Dhaka Tribune
| Thursday, January 22, 2015 | Volume 2, Issue 37
Status of the week A weekly production of
DhakaTribune Editor Zafar Sobhan Magazine Editor Sabrina Fatma Ahmad Asst Magazine Editor Natasha Rahman TMAG Team Saudia Afrin Tahsin Momin Baizid Haque Joarder Rad Sharar Raisa Rahim Contributors Pragya Rahman Nasif Chowdhury Zubaida Rahman Kyoko Bhuiyan Lameya Alma Amin Graphics Mohammed Mahbub Alam Tahsin Momin
Meme of the week
Editor’s note
“It’s tough being a kid sometimes, there’s just so much to do and so little time. You constantly have to worry about whether or not you’re letting your parents down.”
Dear Readers, There are days when you feel like nothing is going your way, and there’s just too much pressure to fit in. Fret not, as on hot topic (pg6&7) we have for you a survey on topics that make one insecure. Read on to find out what causes these insecurities. On you write it (pg9) we have a soul stirring fiction that would make you pause and think for a bit. Move over to Teenarama (pg12) and try out our quiz and find out how confident you are. If there’s a writer, artist, doodler in you then please send in your work to tmag.dt@dhakatribune.com
Hashtag trendings Just got myself an iPhone 6 with 64 GB with my own money. So proud of myself, can't get over myself. #Lookatmeworld Literally urging the entire world to look at them through Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or other social media websites because they've done something worth praising or something that's worth looking at.
More inside Picks Of the week 2 Room of the week Kawshik Azad 3 Doodle of the week Ehsan Alam 10 Spotlight George Ezra 10 The goodsheet Creep-Radiohead Your world 5 Car TMAG’s top three JDM cars of all time 9 Non-fiction Happy New Year 9 Fiction Un-Expectations 9 Comic Strip Real Life 3 Event Tweets
6 Hot topic 12 Quiz How Confident are you? Fashion 4 Beauty check Chill yourself 4 Look of the week Kyoko Bhuiyan 4 Wardrobe Check Every inch of you is perfect
Have a superb weekend! Cheers
TMAG says 2 Funk up your room Alarm you once again 2 FYI You either have it or you don’t 10 Playlist Blue Days Playlist
From, The TMAG desk
Horoscopes 5 Your forecast
Colour Specialist Shekhar Mondal Advertising Zia Ur Rahman Production Masum Billah Circulation Masud Kabir Pavel
5 Car talk TMAG’s top 3 JDM cars of all time
Email: tmag.dt@dhakatribune.com Website: www.dhakatribune.com
8 Written in the Stars
Naima Alam
About the cover
Model Baizid Haque Joarder Photo Latif Hossain Design Alamgir Hossain
2 Room of the week
4 Look of the week
Kyoko Bhuiyan
Kawshik Azad
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Your Life
Your Room
DIY
Alarm you once again It is beyond anyone’s guess, when and how a burglar might sneak into your house without your commendation. TMAG brings to you the what-to-do list to avoid being robbed, but don’t share it with strangers, who might as well be a… windows might be a call for them. Remember that they may as well notice you and what’s inside your house through your balcony when you were magnetised to your PS4.
Point noted
Exercise caution by bolting the doors at night and keeping a ball point pen within reach.
You either have it or you don’t There are two kinds of people. One is the kind that walks the walk and draws everyone in. The other is the type that may look like a million bucks but makes an impression worth of peanuts. Let TMAG guide you on habits that a confident persona practises
A gadget savy
Don’t let the outsiders know about the security devices you have installed. Also, hide away the devices; these humans are really good at cracking down any software.
A detail-er
An insider
It’s almost impossible to track down how these geniuses’ brains work. However, a few techniques may help reduce the loss percentage. One good way is to simply monitor your maid/staff and make sure to never let them peak where your valuables are kept. Moreover, stay
alert at all times and keep an eye on the people working/cleaning your home even when you may know them for a while.
A pointer
Hanging or displaying expensive decorations in the front door or
They don’t leave the kid’s room either when stealing from you; they’ll even look inside the wardrobes for treasury. It is hence wise to deposit all your precious (money, jewellery etc.) in bank or in a locker. But, unless your locker is firmly latched to it’s place, there is no use as the burglar will take it out with him as a gift. Lastly, make sure you lock the main door and windows perfectly every time you leave the house. Saudia Afrin
TMAG’s Room of the week!
Looking fear in the eye
Yes, you’ve got to give fear a taste of its own medicine. If you are scared to ask a question to a classmate, do it anyway. What’s the worst that could happen? You may be brushed off with a cold stare, but at least now you know whom NOT to turn to for help. We all like winning don’t we? But if it were that easy climbing the Everest, would it really feel like an accomplishment at that point?
Be “nicer”
Let’s get this; losing your cool and shouting at the top of your lungs doesn’t make you look cooler. It’s very easy to find yourself in a rage fit, but if you are a confident diva/bloke, you’d think of Gandhi and calm yourself down. Yes, it is not an easy feat to be explaining the Pythagoras theory over and over again to a fool, but no amount of bantering will help him/her get the theory anyway. Be patient and work your way around alternatives. The plus side of keeping your head in place makes you think of more constructive ways of addressing a problem and also reassures whoever is around you, to rely on you.
Compliments never hurt
Kawshik Azad Area: Bashundhara R/A Name:
Tuned to perfection The best thing about this room is that everything is in its place, nice and organised. The musical instruments not only tell you about the person’s hobby but also give away a warm, jazzy spirit
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No one likes that one person who takes all the credit for every little detail; even the ones that he/she didn’t have any role to play in. Take the initiative to tell someone they look good, or their hair smells great. Don’t be afraid of being called a people pleaser. Say what you feel and mean what you say. If someone handled a sticky situation on their own, a pat on their back would only reinforce their good faith on you. And think of it this way, you will have a bank of people to rely on when you find yourself in a spot. Natasha Rahman
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Schoologistics
3
School Survival
Sayonara, school stress There is a wide range of reasons as to why students suffer from anxiety related to studies. TMAG shares some views on the matter at hand Ignorance At one point anxiety towards studies develop into fear. Now, in our part of the world, parents and teachers often choose to ignore learning disabilities such as ADHD and dyslexia. Also, children have a tendency to think that if they share their problems, they’ll be labeled as inferior beings or even be told off for not being good enough. Ultimately it all comes down to parenting. It is the job of the caregiver, the teacher and the parent to make him/her feel secure and confident. If you suspect that your grades are suffering because of a learning disability, please do not hesitate to seek help from a professional; this does not necessarily mean that you are incapable of becoming a world class scholar. Bullying Anxiety related to studies can also be caused due to being bullied at school. Bullying is very different for boys and girls. Boys’ bullying is very straightforward, whereas with girls it
is very subtle and hard to detect. So it is strongly advised that you maintain a friendly relationship with your folks and make sure you tell them about how your day was at school. If you are indeed being bullied, this could have a huge impact on your grades at school, in which case talk to the teachers and see what can be done about it. Independence From time to time, sit with your parents to do your homework. Independent studying will help expand your knowledge and make you more resourceful. And whenever you have a problem with anything please be sure to let your teachers know. Even when you need to talk to your principal regarding certain issues, book an appointment with them, form a study group and set up a meeting. Lastly, take a breather and learn to relax every now and then; give yourself some time. Pragya Rahman bigstock
TMAG’s easel
Ehsan Alam “Why so serious?”
If you are a classroom doodler, email your doodle to tmag.dt@dhakatribune.com and see it in our weekly!
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FASHION FACE-OFF Beauty Check
Look of the week
Chill yourself smile in pink The colour pink is thought to be a mild, casual wear, but it can be given a pop of gorgeousness with golden laces and sequins as shown in this week’s photo Model Kyoko Bhuiyan Photo Courtesy
Girls and boys, we all know that you like to look good almost as long as possible. However, you don’t really need to do much to look your best; just a few simple tricks and you’ll be good to go. Let TMAG tell you all about it Girls! Stop worrying about how you always have to leave the house with an “attractive face” on. Just calm down a bit when you start to feel like the stress of looking absolutely perfect is creeping in. All you have to do is put on a pair of jeans, a nice top or a kameez, cute shoes that all you girls know you own, a dab of lip-gloss and voila you’re done. If you’re having a bad hair day, all you have to do is think of a messy hairdo – put on a “just got
out of bed” look. So relax, sleep a bit more and you’ll look great! Boys! It seems like sometimes you guys take longer to get dressed than girls do. It’s important to look good but it’s also not that difficult. Shirts and jeans are always a winner, even t-shirts. Besides, what girl doesn’t like the cute messy boy-next-door look? You also don’t always have to shave because the hipster look is in and the Clint Eastwood kind of stubble is absolutely gorgeous! So let them grow for two days, and see if it suits you. Moreover, girls won’t mind you looking all business-casual without putting much effort into it. Kyoko Bhuiyan
Wardrobe Check
Every inch of you is perfect “Independence comes from you knowing who you are and you being happy with yourself” - Beyonce The human body is a gift of nature and everyone is different. The fact that you may not have the perfect body as someone you know doesn’t mean you should feel insecure and intimidated by the ordeal. You have to embrace it thinking there are different and better traits that you possess, which the other person doesn’t Teens often ponder about their clothing and end up finding the insecurities that reside within them. But there are so many things one can do to make an outfit flatter your body type. The key is to know your proportions, features, and troubled regions (which can easily be hidden!). Body types are outlined by how
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the curves connecting your waist and hips to your bust. The four most distinguished body types are:
Apple
About 14 percent of women is of this type with their bust being bigger than their hips which requires them to emphasise on their legs (elongate them), top portions, and less on your arms.
Banana
This type is usually straight and cylindrical, where the shoulder is in sync with your waistline and hip. About 46 percent of women possess this type and if you do too, try and focus on curves with tops that are
fitted or “pinched” in the mid-section. The bottom part, however, should not be “baggy” after its flourish on your waistline.
bigger hips and butts are something people want even though it means squatting for hours. After all, it’s all about the bass!
Pear
Hourglass
Like the fruit, 20 percent of women have this body type with hips being larger than their busts. Focus should be on the top half of your attire in order to make you look voluptuous. As for you having a bigger hip, there are ways to make that region look slimmer, however,
About eight percent of women have this body type; narrow waistline with equal measurements for bust and hip. There is nothing much you would want to do with such a type except, dress to flatter and not flatten. Baizid Haque Joarder
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Street Car Talk
TMAG’s top three JDM cars of all time What JDM issue would be complete without giving props to the cars that have given our and consequently, your eyes, eye candy for decades? Think of these cars as the few greatest ones ever made, and we just happened to be lucky enough to be there to see it all. From the humble Toyota Publica to the mighty GT-R, there are plenty of cars out there that are completely worthy to fill a top 100, but we had to limit this to the three cars that truly marked the beginning of something special
Often, it is regarded as one of the greatest driver’s cars of all time. The NSX was originally developed by the late Formula One driver Ayrton Senna. Although, Audi did manage to create a fuss by fooling the customers to believe that the R8 really was the first “everyday super car.” In reality, it wasn’t! More than two decades ago, Honda introduced the NSX, which stood for New Sportscar eXperimental. It’s the sexiest Honda of all time! The NSX is what every Honda fanatic should be drooling about in their dreams, every single night!
Aries (Mar 21-Apr 19)
It’ll be an ideal time for networking. It may not be a bad idea to let your creative energy flow. Taurus (Apr 20-May 20)
A few business opportunities are coming your way over the next few weeks; now is your time to prepare for them and be on top of things. Gemini (May 21-Jun 20)
If you’ve been a busy bee all throughout the holiday, now may be the perfect time for you to take some time off and go on a trip to the beach or the mountains. Cancer (Jun 21-Jul 22)
Toyota Supra Honda NSX
HOROSCOPE
This is the car that catapulted Toyota into super-stardom. We thought the Supra was insane for bearing the 2JZ, which in fact helped create a 50/50 power-toweight ratio, a law which is religiously followed by all sports car makers around the globe, today. Aesthetic-wise, it’s easy to see where many of today’s cars get their design influences from, like the wide-body styling, paint scheme and wheel selection.
You are a money magnet this week, who will be achieving a great deal of financial gain either for yourself. Leo (Jul 23-Aug 22)
Pairing up with mission oriented partners can and most certainly will breathe new life into your performance. Virgo (Aug 23- Sep 22)
Try something as relaxing as yoga, something fun like swimming or aerobics along with a healthy diet. Libra (Sep 23-Oct 22)
You are still in party mode and you’re attracting the people around you to join you in the fun. You’re busy this week being a social butterfly. Scorpio (Oct 23-Nov 21)
It is a lazy stay-at-home week for you. All you’ll want to do is sit in front of the TV, eat, read a book and relax.
Nissan Skyline
Nissan’s Skyline may be fugly to some, except, as an instrument of sheer speed, it’s a thing of beauty. Over the years it has evolved with the latest incarnation being the GT-R. It’s rather funny, that a car that began its life as a four dour saloon has evolved into a purpose built race machine. Other numerous enhancements over the years have made it faster and more polished, with 0-to-60 times falling below three seconds. What more do you want? This car is not called Godzilla for nothing. Tahsin Momin
Sagittarius (Nov 22-Dec 21)
You are the most popular person in the planet right now. Enjoy it while it lasts. Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 19)
You’ll be extremely productive this week and use your resources wisely. While you’re at it you’ll be making some progress in business. Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb 18)
You will be unstoppable this week and ready to explode with ideas to recreate imagination. Pisces (Feb 19-Mar 20)
Perhaps the person you put up on a pedestal is really not worth being there. Rethink before passing any judgment.
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Don’t let me get to me Changing hormones, expanding social circles, increasing pressure to perform at school... small wonder that the teen years can feel like a nightmare sometimes. This week, we shed light on some common teen anxieties Rad Sharar Bin Kamal, Saudia Afrin and Pragya Rahman
From the mouth of babes... TMAG conducted a survey of 50 teens of both sexes, from both English and Bangla medium schools to ask them what they get anxious about
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One of the best ways to understand a class lecture is to ask for clarification when you don’t understand something. 67% of our respondents do just that. The rest are worried about how they’ll look if they do.
Most teens love making new friends, and social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook and apps like Snapchat have made it easier than ever to do so. However, 10% of our respondents reported they’re shy when it comes to making a new friend, while 15% said they don’t like it at all.
55% feel anxious when their beliefs are challenged.
33% reported extreme discomfort at public scrutiny.
51% of our teens compare their looks with others. 49% are totally comfortable in their skin. Maybe our media isn’t as bad as it’s portrayed to be.
48% reported that anxiety over parental disapproval have an impact on their performance at school.
HOT TOPIC
7
Parent Quotes: “I
never forced my children to study; studying was something they did at school. When they came home, they played, or went to the park for a walk to get some fresh air. You can’t get good grades out of your children by forcing them or by pressurising them. After 8-9 hours of school who wants to study? You should come home, rest and then if you have some things to review you can do it on your own. I never had to tell my children, they did all of that on their own.” As far as maintaining a personal image is concerned, Mrs. Ahmed is convinced she’s ‘built her children from scratch’ and being punctual and following deadlines is a huge part of it. When asked about how she feels about her expectations of her children’s career choices, Mrs. Ahmed gently smiled and said:
“P
ressure from us always creates more tension and mental stress for the children. This is because they think they need to do well for us, and not for themselves. The higher the expectations, the more weak their own initiative will become, at least from my part. The way it was in our time is not the same with theirs. We have to give them their needs and freedom to adapt and be themselves in modern nature. I allow my daughter to choose her own wardrobe and attires, but I also let her know the limits if she crosses them. This form of learning makes a better impact than saying no. Hence, she’s having her way and secured about her choices being approved by her and by myself. When it comes to studies, she has
“I’ve never wanted them to choose a career they haven’t had an interest in. Whatever makes them happy makes me happy. It’s not about expectations, it’s about how much joy you reap from your work.” When asked about parenting skills, Mrs. Ahmed said: “You have to be a little strict from time to time, but you also have to allow your child to be friendly with you so that they can share certain things with you. Some children often hide the things that bother them. It is our duty as parents to find out what it is that’s troubling them. Their insecurities, weaknesses and their pain- a parent has to know all of it and the best way to get this information is by talking to your child in a friendly manner, as if you were talking to your friend.” Mrs. Shireen Ahmed, parent
become attracted to good grades once we pushed her from the beginning. It has become a need for her self-image now, and she strives for it while we support, not pressurise. Career wise, it’s all her own choice to pick what she’s good at and what she wants to be. Of course we will intervene in some aspects as we know better, we feel that she should get that choice on her own of what she will do for the rest of her life. But here, I must stress that guidance, patience and support is definitely a must. At times, it is amazing what they are thinking to be and have no clue what it might lead to!” Tahmina Khatun, parent
Oh..my...GAD Anxiety is a part of normal life. It’s considered preferable to have a minimum level of anxiety in human since it’s working as an extra driving force. But, by crossing the regular limit is becoming a problem. There are two main types of anxiety - State Anxiety, which can happen to anybody in response to a particular situation; and Trait Anxiety, which is when you’re anxious by nature. It’s when the latter reaches an unmanageable level that you know you have a real problem, a medical one. Generalized Anxiety Disorder, causes its victimes to feel a constant state of anxiety, and is marked by frequent panic attacks. Although a lot of it may be rooted in someone’s intrinsic personality, lifestyle and sleeping patterns also affect this disease. Teenagers are common victims because they are at a stage of life where they are discovering and driving through new and unknown situations with highly emotional attitude and less maturity.
How to treat GAD The foremost step is to dig up the problem and deal with it by the help of a third person through counselling who could be a doctor or any close person (preferably family). A prior counselling on some specific situation would reduce the level of anxiety. Relaxation Therapy, paired with some formal physical exercise therapy such as doing yoga, aerobics, swimming and working out at the gym helps to relax the muscles which ultimately releases anxiety and stress. If nothing works, the last call is taking medication under a certified doctor. Prof. Dr. Md. Waziul Alam Chowdhury Director and Professor of Psychiatry National Institute of Mental Health Sher-E-Bangla Nagar Dhaka
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Written in the stars
Be the Voice “Voiceless Bangladeshi” (VB), a social campaign on fragile spheres of Bangladesh, spread through a course named: Introduction to Public Relations (IPR). Saudia Afrin sheds some light on this fresh initiative with the help of the course instructor, Naima Alam
“
I think students do have the power to raise awareness and make a difference in society through this project. So, I would request you to keep your eyes on the walls of Dhaka city and our Facebook page to see what we do next
“
- Naima Alam
As part of the Curriculum Integration (CI) event of Fall 2014, along with 16 more courses, the student of the IPR, Media Studies and Journalism Department, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, has to plan awareness campaigns as per the integration core topic. Likewise, earlier this semester, the event had a specific topic called “The Bangladeshi Public Sphere, going, going, gone.” Naima Alam, a supporter of practice based teaching curriculum, divided 60 students into 10 groups. She said, “keeping the CI topic in mind, I wanted the students to design awareness
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campaigns for different social groups who don’t have a voice in the Bangladeshi Public Sphere. I wanted the students to speak on issues they were passionate about and wanted to bring to light. The first step was to choose the ‘Voiceless Bangladeshis’ (VB).” “The whole class packed with various topics. One of the student groups wanted to get toys for street children while another group decided to become the voice of the migrant students moving to Dhaka to study. These migrants go through a hard time finding accommodation since nobody wants to rent their houses to bachelors. There are more topics like ‘education for household help,’ ‘acceptance for gay and trans-gender community,’ ‘respect for rickshaw wallas’ and many more.” All the students shared their messages and images with the rest of the class to attain more fine tuned ideas from their peers. Naima added, “after this step, I sat with them and helped them finalise their images and ideas.” Later on, to raise further assistance for the selected VB, the students opened the Facebook community and “Voiceless Bangladeshi” was thus started. That’s not the end, along with that, students started raising their voices on their personal Facebook accounts with the hashtag #voicelessbangladeshi, produced wall-arts in strategic locations to bring their campaign messages to the audiences with help from Syed Salman, visual designer at Interspeed. While some students raised funds for their wall art by selling friendship bands, others got discounts or free paints from different stationery shops. Regardless of the prime drawback that comes from working with fresh student body every semester, the Voiceless Bangladeshi, a class project, has gone a long way. Naima concluded by saying, “The Fall ‘14 semester was only the beginning of this project. There have been plans to do much more with the Facebook community and the issues we brought forward last semester. I do have a few interesting activities along with the wall-arts planned for the Spring ‘15 semester but I believe in showing the change rather than talking about it. ” n
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YOU WRITE IT
fiction
Non-fiction
Happy New Year
Un-expectations The first time he touched me, I was sitting at a bar experimenting with whatever new alcoholic concoctions were available. He tapped me on the shoulder, because apparently when I walked in, he noticed that I had the “figure of a dancer.” He swirled my stool around and looked at me for a good five seconds. He said that my eyes had a mysterious twinkle to them; he wanted to figure me out The second time he touched me, our hands met across a tiny circular candlelit table in his backyard because that was our night under the stars. He said my words dripped with gold and my voice reminded him of the sound of raindrops hitting the ground; he loved the rain. The third time he touched me, he outlined my every curve and every arch. He traced a map with the freckles on my back and whispered, “this is my guide to happiness.” He left his mark whilst breathing my name into my mouth. His eyes were the kind you couldn’t help but fall in love with.
The city was dazzling with beautiful twinkling and colourful lights, as if all the stars of the galaxy had descended on earth to bless it with its heavenly visage. As I was walking along the streets of Bijoy Sarani, I observed a hidden haste among all the passersby. The cars dashed through the wide roads, hurrying to their destinations. I looked at my watch and thought, “yes, only a couple more minutes left.” While crossing the roads, my eyes caught sight of some street children who gathered around a bonfire. Most of them wore no warm clothes. They were all shivering in the chilly night yet there wasn’t any dearth of happiness on their faces. I don’t know what happened to me that night. I was dragged towards those children by gravity, and stood behind them. Some of them gave me blank looks, a few were puzzled, whereas the others looked disgusted. “What do you want?” asked one of
the big boys. “Well, I just wanted to know why all of you have gathered here,” I replied. “Why? Only you have the right to celebrate, don’t we deserve that too?” They said in a stern voice. “Of course you do! Do you mind if I join you people tonight?” I asked. “Really?” he asked sarcastically, “Don’t you think you should not join mere street boys?” they questioned. I went near them and sat on the cold, wet, green grass. I hugged a few of them and said, “Now I have become one of you, so let’s celebrate together!” There was a sound of a sudden explosion. We looked at the sky, the fireworks shimmered on the mystique black sky with innumerable golden sparks. The children laughed, jumped and clapped out of excitement. Their shining eyes and their innocent smiles made the first instance of my new year the most remarkable one. Ayesha Khan
The fourth time he touched me, he caught me by surprise and hugged me from behind. Spontaneity was always his forte so maybe I should’ve seen this coming; he pulled out a ring and said those magical words. Oh, how I wanted to say, “I do.” The last time he touched me, my body was painted black, blue and purple. My lips were raw and bleeding. My hands were trembling. He thought he’d beaten me. The last time he touched me, he was lying on the floor unconscious; and I almost said, “I do.” Zubaida Rahman
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10 tmag Goodsheet
Stereo
spotlight
Creep by Radiohead G When you were here before B Couldn’t look you in the eyes C You look like an angel Cm Your skin makes me cry
G You float like a feather B In a beautiful weather C I wish I was special Cm You’re so fucking special
Chorus G But I’m a creep B I’m a wierdo C What the hell am I doin’ here Cm I don’t belong here
TOP Blue Days
10 Playlist
The Voyager George Ezra; sounds old doesn’t he? He sounds like someone your dad would listen to. Contrary to this first impression, he is barely of drinking age
1 Dhushor Bhabna Nemesis 2 Paranoid Garbage 3 Ei Meghla dine ekla Studio58 4 Don’t let me get me Pink 5 Ambivalent song Shunno 6 Fear and loathing Marina and the Diamonds 7 Mon bhalo nei Fuad 8 Marilyn Monroe Nicki Minaj 9 Ekti Gopon Kotha Topu feat. Rafa 10 Mad World Tears for Fears
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We’re not here to talk about him, rather his debut album “Wanted On Voyage.” Inspired by his voyage around Europe, it is a rather interesting title that has no mention in any of the tracks. Life would be so much easier if you could just have pop-out music widgets so you could easily be able to agree or negate this review. It’s the 21st century for God’s sake, why haven’t these things been invented yet? Okay, now we’re straying from the topic a bit. A beautiful mixture of blues and folk, George Ezra makes an incredible first impression on the public with this album! In this day and age, there is no shortage of strummers who can bring the classics to life. However, there is definitely room for this talented young gentleman (don’t I sound so formal?) in the music industry. He serves us musical cocktails with a hint of surprise in every track or two. The introductory song, “Blame It On Me,” perfectly demonstrates George Ezra’s talent as a singer and songwriter
by surrounding crisp guitar refrain with light backing instruments that complement his powerful voice. With him dropping chart-topping singles here and there, it leaves you wondering, “what am I doing with my life? He’s only 21 and he’s freaking amazing!” Here’s a spoiler: George Ezra’s fluid vocals register up to an unexpected yet trembling falsetto in “Leaving It Up To You.” A major hit of the album, “Budapest,” received several certifications and is probably the reason why the album climbed its way to the top in UK and Scotland charts. Here’s where you really need that pop-out music widget! Other singles and hits such as “Cassy O,” “Did You Hear The Rain?” and “Listen To The Man” have gotten much recognition and equally positive critical reception from the public. Honestly, if you’re looking for something new interlaced with the voice of an
old soul, you’re definitely missing out on something great. Cheers to George Ezra, the young and brilliant (and not to mention handsome) maestro! Zubaida Rahman
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playroom
Game
Movie
Game of Thrones:
Iron and Ice
It’s a new year and we’re quickly approaching the only other segment of every Game of Thrones fan’s yearly character (ie not winter). What better way to kick off the year and quench our yearlong thirst for this elusive series than by having a game published For those of you in the loop, the
name of the publisher, Telltale Games, should tell you right off the bat that this is going to be a story driven game, where gameplay is hardly the main focus. You play as one of three characters from the house, Forrester, and must forge your own pathway through the story; with actions you take having long lasting
TV
Musical ride into the medieval times! This year just kicked off in style with ABC network’s newest musical-comedy miniseries. This fairytale, aired on January 4, is set in the medieval times. If anyone is up for some smooshy love story, then this might just be it. Galavant, the story of the knight-inshining-armor and the princess, is a musical comedy created and written by Dan Fogelman and composed by Alan Menkin and Glenn Slater. The earthly handsome Joshua Sasse stars as the title character. His looks and acting skills suit him as the dashing hero until he becomes vain in trying to rescue the beautiful damsel, Madalena, who has been kidnapped by King Richard. The eight-episode series airs two back-to-back thirty-minute episodes every Sunday, and tells a lighthearted story that cracks one up in the midst of all the music and certain swordfights. The acting is pretty decent with
Timothy Omundson as the despotic, insecure king, and Sasse as the rescuer. Even Karen David spices up the series with her luminous personality as Princess Isabella. The songs are fine too with clever words and tones, and are enjoyable but is not that heart touching or memorable. The series is worthy of watching, and is sure to be a ride that might give you a predictable ending and yet manage to be imaginative and energetic that would make one feel cheerful and also a bit silly! Lameya Alma Amin
consequences. Combat and action takes place through quick time events. The game is for seasoned fans of the series since it assumes you are already up to date at least with the current TV series, if not the books. The game establishes itself as a baseline for an upcoming six-chapter story, so do not expect all story arcs to come to their climax. However, as a starting point the game looks rather promising. The art style is very reminiscent of previous works by the studio, which may or may not be to your liking. Voices to known characters like, Tyrion and Cercei, are provided by the actors themselves, while the newer original characters have great performances of their own. The story has a lot of fights, twists and bloodshed in the typical GoT fashion, and even has a distinct GRR Martin style to it. If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, and have never experienced a story told by Telltale games before, this one deserves a look. Shah Naveed Choudhury
Who’s Next?
The Interview is an American movie based on the journey of two journalists who are in pursuit of assassinating North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, after booking an interview with him. James Franco and Seth Rogen play the lead roles, whereas Randell Park acts as the antagonist of the movie. If you have already spent time watching it, you are well acquainted with the story line. If not, then let’s leave it hidden! It must be mentioned that the movie encountered several challenges upon its release, thus hampering the movie’s commercial reach; this might make us a bit more curious about watching the movie. Beside the controversies that engrossed the movie’s success, the plot of the movie also appears to be less adhesive, thus offering limited entertainment to the viewers. Although the performances of the actors are praiseworthy, particularly of Randell Park. The movie’s screenplay presents typical laughs strengthened by the two jovial leads. The Interview approaches with a gust of comical vitality, yet it wanes too shortly, with some jokes falling spectacularly flat. After seeing The Interview, you would definitely be amazed at how a mild comic movie can act as sarcasm of the leading powers and how it is marked as a true, simple way of international awareness. Want to have some good exercises for your pumping machine? Watch The Interview. Though the story is ludicrous and poorly constructed, the humorous moments, cameos and debates make it worth a watch! Ayesha Khan
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12 tmag Take TMAG’s PERSONALITY QUIZ Now!
teenarama
How confident are you?
Here is a little test to see how you hold up when life gives you lemons
TMAG tells you to
Choose or Lose My girlfriend came over to my house because I wasn’t picking up my phone. She started crying, because I was in the toilet and I didn’t receive her calls. It’s just been two months that we started dating and I like all the attention but I don’t have any time to myself! What do I do?
Lose
Question 1 At a Halloween party, you will probably go as a: A. Sexy nurse/Hot cowboy B. Suited booted/Red-hot dress C. Sputnik (a potato) D. I don’t go to these things Question 2 A cute stranger walks up to you and says hi. Your reply would be: A. Hey! How are you? B. Hi back, with a smile C. Yes? D. Are you talking to ME?
She is going psycho on you and that never is good news. Let her go before you find her near your bed with a knife over your head.
I have a girlfriend and we’ve been dating for five months but she is very insecure about herself. She keeps thinking that she’s not good enough for me. I’ve told her that it’s not true. I really like her but I’m not sure if I can ever convince her that I like her the way she is. Should I keep trying?
Choose
Question 3 Your crush just broke up and is sitting alone after class. You would: A. Give her a rose with some superb pick up lines B. Give her ice cream and talk to her C. Creep around as you have no idea what to say D. She looks so pretty from the third floor
Almost every girl is a little bit insecure especially if she cares about you a lot. Be patient with her. Whenever she feels insecure, remind her that she’s an amazing person and that you guys are both lucky to have each other. Eventually, she’ll be okay and you guys will grow from this.
Question 4 Before an exam, you: A. Ask your friends how long they studied last night, and trump them B. Enter at the last minute, calm and cool C. Discuss possible questions and answers D. Freak out that you’ll fail, never get a job and be useless for life Question 5 After watching a movie, everyone liked it. You hated it. You would: A. Shout out it was the worst movie you saw in a while B. Say you only like “specific” movies. This wasn’t one of them C. Not say anything D. Agree with everybody, duh!
Mostly A’s #YOLOconfident The world is your oyster and you are determined to conquer it with your confidence, and it may be a bit too much at times. Your limits may be commonly forgotten and your confidence may become a doubleedged sword for you. Mostly B’s #iamsexyandiknowit confident Oh you’re confident, knowing that you’re good enough and your limits to an extent. You begin every task positively and spontaneously with confidence flowing through you.
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Mostly C’s #demandtrialbycombat confident You’re more like break-even confident; why make a fool out of yourself? Intelligence is your trait and your confidence is based on facts, not guts. Mostly D’s #illfailelementarymathconfident Well, confidence? Not so much. You love the safe side, and will avoid trouble at any cost.
I am 20, and in a pretty stable relationship with this girl for 2 years. Few of her guy friends have a crush on her. I’m okay with her being friends with them, but I don’t want her to hang with them alone. She’s loyal to me, but she’s not taking my concerns seriously. Should I hang on to her?
Choose
You need to trust her and let her hangout with them. As long as you guys have faith in each other, it shouldnt be an issue. Also, please let her be and stop being over possessive.
My boyfriend is really insecure about himself when we get intimate. It’s very silly because he’s absolutely great but because he feels insecure, the moment is always ruined. We’ve been dating for seven months and I’m getting a bit irritated by this, because telling him isn’t helping!
Choose
Everyone has problems, some of which take longer to get over than others. He is probably trying to work on it and having your support will make it easier for him. You two will be able to enjoy yourselves much more if you both have each other’s backs.
Got a sticky relationship ish? Let us help you make up your mind. Email your story today to tmag.dt@dhakatribune.com
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tidbits
Fast Talkers
A lawyer’s most efficient tool is their sharp tongue and LCLS’s debate team prepares their barristers for just that. On January 17, LCLS(S) Debate and Mooting Club celebrated their seventh anniversary with a cultural night. London College of Legal Studies (South) officially launched their Debate IV tournament last week under the tile “BPP LCLS(S) Debate IV.” LCLS(S) DMC started their journey back in 2008 with a vision to enhance the debate scenario in Bangladesh. With brilliant response and cooperation from the entire Bangladesh debating fraternity, LCLS (S) Debate III, taking place back in 2013, turned out to be a grand success
Debate IV will follow Debate III and four Championships will be on the line: English Inter-School, English InterClub, Bangla Inter-School and Bangla Inter-Club. The tournament will start on January 29, 2015 and will continue till February 7, 2015. The Grand Final will be held at Dhaka Regency Hotel with a break night at a surprise location. This tournament will bring together over 100 institutions from Dhaka. The English tournament will follow the Austral format while the Bengali tournament will follow the traditional parliamentary format. The debate tournament will be held at LCLS premises with over 100 volunteers and adjudicators present.
The grand finale will welcome famous personalities from both the legal and debating community. LCLS Debate club is the most successful club of LCLS and since its inception the club has a multitude of achievements. The club set its milestone through scoring the highest team points amongst asian universities in World Universities Debate Championship (WUDC) 2011. Furthermore, Tonmoy Monjur A Morshed broke as an adjudicator in Bind 2011, Indonesia, while Ahmed Shafquat Hassan was titled the best adjudicator from Bangladesh in Asian School Debating Championship 2014 in Malaysia. Silvia Sanjana achieved the title for the Best Presenter in Unicef Youth Summit 2012 and Maliha Ahmed was ranked as one of the top speakers at the Independent University Bangladesh Parliamentary Debating Championship 2014. DMC has also firmly established its position in the realm of Bangla debate championships in a number of prestigious national
tournaments. Their club has been represented in numerous moot court competitions both nationally and internationally. Anam Hossain and Turaj Ahmed participated in Surana & Surana Moot Court Competition in Pune, while Rifat Rahman and Mahmudullah Bhuiyan Minar took part in Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) International Moot Court Competition in Gujarat, both being held in India. In addition, Ridi Rubaiyat and Mir Osman reached the finals of the Vertex Chambers Moot Court Competition. And lastly but not the least, Imtiaz Rahman Sabuj and Muhammad Naimur Rahman won runners-up in the LCLS (S) InterInstitutional Moot Court Competition. This year’s debate tournament has an added surprise. For the first time, a leading university of UK is sponsoring a tournament of this grandeur: BPP University. Representatives from BPP University will be present at the tournament and will engage themselves with the youths of Bangladesh to
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interact and learn more about our culture. The tournament is being organised and run by the LCLS (S) debate club and the students of LCLS with immense contribution from the faculty members. The leading law school is now all hyped up with the volunteers and organisers taking the last minute preparation. LCLS Debate and Mooting club is widely known for its amazing hospitality. The organisers promise you that this year will be no exception. “Debate IV is not just about the breathtaking, nerve wrecking performance of the debaters; it is much more than that. And we are working hard to give the participants an extraordinary debate experience,” said one of the organisers. Debaters out there have already registered and are waiting to kick start their year with a bang. These are just the tidbits; stay updated with our event page at https://www.facebook.com/ events/461205374022267 Muntaka Rahman
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