WHY is it that even after ONE YEAR of blogging, I am still unable to navigate the simple task of uploading pictures on to my blog?
Every time I try to insert a picture, something or the other goes wrong and things go askew!
I see plenty of other picture filled blogs! WHY not me???
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The housing situation is now down to the wire. We get possession of the new house on the 27th, but we still haven't sold the condo. So this means that while we're in the midst of packing things up for the move, we still have people coming to see the condo either to buy or rent - and this makes it tres difficile to uphold my mother's rule of "everything in place"! Seriously - YOU try packing things up AND remaining neat in the process! It's like trying to lick your own nose - it virtually impossible to do and you look like a total idiot in the process!
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Well if moving and packing we're enough to keep one busy, I've also got to concentrate on getting my practicum done ASAP! We do have some interest from various student groups at York, but nothing confirmed yet. I simply MUST get it done before I leave or else I'd have to wait until April when I get back... and that's just not an option.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Have Feet - Will Dance!
My dancing days began way back when my dad thought me the waltz when I was 4 and I was going to ballet classes. I was even cast as "Chocolate" in our little version of the Nutcracker - and the fattest little bonbon ever to grace a tutu! As I grew up, there was one thing I quickly realized - I had inherited the infamous "Mendonca Hips" that run rampant among the women in my Mum's family and the only thing I could do was - SHAKE 'EM!
This past summer, I started taking West Coast Swing lessons. After 2 years of intensive Salsa… this was a nice change in pace - literally! Before I started, like most people out there I thought Swing dancing was all the same - and everyone danced like Cameron Diaz in that club scene from Mask. Boy was I wrong!! West Coast, I learnt is the jazzier… smoother of the Swings. Bouncing is a strict no no and spinning is an alien word.
But this post is not a comparison of the genres. This post is about dance partners. For be it Salsa or Swing, Ballroom or Bolero….guys who go to dance classes can all be filed under one of the following categories:
1. The Sweaty-Hands Guy - Homus Handus Persperus Maximus
Be it 34 above or 22 below, this guys hands are always bathed in a thin layer of sweat. This can make dancing with such an individual a highly dangerous (and not to mention gross) feat as HHPM's partners are sometimes liable to slip right out of his hands and randomly crash into objects around such as walls, tables and other species on the dance floor.
2. The "Stompin' Tom" Guy - Homus Steppenitus Toeses
Members of this species of Prancis Homus are still caught in an evolutionary warp and feel that the best steps are the big ginormous steps. The foot is lifted as high as possible and then brought back down with a crashing force akin to stomping out a fire offa your best pal's camping blanket. HSTs often have dance partners who evolve with a counter defense mechanism which looks much like a gazelle drinking at the waterhole - always on high alert for the danger from the crashing foot.
3. The Freaky Staring Guy - Homus Breastes Starus
This kind of species dance by grasping your hand firmly, fixing their eyes on a point that would be akin to mid cleavage and then proceeding to stare firmly at that point for the rest of the dance. Any and all attempts at light conversation during the dance result in monosyllabix answers at best and pre speech grunts at the worst!
4. The Maniac Dancer Guy - Homus Loonius Mostus
If you see an HLM coming towards you on the dance floor... sashay as quick as you can outta there! Such a species views a dance more like a military conquest. Short staccato and violent movements rule their lead on the floor and often their dance partners come away like war refugees - barely escaping with the clothes on their backs and nursing their bruised and battered limbs - the ones that were spared!
This past summer, I started taking West Coast Swing lessons. After 2 years of intensive Salsa… this was a nice change in pace - literally! Before I started, like most people out there I thought Swing dancing was all the same - and everyone danced like Cameron Diaz in that club scene from Mask. Boy was I wrong!! West Coast, I learnt is the jazzier… smoother of the Swings. Bouncing is a strict no no and spinning is an alien word.
But this post is not a comparison of the genres. This post is about dance partners. For be it Salsa or Swing, Ballroom or Bolero….guys who go to dance classes can all be filed under one of the following categories:
1. The Sweaty-Hands Guy - Homus Handus Persperus Maximus
Be it 34 above or 22 below, this guys hands are always bathed in a thin layer of sweat. This can make dancing with such an individual a highly dangerous (and not to mention gross) feat as HHPM's partners are sometimes liable to slip right out of his hands and randomly crash into objects around such as walls, tables and other species on the dance floor.
2. The "Stompin' Tom" Guy - Homus Steppenitus Toeses
Members of this species of Prancis Homus are still caught in an evolutionary warp and feel that the best steps are the big ginormous steps. The foot is lifted as high as possible and then brought back down with a crashing force akin to stomping out a fire offa your best pal's camping blanket. HSTs often have dance partners who evolve with a counter defense mechanism which looks much like a gazelle drinking at the waterhole - always on high alert for the danger from the crashing foot.
3. The Freaky Staring Guy - Homus Breastes Starus
This kind of species dance by grasping your hand firmly, fixing their eyes on a point that would be akin to mid cleavage and then proceeding to stare firmly at that point for the rest of the dance. Any and all attempts at light conversation during the dance result in monosyllabix answers at best and pre speech grunts at the worst!
4. The Maniac Dancer Guy - Homus Loonius Mostus
If you see an HLM coming towards you on the dance floor... sashay as quick as you can outta there! Such a species views a dance more like a military conquest. Short staccato and violent movements rule their lead on the floor and often their dance partners come away like war refugees - barely escaping with the clothes on their backs and nursing their bruised and battered limbs - the ones that were spared!
A friend of mine reading the early draft of this post accused me of exagerrating and said that there's no way any guy fits snugly into one or the other category. And y'know what... he's absolutely RIGHT!
I forgot all about the combos that guys come up with! Just as soon as we've figured out what "kind" of guy they are... they either switch it up on us... or.. (oh horrors) come up with terrifying combinations of the above. Like Sweaty-hands-stomping guy or Maniac-staring guy or Stomping-sweaty hands-maniac... and worse!
Still, horror partners aside.... dancing has been and will continue to be a LOT of fun.... and a constant source of good blog posts!
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Dream on Sister.....
I've always had the most interesting dreams... and that too most of them in techinicolour - a la Joseph and his Dreamcoat! It really is remarkable the stuff that my sleeping brain can come up with!
Like there was that time I dreamt that my entire Grade 8 class was in our front garden having a picnic... then my Math teacher climed a tree, turned into a Rhino and then ran off with the cat from next door. Probably the ONLY time you'll ever see a rhino in a tree!
And then there was that dream I had just before we left for Canada - I had spent too much time saying goodbye to everyone that I missed the flight and had to run after the plane and hold on to the wheeles.... and let's not forget about the time I dreamed that all the boys from work were off to war and had to practice by paracuting into work!
I don't know what's worse though having crazy dreams... or having people think I'M crazy when I tell them about the dreams! Seriously... I can't help what my subconscious cooks up.... and I'm sure those other people are just jealous! It's always the ones who either don't dream or don't remember their dreams that think I'm gaga.... and that's a SURE sign of "I-wish-I-was-her" syndrome.
But wait, this tale of woe gets worse.....
SOME people not only visit my dreams... they insult ME in my own dream! (YOU know who you are!!) I once dreamed that I was helping a friend across the street coz he had a broken leg, but I happened to stumble against his leg BY ACCIDENT... and in a rage he pickes up his cane and beats me over the head with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I ASK you... is that any way to treat someone who gives you a starring role????
I finally got back at that same someone last night - I dreamt him up in a HIDIOUS getup and had him parade in to work wearing a white LINEN suit, yellow shirt and blue tie with a lei!
I think I was still laughing when I woke up!
PS: The "someone" I'm talking about was a coworker.
Like there was that time I dreamt that my entire Grade 8 class was in our front garden having a picnic... then my Math teacher climed a tree, turned into a Rhino and then ran off with the cat from next door. Probably the ONLY time you'll ever see a rhino in a tree!
And then there was that dream I had just before we left for Canada - I had spent too much time saying goodbye to everyone that I missed the flight and had to run after the plane and hold on to the wheeles.... and let's not forget about the time I dreamed that all the boys from work were off to war and had to practice by paracuting into work!
I don't know what's worse though having crazy dreams... or having people think I'M crazy when I tell them about the dreams! Seriously... I can't help what my subconscious cooks up.... and I'm sure those other people are just jealous! It's always the ones who either don't dream or don't remember their dreams that think I'm gaga.... and that's a SURE sign of "I-wish-I-was-her" syndrome.
But wait, this tale of woe gets worse.....
SOME people not only visit my dreams... they insult ME in my own dream! (YOU know who you are!!) I once dreamed that I was helping a friend across the street coz he had a broken leg, but I happened to stumble against his leg BY ACCIDENT... and in a rage he pickes up his cane and beats me over the head with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I ASK you... is that any way to treat someone who gives you a starring role????
I finally got back at that same someone last night - I dreamt him up in a HIDIOUS getup and had him parade in to work wearing a white LINEN suit, yellow shirt and blue tie with a lei!
I think I was still laughing when I woke up!
PS: The "someone" I'm talking about was a coworker.
Friday, October 13, 2006
All Systems GO....
After almost a month of changing dates, adding new destinations and trying to make old plans fit with new plans... its all done! My vacation - all of it- has been booked. Here's how the FINAL plan reads.
Dec 14th - Dep Toronto for London, UK
Dec 15th - Arr into London Heathrow, direct transit to Glasgow.
Dec 15th - Dec 23rd - Scotland
Dec 23rd - Jan 3rd - London
Jan 4th - March 26th - India!
1 week (end Jan) - Rajasthan: Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Ajmer and Pushkar (Delhi if possible)
2 weeks (end Feb) - South India: Hyderabad, Hampi, Bangalore, Mysore, Shravanabelagola, Somnathpur
March 27th - April 11th - Japan
April 11th - Return to Mumbai
April 13th - Return to Toronto via London.
I've never been to Scotland or Japan before, so if you'd like to pile on the suggestions for things to see/ do, places to go and very IMP - CHEAP accomodation in Tokyo and surrounding areas... by all means.. let me know!
Things I MUST see/ do:
1. Westminister Abbey
2. Jack the Ripper walk
3. See the Mousetrap
4. Visit Edinburgh castle
5. Visit ancient temples at Nikko, Japan
6. Desert Safari in Jaisalmer
Things I would LIKE to see/ do:
1. Visit Loch Ness (or a similar monster infested Loch)
2. Visit Stonehedge
3. Go to Primrose Hill in London and hear the twilight barking
4. Eat pizza in a Japanese cemetary
5. Go to a place in Tokyo that has Nomihodai (where one can drink as much as one likes for preset price)
6. Visit a true blue Japanese spa with natural hot springs
7. Watch "Octopussy" in Udaipur - apparently it's screened almost every night of the week!
Other than the 3 weeks I will be travelling, the remaining time in India will be in Mumbai where I will be vlunteering with a local Not for Profit agency attached in the field of Women's Development.
Comments, suggestions and advice is welcome!
Dec 14th - Dep Toronto for London, UK
Dec 15th - Arr into London Heathrow, direct transit to Glasgow.
Dec 15th - Dec 23rd - Scotland
Dec 23rd - Jan 3rd - London
Jan 4th - March 26th - India!
1 week (end Jan) - Rajasthan: Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Ajmer and Pushkar (Delhi if possible)
2 weeks (end Feb) - South India: Hyderabad, Hampi, Bangalore, Mysore, Shravanabelagola, Somnathpur
March 27th - April 11th - Japan
April 11th - Return to Mumbai
April 13th - Return to Toronto via London.
I've never been to Scotland or Japan before, so if you'd like to pile on the suggestions for things to see/ do, places to go and very IMP - CHEAP accomodation in Tokyo and surrounding areas... by all means.. let me know!
Things I MUST see/ do:
1. Westminister Abbey
2. Jack the Ripper walk
3. See the Mousetrap
4. Visit Edinburgh castle
5. Visit ancient temples at Nikko, Japan
6. Desert Safari in Jaisalmer
Things I would LIKE to see/ do:
1. Visit Loch Ness (or a similar monster infested Loch)
2. Visit Stonehedge
3. Go to Primrose Hill in London and hear the twilight barking
4. Eat pizza in a Japanese cemetary
5. Go to a place in Tokyo that has Nomihodai (where one can drink as much as one likes for preset price)
6. Visit a true blue Japanese spa with natural hot springs
7. Watch "Octopussy" in Udaipur - apparently it's screened almost every night of the week!
Other than the 3 weeks I will be travelling, the remaining time in India will be in Mumbai where I will be vlunteering with a local Not for Profit agency attached in the field of Women's Development.
Comments, suggestions and advice is welcome!
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Long weekends are... Exhausting!
Long weekends.... One always looks forward to them so much and then invariably you pack so much into those 3 days that come Monday night, you almost wish you had another day just to relax and recover!
Well this Thanksgiving long weekend was no different!
It began on Thursday night when I met an old friend A who's here on holiday from Belgium with her bf D in tow. Met them at the Maddy's for drinks. In typical tourist fashion they were late... but thankfully I had a book, so I curled up in a corner of the Maddy and read and tried NOT to focus on the strange looks I was getting from everyone who passed my table.
Side note: Why is it ok to sit in a coffee place by oneself and read, but not in a bar?
Anyhoo.... A and bf eventually showed up an hour late and very apologetic and bought me drinks so HOW could I be mad???
Friday night was a quite night at Jibblet's and we went out for Japanese after AGES. Well it was supposed to be a quiet night, but I was so worked up about the whole stupid situation with regards to Thanksgiving dinner... that I just worked myself up into a tizzy over dinner.
What situation about Thanksgiving you ask?? Well.... glad you did!
See... my dad's been wanting to go see a true blue Canadian farm for a long time now, and by default it meant going to see Andy's parents who live on a true blue Canadian farm. My parents originally wanted to drive down on the Labour day weekend, but it wasn't a good time for the parental Jibbletts. The parental Jibbletts then invited them to come over on the Thanksgiving weekend instead and everything was planned and ready to go.
Well, until last week when my dad asked me if Jibblet & I were driving to the farm with them or on our own! Then when I said - neither .. we're going to Menace's... well all hell broke loose! Well to make a long story short (and YES it could be longer) somehow both Jibblet & I got into sh*t from our respective parents for not going to a dinner that we were never supposed to be at in the first place! Where's the justice in that.. I ask you!
.... so as I mentioned, we were at the Japanese restaurant and I was working myself into a tizzy... and drinking quite a lot of sake as well... and consequently was quite drunk when I crashed into bed that night!
Next day, met up again with A, D and some of A's friends at the Sultan's Tent, a Moroccan restaurant downtown. Interesting place, but a bit overpriced and I did't leave with the "wow" factor which was a pity because they did try so hard (even had belly dancing) but it just didn't come through. The highlight of Saturday was not the over priced Moroccan restaurant or the equally overpriced Russian vodka bar across the street ($12.50 for a Vodka/ Cran and $22 for a MARTINI!) rather, it was A's friend S who -for want of any other words - can only be described as a CHARACTER! A very exhausting character to be around as I could never tell if she was joking or being serious! About half way through dinner I took A's excellent advice and stepped up the drinking. After that, S seemed much easier to handle!
And if Friday and Saturday night out wasn't enough, well it was only Sunday and we had a big Thanksgiving dinner thingy at Menace's at 6 pm! There was SO MUCH food it would have made an Indian family proud!
For starters, Menace went all out with a 15 lbs turkey (That's as big as a toddler) two kinds of stuffing, creamed French beans, mushroom and spinach pie, mashed potatoes, home made bread, tofu stir fry, spicy Thai red curried beans.... I can't even remember the rest! I just know by end of that meal, I was stuffed just as good as the turkey!
A good round of "Celebrities" shook some of that lethargic feeling off everyone and by the time we left, I can truly say that that was one of the best Thanksgiving meals I've ever had!
The weekend was fun and all... but I'm just THANKFUL that we don't have another long weekend till Christmas!
Well this Thanksgiving long weekend was no different!
It began on Thursday night when I met an old friend A who's here on holiday from Belgium with her bf D in tow. Met them at the Maddy's for drinks. In typical tourist fashion they were late... but thankfully I had a book, so I curled up in a corner of the Maddy and read and tried NOT to focus on the strange looks I was getting from everyone who passed my table.
Side note: Why is it ok to sit in a coffee place by oneself and read, but not in a bar?
Anyhoo.... A and bf eventually showed up an hour late and very apologetic and bought me drinks so HOW could I be mad???
Friday night was a quite night at Jibblet's and we went out for Japanese after AGES. Well it was supposed to be a quiet night, but I was so worked up about the whole stupid situation with regards to Thanksgiving dinner... that I just worked myself up into a tizzy over dinner.
What situation about Thanksgiving you ask?? Well.... glad you did!
See... my dad's been wanting to go see a true blue Canadian farm for a long time now, and by default it meant going to see Andy's parents who live on a true blue Canadian farm. My parents originally wanted to drive down on the Labour day weekend, but it wasn't a good time for the parental Jibbletts. The parental Jibbletts then invited them to come over on the Thanksgiving weekend instead and everything was planned and ready to go.
Well, until last week when my dad asked me if Jibblet & I were driving to the farm with them or on our own! Then when I said - neither .. we're going to Menace's... well all hell broke loose! Well to make a long story short (and YES it could be longer) somehow both Jibblet & I got into sh*t from our respective parents for not going to a dinner that we were never supposed to be at in the first place! Where's the justice in that.. I ask you!
.... so as I mentioned, we were at the Japanese restaurant and I was working myself into a tizzy... and drinking quite a lot of sake as well... and consequently was quite drunk when I crashed into bed that night!
Next day, met up again with A, D and some of A's friends at the Sultan's Tent, a Moroccan restaurant downtown. Interesting place, but a bit overpriced and I did't leave with the "wow" factor which was a pity because they did try so hard (even had belly dancing) but it just didn't come through. The highlight of Saturday was not the over priced Moroccan restaurant or the equally overpriced Russian vodka bar across the street ($12.50 for a Vodka/ Cran and $22 for a MARTINI!) rather, it was A's friend S who -for want of any other words - can only be described as a CHARACTER! A very exhausting character to be around as I could never tell if she was joking or being serious! About half way through dinner I took A's excellent advice and stepped up the drinking. After that, S seemed much easier to handle!
And if Friday and Saturday night out wasn't enough, well it was only Sunday and we had a big Thanksgiving dinner thingy at Menace's at 6 pm! There was SO MUCH food it would have made an Indian family proud!
For starters, Menace went all out with a 15 lbs turkey (That's as big as a toddler) two kinds of stuffing, creamed French beans, mushroom and spinach pie, mashed potatoes, home made bread, tofu stir fry, spicy Thai red curried beans.... I can't even remember the rest! I just know by end of that meal, I was stuffed just as good as the turkey!
A good round of "Celebrities" shook some of that lethargic feeling off everyone and by the time we left, I can truly say that that was one of the best Thanksgiving meals I've ever had!
The weekend was fun and all... but I'm just THANKFUL that we don't have another long weekend till Christmas!
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
One year.... and counting
With all the dramatic movement in my life over the past few weeks.... I only just realized that I missed my first blogerversary!
I'm just amazed that I've found enough material to keep at it for a whole year!
And judging by what's in store for the next six months.... I won't be running out of ideas any time soon!
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The weather has been all over the map lately. Last week it was cold enough for folks to run scrambling for turtlenecks and gloves (pants - optional) .... yesterday it was warm and sunny ..... today its pissing rain - wet and windy.
I simply MUST do the "changeover" from summer to winter clothes - but its always such a nail-in-the-coffin-of-warm-weather chore that I postpone it as long as I possibly can.
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Started West Coast Swing again last evening. I'm coming along nicely! Lots of folks from the Track 1 classes so its nice to see familiar faces. I simply must get meself a nice pair of dance shoes as one of these days I'm prolly going to twist my ankle right off dancing in the wrong kinda shoes. WHY do I have to have ginormous size 9 feet??
I'm just amazed that I've found enough material to keep at it for a whole year!
And judging by what's in store for the next six months.... I won't be running out of ideas any time soon!
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The weather has been all over the map lately. Last week it was cold enough for folks to run scrambling for turtlenecks and gloves (pants - optional) .... yesterday it was warm and sunny ..... today its pissing rain - wet and windy.
I simply MUST do the "changeover" from summer to winter clothes - but its always such a nail-in-the-coffin-of-warm-weather chore that I postpone it as long as I possibly can.
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Started West Coast Swing again last evening. I'm coming along nicely! Lots of folks from the Track 1 classes so its nice to see familiar faces. I simply must get meself a nice pair of dance shoes as one of these days I'm prolly going to twist my ankle right off dancing in the wrong kinda shoes. WHY do I have to have ginormous size 9 feet??
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Adjusting
Day 2 now of my recently accquired "unemployed" status and things are only slightly better than yesterday.
For starters, the whole "sleep till the cows come home" idea that I had was shattered early as the rest of the family awakes and leaves for work/ school between 7 -9 am. Prior to yesterday, I had always been the first one out the doors each morning.. so never actually knew just how much noise and clammour they were capable of creating. (note: go buy another pillow to put over head)
Also, my mum seems to think that this is the perfect opportunity for me to indulge in organizing my domestic affairs. i:e clean my room and put away random items stored under my bed. Once again NOT what I featured in my "I'm home on a sabatical" dream.
Plans for my "Mother of All Vacations" are going sadly askew.
Les parents are not ammused by my desire to flit off to far corners of the globe. They understand the take time off to finish school part, but feel that once that is achieved, I must ardently look for gainful employment - like the nice Indian girl they raised me to be.
I have smothered the nice Indian girl in me (for now) and am now in mode of rebellious Canadian child in search of meaning of existance.
Consequently - friction.
For starters, the whole "sleep till the cows come home" idea that I had was shattered early as the rest of the family awakes and leaves for work/ school between 7 -9 am. Prior to yesterday, I had always been the first one out the doors each morning.. so never actually knew just how much noise and clammour they were capable of creating. (note: go buy another pillow to put over head)
Also, my mum seems to think that this is the perfect opportunity for me to indulge in organizing my domestic affairs. i:e clean my room and put away random items stored under my bed. Once again NOT what I featured in my "I'm home on a sabatical" dream.
Plans for my "Mother of All Vacations" are going sadly askew.
Les parents are not ammused by my desire to flit off to far corners of the globe. They understand the take time off to finish school part, but feel that once that is achieved, I must ardently look for gainful employment - like the nice Indian girl they raised me to be.
I have smothered the nice Indian girl in me (for now) and am now in mode of rebellious Canadian child in search of meaning of existance.
Consequently - friction.
Friday, September 29, 2006
The End of an Era
Well... this is it folks.... My last day as a TBJ employee!
After 5 seasons, 2002 to 2006 - my association with Pro Sports will finally come to an end.
Although I'm a bit sad at the thought of leaving this place that has been like a second home for so long (Lord knows I spend enough hours here!!) its definitely time to move on... this is just another bend in the road and if anything ... the past few years have taught me that anything's possible! I've learnt so much personally and professionally and have had the opportunity to meet and work with so many remarkable people - many who I will consider life long friends.
As of now, the plan is to take October/ November off to work on my Thesis/ practicum for my Training & Development course at U of T. This will be the perfect time to wholly concentrate on that and finally get it DONE! I've been procrastinating over topic etc for the past 4 months and the time off now will help me FOCUS!
I have a trip to England & Scotland planned for Christmas & New Year's... and then its off to India for 3 months where I'll be volunteering with local Not for Profit agencies. Haven't quite decided on a field yet - but I'm leaning towards something in adult literacy or women's development.
Once I'm back ( March 2007) I will be looking for work in the Training & Development field - putting my new skills to use! So if you have any contacts in the Industry, please let me know!
But... that's a long ways away. For now... I'll be taking it one step at a time - starting with partying it up at C'est What tonight!!!!
After 5 seasons, 2002 to 2006 - my association with Pro Sports will finally come to an end.
Although I'm a bit sad at the thought of leaving this place that has been like a second home for so long (Lord knows I spend enough hours here!!) its definitely time to move on... this is just another bend in the road and if anything ... the past few years have taught me that anything's possible! I've learnt so much personally and professionally and have had the opportunity to meet and work with so many remarkable people - many who I will consider life long friends.
As of now, the plan is to take October/ November off to work on my Thesis/ practicum for my Training & Development course at U of T. This will be the perfect time to wholly concentrate on that and finally get it DONE! I've been procrastinating over topic etc for the past 4 months and the time off now will help me FOCUS!
I have a trip to England & Scotland planned for Christmas & New Year's... and then its off to India for 3 months where I'll be volunteering with local Not for Profit agencies. Haven't quite decided on a field yet - but I'm leaning towards something in adult literacy or women's development.
Once I'm back ( March 2007) I will be looking for work in the Training & Development field - putting my new skills to use! So if you have any contacts in the Industry, please let me know!
But... that's a long ways away. For now... I'll be taking it one step at a time - starting with partying it up at C'est What tonight!!!!
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Stick a fork in it - summer's DONE!
So the last long weekend of the summer came and went in a flurry of rain and wind otherwise known as Tropical Storm Ernesto. Such a bummer too as it was the only long weekend I'd had off this summer!
Still, it wasn't a complete washout (pun intended!) as the 5 Families met at my aunt's for a join celebration of her birthday and my grandparents 61st (yikes!)anniversary. Good food as usual! Yum! I scooted off early though to go see Lord of the Rings - the musical. I just had to see for myself if a theatre version of Tolkien's classic story would - well quite simply put - cut it! I grabbed the opportunity to get cheap tickets and went to see it with some friends. Thankfully it was much much more than what I'd imagined. In fact, I wholly applaud the set designer who actually MADE middle earth appear on a X by X ft stage.
It was back to school the following Tuesday for all the kiddos and thankfully a VERY short week as I left work early on Friday for a friend's wedding! Thankfully the weather held out for the ceremony which on the rooftop of the banquet hall - right on Lake Ontario. Ma Nature seems to have thought that just because its September… she must send in the winds and rains! We've had nothing but dark and stormy days ever since the beginning of the month. And I've been so darn busy I haven't even had the chance to dig out my Fall clothes. *sigh* prolly nothing fits anyway! Oh well… that just means I'll have to go shopping soon! ;)
5:20 pm and already its pitch dark outside! And me still stuck at workj with a pile of things in my inbox!
Must run.... later darrlings!
Still, it wasn't a complete washout (pun intended!) as the 5 Families met at my aunt's for a join celebration of her birthday and my grandparents 61st (yikes!)anniversary. Good food as usual! Yum! I scooted off early though to go see Lord of the Rings - the musical. I just had to see for myself if a theatre version of Tolkien's classic story would - well quite simply put - cut it! I grabbed the opportunity to get cheap tickets and went to see it with some friends. Thankfully it was much much more than what I'd imagined. In fact, I wholly applaud the set designer who actually MADE middle earth appear on a X by X ft stage.
It was back to school the following Tuesday for all the kiddos and thankfully a VERY short week as I left work early on Friday for a friend's wedding! Thankfully the weather held out for the ceremony which on the rooftop of the banquet hall - right on Lake Ontario. Ma Nature seems to have thought that just because its September… she must send in the winds and rains! We've had nothing but dark and stormy days ever since the beginning of the month. And I've been so darn busy I haven't even had the chance to dig out my Fall clothes. *sigh* prolly nothing fits anyway! Oh well… that just means I'll have to go shopping soon! ;)
5:20 pm and already its pitch dark outside! And me still stuck at workj with a pile of things in my inbox!
Must run.... later darrlings!
Monday, September 04, 2006
London Calling!
Instead of just deaming about London... I decided to actually DO something about my seemingly bizzare longings for the city... And so I did!
Booked my tickets last night and as of Dec 14th... I'll be off to London!
The plan as of right now is pre Christmas in Glasgow spending some time with my Very Best Friend - who I met my first day of school waaay back in grade 1. As fate would have it, we lived down the road from each other and so we just HAD to be friends! 20 years later... we're still going strong!
Well back to the "plan" - Pre Christmas in Scotland - back to London for Christmas and then if possible off somewhere on the Continent for New Years!
Booked my tickets last night and as of Dec 14th... I'll be off to London!
The plan as of right now is pre Christmas in Glasgow spending some time with my Very Best Friend - who I met my first day of school waaay back in grade 1. As fate would have it, we lived down the road from each other and so we just HAD to be friends! 20 years later... we're still going strong!
Well back to the "plan" - Pre Christmas in Scotland - back to London for Christmas and then if possible off somewhere on the Continent for New Years!
Monday, August 21, 2006
London on my mind
Here's a synopsis of my bizzaro dream from last night:
I'm at Blackfriars station in London (UK) and trying to buy a ticket to go to Kent. I want a ticket to Kent but an open ticket on the way back so that I may return via Victoria. I place my request at the ticket window and then suddenly in the middle of my purchase the guy gets up and walks away and then 10 mins later some other chick comes back in his place.
The new chick looks like some Shanta bai* who works for Central Railway in Bombay - complete with sari and chewing paan**(eeesh) - and she proceeds to tell me that she can't do that; at least not without charging me double... perhaps even triple. Of course this makes me quite angry and confused even coz I KNOW its possible as I did it the last time I was in London. Also.... all the delay is making me late and looking at my watch I realise that I have just 20 mins to catch the very last train of the day to Kent!
So now I'm not only angry and upset...but desperate - a lethal combination for sure! I storm into the office (don't know how I get in) and DEMAND a ticket to Kent ASAP to which Shanta bai tells me she can't give me a ticket to Kent coz there's no such place! I'm about to tell her that she's a fool and I know very well that there is a Kent when I happen to look around the office.....It's a splitting image of the admin office at Xaviers (my Alma Mater) although there's a hand written sign on the wall that says "Railway Office."
No wonder I can't get a ticket to Kent - I'm in Bombay!
Now.... does this mean I'll be making a trip to India instead????
* Shanta Bai - typical disgruntle Indian government employee.
** Paan - Chewing tobacco
I'm at Blackfriars station in London (UK) and trying to buy a ticket to go to Kent. I want a ticket to Kent but an open ticket on the way back so that I may return via Victoria. I place my request at the ticket window and then suddenly in the middle of my purchase the guy gets up and walks away and then 10 mins later some other chick comes back in his place.
The new chick looks like some Shanta bai* who works for Central Railway in Bombay - complete with sari and chewing paan**(eeesh) - and she proceeds to tell me that she can't do that; at least not without charging me double... perhaps even triple. Of course this makes me quite angry and confused even coz I KNOW its possible as I did it the last time I was in London. Also.... all the delay is making me late and looking at my watch I realise that I have just 20 mins to catch the very last train of the day to Kent!
So now I'm not only angry and upset...but desperate - a lethal combination for sure! I storm into the office (don't know how I get in) and DEMAND a ticket to Kent ASAP to which Shanta bai tells me she can't give me a ticket to Kent coz there's no such place! I'm about to tell her that she's a fool and I know very well that there is a Kent when I happen to look around the office.....It's a splitting image of the admin office at Xaviers (my Alma Mater) although there's a hand written sign on the wall that says "Railway Office."
No wonder I can't get a ticket to Kent - I'm in Bombay!
Now.... does this mean I'll be making a trip to India instead????
* Shanta Bai - typical disgruntle Indian government employee.
** Paan - Chewing tobacco
Friday, August 18, 2006
Summer Antics
Today is a lovely sunny Friday in summer and instead of being out in the sun on staff day... I'm here at work! Thanks largely to my colleague who was supposed to work but who got beaned in the face with an errant fly ball last night! Ah well!
My very first year with the company we went to Wonderland for staff day and I recently found an account of what transpired that day! Looking back - it was prolly one of the first times I actually PARTIED in the T Dot!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One sunny summer's morning, passers by on a TO side street were surprised to see a large group of oddly dressed people armed with beach balls, balloons, party hats and even flag poles! Were they part of a traveling Circus that had somehow lost their tent... and perhaps even their wits? Close! It was Staff Day at the office! After checking the lists a 100 times to make sure everyone was present and accounted for... 200 employees were crammed into busses and we were off for a day of fun in the sun.
The day itself was a lot of fun.... and way too much happened for me to possibly be able to relate it all to you. The one funny story that I HAVE to mention was that we somehow persuaded our dept manager to go on one of the theme Park's wildest rides... only to have her throw up at the end! (yes, there are pictures).
All too soon we found ourselves back downtown that evening but like young Oliver Twist we wanted more! After much debate, everyone finally decided upon a dinner spot. Dinner and drinks turned into a full fledged pool tournament during which someone mentions Karaoke. And of course... we just HAVE to go for it! But where? Someone suggests Lee's Garden on Bay & Bloor.... and we all troop there. (Note: its already 10:30 pm.. and we've already finished SEVERAL rounds of beer).
Scene two (or is it three?): Lee's Garden - funny little Chinese restaurant. And I DO mean little. Several of us above 5 ft knocked our heads at the entrance! Once there, we take over 5 of the 7 tables and hijack the Karaoke machine along with the little man who attends to it. (yes he was little too). I discovered the Japanese in me that night...going up not once.. or twice.. but 4 times! I began my performance that night with a duet with the ever gallant Travis who had to support both me and the mike stand. Our very own rendition of Sony and Cher's I've got you Babe was an instant hit, catapulting us to superstardom - at least in the eyes of the Filipino group at table 3. At this point, I should perhaps mention that I had twisted my ankle the previous day and was barely able to walk let alone stand on a stage belting out numbers. The large amounts of beer was also not helping.
Little did everyone know, but Mr. Lee's Garden was equipped with some excellent surveillance devices. A fact we found out at about 1:30 am when 2 of Toronto's finest came in and asked management if everything was ok. At this point we realised that we were all damn good looking on tape.. sloshed as we were... and just as soon as the cops departed... (after a SEVERE warning not to attempt to drive, redundant as none of us had a car)...we spent a great deal of time trying to persuade the little Mr. Lee to give us a copy of the tape. Someone had the bright idea that we could sent it in to the next edition of Wanna Be a Rock Star. It would have worked if only we'd realised that Mr. Lee was really Mr. Wang.. and that he wasn't the owner.. just another patron at the restaurant.
Anyway.. that's about all I remember. There was a most hazy subway ride home.... and an excruciating pain in my ankle and head.... all of the next day - which is usually proof enough that it had been a damn good time!
The author cannot be reached for comment as she has very little factual evidence... let alone memory for most happenings that night.
My very first year with the company we went to Wonderland for staff day and I recently found an account of what transpired that day! Looking back - it was prolly one of the first times I actually PARTIED in the T Dot!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One sunny summer's morning, passers by on a TO side street were surprised to see a large group of oddly dressed people armed with beach balls, balloons, party hats and even flag poles! Were they part of a traveling Circus that had somehow lost their tent... and perhaps even their wits? Close! It was Staff Day at the office! After checking the lists a 100 times to make sure everyone was present and accounted for... 200 employees were crammed into busses and we were off for a day of fun in the sun.
The day itself was a lot of fun.... and way too much happened for me to possibly be able to relate it all to you. The one funny story that I HAVE to mention was that we somehow persuaded our dept manager to go on one of the theme Park's wildest rides... only to have her throw up at the end! (yes, there are pictures).
All too soon we found ourselves back downtown that evening but like young Oliver Twist we wanted more! After much debate, everyone finally decided upon a dinner spot. Dinner and drinks turned into a full fledged pool tournament during which someone mentions Karaoke. And of course... we just HAVE to go for it! But where? Someone suggests Lee's Garden on Bay & Bloor.... and we all troop there. (Note: its already 10:30 pm.. and we've already finished SEVERAL rounds of beer).
Scene two (or is it three?): Lee's Garden - funny little Chinese restaurant. And I DO mean little. Several of us above 5 ft knocked our heads at the entrance! Once there, we take over 5 of the 7 tables and hijack the Karaoke machine along with the little man who attends to it. (yes he was little too). I discovered the Japanese in me that night...going up not once.. or twice.. but 4 times! I began my performance that night with a duet with the ever gallant Travis who had to support both me and the mike stand. Our very own rendition of Sony and Cher's I've got you Babe was an instant hit, catapulting us to superstardom - at least in the eyes of the Filipino group at table 3. At this point, I should perhaps mention that I had twisted my ankle the previous day and was barely able to walk let alone stand on a stage belting out numbers. The large amounts of beer was also not helping.
Little did everyone know, but Mr. Lee's Garden was equipped with some excellent surveillance devices. A fact we found out at about 1:30 am when 2 of Toronto's finest came in and asked management if everything was ok. At this point we realised that we were all damn good looking on tape.. sloshed as we were... and just as soon as the cops departed... (after a SEVERE warning not to attempt to drive, redundant as none of us had a car)...we spent a great deal of time trying to persuade the little Mr. Lee to give us a copy of the tape. Someone had the bright idea that we could sent it in to the next edition of Wanna Be a Rock Star. It would have worked if only we'd realised that Mr. Lee was really Mr. Wang.. and that he wasn't the owner.. just another patron at the restaurant.
Anyway.. that's about all I remember. There was a most hazy subway ride home.... and an excruciating pain in my ankle and head.... all of the next day - which is usually proof enough that it had been a damn good time!
The author cannot be reached for comment as she has very little factual evidence... let alone memory for most happenings that night.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
A Tryst with Destiny
Yesterday, India celebrated the 59th anniversary of her Independence from over 200 years of British Rule.
And by chance, I happened upon the speech given by Jawaharlal Nehru - India's first Prime Minister - on that happy and momentous occasion. I hadn't read this speech since my high schools days when once in a moment of insanity I tried to memorize it for an elocution contest. Five hours into the task I came to my senses and switched pieces! Still, it’s a beautiful speech. Well written and most importantly - not too long. How unlike a politician to curtail his need for verbal spewage!
In his "Tryst with Destiny" speech, Nehru spoke of India being poised on the threshold of a new era finally shutting the doors on a painful chapter of her history. Although optimistic about her future, Nehru was not blind to the pressing needs of the nation - poverty and illiteracy were rampant and many of India's sons and daughters were still in state of shock over the division of her political boundaries cutting off brother from brother; mother from child.
59 years later, many of India's sons and daughters still live in abject poverty; education is but a distant dream for many; politicians and their policies - many corrupt - have played havoc with the country's bid for progress and more recently calamities both natural and man made have shook India's foundations to the core.
Still, I see a bright future for the country of my birth. The country that for 20 years I called home. Although at first glance not much seems to have changed over the past six decades, in reality India has progressed in leaps and bounds making headways in areas of industry and infrastructure; finance to fashion!
So, I wish thee India - Happy Independence Day. You the land of the ancient, the now and the ever enduring.
JAI HIND
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Some hope left in the world
Just read a story about a baby snow leopard who was rescued after last year's Pakistan earthquake and is now being sent to the Bronx Zoo. HOW cute is that little guy??
Too bad the 1000s of people left homeless and helpless after the 'quake won't have the same opportunity for a life in security and safety.
Too bad the 1000s of people left homeless and helpless after the 'quake won't have the same opportunity for a life in security and safety.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Bandra Speaks
**Disclaimer**
I would like to preface this post by stating most empatically that I did NOT write the article that follows. I wish I could lay claim to its authorship as it is by far one of the most accurate descriptions of being a Bandra-ite that I have ever found! I hope one day to find out the identity of the author and thank him for a belly full of laughter every time I read this!
For folks who live.. Or have ever lived in that delightful "Queen" of the surburbs, this will bring back fond memories. For those who are clueless (ie most readers) - Bandra is the surburb in Mumbai that I grew up in.
************************************************************************************************
I'm just a regular 'Bandra Boy' from dere only wanting to give back a little something to my favourite suburb. Someone (may have been me) once said 'You can take a person out of Bandra, but you can never take Bandra out of him'. And surprisingly, knowing how no one falls for 'profound' lines like that anymore (my favourite one being - I would if I could, but I can't so I won't), its quite true, because no matter where you are in the world, maybe even in a mall in Frankfurt and you suddenly happen to overhear 'Aaayee Gracie ...See this dress men....' Get the picture!!
Which brings me to the sweet, melodic and ungrammatical feature of Bandra and my ultimate favourite spice of Bandra - The Bandra Mac Accent (with no reference to a certain fast food chain organisation). No matter how much RJ's, VJ's, TV presenters or stand up comedians try to impersonate it, they can never get exactly right because you have got to live in it to, to get it totally accurate, it has to come from the (h)eart ... (Bit like the Scottish accent).
So let me give you a few basic ground rules so that the next time you are shopping in Bandra you can blend in perfectly.
* Always use 'D' for Th.
* Never use 'H' anywhere, they are always silent
* Using 'What' even if there's no question asked.
* Using a Hindi Verb with an English ending
* Using words twice to emphasise your point.
* Just like the Americans use 'man' in their slang, only we use 'men'.
* Just like the Americans use 'like' in their slang, we use 'no'
Correct use of the above grammatical rules will result in masterpieces like:
* 'Ow you men Larry? (Situation: Meeting Larry on Saturday morning in the bazaar)
* 'She was giving me dis dis small pomflits (while showing the size of her palm) for bledy 50 rupees men' (Situation: Larry's wife explaining her adventures in the bazaar, later that day)
* "Aarre, Dat bledy Sandy no, yesterday he lagao-ed solid whisky for the communion party" (Situation: The retired men from the village talking at the local Irani joint during the Sunday morning mass sermon)
* 'You don't have any sense what riding the cycal so fast' (Situation: Spinster aunty yelling to a schoolboy on Chapel Road)
* Cun, Men Savio, Put tru men, put tru (Situation: Classic line heard at Supari talao during a football match, asking Savio to bend the ball like Beckham)
* "Aarre see dere men, dere, arre left men, see dere men, arre big bugger men dere' (Situation: Boys stealing mangoes in the afternoon in May)
* Aaaye, what men basket, why you are saying anyting aboud my mudder and fadder, I call boys now...' (Situation: Often heard after a Saturday nite binge)
* (H)ail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou ... ..Norma, just see whether the back door is latched ...... amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus .......it's closed ?.... ok .....Holy Mary...... (Situation: Family rosary at the Pereiras)
* You know, Theresa, dat day I took little ginger garlic, little onion, so much so much masala dat I ground, put chicken and the curry came good men...' (Situation: Swapping recipes while standing and gossiping at the junction with the black bag of groceries at their feet)
* Dat day no, solid rain came no so I made nice hot hot soup and we had with the khadk gutli which Peter brought... (Situation: Housewives talking at the Cross Feast party)
One of the most common ways of gossiping among the older generation is done in a very six degrees of separation - ish kind of way, in which a person maybe linked up with anyone from the owner of Johnny's Cold Storage at Pork Market Junction to the Cardinal. Ok here goes... another example of conversation.
"Do you know Joe's son Eric is getting married to Diana? - Who, Die-na, men? - Aaree, Diana men, Alfie's and Maggie's daughter... - Who, Alfie men? - Alfie men from dere, Remember, when they were small they used to stay near Brian's house on Chapel road, near the bakery men...He married that girl Maggie from Shirley village. - Who Maggie, Mary's daughter? - No. Annie's sister, Joannie's daughter. You know Annie no, her son Clyde was married to Hazel and they were living for donkeys years in the Gulf, then after Clyde had his stroke, he retired and they settled down here. Their son is dat Leslie he was an engineer very very smart boy now all dat drinking has ruined him. - Yes, yes I know he was married to that nice girl Corina from Chimbai, but then after she had her miscarriage, all his drinking and all started ... and they got divorced... ...and in this way it keeps on going on and on , talking about everyone they know and not going back to poor ol' Joe.
(This account has been purely fictional, any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental)
Walking through any village in Bandra on a Sunday afternoon and seeing the men sitting out in their balconies with their whisky or gin, country music playing from his music system which he brought down from the Gulf enjoying a quiet weekend before the hectic Monday and after a hectic party on Saturday night. You can hear the pressure cookers steaming with their pea pulao and smell the tinge of Lonvas curry floating though the air while the mixture of coconut milk and bottle masala bubbles violently under the aluminium lids of the vessels. The watery orange concentrate drinks in a plastic cup and the hot steaming boiled chick peas given to you after the rosary at the local village cross while the aunties ask mothers what their son is doing in life and discuss their children's lives. The rush of crowd at the cold storage and the bakery closest to the church after Sunday morning mass. The rush of men to the Irani restaurant closest to the church as soon the Sunday mass sermon begins for a chai and a smoke. The husbands in short pants, a striped T-shirt, cap and sunglasses on their scooters with their wives on the backseat also in short pants and a old blouse going to do their weekly shopping in the bazaar on a Saturday morning often stopping in the middle of the lane to have a quick chat with other couples on their scooter going the other way.
Sometimes when you are asleep in the wee hours of the morning just after a late night binge with the boys, the phone starts to ring at 6:30 in the morning, you pick it up and there is an old lady on the other side of the line telling you "Son, just tell your Grandma, that Aunty Mathilda passed away", so in your best hangover voice you sweetly say goodbye and go on the pass on the message to your grandmother who is already up and saying the rosary for world peace and then you realise, that your grandmother doesn't even know who Bloody Aunty Mathilda (may her soul rest in peace) is.... so you made that brutal effort to get out off bed for nothing, then your mother comes in and your grandmother asks her , "Who is Mathilda" .... and she says... "Aarree you don't know Mathilda .....Anthony's sister in law..?"..... Oh Jeez .... here we go again.
I would like to preface this post by stating most empatically that I did NOT write the article that follows. I wish I could lay claim to its authorship as it is by far one of the most accurate descriptions of being a Bandra-ite that I have ever found! I hope one day to find out the identity of the author and thank him for a belly full of laughter every time I read this!
For folks who live.. Or have ever lived in that delightful "Queen" of the surburbs, this will bring back fond memories. For those who are clueless (ie most readers) - Bandra is the surburb in Mumbai that I grew up in.
************************************************************************************************
I'm just a regular 'Bandra Boy' from dere only wanting to give back a little something to my favourite suburb. Someone (may have been me) once said 'You can take a person out of Bandra, but you can never take Bandra out of him'. And surprisingly, knowing how no one falls for 'profound' lines like that anymore (my favourite one being - I would if I could, but I can't so I won't), its quite true, because no matter where you are in the world, maybe even in a mall in Frankfurt and you suddenly happen to overhear 'Aaayee Gracie ...See this dress men....' Get the picture!!
Which brings me to the sweet, melodic and ungrammatical feature of Bandra and my ultimate favourite spice of Bandra - The Bandra Mac Accent (with no reference to a certain fast food chain organisation). No matter how much RJ's, VJ's, TV presenters or stand up comedians try to impersonate it, they can never get exactly right because you have got to live in it to, to get it totally accurate, it has to come from the (h)eart ... (Bit like the Scottish accent).
So let me give you a few basic ground rules so that the next time you are shopping in Bandra you can blend in perfectly.
* Always use 'D' for Th.
* Never use 'H' anywhere, they are always silent
* Using 'What' even if there's no question asked.
* Using a Hindi Verb with an English ending
* Using words twice to emphasise your point.
* Just like the Americans use 'man' in their slang, only we use 'men'.
* Just like the Americans use 'like' in their slang, we use 'no'
Correct use of the above grammatical rules will result in masterpieces like:
* 'Ow you men Larry? (Situation: Meeting Larry on Saturday morning in the bazaar)
* 'She was giving me dis dis small pomflits (while showing the size of her palm) for bledy 50 rupees men' (Situation: Larry's wife explaining her adventures in the bazaar, later that day)
* "Aarre, Dat bledy Sandy no, yesterday he lagao-ed solid whisky for the communion party" (Situation: The retired men from the village talking at the local Irani joint during the Sunday morning mass sermon)
* 'You don't have any sense what riding the cycal so fast' (Situation: Spinster aunty yelling to a schoolboy on Chapel Road)
* Cun, Men Savio, Put tru men, put tru (Situation: Classic line heard at Supari talao during a football match, asking Savio to bend the ball like Beckham)
* "Aarre see dere men, dere, arre left men, see dere men, arre big bugger men dere' (Situation: Boys stealing mangoes in the afternoon in May)
* Aaaye, what men basket, why you are saying anyting aboud my mudder and fadder, I call boys now...' (Situation: Often heard after a Saturday nite binge)
* (H)ail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou ... ..Norma, just see whether the back door is latched ...... amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus .......it's closed ?.... ok .....Holy Mary...... (Situation: Family rosary at the Pereiras)
* You know, Theresa, dat day I took little ginger garlic, little onion, so much so much masala dat I ground, put chicken and the curry came good men...' (Situation: Swapping recipes while standing and gossiping at the junction with the black bag of groceries at their feet)
* Dat day no, solid rain came no so I made nice hot hot soup and we had with the khadk gutli which Peter brought... (Situation: Housewives talking at the Cross Feast party)
One of the most common ways of gossiping among the older generation is done in a very six degrees of separation - ish kind of way, in which a person maybe linked up with anyone from the owner of Johnny's Cold Storage at Pork Market Junction to the Cardinal. Ok here goes... another example of conversation.
"Do you know Joe's son Eric is getting married to Diana? - Who, Die-na, men? - Aaree, Diana men, Alfie's and Maggie's daughter... - Who, Alfie men? - Alfie men from dere, Remember, when they were small they used to stay near Brian's house on Chapel road, near the bakery men...He married that girl Maggie from Shirley village. - Who Maggie, Mary's daughter? - No. Annie's sister, Joannie's daughter. You know Annie no, her son Clyde was married to Hazel and they were living for donkeys years in the Gulf, then after Clyde had his stroke, he retired and they settled down here. Their son is dat Leslie he was an engineer very very smart boy now all dat drinking has ruined him. - Yes, yes I know he was married to that nice girl Corina from Chimbai, but then after she had her miscarriage, all his drinking and all started ... and they got divorced... ...and in this way it keeps on going on and on , talking about everyone they know and not going back to poor ol' Joe.
(This account has been purely fictional, any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental)
Walking through any village in Bandra on a Sunday afternoon and seeing the men sitting out in their balconies with their whisky or gin, country music playing from his music system which he brought down from the Gulf enjoying a quiet weekend before the hectic Monday and after a hectic party on Saturday night. You can hear the pressure cookers steaming with their pea pulao and smell the tinge of Lonvas curry floating though the air while the mixture of coconut milk and bottle masala bubbles violently under the aluminium lids of the vessels. The watery orange concentrate drinks in a plastic cup and the hot steaming boiled chick peas given to you after the rosary at the local village cross while the aunties ask mothers what their son is doing in life and discuss their children's lives. The rush of crowd at the cold storage and the bakery closest to the church after Sunday morning mass. The rush of men to the Irani restaurant closest to the church as soon the Sunday mass sermon begins for a chai and a smoke. The husbands in short pants, a striped T-shirt, cap and sunglasses on their scooters with their wives on the backseat also in short pants and a old blouse going to do their weekly shopping in the bazaar on a Saturday morning often stopping in the middle of the lane to have a quick chat with other couples on their scooter going the other way.
Sometimes when you are asleep in the wee hours of the morning just after a late night binge with the boys, the phone starts to ring at 6:30 in the morning, you pick it up and there is an old lady on the other side of the line telling you "Son, just tell your Grandma, that Aunty Mathilda passed away", so in your best hangover voice you sweetly say goodbye and go on the pass on the message to your grandmother who is already up and saying the rosary for world peace and then you realise, that your grandmother doesn't even know who Bloody Aunty Mathilda (may her soul rest in peace) is.... so you made that brutal effort to get out off bed for nothing, then your mother comes in and your grandmother asks her , "Who is Mathilda" .... and she says... "Aarree you don't know Mathilda .....Anthony's sister in law..?"..... Oh Jeez .... here we go again.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
The Morning Commute
When riding the subway in to work this morning, a man sat down across from me.
A man who looked like he had stepped right off the pages of a travel book or the Lonely Planet calendar. He didn't belong on a subway bound for downtown TO. He should be been sitting on a sunny bench outside a little shop, on a busy bazaar street somewhere in a little town in northern Africa. Tunisia perhaps.
Only he could have pulled off the ensemble he was wearing - khaki pants, a blue striped shirt, faded green vest and red cap. A Muslim prayer cap. It was his unusual ensemble that first caught my attention, but then I looked closer and saw his face… and then his eyes.
They were old eyes. Tired eyes. Eyes that saw without seeing - looked without looking. Eyes that had probably seen long years of hardships and suffering - perhaps still did.
He sat very still throughout the ride and stared past me into nothingness. Was he thinking about his past, his home country… so many miles away? Or was he merely lost in the early morning haze that most commuters envelop themselves?
My stop arrived and I stood up in preparation. Just as I stepped towards the door, he looked up and our eyes met. I smiled. He smiled back.
And then I saw what I had not seen before. His eyes - be they old and tired, were also wise and kind. And when he smiled at me, his whole appearance changed. He was no longer an old forgotten man on the subway. He was now someone's dad, someone's granddad and once, perhaps still someone's great love.
I stepped off the train surprisingly awake and alive! I think my day is going to be a good one!
A man who looked like he had stepped right off the pages of a travel book or the Lonely Planet calendar. He didn't belong on a subway bound for downtown TO. He should be been sitting on a sunny bench outside a little shop, on a busy bazaar street somewhere in a little town in northern Africa. Tunisia perhaps.
Only he could have pulled off the ensemble he was wearing - khaki pants, a blue striped shirt, faded green vest and red cap. A Muslim prayer cap. It was his unusual ensemble that first caught my attention, but then I looked closer and saw his face… and then his eyes.
They were old eyes. Tired eyes. Eyes that saw without seeing - looked without looking. Eyes that had probably seen long years of hardships and suffering - perhaps still did.
He sat very still throughout the ride and stared past me into nothingness. Was he thinking about his past, his home country… so many miles away? Or was he merely lost in the early morning haze that most commuters envelop themselves?
My stop arrived and I stood up in preparation. Just as I stepped towards the door, he looked up and our eyes met. I smiled. He smiled back.
And then I saw what I had not seen before. His eyes - be they old and tired, were also wise and kind. And when he smiled at me, his whole appearance changed. He was no longer an old forgotten man on the subway. He was now someone's dad, someone's granddad and once, perhaps still someone's great love.
I stepped off the train surprisingly awake and alive! I think my day is going to be a good one!
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Must Reads....
I've been reading books for more than 22 years.
It all started one day when I was potty training when my mum - in an attempt to keep me from running off - gave me a book... and I was hooked. In fact till today I cannot go potty without reading material. It’s a curse really!
Thanks to my mum's early efforts, I've had the pleasure of calling myself an "avid reader" and have let my imagination wander into all sorts of wonderful places and have met and loved all sorts of interesting characters. To pick from the literally 1000s of books I've read seems to be a near impossible task. But I will try to narrow down my top 20 picks. They are not ordered in preference coz that would be like choosing 'tween your kids. And everyone knows you're not supposed to have favourites! Some are listed by author as I cannot possible pick of their works - others are random selections of books I (sometimes) randomly picked up… and never quite put back down!
Here goes…
1. Hugh Lofting - The Dr. Dolittle Series
2. E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, The Wouldbegoods etc.
3. L. M. Montgomery - The Anne of Green Gables series, A Tangled Web
4. Homer - The Odyssey
5. Christopher Moore - Lamb, Fluke
6. Jules Verne - Around the World in 80 Days
7. Atonement - Ian McEwan
8. Agatha Christie - And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express
9. Enid Blyton - The Faraway Tree series and too many more to mention!
10. Louisa M. Alcott - Little Women
11. Rohinton Mistry - Such a Long Journey
12. L. Frank Baum - The Oz books
13. Susan Coolidge - What Katy Did
14. Roald Dhal - Danny the Champion of the World, The BFG
15. Anita Rau Badami - A Hero's Walk
16. Bapsi Sidhwa - Cracking India
17. Stuart McLean - Vinyl Café Series
18. Gregory Maguire - Wicked
19. Suzanna Kaysen - The Camera my Mother gave Me
20. Jane Austin - Pride & Prejudice
It all started one day when I was potty training when my mum - in an attempt to keep me from running off - gave me a book... and I was hooked. In fact till today I cannot go potty without reading material. It’s a curse really!
Thanks to my mum's early efforts, I've had the pleasure of calling myself an "avid reader" and have let my imagination wander into all sorts of wonderful places and have met and loved all sorts of interesting characters. To pick from the literally 1000s of books I've read seems to be a near impossible task. But I will try to narrow down my top 20 picks. They are not ordered in preference coz that would be like choosing 'tween your kids. And everyone knows you're not supposed to have favourites! Some are listed by author as I cannot possible pick of their works - others are random selections of books I (sometimes) randomly picked up… and never quite put back down!
Here goes…
1. Hugh Lofting - The Dr. Dolittle Series
2. E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, The Wouldbegoods etc.
3. L. M. Montgomery - The Anne of Green Gables series, A Tangled Web
4. Homer - The Odyssey
5. Christopher Moore - Lamb, Fluke
6. Jules Verne - Around the World in 80 Days
7. Atonement - Ian McEwan
8. Agatha Christie - And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express
9. Enid Blyton - The Faraway Tree series and too many more to mention!
10. Louisa M. Alcott - Little Women
11. Rohinton Mistry - Such a Long Journey
12. L. Frank Baum - The Oz books
13. Susan Coolidge - What Katy Did
14. Roald Dhal - Danny the Champion of the World, The BFG
15. Anita Rau Badami - A Hero's Walk
16. Bapsi Sidhwa - Cracking India
17. Stuart McLean - Vinyl Café Series
18. Gregory Maguire - Wicked
19. Suzanna Kaysen - The Camera my Mother gave Me
20. Jane Austin - Pride & Prejudice
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Intervention please!
Help!
I just discovered the Double Day Book Club and I've spent an extraordinary amount of money online!!! Almost as bad as the time I went in to BMV to "browse" and then left with 32 - count 'em - 32 books! Books really ARE my weak point - but I figure I spend very little on clothes and little or nothing on anything else personal - so why not pamper myself with books?
It is my dream to one day own:
ALL of the Agatha Christie books
ALL of the Enid Blyton mystery series.
But for right now, this latest purchase is going to make my mum REALLY mad as she expressly forbade me to buy any more books until after we moved!
Oh well… its not like she can ground me or take away TV rights. Even so, I'll just pretend like I bought these BEFORE her edict!
I just discovered the Double Day Book Club and I've spent an extraordinary amount of money online!!! Almost as bad as the time I went in to BMV to "browse" and then left with 32 - count 'em - 32 books! Books really ARE my weak point - but I figure I spend very little on clothes and little or nothing on anything else personal - so why not pamper myself with books?
It is my dream to one day own:
ALL of the Agatha Christie books
ALL of the Enid Blyton mystery series.
But for right now, this latest purchase is going to make my mum REALLY mad as she expressly forbade me to buy any more books until after we moved!
Oh well… its not like she can ground me or take away TV rights. Even so, I'll just pretend like I bought these BEFORE her edict!
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Thanks for the Memories!
My grandfather turns 93 today.
In honour of his life (and what a life it has been) here are some of my best memories of growing up with him and my grandmother. 60 years of marriage, 6 children, 11 grandchildren and scores of years later their story has inspired so many.
My earliest memories of my grandparents (who I call Nana and Papa) include those of spending nights at their house, which for all practical purposes was my home-away-from-home! It was the most exciting thing for me to pack up my little bag with my toothbrush and PJs and head on over to 34 Prof. Almeida Rd where they live. The actual sleep part of the sleepover wasn’t all that much fun. For one thing, in spite of the abundance of beds, couches and plain old floor space in the house, I was always squished between Nana and Papa in their bed. That compounded by the fact that the fan was set to “slow” (even in summer) causing the mozzies to feast on my little legs, that Nana used a wool blanket (which I’m allergic to) and that Papa occasionally went “hrrrrumph” very loudly in his sleep… some times the night seemed never ending! Still, after plenty of tossing and turning … I eventually would fall asleep in some crazy position! Honestly, I’ll take the fact that they kept saying “yes” to sleepovers as an affirmation of their unconditional love. Only dotting grandparents would put up with a wriggling, squirming (not to mention) kicking being disturbing their precious sleep!
As we got older, sleepovers got a little more exciting as sometimes my cousins would also be there. On weekend, we were allowed to stay up a little later than usual to watch a movie, often one of the family videos like Annie, Swiss Family Robinson and our favourite – The Sound of Music. Sometimes, rarely, Papa would join us and then we’d end up watching one of his favourites – The Song of Bernadette or Miracle of the Sun.
Prayer has always been foremost in the Mendonca house, but at certain time of crisis - such as major exams- Nana and Papa go into novena overdrive! I remember back when I was about to appear for my SSC exams, Nana mentioned to me that all would be well coz she was making a novena to St. Jude in my name. Now usually Nana is all about the Sacred Heart novenas, so I was touched that she’d say a special novena just for me. It was only later that I found out that St. Jude is the Patron Saint of Hopeless Cases! Still, I passed with flying colours so it was obvious Nana knew what she was doing! ;)
The evening rosary has been a long time tradition in the Mendonca house. I remember clearly one incident when I was very young; 4, perhaps even 3 years old and I was sitting between Nana and Papa on the couch. We had got to the litany when suddenly, to the surprise of everyone, Papa started laughing! As everyone turned to him in shock – for of all people, Papa was one to take prayer VERY seriously – he explained that he had just heard my replies to the litany. Apparently instead of “Pray for Us” I had been blissfully answering “Wafers”!!
I could go on and on about my “ Nana - Papa stories”. I have so many memories of life with Nana and Papa that sorting through those to highlight just a few proved to be a daunting task. Nana and Papa are pretty much everything to me. They’ve been an integral part of my life since before I can even remember, and even these past 4 years, the miles that physically separate us have not dimmed our relationship. And although I hope they know just how I feel, this is the perfect opportunity to actually say “Thank You” – for everything; for just being you!
In honour of his life (and what a life it has been) here are some of my best memories of growing up with him and my grandmother. 60 years of marriage, 6 children, 11 grandchildren and scores of years later their story has inspired so many.
My earliest memories of my grandparents (who I call Nana and Papa) include those of spending nights at their house, which for all practical purposes was my home-away-from-home! It was the most exciting thing for me to pack up my little bag with my toothbrush and PJs and head on over to 34 Prof. Almeida Rd where they live. The actual sleep part of the sleepover wasn’t all that much fun. For one thing, in spite of the abundance of beds, couches and plain old floor space in the house, I was always squished between Nana and Papa in their bed. That compounded by the fact that the fan was set to “slow” (even in summer) causing the mozzies to feast on my little legs, that Nana used a wool blanket (which I’m allergic to) and that Papa occasionally went “hrrrrumph” very loudly in his sleep… some times the night seemed never ending! Still, after plenty of tossing and turning … I eventually would fall asleep in some crazy position! Honestly, I’ll take the fact that they kept saying “yes” to sleepovers as an affirmation of their unconditional love. Only dotting grandparents would put up with a wriggling, squirming (not to mention) kicking being disturbing their precious sleep!
As we got older, sleepovers got a little more exciting as sometimes my cousins would also be there. On weekend, we were allowed to stay up a little later than usual to watch a movie, often one of the family videos like Annie, Swiss Family Robinson and our favourite – The Sound of Music. Sometimes, rarely, Papa would join us and then we’d end up watching one of his favourites – The Song of Bernadette or Miracle of the Sun.
Prayer has always been foremost in the Mendonca house, but at certain time of crisis - such as major exams- Nana and Papa go into novena overdrive! I remember back when I was about to appear for my SSC exams, Nana mentioned to me that all would be well coz she was making a novena to St. Jude in my name. Now usually Nana is all about the Sacred Heart novenas, so I was touched that she’d say a special novena just for me. It was only later that I found out that St. Jude is the Patron Saint of Hopeless Cases! Still, I passed with flying colours so it was obvious Nana knew what she was doing! ;)
The evening rosary has been a long time tradition in the Mendonca house. I remember clearly one incident when I was very young; 4, perhaps even 3 years old and I was sitting between Nana and Papa on the couch. We had got to the litany when suddenly, to the surprise of everyone, Papa started laughing! As everyone turned to him in shock – for of all people, Papa was one to take prayer VERY seriously – he explained that he had just heard my replies to the litany. Apparently instead of “Pray for Us” I had been blissfully answering “Wafers”!!
I could go on and on about my “ Nana - Papa stories”. I have so many memories of life with Nana and Papa that sorting through those to highlight just a few proved to be a daunting task. Nana and Papa are pretty much everything to me. They’ve been an integral part of my life since before I can even remember, and even these past 4 years, the miles that physically separate us have not dimmed our relationship. And although I hope they know just how I feel, this is the perfect opportunity to actually say “Thank You” – for everything; for just being you!
Friday, June 23, 2006
Amazing Grace
My friend's dad passed away last week.
Somehow, its not really a sad event. Not that his dad was a bad guy or anything like that…. Just that he had been terribly ill for a while and it was an actual relief to know that he was finally at peace.
My friend seems to be taking his dad's death pretty well. But then again he is a strong person - not like me. I'd prolly crumble and shrivel up in the same situation. Only once before has a person's death really mattered to me. But even then I think I was too young and too far removed from the event for it to truly effect me.
But I know that soon will come a time when death will invade my little bubble of a life and force me to deal with its harsh reality. Every day now I wake up and am thankful that I have one more day with my grandparents. At 93 and 83 … both my grandpa and grandma have enjoyed a long and full life - a fact chronicled by a recent family project that outlined 60 years of their married life. And I have been lucky enough to enjoy their company for 20 wonderful years. But let's be realistic here… they're not likely to live much longer and when their time comes, I wonder if I will have the courage and grace to face death with the same downright ballzy courage of my friend.
Somehow, its not really a sad event. Not that his dad was a bad guy or anything like that…. Just that he had been terribly ill for a while and it was an actual relief to know that he was finally at peace.
My friend seems to be taking his dad's death pretty well. But then again he is a strong person - not like me. I'd prolly crumble and shrivel up in the same situation. Only once before has a person's death really mattered to me. But even then I think I was too young and too far removed from the event for it to truly effect me.
But I know that soon will come a time when death will invade my little bubble of a life and force me to deal with its harsh reality. Every day now I wake up and am thankful that I have one more day with my grandparents. At 93 and 83 … both my grandpa and grandma have enjoyed a long and full life - a fact chronicled by a recent family project that outlined 60 years of their married life. And I have been lucky enough to enjoy their company for 20 wonderful years. But let's be realistic here… they're not likely to live much longer and when their time comes, I wonder if I will have the courage and grace to face death with the same downright ballzy courage of my friend.
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