JFL - Just for laughs

No comments. A caricature that says it all.

Theory of accumulation

Statement : “ If one thing goes wrong today, it will invariable lead to another and yet another until you end up with a whole day of things that went simply wrong.”

This is true from personal experience and after I stated the “law”, I’ve come across others who vouch for it. Well, speaks a lot for me.
The mundane apparently routine things of life could get dangerous if they do not follow the said routine. If you were wake up late( because you forgot to turn on your alarm the previous night), you turn up late for breakfast, only to find that after waiting in line for ten whole minutes, they’ve run out of food (and the person just before you managed to get hers). This implies you huff and pant and end up late for class as well. And when you’re done with your excuses and apologies and finally plonk into your chair, you find that you have brought the wrong notes to class.
Now, that’s already five things that went wrong, all because you forgot something as trivial as turning on an alarm.

The converse of the statement, however, does not as yet have enough evidence to prove its authenticity. Therefore, for the time being, we have to contend with the present statement of the theory of accumulation. But do remember it is not always the big troubles in life that require character; to face the petty hazards of a day with a laugh requires spirit. Hope you have a good laugh at yourself, every once in a while.

Lonely Sundays

For the last year, Sundays have been lonlier than ever before. I have been trying to think of what the reason for this could be. Is is going to church alone? Is it coming back to an empty mess and louy lunch? Is it thought of getting back to work tomorrow? Well, it is a little of everything. To be contd... Lack of focus, loneliness biting in....

The eternal dilemma

It has been a whole week since I began my third semester at CIEFL (now EFLU or TEFLU, suit yourelf) and I have not been able to decide on my choice of subject for my "dissertation". Well, dissertation may seem like a big word but the daunting task of deciding between Literature and Translation remains unsettled.

I have been weighing the pros and cons of the issue for a really long time now, without any success. If I were to take up Translation, I would certainly enjoy myself beyond doubt but I need a target language which unfortuately cannot be English(which is technically my mother tongue) but is not recognized by the pundits as a language fit enought to be called mother tongue by an Indian. On the other hand, if I were to do Literature, I would slog and slog and love the slogging yet I do not wish to pursue my further work in the domain. Thus, am quite literally left in the lurch, wondering how to make the choice. The only comforting fact being that either way, the medium used will be French...!!!!....

Then again, I do not wish to work on translation because it comes rather naturally to me. I would prefer to work on an area where I actually do some serious work as regard research and writing goes. Literature, I am passionate about but can be awfully unpredictable because a good lit day or a bad lit day for me depends enitrely on my mood!

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. For after I have decided on my area, I have to choose my guide / supervisor (which would in all probability be a bigger dilemma), following which comes the biggest of the problems, my topic of interest. This or that or this....let me think...this or that... I don't know.... I need time to think...... this or that..... I wonder how long this is going to last.

A tale with a twist

I hereby solemnly declare that the following questions were flicked by me from another blog. But I decided to tweak the exercise. I gave the same set of questions to my sister as well. The following is a list of her anwers :

1. Pick out a scar you have, and explain how you got it.
A Harry Potter kind of scar right on my forehead . Twirling round and round with a so called veil on my head and went BANG on the wall.
2. What is on the walls of your room?
Paint!! Duh!!
3. What does your phone look like?
I don’t have one
4. What music do you listen to?
Anythin
5. What is your current desktop picture?
Yosemite Valley.
6. What do you want more than anything now?
Sleep zzzzzzzzz….
7. Do you believe in gay marriage?
NO. Gross
8. What time were you born?
14:10
9. Are your parents still together?
YES
10. What are you listening to?
The fan going round
11. Do you get scared of the dark?
Yes, I do
12. The last person to make you cry?
VP – quite off her rocker.
13. What is your favorite perfume / cologne?
Cindy Crawford
14. What kind of hair / eye colour do you like on the opposite sex?
Green eyes, chestnut brown hair
15. Do you like pain killers?
Yes for temporary relief.
16. Are you too shy to ask someone out?
Yes, very shy.
17. Fave pizza topping?
Mozarella
18. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be?
Lays
19. Who was the last person you made mad?
Chechi, always drive her up the wall.
20. Is anyone in love with you?
How am I supposed to know???



And these are my anwers:
1. Pick out a scar you have, and explain how you got it.
A huge one on my left knee, which looks a lot like a burn. Tried acting smart on my bicycle and fell down because the brakes got twisted.
2. What is on the walls of your room?
Only one of the four walls belong to me. I’ve got two photgraphs( in Hutch frames), a white board with a list of deadlines and a poster of the doxology.
3. What does your phone look like?
It does not matter how it looks. I love my phone and consider it to be an integral part of me. (And that by that way, says a lot).
4. What music do you listen to?
Any kind as long as the lyrics are good.
5. What is your current desktop picture?
A sketch by Degas.
6. What do you want more than anything now?
Mine Coolpix, can't wait for it.
7. Do you believe in gay marriage?
Certainly not, and I don’t see what the fuss is all about.
8. What time were you born?
Eight forty five in the morning.
9. Are your parents still together?
Yes, very much.
10. What are you listening to?
My incessant drumming on the keypad.
11. Do you get scared of the dark?
No, I don’t, never have been either.
12. The last person to make you cry?
Rather not disclose that. Anyway, for the record I cry at the drop of a hat.
13. What is your favorite perfume / cologne?
AXE – Pulse. Really like it.
14. What kind of hair / eye colour do you like on the opposite sex?
Black hair and brown eyes.
15. Do you like pain killers?
Yes, pop them in by the dozen. And am a certified quack too, which explains it.
16. Are you too shy to ask someone out?
No, am not. But I wouldn’t be the first one to make the move.
17. Fave pizza topping?
Oregano and minced meat.
18. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be?
Biryani (Beef), anytime, anyday.
19. Who was the last person you made mad?
Thomas( not Simon). Jose Thomas – Bunked his class. Nothing official about it.
20.Is anyone in love with you?
Goodness me ! Woe unto them.


Bottomline : My sister is as predictable as ever can be. Sixteen years of living with her should’ve taught me that. The two of us had loads of fun answering the questions and giggling over our answers. Worth the time spent, absolutely

Musings - The Boys'

I had the unique opportunity of teaching French at Ewart Boys’ School. I simply loved the group I worked with. The boys were vibrant, full of life and with a zest to learn French. When I started off, I was more than apprehensive. How would I manage boys (well, almost men)? Will I be able to get through to them? How can I instill in them a love for a language I am passionate about? The questions lurking in my mind were endless. And I did not have any answers to them.
I decided that no matter what I would relate to them on a one-one basis. This was an easy task because they were a small group. I soon realized that in spite of supposedly learning French for three years, these guys barely knew to write a simple sentence without a mistake. And each time they spoke (or tried to), or read French, it tore my heart to bits. This was turning out to be quite frustrating for me.
But I found in the hearts of each one of them, a profound respect and a willingness to learn. I was teaching them after regular school hours, yet they stayed back for my classes. I was mean to them and would simply strike off anything that I found inappropriate in their notebooks. Yet, they painstakingly re wrote the tons of verbs and grammar exercises I gave them. I would mercilessly ask them to repeat after me and make them individually repeat a sentence until they pronounced it right. Yet, they repeated again, again and again after me. And this in many ways kept me going.
One guy in particular, took trouble to stay back after I was done with the class in order to perfect his speaking skills. I learnt from these boys invaluable lessons. They taught me how something as simple as giving respect could make a world of difference. They taught me most of all that in any situation, your attitude is what matters. They give me a whole new perspective on learning. The endless times they’d call out saying “Miss” still rings in my ears. Now, that the job is done, I am left with the memories and the lessons (I learnt) from this new experience. And I am forever thankful to them, my boys.

I am chocolate cake!!! Huh???

Owing to my sudden obsession with anything to do with blogging, I logged on to a site, which said, blogthings.com, and I took a quiz. Well, nothing to do with my negative IQ, it was a test to see what kind of cake I am. Yes, you heard right (or rather read right), this quiz tests your personality to deduce what kind of cake you are.
I simply love cakes, eating them, as well as baking. So, I decide to take the test. Five questions and two minutes later, the results are out. I am CHOCOLATE cake!!!! Yipeeee!!!!! I LOVE chocolate cake. And now, I get to be called chocolate cake. Well, not exactly my personality is supposed to be like that of chocolate cake, so here goes the results.

***You Are a Chocolate Cake***


Fun, comforting, and friendly.
You are a true classic, and while you're not super cutting edge, you're high quality.
People love your company - and have even been known to get addicted to you.

So much for being jobless.

Coffee

I am a coffee addict. And this is no confession. Coffee deprivation can lead to serious problems. I’ve been on and off rehab several times. Nothing has really worked. I’ve quit trying. I start my day with a cup of coffee and invariably end the day likewise, with about five cups in between. I do not believe anyone who says coffee keeps them awake all night long. Coffee is what keeps me going. I need it most when I have an assignment to complete or a presentation to make. That’s when my coffee intake doubles and after that guilt takes over and I try to avoid having coffee for the next couple of days. But, I can’t bear to see the sight of my poor coffee mug, looking helplessly at me. And there goes, the vicious cycle begins all over again.

Ten of the very best :

• There's nothing like kick starting your day with a hot mug of coffee.
• Read a chapter a day from the book of Proverbs.
• Do a jig, the next time it rains (try it out, it is fun, even if you can’t dance for nuts).
• Remember birthdays and anniversaries.
• It never hurts to be the first one to say "Am sorry"
• Drive a two-wheeler at 50 kmph and feel the wind in your hair.
• Don't let the sun go down on an argument(seriously).
• Try ripping apart a floppy disk or shatter a cd to bits, the next time you are awfully mad at someone.
• As far as possible, pick up your phone ont the first three rings.
• L.A.U.G.H.T.E.R. - Nothing beats it!!!

Vergheee Wind and the Sytematiks...

I must say that it is a rather unusual name to have Verghee Wind, but then again that isn’t a name. It is the nickname of my History teacher back in school, Mrs. Verghese. Back then, we weren’t imaginative enough to think of such a name. My sister’s class coined this, five years, after I left school. During one of our insane conversations, my sister revealed the secret name and I’ve been fascinated by it ever since.
I began to think of the three years during which I had to be in that History class. When Mrs. Verghese came into the class (or any other teacher for that matter) came into class, we had to stand up and wish the teacher. Boy, how I hated to say “Good morning Mrs.Verghese”. As often as possible, I mumbled the greeting looking down at my desk, know fully well, that the fifty others in the class kept looking at me through the corner of their eyes. I was conscious; conscious of myself, of my teacher and of my peers.

I had the unique distinction of being the naughtiest girl in class(I still could be, but I’ve mellowed down with age). And Mrs.Verghese was one who stood no nonsense. The result was that I stood outside her class most of the time. Sometimes, she’d send others too, to give me company, other times I was all alone on the corridor, left to myself. And waiting for the bell to ring… I’ve never completed my class work or my map book, these are some of the reasons I used to get thrown out of her class. The days when I was inside, I loved to fool around and saw to it that every body around was distracted by something other than History. Quite naturally, the teacher did not appreciate this, and I found myself back on the corridor.
As I moved from class eight to nine and eventually class ten, I became more responsible, more used to the History classes and less conscious of myself. I began to love the classes and enjoyed the brain storming sessions. I kept looking forward to them. It no longer mattered to me what my friends thought of me, or how my teacher felt about me. I had to learn, no matter what, and learn I did. The endless dates, the innumerable kings, wars, battles, treaties, maps(never scored a perfect ten), places, names, princes, states, regions, and most of all acceptance. Acceptance of REALITY.

Mrs. Verghese, my History teacher is my mum.

Looking through the heart of love:

Someone made quite a bold statement as:
“There’s no such thing as unconditional love”
True, conditions are but norms which we lay down and which eventually becomes a way of life, thereby gaining social acceptance.
If you were to closely examine your relationships with others, you’d realize the validity of the statement.
Love exists all around us but we love people with varying degrees of intensity and receive likewise. There is no single focal point of love. It is a radiating path that spreads the warmth of giving and receiving all along the way.
The ad line said, “ There are few things money can’t buy, for everything else there’s Master Card.” Love, needless to state is one of them. Where the heart leads its way, there love can be found. It springs forth from the very depths of your inner being, and the feeling of loving and of being loved is indescribable. Do not lay down conditions, do not compare, do not remember wrongs, only give of yourself and of the gift of love.

"Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."

P.S Inspired by a late night conversation.

CIEFL blues...

The Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages, the country’s temple for English pundits and language freaks. Enter via Gate No.2 on Sitaphal Mandi Road (GateNo.1 which is easier to access is meant solely for the use of the Vice-Chancellor). The Entrance Plaza: Impressive. To the right, is the Foreign Language Building, which houses the Departments of French, Arabic, German, Spanish, Russian and Japanese. Painted a hideous blue, it could put off the most enthusiastic of Foreign language aspirants. Not to mention the cobwebs, lights that do not function and fans that barely struggle to turn around. Despite the odds, yours truly and co. are doing a Masters course in French, of which a year is déjà over.
What is it like to be a CIEFLite? In one word, total masti (the Hyderabadi way). You live life at your own pace, in this haven, oblivious to what is happening in the world outside. The most happening place on campus is LH (until eleven p.m that is, after which all activity is concentrated in the MH.) Now, LH stands for Ladies Hostel and MH – Men’s Hostel. The distance between the two is approximately 450 m, but you can always stop over at Sagar Stores(which is exactly half way between LH and MH) for a cup of coffee and a quick bite. This happens to be one of the very few hostels in the country where the Ladies’ Hostel does not have a warden and men are allowed to enter the same until eleven pm(technically speaking). After which night amma comes on her rounds with a latti in her hand. Thud.. Thuddd… thud… and then she’s fast asleep in the TV lounge.

Coming back to Sagar Stores : one stop for all your needs. Sagar stocks everything under the sun to make your life… ahem…. More comfortable… Nothing beats Sagar’s lemon tea…. Addict that I am…. Another favoutirte hang out of mine is the Ramesh Mohan Library ( no kidding!!!). Perfect place for a snooze between classes when I feel too lazy to walk back to my room. The ambience is awesome here; lovely cushioned couches, comfy reclining chairs and an air conditioner at full blast. Do you need anything else to sleep well, especially if your head is reeling after translation class??? And if you do feel like getting some exercise, you can always stroll around, and leaf through the books… And if you are bored after all that, just get back to the room and sleep and sleep and sleep… But do get up in time for lunch, or fifteen minutes earlier would be better coz you’ve got to stand in queue…and the dining hall(MESS!!!!) is a good five minute walk from the LH. The best part of lunch is the dahi. Nothing else deserves mention. They do serve chawal, dhal, sabji to make a wholesome meal. And yes not to forget powdery rotis.
Head straight to the TV lounge to catch up with news. (no, not NDTV, CIEFL), MTV, and repeat shows on Star World(doesn’t really matter if you watched the same episode, last night).Here, we adhere to CIEFL Standard Time (India’s new time zone). What’s next? Sleep more… Back to your room and snore….
Go to Sai Xerox (the official photocopying shop) and get pick up your notes. Don’t bother to look through them coz tis Monday and you might need these notes only on Thursday or Friday. Until then, chuck them on your shelf and go play badminton. C’mon sweat it out. How long are you gonna sleep???
Another interesting aspect of campus life are the dogs… Yes, the official ones are Sundari (LH,Labrador) and Brownie (for MH)… Incidentally, Sundari hates all men except those who live on campus. She’s the LH bodyguard and will rip to bits anyone who tries to barge in (this includes the poor paper wala who’s been bitten n no. of times and the internet guy). As for Brownie, she doesn’t do anything much except laze around and chew on chicken bones.....
It has been a whole year since I shifted base to Hyderabad, and as I am on the verge of getting back there after three months of lazing around like dear Brownie in good ol’ Chennai, I write this thinking of the sights and sounds and the life that this campus has to offer. To more of these great times !