Mr.Monk and the Blue Flu

I picked this book from a "throw away" organized by a moving neighbour. Since I can't stand books being ignored I picked (rather grabbed) this book and it was totally worth it! A very light and fun read. Based on the popular TV series "Monk" this book is written by Lee Goldberg who penned the screen plays for the TV series.

Adrian Monk is an ex-cop and since the death of his wife suffers from an OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) syndrome. He loves nothing better than order and balance in the universe to the extent that he slices his pizza using a compass to measure exact portions! He carries his own cutlery to restaurants and even washes the dishes (his own and the restaurant's dirty dishes) after his meals there. He can't bear to see a speck of dust anywhere and thinks that the duster and the mop are the best inventions of all time and his way of de-stressing is to clean the house and any ones house at that! At time he is even unable to control the urge to set things right at a crime scene. It is this very characteristic that makes him look at angles and clues that other detectives miss out while investigating homicides and solves cases in record time. The San Francisco police department engages him as their consultant to close out on important cases.

Monk is aided by his very efficient and loyal assistant Natalie Teeger who rightfully describes her job as a baby sitter. She is always there to hand him moist wipes when he needs to clean up after touching a messy desk at a crime scene, hand him his mineral water when he needs it and chauffeur him around the city while he investigates his cases. She tries to make him look sane to the rest of the world.

All these details are humorously narrated by Natalie in this book where Monk takes over as the acting captain of the SFPD when the entire police force goes on sick leaves also known as the Blue Flu so that the mayor of the city can understand their needs for decent salaries and medical insurance. In India we would call that a strike! The mayor hires Monk as the acting captain and also assigns to him a team of equally twisted detectives - a conspiracy nut, an officer with anger management issues and a really old detective who forgets his name every few hours! How this team led by Monk, solve 2 high profile cases dealing with serial killers forms the rest of the book!

If you want to laugh a lot, give this book a go - you won't be disappointed

The curious case of the designer bag

Have you ever wondered why you can never find something when you need it the most? You are turning the house upside down to locate that important bill that you need to pay today as it is the last day and you just can’t seem to spot it? How you can’t find your keys or those discount coupons when you need to leave the house in the next few minutes? And surprise, surprise how these objects usually turn up in the most unusual places when you are not looking for them! It seems to be some weird law of nature that states:

a) You shall never get anything when you need it the most!

b) One can never stick to a budget when it comes to gift vouchers! You would always have to spend more than what is on the voucher to make us of it!

I am pretty sure there are Murphy’s laws which states these weird ways of life. If you are wondering why I wrote this post, please keep reading as it describes how both laws came to play in a single day though in different ways:

Yesterday I realized that I had a gift coupon from one of the huge stores in the area. The store carried pretty much everything from clothes, shoes, bags, kitchen electronics, bath and bedding, cosmetics, jewelry and more at affordable costs. It was the last day that I could use the coupon before it expired – so I decided to go and treat myself to all the possibilities that the store offered. I was excited to have found the coupon before it expired and not after! The first law was disproved and I was excited. I made a trip to the store and spent about 1 hour walking through the entire store only to find:

• The jacket that I wanted was not available in my size. They had a size bigger and a size smaller but no stock when it cam to my size.

• The pretty yellow sweater I wanted – they only had the larger sizes

• I didn’t want shoes or jewellery so those sections were out of the running

• No kitchen electronics to interest me and I didn’t care much for kid stuff or make up!

• And the bags – none to catch my interest! I had been looking at the same bags in the store for more than a year now!

What’s a girl to do? The first law was rearing its head again…..Finally I spotted a beautiful handbag in mustard yellow under a mound of dull and boring bags. I have wanted to get a bag in that color for a long time now! So I inspected it and found out that I had to shell out extra cash (apart from the gift voucher) to make it mine! Hello second law!

I walked another half hour throughout the store checking if I could find something else instead. Defeated I finally walked up to the billing counter and parted with the extra cash. The lady at the counter exclaimed – wow you found an amazing deal and all I thought in my head was “Lady, you have no idea!” As I walked out with my new bag, I consoled my self saying that I had got a nice designer bag at an affordable cost. Nature’s laws had struck again but in different ways – I did find the coupon but didn’t really find something worthy of it and per the rule had to spend more to get something worthy. And this is how I ended up buying the mustard yellow color bag which I have wanted for quit some time now.

Book Challenge 2009!

Yes! I finally did it - completed the book reading challenge. We had to read 20 books in the year 2009... I know I know for some of you this is nothing! You can read 20 books in 20 minutes but then for people like myself it took some discipline though I do read quite a bit. And I am also happy I didn't really cheat - I didn't read books like "Tales of Beedle the Bard" and similar 20 page books for this challenge! I am thrilled about finishing this for the year - I may have not lost my 5 pounds but I did complete the book challenge! I found some friends on the blogosphere thanks to this challenge. Here are the details of the books I completed this year with the links for my take on the books

1. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
2. The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory
3. The Rozabal Line by Shawn Haigins a.k.a Ashwin Sanghi
4. Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett
5. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
6. Princess by Jean Sasson
7. Catcher in the Rye by J.D Saligner
8. One Night at the Call Center by Chetan Bhagat
9. Ghost Stories of Pennsylvania by Dan Asfar
10. Alice in Wonderland and Through the looking glass by Lewis Caroll
11. The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
12. A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire
13. Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett
14. Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
15. Son of Witch by Gregory Maguire
16. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
17. Life, Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams
18. The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde
19. 20000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
20. The Restaurant at the end of the Universe by Douglas Adams

The White Tiger

I know I was a bit late in the game when it came to this book however I picked up this book with great expectations considering it had win a booker prize and stuff! At the end of it have mixed feelings about the book.

First I appreciate the fact that an Indian author like Aravind Adiga was able to command an international prize and people around the world have been able to appreciate his writing abilities. But then why is that people around the world seem to usually appreciate books that show India in a poor light? Or do the authors deliberately write books like this to expose their talents to an otherwise unappreciative international audience?

I don't feel like reviewing this book at all - it has been done by millions around the world already! I am just peeved about the fact that this book describes India and Indians in a very poor light and books like these will ever change the view of what the world thinks of us! It just pits Indians against Indians and the world will continue to think that they can boss over us! India and its mindset is slowly changing - it is a slow process but it is happening and I think we should stop writing best sellers that show us in a poor light! However the book is gutsy and I guess the author was ready to take the flake from what people like me would say. Pick it up if you like thrashing India and fellow Indians or you think India will never change or if you are just interested in a black humor literature! You will either love this book or will hate it..

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

Betrothed at the age of three to the crown Prince of England, Arthur Tudor to strengthen the ties between emerging power England and the super power of Europe -Spain, Catalina of Spain (Queen Katherine of England in the future) was always destined to be Queen. With powerful parents in King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabelle of Castille, Catalina grew up in the midst of a holy war to establish Christianity as the supreme religion of the world and drive away the so called heretic religion of Islam (as it was known in the early 15th century) from the face of the earth. Her journey from a young girl from Spain to the most powerful and beloved Queen that England ever had, is riddled with hardships, intrigue, love and the biggest lie of them all.

At the age of 16 after a grand marriage to Arthur and exploring her new life with her young and brave husband destined to be the next King, Catalina finds herself widowed in a new country and clueless as to what her future maybe. The foundation of her dreams and future which was built upon her destiny to become the Queen of England is shattered as she is caught in a political war between her parents the most powerful and feared monarchs of Europe and her equally cunning and savvy father in law king Henry of England. She soon discovers that she is nothing more that a pawn in the struggle for power and she cannot trust her own parents to rescue her from a savage land to fulfill her destiny to be Queen. Refusing to be controlled like a puppet and having her dreams and future destroyed by those who have no personal interest in and based on her promise to her beloved husband Arthur on his deathbed, she tells the biggest lie of them all and takes control of her own destiny - the lie about the truth of her marriage with Prince Arthur.

After a great struggle she finds herself engaged to Arthur's younger brother Harry (a.k.a Henry the VIII) the next future King. She faces the Kings formidable grandmother and puts all those who shamed her in her place and takes her place as the Queen of England. However this journey is not smooth sailing as she strives to be a good queen along side a king who is just a young boy who was not really destined to be the king, cannot stand to have anything go wrong and is vain and selfish to his needs and desires. Slowly but surely she starts running the country with her knowledge acquired over her lifetime with great parents and her husband comes to depend on her to guide him in making England a powerful country!She comes into her own right when she commands the English army to their greatest victory of all times - against the Scots!

The book very beautifully explores her life from a being a young innocent girl transforming to a regal Queen. The emotional turmoil in her mind and her faith in God is shaken a lot but she never gives up. She also learns that her parents were wrong about just driving people and nations that follow Islam and other religions to establish Christianity as the ultimate faith and begins to understand that success lies in driving away the evil and bad that lies in the world and not a particular religion. Her travails as her women as her honor is questioned and put to the ultimate test when her husband tries to nullify their marriage citing Kathrines inability to have sons, to take on a younger queen after more than 3 decades of marriage is very beautifully etched out.

The book started out slowly and I was wondering if it would be as good as the racy "The Other Boleyn Girl". But I was not disappointed, the book gradually picked up pace and kept me glued after a certain point to know what comes next. The beauty of 15th century Spain and savage England is beautifully described. The contrasts between the old English court commanded by her father-in-law to the young court captained by her young husband is also brought out well. The political pulse of the time, the ambitions of the Kings and their willingness to sacrifice anything or anyone to fulfill their own agenda is quite shocking, not to mention how women were given no place in those times where the Queen job was to give birth to the next male heir without which she means nothing. It is pretty ironic that in spite of Harry's obsession for a son, England finally ended up being ruled by women starting from his daughters with his Queen Katherine. Queen Mary and till today is still being ruled by an English Queen! In fact some of its golden years was when it was ruled by Queen Elizabeth again one of Harry's daughters and step sister to Queen Mary, who was cast aside by the great king when she was young. Does that tell you something? Well I think women have powers that even they are not aware of and if only we could channel these powers in a good way rather than idling in gossip or frivolous activities we would make grand strides in every way!

If you enjoy historical fiction, love hearing about medieval England and Tudor history, this book is definitely a must read.

Perfume and Water

When I go blog hopping I generally notice that most folks write about humorous incidents that have happened in their lives and it just feels so odd that I have never been able to recall anything funny that happened with me while I was growing up. Or maybe it was funny and I just didn't see the humor then! Anyways I have been thinking over such incidents that may seem funny to me now and I remembered this one.

Growing up, my 2 cousins lets call then D and V and myself used to almost always vacation at Bangalore at my aunts place! Being from hot Chennai, it was the 'it' place to spend your summer holidays. Anyhow this aunt had a daughter (she was our cousin too) who was studying medicine. Apparently my aunt and uncle thought their daughter, lets call her S was the best thing that ever existed and there were strict rules about not making too much noise, not disturbing her while she studied blah blah! So naturally most of us were in awe of her as she was destined to be a success story. S had all the nice things a girl could have - fancy clothes, shoes, accessories, perfumes, make up etc., all courtesy my aunt who used to make plenty of trips to the USA to visit her other daughter and son! You see visiting the USA was huge in the 80's...now its like making a trip from Chennai to Bangalore! So getting back to my story, future doctor S had this amazing perfume (again from the great USA) which smelled like a dream!D, V and myself we just wanted to try some - you cant blame kids in the 4th, 5th and 6th standards! So we decided that one day we would definitely try it out!We got our chance one afternoon....

You see D had this habit of sleeping most of the day! She would easily spend about 16 hours sleeping (nights and afternoon combined) so she just missed out on the fun! V and myself went to S's room and opened the perfume bottle. We just wanted to dab a little bit on ourselves and see how it felt. In our efforts to open the bottle and get a little someone (I don't want to point fingers here) ended up tilting the bottle then fell on the carpet spreading perfume all over! None of it was left in the bottle! We panicked not knowing what to do! Then we hit upon a brilliant idea and filled water into the bottle and put it back! Naive as we were it didn't occur to us that the room was smelling like a perfumery! We went about our business for the day and that evening when S got home she got suspicious considering her room was smelling like the perfume department at a fancy store! She discovered the bottle with water and threw a big tantrum and made a huge ruckus! Everyone got so worked up about the perfume and V and me just didn't get why it was so important. It was just perfume! D escaped just because she slept through the whole mischief! Finally we were chided so much and V even tried to blame it on me and tried to take and escape route! I wasn't going to let that go and fought back! She has always been like that - ever since that day I never trust her!We were all so mad at everyone and mentally I thought the future doctor or her parents would not be going places especially when they could be so petty about the tiny perfume bottle and not understand a kids prank! I just remember being mad at everyone and learnt to be wary of everyone since that day!

Today, almost more than 2 decades after that stupid incident I laugh about it. I think it was pretty funny. We wanted something and we went for it - where is that instinct now? I guess I would just have to say that I grew up and these days am concerned about so many other things when it comes to going after something that I really want. This incident did teach me a lot about who you can and cannot trust and that something that may be insignificant to us would be valuable to another - even something like perfume! However I still do resent being called the mischief maker when it was just a childish prank. Well, at least I had fun and the rest of them just wasted a load of their energy trying to think what they could call us kids! Guess I did have the last laugh after all and I sure feel glad that this is now out of my system!

Weighty Woes

What is it with women and weight? We never seem to be the right size to make us happy! In order to avoid being generic I am going to make this about me and how my mind works regarding this issue. Me - am never happy about my weight! With great difficulty and lots of sacrifices (call it not eating properly cos I was lazy to cook and clean by myself all 7 days of the week!) I did loose a few extra pounds that I carried on me before I moved away from home. Boy! did that make me happy - loosing the weight I mean. All those days of eating whole grains and brown rice and avoiding ice creams seem to have paid off! And then my parents came to visit and here I am few months later finding out that my clothes are a bit snug! Like most other women who obsess about this issue my first reaction was panic! I was on my mothers case, telling her that it was her cooking that caused it (in a fun way of course) - you see its the effect of food being served with lots of love and affection :-) As long as I did the cooking and groceries and maintained my eating habits I did not have this problem...maybe its true, maybe its not.

Anyways now I am left wondering how to get rid of the extra pounds that have found their on me and am making myself miserable trying to think of ways to shed it off! I have been hitting the gym like a loyal dog and I am definitely not feeling very kindly towards all the skinny dames out there who eat as they please and never gain a single ounce! God is just unfair sometimes!!! Man I do hate the gym! I prefer doing chores around the house and walking everywhere!

And the food, the less said on that topic the better! I am trying to get back to my "healthy" eating habits but it is such a tough job after those months where food was served with love :) I have been trying hard to come up with a list of food I can give up. Well there is no way I am kissing cheese good bye! Hey am only human you know and considering all the crazy stuff that goes on in life, cheese gives me comfort and that can't go! I did manage to get rid of a bag of Hershey kisses.. I dumped it in the common candy bowl at work with a really heavy heart! Yesterday I found myself almost throwing away the biscuits and then I came into my senses and hid them in the tallest shelf in the kitchen! I will probably be too lazy to fetch a stool and stand on it to get access to the shelf! At least I hope so...

As of now I have decided to ignore that weighing scale that lies in my room. Checking my weight is a strict no no. The day will arrive when I shall win that scale, when that magic number appears in pretty red digital print. I wait for that day and until then I bid adieu to chocolates, ice creams and all other evil food! My parting words to the cruel food world - Hasta la vista......I'll be back!

The Rozabal Line

I finished this book at least 4 weeks ago and.....here goes I have mixed feelings about this book. It explores the possibility that Jesus did not die on the cross and once he escaped how he travelled around the world and even came to India. In fact it goes on to state that Jesus lived in India and died there and his tomb exists in Kashmir. All this and more are meshed with the story of a political religious war between the roman catholic church, the free masons and the Islamic war groups. The main protagonists though from different parts of the world are all linked to each other by their actions from their previous births! If this was too much for you to digest the book doesn't stop here...the various religious groups try to plot their terror attacks in a such a way that the final one ends on December 12 2012! Gosh!

The reason I wanted to read this book as it was a historical fiction by an Indian writer! Ashwin Sanghi who actually used his pen name Shawn Haigins for the first few editions! I feel he has a long way to go when compares with historical fiction experts like Dan Brown or Phillipa Gregory. Honestly if this same book were written by Dan Brown it would have been a guaranteed page turner! However this book is rich in its research but its keeps zooming between the present, past and future so quickly that it makes the reader dizzy! I didn't even feel like doing a review about this book because the book is chock full of information and its crazy to remember all that stuff. The book tries to answer the million dollar question..did Jesus really die on the cross? Did his blood line continue? If so what happened to that generation? How different is Islam and Christianity? Does one feed of the other? If you happen to read the book let me know what you thought about it.

Lords and Ladies

Read this book and am feeling too lazy to do a review :-) I wanted to track it here for my reading challenge....Anyways I loved it, like most other Terry Pratchett books..am glad I have his collection!In a nut shell, this book was an extremely funny take on Shakespeare's "A mid-summer nights dream". If you are interested in the Terry Pratchett books, check out my others posts for reviews on books by this author.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

I was waiting for this book and thanks to a good friend I received a free copy of it! I am not going to spend too much time reviewing Dan Browns latest - if you have read his previous books this book is not much different. The pace of the book, the narration and story line is almost similar. Just that this time the author moved the wild goose chase from beautiful and historical Europe to architecturally marvelous Washington D.C. The book was pretty interesting, however the last 30-40 pages just dragged and I just wanted to close the book as I found myself yawning - it was a case of too much information and moving in and out of buildings! If you like thrillers filled with a lot of history this book will be enjoyable almost towards the end!

Princess

The first book in the "Princess" trilogy, Princess gives the rest of the world a privy to the life of Saudi Arabian women - royals and non-royals alike. For the rest of the world, Saudi Arabian royal princesses live a privileged life with no dearth of money or luxury. Little do we know that their lives are controlled by the whims and fancies of the men who surround them. Women are treated worse than animals, denied education, married off to men fit to be their grandfathers, divorced if diagnosed with an illness or if their husbands are bored of them and even killed to protect the family honor! The book was described as a "look into an air conditioned nightmare" by the New York times review.

The book describes the various events in the life of Princess Sultana the 7th daughter of a Saudi Royal Family of Al Saud. From a tender age she finds out that her father would never love her or her sisters and that their brother would have preference over everyone in all matters including food and lifestyle! They were just the "unwanted daughters" who had to abide their time until they could get married to serve their duty as a woman by being an obedient wife and giving birth to plenty of children hopefully male. Most marriages were arranged as strategic business alliances or partnerships and it was and probably still is common for a girl as young as 15 to be married to a man as old as 62! Observing how her mother and the rest of the women are treated Sultana learns to rebel and fight for what is her right in male dominated world where the verses of the Koran are twisted to suit men and men alone.

The events in the book have been based on the stories of a actual princess who requested the author that her story and issues that affect the women of Saudi Arabia be published. She hoped that this would be the beginning of bringing some change to the laws and ways of her land. Of course the name of the princess and others in her life has been changed to ensure the safety of the princess. The book is very gripping and most of the women around the world (if not all) will definitely be grateful to have the access to education and a certain amount of independence. I do not want to come across as someone thrashing Saudi Arabia as I am sure it has changed compared to what it was 20 years (which was the timeline for Sultanas stories though women are still not allowed to drive and a women was arrested as early as March 2009 for driving!

The book was very gripping and I didn't want to put it down until I finished it. We Indian women may celebrate the fact that we were not born in a place like Saudi Arabia but we still have a long way to go when it comes to establishing our place in the society. Certain incidents described in the book like female infanticide, domestic violence and mobbing of women by religious groups bring to memory the various incidents that keep happening through out India almost every day. The day has not yet come when a women can roam freely at night on Indian roads without the fear of being attacked, robbed or killed! It just makes me feel we are in a slightly less cruel version of a Saudi Arabian country. This book is a must read for all women.

The Catcher in the Rye

Most folks that I know have have read this book when they were in school or college..many of them who studied outside of India read this book as a part of their school curriculum. But then again, I don't think any Indian school (even today) would allow this interesting book as a part of the school curriculum due to what the Indian education board may regard as bad language and other crude references. Even in the west the book was once on the list of banned books before it was hailed a classic owing to the strong language contained in it.

This book published in the 1950's is like a monologue of a 17 year old school student who gets expelled from school. Apparently he has been expelled from many schools in the past and this one is no different. He flunks every subject other than English one of his favorites. Earlier on in the book it is established that he is a good writer and his brother is also a very famous writer who writes screen plays for Hollywood movies. This book talks about the mixed feelings that goes on in his mind about the people around him and the world in general. It is a potpourri of thoughts that go on in the mind of a rebellious teenager presented very coherently by the author J D Salinger.

Many chapters in this book made me realize that that many of us feel the same way about a lot of issues like the main protagonist, Holden Caulfield. Holden feels that world is full of "phonies" and people only act a certain way to be perceived as cool. Men use each other to get what they want and if people are friendly it is not because they genuinely care but because they need something out of the other person. One of the chapters in the book talks about a movie which only has happy endings. Even the Doberman in the movie has a cute litter of puppies which run around the table around the other happy characters when the movie ends. This chapter reminded me so much about our very own Rajshri film productions where nothing ever seems to go wrong! Its a perfect way of representing how the world in general loves to avoid that brutal truths of so that they have something "nice" to cling on to and move on.

The relationship that Holden shares with his 10 year old sister Phoebe (whom he refers to as old phoebe) is beautifully etched out. He is able to connect with her and have better conversations with her than any of the other adults in his life. The monologue spans across 2 days of his life in New York City bringing out the grey areas and life in the city earlier in the century in a very subtle way. Holden cannot seem to figure out what he wants to do with his life - all he knows is that he does not want to be a phony. He does not want to be a lawyer just to make a lots of money as he feels that a lawyer should help save people lives and he does not to want to become a writer either as he feels that most writers end up becoming prey to fame and fortune thus giving up their true talent and creativity. Everyone becomes a phony....During one of his conversations with little phoebe he confesses to her that he visualises himself as standing over a cliff overlooking a huge field of rye where little kids play and every time a child gets too near to the cliff he makes that he catches the kid and makes sure that child moves away avoiding a fall that could hurt them. He feels that the only thing he would like to do is protect these little kids. This piece of text was a perfect analogy to protecting young, innocent minds from the cruel ways and bad beings of the word. All that he would like to be is a "Catcher in the Rye".

The relationship that he shared with his late younger brother Allie runs like an invisible thread throughout the book. When Holden feels lonely he speaks to his brother Allie as he finds a lot of solace in thinking about the child with a pure heart. Holden plans to run away to establish a simple life for himself far away from his current world but changes his mind when he understands that Phoebe does not want him to leave her alone. She even packs her little suitcase to join him!The book ends on a note Holden still trying to figure out what he wants to along with help from a psychiatrist. However he is no longer alone and is surrounded by the people who he regards in high esteem - his older brother DB and sister Phoebe.

Good book if you are a serious reader. I felt that I could not have appreciated this book had I read it in school or college but enjoyed it now!

One Night @ The Call Center

I know I am a bit late on the list of readers who have read this book, nevertheless I was finally able to get my hands on this one. The book by Chetan Bhagat is extremely realistic and describes the emotions and confusions that engulfs most Indian youth today as we weave ourselves within the webs of ambition, greed, money and false facades. Everyday thousands of young Indians sit in swanky (sometimes not so swanky) air conditioned offices behind computer terminals taking calls from around the world helping out (and taking abuses) from the good citizens of the Americas and Europe. What exactly drives these men and women working at the call centers to stick to their jobs and do the same thing every day in spite of the fact that it makes some of them unhappy?

This book has it all - a bad boss, an underachiever, a journalist who compromised on his dreams to make some money, a wannabe model who finds it hard to climb up the ladder of the big bad fashion world, a traditional girl stuck with a monster-in-law and a cheating husband and the girl who can't seem to be able to shake off her domineering mother. The pages of the book take us through the hours of a night in their lives and how one phone call changes everything for them.

Most of the present day generation of Indians aged 23 and above will be able to identify themselves with almost all the characters in this book. We may not need to work in a call center to appreciate and sympathesize what the characters go through - its enough even if you work at a software firm! We all struggle to become team leads and project managers just like our main protagonist Shyam. We all have had or still have bosses who tell us we can never be good enough. At some point of time we all feel that we have become a rat while trying to survive the rat race and most of us stuck serving "goras" with lesser iq's all for a few dollars and to keep up with the image of what our society expects to be. Some people are lucky and deal with this well and find their true calling while other are still in limbo wondering what their next move should be or if they should make the next move at all.

For those belonging to the later category, this book will definitely inspire you to take risks and try doing something that you have always wanted to do. At least it made me feel that I should get over me fears and failures and move on. God helps those who help themselves. The book definitely drives the point that bad bosses need to be stood up to and it is extremely important for an individual to hold on to his / her self confidence because once we loose that, it will be struggle to gain it back!

However it bugs me a bit that an author who could pen a wonderful book like this one, is settled in Hongkong and works for a huge investment company. Doesn't that imply that he is also addicted to the world of dollars and comfort? Why would he not settle down in the India he claims he loves and be a better role model for folks like myself and others? Seems that his book only serves to inspire and advice others...

Have any of you read this book? What are your thoughts?

Verdict – Must Read

Rating: *****

Guilty or Innocent

Was tagged by Renu for this tag. I never take tags seriously! Well - am just too lazy when it comes to tag! However this time I took off my lazy cap and completed this tag!

The part of the tag that says that responses should be Guilty or Innocent also helps! I mean one word man and I could copy paste :-). This was a fun tag!

The rules are thus…

RULE 1 You can only say Guilty or Innocent.
RULE 2 You are not allowed to explain anything unless someone messages you and asks!
RULE 3 Copy and paste this into your notes , delete my answers, type in your answers and tag 20 of your friends to answer this.

• Asked someone to marry you? Innocent
• Ever kissed someone of the same sex? Guilty
• Danced on a table in a bar? Innocent
• Ever told a lie? Guilty
• Had feelings for someone whom you can’t have back? Guilty
• Kissed a picture? Innocent
• Slept in until 5 PM? Innocent
• Fallen asleep at work/school? Guilty
• Held a snake? Innocent.
• Been suspended from school? Innocent
• Worked at a fast food restaurant? Innocent
• Stolen from a store? Innocent
• Been fired from a job? Innocent
• Done something you regret? Guilty
• Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Guilty
• Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Innocent
• Kissed in the rain? Innocent
• Sat on a roof top? Guilty
• Kissed someone you shouldn’t? Innocent
• Sang in the shower? Guilty.
• Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? Innocent
• Shaved your head? Innocent
• Had a boxing membership? Innocent.
• Made a girlfriend cry? Innocent
• Been in a band? Innocent
• Shot a gun? Innocent
• Donated Blood? Guilty
• Eaten alligator meat? Innocent!Ewwww
• Eaten cheesecake? Guilty
• Still love someone you shouldn’t? Guilty
• Have/had a tattoo? Guilty
• Liked someone, but will never tell who? Guilty
• Been too honest? Guilty
• Ruined a surprise? Innocent
• Ate in a restaurant and got really bloated that you couldn’t walk afterwards? Guilty.
• Erased someone in your friends list? Guilty
• Dressed in a woman’s clothes (if you’re a guy) or man’s clothes (if you’re a girl)? Guilty.
• Joined a pageant? Guilty
• Been told that you’re handsome or beautiful by someone who totally meant what they said? Guilty
• Had communication with your ex? Innocent
• Got totally drunk on the night before exam? Innocent.
• Got totally angry that you cried so hard? Guilty!

Ok!! That's done - but am gonna have to pass on Rule 3! I mean 20 friends!!Really?? Those who know me probably know that the number of friends that I have is a single digit number and of those probably one or two blog and the other blogosphere pals that I could pass this on to have probably been tagged! But I shall try anyway from the pool of the above mentioned combo. Here goes...

Smita
Unforgettable Journey
Crazy Mom
Belle Dame Sans Merci

Have fun!

Ghost Stories of Pennsylvania

I was thrilled to find this 200+ page book at a part of free give aways from my neighbour who is moving out. The book is a collection of actual events and sightings and gives teh reade a peek into a world of haunted houses, inns,theatres, cabins and even paintings. All stories have been narrated in a manner that makes you look around you to check if someone is watching you. The book also unravels the rich history of Pennsylvania making it an appealing read to historical buffs!Definitely a good book that would be the perfect choice for the month of Halloween!

Alice In Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass

Okay! When I saw this book at the store I was surprised - It was actually some 300 pages long! I recall reading this book when I was in school with colorful pictures of Alice sticking out of the little house of the white rabbit and some playing cards painting white roses red and it was about 15 pages tops! Obviously I couldn't resist a detailed novel of the adventures of Alice and the classic book seemed to call out to me. I read it quite patiently... it was pretty interesting at first but half way down the book I couldn't help but thinking Alice was just an annoying little girl.. She reminds me of the likes Miss Goody two shoes and of someone who always seems to act like she thinks beyond her age that its annoying. Well the book with its other fanciful characters like the mad hatter and the hare, the grinning Cheshire cat and the Queen of Hearts did make up more than enough. I could not fathom what kids could learn from this story..however it will feed their imagination. The second part of the book "Through the looking glass" was not as interesting as the first one...or maybe its just me...adults may fall asleep while reading how Alice was trying to move across a chessboard to join the Queen and be "Queen" for a day!

I am waiting for the movie to be released - It will be definitely worth it watching Johnny Depp (Oh yeah!) as the mad hatter and Helena Bohem Carter as the Queen of hearts. The teaser trailer is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiPR6kA4_iU

As for the book, buy it for your kids and read it to them at night, but just make sure you don't fall asleep instead of the other way around!

The Palace of Illusions

Born from the fire, it was prophesied that princess Draupadi would leave her mark on history. She would be the reason for one of the biggest wars in the history of Bharath which would wipe out the third age of man. We all know the story of the Mahabharatha and how an insult to one women and her subsequent thirst for revenge wiped out an entire clan of more than 100 brothers and others who supported them. But how many of us have actually stopped to think what went through Draupadi's mind during all these moments and events that altered history?

In a world dominated by men, in a world where the role of the wife was just about taking care of her husband and family and their needs, we are given the opportunity to take a look into the mind of the women who changed it all and in the process set the ball rolling for generations to follow. Having said this, I found that I could relate myself a lot to the character of Draupadi - her need to be independent and not really give up her personality traits no matter what....

Some factors stand out throughout the book like its spine; Like how hate and revenge fuel Draupadi's fire to bring down those who insulted her and took away everything from her. It seems as if she has realized that her husbands cannot really help her cope with her loss and she makes the best use of their talents to get back rightfully what belongs to them - the kingdom of Hastinapur and also quench her thirst by destroying those who treated her like some kind of vermin.

Another interesting factor that made its presence felt throughout the book was the "Palace of Illusions" the beautiful palace that was built specially for the Pandavas and Draupadi by the asura Maya. The palace unable to exist without its rightful owners and disintegrates to when Duryodhan tries to claim it. Though this pleases Draupadi, the thought loosing of the only place she calls home, the only place where she was truly herself and found a sense of peace and belonging helps in keeping her hatred for the Kauravas fresh and ultimately destroying them.

Moving on to the colorful characters and what motivates their actions: Apart from Draupadis emotional turmoil, we have the Pandavas agreeing to battle to put an end to the ruling of their bad natured cousin Duryodan and to avenge their wife. Duryodan who all his life always worried about loosing Hastinapur one day to its rightful owners and was obsessed with the need to cheat his cousins out of their rights. His father Dirdhirashta who suffered from an inferiority complex all his life owing to his blindness and could never get over the fact that his better brother Pandu was made King over him and ruled until he was cursed!

And the women Kunti and Gandhari - the former a passive aggressive character making sure that her sons were brought up with the sole aim of claiming back what was theirs. A special mention should be made between the bond that was shared between Kunti and Draupadi - that of a mother in law and daughter in law. It seems that they hated each others guts and character - no different from most MILs and DILs in the world! I found this ironically funny! And Gandhari, if only the blindfolded queen Gandhari taught her sons to share, the whole debacle could have been averted in the first place.

Karna who only wanted to belong but could never find peace while he lived, with Bheeshma the patriarch who was torn between duty and what was right! Topping these characters and more is the dashing and amazing 'Kirshna' whose magic is felt throughout. The special bond that he shares with Draupadi(she feels that they were drawn to each other because of their dark skin), the way he uses his wits and charms to pacify even those who curse him and how he never forsakes his believers makes me a much bigger fan of his than I ever was.

The book just doesn't stop with how the war was won and the happily ever afters! It goes ahead and describes how the Pandavas had to get over the grief of their loved ones killed in battle, coming to terms with their loss, picking up the pieces of a war ravaged kingdom and shaping it back to prosperity and their final journey - their march to death. Even here they are joined by their faithful wife Draupadi - she joins them on a journey that women never make. What can I say other than the fact I totally get her! I mean I always seem to do things that others don't want to do or try and later take the back lash for it and even ignore it! So you see we are all crazy in good way!

Seems I could go on and on about the book and how it has inspired me to read the actual Mahabharatha! Do check out this book - its worth all the bucks you would pay for it!

Fighting Negativity: One Annoying person at a time!

Some of these random questions have been troubling me of late: Where would you draw the line for those trying to nose their way into your life and yack about how you should or shouldn't be living it? Is it appropriate when relatives want to know how much you earn and what your spending pattern looks like or what you should or shouldn't wear? How do you deal with all those who think that they know all and have it all together? Do people have the right to push their opinions on you whether you like it or not?

When it actually comes to being useful to those around you I feel there are two kinds of people in this world. Those that can actually make a positive difference in your life with kind words, moral support and genuinely try to help you and the others who claim that they know everything (when they don't) and think that they help you while blabbering hours together about what you should and shouldn't do and don't really help you at all! I hate this second category and sometimes I just wish I could do away with such folks. But the journey of life is such that these people get rammed down your neck whether you like it or not and you just can't tell them off [especially when you are related :( ]

The best escape mechanism I have come up with is avoidance! If I think that these people don't exist then they don't! Call it living in denial!! A single phone call from folks like this can spoil you entire day and since I decided that I won't have more days in my life ruined I avoid such calls :) I prefer to read my books, do my sketches, listen to music and basically do everything which in "their" opinion means wasting my life! How do you deal with problem cases like this? Is my way the best way or do you have something better?? Do let me know - Your thoughts could prove to be extremely useful.

Lost and Found!

It seems that right from the day I created this blog it has been jinxed. I published and took down the first article I ever wrote regarding my frustrations at the work place because many of my friends felt that I shouldn't express my issues with work as freely! This was way back in 2007 or 08 (I don't even remember!) Towards the end of last year I started blogging again about whatever I felt like and was pretty determined to carry on. Well 8 months have passed this year when I try and try to be regular and I just seem to be terrible at keeping up pace with the blogging world! Seems those that I met on the blogosphere might have probably have forgotten me...anyways here is my attempt at this again and for the last time I hope to keep it up.

It seems fitting that I write about (not in detail though) what made me give up all my blogs these last few months! Not wanting to sound too depressed all I can think of are the words 'a few personal road blocks!'Seems that my run of meeting weirdos is not quite over. Somehow I never seem to tire out of the fact that the person in front of me may not always be who he or she actually claims to be. Even when I know this I make the grave mistake of trusting said person and temporarily messing up my life in the process. Maybe its just "Maya", the goddess who temporarily blinds our minds to something which results in our brains not functioning as they should be! Well..it is always easy to blame it on someone and in my case its "Maya"! (Note to self: I should write about this more in the future)


It was during this time that I spent my days reading the book "A Lion Among Men" by Gregory McGuire. I really enjoyed reading the authors first two books "Wicked" and "Son of Witch" but turning the pages of this book seemed like a never ending chore! Like I wasn't depressed and stressed enough! What promised to be a very interesting read took me about 4 months to finish it! Here is the write up that made me pick up the book in the first place!Why should I alone suffer??? If any of you think you may be interested please yourself!Maybe I am still not ready for books like this one!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Lion_Among_Men


Anyways I was totally put off of reading books as this one had tired me so much! Another 2 months went by before I picked up my next book!By now I am totally behind on my 20in2009 challenge!Soul searching and in a desperate need for laughter I turned to my favorite author who has never let me down till date - Terry Pratchett! In continuation of Equal Rites and Wyrd Sisters I picked up the third book of his 'witches' series titled 'Witches Abroad'! This book actually did the trick - I escaped into a world of funnies where fairly tales were challenged! Cinderella I mean Emberella did not want to marry the prince (who was actually a frog by night), Count Dracula was killed by a cat looking for his dinner and little red riding hood did not make it to her grandmother's to find her eaten by the big bad wolf. The poor misunderstood creature was just really confused and had no intention of killing anyone and all this was coupled with a magic wand that turned everything to pumpkins! Stringing all these tales together were my favorite witches Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick! Gosh I have missed reading! Be sure to check this one out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witches_Abroad



After a good laugh I have started reading something a little more serious called "The Palace of Illusions" tale strung from the important events from "The Mahabharatha" narrated by none other than Draupadi herself. I shall post a review of this book when I 'm done with it. Finally I think I am back on my blogs and I hope I stay.. I have some great ideas for my other blogs and plan to implement them at the latest! I was lost in the midst of my mundane life and it seems like I found myself here again!

To my blogosphere friends, do leave your comments - it would make me feel at home again! Until later....

Wyrd Sisters

After ages here I am again.....I wanted to return to my blogs and I couldn't think of a better way than a book review. I managed to read this book (at last!!!) The past months have been crazy in may different ways and somehow most of them relate to work related stress and this book gave me a lot of comic relief during those days.

The second of the 'Witches' series of the Terry Pratchett books, Wyrd sisters is a tale of three crazy witches Nanny Ogg, Granny Weatherwax and Magrat Garlick working together to help return the rightful heir to the throne of the kingdom of Lancre. They are aided by the kings fool, a creepy cat with an even creepier gaze called Meebo (who happens to be the pet of Nanny Ogg) and of course the ghost of the original king of Lancre who was murdered by the duke for the throne of Lancre. The long lost prince however is is no mood to be the king; he wants to become an actor! What happens next? Does the unhappy kingdom get its rightful king? Does Magrat Garlick the youngest of the three witches become queen? The book with its share of crazies is a laughathon and is definitely worth a lot of reads.

Son of Witch

Title: Son of Witch

Author: Gregory McGuire

Series: The Wicked Years

The second book in the Wicked series is a tale of a young boys search to know himself and what he discovers at the end of the journey. Liir is abandoned in the company of Nanny and Chistery the monkey after Elphaba's unfortunate death. Lonely and confused, Liir arms himself with the cape and broom of Elphaba and sets out with Dorothy, the scarecrow, the cowardly lion and the tin man to the Emerald City hoping to find his probable half sister Nor. This journey takes Liir through the prisons of Emerald City and a quest that ends up with him taking up Elphaba's cause which was to ensure that the Animals had their rights and that Quadling country would be free. In the process he learns to navigate the broom, destroys the Wizards most destructive weapons and finds the answer to the question that has been troubling him all his life. Was Elphaba, the wicked witch of the west actually his mother?

I found the book to be very intense even though its story lines deceives readers, giving them an idea that this is probably a humorous book. The same goes for all books in the Wicked series. The book is rich with language and definitely made me learn a lot of new words. The sincerity of Liir's search for his half sister and the path o finding himself was very endearing. A good read, if you don't mind serious and intense books.

I am definitely going to read the third book in the series which is "A Lion among Men"

Slumdog's Oscar: What it can teach us

The much awaited Oscar night is over at last and our very own slums shined bright with ARR at its helm. I was bowled over by his acceptance speech which was a 1 minute lesson in humility. Thanking the great G and his mother, he had absolutely no airs about him and could have very much passed for the guy next door who had just strolled onto the red carpet.

I see a lot of people around me who walk around as if they were God's gift to humanity (yeah right!). They talk and continue blabbering because they probably love the sound of their own voices. On more than one occasion I have been able to see through these folks..they have no clue of what is going on and what they are talking about. Having done nothing on their own they seem to live out of someone elses achievements and ideas and lie like nobodies business. Listening to such folks gives me migraines and after a certain point of being jailed in such conversations, my eyes see their lips go blah, blah, blah while my mind is plotting its escape.

In the midst of a world like this, ARR stands out. A man of few words but full of knowledge and talent.First I loved his music but I am convinced that it is his character that probably makes him the genius that he is and my hero! Now, more than ever I am convinced that empty vessels make more noise.How do you deal with empty vessels, nee people in your life?

Equal Rites

Title: Equal Rites
Author: Terry Pratchett
Series: Discworld series
Genre: Science Fiction, Humor

Summary: The first book in the witches’ series of the Discworld novels. This book is one to tickle your funny bones. The book follows the journey of one girl to attend wizard school at a time when women were not allowed into the university. Esk, an 8th daughter of an 8th son is erroneously made the heir of a wizard before his death. Apparently the dying wizard thought that she was a boy! Granny Weatherwax the formidable witch of the village “Bad Ass” (yes that is correct!) helps her to become a witch and a wizard! The novel is about the battle between the sexes and is filled with plenty of humor, a mysterious staff and adventures that keep you turning the pages.

My favorite character was definitely Granny Weatherwax. An extremely confident and intelligent witch who gets things done her way and fixes most people by just staring at them!

I wonder if JKR could have possibly borrowed a lot of ideas from these books which were published in the late eighties. The book has references to the school of wizardry called the Unseen university with its mysterious cellars, library full of live books, gargoyles on building columns that move away when it rains so that they can avoid getting wet, wizards dueling etc.,! Seems Hogwarts was just a richer version of the “Unseen University” so called because it is not visible to the normal human eye. There are also references to plants that scream when uprooted which was JKRs version of mandrakes and much more. I simply enjoyed the book and would definitely read it again in the future.

Close on the heels of the women in India trying to beat down the Rama Sena and other stupid groups with pink lingerie and more, I thought that it was perfect timing that I chose to read this book!

Verdict – Buy and Read. Definitely one for your personal library.

Finished: 16th February 2009
Rating: *****

The Pink Chaddi Campaign

This is totally amazing and hats off to the brave women and men who came up with this idea and are doing everything possible to stick it to the Rama Sena. Here is my contribution to your campaign - Right now all I can do is spread the word and pledge my allegiance by sporting the logo of this campaign on my blog! All you fellow bloggers against all this monstrosity, please do join the motion! "Yo Rama Sena! In your face!!!! You guys are pathetic loosers and we will rock u!!"

Here is the link to the details of the campaign. Join and let these jerks know we won't put up with them!

Pramod Muthalik, loads of "jaadoo ki jappis and chaddis coming your way"! Courtesy the women of India who can make chapathis and go to the pubs!

Happy Valentines day all!!!

http://www.thepinkchaddicampaign.blogspot.com/

Life, Universe and Everything

Title – Life, Universe and Everything
Author – Douglas Adams
Series – Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Genre – Science Fiction, Humor

Summary: Once again, the book was a journey through space and time that made me loose my way around the pages every now and then. This book is no exception to the usual crazy humor that is a consistent throughout the series. Arthur tries hard to find the meaning of Life, Universe and Everything and in the process saves the Universe twice and rescues the ashes. By ashes I refer to the ashes from burning the cricket stumps of England and the cricket series for winning back the same. Being one of the keys to destroy the universe the ashes are stolen by the alien robots from Krikkit so that they can destroy the universe. There is also a lot of insight about the planet Krikkit, which was probably the source for Cricket and the usual weird characters that range from a talking, flopping mattress, a floating couch landing in the middle of Lord’s and and a floating party! Does Arthur find what he is looking for? What is the meaning of life? Is it really the number 42?Find out all this and more while reading this book!

Verdict –Borrow and Read
Finished: 6th February 2009

To the friend I knew..

It was a cold, dark winter evening,
Another day spent as a drop in the ocean,
Silence hit me and retrospection engulfed me,
When news reached me of your passing.

The brief two years we spent together,
You made me laugh and listened to my blabber,
You were more at home at my house than yours,
People thought that my place was yours.

The years went by and time played its part,
And once again we had become strangers in the journey of life,
Sometimes I wondered where you were,
If you were still as cheerful and without a care.

A decade has gone, since we met and parted,
When I heard that you had left for good.
For a moment my world stood still,
Memories flooded my mind, as I wondered about Gods will.

No matter what people say about the person you were,
I will remember you as the one that smiled without a care.
You may have gone, but the memories you created stay behind,
For those who knew and loved you to hold on to.

May your soul rest in peace

The Canterville Ghost

Title - The Canterville Ghost
Author – Oscar Wilde
Genre - Mystery, Humor, Classics

Summary: Though I have heard the name of Oscar Wilde, I have never read any of his works before. I happened to come across ‘The Canterville Ghost’ while browsing for books at the local ‘Borders’ and couldn’t give it a pass. The story was amazingly humorous – just the way I like my books! The main protagonist of this endearing tale is the ghost of Sir Simon who haunts an old English country house called Canterville Chase. An American family, the Otis’s move into the house without paying much heed to the warnings of the owner who insists that the house has been haunted for many years and the residents have died due to fear after paranormal encounters. But the ghost is no match for the Otis’s whose twins chase the ghost at every encounter, play dirty tricks on the unsuspecting ghost and even manage to scare it while the lady and man of the house go to the extent of offering the ghost some oil for its rusted chains and medicine for its cough! The ghost feels insulted on not being able to scare the family away and enters a state of depression. This is when the daughter of the house, Virginia steps in to help poor Sir Simon to actually move over to the other world.

The book tickles your funny bones and towards the end of the tale, it also manages to tug your heart strings. It makes you roll with laughter trying to imagine a ghost that’s been played upon by humans and actually avoiding them because it is scared. I am pretty sure that this book has found its way into the reading list of many school and college curriculum's. Well, as for me I am definitely going to read more books from Mr. Wilde.

Verdict – Must Read and Enjoy!

Finished: 29'th Jan 2009
Rating: *****

Today I weep for my India...

The latest happenings about the Rama Senas attack on girls hitting the pubs at Mangalore makes me seethe with anger and I have half a mind to hurl a bunch of curses and abuses at the people involved! Just that I have a fear that I would end up dead in the process. What makes this issue even worse are the statements of the founder of this backward organisation, Pramod Muthalik, who repeats at every possible opportunity that this is a small issue that has been blow out of proportion!

Yeah rite! Definitely blown out of proportion - an attack by 40 men on girls partying at the pubs is a very small issue. The fact that these jerks have probably scarred these young women for life is a very small issue. The fact that Muthalik states that this was not something that he approved and that things just go wrong in situations like this is a very small issue! I wonder what take the man would have if his daughters, or sisters or any other women that he knew had been attacked this way.

Another ugly side to this whole issue are the statements issued by these sanctimonious jerks about how they are trying hard to preserve the culture of our dear India. Protect and preserve the culture by assaulting women? Is that our culture? Adding more fuel to the fire is the fact that all their righteous crap has been directed only towards women - about women drinking, smoking, partying, dressing up etc? What about men?? Don't we see men drinking and behaving obnoxiously at these very same pubs? Not to mentions other bars and local legalised wine shops in the country, men beating up women, abusing their wives, men trying to take advantage of women and children, ministers practising polygamy, child abuse and the list can go on. Where are these groups when all this is was and still continues to happen? Didn't they feel the urge to preserve our culture? They talk about skimpy outfits but it seems they can't control the Bipashas, Priyankas, the king fisher calendars and others from the fashion and film world who need no excuse to drop their clothes!

To the organisations like the Rama Sena: Why do you drag the country down? Thanks to folks like yourselves our nation can never really move forward. For every 5 steps we take forward, you pull us back by 1000. Please note that the parents and relatives of these women have more to do with the behaviour of these women than people like you who have no connection to them!They have more rights to correct the behaviours of their wards than you and if they don't it is still none of your business. You are not preserving our culture but rather making our country, its people and many other normal decent human beings look bad. Someone rightly mentioned that you are trying to Talibanise Karnataka. That is the biggest insult that can be hurled at anyone and if nothing shames you about what has happened this should.

Will these men get the punishment they deserve for ruining the lives of these women? Or will the loose laws and practices of the land just set them free so that they can prey on more people to satisfy their own agenda? Gandhiji once said "the day that a woman could walk the roads at night without any fear for her being was the day when India would truly become independent". Seems he had the clairvoyance which clearly indicated that chauvinists from groups like the Rama Sena may roam the Indian soil. I pray that the folks involved in this charade get nothing lesser than a life imprisonment. I am still allowed to dream aren't I or do men like these think its against our culture?

Note: I have never been this angry while publishing a post. For someone who is always trying to look at the lighter side of life this was too much for me. I still dream of an India that would be a world leader one day, a India where women are truly free, a India where children are happy, safe and healthy, a India that is no longer a developing nation but a truly developed one. Jai Hind!

The Humble Upma

My mom used to prepare Upma often for breakfast or quick dinners and on most such occasions, me being myself, used to strike. I would make smart alec comments about why we shouldn't be eating upma. These used to toggle between 'Ohhhhhh...', Uggghhhhhh.....',' Oh no! Not again!', funny facial expressions and more. Exasperated at times, my mom used to unleash upon me her own thoughts about why I would be better off minding my own business and eat if I wanted to or else forego the meal. It has been three years since I moved away from home and I had forgotten all about upma until about 1.5 years ago, I chanced to watch a movie where the hero chided his lady love for not sharing her upma with him. The heroine kept having upma for lunch in that movie! Oh dear! The upma had made it to the movies; it seemed to be screaming "In your face yo!!!" to me.

After the movie, I had this sudden urge to make upma, which I did and attacked with gusto wondering why my preparation did not look as inviting as my mom’s. Since that day the humble upma came to my rescue often when I was lost for menu choices. It could be concocted in about 15 minutes and ready to go. Today as I cooked this for lunch-cum-dinner wondering like always as to why it did not reach the bar set by my mom, fond memories of me bugging her and intimate family dinners came to my mind - those were fun days. As funny as it seems this simple dish helped create some good memories. To those who take upma for granted (am sure many of you do) you can run, but you can't hide! This one will get you!