Friday, December 30, 2011

break in school

One of my friend is doing his MBA this year. My daughter was pretty attached to this person. Once in a while, she keeps inquiring about him. She couldn't comprehend the need to study once you are grown up. And, this is what transpired between us today ....

Kiddo : S mamman is studying?
Me : Yes
Kiddo : {Eyes all popping out & mouth wide opened}
Me : What happened?
Kiddo : He is going to study after taking a looooong break from school???

How can one not smile at these questions ... :)

Picture Courtesy : eoccstech.blogspot.com

Thursday, December 29, 2011

do it yourself ....

There were two things I could never comprehend doing alone - eating & watching movie in a theater.

I enjoy food the best when the dinning table is overcrowded ... :) All the people, the varied topics that come up for discussions, the laughter, the wine .... I need it all. Otherwise, I am reminded of office cafeteria where you gulp down the food & get back to work. Movie watching for me translates to those days when my brother would books tickets in huge figures & we all have a mini-picnic :)

A friend of mine & at times my brother used to watch movies all by themselves. And I used to wonder, how could someone ever do that. If someone asks me, I would say, that is exactly why we have television & entertainment unit at home. For me, watching movie in a theater is about all the people around.

Recently, I ended up watching a movie AND eating alone. And quite surprisingly, I didn't miss the crowd :) But yes, I still am not sure whether I would like to make a habit out of it. I would still love to have all those people while going for a movie. But watching a movie of your choice, when you want it and with no-one around asking, 'What did he say? What did she say?" is also good :)

Picture Courtesy : parentsconnect.com

Sunday, December 25, 2011

sooo embarrassing

Bangalore is such a huge city that we keep bumping into some friends or the other whenever we step out, especially during the weekends. Have been having these incidents with a couple of my school friends and we have been "planning" to meet up ever since.

Finally it happened last weekend. Three of us just decided to have dinner together. And what did I do??? Ended up asking my friend how he is related to his elder brother. Everyone just froze for a moment & burst out laughing ... :D

Picture Courtesy : mercyme.org

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

idea!!

Kiddo {trying to set up the xmas tree} : You know what? I have an idea! {Pauses for a second, then continues ....} No, I doesn't have an idea.
Me : ?????

Picture Courtesy : fssimon.wordpress.com

Saturday, December 10, 2011

An interesting piece of statement that initiated some thread within me ....
"Maybe the chamak-dhamak (glitter) blinded when viewed from a close range. But, things were clear from where I stood, somewhere in the peripheral"

Picture Courtesy : 123rf.com

Monday, December 5, 2011

Kolaveri Di - Review/Comments

I was trying to keep nans' updated with the latest in the music industry ;) After patiently listening to the complete song, all she had got to say was ...
"White-u girl-u? How can girls be white, they can only be peach!!"

Picture Courtesy : news.efytimes.com

Thursday, December 1, 2011

that time of the year .....

Looks like its that time of the year when people realize that their targets for the year still remain their targets for the year. But the year didn't wait for them. It will be over sooner than they would like and a new cycle will start.

Thanks to the recent lifestyle changes, every one I know has one item in their target list - a healthy regime, if not more specific targets like 6 pack abs. I have been wondering for the last couple of days, why is everyone actively monitoring what they eat & trying to squeeze in a workout into their busy schedule. It was only when I checked today's date that it dawned upon me :)

I am reminded of one of my friend's blog :)

Picture Courtesy : fortyfitandfabulous.com 

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

When do we start learning?

While watching this video at TED, the first thing that flashed my mind was ....
"Why do you think Lord Krishna was talking to Subhadra while she was carrying Abhimanyu? We have been hearing these stories from childhood & you guys had to conduct experiments to prove it?"

Picture Courtesy : narayanee.com

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Effective use of time

She : How can you sit in one place for that long without doing anything?

This was my friends question when she heard I had to spend approximately 45mins while commuting towards office. Since I do not carry any portable media device, she couldn't understand how I will be spending my time. She was flabbergasted when she heard my reply ...

Me : I observe people around me. I watch whats going around me. I try to engage in a conversation with my fellow commuters.

Picture Courtesy : metro.co.uk

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Chappa Kurishu - movie review by nans

When I met kiddo after her movie outing with her dad & gang, she tells me the story of the movie Chappa Kurishu.

"You know what? In that movie, there is this one uncle. He is to marry an auntie. He kisses an auntie. Not the marry auntie, another auntie. And they sleep together. This auntie was not the marry auntie."

Its a pity that the blog doesn't capture the surprise in her tone.

Picture Courtesy : en.wikipedia.org

Monday, November 21, 2011

action : status = ??

Two she {in chorus} : They wouldn't be married!!!

This was the conclusion two people reached when they witnessed the scene. The scene is ...

While walking towards office, they watch a girl rushing out of office building & literally jumping into the car that has been parked outside the building. And, within moments we watch the guy who was seated behind the steering wheel feeding the girl with chocolate cake.

But I have to admit, the sight brought a smile to all our faces ... :)

Picture Courtesy : www.masterfile.com

Saturday, November 19, 2011

idea!!!! {borrowed}


"Where will I note down the interesting conversations I have with my child. Should it be a diary? Should I start a blog under her name? Will she like it when she grows up? What if she wants her blog to be hers alone?"

These were the thoughts that were consuming me the past couple of weeks. Thats when I saw my brother using a particular label to classify his experiences with a friend of his. So ... here I am borrowing his idea to note down interesting snippets from kiddo's pages ... :)

Picture Courtesy : www.rateddietpills.com

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Indian Rupee

The movie Indian Rupee talks about two young realtors who dreams of making a few quick buck. Ranjith is trying to inform the audience that it is not possible to make money without working hard for it.

When the moral of this story was being said, I was reminded of one of my friend's advice to his younger brother.
'There are one and only one way to make money - hard work! Unless you want to get involved in something illegal. '

PS.
Yes! Prithviraj has one scene inspired from those of Mohanlal's. But, I feel, he has done a decent job with that.

Picture Courtesy : wikipedia.org

Saturday, October 15, 2011

why not cry it out?


Recently, I had been in an hospital where an old relative took her last breath. I was in the hospital till all the formalities were dealt with. During that period, I witnessed both the female & male members of the immediate family breaking down. The deceased was their grandmother & they were really close to her. This was a natural human response - cry out loud.

What surprised me was the response from the rest of the crowd, including the non-family members. They hurriedly come to them. Seeing the urgency I was expecting some comforting words. But what came out their vocal chords just took me by surprise. Every single person present there wanted them to stop crying. According to them, crying is a demonstration of weakness. Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!

Picture Courtesy : www.advertolog.com

Monday, October 10, 2011

father of computers

In the local radio channel (Club FM), they were featuring a segment named 'Mis-take Kerala'. Its basically the blooper section of the Miss Kerala, 2011 contestants. I loved this one.

RJ : Who created the first computer?
Contestant : I know the answer, he is ... err .... the father of the computers.

Yes! can't say she was completely wrong. But it was nice to hear her. There was a pinch of innocence in the contestant's voice. 

Picture Courtesy : legaljuice.com

Friday, October 7, 2011

whats going on around you?

He : Wow! Look at those two people having an heated discussion. Thats the sad part of our life. We live in such a small world that we don't observe whats going on around us.

I have been trying to write about this for more than 2 months now. I just didn't know how to put my emotions and thoughts into words until He made this comment.

My daily commute used to be in a car & I used to be driving all alone. During this time, I would be completely immersed in MY world - either the traffic or music - to observe the world passing by. Even when we pool our car, we are confined within that well-defined tin box. We might be talking, but again the topics are within the individual entities - how to handle this scenario with the child, how to fix this install issue, etc. We hardly notice the bloom during the spring. That was how small the world had turned out to be for us. Then I started using public transport as well for daily commute. And during these journeys, I would have sealed my ears with headphones. This action further shrunk my world. Then one day I got an iPhone as a gift. iPhone gave me unlimited reasons to leave the headphones permanently on my ears - music, podcast, videos and what-not.

After I lost the iPhone in a freak accident, I had nothing to shut the world out of me. And, I lived like that for a couple of months. It was during this period that I started observing the world around me - friends having interesting conversations, teenage giggly girls, how the grad students accessorize themselves, stronger friend supporting the emotionally weak one, women utilizing the commute time to make garlands which they can sell when they reach their destination, students flipping through their notes on an exam day, the cool breeze on my face, the feel of those rain drops which make their way into the bus .........

When you are part of the world, its not just the good things that come by. Some experiences have disturbed me. But I am glad that I could witness it. It helped me enjoy those small things in life. Or at least, try to enjoy whats happening around me & take in the world with both its positive and negative aspects. 

Today, I have a replacement phone. But I have never ones tried to shut myself out of the world by screwing an headphone into my ears.

Picture Courtesy : blogs.wvgazette.com

Navarathri ...

This Navarathri, I decided to take a vacation along with my daughter. For some strange reasons, every other day, I ended up visiting some temple or the other. Many I haven't been to in a very very long time. For me it was like meeting up with old friends whom you have fallen out of communication. All in all, it was a nice feeling.

Moreover, because it was the Navarathri season, the deities & the temples were all beautifully decorated. That itself was a sight to see.

Picture Courtesy : Krishnam Vande Jagad Gurum

Thursday, October 6, 2011

value of ....

She : Wives are just that

Said She pointing to the large piece of mat at her door step.And continued ...

She : Infact, I would say that doormat gets a better treatment. At least it has someone to keep it clean.

I was really surprised when this came from an elderly lady. Her youngest son is elder to me. I haven't heard anyone in that age group say anything like that ever. Many I know strongly believes that this is how their life should be.

Marriage & the strange things it does to people (both male & female) ......

Picture Courtesy : http://parisianfeline.wordpress.com/

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Origin of Love

I happened to read this joke recently ... I just couldn't help sharing it here ...

Q : Where did Love originate?
Options - A) America
                B) India
                C) China

A: China
Reason - No Guarantee, No Warranty!!

Picture Courtesy : boyfriendplease-sailorgrl.blogspot.com

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

meaning of sex

Thanks to TOI for this bit of conversation I had to have with my child. Kiddo has started reading smaller words in her school & she is enthusiastic about reading anything & everything. That day being a sunday, TOI's supplementary paper had the article titled 'Sex done'.

Kiddo : Amma, what does sex done mean?
Me : errrrrrrr .... {a long pause &} errrrr ....
Kiddo : 'Done' means as in doing something. But what does sex mean?
Me {after spending considerable time 'thinking'} : Baby, there are two meanings for sex. One says whether you are a boy or a girl. The second .... I don't know how to explain it to you child. Is it okay if we wait till you are 10yrs old. If you school doesn't tell you what it is, I will try to explain it to you.
Kiddo : Okay ... yipppeee!!! {She happily jumps & runs away ...}
Me : Kavilammeeeee .... (My dear Goddess!!!)

Monday, September 26, 2011

OMG Kuttichathaa!!!

My dear Navodaya,

I completely understand your urge to release this blockbuster movie again & again. I would only be happy to go & watch this movie again with my child. This movie was something I had enjoyed as a child myself.

But what I don't understand is, why do keep releasing the picture with 'additional footage'. We were tolerant enough when you did it by having an 'additional footage' by Urmila Matondkar. Now, you have Prakash Raj as well.

I personally don't have anything against these actors. They are one of the finest in the industry. But, the way you do it.... Please spend some money & get the movie completely redone if you really want buyers for your additional footages. If you don't have the money, keep mum & release the movie as it.

Please don't kill the movie experience for normal viewers like us who doesn't understand the politics behind the movie making but is completely depending on those rays of light that falls on the white screen.  After watching the promos on the television, I have no interest in watching this movie in the theaters or introducing this movie to my child. I would rather wait for DD to air the 1984 version of this movie in 2D!!!

An avid movie watcher.

Monday, September 19, 2011

introducing MJ

One day, I introduced kiddo to these two talented young chaps. I also made her listen to the original version of this song at YouTube. An interesting series of questions ensued since then ...

Day 1
Kiddo : Amma, which language is he singing in?
Me {remembering the fake lyrics a friend of mine had come up with} : I think, its in English, what do you think baby?
Kiddo : {... in deep thought and no reply }

Day 3 (while watching the same video for a second time)
Kiddo : I think he is singing in Chinese. This doesn't sound like English

Day 5 (while watching another MJ video - Black or White)
Kiddo : Is he a boy or a girl
Me {trying hard not to burst out laughing} : Hes a boy!
Kiddo : Then why does he look like a girl?
Me : Very good observation. Next time you have any doubt on this guy, ask your favorite ammai (aunty) and/or mamman(uncle)

Monday, September 12, 2011

Onam 2011

Like every Onam, this time too I received many text messages. All of them spoke of the beauty of the nature and/or about the festivities during this time period. This particular text message caught my attention. I had never seen this version of Onam ...

Onam is not about new clothes, flower carpets and sadhyas. King Mahabali is not the benign monarch during whose reign all men were equal. The Vamana Avathar is higher stage of evolution of human consciousness, breaking through the sub-human demonic stage represented by Mahabali, to pave the way for the Rama, Krishna, Buddha Kalki avathars.

As my friend would say, wish everybody has an evolved & enriched year ahead.

Picture Courtesy : http://www.keralapromoter.com/

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Can you be more specific??

Recently, I had to travel by Indian Railways to goto my home town. While waiting for the train, I noticed this message on the station's LED message board.

"DO NOT TRAVEL WITHOUT PROPER TICKETS"

My immediate reaction was - What if I do? Wouldn't a more direct message be
"IT IS PUNISHABLE TO TRAVEL WITHOUT TICKETS"

I don't understand the thought process behind these indirect statements. I believe rules & regulations should be as direct & unambiguous as possible.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Phas Gaye Re Obama

This weekend was a 'slow down' one for me. I utilized the weekend by doing a lot of nonsensical things & watching TV/DVD for unlimited time. That was how I ended up watching the movie, Phas Gaye Re Obama. If you ask me, I would say, this movie explains the mortgage system in the most simplistic manner.

I have to make special mention the script writer of this movie or whoever is responsible for deciding how a sceen has to be done. I simply enjoyed the manner in which they have displayed Minister Dhananjay Singh's unofficial office.

If you haven't already watched this movie .... give it a try.

Picture Courtesy : www.bollywoodbilli.com

Friday, August 26, 2011

zimble question ....

People say I carry my heart on my sleeves. I can already see you guys nodding your head in agreement. Now, you can imagine the amount of effort I have to take inorder to answer kiddo's questions without overwhelming her. I need to work on the right choice of words, right emotion to the tone and the right amount of complexity for a 5yr old to understand.

Yesterday, we were having our evening dose of musik and dance. Thats when I play her choice of Bollywood songs on YouTube & she gets to watch, sing & dance along. We came upon the song Senorita from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. 

Kiddo {busy watching the song & trying to keep up with the actors in dancing} : There are only 3 boys and looooots of girls!! Why do they like all the girls?
Me : Because .... THEY ARE BOYS!!!!!

I would say this was the simplest of the questions she has ever asked me .... :)

Picture Courtesy : in.movies.yahoo.com

Monday, August 22, 2011

Whats on the Menu!!

This weekend, bro's wife (sil) & I took our respective kids out to their favorite hang out. After they were done with their games, we sat down at one of the food stalls & we placed our order. The kids were all charged & wanted play 'restaurant-restaurant'. If you have a girl child, you can very well imagine the decibel levels these two 5yr old girls would have reached in order to sell this idea.

Sil is normally sportive about these things. So, she agreed to goto their restaurant & place an order for lunch. But she also had an hidden agenda of testing their mettle this time. She ordered the toughest sounding dish she could find in the menu card handed over to her. I don't remember the dish. It was some fried non-veg with sauted whatever in whichever sauce.

The kids were all happy for their first order & enthusiastically started working on the dish. The dish was ready in a few minutes & they placed this steamy dish in front of sil. Yes .... it was all imaginary cooking in imaginary kitchen with imaginary dishes.

As soon as the dist was place in front of her, she asks, "What is this?"


With an 'are you nuts' & innocent expression, pat came the reply : "What you ordered!"

Picture Courtesy : manianmania.blogspot.com

Friday, August 19, 2011

Perspective

Yesterday evening, I was having a conversation with a school friend of mine. And he was inquiring about another one from school.

Me : Yes ... I remember him ... For me he is the guy with long pointed eyes .... :)
He : Long eyes! BS!!
Me : Just because you didn't find his eyes long, how could it be possible that what I say is BS?
He : How else can it be? How can both of us be rite?

If this conversation had taken place a year back, an heated argument would have ensued with each of us trying to prove that the other person is wrong. But yesterday, I was reminded of one my friends words ...

"Why do you believe that one person's right is going to make the other person's right wrong? Lakshmi ... understand that things are not always Black and White. There are millions of shades between a Black & a White."

Picture Courtesy : www.monster-munch.com

Thursday, August 18, 2011

watch it!!

Off late, there has been many Asians visiting our office. I pick the term Asians because I have no clue where exactly they come from - China, Japan, Singapore, etc. There is one thing I like about people from this part of the world - their skin! They have such smooth & supple skin. Since their office wear includes frocks & skirts, its not very difficult to enjoy it either. Yes! there is a tinge of jealousy in that statement ... :)

The other day, I was animatedly explaining how healthy, supple, smooth & what-nots their skin is to a male friend of mine. He couldn't agree more with me. But the twist in the tale came with this statement of his ...
"Their skin is really really smooth. There is a beauty in the way even the water droplets run down their skin."

I stopped abruptly in my track & grinned at him. Yes! he just sealed his own coffin .... hee hee .... :)

Picture Courtesy : acmefactory.blogspot.com

Saturday, August 6, 2011

the mysterious case of missing parantha

"Amma .... it was there in the tiffin box when I put it on the desk. But it vanished when I opened the box to eat it."

This is the story my 5yr old tells me when she was asked about the food she carried to school. Yes! she is expanding her imaginative horizons. In fact, I am enjoying this phase of hers - yes... the age when they start fibbing around to get away from situation.

Picture Courtesy : www.parentsconnect.com

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Aazaadiyan from Udaan

Was having daily dose of music when I noticed the lyrics of the song Aazaadiyan from the movie Udaan. The opening line just caught my attention ....

Pairon ki bediyan khwabon ko baandhe nahi re, kabhi nahi re
My translation of this line is, "Your ambitions/dreams are never constricted by the shackles you are in"

This song comes towards the end of the movie. Its the feel you get when you watch the movie. I hardly noticed the music while I was watching the movie. But today, when I listened to this song & revisited that scene .... I was really really really moved. The strategically placed
"Kahani khatam hai ya shuruwaat hone ke hai"
(Does his story end here, or does he start a new beginning based on the learnings) does wonders to the scene. I just don't know how these creative people decide on these things - which song to put where with what intensity. Its simply amazing. 

Somebody has already taken the efforts to translate the lyrics into English. So, I am just listing the link here. For those who have watched the movie, you might just reconnect when you listen to the song & understand its meaning :)

punched!!

Saw a peculiar scene during my daily commute to office. There were three girls at the bus stop huddling together. Now whats peculiar about this .... well all three of them had headphones screwed into their ears and all of them busy punching into their cell phones.

Yipz! Heights of multitasking!

PS.
Posted by a punching addict ;)

Picture Courtesy : www.worldofstock.com

Monday, August 1, 2011

slowed down

One of my friends once said, "Take it slow ...."

That was exactly what happened this weekend. Kiddo & her dad were out of town and I was left on my own in this vibrant city of Bengaluru (Bangalore). Initially, I had a long list of todos. But when the weekend started, I just took a deep breath & told myself, "Sweetie ... take it slow. If it has to happen, it will happen.". And, I did the most dramatic thing - tore off the todo list.

When, on a monday morning, I look back at the weekend, I am happy. I did a lot of things. Things which I enjoyed doing ... while I was doing them .... but at my own pace. All during the weekend, I was not worried about striking max number of items off the list coz I DON'T HAVE A LIST ... yippeeeee!

Picture Courtesy : bsnyderblog.blogspot.com

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

the art of enjoying food

I think, the lady hosting the program 'Food Safari' in Fox History & Travel should take cues from Kalidasan. Kalidasan is the protagonist of the Malayalam movie Salt 'N Pepper. He just makes you want to go & eat whatever he is eating. He also has the talent to make you crave for whatever is being cooked in his kitchen. I believe thats what a host for a cooking show should be doing.

One day in 'Food Safari', the french chef gave up & finally said, 'I was hoping that you would ask this question'! Maybe her concept about the program was rite, but she is definitely not the rite person to host that show :-P Only people who loves food/cooking/experimenting with food could do justice to such programs ..... someone like Kalidasan.

Picture Courtesy : www.oprah.com

Monday, July 25, 2011

greetings

The movies are not at all exaggerating when they show girls screaming over nothing .... This happened during a meeting I had to attend ...

A guy meets another guy ... quietly pats of the each others back & a quick handshake
A gal meets someone she knows .... noise noise & more noise

Yes! irony of the year ... Posted by a gal who screams for nothing ... ;) 

Picture Courtesy : www.123rf.com

Saturday, July 23, 2011

husbands & wives

Recently my 5yr old was introduced to a single lady friend of mine, who is contemplating moving into a shared accommodation. For obvious reasons, kiddo was curious as to how or why such a situation arises. This is a snippet of our conversation after we reached home ....

kiddo : Doesn't she has a husband?
Me : No baby ... she doesn't.
kiddo : She doesn't like husbands? She likes only to be wives?

I still am not sure what she meant with that question. As of now, I am assuming that she is exposed to the fact that people can choose whether to marry or not. 

Picture Courtesy : www.istockphoto.com

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

revelation of the day

I am a regular listener to Koit - the online version of the channel. Their catch line is 'lite rock, less talk'. But my line for them would be - mushy mushy songs :) I was listening to them today morning & I noticed a pattern among the songs they were playing at that time. The girls keep crying about the lost loved by repeating how great it was and the guys kept saying sorry. Not sure whether the playlist selection was made in that manner. But looked like the girls keep expecting sorry.

PS.
This post is purely coincidental. Any similarity to anyone living/dead was & is unintentional.

Picture Courtesy : www.clipartof.com

Friday, July 15, 2011

mommy moment

 One late evening, the phone rings.... Tringg! Tringg!

Me : Hello.
The other end : Helloooooo
Me {recognizing my niece's voice} : Hi baby .... how are you?
Niece : Is my sister there?
Me : Yes.
Niece : Can you handover the phone to her please?
Daughter : Hello Sister
Daughter : Okay ... hmmmm ... k .... hmmm ... hmmm ... welcome .... byeeeee

I was curious because this was the first time my daughter is having a 'quite' conversation with her sister! Normally, they have a high energy conversation - which includes a couple of screams. I asked my daughter what the call was about. Her answer was quite cryptic - "She wanted to say thanks because her teacher gave her 10 stars for her drawing in school". I was like .... "How wonderful!". But ... so?????? :-/

Next day, I got the complete story from my sis-in-law. My niece had drawn a picture which was inspired by one done by my daughter. Since my daughter was the main reason for scoring all those stars, my sil wanted my niece to thank my daughter.

Yea ... truly a proud mommy moment for me :D

Picture Courtesy : depositphotos.com

Thursday, July 14, 2011

INKED!!!

After brewing it for 12 years, I was finally able to implement it today. Yes! I got a tattoo. My daughter is super excited seeing it & she is showing it off on my behalf.

Whenever I think of tattoo, the image that pops in my mind was that of people covered in ink. Something that reminded me of fish's scales, which discouraged me. And, then there was the pain factor to be considered.

One of my close friend had her hand tattooed (have to use 'hand' coz major part of it is covered in colors :) ). From her, I was able to get that it does pain, but it can be tolerated. But ... Hey! I am a mother, I have had a C-section & I have gone through the feeding process. If I can survive these two, I can definitely survive a tattoo!

But the loud designs still did nothing to encourage me. I am loud enough for myself. I didn't want my tattoo to scream as well ... :) That was when I saw her at a mall. I was waiting for my turn for the trail room & the girl in front of me had a cute tattoo. It was just an inch or two big AND was in black. So, tattoos can be monochromatic!

The last bit to gain some clarity was the design & location. I wanted something that I would feel comfortable wearing for the rest of my life. Yes, it didn't happen over night. But it did happen. And the final question - where? Being an Indian, that too from Kerala, I had to hunt for a place which wouldn't expand much. I understand there will be some sort of expansion, but somewhere the percentage is the minimal.

Today, I got my very first tattoo done. If you ask me, I would say, its zimble (simple), humble & a generic one O:-)

Epilogue :
This is just the first of the series, two more to go ....

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

T. D. Dasan Std. VI B

This movie was suggested to me by a friend. This was a nice & warm movie. I haven't come across a review which doesn't give a 3 star rating, if not more, yet this movie did not complete 1 whole week in the theaters. I was amazed that Keralite audience didn't accept such a nice movie. Was it because there were no 'super' stars, no kids of 'stars', no stunts, no dance in the rain, etc????

I am not sure if its because I like watching such movies that I am finding it difficult to accept that the general public didn't like this movie to let it screen for more than a week. As circuit says, "Shuru hone se pehle hi khatham ho gaya" (it was all over even before it started).

All I can pray now is, let there be more rich people who has spare money to invest in such movies without worrying about its box-office response. As for me, I will try watch a non-pirated version of such movies and encourage my family to join me O:-)

Picture Courtesy : en.wikipedia.org

Monday, July 11, 2011

planet wars

This conversation takes place between best friends. Situation - the girl & the boy are going through a rough patch in their relationship.

Girl : I am so tired sometimes I feel like ending it all up formally.
Girl's best girl friend : What happened? Don't you still love him?

Boy : She wants to leave me.
Boy's best boy friend : What happened? Is she having an affair?

And, I rest my case here.

Picture Courtesy : www.fotosearch.com

Friday, July 8, 2011

wine & dine

They say, music can bring people together. If you ask me, I would say, food too brings people together.

I had gone out with my extended team for lunch. I was seated next to a person I hardly know. While we were going through the menu, we started talking. That was when I realized we have something in common - our love for food & beverages and the excitement towards experimenting new dishes. We took the rest of the team by surprise with our enthusiasm.

So, next time I am in office & I get that strange feeling to eat something & don't know what that something is, I know whom to call ..... :)

Picture Courtesy : dailymail.co.uk

Thursday, July 7, 2011

lost & having fun

My direction sense is world famous in my friends circle. The ever changing road rules in Bangalore has done nothing to help me either. And since there has always been the 'plan B' - ring someone if you sense a remote possibility for trouble - I have not taken any real effort to remember the routes. The bane & the boon of cell phone is that, you can connect to whoever & whenever. It has been a few weeks that I am running without a cell phone, not since my latest phone crash landed & was completely destroyed.

Yesterday, on my way back after meeting someone in the city, I lost my way ... twice ... in the same area =-O I was lost, in a strange place, started raining and it was getting dark. What amazed me was that I was not panicking and making backup plans for plan B. Instead, was thoroughly enjoying the situation I was in. Since there were no cell phones, I had to rely on myself to get out of the situation. I was able to enjoy the beautiful drive in the evening rain for a longer period of time ... :)

I was reminded of this comment I read somewhere ... "Why do girls need direction sense, we don't find it awkward to ask for directions" ... :)

Monday, July 4, 2011

winning = ??

This Sunday, my daughter was doing her reading homework with her dad, while I was making dinner for them. They were all 3 letter words and one such word was win.

Nans : w.i.n ... win. Acha, what does win mean?
Acha : {thinking}
Nans : Oh! yes ... it means coming first!

I have been troubled since I heard this definition. I mean, is that all win means? Coming first? What about the rest of the junta who did not come first, yet won? Isn't winning to be defined by oneself?

I am reminded of my friend's words .... "I don't want to win any race, I just want to finish it gracefully."

Saturday, July 2, 2011

bond or break

This sat was my 5yrs old's day out. Yes, for a change, we decided to have lunch from a place of her choice. That was how we ended up in McDonald's. What I noticed when I reached McD was that, the number of dads with their kid(s) were much more that the rest of the crowd put together.

Not sure if it was the dad having a bonding time with the kids or the mom having a break time with herself :)

Friday, July 1, 2011

flyover constructions in bangalore

Every time I pass through a flyover construction in Bangalore, I am reminded of the mechanic v/s doctor joke. I have some sort of respect towards the people working on such projects. After all they are working with the 'engine' ON and an uncontrollable engine too. Yes, I am talking about the traffic and the ignorant drivers.

One day, while I was traveling from office, I witnessed the construction workers demolish the supporting structure which holds the horizontal portion of a flyover. The cops & the workers had formed a loosely bound human chain to block the vehicular traffic. A maniac biker, squeezed his way through two workers literally hurting their spread out arms. Seeing this a cop came over to check out the situation & two cars squeeze their way through the vacant cop's spot. All this happened in a span of seconds & just when the drivers were through, the supporting structure came down with a thud.

These are situations where I believe in the force of prayer. I don't see any other reason as to why the supporting structure didn't fall on the biker or on the cars. And, if it had fallen on them, who would have been blamed - "the authorities" and/or the construction company.

Yes, I was waiting for this newspaper article to write this blog!!!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

95% and nowhere to go

I was reading this article from India Today (July 4, 2011 edition). Some points mentioned in this article brought these snippets of conversation I was having a two friends of mine at different places, in an entirely different context ....

1st friend : I remember whatever I read like a picture. So, I never had to use my brain as such to clear my 12th exam. If you have practiced last 3 year's questions, you are all set for the exams. They don't even change the figures in Mathematics paper. So, just remember that picture with solution for this question & you are done with the exams.

2nd friend : I find it difficult to handle my 4th grader's English paper. They give a passage & ask questions which are directly not mentioned in the passage .... what would have been the premise for this passage, what should ideally come after the passage and so on.

The first friend is a university rank holder and she completed her 12th exam in 1997. The second is the mother of child who is currently doing her 4th grade. I can surely see the change in the education/examination system. Probably by the time this 4th grader completes her 12th grade, things would have changed in favor of the students.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Dreamzzzzz

 A couple of my friends & I were discussing about the weirdest dreams we have ever had and some interesting scenes unfurled.

Dream1 : I have dreamt that one fine morning when I woke up, I was unable to speak.
Pssst! I, being a talkative girl, can very well understand paranoia behind her statement.
Dream2 : I have dreamt that I lost all my teeth.
Dream3 : I dreamt that, I lost all my hair when I was trying to towel dry my hair after a bath.
Dream4 : I was kissing him on the lips and my teeth, the whole of it, fell into his  mouth.

No prizes for guessing who bagged the weirdest dream of the day trophy ... ;)

Friday, June 17, 2011

Know Your Child

One of my close friend is an active member of The Art of Living Foundation. On a regular day, he wouldn't ask me to attend any of their courses. But that day, he wanted me to attend the 'Know Your Child' course conducted at his residence. On any other day, I would have ran in the opposite direction. But that day, I agreed to attend this session.

The one thing that caught my attention was this question by the instructor - "Why do you want to limit your child's knowledge to what YOU know?"

Most of the parents I know, and I myself, have this urge to give 'technically correct' answers to all the questions raised by the children. And if we don't know an answer, we google & tell them. This question by the instructor opened a a whole new world of possibilities for me - The children might have an even better answer to it.

So, now when my child or her friend asks me a question, I try not to answer her question immediately. Instead, I ask her - "Hmmmm ... am not too sure ... what do you think it is?". And I was bowled over by their answers. I was completely amazed by the way they line up THEIR facts & THEIR observations & how THEY draw up THEIR conclusions. And we still call them kids!

PS.
Definition of Rain by a 3yr old boy .... I think they have switched on the air condition on the plane ... :)