close consultation with financial sector, the goal was to build a system that can with stand its own weight and help ensure the safety of the investment and strengthen the economy. After 1983 KSE ensured a steady growth for nearly 7 years, but the Iraqi invasion in 1990-91 tanked the capital market once again.

When the dust of the war settled the KSE listed the financial instated and set to rebuild again. Only this time, the rates of the regional property and equities were stories too high, which cause a more uplift for capital market. The baking sector issued one of the highest rate of return of the decade. However, in 2007-08 market experience a fall again.

Technological Adoption

From early 90s to the start of 2000, KSE worked towards the adoption of electronic trading (1995), a forward market (1998), a future market (2003) and online trading (2003). These advancements earned Kuwait five star ratings in innovation and master of new practices. They also knew that the market has an affinity to fluctuation, which led them to development of technological tools that can help predict the market trends.

Crisis Aversion and Control

To say that Kuwaiti government has a reputation in crisis aversion, would be the understatement of the year. Out of all the market crashes, the government never once failed to compensate the investors. So when the 2007 crisis started to show, government stepped in and announced compensation, utmost importantly it came up with Financial Stability Law (FSL) that promised emergency assistance to the people who took most heat of the downturn and suffered major loses.

In the following year, the international customers took advantage of Financial Stability Law (FSL) and an imbursement scheme was put in place.

The CMA has led by example, like in 2011 an investment company Aayan Leasing and Investment requested to restructure loan, after bad debt. The company was approved for 66 % restructuring of its debt outstanding at the time.

The Capital Market Authority

In 2010, the government introduced the Capital Market Law, aimed to standardized the capital; investment channels, procedures, and financial educational aspects of the investors. The Legislation was implemented by a regulatory institution of Capital Market Authority (CMA). With the mark of CMA, the country wholly qualified the primary and secondary investment institutions.

CMA’s mission is listed as;

“The CMA is committed to setting supervisory and controlling regulations which support an attractive and competitive investment environment in the State of Kuwait; based on the principles of fairness, transparency, and integrity according to the best international practice.”

CMA’s vision states;

“To be a leading regulatory authority which works on developing and supervising the activities of capital markets in the State of Kuwait, and creating an attractive investment environment that obtains investors' trust.”

Objectives of CMA are:

1) Fair and transparent regulation of securities, which is efficient in working

2) Growth of capital market that leads to diversify investment instruments

3) Standardization of investment procedures to match the international practices

4) Enhancement of investor protection in times of market crashes

5) Reduction of ever rising risk of securities investment

6) To prevent the conflict of interest

7) To prevent the insider trading and discourage the practice

8) Ensure that the rules and regulations re met

9) The enhancement of awareness of general public towards the risks associated with investment

10) To encourage the concept of development for investors

The Central Market Authority targets the potential client at The educational field of the intermediary and secondary stages. It also works in close relationship with university education in its multiple majors with emphasis on specific majors; Law, Business Administration.

Achievements of Capital Market Authority

CMA has been working to educate their investors and create a fairly certain environment, that has attraction not only to local investors, but also has the potential to draw international crowd to the capital markets. CMA has offered a 44 % of stock to international investors, which attracted billions of dollars of investment form US alone.

The best thing of Central Market Authority is the pro-active stance; it has taken since 2010. The quality if the work done by Central Market Authority shows how much though has been put into creating this efficient institution.

CMA has introduced milestone technologies to the investment scene, such as NASDAQ OMX’s X-Stream Trading software (2009). The technological advancement has given capital market a new sense of self. Now financial services like margin calculation, stack calculations, derivatives and predictions can be done easily and effectively.

Under Central Market Authority the regional markets have grown by leaps and bounds. The regional prices have driven the capital markets to a soaring high level. Also the Central Market Authority has led a co-dependent share lending between different regions, creating more investing opportunities.

The biggest achievement of CMA so far

The Central Market Authority has achieved much but its biggest achievement till date, would definitely be the establishment of Boursa Kuwait Securities Company (BKSC), the management that is now leading the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE).

After its first day trading as the official operator of the market, Chairman of the Central Market Authority Board of Commissioners, Dr Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf, said: “Today we have taken the first step on the road to privatizing the Kuwait Stock Exchange and we are looking forward to working closely with Boursa Kuwait’s management on making further progress. This will include the development of investment tools, restructuring the market to increase its competitiveness, working to increase liquidity and attract investments, collaborating with other government stakeholders and determining a stake for an international operator.”

It is only due to the efforts of BKSC that Kuwait, now hold the title of Secondary Emerging market, named by the Financial Times of Landon.

Conclusion

The Boursa Kuwait Securities Company (BKSC) was created to introduced a flexible operational environment for international investors, so that they can enter the market on their leisure. The BKSC protects the investors so that they tend to stay as long as possible.

The Central Market Authority spares no effort to create more and more sense of ease for the investors to make them feel at home.

Under CML, the government made it pubic that with Boursa Kuwait Securities Company (BKSC), the way forward is privatization. The BKSC has already drafted a 2020 strategy that has a promising potential of transforming the horizon of the investment strategies.

For a new institute that has been establish recently, Central Market Authority has been an absolute worker. From organizing within the ranks to organizing all the investment procedure, laws, bylaws and regulations, it has signed more treaties and IPO that there ever were signed before. The Central Market Authority (CMA) has seen many ups and downs along the road but the fact remains the same, under the supervision of Central Market Authority, the Kuwait Stock Exchange has been extra vigilant, more target oriented and achieved far more that it has ever had in the history of nations stock exchange.

The 2015-2016 overhaul of the regulatory framework has shifted the paradigm to more collaboration, consultation, and fairness. All in all, the economic growth Kuwait has seen under BKSC and Central Market Authority (CMA), it is safe to say that the investors find Kuwait a safe haven for investment and stability all over the world.

Last Word

The Kuwait Stock Exchange lost about twenty-five per cent of its stacks between 2014 and 2015. But after the Boursa Kuwait Securities Company (BKSC) take over, confidence of investor in the stock market has once more returned with a huge swing. The Boursa Kuwait Securities Company (BKSC) has once again made the country a soaring economical tycoon, creating a more compelling and die hard success story of the Arabian Gulf in 2017.

The country has gained Nineteen per cent of investment value since the start of the 2017, even more than double as compare to Bahrain that has one of the highest returns on the investment in the region.

How to select Team Members

2017-11-12T00:19:00.003-08:00

Behind the concept of team, there is a very simple, enthusiastic individual that has the ability to be independent and do whatever it is needed to done, to accomplish the goals. If you look at the team dynamics, it is advised to gather multidimensional, talented and functioning personnel. When a team is gathered to bring different set of skills to the table, they can either make the team or break. Now the question arises, how to make sure that you select right person, for the right job, at the right time.

The team selection is dependent on the skill set a person has, but above that, it takes into account his ability to be collaborative and susceptible to the idea of interacting with other. Some of the qualities that team leaders keep an eye out for are:

Excellent communication skills

Working in an organizational setup, meetings are a daily sketch up. Project management professionals are expecting to be prepared for presentation, briefings and negotiation at a short notice, so team leader prefer to hire a team member that has excellent communication skills.

Knowledgeable

Projects leaders prefer to hire a team member, who does not need mothering. A team member who knows his concepts of management down to the basics is always preferred.

Organized

A team member who knows nothing and does not provide the right information, at the right time is not taken into consideration at all. A leader looks for a member that he can rely on, so highly organized team members, who have the ability to perform under stress, are always preferred.

Highly Intuitive

Imagine a person that you are trying to hint to speak up or keep quite. You can’t keep your finger on his issue, as he isn’t quite getting it. He may have low intuitive skills. The project management team leaders prefer to hire someone who takes a hint, and has the ability to read the situations and people.

Accuracy rate

Project managers and team leader need a reliable person, that if they need to perform a task, can estimate the timeline of his task and deliver it on time. Project management is a critically time sensitive, and often said to have a domino chain effect. Delaying a certain small task may lead to much larger delay in the project.

Knows himself

Every person has a different set of rules for his life and sometimes he may have to defend those rules if challenged. A person who knows when to say “No” and “It can be done this way.” is considered an asset in organizational environment.

Managerial Roles

2017-11-12T00:15:00.000-08:00

Managers are the constantly changing personnel. They walk in other’s shoes and they wear different a lot of hats. The diversified roles they perform within, and outside an organization reflects on the type of manager they really are.

Henry Mintzberg, understood the roles of the managers and systematically created a mode of operation and roles, a manager has to perform during his career. [1] He argued that management is relatable to science, as much it is art. He outlined these managerial roles in a simple, applicable model.

Interpersonal Roles

The interpersonal roles are the informational roles that a manger has to perform. A manager serves as the figurehead of his organization. People look up to a him, to guide them into their social, legal and ceremonial responsibilities and inspire them to be ahead of time itself. A leader takes the charge of his sub-ordinates, be a role model, motivates and encourages the employees, ushering them into doing better and better. A leader does not push people around, but he actually works along with them to make the magic happen. A manger acts as a bridge between his organization and the outside word. As a liaison, he communicates on behalf on his organization, internally and externally.

Informational Roles

A manger is responsible for his team, and he cannot very well be a manager, if he does not know what he is looking for. A manager monitor his organization in term of productivity and effectiveness of work. A manager not only knows his colleagues and workers, he is a disseminator, as he delegated the useful information that has the potential to improve their skill and performance. A manger acts as a spokesperson, when he delivers information to the outside world.

Decisional Roles

A manager performs the role of an entrepreneur, when he strives hard and work fast to create change by introducing something new to the standard practicing way. He works with his team on problem solving, idea generation, implementation and control of the changes that are happening inside the organization. Disturbance is the part of any system, and human factor has to have some degree of disturbance. It is the job of a manger to act as a disturbance handler, take charge in situation where the organization hits a roadblock. He acts as a medium to solve the disputes and negate the propaganda. A manger is responsible for resources of the organizations, so it they also have to be the resource allocator. He has to decide where the energies should be directed in terms of man, money and machine. A manger takes an active role as a negotiator, and performs the necessary negotiations on behalf on the organization. The nature of the negotiation maybe internal, external, legal or worker related.

Since the inception of Henry Mintzberg’s ten managerial roles, they have been used as a reference by the mangers all over the world, as a standard job description for managers.

[1] ‘Henry Mintzberg: Mintzberg on Management. Inside Our Strange World Of Organizations 1989, New York and London: Free Press/Collier Macmillan. 418 Pages’, Organization Studies, 11.4 (1990), 599 <https://doi.org/10.1177/017084069001100414>.

Black Friday; What to expect this year?

2017-10-28T22:33:00.000-07:00

November is around the corner, Black Friday is a few weeks ahead of us but almost everywhere I turn, people are like oozing crazy. Speaking from past experience and thanks to the retailers, the month can be a delightful shopping spree or a constant nagging in the back of my mind. More so, with the retailers offering deals all month long, hopefully you will be looking at deals sooner rather than later.

Now to avail a deal, you have to be caught up with the deals your favorite brands are offering. Many hotshots have already introduced warm up deals, but the hot deals for Black Friday 2017, have not been announced yet.

Let us have a look at Black Friday 2016’s deals to see, what to expect this Black Friday.

Black Friday 2016 and many years before too, had a winner product, TV. No matter how far a product has come, there is always a better version yet to come. The best TV deals for Black Friday 2016 were introduced by Amazon (one third price), Walmart (one fourth price), Best Buy, Target, Dell, Sam’s Club, Newegg, Ebay, Costco on brand varying form Samsung to Hisense.

The Walmart dropped the prices considerably on Tech, gaming gear, kitchen appliances, and household for Black Friday 2016. To keep up with this year’s discount, keep checking DealsOfAmerica.com and you will be golden. Also don’t forget to create your “Shopping List” to keep up what you want to buy.

The Best Buy put out a staggering amount of discounts last year in tech, gadgets and not only discounts, they also gave freebies to the customer, which in-turn brought more customers. This year, look out for Best Buy deals on gaming, TV and other smart tech. You can also check out Best Buy’s Doorbuster hot deals offering up to 35 % discount, prior to Black Friday deals.

Last year Amazon’s Black Friday sale ran about 35 days long marathon and had a record breaking sale. There were some limited time deals on Kindle Paperwhite reader, Fire Tablet, Amazon Echo, All New Fire HD Tablet, and All New Fire TV Stick. Customers registered on Amazon Prime were offered a staggering 30,000 deals over the course of Black Friday. So if you are registered, you are in for one hell of a treat.

A fairly new player would be the Target, that has recently announced the passive-aggressive mean strategy to sweep the Black Friday craze on toys, with hot deals on Beat bugs, Jeston Jupiter Scooter, Disney Pixar cars, Melissa and Dough Deluxe Star Diner, and NERF Rival Phantom Corps. Some of the product prices have been reduced to half their price for welcoming the Black Friday craze.

If you are near a Sam’s Club outlet, keep an eye out on their series of day sales, leading to a last main event of shopping. Sam’s Club offered a hefty discount deals on TV, Laptops, toys and tech Black Friday 2016, so hopefully it will be back this season too.

Dell offered amazing deals for their Black Friday 2016 main event and also offered Doorbuster deals throughout the month of November on laptops, projectors, consoles and other gaming tech, up to 50 % off. Do not forget to check their website regularly to keep up with this Black Friday 2017 schedule.

Now my advice to you would be to head over to TheBlackFriday.com, where you will be informed regularly on hot deals, doorbusters, gift deals and much more.

Get ready, get set. Let the shopping spree begin.

Tishnagi by Anis Ul Hassan; A Story of Love

2017-10-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

It was NUST Olympiad about four or five years ago, and a friend of mine participated in the singing competition. The guy was really good with vocals, but know you what they say;

If you haven't made two minutes, doesn't mean you are not good.

So yes! Basically, my friend lost the competition, but the next best thing he did, he introduced me to the guy he thought was "Crazed-Junooni". We ran that name owing to the fact that this guy covered Ali Azmat, so regularly and to a point, very conveniently. That was my first introduction to Anis Ul Hassan.

Then came along a few months later, "Mahiwal". That song was so much appreciated and we basically heard it non-stop for months. After Mahiwal, Anis Ul Hassan graced us with original soundtracks like "Khawabon Se" and "Zalima" that we all heard, related to and loved deeply.

Anis Ul Hassan has truly been the artist we have come to love and respect.

Now four years later, here we are yet again with another Anis Ul Hassan original "Tishnagi" but this one may very well be by far the best track of Anis Ul Hassan. As soon as the track started, I felt like I have stepped into this wonderland where a guy is looking at the love of his life and has done all but taken his heart out, to let it be known to the world, that he is in love.

She truly is the one!

Tishnagi has been such a delight to hear. It is indeed a whole package. The track, lyrics, and vocals all complement the overall effectiveness of the track.

More so, the feeling of the song is the true beauty that has given "Tishnagi" an other-worldly touch.

Here it for yourself and do let us know, what do you think of it!

Tishnagi – Anis Ul Hassan (Official Music Video)

Directed and Edited by: Maaz Khan

D.O.P : Muaz Ali

Lyrics : Omer Aziz

Audio Production : Leo Twins

Moment of Weakness !

2017-10-06T04:03:00.000-07:00

As the Night grows old,
A corpse rots in bitter cold,
But the stars are wide awake,
Above the cursed lake,

Still! There I stand,
With hand in hand,
It’s about time to choose,
Who I want to lose,

Oh! Sweet haunting past,
Beloved mine, whom I lost,
Or the future thee,
Oh! Bitter glaring thee,

Darkness that’s glowing inside,
Light that’s brought by the tide,
The decision can’t alone be mine,
While the chalice is still full of wine,

The corpse is too gentle,
With a touch, so parental,
I dare not refuse,
With a lot to lose,
I miss the ruse,
The songs, the blues,

The stars are awake,
And night grows old,
Let’s go take our last howl at the moon,
The corpses may not meet again so soon!

How do I write? A guide to get you started.

2017-09-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

A lot of people around me ask me almost every time I bring up writing in conversation. And given that it takes a considerable amount of my time, apart from teaching, writing do comes up a lot. People ask me all the time,

How do you write?

How can you write?

How do you find the time?

What motivates you to write?

How do you stay even focused with children hammering doors and throwing toys around?

Don't you think you can do something better?

You are an engineer, why do you bother with writing reviews and bullshit like this?

To fully answer all the questions is a tad bit difficult because it is no small feat. The topic is too important, vast and extremely close to my heart. I really do not want to cram information into a single post that makes no sense. Instead, I planned to make it a series of posts that we can all relate to, and the first question in the series I decided to discuss is "How do I write?"

Writing is NOT easy

To be honest there is no recipe for writing. Now the first thing you need to accept fully, writing is not easy.

Anyone who says writing is easy isn't doing it right. Amy Joy

From the moment I start writing, till I am done with an article or review or some lyrics, I am grasping at straws. The hardest part is to get it all out. Sometimes I spend hours trying to get it right and still things come out jumbled. It is a place of constant frustration. Many times I am angry, but I try my best to keep it under control. Other times I tend to break stuff. My point is, writing is not easy. You need patience, and a lot of it too.

Persistence is a Virtue

Well, everything needs time, writing more so, and more importantly, a writer needs to keep writing. While I started I used to sit for hours and still come up with a few lines at a time. Sometimes I get appreciated and most of the time I had to hear something along the lines of, "That's awful dude."

The first thing you have to learn when you go into the arts is to learn to cope with rejection. If you can’t, you’re dead. Warren Adler

In every profession you take it step by step. You have to work for moving up. Write over and over again because practice makes us 'near perfect'.

You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence. Octavia E. Butler

Pure emotions are the base

I started out with poetry in my native language. I discovered early in my journey that this relationship between pen and paper needs genuine emotion. I write as close to what I feel. I observe how others feel and how they react to certain things. While writing a situation, it doesn't need to be eloquent and all smooth, but it sure as hell needs to be pure. I always try not to mix it up too much. I think that writing is the best outlet to conceal emotions, at the same time revealing a part of it. Remember that the best things always come from following your heart.

Write straight into the emotional center of things. Write toward vulnerability. Risk being unliked. Anne Lamott

Read to hone imagination

I had a phase where I used to read 6-7 hundred pages a day, and that was along with my school work. The thing is, back then I didn't think much about the content, every book got my attention. With time I moved on to productive content. Autobiographies, history, philosophy are some topics I came to appreciate.

Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. Stephen King

Reading is a habit that takes you a long way and hones imagination. A good writer really needs to put himself in situations he is writing, so the best way to write is to experience it. If it's out of your culture, society or circle you are writing about, reading about it is the best thing you can do. Make it a habit to read at least a few pages a day.

Be nice to your characters

I observe people around me. Everyone I know is a possible character of my story. I try my best to communicate and be in touch. If you really know them, if you know what makes them tick, you can develop your characters easily. Let's imagine it this way, be nice to your characters because soon you have to become them.

A writer is a dangerous friend. Everything you say, all of your life and experience, is fodder for our writing. Randy Murray

Write for yourself

Every writer needs to know that you should write for yourself. I write for myself because no matter how commercialized writing I can handle, I will not truly be happy. I used to think a lot on the subject, until I settled on "one for you, one for me." Keep a balance between commercialized content and what you like. 50/50 isn't a bad figure, after all, it is life. Cheers!

Dance above the surface of the world. Let your thoughts lift you into creativity that is not hampered by opinion. Red Haircrow

Conclusion

Every writer has his own process. I tried my best to give tell you what I do. Start writing today and do let me know, how it goes. I would love to know if it helps a single person out there.

Brian Clark's 10 Steps to Becoming a Better Writer;

"Write.

Write more.

Write even more.

Write even more than that.

Write when you don’t want to.

Write when you do.

Write when you have something to say.

Write when you don’t.

Write every day.

Keep writing.”

Coke Studio, Season 10, Season Finale Review

2017-09-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

Produced and Directed by Strings

Music Directors: Shuja Haider, Shani Arshad, Sajjad Ali

On-air date: September 21, 2017

Baanware by Shuja Haider and Aima Baig

This season CS has discovered a gem that shines so bright, it has dimmed many. Aima Baig has such a beautiful and yet powerful voice and texture is too surreal. Banware is penned and composed by Shuja Haider. His voice complements the music, mood, and lyrics perfectly. The track moves like a morning breeze. Hear the track here and let us know what do you think of it?

Listen OR Download MP3 here!

Maula Tera Noor by Shafqat Amanat Ali

The Kalam tells the story of a spiritual journey and track has been set beautifully by Shani Arshad. Penned down by Zafar Sabri, Maula Tera Noor, has been complemented by Shafqat Amanat Ali's soulful voice. The track is beautiful, soulful and majestic. Hear the track here and let us know what do you think of it?

Listen OR Download MP3 here!

Tera Naam by Sajjad Ali

The Hamd penned down by the legend Sajjad Ali himself, composed and voiced too, has a touch of magic. The lyrics take us through different phases of life and the journey of the self. The track has been set masterfully and the touches of flute create a magical limbo, where I can literally stay forever. Hear the track here and let us know what do you think of it?

Listen OR Download MP3 here!

Us Raah Par by Ali Zafar, Ali Hamza, and Strings

The four of the best singers come together to pay tribute to our most beloved, Junaid Jamshed Sir by bringing us his most appraised and brazen melody, "Us Raah Par". I still remember the song, I grew up with it. It has been a beacon of hope and drove many of my fellow struggling musician friends to stand firm and arrange gigs when they felt like it's time to quit music. The tribute is a delight. The track has a touch of sadness to it. All the singers have done justice to the melody. Hear the track here and let us know what do you think of it?

Listen OR Download MP3 here!

Wow Moment

That spot today is reserved for "Us Raah Par". Hopefully, you like them all.

Let us know which one is your favorite. Cheers!

A Beginner's Guide to write a Blog Post

2017-09-19T09:37:00.000-07:00

Writing is a practice, nearly as old as the time itself. The man adopted writing to preserve the history, knowledge, and experiences of all the time.

The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself. Albert Camus

Over the time writing has evolved. Printing and publishing emerged as a giant market. Blogging brought something more to the table, a chance to self-publish. Writers are sharing their ideas openly and blogs are the best place to start your journey. Today we are going to discuss the steps to write a blog post for beginners, what to do and what not to do.

1. Pick your subject line

When you intend to write a blog post or anything, the first thing to consider is “What do you want to write?”. Now the topic of a post is something you need to work on. It needs to be simple, yet powerful enough to grab the attention of your reader at a glance. The Internet is packed with information of all sorts, so your post will only get noticed because of the time you spent deciding your subject line. Also, search keywords on the subject line because it will increase your chances of getting noticed.

2. Brainstorm the angles of working and pick important points to discuss

Now the next most important thing for you is to gather all of the possible angles that you can think of and write them down. You really do not want a mental note because for most people the information is just a heap of random thoughts. At this very point, you do not need to worry about how it looks. The goal is to create a writing canvas that you can later work with.

3. Arrange the data

Now that brainstorming session is out of the way, arrange your data. Pick up the most important points that you can use to build your narrative. Don’t be hasty with this session and if you are a new writer, you really need to be careful and consider all the turns that you can take.

4. Use meaningful information

You have to be on guard that whatever points you decide to use, in order to build your narrative, should be meaningful. You really do not want to piss off your reader. If the information is useless, your content will be nothing but a heap of junk. Keep in mind that the readers are looking for something that they can relate to. Keep it real and you will be fine.

Push your boundaries, that's what they're there for. Colleen Hoover

5. Stick to the point

If the narrative you build is on point, clear-cut and concise, the reader will be engaged. You really do not want to add too much information. A reader loses interest if the information provided is over the board, irrelevant or non-realistic.

On a different note, you need to stay on point and avoid adding information that contradicts your own statements. Nobody likes a person who talks too much and negates something that he does all the time. As rightly said:

Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip. Elmore Leonard

6. Add Examples where needed

Now adding examples, stories and quotes are good. It shows that you have a comprehensive reading and you have done your homework. But sometimes you just keep the narrative and let examples go. Depending on the situation, you should decide carefully, what needs to be added to your piece.

7. Be biased but don’t be biased

If you are writing the opinion, you have every right to keep putting down whatever you feel is right. But if it is not, you have to write as it is. A writer has to be imaginative sometimes. So nobody can make you write otherwise, but you should know better. Your writing reflects who you are, as a person. Too much of inkling to one side will earn you a reputation for being predictive, which is exactly what a writer does not need.

8. Do your research

As I mentioned earlier brainstorm, arrange, pick narrative. All that is important but most importantly, you need to do your research thoroughly. You really do not want to get caught with your pants down. Your readers are awfully clever, well-informed and mercurial, thanks to the internet. Also do not limit your research to the internet, as it is full of false trails. Use an authentic book, ask people around you and you can have a better idea. Keep dirtying your hands and every time you will understand some more.

Writing is like washing windows in the sun. With every attempt to perfect clarity you make a new smear. James Richardson

9. Make proofreading a habit

Well after you are done writing, read it carefully. Then read it again and again. Proofreading is necessary because you really do not want to be embarrassed when somebody says, “Hey! Looks like you missed a punctuation” or “Hey! That spelling is definitely wrong.”

It will also give you a clear picture of what you have written. You can edit easily and make changes wherever necessary.

Read your paper backward, sentence by sentence, as a final proofreading step. This technique isolates each sentence and makes it easier to spot errors you may have overlooked in previous readings. Claire B. May Gordon S. May

10. Read as much as you can

All the great writers are great readers as well. A person needs motivation, inspiration and most importantly a sanctuary where he can recover and regain his strength. For a good writer, mostly it lies in reading. An extensive reader can use his knowledge to accurately analyze the situation and come up with best narratives. So read, read and read. It will greatly help you in writing.

The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read. Mark Twain

11. Sign up for Grammarly

Last but not the least, use an online tool like Grammarly, which can help you with necessary punctuation and eliminates common error that you ignored while writing. It is free and user-friendly. It can be used in MS Word as an add-in and there is an option for windows download as well. Working hard is good but working smart is better.

Conclusion

You should know that writing is not easy. It is very difficult because no matter how much you struggle, you still come up short. Do remember that you should write for your readers but more importantly, you should write for your self. If you like it, stick with it. Consider criticism positively because people may be harsh to you and reject your pieces but there is always a lesson to be learned. Always be prepared for rejection, for it may heart but step-by-step you will improve.

Nothing can save you except writing. it keeps the walls from failing. Charles Bukowski

Don't be a stranger and keep writing. Your time will come.

Coke Studio Season 10, Episode 6; Review

2017-09-15T05:26:00.001-07:00

Produce and Directed by Strings

Music Directors: Shuja Haider, Ali Hamza, Salman Ahmed

On air date: September 15, 2017

Dam Mast Qalandar by Umair Jaswal & Jabar Abbas

Originally composed by Farrukh Fateh Ali, Lyrics by Bari Nizami, Sung by Nusret Fateh Ali Khan

I have been looking forward to what Umair Jaswal was bringing to the table this year.The guy has been an absolute delight to hear and watch too. And my! I have not been disappointed. To recreate "Dam Mast Qalandar" is no easy task, mostly because of the legend of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Sb.

To say that nobody can match his level is cent percent true. But Coke Studio as always has been quite successful in recreating our most favorite melodies as usual. Shuja Haider has done a bang up job and both singers have done justice to the Kalam. The percussions are loud, the bass is off the charts, and rhythms are catchy that you can't stop listening to. The lush voice of Jabar Abbas totally complements the Kalam, whereas our favorite Rockstar is totally rocking with that unique voice and style of his.

Listen OR Download MP3 here!

Yo Soch (A Thought) by Ali Zafar and Natasha Khan

Composed by Strings and Lyrics by Sabir Zafar and Natasha Khan

First, let me say, I never knew Natasha Khan can sing Pashto and that accent of her is too perfect and too beautiful Although I admit the lyrics resemble a Pashto song at a place but still, the song is beautiful. The song narrates a story of two hearts and their journey on getting to know each other. The song has a jazzy feeling and that makes it more interesting.

Overall the song is too serene and catchy that nobody can stop listen till the end.

Download OR Listen MP3 here!

Kaatay Na Katay by Aima Baig, Humera Arshad and Rachel Viccaji

Originally Composed by Nisar Bazmi and Lyrics by Saifuddin Saif & Ali Hamza

To be honest I am blown away by how this episode has gone so far. The start of the track is so power packed with Rachel's raspy/powerful and Aima's youthful/playful voice. Then the intro of Humera creates a blend so powerful that the track takes off to a whole new level. The three ladies have weaved magic with their dynamic voices and credit goes to Ali Hamza for bringing all of these ladies together for our delight. I can't help but notice Natasha Khan at backing vocals, and ever since I saw her singing Pashto, I can't help but wonder what this beauty will bring us next.

So all in all the song itself is beautiful, magical and brings about nostalgic thoughts. It would be remiss of me if I ignore the house band. The track is too perfect, guitar solos are magical and Mandolin piece right after solo took me to heaven. And Ali Hama joined the party at the end to make more noise, couldn't hope for more. Listen to the track and tell us what do you think about it.

Listen OR Download MP3 here!

Ghoom Taana by Momina Mustehsan & Irteassh

Composed by Salman Ahmed, Lyrics by Sabir Zaffar

The smooth and calm start and such fluent flow, that can only be Momina. The girl truly brought an emotional context that is matchless. And with the intro of Irteassh, the girls took it all to a next level. The song laced with about seven power-packed and dynamic voices, created a whole new world. The guitar solos that are specialty of Salman Ahmed uplifted the track in all the right places. I would particularly mention the lyrics, such beautiful wordings.

This episode can be named girl-power because "Katay Na Katay" and "Ghoom Taana" collectively featured 10 voices, and they all created an everlasting impression. Listen to the track and tell us what do you think about it.

Listen OR Download MP3 here!

Wow Moment!

There are so many amazing songs this episode has brought us and it is really hard for me to pick one. But I will go ahead and say this, "Dam Mast Qalandar" in my opinion is absolutely the crown jewel of this episode. Our residential Rockstar has done it again. Way to go Umair Jaswal.

Let us know how you feel about this episode. Stay tuned!

25 Reason as to Why should you start a Blog !

2017-09-15T04:49:00.000-07:00

Blog writing is an absolute delight to many of my kith and kin out there.

Have you ever heard of it? I am sure you have.

Do you have any idea of the value of a blog?

Do you know the pros and cons of it?

Have you ever thought about blogging online?

If you want to know more on the subject, you have come to the right place fellas.

In this post, I will try my best to highlight what blogging really is and what are the benefits of it. Blogging is a big market out there. It is an advanced way to expand businesses, control information centers and create a hub for information sharing. A writer or even a common person can use it to further his hobbies. People share real-life experiences, professional opinions and a lot of people pay good money to pick a person’s brain for expertise.

The blog is a source of passive income. No doubt people are earning a lot from blogging but you should know this beforehand that the income phase is too far in the line. Building a subscriber base, creating quality content and capturing the attention of your audience is a constant struggle. You have to be vigilant and stay on point for a long time and every successful blogger work on their blog a minimum of seven to eight hours a day.

Now the beauty of blogging is that you do not need a deep understanding of website making, coding or any technical side of the internet. All you need to decide is;

1. A blogging platform such as Blogger, Wordpress etc.

2. What are you good at? What do you love to do?

3. A name for your blog and a domain name that suits you.

4. Whether you want web hosting or not?

5. A design for your need.

6. What do you want from blogging?

We are going to discuss few points on why should you start a blog?

1-It is crazy easy

Starting a blog is crazy easy. As I said before blogs can be built in no time. Platforms like Blogger, Wordpress provide ready-to-go templates. There is absolutely zero coding involved until you need to add some plugins and widgets. Even that customizing has been made easy by code-geeks who share cool widgets and snippets all the time for free.

To start a blog, all you need is an idea that can be expanded and built upon. So I say it again, you need to start a blog because it is crazy easy.

2-Ideas get you respect

The easy access to internet and blogging platforms have created a vast market of ideas and information sharing. If you something that can be toyed with and expanded, you are in green. When it comes to ideas there is no such thing as a small idea, because if you figure out your niche, you are halfway home already.

3-Blogs highlight who you are

Let’s say you are good in your field but you feel like you are under appreciated. It may be because you have less exposure, so basically you need someplace to showcase what you are selling. You need an audience. Blogs give you a chance to build your audience. Let’s say you are a writer, you can upload your writings, articles, scripts or anything you think is reader-ready. An artist can make portfolios and get a fan base in no time. So basically blogs highlight your work and give you repute.

4-Contribution to other lives

Man is a social animal. We all need inspiration from time to time. Wherever we go outside we interact and create a ripple in time that affects us and others around us. Through blogging, we can contribute what we are good at, in term inspiring and helping others around us. A little positive effort can go a long way.

5-Blog can help you to make money

Blogs are not only for growing skills or personality, but you can make it an income source only if you have enough traffic. Traffic on a blog is vital if you want to make it your source of income.

Traffic needs to linger as long as possible so for that again you need better content. Blogs can grow your skills, help you create an online home for like-minded people, and keep the boring at bay. There is always something new to share, ideas to be explored and great things to be achieved.

Enough traffic opens up a new mode of operation like Ads and embedded links that can make you money whenever a reader visits the links you recommended. Bloggers make money by blogs and they also have a sense of freedom. Being one’s own boss has its perks, isn’t it great?

6-New Day, New Prey

Blogging brings new challenges on a daily basis. To survive in an online open market is pretty tough. So every day brings you a new demon to slay. In order to survive a blogger has to keep reinventing himself. Folks! It is a jungle out there. You get to keep your prey, only if you are strong enough for it.

7-Blogger create online communities

Bloggers are easy going, hardworking and business-oriented folks. Their experiences and a strong sense of professional growth drive them to surround themselves with like-minded people. Social media growth around us is way too fast but a lot of readers still prefer blogging communities where they can pick your brain for your expertise.

A blogger if stay positive and be good to the online base, it creates a wonderful platform where people can care and share freely.

8-Give wings to your thoughts

A Blog makes it simple to share ideas to the whole world. You can make the world a better place through your blog. If you want, you can evaluate through a blog in the world. There is no age to start a blog. If someone having skills to spread ideas can start a blog. You can show up the problems of any country, class or society through a blog.

It’s the greater thing to aware people about any problems of the whole world. This thing depends on your blog readers, that is not impossible.

9-Advertise your business

Blogging is a powerful tool when it comes to business advertisement. A blog can be used to showcase your expertise, product range and highlight certain specifications so that people can find you easily and conveniently.

10 -Blogging will help you to be a better writer

When we talk about blogging, the first thing you need to understand is that you are committing to a way of life. With blogging, you have to write frequently. No matter how slow you are at first and how crappy your start is, with practice you start getting better. So there I said it, blogging will help you to be a better writer.

With your blog, you will be writing for your audience. A blogger strives to write better, which eventually help him be better.

11-Hooking your readers

Bloggers are always looking for better ideas, leading to better content, which gives them better subscriber base. They achieve this via hooking their readers for a longer time. Being good at something means you can leverage your skills to teach others what you know. Normally one’s basic audience is friends and family. A blogger uses the immediate circle to grown far and beyond.

12-Blogging is a constant input of ideas

Yep. The blogging helps you to learn new ideas related to your blog niche or others. Blogging makes for you a community of blogger. You every time learn new things in your subject area. After starting a blog, you learn new and do experiments with your blog.

The blogging is a great way where you not only teach to others but also learns more. In every step of blogging learns you something new or specific. You read other’s blog and get ideas from them, if they are better than you, you can learn from them many things to grow yourself.

13- How to hold a conversation?

Through a blog, you talk about a wide range of people. This opens a lot of possibilities for a blogger. The blogs help a writer to be able to speak openly and clearly about his ideas. The style of the writer starts to be more prominent and expressive as well.

14-Blogging boosts your confidence

Not all people are born leaders and risk takers. The process of building up a personality takes effort and time. Blog writers get more chances than an average person to go out and make a name for themselves. This edge gives a blogger confidence boost that is much needed.

With a blog of your own, you can experiment, learn and improve at your own expense. A blogger has nothing to lose, so that makes a perfect opportunity to bring you’re a game to the ring.

15- Blogging help you get over social awkwardness

Have you ever been to a social gathering where everyone is asking you, “What do you do?” and you sheepishly try to explain your work, hobbies and day-to-day activities. When you look at the conversation on your own time, you realize that you totally blew that shit up. Social awkwardness is not that uncommon when you think about it. Bloggers are much less socially awkward and it is due to the fact that they are constantly communicating with a lot of different people on daily basis.

16- A blog motivates you

When You have no work, you become lazy. There are no regulations in your life. Blogging controls you to live in disciplines. You work on time, write on time or publish on the right time to attract visitors to your blog. Nothing, the only blog can help you to control your bad hobbits. The blog makes you a responsible man who is an idol of lots of people.

17-Glass half-full

A blogger struggle with daily life issues like everyone else. What they do the? Well, most of the blogger's channel that energy and create a safe haven for other by sharing their experiences and insight on specific issues for a very specific audience. So I can right go ahead and say this, “bloggers are mostly glass-half-full folks.”

18-Money is no issue

Blogging is absolutely free, and there is no need to spend a dime on setting up your blog. Even if you want a professional blog, you can start free and move on to self-hosting. Blogs need no investment except your time of course.

19- No need for prior knowledge

Going out and starting a blog require little to no knowledge. A writer, artist, engineer, therapist or any person who belongs to any profession or a field of study can do it. There is absolutely zero requirement of prior knowledge. You just need a stable internet connection and one thing you are good at.

20-Bloggers are influencers

A blogger can assert control and create a ripple in time by motivating others and influence their lives on so many levels. Imagine reading about the success story of a professional leader and tell me you will not be inspired. We all need a nudge here and there from time to time.

21-Blogs bring you work

The bloggers are often approached for consulting gigs. People need help all the time. So if you are really good at what you do, they pay handsomely for all the help you can provide. After all, it is all about money and work, Right?

22-Its all about a happy place

A blog for its owner is his own happy place. I created my blog in hope of creating something for myself and I am not ashamed to admit that even though I don’t get as many hits I would like, I still love how it looks. I am doing something that I love and that is what matters the most.

23-Blogging provides freedom

A blog owner is free to write and share as he likes. He doesn’t have to listen to anybody except the ones who mean the most to him, his readers.

24-Blogging sharpens your observation

Well, it is obvious but I do have to mention it. When you are a blogger, you look for almost everything that is going to make difference out there. This prospect makes you more observant and in turn, you catch what most people ignore in their day-to-day life. The normal becomes more important and fascinating than it is to most people.

25-Stay in touch with friends and family

A blogger has his hands in almost every cookie-jar, so he has to be vigilant and attentive to the people around. They are his foremost reader after all. The bonding becomes more easy and coherent.

Conclusion

So, folks, I outlined almost all the possible scenarios that I can think of. So if any of this appeals to you, just go to Blogger or WordPress and start it right now. What do you have to lose? Just try it and do let me know how it goes. Cheers!

True Story of Writing Via Writers of All Times.

2017-09-12T09:51:00.001-07:00

Have you ever thought you can write? I did and then I got out and when I did write, people said and I quote, "This is shit." The problem isn't that you can't write, the problem is the fact you can't get over the rejections. No great writer came and conquered the audience. Writing is a practice that is developed over time. It is a wine that gets better with age. And sometimes it is just plain and simply too much of an effort.

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Maya Angelou

Here I quote some of the great sayings of all times by the writers we all love and adore. Hope you get inspired.

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed. Ernest Hemingway

If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. Stephen King

One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple. Jack Kerouac

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. Sylvia Plath

The first draft of everything is shit. -Ernest Hemingway

You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write. Saul Bellow

Read, read, read. Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window. William Faulkner

Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. E.L. Doctorow

Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly -- they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced. Aldous Huxley

If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy. – Dorothy Parker

Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand. George Orwell

The scariest moment is always just before you start. Stephen King

There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”W. Somerset Maugham

If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. Stephen King

Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college. Kurt Vonnegut

Tomorrow may be hell, but today was a good writing day, and on the good writing days nothing else matters. Neil Gaiman

Writing is like sex. First you do it for love, then you do it for your friends, and then you do it for money. Virginia Woolf

This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until its done. It's that easy, and that hard. Neil Gaiman

Prose is architecture, not interior decoration. – Ernest Hemingway

Get through a draft as quickly as possible. Hard to know the shape of the thing until you have a draft. Literally, when I wrote the last page of my first draft of Lincoln’s Melancholy I thought, Oh, shit, now I get the shape of this. But I had wasted years, literally years, writing and re-writing the first third to first half. The old writer’s rule applies: Have the courage to write badly. – Joshua Wolf Shenk

You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you. ― Ray Bradbury

Don’t take anyone’s writing advice too seriously. – Lev Grossman

Coke Studio Season 10, Episode 5; Review

2017-09-11T00:09:00.001-07:00

Produced and Directed by Strings

Music Directors: Shani Arshad, Shuja Haider, Sahir Ali Bagga, Jaffer Zaidi

On air date: September 9, 2017

Bol by Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan

The poetry of Faiz is itself an inspiration, and to top it off, CS has magically transformed this writing something so much more than it's original self.

Listen OR Download MP3 here

Sab Maya Hai by Attaullah Esakhelvi & Sanwal Esakhelvi

The start of the track is haunting, beautiful and lynches off a dust of the desert that seems to emit from every song with the voice of Attaullah. It does feel like Sanwal Esakhelvi was holding back his range. It would have been too much if he had just let go of reservations and gone with the flow.

Listen OR Download MP3 here

Rangrez by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

The duo of Sahir Ali Bagga and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan created another subtle Sufi track that carries all the maigical flares that we need and crave.

Listen OR Download MP3 here

Ujaalon Main by Faraz Anwer & Faiza Mujahid

Rendition of Ujaloon men has been a delight to listen to. The song delivers all the right elements needed for the song to be called a CS hit.

Listen OR Download MP3 here

Wow Moment!

For this Episode's wow moment we decided to pick BOL by Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan. The song says much more than its intended for. CS has done it again.

Coke Studio Season 10, Episode 4; Review

2017-09-02T04:40:00.001-07:00

Produced and Directed by Strings

Music Directors: Shani Arshad, Ali Hamza, Jaffer Zaidi

On air date: September 1, 2017

Dekh Tera Kya/Latthay Di Chaadar by QB and Farhan Saeed

Lathay Di Chaddar is a traditional wedding melody, which has been mashed up with perfectly with 80's flavor "Dekh Tera Kya". Both the songs have the potential to be extraordinary as demand true energy. Now taking two "Dance-inspiring" tracks and creating a flavor of their own is what makes this special. The calm and breezy touch is just too good. The best part is the intro by QB, I can feel every hair on my body standing. QB is bringing new meaning to traditional wedding tracks. First with "Sami Meri War" and now this, it's too much too fast. The way everybody is enjoying the track, speaks volume. To not mention Farhan and QB dancing to the beat would be a crime, so yeah! once again you rocked. Listen to the track and let us know, how you feel about the track.

Listen OR Download MP3 here!

Julie by Ali Zafar feat. Danyal Zafar

Well, well well! Have you heard of the talk of the town Danyal Zafar. It would be unfair to say he is the just the brother of Ali Zafar. He is more than that. He showed his vocal power earlier this season and he has the big guns. Zafar brother kinda sound the same. Juile is one of Ali's originals and it is about heartbreak. The song is promising and Danyal's solo is awesome. It has the same pop-rock feel of "Rockstar". Our rockstar hasn't disappointed after all. Listen to the track and let us know, how you feel about the track.

Listen OR Download MP3 here!

Jindjanni by Ali Hamza Feat. Nirmal Rao

Jingjani is Ali Hamza's own melody that merge with "Jhanjar Phabdina" so beautifully it brings pure emotions. The intro of the song sets the perfect tempo for up-beat-funk that follows. Niraml Roy best as always, Ali Hamza more so. Listen to the track and let us know, how you feel about the track.

Listen OR Download MP3 here!

Naina Moray by Javed Bashir abd Akbar Ali Feat. Aamir Zaki

Composed by "Jafer Zaidi", this thumri is out of the world magical for classical/semi-classical listeners. This marks the final song that has been recorded by Pop-music's legend, Amir Zaki. He will sorely be missed.

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Wow moment!

Our listeners at The Mental Institute rated Dekh Tera Kya/Lathay Di Chaddar being the wow moment of the episode. The half "Ludy" by QB was too good.

Overall Episode Rating 4.5/5

Younger 'A Novel Marriage' Season 4 Episode 10; Recap

2017-08-31T22:26:00.000-07:00

Get it together guys! it's time to review the bundle of lies. Welcome to another episode of the life of Liza Miller, the 41 years old (Yeah! not 40 anymore ) pretending to be 27 at work.

Episode 10 kicks off with Maggie bitching about her google earth location pin, that somebody uploaded of her sunbathing in all her glory. She wants it to be taken down and I want my name among the top 3 bloggers folks but we all know that is not possible (at least for some time). And Maggie should know better by now, the internet is forever. Liza keeps getting updates about the press release of "Marriage Vacation".

At work Charles wants to know about Pauline's book for review and situation gets a little awkward. Diana warns Liza to be vigilant and she is doing this as her "Mentor". Well, she is right, bosses are always the trickiest. Right after that, we jump to Liza, Pauline, and Charles into a heated meeting. Charles is not happy about Pauline distorting his words. Even though it is nothing, Charles doesn't think that both the women are doing justice to his character. Women, on the other hand, think they are putting the "fictional-Charles" on a pedestal.

Meanwhile the resident master of disruption and chaos a.k.a Lauren calls Kelsey to let her know that she is at The Nest, an exclusive girls-only-joint which to open to the public for a limited time. Kelsey gets Liza and Pauline on board for the night's plan yo visit The Nest.

Josh and Claire are enjoying the video game that Claire's interning-studio designed. She lets him in on the secret to level 4's key that she suggested that the developers put in a wall. Kelsey came home the same time and finds that Claire arranged her stuff saying she was just "tidying up" for the sake of Josh. She wants Josh's friends to like her. She wants them to work.

Dianna comes home to find Ethan's buddies lingering around the house. She asks Richard to do something about Ethan's living situation. But Richard distracts her and HE DISTRACTS HER GOOD. I am glad Dianna is getting really good this season. The uptight woman is really trying hard to keep their relationship alive.

The Nest is buzzing by the display of "Pinx" by Louise Wexford whom Pauline based off "Louis" in her book. Wexford offers Pauline to hold a book party for her upcoming "Marriage Vacation". Kelsey meets one of GMA's producers and they talk business. Other than that the scene is a pretty dud.

Maggie asks Liza to keep it light. She really wants her to liberate herself and go after Charles. By now, I am pretty sure that's what we all want. Liza really needs to ride that horse and soon too. The book party is at Nest. Pauline enjoys the attention and the same time she doesn't care whether the women approve of her choice. She is finally free and ready to do what she loves most. While Kelsey is talking to GMA's producers she spots Lauren, who runs other direction as soon as she sees Kelsey. When Kelsey confronts her, she gives in and finally reveals she has been fired and sleeping in a closet in The Nest. Kelsey convinces her to come stay with her at Josh's.

Liza Josh runs into each other again. The guy is totally into her but she really has no clue who to get in bed with.The girl really needs a lesson in men. She excuses herself to run after Charles who apparently smokes like a chimney when he is under stress. That is HOT. Charles, on the other hand, is embarrassed and misunderstood. She asks her about Pauline moving in with the girls at townhouse and him thinking about removing her from the book project. Charles assures her that is not because of her work but rather due to how he feels about her. He thinks that Pauline overshares with her. From their conversation he gathers that her work matters most than what they have together.

Liza runs into Rose's parents. Remember the daughter Caitlin, her roommate Rose. Well they are persistent to speed sometime together. This time she is saved from Jay and while they exit the party together, they are spotted by Charles. Jay takes her up on dinner offer and they kiss, Yeah! a peck on the lips. Let's hope this goes somewhere.

Daina gives a week ultimatum to Richard to take care of Ethan's housing situation and Claire may have to leave. Her internship is over and her visa requires her to leave. We have yet to see what Josh does about that.

Speculations based on next episodes glimpses

1) Josh will be seen pouring his heart out to Liza about Claire leaving. I hope they can find some way to keep her here.

2) Charles and Pauline are getting back together. No surprise there. The look we talked about really turned out to be something.

3) Kelsey will be facing her demons once again.

Game of Thrones Post Season 7 Questions

2017-08-30T03:27:00.001-07:00

This season has left us with burning question. Let's address few of them.

Will Cersei forgive Jamie?

We know she is unpredictable but still she loves Jamie. We also know she loathes dis-loyalty. Will she be able to resist the temptation of killing her beloved for abandoning her? Last time we saw Jamie, he was riding out of King’s Landing while snow started to set down. What will become of the twins?

What will become of Jon and Daenerys?

Season 7 finale finally brings Jona and Dany to the bed. Yeah! They banged and Yeah! We all loved the shit out of it. But what’s to expect when Dany learns little Jon is not the snow she expected but in fact her brother and Lyanna Stark’s legitimate son. That sure will be an interesting turn of events to see. I can already feel the awkwardness in the air. It’s gonna be huge.

Will Daenerys acknowledge the claim of Aegon Targaryen on Iron throne?

Not only that the relationship will turn awkward (seeing it again, in my head), what will be Daenerys’s reaction to the fact that she no longer has a claim on the iron throne. Jon or Aegon Targaryen holds that claim now. Is she going to submit or is this mess situation going to turn ugly as shit? We can speculate but what good that will do. GOT has always been unpredictable. They kill lovable characters for fun, so we have to wait on that.

Who will rule the North?

If Jon Snow accepts he is a Trageryn, who will rule the North then? That is simple enough with Arya satisfied as faceless-assassin, Sansa will be the most promising person to hold that position.

Is the Spider gone or what?

Lord Varys has been awfully in the shadows as of late. The master of the whispers and disguise appeared in a few scenes throughout season 7 and then poof! He is like a ghost. It just makes me wonder what is he up to. Is he lurking behind the curtain? He made it pretty clear that he serves the people. He served the Mad King, Robert Baratheon, Papa Lannister, King Joffery, King Tommen and now he is serving Daenerys? Is he plotting another coup?

How will Cersei react to Jon’s lineage?

Queen Cersei is a tough nut to crack. She is bad-ass, cunning and a murderous-incestuous-bitch. What will be her response? We know for sure that she is not gonna throw a party but again what will she think? She is surrounded by enemies so she will not be fazed for certain, but I think she will try to cast shadows of doubt between Dany and Jon. That would be a sight to behold.

Is Bran really the Nightking?

There has really been a lot of speculation as to Bran Stark being the Nightking. The books confirms the claim to some extent. What will become of the little Bran? Will Jon be able to deal with his brother? We know that to kill the Nightking’s nasty magic, the king has to be killed. Will Jon and Daenerys be able to strike down Bran to get rid of the problem.

Will Tormund survive?

We saw the wall go down, so what will be the fate of Tormund. Last time we saw him, he was running for his life and not long after that Viseron cracked the wall, so there is a very little chance of survival. We still hope our resident ginger survived.

Will the Red Lady be back?

Last time we saw her, she was watching Jon Snow climbing ashore on Dragonstone. In her opinion she has done her work in bringing fire and snow together. We have yet to know of her whereabouts. I really hope she come back.

Can Yara be rescued?

There is a very fat chance of Yara being rescued. Theon Grejoy may have thrown some punches and tried to get his shit together but we all know he is full of shit. Despite that I still have an echo in the back of my head telling me that Yara still has a chance. Now all it will take is for Theon to man up and and most importantly, don’t fuck up again.

How I am gonna wait for season 8?

Now the most important question is, how the fuck we wait for next season? The suspense is just killing me. I really wish time travel was real.

Review; Netflix Movie adaptation of Death Note manga

2017-08-29T04:07:00.000-07:00

On Friday Netflix released Death Note, a movie based on Japanese manga written by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, and views are really having a field day. It has been called from disgusting, whitewashed, hasty, and rapid adaptation to "a good-enough".

Director Adam Wingard has robbed Death Note of its identity, messing up nearly everything that made the original series so compelling. Clio Chang, The New Repubic

The plot revolves around young and smart Light Turner, who happens to be sitting outside when a worn out diary just drops down from the sky. It allows him to kill bad guys by writing their names and picturing their faces when he pens down the name. Now the first guy he kills, rather reluctantly, putting his name in the dairy, happens to be a bully, who put him in detention. Next, he met Mia, the girls on fire. Together they kill 400 bad guys, under the pseudo name "Kira" that gets them the attention of almost every person in the world. What they do not know, they got an over-enthusiastic boy-cum-detective hell-bent on revealing the identity of "Kira".

The movie itself is not bad but the influence of people who read the manga and have spent some time with the animated series, says otherwise. Some can't get over the fact that despite the series being Japanese in origin, there is no Japanese cast member. While others think that the producers have ruined the character of Light Yagami. The cold and calculating Light Yagami character has been replaced with a scream-queen Light Turner.

Rotten tomato rates the movies at around 43 % whereas audience rating is around 26 %. Some critics reviews say;

Essentially, Death Note is a serialized detective drama in which two strange wise guys face off to prove their superior wits. It's not that deep. Justin Charity, The ringer

A lot of people felt that the movie turn out to be a dud solely because manga demanded time and effort. That isn't just possible here. It has been a very rare that a series can be distilled into a great movie. Twilight, Harry Potter series are merely two such examples. And some reviewers do share the same opinion;

Cramming several tons of plot into a one-pound screenplay, the three writers ... have little option but to condense. That said, Mr. Wingard's eye for a stylish image hasn't dimmed. Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THE SERIES IN THE COMMENT SECTION. PEACE OUT!

Game of Thrones: The Dragon and the Wolf; Terrifying, nudity and spiraling twists

2017-08-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

Game of Thrones has always been the big talk of the town whenever it is on air. The incest, nudity and sex drive reduced the traffic on porn sites quite a few times since the start of the series. George. R. R Martin, the creator delivered the promise of death, destruction, and waste. The show creators always presented best but Season 7 has been a blur. And the finale, the longest episode to date took us all to a whole new place.

The Meet of the Queens

The finale kicks off with a meeting between Queens, arranged by Tyrion Lannister with the help of Jamie Lannister. The stare-to-death match between Daenerys and Cersei, after Drogon dropped her off is too good, and the way Cersei snapped "We've been here for some time," and the curt apology offered by Daenerys, shows how much she loathes to be there. The Hounds takes what he has in his heart and puts on the table for The Mountain, absolute hate that is. The show of a dead man from Nightkings's army put on by The Hounds though cut the crap and brings the talk to the truce. Euron Greyjoy walks away from the meet after learning that the dead can't swim, with a plan to stay on the island as long as he can to avoid the dead. Cersei, however, gets agitated and leave when she learned that John Snow pledged his loyalty to Daenerys. Tyrion meets Cersei alone and convinces her otherwise for the sake of her unborn child.

Rekindling the fall of dragons

In the heat of the moment, Daenerys recalls how the end of House Targaryen came to pass, as they locked away their dragon. While the dragon grew smaller over the time, so did the power they shared with the family. She rejoices how extraordinary dragons were and that was what made House Targaryen Extraordinary. She feared it was the end of the house, for she can't have children, or so she was told by the witch.

A moment of truth between Littlefinger and Sansa Stark

The game they play, they are back at it again. Littlefinger asks her to imagine what's the worst thing she is expected and go on from there, driving your own information cycle, devising the strategy from there. What is actually happening here? Lord Baelish as always, is trying to pit Sansa with Arya, but this time, he really is in for a treat.

Planning to march North and moment between Theon and Jon

On the matter of how to march North, Daenerys is advised to fly there but Jon suggested that the point in the alliance is to move together. Hence it is decided that they will sail together. It is fascinating how the Queen listens to Jon Snow and accepts his council. Jon Snow is really growing on her. Theon has a defining moment with Jon, where he forgives him for all the wrongs he has done to him and only him. Theon really needs to hear somebody say he is not a coward that he has been. Well too bad, the guy has dropped more balls than we can count to date, but still he got beaten up and then beats the shit out of the other guy to win his men's respect. He is going to save Yara.

Littlefinger's trial

Lord Baelish as it seems has reached to end of the rope. He gets a surprise party of his execution on the charges of murder and treason. No matter how much he begged, Arya Stark cut his throat and marks the end of the Whisperer.

Ser Jamie in trouble

On the other hand Jamie Lannister is troubled by the fact that her Queen gave word and yet she has no plans to send her troops to fight the army of the dead. Like the bitch she is, butch she is Cersei has yet to see it all through. But then again, she is one of the most cunning ruler so far. Her death will come, but right now the throne belongs to her. This puts Jamie in a position where he is not sure what should he do. If he marches North, he will be accused of treason and if he don't his word will be worthless.

Little matter of Aegon Targaryen

In a cliffhanger, Sam returns to Winterfell where He meets Brandon Stark. The three eyed raven reveals that Jon's last name should be Sand, as he was a bastard of the Dorn, the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. But Sam recalls from the diary of Maester that they were married. This reveals that Jon snow is actually heir to the Iron throne. He is Aegon Targaryen, as named by her mother and handed over to Ned Stark by Lyanna Stark herself, meaning Robert Baratheon’s rebellion against the Targaryens (accused of kidnapping and raping Lyanna) was built on a lie.

Steamy Sex or Creepy Sex

If the matter of his parentage is made public, that means Jon Snow is the nephew of Daenerys. But as much unaware they are, they do bang. The sex itself is kinda hot. I sure loved it. To call it creepy would be unfair, as they are totally oblivious to the fact they are related. So lets's go with steamy sex for now.

Lady of the Winterfell

Sansa and Arya Stark have a moment where both honor the memory of their father. They know their place in the game they are to play. They know Arya Stark is to Faceless God of Death as Sansa Stark is to Lady of Winterfell and they both are grateful for it.

What three-eyed-raven sees

In an epic cliffhanger Bran sees the Nightking tearing down the wall with the help of Daenerys's resurracted dragon, Visceron whom she named after her brother. Has Tormund survived the fall? Well that is a question for another time. Right now Westeros has more pressing concerns than that of the death or unkown fate of their resident ginger. The Nighking is here!

Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle #1)

2017-08-27T05:00:00.002-07:00

I came across the book at an old book house. I come from nothing, so I just asked the guy sitting there if I can borrow the book. It was not the first time I did that, so the salesman just nodded. Intrigued by the dragon on the cover, I picked the book and almost ran home with excitement. What to expect from a fourteen years old! As soon as I was through the first few pages, I was hooked. Little did I know about the writing styles, character building, and reader engagement.

The Inheritance Book #1 Storyline

Book 1 starts with a Shade hunting three elves. One of them carried a stone of blue color. The shade strikes the two and the last one magically transport the stone to the only person she can think of. The story then accounts a young farm boy Eragon. While hunting he comes by a stone, which is no stone like he has ever seen, for it is actually a dragon egg. He thinks it is of value and brings it home, only to find that it is a dragon egg. Next thing he knows he is mysteriously chosen to be bonded with dragon Saphira.

He raises the dragon, but discovered by evil ruler of the land Galbatorix, he has to flee Carvahall. The king sends his minions Ra'zac to search for the egg. They kill Eragon's uncle Garrow. Eragon teams up with the storyteller Brom, who gives him the Za'roc and insists on helping him. Brom tells him of Galbatorix, who with his thirteen forsworn killed all the riders. He teaches him sword fighting, magic and ancient language that is necessary to cast spells. On the way, they come by the city of Tierm, where Broms accomplice in stealing the dragon egg, Jeod lives. He is shocked to see Brom alive and more so shocked to see a dragon and a rider at his doorstep. He learns his future from Angela the Herbalist. Her companion Solembum gives him advice.

Eragon and Brom track Ra'zac to the southern city of Dras-Leona. Although they manage to infiltrate the city, Eragon encounters the Ra'zac in a cathedral and he and Brom are forced to flee. Later that night, their camp is ambushed by the Ra'zac. A stranger named Murtagh rescues them, but Brom is gravely injured. Saphira watches over Brom as the night progresses, yet when morning comes they realize there is nothing they can do to save him. Brom gives Eragon his blessing, reveals that he was also once a dragon rider and that his dragon's name was Saphira, and dies. Saphira then encases Brom in a tomb made of a diamond.

Murtagh becomes Eragon's new companion and they travel to the city Gil'ead to find information on how to find the Varden, a group of rebels who want to see the downfall of Galbatorix. While stopping near Gil'ead, Eragon is captured and imprisoned in the same jail that holds a woman he has been having dreams about. As she is being dragged past she is revealed as an elf when her pointed ears are uncovered. Murtagh and Saphira stage a rescue, and Eragon escapes with the unconscious elf. During the escape, Eragon and Murtagh battle with Durza. Murtagh shoots Durza between the eyes with an arrow, and the Shade disappears in a cloud of mist. Having escaped, they run off. Eragon succeeds in communicating with the elf, whose name is revealed as Arya, and learns the location of the Varden. After some arguing, Murtagh decides to still travel with Eragon to the Varden but is still wary of them.

An army of Kull (Urgals who can grow up to 8 feet) reach Eragon right outside the Varden's entrance but are driven off with the help of the Varden, who escort Eragon, Saphira, Murtagh, and Arya to Farthen Dûr the mountain hideout of the Varden. When they arrive in Farthen Dûr, Eragon is led to the leader of the Varden, Ajihad. Ajihad imprisons Murtagh after he refuses to allow his mind to be read to determine if he is a friend or a foe to the Varden. Eragon is told by Ajihad that Durza was not destroyed by Murtagh's arrow because the only way to kill a Shade is a stab through the heart. Orik, the nephew of the dwarf King Hrothgar, is appointed as Eragon and Saphira's guide. Orik shows them a place to stay and introduces them to Hrothgar. Eragon also meets Ajihad's daughter, Nasuada, and Ajihad's right-hand man, Jörmundur. He also runs into Angela and Solembum, who have arrived in Tronjheim, and visits Murtagh in his prison. He is tested by two magicians, The Twins, as well as Arya.

Eragon and the Varden are then attacked by the Kull, as well as the rest of the Urgal army. Eragon personally battles Durza again and succeeds in stabbing him in the heart with Zar'roc, but Durza slashes a deep cut like Murtagh's on his back. He then passes out and is visited telepathically by a stranger while he is unconscious who tells Eragon to visit him in the Elven capital, Ellesméra.

Writers take;

When I read this book I had a high opinion of the author, which by the way I still do, for getting me through a difficult phase of my life. But as of now, I have much clearer picture. The Inheritance cycle has A LOT common with Lord of the Rings trilogy. The fantasy of the 15-year-old Christopher Paolini was not completely his own. As it is said that there is nothing new under the sun, it is so true for the plot of this series. The lead character, Eragon was not developed properly. Nobody is perfect, nobody can learn sword fighting in a few weeks and transition from hunting in woods to blasting kulls off with magic is not so easy as it sounds. But then again, what kind of fantasy if that where you cannot get what you want. At one side I feel like the series is lacking something special, on the other side, it has an edge to it. Eragon is a go-to for a lot of teenagers out there, so in that perspective, Paolini really has done a great job.

Floyd Mayweather announces his retirement

2017-08-26T22:13:00.000-07:00

Right after the after the fight of the century, the champ is on the floor. He complemented Conor in his own arrogant style and went to announce his retirement with a 50-0 on his record:

“[Conor]’s a tough competitor - we gave the fans what they wanted to see. “He’s a lot better than I thought he was ... he used different angles. But I was the better man ... It was our gameplan to take our time and take him out down the stretch. That was my last fight. Tonight I chose the right dance partner. Conor you were a great dance partner tonight.”

Mcgregor said:

"I turned him into a Mexican. What can I say, I had a bit of fun over this side. I thought it was close. I get a bit wobbly when I'm tired. there was a lot on the line and I should have been allowed to continue. Early on I was handy enough. He was composed, fifty pro fights will give you that. I've been strangled on live TV and let it go. But f--- it, it was a great buzz. The man should have let me go, let the man put me down. It was fatigue and I get wobbly. Let me wobble back to my corner. You've got to put me down. Happy to perform for a different crowd and to be here draped in the flag. "

Source: Telegraph

Live Mayweather vs McGregor live: Round by round fight updates

2017-08-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

Round 1

McGregor is immediately on the attack and unleashes a few body shots. Mayweather sits on the ropes and makes his assessment, covering up. McGregor throws out the right jab into Mayweather's head. The undefeated Mayweather starts to respond after 90 seconds but is wary of getting too close to that left hand, playing peek a boo. Mayweather slips a big left but doesn't take any damage bar one uppercut. McGregor towers over Mayweather. McGregor's start was fine. Maywaether did nothing.

Very smart round by McGregor, excellent attacks, pawing with the left, relaxed and letting his hands go. Showboating for confidence. Floyd can't get in.

Score Mayweather McGregor 9-10

Round 2

McGregor again starts on the front foot backing Maywaether into the corner until he forces his way out. It's very cagey so far, no pun intended. McGregor cracks a right onto Mayweather's chin, shuffles and goes forward again but Mayweather sticks him with two wicked body shots. McGregor doesn't look like a novice at all ... until he grabs Mayweather around the waist and the referee pulls them apart.

Score Mayweather McGregor 9-10

Round 3

McGregor is looking for the uppercut and the left hook but is not averse to the cuff around the back of the head. Mayweather's timing is not right yet but he is hitting McGregor with body shots and McGregor's mouth is wide open and he is breathing heavily. McGregor unorthodox movement from MMA making safety first Mayweather unsure what to do yet. He's just waiting. McG beginning to blow a little.

Score Mayweather McGregor 9-10

Round 4

McGregor ramps it up at the beginning of the round again but Mayweather is the master of not getting tagged. He begins to take over, smashing a couple of right hands into McGregor's chin and kidneys. Those vicious body shots are taking a toll on McGregor who is going forward consistently now for the first time in years. He whips a sidewinder of a right hand into McGregor's face and hits him with a left cross. he takes one himself but a great round for the undefeated former champ. Weird so far from Mayweather. But he's opened up a bit more this round and although he's landing he's also getting caught. Good shot on McGregor's body. Twice. McG is game though. Good left from McG and crowd goes with him. May weather warned up now but he does look old.