The Blah Blahs and the Yada Yadas

Act 3 Scene 4
Seated on her computer chair, Rhine Francis. Enter stage left - Mallaunty, or Nirmala Sunil, Rhine’s maternal aunt. Displayed is a picture of Hamish Joy on the computer
Nirmala: “Ah, so this is your fiance?”
Rhine: “Yes, I’m positive. I’d recognize him anywhere”
Nirmala: “Well, what’s his name?”
Rhine: “Hamish Joy”
Nirmala: “What was that again??”
Rhine: “Hamish”
Nirmala: [...]

Neither of us remember when it started, but at some point, we started our ‘pancharayadi‘ or ’sending each other some sugar’ during one of our extended conversations. At one point, I considered having a packet of real sugar sent over to her place as a gesture. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’m not shutting down [...]

Our early chats tended to be slightly on the formal side. While I am fairly certain that it wasn’t as bad as - “Dear madam, Greetings. I am calling with reference to our chat last night, on the third of August, 2011. Note that we..” etc etc… I am not willing to bet on it.
During [...]

I don’t know what the norm is in arranged marriages for the girl reacting to the photograph of a prospect. As always, my presumptions are shaped by what is documented in the movies - if she likes the photo, protocol demands that she smile, tilt her head sideways, and gaze at the floor as she [...]

From the way we talk to each other and the the way we look at each other through the convenience of Skype, there has been considerable audience speculation that
a) we have been courting each other for years in secrecy
b) we may not have the patience to wait till the wedding, and just elope     and
c) [...]

I know it’s late, but… Happy New Year to one and all. Hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s Eve. This was my first New Year outside the country, and this New Year’s Eve, I wanted  to do something really special, something I’ve never done before. Specifically, I wanted to sleep right through it. But [...]

It’s been a while since the Hammy pen has jotted a movie review. Come to think of it, the Hammy pen has not been jotting much of anything these days. This doesn’t mean I haven’t been watching movies of late; just that I’ve been busier than Santa Claus on Christmas eve. But I’m scraping some [...]

I’ve come to realize a long time ago… Mankind is not looking for solutions. Man is not seeking to better himself. His quest is not for supremacy or superiority; not to enlighten himself; nor to blend in with society; or to fight for truth and justice. No. Man’s ultimate quest is for an excuse. We [...]

The English language in Nigeria has a life of its own. Especially when spoken to an outsider. I’ve heard them speak to each other, and it doesn’t have the same awkward twists and turns they employ when they speak to me. The difference, I noticed, is the way they pace the words. The accent is [...]

I had the look of uttermost concentration. If I’d looked any more serious, I’d have looked constipated, and that wasn’t the look I was going for. Overall, I think I got it in balance - The raised eyebrow, the clenched jaw, the squinting eye, and the House M.D. theme running through my head. Yes, I [...]