Blogg'ui- a state of being

Preethi from here, had to do it. Get me out of the doldrums and keep me going…Like she mentioned, its been ages ( 2 months is pretty long don’t you think for a blogger) since I wrote anything. No reasons whatsoever. It was plain blogui ( laziness to put into words in the blog what I thought and felt) . There were many times, I’d sit down and start and then catch myself in another domain altogether : either chatting away, or surfing or just plain working.

Well coming back to the task at hand…PS tagged me ( I’m sure there are somemore in the hidden corners of others blogs…I’ll take time now and go through all my unread blogs and get back ). She did a great job there, so maybe you should just read mine with less excitement, ‘cos its just plain and regular.

She’s asked me to list out 5 things about myself…That’s a tough task for me..and that too , to get out of this vacant phase…but still its a good one…at least I’ll introspect and get those cobwebs out of that mind of mine.

So here it goes.....

I love people. And this ability of mine makes me a better person at accepting them for the way they are, with all their faults and goodness. I never judge anyone hurriedly, nor will I stand back and wait for the other to be friends. I do my best to be a friend. Everyway possible...listen, talk, help, be there for them, smile with them, cry with them, get foolish with them........

I am a very 100% person. If I can’t give my 100% in a task, I try not to take it up. I’m selfish that way…’cos I tend to get very stressed when I do take up something, and then not find time to complete it, so I work hard at keeping up to my commitments. It has worked against me many times, where I juggle with millions of tasks at a time, all because of what I believe in , but I have this immense satisfaction when I complete all of them .

I don’t get bored very easily. If I’m in a situation where I’m forced to wait endlessly, I’ll find myself something to do in the meanwhile. If I’m not carrying a book, I can watch people and just observe. I can just BE. So if anyone were to come and apologize for making me wait, I’ll just tell them, that they need not stress, cos I was enjoying myself. Try it, its fun. Don’t just sit there and whine about being held up…but watch people round you, watch the traffic and form your opinions…watch the ants on the sidewalk…but watch, observe ,enjoy and smile.,…

I love eating. I’m game to trying out any kind of food. I’m a foodie, and it shows on my face. Good food, and you’ll see me enjoying it and appreciating it thoroughly. This makes me very non-fussy..You can invite me over and give me whatever…I wont complain. I know this is a good trait, ‘cos I also know how it feels when a guest gets fussy and makes noises when invited for some meal.

Oooof!!! I am not good at talking about myself…so these few were very exhausting on my brains…I’ll leave the last pointer to you’ll…let me know what you think about me..i’ll gather those thoughts and smile through..

And with all the excitement I forgot to tag others... :P

So maybe these lovely people will take it up and let me know about themselves..

Madhumita ( She's such a warm person...and it would be nice to know her some more )

Shruthi ( She's on the marathon and also very pissed and maybe I can help her a bit )

xh : He's no more a lonewolf now, and maybe the partner needs to know him more now...)

preethi from Incessant Musings ( Let's give her a break from Cheeky shall we?? )

rayshma : (Its been ages and I want to know some more)

Dog-eared and book-marked!!!

Tags been doing its rounds...and exam time onmy head, so brain works in just one direction....hindi , Biology...etc....so thoughts i'd handle these tags and bore all of you...
get ready for one long post...whoooosh!!!
Tagged by Lone wolf- Anoop....and Suma...
Since both dealt with books, mixed both up
Here go the ones...

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you really love (and strikethrough the ones you hate
4) Reprint this list in your own blog.


How is it that the books I have read don't feel like being featured here?? :(
so here's the list someone else has so patiently compiled
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible -parts of it
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (most of them)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov ( I remember reading this book while in high school...and was totally flummoxed, 'cos I of course, but naturally didn't understand what the whole fuss was about. But later on, I did re-read it, and liked it and still have it...wonder what i'll feel if I read it now?? )
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo ( read it half way through :( )


If I were to be asked which books i'd like to read....i'm sure its gonna be all those who haven't been read..I gotto read them...and since I have the list now...yay!!!

I have a lot of favourites...thats because you can't just have one.....
I don't have any hatred for any kind of books...at the most the book fails to maintain my interest and I stop reading...though I keep going back and thinking whether i'd like it better if I read it now...????
So no strikethroughs...but since I just learnt how to use this tag...i'm going to strike that out...
but my all time favourite would be

Pride and Prejudice
Gone with the wind
Kite Runner



Now since the latest tag by Anoop, was again to do with books, I thought i'd add that here...who knows it might make my job easier, cos some might have already been answered :P



Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?

As kids we used to have a lot of time on our hands ( less stressed school work, and no TV) so I just started reading..of course, how could I ignore the rows of shelves loaded with books at my house...Dad has a love for reading and so but naturally daughters will inherit it..

But who could forget my school, who used to give away books as prizes for any winner...

And then tryst with books started...he would buy me books each time he travelled ( I still treasure all of them..cos they have his handwriting so neatly penned in) and then it was the quaint old neighbourhood library.



What are some books you read as a child?

Many I have forgotten, but crystal clear in my mind is one big book, that said " Wash 'em clean"...it was by a Russian author, Korney Chukovsky so agree with Anoop here...and it had such cute pictures and simple words that made up amazing stories. Years later they were also the books I read out to my kids first thing.

Pinocchio a book that I had got as a prize in school, was a great one to begin with. No hard covers...pictures few, that could be colored too...( I hadn't I remember, cos I was worried i'd spoil my first book :)



What is your favourite genre?

I have a Issac Asimovs 'Spells', unread...so that makes me a bit partial for anything non-science fiction.

I love mush, romance, medical thrillers, murder mysteries, autobiographies, semi-autos...anything and everything.



Do you have a favourite novel?

Just told you in the above tag, many...so can't actually name everyone of them...it depends on the mood, and my need to read at that time. It could range from the heavy duty Vishnu Sahasranam or a light read like Calvin and Hobbes....



Where do you usually read?

Stumped...!!! How can you designate a place specifically for reading??? I can read anyplace, as long as I can hold that book straight to see the words. I read between making dosas( on the kitchen counter), when I give my son a break when he's studying, right under his pile of books, near the pool, in the car, in the principal's office.....I think you'll got my point.

Before I got married, I remember reading in loos, at my study table with the book hidden under a school book, while classes were going on in school, Wonder what thrill there is but it is to be done once in a lifetime.

When do you usually read?
Anytime, anyplace. I just need to read the book and finish it. I have read books, while boiling milk as early as 5 in the morning. and woken up from sleep an dread a book , cos I couldn't sleep. So time doesn't ever matter.

Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?

Oh yes!!! Even now there are 3 that are being read simultaneously...

Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?
Eh!! How does one do that??? Let me see, if its a romance, that i'm reading , then there will be scented candles, soft music, ...huh!!! where was I? ...no way...
All books have pride of place in terms of place and style of reading....all the same.
*On second thoughts, maybe I should try reading science fiction hanging upside down from the bookshelf... ***

Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library?

ALL OF THEM.....isn't that what love of reading does to you.."beg , borrow or steal" Though I havent had to use the third tactic so far.

Do you keep most of the books you buy? If not, what do you do with them?
And why is my new house still having 3 unopened boxes, all filled to the brim with books..( I've tried negotiating with my son for space in his book shelves to no avail :( ).
Yes, in a very generous state of mind, I did go and give away nearly 100's of my mills and boon collection to the neighbourhood library...but the insanity stopped right there....Now its back to drooling over all the books on the pavements, bookstores, houses, schools, sales...everywhere...can't kick the habit.

If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them? Were they some of the same ones you read as a child?
Too late to be asking me the big "IF" i have 2 sons already....and yes, I have shared most of my books ( I have to..) and most of the ones I read as a child hold important place on the shelves.

What are you reading now?
War and Rememberance by Herman Wouk
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
Veronica decides to die by Paulo Coelho ( getting bored...so its been hung up for now)
Hindi sulekh..for 7th standard students, ( oops....sorry....exams up now...so had to squeeze that in too )

Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list?
Oh yes!!!! Like I do each time read tags like this...or read a review in the media...but when I finally go out to buy a book, I call up my friends and eat their head for a list....

Right now the one that tops the list of to be read is
Preethi from Just a mother of two's

Bubblegums and candies...

I'd love it if all of you would do the same....its gonna be fun

What books would you like to reread?

Not too fond of reading bestsellers again...'cos I like that first euphoria or whatever the feeling to stay as it is...and not to be blended with others opinions and reviews.
But books like
The power of now by Eckhart Tolle
Book on Women by Osho
Calvin and Hobbes
I love to read and re-read..

Who are your favourite authors?
Am not at all fussy...its the story that'll pull me towards it. A must read review by a friend can also do the trick. I'm not biased. There was a time, when JOhn Grisham, Frederick Forsyth, Ayn Rand, Robin Cook used to be favourites, I still have to read all their books that come out...maybe its force of habit.

Now is the time to tag another....
I'd love see what
Sahana, Preethi from Incessant musings, Shruthi from High Spot, Ceedy, Rambler and Joy to do the honours.

How Green is my color!!!!

Often while reading a book one feels that the author would have preferred to paint rather than write; one can sense the pleasure he derives from describing a landscape or a person, as if he were painting what he is saying, because deep in his heart he would have preferred to use brushes and colors -.Pablo Picasso

Reading this quote I was left wondering if I could ever do something like that. Paint I can't do justice to effectively. But when Ceedy tagged me into writing a story based on a color I like, I was cornered.
Reason being, I could tell all my favourite color and then write what I felt ...so hopefully there is some justice in this story I tried at writing.


Green!!!! starved monsters...





"There was a time, he would come home and sit with me straight away...would love to watch me in the kitchen. He has no time for us now. He would tell bedtime stories to Chunnu, even that has stopped" said Shekhar's mother, wistfully.
Rashmi carried on with her task of cutting vegetables. She knew what would come next. Her mother in law had become very predictable. She had done everything to make it easier. Had never once argued. She had let her be.
But today she could see those monsters crawling all over. Green eyed and spurting fire..

"Which saree is this? I have never seen you wearing this?" said the mother in law.
" Ma, its the same one that Shekhar bought for me, my last birthday", Rashmi said softly and patiently.
" Oh! how is it that he was able to buy a gift...he had no time to buy one for my birthday", her voice raised, a pitch higher. She had completely forgotten or chose to forget, that Shekhar had indeed given her a gift, though not a saree. But that wasn't the conversation her mother in law wanted to have.
Rashmi, got up to go inside, only to be stopped by the sounds coming from within the room. Her mother in law, had started the age old habit of whining and digging into the past, brow beating her husband into nodding his head and silently approving all her acts. Rashmi just shook her head, and walked away.
She had seen this coming after all. And she also knew it was best left ignored.
But how long would she stay silent. Wasn't she the same young effusive, outspoken girl! Could she stay silent long enough to work things out or should she say something?
She waited for her husband Shekhar to return from his long hours at work. She hummed to herself, breaking out into a small jig, impromptu, but so like her. After all her favourite song was playing on the radio, and no one could stop her from being happy. She remembered those days in school...when she would be part of the group that sang for competitions. She never had the perfect voice , but she sang for herself and she was content. She didnt hear the door knob turn, so when Shekhar shouted over the Joanna number, she turned around, the song stuck half way on her lips and contorted face.
" Wonder how you hear yourself screech, in this manner. We'll get thrown out one day!"
Her heart skipped a beat, and sank into the depths. He hadnt liked her singing, not because she wasn't perfect, but he was afraid she might become one. She was talented after all. And what better way than nip it in the bud. He had done this once too often. She hadn't realised until it was too late and she had allowed it to happen.
He had never wanted her to succeed and make a name better than himself. It wasn't about her singing, it was about her being independent and self reliant. He liked her as a vulnerable and dependant woman. And he had succeeded in moulding her into one. She was ashamed of herself, but she could not compete with those green eyed monsters lurking in every corner of her life.
She looked askance, she looked back, she saw the hyper girl, with hair flying all over her face, while she wore her favourite parrot green t-shirt, that said..."I MAINTAIN MY BALANCE IN ALL SITUATIONS", dancing away into the night....and smiled.
No, she wouldn't feed those monsters today....they needed to starve.
She opened the doors to her terrace and stood, watching the verdant green of the avenue of trees that lined the road facing her house. She was at peace...the lush beauty did that to her.






An interesting link I found, for all to see.... click here check out what your personality is...and if you don't like what it says...I didn't give you any link... :D



And now to pass on this tag...


I'd like to see what Suma, Tys, Rambler got on this....

Anyone else who'd like to take this up...do so, and please let me know. I love reading

Tomorrow is yet another day!!!

2 weeks of hectic madness…some made by me, some made for me…but I was in the center of it all, not able to organize my slightly crisp mind into thinking. Reasons were plenty. Most of them silly. And some, more like whining.
But most important was the sight of so many unpacked boxes, because the umpteen nagging issues in a new house, and added to it the presence of so many workers, most who assumed they were entering an empty house and not one already occupied. So for want of permission they would just walk in with either a paint brush in hand or a wrench more ghastly than the previous one to replace a leaking faucet…but I am enjoying it all actually…it reminds me that I have that much of time to think about action…all that is going on and have fun at my own expense…and then again to blog too….

But since the brain is still a bit on a mute mode…thought I’d handle a tag, so something which needs to be just answered and no thinking up a topic to write about…how’s that for brilliance…
So picked up this one, tagged by Sahana on Kal , Aaj aur Kal

The details of this one….Two questions in each category answer them and then tag your friends from the blog-o-sphere. (Simple enough right) Leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been tagged and you are all set.

Yesterday
Your oldest memory
What were you doing 10 years ago?

Today
Your first thought today morning
If you built a time capsule today what would it contain?

Tomorrow
This year ….
What do you see yourself doing 14 years from now?

My oldest Memory..


I knew this one would get me…
Well, being a very helpful kid at 7-8 years, and having a terribly flexible body…I could go through rectangular grills the size of 6” x 9”. So each time a resident locked himself out of his flat , the door –opener would be called…ME!!! I would squeeze myself through those rectangles and walk in and open their doors, and of course be rewarded for this brave act with a handful of raisins…yes!! Raisins…and I would be all happy and smiling…
And now when I find my lil one climbing pipes up to the first floor and to the top of the balconies, I just say! “ history repeats itself!!”

But I do remember the time when I used to put pieces of paper torn from my grandfather’s old books, into the mailbox that would be fixed to his house compound., way before, soemtime 35 years ago I think…Don’t even dare ask me why I did that???

What were you doing 10 years ago?

10 years ago …well!! I was frantically running behind my son who was then 2 and a half years old and in his most terrible two’s . He was so restless, he never would sit in a place for long.. ( he never does that even now! L ) All that I remember from that time is his “ Amma beku” (I want momma) cry….for an hour, when I had left him at his play school gate…his tear filled eyes and his face wedged between the railing…still come back at times. I smile at those memories now…but then I was sure I was not fit to be a mother….and had to be reassured many times over by his favourite teacher then, that he would be ok…and he was…much to the point of telling me to come back after a few hours L so much for feeling sad! Hmpppffff…

Today:
Your first thought this morning

After returning from a very exhausting trip to Tirupathi… and just crashing out to having a very restful sleep, all I could think of this morning was “ Did I keep the milk coupons??? , I don’t have any energy to go out and buy milk!! “

If you built a time capsule today what would it contain?

Contain?? Let me see…my whole world…huh!! So boring am I not???
Maybe I’ll think of it in peace and then decide…so until then ….patience and please wait!!


Tomorrow
This year ….

Well this year gave me a lot of bumps...some good and some real bad. But i've picked myself up and tried to carry on...am trying to build a life centred around acceptance. Praying that things will go right .

What do you see yourself doing 14 years from now?

14 years???? Are you crazy…I don’t know what I’ll be doing 14 seconds from now??? Absolutely no idea….considering I would have hit the half century button on my clock….I think I’ll stop the thinking bit for now and just enjoy every moment for now..

Well to tag a few….
Preethi from Just a mother of two

Suma from Aaalochane

Madhumita from One true thing

Veens…from Rum’blinks’

In books lies the soul of my whole past time......

Preethi from Incessant Musings tagged me to do this very interesting one....and with my love of books....I couldn't even think of saying a no...Thanks Preethi....but now you're held responsible if I stay hidden...co's i'm back again looking through all these old books of mine... :)

The tag reads, that i've got to list out my top ten literary characters...and man!!! this was tough to sort out....some were forgotten, but still loved, and some got me back to reading some lines yet again....

and then here goes the countdown...In no particular order....I love all equally

1. Howard Roark, *stars dancing around her eyes* in The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
It was the first day of our professional course, and we had a few seniors posing as lecturers to rag us weeny freshers. The name stands out because we had one guy asking a fresh new student why she had taken up this course....and her answer was " I loved the book Fountainhead" and thats why. That name has followed me ever since. The character so strong and so impressionable. Thats how I chose to favour him. My favourite character from a literary novel. Roark who takes pleasure in the act of creation

PS. By the way...that student wasn't me....!!!

2. Julian from the Famous Five . Each time the 3 siblings were sent on a vacation to their uncle's house on Kirrin Island, they chose to take me along on the journey....and I went...spinning dreams and convincing myself that the character Julian was made ,keeping me in mind.. ( what hopes I had!!!...) and then the five turned to seven and the characters grew along with me...some became, James hardley Chase's characters and then some my very own dream Mills and boon heroes...but I still believe the spirit of adventure in me was sown by the Famous Five and Julian.

3. Thornbirds- Father Ralph de Bricassart

When the strikingly handsome; "a beautiful man", stepped foot into Drogheda....my interests were spiked and there started an affair with the young, capable, and ambitious priest. Have read this book so many times, that I finally convinced myself to watch the movie....but I had to say, I was disappointed.I had imagined Father Ralph as this very handsome tall, blond haired man and there he was on the screen blowing out all the fizz left in my poor imaginative soul :(. But then the character stayed on .

4. The Bridges of Madison County is a best-selling novel by Rober James Waller.


When the lonely Itallian war bride engages in an adulterous affair with a National Geographic photographer little did she know she'd leave behind a very starry eyed woman mooning over them. Clint Eastwood i'm sure would have done a fantastic job in that role ...and i'm hoping one day i'll get hold of the dvd of the film . Happened to read the epilogue entitled A Thousand Country Roads that was published in 2002, but was not so impressed as the first one.


5. Kabuliwala- Rabindranath Tagore
The lovely story, simple, descriptive and poignant. When you finish this story you're left glossy eyed ( at least it does that to me) . Tagore managed to bring out such wonderful nuances to this huge man from Afghanistan, and the simplicity of an innocent girl. .

6.The title song from the serial still rings clear ....ta nana thana nana naaa....and I can visualize little chubby Swami running across the scenic Malgudi..the present Agumbe the location . His pranks, his antics, and his sweet smile, was so endearing we chose to stay up every week while the serial was being telecast. I had read some of RK Narayan's books, before that...but this one should be the best...adorable Swami from Malgudi Days.

Ta nana tha nananaaaa

7. Casablanca

The boy stood on the burning deck,
whence all but him had fled.....
This poem....while at school, used to be and still remains one of my favourites. I remember having a lump in my throat when I used to read it...the image of the boy, imprinted itself in my brain...he never grew, through the years, he just stayed glued to that deck......he still remains as my best loved poetic characters..

8. " Take care to chop the onion fine. To keep from crying when you chop it ( which is so annoying!), I suggest you place a little bit on your head.....The first few lines in this novel, and I was hooked...When Tita, is forced to stay unmarried because of some traditions in their culture, she weaves a tale around her, mixing some traditional recipes on the way...I found this girl to be so wonderful...and yes...got hold of many recipes too in the bargain. It has been made into a film too...but I stick to print on paper.
Tita from "Like water for Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel. A novel with recipes, romances and Home remedies....The secrets of love and life as revealed by the kitchen...

9. Memoirs of a Geisha...
Chiyo....such a cute name....and endearing personality. When she moves around the village and the city, she grows in her character and still retains the innocence ...This appealed so much....and loved her all the way...

10. When I was in school...and acted as if I was the 'Thames born brigade' ( for those who don't understand what i'm talking about....I used to talk only in English, and my regional language was offered step motherly treatment....). Not to say that now, I can converse pretty well and fight back of course in perfect Kannada...so my dad need not fret...his daughter managed without throwing the covers of Battani...(battani sippe, mattar ka chilka), books written in Kannada was like huh!!! how can you read such a thing...
But as addicted as I was to reading even back then....I would sneak out my dad's collection...and read through some of them.( yes!! remember it was pages, and something printed on them! One of which was G.P Rajarathnams. Can't remember the name of the book now though :(. but, I can still remember the poems for kids that he would write back then..
one of which is-
"Kutuku, kutuku kaalanittu ( kutuk, kutuk, he kept his feet)
Kunta naDedhane ( The lame man walked)
Gutuku, Gutuku.......
Neeru kuDidhanu

Naayi mari naayi mari.... ( i' m sure all hardcore kids from local upbringing would have voiced out these words at some time in their lives) check them out here ( Its in the local language , kannada...so i'll translate them later, one day :) )

But they were all a treasure...and i'm so glad I was bored back then, and got to reading such simple but lovely words, by this great man.

11. Roald Dahl...I know he's the author, but he's the main guy who brings life to his beautiful stories...so elegantly worded, colourfully described and so thoughtful his journeys through the character. His first book that I read... ( the one time my sister asked me to just check this guy out..."Danny the champion of the world" and there I went reading through most of his collection...the horror stories collection too....they were amazing...

12. My friend just gave me this treasure trove...and man!!!! I'm on a high!!
Who else but this little imp can do that to me....His antics and repartees....am now too engrossed, devouring the book.... "The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes"
A Calvin and Hobbes treasury by Bill Watterson.
and his famous line :
Calvin :What's you tail for?
Hobbes : My tail?
Calvin : Yeah. Why do tigers need tails?
Hobbes : Geee, I'm not really sure,
I guess just because they look good
Calvin : So it's sort of a necktie for your butt?
Hobbes : Let's not be vulgar. You're just jealous.
Precious, this one....and now i'm sure all you guys are jealous of me ...now that I got this collection...go on...go on...admit it...hehehh
Happy reading!!!

yes....I couldn't stop at 10 so I went on and on...so now what????

Am I going to be beheaded?!!!!

And now comes the allocation...

PS from Just A Mother of Two

Madhu from One True thing

Tys from Life and other such nonsense

Ziah from A slice of lime

Gazal from A point and a view

Joy from Me, my mind and wilderness

Shruthi from High Spot

and all those book lovers who are dying to take up this tag ;)

Weirdo Dido!!!!!

I thought I was going through a writer's power shut down. There was a blank out and I was making excuses. But looks like these events are slowly merging with madness, insanity and a feeling of despair. Am so caught up in all these things, havent had any time to look back and dissect, the phases. Sometimes, the feeling that you're sinking into nothingness, but then you are not, 'cos you are handling things well...its been well oiled the mechanism of life, your home and your environment. You've done that and not anyone else. So why is it that one should feel weighed down??

I remember reading about addiction to blogging...yes there was a time, I was...when I started anew long ago...a year ago. But then now ,I do start reading through my most read blogs...but there are times I just don't get enough time to pen down my thoughts back into those spaces, and I feel so miserable...like this eerie lurker on the prowl. So wanted to stop by and let
everyone know, that please bear with me while I get back my bearings and visit your blogs in full ernest.Wanted to let you all know, that I miss that wonderful feeling one gets when the blog hopping goes on and we find each other. But also wanted to thank all of you..there have been smiles being spread around too..many of my blogger pals are here and we're going to meet up and have fun...what say??!!!

I thought if I were to do some tags that were pending I might kick myself out of this stupor. So took this one out of my closet!
Broca had tagged me a while ago...and even though I had listed out my weirdo deedos for all of you here...and whined that I had one too many then, I just listed out a few more and made myself a bit more bizarre...so go have fun at my expense ;)

These are the rules:

1. Link the person(s) who tagged you…Brocaaaaa...do you see??

2. Mention the rules on your blog

3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours...

4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them…

5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged..

Well...

1. It dates back to a century ago...more like many years when we were younger and would go over to my cousins for vacations. Back then, it was a custom in their house , that their morning coffe was to be sacredly victimized by the lumpy soaked forms of some bis'kut or the other. It was all very fairytale for us. Like ,as if our parents never gave us bis'cuth to eat? :(
But here it was different.
That started one of my spooky habit. I would love to delve into the transparent tall,plastic box, and hunt for the 'Marie' biscuit. Don't know why, when the whole world and her brethren were discarding it, I would just love how that humble round thingy tasted. And there was a time when I was on a liquid diet for some illness ( can't remember what?! ) and the doctor had said that I
could start off my solid diet by eating Marie biscuits...Little did that poor man know that he was prescribing exotica for me...lol...I had gorged on an entire pack I remember then...the long packets with some 20 odd numbers in it. As expected...by the end of the evening my illness had relapsed and I was banned from even looking at solids..., but thats my love for it...I still love it. and enjoy it by nibbling it first around the circumference ,trying not to disturb the letters and then moving inwards..hmmmmm bliss

2. I hate mangoes! The luscious ripe, juicy varieties...yes!! I hate them . I actually get nauseus when their fragrance whifts round...I would always keep the rest of fruits away from them , for the fear of getting its smells mixed up. I still hate them, but then 'mommadom' kicked in and then I was bending backward, holding my breath, and eyes watering, while cutting, peeling
and making shakes out of them. I know its 'His' way of getting back at me..'cos when the rest of the clan said Mango is the king of fruits, I went and changed it in my own books...and replaced it with the 'Banana'. But then my kids love this fruit called Mango...and I look at it now.

3. I'm sure many of you have heard this quite often. That God is omnipresent. Then why does everyone look upward to the sky when he is playing the blame game with The One?!!!! I don't. I'm always caught talking to myself. I believe that if He is everywhere, He is next to me too...He better be?!!! And since you can't ignore someone when they are right next to you, I keep
talking, to stop him from getting bored. I keep Him well updated...

4. Thats it...I don't know anymore :D Well thats good isn't it...I don't have to drive the lot of you running for cover...

But I have one small thing to ask of all those who know me from here....

Tell me if you find anything remotely weird in me....I 'm promising you I don't have the axe next to me...No Dashavatarams....nor the psycho effect happening...just tell me na...please, please.......

Oh now i've to tag 6 bloggers....oh heck!! thats tough...seems like everyone's been at it...so here goes...

1.Amitabh Bachchan ( yes!! I can't get enough of him....though I have never read his blogs...I stop at being weird there , but didn't want him feeling left out of this tag game, heheheh)

2. Amir Khan (I don't read this too, but have heard so much about it from the media, that I googled and got the links)

Now for some bloggers who have started dropping in, after my last few tags...lets get to see their quirks too *laughing the evil laugh*

Shruthi from High Spot! (I'm sure her kidnapping drama would have ended by now...)

Sahana (Leave the horizons and come into the evil world...)

Joy....After the choices are made, can you please take up this and let us know if eccentricities run in your blood???

Preethi..( after her India trip and Nantu'isms, i'm sure she needs a lil break)

yay!!!! I'm done...but if anyone wants to take this up, feel free...but do let me know...i'll peep in.

The chain spreads!

Many times when a thought flits through my mind...i'm either procrastinating, or dissecting it to bits...the butcher will be ashamed of himself.

When it comes to making decisions, i'm the big NO, NO....MAYBE, OR actually it could be ....so my life normally is a lot more exciting than I think it should be :D. I just have stopped thinking...'cos I might just about start doing the scrutiny again..

When I went over to Ceedy's blog, 'cos I had this bright stars twinkling against his name in my blogroll....I was sent into the think, think think...drum all over again.....

But here I was thinking not why, or where or which...but what is this all about????

there is this tag, he's tagged me with....like a chain mall doing rounds....but since it means spreading love around the blogosphere...I said chal...let me spread it too..( wow!! such a generous soul am I!!! )

And like He himself has said :

this is all about sharing love among bloggers i guess....so there is no place for logic....

Like a tree
spreads it branches,
So shall love
spread its emotions,
one and all
feel it and absorb it.

The love-link tag.The Love-link Tag is another of those Linky Love game where you only have to tag 10 person in one post but still there is no actual limit (you can tag more if you want!).

Once tagged, you have to copy paste the link in this post, and make them grow!Do not delete any of the links and be honest to yourself!copy paste the link in this post, and make them grow!

BennyLiew, RamblingMoo, Mum & Kids In Wonderland, Judelittle, Our mini blogsphere, Rooms in My Heart, http://janiceng.blogspot.com/, ChinNee, Jo-N, LadyJava's Lounge, Strange but True, Mariuca's Perfume Gallery,Meet Uncle J-Uncle J, Farah,aNgRiAniWoRLd,How’s Life Bout,The Three Heroes, Ceedy, prats

So here are my tagged ones ...

Suma

Hershey

compassion unlimited

Anoop

Hip hop grandmom

Joy

Ziah

PS

Keith

Madhu

Tys

preethi

keshi

and here's a small video of Beatles spreading love

The why? chromosome...

The relationship between men and women has always been a love-hate type. Isn't it true?

Men!!! Yes...how we would love to hate them just as much as we love to love them. I just can't hate any person. I can only dislike some of their habits or their ways. Aren't we all doing something that can bother another person. If one were to be living a life where every action of his/hers is loved by others, then maybe there is a catch somewhere.

So when Joy tagged me on the 'list' of things I hate about the opposite gender, all I could think of is the cold wars, the glares and humpfff ,i'd get from the ones I write about. But I'll go ahead and let out the small bits that ruffle my smooth feathers..I thought i'd have a long list, but somehow its not that bad....

1.Constructive criticism: Well, it's hard for me to shut up. I'm sure there are some who'll agree totally with that here.To women, nagging feels like the most logical thing in the world," says Michele Weiner-Davis, M.S.W., author of Divorce Busting. "We think, If some­one isn't doing what I asked, they must not have heard me. So we say it again. And then we say it louder." And when it gets really loud, i'll get to hear "Stop nagging"
But then why don't these men or the boys just do what is asked?

2. After all, being Command Central of the Domestic Universe isn't exactly a glamorous job — no pay, limited respect. In fact, I'm now planning a leave of absence: Next Sunday, I'm kicking the remote off the couch and taking a nap myself. Oh is it Friday already???
Now when I finally decided this, I realise that there are chores to be finished before taking that nap. But the men in my household dont see that nor do they look for it. What is it with them , that they like living in a dump?? I don't see them walking out of the door, with dirty clothes or hair out of place...I can smell the whiff of deoderant, their gels and the crisp shirts which i'm sure all of them love to wear (however much they won't say it loud).

3. Its very often told that they just wont go asking for directions. Yes!!!!!! they wont. Try telling them that they've not gotten on the right road, then you'll see daggers....or better still they might turn the tables saying 'we distracted them with our nagging'.All you need to do is roll down the window and ask the bored guy standing on the street, who I know for sure, would love to talk to any one at that point of time..so what if its just to tell the other directions, that might not go anywhere. Why men can't stop and ask for direction till it's 40 kms into the wrong direction?! Like, isn't it more sensible to just ask for directions? You save on time, petrol and energy AND LOTS OF NAGGING :D

4. Sleep! They work a hard week, slogging over deadlines, meeting with ill tempered colleagues or whatever...when they get back home and get a chance to get a shut eye...thats what they do, shut it off completely. And pigs can go fly kites, but nothing will wake them up...unless of course their cellphone rings..talk and go back to sleep :(. They can sleep through the day, how do they do it???

5.A heart-to-heart conversation with the partner may not be an equal trade, after all, since in the currency of emotions, a woman's feelings are worth much less. Have you ever seen a man cry? A man bursts into tears after a tough day at the office and concerned co-workers rush to support him, if a woman were to do it..her distress is barely acknowledged. Yes, I know we women can be real sob stories, but we are being true to our feelings. We live our sadness in total authenticity. We reach out ...but what is it with men, who think they are macho only if they drown within their own lava of emotions?

Men show anger and stubbornness and it is expected of them, but just when the woman lets out her soul rendering scream, she's thought to have lost it??

6. Would it kill to remember? They remember the names of cricketers from Bangladesh and the scores each player has made, but cannot for the life of them remember birthdays, anniversaries and buying gifts. What kind of selective memory is that?

7. Birth rights! : They have a birth right over the Remote control. Seems it is more like a manly symbol that they need to carry around at home, I guess. I can often see my hubby hanging around acting like a lost puppy,if i'm watching some dumb serial on television...the minute I switch off, and walk out, he's with the remote, like his life depends on it ..spaced out but still
watching those faded colored english movies...And the Musical Channels/Remote Control game -- we might as well give up.
That will never end. I still have to watch one entire movie or listen to a full song at one go.

8. Wow!! man!! what a hunk!! I 've heard this once too often, and yes, it'll be the woman saying it...openly to her own partner.
But have you heard of a man doing that??? OGLING!!!! They love to ogle at women ..and when asked if they noticed how pretty she was, or what lovely shoes she was wearing, they'll act totally ignorant. I'm sure they would have sized her up in totality in a few seconds. They have that duh!! who??? where? look.

9.We all know that men are the kings of annoying games. Who else gets continuous entertainment from Noisy Bodily Functions Games? Who else could live off of beer and playstation? Who else can scan every channel on the t.v. faster than light? Who? Men that's who. There comes a point in life that the "boys" that play these annoying games grow up to be "men" and end the games, right? Wrong. Think...how many "men" do you know that still look longingly at the playstation display in the electronics store as you walk past? How many "men" still utter the phrase, "wow! what cables, it'll look good with my playstation." .

I know one too many...I had my hubby and kids ( yes, they too :( ), spending the entire day in the electronic store in Singapore, and he was still not satisfied, 6 floors and still not happy????? The stores all looked the same to me though!!

10. Romance just flew out of the window the moment the man walked in the door!!! Whats with them? He's so clueless with flowers, with gifts and more so with clothes...they look you up so many times, head to toe (ok! i'm exaggerating), but still can't get the clothes size right. Their idea of a romantic getaway would be a romantic movie...yeah! By romantic, he means the ones
in which the good guy wins, the bad guy loses, and the big, studly, macho man freak gets to hit it with whichever one of the babes he finds....but my idea of romance and his are real clash of Titans

Yes, they can be exasperating, and oh so irksome at times...yet, I'd love to be around the one. He brings out the love, the romance, the mechanic, the plumber, the cook, the terror in me...and i'm learning, and fast!! I owe it all to him..I need to make peace soon or else.....a household with 3 boys, sounds like heaven on earth right???? More women's horlicks needed to catch up with them and their 6 floors of running around.

A song to smooth ruffled feathers :)
Just love this song

Kahaani Ab Tak

Kal.....


Looks like i've been pulled into this quagmire called vacations. Its been to easy to let go of schedules and sit back and look at re-runs of swimming, snacking, screaming all over...Suddenly I feel as if i'm in a tele serial. Don't know when it'll end. The age jump happens, and we still look the same...brains run in the same direction, whether its the older one's misbehaviour or the
younger one's tantrums.

But to look back and see a totally line-free (stress free) face,eyes shining bright with the anticipation of more play and less routine actually brings smiles to my exhausted face. It also goads me to reach into the cave of blogs and think up new posts...stir a few feathers and smooth yet some more.

This was when I remembered, the tag that Thinking aloud had passed on to me asking me to go flashback..Filmy?? naaah.....the visions of cycle wheels spinning to show that time had passed ,comes flashing ..

The tag goes like this:

These are the rules of the tag:
Post links to 5 of your previously written posts. The posts have to relate to the 5 key words given : family, friend, yourself, your love, anything you like. Tag 5 other friends to do this meme. Try to tag at least 2 new acquaintances so that you get to know them each a little bit better.

So all ye out there, hold tight while I send you across

Family ....
Aptly said :
Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.-- Jane Howard
Oh yes!! I'll be lost without mine...and I have been showing it off once too often :), so bear with me while you know how insanity creeped in as they do this to me, while he does this all the time. This one is my favourite, 'cos she's not around for me to bully anymore.
Each time I travel...its a tale altogether..and here it gets spun all over



Friends:
The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend.-- Henry David Thoreau
Aint that true...
This one started off my poetic trails..., When she got married, I was too enraptured with the ceremony that I had to put it down here , when we all went travelling you think i'd leave you'll out? And then when you think of all those lovely blog friends i've made, and those who bring a spirit of joy into my life...I had written a post here . It never ends here...there are many
more...

Yourself:

When I was created, maybe they forgot to put the stopper on my chatter..so here I went gloating about myself...
I started off thinking I had no idea where it would go..., got to realise I am as traditional as any would go . There are days when I can go off tangent...like when I had to offer this but I am a person who has to praise somebody if they are good and thank them when I've recieved something from them, be though a smile.




Your love:

Kids....I just love being around them. They bring that wonderful secret of joy into my life. And I spend many a time, doing stuff for them...I had blogged about it when I organised this

I love the beach! Yes...just love it endlessly...and you'll know how much here
I love reading poetry...and this was one of my favourites.. and then when I realised I was going on lining them down, I started this to sate my ego.
I love reading and I love blogging, you'll know how much if you just go to my blog roll....they are a wonderful bunch out there...
And with this....

Flashback ends...
Tan ta da.....

Don't know why, but this song just crawled into my mind.... I think I do...I'm always adding songs to suit my mood, or words or situation...so can I be far here :)

Since many have done or gotten tagged for this already...thought i'd leave it open. For all those wanting to delve into their past ..*feeling very devious* go ahead and pick this up....would love to come along and see what you'll have been upto...

I’ve done it again !! :)

J from “On the Rocks” tagged me. Considering the fact that there have been just tags that I’ve been doing the last few posts….I now seem to have given out all my secrets, my quirks, wants, everything….

1. Name Three Most Valuable Assets?

Honesty, compassion, humour ( trying to see humour in every moment of your life)

2. If you have the chance, what would you probably say to your beloved one?

Would you make some tea for me??

3. If you were to be stranded on a deserted island, who are the 3 blog buddies you would take with you?

Now, I have been a very adventurous person, I accept, but I have never wanted to get shot…No way am I going to shortlist. The more the merrier…all of them…please

4. Where is the place that you want to go the most?

Back to my bed, every morning, after a really no sleep night

5. If you can have 1 dream to come true, what would it be?

Seeing my child smiling through his tears. In this rat race to win, I’d like him to accept failure and success in the same spirit.

6. Till now, what is the moment that you regret the most?

Regrets just make you feel aware of your inability to handle something. I would like to leave things behind, and move on. Not to look back. So no….I have no regrets.

7. What are you afraid to lose the most?

My existence. Which is defined by my most wonderful family, my friends , the crazy ones and the whiny ones too…and ‘my smile through tough times’ ability

8. What would you do if you found a briefcase full of money?

I don’t know….First,i’ll be so confused with all the suggestions around me, but I’m sure, I’ll just go buy lots of gifts and give it to all the kids in an orphanage.

9. If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?

If I sense the person also does, then maybe I would. Can’t say….remember I’m the ‘should I , shouldn’t I?’ sort….

10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you...

Well, not knowing J personally. I might be wrong. But from what I’ve seen through his reads…he comes across as a very sensitive, head on the shoulders kind of person and a very humorous guy. J, am I wrong??

11. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?

Humour, willing to be adventurous.. (now, don’t go looking for hints and signals, u dirty minds!!! ) and like the AXN movies a little less

12. Which type of person do you hate the most?

The rude, impolite and obnoxious ones.

13. What is your ambition?

To stick to my goals and swim harder against the tide

14. What is the thing that will make you think someone is a bad person?

Bad…no, I can’t think of someone like that. Maybe they are bound by circumstances…so they could be reacting to it.

15. If you could do one thing different in life, what would it be?

To learn to say NO! politely but assertively.

16. Are you a shopaholic or no?

No…firstly I shop only as a necessity, and even when I do go out…I land up shopping for others. So if that qualifies, yes.. But you can’t drag me to each and every exhibition, sale and discount happenings in town. I’m not the person for you….

17. What is your stress buster?

Music, reading, and many times, I’ve been known to cook the most time consuming dishes (I’ve made kozhukattais, during my sons exams, not one or two, but 108,something which people normally make for festivals) to ease my brains out

18. What should be done to people who make such long tags..

Award them for thinking up so many questions…and patiently waiting for the tagged ones to do it. J…are you listening??

19. Do you think God actually exists?

Considering we come from a family who has a festival for each and every sneeze, cough and smile…I’m now acclimatized to accepting the presence of the power above. But I trust and believe there is a power above guiding me around. And if that is GOD then so be it

20. What is the one thing you would change about yourself?

My habit of procrastination

This question was mine to add in place of another in the tag.

Now tagging others. Do it in your own time…

PS from Just a mother of two

Preethi from Incessant musings
Rayshma from doodlez
Madhumita from One True Thing
Tys from life and other such nonsense

Now for the instructions. Remove 1 question from the tag and add your personal question. Make it a total of 20 questions, then tag people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them that he/she has been tagged.

Done…now I’m off….happy times all of you!!

'Tis a blessing!!

“When the first light of sun, Bless you.
When the long day is done, Bless you.
In your smiles and your tears, Bless you.
Through each day of your years, Bless you.”

Early morning , rushed as always…the clock has been peered at, jeered at so many times, it might just walk away! And amidst these hurried tasks, getting a little unwilling child ready to school….I heard a soft melody.
I’m not imagining the voice, so I turn around. My little one, was busy wearing his shoes and singing …actually he was practicing his school founder’s hymn. He was supposed to be singing it sometime next week ( but according to him it is not this week, but day after week , explained in actions…and yes I got what he conveyed )

The song reminded me of the little Myna bird that visits my house every morning in the hope of some tidbits. So soft, yet so assertive. This also made me want to spread some cheer…

Then remembered, that the very wonderful and thoughtful Suma had in her blog tagged me to spread this blessings around.
This tag is a blessing in disguise and i'm glad that I can keep up this chain. I have been asked to select three people and direct some positive vibes their way. And this picture below is to represent that the tag is indeed traveling virtually across the world. For the sake of the chain, I can tag only a few, but I do wish the very best for everyone passing by my blog.

All the blessings we enjoy are Divine deposits, committed to our trust on this condition, that they should be dispensed for the benefit of our neighbors.

These special people i'd like to pass on to

Vivek : Made himself popular with his whimsical nickname “Hells Angel” and his fantastic work. Never seen a more hardworking and focused person. I pray that he sees many more brighter days and fulfilled dreams.

J from on the rocks : He wanted to clone himself, I’d like to pass this blessing, so that he’ll have many more wonderful times ahead.

Vinesh : Setting out on a dream journey called married life with his wife, I’m sure he’ll need all our wishes and some of these blessings to go along with him.


Pass this on and please feel special as you wave your wand around

Quirky prats!

PS from "Just a mother of two" tagged me and wanted to know me better...and after hiding some of the eekie habits under the bed, I've come out with this...but first


The Rules:


Link to the person that tagged you.

Post the rules on your blog.

Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.

Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.

Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.



Non-important : What can be so nothing about being important I never found out…and I have tried to find the things that’s my quirks…. and when I saw the word "six" my mind just went all the way to Suma's post on her sonny boy...and what he had to say to this


One : I’m a TEA person. By that I mean, I can drink anything you give me called tea…it could be watered down brownish hot water, it could be dip dip dip tea, it could be masal chai, anything…I can drink it. No fuss and no shame. If someone were to ask me if I would like to have tea or coffee, I’ll just shamelessly say “ Yes! I don’t mind some tea! “ Even if I’ve had a mug a few minutes before. Tea being made and given by another person is a treat for me…and something I love.

Two : I love the smell of books. And have this vague habit of sniffing at the pages, or even soaking in the fragrance of old books, new , anything… books do that to me.

Three : I have to always sleep on the right side of my bed. If I have to change places for some reason…I’ll be so restless, that I can’t sleep at all.

Four : I have to open out all the doors and windows of my house as soon as I wake up, much to the irritation of my son, who thinks I’m crazy to let the cold breeze into the nicely warmed up rooms. The freshness of early morning air is so addictive, “sigh” he’ll never understand.


Five :I’m a very animated chatterbox. Hands will have to describe what my brains are setting out to convey. I can talk to myself if no fortunate soul is available ( but its more during stressful conditions or during the high energy-I’m-angry situations) and even then the hands will show me what I myself am thinking..



Six : I can remember small details on roads,( the road, dips twice and then bends to the right, where there is a small pothole,before you see a brown colored cloth hanging from the tree, that’ll have only 4 leaves…yes!! ) while giving directions to someplace…but I might not remember the name of the place itself. I few weeks back, I called for an autorikshaw and told him to take me to a location. I didn’t know the name of the place, but could describe the entire route to the T. He managed to take me there, and then when he dropped me off, promptly told “ MayDum! Ee Jaagakke, BEL circle antha heLthaare. Next time, a hesaru heLi “ ( madam! This place is called BELCircle, next time, say that name )


And this was me full face to you’ll



Now tagging

Guruprasad : The Daddy blogger!!

Keshi : Reveal yet some more!!

Barbara : Know how she travels, would love to know her more

Preethi : would love to see what Nantu has made her into :)

Keith : So much creativity, would like to hear the other side to him too

There is nothing permanent except change!!

Change is the only constant in my life!!

It’s a very oft heard phrase….and somehow in this roller coaster ride of our lives, nothing seems more cheerful than change..but there are days when you just long for that one routine that you’d like to hold onto….

And when Hip Hop Grandmom tagged me to do this, I was left thinking so hard, knocked my mind off….always have, when I’m put through a drill of thinking…

It says here

It is important to be liked by others

I wonder if there is anyone out here, who doesn’t like a little bit of appreciation. I’m sure that’s a need. Children get into temper tantrums for some kind of attention and I think we all have that small child in us somewhere. But living your life just so that people like you is not what I want. I’d rather live my life, being happy, and bringing joy to others around me…what others think matters little to me

Obedience is a virtue

Oh yes!! This was something that was imbibed in us not through teaching but through seeing those around me. My parents never forced any kind of virtue on us….we respected them, and thus came around obedience. But this didn’t mean, we had to go about our lives without questioning them.. Now when I see a few kids being ordered to obey their elders, I wonder what they’re making their kids out to be. More like rebels. I feel if you respect others and their space, its more than enough. It’ll bring in the rest of rightness in you.

People are not malicious but they become so because of bad experiences or circumstances:

A small incident can make people react and say such things that we’ll never know where it came from. But there is nothing to say , when a perfectly well educated person, reacts to a situation in the most horrid manner….A very polite and educated person if needled long enough, can lose it too…

Education broadens our view and makes people more humane.

Education gives a lot of knowledge, yes. Experiences brings with it, just that : experience.
Sometimes the environment that a person lives in, can mould him into being what he is. Then, education can just go flying out of the window. My grandmother was not educated, but the generosity with which she lived her life, would put some of us to shame.

People who have no money troubles are happier.

Happiness is a state of mind. Money can come and go, if a person can maintain his balance, he’ll be happy and content. And the quantity differs with each person, circumstances and mental requirement. When we were younger and in school, our definition for happiness was far different from what the kids now believe it to be.
Money brings comforts yes! But if we find comfort in what we have, I’m sure we can be happier.

As people get older they get wiser

Reminds me of the kid in the movie “Cheeni Kum” Where she goes on about being happy sad, or sad sad. There are kids like that around me…and leaves me thinking how wise they can get, while some older people can act as if they got stuck in their childhood, and refuse to let the wheels go forward.

You can live on love and fresh air.

Love and fresh air, gives you a sense of peace and contentment around us. This can help one in working towards achieving goals, making money and also being happy. But you can’t always depend on just that…you need brains too to go on and make your living. After saying this, I wonder if my little son actually only requires love and fresh air to live, when he just wont eat, and he seems perfectly fine.

There is a celestial guardian angel looking after each one of us.

I have always believed in the presence of this angel above me…watching over me and always pushing me forward. My loved ones who watch over me from above have given me the feeling of security always. I don’t want to anything to change that belief of mine.

All living beings reincarnate.

Have never believed in this ever. I won’t say it is true or false. If someone believes in this, it is his own belief…so I stay out of it. I believe in what is in front of me, and what is within me. When people say, “He’s like this because of what karma he did in his past life, it has me flummoxed…”
Do good now and see its fruits now…that’s my belief.

Heaven and Hell are places you go to after death.

As Hip Hop Grandmom says, it’s right here on earth. It’s all in my mind. I can create hell within my own thoughts, and heaven is in front of me, as I see joy and peace around me….when I’m in bliss eating an icecream, watching my kids grow, and when someone comes up and says my kids are such wonderful kids I feel a bit of heaven right there…. Yep, Heaven and Hell are right here next to me, in me. Why should I worry about where I go after I die….I’ll worry about how I live right now


And finally

I always believed that parents could take sides with their children, but now that I’m a parent myself, I know better.

I believed in the power of love. Always believed that all families were like mine.

I always believed that only men watched porn tsk tsk…

As a kid I always believed my father was a superpower …he could do anything and everything, and I still believe that. I just need to hear his voice and everything is normal.

I always believed that a husband and wife never fought…I wont say anything more now….

Now breaking rules and traditions….I’d like to tag anyone who thinks this gives them something to think of and write about…