Look what the cat dragged in

Found an old diary from my college days and came across this old poem of mine from 1988. It made me smile.

The lone tree

The lone tree by the running stream sheds leaves upon the water
in multitude
The leaves go forth and the process repeats
multiplies
For each leaf floats along it hits a shore somewhere
then the ripples travel back to the place where stood
a lone tree by the running stream
and
the tree drops another batch of apostles to strike other shores
and
that's why there is a lone tree by the running stream

Sight to lift your spirit

How can you feel down when you see this?

Whenever I feel low, I take a walk outside and look at the majestic oak trees  and the gargantuan coastal pines all around me and I  breathe the air they made clean and fresh. My eyes feast  on the wonders around me and the thought that pulled me down just a few minutes ago, seemed silly. Foolish.

I always came back feeling better than ever; energized and  ready to do what I must.

Bangkok in August

Hot and humid - felt like I was melting literally. Bring only cotton and linen clothes with you -wear  capris or shorts only not jeans. 

Hot pink taxis - cool

Food vendors on sidewalks and everyone seem to  be eating out there on the roadside

White old men with young Thai women strolling everywhere ...

Learnt a new gender term - ladyboy. Went a watched a cabaret show performed by ladyboys.

At Patpong market, they sell fake designer bags and booty - they pester you to come for shows even if you are a woman. My poor brother was accosted by all. We laughed and did not go and watch their nightshows.

Bangkok is such a crazy place - openly selling anything anybody might want. 

My biggest issue - they don't speak English so had to give the Taxi drivers the hotel card to be taken back. However, if you meet one who speaks English - beware - for before you know it, while you let your guard down due to relief at finding an English speaking taxi driver,  his superior  salemanship will take over and the rest of your trip could be spent according to his plans! If there is something you are interested in, he will know the best place to get there or see that and if there is something he wants you to see, he will tell you all about it and before you know it,  you will find yourself booked, and even believe that you got a great discount. 

Long Tailed boat ride on Prya Choa river - make sure it is the long tailed one or you will end up on the slow one while everyone else rushed by.

Food was great but could not eat due to the heat - just did not feel hungry. Usually, it takes me a few days to get acclimatized and then all is okay but I had only two days in Bangkok and left without really getting a chance to enjoy it.

Went shopping with my sister but I did not want to buy anything especially clothes so ended up pissing my sister off. She loves shopping  and wanted to stay there forever buying clothes for every member of our extended family while I wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep. She went back after I left and even bought me clothes but after 1 wash, the color ran so I could not wear it anymore. One of the reasons, why I hate to buy those cheap things. They last for one wear only.

1 day off smack in the middle of the week

Well, this year's July Fourth independence day was on a Wednesday and we got just that day off. It is great to get that break but it is just too short and having to get up to work the next day, is like another monday.I still get the monday blues - have accepted that it won't ever go away- no matter how much I enjoy my work.Friends in my previous job, had two days off,so it was easier to party hard on the fourth and sleep late to recover on the 5th. No such luck for me.

My sister , hosted a barbeque, which turned out quite wonderful with many people dropping by and tons of food and beer. They had kebabs, tri-tips, sausages, tandoori chicken,tofu kebabs and boca burgers for the vegetarians. A mixture of vegetables were also put on skewers and grilled. And these were just the barbeque items.

It's strawberry season so there were lots of strawberries - just learnt a novel way to eat them - dip a ripe juicy berry in sour cream first then dunk it into a bowl of brown sugar and plop into your mouth- yummy.

Anyway, we were at my sister's house for seven hours- we were there real early, ostensibly to help them out but they had everything ready. All we had to do was wait for the guests to show up. Came home after 6pm and just fell on the couch. After  an hour or two, fireworks started around the beach and we heard the boom go on and on. We could see a few of them from our kitchen but not a very good view as there were far too many trees blocking the view.

The next day, too late, we realized that we know of this one special place near our house, where we could have seen an unobstructed view of the firework in all their glory.

O well, the fourth of July comes around every year.

Away from the crowd

We moved to the mountains - away from suburbia and this is what we get in return.

Cavorting Turkeys...

And these greedy cuties that eat anything you plant.It is still new enough for me that I rejoice when I see them graze although it was sad that they eat up all the leaves on my citrus plants and I thought I lost them. However, am glad to report that they survived and have sprouted new leaves but are now firmly on the deck out of reach of these voracious grazers. It's funny whenever, I see deer, I think of my family and friends in Manipur and were they here with me - we would be eating venision

;-)

Movies I watched recently

Born into Brothel - moving and inspiring. Taught me that you change lives if you beleive and with any art or trade and above all, you don't have to be loaded financially. Your belief would make it possible to live in circumstances foreign to you and you will see lives tranform. Children of sex workers with dismal propects, found new opportunites in life through the process of attending photography class and the self confidence gained as they discovered their talents. Thoroughly deserved the Oscars it received ( 2004).

Departed

Enjoyed it thoroughly – Scorcese is a very good director indeed. Why? Because for once I felt that Nicholson did not overact. Yeah, I know a lot of people say Jack Nicholson is a great actor but I always felt that he would be a great actor only if he toned it down a tad – just a tad. He was always a bit “too Much”. His characters are always larger than life and often eclipsed other players but in the Departed I felt he was just right – for the role and the acting was spot on.
The movie was intense and held my attention – kept me in suspense and the ending did not disappoint. It was also good to see Leonardo not looking pretty – the rough and dirty look was a good change.

Mark Walhberg looked doughy compare to his other movies I have seen so I wondered if it is age or has he put on a little too much weight? Anyway, that has nothing to do with this role - the rough tough talking sidekick to captain Martin Sheen. I thought he did a good job as the lieutenant.
Matt Damon – always liked him – his repartee with the leading lady was fun and he came across very well as a flirtatious young man. His darker side was very cold and a complete180 degree flip from his social side. He was the cool criminal and Leonardo was the nearly over the edge vulnerable, conscientious, pill-popping undercover trying not to crack under the pressure. He had the same expression – forehead creased in a frown while the rest of the face stayed immobile and that strong intent gaze. He looked stressed out through most of the movie but it gels because thrown into the den of the crazy criminal s anyone would be stressed. It was believable.

Borat
Saw it on opening night - first time I paid full price for a movie - so was it worth my $10? It made me laugh but at the end , all I could think of was how did they shoot the naked fight scenes?? I don't think you are supposed to think about such movies - go watch and if you laughed I guess it was worth the $10. It is a comedy - so all I care is the laugh factor. Why put social and cultural implications on it? There are gazillion comedians in the world so Cohen has to do it differently to stand out. Of course, being Jewish he could take liberties with his materials but G-d forbid, if he were non Jewish, he would be labelled anti-semitic by all.

Water
Watched it tonight and I know I will get up with puffy eyes tomorrow.The girl is real pretty.
I love Deepa Mehta’s films –I have seen all three – Earth was the first, then Water and later Fire. Not exactly the same chronology as the release but they are not related so don't matter.I liked the story except that it was just a story to me – cannot relate to the child bride nonsense as I don’t know anybody who had that kind of experience. Ambu, Bapcha’s grandmother got married at 13, so I know these things happened in India but certainly not now.– at least I hope so. Which is why I am gratefult that I am from thh North Eastern part of India where we don’t have these customs – ever. Not even great great grandmothers married that young but widows are supposed to marry the husband's brother ( by custom). Well, this hardly happens as most people don't want to marry thir brother-in-law or sister-in-law.However, when I was a teenager, I remember my neighbor's son died and left a young (in early twenties)wife. The family held counsel and the older son, who was single, took his younger brother's widow as his wife thereby ensuring that her life continues in the family she married into. It did have some "eeww" factor but the principal is neat especially when is is not forced. Like I said, it is rare.

Fanaa

I liked Amir Khan in Earth and Lagaan so I went to the local Indian Grocery store and asked for a newHindi Movie. I got Fanaa - liked it so I have decided that Amir Khan knows how to pick good scripts and I will look out for his future films.

Cars
Hubby is a car freak so he rented this Pixar cartoon film - Cars -from Blockbuster. I was terribly annoyed and shrieked,"Cartoons? I am too old to watch Cartoons - where is 'The Devil Wears Prada'?".
He is used to me so he did not mind my shrewish behavior anymore - just cooly replied " The DVD is not out yet - let's try this cartoon."
So, I watched this cartoon and got fully absorbed in the story and the characters. I might have even cried a few drops of empathy tears which earned me this response" You are crying !! There isn't even a story!"
I was happy for Luigi anf Guido - happy tears you know.

I humbly learnt that Cartoons are just as good as people movies.

It's Costco not Tiffany

Okay, this one is hilarious and should go on the top of the list of Ha-ha funnies.
In the 21st century, lives a woman who knows a lot about jewelry especially fine jewelry. You know the kind who looks at a diamond and can tell you the type of "Letter" it belongs to. Just so you know, I am on the opposite spectrum of this - I cannot make out if a glittery thing is a diamond or a cubic zirconium, I can only tell you that it shines and it looks nice.Besides, I really don't care for these expensive baubles and don't own any. Anyway, back to the story. Lady jewelry- know-it all is a very successful professional woman with many people reporting to her. One of them happen to be a pretty young single woman. As it often happens to PYT, she met her prince and got engaged. Also like all PYT, she was very excited and showed her ring around to one and all, saying it was from Tiffany's. Lady Jewelry-Know it all, saw it first.
She said "Congratulations it is lovely"
Then they went on to discuss the cut and quality of the rock.
Later, at the water cooler, the ring popped up in the conversation and people were saying things like " Did you see the rock on PYT's finger?"
Someone else said,"It's from Tiffany - lucky girl - must have cost him a bundle"
Lady Jewelry could not stop herself - her fine jewelry sense was seething with disdain"Waah!!" she said,"It is from Costco not Tiffany!"

All this over a piece of very old carbon.