viva la viva( as in viva voce )

Hey .....i am back ..no- not with a bang, more with a whimper ...tired and feeling low (not my usual peppy self )and why ? all because of a VIVA ,yeah guys you read it right and no ,i was not the one conducting it I was at the receiving end ...please save your pity for some one else .I asked for this .Natural isn't it ... a student has to be tested ....and this was the first VIVA of my life and i wanted to make the most of it. Let me get to the details before you all blink in confusion.
Here I am a student of interior designing and after spending 5 months of drafting sheets and sheets of plans and elevation and sketching objects and figures and giving umpteen presentations on glass,wood and textures ,twisting myself out of shape trying to discern the different colours and their characteristics ....there had to be a test.....and there it was ,the writing on the board(sorry... wall ) ....a viva to test your knowledge .The news sent shivers down our backs .I was not in this alone, there were seven others ....who experienced the same shivers .and worst of all we had to redesign our folders to look like (like ......what ???ahem left to our imagination .?well ..not exactly ...it had to represent the subject of our studies ...interior ,designing and architecture
The further few days proved how secretive human beings can be .Each of us went about acting as though we were just going to cover our folders with a local news paper as we had no ideas (and we called ourselves creative !!!)My idea was to buy a suitcase and roll it in with my portfolio inside and I let every one know that ... but my mind was working on an overdrive for an idea which was easy to do but simple and attractive and of course ....cheap as my funds were low. Till the last moment the secrecy and pretension continued and the day came and each of us walked in with our portfolios ....guess none of us were really surprised ....cause everyone had worked hard at it .There was a model of a three storey building which housed the folder and a kitchen with complete utensils and chimney ,a room with velvet curtains another one with satin curtains and so on and so forth .and of course there was mine .a paper collage affair .....simple in comparison of course but conveyed the idea...so i thought.And slowly the cats crawled out of the bag .....on how long it took them ,how difficult it was and so on .....well that was about the folder .and now about the viva
As i was the seventh one (lucky for some )i cooled my heels refreshing my memory on things i had learnt so far. Any one looking into the room where we were parked would think that we were or some of us at least were getting ready for a bout in the ring.A couple of us were doing the calisthenics ,(to jog the fickle memory, of course ) the dancers were taking deep breaths as taught in their dance classes and another had her eyes closed and was in deep communication with the maker .The game began ....
Each candidate was questioned minutely as he or she came out after their stint with the interrogators ... to get a hint of what was going on ...but the feedback was not very encouraging ....they all had the same answer ....nothing was asked ...i wondered if we were living in the silent era .the external was a architect .....was he ahem! ....challenged in some way or better still struck dumb by our talent and knowledge???? The latter thought was the better option . Then , my number was called...I walked in with a feeling akin to that of walking into the proverbial lions den (there were two in there )
"Introduce yourself please"
"Ahem" (i unglued my vocal cords....it had got stuck when the sixth one had gone in )"my name is......."i began and as a after thought added my age as i ended my intro
(did i detect a surprise???)
"oh okay ...but we do have to question you , you know ".
"sure ..go ahead "(Okay ,so i lost the first round )
And then the scrutiny began My sketch book with my juvenile sketches was commented upon and duly appreciated which almost embarrassed me .The examiner even alluded to MF Hussain ( i was not quite sure if it was complimentary )and then my portfolio ...oh well that did me in .He took pains to point out the bloopers in my drafts.....okay..so they were repairable and as for the questions ....they were actually subject related, which indirectly summed up to a politely worded concerned enquiry as to whether i knew what i was doing there at this age .
and so ended the viva .We parted on a happy note ( so i d like to believe )
The result is not out (thank god for small mercies at least my weekend was saved ! )

The Assignment

The assignment was pretty easy .Make your own logo. Logo for my own interior designing company...My fingers were already on the keyboard when the next few words arrested me “Do not copy, no googling, it should be your own”. The stern tones dashed my hopes and stilled my fingers .Well ,it did make things a wee bit difficult .Exercising my brains was not something I had recently indulged in …in fact I used it only to decipher the complicated plots of the Hindi soaps ..which are beyond normal human imagination .Well home work had to be done and submitted in a weeks time .I took to doodling names and designed logos over any thing and every thing .Inspirations hit me at odd times …my kitchen tiles and my table tops were covered ..My eyes scanned and skimmed over hundreds of logos and signs…as I stopped at every traffic signal ….and often came to my senses at the sound of indignant co drivers honking and cursing me .I noticed that some very imaginative ones were often in the shadows That didn’t help one bit .There were not mine .The days seemed to speed on wings and before I knew there were only three days left and I was logo less and totally clueless .Roping in friends and family too brought me no results Swallowing my pride I approached my ever helpful lord and master .I implored him to direct his superior grey cells towards my problem …..He pondered a while and with the air of a person reading out ones rights declared pompously …”hah its easy” “.Easy?” “Yes add one more C to it” “ECC! Hey that’s the cement company” I shouted in glee. “That’s ACC you nut” replied he. “So what’s ECC?” “Economical, classic and contemporary” came the pompous reply. “Harrumph!” snorted I, silently of course. .The voice of my tutor echoed in my head. it should show case your work ,your talent and your creativity .ECC indeed ..i mentally aimed it at the nearest waste bin and walked out .Desperation sometimes will make your grey matter more active .Names were flying in fast and furious …my pencil flew over the paper but had to discard every single one of them as making a logo for it was impossible .
My wan and dejected look brought in suggestions from people all around . My sister suggested that I use my own name and she even had visions of a TV channel interviewing her on my work .I crossed it out .…My name was a creation of my totally unimaginative parents ….it had no music to it and no creativity at all .Next .my husbands name …the name of our Mahathma ( no way )and then I went through all the names of currently alive family members ..mother’s ,father’s ,kids .uncle’s aunty’s …nothing passed the muster ….then came the Gods and Godesses …..again ruled out as I didn’t want to displease them by selecting just one out of them .I then decided to take the help of the dictionary ..the bible of every English Teacher …..i ran through the shelters of every living being including the toad but then again it was just not ME …..and most of the words were already on bill boards and letter heads .I then crossed boundaries ..searched from Kashmir to kanyakumari ,languages ,dilects anything for the logo of mine .Then it was the international …..browsed for names in French ,Spanish and greek and made some new discoveries that words do not always mean what they sound in foreign languages and I sat defeated .
I sat and sat lost in despair ….a day more to go and there I was logoless and lost .Slowly the sounds around me drifted into my ears ..amongst the din of the construction in the next yard .i heard a sweet cooing .it went on steadily for almost ten minutes .The voice of the cuckoo …I saw her in my mind’s eye sitting in the crows nest and trilling away happily ….the song of victory .The bulb blinked and then it shone brightly ..EUREKA…my logo shone in that light ….the logo for interior designing and building …DBAC …which will expand to read Don’t be a cuckoo ….we will help build your own !!! Original ,Creative and Innovative.

The salesman's love

It was becoming increasingly difficult to leave her when it became night .Her smile looked mournful. Did her eyes hold a reproachful look or had he imagined that? “Darling I’ll be back in the morning,”he whispered, it was for her ears only .He looked around conspiratorially. No …no one had noticed him speaking to her .The mirror on the opposite wall reflected their images .He, thin with a little stoop ,tired hollowed out eyes .wheatish complexion and she beside him ,slim ,fair ,wide beautiful eyes ,dressed elegantly in bright pink sari .They made a starkly contrasting pair .He smiled at their reflection ,patted her hand once more ,lifted the keys from the shelf and went down the steps without looking back .he stood silently watching him go .
Reaching his house he hung the bag on the peg .His dinner was kept on the table..It had become cold .He made no comments it was an every day affair now, Washing his hands and face from the pump outside he sat to eat .Not one did Lakshmi ask him about his being late every day .Today was the same . He could hear the crashing of pots and pans like cymbals from the kitchen .The baby was crying .He heard her scream at the baby asking his elder one to take care of the baby .From her tone he knew that she was aware of him in the next room .Her voice had shrilled. He pictured her …her dark and pudgy face ,her oily plait coiled up untidily and her sari falling over her plump shoulders idly tucked at the waist .She was not always like this .It was only after the birth of the second one and after they shifted to this two room house .He could not compete with the neighbors .He could not stop his elder one from going over to watch TV .But what stopped her from trying to look attractive at least for him .Didn’t he get her two new saris with the festival bonus last month ?He often felt that she was somehow taking revenge on him .She also made sure that she slept with the baby ,turning her face towards the wall .He was not one to force his attention on her .
Quietly he set his plate to one side washed his hands and lifted his mattress from the corner and spread it near the door so that he could look out at the stars in the sky and dream of his lover .She was his only solace .If it wasn’t for her …..He brought to mind her picture, her trim figure, her long mane of hair, her long lashed wide eyes .What would she wear tomorrow? The new green salwar or the yellow chiffon sari sprinkled with red sequins .Everything suited her .He could hear Lakshmi moving about in the room .Her muttering was loud enough to reach his ears and it was meant to .He wanted to plug his ears with his fingers .If only he was with his lover who he could hug .They would lie embracing each other .He would whisper sweet nothings into her ears and she would look at him with her wide eyes and would smile ,her enigmatic smile .He never knew what she was thinking but never once did she protest when he slid her sari and blouse off her shoulders and undressed her and later lovingly dressed her in a bright sari .Their love was two years old now and no one knew about it .He was careful not to raise any suspicion .
Lakshmi seemed to have settled down .The room was in the dark .The baby made suckling noises .He heard Lakshmi cursing the infant .He had enough of all this day to day cribbing and cursing .This nagging from sunrise to sun set .
He dreaded the Sundays when he had to remain home the whole day .It was torturous as he had to spend the day without seeing her even once. He made up his mind. This Saturday he would not come home, he planned to stay with her, spent the night with her. And tomorrow was Saturday He would somehow remain behind...One more day then she would be his totally .A delicious smile spread on his face at the thought and slowly he slipped into a dreamless slumber .
Monday morning the shop owner lifted the shutters to find his body on the floor. He was dead .His hands held close the beautiful faced mannequin in a tight embrace.

The Operation .....N

It was an obsession .One which I couldn’t get rid of .Once I had set my mind to it I had to get it done and so there I was waiting with.... trepidation in the waiting room of the clinic. It was now or never Three times before I had tried the time tested old method but to no avail .It did not last even a month . A friend had got hers done from here and had recommended the clinic My family had no idea of my intention and if they had any inkling I wouldn't be sitting here. I read the board hanging above the room opposite to where I was seated ,Dr Kurien (surgeon) “God “ I prayed silently ,”give me strength to go through this .”I watched the others who were waiting along with me ,Anxiety was writ large on their faces .I could hear my heart thudding in my chest .(wondered if they could too )I almost got up ready to make a run for the door .No one would be any wiser .and none would know I had even attempted to get it done .But my spirit rebelled .Now or never ..I reminded myself ..So now be it !
A nurse peeped out from the doctors room .She scanned our faces and her eyes focused on me ,”Are you for the surgery ?Have you got an appointment for today ?”I gulped and stammered ,”yes..yes ‘” getting up from my seat .My hands felt clammy .i walked towards her and showed her the slip .She took a look and bade me wait .After five minutes which seemed like eternity to me she appeared and signaled me to follow her .Stepping behind her my courage seemed to fail me as I thought of the risk I was taking and of my ignorant family at home .I chanted ,”now or never ‘” like a mantra and trudged behind her
We came to the door which had Operation theater written large on it .I was led inside where another nurse handed me the green gown and showed d me a cubicle to change I handed over my bag and stepped in .Wonderingly I changed ….oh god I was told it was a simple procedure ..then why all this ?Have they got me confused with some one else ?Would I go back minus an organ ?Are they running an illegal kidney stealing racket here ? Should I make a run for it when I could still do it ?Did the nurse have a sinister smile or was it a smile of sympathy ? My mind went on an overdrive .
As I stood contemplating I saw the doctor stepping into the room .I was then led to a steel contraption .the operation table ,told to lie on it and was covered upto my chin with a green cloth .( would the green be replaced by white after I was done ! ) From the corner of the my eye I could see the surgeon washing his hands and donning the gloves and a mask .He came towards me .I shut my eyes tight .He nudged me and asked me to open my eyes and said , “Relax ,itll be over in two seconds .”(what ? My life ? ) I gave him a watery smile .I could see the nurse ready with the instruments standing next to him .I went back to my eyes shut status The operation began .I could smell and feel the coldness of the anesthesia and then every thing went numb .I kept my eyes shut (ignorance is bliss )and opened it only when I was asked to hand him the nose ring which I had , clutched tightly in my hands ..He then proceeded to insert it and screw it tight .I felt no pain at all Well it was over …a wish of mine had come true .the diamond winked and shone as I stepped out of the clinic . I felt like a film star

Back to school

" Triiiiiing" …the alarm set for 5.30 am screeched on time.I groaned as I reached for the knob which would stop its screaming .(Oh why didn’t I throw it away when I had the chance ?)
“Why cant the bl…..d thing wait for 10 minutes more before shrieking ?” I grumbled .
“Simple , because you set it for 5.30 ,”replied my ever correct spouse .I wanted to throw a pillow at him .because I hate people who are so correct early in the morning .
“Ummm may I sleep for 10 minutes more ,wake me up will you ?”
“No way ,I am off to jog and remember you are the one who has to go school .”he replied blithely and proceeded to pull on his socks .
Yeah right .So much for the supportive male .
Resembling the fast forward human in action, I rushed through making breakfast .(I decided to fast ..three dosas less to make ) dressing and was into my second cup of coffee (..my cup of pick me up and keep me there )when my husband jogged in .
“Ready ? have you taken your books and other tools of your trade ?” he asked .
“Yes” ,I shouted making a dash for the car .I sped off .Ten minutes late is ten buses more on the road ..School buses were already plying .I wondered at the plight of the mothers and the kids .Well no pain ..no gain .
I switched on my favorite music as I zigzagged between buses and autos .I cursed at the red signals and evaded scooters and bikes with a skill of long practice ..An altercation between a bus and a cyclist ended up in us waiting for a good ten minutes in a jam
“God …with the power bestowed on you please put an end to it and see us on our way”.It must have been a mass request ,the traffic began to crawl forward .I pulled into the parking on dot . Grabbing my books and sheets and tools of trade ,I ran up trhe steps ,up the short stairs .I paused at the administrators office ,She doesn’t like any one getting in late .I slunk past her room ,as she was on the phone .The peon pushed the register towards me with a sly smile (A tip of Re 5 once in a while works wonders ). Putting P T Usha to shame I reached the class room panting and gasping ..All were present . All heads turned at my entry “.Hi good Morning” they chorused “.Hi” I greeted back .I waited for the next question and there it came , “Have you done the homework ?”
I grinned and nodded holding up my book and sheets .A pair of eager hands pulled at my book and another at the sheets .Within no time the sheets were being circulated and heads pored over the note book .Some scribbling others reading .I went to my seat .Ten minutes more for the instructor to come .I settled back making myself comfortable and thought ..Ah…. it was nice to back in school not as a teacher but as a student.A student of interior designing .

To Kerala in June

A trip to Gods own country Kerala , in the month of June is unthinkable but had to take one owing to a family affair .(my cousin’s house warming ) The reluctant monsoon was arriving in bits and pieces and so the heat was bearable,so we were told .So there we were all packed and set for the exhausting trip From Bangalore to Kannur(rhyming isn’t it ?) .I even packed sandwiches for lunch as we would have entered the hartal loving state by noon .As we sped leaving Bangalore behind ,I felt as though I was seeing the view for the first time ,technically …yes .I was viewing it through the lens of a camera attached to a cell phone .The road was much traveled by me but this time it had a new look or was I looking at it through different eyes (cataract and all )…whatever !Leaving the city behind in good time we were soon on the road to Mysore

.We turned off soon to use the shortcut ..The traffic was at its best ..almost nil . and the road taken (the short cut ) bad in many places which had the driver (my husband )using choicest words to curse the trip ..
From the bird sanctuary at ranganthittu(the bird sanctuary ) the scenery began to change .so did the road bringing a sigh of relief to the lips of the passengers The road side was festooned with carts laden with ripe mangoes ..red ,yellow and orange ..resembling balloons of different colours piled up like tiny pyramids .The traffic was at its best ..almost nil.The road took us towards Hunsur ..using the by pass we py passed the town .
The roadside was dotted with huge mayflower trees in full bloom …carpets of yellow and red were spread under each tree .Quaint villages with their clusters of tiled houses nestled to gether under huge trees giving it a picturesque effect ..The bus shelters fascinated me .They had an old world charm about them
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The time being early morning …bullocks stood free of their carts in the courtyards and under the trees .The carts rested along side Now the carts….They were fascinating They were painted carts..the likes of which I hadn’t seen before ..The sides of the carts were painted with different pictures .Some had different forms of Ganeshas ,others had sceneries and yet otheres sported scenes out of the epics ,Ramayana and Bharatha ..Passing at 120 miles an hour it was so difficult to get a good shot of them .even then my Son inlaw managed to get a few for me



At the end of the last of the villages we spied a serene lake with a tiny island on it .Herons perched on it, in patient wait for their breakfast to jump up There was barren land between the villages which is typical of most countryside other than Kerala .

.Leaving the villages behind we entered the forest area .It was almost magical .Bamboos created a world which looked untouched by human feet . I almost felt that at any time an elephant or a deer would come crashing out of the undergrowth .There were elephant droppings on the road which were fresh .I expressed my disappointment at not spying a single animal .. “its possible that they are aware of your passing through ,after all who is not scared of a lioness ?”guffawed my husband .He never loses an opportunity to take a dig at the fact that I am a Leo and a female at that .I laughed at his PJ ( I believe that its best to humour a maniac especially when he is the one driving )

At the end ,where the forest area ended there stood a tiny temple of The guardian of the forest .) The greenery was dense and thick without any gaps .The road climbed on to enter the beautifu lof land Coorg This was Gods own country indeed ..There was a dramatic change in the scenery again but this time it was not just beautiful but well ordered .Well pruned hedges bordering the coffee plants which grew under the shadows of huge trees .Tiny tiled cottages with their neat hedges and potted plants on the window sills ,flowering creepers on the fences and walls …oh coorg the beauty of the South.One just broke into sunny smiles at the daintily spread beautiful scene one passed through .


Daintly dressed ladies of Coorg(famed for their beayty ) draped in sarees a la coorg style ( with the pallu from the back to front pinned at the right shoulder ,walked along the side ,all on their way to a wedding ,it looked like We sped on through the tiny Goni kuppe drinking in the morning sights of a bustling town .Leaving it behind we turned off to the road that led to Peruvambadi .The road narrowed to a lane at some places . we reached the check post at Peruvambadi, was flagged off to the road newly opened to the public which would take us through the western ghats to Kerala.
Right after the check post we stopped or rather we had to stop to enjoy the mesmerizing beauty of a lake .A few others too were there drinking in the natural beauty of the lake with its deep green waters bordered with trees .Well as much as we wanted to stand and stare the mystical lake we couldn’t as time did not permit us .

..Driving through that piece of Western ghats felt as though I was on my own drive way as the road winded down through the middle of gigantic trees and dense bushes .The newly tarred road at some places were so narrow and had no adequate space to maneuver .A miscalculated move by the driver would have the passengers count the leaves of the tree , from limb of which they would be hanging if they were alive or conscious enough .So we ,especially me, held my tongue in my head till we winded down to a safer piece of road .Before we touched the bottom we spied the huge black rock named Nari Para ,by the locals

.Panthers (nari ) were often seen atop it .Now it had a small shrine of Hanuman and there was a tiny lamp burning just above the shrine .We also spied a couple of tribal colonies amidst the greenery .


We sped down and reached a most welcoming sight …the quintessential teashop (chaya kada ).It looked warm and welcoming with a curl of blue smoke rising from it We stopped and refreshed ourselves with hot cups of tea .The menu included Puttu –kadala ,Kerala porotta and curry(a favourite fare for Keralites ) .There were a couple of cars other than ours enjoying the healthy food .

We started off again and reached the bridge that connected us to Kerala….the kootupuzha bridge .


The scene from the bridge was picture post card perfect .
It again made me wonder at the artist called God .The blue mountains, the green hills and even darker green vegetation and a ribbon of river tumbling down over the rocks

Crossing the bridge the first thing that caught my eye was the Toddy shop right round the corner …a common sight in Kerala .The road had narrowed …for a highly populated state the highway was rather narrow .Shops on either side looked as though they would tumble down on to the road any minute .The vegetation was unruly ,a blur of green ,from darkest to the lightest giving us a feeling of speeding through the middle of green curtains

Amidst the greenery were brightly painted houses that seem to vie with each other in size and style .Most of them looked monstrous , examples of insensible architecture ,of pomp and possession of gulf money .The colours ranged from bright pink ,green ,electric blue, yellow and orange some of them almost gave us an eye sore .A few of them even sported roofs resembling Pagodas .Which had us feeling that we were at the gateway of Tibet .(Whatever happened to our simplicity ?our good old tiled roofs ?)The buses rushed past like unleashed beasts on a mission .We narrowly escaped being smothered down by a couple of them .



A wonderful aspect of Kerala is that it feels as though its one whole town .There are no barren spaces between one town and the other .One cannot rightly say where one ends and the other starts .unlike towns and villages of l Karnataka and Tamilnadu .Pockets of areas with red flags instead of gardens are a common sight in North Kerala (also known as Malabar ).At some places the road sides were festooned with red banners and flags which told us that we were well and truly in Kerala..
Old fashioned churches dotted the country side There were mosques and temples too side by side proving once more our secularity to the world .


Thus we sped on passing Iritty with its cool rubber plantations on either side of the road the small crowded town of ,Mattannur and reached our destination Kannur by noon where my cousin stood greeting us at the entrance of her new home..in true malayali style.

The idea and the application

Mrs .K ,my immediate neighbour and the young mother of two came running to me the other day dragging her seven year old boy who was doing a very good imitation of a stubborn mule .She looked shaken ,her eyes were red and swollen ,her bosom heaved and her breath came in gasps ..Alarmed, I ran to get her a glass of water .The little boy stood by her ,his expression mutinous .Oh ..okay I took a guess at the problem It could be !.Sibling rivalry 2.Home work issue 3.low marks or plain disobedience .As a mother of two grown up daughters and a jobless ex-teacher I was considered an expert at child rearing and a counselor for all school related issues, by the residents of my layout .(my service was of course cheap as it was free ).It was not every day thatI had consultations ,but come the exam time and there would be a long queue in front of my house No, not children but parents holding classworks ,home works and project books .
To get back to Mrs K’s issue ……It was simple in nature ….the younger one to our hero ,a little baby doll had made his new eraser, hers .A scuffle ensued , in order to get it released which resulted in her plopping it into in her mouth .Defeated, her brother gave her a bite at the first available organ he could reach ,her cheeks ,which in turn had her spitting the eraser out along with a blood curdling scream loud enough to wake up the dead .Her still alive mother who was in the kitchen almost had a heart attack .Not really aware of what happened prior to the scream she belted each a good one .The first to the son and the second to the daughter to stop her screaming .It was only then she understood what had happened and did not take a kindly view of her boy’s method .and of course I was the only person available to make him realize that (to drill some sense into his thick skull …her words not mine ) ..and so the villain was dragged to me for justice and counseling .
The hero ,all of seven years stood before me ,with bowed head, rubbing at his cheek where the slap had landed .I could almost read his thoughts . “Why me ? it was she wasn’t it ? its always me who gets the scolding and punishments .That little she devil always gets off scot free.She with her dimples and all .”
Assuring the mother that id take care of the issue I sent her home to the little one who could still be heard screaming ..I sat the hero before me and asked him a few questions
Who is seven years old and who is three ?
Who goes to school every day ?
Who reads English from text books /
Who knows to write Hindi and do maths in the notebook ?
Who knows to ride the two wheeled cycle ?
Who helps Daddy to wash his car ?
Who knows to say please ,sorry and thank you ?
To which he had only one answer , “Me”
He seemed to grow inches before my eyes ,a smile broke free and he looked jubilant as realization dawned that he was a smart boy indeed .
Then the next set of questions followed ,
“Does Anita go to school ?’
“No”
“Does she know to read ?”
“No”
“Can she ride a cycle?”
“No”
“Can she do Maths ?”
“No”
“Does she know Hindi ?”
“No”
He almost shouted the answers .
“And so who should teach her to say sorry and thank you and please ?”
“Me”,pat came the answer .
The clouds cleared and the sun came out .He ran home clutching the biscuits I gave him (for all the correct answers )
A week later Mrs K appeared at my door step ,beaming and bearing gifts .Ten to fifteen homegrown drumsticks .She glowed with pride as she praised her son’s new avatar .I instructed her on how to keep it unchanged.
Now, I have a confession to make .The idea is not an original of mine .Years ago I was acting referee to a fight between my two daughters aged 8 and 3..Retorting to some comment of mine praising the younger one ,the elder one said scornfully ,”oh if she’s so good and clever let her say how much 8*4 + 6 is .”My mouth had fallen open at the twisted logic and now I put it good use it to boost the morale of a seven year old .
May be some of you reading this could use it too