Haunted by hunger

It looks like this lady had planned her whole day around this juicy outing to the Stores. She carefully does this master-plan to avoid disturbances during her fun filled afternoon of shopping. Probably sends her husband away to work or wherever, but stuck with her 2 yr old and have to take the kid along. Before leaving to the stores, she feeds the kid well and at last, happiness is nearing, she drives to the store, parks the car, grabs a shopping cart, enters the store and ...

the kid begins to wail! claiming that it is hungry and wants to go back home, right NOW!

Imagine the frustration that the mom must be going through? It is at this time I heard one of the strangest of all scoldings I have ever heard from a mother:

பசி புடிச்சவனே பால் குடுத்து தானே கூட்டிண்டு வந்தேன், அதுக்குள்ள என்ன பசி?

It is fascinating to see how frustration can pump up a mind's creativity which lead the mom to conclude that her kid is "haunted by hunger" (பசி புடிச்சவனே)

Kizha Mozhi - II - "சீலை இல்லன்னு சின்னாயி வீட்டுக்கு போனா, ஈச்சம் பாய கட்டிண்டு எதிர்ல வந்தாளாம்"

It means - Having ran out of a saree to wear, she goes to her aunt's house to borrow one, but finds her aunt wearing leaves of eecha maram as a dress.

my-wife: "Naalaikku snow storm, aathla paal kammiya irukkey, pakkath aathu Lakshmi kitta kekkalaama?"

There is a knock on the door and we open it to find pakkathu aathu Lakshmi.

pakkath-aathu-Lakshmi: "Hey, actually we have ran out of milk, can you spare some milk please?"

Kizha Mozhi - I -"காசிக்கு போனாலும் கருமம் விடாதாம்"

Oru vazhiya Buffalo, Boston snow ellathayum vittutu, mazhaiye better'nu Seattle vandha, inga snow-storm-watch is elevated to blizzard-warning'nnu weather report:



I have never seen a city so unprepared for snow. What is the point in getting accurate weather forecast if it is not put to proper(any) use? Is it too much to ask for the snow to be cleared, if not once in few hours, at least once a day? For an individual, even I got prepared for the snow storm by storing some food and supplies, I fail to understand why the apartment community/ the Redmond city failed to prepare for the snow.

Well.. so much frustration because my car got stuck in snow and I had to spend couple of hours within the apartment's parking lot to fish my car out.

The half blood prince and his supreme sacrifice

/*
"My lord.. let me go to the boy.. my lord"

The elder wand accidentally fell on the ground. Snape by now realized that he has no reprieve. Voldemort looked intently at the wand and it rose high towards his outspread fingers. At the exact same moment, Harry noticed Snape reach for his wand and point it towards the death stick. The last words that Harry, Ron and Hermione heard were from Snape's mouth - "zeus dionysus" and then they went unconscious.

There was a loud blast and the entire shrieking shack burst open. Two wizards, with their wands pointing at each other rose up in the air completely undisturbed by the huge wreck that was caused by Snape's spell. The two wizards were now dueling in mid air half way in the sky. The sky suddenly glowed and everyone from within the Hogwarts castle and the death eaters are now able to clearly see the dual, the sorts, they have never seen before.

One of the wizard was dueling with his right hand while he was removing shiny strands of silvery material using his other hand. Red, blue, green jets of spells were being cast, blocked and fended by both the wizards. Snape knew too well that he can defend himself for however long he wants but he also knew that he does not possess the skill to slay the dark lord.

Snape gathered his memory in a hurry on a potions bottle that he summoned from nowhere while his wand was fending a series of red jets that were fired his way. The death eaters were too afraid to get anywhere near this spectacle of a fight. Atlast, the black eye of Snape met the red eye of the dark lord. Snape then realized that he had to do what he had promised to do. Voldemort and Snape raised their wands at the exact same moment. Voldemort shouted "avada kedavra" while Snape said "expecto patronum". It looked like Snape was little too late this time. His body was stunned for a minute, hung in the air for a while and then slowly began to fall down. The dark lord announced "I am now the master of the death stick". Severus Snape lay dead on the ground.

It looked like they were asleep for eternity while Harry gained consciousness. They were thrown by the blast to somewhere that looked like the forbidden forest. From the corner of his eye, he saw something moving. He forced himself to get up. He then realized it was the same silver doe that led him to the gryffindor's sword. He slowly followed it until he almost reached the Hogwarts castle where the silver doe stopped near a tree and then disappeared. Harry knew he is being helped by someone, only this time he doesn't know what is waiting for him. Right near the root of that tree lay a potions bottle filled with silvery white substance. He realized the substance instantly and headed towards the head masters room for the pensive...... */

... and then I woke up from my dream...

I was hoping to see a fighting death from the half blood prince. A death that was for a cause but in the end it was a timid death caused by Nagini. The complete coincidence with which Harry stumbles upon Severus's memory is conduct unbecoming J.K. Rowling. I felt bad that Snape was not given a proper end, but when many of my relatives/friends who loved Snape shared the same feeling, only 100 times stronger, I wish my dream had come true.

Driving by the same woods on a sunny afternoon...

'These are the same woods', he pointed ahead
'Robert Frost Trail', the signs read.
A part of me wanted to apply the brake
but I continued to drive the car, instead.

Was it the woods, the flake or the lake
Assuming it is those, was a big mistake.
It is the man, the master, the guru
who gave these a life, with his own take.

Charming are his verses, also admired by Nehru
At the Amherst college he taught a lucky few.
Envy I do, the benefits they reap.
With him as my teacher, I wish I grew.

A poet, they say, mature with sorrow that's deep
'Enjoy every moment', is a motto I keep.
There are smiles to go before I weep
There are smiles to go before I weep.



In high school, I read the poem 'Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening' by Robert Frost. The description of the place was scarily cold. Probably the author's name played a part in making the place feel colder. I made a resolve never to set foot on such a place especially in the dark.

Robert Frost was a lecturer at Amherst college, MA. Last weekend, I visited my pals at UMass Amherst, MA and they live almost right across 'The Robert Frost Trail'.

I have spent four cold winters in the snow capital of northeast USA and have come across more than half a dozen snow storms and even now when I read his poem, I somehow feel that those woods are still colder...

First day to work ...

"bye, drive safe, see you in the evening"

It happened almost three years after I started going to work. For the first time, my mom and dad stood at the doorway and sent me off to work.

It is funny that this event should occur on a May 1.

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