Cancer, Christmas, me and you....

Being someone who had been a science student all through her school days, Cancer was not a new term to me when i first met a cancer patient. She was a relative with Blood cancer. I didn't give her much of a thought.

Then in 2004, a lump appeared in my left breast. A quick check up and the doctor feared it might be a cancerous growth. Many sleepless nights and endless trips to the hospital confirmed it otherwise and it was put down as an arbitrary muscle growth. It got solved by itself.

Last month, Papa called up.. "Can you call amma and talk to her?? she just came out of OT" he said in a worried voice. i was like WTF! what happened. Few calls later, i came to know, there had been a cancerous growth in her breast and she had to be operated given her age. But second opinions and second tests revealed it wasn't malign but just a random duct blockage in her mammary gland.



Anyone in Adyar or crossing Adyar would have seen this building once you cross Madhya kailash signal. If not the building, one would have noticed at-least the many number of people sitting scattered in that area. Well it is the Mohandevi Hirachand Nahar Rajasthani Dharmasala situated in the old Cancer Institute Premises at Canal Bank Road, Adyar, Chennai. Started in August 2000 following a request from the Chennai Cancer Institute, it is run by the Sri Matha Trust handled by five retired and experienced Trustees.

The building accommodates around 100 patients  and provides daily food to the patients and their attendants, free of cost. This includes a breakfast and 2 vegetarian meals along with milk twice a day. The trust folks say that a 1000 rupees feeds one patient for a month.

Now why all this??? Well connecting all the above paragraphs it is only sensible to say, Rat wants to help someone in a big way this time. Save for my random acts of kindness, i never tried to do anything big. May be fear may be laziness. But this time my dear friend Java sowed this seed of though in my mind and i have nothing else running in my mind now.

So this is the scene... # Java, Wired, Idlee and Yours truly have joined hands so that we collect a considerable amount by Dec 22, 2009.. the plan is to celebrate the Christmas by helping the patients there with what-ever money we collect... Even a 100 rupees from each of you will be of a great help. Not in Chennai, never a prob.. With pay-pal accounts, account transfers, checks, all can contribute what ever they wish too.

Thinking of doing something bigger?? always you can drop into the Trust anytime and treat the folks with a meal or a dinner. Any kind of help will be a great gesture... Kindly take some time to check the website...

P.S - Twitter handles given so that you can know, that we are real folks and this is a genuine request...
P.S - Look out for this space in upcoming time.. Meet-ups, Sales where the contributions goto this cause all coming up shortly...

Thanks in advance folks..

Missing in action, Ratzzz

And Definitely no one missed me this time.... :-\

on the other hand... this break wasn't planned or purposeful.. it just happened.. to all those who felt that, that my last post was a random tantrum.. u wr absolutely right, NOT!!!! my whole diwali weekend was a disaster.. spent the whole diwali on bed, with heavy migraine... cudnt even drink a draught of water without feeling nauseatic.. got up around 10 pm with a client calling to check my work progress.. yeah right!! puked violently at around midnight and went back to sleep blissfully... sad part, i was so sick to even inform The Boy or in that case my parents back home.. :( next day was okies with me dilly-dallying in bed and having a lunch date with the great girl, Me Myself... but i know so many ppl that i get recognized everywr i go...

At a coffee pub, met atleast dozen who wr like "u are Ratzzz? right??" Grinzzz.. ultimately a friend came to the rescue after that we went "coffee-hopping" :-) food hopping and ice-cream hopping has become a regular event thanks to The Boy and the mentioned friend.. Both are big time foodies... :-)

if i am not on a Holy Grail, then the time is spent writing or sleeping or reading, but never in any order... the grail being the Food here.. chennai never had been better than this...

yet have to decorate my "bachelorette" pad.. DV and Soph are playing there part perfectly, reminding me every day :( only i got no motivation.. all the wall paper and paint are staring at me blankly :(

went for the Save Tada - Clean up trek yday.. was shocked to see so much litter in such a remote place... happily plonked into the pool to clean it all up... separate post later.. never realised that it had so many glass bottles before i woke up today morning... both my legs have cuts and scratches at multiple locations :-| and not to mention a tired body...

230 dustbuster, 2 tons of garbage, enuf blood and cuts... later, we were still raring to go... 




not to forget the various new folks i met... from naughty guys to Down to earth photographers Hari and Makka(Karthik Ramalingam) every one made my day... d trek was as usual super fun with all of us jumping into the pool, without even knowing how to paddle o_O ok no comments abt my non swimmer self :P

Nemesis, my cam had a field day though.. as usual forgot to click the people and concentrated on wild flowers and algae... :P thats that.. tired body needs more sleep as of now..

and hey, yesh!!! on other news, i got PUBLISHED!!!! yay...  i toned down version of my last post.. go check out here ... It is an upcoming Mag and this is our first publication... and ahem! u can be nice and demand a print of the mag... this is a demand on print Magazine... now shoo, off u go to Thebanyantrees... :-)



 The Banyan Trees..

P.S # 1 : Gils.. hate u.. wont talk to u or comment on ur post till u make up for making me cancel my evening plans so as to meet u and not turning up at time :-| no chocolates wont help!!! nor will Vadai!!

P.S # 2 : Speeling and Grammr nazis... off u go.. i turned dyslexic for today... but then again, i am like that only :P

Turn off that noise please....

You, yup i am talking to you.. seriously, you need to rethink your priorities completely... You, the one who doesn't even know your mythology and history properly... yeah You, the one who thinks its his right to do anything with cities environment...

Can you just think over your deeds.. if not for me atleast for the kids, old folks and lastly our pets??? please...

you know how many times i have bit my tongue and hit my head against The Boy's  helmet in last one week because of your attitude to surprise me with untimely crackers?? what's the fucking need to burst crackers at untimely hours... and you, you stupid git with an battery widget instead of your usual organ, what really gave you the idea that i'll fall in love with you, if you light up an atom bomb when i cross you??? like hell, i ll... had not i been scared to core by that sudden blast, i would have blasted your head instead of that cracker...

You know about the number of calls my colleague gets.. you ask why.. ok hear this out, the daughter of his, a mere 3 year old kid, is scared to the marrow and is shivering for past two days because of all the noise you create... she is just a toddler, dumbwit.. can't you please spare her???



and do u know, i haven't passed a stray dog or cat or cow in that case for the past week while walking.. ever wondered why?? you doofus, the racket you create scares them.... it makes them hide and cower in fear....

Can you please put mute on the noise atleast this year... haven't the so many rules about decibel levels, time limits and stuff told you something yet??

oh heavens Sake.. Diwali is a "festival of Lights" not a festival of noise and air pollution, i say... please guys, burn lights and diyas not Crackers or a hole in your pocket...

go ahead.. i say go ahead, if u wish to see your head blasted into a thousand fragments....

Wanted a groom for Slim, Smart, Sexy Bride...

Ok cut that sexy part... the Bride is ultra cute and a Doctor.. a poetess, a photographer and a published writer... the girl is none other than our darling Soph at Che sara sare... now the requirement in the Girl's words..


Wanted groom:
for a beautiful, smart, sweet, cute, intelligent, girl

Expectations:
  • the guy should give her a diamond ring on marriage and diamond band on engagement
  • the guy is expected to take her to all the countries in the world
  • the guys is expected to supply enough pocket money every day to the girl
  • the guys is expected to take her to pubs and discs every weekend
  • the guy shouldn't get jealous when the gals hangs outs with her friends
  • the guy is expected to allow her to wear even skimpy clothes
  • the guys should love her unconditionally
  • the guy should treat her parents like his own and give them money every month

"evavanavathu elichavayan erukana?"

A - Z, i am a Professional

I am an Actress, yet still to get a chance...
I am a Baby sitter, with zero-tolerance for babies...
I am a Chef, but rarely enter the Kitchen...
I am a Dentist with scurvy...
I am an Environmentalist who enjoys the earthly comforts of my air-conditioner and fridge...
I am a Fashion Designer, who loves my doggy paw printed pyjamas and warmers...
I am a Green Grocer who thinks potatoes grow on trees...
I am a Hair dresser, who dressed her last clients hair with pretty pink Tutu and stilettos...
I am an IT coder, ASPX, SQL, WTF??
I am a Jockey, frequenting Lingerie shops rather than Race-courses...
I am a Kickboxer who can't raise her leg more than an inch...
I am a Lawyer thriving for the truth, the absolute truth...
I am a Mechanic who lost her tools....
I am a Novelist but the pages keep shuffling by themselves...
I am an Oracle and predict about Yesterday...
I am a Pirate who has yet to see the sea...
I am a Queen's Maid who keeps flirting with the King...
I am a Receptionist who keeps on connecting the every Female callers to my Boss..
I am a Scribe wtih dxcyslxiea, wat-evr....
I am a Therapist who needs a theraphy...
I am an Undercover agent with a hood and Burqa...
I am a Violinist who believes completely in Violence...
I am a Weaver with scissor hands...
I am a Xylophonist but i am phony it that...
I am a Yodeler with a Sore-throat...
I am a Zoologist who prefers her animals on the plate...

I am a RAT who loves trap, Love Traps....

My Love - Hate Relationship with....

Me and Rain-god have a very strong relationship, a Love-Hate Relationship... I love him, he Hates me.... or otherwise, umm i dunno :-|

Chennai is otherwise scorching hot and sultry.. but let me wash my clothes and wring it out to dry, lo behold, My love-lorn Rain god sends his secret weapon aka the RAIN downwards... this has been going on since i came back to Chennai... its horrible to the extent that when-ever my friends feel very hot, the call-up and ask me to wash clothes... :-(

And when-ever i go out on a Date or hang-out with my friends, lo behold again.... Varuna Bhagwan is surely in love with me...see he can't even bear me going out with other guys or be seen with them... he is in that much love with me... :-P



 It all started when i was in my class 4th... i was very much in love with him but he didnt even spare a look at me.... i was so smitten that i ran from one building to the other without my Coat on... i wanted to get drenched in his love and enjoy his embrace, you see... Poor me, all that love was too much for this silly smitten rat... i got sick... That was when He started to note me.... :-D

Since then he is trying to embrace me thru his Raining love when-ever he can.. he is trying to woo me back when i go out with others and trying to stop me from going out... Hmmmm...

but Pbbbhttt at you, Rain God...  i got over you... as much as i love you, i can't stand your first love.... i get easily sick whenever you shower for the first time.. so leave me alone... i have got over you, you move on too... there are loads of nice girls out there... :-)

30 Things To do in Chennai...

First Things First... Speak Bindas contacted me sometime last week for an interview... Was apprehensive 'coz of the whole anonymity issue... We sorted that out and you have the exclusive Rendezvous with the Rat here...




Saw a similar post in one of the met-blogs of another city.. thought will add my own list for Chennai.. not in any order and is not exhaustive either... add your own in the comments section...

  1. Take a walk on the beach from Marina to Elliot's Beach
  2. Capture the Sunrise at Broken Bridge
  3. Haggle over trinkets at Pondy Bazaar
  4. Scourge for a long forgotten book at Moor Market... trust me you'll get it...
  5. Click the Moon on Full moon day at Thiruvanmiyur Beach
  6. Have a quaint cup of coffee at Rathna Cafe
  7. Enjoy the peace at Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Mylapore..
  8. Squeeze through the crowd to get vegetables at Koyambedu
  9. "Enjoy" the pulling and pushing at Ranganathan Street
  10. Pay over Rs.200 for a ten minute Autoride
  11. Catch a movie at Broadway Talkies.. scoot over multiplexes...
  12. Read some ancient literature at Connemaara Library
  13. Attend a Music concert at TTK Salai
  14. Pray along the waves at the Sea shore Sai Temple, Injambakkam
  15. Party on a hired boat at Muttukaadu Lake
  16. Look out for an ancient yet sturdy buildings at Mint Street
  17. Climb the Lighthouse at Marina
  18. Pick up a handicraft doll at Alwarpet
  19. Wait in queue to get a plate of hot Puliyothare at Grand Sweets & Snacks
  20. Refrain from feeding the baby crocs at the Crocodile Park
  21. Ape the monkeys at Guindy Children's Park
  22. Try finding the Adyar Banyan Tree.. No Google is not allowed
  23. Spot a Sandalwood Tree at Vandalur Zoo
  24. Try gaining an entry into the Guindy National park.. a Reserve forest right at the heart of the city, where else can u find it... 
  25. Handle the snakes at 3 pm daily at the Snake Park
  26. Munch on a Vada, fresh off the Vada-mala of the 32 feet tall Anjaneyar Statue at Nanganallur
  27. Attend a marriage at any of the chthrams at Vadapalani
  28. Attend the Vinayak Visarjan at Sowcarpet...
  29. Relish a plate of Biriyani at Samco, TTK road
  30. Take the MRTS from Velachery to Beach


and as the legend says "you have much more to do at Chennai"... Cheers...

Edited to add:

More things to do in Chennai...
  • Go shopping for cheap but good fabric at Fashion/Pantheon Road, Egmore (Aarthi)
  • Soak in various cultures at Dakshin Chitra (Aarthi)
  • Get yourself scolded by an auto-driver in chaste Madras Thamizh for no fault of yours. (Rammmmm :-P)
  • Get drenched in the Madras rains and wade(swim) around after that (Rammmmm)
  • Click pics of Armenia in Namma Chennai at Armenian Street (Gils)

Tag Vaangaliyo Tag...

1.Grab the book nearest to you, turn on page 18 and find line 4?
Book : "Mister God, This is Anna"
No painted cherub on the church ceiling was this child,but a smiling, giggling, squirming, real live child,her face alight with some inner radiance, her eyes like two blue searchlights. /the block words were in the fourth line...its a pocket book i carry everywr man/

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can & touch air?
Ouch.. hit my hand on the wall... naan corner seat girl pa...

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
wait a sec.. let me recollect when i watched TV lately... err no, i dont know...

4. Without looking, guess what time it is?
2.30 pm 0_o

5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?
2.29 pm... Yesh!!!!

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
What computer??? dude i don't have this Headphones glued to my ears 24*7 for no reason... Gandhiji said "Hear no evil", so i hear nothing else :-P

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
one hour back.. Lunch time.. but this is a dumb question.. if u know me, 3/4th of my life is spent outdoors..i return to my place only to catch the customary 40 winks.

8. Before you started this Q&As, what did you look at?
my watch.. waiting for the day end... i have plans for the evening.. har har har

9. What are you wearing?
Romba Mukiyam... this is the second time someone is asking me this question today... :-D

10. When did you last laugh?
another dumb question.. i laugh thru the day baby... and have a perpetual smile etched on my face.. wrong question to the wrong Rat..

11. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Paint.... Pinkish yellow ermmm yellowish pink, Watever!!

12. Seen anything weird lately?
ha ha ha.. yeah right.. Fancy that you ask me this.. i am so weird that everything else seems so normal to me...

13. What do you think of this quiz?
Surely Gils doesn't have an inkling abt me.. :P

14. What is the last film you saw?
The Bulletproof Monk for the nth time... day before yday i think

15. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you buy?
old question... deposit it in several banks.. get debit cards from all of them and back pack around the world... :-)

16. Tell me something about you that I dunno!
you ll know some day.. but this is not some day

17. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
Why?? why do you want to change the world..its so beautiful as it is...if not for the politics aka politicians, world will lack humor... and if not for the guilt, life would be too rosy...

18. Do you like to Dance?
Dude.. This is the dumbest question you can ask to a professionally trained dancer... ask me what form i like to dance :-P

19. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
i can think of atleast one person who will beat the hell out of me if i answer this question... Wtf?? the answer is Ragamaalika...

20. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
aiyo!! now i am sure to be dead tommorrow... tsk tsk tsk the answer is Megharanjan... go ahead make fun of me.. but yesh, i am that addicted to music...

21. Would you ever consider living abroad?
nah buddy.. I am still aiming at a quite corner along the ECR road...

22. What do you want GOD to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
Oh shit.. that St.Peters is getting really old.... Ratzzz you can go back to the Earth, there must have been a mess up...


Ha ha ha... as usual, i tag no one... But yesh! i kindly request folks not to tag me..plz plz (i ll send u chocolates as a bribe if u refrain in future) :-)

Cheers to Life..

War - now and then...


 
Ever wondered how the whole Ramayana could have been avoided if only Hanuman had picked up Sita instead of setting Lanka on fire???

To be true, i like Ravana more than Rama.. if i have my Indian mythical history right, Ravana was an ardent devotee of Lord Siva... he got the Power, immortality and supremacy from the God Brahma himself... he got the weapons from Lord Shiva, again a God...

not that he left this country people to die out of hunger and thirst either... myth has that the country was so beautiful and prosperous that the roads were laid of gold, that there were tree orchards every where and that no traveler went thirsty or hungry... myth has that once when an ascetic asked for alms, thinking he will get gold, he got Iron pieces... in the view of abundance of gold availability, the king thought iron was more valuable... such was the prosperity...

accepted that he coveted on Sita, wife of another person... but who in this world doesn't do that now-a-days??? :-P They blame that he bought the doom over him because of his cruelty and greed... it seems he overtook all three worlds there by angering the gods... ok he took over you but i saw no Rama or Vamana appearing when Alexander the great was ruling and taking over the whole world... they didn't even give us a glance when our own Asoka, the Great almost captured the whole of India...

See.. first the Gods give Ravana the whole power.. Ravana goes uses his powers to the whole extent.. they send a woman who teases him on her Swayamvar... he gets irritated and owes to take revenge.. they send another God in the form of a mortal.. make him marry the earlier said Female... Ravana kidnaps the Female and the now-mortal-man-god sends a Monkey god to give a report of the situation... he instead sets the whole island on fire,claiming it is full of demons and demoness-es... out-breaks a war to destroy peace and threaten the whole nation...

once the war is over the now-mortal-man-god is not even happy with his wife.. he goes on to suspect her loyalty(puke..) and asks her to step into the Fire...  even after that he doesn't believe her and asks his brother to "miss" her in the forest... and he does jalsa happily in his kingdom without any female-hindrance... 

Now where have i heard this story in near future??? Something about funding all the weapons, then getting insecure that they may over take and finally destroy by raising petty issues.... ring any bell??

___________________________________________________________________

This post has been selected as a  Spicy Saturday Pick by blogadda, folks...


 Go check it out here...

___________________________________________________________________


P.S 1 # the doodle is by my dear friend Rosh, who pens here and here...
P.S 2 # this is solely my view and at times Rosh's... so save ur "get over..its plain myth" or some smart ass comment to that effect... u may just hurt urself trying to argue with me, while i sit back and read you with an amused smile...

P.S 3 # Cheers to life :-) enjoy ppl

Graffitis and one-liners...

i went to my alma-mater some time last week...  though it was my own college, @Manorath offered to accompany me (no moot points for guessing that he is my junior there :P)

though i wasn't looking forward, i visited my Hostel at the campus...  CEG girls hostel is pretty famous and well known.. but our ACT hostel is secluded and cut off from the rest of the campus... so its pretty peaceful and at times "shady" making it an ideal location :P

i really didnt expect anyone to recognize me... but what to do, i am that famous that the hostel staff squealed (with joy or fright, i don't want to hazard a guess) :D  i went to my final year room just for the sake of it...who am i kidding, it has more memories linked to it than my whole four years in college put together...

During my final year, i was living alone that i had filled up the walls with so many graffiti works... every time i felt bored i'll take out my colored pens and set out to work...i was happy with my work... it is another story that the hostel staff was appalled :-P they were planning to get my room painted so as to erase all that stuff..

so you can imagine my surprise when i found all those works still there on walls... :-) every writing, every single pencil sketch, every word proclaiming that "i am the best"... everything was there... hostel manager said a staff had fought for me to keep it there and said sorry that the following year an inmate had tore of my wardrobe paintings before they could stop her...

it was yet another graffiti done with multicolored spray paints on a white background... it had palm prints and abstract art among other things.... i was bit said that it was gone.. but yet happy that other works were there... lucky i carried my cam with me.. so i happily clicked all my mishaps :P

Dreamvendor and Soph may object to my habit of mine.... but i still love painting Graffiti and murals...ok i am against De-facing our historical places, public buildings and public transport but still Graffiti are great...

well you see, i had my first visual lesson on sex education during one train journey...  i was in my class 7th then, i think... i innocently went to the loo to see a detailed art of what goes where and does what with all the nitty-gritties neatly explained... even my peer group and Zoology teacher failed to explained me so efficiently....

i was attending a national conference at IIT-G during my college where i got my first taste of graphic novels... marked into the desks of these kids  was a complete comic script of such a story... these kids are a genius , i say.. and if not for these engravings how in the world could we recognize their hidden talents, i say...

and you should read the walls of Chennai metro train instead of eavesdropping on what the female sitting next to you is gossiping...  you ll know updated details of who is going out with whom and fresh leads of whom to hit...

Some lines found by your truly:

 "Padithathum Marandhu vitavum" (Forget once you read this) 
 "Jobless!! go goggle at that big breasted woman" (Now, seriously!!) 
 "Raghu, I Love you - Yours only Raji

 Sorry Raghu, your widget is too small.. Surya, you are my hero"

The last one had me flabbergasted and in splits that i wondered if i am really in Chennai....
 

and so.. what graffiti or a public line did u enjoy??

Rat-anandaya Namaha!!

 Bolo
 Om Sri Sri RAT-anandaaya namah
 i am being Prophetic for the past one week... dunno whose spirit descended on me (har Har har, or this all after effects of the visit to Bikes n Barrels) anyways it so happened that i accidentally commented "i wont bring flowers for ur god statues for next three days" to my colleague.. actually ended up sick and had to bunk office... Dragged my sorry self back today :P *i still yearn for my bed though :P*

so Bolo
Om Sri Sri RAT-anandaaya namah
another friend was texting me sorry self trying to boost my low energy levels the other day...  he obviously was indulging in me 'coz he had no other entertainment, thanks to power-cut.... i cursed him and said power ll be back the next second.. and Ta-Da, i was prophetic again...

so Bolo
Om Sri Sri RAT-anandaaya namah
And the Sri Sri Sri Guru Rat-anandaa met Quick gun Murugunji on Friday... Rat-anandaa is very happy that the great Muruganji had some nice laugh riotic moments and great music.. till Rat-anandaa recovers from her blocked dam aka nose and head-weight,bolo
Om Sri Sri RAT-anandaaya namah

Musings of a Chennai Ponnu...

Who am i??

i usually take a walk from Chetpet station to my office near Egmore every morning.. this makes up my dose of exercises daily... in the process i have to cross a slum settlement with loads of chapels and small shrines... last week there was some function going on there along with distribution of food packets by the localites... some young guys were re-directing vehicles and people to take a different route as this was a sacred function... to my amusement, they let me pass through saying "Dei Machan andha ponnu christian da.. vidu pottum" (hey, Brother-in-law.. That girl is a Christian..let her go)

I was wondering when did they get me converted when i noticed the guy pointing at my rather hefty gothic Crucifix,that i was wearing as a pendant... like duh!! what they missed to notice was a prominent and a Crescent hanging from my charm bracelet... duh!!
why this preference to one's religion and community... i dont understand this at all... i keep wondering...

Inflation Ba!!

I dunno how many Adyar ppl know, but there is this parallel shop besides Adyar Bakery aka Shakes n Creams.. practically situated at the parking area of Adyar bakery this quaint little shop churns out awesome vadas, cutlets, pakoras, bhajjis and such things...

during my college time, i used to throng this place every evening.. and they had started only during my second year of college... i was all nostalgic and stopped by there yday.. i handed out a ten rupee note and asked them to pack a couple of cutlets... the guy took a look at me and my note and said "Velai eri romba masam aaradhu ma.. innum rendu rooba kodu" (its months since the price rose.. give me two more rupees)...


I asked why the price hike and got the cliched reply "Inflation ba" (inflation dear)

Metro Train:

 Early morning also sees me taking our own "Metro" train to Chetpet... Its an experience in itself, i say... by any chance if i miss the 7 15 local then its surely a hell ride for me.. right from being jostled from one corner to the other, being spewed at with a volley of bad words (thankfully i dont understand much), being stamped and trampled, huh its worse than hell...

but i get to meet special "Specimens" only here... once by mistake i climbed into a general compartment... there was this guy staring at me all through the journey and doing antics to get my attention.. i purposely was looking at the other direction.. this happened till i was about to get down... as i got down, that specimen came close near and muttered something like "Look at me please... i have a bet with my friend " or something to that effect... i burst out laughing... ha ha ha.. needless to say he lost his bet... :-P i know, i am evil...

Street Photography:

I have taken to street photography too much these days.. apart from the group walk at Mint Street on 22nd Aug and Pondy Bazaar walk  on 30th Aug, i always tend to indulge in some clicks if and when i see something curious..

it so happens that there is this temple festival near my place.. they had arranged this big Amman  paper mache statue and several small god statues... i started clicking them yday as i passed it, and to my amusement there were these random strangers who wanted me to click pics of them along with these "gods".. they took a look at the pics and said "you take pics nicely" or something to that effect and left... they didnt even bother to ask if they will get a copy.. they just wanted to be photographed...

like how narcissistic can we become!!!

Talking about Narcissism, i have to mention a certain thick-head thick friend of mine, Vasu... if u take the pain to notice, i have posted my awards from fellow bloggers in the side bar as sticky notes... the idea was originally Vasu's.. naturally he wanted his 15 minutes of Fame..

the actual transcript of our chat:

me: i stole ur ideas of sticky notes
Vasu: a lot of my ideas get copied.. so no probs. u can use it :)
me: poda poda
Vasu: oi! put up a thnx for me too for d idea :P
me: inna? ok ok..alpame... ll do that in the next post
Vasu: :D i also need publicity.  i am stil single.  :P
me: tho da....  i am gonna copy these exact lines.... revenge revenge :P
Vasu: it wil only give me more publicity :D
me: ha ha ha..
 
:P Should i say anything more, you single girls??? off u go to his page... incidentally our darling is an Aerospace engineer (from MIT) , pursuing his MBA at NITIE, Mumbai... the  doofus also stood first in his CAT exams, i think... and has several awards to his name.... and yeah he worked with Infosys for a couple of years too :P

(revenge revenge.. i pictured u as a Geek, Vasu.. muwaha ha ha ha ha ha)

 P.S # i am off to hang out with DV, Soph and Aru at Citi-center.. meet you later guys...

Bratzz in the Bazaar!!

it all started with a innocent looking Text message from DV while i was literally hanging by thread in the local MRTS train... it said "Check your gmail and duly reply thru sms or mail"

Seriously speaking, when ever i get such cryptic Texts, my brain goes into overdrive and an unknown dread spreads over me... i keep on thinking about the various bluffs and blunders i do on an hourly basis... and it had been months since someone chastised over Gmail... like duh!! i was worrying myself sick till i connected into the world wide web... it was just a hang-out discussion thread... Phew!!

After  a whole load of planning-changing-cussing-changing-planning we planned to hit the special place of Chennai... thats how Pondy Bazaar saw the brats Ratzzz, Dreamvendor, Soph, and Hari hanging around there with numerous bags and cams in the pretext of getting a black Stud for the dude, DV...

The plan was to meet over lunch at 10 Downing Street(which your Truly had to forgo due to her ever sincerity ather work, ahem ahem) , followed my street photography and street wise shopping... Ahem, needless to say there was more photography than shopping...

the shopping haul consisted of some shirts, a pair of trousers, couple of scarves, sun screen lotions, studs, trinkets among 4 of us... DV was literally molested  by the Lady at "Health and Glow" who wouldn't let go of DVs hand.. har har har, i wouldn't be surprised if DV is found hanging around there for another week.. me and Soph behaved like complete Divas and bought pretty scarves just because they were on discount sale :P

Coffee at Geetha Cafe was the intial Bribe offered by DV for joining him... it was another laugh riot there... DV and Hari were safely ordering Sambar Vada along with your coffees.. Soph chose bonda and was asked how much she wants... she said one but was brought 4... wow!! my story was totally diff... i asked for Masala Vada.. the dear waiter said they dont have it and will bring me Onion Vada instead... fine with me.. only that, the darling waiter brought me Masala Vada, ha ha ha... Me loved that :-D

We,the nosy crowd entered the pondy bazaar in search for a single-black-stone-stud for our new style icon DV... he failed miserably in his quest, which made our dear Soph enter the field asking the vendor "Anna oru kal kammal iruka na??" (Brother, do u have a single stone earring??) DV was mumbling under breath "Kammal Sollatha.. it sounds too Feminine".. Lolzzz... i jumped into the fun bit later asking "Anna indha madiri Seconds irukka na"(Brother, do u have such second earrings), pointing to my twice pierced ear lobe... ha ha ha... serious fun, i say...



i dunno who was the odd one out, but we were all thronged by random vendors, "Medaam, buy this buy that.. very cheap in India" like duh, why will i need that Dholak for the love of ermm.. fun!!  and there were these folks who questioned our Nationality... Hey i am a Pachai Tamilachi (green TamGirl, ermm pure Tamilian) and proud about it, okay???

But i should say, we totally triped on clicking and were pointing our cams at random strangers even :P and not to mention at DV every other second, who was being extra narcissistic that day... now i have more clicks of him than the actual subject in my Memory Card...

The arduous photography session was followed by a Gujju dinner at Saravana Bhavan hotel, Rangoli... Should i say that DV behaved like perfect non-flying-species of a certain mammal which is a current sensation and hogged down the Masala Poppadams.. (Mind u,DV, i have photographic proofs :P) it was in an another era that DV also kapaleekaramed Sophzz Bournville bar too... many Aloo parathas, Methi parathas, Mushroom Biriyaanis, Pudhina Batatas, Sweet corn Masalas later, we found it fit to make the Homeward journey...

Actually that was another laugh riot, with me, DV and Soph behaving like completely drunkards and laughing the hell all the way towards Adyar in the auto-rick... the talk included getting into someone's pants, making out on the on the beach and having a guy.. ok i may be exagerrating :-D, Honest!! we were so insane that the auto-driver asked me if we were all some College Students?? Tsk Tsk Tsk... :-D

In the Pic: Me and Soph haggling over DVs stud :-)

A triangular Love istory...

The Black Safari Duo was again there today, with its usual tinted glass windows.

 Megha had been noticing that Automobile for quite some time now. It would usually be there by the time she reached her bus-stop. And usually will accompany her bus in the same pace till her office. When it happened first, she was amused to see the Safari driving parallel to her Bus. She expected it to drive off, when her bus took a pit-stop at one of those numerous bus stops. But no, it stopped a bit and continued to drive again once the bus started. And never once had Megha seen the inmate(s) of the vehicle, thanks to the heavily tinted window glasses.

Megha was working in the Crime-beat dept of the city's only afternoon newspaper. She was living alone for almost 7 years now and was quite independent in her own way. Though she was pretty normal with the girl-next-door look, something in her made everyone take a second look at her when she walked by. Dressed in some smart Kurta and Jean along with her acerbic tongue, she was a dread for her colleagues.

Chetan was her only colleague who could manage her. In fact Chetan was her friend for the past 6 years since she was shifted from Page#3 to Crime-beat. Initial office gossip had that both were romantically seeing each other, until Megha released a volley of abuses on the drop-of-the-hat-coffee-break-gang. Since then the office crowd left Megha and Chetan alone on their own terms.

Megha always left her house by 7 am to reach the nearest bus-stop where Chetan would join her for their regular bus at 7 15 am. Only recently was this new addition of a Safari and its in-mates. After the initial curiosity and amusement, it gave raise to dread and irritation in Megha. She had pointed it out to her friend quite sometimes. But Chetan always dismissed saying it was nothing and they can't do anything until the Safari mate does anything. To him, the Safari-mate was another just painless harmless eccentric creature of the city.

Today again, the Safari was standing at its usual place. Unfortunately Chetan had taken a day off to visit his Family back at native. Megha somehow felt that, whoever the Safari-mate was, he will surely come out today. Her hunch proved prophetic as a tall dusky hunk stepped out of the loco and approached her. Fortunately for him, a bus arrived at the same moment and saved him from a series of derogatory abuses from Megha. She was fuming all through her journey thinking about the audacity of this guy. At least she was now sure it was a guy and not some random chick routing for some naughtiness.

The Safari-mate was a hunk and any girl will be attacked by sudden jelliness of her knees by his approach, but not our Lady. She was pretty much frothing in her mouth by the time Chetan called her up in the evening to report his arrival back to the town. She was screaming at the top of her lungs when Chetan asked her to meet him at a nearby coffee pub. She agreed and left her desk in a huff.

Chetan was waiting at their usual couch at the Pub and had ordered her a huge mountain of Chocolate Brownie with a double dose of chocolate sauce. Megha made a face and dug into it. Once she was done. Chetan asked if she was cooled down now. He said he would deal him tomorrow.


The day dawned well the next day. But Megha felt like taking an off and duly texted it Chetan and remained in her bed. Chetan came knocking at her door by elevenish and dragged out to a mid-morning brunch.

They hit a Falafel centre near her house and were pigging out on Falafel Sandwiches to their hearts content. Chetan got a call and had to move out to the foyer, when M spotted the Safari-mate approaching her table much to her chagrin. He was smiling at her ad he approached nearer.

M got agitated and even before he could say something shouted out, “Hey, look Mister. Stop following me, I am not a bit interested in you.”

The Safari-dude looked all confused and replied “Who showed a interest in you, anyways??? I was routing for your friend. First I suspected you were a couple. But the distance between you obviously says you are not and your friend is interested in guys. Can u please ask your friend to consider my proposal?”

Saying that he moved away, leaving a stunned Megha, who suddenly realized she was in love with Chetan too.

-D Rat
Plz Vote for me at the Indiblogger contest

Life in a metro aka Namma Ooru Nalla Ooru...

i wrote this last on completing one year stay at Indore... Not that i was in love with the city, but i was intrigued by it very much... it has its own advantages... Indore is still more of a town when compared to our Chennai city.. calling Indore as a city would be so wrong.. yet you can enjoy the city in its own way... you'll be sweating like a swine when you are standing at Saket or Palasia area but just going down a few kilometers to Indrapuri will make you feel a sudden drop in temperature...

yet another major advantage to me at Indore was the lonely Parks... No love birds doing their not-so-secret shenanigans as in our beaches... i could easily sit down with a book, iPod, a pack of chips and no body will care (except for the park security, asking me if i paid my due that month :D)

and Food was a major hit.. i had a wide range to select from without any dread.. other than the Sambar Indori folks didn't bungle up with any other dish.. here i shiver to choose anything other than idlis and dosas at local eat outs... i have to reserve and preplan my dinner if i need some authentic Mugalai stuff (Pssst.. can anyone lemme know where i can get authentic Mugalai biriyani??? i have scourged every eat out at Adyar, Mylapore, Besant Nagar and T Nagar, in VAIN.. i ll even take u out then... please please.. i am on my knees...)

That being said, i should send home the point that i love Chennai... i might have said Madras.. but this city is Chennai since my early memories and i like this better... Chennai is where i spent my college years and as someone said "college days are never over"...

Namma Chennai:
 and it was Chennai Day aka Madras Day last Saturday... so any guesses what all this Rat smitten by Chennai did last weekend??? yup, attended this Photo walk at Mint Street.. and the book worm and music fanatic i am, picked up "Chennai Latte - A Madras Brew" and "Reverberations" in sync with Chennai Pulse.

i had fun walking through the streets of Parrys.. mint street, 7 wells street, Portugal Church Street, Broadway, Armenian Street... and we met people who were camera shy and also people posing eccentric poses to get themselves photographed... Thanks to CC, Vatsan, Tushar, Suraj, Raman, Natrajan, Prithvi and numerous others i forgot to ask the name...

# Beaches, especially the Elliot is the first though that creeps into my non-exsisting brain, when someone yells "Chennai".. mind you, almost daily someone yells this at me... Elliots has seen me crying me alone, walking long with Big B or friends, "kadalai putting" with numerous dates (diff one each time :P) and what not... If u wanna know something about me, go ask those waves... they will tell you stories...

# T Nagar, almost synonymous with Chennai, thanks to the various Saree and Jewelry shopd there... somehow i love this place, inspite of the crowd... you get to meet a gamut of specimens here... and i love picking up trinkets at the roadsides here.. not that i am always in sheer need of these stuff, but i buy them anyways.. there are loads of unaccounted stuff i had got from T Nagar that includes a stuffed sparrow, earrings which i never wear, peacock feathers, wall hangings and ugh, no i stop here!! 
# To me Sambar Sadam is like, water to fish... my college friends used to regale others with my stories of ordering Sambar Sadam at five star restaurants and buffets... and those who say sambar sadam is like bisi-bela-baath can run off, i am here with a shot gun... :-D i am that protective of Sambar Sadam.. till date, i have ate the Besht Sambar Sadam at Hot chips.. Adyar branch to be precise.. damn, i want a plate, like NOW!!

P.S # i started writing this article some time last week planning to publish by Aug 22nd... but health played Dr.Evil and had to postpone n postpone...so dont throw any brick bats if u find this incoherent :P

P.S 2 # i have been nominated for Indiblogger - Blogger of the month, Original Literature... Please go here and vote for me folks... Somebody vote for me too, folks... कोई थो वोट करो यार ... :P தயவு செஞ்சு யாராச்சும் வோட்டு போடுங்களேன்

Mili Mili Award mili!!!




Award Mili, Award Mili, Award Mili.... Whoa, after a long time!!! Thankoo Chan... it reads too similar that i feel i might have done than before.. but who cares, here we go again...


1. What is your current obsession?
Macro shots aka Photography

2. What are you wearing today?
Pain in the ummm, neck.. otherwise a green Patiala Salwar Kameez

3. What’s for dinner?
Ugh.. will decide it at dinner time..

4. What’s the last thing you bought?
Bus Ticket to Saidapet

5. What are you listening to right now?
Chak Lein de - remix, CC2C, Shankar Mahadevan

6. What do you think about the person who tagged you?
Nice!! need to know more anyways... :-) Meet up C?? we will drag in Sat from Blore, wat say?

7. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
Besant Nagar, Chennai

8. What are your must-have pieces for summer?
Shades and Sun screen.. Hey i cant stay in wat ever the temperature may be dear. i am outdoorsy!

9. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
My bed.. this darn sprain in the neck is a slow poison

10. Which language do you want to learn?
The Gypsy Language and Koovam tamil... Really, these two intrigue me a lot

11. What’s your favourite quote?
I am used to all the stares i get... (walking with the nose High up in the air)

12. Who do you want to meet right now?
DOCTOR...

13. What is your favourite colour?
Sky Blue


14. What is your favourite piece of clothing in your own closet?
a white cotton Pencil Skirt

15. What is your dream job?
Sleeping.. umm it doesnt qualify huh?? wat abt getting paid for writing.. umm i am doing that right now, i think :D

16. What’s your favourite magazine?
Readers Digest, anytime!!

17. If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?
wait let me gt a calculator... will convert it into INR then will let you know :P

18. What do you consider a fashion faux pas?
Wearing glasses inside malls, shops etc... it really sucks to see such specimen!

19. Who are your style icons?
Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel

20. What kind of haircut do you prefer?
Blonde Cut in females, Crew Cut in guys... Anyone listening, Psst....

21. What are you going to do after this?
Get Back to that article i was working my butt off

22. What are your favourite movies?
Certainly none of those mushy chick-lit movies... Bah!!

24. What are three cosmetic/makeup/perfume products that you can't live without?
 i can live without any.. but others cant live, if i dont use a DEO... :P otherwise you can always find a Lakme Kajal pencil, Fab india Lip Butter and a Oriflame Punk Girl perfume in my purse.

23. What inspires you?
anything and everything.

24. Give us three styling tips that always work for you:
  1# Never go out in a complete match of colors.. be innovative in mix and match...wearing black accessories with a LBD is such a passe
  2# Wearing your hair in plaits while wearing a Jean ensemble is a complete No-No... it looks so Rural!
  3# While wearing a Belt, let the buckle be on your sides.. it ll conceal your beer belly!


25. What do you do when you “have nothing to wear” (even though your closet’s packed)?
  Pick out a basic White tee and match it up with a blue denim... :-) i do that loads of time

26. Coffee or tea?
Coffee!!

27. What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed?
Music!!!!

28. What is the meaning of your name?
Determined, it seems :P go here


29. Which other blogs you love visiting?
DV, Doc, Nachi, Mad Momma, IHM, Satish.

30. Favorite Dessert/Sweet?
dessert - Chocolate Icecream/ Choclate Fantasy
sweet - Rosogulla and Gulab Jamuns

31. Favorite Season ?
Winter, perfect!!

32. If I come to your house now, what would u cook for me?
Sambar, Thayir Sadam and Vadam, happy Chan???

33. What's your favorite cartoon character?
Peanuts, Garfield, Calvin and Hobbes

34. My question: If its my birthday next week, what would you gift me???
Chan i would gift you this comlete set of Fusion with Nathaswaram CDs i got yday :-)

I tag no one.. but wud love to bestow this award upon the following

 DV, Doc, Nachi, Mad Momma, IHM, Satish, and Vasu 

Rat Rambling Randomly and Ruggedly...

Hola!!! Seems like an era passed between this and my last post... i am in Chennai.. Feeling at home after a long time... i have already settled comfortably into a routine between  work, room, hanging out with Malar... its years since our time in school and we have around 8 years of stories to catch up... not a simple feat but yet a great feeling... :-)


I have taken to half an hour Morning walk daily... yesterday, thank to rain god, it was raining all night... so you could imagine the many miniature pools sprouted all over... i was dodging them today as i was walking towards my bus-stop.. at a certain point, i walked under a tree... a passing bus grazed the tree and i was showered with flowers, leaves and mainly rain water.... i stood there for a moment enjoying the feeling.. it was as if i as being welcomed... it was a moment of bliss... it justified my early mornings, crowded Metro train, and tiring day at work!

And i can sense History being repeated... Last time i was in chennai, Bird flu was making a heavy hue and cry, making my Mom frantic... she asked me to avoid eating chicken which i thoughtfully chose to forget... but Bird flu escaped me... yesterday again she called me more frantically worried about swine flu... i started joking about flying pigs and avoiding Ham, but somehow her tome made me stop.. she was really serious this time :-(
Today people at work were real serious and were circulating pamphlets/emails about Swine Flu... the symptoms it seems include continuous cold, cough, severe body pain, fever, Fatigue, Lack of appetite, sort throat and Diarrhoea.  Symptoms very similar to normal cold and flu... and even the diagnosis isn't fool proof... it seems they prescribe a antibiotic treatment for three days and anything could be said only after those 3 days.. frankly speaking this way, H1N1 can go undetected...  like body pain, at the end of strenuous work who won't get body pain along with headache... and with some one like who has perennial cold and dry cough, seriously i wouldn't know... Lack of appetite, with me dieting to attain a minus 2 size, i don't even feel hungry for days together...

Let me get serious now! i have jotted down a few details regarding places treating Swine Flu in chennai and a couple of helplines...

Hospitals treating SF in Chennai: (click to get location details)
King's Hospital , Guindy
Centre for communicable diseases, Tondiarpet
Government Hospital, Opp. Central Railway Station.

Chennai Swine Flu helpline : 044 -2432 1569
Mumbai Swine Flu helpline : 022 -22029070
Kasturba Hospital : 022- 23083901

Let's be serious for a change and spread the word.. Lets try to avoid anymore causalities.

So there...

Last week was ummm... if i say hectic that wud be a pretty understatement..

After 2 years:
Last weekend I was off to Chennai... the main agenda on the card was a trek trip to Nagalapuram.. but the weekend also saw me catching up with my lovely friend Malar after 2 years.. no points for guessing that i was staying with her too...

I did so many thing that I thrived on doing during my Chennai days...  the list includes visiting a Spencer's Daily mart, visiting Odyssey (my fav. book shop), eating prawn curry, paying over Rs.100 for an auto ride /*seriously i never paid over Rs.20 at Indore :( , eating Caramel Popcorn, eating Ghee mini-idly, buying a strand of Shenbaga poo and so many other things... i also checked out a new restaurant "Daawat".. the butter chicken masala and Biriyani is a total hit... goes into my must visit again list..

The Trek: 
Nagalapuram and the hills near,are a complete paradise by themselves.. its so unexploited and away from the dust and smog of the concrete jungle... the water is so pure that i didnt feel like getting out of the pool even after a hour long of soak... and it was a complete surprise that i didnt catch cold as i feared... the Water is magic, i say.. Met a quite a few new nice people... :P no eye candy though :(

Work calls: 
I was on the return bus to Hosur, only to miss a call from a new company.. return calls, sample work, more calls and i am employed now... not that i need a job now... but i do really want to get out of home now... i was getting too comfy with Mom and Papa pampering me at any beck and call... and also i miss hanging out with friends, the beach and mostly COFFEE... Papa says no no to coffee, so now i get all the chance...

Me, the Mannequin: 
If you were following me on Twitter, you would probably know that i was designing a silk saree along with my Mom... well i got the right occasion to wear it too... i am now at my native, which u had a taste here and here... that trip was mainly a soul searching trip and i was all alone then.. now i am here with my whole family (minus my brother)... a local temple festival and i get to wear the saree.. my only prayer "Please let not be any guy-seeing-ceremony there".... please please...


Momma Rat:
i reached my native today and was cleaning out my bedroom... it is kept locked eversince my last visit... As i opened my wardrobe , out came flying A CAT!!!... no not the Katzzz (though i wont say no to him hiding in my ward-robe :D) I wore my Sherlock Holmes cap to find a couple of cute kittens underneath the ward-robe... the momma cat returned to carry away the kittens but left one back though.. i dunno why... i was the kitten's secret keeper so that my anti-PETA dad doesnt find it out... the kitty was whining so badly that i fondled it... i could sense its hunger but couldnt do anything... the Kitty was barely a day old and hadn't opened its eyes even :( a part of me wanted to keep the kitten for myself but i also knew the need of its momma...

at around 6 pm the Momma Cat returned though... only i cudnt witness it carrying away the kitty.. i was attending a call and mom called out that my kitty is gone... i somehow feel happy that i didnt actually see it.. maybe i would have felt bad had i seen the Kitten being taken away from me.. :-)

Yup i notice that i have typed this blog with sub-titles... blame it on my sleep-less-ness and throbbing headache... So there

Top 5 reasons to Hate my Laptop...

Its a Birthday, today! No no, not mine... Not even my blog's... and no not my Little sister's either....

But it's three years since i brought my Laptop(LT) and its the one celebrating its birthday... my snobbish condescending LT... while everyone goes ga-ga over their PC's and Laptop's, i plainly hate mine...


5. The Hard disk - 40 GB.. come one, even a pre-KG kid needs atleast 100 GB  to work with.. with so so many software to be installed, so many Games to be played and so so many Favourite movies to be stored and watched... 40 GB is not just enough..


4. Obsoleteness - i took my lofty piece to a Laptop service centre the other day... i wanted the RAM to be upgraded... you can sense my embarrassment when the he said "Medam,  This is a DDR 1 model.. its very old... they dont even make these anymore.." ummm yeah rite.. *its a different story that i didn't understand wht he was trying to say...* i just took back my LT


3. i dont know why this happens to me... this sluttish Keyboard gets hung up every 15 mins.. and esp. the Shift... lord knows wat's the problem.. it gets stuck and SUDDENLY EVERY THING IS IN CAPS!!!! UGh oh...


2. My model is that bulky thing with a internal fan and everything.. so it's not exactly a LAPtop... just try to keep it on your lap for 10 continuous minutes, and you 'll be running off with scalded thighs... Ouch!!!


1. And someone was right when he said Laptop are People too.. i tell u, my LT has a mind of its own, seriously! just try to leave my LT on its one for a couple of weeks without turning it on or using it, *sheesh! that sound so naughty* and it 'll invite you with a high pitched ear drum tearing sound when you turn it on next time.....


So, you say... don't you hate my LT too... but Poor me, i am STUCK with this insolent, haughty, audacious, conceited thingy...

Papa-i-hath-fever.. Shall i bunk the exams today????

i knew Iyerpaiyan had a great time in college... but little did i know that he was a real "model" student when it comes to exam... his devotion and love for exams can beat all the nerds and geeks :-P

that been said this funny Iyer has asked me to write a post abt my Exam Entries .... well ummm... funny moments while in school were in abundance... i would love to echo it here... but u should be a geek to understand them and you would be throwing Bricks and Bats at me, literally... but funny moments writing my exams are close to zilch...  so i sat in front of my lappy unblinking and raking my brain godown for something that could derive a hee haw out of Iyers mouth... :-) gee, i already sound like a geek...

i was a Hindi/French major all thru my Junior classes... though i am a Tamilian, i never had much practise with my language... it was a big surprise that i could talk in my mother tongue... Who am i kidding i still can't read or write properly in Tamil :-|.. but owing to my Papa's job, i had to shift schools for Higher Secondary... and alas the new school provided only Sanskrit and Tamil as language options... i chose Tamil..Thanks to Mom who threatened to disown me, if i failed to learn our Mother tongue.. it was a laugh riot at Tamil periods though... My teacher (Mr. Krishnan, i still regard you the best teacher ever) literally begged me to drop out of school as he had a clear record of no fails in his 10 years experience then.... even the day before the final exams, he was crying buckets and buckets asking our principal to disbar me from exams... so you can imagine his expression when i got a 185/200... forget his expressions, i was too shocked to talk for a whole day... :-D but till date i don't even know the complete alphabets of Tamil script... :-|

My Tenth standard exams were equally stunning.. if not the marks i got, then certainly the way i wrote the papers.... i hope by now you would have understood i am the crystal clear example of a Geek and proud being one... i was a student who used to learn the whole book thrice and revise it 15 times... But no.. i never tortured other students by asking how many time they read.. Only my close friends knew this, but they were equally geeks too :-P  So by average i took one hour to write a exam paper that may took 2.5 hours by others... it was a Zoology Paper i think... i was so conked up learning for the exam the previous nite and was really tired... i finished my paper in an hour and laid down my head for a couple of minutes... i woke up to my invigilator calling my name, in what i thought of about 2 mins... actually the time was up and the Invigilator was hollering for atleast good 10 minutes to hand him over my Answer sheet :-| sheesh talk about embarrassment.. i literally ran out of the hall...

and this happened during college... i always had this principle of never to cheat/copy or help others in cheating/copying... this created  a huge humdrum among my classmates... they tried to convince me to help people seated near me, but only in vain... once they understood i wont yield, they started take the mickey out of me by calling names and stuff... Once this friend of mine gifted me a Bar of Hamam soap... then he yelled "Nermayin Sikaram" (Height of Honesty) and walked off.. i just stood there stifling a laugh :-|

i know i know... Iyer uncle would by know hitting his head, thinking like-why-i-ever-asked-this-silly-Rat-to-write-something-like-this... but what will to do, Iyer-e.... This Rat is little Loose, nut loose.... :-D

Gullivers Girl or a Female Peter Pan....

When my sister was a kid, Dad got her a set of Fairy tale books... it had books about some bears, Cinderella, Sleeping beauty, Beauty and the Beast and Peter Pan among other things...seriously i don't remember much of that book set... because by then i had moved on to much serious books, given my second book that Dad got me was on Solar energy and Oceans.. First was a Mickey-Donald Comic digest...he he he i have a sharp memory when it comes to books..



Peter Pan was always my favourite character then... no, i never liked the part of Wendy and other Darling kids... i didn't even like the fighting part with Captain Cook or saving Princess Tiger Lily.. it was all too much drama to me... because when my sister was seriously reading Peter Pan and Wendy, i had my head buried into a thick copy of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens....

i loved the part when Peter flies off to the island to live with other birds... i sat beside Peter by the branches at night when he tried to figure out why he could fly.... i tried to keep him warm and safe , when he used to slip of the branches trying to sleep like a bird...i wanted to help him when he builds a nice nest for a fellow island bird... and when he finally returned to his mother, just to find the windows barricaded and another kid on his place, i literally cried with him... i felt very bad for him....

compared to Peter in Peter Pan and Wendy, this Peter was not vain and full of himself..... he was never rude to the birds and always tried to help the fairies at the Kensington gardens... it was a struggle of a small being to figure why he was different... it was a painful being not able to return to the warmth of his mother....

Wait!!!!!! what am i talking??? this post was not supposed to be a literary review.... ugh oh.... :-D

the fact that i am going on blah blah yada yada about Peter Pan is that, it seems i have been heavily hit by..... ermm, any guesses.... Peter Pan syndrome... no, i can't fly though,yet.. but nevertheless the Peter Pan syndrome indeed....

No.. it is not a Medical disease either... but it seems i cant grow up or get older physically.... my height and weight remains the same for last, i think, 8 years..... my face remains the same, save for an occasional pimple or a scar( *courtesy to the clumsy-cluttering-cool-clutz head, me) and this is the way i am to stay... :-( :-D

i was used to getting comments like "Kids are not allowed" when i was in class 10 (i was taking a diploma course in the local Polytechnic then apart from regular studies) and i was also used to be judged a school kid travelling alone while i was in college.... i even smirked when a new security guard at my previous job tried to stop me entering the office premises, saying "Kids are not allowed"... i used to gloat when people used to exclaim such a small girl doing such a job...

But i was seriously hit when a Fellow blogger and tweet-mate said this..

Gtalk Chat
Muthu: They nice DP, u r looking good...
The Rat: Gee Thanks.. i took this today.. i love taking Rain shots..
Muthu: What?? i tot u had posted a photo from your 5th std class...

*Face Palms*...... sheesh literally... accepted that i can never pass off for the 24 yr old i am.. but 5th Std, what?? do i literally look like a 10 yr old?? *self rhetoric question*.....

and with this Dad wants me to take up Teaching job... just imagine me, a 4' midget with size zero figure, standing in front of a gang of unruly kids and shouting "Children, silence please".... No, i ll rather go jobless rather than taking up that self molestation....

and i seriously can't imagine joining the institution of marriage and being a mother... what would my kids call me, "Sister"??? and even before that, my parents should worry about warding off the NGOs who will be at the gate on my marriage day shouting "Stop this Child Marriage".. and hey, i should be worrying about the prospective guy, the in-numerous match making aunts bring me, shooing me of as the "Girls" kid sister.... Phooey....

i am one of those little people from Gulliver's Travels with a Peter Pan curse on me.....

P.S # he he he.. actually i am enjoying this very much... who wants to get married when i can stay 16 forever, ok stay 10... but nevertheless, i am a KID forever....

Yo Mama!!

being at home is both an advantage and disadvantage... disadvantage if ppl don't know the real side of u.... advantage coz u get to know your parents better.... every day i get to hear so much things from my parents that half the time spent awake is spent laughing my ass off..

Liquor n Fag:
Papa was a great alcohol n tobacco consumer i his pre-wedding days... its a known fact that he left drinking once my brother was born but no one knew when he quit smoking....

The Rat : Why did u quit smoking dad??
Papa: Because i was transferred from Hubli to Gobi...
The Rat: Huh??
Papa: Oh.... Gobi didnt had the brand i smoked, so i quit... Bristol i think..

Ah.... my great papa, as loyal as ever....

Bakery Barnacles:
Mom n Papa went out to get bread, ice cream and stuff.. Mom came back in a very foul mood... Mom explained that there was this brusque showing off woman who was talking too much... it so happened that she had a couple of kids both under 5 years of age, who were wailing loudly... the lady had been trying to scold and shut up the kids, it seems...
Dad : Oh come on! When our kids had been that age , you would have done the same..
Mom : At that age, we never took our kids to eat out.... i always prepared what-ever they asked...

That shut up papa for good, but the pride look his eyed bore had loads to talk for....

On the Rocks:

Drinking soda straight out of the fridge,

Mom: I asked for Sprite on the rocks, NOT Rocks on the Sprite.....

he he he he, instead of the door, i had placed the soda bottle inside the freezer, only to find the bottle freeze completely..... 

Its my Little Sisters Birthday tomorrow... had planned an elaborate surprise birthday for her... hope she doesn't find the gifts before the party :P

and i went to london, to meet the queen....

he he he... its a line from a kindergarten poem , i think... i learned it when i was a 5 yr old.. unfortunately i was only of that age when i went to a circus before.... and yes after some 20 years, i went to a circus again.... that was precisely how i spent my last weekend, apart from a lovely evening spent in kitchen with dad trying out a new snack recipe.....

i would be understating if i just said, it was an evening of surprises... for instance Dad called for an auto instead of us all 4 trooping to the distant bus stop.... and then again Dad surprised me again by letting me choose the seating arrangement at the circus... :-P and later getting me packs of Cotton Candy just because i love them... ah.... i should check if it is really my Dad or some alien counterpart.... :-D


The starting act was not so great with three females wearing a XL sized Diaper and a tee shirt from my kindergartens trying to ride a swing tied high above.... then came a parade of more Diaper wearing ladies, 4 Arabian beauties(Sigh.. Thank god Nachi and Chriz weren't here...), few Horses, Camels, Elephants and 4 jokers...



Jokers were pretty lame.... so was act by camels, horses and Parrots... all the time i was cursing the circus people for treating those poor creatures so badly.... i totally loved the act by Dogs.... For only one reason, those cute dogs didn't Obey their trainers; not even for a single second... the lady tried high 'n low to get the dog walk through the loop and stuff.. every time it kept running away from her and made her a sorry figure... but the high-time was when she started shouting at the dog, they had to stop the act... :-D

and ah.. there was this cute Korean guy who high-jumped , low-jumped and long jumped for an act... needless to say he jumped straight into my heart... Sighsss, too bad that he is too young for me :( poor Rat... 

And WOW !!! the bicycle act was so cool... the ladies were riding and literally dancing on it... one even looked like an elaborate love making scene, giving all Mom's a heart attack... turned out they were fighting , riding their respective cycles... Jeez.... :-P not to mention that i gave my mom a real heart attack. when we returned back home... i tried to imitate those girls only to fall over again and again... Dad said that they used special bicycles with no brakes... Mom confiscated mine though before i could remove the brakes :-( Mo-ms.... Really!!!

but the one great thing that happened and made my evening was... INDOOR RAIN!!!! this circus tent was a Kachha one and had god-knows-when-was-it-mended-last-time look... and when the show was going on it started to rain outside... needless to say it started pouring in too... whoa.. we had a field day, Really.... unlucky though i had a Jerkin on, as i am still down with flu and Mom is particularly concerned about me (No.. its not Swine Flu.. we got it checked already.. and i am already recovered, Almost!)



ARV, welcome back to India... Keshi girl, We are all waiting come back soon.... Raka, ur Hair cut is cool dear.... Aayushi, Cheer up baby.... Nachi, Wake up pothead.... Kajal, wr art thou.... Rosh, enough of your intern-ship, we need a post... Vasu, how are u FMS??....   DV, Wake up and smell the coffee...

Kappayum Meen curryum…

Aka the art of eating….

Cooking is a great art, I accept… but Eating beats it by several notches… its not just the table manners, cutlery usage or chewing with your mouth closed as though you have a secret… its much more than that... a greater art justified only by conneisseurs and gluttons… only they can define the joy of the food….
 The aroma, the taste, the beauty of Food is a thing of joy to every "eater"… using fork and knife can be dealt by anyone who takes the 14 day crash course on Social Etiquettes… but the real fun is to eat with your hands feeling the texture and touch of the glorious food… the maximum pleasure out of a dish is derived by feasting your eyes and nose to the great look and aroma…. Let the food melt on your tongue and it will awaken all your sleeping senses…
 Like have you ever tried eating Sardines with a fork and knife (and get choked on the minute numerous fish bone)… or tried eating Bisi-bela-bath with a spoon (and make a mess of the table, trying to avoid the spices and curry leaves)… or even better Chicken chops with cutlery… I took my little sister to a 5 star restro and she tried the same… mysteriously all pieces on her plate landed on the guy's plate sitting at the next table…. Geesh…
 Eating a sardine fried, poached or cooked as that yummy-spicy-hot Bengal Machi curry is a great work… first you separate a fish out of the curry… then you slowly remove the dark skin from the inner fleshy part… next you separate the fish into two parts and carefully remove the central bone of the fish… Now you relish the awesome spice-soaked-hot-as-bipasa-basu fish…. On the other hand you can also do the other thing… take the whole sardine and put it in your mouth... sucked on the fleshy part and draw out the bone… Yummy...
 I can just go on and on about the ultimate art of eating… but a blocked nose and a high temperature jut makes me stop here… I heard this adage below some 8 years back at a lecture… but the current situation and its logic, is making me go insane…

Seriously how can I treat a bad cold and a high fever if you give me such mystic cures??? Dang…

Feed the cold and starve the fever…

P.S # the title translates itself into " Tapioca and fish curry"… a perfect Keralite dish which I love to the core… incidentally that's what mom prepared for lunch today… total yum, I must say… one compliments the other in a perfect way… slurp…