Silverine has tagged me on her ingenious new idea. Its the Wonder Years Tag as she calls it. She says wonder years is from 1-12, though for me things were pretty clear then and the wonder years are now. But Silverine’s property rights are Silverine’s property rights and here I go.

“Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around – nobody big, I mean – except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff – I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be.”

Badly wanted to put this out here for a long time. The tag continues,

Rules :

1. Write 8-10 things about childhood that you miss.
2. Write 8-10 things that you disliked about childhood.
3. Tag a few people.

“childhood is 1-12 years ” – Silverine, proprietor.


What I miss about childhood

1. Our kids gang used to have these early afternoon fishing trips to the streams nearby. Never caught much fish , but it was fun and we had lot of bubble-gums.

2. Festivals at the local temples used to be our licence to stay out at night. It was fun with the open air movies, mimicry shows and all those big elephants. This was before cable TV.

3. Our gang had a hideout – an old house – where we stored all our illicit stuff like chewing gums, guns, hotwheels, trump cards, Debonair mags et al. My friends dad razed the place back in ’95.

4. Those temple elephants. They ate like hell and bathed for hours,we used to sit and watch.

5. I dont know where I lost it, but I was a pretty good story teller. My friend and me used to fake hollywood movie stories which obviously the lesser mortals wouldnt have watched. All our stories had Babu Antony and Jackie Chan as heros.

6. At my Grandparent’s, they had cows and hens and dogs and rabbits and lovebirds. It was like some zoo down there for the city dweller moi. Both of them are not there now. I miss them.

7. I miss the serenity of those late evenings when Amma used to switch off the lights, light the lamp and chant her prayers. The smell of fresh cinthol on me and sandalwood around. After running away from her all day long, finally I snuggle close to her.

8. I had all the time in this world. Gaze at those awesome pics in the pile of books dad used to buy every month, make all kinds of crazy elephants with clay, play football in the rain, play with my big crazy dog and still it would be just time for lunch.

9. My kid brother and me acted as if we were some two men mafia. Omerta n stuff – no secrets divulged to parents or anybody else. Ya, this is still the same.

10. The gang – the whole gang in temple road.We shifted when I was fourteen. I miss them all.

What I disliked about childhood

1. My friends sister – she used to ‘report’ all our stuff to our parents. We used be in lot of trouble because of her over the years. All of us hated her guts. We used call her ‘Dakini‘ – the witch.

2. We had these gangs everywhere – sometimes it was crazy with leader, vice-leader n all. I missed out on a lot of would-have-been friends ’cause of this in school and at home.

3. Drinking milk . yuk !

4. Some stupid calvin stuff like the poster in our hideout “girls and dogs should not come inside the hideout” – it was just meant for my friends sister but overall we missed out on some very pretty girls ’cause of this attitude.

5. I hated it when Amma called me a daylight robber for small leaks from the grocery bill. How did she expect us to get those nets and hotwheels and guns. mallu blondes never get it.

6. School. Thank you for everything but not again.

7. Visiting relatives’ houses. “Shalini ammayi is pregnant, I’m going there,dress up and come” Why should I go, it was so boring ! and why should I be punished for what Jayan uncle did ?

8. Our collection of fourty seven Hotwheels cars were stolen one day. I cried with all my anger. My friends sister was up there in her balcony. I yelled at her “you will die, surely die, edi kalli patti” . It wasn’t that poor soul and I knew that. That day I got lynched by mom and surprisingly Dakini came with her mother and saved me. She said I didnt use any bad words. Once and for all we made peace with each other. Nowadays I call her chechi instead of Dakini. But I hate all that happened that day and I still dont have a clue where the cars went.

Now the cruel part, I tag –

1. Alex
2. Velu
3. Bombay Dosti
4. Alice
5. Starry
6. Neermathalam

Do it guys, its fun !!