Usha
And .... I am back!

First of all, my sincere thanks to all of you who wrote in to ask if I am o.k and why I wasn't posting. And since you asked:
People go to chennai and come back with saris or snacks from Grand sweets or surya sweets but I have to be different you see. So I come back with strange viruses and promptly fall sick the day I arrive. No offense intended to my beloved Madrasapattinam as I could be catching these viruses somewhere between Bangarpet and Bengaluru. I usually ignore this as a part of my life, suffer from a combination of cold+ cough+high fever for a few days and then get back to my levels of normalcy. Not this time. First there was high fever and body pain; then the fever abated but joint pains remained. With medication the pain subsided but left me feeling a bit drugged all the time. And I have a suspicion that like these computer viruses, this bug was destroying the ideas in my head every time one cropped up. I remember having quite a few ideas for posts in those few seconds of lucidity between high fever periods but cannot recollect a single one now - so how do you explain that!

It was here that I was about to thank you all profusely for your continued support and encouragement and take your leave until I am able to come up with an idea for a post when I heard a voice from the television say: Things your toothbrush might say!
I have no idea which program it was or who said this because the channel had been changed by the time I turned to look at the television. But it did give me an idea for a post and I began to wonder what my toothbrush might say if only it could speak:

Helooow good morning! what, grumpy and sleepy again this morning? mmm...
ow ow could you please go easy on the amount of paste that you are smearing on me? All that salt in it is making me want to puke. Why cant you be like other normal people and buy toothpastes with mint or peppermint flavor? Just my luck, I end up in this house!

'you know what, that one time you put a nice smelling cream on me thinking it was toothpaste? that was heavenly - for days after that I was smelling of sandal and turmeric and felt so good about myself. And I even remember the gentle warm water rinses I got during that period. That is when I got a glimpse of life on the other side. I wish you'd lose your head often like that.

'What bugs me about this house is the inequality and injustice I face. Why does my colleague with an identical CV get to sleep comfortably in your travel pouch while I am left standing in a bowl in your bathroom all the time? And she works just a few days in a year while I have to work everyday two or sometimes even three shifts? And this other one just cleans your remotes and other gadgets while I, I get to do the dirty work. This is really unfair. So I did not say a word when your maid mixed us up and put your gadget cleaning brush near the wash basin and put me in her place. I watched you with wicked glee as you picked her up sleepily and nicely cleaned your teeth. It wasn't so much fun when you finally spotted the difference and threw us both into the dustbin.

'Now I miss standing in that glass on your wash counter. I miss being picked up by you every day. I used to feel happy every time you used one of us to clean the dust off some tiny gadget and then declare: 'The toothbrush is probably the most useful thing invented by Man.' I already see my replacement standing proudly in that glass eager to start work from tonight. May be you will never think of me. Or may be you might say: 'that blue and white one with those gentle bristles? She was the best toothbrush I ever had. I haven't found one like her since I threw her away.' Just may be, as I tried to be the best toothbrush that I could be.
'It is time for me to go. I don't know where I shall go from here. Perhaps I will end up in a dog's mouth or in a little boy's hands or perhaps I will get buried and e simply forgotten.
'Farewell and may you have strong and healthy teeth for many years to come..


If any of the stuff in your house could speak what do you think it might say?

P.S.: And thanks to the reader who met my husband in Singapore and told him how popular my blog is in Singapore. I had no idea about this. Made my day.
And my husband had no idea that I wrote a blog - it is going to be seven years now and he gets to know about it now from someone on the streets of Singapore. What is it they say about the spouse being the last to know! hehehe...
29 Responses
  1. Glad to see you back, and you could be describing something thats doing the rounds here in Mumbai too. Particularly the joint pains stuff.

    A kadhai (round bottomed wok) (I have had for generations... I make the tadka there before adding the veggies or daal etc), might take a deep sigh and say, "After all these years, being hot and sizzling becomes a bit boring, no ?"....


  2. Unknown Says:

    Good to see you back Usha . I was beginning to worry :)


  3. Glad to see you back ! Didn't have your email ID - so was checking both blogs often

    Hope you are fine (and so is your toothbrush)


  4. Usha Says:

    Suranga: Oh god in Mumbai too. Please be careful. It is a really nasty virus!
    @ your kadai: hahahha. true!

    Eve's lungs and P.V: Thank you. I am back in full form. all pains gone, poindhi, cholegaachi, poye pochu


  5. R's Mom Says:

    Its good to read your post after a long time...loved what your toothbrush told you hehehe :) good to know health is perfect again too :)


  6. CW Says:

    So good to see you back!

    Why would you be surprised that your blog is popular here? Am certain that it's the case all over the world. Now, if you ever plan a trip to Singapore you would let me know, wouldn'tcha?


  7. Raj Says:

    What do you mean you could have caught the virus between bengaluru and bangarapet? I strongly object. The virus most certainly belongs to Chennai. We Chennaikarans have propriety right over such viruses.


  8. RGB Says:

    Interesting thought there...if things could talk!

    Wonder what my baby's toothbrush would say...

    "...no don't chew my bristles you brat!"


  9. Usha Says:

    R's moM: Thank you.

    CW:hey hey idhellam konjam too much a illai - all over the world a! will certainly let you know if I make a trip to SG.

    Raj:sorry sorry. let us call thevirus CHN 1 then!

    RGB: ya and I wonder how much you'd love it when your baby and the tooth brush have a long conversation at brushing time!


  10. dipali Says:

    I kept refreshing your page, hoping to see a new post, but:(
    Thank goodness you are better now. Take good care of yourself and have some Chyavanprash or multi-vitamins to boost your resistance.
    One of the oldest and shabbiest things in my house is the small square plastic box in which I keep asafoetida. It's been in use since I started housekeeping,more than thirty years ago, and all its mates have long since been discarded. I don't see myself discarding it until it actually breaks. Though I'm sure it's quite tired of its stinking, smelly life!


  11. Dhanya Says:

    Welcome back :)
    Hope you are fit n fine now..


  12. rajk Says:

    SO good to have you back...and with what a bang! This one is worth publishing!!


  13. Anonymous Says:

    I chanced upon your blog when searching for a good breakfast idea (from saffron trail) - read your post "The manly things that I do" and felt wifey deserves to see this. But as she kept nodding, smiling and laughing - well, I could her saying this was her story too. I vehemently denied I am anything like that and we are yet to agree :)

    Get well soon and keep writing.

    Lakshman


  14. aargee Says:

    Nice to see a post after so long... That was a cute post! It reminded me of my school days when we used to write " autobiography of a coin" :)


  15. diya Says:

    hope all is well now, I am back in blogworld too after being caught up in other things for a while. happy blogging!


  16. This is so funny :):) glad to have u back :) i logged in several times to chk if there is a post from you past few days...especially wid independence day n all..


  17. Hip Grandma Says:

    so you are back and that too with a bang. who else could get a tooth brush to talk? missed you a lot.

    Don't tell me that Dr.V did not know you blogged. Mine knows it well enough but behaves like a spoiled child and disturbs whenever I sit down to type something.


  18. priyamvada Says:

    Chanced upon your blog last week..caught up with all the posts.
    Looking forward to many more.

    Good to know that you are feeling better.
    Take care.


  19. lucky Says:

    Reader from the streets of Singapore would like to thank the acknowledgment. No wonder V sir was looking a little lost - He was like.. 'Bloggaa??'

    We (I am including my friends) have been readers for a few years now. Thought would de-lurk to say Hi. As CW says, please do let us know if/when you land in Singapore


  20. Parvathi Says:

    SRI SRI, revolutionary poet in Telugu writes " Poetry can be written on any thing including a match stick, or piece of left over bath soap,every thing deserves to be subject for writing some thing" So is your tooth brush and it's soliloquy, wonderfully composed. Really a piece of brilliance.


  21. Chitra Says:

    Hi Usha, great to see you back in action. Hope you are doing well. And your post.... so unique and so lovely as usual. Now when I brush my teeth everyday, I'd be wondering what my toothbrush would think of me and I might also start talking to it and other things perhaps in my bathroom.


  22. bonziegal Says:

    Lovely post! But why in this wide world didn't your husband know that you blogged? Beats me...
    Such awesome work needs to be known to the near and dear ones.


  23. Anonymous Says:

    Fantastic web site, I had not noticed agelessbonding.blogspot.com before in my searches!
    Carry on the excellent work!


  24. kivina Says:

    Usha,

    Is it still you writing your blog? Your style seems to have changed (never seen you use hehehe before or giving us a chronology of your illness!)

    And pray why could you not have picked up your illness in Madras? Anyway, good that you're doing better.


  25. Rathi Says:

    :D Another Singapore reader delurking here.

    I love reading your blog because of the way your posts are written. :)


  26. sumathy Says:

    Hi USha,

    Glad to here you are feeling better, and also back with a bang. Now we can see more posts.

    regards,
    Sumathy


  27. Harsha Says:

    Grt blog!! Lovd this line........People go to chennai and come back with saris or snacks from Grand sweets or surya sweets . .:):)


  28. Pradeep Nair Says:

    Hi Usha,

    How are you? After a long, long time, I am back here... Good to see you again... Admittedly, after Facebook and Twitter came, my blogging became less frequent. Trying to catch up.

    PRADEEP


  29. Anonymous Says:

    Hey,

    This is a message for the webmaster/admin here at www.blogger.com.

    Can I use some of the information from this post right above if I give a backlink back to your website?

    Thanks,
    Daniel