Musings of a Chennai gal

A trip to Trichy became memorable when

**My 4 year old nephew almost cried himself hoarse one day screaming ‘V-A-N-I Vani Vani’**Sitting on a huge see-saw made me feel like I was in the sky**I laughed so much sitting high up on the see-saw I was sure I would die laughing**I went on the giant wheel for the first time in my life – and enjoyed it too!**Nearly died laughing looking at the videos of all the antics 4 grown-ups had done in a children’s park (umm, yeah, grown-up includes me too! :) )**Visited four temples in two days ;)**We ...

A hai!!! for an eye

posted on 12:10 AM , by Vani Viswanathan

Yayyy! A check up for my eyes after almost 18 months of glasses revealed that my power hasn’t gone up. I’m delighted! I’ve been such a good girl, considered the complaints I made for wearing glasses.Blessed with the comfort of having an ophthalmologist way too near, it took almost the end of my vacation to get my eyes checked. Busy gal, you see.Boy, this doctor is all sophisticated (well, she is the only person who’s checked my eyes, but nevertheless). Random machines doing things I don’t know ...

Rakshasa

posted on 4:30 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

“Rakshasa!” is how even my mom calls me now. This ‘nickname’ was given and popularised by my elder brother 10 years back, when I was a brat who refused to learn to swim.It all began one fateful day when dad decided swimming was one essential thing left out in the plethora of extra-curricular activities that I was in: tennis, modern dance, carnatic music, painting and sculpting. My brother Vipul, well-established (so he claimed!) swimmer (all because the guy who crossed the English channel was his ...

Velai irundhum slight-a vetti

posted on 5:05 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

After playing minesweeper for hours losing every minute, I decided to give up. Luck wasn’t favouring me at all (well, only in the case of Minesweeper, Lady Luck!) and every guess I made was going wrong. I was getting bored and thought of going to the kitchen to see what my mom was doing. One look convinced me not to near the area: she was making ‘pori urundai’ for the Karthigai festival this evening. I had done my part of the work: I’d peeled and powdered tens of cardamom seeds. That done, I have ...

When things go awry

posted on 12:58 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

Before I go to the things which went awry, some nice things:My blog’s worth $22,181.68!!!!! (Ok, maybe a digit in the end is wrong…)Yippppeeee…ma blog’s gonna be makin’ me rich!!THE SUN’S SHINING!!! :)Gosh, am I thankful for the last one! After what seemed to be eons of rain, Chennai is back to its warm and cosy self.I undertook a spiteful trip to the terrible-as-ever Ranganathan street to get some craft work stuff for my cousin, two days back. Thank god, I came out alive!The road was horrid. We ...

The doll house

posted on 2:27 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

"Vidu, can you come here?" yelled mom from the kitchen.It was 8 in the morning. I was sitting on the floor in my room, newspaper spread out, sipping warm Milo. The MetroPlus section had something about Madhavan and I wanted to read it at the earliest.I got up and went to the room where she was."I have to get that carton down. The dolls are in the carton," she said."Hmm.." I nodded. The day after was the Navarathri festival. My mind was busy thinking of all the work that I would have to do for the ...

The cup

posted on 11:57 AM , by Vani Viswanathan

Thatha would talk about his cup often. He would hold it up for us, his little grandchildren, to see, sitting in his reclining chair with all of us crowding around it.“50 naya paisa,” he would say. “Can you anything this valuable today for that amount?”We would shake a no, in awe that 50 paisa had so much value decades before we were born.“Madras central….I wanted tea. They were giving it in dirty glasses, so I bought this cup so that he could pour the tea in this…it has been with me ever since,” ...

Some things during a flight journey

posted on 2:52 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

My first ever trip in a non-Indian carrier was amazing. I came to Chennai this time through Colombo, in Sri Lankan airlines. Some nice things I can’t help forgetting:The ‘ayubuvan’: Sinhalese greeting. Every air host greeted all of us this way.Excellent service: I was really pleased by all the attention they gave us; we felt pampered.The TV screen (or whatever it’s called) in front of every seat: Watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for the second time, but this time with a very special difference: ...

The old lady

posted on 9:57 AM , by Vani Viswanathan

The old lady who cleans my floor bathrooms really made many of my mornings bad. I wished I could go on with my day without seeing her, but it seemed to be impossible. Most of my classes start before 9 30, and hence I always find myself running into her whenever I want to bathe.It is quite a silly thing, I could’ve just gone on, ignoring it, but increasingly it was getting impossible to ignore.The old lady mumbled something to herself every time she saw me.Me, an Indian.And it is not just me; it ...

Wars

posted on 2:34 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

Do you believe in wars?I don't.Or maybe I do?Well, whether I believe in them or not, when it comes to fighting one, I give my fullest. I wish I could give very bit of energy needed to win the war.Yes, I wish I could do away with losing. But sometimes losing is nice, too. Makes you feel humble in the presence of whoever won. Sometimes it's the huge, invisible power which I believe controls every one of us. There are also times, though, when whoever defeats you is totally unworthy of the victory ...

Oh mahasiyaaa (ozhunga solluda!) :D

posted on 4:46 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

Yes, a number of things!First, wish you all a happy Diwali!! A tad late, yeah, but never mind, hope you all had a nice day!!Second, sound three cheers: this is my 75th post! :)I watched Ghajini sometime back...and the background score for the movie sent me into peals of laughter. Random noises getting characteristic of Harris Jeyaraj: Bozo Zulo...oh my god! =)I really can't understand what's with all these guys who make wierd noises in the name of background music!When A.R.Rahman started out, there ...

Ed in co-ed

posted on 7:33 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

I was in a co-ed school only till my class 5. While many say I missed out on a lot of fun without being in a class with guys after that, I think we girls did have fun in our own way. But in this post, I just want to talk about some of my 'boy' classmates I had in primary school.Even when I was in kindergarten, I ended up fighting with many little guys. One of them especially (I think he was called Manoj), drove me mad. This chap always used to steal my lil' cutely shaped erasers (cycles, humans, ...

Block!

posted on 10:47 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

Projects...sigh! As much as I love my course and the projects that I have to do, it does get on my nerves at times when I struggle like Atlas under a world which meant only projects for many weeks.Right now, my mind is desperately crying to get away from my computer desk and get out. How much of it I can fulfil, I don't know. That's why a break - to blog.Just can't help smiling thinking of the debates I took part in recently, one on my birthday when I almost made a fool of myself too.Debates in ...

Suresh, Devika and Girija (+ little Preethi)

posted on 8:52 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

Updating my blog after a long time with a story written when I was vetti, yes, during my summer vacation.Suresh's family had four people including him - his mother Girija, widowed when Suresh was barely two years old; his older sister Devika, divorced four years back, and Devika's little daughter Preethi.Things used to be so bad in their family; so bad that you'd think you were watching a typical Tamil mega serial. The happenings in their family would be so similar to a daily soap that you would ...

Spamania

posted on 9:27 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

You open your blog after a long day of work.(well, actually you've been opening it through your day of work, but let's not really talk about that).You've not updated your blog for a long time, but still keep checking it to see if someone cares to drop by your blog.Ah! There's a new comment!!Eager to see who it is from, and already planning to thank the person for checking your blog, you click the comments section link with anticipation.And what do you see?A comment from Jon, telling you about Nike ...

This isn’t made up; it hasn’t happened either

posted on 1:59 AM , by Vani Viswanathan

Read on.She glanced at the clock.9:00I looked at my watch with anxiety.11:30Ugh, it’s not yet time.She went back to her Ananda Vikatan magazine. Sujatha’s story was proceeding at a very interesting pace.I looked at my “A History of Communication Study” and stared at the chapter about Carl Hovland. My eyes were just scanning at the text: nothing went in, I made no effort to try to register the text.I looked at my watch again.11:47I sighed. There was still time.I opened my blog and started reading ...

The unknown

posted on 11:37 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

I checked my flight ticket.23rd July, 0150."Yes, ma, it is tomorrow early morning. As in, today late night," I said.My mom sighed.I knew why: an early morning (late night, actually) flight. She was slightly discomforted by the thought of leaving me alone in the airport for about an hour before I could board the flight back."Oh, what if you fall asleep," she said, worried, every bit of anxiety apparent in her voice.Well, I knew it was a very high possibility, but of course, admitting that would ...

Going hi-tech

posted on 10:01 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

Thatha was nonplussed. "It has been sent?" he asked, in utter disbelief.Vikram nodded. "Yes, really, he has recieved it and even replied," he said."Baghya, inga vandhu paaren, the letter I typed to send Krishna has been sent and he has replied also!" thatha cried with delight to patti.Patti came and looked."Ada, aamaam!" she cried with surprise, and started reading the e-mail her second son Krishna had sent from the U.S. with her own, slow, speed.Vikram smiled. His grandparents could not believe ...

Troubles buzzing around....

posted on 1:05 AM , by Vani Viswanathan

So bored....Can't actually believe I was eagerly waiting for this break. But it's sure fun to laze away when your daily planner is filled with work. That's just what the break is for!As I desperately try to push in 'Interpersonal Communication' concepts into my head: Self concept, Reflected Appraisal and blah, I hear this buzz around somewhere.Ugh, not again. Insects somehow seem to swarm around in my room a lot (yeah, swarm is an exaggeration, I'd die if they actually did!). Initially, I used ...

Meendum Meendum Tag!

posted on 3:32 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

Another tag.7 things you plan to do b4 you die:*Head Ogilvy and Mather, or at least be a copywriter there.*Meet AR Rahman*Meet a sensible guy. (Matthathellam pannidalaam, idhu romba kashtam!)*Learn to cook, and try hard to like cooking!*Sing for AR Rahman*Take a trip of Europe*Publish my book7 things I can do:*Be a great friend*Laugh a lot, at myself and others*Grit my teeth and go about anything*Cheer up people*Be nice to even people I hate*Sleep at least 7 hours everyday*Be optimistic!!!7 things ...

Shuttle bus woes

posted on 9:10 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

Having a huge campus, our university has been considerate enough to have shuttle buses to take us around the campus. Till last year, we had to drop a 20 cents coin everytime we wanted to go in one. This year, the univ came up with the plan of (finally!) making it free. So, we thought, there ends the hassle of finding 20 c. coins every time you wanted to travel by a shuttle bus. Things didn't get that better, though.After making the rides free, the univ. seems to have cut down the number of buses ...

The difficult decision

posted on 1:03 AM , by Vani Viswanathan

She was sweating profusely. She didn’t know what to do.Decisions can sometimes be so hard to make, she thought. She then brushed aside the thought and started thinking again. She must not waste any more time.She reached out for the box of tissues on her table and wiped her face. And before she knew it, she had already wasted precious minutes.In her anxiety, her fingers unconsciously went near her mouth. Slowly, and with ferocity she did not even realize, she was biting her nails, in a maniacal ...

Random Scribbling - 3

posted on 11:51 AM , by Vani Viswanathan

One week since I posted and I'm already getting impatient, thinking about what to post next; topics, again, range from the A.R.Rahman concert in Singapore that I will miss because it's horrendously expensive, to the-saree-wearing-singing-hungama that happened on Wednesday, to cursing my heavy, burdening, workload.And then, it struck me; one thing I would be ready all my life to ramble about for as long as possible - dear old Chennai.Every time I looked at the name of my blog, I would feel pretty ...

The tale of the Upanayanam

posted on 12:17 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

11-year-old Aditya went up to his mother."When are you going to have the Upanayanam ceremony for me?" he asked.His mother was confused."Why, oh, well....umm, soon, dear!" she said."Why are you delaying it so much? Amma, I'm 11 ! Innum podalena thappu!!" said he."Nee ipdi kekarche podaama iruppoma? We'll do it soon. " said amma. Adi smiled and left.Adi's major reason to ask his mother to hold an Upanayanam ceremony was because he wanted to get some attention to himself. Somehow he had felt that ...

How air-cons ruin my life

posted on 2:13 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

Well, yes, they do ruin my life. What would should have been a blessing turns a curse. And it's all here, in Singapore, where day and evening (thankfully, not the nights!) they torture me into slow illness.As I sit through lectures and tutorials everyday, slowly, air-cons freeze me into numbness. Yeah, physically and mentally. To such an extent that beyond a point I feel like a body just made alive by thawing after being frozen as a part of some cryonics study. As soon as I'm free to go out, I ...

Pisa!

posted on 12:12 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

When Phobiac asked me what 'Pisa' meant, it sent into a long, nostalgic journey, stretching three years, into school, into a totally different life (Phobiac, did you ever think one question of yours would give such a chain reaction?). From that time, three years back , 'pisa' became an integral part of my life, assuming more than one form and dimension.It all started in my class XI when I had to put up with this incredibly idiotic and irritating person in school; one who made my life miserable. ...

Story of a flight

posted on 11:47 AM , by Vani Viswanathan

I entered the flight and found my seat. 20H. A middle aged lady was already sitting there."Excuse me, umm...that's my seat....", I said.She quickly got up and sat in some other seat.I stared at her. Does she know that flights usually have a fixed seat? Did not seem like she did. I sat in my seat and watched all the people getting into their places. Nobody seemed to be coming to sit in 20G. I was pleased. I loved travelling alone, without people next to me. I smiled.My happiness was short lived, ...

Odes and sonnets and poems and rhymes

posted on 9:12 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

Not very long agoA young, little girl,Tried to write a poem,And let her thoughts unfurl.But alas, what she wrote,Seemed moreLike an essayWith the lines broken,And writtenJust to rhyme.(Ahem! What does it look like now?)Poetry and I have rarely gone together. As far as I remember, the last poem I wrote was in my grade seven about cartoons; this “poem” talked about how cartoons can make even fussy eaters (kids) eat their food quickly. Very dumb concept, I know, but well, the poem was quite cute. ...

Rambling on….

posted on 12:52 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

My mind is busy wondering what to post on the blog….it’s been a week since I posted and I’m desperate to write anything so that my previous dumb story isn’t the first thing people see if they visit my blog. I’m thinking of topics ranging from the awesome song “Chaiyya Chaiyya” to my lil’ vacation in Bangalore to the trip to the vegetable market yesterday. Interesting topics for me, though, I wanted to put them further by at least a week or two.As I spend my last two weeks in India for this vacation, ...

The 4:30 P.M. depression

posted on 10:49 AM , by Vani Viswanathan

Going out of town for almost a week. Won't be posting then, mostly. I don't have the heart to leave the blog "un-updated" for a week. So here's a filler post of a story written quite a while back.Aakanksha sat brooding in a corner. She glanced at her watch. 4:30 P.M. Another hour left.She fished out her music book and searched for the song taught last weekend. Ah! There it was.She looked around to make sure no one was watching. She quietly shut the door. She marked the page on the book and flung ...

The big gift

posted on 12:30 PM , by Vani Viswanathan

Little Smriti was thrilled beyond words when her aunt gave her that gift. It was long, and was wrapped in the most beautiful wrapper she had ever seen. The wrapper had pictures of balloons, angels, teddy bears and candies on it. It was colourful and even glittered at some places. Adding to Smriti’s delight was the beautiful, soft, pink satin ribbon that held the wrapper.She felt her hands shivering with excitement as she held the gift. Why, it was the BIGGEST gift she had ever received so far!She ...