Rewind (2010)

music in 2010

International

• The Black Eyed Peas released their new album, The Beginning, which left us wondering if all four of them had missed grammar day at school.
• Katy Perry, Ke$ha, and Lady Gaga continued to suck the soul out of music while rendering respectability obsolete. In related news, the correlation between talent and the ability to look trashy and wear meat continued to remain zero.
• Muse lost a few dozen cool points by contributing yet another song to the Twilight series soundtrack. My Chemical Romance gained a few gazillion cool points by refusing to contribute a song to the Twilight soundtrack, and then writing a song about this!
• Mumford & Sons released a very decent folk rock album. This was generally deemed as a bad move.
• Weezer released an album that was considerably less atrocious than their last few albums.
• Some of the biggest names in music got together to butcher the songs We Are The World and Everybody Hurts. Their only saving grace was that the singles were for charity and the proceeds went to the 2010 Haiti earthquake victims.
• Lee DeWyze won the chance to be the next Taylor Hicks when he was crowned the winner of American Idol’s season 9 beating Crystal Bowersox, while AI’s ratings continued to decline. Simon Cowell left the show, soon followed by Ellen DeGeneres’ exit from the series, which led to an AI makeover; Kara DioGuardi departed as Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler joined the judging panel.
• Biebermania swept the tweenage world as Justin Bieber serenaded listeners with thought provoking songs featuring meaningful lyrics such as "Baby, baby, baby, oh/like baby, baby, baby, no/like baby, baby, baby, oh/I thought you'd always be mine, mine." Deep.
• John Mayer tried to make a second career out of saying stupid things.
• Willow Smith’s debut song Whip My Hair became a YouTube hit. The jury’s still out on whether it was extremely infectious or extremely irritating. Or both.
• Fifteen years after leaving the band, Robbie Williams rejoined Take That and the band released a new album, Progress; 90’s fan-girls rejoiced.
• NKOTB + BSB = NKOTBSB = increase in sales of earplugs worldwide.
• Florence and the Machine gained international recognition for their smart and absurdly catchy pop music. All the cool kids liked it.
• Rihanna continued to remain ubiquitous.
• Miley Cyrus released a ho-hum new album titled Can't Be Tamed, starred in the critically panned film The Last Song, dealt with her parents divorce, and reportedly broke up with Liam Hemsworth, all the while trying desperately to shed her Hannah Montana image. Oh and she also turned 18 and celebrated by smoking salvia. Good times.
• In standard child star fashion, Demi Lovato checked herself into rehab after leaving the Jonas Brothers World Tour. Meanwhile, in a rare display of mercy on its viewers, Disney cancelled the Jonas Brothers’ TV series.
• Newer artists including Diana Vickers, Lena Meyer-Landrut, Nicki Minaj, B.o.B., Jason Derulo, and Bruno Mars found chart success.
• Eminem went from Relapse to Recovery, mounting a well-received comeback.
• The new Hole album suggested that Courtney Love could use a hug…and a therapist.
• Soundgarden reunited, as did The Dresden Dolls, and Bush.
• Glee became the world’s guilty pleasure of choice.
• Mr. and Mrs. Trent Reznor’s new band How To Destroy Angels released their debut EP to the general interest of nobody.
• The world finally noticed Arcade Fire’s existence after they released their third album The Suburbs.
• Christina Aguilera released an album. It was on the wrong side of listenable. She also starred in a movie. It was on the wrong side of watchable.
• T.I. was released from prison. T.I. was sent back to prison.
• Kanye West returned with a new album that was met with critical acclaim. Disappointingly, he didn’t interrupt any more Taylor Swift award acceptance speeches, even though the country starlet continued the tradition of getting showered with awards.
• Duets were in vogue. Collaborators included Eminem and Rihanna (Love the Way You Lie), B.o.B and Hayley Williams (Airplanes), Lady Gaga and Beyonce (Telephone), Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars (Billionaire), Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg (California Gurls), Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull (I Like It), Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow (Shame), almost everyone and Nicki Minaj…
• British girl bands Mini Viva and Girls Can’t Catch disbanded before anyone could even notice their existence.
• Michael Jackson’s first posthumous album led to questions regarding its authenticity.
• And artists including Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Cheryl Cole, Linkin Park, Rihanna, Kylie Minogue, Katy Perry, Cee Lo Green, Gorillaz, MGMT, Usher, Imelda May, James Blunt, Maroon 5, and Shakira, returned to the charts with new albums.

Pakistan

• Abbas Ali Khan: 2010 was a dead year for Pakistani music and industry. I don’t recall anything that caught my attention; the only thing relatively better was Coke Studio. In classical music, some great things happen; for example, the Tehzeeb Festival, which I attended and really enjoyed. As for me I only released a tribute track called Raat Yun Dil Mein Teri and got great response from people who understand that sort of music. 2010, for me, was a year for reinvention, and 2011 will be happening, InshAllah.
• Annie Khalid: I think the highlight of 2010 as far as Pakistani music is concerned was Coke Studio, because there was such amazing talent coming out; this year was one of my favourites out of all the seasons because it just keeps getting better and better, and the public were more tuned towards that than anything else. People’s albums were released this year but there wasn’t much done about it – there was lack of promotion and publicity, so that was kind of the downside of Pakistani music. The highlight of my career for 2010 was Be My Baby, the collaboration with Jules; Kya Yehi Piyar Hai album being released; and also all of the charity work I did with the Red Cross for flood relief. Although it is a shame that Fire Records didn’t do as much as they could have as far as promoting my album was concerned – so much could have been done especially considering the fact that I worked so hard on it and there were so many people involved in the production of this album – and they didn’t really do anything for it, to be very frank with you, and that’s something I can honestly openly say; it’s kind of upsetting. That said, Kya Yehi Piyar Hai itself as a single was number one on all of the music chart shows in Pakistan and so was Be My Baby, so I’m happy. 2011 is all about collaboration for me. I’m looking so forward to 2011 because I’m going to be releasing a lot of collaborations with some big international and Pakistani artists; I’ve always wanted to work with different people so finally I’m getting to do that. I’m definitely thinking of making some new videos for my album and then I’m going to start working on my third studio album, so I’m really excited.
• Goher Mumaz: Pakistani pop was overall down due to many reasons. There were no releases by mainstream artists. The one thing that took over 2010 was Jugni by Arif Lohar and Meesha and Mein Tenno Semjhanwan Ki by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan; these two amazing songs got the exact platform that they deserve. Our top-notch record labels failed to create an artist who could rule 2010. As for Jal, we just finished recording half of our new album and went on a 22-city concert tour of Pakistan, which went great. During that tour, I felt that the fans have been waiting for the new album because whenever we announced that we are coming up with the album, they went crazy! This means that our market has got potential, but probably some "big giants" are scared to take a few risks and release new albums. 2011 is going to be the biggest year for Jal once again, that I can assure you, InshAllah.
• Mustafa Zahid: The Pakistani music scene graph was still going down in 2010. There was very less Pakistani content on music channels, and nothing got noticed because of the political scenario, hence everyone ended up doing nothing. As for Roxen, we did a track with RDB for their album, Worldwide; it is one of my most superb compositions called Teardrop (Aansoo); we also did another song for them for a film which is under production and will be released in 2011. We have also worked on a couple of other productions in Bollywood films, which are tentatively lined up for a 2011 release, along with our second album Bhoola Samundar.

- By S.A

Us Magazine, The News - 31 December, 2010

Mis-hit by Mezrich

book review

Book: The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook: A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal

Genre: Non-Fiction, Business

Author: Ben Mezrich

Publisher: Doubleday

Excerpt: “One look at the kid, and it had been obvious to Eduardo that he didn’t know the first thing about the sort of social networking one had to master to get into a club like the Phoenix. But then, as now, Eduardo had been too busy chasing his dream to spend time thinking about the awkward kid in the corner. Certainly, he had no way of knowing, then or now, that the kid with the curly hair was one day going to take the entire concept of a social network and turn it on its head, that one day the kid with the curly hair struggling through that prepunch party was going to change Eduardo’s life more than any Final Club ever could.”

According to an often repeated maxim, “There are three sides to every story: yours, mine, and the truth.” However, with all the people involved in the tale of Facebook, the story of the world’s biggest social network has about a dozen different (and often contentious) sides. The Accidental Billionaires, the book that formed the basis of the critically lauded 2010 film The Social Network, chronicles the creation of Facebook in a Harvard dorm room by Mark Zuckerberg and his college friends Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes and the ups and downs following its success. It also includes Napster co-founder Sean Parker joining the company and the legal trouble faced by Facebook due to the assertion by three Harvard seniors — Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narendra — that Zuckerberg had stolen their idea and intentionally mislead them.

The book, as Ben Mezrich states in the Author’s Note, offers “a dramatic, narrative account based on dozens of interviews, hundreds of sources and thousands of pages of documents, including records from several court proceedings,” and it seems to rely heavily on Eduardo Saverin’s side of story. This is the book’s first problem; Mezrich failed to find access to the account and perspective of Mark Zuckerberg, who declined to speak to the author, and without any input from Facebook’s chief creator and the person most responsible for its inception, creation, and success, there just isn’t much to the story. A lot has already been written about Facebook in magazines and on websites and The Accidental Billionaires is not only brought down by its unobjective sources and hindsight bias but it also fails to provide a unique take on the subject and is lacking in terms of content that would offer any revelations.

The book’s second problem is its style. The author works with limited content that has been stretched and padded to a book-length narrative, producing an account focused on being more dramatic than informative. The literary licence and practice of sensationalising the entertaining elements of the story in effect take away from the credibility of the book and at times, the poor style and language choices even come off as rather crude. Also, the book has no way of offering any form of conclusion on an active subject, and much has been added to the Facebook annals since The Accidental Billionaires was first published last year.

In short, the story at the core of Facebook’s inception could have been, and indeed has been, told better in fewer pages and seems more suited for an article-length piece. Most of the facts are even nicely summarised in the Wikipedia entries about Facebook and key people involved in the company. Plus, if you’ve been keeping up with the contentious tales and legal drama that have plagued the website, then you already know most of what this book aims to reveal. If you know nothing about the social network, then The Accidental Billionaires is probably not the best source to shape your perceptions of the company and its creators, as it clearly isn’t the most clean and objective take on the story.

- Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune - 12 December, 2010

Nowhere to go

movie review

Movie: Frozen
Director & Writer: Adam Green
Rating: 2/5

What would you do if you, along with two friends, got stranded on a ski lift at a resort, run by careless staff with improper safety measures? Keep in mind that the resort has closed for a week and there are no chances of rescue as no one knows where you are. And to top it all, you don’t have a cell phone or any other communication device either!

As you might have guessed, the unfortunate subjects of Frozen - Dan (Kevin Zegers), his girlfriend Parker (Emma Bell) and best friend Lynch (Shawn Ashmore) - are stuck on a ski lift and have nowhere to go. At one point, the movie starts to feel like watching people sitting and arguing and whining and bickering while slowly getting frostbite, while you wait for something to happen.

When something does happen, it’s not a thrilling horror fest but more of a nitpicker’s dream come true. While the initial series of unfortunate events and misunderstandings could’ve been written off under the “it’s just a movie” rationale, the trio’s actions and reactions to their predicament quickly lead to disbelief territory. However, despite all its flaws, the film still has the whole “what would you do if” aspect to it. If you possess an awesome suspension of disbelief skills and a lot of patience, you might enjoy some of the drama that ensues. On the whole, while the premise had potential, the writer could not come up with enough material to create a captivating full-length film and the execution exhausted that brief idea and left its potential unrealised. Oh and be warned, the film is rated R for some disturbing images and language and is not recommended to those who can’t stand gore.

- Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune - 28 November, 2010

Local developers take on antivirus market

technology

Two Pakistani IT students – Hafiz Usman and Syed Imran Ali – have developed the Instant Virus Killer (IVK), a program that has been touted as Pakistan’s first antivirus software.

The duo were motivated to create the software after their own computer fell prey to a virus. “We ended up installing the operating system several times in a single day in order to fix the problem,” explains Usman. “That was when we decided to develop our own antivirus. Initially, we didn’t plan to release it as a product; however, when our friends and family used and appreciated it, we were motivated to launch it professionally. Afterwards we worked on it more consciously, tested it, and got it registered with the Government of Pakistan Intellectual Property Organization. It took almost two years for completion.”

The developers claim IVK continuously protects the operating system and data from viruses, immediately detects USB viruses, can repair corrupt files and can recover a failed PC in 10 seconds, a feature that the duo consider unique and extremely important. It also protects against worms, trojans, and rootkits and offers dual virus protection.

In a market where free programs, like AVG, Avast, and MSE, are easily available, IVK’s PKR 5,000 price tag seems steep. “We are providing lifetime protection with an additional recovery feature with no annual renewal charges,” says Usman, defending the pricing. “Most free antiviruses do not provide all their features in free versions. Moreover, they have no recovery functions.”

At present, the program only works with Windows – versions for other operating systems are planned for the future – and from everything that its creators say about it, IVK seems promising. In the absence of a trial version, however, one has no way of evaluating the product and can therefore not assess its effectiveness. The developers say they are aware of this issue and have received numerous requests for a trial version which is under consideration.

- Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune - 21 November, 2010

Hot colours for cold weather

fashion

Each season, fashion addicts the world over are faced with the same dilemma — what to wear? Colours and fashion seem to change too quickly, making it hard to stay up-to-date. Thankfully we’ve trawled the fashion world to find out what the best-dressed Pakistani women will be wearing this season.

Black & Gold
One of the most stunning colours that are popular this coming season are black and gold. Metallic colours have been making an impression internationally and the local trends seem to be leaning towards a marriage of gold with black. This is a look that works especially well during the working week, where sombre suits can be brightened up with just a flash of gold. If yellow gold seems daunting, something a little more sophisticated, like old gold, almost a light bronze, with a hint of platinum, would be more suitable. Enhancing a black dress with a touch of gold accessories gives plenty of opportunities to create appealing outfits.

Navy blue
This blue isn’t what you wore to school. Instead, it’s a deep, elegant navy. It suggests seriousness and stability in the office but as evening wear, it makes you stand out, yet without being too obvious. For an up-to-date spin on navy, try teaming it with ice blue. This is a popular colour on the runway and looks beautiful with navy.

White
This is another stand-out colour. White is used so abundantly that it’s easy to take for granted. The trusty white shirt can team up with any suit and the same shirt can also work well with casual attire. It’s both reliable and trustworthy. White is more than just a business shirt. Think of an elegant white silk dress. It’s the epitome of purity and innocence.

Red
One might think it’s hard to carry off red but think again. There’s a shade of red for every complexion; it’s just a matter of finding that perfect tone. Runways have been vibrant with red, with designers revisiting this classic shade. A red blouse or scarf can brighten up an insipid outfit. For special occasions, a red dress can never go wrong. It highlights the whole “lady in red” factor and makes the person wearing it the centre of attention. This warm colour can overpower everybody. Wear a red dress and you’ll find yourself standing just that little bit taller and smiling a little bit more. After all, who doesn’t want to feel special?

Dull orange
Finally we have muted orange. In the west, they are all about camel this season. From camel coats to tan suits – it’s everywhere. But here in the east, we’re brightening things up just a little bit. After all, it’s cold and dark and there’s no reason why one should settle for drab colours. Dare to wear orange! It’s not an over the top shade. Think sunsets, not tomatoes. If you’re nervous about this colour, team it with black or navy blue. Blue and orange are opposites on the colour wheel and each brings out the best in the other shade. Kind of like that good friend of yours that really tells you how that dress looks on you and gives you the courage to apply for that job. Orange might sound scary, but this shade is actually easier to wear than, say, yellow. An orange ensemble can look amazingly elegant. It’s just a matter of finding that right shade and once you have it in your wardrobe, the cold wintery days won’t seem so freezing.

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to solve those colour dilemmas and know which shades you need to be looking for. Now just think of all the fun you’ll have buying the shoes and accessories to match!

- By Anny & Sam

The Express Tribune - 14 November, 2010

Pakistan's pop princess

interview

Whether you love it or loathe it, you will have to concede that Annie Khalid’s debut song Mahiya was hard to ignore. The tune not only launched her music career in Pakistan but also propelled the starlet to national fame.

The 23-year-old singer was born in Lahore and raised in Britain. “I’m from a family of four children. I have two brothers and a sister. My elder sis is married and lives in Karachi; my elder brother is also married and settled in Canada; and my little brother is in university. My mum is a housewife and dad a psychiatrist and forensic surgeon with Scotland Yard.” Regarding her education, she explains it is currently on hold. “I have not completed my degree in psychology but plan on going back to it some time in the future. As for now, I am concentrating on my music career.”

Annie was drawn towards showbusiness from a very young age. “When I was a child, I knew I loved the stage. I had figured out what I wanted to do but wasn’t sure whether it was going be in dancing, acting or music.” She recorded her first song in her late teens and had no idea how it was going to turn out. “I just did it because I’m an impulsive person and at that time that’s what I wanted to do. I thought to myself, leave the rest to God and see how it goes.”

Her first release, Mahiya, from her debut album Princess (2006), was a huge success in Pakistan and even introduced her to Bollywood. “I wasn’t expecting Mahiya to be as successful as it is today,” she says. “I am a very optimistic person. I was just happy and felt really lucky because I know how people struggle for years and are still unable to gain recognition. I did a song and it became an overnight success. I just count my blessings.”

Annie feels that she has enjoyed recording her second album, Kya Yehi Pyar Hai (2010), more than the first. “Recording my first album was a good experience, but I enjoyed the second one more because I was really involved in the album. I had full control of everything and the entire process was amazing. Writing the lyrics, getting the compositions, doing the music, making the videos — it’s all been so much fun.”

As for the criticism directed towards her, she takes it with a pinch of salt but she does appreciate constructive criticism. “If you want to be competent at what you do,” she reflects, “then you have to understand, listen, and learn from what your well-wishers, fans and critics say.”

She thinks “performing live is way more fun than recording in a studio” because it gives the singer a chance to interact with the audience, something that hasn’t been possible recently because of the situation in the country. “The current music industry situation is disheartening because we are unable to perform and do as many gigs and concerts as we used to a few years back, simply because of the political situation and safety issues. Obviously, if we have a large crowd at our shows, we have a higher risk. For that reason, people are not taking the risk, and rightly so. However, artists are suffering because they are not able to interact with fans directly. If we release a new song, we can’t really get direct feedback.”

In her spare time, Annie loves to read, spend time with her family, socialise with friends, sleep, eat and has a weakness for chocolate. If she was given the chance, she would like to play the role of Cinderella in a film because “it brings back memories of my childhood,” and collaborate with pop princess Britney Spears and record a cover version of As by George Michael and Mary J. Blige because she finds the lyrics of the song to be beautiful. Annie would have loved to meet Anne Frank because of “the struggle she went through, living in the secret annexe, so secluded and isolated from the world but still managing to enjoy every moment and loving every second of her life.” “I’ve been writing a diary since I was about eight years old,” the pop star reveals. “I write columns in my spare time but I don’t publish them. I write them for myself. Sometimes I share them with my fans, friends, and family; they love them and like the way I write. I think I have a really good flair for writing.”

Annie picks “being appointed as the Red Cross ambassador for the Pakistan flood relief” as her biggest accomplishment and says she feels “honoured to be part of such a noble organisation.” The singer has announced that she will be donating all the proceeds from her single Be My Baby (mixed by DJ Judge Jules) which recently launched her pop career in the UK, to flood victims in Pakistan.

As for her future, Annie wants to further excel in her music career at home and abroad. “I want to represent my country all over the world and make use of my fame in a positive way,” she says. Besides being a singer, Annie hopes she can start acting. “Somewhere down the line I do hope to get into acting because I really enjoy it and I’ve had my taste of what it’s like to act through my adverts, so hopefully one day.”

If...

If I could have a super power, I’d choose…
To fly. I have these dreams where I’m flying in the air, and I would just love to have that power and be able to slide and soar through the skies and the clouds.

If I could destroy the master copy of any song so that nobody could listen to it again, I would pick…
There isn’t really any song - not mine or anyone else’s - that I loathe with a passion. If a song’s not nice I just don’t listen to it. And I would never destroy the master copy of any song because the song that I dislike might be someone’s favourite or someone might really like it and enjoy listening to it.

If the chair I’m sitting on right now could talk, it would say…
“Damn girl, you’ve gained some weight on your bum/hips!” The other day I was looking through some pictures of a recent concert I did, and I thought wow, I have gained some weight on my bum and I wasn’t really happy about it. So if the chair could talk right now it would say, “lose some weight!”

If I had to pick another career, I’d choose to be…
A choreographer, because I enjoy dancing. I’ve been into dancing and have been taking dance classes for so long; I’d love to do it professionally.

If I could go back in time, I would…
Spend more time with my grandma, because I didn’t get to spend enough time with her. I was always travelling and she was such a lovely person; I just miss her.

- Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune - 7 November, 2010

The vivacious VJ - Natasha Saleem

interview

As the boom in the Pakistani pop music industry during the last decade led to the emergence of 24-hour music channels, Natasha Saleem became one of the most visible faces on music television. Her contagious cheerfulness and bubbly disposition has made the video jockey (VJ) a standout media figure, and her charismatic personality shines through in everything she does, be it hosting shows, interviewing celebrities or even acting.

The VJ-turned-actress has a BSc. in Economics and Management from the London School of Economics (external degree) and entered the media industry by chance. “My friend was going for a VJ audition at The Musik and I went along for moral support. While I was there, they asked me to try out and made me an offer then and there!” Natasha had previously gone to McGill University for her B.Com but had to return due to financial reasons. The job offer, therefore, seemed like a great opportunity. “I wanted to contribute towards my education and thought it would be a great way to save up. I never went back to McGill but I did fall in love with what I was doing and eight years later, here I am!”

Not only did being a VJ bring her success and recognition, but she says some of the most cherished moments in her life also came through this profession. “The industry was still in its infant phase; the concept of being a VJ was new – the excitement, the wonderment, it never grew old. I loved the fact that I could walk out on stage and have 8,000 people scream my name. It’s a totally different high. I have so many memorable moments,” she reminisces, “but there was a concert I was hosting in Lahore and the crowd was going crazy, including one guy hanging off the side of the building from above (to access the backstage area) who had his friend holding his feet screaming for me to sign his hand!”

The multi-talented star has tried her hand at modelling, hosting as an RJ and has now turned her attention towards acting. “Since I’ve recently started freelancing, I’ve had the opportunity to host for a bunch of channels, and while it is different from hosting as a VJ, it still comes to me naturally. Acting admittedly is new to me and poses a more exciting challenge.” It comes as no surprise that Natasha is motivated to broaden her horizons. “I was looking for something to challenge myself with and had just come back from doing a course in direction and filmmaking from the New York Film Academy when an opportunity to act in a great production came my way. I was surprised and excited at the prospect of this new challenge and thought it was time to venture into new arenas because as far as being a VJ was concerned, I’d done it all.”

“It has only been a few months since I’ve delved into the world of acting,” she says. “The work so far has involved Don’t Jealous —  a soap opera which is currently on air.” Her upcoming projects include soap opera Zip and a serial called Madhosh, both of which are expected to be aired soon. “The experience of working in all these projects has been great. The best part has been to act with some of the finest actors in the industry, like Amina Sheikh, Imran Abbas, Aisha Khan and Mohib Mirza to name a few, because there’s so much to learn from them.”

When asked what she enjoys the most about acting, Natasha replies, “Acting gives you the freedom to express the most intense emotions and the free pass to live life onscreen in a way that you normally wouldn’t.”  However, acting has drawbacks as well. For Natasha, the downside is “trying to get a regular routine in my everyday life, like going to the gym!”

Her hectic career gives her little free time. “I get to spend a lot less time at home or even with my friends but thankfully everyone knows my workaholic side well enough to understand.” She also tries her best to accommodate her hobbies. An avid reader, the VJ/actress has no qualms about describing herself as a bookworm. “I’m a big bookworm and I’ll even take my books on set with me. Travelling is another passion of mine. I love backpacking through countries, trying out new things, be it the local cuisine of any country or even scuba diving, which I recently ticked off my to-do list!” She also says that she is extremely close to her family.

“My brother is younger than me and is currently studying in Croatia and my mom is a famous tarot card reader along with being my best friend. My dad, a pilot by profession, lives in Turkey and I just got back from vacationing there!”

To do something well, she believes you must like what you do. “You need to be madly in love with what you’re doing. Any profession, be it banking, teaching, journalism or even running the country for that matter, needs you to constantly work at improving yourself. A career in the media is no different. This is not for an increase in pay or the boss’s approval but it’s purely to know you’ve done justice to your profession.”

Natasha lists “putting myself through college and knowing at the end of every day that I’ve given 100 per cent at work” as her biggest accomplishment so far. As for the future, she’s eager to go wherever life takes her. “Success is not a destination; it’s a journey. The plan is to make the most of that ride by staying hungry (striving for more) and staying foolish (never thinking I know it all)!”

If...

If I could be present at a historic event, it would be…
The period right after Independence. I think we’ve forgotten what the struggle was all about.

If I had to pick another career, I’d choose…
To be a vet.

If I had to banish one word from any language, it would be…
Prejudice.

If I could interview one person (out of anyone that ever lived), I’d love to interview…
Rumi, and maybe try to discover some of that beauty, love and madness he wrote about.

If I had to record the cover version of any song, I’d pick…
Rangoon Mein Khoya by Junoon, or Orange Sky by Alexi Murdoch. Of course this is assuming I could carry a note!

If I could change one thing about yourself, I’d change…
My selective memory.

If I could cancel a TV show, I’d choose…
So many! Haha!

I am looking forward to…
What the rest of my life has in store for me.

If I could make everyone read a book, it would be…
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom.

If I could change one thing about the world, I’d…
Get rid of sickness in the world. I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like to have kids with lung problems or heart defects. Realistically though, I’d want everyone to be more aware of people with special needs.

- Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune - 31 October, 2010