Pamela Q. Fernandes's Blog, page 45

Who is your favorite character?

So drafting character sketches made me think why do people like some people in books and hate others?

I fall in love with some and some others absolutely disgust me.

What is it for people that makes us endear these imaginary people in imagined worlds?

For me Maggie from the Mill on the Floss is the character I love most.

I first read about her in my English high school textbook. After the reading the excerpt in class, for our next library day period I picked up the book. And frankly I cried when I finished that book. Plus I didn't want to give the book back when our library period came next week. Maggie remains with me even today, when I think of open fields, ,mills, haircuts, she is still on my mind.

So who is it for you and why. It can be anything novel, short story, anime, manga, manhwa

I'll give you what I like.

Novel - Maggie from the Mill on the floss. because she's so expressive.

Manga- Tsukushi from Hana Yori Dango because she's gutsy

Comic- Supandi, yeah I still read or reread this time & again - because stupidity has new heights for him every single time.



So post your favourite characters, the more the better. Some of you are great book lovers, and voracious readers...





And:

Book I'm reading: Tess Gerritesen's Bloodstream

Movie I recommend: Veronica Geurin (Based on a true story I absolutely love her- if only I had half her guts)

Song I'm listening to: Going crazy by Song Jieun (absolutely love this - if you don't follow Hangul read the subs, its about a stalker/victim's conversation & I can relate)



That's all for this week. Look forward to hearing from you.



 

Of herons and kingfishers..

First up a big shoutout to Pratiksha.

Secondly Reg I hope these pictures turn out as expected.



I am not a birdwatcher. Even the movie 'the Big Year' failed to capture my attention. But my morning view of birds opposite my window have made me change my mind. Their poetry as they sing, their coloured wings just so bright and the easy pace of life - so lovely. How nature is just so vivid and yet peaceful.

I could have clicked this with a better camera. God knows I have several at home, but then I would have to charge the batteries and for that I would have to find the batteries. By then these little ones would have flown away. My night herons are now flying away as the season changes. On a given day there used to be at least eleven of them, but they're leaving and it does make me sad. The other herons and kingfisher make the occasional appearance but its so sudden that snapping them is extremely difficult.



 This is the night black crowned heron identified by its plume. The other one is in the right lower corner behind the trees. Shy one.




I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.  ~George Washington Carver







 





 You can the plume on this one. I believe they sleep in the day after they clean themselves.




With innovation and technology, seems we have forgotten to cherish the true beauty the world has to offer.  ~A.C. Van Cherub


Ok so the next dude is a heron though I'm not sure which. By the time I searched for all brown birds on whatbird.com, everything seemed to blend in and I didn't know if they were any different. All I know is that its not a sparrow.



 

Finally a conference of my big three. Well the yellow one is a kingfisher, though I cannot really tell which.


He/she is cute.


 

Well so much for bird-watching. I know I might seem loony, but I could actually waste some time getting carried away, trying to whistle or watch them. Its just relaxing. In my next life I'd like to be a bird.  Have you seen any exotic birds of late?

 

Movies I recommend: Mother of Mine ( Watched it 3 times with subtitles, the lil boy with mama Signe just wonderful)

I'm listening to : Touch the sky by Julia Fowlis                                                                               

I'm reading: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (again)                                                                        

 Games I'm playing: Mystery Case Files Prime Suspects                                                                    

                                                                                                                       

 

Change what I'm studying the way I'm studying it

A few days ago NUHA asked people if they could change something to improve education, what would it be and why.



Here's what I had to say. If you feel I'm right or agree to a certain extent then do add your comments on this page linked below. Even if you disagree I'd like to hear your opinions on the same.



Check it out here at NUHA's website.



Change what I'm studying

The power of radio

My first brush with the radio was when I was probably ten. My father brought me a Sony Walkman. For those of the gen Z era, it was a portable cassette player. I would listen to that everywhere and it was my favourite pass time. TV was never that appealing to me, still isn't. Akashvani was all I could get.

Then when I went to school and I had long mindless homework to do which did not require my mental capacities, I would plug in my ear phones to our sound system and stay at the radio doing all those trigonometry sums and geography answers. It was great. At that point I was listening to the Armed Forces Network, a lot of my self defence and awareness techniques came from there.

When my dad drove us to school in the morning we always had the radio on, Kuwait's superstation was the favourite.

During my college days, my sojourn to my grandma's home was always around the radio. She loved the radio as well. There were set times when Konkani plays and songs would come on. I remember both of us hovering over the radio for twenty minute trying to get a signal and turning the antennae all around. Akashvani, Panji was still the only station then. Some station from Sri Lanka also made the airwaves with  popular English music.

Later when we travelled to SE Asia I tuned it to VOA MUSIC MIX. It according to me has the best music on radio.

Now it really depends on where I am. If I am at work, I use Calm Radio, its airwaves coming from Ontario are absolutely wonderful. The instrumental music of various combinations is by far one of the best collections I have seen.

If you're looking for Christian, the best according to me is Fish praise.com. They have everything. That's my first go to listen in the morning.

Accuradio has good country but if you have specific choices, you could pick anything from Tunein.

What I love with the radio, is that it doesn't require you to be in a fixed pace. You could keep moving and multitasking . Unlike the TV you can keep it on and accomplish so much.

If you aren't a fan of the tuner try some of these you might like it - there is no invention according to me that is greater than the radio. Until then bajate raho.



Movies I recommend: Evelyn

I'm listening to - Count on me by Cathy Heller



Cheers everyone





 

Thank you for being a priest

Its Vianney Sunday.

An excerpt from Fr. Anthony Santarita's homily: (Salesian) thought it was worth sharing with a greater audience.

'Nobody complained or felt angry when a parishioner complained, "'this priest is hopeless." That's because in general we believe that our priests are a hopeless lot.

Yet these hopeless men are the ones who baptize us, solemnize our marriages and bless us when we are laid to rest.

These hopeless men are teaching our children in schools and colleges as principals and teachers.

These hopeless men go out to jungles and poor towns working for the poor and marginalized.

These hopeless men give up their lives to stand up for justice.

These hopeless men seek to build churches and form small  Christian communities where there are none.

These hopeless men work continuously to go at any hour to give the last sacrament to the sick and dying.

These hopeless men are someone's brother, son, nephew and grandchild. These hopeless men need to be understood when they have to make tough decisions, cared for when they're sick, forgiven when they make they make mistakes after all they're human like everyone else.

And so to modify Vodafone's ad - "Kyunki har friend zaroori hota hain"- (meaning because every friend is important) - we can say "kyunki har priest zaroori hota hain"- (meaning because every priest is important).'



So happy Vianney Sunday priests- You are loved and remembered wherever you are.



A shoutout to Fr Vic at Our Lady Victorius, Prague (OCD) and Fr Benji  St Peter's, Bandra (SJ).



Cheers



 

What should I write next? Who decides?

I originally started writing women's fiction and was talked into writing romance.

I originally started writing a blog on life as it happened now I'm being talked into changing direction-

maybe a food blog. But I'm clearly no expert.

Just the other day I tried scones from my '100 ways to cook chocolate' book my brother gave me. When I put the scones on the table which mind you looked very similar to the pic in the recipe, he rolled his eyes and said 'these are biscuits.'



Nutella scones

Well I agree they look like biscuits, but this isn't the Taj bakery.

I guess the dough was flaky- to all your experienced bakers out there.

So what then a make-up blog..... nah..... I just had my first MAC tutorial last year and if I had to spend so much time in front of the mirror, I'd probably have to reapply all of it the moment I walk out the door. Besides I am a fan of the fresh faced look ala....never mind

I originally planned to keep this short and sweet but....



My book shelf now has: Jack Waters: Reuben Falls Dark Legacy

My book wish list is: Hyatt Bass's- The Embers ( I'm having a hard time getting an ebook copy)

On my playlist now: Daniel O Donnel - The Tennessee Waltz

Movies I watched and thought were wonderful: The Gifted Hands( Korean), The Broken city( its sad how corrupt politics is), The Croods- stone age cartoon but if you like the Flinstones you will like this, Parental Guidance ( ps- I like angry birds and do have a fav despite it not being 'my generation' thing.) I watched all these in a day. Dare you to do it



So pray do tell - what should I be writing about next.



Also guys if you have read my novella don't forget to write out a review for me on indireads and do share the romance with your wives, sisters, and bookloving friends on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter.



Speaking of Twitter I am on twitter, and a minor glitch has prevented twitter from collecting all email adds on gmail, so do tweet me @pamelahasspoken. A musgshot of me has been pasted against my name...;)

cheers

Walk by faith not by sight

This is something beautiful that one of my friends shared with me. It does remind me of the one thing that never changes but somehow is most forgotten - the continual presence of God.









This is the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage?

 His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove  the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He  cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.

  He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe
  even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!

  Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm. We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him. 

  Moral of the story: Just because you can't see God, doesn't mean He is not there. "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Celebrating a name in print

On 12th June my first e novella was released and it was a celebration of sorts. And that for us is never complete without some baked goods. I knew I wanted to make a pound cake.

But I didn't have a Bundt cake pan and I didn't want to make it in a plain mould.

So the day before I bought a lovely, small Bundt cake pan.

I followed Pioneer woman's recipe simply because she used sprite instead of baking powder and unhealthy as it may be I wanted to drink some sprite. So I got a hold of two bottles, (the recipe called for half a cup) wink- wink, whose watching anyway.... so I gulped the rest.

I only deviated from her recipe in using some Easter food colour so its pink.

I followed the suggestions by some to glaze with sugar, it worked like a charm.

While I clicked this late, natural sunlight would have been better, it didn't burn although this pink makes it look raw- Marco Pierre White would roll his eyes at that.

But I was hardly on the ground for the most part of the day so ......

Here's Pioneer woman's pound cake recipe....

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/01/perfect-pound-cake/



It tasted wonderful- everyone loved it....





In case anyone missed it here's the link to my novella, there's a discount code if you buy more than two books. Use coupon code PQF10 for that.

http://www.indireads.com/books/seoul-mates/



My book is being featured this Saturday, so will be online for questions and comments...

Cheers

Happy Feast of OLPS tomorrow...

Indireads..... my novella is officially on sale NOW....

At last......



Well it took some time to fix the kinks in  the system but my e-novella is now finally on sale at our new website. Those of you who kept asking, its finally here.















Yup www.indireads.com is the website where my novella 'Seoulmates' is out. You can get a taste of the book on the site by reading an excerpt that has been put up.

Here's a link to my book- http://www.indireads.com/books/seoul-mates/

Feel free to buy, rate and review the book online.

There are discounts on the site and a discount for my book as well. If you're interested email or leave your email  id in the comments below and I can send you a coupon code to save up or the piggy bank.. (wink wink)

So happy reading..... Look foward to hearing from you.......;)

Driving rules in Kuwait

I don't know about the situation in the rest of the Middle East, though I am told by many its the same as in Kuwait. But here are some rules when you drive in Kuwait.  I got some of them from a website... its super funny...





1. Slow down near the traffic camera...... really slowwww down-.





2. Overtake on shoulders, its perfectly okay.





3. Those numbers by the side of the road, they're just numbers, nobody's worried about it except for the guy on the right of the road..... he's probably lonely.



4. You got it.... the faster - the better.



5. Don't switch on your indicator when you change lanes, too much work for your fingers---- and whose got the time for that anyway.





6. Don't let anyone overtake you, the both of you can play fast and furious 7- who needs the sequel when you can make your own movie IN REAL TIME.



7. You absolutely don't need to know where your going, just make up your mind as you go along, turn where you feel like, no one's watching anyway.



8. Take all the time you need in the world on those cell phone calls. After all you happen to be the king of the road.



9. Oh and if you're a woman, you should be allowed to pass first - that does not even warrant an explanation. Tamam.



10. You can definitely cross a few lights, out here green means you can drive by slowly, orange means you better pick it up and red - means there's no way you're slowing down.....





Took this pic from bananaq8...





While there's a whole discussion on why this patrol car flipped, from high speed pursuit (illegal in UAE) to chasing girls and even the tyre exploding... etc ....... but you can easily tell why the traffic rules in Kuwait are such.



Have a super week people, and just as Linda says 'drive safe.'