Brain Freeze

Friday, December 30, 2005

A Li'l Slice of Heaven

Kerala's backwaters are well known. Hey folks! This is a kettuvallam that gives you a unique experience..
I think I sent some people some raving SMSes about
The birds are twittering, the waters are serene, the quiet is deafening. I think I have rediscovered the poetry in nature!
This is the reason.
Sunset at backwater!

Typically, the sight that Kerala is most famous for... Beaches! This is not Kovalam, this is Chowara:- white sands and pristine seas near Trivandrum. Lovely to laze about in.
The last picture is that of the high ranges in Kerala. Peermade is en route to Kodaikanal and is well known for its tea estates.

Copy-write Shrutz :: 10:16 AM :: 5 Sneaky Remarks:

What would you like to do?

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Wednesday, December 21, 2005

The things that I read.

Sometime in June, Angel book-tagged me.
Heck, I was very pleased with it and spent 3 hours crafting a well-researched (!!) and well thought-out book tag. It completely disappeared. Yes, my Blogger- life was never the same again!
But, before we go to the tag, here's...

A brief history of my reading habits.
My reading habits are, in a large measure, hereditary. I am happiest when I have a book in my hand and I can read it in peace. Unfortunately, I get many complaints about "Shruti not paying attention to what happens around her."
My dad's younger days were spent lying flat on his tummy on the bed, and reading the book, which used to be on the floor. Informed 'sources' (well, my mother!!) inform me that the maid used to be very puzzled by the phenomenon and used to whisper about "Saab being sick". I have inherited the habit! Yes, it does sound very strange, but trust me, the distance from your eyes to the page is optimal for proper reading. That said, I read even by candlelight! Fortunately, my eyes haven't let me down yet ;)
My childhood was spent begging my sister to take yet another Noddy from our neighbourhood lending library at Secundrabad. But I was in LKG and the only thing I could understand from the books was Noddy was a rather nobbly little boy with a yellow and red car that went parp-parp (or was it peep-peep?). In time, I learnt to recognise Enid Blyton's distinctive signature on her books. Of course, I was still very young and thought the name was 'Gnid' Blyton.... But, I was still a Gnid fan of hers (or his, since I was still confused!)
Growing up, and moving to Trivandrum put me in the company of much older cousins. All of them were in their late teens and early twenties and the only notice they took of a little six year old scamp was when she went to them and pulled their sleeves shouting for "A story!! Please?" My sister and her unfortunate classmate, with whom I used to travel on the city bus had a pretty hard time trying to satiate a first-standard kid's curiousity to hear any and all stories they had. In fact, most of my neighbours remember me as the small little girl who used to trot behind her sister begging for stories rather than 21 years old and in the final year at college.
Coming back to my book history. Hmm, where were we? Oh yes, I was six years old and going strong.
The next two years were spent learning the language and going through all the 'Tinkle's and 'Amar Chitra Katha' series I could lay my hands on. I then actually graduated to READING all the Gnids I could. I spent many a day on the terrace of my house reading Famous Five, Secret Seven and all the school stories. Till date, my favourite Enid Blyton series has been that of the Five Findouters (and Dog!).
My reading became so voracious at a point, I used to drag my dog-eared copy of the Bible and peruse through the stories there. I even remember trying to explain one of the stories in Judges to an amused audience. There was some talk of a "doubled edged sword" and a "nail through the head". My imagination used to a step ahead of my experience, however, and I can't really assert the stories made much sense!!
Unlike most middle-schoolers, however, I scorned Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys. Which is not to say that I didn't read them, because I did! But for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what Nancy being titan-haired and pretty had to do with her solving cases. Three Investigators used to a firm favourite, however. Jupiter Jones and his idiosyncracies made for interesting reading. The guys seemed very normal to me, but the cases they solved were little short of amazing!
And... WHO can forget Sherlock Holmes? The Mystery of the Speckled Band had me hooked on to his adventures for life.
Having a sister who was doing her B.A Literature came in handy, when I discovered the wonderful world of G B Shaw and Jane Austen.
In seventh, I found myself in Elloor Library and in heaven too! All the books I ever wanted.
Agatha Christie, Archie, Alistair MacLean, Forsyth, Crichton, Wodehouse, Tolkien, Pratchett... my list grew as I grew up and out of my old likes.
I love reading magazines on a train, but it annoys me when the vendor hands me a Femina or a Woman's Era, when all I want is "The Week" or "Sportstar".... :D
Of late, I have discovered ebooks and the Project Gutenberg and am in the process of devouring old classics.
The saga moves on...

1) Number of books owned: Around 600 or so, counting all the magazines and itsy-bitsy books. It's enough to fill about 5 shelves thrice over. Do the maths!

2) Last Book read: The Class by Erich Segal, Thud! by Terry Pratchett, The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell & Breaking the Da Vinci Code by Darrell Brock.
Yeah, I am reading all four (e-books) simultaneously. The last BOOK I read would be Segal's Doctors.

3) Last book bought: Err, I am a penniless student! Kindly adjust. However, the last book I bought was Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett. The last book I was gifted would be Desert Rats by John Parker.

4) 5+ Books that mean a lot to me:
  • Carrying the Torch: Dr Ida Scudder: I might not get the title absolutely right, not can I remember the author too well. But this is one autobiography that really inspired me. For those who don't know who the hell Dr. Scudder is, she is the founder of the Christian Medical College, Vellore. This book is the sole reason I even attempted to write CMC's entrance test (on zero preps). She epitomises to me human spirit and the ideal woman who gave herself completely to her beliefs, and unlike many professed feminists believed in TRUE gender equality. To every woman who cries herself hoarse demanding 33% reservation for women to level out the playing field, I recommend a dekko at this story.
  • Chicken Soup for the Soul series: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen et al. Quirky, amusing, touching, sensitive in turn. Most of the stories in these books deal with the most difficult of subjects: life. Heartily recommended to one and sundry, including those self professed self-help book haters!
  • Arms & the Man: George Bernard Shaw: G B Shaw is one of the most pithy writers ever. This play is an absolutely brilliant satire on war and soldiering. It's not really for the romantic at heart, but it is thoroughly enjoyable. Secretly, all girls wish for the strong hero type guys, but life comes as a rude jolt into practical reality. Here it is, "Wake up, sweetheart, and smell the coffee!"
  • Small Gods: Terry Pratchett, Good Omens: Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman: For those heedless souls, who think fantasy writing is cliched and not really literature, I point them to Pterry. Not to put too strong a statement, Pterry rocks! Both these books deal with religion and belief. These are really touchy topics for most people, But Small Gods REALLY makes sense. The points that are driven home are so subtle, if you blink while you are rolling over the floor laughing at the in-house jokes, you miss them. Strictly a book you must read with both eyes open and your funny bone ready to be tickled!
  • The Scarlet Pimpernel: Baroness Orczy: Hardly any will have missed this adventure by the Baroness of the French Revolution stories! Sir Percy Blakeney is not your quintessential English hero, but by Gad, does he get his job done or what!? (PS: For those who haven't read the book, I just spoilt half the plot for you...BUT what ARE you waiting for?!)
  • Sir Arthur Saville's Crime & Other Stories: Oscar Wilde: For anyone who has read The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar's Wilde's short stories & plays come as a pleasant surprise. Like George Bernard Shaw, his Irish wit is pithy and interesting. Unlike Shaw, however, his sarcasm is directed less at society as a whole and more at personal idiosyncracies.
  • Joni: Joni Eareckson-Tada: Now, how could I have missed this one? Paralysed neck down because of a diving accident when she was 17, Joni's story is one which is not liable to be forgotten in a hurry. It's the story of a life lived and lessons learnt.
  • The Veteran: Frederick Forsyth: In three word. Patriotism. Honour. Fiction. Kudos to Forsyth!
  • The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Douglas Adams: How can I miss the king of one liners and set-up jokes. The film did NOT do justice to DNA's special brand of humour! In short, it sucked! Of course, if you are looking at a strong storyline, that's non-existent, but H2G2 should be read, just for the sheer thrill of laughing your head off! And of course, for Marvin, the second most interesting character in books, after DEATH.
  • Pride & Prejudice: Jane Austen: Eliza Bennet & William Darcy. His pride, her prejudice. Romantic enough for any girl!!
  • Catch22: Joseph Heller: This is one book I picked up purely on recommendation. I read about half of it not understanding anything that Yossarian and his cronies were upto. There seemed countless strands of storyline that never seemed to be picked up. Until 4 chapters before the end, up in a burning plane with a dying soldier on his lap, everything makes sense. The novel became beautiful...
Anyways, I am passing on the tag to...
DJK because I can!
Vijay a break from Vedanta, man!
Prashant Menon aka Undertaker Two in a row, Undy!
Girish because the fellow needs to announce his "taste" to the world!
Kaus because she reads so much!
Quinty Tit for tat, Ankush!
Senthil Get off your pictures, mister and tell us about Wodehouse!!

Copy-write Shrutz :: 6:55 PM :: 14 Sneaky Remarks:

What would you like to do?

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Sunday, December 11, 2005

Catch-20

I have been tagged by Quinty.
According to the mystic ramblings of the tag, I am supposed list out 20 pieces of information about myself.
My past history with tags has been rocky.
Regular readers must remember the 55-word story tag, and the "about me" tag (which, frankly, was a disaster!), and I personally will never get over the book tag, which took me 3 days and some 20 links to type, only to see it vanish into the great void known as Blogger. The pain still lingers....
And, I promise you, Angel, I will get back to it and come up with a post that will knock the tittles off any bibliophile!
So, without further ado, here's

Twenty tidbits about Shrutz aka The Trivia Game

1) My first piece of creative writing was in 6th standard, when our English teacher (Mrs. Lily Luke, one of the most wonderful teachers I have known!) had asked us to write a short story which began with the words, "There a smile of joy on her face."
That was my first (and last) tearjerker of a tale. Looking back, I am surprised at what I had written when I was 11 years of age. At 21, you can't catch me writing a story where the protagonist dies at the height of her fame & glory!
In case I have piqued your curiousity, here's the gist of the tale:
Girl is born, parents die in accident which leaves her crippled and in a wheelchair. Girl works towards the welfare of other persons with her handicap. At the age of 18 (which, at 11, is old), she gets an award from the Indian government for "Outstanding Service". Unfortunately, she dies in the middle of the ceremony... with a smile of joy on her face.
Yes, I am still wondering where the story came from!
PS: If you are still wondering how she died, I was 11 years old.. I didn't specify!!!

2) The one book I absolutely hated reading was Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children. Yes, it is sacrilege to admit that, and yes, he's a great Booker Prize winning author, but, there is only that much insanity you can bear. Unfortunately, I had to read the book through in order to submit a book report.
My book report had these sentences:-
"Maybe Mr Rushdie was sniffing some cocaine when he wrote this book.... It sounds like the half-crazed rambling of a demented man into substance abuse.... A book you can do well to avoid.."
Well, unless you read in order to murmer in discreet undertones "Yes, darling, Rushdie's symbolism in his books is so fah-bulous. Midnight's Children is the epitome of his literary creativity.." Balderdash!!

3) I love the rain, the smell of damp earth and the flashes of lightning and thunder. When I was younger, the monsoons around Kerala used to be stronger. Come school reopening day, the water would flow through all the culverts and puddles. My sister used to get thoroughly splashed by me by the time I used to get done jumping into each and every puddle I saw.

4) I love stitching and abhor cooking. At one point in time, I wanted to be a fashion designer and spent most of my free time designing clothes for my Barbie doll. Sigh, it was quite fun.

5) The friends I had in school & still keep in touch with are mostly all guys.
This one here is the mosty annoying, irritating, funny and sincere people I know. We spent most of our school life arguing about chalks, studies, his 'casanova' habits (and insensitivity), my touchiness and other people. Those were the days!!

6) As a kid, Shrutz was short, cute, chubby and had a boy cut. Due to which, I got the moniker "Mammatti kutti amma". At 6 years of age, I didn't know what it meant. At 8, I saw the film and was disgusted!
All due apologies to 'Baby' Shalini fans here!

7) I went to learn the guitar when I was in second standard. The sir took one look at me, pronounced me "too small to hold a guitar" and shoved a violin into my hands. My mom never removed her hands from her ears henceforth!

8) After much careful delibration, I'd decided to study engineering in Pune, got a good rank in their entrance and taken admission there.
Once there, I spent a happy week teaching all the girls card games while my room-mate was busy applying a face pack and studying Complex Numbers (all in the space of 2 hours). Within a week, I'd left the college and joined up in CET, or College of Engineering, Trivandrum, which was 3 kilometres from my house.
What did they say about the best laid plans of mice and men?...

9) My mom and I discuss about life and the times at the most opportune of moments:- when either she or I am driving the car and we're struck in traffic, which is a fairly common occurrence in Kerala.
The added advantage is, of course, she's too focussed on driving (or back seat driving) to yell too much at me!
A conversation would run like this
Me: Mamma, I think I am going to rob a bank tomorrow.
Mom: Why would you need so much... (Sudden screeching of brakes and loud honking from behind) WHAT does that fellow think he is doing? Does he think I have WINGS??
Well, that's my mother for you!

10) I am incurably lazy. I will not do anything till I have sufficient incentive and/or it's the absolute last moment. The plus side is, I'll do a good job at it.

11) I love travelling. My ideal job would be one where I got to see the world and got paid WELL for it too. If any of you know of such a job, which doesn't involve door-to-door selling, please contact me. I am VERY interested!!

12) I sing. Yes. Surprisingly enough. 'Nuff said.

13) I used to read to my niece when she was 4 months old. Unfortunately, it used to be my Physics notes on "Electrostatics". Yes, I really think she got it!! And, of course, I am a great aunt to have!

14) I can't ride the scooter or cycle, due to a large number of circumstances beyond my control. Incidentally, I was bought a cycle for my seventh birthday and we had a scooter till I was 18. I learnt to drive the car surprisingly early, however!

15) Weirdly enough, till I was in college, I used to listen to more Hindi music than English. In the past 3 and a half years, I have been busy catching up on what I missed!

16) I used to be an avid quizzer in my heydeys. More often than not, I used to find myself in the minority being a girl. The most number of prizes I won was as an audience member for the Hindu Young World quiz. I answered 2 questions:-
Who was Hagrid's Mother? (Fridwulfa)
The second was a Jeopardy style answer, to which you had to frame a question.
Qumran, 1947. (When & where were the Dead Sea Scrolls found?)

17) I have a good memory for the obscure and the downright silliest of trivia. It spells good luck when I want to deflect the conversation when it's steering too close to home. All I have to do is interject with a "By the way, did you know....?" statement. Of course, I have to contend with some murderous looks being passed my way, but as you all know, into all life, a little rain must fall!!

18) I have never seen Sholay beyond the first hour. The first hour I have seen some ten times!

19) If I am asked any of these questions, I will have no answer to it.
"Who's your celebrity crush?"
"Which actor would you like to go out with/die to meet?"
"From history, name someone you would like to emulate?"
Please don't put me in a tight spot.
Don't ask these questions!!

20) I live on coffee, bread and biscuits. I am a caffeine addict and that explains my insomnia.
Okay, it's time for some coffee and some heavy duty studying.

Before that, however.

Tag, You're IT!
Binu who is basically jobLESS in Trivandrum and needs to open up!
Prashanth who has not blogged after wishing himself a happy first anniversary.
Rishab whom I love to torture.
Kaus who really makes me 'laf' everytime I talk to her
Deepa who is getting all these problems because she didn't rag me when she had the chance ;)


Copy-write Shrutz :: 7:33 PM :: 17 Sneaky Remarks:

What would you like to do?

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Friday, December 02, 2005

The Sunset Scene

It's vistas like these that make me glad I live in a pristine (well, relatively) part of India. Of course, the fact that the apartment is on the 11th floor just helps make things better.... Not to mention my (by now slightly used) Sony digicam, which I love.

Copy-write Shrutz :: 4:47 AM :: 9 Sneaky Remarks:

What would you like to do?

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