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THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MARCH 27, 2011
affordable fashion
High on fashion...light on the wallet Being fashionable doesn’t have to cost a fortune HALIMA KHAN
Keep your eyes open
As they say, to look good is to feel good... and everyone wants to look good! But considering the current financial scenario, one may think that keeping up-to-date with all the latest trends will cost way too much. However, that’s really not the case. Being fashionable doesn’t have to cost a fortune. All it takes is a bit of patience, some creativity and a willingness to look at things from a fresh point of view. You can still get the look you want if you make smart choices that will not mess up your budget.
Get back issues of fashion magazines and keep an eye on TV channels to get ideas of what to wear and how to wear it. Look at and observe styles that are different from the ones you’re used to. All this research will pay off and soon you’ll be a bit of a fashion expert yourself.
Go off the beaten path Explore stores, malls and shops other than the usual ones you go to. It is only when you start to really look around yourself and pay attention to fashion that it will start to grow on you. In addition, that one purchase that is perfect for you in price and all other factors only comes from exploration. Perhaps the perfect accessory is out there on a dusty shelf somewhere just waiting to be noticed?
Simple and solid Buy a few solid colour tops; kurtis, shirts, kameezes and/or pants, trousers, shalwars etc and mix and match more outfits that way. You can still have several patterned shirts, but solid colours will go with more types of pants, and you’ll end up with more outfit options.
Aim to accessorise One of the ultimate fashion accessories during summers are shades. You could simply be wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but with the right shades you could suddenly look like a style diva. Head over to you nearest optical shop and your can buy a whole bunch of cheaper sunglasses for the price of a single pair of designer shades. Another accessory that could add to your look is a watch. A watch to match what you are wearing always stands out, especially if you cannot make that big buy of a lifetime and invest in ‘the’ watch. There are
a number of manufacturers that make trendy watches at cheap prices; Fossil, Kenneth Cole and Diesel to name a few. As for the jewellery, all you need is a simple chain, or a dressy necklace, a statement-making cocktail ring, a bangle or cuff bracelet and a pair of simple silver or imitation studs, a few hoop earrings and some dangly or sparkly showstoppers will do just as well.
Keep clothes fresh Before you pack your winter clothes away for the summers, tuck in a dryer sheet to keep them smelling good until the next season. This doesn’t cost much or take much effort but it may just save you on drycleaning bills when you start to take them out of hibernation.
Be a bag lady Being well-heeled Instead of buying a pair of shoes that matches only one outfit, you can get a great pair of shoes that goes with several outfits. So take a look around your closet before you shop, and try to avoid those ultra-pricy impulse buys. If you own quite a few pastel outfits, consider beige or silver shoes to complement them. Another great way to save money is to take good care of the shoes you already own. After wearing your shoes each day, wipe them down with a soft, clean cloth. Store your off-season shoes in containers/boxes to keep them clean, dry and ready for use when the weather changes. Taking care of the shoes you already own will save you money in the long run; they’ll have a longer life span and you won’t have to spend money on replacing them as often.
Get a new, different hairdo A new hair cut or a change in the routine hairdo can do wonders. It comes across as a fresh change and an uplift in the fashion scale is evident. But be realistic; get something attainable and maintainable, that your hair, skin tone, and features are capable of carrying off.
Coordinating your pocketbook with your clothes or shoes gives you a more put-together look, but shifting the contents between bags can be a real time drain. The solution: Keep your belongings in a transfer-bag; a clutch-size container that slips easily into most purses. Loaded with pockets to keep you organised, it’s cute enough to carry on its own, too.
Fix a fashion faux pas Use a pretty earring stud to fix wardrobe malfunctions such as a gaping shirt or a loose neckline. It adds visual interest and puts spare jewellery to good use. Likewise, be imaginative with things you have lying around, everything can be put to good use. It is a good idea to continue taking small steps to improvise on style in an inexpensive manner. Nevertheless, continue to look for and buy a few fresh pieces, gradually replacing your old ones. If you do this as an ongoing procedure, you’ll never be in a fashion rut as your wardrobe will be a continuous work in progress. Still think you can’t be fashionable with a tight budget? Think again...
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THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MARCH 27, 2011
campus CAREER GUIDE
Photography
Do you want an IB education for your child? The popularity of the International Baccalaureate (IB) system is definitely rising in Pakistan, with the promise of a revolution in education DR HIBA TOHID
AYESHA AHMED
If you are passionate enough to consider photography as something more than just a hobby, then you may be on your way to discovering a new career path, one that may well lead you to fame and fortune! With the explosion of information technology, the growth of advertising and media and the fashion boom, photography has now become a profession with great commercial value. This is a field offering a lot of scope for those who have an interest in it and the attributes needed to be a professional photographer. It is a must for professional photographers to be versatile and they simply cannot afford to limit their vision to one particular area.
Career options Entry-level positions in photojournalism or in industrial or scientific photography generally require a college degree in photography or in a field related to the industry in which the photographer seeks employment. • Magazines • Fashion houses • Design studios • Advertising agencies • Hospitals • Municipalities • Government departments • Business • Research institutions • Police and armed forces
What is required? Being a creative medium, photography requires more of a built-in talent for success than formal training. However, training polishes inherent skills and helps the individual to stand out in this competitive field, which has various specialisations like portraiture, fashion and advertising photography, journalistic photography, wildlife and outdoor photography etc. One should have a definite mind for the angle, lighting and the latest equipment and technology to make a name in the field.
Essential skills • Strong imagination and technical skills with a good eye for colour, shape, pattern, form and tone • Possess self-discipline to regularly work unsupervised • The ability to travel at anytime, anywhere • The ability to work evenings and weekends • Ability to work in dangerous environments • Ability to meet deadlines • Knowledge of particular computer software programmes • Strong communication and time management skills • Enthusiasm and a high level of energy • Know-how of appropriate cameras, lenses and accessories
Where to go? • Southshore School for A-level Studies, Karachi (as an elective) • Lahore School of Photography (LSP) • Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVS), Karachi • Asian Institute of Fashion Design (AIFD), Karachi • Karachi School of Art • SZABIST, Karachi
Rana is a thirty-year-old working woman and a mother of two, whose most recent pre-occupation has been to get her two-year-old son into a school. The frantic search is far from over. Among other things, she’s got sticky notes on her computer screen with names and addresses of different schools scribbled on them. One such note displayed the words: Int. Bacca! “This is actually International Baccalaureate (IB)…I was kind of in a rush while taking that down,” Rana clarifies. “It’s a new system, so I thought I should give this a try as well.” While Rana’s pursuit for the perfect preschool continues, let’s take this opportunity to delve deeper into this largely ‘under explored’ educational system.
Not all that new... A little search on the internet will reveal that the International Baccalaureate or more commonly the IB system was initiated as far back as 1968 in Geneva, Switzerland. The idea was simply to make way for a globally uniform curriculum for globe-trotting students whose parents are constantly on the move. This revolutionary idea has since caught up with rest of the world as well. Fairly recently, even the most conservative of educational set ups such as the one in the United Kingdom, began seeing it as a possible alternative to existing boards. The system made its debut in Pakistan in 1996 when it was adopted by the International School in Karachi. With nearly three decades after its inception, the system is still not quite as popular as the O and A Levels system or the Aga Khan Board, but it is making inroads.
What’s it about anyway? “If anybody wants to know what the IB system is, they should see Slumdog Millionaire…we call it an IB movie…it talks about learning through experience and that is what IB is all about…learning through experience!” explains Saira Minto Khan, Principal at the Ilmester Academy (an IB candidate* school).
It may sound too idealistic to be true but such a learning exchange is in fact being executed in schools around the globe that are following this system. “For instance, there was this one time that we had to teach the first graders about cavemen. Conventionally, this could have been done by making them read a chapter on cave people from a certain textbook yet with the IB system, we have room to be innovative. We, therefore, made them experience a whole exercise where they were made to understand for themselves how it may actually feel to be a caveman without any modern amenities!” explains Munizeh, the curriculum coordinator at the Ilmester’s. “It’s not all that easy however,” remarks Khan on the enduring task this kind of teaching method can be for the teachers. “They have to be creative and time-efficient while following such a curriculum. In order to teach this way, you should really want to be a teacher!” The IB system offers programmes for three different age groups: the Primary Year Programme (PYP) that is meant for the younger lot up to the fifth grade, the Middle Year Programme (MYP) for students between 11 to 16 years of age and the Diploma Programme (DP) for the 16 to 19 years age bracket. As the stages advance, the content matures, teaching and learning methods become more refined and assessment becomes more rigorous. Yet the underlying principles of learning through inquiry and experience along with research remain constant. Many like to refer to this system as being for the ‘global citizen’ – a much needed entity for an increasingly inter related and inter dependent world facing common threats and challenges.
Unable to strike a chord…just yet! Rana may just have driven across almost the entire length and breadth of Karachi in her perilous pre-school pursuit. Yet she is unable to make up her mind. While she has her reasons for not opting for a lot of well-known names, her reluctance towards an IB system school is an all too familiar concern. “The system is too unconventional… I’m not sure if my child would be able
to cope with a different system, in case I have to change his school for any reason in the future,” says Rana. Proponents of the IB system agree that it’s always the parents who are the most difficult to convince of the merits of this alternative system of education. They are rightly concerned about the endurance of such an oddity in a competitive world that values grades over knowledge. If it’s any consolation at all, it is that the IB system does have its own version of assessment and examination to keep a track of students’ progress. Parents are, however, urged to be wary of comparing their child’s assessment with others, as every student has individual potential and students are marked according to this criteria rather than in comparison with anyone. Moreover, parents in an inherently traditional society like Pakistan’s, tend to view any deviations from the norm with much suspicion. “The IB is a very flexible system when it comes to content. It encourages for the curriculum to be compatible with regional norms and realities,” explains Khan who daily placates such apprehensive parents. Another widely held myth about the system is its supposedly ‘elitist’ image. With fees towards the higher side, the IB system is indeed accessible only to the upper and upper middle class in Pakistan. However, the system is essentially meant for everyone; a fact manifest just next door in India where a good fraction of the 76 IB schools serve all economic classes alike. According to Khan, “The biggest hurdle, however, that stands resolutely in the way of the IB system from achieving a noticeable status in Pakistan is the state of security in the country that prevents auditors from flying in and evaluating the standards exercised in these IB schools.” Delays in auditing mean delays in registration, which creates more concern among parents about the authenticity of the schools where their children study. The International School is at present the only school in Pakistan that is registered formally, while there are a host of others who, despite having applied well in time, are still awaiting
If anybody wants to know what the IB system is, they should see Slumdog Millionaire…we call it an IB movie
∑
Saira Minto Khan Principal at the Ilmester Academy the golden ticket.
A silver lining… Despite gaining momentum around the globe, the progress is slow for this ‘revolutionary’ system in Pakistan. However, if it can withstand the test of time, the IB system does show the potential to shine as brightly as the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) O and A Levels system. Despite the controversy and debate amidst which the O and A Levels set foot in Pakistan, the system is now well-known and well taken to. Every year, thousands of students sit through these exams and make way to both foreign and local universities. While Rana’s choice of a school for her two-year-old still remains elusive, the fact that ‘Int. Bacca!’ made its way to this mother’s PC screen says something about the response the IB system is generating. * Candidate schools are those which are under the registration process for the IB system.
ILLUSTRATION: S. JAMAL
SNIPPETS
OFID Scholarship Award 2011/12 (Call For Applications)
‘Crating’ artwork Turning crates into creative pieces SANA BATOOL
Deadline: June 4, 2011 The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) is pleased to announce that qualified applicants who have obtained or are about to complete their undergraduate degree and who wish to study for a Master’s degree are welcome to apply for the OFID Scholarship 2011/2012. The scholarship will be awarded to support one student or candidate for a Master’s degree. The applicant must first obtain admission to pursue a Master’s degree in a relevant field of development, in any recognised university/ college in the world. The winner of the OFID Scholarship Award will receive a scholarship of up to US$100,000. The funds will be spread over a maximum of two years, toward the completion of a Master’s degree, or its equivalent, at an accredited educational institution, starting in the autumn of the academic year 2011/2012. For further details log on to: http://www.ofid.org/Portalvbvs/DesktopDefault.aspx
9TH PIP Conference Date: March 28-30, 2011 Pakistan Institute of Physics (PIP) is holding the ninth PIP Conference at the Department of Physics, University Of Engineering and Technology, Lahore. In this conference, participants both from abroad and within Pakistan related to various research and development (R&D) organisations including universities will present their research papers in different areas of Physics such as Nano Science and Technology, Laser-Material Interactions, Plasma Physics, Materials Science, Quantum Well Devices and Super Conductivity, Photovoltaic, Atomic and Nuclear Physics, Medical and Health Physics, Atmospheric Physics, Meteorology and Environmental Physics, etc. The conference will provide a great opportunity to the scientists to share and interact with each other and will also help in promoting the scientific culture in the country. For further details visit the website: http://www.uet. edu.pk/pip/index1.html.
You can send your contributions and suggestions to t2@tribune.com.pk
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” the author of this phrase probably never realised how true it could turn out to be for the artistic young minds of today who have upcycled this cliché. In today’s world of weird yet amazing art, some of the most remarkable pieces can be seen in a work by five energetic IVS’( Indus Valley School of Arts) architecture students, Aasiyah Zaidi, Amun Junejo, Sofia Kamran, Joveria Rahim and Marium Hyder. Using crates, these students have managed to create an inspiring work of art from abandoned refuse and named themselves the ‘Craters’. As for how they came up with this idea, the Craters say, “Being architecture students, we constantly faced issues of sustainability, environment friendliness, green buildings, and soon realised how big a mess the world has become due to all our wasted materials.” And as it is said, to bring about a big change one needs to work from the grass-root level. “We decided to start making changes, one baby step at a time. The first thing we realised we need to do is to recycle. So we looked around us for materials taken for granted and usually wasted after a couple of uses. We found crates to be one such material. To make these crates everlasting, we decided
to make an art piece out of it,” explained the Craters. Their target clientele is the youth, as they believe that they are the ones who have to take a stand to bring about a change. “It is now up to our generation to do whatever is needed to prevent the further deterioration of the environment. Thus, the Craters focus at promoting the idea of recycling in a creative way,” the students added. Elaborating on their work, the Craters say, “We paint portraits and also take customised orders, whatever our clients want us to paint on the crate. Once you have ordered, you receive your crate from the IVS campus at a given time and date. For getting your portraits painted on the crate, one needs to attach the photograph with the order mail.” As for the price for every piece of art, the Craters say, “The cost of a crate depends on the size and what one wants on it; however, the basic cost stays the same for our designs as well as for customised ones. But if one wants more graphics on a smaller size, the cost may vary.” What ‘The Craters’ are doing is a commendable initiative to promote both recycling and the love of art amongst the youth. Their artwork can also be seen on facebook http://www.facebook. com/home.php#!/pages/ Craters/172913259409951.
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THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MARCH 27, 2011
blogosphere learning lessons Trending Topic
CLASSROOM CRUELTY
Teachers tried to make my son stupid NAJIA NAQVI
Last September, my son started first grade and I decided to enroll him in a French immersion program here in Toronto. He is a shy and quiet child but I had never heard a single complaint from his kindergarten teachers. Within the first weeks of his new class, I started receiving notes saying he was not capable of writing and that we should work on his motor skills. The entire family was worried. We helped him with French dictation and math, we begged him to work harder — the pressure for a six-year-old boy was immense. His teacher continued to send in complaint after complaint. She went as far as to mock him by calling him
‘dumb’ or ‘slowpoke’. His confidence was shattered. He couldn’t make eye contact while talking to others, not even with family members. He was sure he was dumb and “the slowest in class”. He felt he did not know anything. I had a meeting with my son’s teacher but to no avail. His behaviour was the same; my son started losing interest in school and his grades started going down. After three months of this, the unexpected happened. I went for an eye exam and on a whim had my son’s eye sight checked too. The doctor diagnosed him with astigmatism. For three months my poor child had not been able to see the board — that’s why he couldn’t
write and instead of finding out his problem, the teacher was busy calling him names. I thought things would surely improve now. But come December I was surprised to see my son come home crying like he had never cried before. When he told me what happened my eyes were filled with tears too. His teacher had said to him, “Your mom said you were weak because you had eyesight issues but even with glasses you are not improving. It doesn’t make a difference whether you wear glasses or not.” After winter vacations, he refused to go back to school and finally we decided to switch schools. Within a week of attending
his new school, he was back to his prior self — happy, singing, drawing and doing activities. This incident made me realise how much a teacher’s behaviour can impact a child’s life. Here in the West, teachers like the one at my son’s school are rare. Parents are lucky enough to have options to deal with the situation. But in Pakistan, I fear, that this behaviour is far too common and both children and parents must bear it on a daily basis. No child should have to bear mental torture; parents must keep an eye on the incidents that take place at school. Luckily, I was able to mend my mistakes in time but I wonder — are all parents as fortunate?
Are teachers always right?
@Sana Saleem Students are exploited in government schools. I’ve seen students with red eyes after being beaten by a teacher.
@Naad e Ali Why do parents not visit regularly schools to see what kind of teachers the child has?
@Aziz Haider My teachers didn’t spare the rod but it was only because of them that I am successful.
@Ayesha M It tears your heart to be told that your child is stupid. A child is always special to his parents.
@Zhoraiz There are some bad teachers but it doesn’t mean that every teacher is the same.
@Saif Saeed Using foul language or beating up students can never result in something positive.
Visit http://blogs.tribune.com.pk to join the conversation.
Teachers that changed my life MAHEEN USMANI
mb and u d s a w e h e r “He was su st in class” the slowe
“My son star ted lo interest in sc sing hool“
The man who taught us to be afraid AMNA MELA
Learning that adults aren’t always as virtuous as we expect them to be is a rite of passage. One teacher exemplified this lesson, presenting himself as a patriarch. He told his students they were like his children and he would lecture them on morals. His tarnished reputation preceded him and this was his way of overcompensating. One girl dropped his class because he made her uncomfortable. When she asked a question he would come around and “accidentally” brush his hand against her. He’d pick up a book, place it on a lap and write with one hand resting on a thigh. He made puerile jokes and talked about girls from another school because “they ruined his Hajj” with their un-Islamic clothes. Someone joked that it didn‘t seem that way when he was with them- then he’d grin like the Cheshire cat. He berated students for not asking questions yet when they did, he would rage at their ignorance. For boys, the punishment for getting an answer wrong was a forceful blow against the length of the spine. If this was a country with a le-
He would come around and “accidentally” brush his hand against hers gitimate justice system, he’d be in jail for that alone, after paying their chiropractor bills. The girls became tired of the stressful situation so one day they finally made a complaint. They went in a group because they had heard the stories of girls being expelled for telling the truth. In the next class he was furious, cheeks flaming red. He
didn’t teach that day. He ranted that he had been like a father to the students who had betrayed him. Everyone had an alibi, “It wasn’t me sir” or “Sir I was out of town”. One girl hadn‘t been with the rest at the time of the complaint, so she didn‘t speak out. “Was it you?” he asked. It should have been her. This is the teacher who repeatedly asked her to go to his house for
private lessons. After she didn’t reply, because she was in the middle of an exam, he asked her why. Her hair was tied up so it wouldn’t catch on fire from a Bunsen burner; he took the opportunity to grab her neck. When he left she was enraged; so livid that she couldn’t even register whatever he was hissing into her ear. There were a dozen other students in that room. No
one said anything, paralysed by fear of repercussions. Every single student had reason to file a complaint, but he had reason to believe it was her. On a day that she was absent, he griped to the class that she was lazy. He slashed her grade by 40 per cent and said it was because the result wasn’t accurate since she must have studied from past papers. He then
went to the coordinator to get the girl made a private candidate because her grades were abysmally low. After she graduated with a 95 per cent grade, she went back to the school to speak to the administration and told a coordinator everything. A couple of months later the coordinator told her that they were in a bind — they couldn’t find a new teacher and it was above her power. The administration brushed this aside even though all the girls had collectively made a complaint long before she did. This man still teaches in about half a dozen institutions, places we consider elite schools and colleges. Places that your children or your sister possibly attend. No one wants to fire him because his name draws applicants. They decided to tolerate his behaviour even though it is the students who have to bear it. There is no doubt that there are students right now who are still going through all of the above, at the hands of the same man. When will the time come that one succeeds in ending his tyranny?
Very few teachers leave an indelible imprint on our minds. One such teacher was Mrs Sajid of Convent of Jesus and Mary (CJM), Karachi who seemed to have stepped out of the pages of the Jane Austen novels she taught. Soft spoken and graceful, she helped me in making the transition from an Urdu medium school to an English one. Mrs Sajid gave me the confidence to work hard and led me to keep my nose to the grindstone. I topped in both English Literature and English Language by the end of the term. Mrs Arif had the gift of the gab. She considered it her duty to lecture overweight girls, exhorting them to eat less and exercise more, and would advise us about the necessity of wearing sunglasses outdoors in order to avoid crow’s feet and wrinkles. What made her memorable was the way she would cock her head to one side, read our minds, and say gravely, “You must be thinking that who is she to tell us all this when she herself is so fat and wrinkled? I know I am, but I am advising you so that you do not grow up to look like me!” At Karachi Grammar School (KGS), Miss Saif was the most interesting. Theatrical to the core and perpetually late, she was happiest picking out melodramatic passages from D H Lawrence’s ‘Sons and Lovers’ or Shakespeare’s ‘Antony and Cleopatra’. The attractive Mrs Rahim invested each and every movement of her expressive hands with feline grace. She definitely made History, European or Indian, come alive as well as the boys in our A Levels class, who would be hanging on to every word of hers, unlike other classes, where they would take a back
Mrs Arif loved to lecture the overweight girls seat in order to comfortably doze off. One such class was English Literature which was taught by the articulate and brilliant Mrs Islahuddin, whose rapid fire delivery made it difficult sometimes to take notes. She could spot inertia from a mile, and made it clear that she would not tolerate such behaviour. She was one teacher who knew her subject in depth, and it was such a pleasure to imbibe her comments on Wordsworth’s ‘Prelude’ or Samuel Becket’s ‘Murder in the Cathedral’. Blunt and incisive, she pulled no punches and commanded respect from her students. I often recall my school years and gauge how much I learnt from my teachers. It doesn’t surprise me that my favourite subjects were History, English Literature and Language, because I had teachers who taught with professionalism, empathy and care. This has made all the difference.
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THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MARCH 27, 2011
tribute
“Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety” — Shakespeare She was one of the most striking beauties of the silver screen, a compelling actress, one of the world’s most famous movie stars, a natural magnet for publicity throughout her life and one of the most photographed– and most married - women in history. The queen mother of Hollywood, Elizabeth Taylor during her fivedecade career appeared in more than 50 films including such hits as Giant, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Cleopatra. The blue-eyed Taylor was married eight times to seven husbands including Conrad Hilton, Jr, Michael Wilding, Mike Todd, Eddie Fisher, Richard Burton (twice), John Warner and Larry Fortensky. Taylor had five children and is survived by 10 grandchildren and four
great grandchildren. In addition to being a fashion icon, perfume mogul and movie legend, Taylor also became one of the leading advocates for victims of AIDS, raising millions for the research and treatment of the disease in the wake of the 1985 death of her good friend, actor Rock Hudson, who died from the illness. She also became a confidante of the late singer Michael Jackson, supporting him during his child molestation cases in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The lady bid farewell to this world on March 23 at the age of 79. She used to say, “I’m a survivor. A living example of what people can go through and survive.”