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| Sunday, 25 January 2004 |
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Good Morning Bird Readers! It's yet another Sunday morning and Bird finds herself in a tight spot on what to scribe in her Corner. Putting her thinking cap on the whole of Friday, nothing comes up. It is in the night just before she nods off that the springs of an idea form in her Bird head and on Saturday morn back at office she pens it all down. Thus we have this week something cheery and nice. "Raindrops and Roses". Bird's Favourite Things. And she'll start off with the first thing that springs to her mind-Chocolate.
Mmmm...Chocolate. I'm thinking chunky milk chocolate, nut chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate ice-cream, chocolate eclair, chocolate croissant, chocolate muffin, chocolate brownie, chocolate mousse, chocolate souffle, chocolate...chocolate...chocolate...Mmmm... And as for a mug of creamy, hot chocolate, Mmmm....Yum... Remember young Charlie Bucket and the Chocolate Factory? Another of my favourite things, is to mix, stir and smell. I'm talking about that age old past time-Cooking. I love it for it is a blend of the intellectual and physical. Like dancing and working out a puzzle at the same time. I love beating eggs and milk, adding the vanilla essence and inhaling its wondrous smell, which makes me think of little white flowers. Cooking is all about feeling. To feel the softness of what you stir, the airy-sponginess of what you mix and the rubbery-hardness of what you knead with your bare hands. It's all about texture and smell. The smell of onions frying on melting margarine, the garden aroma of coriander leaves and parsley with a little bit of cinnamon, the vibrant rich smells of garam masala, salt, pepper, chillie powder, crushed garlic and ginger mixed together with mustard seed. Of course it is not always everything turns out okay in the end. Bird makes a perfectly steamed rice as well as a perfectly burnt cake. It's all about trial and error. While Bird's speciality on the oven are deserts, she also loves cooking rice, frying kadala and experimenting in various forms of dishes from Indian, to Chinese, to the Western palate. Bird's third most favourite thing (which those around her consider to be a somewhat destructive habit), is to feel and smell paper. She loves the feel of paper in her hands. Exercise paper, brown paper, wrapping paper, you name it each has a different feel and smell. Some papers are rough, some are hard and crispy and others are soft, varnished and smooth. I love the latter most kind which you generally find in magazine insides. (They have a nice smell too). Bird remembers in school during exams she'd find heads glaring up from their desks at her. The reason, the "Crsss.." "Crsss.." sounds of her feeling the exam paper! The next on the agenda of Bird's favourite things are haircuts, head massages and shampoos. While a full bath being an everyday necessity is not one of Bird's preferred past times due to frosting her feathers when the water's freezing, she loves a head shampoo (like you get in the hair salons). Mmm...the cool water sloshing through your head, the smell and freshness of shampoo being massaged into it and finally the feeling of having it all cleansed off. The best of the lot, however is the Principal's oil head massage. A once a week speciality in which The Principal's firm hands knead baby oil into Bird's scalp. Bird also love singing under the shower and her all time favourite shower songs are from "The Sound of Music" and "My Fair Lady". Today's world essentials SMS and E-Mails too are on Bird's Favourite Things List. Afterall there's nothing like the sound of your phone's "Beep" "Beep" to pep you up. Before you know it your hooked, earnestly fingering its keys while the phone bill's running out. As for e-mails, that's where all the crazy, hilarious and at times serious stuff is passed around, right? Opening your e-mail is like opening a box of assorted candy. It's full of surprises and you never know what your gonna find. Another of Bird's favourite things is pecking at the piano. I love gliding over the keys with my hands, tapping my feet on the pedal, feeling the piano's soul. Bird's not an expert player but she enjoys pretending she's one. She's up on stage on her own before a grand piano playing to a vast audience who give her a big encore. Hmmm... Who knows maybe one day it will happen. They do say to believe in your dreams, though I guess you've got to work hard towards them as well. Lastly my favourite favourite thing is to read. I love to read, at times spending just 5-10 minutes on a book and at other times a whole day and a whole night, as well as whole days and whole nights. Among Bird's list of favourite authors are Dhal, Rowling, Tolkien, Judy Blume (I love Fudge), Wilde and Frank McCourt and her all time favourite book is "Gone With The Wind". Bird also enjoys playing cards, monopoly and doing brain teasers and puzzles. She would love to ride a bike and go on a scooter (something she generally rarely gets to do). Her ultimate Bird Dream is to be an Acrobat. |
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This heaven sent delicacy to earth, brown, creamy, cocoay, soft and
melty, is so delicious, that Bird at times when desperate and chocolate is
scarce (her share being over) resorts to stealing it from Sissy, Boo Boo
and The Principal and as a result no chocolate can be found in the fridge
or a store room jar container in Bird's House. Chocolate is not shared,
but grabbed and everyone hoards their share in their own secret cubby
holes. And no one, (well perhaps with the exception of Boo Boo at times)
has the generosity or heart to give a share of their long lasting slabs,
when Bird's has long gone. Sigh.
