In My Hands Today…

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Equilateral – Ken Kalfus

157936381A British astronomer, Thayer, high on Darwin and other progressive scientists of the age, has come to believe that beings more highly evolved than us are alive on Mars (he has evidence) and that there will be a perfect moment in which we can signal to them that we are here too. He gets the support and funding for a massive project to build the Equilateral, a triangle with sides hundreds of miles long, in the desert of Egypt in time for that perfect window.

But as work progresses, the Egyptian workers, less evolved than the British, are also less than cooperative, and a bout of malaria that seems to activate at the worst moments makes it all much more confusing and complex than Thayer ever imagined.

We see Thayer also through the eyes of two women–a triangle of another sort–a romantic one that involves a secretary who looks after Thayer but doesn’t suffer fools, and Binta, a houseservant he covets but can’t communicate with–and through them we catch sight of the depth of self-delusion and the folly of the enterprise.

2018 Week 43 Update

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This was a pleasant week for me. If you remember, I mentioned about an organisation where I met people with whom I was not comfortable with. There was a sense of unease that I had which I decided to heed. I then set some conditions to them which I knew they will not accept and it happened as I expected. They let me know they will not be pursuing this further and I danced a little jig when I saw that email. I am glad I didn’t reject them off hand as it meant i would be burning some bridges.

Over the weekend, we made a day trip to Johor Baru to shop for clothes for the children for Diwali. What should have been a 30-45 minute trip, given that we stay a 10 minute drive from the causeway in no traffic conditions, this turned out to be a 3.5 hour drive to the mall! We spent more than 3 hours battling traffic! The drive on the way back was marginally better at 2 hours and 15 minutes, but the bumper to bumper traffic is so bad that it’s making me think twice about driving into Malaysia! I seriously hope the two governments do something about this. But we had a good time shopping with the children and hopefully the next time we drive in, the traffic is not so bad!

This week shows to be a hectic one with my Diwali preparations starting from today. I plan to start making a bit of the sweets and savories each day so that I am not overwhelmed.

Have a wonderful week folks!

2018 Secondary 3 Week 43 Update

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School’s out officially for the year and both have been promoted to Secondary 4. Since next year is their O level year, they have to go back to school for one more week where their teachers will start the Sec 4 syllabus and complete any sec 3 portion that was undone.

We also got the results this week and BB has done atrociously. I am very appalled with his marks and he got a real talking to from both me and his form teachers. I fact, because his school does not have a formal parent teacher meeting for the end of the year, I emailed all of his teachers for either a face-to-face meeting or a phone call to see what I can do to work with him over the holidays. During the face-to-face meetings, I also requested he be pulled out of class to meet with the teachers so he knows what we discussed. BB has promised to do better in sec 4, so let’s see.

GG on the other hand, did better, though not with stellar results. But she is the more dedicated and diligent child, so I am not that as concerned about her as I am about BB.

Happy Sunday folks

In My Hands Today…

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The Scent of Sake – Joyce Lebra

4702464She was taught to submit, to obey . . . but she dreamed of an empire.

The sole heir to the House of Omura, a venerable family of Kobe sake brewers, nineteen-year-old Rie hears but cannot heed her mother’s advice: that in nineteenth-century Japan, a woman must “kill the self” or her life will be too difficult to bear. In this strict, male-dominated society, women may not even enter the brewery and repressive tradition demands that Rie turn over her family’s business to the inept philanderer she’s been forced to marry. She is even expected to raise her husband’s children by another woman a geisha so that they can eventually run the Omura enterprise.

But Rie’s pride will not allow her to relinquish what is rightfully hers. With courage, cunning, brilliance, and skill, she is ready to confront every threat that arises before her, from prejudice to treachery to shipwrecks to the insidious schemes of relentless rivals in her bold determination to forge a magnificent dynasty…and to, impossibly, succeed.

Navratri Recipes: Sweet Corn Sundal

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Another Navratri sundal recipe. This one came about serendipitously. I actually wanted to make something sweet that day but became late to make the offering so thought of making something with sweet corn. I made it like any sundal, but changed it up a bit. It also makes a very healthy salad or as a side for your main meal. S loved it so much that he made me make it again the next day.

Sweet Corn Sundal

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups frozen sweet corn
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tsp broken urad dal
  • 1/2 tsp white sesame seeds
  • 1/4 cup grated coconut
  • 1/8 tsp asafoetida powder
  • 3-4 curry leaves
  • 1 tsp green chilli paste
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Boil the sweet corn in a microwave for 5-10 minutes seasoned with some salt until the corn is soft and cooked.
  • Heat the oil in a pan and when it warms up, add the mustard seeds and let it crackle. Then add the urad dal and sesame seeds and stir for a while till the urad dal turns a golden brown colour and the sesame seeds start to pop. Don’t let them turn black.
  • Add the asafoetida and curry leaves and let the curry leaves become crisp.
  • Now add the green chilli paste and stir for a few minutes. Then pour in the cooked corn and let it stir for 2-3 minutes.
  • Check for seasoning at this point. If you are making this as an offering, then no tasting, please.
  • Drizzle the lemon juice and the grated coconut and switch off the flame.
  • Serve hot as a side dish or cold as a salad.