Bits & Pieces

I love holidays that fall close to the weekend. Then you can take just one day off at work and get a fairly long weekend. The Christmas one is one such. Planning Vizag- Araku Valley though i hear it will be terribly crowded then.

Met some relatives over the weekend, apart from some general outings. Rangachari in Mylapore has an appearance that belies its wares. Found some really cute paavadais for Anush and pleasant cotton kurtis for myself there. Anush wore a pale blue one for Karthikai.

Caught up on the finals of Voice Of India.I was awed by Madhuri Dixit's grace and absolutely disappointed that Ishmit won over Harshit- what are people thinking??!! Was delighted to see the tribute to Shaan who I think is utterly butterly delicious. A great singer ( even in his Love-ology mein first days) and a wonderful anchor as well.

Finally- I cannot resist this try. A lovely 3 bedroom flat available in Goregaon Mumbai for lease or rent. For further details mail me.

Woman Demystified

Got tagged by itchy on this which requires a lot of wit of which I have little. But here it is anyway-

1.How do you feel after a one night stand?
Groggy and in need of sleep i am sure

2. Do you ever get used to wearing a thong?
Why bother

3. Does it hurt?
IT- Info tech - why shld it hurt?

4. Do you know when you are acting crazy?
Yes we know when we are acting.

5. Does size really matter?
Does it not to you? Same rules apply ...gender equality you know.

6. When the bill comes are you still a feminist?
We will go dutch. Is that feminist?

7. Why do you take so long to get ready?
Try draping a sari and we will see how long you take.

8. Do you watch porn, too?
No. Not after seeing what it has done to you.

9. Will something from Tiffany’s solve everything?
It will make me suspicious.

10. Are guys as big of a mystery to you as you are to us?
Yeah- right.

11. Why do you sometimes think you look fat?
Sometimes? You have listening deficiency or what ?

12. Why are you always late?
Because I would not want to stand you up.

13. Does it bother you when we scratch?
I undertand - it makes you a MAN- most annoying nut. Pun intended.

14. Do you wish you could pee standing up?
No but i have wished I could pee seated.

15. Why do so many women cut their hair short as soon as they get married?
They do not need to wear flowers for the ceremony any more

16. How often do you think about sex?
Lost track.

17. What do you think of women who sleep with guys on the first date?
Caution to the winds!

18. Would you?
No.

19. Do you realize every guy wants a girl just like his mom?
They never learn do they?

20. Why does every woman think she can change him?
Because she is very patient and giving.

21. Does it matter what car I drive?
YES, of course. And how well you can be driven.

22. Do you ever fart?
No. We just do not eat any cabbage, peanuts, beans, potatao. . .

I tag anyone who wants to take it up.

Cry Wolf

Anush was crying about school the last couple of days as well. But for a new reason.

"Can we go school - XYZ? Want to go ! Want to go! Meet chithi, See A, M, others"

Since I had taken the morning off, I accompanied her to school yesterday .

Life is good.

Teen Moviyaan

Pics courtesy movie websites

Jab we Met
A very typical and young love story handled in a refreshing and sometimes amusing manner, slightly irritating in parts, less of regional stereotyping and the " sati savitri" dialogues also are tempered down. But makes you wonder why the reel life pair did not click in real life.

Om Shanti Om
This is the most irreverent spoof of Hindi cinema with all its trappings. The makers did well on laughing at themselves. But you try so hard to recollect where you saw some scene's original that the joke is lost at times. On the whole entertaining, Deepika is breathtakingly beautiful but does not look fresh or innocent unlike in the Close Up ad. Shah Rukh is at his loud best. The sets and wigs are apt and Shreyas is endearing but under utilized.

Saawariya
Rather pretentious in treatment, this movie is also a tribute to the days of Raj Kapoor. Garish lipstick ( even Zora Segal was not spared), good bit of dancing, nice eye candy for girls and boys, this was a tale that reminded me loosely of Iyyarkai. which was a far more sensitively made film. Ranbir is like Mr Neetu Singh but has a gorgeous body and dances very well. Sonam is really elegant and sweet , they should have had a better debut.

Sofa so good!

Think again. This harmless looking chair at a Coffee Day outlet near Kolar nearly caused grave harm.

Anush is a tall girl at about 3 feet. We usually give in to her wish to sit in adult chairs. And we did the same here.

The back rest was so large that Anush just slipped right through, during our very momentary lapse of attention!

I was shocked and actually happy to see her cry. I lifted her most carefully to find a small bump forming at the back of her head. Immediately placed ice and walked her a little and distracted her with a cherry. She stopped crying and was keen on eating the ice.

So I am going to be very careful about extra roomy sofas- it is possibly more room for error.

Inertia

This morning I woke up feeling" I do not want to go to work"

And soon after Anush began to chant " Dont want school-XYZ" After a really good beginning she has taken to crying as she enters and leaves the class . But her teacher assures us that she has a whale of a time during class.

What is up with mom and daughter?
Possibly lethargic after the breaks?

Anyway both of us headed to our respective destinations and one has already returned home happy and the other is happy enough to blog about it now from work.

And here is some new Anushspeak-
From the bed - you either are "get upping" and "get downing"
"Amma no touching bums chiks ".
" No touching toes- nail polish!"( imaginary nail colour)

Diwali 2007

Anush spent her Diwali for the first time in Chennai and in Chintamani ( my ILs place)

We also went to Horsely Hills and Rishi Valley , a beautiful pilgrim centre by name Kaiwara and passed through Madanapalli as well.

A lot of driving for Navy but an enriching experience for all . She vibed really well with her grandparents much to their delight.

She is back to school today...

Culture Trip

Finally we went to Hampi!!

And Anush's vocab now includes- Water Fountain, Tungabadhra, Hampi, Hospet, Pig, Ruins, Shall we get down? Rail gaadi. . . .

While I should update on the travel blog , since hardly anyone seems to visit there or leave comments, I thought I would post it right here.

We took a train to Bangalore and then the connecting overnight train( Hampi Express) to Hospet and parked at Hotel Malligai, a very comfortable modern option.

The car hired at the hotel took us to Hampi about 10 kms away. An English speaking guide walked us through the ruins and there were so many anecdotes that he had to offer.

The area is split into Hampi and Vijaynagara. Apart from Krishna Deva Raya the religious claim to fame is that Kishkinda was somewhere in the vicinity. You need to be prepared for a lot of walking even if you have a vehicle to take you up to a point.

Being the Hampi festival time there were lots of people and stages put up and concerts in progress, apart from a light and sound show on Karnataka history.

Hampi is awe inspiring from the lofty rocks that balance so easily to the chariot which has wheels that move.

Virupaksha Temple houses Shiva and Parvati- Pampadevi. It is next to Madurai in terms of the Gopuram height and a must see is the pin hole camera kind of inverted shadow. Also the three headed Nandi.

Hampi Bazar All the roads adjoining important sites form this and being the festival time it was crowded more with Rajsthani wares than those from Karnataka.

Vittala Temple is under renovation but it speaks of a glorious past. It has intriguing musical pillars and many mythical creatures. Interesting was the blue print on stone - a mini replica at the base of the main structure. Also the stone chariot which has wheels that move has been plastered now.

Queens' Zanana houses the Lotus Mahal with its ingenious AC system and is beautifully laid out. There is also a lovely pool a short distance away as also elephant stables.

The Hazara Ram temple with 3 versions of the Ramayan in sculpture is a treat.

A lot of foreign traders specially from Islamic countries have left an impact in terms of the architecture which is often a combination of Indo-Islamic styles in the administrative and residential segments.

One experience that we missed was a coracle ride on the Tungabhadra as it began to rain by the time we got there.

A must is the Mango Tree- a quaint restaurant with stone step seating under a grand old mango tree. The seating is such that if you are careless the small food table may land on the next customer's head. But the pasta was awesome as was the view.

Back near Hospet is the Tungabhadra dam and the musical fountain - a treat for little kids- begins at 7pm.

We also caught a Kannada movie- Milana -on day 2- some culture trip this.

HAPPY DIWALI!!

Dog's Tale

Anush was all excited to visit the " Happy to you Bday" of Ojas Tejas and I had told her about Duggy as well, last night, as we set out from home.

But when she got there she would not pet or play with Duggy- one of the most adorable little pups I have seen, with a very sweet disposition to match. She was in fact afraid of him.

I was a little diappointed but I am not surprised. I guess it is in her genes. Neither Navy nor I are fond of dogs.

As a child, I never raised a pet largely because we were always in flats and both my parenst were working and we had no full time help or space to take care of the pet while we were away. I recollect I wanted to keep a cat at one stage but never got around to it.

I love animals in the wilderness, on TV and in other's homes.

But if I were to be honest, I cannot see myself having one at home. Even if we had large house. Maybe if we had a lawn....I see them as a HUGE responsibility. Petty as it may sound, dog hair and the typical dog smell bothers me.

I do hope Anush is more welcoming of puppies and cats than her parents. If not she may feel left out when she hears all those who expound on the joys of having a pet.