You are most Welcome!

Hosting somebody at my place has never been my forte. I like to think of it more as a lack of opportunity than that of skill. However the month of July was quite different. I actually hosted two friends over a span of two weekends where one was a long weekend. There has been quite a few things to be learnt from these experiences. Atleast that is what I'd like to say!

Whenever you move to a new city or even a new apartment, there is that first week where you get used to things. One week is typically enough to figure out which switch turns on the fan and which turns on the light, or which drawer in the kitchen has the ladle and which one has the spoons. And one week is more than enough to get over the novelty of the place. You know what I mean, clicking pics sending them to your folks and other social outpourings.

So after a week, you are pretty much used to your surroundings. Consider my case at Richardson. I took the 1 Bed with the intention of getting it setup for my fiancé's arrival ofcourse post marriage somewhere near the end of the year. The mojo lasted for a week. All I could get going in that week was a TV, a queen size mattress with a box spring and a flimsy Walmart dining table with 4 chairs. Once I got past 1^st week, things just remained a part of the 'plan'. Each weekend I wake up with that plan at the back of my head only to do nothing about it till the next weekend creeps in. Its been 3 months now and I am well and truly comfortable at my apartment the way it is.

Sadly guests/friends who visit me are not afforded that luxury. They typically stay over the weekend, at times a long weekend (add one more day to their agony I say). Plus because they are friends and don't want to break my heart they have to be courteous and appear accommodating even if my living room is devoid of a couch and watching TV involves sitting down on the carpet and craning your neck to get the whole picture detail. Add to that the fact that the last 2 guests I have had went that extra mile and actually cleaned off my bath-tub. Normally a host would be embarrassed by that, but I took it in my stride and gleefully thanked the concerned party, understanding that each must have had their selfish reasons to do what they did!

I am still trying to zero in on the lessons that should be learnt out of these experiences, but until then all I have been saying is "You are most Welcome!"

Him and me

I don't categorize myself as an atheist. But then I don't think I am pious either. It is something in between and has a lot to do with my convenience. When I put it that way, it sounds a lot selfish but I have always consoled myself by saying that He doesn't need my burden until it is absolutely necessary like maybe during exams or during days leading up to life changing decisions (don't look surprised I have had my share already!!!)

Religion has more to do with my mother than anybody else. All these years staying away from home, as long as she reminded me of an upcoming festival and ofcourse the dietary restrictions therein I tried to follow them. There were numerous occasions when it slipped my mind even after the reminder and I lied to my mother later just to escape the earful I was sure to get. However through all this, I am pretty sure the relation between Him and me remained the same as that between a Physician and patient barring of course the medical insurance and out of pocket expenses.

Having said all this, when I got myself a car 2 weeks back, mother didn't really know that there are temples close by in this neck of the woods and naturally she didn't say anything about me visiting the temple after the car purchase. However the ladies in the office were a totally different ball-game. Just so to let you guys know I am surrounded by a couple of ladies (Indians) who pride over their desi upbringing and in more ways than one seem even more deep rooted than may I say my grandmother! So when one of the ladies innocently asked "Where is the Prasad? You did visit the temple right, after getting the car?" , I was, well to put it mildly, lost for words.

So this past weekend, I made it a point to visit the temple Saturday morning. Such is the relation between Him and me – until I am reminded next time, I am sure that everybody else will be keeping Him busy!

This is a comeback!

Its been a long time since I visited my own blog page, let alone reading other blogs. Off late I have been elated seeing some more of my friends (actually exactly 2) getting their own blogger accounts and putting pen to paper in the electronic sense.

Life hasn't been exactly normal since I have had this ring on the third finger of my right hand. And I mean that in a good way (that was only because my fiancé sometimes stumbles upon my blogpost ;)). Past couple of months have been about getting my DL done, actually driving, scouting for a car, getting a car, buying a bed (well you can wink at that), buying a TV, scouting for a couch and all this with extensive research trying to find the best deal.  At the end of day, the one feeling I end up with is – Its tough been a desi and that too an immigrant desi at that!!!

I have been driving a cheap rental car for the last month just to get a hang of driving on the wrong side of the road, and have been returning favors. There is an unknown joy I have been getting in ferrying peers to and from office. Almost a kind of satisfaction that finally I am helping out folks, the same way I was helped out when I needed it. I would sound trivial but I do really think of this. A big 'thank you' to the friends out there who found it in their hearts to give me a ride in their cars when I needed it.

I haven't read a single page, since I got back from India, engaged. Now I know how that sounds. As if the engagement (or the girl) ate away the reading part of my brain. Ohh my god, I really think weird stuff. The point is I am going to make an effort starting soon to get back to how I was until I am going to get changed or change for good ;)

I am still trying to make up my mind if I should be going to the movies alone. I will let the 'Man of Steel' make that decision for me.

Game and the Water Crisis : IPL 2013

With more than half of the state facing severe drought this season, it sure stands to reason if the Maha Govt could have done better than to go ahead with hosting the 16 IPL games in Mumbai and Pune. 21.6 lakh litres of water needed per ground for its maintenance during the competition one just feels if , in the present circumstances, this is not a big waste a very valuable natural resource?

image : http://media.newindianexpress.com/article1240230.ece/ALTERNATES/w460/25pitch.jpg

The flip side is the money the state stands to make in the form of the entertainment tax. I do not have the exact figure for the same, but that is the rationale forwarded by the government. Then again I am only assuming when I say that the govt has forwarded a rationale at all, considering the recent statements made by the Dy.CM of the state, that the govt will take all necessary actions to see that the water shortage does not impact the IPL games. The Dy CM chose not to elaborate on the actions which the govt plans to take, however in my opinion this vague statement is enough to underline the callous attitude of the govt towards the drought hit population.

The concerns and controversies raised in the recent past, with water being supplied/diverted to the mineral water and soda companies, ignoring the needs of the farmers and not to mention the ire which Asaram Bapu invited after his large scale water-tanker holi celebrations, the govt seems to have taken its apathy up a notch by allowing the games to go on. Do you smell a govt-water tanker owners nexus? Frankly speaking I dont even wish to go there.

All I can understand is that a tough summer lies ahead of us. Whoever has money will be getting tanker-full of water, but then there is a limit to that too as well right? Not that the tanker owners 'create' water! In March itself my building in Pune, needed a tanker every two days, the borewells have run dry and summer has not even begun. 

Seems at the end of the day, the households have more to worry about than what happens in this year's IPL. Maybe that is exactly what the govt is playing on!

P.S: The opposition did suggest that each franchise come forward and make a substantial monetary contribution towards the efforts of helping the drought hit areas. Lets see how much that is heeded.  

Circumstantial

The very act of decision making has always amazed me. I bet psychology would have quite a few books on this topic, but each time after I have made a decision in life, when I just try to analyse it, I am amazed at how exactly it went through. Let me clarify that I do not regret the decisions I have made, but if I pose as an outsider and try to analyse I am left smiling at the fact that decisions are not only your own, but they are slaves of circumstances. Circumstances is a very crude word. How about I use the words - fate, destiny, God's will? Now does it feel important to you!!!

Am I being too critical?  I really don't care. What I am more interested in now is not the decision, but the way in which I am going to take it to its fruition. 

There were a gamut of things which I had planned on doing before leaving for my vacation for which I just couldn't find time, which involved catching up with friends and visiting old haunts.Too sad to even list them here. But then as they say - No Pain No Gain ;) 

There will always be that proverbial 'Until next time'!!!

P.S : Currently reading : The Casual Vacancy

Read 5 for 2013 : Oath of the Vayuputras – Amish

The concluding part of the Shiva trilogy was in a way the most awaited novel for me in the first half of 2013. The story had been very nicely poised for the finale which was going to be the 'Oath of the Vayuputras'. I pre-ordered the book and as luck would have it, had my India vacation to pore over it.

The concluding part is as long as the first two combined and I must confess that the novel begins languidly. The novel describes the final battle of Shiva against Evil and almost two-thirds of the novel talk about warring tactics which sometimes do get interesting but also contribute to the monotony of the narrative.  There are quite a few new characters that come to the fore, which on a personal level confused me a bit. However I understand the need for them considering that there are alliances formed for the impending war. The author in the narrative tries a little too hard to draw parallels between the characters and the mythology involved, especially in the last chapter of the book which doesn't seem to be all that natural, like in the first two parts of the trilogy.

There are a couple of high points in the novel which had me riveted - the ineptness of Emperor Daksha, his own behind the scenes maneuvers which spell the ultimate disaster, the honor displayed by Parvateshwar and above all the battle between Sati and the assassins of Aten.  Infact at the end of it all, the last novel seems to be more of Sati than Shiva. Not sure if that is to be in line with the whole concept of the 'Mother Goddess'.

The title 'Oath of the Vayuputras' is misleading. Unlike the first two novels, which talked about the Meluhans and then the Nagas true to their titles, this novel talks little about the Vayuputras. The Vayuputras seem to be more of a passing reference in the narrative; almost as an after-thought.

All said and done, if you have read the first two novels, then you should read the third and fulfill your duty as Shiva does!!!

I am tempted to read more of Ashwin Sanghvi now. I have already read the Chanakya Chants and I must say that I was impressed. In all probability I will go in for both – 'The Rozabal Line' and 'The Krishna Key' as well.

Next Read: TBD

India Visit: Travel

I am sitting here at my 11yr old desktop, waiting through endless minutes as the web pages load wondering which action would hang the poor veteran. The problem as I am quick to point to myself is about the processing capacity of my desktop than the broadband speed. Nonetheless I am happy, for all the ‘non-computing’ reasons!!!

Before I give in to the jetlag induced stupor a few words about my journey here are in order. I booked myself onto a non-stop flight from Newark to Mumbai and was quite happy about the non-stop part of it. However I underestimated the 10hr layover which I had to go through in Newark. Well I did get through it, I mean I did survive to tell the tale and that should merit for something. I will be talking about that ‘longest day’ in my life in another blog post. For now it is the - ‘United Airlines flight with non-stop service from Newark to Mumbai’.

You would have guessed that my experience would have been of the extreme, either positive or negative. Nobody will take the pains of penning down his thoughts if the experience would be anywhere in between the two extremities. Its just not worth it, you will say and I agree. So let me make it clear – the experience was awesome.

I must put a disclaimer that the flight experience is definitely after the 10hrs layover, so I might be baised, for my mind will always compare the flight with the 10hr nothingness.

To begin with, the choice of the aisle seat was a godsend, especially when the window seat was taken by a dude and the middle seat was empty. Guys, you don’t want to end up in a aisle seat when the window or a middle seat is taken by a lady. It might be good company but then, the ladies just get up and head to the loo too often. This dude, and yes I counted, got up exactly 3 times, in the 15hrs journey. It was jus brilliant. Whereas I could see the frustration writ on the faces of the two youngsters who, had a lady at the window in front of my seat, each time she asked them to make way. The middle vacant seat meant, shit was much more comfortable, no elbows hitting each other and well, no sleepy drool on my shoulder either (guess that is exaggerating it a bit too much!!)

The collection of movies and sitcoms in the inflight entertainment system was awesome. I ended up watching ‘English Vinglish’ and ‘Argo’. I had missed both, so I was happy! The dinner and the breakfast served were good too. The show stealer was however a very small thing, which I rate very highly especially when in a flight. There were attendants making rounds every hour or so, asking if anybody needed water. Water has always been a bane for me on flights. The very charade of calling a steward over and asking for water, for which he does take some time , handing you a half filled plastic cup, which does nothing to quench your thirst, is outright tiring. And it is only so many times, you would want to do it. Results being you get to your destination, severely dehydrated, a parched throat, which can barely hail a cab.

I will still take a day to get over my jetlag. I got a mob number for myself, so that I can be reached in India. Hit up all the folks whom I want to catch up here. So far so good!!! 

India Visit : Packing

I don't know what irks me more than packing my bag before my travel, maybe having a shave once a week, but then you can postpone the latter but the former has to be done.

With 2 more days to go, I think it is about time I will myself to get that shit packed. Though it aint as bad a bitch as it was when I was leaving Pune. But even then the entire charade is energy sapping to say the least. Well enough of bitching about this, I know this doesn't help my cause. It has to be done one way or the other!

My travel plans were solidified only a week ago and I like that in a way. That means by the time people know that I am travelling to India; it is too late to demand for stuff to be brought back. No I am not rude to anybody,  I kind of encouraged each one to go ahead and have those items shipped to me. Hell, I even ordered stuff myself for my sis so that I don't go back empty handed. But (un)fortunately a storm seem to hit the Midwest not too long ago, disrupting shipments and delaying them. Chances are a few of my other friends will have to just pick up my slack and get stuff to India when they travel later in the year.

The resistance is not about carrying stuff back home, but the fact that when it comes to gifts, especially to parents, they want you to choose it. It is some weird kind of notion that what I select might just give them an indication of where I stand as far as loving them is concerned. Same applies to my sis as well, but then she is much more grounded and knows that her bro just can't handle this. So she very deftly compiled a list and sent it to me (which as I explained in the last paragraph, might get delayed! <devilish laugh>!!). The sum total of this is that, I will have to raid the duty free store at the Mumbai airport if I am expecting to have an incident free stay at home.

Thankfully the weather seems encouraging as we head into Friday and my flights starting early morning Saturday should be on-time. I have got a 10 hr overlay at New Jersey and I am still deciding if I should ask a friend of mine to pick me up and entertain me till my flight is due. The thing is, I have kinda lost contact with him since he married (which I presume bachelors do to every other married friend, I am now thinking it's out of jealousy more than anything else). What complicates matters (in my mind only) is that now he is a proud father and I am not sure how to conduct myself around a kid who can barely hold his head. But then if I don't end up getting free wifi at the terminal, I might as well hit him up albeit reluctantly. I don't really want to disturb his 'Garden of Eden' together with the kid!!!

I think this is enough for now. I will start packing, I mean atleast planning the packing in my mind. I wanted to say 'mentally' there instead of 'in my mind', but then that sounded psychotic to me. LOL!

P.S: I hope I didn't mess up the usage of 'former and latter' in the very first paragraph of the blog!

Read 4 for 2013: A is for Alibi – Sue Grafton

After 'American Gods' I needed something to cool me down, though I see that in my last blog I referenced it as 'warm down' but it was not correct after all. Flipping through the myriad books which I already have on my Kindle (fortunately!), I picked this one up. The title for one was eye-catching and also the fact that this is a part of an 'Alphabet Mysteries' series starting with 'A is for Alibi' going on all the way up to 'V is for Vengeance'. Tiresome it may seem to read 22 novels but then I had to start somewhere.

The 'Alphabet Series' chronicles the cases of one Kinsey Millhone, a private investigator (PI) in Santa Theresa. I guess you can get the rest from Wiki anyways. Talking about the book at hand, I must say I was not impressed. It started out well, the crime seemed to be intricate with both the alibi and the motive overlapping, and however the twist in the plot was both pre-meditated and forceful. It was something like – well now that 85% of the novel is done, lets twist it up. To spice things up in the middle, there were steaming sexual encounters between Kinsey and the 'would be' culprit of the crime, so very convenient. With the only trait of the 'culprit' which I could catch was his 'sexual energy'!!!

The narrative is in the first person, and personally speaking that exasperates me to no end. The novel ends with:

Respectfully submitted,

Kinsey Millhone

- making the whole novel into a report which left a bad taste in my mouth. There isn't enough action in this one and the shooting of the culprit by Kinsey in self-defense is more of an anti-climax. There has to be a term like 'chick-films' applied to books/novels as well, right?

However I never intended this to be out of the world, I was looking at it as a stop gap and I must admit, this book did do that. So all in all it did serve its purpose. Nowhere was it dragging on with unnecessary characters eating up the plot and not leading anywhere.

But the fact remains - be it Evanovich's Stephanie Plum or Grafton's Kinsey Millhone, I have not been entertained. Then again I have read only the first installment in both these series. I will be thinking very hard though about when should I get to the second books of any of these series.

Next read: Oath of the Vayuputras : Amish Tripathi

This is the big one, yes the culmination of the Shiva Trilogy and what luck that I will be in India when this one is released. My pre-ordered copy has already shipped to my Pune address. I was thinking of reading a book during my journey to India, but I guess I will let the in-flight entertainment do its thing for me – the air-stewardess' included!!! LOL!!!

Read 3 for 2013: American Gods – Neil Gaiman

There is something about Neil Gaiman's writing, which draws you to it. I guess it has to do about the surreal nature of his stories. It is a kind of a fairy tale narration which makes unearthly beings- no not the ET kind, but more the angels, demons and gods - seem tangible, real. There is a certain flow to the prose which make his novels very hard to set down – like you cannot determine whether this right here would be a logical stop or should I indulge a bit more and postpone my lunch for just a bit more. Before I read American Gods, Gaiman wove his magic for me through 'Stardust' and then the 'Anansi Boys'.

American Gods is full of metaphors. It is a difficult read mind you. There were times galore when I had to resort to Wiki to better appreciate what was being conveyed. This is not your typical day at the park read, but more of an academic pursuit if you would want to appreciate the true nature of the plot. At the end of it all you come off the wiser. You need such a mind bender once a while, just to assure you that you can still take the heavy stuff apart from the hubris of those run of the mill thrillers.

America is what the immigrants made off it. Each set of people who came to this land for whatever reason, brought with them their beliefs, their cultures and most importantly their Gods. They worshipped their Gods, appeasing them with whatever rituals they conjured up. The Gods fed on these and attained their strengths. As time passed on these Gods were forgotten. Newer Gods came to the fore, like the God of the railroad, Goddess of Media, God of the plastic money. As the new Gods grew in prominence, the old Gods were forgotten and grew weak in this land of opportunity. This was when the All-Father Odin and Loki set out a plan to regain their strengths and be more powerful than they ever were.

The Gods of whatever kinds I mention above all have human traits in the narrative which is where the metaphors come in. Each metaphor has to be carefully understood to take in the true extent of what is being talked about. The protagonist is a guy named Shadow who is later revealed to be Odin's son and a pawn in this whole game; however there sure are surprises in store.

The narrative is interspersed with stories which date back to the first settlers who made their way to America and details their trials and tribulations as they settled in this new land with stories about their Gods. 

I did lose my way in between because I must say that this one requires you to be on your toes. If you can do that then when everything comes together at the end and when the trick is revealed a sense of fulfillment runs over you. You just cannot wait but tip your hat to the story-teller that is Neil Gaiman!

Next read : A is for Alibi – Sue Grafton.

A pacey crime thriller is just right to warm me down after this.

Culinary Narcissism

Image courtesy : http://ericscalessketchbook.blogspot.com/2010/12/turtle-soup.html

The whistle goes off for the 4th time and I patiently take note, waiting for the count to go all the way to 6. Cholle are to be prepared tonight, a culinary delight you say, well just another night's dinner!!! In the 22 months I have spent in the US, I think my culinary skills have come a long way. Gone are the days when I used to brag about 'boiled eggs' being my speciality. Right from taking lessons about how exactly onions are to be cut so as to save effort including the tricks such that you dont end up with watering eyes, I think I have come to love cooking - I mean the way I do it. I am after all a narcissist.  

There is a certain kind of simplicity to it all. The one basic principle being - leave the shit on the gas  long enough for it to cook. Well experts would say that there is little more to cooking than that, but for now I that is my one guiding principle. 

It is an act of creation, out of sheer approximation, where the law of diminishing averages does not apply. I graduated from the boiled eggs to the batata bhaji, moving on to cholle, chavli and finally relishing the occasional sadha varan bhat. Have recently indulged in sabudana khichadi, which sans the ground peanuts is not that palatable.

Next up is 3 weeks of downtime, as I visit India and give my culinary pursuits a break. I am sure however much I brag, my mom isn't going to give me control of her kitchen, lest I desecrate the holy place. I do think I will get them around to taste atleast one meal made by yours truly!!! 

Post that I might just get on with tweaking recipes like my good friend trumspringa does. Did anybody mention how I wish I could get around making my own chapatis, maybe the trip back home would help me get that sorted out one way or the other!!! ;)

"You gotta be kidding me, right!!!??!!!"

More often than not I end up wondering how Life does what it does. Does it have that magician's hat from where it conjures up stuff, some to amaze me, while quite a few just to catch me off guard?

I am sure each one of you feels the same way. It is as if we are all sitting in the same amphitheater watching Life's Magic Show. The acts are not pre-planned, they are intuitive.  There are acts of disappearing, re-appearing that too with a whole gamut of emotions. Just when you think that all the tricks are done, there is this one thing which springs up and each one of us is like "You gotta be kidding me, right!!!??!!"

You just cannot prepare and be ready. You are reduced to a rabbit that has to cross the road each day for the carrot field is on the other side and pray that it doesn't get caught in the headlights of a passing trailer. The surprise comes when the rabbit doesn't get caught in the headlights but rather is hit by lightning as it makes the daily round trip, his last words "You gotta be kidding me, right!!!!??!!!"

As I wade through my life experiences I cannot help but tip my hat to Life and say, "Damn, you sure are a helluva of a player!" It's a peculiar game where you don't lose but learn. You are not knocked down, but helped up -ready and charged up for round 2. Be sure you don't make the same mistakes again because Life is not going to step back and say, "You gotta be kidding me, right!!!??!!" it will just go through you and wait for you to stand back up, again!

Read 2 for 2013: The Book Thief: Mark Zusak

Call it the hangover caused by the 'Room' or the fact that I spent more time on Netflix rather than my Kindle, but I must say that this one took me a long time. My saying this should not reflect on the novel, it was more to do with me than the novel.

The Book Thief is an unusual novel. For starters atleast I haven't heard anybody give voice to 'Death' before. You might imagine that 'Death' talking would be sad, morose and outright cold. But hey, not this 'Death'. This Death has a certain swagger to it. It is just like one of us, not really in love with its job, over-worked and desperately in need for a vacation which it cannot get because there isn't any back-up!

The setup of the novel is Nazi Germany and the timeframe is the Holocaust and the Second World War No doubt Death felt so over-worked! Death narrates the story of one Liesel Meminger. This orphaned girl who travels to Molching to the home of her foster parents – the Hubermanns. The more I think about it the more I am tempted to compare this with the diary of Anne Frank. Even this is a tale of a girl who finds herself faced with adversity and takes help of words to tell her tale.

The life on Himmel Street is painted with such real colors that you start identifying with the characters. There are episodes after episodes which make a mark on you and convey so much symbolically. Death seems to have a heart but has to do the heartless.  

If you ever want to pick a Holocaust novel, I would strongly suggest this one. It is not all that gory or graphic but it sure leaves you wondering as to does Death also have feelings!

The last line of the novel is the most telling. It is where Death says : Humans haunt me!!!

Next read:  American Gods : Neil Gaiman

Wednesday

It resides right in the middle of the work week, hidden away from the 'gloomy' Monday and equally distant from the 'happening' Friday.  But more often than not it is the Wednesday which is the toughest day of the week to get by.  I have always felt that Monday has had its unfair share of disrepute. I agree it being the first day of the week, what after an amazing weekend, but not each and every Monday is like that. I mean there must be occasions where you really want to get to Monday and get that thing started at office or get to Monday so that you can swap some healthy office gossip with your peers, or maybe get to Monday just to get past an otherwise dull weekend. Monday most often has a flavor of excitement to it, for it is a start of something new. Yet pop culture associates it with a half-asleep clerk hanging onto his morning coffee for dear life!!!

Wednesday is the one who got away. It is poised exactly in the middle. It is the day when stuff shifts into high gear more so because the deadlines are to be met by the last day of the week. If there is one day we should absolutely hate then it must be Wednesday. Remember how you had to put in extra hours on Friday to meet the deadline- well blame Wednesday, for I bet that was when you started realistically thinking about the deadline anyways. Wednesday reminds me of that middle portion or the innings in a 50-over ODI, where slower bowlers/spinners are operating on both ends and the motive is not to take wickets but just to stymie the flow of runs. Also the batsmen are in no hurry either, for they have already scored at a healthy rate earlier, when the fielders were in the circle and now they are much content to just get the singles and the doubles wait until the final overs come into play before injecting excitement in the game.

Today is a Wednesday and things are no different.  It is a bigger drag than Monday, and yet no one has anything to say about it. I know it is too little too late for Wednesday to be castigated and Monday to be brought back to its full glory, but let it be known that there is at least somebody who despises Wednesday more than the Monday!!!

The Urban Squirrel

Just when you think that maybe this is the worst it can get and that tomorrow will be a warm sunny day, an overnight blizzard dumps inches of snow curdling any thoughts of enthusiasm. That is what has been happening off late. Not that you will see my frolicking about on the sidewalks of because the sun is out in its full glory, but then atleast I will be cheerful enough to get to office for once. If wishes were horses…

I must give credit to the human body. It sure learns to adapt to what is thrown at it. Looking at the 'weather.com' app has become a daily ritual. Not only because it makes for good conversation, but also because you can be mentally prepared to face the elements. I know this is illogical, but then I have come to believe that temperatures in Fahrenheit are colder than the same in Celsius!!! For once the feelings have gained importance because the 'Feels like' column on the 'weather.com' app is what true feelings are all about.

 It is just amazing to think that in this day and age when I think of my life in Des Moines, I am reminded of a squirrel – The Urban Squirrel. Allow me to explain.

The squirrel as I understand is a hoarder. It comes out when the weather is agreeable and forages, collecting whatever it is it eats and saving it all for a rainy day, in my case a snowy day. Now when I think of it I am no different. I forage for food, collecting items from Walmart or the Indian store and yeah I sure am a hoarder, especially in this weather. Not to mention, only when the weather is agreeable do I plan my journey to Walmart and the Indian store. Items like milk, bread, eggs are hoarded for that snowy day when more often than not I run out of veggies to cook and maybe rotis as well. In all of this my respect for rice and dal and ofcourse the variety of beans has reached sky high!!! There are days when I think I should come up with an elaborate ritual to honor the uncooked pasta which is a savior in its own way, or wear a crown made of eggshells for they serve a much higher purpose than we give them credit for.

All said and done, I do see that it is going to turn warmer over the weekend. Maybe then the squirrel can come out again and do its thing and be ready for the next snowy day!!!!

Read 1 for 2013: The Room : Emma Donoghue

The Room by Emma Donoghue is the first book I read in 2013. A story of a girl kidnapped and forced to live in a Room. The girl aged 19 when she was kidnapped and now after 7 years has a son, Jack, aged 5 at the time the story starts. Jack has never seen the outside of the Room. The Room is his world. The TV in the Room is his only window to the Outside world, however because it is TV, he believes all that is shown on TV is unreal and everything else (meaning in the Room) is real. The story is narrated as a first person account of Jack. How he views his Room. How he connects with each and every object in the Room. The regime his Maa formulated for him, so that she can do her best for the kid as he grows up captive but hardly realizing that he is in captivity. The innocence of the child under the circumstances is stirring and troubling. The spirit of Maa who never gives up, as now she has her son to care for, shines like a beacon in the darkness of captivity.

Jack and his Maa are able to fashion their escape from the Room, not before some out-of-the-world heroics by Jack. Imagining the things Jack pulls off for somebody who has ventured out of his shell for the first time is both magical and satisfying. Though the real challenge for Maa and Jack lies in trying to adjust to a world which Maa was forced to leave behind 7 years ago and Jack has never known existed. What follows are a series of re-acquaintances with family and friends. For Jack, even the sun and the wind are too much to bear.  Slowly but surely with the same will they displayed in the Room, they start gelling with the outside world. Not to mention that there are a couple of scares along the way.

The most touching narration of the novel is arguably at the very end, where Jack asks his Maa to visit the Room one last time. While inside it, he touches each and every object and says a heartfelt 'Bye-Bye' to them. The conflict which Jack feels at time about returning to the Room because he is so used to being in it finally ends and he is ready to live his life in the Outside. There is a passage where Maa goes on to say that everybody is captive in his/her Room. There are so many innocents who are behind bars, which gives the narration a totally different spin and does make the reader wonder.

For me personally, the innocence of the 5 year old Jack was killing to say the least. There were times, where I had to keep the book aside at regular intervals just to reflect as to what exactly could be going in that tiny 5 yr old brain of his, when everything he ever knows about is confined in that Room. Though the author does a very good job to end it on a very hopeful note and I am thankful for that. It would have been utterly devastating for me to think of anymore sadness for Maa and Jack.

I must confess that I did take a little more than a week just to get over this read. It is a simple read,  what with a 5yr old narrating it. But then you know how a child can say so much more with a handful of words!!!

 Next read : The Book Thief : Mark Zusak

Me..the Orange Drink...the TV

This New Year's celebration was pretty simple and straightforward - Absolut vodka coupled with run of the mill Chinese food and some good company together with a self-created Youtube playlist. Some unexplained fire-work display from the top of the parking garage right next to my building which looked like the pic below only added to the glitter.

The fact that I slept off a couple of hours before midnight makes the entire charade look either stupid or outright convenient. Whatever be the case, when I woke up on the first day of 2013, I did feel that the new year was afoot and that made the night before worthwhile.

Time and again I am reminded of the new year celebrations which I had back in the days when things were a lot simpler, life was a little less complicated and worries were not mine to own. It was the age when the cold drink was thought to be the elixir of life. The very act of drinking that sweetened carbonated drink (this knowledge came much later in life) was some sort fertile territory achieved at the end of intense psychological warfare. It was nothing less than a hostage negotiation where there were many things promised in return of that orange flavored drink. All said and done on the night of 31st Dec it had to be Me, the Orange Drink and the TV.

As the TV would begin churning the 'unforgettable moments' of the year gone by, be it songs, movies etc, glass after glass of that Orange Drink was devoured one sip at a time. Not to forget that each time the bottle containing the Orange Drink was religiously returned back to the refrigerator lest it lose its 'coolness'. In the building where 3 friends lived one on top of other, each one would shout out to the others enquiring as to how much of the elixir each one still had. For the friends had decided to have the last sip together albiet in their own living rooms but watching the same program on TV (not that there was an option, cable TV had not invaded us yet). Even after such care, each year there was this one friend who managed to let some be for the day after and draw ire from the others the next day. All said and done, it was always worth the trouble, for he was then having the elixir when no one else was having it and that made him feel like God!

Years have rolled on since, and will continue to roll on but Me, the Orange drink and the TV will remain forever hidden as a memory - to be remembered, to be fondly cherished!

P.S: For the uninitiated, the Orange Drink was the Gold Spot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Spot). I am sure it will set in motion some memories for you too :)