Baby you can drive my car

Yessss! An article on the Palio, now? Bravo, Shreenand!

In other news, Montezuma strikes back. My stomach has given up all fight.

Painful Post

I am have a severe pain the neck today - just hope its not a repeat of the backpain I had a couple of years back. Came from playing badminton every evening I'm sure, which just shows how evil exercise can be. Couch potatoes of the world, take note.

Have been feeling irritated all day. And there's a bunch of things to take care of before we leave. Gnah gnah gnah !!

3 walls and an upset stomach

Saw 3 Deewarein yesterday. Liked it a lot. The ending is slightly far fetched and a bit too clever, but the overall tone of the film is extremely good. Very well directed. Naseeruddin Shah is excellent as usual, Jackie doesn't really have much to do but play the strong sober type and Nagesh Kukunoor and Juhi Chawla are passable. Easily Kukunoor's best film yet and one of the better movies I've seen all year. In fact, this could be the best Hindi movie I've seen all year. Felt quite satisfied after watching it yesterday.


Have been walking around with an upset stomach since yesterday morning. Not sure what caused it, but its been keeping me awake for two nights now. Have started a course of antibiotics today, didn't seem to be any other option. Hope it gets better soon.

Of promotions, houses, boys, office space and baby girls

Sindha got promoted ! There she was, moping around at home post-delivery, wondering if her job would still be there when she returned to the college. Her principal calls up yesterday evening and congratulates her on the delivery, and extends it by saying "I've recommended you for the post of lecturer" ! Now she hasn't yet seen anything in writing and is not very clear on what this 'recommending her' means, but it does look likely that she has been promoted. This is good. This means a bunch of things, the biggest of which is that we don't need to think of returning to Kerala any time soon. All right !

I've given the legal papers of the site to Biju Small, a lawyer friend of mine. The Small is to differentiate him from another Biju, Biju Large. Now Biju Large gets his name not because of his size, but from a term commonly used in relation to measures of alcohol. But I digress

I also plan to show my dad the site and if possible, take an architect friend of his along. If all the above people certify that the property is good, we will go ahead. Should be able to decide in a week or thereabouts.

ARR's Boys is good. It has a very youthful, peppy feel to it. Catchy tunes, cheesy lyrics as always. Then again, I'm getting old.

Two new additions to my divx collection - Raiders of the Lost Ark and Office Space. I haven't seen Office Space yet, but had a peek at the first 10 minutes and liked it. I can see why its supposed to be a modern cult classic (if that phrase exists).

Rachana looks set to be a mimicry artist. She makes all kinds of sounds both asleep and awake. Grunts, sighs, tuneful moans and what have you. She has an interested look on her face when I play music, especially ARR (or so I would like to believe). She also seems to mistake me for the WC; she waits the whole day for me to get home and take her in my arms, especially after I've had a bath and changed into clean clothes. Maybe its my singing to her which does it.

Alive

Survived the flu, was pretty bad on Saturday though. Reported for work today.

Might leave early - my throat is still sore and I have this irritating cough...

Was out sick

Bad flu. Better now. Rasping cough persists, though.

Back in action

My back continues to bother me, off and on. Maybe I'm on the road to being crippled for life. Maybe I'll walk around with braces on my neck and back. Maybe I'll stop feeling sorry for myself and get back to work.

King of Pain

Woke up in agony at 3:30 in the morning today. The pain was just incredible - couldn't lie down, couldn't sit, couldn't stand. Took a dose of pain killers, but by the time it kicked in I had been through hell.

So went to HOSMAT without further delay (should have gone there the first day itself, of course). Doc takes an x-ray, mutters something and says I've got a pain in the neck. It masquerades as a pulled muscle, but is apparently due to a thingamajig between my neck bones. I've signed up for a week of physiotherapy at HOSMAT, starting today. And oh yes, he also recommended the tablets which asked me to take. Thanks, buddy.

Anyway, I guess that's enough on the subject.

I've almost completed Stephen King's Dreamcatcher. Its not bad, but of course nowhere near his best. To my mind, these are the best of King:

1. Salems Lot
2. Night Shift, a collection of short stories
3. It
4. The Stand
5. The Shining

Mobile pain

Bought an Ericsson cell phone for Sindha yesterday. Plan to go in for a scheme where she can call and receive calls from my number for free, and I need pay just Rs 75 a month to call up any Airtel number. The salesman from Airtel didn't turn up today though...

My neck and shoulders have been aching like crazy for over a week now. Trying all kinds of exercises. Maybe its my posture, maybe its driving, maybe its using the mouse too much. Maybe I need a massage.

(now why am I reminded of Pulp Fiction ? )