لڑکے

- لڑکے مختلف اقسام کے ہوتے ہیں :
- ٹیکنیکل لڑکے
- شریف لڑکے
- الیکٹرانک لڑکے
- بیٹری والے لڑکے
- ریموٹ کنٹرول لڑکے
- بم لڑکے
اور
- سی این جی لڑکے
آئیے باری باری ان تمام اقسام کا جائزہ لیتے ہیں !!!
ٹیکنیکل لڑکے:یہ وہ لڑکے ہیں جو ہر بات کا ٹیکنیکل حل تلاش کرتے ہیں،۔
میں نے ایک ٹیکنیکل لڑکے سے پو چھا کہ بال لمبے کرنے کا کیا طریقہ ہے؟
اطمنیان سے بولا ….. مٹی کے تیل سے اچھی طرح دھو کر ، آگ پر سکھائیں ….. !!!
ٹیکنیکل لڑکے معمولی چیزوں سے بھیانک بھیانک نتائج حاصل کرنا جانتے ہیں ۔
 میں نے اسی طرح کے ایک لڑکے سے پوچھا کہ جس لڑکی سے تم محبت کرتے ہو اگر وہ تمہیں نہ ملی تو تم کیا کرو گے؟
سگریٹ کاکش لیتے ہوئے بولا …. میں اس کے باپ کے تالو میں اینٹ دے ماروں گا۔
میں نے سہم کر پوچھا ….. اور لڑکی کےساتھ کیا سلوک کروگے؟
 خوفناک لہجےمیں بولا….. میں اسے اغواء کر لوں گا اور روزانہ صبح نہار منہ اوباما کی تصویر دکھایا کروں گا۔
میں اس کا یہ بھیانک منصوبہ سن کر دہل گیا اور کانوں کو ہاتھ لگا دیے۔
شریف لڑکے ان میں شرافت کوٹ کوٹ کر بلکہ مارمار کر بھری ہوتی ہے۔ عام بندہ اتنی سہیلیاں نہیں بناتا جتنی یہ بہنیں بنا جاتے ہیں۔
 میری کلاس میں بھی ایک ایسا لڑکا پڑھتا ہے جو بہنیں بنانے میں بڑا ماہر ہے ،کبھی کسی لڑکی کو(اس کے سامنے) نام لے کر نہیں بلاتا تھا بلکہ ہمیشہ بہن بہن کہتا رہتا ہے۔
پچھلے دنوں کالج کے ایونٹس کے بعد اس سے فرصت میں ملاقات ہوئی۔
میں نے پوچھا ….. ہاں بھئی ….. سناؤ ….. کیا کوئی بات بنی تیری بھی ؟؟؟
شرما کر بولا….. بس جی ….. ایک بہن سے بات چل رہی ہے !!
الیکٹرانک لڑکے یہ انتہائی قیمتی دھات کے بنے ہوتےہیں اور بڑے ذہین ہوتے ہیں ، سکول کالج میں بے شک منہ بھی نہ دھوکر جاتے ہوں لیکن یونیورسٹی میں آتے ہی روزانہ نہانا شروع کر دیتے ہیں۔ان کا کام لائبریری سے موٹی موٹی بور کتابیں ایشو کروانا اور ہر وقت کسی لڑکی سے نوٹس کا تبادلہ کرنا ہوتا ہے۔
یہ سارا سال بجلی کی طرح پیریڈ اٹینڈ کرتے ہیں۔
ہر لیکچر غور سے سنتے ہیں۔
. کبھی چھٹی نہیں کرتے۔
. پروفیسروں کی عزت کرتے ہیں۔
. دل لگا کر تعلیم حاصل کرتے ہیں۔
 یہ صرف لڑکیوں ہی کو نوٹس دیتے ہیں، کیونکہ ان کے خیال میں صرف لڑکیاں ہی تعلیم پر بہتر توجہ دیتی ہیں۔ یہ ہر وقت لڑکیوں کو باور کراتے رہتے ہیں کہ انہیں صرف اور صرف تعلیم پر توجہ دینی چاہیے ۔
 تاہم جب لڑکیاں تعلیم پر توجہ دے رہی ہوتی ہیں تو یہ لڑکیوں پر توجہ دے رہے ہوتے ہیں۔ یہ پڑھائی کے اتنے شوقین ہوتے ہیں کہ اگر ان سے کوئی لیکچر مس ہو جائے تو سارا دن’’ بونترے بونترے‘‘ پھرتے ہیں۔
 اپنی جان پر کھیل کر گیس پیپر حاصل کرتے ہیں اور پھر راتوں کو لڑکیوں کو فون کر کر کے انہیں گیس بتاتے ہیں۔
 یہ الیکٹرانک لڑکے کمرہ امتحان میں جانے سے پہلے یہ کہہ کر سب کی جان نکال دیتے ہیں کہ آج امتحان میں صرف وہی سوال آئیں گے جو انہوں نے تیار کیے ہوئے ہیں۔
جب رزلٹ آؤٹ ہوتا ہے تو ان الیکٹرانک لڑکوں کی محنت رنگ لاتی ہے۔
اور یہ ہائی تھرڈ ڈویژن میں کامیابی حاصل کرتے ہیں۔
بیٹری والے لڑکے ان کے ہاتھ میں جب تک کوئی بیٹری والی چیز نہ ہو ، ان سے کوئی کام نہیں ہوتا۔ یہ عموماٌ اپنے پاس موبائل فون ،ڈی ایس ایل آر، ٹیپ ریکارڈر ، کارڈ لیس فون ، ڈیجیٹل ڈائری یا کیمرہ رکھتے ہیں۔ ایسے لڑکے عموماٌ شادی بیاہوں پر دیکھنے کو ملتے ہیں۔ یہ جہاں بھی لڑکیاں دیکھتے ہیں ان کے قریب جا کر اپنا موبائل فون کان سے لگاتے ہیں اور بلند آواز سے لندن اور سوئٹزر لینڈ کی باتیں کرنے لگتے ہیں۔
تاہم تھوڑی دیر بعد جب بارات آتی ہے تو ڈائیاں لگا لگا کر پیسے لوٹنے لگ جاتے ہیں!!!
ریموٹ کنٹرول لڑکے
 ان کا کنٹرول عموماٌ لڑکیوں کے ہاتھ میں ہوتا ہے ، ان کی زیادہ تر اقسام شادی شدہ مردوں میں پائی جاتی ہے یا شادی کے قریب پہنچے ہوئے لڑکوں کی ۔ میڈیکل کالج میں بہرحال انہیں انکی شریک حیات (اور باقی سب کی شریک کلاس) ٹیسٹ سے پہلے پڑھانے اور پراکسی لگانے میں معاون ثابت ہوتی ہے۔ اس کے علاوہ ہر کلاس ایونٹ میں ایک دوسرے کے ساتھ لگ کر بیٹھ کر کچھ ثابت کرنے میں مصروف رہتے ہیں 
 میں نے ایک ریموٹ کنٹرول لڑکے سے پوچھا " سناؤ! شادی ہو گئی ہے یاابھی تک اپنے کپڑے خود دھوتے ہو؟"
ٹھنڈی سانس لے کر بولا ….. تمہاری دونوں باتوں کا جوب ہاں میں ہے۔
بم لڑکے یہ لڑکے جہاں کہیں بھی بیٹھے ہوں ایسا لگتا ہے جیسے ’’لڑ۔کے ‘‘بیٹھے ہیں۔ یہ ہر بات کا غصہ کر جاتے ہیں۔
 میں نے اسی طرح کے ایک بم لڑکے سے میں نے کہا بھائی آپ نے پتھولوجی کے ٹیسٹ میں نقل لگوا کر بہت مدد کی،مزہ آگیا۔میں آپ کی عظمت کو سلام کرتا ہوں۔
 اس نے چونک کر میری طرف دیکھا۔ پھر پاس پڑی ہوئی اینٹ اٹھائی اور غصے سے میری طرف چیختا ہوا بھاگا۔
میں نے بڑی مشکل سے ایک رکشے کے پیچھے چھپ کر جان بچائی۔
بعد میں پتا چلا کہ عظمت اس کی بہن کا نام تھا۔
 ’’بم لڑکے‘‘ لڑکیوں سے بہت الرجک ہوتے ہیں ، ان کا کہنا ہے کہ عورت فساد کی جڑ ہے ، یہ ہمیشہ عورت سے سو گز دور رہنا پسند کرتے ہیں ۔ یہ الگ بات ہے کلاس کے ہر جن و انس کے آباؤ اجداد سے لے کر وہ اپنے نواسوں کے نام کیا رکھنا چاہتے ہیں انہیں پروفائل سٹاکنگ کی بدولت معلوم ہوتے ہیں۔ اور اکثر کلاس کی لڑکی کو فیس بک پر اپروچ کر کے اظہار محبت کے بعد بلاک ہو چکے ہوتے ہیں۔
سی این جی لڑکے یہ بالکل میرے جیسے ہوتے ہیں۔ پڑھائی میں نکمے اور کاہلی میں بحرالکاہل۔ ان کے دماغ میں شرارتوں کی اتنی گیس اپھری ہوتی ہے کہ جس دن یہ کوئی شرارت نہ کریں گیس ٹربل کا شکار ہو جاتے ہیں۔
ان میں کوئی کوالٹی ہو نہ ہو ، یہ اپنے آپ کو "طرم خاں" ہی سمجھتے ہیں۔
لڑکوں پر اور بھی بہت کچھ لکھا جا سکتا ہے لیکن کیا فائدہ!!!
 اس سے بہتر ہے بندہ دوبارہ روٹی کھا لے

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MCAT; TO REPEAT OR NOT TO REPEAT? By Risham Kokab (Batch of 2021)

The 1^st merit list is out and most students already have a clear idea about whether they would make it to the medical college or not?

 The road to a good medical college in Pakistan is cluttered up with difficulties and hurdles, with the MCAT frequently being the most challenging of all.

 Unfortunately even after 3 whole months of hard work, anxiety and stress some students cannot reach their goal score

From social media to friendly gatherings the most frequently asked question these days is ‘should I repeat the MCAT or not?’

Before you make any decision, there are a few things not to be missed..

Ask yourself the following questions before deciding anything

1       What was your test day like? : just like a bad hair day there could be a bad brain day. For some the MCAT day would have been great while for others it would have been anything but nice and pleasant. You have to manage so much pressure, anxiety and fear that your mind can easily go out of function and an unfortunate panic attack can strike. But trust me that’s just fine because these attacks are actually quite common.

What you have to consider is: was it just the anxiety that did not let you perform properly? If the answer goes in the positive sense, you sure should go for a gap year and take MCAT again.

      

2      Did your score accurately reflect your ability? Out of the students who take MCAT each year, most are the bright students with a good reputation in their family and academic life. The failed MCAT exam is usually a big shock for them which results in a sense of desperation and distress. But ask yourself, Can a single exam nullify all the happy and successful moments you have had throughout the years in your academic and social life? The answer is definitely a big NO... There could be countless reasons behind your bad exam performance. If you had been performing decently in the practice tests but the MCAT day was a mess for you then your score doesn’t match your ability. Try to figure out why you could not give your best on the test day. Once you do this you are good to go for the exam once again.

3      Do you have a considerable score in Fsc? Fsc has a heavy percentage of 40 in the aggregate, therefore this is something important enough to be considered before taking any step. Now bitter the truth might be, but, you cannot really get into a good medical college without a reasonable Fsc score, if you wanna repeat MCAT its better to repeat some subjects u scored less in too. This would definitely increase your chances to get a seat.

4      Are you strong enough to stick with it?  Once you get the answer to the above to questions its time for the most important thing i.e. can you stay determined and motivated throughout the year? Gap year is the time that can make you stand or fall . You can use this time to make or break yourself. This time is not only crucial for your academic betterment but also for your mental stamina building. Taking a gap year is not as bad as most people think it is. It has its own benefits, some of them are as follows:

      Once you have decided, stick with your decision and don’t let anyone make you think otherwise

      Here are some important points to consider after making this critical decision;

Give yourself proper time to heal…. don’t go in a rush, don’t start studying the next day. Take a break to think. Console yourself. Take a few steps back to come back with double the energy. Go to your khala’s or phupho’s place or somewhere you like (if you have better choices :-P)

Cut off the haters… don’t pay attention to the taunts and other bad stuff people say…u will have to face the criticism, take it like a pro with sportsmanship. After all this is Pakistan and we should make ourselves comfortable with such desi problems :-P

Start studying when….you have coped up with the frustration of repeating, you have a good plan and you are calm and patient about the whole idea. If you find it too difficult to recover and return to normal life consider seeking help from an expert. Get yourself surrounded by positive people. Stay away from all kinds of negative energies. Try to build as much confidence as you can. Just like you need physical exercise to build nice big muscles, you need mental exercise to build mental stamina. This mental stamina would help you through the exam as you definitely have heard about the overrated line i.e. “it’s nothing but a game of nerves” ( trust me I used to hate this sentence as much as you do). And remember you are strong, you can get through the thing because time doesn’t stop bura waqt bhi guzar jata hai.

Don’t go too fast…start revising slowly when you have balanced your emotions but remember you don’t have to rush your preparation. It’s the quality not the quantity that matters here. You have a year this time....if you are like me and you find it too difficult to even look at the old MCAT books just don’t start studying. Instead do short listing.

Go for the preMCAT session…these early sessions are a blessing for repeaters… if you actually work hard you can revise your syllabus up to three times even before the fresh kids know what MCAT is… J

Stay motivated…. Don’t lose your motivation…. Keep the quotes u like in front of you 24.7. Occasionally talk to positive friends who fill you up with hope. Watch motivational lectures and videos on YouTube but don’t stop at any point during the time. Inhale confidence and exhale all the doubts you have.

Find an MCAT buddy

Find someone u can discuss your issues and problems regarding MCAT with. Share your feelings with each other and help each other. Discuss anything that is difficult (it makes things ten times easier). Remember you don’t have to miss anything this time. Get help from your buddies and try to help them too.

Keep a plan B … one of most common reasons of anxiousness during MCAT is that you don’t have another option in your mind, which ultimately leads to the fear of ending up doing nothing and wasting another year. Its better to have a plan B than to be paranoid all of the time. Having a plan B would also let you focus in a better way as your brain would be free of the negative thoughts about the consequences.

Balance yourself emotionally …never ever make yourself emotionally dependant on this small test. The more you would think about it, the more terrifying it would become for you. Have faith in fate and remember that sometimes you cannot get things no matter how much you try because they are just not meant for you. God might not have created you to be just a doctor with a basic job and a mediocre salary; maybe he made you to be the president of a country or a famous scientist or something even more awesome.

Keep praying… not only for yourself but for your friends too J

                            Have a happy MCAT..!

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بے کاد کے جوگ - امن کھنا'۲۰۱۹

مسکرایا  ہے،رلایاہے۔

اس دل نے ہم کو بہت ستایا ہے۔

تیری آنکھوں کو جب سے دیکھا ہے.

اس رات خود کو بہت جلایاہے.

چاند سے دوستی اچھی نہیں ہے. 

یاروں نے بہت سمجھایا ہے.

چاندنی شب تک کی مہمان ہے

اِس کے بعد سویرے نے بہت تڑپایا ہے۔

وہ تو سنگدل ہے ،ظالم ہے۔

پھر بھی اُس کی یاد کا دیپ جلایا ہے۔

تیری واپسی کی اُمید پہ در کھلا رکھا ہے۔

ورنہ سرد موسم تو کب کا لوٹ آیا ہے۔

کیا ہوا جو دل میں تیری جدائی رہتی ہے۔

اِن آنکھوں میں تو تیرا ہی اِنتظار سمایا ہے۔

زمانے سے تیری بےوفائی کا قصہ سنا ہے۔

اِنھیں کون سمجھائےجذبوں کی فطرت میں بد گمانی نھیں ہے۔

وہ گَر نھیں آیا ،یہ اُس کی مرضی ہے۔

نبھاتے چلنا بھی تو رمزِمحبت ہے۔

تم سے کب کچھ چاہا ، تم سے کب اُمید ہے۔

یہ وفا میری ہے،یہ جوگ بھی میرا ہے۔

مت بولو بے وفا اُس کو ،وہ  بے درد نھیں ہے۔

امن!یہ میری محبت ہے،یہ اِنتظار بھی میرا ہے۔

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Social indoctrination! By Hira shaheen ( Class of 2017)

It's so depressing how  desi parents indoctrinate their children so subtly for the sake of society. They expect them to act in a certain way, choose a certain career, and live a life that conforms to social standards no matter how annoyingly illogical they are. This obsession begins the day child is born. This cousin, that cousin. This neighbour kid, that neighbour kid. Looks, attitude, studies, marriage, every minor detail is compared with other children without giving a single thought to individualism. Those parents who show strength enough to let their kids prioritise and choose things for themselves are questioned by random people in name of "concern". Like their concerns would turn the tables. So much for personal choices! Every girl of my age can relate one way or other, to what I'm gonna state here. We are forced to choose biology in matriculation. If you've a cousin, neighbour or a even distant figure you or your parents know by name only as your batchmate, you're even more screwed because you have to put a fight for grabbing more marks- even a 0.75 figure would suffice as far as you're winning. Just keep your name up in everything. Anyway, we are then pushed towards getting a doctorate degree and if you think it will stop there, you're mistaken. You need to choose gynaecology if you're a woman, like it's a religion you have to follow, otherwise you can just discard that degree. Thankyou very much. Yes I've actually heard my aunt (and she's a doctor's wife) saying "wo larki doctor hi kya jo gynaecologist na ho". I still can't get over this statement honestly. But wait, gynaecology isn't the final redemption. After six years of misery you're expected to forget about career and settle into an arrange marriage with a person you've no fringing idea about. No one thinks it's deviatory because how else things can happen? A love marriage? Tauba Tauba. That settled once, don't bother to explore choices for job, they are not chosen according to your likes or dislikes, they are to be determined according to child who will be coming in this world in next few years because a life yet to start is more important than the one that has already started. And not having a baby? Don't even think about it. It's an alien concept here. Why would anyone even think about not having a baby? What's more to life? Yes, you will be diagnosed as crazy and selfish couple (who will be breaking up soon) by same people who moan about lack of freedom due to babies. Even if this baby comes, there are always people around to advise you on acting in a certain way. If you don't, you're not practical enough to understand a new life and your paternal instincts are dim which will only groom with descend of more babies whom you can mould in your own way. 

Honestly, what's with all this indoctronation? Does our society think we produce sheeps instead of humans? This is the only point where our nation takes evolution seriously: that only difference  between us and chimpenzes is that we have a thumb to hold things hence, we can be treated like pets. Seriously, people need to stop poking their noses in other's business and work for their own miserable lives. That would help both parties. And children should be treated like individuals not robots that can be tuned in a certain way. I agree parents live their lives for their kids. They sacrifice more than one can imagine. They can die for their children's comfort and apparently they do all this for their benefit but in this process a child might get damaged. His fragile personality might get inflicted and his inner self might die a slow death. So, this obsession needs to stop right here because it's maddening. Don't let society dictate your children to put puzzles according to its perceptions.  Let them live a little on their own and they can still make you proud parents!

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Welcome to MBBS - Hassan Nawaz (Batch of '17)

“Wherever you go, no matter the weather, always bring your own sunshine.”

First of all, heartiest congratulations to all those who got through the hectic and unpredictable phase and made it to a medical college.
The realization that….You know you have accomplished your goal…You know you’re going to be on the road to your professional career…The career you dreamt and burnt the midnight oil for…You are eager to step into this life…But you don’t want these days to ever end…You like how it feels..

Say Alhumdolillah for all that Allah has granted you. Believe in the fact that Allah got you this far, and HE will take you through in the future. The initial weeks will, no doubt, be tough. And often you will find questioning your ability and worth for medical studies.

Remember, there are 2 sorts of students.
Those who learn to adjust themselves, and those who repeat “kithay phas gaey yar”. Latter ones spend their 5 years complaining. They just try to be above the passing line. These students never excel. On the other hand, once you start to manage time, you enjoy your MBBS by true means.

Believe me when I say, these 5 years are not just about studying. It’s a roller coaster of a lifetime. SIMS as well as most medical colleges have various societies and functions to keep students indulged and to blow off the steam. These include Quran and Naat, Literary, Dramatics, Quiz, Arts and Music, Sports. I advise you to join atleast one of these societies; the one you think will suit you. But don’t overburden yourself by taking “panga” in each and every society.

Coming towards the most important issue of the firstulas, RAGGING. I myself am not a fan of the vulgar fooling but its not always the case. Mostly the seniors are just trying to get to know you. Giving you a chance to interact and letting you know that they are available for any help you guys need. And believe me, such helpful seniors are a blessing. Medical studies are a lot different from FSc cramming. There is no fixed text book and you need all the help you can get from the past experiences of your seniors. The way to get through the first few months is most importantly NOT to act like an egoistic jerk. Be respectful towards your seniors the way you want your juniors to be respectful to you. If you don’t want to perform any task given to you during fooling, just tell them. Don’t be disrespectful. It wont help. Eventually you’ll start to enjoy the fooling ;)

Coming towards the BOOKS.

Essential Books 

• Gross Anatomy>

KLM Gross, for concept making and the clinicals
B.D Churasia, Must for bones, Given point-wise. So helpful for remembering and attempting questions in exam.

Netter Atlas, For Sketch Copy Drawings as well as OSPE.

• .General Anatomy>

1^st chap of KLM
General Anatomy by GA, Main book used by most students. I found it insufficient.

Tassaduq Hussain, A bit difficult as compared to GA by GA but I would recommend it for proper understanding of General Anatomy.

• .Embryology>

KLM Embryo, Main book for 1^st year embryology.

Langman Embryology, Important for OSPE pictures. Few particular topics in first year. Main book for Systemic Embryology.

• .Histology>

 Laiq Hussain, Main book

 Firdous, Review Book

• .Physiology>

Guyton, Main Textbook (Try to buy Guyton in 2 volume edition)

 Firdous, Essential REVIEW book. ( Don’t use it as main book for physio. You need to study Guyton for concepts)

• .Biochem>  

Mushtaq Ahmed, Main Book for 1^st year

Lippincott, Contains some topics of 1^st year. Main book for 2^nd year.

These are the essential books that you need to buy. Most questions from tests in SIMS are covered by these books.

Other books that you can use in library are following. You can check them out in the library and buy them if they suit you.

Gross Anatomy>
Cunningham’s Dissectors, Completely useless books. Sadly the teachers make it necessary for entering the dissection hall L
Snells, Which I found unable to cover the course.

McMinns Atlas, A good atlas with actual pictures of dissected human body. Really helpful in OSPE. You can use it in library or buy it if you want.

Histology>
De fiores Atlas, A good atlas for histological pictures.

Jinquera and Weather’s Histology, Books with “extra information”. Only recommended for those looking for distinction.

Physiology>

Ganong’s, Recommended just for theeta’s.

Jaypee, Easy Book.

Biochemistry>

Harper’s, Our HOD’s favourite book :p Difficult one. Recommended just for theeta’s. Needed for some topics which can be photocopied.

Sattyanarayn

Hashmi

Oh, and remember to bring the snuff box, You wont be allowed to enter without it. ;)

For any other help or questions, we , your seniors are always available J I wish you Goodluck for your future. And yeah, time here passes like the wind. Before you know it you’ll be fooling and guiding your juniors.

How did it get so late so soon?
It's night before it's afternoon.
December is here before it's June.
My goodness how the time has flew.

P.S This article is based on my experience in SIMS. Suggestions may vary from student to student and college to college.

My credentials,
Hassan Nawaz Yaqoob

Batch of 2017
1^st Year marks: 460 

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SIMS and Me (Episode Two) - Abdul Majeed (Batch of '11)

u've read the "medical" side of things from my side, now is the time to introduce u to the literary part. an excerpt from the "literary memoir" " My first “original” piece(the one I wrote all by myself) was published in the college magazine when I was in 9th grade. It was a piece of Satire in Urdu. I have to admit that the idea wasn’t entirely mine and a similar article had been published by the magazine two years ago. What I did was to use the same technique but I expanded that idea and gave it my own words. I wasn’t too much enthralled by it until that Urdu Teacher(who was an acclaimed poet) saw me one day and encouraged me to write more satire because I definitely had the potential.In the Urdu essay that I wrote for my matriculation(10th grade) exam, I wrote more than twenty verses(The essay was on Iqbal, so it was not as difficult as it sounds). I went to another Cadet School the next year. Till that time, I had written dozens of ghazals and even was asked during the Entrance Interview to recite one of them. I tried to dabble in parodies of famous ghazals but failed miserably(I was hooted off stage at one of my rare recitals at a medical school for one such parodies years later). I assissted one of the Urdu teachers there with translating some of Iqbal’s lectures(He was doing M.Phil in Iqbaliaat). That teacher loved my poetry and encouraged me to start writing again. Another Urdu teacher at the institute was himself an established poet and I tried to get his help. Despite some of his effort, I was nowhere near understanding the syntax. He was kind enough to “straighten out” one of my ghazals, which was published in the college magazine. I also got an Urdu essay published which predicted a U.S defeat in Iraq based on history(it was 2003-04). By this time, I had hardly if ever written anything in English. I started reading english newspapers regularly when I arrived at the second cadet school. I also read a lot of books in English around that time. Among the notable ones, I remember reading Khrushev’s autobiography and a collection of essays written by the Pakistan Cricket Team touring West Indies in 1957-8. Based on the library register, I borrowed the most books in the two years that I was at that institute than anyone else. My next destination was a private medical school where I stayed for stayed for almost one month. In the very first week, I met a senior from my first boarding school and while talking to him mentioned that I wrote some poetry etc. I was surprised to find that he was the head of that institute’s literary society. He took me to a society meeting the next day and I recited one of my favorite ghazals there, which apparently was liked by the audience quite much as they decided to induct me in the editorial board there and then. I started work on a future magazine with the society. It was loads of fun and was a welcome respite from the exhausting study schedule. I left after a month but had enough admirers as I got a surprise farewell party when I left. I kept in touch with some of the members of that editorial board over the years. At the next medical school, where I spent my next five years, things were a bit different. Societies were not well organized and there was a preponderance of seniors running those societies, without regard for merit. Nevertheless, I submitted one of my poems for the magazine. It was published two years later, when the magazine itself was published. In the first year, I saw a notification by the University of Health Sciences that they were arranging an essay competition in which the top prizes were 25 thousand, 15 thousand and 10 thousand Rupees. That got my creative juices running and I wrote a first class essay on “Doctors of Tomorrow”. The essay was sent as the representative of our medical school but the competition was probably not held during the dates given in the notification. I never heard from the University or anyone else until someone on my facebook feed told me five years later that someone he knew had won a prize in that competition. I wrote some pieces of satire in the first three years, but not much else. I made it a habit to write at least about the first day of every new academic year. I started writing more regularly at the end of 4th year. At that time, I had planned to get at least one book(not literary) published in two years time. I had collected material for a guide-book for a medical subject. The plan never materialized. It was around that time that an incident changed my outlook on things. It was Salmaan Taseer’s assasination and the reaction to it. The year before that, I had attended a session at LUMS by Badar Khushnood on how young Pakistanis were earning money by blogging. I wrote some Urdu pieces following ST’s assasination, Raymond Davis Affair and OBL incident. They did not get many hits on my blog. I also wrote(but did not put on the blog) my travelogue of the Umrah pilgrimage that I undertook that year. By that time, I had started visiting a place in Lahore called Institute of Peace and Secular Studies(IPSS). I took up a course there on political economy and later attended a lecture series on Religious extremism in Pakistan. That course and the lectures changed my point of view about a lot of things. It was the foundation of my future pursuit of knowledge. In the “non-virtual” world, I was selected as the editor of our Med School’s Urdu Magazine. I had some issues with the person who was made the Editor-in-chief(I wrote a piece of satire about him as well, not for the college mag though) but took the job nonetheless. It was a thankless job, with no particular benefit apart from my own intellectual satisfaction. I tried to publish only those pieces that felt like written by the students themselves(I did my best) and with emphasis on pure Urdu Language(One of the pieces I received was titled “My Favorite Class” written in Urdu Font). For the poetry portion, we consulted one of our faculty members who was a poet himself. He rejected most of the poetry submissions by students and after a lot of give and take, we succeeded in keeping a few student-written poems. In the end, we had to publish poems from famous poets(who had no relation whatsoever to our med school) in the poetry section apart from some of students’ work. Compiling the articles and poems was just one of the steps in getting a magazine published. I had to compose whole sections of the magazine using Inpage myself at times, and after nudging the Chief Editor for months, the magazine was published finally, in a years time. "

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Spring And Simsonians! - Adnan Saleem (Batch '17)

It was a fine day when I sleepily entered the college gate, thinking about same bizarre routine, and cursing the time I decided to choose medical profession, when something colorful caught my sight. It took me a few seconds to open

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Perks Of Being A Med Student - Amna Kamran (Batch Of '18)

Wow, ‘med student’- has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? And that, everyone, is the first and most major perk of being a medical student. That specific sense of glamour you carry just by waltzing into a restaurant with either your  lab coat or SIMS hoodie on.  And if your mom’s there she’ll definitely be introducing you to all her friends as her beloved doctor bacha/bachi.  That is what we’re all primarily here for, right? To provide our parents with that sense of pride and accomplishment :’)

So why do our parents and relatives celebrate when somebody’s on their way to becoming a doctor? Because of the money? The fact that we’re in such a noble profession? Yes and yes. But, I think, the cherry on top is the fact that WE MADE IT.

Medicine is the hardest profession you can get into. There’s O levels/Metric , then A levels/ FSC; and then directly after that we’re hurled into the abysmal MCAT mess. It’s really not that easy having that much stamina and working that hard consistently. *shudders at the bad memories*

And that’s the other major perk of being a med student: the unhesitating assumption a third party has of all med students being smart. It doesn't matter if you think you’re stupid…all non-med bachaws are going to think you’re a genius despite your insecurity :D (shhh let’s not tell them the truth)

That’s the beauty of it all. The confidence and self-assurance you obtain just by knowing that you're on your way to adding the ‘Dr’ label riggghhhhttt before your previously ordinary name :’)

The admiration people look at us with isn’t uncalled for, of course. This is where the comparison with LUMS comes in (don’t worry we’ll win this one;)). In med school our tears are brought about by the endless hours of studies and dealing with difficult patients. On the other hand, LUMS/Business Students are brought to their knees by mere ‘assignments’. They feel cool when they type out a five-page essay…we, on the other hand, feel cool when we dissect a cadaver and pinpoint its nerves and muscles. Our life sounds more meaningful doesn’t it? See, told you we would win in this comparison!

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Happy New Year Pakistan! - Hira Shaheen (Batch of '17)

New year has started with sparkling colors and magnificent display of fireworks, all around the globe. Although technically it is just a change of date, the immense association of this change with hope can't be ignored. New beginning is always a hope. A hope that things will change. A hope that coming days will be better. And a hope that darkness we see around us will fade. Talking about past year, our country faced a change of governance. New government took charge and oath to take Pakistan to the path of prosperity. Personally, I have not seen any noticeable positive change until now and all it seems is old business with new faces. Division of power among some particular people, corruption, low literacy rate, shortage of all basic resources including electricity, gas, and fuel continues. Prices are sky rocketing and problems of common man are becoming worst with every passing day. In this scenario, being hopeful is a great deal and I salute the Pakistani nation for their display of strength. Our new year started with yet another ban imposed by PTA (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority) on a famous website dailymotion.com which had worked effectively as an alternative after blockage of YouTube in Pakistan. To be honest, I could never understand logic behind such acts by PTA but may be my mind is too mundane to grasp those intricate reasons. Taking in account the dark times our country has faced due to our lack of responsibility and administrative capabilities, in past years, I think banning sources of communication to outside world is least thing our concerned departments should be doing. Educating and feeding people is more important right now and tolerance is what we need most in these circumstances. Considering all this, I strongly wish this new year would be change of our thoughts along with the change of a calendars because only that is how we can redefine our priorities and start focusing on things that could lead to prosperity of our nation.

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Always Dream Big - Somia Asghar (Batch of '17)

The world is progressing day by day. Everyone considers himself very modern. Enlighten moderation is thought to be guarantee of smooth life. But in this modest and scientific world there is something worth noting, its stereotyping against the special people. Everyone in this world is created by Allah Almighty. All the people are same and equal having same internal structure, minds, hearts, internal feelings, each and everything is same. But why some of us are stereotyped? Why people with physical disabilities are looked down upon? Why people have pity for them? I have never gotten the answer to these questions. In my opinion there is a very special blessing of Almighty on such persons. I used to think that Allah has created everyone perfectly same, only very few are special and different. According to me,being specified by Allah is a great thing just think about it! But people! sigh!! what to do with their talks and comments? On every street, restaurant even at each public place they are present with their wide opened mouths. who can stop them? No one! I feel so pity for such people who use to do commenting and feel pity for special people. Excuse me people! Special ones are not something to be pity upon. You can’t even imagine what blessing of Allah has on them that enables them to do every thing, but Only if they want, if they will and if they ignore out-spoken people. They can do what ever they want. Trust me! Everything they do is to overcome their fears,and create self confidence, that’s it! Allah has blessed me with beautiful hands alhamdulilah. They are my sweety sweety cutie pie.They are a gift for me,a very special gift from the Creator.They differentiate me from others and are a cause of my worth-mentioning future. I am becoming a doctor. Its not because of my efforts but a miracle and blessing indeed. I was a very good student and secured good marks in metric but during my fsc unfortunately I became ill and could not study well. I had a dream to become a doctor, but result cleared all my misunderstandings. It was like impossible for me to even think of medicine. That was so depressing and made me decide not to even appear in entry test although all the fee depositing process etc was done. I was so consistent on my this wonderful decision but 15 days before entry test my family insisted me so I opened my books. Having feelings of not being well prepared and much more, at last the day came and test was done. Well the result was obvious….60% in entry test n total aggregate was 70%...how a person can think of medicine in the era of this high merit with such low grades…well I was not surprised at all because I had already prepared myself for this. During all this, my father had planned something for me. I was totally unaware from that, that was to use my specialty as a path to medical college…he made me aware and I was like what? No! no! no! I am not like that…my dream is okay but seats for disable candidates! no way…! Even though I could avail this but my internal somia was continuously pounding me that ‘’I AM NOT DISABLE AT ALL…’’ I was not different. I was like others, could do each an everything…all domestic chores, minute tasks, writing, singing, dancing etc etc and etc. well well well this thing made me to have a glance of my past and I was totally satisfied by my life. BUT! suddenly I began to realise why I faced this failure inspite of trying hard…why I was not able to even try? why I cant prepare for my entry test? why??? And yes I got the answer…answers of all the questions…. Allah had made me special for this day and the day had come…after thinking a lot I said yes papa i'm ready for it…i'm ready to avail my life…i'm ready to lead the world…i'm ready to realize my dreams YES! I AM READY TO BECOME A DOCTOR… Allah is the best planner for everything and low aim is a crime…if aims are high then GOD helps those who help themselves…alhamdulilah

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SIMS and Me (Episode One) - Abdul Majeed (Batch of '11)

“Is that a Yes or a No?”

It was some time between 3 and 4 pm, when I usually took a siesta after a busy day at college. That particular day, I was about to sleep when my phone buzzed. I tried to ignore the buzzing at first, thinking it was some forwarded message but the buzzing didn’t stop, indicating an incoming phone call. I checked the screen with hazy eyes (I was about to sleep, so I was not wearing my glasses). It was a call from home. I silently prayed: Let it not be some bad news; after all, it was not the usual time for my parents to call. I picked up the call with apprehension. After the usual niceties, my father asked me a simple question. If you get admission in SIMS, will you go there? It was not the best time for me to make a potentially life-changing decision but I just went with my instinct and said, Yes I will. That’s how my relationship with SIMS started. I had not made it to the list of selected candidates in the first merit list for Public Medical Colleges in Punjab. Tired of waiting and in anticipation for the worst possible outcome, my parents got me enrolled at Wah Medical College, a private medical college located in Wah Cantt. I reached there a few days after the session had begun but it was quite fascinating to be in a medical school after all. Wah Medical College may have been a private medical college but they had quite good academic standards and a good campus, things that even many public sector medical schools do not possess. I had gotten well with the folks in my class and the hostel. The place was very serene and beautiful, as well as being within 20 Km distance of my high school(Cadet College Hasan Abdal) so I didn’t feel a lot of change in the surroundings. I had experienced dissection, the first sub-stage, the first bio-chem test, the labs and camaraderie with seniors, i.e. the things that are quite fascinating/daunting for a freshman in medical school. I also had the good fortune of getting a role in the College magazine society where I spent a very good time with my seniors. In short, I was quite settled at Wah Medical College for almost one and a half month when I got this call from my father. I felt very uncomfortable leaving a place that I took a liking to, and going for an unknown destination. After some fare-well parties and well-wishes, I left WMC and came to Lahore on 15th of February, 2007. After a long journey, me and my mother reached the Birdwood Hostel at around 6 p.m. It was about to go dark and even in that semi-darkness I could see the shabbiness of the house that was supposed to be my hostel at SIMS. The warden escorted us to the room I was supposed to live in. Upon entering that room, the smell of worn-socks mixed with cigarette smell and the typical ‘bachelors’ hostel stink’ hit my brain. Another problem was that in a single room, I was supposed to be the fifth person thereby congesting the space. I felt sick in my stomach upon seeing that and secretly hoped that it was a hoax or something. Sadly, it was not. My first night in B-12 hostel, Birdwood road, consisted of a little bullying/sarcastic ragging by a 2nd year student,and a ragging session with my own class fellows acting as though they were seniors. It was not worse than my expectations and I was relieved after my classmates finished the ragging when I sang to them “Tumhain Dil Lagi bhool Jani pare gi” using my pillow as an imaginary-harmonium. The next day, more surprise/dismay was in store for me when I walked to the college building to attend the classes. At first, I couldn’t believe my eyes as my “new” college consisted of some really historic buildings that were shabbier than the hostel. After sitting through the lectures, I practically gave up. It felt like committing the biggest mistake of my life. I had left the comfy hostels and neat buildings of WMC to come to THIS.!!! I immediately called my father and asked him not to get my clearance from WMC as I wanted to go back from this mess. He was quite circumspect and told me that it was quite difficult, my mother though said that she would try to convince my father. This is precisely how my journey at SIMS started. Things have changed a lot since then. We got a brand new campus, the merit gets higher each year and at least some Rickshaw-wallahs now know about SIMS. I still retain memories from my time and this is just a first glimpse of how things used to be. Watch this space for more of the same.

(Abdul Majeed is a SIMS Alumnus, from the 2006-2011 Batch. He was editor of the Urdu Section of College Magazine and writes for The Friday Times and Dawn Urdu thes days).

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Paradigm Shift - Aleena Hussain (Batch of '15)

When I was in school the extracurriculars were pathetic. If you were from a regular school like me, not Aitchison or Convent, you' ll know. Extracurriculars were more like a break for teachers rather than any actual talent hunting. There was no drama or literary club. The debates came around once a year. For those of us who picked science in matric, sports was off the time table after eight class. Even library period was canceled. I remember asking my principal that why wouldn't the library issue me books ( I was in tenth grade) and her dismissive answer “ You don't have that kind of time” of course. That makes sense. If you are studying science what would you do in a library?

Anyway, I got over school. School is place wherel you are just taken as a kiddo. Even the competitions at inter-school level are a joke. But its alright because you are all “kids” literally.

Enter college into the scene.

My college was LCWU. The real deal. The big league. So I enter rubbing hands excited to explore the other side. Join all the clubs, explore, stumble upon heated discussions. Even try a hand at the netball team at

which I was good till eighth grade. Lo and behold! Fsc pre-med? No extracurriculars for you. That is if you are brave enough to look, the pressure on students in fsc is ridiculous. Every distant relative and adult you make eye contact with for more than 5 minutes will drop that speech on you. The speech. “Your whole future, your whole life, everything depends on these two years. Just focus on the studies. Keep your grade up. Put a pause on everything and once you get into university you can try anything. Get a sex change operation for all you want. Besides you are in college from 8 to 3 and then off to academy from 5 to 9. Rest of the time spent memorizing the tests or completing the practical notebooks, not to forget the agonizing drawings in biology which must have some grand purpose or meaning that I haven't figured out yet.
Anyway, the arts and drama club was there but in some secret tunnel in the arts department, that I never managed to reach. Sports? They were more open to us. At least we were informed of matches to fill in the seats in the audience. The library was fantastic. I went to get my card issued. The librarian : “Which year are you? Which course?” after hearing my reply. “Oh this section is for arts student. Even in the science section these books are for bsc students”
The only fond memories I have of college extracurriculars is the time I spent in college mosque reading my own literature books. Not of library, God forbid.
 University life. I have arrived, with a manic gleam in my eyes. Although the SIMS building (the old one in which we got admission) didn't promise me any heaven but still. University level. We are adults finally and here for the long haul. We wont be brushed off! In the whirlwind of Anatomy sub-stages I catch words about well established literature and drama clubs. Out of the blue one day a notice appears with the names of the representatives for respective clubs from first year. The “reps” had more literature and drama in them than B. D Charausia. But this isn't the punch line. Soon I got to the activity week or month. On sports day, some pamphlets were distributed. While looking over the pamphlets due to the lack of sport on the ground my eyes popped out. Literally. I had to put them back in. Here are some of the names from the list of the clubs mentioned on the pamphlet with the respective heads :
   1. astronomy club 2. rowing club 3. chess club 4. swimming club 5. badminton club

For those of you who didn't get the joke, all the above mentioned clubs do exist. In my mind and on paper. But thats it.
Back to the point ( trust me there is one) I had these ideas and notions about how things would be. When I thought of dramatics I didn't think a group that came alive for month in a year. My idea was a room for the society, first, most basically... passes to great dramas all year long, visits from acting coaches in NCA? When I thought of literary society the first thing in my mind was a library with literature books. Second, weekly or at least monthly meetings again in a “room”. Book readings, meetings based on literary eras, themed events. We do have a library now but the 100 or so literature books are again off limits and can only be issued by final year because they have the most free time on their hands. And also because when you are in final year you grow an extra set of hands for keeping library books with extra care.

As for sports... we don't have a ground let alone a gym for students to practice these games all year long. As a result you can imagine the quality of sports at the annual sports day or the turn up (not counting that coerced by administration) All of these societies, those that do exist, only become active once a year. The rest of the time is spent in hibernation. Even when they do become active, they just provide a platform( at least in dramatics) but there is no place where the students can hone their talents.. work on them, get that extra shine. Don't even get me started on how the selection of plays works in dramatics or how the reps are selected. But take my word, reasoning is not allowed.. everything is magically finalized by a force up there called “final year” or the professor who is the head of that particular society.
You must be thinking that how would I know how it works its just observation that I haven't really tried, haven't put myself out there. Photography is something I am good with and I had the good fortune to be a part of SIMS photography club which was called S.A.P.S but is now called “Zephyr”
Now this was my big chance to do all the things right. I was there my voice was there but did it make a difference? Nopes. Popularity is the currency in any conversation not reasoning or logic. Now I am gonna let you in on another big secret. In every one of these functional societies there will be a group of
people that are ubiquitous. Their names and faces will come up again and again. But you can't see them doing any of the work, they have the invisibility cloak. I call these kids the poster kids. Now before you start commiserating with me, these kids have a purpose too. They are the extroverts. For every society to kick-start these poster kids are the crowd pullers. You cant rely on talent alone since that was never part of the plan.

Why is a photography club named zephyr or college journal Esculapio (Greek word for : the doctor) is a mystery with a history. Maybe Pakistanis are direct descendents of the Greek and we have a history of learning Greek in school. Too brainy for me! The point is, that extracurriculars in university, in mine at the least are a sham. Should I settle for something rather then nothing? I dont know. For now i have another horizon : post graduation abroad will be the answer to my prayers. As for other prospective future people like me make them read the chapter in our english book “Why boys fail in college”
Whose fault is it? The students? No ways i am the student! I can't wrong. :) The administation? Not quite. Because if things were done in my ideal standardsI don't think, as medical students we would have the time or energy to commit to extracurriculars to that extent. To keep it running all year long you need workers. I guess the fault lies in the fact that we are too much compartmentalized. If SIMS was just the medical wing of a real university like Oxford or Harvard ( feel free to insert the name of some famous public university too) then the art wing would have the arts club running and the students studying drama would keep dramatics running. They would be able to offer the required time and commitment since their degrees would depend on it and the quality as a result would automatically improve. As for medical students like me itching to get a taste, it would be just a walk in though the door.

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