Babies, babies everywhere!

I've been rather quiet this past week because I've been buried under an avalanche of babies. I spent the week at my cousin's place, because he was going away on work and I was needed to give a hand with the kids. Ages 5, 2-and-a-half and 10 months. Why he thought I would be helpful is a million dollar question. I am not one of those girls who fawns over babies. I like them...most of them. At a distance. I can even play with them...for about 5 minutes. I'm reasonably fond of niece no.1. Nieces 2 and 3 were relative mysteries to me till last week. 2 is hyper-active and plays a lot. 3 would just shriek whenever I went there, so my goal was to try and not make her cry. By which I mean that I never paid much attention to her till I had to share living space with her.

So, the thing about houses with babies, especially when there are 3 of them, is that there are toys everywhere. And usually food everywhere as well. No.2 hid a half-eaten biscuit in my coat pocket. She also hid her breakfast inside the couch I was sleeping on. I learnt on day 1 that I needed to check what I sat on, slept on, or wore, before I did any of the above. I also learnt that babies are jealous, manipulative creatures. 1 is insanely jealous of 2 and 3. Resents them invading her space. Whines all the time to Mommy to pick 3 up, or not let 2 come into her room. She has kind of a high-pitched voice, so the whining grates on your ears. Not to mention your nerves. By day 3 I'd caught on enough to know when to retire to an inner sanctum and plug my ears with headphones. As you can probably guess, I wasn't much help at all.

I did run around behind 2, trying to get her to eat. She only eats french fries, and drinks SunnyD orange juice. Seriously..she won't drink any other kind of orange juice. I spent 30 minutes at the local grocery store looking for SunnyD, because Tropicana just wouldn't cut it. I helped 1 spell carriage, chocolate, and kangaroo. I still kept my distance from 3. 

So, by this time you are thinking I'm some kind of she-devil who hates kids. Not to worry. There's a "moment" coming right up. I woke up on day 4,(at the insanely early hour of 7am.) because I felt someone flicking my lip. Yeah..flicking my lip. I don't know what else to call it. I opened my eyes to find 3 standing there with this totally serious look on her face. Staring at me with her big, brown eyes. And flicking my lower lip with her finger. I think it was her way of saying: "Wake up you moron, its 7am. I'm not shrieking at you anymore. Which means I'm now comfortable in your presence. Play with me already." So, I did. And it was fun.
She's cuddly and plump. She has a gurgly laugh. And she likes to laugh. And after playing for about 15 minutes, she stole my heart by falling asleep in my lap. A baby who sleeps before you're tired of playing with her! I hope my kid inherits some of her genes!

On the whole...I think I had a good time. Even with all the feeding, pooping and toy-scattering going on, it feels warm and fuzzy. Because, sometimes, for no apparent reason, 1 will come and hug me and say "I love you athai". And 3 flicks my lip. And 2...well she's just 2. Finicky, but adorable. So, yeah. I had a good time.

 

Soul food...

Dawn.

When night is almost done,
And sunrise grows so near
That we can touch the spaces,
It 's time to smooth the hair

And get the dimples ready,
And wonder we could care
For that old faded midnight
That frightened but an hour.

-Emily Dickinson

Who needs rasam sadam when you have Dickinson?

C'est La Vie!

When I was a kid Diwali meant waking up at 4am. Having oil rubbed into your scalp against your will. Sometimes having someone scrape a piece of turmeric across your face and hands. While someone else sings "Gauri Kalyanam" off-key. After Ganga snaanam in the comfort of my bathroom(shampooing atleast twice to get the oil off), I'd wear new clothes(all new, from the inside out, you understand). It would be 6am by then. Time to gorge myself until I felt sick.

Idli sambar for breakfast. Followed by bakshanams made by mom. Mixture. Badam barfi. Thattai. Therattipaal. And others whose names I cannot recollect. Of course to digest all this, you eat the delicious legiyum.(aka marindhu) And after I ate until I was sure to explode, we'd go to the temple. Call all our relatives to wish them a Happy Diwali. And usually head to my mama's place later in the day.Where I'd eat more of the same. Except the chef was my mami, not my mom. We'd take the bus back home in the evening. Nigdi-Kothrud. A 1 hour trip in a bus that would be unusually empty on account of Diwali. I'd be half asleep by the time I got home. Not surprising, considering all the food consumed.

Since we celebrate Narakachaturdashi which is a day before Laxmi Pujan, I'd get to hang out with my friends on Laxmi Pujan. Go to several friends' houses. Eat Faral. Hang out. It was always fun. 

The only thing I didn't like about Diwali were the noisy firecrackers. That particular disease was owing to the fact that I'd spent 8 years growing up in a country where it wasn't allowed. Today, the only things that remind me that it IS Diwali is the Orkut message board and a few phone calls. I wish someone would burst a lousy firecracker. 

Happy Diwali!

 
 

Sap and Satire

I watched 2 movies over the weekend. The first was A Room with a View. I hadn't read the novel, and the movie sounded interesting. Daniel Day Lewis is always worth a watch. It was a disappointment. I don't know why I was expecting something more like an Age of Innocence, which is a wonderfully well written novel, and a well made movie. Instead I got something out of a Mills&Boon type novel. Helena Bonham-Carter is OK. But the actor who plays George Emerson, her love interest is totally uninspiring. Daniel Day Lewis is wonderful as usual, but even he can't rescue this one. Its a lost cause.
Why George and Lucy fall in love is a mystery. Maybe it was because she swooned in his arms early on in the movie. Yep. Faints conveniently into his outstretched arms. If thats not trashy Victorian romance, I don't know what is. So, I was just totally bored with the entire thing.
Except for about 5 minutes half-way into the movie. There was this completely unnecessary scene with 3 completely nude men cavorting around in a pool. Then chasing each other around it. It was hilarious. Why they spent 5 whole minutes showing that I didn't know then. So, after watching the movie I googled E.M. Forster. Everything is crystal clear now.

The second movie was far more satisfactory. I watched Thank You for Smoking. And thoroughly enjoyed it. Aaron Eckhart is a spokesman for The Academy of Tobacco Studies. He has the unenviable job of defending cigarette smoking, and playing down its risks, so to speak. He is a charming, smooth talking man who does what it takes to "pay the mortgage." All the while trying to keep it honest with his kid. The scenes between Eckhart and Rob Lowe(esp. the phone conversation with Lowe in a Kimono) are awesome. As is the scene where Eckhart helps his son out with his homework.(Essay on why America has the best government in the world!) The Mod Squad lunches are brilliant. The idea of 3 people with sucky jobs comparing notes with such nonchalance is beyond funny.
The best part of the movie is that it offers no judgements on smoking, while accepting the risks associated with it. No preachy message at the end. He changes jobs, yeah. But now he speaks on behalf of cell-phone companies...saying that cell phone usage doesn't cause brain tumors. Nothing changes really. No miraculous awakening of conscience. Which is pretty awesome, because people never really change in real life. Jerry Maguire like transformations(I love Jerry Maguire, btw. Just saying.) only ever happen in the movies. So, 5 gold stars for Thank You for Smoking.

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