Libraries

One can whiff the smell of a newly built building. It is the unique smell of fresh lacquer, paint or of something which is really new. I associate this freshness to my first ever entry to the world of library. My school finally got a library. It is the only place in the whole world where I love to be but also am scared to be. During school days, I was overwhelmed by the variety of books one can find in a library. I sensed as if  I owned all the books but don’t have to pay to own it; ownership without investment in business terms.

I was a mediocre and a very shy student. Suddenly, the library opened avenues for new friendships. Books became my friends, until today.

There is another associated smell to the library, this time it is related to the respectable books themselves. I am only one in the many millions around the world who love their books and sniff them as soon as they open them. How may sniffs before I completed the many Enid Blytons or the Jeffrey Archers?

My college library is a place to question myself why my professors did not teach some things or to venture into fact-finding. University library has an array of books that is read by great minds which created the best professionals in different fields. This is the place where one can fall in love with great books and great minds as well!! Beware!!

I am happy that I am mediocre minded, I can enjoy reading more and more and still have an ocean to learn.

I am thankful to my life for showing some of the vast libraries in the world. I began my post graduate research in Europe where libraries are quite complicated and organized. I always get a sense of achievement if I physically found the article I was searching for from the mountains of journals.

How can one score the contemporary British Library, the majestic Oxford University Library, the friendly council libraries or the hospital libraries? Exploration continues…but I feel the best libraries are at the finger's tip. Thanks to the magic words 'www'.

Homes on Hay to Homes of Hay

I was thinking about the plankton stage of the modern age restaurants. Suddenly this phrase appeared on my mind. ‘Homes on Hay’. What has this name got to do with the idea of food? Names and phrases kindle my thought process, how can I explain? People and the happiness they bring make a house a home. The phrase literally would go to mean ‘some bunch of people sitting on a haystack’. I pictured some ancient people enjoying a great sunshine on a hay stack. They were joined by cattle and dogs. After a hard day’s work, feeding Mother Earth (what an irony! Mother Earth feeds us all but wouldn’t do unless we feed her with water and nutrients) a bunch of families must have gathered for FOOD. Haystacks must have offered the right warmth and a cushion for tired bodies. There we go, dinner for a group on a haystack. This concept must have evolved into modern age restaurants and hay itself in the coming years got transformed into modern day chairs (Homes of Hay meaning furniture). It becomes part of contemporary homes and restaurants. Next time you enter a restaurant for socialising think how we have evolved!

For those ancient people who had no chance to be part of this concept, for example: those from the artic and the Antarctic’s, where the grass did not grow and where farming was difficult, I am still in search of a concept-until then goodbye!

PS: Acknowledgement: MS word.

Disclaimer: I can only run a spelling and grammar check on this document not a meaning check. If some has difficulty understanding the meaning then I can assure you that you are not alone!!

Raincoat or Coat yourself in Rain

I have heard people say one has to 'brave the weather'. I am not living in the days of the Merchant of Venice or Popeye the sailor man.  All I want to do is go shopping braving the ever-changing British weather. I haven’t relied on a raincoat since childhood. They are plastic contraptions and are hard to keep clean. Whoever thought that they are a replacement for umbrellas are at fault.

The weather man always promises a wonderful shiny sparkling day. ‘Weather’ undergoes an emotional turmoil as it over hears the newsman and strongly believes that it a shame for its kind to be so predictable and wants not to be part of the gamble.

Overcast skies but quite warm, how should I dress? Dilemma at the corridor as to which one to pick, should I carry an umbrella and possibly lose it in one of the shops or should I wear the ingenious invention of mankind , The Raincoat.

As I know the end to this story, I can at his stage comment that people who wear jeans that’s crying to be washed will have to wear a raincoat.

I can fairly judge from the clouds that it is going to rain anytime.

I went to the shops and on the way back it started pouring. I put my raincoat to test. I came home contemplating the fact that I was drenched in rain despite me wearing the raincoat. The technique as to how my raincoat managed to do this is interesting. All the rainwater collected at the bottom end of the coat and literally wet the whole of my jeans (if I carried an umbrella this would not have happened!) and soaked my socks as well. This could not explain why my hair (on my head) was wet. Well, the rainwater trickled back on the inside of the coat and the hood itself was creating extra warmth that I must have sweated quite a lot. The million dollar question is “Is there any point in wearing a rain jacket to keep the rain at bay?” No! The only good thing at the end of this is , my jeans went for washing and I felt as if it winked at me!

My day Off (My way)

Grab a cup of spiced up tea or flavour oozing coffee , steaming close to your face, waiting to flow over the taste buds and invigorating the fact it’s your day off. Thanks to yesterday’s hard work (come on yesterday was a Sunday!) otherwise today is not worth celebrating! Sitting in front of computer for the global news to flash in front of you at a finger’s touch; setting all the OS updates/Adobe flash installation aside click on the umpteen WebPages in one go and staring the circles, sandtimer or whatever is the favourite icon.

None of these websites match the news on printed paper (for the new generation-paper made out of Cyperus_papyrus).  It is also a kitchen essential for my mum. How on earth can chappatis be made without the help from these newspapers (it is always ‘The Hindu’). The dough sits nicely in a circular form (its‘ll be a different shape if was in the kitchen, one reason she made sure I was not there!) on the newspaper waiting for its turn to go on the frying pan.  It’s not the 4^th of July.

What is the best news today? Is it a plane crash or fear of double dip global economic recession or a report on how NASA scientist deny the information as to where the 6 tonne satellite going to crash on earth. Nothing excites me,  so I decide to wake up everyone at home.

It is nice to  take a walk with your near ones and have a precious morning conversation. Today I decided I walk my son to school (normally dad's job).

After the school bell goes comes the dilemma as to which parents should I say 'hi ' to? I said hello to my son’s good friend’s mum. She is a Brazilian born and I have ALWAYS struggled to understand her English.  I would like to say we spoke for 10 minutes but the truth is I could only listen to her all that time. All I understood is this- She burnt the rice that she cooked yesterday for a church’s barbecue! I remembered my rookie uncooked vegetarian lasagne and reassured her.
Listening to music is one of the best things to do on your day off, of course not to forget to pick up your kid. There are songs for every mood; I try to avoid the intense ones on this day. Choose only songs that make you feel happy. A warm chamomile with good music and overcast skies, that’s picture perfect for the afternoon. Everyday life forces everyone to remember a lot of things,I use this time to forget so that I can learn everything anew tomorrow. Everyday I plan ahead, but not today…just go with the flow.

I suppose it is fair for the family to expect  a good dinner  (especially if a person has idled away all day).I don’t want to disappoint them, so here I stop typing to enter the once prohibited zone (remember my chappatis?). I might go shopping later..Will catch up in my new post...Ciao

Scary Snakes!

Is it true that we happen to see things which are already in our thoughts? Rather a strange coincidence, when I was terrified by a green coloured piece of ribbon slithering its way on a black tarmac. Yes, my heart beat increased and my fast pace measuring the length of the green moors halted in a fraction of second. I stopped reflexively at a respectful distance to allow a green striped snake take its evening leisure walk .I then realized how great weather was.  The autumn is as breathtaking as the summer or spring. With fallen conkers and brownish yellow leaves stealing the width of the roads, and creating mushy pavements, the snake must have come out from it’s hideout to enjoy the rather 25 degree centigrade warm weather. I am not an animal enthusiast and fear for reptiles is natural in me.

I was gazing at the clear blue skies, counting the flock of green parrots that just air paraded, I was glad that I did not miss the poor little creature.

My memories went back to the first time I had actually seen a giant  black snake (it is a bit of exaggeration to the size of the snake but not to my thoughts) rolled nicely like a roulade filling the groove in the heavy wooden door of my country home. I am so used to open and close that door holding the wooden plank on the top of the door. That day it was no different, I did the same thing but felt that I can’t hold the plank very well and the groove was obliterated. It is not hard to realize that this bit of wood is not woody but a strange texture. Why should I fear at this stage because there is no reason. When the sense of touch is accompanied by the effect of vision, things turn Topsy-turvy, that’s when I felt the cold in my arms and  shrieked (effect of voice) and  ran towards the front of the house. I could not talk properly and at last after few seconds of muffling and stammering informed my granny that there was a big snake sleeping on the kitchen door. I can never forget my granny. She is an inspirational and bold lady. She asked me to call someone from the next street who apparently is a snake catcher. The rest is history.

After stopping for the snake to pass by, I did not dare to proceed to the other side of the moor. I decided to walk back but with the fear that there could be more snakes probably hanging from branches of the trees.

So, my mind started thinking, I should be on the look out but the question is what. Is it for something that is green, something that moves or something that is long. Well I looked out for everything. I realized I did not have my mobile with me, what will happen if I had a snake attack? Then I calmed myself up.

In Indian movies this is the time when people pray to deities. I remembered couple of comedy lines from the movies. That cheered me up a little.

I came across a fat slug, for a moment I thought it was a mini snake!

Once I passed the moor safely I took a deep breath. I wished I had my camera with me! Never mind, the picture in my memory is more vivid than the one captured on a memory stick.

Entering my sweet home I said it is summer outside even for snakes! My family missed the fun. Later I was reassured that the snake I saw was non venomous GARTER snake. The coincidence is I was thinking about snakes when I left home for the walk!

What Pet?

Here is the first morning conversation of my 5 year old son. Wakey..Wakey…I am the first to wake –up (teaches you to accept the non-facts of life!!). Beginning of a lazy Sunday with an intriguing question. Daddy..can I have a pet please?

Dad: Pets? That’s interesting. Why do you want a pet?

Son: So that I can feed them.

D: What pet do you have in mind?

S: I was thinking like a Cat.

D: What do you know about cats?

S: They drink milk, they don’t drink water, they have short ears, big teeth and most of them have blue eyes.

I interruped the conversation

Mum: What will you do when your pet cat dies?

S: I’ll buy a new one!!

I was not sure how to react.

Talking continues as they both wanted to explore more options.

D: Will you feed the cat if it’s your pet; will you keep the cat nice and tidy? Who’ll feed the cat when you are away at school?

S: Can we buy a pet which is easy and does not require lot of stuff to be done? Mum can stay at home until I come home, I will feed the pet and then she can go to work in the evening. (omg!)

D: Do you have any other pets in mind? How about Snakes?

S: What snakes? When snakes are hungry they lay eggs so that they can eat their own eggs, so I don’t want snakes.

D: Tortoise?

S: We need a fish tank for them don’t we?

D: Only if they magically turn into Turtles…How about Scorpions?

S: They live in beaches

D: If they live in beaches they will be crabs, scorpions mostly live in deserts

S: Oh! Deserts are very hot. I don’t like deserts. Dad, can we buy Guinea pigs?

D: GPs can be quite noisy at times, so may disturb your sleep, and may be Rabbits are good choice.

S: No dad, if they are noisy then they are clever and I don’t mind them being noisy. Can we have a Donkey..they are bit big, they won’t fit in this house (thank God he realises!)

D: How about Birds?

S: Budgies! Eagles!What do they eat?

D: Budgerigars eat seeds. It‘s cruel to put birds in a cage, see, they can’t fly.

S: Then we should let them out and make sure we close all the windows in the house so they don’t escape.

D: Are Parrots a good choice?

S: Carrots? Oh parrots

D: They can have sharp nails; you should know how to trim their nails and how to trim their wings

S: You mean I have to give the wings a haircut! What if  I cut all their wings?

D: They’ll bleed a lot and can die.

S:  Seems  it is difficult to have pets, it might be easy to have other people’s pet!! I can feed next door cat (what an idea!)

Let me think of other pets..Flamingo, No No I want  Prairie dogs

D: Will you definitely feed them, because if you don’t they will burrow and go next doors.

S: I will have Grasshoppers or may be Stick insects. It is easy to have them as pets because I don’t have to feed them, they can eat insects on their own (how is it a pet then!). If I drop a stick insect they stick to the floor so they are not hurt or they develop a walking stick (kids imagination!!). Frogs can not be actually pets because they can feed themselves and I don’t have no job to do.

I am also thinking hamster, mouse (I hear they do a lot of poo-poo), komodo dragon or a hedge hog.  I prefer a pet that I can cuddle. Hedge hogs are difficult to cuddle because they are thorny or is it a Porcupine which is spiky. They can turn into a ball. They are awake only at night times and sleep  through out winter.

May be we can buy a beardy dragon, infact I asked my teacher 2 questions about them and she thought my questions were brilliant.

D: What did you ask?

S: Well, I asked if they eat insects (she said that some of them do) and that if they can grow as big as us (and the answer is no).

 

In the middle of the conversation even I was recommended as his pet but he was not keen. I promised him I’ll be a pet with a difference in that I will take care of him.

It is strange he never mentioned a good old dog as his pet. Still don’t know why.

Reflections

I hate self reflections but enjoy these snaps..

Wii-Tricity

Do we have enough fuel to run our cars in 2050? Probably not,that's why scientists are exploring Wireless electricity , in simpleton Wii-Tricity.