Telly trouble

Without the slightest hesitation I can claim that I watch the Saas Bahu daily soaps with my mother. I am a person who is hungry for entertainment and can watch anything. I watch both Hindi and English daily soaps and sometimes manage to squeeze in a few regional ones too. An year ago I used to watch them with utmost eagerness and I was literally addicted to them. But over the past few weeks the very sight of the angry and stern mother-in-law and the meek and timid daughter-in-law fills me with frustration and restlessness... This intimidated me to write this. My mind overflows with obvious questions that I want to ask the production house...

As the clock strickes 9, it is common to see the women, (predominantly housewives) rushing into the living room with all their workload; their faces pumping with blood, eager to know what happened to the child who fell down the well...

My first question to the saas-bahu daily soaps, "How much make up do you people put?" From the crack of dawn till night's brink. Sometimes it makes me wonder for how long does a box of cosmetics last for?  Upon purchasing any cosmetic product you see that it tells you to remove it before going to bed; irrespective of who you are... A flambuoyant film star or even a daily housewife. The disheartening and absolute abstract of this side are the regional shows where the artists look as if they have just walked out of the bed. Hair in an absolute mess, face smeared with oil and eyes all swollen. Extremes huh?

Secondly, "Why do you people cry so much?"
This is more inclined towards the regional side of Indian television. Melodramatic... Sometimes things get so out of hand that I feel as if I am back to Shakespear's era where the maiden crys with her heart flooding with grief to spare her lover.

Thirdly, "Hospitals..."
It is a very unusal when a show airs without a single scene shot at the hospital. A mild heart attack takes the charecter into the ICU and puts him on the Ventilator and then he miraculously manages to come out of death's domain! Women weeping... Moaning and presenting their cribbings to some divine power with tomato red lipstick and dark kohl around their eyes. Clad in expensive silk and cotton sarees they look as if they are dressed for parties.

Fourth, "Songs?"
There is a song for every occasion. Wedding? Yes sure! New comer? Definitely! Son passed medicine? Undoubtedly! Death? Annoyingly yes.

Fifth, "Please stop!"
This is more prevelant  and applicable for the regional serials. As far as my memory goes, there is  a serial that is being aired on an entertainment medium in a regional channel and this is no usual serial... It has been there for the past 5 years. A very close relative of mine watches it and everytime she comes over to my place I fail to believe that, that very daily soap is still on air? Infact I am well updated with the story even without watching it. The funny side in that daily soap, is that the characters are young but the actors are aging and so are the viewers. When are they finally going to stop!


There are many more. My cribbings and woe strinken words are endless... But my words don't matter. Out there, we have lakhs of common women whose lives are woven with these characters. Laugh with them, cry with them and live with them.

My experiments with 'tooth' - II

When the mouth waters:

So, on 2nd May... Also the mastermind Satyajit Ray's birthday i got my braces. I aint very good with dates but this one was something I had to remember. 3rd May, happens to be the birthday of a very close friend of mine; as a result she invited us over to her place for a small party-get together. Keeping this little secret of mine as a suspense I gave her a surprise on her birthday. Let me tell you, with braces... It is IMPOSSIBLE to eat for atleast a week. So I was feeding on grinded, bland and tasteless rasam rice. My tastebuds had begun slipping into depression and I was craving for anything solid that I could bite. (Which includes the much dreaded vegetable bittergourd) 

So since it was a party; ofcourse there was food. My friend ordered for two medium pizzas along with some beverages and the signature garlic bread. One with paneer and the other topped with chicken. I have a bad memory, but that day I was literally envying them so much that I remember the dishes ordered without any flaws. My poor friends felt sorry for my helpless plight and ordered a grandma mousse for me. My mother had loaded my tummy with the same 'rice-shake' so I didn't really feel hungry. But that day, every second as my friends took a bite from the bowl full of chips; I felt the Vampire inside me dying to snatch the bowl from their hands and gobble it down. The day passed, I had controlled my destructive emotions that would ultimately hurt me only 

Conclusion : first few days with braces are taxing, painful, they fill you with envy and for those few days, anything solid tastes heavenly.

My looks:

As I presented my new look before my father, he was utterly shocked. Ofcourse anyone would. The braces had pushed forward my lower lip forward that now protrudes oddly. Not too conspicious but yes there certainly was a difference in my looks. I now look considerably different from who I looked like before.

Brushing:

Having braces is like being in the military. You automatically get discipline. My dentist advised me, "Like it or not you have to brush atleast 4-5 times." I didn't take it seriously and I stuck to my 'brushing twice' habit. Only then did I realize that I had to brush after every meal even though it was extremely tedious and atrocious. If you dont get ready for a stinky mouth. 

My birthday:

Thankfully by the time my birthday arrived I had got used to my braces. We hadn't become too close but yes, by then I had begun understanding them. I feasted on a scrumptious Chinese menu without much trouble. 

Now:

Currently I visit my dentist once in a month. Now, I have complete control and sense of my braces. I wear elastics, which once again are rubberbands that are to be worn from the bottom line to the top. Even though I have now put up with those tiny beasts for 2-3 months they are still unwanted aliens residing in my mouth. But the braces are now a part of me. I don't mind them and I no longer shy away from smiling with my mouth open. 

Learnings:

Over a period of time, you get used to everything. Braces are really tiny wonders, I was utterly amazed by the ability these tiny clips and wires have and how they can magically transform a wreckage into marvels. 

Tip: If you have the patience and time to spare, then NEVER hesitate to get braces (Provided you need them ;) )

My experiments with 'Tooth'

Welcome new pals!

May 2nd 2012. It was the day all my problems began... Just a few days before my much awaited birthday, I got a new companion. Or let me say... my teeth got a few buddies who now toy, bully and tame them like hostel matrons and wardens. Braces.

With experience come all the answers

Previously at the sight of anyone with braces, I used to watch those wired marvels with awe and wonder how they were fastened to their place and how they refused to move inspite of all the fatty and gooey eatables one conusmed. Little did I know that I would very soon have the answer to all those questions.

My teeth-before:

Just a few years ago I had a decent set of upper teeth, that occasionally used to turn yellow but otherwise they were satisfactory. A dentist might link yellow teeth with some acute disease and prescribe instant treatment but I never actually minded them. My bottom set of teeth were a mess. It looked as if a newbie carpenter had experimented with them and failed. But they were hardly visible, thanks to my lower lips An year ago my right incisor started protruding forward, not too much but it used to stand out distinctly and my canines used to stand out like a Vampire's teeth. Close relatives and family used to say, "You look cute". Only then did i take this bold and sometimes regretful-sometimes intelligent, decision of getting braces.

Picking the right guy:

Remember, always choose the right dentist. Well thankfully i did. Just a week later, when i decided that i was ready for braces i began hunting for a right dentist... But oh! What a pain it was, choosing one... Hundreds of dentists to pick from. I honestly began to feel, how it was possible that every locality had 7-8 dentists? Finally I zeroed down on one clinic. But when I went for the first consultation i wasnt very convinced, besides they said the ortho.. would take a month to arrive. I was desperate to get braces as soon as possible and get over with them. So we decided to consult someone else. After hours of browsing we found a nice network of dental clinics, thankfully one of their branches was close to where  I stay; so we decided to give it a try.

The trailor:

The first time I met my dentist, I was convinced that I could trust this person with my teeth, probably because of his straightforward and honest nature. Unlike the other doctors (in general) whom i've met, he was honest with everything and told us everything about the treatment... The fruitful end and the thorny path that stretched endlessly infront of it. This little glimpse of what awaited me made me reconsider my decision and wonder whether I could actually pull it off. Finally after days of deliberation  and contemplation I decided that I would. And this is where the real story starts.

And it starts:

The horror started when my dentist proudly presented before me two coloured 'rubber bands' no larger than half the diameter of my little finger. I asked him what they were for, without any answer he took some strange makeup tweezer like thing and forced the rubberbands between my molars. He said they were to create 'gaps' within my teeth to make space for the metal disks that were to be inserted so that he could fix the braces. Ouch! That was painful. But after a few moments it felt fine. He asked me how it was and I very cooly replied, "It's good. No pain." I reached home and only then did the rubberbands start their work. The pain was very dull and monotonous. It was definitely bearable but very irritating. There it went on, for hours; when I could no longer stand it, i popped in the live-saving painkiller. And yes, very soon it was gone.

The bomb shellt:

The rubber band session was over and I once again went to my dentist. He seemed very convinced with the progess that my teeth were exhibiting. But then he threw the bomb shell. He said, "You need an extaction. Luckily only one." I was horrified. My much dreaded fear came true. He said that he could do it on the same day if I wished. I wasn't ready... I wasn't mentally prepared to accept the fact that I was about to lose one precious tooth. I declined his offer. Reading the fear that clearly glimmered on my face he said that he would wait until the x-ray reports arrived, just to re-check if an extraction was really necessary. There was hope, alright.

The unexpected guest:

And Yipeee! The dentist declared that I didn't need an extraction, much to my relief. But, he said that i was about to get my braces that day. What? I wasn't prepared this either. I am that kind of person who prefers a warning before anything unexpected, you know... just to be prepared. I was freaked out, but then i decided that sooner or later i had to get them. But that wasn't the real problem. I birthday was around the corner and braces meant no tasty food, let alone 'tasty' no SOLID FOOD {For a while though}, but when you are a foodie, that is bad news. But somehow, probably because of the pursuation by my dentist and mother i said,

"Okay"