Silverine’s Tag of 5

April 17, 2006 @ 10:30 am · Filed under Tags

I have been tagged by Silverine. Here goes…

5 people who top your shit list….. and why:

  1. My partners in a company I co-founded: For using my expertise in setting up the company, making me work really hard to get the clients and finally making my life so miserable so as to make me quit.
  2. A very close relative who told that I got what I deserved after my accident. Why he said that is still a mystery.
  3. My friends who started avoiding me after the accident.
  4. All the people who hurt others by their words and actions.
  5. Opportunists, Pretenders, Manipulators, Pessimists and Hypocrites.

Close brushes with death/danger:

  1. Asking a KSRTC bus driver whether the road belonged to his dad [“F*****g B******d, Does this road belong to you father?” was the exact words] and being chased (I was on my Bullet) from Kottarakara to Trivandrum by a KSRTC express bus.
  2. On the way to Quilon from Trivandrum on my Bullet, when I was doing about 110kmph a KSRTC bus overtook another vehicle even after seeing me and pushed me off the road and I went into the side plot through the fence and came back to the road again through the fence. If I were not wearing a helmet, my eyes would have been gone. Escaped with minor cuts and bruises.
  3. When an autorikshaw bumped into my Kinetic Honda and spend me flying through the air resulting in spinal cord injury.
  4. Everyday, while doing the transfers, as one slip can land me on the floor causing injury.
  5. The constant danger of autonomic dysreflexia (hyperreflexia), which if not diagnosed and treated properly and immediately, can cause death in a matter of minutes.

5 Preferable modes of suicide, in descending order:

This is a topic which I have given considerable thought during the initial days after my accident :-)

  1. Cyanide pill.
  2. Guillotine.
  3. Putting a revolver in the mouth and pulling the trigger.
  4. Electrocution.
  5. Seppuku (slashing of the stomach). Painless for me as there is no sensation below chest :-)

5 Guilty pleasures:

  1. Painkillers (sometimes I take them even though I have promised myself not to take them)
  2. Watching action movies and cartoons again and again
  3. Having fatty food —Biriyanis, fried items, ice creams, etc.
  4. Reading Nick Carter, Hardy boys, Famous Five, James Hadley Chase and Westerns
  5. An occasional smoke or drink (which I used to indulge in until a few years back)

5 things you never want to forget:

  1. Getting the first copy of my first book.
  2. Getting my first promotion.
  3. Acts of kindness by friends, relatives and total strangers.
  4. The day my best friend got into Stanford GSB.
  5. My first ride on my Bullet.

5 things you wish to forget:

  1. My accident
  2. Death of one of my closest friends
  3. Overstaying the welcome at a friends place
  4. The day I was hit by a group of ABVP/RSS activists (mistaken identity)
  5. Nasty things a few people have told me

5 really exotic dishes you have tried:

  1. Blanquette de veau (white veal stew usually containing veal, onions and mushrooms in a thick white sauce)
  2. Kappa (tapioca) and red hot fish curry
  3. Phad Thai (Thai soft noodles with wafer thin omelette on top) and Goong Pahd Nam Prik Prow (King prawns cooked in roasted chilli sauce with peppers, carrots and onions)
  4. Spaghetti and Meatball Sauce
  5. Karimpumkala Karimeen (Pearlspot) Pollichathu (Karimpumkala is a drive-in bar on the way to Kottayam to Changanacherry)

5 crushes/loves in your life… in chronological order

  1. Julie Andrews
  2. Hema Malini
  3. Meg Ryan
  4. Michelle Pfeiffer
  5. Madhuri Dixit

Strangest dream you ever had:

This is one dream that keep recurring with minor variations. I must have seen it a thousand times. In the dream I will be writing an examination and I can’t remember anything. I sit there staring at a blank sheet of paper. Very frustrating dream.

5 most valued personal possessions:

  1. My books
  2. My computer
  3. My pen, pencil, paperclip, cigarette lighter and hip flask collections
  4. My music system
  5. The articles, notes, and other bits of information that I collected over the years and the letters and e-mails from people I love and respect.

5 favorite superheroes….. and why:

  1. Batman: For being a superhero despite not having super-powers. His training, resourcefulness and insights make up for lack of any other special abilities.
  2. Captain Dusty Fog: For being the fastest gun fighter in the West and for his sense of justice. My first and most favorite Western hero
  3. Sherlock Holmes: For being the most charismatic super sleuth in the world.
  4. Drik Pitt: My favorite since I read my first Clive Cussler novel.
  5. James Bond: For being so dashing, daring and for his gadgets.

I am hereby tagging James, Venus (you asked for it when you tagged me), Suji, Dewakar, Paresh, and Abhilash. Enjoy ;-)

39 Comments

  1. Jo Said,

    April 17, 2006 @ 3:25 pm

    Nice read Alexis. Sometimes it was very touching and sometimes funny.

  2. James Bright Said,

    April 17, 2006 @ 3:46 pm

    Excellent read , Alexis.
    Now, I have to come up with the same thing…!

  3. Suji Said,

    April 17, 2006 @ 6:11 pm

    Hey this is very difficult. But I’ll try….give me a few days. Have a hectic schedule this week. :(

  4. silverine1 Said,

    April 17, 2006 @ 6:45 pm

    The people in your shit list are really hateful!!

    Now I realise why I got so many comments about KSRTC drivers on my ‘One for the road’ post. They are brutes!!!!

    Your list of exotic dishes are really exotic…mouth watering and tongue twisting :)

    Suicide methods is making me queasy. But the guilty pleasures are nice.

    Getting the first copy of your first book must have been an awesome. I remember seeing my first ad and brochure in print. Couldnt believe I had done it !!

    I like everyone in your crush list except Madhuri Dixit.

    And your strangest dream is my recurring nightmare!!!!!!!!!! I am still going to the exam hall (in my dream) for my ICSC finals and sitting there without recalling a thing!!! It is frustrating and irritating.

    You have a hip flask collection? That is so interesting. Do you have those old silver flasks with hand carving too? Do put up a picture if you have.

    Hey only one of your Superhero wears undies over pants!!!! :) The rest are ‘Gentelmen Super Heroes” :p

    Detailed and nice tag.

  5. esvee Said,

    April 17, 2006 @ 7:06 pm

    hi,

    Captain Dusty Fog? Aahhaa Another fan of J.T.Edson. I still have to finish the whole series.

    esvee

  6. -poison- Said,

    April 17, 2006 @ 7:08 pm

    seppuku….i love that in concept.but am too scared.
    looks like ur taste for cyanide n guillotine are shared by me :-D

    and finally i meet a person who likes read nick carter!!!!!
    the killmaster is the best! n3 rocks ^:)^ i shud have put him as THE sueprhero :-D i have read just 2 nick carter books, and am hopelessly addicted to them. the tuf part’s that those books dont seem to be available anywhere :-

  7. -poison- Said,

    April 17, 2006 @ 7:12 pm

    ur dream’s a famous one. i ve also had it n freud has also had it i think :-)

    bullets n kstrc buses…those words had given me a jolt when i first read this post. my classmate who was hit by a ksrtc while he was riding a bullet, had some complications and i think, he is being operated upon right now as i type this…hoping for the best..

    take care sir..

  8. Alexis Leon Said,

    April 17, 2006 @ 6:20 pm

    Jo: Thank you Jo.

    James: Thank you James. I am waiting to read yours.

    Suji: Take your time Suji.

  9. Paresh Said,

    April 17, 2006 @ 7:57 pm

    Silverine’s Poolival… Will catch in a couple of days. you really have been there – done that – kind of a person. Hats off.

  10. Alexis Leon Said,

    April 17, 2006 @ 7:02 pm

    Silverine: I think the transport corporations’ drivers in all states are the same—brutes. They don’t give a damn about other souls (pedestrians, cars, bikes and so on).

    The sad fact about my exotic dishes is that I can’t have them now.

    Suicide methods is something I have given a lot of thought and have done a lot research. It was during the days immediately after my accident. I found that the success rate of slashing the wrists and taking the sleeping pills are not very good. What I have is a list are surefire methods :-)

    About the first copy of the first book, the same feeling—couldn’t believe I had done it…

    The exam hall dream is frustrating because in real life I have never been in such a situation. I usually wake up sweating and only after I switch on the light and tell myself that it was a dream, I get peace.

    Hip flask collection is a remembrance of the good old days. Yes I have Silver flasks, but not with hand carvings.

    I found the association of superheroes and undies funny. Also that criterion limited the number of superheroes.

  11. Alexis Leon Said,

    April 17, 2006 @ 8:36 pm

    esvee: Yes an ardent JTE fan. Dusty Fog, Mark Counter and Yasbel Kid (the Floating outfit) are all my favorites. Have read each and every one of them, each more than once. But the tragedy is that you can’t find those books these days.

    -poison-: I loved the concept ever since I started the Samurai movies. Yes Cyanide and Guillotine is something that we have in common ;-) I love NC. You could try the Eloor lending library. It is from there I have read all the NC books.

    All the best for your friend. Let us hope for the best.

    Paresh: Thank you Paresh. I am waiting to read your take. There is no hurry, take your time.

  12. venus Said,

    April 17, 2006 @ 9:02 pm

    truely the relfections of a survivor!!
    Thank you for sharing your thoughts, likings, dislikes, a part of you with us.
    Your inner spirit is very admirable, to take all the toll from people, life, you didn’t deserve it AL. Not anyone can be as successful as you are, it requires very strong wil power, and very good that you gave up on suicide modes’ thoughts, it’s not for you, people need you in this world.

    looks like KSRTC experience is a very common experience from waht you’ve mentioned, and silverine has also mentioned earlier.. too bad for govt, that they don’t change the system, and innocents have to suffer..

    I have known many guys liking meg ryan and being a female, I could never understand why :)

    I also don’t like Opportunists, Pretenders, Manipulators, Pessimists and Hypocrites, they are ‘the’ trouble makers in the world.

    tit for tat, huh? :P
    your command, sir aankhon pe sire! will post it in a few days :)

  13. silverine1 Said,

    April 17, 2006 @ 9:24 pm

    @Alexis: Precisely the reason why I find the dream so frustrating. Beacuse I have always prepared in advance for exams.

    @Paresh : “Silverine’s Poolival” ROFL

  14. -poison- Said,

    April 17, 2006 @ 9:56 pm

    the dudes fine now..at least the op was a success. :-)

    will try eloor for nc… i gota get a membership there.
    thanks for the info on N3 !

  15. quills Said,

    April 18, 2006 @ 12:34 am

    Hi! So you got tagged as well. :)

    I can understand how some people made it to your shit list. That’s terrible. I cannot stand people who use others just for their own gains.

    I see Batman and Bond…I like ‘em too . :)

    Your 5 crushes…man! You certainly keep high standards! ;)

  16. Sarah Said,

    April 18, 2006 @ 1:59 am

    Hey
    Karimpumkavala karimeen… Is it the kallu shop after pallam on the way to thiruvalla? My dad did take me there when i was little to eat karimeen porichathu and kappa. I can still remember how everyone was staring at me. enthoru thantha ya ithu, penkochinem kondu kallushappil kayari kallu adikkunathu….

  17. Pooja Said,

    April 18, 2006 @ 3:41 am

    Interesting. Madhuri dixit and hema malini huh? Quills is right about your standards. Sorry about the accident, you refer to it multiple times in this. Hope alls fine now. The buses in kerala can be a pain. I remember once my dad driving to the hospital and the bus behind wouldn’t budge saying its your car in a tone that meant “oh you own a car, you deserve to suffer” I can’t stand that attitude.

  18. Ashik Said,

    April 18, 2006 @ 9:11 am

    Hey ! Your blogs a Nice Read.

    Yeah your shit list is quiet shitty. shew . And you got chased by KSRTC buses too .

    And yeah Autorickshaws are the bane of Kerala…One idiot once made a quick U Turn on the road , where i happened to be cruising along nicely on my bike. The net result was a broken bone ( my first and only ) and a very crumpled auto rickshaw( i was gleefull to see that part yeah )

    Hey ! I am the only one who doesnt have a recurring dream ..Why ? And you like Batman too .. Good. Everyone likes him.. At least after the movie was out.

  19. Deepa Said,

    April 18, 2006 @ 9:26 am

    liked this one ….

    hope u had a great easter
    : )

    the eggs look very nice and artistic .. are they for real ?

  20. Geo Said,

    April 18, 2006 @ 9:28 am

    Close brush 1 : three cheers :_)) evoked a lot of nostalgic memories… ;_))

    Close brush 2 : second para ;_)

    Close brush 3 : I was teaching a friend of mine the art of driving on his brand new kinetic…. He took a sharp turn, lost control, and the next thing I remember is flying over him and the bike to the adjacent shop… :_))

    And Karimpumkavala karimeen =))

  21. Deepa Said,

    April 18, 2006 @ 9:28 am

    my friend also has the same recurring dream ….

    in his case , in the dream , he is in std 12 in christ nagar …

    :|

  22. Alexis Leon Said,

    April 18, 2006 @ 9:27 am

    venus: Thank you. I never thought about committing suicide, at least after the initial shock was over. Just researched a lot on the subject just to know the options. Yes KSRTC drivers are on most people’s hate list. Meg Ryan, I just like her; I don’t know why :-) Thank you for taking the tag. Looking forward to reading it.

    silverine: Very true about the dream.

    -poison-: That is good news. Thank God for that. Eloor is you best bet.

    quills: Thank you. Your tag made wonderful reading.

    Sarah: Welcome to my blog. Yes it is the same Kallu shop. Many people visit that place for the delicious food rather than to drink. Your experience is really hilarious. Now there is Karimpumkala cuisine or Karimpumkala style cooking, which is famous and really tasty.

    Pooja: Welcome. The multiple references about the accident are because it was a life changing one. But now I have got used to it. The buses and lorries are real pain. I have lost count of the accidents caused by the careless and arrogant driving by them.

    Ashik: Thank you Ashik and welcome to my blog. Auto drivers are reckless. I had my accident in Madras. No recurring dreams. Lucky man :-)

    Deepa: Thank you. Yes, I had a nice Easter. It is photograph that I got from a photo collection. Must be real.

  23. Alexis Leon Said,

    April 18, 2006 @ 9:54 am

    Geo: Thanks buddy… And your experience is very similar to mine. OMG.

    Sarah & Geo: It is not Kaimpumkavala, it is Karimpumkala (sugarcane field). It is the family name. The toddy shop was started in 1958. Now it is a big enterprise. You can get more details from their web site.

    Deepa: I think the dream shows the helplessness and the frustration. May be –poison- can give an explanation.

  24. maya cassis Said,

    April 18, 2006 @ 5:51 pm

    this tag is really going around.hahah

    but it’s a fun read

    oh Man!the people on your shit list really deserve to be there.
    I swear if I could get my hands on that f***** I’d give him a thing or two.Like I say,some relatives are just too lame to care for.

    Close brush with danger-Oh my god the first one.That must have been some chase,man!!!!

    Suicide
    oof!

    I looooove fried food!but I have to keep away from that and chocolates

    Crushes- Julie andrews….My GOd I was in awe of her
    I used to keep watching Mary Poppins like a lunatic

  25. quills Said,

    April 18, 2006 @ 6:16 pm

    I followed the link to Karimpumkala. I am regretting it a bit, coz those dishes look so yummy and I badly need some Kerala food that is not of my own making. sigh!!! Well…I guess I will just stare at the pics for some more time. :)

  26. silverine Said,

    April 18, 2006 @ 6:28 pm

    Forgot to answer your question. The Camel Meat curry was no big deal, it was chewy and I dindn’t quite like it.

    Followed the link to Karimpukala and saw this HILARIOUS bit of info:

    “Fully family run. Destination spot for the cash laden cusine crazy tourist. ”

    At least they are honest rofl

  27. thanu Said,

    April 18, 2006 @ 9:36 pm

    I love kappa and meen curry ..

  28. Sarah Said,

    April 18, 2006 @ 11:28 pm

    Alex: the worst for the others and the best for me was Appa ordered madhurakallu for me and made me an alcoholic at the age of 10.. I still remember telling him”appa ente thala ingine karangunnu and us singing on the way back home
    Appa:pappi
    me:appacha,
    Appa:appachanodo ammachiyodo pappikku sneham
    me:Appachanodu..
    I am not sure which film song it is..but this was my dad’s favourite song

  29. Alexis Leon Said,

    April 19, 2006 @ 12:20 am

    maya: Thank you maya. Yes it was some chase. Since the KSRTC bus was an express, it didn’t have to stop till it reached Trivandrum. I survived with lots of luck and some heavenly intervention.

    quills: A few months back there was a program on TV, where the Karimpumkala chefs were demonstrating how to prepare the various dishes. It was a torture viewing the program :-)

    silverine: Yes, I also noticed that. They really are very honest people. LOL

    thanu: If you buy it from the Toddy shops, it is even better.

    Sarah: Hilarious. Madhurakallu is one of my favorites too. And the song ‘pappi appacha…’ was one of my favorites during my school days. I saw the movie when I was a kid. I think Adoor Bhasi was in that scene.

  30. Sarah Said,

    April 19, 2006 @ 12:49 am

    Alex;if you ever get a chance, pls help me to find which movie tht song belonged and how to get a copy of tht movie.
    Sarah

  31. Sarah Said,

    April 19, 2006 @ 12:59 am

    sheda ippozha kande achayante ‘is’ njan vetti churukki kolam akkinnu (Alex ‘is’).. Njan enthina enginethe thallukollitharam kanichathennu ente pc nodu chodichu..Mindunnillaa.. Eni ingine kanichal randu kachu kodukkunnathayirikkum..

  32. Alexis Leon Said,

    April 19, 2006 @ 9:37 am

    Sarah: The song is from the movie Mayiladum Kunnu (1972). It will be very diffiuclt to get the movie.

  33. chackochan Said,

    April 19, 2006 @ 1:23 pm

    regrding the dream ..i too often dream about this exam thingy….. in my dream i have to finish 2 – 3 papers(degree exam) and i dont remeber anything , and am afraid that i will fail in the exam…

    and its NOT surprsing that lot of us have this exam dream…. too much pressure on students about exams and all ..so it may be hidden in our subconscious mind , which makes us dream about it. :(

  34. Ram Said,

    April 22, 2006 @ 10:33 am

    Hi Alex, man KSRTC is scary. And your chase sounds even scarier.

    Oh and re: Julie Andrews I have one word (or is it seven?) for you

    Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

    Take care,
    Ram

  35. sushil Said,

    April 22, 2006 @ 9:51 pm

    hats off! you gonna be an inspiration for for me for rest of my life.

  36. Alexis Leon Said,

    April 23, 2006 @ 10:12 am

    chackochan: In my case there was no pressure from my parents and I never was afraid of exams. I used to study very regularly and during exam time I used to take things cool. I usually used o read a novel or see a movie before the exam. I never had these dreams when I was studying. It is only now that I am getting these dreams. And since I have never faced the situation in real life—not knowing the answer to the questions—I find it very frustrating.

    Ram: Yes it was scary. Ah! Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, does it make a difference?

    sushil: Welcome sushil. Thank you for dropping by.

  37. pophabhi Said,

    April 23, 2006 @ 5:16 pm

    I’ve completed your tag. :) – Finally!

  38. Dhanush Said,

    April 27, 2006 @ 10:00 am

    Even though I was tagged by Abhi, since it propagated from you, just dropped in to say I have finished it. It was nice doing it. Going back to the old days and remembering a few things which I wish to forget and also those thing which I never want to forget.
    Thanks

  39. Alexis Leon Said,

    April 28, 2006 @ 9:33 am

    Abhi: Thank you. It was nice reading your tag.

    Dhanush: The creator of the tag is Anand (http://thest0ryteller.blogspot.com/).

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