The Pakistani Spectator

Would you please tell us something about you and your site?

I am a mother of two grown-up children and one grandchild and I live by myself now with my three cats. Since I was a stay-at-home mother most of the time while my children were growing up, I now work for an agency as a supply teacher and my blog is my hobby at the moment.

The blog was created specifically to highlight information that was appearing in the European press, but not in the UK press, about the disappearance of a little girl called Madeleine McCann from her parents holiday apartment in Portugal, while she was on her own with her twin siblings and her parents were having dinner in a restaurant 100 metres away. It developed as I began to read about other missing children and the cases of people who had abused and killed children and young people.

When I come across something I feel strongly about, such as the campaign to force Barack Obama to provide his original birth certificate, I write about it.

Do you feel that you continue to grow in your writing the longer you write? Why is that important to you?

I have done a great deal of work, for my blog, in translating from French language web sites and I am now involved in the lengthy process of translating a book by Gonçalo Amaral, former Portuguese police chief, who coordinated the investigation into Madeleine McCann’s disappearance. When I look back at my earlier posts, and particularly at my translation work, I can see that my skills have developed quite dramatically over time. This is important to me because I need to feel that I am doing my best and I need to feel a sense of having achieved something and that I continue to learn and grow as a blog writer and as a person.

I’m wondering what some of your memorable experiences are with blogging?

My most memorable experiences have been to do with the long list of other amazing bloggers I have come across, whose work I have followed and admired and who have been very kind to me, supportive and helpful. Also memorable, are many of the people who leave comments on my blog, some of whom have become internet friends.

What do you do in order to keep up your communication with other bloggers?

I visit their blogs regularly, leave comments, chat with some of them on forums and have email contact with a few.

What do you think is the most exciting or most innovative use of technology in politics right now?

It’s got to be the rapidly developing open communication resources on the internet: YouTube, Twitter, blogs, online news channels and newspapers: no one can deny having said something if the video of their saying it is on YouTube for the world to see and refer to; politicians cannot deny or cover up that thousands of people have been out on the streets if it is immediately relayed via online news channels and available to review on video. Ordinary people all over the world can communicate instantly and can find information that might previously have been denied to them. The internet is empowering people in ways never seen before.

Do you think that these new technologies are effective in making people more responsive?

To a great extent yes. With information, people can take action, can and do take more of an interest in what is happening around them. There are ways, though, that the internet may make some people less responsive: many young (and older) people, are now so fixated on Facebook and Bebo etc., that what is happening in the world passes them by. These social networking sites are a brilliant means of communication, but they are also, to a certain extent, the new “soma,” rendering some people almost comatose in their obsession.

What do you think sets Your site apart from others?

I think it’s the information I post from French language news media and blogs.

If you could choose one characteristic you have that brought you success in life, what would it be?

It’s got to be tenacity, the sheer persistence in finding solutions to problems, in spite of heavy odds. As a lone parent, I was often living on my wits, having to find creative solutions to problems. I believe that the tenacity that sustained me came and comes from my faith in God and trusting that God has given me all the skills I need to deal with major issues in my life. I think I bring that tenacity to my blog writing: when I come across an obstacle, I do something else, like mow the lawn or bake a cake, while I think about it. I don’t give up.

What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life?

Happiest moments: the birth of my daughter and the birth of my son.

Gloomiest moments: the deaths of my parents.

If you could pick a travel destination, anywhere in the world, with no worries about how it’s paid for - what would your top 3 choices be?

I’m not one to visit places because they are hot! There have to be cultural and historical attractions for me. I would like to see the Taj Mahal, for myself and also for my mother, who never left the UK, but who had always wanted to visit the Taj Mahal. I would take her photograph with me and know that she was there too, in spirit, visiting the Taj Mahal.

I would love to visit a wildlife conservation area in Africa and see the animals in their natural habitat and I think I would also choose New Zealand for its diversity of people and environment.

What is your favorite book and why?

That’s difficult: I am an avid reader. I tend to treasure books that have been given to me by my son and my daughter. So, any book they have given me, as a gift, is my favourite.

What’s the first thing you notice about a person (whether you know them or not)?

Their body language and facial expression. Body language first: this gives me an impression of how the person is feeling, as well as physical ailments they may have and perhaps tells me a little about their character. For example, a person who is holding his head very still and whose neck appears quite stiff may have a problem with the upper chest area, the neck or the head itself. The way a person moves can give information about confidence and self-esteem as well as present emotions and moods. Facial expression: do they make eye contact? Do they look friendly, grumpy, disinterested, distracted? I don’t tend to notice what people are wearing. So, I wouldn’t make much of an eyewitness? What was the person wearing? Don’t know, Your Honour, but he had an interesting face and I think he may have had a problem with his sacroiliac joint, because of the way he was walking.

Is there anyone from your past that once told you you couldn’t write?

Actually, no.  Writing was the thing I excelled at when I was at school and my father would have been proud of a shopping list I had written!

How bloggers can benefit from blogs financially?

I think the most common way is to have advertising on their blogs. I have benefited from the very kind donations of folks who read and appreciate the translations I post. Every small donation helps me by allowing me to stay at home now and then and not go to work for my agency. I don’t go to work, I don’t get paid. So, I am very grateful to all those kind people who give the donations which add up and help me to stay at home and get on with what I love doing most of all: translating important information and posting it.

Is it true that who has a successful blog has an awful lot of time on their hands?

I really don’t know about that. I do know that there are blogs I appreciate which people have obviously put a great deal of time and effort into and I’m glad they could do that. Some of those blogs are so information-rich and have so much posted every day, that the bloggers clearly don’t have much time on their hands at all!

What role can bloggers of the world play to make this world more friendlier and less hostile?

I think they are already doing that in many ways, some very subtle, others more obvious. By reading and commenting on a wide range of blogs, I learn about other cultures and become more informed and sometimes realise that I have been carrying around stereotypes and generalisations. Bloggers can also give people a platform on which to communicate with others from a wide range of backgrounds.

Who are your top five favourite bloggers?

Joana Morais, Larry Sinclair, Pamela Geller, Mercedes y Mila and Obambi.

Is there one observation or column or post that has gotten the most powerful reaction from people?

My ongoing translation of the book by Dr Gonçalo Amaral.

What is your perception about Pakistan and its people?

My perception of the country and its people is of a huge diversity. From the cosmopolitan cities such as Lahore and Islamabad, there seems to be an amazing cultural and economic journey to the villages in some mountain regions. I think it is quite sad to see Pakistani people turning against each other because of differing sectarian and cultural values and I feel particularly for the people of Swat, who are being displaced by the fighting in their region. I think the political leaders may be unduly influenced by the USA and it concerns me that Barack Obama is authorising drone flights that are killing innocent civilians.

Have you ever become stunned by the uniqueness of any blogger?

I think that would have to be the Australian Mike Hitchen, who was one of the first in the world, I think, to draw attention to there being things not quite right with the disappearance of the little girl Madeleine McCann.

What is the most striking difference between a developed country and a developing country?

Odd though it may sound, the capacity of many people in developed countries to take certain things for granted, like education, health care and quality of life.

What is the future of blogging?

I’m not sure about that as we have people like Barack Obama trying to limit free speech, what can be said by bloggers and what will get bloggers into serious trouble.  Also, the moves to censor the internet may have repercussions on what bloggers have access to and what blogs people will still be able to read.

You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?

In my personal life, I feel that I am a more informed person and that I am achieving something. In my professional life, because I am communicating with people from all over the world, I have immediate points of reference with people I come into contact with at work.

What are your future plans?

I’d love to give up work, tend to my garden and my blog! I’d also like to visit India and help a friend who is involved in a school there. I am told that children in India are, in general, much more motivated as far as education is concerned and that the schools are places where people really value the resources they have.

Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator?

Thank you very much for reading my comments. If I were to give advice, it would be to get as much out of education as you possibly can, keep yourselves informed about what is going on around you and out there in the world. Visit a range of web sites, news sites and blogs and leave comments, telling people about what is going on in your country. There are too many stereotypes and prejudiced ideas about Pakistan and its people. And most of all, educate all of your daughters. It’s your women who bring up the next generation and educated women must bring many benefits to their children as well as to the family and the community. I know that this can be hard where money is scarce and where traditional values may take precedence, but the education of girls is an investment for the future. Please forgive me if I am talking out of turn, but as a teacher and an independent woman, I feel quite strongly about the opportunities for women everywhere.

Again, thank you for reading and thank you to TPS for the opportunity to answer such interesting and thought-provoking questions.