Love me,Love my Dog

This, is the apple of my eye, the light of my life, my pride and joy! He's a daschund, six years old and his name, is Nugget. He's the cutest thing on earth (along with Brad Pitt), and only a little less bright thatn he is cute.(Even with canines beauty and brains don't go together); at any rate he does know enough to hide under the bed when "bath" or "vet" is mentioned. He's the first person into the car when we go out...and the first one into the house when we come back.



He protects us from all manner of things:lizards, black ants, rats and dirty socks. Cats are beneath his notice, and they make their homes and have their kittens quite happily in our store room. After an unfortunate altercation with a full grown dobberman at the tender age of 6 months, his sparring with other dogs is confined to being purely verbal; from the safe confines of the house, and the car with all the windows rolled up.


He's a pure vegetarian( you know, with all the non-violence and the vegetarianism, I think he's going to be a true example of Gandhianism). He eats rice with curd and a little sambar on top, or Chappattti's with Dal. He needs to be properly served though. One person to put the bowl out, and tell him what a good, fine dog he is; and another to roll the rice into little balls or tear the Chappatti's into little pieces, and feed them to him one by one.(That's one spoilt dog!)
















For a dog who's parentage is from the US and who's ancestry goes back to Germany, this is one dog who just loves the Chennai weather. He hates the "cold winter" or the rains(won't step out and get his li'l paws dirty), he likes it hot and hotter!

He's a great companion, his soulfull big eyes seem to understand perfectly when you're down. He never talks back, never gives unnecessary advice, he's always ready for a good time...he would have made a great human being!

Nothing Endures but Change

I saw a blog by someone else, I can't remember where now, it was a strong objection to the idea of Change being the only thing permanent in life. It surprised me at that point actually that anyone could feel that way, and even more surprisingly protest against change.

Change is after all the cornerstone of life, of existance, of being. From the time something changed in the primodeal state of the pre-universe leading to the Big Bang, there have been changes, many of them violent and destructive which have finally brought us here.

I don't speak of change simply interms of natural ones either, but there are the ones that we as society bring about that are ineveitable. They may be gradual, indeed I believe that it is the ones that are gradual that last. Wars do little to change the human condition. Look at Iraq now for instance, Instead of living under a native dictator, they have practically been colonised by a greater power. But the situation of the common people remains the same. That change will only come with time, as the people themselves fight for their rights and for true democracy.

Change is inevitable, as life isn't fair to everyone all at once; those who are the underdogs today, will fight to be on top tomorrow. There is no point in bewailing these changes.The only difference that you can make is by changing your attitude to adapt to the change. Change after all, is better than stagnation; a stagnant society will quickly find itself overwhelmed.

Not all change may be good, though you may assume that someone is getting some good out of it somewhere. But that is no reason to to fear chage. Indeed, I fear the opposite, unchangingness- for the simple reason, that that which is unchanging, must be so for all eternity, and eternity is not something I can even begin to fathom.

It has been said, that "the more things change the more they stay the same". That kind of reminds me of a fractal: those geometrical shapes which look the same in their most basic structure as they do magnified.

This may be true, but in that case the perception of change is important. For a poor man who becomes rich, there may be a rich man who became poor, thus balancing things out overall...or as we improve our standards of living, the poverty line may simply be raised, leaving the same number of people beneath it and so on....but the fact is change has taken place, and there is no stoppin it!

My Culinary Experiences

As I'm not going to be at home for much longer, I thought it best to learn how to cook. I've been told I can make a decent cup of tea(just as well, as I can't live without it), and a few other simple things.

But unless I want my palate to die, I figured I better learn to make some more interesting dishes. Stuff I'd actually like to eat, as opposed to stuff I'd have to force down my throat day after day. So I went for a bunch of cooking lessons and learnt a whole lot of rather exotic dishes: Panneer Butter Masala, and Aalu Tikki and so on...stuff to make you drool, but not really practical to make every day.

So now I'm learning under the aegis of the true expert- my Mom. Mother after all, knows best. We do have rows about what I want to learn and what she wants me to learn...but these are normal and associated with every experience of mine, and I would be quite worried and put out if they didn't take place. Most of them are over Spinach, which I loathe, detest and despise, and find very hard to believe that it goes into one of my favourote dishes- Lasagna. Spinach unfortunately is easy to make and can be made in a variety of ways, and on top of that, It has "great nutritional value"(Why is it that the veggies you hate have the greatest nutriotional value;you never hear anyone talking about how good potato is for health!)

Anyway, now I'm a bit more proficient- so far everything's been edible and I haven't blown the kitchen up, or burnt the milk; and I decided to make a list of veggies I like to eat, and which are easy to cook(slave of my tongue and lazy to boot)- shortens the list of things to learn considerably, doesn't it? Anyway, I noticed something odd about a lot of the Veggies we take for granted these days.

Take potatoes for example(po-tah-toes if you like). They're not native to India- They're from half way across the world- Peru as a mater of fact. So are tomatoes(To-mah-toes anyone?) Lady's fingers(or okra if you prefer) are from Africa.Carrots originated in Afghanistan(though they may have found their way into India along with the Mughals),Peas in the Middle East,Pumpkin, the staple requirement of Morukozhambu and kootu, is from Europe and North America.I am glad I wasn't born a few hundred years ago...life without fried Aloo, Muttar Panneer, Bhindi Sabji, Tomato Rasam... makes me shudder to think of it!We had a lot of spices...but man can't live on spice alone!

As a matter of fact, we would have had to live on a several gourds(yucky ,squishy stuff) and yams( all high carb)...sounds like a very primitive existance...We have a lot to be thankful for these days. Every taste can be catered to, with things as exotic as olives being imported in. Only...I still have to learn to make them....

A Shopaholics Day out

I wouldn't normally describe myself as a shopaholic; usually I'm a sane person when faced with temptation, perfectly able able to maintain my composure in the presence of the varieties of colours and textures provided by our shops. I prided myself on my restraint, in fact I would even describe myself as having shoppingophobia. It used to be perfectly safe to allow me into a shop, with or without a heavy purse, I would come out, the pursestrings as tight as ever(well,except maybe in a bookstore...but that doesn't count here.) Actually the shopping that I did was mostly of the window shopping kind.

Today, my eyes were opened wide to the fact that such days maybe long gone. It would take a better person than I am to resist the Aadi Maasam end of season Sale. Indeed that perfidious word "SALE" written in bold letters, all over the doors, windows, the pillars and the posts, acts as a sort of optical drug, ensnaring the mind and bewitching the senses, a sort of irresistable siren call, inviting you to loosen your grip on your money.You would have to wear blinkers on either side of your head to avoid temptation.

Unfortunately I am a red-blooded female, and to ask me not to be tempted is like asking the eath to stop spinning; this may be what Eve felt upon seeing the Apple..."To hell with the price...I must have it!"And the women of today have competition to contend with as we do...Eve didn't have to worry about the apple not being there if she didn't eat it today you know, whereas if you leave a nice dress or bag or shoes or...whatever at the store, there is no saying that the woman behind you(that one with the greedy eyes and covetous hands) ,won't buy it before you come back tomorrow.

And all that is enough to make me brave the like minded masses that turn up in every shop I go, driven apparenly by the same desperation. And not just women either, there are men children, and some beings you might be forgiven for thinking came from outer space. And it isn't limited to clothes. Nothing is sacred anymore...there are sales of jewellery, shoes, sports stuff, books, cars, computers...anything that can be sold.

And now that my purse is so much lighter and my arms ache from carring bags of stuff...I do hope I won't live to regret my extravagance in the light of the morning sun.

A few of Murphy's Laws (and other similar things)

1.If everything seems to be going well, you obviously don't know what the hell is going on.

2.The probability of anything happening is inversely proportional to its desirability.

3.You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can make a fool of yourself anytime.

4.Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers.

5.It's only illegal if you get caught..

6.There are only two sentences you need to remember to survive in life:

• I have no recollection of the events in question.
• The cat did it.

7.Be brave. Even if you're not, pretend to be. No one will know the difference

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8.Logic is a systematic method of coming to the wrong conclusion with confidence.

9.Murphy's Laws do not apply to those people who deserve it.

10.Whichever of Murphy's Laws you expect to assert itself will not.

Raven's Law of Double-Negation

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11.No one gets too old to learn a new way of being stupid.

12If at first you don't succeed, give up. No use being a damn fool.
If at first you do succeed, try not to look astonished.

13If you thought yesterday was bad, wait till you see what happens today.

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Macavity the Mystery Cat

After reading Deepti's post on Ogden Nash, I was inspired to blog my own favorite humourous poem: Macavity, the Mystery Cat by T.S.Elliot. It was one of the songs in the play CATS by AndrewLloyd Webber as well.

Macavity's a Mystery Cat: he's called the Hidden Paw -
For he's the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad's despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime - Macavity's not there!

Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,
He's broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime - Macavity's not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air -
But I tell you once and once again, Macavity's not there!

Mcavity's a ginger cat, he's very tall and thin;
You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in.
His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed;
His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed.
He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake;
And when you think he's half asleep, he's always wide awake.

Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,
For he's a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square -
But when a crime's discovered, then Macavity's not there!

He's outwardly respectable. (They say he cheats at cards.)
And his footprints are not found in any file of Scotland Yard's.
And when the larder's looted, or the jewel-case is rifled,
Or when the milk is missing, or another Peke's been stifled,
Or the greenhouse glass is broken, and the trellis past repair -
Ay, there's the wonder of the thing! Macavity's not there!

And when the Foreign Office find a Treaty's gone astray,
Or the Admiralty lose some plans and drawings by the way,
There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair -
But it's useless to investigate - Mcavity's not there!
And when the loss has been disclosed, the Secret Service say:
`It must have been Macavity!' - but he's a mile away.
You'll be sure to find him resting, or a-licking of his thumbs,
Or engaged in doing complicated long-division sums.

Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,
There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.
He always has an alibi, and one or two to spaer:
At whatever time the deed took place - MACAVITY WASN'T THERE!
And they say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known
(I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone)
Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time
Just controls their operations: the Napoleon of Crime!

Who thought that Economics and History could be so Interesting?

As one who dreaded the social exam, and avoided History-Geography-Economics-Civics textbooks like plague, I never thought I'd find myself reading a book on Economics with anything approaching interest, especially after trying "The Wealth of Nations " by Adam Smith, to fulfill a perceived intellectual lacking, and plodding through after about 50 pages before giving up utterly.

"Freakonomics" though is nothing like your average, dry , boring textbook. Its actually rather interesting... though if your looking for a solution to deep and profound questions like an answer to Thirld World poverty, or ways of closing the income gap betwwen the rich and poor, you may want to look elsewhere. It asks a lot of interesting questions though and disproves many notions that people take for granted... it doesn't provide too many answers though... vindicates the "Butterfy effect" perhaps... that the strangest events have a completely unexpected effect somewhere else.

The other book that proved to be an unexpectedly good read was Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Almost Everything" ... or maybe that isn't that surprising. Parts of it are not unlike Stehen Hawking's 'A Brief History of Time" (Even the titles are simiar' ... but its been written with a really nice sense of humour... and its not so much an explanation of why things are the way they are... but how we found out that they are the way they are... and don't let "History" scare you off... its more like a History of Science really. It takes us up close and personal with the lives and eccentricities of the great ( and not so great) men whose work led us knowing what we do about the world ... humanizing them , giving you the feeling that the author actually knew them... and it also mentions several unsung heroes of Science ... those whose work had been plagiarised or attributed to someone else... or who had simply been forgotten until the world was ready for their ideas.

Sudoku

This is supposed to be the wave sweeping the country (maybe the whole world?)...at any rate its got me hooked. I discoverd it about 2 months back on the back page of "The Hindu" and glared at the intellectual looking thing that was encroaching on the "fun page" (that's what the last page is -random titbits that are so much more interesting to read than the dull, dreary and depressing main headlines.

I tried it out of sheer boredom...and it rapidly wormed itsway into becoming a staple in my ife... I've begun to feel about it like some people do about their morning coffee... or the daily crosswor; my day is simply not complete without it! I get pretty annoyed when someone ( usually my dad ) finishs the puzzle before I can get to it... its led to some cranky moments!

The initial puzzles that were featured in "The Hindu" were really simple...fifteen minutes tops (once you get the hang of it) but there were a couple of hard ones... the one last Friday was( if I remember right... I still haven't completed it! But supposedly every Sudoku puzzle is solvable and has a unique solution... so I'm keeping on at it! Now Sudoku features in practically every magazine... even Ananda Vigadan (or was it kumudam?)... anyway... my grandmother was working hard at solving one the other day!

The anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing

60 years ago today, a bomb was dropped on Hiroshima that changed the nature of war everywere. No longer were the soldiers and those who actually fought the war at risk, the threat of war escalating with the use of nuclear weapons was in the air and every crisis was further tainted with this risk. Nor would the deaths stop with the end of the war, in fact it was far worse for those who survived and had to live with the pain of radiation poisoning, everyday, a slow death.The stakes are so much higher, now that there are so many countries with the ability to destroy the world with the press of one finger.

I cannot accept the reasoning that the bombs hadn't been used the war would have continued for much longer. Perhaps it would have taken longer to end the war.But there is a survey that concluded that the war in an case would have ended before November of the same year. But how many more people died, and these were civilians, there were children there! And once they saw how destrucive the atom bomb was, how could they bring themselves to use it a second time, on Nagasaki?It is as though, they got carried away with the power at their finger tips. It seems more like the threats made by a Bond villain, and less lke the actions of a responsible govetnment.

How ironic that it is to the Americans that we now justify our own nuclear program; it is to gain their approval and for the lifting of sanctions they had imposed that we separate reactors used for military purposes from those used for civilian purposes, at ggreat cost to us.

And how ironic that the Japanese have apologised for the second world war, but the Americans government has not breathed a word of apology for the horror it created. Perhaps it is because no apology would be sufficient to those who died, and for those who survived in that attack? There was a passage in our 11th standard English text that I remember, which describes the survivors of the bombings; people with eyes melting out of sockets, skin burnt off exposing the flesh underneath, truly the stuff of horror stories; and even now we hear of malformed babies and genetic diseases that affect those living in that area.

I have to wonder at the people who worked on the bomb. Surely they could not have been completely unaware of its potential for destruction. These were some of the greatesr minds of their day... had genius so removed them from the concerns of ordinary people that they saw only numbers and figures, and became blind to the fact that people were going to be killed when the bomb was used! Oppenheimer who watched the first nuclear test said " I am become death, the destroyer of worlds". That is true I think...the monster was not so much what they created in the bomb, but the monster within them that allowed them so callously to calculate the optimum height to detonate the bomb to cause maximum amount of destruction.

And what can justify the fact that even after witnessing Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we have developed weapons even more powerful, powerful enough to destroy the world several times over. How many times have come close to annihilating ourselves. Are we living on borrowed time? Have we already dug ourselves a grave so deep that there is no way to climb out?

Something new to read finally!

Ok...I do realise I've been waaaay too occupied with Harry Potter recently. But now, I'm pleased to say, the dust has settled down (and maverick and RA will be glad to hear too I'm sure).

I've met up with an old friend about a week back...when we were kids we used to sneak books through the window(speciall during exam time when my mom wasn't supposed to know I was reading novels between the covers of mt textbooks! This is her:
blog .She is one person I've always enjoyed talking to. She, like me is a pretty much indiscriminate reader...and we share a similar taste in books...and our disagreements only serve to give us something to talk about! Anyway she gave me a coupl of books to wean me away from Harry Potter.

The first was one "For Matrimonial Purposes", which, if you lived in Chennai and read "The Hindu", you would have seen a review of. It was very good...a sory of a girl( and a girl with a very successful career at that) whose entire ambition is...to get married!

The other was "Can you keep a secret" by Sophie Kinsella...another romantic comedy...about a woman who spills her deepest, darkest secrets to a stranger on the plane...a stranger who happens to be the President of the company she works for! Of course it ends with happily ever after... but the way they get there is pretty amusing.

Meeting her, led me to brave the dust on my bookshelf in search of a book she hasd let me...oh ...so long ago.Called the "Shadow of Ladakh" it is set during the Chinese invasion of India, when we were forced to look past the "Hindi-Cheeni bhai bhai" idealism, and were forced to accept that all the diplomatic overtures were only covering up the reality of the situation. The book is partly from the point of view of a man who learnt the way of ahimsa under Gandhiji...how traumatic it must have been to see his ideals crumble and watch his nation take up arms!

Red,Yellow, Blue or Green

This just came up while I was wondering which Hogwarts' house I would have been in.

It's interesting to note that the Hat places students based on the values the Founders thought were most important, not based on the qualities that they themselves may have had...for example I think that a person without a vast intellect would be as likely to value intelligence in her students as a genius-in fact I think that a genius would have valued intelligence less (or at least been more aware of the limitations of pure intellect ), and possibly valued hard-work, or the drive to succed more.

And courage? Isn't that quality most desperately desired by those who fear constantly? Those who have not the courage to stand up for their convictions... and circumstances may make a lion out of a mouse ...think of the Lion in the Wizard of Oz... the Wizard's dose of courage only gave him confidence in himself- the courage was there all the time.

What about ambition...of all qualities most reviled.And what pray, is wrong with ambition! What is wrong with being driven by a need to succeed.Where would we be without ambition? Back in caves , hunting for our food and fighting for survival with animals. I was ambition that brought us to cities...ambition that took us from one heigh to the next...ambition that conquerd the highest peaks and the deepest seas. Oh, it took courage and hard work and knowledge certainly, but these would have been untested and weak without ambition to turn them into achievement. And people still hate Slytherins!

But it was the one line " And good Hufflepuff took all the rest" that bowled me...its almost godlike...to accept all those without anything particularly special about them , for what they are and to ask no more or less...that is the essensce of love. Between that and the Hufflepuffs' reputaion for industry and fairness...well I'll have to work on industry , but justice has always been important (justice, sseasoned with mercy) .So if you don't mind Hufflepuff's just perfect for me.