MUSINGS AND MORE

Star gazing

2011-07-13T15:21:00.003+12:00

There are many other worse things that I could do. But not too many.

I have been guilty of using most of my blog writing, Fb viewing and other pursuits’ time for watching Hindi serials on Star Plus.

Yes, I admit it. Publicly. Can this be the same person who used to scorn daily serials and rage at reality shows? This is still me. But how have I changed so much?

I don’t know. But it might have something to do with the fact that the shows nowadays are a far cry from the pathetic offerings that were being dished out a few years ago on DD, before I left India, ie, 1990s.

The ones nowadays are almost always well-written and extremely well-presented. They are the movies of the small screen – they have the grandeur and maturity that was so far associated only with full-length feature films. Exotic locales, great costumes and sets, authentic (although only Hindi) accents, lovely large families that celebrate all the Hindu festivals, good strong characters played by talented actors and even dishum-dishum.

So, it’s not surprising that I am trying to assuage my pangs of homesickness or movie-sickness with Star Plus.

Of course, not all the serials or shows are great. The reality shows, although very well presented, will still be reality shows, ie, totally fake. And there will always be serials where the only focus is the maamiyar-marumagal (or to give it the Hindi equivalent of saas-bahu) relationship and both the storyline and characters are more negative and stereotyped than required.

But I give these a wide berth.

And then, there are also the serials that change tack mid-way. From perfect watchable ones, they suddenly become completely unbearable. The characters become flawed, weakened and unbelievable. I switch off.

Earlier, not knowing Hindi could have been a possible drawback (not for me, though). But now, there are sub-titles for all the shows, full of horrible translations, grammatical errors and wrongly spelt names (eg, ‘Sudha bhabhi’ becomes ‘sister-in-law Sudha’ , Akshara is Aksha, etc*shudder*) . Even so, good enough to let you know what is happening.

My only grouse is that Star gazing takes up too much precious time and leaves me with next to no time for my other activities, as I’ve already said.

So what do I do? Of course, being a woman, I multitask (*sigh of relief* at least I have that choice). Fb + StarPlus or housework + Star Plus or Skype + Star Plus and sometimes even reading + Star Plus.

There aren’t possibly many other worse things that I could do to while away my non-existent free time. But at least, I am relaxed doing this.

I almost shed tears of joy when Akshara’s saas praises her. I hold back my tears when Khushi shivers in the cold, while doing her arrogant boss’s bidding. But since I know that they are going to fall in love with each other, I forgive him. I pity Devyani, who has to hide the secret that her son is gay, from her philandering husband. etc etc.

Aaaah, show me an Indian who doesn’t love a spicy sentimental story, and I will show you a freak!

A literary irony

2011-04-27T16:52:00.001+12:00

One of life’s little ironies. My life’s little ironies.
I was born and brought up in Tamil Nadu, in a Tamil speaking family. But strangely, possibly due to a combination of circumstances, while growing up I had minimal exposure to Tamil history, classics etc.
While my family did their bit to fill their gaps, I grew up to be a very slow reader and writer of the language, as I did hardly 5 years of study in it. What I missed almost completely was Tamil Literature.
While cousins who were into it tried often to tempt me into reading some novel that had impressed them, I baulked, mostly because the speed at which I read Tamil would have meant that it would take me AGES (and that’s no exaggeration – I used to take about 15 minutes to read one page of printed Tamil) to finish any of those bulky tomes that they favoured.
I remember making only one exception: it was a book called Nainda Ullam by Anuthama. Although completing it was a laborious process, I did it for two reasons: it was recommended by a favourite sister and once I started reading it, I liked it, so wanted to read more.
Either way, after that (sometime when I was in school), I read hardly anything in Tamil apart from the barest minimum.
After my graduation and journalism course, work in an English newspaper surprisingly, brought Tamil back into my life. Translating press releases from the state government (ie, crap) into English had one benefit. It re-familiarised me with reading Tamil again. And since then, I’ve somehow or the other managed to keep myself fairly upto speed with Tamil. After moving to NZ, I’ve made a conscious effort to do this.
Now, getting to the purpose of this whole rambling post: one of the novels which I kept hearing people talking about but had never read was a novel of epic proportions, called ‘Ponniyin Selvan’. I don’t know why, but the name has always fascinated me. When I was younger, I didn’t know that Ponni was another name for the Kaveri or that Ponniyin Selvan was how people referred to Raja Raja Cholan (shocking I know, but I am telling it like it is). But there was something almost mystical about the title of the book.
To cut a long ramble short, I seldom had the opportunity to read this epic and on the rare occasions that I did, the sheer size put me off (2400 pages, divvied up into 5 volumes). Up until now.
But after all that, I am finally reading this novel now. In NZ (oh, another irony for sure). I’ve finished four chapters. The wealth of history in the novel is staggering. The characters it describes are inspiring.
And while I am sure I don’t know how long it will take me to finish all five volumes, I know that this time, I will. All good things take time.

2011-04-13T16:41:00.001+12:00

Aaaargh, I may as well be dead for all the writing I've been doing lately on my blog. Fb is one culprit, but not the only one...

The ultimate accolade

2010-12-06T10:44:00.000+13:00

My teenager is taking me to the movies tonight.

Not just any movie: we’re going for ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1'.

Not just with anyone: with my teenager and her friends.

Why? Because, apparently, I am ‘cool’ enough!

Paper cuts

2010-11-19T14:46:00.000+13:00

I’d never heard of these when I was in India.
I’ve never quite gotten rid of them since I came to NZ – the latest one, 20 minutes ago.

More on Aish

2010-11-08T16:32:00.002+13:00

Ok, no one can ever say that I am not fair. I’ve just seen Aish on a talk show and a reality show and I have to say that she isn’t half bad in them. And I feel guilty at having been so bitchy about her in my last post. So let me say now, that I could even get to like her at the end of my nth janmam.

It’s only in movies that her cruelty to me and my ilk is intolerable. Movies mean more than 2 hours of Aish trying to act, all the while trying to emote while just managing to hold off the smirk of being ulaga azhagi.

So I’ve decided. No more Aish movies for me anymore, even if they are as hyped up as Endhiran. And from what I hear, that may not be too hard for me to manage in future. Apparently she’s preggers. Who know, she may have triplets and become such a devoted mom that she won’t have any more time to act. One can only hope….

How much do I hate Aish? Let me count the ways...

2010-10-28T11:30:00.004+13:00

I know, and have known for a while now that Aish is definitely past her best-by date.
Seeing two Aish movies (Endhiran and Raavanan) almost back to back only re-confirmed it for me.

But this post isn’t just about Aish being past her best-by date. There’s no big deal in that. I can think of plenty of other actresses and actors who are post their best-by date, but are holding on like grim death.

What I can’t figure out is why watching Aish on screen is such an excruciatingly painful experience. It was never easy, but it only seems to be getting worse with time.

I think this has nothing to do with how old she looks. It has everything to do with what sort of an actress she is. And she isn’t a good one – yet (am being charitable here - I added 'good' to my original sentence).

While she couldn’t act for toffee from Day 1, she managed then because most of her early roles were ‘running around the trees’ and ‘looking too good to be true’ roles. But, I have never been able even stomach her, leave alone take her seriously, from the minute she started taking up roles that required serious acting.

And that, I think, is because, she lacks ‘X’ – the quality that the greats have, which makes you, the audience, forget that you are only watching a movie.

Okay, let’s be generous here – very, very few people have that ‘X’ – so it may not be fair to expect her to have it. But even in the group of second-raters, why does she stick out like a sore thumb?

Maybe its because she gives the impression of being too conscious of her status as ‘ulaga azhagi’. Even if she is running off a cliff or being tied up like a dog, this unfortunately comes through. You feel no sympathy for the character she is playing – rather, all you feel is irritation at how vapid she appears. I actually wanted to smack her.

Although this comes too late in the day, I think she should have stuck to modelling, where she could have easily hidden her acting flaws and capitalised on her ex ‘too-good to be true’ looks. Unfortunately for me and my ilk, she chose acting....

But not even that any more though. Her face looks like the desi version of Pamela Anderson now – and if you don’t believe me, just google the internet to see before and after versions. Here’s just one link to help you out. Even when she is in the middle of the jungle in Raavanan, she still manages to look plastic. Eeeks. What really bothers me is why directors still run behind her.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system (phew, thankfully – I can tell you its been simmering in there for a while – I hate that woman for messing up my Endhiran experience), what do you think it is that drives people in equal lots to the Hate Aish and Love Aish clubs? What is it for you? The "I think Plastic Ash is fantastic' queue is to the left, while the eco-friendly, sane ones can line up behind me.

CWG Delhi

2010-09-24T15:59:00.004+12:00

Aaah, the Delhi CWG have made me an athlete/gymnast.

When I see colleagues coming towards me to ask why we messed up so badly, I run in the opposite direction.

When I am not successful in running away, I squirm and writhe fluidly with the shame of being labelled, not an Indian, but by being lumped with those Indians (and even Pakistanis) like Suresh Kalmadi, Lalit Bhanot, and the zillion others who have dirtied India Shining, thanks to the CWG exposes.

The daily dose gets dirtier as the days pass by.

No one here sees mera Bharat as mahaan. How can they? They only see Bharat as the land of stench & corruption. Bharat the beggar, who cannot, will not, do any better, tied up as she is, in the unbreakable shackles of her corrupt leaders, inept systems and helpless people. And I cannot explain this away. I lack both the words and the conviction. I don't want to explain this away!

I am proud to be Indian, but not of this India. My India, somewhere, maybe in a parallel universe, still lives.

Ten to one..

2010-09-17T10:25:00.005+12:00

Ten hows:
1. How did you get one of your scars? I have none.
2. How did you celebrate your last birthday? I didn’t.
3. How are you feeling at this moment? Pretty good – it’s a Friday.
4. How did your night go last night? OK
5. How did you do in high school? Comme ci comme ca
6. How did you get the shirt you’re wearing? Got it as a gift from the Queen!
7. How often do you see your best friend(s)? A LOT less often than I'd like to.
8. How much money did you spend last month? More than I really wanted to.
9. How old do you want to be when you get married? Just right
10. How old will you be at your next birthday? A year older than what I was last year.

Nine whats:
1. Your mother's name? Amma
2. What did you do last weekend?
Sat: Listened to Gyaneshwari discourse, got little one ready for dance class, made a garland, went to temple, listened to abhangs, housework and puja for Ganesha as it was Ganesha Charuthi. And overall spent time with the kids.
Sun: Listened to Gyaneshwari discourse, housework, went to temple, listened to abhangs, And overall spent time with the kids.
Last weekend was special though – the discourse/abhang bit doesn’t happen often in Wlg.
3. What is the most important part of your life? All of them.
4. What would you rather be? Be rich enough and responsible enough to make the world and my mind a better place.
5. What did you last cry over? Not telling.
6. What always makes you feel better when you’re upset? Myself & my friends
7. What’s the most important thing you look for in a significant other? A sense of humour.
8. What are you worried about? Worrying too much.
9. What did you have for breakfast? Curry puffs

Eight yous:

1. Have you ever liked someone who had a girlfriend/boyfriend? ??
2. Have you ever had your heart broken? Not really.
3. Have you ever been out of the country? Which country?
4. Have you ever done something outrageously dumb? Too many incidents to recount
5. Have you ever been back stabbed by a friend? Friends – no. Relatives who I thought I was friends with: yes.
6. Have you ever been seriously ill? Nope, not yet - give me some time though!
7. Have you ever dated someone younger than you? Stop being so nosy!
8. Have you ever read an entire book in one day? Of course.

Seven whos:
1. Who was the last person you saw? Someone I didn’t want to see
2. Who was the last person you texted? Dana
3. Who was the last person you hung out with? My family and friends in Wlg
4. Who was the last person to call you? To call me what?
5. Who did you last hug? My baby.
6. Who is the last person who texted you? Dana.
7. Who was the last person you said “I love you” to? X

Six wheres:
1. Where does your best friend(s) live? All over the world. Chennai, UK, NZ and more.
2. Where did you last go? To work.
3. Where did you last hang out? The washing on the line.
4. Where do you go to school? I don't.
5. Where is your favourite place to be? With family and friends.
6. Where did you sleep last night? At home.

Five dos:
1. Do you think anyone likes you? Yes, Thank God!
2. Do you ever wish you were someone else? Not often.
3. Do you know the muffin man? Nope.
4. Does the future scare you? Nope. The present is scary enough.
5. Do your parents know about your blog? Yup.

Four whys:
1. Why are you best friends with your best friend? She's always there for me, even if we are continents, natures and time zones apart.
2. Why did you get into blogging? To keep in touch with writing and myself.
3. Why did your parents give you the name you have? A granmother’s name shared between two grand-daughters. So my cousin got the first half and I got the second half.
4. Why are you doing this survey? Chumma, just like that.

Three ifs:
1. If you could have one super power what would it be? To make the world a happier, fairer place
2. If you could go back in time and change one thing, would you? Yes.
3. If you were stranded on a deserted island and could bring 1 thing, what would you bring? I honestly don’t know.

Two would you evers:
1. Would you ever get back together with any of your ex’s if they asked you? What ex?
2. Would you ever shave your head to save someone you love? For sure. But if they loved me, they wouldn’t ask me to!

One last question:
1. Are you happy with your life right now? Yep.

Aaah-mir Khan

2010-09-17T09:53:00.003+12:00

Reading Shyam’s post on George Michael brought back so many memories of college days and the unlimited jollu-ing that was part of life then.

While we loved our firangis then, we also loved our desis just as much. Of course desis and firangis may come and go and they did (George Michael was one of themJ). But did any of them stay the favourite forever – or at least, as close to forever, which means till now, when I am twice as old as what I was then?

I racked my brains (yes, really had to) to think of who has been a constant favourite since my college days.In fact, the first and the only name that came to mind with the accompaniment of a resounding YES was Aamir Khan. There wasn’t even a close second after him.

Initially of course, I liked him for being the cutie in QS QTJ and many other movies. He was perfectly drool-worthy. Even during the times when I was ‘off’ movies, I’d make it a point to see his films (how did he continue to keep looking so young, damn it!). The last movie of his that I saw (with my best friend from college and fellow joller) before I left India, was Sarfarosh. I loved it, especially the patriotic thread that ran through the movie.

Then, after I reached NZ, there was a break – he didn’t seem to be doing any movies. What was he doing? Till Lagaan happened. And ever since then, he stopped being just another pretty face in Bollywood. And became much more.

How many other stars of his calibre and with his status would have dared to do Lagaan, at a time when to do so would have been career suicide. But now we know that was a huge hit. And then he followed on with movies like Mangal Pandey (although patriotism had become hip by the time MP came out) and Dil Chahata Hai. And then in the last few years, it’s just been a case of the best getting better.

Rang De Basanti - playing the eternal college goer at 40 and being able to carry it off. And doing only one movie in three years? And again, that patriotic streak (psyching other Khans into doing patriotism too).

And I can’t think of a single superstar in Mumbai who would have dared to produce/act in a movie like TZP? A movie on kids with learning difficulties – made so sensitively, it touched our hearts. And having been gutsy and visionary enough to do that, how did that man make it a commercial hit too? Beats me.

Then, of course, came Ghajini, and then 3 Idiots. ‘nuff said.

When we have our stars, both from Bollywood and cricket, endorsing everything from underwear to outer space, he’s someone who has chosen to do minimal endorsements. And said no to being waxed at Tussaud’s ( I seem to remember this, but not sure:-)! And doesn’t mind taking a stand on politically sensitive issues. And all the while still being commercially viable and bit of a marketing genius and selling his stuff, even the unorthodox ones like TZP and Peepli Live. I mean, the stuff was great in the first place. But you still need good marketing to sell it well.

And for keeping up too - blogging and twittering and what not. Beauty, with brains! What more can one ask for?

Do I sound prejudiced? Of course, I do, because I am. And I for one, will be rooting for Dhobi Ghat, Delhi Belly and whatever else Aamir comes up with.

THE BALL

2010-08-26T11:09:00.009+12:00

Inspired by and dedicated to my big N:-)she is a good girl

The ball, the ball, the ball
We've been hearing about it since last Fall!

Where to look, what to buy, what to wear
And what to do with that thick black hair.

The long and the short of the ball gown
What colour should it be – pink or brown?

The moaning, the whingeing and endless texting
The decisions have to be made NOW, no resting.

Buying the make-up, the accessories,
While not forgetting other necessaries.

Working to a budget that might be shoe string
Still buying as much as that money can bring

Comparing notes with friends, all anger vented
While driving the parents almost demented.

It’s here. The big day finally dawns
Weekend it may be, but today no yawns,

Off to get the hair set in a classy top knot
Back with Mum for make-up, thanks a lot.

Then the ball: dancing,laughing with all the mates
Entirely happy since the photos have come out great

At the end, getting Dad to do the chauffeur rounds
Happily eating, for now she can put back on the pounds.

The ball, the ball, the ball
Finally, it is now all over, come this Fall!

(Quiet sigh of relief)

2010-08-22T00:10:00.002+12:00

At the stroke of midnight, when the world is sleeping....

I am still awake. Waiting for big N to return from the school social.

So that I can get the latest goss;-)

But I have to wait - after the ball is a sleepover at a friend's. And then, she'll be back in the morning...so what am I actually waiting for now?

For S to come back after dropping her and her freinds off at their friend's place...yawn...I'll give S 10 more minutes.

Wellington winter day

2010-07-30T13:11:00.005+12:00

Seagulls at Petone beach (right opposite my office building)

Petone pier

Eastbourne on the hills

Wellington CBD from across the bay

The ferry coming in from Picton

Loving it:-)

How can you not?

2010-07-20T11:34:00.000+12:00

At work.
Out of the blue, I am seized by a sudden and powerful longing to be back home, a violent wave of homesickness.
Why, after 11 years away?
Why, when I’ve just gotten back after a long holiday in India?
Why, when I am the object of envy among all my friends, not just for living abroad, but for living in clean and green NZ?
Why, when we have friends, a life and much more here?
Why, when even our family back in India says: “What are you coming back here for?”

Never too early to start

2010-06-08T10:26:00.001+12:00

Last night, out of the blue, little N (who is all of 7 years old) said: Amma, I am sad, because K is not my friend any more (K is another girl in her class).

Why, what happened? I asked.

K said she won’t invite me over for her play day at home, said little N, looking sad.

Why did she say that, N, I asked.

Well, she said I am too Indian and that means I am too boring. So, she said she doesn’t want Indian people in her group any more, said little N, shocking me into complete silence for half-a-minute.

Well, if that isn’t one of the saddest things I’ve heard of in recent times, I then don’t know what is….

But there is something even sadder (and scarier). K is an Indian.

Of sulky teens and sambar

2010-05-21T14:10:00.001+12:00

My absence over 6 weeks when I was in India, actually made our solo teenager stalk the kitchen. Not just to rummage through the pantry to devour anything edible that didn’t need further processing, but to actually do the processing herself – ie, cooking.

Just thought I’d mention that, because her proud dad S actually told his mom (ie, my MIL) that N made sambar that was as good as what her mom (ie, moi) makes. S being S, won’t ever say that to my face:-)

*sob* My sulky teenager is finally qualified enough to be called a SIndianBrahm…in NZ! All my 18 years of nurturing her (including the time she spent in my then gigantic tummy) hasn’t been wasted after all. What more could a mom want?

Foodstalgia

2010-05-07T16:32:00.003+12:00

Every time I go to India, I go with an avowed aim of eating certain types of foods at certain places. At home, of course and in some specific restaurants such as Saravana Bhavan in Chennai, Utsav in Hyd etc.

This time, though, I had not planned on any such thing. There wasn’t any time to plan any of it. So off I went with little N.

And turns out that I’ve never eaten out as much as I have on this trip. Nor have I eaten so many different dishes in any of my other Indian trips. Thanks to all the travel I did within the country in the nearly 6 weeks I was there. The travel is also probably the reason why my NZ weighing scales tell me I haven't put on any weight in spite of so much intake. Needless to add, have not lost even a gram either:-)

In Tamil Nadu: I was heading down south, Tiruchi, Rameshwaram, Karaikudi, Srivilliputhur, Madurai and finally Thiruvannamalai. So, beautiful idlis for breakfast, massive traditional rice spreads for lunches and lovely palakaram varieties for dinner. All served on vaazhai ilais.

And a couple of Mexican dishes I had in Tex Mex and also at Veg Nation. And of course, no Chennai visit is complete without a meal at the ubiquitous Saravana Bhavan.

Only grouse: It was almost impossible to find filter kaapi for love or money in Madurai after 6 pm.

And even when I was not travelling, got to eat palaa pazham (jack fruit), maam pazham, sapotta (chiku), maangai (raw mango). Not bad at all.

In Andhra: Stayed only two days here. So did not manage to find any traditional Andhra food. But did some traditional shopping here with P:-)

In Maharashtra: Travelled almost every day – Kolhapur, Pandarpur and Shirdi. This meant a lot of different dishes. Kanda poha (owl uppuma), sabudhana kichidi, sabudhana vadas, ganna ras (sugarcane juice), alphonso mangoes, missal, and Chitale Bandhu mithaiwala treats like Bakarwadi, shankar pali, ambe burfi and chivda. And dhoklas at an auntie’s house.

In Uttarakhand: The best and hottest alu paranthas straight from the tawa at various roadside dhabas, eaten with pickle and dahi for breakfast. A first for me. Then pannier dishes, dum aloo, rotis, pulaus, phulkas, samosas, jilebis etc throughout the day when we were in Joshimath. Meetha paan too.

In DDN, Indian cooked breakfasts like pongal, puri, idlis, etc at home. Rossogollas and petha from the shops.

In Delhi: Spent just half a day at a relative’s place. But got Punjabi chole and gobhi curry as well as kantola-potato curry – the first time I’ve eaten that – all served with piping hot puris, that were being made fresh.

Not to forget the vethal kozhambu, rasam, koottu and usual homely varieties of TamBrahm S.Indian food that I ate throughout my trip………and the endless cups of coffee in S.India and chai in N.India.

And the gallons of Mazaas, Nimbooz, Slice, etc that we consumed during our stay there, just to keep cool. As well as elaneers (tender coconut water) and iced teas.

I admit I am nostalgic…I am trying not to think of the couple of unpleasant days I had with a Delhi-like belly. But even then, it was so worth it. And best of all, I had to cook/make none of these – I only had to eat.

But that was then (last week).

This is now (today): day-before’s leftover pulau and yesterday’s leftover dhal for dinner tonight.

How much life can change in a week!

Happy Mother’s Day everyone (Sunday, May 9)!

Depressing Delhi

2010-05-06T15:06:00.002+12:00

For real! Normally I don’t do this, as I love the uniqueness of each city. And I have personally seen too many friends/relatives badmouth Chennai, and still think that is such a hateful attitude to take towards any place.

But this time, I too make an exception. Delhi was dirty, dreary, depressing and almost appallingly impersonal and terrifying. The people I knew there and met were lovely. But the city itself?

From the searing 43.6C heat that greeted us when we landed there, to the security person routinely going through the airport rubbish bins for bombs, it was all a bit too grim and grey for me.

The security thing really gave me the heebie jeebies. Metal detector doorways everywhere I went: at the impressively modern metro rail stations, Pahlika Bazaar, Connaught Place…

And Chandini Chowk! What a misnomer. And the Red Fort standing in the middle of all the decay and dust like an anachronism. Looking dirty, but still imposing.

I am not sure if it was because of the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar. But every time I’ve gone to Delhi, there have always been thousands of people stretched out at all the main train stations there: New Delhi, Old Delhi and Hazrat Nizammudin. This time was no exception, with my Hazrat experience taking the cake!

We were 5 of us, and the driver, bundled into one Maruti Esteem, and being driven from out hotel rooms near Old Delhi train station. In a car whose boot was mostly filled by the LPG cylinder that provided the ‘green’ fuel for it.

So, 6 of us, plus our 9 bags squeezed in anyhow. The taxi, though filled to the brim, was proceeding fairly rapidly towards Hazrat, thanks to the 11pm light traffic on the roads. The train to Dehradun was due to depart at 12 midnight from Hazrat.

Then we ran into the IPL crowds dispersing after the match (Apr 18). The Feroz Shah Kotla stadium lights were all still blazing brightly.

After a fraught few minutes when the car barely moved a few inches every few minutes in the traffic snarl, we finally crossed the busy stretch and then reached Hazrat, with a few minutes to spare. The usual haggle with the porters ensued there and SK finally struck the deal with 2 of them (thanks to our numerous bags, we needed 2 porters). A wheelchair for MIL, who can’t walk up steps, was also arranged.

And then suddenly, the lights went off. All of them!

A power cut at a main train station! I couldn’t believe it – I’d never seen such a sight in all my life, and I’ve travelled extensively by trains all over India.

So, I waited confidently for all the lights to come back on again immediately. Surely, there would be a generator or inverter or something. But no such thing happened.

Time was ticking by, we had to get to the train. So, we split into two groups, SK pushing MIL along, having to go to our train via a different route due to wheelchair access restrictions. Me, following both porters and Amma following me, holding little N’s hand. All in complete darkness in this unknown place.

As soon as we reached the shelter of the station building from the car park outside, the whole thing took on a nightmarish, unreal quality. All the available flat floor space in the station was completely filled by sleeping people. The porters, and all of us, walking oddly so that we could carefully step between each sleeping person and not stamp any of them.

The porters, however, being men carrying weights, wanted to go as quickly as possible. Amma, being old and not having good night vision, could not. So the gap between me and Amma & N widened. There was no time to stop and even scramble around to see if I could locate my cell phone for a bit of light.

Till finally, they could not see me in the dark and I resorted to screaming instructions.

“Amma, keep coming straight.

Steps ahead, careful. There are still more people on the floor, paathu vaa”.

Amma, turn left when you are at the top of the steps and go straight till you see the next set of steps on the left, leading down to the platform

Vandhachu, the train is here, just a few hundred yards more, I am waiting here….”

And to check our seat numbers on the train reservation chart, one of the porters had to use the backlight from his cell phone.

Made it, finally. And mercifully, the power is on in the train. But SK still hasn’t reached here with MIL. Where is he? With 5 minutes to spare, they too reach. We are all set to leave for DDN.

But there is still no power in the station.

Back there at Feroz Shah Kotla, the lights must still be blazing bright….

Aaaaa………m

2010-05-05T11:53:00.001+12:00

After 11 years, I got to eat Indian maam pazhams (aaaaaaaam) this time around. The last one I ate was in 1999. I was told that as it was still end-March/April, this ones I ate still weren’t as tasty as the ones that would be out in May.

Were they joking? Tastier than this? Till I actually bit into that Banganapalle that I got from Pazhamudir Solai in Chennai, I had forgotten what an Indian maampazham could/would taste like.

After years and years of South American/Mexican/Aussie imitations, bought at exorbitant prices in NZ supermarkets, my palate had completely forgotten this succulent and completely Indian taste. Year after year, I would buy these pale imitations, hoping (against hope) that they would taste something similar to the Indian King. During the last few years, I’d completely forgotten the true taste of the fruit and instead settled for the substitute taste that came from fruits that you had to cut before they ripened fully, if you didn’t want them to go bad. From fruits that would darken like apples, if you cut them and left them in the open for a while. From fruits that would be full of fibre and hardly any flesh.

I then tried tinned mangoes, but those Thai versions were pretty bad. We bought up tinned Indian mango puree by the ton. But while nice in lassis or milk shakes, it still didn’t capture the original flavour and taste.

Nothing did. Till I actually bit into that Banganapalle that I got from Pazhamudir Solai in Chennai….

Banganapalle, Alphonso, Safedi….I love you all.

Missing you

2010-05-03T22:09:00.001+12:00

The thing I missed the most about India today morning was the steaming cup of filter kaapi that Amma/Priya/Selvi/Geetha/Radha/many, many others, lovingly gave me every day.

Is it just the coffee I am missing?

2010-03-15T14:52:00.001+13:00

Is it possible to die of boredom?

2010-02-19T16:18:00.001+13:00

Ok: Here’s the blogolution: at least one snippet every Friday afternoon.

I am sure I’ll stick to it if only I can manage to remember it.

Here’s today’s snippety post:
When the nitpicker at work nitpicks me next time about a missing comma, extra space or full stop, it might be time to do something drastic. Such as moving to Mars! Moving him, that is.

If only...
as they used to say: If wishes were horses, beggars might ride....

2010-02-12T16:40:00.002+13:00

Past: Working week, migraine!

Present: Friday evening, migraine!

Future: long nap, and then maybe no migraine?

Suddenly I have a strange longing to be a “housewife” – the word I despised when I was 20….only, I wouldn’t call it that now. I’d call it having ME time on a regular basis.

PS: Just found out after a visit to the doctor's this week that it isn't even a migraine - it's completely stress-related! Grrrrrrrrrrr

Guess what I am doing right now?

2010-01-11T15:40:00.003+13:00

As part of my worried mom act, I called up big N (who is in India now on a completely impulsive holiday) yesterday to check on her well-being.

"Hi, guess what I am doing right now," was her response as soon as she picked up the phone.

Hmmm...???

"I am riding a camel outside the Taj (Mahal)...."

And guess what I am doing right now in NZ? Waiting for the summer that is almost finished but hasn't yet arrived!

2009-12-23T13:18:00.004+13:00

The NZ Pohutukawa, known as the Kiwi Christmas tree, in bloom.

Ooooh, the holiday break starts from tomorrow - and it can't come soon enough for me.

So here's wishing the world and all, a very Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and all that.

I might blog during the break if I am so inclined, but till then.....this is it.

2009-12-08T09:48:00.003+13:00

How much of each day (and hence, my life) do I spend on doing
things I love;
things I like;
the ho-hum things;
things I dislike;
things I absolutely detest?

I stopped my calculations pretty quickly as the results promised to be really depressing!

Why, why, why? Is it because I haven't learnt to love the things I have to do lots of?

And I also wondered: for the other one billion+ people out there, would these numbers be similar to mine? Or completely different?

Things I wish were not associated with me

2009-11-27T16:13:00.003+13:00

After ages, finally a post that I can do in 5 minutes. Tag from Shyam's blog.

Absent-mindedness: (In)famous for it, nowadays.

Snoring: gosh, everyone seems to have this on their list, so I don’t feel that bad to admit to this one..

Over-eating: sigh…

Laziness: enough said.

Shouting: even when I am only just talking – referring more to my volume, rather than content.

Temper: Much much better than before, but still haven’t managed to lose this friend completely.
Worrying: sometimes…but then, I am a mum, and that’s my excuse.

Bossy: only with family & close friends though, thankfully!

So there you go, the seven - oops, make that eight - deadly sins - my way!

Navarathri bommai kolu

2009-09-21T10:40:00.008+12:00

Here's ours this year.

The Laddu

2009-09-17T14:51:00.002+12:00

Who can forget the Tirupathi laddu? (certainly not me)

One of my all-time favourites. I am not sure what gives it the special taste. Others can try to make it, but they can never succeed in getting that special 'heavenly' taste:-)

So, when I found some random FAQs on the laddu here, couldn't resist putting up a post.

Haven’t been there in 10 years. Time for a visit?

Some current equations

2009-09-14T11:04:00.001+12:00

{(Many x Carnatic music practices + 3 x music stage performances)
+ (many x bharatanatyam practices + 1 x bharatanatyam performance)
+ (many x ballet practices + 3 x ballet performances)
+ [many x Navarathri vethalai paaku at friends’ houses]
+ [many x many x Navarathri vethalai paaku at home]
+ Deepavali
+ (model exams + final exams)
+ (stressed-out hubby + stressed-out teen + frantically busy seven-year old)}
– Amma =
______________________
me@now (Sept/Oct/Nov)
______________________

Bliss...

2009-08-21T15:53:00.001+12:00

...is not having to stop yourself from nodding off, even though the meeting is still in progress…

Love aaj kal: the story of mango people (aam junta)

2009-08-05T16:51:00.002+12:00

Love Aaj Kal is many things, but mostly confusing, sometimes charming.

The basic premise of the movie is simple enough: love is the same, irrespective of kal, aaj or kal.
It is director Imtiaz Ali’s treatment that is different. Meera & Jai (Deepika Padukone & Saif Ali Khan) are two modern young things in the UK, who meet in a pub and then become boyfriend-girlfreind. They then openly live together (an, a breath of fresh air) and neither of them act coy about it. But when their careers pull them away (her to India and him to the US), they decided to dispense with sentiment and have a very congenial breakup party and then go their separate ways.

It takes them both a while (and a whole movie, plus another BF/GF) to realise that what they feel for each other is love. Their love story is interspersed with that of a young Rishi Kapoor, set in India in the 1960s. Further confusion arises till you understand that the young Rishi Kapoor is also portrayed by Saif Ali Khan.

But of course, all’s well that ends well.

The Brazilian model as Saif/Rishi’s love interest is perfectly cast. Deepika and SAK look good together but don’t set the screen on fire. SAK looks far too old for this role, in any case. But he’s a fab actor.

It is a different love story and a technically snazzy movie. Pity you’ve got to see it twice to understand it, but can’t bear to sit through it more than once!!

Bhavathi biksham dehi!

2009-08-03T15:53:00.001+12:00

In India:

They wear torn clothes, re dirty, stick-thin and pathetic, trudging wearily along the streets.

Amma, thaye, pichchai podu ma, they say.

In NZ:

They ride on flash bikes, are almost always well-dressed, sometime in school uniforms. And they ask like they’re doing you a favour.

Hello there, you wouldn’t have a couple of dollars on you, would you?

And yet they’re both beggars!

2009-07-29T16:47:00.005+12:00

The kids are laughing like crazy when I walk in to the room.

What’s up, I say. They are watching Spongebob on TV. While some sort of demented laughter is always around when Spongebob and Patrick’s mad capers are on, this is a bit too much.

Ma, you’ve got to watch this, says big N. She drags me down to the sofa. What’s the big deal, I think. And then find out.

Spongebob and Patrick and talking in Maori. As is Squidward, Mr Krabs and everyone else. Even the Texan Sandy Cheeks!!! The voice match is near perfect. And it all sounds hilarious. Bit like Darth Vader talking in Tamil.

But then, here in Aotearoa, it is Maori Language Week now. Haere ra!

Surya! Or not

2009-06-24T13:37:00.003+12:00

Surya and his much-talked about movies. Surya and his much-exposed six-packs.

Hottest thing in Tamil cinema or not, post ‘Vaaranam Ayiram’ (yawn) and ‘Ayan’ (yuck), I am very disappointed and rather anti-Surya.

2009-06-19T14:19:00.003+12:00

This must be what they call a ‘mid-life crisis’!!!!!!!!!

Star Trekking...

2009-05-27T13:19:00.004+12:00

Last night, S and I boldly went to the cinemas for a bit of Trekkie nostalgia - Star Trek the movie -and I came away completely happy.

The special effects were top notch and Chris Pine as Jim Kirk wasn’t as irritating as I thought he’d be, although he was rather brash in some scenes. Zachary Quinto as Spock was cute, except that he looked too full-featured to be Spock. Seeing Leonard Nimoy on screen was a bonus. Chris Pine even looks a bit like Bill Shatner.

S had a bit of a grumble about how the whole thing was like watching an extended version of a Star Trek episode, but I thought that was part of the charm. Watching a student Suly, Ahura, Chekov etc was good fun.

I hope this franchise lives long and prospers. I hear they are talking about a sequel…

The Palace of Illusions

2009-04-30T15:28:00.006+12:00

When I told my friends in India that I planned to pick up a copy of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s “Palace of Illusions’, when I was there a couple of months ago, they did their best to dissuade me. “Don’t waste your money”, “you’ll regret it” and “is that the sort of stuff you’re reading nowadays” were the phrases that they used.

But being a stubborn Gemini, I went ahead and bought the book anyway. Not only because I am stubborn, but also because (a) I’d already read ‘The Conch bearer’ by the same author and enjoyed both her imagination and style of writing & (b) simply because this book was about the Mahabharata and I couldn’t resist it.

And you know what? I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was absolutely glad that I had gone with my instinct to buy it.

I’d certainly be lying if I said I didn’t find anything to criticise in it or that the book was the best take on the Mahabharatha that I’d ever read. And I definitely didn’t agree with many things the author had said. But I enjoyed Divakaruni’s style, her take on Draupadi – the way she’d interpreted one of the most enigmatic characters of the Mahabharatha.

I guess when you’ve grown up hearing these stories all your life, you don’t actually stop to pause and think about each character’s personality. You think: it’s all black and white. The Kauravas are bad and the Pandavas are good. Paanchali had five husbands (btw, I found out from the book that Paanchali is because she is named after her land, Paanchal and not, as I mistakenly thought, because she has 5 husbands). Karna was a good guy on the bad side, etc.

Maybe that’s another reason I found the book fascinating and wished it could have been a lot longer so Divakaruni could have explored some of the themes that she’d just touched the surface of.

Draupadi’s relationship with her brother Dhrishtadyumna (no wonder she calls him Dhri, it's a mouthful!) is brought out very well and in great detail. Their lives as children, in a gloomy dismal palace, is given a fairly large chunk of the narrative and is brilliantly handled.

The same can’t be said about Paanchali's relationship with her husbands – it lacked depth. Similarly, her relationship with her MIL Kunti isn’t explored in too much detail. What little I read of Kunti’s character was a revelation to me – was she really that much of a hard case? The Pandavas were complete letdowns – even Duryodhana’s character is etched better. Arjuna started off promisingly, but petered out soon. Funnily enough, I like Bhima's character the best among them in this book, although that hasn't been the case earlier on for me.

I found the author’s take on Draupadi’s relationship with Karna intriguing. I can’t quite recall where I have read it/heard of it, but somehow, the fact that Draupadi loved Karna did ring a bell. I especially liked Divakaruni's physical description of Karna and could relate to that. Once again, no idea if that’s a fact or just the author’s imagination.

Paanchali’s realationship with Krishna was completely entrancing. Again, there isn’t too much of it, but what there is, especially at the end of the novel, is beautiful.

But why did Divakaruni skip the bit about Karna being married? And why did she have to make the Paanchali-Karna angle so strong and their love so deep? In a way, that is the strength and the failing of the novel. But was that how it really was? Who can tell? Was that the reason why the Pandavas and Paanchali journeyed to Hastinapura play a game of dice that would end in victory and ruin?

Another thing that irked me was the 'Hindised' use of all names, as opposed to the original Sanskrit version - Arjun instead of Arjuna, Yudhisthir instead of Yudhisthira, etc.

I enjoyed knowing all about the life of the Pandavas after the terrible war till their last journey - it's a bit like Ramayana after Rama found his sons Lava and Kusa - you never really get to hear what happened after that. Here, though, you do hear what happened to the Pandanvas and Paanchali, right to the not-so-grim end.

But what the heck, you can do only so much with 300-odd pages on the Mahabharatha. And I thought she did really well. Never mind what anyone else says!

2009-04-18T17:51:00.005+12:00

Silly, sentimental and stupid - I know. But when I saw the mangled remains of our car this morning, that was my day gone!

It wasn't even a new car - to be quite honest, it was on its last legs. But still, to see it dented, bent, the gaping maw, broken headlights, shattered windscreen, doors that won't open any more....and when I saw it being towed away, I felt like I'd sent my pet to the abattoir....

Even people don't last. So why fret about a car that would have lasted, at the most, anyways for a year more? So what if this in the car in which I reallly learnt how to drive. Or that this is the car in which I put small N into her first car seat? Or that this is the car in which we took Fudge for his last drive to the vet? Or that this is the car in which big N had her first driving lesson from dad? Or if this is the car in which we traversed the length of the North Island here? Or that this is the car in which little N said her first ever sentence (to her teddy bear): "Car seat want? Ok".

Silly, sentimental and stupid...

Can't bear the stench

2009-04-17T09:12:00.000+12:00

A sign of how desperate our politicians are and how degraded our politics has become.

So we have Rahul Gandhi and his anglicised Hindi for Congress and rabblerouser Varun Gandhi for BJP.

Can it get any worse?

Yes, it can, when Mayawati is being hailed as the Indian Obama!

Fetch me a bucket, someone! A big one.

Barbie eeeeeee

2009-03-26T12:48:00.002+13:00

Another reason (as though I needed one more) why I don't want to buy or even see Barbies in India…or anywhere in the world. Ugly as!

P.S: I am confused. Is the new Barbie face that of Aish or Kat? Either way, plastic.

Cheesed out and grossed out!

2009-03-18T09:11:00.005+13:00

Yes, yes, yes, I am rabidly vegetarian and normally enthusiastic about promoting vegetarianism without actually shoving it down people's throats, but this is taking things far too far, methinks… This is completely disgusting.

And technically, isn’t human sweat a non-vegetarian ingredient? And again, Clooney being a meat-eater, can his sweat be classified as vegetarian sweat? Go figure.

In any case, I am devoutly thankful he said ‘no’. Talk about bizarre thinking outside the square marketing!

Santalam Album fini

2009-03-17T10:45:00.010+13:00

Take a good look at the photo of this tree photo (below). This photo was taken when I was in India recently, in a heavily forested area in south India..

I took this photo because I wanted to record the sandalwood tree for posterity. Because, in the next few years, the last of the sandalwood trees will be gone. South India, home to the best quality sandalwood in the world, will have none left.

Long before Mr Moustaches aka Sandhana Kadatthal Veerappan came on the scene, the sandal snatching had been going on with great vigour and with the active connivance of many top government honchos and well-known public figures. They were the ones that benefited the most from it. We’re talking very big bucks here.

After Moustaches came on the scene and sandal smuggling came under a very bright spotlight, most of the sins were conveniently blamed on him. Not that he was any angel, he certainly did his bit to rid the earth of Indian sandalwood and other Indian fauna as well. But he came in after more than half the tree population had already met their ends. And he hastened the process with those trees that were left.

And now, even after he is gone, there are many who devoutly follow in his footsteps.

Here’s something that happened late last year, in a small hamlet in south India.

Taking centrestage is a 100-year-old sandal tree (the older the tree, the more the wood, the costlier it is etc). It is consistently and actively protected by government officials, as they know the danger it is in.

But obviously a lot of work went into the background planning for Operation Treegrab, for all this protection was for nothing. These new age Moustachios in charge of Operation Treegrab brought with them padlocks for EVERY house in that hamlet and locked all the residents in. They also brought with them a cellphone frequency jammer (yes, such things exist) which meant that NO ONE in this small village could use their phones to summon extra help or aid. And they chose a day when the officials were out on business. Before the officials could get on the scene after getting the information, the bandits had successfully brought the tree down and sawed it into manageable bits. They had even loaded the wood onto their vehicles.

They were chased by the officials with great vigour. But the officials’ old-fashioned weapons (almost antiques) were no match for the state-of-art weapons the bandits had. The bandits finally escaped by the simple expedient of throwing out blocks of sandalwood in the way of the pursuers’ vehicles and then crossed the state border triumphantly. End of chase.

The retrieved sandalwood was stored under lock and key. Questions were asked, but there were very few answers. Inside connivance (of some of the villagers) was a given but when you are dirt poor, what does the survival of a species of tree mean to you? Solid cash that will feed you for a few months means more.

Even small trees are not safe, the officials I spoke to said. People can’t be bothered to wait till a tree is mature, even if it 10 years old, they chop it down and sell it for whatever they can get. The situation is so bad that any remaining sandal tree probably needs personal and one-on one protection…..the situation is the same or even worse in all southern states that still boast a few trees.

Hence my photo here – take a good look at the tree. You won’t have any more left in a few years.

Kirikutt match…after

2009-03-02T15:39:00.007+13:00

Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, V.V.S. Laxman, Zaheer Khan and Sachin Tendulkar
'walking' on the edge of the Sky Tower in AKL. Pic courtesy: The Hindu.

It was wonderful, a nailbiting finish, fantastic carnival-like atmosphere and lots of good cricket. I was surprised that I didn’t feel sadder that India had lost…

And the girls got so completely into the game, it was amazing. S was totally absorbed, but no surprises there. As for me, I was yelling and screaming and clapping and booing and waving my placard just as wildly as anyone else. It was almost as exciting as watching a cricket match in India. Almost, but not quite...but hey, no worries. It was a great evening, even if India lost.
The highlight for us was when one of Yuvraj's sixers landed amongst us - into the hands of a teenager sitting one row before us. Way to go.

Kirikutt match...before

2009-02-27T14:19:00.009+13:00

I am going to watch a cricket match today - this evening, 7pm onwards, local time, to be precise.

I am going to the Westpac Stadium to watch the 20/20 match between India and the Kiwis.

I can’t believe it, but I am actually excited.

The last time I saw a cricket match live was when I was in college. My good friend S and I decided to bunk a day of college and go watch the match. I didn’t even feel guilty about it as I had told Amma and she was ok with it.

But S’s dad wasn’t ok with us bunking college. He came to drop off S at my place the next morning (we had planned to meet at my place to go to the match). He was very polite and nice, but he did make it clear that he didn’t like us bunking college to go watch a match. Chastened, but still enthusiastic, we went off to watch the match at Chepauk.

That was then. This is now…and as all four of us are making it a family outing, I have nothing to feel guilty about this time around;-)

Um, I just hope it doesn’t rain.

Oscars ho!

2009-02-25T10:59:00.002+13:00

It was interesting how India and the UK both claimed ‘Slumdog’ for their own.

BBC went on and on about how it was a wonderful evening at the Oscars for Britain. ARR barely got a mention here. Gulzar got none. Resul was mentioned in passing.

And the Indian media was full of ARR and Resul and the Slumdog crew.

The bottomline is 3 Indian Oscars. Jai ho.

Cheating and more

2009-01-28T12:23:00.008+13:00

Students, especially overseas students, sitting exams in some specific subjects here, have been caught cheating recently. All the students who were caught cheating were of Indian origin.

And the explanation that they and their trainers (incidentally, another Indian) could come up with was:
a) It’s part of the Indian culture
b) It’s an acceptable practice in India.

EXCUSE ME?

But then, why am I surprised? There was this wife-beater a few years ago here who tried to justify his 'habit' saying that it was a culturally acceptable practice in India.

And there was another man who tried to justify killing his wife. His reason? She was having an affair with a Pakistani man, ie, the enemy. So he was actually being patriotic by killing her.

And there was this guy in front of me in the Immigration office, asking if he could get his visa stamped in the NZ office itself instead of taking it back to India, as "India is bad, nothing works properly there and nothing gets done on time", he said in his pigdin English.

BLOODY SLIMEBALLS!

Back

2009-01-22T13:23:00.001+13:00

In windy Wlg and battling severe jet lag and away-from-home and back-to-work blues! *sigh*

2009-01-03T04:45:00.006+13:00

Happy new year to y'all.

Have now travelled the length of the country and reached Chennai after a few days in Hyderabad.

Have travelled to Karur, Guruvayur and Tiruvannamalai.

Further travel awaits tomorrow - down further south. It has been so busy that I've barely had time to email, leave alone blog. Hence this hurried post.

Hope this turns out to be a peaceful and prosperous 2009.

Getting to the Ganga

2008-12-10T20:12:00.006+13:00

The Himalayas are still too far away to get to this time around. But what we did get to was the Ganga. And places like Rishikesh and Haridwar, which all of which were just names I heard from my grandparents. Till now. And a huge area called Rajaji Wildlife Reserve - it was gorgeous to see so much greenery (and animals) here.

And of course, local shopping, exquisite mehendi (henna designs) done on our hands on the road, a glut of sweets....the list goes on. Only a few more days to go here, till we move down south...

In Dehradun

2008-12-05T00:41:00.004+13:00

True to form this time, even my last flight from Delhi to DDN was late. I was in a foul mood and completely exhausted.

The 40-seater small aircraft and its bumpy takeoff didn't help my mood any. Till, in the distance, I saw the first sight of the Himalayas - snow capped and extending in both directions as far as I could see. I was moved. I had never imagined that I would set eyes on the Himalayas in person in this lifetime or that it would affect me so much. It was just awesome and was so completely unexpected. Suddenly, it was as if all the hassle with getting here never even happened.

And so now, I am in Dehradun. Small city, friendly people. The house has a view of Mussorie from the front balcony. We are planning to go there soon.
**********************************************************************************
It is really surprising to see what draws the attention of kids. Small N is fascinated by a brick house being built next door. She spends hours watching them lay the bricks in a row, putting cement on top and then moving on to the next row. She's never seen any brick houses being built, only wooden houses in NZ.

Still in Singapore

2008-12-01T05:33:00.003+13:00

Thanks to my AKL-SIN flight being cancelled on Nov 29. Spent Nov 29 in Akl & Nov 30 in Sing. Sat around in AKL departure lounge till 5 am to be told that the flight had engine troubles that could not be rectified and that it was being cancelled.

Exhausted after two nights of hardly any sleep and now third night of the same looming up in the form of Delhi flight.

If all goes well, should reach at least 1 Dec.

It has got to end

2008-11-28T15:30:00.005+13:00

Almost set to go. The bags are packed and the tickets and passports are in my bag. But I feel so different to what I did just before the happenings in Mumbai.

I feel rage, sorrow, horror ...and the hostage situation is still going on. It is obvious that it is not just the whites who are being targetted. It is all the 'infidels'.

Your God, their God, my God or any God in whose name such things are done, will damn their souls to all eternity for all that they are doing now, all that they have done in the past and what they will undoubtedly continue doing in the future. If I had a gun now, I would have willingly shot the bastards.

But anger is not for now. I say Om Shanthi shanthi shanthi: and think of what Gandhiji said: an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.

When will all this end and how?

Born or made?

2008-11-25T12:33:00.004+13:00

Had this really heated argument with friends here yesterday.

Perspective #1: All kids are born with innate intelligence. It is how life and circumstances enable them to apply what they were born with that creates geniuses and super-intelligent kids – ie, everyone has the ability to ‘shine’ but only some are given the circumstances that enable them to do so.

Perspective #2: Only some kids are born with the ability to be highly intelligent and to do well academically and otherwise. That is why not all kids are bright and superachievers because they don't have that ability .

Three of us screamed like banshees for 5 minutes, trying to convince each other that our perspective was the right one. The fourth one was waiting for the right time to make her point. After 5 minutes, we all had to split to complete various other chores at home. So the debate was inconclusive. Just as well, as otherwise, being mature, intelligent women, we might have come to blows;-)

Now, which one is the right perspective?

Counting down now …

2008-11-24T12:18:00.002+13:00

… and only 4 more days to go.

Feeling faint trickles of excitement.

Also, trepidation when I think of how much I want to squeeze into those 6 weeks away.

And annoyance at having to repack my bags for the nth time to make sure it is all within the measly 20 kg baggage weight that I am allowed (I hate the fact that just because I am not flying from or to the US, my baggage allowance is so drastically reduced - that's just so wrong).

And just sheer irritation when I think of the number of flights – 4 – that I have to take to get to my destination.

WLG-AKL-SIN-DEL-DDN – here I come.

Checking the checklist

2008-11-18T17:45:00.003+13:00

I am getting nervous.

So many last minute things to do before going away to Bharat and I can't remember half of them.

Yes, I have made a checklist, but the problem is that I forget many of the things that pop into my mind, before updating the checklist...

I should find some way of making sure that my checklist is complete and that I complete all the things on it. Heaven help me!

Goodbye Helen

2008-11-13T13:16:00.004+13:00

I really enjoyed this au revoir piece on Helen. Funny, not too maudlin.

Helen had to go not because she was bad for NZ (au contraire), but because we'd gotten really bored with seeing her mug on telly for the last nine years.

And, in spite of an Aussie newspaper calling us druken slugs for having voted a former investmnent banker to power, I am still looking forward to John Key.

My first freegan encounter

2008-11-11T13:30:00.002+13:00

While waiting at the supermarket checkout on Sunday, I was idly flicking through a mag on all things green. And in there was an article on the food fad known as ‘freeganism’.

Click here to read the rest of the post.

Oops! (or is it actually sigh?)

2008-11-06T10:12:00.006+13:00

It’s now more than two weeks at the new job, and things couldn’t be any different or any better.

There is such a strong team culture and doing things as a team is the norm here. And I actually heard words like well done and perfect applied to work done all the time. And of course the fact that work is only 8km away from home and I can drive in each day and get free parking. Any wonder that I can’t stop grinning?

It is a whole new world of GA (general aviation), RPLs (recreational pilot licences) and what not. And it is such fun (yes, fun).

But there’s a fly in every ointment. My own personal dhristhi pariharam. The hardest thing is not the jargon, but getting used to and recognising a whole set of ‘new’ people. I am beginning to suspect that this is something I am rather hopeless at. And this is because....read on.

I went down to the main kitchen to get a cappuccino this morning. Saw a whole crowd of blokes hanging around there. Said hi to them and waited for the machine to make my cappuchino. One of the chaps looked strangely familiar. I sneaked another quick look at him and decided I must have seen him:
a. on the train to Wlg in my previous job
b. he had been a retail assistant in one of the shops I frequented
c. he had been on TV, that’s why he looked familiar.

For some reason, I was convinced that it was option c that was the right one.

It would have been alright if I had stopped with just thinking that. But me, I have to talk, don't I? So I said to him, have we met before? He gave me a very strange look and said yes, we have, we had all our IT training together last week. Then it hit me, he was J, another newbie like me in my workplace and we’d gone through two 2-hour systems training sessions together just a few days ago. And I thought I’d seen him on TV!!! OMG! How could I. How did the TV even come into the picture? I’ve officially lost it.

I apologised profusely and said all the right things about how my memory was a like a sieve and he was nice enough to come up with some of his own faux pas. But this is worrying. I can’t be so scatter-brained. Just not good enough.

And ...this isn't the first time such a thing has happened to me.

35 years ago

2008-10-30T09:29:00.008+13:00

SGR: 30 June 1942 to 30 October 1973

It was the lightning that woke her up. At least that’s what she thought. She could hear the rain and see the lightning through the small window in the bedroom. As she closed her eyes again, and curled up all ready to go to sleep again, she saw her father coming into the bedroom. He was leaning on her mother and saying Muddiyalay, oru madhiri irukku (Very tired, feeling unwell/uncomfortable). She went right back to sleep the comfortable sleep of a four-year old.

Till she was woken up yet again. She was angry then. She didn’t want to get up. But somebody was asking her to, calling her name and patting her shoulder. She sleepily opened her eyes. How funny!!! It was still dark. And there were so many people in the bedroom. The auntie from the opposite flat. Some man who was rubbing Daddy’s feet – Daddy was lying still on the bed. And someone else too. And where was amma? She was standing near the bed and was she crying? Where was her little brother?

But before she could go to her amma, the auntie grabbed her hand and said, come on, let us go and sleep in my house. No, no, I don’t want to, she said. I want to be here with amma. But somehow, nobody seemed to be taking much notice of her – not even when she burst into tears.

She didn’t remember where or how she slept in that auntie’s house that night. Nor did she remember what happened the next few days except for a few stray incidents. Lots and lots of people in her house, thatha, patti, mamas, mamis, periappas, chittis etc. The whole gamut of relatives and lots of other people she did not know.

Lots of men chanting and her father lying in balcony of their home. And horrors, someone cutting away his shirt. Actually cutting it. She ran forward, asking them to stop, but again, she was shushed, albeit gently. Didn’t they understand that they were ruining her Daddy’s shirt?

She also remembered a whole group of people going away from home, some of them carrying her father on their shoulders. And she was angry that her brother got to go out with them and she wasn’t allowed. She wanted to badger her amma till she was allowed to go with them. But she was told that she couldn’t,and once again her mini-tantrum was ignored.

As days passed, she simply accepted the fact that they were now living in Mylapore, with her thatha and patti, instead of in Ashok Nagar. She accepted that she had a new school and a new life. She accepted that her mother had to go to ‘office’ now daily. As children do.

Things went on as per normal.

Being a child, she also accepted the gradual realisation that came to her – that she would never see her Daddy again.

This is what I can remember about the night my life and my family’s life changed forever. Sometimes I wonder how I can remember it so clearly when I can barely remember anything of my life before that day…

2008-10-20T16:07:00.001+13:00

New day, new job, new jargon to learn...;-)

Navarathri manjal kungumam invite

2008-10-08T08:13:00.006+13:00

Happy Saraswathi puja to you all.

Ladies, and girls: check out our kolu (in its full glory below) and do drop in for manjal kungumam (haldi kumkum) and prasadam (sundal et al).

The men are welcome too!

this here is our wildlife reserve on the right and the farm on the left.

This is of course, Disneyland!!!! Don't miss the skating rink.

PS: In case you are not familiar with the bommai kolu concept, please remember that a willing suspension of disbelief is essential to enjoy the spectacle in its entirety.

An award: and going, going, gone…

2008-10-02T07:30:00.002+13:00

My first ever blog award! Thanks to Shyam for giving me this.I am touched and pleased!

And then, along with Navarathri rounds, things are happening so quickly now, they still haven’t sunk in. Life’s a bit of a blur at the mo.

I am moving from here. Moving, moving, moving. Just in case you didn’t get it, it’s time to move on from here, new job beckons. But before that, I am taking some time off to get to know I, me and myself all over again!

The countdown has begun!! Only today and tomorrow to go…

No more train into town at unearthly hours in the morning. Although I admit, I might even miss it and the fellow sufferers who travel into town along with me every morning. I will miss the sweet-looking old lady who has her hair up in a bun everyday and wears a skirt. I will miss the flat-faced bloke with green hair and jeans that just about manage to stay up on his waist. I will miss the guy with the earphones who looks like he has burnt skin. I will miss the mustached man who gets off at Ava daily. I will miss the middle-aged couple who hold hands when they get off from the train in Wellington. I will miss…

But, most of all, I will miss all the wonderful people whom I will leave behind when I walk out of this role. They are more than workmates - they are friends and I truly will treasure the time I have spent with them.

But for now, leaving, leaving, leaving, that’s the only thought in my mind. Freedom beckons…

2008-09-22T10:17:00.004+12:00

I managed to make time to watch Singh is Kinng on the weekend.

I wish I hadn’t. Singh isn’t the king or even a yuvraj or a manthri, but rather, a complete two-dimensional moron, who ends up getting the gorgeous girl only because it is a badly-made Bollywood movie. *snore*

Can somebody, anybody tell me how that movie became such a hit - I do have a very fertile imagination, but this one is beyond me!

Dy(e)ing to design

2008-09-18T11:41:00.007+12:00

I was at the littlie’s school last evening to demonstrate ‘India’, as their topic for this term is India. From saris to ghagras and Diwali, we talked about all that and then talked some more to the kids about henna.

Finally came the practical session, which was also the grand finale of the evening: we had to put henna on the kids’ hands. Although I can do the southie way of henna quite well (which is more basic shapes, as opposed to the really delicate northie designs), I did my darnedest best to accommodate the kids’ requests, such as hearts, butterflies, suns etc. Till it was one little boy’s turn.

Little Boy: Can I have a shape done on my hand too?
Me: (encouragingly)'Course, u can. What shape would you like?
LB: A body?
Me: A body? (struggling a bit here)Um, sure, what sort of a body?
LB: A dead body…

Of xenophobes and lunatics

2008-09-10T08:14:00.002+12:00

Such xenophobic, parochially prejudiced idiots are dangerous and should be made taboo, illegal, and certified - permanently. If you listen to him talking, then you’d think that Maharashtra is a separate country, as are Delhi, UP and the South – separate from India, that is!!! And targeting famous faces only, as that is good publicity. And we all know that any publicity for such slime is good publicity.

And Hindi films are banned in the South in Tamil Nadu? Does he even know what he’s talking about? Some of the highest grossing films recently have been Hindi movies. Talk about rabble rousers and opportunistic politicians! Disgusting!

Is it…? Yes, it is Ganesha, but not as we know him

2008-09-03T06:59:00.003+12:00

The pits. PC gone crazy. How can Pillaiyar be Pillaiyar without that distinctive 'thoppai'? A slim Ganesha???? With 6-pack abs?

Anyways, a happy Vinayaka Chaturthi to you all. And the Ganesha I know and love at home still has his paunch intact.

Solliloquy

2008-09-01T14:16:00.002+12:00

Why, why, why? To eat or not to eat, that is the question.

I am only human and like all humans want to impress the top boss on the rare occasions when I do see him. Today I did see him, he came down to my floor. And what’s more, he came to talk specifically to me. And what was I doing when he came? I was in the process of shoving a large spoonful of smelly rice into my mouth. Very edifying spectacle. I am sure he went away completely impressed.

Why, why why? Why couldn’t I be talking impressively on the phone, or typing an official email or organising some meeting or making a clever joke when he came? Of course, since I am eating most of the time I am at work, maybe that is to be expected;-( I am depressed. I am off to eat some more comfort foods (chocolate).

Theratti paal in ten minutes

2008-09-01T07:27:00.002+12:00

Fancy home-made theratti paal in 10 minutes flat? Then check this out.

Madras nalla Madras

2008-08-29T14:16:00.001+12:00

Apparently, now, Madras day is on Aug 22. This is the first time I’ve heard of it, but I say, way to go.

The city that is used and then abused by many, even its ex-natives, has a lot to offer. Come hell or high water, Chennai is home.

Here
are some choice snippets to celebrate the ‘real’ city and
here you have a view from a moderate ‘northie’.

Read on and if you have been one of the city's abusers, regret!

A corny tale

2008-08-21T13:05:00.003+12:00

When I first read the headline, I thought it was a deliberately misleading one. Like the ones goss mags use: Aamir kicks SRK etc. And then you read the article to discover that in reality, Aamir had kicked a dog named SRK or whatever…..boring.

So, that’s why I thought it was one of those headlines. Because, like you, I too thought corn was more than healthy – super healthy, in fact. A lot depends on how you use it I guess. Click here to see what I mean.

This is yet another example of the US sowing the seed and the whole world happily reaping the fruit or in this case, kernel. Like they didn’t have a mind of their own!

And of course, not to mention the gazillion dollars that will be spent in‘re-educating’ people around the world about healthy food, exercise et al. Except maybe in Africa.

Sometimes I think the US is the worst joke that someone played on the modern world. And on those poor Americans. God save America.

Rats!!

2008-08-19T08:14:00.001+12:00

I am sure this is a joke, although in very bad taste!

And here I was thinking the Aussies had gone weird by putting kangaroo meat on their menus as their way of eliminating those ‘pests’!

And rat ‘meat’ is a healthy alternative? Carry on like this, and we’ll have a mad rat disease soon enough. Like we don’t have enough to worry about in India.

Faking it

2008-08-13T08:06:00.004+12:00

This literally makes me see red.

I can live with (or without) the fake fireworks and the fake cleanliness. But this?

How could they do that to a child? How? Start early. Start telling them from now that they are “ugly”. No age is too early to start the stereotyping. I feel sick.

What else will they fake next?

Triumph

2008-08-12T11:34:00.003+12:00

If all the 6.684 billion+ people in the world cheered at the same time, at India winning its first ever individual Olympic gold medal (Abhinav Bindra, Beijing Games) what would it sound like?

Cashew memories

2008-08-07T12:18:00.002+12:00

Take a childhood memory.
Fry it in lots and lots of nostalgia.
And what do you get? Click here to see.

2008-07-30T14:22:00.005+12:00

Saw Mamma Mia last night. Strongly recommended (by me) as feel-good chick flick with stunning visuals (shot in Greece), gorgeous colour, plenty of eye candy (Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and lots of other young laddies), charged acting (Meryl Streep, Amanda whoever) and lots of old ABBA hits (it is a musical, after all). Only, Brosnan can't really sing but gets to do quite a lot of it. Firth can sing, but doesn't get to do a lot of it.

To read a complete review, click here.

Also recommended: Kung fu Panda. Yes, for adults too. Jack Black rox.

That'll be the day

2008-07-18T14:43:00.005+12:00

Abhi dancing like Ash? With his two left feet?

This I've gotta see.

But on second thoughts, considering how much it costs,it probably isn't worth it;-)Sour grapes?

2008-07-03T13:01:00.000+12:00

Teacher talk

2008-06-27T14:08:00.004+12:00

(This is a true incident. Names of teachers, students and subjects have been changed for their own protection:-)

Student Brinch: Miss Maples, can we please have our philosophy assignment grades.

Miss Maples: I am sorry, but you can’t because I haven’t marked them yet.

SB: But Miss Maples, Miss Figg’s class have had their assignments back 3 days ago. Why can’t we?

MM: Well, Miss Figg may not have a life, but I do!!

Whoever said it’s only the youth of today who are goners?

Heroes

2008-06-25T12:52:00.004+12:00

They come in all shapes, sizes, colours and flavours….er, maybe not flavours (got a bit carried away there, sorry). But there’s no telling who could be the next hero and where. I just found an unexpected one last week.

It gave me back some of my childhood ideals to see someone who will speak up against injustice and unfairness, even though it wasn’t directed against them, and never mind the consequences. It made a huge difference seeing that someone cares enough to want to make the place a much better one for others to be in. It matters, hugely, that someone would go out of their way to do it, instead of going their way, saying, “Oh, that isn’t my business.”

If you are reading this, you know I am talking about you. Nunri, gracias, merci, dhanyavad, shukriya and thanks…This may not change the world, but sure as hell, will change mine, for the better.

Page 123 - The Book tag

2008-06-19T10:05:00.003+12:00

This tag from Shyam (well, who else?). Considering how long I normally take to do tags, this one has been completed in record time.

Rules of the game, I mean, tag:
1. Pick up the nearest or any book handy.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge the person who tagged you.

At long last, I have a book with me, thanks to this tag. It is On Beauty by Zadie Smith.

A Sunday Times topseller and according to the NY Times, “…it is that rare thing: a novel that is as affecting as it is entertaining”.

I have no clue what the book is about or how the novel will be as this is a new author I am trying out now, thanks to a workmate. And I haven’t even read Page 1. But for the tag, here is extract from Page 123:

“Like one of the statuaries in the bottom of the Fitzwilliam, in Cambridge. You’ve seen those, right? Such an anciently wonderful face.”

Ooh, sound interesting and intriguing.

Now, for rule #5. Hardest of all for me. Finding 5 more to tag. I mean, I don’t even know who visits my blog anymore, ‘coz most people just zip in and skip out without even saying hi (hint, hint). So, I’ll just have to guess and pick, eh? I do know that some of you don’t have blogs, but you can stick your replies in my comments box. And let me know when you’re done, please....

1. Rads
2. Lak
3. Vidya
4. Heather
5. Jo

Throwing stones...

2008-06-18T12:25:00.005+12:00

And here’s the next article (obviously written by an American or someone very pro-US) blaming the BRIC countries (that’s Brazil, Russia, India and China, in case you didn’t know), especially India and China for everything from the US recession to rising prices. I can't be more specific that that, as this is a yet to be published article that I am currently working on.

But hey, when you live in a glass house, you shouldn’t throw stones at others. If you do, you’re liable to get bric(k)s thrown right back at you;-)

Having brought the world to the current mess it is in now, the US and its cuzzies have some gall, asking India and China to control their emissions and resource consumption!!! Bio fuel, any one?

Experiment

2008-06-05T08:36:00.002+12:00

Aim of the experiment: To find a de-stresser, beat the winter blues.

Apparatus: One primary school, whole lot of parents, their kids and a few dance moves.

Procedure:
Step 1: Find out at the 11th hour that your child has a folk dance show at school that evening.
Step 2: Forget cooking (helps when you have an older child who is amenable to making pizza), get child ready, go to school.
Step 3: Drop child off and sit with other parents as (supposedly) audience.
Step 4: Watch group of kids dance and cheer them on, thinking: this is real cute.
Step 5: Discover at the end of that dance that parents of those children are expected to join their kids for the next round of dancing and do the same dance moves (what? I didn’t even look properly).
Step 6: Wait for you turn with some trepidation (yup, this is exactly what I wanted – to make a fool of myself in front of 200 other people).
Step 7: Loving the way your child and her class dance.
Step 8: Psyching yourself up and stepping onto the dance floor, as you know your child will be utterly disappointed if you don’t.
Step 9: Dancing, absolutely loving every minute of it.
Step 10: Feeling great after the dance is over, in spite of the wheezing breath.

Observation: Most parents wore smiles on their faces throughout the evening. So did the teachers and the kids. Personally, you’re left feeling really relaxed and happy.

Inference: It really works! Dancing an impromptu jig with your child, in front of an audience, is a great way to feel good;-) Just try it.

2008-05-28T14:28:00.000+12:00

__________________! Aargh!!! Or should it be *sigh*

Graduate no robes

2008-05-15T14:57:00.000+12:00

I saw the latest lot of varsity grads doing their usual parade around Wlg CBD during lunch time today. Lovely, with lots of pretty young things and tired old things, wearing the traditional graduate robes.

Was that how I’d looked like when I graduated too? In those robes?

Then I remembered. For some strange reason, me and my good friend S, who both graduated at the same time and in the same subjects, decided we wouldn’t dress up in those mouldy old robes and have our photos taken. While the rest of our batchmates took centrestage and received certs awarded by Madras University, we sat on the sidelines (and sulked?) and picked up our certs later.

You ask me why we did that? For the life of me, I cannot remember what that reason was!!!

One year on...

2008-05-06T10:38:00.004+12:00

Fudge was a little darling, for sure. Very good-looking too, and completely aware of it. And the red eyes are from the camera, his were black.

The one-word tag

2008-05-06T10:25:00.003+12:00

Another tag, but they’re mostly no-brainers, so here goes. Oh, I got this from Shyam’s blog.

The rules are:

1. After reading my answers, copy and paste the list into your blog.

2. Change my one-word responses with yours (but I have used two words, you’re not allowed to!).

3. Publish your blog post.

4. Send me a link on my comments box.

If you get something out of a vending machine, it's most likely to be: chocolate/chips;-)
A word you sometimes catch yourself misspelling: focused
You least want people to see you as: dumb
You're a little scared of: creepy-crawlies (that counts as one word, hopefully)
The least attractive thing you do in your sleep: Snore
The number of contacts in your cell phone: Heaps
How many of them are restaurants: None
You lose your cool when someone: shouts
When you go to the drugstore, you often can't leave without buying: something
Your dance moves can best be described as: graceless
The majority of your underwear is: ewwwwwwwww
Something you eat even though you hate how bad it is for you: sweets
You think you're really not a great: teacher
How much cash is in your wallet right now: $1
The majority of your shoes are this color: Black
You don't think you'll ever be able to get rid of your: accent
If your breath is bad, it's most likely because you had: garlic/milk
You feel embarrassed when you: stammer
The last public place where you used the restroom: railway station?
Something you don't like to debate in mixed company: religion
You don't think you can pull off wearing: evening dresses
Something you own entirely too much of:clothes
Someone you would love to see in concert who might bring down your street cred: Dunno
The last thing that you spilled on yourself: rasam
If you were on a reality show, the producers would likely portray/characterise you as the: nerd (yay, nerds are cool)

Nostalgia

2008-05-01T15:20:00.000+12:00

Yesterday evening, I was belting along the motorway at 100k+, listening to an old tape that was playing in the car – ARR’s Vande Mataram (the original version). And suddenly, out of the blue, I was swept away by a wave of nostalgia and longing so strong, it brought tears to my eyes.

Was I homesick, now, more than eight years away from India? And if that was indeed homesickness, what was I pining for? Family, friends, food, faves? Or was I merely being nostalgic because I associated that Vande Mataram with happy childhood memories of All India Radio playing the same tune? Or was it just the effect of impending winter on an already-tired person? Or maybe it is just that the the tune of Vande Mataram is quite poignant?

I did some soul-searching but just couldn’t come up with any satisfactory answers. Whatever it was (and it lasted a few minutes), it was so unexpected. And it convinced me that you can take the Indian out of India, but you can’t take the India out of the Indian.

I don’t expect everyone and anyone who reads this to agree, but I do wonder: have any of you experienced a similar feeling brought on by some such incident/happening? And what was the explanation you were able to come up for this happening? Do share and enlighten me.

Tagged and about time too!

2008-04-24T08:01:00.005+12:00

Last Movie You Saw In A Theater:
Jodha Akbar.

What Book Are You Reading:
Nothing – am I for real? Although I am currently reading some unpublished excerpts from Ashok Banker's works, thanks to the author himself...

Favourite Board Game:
Gah, dunno.

Favorite Magazines:
The only one I read nowadays is Economist and I quite like it.

Favorite Smells:
sandalwood, all citrusy smells, fresh mint, fresh coffee

Favorite Sound:
River/stream sounds, birdsong, child’s laughter

Worst Feeling In The World:
Seeing/reading/hearing about suffering and being unable to help

What Is The First Thing You Think Of When You Wake?
"God", or "What’s the time” or “I hope it isn’t raining or cold”

Favorite Fast Food Place:
None in NZ. Call me ‘pattikadu’ but in Chennai, it is Saravana Bhavan…

Future Child’s Name:
You’re joking – and if you think that’s a name, fine, go ahead.

Finish This Statement. “If I Had A Lot Of Money I’d…”
Quit my job, hire some house help, travel heaps, buy another car and a bigger, more modern house and do tons of charity, of course, all to excellent worthwhile causes - I'd be a regular Warren Buffet and Bill Gates rolled into one.

Do You Drive Fast?
Often *wink*

Do You Sleep With A Stuffed Animal?
No

Storms - Cool Or Scary?
Scary.

What Was Your First Car?
My first car was a Nissan Sunny, white, and on its abso last
legs….

Favorite Drink:
Water.

Finish This Statement, “If I Had The Time I Would …..”
Exercise more, visit more people, spend more time with kids, cook more …well more of pretty much everything I do now, except office.. he he

Do You Eat The Stems On Broccoli?
Strange question. But yes, I do.

If You Could Dye Your Hair Any Color, What Would Be Your Choice?
Black with reddy-brown foils

Name All The Different Cities/Towns You Have Lived In.
Madras/Chennai and Wellington. Haven’t led a very adventurous life, I’m afraid…

Favorite Sports To Watch:
Very very rarely, cricket.

One Nice Thing About The Person Who Sent This To You:
Well, all the things I want to say about Shyam are nice, so hard to pick just one, eh? But since that makes Shyam think that I am side-stepping the issue diplomatically (which I truly wasn't), let me say, she's got a voice to die for, hair to live for, and having her as a friend makes life much more fun!!! (and mind you, whatever she says, all of that is true!)

What’s Under Your Bed?
An empty flower pot.

Would You Like To Be Born As Yourself Again?
Not really thanks.

Morning Person Or Night Owl?
Night owl, but now twisted and warped beyond recognition into a very grouchy morning person (what that means is that I have to get up at unearthly hours to get to work on time;-(

Over Easy Or Sunny Side Up?
If that’s eggs, I don’t eat ‘em.

Favorite Place To Relax:
At home…

Favorite Pie:
Apple, maybe?

Favorite Ice Cream Flavour:
Ooh easy one, esply now: walnut with maple syrup;-)

You pass this tag to -
Can’t think of absolutely anyone, so whoever wants to do this tag is welcome to. Just let me know if you got tagged be me, though…that is, after reading my blog;-)

Of All The People You Tagged This To, Who’s Most Likely To Respond First?
Sorry, I ain’t a fortune teller.

Hmmm...

2008-04-17T11:36:00.000+12:00

Have to go to my older one’s school this evening. Parent-teacher interviews.

I’ve been strictly coached by my 15-year-old horror on the proper attire, accent etc. And she ended her list of long instructions with: “Umm, and amma, I know this is a long list of instructions, but one more: can you please make sure you don’t ask my teachers any clever questions, ok? They won’t know the answers.”

Life in the slow lane

2008-03-21T15:55:00.001+13:00

and yet it passes by at incredible speed...

2007-12-09T20:58:00.001+13:00

How and why do they come up with such ideas?

my propah time for accessing/reading/writing blog posts is lunch time at work. and at work they've now come up with this brilliant idea that actually bans access to such "time-wasting sites". I mean, it's pretty unlikely that i am going to spend my lucnh time doing work....

unless i can find time to write from home (WEEKENDS), the countdown has begun. My blog's days are numbered....*sigh*

My take on Om Shanti Om

2007-11-15T15:06:00.000+13:00

Yes, I did go and see the movie! In the cinemas, no less.

In spite of the annoyingly in-your-face marketing!
In spite of the overkill of SRK’s 6-pack abs!

And I have no excuse for seeing it except that I really wanted to - see the movie, that is, not really SRK's abs - I'd seen them enough during the promos!

New girl Deepika Padukone - did someone/anyone say she’s the next Ash? Please! The girl is definitely not that. She can actually act – and well! The only similarities with Ash are that they are both from Karnatka, tall, models and look stunning.

Deepika looks even better in the movie than she did in the promos. Killer smile! She’s a winner all the way and the best thing about the movie.

The first half of the movie was hilarious and a laugh-a-minute. Although if you go to the theatre expecting OSO to be a homage to the ‘70s style-Bollywood, you’ll be in for a rude shock. It is more a satire, and there’s nothing even remotely respectful about the way the industry is portrayed – be it the ‘70s Bollywood or Kollywood. If it all wasn’t so funny, it would be downright rude.

SRK’s performance can be summed up in one word: overkill. Whether it be in either of his roles or baring his 6-pack abs (what was all the fuss about?) or doing his usual monkey antics...but you put up with it all simply because it is SRK and he does a great job of it, as usual. It's the only item number I've seen in recent movies where the 'item' is male;-)

As for the story, I found it easier to believe in the re-birth/bhooth bit than the lamebrain second half, which was so weak and so unbelievable. And there’s nothing sizzling at all between the second Deepika (Sandy) and the re-born SRK (Om Kapoor) – maybe they decided to do it that way coz Om is scared of fire so no sizzling please. Their love (for lack of a better word) appears so platonic, she could be his (much) younger sister for all it shows.

But SRK’s scenes as an egoistic superstar were really good. Although he hams, some parts are really funny. Comedy is still his forte, although he sheds bucketfuls of tears at the drop of a hat to bring out the ‘mother sentiments’ in the movie. Thank goodness he didn’t have a sister too, else we’d have been drowned in the flood.

You have all these other talented actors like Shreyas Talpade, Kiron Kher, etc in the movie. Arjun Rampal was good as the bad guy, esply in the first half. But then, pretty much every thing was good in the first half anyways. The highlight of the second half is the OSO title song that features the who’s who of Bollywood.

Bottomline is: it’s a riot of colours and music and a feast for the eyes. It’s complete and total timepass and paisa vasool. Don’t question, just sit back and enjoy the technically high-quality ride.

And, as for the story, don’t ask me – just go and watch the movie.

Food, In The Main...: KiwiGee's Recipes from Down Under - Groundnut chutney powder

2007-11-09T09:45:00.000+13:00

Food, In The Main...: KiwiGee's Recipes from Down Under - Groundnut chutney powder

Worth my weight in gold

2007-11-05T13:26:00.001+13:00

If I was made of gold, then apparently, I'd be worth $US723388!!!!

I am rich...in my dreams.

Mugshot

2007-10-29T09:23:00.000+13:00

Is there anyone out there who loves their own mugshots? Do tell. As for me, I simply loathe mine but have to keep seeing it being published month after terrible month.... Aaaaaaaaaaaaargh!! Only consolation? Others have to see it too;-)

Gen Y in action

2007-10-25T08:51:00.000+13:00

This was at the Diwali day celebs in Wellington, on 21 Oct, at TSB Arena. See if you can spot a familiar face or two...;-)

The youngsters performed a Carnatic music recital. They did a great job. And a lot of credit must go to teacher Jaishri and to Wlg Tamil Talkies.

Pics courtesy: WTT and Pixeload

2007-10-12T14:16:00.000+13:00

Suffering from sunlessitis and Navarathri Syndrome...

OK, enough of gray, something cheerful, colourful coming up.
There was a dance troupe from Akl that performed the Kamba Ramayanam here recently. Such a pleasure to watch, it surely was!

Aograyroa

2007-10-08T08:56:00.000+13:00

Grey clouds of gloom hanging all over the Land of the Long White Cloud today. And at work, long faces and post mortem discussion on the ABs’ quarterfinal loss to France. The absolutely foul weather (gale force winds, rains and no sun) and Monday morning blues don’t help either…something’s gotta give soon and I am hoping it will be the weather…

Note: The Maori name for NZ - Aotearoa - means land of the long white cloud: ao=cloud, tea=white, roa=long.

2007-09-25T10:35:00.001+12:00

Sigh! Honesty forces me to admit that I came out as Sleeping Beauty!!!

P'raps I should have said fur is in or I love quacking!!!!!

Thanks Shyam, 4 da link!

You scored as Sleeping Beauty, Your alter ego is Princess Aurora, a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty! You are beautiful and enchanting, and as sweet as ever.

Sleeping Beauty

81%

Donald Duck

75%

Cinderella

69%

Goofy

63%

Peter Pan

56%

The Beast

50%

Ariel

50%

Pinocchio

44%

Cruella De Ville

31%

Snow White

25%