Life on Hold

Another year another Holiday party and another opportunity to dress up.  Last year a friend helped me shop for a party dress and this year another friend helped me shop.  She also made me practice makeup few days before the party.

So far so good!  Then arrives the day.  I shut myself in the room, put on the dress, stocking, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, necklace et all.  Earlier in the day, i get my hair trimmed, layered and shape my eyebrows (ouch!!), even get my teeth cleaned though that was an appointment set months ago.  Everything works well. Whew!!

My son cant stop his giggles to see me in my finest, he is amused at the sight of his pretty looking mother.  He looks me in the eye and says "looks like someone boxed you in the eye". I raise my brow and stare at him smiling all the way. My better half is his handsome self in his customary suit and tie.  All is well as i slide into my flashy shoes.

We put the camera into our young man's hand, hoping he would stop his giggles and take some good pictures. We stand and get some pictures taken and between his giggles and our anxiety we never got him in any of our pictures :-(

Greetings to all in the party room, get a drink to hold on to.  Now here is the tricky part.  I have to hold my pose, hold my smile, hold my drink & hold a conversation with my yearly friends. Then the inevitable happens, when all is well something has to turn and so did my stocking ever so slightly tear from an end making its way down to the ankle. I pull my dress, look down my knees to see what is showing and what can be seen.  As we sit down to dine, i have to mind not to bend forward lest something else is shown or seen :0).   As the evening wears off, the party people loosen up and we are done with dinner and drink - the one we were holding on to for the longest time.  We head back home, i am happy that little was seen - perhaps?




My dear husband, family and friends complimented me plenty but only i know the struggle it took to keep it all in place.  As i see the pictures taken that day, i cannot help but miss my sister, who for the longest time did her best to teach me to dress up. 
This one is for you Gayathri - hope you are smiling at mine & others effort. 

Wish we had a Hold your Life button, you could have seen in person - teased & applauded me another year in a row!



Happy Birthday Gayathri! I miss you a lot but Hold you in my Heart!!


 

Chasing Chennai Express

Disclaimer : I am not a fan of any actors. I may drool at an actor in one movie and not like him in the next. A simple movie watcher syndrome!

Four years ago we made an attempt to watch Enthiran a.k.a Robot. The first time we went to a full house &  so we made our second attempt to watch it only to reach the theatre a full 30 minutes late so our third time lucky attempt was planned & executed to near perfection.
We were happy watchers with Aishwarya & Rajnikanth on screen it took care of the boys & girls interest. No no Rajnikanth  is not a looker but does the "what are laws of physics"? stunts which makes it funny.
Halfway through the movie with popcorn levels to the bottom & Aishwarya's diminishing presence on screen the youngest ( yet to be trained) movie watcher - my then 6 year old decided that the movie wasn't appropriate for young audiences. Out we come & he wants us to get a refund for the unwatched part.
So what if he was not the movie buff but he seemed  to be becoming a businessman.
We haven't finished watching that movie to date.

Our next attempt at watching an indian movie happened a few months ago when Kamal Hassan's Vishwaroopam came out. This time we smartly decided to leave our young man with friends.  The movie was into its 4th week so tickets were no problem & we once again made it almost on time.
Tickets in our hand we walk into the theatre and look for the screen that's showing in Tamil except that the showtime we picked to see the movie was only Telugu showtime. Oops! This was a movie which was released in multiple indian languages.
We did get a refund this time for not having watched the movie at all.

So we timed & planned & watched Vishwaroopam on our second attempt. A decent movie & wasn't a let down for all Kamal's fans. I am not one of them - "mind it".

Chennai Express is released in summer. We were in India then & the pre release promotions look & sound good.  They are on t.v all the time. Achyuta & his friends hum the song numbers from the movie.  They sound racy, happy numbers. Towards the end of our holiday in India I plan to watch the movie with all members. We get into the car & we all go for a long drive.

Back in Chapel Hill now. A week before school starts so the Chennai Express plan is still on. We go to the theatre on time but its the wrong theatre. Aah why would they change the indian movie screening venue??? Achyuta looks at my face & says " don't be disappointed amma. We are on time to watch Percy Jackson". Should I blame him for thinking that it was all about watching "some" movie just because I like watching movies?  Another day I shall explain I am a "movie watcher".

Three days later we make our second attempt but hey we were only late by 30 minutes again thanks to the evening office traffic but Chennai Express was running on time.

Undeterred, we try again. Right theatre, right time we show up at the theatre.
We finally catch Chennai Express.  Not disappointed as it gave us a reason to smile & laugh.
Shah Rukh & Deepika & Rohit Shetty got the formula right. Shah Rukh was finally found some lost money after Ra. One & Kolkata knight riders. My boys were happy watching Dippy. I didnt drool over Shah Rukh but surprisingly he is likeable with his self spoof & comic timing. At 40 something he seems to have come of age..
There was laughter inside the theatre & smiles on coming out.  It was worth Chasing Chennai Express.
Until the next one!

Gayathri ..

A couple of months ago,  Gayathri - my older sister went about her usual saturday activities.  She took her trip to the market, the shops and picked up things for home. She had lunch & rested a little, she left home for yoga class & to later meet up with some friends.  That plan didnt work very well for her.  She felt unwell and left the yoga class in a taxi to come home & sent a text to her friends saying she will see them next time.

It was a lazy saturday morning here in Chapel Hill, i was holding on to my cup of tea, planning for the day when a call from Sampath - my brother sent shivers and froze me.  He was on his way to the hospital, Gayathri was in the ICU & i clutched the phone, waiting to hear her condition wondering what had happened?   I kept telling myself, all will be well but the next call was contrary - Gayathri had passed away quickly & suddenly.  She was young, healthy, no prior health issues but yet her life ended abruptly & it did for us too in many ways

We were similar & yet different in many ways.   She was the bright one in academics while i was the flickering one.  We loved listening to old hindi music as well as traditional carnatic renditions. We loved watching movies & gossiping.  We also have had our share of disagreements & arguements but that's what sisters do.  She would keep herself up at night to prepare better for tests & exams & i would be up watching some sport.  She loved to dress up &  had a nice dress sense, something i didnt inherit despite all her trying. There were things i wouldn't tell her but i knew that she knew and looked out for me quietly.

She started working in a bank when our father passed away suddenly but, she never stopped learning. She was my source of money in my college days when she would give me those few extra ruppees to treat myself to the Gurukripa samosas or the Gandhi Market sandwiches or ticket money for movies. Thanks to her, i had a fun college life. In the meantime Gayathri earned a couple of professional degress along with a few others which mattered & helped her climb her way up the official ladder.


As is life in Mumbai, she had her groups.  Among all of us, she was the most God Loving person.  She didnt go to temples just to pray but went because she wanted to and she liked and she understood & knew the meanings for a lot of the religious teachings.  She was part of the temple group.  Thanks to the slow & heavy traffic she was a happy train commuter so she had her 8.01am & 6.16pm train group.  Then there were the friends from her work place and friends from her previous workplace & she had her building friends, she school friends & college friends.  Her circle was wide & diverse.

A fun loving person,  she would play with Achyuta at his level.  The two of them would wrestle together or chase each other while playing tag.  She would tell him stories & teach him to make rotis & treat him with his favorite spicy snacks.  She was his biggest fan & supporter. She would be brimming with pride at his achievements be it a free throw in basketball or solving the rubik's cube.When in Mumbai, Achyuta would happily forget about me his Amma (mother) & stick to his Periamma (older mother).  She would have her moments with our mother as well. The mother daughter relation was filled with its share of joy & arguements.  They loved to disagree & also loved to agree on a lot of things.

Gayathri had been the quiet strong wall for our family.  We relied on her support in small & big ways & enjoyed the comfort of knowing she was there.  Two months ago when  i landed in Mumbai to see her one last time, a sense of heavy emptiness overcame me.  This was the first time she wasnt at the airport to recieve me in all the years i had stayed out of India.  It was a sad quiet ride in the car.

She was a picture of content when i saw her before the last rites.  Her face clear & calm.  For us, there are many unanswered questions & they will remain that way as far as her going away is concerned.  Our Mother sees no consolation in any reason for her 1st born's passing away. She wants to believe in miracles like only a mother would and hopes to turn time back & have Gayathri in front of her eyes. And we the siblings talk to each other to figure out the if's & why's but we know we will always be searching for the missing part.

A few years ago during my school years, one of my teacher exasperated with my playfulness & lack of focus had said " Are you Gayathri's sister??  Look at her.."  & i had cheekily retorted " I do everyday!"  I wish i could do so now....See her everyday!!




 

Something to fight for...Stuntsmen/women

Spiderman was mostly computer generated movie flick but not the Bond or Taken or Sholay and the list goes on.  There is a lot of talk of the movies & the actors that will grab the Oscars this year.  Plenty of lobbying going on to promote the movies and lay their hands on the bronze man!

It is not unusual to watch our kids enact those daring fight scenes almost everyday.  Other than trying to copy Westbrook in dunking a basketball or kicking like Messi or Mia or do the helicopter shot - Dhoni style, Kids love to  imitate the movie characters. 
 
They jump from the bed & sofas, thinking they are jumping from two floors above and try a Bruce Lee type stunt or at times run with their bow & arrow and shoot like Hunger games or throw some air punches & flying kicks like Rajnikanth or Devgan.  They all think they are copying the lead actors, the heroes & at times the bad guys too, from the movies but they are copying the stunt actors. 

I read an article recently where the stuntmen organisation is lobbying to get them Oscar recognition.  They have been at it for 20 some years unsuccessfully wherein the movies run successfully.  Well, they even make movies after the stuntmen and depicting their life and lower pays but Brave Hearts!

I love watching movies, specially the action flicks and it was indeed saddening to read that all these action guys & gals have very little to cheer.  I wonder do they even get invites to these award nights?

It would only be fair to include these personalities, show some recognition and reward their dare devilry.  Next time i watch, Jason Statham, Liam Neesom, Bruce Willis or the Bond, not to mention, Saif, Shah Rukh, Devgan, Sonu or Simbu, i would be thinking- can these guys even jump a feet?

No, i wont stop watching movies but will be happy if Stuntmen/women get their two minutes of fame!!