Monday 28 July 2008

The Dog with an Attitude!

Golti and I were coming back home on his bike from college after leaving at 530 itself. While treading our usual route, there was this Dog, not a puppy, lets say an Adoloscent which was lying in the Middle of G.N.Chetty Road, right opposite the Gurudwara.

It was not moving, but it was alive. Both of us thought it was hurt and that we should move it to the platform. Golti halted the Bike, I walked to the middle of the road and lifted the Dog by it's neck, like lifting a Cat (which has become second nature to me) and it didn't resist at all. Happily Obliged.

As soon as I placed it on the Platform, it yawned and walked a few paces, curled up and Slept off...

Conned.. By an Adoloscent dog...

Sunday 20 July 2008

My Grand Ma...

My Grandma passed away this friday. My Mom's mother. She was 73. She was a bit Schizophrenic and thankfully didn't suffer much when it happened.

She was a Grandmother I never had. She was barely able to recognize anyone other than her 3 daughters. Her recognizing range was just about 10 people and that didn't include me. I had to introduce myself to her everytime I visited her.

It's one thing not to have a Grandmother at all, its totally another thing to have a Grandmother who sits with you and narrates stories and advices you and things. But it's a different thing altogether to have a Grandmother who can't even recognise you. It aches. I hear my friends tell me tales about their Grandmas, I see Grandmas of my friends and it aches. My dad's mom died when I was in the 3rd Grade. Didn't know much of her either. Both my Grand dads died when my parents were young themselves. So I've never had Grand Parents at all.

It was pretty difficult for me to see my Mom all teary eyed. I almost burst out myself. Grandma was kinda not talking to anyone and bed ridden for the past 10 years, but it obviously affects my mom that her Mom is no more...

I was just talking to my mom about grandma and my mom told me that she drinks her Milk hours after it's kept out for her. She wants it to be absolutely cold and not hot at all. That's how I drink mine!

I wonder if I would've been a different person if my Grand Parents were there for me when I was growing up.

I hope her soul rests in Peace, she was a good Mother, my Mom turned out alright. She must have been a nice person, I'm sure. I was just unlucky not to know her at all.

Friday 18 July 2008

I've Lost It!

It 's been 2 years since I played for my School at Kalpakkam for the Regional Level Badminton Meet. The experience I gained there as a player is immeasurable. I probably played alongside some of the best talent among students of my batch and I won against some. It was a pleasure actually.

Compare that experience with what happened on Monday. Selections for the College Badminton team started at 930. I had given away my racket to one of my friends from school and never got it back. So I thought I should get one before I go to college. Trust me, I searched for a Sports Shop at 9 in the morning starting from Kodambakkam right till Santhome covering Alwarpet, Mylapore and Mandaveli, as my luck would have it, none of them were open!!

So I went in to college, not knowing what to do, the Only Person who had come to the Badminton Selections without a Racket to play with. Thankfully, some kind souls lent me one and I practiced a few shots after 2 1/2 years. After waiting anxiously for an hour, the man called my name and I was supposed to be playing against one of my class mates.

It couldn't have been more Pathetic. He was a decent player, could've defeated him easily when I was in school. But now, I had lost all my moves, all my thinking abilities, my strategies weren't working, the Cock was badly damaged (No Replacement until the 2nd round of selections, 30 matches with the same Cock!!) and I didn't have my racket. I had borrowed a Yonex from one of my friends, it was a brilliant piece, but the Chemistry just wasn't there.

A Racket with which you play isn't just something you use to hit the cock to the other end. It is an extension of your arm, you must feel it like your own piece of flesh and blood and bones and use it with utmost ease. The racket I used in School was a Silver's which I had bought with my own money. It was heavy by many standards, the grip was poor and the guts were a bit weak. But it was MY own. Whenever I lifted it, I knew I could whack a few shots with it. It was powerful and most importantly, it felt freaking good to play with it. But today wasn't that kinda day where I had luck. So i lost bad, 2-9 to be precise.

Humiliating! :(

Wednesday 16 July 2008

Irritant No 3

On my list of things that Irritate me, People arguing without understanding what the opposite party says completes the podium.

When two people argue without realising that they both are talking about the same thing, it's not only hilarious, but quite irritating. They tend to increase their volumes when they stress on something and this I hate.

My Bro is one of the worst when it comes to this. He will have 1 point, just that one and keep on repeating the SAME thing again and again and again and again.. and in order to make this clear to everyone in the room, he will increase his volume Proportionally with frequent hand swings and power grunts.
It gets even more irritating when the other person is my Dad. He is someone who just Has to keep his volume up and not much of an arguer.

So tonight was one of those times when I had to walk out of the room when there was an "Important" family decision to be made. Heck, they both were saying the same things with different words. If they weren't wise enough to realise that, there really isn't any use being in the same room is there?!

Saturday 12 July 2008

#143

"So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin
You're waiting for someone to perform with
And don't you know that it's just you, hey Jude, you'll do
The movement you need is on your shoulder
"

...

Thursday 3 July 2008

Dad re-discovering his roots!

My Dad's a Mallu. He was born in Kerala and his whole family shifted to Madras (Lloyd's road to be specific) sometime in the late 60s. Since he spent most of his Childhood in Kerala, he kinda knows Malayalam.

Usually, his TV time-table was pretty monotonous. News at 7,730,8,9,930 pm every night. Thanks to him, the rest of our family has the same schedule kinda imposed upon us. But off late, the 930 news slot has been sacrificed for a couple of serials, 2 serials concerning "Krishna/Guruvayoorappan" to be precise. Now these two are aired on Surya TV and Asianet at the same time. Kinda like some 2 high profile serials being aired at the same time on Sun TV and Jaya TV.

Now, what my dad does is pretty tickling. He sees one of the serials, waits for the break in that and watches the other one till there's a break in that and so on. This may not be new for the serial Serial Watchers, but he adds his own Mallu Touch to this.

Deviating a bit, I learnt some basic French at school and whenever I watch a French movie, I am able to pick up 1 word in each sentence.

My Dad, similarly, seems to have forgotten his Malayalam (Constant Exposure to Madras Tamil can do that I am told) and picks up a single word from each sentence. This can get pretty irritating when he picks it up, says it, translates it to Tamil and waits for the next word. Accompanied by frequent "tsk tsks" and Singing along with Jesudas, who sings the title track for both serials, this habit has started to get on my nerves.

But what the heck? If he can derive pleasure from doing this, if he can keep himself happy for that 1/2 hr, who cares? Why would I want to break his Happy Little Bubble?? Sigh, My Dad!!!