Today is my third Friday in Raritan, NJ and I managed to wake up refreshed and happy to a crisp and pink tinged morning sky.
This is my first attempt at using the VSCO camera .Residents here are predicting a cold winter approaching soon but I’m hoping the snow falls after I’m back home!
Happy weekend all.
Linking up with other bloggers at #SkywatchFriday.
I grew up in an age when TV didn’t exist in my part of the world. The only entertainment we had were the movies. I was lucky enough to see a movie every week – in some places even twice a week. And what an event it was! Being a Service establishment meant that we had dress toformally and be on our best behaviour.
In some clubs/places the films were shown on screens that flapped in the wind . In some places we saw them in plush auditoria or on a large cement screen. Sometimes we sat in separate enclosures for children. But once the lights dimmed and the shaky images came on the screen, we were all transported to another world – Tom & Jerry, Cowboys and Indians, World War 2 and a world where brothers were separated at birth and heros and heroines ran around trees.
So having seen almost a movie a week for forty years, it’s hard to say which are my 7 favourite.
However, I’ll try.
Which child doesn’t know how to play ‘Doe a deer’ on the piano. I saw the movie at a special screening for school children and can never forget this thrilling event. That apart, the movie though cheesy and dated never fails to entertain. I ‘ve seen it countless times with my girls and want to see it with my grandchildren too!
This Richard Gere and Julia Roberts movie always brings a smile to my face . Funnily enough, it was always playing as a rerun on TV before Anna Shetty’s medical exams and seeing this was like an omen that things would go well.
I specially love the sound track and Vivienne’s shopping revenge.
With Tom Cruise as the hero, need I say more? Besides, who can forget the irrepressible Cuba Gooding ?
Even though this film stars Tom Cruise , I see it again and again for Sam Watanabe who plays the Japanese general.
This movie leaves me in splits everytime I see it because I can see shades of the neurotic Mr Banks in my own husband who is absolutely bonkers and possessive about his daughters. Despite the ham handed acting of Steve Martin and Martin Short’s poor imitation of a French accent, I was fascinated by the idea of a wedding planner and the ridiculous antics of George Banks.
This is one movie that I always watch when I’m in need of inspiration. The sheer grit and determination of the British athletes, their unfailing determination to stand by their values and the rigours of their training never fail to motivate me to keep going .
This classic Jane Austen romance brought to the screen by Emma Thompson is actually one movie that made me read the book! Jane Eyre had put me off Austen but this movie made me re-visit her prose . I now read her through mature and more appreciative eyes.
There are more movies that I like – in Hindi and Marathi as well. But then, you won’t have time to read about them all would you?
Linking up with #FridayReflections
Today is World Gratitude Day and since I’m in a different time zone, I am posting this a whole day early in my new time zone and possibly a day late in my old time zone.
Anyways, as I write this post, I realise that I have a lot to be grateful for : mainly a world so sweet.
Early this month I had to make an almost 24 hour journey from Mumbai to Newark. I had a 9 hour flight , a 7 hour layover and another 9 hour flight . Even if you spare no expense ensuring a comfortable flight, the actual journey is not a breeze especially for the infant who is travelling with you.
But I grateful that baby in question behaved well, the flights were comfortable , the immigration process hassle free and all in all a journey that didn’t leave us exhausted.
Settling in a new place is hard so I am all the more grateful that we had friends and friends of friends who are actual complete strangers who reached out and helped us .
Indeed I am specially grateful to my old school friend who has more than helped us – actually holding our hands while we find our feet.
[Tweet “Only when you are out of India do you appreciate the madness, the chaos, the mess that is India.”]
What I miss most is the lack of Public transport. What is the point in all those fancy cars zipping by when I can’t drive one ?
I also miss the freedom of being able to just tuck the baby under my arm and cab it to any place. A car seat is a must and if you don’t have your own car, you are pretty much stuck even if you have a car seat because you can’t lug it all over the place.
I would have been completely cut off from the world were it not for my iPhone that helps me FaceTime and WhatsApp and connect with everybody back home and here.
Travel has been made comfortable and affordable because of advances in technology .
Settling in is facilitated by electronic banking, navigating new areas is possible with GPS and shopping is a breeze with online stores .
In these two weeks we’ve had to rely on many strangers – some were paid to help us whike most volunteered.
So I have a lot to be grateful for.
But life is a two way street . I know that I may not necessarily be able to help those who’ve helped me today. But I also know that I will help others and pass it on .
Linking this up with #WriteTribe and #WorldGratitudeDay.
Twenty- five Seven 