In My Hands Today…

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The Library of Lost and Found – Phaedra Patrick

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Librarian Martha Storm has always found it easier to connect with books than people–though not for lack of trying. She keeps careful lists of how to help others in her superhero-themed notebook. And yet, sometimes it feels like she’s invisible.

All of that changes when a book of fairy tales arrives on her doorstep. Inside, Martha finds a dedication written to her by her best friend–her grandmother Zelda–who died under mysterious circumstances years earlier. When Martha discovers a clue within the book that her grandmother may still be alive, she becomes determined to discover the truth. As she delves deeper into Zelda’s past, she unwittingly reveals a family secret that will change her life forever.

Life Lessons to GG & BB on their 17th Birthday

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Today GG & BB turn 17! I can’t believe the tiny babies who were placed in my hands and were just about an arm’s length now tower over me. They are their own individuals who have their own ideas about life and who are now on the cusp of adulthood. I usually write a letter for them for their birthday and I have written one for their previous birthdays and while writing this post, I actually went back to read my old posts and I am amazed how much they have grown over the years. I do send them the link to my posts and ask them to read and even share if they want to with their friends.

Since they have now started tertiary education, I thought this could be the perfect time to share some life lessons. And since they are 17 today, I’ll do 17 such lessons grouped into different categories:

  1. Sleep: Sleep at least 7 hours a day, your body will thank you 40 or 50 years down the line. At this point in life, you may think you are invincible and can’t get by with the bare minimum of sleep, but your sleep debt is accumulating. Sleep plays a critical role in helping our bodies and minds recover and rejuvenate. Sleep promotes cognition and memory, facilitates learning, recharges our mental and physical batteries, and generally helps us make the most out of our days. With plentiful sleep, we improve our mental and physical health, reduce stress, and maintain the routine that is critical to healthy daily functioning. This habit, if healthly followed will stand in good stead in life, when you may not get the optimum level of sleep, but then you would not have accumulated so much sleep debt.
  2. Look after your health: You have only one body in this life, so look after it and keep it in optimal condition. Have healthy eating habits, eating more fresh produce and less junk food. Try to give up sugar if possible, it will do wonders for your health and also do not snack mindlessly. Make sure you do some exercise each day. It’s best if you do something you enjoy like dancing or running, but whatever you do, just do something! Not only will it mean having good health all through life, it also means when you present yourself in front of others, you are confident about your body and therefore about yourself. In the same vein, look after your external looks too. Take care of your skin and adopt a good skincare routine, irrespective of your gender. Makeup only conceals and covers, but with a good skin, makeup will enhance what you already have.
  3. Appreciate your family and close friends: Listen to what your parents and elders have to say. They know much more than you, especially at this point in life, and only have your best interests in mind when they give you advice. Most of the advice they give you is most probably from experience and they have gone through the exact same situation you are now in. At the same time, don’t listen to them blindly, your parents are after all human beings and can be wrong, so listen to them and then do some further research before you decide to take or not to take their advice.
  4. Learn life skills: These are skills you need to lead your life which include skills like cooking, cleaning, doing your laundry etc. Learn them now while you are still living at home and can get tutored from your parents on how best to do these chores. If you don’t learn them voluntarily now, you may be forced to learn them (maybe without someone teaching you) at a later stage.
  5. Learn to love IT: Artificial Intelligence is taking over the wold and with this many jobs will become redundant in the future. Learn to code and embrace AI so that your job becomes more secure. You will also have a plan B should the job you are in at any point be made redundant.
  6. Never stop learning: This is self evident. The day you stop learning is the day you start to stagnate. Learning stops the day you die and so never stop learning. Learning does not only come from a book or by going to school, every incident in life is a learning opportunity, so learn from all your successes and failures, learn from family, friends, coworkers and even the random stranger you meet may teach you something, so keep learning every second of the day.  
  7. Grab every opportunity that comes your way: In fact, I would say, go out of your way to find and look for opportunities. Look for internships and projects which will boost your resume and bring you front and centre of those who make hiring decisions. Many opportunities are never advertised mainly because these are filled because someone recommends a suitable person. Become that suitable person by showcasing what you can bring to the table by your work. Acknowledge your mistakes, own them and learn from them.
  8. Find a mentor: Search and find a good mentor who has the experience and knowledge to guide you. In fact, I would advise that you look for multiple mentors who can guide you in various aspects of life. Of course you don’t only take from a mentor, you should also give back to your mentor and help where you can. A mentor who is willing to help you does that because he or she sees that elusive spark in you. They have the connections and access to important people which you will not have at this point. A good mentor will lead you by pushing and encouraning you to get where you want to go and with their suppoer and encouragement, you should be able to succeed.
  9. Read: Reading is incredibly important and you should read widely and across a variety of genres. You access new worlds and learn so much from reading that you should set aside a dedicated time each day to read. Reading reduces stress, stimulates your mind, improves your vocabulary and memory and makes you know a lot about many many things that others are ignorant about. It also improves focus and concentration and hones your analytical and critical thinking skills and when you read more, you automatically become better in your own writing which will be an asset everywhere.
  10. Life’s passion: Try to find something you can be passionate about all your life. This will make life a bit easier when you spend half yor day or more at work. Of course, passions change and you need to refine your passion as you grow, both at work and in life and when passions change, try to make sure you are in the right position to take advantage of this change in passion.
  11. Learn to say No: This is another important life lesson. Most times, we are afraid to say No to the people in our lives – be it our family, friends, co-workers or managers. We take on more than we can do and afraid of confrontation, we end up saying Yes. If you find it difficult to say no, start practising with low stakes – like a stranger accosting you in the MRT station or someone trying to sell you something. Say Yes only when the opportunity aligns with your long-term goals. Another way to say no is to couch your refusal in very polite terms.
  12. Privacy Matters: Be aware of and ensure your privacy. There is no need to overshare on social networks, what is on the internet stays there forever, you never know when a post or a photo or a video can come back to haunt you. So be very circumspect in what you post online.
  13. Be financially literate: Financial literacy is important because it will equip you with an understanding of basic financial concepts so that you make sound real-world financial decisions. With this knowledge, you are in a better way to be able to manage your money, make sound decisions, and maintain healthy spending and budgeting habits, which over time can lead to financial wellness. Start a savings habit as early as possible and remember the power of compounding!
  14. Lead a purposeful life: What does this mean? It means not to go through the motions of life, the life you lead should be one in which life has some meaning, a life where you are connected and engaged with those around you. Do something for the less fortunate in society and learn to give back to those who need it, it need not be money, you can give your time, your skill-set and sometimes even a listening ear is enough. In this same vein, I would also recommend starting a meditation practice daily. Spending a few minutes each day with just yourself and your breathing will do wonders for your mental health and life equilibrium.
  15. Focus on what is important at this moment: Today it is school and tomorrow it will be your career. Focus fully on what is in front of you. Also at this point, you can and should take some calculated risks in life, specially since you are cushioned by your family and don’t have family and financial commitments as yet. Be competitive, but don’t make the competition a one-upmanship show. Be your own competitor and try to be a better version of yourself than what you were yesterday. Don’t indulge in petty politicking at work or school. Stay away from gossip and cheap talk and let your work speak for itself.
  16. Don’t be a sheep: Don’t accept instructions blindly or sign documents just because someone tells you to do so. Do your own research, ask questions before making a call and use caution before taking any decision. Also, it will help If you can talk to people close to you, especially your parents.
  17. Be Ambitious: Be ambitious and reach for the stars. In fact, aim for the stars and you will reach the moon. Aim for something slightly over your reach and go all out to achieve it, you will eventually get to it. You are also the average of the five people you spend the most time with, so choose friends wisely. Also remember that there is no shortcut to success. All those successful people you see, they had to hustle for years and work hard before they became ‘overnight sucesses’. Lastly be scrupulously honest, both with yourself and the people around you. Lies have a way of catching up and keeping up with the many falsehoods you may have said will definitely catchup one day!

So there you have it, 17 life lessons which I hope are useful to them.

In My Hands Today…

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House for all Seasons – Jenn J. McLeod

Small towns can keep big secrets.

Bequeathed a century-old house, four estranged friends return to their home town, Calingarry Crossing, where each must stay for a season at The Dandelion House to fulfil the wishes of their benefactor, Gypsy.

But coming home to the country stirs shameful memories of the past, including the tragic end-of-school muck up day accident twenty years earlier.

Sara, a breast cancer survivor afraid to fall in love; Poppy, a tough, ambitious journo still craving her father’s approval; Amber, a spoilt socialite addicted to painkillers and cosmetic procedures; and Caitlin, a doctor frustrated by her controlling family.

At The Dandelion House, the women will discover something about themselves and a secret that ties all four to each other and to the house – forever.

Travel Bucket List: India – Andaman & Nicobar Islands Part 1

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One place that’s been forever in my bucket list has been the island chain known as the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. A Union territory of India comprising 572 islands of which 37 are inhabited, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands are a group of islands at the juncture of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.

The islands are about 150 km north of Aceh in Indonesia and separated from Thailand and Myanmar by the Andaman Sea. It comprises two island groups, the Andaman Islands and the Nicobar Islands, separated by the 150 km wide Ten Degree Channel, on the 10°N parallel, with the Andamans to the north of this latitude, and the Nicobars to the south by 179 km. The Andaman Sea lies to the east and the Bay of Bengal to the west of the islands.

The capital of the entire Union Territory is the city of Port Blair. The total land area of the islands is approximately 8,249 sq km and is divided into three districts: Nicobar District with Car Nicobar as capital, South Andaman district with Port Blair as capital and North and Middle Andaman district with Mayabunder as capital. The islands host the Andaman and Nicobar Command, the only tri-service geographical command of the Indian Armed Forces.

The Andaman Islands are home to the Sentinelese people, an uncontacted people. The Sentinelese might be the only people currently known to not have reached further than a Paleolithic level of technology, however, this is disputed, as evidence of metalwork was found in their island.

The earliest archaeological evidence of life in the islands go back some 2,200 years. However, genetic and cultural studies suggest that the indigenous Andamanese people may have been isolated from other populations during the Middle Paleolithic, which ended 30,000 years ago. Since that time, the Andamanese have diversified into linguistically and culturally distinct, territorial groups.

The Nicobar Islands appear to have been populated by people of various backgrounds. By the time of European contact, the indigenous inhabitants had coalesced into the Nicobarese people, speaking a Mon-Khmer language, and the Shompen, whose language is of uncertain affiliation. Neither language is related to Andamanese.

King Rajendra Chola I or Rajendra I was a Tamil Chola emperor of South India who ruled between 1014 to 1042 AD, used the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a strategic naval base to launch an expedition against the Srivijaya Empire, which is modern-day Indonesia. The Cholas called the island Ma-Nakkavaram or the great open or naked land, which can be found in the Thanjavur inscription of 1050 AD. The European traveller Marco Polo also referred to this island as ‘Necuverann’ and a corrupted form of the Tamil name Nakkavaram would have possibly led to the modern name Nicobar during the British colonial period.

The history of organised European colonisation on the islands began when settlers from the Danish East India Company arrived in the Nicobar Islands on 12 December 1755. On 1 January 1756, the Nicobar Islands were made a Danish colony, first named New Denmark, and later in December of the same year as Frederick’s Islands. Between 1754–1756 they were administrated from Tranquebar, in continental Danish India. The islands were repeatedly abandoned due to outbreaks of malaria between 14 April 1759 and 19 August 1768, from 1787 to 1807/05, 1814 to 1831, 1830 to 1834 and gradually from 1848 for good. From 1 June 1778 to 1784, Austria mistakenly assumed that Denmark had abandoned its claims to the Nicobar Islands and attempted to establish a colony on them, renaming them Theresia Islands. In 1789 the British set up a naval base and penal colony on Chatham Island next to Great Andaman, where now lies the town of Port Blair. Two years later the colony was moved to Port Cornwallis on Great Andaman, but it was abandoned in 1796 due to disease. Denmark’s presence in the territory ended formally on 16 October 1868 when it sold the rights to the Nicobar Islands to Britain, which made them part of British India in 1869. In 1858 the British again established a colony at Port Blair, which proved to be more permanent. The primary purpose was to set up a penal colony for criminal convicts from the Indian subcontinent. The colony came to include the infamous Cellular Jail. In 1872 the Andaman and Nicobar islands were united under a single chief commissioner at Port Blair.

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During World War II, the islands were practically under Japanese control, only nominally under the authority of the Arzi Hukumate Azad Hind of Subhash Chandra Bose. Bose visited the islands during the war and renamed them as Shaheed-Dweep or Martyr Island and Swaraj-Dweep or Self-rule Island. The Japanese surrendered the islands to the British on 7 October 1945 in Port Blair. During the independence of both India in 1947 and what was then known as Burma in 1948, the departing British announced their intention to resettle all Anglo-Indians and Anglo-Burmese on these islands to form their own nation, although this never materialised. The islands became a part of India in 1950 and was declared as a union territory of the nation in 1956. Since the 1980s, India has been developing defence facilities on the islands and the islands now play a key role in India’s strategic role in the Bay of Bengal and the Malacca Strait.

On 26 December 2004, the coasts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were devastated by a 10 m massive tsunami following the undersea earthquake off the Indian Ocean. More than 2,000 people lost their lives, more than 4,000 children were orphaned or suffered the loss of one parent, and a minimum of 40,000 people were rendered homeless. More than 46,000 people were injured with the Nicobar Islands of Katchal and Indira Point being the worst affected. Indira Point actually subsided almost 14 feet and was partially submerged in the ocean. The lighthouse at Indira Point was damaged but has been repaired since then. The territory lost nearly ten percent of its area which is now submerged. While locals and tourists of the islands suffered the greatest casualties from the tsunami, most of the aboriginal people survived because oral traditions which was passed down from generations warning them to evacuate when large waves follow large earthquakes.

There are 572 islands in the union territory, with about 38 being permanently inhabited. The Andaman group has 325 islands covering an area of 6,170 sq km while the Nicobar group has 247 islands with an area of 1,765 sq km. The highest point is located in North Andaman Island is Saddle Peak at a height of 2,402 ft. The northernmost point of the Andaman and Nicobars group is Landfall Island lying 220 km north of Port Blair, and 300 km south of Myanmar and is home to the Kari tribe. Indira Point at the southern tip of the southernmost island, Great Nicobar, is the southernmost point of India and lies only 200 km from Sumatra island in Indonesia. The only volcano in India, Barren Island, is an active volcano which last erupted in 2017 and is located in the union territory. It also has a mud volcano situated in Baratang island and these mud volcanoes have erupted sporadically, with recent eruptions in 2005 believed to have been associated with the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. This island’s beaches, mangrove creeks, limestone caves, and mud volcanoes are some of the physical features.

The Sisters are two small uninhabited islands, East Sister Island and West Sister Island, in the Andaman Archipelago, at the northern side of the Duncan Passage, about 6 km southeast of Passage Island and 18 km north of North Brother. The islands are about 820.21 feet apart, connected by a coral reef; they are covered by forests and have rocky shores except for a beach on the northwest side of East Sister Island. Before the British established a colony on the Andaman, the Sisters were visited occasionally by the Onge people of Little Andaman Island for fishing. The islands may have been a waystation on the way to their temporary settlement of Rutland Island between 1890 and 1930. The islands have been designated as a wildlife refuge since 1987, with an area of 0.36 sq km.

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The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have a tropical rainforest canopy, made of a mixed flora with elements from Indian, Myanmar, Malaysian and endemic floral strains. So far, about 2,200 varieties of plants have been recorded, out of which 200 are endemic and 1,300 are unique to the islands and do not occur in mainland India. About 50 varieties of forest mammals are found to occur in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Some are endemic, including the Andaman wild boar. The State Animal of Andaman is the dugong, also known as the sea cow, which can be found in Little Andaman. There are 96 wildlife sanctuaries, nine national parks and one biosphere reserve in these islands.

Tourism to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is increasing due to the popularity of beaches and adventure sports like snorkelling and sea-walking. There are also plans to develop various islands including luxury resorts being constructed with participation from the government in Avis Island, Smith Island and Long Island. Indian tourists do not require a permit to visit the Andaman Islands, but if they wish to visit any tribal areas they need a special permit from the Deputy Commissioner in Port Blair. Permits are required for foreign nationals. For foreign nationals arriving by air, these are granted upon arrival at Port Blair.

The best time to vist the Andaman & Nicobar Islands is during the months of April to June which is the summer season. The weather is quite sunny and warm at this time, but since this is the best time to hit the beaches, make sure you go during this time. The rainy season in this region begins in the month of June and goes on till the month of November. This is usually the offseason in the islands and there are not many tourists during this period. This is also the cheapest time to visit the island as all the hotels and resorts offer great discounts during this period. Tourists can also consider this season if they don’t mind getting wet. The most popular season to visit the islands among the tourists is the winter season, during the months of November to March. The climate during this season is optimal for tourists, as it is not too hot to explore the tourist attraction in the towns, but also still warm and pleasant enough to spend time at the beaches.

So without further ado, lets start our journey in the union territory’s capital of Port Blair.

2020 Week 37 Update

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The inevitable has happened! India has now edged out Brazil to have the dubious distinction of being the country with the second highest number of COVID cases. The numbers as of yesterday were more than 4.5 million cases in total, about 3.5 million people who have recovered, slightly over 76,000 deaths and probably close to a million active cases. The US as usual leads the world numbers, but I can see the trend line reducing, while that of India’s is actually increasing. This is seriously worrying. What is more worrying is that my home state of Maharashtra leads the country’s statistics with a total of almost a million cases, which makes almost a quarter of all cases in India from this state. Nearly 700,000 recovered cases, about 28,000 deaths and about a quarter million active cases.

I am not able to get more detailed information for Maharashtra, but I do know that Mumbai is one of the worst hit cities in the country. And it is not surprising, given the large number of migrant workers who come to the city in search of a living and who live in really bad and cramped conditions with little running water or sanitation.

I am sure there are many like me who live outside India and have elderly parents living alone in the country and who are worried sick at the news that comes out daily. My parents, like most of the elderly have other conditions, which an exposure to the virus may excabate. My daily prayer is that my parents get out of this well and somewhat healthy. This is why, even though I don’t really like the idea of them moving out of Mumbai, I am happy that they will finally move to a retirement community once things get better. They plan to stay for a month with an aunt who already lives there and who has offered to host them so they get a chance to get acclimated to the place. Once there, they can also look at options available and buy their own apartment. Then they will come back to Mumbai, wrap up things and move there permanently. This is for their best, in the long run since they will have access to family and friends around as well as a 24-hour medical attention, should the need arise.

In other news, there’s no real news. After about five-six months, BB finally met his besties. They used to be called the three musketeers in school and now that secondary school is over, all three are doing different things. So it’s only during holidays they get a chance to meet up and given the situation this year, they met after a really long time. This is not to say they don’t talk or do do video calls regularly. They do that practically daily and play games together, so they are talking all the time, it’s just they haven’t met each other physically!

That’s about it from us. Stay safe everybody!