Fly in the ointment

... and other such irritations

This post is an outgrowth of watching my wife and her woebegone tale of misery over the past one month or so. Having gone through a gamut of emotions from sympathy, concern, hilarity, annoyance, vexation and helplessness corresponding to her various ailments throughout this period, I finally decided that there is enough material worth chronicling here.

When I sit back now and think about where,when and how this phase had started, the only thing that comes to my mind is her gym. She had switched gyms and signed up for 3 month aerobics at a new place. After the first session about a month ago, she is yet to attend her second. What started as a minor stomach upset quickly manifested into a viral fever that de-oxidized all her exercise plans for the next two weeks.

Just when she was raring to go back, the tooth fairy curse hit her. We surely didn't find any money under our pillows when her wisdom tooth was extracted. On the contrary some of our own flew into the doc's pocket. She was petrified at the thought of having it pulled out and decided to brave the pain for a few days until it became inevitable. The doc didn't do much to allay her fears by announcing that two teeth need removal to correct the problem. When it was finally over, it was hard to tell who was the most relieved - me, my wife or the doc.

That was about a week ago and she is still complaining of the excavation site sending reminders up her jaw, ear, eye, neck and head. And did I mention that she recently started wearing contact lens ? Sorry for the abrupt change of subject, but you'll see where it fits into the narration. In my opinion my wife and the word 'dexterity' don't go in the same sentence. I have enough testimonials to prove this though she denies it and calls it a case of the pot calling the kettle black etc. So you can imagine my skepticism when she desired to use lens and my doubts were confirmed when she announced yesterday that she couldn't see her lens (sorry couldn't resist that).

I was made to search the car for the missing offender although I just can't imagine it falling out of the eye and the wearer unaware of it. The next morning she did another search - this time on google to find out if this is a common enough phenomenon. I personally didn't think how the lens could've undergone osmosis and entered her body, but kept this wise idea to myself. She though is convinced it has happened and is unsure if the pain in her eye is because of this or the tooth extraction.

Another google search (again hers) this time for post tooth extraction problems made her conclude she is showing all the symptoms for an ailment called alveolar osteitis. I suggested that probably pronouncing it a couple of times will cure her of it which earned me the label of being an insensitive wart.

What was that again Murphy said ? about things going wrong ...

The Dark (K)night

And the aftermath

The most direct and obvious connotation of the title as you might have guessed is the latest screen version of a comic book story.Suffice it to say that the movie works big time on several levels. Its the proverbial breath of fresh air for audience subjected to a spate of regional, national and international insipid fares. After Hancock, I was apprehensive of watching another superhero pic so soon, but my fears were unfounded.

As every review you can lay your hands on tells you, its not so much the plot that captivates you as the brilliant portrayals by the cast. This is the first batman pic I ever watched, so I've no clue if Christian Bale has matured over the movies, but here I thought he was more at ease as the suave Bruce Wayne than the brooding knight. As police official Jim Gordon, Gary Oldman was so understated and effective that I couldn't believe it was the same person who played Sirius Black in the Harry Potter movies.

The Joker might be a villain in the books but when it comes to acting department, hands down Heath Ledger is the hero of the movie. The term eulogy is probably never more apt considering this was his penultimate release. If you want to know why superlatives seem to flow off every single person's tongue when talking about him, go watch the pic. You'll never see the actor, only the psychopathic character. The other worthy mention according to me is Hans Zimmer whose background score is every bit as captivating as the slick narration and sublime acting.

Topnotch action scenes, gripping story, perfect cast. One for the collectibles. Go get it.

* * * * *

The other side of the title is the current power shortage which literally and actually is making people swat flies and mosquitoes. For people used to a unending diet of unpalatable stuff on TV, this is a welcome relief. On the other hand, the addicts are being driven crazy. Either way until the monsoon arrives, we are in for an extended spell of idle time. So what do we do ? Books ? Music ? Movies ? Must look up to the heavens for ideas ... and rains.

Arcanum

*******
No the title doesn't mean any censored swear words. Its the universal identifying feature of a password. Was just typing in mine to unlock the machine and it stuck me as odd that I chose that particular phrase. And then I reflected on some of the recent ones I had been using everywhere - Lotus Notes, orkut, yahoo , hotmail etc and the pattern confirmed my lunacy...

... or lack of imagination or whatever the motivation, its not the first time that I was using passwords like "i love barone" or "i am mad". Of course I gave up on single words which read like "$p1derman" or "@pple1ph0n3" because it was getting tedious to make them up. And by the time I hold the shift keys and grope around the keyboard, any over-the-shoulder looker would have had ample time to digest it.

So where do people get ideas from for choosing their next password ? What with the restrictions getting more and more ridiculous - don't repeat the last 5, have a alphanumeric mix, no two consecutive chars should be same, its easier to stick to phrases. I seem to draw inspiration from whatever is at the front of my mind in recent times. That means characters out of the book I'm reading currently or any food item that has taken my fancy.

A word to the wise - never change your password on a Friday evening.I made that mistake once and spent the first few hours of the next Monday retrieving it.

Analogues

Tis similar...

Was just reading about how too much of T20 cricket was killing the interest in the game. I also read this morning in the newspaper about how 150 odd movies are vying for release dates among 52 Fridays available in a year.Both of them stuck me as ailing from the same malaise - that of trying to fill a 10kg sack with 20kg content. That weird analogy came to my mind yesterday when watching the lead actress in Kismat Konnection, but that's food for another blog thought.

I'd like to believe that I'm not a fanatic about either movies or cricket. I'm pretty sure about the first, but can't say the same with conviction about the game. According to my wife I watch even those games on TV which some of the cricketer's families skip. I should be glad she hasn't yet discovered that I also tune into obscure badminton, 9 ball , tt , golf or tennis matches. But then I also watch every other hindi,english,tamil and telugu movie to be released around, so still can't decide.

Either way, is there an overdose ? Certainly yes, and as you would expect, quality beats a hasty retreat when it is upstaged by quantity. I mean the kind of matches and movies I had seen in the past few months were such drags that I don't care to remember the plot (if there ever was one) or who played whom. No wonder the only lingering memories are that of the T20 worldcup final and Taare Zameen Par. Yet the relentless onslaught of inanity continues - every Friday and every season.

I'd do better to switch off - the TV and my mind.

Fridays

Is it really TGIF ?

Would you really thank your maker for a Friday if the rest of the weekdays feel the same? I'm not trying to paint a rosy picture here of a idyll week. On the contrary I'm bored stiff day-in and day-out having not a whole lot to do. All those who crave for a break from their work and look forward to the weekend might think I'm a nut and an ingrate, but yeah one man's meat and all that...

I know I'm the one responsible for this state of affairs where I literally twiddle thumbs all day (well, almost because you know how this conscience thingy pricks).One uncharitable friend even put down my new found enthusiasm to blog as a byproduct of this ennui.With pals like these kind around me who needs enemies.

Anyway so coming back to Fridays, today is one such of the innumerable that I've watched swish past me over the last few weeks. I must get a grip. Already feeling better having said it out aloud.I do want to get back to the life where I can feel thank god its friday. And the best thing is that I know I'll do it. So Monday, here I come.

Books ...

... and what they mean to me.


If given a choice, I generally prefer reading a book to watching a video. It helps me relax much better because I know I'm in control. I get to set the pace and revisit any interesting parts. I can also move around and multitask with my iPod. A picture might be worth 1000 words, but I'd rather have those words any day unless the image is one of my friend Shweta's creation. I reckon she is seriously good.Check some of her stuff here

If the blurb suggests that the book is going to be a fast read, then its for me. I tend to avoid non-fiction and heavy stuff which requires a lot of attention and concentration. So it should come as no big surprise that the authors I pick most often happen to be sidney sheldon, jeffrey archer, robert ludlum, j k rowling, dan brown, frederick forsyth, david baldacci and on rare occasions john grisham. I read one or two books of robin cook before realizing that they are all the same. I once made the humongous mistake of reading mary higgins-clark. She might be a good writer, but definitely not my cuppa.

So then, the noticeable absentee from that list above is p g wodehouse. That's because I don't consider any of his writings as light reads. Don't get me wrong. I only meant I give them my fullest concentration. I absolutely adore the guy's eloquence and usage of the language. At the risk of sounding immodest, his books are the only ones that make me go for the dictionary now-a-days. I'm in the middle of his short story collection "The Clicking of Cuthbert" and its so good that even a complete novice about golf like me can enjoy it.

If you are Amudha or Shweta, you'll probably want to skip this paragraph. And if you are Harini or Anitha you know what I'm going to talk about. Pottering around the same 7 books repeatedly is not going to excite many people, but then not all are as fascinated by a magical world. You have to give it to Rowling for her sheer imagination. Every reading reveals something new that I missed the last time and its like another window opened into a castle full of treats. If there is anyone more thorough about the books than me in the family, that's my cousin Harini. I love debating the books with her.

As you can expect, my house is so full of books that my wife has written off one room to them in our new house. My only wish when I grow old is that I should keep my eyesight intact so I can continue enjoying this hobby of mine.

A way-too-soon-by-my-standards second post

Questions, questions and questions.

I thought I'll continue from where I left yesterday. Obviously I've decided to post again, so I'll revert to the original question. Why do people blog ? If a blog is supposedly like your personal journal what is it doing out there in the open where anyone can read and criticize ? Or is that what a blog is meant for ? I decided to look up the definition and this is what wordweb says :

Blog (n) : A shared on-line journal where people can post daily entries about their personal experiences and hobbies.

The operative word here must be shared. But if I wanted to share my personal experiences, shouldn't I also be choosing who to share it with ? Does this mean I'm more inhibited than others by my own sense of privacy ? So am I to regard regular bloggers as extroverts or suspect them to be me-deep in narcissism ? May be if I just shut up and get on with blogging, it might save people around me (read my wife) from being subjected to this kind of torture.

One of these days, I think I should stop thinking, else my mind will kill itself with these kind of questions on trivia. Its obvious that I have too much spare time on hand.

First post

To blog or not to blog ?

While not as big a dilemma as hamlet's soliloquy, the question does have its merits. I mean if your moods are as volatile as mine, you would be pondering too for a long time. Did you notice the oxymoron ? And it also explains why this blog was created a couple of years back and still this is the first post ! Or to be precise why this is the first published post.

So what finally got me off my lazy and aching ass (owing to a nurse's curative jab ... was down with ague, but we are digressing) were two things, rather two people. One was a dear old friend from college whose article News power inspired me to write this. I mean if a certified lethargic like her can actually pen something and foist it on unsuspecting public, I thought I can definitely do one better. I must be a fool to pan her like this when I need her services. If you followed the link above you'll know what I mean - there was an interesting phrase ending in something about ... virgin information. Aha, caught your attention at last.

The second person is my wife Amudha who, like me, appreciated the article ( if you are Anuradha C reading this, please notice that I've just praised you). She also wondered why I hadn't written anything anywhere till now ? I thought surely, my wife can't be feeling challenged because one of my friends had written an article. That didn't sound like her, and I had my own suspicions. Nevertheless I thought the idea had some substance and here I am.

Which brings me finally to the crux of this post - what do I write about ? You see I stole the title readily from Amudha but unfortunately had no content. May be I should just sign off here before I lose interest and discard this post like I did with last year's draft. I just received a thwack for airing this idea loudly with my wife in the vicinity. So I decided to plough on - and end it here. Another day, another post hopefully ... so I have a new dilemma now, to post or not to post ...