Part 8 from ACM





Part 8 from ACM





How It Happened – Shazaf Fatima Haider
Dadi, the imperious matriarch of the Bandian family in Karachi, swears by the virtues of arranged marriage. All her ancestors – including a dentally and optically challenged aunt – have been perfectly well-served by such arrangements. But her grandchildren are harder to please.
Haroon, the apple of her eye, has to suffer half a dozen candidates until he finds the perfect Shia-Syed girl of his dreams. But it is Zeba, his sister, who has the tougher time, as she is accosted by a bevvy of suitors, including a potbellied cousin and a banker who reeks of sesame oil.
Told by the witty, hawk-eyed Saleha, the precocious youngest sibling, this is a romantic, amusing and utterly delightful story about how marriages are made and unmade—not in heaven, but in the drawing room and over the phone.
Another week has gone by, but I am still where I was a week back, a month back, heck, even a year back!
Because of this uncertainty with my job situation, I don’t want to commit to something because I am hoping that the most recent interview will result in a job offer.
I have had an unconventional, non-linear career track till now which makes me over qualified, over experienced and too expensive for junior and middle management roles and not enough specific experience for the more senior roles. This way, I am rejected by probably every role I apply because I am either over or under qualified! It will take a very special hiring manager to be able to see the value I bring to the table as most of them are very blinkered and don’t see the value of having a different and varied perspective. I guess I can also see things from their point of view, as they probably need someone to hit the ground running, which I probably can’t because I need a couple of months to learn and understand the organisation and in many cases, the industry. Ok, enough of my rants, I just need to keep being positive and know that the universe has something special out there for me and I just need to wait to get to it.
This was my week, this week is all about being there for the children. I need to get them to start being serious about what they want out of life and start working towards it. Have a wonderful week people!
The last week before the term break! BB had his common test this whole week and I am guessing it was a mixed bag. Some subjects, including those which he used to not score well went surprisingly well, while others, which are his strong subjects didn’t go as well as expected. We’ll know the exact outcome the week after next after school resumes and then I will have to put some restrictions on him. He really needs to work hard this year and next for his O levels. Since he is interested in applying to his school of choice next year for direct entry, his Sec 3 marks also needs to be good if he has a chance to be called in for an interview.
GG went for the school’s sec 3 adventure camp earlier in the week and came home sore, tired, tanned and exhausted! She did Kayaking, Zip lining, Rafting, Outdoor Cooking and Tree Climbing and had a campfire and also slept in tents. She also had a lot of fun, which is the most important thing, considering she was quite hesitant to go to camp in the first place.
This week GG is doing a public performance along with the rest of her choir and BB and I will be going down to see the performance and support them. The rest of the week will be just being at home and possibly doing some activity or the other.
Troublemaker and Other Saints – Christina Chiu

Meet the Wongs, Shengs and Tsuis. Each of these families has its own troubles and secrets—and something the other two want. But the three clans—whose members include a matriarch who talks to dead relatives; her nymphomaniac granddaughter; an old man who reads only decades-old newspapers; and a street punk—share a past and face a common future.