#AtoZChallenge 2017 O for Orange

I have a basic doubt about this citrus fruit.

Which came first - the fruit or the color? Have you wondered that?
Whether the orange fruit is called so because it is colored orange
or the color orange is called so because its the color of the fruit?

Image Credit: April Killingsworth Flickr Creative Commons

Another interesting take is that - An orange usually has 11 segments. (Most of the ones I have had in India atleast) . In tamil , the words Aaru and Anju stand for 5 and 6 respectively. So
5+6 = 11 = Aaru+Anju = Aaranju = Orange 

 In India, at least in the South, an orange is something you simply peel and then eat the segments. Its closest cousin the sweet lemon (Mosambi ) would be all over the place as well and would mainly be used when you decide to perform the social obligation of visiting the distant relative whom some virus had earlier visited.

Only after moving to South East Asia did I discover that these oranges are called mandarin oranges. They are an important auspicious symbol during Chinese New Year and are very commonly given as gifts.Apparently the Chinese word for orange sounds similar to the one for wealth and that is the reason for the celebrity status the fruit enjoys during that time. I discovered the other orange type , I mean the one  I was alien to  in the super markets here - the ones used for juice extraction mainly.

 I don't like orange juice much. At least the commercially available ones that claim to bring the freshness straight from the orchards to our breakfast tables. They don't taste like oranges.Do they? Heck, they are not even orange in color usually! They are a weird yellow!

If I were to ask you name one thing that is orange in color?( Oranges not allowed :D). What props up in your mind immediately?  The color of the evening sky on a beach when the sun is about to set is what I can think of.

Let me know....

#AtoZChallenge 2017 N is for Nose

I recently read a novel where a person becomes very successful in the perfumery business. The principle reason for this being that his olfactory functions are far superior than the average person and he is able to clearly distinguish between the various perfumes.

I compare that to my own visit to the perfume sections of department stores. Within two three whiffs, the only thing clear to my smelling nerves  would be the box of coffee beans the salesperson would smilingly thrust at my face. Fruity, citrus, flowery, musk - they all would intertwine into chaos ha ha

When it comes to sensory disabilities what usually gets a lot of attention is sight followed by hearing and speech. I wonder if there is anything called disability to smell. Definitely it wont be as debilitating as being blind or mute. Google tells me its called Anosmia. All of us have a slight experience with it when our dear old flu virus decides to attack us and our entire head feels like somebody just fit a balloon pump to it and is pumping away happily.

I have heard of a distant relative who loved the smell of  inhalers and pain balms so much that he repeatedly used them and this led to a loss of the sense of smell. This seems harmless but on a deeper thought, it could be dangerous. Food I think would be a huge problem. Food is half taste and half smell. You would not know if your food has gone stale unless its clearly visible. You would not know if there is a gas leak.

I guess the only thing you might be able to smell is when you are in a situation where you smell something fishy!

I have read somewhere that if not for the sense of smell, an apple and potato slice would taste similar. So try biting into an apple and potato slice the next time you catch a cold and try to figure out if they feel the same! 

#AtoZChallenge 2017 M - Monkey, Mind, Meditation, Music

M actually said M for Mm...Hmm. I did consider writing a post on that. Well, since that cannot exactly classify as a word, I asked her again and she said Monkey. I suggested M for mummy and that is when she remembered that her own name started with that.

Monkeys are quite close to us in DNA and I have read that chimpanzees have started using tools and that gorillas can be taught sign language. Till my son enlightened me, I was not aware that apes are those monkeys that do not have tails. I am not even sure if I realized that gorillas and orangutans were tailless before that.

A saying we often hear is that the human mind is a monkey. There is a story in the Mahabharatha where the character Yudishtira says "The mind is faster than wind and our worries  are more numerous than straws". I am not exactly sure which parts of the grey matter in our brains control all the non-stop chatter that goes on inside all of our heads but yes there is this monkey (or a whole team of monkeys) that get easily influenced by factors internal and external and keep hopping.

Something that is stressed upon so much these days and is sought after is meditation. It is believed to relieve one of stress, calm ones mind and bring more clarity. The big question is how does one go about it?

There are numerous schools out there ....Meditation retreats where people go like a vacation and indulge in this guided practice for like say ten days. Mindful meditation is another thing that is getting a lot of attention too. Yoga schools and branches teach various meditation practices. 

Some religious practices like chanting of shlokas are meditative practices too - A few moments when we choose to simply detach ourselves from everything around and focus only on the words coming from our mouths. When we do that, our breathing falls into a rhythmic pattern and the mind gets some rest. 

Art and music can be meditative too to those who are able to immerse in it and let themselves go.Personally I feel, being a part of the music , i.e. learning to play an instrument or simply singing along to something we are listening would make us feel a lot more lighter. There would be moments when all that matters is 

The music around me and me in the music.

My monkey has done a not so bad job now in the past twenty minutes when I typed this post. Starting from the sign language of gorillas, I have traveled to playing the piano or the violin. 

To conclude I want to share a video on simple meditation advice given by a Tibetan monk on Facebook that I really liked. In fact I liked his message as well as the warm simple humorous way in which he expresses it.

I don't know much about meditation but sometimes when we feel agitated or anxious , a few deep breaths do help in calming I think.

#AtoZChallenge 2017 L for Lion

I think M has started to make things tricky! Yesterday I started with A for and she kept saying Nothing,Nothing! all the way to K with a mischievous grin. 

Lion - What are the words you would associate with the king of the jungle? Power? Ferocity? Style? Leadership? 

This big cat is one creature upon whom nature has bestowed a clear difference in appearance between the two genders. Wonder how a lion will look if somebody manages to do some styles with the his mane. Disney has tried it in animation form in movies like 'The Lion King' of course.What I  find unique in a lion are its walk and the depth of its piercing looks.  

People belonging to Zodiac symbol Leo are supposed to have unique traits. They are confident, loyal , friendly and above all are born leaders.

I am a citizen of India and am residing in Singapore. The name Singapore translates to "Lion City" and the popular tourist mascot of the city 'The Merlion' is half fish and half lion. India's national emblem features four Asiatic lions standing back to back, adapted from a similar sculpture that was atop a pillar at Sarnath erected by emperor Ashoka. 

Some deities in Hinduism have the lion as their vahana or mount/vehicle. I have read somewhere that what it signifies is that a person with power should not let it dominate him or his thinking. He should rise above its grip on his ego and act responsibly with righteousness . 

#AtoZChallenge2017 K for kangaroo

K is for kangaroo.

What does kangaroo remind you of?

Usually we would get reminded of a baby kangaroo in its mother's pouch. Or we would get reminded of Australia and Sydney Opera House and our long planned holiday to Australia yet to take effect.

When i was reading about kangaroos i read that the joeys urinate and defecate inside the mother's pouch. As I read in a Lifesciences Project "The lining of the pouch absorbs some of the mess, but occasionally the mother will need to clean it out, which she does by inserting her long snout into the pouch and using her tongue to remove the contents"....Hmm....Being a mother is never easy whether you are human or not!

Another interesting fact I learnt is that kangaroos can swim!!  I had no idea

#AtoZChallenge J for Juggle

I asked M "J for?"  She was not agreeable to the question itself as the alphabets start from A. So I had to start from A with A for and go all the way to J. Now as we move ahead with this challenge this routine is going to get tougher . :)

She said J for "juggly". 

She did add that if you juggle oranges you need to keep tossing them from one hand to another or else the oranges would fall down and get spoilt. Makes sense.

The word juggle reminds me of visiting the circus with my family as a kid. "Gemini Circus" used to be famous then. When a circus set up a tent in the city, it was a matter of discussion everywhere and a great opportunity for a family outing.

The acrobats in their glittering costumes would stun us with their death defying performances. Atleast to a 7 or 8 year old's eyes they were definitely death defying. I remember the biker going round and round in an enclosed metal sphere. The trapeze artists going to and fro and the clown who would always look lost amongst all the talented acrobats and purposely fall down to evoke laughter. The dogs that would do the tricks and the tightrope walkers and the jugglers of course. 

We are all jugglers in a way. Trying to juggle different roles and responsibilities. Oh yes! each one of us plays a multitude of roles at a time and tries to do justice to every single one of them. Every one of that role is significant in this huge game called life and we all try to do our best in all of those roles - at home, work or otherwise.Our constant struggle is to juggle all the oranges perfectly so that they don't fall.

So if you are reading this, stand up , look into the mirror and applaud for yourself. (One from me too). We all are doing our best. And sometimes our best is all that is required.

#AtoZChallenge 2017 I for Igloo

This was the conversation this morning between M and I .

Me: M, Can you tell me a word that starts with I?

Image Credit:Steven Roberge on Flickr.com

M: I for Igloo

Me:Igloo?

M:Yes (with 100% conviction)

Me: What is an igloo?

M: Its icy. It has a semicircle with some lines. Oh yes and it has a small hole. (As she describes, she draws all of it in the air with her tiny fingers)

Me: Oh...Who lives there?

M: Kolar bear(Not a typo, thats how she calls them). Well, not a big kolar bear. Because they cannot fit in. Only little kolar bears.

Me: Its polar bear

M: Yeah, p...pa ...pa ...Pole(With a whole lot of stress on the P)

Me: So the baby polar bear goes inside and the Mummy waits outside?

M: Yes, Also the daddy polar bear, But the baby polar bear can go inside. Also the brother and the sister. (Then suddenly lighting up with a memory from class she adds) Jake has a sister too. 

Me: What do polar bears eat?

M: mmmm??? I dont know! Ice?? (She looks at me unable to figure out what on earth will be available on an icy terrain)

Me: They eat fish

M: Oh yeah, they catch the fish with their mouth and eat. (Phew! Last time she said they catch it with their hands and use a fork and knife!)

Me: What color is a polar bear?

M: White,Snow is white too.

By the way a fact I learnt from my son. Polar bear skin is black , not white. Its fur is clear and appears white by reflecting the light, just like snow.http://www.earthrangers.com/wildwire/omg_animals/what-colour-is-a-polar-bear/