Tuesday, February 28
You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely.
Friday, February 24
Please wrap it up!
I parked my “mean black squeaky machine” on the sidewalk, spat the tombakoo on the wall which said “Keep Bangalore city clean “and made my way to the old forgotten handicrafts store. The neighboring shop was Praveen’s Pet Vet Clinic .I could hear the whine of dogs and feel their pain. I approached the old man who appeared to be the owner and pointed at the beautiful metal idol of Lord Ganesh. I believe I was the first person to touch the idol, since the year1991; it was “that” old. Mr. Murthy, that’s how he introduced himself, told me that I was holding one of the oldest statues in his shop, which apparently was inaugurated by the then Police Commissioner K. Chakravarthi, the year being 1991.As I was late for the house warming ceremony, I asked him to gift wrap the idol, but Mr. Murthy, who was a retired clerk at the AG’s office, decided to test my patience. Mr. Murthy: You know young man; it’s very difficult to give the right gift. It has a lot of variables involved in the process. Take for instance the cost, if it’s for a relative you spend a lot knowing fully well that the relative will return the favor. If it’s for a social contact you look for an inexpensive gift. And then you have to think of the occasion, is it a birthday, anniversary, marriage or house warming ceremony. Moreover you have to be careful of duplicity. Of course every Ram, Shyam and Sajjan Rao thinks that the Wall Clock is the ideal gift. At my elder son’s marriage, we received 4 wall clocks. You know what we did with it? We put them in a box and put it in a safe place .When we were invited to a function we pulled out a clock, gift wrapped it and gave it away. The other day my younger son Madhu, was asking his mother what the ideal gift to give for his friend’s marriage was and as usual Lakshmi gave him an envelope and asked him to put Rs 200. Not that money is a bad gift, but that should be the last resort. (He looks for the cello tape, I glance at my watch) Is it getting late for you, let me wrap it up … (looks for the scissors) he continues...
I still remember when I was invited to my friend Satish’s marriage; I was in a fix, not knowing what to give him. He was my one of my close associates you see and so I wanted to give him something that he could remember me by. So after work, I took an auto and for Rs 2 he dropped me at Hospet. I went to this shop which was selling all types of Kitchen utensils. In those days people used to give steel utensils like big Tiffin boxes for marriages and other functions.This marwadi shopkeeper showed me different types of Tiffin boxes, square, round, 4 boxes in one, lots of designs and shapes. I was looking around and saw this beautiful steel utensil holder. The holder came with a host of seemingly vital kitchen utensils like spoons, knives, Chimta/Flat-headed long tongs, serving spoons, the entire works. I enquired about the price and was overjoyed when it was just under my budget and so I bought it . I went to the marriage hall and meet my friends and they are all curious as to what I was going to give the groom.When I told them it was a utensil holder, they wanted to see it and I had to unwrap it right there in the hall. Now as my friends were checking out my gift, all the ladies who were seated in the hall, started staring at me. You see these ladies are very curious when it comes to steel utensils. ( he winks) .One old lady came up to me and asked me, “ Son, how much did you give for that steel all- in- one holder ? “,when she heard the price she smiled and said “ You are doing a good thing by giving them these steel utensils. Every time they prepare or sit for lunch they will think of you. May Lord Krishna bless you “. Murthy lets out a deep sigh. I smile and Mr. Murthy continues” I must have wasted your time, here is your gift, all wrapped” .I pay for the idol and give him another of my charming smiles and bid him goodbye.
Thursday, February 23
Confession - Linda Anderson
Wednesday, February 22
Monday, February 20
Friday, February 17
Bookie worm
Wish You Well is the story of Louisa Mae Cardinal, a precocious twelve-year-old girl living in the hectic New York City of 1940 with her acclaimed but sadly underpaid writer father, her compassionate mother, and her timid younger brother, Oz. For Lou, her family's financial struggles are invisible to her. Instead, she is a daughter who idolizes her father and is in love with the art of storytelling.
Then, in a single, terrifying moment, Lou's life is changed forever, and she and Oz are on a train rolling away from New York and down into the mountains of Virginia. There, Lou's mother will begin a long, slow struggle between life and death. And there, Lou and Oz will be raised by their remarkable great-grandmother, Louisa, Lou's namesake.
Suddenly a girl finds herself coming of age in a landscape that could not be more foreign to her. On her great-grandmother's farm, on the land her father loved and wrote about, Lou finds her first true friend; learns lessons in loyalty, tragedy, and redemption; and experiences adventures tragic, comic, and audacious. When a dark, destructive force encroaches on their new home, Lou and her brother are caught up in another struggle -- a struggle for justice and survival that will be played out in a crowded Virginia courtroom.
In Wish You Well David Baldacci has written a tale laced with touching passages evoking the charms of rural Virginia, imbued with graceful humor, and enriched by with unforgettable characters. The novel is a heart-wrenching yet triumphant story about family and adversity from times past that resounds forcefully today. Wish You Well is a breathtakingly beautiful achievement from an author who has the power to make us feel, to make us care, and to make us believe in the great and little miracles that can change lives -- or save them.
The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century :
Loved this book especially since it talked about Bangalore :)
The Beach House
by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge
Jack Mullen is a driven student of the law. His brother Peter is a servant of the rich, parking the cars of the Hamptons' elite-and perhaps satisfying their more intimate needs as well. Then Peter's body is found on the beach. Jack knows the drowning was no accident, but someone's unlimited power and money have bought the cops, the judges, the system. Now Jack is learning a lesson in justice he never got in law school…and his astonishing plan to beat the billionaires will have you reeling-and cheering-to the very last page.
Eldest :
...He no longer believed that life possessed inherent meaning --- not after seeing men torn apart by the Kull, a race of giant Urgals, and the ground a bed of thrashing limbs and the dirt so wet with blood it soaked through the soles of his boots.
So begins Christopher Paolini's "Eldest ", the second book of the Inheritance Trilogy, the continuation of Eragon's life as Dragon Rider.
I can't believe I actually waited for a month to buy this book. The author was 15 when he wrote Eragon and 21 when he was finished with Eldest. He has borrowed quite a few ideas from LOR and Star Wars, but overall it was like a Hindi Film, all masala and no "spice".
Christopher Paolini reminds me of one of my classmates, Mehmood Hussain.
When I was in my 7th standard, our Mathematics teacher Mrs. Vaidyalingam used to ask Mehmood to tell us a story and keep us occupied in the free periods. He used to mesmerize us with his dramatic stories .Of course he couldn't keep track of all the loos characters and so he made up most of the stuff on the spot, including bringing a tractor to life.
Christopher Paolini's Eldest falls short of all expectations. He tries to fill in the middle pages with day to day happenings which are outright boring and some instances when he himself is lost. I'm sure he'll mature as the years go by. ( Vc crosses his fingers).
Interesting stuff you'll find in this book:
1. Eragon goes to the Elves to learn and master magic and is supposed to follow and respect their culture and rules. Elves don't eat meat; they are complete veggies like kk. So one fine Sunday, this dude who likes eating meat, gets really frustrated with the elves and so runs off with the Dragon into the dense forest.He hunts a rabbit, cooks the meat and is about to eat it when Boom ,he realizes that ... (cough cough).. that meat is bad .. something to do with “essence of life” and a lot of other creepy things that flew over my head. The Dragon Saphira listens to him patiently and then eyeing the meat, she says," So you won’t eat meat?". Its an emotional scene and Eragon with tears running down his cheeks replies "No". The Dragon does the only other thing to do, "gulum" eats the meat. (Burp).
2. I’m not going to comment on "the religion and existence of GOD talk “,that Eragon has with his teacher. Heavy stuff.
3.Eragon breaks his bow during his training session and the dragon looks at him and says, " Oh great! now you will need a new stick thrower".
4. Here's another shocker, although Eragon is human ,during a festival in which all the elves are making merry ( read: drinking alcohol) and are doing the "boogie woogie" , he is suddenly transformed into an Elf. Yep with pointed ears, long face and the elvish smile.
