Easy Reading

             

I am presently reading the Litigators by Grisham, its easy reading about 3 bumbling lawyers. One of the last books that I really liked is the Hunger Games. I do like the fantasy genre, especially the Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix, also the Old Kingdom series. The guy is truly prolific. I have started reading the Secret Seven, Enid Blyton series to my son. He really loves it, other than his Ben Ten aliens and Spiderman and Pumba and Timon and Peter pan.

Check out : http://www.garthnix.com/

What are you and your kids reading??

Best TV Comedies

Currently my favorite TV comedies are 2 and a Half Men, Simpsons and Big Bang Theory. I used to love Friends and Seinfeld.  But those are off the air. 2 and a Half men is a hilarious comedy starring Charlie Sheen and his brother and his nephew, grappling with their different lifestyles. Simpsons is a satyr on the typical American way of life. Big Bang is about 4 physicists putting their own spin on life. Guaranteed a good laugh.

Do tell me about your favorite comedies.

   

Hospitals

I was reminiscing about my hospital stay during my baby’s delivery. I was pretty nervous initially about the c-section, which was to be done only with local anesthesia. But as the operation proceeded, I was filled with wonder after I heard my baby wail for the first time. He blew bubbles at all of us and was whisked quickly down to the nursery. I only got a good look at him the next morning, all pink and wrinkly like a prune, dreaming about whatever it is babies dream about. I really enjoyed my stay at Neotia. I guess it finally depends on which hospital you go to.

Do share your experiences with me.

This site provides some comparisons of healthcare services : http://myhealthscore.com/

Music

Music has been my constant companion since childhood. Started with Elvis (Mom’s choice), Hemanto, Jim Reeves, Dean Martin etc. The love affair continued with Bollywood, QSQT, Roja. AR Rahman stunned everyone with his surreal music for Roja. Hadn’t heard anything quite like it before that. Western music started creeping in with Jon Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, and Springsteen etc. Slowly progressing to Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Pink Floyd, Chris Rea, Micheal Jackson, Hootie and the Blowfish, Doors, Santana, Fleetwood Mac. Though Bollywood remains my first love. Presently listening to Gunja sa(wake up sid), Pritam rocks.

Chess for beginners’

I have started playing Chess of late. The origin of chess is supposedly India. It’s interesting how the most of the play happens in the middle of the board. So it’s a good idea to block the middle with pawns. Castling the king early on in the game is also a good idea, as it throws most attacks off kilter. It’s a good idea to move out all the pieces (bishop, knight) on the king’s side as early as possible and castling. Also it may be advisable to bring out the queen somewhere in the middle of the game and changing attacks from one side of the board to the next. I personally find that attacking with the Queen and the rook, almost always ends up in checkmate. Any thoughts?