Monday, July 26, 2010

Phoren tales - I

The time when some relative comes back from the foreign shores! The anticipated wait as they open their bags and we get a glimpse of so many things that are both alien and exotic! It could be as mundane as a shaving razor or as amazing as an Apple Mac book! The men and women wait for their turn to get what is duly theirs. It's almost like standing in front of Santa Clause and everybody wishes for something!

So, you can imagine the amount of excitement that surrounded my uncle's trip this year after what seemed like an eternity! But strangely, the excitement had nothing to do with what he brought or who got what... It was more to do with how many days he'd stay here and where he'd go and who he'd visit. Add to that his entire family in tow, one can't just drag little kids and a disinterested apathetic wife everywhere one pleases! And so, right now, things are a little frazzled as far as daily schedules are concerned! Add to that the slight hostility between my aunt and my grandmother and mom, you'll see how bad things are!

I mean.... come on people! We're all alive for a century at the maximum and that's quite a short time for keeping grudges and giving people cold shoulders. And sometimes, open fights are much better than the inlaid tension that can almost be cut with a knife!
And so, right now, as I sit between the two parties concerned, I can feel heat and cold waves all around me. The warmth and comfort that was there before has dimmed a little. And suddenly, I can't help but feel a little less excited than what is to be expected!

P.S. My tenant's mother wants some more chocolates for her daughter's daughter who lives in some obscure place far away... it's kinda hard explaining her that we didn't 'get' much to begin with. It was all what granny graciously decided to give away! Ah well.... whatever!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Why God, WHY????!

Don't you just hate it when you're going through the website of some of the premier research institutes in the country and it suddenly hits you how bad a PR they have? I mean... most of their webpages are defunct and redirect you to random places that weren't your intended destinations? And I seem to be seeing this the most when I'm trying to run a background search on some of the research faculties there! Aaaaargh! It's so irritating! For once, you'd think people who can get a P.hD. in Quantum Computing would atleast know how to maintain a decent webpage! I'm not talking about the flashy interactive website here. Just the normal text only type where I can actually get some info on what they're working on! And then, in the end, I get blamed for not doing enough research! What should I do now? Hire a private detective to tail them and find out what they do? I swear, I see another "404 error page not found" and I might just start breaking things here!

Monday, July 19, 2010

When the cuckoo flies overhead...

The past few days has been quite something! I know I can't believe I'm saying this... but my house looks habitable... Heck! It looks so neat and pretty! I seriously didn't think I could achieve this in two days but I sure did! So now, when my uncle and his family (his -in-laws included!) drop in after three years, they'll see squeaky clean rooms and paraphernalia! And believe me, I've learnt my lesson of not hoarding up useless junk and throwing it away if I don't need it! Yes sir!

And it set me thinking. Why did I collect all those junk that I actually didn't need or finished using? Hmmmm... the reason might sound utterly ridiculous and I'm not sure how many people are going to kill me or laugh till they die once they know it! But what the heck! The reason was because I felt sorry for those things. Yes! I actually thought I was hurting the feelings of the used pen by throwing it away... I felt it would be thinking (yes... 'it' would be thinking... apparently some might feel I wasn't! :P) that I'd dumped it once my use for it was over... and so, every stub of used pencil, unusable erasers, torn notebooks, and every other sort of junk found its way into my room and stayed there! Well... being an only child, I didn't have too much company around... Even friends were few and far in between. Maybe that was why I grew up considering the feelings of all objects around me... living and non-living... because those things kept me company when I was alone. This sounds depressing ne? Ah well! :D at least nobody can call me cruel! So there!

And this sets me thinking again... I've seen more than my share of people move away... grow away from me. If people could lose interest and outgrow my friendship and acquaintance, how different am I from the so called 'junk' that I threw out today? People who'd spoken so happily to me don't even seem to recognize me these days... or maybe they choose not to. Maybe I'm just a part of a past that they have no need for. Ah well... here's wishing all of them the very best for their future and I pray they never get this sort of treatment... it hurts! :/

Sunday, July 18, 2010

டப்பா டான்ஸ் ஆடிடுச்சு!!!!

If you've seen any English cartoon translated into a regional language that you understand, you'll know where I'm getting to. Not just the cartoons! Films... adverts... anything! It's hilarious! But I should say it sometimes sounds awesome! Imagine Jackie Chan saying, "டப்பா டான்ஸ்ஆடிடும் ". And somehow, I've grown attached to this phrase these days....

So, the next time my mother gives me chores and I find myself aching all over, I'll say, "Mummy.... my டப்பா டான்ஸ் ஆடிடுச்சு!" Or.... if some random person was to irritate me, "Oy! Don't you dare tread on my nerves, buster! இல்லைனா உன்னோட டப்பா டான்ஸ் ஆடிடும்!" LOL.... You'll never hear these wonderful awesome epic phrases anywhere else but in நம்ம சென்னை!


Super! Ne? ;)

Pssssst: For the first time (that I can remember), I'm actually typing rather than the usual Ctrl+X - Ctrl+V in Tamil for a Blog! Awesome! :D And how's the jackie pic? That's what you get when you have too much time in your hands and Photoshop CS3! ROFL

Friday, July 9, 2010

Viva.... octopus....trouble.... Yikes!

It has finally been decreed! My Viva voce shall happen on the 13th of July, at eleven in the morning! And now that the date and time and the name of the executioner(read external invigilator) has been announced, I feel the jittery anxiety waves that one experiences before some big event! I sure hope I don't get butchered by people! ;(

And in other news, a cephalopod joins my club of those who can see the future! I'm sure most of you must be aware of Paul the octopus! And now that Germany has lost, true to Paul's predictions, everybody wants a piece of him (quite literally!). Hmmmm.... to be gifted is a burden... And the talented and the great are forced to bear it!

So, people.... wish me luck for the Viva and Paul to survive the season! :D

Monday, July 5, 2010

UGH.... when it rains, it pours!

Why is it that when you need something so desperately, you're either insanely far away from it, or they don't make that where you live or it will be extremely expensive?!

My uncle has come down to the country with his family after three years and at this very opportune moment, my dear camera decides to misalign its lens arrangement! It's going to cost me well nigh six grand to get it fixed and well... that should explain why there shalln't be any photos anytime soon!

Add to that my inability to get a PhD seat this year and you have the best of times at home! -__-;;

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Happenings from this part of the world

Isn't it sad when you find a friend who has so much to say but doesn't stop to look around or listen to realize their words have no listeners? And when you try helping them, you end up listening and realizing.... they're so full of crap! It's just so sad! For all their bravado, they cannot hide a lonely heart! Maybe they'll find some peace if they were to step down from the pedestal once in a while and view the other mortals for what we truly are - imperfect!

In other news, my best friend's grandpa has managed to re-instill my faith in Love marriages. Imagine staying married for 53 years and seeing your family bloom from nothing... getting through the good times and the bad and still so madly in love even though the loved one has crossed over to the land of angels and harps! He actually still has the train ticket from fifty years ago... that fateful journey when he first saw the woman who would be his wife in life and death! He has my deepest respect and my even deeper condolences for losing his wife. I'm sure she's in such a beautiful place and misses only one thing to make it perfect ... him. But I hope he shalln't leave the rest of us too soon in bereavement! :)

And I'm finally getting back to writing after what seems ages of hiatus! WOOT!!! I sure did miss some of that good old fun from writing fiction and poetry! It almost feels like I'm back where I belong! But, I know I cannot actually make this my job.... I'm not bad... But I'm not good either! Eh... to be stuck in the middle as always! Aaaaaanyway, getting away from depressing thoughts, I'm celebrating the return with as much cheer and smiling as I can possibly manage without people dragging me away to the mental asylum! So, there you have it folks! Say it with me! WOOT!!!

And Argentina lost... I saw that coming.... maybe I DO have ESP! WOOT again! :P