Tag Archives: friends

Holi Hai aur Black Dog Na Ho?

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“Holi kab hai, kab hai holi?” – this dialogue has been made immortal by Sholay and is still doing rounds

 For a color loving person like me, Holi comes with a different flavor altogether. During childhood my Holi began with me eagerly listening to my grandmother’s stories from mythology  and loved how Krishna wooed Radha. Then I would join the other kids of the neighborhood and we would drench ourselves till wee hours into early evening.

 Leaving home I tried to make Holi memorable wherever I lived and last year was one of the best Holi affairs ever. ISB spelt magic entire year around – however Holi was completely a different ball game. The mood at the campus is usually upbeat because the placements are done and thus even the authorities join in the fun. The shallow mirror pools are filled with myriad colour water and the drums and barrels kept aside spell color and some more color. Bhang is served till the last of the student pleads that he cannot drink another drop more.

 For my gang however, the festival had much more than above. Being the designated cook, I was asked to serve breakfast to the entire group – canteen breakfast would do was the chant. I dunno how but I did innovate and make bhang pancakes for 15 people served with freshly whipped cream laced with some more bhang and maple syrup. I innovated with the bhang batter and thus it wasn’t the usual milk water proportion – the world class friends deserved a little bit more – they deserved the taste of one of the world’s finest whiskeys in place of water, thus I used Black Dog. The concoction turned out to be amazing and the pancakes where over even before I could ask anyone for second helpings.  One of them quipped about how there was a distinct woody aroma and how there was a lingering smell of oranges and peaches when I smiled and told them that I had laced the batter with Black Dog. Black Dog has over 130 years stood as the stoic symbol of royalty, luxury and rich heritage – my friends stood just like that all through the most important year of my life and thus it was an ode to them.

 The moment I told them about Black Dog, they stood up and bowed and gave the ISB special group hug before we went out to play Holi. Yup, I was touched by their display of emotions and them making my holi so special. The real hero however as usual remained Black Dog.

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Not Cheers, Say Yumm with Black Dog :)

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 4

I love spring mornings, they fill me up with enthusiasm and energy which I often spend by lounging on my terrace swing and singing our aloud. Yes, in the process I do hear some windows shit, but frankly my darling I don’t give a damn!

 Saturday morning the Spring Goddess decided to bless me with what I called a picture perfect morning. I lazed around before I started my work schedule and sang along all my favorite songs as the playlist blared from the computer.

I was tired by the time I reached office. You see, favorite songs also deserve a dance along sequence and how could I miss out on that? As a result by the time evening rolled in I had a voice worse than a croaking frog. The worst was a very close mate was throwing a Saturday evening party and I didn’t want to go there and whine about my state in a croaking voice. I called her up to cancel from my end but she wasn’t ready to hear a ‘no’. I tried explaining that I wouldn’t even be able to enjoy my usual rounds of Black Dog scotch and thus it wasn’t worth it. I mean you go to a party where you want to let your hair down with friends over a peg of one of the world’s favorite scotch and then fate pulls you down – wouldn’t you feel cheated? However, her puppy pout was better than mine and as usual I gave into her demand, however made her promise to cook something for me which would uplift my mood. She agreed happily and this made me wonder what’s got into my friend who usually runs away from the kitchen on all occasions. Almost.

 Anyway, the evening arrived and sulking I made my way to her house. The guests had already started pouring in and I communicated with all of them through sign language. One of them made talk so that he could laugh at my expense. Meanie – but what the heck that’s what guy friends are for ;)

As their raised their glasses to toast to our friendship they all ‘aww’d’ seeing me raise my glass of lukewarm water. However, just then the hostess appeared with a bowl of soup and asked me to toast with it. I gave her the ‘are you kidding me look’ while the others sniggered and laughed. She whispered ‘ just do it’ and I rolled my eyed, muttered curses and raised my bowl. The customary sip to your drink after a toast made me take in mine and I was blown away~! “What on earth is it” I hollered as I smacked my lips. The host smiled and gave me an ‘I told you so look’ and asked me what all I could taste. So I counted, woody musky flavor, a slight hint of bitter chocolate, molten marzipan and spices. As I counted I shrieked – OMG this a soup with my favorite scotch Black Dog and her smile confirmed it. I hugged her tight for making me feel so special and insisted that she tell me the recipe. By the way, in the meanwhile I had stored away the rest of the soup as seeing my reaction everyone wanted to taste it and it was my turn to be mean.

She then told me that she had made the famous “Arbroath smokie cream soup” however altered it a bit and instead of whiskey had used my favorite scotch and left out the fish. I was over the moon and trust me I was in the land of Food Heaven that evening. I think I even sent up a little prayer for begetting the sore throat. Else how would I know that Black Dog in a soup form is just as delicious and makes for luxurious enjoyment. Yummm and Cheers all the way! :)

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3 Mad Friends and A Hint of Rich Amber! :)

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It was one of those days when you feel like cursing yourself for being a strong independent and feminist of a woman! You just want to lie in bed, whine, do nothing and demand to be pampered and somewhere know that is you ask you shall get it too. Yes, yesterday evening was such an affair and no it wasn’t PMS. PMS is a different story for a different day.

I was driving people around me up the wall. Whining demanding stuff and then whining again that nobody was getting them for me. My pouts and drama though rare are VERY well known within the circle and they also know that I will not stop until I have their attention. The conversation after I had their attention went somewhat like this:

Me: Nobody loves me

F1: Hmmm, too bad, so what do we do?

Me *pout*: No this is where you say, aww baby of course I love you. let’s do this again. Nobody loves me.

F1 looks at F2 and then answers: I love you, if that counts.

Me: You missed the “awww” and the “baby”

F1: I’m not playing

F2: Ya man, give some concessions!

Me: ok ok – I want to be pampered

Blank expressions on F1 and F2. I sigh.

Me: What? Will you two pamper me or not.

F1 and F2 in unison : How?

Me to myself: Remind me again why I befriend them? Ah for moments like these, when I can take revenge.

Me: Nothing much, I just want you guys to get me some stuff.

F1: Ok, we’ll run to the store and get it and then shall dump you home to get you off our back.

Me: Ignoring the last part of your comment here’s what I want – I want to inhale the sweet smell of mild honey, I want to taste the sweetness of sherry, I want to be surrounded by the warm smell of butterscotch with a slight bordering of cream, I want to taste the exotic oak, I want to flare my nostril to flowery fragrance and have the sea dance on my tongue.

F1: Were you born this way or an overload of studies did this to you?

Me: Ha ha, very funny – now off you go and get me all this. Saying this, I stretched out like a princess. F1 looked clueless and F2, who had been quiet all this while has a wicked smile on his face.

F1 to F2: How can you smile at her bratiness? Where do we get all this – especially making the damn sea dance on her tongue in this city that is land locked?

F2: Brother, brother don’t bother – we shall produce just what her highness wants.

Me: Awwwww, I love you * I make the cute face that repels both of them *

As F2 started humming and walking towards his room, I wondered what is going on in his head. See, knowing him it isn’t possible that he would be happy to pamper me or would thank me for making him get out of his pajamas and drive around to pick up stuff for me. F1 followed him inside and though tempted I stay put – that’s what princesses do right?

F2 came back with a bottle in his hand, that was wrapped in a black cloth and three glasses. F1 trailed behind him like a lost kid. I looked at both of them quizzically and then pointing at the wrapped bottle exclaimed, “How can you think of drinking when you promised to get me all that stuff I listed out?”

F2: Shaanth Gadadhari Bheem. You shall receiver whatever you’ve asked for. Let’s have a drink first. Saying this he poured the malt drink in three glasses and offered each of us.

Me: What is this? Show me the label – I only drink the world’s finest scotch.

F1 *rolling his eyes* - Madam, please oblige us by taking a sip and then commenting on the quality. Did we ask you questions before committing to get you the things you want?

They had a point. I held the glass under the neon lights and the amber-colored liquid shimmered with golden highlights – assuring me that he was indeed worth giving a try. I took a small sip and held in on my tongue for 10 seconds to let the flavors burst through and then it hit me – the medley of the various flavours and the beautiful smooth taste.

Me: What is this, guys? It’s yummm!

F2 *grinning*: First tell us what all you could taste?

Me: Ummm, it smells woody and malty, and has a pronounced smell of sweet mild honey, butterscotch and flowers. Taste, umm let me see – malty, oak flavored, definitely pronounced sherry sweetness that bursts in waves. It is quite intense and balanced.

As I spoke I had closed my eyes to analyse the varied taste and enlist them. When I opened my eyes I saw F1 standing in front of me with a goofy smile on his face and almost thrusting the list (I had dictated earlier) in my face.

It didn’t take me much time to realise that I had ticked off all that I had demanded from them in just a small glass of the malty drink – scotch of course it was.

Me to F2: Very clever,  I am impressed. Now tell me what scotch is this.

F2: Why darling, the very best for you, Black Dog Centenary, one of the world’s finest scotch whiskey. He rattled as he took over the black cloth from the body of the bottle.

Me: Awwwww, ain’t you guys the cutest. Come let me cuddle you.

As I walked towards them they tried to escape – in the end we all fun wrestled and landed on the floor in a pile laughing our lungs out – Good times with Black Dog! :)

Mumbai Monday 19 – Finding my silver lining and thanking Corinne

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I choose not to talk about the darker shade of my life on this blog. Mainly because later when I re-visit the posts my own rant bugs me. However, today I have come to realize the power of speaking out loud and the power of telling people. It soothes you, it helps you bond better with them…

After battling for 12 years, I came out of the closet about the incurable disease that surrounds me. I chose to be one of the two who have taken it up on themselves in India, to spread awareness and to ensure that no one goes through what I did.

Mumbai, yesterday as I addressed the gathering of Mumbai Orthopedics, neurologists and neuro surgeons and spoke to them about Fibromyalgia, about my dream of setting up India’s first chronic pain registered support group – The Purple Pact – I was amazed at the appreciation and the warmth that follow. Mumbai, thank you for this opportunity – thank you for making me believe in my power of dreams and not giving into darkness.

The best part was that I gave the entire lecture in Hindi and I was amazed myself that I found the “shudh Hindi” speaking school girl still alive in me. I take pride in my mastery over the language and yesterday it made me love myself a bit more.

Confused about what I am speaking about – well I am talking about the condition that surrounds me, Fibromyalgia and Times of India has published my survivor story here.

Yesterday, I addressed the esteemed gathering about pain- management – the same topic which I have also written about in my Guest Post for a  very dear friend.

Somewhere, it was you Corinne who prodded me to talk about my journey and my lessons. I was skeptical at first, but then once I picked up the pen I couldn’t thank you enough. Mumbai, thank you once again for the amazing set of friends you have introduced me to, who just when I think about giving into the greys make me see the silver lining and move on “chin up, shoulders straight and smile intact!”

Link to the Guest Post on Corinne’s Blog EverydayGyaan - http://everydaygyaan.com/2012/10/my-soul-chose-my-body/#comment-8999

Do hop over and read it! :)

 

Insensitive them or Extra-sensitive moi?

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In law school one of the very first principles that we encountered as 1st year students was the “egg skull/ shell” theory – which to state in simple terms lays down that you cannot blame a person for being negligent when you are over sensitive!

Why this? Am I teaching you Law of Torts 101 – oh hell NO! Am swamped editing a 600 pager manuscript for my upcoming law book and trust me after I get done with that, I don’t think I want to impart legal gyaan for a long long time.

This is because of some food for thought that has accumulated over the weekend and I am thinking whether it’s them or is it me, who needs a refresher course on dealing with people!

Them here can be divided into two categories – those who think being close is asking for free copies of the book and the other category is those who do not really know what a joke is.

Disclaimer are those BFF’s who are reading and have joked about a signed copy when I get a best-seller going *the sneaky me agreed knowing that there is no best seller in sight – ha ha ha :D * – this is NOT for you (also it is a different fact, that despite the jokes ALL of you have bought the book and never really waited for me to courier a copy – My darlings muaaah!). This is for that “mama ke bete ke tau ke school friend ke chachi ne behen ke mausa ke friend ke FB contact ke bhai ke Twitter buddy ke nati ke dost” who just happens to be an acquaintance and truly feels that since he / she knows you it is but your duty to gift them a copy of your book, with a long hand written note saying how much he / she means to you and with the gifting comment that if he/ she doesn’t like the book then you shall ask your publisher to withdraw it from the market!

If you refuse however, you get to hear that you are just being an @$$ as the publisher has definitely given you an unending mountain of free copies! The stingy you is then given looks that can even burn down the library at Alexandria and for a long time at every meeting you are told tales of your inconsiderate behavior.

I asked one of them if they ever knew what went into writing a book? One I asked if she would be happy if her husband worked without a salary because after all he was helping friends! True to my expectations she got flustered and dared me to utter one more word against her husband. I just smiled and she hurled that she husband is an “ENGINEER” and thus his profession cannot be joked about. She was “just joking” with me as people usually crack such jokes at “Authors” – esp the not famous ones! Yes she said that! :)

The conversation that followed is not what bothers me, what bothers me is her mindset and what I considered ignorance and insensitivity! :/

The other acquaintance pinged from US of A to let me know that he had “downloaded my book” – horror of horror for any author. With the piracy market on the rise, I know how much precautions I take to ensure that no pdf is actually found on the net of ACTC. It means running late night searches, pleading tech friends to help me and a lot of other things. However, we do not think of all this because it is yet again a joke people like me should be used to. Also, am a strong supporter of anti-piracy, I truly believe that creativity does come with a price tag just like the shampoo you love and are willing to spend for! If you expect it for free, you are actually promoting a very dark future! The conversation flinched me:

Time and again I have wondered how people find such things to be funny, when did we lose respect for emotions and sentiments? The brilliance of the most common retort amazes me : “Of course, now you have become way too big for jokes from friends like us” or the complete opposite : “Who do you think you are, Jhumpa Lahiri that I should think twice before talking to you!”

I have always acted like me, the mirror still smiles the way it used to 6 months back! I still am the goofy, sarcastic moi with my girl gang – to me I haven’t changed and to all those who think I have, am proud of the change! :) Also, the fact that it’s not about me – it is about the mindset towards a profession that I speak for! Why shouldn’t you pay a doctor just because he/she is a friend? Why should you pay a lawyer because you know him from school? Why do we have to mix friendship with the professional services an individual has to offer and then when questioned, turn personal?

Still somewhere the food for weekend thought is – have I suddenly developed a weak egg skull? Or do you also find it as distasteful humor as I do?

All that was playing in the background as I typed this was “respect’ by Aretha Franklin on a loop:

A tag after a long time …

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With me being away from the blogging scene for almost a year now it feels good to be tagged. You know how after you are absent from school for a long long hiatus and you come back to discover that some friends will still play with you during lunch – yes the relief is quite akin!

So, here it goes – I have been tagged by Privy and asked to post the rules before I go on with the tag:

  1. You must first post the rules.
  2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create 11 new questions to ask the people you have tagged.
  3. Tag 11 people and link them to your post.
  4. Let them know you have tagged them.   (What don’t go :roll: I did post the rules, Privy never told me anything about not having the right to draw a line right across words :P

(P.S: There’s a reason why I did that – Read on ) …

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

I would banish all boring school teachers from the universe (It’s a different story that then my school will have a LOT I mean a LOT of vacancies!!!!)

What was your favourite childhood television program? 

Wonder Years (this one came out in a zap) – I had this huge crush on Kevin and I cried every time he did. I also secretly wished for a cute neighbor like him and blamed my lack of dates on my dad’s refusal to find a job in Ummmm-reeee-kaaa where the kinds of Kevin seem to galore!

I still remember that I said sang the theme song to the Mistah, during the early days and hearing about my tuneless “What would you do, if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and walk out on me?” he had assured me that he would instead join in and I had decided never to let go of this man who can survive this nightmare! :P

Have / had any celebrity crushes ?

Yes Rajdeep Sardesai for long long time. Well let’s say till I discovered Twitter (Ok, stop rolling your eyes :roll: – everyone knows I am a forever nerd!)

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?

To the North Pole to watch the aurora borealis – one of the bucket list points to be done with the Mistah! #crazythingsthatlouuueeeemakesyouwishtodo

Name 1 thing you miss about being a child.

Snuggling into GM’s arms – I just wish my childhood came back so that I could live-in with her again! *Gosh, I still can’t write about her without the screen going blurry*

Name the one comic/book character that you loved the most and why?

Calvin and Hobbes *Same pinch Privy* – mainly because I failed to understand as a kid that why whatever Calvin did was funny enough to be published in books (imagine!!!!) while similar stories of mind did rounds of horrific gasps at the dining table *Did I already do my rant about the horrible horrible ways of the world? If not, please insert it here. If yes, repeat on a loop, please*

What is the one thing that you are dying to try but haven’t had a chance to do so yet ?

Scuba diving – though the fact is that I am not particularly fond of fishes. Despite being a bong I detest eating them and have never found them pretty. #strangefactswhichmakeyougaspbutaretrue

Do you have a role model – someone you want to emulate? Whom do you admire the most?

My mother. I wish I could be a wonderful mother like her when I have a daughter like me   She should be given Noble Prize for Peace just for raising me without the world knowing what she went through.

What do others make of you?

Weird. Asocial. Sharp tongued. No nonsense. Over ambitious… (to be contd.) #afewlistsareindeedendless

Have you ever gotten into a fight or punched someone ?

Yes of course! Am completely no nonsense and as a kid Ma had taught me that “Never initiate a fight, but if anyone slaps you – make sure to give back two slaps in return. NEVER come back home crying to me.” I live it to the T still.

For Girls – If you woke up tomorrow to find out you are Brad Pitt, what would be the first thing you’d say upon looking in the mirror???

Has the Mistah woken up to find himself to be Angelina Jolie?

Is there anything, that others complain about you..?

Yes loads, refer to the answer written two questions above! Also that I am too closed, people barely know me despite me telling them that they are my friends. And it’s true I can barely share my space with anyone – apart from my family and M that is.

Now, the tagging part.
:D :D … here’s the special part. I hold all readers close *yes I say that in the tone in which Amisha Patel gives a msg to her fans – where she “assumes” that she has fans in the first place. My case fans with readers!* thus I shall be happy if anyone picks this tag up. In fact if you are reading this consider yourself tagged! :mrgreen:

Thanks Privy, I had fun doing this! :)

Leaving on a Jetplane, but I know I'll be back again…

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Yes, by this time it’s up here, I’ll be up flying away from this land which is more than my own. I belong here and the madness and the wisdom I know will pull me back. And yes, M too – the best thing that happened to me here!

Till then please Mumbai, be what you are and yes take care of my baby too! It kills me to leave you, but the irony is you teach me to live everyday!

 

Tuesdays with Tamanna!

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 The irony is Tamanna and I, never met on Tuesdays! Tuesdays and Thursdays used to be the most difficult days of the week for they were her counselling days. Tantrums, cajoling, temper shoots, love musings a mix of all was needed to see through these two days with A (her BMC counsellor) and today as I spend the last Tuesday here, I am suddenly gripped with a strange nostalgia, of whether I fared well in this test of mentorship, for remember I wasn’t a mother?

T’s mythophobia scared me beyond my wits. It wasn’t those sudden unearthing of  events that make me gape in wonder that unnerved me, it was the extent of damage they were causing to her psyche that was the major concern. While we struggled through our lives and the emotional baggage we both carried the most important thing that I sought to make her understand that there was a fine line of distinction between lies and imagination. And that while the latter was healthy the former was a strict NO!

To explain her the difference I introduced her to Calvin and Hobbes and tried to unearth before her the power of imagination and that how Calvin never really ‘lied’. I tried to tell her that lies meant her trying to show her own self as someone she’s not. I succeeded at times when she told me the truth about cheating in a ‘maths’ test one day to score the highest and then I failed when her teacher asked me if she really had a cousin in US who was seeking to sending a her Wii for her birthday?

When she once cooked up stories about her trip-in-dreams to Iggatpuri I asked her if she really did this to fit in to a group or whether she was really uncomfortable in being in the skin she was in? In her innocent defensive mechanism she said that she found it ‘fun’ to cook stories. And so as I indulged in pretend play of ‘Teacher Student’ with her somewhere I realised that her very back ground troubled her. She liked to remain in a dream world where everything was exactly opposite. Where people spoke differently, wore different kinds of clothes and had a different lifestyle. She wanted the world to see her as someone she was not. Only because she had this image in her head that that life was ‘fun’.

While this was her ‘imaginative’ mind, the problem lay in her incessant lying to her classmates about her social conditions, about her background and the type of lifestyle she indulged into. She once lied to her teacher that her Marathi marks were poor because everyone only spoke in English at home!

One year and T taught me patience, taught me how difficult it is to maintain a strict face when your child cries but you know you have to be strong to teach her right and wrong. And that though later you’ll crave to pick her in your arms and cajole her saying it’s ok, you will not, instead you’ll just wonder and wonder that how it is not ok!

I couldn’t cure her fully that I would ramble about it here, but suddenly I felt to note down these thoughts? Why today? Maybe because all of a sudden as I stand to leave T and go I am gripped with this sense of self analysis on whether I have been too strict at times? Whether I have lost out on the fun play aspect with her and taken her childish follies too seriously? Whether I have been a paranoid pseudo-mother who was too motivated to do things right?

It’s not that I never had fun, I remember spinning a ‘why butterflies don’t get wet’ tale for her in the most imaginative way while people around me either quit saying they have full faith in my power of imagination or Googled the scientific reason for me to spill out?

It’s just that I am indulging in a self critique today. As I sat in the bus I struggled with this analysis and spoke to the two people I always talk to in my head – GM and Y! But then something else comforted me too and that brought me to actually write this to be frank!

Packing and moving on you discover things which you think are long lost! I discovered my old tattered copy of kiddie Gita today, the one which is ear-marked with all of GM’s favourite teachings. As I smiled and ruffled the pages I stopped at where Krishna says that lies are ok if they are to save your skin, but the moment you lie and that hurts anyone emotionally or physically, even if it’s in your unknown being, know that you have sinned?

I just sought to save T from hurting others and in turn her own self in the long run, GM. So guess you wouldn’t be too disappointed with me, right? I just wanted to make her understand that it’s important that she turns out to be a person whom people accept and love for what she is and for not what she pretends to be, for then she would be lying about her own identity. What would be worse than a self identity crisis, right GM?

T, I hope when I am back from my ‘tour’ (yes she thinks I am off for another office tour, but yes a long one!), I find you as a person who’s happy and confident and loves her own reflection in the mirror!

Loads of Love and Wishes

Do words help to dry tears? Come let's try …

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Scorching summers on the rise, the tumultuous heat on the spy,
But did you notice the ruffled cottony clouds in the sky?
Messengers they are, assurances that nothing stays and life does move on.
Snippets of clouds, white or grey, life’s joys and tears gone astray – Everything!

Aam ka per, nanhe phoolon ki kaliya,
Ek choti si gutthi mein jhulti huyi kacche kairiya,
Meethe phalon ke sapne, aankhon mein apne,
Ek jhoka hawa ka, sooni daliyon ki gunjahat!
Udaasi, khalipan padh saath mein door se kahin nayio khushiyon ki aahat!

When prayers, wishes nothing work, hold on to the reminiscent of the dream,
Why be brave, when solace lies in the lap of a lone-terrace scream?
Dealing with pain comes with a huge price tag, they all say,
But then why doesn’t life let us deal with it our way?

Aaj aksh se aansoon gire hai maana,
Padh khoke hai shayad aaj humne jaana,
Ki kuch pal ka saath nahin who tha zindagi bhar ki yaadein,
9 manhine sanjoye the jisne.

An angel cries, fairies rushing to save,
Why in childhood do we indulge in this rave?
Because somewhere there’s a solace in being watched and guarded,
Just like now, look above and you’ll see a fairy just nodded.
Just like there are no ends, there are no beginnings either,
Trust me life will provide yet another angelic smile, Sister!

 P.S: This is for you Sakshi and the losses that surround you and the young mother. I just hope wishes make her strong and help her overcome the toughest period of her life. Can’t wait for sun to rise again in her eyes! Hugs!

Just before I went Nuts …

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I have discovered a lot a last few months. About myself, the world around me and then again back to knowing about myself. One of the most important discoveries in this process was to realise that I don’t have what is commonly referred as “Tree Nut Allergy”. What’s so great you ask? Do you know approximately 34% of the world population suffers from allergic reactions to nuts, and half of them die because of that! And you say it’s not a relief to know that I can lick clean the peanut butter spoon each time I land at home, just ignoring my ‘love handles’ (God knows why are they called that, for they can’t EVER handle love for nuts anything! :roll: ) as they groan! Stupid people! :|

Well it’s a very important fact and I suggest that you check out your sustainability too. There’s a quick online method too (no needles :D ) for checking – just click here!

Do you know you are at a risk of being labelled each day, each hour by someone or the other. Yes apart from monsters, there are other creatures watching you too – especially your sanity. Have you ever wondered whether you are a Mail nut (crazy about postal), hale nut (ahem ‘healthy’ ), jail nut (addicted to living in jails!!!!), pale nut (anaemic), sale nut (the one who cannot resist a bargain), tri psycho (multifaceted nuts) or JUST PLAIN NUTS (psych illogical – commonly found here)?

Never? NEVER? Are you serious??? Paah – to prove you need to log in to www.sanityscore.com - which offers a simple online quiz designed to assess aspects of your mental health, including your risk for depression, anxiety and other emotional disorders. Wait – it might not open on your mere mortal browser – so me the noble soul shall help you (yes what would humanity do without me???). :roll: :mrgreen: :roll:  Just click here to get instantaneous results (If you can survive the entire archive at one go – NEXT TIME SOMEONE CALLS YOU NUTS – BREAK SOME OF THEIRS!) :evil:

Do you know Nuts have always baffled people – particularly the aphrodisiac ones! ;) ;) ;) Ahem so each nut is special and hence kindly handle with care. :oops: :razz:

Roald Dahl once wrote:

I had a little nut-tree,

Nothing would it bear.

I searched in all its branches,

But not a nut was there.

“Oh, little tree,” I begged,

“Give me just a few.”

The little tree looked down at me

And whispered, “Nuts to you.”

Nuts – we get it easily – and so take for granted. Just the way you guys take my intelligence and profound talk to be for granted. :mad: :cry: :mad:

But have you ever wondered that the Nut you ignore could be on the brink of being pre-historic. The legend goes that before the origin of the nut was discovered, it was widely believed that these nuts were a gift of the sea, sent from a mythical tree goddess at the bottom of the ocean. The nuts were highly sought after as decorations by the nobility in Europe. Once in their possession, they would then clean, carve and decorate them with precious jewels. When they occasionally washed up on India’s shores they were seen as the female counterpart to the Shankara stones, found on Hindu altars. Indian priests have used them as ritualistic water vessels and you can still see Hindu holy men using them today, as begging bowls. In tantra the shell is celebrated as a symbol of creation and fruitfulness. No-one really knew where they came from until the year of 1768 when the true source of the nut was discovered. (Do you know you can actually repeat this on your valentine date and appear profound!!! No! No need to thank me or kiss my feet I am genetically generous! :mrgreen: :oops: :mrgreen: )

So the wise say, that you should never ignore a Nut. In fact whenever you should find one, hold them close to your heart (lips and hip too! ;) ;) ) and make them feel special each day. And on their b’day maybe bake them a special Fruit and Nut cake and sing ‘Happy B’day Nuttie’!!!

Happy B’day my favourite Nut – I so wanted to stay there and bake an extra special cake for you. But guess this time you’ll have to forgive me and do with this post instead!

You are indeed our favourite Nut!

P.S: Before all of you rush here to wish the Nut a happy B’day – kindly do not forget to check What Kind of a Nut are you???