In My Hands Today…

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Life of Pi – Yann Martel

The son of a zookeeper, Pi Patel has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior and a fervent love of stories. When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes.

The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with Richard Parker for 227 days while lost at sea. When they finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, never to be seen again. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his story and press him to tell them “the truth.” After hours of coercion, Pi tells a second story, a story much less fantastical, much more conventional–but is it more true?

2015 Week 25 Update

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A very boring week, of which the only good thing I can say about it was it finally got over! Have you had times when time seems to be frozen and it moves like slush? Well that was exactly my week. For some reason, I didn’t have much to do and when I am bored, time moves slowly!

I’ve decided to start a personal 21 Day Challenge. My challenge is not to eat between meals. So far, this week has been good, I am quite proud of myself over the weekend also…Why 21 Days? That’s because it’s said you need 21 days to change anything or to make it a habit. So this is one of the first steps to a more healthier me I suppose. I am on Day 5 today, so still got another 2 weeks plus to get through. I’ll do a proper post once I am done. But I am putting it here so that I become liable to myself (trying to trick my brain I guess)

When I finish this, I am going to start a new one. You can also challenge yourself to change one habit of yours by doing your version of the 21 Day Challenge. I’d love to hear your updates in the comments..

PSLE Week 25 Update

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We’ve reached a milestone on our PSLE quest! It’s less than 100 days to the big week!

BB gave the last of his entrance tests yesterday – this is for his second choice school. Actually he is not too keen on this school, it’s me who is making him do the test as a back-up. This school test is supposed to be much tougher, some people in the groups I frequent say there will even be secondary 1 syllabus questions – well I don’t know how he will fare, it’s all going to be left to fate! BB did say the Maths component was very difficult and he could do just a handful of the problems with confidence, but the Science component was a lot easier, with most of the questions Chemistry based and which he was confident about. They were also told not to discuss the questions with anyone, so I didn’t really ask him anything else. 

School starts tomorrow and there’s no easing them back into routine – they start the full schedule right from day 1. I guess because this is the only 12 odd weeks they have before their exams and they still have to get the Prelims in….

Well here’s to a good term for BB & GG – this is the term where we will have the Prelims and the PSLE Orals (I got goosebumps while typing the previous line, that’s how stressed I am about this exam monster!)

In My Hands Today…

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Madras on Rainy Days – Samina Ali

Layla is torn between clashing identities – the dutiful Muslim daughter her immigrant parents raised her to be, the Indian she fantasizes she is, and the free, independent woman America has awakened in her. At nineteen, her parents inform Layla that a marriage has been arranged for her. Her wedding will be in India, to Sameer, a handsome, ambitious Indian engineer, who knows nothing of Layla’s American self and who has some potent secrets of his own. A stunned Layla submits reluctantly, but not before she commits a dangerous, final act of defiance. In the heat and noise of Hyderabad, as her wedding looms, her behaviour becomes more erratic. Her mother, fearing demonic possession, takes Layla on a series of visits to alims – Muslim faith healers – hoping to exorcise all traces of rebellion. To Layla’s surprise, the ancient and elaborate wedding rituals, her groom’s physical beauty, and the warm welcome of her new family fill her with a sense of belonging she has never known before. outside, the full horror of the devil’s bargain she has made is revealed, forcing her to make painful decisions about her roles as a Muslim, a wife and a woman.