The other day, my sister was watching some silly thing on Pogo. Pogo is such a silly channel. (Still its the one channel everyone at home has to watch - else my brat of a sister will make a huge fuss with teary eyes and a runny nose - yes, I know how cute she looks. She isnt really all that adorable. I mean, we arent even allowed to talk when Tom and Jerry is on even if its an episode she's watched a hundred times on DVD!)
I asked her, politely, if she'd let me have the remote she was hugging(hogging?) cos I just wanted to see something for a minute and I promised I'd let her have it back(fat chance!). Well she's too clever for me, now and refused to give it.
I had two options.
1. Wait patiently by her side until she let guard down.
2. Grab it from her forcefully - this almost never works. Even if I do happen to get the remote(which is not easy - five year olds are really vicious) she starts crying and I have to give it back. Sigh.

So I waited. And then Pogo in a rare show of brilliance put on Snow White, the cartoon movie (surprising since Harry Potter is the ONLY movie they actually put on - for May 'movie magic', and Diwali Dhamakha and August something something... yes, I know the names of the silly program schedules. How pathetic is that? Well - you try having a five year old sister who wont eat or sleep without watching Noddy or Oswald. )

As I was watching Snow White, I was watching my sister's reactions to what was happening onscreen. She was so engrossed and involved in the movie, and except to look at me, occassionally and ask 'nice, no? you like the movie?' patronisingly that was cute in a way, she didnt take her eyes off the tv.
Sitting there watching her watch the movie, I wondered where she would be in fifteen years (that would make her 20) and what she would be doing.
Then I realised in fifteen years, I would be bloody 34.
And I dont want to think about what I would be doing then.
Sigh... 14 years is a long gap between sisters. She'll never think of me as a sister - prolly as some sorta aunt. Poor kid.

Scratch that - poor me! When I'm 35, I'll have kids who look upto my sister as a sister.
Phew! How screwed up is that?

English, I tell you!

Men-struation.
Men-arche.
Men-opause.

If you're thinking this is going to be a feminist post.. well, I dont know yet. It may become one.
What the hell is wrong with this world where a woman's important bilogical functions all begin with 'men' ? Except 'Pregnancy' which is the only one where Men have anything to do with it at all.
And what's with the similarity between the words 'menstruation' and 'mensuration' anyway?
Two wholly different things altogether..
Well, dictionary.com says that 'menstrual' is Latin for 'monthly'. WhatEVA!

Wonder why people say that. 'whatever' means 'anything that'. But Dictionary.com also adds this meaning to it - used to indicate indifference to a state of affairs, situation, previous statement, etc.

Now you're probably thinking I should stop with going on about words.

Diwali Showers!

The rains have arrived!!! And as always just in time for Deepawali!!!

This year has been one hot sweltering bunch of months. After last year's long bout of heavy and incessant showers, it was not a surprise that 'kathiri - masam' this year was hotter than most years. That's how Chennai rolls – from one extreme to the other.

The rains of 2005 were the highest in the last decade; while the years before that - 2003 and 2004, were very very dry.
With power cuts due to water logging, flooded roads and houses, suspended trains, the angry monsoon took the lives of over ten thousand people. Even though Chennai is mostly a hot, dry city, the rains are welcomed with open arms and dirty feet by most people.

If only nature would have better timing! Every year, Diwali time is 'fire-cracker time', 'sweets time', 'new clothes time' and in Chennai, sadly, 'rain time'.

'Rain time' doesn't always negate crackers and fireworks. Invariably and incredibly the rain always stops exactly on Diwali letting everyone have their fun bursting crackers, lighting deepams or buying new clothes, as the case might be. (My personal preference, though, is eating the heavenly homemade sweets!)

And after all the noises of the Festival of Lights go quiet, the rains come down again, with a vengeance, as if to wipe the city clean of all the litter and smoke.

Although many righteous people might claim that bursting fire-crackers is to ignore a lot of issues like Child Abuse, Noise Pollution, Air Pollution, etc... Even they will have to admit, that with this year's rate of occurrence of Chicunguniya in the city, one good thing about the fireworks is that we will happily bid goodbye to Chennai's own pet creatures – the mosquitoes, at least for some time. All this, of course, is at the mercy of the whims of nature and the abetment of the heavy rains.

Now, before my computer shuts down – it's showing all signs of doing so at the rapid fluctuation in voltage corresponding to the intensity of the deluge outside, I better post this. As I am saved (again by the lovely showers, which receive no thanks from my mother) from taking the trouble to put laundry out for drying, I will curl up in bed, listening to Radio Mirchi while reading a book. What about college, you ask? Well, it's been cancelled due to the heavy rains!!!

Cross-posted at Chennaiist

another one

I've decided to start a new blog.

Sometimes pictures do speak louder than words...

Ha ha ha !

Its such a relief.
Its gone.
I'm back on familiar ground.
I finally did it.
Cut my hair so short I cant even tie it up!
Bangalore may have bad roads, be too cold for my linking and may make me sneeze too many times. But it still brought me back to my senses.
all my life except for the last three -four years, I've had short hair..
and now.. I am a liberated woman again!
How glad I am that I dont look bald anymore!

Getting a haircut is so different from any other renewal experience like a new wardrobe or makeover or anything.. just the act of cutting one's hair makes one feel fresher, rejuvenated and ready to face life again..
So what if my dad disapproves? So what if its too unmanageable for hot, sweaty Chennai? At least I dont look like I am 25 when I'm only 19!!!

Yeah!!! I am so soo happy, nowadays, I darent think about it (or blog) too much, for fear of my new found contentment going up in a puff of smoke...

Love my hair! Love my life!
But I still dont love exams which pull me back down to earth with a harsh jolt.
Just three more days till 'free-bird' time! almost...
But complete freedom comes only in six months.. when I'll be done with this degree.. done with this college.. and done with everything thats grown so tiresome in these three looooong years!
So close yet so far!