How many girlfriends do you have?

Naeem Afzal Chughtai

4th July 2016

Whatsapp: +92-346-5151517

How many girlfriends do you have?

She asked me over the phone, "How many girlfriends do you have?"

"Three," I said thoughtlessly.

She was impressed and probably thought that I was devastatingly handsome to have three girlfriends. From that day onwards, she was after me and kept in touch with me by various means. She was obsessed with the unseen beauty she had imagined for me. After much waiting, one evening she popped the question. I accepted her proposal of marriage straight away because I, in fact, had no girlfriend, let alone three. Hence she became my first girlfriend ever.

My Maternal Grandmother

By Naeem Afzal Chughtai
On 21/10/2014
Phone No. +92-346-5151517

My Maternal Grandmother

Tears are trickling down my cheeks while with quivering fingers I hold the pen, which seems to be grieved by her demise. The more words I write the more tears of sorrow I shed. Every word I write induces a tear from my eyes. She was so benevolent that everyone had a good word to say about her.

When she was of an age where she should have been playing games with other girls of the same age, she was compelled to endure the burden of migration---faltering barefoot with no destination in mind; saying goodbye to her belongings; dossing under the open sky; putting up with severe weather, having not a whit to eat or drink, and so forth. On hearing the sound of jet fighters dropping bombs, she cowered under trees and sometimes plunged to the ground. At her age, girls spent time playing hide-and-seek, skipping rope etc. but she was playing the game of life and death.

After long-term hardships, her life returned to normal in the course of time. Time went past at a snail's pace. Now she basked in the joy of married life along with her pious husband. Then she gave birth to her very first daughter. Her health deteriorated day by day and in the end she became disabled and was totally dependent on her kind mother. The government planned on constructing a dam where she was residing, and as a consequence she had to move once again. As her daughter grew older, it became more difficult for my lovely grandmother to minister to her daughter. However, she cared for her until her daughter departed this life.

After a few years, she had a baby boy. She raised him beautifully and when he came of age, it seems that Allah decided to test her again, because her son gradually deteriorated and eventually became unable to walk. She continued tending to her son. In the morning, with the help of someone else, she put him in the wheelchair. She served his meals and fed him through the day before laying him back on the bed in the evening.

She was getting on in years. Her fingers and toes got stiff. She did not give up nursing her son. She was a lady of great courage and valour. She remained patient throughout her life. She was the most kind and gentle lady.

Looking at a phone in somebody's hand, she often asked me, "Do you have this phone"? She would then offer me money to buy one, which I didn't accept. She invariably gave me extra money whenever she sent me to the market. She was proud of me on hearing that I had passed my exams, and shared her happiness with others.

She was taken ill and within a few days, she had left us behind. I believe she didn't give us a chance to look after her because she knew how difficult it was to take care of others. She was a woman with a great deal of experience in looking after the sick. She never wanted to give us any trouble therefore she passed away very quickly after becoming ill.

"I want to tell you something, "nani amma". Can you hear me? We are able to live without you BUT our life is lifeless. The life which was full of colours has now become colourless."

The long and the short of this story is that her life was full of worries but she confronted them with patience. May Allah grant her a place in Heaven!
I miss you, "nani amma". Can you hear me?

I am childish!

By Naeem Afzal Chughtai
On 17/03/2014
Phone No. +92-346-5151517

I am childish!

There lives a boy in my city. Coincidently, he is my namesake. I used to greet him when he went by. Sometime ago he told my friends that I was childish. For a moment, I became anxious and began to think about how I appeared to others when my friends informed me of his words. However, my broodiness came to a halt when I decided it was a matter of jealousy.

As a good boy, I swallowed my anger and didn't seek to interrogate him, but after that I was reluctant to greet him when he passed by, thinking it might be an act of childishness. I don't really know why he spoke ill of me, because I never scrounged free meals nor sponged money off him. I never sent him a text to find out the score of a Pakistan and India cricket match. In short, I didn't owe him a favour.

It has been rightly said, "think before you speak."  This day had to come. I was standing on the other side of the road while he was on the opposite side. I was looking both ways before crossing the road when he shouted my name with respect. I was astounded to hear this out of his mouth. He came to me and asked me to provide him with English tuiton. In reply to that, I said, I would definitely give you English tuition if I weren't childish.

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A Question!

By Naeem Afzal Chughtai
On 27/11/2013
Phone No. +92-346-5151517

A Question!

In Pakistan, attempting a short question worth two marks, correctly in a maximum of three lines, gives you full marks. But when you answer a long question worth ten marks, you have to write as much as you can.
As you write three lines to receive a full two marks, why don't you get a full ten marks when you write thirty lines?

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Guidlines For New Bodybuilders

By Naeem Afzal Chughtai
On 10/03/2014
Phone No. +92-346-5151517

Guidlines For New Bodybuilders

I am not actually a bodybuilder, but I am someone who spends at least an hour in the gym almost every day except Fridays and it is the ideal place to maintain physical fitness. Therefore, I will try to present a compilation of ideas which I think are advisable for beginners who want to join the gym in the near future.

Best Age: Some say 15 is the best age to start the gym but I think 18 is better.

5x5 programme: To me, the best programme for absolute beginners is 5x5. What do I mean by "5x5"? Let me try to simplify it. It means to do 5 sets of 5 repetions during every exercise i.e. get a dumbell (for example) and lift it then repeat that motion 5 times in each set until you reach 5 sets. Some people lift the same weight in five sets whereas some do ramping sets i.e. increasing the weight from low to high. I personally like ramping sets. If you are comfortable lifting a particular weight then add a little more weight to it. Take a 90 second rest after every set.

Daily Routine: Different bodybuilders have different schedules. However, the most usual routine is:

Day 1: Chest exercises

Day 2: Back exercises

Day 3: Shoulder exercises

Day 4: Arm exercises

Day 5: Leg and ab (abdominal) exercises
Then repeat these exercises over the next five days. If you stress the same muscle every day, it won't build up. Give it enough rest. You may take some days off.

Protein: You should take protein before and after going to the gym, but if you want to take it once then it is better to consume after exercise. I know that some people mix protein with water and drink it. It's not a good technique. Mix protein with milk and then drink it. That's much better.

Food: You should eat food full of protein, fats and carbohydrates like chicken, meat, fish, egg whites, potatoes, rice, pasta  and milk etc. Also, drink a lot of water.

Rest: Have you already started at the gym? Now your body needs rest to fully recover. It is very essential since you have increased your exercise regime. Working out the whole day in the gym won't increase your muslces. Remember to have 8 hours of sleep.

Note: Opinions may vary. If you ask different bodybuilders about workout routines, they will definitely give you different answers. So, it is up to you. Stick to the one you think is the best for you.

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My Uncle

By Naeem Afzal Chughtai
On 27/02/2014
Phone No. +92-346-5151517

My Uncle

My uncle lived his early years just like any other normal child; playing, jumping, eating sweet stuff and making mischief. He left school when he was in grade 4. His recreations included rearing pigeons and flying kites. He would get up early in the morning every day to give food to his pigeons and watch them pecking at small grains. Ah, he didn't know there would be a time when taking even small steps would be laborious. He would fly his pigeons and look up constantly into the sky. Ah, he didn't know there would come a time when he would have difficulty moving even his head painlessly.

Every working day, when the clock struck 12, he ran to the kitchen and his mom handed over a lunch box to him for his dad. He headed for his dad's shop and returned with a 10-rupee note. Reaching home, he would make a kite out of shopping bags using bush-stems and thorns. He was thoroughly  enjoying his life but the happiest moments didn't stay around much longer.

It was when he was around 19 or 20 that he started limping, his toes bent, touching the ground. It was the beginning. He often showed his toes, full of weals, to his mom when he came back from the shop but he didn't cease walking. Time flew past and his lameness worsened. However, he could manage to go wherever his heart desired. Unfortunately, doctors could not understand his illness and as usual, wrote a prescription just to make the patient pay their fee. No more beautiful, cooing pigieons!

A walking frame was purchased for him. I was then 13 or 14. We used to sit together in the evening and watch comedy dramas and roar with laughter. Sadly, his lameness deteriorated rapidly. We had to walk behind him holding his arms. He started spending his days on the second storey in a small room which was meant for him. There he had a tape-recorder and a water cooler. Sometimes when I went up to him to try to relieve his boredom, I found him lying on the floor because he had lost his balance when going to the toilet. At those moments, I helped him stand upright. He seldom tried to go upstairs on his own because before reaching his destination, he fell from the top of the stairs to the bottom, bruising his back, legs etc.

Despite all this, I had never seen even a single tear in his eyes. His heart cried, not his eyes as they can also shed crocodile tears. His life was full of pain and his body was full of wounds. We made every possible effort to find an effective treatment but these efforts proved futile. The illness kept worsening. Then he couldn't walk any more because his legs got stiff. We had to put him in the wheelchair every morning. He was confined to the wheelchair alone. He moved without complaining when he became tired. He often fell off the chair when he tried to scratch his feet because they were itchy. He spent his entire days sitting calmly, which eventually caused bedsores. Even we couldn't bear to see his bedsores,  so imagine what the patient was going through.

It was on a Friday at around 4 to 5 p.m., when his hardship came to an end. He closed his eyes silently and left for the heavenly abode. His presence is felt everywhere and in every moment of life. His smiling face and sweet nature will remain enshrined in my heart. I miss you, Uncle Azeem!

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The Story of Subject Pronouns

By Naeem Afzal Chughtai

On 10/02/2014

Phone No. +92-346-5151517

The Story of Subject Pronouns

When subject pronouns such as "I, We, You, He, She, It and They'' were born, they were given some verbs like "is/am/are" to make a meaningful sentence.

For example:

I am a boy.

He is a teacher.

You are a girl.

"I" took "am" and "He, She and It" made a deal with "is" whereas "You, We and They" were used with "are". They were all happy and satisfied with this fair division. When it comes to dividing "was, were". "He, She and It" chose "was" for them and "were" was picked out by "You, We and They". "I" was late and couldn't get a verb. "I" had "am" in the present  tense but in the past tense, there was no such particular verb for "I". "I" became sad and started crying. "He, She and It" took pity on "I" and agreed that "I" could join them because "You, We, They" spurned "I". "I" was very powerful and fought against "You, We and They", along with ""He, She and It". They beat "You, We and They" badly. There was an excessive amount of blood on the streets because of the fight. Time elapsed and  "Has, Have" came into existence. "You, We and They" knew that "I" was very powerful. "I" had even defeated them in the past. Hence they wanted to make friends with "I". They finally succeeded in their struggle and "I" befriended them. Therefore, "Have" started being used with "I. "You, We and They" were angry with "He, She and It" because they fought against "You, We and They" when "I" , the powerful, was their companion. Now "You, We and They" were ready to take revenge. Scuffles broke out between "He, She and It" and "You, We and They". Hundreds of years passed by this way. They grew weary of fighting. They now yearned for peace. They wanted to coexist happily with one another. In this regard, they had  a lof of meetings for reconciliation and they eventually reached a decision.  And when "had" appeared to be used, they agreed to take it as a verb for all of them. After that, they started living a peaceful life.

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Real Happiness

By Naeem Afzal Chughtai
On 27/11/2013
Phone No. +92-346-5151517

Real Happiness

I don't like congratulating brilliant students on passing their exams on their first attempt as they are already sure of their success. They are just waiting to see how many marks they will get in each subject. But I love to congratulate the weaker students on passing their exams with their very last attempt. They are uncertain of getting through the examinations, hence they are sad. They spend day in and day out praying for their success. They close their eyes before checking their results and when they hear they have passed they almost die of happiness. A wave of happiness sweeps over them. This is called "real happiness".

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Learn Connect Four Best Moves!

By Naeem Afzal Chughtai

On 01/11/2013

Phone No. +92-346-5151517

Connect Four Best Moves!

1: Connect Four (Four in a Line/Four in a Row) is one of the interesting brainy games. It was solved by some players in the past. It means if both players are good, the first player (whose turn is the first) will always win.

2: The first player must always drop the piece into the middle slot on his very first turn.

3: 1, 3 and 5 are the best rows for the first player.

4: 2, 4 and 6 are the best rows for the second player (whose turn is the second).

5: Note: if you are playing against a good player, you can never win if your turn is second.

6: Have a look at the first two moves which I usually play. You must play on your first and second turns. O to move first, and O next.

7: The middle slot is very important. Having more pieces in the middle slot can give you an advantage over your opponent.

8: Look at your opponent's last move carefully and judge what he wants to reach.

9: Try to block your opponent's second row and connect your pieces in the third row. However, if your opponent succeeds in blocking your third row, then block his fourth row and connect your pieces to the fifth row vertically, horizontally or diagonally.

10: By simply reading this, you can never be a good player, you have to practise, more and more.

(Some Puzzles For Advanced Players)

Puzzle No. 1

In this situation, if the second player drops his piece into the 4th or 7th slot, then the only best and winning slot for the first player is the 5th one.

Puzzle No. 2

In this situation, the best move for the first player is to drop his piece into the 6th slot, then the second player is forced to play into the 6th slot over your piece. Now the first player should drop his piece into the 4th slot and the second player should also do the same. The first player must drop his piece into the 4th slot. The first player can now easily win.

Puzzle No. 3

In this situation, there are also other possible moves. However, the best move for the first player is to drop his piece into the 6th slot, then the second player is forced to play into the 6th slot over your piece. Now the first player should drop his piece into the 5th slot and can easily win.

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