Ginger naps

the beginning

D'you remember when I said I was going to be a crazy-cat-lady someday?
Of course you do! Because I never stopped saying it.

I could just see myself at 60, surrounded by around 17 cats in various states of disinterested condescension, just sitting and lying about, in a smelly old house, while I huddle in a rocking chair and cackle madly.
Aah! that's the life. not!

And now, to my helpless horror and indignation, I've laid ze feline foundation!
I now have not one, but TWO cats!
Yes, just let that sink in for a moment.

Two damn kittens destroying everything,  snapping at my heels, following me everywhere...
*sigh*
This is the beginning of the end, my friends.

return

i have so much to say, that i'm at a loss. constantly. so i blog less, talk less. instead i doodle, fold all my words into paper flowers in the brightest colours.

meanwhile, there's monsoon. unpredictable and abuzz with dragonflies. so i look up before it rains, and after, and grin to myself.
the last of the red is fading from the Gulmohars, still they leave the occasional perfect crimson blossom in my path.
red is the colour of wonder.

life has settled back in its own odd ways. some things one has to leave behind.

p.s.: in a city of 4.5 million people, there's not one decent pet and stray care clinic open on sundays. people just don't give a shit.

hoover

my (tussock moth) caterpillar spun a cocoon, and tucked itself in for about a week. then he emerged as a moth (a rather ugly one, he was much prettier as a caterpillar), and flew away.

it was fascinating to watch the whole process unfold, from gorging on basil leaves (he was called Hoover for his voracious appetite), to carefully constructing a cocoon out of delicate silver threads, to emerging altered beyond recognition. imagine going to sleep one day, and waking up with wings the next. must feel amazing. :)

then i had to let him go.

*empty nest syndrome*

getaway

back from my brief but delightful vacation, and struggling to settle back into my groove.
let me tell you about the little bit of magic that followed me around for a couple of days. the dragonfly outside the window of my hotel room, a red kite in the sky. the late-night walk on an empty strip of wet sand.
sand between my toes. :)
and new acquaintances, who take only minutes to decide they want to follow you around for a bit, perhaps get to know you better.


the idea is to know and cherish the fact that no matter where your travels might take you, you'll never walk alone. :)

Crescendo and Catharsis

It's the third day of the 15th Kolkata film festival, and so far I've watched 7 feature films and 6 short films.
i recommend Caroline Link's 'A year ago in winter', not because i think it's particularly highbrow, but because it's very human. although the end might disappoint you. and it did make me wonder if in reality, there's ever a build-up to the grand finale of realisation and emotional display.
or is that something directors put in to make their otherwise relatable characters seem larger than life?
also, at the cost of ruining the film for you: there's closure, for everyone. :)

p.s.: do you think God made dogs to make cats looks smarter than they really are? just a thought.

Diva

blatta

how long do cockroaches live?
if they're not squashed underfoot as youngsters, that is.

there's this cockroach that sneaks into my loo every night, and waits patiently behind the wash-basin till i come in and shoo it away, at which point it scuttles back down the drain-pipe.

it's a gentle, harmless creature.
but I'm not sure if it's the same cockroach, because it's been turning up with extreme regularity every day for about a month now!
do you suppose it's a whole bunch of cockroaches who decided to take turns to visit me?

anyway, it needs a name, what should i call it?

sqiggle

this funny thing happens every time i open my blog: sqiggle, my blue porcupine (right there, see?), scurries over to the left of his little box, and buries his snout there...refusing to emerge!!
i mean, it's no fun to have a pet who only stays on your screen for a few seconds, before running to hide!!
(go to 'bunnyhero labs' to get your own funny-looking-pet-you-won't-see-much-of!)