Today seemed like an ordinary day. The heat and humidity were oppressive and since my husband is away, I was destined to spend yet another day at home. I did a mountain of laundry, horsed around with the children, read till I was hoarse and napped.

I woke up feeling disgruntled that the day had been boring… uneventful.

Less than two hours later, while having dinner, we heard a loud blast. A bomb had exploded at a site where a lawyers’ rally was to have taken place. This was at a market that we frequent, less than five minutes away from our home. Sixteen people have been killed and more than 40 injured by the suicide bomber.

This and recent events in the country have left us deeply saddened.

You know, when your two-year-old is happy her uncle has returned home safely saying words, which she understands completely, “There was a bomb over there!”, you suddenly realise that uneventful is not something so bad after all.

Dreadfully tardy or should I say fashionably late, Digital Jewel? *S*

I have been tagged… Yippee! Someone actually reads my boring blog!

7 Random Things About Me

1. I have more than 2 gmail accounts. OK, OK… I have 5 6.

2. I consult a doctor named Wicky Wong about my asthma.

3. I have never felt comfortable with my given names - my first is not used by family and my second can also be a masculine name. Either way, both make me feel awkward about my identity. I don’t know what I would name myself if I were given the option.

4. I often forego sleep because there are so many things I would rather do instead.

5. I went backpacking in India in 1997 and had the time of my life.

6. I wanted to be a neurosurgeon when I was a child. I now want to be a writer… sadly, the only books I have published are educational assessment books! (place track laughter here) If you live in Singapore and know my not-used-by-family-first name and masculine middle name you might have seen some of these… heh…

7. I love tea, don’t you? No? Sorry, can’t talk to you anymore…

I should be getting out more instead of plonking away at my laptop, but it is SWELTERING here in Islamabad and I am trying to draw up a homeschooling schedule… so, I guess I am justified? *S*

Anyway, I’ve got something to share! Ms M enjoys Geography/Social Studies. We had been reading books about children from different parts of the world in June to acquaint ourselves with other cultures. The library has been a wonderful resource but what we really wanted was some kind of human connection to enhance our studies.

Alhamdulillah, I came across a wonderful idea! Postcard swaps! There are numerous groups on yahoo - some are for homeschooling families and others, for postcard collectors. I think with parental supervision, they are safe, but for added security, you can get a PO box.

You can put together an album of postcards received, label a huge map, branch off into unit studies and research each country/city’s history… great possibilities!

I’ve joined a couple of groups and am already committed to some 30 exchanges, ma shaa Allah!

Here are some links to get you started…

• Homeschool Exchange
• Homeschool Shoebox Swap
• Postcards Around the Planet
• Postcard Heaven
• Postcard Kids
• Postcard Kids’ Geography Lessons
• Postcard Plus
• Postcrossing
• State and Country Exchange

Update!

Here are books we have enjoyed for Geography/Social Studies:

• Books by Miroslav Sasek - His This Is… series is simply delightful - the illustrations are cheery with a special touch of whimsy. I purchased a few from The Home Library and they are a little pricey but well worth the money!
• Children Just like Me by Dorling Kindersley Publishing, in association with United Nations Children’s Fund - I had a preview of this book when I bought a condensed version from a second-hand bookstore in Islamabad. This book features children in more than 30 countries - we get a chance to visit each of them as we learn about their families, homes and food. It’s one of those books I wish I could have written :)
• A Life like Mine by Dorling Kindersley Publishing - I bought this book a few years ago at a book sale for myself… now it will come in handy for my kids in shaa Allah. It profiles 18 children and is formatted around basic needs for survival. Leaves you counting your blessings…

Two other series we like are Child’s Day and Letters from Around the World:

• Child’s Day: Bongani’s Day by Gisele Wulfsohn
• Child’s Day: In a Vietnamese City by Jim Holmes & Tom Morgan
• Child’s Day: In an Egyptian City by Khaled Eldash & Dalia Khattab
• Child’s Day: Iina Marja’s Day (From Dawn to Dusk) by Jaako Alatalo
• Letters from Around the World: France by Teresa Fisher (author)
• Letters from Around the World: Spain by Cath Senker
• Letters from Around the World: Pakistan by David Cumming
• Letters from Around the World: Costa Rica by Patrick Cunningham & Sue Cunningham
• Letters from Around the World: Greece by David Cumming
• Letters from Around the World: Canada by Andy Orchard & Clare Orchard