Bliss

 

If this isn't bliss, what else is?

Have a peaceful weekend

Zzzz.... 

[Picture courtesy: An image on newcapriusbeanbag.com, modified with Gimp] 

Stumped

Some times, kids have you stumped, literally and figuratively. Their observation is immaculately tuned.

Here is a short dialogue between self and El Niño last Sunday.

El Niño was busy with TV on the eve of his Monday morning test at school. He was inattentive to us, generally and sunk in cartoon world. It was a frustrating exercise for Señora in prodding La Niña to finish her lessons (La Niña seems to have my genes in day-dreaming with books! :-)), but for El Niño, he is cocky on his capability, kind of a go-getter. His money-math is awesome. No way can he be cheated hoodwinked by us when it comes to money and asks never-ending questions on it. :)

Me: I will give five lakhs to you if you get a state rank and to your Amma if 'La Niña' gets it.
El Niño (all attentive now): Five lakhs! What is state rank?
Me: When you get within the top 10 or top 50 ranks in the entire state? They'll put your name in the newspapers.
El Niño: How will you give me?
Me: In 1000 and 500 rupee notes, cash, from the bank.
El Niño: Okay. Will you give me 5 lakhs if I get first in Monday tests?
Me: No, that is for your 10th standard. Not now.
El Niño: Okay! But you have to give me the money then, but not by taking a loan. (and back to watching TV)
Me/Señora: @#$%^&*

Similar question to La Niña.

Me: Will you be a topper in your tenth? I'll give you 5 lakhs.
La Niña: Mmmm, Grrr, Hee Hee Hee, Whaaaat?, Go away! 

Travelogue - A car, a waterfall and a beach

This is a backlog post of another of my trips and a long one at that. It is more than 2 months since the visit, and I referred to it in my last travelogue at the end. This trip was worth remembering for all the trauma it caused us. :-) Back to the topic, this time, the quickfire target of a trip was to head to Jog Falls (a.k.a. Gersoppa Falls) and then maybe drive on to Karwar. In a space of around 2 weeks or so, we were getting to see two of India's tallest straight drop waterfalls, the earlier one being at Kodaikanal. And so, it was. I had fixed a tyre puncture earlier in the day by myself. (Señora gets into a fit whenever I do anything with the car, the tyres especially. I have a tubeless tyre puncture kit and portable compressor and so I can pretty much fix a flat tyre (tubeless, that is) after taking the wheel out. You see, I am a hands-on person. :) :) :)) Headed out from Bengaluru on a Saturday afternoon along with parents, and planned to halt at Shimoga for the night and then head further north to Jog in the morning. Boy!, I underestimated the amount of circus that needed to be done inside Bengaluru to get to the outskirts. I had been complaining of digging for the Metro on the road that I take to home and this was far worse. Chock-a-block traffic, dug out roads, unopened fly-overs waiting for some politico to open, bad drivers and by the time we hit the outskirts of Bengaluru, it was 4:00 PM and we were sapped.

Nothing but wind

The perpetually nippy weather these days at Bengaluru has floored me down with its manifestations. The first day of work this year has been tagged as a sick leave. I am like what Revathi tells Kamalhassan in 'Thevar Magan', "வெறும் காத்துதாங்க வருது" (only air is coming out) when he asks her to sing a song. Coupled with a nagging bad cold, a severe throat infection has ensured that I can only hiss (gosh! why am I reminded of Mallika Sherawat when I use this word?) or whisper what I want to convey. Any attempt to raise my voice leads to a spurt of coughing and broken words making it unintelligible as the sound of a coconut being rolled in a closed drum.

Avoiding a visit to the doc to resist antibiotics,  Let's see how long I survive this self imposed hibernation.

And the title was just an inspiration from Ilaiyaraaja's old musical album with flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia performing the lovely symphony of wind and the bamboo in the midst of some beautiful orchestration.

Whatever it might be, it is not a nice experience losing your voice, albeit for a short time. :-)

I wish I wish ...

More than anything, everyone to be in their pink of health and a permeating happiness of contentedness.

Wishing all a wonderful year ahead.