Obsessivemom

05/03/201415/04/2017

I am Malala – A review

Title: I Am Malala
Author: Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb
Price: Rs 295/-

How often does it happen that you’re just finishing a book and a reviewing challenge comes up? First, I’m not big on reviews.. writing them that is. I love reading them though.

‘I am Malala’ is a book I’ve been wanting to read for a long time for lots of reasons. Though I’m not much for autobiographies I love women protagonists and one as brave and inspiring as this one made it a sure read for me. Also, I have always been curious about life in Pakistan because they are so close and so like us yet so very different in many ways.

All those reasons made the book a compelling read.

This is the story of Malala, a young Pakistani girl, who is passionate about the cause of Women’s education.

Malala was the eldest of three children. Both her younger siblings were boys. Despite the bias against girls that was/is prevalent in Pakistan, much like India, she remained her father’s favourite. Her mother was illiterate yet a very forward thinking woman. However, it was her father who influenced her most. He was a speaker and an educationist and ran schools of his own. She would sit near him and listen to him as he told stories or later, discussed politics. As she grew older she started going out with him to deliver talks on the need for education. They would talk at rallies and meets and at radio stations.

She traces the political upheavals in Pakistan – Musharraf’s coming to power, Benazir’s assassination, the Taliban rise, 9/11 and it’s effect on Pakistan and also Osama’s capture.

Her relatively happy life as the brightest student of her class, changed when the Taliban took over the Swat valley.
“I was ten when the Taliban came to the Valley. Moniba (her friend) and I had been reading the Twilight series and longed to be vampires.”
What it must have been for a free-thinking, Twilight reading, bright young girl to suddenly be barred from school, is hard to imagine. From worrying about whether she would top her class yet again she had to start worrying about how long she would be able to go to school at all.

However, Malala and her friends refused to be cowed down by the Taliban. They would hide their books under their shawls along the way to school. She talks at length about life under their rule. She derived her strength from her father who canvassed tirelessly against them. She also wrote a blog for the BBC under the pseudonym Gul Makai.

When she was 15 in 2012, on her way back from school, the Taliban shot her in the head at point blank range. Nobody expected her to survive. But she did and despite her experiences, continues to champion her cause even today.

Her’s is a very fascinating journey and that makes the book a great read.

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Linking to Write Tribe Festival of Words.

I'm taking part in the Write Tribe Festival of Words -3

04/03/201415/04/2017

H is for Happiness

.. and that’s the elusive thing I’ve been pursuing, with some success.

At the beginning of this year I’d decided 2014 would be a year of positivity for me. Fortunately I stumbled upon this site here – 100happydays.com and have been focussing pretty consistently on finding one happy thing everyday, 100 days in a row.

It has done me a world of good. The traffic lights turn red right after I go across, my queue at the billing counter seems to be moving faster and the kids seem to be behaving better.

Two things I specifically gained from the challenge

To look for the good in not so good situations

This Saturday I got back from the gym and as I entered the house “Ta Da!!”, said the kids, “look what we made for you!” Even before I could see what they’d made I saw pink… Everywhere.. dry pink colour was over their hands, their faces, their clothes and all over the balcony. Yeah the instinct definitely was to let go. But one look at their smiles and I couldn’t. Then instead of focusing on this…

I focused on this…

and this…

After a few deep breaths I noticed they had kept the mess to the balcony and had also laid out newspapers just like I’ve taught them to, before they start something messy. And I felt the anger melting away. After exclaiming at their artwork, together we swept and mopped and then I sent them off for a bath. Bad situation salvaged!

The other thing the challenge has done is made me

think about ME..

..beyond the kids and family, I got thinking what makes me happy. Of course I love the kids and of course my life revolves around them.. a lot. However, I was glad to realise I find pleasure in so many other little things – watching the sun rise with the husband, a good book, a blogpost that made me go ‘WOW’, a quiet meal, a delicious salad, a hot cup of tea. Of course I was enjoying all of that all along, i just became more aware of it.

Sure, is fun.

Linking to ABC Wednesday

04/03/201415/04/2017

A lesson learnt

I enjoy writing. I’ve done it for a living. Sometimes I’ve liked what I wrote and sometimes I haven’t. But I’ve always managed to beat the deadline. But let someone tell me to ‘write without thinking’ and I draw a blank. My mind, as that of many writer friends, is so conditioned to think and analyse and correct that it has forgotten what it’s like to let go.

Today’s prompt asks us to do just that. It’s Free Write time at the Write Tribe Festival of Words on Day 3 and I’m stuck yet again. After staring at the computer for a while I gave up and decided to go get some work done to get the mind out of its ‘I am a big blank’ state.

I had to pick a gift for a friend so I walked over to a gift shop near where I live. It’s an amazing place – Warm and cosy and full of amazing knick knacks and deserves a full post.

As I walked in I spotted a little girl of about 10 with a dark mop of curly hair sitting in the shop ‘designing’ book marks. She finished one with a flourish and showed it to her mum, the store owner/manager, ‘How’s it mama?’ She asked eagerly. ‘You think they’ll sell?’

Humouring her, the mum called out to me and asked, ‘What do you think? Would you buy this for Rs 30/-?’

I turned from where I was browsing the wares and looked at the slightly crooked bookmark, then at the little girl’s innocent look of eager anticipation and replied, “Yeah I think I would.” The mum however had no such compunctions. Said she, “I don’t think I would. You need to make the edges straighter and the colouring needs to be more evenly done.”

Without seeming put out at all the little girl started over, diligently cutting out a fresh strip of paper and designing it again. Soon she was back to her mum with a much better piece. “How’s this one? Do you like the design?”

I loved the way the girl took her mum’s criticism… How positive she was. Perhaps she was used to it – this honest and frank evaluation from her mum.

Often in an attempt to spare our children heartache we tell small white lies. I know I do. That really doesn’t work in the long run. It would have been easy for the mum to put those crooked bookmarks in a corner of her shop. But then, when they would have found no takers how heartbroken would the little girl have been. Worse, she would have never trusted her mum’s judgement again. Even worse, if some suckers like me would have bought them (30 Rs are easy to spare), she would have been content with her efforts and would never have learnt to get better.
And so another age-old maxim proves it’s worth …. Honesty is truly the best policy.

A lesson for me too – Sometimes to get somewhere or to get something done, we need to stop trying too hard. Sometimes, the trick, is to let go. I just did!

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03/03/201415/04/2017

My favourite blogs

It’s the day for Blog Love. Day 2 at the Write Tribe Festival of Words asks us to talk about our favourite blogs.

This one’s a toughie for me. There really are too many to choose from. The ones I go to most often are of course the mommy blogs, then there crafty blogs, food blogs, movie blogs and some political and social ones too.. I’m completely lost.
As usual when I cannot think clearly I make out a list.

Here are my top four

1. The Mad Momma at themadmomma.wordpress.com/
I read the madmomma for her non-nonsense yet sensitive approach to parenting and life. I love the warmth that comes through in her blog. I love the way she celebrates the differences of her kids. There’s humour and philosophy amidst the daily chatter, though I wouldn’t mind that either.

2. The Orange Rhino at theorangerhino.com
Here’s another amazing mum…. to four boys. She’s on a 365 day no-yelling journey! That in itself is miraculous enough for me to want to read what she writes. Add to it liberal doses of humour and straight from the heart talk and the blog’s a total delight. I’ve blogged about her earlier too because I find her such an inspiration.

3. The life and times of an Indian Homemaker at http://indianhomemaker.wordpress.com/
You couldn’t have missed this one if you’ve been blogging for sometime. I love the issues taken up and enjoy this perspective of happenings around us.

4. Artsy Crafty mum at artsycraftsymum.com
This where I turn to for all things artsy craftsy. Fun crafts, school projects, fancy dress costumes, birthday party decor it’s all here. In desperate times I’ve even dropped her a mail and have always had help.

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02/03/201415/04/2017

100 Happy Days – Week 8

This week has felt exceptionally short what with one extra holiday thrown in. It has been a completely delightful one. I have exercised well, read, shopped, treated the kids, gone out with family and relaxed too.

Here’s what made me smile this week

1. Gogappas!

Early in the week The Husband came home with a pack of golgappas. There’s something about the smell of that tangy water that makes ‘my mouth water’, to use a cliche. I tucked in of course, though the thought continues to haunt me that he’s trying to sabotage my diet.

2. The sound of wind chimes..

..from the neighbouring building while I read my book on a quiet afternoon. How soothing is that! A bit paradoxical isn’t it – how a sound can add to the quietude?

3. Successfully performing orthopedic paeditric surgery

Nope I’m not a doc. Heh heh.. But here’s Pony with a broken leg. That’s N’s doll. Recognised her? Yeah, earlier today she made a smashing debut on the blog. After hours of searching we found her missing limb and I had the good fortune of putting it back for her. How contagious was N’s happiness!

4. Buying an identical T shirt

… but a size smaller! Yay! The weighing scales haven’t moved much – just about a kg – but I have lost some inches and that makes me feel so good. The Husband’s ploy’s not working too well.. hee, hee! BTW, I get colour fixated at times – it’s blue for now.

5. Waffles drowned in chocolate sauce

Check out that waffle in chocolate sauce. The kids and I went out for a late breakfast/brunch and this is what we ordered. I savoured every bite.. considering I had just a few.

6. .. being dragged to the gym by a dear friend

I’m not really a masochist and waking up early morning on a Saturday is just not me. However when a friend bulldozed me into it, it turned out to be more fun than I ever expected. And I exercised like hadn’t done in a long long while. Thanks J.

7. Early morning drive and breakfast with family

The SIL and BIL dropped by with my two nieces and all of use drove off to this tiny joint deep in the old city for a wonderful South Indian breakfast today morning. It’s one of those quaint places with just about four things on the menu and super fast service. The soft idlis and fluffy uttapams are to die for.