Tired - annoyed, asleep, beat, beat up, bored, broken-down, collapsing, consumed, distressed, dog-tired, drained, drooping, droopy, drowsy, empty, enervated, exasperated, fagged, faint, fatigued, fed up, flagging, haggard, irked, irritated, jaded, petered out, pooped, run-down, sick of, sleepy, spent, stale, tuckered out, wasted, weary, whacked, worn out
Disgusted - T'd off, abhorred, appalled, displeased, fed up, grossed out, had bellyful, had enough, had it, nauseated, offended, outraged, overwrought, repelled, repulsed, sick of, squeamish, turned off, unhappy, weary
Depressed - bad, bleeding, blue, blue funk, bummed out, cast down, crestfallen, crummy, dejected, despondent, destroyed, disconsolate, dispirited, down, downcast, downhearted, dragged, fed up, glum, grim, hurting, in pain, let down, low, low down, low-spirited, lugubrious, melancholy, moody, morose, pessimistic, ripped, sad, spiritless, taken down, torn up, unhappy, weeper, woebegone
Disillusioned - blasé, broken, debunked, disabused, disenchanted, disenthralled, disentranced, embittered, enlightened, indifferent, let-down, punctured, shattered.
Disappointed - aghast, balked, beaten, blue funk, cast down, chapfallen, complaining, defeated, depressed, despondent, disconcerted, discontented, discouraged, disenchanted, disgruntled, dissatisfied, distressed, down, downhearted, frustrated, hopeless, thwarted, unhappy, unsatisfied, upset, vanquished, worsted
While the previous one, is from Snap Shirts, this one is courtesy Dictionary
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Monday, February 20, 2006
Shit I'm a Freak! Or Am I?
So what else is new? I was in Junior College when they first started airing FRIENDS in India..and while the rest of my sweet sixteen friends scrambled to fit themselves into the image of the swelte and sexy Rachel, I was very happy being Monica. We are alike, Monica and me (except for the childhood history of weight - my battle, unlike her, was against lack of weight. LOL!). My need for things to be in order, neat and tidy is quite famous amongst my friends - I sort, plan, categorise things and simply can't tolerate a messsy environment. When visiting people's homes that are messy, my hands constantly itch to put things in place...it's a mammoth task resisting the urge, even with the fear of offending my hosts! Last week I was cooking peacefully when my folks returned from the supermarket and within minutes my neat haven of spices and freshly chopped veggies had turned into an arena of bags, fruits, groceries et al....and with that transformation went my joy in cooking. Head started paining and I had to abandon my culinary practices till I had the kitchen all neat and tidy again...makes the future rather scary, the thought that I might have to share the cooking (and living) space with someone who's messy and quite devoid of basic sense of cleanliness & any aesthetic sense!
But above all, I truly abhorr the almost inhumane, disgusting habit people have of dumping used utensils and crockery in the wash-basin, without rinsing them properly (some people even leave the left-overs in there - yuck!)...and I refuse to accept it as an obssession for cleanliness. To me, it's displaying a complete lack of hygiene and decency...what appalls me to the limit of fury is when they excuse that abominable mess by saying the maid will come and clean it? Why the hell should she? Would you ask her to clean your crap? (No, don't answer that...) Don't tell me you pay her to wash the dishes...it's unfair to expect her to clean that kind of a mess...food congealed in the plates/bowls/pans stinking after having been left like that for hours, sometimes overnight. *Puke* If that isn't practising feudal rights in the modern age, I don't know what it is! To all those who behave in such a fashion, I never fail to pray that their house gets infested with roaches and other unpleasant insects as a natural result of their sloth.
Freak or not...rinse your utensils before dumping them in the wash-basin people!
But above all, I truly abhorr the almost inhumane, disgusting habit people have of dumping used utensils and crockery in the wash-basin, without rinsing them properly (some people even leave the left-overs in there - yuck!)...and I refuse to accept it as an obssession for cleanliness. To me, it's displaying a complete lack of hygiene and decency...what appalls me to the limit of fury is when they excuse that abominable mess by saying the maid will come and clean it? Why the hell should she? Would you ask her to clean your crap? (No, don't answer that...) Don't tell me you pay her to wash the dishes...it's unfair to expect her to clean that kind of a mess...food congealed in the plates/bowls/pans stinking after having been left like that for hours, sometimes overnight. *Puke* If that isn't practising feudal rights in the modern age, I don't know what it is! To all those who behave in such a fashion, I never fail to pray that their house gets infested with roaches and other unpleasant insects as a natural result of their sloth.
Freak or not...rinse your utensils before dumping them in the wash-basin people!
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Book-o-holic
Once a voracious reader I find myself reading rather sporadically now in little fits and bursts of enthusiasm for the written word when I devour any kind of book within reach. Well almost any kind...I'm a very fussy reader at times. Books worth mention, that I've read since the beginning of the year are few...
1. The Giver - Lois Lowry (Thanks Extempore for making me read this)
A delightfully touching children's story that can be best described as child's inititation to the concept best-popularised by Orwell's 1984.
2. Walk Two Moons - Aaron Creche (Once again, thank you Extempore. Had you not loaned these two books to me, I'd still be very ignorant about children's literature beyond the token Enid Blyton, the classics and a few other names.)
One of those heart-warming tales that leave your eyes moist and a smile lingering on your lips - it left me with a delicious heart-ache (is that a paradox?) and incredibly glad for having read it!
3. Monkfish Moon - Romesh Gunsekera
An incredibly beautiful and poetic collection of short-stories, this was pretty much my initiation to the world of Sri Lankan writers. I'm impressed to say the least - the collection, apart from brimming with rich descriptions of the country that brought it startlingly alive in front of my eyes, also displays a keen sensitivity towards emotions, cultures, politics and ofcourse the ever prevalent issue in our times, diaspora. If I can shake myself out of this misreable lethargy I've developed off late vis-a-via Literary Mosaic, I'll post a detailed review soon.
4. Punchtantra - Gautam Bhatia
I'm reading this one right now, so won't say much about it yet...just that it's one of the most enthrallingly witty renderings of the fables that I've come across. Enchanting sarcasm. Delicious humour. Great morals...I'm definitely going to post in detail about this once it's done.
Also on the shelf :-
- The Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton (Pardon me, but I'm very slow when it comes to classics)
- Lady Oracle - Margaret Atwood (I've been hooked ever since Maddy Mata gifted me The HandMaid's Tale...this will be my third Atwood)
- The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye - A.S.Byatt
- Corridors - Sarnath Banerjee (India's first graphic novel in the tradition of the Bande-Dessinée and graphic novels such as Marjane Satrapi's award winning Poulet aux Prunes - more on the subject when I've read it)
- Marciano - Casa Rossa
- Collected Works - Oscar Wilde (I won't pretend to have the grand ambition of licking this clean, but I do intend to read his poems and the major works.)
- 10 Plays - Euripedes (To continue my education on Greek tragedy and mythology)
Monday, February 13, 2006
To Love, Lust and Merchandising
Come February each year and we are bombarded by more than the usual lot of advertisements peddling clothes, gifts and jewellery - diamonds it seems is the flavour of the season. Take a look at the advert-supplement that comes with your newspaper and you have serious doubts about the apparent poverty of our country. A country whose citizens can afford to buy diamonds at the rate we do can't possibly be poor, can it? But I'm digressing...so yes it seems Valentine's Day is the time you splurge all you can to profess your love for the chosen one. I don't quite get the need to indulge in that frantic bout of merchandising, but to each his own.
In the past so many years the day never really incited any feelings in me - much like New Year's Eve, it came and went without truly affecting me, apart from the token sms to which I had to reply. But this year I wish there was someone, someone who told me I truly was special and that I meant the world to him. This year the loneliness and the heart-ache is tangible. This year I wish it had worked out the way I wanted it - I know that doesn't happen in the real world, but this year my yearning for a happy ending is more than ever before. This year I also know that it isn't to be, was never meant to be despite everything I did...and I wonder whether it will ever be...Sigh.
Anyways to all those of you out there who have found that one person who lights up your days, makes you a better person and reciprocates the feelings - Happy Valentine's Day :-)
P.S. Aristera reacted to the moral policing of the day a few days back - me thinks it's very well said...check it out. You can leave comments either here or there...make sure you let him know I sent you there so he cooks me dinner in return for the free publicity ;-)
In the past so many years the day never really incited any feelings in me - much like New Year's Eve, it came and went without truly affecting me, apart from the token sms to which I had to reply. But this year I wish there was someone, someone who told me I truly was special and that I meant the world to him. This year the loneliness and the heart-ache is tangible. This year I wish it had worked out the way I wanted it - I know that doesn't happen in the real world, but this year my yearning for a happy ending is more than ever before. This year I also know that it isn't to be, was never meant to be despite everything I did...and I wonder whether it will ever be...Sigh.
Anyways to all those of you out there who have found that one person who lights up your days, makes you a better person and reciprocates the feelings - Happy Valentine's Day :-)
P.S. Aristera reacted to the moral policing of the day a few days back - me thinks it's very well said...check it out. You can leave comments either here or there...make sure you let him know I sent you there so he cooks me dinner in return for the free publicity ;-)
Friday, February 10, 2006
Desi Firang
Visiting an archeaological site that is also one of the top tourist destinations for firangs with a French madame, wearing jeans and sleeveless tops and pattering away in a mix of English and French apprently earns one the title of a Desi Firang...or atleast I did. :-)
After another one of my quick trips to Bombay - this time to meet my dear friend from Bordeaux - I made another short trip to Aurangabad to explore the Ajanta-Ellora caves with her. It was supposed to be a backpackers trip but when my dear friend Aristera had to back out, I hit the panic button. I can never do something of the sort without planning well in advance and knowing how/where/when/why in detail. Daddy dearest who knows people in the city was brought onto the scene and voila - things were laid out for us so that the entire trip was smooth sailing. Hotel bookings, arrangement on transport - my main worries were taken care of, so all we had to do was play tourist, which was easy!
The caves, even though this was my second visit, left me awed and impressed. I was quite pleased with the roads in the city and on the way to both sets of caves and also with the way the A.S.I is working towards maintaining the Ajanta caves, having cordoned the area off from any vehicular traffic apart from the buses plying from the base to the main site and keeping the obnoxious guide books and postcard peddlars out of the main site. Having reached A'bad in the middle of the night, we were quite exhausted by the time we finished exploring the Ajanta caves - but satisfied with the experience.
The next day was devoted to Daulatabad fort (impressive and quite fun to explore - the squirrels scrambling on walls like lizards were just one of the reasons we stopped ever so often; the other was the view), Ellora caves and Bibi ka Maqbara. Kailash temple at Ellora stole my breath away - the fact that over 7000 labourers toiled over a period of 150 odd years to carve that work of art out of stone, is as good a testimony to man's perseverance as any! The sheer magnitude of work left me incredibly impressed...needless to say we walked around the site in a kind of awed silence. It's a pity the other tourists weren't affected similarly and had to roam around hooting like hooligans and giggling over the sculptures.
After seeing the temple, the remaining Buddhist and Jain caves at Ellora didn't move us much - add to that our calves which were beginning to protest at all the climbing and walking. If only the remaining caves were taken care of just like Ajanta and Kailash temple - the local population uses them like picnic spots, littering around and leaving behind their mark in the form of vulgar graffiti on the walls...
The same was the case at Bibi ka Maqbara, a replication of the Taj Mahal, but not half as appreciated by the government. It is in desperate need of cleaning up, not to mention some conservation work...why does it take a monument to be nearly ruined before we do something about it? And why, oh why must we stare at a white person like s/he is a freak from Mars and proceed to make rude comments if it happens to be a woman?
Despite my few misgivings, the trip on the whole was good - did I forget to mention the stop at a local weaving center where they make Paithani sarees and Himroo sareees and shawls? And that I couldn't resist picking up a gorgeous black silk stole with Himroo work? And that I wanted to also buy this incredibly gorgeous lavender saree but had to restrain? I would like to go back soon, more educated this time about the significance of the scultures and the frescoes...and buy that saree ;-)
After another one of my quick trips to Bombay - this time to meet my dear friend from Bordeaux - I made another short trip to Aurangabad to explore the Ajanta-Ellora caves with her. It was supposed to be a backpackers trip but when my dear friend Aristera had to back out, I hit the panic button. I can never do something of the sort without planning well in advance and knowing how/where/when/why in detail. Daddy dearest who knows people in the city was brought onto the scene and voila - things were laid out for us so that the entire trip was smooth sailing. Hotel bookings, arrangement on transport - my main worries were taken care of, so all we had to do was play tourist, which was easy!
The caves, even though this was my second visit, left me awed and impressed. I was quite pleased with the roads in the city and on the way to both sets of caves and also with the way the A.S.I is working towards maintaining the Ajanta caves, having cordoned the area off from any vehicular traffic apart from the buses plying from the base to the main site and keeping the obnoxious guide books and postcard peddlars out of the main site. Having reached A'bad in the middle of the night, we were quite exhausted by the time we finished exploring the Ajanta caves - but satisfied with the experience.
The next day was devoted to Daulatabad fort (impressive and quite fun to explore - the squirrels scrambling on walls like lizards were just one of the reasons we stopped ever so often; the other was the view), Ellora caves and Bibi ka Maqbara. Kailash temple at Ellora stole my breath away - the fact that over 7000 labourers toiled over a period of 150 odd years to carve that work of art out of stone, is as good a testimony to man's perseverance as any! The sheer magnitude of work left me incredibly impressed...needless to say we walked around the site in a kind of awed silence. It's a pity the other tourists weren't affected similarly and had to roam around hooting like hooligans and giggling over the sculptures.
After seeing the temple, the remaining Buddhist and Jain caves at Ellora didn't move us much - add to that our calves which were beginning to protest at all the climbing and walking. If only the remaining caves were taken care of just like Ajanta and Kailash temple - the local population uses them like picnic spots, littering around and leaving behind their mark in the form of vulgar graffiti on the walls...
The same was the case at Bibi ka Maqbara, a replication of the Taj Mahal, but not half as appreciated by the government. It is in desperate need of cleaning up, not to mention some conservation work...why does it take a monument to be nearly ruined before we do something about it? And why, oh why must we stare at a white person like s/he is a freak from Mars and proceed to make rude comments if it happens to be a woman?
Despite my few misgivings, the trip on the whole was good - did I forget to mention the stop at a local weaving center where they make Paithani sarees and Himroo sareees and shawls? And that I couldn't resist picking up a gorgeous black silk stole with Himroo work? And that I wanted to also buy this incredibly gorgeous lavender saree but had to restrain? I would like to go back soon, more educated this time about the significance of the scultures and the frescoes...and buy that saree ;-)
Monday, February 06, 2006
Kisvilma—Az utolsó napló (The Last Dairy), Marta Meszaros, Hungary 2000
The last of the semi-autobiographical diary series by Marta Meszaros, the film revolves around Vilma's search for the truth. Vilma has returned to Kirgizstan to find out why her father was executed and perhaps finally come to terms with the tragic reality of her childhood. Many Europeans had been drawn to the idea of a socialist Eden in the USSR and Vilma's father was one of them - they moved to Kirgizstan and set up home in a small international community. Their idealic lives, however, were brought to an abrupt end under totalitarian oppression when thousands of people across the land were wrongly persecuted for treachery against the Soveit Union and Stalin.
Vilma's father is arrested and taken away, just as the other men in their community...one by one all her friends are orphaned as their parents are arrested. Her mother tries hard to bring him back but the fight drains her and she dies one night, leaving Vilma in the care of a Spanish friend...Vilma is then forcibly taken away to a Soviet school and given the revolutionary name of Nina Alexeyevna - she resists initially but her spirit is broken when her old friends from Kirgizstan refuse to acknowledge her as Vilma. Defeated she falls into place with the rules imposed on her...however the Spanish lady eventually succeeds in getting the children out and Vilma is allowed to return to her native home.
Unlike the others in the diary series, this focuses less on the political events and more on their repurcussions on the lives of the common man...take for example, the women's battle to survive when their men are imprisoned under false charges, or that of the orphaned children left in the care of those who want to wipe out their real identity. Spanning over the period of the World War, the film also brings into focus the predicament of those soldiers who survived on the front - but barely, having lose both sets of limbs. It's an extraordinarily sensitive film - not just in the treatment of the subject and the acting, but also in the use of the scenic backdrop, the Kirgizstanian culture, music and even colour. I was quite unabashedly crying towards the end of the film - this one film moved me enough to start reading up about Hungarian history and the entire Stalin period in the Soviet Union...education happening slowly and steadily. The film sure has an impact and I'd definitely urge others to seize the opportunity to watch the Diary series, in particular the last diary!
[ Ordinary Lives in Extraordinary Times - Marta Meszaros interviewed]
[Senses of Cinema - a well-compiled informative site on Cinema]
P.S I managed to catch Rang de Basanti last week - it's a good film, specially coming from an industry that churns out mindless crap like Garam Masala (don't ask - I was subjected to excruciating mental torture on more than one occassion returning from Bombay to Pune in the volvo). The movie, albeit a little over stylised, is well-made, sticks true to the historical events and manages to strike that chord inside you...added bonus - the soundtrack is mindblowing! I can't stop humming 'Roobaroo' even though Ma frowns everytime I start off with "Aye saala..." :-)
P.P.S Make sure you have the right sort of company when you watch movies such as the two mentioned above - the sort that doesn't chatter incessantly, giggles over scenes that do not provoke laughter and tries to find inane subtexts that do not exist.
Vilma's father is arrested and taken away, just as the other men in their community...one by one all her friends are orphaned as their parents are arrested. Her mother tries hard to bring him back but the fight drains her and she dies one night, leaving Vilma in the care of a Spanish friend...Vilma is then forcibly taken away to a Soviet school and given the revolutionary name of Nina Alexeyevna - she resists initially but her spirit is broken when her old friends from Kirgizstan refuse to acknowledge her as Vilma. Defeated she falls into place with the rules imposed on her...however the Spanish lady eventually succeeds in getting the children out and Vilma is allowed to return to her native home.
Unlike the others in the diary series, this focuses less on the political events and more on their repurcussions on the lives of the common man...take for example, the women's battle to survive when their men are imprisoned under false charges, or that of the orphaned children left in the care of those who want to wipe out their real identity. Spanning over the period of the World War, the film also brings into focus the predicament of those soldiers who survived on the front - but barely, having lose both sets of limbs. It's an extraordinarily sensitive film - not just in the treatment of the subject and the acting, but also in the use of the scenic backdrop, the Kirgizstanian culture, music and even colour. I was quite unabashedly crying towards the end of the film - this one film moved me enough to start reading up about Hungarian history and the entire Stalin period in the Soviet Union...education happening slowly and steadily. The film sure has an impact and I'd definitely urge others to seize the opportunity to watch the Diary series, in particular the last diary!
[ Ordinary Lives in Extraordinary Times - Marta Meszaros interviewed]
[Senses of Cinema - a well-compiled informative site on Cinema]
P.S I managed to catch Rang de Basanti last week - it's a good film, specially coming from an industry that churns out mindless crap like Garam Masala (don't ask - I was subjected to excruciating mental torture on more than one occassion returning from Bombay to Pune in the volvo). The movie, albeit a little over stylised, is well-made, sticks true to the historical events and manages to strike that chord inside you...added bonus - the soundtrack is mindblowing! I can't stop humming 'Roobaroo' even though Ma frowns everytime I start off with "Aye saala..." :-)
P.P.S Make sure you have the right sort of company when you watch movies such as the two mentioned above - the sort that doesn't chatter incessantly, giggles over scenes that do not provoke laughter and tries to find inane subtexts that do not exist.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
