Fandoming

I have made a huge mistake. One that is currently five books long. It's called 'A Song of Ice and Fire'.

Being a regular on Imgur, I was not unfamiliar with the somewhat garbled premise of the show as depicted through memes, screenshots and gifs. But as always, I HAD to read the books before watching the TV series, and so I bought a box set from a guy on a FB group who did not have time to read it and "preferred watching it anyway." Ugh.

And so I rescued the books and gave them a better home, on my bookshelf. Where they stayed for a long time. Three or four months to be precise. In my defence, it was a daunting prospect (have you seen the size of each book?! At least Harry Potter gradually increases in size!). I was also directing a play at the time, and Christmas, New Year etc happened. Anyway. I finally began.

One and a half books in, I am still in love with Ned Stark, as much as Lady Catelyn still is. I still can't believe George R. R. Martin killed him. It hurt almost as bad as when Dobby died. I even went to the Wikipedia page to check if he was really, REALLY dead. Damn you authors for making us love people and mercilessly killing them off.

SO anyway. I have found a new fandom.

Tyrion Lannister is my favourite currently.Oh please don't die Imp. 

Lazy bum

A year and eight months since the last post.

Not for lack of trying; I often log in, at least once  month, think of what to write, fail to come up with anything, and so I log out again.

I suppose all the writing juices flow away with the work I do. Since the last life update, I have shifted departments, moving to a writing job. In a paper I grew up reading. Working with people whose stories I remember reading while I was still small enough to sit on the paper. It's been nearly a year, and I still can't believe how blessed I am, and how, even thought it wasn't the straight path I wanted or expected it to be, I finally was guided to where I wanted to be.

I sure as hell haven't been lazy at work. It might not be backbreaking, but it is still taxing. But it leaves me with a feeling of pleasant mental exhaustion. Sometimes, it's almost like the high one gets from quizzing:a knowledge high, tempered only when one wins a gift voucher to an optician. I may read all night with bad lighting, but my eyesight is perfect thankyouverymuch.

Which reminds me to go for the next quiz, preferably the pub quiz, because hey, why would I complain about advancing intellect combined with a shot of whichever alcohol I win.

Books vs. tablets

Of late, I've been seeing many posts online asking what tab is best for kids for gaming and educational purposes. 

As a confessed bibliophile, who is following the yellow brick road to bibliomania, this is driving me nuts.

I'm not a parent, nowhere close. And I'm not dissing technology, I love it and I love how kids can adapt so easily to gadgets. It's second nature to them. I learned how to use an iPad from my then five-year-old cousin.

But still, there's something to be said for books. 

I won't make a list on why parents should buy books instead of tablets for their kids. 

I will, however, list why books are better as far as I am considered.

Books last longer. They tear and pages come loose and turn yellow, but it's nothing a little cellotape can't fix.

Books don't break when dropped. Especially useful for klutzy people like me.

Books don't get ruined when you spill water on them.

Books aren't expensive, if you know where to look. Thrift shopping for books is the greatest fun.

Books take you places both literally and figuratively.  

Books can teach you words and about worlds and weirdly wonderful worms.

Books make you imagine. They made me imagine. They still do. Imagination helps in more ways than just creating interesting daydreams when you’re 23 and sitting at a desk from 9-5.

Kids should read. It doesn’t matter if they’re magazines, comics, novels...  Introduce them to books. Books will be their BFFs.  

Books will make them better people.  

Tessie

It always takes loss to make me write.

Now, we've always lived in houses where I could not have a pet. I love dogs and for as long as I have remembered, wanted a dog of my own. Since it was near impossible for me to have one, I settled for the next best thing - "adopting" my chiti-chitapa's pet as my own.

Tessie - what a cute little 45-day-old furball she was when they brought her home 10 years ago. With her long furry snout, intelligent brown eyes, perky ears and long pink tongue, she stole my heart. Barely two days later, we were off as a family to Munnar; of course we could not leave the puppy behind, so she joined us in the bus.

Over the years, every time I went to chiti’s house, Tessie had a special affectionate bark for me. Everyone would know it was me who walked in just from hearing the tone of her bark. It made me feel so special! We rolled and wrestled, played fetch and run and I loved stalking with her. Seems silly now, but it was fun, and I don’t regret a moment of it.

Tessie would get upset if I went to play with her after visiting any of my friends who have dogs or cats at home. She would sniff around and stalk off with her bushy tail shaking in a huff. I could almost see a disapproving look on her face. She sure knew how to make me feel guilty.

As a teenager, all the “angst” one can feel can sound pretty stupid (as it probably was) to the best of friends. I’d talk for hours on end to Tessie. Patiently, she’d sit at my feet or lick my face as I poured out my imaginary woes to her. If she could have spoken English, she might have said, “Shut up and get a life.”

As it was, Tessie spoke volumes in the way she could gauge people’s moods and try to behave accordingly. Extremely smart, she would obey anything we said immediately. She also loved walking over people’s feet and as my cousin Sharon will bear testimony, loved licking a person’s face till they woke up.

For all her strength and size, Tessie was a very gentle animal. Children could jump on her, pull her ears and tail, drag her around by the collar – she would not even growl or bare her teeth. The most she would do is shake them off and run away. Such an angel.

Even while she started losing her strength, she remained fiercely independent. Painfully, she would drag herself up the stairs before we could walk down to give her food. After Batty arrived on the scene, Tessie let her know who the boss was! They did become friends eventually, and I am sure Batty too misses her.

The last time I saw Tessie, I almost left without saying bye to her. If I walked out the gate without yelling “Byeeeee Tessie-girl” and giving her a pat on the head or cuddling her (much to my mother’s annoyance), she would get this sad look and psych me with those big doleful eyes. Talk about a puppy dog look: she had it perfected. This time was the same – even though I did not know it was the last time, I went back in, patted her head, kissed her nose and said bye.

When I cry at her loss, and forgive me the cliché, it is for a faithful friend. The thought that I will never hear Tessie bark for me, or see her gambol around my legs…

I like to think there’s a doggie heaven where the wind blows gently through her furry back and where there is plenty of lush grass for her to run through and a never-ending supply of big juicy bones for her to gnaw on and friends who love her as much as I do.

Miss you Tessie-girl.

New-ness

I wanted to do a New Year post. Then I got lazy and there was a bunch of other things and I do not know why on earth I am apologizing to myself for being a pro procrastinator. Anyway. I'm here now.

The new year: I cannot call it good. I cannot call it bad. But everything has been new.

I started a new job. Not what one may call a dream job (and believe me, people have called it anything BUT that), but it's one tailor-made for me. It involves social media and the Internet - two of my three great loves (the third one being books, and Josh if you're reading this, you are in a different category love). It's my dream job. I enjoy it. I revel in it. So yeah.

That's the good part.

I lost a friend. I shall not dwell on that.

That's the bad part.

Otherwise life has been so-so.

A new place, new people, new routines, new habits.

A new dimension to relationships.

The past month has been filled with new-ness.

I wonder how many more new things I will learn this year. 

How to drive.

A ten-step guide on how to drive alone in traffic for the very first time.


Step 1:

Strike ill-advised deal with father, stating that you will be allowed to drive his car if you go for refresher driving classes

Step 2:

Start going for said driving classes. Enjoy yourself.

Step 3: 

Immediately start pestering father for a chance to drive his car. (Rope in mother for extra persuasion power). Continue till father gives in and gives late night driving lesson. Get hopes up as you successfully drive parents home for the first time. Experience immense pride and happiness at accomplishment.

Step 4: 

Go for a couple more classes. Gain more confidence to drive in traffic.  Beg driving instructor to allow you to practise driving at school time in Kilpauk and Purasaiwalkam.

Step 5: 

While headed out with father alone in car, start a row with him and throw a fit about how he should let you practise in a real car and not just keep talking about it. This will ensure that he gets out and leaves you with car (keys included).

Step 6: 

Call father multiple times. If that fails, call mother and ask what to do. By this time, father would have told mother that you can get the car to where she is by any means necessary.

Step 7: 

Accept challenge. Slip into drivers seat, start car and commence driving.

Step 8: 

Take a right turn, slightly scratching side of another car that is turning into the same street. Have such a look of fear on face that the other driver kindly lets you off the hook.

Step 9: 

Reverse the car (for the first time ever) with help of people around. 

Step 10: 

Grit teeth, straighten out the car and reach destination, reversing multiple times in a struggle to take a single u-turn. Park car and hand over keys with glint of triumph in eyes.

That is all.

Family

So I was checking my Facebook... Ok I was wasting time on Facebook when I should have been sleeping.. And I came across this:

"Copy and paste this as your status and tag the letters given below and tag the first person which comes in the option when you type that letter. NO CHEATING!"

And these were my results.

(TAG C) My best friend - Sjv Chelliah (Mama)
(TAG V) My hottest friend - Vinitha Visuvasam (Cousin/BFF)
(TAG R) Someone meaningful Roshan James (Cousin)
(TAG N) Someone i will never forget - Nikhat Jahan (BFF)
(TAG k) I admire you- Katherine Samuel (Cousin)
(TAG A) My most dashing friend - Aishwarya Ashok ("Mommy")
(TAG P) My sexiest friend- Usha Paul (Perima)
(TAG S) You mean a lot to me - Sharon Sangeetha Samuel (Cousin)

Two conclusions:

Yes, I have a lot of BFFs, and I see nothing wrong with it.

I have a LOT of family on my FB friend's list.

That is all.