Eid - Celebrity Q&A

Q&A

The question: What is the most exciting/amusing/memorable thing you’ve ever done on Eid?

The answers:

Faiza Mujahid
Well, no specific memory as such. But when I was a kid I loved going to everyone for eidi and I had a little purse which was BRIGHT gold (it was so bright that it could actually make anyone blind!), but now all we get is “ab to tum log baray ho gaye ho”, so yeah, being old is no fun!

Rubina Ashraf
The most exciting part is that we travel to be with family, and we do this every Eid.

Naukhez Javed (Inteha)
Last year I spent my Eid with the flood victims in Mahmood Kot as the brand ambassador of the Foundation for Poor Souls where we distributed clothes and eidi amongst children. It was a very touching and emotional phase of my life and I consider it as the most memorable Eid to date.

Annie Khalid
I never do anything exciting on Eid. It’s just a good day with family and friends. I wear nice new clothes, and usually eat and socialise with family, and then spend the day sleeping.

Junaid Khan (Call)
I remember those early school days when we used to get eidi. I was so fond of action figures, so I used to buy WWE original action figures from eidi savings. I still have them all.
 

Adnan (Soch)
My most memorable Eid was eight years ago when my cousins and I got firecrackers (machis bomb) on Eid. I remember it was chaand raat and we were playing with them on our roof. All the guests and our parents were sleeping downstairs, and we dropped a cracker by mistake; everyone woke up with that tiny blast. It was so funny, but then we got scolded by our parents. Eid is always fun when your family is around.

- S.A.

Us Magazine, The News - 31st August, 2011

Kidnapped!

book review

Book: A Stolen Life: A Memoir
Author: Jaycee Dugard
Genre: Non-fiction, memoir
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (2011)
Excerpt: “When we are inside the strange house, he takes off the blanket and instructs me to sit on the wicker sofa. He is a very tall man. He has very light blue eyes and brown hair that is thinning on the top a bit. His nose is kind of long and his skin is a bronze color. It looks like he spent too much time in the sun. He does not look like a bad guy. He looks like a normal guy. Like any ordinary guy you would see in everyday life. But he is not! He couldn’t be … could he? He shows me a black thing with metal ends that look sharp. He calls it a “stun gun” and he says he will use it again if I try to get away. He turns it on and I hear the strange zapping sound I heard before when my body would not work. The sofa I’m sitting on has a lot of cat hair. I look up and I see a cat sitting on a washing machine. The cat looks like a Himalayan Persian tortoiseshell and there is another one that looks like a very fat, tabby torty. I ask if I can pet them. He says if they come to me, then I can. One comes over and I give it a pet. Its hair feels silky and real. I think this cat is the only thing that feels real right now; everything else feels like a nightmare but this is too real to be a dream. The man says to follow him.”

While on her way to school on the morning of June 10th 1991, 11-year-old Jaycee Dugard was abducted by Phillip Garrido and his wife Nancy Garrido. She would remain missing for the next 18 years – a time she would largely spend as a captive, while being physically and mentally abused by her kidnappers – and give birth to two children, before being discovered and rescued in 2009. Now a 31-year-old woman, Jaycee shares her story in A Stolen Life, a book that details the period she spent in captivity and how she is learning to rebuild her life following the traumatic events that stole her childhood.

The memoir sees the kidnap victim look back at everything that happened to her during the last two decades, starting from the day she was taken and winding up to her present-day life. Jaycee reveals the harrowing details of her life with Phillip Garrido and the abuse she was subjected to, presenting her thoughts, feelings, and confusion as she tries to survive the ordeal. She talks about living under daunting conditions in a concealed area in the backyard of the Garrido house, the births of her daughters, missing her family, the actions and behaviours of her kidnappers (including Nancy’s jealousy, and Phillip’s religious views and ideas), and helping them run a printing business; the book goes on to explain how she was discovered (after “two Berkeley cops saw something amiss” when Phillip took them all “to the parole office”), and reunited with her family, and culminates in her efforts to heal and move on. Also included are entries from her journal written between 1998 and 2007, as well as pages from Eclipse’s Journal, a diary she wrote about her cat Eclipse in 1993; being fond of animals, the writer mentions her pets in various parts of the book and discusses some of them in considerable detail.

The content of A Stolen Life, as you can imagine, is very difficult to read. All the horrific things that she endured at the hands of her deranged captor have been described in graphic detail, so the book is not for the faint of heart. It is a tale of hope and survival, but the details of all that was inflicted on her are explicit and disturbing, and hard to read. And while the author clearly isn’t a master of prose, this doesn’t take away from the interestingness of the book; the memoir gives the readers a chance to hear Jaycee’s actual voice, which is why the grammatical missteps seem almost inconsequential.

Overall, A Stolen Life offers a unique look at the nightmare that a kidnap victim had to endure, and the physical and psychological abuse she suffered, and how she is now working to “unravel the damage that was done to me and my family”. Her story is shocking and riveting, and it provides a voice not only to her but possibly many others like her.

- By Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune - 20th August, 2011

Independence Day - Celebrity Q&A

Q&A

The questions:

- What does independence mean to you?
- What do you think is the best way of celebrating Independence Day? And how do you plan to celebrate it?
- What is your favourite national/patriotic song?

The answers:

Sajid Ghafoor
- Independence: From an individual perspective, having the right to speak what I want to speak about, and do what I feel like doing and socialise with whomever I want to. Having said that, where there are rights there are duties too, so I know my limits are to speak but responsibly, act but in a fair manner and socialise but with the ones who won’t get me in trouble. So what I am saying is, everyone has the right to be independent and we should fight for it wherever these rights suffer, but still in a responsible manner, while being civil about it, as the rights we seek are based on the very same principles of responsibility.
- Independence Day: The best way is to go out on the streets, join in with other people, share smiles, raise flags and be happy. That’s the lighter side of it and we all watch it on our respective TV channels.  Though I am sure all those who created this country, if were present today, would not be happy at all. We got our independence in 1947 and at the expense of a lot of bloodshed on both sides. We should’ve learnt our major lesson right there. These days we are suffering politically, economically, and security-wise too. So where is that independence our forefathers fought for? Who is responsible for taking it all away from us? I think the Independence Day is a day to reflect upon how independent we actually are, and if not, what are the reasons and how can we move in the right direction without any major stops like we have been facing since 1947. Having said all this, long live Pakistan!
- Song: Dil Dil Pakistan by Vital Signs.

Junaid Khan
- Independence: Independence for me is freedom of speech and expression. I feel very proud of being a Pakistani as we are free to express our feelings, and as a musician I feel luckier as I can express my emotions through my voice and lyrics.
-  Independence Day: Ideally if you ask me, I would like to celebrate it by writing something for my country and sharing it with my fellow countrymen to show my love for the country.
- Song: My favourite would by Jazba-e-Junoon. I just love the expression and the feel the song has. It simply touches your soul.

Haroon Rashid
- Independence: It is a day of joy and celebration. A day when Pakistanis got the right to self determination. Muslims were no longer a minority.
- Independence Day: The best way to celebrate Independence Day is to wear the national dress, play patriotic songs loudly from your home stereo or car. Also it is a time to reflect on the state of the country and to see what each one of us as individuals can do.
- Song: Dil Se Main Ne Dekha Pakistan.

Xulfi
- Independence: Independence means that I safely and happily enjoy the freedom I have been given by the people who sacrificed their lives for giving us this chance of being free. It means to honour and understand the motive of the people because of which we actually call ourselves an independent, free nation.
- Independence Day: To reflect upon the immense struggle of the people who made independence possible, and try to comprehend the thought behind this struggle. And finally, trying to better my personality and become a stronger willed person by understanding this thought, this struggle and this motive.
-  Song: Kal Hamara Hai…because this is the spirit we need to build our today into the tomorrow we aim for.

Annie Khalid
- Independence: Independence and Independence Day is all about celebrating being Pakistani and it’s all the more fun when I’m abroad because when you see so many Pakistanis in a different country besides Pakistan uniting together, it’s just the best feeling in the world.
-  Independence Day: The best way to celebrate Independence Day is to completely cover yourself in green and white, and get together with friends, and go do something crazy. In England we used to paint our face and parade the streets dressed in our flag. So I think the best way is to flaunt Pakistan and flaunt your Pakistani-ness by going out.
- Song: I like Vital Sign’s Dil Dil Pakistan first and foremost. Then I like Junoon’s anthem; and recently it’s Call’s Hum Say Hai Yeh Zamana; that’s a really nice song too.

Atif Aslam
- Independence: Independence is a blessing and if you want to ask its real value, ask the people who are in war, who are in slavery, who do not have any right to follow their free will.
- Independence Day: The best way I believe is to live free and let others live freely. We should complete our tasks and duties rather than criticising others and limiting their freedom. I celebrate my independence the same way.
- Song: My favourite patriot songs are Hum Mustafavi Hain by Mehdi Zaheer, and Mera Paigham Pakistan by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sahib.

- S.A.

Us Magazine, The News - 12th August, 2011

Miles to Go

book review

Book: Miles to Go

Author: Miley Cyrus (with Hilary Liftin)
Genre: Autobiography

Celebrities find it imperative to tell the world all about their lives by penning a memoir (or by hiring a ghost writer to do it for them), sometimes because they really have an intriguing story to tell, but mostly because it translates into a big, fat paycheque. But when teenagers start publishing their autobiographies, it seems only logical to assign their motives to the latter; what profound life experiences could have befallen a 16 year old that would be interesting enough to warrant a 250 paged book? It was this curiosity that led me to Miles to Go, the autobiography of teen starlet Miley Cyrus, who gained global recognition after being cast in the lead role of the Disney sitcom Hannah Montana in 2006.

Published in 2009, the book sees the singer/actress tell the story of her journey to showbiz stardom, sharing memories and experiences about her life in Tennessee, her relationship with her family (including country singer dad Billy Ray Cyrus, mom Tish, and grandfather Ronald Ray Cyrus to whom the book is dedicated), being bullied in school, her feeling for ‘prince charming’ (who is widely, albeit unconfirmedly, believed to be Nick Jonas), auditioning for Hannah Montana, shooting the series, facing difficulties in getting along with a co-star, and celebrating her 16th birthday at Disneyland. Also, lists appear throughout the book that shed light on stuff like things that make her sad, people she can’t live without, places she wants to go, things she might be when she grows up, and stars she’d like to work with.

As a book, Miles to Go is a simple, adequately written work that is a fairly quick read. The content of the book not only present a look at the life of one of the most successful young stars of recent years, but also tries very hard to make the singer seem relatable to her fans, and draw lessons from each of her experience and stories, and if you are a tweenager who happens to be a Miley fan, then there are enough little bits of info in the book to make you positively giddy. If, however, you don’t fall in the book’s target demographic, then your opinion of it might differ greatly. To begin with, you probably won’t care that Miley likes oatmeal with ice cream or that she never wears blue and orange together, and then when she tries a little too hard to seem deep and insightful, you might find yourself being sceptical about what you read: is this really Miley’s voice? Or is this just what everyone wants her to say? Why does the person in the book contradict the girl portrayed in the media? Sure you get to know things about her by reading the book, but do you really get to know *her*?

So on the whole, your response to Miles to Go will depend largely on you, the reader. Miley fans will love it and cherish every little detail that the writer has to offer; her detractors will roll their eyes at the mere mention of its title and find its content cringe worthy; while neutral readers will probably take it for what it is: a guarded look into the life and rise to fame of a teenage star who is trying really, really hard to set forth a positive image, and who may appease diehard fans with this volume but probably should’ve waited a few more decades to write a book about her life so that the content could have been more substantial and its appeal a little wider.

- S.A.

Us Magazine, The News - 5th August, 2011

A man of many talents

book review

The incredible journey of a genius entertainer

Book: Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life
Author: Steve Martin
Genre: Autobiography
Publisher: Scribner (2007)
Excerpt: “I was seeking comic originality, and fame fell on me as a by-product. The course was more plodding than heroic: I did not strive valiantly against doubters but took incremental steps studded with a few intuitive leaps. I was not naturally talented - I didn’t sing, dance, or act - though working around that minor detail made me inventive. I was not self-destructive, though I almost destroyed myself. In the end, I turned away from stand-up with a tired swivel of my head and never looked back, until now. A few years ago, I began researching and recalling the details of this crucial part of my professional life - which inevitably touches upon my personal life - and was reminded why I did stand-up and why I walked away.”

He has starred in numerous hit movies, his comedy albums have sold millions of copies, his music releases have topped the US bluegrass charts, and his books have appeared on bestsellers lists. But before he was a successful film actor or novelist, Steve Martin initially earned his fame through stand-up comedy. Before becoming one of the biggest names in show business, he first performed in front of small crowds while building his repertoire. It is this aspect of his career that he encapsulates in Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life, an autobiography — or “biography,” as he puts it, “because I am writing about someone I used to know” - which mostly focuses on his development as a comic.

The book chronicles Martin’s life from his early upbringing to his efforts at becoming a comedian, and then his eventual decision to give up performing stand-up. The pages relay how the writer ‘started from zero’, and then went "from a magic act, from juggling in my backyard, from Disneyland, from the Bird Cage" to becoming "the biggest concert comedian in show business, ever". He talks about the people who inspired him, relationships that shaped him, and the mentors who influenced him. He even touches on topics like his awkward relationship with his parents, studying poetry and philosophy, suffering from anxiety attacks, and coming to terms with fame.

Not a sensationalised view of events but a reflective take on the circumstances that shaped his life and career, the book puts forth a focused and serious look at the formative years of the comedian’s life, delivering most of the content in a matter-of-fact tone. The writer comes off as smart and honest, although the book does not attempt to function as an elaborate tell-all. The content is mostly focused on Martin’s development as a comedian and all the tangents eventually tie down to his work. And while the book follows him on his road to success, it does not detail his film work and later projects, and is therefore likely to appeal more to those who are interested in stand-up comedy, and remember, appreciate, or want to discover more about that part of Martin’s career.

Overall, Born Standing Up offers a meditative summary of the writer’s early years - from selling guidebooks at Disneyland as a child to developing his own vaudeville act and eventually earning acclaim - and presents a unique perspective on the evolution of an immensely successful comedian.

- By Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune - 23rd July, 2011

Goings-On: Annie Khalid launches café in Lahore

goings-on

On the evening of 4th June 2011, singer Annie Khalid launched her café, AK Lounge, in Lahore, with various media personalities in attendance at the inauguration. The café is located in Gulberg, and the singer hopes to make the Lounge stand out amongst the other cafés in the area. Ink got a chance to talk to Annie about her new project; here’s what she had to say:

Ink: How did you decide that you wanted to open a café? How did the idea of a café first come up?

Annie Khalid: I knew there was an opportunity to get a hold of the place that is now the AK Lounge, and I discussed it with my parents. They were 100 percent supportive so I went ahead with it. It was a very impulsive decision, not premeditated at all.

Ink: Why did you choose to go with your initials (AK) as the name of the café? And why did you choose to call it a lounge?

Annie: AK is Annie Khalid, and I like the word lounge because it brings visuals of a relaxed, atmosphere, sofas and friends, laughter and fun.

Ink: Who designed the interior? And what did you have in mind while conceiving the interior and ambiance of the café?

Annie: Ali Zeeshan did the interior. I wanted him to do it from the first day, because I had seen his wall art in various places, and had fallen in love with them. We sat down and I explained what I wanted, and left the rest to him. The walls are now a masterpiece.

Ink: What varieties of food does the café serve? And what are its specialties?

Annie: We serve café food at its best, but also go into warm meals as well. The Kit Kat shakes are one of the most popular; also our stuffed steaks are a favourite at the lounge. My personal favourite is the Chicken Mexicana. But I also like the club sandwiches – yummy!

Ink: How did you put together the menu?

Annie: We sat down with the chefs and came up with the menu. It was carefully revised and a lot of the dishes were modified to taste better than ever before.

Ink: What do you think is the most distinctive feature of AK Lounge?

Annie: The wall art is definitely a sight to behold! Also the atmosphere is very welcoming; unlike most cafes these days it’s not at all dark. It’s open, pleasant, and inviting.

Ink: Is there any specific segment of customers you're trying to target?

Annie: No, my aim from the beginning is to have an audience of all ages, just like my music! Everyone is welcome!

Ink: What is the experience that you ideally want the customers to walk away with after they visit AK Lounge?

Annie: I want them to walk away with a pleasant feeling, relaxed and tummy full!

Ink: Do you plan to open other branches of the café in the near future?

Annie: Yes, inshallah, I want to branch out into Karachi and Islamabad. Also into the suburban areas too...all in good time.

Ink: Have you faced any problems with the project so far?

Annie: There were minor glitches, but I think no project of this sort comes without hassles and problems. All very small and by the grace of God I had my Dad there the whole way to sort everything out. I’m so thankful to him and the rest of the AK Lounge team for their hard work in putting the place together!

Ink: You were recently featured in Look Magazine UK. How does it feel to be the first South Asian to be featured in the magazine?

Annie: I feel humbled, and lucky. It’s not just Annie Khalid in this feature for Look, it’s Pakistan. And to know that I’ve represented myself and my country in this magazine makes me proud of myself and I hope my country is also proud of me.

Ink: What are your future plans?

Annie: To keep on working as hard as possible and to give my fans the best of Annie Khalid.

(The AK Lounge location: Shop # 4-5, First Floor, B/3, Opposite Xinhua Mall Gulberg 3, Lahore.)

- By Sameen Amer

Ink Magazine, Jul-Sep 2011

A grab-bag of witticisms

book review

A decent share of amusing lines

Book: This Is a Book
Author: Demetri Martin
Genre: Humour
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (2011)
Excerpt: "Who am I? That is a simple question, yet it is one without a simple answer. I am many things - and I am one thing. But I am not a thing that is just lying around somewhere, like a pen, or a toaster, or a housewife. That is for sure. I am much more than that. I am a living, breathing thing, a thing that can draw with a pen and toast with a toaster and chat with a housewife, who is sitting on a couch eating toast. And still, I am much more.
I am a man.
And I am a former baby and a future skeleton, and I am a distant future pile of dust. I am also a Gemini, who is on the cusp.
I am "brother" and I am "son" and I am "father" (but just according to one person, who does not have any proof but still won’t seem to let it go). Either way, I am moving very soon and not letting her know about it. I am asking you to keep that between us."

After serving as the 'Senior Youth Correspondent' on The Daily Show, Demetri Martin has gone on to star in his own Comedy Central series called Important Things With Demetri Martin, and appeared in various movies, including the lead role in the 2009 film Taking Woodstock. He has done stand-up, released comedy albums, and has now transformed his quirky style and wry humour into the shape of a book. Using the same comedic styling that he has employed in his performances, the comedian’s first book offers a variety of unrelated pieces that see the writer put an interesting spin on an assortment of ideas.

Titled This Is a Book, the tome serves as a grab-bag of one-liners, epigrams, drawings, charts and graphs, palindromes, and short humorous pieces. There is much on offer here on a variety of different topics. For instance, Ebenezer Scrooge gets a visit from the Ghost of Christmas Future Perfect in a deleted scene from 'A Christmas Carol' ("I am here, Ebenezer Scrooge, to show you what shall have happened to you on a Christmas that will have passed at some point in the future."); a person describes his many super powers in 'My Powers' ("I am immune to poison, unless I ingest it"), and "the guy who was raised by the guy who was raised by wolves" airs his frustrations in 'Dad' ("Dad hated fairy tales. If you even mentioned one to him, he’d launch into one of his long, self-righteous speeches about wolf stereotyping and the damage done to the wolf community by the "prey-biased fairy-tale media."").

The writer also presents some suggestions for updating old flags ("The Olympic Flag: A white flag that has the words "Nice try, Finland" printed across the middle of it."), offers some zingers ("Coffee Shop - Me: (paying at register, looking at jar that says "Tips" and then knocking it over) Yeah, I guess it does."), and shares some tongue-in-cheek statistics ("100% of the people who give 110% do not understand math.").

While some ideas work better than others, the book is generally amusing, making use of smart observations, taking an offbeat look at situations, and playing with linguistics. That said, Demetri’s humour isn’t for everyone; some find his routines amusing, while others simply don’t, so if you’ve seen his performances and find his style grating, then it is very unlikely that the book will generate a different result for you; if you feel like Demetri is funny but his humour should only be taken in small doses, then This Is a Book might still work for you, as each of the pieces in this book is generally short and therefore a quick read; and if you’re a fan, then chances are that you won’t be disappointed.

Overall This Is a Book is a whimsical collection of clever musings that take a dig at everything from a cappella groups to healthy lifestyles, and while on the whole it isn’t exactly an indispensable masterpiece, it is very readable, is especially suitable for sporadic reading, and is likely to please readers who enjoy creative humour.

- By Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune - 9th July, 2011