Questions..

<o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> It is autumn here in <st1:city><st1lace>Melbourne</st1lace></st1:city> or Fall as they call it in the <st1:country-region><st1lace>USA</st1lace></st1:country-region>. Last week was quite chilly and my in-laws were already covered in warm clothes. This week has been pretty good so far. It was a glorious morning today. Clear blue sky and not a sight of any cloud and I feel horrible wasting the bright morning sitting indoors. Something interesting has been happening since yesterday morning. As we were having our morning tea, we heard some rattling noise from somewhere in the house and all of us walked towards the direction of the noise. It was coming from behind the wall in the guest bedroom! Sounded like a bird fluttering its wings or struggling, being caught up in the gap between the outer brick lining and inner plaster wall. I remember this exact incident had happened about two years ago when my parents had come here to visit us. It was the same noise and ruffling. I had tried to call animal rescue people to find out what was needed to be done. Their advice for me was to call the fire authorities, who would come and possibly break the wall from outside to release the member who had been trapped. It would have ended up being an expensive exercise for us. Imagine rebuilding that section of the wall again!

But again, I really don’t know this time, if it is a bird trying to nest in there or is it a rat/mouse or a possum?? Oh sugar, what a dilemma. If it is a mouse then the noise should actually be moving all over. But that is not the case. It must be a bird that has managed to find the gap somehow to nest, as the ruffling noise has always been on one side of the wall so far. It’s quite disturbing to hear that in the mornings especially. Last time I did nothing about it, after that phone call I had made. I hoped for the “bird” to leave exactly the way it came in and I think it did as the noise stopped after a while. I wish and hope for the same this year too. I remember reading that all good/bad things will come to an end! Let’s hope this follows the laws of nature. But we need to do something about that gap through which the bird is managing to squeeze in. Gap, yeah we need to find that first.

Unable to bear my helplessness in this instance and unable to see the morning sun being wasted, I put on my walking shoes and decided to venture out for some time. I felt like the lonesome IL or <st1:state><st1lace>ILL</st1lace></st1:state> as I stepped out, in search of, not sure what. Why was it happening to me/us all the time?? First it was a fish, then cats and now birds! Waking up to the noises of different birds chirping or the racket they make at dusk is just so soothing. Feels like being close to nature or maybe living near a bird sanctuary. This is probably what many would say. But hey, you need to see the other side too. Imagine the cat poos and bird droppings everywhere. I have to clean them you know. And what happens now? The bird decides to nest in MY HOUSE??

Come to think of it, the only thing that we actually stomp and kill is the Silverfish. Spiders…well they are too eerie to look at and I generously spray Baygon or Mortein on them till I see them all wriggly and coiled up dead on the floor. Yuck! All the others are very carefully released back into the wild. The other day when we were watching a movie at night (Akira Kurosawa’s RAN – Oh it’s a brilliant movie. I think it’s the only colour movie of Kurosawa), we heard a cricket inside the room yelling full throated and trying to grab our attention. What a child like behaviour that was. We found him in a corner and enclosed it with a steel katori/bowl. Then once the movie was over, we carefully slid a paper under the bowl/insect and released it back into the bush. My in-laws were smiling at us. If it was in <st1:country-region><st1lace>India</st1lace></st1:country-region> the cricket would have probably seen its last Akira Kurosawa movie! Once we caught a mouse using the mouse trap and instead of the royal visarjan in hot water to kill it, we actually took the mouse in the trap to an empty land with no houses around and released it into the wild. Why kill something when it had not yet created much trouble other than leaving nasty little droppings everywhere, you dirty little rat bag! So I guess what I am trying to arrive at is that, because of our attempt in trying to keep the balance of nature, everybody finds us very “homely”.

My walk continued and by the lakeside I saw a young girl sitting on a bench and smsing away swiftly on her mobile. I would love to learn to send messages fast like her. She had slender long fingers and it was moving so gracefully on the keypad of the mobile phone. You know these days everybody is obsessed with size 0 type of look. All these fashion models look so malnourished and bones sticking out. The craze has even spread to the mobile phone these days and they are becoming slimmer and thinner. But then what happens to people like me who adore curves? I can never get my fat fingers to sms properly and with these keypad sizes diminishing and mobile phones displaying an anorexic look every day, I find them totally useless. Technology!!

The thought of Technology reminded me of a song that I had listened to recently. It’s sort of a song where a guy says something which is totally relevant to now. Here is what he says...a very approximate interpretation though as I could not catch the exact words.

Yea, development has pushed us away from people
You know, a lot of times people are rude because they need immediate access
Immediate information…You know some things in life can not be immediate.
Sometimes you just gotta wait and let things happen

People are like increasingly rude. Like I say if I get in a cab and tell that I will get somewhere in 5 minutes, it’s like it takes only 3 minutes.
Who gives a damn if it takes 5 mins or 3 mins…who cares?
At the end of your life, nobody is going to put on your tombstone saying you got there in a cab in 7 minutes instead of 3 minutes..

You know, it doesn’t matter. Technology has made us slaves to time.
A lot of people who have technical jobs have become slaves to time.
Time is the essence of life and it seems like basically they are losing it.
Their life is just going away and they are not enjoying it.
They are so engrossed in efficiency and productivity…its all sad.
They all come here for something else like seeking their fame and fortune, top jobs and proving their names in their industry, so engrossed in their computer and…….

You know the real important thing in your life is people and your family
Many people don’t realise that until they are older…..


Mmmmmmm so true isn’t it? I felt thirsty and had a sip of water from the tap and just then I heared “ruffle ruffle…scratch scratch”. I was back home from my walk!

 

Aruna dear - Good to see you. No we have not found out yet what is behind the wall that is making the noise. Surprisingly enough we had not heard anything today. Now what does that mean? The bird is gone? The bird is dead?.......Allahmiya jaaney! Everytime I say something like this, the contrary happens the next day. So time will tell really. I don't plan on doing anything. The bird and us will live together harmoniously! Thank you for the company .

Viji ma - Ungal feedback oru murai read pannal, three times read panna mathiri...heheh! Sorry that was a joke. Accidentally your fb was posted three times here. But really, so good to see your fb whether it is first or second or ...... You have lots of patience really to look after the cats and her family members. Ennaley mudiyadu and they still keep coming. Enna panradu. Surely they love me. Engeyo sonna mathiri, previous janma bandham!

Kamalji - You surely did well to boost my ego way up in the sky! I am floating for the time being. Thank you! But where did you get that piece of statistics from?? Waise bhi aap humarey saath compare kyon karenge? No No, this is certainly not ON. You are a class of your own and in/un/non comparable ( I am not sure which is the right usage ). Both cricket and rat are males !! hahaha I loved that bit. Atleast koi tho hain iss duniya mein who finds me pretty and warm enough to be with . Of course hubby is there but that is out of majboori...hehe!

Oh we don't really BOIL the rats Kamalji. I have heard people just dunk the mouse/rat in a bucket of hot water to kill it. I feel that is torture. As long as I don't kill it on my own or don't see it being killed, I am ok. Not otherwise. Although I do like Harsha ji's idea . But our neighbours are Indians too you know! Thank you for the comments as always.

Pad ma - Superaa soneenge! I love to read your comments to everyone. Animals/Birds attracted to me because of my appearance or kindness?..... very hard to give up both . You are true. Excess of anything is not good. Healthy body leads to a healthy mind. But there is always that momentary "Aah how I wish I could be like that young lady" kinda thought which keeps probing me once in a while. If I can manage to send an SMS in a minute's time to anybody, I will jump with joy. Your advice is well noted. Thank you once again.