A side note!

This mini post is a side note that is largely only relevant to me, which is, I STARTED CONTRIBUTING TO CHEFLINGTALES.COM! 

My first post is about 10 must have food items that defines karachi's food culture and where you can find the best!

After taking lots and lots of surveys, i settled to these 10 bestest of the best food items, and being a hardcore foodie, This post deserved my excellence (Im kust kidding i tried my best). 

Hope Karachiites find this relatable and is helpful for the rest who ever wishes to travel to karachi <3

 Digitally exhausted,

Wurduh Jaffri

The Struggle Of Making ART! #DigitalZarda

Let's start this blog with one big revelation. As much as i'd like to call myself a digital illustrator, I'm still a noob to the max. I've always been fascinated by people who could make incredible art, and digital art. I've always wanted to learn it professionally but MEDICAL SCHOOL HAPPENED. and dreams became dusts.... UNTIL, one day, when i thought, WHY NOT BOTH?

I borrowed my sister's Ipad and downloaded a random app and scribbled my first piece. It wasnt good in ANY way, but it did motivate me to keep trying. 

After countless tries on my tablet, I later realized that the touch of the tablet was just as bad as my skills and i needed either my phone or the ipad to see if I actually possessed any artistic abilities, to which i later discovered I ACTUALLY DID! I made myself self learn tips and tricks of illustration on the ipad and my phone WITH MY FINGER. Even though it leaves my finger sore after EVERY Art I make, it actually feels hella good to be able to make beautiful digital art all by myself. 

Being self taught is truly an achievement within itself! 

Attaching all the pieces i made as of 23rd february 2017! 

illustration of my nephew 'YUSHA'

the previous cover i made for my blog

Art in reaction to Azealia Banks calling Zayn Malik, a "CURRY SCENTED BITCH"

i mean, what more is there to say! 

I call this, THE SCREAM! (Re-did a picture from creepy pasta)

took some more inspo from a friend's twitter display

FAN ART: Digital version of MAHOOR JAMAL's work.

I call this, "I DONT WANT TO SHOWER"

My nephew YUSHA with some random doodles

a cross between avatar or something. honestly, most of the time im making art, im just clueless

My new favvvv person HALIMA from fashionicide.com

A mashup of my friend Ayza, Princess leia, David Bowie, Frida Kahlo, a little bit of Ke$ha, and some galaxy 

The art i made for a collab for Aunty Riot's tumblr page! (Now the cover banner for my blog)

a mashup of Salt Bae and Lady liberty, in the wake of the recent muslim travel ban in the USA! 

I know I'm still very far from the point of actually becoming an artist, but for people like me, art truly is an ESCAPE! My medical school woes aside, Art has helped me in countless ways to cope up with my depression and has been a source of relief for me (eventhough i literally hurt my finger everytime i draw something by repeatedly dragging it on the screen), but still, ART is LIFE. 

Till I get more inspiration from life and turn it into art, this is me, signing off!

Digitally Artsy,

Wurduh Jaffri

#KickstartYourDay with NESCAFE!

Contrary to popular south Asian belief, humans can start their functioning day with a nice cup of coffee too. This might trigger a lot of Pakistanis with chai fuelled with rage, but in all seriousness, a nice cup of coffee is ACTUALLY pretty healthy for your body!

Studies show that people who are avid coffee drinkers, are much more alert and active throughout their days, as their caffeine intake is on point and also part beneficial for their immune systems!

Loaded with antioxidants to rid your body of toxicities and all the negative vibes, a cup of coffee can surely kickstart you day on a good note! Being highly loaded with nutrients and neurotransmitters to stimulate your body functions, coffee drinkers have muchh lower risk of getting diseases as compared to non coffee drinkers. And the fact that black coffee also stimulates weight loss is a BIG plus for people like me, who are in constant battle with choosing healthy food and lifestyle over being lazy as fakht. But, that's just the regular ole' me.

Nescafe' recently came up with a brilliant campaign to inspire people to make most of their lives and love it whilst doing so. A delicious cup of coffee can be the starting point. 

Because of NESCAFÉ 's ability to be stimulating, it encourages you to kick-start things you wish that could happen. For the young, everything is now social and any moment can be transformed into an opportunity to start something. 

NESCAFÉ wishes to offer everyone, a coffee that is not only the greatest, but also one that offers an experience beyond coffee and an inspiring perspective on life. And with all the inspiration, there also comes the wisdom of giving a helping hand to people who tirelessly contribute daily in our livelihoods, and make them feel special, whilst being as beneficial and healthy as it gets! Y'all can see the two TVC's of Nescafe here and here !

I can't really get into the Chai vs. Coffee debate being a chai lover myself, but on the days when I'm at my lowest, Coffee has always helped me to get comfy and feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Also on the days when you want to stay up late to see real life dramas unravel or silently judge people from afar or have multi-gossip sessions, trust me hon, you would need a big frothy cup of coffee to get your brain in order!

 

Till I enjoy these few last days of winter with my hand warmers and adorable coffee mugs, this is me, signing off.

Digitally toasted,

Wurduh Jaffri

The 8th Karachi Literature Festival #KhiLF

Karachi Literature festival (KLF) has always played a huge part in my life. The first KLF I ever attended was in college back in 2013 when I was supposed to attend KLF with the members of the editorial team of AKHSS (Aga Khan Higher Secondary School)'s magazine. My first encounter with KLF was hella amazing and not to mention one of the reasons that pushed me more into the literary world. Amazing things happened that one day of KLF, a little of which you can read in this veryyyy old blog post that I wrote right after KLF. http://thedigitalzarda.blogspot.com/2013/07/im-famous-in-my-la-la-land.html

After KLF of 2013, I was convinced that EVERY YEAR, KLF would be as rad as the one I attended. The life changing and inspiring experience gives the public a unique chance of having one-to-one interactions with Authors, Performers, and people from the intellectual social circles. 

This meet and greet festival not only enables reader and authors to blend as one to engage into relatable Q/A sessions, But Also is a treat for all the voracious readers who wants some time to buy hella good books at good discounts (courtesy of KLF). This year's KLF also included SEVERAL book launches and more than 70 sessions including encapsulating talks, panel discussions, readings, book launches, English and Urdu mushaira, stand-up comedy, author signings, performing arts, art exhibition, film screenings, art stands, book fair, literary awards, and a food court were lined up for the festival.

This year, the 8th #KhiLF that took place from 10-12 February 2017, at the Beach Luxury Hotel, started out with a spectacular performance by Asif Sinan, who is a musician with the speciality of bridging the East and the West through his musical innovations. His performances was initiated with a totally unconventional presentation of the national anthem that left the audience in awe of the versatile rendition as each note was struck through the guitar strings.

Following was another performance of cultural mashups and opening key notes from the co-founder of #KhiLF, Dr Asif Aslam Farrukhi, where he termed the festival as 'Mother of all Literature festivals' and the 'Basant Of Books', which in my opinion is very aptly put!

Karachi literature festival was joined by estimated 136 Pakistani and 40 international authors and speakers from ten countries are participated in the festival. But who's counting...

Mustansar Hussain Tarar and Ayesha Jalal were the keynote speakers at the inauguration.

 Among the many literary luminaries, academics, and intellectuals participating, both from Pakistan and abroad, some of the notable names are Adeel Hashmi, Afzal Ahmed Syed, Ali Akbar Natiq, Amar Jaleel, Ahmed Rashid, Arfa Sayeda Zehra, Arif Hasan, Asif Noorani, Arshad Mahmud, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, Attiya Dawood, Ayesha Tammy Haq, Bina Shah, Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Christina Oesterheld, Fahmida Riaz, H.M. Naqvi, Hamid Khan, Harris Khalique, Imdad Hussaini, Jamsheed Marker, Kishwar Naheed, Mahtab Akbar Rashdi, Masood Ashar, Mian Raza Rabbani, Mirza Waheed, Mujahid Barelvi, Nadeem F. Paracha, Nafisa Shah, Najmuddin Shaikh, Nasira Iqbal, Noor ul Huda Shah, Omar Shahid Hamid, Pervez Hoodbhoy, Roger Long, Sabyn Javeri, Salima Hashmi, Sania Saeed, Shabnam, Shazia Omar, Sheema Kermani, Shandana Minhas, Shrabani Basu, Taimur Rahman, Tina Sani, Zafar Hilaly, Victoria Schofield, Zehra Nigah, Zia Mohyeddin, and Zoe Viccaji.

A LOT of very important people made the #KhiLF special, and as said by Ms. Ameena Saiyid OBE, Managing Director, Oxford University Press (OUP), and Founder/Director, Karachi Literature Festival, and Co-founder, Children’s Literature Festival,

“The KLF is held to celebrate the rich, ancient, and diverse cultures and literatures of Pakistan so that they flourish, bloom and make an impact by becoming accessible to a wider public”.

The 3 days of KLF were in all honesty, very much appreciated by the lively people of Karachi who appreciate every chance of escape they could get in the chaotic city where love, harmony, and resilience prevails all the attempts of terror in the city.

Around 200,000 people attended KLF this year which was an achievement unlocked for the whole KLF team. In all, this year's KLF was legendary within and will continue to create space where cultural and intellectual energies gain release and knowledge, celebrate diversity, buy books and get into habitual reading and celebrating the love for art and the people of the world. To say the very least, I will continue to hate myself for not attending KLF this year, and will DEFINITELY attend all 3 days of KLF to gain from this beautiful festival. :')

Till I find the strength to make it till February 2018, this is me, signing off.

Digitally broken,

Wurduh Jaffri

BOOK REVIEW: The Spy // Paulo Coelho

 

Just a couple of days back, I got done reading this gem by the amazing, Paulo Coelho!

#TheSpy was a pleasant and an enlightening read! The book itself is a series of real life records of the bewitching beauty #MataHari who was accused of espionage and being a double agent in the years when France and Germany were at each other's throat! An extraordinary woman with a very sad past (getting raped by school principle and not being able to tell anyone by the fear of expulsion. and getting married and isolated into an abusive marriage, losing a child, and later loosing the custody of the second child) made something of herself.

Even though being a high end courtesan and a full time exotic dancer and performer worked for her perfectly and suited her lifestyle of meeting people from the high society including Pablo Picasso, ambassadors to countries, generals and president's special people, a little bit of lies here and there landed her into the biggest mess that according to her former lover and lawyer, was the reason she got sacked so quickly and reprimanded for the crime she never committed. Her only crime was to be a woman who thought she was extraordinary and who put her faith into the wrong people at the wrong time (brink of war between Germany and France).

#MataHari was resilient and took on every battle alone in her life, but lost to the cruel judicial system and was gunned down by the firing squad! I think #PauloCoelho did his research brilliantly and the added dialogues made the history bearable! The book consisted of three parts, including Mata Hari's life before she came to France and the era she was married in and how she faced multitudes of problems while staying in that marriage. The second part of the book consist of her exotic lifestyle and her newly found freedom and experiences and mistakes she made all whilst hoping there will be no consequences. The third part of the book is all narrated by her Lawyer/Former lover who couldn't help her escape her sentence for espionage and being a double agent. In short,  Y'all realllyyyy need to read #TheSpy ASAP! The book is not only interesting from the prologue, but also is a record of true events, which makes everything y'all read a 100% more interesting! 9/10 for this book!

Till I read more books and indulge myself in pure bliss, this is me, signing out!

Digitally Booked,

Wurduh Jaffri