Whatte weekend!

I finally finished reading 'Eat. Pray. Love' last night. The marathon reading session as I neared the end of the book left me feeling sentimental and emotional and ... - well, you can probably consult a Thesaurus for more words... (To think I was this sentimental before that too...)


My brother was home for the weekend, which basically means that I had a great time, while he had to bear with me. During this visit, my brother had stomach ache. No, I didn't cook (Actually, I did cook a bit, but my brother ate at our grandparents' place). But I made him listen to a recording of me singing Bengali songs, and he just couldn't stop laughing till his stomach ached.

We also tried watching a (1987) movie called "Paruvaragam", starring Juhi Chawla, Vishnuvardhan and Ravichandran (I'm not sure what the name of the very 'smart' (super)hero was). The action starts right from minute one - the hero's antics and the "novel" way in which the credits were presented had us rolling with laughter. We finally managed to stop laughing for a minute, only to start again the next minute.

The movie was set in a college, which ought to give you a clue as to what to expect. Well, no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't get past the first half-hour, as we needed time to recover from our bouts of laughter. Did I mention that the heroine could not recognize the hero when he came on a bike wearing cooling glasses? One scene had the heroine throw the heroine's jacket into the air, and in mid-air, the jacket becomes a hero doing a triple somersault dive into a swimming pool. The hero even speaks in English. Sample this : " Love is an accident, then it becomes incident, nothing is permanent... ... then you pregnant, we parents, life is fullllllllll of enjaaiment" (Sometimes it's a pity that the written words fail to convey the full effect of a spoken word...)

This was a Rs.1-crore movie back then, so you can imagine it for yourself. The costumes deserve a special mention. The heroine wears mostly short skirts or shorts, even when she goes to the market to buy vegetables. The hero (R, not V) wears a white shirt, white pants and a red towel in the opening sequence. After that, he wears mostly shorts - real shorts, which reach only half his thighs. Or just pants. Or pants with most of the buttons open. And once, even a golden dressing gown with a purple border. In one scene, he wears leather pants (maroon!), with a matching cap, and chains dangling from ear to ear, chains like a poonal... The hero is as smart as this. So you can see for yourself.

I think I'll end now. And keep you asking for more. Keep waiting. And watch the movie. (And if you do manage to watch it fully, please do let me know. I'll first congratulate you, admire you a bit, and then you can tell me the rest of the story. :) )

Amigo mio

Plans are fun to make, especially when you have something to look forward to.


Right now, I have a lot to look forward to. It makes me happy and I'm going about with a spring in my step and a song on my lips. One of the things I'm looking forward to is jamming with Praveen, hopefully in the not-so-distant future.

A long way we've come, from being two people in a language class to friends who can make plans together. It has also been a journey of discovery, as my perceptions changed and I grew as a person.
Virtually the only things I used to associate with him were an audiographic memory and a great vocabulary which included phrases and idioms which I could never get the hang of; the result of the French classes where we were in the same class. (He used to sit way in front, and used to top the class, while I preferred sitting behind and was content dreaming of just clearing the level). But as I got to know him better, through conversations and chats, which started with his status message reading, “Backpacking in Chile?”, I discovered how much more there was to him.
Every now and then, my friends post photographs of the latest places they have visited. Most of the time, I don't even feel like seeing them all. Travel, to me, means something more than what I find in those photos. There are travellers and sightseers. There is something in the idea of travelling for the sake of travelling which appeals to me. It is also one of the things that I like about Praveen – his passion for travel, for its own sake. Among other things. The moments he captures in his photographs speak volumes – describing them would also need volumes.

Every so often, I feel the need to listen to some new music. It was when I was exploring some Spanish music that I came to know of another of his interests – music. He plays the guitar, and so far I've enjoyed the songs recommended by him (especially the Bengali ones!). Speaking of the guitar reminds me, it's thanks to him that I've finally started attending my guitar classes- I'd been delaying finding a suitable class until one evening I decided I'd put it off long enough and finally joined the class. And I'm really enjoying them.

Now, I'd be going on and on and you'd be bored, so I'll just wind up by saying that he's someone who has made a difference to my life. I've grown as a person, and am no longer scared to dream and wish for certain things. I've gotten back my lost faith in myself, in a way thanks to him. With him, some things don't matter, like how I look, what I'm wearing - he's someone I can just be myself with. In short, I'm just glad to have found a friend like him. Thank you, Praveen.


Disclaimer : Apologies for the at-times-forced structuring, as the Suitable Boy bug struck again when I started writing it. And yes, it speaks volumes that he didn't mind what I have written :)

So, now you know one of the people behind my singing Bengali songs of late. You're welcome to show him your pleasure ;)
(I hope the title is in correct Spanish, as it's been a while since I spoke the language...)

Just ranting

As if this weren't enough, my friend has just been extolling the virtues of a dinner cooked by our Bong friend.


And in the morning, another friend was singing praises of the good food he ate at a wedding and a friend's place in Kerala. To rub salt in my wounds, he said he'd eaten his fill, and not brought anything for me to have. Schadenfreude!! He, not me. (Actually, I just wanted to use such a big word, and a foreign one at that!!!)

It was only when my friend and I walked into the mess around 20:10 Hrs that I realized it was the night of the Feast. And how did I guess? All the vessels on the tables were empty :) We then resigned ourselves to a dinner of some Kurma, a Gulab Jamun and an ice-cream. Halfway through, I espied some pooris being served, and thankfully there were some left when we reached the place.

(I should mention that my friend waited for me. Poor girl. If she'd gone as planned, instead of waiting for me, she might have actually seen or eaten some food. A, I salute thy supreme sacrifice!)

So, the last thing I need is to be reminded of the good food people have been eating. At this point of time, it's more than I can take.

Miss SS, you had a good dinner. Point taken. There's no need for you to elaborate now. Maybe tomorrow you can tell me in more detail when I confront H.

(And you don't have to tell me that he's Bengali. I know. And I remember. And yes, I've had the experience of watching RS cook and serve us dinner. Don't jump to conclusions. OK?)

Effects

The aftermath of my singing Bengali songs (supposedly ;) ) of late :


- My friends are wondering why I'm so keen on the language.

- My best friend asks me, "Oh, learning Bengali? For what joy?"

- Another of my friends (who happens to be Bong) wants us to sing together (yes, I know she's got guts!)

- Two of my friends have started calling me 'Sam Bhattacharya'...

- When my brother called me, I asked him to guess what I was doing. And his first guess was, "listening to a Bengali song". The second was "singing a Bengali song". The actual answer was "Cooking" :


- My parents have started talking to me in the Bengali they know :D

- Today, my dad asked me to change my surname to 'Sen' and told me that mine was a Bengali/Oriya name. (And at that time I'd actually been listening to an English song!!!!)

- One of my friends has given me the task of watching some Bengali movies.

- People are under the impression that I've become interested in some Bong guy. They're even giving me tips on Bengali culture, and asking me to start thinking about getting used to "Machchibath" (Did I get that word right?)...

- When I brought cups of chai to our table in the canteen, my friend told me to keep practising it, as I'd have to do so when a Bong guy comes to "see" me. (I did tell him that I had no need to do so, and that I'd prefer to do the "seeing" :P)

- My mom asks me if I'm confused between the two extremes of the West Coast and the Eastern one :) (especially since I'd also been trying to sing in Malayalam which is a bit more difficult. Or maybe it's the song I chose!)

So, let me put the record straight.

I'm trying to learn Bengali so I can understand what I'm singing. It's not my fault I got introduced to some lovely songs... And some of the words in the songs sound so *sexy* that I just feel I should know what they mean. Well, I've had the experience of trying to sing a Spanish song before I knew what it meant, and then when my vocabulary got better, I realized it wasn't exactly something you could sing to a group. Especially not in class. (Obviously I didn't feel like going about singing that I wanted to kiss someone, and admire that person's bare skin (the song was sung by a male singer)... well,you get the drift...)

Another reason is that Malayalam seems more difficult to learn. Especially as my teachers are too busy to teach me. And they seem to expect me to do my homework. (Isn't that a bit too much?) And yes, did I mention that I actually have to get up and go to them... Which is a Herculean task if you're half as lazy as me.

I'm NOT trying to impress any guy. If I was really that keen, I'd be working harder on my Malayalam ;)

It's now time for me to leave.

(And hopefully there won't be any casualties in this matter!)

Monsoon ragas

It's been raining heavily here. I should know, given that I actually closed the window in the bus myself. Voluntarily. And walked in the rain with something that I call an umbrella (at least, that's what it is supposed to be, and yes, it did protect the top of my head...), and got almost completely drenched.

But even today's downpour could not dampen my spirits :) I was almost singing leaning out of the window! (Before the rains started, that is.)

For starters, I've been singing this Bengali song almost non-stop since yesterday (during the weekend, I restricted myself to listening to them), leading my mother to wonder if I was becoming fond of Bengalis and Mallus (last weekend I was singing a Malayalam song).

Well, it was listening to my friend's recording that got me singing in Bengali.

His version here. (Do listen to it.) It seems to have some words in the lyrics. And it just keeps playing over and over again in my head...

My version goes : Komlo megheder ojon (from the title of the song!)-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-o-o-o-na-na-na.... The other song also seems to be slightly different in my version. It goes ta-na-na-na-na-ta-na-na-ta-na-na-na-ta-na-na.... And yeah, there's a janai somewhere in the middle of the song.

I'm still waiting to get the translation of the song, though.

Last week, thanks to Kiran, I got to listen to this song from Salt and Pepper (or is it Salt-N-Pepper?). I played it loud twice, and then thought that I shouldn't disturb my mother who was reading there. But as it was close to dinner-time, and "choru" (forgive my bad spelling - to any Mallu reading this) being the only word I could follow very clearly, I did a chorus to the song, shouting "choru" at the end of each line. But my mother still didn't take the hint :( I had to get my dinner myself. Maybe she's too used to my singing and banshee wails to notice any difference.

You too know the effects of my singing.

The next thing on my agenda is to learn some Malayalam and Bengali. And trying to force my brother to listen to the songs. He's had so much experience in this that he just runs away when he comes to know that I'm planning to unleash my musical discoveries on him.

And now, it's time to go.

Adios.

(P.S. : If anyone wants to gift me a drumkit, you're welcome. Thanks in advance.)

???

A recent oh-I'm-so-dumb moment :

An acquaintance says, "I'm at IIM", and I ask, "Are you doing an MBA?"...

Quite the Sherlock Holmes I seem to have become!

(And it just struck me that I've seen his name in the papers plenty of times, but never realized that this was the same person!)

Another time, I remember thinking of a really witty repartee.... to a conversation that had ended an hour ago!

If only I'd been in a conversation with someone like that chap i' the tale, I don't remember his name, but he is the one who graciously starts the conversation again when this girl tells him she'd just thought of a good answer to his question.

Ah, these flashes of brilliance tire me out. It's time to rest the gray cells again!

Modern day Cinderella

"Cinderella",they cried,"sweep the floor",
but she was too busy playing MK4.
"Cinderella",they screamed,"Where are you?
There's so much work yet to be done..."
But,Cinderella,she was having too much fun,
"Do your work yourselves, and mine too!,
And hey, look here, there's to be a Royal Ball,
we're all to go, for it's the King's call"
The house suddenly buzzed with activity
Everyone wore new clothes and made themselves pretty
It finally dawned - the day of the Ball,
everyone made their way to the Hall.
The event was a success, and things went well,
the Prince danced with Cinderella &went under her spell;
but, suddenly, the clock stuck midnight
making dear Cinderella jump up in fright,
for, it was now time for her to go
or she'd be missing her TV show
And if the house was locked, there'd be a row,
and they'd be yelling at her all day tomorrow.
And so, she suddenly took flight,
but, alas, one shoe wasn't tight,
it slipped from her foot as her run began,
but she ignored it, and on and on she ran.
She managed to catch all her shows
and fell asleep mourning her lost shoes.
She dreamt of an old woman with an apple,
who addressed her as some Snow White,
and, upon seeing her face in the daylight,
said,"I'm sorry, You aren't the one I must kill".
She then dreamt of being locked up in a tower,
where someone asked her to let down her hair,
And when she did let it down,
someone said with a frown,
"Oh, where is this girl Rapunzel, now?,
I can't leave her for even a minute or two."
Cinderella then woke up to a huge furore -
across town the news had spread,
that the Prince was seeking the girl in red.
The words brought nothing to her head,
till someone mentioned a missing shoe,
how they wondered who it belonged to,
and then she realized they were seeking her.
And at last, Cinderella was identified,
the Prince then asked her to be his bride.








To be continued... stay tuned...