Happy Birthday Gappy!

So its Gappan's birthday today and this is what i gave him ...a caricature! Couldn't pass up a chance to put it on the blog though..:)

Oooo-wee!

“When a true genius appears in this world you may know him by the sign that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.”

- Jonathan Swift

Ok…so as you’ve figured out I finally managed to finish “A Confederacy of Dunces” and I must say that it was absolutely brilliant! Utter genius! Not since Coetzee have I been this smitten by an author… He has a way with words that left me reeling! The novel is a satirical account of the misadventures..(misdemeanors?!) of one flatulent and exasperating Ignatius J Reilly, a self-professed savior-of-the-world and blubbering idiot with a penchant for adding to the misfortunes of everyone that he chances upon! Add to the mix a liberal dose of the nonsensical in the form of various superfluous characters like his poor mother Irene (heroine in this formidable saga), the coquettish stripper Darlene and her ambitious Cockatoo, poor bumbling Patrolman Mancuso, sodomist and fashionistra extraordinaire Dorian Greene, the lurid Levys, devious Miss Lee, languid Jones who’s forever hiding behind his glasses and racist grunts and of course that mangy minx Myrna Minkoff, love/hate interest of our unlikely hero. The result is a complicated yet well-orchestrated masterpiece that culminates, after many comic hitches and pit stops, with grand pomp and flourish! A definite must-read and newest addition to my 100 best books of all times! Seventeen thumbs up!

I had a chance to finish Confederacy on the train ride back from Chennai where I was visiting Shivi and his girlfriend Nasim for the weekend. And what a weekend it was! Managed to get in shopping (sarees, silver, home accessories), great food ( pizzas, steak, chops, bone soup, Kerala parathas, bheja fry), partying( ..the Leather Bar absolutely rocks! That DJ could teach a couple of our Bambaiya counterparts a thing or two!) and of course my US Visa! Am now totally equipped to pack my toothbrush and whisk off sans warning to New York for the weekend, darlings!

Also managed to get in some unscrupulous movie watching this last week! Saw Snake Eyes (..fun), Phenomenon (...preachy) and Bringing out the Dead..(…totally and astutely skewed!). Nicholas Cage plays an overworked and edgy pre-medic/ambulance driver working the graveyard shift in Manhattan’s crime/drug infested districts. His decline into the dark side and final reemergence is the basis of this exceptionally well-directed (Scorsese) flick. He is aided in his venture by a brilliant cast led by Patricia Arquette, John Candy, Ving Rhames & Mark Anthony. Deep. dark and totally wonderful! Reminded me a little of Trainspotting in the way that it takes abject horror and puts a comic yet human spin on it. Another Top 100 addition…

So all in all a good week/weekend and its back to work time..:). Also it's been two whole years since my first post on this here blog so will put up a celebratory type article tomorrow...more when it happens!

Erotica!

…and its over! My fabulous and oh-so-looked-forward-to, “debauchery-in-Delhi” weekend has well and truly passed and it’s back-to-work time again! I’ve managed to fit in quite a bushel of activities in my too-short mini vacation and this is just some of em..

1) Delhi Gymkahana: Met up with the entire Delhi gang including Pooch, Shals, Vinu, Neels, Pooj, Sanjay, Proms, Noms-Jeej,…well everybody really…and got my fill of those awesome chicken-cheese-chilli sandwiches the club dishes out with unequalled zest! Talk about your several birds with one stone! It turned out to be quite a night cos we then went on to Rick’s next and then another place called Bacci at Malcha Marg. Quick stop at the 24/7 for “Hog-gogs” and then home-sweet-home!

2) Indi-ism: Was first hand witness to another gem by the infamous Indi Auntie..it went something like this…

Lady Doctor: So have there been any improvements since you moved him to the ICU?
Indi Hoon: No Doctor! To the contrary, in fact! He hasn’t been sleeping very well since we moved him here...
Lady Doctor: Really?
Indi Hoon: Yes…I’ve noticed…he has very erotic sleeping patterns..
Confused Lady Doctor: *bumbling* errr…aahem…(*to self* I hope we’re charging him for the extras..)
Nomita Hoon: Mum, you mean “erratic”...
Indi Hoon: *bustling* Haan, haan beta…same thing!

3) Ministry of Sound: Delhi’s own mini Louvre, the massive-ass glass pyramid is definitely home to a wide variety of varied part-goers! Was fun though… tore up the dance floor till the wee hours of the morn!

4) Taipan: yea…no trip to Delhi is quite complete without it! Couldn’t eat a morsel after the 28th portion of dimsum so the previous record still stands.

5) Holi: Did a whole silver-paint number this year. Walked around looking like a verry frazzled Robocop until of course, it was time to wash it all off and wound up with a red nose instead… ala Rudolf! Luckily there are no pictures to serve as evidence to the debacle!

6) Also managed to get in some junk food…the usual chola baturas, gol gups, tikkis, chelas…you know…soul food…(or in my case Thai food cos that’s the region it eventually hits! :P)

Flew back this morning and am now nestled in bed after a nice long walk and diverse assorted limber-ments..(so-to-speak!). More when it happens people…