Apollo Agrees

I realize that if I was a celebrity I’d be getting lots of hate mail for this one, but thank God I’m not! Viral hit, that is what the international culture of Transhumanism will evolve into over the next couple of months after it has become the central topic of bestselling author, Dan Brown’s new book, Inferno, which hit the racks just last month. Similar to the case of the Illuminati, a groundbreaking phenomenon, society will spend a large portion of their time addressing it, an issue that they fail to grasp in the first place… But what is transhumanism really?... Continue reading on HASH

Hey, you guys, my new weekly column, Adam's Ecstasy is finally seeing the light of day on the youthful, up-and-coming magazine, HASH. Check out my pilot article here...

Update

Hi guys! I wanted to thank every last reader because writing here was a truly liberating, inspiring, eye-opening experience to me and I couldn't have done without your views. I am currently writing a weekly column for HASH, an online magazine. The column is called Adam's Ecstasy... Moreover, I have landed an internship in Egypt's no. 1 bestselling English Magazine, Teenstuff. Since all my writing shall now, be published in said magazines, this blog will be used for publishing excerpts with links to the originals and original material that shall not be published in the magazine.

Regards,

Adam Ashraf

Update

Hey, you guys! Lately, I’ve been out of touch and too busy and tired to post. Anyway, I’m BACK! I’m starting off with a couple of changes. I shall rename my blog from Osamalicious to Ministry Of Eccentricity and that is, mostly because Osamalicious seemed to shock most people. Stay Tuned!

The Art Of Writing

I was never diagnosed with ADHD but with the way my brain runs, and the way I am always all over the place, I’m not surprised that all my friends would go to their graves swearing I have it.

The brain is an intense place where there’s always something occurring, be it a debate, revelation or a captivating obsession that haunts you. As a person who is always defined as, ‘over the top’, struggling to get everything done on time for my magazine, while studying to ace an exam, right after going for a night out in the time, this is especially true for me. The stress and confusion that capture me, trying to keep up with my present as I dream and contemplate about my future leads to the fact that my brain is probably busier than Grand Central Station.

When it all becomes too much, this is when writing comes in. To a majority, writing is merely they tool they use to get their homework done or to fill up the groceries’ list. I see that as a degradation of the word. Writing is an intriguing art where you communicate with someone. To Tina Brown, it’s an audience of millions but to me, it is probably the handful who read my blog, you guys, or probably just me in the case of my diary.

The touch of the sharpened pencil magnetizes your fingers as it makes a frictional sound across paper that your soul hears as a soft, sensational lullaby merely begging your fingers to go on and on. It’s a sensation that hits your body out of nowhere, swoops over you bringing shivers down your spine and knocks on your brain asking to be let out to the world, be it a fashion article, a poem or a script.

Moreover, writing brings about change in the way we function in our everyday life as we are suddenly engulfed by positivity as you instantaneously feel a burden lifted off your back. Your aura brightens and you become a more radiant individual. So if you’re feeling exhausted, tired, depressed, or even betrayed, remember, a swooping, embracing hug awaits you an article away. Sharpen your pencils, ladies and gentlemen, it works better than antidepressants!

Bob

The reason behind this is naïve and possibly stupid. I was told by an amazing friend of mine that talented people are widespread and common but the ones who are eventually said to be 'successful' are the ones who truly choose the pathway of nurturing their talent! I'm gonna tell you a story of a little boy called Bob! I chose the commonest of names as this is no particular person who has rose to a high position or become famous! He is simply a teen who has unearthed his talent!

Where Bob came from, Friday was the day families socialized, and his family and their acquaintances always met up in the Park! Unlike the stereotypical boy, Bob hated football and similar sports. To him friday was 'peace day'. Every Friday morning his family would head to the park. Mothers would gossip while fathers would discuss significant issues like the weather, politics and the economy! The kids were naturally playful, Girls would skip the rope while boys would be playing ball!

Bob, conversely, lied down under the shadows of a willow tree admiring the astonishing greenery or the limited bird species roaming the setting! There, and only there, Bob would find his inner peace. Some mocked him while others attempted attracting to the game but he was what Mr. Ashton, Bob's Father, called a hopeless case when it comes to fitting in. The other boys' failures in attracting him to the game resulted to him being, 'Lazy Bob'.

Again, breaking the trend, the mocking names didn't disturb Bob at all. He didn't complain or attempt to get sympathy looks and acts from elders. Later, he said he was glad he didn't force himself into sports. The little boy says, It may have distracted him from later meeting the love of his life.

A couple of days after his ninth birthday Bob met his true love. When he told people they assumed he was talking about a girl! They were wrong... It was a passion. This passion was his exclusive companion through solitude, joy and occasional misery! His love was the Notepad! Grounded for a reason he doesn't remember, laid Bob in his bedroom wondering what to do. He soon enough laid eyes on the notepad and this was his first encounter with what would have later become the source of his ultimate delight.

Fast forward, six years, Bob is a changed person. The mischievous edge his teachers complained about has vanished and was replaced by a calm attitude. He says, it was because of the lack of activity.

Writing gives Bob an indescribable rush which he never experienced in the past, The flow of words mastered between his hands were like the flow of a maestro's fingers as he directed an orchestra. The Fifteen year old, Bob, when spoken to says, 'I know one day Ill reach my ultimate destiny. I did what I loved and I worked at it so I shall not fail'. Others might dream of being business tycoons or Hollywood stars but Bob will always be the happiest of them all!

Balance is the word

We, the young teenage rebels of the twenty first century, have become part of a world where finding leisure, fun and entertainment is a click away. Long gone are the days when teenagers had to spend a handful of cash to entertain themselves in a bowling arcade or buy a novel, we have it all for free! While many of the supporters of that will debate that it has narrowed the cultural variation gap, and that lack of funds wouldn’t lead to lack of fun, this has also made our generation shortsighted, unintelligent and above it, all, uninterested in anything but who is going to comment on their ‘Facebook’ status. The already flaming debate about whether we should ‘live the moment’ or ‘aspire for the future’ has sizzled with the stakes so high… What’s right and what’s wrong?

Many of the youth of today live their life to the fullest, embracing every second and making a milestone out of every day, appreciating the lily’s aroma in the spring, the flaming sun in the summer, the rust feel of the autumn and the breezy chill of winter. Their high school life goes by as they engage in partying, dating, clubbing, shopping and any other, moral, and sometimes immoral, activity you can possibly imagine. After they’ve ‘done it all’ and they’re broke, they are confronted by the fact that they wasted the years in which they should’ve been maturely developing on worthless ‘fun’. Some will go on living off part time jobs, but a part of them will know that it’s over. They will have hit rock bottom. Others may proceed to the ‘right track’ or whatever you choose to call it, but the inevitable fact will not miraculously disappear: They have wasted the most relevant decade of their life.

The second group, that seems to be diminishing in the world today, are the absolute opposite of the ones who have “Live while we’re young” as their cell phone ringtone. These are the youth who build their present around their future. Their every act is with the motive of reaching for the stars, moving one step closer to the future they worked for and pondered over for a majority of their existence. They have their university and career of choice planned and they spend every waking moment where they aren’t cramming to ace an exam, daydreaming about the day when that dream will turn into reality. The question is, though, are these young scientists, poets, lawyers and doctors of the future doing themselves justice? Will they wake up two decades from now, realizing that they wasted their life prepping for an interview or conference in their dorm room? They probably will but it shall then be too late.

If I had to pick a lifestyle of the two, I would be more in sympathy with the latter but the good news is, I don’t, and neither do you. Why don’t we break the trend for once and rather than condemn ourselves to the life of a nerd or a partier, obliviously following a stereotype, make our own trend and lifestyle? Why don’t we strike a balance between the two? It isn’t as hard as many might believe it would be. We can always sign up for extracurricular activities which are both enjoyable and educational. It’s basically the best of both worlds. Read a book, go to a party, prep for the exam then head to the GYM! There are twenty four whole hours a day and conforming to a mere activity all along is tedious and repetitive. You intertwine both lifestyles and you got yourself an winning infusion!