The desire to read a book

The desire to read a book
Feels like a saving light for me
Reminding me books still hold magic for me
More than Netflix

I am haunted that nowadays
I dare to leave home without a  book
Because I assume I'd spend any snatched minutes
Watching modern family

So yesterday and today, Two days in a row!
When I chose to read a book during lunch
When I had the option to watch Netflix
That feels like a victory for my soul

I am comforted too by the fact that I feel comforted
By a new Philip Pullman to read at work
And hard times to read at home
And hungry tide again 

The end is not near
Not If I have at least one book
ahead of me
And now I have three!

I am not lost to the God of binge tv
My god of reading still has hold of me
And I thank God for that!

mad america

so a lone gunman shot 11 Jews praying at a synagogue
and trump says this wouldn't have happened if we had armed gunmen inside the synagogue
I can't imagine praying at a temple guarded by an armed guard
the feeling of peace that is to pervade your senses upon entering a place of worship will be fouled by the sense of fear and apprehension that one gets upon seeing armed people anywhere
sometimes I see armed policemen patrolling the mrt stations
makes me nervous even when I've done nothing
that's not a feeling I want at a temple
that stupid goon has no idea what he says
money is his religion. guns are his priests.

The self indulgent poem draft 4

The Self-indulgent Poem

This poem is about me
or at least, my name
insofar as my name signifies "me".

My father named me Meenakshi
after my grandmother, as per tradition,
and called me Meena
after his beloved twin sister
his guardian angel.

I never answered to the name Meenu
it didn't sound like me at all.
In school I was Meena, mostly,
Except in Chemistry, when I was Meenkaski.
Bless Ms Tan, who would only use full names
even if she couldn't pronounce them.
I didn't mind. I sounded Russian.
My classmates called me Ski for short.
They still call me that.

Meena Akka or just Akka -
one of my favourites,
delightfully sounded first by a four-year old,
with his arms around my neck -
made me feel older, more responsible, loved.

To my closest friends,
I am Meens
such familiarity,
conveying love, laughter, safety.
Some in the group call me Meenatchi -
just to annoy me.

Aachi at the temple-
at 40 I finally feel ready.
It shows I belong
to my community

Aatha.

What I call my mother my kids now call me,
At one point I told my husband not to call me that,
striving to keep my identity
as mother and myself separate.

The other day,
I labelled a waterbottle at home
"Aatha"
First time ever-
it led to this poem!
I am Aatha.

The kids say it with love,
seeking shelter.
Sometimes they bite it out in exasperation.
They call me other things-
Mumma, Mummy Bear, Mummy Cat-
I turn to all these names too.

Mdm Meenakshi Palaniappan, AD
That's me at work.
Some say it with unnecessary deference
It sounds foreign to me still

Mostly I am called Meena
except in writing class,
where I am Meenakshi.
I love it.
Meenakshi,  calls to mind myself as a writer

So what's in a name?
Different names for different seasons
I will grow into more names, surely.

The self indulgent poem draft 3

The Self-indulgent Poem

This poem is about me
or at least, my name
insofar as my name signifies "me"

My father named me Meenakshi
after my grandmother, as per tradition
and called me Meena
after his beloved twin sister
his guardian Angel

I never answered to the name Meenu
it didn't sound like me at all
I loved all the songs with my name in it
Like "Ennadi Meenatchi! Sonnathu Ennachu"
even if the lyrics weren't all that flattering

In Secondary school I was Meena, mostly.
In Chemistry, I was Meenkaski
Bless Ms Tan, who would only call people by their full names
even if she couldn't pronounce them.
I didn't mind. I sounded Russian
My classmates called me Ski for short.
They still call me that.

Meena Akka or just Akka -
one of my favourites,
delightfully sounded by a four-year old,
With his arms around my neck -
made me feel older, more responsible, loved

To my closest friends,
I am Meens
such familiarity,
conveying love, laughter, safety all at the same time
some in the group call me Meenatchi - just to annoy me
but in loving jest

Achi at the temple.
At 40 I finally feel ready for this honorific title
signaling belonging to the Chettiar Community
one I hold with pride

Aatha

Aatha. what I call my mother my kids now call me
and I kept  telling my husband not to call me that
I was striving to keep my identity as mother and myself separate

The other day,
I labelled a waterbottle at home
"Aatha"
First time ever-
it led to this poem!
I am Aatha.

The kids say it with love
Seeking shelter
sometimes with exasperation
They call me other things too
Mummy, Mama, Mummy Bear, Mummy Cat

Mdm Meenakshi Palaniappan, AD
That's me at work
with a title, a modicum of deference from those who call on me
totally unnecessary, but they say it with feeling
It's gives Literature a status, to have an AD for it, no matter who it is

Mostly I am called Meena
except in writing class
Where I am Meenakshi
and I love it
Meenakshi, for me - no title no surname - calls to mind myself as a writer

So what's in a name?
Different names for different seasons and different reasons
I will grow into more names, surely.

The Self-indulgent Poem

This poem is about me
or at least, my name
insofar as my name signifies "me"

My father named me Meenakshi
after my grandmother, as per tradition
and called me Meena
after his beloved twin sister
his guardian Angel

I never answered to the name Meenu
it didn't sound like me at all
I loved all the songs with my name in it
Like "Ennadi Meenatchi! Sonnathu Ennachu"
even if the lyrics weren't all that flattering

In Secondary school I was Meena, mostly.
In Chemistry, I was Meenkaski
Bless Ms Tan, who would only call people by their full names
even if she couldn't pronounce them.
I didn't mind. I sounded Russian
My classmates called me Ski for short.
They still call me that.

Meena Akka or just Akka
one of my favourites,
delightfully sounded by a four-year old,
arms around my neck -
made me feel older, more responsible, loved

To my closest friends,
I am Meens
such familiarity,
conveying love, laughter, safety all at the same time
some in the group call me Meenatchi - just to annoy me
but in loving jest

kutty baby
such a horrible name for me
infantilizing, condescending
thank goodness that didn't last

padumosamana baby
hahah
wasn't actually called that
maybe just the once, by myself
but it calls to mind indignance and hilarity!

Aachi at the temple.
At 40 I finally feel ready for this honorific title
signaling belonging to the Chettiar Community
one I hold with pride

Aatha

Aatha. what I call my mother my kids now call me
and I kept  telling my husband not to call me that
I was striving to keep my identity as mother and myself separate

The other day,
I labelled a waterbottle at home
"Aatha"
first time ever
it led to this poem!
I am Aatha.
blessed to be. A name I long to hear uttered.

They call me other things too
Aathi, Mummy, Mummy Bear/ Mummy Cat
gets cuter and cuter no?

Mdm Meenakshi Palaniappan, AD
That's me at work
with a title, a modicum of deference from those who call on me
totally unnecessary, but they feel it

Mostly I am called Meena
except in writing class
I am Meenakshi again
and I love it
Meenakshi, for me - no title no surname - calls to mind myself as a writer

So what's in a name?
Different names for different seasons and different reasons
I will grow into more names, surely.

're reading

When I want to 're read more than I want to read
What a roll

I just 're read
Mr pip
Slumdog millionaire
Watership down
Mammoth book 2 long tusk
Acts of faith
About a boy 

Reading new
History of science
City of nectar
Night diary

Netflix additction

I'm super hooked onto modern family. They have only 8 seasons and I'm in the middle of season 4 . Each episode is 22 min long, perfect. It's funny heart warming.  Does make some alarming things seem normal. Gay relationships seem so normal  love it. But teenage sex is such an accepted thing I'm alarmed. The teenager's mum gives her boxes of condoms when she goes to college! I would not want to have to do that. So it's interesting to see how I'm liberal and how I'm conservative,
And I love the 14 year old cutie pie. Luke.  He's so adorable and uber confident and dramatic. He's adorable. And he only looks 10. Reminds me of ashwin.

There's Clare and Phil.  Reminds me of kannan and sham really.
Haley.  Alex. Luke
Mitchell and Cam
Lily. Super smart cute. Reminds me of Aishu.
Jay Gloria
Manny and a new baby Joe.

My new family who's taken over my love for reading on the commute

I've watched 5 episodes just today. That's 5 time 20 min which is 100 min. Which is one hour 30 min. Okay. Not too bad, can count as 30  min  commute watch and 1 hour lunch watch haha!

America is screwed up

Male chauvanist pigs can get away with violating women
In America
In India

Trump is president after having boasted about kissing women without their permission and several harassment charges
His chief judge is there also with those charges
He is separating  Immigrant parents and kids
He has banned people from his country based on their race

Education the great divider

Starting behind

What does it mean to start school behind?
Those who create policy today have no idea of how their privilege allows them to do so

The horrifying reality in sg is... if at p1 you csnt read and go into lsp, chances are he will go to nt course and ite after that.

Can you believe that . That at p 1 can tell.