The Passing of the Torch
By: Victor Sarkin
Tags: Newsletter, Giab, Writing Community, Genius In A Bottle

The Passing of the Torch

Photo by Igor Kasalovic on Unsplash

Hello GiaB community!

Hope you and your loved ones are safe and happy. Since Genius in a Bottle started, Jay has been delighting you with his charming and witty style of writing about the week’s updates. Now, that responsibility falls on my shoulders — an exciting opportunity indeed!

So, who am I? I’m Shaheena — a teacher, writer, and proud mother to a Spiderman fan. I feel privileged to be a part of this thriving community of readers and writers and look forward to many rewarding experiences with you.

The new year will see us bidding a fellow editor goodbye. Aimee Gramblin, who will be greatly missed by the GiaB team, will continue as a contributing writer (and we’re glad she is). She has decided to give up her editorial duties at GiaB to make time for other commitments. The team wishes her success in life and on Medium!

At GiaB, Victor and Chirag have been immersed once again in the responses to GiaB’s prompted writing challenge #9 on the topic of Marine Life. Despite the quality received, a few pieces really hit the mark on all points for the challenge. GiaB encourages you all to treat yourself to Daniel A. Teo’s The Magnified Fishbowl, Rhonda Marrone’s Fish, Sea and Eternity, and Tooth Truth Roopa Vikesh’s Ariel and Finding Nemo. There’s something here to give underwater expeditions a captivating literary twist. Dive into the adventure — you won’t regret it.

As some parts of the globe are bracing for a second (or third) lockdown, parents like me are scurrying for ideas to keep our little ones engaged without losing our own sanity. I still remember how difficult it was the previous time.

Feeling trapped by the lockdown restrictions, my son and I desperately sought a way out of our indoor monotony. YouTube did a satisfactory job of entertaining us, but only as long as our eyes (and arms) could bear the strain of staring into a 5-inch screen.

Scrolling through my social media newsfeed made me nervous. This was partly because I envied all the friends who had a kitchen they could call their own. Their timelines boasted the most appetizing meals of biryani, borhani and balushahi. I had neither the means nor the patience for such elaborate feasts.

Getting my 8-year-old to finish his plate of food every day was a feat in itself. The local humidity triggered frequent bursts of frustration which were negotiated by intermittent showers in the days following Ramadan. Staying sane while homebound is not a challenge I was prepared for when TV presenters croaked national quarantine measures 2 months earlier.

With the pandemic far from relenting, I thought what a waste of my abilities it would be to watch my son survive on a daily (and boring) diet of potatoes and chicken. Surely, he deserved much better parenting.

I know how much he loves cheese pizza. So, I prepared a yeast dough and got him to punch it after rising. The expression on his face told me he found the activity therapeutic. He was a bit disappointed when I asked him to stop! A rustic cheese pizza gave us the respite we sought (even if for a short time).

As we approach the end of 2020 (and what a year it has been!), the GiaB team has a few cards up its sleeves. So, watch this space to find out about the surprises GiaB has in store for you!

Until next time, keep calm and wear a mask.

Shaheena Chowdhury on behalf of the GiaB team