After a long time heard Beatles' "Girl" last night. Had even forgotten the song but as the guy started singing all the words came back. When I think that I knew the lyrics to ALL Beatles songs, ALL S&G and nearly all America songs.....
I had 4 audio cassettes and limited pocket money. This was before the days of CDs and free downloads ( I hate to think how many years before). So all that I could do was record the present favourite over what was already there. Finally there came a time when all I could hear was a hisssss.
But it was fun anyway. Lyrics were learnt by holding the record player close to the ear and with a lot of guess work.
I didnt realise that the Liverpool boys were such a big hit with the present generations too. Kichu has heard a fair number of their songs.
I think I shall ask him to download them for me and I shall be transported back to my college days.
The joys of technology!!!!!!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
1. Pick out a scar you have, and explain how you got it
the scars they have faded and so have my memories of them
2. What is on the walls in your room?
a caricature of Rajendran3. What does your phone look like.
4. What music do you listen to?
lots of stuff.. depends on whether I am with husband or son at that point in time
5. What is your current desktop picture?
Francesco Totti sucking his thumb
6. What do you want more than anything right now?
to sleep???
7. Do you believe in gay marriage?
to each his own
8. What time were you born?
2.45 pm
9. Are your parents still together?
My dad passed away in 88
10. What are you listening to?
the dialogue from some Malayalam movie rajendran is watching upstairs
11. Do you get scared of the dark?
NO....
12. The last person to make you cry?
I cant remember
13. What is your favourite perfume/cologne?
UDV/UDY??? pour elle (the bottle that looks like a little bag and which has the pink perfume... I,m so specific coz they have come out with some new fragrances in the range which are not half as nice)
14. What kind of hair/eye colour do you like on the opposite sex?
Even if isnt there doesnt matter.. I'm a very tolerant person
15. Do you like pain killers?
IF I have pain.. yes!!
16. Are you too shy to ask someone out?
Too late...
17. Fave pizza topping?
cheese and mushroom
18. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be?
19. Who was the last person you made mad
dont know
20. Is anyone in love with you?
yeah, I suppose so, coz we've put up with each other for 22 years without seriously thinking of divorce....I tag Harimohan
Monday, April 16, 2007
Poochoos and her kittens
Poochoos had her babies yesterday afternoon, right in the middle of the Vishu Sadya. She had been uneasy the whole day on saturday and on sunday morning, not wanting to go out of the house at all. Finally, since I had a lot of guests over for lunch, I locked her up in the office room. A little while later I heard her calling me ( I swear it sounds like AMMA) and there she was, about to deliver, which she proceeded to do, right at my feet. Since our guests might be squeamish, I kept quiet about it till they left. By which time she had produced 2 kittens and was looking quite perplexed.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Poochoos and I
Poochoos is pregnant!! She spent a 2 nights out about a month ago and came home early one morning trying to look unconcerned. Turned up at my front door and pretended that she had just stepped out for a look. Anyway, the end result is that we can expect to hear the patter of tiny kitten feet in our house in approximately... I dont know how many days, but I am sure the event is pretty imminent.
How does one prepare for a pets pregnancy?? I dont know. I also dont know why I am so concerned. All those cats out in the wild are presumably giving birth quite comfortably and I have never even given a second thought to them. Why does the fact that Poochoos walked into our family in May last year make me worried about her? Kichu and I are quite convinced that she is not old enough to have babies. Does she even know what to do with them? Will she look at us and say.. Ok.. so here these things are... now look after them like you did me!!!
I can just imagine Rajendran's face when THAT happens.
How does one prepare for a pets pregnancy?? I dont know. I also dont know why I am so concerned. All those cats out in the wild are presumably giving birth quite comfortably and I have never even given a second thought to them. Why does the fact that Poochoos walked into our family in May last year make me worried about her? Kichu and I are quite convinced that she is not old enough to have babies. Does she even know what to do with them? Will she look at us and say.. Ok.. so here these things are... now look after them like you did me!!!
I can just imagine Rajendran's face when THAT happens.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
I love to read travelogues written by others about places they have visited and sights they have seen. Armchair traveling is what interests me, I can visit palaces and forts, bazaars and malls, valleys and mountains sitting safe in my own home. I am a bad traveler and invariably end up at the end of my journey rather the worse for wear. When I reach my destination I find I’d much rather be back home. I know the die-hard travelers will be shocked at such a disclosure, but I am sure there are a few people in the world , a very miniscule number perhaps, who feel the way I do and who feel inhibited to disclose the fact.
The fact that I don’t enjoy traveling does not mean that I do not enjoy places and their history. I love to read about other people’s travels, I don’t have to move from my home to learn all about their experiences, good or bad. If they are good, I’m happy for them, if not I’m glad I’m not the one who got their wallet stolen or picked the wrong hotel to stay in or whatever.
Don’t get me wrong. If there was a way that I could get to my destination without the traveling that is required to get there, I’d travel I’m sure. It is the hassle of getting from point A to point B that I dislike . And once at point B, I’d be perfectly happy to explore and visit because I haven’t become a wreck getting TO point B.
My biggest heroes are the travelers who travel for traveling’s sake. Pioneers like Francis Drake and Columbus and Vasco Da Gama and the many unnamed and unknown ones who traveled where no man had traveled before, who traveled when there was no promise of a warm meal and a comfortable chair at the end of the journey.
I love my creature comforts, particularly my bed, my food and my clean bathroom.
The fact that I don’t enjoy traveling does not mean that I do not enjoy places and their history. I love to read about other people’s travels, I don’t have to move from my home to learn all about their experiences, good or bad. If they are good, I’m happy for them, if not I’m glad I’m not the one who got their wallet stolen or picked the wrong hotel to stay in or whatever.
Don’t get me wrong. If there was a way that I could get to my destination without the traveling that is required to get there, I’d travel I’m sure. It is the hassle of getting from point A to point B that I dislike . And once at point B, I’d be perfectly happy to explore and visit because I haven’t become a wreck getting TO point B.
My biggest heroes are the travelers who travel for traveling’s sake. Pioneers like Francis Drake and Columbus and Vasco Da Gama and the many unnamed and unknown ones who traveled where no man had traveled before, who traveled when there was no promise of a warm meal and a comfortable chair at the end of the journey.
I love my creature comforts, particularly my bed, my food and my clean bathroom.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
So I decided make lists of things… you know..
10 best things you remember from your childhood and the 10 worst ones
10 best books that you have read and the 10 worst ones
10 best movies that you have seen and the 10 worst ones
10 best places that you have visited and the 10 worst ones
You get the gist of what I mean?
I realize that to list 10 things may be a bit ambitious, it might be better to stick to 5.. or perhaps even 3. Dredging up things from the murky depths of memory might be slightly difficult. Also10 best places and 10 worst ones assumes that I have visited 20 or more places. Which sitting here in Kochi, is something I can only dream of.
Just throwing the idea of movies around with Kichu, I find I’m thinking of many dos and don’ts. Do I add movies in all languages or do I stick with only English/only Hindi/only Malayalam?? All the movies that come to mind are funny ones.. should I include only those? Or for a list to be truly inclusive does it have to have movies of all genres? Or perhaps I should do different lists of movies – Humour/action/drama. As Bertie Wooster would say, the mind boggles at the permutations possible.
What is it with asking so many instructions (or guidelines, for want of a better word)? I think a lifetime spent in following instructions does this to people. One can’t function without the help of a flowchart. If A happens, go to step C. If B happens go to step D. Our whole life is charted out and God help those who step out of line!!! What I wouldn’t give for some spontaneity. To be able to just go whenever I want to and stop whenever I like. To be able to laze around all day and not feel guilty about it. And most important of all, to be able to afford to do so!! AHA! Therein lies the crux of the matter..
10 best things you remember from your childhood and the 10 worst ones
10 best books that you have read and the 10 worst ones
10 best movies that you have seen and the 10 worst ones
10 best places that you have visited and the 10 worst ones
You get the gist of what I mean?
I realize that to list 10 things may be a bit ambitious, it might be better to stick to 5.. or perhaps even 3. Dredging up things from the murky depths of memory might be slightly difficult. Also10 best places and 10 worst ones assumes that I have visited 20 or more places. Which sitting here in Kochi, is something I can only dream of.
Just throwing the idea of movies around with Kichu, I find I’m thinking of many dos and don’ts. Do I add movies in all languages or do I stick with only English/only Hindi/only Malayalam?? All the movies that come to mind are funny ones.. should I include only those? Or for a list to be truly inclusive does it have to have movies of all genres? Or perhaps I should do different lists of movies – Humour/action/drama. As Bertie Wooster would say, the mind boggles at the permutations possible.
What is it with asking so many instructions (or guidelines, for want of a better word)? I think a lifetime spent in following instructions does this to people. One can’t function without the help of a flowchart. If A happens, go to step C. If B happens go to step D. Our whole life is charted out and God help those who step out of line!!! What I wouldn’t give for some spontaneity. To be able to just go whenever I want to and stop whenever I like. To be able to laze around all day and not feel guilty about it. And most important of all, to be able to afford to do so!! AHA! Therein lies the crux of the matter..
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
The Kerala of my Childhood
Having been born in Calcutta (Kolkotta of today) and having spent most of my school life in Allahabad, we would come down to Kerala for our holidays once in 2 years.
The heat while traversing the length of India in a train was unbearable. We had a long wait at Itarsi where our compartment from Allahabad would be attached to the train going to Madras (was it the GT?? I can't remember).
I remember though that my dad used to dip the 'thorthus' in water and hang it on our coupe windows to cool down a little bit. We used to stock up on thorthus for the 2 years during our trip and the last function they performed was to cool the interior of the coupe after which we would throw them away and stock up on new ones!
From Madras, my dad would hire a taxi and we would travel to Kerala via Salem, Coimbatore, Palgat Nilambur (which is where my mum is from), Calicut, Trichur with a detour to Guruvayoor finally ending up at Adoor where my paternal grand mother lived.
All the way we lived with relatives for a day or two, my parents catching up with all the news but me feeling very out of place and awkward. The only languages I was comfortable with were English and Hindi and my Malayalam was very hesitant. I still have trouble with some of the words (nammal and njangal to name 2).
I loved Nilambur though, if only because of the books that were there and plenty of corners in which to curl up and read. In some houses, especially during my earlier visits, evening would fall and the randhal had to be lit. That would be the end of that day's reading. I guess I was not a very popular guest with the kids.. (doesn't know Malayalam properly and not joining in the games!! What Jaada, in today's language).
Adoor was fun. A huge house filled with lots of cousins who were army brats and more or less in the same position as I was though I think they were more adaptable due to their constant uprooting. There was an unavoidable trip to Mavelikkara and Trivandrum to visit more relatives.
There were so many things so different from our northy life. The rain, the likes of which were rarely seen in the north, that started at the beginning of our holidays. The outside loos which scared the hell out of me (what if we fell down one?). The sight of the lush green paddy fields. The trips to the rubber thotam with my grandmother at Adoor and the smoky curing room. The smell of bananas hung up to ripen in the kitchen. The women bent over at the waist, wiping the floors of the house twice a day. The sound of the pounding of rice for puttu and kadala in the morning.
Fed on banana chips, chakka and poola (kappa here) chips and chakka varatiyathu and mangoes and so many of these goodies which we saw only when we came to Kerala ... unless some hardy relative decided to visit us at Allahabad and brought us these in little plastic packets and then wrapped in the Malayala Manorama/Mathrubhumi depending on which end of Kerala they came from.
Of course it was fun in parts, but mostly I think I was glad to go back to my undisturbed existence where a book or two was all I wanted and the only contact we had with Kerala was when someone wrote a letter and the daily songs broadcast on radio from 3-4pm (15 minutes in each of the south Indian languages). My mother would switch on the radio at 2.30 and woe betide anyone who had the temerity to change the station!! (not that there were that many to choose from.)
Memories of childhood and early teen years.. relived every 2 years and remembered with affection now -- though at that time the feelings were more ambiguous.
The heat while traversing the length of India in a train was unbearable. We had a long wait at Itarsi where our compartment from Allahabad would be attached to the train going to Madras (was it the GT?? I can't remember).
I remember though that my dad used to dip the 'thorthus' in water and hang it on our coupe windows to cool down a little bit. We used to stock up on thorthus for the 2 years during our trip and the last function they performed was to cool the interior of the coupe after which we would throw them away and stock up on new ones!
From Madras, my dad would hire a taxi and we would travel to Kerala via Salem, Coimbatore, Palgat Nilambur (which is where my mum is from), Calicut, Trichur with a detour to Guruvayoor finally ending up at Adoor where my paternal grand mother lived.
All the way we lived with relatives for a day or two, my parents catching up with all the news but me feeling very out of place and awkward. The only languages I was comfortable with were English and Hindi and my Malayalam was very hesitant. I still have trouble with some of the words (nammal and njangal to name 2).
I loved Nilambur though, if only because of the books that were there and plenty of corners in which to curl up and read. In some houses, especially during my earlier visits, evening would fall and the randhal had to be lit. That would be the end of that day's reading. I guess I was not a very popular guest with the kids.. (doesn't know Malayalam properly and not joining in the games!! What Jaada, in today's language).
Adoor was fun. A huge house filled with lots of cousins who were army brats and more or less in the same position as I was though I think they were more adaptable due to their constant uprooting. There was an unavoidable trip to Mavelikkara and Trivandrum to visit more relatives.
There were so many things so different from our northy life. The rain, the likes of which were rarely seen in the north, that started at the beginning of our holidays. The outside loos which scared the hell out of me (what if we fell down one?). The sight of the lush green paddy fields. The trips to the rubber thotam with my grandmother at Adoor and the smoky curing room. The smell of bananas hung up to ripen in the kitchen. The women bent over at the waist, wiping the floors of the house twice a day. The sound of the pounding of rice for puttu and kadala in the morning.
Fed on banana chips, chakka and poola (kappa here) chips and chakka varatiyathu and mangoes and so many of these goodies which we saw only when we came to Kerala ... unless some hardy relative decided to visit us at Allahabad and brought us these in little plastic packets and then wrapped in the Malayala Manorama/Mathrubhumi depending on which end of Kerala they came from.
Of course it was fun in parts, but mostly I think I was glad to go back to my undisturbed existence where a book or two was all I wanted and the only contact we had with Kerala was when someone wrote a letter and the daily songs broadcast on radio from 3-4pm (15 minutes in each of the south Indian languages). My mother would switch on the radio at 2.30 and woe betide anyone who had the temerity to change the station!! (not that there were that many to choose from.)
Memories of childhood and early teen years.. relived every 2 years and remembered with affection now -- though at that time the feelings were more ambiguous.
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