Smells like my childhood...

It's amazing how a smell can take you back in time. Every morning, on my way to work, as I cross Lower Agaram Road in Victoria Layout, there's somebody burning a pile of leaves from inside a compound. Not just any leaves - eucalyptus leaves! And the smell is absolutely gorgeous - slightly minty, slightly old, slightly woody and very very familiar. 

The smell really takes me back several years, to the time I was in school. My formative years were spent in Ooty. (Yes, my parents did love me enough to send me to hostel.) A good stretch of the road from Gudalur to Ooty is flanked by eucalyptus plantations. The barks of the trees were flaky and ash grey, the leaves, a silvery green and the earth below would be covered with a million fallen leaves. Every time we drove past them, we'd feel a bit of a chill, the kind that made me want to snuggle close to my mum. 

Still closer to Ooty, near Pykara, on a bend on a road, there was a blackened shed. The smell of burning eucalyptus would emanate through the air as we drove past it. As a child I wondered two things - who lived in there and what did the inside of the shed look like. I've always wanted to take a peek inside - I must the next time I go that way. 

I also recall the chicken-pox outbreak in school; I may have been about 10 or 11 years old then. After dinner, those of us who had the good fortune of having had an attack earlier and were therefore immune, would have to go to the infirmary to collect a sprig of eucalyptus leaves. This, we would leave under our pillows. Not sure what the logic was, but it apparently helped keep the pox away. It also worked rather well (I think) as a mosquito repellent. For me, it was so much more. The pillow would absorb the lovely smell of the leaves, and  as I buried my head into my pillow and drifted off to sleep, the smell would be so comforting.   

To this day, the smell of eucalyptus, especially when the leaves are burning, inspires such a comfortable and warm feeling in me. On this note, a trip to Ooty, seems to be in the offing.

Pic courtesy: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/51526204

Animalia

One of the things I really enjoyed doing on my trip to Kashmir was taking pictures of all the animals that we came across. From majestic horses to pot-bellied marmots to birds I couldn't identify to random strays, I was in awe of everything. Here are some of the beauties I met. 

Gulab and Mehendi - Gulmarg

Horses - Gulmarg

Ducks in the water - Nagin Lake, Srinagar

Dog at Tibetan Market - Leh

Oneandaf horned domestic cow - Leh

Goat - Turtuk

Magpies on a wire - Turtuk 

Bactrian Camel - Nubra Valley

Himalayan Marmots - Near Pangong Lake 

Horses - Near Pangong Lake

Duck - Pangong Lake

Surprised Cat - Jalianwalla Bagh, Amritsar

Prelude to Ladakh

When Mark Twain wrote "cheer in every face and a spring in every step", I am certain he not only meant the glorious Sunday that Tom Sawyer and his boys were out to have, but also the feeling when he set out on a journey, long dreamt of, leaving everything else behind. This is exactly how I am feeling at this very moment. 

So after three years of planning and going elsewhere, our Ladakh trip has finally materialised. My girls and I are only a couple of hours away from having to pull out our jackets and caps. Brrrr... the excitement is chilling me! (For those who don't get the pun, it's an old MTV reference). 

So we didn't really have to pull out our jackets and caps for a good part of the holiday. It was bloody hot. 

Here is a picture of Drass. 

It must have been about 30 degrees the day we were there. So much for the warm clothes!

Sharan and The Fat Cat

Everything around me seems to be on pause mode. It's time I pushed the button and moved on. And I turn to Ms. Sharanya Ramprakash for inspiration. 

Sharan is an old friend; I've known her for over 5 years now and I think she's one of the coolest people around. So this week, I shamelessly promote her, so that she will be forced to buy me many, many drinks when I meet her next. 

Sharan is many things. 

rescuer of week old kittens
auteur and actor extraordinaire
funny woman
writer 
drama queen

A couple of months back, Sharan added yet another feather to her already well accomplished cap. She has changed the lives of a good number of children - kids who are in her words, stuck between the pavement and nowhere. In her pretty house in South Bangalore, she teaches them how to draw, write, express and very simply put, be children. She has chronicled her time with them here: http://fatcatfoundation.wordpress.com. It makes for a fantastic read, it has beautiful pictures of little feet and most importantly, it inspires me to want to do more. 

Sharan, I absolutely love how you follow your heart. I think the world needs many more of you. 

Singing songs of freedom

School assembly was always defined by the watchword for the week. Watchword was typically a theme that was selected by a particular class and for the entire week, the class would have to put up a 5 to 10 minute performance sort of thing based on the theme, so as to inspire everybody. The is could be a skit or a reading of quotes or a song, pretty much anything. Even the choir would pick songs that seemed as relevant as possible to the chosen theme. And since I studied in a convent, it was inevitable that the theme was heavily moral laden. 

When I was a young lass in Class 4 B, my class teacher was this wonderful woman called Ms. Hyacinth. (I always wondered why her parents named her after an invasive aquatic weed. Truth be told, I am yet to make sense of it). Nevertheless, she was this petite, short haired and superbly intelligent woman. She was also one of the first people who literally threw me to the sharks to face two of my fears - stage fright and singing in public.  

So it was 4 B's turn to do the watchword for the week and we chose the theme "Freedom". Ms. Hyacinth made sure that as many people as possible got to participate.  I don't recall auditions for these little performances that we had to put up; whether one had talent or not, it was important that everybody got a chance to participate. Some quoted famous sayings, while others wore kurtas and dhotis with neta caps and reenacted the Indian Freedom Struggle. I sang! 

And so arrived one of my finest stage performances. I was made to wear a brown shawl with a yellow beak made of chart paper. I had to move my hands up and down as if imitating the flapping wings of a bird, and walk back and forth on the stage. All this while I belted George Baker's Una Paloma Blanca. 

And for some reason today I remembered how I felt that day. As I started singing, my voice quavered. With each new line, my voice grew stronger and I grew more confident. I also distinctively remember trying to remembering to flap my wings every few seconds, so I would successfully pass off as a bird. It was also one of the first tunes I learnt to play on the piano, with melody and chords. To this day, every time I play it, I try to sing along.  

Everything about that day was perfect. Almost everything actually. The one thing we got wrong was the colour of the shawl - it should have been white for Una Paloma Blanca means "A White Dove" in Spanish. 

For my magic box...

a patch of green from my mother's garden
the moon when it's giving a thin sliver of a smile
the silhouette of a tree on a purple night sky
a giant swing on a lake front 
my still menagerie of animal figures 
chocolates - all sorts
a picture of us by the sea
enough music to last me seventeen decades
the cat and dog to whom i am 'most favourite human'
my bookshelf
a hammock 
brightly coloured flip flops 
my faded and worn out black t-shirt

these are some of the things I want to put away in a box... the box that I will take with me when I leave...  

Duet

I am an extremely shy singer. The minute I have to sing in front of people, my voice gets really small. I rarely sing alone. In a group too, I make sure that my voice is not loud enough for people to notice it much. And horror of horrors, if someone says, "OMG! You're singing!", I shut up. 

But I love to sing. I was in the choir at school and took part in group competitions in college. Thanks to many years of convent education, I can belt out carols and 'God songs'. When I am alone, I sing loudly. I can afford to screw up when I am alone and I certainly am not judging myself. If anything I am practicing. I can also make up songs on the spur of the moment, about things that are happening right then. Here is a prime example of the aforesaid phenomenon. 

"My mother is sleeping and I'm so bored. 
I would like to marry an Italian toad.
Why am I doing this?
I don't know, give me a kiss.
'Tis such sweet rhyming,
With such impeccable timing."

Despite possessing such talent, it's all this modern day music scene that makes me clam up; where a friend picks up the guitar and another keeps beat and yet another sings like a god/goddess. I so badly want to sing along loudly (and secretly steal the singer's voice like Ursula, the Sea Witch from The Little Mermaid). I am however terrified that I will be judged  - my voice, the pitch and timing (which really sucks, like really!). So I continue to sing, so softly that I sometimes cannot hear myself. 

Right now, the DG is in town after a while. We've never really performed together. He plays the guitar like a mad man; he is very, very good. So good! I normally keep belting out rhymes and carols and Christian songs and spur of the moment numbers to bug him. The past 2 days, he's been letting me sing to his playing. And I've been singing loudly and liking it. 

Today's session included Green Day's Holiday (with the little speech that includes Gasbag and Eiffel Tower), Beat It and Come Together. While I honestly think my singing was not up to scratch, the man is so bloody encouraging. *full love* He recorded  some part of the session, secretly at first and I sound good. In parts. So I have now decided to sing louder. I will continue will my private practicing till some neighbour complains and asks me to shut up. But till then, I am going to sing my heart out, till I am not so shy anymore. 

He's out of town for 2 days. In the interim period, I plan to practice for better quality sessions and also learn to play something on the guitar. Right now the only things I can play are 2 chords - F and C, and a rendition of Prayer of Saint Francis. Till then, ta. You'll hear from me when I am musically more sound. 

Also a blog is such a brilliant place to brag about yourself and not feel like an idiot. Thank the Lord (from my convent school days) for small mercies! 

Chingum Menagerie

My latest assignment on the Venture Labs course on creativity was with chewing gum. We had to find an alternate use for chewing gum. It was certainly difficult for me to think from a new business point of view, so I applied a more creative aspect to it. In the process, I also figured that I am blessed with more creative skills than I credit myself with. 

I made a bunch of animal faces with various types of chewing gum. These I think will make for a lovely gift to an animal loving, sweet toothed friend or as illustrations for a picture book for children. I used them as "An ode to poetry in chewing gum" (mostly to Ogden Nash). 

The Dog 

The truth I do not stretch or shove

When I state that the dog is full of love. 

I've also found, by actual test,

A wet dog is the lovingest.

- by Ogden Nash

The Pig

The pig, if I am not mistaken, 

Supplies us sausage, ham and bacon, 

Let others say his heart is big-- 

I call it stupid of the pig. 

- by Ogden Nash

And here's the rest of my gum menagerie.  

The Rabbit

The Octopus/Spider

The Cat

The Fish

This was so, so, so much fun! I really had a ball. My favourites are the dog and the fish. I also tried making a snake and failed miserably, and I proceeded to eat it. :)

Just in case you want to try this out yourself, here's some info.

Things you'll need:

• Chewing gum in different colours and shapes. I used Big Babol (yes, it still is manufactured and it's still not yum ), Wrigley's Spearmint, Orbit and Mentos (not really gum, but certainly chewy)
• Thin tipped markers for drawing out features
• Rolling or cutting board to roll out the gum on
• Knife 

Word of advice, don't chew the gum before you work with it. While it becomes soft and pliable, it is extremely sticky and quite a task to scrape off your hands. It's also gross!

As right as rain

i love everything about the rain 
the smell of wet earth after a long, dry spell
how it dispels the heat
making one believe that such a respite is worth the long wait
the clouds before the rain 
grey and menacing 
staring angrily, as if to say just you wait
the flash of lightning
illuminating everything in its way
the accompanying sound of thunder
rumbling sometimes like it's been satiated after a heavy meal
at others like it's angry and mean 
and wants to pour out its wrath on its minions below
the pitter patter of the rain when it's just setting in 
or the loud constant splatter when it pours
the many leaves and twigs that it brings down with it
pulling them away from the trees as they cling on it for dear life
as if on their last limbs
the light shower on the face sitting next to a window
getting drenched completely while standing under it
waiting to soak it all under the skin
how it quietens everything else
but the roar of its din 

i love the rain
when it drizzles, thin blunt needles of water dropping on the skin
when it comes for a fleeting moment and gives hope
i love it most, when it pours
it shuts out everything else

Happy Monday

Typically a Monday does not call for too much celebration. 



The weekend is over. You're still nursing a mild hangover from the mild partying that you did Sunday night. You have to go to work for five, maybe six continuous days before the weekend comes around again. You know that you will reach at least 5 minutes late to that very important meeting that's been set up first thing in the morning. And honestly it wasn't your fault; it really was the traffic. And did I forget to mention, you're in such a tearing hurry to get out of the house that you have missed that oh so important cup of coffee, that beautiful black brew which will kick start your brain into action. 

Also did you notice how I said You? So yes, this was pretty much what my Monday morning looked like for many, many months. And honestly I didn't have too much of a problem with it, because I was unstoppable and I loved my job and the people that came with it and the after-work extra curricular activities that would ensure. 

I have been masquerading as a freelance writer for 6 months now. So when I was working in the corporate world, I would think that if I had free time apart from the weekend, I would do a million, million things - bake, work with animals, go to the planetarium, finish the driving lessons, travel and so on. 

This doesn't really happen - not all the things that you put on your "When I'm on a break list" actually materialize. It's actually alright. You have the time and opportunity to completely unwind. Travel does happen and how; so much so that I have learnt the art of travelling light. I've been reading a lot, discovering some kickass and I mean KICKASS books along the way - The Book Thief, 1Q84, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, 84 Charing Cross - happiness and joy. I have more time for friends and family, and I do them the honour of grazing their homes with my presence more often than before. Exercising has come to the fore once again. On a mostly (un)related note, I apparently burnt 497 calories yesterday! Woo hoo!  

While a lot gets done, a good number of things don't get done too. I know they eventually will, maybe some after I starting working again even. But some days you are left with the bitter taste in your mouth - and you know it reeks of the time that's been wasted. This is especially true if you have slept for most part of the day or if you have been putting away brushing your teeth till you need to get out of the house to buy instant noodles. 

This morning was a little different. Actually so was the rest of the day. I would actually say today has been quite productive, very indeed and here's why.

• I got a call from an animal magazine to write for them. The excitement is killing me. I only hope my quote for the pieces doesn't kill them. 
• I signed up for a 6 week online course on creativity on Venture Lab. My first assignment is to design the book cover for my autobiography. Will post it here once I 'design' it. Design - it makes me feel cooler than I am supposed to, more arty-farty than usual. As an aside, if someone cannot dance, you say they have 2 left feet. In that case, are they accused of having 2 left hands if they can't draw? If so, I am blessed with an excess of left limbs. 
• I also signed up for a 3 day cooking course at Secret Garden. I learned to make mayonnaise from scratch today and also got to carry home what I made in a little doggy bag. It's a little salty, but I'm sure with a little dill and a lot of potato, it will be perfect. I also believe I can make Vegetable Stock and Vinaigrette. Tomorrow I will be making pasta from scratch - the dough, rolling it, the sauces, et al. Yum! Day after is desserts - Lemon Curd and Choco Lava Cake. I would also very much like to have Choco Lava Cake NOW!
• I now know how to spell Vinaigrette. I honestly though it was Vinegarette.      
• I have created a profile on Khan Academy to study science. So I was one of the few people from my generation who was allowed to drop Science as a subject in my 8th standard. Why I did, I can't fathom now; I constantly berate myself about it. But back then my reasoning was sound. I think. My big brother was studying Commerce and anything he did was the best thing in the world. I would have more free hours - 10 more per week than the poor Science students. The once that cinched the deal was having to study for only 1 subject, aka Commerce as opposed to 3 - Chemistry, Biology and Physics. For the past couple of years, I have felt the need to have stimulating scientific conversations thanks to the DG and his friends who are engineers. And yes, also not to feel stupid when I can't or won't be able to quote and explain what Newton's Laws of Motion are. 
  
• I went to the parlour for a mint pedicure and came out with Bright Orange toe nails. I think they may just glow in the dark and send a signal to my alien doppelganger on Pluto. I also really preferred it when Pluto was classified as a planet. Now it is only a dwarf planet. 
• It rained today and it felt right! I too feel as right as rain! 
• I will be dog-sitting for a friend tomorrow and the day after and I can't wait for those two mutts to come home. I'm going to love them to bits. 2 concerns on this front - that they don't poop in my house (dear god, please please please please) and walking them while Humper is lurking around. Humper or Humpoo as I fondly call him is the humping street dog who loves me dearly; his tale I will reserve for another day
• Finally my dinner was Kappa Biryani - steamed tapioca and beef fry, from the land of coconut oil and toddy and superb food. Delish it was! For dessert there was Bibinca and Badam Halwa, from other lands. Delish once again! 

So yes, my Monday has been superb. And if I had to write more than a thousand words due to an unstoppable bout of verbal diarrhea, it really was something! So to the rest of YOU, hope you had a Happy Monday too.