fayecompositions-blog

[fayecompositions-blog]

Thank you so much, Charisse! I’m glad you enjoyed my work, and noticed my effort to create balance in my profile and write about Luis in a realistic way.

//y.f

magnum opus

It’s finally here! The release of my newest written work has arrived and I will first share it with you, my dedicated followers. This is a profile that I wrote about my friend’s lifestyle and mindset. I like to think of it as a little reminder to always think positive, because “once you have hit the bottom, there is no where left to go but up.”

 Be sure to leave me some feedback, I would appreciate it so much! 

//y.f

A Look into the Life of Luis A. Diaz Soto

Yumna Fayyaz

 An optimist, an aspiring nurse, and a family man. These are all attributes of Luis A. Diaz Soto. At only 17 years old, Luis is a man with great focus and motivation, and he has no one to thank but the people who surround him. Luis uses the people in his life for inspiration everyday, and tries to embody the good he sees in them. Luis also hopes that pieces of himself are left within the people he meets. Though Luis is shaped by his friends, no one means more to him than his parents. Being immigrants, Luis is proud of his parents for looking out for their family and working hard to bring them to a better state of living. Luis dreams of one day being as strong as his parents are, and to have a big, loving family of his own. Making his parents happy is what Luis says to be his greatest achievement. By getting into his top choice program at Ryerson University for nursing, Luis knows he can eventually repay his parents for all they have done for him.

Keep reading

[fayecompositions-blog]

magnum opus

It’s finally here! The release of my newest written work has arrived and I will first share it with you, my dedicated followers. This is a profile that I wrote about my friend’s lifestyle and mindset. I like to think of it as a little reminder to always think positive, because “once you have hit the bottom, there is no where left to go but up.”

 Be sure to leave me some feedback, I would appreciate it so much! 

//y.f

A Look into the Life of Luis A. Diaz Soto

Yumna Fayyaz

 An optimist, an aspiring nurse, and a family man. These are all attributes of Luis A. Diaz Soto. At only 17 years old, Luis is a man with great focus and motivation, and he has no one to thank but the people who surround him. Luis uses the people in his life for inspiration everyday, and tries to embody the good he sees in them. Luis also hopes that pieces of himself are left within the people he meets. Though Luis is shaped by his friends, no one means more to him than his parents. Being immigrants, Luis is proud of his parents for looking out for their family and working hard to bring them to a better state of living. Luis dreams of one day being as strong as his parents are, and to have a big, loving family of his own. Making his parents happy is what Luis says to be his greatest achievement. By getting into his top choice program at Ryerson University for nursing, Luis knows he can eventually repay his parents for all they have done for him.

It may not show through his overwhelmingly positive personality, but there have obviously been obstacles Luis has had to overcome. Namely, Luis struggles with finding a balance between family, friends, work and school. Luis is employed at Shopper’s Drug Mart, working long hours that go up until midnight. Because of this, most of Luis’ school nights are spent awake completing homework and assignments. Procrastination is Luis’ biggest enemy, and he easily falls victim to it when it comes to friends. People are often times distracting to Luis, and these distractions lead to the lack of his completed work. Additionally, Luis goes out of his way to please all those around him, even if it results in self-sabotage. Luis can be too caring, and he loses sense of his own priorities when it comes to helping out a friend. In a way, Luis uses his friends as an excuse to turn a blind eye to his personal tasks, as being a good friend becomes another excuse to procrastinate. Furthermore, recently Luis reached, what he would call, his ultimate low. When schoolwork piled up, friends were absent, and family seemed preoccupied, Luis felt as though he had hit rock bottom. In addition to these struggles, the biggest obstacle that Luis has had to face is racial discrimination. As a child, Luis had always been labelled as “the Mexican.” At first, Luis did not understand why his heritage could be used as an insult or seen as a negative comment, but because of the constant stereotyping from his peers and the media, Luis’ mindset began to change. Luis began to feel ashamed of his background, and tried to hide the fact that he could speak another language. However as he grew older, Luis learned to embrace his origins and, like most things in his life, looked at the bright side. Luis made it his mission to represent Mexico in a positive light, and to reverse society’s close-minded views of his home country. Although he has faced multiple obstacles over the course of his life, Luis has always steered for the rational route, and learned that once you have hit the bottom, there is nowhere left to go but up.

You may be wondering, where does he get all this wise, positive energy? The simple answer is that it’s in his genes. Once when he was very young, Luis’ father said to him: “It takes three strikes to get out. You have to continue to fight and never give up, because you are never out on the first strike.” Since that day, Luis wakes up every morning, ready to learn from his mistakes, and especially ready to learn from his father. If he had to choose just one person, Luis would say that his biggest inspiration is his dad. Arturo Diaz-Soto, a father of four children, works hard for his family. In fact, he worked himself to the bone to be able to call Canada a home. It was here that Arturo and his wife, Lina, started their family. Since he was a young toddler, Luis has looked up to his father, and seen him as the rock of the Diaz-Soto home. Arturo works day and night to ensure his family has a healthy and secure lifestyle, and there has never been a day where Arturo was unaffectionate to his children and wife. Luis specifically admires his father’s altruistic personality, as he exceeds his work load and still manages to give his family attention, and hopes to be able to make similar sacrifices for his own family in the future. Luis mirrors his father’s personality traits on the daily, and hopes to one day be as selfless, hardworking, dedicated and caring as his father.

Luis’ smile radiates the hallways of Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary School. In fact, it’s almost contagious. Everyone in his presence is influenced by his positivity, but one would be surprised to know that Luis has travelled a long, hard road to get his confidence to where it stands today. Luis only recently learned to come out of his protective shell, and take chances. His justification is that fate is set, and that it is okay to take a risk if it means that you’ll get the experience. Despite the fact that he is always seemingly content, Luis is not exempted from living a life with a few regrets. Luis constantly reflects on his past decisions, and finds disappointment not in his action, but rather, in the lack thereof. Luis regrets losing bonding time with extended family when they visit Canada, he finds that his true background lies within them. Luis believes that family is an essential part of any lifestyle, so being apart from his own family upsets him. Luis is also contrite that he does not give significance to the little things in life that can go a long way. Luis realizes that a short “hello” or “goodnight” may not seem like much to him, but it may brighten up his parents’ whole day. As previously stated, Luis wants to repay his parents for all that they have given him, and he feels that by starting to acknowledge them and displaying their importance in his life will help to contribute to that. Luis also greatly regrets wasting his time when it comes to friendships. Throughout high school, Luis always felt as though he was a burden to those around him, an annoyance, the gum stuck under your shoe. It was because of this discomfort, that Luis was hesitant to form close relationships and find true friends. True, Luis found a handful of trustworthy people through classes, clubs or sports, but in the back of his mind, he still felt like as if his friendships were founded on pity. Eventually, Luis realized that the people in his life truly loved him, and that he was far from being sticky, annoying gum. The tragic part is that this revelation occurred to Luis in the final months of his last year in high school. Although they caused a lot of pain throughout his life, it was through these built-up regrets that Luis learned a very important lesson: it is rare for something to happen twice, but nothing will ever repeat itself the same, exact way.  

“Plan for victory, prepare for failure.” This is Luis’ life motto. The way he sees it, you can aim for good goals, but you must never put yourself in a situation where you are lost. Luis has learned that you should always try to have control of your own life, and to always make a backup plan to fall on. As gaining success has always been part of Luis’ plan, his biggest fear is respectively to fail on his own terms. This fear prompted his dominant personality to always have things under control. Luis never disappoints, but when the situation is not in his hands, and he does not have it on paper, things start to go downhill. Long story short, Luis is a control freak, but being that way is the gate to his own path of success. That success is defined by having a loving family, with many children, and studying to be a nurse practitioner in five years.

Luis is a dedicated student, a reliable friend, a trustworthy son, and an accomplished person in general. In a shockingly short amount of time, Luis has managed to learn many life lessons and has passed what he learned down to his peers, siblings and friends. Luis has a set plan for his future life, including his career and family, however he is also prepared if that plan gets off track. With the help of his family and friends, Luis has formed into a positive, young man who is wise beyond his years, and has certainly left bits of himself in everyone around him.

//y.f

[fayecompositions-blog]

This is so adorable! Choosing to do your profile on your mother is so touching and really displays your true connection. //y.f

Profile

In my writer’s craft class, we began to study non-fiction a couple weeks ago. I was very interested in profiles because it was nice to interview people and decide how you wanted to write about them. When I chose to write a profile, I decided to write about my mom and her move to Canada from Pakistan. My mom is my inspiration and it was very fun writing about her and getting to know about her move in more depth. She has always motivated me and I am super thankful for the role she has played in my life. Hope you all enjoy!! 

[fayecompositions-blog]

hello, again

Hi, everyone. I just wanted to state something for the future and that is to say that I love this blog. I really cherish what I’ve posted onto fayecompositions, and I feel that I have found the confidence to share my creative writing through this blog. I am so proud of myself, and how much I have grown that I have decided to continue updating, even after my newest written piece has been released (more on that later). So, I hope you’ll stick around to see what this will turn into. 

//y.f

[fayecompositions-blog]

thanks so much kristine! I'll definitely use this to improve my work! //y.f

s.o.s

Hello, all! For my final piece of the year, I want to release a profile on my dear friend, Luis Diaz-Soto. However, I’m not happy with the length. So, I thought I’d come to my dedicated followers for help! So far, I have written about Luis’ accomplishments, life goals and overall positive personality. I was thinking, to add to the length of my profile, that I would add some negatives aspects of Luis’ life. For example, I want to write about his everyday struggles. What other things do you think I could mention?

Thanks so much <3

//y.f

[fayecompositions-blog]

s.o.s

Hello, all! For my final piece of the year, I want to release a profile on my dear friend, Luis Diaz-Soto. However, I’m not happy with the length. So, I thought I’d come to my dedicated followers for help! So far, I have written about Luis’ accomplishments, life goals and overall positive personality. I was thinking, to add to the length of my profile, that I would add some negatives aspects of Luis’ life. For example, I want to write about his everyday struggles. What other things do you think I could mention?

Thanks so much <3

//y.f

[fayecompositions-blog]

Hello once again! Today's writer's craft class took me back, way back. All the way back to my childhood when my mother would tuck me into bed, and read me a bedtime story before I fell asleep. As I reminisced on the simple plot lines, unique characters and vibrant pictures, I thought of some of my favourite books as a child. I've displayed a few of those below, but I want to know what your favourite children's books are! Let me know by reblogging :) //y.f

[fayecompositions-blog]

Thanks so much for your insight, Cristina! I'd really love to read that review sometime :) //y.f

a question

Hello, everyone! Today I was writing (what else is new) and I noticed that there was a shift in the tone of my writing compared to the winter time. I feel like in the winter, my writing is more gloomy and sad in a way. I tend to focus on darker, deeper topics. Now in the spring, my writing has a happier tone and focuses on positive concepts! So, my question is: do you think the weather has an impact on your writing? Is there a certain atmosphere you prefer to write in/gives you the most inspiration? Leave a response because I’d really like to know what you guys think! 🌸

//y.f

[fayecompositions-blog]

a question

Hello, everyone! Today I was writing (what else is new) and I noticed that there was a shift in the tone of my writing compared to the winter time. I feel like in the winter, my writing is more gloomy and sad in a way. I tend to focus on darker, deeper topics. Now in the spring, my writing has a happier tone and focuses on positive concepts! So, my question is: do you think the weather has an impact on your writing? Is there a certain atmosphere you prefer to write in/gives you the most inspiration? Leave a response because I’d really like to know what you guys think! 🌸

//y.f

[fayecompositions-blog]

make them proud

here is a spoken word piece that i’ve kept hidden from tumblr until now, hope you enjoy and don’t forget to leave some feedback! 

ever since I was little, I knew what I wanted to be

or I knew what my parents wanted to see from me:

a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer or transactor;

but God forbid I became an actor.

and when I made the confession,

that writing was my obsession,

that maybe I could make it my profession,

my parents wore an expression, that accused me of a transgression.

had I done something so wrong?

i let that idea go,

a long time ago,

and searched for a second love,

a second choice.

i settled on law,

because my dad said I was quick to justify my flaws,

that I spoke out for my cause,

and when I wanted to, I could grow razor-sharp claws,

clenching my jaw- I pause.

is there a difference between being good at something, and enjoying it?

maybe I’ll make money, or have the nicest car,

but I know, deep down, this’ll leave a scar,

that I left a door ajar, that my dreams are lost far

away. In a place where they’ll have to stay,

the desires I’ll never be able to say.

but I’ll always wait for the day,

that my dreams will become a reality,

that I won’t play the lead in this culturally-pressured tragedy,

that my parents will be proud of me,

and say the words I never thought they’d speak:

yumna, you’ve become what we wanted to see you be.

//y.f

[fayecompositions-blog]

wow this was absolutely mind-blowing, and the way that you opened up really shook me to the core. I think a few more examples could add to the depth of your point and really emphasize how repetitive rape is :( great job emily!

Is the Law Really, on Your Side?

**This is the beginning of an editorial I started, not sure how I feel about it. Post your opinion about it under my post! Should I keep writing? Should I make it to a new novel? Should I end it now?** I WANT FEEDBACK

You’re at a party on a Friday night, drinking and partying with your friends. As the night goes on, you notice your sobriety is slowly slipping away and you might have had too much to drink, it’s okay, it happens to the best of us. You feel yourself about to get sick and know it’s time for you to go home. Getting ready to walk home, you stumble and trip towards the frame of the door, almost falling, when a boy from your class offers to give you a ride. Thank God, someone here can help you get home safe. Now, too intoxicated to walk, you are being carried to his car, ready to go home and sleep off the night. When you are placed in his car, everything starts to go black and you pass out immediately. Next time you wake up, you are in a hospital bed, being told there is semen DNA all over your face and legs as well as having a blood alcohol level four times the legal limit. The semen found all over you is a perfect match to the “friend” who drove you home, the person you were relying on, the person you trusted and he is immediately arrested.

At this point, the police could have done several things. They could have further interviewed the suspect, gather evidence from his car, talk to any of the other 100 people at the party or interviewed the people that had to carry you to the accused car. They do none of these things, instead they dismiss all charges.

This is exactly what happened to a 16-year old Oklahoma high school student in March of last year.

A judge ruled: “Forcible sodomy cannot occur where a victim is so intoxicated as to be completely unconscious at the time of the sexual act of oral copulation,”

The court’s reasoning was that the statute listed several circumstances that constituted force, but didn’t mention incapacitation due to the victim drinking alcohol. So basically, they found a loop hole. A loop hole that will now set a horrible, long lasting precedence that can affect us all.

The plain meaning of forcible oral includes taking advantage of  a victim who is too intoxicated to consent, but because in the statue it doesn’t specifically say being unconscious, unable to say no, is considered being taken advantage of, the judge was able to dismiss the entire case. This poor girl was completely unconscious, thinking she was on her way home, unable to defend herself when the worst happened. I don’t know about you, but to me, that is a perfect example of being taken advantage of.

The idea that the law would allow rapists to face less or lower charges because the victim was unconscious, claiming that is allowing someone to do whatever they want with your unconscious body is disgusting. The law is there to serve and protect, it’s there for people to rely on and feel safe around but yet it’s doing the opposite. It did not help the victim, it did not protect the victim or serve the victim, instead her rapist was let free. So Is the Law Really on Our Side?

[fayecompositions-blog]

happy mother’s day

in honour of mother’s day (and to fit the current nonfiction unit) i did a special interview with my own mom- it was very casual and just a way to show off her amazing personality, so enjoy!

y.f: hello mom! happy mother’s day, please state your name for the readers.

mom: hi, thank you. my name is ursela fayyaz.

y.f: i’m just going to ask a few, random questions about yourself so i’ll start off with what you do for a living?

mom: I am a CMA by profession and also own a boutique business.

y.f: which of those would you say was your first passion?

mom: fashion is my passion, so I enjoy being an owner of a successful boutique.

y.f: what did you like to do as a child? do any of those hobbies resonate with your current self?

mom: I used to love reading books and painting, but I don’t really have time to do either of those anymore. however i feel like they do still resonate with me because you read and your sister paints so I guess you guys adapted those hobbies in a way.

y.f: would you say you have any regrets?

mom: not really, i’m really happy with my life and how things have played out.

y.f: if you could change one thing in your life, what would it be?

mom: I would wish that my father were still here so you guys could get to know him, and have an amazing grandfather. I know he would love you dearly.

y.f: do you prefer living in pakistan or canada?

mom: I prefer living in Canada. it is a much safer place to raise a family, and there is a good education system. but i miss hot weather all year round!

y.f: what is your favourite part of your culture?

mom: I appreciate the respect for elders that we have and i love our dresses.

y.f: okay, i’m going to switch to personal topics now: what kind of music do you like?

mom: classical indian music, especially ghazal. 

y.f: what is your favourite movie?

mom: dil wale dulhaniya lejayen ge. it’s a bollywood movie. it has good story line and songs are great. it also doesn’t hurt that sharukh khan is the star of that movie, he’s such a hero. (LOOOOL) 

y.f: what are your thoughts on the current potus? 

mom: he is a very irresponsible and selfish fellow. I am angered by his views, and by the fact that people are supporting those views.

y.f: what words have you lived by in your life?

mom: live, love, laugh.

y.f: finally, what advice can you give me before i leave the house for school?

mom: make good friends and do not trust everyone. believe in yourself because I believe in you.

y.f: thank you, mama, i love you. thanks for the interview.

mom: no problem, baby. thank you for having me.

hope you all enjoyed that little, sporadic interview with my mom. make sure you wish your moms a happy mother’s day and let her know you love her! 

//y.f

[fayecompositions-blog]

NOnfiction

helloo all! recently in my writer's craft class we've been focusing on nonfiction writing and here is my blunt opinion: i HATE it. sure-- it's cool to tell a real story, to capture a true event! but i'm honestly so tired of gathering facts and researching and citing sources you know? however, I can say that I enjoy being able to interview others, such as miss gonsalves + mr. livingston. I love to learn about people so i guess the only type of nonfiction writing that would resonate with me would be autobiographies! I don't know, maybe my opinion is really negative but I wanna know what you guys think! also: we're writing editorials in class right now + I wrote mine on why the world needs comic books! what's your preference: comics or movie adaptations? //y.f

[fayecompositions-blog]

wow Dua-- you've left me absolutely speechless. this is so amazing and you should know you have a serious talent!! great job

//y.f

Ballad - Journey of My Hijab

I love these few verses I made for my ballad. What do you all think? 

At age 14, I began to wear my hijab with such pride

Wearing it like a cape, rather than a disguise

I stood my ground and held my tongue, until it went numb

Even when they told me, “to go back to where you are from!”

- Dee

[fayecompositions-blog]

the interview

recently, in my writer’s craft class we’ve been focusing on non-fiction writing and to my surprise, interviews fall under that genre. we even got the chance to interview miss gonsalves and learn a lot about her. now we have the opportunity to write a profile of our own and be a reporter for a day! below, i’ve linked some of my favourite interviews (just because they’re funny/entertaining), as well as some interview questions for beginners. comment what your favourite interview is, personally i love the tonight show w/ jimmy fallon-- until next time!

//y.f

favourite interviews:

Jimmy Fallon & Nicole Kidman

Jimmy Fallon & Jennifer Lawrence

Ellen & James Corden

beginner interview questions:

what’s your full name?

where were you born? what was your childhood like?

what are some of the biggest obstacles you’ve overcome in your life?

what is your life motto?

what is your biggest fear?

where do you see yourself in five years?

are you satisfied with where you are in life right now?

[fayecompositions-blog]

happy book day!

so tumblr tells me it's book day today, i didn't even know that existed. but happy book day, what book are you reading today? i'm reading harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban! //y.f

[fayecompositions-blog]

carpe diem

hey everyone! so recently i watched the classic movie: dead poets’ society, in my writer’s craft class and it was honestly a revelation! i’ve only heard amazing things about this movie, and i’m so glad i finally got to watch it. it definitely met my expectations, and i’d recommend it to others. there’s so many lessons to be learned from it, especially for people who are coming of age, and often struggling with similar issues. personally, this movie made me bawl my eyes out, but i wanna know what you guys thought about it. make sure to leave a comment! 

//y.f