Childhood delights

Idling away a Sunday morning, I jotted down some vivid memories - among other things, thinking of childhood will always conjure up these images for me:

The hot roads on which little feet run as fast as they can while playing running-and-catching
The sing-song manner of hawkers' indistinguishable words on a lazy afternoon
The temper and tantrums before bath time
Standing near the handle bar of the Lambretta scooter when Daddy takes us out
Mummy making me a birthday dress
Buying chocolates for the class the night before my birthday
Smell of glue and crayons before the arts and crafts class
Going to school, proudly holding the paper windmill – convinced that mine is the best
Being able to charm the shopkeepers into giving me a Parle’s toffee for free
Taking many rides on the giant wheel at cubbon park
Being scrubbed dry and then forced to drink tea when we return home drenched in the rain
Being rocked on Baba’s knees
Reading stories of Mandrake, Phantom and Panchatantra
Trying to make sense of the civil bodies and political hierarchies in Social Studies
Waking up to Vande Mataram on Radio
Having oranges at Nagpur station on the way to UP in the summer holidays
Spending Sunday mornings watching animations
Singing along with Mogli (Neela samandar hai, aakash pyaazi; doobe na doobe na mera jahaazi)
Daadi’s lullaby
Playing lagori
Watching Oshin on TV and marvelling at the elaborate hair-do’s
The unexpected joy when one of the teachers is absent and we get “free period”
Tickle fights with Didi
Sharpened pencils
Finding clay in mounds of sand near construction sites
Playing in mounds of sand near construction sites
Shouting myself silly on seeing a lizard
Band-aids on skinned knees and elbows
Discovering the usefulness of a dictionary
Having paratha and kheer on Sunday mornings
Lots and lots of Maths homework
Diwali crackers – the pistol and red fort bombs
Mummy shielding my eyes when “bad” scenes came up in the movies
Discovering books and the delight of reading
Waiting for summer vacation
Following my sister everywhere after watching a horror movie

Expectations, Expectations!!

My friend Sudhi has a blog. He often mentions about his "ideal" girl. :) As Lizzie Bennet would have said "She would be a scary sight to behold". Well, I'll confess Sudhi is not that bad with his expectations. However, it makes me think about this image that every person has about their partner. What that person likes, dislikes, behaves like... Ok! Another confession... I think about what my Mr. Right should be like, too. But don't you think that we are not being fair? We form this cast of the person we would like to be with and then try and mould people into the cast. If they don't fit, they are not The one. I am not objecting to expecting the minimum; it's just the delving into the details that troubles me. What will that person say in such-and-such a situation? Will she continue working after marriage? Will he propose to me in so-and-so manner?

Hmmm... I think it's more of a timepass to think about your partner (before meeting him/her obviously... actually, it IS a timepass, period!). No one knows when you start liking the quirks in a person and accept them. I have seen highly unlikely pairs - who have been perfect for each other. It's a lot about compromise, I guess. And a commitment to make it work. Cheers to all the happy couples and wishing the rest of us similar happiness! :)

Today, I amused myself! :)

I woke up late, which is not unusual considering the fact that today is Saturday. After a nice long hot bath, I was getting ready to go out shopping for the basic weekly supplies. With a sense of repetition, I made myself some cornflakes and sat down to have breakfast while watching TV. I paused channel surfing at the movie "Deep Blue Sea". You see, I haven't watched this movie before, though I have a pretty good idea what it is about. Infact, I'd caught some scenes before.This time, I'd caught the scene where they are all in a state of panic and arguing about ideas to escape the place and the sharks. And then Samuel Jackson yells at them to stop fighting with each other and is giving them gyan about the better chances they have to get out of the place if they are united and BAM!!! I actually spilt the milk and chocos all over the floor with the magnitude of the start I gave when the shark comes out of that small outlet to the sea (almost like a small pool) and takes him down. (HOW was that possible in real life???)! As I was wiping up the mess, I was chuckling, imagining myself in the theatre, with popcorn, when this scene came up. :P