How cld I forget John Irving......some of the most magical books I have read have been his....The Hotel New Hampshire, and of course the The World According to Garp.
Dont know how I have found the time to actually blog....today's been the most hectic of days, thanks to madam shilpa. Shall blog abt that in detail sometime later.
For now, happy weekend.....though I am working tomorrow...sob!
In the middle of this chaotic, muddy world, I create a small space where I hope inspite of everything....basically, i blabber on all and sundry and hope that somewhere i contribute something. To myself, at least.
Friday, April 16, 2004
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Authors
Just finished Cujo by Stephen King yest (read for the second time and enjoyed as much..!) and am on the verge of finishing Salman Rushdie's Shame (very very dark, good fun!).
Let me try and list down some of the authors whose books I am devoted to....have read each book of theirs I could get my hands on....
- Stephen King
- Sidney Sheldon (only his first 6 books were good, though)
- Somerset Maughaum
- John Grisham
- Erich Segal
- Salman Rushdie
- Shashi Tharoor
- Agatha Christie
- P G Wodehouse
- Jackie Collins (so sue me!!!!!!!!!!!)
- Enid Blyton (yes, till date remains a favorite)
- Ayn Rand
- Oscar Wilde
- Roald Dahl (esp the stories)
Hmmm....thats quite a list and extremely varied....I am sure a lot of purists shall disown me if they see this.....!!!! But I genuinely reading ALL of these authors....and I am sure there are more......
In fact, its been ages since I made "lists"!! - favorite movies, books, songs, actors etc. etc. The last time I remember doig it was around 8-9 years ago!! Let me try doing that over the next few blogs..!!
Let me try and list down some of the authors whose books I am devoted to....have read each book of theirs I could get my hands on....
- Stephen King
- Sidney Sheldon (only his first 6 books were good, though)
- Somerset Maughaum
- John Grisham
- Erich Segal
- Salman Rushdie
- Shashi Tharoor
- Agatha Christie
- P G Wodehouse
- Jackie Collins (so sue me!!!!!!!!!!!)
- Enid Blyton (yes, till date remains a favorite)
- Ayn Rand
- Oscar Wilde
- Roald Dahl (esp the stories)
Hmmm....thats quite a list and extremely varied....I am sure a lot of purists shall disown me if they see this.....!!!! But I genuinely reading ALL of these authors....and I am sure there are more......
In fact, its been ages since I made "lists"!! - favorite movies, books, songs, actors etc. etc. The last time I remember doig it was around 8-9 years ago!! Let me try doing that over the next few blogs..!!
Friday, April 09, 2004
A trip to Chennai
Wee hours of Tuesday morning, we stepped out from the train onto the Chennai platform bursting with energy...and humidity. A rush of memories accompanied the beads of perspiration that ran down my face.
Out into the waiting arms of the autowallas. A look at the sky confirms the imminent sunrise, hence a rush to the Marina beach. The fact that it was my first visit is evident, otherwise never in my right mind would I have undertaken that 10 km long walk from the road to the sea front, loaded with bags like donkeys, panting like dogs, dragging feet like prisoners of feudal lords. The sight was pleasant though, and soothing. The vastness of the sea in the early morning makes you pause, feel great and humble at the same time.
On to Vermeen's place, and a quick nap in the AC! Shake out the dust from damp jeans/churidars, take a refreshing bath and back into the great outdoors. The rest of the day was a nostalgia trip for me, playing host to Shweta, and proving my repeated assertions of Chennai being a civilised city!
- Roam around Spencers, incl. the new phase III which is really cool
- Juice n shakes at the Fruit Shop - chilled, refreshing n without alcohol content (yay!!our foray into the "healthy" world)
- A get-down-to-basics lunch at Ponnuswamy - the same table where Unni and I sat on my first day in Chennai, and of course the same menu - rice, gravy, prawns n fried chicken!
- a trip to Mocha - iced coffee n tea on the verandah of the old bungalow. A look at Amethyst, with suitable exclamations of delight at the designs n shock at the prices!
Thankfully, Chennai was on its best behavior - cloudy n occasionally drizzling. And the wind actually made an appearance!
Back home, dress up and move on to the "kalyan mandapam" where Venkat's wedding was taking place. Preceded, of course, by the mandatory roam-around in the auto as the driver & I shouted at each other in mutually unitellgible tongues, trying to find the venue!
Entry into the world of zari loaded sarees n sparkling gold jewellery (on both the sexes) ; of heat n humidity ; of blazing fires surrounded by white-clad droning priests ; of "rock" music in the background and then "popular film" music in the foreground ; all under the calm, soothing lights of the videographer, who treated us to a spectacular display of his creative skills (e.g. the bride n groom's pictures being telecast on the TV screens, against a changing backdrop of Hong Kong, Bombay, Vienna......)
Venkat - excited, tired, sleepy, sweaty, panic stricken, communicative, moody, apprehensive, irritated, happy.......all at the same time. Dressed first in a mundu/shirt combo, then in a shirt/trousers/tie combo, then in maroon n black kurta churidar. Constantly accompanied by a towel to wipe away the sweat n a bottle of water to re-hydrate!
Subhashini - (looked) happy, calm, tired, sleepy, communicative, not-so-sweaty.....in short, much more in control inspite of the series of heavy, gorgeous sarees with diamond/gold jewellery that she wore...!
Snacks, then dinner, then a detailed display of personal n fashion photography (with bride n groom as models) and then out again into memory lane. Determined to stay awake (as we had to be back at 4:30 am anyways), our first stop was Zara. A couple of Sangrias - savored by me, rejected by the alcohol-saturated Shweta - we spent a comfortable 45 minutes in the green n brown interiors and were on the road again. Now to Matchpoint - nearly deserted (Tuesday night!) but with the same Chinki threesome mutilating/enhancing songs in equal measure....!! A sinful chocolate terrine for the lady, a liquer coffee for me. Clutch-at-the-heart-and-scream incident of the evening : The Rs.300 coffee had 70% tax slapped on it due to the foreign liquor...thus I had coffee for Rs.500, half the price of the Leela brunch. Sob!
Home (Vermeen's) at 1:15, into bed at 1:30, alarms set for 3:30, targeted ETA at wedding : 4:30 am.
Reality check : alarms did not ring/were ignored. Late getting up, a rush to get dressed (the first time either of us took 10 minutes to get ready for a wedding, I am sure!!) and a mad drive to the venue (Sudeep's Super Fast express - Adyar to T Nagar in 10 minutes!).
Coffee, breakfast and a crash course in "how to get full value for money out of a wedding mandapam by conducting as many rituals as possible". Quick hellos, whispered conversations n hurried goodbyes to Venkat.
Stop at the flat for changing clothes n relieving stomachs and its on the ECR now! A spirited drive on the toll road, and we reached the Fisherman's Cove. Smilingly paid up Rs.800, deposited our possessions with the security and proceeded to the waiting catamaran, the sight of which shocked us out of our wits! 4 logs tied together by a rope, run by a rusty looking motor, taking us 2 km into the sea!?!?! No way!! Somehow, we got convinced into bundling up into life jackets ("they will float for 150 hrs in the sea, saar!"), the only consolation was that if we dont return, at least we wont have office tomorrow.
Straight through the crashing waves (they literally crashed into us), and suddenly we were out into the sea, the shoreline fast receding (like hairlines, but thats another story..). The fisherman in charge made us stand on the frighteningly swaying boat (can we call it that?), prompting the cliched "I am the king of the world" reaction from both of us. And then we stopped. In the middle of nowhere (okay, I am exagerrating, but it certainly appeared that way), we let ourselves into the water (to the theme music from Jaws thumping inside my mind) and then spent a very very pleasant half n hour floating n chatting. Beer of course was sorely missed. Our cellphones weren't. On the way back, we were like calm professionals - not even holding on to the rope! To sum the experience - "awesome".
A cool shower n a hot cup of tea at the bar (yes, the bar), followed by a lovely lunch in their beachfront restaurant. In the middle of the afternoon, we finally left that place and moved back to Chennai.
A stopover at Daskhin Chitra - a heritage village showcasing houses n structures from various parts of South India. We strolled through Tamil Nadu - a brahmin street, merchant;s house, agriculturist's abode, potter;s shed etc....then Kerala - houses from Trivandrum, Calicut etc. The Kerala houses - their cool, wooden interiors, with unusual furniture n lofts n windows....were extremely interesting. In the case of Tamil Nadu, it was more like going into movie sets - have seen these kind of houses so often in movies!! Though we agreed this is one place we could spend a day at, we just HAD to escape - it was too hot!!!
Into the city, a quick nap for Shweta while I visited Aishwariya. 45 minutes wasted at Hertz as I returned the car which wasnt starting and got a replacement (shouted my lungs out imagining my bosses in front of me...very satisfying). Back home, packed up, and then struggled with traffic to finally reach the mecca of sarees- Nalli. 1 hour & 3 gorgeous sarees later, met up with Jyotsna & Vermeen for a Rajasthani thali dinner. Rush to the station, a long, sweaty walk to our bogey at the end of the train. 7 hours later, we alight on the Bangalore station - cool, fresh air greeted us. And we were home!
Out into the waiting arms of the autowallas. A look at the sky confirms the imminent sunrise, hence a rush to the Marina beach. The fact that it was my first visit is evident, otherwise never in my right mind would I have undertaken that 10 km long walk from the road to the sea front, loaded with bags like donkeys, panting like dogs, dragging feet like prisoners of feudal lords. The sight was pleasant though, and soothing. The vastness of the sea in the early morning makes you pause, feel great and humble at the same time.
On to Vermeen's place, and a quick nap in the AC! Shake out the dust from damp jeans/churidars, take a refreshing bath and back into the great outdoors. The rest of the day was a nostalgia trip for me, playing host to Shweta, and proving my repeated assertions of Chennai being a civilised city!
- Roam around Spencers, incl. the new phase III which is really cool
- Juice n shakes at the Fruit Shop - chilled, refreshing n without alcohol content (yay!!our foray into the "healthy" world)
- A get-down-to-basics lunch at Ponnuswamy - the same table where Unni and I sat on my first day in Chennai, and of course the same menu - rice, gravy, prawns n fried chicken!
- a trip to Mocha - iced coffee n tea on the verandah of the old bungalow. A look at Amethyst, with suitable exclamations of delight at the designs n shock at the prices!
Thankfully, Chennai was on its best behavior - cloudy n occasionally drizzling. And the wind actually made an appearance!
Back home, dress up and move on to the "kalyan mandapam" where Venkat's wedding was taking place. Preceded, of course, by the mandatory roam-around in the auto as the driver & I shouted at each other in mutually unitellgible tongues, trying to find the venue!
Entry into the world of zari loaded sarees n sparkling gold jewellery (on both the sexes) ; of heat n humidity ; of blazing fires surrounded by white-clad droning priests ; of "rock" music in the background and then "popular film" music in the foreground ; all under the calm, soothing lights of the videographer, who treated us to a spectacular display of his creative skills (e.g. the bride n groom's pictures being telecast on the TV screens, against a changing backdrop of Hong Kong, Bombay, Vienna......)
Venkat - excited, tired, sleepy, sweaty, panic stricken, communicative, moody, apprehensive, irritated, happy.......all at the same time. Dressed first in a mundu/shirt combo, then in a shirt/trousers/tie combo, then in maroon n black kurta churidar. Constantly accompanied by a towel to wipe away the sweat n a bottle of water to re-hydrate!
Subhashini - (looked) happy, calm, tired, sleepy, communicative, not-so-sweaty.....in short, much more in control inspite of the series of heavy, gorgeous sarees with diamond/gold jewellery that she wore...!
Snacks, then dinner, then a detailed display of personal n fashion photography (with bride n groom as models) and then out again into memory lane. Determined to stay awake (as we had to be back at 4:30 am anyways), our first stop was Zara. A couple of Sangrias - savored by me, rejected by the alcohol-saturated Shweta - we spent a comfortable 45 minutes in the green n brown interiors and were on the road again. Now to Matchpoint - nearly deserted (Tuesday night!) but with the same Chinki threesome mutilating/enhancing songs in equal measure....!! A sinful chocolate terrine for the lady, a liquer coffee for me. Clutch-at-the-heart-and-scream incident of the evening : The Rs.300 coffee had 70% tax slapped on it due to the foreign liquor...thus I had coffee for Rs.500, half the price of the Leela brunch. Sob!
Home (Vermeen's) at 1:15, into bed at 1:30, alarms set for 3:30, targeted ETA at wedding : 4:30 am.
Reality check : alarms did not ring/were ignored. Late getting up, a rush to get dressed (the first time either of us took 10 minutes to get ready for a wedding, I am sure!!) and a mad drive to the venue (Sudeep's Super Fast express - Adyar to T Nagar in 10 minutes!).
Coffee, breakfast and a crash course in "how to get full value for money out of a wedding mandapam by conducting as many rituals as possible". Quick hellos, whispered conversations n hurried goodbyes to Venkat.
Stop at the flat for changing clothes n relieving stomachs and its on the ECR now! A spirited drive on the toll road, and we reached the Fisherman's Cove. Smilingly paid up Rs.800, deposited our possessions with the security and proceeded to the waiting catamaran, the sight of which shocked us out of our wits! 4 logs tied together by a rope, run by a rusty looking motor, taking us 2 km into the sea!?!?! No way!! Somehow, we got convinced into bundling up into life jackets ("they will float for 150 hrs in the sea, saar!"), the only consolation was that if we dont return, at least we wont have office tomorrow.
Straight through the crashing waves (they literally crashed into us), and suddenly we were out into the sea, the shoreline fast receding (like hairlines, but thats another story..). The fisherman in charge made us stand on the frighteningly swaying boat (can we call it that?), prompting the cliched "I am the king of the world" reaction from both of us. And then we stopped. In the middle of nowhere (okay, I am exagerrating, but it certainly appeared that way), we let ourselves into the water (to the theme music from Jaws thumping inside my mind) and then spent a very very pleasant half n hour floating n chatting. Beer of course was sorely missed. Our cellphones weren't. On the way back, we were like calm professionals - not even holding on to the rope! To sum the experience - "awesome".
A cool shower n a hot cup of tea at the bar (yes, the bar), followed by a lovely lunch in their beachfront restaurant. In the middle of the afternoon, we finally left that place and moved back to Chennai.
A stopover at Daskhin Chitra - a heritage village showcasing houses n structures from various parts of South India. We strolled through Tamil Nadu - a brahmin street, merchant;s house, agriculturist's abode, potter;s shed etc....then Kerala - houses from Trivandrum, Calicut etc. The Kerala houses - their cool, wooden interiors, with unusual furniture n lofts n windows....were extremely interesting. In the case of Tamil Nadu, it was more like going into movie sets - have seen these kind of houses so often in movies!! Though we agreed this is one place we could spend a day at, we just HAD to escape - it was too hot!!!
Into the city, a quick nap for Shweta while I visited Aishwariya. 45 minutes wasted at Hertz as I returned the car which wasnt starting and got a replacement (shouted my lungs out imagining my bosses in front of me...very satisfying). Back home, packed up, and then struggled with traffic to finally reach the mecca of sarees- Nalli. 1 hour & 3 gorgeous sarees later, met up with Jyotsna & Vermeen for a Rajasthani thali dinner. Rush to the station, a long, sweaty walk to our bogey at the end of the train. 7 hours later, we alight on the Bangalore station - cool, fresh air greeted us. And we were home!
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