If you think that cats only talk in cat movies like Milo and Otis, Oliver and Company and The Aristocats, you should get to know your cat better.
It is true that most of us can manage our humans in a way that we don’t need to talk. They learn our body language and we learn some tell-tale indicators and there we go, enjoying a fabulous communication.
The quiet ones among us are Persians, but some of us are very talkative. The most talkative being Siamese, and some closely related breeds like the Tonkinese, Oriental and Burmese. The Saimese are loud while the Burmese meow rather softly. So if you live with anyone of these breeds, you better be enjoying the decibel level of your life.
I, for one, like to hold long-drawn conversations with my human and possibly get in the last word. It is usually about how exactly I like my food to be — how much, how hot, warm or cool it should be — and I keep my ‘paws crossed’ that she has some clue of what I am saying.
Sometimes I try and engage her in a regular conversation. It begins with greetings and then I say a meow here and a meow there and she keeps responding. I like that. Sometimes we have had chats in the middle of the night when I wake her up by walking on her pillow or sitting right on top of her to ask for a snack when I feel a little peckish.
When we want to say “I love you” and “thanks for the little things you do for me”, we purr — an expression to convey that all is well in cat’s world. It is a vibratory sound that we make with our vocal cords and it is like a continuous hum.
Other things that we say through different meows are “feed me”, “play with me”, and “let me in” or “let me out” because we don’t like closed doors. They should be open for us to walk through when we wish to.
We also interact with each other through body language, using our eyes, fur, ears and tails. Other than that, we make a variety of sounds to communicate different needs and meanings. Here is some common kitty lingo for you to understand:
Chatter: Humans chatter when they are excited about something. But we make a little, low pitched sound from the throat with a quick lower jaw movement when we see something exciting — a bird in the tree, even a toy mouse that we think looks like prey — we chatter just before we attack it.
It has an air of impatience and excitement and means, “Hey, Who are you? I want to see you up close?”
Chirp: A chirp is often a high-pitched sound which we make to greet somebody. You may see us chirping in reply to a bird chirping to us. It is something between a squeak and a chirp. It means, “Hey there, I’m here, want to play with me?”
Growl: This is a low sound and supposed to be a sign of aggression or anger. We growl as a warning, when we are in a very bad mood, so it means, “Go away, before I attack you!”
Hiss: A “hiss” is a sharp sound like an “S”. It is used to show disapproval or dissatisfaction with a situation. We hiss at another cat to say “Stop it” or “Go away”. We also hiss when they are frightened. Often a hiss comes before a growl or an attack.

“What’s wrong, Davis?” Alfred Bates, the famous detective, asks his friend as the duo exits the car.
“We have a problem,” Inspector Davis tells the detective. “And when the police have an unsolved problem, we call you!”
“Oh!” Bates exclaims. “Why are you taking me to the watch store?”
“That’s where the problem is,” Davis says as he moves towards the store. “An hour ago, the constable arrested three people outside this place.”
“One of them must surely be the owner, or employee?” Bates asks after inspecting the three suspects.
“That’s the problem, Bates. They all claim to be the owner!” Davis says as he discloses the problem.
“Don’t they have any identification?” Bates asks the routine question.
‘Yes they do… but they all carry a badge that has Bob written over it, while they all carry papers in which they are named Robert Brown.” Davis explains. “What should we do?”
“Let me read them and I will give you the owner,” Bates tells Davis.
“Read what?” the inspector was quick to ask.
“Their personality!” Bates inspects the three men before giving the verdict. “The one on the far left is the owner. The other two are thieves.”
“How did you know, sir?” the real Robert Brown comes forward and asks the detective.
“I have my methods,” Bates says without disclosing the methods.
“He is lying!” the fake Bobs shout together.
“His hands told me that he was the watchmaker,” Bates discloses the secret.
“His hands?” Davis couldn’t resist asking.
“A watchmaker has to have steady hands, and while the other two were trembling with fear, this one kept his cool,” the detective says as he spills out his deduction.
“Why are they all named the same?” Davis asks his friend.
“These two are experienced thieves,” Bates points to the fake Bobs. “Carrying Bob’s badge and Robert Brown’s identity was part of their plan, if they got busted, which they did. They didn’t count on one thing, and that’s me!”
“So what should we do now?” Davis continues his line of questioning.
“Book them and from their fingerprints you’ll find out their real identities,” Bates advises the inspector. “Then you can deal with them as per their records. As for the original Robert Brown, release him.”
“Thank you, for helping me,” the real Robert Brown says as he thanks the detective.
“Thank Davis, he convinced me to come here,” Bates says as he turns to depart. “Otherwise you would have been rotting in jail with your namesakes for sure!”

They came, they saw and they wreaked havoc… this is the best way to describe Jurassic Park: The Ultimate trilogy Boxset which consists of the three movies where dinosaurs have their way.
Based on the dinosaurs and characters created by Michael Crichton, the best way to celebrate the release of the original movie in 3D is to watch the rest at home and be part of the legacy.
In the original Jurassic Park — released 20 years back — a wealthy businessman invites a group of paleontologists to experience living dinosaurs at ‘Jurassic Park’, his futuristic theme park that was due to be opened to the public. As one the characters said, having humans and dinosaurs together will have a bad effect, and that’s exactly what happened. Soon the scientists were on the run, with a couple of screaming kids and the businessman who thought that both the species could co-exist together.
In the sequel and the third installment — The Lost World and Jurassic Park 3 respectively — the characters remain the same but the plots differ. In The Lost World, Dr Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) from the first movie is asked to inspect Site B by the eccentric John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), whereas in Jurassic Park 3, Dr Alan Grant (Sam Neill) is tricked by a desperate couple who believe that their son has gone missing on an island where dinosaurs are in majority!
What makes these movies fun to watch on DVD is the quality of production — from sound to brilliant cinematography. The documentaries provided in these box sets tell you all there is to know about the making of these films which continue to make new fans with the passage of time.
These three movies are undoubtedly the best dinosaur flicks ever made and the more you visit them, the more you enjoy. The trilogy is worth watching on DVD because no matter how old you get, the fear of dinosaurs would keep you awake at night! — S. F.

For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others. — Audrey Hepburn

The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision. — Helen Keller

Small is the number of people who see with their eyes and think with their minds. — Albert Einstein

Nature and books belong to the eyes that see them. The sky is the daily bread of the eyes. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

An angry man opens his mouth and shuts his eyes. — Cato

Keep your eyes open to your mercies. The man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life. — Robert Louis Stevenson

Men are born with two eyes, but with one tongue, in order that they should see twice as much as they say. — Charles Caleb Colton

If you haven’t cried for someone else, your eyes can’t be beautiful. — Sophia Loren

— Compiled by G.T.

There was a lot of lively babble. Some students were chatting away merrily while some were just gaping at the teacher trying to “unravel” what he said. The bookworms had their nose buried in books as usual, but the mischievous ones were busy flying paper planes and throwing pieces of chalk at one another.
A girl with brown hair and specs entered the classroom. Quite used to this, the girl ignored them and moved on to her desk but found it already occupied.
“Excuse me Frank,” she said. “This is my seat.”
“But I came first,” came the reply from Frank, who was in deep conversation with another boy.
“So what? I always sit here.”
“Oh come on! Can’t you please sit on the next desk? I have to discuss my project with Dennis here,” said Frank resuming his discussion.
The girl had no choice but to sit with a girl whom she had never seen before. Probably a newcomer, she thought. The new girl’s eyes were very rare. They were the vivid violet of an amethyst. They glowed mesmerising under her raven-black bangs. She had long straight raven-black hair with a purplish hint, tamed by a hair band which matched her eye colour. She wore a shirtwaist with multicoloured spots.
The girl with specs had just slumped beside her when somebody said. “Hello Alexis! How are you?”
Alexis wheeled around. It was the newcomer girl who spoke. Alexis was both confused and surprised. She had never met that girl before but she knew her name. Anyway, she tried to find her voice and managed to say falteringly, “Er… me… well… I am fine. How come you know my name?”
“Simple reasoning,” came the vague reply.
“It means you guessed it? Eh?”
“No! Not guessed. I deduced it,” the other girl corrected.
“Did-used? What is that? And what else can you did-use?” Alexis asked dumbly.
“A lot! For instance; your name is Alexis O’Day. I can also perceive that your dad is a cop.” The mesmerising violet eyes started to scan her.
“Sorry to say this but you seem to be very bad at cooking. Despite this you cooked today’s breakfast as your mom is ill, that’s good! And… hmm… let me think… yes! You had orange juice after breakfast!” Alexis was totally baffled at the end of it.
“Blimey! How… on… earth? Are you a relative of Sherlock Holmes?” she asked with her eyes wide.
“No. Well, didn’t I tell you before that it’s nothing but simple reasoning? I noticed that somebody had carved “Alexis O’Day” on the desk on which now Frank is sitting and you said that you always sat there. But I wasn’t sure enough; anybody else could have sit there and carved it. But the locket you are wearing has the initials A.O. It confirmed that you are Alexis,” the dark haired girl explained.
“And how did you know that my father is a cop?” she asked interested.
“The Self-defence Techniques book you are carrying is only available to a police officer; your dad! He probably gave it to you so that you can protect yourself.”
“What about me being bad at cooking and my mother being ill?” she continued to question.
“Well this was a hard nut but I managed to crack it. I noticed that your hands had a few burns and a good amount of red patches of skin; a recent attempt at cooking! Now anybody good at cooking can’t get so many burns. And why would a mother let her daughter cook who, she knows, can’t cook? It will only happen because either she is ill or away from home. But the doctor’s prescription poking out of your pocket eliminated the latter option.”
“Whoa! That’s quite a mind work. How did you know that I had orange juice after breakfast?” she asked.
“You wiped your lips at the back of your cuff after drinking it. The stain is still there and there is no mistaking in the particular orangey colour.”
“It seems very simple now. Looks like even I can do that ‘did-use’ thing. By the way, you didn’t tell me your name!”
“Well you can try to did-use it!” said the young detective.

It all started one dull Saturday afternoon. I had come downstairs to eat a snack as my stomach was rumbling due to hunger pangs. Mum was peeling some poor peas out of their protective shells, but I had no time to feel sorry for them as the moment I entered the room, mom’s glance fell on me and she gave me a get-to-work look.
I had no choice but to obey with a sigh. Inwardly, I cursed myself for barging into this mess, but what could be done now? You may think that this was a pretty common, though boring, job and why was I complaining about it? But don’t judge too quickly because later it turned out to be a pretty chaotic chore.
Naturally, I was getting pretty bored and then suddenly my younger brother Samar came into the room. Seeing me working like a house elf (Harry Potter will probably know what I mean), my younger sibling decided to help. But I flatly refused because even though I desperately needed help, but certainly not my brother’s! Whenever in any situation he lends a hand, it always turn into disaster.
When I gave him a flat refusal on his face, he became angry and rebellious and suddenly knocked the bowl of peas. All my hard work lay scattered on the floor. Anger bubbled inside me but before I had a chance to blow it out, my mother came and saw the mess!
“Noor-ul-Ain Ansar!” She screamed. Boy, whenever she calls me by my full name, trouble always follows. “How did you manage to create such a mess?”
“But I…,” but my mom cut me short and said, “Pick up every single pea and finish shelling the rest. You are grounded for a month!”
All I could do was shoot a glare in my dear brother. But my troubles weren’t over yet, scampering of quick footsteps told me a sign that my younger sister was hurrying along. Great, now she would try to barge in and put me in further trouble! God! How I hate it when my younger siblings interfere with my chores.
“What’s up sis?” she asked, the twinkle in her eye gave away the fact that she wanted to help me.
“Oh no, I don’t need help. Sam already messed up…”
But my sister was like concrete, very firm when she sets her mind to do something. “Step aside sis,” she said interrupting me and she started shelling the remaining peas.
I had no time to dwell on my troubles as my dad’s car honked in the driveway. I rushed and opened the gates for him. After greeting him, I happily began to go through the magazine he had in his hand.
Then, out of the blue, a voice roared into my ears, “Noor! You lazy girl! I told you to shell the peas but here I find you reading a magazine while you have dumped your work on your younger sister!”
I gulped and regretted reading the magazine. I again set to work. But at the precise moment, my younger brother turned on the TV and began watching Tom & Jerry. Now that was certainly a distraction! I began watching and enjoying the show. I laughed out loud at Tom’s antics, but that was a mistake. No sooner had I opened my mouth for a guffaw, something fell in my windpipe and I began to choke.
“Who (cough!) threw a pea (cough!) in my throat?” I spat it out. My young brother gave me an innocent glance and confessed. Suddenly, Tom didn’t seem funny anymore and I thought it best to be done with the task assigned to me – shelling peas.
Finally, I was over with it! I felt relief wash over my face when I was carrying the bowl of nicely shelled peas. But boy! I should have seen my sister mischievous face as she pull a prank on me. She deliberately put her foot out in my way, seizing this as an opportunity to take revenge for some grudge she held against me. And you can guess what happened next — I tripped and the bowl flew from my hands and my precious peas scattered at every direction. Well, what followed is another story for another time….

Can weak memory bring benefits? I am sure most of you wouldn’t have taken a second in saying ‘No’ to this question. But the answer to this question is not so simple.
On one side, there’s no doubt that a sharp memory is absolutely better than a weak one, but, in my opinion, a weak memory can prove to be very beneficial to have.
As far as a student’s life is concerned, your brain is the only thing that lets you through this stage with excellence. Grasping what’s been taught, learning the lectures and then preparing for exams, all requires brain work, specifically your memorising skills. So if you are lucky enough to have a sharp memory, you’ll get through it with flying colours. This is what normally happens, but that doesn’t mean that with a weak memory you can do nothing.
Effort can beat luck. There’s a very wonderful text I received from a friend of mine that I would like to quote here: ‘A paper flying in the air is due to its luck but a bird flies in the air due to its effort. So if luck is what you don’t have, don’t worry! You can always make the right amount of effort to achieve what you want.’
Likewise, if you aren’t blessed with a very good memory, it’s okay! You can still use what you have to your benefit. Determination is all that you require!
See, for a person with a weak memory (like me) it’s not difficult to remember ‘all’ the things, it’s just that they can’t remember some parts of their everyday life. For most, it’s the part that they are least interested in remembering, or which slips out of their mind because of some tension/frustration.
Here is a practical example. When I sit down to study, I do manage to learn all things really quickly but once the exam is over, and a month or so later after the result is out, if you ask me something related to it I would not be able to recall the answer simply because I didn’t care remembering it after the exam.
So, to sum up, you have to concentrate on things you can’t manage to remember. I know nobody likes studying hard but if you’ll start taking interest in it, you’ll get to see the positive changes that would follow. You will be able to make it because you are no less than your mates (don’t even think you are).
Now let’s move on to another side of story. Forget, forgive and move forward. Heard of it before? This is what our moral principles are based upon. Letting go other’s faults and ignoring one’s mistakes are two of the hardest things to do in life. But this is where the benefit of a weak memory comes in and the situation doesn’t remain the same then.
Imagine if you could remember all the bad parts of your life, like most of the bad details? Wouldn’t it be too difficult to heal yourself after that? By ‘bad’ here I mean the little things that hurt a lot at that time and then fade from memory and stop hurting us.
For example you had a small grudge against your friend, and you can’t forget that. Assume such small issues with most of your friends, how can you be faithful to your friendship with you remembering every such detail? But if you are the owner of a poor memory (like I am), you can actually let go of such things easily (obviously your memory wouldn’t allow you to retain it for long). You can then live a happier life with no hard feelings, isn’t it?
However, if you got problems on remembering important notes, best friend’s birthday, etc, you can pen things down and place them somewhere, where you can see them off and on, set reminders and sorts, and with passage of time you’ll cope up with the problem.
And here’s a tip (I use it often and believe me, it works). If it ever happens that you went to one room from another and you forget why you went there. Just go back to the room where you came from and do and think of everything you did in the last few minutes in the reverse order, you’ll remember why you needed to go to the other room.
Managing life with a poor memory isn’t that difficult. There are always two sides of a picture, you just need to look at the brighter side and believe that it can look even brighter with a little effort. So the next time someone teases you by saying you haven’t got a sharp memory, just tell them you have an edge over them because of it!

Our eyes are a great blessing from Allah. They let us see the rainbow in the sky, help us read a book, write an essay, admire a painting, choose colourful clothes and matching shoes, and help us navigate our way through a crowded park or street. Without eyes or good vision, the world would be a dark, blurred or a scary place.
Eyes play a major role in our everyday lives and yet we do not pay much attention to their care. Children with vision problems can face a lot of difficulty in school, at home and in playgrounds.
Let’s look at some common eye problems and how we can avoid them.
Signs of vision problems
Headaches while reading, writing or doing schoolwork and the need to keep the books and objects close to the eye while studying are some of the signs that you have vision problems. Another sign is that you have to squint or strain your eyes while reading small print or a distant signboard.
If your vision gets blurred, you have red or watery eyes or you need to sit too close to the television to see clearly, then these activities also indicate that your eyesight is impaired. The biggest red flag is that you are unable to see the words written on the black or white board clearly from the back of the classroom.
What to do?
Poor eyesight can badly affect school performances, and reading and writing activities. It can also make you feel stressed or helpless.
Tell your parents immediately if you have frequent headaches, feel eye pain and have difficulty in reading or focusing on words written on the classroom board. These are all signs of vision problems and a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible to stop further deterioration.
If caught early and treated properly, eye conditions can often be corrected. Wearing eyeglasses is an easy way to reduce common problems associated with vision loss including headaches and eye strain. Choose funky frame designs and look cool!
Preventing eye strain and injury
• The room where you study should be well lit.
• Do not stare into your computer monitor or the TV screens for long periods of time. Rest your eyes as often as possible. One tip to reduce eye strain is to keep the eyes closed for a few seconds after every 20 minutes of ‘screen time.’
• Doctors also recommend that you look at some distant object from time to time instead of staring continuously into the computer screen for hours.
• Blink several times at regular intervals. This will help in better focusing.
• Chemicals in the air, dust particles, and infectious agents like germs and bacteria can also harm our eyes. Wash your hands and face regularly, especially after coming home from school and playing outside to prevent eye infections.
• If your eyes feel tired, dry or itchy, soak some cotton balls with cold water or rose water and place them over your closed eyes for a while.
• The ultra-violet light in the sun’s rays can be harmful to our eyes. Wear protective sunglasses when going out into the sun especially in the summer days or shield your eyes with wide–brimmed hats.
• Never use sharp objects carelessly. Knives, scissors, screwdrivers etc. should be handled very carefully. Some children play around with sharp pencils or place them near their eyes while studying. This habit is very dangerous and can cause eye injury.
• A good night sleep is also essential. This allows your eyes to replenish their lost energy and be prepared for the next day’s work.
Some grandma’s tips
• Keep used tea-bags in freezer and place them over your eyes for preventing dark circles.
• Cool cucumber slices and thinly sliced potato circles can also be used to refresh tired eyes.
• Soak five to seven almonds overnight. Peel them and blend them with a glass of milk. This milk is an excellent tonic for the eyes.
Food for better vision
For better eyesight, eat fruits and vegetables that are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Eat a variety of colourful and bright vegetables and fruits such as strawberries, mangoes, grapes, tomatoes, capsicum, melons, broccoli, dark leafy greens and carrots.
Zinc and folic acid in the diet is also essential for good eye health. A handful of dry fruits like walnuts, pecans, dried apricots and almonds eaten on a daily basis can keep your eyes strong. Milk, egg yolks and mozzarella cheese are also excellent sources of nutrients for your eyes.
Eye exercises
• Do eye movements starting from up to down and then moving from left to right. Repeat eight times and do not move your head. Do not force your eyes further than they can go in any particular direction.
• Stick out your thumb or hold a pencil in front of you at arm’s length. Move your arm slowly to your nose. Follow the pencil/thumb with your eyes. Repeat 10 times.
• Focus on a distant object for 10-15 seconds. Then, slowly refocus your eyes on a nearby object without moving your head. Focus again for 10-15 seconds, and go back to the distant object. Do this five times.
• When your eyes feel tired, close your eyes tightly for three to five seconds. Then open them for three to five seconds. Repeat seven to eight times.
• Sit in a chair and look in front of you at the opposite wall. Pretend to write large alphabets on the wall with your eyes without moving your head.
Did you know?
• The most severe form of colour blindness is achromatopsia. A person with this rare condition can only see things in shades of grey.
• In the most common type of colour blindness, people have trouble telling the difference between red and green. Men are more prone to colour blindness.
• Deficiency of Vitamin A can cause night blindness.
• Myopia causes a person to be nearsighted. Myopic person sees close up objects clearly, but objects in the distance are blurred.
• Pinkeye is an eye disease most often caused by a virus or by a bacterial infection, although allergies and chemical agents can also play a role.
• An optician is a person who makes glasses for remedying defects of vision.
• An optometrist is a person skilled in testing for vision defects in order to prescribe corrective glasses
• Ophthalmologist is a medical doctor specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases.
It is important to keep our eyes healthy so that we can enjoy seeing the world around us clearly even in our old age. Take care… because your eyes deserve it!

1. What is the name of the protruding part of the outer ear that can be seen outside the head?

2. The eardrum is a delicate membrane that vibrates as sound passes through it and the vibrations pass on to the middle ear. Do you know the other name for the eardrum?

3. The middle ear contains a tube that helps to equalise pressure and drain mucus, can you name it?

4. There are three small bones in the middle ear, malleus, incus and stapes. What is their collective name?

5. What is the scientific name for the white area of the eyeball surrounding the coloured one?

6. What is the length of light, also known as the visible range that can be detected by the human eye?

7. For how much time does the impression of an image remain on the retina of the eye?

8. The movement of the eye is controlled by which
muscles?

— Rehan Jalal

ANSWERS

1. Pinna or auricle. Its function is to collect sound which is then passed through to the middle ear.
2. Tympanic membrane
3. The Eustachian tube
4. Ossicles, these small bones help carry sound from the eardrum, through the middle ear and into the inner ear.
5. Sclera, it is thinner and less opaque in children and as people grow older, it becomes more yellowish.
6. Between 400 to 700 nanometres. One nanometre is one-billionth of a metre. Beyond 700nm is infrared radiation and below 400 nm is the ultra-violet (UV) radiation.
7. Around 1/16th of a second.
8. The extra-ocular muscles. There are seven of them — four are responsible for controlling the eye’s movements from left to right and from top to bottom, and vice versa, two move the eye inward or outward and the last one controls the eyelid. All these muscles control the eye movement in unison.