2016 Week 1 Update

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Another week where I was home more than at work. Alas, the real world starts intruding today and we’re all off to school and work as usual…

Well, not quite as usual as BB & GG start new schools today. For the first time ever, they’ll be in different schools and I wonder how this journey will be for them. 

Its just past midnight when I type this post, I can’t sleep and have to wake up in just about four hours time. I guess I am excited and a bit scared.

My wishes for them is they have good teachers and friends who make the secondary school journey smooth, pleasant and enjoyable…

2016 Sec 1 Week 1 Update

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were-going-back-to-school

School starts tomorrow!

A new school year, a new school, new friends…..

Unfortunately BB & GG will not be in the same school – we got an email from BB’s school rejecting GG’s appeal application. This came around midnight on the 1st – what a way to start the new year!!

GG was sanguine and maybe this is for both BB & GG’s good. I know that in primary school, BB was very dependent on GG for pretty much everything. Now he is on his own and so has to learn to take care of himself, his things and do his stuff on time!

GG will be the only student from her primary school in her new school – so it’s a complete new start for her…

My hopes and prayers for both of them is that they find their niche in school fast and enjoy school. They will become teens this year and so with that come loads of other issues, social media being the biggest one (they don’t have any social media accounts as I am strict about the 13 year rule). Let them do well this year as they jump from 4 to 9 subjects and all of the other examinable subjects will be new like History, Geography, Literature, Food & Nutrition, Design & Technology etc…. They also will be some project work, which prepares them for tertiary education…

The first week is orientation week and so nothing much will be taught. I’m looking forward to them making new friends in the first week of school. GG is naturally friendly and social and so she makes friends soon. BB, os a lot like me – an introvert, except when he speaks about things he is interested in, so hopefully he finds others who share the same interest and makes friends too.

tumblr_m9dt0bfe2z1qc4uvwo1_400super_school_year_inviteSo here’s to an amazing school year.

 

 

 

In My Hands Today…

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The Vendor of Sweets – R.K. Narayan

A widower of Gandhian principles, Jagan harbours affection for his son Mali. Yet even Jagan’s patience begins to fray when Mali descends on the city of Malgudi full of modern notions.

In his early days Jagan loses his wife Ambika because of his belief in nature cures. He had never spent much time with his wife, something that causes discontent in his son Mali. Mali has got his passport and tickets ready without even informing Jagan about his plans.Mali, without his father’s permission discontinues his education, and goes to America to get training to write a book. But, the old man accepts even this diversion with good heart and treasures every letter received from Mali and proudly exhibits it to anyone who cares to listen. A few years later, he comes back very Westernized and brings along a half-American, half-Korean girl, Grace. Jagan assumes that they are married, though Mali never told him this in a straightforward way, which causes great disappointment to Jagan. Jagan however develops an affection for Grace and feels Mali is not giving her the attention she deserves.

Soon Mali expresses a desire to start a machine factory with some partners from America. He asks his father to invest in this factory. Jagan is unwilling, which causes friction between Jagan and Mali. Troubled by the turmoil, Jagan decides to retire from active working. As this is happening, Mali is caught by the police for drunkenness and deserts his wife. Jagan then asks his cousin to make sure that Mali stays in prison for some time, so that he can learn his mistakes. Jagan also gives some amount of money to the cousin so that he can buy a plane ticket to Grace so she can go back to her hometown.

Happy New Year…

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Good Morning! A new day, a new month and a new year! Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and may 2016 bring to life all that you wished and dreamed for….

I am hoping that 2016 will be a much better year for us than 2015 was.
My usual health related resolutions stay on as usual, but this year I want to do something that I have never done before – something for myself. I want to learn something new – maybe photography or knitting or croquette, I really don’t know, but I will figure it out within the next month or so and make plans to take it up.

I also want to start my new job search in ernest in early 2016 and by mid to quarter 3 have a good job in hand.

For the children, I wish that 2016 becomes their landmark year where they excel in school. They have a huge jump now from 4 subjects to 8/9 subjects this year in secondary school. I will continue to mark Secondary 1 each week so that I can look back on how the year went by for them.

We are also planning on BB’s formal baptism into our religion towards the end of the year and we’ve started the planning process. This is something that Brahmin boys do before they go off to the forest to study with their guru – the formal thread ceremony. We’ve delayed BB’s thread ceremony for a few years now, what with S’ father’s passing and then PSLE. So better late than never and we do it when he completes this school year.
I also want to continue blogging, and perhaps getting my mojo back for writing. I do want to revive my Chica and Chiki series (I dream of being a children’s author some day!)

That’s all that I hope, wish and pray for 2016. Hopefully I achieve atleast 70 – 80% of what I set out to do…

Once again Happy New Year and may this year be the one where all your dreams come true…

happy-new-year-2016-celebration

 

In My Hands Today…

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City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi – William Dalrymple, Olivia Fraser

Sparkling with irrepressible wit, City of Djinns peels back the layers of Delhi’s centuries-old history, revealing an extraordinary array of characters along the way-from eunuchs to descendants of great Moguls. With refreshingly open-minded curiosity, William Dalrymple explores the seven “dead” cities of Delhi as well as the eighth city-today’s Delhi. Underlying his quest is the legend of the djinns, fire-formed spirits that are said to assure the city’s Phoenix-like regeneration no matter how many times it is destroyed. Entertaining, fascinating, and informative, City of Djinns is an irresistible blend of research and adventure.