Open Mind

IISc. Open Day yesterday. We ventured with a lot of lethargy as usual but enjoyed the stroll within the campus in the end. Too many people for anything else otherwise, even more so in my case because my primary job was to keep Anu occupied. We had fun anyway.

I'm not in the habit of mobile messaging. My exchanges, personally or professionally, are hardly a number. But since yesterday, I have exchanged not less than 20 messages, all on cricket, one of the two things Rajani is crazy about. I wanted to tell her that I don't care about cricket anymore but haven't had the heart to, so far. But this messaging is a risky habit, I know now.

In our building, ours must be the house with the highest number of visitors in a year. We are warm hosts(as is evident from the way our guests feel at home) but sometimes it's tough to feel enthused about it when you had mistakenly envisaged Sunday to be all about taking rest.

Brush of Colour

Life now on should be just counting the tiny sparks of happiness. I mean, given my current state of affairs, it is better for me that way. And by that yardstick, yesterday and today were like blinding fires. :) Yes, I must thank Rajani for it. 

Reading Dalrymple's Kohinoor. Just 10 pages on and I am alternately feeling sad, angry, helpless and jealous. So much more of it yet to come!

Catch-up Mode

Life seems caught up in an eternal race. Race not to be ahead of others, but just not to lag behind badly. Everywhere I look, I have something that I have kept overdue. Some day...

Anu was curious about Sasikala being jailed and I was trying to give her some background. Then she asked about Jayalalitha. I told her she was in heaven(why ever did I say that, I wonder) and Anu said, "Aayi, we don't know if she's in heaven or hell, right?". I immediately agreed.

Static

My cousin VS is all set to get married and phone exchanges between my mother and aunt are daily and long. VS is a bright and talented girl in more than one field and wants to do her PhD next. But since my aunt is worried that she wouldn't get a guy after she finishes it, she's eager to get this 22-year old married before she enrolls herself in the university. It's an arduous task, getting a suitable boy, especially if you want the horoscopes matched. After the horoscopes, you have to match the expectations of the future mothers-in-law. It's very difficult to believe some of the conditions put by these ladies, some of them employed themselves - the girl cannot study after marriage, girl should have a child within the first year of marriage(I wanted to ask a lot of counter-questions to that pathetic creature), girl should not work after marriage, girl should observe the no-entry customs during menstruation(God, I can't believe this) when in in-laws' place...It's like these people have missed a generation of mental progress.

Paranoid

Pappa was talking to someone over the phone in the morning and I overheard him ask "if it was in the final stages". My first thought was "Oh God! Who else has cancer now!" but turned out that it was only a house construction. Please!

Happy Lies

I cheated my mother today and I'm very happy about it.

To cut a long story short, my mother is very touchy about touching our(V's and mine) money. We are daughters and it's not allowed(#%#$^%&). Yes. And then, because Pappa has insulted her on numerous occasions in the past - some genuine and some imagined - she hates having to ask him for any money other than what is absolutely necessary. In all this, she makes it look so complicated that it's very exasperating, especially when you think that you are earning well. Anyway, her aunt passed away over the weekend and according to customs, on 12th day ceremony, my mother will have to pay her aunt's children and their spouses some money. She wanted 2500 Rupees and was cribbing that she couldn't bring herself to ask Pappa for it. She went on with it for some time.

Some days ago to cheer her up I had told her that I had bought some stocks in her name. The premise was that I would invest in her name and whatever profit or loss happened, she would be the owner of that. Luckily she hadn't protested somehow. Now I had a sudden inspiration and I told her I would knock off some of those shares and give her the profit! I told that her shares had made a profit of 10k(it is 2k actually) and gave her a very complex calculation on that and even till the evening she had lot of doubts on it. Anycase, she fell for it and I paid her the money and I can see a spring in her steps today.

It's a sorry tale, coming to think of it. I don't want to be like that. 

Singing Old Songs

In love with Coke Studio Pakistan right now. Becoming a monomaniac really.