And then...

Starbucks closed 61 of its 85 stores all over Australia and those bereaved tapeworms, drat them!!!, closed the one below our house first. Apparently they are running into loses. How do coffee houses run into loses??? What kind of country doesn't let a coffee house flourish?!! Not that I am very fond of coffee....me and that bean haven't had too many err...'stimulating' moments together. No, it's the hot chocolate and rasberry and white chocolate muffins that I am going to sorely miss. I was loyal to them, adding to their profits (or so I assumed) and adding huge calories to my diet (this I know for sure, just ask my waist line!). To cap it, they didn't even announce when they would close, I could have stocked up on those muffins and hot chocolate. Somewhere in the middle of the night, they just bolted and vanished. I am still recovering from the shock.


A huge Olympics fever is rippling through this country. News coverage is massive and thorough. Some channels have even started teaching Chinese. Channel Prime will have exclusive rights to cover the games. Their mascot music is Amy Pearson's 'Ready to fly'. Quite a lovely, upbeat song. Apparently there has been some scams regarding hotel reservations and tickets to China. Some of us were just discussing that had the Olympics been in India, the scams would be the least of the problems. The country would be running a parallel olympics and manufacturing their own gold medals. Seeing sports from different people's point of view and in a different light has been an inspiring experience. What I have learnt is for a lot of people sports isn't just about the game, or winning a medal. It is a lot about strength, courage, humility, staying focussed and determined and continuing to do so even after their goal is achieved. It is a passion and becomes a way of life.


I am desperate! I have started researching ancient civilizations and their cultures to try and understand sun worship. I have been spotted collecting stones hither and tither in the hope of building a sun circle to invite and trap the rays within. I am on the verge of doing Aztec sun dances to please the sun god. Oh! please..when will this winter end?! I have shivered so much this winter that the vibrations have reached interstellar space creating new planets there. (Or maybe I am just shaking so much, that all the stars look double!) I have been following the weather forecasts to its last degree, any rise in temperature has been embraced and cherished. I am like a yeast. I bubble and become more of myself in hot climate. I thrive. Winters sadly shrivel me up.


We watched Kuselan last weekend. The first time I caught a Rajinikanth film on the day of its release. Those expecting something akin to Sivaji will be dissapointed. You will perhaps have to wait till Robot for that. Kuselan is subtle, emotional and low key. It is a remake of a malayalam movie. Rajini shares the film with another actor Pasupathy, who according to me has done a fabulous job. The film oozes simplicity and normality. There are no extraordinary sets or digital enhancements. The film runs solely on the buttress of a simple yet elegantly told story.


And finally I end this update with a mail my husband sent me. We laughed for hours over this.