Starting on the The Life of Pi

Tags

books, French name, postaday2013, Reading

I am on book two of my Christmas presents which is The Life of Pi. My hubby and I haven’t seen it at the movies yet and I’m pretty sure that we won’t get to before it is taken out of the theaters. I’m fine with reading the book because as far as I see, I am enjoying painting the scenery within my own mind. When I first heard the title, I wondered why someone would name their child Pi and if was related to the mathematical entity Pi. Imagine my surprise when I find out that his name is actually a French name but not in the way we think of names, it is a name of a thing; a swimming pool. The boy who is Pi cleverly gets his comrades at his new school to accept his nickname as Pi, the mathematical entity, instead of endearing the painful nickname he was given by his elementary school classmates. The word swimming pool in French is piscine, I guess that in India piscine easily becomes pissing and that degenerates further until it becomes too much for a young boy.

I suppose that I feel comfortable revealing some details because the book has been out for a while and with the movie I am fairly confident that I am not spoiling the book for many people. I respect the young boy’s fascination with the three religions and how intelligent he is in his outlook about complete acceptance of the fact that it is perfectly fine to believe and worship in all three. Because as he says, Why Not? They all love God, they are all religions based on Abraham as the patriarch, Jesus is a key figure and Hindu doesn’t interfere with any of them. For me, this was completely refreshing and I got a kick at his parents reactions as well as the reactions of the cleric, the priest and the rabbi. In my mind Pi’s logic is infallible.

So far I am in the lifeboat with Pi, the dead Zebra, the poor Orangutan, the just killed Hyena and Richard Parker, the Tiger, coping with the overwhelming stress of being in a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean with, I forgot to mention sharks swirling around, and a Tiger named Richard Parker.

I don’t mind the occasional glimpses into the future of grownup Pi, it helps to know that he survives this immense ordeal, and I’m glad to know that he found a way to reclaim his place in life and in the world. So far so good in this adaventure.

Blogging is….

Blogging is about expressing, sharing, connecting…and what else is blogging to you?

Blogging for me is primarily a way of expelling all the excess energy, thought patterns and whatever else occupies my brain so that I sleep better at night. Growing up I had never written in a journal or diary, I kept everything internalized and I used to suffer from stomach aches and fitful nights. It had never occurred to me to start writing, I always thought that if someone was going to write, it was because they either had an inner calling or some talent that demanded to be expressed. I never felt either of those urges so I went about my life.

The day before I started blogging, December 30th, I still hadn't given thought to writing everyday. I can't pinpoint what compelled me to register with WordPress that day, December 31st, but I haven't looked back. Writing has become a lifeline of serenity inducing and anti- anxiety therapy.

When I started blogging I didn't even think of sharing or connecting because I didn't think that anyone would bother looking at what I wrote or would be interested in what I had to say. The unimaginable surprise and joy from the initial response was heady and intoxicating and I quickly became hooked on the feedback and the gradual friendships that have developed along the way. Now that I have discovered the joy of blogging and of belonging to a special community of fellow bloggers, you can't stop me from blogging.