Secondhand

When I go book hunting I prefer the secondhand stores. Unless its a recently published book, I stay away from 'proper' bookstores.. There's just some kind of immense joy I get when I find an Asterix, or Tintin, or Peanuts, or Garfield, or Calvin and Hobbes(Yeah I mostly go for comics..) secondhand. It just isn't the same when I look at a brand new copy.. one that hasn't been opened, spine intact, no writing on the first page..

And hey, theres always the fact that its cheaper to buy it secondhand. You can bargain with the seller too. And if you don't want to keep it, most sellers let you return it, charging a small reading charge (10-20). Its cheaper than a usual circulating library and therefore great!

If I see a used book store, I have to go in and browse. It's a compulsion. And I almost always walk away with a purchase. Not surprisingly, a large chunk of my pocket money goes in buying/borrowing books. (The rest of it goes in food, believe it or not..)

Most used bookstalls/stores have a majority of novels of every kind. I guess those are the most popular to read and return. When I can't find a comic I usually get one of those.

There used to be sooo many of these stores at Flora fountain.. pity the BMC decided to get rid of them. Thankfully they left the job half done and about 5-6 of these stalls remain. And on Sundays, it seems all the others who had to leave come and sell their books on the footpaths (the BMC is off on Sundays..). Thats when you can easily buy books for very cheap coz these people just want to get rid of their stock..

Thunderstorm

It's raining cats and dogs outside at the moment. Finally, I can assure myself that the monsoon has arrived. It certainly took its time getting here..

I love the moments just before it starts to rain. You can always tell.. The wind picks up speed.. distinct chill in the air.. no sun to speak of..

I just love thunderstorms! My favorite part has got to be the sound of the wind howling like some rabid beast, rattling the windows, trying to get in.. I love to burrow under my blankets and just lie there, listening.. I'm not a big fan of thunder.. mostly because it can jolt me awake.. but usually I can sleep through the best of them.

In such weather, most people tend not to venture out. My cat Felix, however, doesn't let himself be fazed by a bit of rain. He still demands to be let outside. And somehow, when he returns, he's never wet.. if at all he is, its only a few drops here and there or maybe the end of his tail. It's highly suspicious.. Like today, he went out when it was absolutely pouring! And when he returned some 3 hrs later, he was completely dry. How does he do it?? If I were to go out I'd be wet in 30 seconds flat. Even if I simply stood under my building, the spray would get me.. And so, I am forced to conclude that Felix has some weird rain-repelling-energy-force-thing going on and he uses this to mess with my mind!

I could extol the virtues of storms for a loooong time.. but the rain's dying down now, and my blankets beckon.. or something like that :)

Want to learn to draw? Take Science!

So I was sitting in the foyer of my college one day, my pencil flying over the pages of my Zoology journal, as I rushed to complete the seemingly endless diagrams. My classmates were sitting around me engaged in likewise pursuits. An Arts student, a friend of one of my classmates, walked up to us. I was introduced to him. He looked at my journal and said, "Whoa, nice! Are you an artist?" Bemusedly, I looked up at him and replied, "No.. I'm just a Biology student."

My father once told me, that his school teachers advised him not to pursue biological sciences. Apparently it was because he couldn't draw very well. People who could master the skill of drawing neatly on the other hand, were pushed whole-heartedly into it (which in those days simply meant medicine).

I believe, that even if you are completely rubbish at drawing, if you go into the Biology stream, you will emerge as a passable draw-er of diagrams.

The journals were always my biggest headache. I'm not too bad at drawing. There are even times when I enjoy it.. However, I am a chronic putter-offer. I may have a whole 3 months to complete the journal but I'll only begin when there's about a week left. In my first year, my Zoology journal was a combined effort. I somehow managed to get other people (from my sister to Arts students to my father to friends' parents) to draw at least one diagram for me. and 80% of my journal was completed this way in about 2 weeks. In the end, anyone who looked at my journal would have known it wasn;t all my work. Some diagrams were dark and huge; some were light and tiny; some were shaded; some were smudged. My professor was vastly amused..

Gotta post some of my (better) diagrams.. and for the record these are all 100% my work! Click on them if you want to see them bigger.. much bigger.

My Fraidycat

Lucky is a shy cat. Since she was abandoned as a kitten I always reckon her previous owners treated her badly. If you're a stranger in the house, she disappears from sight. Usually to a bedroom. If you follow her there, she runs to another room. Follow her again, she'll make a mad dash for whatever room is furthest from you.. even if she has to go right past the danger - you. Make a grab for her, and it's very likely all you'll have are scratches and some fur (yes she sheds, she sheds like her life depends on it)to show for it. So please don't try..

Stay in the house for a few days and Lucky usually gets used to you. She *might* even let you pet her. That is the highest honor she can bestow upon you because for Lucky, petting is no light matter. It's a serious job that can last from minutes to, well, hours if she can persuade you.

Early in the morning (by my standards) you can hear the impatient meows as Lucky follows you (and when I say 'follows' I mean dogs [cats?] your every step; 'you' implying anyone who is up at such an ungodly hour) around demanding that you stop and pet her. If you pause on your way, she immediately falls to her side and looks up at you imploringly. Continue on your way, and she's up and running beside you once more. It does not stop until you give in and pet her..

Usually this occurs even in the middle of the night. If, say, you get up to drink a glass of water, you'll find you have a little bell-tinkling shadow trotting beside you.. She seems to be of the opinion that we have awoken for the sole purpose of paying her a bit of attention. I must say, this cat gives the impression that she's affection/attention starved. Although its true we ignore her pitiful cries sometimes, that is anything but the case..

The utter bliss that comes over her as you start to pet her, simply cannot be described. She is enraptured by your hands. Try to lift them away and she's likely to grab them back towards her. And the purring.. never have I come across a cat that could purr so loud. In fact, I think it's something called 'trilling' that cats do when they are ve-e-e-e-ery happy.

Even if she doesn't ask (and when I say 'ask', I mean 'demand'), petting is always welcome to Lucky. Even if it means waking her from deep in kitty slumber..

Marxism

I have seen exactly one Marx Brothers movie. At the time, I had only vaguely heard of Groucho Marx - seen his caricatures here and there, seen the Groucho Marx disguise (you know, the one with the nose, moustache and shaggy eyebrows attached to a pair of glasses..although he didn't really have a moustache and eyebrows like that.. effect of grease paint!) on cartoons, etc. I didn't even know he was an actor, let alone a class-comedian.

The movie I saw was "A Night at the Opera". And it was brilliant! I recommend everyone see it atleast one time. I have never seen that kind of comedy before. It's hard to describe.. everything that comes out of Groucho's mouth is fantastic and they're usually insulting. He speaks so fast that for me, there was a delay of a second or two before my brain actually registered what had been said. I imagine thats how the person Groucho just insulted might feel as well...

Apparently, Groucho honed his wit as a result of being a middle child. It was his attention-getting gimmick. If he used writers at all, their contribution was probably at a minimum. His lines have a signature, unimitiable Groucho feel to them. His movies seem to be result of major ad-libbing. Even in his everyday life, Groucho was always switched on.

I don't mean to ignore Harpo and Chico Marx, but Groucho was always the star attraction..

Here's a few quotes from A night at the Opera:

• That's the fire escape. And, uh... that's a table, and this is a room, and there's the door leading out, and I wish you'd use it, I... I want to be alone!


• Can you sleep on your stomach with such big buttons on your pajamas?


• Was that a high C, or Vitamin D?


• Say! Now, how did those two beds get together?
  Well, you know how those things are, they breed like rabbits.


• Do you follow me?
  Yes.
  Well stop following me or I'll have you arrested!


• He couldn't come, so he gave me his ticket. He couldn't get dressed, so he gave me his clothes.

Since that first movie, I have searched high and low for another Marx Brothers movie but for some reason I can't find any. None of my VCD libraries seem to have them. It's a conspiracy I tell you! ..or something like that.