The Pakistani Spectator

Would you please tell us something about you and your site?
I’m a 22 year old Pakistani gal. I’m passionate about what matters to me…for such an emotional person, I’m strangely dispassionate about politics. I’m a financier by profession, an aspiring gourmet cook and an avid reader. I hope to get a PhD in Finance and right now, I’m working towards getting into a good University. Like every Pakistani woman over the age of 20, my life is peppered with the interminable question: ‘Aren’t you married yet?’ followed by ‘Why?’ That has been the topic of countless rants on my blog. 

 

My blog chronicles my day-to-day life as I forge my way ahead through the mists of time trying to get directions to my destiny.

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

Of course! The more you write, the more you polish your expression. 

Putting my feelings into words has been invaluable to me in terms of sorting out my thoughts, getting encouragement from my fellow bloggers… and even the occasional cyber equivalent of a-slap-on-the-wrist to let me see where I was going wrong!

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

Meeting a fellow blogger is always a memorable experience!Setting new highs as far as page views or comments are concerned is always exciting too.

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

I use the very convenient ‘Bloglines’ to subscribe to blog feeds and keep abreast of the recent articles they posted. Commenting on other blogs is very important for networking. As a blogger, I find that a good remark makes my day. 

Social networking sites like Face Book are very important for networking with fellow bloggers. Forums and joining social networking sites for bloggers from your area gives you a lot of exposure.

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

 

Although I don’t take an actively keen interest in politics, I was pleased to see our allies in the West such as presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama reach out to the people through the great medium that is the internet. Snt Obama has his own blog and even his own Youtube video channel where people can listen to his message promising change in their country.

I think its a great innovation in the sense that people can tune in when it’s convenient for them, and I also feel that it reaches a larger audience particularly the affluent youngsters who are inevitably the future of any country.

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

Undoubtedly. The two communication methods mentioned above (blog and video) both allow anyone to air their views in response with little or no censorship. It’s fascinating really, as something like this was unheard of five years ago and still is in some countries. It gives a fair and transparent viewpoint allowing people to make a decision on what is most beneficial to them.

What do you think sets your site apart from others?
The fact that it represents every aspect of a Pakistani woman’s personality. It has a dash of current events, a short story now and then, a recipe one day, a rant against the system the next. There’s never ending variety… and the fact that I treasure my readers and think of them as friends.

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

The determination.

Whether it’s for change…what you have right now is a direct result of what you are. If you want to change what you have, you have to change yourself.  

Whether it’s for achieving my targets…I’m a firm believer in the quote ‘the impossible just takes a bit longer’.

What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life?

When my sister got married, that was undoubtedly the most joyous event ever! It’s good enough to bring a smile to my face whenever I think of it.

The gloomiest moment has to be when a person who was my teacher and an anchor to help me brave the choppy waters of life, passed away… I’d never told her in words how much I valued her and her death took away that chance from me. It was definitely the most dismal event of my life.

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’d like to go for Hajj to Saudi Arabia.

I’d like to visit the Bahamas and go scuba diving…

And I would round that trip off by going to UK and meeting up with five blogging friends who’ve become very dear to me.

What is your favorite book and why?

For a person who reads five novels a week, that is a hard question indeed! I like thrillers so ‘The Analyst’ by John Katzenbach would take top place.

On a serious note, ‘Struggling to Surrender’ which details some thoughts of an American convert to Islam is one of my favorite books.

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

Their hands and feet. Yes, I’m very aware of how weird that is! 

We usually base our first impressions on appearances and I find that feet are to a person’s appearance what the subconscious is to the personality: awfully ignored if you’re a superficial person. Convoluted logic, but I’ve found it true time and again.

Is there anyone from your past that once told you couldn’t write?
No. I’ve been a fiction writer almost all my life and I’ve won story-writing competitions and had my works published in some magazines from a very young age.

So, no, no one has ever told me I can’t write. 

How can bloggers benefit from blogs financially?

Well, for female bloggers, there is always trusty BLOGHER who can find you ad placements for your site if you wish (and if you meet a certain criteria). There are some pay-per-post sites too. Seeing ‘Google AdSense’ is pretty common on Blogspot blogs. Some sites offer to pay you for reviewing their products. In the same way, some bloggers also pay you a fixed amount to link and/or review their site. 

But I haven’t made a cent to date and if someone knows another way that doesn’t have such a ‘commercial’ feel to it, let me know too!

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

I disagree! Some of the best bloggers I’ve read write short, witty and to-the-point posts. At times posts that are only 75 words long have more than a hundred responses. A person with an average typing speed can type an average 200-300 word post in half an hour. If wit and an engrossing style comes natural to you, it’s very easy to keep your blog updated even if you give it half an hour a day. I think of my blog as a source of relaxation after a long and tiring day so I don’t have to ‘make’ time for it.

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

An extremely important one! As a blogger, you read about people and build first impressions based on the way they write. At some point you realize that we all share the basic things in life: studies, worries about jobs, marriages, and children. 

As a Pakistani Blogger, I’ve had this experience times out of mind; people who are regular readers of my blog are somewhat surprised to know I’m a Pakistani and a Muslim because they had a fixed image of what we are like. Writing and publishing via blogs helps build bridges. No doubt about that.

Who are your top five favorite bloggers?
Oh my, this is a hard one indeed! These have to be

Sumera of ‘Inner Reflections Transcribed‘ writes amazing articles,

 A foodie blog ‘What Geeks Eat‘

None can beat Haleem’s wit at’Captain Chaos‘

Shaz blogs about her day-to-day life at ‘Adventures in Motherhood‘

and the lovely ‘Liya who is a creative writing teacher… and a sensitive and wonderful human being blogging at ‘To my pen, forgive me for typing‘

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

I’ve been writing a series of short stories interwoven with actual happenings in my life by the name ‘Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust: Symbols’ where the story has a symbol that moves alongside my real story. People have written to me how they’ve taken heart from the stories and how much they liked the series. I was glad I could make a difference to someone somewhere.

What is your perception about Pakistan and its people?

We’re a country of deserts, snowy rugged mountains, fertile plains and beautiful coastal areas. The people are just as varied. Together, I think we’re one of the most complete nations in the world.  When it comes to my country, I’m unashamedly emotional about it and a patriot through and through. We’re a country on the brink of change. The people of Pakistan have yet to realize what power they have in their hands and view themselves as agents of change. I dislike the defeatist attitude in some of the youth. 

But for the most part, it’s the hard work, resilience in the face of the greatest disasters and the hospitality that the Pakistani nation is known for that has always impressed me and made me proud to be a part of this nation. 

And I hope, someday, I shall make the Pakistani nation proud that I’m a part of it.

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

Someone stuns me everyday. Each time, it makes me wonder about the creativity of people and all that blogging helps them showcase.

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

Something that stuck me the first time I got in touch with fellow bloggers from developed nations was their attitude towards formal education. 

As part of a developing country, I’m often amazed at how much people of developed countries take for granted…with no real Social Welfare system and a low minimum wage, for us, the only way out of poverty is to get educated. People from developed nations take things like good grades very lightly because they can earn a decent living in blue collar jobs. It’s always an interesting contrast because here in Pakistan, people are obsessed with grades and degrees…parents save up all their lives and sell everything they have just to send their children to University.

What is the future of blogging?

I see infinite possibilities for growth as a medium of communication.

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

I think its vice versa! My real life affects my cyber life, usually not the other way around.

What are your future plans?

 

 I’m planning on registering my blog name and getting a custom designed template because I think I’ve lasted long enough to prove it wasn’t a temporary interest. I’d like a broader reader base from diverse regions and backgrounds.

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

This site is invaluable in terms of getting people from around the world to voice their opinions on issues that concern Pakistan. The Pakistani Spectator has not only generated enormous goodwill for Pakistan, it has helped us look at matters with an unbiased eye.

To the readers: don’t be afraid of following your dreams.

We are not what we are, nor do we treat or esteem each other for such, but for what we are capable of being.

Henry David Thoreau

Last 5 posts by The Pakistani Spectator

• Interview with Blogger Tikun Olam - November 30th, 2008
• Interview with Blogger EngSpeak - November 29th, 2008
• Interview with Blogger Jeff Noble - November 26th, 2008
• Interview with Blogger Jan Marshall - November 24th, 2008
• Asif Zardari: ‘India & Pakistan Share Blood Ties’ - November 24th, 2008

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