That terrorist swine flu to my country!!

This is really serious.. Swine flu is gripping the city and I am afraid of going out, nah, not that I am afraid of dying, if I die, it won’t make much difference to this world, but what if I fall sick? then, of course, it is likely to make a difference to the people who surround me…..Yes, I am afraid that if I get, I might infect more people, and I would certainly not like if somebody else got sick due to my carelessness. But that is exactly what has happened, it started in some distant country, thousands of miles away and has travelled all the way to India and is now infecting so many of my people in India. (I bet, if any disease such as this had started from India and travelled the same route to that distant country, there would have been some soldiers sent over to combat this war of disease and resolution to isolate India would be broadcasting on prime shows at every International TV channel Anyways whatever the case maybe, I still don’t like that our children are also suffering and are more prone to this disease because they have very low resistance. Also, unhealthy people especially those, who suffer poor health, are at higher risk from the H1N1 virus, which is commonly known as swine flu. People with diabetes, weak lungs, cardiovascular conditions, liver problems, blood disorder, neurologic disorders, immune suppression, including HIV infection and medication that suppress the immune system, such as cancer chemotherapy or anti-rejection drugs for transplant and people with low resistance are easily infected with this disease. So, how do I recognize this? Symptoms of swine flu are like regular flu symptoms and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Many people with swine flu have had diarrhea and vomiting. Nearly everyone with flu has at least two of these symptoms. But these symptoms can also be caused by many other conditions. That means that you and your doctor can't know, just based on your symptoms, that you've got swine flu. Health care professionals may offer a rapid flu test, although a negative result doesn't necessarily mean you don't have the flu. But the best thing that we can do is to take precautions. We have to get paranoid of washing our hands every ten minutes. The minute you hear someone coughing/sneezing, run to the nearest tap and wash your hands. Wear a mask, or better still, stay away from infected person. If you don’t feel the need to go out, don’t go. Stop roaming on the street aimlessly; enjoy the comforts of your house. The virus does not spread by eating well-cooked pork products, though it would be a healthy option to wash your hands properly after handling pork. In spite of all the precautions that you have been taking, are you still suddenly coughing/sneezing? RUN!!!, run to your doctor, and don’t waste your time reading my blog…Go to doctor RITE NOW..... FOR GOD’S SAKE!!!!DUH!!!!

Are you drooling? I don’t blame you!

 When I am at home, my stomach is stitched tight, not even a poke will induce hunger. I am busy in my work and food is the last thing on my mind. Many times, when my maid comes for work in the afternoon and sees the empty sink, she screams, scolding me for not having eaten all morning.

 But story is different when I am outdoors. I am always hungry. I see vadapav, I will hog, idli dosa, bhel puri, sandwitch,.there are so many hawkers on every street that it is impossible to remain hungry. One of my NRI friend once commented that people in India are happy lot because they are always munching something, and believe me that is true. I am surprised how hungry I get even when I visit my friends or family.

Today, I visited my friend and she served me uttappa topped with onions, green chillies and tomatoes, There was green mint chutney and coconut chutney. It was so delicious that I could not stop eating. I had four of them and wanted more. Then there was Rasgolla and then masala tea.. I was having the feast as though I was starved for weeks. (that’s shameless me) Surprisingly, at home I don’t eat any snacks, nor drink tea in the evenings. Not that there is no food in my house. Actually, I buy many food items and store them till their expiry date, but I don’t remember to eat.

 So why do I feel so hungry when I am out of my home?

Thinking! Thinking!

What do I do?

My maid comes late today and I stare at her, real hard “darn! where is my fresh vegetable juice? My bed is also unkempt, My kitchen is so dirty, there is too much mess…” she looks at me with sad eyes “Kai Karoo, What to do maam? Yesterday was 'Raksha Bandhan' but my brother came today for Rakhee, plus hubby is sick and he drinks too much..I am born with so many misfortunes, forgive me I am late…” And I slap myself for being so lazy and not helping her. The least I could do is to make my own bed.

Script Writing Workshop

I am a late bloomer so there are many things that I am doing for the first time because I missed it when my friends were doing it. Script writing is one thing that I decided to do but had to do in a group of much younger generation but what the heck, if I have to learn then I guess there is no age for learning. I attended 2-days workshop on script writing that was conducted by Rajashree, a National Award-wining filmmaker who has assisted the film personality like Mansoor Khan and Sanjay Leela Bansali. On the first day, we were five of us who were present for this workshop. To break the ice, Rajashree asked us to write an audio-visual script of any scene. The morning session started with the long discussion on process of making a film that included pre-production, production and post production. As a writer, we have to see the trends that are popular before writing a script. During the second half of the session, she discussed the international format of writing the script. We read the audio-visual script that we had written earlier and then were guided in writing our script in a correct format. Films are an audiovisual medium, so a script is basically a description of the visuals and sounds that will be seen and heard in the film. The ideas for the story can be sourced out from our experiences, or from topical news or by research and interviews. For a 2-day intensive workshop, I found the pace on the day one rather slow. The next Saturday, when I went again, I was surprised to see that all had shifted to 7-week course (Sundays only) which costs Rs3000 more and I was alone with one more person who had missed his class on another day. Together, we discussed the character analysis of protagonist and antagonist, the psychological, physical, emotional and social attributes of a character, and the back story of the character. The protagonist must have a goal to reach and there will be hurdles posed by antagonist. In the afternoon after lunch, I was alone attending this workshop. (hilarious!!) anyways, Rajashree reported ill, was having bad cold and requested me to come the next day and do the rest of the course with other up-graded group. So here I was, with a bonus extra-day at no extra cost, attending on Sunday. Normally, Sunday is the day of saints, and it is reserved solely for my family, but sometimes I make exceptions, though unwillingly. Ahem! We were nine in this group, chirpier with excellent ideas. During the morning session, assignments were read out that included sights and sounds of Juhu beach and the mall, character analysis of a protagonist, a scene of an act and the break-up scene-by-scene analysis of the film ‘Sholey’. It is amazing how two people have a different perspective of the same scene at the same time. During the afternoon session, she discussed the structure of the story and how it can be used in the story. A Syd Field’s 3-Act structure story has set-up, confrontation and the resolution. The plot point is when dramatic action takes place and there is climax. In a structure of 120 minutes, 0-25 is the set-up point, 25-30 is the plot point, 30-85 is the confrontation point, 85-90 is the second plot point and 90 to 120 is the resolution point. On the other hand, Shakespeare normally has 5-Act point in which Act 1 is the exposition/establishing, Act 2 is the introductory of a conflict, Act 3 the conflict deepens, Act 4 there is climax and Act 5 is the resolution. During the third session she discussed ‘Bharat’s Natya Sashtra which is actually the flavors of emotions that are seen in every film with which you succeed in creating the emotion in the audience. The nine Ratnas of emotion are Shant (peace), Shringar (love), Hasya (humor), Krodh (anger), Karu (sadness), Bhaye (fear), Ver (courage), Adbhut (wonder) and Bibuksh (disgust). Some film strips were then show to get some insight on the message of the film.. While the rest of the group will be busy for next four week, doing the intensive workshop on script writing, I shall do self-study and improve my skill. Whether I succeed or not in writing a script for a film, I am content that I have explored yet one more field.

Busy Again....

This week-end I went for script writing workshop and learnt the format for writing a film script. We were made to watch the film Philadelphia. Rajeshree, who was conducting the workshop, would read the script for about ten minutes and then show us the film for two minutes, pointing out as to us how the script is translated into a film, it was quite interesting…the problem with me is that I hardly ever watch TV serials, I get bored easily, but she has told me to watch as much TV as I can, to understand how the script is written .and to be able to write…(there are so many TV channels in India, if I can write for some serials, it would be nice but for that I have to understand what works and what are the trends.) .I am thinking of installing TV in my bedroom next to my computer…but, this is extra work for me….sigh! To install TV, I have to change the positions of my furniture, make new lower cabinets, shift wardrobes and give away the extra furniture to anyone who will use it… there is sewing machine that I am not using, have to get rid of it soon…the carpenter will begin work from next week….. Imagine, during my growing up years I have never read PG Wodehouse book! They are so very interesting. I am starting one now (never too late) I bought ‘Aunts aren’t gentlemen’ Gosh! I am loving it. I read in the bus (whenever I m travelling, I normally read or listen to FM) on my way to school. Truthfully, I don’t get enough time at home…. I have also started needlework. Made a small drawing of a cottage and will fill that with embroidery. One of my friends visited me recently and she liked the needlework-frames in my living room and she asked me to make it for her. I told her to take what was hanging on my walls but she insisted that I make new one, specially for her. So, here I am, doing needlework while watching news on TV.