I’m cheating! I do that from time to time! This time I’m posting a Monkton Monday post on Tuesday morning – unashamedly I might add! Yesterday I was in a ‘funk’ – not very inclined to be sociable, just one of those days when I didn’t do much other than laze around (I’m an expert in laziness), and gaze into the distance until my eyes were cross-eyed with fatigue. Wasn’t day-dreaming or thinking or doing anything in particular – just, you know, being. My friends say it happens, it’s a mid-life thing. I tend to agree, in the absence of a more concrete definite reason. Coz at the moment – Life is good! The new house is falling into place, a trip to Pondicherry is round the corner as is a visit from my nieces and a dear dear friend 🙂 It’s just that I know that I’m happy without being obvious about it, if you know what I’m saying. It’s really difficult to put it down on paper – all these nuanced emotions that defy conventional logic and elude words. We humans thrive in this complex existential soup we cook up, don’t we? And yet every self-help book out there tells you how Life is actually meant to be so simple 😛 Of course they take a million words to get to that point, but Hey! who’s counting? 😉
I believe this post was meant to be posted today instead of yesterday. Why else would the image below turn up when I was looking through Monkton’s work? It’s that thing that the experts say happens – The Universe marshaling it’s infinite resources in it’s infinite wisdom (I love that everything about the Big U is infinite!), to send you exactly what you need. I believe in the power of the Big U and in the matchless wisdom of Mr. Monkton who hasn’t failed me yet!
You see what I mean?
Have a wonderful week ahead People! trust in the Big U 🙂
Another week dawns and suddenly I’m hit with this inexorable relentlessness of time passing…I’m feeling a little out of sorts…no major reason…just one of those days and…hormones 😉
Life is meandering along rather pleasantly truth be told, but maybe that’s what’s causing this niggle of ‘Is this the calm before some massive thunderstorm?’. I’m generally not suspicious of the calm, and even as I type, I’m thinking, ‘Here I go rambling on again!’ – it must be the hormones! They’re bloody potent – pardon my french 😛 Or could it be the Once Upon a Time marathon I’ve indulged in over the weekend? Sudden emergence from long sojourns in magical worlds with fairy-tale characters – one of which is a rather divine Captain Hook all geared up in black leather and a flirty manner, can lead to disorientation when confronted with the mundane reality of Monday morning routine. What say?! Or maybe it’s a combo of Hook & Hormones & the P.D. James murder mysteries that I’ve been reading?!
Perhaps it’s the fact that I lost a Grand-uncle a few days ago – someone that I used to know well when I was much younger although we had lost touch in recent years as often happens. Death is always a wake up call of sorts isn’t it? Or it should be to those of us that are alive. It brings reflections and memories and stories of days gone by and for a couple of days after, life mimics a maudlin soap opera. My Mom was much more affected by his passing than I was – he was her uncle after all – and she had a much closer bond with him than I did. She told me how he had helped her plant the coconut trees in our garden when the house was being built more than 2 decades ago. We had stayed with them for a fortnight during that time as well, which I can’t seem to remember at all! He had a good life and at 84, his passing wasn’t a terrible tragedy, just a gentle reminder that all things must eventually end. It left me with a gentle sadness on losing yet another figure from my youth and a vague feeling of having to ‘get on with it.’
But enough with the psychoanalysis – for whatever reason – there’s a mild sense of ennui with life that I’m finding hard to shake off at the moment. Not to worry – this too I expect shall pass – everything does.The week that was and the weekend were pretty pleasant, if rather routine. We finally found a sofa that we liked – a slouchy black leather affair that will suit us family of couch potatoes to the tee 😉 It should arrive today – such are the small pleasures of domesticity 😛 Last Thursday found me in School. I’ve volunteered for a Reading Program in my son’s grade and for half-an-hour every week, I read stories to bright young children with definite points of view. I love the experience of spending time with minds for whom the world still exists in black and white! The ‘Grey’ hasn’t invaded their universe yet and simplicity is easy. ‘Oh for the days before Grey’ 🙂 Nothing like spending time with children to snap you out of the doldrums I say!
Then on Saturday evening, Junior and I attended a Halloween Party at his friend’s place…in a house decorated with balloons, bats, pumpkins and webs and overrun with little witches and all manner of cartoon characters running amok, brandishing multi-colored balloon swords while screeching like banshees! You get the picture?! It’s a good thing you can’t hear them 😛 Exhilarating and yet utterly exhausting! Sunday morning lunch was the perfect antidote…relaxed lunch at Toscano’s, an Italian restaurant that serves amazing food in a totally chilled out atmosphere. Utterly enjoyed my Wine Mojito and Wild Mushroom Ravioli, while the boys pigged out on Lobster Thermidor! Hubby left town on work that evening which sort of dampened the mood a bit – but also allowed for a restful afternoon siesta – something I haven’t had in a long long time.
So that’s it – my Life in a Nutshell last week, which brings us finally to the honourable Mr. Monkton 😉 And because I’m feeling, out of sorts with nothing significant to feel out of sorts about – I leave you with this gem that once again expresses exactly how I feel better than any rambling blog post! I stared at the words for so long this morning, my eyes began to water! I was trying to figure out their meaning of course. Are toasts meant to have ears? This is the first I’ve heard of it! And finally I gave up and surrendered to his infinite wisdom – some things in life are best felt and not necessarily understood. The man is a genius!
Make sure all your toasts have ears this week 😉 Or else…BEWARE 😛
It’s going to be a chaotic evening…two boys over for a play date, which means three 4-yr-olds going generally beserk and me with them!! So time to fortify myself and who better than Mr. Monkton?!
See??!! Who needs meds when you have him 😉 I am an aeroplane…watch me fly…wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 😀
This is how I was feeling for most of the day today…I envy Mr. Monkton for his brilliance as an artist. He can also obviously read minds…since he so clearly sees what’s in mine!
And then…he offers me a solution. Pasta’s the answer people! Now why didn’t I think of this myself? Oh the beautiful simplicity of carbohydrates 😉
An award!! Finally! Fame! Recognition! Validation! Fame!!!! Yoohoo and Hip Hip Hurrah!!!!
Alright, now that the hysterics are out-of-the-way, let’s get down to business, shall we? This ‘Memetastic’ Award has come to me through someone who in a very short time has become a great friend and inspiration! She’s also where I go for my daily dose of laughter 😀 Drum Roll…Wendy over at Herding Cats in Hammond River!! She’s creative and has a fabulous sense of humor…don’t take my word for it, go visit!! Thanks Wendy for passing this one on to me, I’m honored and ecstatic and consequently this post will be drowning in emoticons 😛 😀 😉
I must confess I had no idea of a what a ‘meme’ was until I read Wendy’s post where she shared that it’s a word used simply to describe a concept that spreads via the Web, rather like a spider 😛 I wonder why they chose ‘meme’ that rhymes with cream? As far as I know, ‘meme’, pronounced ‘meh-meh’ in my local lingo Konkani (spoken in Goa), is what we call fish when speaking to toddlers such as my son!! It has nothing to do with the Web and certainly doesn’t rhyme with cream 😛 And why cream? Cream which has nothing to do with an idea, a concept, a spider, a fish nor the Web, unless I’m missing something. But hey! Who said anything has to make sense, right? Onwards! These days awards come with rules. Gone are the days, when you got away with saying a simple Thank You’ on receiving a gift! If you were really thrilled, maybe you wrote a note or gave them something smashing when it was your turn! No More! Gone is the ‘Simple Life’. These days, awards come with threats of stalking and the possibility of being cyber-hunted all over the Web, until there’s no dot.com that’ll hide you!! Me, I value my Life. And I’m not about to let a few life-threats stand in the way of my first award 😉 Also I’m really obedient (Dang! Should have saved that for bold-faced Lie No. 1), so I’m going to do my best and hopefully provide amusement for all 😛
The Rules, which all Awardees must obey on pain of cyber-torture of the worst kind from the obviously creative & devious mind that originated this scheme, ‘meme’, and whom I shall hence forward refer to simply as the ‘Creator’ are as follows:
Rule I: You must proudly display the “absolutely disgusting graphic” created by the ‘Creator’ in your post. So, move over da Vinci! I give you the ‘Creator’!! The gender of the kitten remains a secret and requires code-breaking skills that you my friends do NOT have!
No seriously people...this is it!
Rule II: You must list 5 things about yourself, and 4 of them must be bold-faced lies. Again in the words of the ‘Creator’, “Just make some shit up, we’ll never know.” Truer words were never spoken! Oh and also “We’re not really interested in quality here, so don’t go crazy trying to think of stuff.” See, easy-peasy 😛
Rule III: This one is my favourite! Why suffer alone when your friends are just dying to lend you a hand 😛 You must pass this award on to 5 bloggers that you either like or don’t like or don’t really have much of an opinion about. The ‘Creator’, who has much better things to do with her time (such as thinking up new ‘memes’, I can only presume), claims your reasons for picking particular people do not matter to her. She is above such pettiness. But since we may share, I can tell you that Wendy picked me, because she wishes me to go insane in the company of two maniacs – the Kitten and my toddler Ishaan! Et tu Wendy! If you never here from me again, promise you’ll miss me? Oh Come On!!
Rule IV: This is a warning actually not a rule. The ‘Creator’ who is used to complete and utter obedience from her minions, will not tolerate any rule-breakers. You will be found. You will be hurt. You should be scared.
Rule V: Since the ‘Creator’ is not a bad person (whatever made you think that?!), she requests you to please link your celebratory post back to The Memetastic Hop, so she can see how her ‘meme’ has changed the world!! Disobey at your own risk (refer to Rule IV)!
So, with that out-of-the-way, down to brass tacks…Finally 😉 5 things about Moi…who knows which one is true?
1. I am an incarnation of the Moon Goddess ‘Luna’. That’s the secret of my general insanity and occasional flashes of brilliance 😀
2. I am the most organized person on the planet and my memory is…what was that word in Wendy’s post…diabolical 😉
3. In a past life, I used to be a pediatrician. Sometimes, I still am 😀
4. Harsha and H is for Happiness are pseudonyms I’m using for an undercover operation that will eventually lead to an expose of cyber-crime networks. I cannot reveal more for fear of death (real this time, not cyber) – yours and mine.
5. In the event of a nuclear holocaust, I will be the only life-form left alive. That’s coz I’m a Goddess. If you’ve forgotten already, you need to consult a neurologist now!
On to my picks then…
1. Munira’s Bubble: M has Fuzzy, who will either devour the cyber-kitten for sheer ugliness or take pity on the poor soul and protect it fiercely. Fuzzy may be confused, but Munira is a seriously talented, wickedly funny girl, who lives in Karachi. Go for it M!
2. Indigo Violet’s Blog: R2D2 as she calls herself at the moment, is Mama to two cats & two dogs (did I get that right?) and dear Kitty will find a loving home with this extremely talented and immensely sensitive writer. She’s into ‘kooky introspection’ and has a real eye for fabulous images 😀
3. 36 x 37: Maura is the first friend I made since I started blogging regularly. Her blog is about 36 ‘Firsts’ she wants to get done before she turns 37 and I’m enjoying the ride 🙂 She has some real cool ones! She’s a great writer and has a way of effortlessly weaving profound thoughts into her posts by way of humor, wit and irony. A must read!
4. Posky’s Blog: Posky is one of the funniest people I’ve read in a while. He can be brutally honest and in your face. I’m nominating him coz I can’t wait to see his take on ‘Awards’ in general and ‘memes’ in particular. He does wicked cartoon strips too!
5. Clouded Marbles: She is a recent addition to my blogosphere. I like her quirky sense of humor and her simple direct writing style. Photography is another shared interest and she takes some pretty great “kiekies” 😀 (“kiekies” is an Afrikaans word used in reference to photos taken by an amateur). And from today’s post, I see that CM is a slave to her own cat! So I guess Kitty would fit right in? Maybe, maybe not!
So there you have it…the List is done. The Rules obeyed. Torture avoided. And a new lot of crazies nominated 😉 I’m done here 😀
Have a good week ahead People. And be careful what you wish for 😛
p.s. I’ve totally enjoyed this post and can’t thank Wendy enough 🙂 I do hope you enjoy it too and hopefully I haven’t offended. Even if I have…I’m a Goddess 😉
p.p.s. This is where it all began…Memetastic Hop. Check it out or refer to Rule IV!
These days it seems like I’m on several…all at once. What is it they say…”When it rains, it pours!”
So, here I am, one, trying to cope with living in a big sprawling house filled to its teeth with stuff (i’m being kind here…it’s mostly junk!), most of it, not mine!
Two, trying to make said house livable for our family, which involves renovations, which involves service-men, which means agony as I’ve mentioned in practically every chance I get! Oh and by the by, every person should try getting rid of stuff (read junk again!) that belongs to their parents…every once in a while – excellent lessons to be learnt in the art of diplomacy, patience and perspectives!
A conversation usually goes something like this.
“Mama, I really think we can let that vessel go!”
“Arre beta, lets keep it for Ishaan (my son)! See, it’s just the right size to make his fish curry in!” At this point, I’m already cursing the poor fish in my head!
“Mom, we have a dozen vessels that’ll fit the bill! We don’t need another one!!”By this time, when I’m working myself up to a steam, over a damned vessel (for God’s sake!), she plays the emotional card to perfection.
“But it was a gift from so and so! What will she think? Why are you getting so worked up about one little vessel? We have so many, what does one more matter?” Which brings me back to “Exactly! We have so many, why keep one more?” And so it goes, on and on…
Three, follows from two – trying to find a way to peacefully co-exist with one aging acerbic matriarch of a granny, one indecisive mother, and last but certainly not the least, a distant father who for the most part, rules our lives, while living in a parallel universe, all his own!!
Four, learning to be a ‘Mom’ (I don’t care what anyone says, it does not come naturally, well, not to me!) to my 18 month old toddler boy, who could easily be the devil incarnate 😉 he’s so naughty! And though he brings great joy, he also brings much exhaustion and leaves much destruction in his wake!
Need I go on?? What? you thought that was it? Think again…
Four, learning to live with a husband who’s always around!! Oh come now, you what I’m talking about! In a space of 4 odd months, he’s gone from being ‘husband in absentia’ to ‘always-present pain in the butt’, who thinks he’s mastered the art of running a household and is plagued by the need to point out how everything that needs doing, can be done better, quicker, simpler, if we would only listen to him!! Of course the fact that I’ve run the household for the last 17 years, all comes to naught! ‘Coz hey, what do I know?
Five, re-learning how to live in the country and state I once called home. A place that is now vaguely familiar at best. Some things have changed for the better while others remain unchanged. Friends who have been here for years, have their own circles of life, their own set patterns, that I have to try and weave my life around and into, if I want meaningful social interaction. Most of my friends work, drive and live across the river in the more civilized city of Panjim. I live across the Mandovi in Porvorim, which is sort of like living in limbo, neither here nor there, and what used to a 10 minute drive to Panjim city now takes a good half hour and that’s on the good days! And I don’t drive yet, which makes me a virtual prisoner in my home! If there’s anything worse than Goa’s servicemen, it’s the abysmal state of its public transport system. In this one way, it reminds me of small-town USA, where no vehicle is kind of synonymous with no life!
So there, what do you think? Wanna switch? HEY! Where are you running off to? Aaaaaaaw…come now…don’t be like that 😉
H is for Happiness 