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Quid Pro Quo With The Gods

Discussion in 'Cheeniya's Senile Ramblings' started by Cheeniya, May 20, 2017.

  1. Iravati

    Iravati Platinum IL'ite

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    On Peer Pressure

    @Cheeniya
    I had a second guess there biting my tongue if I should have revealed such freaky temperament. Jeez! I do sound like that Madeleine Bassette from Much Obliged, Jeeves.

    I wake up each morning to the new day, and I know it is going to be the best day that ever was. Today, I danced on the lawn before breakfast and then I went around the garden saying good morning to the flowers. There was a sweet black cat asleep on one of the flower beds, I picked it up and danced with it.

    Our man Bertie thinks,

    If there is one thing Augustus, the cat to whom she referred, hates, it's having his sleep disturbed. He must have cursed freely. I suppose she thought he was purring.

    I am prancing with that seemingly purring cat but unless you are another soul who also mistakes that crotchety cat for a purring cat, that corybantic tra-la-la makes no sense. I should hereafter refrain from such disclosures in public. Who knows, may be a Bingley will capture such revelations in that Junior Ganymede club book.

    Fresh out of college, everyone is obsessed with the societal expectations. Big bucks, roomy cars and splashy holidays! In twenties, one is mostly guided by the society. In thirties, one reclaims that compass and is guided by intuitive self-regard. People take a life time to fathom what they need. Few realise early on the necessity to strive along what keeps them satisfied and hold on to that mantle. Esp., if you had an eventful twenties, you are set for life.

    Cheeniya, I think that peer pressure can be counteracted by friendly pressure. If you have like-minded people as friends in your life, you cannot even boast material acquisitions because your friends are as goofy are you are. Pretend, if I were to text that I bought a posh car to five of my close friends, not one would give a "awh". A simper is all I can expect because none values such things. They are slightly more wonkier than I am. Even to boast I must have a receptive audience. When there is no receptive audience, whom will I even compare or outsmart. There's a reason we talk so much about donkeys than deLoreans here.
     
  2. Iravati

    Iravati Platinum IL'ite

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    On Shakespeare's signature

    What about someone having half a dozen pronunciations?

    Long back, when I watched that Kirk Douglas' movie My Dear Secretary, I was intrigued by the reference of an unheard actress quoted in a scene. Owen Waterbury's friend has a dialogue with a budding actress in which compares her with Zasu Pitts. He says, Zaazoo. I thought of 'Zasu' as 'Zaazoo' for a long time until I was corrected by a friend that she is not Zaa-zoo but she is Say-Zoo. What malformed and counter-intuitive pronunciation is that! Not just that, she is pronounced in a dozen ways...

    Reference: The names of her father's sisters, Eliza and Susan, were purportedly the basis for the nickname "ZaSu", i.e., to satisfy competing family interests. She later adopted the nickname professionally and legally. It has been (incorrectly) spelled as Zazu Pitts in some film credits and news articles. Although the name is commonly mispronounced /ˈzæzuː/ ZAZ-oo or /ˈzeɪsuː/ ZAY-soo, or /ˈzeɪzuː/ ZAY-zoo, in her 1963 book Candy Hits (p. 15), Pitts herself gives the correct pronunciation as "Say Zoo" /ˈseɪzuː/.

    Zeezzz! What are we do with people who have such pronunciation galore!
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2017
  3. Iravati

    Iravati Platinum IL'ite

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    On Romance Counselling

    Romance counselling is a coveted business back then and now. Those counsellors are in great demand than Marriage Counsellors. Hence such bias towards Romance Counsellors. Marriage Counsellors are boring with starchy advice. On the other hand, Romance Counsellors should be inventive and crafty. After all, woo-ship is thousand times challenging than marital-ship. That woo-ship sails in far choppy waters! This book caught my interest because it is not written for the protagonists, but is written for those cameo artists on the sidelines without whom no romantic drama can be considered as complete.
     
  4. Iravati

    Iravati Platinum IL'ite

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    On Mouse

    Psst ..let me tell you something. Have you ever wandered in those pest control aisles in the supermarket? You will find rat poison and mouse poison. Why two different concoctions? Doesn't a mixture that kills a rat also kills a mouse? I agree that they poop differently because of variant mal au foie but what is in rat poison that is missing in mouse poison and vice versa. When I first chanced on this nuanced poison, my brain lit up wanting to explore the ingredients, spot the difference, and, eureka!, solve the puzzle. But you know how my mom is, and if I had touched that poison in the aisle without chemist's gloves, she would scream and puncture my ears....how did I get such a daughter who is fascinated with poops and poisons. Don't worry. I will find out one of these days. You have my word.
     
  5. Iravati

    Iravati Platinum IL'ite

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    On Scent

    Ok, let's revisit the origin of perfumes. Long ago when those Egyptians were heaving boulders to rise their pyramids, and those Babylonians were busy chiselling and inventing writing, scented essences were also brewed. To propitiate Gods, perfumes were made of frankincense or myrrh. For human consumption, perfumes were extracted from animal and plant products. I think we got bit adventurous and discovered the civet and musk along. I don't know why that differentiation between god and human perfume exists. I might have to ask our She-Google later. In the modern times, with the advancement in chemistry, we are able to replicate these scented notes. However, you know how it is with chaste people, they invariably prefer the au naturel. There was an ethical movement in perfumery to ban procedures that harvested scents from animals bred in harrowing conditions. Knowing humans, I would be surprised if we had made any progress to thwart unethical manufacturing practices.

    Here's another tidbit for you because we also discussed poops, so here is pooped perfumery. I am talking about indole, naturally found in jasmines.

    upload_2017-8-19_23-48-4.png

    Why is a compound that smells like feces put in perfume?


    Why does a lot of indole smell like feces, but a little bit smells like a flower? We don’t know for sure—but it seems that when scent hits your nose in large concentrations, it binds to a wider range of receptors than it does when only a trace of it wafts into a nostril. This may be one of the reasons why a ton of perfume not only smells overwhelming, but actually smells bad. Too much scent will activate the receptors of your nose associated with bad scents, while a small amount will stick to a few more acceptable receptors.

    This might be the reason why they say, dab not douse a perfume.
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2017
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  6. Iravati

    Iravati Platinum IL'ite

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    On aging stars

    Auntie Mame and Unsinkable Molly Brown have been in my wishlist. Now that you emphasized, I should bump these titles in my list of must-watch films.

    I don't know the name of that Hindi remake of The Apartment. I was in India when I watched a scene which corresponded with a dialogue between Shirley and Bud. It might not even be an entire remake but the apartment ploy was copied. You know how our films are. We stitch together four Hollywood films and call it an original Bollywood film. By the way, what is the Becketed Rajesh Khanna film. You referred to it earlier also. Pray, tell me, I would also stay away from such dry adaptations.
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2017
  7. Iravati

    Iravati Platinum IL'ite

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    On The Unsinkable Molly Brown

    I woke up early today to catch up with that movie. I had to watch it esp. with that emphatic "Please don't miss Debby's Unsinkable Molly Brown." Not that "please" but that "don't miss". When you add markers like "don't miss", I know there is something in it that you don't want me to skip.

    The unsinkable transformation of Molly Seamus to Molly Brown is defined in that one gutsy dialogue when Titanic sinks, "I am not going to die! Hell! I am just learning how to live. If the Colorado flood could not sink me, nothing can". Molly Brown! That's our girl Molly Brown! I have seen Debbie in Singin' in the Rain and not knowing a thing about this movie I was stunned right from that opening song of "I Ain't Down Yet". That's Debbie?! That rough and tumble is Debbie?!

    The songs are full-bodied fun! In "Belly Up to the Bar, Boys" she was adorably boisterous with her swagger which is an unbelievable contrast to her demure in Singin' in the Rain.

    The best fun scenes are Molly and Johnny in Europe learning romance languages and music and art clumsily in an attempt to be inducted into the second generation Denver elite on their return, and that scene where Molly shoots at the tourist bus in Denver that encircles the mansions of the rich and the famous.

    The plot is so whimsical but still magical with scenes like burning down $300K in a stove only to discover a gold mine. Well, after all she is unsinkable, if the water could not vanquish her, so can't the fire. This is one spirited movie! I don't know whether the current generation know of such gems. The undoubtable, the unbeatable, the unsinkable Molly was a delight to watch. Every frame was out and out fun and that last celebratory song "He's My Friend" deserves an encore.

    Thank you for that "don't miss" reminder. If not for that nudge, I would have missed such a classic film.


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    Last edited: Aug 20, 2017
  8. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    @shyamala1234
    My dear Syamala
    Sorry to intrude in your conversation with Viswa.
    This line struck me as the most significant. Bondages are the ones that prevent us from reaching the next stage in life. We are not able to free ourselves from bondages. That's why the ancient kings sought Vanaprastha at the last stage in life. This is the stage in which the concerned people get freed from the filial bondage so that their heart and mind could be fully devoted for nobler pursuits.
    You may have listened to Bhaja Govindam of Adi Sankara. Many have soung it but the most touching rendition is that of MSS. There is a particular stanza:

    यावद्वित्तोपार्जनसक्त-
    स्तावन्निजपरिवारो रक्तः ।
    पश्चाज्जीवति जर्जरदेहे
    वार्तां कोऽपि न पृच्छति गेहे ॥ ५॥

    "So long as a man is fit and able to support his family, see
    what affection all those around him show. But no one at home
    cares to even have a word with him when his body totters due to
    old age."

    This is the truth of life. There is nothing wrong in our feeling concerned about our family but we must always be mindful of the final scene of the drama.
    Sri
     
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  9. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    @satchitananda
    My dear Satchi
    That's why it is said that the best offering that one can make another is Anna Dhana (Offering of food). This is the only thing where the receiver says I have had enough. Please don't force more food on me.
    In all other things, man can never have enough of it!
    Sri
     
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  10. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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