Ever noticed this peculiar habit of mine…everytime I’m sick I take great pleasure in describing my symtoms to you whether you want to hear it or not. As usual it’s my throat the infection attacks; no cold, fever or blocked nose just a throat pain and this irritating need to clear the throat all the time. And ofcourse with the throat rubbed raw the voice sounds like….like…a baritone minus the timbre. Called a restaurant to order some lunch & the waiter eagerly replied "ok sir, I’ll send the order right away". I hadn’t the energy to correct him……clearing the throat every 10 seconds is tiring business you know.
While the better-half was channel-surfing 2 days back I happened to glimpse Usha Uthup & gestured frantically[my throat’s bad remember] at him to stop there. When he looked enquiringly I rasped how I was just thinking about Usha Uthup that afternoon and voila she popped up on tv at night. What an amazing coincidence!!!
“And why were you thinking about Usha Uthup???” asks better-half curiously.
“Oh just this afternoon I was singing this song and thought I sounded like Usha Uthup." I croak airily.
He didn’t say anything and I took it as an invitation to perform.
I clear my throat and croon “Dum maro dummmmmmmaaaaaa…….” and look at him triumphantly.
The better-half looked like he wanted to say something but he knew me too well and the mood I was in…….and quietly changed the channel. I ferociously chomp on some crystallised ginger to ease my urge to chew his head off.
[Cut]
A few days back my mom’s friend calls from Bangalore and tells me she was going on a trip to Holleyland and wanted to visit us on her way back from there.
I was like “Eh, I’ve heard of Disneyland and Al Naser Leisureland….….but what is this place you are talking about………..oooohhhh you mean Hollywood”
She was like “No, no Hollyland”
And then it clicked, she was talking about going on a trip to HolyLand…....about visiting Jerusalem, Israel and other places where Jesus lived and preached.
The better-half who understood immediately was laughing at my bewilderment. Ignoring the ruckus behind me I got into my best host-mode and croaked “You are welcome to visit us anytime Aunty, we’ll take care of everything. You just tell us the date and flight timings”
“Oh I know you don’t have any problems about me visiting you, just thought I’ll warn you I’m bringing 4 friends along with me” replied Aunty blithely.
A fit of coughing attacked me and I limply gave the phone to the better-half who also didn’t find it quite funny anymore. Entertaining 5 old ladies for a week was no joke, was it;-D
[Cut]
Surfing thru the channels uninterestedly I chance upon a pretty looking starlet mouthing a long dialogue. I paused to listen and was thinking to myself that if she was the heroine then how is that I haven’t seen her around before. The actor facing her trying to look suitably puzzled asks “I don’t understand what you are trying to say, Nancy” and I knew immediately that she could be essaying any role but the main role.
No character named Nancy in a movie ever had a leading role. If it is a Malayalam movie all Nancys' were the hero’s sister or friend who either had a dreaded disease or got raped in the middle of the movie. If it is a Hindi movie she probably was the vamp who performed 1 cabaret song and died[from a gunshot] immediately afterwards and if its an English movie she usually is the housekeeper or a lawyer.
"Why couldn’t my parents have named me with more thought? Why couldn’t they have named me Meghana or Nidhi or Niveditha….I soo like those names." muttering to myself I make a mental note to tackle my mother about it when I next speak with her.
I'll get off here and let you watch Usha Uthup singing "Dum Maro Dum Aaaaa"…….I quite enjoyed watching her after a looong time;-D
p.s: Ummm....I may have exaggerrated a bit here and there but don’t waste precious time wondering what the post was all about. Most people rest when they dont feel well but I get all charged up and attack. I was not at all in the mood to blog today but somehow if I don’t put up atleast 1 post a week…I feel guilty. You see, I love to pretend that all of you miss me. Now if anybody wants to disagree with me, feel free…..I’m just spoiling for a fight.
Read Preeti Shenoy's posts on Substack now!
7 months ago
1st
ReplyDeleteNever been UU's fan; but I find her quite funny. :D
ReplyDeleteand you take care of that throat. :-)
:) ok it was winding around a wee bit languidly cough-coughing here n there...but the journey was fun!! esp the rendition by the inimitable Ms.Uthup made my day..!
ReplyDeletewishing you a speedy recovery...atleast for your hubby's sake ;)
Just before the link to the video, i was wondering what the post was all about..good that you mentioned it in the post script..
ReplyDeletebeing host to 5 ladies for a week!! Enjoy Nancy :)
P.S: I know i have already told it but telling it again.. I am first and that too on your blog :) time to celebrate :)
missed the 1st :(
ReplyDeletehey yes you are missed when you don't write :) So no wrong notions about that :)
ReplyDeleteAww..bad throat gets real bad re..take care :)
All the instances were LOL !! :)
HUGS
Mystery: After reading back what I wrote I too realised a ps was necessary to;-P. And ummmm....it's 4 ladies or maybe even 3; well I did warn u I exaggerated right;-D???
ReplyDelete@coming first...yayyyy, did u notice Bluemist missed by seconds;-o.
BlueMist: When I was younger I used to find UU fascinating;-D. And thanks, the throat's on its way to recovery.
Onlooker: Aaah UU brot back memories huh...same here;-D. And thanks for the best wishes...accepting them on hubby's behalf;-D
Nu: Awwww thank U....u see how pathetically grateful I am to receive crumbs of affection from all of u;-D
I'm actually a fan of that voice...so I'm a weebit jealous of you...I looooove to sing and hear my own voice over and over again :P
ReplyDeleteI'm not exaggerating here dear...if I don't see your post for long I go check if you wrote one and I missed it :)
Take care of yourself...and yes...make sure you don't miss the chance of singing more Usha Uthup songs to him :P
Take care,Nancy!! We lovvve your writing, forsure!!
ReplyDeletePS: All the best for the host(age) you will be playing :P
Aww..a sore itchy throat can be a real headache.
ReplyDeleteTake care dear :)
As far the waiter mistaking your voice, it has happened with me on more than one occasion :D
Loved your funny tid bits. Holyland was superb.
Get well soon :)
Cheers!!
heheeheheheh . You do have a gift of the gab.
ReplyDeleteTrue--coincidence we both mention coincidence!
Nancy Drew, Nancy Reagen, Nancy Sinatra and even this
Now stop complaining as husky is sexy you know :)
Will write a funny post soon :)
Cheers
preeti
One of my close friends(school) name is Nancy.And offcourse neither she is\was my girlfriend nor i had\have a crush on her But she is a very sweet girl :D.So the name 'nancy' always bring colorful memories for me and we used call her with love - Nanu.This is the one main reason i stumbled in Nancy's Reflection ....now the secret is out hahaha :)
ReplyDeleteP.S : I hate usha udup and her sound.
ohh yeahh did i say take good care...Don't sing stupid songs and strain your throat..get well soon :)
You sing when you have sore throat? I am glad you blogged anyway...
ReplyDeleteNancy, thank God that u did not have to shout into the keyboard to write your post, otherwise we would have to wait for such an interesting stuff till your vocal chords get tuned :-0
ReplyDeletehey!! hows ur throat?? if ginger doesnt help.. try honey :)
ReplyDeleteAnd gargle with salt and warm water :)
I like UU's attitude towards like.. She does what she wants n to hell wiht others :)
take care, nancy
ReplyDeleteTake care nancy,and to you i was wondering why no posts after 8th march,and in my case,i did not miss you,come lets start fighting.
ReplyDeleteu wont believe this but i want a sore throat.. i mean fever etc are such passé reasons to call in sick! and i like husky :)
ReplyDeleteanyway,hope u feel better soon and more than that, i hope u dont have to entertain 5 Oldies fr a week!!even reading abt that makes me shudder
@ 1: argh! its terrible na... hope u recover soon :)
ReplyDelete-cut-
@ 2: poor you! gonu have hell of a week i guess ;D god knows - it might turn out very gud :)
-cut-
@ 3: now that all of us know you - the name will ever remain spl... so the nancy jnrs neednt worry in future.. also i go with preeti shenoy's comment 4 this... GO NANCY` ;)
ps. i knew u were exaggeratin evn without the ps ;)
You know what, you should see Athithi tum kab jaoge before the asunty arrives with her friends. That should gear you up properly :)
ReplyDeleteTake care !! Vicks ki goli lo... khich khich door karo :P :P
LOL Nancy (several LOLs actually).
ReplyDeleteI hope you're feeling better, Girl.
And I hope you're planning on blogging through the 5-old-ladies-week (*Agnes grinning ear to ear*)...
Oh Nancy, I am cracking up. I love Usha Uthup...
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you are not well, sending you lot of get well soon wishes..
Hahaa...I was born with a cold..In fact I coughed instead of cry when I came out from the womb covered in goo..And throat infections are a complete hit with me...
ReplyDeleteSo thank you. I never thought of croaking and troubling people when infected...There's a thought I like! :)
Ps: Nice blog and lovely sense of humor!
I did miss you Nancy! In fact I checked twice(thinking that the blog updates might even be wrong sometimes!!) :):)
ReplyDeleteI hope you`re feeling better now. I love Usha Uthup too and the video was great!
Hi 'sexy voiced' lady..
ReplyDeleteI have tried catching a cold to get that husky voice..[:)]
enjoy while it lasts..
I know that His Highness is a young strapping lad, but people of a certain vintage would give an arm and a leg to see UU crooning in Trincas in Park Street.
ReplyDeleteIf you were Meghna or Nidhi or Niveditha, I am not coming to your blog !! And if a sore throat were to make you fight and blog like this, then maybe we'll "wish" a sore throat more often !!
Hope the throat is better by now. Try a combination of ginger juice n honey. Honey is great for throat issues. Thanks for the lovely video, and guess what, i LOVE my own sore throat voice. ;)
ReplyDeleteHope ur throat is better now. I was ROFLing for the Nancy part. He he...
ReplyDeleteof course we miss you- and I do hope your throat gets to feeling better. You are amazing- in the agony you are in and yet you can churn out such a humorous post- had me laughing throughout...I especially laughed about the Hollyland- and then the '4' friends accompanying your aunt- boy, now you sound like me!! :)
ReplyDeletetalking about heroines, don't you rememeber kamal hasan's husky voice calling out haltingly, "uuhh.. nancy..." - the cult malayalam movie - madanolsavam
ReplyDeleteAs for the baritone voice, consider yourself lucjy, even without a sore throat, I get 'yes sir' replies!
But then I'll go with Preethi - husky is indeed sexy ;-)
Throat infection ???? Take care, dear !!! Salt water gargling, milk with haldi and pepper are the best. And always drink water boiled with jeera - as malayalis do. So, that you can sing in your own sing song voice !!!! Shld hear you once !!!!
ReplyDelete5 aunties for one week - all the very best !!!
You being all charged up and writing posts is very good for readers like me. Now, just keep writing like this - you'll be better soon.
Why ??? I like this name Nancy !!! How come you think of all these things ???? Nancy is the name of hero's sister, the vamp - LOL !!!!
I love Usha Uthup's voice and all her songs !! So, if did sound like her, then he shld have listened to you !!! LOL !!!!
Varsh: Hehe....even without the cold I dont sound typical feminine, so just imagine with a bad throat how it is;-D
ReplyDeleteThanks for the lovely words & wishes:-)!!!!
RS: Savitha I'm assuming this is u. Thank U for the compliment and LOL at hostage;-D
Chatterbox: Oh yes the sore throat is not only a headache but also a total pain in the neck[pun intended;-D]. And thank U...hope to get well soon too:-)
Preeti Shenoy: I knew all the Nancy's except the last one. Thanks for showing me...I had a lovely time browsing thru the comic strips.
Anishthomas: Aha so thats how u landed here huh;-)
Thank U for the wishes...I too hope to get well soon:-).
Colours: Heheeee so am I;-D
And guess what I also like to sing yesudas songs like "Maana ho tum" in tht deep voice.
Balvinder Singh: Sirjee its usually the other way around. When I'm supposed to talk I cant think of a word to say but when I'm not supposed to I find a million things which I must tell somebody immediately;-/
Winnie: I did strepsils first...but it was not doing any good. so then I switched to ginger...its good, controls the irritation quite a bit.
Yeah UU is bindaas really;-D
Titaxy: Thank U:-)!!!!
Ambulisamma: come lets start fighting.
LOL u say all the right things & then expect me to fight; even I'm not tht unreasonable;-D
ISH: Husky like Rani Mukherjee is good but croaky like frog...not good;-(
Yeah well I did say I exagerrated right...aunty actually mentioned 2 or 3 friends;-D
Sulo Badri: cut, cut, cut u r saying all the right things then how will I fight with u;-/
Prashanti: LOL dont gimme any ideas I suffer from over-imagination even otherwise;-(
Agnes: Thats right, enjoy my pitiful plight. I have good mind to go on a blog strike. We Keralites are famous for it u knw...strikes I mean;-P
Lakshmi: Remember UU's Hari Om Hari...it used to give me goosebumps:-).
Thank U for the best wishes, accepting every ONE of them very gratefully
CG: Hmmm....maybe u have tonsilitis coz I know mine is bcoz of tht.
Troubling people while ur sick does in a weird way make u feel better, havent u noticed that;-o???
Thank U for the nice words and Welcome to my space CG:-)!!!!
Please hold on till I finish laughing!
ReplyDeletenow that i've stopped guffawing, let me write a comment...
ReplyDeletefunny how you can be so funny when you are feeling funny (unwell :P)
I'm sure you sound sexy now, as long as your nose is not blocked...
nancy is a pretty name, sounds very foreign, you know...
and we would have appreciated a video of you crooning :)
hope you are drinking lots of ginger tea and getting well, the HOLIDAYS are Approaching!
ROFL...it was a grt post...could not stop laughing. Oh oh but I know how irritating are throat infection ..just do some regular salt gargling and some herbal soup and Tea will get us voice back... :D ..In short u will soon start singing All z Well....Then switch over from Usha Uthup 2 sunidhi chauhan...Hey one more thing atlest u got a name in Movies...:( my name is so unique I think i am the only one with it ... :D
ReplyDeleteHey...Get Well Soon!!!
ReplyDeleteHow can you forget Nancy Drew...the heroine of our school days!
Are the exams done? Going home?
Oh my... I also love to pretend that some people atleast miss me when I'm not blogging...well thats too much to ask..but do we actually need someones approval to make such wild pretensions! he he..
ReplyDeleteEntertaining as usual. Loved it. And hope u ge well soon.
And...my better half also behaves himself when I'm not well... kind of a precaution to not let out the high maintenance, cranky and fussy brat!
LOL !!! You are excused!!! :D
ReplyDeleteGreat way of presentation :).
Just curious to know whether the crystallised ginger was similar in taste ??? :D :P
Well Nancy is a very pretty name. I like the name very much. But yeah you are right, your parents should have consulted you before giving you the name. Isnt it? :P
It seems you don’t know the famous “Nancy” character performed by Tina Munim :D and hey does anybody here know the celebrity called Nancy who blogs at Reflections ???
On a different note, your name reminds me of my favourite school teacher who used to tell us nice stories so as to make us not to run away from the middle of the classes :D(Yes we used to escape from the middle of the classes and See corruption in india starts at a very young age :))
Take Care of your health. Get well soon. Yes as someone mentioned earlier, Milk with dried ginger and pepper helps a lot when you have a soar throat :)
Oh...I just love you Nancy...and ur sense of humour!
ReplyDeleteJust tell me when those ladies are going to visit u, I am gonna call and laugh so hard!!! :D
ReplyDeleteI love ur name. I hate mine! I feel I don't look like my name.
Sorry to give you competition, but if Nancy is vamp/rape victim/nanny/lawyer, Judy is either old blonde lady in pink polka dot dress/black as a raven with frizzy hair, wearing mini skirt and fire-engine-red lipstick. Depending on which side of the equator she's born of course. So Nancy *ahem* with a voice *ahem* like Usha *ahem* Uthup, complain ye not. Life could be so much worse ;-)
ReplyDeletehaahaaheeheeeeee:D I don't know how your normal voice sounds so I'm not able to mentally hear u sing 'dum maro dum'! But just like UU, yourself is also a drama queen(in the making)!!;-)
ReplyDeleteOh be glad atleast side-characters have your name..As for my name, sigh..I only see a character when I look in the mirror;-p
Uh ho :( Sore throat, me dont like the sound of it :P
ReplyDeletehmmm being referred to as sir due to a sore throat is fine, imagine a guy in the pink of health being continuously called amrita maam while his name is Amiya and he has a "man" enough voice :D
And UU is the original Indian rockstar :) Completely agree with you, no joke entertaining 5 old ladies for a week :S
ever heard of the nancy drew movie? :P
ReplyDeletei hate ms.uthup...so didn't watch the video!
ps: why can't i see any followers on your blog? it sayd "There are no followers yer. Be the first!" :o (I WAS A FOLLOWER!)
i just loved this post.. Take care of your health
ReplyDeletePiper: Blog updaters are not at fault, I am;-/. Now tht the school hols have begun I'll have to squeeze in time to sit at the blog;-(. Thanks I'm quite ok now:-))!!!
ReplyDeleteSwathy: Grass is always greener on the other side huh;-D!!!
Ramesh: His Highness knew tht he was damned if he did and damned if he didnt, so he played safe and pretended he didnt hear;-D.
Passionate Goof: I did try ginger and honey coz strepsils were not working at all. I'm feeling much better now, thank U:-).
Jira: Yeah, yeah feel free, everybodys having fun at my expense;-/. Yep feeling much better, thanks:-).
Anjuli: It didnt start out as a humourous post but halfway thru I saw the funny side to it & knew u all wd too;-D
I'm feeling much better, thank U:-).
Wanderlust: Huh which movie is tht...have to google this one;-o. U thk husky is sexy huh....ahem;-D
Umsreflections: Sing song voice....my dear Uma u have a completely wrong idea of me. Even without a cold I have a very strong voice....think how yesudas sings "maana ho tum". Now u have to believe me when I say I can imitate tht very well;-/
Meira: Feel free;-/
Suma: Awwww so nice of u to make me feel better;-). The holidays have approached and we are smack in the middle of it....in plains words, I'm FREAKING;-/
Prabodh: Oh I have no illusions abt myself..even if I stood upside-down I cd never reach anywhere within 10 miles of Sunidhi Chauhans voice...thats like sweet sweet;-o
@ ur name - better to be unique than having it displayed in side roles;-P
WannabeWriter: Ohhh dont remind me...even now a few people think they r complimenting me when they call me Nancy Drew;-/
Yep exams done. Discussions are on but not very sure if and when.
Anita: Thank U:-)!!!!
'kind of a precaution.....and fussy brat!'
Really, urs too!!!! Do u think they meeting behind our backs and discussing common strategy;-o!!!!
Asif: I had strepsils first but it didnt do any good. I vaguely remembered having some left-over crystallised ginger from my christmas fruit cake mix from last year. This dried ginger looks a pleasant yellow and comes in tiny cubes rolled in sugar...it gives off a searing spice yet sweet enoff to keep chewing. Anyways as soon as the juice hits the throat there is instant relief.
Aaah yes I remember Tina Munium but I thot the main heroine was Simi Garewal there. Seee...I told u;-/.
Thank U for all the suggestions and wishes:-)!!!!!
Sindhu: I luv u too Sindhu & thank U;-D!!!!
Butterfly: Oh u look more like ur name than I do mine;-/
Judy Balan: U have magic in ur fingers;-o!!! Honest!!!! For the 1st time I'm upto half-way convinced;-D.
Lostworld: Better to be unique than have all the aira-gaira supporting characters sporting ur name;-/. Just out of curiousity, is ur brother called Rohan by any chance;-D????
Amrita: LOL really....have to admit his case sounds worse off than anybodys. Sure hope he doesnt take it out on u;-o
Blunt edges: Hero...I have a 104 followers and I'm looking at them now. Dont scare me saying stuff like tht;-o
Kavya: Thanks and thanks;-D
The movie title is - Baton Baton mein. :)
ReplyDeleteAmol palekar sported a french beard in that, right. But I had forgotten TM was called tht;-D. The reason I remember the movie so clearly is tht there is a song "Na bole tumne maine kuch kaha". My friend and I sang that on stage in school;-D
ReplyDeleteAnd u will hv lotz to tell us after hosting the 5 of them :P Gud luck and hope u r feeling better nw :)
ReplyDeleteIs it???
ReplyDeleteHmm now I understood why you were feeling sad about your soar throat :P
Anyways good to discover another great talent of my favourite blogger. Do you have the pictures or recording of the performance?
I was not born when that movie got released but I happen to see the movie some years ago and loved the concept and the songs.
Naaaahi my dear! He's called Nitin :)
ReplyDeleteI could understand why there was a light tremor in Deira Area recently!!
ReplyDeleteHi Nancy
ReplyDeletehope you are feelin better now...
that made a nice read, picked me up a bit....been down lately.
will come back to read the missed posts.
Swaram: Thanks I need all the good wishes..for both;-D
ReplyDeleteAsif: LOL...no pics or anything infact that was the first and last time I sang on stage. Thats why I remember it so well;-D
Lostworld: LOL I just cdnt resist asking;-D
Maddy: LOL...u r too much;-D
Sadiya: I'm much better now, thank U!!!! And no hurries, take ur time;-)!!!!
Tagged you...take it up quick!! :)
ReplyDeleteI will, thank U Varsh:-)....I've trying to post a coment at ur page but the link 'Post a comment' is not directing me to ur comment box;-(
ReplyDeleteLOl, even i like usha uthup.
ReplyDeletehope u r feeling better. and nancy is a sweet name
Ooh.. I can so imagine u singing "Dum maro dum" in Usha Uthup voice :-)
ReplyDeleteYou make things so hilarious with your words and style:-)
DO you remember that episode from "Friends" when Monika gets sick and all she keeps on saying is "I am Fine"d" !!
Hope you are feeling better by now.
you should take part in the Random Tuesday thoughts series. I think its hosted by the Unmom!!
ReplyDeleteYou're soooo funnayyyyy !!!! :D :D Lol @ singing Dum Maro Dum :) :)
ReplyDeleteusha uthup can entertain... thanks for the link. as for the cough our entire family can form a band as we are all afflicted with it. hope you will get well soon nance. the thought that we will lose a future usha uthup tears me up though:-)))
ReplyDeletedont laugh but there was a time when i was rather fascinated with her and her voice! :D cant explain it why. maybe it was just the silliness of youth.
ReplyDeleteYeah, even I feel the same about my name. All heroes are named Rahul or Raj, none Rakesh :(
ReplyDeleteBtw, why didn't we get a rendition of the Usha Utuph sound alike! Would've turned this into a really funny post! Not that it wasn't already funny but still...
What can I say Nancy?? You have made my day :) You have a knack for writing and its ingenious. There I have said it :)
ReplyDeleteELizabeth: Heee thanks and yeah much much better now;-)!!!!
ReplyDeleteDil Se: Oh yeah I remember and what a hoot really;-D. And thank U;-D!!!!!
Roshni: I'll check it out, thanks;-)!!!!
Dhanya: ;-D
Lan: Heeee...i'll take it as a back-handed compliment;-D
Limenlemons: Honestly there is something about her which has to be admired...she's got more fans than we can ever imagine:-).
Rakesh: Hehehhee I did think about it but had no clue how to go about it....u all should thanks ur stars for tht, really;-D.
Anusha: Ooooooh thank U;-D!!!!
thanks for video
ReplyDeleteU r welcome:-)!!!!
ReplyDeleteHey what about Nancy Drew - the sharp eyed detective gal?? There, now isn't your name so lovely? :D I had a tuition mate called Nancy too - and she was loads of fun just like you are! :-)
ReplyDeleteI used to think I sound like Ila Arun when I have a bad throat!! ;-)
Hope your throat pain has goned away ... If not chomp on that ginger harder!! ;-)
BTW, do you have a FB account? I had sent a request to a Nancy as TFT ... :D I think I got the wrong person.
Aha.....Usha Uthup, one of the ladies I like, for the simple reason, she enjoys when she sings.
ReplyDeleteThethoughtfultrain Oh my goodness I did receive the FB request....but I had no clue it was u;-o
ReplyDeleteI too had a church friend who was called Nancy and we used to love hanging out together.
And my throat is MUCH better, thank U for asking;-D
Haddock Oh yes the pleasure is visible in her singing and it sort of is infectious too;-)