WATCHING THE POORAM FIREWORKS, MY WAY

Wanted to write this one a few days back. Most people say that if you are going to watch the Pooram fireworks you shouLd do it from the top of one of those buildings in the round. Telling them that i could do it from the top of my house just invites teases and 'Oh, you poor girl' stuff. Well, watching it from the top of my house has a lot of merits.

I woke up at 3 to watch it and had to wait for over an hour because it started late. What about those who had to climb up all those buildings? How long did you people have to wait, huh? I imagine there must have been some chairs for the 'close proximity' lovers to sit on. Well, i was lying down on the terrace, and i even had some pillows propped up. Those who climbed up the tall buildings would have taken up some snack with them(or not), but i don't think you would've been able to go down, microwave the stuff to get it nice and hot during the breaks between the fireworks like the banana fries i had. And that tin of Kellogs Honeyloops just because i wanted to have it then. Mosquitos awoke sometime around 5:30 and started their usual business, but i put them to sleep by kindling a mosquito repellant coil.

I really had a nice time watching the fireworks, with all the things i liked. They say you should hear the sound, feel the building vibrate when you watch the fireworks. But watching it the way i did was pretty cool too, though i'd like to try the closer view sometime.

ON GIFTS

I just found that there are three ways in which people give you gifts. May be their age affects the way they do it...

'Congrats, dear!'

'Thanks,mema'

'Buy anything you want with it, okay?'

'Wow! thanks!'

Reena mema, my mom's youngest sister gave me a crisp 1000 ruppee note.

'Congrats, dear!'

'Thanks, mema'

'You know what, i think you should get a nice new watch before you start your new college.'

'Oh. Right.'

'Maybe something like a fastrack'

'Fast what?'

'I'll give you 1000 ruppees for that. '

'Okay.'

Another 1000 ruppee, this one from my mother's younger sister, Meena. But this would have to be converted into a watch for me to actually own.

'Amma, why are there two jeans on the counter, i had taken only one?'

'Oh, that's for your brother.'

'um...he could wear jeans of my size untill he expanded around his middle. Are those for me?'

No reply.

'I don't like that gray.'

'What? I thought you liked it because you were looking at it a lot...and you don't have one of that shade... and i like that one...'

'You know, if you are getting something for me, please ask me if i want it, okay?'

But that's something she never does.

Getting money as gift is cool. You could do anything with it. You can convert it into anything you like. People who knows nothing about your likes and dislikes could find it easier. But sometimes it lacks a little something that it would have had, if it was a litlle gift in someother form than a piece of paper.

Some people care enough to know about the things you have / not, the things you ought to have/ or not etc etc etc. They don't want you to just spend your money on unnecessary things. It could get on your nerves too, coz, you might want something else at the moment.

Getting things for you without asking you if you want it or need it is reserved especially for a specific category of people called mothers. (Mostly. Maybe there are others too) They may not care that you have grown out of pink craze or the Barbie craze. They just get things because they like it, or 'I never had all this at your age' syndrome. And when you want something they just say that they've already got you everything you need, what more could you want.

Ah...it's all quite complex. Anyways, though i said i don't like that gray, it's pretty okay. Kuttis (Meena) mema's offer was duely converted into a black and red Fastrack. Reena mema's gift is saved for various crazy things i want to do.

'

"WELCOME TO OOTTY, NICE TO MEET YOU"

Another Ootty trip. The twenty third Ootty trip together by my parents. Guess i'd gone there every year of my life except one. Going to Ootty might mean enjoying the scenic beauty, going to all those tourist spots etc etc to most people. But for us, it revolves around a few hotels. Especially certain dishes. Just like there's a 'Way of the Cross' thingy , our Ootty trip has certain fixed stations.

1. THE CHAPEL NEXT TO THE CHURCH

The journey begins with a quickie prayer (Lord, let the food at Shinkows be as tasety as ever, Lord please change the cook at Lake View)

2. ARAM MOTEL, WALAYAR

This is the stop for breakfast( Appam and Egg curry. I eat mostly nothing here, but open a bag of Lay's)

3.SOME HOTEL WHICH CHANGES NAME EVERY YEAR, METTUPALAYAM

Mostly for loo purpose, but we also buy a bottle of coke

4. A LITTLE TEASTALL /PHONEBOOTH PLACE AFTER THE HAIRPIN BENDS, COONOOR

A call to Daddy and Mammy to tell we've reached this far. We've got three mobile phones in the car, but this is the tradition

5. AAVIN MILK BOOTH, OOTTY

We load the car with flavoured milk. For the past two years they have only three flavours- Stawberry, Pista and Cardomom. I miss chocolate.

6. HOTEL NAHAR

The first meal of the trip is always vegetarian. (stupid tradition. But Higgin Bothams is opposite to Nahar, so i'll get a couple of books, so it's fine.)

7. HOTEL LAKEVIEW

Home-Sweet-Home. This is where we stay for three days every year. (We get twenty percent discount coz its been over two decades that my parents started coming here) . Cottage number 6, 7, 8 or nine. Only in exceptional cases do we get cottages other than these. like this year- it was awkward going to cottage 26.

8. HOTEL SHINKOWS

We discovered this lovely little hotel at charring cross only a few years back...great chinese food. Especially the sweet and sour chicken, chicken in hot garlic sauce and chilly chicken. Everything else is good too. There used to be a big white doggie sleeping in front of it until a couple of years back.

9.CAFE' COFFEE DAY

This is a relatively new entrant to our otherwise 'usual' list. The price of every item goes up by twenty ruppees every year. Love Devil's own and Cafe' Frappe.

This years trip had a lot of unusual elements to it. Starting from the fact that we got Cottage number 26- that's not in the lowest level next to the playground... How sad! And our Car had some problem and we had a long walk to Shinkows. There was no trip to the boat house this time. But there was something else much better- a mountain bike ride thingy. Hero cycles has made a course using log bridges, platforms, slopes, stuff that sink beneath the ground when you ride over it etc etc etc. It was fun putting on the helmet, arm guard, knee guard and all that(dressing up like a warrior) and riding it out. My brother chickened out and didn't do this- so much for his 'male superiority' thingy. Go- karting was on this year.

Ootty happened so fast this year. I couldn't complete even one book that i had bought.(so i had to buy an archies coz i had to finish something!) Will miss reading by the fireplace,(with a bottle of flavoured milk, a bag of lay's and assorted chocolates near my hand's reach) which is one thing i really like in the annual ritual for two years i guess.