Forgive the Silence...

I (we) have had a full house and full lives for the last whole month, and have only just begun to breathe. I'm sorry I have neglected you. I am back. You know you love me.

In the Presence of Greatness

"The more I know, the less I understand
All the things I thought I knew, I'm learning again
The more I know, the less I understand
All the things I thought I'd figured out, I have to learn again"
- 'The Heart of the Matter', Don Henley

Listening to Amartya Sen, on "What Theory of Justice?", at OU's Sheldonian Theatre, was an enlightening and a humbling experience. I am not ashamed to say, there was a whole lot I couldn't quite grasp. I have never been a reader of economic theory and have always been intimidated by numbers (I can see you shaking your head, going "whoever said economics has to do with numbers?!"), but I did listen and learn at the lecture, and I feel a tiny bit more informed and therefore, I daresay, enlightened. And yes, I paid for the enlightenment with a very numb bum! I know I risk public damnation, but I wasn't very impressed with the Sheldonian Theatre. I do see and value it's place in history though, and I know it is almost hallowed with all the great minds it has housed.

This makes for an interesting argument (for those interested). How can you objectively evaluate something that is known to be 'great' without running the risk of giving it too much or too little credit? What if it really is mediocre and lives in the bubble of global media hype? What if it really is brilliant, but you just don't know enough to see the brilliance?

Dot and I (yes, we have a collective philosophy, for some issues, that is usually hotly debated and then agreed upon) believe that history and dominant public opinion count for something. They cannot, simply, tell you though - yes, this is good, or, no, this is bad - but can give you something to start with.

If you still haven't got my drift, these conversations might illustrate the point I'm trying to make:

Conversation 1
Us (Dot and I): You have to hear the Christ Church Cathedral Choir perform; they're brilliant! Some say, one of the best in the world!
BoyCousin (after hearing the choir perform): They were okay. My choir at St. Paul's sounds much better than them!

Conversation 2
UndergradIndianBoy (outside the Sheldonian, after the Amartya Sen lecture): This lecture was f***a***! He didn't give any solution - only mentioned the problem! That even I could do. I knew the answer to who should get the flute. It's very simple. I was not impressed at all!
UndergradIndianGirl (same place, same context, not listening to the boy, while she is busy unlocking her bicycle): Yaa, I agree with you ya!
Us: Sigh!
Dot: I've heard this somewhere: if you're not communist at 18, shame on you; if you're still communist at 30, shame on you.

It would've been a very happy birthday Papa...

...had you been here. I am told you're in a "better place" and you probably really are. It's just that it's bloody hard getting used to you not being where I thought was best - here with us. I had a long hard think about it yesterday, watching the news filled with depressing stories about death and loss, and I see how hard not knowing is - for the parents waiting for news of Madeleine McCann, their little baby abducted in the Algarve; for Becky waiting for news about Ken who was on that Kenya Airways plane. After what happened to you Papa, I also see how hard knowing is - for the family admitted to hospital with food poisoning being told that the children didn't make it, for the six people whose car broke down on the M25 and whose rescue vehicle subsequently collided with a truck killing all of them. Just when you think everything will be alright, it all comes to naught. Like you used to say so often and so wisely, "man proposes, God disposes".

I love you Papa and I miss you very much. I just wish you didn't have to go away.

I found Mr. Happy Squiggles

The background track to the Orange advert on telly is my current favourite sing-in-bathroom-sing-randomly-sing-loudly-when-the-ad-comes-on song. I googled the lyrics this afternoon and they are lovely. Here they are, with my favourite bit highlighted.

Little Yellow Spider (Devendra Banhart)

One, two, three, four

Little yellow spider, laughing at the snow
Well maybe that spider knows something that I don't know
'Cause I'm goddamn cold

Little white monkey, staring at the sand
Well, maybe that monkey figured out something I couldn't understand
Who knows?

Well, I came upon a dancing crab, and I stopped to watch it shake
I said, "Dance for me just one more time
Before you hibernate and you come out a crab cake"

And hey there, little snapping turtle, snapping at a shell
Ah, there's mysteries inside, I know
But what they are I just can't tell for sure

And hey ya, little baby crow, you're looking kind of mean
I think I oughta spit before you start letting off your steam
For sure

And hey there, little sexy pig, you mated with a man
And now you've got a little kid with hooves instead of hands
For sure

And oh, all of the animals
All of the animals

And hey there, little mockingbird, they sing about you in songs
Ah, where you been? Have you broke a wing?
I haven't heard you in so long

And hey there, little albatross, swimming in the air
Ah c'mon, you know I can't fly
And I, I think we really oughta play fair

And hey there, Mr. Happy Squid, you move so psychedelically
You hypnotize with your magic dance all the animals in the sea
For sure

And oh, all of the animals
All of the animals

And hey there, Mr. Morning Sun, what kind of creature are you?
I can't stare, but I know you're there
Goddamn, how I wish I knew

And hey there, Mrs. Lovely Moon, you're lonely and you're blue
It's kind of strange, the way you change
But then again, we all do too

(Note: I have been singing Mr. Happy Squiggles and now see that it should be Mr. Happy Squid. I stand duly corrected.)

Do you have a girlfriend? (also the title of a very annoying Billie Piper song)

I need to find someone who is at the same place in life as me, shares my angst, bitches with me, shops with me, gets mad at me and with me, laughs at me and makes me laugh, who doesn’t make me feel ashamed and weak when I cry, hugs me and likes being hugged back, and who can be on my speed dial. A proper ‘girlfriend’ is what I miss more every day since finding the love of my life, marrying him and moving to another country – lovers can be friends, but it helps to have friends you’re not sleeping with, to keep you sane.

P.S.1. Here are the lyrics to the song - you know you want them.

P.S.2. I am not sure a 'boyfriend' will do, though that's what I've had for most of my life.

Ditto

They say pets look like their owners, or vice versa, given time. They also say couples look like each other (may even be in the same sort of way as pets and their owners), and here's proof picked from people I know very well.

(All (almost) the photographs have been used with the permission of the subjects. P.S. Sue & Vidhya, please holler if you're unhappy about me using your pictures - I just got bored of waiting for you to check your inbox and get back to me...sorry!)

1. Marika & Keyur - Married 2005 2. Freddie & Suzanne - Married 2003

3. Rakhi & Kunal - Married 2007 4. Diago & Vidhya - Married 2005

5. Anil & Faye - Married 2005 6. Jardin & Avril - Married 2004