Just tried these amazing Tornado Rolls (vermicelli-wrapped tiger shrimps) at Spring Rolls

Must must must try!! 

Sometimes, you really don't know some people as well as you think you do..

 ..make that anyone.

Deception can happen to the best of us.

Each and every member of the LUMS community, or shall I say network, both locally and internationally located, has been discussing the recent tragedy that took place right within the famous cubby hole of red bricks. A young man's life was lost, a family thrown into misery and friends shocked to say the least.

Suicide is not an alien concept, at least not to this society. But for it to take place within the comforts of one's own campus, and to happen to a student, the boy next door with a promising future raises issues at all levels. The first is, of course, who can we point fingers at? Was it the victim himself? Or his friends who couldn't provide him the support he needed? Or are the institution's policies too harsh? Can we blame his parents for pressurizing their child with extremely high expectations? Or is it the society, which shuns away any hint of remotely 'abnormal' behaviour and instead of providing a stable network of support resources for the emotionally instable, further demoralizes and stigmatizes them? The real question is, is there a possibility that the blame rests on our shoulders? After all, each and every one of us is as much a part of this society as this young student was, and we are all equally responsible for shaping the norms, expectations and behaviours of the environment we live in.

The reason why this incident has come as such a shock is that it happened in the backdrop of a 'bubble' – a haven created by and for the able and the capable of Pakistan. But who defines being 'able' and 'capable'? And if it is defined, does that definition apply across the board? Is that not discrimination in itself? What if that definition were to change with time?

Sadly, even with substantial support networks in the most advanced of societies, suicide rates remain shockingly high. This tragic event has brought to light many other attempted suicide cases within the campus – my fear is that one boy's actions will generate a dominoe effect amongst all those experiencing depression. Suicide is an easy-out, and it should never be the way out. Even if life's downs may want to just make you run away from it all, taking your own life should certainly not be in the cards.  Life has been given to us as a gift, and gifts should never be turned away; they should be cherished and valued and taken care of.

Let us be reminded that these are some of the harsh realities of life – don't waste time thinking 'wow, i never thought it would happen to me', because life is as unpredictable as unpredictable gets and chances are, what you least expect can come knocking on your door. The person next to you is just as likely to be suffering from a severe mental illness as someone sitting in a mental institution. There is nothing wrong with having problems, the key is to have flexible, non discriminatory policies and sufficient coping resources to guide us through them.

May we all learn from this lesson. I pray and hope that all those who have been affected by this event find their peace.

Happy day, my highly awaited package is finally here! On a whim, I went on a book-ordering rampage courtesy Amazon. I gotta tell you, I actually felt my eyes light up while opening up the package.

You'll be hearing a lot about the following list from me over the next few weeks (or possibly days):

• Eat Pray Love (Elizabeth Gilbert)
• Three Cups Of Tea (Greg Mortenson)
• Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriela Garcia Marquez)
• Inheritance of Loss (Kiran Desai)
• The Pakistani Bride (Bapsi Sidhwa)
• Hello, Cupcake! (Karen Tack & Alan Richardson)

Anyone have any insightful reviews to offer?

Wow, it’s been way too long since this blog’s seen my fingers. Welcome to the all new ‘Poorple’ everyone As you can see, things have changed a great deal since the last time I posted an entry here – this latest version of the ex-oggiewoggle blog is veeery refreshing and extremely sleek. Can you tell I’m excited?

I promise everyone a host of new articles, photos, poems and the likes – this time, everything will be presented to you with a tinge of poorple

Stay tuned and enjoy!