From the Desk of Spinchat

I read somewhere once - hair doesn’t make the woman but a good hair definitely helps.  For the longest time I’ve used L’Oréal’s new power moisture hydrating conditioner.   Since my hair is dryer than a jhaaroo ka tinka - moisture is something I can’t compromise on. I often oil before every wash just to get that extra moisture boost. So recently my beloved conditioner ran out, I also happen to use dove conditioner for dry hair, because you know dry hair needs all the moisture it can get, had to rush to the super market and pick up some new conditioners.  Dove was there, so I picked it up, as my number one conditioner. My second black bottle with the blue line - the L’Oréal one was missing on the shelves. A sales lady pointed me towards a keune keratin conditioner and I thought why not? It’s a very professional looking bottle - white with black text on it.  So this is my third wash with it and it’s a big no from me.  In the ingredients it contains paraffi...

As someone who loves going to the movies and would rather binge watching whole seasons of my favorite shows; I’d still never been to a stage play before. Despite the popular opinion and the recent revival of theater in Pakistan, I found it hard to take out time for the off-screen, live performances. So when I got a rare chance to attend one and heard rave reviews for the play Aap ka matlooba number I decided to check it out once and for all.  This play has been produced by the very talented and successful producers Ovais Mushtaq, Hassan Jawad Rana, M. Atif Siddique and Mohammad Bin Baseer. M. Atif Siddique and Hassan Jawad Rana are also the script writers for the play. The play has been produced under the banner ALL4ONE Pakistan; production house that brought us two major films like JANAAN and PARCHI.  So with relatively high expectations, I went to watch the play  "Aap ka matlooba number doosri line pay masroof hai". "Aap ka matlooba number doosri line pay ma...

"In designing a structured recess, they (schools) will sacrifice the notion of recess as an unstructured but supervised break that belongs to the child; that is, a time for the child to make a personal choice between sedentary, physical, creative, or social options." (AAP) I remember my time at school. We used to start at 8 o'clock sharp and end our day at half past 2 in the afternoon. During these six and half hours, we used to have 8 periods and 2 recesses.  First recess used to be just 15 minutes, after we 3 long periods, to eat quick snacks. Students used to bring packed lunches from home or were given lunch money so that they could buy samosas, chicken burgers, rolls, biscuits, chips and drinks from a small tuck shop located inside the premises of the school. Then it used to be back to academics, lectures, assignments. After two more periods of equal length, we would get another recess, this time full 30 minutes. Those 30 minutes were what we used to go to school ...

" The students are only at the receiving end of the curriculum and have no say or authority over the pace, mode of delivery and the content." By Staff Writer; Sameera Wajid (This article was published on https://ed-reforms.blogspot.com/) Education is the wholistic development of an individual; intellectually, morally, emotionally leading to an end result where the person becomes a socially responsible compassionate functional member of a society. Education is more than what any school can provide to the child, because education does not stop once the child steps out of the boundaries of the school.  Yet, in Pakistan a peculiar and curious trend is catching up; keeping curriculum a secret from the parents/families. The teachers are given curriculum guidelines as set by Cambridge, however the parents are not allowed to review the syllabus under the pretext that sharing the curriculum feeds into the parental competition, causes unnecessary stress to the st...

Contributed by a Spinchat member Parents are the biggest gift of God to the mankind.  The love parents have for their children is pure, truly unconditional.  They never want anything in return but only respect.  Parents work hard to give the best life to their children.  Being a parent isn't easy, specially being a parent of a girl in our society.  It's a dilemma that people expect so much from a girl's parents specially when a girl gets married. At the time of wedding the parents are under the pressure of giving dowry and expensive gifts to the in-laws. The wedding function has to be perfect, from the decor to the food. The parents of the bride have to show modesty from the most elderly member of the groom's family to the most youngest member. Then comes the next day of the rukhsati, the parents have to send breakfast to the in-laws. If they don't then this becomes a reason of displeasure for the groom's family. Parents have to keep on giving gifts to their ...

By Sameera Wajid A few years ago, I was approached by a friend... She asked me, How old is your son now? 20 months? Does he know his colours, animals and modes of transport yet? I thought she was kidding. she was absolutely serious. Run, Run, Run as fast as you can! Schools pressurize parents to enroll their babies as young as 18 months into play groups. In some schools registration is done while the mother is still on the family way.  This isn’t something new. Over the last 7 years, I have been observing this mad race, as a mother. A race to get the child educated as soon as the schools dictate you to, to get the child ahead of other children as per the school’s expectations, and to proudly announce to the whole world that you are blessed with a gifted child because a school panel decided so. When you have a baby, every month, you will meet family and friends with one critical question, When is your child starting school? All first-time parents in Pakistan fac...

By Sameera Wajid According to Prof. Dr. Gülden Ertugrul, Utopia is a word derived from the Greek Outopia meanings 'Nowhere' and Eutopia meanings 'Someplace Good'. It basically represents an imaginary place where all institutions and the actors in the society are perfect, a place that does not exist, but a place that one dreams of and can visualize as the ideal community, working in perfect harmony, free from all ills, injustices and discrimination. The concept of Utopia also serves as a contrast effect against which we can measure the inefficiencies and short-comings of the existing society and the corruption of the present day institutions. Education is a key tool to realize the ultimate goal of utopia. Life-Long Learners In an ideal world, there will be class difference, no socio-economic discrimination and no gender biases and education will be accessible by all. The learners will be life-long learners, not bounded by the routine school structures and learni...

by Editor in Chief We live in a cruel harsh world... One that has little regard for the sanctity of relations or innocence of age. Awareness to harassment and how to counter it is now a prerequisite to keeping our kids safe. At Spinchat, have compiled a few pointers. The list is in no way complete or exhaustive.  The following is applicable to the safety of boys and girls both. 1. Educate them about their bodies. Make them aware that their bodies belong to them and them only. No one has the right to touch them. Not even their parents, unless it is to bathe them or wash them with their permission. Even at a doctor's appointment, parent supervision is absolutely imperative. Talk to them about the right touch and the wrong touch (sometimes tickling might feel good, but it might still be wrong, so be careful with the common good touch bad touch motto).  (Watch how to train children with Aamir Khan  here  ). 2. Educate them that if anyone makes them fe...

I will be very candid with you, when I first picked up this book I wasn't entirely convinced of the entertaining ride that was about to follow! The narrative was slightly difficulty to grasp in the beginning due to the protagonist's interesting command over the English language, or the lack thereof, and the crazy hilarious innuendos brought on by the deliberately misspelled words! Don't let it put you off though. The protagonist, Butterfly Khan is an extremely pompous, blissfully ignorant, haughty, pretentious and vain socialite who lives in the colorful city of Lahore with her highly educated and somewhat grounded husband whom she calls Janoo, and her mollycoddled son Kulchoo. Her problems also includes her villager inlaws (who frequently pop up and never fail to embarrass their overbearing bhabi and bahu) and her ever-disappointing domestic help (a sore point for almost every Pakistani woman who can afford one!) and how the tumultuous world events will affect her next...

By Editor in Chief Some of my thoughts on 40 rules of love by Elif Shafak Disclaimer; this review contains spoilers. Kindly read at your own risk.  When I started I could see a glimmer of hope that maybe I will be able to relate to this book. An ambitious woman, who took the decision to put her career on hold and give more time to her family... so can every woman maybe who is on a journey to find herself while in the frenzy of her everyday life chores and kids and other commitments. It didn't really last. Had to keep a pencil in hand to scribble my comments on all the inaccuracies and loopholes. The coffee cake took some of the disappointment away! Ella turned out to a huge disappointment. A bored housewife who was looking for some spark and adventure (and probably encouraged just by the idea of it being a taboo and a forbidden fruit); She quickly jumped upon the first chance she got (frankly the only one she got!). Writer's attempts at writing a sen...

First of all, let us begin this blog with a warm and heartfelt thanks to all our beautiful members who make Spinchat what it is today... An exclusive group of educated and spirited ladies who believe in personal growth, compassion and above all in a sisterhood that builds each other up and offers support and guidance wherever and whenever needed. We have created this space for you. We hope to see your continued contributions to this blog and to our group. Please drop us a line on facebook  Spinchat  or email us at spinchatters@gmail.com Team Spinchat