Q) You have been asked by your school or college to give a talk to your peers with the title ‘Being Lost’. By Uzair Shah

“Hello and good evening everyone, my name is Uzair Shah. Most of you are probably already aware of that. I am from Jackson, Tennessee although I’m currently over here in Sacramento at our lovely local college. Alright I see some Tennessee fans here. Go Jaguars!

So before I get started I want to ask you all a question. How many of you go hiking on the trails at the mountains? Okay, I see some hands. Let me ask you another. How many of you have ever been lost? Alright, I see only two hands meaning not a lot. Let me tell you all something. In the past year there have been over 5,000 missing persons reports all over the country. 

Why so many you ask? Well it’s a common occurrence believe it or not. It can happen to anyone. Most people can go off path for hours before even realizing they are lost. Many missing people are eventually found and that is because they were trained with the necessary precautions of how to survive in the wilderness. As someone with experience I am going to explain to you all on how to deal with a situation like this if you were to ever get lost.

Now the first thing you do when you realize you are lost is to stay calm no matter what. You are in a dangerous situation and losing control of yourself is the last thing you would want. When I first got lost, I was lucky enough to read the survival guide early before. I was cold, I was scared, and I wanted to go home. My first instinct was to travel downhill as it was getting dark but instead I accidentally triggered a small rock avalanche which made me stumble and twist my ankle. I felt helpless and didn’t know what to do. 

Now I want to share with you all the advice that was given to me as a young cub scout which I had never forgotten and had been used to save my life. This is called the ‘STOP’ method.

‘STOP’ stands for the required steps for your best chance to get out of a given situation like this. ‘S’ stands for stop, ‘T’ stands for think, ‘O’ stands for observe, and ‘P’ means plan. If you implement these steps I guarantee you that you will have a higher chance of getting to safety. 

Now you are not done yet ladies and gentlemen. Always make sure you have a cell phone with enough bars of signal to make a call. When hiking or going somewhere that is far from any signal towers, I recommend you bring a satellite phone. Therefore you can call the emergency services on the spot. 

Suppose you do not have that and neither any service. What do you do? Well if you have plenty of day time, then you should start heading downhill. You’ll be bound to find some sort of road or populated area. If it is getting dark you should prepare yourself for the night by layering yourself and finding shelter. Water is the most essential to stay hydrated. 

You may want to keep flares with you in case a plane flies by. If all these steps are done well and correctly, the probability of you being found will be likely.

Now as you can see on the board behind me, there are some names of mental institutions all around Sacramento. Getting lost is a serious thing and you will not always be found immediately. Sometimes it could take days, weeks, or even months. It could be a very traumatizing experience and the best way to cope with it is to speak about it. 

On the other hand, those who get lost for a short amount of time, although they wouldn’t feel it then but afterwards it would seem like a thrilling sense of adventure. It would make them feel something they would have never felt before. At least, that’s what I felt that is. 

To conclude my topic, I just wanted to remind this wonderful audience what a great time I have had educating you about this. I hope you all fix this information into your minds and if unfortunately, you actually do find yourself in a situation like this, whether you’re stranded in a desert or in the heart of a forest, you now won’t have to worry as much as you would have thirty minutes ago. Thank you so much for hearing me out everybody, and have a wonderful day.”

The Talk of the Century By Shamel Mujtaba

Four friends meet in the garage where they hang out.

Jason: Okay boys! Here’s the plan! Dave! You need to be ready with the weird rickshaw-cycle thingy when you get my signal!

Dave: Easier than peasy.

Jason: Andy! You stall the driver so he comes late for the entire day.

Andy: I got my tyre puncturing kit ready and my ultra-annoying mask on!

Jason: Bob! What do you do?

Bob: I, uhh, well…

Jason: YOU finally confess to Lily! No stammering! Just recite the script I wrote and you’ll be fine.

Bob: Do I have to do this?

Dave: Every time you talk – no look at her – your legs start getting all jelly and you start stammering like your tongue got stung by a bee!

Andy: It is, the saddest thing…

Jason: (With horrified face) It makes me want to cry-every time. (Suddenly angry) And I never cry!

Bob: (Annoyed) Ok, I get the point!

Jason: Then let’s go! Operation ‘get Bob to finally confess to lily after time immortal’-is-a-go!

(Now outside, Lily’s driver has been stalled by Dave and Bob has to try to talk to her. Jason and Andy are on comms)

Jason: Ok, just play it cool okay. Don’t blow this.

Bob: (Gulps nervously, then walks over to lily) Heeeeey Girl…

Lily: (confused) Umm… Hi?

Andy: here we go again.

Jason: What the heck was that! Stick to the script you-

Bob: (Cuts him off) what’s ‘cookin?

Lily: (Very confused) Umm…

Bob: (Trying too hard to sound ‘cool’) Cool, cool, cool.

Lily: (Immeasurably confused) Okay?

Bob: So, uhh, what’s cooking?

Lily: You just said that…

Bob: Cool, Cool, Cool.

Lily: Are you feeling okay?

Bob: Yeah, yeah, I’m awesome right?

Lily: Umm, I guess so?

Jason: (Furious) What are you doing?

Bob: (whispers) Shut up Jason.

Lily: (Raises an eyebrow)

Bob: Umm… my, err, subconscious- uhh, was bugging me?

Lily: (Raises both eyebrows in disbelief)
(Lily’s driver now shows up in her car to pick her up from school. Lily speed walks towards the car and turns back to bob)

Lily: Bob?

Bob: ‘Sup, girl.

Lily: Consider getting-(hesitates) professional help.

Bob: Cool, Cool.

Lily: (frowns and gets in the car without saying goodbye)

Jason: Dave! You were supposed to stall!

Dave: (now also on comms) and bob was supposed to be remotely confident – or something – But not that!

Andy: So I guess no romantic rickshaw-cycle ride then?

Jason: (Face slaps over comms) Great work team.

Talk: Project on Government Hospitals by Mohsin Raza

How the Poor Die? Talk by Zara Irfan.

“Good day everyone! You all know probably know me since we all basically live together and see each others boring faces all day long, but hey, for formalities lets get along with my introdction.

My name is Zara, Zara Irfan and an important thing that you all should know about me is that i absolutely HATE people who like pineapple on pizza, and if you’re one of they’re squad members, you can run along and hide in your dark place.

Now now, hold your horses, probably most of you are like,”there are people dying Kim” because that is exactly where I am going.

Coming to the point of this talk, and setting all sappy jokes aside, what I’m going to talk about today is in fact a very serious topic. So, I’m going to ask you all a question. Aren’t hospitals supposed to be a place where you can heal and get better? If that’s the case, why are people coming out of hospitals in more dire conditions, or worse, dead?

Recently the school asked me to gather information about the conditions of the hospitals in our country, and you won’t believe what my eyes witnessed during my observations.

Broken beds, broken machinery, broken needles.

This was the easiest way to summarize the drastic conditions. Allow me to further elaborate.

The beds in the so called “rooms” were almost as if they were conjoined together with glue. The variety of diseases were clustered together as one to form a mixture of venom that could even make the healthy sick. How fortunate.

During my tour of the rugged building, i noticed the extreme cleanliness present there. It felt like i was walking on a cloud that had just rained.

Silly, right?

The place was anything but tidy. I had to wash the filth off my hand every time i touched something, even if it was a wall. The paint was chipped and was falling off, creating a bigger mess on the cracked tiles below which were cemented with germs.

It was insanely. insanely, insanely horrendous to see.

A permanent scowl of disgust sat on my face throughout. I’m sure you all fell the same way, even I can see it on all of your faces!

Now, as i was  pacing through the HUGE passageway, my eyes wandered to a half opened door. Whimpers of pain were emitting from it which made me stand as still as a stick outside the door.

As usual, curiosity killed the cat and i stepped in.

When my eyes fell upon the man laying under the crisp white (almost yellow) sheets, tears threatened to spill out.

Yes, it was that bad.

The man laid lifeless on the small, concise bed which was crowded with different wires and drips tangled together, and his face was contorted with pain.

Tears consistently fell out of his eyes, but only small sounds came out of his mouth- maybe because he wasn’t able to.

I was so lost in living in his misery that i didn’t even notice the ill make laying behind me. It was only when he yelled out ‘Numero 38’ when i looked back.

You people won’t believe what he said next. Let me narrate his exact words to you. “Old lad’s gon’ die”. And yes, I’m not lying. After he finished with his sentence, he started ‘he he heing’. I don’t know if I was angry or amused but i remember my left eye squinting and my eyebrow twitching.

However, when he narrated the “barely-alive” man’s story, i won’t lie, i really thought he was going to die as well.

Hey! Don’t come at me, I’m sure you all will think the same thing once i tell you about his unfortunate tale.

The irony is, he was a doctor. Which operating someone, he ended up catching the patient’s disease and other deadly infections which completely wrecked almost everything in his body. His alcohol addiction didn’t help the situation either.

His current situation is that even the lightest touch sends him into the underground pits of hell. He starts screaming in agony whenever the nurses come to check on him.

Oh and don’t even get me started on this topic. The way the nurses treat you is ridiculous and extremely unprofessional to say the least. They act as if you’re not even human! Well i don’t blame them, its not like they act as one either. It would be highly preferable if they kept their anger down a notch.

I think I’ve taken plenty of your time now and cleared my point enough, but I’m going to say this one last time. Raise your voice! You have it for a reason and it can do wonders. Hospitals are meant to make you feel better, not the opposite.

Thank you for your time.”

Section B: You have been asked to give a speech to people of your age to encourage them to take part in a volunteering project. By Hamza Kamil.

Q) Write the text of a speech to give to your class about the importance of education and how it helps individuals grow. You must include: · Importance of education/school · Measures taken for the improvement of schools/ resources · Role of the parents/ teachers to ensure good learning/ safety of the students Think carefully about the purpose of the speech and the audience for whom it is intended. By Mahum Mujtaba

“We have seen the situation of our country. More than half of our young children wander aimlessly around the roads, wearing rags and are deprived of basic needs. And many of us ponder on why these small children are working on the streets. The answer to this question is quite simple. It is the need of education …

Good morning fellow students and respected teacher. My name is Mahum and today I will inform you all about the importance of education, as well as what is being done to improve our schools. Education is powerful and many may not know that it is in fact, a necessity of life.

Education is vital and necessary for all of us. People like you and me can reach out for their true potential. Education is like the stepping stones to our talents, which are the stars shining high up in the sky. Education gives us the power of the pen and the joys of reading. Likewise, it also gives us skills that can only be obtained through education, like coding and algebra. And perhaps the most important part of education is the fact that it gives every single person a chance to learn … to learn about life … and how to overcome problems faced in our daily lives. Education is the most powerful weapon anyone can give us and we must use it to overcome the world.

The one place where all of us go to learn is school. But what exactly is being done to improve our schools? What can we do to help us learn more? … Firstly, our government can give schools more money. This would help them create new buildings and facilities that can enhance our learning. For instance, we can install laboratories in those schools that have none. This makes lessons more lively and exciting. Furthermore, we could also use the money to train good teachers and staff. Better teachers means better learning, and better learning means a better chance in life. Moreover, certain programs, like dropout prevention programs, will make sure that students will learn all that they can in order to succeed. These will ensure that students have the best chance possible in their future years.

All of us know how tasty the school lunches are. Though the food may appeal to our tastebuds, they are in fact, not healthy for us. These foods don’t make us as strong and healthy as we are meant to be. Of course, we all may not like healthy food in school, but it is necessary for us as it gives us a balanced diet. We could, for example, serve more fruits and vegetables in schools to provide us with a healthy diet. These are some of the changes that we should commence in our schools.

The role of teachers in schools is vital to learning. Though there are some teachers who all of us may not like, they still are very important in our lives. They have a huge responsibility on their shoulders. They are responsible for teaching our country’s children. For if they fail to teach us properly, they fail to teach their country, as quoted by Nelson Mandela. In each lesson, the teacher has to teach the student something new. In the same way, they need to prepare interesting, lively and exciting lessons that engage the students in every class. In short, teachers must keep the highest standards in mind while preparing lessons.

Parents are the most important figures to all children’s ability to do well in school. Parents are the child’s first teachers, thus children look up to them in difficult times. Parents ensure that children do their homework, that is necessary. Furthermore, parents also need to make sure that children set high standards. This motivates students to work harder to achieve their goal. Just like me, who gets upset if I lose five marks in a test! Parents also need to get in touch with teachers for improvements in our studies, which is the cause of our tantrums when we find out that we need tuitions.

Teachers and parents should also train children to solve issues without using violence. This ensures that students study in a safe environment. Children should also be taught not to vandalize the school as well. Drugs should also not be allowed. These make sure that the students are safe in school and can focus on their studies.

In conclusion, education is very important to youths as it prepares us for future challenges. We must educate all our children as it gives them the opportunity to learn and grow in a safe environment.

Thank you all for your time.”

Talk on ‘Disastrous Fires’ by Eman Haseeb

“Hello!

Today I am here to talk about the disastrous fires caused each day in every part of the world. We will talk about how these are caused, their effects, and what can we do to overcome it.

Fire is caused very quickly. Areas where there is petrol or any other type of fuel can catch fire easily. From what I have experienced gas stations or houses are most likely to catch fire.

Fire in homes can be caused by turning on the gas of the stove and forgetting to turn it off. This is a very common incident in today’s daily life. The gas which was left open can spread all over the house and by lighting a matchbox near the stove can cause a huge fire. You students yourself would have seen this in movies or maybe heard from someone.

Another way in which fire can be caused is by burning huge amount of garbage. Garbage contains a lot of materials which catch fire easily. If the garbage being burnt is somewhere in the bushes then it will cause the fire to spread all over. So there are many ways in which disastrous and extreme fire can be caused. Now coming to the effects of the fire is what I will be telling you next.

Bushfires mostly suffered by Australia can cause pollution in the city. The bad smell spreads all over the area, not just this but creating pollution. Disastrous fires can cause people to die. Fires caused in homes or huge buildings where people cannot manage to escape; die burning in fire. A person who catches fire on his/her clothes cannot do anything rather than trying to put on water on them to save oneself from burning to death.

A firefighter puts his job at risk to save other people. To overcome fire you can throw water from a distance. A great deal of water is needed such as a fire estinguisher which is available in most of the shops and buildings. High school students like you would know how to make a fire stop. You people would have studied this or seen it in movies or documentaries.

Places where there are no fire estinguishers can use cloths such as blankets or sheets. This can be helpful for the people owning a clothing shop.

At last I would like to suggest the students to study more about fire and how to get rid of them. To be a fire fighter one has to put their lives at risk in order to save someone else’s life

Goodbye.”

Q. Imagine you are a journalist doing research on the popularly rising addiction of the use of mobile phones. You have been asked to give a talk at a local high school apprising children on its feats. You should include: . Describe a regular morning at the tube station and the irony behind it . How were the things before and how have the British evolved . What are the pros and cons of teenagers owing mobile phones. Think carefully about the purpose of your talk and the audience for whom it is intended. By Aamash Qaiser

“Hi there youngsters . The school environment does bring back many memories. I can already observe some mobile phones recording me, don’t stress yourself though because that will have a greater impact on you relating to what I am here to talk about today.

As for many of you who don’t recognize my face, I’m William, a journalist who is curious to know what goes inside the head of yours. I’m here to talk about your beloved mobile phones and how they have grown in popularity throughout the years and why people like or dislike it.

Now, I’m a very keen observer, you know like they say “all eyes and ears”, (I don’t know if it’s a natural instinct or I’ve been taking my job too seriously, anyway, today at the tube station on a regular British morning I saw not one but two scenarios where the person that called or texted the other one, was a few feet away.

This saddened me as the realization hit me that the individuals did not decided to actually to talk to each other verbally and face to face but to do it through their phones.

Now, I can understand that someone may text as it may be confidential and would worry that someone would eavesdrop but talking on the phone with a higher pitch and volume and making strangers forcefully listen to your conversation is quite ironic and absurd.

Back in the 80s, no one thought of owing a mobile phone but now, not having a mobile phone is stated as ‘weird’. Every sixth person owns a mobile phone in this world and the number of phone owners in this world is likely to reach 1.4 billion.

The world has become faster with the use of technology but has also become increasingly busier. Men don’t have time to say “goodbye” when they leave for work but instead 80% of people call their partner while commuting and talk along the way.

It’s time to turn the table to your side, so let me give a talk about how a mobile phone can affect your teenage lives in both ways.

Mobile phones, a technology previously thought to be impossible is an object used in our daily lives today especially by teenagers. They can be a source of comfort and security fir both the parents and children as they can call each other anytime when in need of something.

The smartphones give an instant access to the internet where the teenagers can look for solutions to their problems quickly. It provides the largest source of knowledge by just a click.

It also provides an ability to text someone in case they are busy and cannot attend a call like a student attending a class can quickly look at the message and reply without disrupting the class.

However, the negative effects of mobile phones are tragic and unfortunate for teenagers. Then addiction is a fact that cannot be denied and that teenagers use their phones instead of focusing on their academics.

The greatest threat of owning a mobile phone is the theft. Many teenagers present here today may have experienced mobile theft. This is rising rapidly as the newer mobile phones are having an expensive price such as the new “Apple iPhone X” which ranges up to one thousand US dollars.

The phones are so dear to people nowadays that they would not easily give in their phones even with a gun to their head because last month, a teenage girl was shot in the head and murdered for not giving her phone to the robber.

These types of threats induce a burden on the parents too as they have to be cautious and keep an eye on the phone in public and explaining to some ignorant teens, the dangers and threats of owning a phone which may vary from actual theft or hacking which reveals all the material inside the phone to hackers therefore invading privacy.

It is all a big risk but there are good chances that you may not even get mugged but my advice is that you should stay cautious and vigilant and don’t end up losing your phone and just like in the Stranger Things show, “Stay Frosty”.”

‘Directed Writing — Talk (May 2006, Passage One) Fire fighter’ by Safa Aman

“Hey, everybody; Phil Chenay here for those of you who are not aware of who I am. Today, I am going to inform you and talk a little about ‘fire’. When the word ‘fire’ comes to your mind, simultaneously, ‘fear’ accompanies it. However, with the right precautions and safety measures taken, fear and fire should hopefully not be able to mix.

Being near a fire is not as frightening as the movies make it seem. The flames are a work of art, a wonder, a complete mystery and fascination. Sure, you may consider yourself ‘inferior’ to the fire at times as you do not possess the same heating power as the fire itself, but if you come to terms with that, it is not so bad. Needless to say that if your job revolves around fire, it is bound to get a little hot. The temperature ranges from thirty degrees celsius to forty degrees celsius most of the time. Because the fire is brighter than daylight itself, I, along with my fellow peers, often feel like we are stuck in a time zone where daytime is unheard of. The flames may come off slightly intimidating as they seek to scare you and look taller and mightier than they truly are. Not to mention that I almost burst my eardrum as the flames roared lion-like in my ears! To add to the noise, the wind is always present, making it awfully noisy at times. If you pay close attention, a slight ‘thump’ murmurs in the background as gas pockets are rapidly being burnt.

You all must have heard about the Canberra fire when it hit all your news’ channels at home. A single fire that goes up to a meter radiates about one-thousand kilowats of energy. You can only imagine how much energy was exerted in the infamous fuel-filled hills of Canberra when it caught fire. No lucky guesses, anybody? Well, about two-hundred and fifty-thousand kilowats were released. Yes, you guys heard me right. It was so out of hand that people were left with no choice, but to guard their own home and belongings.

As for the aftermath . . . it was not pretty. The smell of rotten meat hung in the forest air for about a month even after the fire. The only sign of life were the few eagles and carrion eaters. Reconstructing homes and places that people had many memories attached with was difficult for everyone to deal with, emotionally. Firefighters only require enough information to get a gist of what happened, but once the unfortunate victims of the fire ‘open up’, they spill every detail of the incident.

People should mentally and physically be prepared if a fire were to erupt. Evacuating at the last minute whilst a fire has already broken out is never an option. The best — and safest — thing one can do is remain in the sanctuary of his or her home as the fire simply goes over the roofs. You people also must refrain from approaching the flames if you are not dressed appropriately as the fire could cause serious injuries and burns. Having a grass clearing surrounding your property is a brilliant way to prevent your home from burning down. Unfortunately, people in today’s date and time opt for beauty over their property’s safety and end up with no clearing around their homes. This leads to their houses burning down until nothing remains of them.

The most we can do for now in order to prevent such fires from happening again are managing the fuels used as the weather is not in our control. However, deliberate fires may be caused as this method aids us in ridding most of the natural fuel that is present on the forest floor.

Majority of people object to deliberate fires because the idea of burning plants and trees for no apparent reason puzzles them. Little do they realize that by doing this, they are in the process of training for in case a genuine outbreak was to occur.

Fire is not nearly as terrifying as people make it out to be if the right actions are taken against it. If we work together, we will easily be capable of sparing innocent human lives along with other species. Thank you all for your time and I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.”

You are one of the visitors at the Venetian Glass Factory. Write a talk for your class, while including the following points: • describe Venice, and the view of the Venetian Glass Factory • show how the glass pieces are sculpted • explain how these pieces are decorated Think carefully about the purpose of your talk, and the audience for whom it is intended. By Jibraeil Aatif Anwar

Good morning, my dear, fellow students! It has, obviously, reached your attention that I have recently visited the Murano Glass Factory in Galleria San Marco, in Venice, Italy. This trip was one of the finest I have ever been on for quite a while, as I got to witness the making of glass itself; basically, how it is made, how it is designed and how it is decorated. Are you already excited? Because I certainly am, as well, so let’s find out about all of the various events that happened there, and in what way.

First of all, it is quite very much common knowledge, the things that Venice is most well-known for: its waterways, which are as picturesque as Da Vinci’s own Mona Lisa; its bridges, which connect all of the 150 small islands in such a way that the overhead view would be like that of a web; its water taxis, which speed across the rivers faster than a bullet; and, of course, its gondolas, paddled through the narrow canals, being the very common places of love-making, romance and things very similar to that.

But, what you don’t know is that, along with all of this, Venice is also well-known for its glass factories, which have been practicing the art and craft of glass-blowing since 200 B.C. Yes, it really is as old as time itself, though not many of you would’ve known that. At the Galleria San Marco, you cannot help but be amazed; on the outside, it looks like nothing more than a mere store-front. And THEN, you enter the place, and you see some of the most beautiful stuff that our century could even be capable of producing.

Upon entering, the first thing that caught my sight – as well as the most obvious – was the crafters working their craft, very much like pure, true-born professionals: they really were that good. The center of all this glass-blowing, crafting and sculpting is, without a doubt, the furnace, which gives off such intense heat that even Sherkan would applaud it. Now, glass, when first created, is present in the form of a molten mixture, one consisting of potash, limestone, sand and soda ash, and is heated into molten form via heating it at over two-thousand degrees Fahrenheit; if that doesn’t surprise you, I don’t know what will; I think that an elephant coming down from an elevator most likely would.

A LOT of heating is involved in this; a blowpipe is heated while the molten glass is still sitting in the furnace, and is then used to take away a specific amount of glass from the furnace. In the process, a disco-ball of molten glass is formed on the end of the blowpipe used to take the glass from the furnace, so it is removed, and rolled over a marver, which, if you don’t know what it is, is a kind of flat sheet of thick steel. This gives a cool as a frozen Han Solo exterior layer to the glass, allowing the glass-piece to attain a fixed shape, after which the open end of the blowpipe is blown into, to create a molten glass-bubble and give the glass-piece its final, absolute, definitive shape.

Now, quite frankly, how can one talk about the sculpting of the glass-pieces, when they can’t also talk about their decorating? It’s just not possible, in any shape or form. So, without further ado, let me tell you about how these masters of the craft add impeccable detail to their creations: tweezers are used. Yes, you’re probably wondering, “How can a simple set of tweezers be used to obtain the decorations of the glass-pieces as we see them right now?” Well, tweezers, even just one set, have the ability to apply a very strong pulling force on an object. So strong, in fact, that it can pull the molten glass even further into the final shape desired, and hence further perfect the intended results.

As the glass cools, the shape becomes clearer than the story of a certain movie will ever be, resulting in a final color being obtained. However, the cooling surface also needs to be manipulated into a flat surface, so what need be used in such a case? A mechanism called a paddle, and after its successful use, the finalized glass-piece is obtained from the end of the blowpipe, and allowed to cool to its room temperature. In addition to all this, I even learnt about how specific colors may be obtained in the glass-pieces; in order to obtain a deep green hue, copper (an element) is added to it, and if a blue color is to be obtained, then varying amounts of copper are added to it, more for dark-blue, and less for light-blue. This gives the element of color to these glass-pieces.

And that so concludes my trip to this amazing glass factory, in which I managed to explore the art of glass-blowing, deliver eye-candy to my eyes in quite possibly the longest distance delivery service, and, most of all, have my heart absolutely enthralled by this amazing experience, every step of the way. I hope you guys enjoyed me talking about my trip as much as I did, for I now declare that this is the part where I say, “This is the end of the story I have shared, so live long and prosper!” Goodbye!