Kids getting ready to check in while parents embark on new project at Ikea

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i’m a little behind in discovering (and enjoying) graphic novels…

we both finished Craig/Thompson’s delightful ‘Blankets’ and ‘Habibi’ over a few nights, and we’re already craving for more! (we even went down to Planerds@313 on the second day of CNY, optimistically hoping it was open, but it wasn’t, to our disappointment.)

i’ve always been a strictly-prose kinda person, but the first graphic novel i picked up – the husband’s copy of Marjane/Satrapi’s ‘Persepolis‘ – surprised me, as a thought-provoking, insightful, evocative piece of literature, for all its comic-like illustrations and black & white panels.

‘Blankets’ and ‘Habibi’ similarly marvelled and moved me.

i personally preferred the more understated ‘Blankets’, a semi-autobiography of thompson’s childhood and adolescence, a beautifully-told memoir of a boy who never quite fitted in, and his questioning of the relationships that formed him during those growing-up years – with his brother, with his parents, with his first love, and importantly, with his religion.

a bittersweet story that i could connect with, for some reason, despite the geographical and cultural gaps.

except, if you look closely, we are in fact of the same generation – certain icons of the early 90s tacked on the walls as clues.

and then, a line from The Cure did it for me. :)

the husband on the other hand preferred ‘Habibi’, an epic tale of a girl, sold into marriage at 9 years of age, who learned to read and write from her husband…

3 years later her husband was killed by thieves, and she escaped from being sold into slavery, along with an 3-year-old boy abandoned by another slave. she brought him up in the harsh, lonely desert, and as he grew older, the mother-son/sister-brother love evolved into something deeper and complex…

and while that, in essence, is the central storyline, what was more fascinating to me were the other stories interwoven throughout, lifted from the Quran and other sources, of Prophets and angels and their relation to the main characters, and in extension, to us, the reader.

and of course, the beautiful, intricate Arabic calligraphy and motifs (amazing coming from a man who grew up in rural Midwest america, raised as a fundamental Christian no less), with poignant ruminations on each Arabic letter depicted in the ‘magic squares’ (exploring the mysticism of Arabic numerology), as each chapter unfolds…

while its hard cover and sheer volume feels as though you are holding the holy book itself, be forewarned that there are depictions of nudity and sex within the pages so you may feel some discomfort if you aren’t able to reconcile such images in close proximity to the scriptures, but otherwise, read it with an open mind and you may end up appreciating the Quran and its teachings, the Arabic language and its aesthetics, and what they stand for, even more…

“When the last letter of the magic squares – Haa’ – reaches out to connect with the first letter – Baa’ – the word ‘Hubb’ – meaning ‘Love’ – is formed. ‘Habib’ means ‘Beloved’. Linked with the possessive ‘my’ – Yaa – it spells ‘HABIBI’.”

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(overheard at 10.11 PM…)

“DADDY, can i do my homewooooork??”

what the…..

(i am ashamed to say, she has turned into an activity-slash-assessment-book fiend, despite my worst efforts. yes, i have turned to The Dark Side. in moments of weakness. at Popular bookstore, the axis of evil…)

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anyone else late today…?

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the little bit of time we have at night after her brother has gone to bed, i become her playmate…

Yoga Barbie does a downward dog.

(ok, so it’s actually Ballerina Barbie.)

the girl got a bit creative with pseudo-Yoga Barbie, taking her to my bed railing, hooked her feet upside down and declared with the full seriousness of a preschool-going yoga instructor: “this is Bat Pose”. erm.

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i saw this unbelievably simple mug cake recipe while browsing the net that i just had to try.

basically you just need a microwave oven to bake the cake, no need for a full scale baking oven.
and you don’t even need a mixer, just your good old fork will do the job.

below are the ingredients

4 tablespoons self rising flour
4 tablespoons white caster sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons nutella
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

method

1. combine all ingredients in a large coffee mug. whisk well with a fork until smooth. microwave on high for 1.5 – 3 minutes. (time depends on microwave wattage. mine took 1.5 minutes.)

2. top with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. enjoy!

yep, that’s it! easy peasy! took less than 5 minutes if you have all the ingredients.
btw, you can try replacing the nutella with peanut butter if you want some variety.

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a bit of entertainment during our ice-cream….

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thankfully, we he survived his first week of spelling.

i was initially apprehensive when i saw his spelling list (twice a week, starting from the third week). they went straight into long vowels, double letter words, and past tense. how delightful.

i turned ‘a-n-i/m.a.l.s’ into a catchy rhyme. i bribed him with a kiss for every correct word. i barked “LONG VOWEL E, ‘E-A’!” probably a hundred times. i promised a scream at his sister every time he got the word ‘screamed’ right. (hey don’t judge, it worked.) his daddy and oma too took turns to – shall i say it? – *drill* him. yes, the dreaded drilling has (sadly) begun….

gladly, his ejaan (once a week, phew) was slightly less stressful. i was more amused by the stickers than the fact that he got them all correct. the stickers say “Teruskan” and “Menakjubkan”. indeed. :D

atrocious handwriting aside, i think he did ok. we asked if he copied. he assured us he didn’t. because everyone did this: *demonstrates hunching over with arm covering book*.

**********

meanwhile:

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trying to add some colours to Greyville.

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a lot of controversy on this one lately….

“This controvers­y seems to come up because people are offended by combining sex appeal and yoga…but sex appeal is already all over the mass-media in many forms, both in-your-fa­ce and subtle. We all are highly influenced by the sex/shame controvers­y and it’s beyond yoga.

We must be bigger than sex, bigger than capitalism­, and bigger than nudity to thrive, and the fact that this yogini is not ashamed triggers people’s shame of themselves­, of others, and of our own society.”
- from elephantjournal.com

all those prudes/feminists/purists/plain-jealous-women who made a big fuss over this should just take a few ujjayi breaths and a chill pill, i say… :)

“Life is easy if you don’t live it.

If you put yourself out there…especially these days on the internets…we’re all putting yourself out there not only for accolades or backslaps…but for criticism. Criticism is essential, and helpful—when and if it’s constructive. But…particularly these days on the internets…criticism is all too often as lazy and casual as it is vicious. We forget there are humans behind the targets we throw our words at.”

–> interview with the brave and beautiful yogini herself at huffingtonpost.com (ps: she has a 7-yr-old kid too!)

****

hmm, so how about this guy then, in nothing but a white loin cloth? ok for him coz he’s 1) a man, 2) non-Western, 3) set against a gritty backdrop, 4) not in an advertisement for a yoga studio…? ahh.

(speaking of which, dear True Yoga: STOP CALLING ME ALREADY.)

(and while we’re at it, dear yoga-apparel-brands: Y U NO sell your stretchy halter tops and pants at more ‘spiritual’ prices?! i don’t get.)

*ok, ujjayi breaths…*

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