50 Books 50 Countries; Book 48: These Alien Skies by C T Rwizi

My reading challenge 2022 is to finish 50 books that have been published/authored/set in 50 different countries. I shall post about the ones I have read, mention the country they are set in and where the author is based. Instead of a review, I shall open a random page in the book and quote a line/para. My reviews and ratings are available on Goodreads, for those who wish to know.

Book 48: These Alien Skies

Author: C T Rwizi (South Africa) 🇿🇦

Genre: Sci-fi

Set in: Space

Location 149:

History can be a burden sometimes. I should know. Growing up on a Martian arcology as a third-generation immigrant from South Africa, I was neither among the wealthy founding families nor was I among the desired demographic of settlers. It never quite felt like my home world wanted me, a curse many Africans in the diaspora have never truly escaped.

Flag score:  🇿🇦  🇨🇳 🇸🇦 🇧🇴 🇲🇸 🇬🇷 🇹🇷 🇦🇺 🇸🇪 🇪🇸 🇬🇭 🇹🇬 🇧🇫 🇳🇪 🇱🇾 🇹🇳 🇩🇿 🇲🇱 🇲🇦 🇲🇷 🇬🇦 🇧🇩 🇨🇦 🇲🇲 🇹🇭 🇵🇭 🇲🇾 🇸🇬 🇰🇷 🇯🇵 🇹🇼 🇧🇦 🇮🇶 🇳🇿 🇼🇸 🇵🇰 🇳🇬 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇧 🇲🇽 🇮🇳 🇩🇪 🇦🇹 🇮🇹 🇷🇺 🇳🇵 🇦🇷 🇵🇾 🇵🇪 🇸🇷 🇮🇪 🇨🇿 🇵🇱 🇫🇮 🇱🇻 🇱🇹 🇪🇪 🇫🇷 🇧🇷 🇰🇿 🇺🇸 🇵🇹 🇸🇷 🇳🇱 🇮🇱 🇮🇷 🇵🇸 🇪🇬 🇺🇾 🇨🇱 🇯🇴 🇸🇾 🇨🇾 🇨🇭 🇸🇩 🇪🇹 🇦🇪 🇧🇪 🇧🇧 🇬🇫 🇻🇪 🇹🇹 🇨🇼 🇨🇴 🇬🇾

#readingchallenge #50books50countries #africanwriters #blackauthors #scifi #space #africa #southafrica #amazonoriginals

50 Books 50 Countries; Book 47: The Black Pages by Nnedi Okorafor

My reading challenge 2022 is to finish 50 books that have been published/authored/set in 50 different countries. I shall post about the ones I have read, mention the country they are set in and where the author is based. Instead of a review, I shall open a random page in the book and quote a line/para. My reviews and ratings are available on Goodreads, for those who wish to know.

Book 47: The Black Pages

Author: Nnedi Okorafor (USA) 🇺🇸

Genre: Novella 

Set in: Mali 🇲🇱

Page 19:

They want to erase the history of our people. They want to erase our ancestors. Wipe them all away and replace them with the memory of the Arab. It is a false jihad against the genius of the black African. It is not Islam at all.”

Flag score: 🇨🇳 🇸🇦 🇧🇴 🇲🇸 🇬🇷 🇹🇷 🇦🇺 🇸🇪 🇪🇸 🇬🇭 🇹🇬 🇧🇫 🇳🇪 🇱🇾 🇹🇳 🇩🇿 🇲🇱 🇲🇦 🇲🇷 🇬🇦 🇧🇩 🇨🇦 🇲🇲 🇹🇭 🇵🇭 🇲🇾 🇸🇬 🇰🇷 🇯🇵 🇹🇼 🇧🇦 🇮🇶 🇳🇿 🇼🇸 🇵🇰 🇳🇬 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇧 🇲🇽 🇮🇳 🇩🇪 🇦🇹 🇮🇹 🇷🇺 🇳🇵 🇦🇷 🇵🇾 🇵🇪 🇸🇷 🇮🇪 🇨🇿 🇵🇱 🇫🇮 🇱🇻 🇱🇹 🇪🇪 🇫🇷 🇧🇷 🇰🇿 🇺🇸 🇵🇹 🇸🇷 🇳🇱 🇮🇱 🇮🇷 🇵🇸 🇪🇬 🇺🇾 🇨🇱 🇯🇴 🇸🇾 🇨🇾 🇨🇭 🇸🇩 🇪🇹 🇦🇪 🇧🇪 🇧🇧 🇬🇫 🇻🇪 🇹🇹 🇨🇼 🇨🇴 🇬🇾

#readingchallenge #50books50countries #africanwriters #mali #amazonoriginalstories #amazon #nnediokorafor #books #africa 

50 Books 50 Countries; Book 46: To the Sky Kingdom by Tang Qi

My reading challenge 2022 is to finish 50 books that have been published/authored/set in 50 different countries. I shall post about the ones I have read, mention the country they are set in and where the author is based. Instead of a review, I shall open a random page in the book and quote a line/para. My reviews and ratings are available on Goodreads, for those who wish to know.

Book 46: To the Sky Kingdom 

Author: Tang Qi (China) 🇨🇳

Genre: Fantasy

Set in: China 🇨🇳

Page 2:

The pain spread through her heart like a drop of ink being sucked into a sheet of thick rice paper.

Flag score: 🇨🇳 🇸🇦 🇧🇴 🇲🇸 🇬🇷 🇹🇷 🇦🇺 🇸🇪 🇪🇸 🇬🇭 🇹🇬 🇧🇫 🇳🇪 🇱🇾 🇹🇳 🇩🇿 🇲🇱 🇲🇦 🇲🇷 🇬🇦 🇧🇩 🇨🇦 🇲🇲 🇹🇭 🇵🇭 🇲🇾 🇸🇬 🇰🇷 🇯🇵 🇹🇼 🇧🇦 🇮🇶 🇳🇿 🇼🇸 🇵🇰 🇳🇬 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇧 🇲🇽 🇮🇳 🇩🇪 🇦🇹 🇮🇹 🇷🇺 🇳🇵 🇦🇷 🇵🇾 🇵🇪 🇸🇷 🇮🇪 🇨🇿 🇵🇱 🇫🇮 🇱🇻 🇱🇹 🇪🇪 🇫🇷 🇧🇷 🇰🇿 🇺🇸 🇵🇹 🇸🇷 🇳🇱 🇮🇱 🇮🇷 🇵🇸 🇪🇬 🇺🇾 🇨🇱 🇯🇴 🇸🇾 🇨🇾 🇨🇭 🇸🇩 🇪🇹 🇦🇪 🇧🇪 🇧🇧 🇬🇫 🇻🇪 🇹🇹 🇨🇼 🇨🇴 🇬🇾

#50books50countries #chineseauthors #fantasy #readingchallenge #china #tangqi #totheskykingdom #bookoholic #books

Finished GIS Course 2: Data formats, design and quality

Finished course 2 of a five-course GIS specialization. This one was about data and its formats. I love infographics and data design but this one has challenged me with algebra and Python. The capstone project was called Moving Valmeyer, a real situation where the town of Valmeyer in Ohio moved because of the loss of property and life they faced during consecutive floods for years. Years ago, as a journalist, I covered the settlements that were submerged because of the increase in the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam. Now, on the other side, I got a faint idea of what goes through the mind of a town planner in the records department to decide where the villagers should be resettled. 

#ucdavis #coursera #gis #dataanalytics #data #dataformats #algebra #python #geographicinformationsystem #TheScienceofWhere #esri #ArcGIS

Reef: Watercolour

Nafrat (Hate)

Nafratein toh humne bhi bahut dekhi hai.

Afsos toh yeh hai ki humein nafrat karna nahin aata.

- Eisha

When the humble khakhra became a lifesaver

Flashback 2005: Six students from University of Mumbai's Masters of Communication and Journalism course were handpicked to go to Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry in January 2005 to make documentary films on the devastation caused by the December 2004 tsunami. None of us had ever been to Chennai and only one, a Malayali, knew a few words of Tamil. As we boarded the second class of the Chennai Express we discovered that between the six of us we had to share three side berths. The two smaller girls, Lakshmi and Kavita took one. Ashu and I grabbed another. And Ram and Ziko took the third (both almost six feet). The lights were turned off and I could hear the snores. I don't sleep well or at all in new places. Some wise ass had decided to leave the doors open so we were crossing interior Maharashtra, freezing our butts off at temperatures 3-4 degrees. None of us, except Ram (and we'd made fun of his leather jacket), had planned for it. Ashu had wrapped my stole as his blanket and was fast asleep while I hugged my knapsack tight. Then I heard the chattering. Ziko and Ram kept whispering and shuffling. I asked them to sit down on the berth opposite mine next to the man who snored loudest. Ziko was white, his rheumatic knuckles had swollen, teeth were chattering and he was shivering in spite of wearing Ram's jacket. We rubbed his palms to generate heat. Then I remembered the khakhra mom had packed into my knapsack in spite of my protests. I handed one to him. The chewing helped generate some heat and he had four khakhras before he was warm enough to utter thank you. The next afternoon, the swelling had reduced and the smile had returned to his face. I managed to grab some sleep. The memory of that night replays every time I bite into the humble khakhra. 😁