Superstitions

Superstitions.I've been wanting to blog about them ever since some crazy person told me that I shouldn't get pet turtles, 'cause they'd bring bad luck to the house. Whoever thought of that must be really dumb. Or psychotic. Anyway, I thought I'd give a list of superstitions my family's told me about/follow. I personally don't believe in any of them (sorry ma =P)
1. If a cat goes past you, you're doomed- Poor cats. Especially the black ones. What can they do if their fur is that colour? STOP blaming them for the shit that you land up in!
2.Never walk underneath a ladder- This is probably one of the lamest superstitions. How a ladder would bring you bad luck beats me. Except if you're really clumsy/unlucky and the ladder falls on you of course...
3.You always have to take a bath after you go for a funeral- Apparently there are a gazillion microbes that float around at funerals. But everyone seems to forget that the body is in a freezer box for god's sake! And it's not like we aren't exposed to so many other things that could kill us, ALL the time! Maybe my disbelief in this superstition stems out of the fact that I'm just plain lazy :|
4.Cutting your nails/hair on a Friday/at night/any auspicious day is unacceptable- In the olden days this made sense, as there was no light and anything could fall anywhere, into your food too. But now with electricity it's just bloody obsolete. And it's not like God's going to strike me down with a bolt of lighting if I cut my hair on a Friday. He/She,if God exists, but let's not get into that here, has way more important things to do. Trust me on that.
5. You can't enter a temple if you have your period-Why is that? Since when did a natural process,occuring in your body, have to do with God? Why is it that women are treated as untouchables during this time, when they suffer so much anyway? Also we have to take a headbath after 4 days of agony, to cleanse ourselves. Ha. Cleanse ourselves like we're some dirty creatures? It's weird how so many superstitions connect to God.
6. If a lizard falls on you it's either good/bad luck depending on where it falls-Haha. There's actually a whole book on what it means if a lizard falls on different parts of your body. Jobless people.
7. Seeing a fully black crow indicates bad luck (Oh no! Not again!)- They're called jungle crows and they mean you no harm!
I'm not going to ramble further on the million other superstitions that people tell me about. But please, they're called superstitions for a reason! And oh, don't you dare blame my turtles for any calamities that may befall you! It's just your luck!

Let's talk about sex, baby!

That catches everyone's attention, doesn't it? From inquisitive children, to older men and women, the topic of sex never gets old! Or, the act apparently. I was reading this book, The stranger beside me by Ann Rule. It was the very chilling account of Ted Bundy's life. The notorious serial-killer, raped and murdered countless number of women in many states across America. He was a necrophile too, finding pleasure in sodomizing and bludgeoning his victims to death. All his victims were very attractive,young women falling in the age group-18-25 years. Two-three of them were even minors. The most disturbing part of all this was that he,Ted Bundy, was an extremely charismatic,young man , who studied law and psychology(!). To use the act of sex as a tool of violence scares me. The fact that men find this pleasurable even more so.How do they find excitement seeing a helpless woman/child and attacking them ferociously for sexual gratification? Do they really get pleasure from the act or the feeling of power ,terrorizing the innocent? Does varied pornography really play a role in the twisted minds of these psychopaths like how Ted Bundy stated, few hours before heading for the electric chair?

The next day, I watched Brokeback mountain. One of the most beautifully-made romantic dramas I have ever watched. I was always a little uncomfortable with homosexuality. I though it was bizzare for men to be romantically involved with other men and women with other women. But nevertheless, I never disrespected them. What they did in the privacy of their lives was their business. Who was I to judge?But after watching Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal ,their incredible on-screen chemistry, play out the roles of their lives, I was highly impressed and mildly surprised. I did not find any of the intimate scenes 'disturbing' nor 'disgusting'. In fact, I thought the bond they shared was as beautiful as the rest of the movie. That's when I realised sex isn't just sex. It's not sleazy, it's not vulgar, it's not perverse. It's an art, it's natural, a physical expression,a strong emotional interpretation. It's sad to see people look at sex as merely an animal instinct. Even some animals share life-long bonds with their mates. I wish people would see the beauty of making love( as corny as that sounds) rather than desire 'casual sex'. Sexual starvation outweighs emotional starvation in today's world! I don't know how people can 'connect' physically if not emotionally. Sex maybe overrated, I wouldn't know, but love isn't and that I would.
Lots of 'lowe'
A very sentimental Cookie Monster.

And that is me =D

The real Cookie Monster

Cookie Monster's a poet, wouldn't you know it?

We're riding his bike,
the wind in my hair,
he looks at me,
an evil grin he does wear,

I get my bottom to the front,
And face him with my chest,
He gets turned on
and we begin to undress,

He takes his hand off this baby
and we begin to f@(#
Oh no! Too late,
we get hit by a truck!

Dear you,

Dear you,

It’s been 5 months.5 months since I’ve come home and had your crazy little self growl at me as soon as I entered the house.5 months since I last saw you and your fat, round, little body running around chasing your stinky, old, monkey toy.

I miss the sound your toenails made when you walked around on the granite floor. Your fat stomach. Your floppy ears that would fly in the wind. I miss the looks that you gave with your large, chocolate brown eyes. I miss the rides that we took in the car. Your tiny head sticking out of the window, while you strained to look and bark at every passerby. I miss taking you on walks. Dragging you out of the house and making you move 5 feet on your lazy ass.

March 17th, 2010, the day you died, will always remain etched in my memory. Forever.

5 months on and the memory doesn’t fade. The longing to not forget, to always hold you in that precious spot where time can’t erase any memories, will always be there.
I hope you’re in a happy land far far away. A land where there is unlimited food and a big comfy couch you can sleep on. I hope you’ll always be your adorably rude self out there.I hope that you Blackie, my first and only dog cum sister, will also never forget us.

With lots of love and lots of nostalgia,

Your sister Anjana.

My Top Ten Adrenaline Junkie Moments:

I’m a self proclaimed adrenaline junkie. I love the feeling I get when my blood’s all pumped up and my heart’s beating faster than a hummingbird’s. Without further ado I give you Anjana’s Top Ten Adrenaline Rush moments in no particular order. Trust me, they were a hell of a lot of fun.
1) Parasailing over the Great Barrier Reef-Last year in a spurt of unexplainable madness I decided to parasail over the GBR off the coast of Eastern Australia.(Cairns to be precise).If I’d put my list in order this might make it to the top. By far one of the craziest things I’ve ever done, the sheer thrill I experienced while going up in a chute, 200 metres above the ocean, is unexplainable. I did feel like I was going to die at any moment but that’s besides the point =/
2) Diving with the Great Whites- Gaansbai is one of the coolest places on Earth! Located right at the tip of South Africa, it’s home for the world’s deadliest predators-The Great White Shark. And oh hell, I dived with THEM! Yes you heard that right! I went down into the freezing cold water, in a tiny little cage with 6 other people (who kept puking), and got within two feet of these colossal beauties. Whatte sight! Pure bliss to the power of infinite. The cage was small and annoying, and some people out on the boat thought I was stubborn and would get eaten up, but who cares! All those as mad as me out there, please do attempt this atleast once in your lifetime.
3) Handling a snake for the first time in my life-Ah this makes it to my list without any doubt. The first snake I handled was a rat snake, around 5 feet in length, around 2 years back. It was found in my backyard and we called the Forest Department, who then allowed us to handle it. She/he (not sure what) was magnificent!
4) My first swimming lesson-Ok this may sound boring compared to the other stuff on my list but it was one of my first junkie moments. The swimming instructor made us all dive off a 20 foot diving board into a REALLY deep pool when I was just 7 or 8 (technically I learnt how to swim when I was 3 or 4 but tiny tot pools don’t count). I was shit terrified but managed to jump, after watching my eternally unmoved brother dive in with such nonchalance.
5) Jumping into a pit full of crocs-Imagine 400+ muggers (fresh water crocs) in a tiny enclosure, all grappling for space and food. Now imagine jumping into that space.Yes I did that and I’m lucky to have done so. Crocodiles are another species of animal that I absolutely adore.
6) Spotting a White Rhino and her calf up close and personal in the Kruger National Park- Bush walks in the savannah! Oh what joy! At 6 in the morning my family and I faced the harsh weather of the Southern Hemisphere (South Africa again), and went out to spot some animals at the coolest National Park in the world! We managed to get within 20 feet of a female White Rhino and her small, adorable calf, without being charged at. Thank the good lord for the mommy rhino's poor eyesight.
7) Watching the World Cup with over 50,000 other people, LIVE in Johannesburg-Brazil vs. Chile round of 16 LIVE. You want me to say anymore? Crazy fans, crazy vuvuzelas, crazy fun. Period.
8) Tracking the King Cobra in a forest and getting within 10 feet of a captured one-Agumbe is one place I will always cherish. Located a few hours away from Mangalore, this King Cobra Sanctuary is a must visit for any wildlife lover. Now I sound like I’m a travel agent or something. Anyway, on a camp at Agumbe I learnt how to telemetrically track the King in the forest and was allowed to observe another one at a (safe) distance of 10 feet. You need to see them to understand why they are called so. Sigh.
9) My first Ultimate Frisbee game =) – Why is this on my list? Because I love the game, love running, love the feel of the beach sand and the Frisbee in my hand when I score a point. Love everything about ultimate including the people. My first game was an eye-opener as to how unfit I was and how awesomely fit others were. All the games thereafter would also make it to my list but unfortunately I have to shrink it all to one point.
10) And this last point is dedicated to all those unexpected, unexplainable, irrational ‘looney’ and ‘high’ moments of mine. Those who know me know what I’m talking about. Those who don’t you’ll find out eventually =P Hint-yelling at strangers and singing Beatle’s songs from the back of a bike, walking on the Marina Beach with a bunch of lunatic friends of mine.You get the drift…
Anyway here’s where I’m supposed to advise you not to repeat the above whacko/psycho/whatever-you-want-to-call-it, junkie moments. But alas! What’s not there about adrenaline to love? Go right ahead and try it out. Just don’t blame me if anything happens.