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)