Twenty Twenty

Twenty Random Observations

20. I finally watched a cricket match (the final). It has some intensity, like a basketball final, sort of (not exactly). I did not feel that ‘hes a buzzer beater, a twenty four second clock cheater’ sort of crazy adrenalin, although Jogender Sharma in the last over with sixes up the wazoo reminded one of a long time ago Chetan Sharma debacle.

19. Shah Rukh Khan, oh my god, is it me who is obsessed or the world. Anyway he was there at the match, as evident. But oh why the Michael Jackson look? I fail to comprehend this.

18. I am up to my neck in a quiz, I am one of the organizers. It’s a technical quiz so I suppose not so exciting. But I made a crossword out of it. That was fun. I expect the written elimination round to have 18 questions.

17. Visarjan day today. The big one. Lake-side folk are all abuzz with excitement and loudspeakers. I snuck back home at 3 pm. Excuse: Creche closed early, school of course on chutti for the day.

16. I have got four calls today, two on land-line and two on mobile for random folk such as Adi Bhai. Whoa?

15. via friend from long ago, found myself Shelfari. Good one. More ways to hang out on the internet.

14. Although this is material for Shelfari and the likes, I admit this – Shashi Tharoor, well, I understand his pain, doing his job and trying to maintain that he is a writer and all. But seriously, for pseudo-intellectuals like me who grab his books cause he is, you know, all that, and sort of cute in some angles when the light is right, it is disappointing when he is irresponsible like that. Five Dollar Smile & Other Stories, I mean.

13. Read nice reviews of both Manorama Six Feet Under and Loins of Punjab. Watch this space to figure what I con the husband into (if).

12. Bhindi. If taste were really genetically inherited, I would not have been surprised. These days this is the vegetable for all seasons and reasons. Child is obsessed with it. I mean, I love it too. Whenever I returned home from hostel, mom would welcome me thus – green sari of the spinach variety at the railway station; bendekaayi fry at home for lunch. I still like it a lot, but wonder nevertheless. Some people do find it quite a mucousy thing.

11. Writing skills. No no, I don’t mean creative writing and Shashi (Tharoor and Deshpande). The child, is being made to write ‘Straight Line Letters’ in its school. I went ‘huh’ to the teacher. Basically E, F, H, I, L, T (hope I got all of them!). Bit appalled and all because I see no sign that they were taught to draw shapes and what not. Its on a slate with a ‘slate pencil’ so of course so damn messy that all the snot-nosed ones are excited.

10. Over at the choultry, one was reminded of a quintessential hang-out place named Quark. And here we have a similar place, and it sells, get this, MAGGI BONDA. WTF eh? It really is that, you know, maggi noodles, dipped in besan atta and deep fried into a big edible basketball.

9. Found a cockroach in one of the grocery bags. Disgusted and all. Small one. Had not snunk into any of the hermetically sealed packets (one hopes). But husband was enthusiastic and did the manly thing and threw it out. I am not afraid of cockroaches, have dealt with hundreds of them with equanimity, being the sort that has always woken up in the night to pay homage to porcelain goddess, but then I felt like a man has to feel like a man sometimes.

8. Am reading Inheritance of Loss, which mom always calls Loss of Inheritance (and has read and dissed, incidentally). Bought it ages ago, minute it emerged in paperback (stingy, what?) but just getting to it now. Trying to get past some teenage romance and monsoon rains in Kalimpong now.

7. Seven is my number it seems. I have tons of things going for me. Our flat number sums to it. My birthday falls on it. My child’s birth date sums to it. The husband’s birth month and our wedding month are that. And now I am one of seven people who will get some shady geeky award thing on the seventh (of December).

6. Red and The Everest Hotel by I Allan Sealy are two books so different from each other in the fact that I hated one and loved the other. How do I cope with such things I wonder.

5. P G Wodehouse. You need to have about five of them lying around the house for times of distress. One of short stories (not Golf). One of a general type such as Bodkin. One Jeeves, so you can always say, oh no this Jeeves, we hatessss him, so smug. One placed in Blandings Castle (a guaranteed winner). And one P Smith. This is an important way of maintaining mental hygiene.

4. Discerningly you will notice that some points have something to do with the number (seven), some don’t (six). This one does not. Watched a bit of Seinfeld last night (rare occurrence for me). It was the one with the Bagel and Race Track Dudes and Denim Vest. And, of course Festivus (don’t know spelling). Know it pretty much by heart so got disappointed a bit. Although I know great part of PGW by heart it does not disappoint, ever.

3. Took child to the laboratory today. Showed off bubbling reactors and pipes. It was unimpressed till we lucked upon the wooden mezzanine floor. That charmed it simply because of the noise generated during dancing. I liked such random things in dad’s lab too.

2. I wish I could have a vacation. Wait. I can have a vacation right now if my little heart desires. Forget it, pass. I like the high speed internet at work.

1. Finish