A tryst in Chennai

Annie met Usha in Chennai last Christmas, when the latter came from the US on vacation.

Here they are with Usha's mommy and Annie's daughter.

And here is Usha's kids Noel, Sharon and niece Anisa with Annie's kid.

Respected Sirs cont...

Sorry about the time gap between posting about our profs..

Dr.Prof. Stephen Jebansan(SJ).:

Sir was known mostly as Stephen sir..sir , If i remember right was known for his hairstyle,his shirts ,shoes..He had his own class of dressing..which i think he took care off..
he was seen on his bike or he walked to class.. he also had a smile for all ,a joke or two when he met us outside class..
i think his class, he was not strict.. that people cut more there than other profs class..I think there were lot of students who felt his friendliness and ease ..that there were time we see sir walking with students..having a cup of tea..Many times i have seen kids who never attended that days class meet with him and talking.. sir, never asked them about their absence i think.. even if he did I am sure they had ready answers..! students felt at home with him..
sir, we had for 2-3 papers i think.. his marking was not very strict.. he never failed as far as i remember..mark ranges were in 60-80% ..i don't much remember if he gave more to anyone in our batch..

Dr.Niramal Selvamoney(N.S)

hope i got the spelling right..
Sir, was a well read person ,I think even in tamil lit..He was also doing some other extra curriculam activity-anyone remembers..
Sir , did one paper (Indian lit...?)i think for us.. for some reason kids seemed to be worried about his marking.. since i was there only for higher studies i don't know sir as well as our other friends who did B.A there.
When ever i have gone to the dept late in the afternoon/evenings.. the likely Profs to be there is Sir, Prof P.R, SJ sir..the others you see on and off... Prof .N.S would be reading something/correcting.. mostly i have seen him reading.. he had a bag like most of the other dept profs!

Prof. Cherian Kurien (C.K)

sir, was nick named "cherry kurri "..? sir, was a warden of one of the halls(heber?). like most profs he stayed on campus too. we saw him on his bicycle or walking.. he took one paper for us.it was a play if i remember right..
there was less attendance during his class..which was normally afternoon...kids did disappearing acts..it would be hot..

later on, sir, some how, found out about my uncle and he used to send the Bible study papers for corrections through me to hand to my uncle.so i landed carrying some sealed paper work .Was always worried if i would misplace it in the bus or something.
Sir, seemed to think i won't lose it I suppose! Thank God I did not!My uncle has passed away now.
Some how i can remember sir wearing light shade clothes.

Prof . Felix Moses (F.M)
I think sir was famous for his marking style you never know if you would get 0%-100%..I don't know the details or the politics .. sir took 1-2 papers for us.. our co classmates told us about his marking.. so then it was tip toeing for the rest of us..
when he was in good mood one was sure to get a big smile and nod from sir.. or just a nod when we wished him on our way when we passed him.
I just remember all of us would wait to see what we got.. lucky me.. never got 0% nor 100% but got good enough marks..
sir, height, glass and slight hunch was only thing different i suppose.. )

prof .K.Ganesh (K.G)

He was one of the younger profs..As mentioned earlier Profs or kids some one nicked named him "kind gentleman.". he mostly wore Khadi shirts/kurtas .. he had the bag .. sirs, voice was what comes forefront in my memories and his smile.. he taught us Pardise lost..oh! attendance was mostly 1/2 to 3/4.. he was kind too..He had a sense of humor... his markings were i felt as what one deserved..
Sir, did what he had to do ..never seen him handing responsiblity away... infact i think he landed taking over other profs absences..
We went to his home once..he lives outside campus..He had a new baby or was it he had small accident..?
Sir, (P.Rsir..?/)had to accompany us to a play(something like that..)(any of u remember..the details) at British council...

Prof.Y. Arul Kumaran(Yak)

sir, we did not have any classes with.. but we bumped into sir quite often.. and YAK,FD, KG,SJ sirs, mostly landed with supervising us for semester exams.. rest of the profs we saw less during exam supervision.
This was one sirs comments a few of my fellow classmates ran from.. I happened to hear sirs comments only when they were round.. if i saw sir alone..and wished he just nodded /wished.. once or twice he has asked me where the rest of my friends was..!
We came to know sir more during our trip to Kodai.
Only prof- now -we know about, is him! He is teaching in Canada.Married and has a Son.

Prof.Franklin Daniel(FD)

sir , was the youngest person on the staff.. and of course sure he got everyones leg pulling too .. plus responsibility..He was always smiling walking from one class to another..He got his position confirmed later..after we left college ..?
Sir, like the other younger profs made us feel more friendly and ofcourse all 3 of them loved to tease us /comment ready -when we walked their paths..
Of if they had a senior prof walking with them.. they were all quieter..!!!!!
Then we would love to catch them.. we had a good time smiling, when they were in such positions..
Sir, did not take any class for us but he has been subtitute once .. he has also been in to supervise during Exams.
Those are some of the thoughts of our friendly,affectionate,strict profs.. They were all good, kind, well read and had a class of their own -ways.. God bless them and their families.
Good luck future students.Enjoy Studies!

Borewell adventures

Another kid falls into a borewell - a 3-year-old named Vandana who was rescued after 26 hours in the disused pit. It wasnt long back when a little boy in Haryana fell into one and remained there for 48 hours or so. He was lucky to have got out alive. But I am sure the trauma they go through would take time to heal. I would have died of fear or gone mad. In fact it remains one of my deepest fears - falling into a borewell. Though I guess I am not lean enough to pass through a hole dug for borewell.

Years ago, a film was made in Malayalam debuting 'Baby Shalini's' sister Shyamili on a similar theme. Apparently the story was then based on a little girl in the UK who died after a harrowing time in some underground well. Anyway, our little heroine in the movie did not die. What is a movie if a heroine cant be rescued?

Unlike a poor boy from a Chennai slum who fell into a borwell pit on the roadside dug and abandoned by some callous person, who did not deem it necessary to close the pit properly. The boy died despite the earnest efforts of all concerned. I am still haunted by the newspaper reports of that incident.

ust's tag mania.

Instructions: Remove 1 question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag 8 people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged.
1. Name Three Most Valuable Assets?
husband and kids. (family, friends)
2. If you have the chance, what would you probably say to your beloved one?
As long as I am alive my prayers will always be there .
3. If you were to be stranded on a desert island, who are the 3 blog buddies you would take with you?
right now, i read only few peoples blog, my classmate's and my daughter's dance teacher, now at school, my kid has to blog ..... if i am stranded how can i take others with me. try to live with what's around, not drag someone else too into the desert island! would ask them to rescue me.
4. Where is the place that you want to go the most?
where it's peace and quiet. close to nature. with family and not have to worry about getting to any place on time.
5. If you can have one dream to come true, what would it be?
That both of us are there to see our kids graduate and have jobs - and have the health and wealth for it.
6. What are you afraid to lose the most?
family and friends
7. What would you do if you found a briefcase full of money?
try to find the right owner or give it to the person responsible for that place where we found it..
what is not ours will not make us happy.
8.If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?
I am married... don't need to confess to anyone else... heeeeeee
9. Fav. hero?
if the question is which heroes in acting i like everyone. no partiality. everyone has their qualities.
10. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?
Wish he would listen to my advise and not over do stuff, and let others take advantage of him.
Save more, spend less. Both of us had better health..
11. What is your ambition?
there is love/peace/harmony. more people made attempts to keep in touch..
12. What is the thing that will make you think someone is a bad person?
bad mouthing another person,dishonest..saying one thing doing another..
13. Revealing one thing about me?
get senti fast!
14. Christmas is coming, who do you like to celebrate with?
with my hubby kids and my side of family who love to warp gifts,have x'mas trees,make goodies, have gettogether, sing songs,have fun..
15. If you could do one thing different in life, what would it be?
not be married ..and worrying about everyone..but working and to help my parents..not that ,worry that way would be any less..atleast few lesser people who had to deal with my character..
have a cottage with a garden small.. no worries .. about cash/bills/sickness etc..
helping others..who really need help..
16. Are you a shopaholic?
Like to go shop around.. look at stuff.. and buy for others..not expensive..but stuff which they will need/enjoy..? or cute/pretty..
17. What is your stress buster?
talking to friends/reading/working on puzzles, songs fast/movies .. don't know.. or even if go outside home to visit/shop helps..
18. What should be done to people who make such long tags?
stop doing it.. please.. its time consuming.. i am just not done any thing so far..
19. What are the 2 skills you wish you had or would like to learn?
maybe learn some dance/playing piano.. or working outside home and managing home..!-which i doubt i will ever be able to do..
20. Name one favorite song of yours.
old christian songs/kids songs..like listening more to fast music also..
.....changing question...ehmmmmmmmmmmm..!
i did not change any...
here is a question for thought. if there is an emergency what do u do?
pray...shout...faint...cry..be shell shocked...
Passing it on to: my class bloggers, if they every feel like doing it when they are bored.

9/11 our life saver

Always admired the police, firefighters and other personnel, urgent care, emergency sections in hosp; ever since we came back from our visit to India we have been blessed with their help and that of some friends.

I have lost the count of Dr visits, antibiotics also.

Feb 14 , march 13, march 22 - all these days God has been with us and has also sent us friends and others to help us also with their blessings and their help... God bless them too. Everyone 's prayers keep us going.

The most recent one's really glad. Our friend, my husband's classmate was there to help us be strong, and take my worry down.

Life seems to throw all of us surprises from all sides - hope you are all able to handle it.

Tag mania

Tagged by Romila of Rustic Notes some time back, I think I will do this for the class blog instead of my personal mommy blog :)

Instructions: Remove 1 question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag 8 people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged.

1. Name Three Most Valuable Assets?
Gold, land and children. I am being practical!

2. If you have the chance, what would you probably say to your beloved one?
I wish I had met you earlier! In fact V keeps telling me that once in a while considering that we studied in neighbouring colleges in Kerala at around the same time and even attended the same church (though I would go only once in a blue moon) but never bumped into each other.

3. If you were to be stranded on a desert island, who are the 3 blog buddies you would take with you?
The desperate housewife, the oldest mommy blogger I've known; the Pioneer Woman, who has a stupendous fan following in the blogger world, and is a great cook too; and Elsie Button, who makes me laugh. (I would like all the others I read too, but then choosing a tricky proposition)

4. Where is the place that you want to go the most?
Rural England and Scotland.

5. If you can have one dream to come true, what would it be?
Win a lottery and laze at home the rest of my life.

6. What are you afraid to lose the most?
My mobile. And all the ph numbers stored in them.

7. What would you do if you found a briefcase full of money?
Go on a tour of the whole world.

8.If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?
No.

9. Who is / was your favorite hero?
Imran Khan, once upon a time.

10. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?
Wish he would get me roses on my bday and Valentine's day. I'd be lucky if he remembers them at all!
Wish he were less short- and hot- tempered. Luckily he is not bad-tempered like me :D
Wish he shared my interest in books. He is more an outdoor person. But anyway he more than compensates all my drawbacks.

11. What is your ambition?
Getting famous, without any major effort.

12. What is the thing that will make you think someone is a bad person?
Varies. Some expose themselves in their talk, and some in their actions.

13. Revealing one thing about me
A dreamer. Absent-minded too.

14. Christmas is coming, who do you like to celebrate with?
Guess this Tag was created before Xmas 2007. And Xmas 2008 seems a long way off. But as always, with our parents and siblings back in Kerala.

15. If you could do one thing different in life, what would it be?
Study all over again, enjoying the information in the textbooks instead of just mugging them up.. Read all the fiction that I failed to do in college, inspite of having a great library in Assumption college.

16. Are you a shopaholic?
Somewhat. Having a shopaholic hubby makes things easier. But I try to restrain myself these days.

17. What is your stress buster?
Sleep. A little TV time (the music channels).

18. What should be done to people who make such long tags?
Curse, and then do it with pleasure.

19. What are the 2 skills you wish you had or would like to learn?
Singing, driving.

20. Name one favorite song of yours.
My heart will go on ... Celine Dion.

Passing it on to:
my class bloggers, if they every feel like doing it when they are bored.

Tagged : Amos Reveals.....

1. What is your occupation?
Removal Specialist in other words assisting people to move from one country to another.
2. What color are your socks?
Preferred color is Grey and Blue
3. What are you listening to right now?
The humming of the air conditioner in office.
4. What was the last thing you ate?
My Lunch, Rice, Fish Curry and Fried King Fish
5. Can you drive a stick shift?
Used to drive one but now I am on automatic. Thanks to the technology but still driving in Dubai traffic is always a challenge.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
I like most of the dark shades, to be specific chocolate / green
7. Last person you were on the phone with?
With my colleague from another branch.
8. Do you like the person that sent this to you?
Usha has been my M.A, M.PHil classmate and we somehow managed to keep in touch all these years. She is prompt in replying to your mails and displays a lot of compassion.
9. Favorite Drink?
Coffee, Pineapple Juice
10. What is your favorite sport to watch?
I don’t follow any sports of late. Used to Like Cricket and was a player during my school / college days.
11. Have you ever dyed your hair?
Yes. Old age is catching up and this is one of the escape routes to use to live in a Glass Menagerie. (something is ringing a bell somewhere….. is it Rajani!!!!)
12. Pets?
Lost 2 full grown Gold Fish recently. But have 5 small Gold Fishes in a mini aquarium at home.
13. Favorite Food?
Not particular about any. Given a chance will plunder a KFC joint or a 5 star Buffet
14. Last movie you watched?
Horton Hears at theatre. Have been watching a lot of kids movies at home
15. Favorite day of the year?
Our Marriage Day
16. What do you do to vent anger?
Shout and throw up tantrums but cools down very quickly.
17. What was your favorite toy as a child?
Pushing a battery with a stick imitating a car being driven some time 2 batteries together to imitate a bus. When we visit our native place keeping a stick between 2 Nungus (from Palmyra tree) and using a v shaped stick to drive it around.
18. What is your favorite? Fall or Spring?
Spring. Brings forth a new beginning and hope.
19. hugs/kisses?
both.. likes to hug(real bear hug) and kiss my kids too frequently until the time I read an article how much damage it creates in a child who organs are tender and growing.
20. What kind of pie?
Apple pie. Prefer as a desert!
21. Living arrangements?
Currently in a shared 2 BHK accommodation.
22. When was the last time you cried?
When seeing a touching scene in a movie.(mostly tamil movies make you cry)
23. What is on the floor of your closet?
Lot of clothes mostly kept aside for give away. DVD player that is brand new but had a problem.
24. Who is the friend you've had the longest that you are tagging?
Would like to tag all my classmates who are actively connected through this blog
25. Favorite smell?
Brut
26. What inspires you?
Honesty and kindness.
27. What are you afraid of?
God
28. Favorite cat breeds?
Siamese
29. Number of keys on your key ring?
Nine. Car, my draws, my cabinets, my washroom in office, office key my cousins house key(now only I realize I don’t have my house key – I guess it helps to have a homely wife who holds the key always for you.)
30. How many countries have you been to?
Two. UAE, Thailand.

Fascinating Facts about Easter

Easter this year is: Sunday March 23, 2008. As you may know, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. A couple more things you might be interested in:Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population (aged 95 or more) have ever seen it this early. And none of us have ever - or will ever - see it a day earlier!Here are the facts: The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!) The next time it will be a day earlier (March 22), will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year.Happy Easter!

Tagged: UST bares heart!

Rosh tagged me for this. These are my replies. I will tag Miller...  Usha

 

1. What is your occupation?

A wife, mother, daughter, sister, d-i-l, s-i-l,cousin, aunty. In short a HOMEMAKER

2. What color are your socks?

Right now i am not wearing any. normally i go for White.

3. What are you listening to right now?

my young kid singing (humming). fridge / heater sounds.

4. What was the last thing you ate?
My break fast... bread and jam/coffee.

5. Can you drive a stick shift?
i have learnt driving in stick shift. but now i drive easy.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
I like all colors.. but wearing flourescent colors or very dark colors will not be my thing. then would go for light colors...
7. Last person you were on the phone with?
today i called my older child's school and spoke to the message box! yesterday got junk calls more... hubby was not available!.

8. Do you like the person that sent this to you?
Rosh has been my M.A, M.PHil classmate and been in touch with me from then... yes, i like everyone. i so far don't hate any one.
9. Favorite Drink?
Water, coffee, fruit juice fresh.

10. What is your favorite sport to watch?

It's years since i watched any sports. have played /watched during school yrs.

11. Have you ever dyed your hair?

no. but was just thinking about it. maybe should try brown. heehhhhhhhhhhheee. kids here have diff kinds/colors 

12. Pets?
Have none in my home here. but have in my parents' home from when we were small.. in old neighbourhood all the dogs would stop to get hugged and petted by us. here yet to get outside thx to the snow. brrrr cold!
13. Favorite Food?

junk foods. like sweets Indian, chips, mixtures, murrukkus. then stuff like puri, dosa, appams etc. veg nothing i don't like.. though i am not upto trying frog,  such exotic stuff...

14. Last movie you watched?
At the theatre - MALLU movie Arabikatha. none when i went to India nor before or after.. maybe bits

15. Favorite day of the year?

DECEMBER. or when family/friends come together. birthdays

16. What do you do to vent anger?
Shout/yell/scream?!*************. But I generally try to repress it or just grate my teeth.

17. What was your favorite toy as a child?

kitchen set, board games, bead set...

18. What is your favorite? Fall or Spring?

like both.. each has its own charm/beauty here.. but spring brings birds, flowers etc here.. fall love to see the leaves falling and raking. the colors...

19. hugs/kisses?

both.. hugs where u don't know what to say, at a sad time..hugs/kisses at happy occasions..

20. What kind of pie?

pies everyone seem to love.. i can only have a small peice at a time!

21. Living arrangements?
well, here that ????? has diff meanings.. my hubby, kids with a roof over our heads is fine.. God has blessed us with a new home - big one with 4 bedrooms.

22. When was the last time you cried?

crying.. well tears came to my eyes yesterday in the cold breeze and with my child's teacher saying: "i am selfish, will not send her to other school.. as she enjoys her.." reminds one how wonderful,  joy kids bring us...

23. What is on the floor of your closet?
right now box of my clothes,audio/video/Dvd tapes...a small safe box, hubbys shoe rack...

24. Who is the friend you've had the longest that you are tagging?

I am tagging Miller to do this Tagged question round.

yes, the longest friends who i have been in touch with r my Mcc classmates. Rosh the most with out break..others at vacations when i go home or mail... Amos/griz/annie/rajeev/murali.. also now Maha,suni,venki/prem news through rosh/venki/miller/annie.. glady too.

25. Favorite smell?
flowers jasmine/roses.. still have those at my parents home...
26. What inspires you?
Goodness, kindness, smile, helping others

27. What are you afraid of?
mostly worried about my family and their health..

28. Favorite cat breeds?

all r good. bigger ones from a safe distance... like inside the car/them roaming safely away.

29. Number of keys on your key ring?
2. car key, home key.

30. How many countries have you been to?
One. I wont count the transits either.. Transits were germany's Frankfurt, Britian's London, France's Paris...all about 1 hr  or so halt...

 

By UST

 

***

Tagging is a new trend in the blog world to improve interaction. It is fun too and gives interesting insights about a person. There are a few more questions if you would like to do... Rosh

 

31. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?

32. How many years at your current job?

33. Favorite day of the week?

34. How many provinces/states have you lived in?

Chewing the cud

I am always on the lookout for something interesting to write about. And share autos sometimes provide some fodder for the blog.

For instance, today I had a major row with a share auto driver who told me to get off at Spencer Plaza when I wanted to go up to the auto's last scheduled stop (according to the board displayed in the front) at Tarapore Towers. The fact was that every other passenger had alighted near Spencer's and he didnt want to waste his precious petrol on one passenger. I put my foot down and he relented. Well, I was surprised he did. Anyway, I am feeling pretty pleased with myself today.

Well, this wasnt what I had initially planned to write about. It was a small romance I witnessed the other day. Just as I got into the auto, a girl in pink decided to move one seat to the left. Once I settled down I found that she was the subject of interest of a chap in blue sitting on the dummy speaker seat in front and facing me. He kept looking unabashedly at her with a smile on his lips.

The girl suddenly decided to bury her face on her lap and pretend to sleep/rest/cry. The boy then got out his mobile and began sending a message. The SMS beep was enough to get the girl sit upright and examine the message. She then began keying in a reply (I made a furtive glance at her cell screen but I couldnt look openly enough to read its contents). I think that made them patch up. The boy then dialled her number and they murmured to each other from their individual phones sitting hardly 4 feet apart. By then they had reached their destination, Spencer Plaza where many a romantic pair while away their time. The fellow paid for them both and they walked away together hand in hand.

No, it is not much of an incident but sitting in the auto, I found it terribly funny. Not to mention the myriad uses of the cell phone!

There are times you can hear women talk over the phone or to fellow-passengers about their life in general (sometimes you can get their entire life history in that half-an-hour ride) or what their children are doing and how much they earn, even to the last paisa. And they are not the least embarassed in letting absolute strangers hear personal details. Such is India and Indians. We dont believe in being self-conscious.

Bhatt memories

This might interest you all.

Just as I was about to blog about something, our correspondent TSS comes to the desk with a copy of an article on the Calendar. He tells us that Prof. Bhatt had told him that calendar comes from the Sanskrit word Kala + antara. That is, limited by time. And a few more things that Bhatt sir told him - that there were only 10 months originally, and that August and July were added later after Augustus Ceasar and Julius Ceasar; that September, now the 9th month, was originally the seventh (coming from the Sanskrit word Sapta) month, October the 8th month, November (from nava or 9) the 9th month and December the 10th (dasa/10) month.

TSS tells us how he had literally lived in Bhatt sir's house from 1970 to '85. Then he joined The Hindu and became busy... He rues that he couldnt meet him much after that.

And that Bhatt sir had studied until his SSLC in a Sanskrit medium. He then joined MCC for PUC not knowing much of English other than the alphabets probably. But he went on to score a First Class for B.A. and M.A. English. He finished work on his PhD at the age of 28 but couldnt submit it because his guide Murphy died. He did his PhD much later in his career (I remember he couldnt be my official guide for MPhil because he didnt have a doctorate). Prof. VSV helped him a lot and recommended to Prof. Bennet Albert that he be taken in the English faculty.

I guess we were all privileged to have known a genius like him. And a very nice person, who never spoke ill of anybody.

Back from Down Under

Murali was recently in Australia, visiting his brother who was getting an award from the government. I had requested him to do a piece for the blog on his trip and he had accepted the challenge. But before that, here are two pieces he has done for the newspaper.
This one is on Aborigines and came in the Sunday magazine of the newspaper.
http://www.hindu.com/mag/2008/03/02/stories/2008030250020200.htm
This one on bush fires came in Young World, the kiddie newspaper from TH.
http://www.hindu.com/yw/2006/06/30/stories/2006063000480100.htm