serve,shot.....I'm smashed!!!!

When you go to play,leave your bag of excuses at home.......

"I've never played,in school or college...."

"I've never been a sporty kind of person,I prefer the gym...."

"I have just started learning....."

with every excuse my opponents smashed me harder than ever...

It was probably all those afternoons of playing(being pampered) with a friend,which gave me the over confidence to lend myself to a group of ladies who play badminton,every morning......how good can they be??or I'm not that bad!!!!!I thought vainly to myself !!

If I ever believed that over confidence kills......I could see myself being slaughtered.Blood was all over the court especially, burning hot like shame and embarrassment on my face....I rummaged through my bag of excuses,but was tongue tied......luckily my opponents were much softer than their serves and their shots....."you'll pick up"...don't worry,they consoled me.I felt like a patient with an incurable disease ,don't worry you'll live....

If that wasn't enough,my family took pity and started extending training sessions over the weekends....If i dreaded the weekday mornings,in anticipation of shame and humiliation,the weekend was time for my confidence to shatter(once again)....for my belief that"husbands are the worst instructors " was proved just right(again)

as he smashed my ego and confidence across the court,the others playing adjacent left in a hurry sensing a rise in the mercury(literally)....I had a feeling he was taking revenge for all the minor and major domestic squabbles,we must have ever had(man's only chance to get even!!!)

I realised that apart from the (excuses) mentioned above,a major part of the problem lay in the fact that the rules of the game went against my very fabric and thought process ....

1.play the game at two levels...one in your mind and the other on the court(are you kidding I can't even cook and chop at the same time....

2.pounce on your opponents weak points,thrash her when and where she least expects it(and i can begin when I'm through getting thrashed.....can barely take my eyes off the shuttle)

3.Be unpredictable,don't let your opponent know about your next move or serve(well,it's hard for me to change..i love being predictable and easy!!!!)

3.Play to win....and only win(any team I'm in....loses.....and it is not a coincidence !!!)

end result

my knees cry for mercy,

my ego is fractured,

I dream(at night) of being at the badminton court and winning two out of three games,

I have started watching sports channels(in the hope of catching tips on the sport)

I'm smashed.....but not certainly not defeated!!!!!

SHALLOW WITHIN

I saw 'Shallow hal' yesterday.
I saw 'Shallow Hal' yesterday AGAIN !!!!

Well,I guess it can be counted as a criminal offence in the court of the time gods,as watching a rerun when you have two almirahs to fix,two unfinished books(to read),uncooked vegetables begging to be cooked(slaughtered),loads of blogs to be read and a houseful of chores ....is criminal enough.But I guess,one can pamper oneself sometimes.the best thing about watching a rerun is,you begin to analyse movies to an extent which would shock the poor director.You begin to see it a new light,as if one is going to be paid handsomely to judge and comment on it.But,then its a free world,and blogging gives me an opportunity to express it.

The movie in question -Shallow hal is a story about altered perceptions, a hilarious romantic comedy ,about how a shallow Jack(hal) black,who is always on the lookout for the Perfect 10 kind of hottie woman and,is dehypnotized by a self help guru,to see the inner beauty of women, rather than their superficial outer appearances…and thus it helps him find his match in a 250 pound Paltrow.(u have to see the movie to enjoy it completely)





It left me thinking about how all of us are a little shallow Hal within and have programmed our minds to approve or reject people purely on their physical appearances….a facet that is strangely god given(and a little credit can go to the beauty and grooming industry too…I guess)

“Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder” we have been taught to follow…but I often wonder how many of us have been gifted with those’ EYES”….which can perceive and accept the true beauty of a person …the one that lies deep within us and requires no paint and polish…

but, the truth is that appearances do matter… …..as more and more people……crave to fit in…..fit into tighter jeans…..a smaller size… painstakingly calculate and fit and pray for our bmi’s to fit into the normal category…. And try for the nth time to get into that college jean that has been retained for the day “I fit…….”
No wonder the beauty industry makes whopping profits, helping people realize their BIG dream of being SMALL……
Somewhere in this race of smaller is better, we forget to see our real inner self in the mirror.
We forget to fit into a more humane world……forget to lend a helping hand when we aren’t asked…..smiling when others aren’t…..saying sorry wen we should….giving an elderly person our place in the line at the supermarket….holding the door for someone……saying good morning before others can ……..


It also left me thinking if like the character of Hal in the movie…..who sees the waifish Paltrow…instead of her weighty real self…if the world could be transformed just for one day into a place…where everyone who was a beautiful person ‘within’ could be transformed into a stunning beauty……..thus exposing the façade of .......
“the beauty fool” .

On one such day,Where do you think, would you find the most beautiful people in the world…

any guesses!!!!!

celebrating children

It's really easy to make children happy....believe me....it is !!!!

just do something that will surprise them,something, that they just don't expect you to do.As a teacher,i have often surprised my students,on several children's day functions,by putting up awkward and amateurish shows as a choreographer,dancer,singer,fashion model and actor.At all times, the sight of their teacher in another role,just freaked them out.I interrogated a lot of kids in my apartment complex,on the 14th, about how their children's' day went by,sadly none of them,sounded content !!!I missed being at school,and seeing their bright faces.

In two days time Santosh had my scooter purring like a content cat.At fourteen, he knew more about two wheelers,than a forty year old experienced mechanic.Santosh,worked at 80 rs a day and he wasn't complaining.He had never been to school,his only learning being in the garage ,working almost 8-10 hrs a day and was proud of the fact that he supported his family.

When i asked him,if he knew ,that today 14th was children's day,he said, that was for kids in school and that he wasn't a child anymore.At that time,it was hard to believe that he was just fourteen.I guess he was right,because he wasn't doing anything that a child of his age should have been doing.As i was about to take his picture,he stopped me with his question,'why are you taking my photo,aunty?'I, who am always ready with my bag full of answers,had to think for a while,and told him,that i was writing a story, and that he was the hero of my story.
i think i told him the truth....not a story,the kind that we usually tell,to avoid and ignore questions that children put up to us.

Mayank,age twelve years celebrated his birthday,the same evening,and the celebrations were certainly the talk of Brigade millennium.With a party happening at two levels,with two different themes and two different D.j's,two different sets of menu's, and loads of games.It was every kids dream come true.I don't really blame his parents,like all modern over enthusiastic parents, they were simply using the depth of their pockets,to display their love to their kid (and the rest of the world).

what is it that separates these two children,almost the same age,and puts them in stark opposite lives.Money one would say......i think,it's a bigger word called, DESTINY....

I wonder if Santosh knows about, how children like Mayank celebrate their birthday....I hope he never finds out......

i wonder if Mayank knows,how Santosh spends his day......I hope his parents show him someday.

IT WAS RAINING 'BOWS'

One is lucky,when....

After a heavy storm....

there appears a rainbow...for nature proves time and again that, none of her services come as a guaranteed package deal.....

and that 'ek ke saath ke free',exists in nature too...

in true diwali (commercial)spirit and style ......

(a rare occurrence of two rainbows....the second one to the left of the brighter one)

There are very few things left in this world that money can't buy,

for everything else,there's MASTER CARD

BUT sometimes you DO need a MASTER CARD ,to buy a camera to click such a brilliant moment !!!!!

the memory of those two rainbows,both at the same time...

PRICELESS....

thank you MASTER CARD !!!!

It was peering at me,when i opened my eyes this morning.

"How do you feel ?"it asked me.
"well,just the same.What did you expect?"said I ,irritated at this early morning confrontation.
It laughed,a haughty half laugh,as if victorious and said"Well,all those who care, will remind you of me today,gently ,in their own way!!!!"

"And by the way,don't take too long to get used to me,I know you hate change."
"Shoo !" I tried to push it away.
"I'll be back next year,with more additions," it had a smirk on his face as it walked away.

"and oh ,BTW,HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!" it said turning around one last time.

thirty three came to scare me this morning,but i told it,what i tell everyone
(and i believe Mark Twain wrote this for me and me alone!!!)

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter

MAIDLESS !!!!!

Well, life in a metro like Bangalore, is tough, a replacement (house) maid has more attitude, than your just returned US EXPAT neighbor.I am maidless, and all those of you who are raising an eyebrow at the mundanity of the topic, please raise both eyebrows now and bestow a little pity, because, this is one crucial issue, and a formidable force of nature, which hits each one of us, no matter which stage of life we are in. Whether you are married or happy, man or a woman, this is one maid you can’t do without. Like at the end of every ordeal(2 full maidless)days, one has arrived at the following profound conclusions……

· A ‘no maid’ situation ,has therapeutic value, here I was down and out with fever and chills, barely able to blink and lo behold, the tragic news cures me of all aches and pains .MODERN MIRACLES !!!

· The maid does a lousy job of cleaning (realized this while cleaning yesterday), yet is more efficient than me, coz what takes her exactly 25 min took me more than an hour!!!!TIME MANAGEMENT WITHOUT ATTENDING B SCHOOL

· Am losing hair by the kilos. It can’t be anybody elses, coz the only other two people in the house, (fortunately) still sport near crew cuts!!!! HAIR THERE EVERYWHERE

We have too much furniture at home. It’s technically and humanly impossible to maneuver through the furniture, while cleaning the house. GO BARE!!! I mean reduce and reduce!!!

· 1600 sq ft is really too much of luxury to deal with or rather clean!!!! SIMPLE LIVING AND IN SMALLER SPACES WILL INDUCE HIGH THINKING…..i am convincing myself to believe

· The myth, that I was some kind of high endurance cardio queen in the gym, was busted, as one round of JHADU POONCHA took the wind out of me. WAS SWEATING AT 19 DEGREES CENTIGRADE.

·That I have the most adorable husband, as was taken out for dinner and from being MAID was given special treatment by both father and son as MAID OF HONOUR.

AN INDIAN EPIC !!!

Move over Harry potter and Lord of the rings,and all those who accuse Indians of plagiarism, for here is a movie ,which can be touted as the original ‘baap’ of all Fantasy, long before the genre ,ever came into fashion. If you thrive on Fantastical adventures, here’s one which will gratify all genres and tastes, as the ultimate masala movie, with a potent mix of Fantasy, family drama, costume (drama) and of course rib tickling comedy that will leave you crying(for NO more)

The plot of PATAAL BHAIRAVI is the story of a brave heart, poor lad(Jitendra) dressed in Greeko style,(GOD alone knows why)and the fabric of his dresses, alternates magically between suede…leather and embroidery, in love with our heavily ‘accented’ poor little rich princess(Jaya Prada),who in turn gets kidnapped by an evil ,satin obsessed Sorcerer, Kadar Khan, who strikes everyone with his rather ingenious, indigenous version of abracadabra……AAM PHAT !!!(You read it right aam phat) if Achilles’ had a heel, the key to all his (KK’S) magical abilities, lay in his……….his beard !!!!

One of the highest points(there being innumerable ones)in the movie,is the item number by the damsel in distress Dimple(kapadia),who is desperately trying to lure our chaste hero(a la Menaka style)and our VIshwamitra(Jitendra,who fights her off, with corny lines like….tum mujhe aapne vasna ki aag mein jalana chahte ho)and who has been ‘shraped’by an evil tantrik,and is freed by Jitendra.There are numerous other unforgettable characters like Asrani and the unmistakably large Amjad Khan, playing a la Astrik and Obelisk(with the horns) reincarnated in Patal Lok,who help thicken and unthicken the plot,and make this movie,truly a ‘CLASSIC’.Watch it to believe,the insanity !!!

DIL MANGE 'MORE'

· read 40% of the newspaper, at a stretch(which is quite a feat, considering low levels of concentration)

· took Anshul to the dentist(because bitter past experience has taught me that prevention is better than waiting endlessly outside the dentist's office)

· visit doctor for vaccinations(which have been so delayed that the doc suspects that I’m his foster mother,and the fact that I can’t remember whether he had measles or chicken pox,when he was a baby,acts as fuel to the doctors’ doubts!!)

· buy ‘GOOD’ vegetables, that everyone will eat(which actually leaves me with very few options, so easier said than done)

· Give clothes for stitching (for this is the ideal gap between post eid and pre diwali,and may be I'll be lucky to get them back in a month)

· Wind up pending job at the bank (which meant I had to remove my helmet, sun coat and scarf AGAIN!!!...coz with all these on ,the security guard would not have let me in)

· pick up pamphlet from ranga shankara,about theatre festival,(so that one can plan much ahead and not miss the plays…YET AGAIN)

Seven major errands done and seventy more pending at home. If there’s one complaint I have against god, it is that he gave me just 24 hrs in a day. I decide to reward Anshul with a pack of kurkure, for he is extremely upset at being ‘pricked’, without adequate notice!! We park ourselves on the J.P Nagar II Phase curb and sit down to enjoy, a tight rope walking act,by two little girls, in the middle of the street(much to the annoyance of passers-by).
As the little girl accepted the 10 rs reward from us with a smile, I marvelled at her ability to smile, despite the kind of life she lived. Maybe I was being unfair and selfish by complaining about walking on a tight rope, juggling small time assignments (which can hardly be called as work) family, gym, holidays, friends, watching plays,reading, attending guitar classes, housekeeping(where the maid does 80%of the REAL work).

I guess it's just a habit and in fashion to complain about ones’, severe lack of time and to lament about the undone than the done. We all complain of tight schedules and the growing TIME –LESS syndrome, we grumble about how we are never able to do MORE...
Well here was someone who did that not for more, but just to make ends meet.

The to-do list is endless, 24 hours in a day; never seem enough to finish what is...or rather is intended to be done. I have decided to look back and see and feel happy, more about the DONE this time…!!!
As I reached back home, I gave myself a pat on the back,for having kept the lunch ready, for there is nothing like a good lunch waiting at home, when one is really hungry and felt thankful to be in a situation where I could take a break from work to sit back at home, to do MORE or LESS NOTHING!!!!

As for the list of things still undone, because I sat down to write this post.....
Tomorrow is another day, which promises a full 24 hours......