Last week was certainly happening. Left office at 4.30 2 days in a row (a first for me...leaving office so early to catch shows) As a rule generally try & avoid going out on weekdays so twice this week was fun but tiring.
First was Italian do at NCPA, Opera arias with Soprano & Baritone specially invited from Italy. Accompanied by a Pianist, Cellist & Violinist who were brilliant. My first time listening to something like this. It was quite an experience....one that I'd gladly repeat. Live music somehow makes your mind go blank till all you feel is the music. I didn't understand a word that was sung; but the emotions & expressions being conveyed gave me my first glimpse into what a full fledged opera must be about. With the costumes, story line etc being explained to you. It would be brilliant! This felt a bit disjointed at first since I couldn't relate to the pieces at all. So decided not to think but just feel the music (which worked!)
Amar was so lost & bored. Fuzz was all giggles & laughter (similarity of soprano with ex-colleague was reason) soon he became so infectious that all 3 guys were giggling away. Dirty looks from me & people around didn't work at all! I tried to ignore the guys (didn't work at all)
Figaro piece was brilliant, so was the final duet.
Understood reason for all that suppressed laughter only after the show. Guys!!!!!!!
2nd outing was next day. No tickets, Who's afraid of virginia woolf? the play. After much ado & waiting around for over 60 minutes realization was that we are not getting any tickets. Made alternate plans....drinks somewhere, dinner at churchill's & dessert at theobroma.
Evening was loads of fun, felt a bit buzzed after a sip of JB. Dinner was delicious if too much food to finish. Dessert was definitely food for the gods (felt divine myself after one bite of the walnut brownie)
Had a minor brush with death the earlier night when I fell out of the train at dadar. It's not true, you definitely don't see ur life flash before your eyes. Was kind of numb during the experience, only thought was what the hell I'm falling!!
Guys on station picked me up almost as soon as my body touched the platform, just felt train whizzing by my head & hands gripping my elbow & lifting me to safety. Heard shouts from guys on platform saying what are you doing (I thought it was very obvious, falling out of the train)
Checked to see if there was anything broken, nope all intact, only a small scratch on my hand. My bag & hip took the brunt of the fall. Discovered that the data card in my bag got a dent (saw it only yesterday morning when I went to use it) Bottom & hip of course hurt only the next day and the day after. Even went for a walk the next morning to prove to myself that it was nothing.
Harish got out behind me to check up on me & I very coolly tell him am fine but you are missing the train. Poor guy, he was looking so puzzled. I guess in hindsight seeing me fall was worse.
Dinner yesterday night completed the week. Went out with bro, mom & sister in law. Good food, good company...very nice time.
Realization this morning that yesterday was parents wedding anniversary when I saw the date on my cell phone. Felt so foolish, mom was very pensive yesterday. Now I knew why.
Gave mom a hug & kiss...and apologized for forgetting. Kids can be so callous at times. I don't think any of my brothers remembered either. And this was a day we'd plan in advance for my parents when Dad was alive. Missed dad so much!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Little Things...
Why is it the little things that make me happy.
The unexpected smile
your voice in my ears.
Being there have my heart singing with joy.
It's always the little things that show you care.
I find it strange how my life has changed.
Big brown eyes, wagging tails
Crisp mornings, foggy streets, blinking lights, curious meows.
Shivering in the chilly air.
Friends who care.
Buck teeth, whiskered faces, golden eyes, fishy breath.
Yellow flowers, green ferns, blue skies.
The rain on my face, the breeze in my hair. The smell of the sea.
I hope you can feel these little things too.
The unexpected smile
your voice in my ears.
Being there have my heart singing with joy.
It's always the little things that show you care.
I find it strange how my life has changed.
Big brown eyes, wagging tails
Crisp mornings, foggy streets, blinking lights, curious meows.
Shivering in the chilly air.
Friends who care.
Buck teeth, whiskered faces, golden eyes, fishy breath.
Yellow flowers, green ferns, blue skies.
The rain on my face, the breeze in my hair. The smell of the sea.
I hope you can feel these little things too.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Music is back in my life....
Am feeling happeeeee. After 2 weeks without music, its back in my life. How i'm dependent on my memory card! Never even thought of it till I lost it. Music that is.
Memory card on phone died on me 2 weeks ago. Tried in vain to reformat it. But no luck. Searched for the warranty & receipts. Took it to the shop where I bought it. Gave it for reformatting. Got a replacement memory card (I actually managed to kill my earlier one :D) Too much of amy winehouse it just couldn't take any more & committed hara kiri is way I explain it to myself of course.
Walks were without music. Walk to station again without music. Realized that I observe so much more when I'm not lost in the music playing in my ears. Suddenly noticed all the people I share train with. Notice what people are doing, wearing, saying on phone. Envied people blasting music loudly into ears on walks...damn they still had music!
Got a mini shock from colleague at work who actually asked me Shilpi not blogging anymore. Mind was like WTH are you reading my blog too?
Just goes to show; you never know who is reading your blog. Bit invasive i think. But that is the price you pay I guess for sharing your thoughts with the world. You can't decide who forms part of that world...
Anyways it's ok i guess. Not exactly sharing international secrets on it. Only very random thoughts that intersperse my mind. Thats all!!!!
If I haven't yet been able to understand myself for 37 years...how in the world can someone else? I always put it down to being an aquarian (hehe..)
Life is certainly looking brighter again. Mouse stays home at night. Sharing bed with 3 cats every night. Wonder what will happen if & when I get a human to share it with. Will he mind the cats?
One thing I do know, waking up & seeing the greenest eyes in the world is certainly not bad. Always thought of myself as a blue eyed girl. But you never know do you. Still remember another pair of blue-green eyes. Very gorgeous eyes on a gorgeous guy....very professional of course. The first person to take me seriously as a fellow mushroom grower. How can one forget that....the respect & equality shown to me a very new person in the field by someone who was brought up in the field. At 24 I certainly felt very grown up that day & proud of myself :)
I'm digressing....as usual. Somehow the yearning to grow mushrooms is back. You just can't bury some things I guess. I am so out of touch. Damn it.
Listening to Amy Winehouse as I write this. Very free this weekend. Actually have no plans.
Gonna take a evening walk today; skipped the morning one. Felt too sleepy with 3 warm bodies snuggled up with me.
Memory card on phone died on me 2 weeks ago. Tried in vain to reformat it. But no luck. Searched for the warranty & receipts. Took it to the shop where I bought it. Gave it for reformatting. Got a replacement memory card (I actually managed to kill my earlier one :D) Too much of amy winehouse it just couldn't take any more & committed hara kiri is way I explain it to myself of course.
Walks were without music. Walk to station again without music. Realized that I observe so much more when I'm not lost in the music playing in my ears. Suddenly noticed all the people I share train with. Notice what people are doing, wearing, saying on phone. Envied people blasting music loudly into ears on walks...damn they still had music!
Got a mini shock from colleague at work who actually asked me Shilpi not blogging anymore. Mind was like WTH are you reading my blog too?
Just goes to show; you never know who is reading your blog. Bit invasive i think. But that is the price you pay I guess for sharing your thoughts with the world. You can't decide who forms part of that world...
Anyways it's ok i guess. Not exactly sharing international secrets on it. Only very random thoughts that intersperse my mind. Thats all!!!!
If I haven't yet been able to understand myself for 37 years...how in the world can someone else? I always put it down to being an aquarian (hehe..)
Life is certainly looking brighter again. Mouse stays home at night. Sharing bed with 3 cats every night. Wonder what will happen if & when I get a human to share it with. Will he mind the cats?
One thing I do know, waking up & seeing the greenest eyes in the world is certainly not bad. Always thought of myself as a blue eyed girl. But you never know do you. Still remember another pair of blue-green eyes. Very gorgeous eyes on a gorgeous guy....very professional of course. The first person to take me seriously as a fellow mushroom grower. How can one forget that....the respect & equality shown to me a very new person in the field by someone who was brought up in the field. At 24 I certainly felt very grown up that day & proud of myself :)
I'm digressing....as usual. Somehow the yearning to grow mushrooms is back. You just can't bury some things I guess. I am so out of touch. Damn it.
Listening to Amy Winehouse as I write this. Very free this weekend. Actually have no plans.
Gonna take a evening walk today; skipped the morning one. Felt too sleepy with 3 warm bodies snuggled up with me.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Undying Spirit
Feeling so lucky since yesterday after watching Sitara Devi's kathak performance. She is in her 80's but her spirit is surely undying. She was so feisty and brave to dance for us. It was an amazing experience, one that will stay in my memories for a lifetime.
It is very hard to meet someone like her, so forthright & bold. She reminisced about some of her older performances one where she danced for 12-13 hrs. It had me wondering what must she have been like when she was younger. Bolder than this or more muted; a milder version perhaps of the woman I saw yesterday.
Whatever she was I'm quite sure she has always been unforgettable!
Which made me think; aren't all of us unforgettable in our own ways. We each of us have something that makes us very unique and imprints itself in our thoughts when we think about that person. Isn't that what we all leave behind. A bit of ourselves with everyone we meet.
And aren't we lucky when we find that most people we know are that unforgettable. Imagine living with people who are completely boring with no personalities and no thoughts. Imagine finding yourself surrounded by people who are completely forgettable. I'm sure each & every one of us knows many such people who live life like ghosts. Who go thru the motions of life without really living each moment.
Who crib & cry about the injustices of life when life really hasn't thrown any challenges their way. What happens to them when they do find themselves challenged i wonder. Do they cope or buckle?
I think I've been very lucky with friends and family till date. Each and every one is unforgettable. They all have their imprints on my life. I hope the luck continues with lovers as well.
It is very hard to meet someone like her, so forthright & bold. She reminisced about some of her older performances one where she danced for 12-13 hrs. It had me wondering what must she have been like when she was younger. Bolder than this or more muted; a milder version perhaps of the woman I saw yesterday.
Whatever she was I'm quite sure she has always been unforgettable!
Which made me think; aren't all of us unforgettable in our own ways. We each of us have something that makes us very unique and imprints itself in our thoughts when we think about that person. Isn't that what we all leave behind. A bit of ourselves with everyone we meet.
And aren't we lucky when we find that most people we know are that unforgettable. Imagine living with people who are completely boring with no personalities and no thoughts. Imagine finding yourself surrounded by people who are completely forgettable. I'm sure each & every one of us knows many such people who live life like ghosts. Who go thru the motions of life without really living each moment.
Who crib & cry about the injustices of life when life really hasn't thrown any challenges their way. What happens to them when they do find themselves challenged i wonder. Do they cope or buckle?
I think I've been very lucky with friends and family till date. Each and every one is unforgettable. They all have their imprints on my life. I hope the luck continues with lovers as well.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
OSO and Heroes
Saw OSO last evening. Rave reviews from Kits & Neeta had me thinking ok you can do this (3 hrs of SRK are normally too much for poor mind to handle) Harish hadnt seen the movie either.
So the 2 of us decided to catch the saturday afternoon or evening show.
Starcity near my place was theatre of choice. Went there only to find all shows going houseful (come on who are they kidding!! was thought in head) found dubious black market tickets being touted outside the theatre at jacked up prices. The theatre had also increased prices to 150/170 instead of their normal 80/100/120 rates. Everyone was out to make a quick buck.
Disappointed we looked at other options. Harish was all for No Smoking again ....me saying are u mad of course I' m not suffering 3 hrs of John Abraham. Luckily for me Gods were on my side :D Its gone from theatres everywhere.
Called up Cinemax & Inox as a last option. Found that Milan subway Inox had tickets available for the 4.30 show (it was about 3.45) decided to risk it, took a cab there. Reached in nick of time around 4.10, bought tickets, saw show.
Strangely half the theatre was empty when the movie started. So much for people thronging to see it. Most ppl were like us last minute tickets bought for the show.
Can say this about the movie, Deepika is gorgeous. SRK is himself. Everyone hams thoughout the movie. So its totally a self indulgent movie. We were entertained. Laughed a lot thru the movie. The climax was too long & stretched (definitely could have been shorter) Loved all the movie jokes interspersed throughout the movie.
Both Harish & I were smiling as we left the theatre. Both agreed this was a one time only movie. Cannot sit through that again.
Traffic as usual was horrendous on SV Road. Took a rickshaw to Bandra Station. Saw long queues of cabs waiting there. Strangely not one cabbie fellow was ready to go to Dadar. I was left thinking where the hell do these guys want to go? They all sat patiently waiting for a fare when me a ready to pay passenger was left standing on road with 25 cabs behind me; trying to hail a passing one. Felt a bit surreal!!!
Got a passing cab in 5 minutes and headed home :) We had eaten at inox so wasnt hungry, skipped dinner & decided to watch heroes (7 & 8 episodes were calling out & saying watch us now!!)
I love that series; you get so involved in all the characters. They have twisted the story line in a amazing new direction. Love Hiro (poor guy had to leave lady love behing in 1671...how sad is that) Can't wait for the next few episodes.
So the 2 of us decided to catch the saturday afternoon or evening show.
Starcity near my place was theatre of choice. Went there only to find all shows going houseful (come on who are they kidding!! was thought in head) found dubious black market tickets being touted outside the theatre at jacked up prices. The theatre had also increased prices to 150/170 instead of their normal 80/100/120 rates. Everyone was out to make a quick buck.
Disappointed we looked at other options. Harish was all for No Smoking again ....me saying are u mad of course I' m not suffering 3 hrs of John Abraham. Luckily for me Gods were on my side :D Its gone from theatres everywhere.
Called up Cinemax & Inox as a last option. Found that Milan subway Inox had tickets available for the 4.30 show (it was about 3.45) decided to risk it, took a cab there. Reached in nick of time around 4.10, bought tickets, saw show.
Strangely half the theatre was empty when the movie started. So much for people thronging to see it. Most ppl were like us last minute tickets bought for the show.
Can say this about the movie, Deepika is gorgeous. SRK is himself. Everyone hams thoughout the movie. So its totally a self indulgent movie. We were entertained. Laughed a lot thru the movie. The climax was too long & stretched (definitely could have been shorter) Loved all the movie jokes interspersed throughout the movie.
Both Harish & I were smiling as we left the theatre. Both agreed this was a one time only movie. Cannot sit through that again.
Traffic as usual was horrendous on SV Road. Took a rickshaw to Bandra Station. Saw long queues of cabs waiting there. Strangely not one cabbie fellow was ready to go to Dadar. I was left thinking where the hell do these guys want to go? They all sat patiently waiting for a fare when me a ready to pay passenger was left standing on road with 25 cabs behind me; trying to hail a passing one. Felt a bit surreal!!!
Got a passing cab in 5 minutes and headed home :) We had eaten at inox so wasnt hungry, skipped dinner & decided to watch heroes (7 & 8 episodes were calling out & saying watch us now!!)
I love that series; you get so involved in all the characters. They have twisted the story line in a amazing new direction. Love Hiro (poor guy had to leave lady love behing in 1671...how sad is that) Can't wait for the next few episodes.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Small Changes
Decided to make small changes in my life. Starting with getting some regular exercise. Walks everyday at 5 gardens have been started for the last few days. Cats have been surprised to find me awake at their witching hour. Calling it that cause that's the time when the house is entirely theirs (we humans are fast asleep, they are all congregated in the kitchen planning cat capers)
Every morning when I enter the kitchen I find Pinks fast asleep on the dining table, Tangy on the dining chair, Girlie snoozing away on top of the microwave. But they are all awake at around 6 which is my new wake up time. Mobile phone alarms are a super must have in life. I depend on mine to ring me awake every morning. It does, its never failed me till date. I so love my sony ericsson phone, its been a looooooong love affair now. Over a year and a half old and still going strong.
Tangy is so surprised to see me sleep walk around the kitchen in the morning, he keeps following me around, asking questions (meows actually which i feel are all questions like what are u up to? )
Morning walks or evening ones would be so much more interesting were i to see some interesting people. Unfortunately so far the interesting ones seem to be hitting the gyms :D
My companions are all old uncles & aunties. Loads of pot bellied middle aged guys eyeing all the women who pass them on the road. Serious exercise buffs jogging on the road (practising for the marathon me thinks) Groups of ladies doing yoga in the garden, groups of older men practising acupressure in another. Kids playing cricket at 6.30am (...wow was thought running thru head, i have to watch out for cricket balls even now!) What time do they start playing i wondered. Divali vacation is the answer i think, I shouldnt see them doing that once school reopens on Monday.
I hope so, dodging other walkers, dog poop on the footpath, vendors selling fruits, water stalls (good idea that by some good samaritans) groups of dogs sitting in middle of road watching mad humans run & walk past them with bemused expressions on their face are entertaining enough.
Me I listen to Amy Winehouse belting out love songs in my ears; Coldplay works well for walks too. Daughtry screams I'm going home on the way back. Fuzz's voice singing night is mournful somehow makes me misty eyed. It has such longing that song. It makes me wonder what it takes to get someone to feel that way about you.
The older one gets i think priorities change. I don't find myself wondering if I can buy a car or a house. I find myself thinking that i hope to get to spend as much time as possible with my loved ones. Life is fleeting!
Jerry & Pinks turned 6 last week. Found myself thinking cats live for 15 years. I hope i have them with me for that long.
I think I have had a pretty good life so far; except for not falling in love (one cant get it all I guess :D) I was thinking the other day there are so many people on this planet who are married, have kids, yet have never been in love either. Who's priorities and outlook of life is completely different from my own. Isn't it strange how each one of us is governed by our upbringing, our circumstances, our relationships.
My parents have never forced me to do anything as an adult. Decisions have always been mine to take. Yet I always consulted them. Their relationship has greatly influenced me. Their love for one another has influenced all 4 of us i feel. I know its an accepted tradition as part of our society that parents decide who you marry. So many of my friends have had arranged marriages, all my cousins have had marriages arranged by parents or some other relatives. I've received advice from my uncles & aunts about getting married as soon as possible umpteen number of times.
Find aunties in my colony advising me to get married as soon as possible because of the way I look. I'm thinking ...wth...is it a prerequisite of life that i'm unaware of, you are attractive so you should be married & have kids.
What I find strange is the strong belief that these people have in themselves. They are always right. Don't you dare point out otherwise. Every guy they recommend is the best possible match for you. They don't even know the guy; but he has the right father and the right job and of course is of your caste (most important) No matter how much we progress somehow we are regressing where some things are concerned.
Life certainly does move in circles. I find my cousins doing the same thing that their parents did 25 odd years ago to them. What's even stranger is finding my neices spouting the same dialogues as ones I've heard from their mom's years ago. Will work if he allows me to (i'm thinking girl don't u have any say in your life...he's your partner in life, he doesnt own you) Attending weddings & hearing this from my 20 odd year old neices frankly puts me in a depression for a few hours. What use is education when you don't respect yourself & value your rights?
Finding a partner who thinks you are equal to him & respects your brains as much as he appreciates your looks matter. Looks fade respect doesn't. Its very unfortunate that we as women dont respect ourselves enough.
Shared a car with an office colleague the other day who tells me his daughters are guests in his house. I give them whatever they demand, I indulge them as they are temporary in my house.
I was left speechless frankly, if dads still think this way in 2007. Poor girls. Can they ever depend on him to stand by them?
I am very lucky in that respect. My dad never let me think I was a guest in my own home. Love was without conditions & limitless. Dad was someone I could always turn to.
It is with complete confidence that I knew that no matter what happened to me my parents will always be there with me. Never against me.
Gotta go; Mom's calling for dinner.
Every morning when I enter the kitchen I find Pinks fast asleep on the dining table, Tangy on the dining chair, Girlie snoozing away on top of the microwave. But they are all awake at around 6 which is my new wake up time. Mobile phone alarms are a super must have in life. I depend on mine to ring me awake every morning. It does, its never failed me till date. I so love my sony ericsson phone, its been a looooooong love affair now. Over a year and a half old and still going strong.
Tangy is so surprised to see me sleep walk around the kitchen in the morning, he keeps following me around, asking questions (meows actually which i feel are all questions like what are u up to? )
Morning walks or evening ones would be so much more interesting were i to see some interesting people. Unfortunately so far the interesting ones seem to be hitting the gyms :D
My companions are all old uncles & aunties. Loads of pot bellied middle aged guys eyeing all the women who pass them on the road. Serious exercise buffs jogging on the road (practising for the marathon me thinks) Groups of ladies doing yoga in the garden, groups of older men practising acupressure in another. Kids playing cricket at 6.30am (...wow was thought running thru head, i have to watch out for cricket balls even now!) What time do they start playing i wondered. Divali vacation is the answer i think, I shouldnt see them doing that once school reopens on Monday.
I hope so, dodging other walkers, dog poop on the footpath, vendors selling fruits, water stalls (good idea that by some good samaritans) groups of dogs sitting in middle of road watching mad humans run & walk past them with bemused expressions on their face are entertaining enough.
Me I listen to Amy Winehouse belting out love songs in my ears; Coldplay works well for walks too. Daughtry screams I'm going home on the way back. Fuzz's voice singing night is mournful somehow makes me misty eyed. It has such longing that song. It makes me wonder what it takes to get someone to feel that way about you.
The older one gets i think priorities change. I don't find myself wondering if I can buy a car or a house. I find myself thinking that i hope to get to spend as much time as possible with my loved ones. Life is fleeting!
Jerry & Pinks turned 6 last week. Found myself thinking cats live for 15 years. I hope i have them with me for that long.
I think I have had a pretty good life so far; except for not falling in love (one cant get it all I guess :D) I was thinking the other day there are so many people on this planet who are married, have kids, yet have never been in love either. Who's priorities and outlook of life is completely different from my own. Isn't it strange how each one of us is governed by our upbringing, our circumstances, our relationships.
My parents have never forced me to do anything as an adult. Decisions have always been mine to take. Yet I always consulted them. Their relationship has greatly influenced me. Their love for one another has influenced all 4 of us i feel. I know its an accepted tradition as part of our society that parents decide who you marry. So many of my friends have had arranged marriages, all my cousins have had marriages arranged by parents or some other relatives. I've received advice from my uncles & aunts about getting married as soon as possible umpteen number of times.
Find aunties in my colony advising me to get married as soon as possible because of the way I look. I'm thinking ...wth...is it a prerequisite of life that i'm unaware of, you are attractive so you should be married & have kids.
What I find strange is the strong belief that these people have in themselves. They are always right. Don't you dare point out otherwise. Every guy they recommend is the best possible match for you. They don't even know the guy; but he has the right father and the right job and of course is of your caste (most important) No matter how much we progress somehow we are regressing where some things are concerned.
Life certainly does move in circles. I find my cousins doing the same thing that their parents did 25 odd years ago to them. What's even stranger is finding my neices spouting the same dialogues as ones I've heard from their mom's years ago. Will work if he allows me to (i'm thinking girl don't u have any say in your life...he's your partner in life, he doesnt own you) Attending weddings & hearing this from my 20 odd year old neices frankly puts me in a depression for a few hours. What use is education when you don't respect yourself & value your rights?
Finding a partner who thinks you are equal to him & respects your brains as much as he appreciates your looks matter. Looks fade respect doesn't. Its very unfortunate that we as women dont respect ourselves enough.
Shared a car with an office colleague the other day who tells me his daughters are guests in his house. I give them whatever they demand, I indulge them as they are temporary in my house.
I was left speechless frankly, if dads still think this way in 2007. Poor girls. Can they ever depend on him to stand by them?
I am very lucky in that respect. My dad never let me think I was a guest in my own home. Love was without conditions & limitless. Dad was someone I could always turn to.
It is with complete confidence that I knew that no matter what happened to me my parents will always be there with me. Never against me.
Gotta go; Mom's calling for dinner.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Feelings
Feelings are so hard to comprehend
Sometimes easy...sometimes so tough to understand.
Why do we feel the way we do, who can tell me why
Caring comes so easily, brings with it so many complications
Should I care, do I have a choice?
I think I never had a choice; suddenly one day I cared.
Thinking complicates everything...feeling & caring is so much simpler to bear.
Why does a smile have me smiling with joy
Why do thoughts keep tumbling though my head
Why are things so complicated to comprehend!
Life was so simple; alas no more
Fear looms large in my head
Does wisdom really come with age or experience
I wonder why; life suddenly feels so incomplete
The more I think; the more I reason with myself
Surely I can stop these feelings
Don't I control the way I feel
What a fool I have been to think that caring & feeling can be reasoned
There is no reasoning for the way one feels
So I feel; so I care....
Sometimes easy...sometimes so tough to understand.
Why do we feel the way we do, who can tell me why
Caring comes so easily, brings with it so many complications
Should I care, do I have a choice?
I think I never had a choice; suddenly one day I cared.
Thinking complicates everything...feeling & caring is so much simpler to bear.
Why does a smile have me smiling with joy
Why do thoughts keep tumbling though my head
Why are things so complicated to comprehend!
Life was so simple; alas no more
Fear looms large in my head
Does wisdom really come with age or experience
I wonder why; life suddenly feels so incomplete
The more I think; the more I reason with myself
Surely I can stop these feelings
Don't I control the way I feel
What a fool I have been to think that caring & feeling can be reasoned
There is no reasoning for the way one feels
So I feel; so I care....
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Freedom at a price (of course, when was it ever free :D)
Feeling a bit euphoric for the last 2 weeks; reason is very simple but makes my life sooooooo much easier. Finally got transportation from the station to office.
This means a lot of things to me (am sharing car with 3 other co-workers) to help reduce the cost and they benefit too :D
- Freedom from rickshaw wallas who had to be begged & pleaded to every morning. Made the whole coming to office experience that much worse.
- Freedom from tensions - will i reach on time, will i get a rickshaw today, will i get someone to share it with (imp if meter runs amok & u are the only one paying)
- Freedom from worries - gotta catch an earlier train to avoid the rick rush at the station, but too early didnt work either as then there were hardly any ricks available to hail.
One drawback is there of course (no drawback free schemes on this planet i feel) - have to start & leave office at a fixed time. Which isn't too bad actually. But me being me; anything that takes away flexibility is associated with being bad. An aquarian trait i think :)
Mom's cataract operation is scheduled for thurs. At last, very long time overdue. I hope she can see well with the eye as the cataract is quite advanced.
I'm keeping all my fingers crossed till such time that we know...which will be a few days after the operation.
This means a lot of things to me (am sharing car with 3 other co-workers) to help reduce the cost and they benefit too :D
- Freedom from rickshaw wallas who had to be begged & pleaded to every morning. Made the whole coming to office experience that much worse.
- Freedom from tensions - will i reach on time, will i get a rickshaw today, will i get someone to share it with (imp if meter runs amok & u are the only one paying)
- Freedom from worries - gotta catch an earlier train to avoid the rick rush at the station, but too early didnt work either as then there were hardly any ricks available to hail.
One drawback is there of course (no drawback free schemes on this planet i feel) - have to start & leave office at a fixed time. Which isn't too bad actually. But me being me; anything that takes away flexibility is associated with being bad. An aquarian trait i think :)
Mom's cataract operation is scheduled for thurs. At last, very long time overdue. I hope she can see well with the eye as the cataract is quite advanced.
I'm keeping all my fingers crossed till such time that we know...which will be a few days after the operation.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Mindless violence & Curious cats
Two nights ago a friend & I were travelling in a rickshaw at around 8.30pm near sakinaka. Traffic jam on the road meant that our driver was easing his way slowly on the road, suddenly we spot a bike trying to take over from the right. He suddenly swerved & stopped in front of our rickshaw forcing our driver to stop. The bike rider was this swarthy looking guy who appeared to be drunk...came & slapped our driver after giving him some choice abuses. We were simply too stunned in the first few minutes to react. He demanded an apology from our driver who was this thin, small guy only too eager to avoid an altercation with this goon.
I have seen the other side of such an argument a while back when on my way to office something similar had happened, same kinda altercation between rickshaw & bike. But in that case my driver was this burly fellow who dared the bike rider to get off & get into a fight. No physical action took place that day...but it was only the fear of getting beaten up which stopped the bike driver from getting involved in a fight.
I'm sure such altercations are common place in the lives of people driving public transportation like rickshaw or cab drivers. It seems to me that appearance and bravado stop or in some cases aggravate such situations. But we are merely spectators while such mindless violent acts are enacted around us. Both my friend & I felt bad for our driver who got slapped around for no fault on his part. But we were helpless to do anything.
I always wonder what part of the male psyche makes it so easy for them to accept violence, guys think nothing of slapping or kicking someone, be it in anger or hitting someone in the name of stupid traditions which are carried over from college days and form a part of ragging rituals. I have never slapped or kicked someone in my life & the mere thought of someone doing that to me or vice versa is abhorrent. Yet when I see male colleagues giving bums to someone on their birthday as part of some hostel traditions; and the receiver remembering who hit him the hardest so that he can enact revenge at a later stage...it just makes me feel very sad. Education & upbringing simply don't eradicate violence from our psyche. We have to strive to do that ourselves. Talking with my male colleagues about this mindless & senseless activity which is like an endless tape playing itself over & over again hasn't helped at all. Its always a case of I was hit & so I have to take revenge & hit so & so on his bday too. WHY?? I haven't got a satisfactory answer yet. It just makes me glad that I am not a guy working at my office; I would never put up with this. It turns a happy celebration of someone's birthday into a violent & pain filled one if its a guy. It's revolting to watch someone being kicked no matter what is the excuse used to deliver that. And of course being guys they are all supposed to take it in the "right spirit".
Having lived with 4 men all of my life, this violence is new to me. I don't ever remember any of them doing anything like this with their friends. Of course they have got into fights; I remember my elder brother beating some one once when I was quite young. I remember my parents being very angry with him. Growing up with 3 guys did mean that we did get into physical fights sometimes, but my parents had the golden rule of no hitting girls; which meant that I never actually got hit very hard if at all :D But I was a bit of a tomboy growing up & have got into all sorts of fights with my brothers. Still I feel its different when you get physical in a fight as a kid & way different when you do it as an adult. When you do it as an adult in self defense or when you do it in a fight or as a group activity of beating someone ...its different each time. You have a choice and you have to live with the consequences of that choice. Choosing not to hit someone takes greater strength & conviction. Sadly that is sorely lacking in so many human beings.
On a lighter note; Tangy got into some unusual activity (okay, not so unusual for him...he's done this a few times in his 5 year old life) Mom left the cupboard open while she went to pay the delivery guy & of course tangy who was blissfully snoozing on the bed decides to explore the cupboard contents.
Mom returned & closed the cupboard without noticing the rascal. He was probably howling away but mom stayed in the kitchen for the next few hrs. Luckily for him our bai heard his meows & got mom to rescue him. It was pretty dramatic with the key not turning (its a very old wooden cupboard) my brother came to the rescue by managing to get the key to turn & open the door.
Tangy had scratched the cupboard & some of its contents during his ordeal.
Poor guy his nose & cheek have got scratched raw. Its turned black now & he's looking like a true adventurer.
Partly sunny day today meant that I could partially dry the 2 bags of soil I'd bought for the cats litter tray. Sadly the sun wasnt very bright and the soil too soggy. So its gonna be another day of sun at least before the soil dries out enough for me to use. Got a few earthworms in the soil, whom I released into a bougainvillea pot. They can use them to help keep the soil nice & aerated. Pinks & girlie were thrilled that I'd provided them with so much soil to play in. By the end of the day the soil was looking nicely played in and all over the place.
C aunty braved the cats & visited us for some time this afternoon. I've never met anyone who is so scared of cats. They of course didn't bother her at all. Just watched from a distance. Girlie of course ran to the loft as soon as she spotted a stranger. (My hopes of turning her into a Guard-cat have all been dashed) This new found bravery means that we can now invite her over more often; where earlier she used to run off ...now she has no reasons to.
I have seen the other side of such an argument a while back when on my way to office something similar had happened, same kinda altercation between rickshaw & bike. But in that case my driver was this burly fellow who dared the bike rider to get off & get into a fight. No physical action took place that day...but it was only the fear of getting beaten up which stopped the bike driver from getting involved in a fight.
I'm sure such altercations are common place in the lives of people driving public transportation like rickshaw or cab drivers. It seems to me that appearance and bravado stop or in some cases aggravate such situations. But we are merely spectators while such mindless violent acts are enacted around us. Both my friend & I felt bad for our driver who got slapped around for no fault on his part. But we were helpless to do anything.
I always wonder what part of the male psyche makes it so easy for them to accept violence, guys think nothing of slapping or kicking someone, be it in anger or hitting someone in the name of stupid traditions which are carried over from college days and form a part of ragging rituals. I have never slapped or kicked someone in my life & the mere thought of someone doing that to me or vice versa is abhorrent. Yet when I see male colleagues giving bums to someone on their birthday as part of some hostel traditions; and the receiver remembering who hit him the hardest so that he can enact revenge at a later stage...it just makes me feel very sad. Education & upbringing simply don't eradicate violence from our psyche. We have to strive to do that ourselves. Talking with my male colleagues about this mindless & senseless activity which is like an endless tape playing itself over & over again hasn't helped at all. Its always a case of I was hit & so I have to take revenge & hit so & so on his bday too. WHY?? I haven't got a satisfactory answer yet. It just makes me glad that I am not a guy working at my office; I would never put up with this. It turns a happy celebration of someone's birthday into a violent & pain filled one if its a guy. It's revolting to watch someone being kicked no matter what is the excuse used to deliver that. And of course being guys they are all supposed to take it in the "right spirit".
Having lived with 4 men all of my life, this violence is new to me. I don't ever remember any of them doing anything like this with their friends. Of course they have got into fights; I remember my elder brother beating some one once when I was quite young. I remember my parents being very angry with him. Growing up with 3 guys did mean that we did get into physical fights sometimes, but my parents had the golden rule of no hitting girls; which meant that I never actually got hit very hard if at all :D But I was a bit of a tomboy growing up & have got into all sorts of fights with my brothers. Still I feel its different when you get physical in a fight as a kid & way different when you do it as an adult. When you do it as an adult in self defense or when you do it in a fight or as a group activity of beating someone ...its different each time. You have a choice and you have to live with the consequences of that choice. Choosing not to hit someone takes greater strength & conviction. Sadly that is sorely lacking in so many human beings.
On a lighter note; Tangy got into some unusual activity (okay, not so unusual for him...he's done this a few times in his 5 year old life) Mom left the cupboard open while she went to pay the delivery guy & of course tangy who was blissfully snoozing on the bed decides to explore the cupboard contents.
Mom returned & closed the cupboard without noticing the rascal. He was probably howling away but mom stayed in the kitchen for the next few hrs. Luckily for him our bai heard his meows & got mom to rescue him. It was pretty dramatic with the key not turning (its a very old wooden cupboard) my brother came to the rescue by managing to get the key to turn & open the door.
Tangy had scratched the cupboard & some of its contents during his ordeal.
Poor guy his nose & cheek have got scratched raw. Its turned black now & he's looking like a true adventurer.
Partly sunny day today meant that I could partially dry the 2 bags of soil I'd bought for the cats litter tray. Sadly the sun wasnt very bright and the soil too soggy. So its gonna be another day of sun at least before the soil dries out enough for me to use. Got a few earthworms in the soil, whom I released into a bougainvillea pot. They can use them to help keep the soil nice & aerated. Pinks & girlie were thrilled that I'd provided them with so much soil to play in. By the end of the day the soil was looking nicely played in and all over the place.
C aunty braved the cats & visited us for some time this afternoon. I've never met anyone who is so scared of cats. They of course didn't bother her at all. Just watched from a distance. Girlie of course ran to the loft as soon as she spotted a stranger. (My hopes of turning her into a Guard-cat have all been dashed) This new found bravery means that we can now invite her over more often; where earlier she used to run off ...now she has no reasons to.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Short vacations, maudlin thoughts...
Been feeling a bit maudlin these last few days...circumstances i guess. Went to Daman last weekend. Nice small town, very dirty unwalkable beach (sad to call it a beach actually, but can't think of any other name for it) very nice room at this resort called Silver Sands Beach Resort (very misleading name...where's the sand???) very bad NH8, loads of potholes & miles of what used to be a road & is now just potholes on which the car can travel at zero speed.
Free booze at all the hotels meant that most of the guests at the resort were just there for the booze (over from gujarat where there is prohibition) Ours was no exception, we had nice poolside rooms...but pool was filthy (not that i swim :D) very noisy on sunday but peacefully quiet on monday.
Monday morning we took a trip down to Udwada, just 30 mins from Daman. Very peaceful quiet Parsi township which at one time must have been a lot more bustling than it is now. Now its mostly old abandoned homes, beautiful homes which are in disrepair, I just felt very sad at what must have been a very nice place to vist a few decades ago. Uncle F told me some nice childhood stories of his navroze and holidays spent as kids playing on the beach (yes, it actually had sand in those days, now its all rocks & marsh...very sad the disintegration of the beach)
The house that they used to stay in stands today ...a crumbling reminder of the past. We picked up some Parsi baked goods like nankhatais, papads, lovely fresh green limes, chandan (for mom)
On our way home we stopped at this very old Parsi restaurant called Oliyajees, very nice authentic Parsi food. We had placed an order the day before of the special dishes Uncle F wanted to eat. My first Parsi meal, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Mom & I took a nice long walk in the evening in a park adjoining the beach. Very nice weather, great sea breeze, hardly any people around in the park. We walked for some time, sat on a bench; chatted & enjoyed the cool sea breeze. No mosquitoes meant that it was even better.
Cocktails in K's room in the evening, we sat in chairs outside our room enjoying the nice weather. The return journey the next day was nothing short of a nightmare ride, 6 hrs is how long it took for us to get back home. Some great music on a cd was what kept us sane. Listened to Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Cliff Richards and others....great music from the 50's and 60's.
Lovely break from work, didnt even spend a minute thinking about work which was great.
Wed eve my cousin called to tell me that my aunt who was ailing for a long time had died. Had mixed thoughts, relief that she was not suffering and in pain alongwith grief and a sense of loss that I would never ever talk to her again. Death gives such finality to things. There is no rewind.
I took a train to Dombivili where my uncle & aunt stay. The train was crowded for 6.30pm on a holiday. Thoughts of my last conversations with my aunt kept playing through my head, my last visit to her the week before when she was in hospital & didnt even recognize us which was very sad. I tried very hard not to cry in public ...but could feel tears running down my cheeks. My uncle was coping pretty well, I think he was relieved that she wasnt suffering any more. Met all my cousins, cried a lot... watched and participated in all the pre funeral rituals (for the first time in my life) My aunt's last wish was honored, her copy of Gone with the Wind was cremated with her. She had cherished that book in her lifetime, read it a million times, loved to discuss it with anyone who loved books as much as her. We had many a discussions on Scarlett. My brother M went along with my male cousins to the crematorium at around 10. I decided to head home as next day I had to go to work.
The 10.07 train from Dombivli was quite full, I didnt realize that ladies compartments are not having any ladies at that time of the nite. Most compartments seemed to be filled with men, some had wives & kids with them. Finally decided to sit in the first class compartment which had this couple with a little girl with them. Soon other families joined us at the next stations.
At Kurla we actually had a TC walk in to check tickets...at 10.45pm. Matunga station was almost empty at 11pm. I didnt have the energy to walk home so simply took a cab outside the station.
Came home feeling physically and mentally drained. Strangely I kept feeling drained for the next 2 days. Emotional distress can really make you feel physically tired as well.
This weekend has been a great healer. Feel much better, I'm usually pretty upbeat about life. Death I think has the ability to rob you of everything but memories, its these memories which we cherish and keep as secure and alive as possible when loved ones are no longer physically present.
Free booze at all the hotels meant that most of the guests at the resort were just there for the booze (over from gujarat where there is prohibition) Ours was no exception, we had nice poolside rooms...but pool was filthy (not that i swim :D) very noisy on sunday but peacefully quiet on monday.
Monday morning we took a trip down to Udwada, just 30 mins from Daman. Very peaceful quiet Parsi township which at one time must have been a lot more bustling than it is now. Now its mostly old abandoned homes, beautiful homes which are in disrepair, I just felt very sad at what must have been a very nice place to vist a few decades ago. Uncle F told me some nice childhood stories of his navroze and holidays spent as kids playing on the beach (yes, it actually had sand in those days, now its all rocks & marsh...very sad the disintegration of the beach)
The house that they used to stay in stands today ...a crumbling reminder of the past. We picked up some Parsi baked goods like nankhatais, papads, lovely fresh green limes, chandan (for mom)
On our way home we stopped at this very old Parsi restaurant called Oliyajees, very nice authentic Parsi food. We had placed an order the day before of the special dishes Uncle F wanted to eat. My first Parsi meal, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Mom & I took a nice long walk in the evening in a park adjoining the beach. Very nice weather, great sea breeze, hardly any people around in the park. We walked for some time, sat on a bench; chatted & enjoyed the cool sea breeze. No mosquitoes meant that it was even better.
Cocktails in K's room in the evening, we sat in chairs outside our room enjoying the nice weather. The return journey the next day was nothing short of a nightmare ride, 6 hrs is how long it took for us to get back home. Some great music on a cd was what kept us sane. Listened to Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Cliff Richards and others....great music from the 50's and 60's.
Lovely break from work, didnt even spend a minute thinking about work which was great.
Wed eve my cousin called to tell me that my aunt who was ailing for a long time had died. Had mixed thoughts, relief that she was not suffering and in pain alongwith grief and a sense of loss that I would never ever talk to her again. Death gives such finality to things. There is no rewind.
I took a train to Dombivili where my uncle & aunt stay. The train was crowded for 6.30pm on a holiday. Thoughts of my last conversations with my aunt kept playing through my head, my last visit to her the week before when she was in hospital & didnt even recognize us which was very sad. I tried very hard not to cry in public ...but could feel tears running down my cheeks. My uncle was coping pretty well, I think he was relieved that she wasnt suffering any more. Met all my cousins, cried a lot... watched and participated in all the pre funeral rituals (for the first time in my life) My aunt's last wish was honored, her copy of Gone with the Wind was cremated with her. She had cherished that book in her lifetime, read it a million times, loved to discuss it with anyone who loved books as much as her. We had many a discussions on Scarlett. My brother M went along with my male cousins to the crematorium at around 10. I decided to head home as next day I had to go to work.
The 10.07 train from Dombivli was quite full, I didnt realize that ladies compartments are not having any ladies at that time of the nite. Most compartments seemed to be filled with men, some had wives & kids with them. Finally decided to sit in the first class compartment which had this couple with a little girl with them. Soon other families joined us at the next stations.
At Kurla we actually had a TC walk in to check tickets...at 10.45pm. Matunga station was almost empty at 11pm. I didnt have the energy to walk home so simply took a cab outside the station.
Came home feeling physically and mentally drained. Strangely I kept feeling drained for the next 2 days. Emotional distress can really make you feel physically tired as well.
This weekend has been a great healer. Feel much better, I'm usually pretty upbeat about life. Death I think has the ability to rob you of everything but memories, its these memories which we cherish and keep as secure and alive as possible when loved ones are no longer physically present.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Feeling Helpless
Another rainy day....unfortunately this one has bad memories associated with it. Dad died on this day 5 years ago.
That was a rainy day, so is today....so it's strange, its always said that time heals everything, makes things better, i wonder does it really or do we just feel that way. I still remember the day my father died as clearly as if it happened yesterday...i guess some memories are written with indelible ink in your brain...forever intact.
So I asked Mom on Tuesday evening about plans for doing Dad's shradha & she was surprised that I remembered....I wonder why...I know that I can never forget & it's the same for my brothers. Mom & I were very melancholy that evening, she said a very poignant thing - I can't believe its 5 years already, 60 months without him.
Sometimes we kids forget how it must be for mom, spending 40 years with someone you love, knowing him even longer than that...and then suddenly one day he's gone....there is so much you wish you'd said, so many things you wanted to share with him. It is so sad, Dad loved kids but he never lived to see or meet his first grand-daughter.
And then suddenly on Wednesday evening I was introduced to the flip side of that by my cousin. My eldest uncle & aunt (my Dad's eldest brother, Dad was the youngest...but was the first one to die of a heart attack) are in their 80's, my uncle is 86 and aunt just turned 80. They have lived through it all, kids marriages, grand kids births, some grand kids are now old enough to marry & have great-grand kids.
But what kind of a life have they had, it was good till their 60's; but 70's onwards life has been innumerable spells of hospitalization, deafness, broken bones, days & nights of pain. My aunt has been completely bed ridden for the last few years, praying to God to take her away...alas there is more suffering in store for her.
I plan to visit her tomorrow cause my cousin was not very optimistic about her condition when we spoke, sometimes death is a salvation that is long overdue. I felt so sad & helpless when I heard about her condition & understood the helplessness felt by my cousin too.
My uncle has gone completely deaf, can't walk, can't read. He's can't do anything for his wife. It is so sad. I still remember talking to them after my Dad died and they were wishing for a death like Dad's....i found it very strange at the time. I couldnt understand why someone would choose a certain type of death. Today I understand.
That was a rainy day, so is today....so it's strange, its always said that time heals everything, makes things better, i wonder does it really or do we just feel that way. I still remember the day my father died as clearly as if it happened yesterday...i guess some memories are written with indelible ink in your brain...forever intact.
So I asked Mom on Tuesday evening about plans for doing Dad's shradha & she was surprised that I remembered....I wonder why...I know that I can never forget & it's the same for my brothers. Mom & I were very melancholy that evening, she said a very poignant thing - I can't believe its 5 years already, 60 months without him.
Sometimes we kids forget how it must be for mom, spending 40 years with someone you love, knowing him even longer than that...and then suddenly one day he's gone....there is so much you wish you'd said, so many things you wanted to share with him. It is so sad, Dad loved kids but he never lived to see or meet his first grand-daughter.
And then suddenly on Wednesday evening I was introduced to the flip side of that by my cousin. My eldest uncle & aunt (my Dad's eldest brother, Dad was the youngest...but was the first one to die of a heart attack) are in their 80's, my uncle is 86 and aunt just turned 80. They have lived through it all, kids marriages, grand kids births, some grand kids are now old enough to marry & have great-grand kids.
But what kind of a life have they had, it was good till their 60's; but 70's onwards life has been innumerable spells of hospitalization, deafness, broken bones, days & nights of pain. My aunt has been completely bed ridden for the last few years, praying to God to take her away...alas there is more suffering in store for her.
I plan to visit her tomorrow cause my cousin was not very optimistic about her condition when we spoke, sometimes death is a salvation that is long overdue. I felt so sad & helpless when I heard about her condition & understood the helplessness felt by my cousin too.
My uncle has gone completely deaf, can't walk, can't read. He's can't do anything for his wife. It is so sad. I still remember talking to them after my Dad died and they were wishing for a death like Dad's....i found it very strange at the time. I couldnt understand why someone would choose a certain type of death. Today I understand.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Ice Candy Man & more
Been a hectic week workwise, so the weekend has been used mostly for sleeping, reading and resting. It's been raining throughout so its harder to want to venture out too (okay i'm just using that as an excuse :D)
Read some great books, Ice Candy Man by Bapsi Sidhwa - One of the best books i ve read about growing pains and the partition. The book starts with Frenny at four, somehow the thoughts are too adult in context and content to be quite convincing as those of a 4 year old. The story carries smoothly till the time that she is 8.
It gives a very good insight into Parsi lifestyle of the 1940's. Sidhwa's comments & observations of life are all so humorous that the book is both funny & tragic at different times. It was so compelling that I finished it in one sitting, wanting to know what happens to all the characters during the uneasy time of partition riots is the prime motivator. The tragedy of women has been portrayed very well with women & girls from both sides becoming victims of brutality. I liked what the author has put across, there were no good or bad guys...everyone was equally brutal. The ones who suffered the most on both sides eventually were innocent victims who had no recourse like women & children. You feel the angst of the people involved in the story...the helplessness that they feel in their situation is felt by you while reading this book.
I haven't seen the movie, but after reading the book I do feel compelled to get the CD if only to compare it with the book. I hope they have stuck to the storyline.
Another nice book which I finished reading this week (achievement of sorts, 2 books in a week) was Mark Haddon's - The curious incident of the dog in the night. A very unusual hero & a very unusual book. A brilliant boy trying to cope with his limited abilities to understand people & the world at large; who overcomes his fears & grows up learning the harsh realities of life & adults.
Been listening to Chris Daughtry's first album Daughtry for the last 2 weeks. Thanks V for the album :) I dont know much about music; but i like what i hear which are most of the songs. He's got a great voice. He may not have won American Idol but he's definitely got talent.
I need to get a cat meow translator (if one exists)...been getting crossed signals. Everytime i hear a meow dont know if jerry is asking for food or wants to go out. Causes great confusion in mind when its the middle of the nite & i have to figure out his needs :D
Poor Jerry has got a very bad cold for last few days & just like for humans there is no medicine. So we just have to wait for the infection to go away. I could give him antibiotics but i hate to overdose them with those. Learnt something funny about jerry today.....he loves plain potato chips...munches them happily with S.
Tangy had sad time today, we had mutton for lunch so he woke up much earlier than usual & was in the kitchen since 10 in the morning. Poor guy.........poor since i'd decided not to give him mutton as it disagrees with him. He sat in kitchen all morning, patiently sitting in the chair.
Waiting for the mutton. So compromise from me was whiska for him, jerry & girlie when we had lunch so that we cld eat in peace (relative term, since he harrassed mom anyway, begging her for a piece of mutton)
Of course he had some grated coconut from mom when he could beg her for it. It is very strange to watch cat eating coconut :D
I've spent the last 2 days sharing bed with 3 cats (Jerry, Tangy and Pinks) it rains a little & they start feeling cold. I just dont get it, whats with the fur coat, doesnt that help. Apparently not, cuddling with me is the excuse for all 3. I'd each of them sitting on my abdomen as I watched Tv or read a book in the afternoons. They are getting heavy to have them sitting for too long...so kept shooing one off to have another take his/her place. They are such experts at giving those needy expressions which had me melting away (must learn to say no to the cats more often)
Read some great books, Ice Candy Man by Bapsi Sidhwa - One of the best books i ve read about growing pains and the partition. The book starts with Frenny at four, somehow the thoughts are too adult in context and content to be quite convincing as those of a 4 year old. The story carries smoothly till the time that she is 8.
It gives a very good insight into Parsi lifestyle of the 1940's. Sidhwa's comments & observations of life are all so humorous that the book is both funny & tragic at different times. It was so compelling that I finished it in one sitting, wanting to know what happens to all the characters during the uneasy time of partition riots is the prime motivator. The tragedy of women has been portrayed very well with women & girls from both sides becoming victims of brutality. I liked what the author has put across, there were no good or bad guys...everyone was equally brutal. The ones who suffered the most on both sides eventually were innocent victims who had no recourse like women & children. You feel the angst of the people involved in the story...the helplessness that they feel in their situation is felt by you while reading this book.
I haven't seen the movie, but after reading the book I do feel compelled to get the CD if only to compare it with the book. I hope they have stuck to the storyline.
Another nice book which I finished reading this week (achievement of sorts, 2 books in a week) was Mark Haddon's - The curious incident of the dog in the night. A very unusual hero & a very unusual book. A brilliant boy trying to cope with his limited abilities to understand people & the world at large; who overcomes his fears & grows up learning the harsh realities of life & adults.
Been listening to Chris Daughtry's first album Daughtry for the last 2 weeks. Thanks V for the album :) I dont know much about music; but i like what i hear which are most of the songs. He's got a great voice. He may not have won American Idol but he's definitely got talent.
I need to get a cat meow translator (if one exists)...been getting crossed signals. Everytime i hear a meow dont know if jerry is asking for food or wants to go out. Causes great confusion in mind when its the middle of the nite & i have to figure out his needs :D
Poor Jerry has got a very bad cold for last few days & just like for humans there is no medicine. So we just have to wait for the infection to go away. I could give him antibiotics but i hate to overdose them with those. Learnt something funny about jerry today.....he loves plain potato chips...munches them happily with S.
Tangy had sad time today, we had mutton for lunch so he woke up much earlier than usual & was in the kitchen since 10 in the morning. Poor guy.........poor since i'd decided not to give him mutton as it disagrees with him. He sat in kitchen all morning, patiently sitting in the chair.
Waiting for the mutton. So compromise from me was whiska for him, jerry & girlie when we had lunch so that we cld eat in peace (relative term, since he harrassed mom anyway, begging her for a piece of mutton)
Of course he had some grated coconut from mom when he could beg her for it. It is very strange to watch cat eating coconut :D
I've spent the last 2 days sharing bed with 3 cats (Jerry, Tangy and Pinks) it rains a little & they start feeling cold. I just dont get it, whats with the fur coat, doesnt that help. Apparently not, cuddling with me is the excuse for all 3. I'd each of them sitting on my abdomen as I watched Tv or read a book in the afternoons. They are getting heavy to have them sitting for too long...so kept shooing one off to have another take his/her place. They are such experts at giving those needy expressions which had me melting away (must learn to say no to the cats more often)
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Working from home
Working from home today as mom wasnt feeling well.
Having done this a few times (okay am lying...bit more than a few times) know that there are distinct advantages & disadvantages to the process.
Advantages are of course obvious, you dont have to take day off, you do housework plus office work and end up feeling like (wow i'm doing all that and not complaining to anyone) you feel productive, spend more time on ym updating everyone on whats happening & getting updated in return on office happenings, monsoon advantages are even more...dont get wet, dont have to do harried travel via rickshaw & train (train is actually pretty decent travel, just have worries like hope it doesnt stop midway between stations, I do not want to trudge thru sewage and garbage filled rain water) plus most importantly keep an eye on loved one without being in office & worrying anyway about their condition.
Disadvantages are there of course ....being at home means answering all phone calls (explaining to ppl calling why you are at home...so repetitive conversations about same thing) answering the door everytime it rings, signing courier receipts, having cats think you are there to spend more time with them (so they dance on lap, on laptop, sit next to laptop, get warmed by battery) in general create chaos where u dont need any....have also found myself working longer from home..dont know why (why do we always feel guilty where there is no need for any guilt, human mind is a strange thing)
Feeling low today........got a bad cold...so getting a cold is a permanent state of affairs for me since moving to new office (am definitely allergic to something there!) Many ppl have tried to make me think its my cats (hah...fat chance of that) I have them for over 6 yrs, I dont have colds for that long :D
Nose is watering so much; its making me wonder where the hell can so much liquid come from, am I getting dehydrated this way. Rhinoviruses are ones i should blame, damn things have been eluding scientists for decades now. It should be easier to cure such a common disease.
Going to drink a glass of water, now i know why they say "keep hydrated, drink lots of fluids" in advisories for a cold.
Having done this a few times (okay am lying...bit more than a few times) know that there are distinct advantages & disadvantages to the process.
Advantages are of course obvious, you dont have to take day off, you do housework plus office work and end up feeling like (wow i'm doing all that and not complaining to anyone) you feel productive, spend more time on ym updating everyone on whats happening & getting updated in return on office happenings, monsoon advantages are even more...dont get wet, dont have to do harried travel via rickshaw & train (train is actually pretty decent travel, just have worries like hope it doesnt stop midway between stations, I do not want to trudge thru sewage and garbage filled rain water) plus most importantly keep an eye on loved one without being in office & worrying anyway about their condition.
Disadvantages are there of course ....being at home means answering all phone calls (explaining to ppl calling why you are at home...so repetitive conversations about same thing) answering the door everytime it rings, signing courier receipts, having cats think you are there to spend more time with them (so they dance on lap, on laptop, sit next to laptop, get warmed by battery) in general create chaos where u dont need any....have also found myself working longer from home..dont know why (why do we always feel guilty where there is no need for any guilt, human mind is a strange thing)
Feeling low today........got a bad cold...so getting a cold is a permanent state of affairs for me since moving to new office (am definitely allergic to something there!) Many ppl have tried to make me think its my cats (hah...fat chance of that) I have them for over 6 yrs, I dont have colds for that long :D
Nose is watering so much; its making me wonder where the hell can so much liquid come from, am I getting dehydrated this way. Rhinoviruses are ones i should blame, damn things have been eluding scientists for decades now. It should be easier to cure such a common disease.
Going to drink a glass of water, now i know why they say "keep hydrated, drink lots of fluids" in advisories for a cold.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Floods and more...
So it happened once again.....a repeat of July 26, 2005...a date etched in memory...30 June 2007 adds to that long list of days when Mumbai got completely flooded. Luckily it being a saturday I didnt have to worry about making it to office...but i had plans.
Woke up & saw the road outside our building was flooded with water about a foot deep; decided it was gonna be a hopelessly rainy day and abandoned all hope of venturing out! Living room had a mini (or not quite that mini) lake forming away, bro's systems spread across the living room floor were all floating in water. He of course was non-plussed, dont worry they wont get spoiled by the water he said & went right back to sleep. Theek i thought, his systems he ought to know better.
Got a bucket & cloth & went a mopping away. Water was stinky, so loads of dettol was added by me to disinfect it (courtesy of Tangy who thinks water pools means public toilet for cats & happily goes ahead with nary a thought for the poor soul who has to do the clean up job...this is usually the bai...but with the floods I didnt think she'd be coming in) One should have some easier, less back breaking way of mopping up water.......I had thoughts of vaccum cleaners (one of those high-tech ones...I've seen on TV...dont quite know if they're sold here) which suck up liquids......how i wish i had one. Of course I dont, thought of getting a mop with those long handles.....definitely will get me one of those.
The rest of the day was spent watching the news with pictures of various flooded parts of the city, thanked god at least we're not on the ground floor. So many people had water in their houses, washing away their belongings.......that surely makes you wanna kill someone. Imagine their despair, it was so sad.
Just rescued my phone charger from Pinks, happily chewing away at the ends & playing with the chord (I only have 1 of those......its definitely not a cat toy) She just gave me one of those, what the hell (cat look, only they can manage to look so non-guilty even after being caught red-handed doing something they arent supposed to)
Sorry, back to the floods.....anyway the whole day was spent in reading, sleeping, watching TV. The dull rainy weather didnt raise the spirits any, just felt dull all day long. For all 4 cats it was just another snoozy day, spent sleeping away as usual.
The forecast was for more rain in next 48hrs......how nice...some more mopping up for me to do.
Luckily Sunday hasn't been as rainy; but a dull day nevertheless. Finished reading Kafka on the shore by Murakami; have been reading it for a while now. It has 2 parallel stories of this 15 year old boy who runs away from home to get away from his father and of Nakata this elderly gentleman who had a incident as a child which has left him unable to read, but can converse with cats.
Book started off well enough, I loved the parts where Nakata is finding a missing cat by asking neighborhood cats about the missing one. Kafka's storyline was very interesting too with him travelling to find himself, learning more about himself in the process. Growing up, making new friends. But somewhere the story kind of gets very mixed up with a 15 year old's sexual desires blurring the lines between reality & dreams. I can understand a 15 yr old desiring a girl his own age, but desiring a woman in her 50's no matter how wonderfully young she seems to be was to me a bit too far fetched. And he suspects her to be his mother, yet imagines himself to be her long-lost love and her lover was beyong surreal.
John Updike has called this book a "metaphysical mind-bender" I feel the book just left me confused; Kafka never meets Nakata which I felt was rather disappointing after the whole book seems to have been gearing up for a meeting between the two. I loved Nakata as a character, he is very lovable, very simple and talks about himself in the third person. His conversations with cats are very amusing.
Saw 2 very different but nevertheless nice movies over the weekend; The Inside Man on sat night on HBO. Clive Owen (amazingly handsome as always, what a voice!) Denzil Washington and Jodie Foster. Very interesting movie about a bank robbery which is not quite what it seems. Great storyline & good direction by Spike Lee make for a very entertaining film. Guess what the title track was........ Chaiya Chaiya by Sukhvinder.
Must love Dogs was on HBO on sunday afternoon, just happened to see it while channel surfing. Diane Lane & John Cusack in a very cute, romantic comedy. Not so great a story, typical one of being set up by family/friends, mixed up situations getting resolved in the end in typical filmy fashion. Good acting by all was the saviour, Christopher Plummer as her dad was very charming.
Woke up & saw the road outside our building was flooded with water about a foot deep; decided it was gonna be a hopelessly rainy day and abandoned all hope of venturing out! Living room had a mini (or not quite that mini) lake forming away, bro's systems spread across the living room floor were all floating in water. He of course was non-plussed, dont worry they wont get spoiled by the water he said & went right back to sleep. Theek i thought, his systems he ought to know better.
Got a bucket & cloth & went a mopping away. Water was stinky, so loads of dettol was added by me to disinfect it (courtesy of Tangy who thinks water pools means public toilet for cats & happily goes ahead with nary a thought for the poor soul who has to do the clean up job...this is usually the bai...but with the floods I didnt think she'd be coming in) One should have some easier, less back breaking way of mopping up water.......I had thoughts of vaccum cleaners (one of those high-tech ones...I've seen on TV...dont quite know if they're sold here) which suck up liquids......how i wish i had one. Of course I dont, thought of getting a mop with those long handles.....definitely will get me one of those.
The rest of the day was spent watching the news with pictures of various flooded parts of the city, thanked god at least we're not on the ground floor. So many people had water in their houses, washing away their belongings.......that surely makes you wanna kill someone. Imagine their despair, it was so sad.
Just rescued my phone charger from Pinks, happily chewing away at the ends & playing with the chord (I only have 1 of those......its definitely not a cat toy) She just gave me one of those, what the hell (cat look, only they can manage to look so non-guilty even after being caught red-handed doing something they arent supposed to)
Sorry, back to the floods.....anyway the whole day was spent in reading, sleeping, watching TV. The dull rainy weather didnt raise the spirits any, just felt dull all day long. For all 4 cats it was just another snoozy day, spent sleeping away as usual.
The forecast was for more rain in next 48hrs......how nice...some more mopping up for me to do.
Luckily Sunday hasn't been as rainy; but a dull day nevertheless. Finished reading Kafka on the shore by Murakami; have been reading it for a while now. It has 2 parallel stories of this 15 year old boy who runs away from home to get away from his father and of Nakata this elderly gentleman who had a incident as a child which has left him unable to read, but can converse with cats.
Book started off well enough, I loved the parts where Nakata is finding a missing cat by asking neighborhood cats about the missing one. Kafka's storyline was very interesting too with him travelling to find himself, learning more about himself in the process. Growing up, making new friends. But somewhere the story kind of gets very mixed up with a 15 year old's sexual desires blurring the lines between reality & dreams. I can understand a 15 yr old desiring a girl his own age, but desiring a woman in her 50's no matter how wonderfully young she seems to be was to me a bit too far fetched. And he suspects her to be his mother, yet imagines himself to be her long-lost love and her lover was beyong surreal.
John Updike has called this book a "metaphysical mind-bender" I feel the book just left me confused; Kafka never meets Nakata which I felt was rather disappointing after the whole book seems to have been gearing up for a meeting between the two. I loved Nakata as a character, he is very lovable, very simple and talks about himself in the third person. His conversations with cats are very amusing.
Saw 2 very different but nevertheless nice movies over the weekend; The Inside Man on sat night on HBO. Clive Owen (amazingly handsome as always, what a voice!) Denzil Washington and Jodie Foster. Very interesting movie about a bank robbery which is not quite what it seems. Great storyline & good direction by Spike Lee make for a very entertaining film. Guess what the title track was........ Chaiya Chaiya by Sukhvinder.
Must love Dogs was on HBO on sunday afternoon, just happened to see it while channel surfing. Diane Lane & John Cusack in a very cute, romantic comedy. Not so great a story, typical one of being set up by family/friends, mixed up situations getting resolved in the end in typical filmy fashion. Good acting by all was the saviour, Christopher Plummer as her dad was very charming.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Rainy Tales...or Tails
Haven't written for some time now, so have lots of small interesting stories to tell :)
Girl Cat Fight this morning, both pinky & girly had their weekly fight in the staircase. Hair standing on ends, growling away...girly in submission...pinks having the upper paw. Phew!
Both the sleepy boys came to investigate who was winning in the fight...of course no fight happened...mom heard the growls & howls & broke up the fight with some well aimed water.
Feeling a bit lost...Thaku (Mom cat) had been waiting for me to come home all of last week; so of course was expecting her to follow norm this week too. Of course not...madam decides to get fed elsewhere.
It was such a nice feeling to see her waiting for me near our building entrance every evening; felt so loved & wanted. Of course her intentions werent so noble ...madam was hungry & knew that i had whiska for her...so every evening she'd get fed by me.
Something funny to share; saw this small ad stuck near the seat on my train whilst going home a couple of weeks ago..."Gigolo for hire"...with a mobile number. Was so amused, wow they actually advertise & what an apt place to put the ad, 1st class women's compartment. Talk abt targetted marketing.
Wanted to take a snap with my cell phone; but then wondered what other women in the compartment with me would think about me. So refrained from doing that. Of course life is such that i havent seen the ad again since then. Such is life!
Since the rains have started (sort of) Jerry has decided to spend his nights inhouse. So now I'm sharing bed with Jerry & Tangy. You wouldnt think 2 cats take up much space, but then you havent seen Jerry.
So I'm getting paws, furry ears, furrier tails etc in my face when i wake up. Of course its never the same every day. If its a furry face on my arm today...guaranteed its gonna be a furry tail tomm. They love to roll around on the bed; some kinda cat-thing i think, every 30 mins or so they get up, streeeeeeeeeetch (very cat way, full body stretch) & shift around on bed. Scratching, cleaning are all parts of this routine...following the stretch of course.
Don't think i'm so noble...my patience will end & both the boys will be spending nights on dining table chairs in kitchen rather than my bed, hasnt happened yet...but will soon, there's only so many nights that i can spend sleeping on one side of the bed while they share the whole bed between themselves.
Had an amazing rickshaw driver yesterday evening, was driving like a participant in the 2007 Rickshaw Grand Prix...actually had me thinking abt my insurance coverage. Thoughts like is my coverage enough...flashed through my head.
Why is it that when you think ok if this guy crashes you are dead for sure, instead of your whole life flashing before your eyes (as said in most books) your head is filled with random useless thoughts like insurance coverage & incredibly dirty roads filled with garbage.., shouldnt they be more profound!
I guess it depends on the person; maybe some people actually have their life flash before their eyes (how does that work i wonder) Mine were just ugh very dirty garbage riddled roads, dead dog too (whom i'm trying to avoid seeing everytime i pass that way; but somehow there he is...looking worse every day) Why doesnt someone clean up the road near Kailash industrial estate sometime in this century.
Girl Cat Fight this morning, both pinky & girly had their weekly fight in the staircase. Hair standing on ends, growling away...girly in submission...pinks having the upper paw. Phew!
Both the sleepy boys came to investigate who was winning in the fight...of course no fight happened...mom heard the growls & howls & broke up the fight with some well aimed water.
Feeling a bit lost...Thaku (Mom cat) had been waiting for me to come home all of last week; so of course was expecting her to follow norm this week too. Of course not...madam decides to get fed elsewhere.
It was such a nice feeling to see her waiting for me near our building entrance every evening; felt so loved & wanted. Of course her intentions werent so noble ...madam was hungry & knew that i had whiska for her...so every evening she'd get fed by me.
Something funny to share; saw this small ad stuck near the seat on my train whilst going home a couple of weeks ago..."Gigolo for hire"...with a mobile number. Was so amused, wow they actually advertise & what an apt place to put the ad, 1st class women's compartment. Talk abt targetted marketing.
Wanted to take a snap with my cell phone; but then wondered what other women in the compartment with me would think about me. So refrained from doing that. Of course life is such that i havent seen the ad again since then. Such is life!
Since the rains have started (sort of) Jerry has decided to spend his nights inhouse. So now I'm sharing bed with Jerry & Tangy. You wouldnt think 2 cats take up much space, but then you havent seen Jerry.
So I'm getting paws, furry ears, furrier tails etc in my face when i wake up. Of course its never the same every day. If its a furry face on my arm today...guaranteed its gonna be a furry tail tomm. They love to roll around on the bed; some kinda cat-thing i think, every 30 mins or so they get up, streeeeeeeeeetch (very cat way, full body stretch) & shift around on bed. Scratching, cleaning are all parts of this routine...following the stretch of course.
Don't think i'm so noble...my patience will end & both the boys will be spending nights on dining table chairs in kitchen rather than my bed, hasnt happened yet...but will soon, there's only so many nights that i can spend sleeping on one side of the bed while they share the whole bed between themselves.
Had an amazing rickshaw driver yesterday evening, was driving like a participant in the 2007 Rickshaw Grand Prix...actually had me thinking abt my insurance coverage. Thoughts like is my coverage enough...flashed through my head.
Why is it that when you think ok if this guy crashes you are dead for sure, instead of your whole life flashing before your eyes (as said in most books) your head is filled with random useless thoughts like insurance coverage & incredibly dirty roads filled with garbage.., shouldnt they be more profound!
I guess it depends on the person; maybe some people actually have their life flash before their eyes (how does that work i wonder) Mine were just ugh very dirty garbage riddled roads, dead dog too (whom i'm trying to avoid seeing everytime i pass that way; but somehow there he is...looking worse every day) Why doesnt someone clean up the road near Kailash industrial estate sometime in this century.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Much Needed Mini Vacation
Been home for the last 3 days on a much needed mini break. I had made lots of plans & even a list of things to do around the house that simply never get done. I'm glad to say that the things to do list has got lots of things ticked off but my plans have mostly stayed on paper.
All I've done is rest & sleep........lots of it, every afternoon infact. Can't say I managed to stay away from the laptop (hasnt happened) but I've resisted opening my emails.
Watched Paris Je T'aime 2 days back. Very interestng idea, having 18 film makers from around the world present their ideas of Paris. The cinematography is beautiful, paris looks stunning...I can easily see why so many people love Paris.
I've actually been to Paris when I was eight, we were flying to New York via Air India & our plane had stopovers in Paris & London. I was travelling with mom & my great grandma (who was in her late 70's at the time) The whole plane had disembarked at CDG airport, we had stayed on board as it was difficult for my great grandma to walk & as is often the case with elders was reluctant to use the wheelchair being offered to her.
I still remember that the captain had offered to show me the cockpit during the stopover and he chatted with mom & grandma while we walked around the tarmac to stretch our legs.. It was so exciting ...there were all these planes taking off & landing.......they were so close. All I have are these fleeting memories of Paris, seeing the movie makes me want to catch the next plane out to Paris & spend a week there.
Couldnt sleep much last night (must have been the afternoon snooze) so decided to watch "Dil Chahta hai". All the songs are nice & good acting all-around. I loved some of the scenes...like Saif getting robbed in Goa by this firangi girl he's going out with. Hated the ending...how does Dimple die? someone pls tell me, there she is suddenly in hospital...did i miss something.
On a lighter note, been playing hide & seek with this cockroach that is residing in our washbasin. Dunno how long it's made its residence in our house, havent actually seen my new tenant, all I see are its antennae everynight when i go to brush my teeth.
First night I almost went to get the spray of Baygon which is permanently kept in the toilet to deal with just such unwanted guests. Then thought its hiding in the small gap in the washbasin, how much of a threat is it to anyone, decided no harm done...let it live.
Been 3 days now, how girlie my super killer has missed this one I dont know, methinks the roach hasnt ventured out of its hole for girlie to spot it. It's probably a pretty shy roach, even I havent seen it completely yet... all it does is waves its antenna's around.
All in all it has been a "be kind to roach" week at our house this week, so roach lives to do what roaches love to do.
All I've done is rest & sleep........lots of it, every afternoon infact. Can't say I managed to stay away from the laptop (hasnt happened) but I've resisted opening my emails.
Watched Paris Je T'aime 2 days back. Very interestng idea, having 18 film makers from around the world present their ideas of Paris. The cinematography is beautiful, paris looks stunning...I can easily see why so many people love Paris.
I've actually been to Paris when I was eight, we were flying to New York via Air India & our plane had stopovers in Paris & London. I was travelling with mom & my great grandma (who was in her late 70's at the time) The whole plane had disembarked at CDG airport, we had stayed on board as it was difficult for my great grandma to walk & as is often the case with elders was reluctant to use the wheelchair being offered to her.
I still remember that the captain had offered to show me the cockpit during the stopover and he chatted with mom & grandma while we walked around the tarmac to stretch our legs.. It was so exciting ...there were all these planes taking off & landing.......they were so close. All I have are these fleeting memories of Paris, seeing the movie makes me want to catch the next plane out to Paris & spend a week there.
Couldnt sleep much last night (must have been the afternoon snooze) so decided to watch "Dil Chahta hai". All the songs are nice & good acting all-around. I loved some of the scenes...like Saif getting robbed in Goa by this firangi girl he's going out with. Hated the ending...how does Dimple die? someone pls tell me, there she is suddenly in hospital...did i miss something.
On a lighter note, been playing hide & seek with this cockroach that is residing in our washbasin. Dunno how long it's made its residence in our house, havent actually seen my new tenant, all I see are its antennae everynight when i go to brush my teeth.
First night I almost went to get the spray of Baygon which is permanently kept in the toilet to deal with just such unwanted guests. Then thought its hiding in the small gap in the washbasin, how much of a threat is it to anyone, decided no harm done...let it live.
Been 3 days now, how girlie my super killer has missed this one I dont know, methinks the roach hasnt ventured out of its hole for girlie to spot it. It's probably a pretty shy roach, even I havent seen it completely yet... all it does is waves its antenna's around.
All in all it has been a "be kind to roach" week at our house this week, so roach lives to do what roaches love to do.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Another one bites the dust !!!
Caught girly yesterday evening....hehe...she came down from her lofty perch a little earlier than usual. Around 7, as soon as madame had her snack & was thinking of going for a walk, I decided to catch her.
She howled as loudly as she could (which believe me is verrrrry louuuuud) But the deed was done. Caught a cab & took her to the vets. She stared at me all through the ride (If looks could kill......)
She took injections very quietly. Doc thought she looked very chubby (which she does) New cat food agrees with her I guess.
Now only Pinks is left. I hope to catch her today. Madame sleeps on top of the cupboard to avoid getting caught. But she has to come down & I'm patient :)
She howled as loudly as she could (which believe me is verrrrry louuuuud) But the deed was done. Caught a cab & took her to the vets. She stared at me all through the ride (If looks could kill......)
She took injections very quietly. Doc thought she looked very chubby (which she does) New cat food agrees with her I guess.
Now only Pinks is left. I hope to catch her today. Madame sleeps on top of the cupboard to avoid getting caught. But she has to come down & I'm patient :)
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Annual Woes
So every May is the cats Annual Vaccination, one day a year I have to manage to take all 4 to the vet's office & ensure that they're vaccinated against rabies & other deadly diseases. We have done this successfully for the last 4 years so why should it be different this year...but it was!
All my planning was undone by the 2 ultra smart females (why couldn't thaku give birth to 4 boys, my life would have been so much simpler...guys are dumber...fact of life...I love them all, but the guys are more attached to me than the girls who always prefer my brothers)
Everything was in place, appointment set for Saturday afternoon at vets office, K said he'd come over to help me carry the rascals. We got the baskets all ready while all 4 were snoozing lazily away in the afternoon ...plan was to carry Jerry & Pinks in Trip # 1 and Girly & Tangy in Trip #2.
Of course in life..things never go as planned. Girly has taken to sleeping on the inaccessible loft (inaccessible to humans i mean...she happily jumps from the washing machine to the loft in one very graceful leap) and pinks decided the top of the cupboard was her spot for the day.
That left both the boys....luckily both were sleeping...fast asleep on my bed [or is it theirs?...i wonder...cause they spend more time on it than me...how does one decide ownership of something...somehow i always end up feeling like they are sharing their bed with me (rather than vice versa...why??)]
While I wrestled with fitting Jerry in the basket, K picked up a fast asleep Tangy & put him in the second basket. Tangy is usually very frisky...he'll keep trying to get out of the basket, so its always a struggle to ensure that he stays put. He gave K a rough time, kept putting his paw on the lid & raising it enough to peek outside. Finally K got the basket tied up & him safely inside.
Jerry howled all the way to the vet, cab driver was very amused by it all. Tangy was quite sleepy, he seemed to enjoy the cab ride & while is usually very vocal on all these journeys was unusually quiet y'day. He'd emit a howl or two just to let Jerry know he was there too.
Injections were given, return journey was again done with Jerry announcing his displeasure at this interruption of his afternoon nap. We tried to lure the girls with cat food, but they were not budging. Finally we just gave up. I'll have to manage to catch & take both the girls on my own in the coming week. (I have no idea how I'm going to accomplish that)
Jerry ran out of the house as soon as he was let out of the basket (methinks to vent his fury...I hope it was spent on something rather than someone) he was back in an hour, and i was forgiven for all the pain he endured.
The rest of my weekend has been spent with salt water gargling, gulping kanthil, drinking hot water in this immense heat.....why u ask....sorethroat (nasty one since friday) I even picked up some strepsils as a last ditch solution, let it kill all the organisms. I'm fine with that. Anything to stop the pain, throat is painful & sore.
Decided to ditch all the rules & had a cool glass of wine for lunch. Mothers Day today, so got some flowers for mom & ordered some food. It was too hot in afternoon to venture out for lunch.
S is making omlettes for dinner, he gets into these cooking moods at times, I had scrambed egg at around 11pm on Wed night. S had made some for himself, it looked so temptingly yummy that I succumbed & had some. He makes great pasta too, loaded with cheese.
How i miss those times, when all of us as a family would eat scrambed eggs or pasta made by S at some godawful hour at night. Usually after watching some movie...all of us would talk late into the night. We had some really good times as a family. Even Micky our dog would join in & munch away with us.
I'm getting all misty eyed & nostalgic. Now both Mick & Dad are gone.....I miss them both so much. Dad I don't think I'll stop missing....ever. It was strange but I couldn't pet a dog after Mick died for almost a couple of years, everytime a dog came near me I'd start crying. I'd miss him so much. I can't imagine getting another german shephard, if i ever do get a dog it'll be another breed for sure.
Not that I'm thinking of getting one anytime soon, the cats are enough for now. I'd be worried about them doing something to the poor puppy.
As for me I hope the vaccination gods are on my side this week cause it has to be done. Any ideas on luring the girls will be welcome.
All my planning was undone by the 2 ultra smart females (why couldn't thaku give birth to 4 boys, my life would have been so much simpler...guys are dumber...fact of life...I love them all, but the guys are more attached to me than the girls who always prefer my brothers)
Everything was in place, appointment set for Saturday afternoon at vets office, K said he'd come over to help me carry the rascals. We got the baskets all ready while all 4 were snoozing lazily away in the afternoon ...plan was to carry Jerry & Pinks in Trip # 1 and Girly & Tangy in Trip #2.
Of course in life..things never go as planned. Girly has taken to sleeping on the inaccessible loft (inaccessible to humans i mean...she happily jumps from the washing machine to the loft in one very graceful leap) and pinks decided the top of the cupboard was her spot for the day.
That left both the boys....luckily both were sleeping...fast asleep on my bed [or is it theirs?...i wonder...cause they spend more time on it than me...how does one decide ownership of something...somehow i always end up feeling like they are sharing their bed with me (rather than vice versa...why??)]
While I wrestled with fitting Jerry in the basket, K picked up a fast asleep Tangy & put him in the second basket. Tangy is usually very frisky...he'll keep trying to get out of the basket, so its always a struggle to ensure that he stays put. He gave K a rough time, kept putting his paw on the lid & raising it enough to peek outside. Finally K got the basket tied up & him safely inside.
Jerry howled all the way to the vet, cab driver was very amused by it all. Tangy was quite sleepy, he seemed to enjoy the cab ride & while is usually very vocal on all these journeys was unusually quiet y'day. He'd emit a howl or two just to let Jerry know he was there too.
Injections were given, return journey was again done with Jerry announcing his displeasure at this interruption of his afternoon nap. We tried to lure the girls with cat food, but they were not budging. Finally we just gave up. I'll have to manage to catch & take both the girls on my own in the coming week. (I have no idea how I'm going to accomplish that)
Jerry ran out of the house as soon as he was let out of the basket (methinks to vent his fury...I hope it was spent on something rather than someone) he was back in an hour, and i was forgiven for all the pain he endured.
The rest of my weekend has been spent with salt water gargling, gulping kanthil, drinking hot water in this immense heat.....why u ask....sorethroat (nasty one since friday) I even picked up some strepsils as a last ditch solution, let it kill all the organisms. I'm fine with that. Anything to stop the pain, throat is painful & sore.
Decided to ditch all the rules & had a cool glass of wine for lunch. Mothers Day today, so got some flowers for mom & ordered some food. It was too hot in afternoon to venture out for lunch.
S is making omlettes for dinner, he gets into these cooking moods at times, I had scrambed egg at around 11pm on Wed night. S had made some for himself, it looked so temptingly yummy that I succumbed & had some. He makes great pasta too, loaded with cheese.
How i miss those times, when all of us as a family would eat scrambed eggs or pasta made by S at some godawful hour at night. Usually after watching some movie...all of us would talk late into the night. We had some really good times as a family. Even Micky our dog would join in & munch away with us.
I'm getting all misty eyed & nostalgic. Now both Mick & Dad are gone.....I miss them both so much. Dad I don't think I'll stop missing....ever. It was strange but I couldn't pet a dog after Mick died for almost a couple of years, everytime a dog came near me I'd start crying. I'd miss him so much. I can't imagine getting another german shephard, if i ever do get a dog it'll be another breed for sure.
Not that I'm thinking of getting one anytime soon, the cats are enough for now. I'd be worried about them doing something to the poor puppy.
As for me I hope the vaccination gods are on my side this week cause it has to be done. Any ideas on luring the girls will be welcome.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Decisions Decisions..........and cooooold air
Finally got air-conditioning done at home after days of should we or shouldn't we. All the tales of (electricity woes) read in the newspapers added to my guilt. So I was left pondering the question, if we lose power..........am i indirectly/directly responsible for the power crisis in the state.
Deciding between a split ac or a window was another question i didn't need to have to answer. The estimates given by fabricators for work to be done to get the damn thing fitted had me wondering...why...why do i have to decide these things.
Luckily answers were closer to hand & easily obtained, my brother's friend who is an electrician was consulted by me. Of course he came up with all the answers. Split ac has live wire covered with insulation (cats could scratch & get zapped) so window ac it was......phew that was so simple.
So decisions made, ppl contacted.......work done over the weekend. We had nice chilly bedroom to sleep in by Sunday evening. Felt that was so simple, decision making should be easier to do.
Cats were all most suspicious, as they are not used to closed doors. So having the bedroom door closed all of a sudden was viewed very suspiciously by all of them, the ac was also inspected very closely.
The only cat who is bold enough is Tangy. He ensures that he is in the bedroom before the door is shut, makes me open it for him at least twice every night (for him to have a midnight snack or two) ensures the door is opened in case he is left outside by howling outside the door. Loud enough wails that I race to open the door a few inches & he jumps into the room.
Yesterday I was at home & decided it was cool enough not to use the ac in the afternoon, what do i get..........accusatory looks from Tangy. Apparently Mr.Cool Cat wanted cool air during his afternoon nap, looks of great longing were flung at the ac, I almost succumbed......almost.
Resolution for the week (& going ahead):
Do not fall for pining looks from cats, they are all very manipulative. Learn to say NO !!
Deciding between a split ac or a window was another question i didn't need to have to answer. The estimates given by fabricators for work to be done to get the damn thing fitted had me wondering...why...why do i have to decide these things.
Luckily answers were closer to hand & easily obtained, my brother's friend who is an electrician was consulted by me. Of course he came up with all the answers. Split ac has live wire covered with insulation (cats could scratch & get zapped) so window ac it was......phew that was so simple.
So decisions made, ppl contacted.......work done over the weekend. We had nice chilly bedroom to sleep in by Sunday evening. Felt that was so simple, decision making should be easier to do.
Cats were all most suspicious, as they are not used to closed doors. So having the bedroom door closed all of a sudden was viewed very suspiciously by all of them, the ac was also inspected very closely.
The only cat who is bold enough is Tangy. He ensures that he is in the bedroom before the door is shut, makes me open it for him at least twice every night (for him to have a midnight snack or two) ensures the door is opened in case he is left outside by howling outside the door. Loud enough wails that I race to open the door a few inches & he jumps into the room.
Yesterday I was at home & decided it was cool enough not to use the ac in the afternoon, what do i get..........accusatory looks from Tangy. Apparently Mr.Cool Cat wanted cool air during his afternoon nap, looks of great longing were flung at the ac, I almost succumbed......almost.
Resolution for the week (& going ahead):
Do not fall for pining looks from cats, they are all very manipulative. Learn to say NO !!
Friday, April 13, 2007
Run in With ANimaLs
This week has been a bit strange where animals are concerned, yesterday I was wearing this light yellow churidar. Had just stepped out of my building when lo & behold......one of my neighboring building busybody aunty was right in the middle of the street chatting with unknown person.
Of course it was unavoidable, she did the usual I haven't seen you in ages routine to which I said but I pass your building everyday morning & night on my way to & fro from office...am i invisible?
Suddenly her dog who was sniffing some unsuspecting passerby noticed me, was very happy to see me (all dogs love me what can i say) and of course started jumping on me for attention (what to do?) luckily for me no paw marks on the dress after encounter, I patted his head, he was so happy.
I thought that was it my run in with animals has ended.........but no bigger & better things were in store for me this week.
Today on way to office, I encounder Dumbo (or Jumbo to ones who didnt grow up with Disney) right on the road outside my office building.
I had only 1 choice, with the traffic to my left, cross him & hope he doesn't notice me. Of course when such thoughts cross your mind, means its too late ........ur already noticed.....same here.
I try to pass the elephant as nonchalantly as possible & he decides to wag his tail right into my chest. It was a friendly pat which just left me a bit stunned for a second (I was like ...what the heck, did he just swing his tail???) Everyone in office was suitably entertained by the story & I'm unhurt.
Thank god its Friday, no office tomm....dog, elephant.....I was wondering what could be next?
Of course it was unavoidable, she did the usual I haven't seen you in ages routine to which I said but I pass your building everyday morning & night on my way to & fro from office...am i invisible?
Suddenly her dog who was sniffing some unsuspecting passerby noticed me, was very happy to see me (all dogs love me what can i say) and of course started jumping on me for attention (what to do?) luckily for me no paw marks on the dress after encounter, I patted his head, he was so happy.
I thought that was it my run in with animals has ended.........but no bigger & better things were in store for me this week.
Today on way to office, I encounder Dumbo (or Jumbo to ones who didnt grow up with Disney) right on the road outside my office building.
I had only 1 choice, with the traffic to my left, cross him & hope he doesn't notice me. Of course when such thoughts cross your mind, means its too late ........ur already noticed.....same here.I try to pass the elephant as nonchalantly as possible & he decides to wag his tail right into my chest. It was a friendly pat which just left me a bit stunned for a second (I was like ...what the heck, did he just swing his tail???) Everyone in office was suitably entertained by the story & I'm unhurt.
Thank god its Friday, no office tomm....dog, elephant.....I was wondering what could be next?
Monday, April 9, 2007
Waiting For ..............................................
If someone had told me that I'd spend the whole day waiting for my cat to pee, I'd never have believed them. But that's exactly what happened today.......spend the whole day chasing after him from time to time ...checking to see if he was peeing.
What is this you might say? a urinary tract infection of some kind, I still don't know the details.
The day started normally enough, got ready for office, was almost on my way out when i noticed Tangy was straining to relieve himself over the litter tray(constipated was my first thought, he shd drink more water as he has dry cat food) Went over to check & noticed that as usual he had left his normal morning present for me (he always has to do his job right outside the litter tray since he was a kitten).....kinda like a you know this is me.
So this was something new, thought I'd talk it over with his vet & ask him if there was anything to be done. Called up M a few times, he just wasn't picking up his mobile (very unusual for him)
So called up his residence, Dad said he was out of town expected back by this afternoon.
By this time Tangy was acting very funny, walking like a drunk cat, tottering around the house trying to pee anywhere & everywhere. Took a small film of him to show the vet.
Did an online search for vets in mumbai, found that one was very near my place. I called & got the first appt at 9.45. Called office, said I'd be in later.
Vet did usual thing, checked his temp, gave him 3 shots, told me not to worry cats get these kinda infections often, If he still hasnt relieved himself to get him over the next morning. Gave me pills for another 7 days.
Fine, went home thinking that's it. As soon as we got home this guy does the same thing, starts walking around house meowing away trying to pee. Decided to stay at home as vet had said that I needed to keep an eye on Tangy.
The whole day passed with Tangy howling away, walking around the house, constantly sitting to pee & getting nowhere.........how i waited with him........poor guy.....what a day!
Finally at 4 I had it, called up M.......luckily he was back in town earlier than he'd expected. Said get him to the clinic immediately if you're so worried. Packed tangy in his travelling crate & off we went.
First thing he did was pressed Tangy's bladder to help him pee, bingo..........at last the poor guy.
He felt so much better, M collected sample for urine analysis (awaiting result tomm)
Tangy was so much better, came home had some food & water. Sat in his corner & rested. Finally at around 8.30 I saw him heading to his litter tray & hurray...... he was fine.
I can head to office tomm as usual, will need to take Jerry to the vet tomm. Saw that his front paw is a little swollen (dont know how, cant see any cuts/bruises) But its jerry, might have punched a rival :)
Its so typical of cats, they are fine for months & then one falls sick and all the rest have to follow suit. There goes my salary.......
What is this you might say? a urinary tract infection of some kind, I still don't know the details.
The day started normally enough, got ready for office, was almost on my way out when i noticed Tangy was straining to relieve himself over the litter tray(constipated was my first thought, he shd drink more water as he has dry cat food) Went over to check & noticed that as usual he had left his normal morning present for me (he always has to do his job right outside the litter tray since he was a kitten).....kinda like a you know this is me.
So this was something new, thought I'd talk it over with his vet & ask him if there was anything to be done. Called up M a few times, he just wasn't picking up his mobile (very unusual for him)
So called up his residence, Dad said he was out of town expected back by this afternoon.
By this time Tangy was acting very funny, walking like a drunk cat, tottering around the house trying to pee anywhere & everywhere. Took a small film of him to show the vet.
Did an online search for vets in mumbai, found that one was very near my place. I called & got the first appt at 9.45. Called office, said I'd be in later.
Vet did usual thing, checked his temp, gave him 3 shots, told me not to worry cats get these kinda infections often, If he still hasnt relieved himself to get him over the next morning. Gave me pills for another 7 days.
Fine, went home thinking that's it. As soon as we got home this guy does the same thing, starts walking around house meowing away trying to pee. Decided to stay at home as vet had said that I needed to keep an eye on Tangy.
The whole day passed with Tangy howling away, walking around the house, constantly sitting to pee & getting nowhere.........how i waited with him........poor guy.....what a day!
Finally at 4 I had it, called up M.......luckily he was back in town earlier than he'd expected. Said get him to the clinic immediately if you're so worried. Packed tangy in his travelling crate & off we went.
First thing he did was pressed Tangy's bladder to help him pee, bingo..........at last the poor guy.
He felt so much better, M collected sample for urine analysis (awaiting result tomm)
Tangy was so much better, came home had some food & water. Sat in his corner & rested. Finally at around 8.30 I saw him heading to his litter tray & hurray...... he was fine.
I can head to office tomm as usual, will need to take Jerry to the vet tomm. Saw that his front paw is a little swollen (dont know how, cant see any cuts/bruises) But its jerry, might have punched a rival :)
Its so typical of cats, they are fine for months & then one falls sick and all the rest have to follow suit. There goes my salary.......
Sunday, April 8, 2007
My Name is Red
Decided to add one more post for this weekend. Since Tangy was snoozing blissfully on the bed, decided to sit with the laptop on the sofa lest he get disturbed. Of course as soon as I log into blogger......there he is meowing away & expecting me to make space for him next to me on the sofa.
So here we sit, me typing away my thoughts, him with his head on the laptop...pretending to be sleeping.
Finished reading "My Name is Red" by Orhan Pamuk yesterday after carrying it around with me for almost a month. That's usually too long for me to be reading one book, but this one was way too confusing & intriguing for me to either keep it aside or read it all in one go.
What attracted me to it of course was the element of mystery....it's a murder mystery set in Istanbul of 1600's. What kept me hooked to it for a month, lugging it around everyday.....getting to read on the train ride to & fro to office....was the writing style & the story...both of which are very different from any book I've read till date.
What I loved were the various perspectives presented to us by the author, everyone has a voice & tells his or her story......including the illustrations, the ink used to make the illustrations, and the various characters in the book. It's a totally different approach and is pulled off beautifully by Pamuk.
It does get confusing at times for the reader, I had difficulty remembering whose perspective was being read by me at times, but the story flows smoothly. The dilema he has presented of the miniaturists of the time trying to preserve the past yet grappling with newer western influences was very thought provoking. Its very similar in this theme with eco's the name of the rose...there too the monks are struggling to preserve the scriptures, so much so that the scriptures & other ancient books are considered more important than anything else in their lives.
Similarly here the miniaturists are struggling to stay true to their style & in doing so stay true to their beliefs which they feel are threatened by western influences. And in incorporating these western influences they are betraying their god.
Women's place in 16th century Istanbul is also presented in great detail & how they have to use their wit & intelligence to survive in a man's world. Overall a great book, I'm surely going to re-read it a few more times. Orhan Pamuk's writing style is very interesting, he doesn't make any efforts to make it easy for the reader, he makes you work hard at reading this book & at understanding the nuances. I'm gonna look for some more books of his to buy.
My next book is a much easier read - The Circle of Reason by Amitav Ghosh. I have his The Hungry Tide & have read the Glass Palace which are both interesting books.
So here we sit, me typing away my thoughts, him with his head on the laptop...pretending to be sleeping.
Finished reading "My Name is Red" by Orhan Pamuk yesterday after carrying it around with me for almost a month. That's usually too long for me to be reading one book, but this one was way too confusing & intriguing for me to either keep it aside or read it all in one go.
What attracted me to it of course was the element of mystery....it's a murder mystery set in Istanbul of 1600's. What kept me hooked to it for a month, lugging it around everyday.....getting to read on the train ride to & fro to office....was the writing style & the story...both of which are very different from any book I've read till date.
What I loved were the various perspectives presented to us by the author, everyone has a voice & tells his or her story......including the illustrations, the ink used to make the illustrations, and the various characters in the book. It's a totally different approach and is pulled off beautifully by Pamuk.
It does get confusing at times for the reader, I had difficulty remembering whose perspective was being read by me at times, but the story flows smoothly. The dilema he has presented of the miniaturists of the time trying to preserve the past yet grappling with newer western influences was very thought provoking. Its very similar in this theme with eco's the name of the rose...there too the monks are struggling to preserve the scriptures, so much so that the scriptures & other ancient books are considered more important than anything else in their lives.
Similarly here the miniaturists are struggling to stay true to their style & in doing so stay true to their beliefs which they feel are threatened by western influences. And in incorporating these western influences they are betraying their god.
Women's place in 16th century Istanbul is also presented in great detail & how they have to use their wit & intelligence to survive in a man's world. Overall a great book, I'm surely going to re-read it a few more times. Orhan Pamuk's writing style is very interesting, he doesn't make any efforts to make it easy for the reader, he makes you work hard at reading this book & at understanding the nuances. I'm gonna look for some more books of his to buy.
My next book is a much easier read - The Circle of Reason by Amitav Ghosh. I have his The Hungry Tide & have read the Glass Palace which are both interesting books.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Sleep - A Weekend Essential
I started out the day doing a very necessary task....cleaning the ceiling fans. Normally these kinda jobs were handled by my brother K, but since his marriage I don't think he's going to be visiting us to clean our fans (or will he?, maybe I should have asked him)
Anyway, took the new ladder (sturdy aluminium thing) & got on with the job, after climbing 3 of the steps realized that I suffer from a bit of vertigo, made all kinds of mental calculations.......if i slip how far is the bed for a me to jump onto it (Sounds funny now, believe me it wasn't at the time) I was trying to hold on to the ladder with 1 hand, while i cleaned the fan with a wet rag with the other.
Since it was my first time, realized that the fan is not the stationary object I always thought it to be. IT SWINGS...so will need the 2nd hand to hold onto the fan blade. So of course the hand clutching the ladder had to be used to hold onto the fan blade........very scary moment that one.
But I am resilient, once I decide to do something..its done. So bedroom fan was all clean in 15 minutes. Mom had come out of the bathroom by then & held my ladder while I cleaned the kitchen fan. 2 Dusty fans were enough for me. Now they are all nice & clean. (Wonder how long that will last)
I'd made all kinds of plans in the morning...pre fan cleaning exercise...on how to spend the morning. But it was soooo hot that I abandoned all of them in favor of resting at home.
Took a nice long nap in the afternoon, nowadays i find myself spending both sat & sun afternoons napping (an activitiy that leaves me feeling very lethargic, hence i hate doing it) Find myself feeling very drowsy by the time clock hits 3pm, same thing happened today. I was watching a movie on Hallmark & eyes stopped co-operating, kept closing every few seconds. So decided to give in to body demands & took the nap.
Catching up on sleep shouldn't be my excuse as I haven't had many late nights this week. I sleep pretty well every night, mostly tangy decides to give me company (furry & hot bedmate i don't need) ........but my feelings on this subject though shared with him are ignored in typical cat manner by him.[cats natural body temp is around 104deg. F]
Somehow cats & kids have the knack of being tiny yet taking up the major portion of the bed. He can't be more than a foot long.....I'm 5feet plus.....so how come i always end up sleeping on the edge & he is happily stretched out across the bed.
He is a wise cat who is distributing his time equally between the 2 women in his life. Afternoon naps are spent by him on mom's bed...usually at her feet. So he gives her his wonderful warm company & of course night times are reserved for me.
How smart is this cat?
Anyway, took the new ladder (sturdy aluminium thing) & got on with the job, after climbing 3 of the steps realized that I suffer from a bit of vertigo, made all kinds of mental calculations.......if i slip how far is the bed for a me to jump onto it (Sounds funny now, believe me it wasn't at the time) I was trying to hold on to the ladder with 1 hand, while i cleaned the fan with a wet rag with the other.
Since it was my first time, realized that the fan is not the stationary object I always thought it to be. IT SWINGS...so will need the 2nd hand to hold onto the fan blade. So of course the hand clutching the ladder had to be used to hold onto the fan blade........very scary moment that one.
But I am resilient, once I decide to do something..its done. So bedroom fan was all clean in 15 minutes. Mom had come out of the bathroom by then & held my ladder while I cleaned the kitchen fan. 2 Dusty fans were enough for me. Now they are all nice & clean. (Wonder how long that will last)
I'd made all kinds of plans in the morning...pre fan cleaning exercise...on how to spend the morning. But it was soooo hot that I abandoned all of them in favor of resting at home.
Took a nice long nap in the afternoon, nowadays i find myself spending both sat & sun afternoons napping (an activitiy that leaves me feeling very lethargic, hence i hate doing it) Find myself feeling very drowsy by the time clock hits 3pm, same thing happened today. I was watching a movie on Hallmark & eyes stopped co-operating, kept closing every few seconds. So decided to give in to body demands & took the nap.
Catching up on sleep shouldn't be my excuse as I haven't had many late nights this week. I sleep pretty well every night, mostly tangy decides to give me company (furry & hot bedmate i don't need) ........but my feelings on this subject though shared with him are ignored in typical cat manner by him.[cats natural body temp is around 104deg. F]
Somehow cats & kids have the knack of being tiny yet taking up the major portion of the bed. He can't be more than a foot long.....I'm 5feet plus.....so how come i always end up sleeping on the edge & he is happily stretched out across the bed.
He is a wise cat who is distributing his time equally between the 2 women in his life. Afternoon naps are spent by him on mom's bed...usually at her feet. So he gives her his wonderful warm company & of course night times are reserved for me.
How smart is this cat?
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Overhyped Movie
Finally saw Brokeback Mountain last night. I had it for some time; but somehow never got around to seeing it, y'day after discussing it on gtalk with a friend decided to see it myself & judge this oscar winner.
Got 3 things to say about it:
1. Vastly Overrated, very american in it's approach on homosexuality.
2. Great Cinematography especially at the beginning of the movie which is actually on the mountains. (lots of sheep)
3. Was surprised to see Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana as the screenplay writers.
I've read many books written by them over the years; some memorable ones like Lonesome Dove, Dead Man's Walk, Streets of Laredo, Comanche Moon. These were all wonderful reads.
Some of these have been made into TV Series by Hallmark - I remember watching Lonesome Dove & Streets of Laredo........many years after I'd read the books. The characters in most of these novels were ones who stayed with you long after the book was over.
I guess that was one of the reason the movie was so disappointing; you felt no empathy for any of the characters, they are simply not developed enough. The women in their lives are added on just to carry on the story over a period of the next 20 odd years. Except for Ennis's wife Alma who learns early on in their marriage about her husband's lover; the rest of the family members including Jack's wife are all typical caricatures represented in movies...the dominating father in law, pampered son, new lover (neighboring cowboy he meets at a party)
The viewer never gets to know any of them, so you feel nothing for any of the characters including the central ones. I just felt relief at the end of the movie.......thank god it's over.
Though the movie was supposed to showcase a time when homosexuality was pretty much in the closet & very tabboo, I don't think that things are very different in America even today. There are plenty of men who still get married & have kids even though they are gay. Except for cities where acceptance is higher; smaller communities are still places where gays are not welcome.
Got 3 things to say about it:
1. Vastly Overrated, very american in it's approach on homosexuality.
2. Great Cinematography especially at the beginning of the movie which is actually on the mountains. (lots of sheep)
3. Was surprised to see Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana as the screenplay writers.
I've read many books written by them over the years; some memorable ones like Lonesome Dove, Dead Man's Walk, Streets of Laredo, Comanche Moon. These were all wonderful reads.
Some of these have been made into TV Series by Hallmark - I remember watching Lonesome Dove & Streets of Laredo........many years after I'd read the books. The characters in most of these novels were ones who stayed with you long after the book was over.
I guess that was one of the reason the movie was so disappointing; you felt no empathy for any of the characters, they are simply not developed enough. The women in their lives are added on just to carry on the story over a period of the next 20 odd years. Except for Ennis's wife Alma who learns early on in their marriage about her husband's lover; the rest of the family members including Jack's wife are all typical caricatures represented in movies...the dominating father in law, pampered son, new lover (neighboring cowboy he meets at a party)
The viewer never gets to know any of them, so you feel nothing for any of the characters including the central ones. I just felt relief at the end of the movie.......thank god it's over.
Though the movie was supposed to showcase a time when homosexuality was pretty much in the closet & very tabboo, I don't think that things are very different in America even today. There are plenty of men who still get married & have kids even though they are gay. Except for cities where acceptance is higher; smaller communities are still places where gays are not welcome.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Killer Lizards & Killer Cats
Noticed something strange this morning, the presence of a new lizard in the bathroom. Simultaneously the black ants who were the new tenants (or squatters) had disappeared.
One might wonder why I think this is strange; thats cause I have Girlie (You dont!) Since the day girlie could hunt (dont even remember what was her first kill) she has gone on a clean up spree at home.
Every kind of creature who wasn't 2 legged & related to her has been systematically eliminated from our house. So our house has been vermin free for 5 years now, no roaches, no lizards...even the random squirrel who is attracted by the plants are not spared. (cats dont have much regard for visitors who have 4 legs & are furry)
So surprisingly (hope girlie is not reading my blog) the new visitor lizard has actually managed to live in the bathroom long enough to eat all the black ants there. I couldn't be happier, I hate spraying the nasty smelling insect repellents in the bathroom, so this is soooooooo nice.
Biological pest control the best there is. Of course that also means that my new friend's days are numbered, cause girlie lives by that mantra too.
So God if you are reading this, please spare my new friend.
One might wonder why I think this is strange; thats cause I have Girlie (You dont!) Since the day girlie could hunt (dont even remember what was her first kill) she has gone on a clean up spree at home.
Every kind of creature who wasn't 2 legged & related to her has been systematically eliminated from our house. So our house has been vermin free for 5 years now, no roaches, no lizards...even the random squirrel who is attracted by the plants are not spared. (cats dont have much regard for visitors who have 4 legs & are furry)
So surprisingly (hope girlie is not reading my blog) the new visitor lizard has actually managed to live in the bathroom long enough to eat all the black ants there. I couldn't be happier, I hate spraying the nasty smelling insect repellents in the bathroom, so this is soooooooo nice.
Biological pest control the best there is. Of course that also means that my new friend's days are numbered, cause girlie lives by that mantra too.
So God if you are reading this, please spare my new friend.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
New Start
Since I'm all new to blogs, am gonna take it slowly...
Listening to Coldplay as I write this...love their music :)
Still recovering from a bad cold & cough, went to the Doc to get medicine. Hate it !! Makes me sooooo drowwwwwwwsy, have found my brain fogging up this week, hate the feeling........very strong these drugs.
Jerry is off on his nightly hunt, would love to know what he gets up to all night long, have thought of putting a web cam on him....hehe...but logic prevails in the end.
Spent the morning cleaning up the house (hate such tasks)...but it had to be done, no one else to do these things. Wish we had housekeeping services like they have abroad, I'd sign up in a jiffy.
Tangy has come to give me some company as I write...after scratching the laptop bag (of course, something he has to do...cat compulsion i guess..never miss an opportunity to scratch)
Finally saw the last episode of "The Amazing Race-Asia"; was very glad that the girls won, the first all women team to ever win an Amazing Race, its disappointing that they only got a hundred thousand dollars, the american version has a million dollars as prize money. But it was a very well fought race, good camaraderie between all of them, unlike the American version which is full of racist and gender related slurs/comments amongst the contestants.
It was the last episode of Francesco's Italy from Top to Toe on BBC, very good series by Francesco da Mosto. He gave an insight on Italy from a very italian perspective, made me want to pick up the phone & book a ticket to Italy to see firsthand all the places featured on the show.
I especially loved the Water gardens of Villa d'Este, staring into the labyrith that is Mount Etna, very eerie, treacherous yet so tempting. It must be so terrifying yet thrilling at the same time to stand at the edge of a live volcano, today I understood why vulcanologists risk everything to do this as a vocation.
Can't just get up & go to Italy, but have added that to my list of places I have to visit before I die (or maybe as a ghost, after death.....might even be faster & cheaper...but scratched that idea too, I don't belive in ghosts, so how could I end up being one?) or can you be a ghost, even though you don't believe in them?........don't really know the answer to that one, does anybody.
Can hear this one again & again .... (still somehow never quite get the lyrics right...something not quite right with the grey cells)
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face lyrics
Where do we go nobody knows?
I've gotta say I'm on my way down
God give me style and give me grace
God put a smile upon my face
Where do we go to draw the line?
I've gotta say I wasted all your time, (oh honey honey)
Where do I go to fall from grace?
God put a smile upon your face, yeah
Now, when you work it out I'm worse than you
Yeah, when you work it out I wanted to
Now, when you work out where to draw the line
Your guess is as good as mine
Where do we go nobody knows?
Don't even say you're on your way down, (when)
God gave you style and gave you grace
And put a smile upon your face, ah yeah
Now, when you work it out I'm worse than you
Yeah, when you work it out I wanted to
Now, when you work out where to draw the line
Your guess is as good as mine
Its as good as mine [x7]
Where do we go nobody knows?
Don't even say you're on your way down, (when)
God gave you style and gave you grace
And put a smile upon your face
Listening to Coldplay as I write this...love their music :)
Still recovering from a bad cold & cough, went to the Doc to get medicine. Hate it !! Makes me sooooo drowwwwwwwsy, have found my brain fogging up this week, hate the feeling........very strong these drugs.
Jerry is off on his nightly hunt, would love to know what he gets up to all night long, have thought of putting a web cam on him....hehe...but logic prevails in the end.
Spent the morning cleaning up the house (hate such tasks)...but it had to be done, no one else to do these things. Wish we had housekeeping services like they have abroad, I'd sign up in a jiffy.
Tangy has come to give me some company as I write...after scratching the laptop bag (of course, something he has to do...cat compulsion i guess..never miss an opportunity to scratch)
Finally saw the last episode of "The Amazing Race-Asia"; was very glad that the girls won, the first all women team to ever win an Amazing Race, its disappointing that they only got a hundred thousand dollars, the american version has a million dollars as prize money. But it was a very well fought race, good camaraderie between all of them, unlike the American version which is full of racist and gender related slurs/comments amongst the contestants.
It was the last episode of Francesco's Italy from Top to Toe on BBC, very good series by Francesco da Mosto. He gave an insight on Italy from a very italian perspective, made me want to pick up the phone & book a ticket to Italy to see firsthand all the places featured on the show.
I especially loved the Water gardens of Villa d'Este, staring into the labyrith that is Mount Etna, very eerie, treacherous yet so tempting. It must be so terrifying yet thrilling at the same time to stand at the edge of a live volcano, today I understood why vulcanologists risk everything to do this as a vocation.
Can't just get up & go to Italy, but have added that to my list of places I have to visit before I die (or maybe as a ghost, after death.....might even be faster & cheaper...but scratched that idea too, I don't belive in ghosts, so how could I end up being one?) or can you be a ghost, even though you don't believe in them?........don't really know the answer to that one, does anybody.
Can hear this one again & again .... (still somehow never quite get the lyrics right...something not quite right with the grey cells)
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face lyrics
Where do we go nobody knows?
I've gotta say I'm on my way down
God give me style and give me grace
God put a smile upon my face
Where do we go to draw the line?
I've gotta say I wasted all your time, (oh honey honey)
Where do I go to fall from grace?
God put a smile upon your face, yeah
Now, when you work it out I'm worse than you
Yeah, when you work it out I wanted to
Now, when you work out where to draw the line
Your guess is as good as mine
Where do we go nobody knows?
Don't even say you're on your way down, (when)
God gave you style and gave you grace
And put a smile upon your face, ah yeah
Now, when you work it out I'm worse than you
Yeah, when you work it out I wanted to
Now, when you work out where to draw the line
Your guess is as good as mine
Its as good as mine [x7]
Where do we go nobody knows?
Don't even say you're on your way down, (when)
God gave you style and gave you grace
And put a smile upon your face
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