A little late...

Today, I finally have found both the time and the will to write something in my blog.
It’s been quite a while since I’ve written and my readers {?} have been considerate enough as to understand how busy I’ve been during the last six months or so.
Firstly, I’d like to inform all my {so called} readers that I am currently a part of Nirmala Niketan, Mumbai University…the University I have so blatantly admonished a few articles below. Life since then has been a coaster ride for me. I cannot even begin to describe how I got through and the kismet konnection thereby involved. I’d however only be just by giving astrology some due credit of my being enrolled in the only course in India offering Foods, Nutrition and Dietetics as a subject combination for the Masters level…(not trying to brag).
So yes, Im living in the heart of this magnificent city—SOBO.
And how can I not mention the terror filled days of 26-27-28/11.
I have lived safely through them and I am truly grateful to God. I also am humbled by the emotions I’ve seen people go through. The only thing I wish to say here is that: Great cities are not built by great architecture, great politicians or great ideas but by the greatness of the people living within…This is my tribute to the city I have started to love.
On to brighter topics...We got our guides today. Yes, I’m actively involved in research now that I’m doing my masters. Dr. Subhadra is one of the most qualified people living on the third rock from the sun and I’m truly blessed to have her as a mentor. The process of efficient research is gruelling and it can take a part of one’s soul towards the end. All that I can possibly pray for is a smooth ride, one which I enjoy and fondly remember as time flows by.
Till the next time…

Fragility.

Topic:Fragility (21 june)
Handle with care.

She got her birthday gift. ”Handle with care”, it read. A glass ballerina, from the glass maker. How predictable, she lamented. Her father’s creation, she knew that for sure. It was his work. She placed it carelessly on her desktop. She pretended not to care.
‘When was the last time you called dad?’ a voice kept screaming in her head all day. She tried to remember. But to no avail. The only thing she remembered was the last time she had heard his voice yelling from the other room, cursing her. “God, focus Avanti, focus”, she kept muttering to herself. She could not go wrong now, not here, she had a point to prove.
As a child, she never had had this problem. She could go on concentrating beyond all her friends. When her teachers thought most of the students were fatigued with the subject, Avanti was always the one to coax them to continue. But today, she was tired, fatigued and irritable. “Where is the nurse…? Why is everybody so bloody tired and lazy…” she was yelling again, just like her dad. She did not want to realize that they had been working for 48hrs now.
The earth had moved suddenly that day. Unawares, many had been swallowed into the ground. Many lay there in their tombs, breathing their last breaths, waiting. She wondered what if….”NO , don’t be distracted…”, she almost yelled that out too. She was talking to herself again.
And then she did it. The heart of the man who lay beneath her fingers did the most natural thing it could do. Beat. With every beat she began to smile. “Yes, dad will be so proud!” she exclaimed in her mind. She could go on forever now. The fatigue had vanished. She was happy again.
‘Trrriing'..
‘Triiiing’..
“Hello”
“Yes, that’s me, his daughter”
“ohh…..ok”
“I’ll be there by noon tomorrow”
“The funeral must start as early as possible, I have a lot of patients here who need my help”

Suddenly, the glass on the table top fell. The ballerina lay on the floor, shattered in remorseful million pieces.

Reviews:
Abbas: Shirin
This was a delicate theme that it seems like you rushed through which is sad because this was exploding with potential. You need to keep us in the space of this woman. We should be the fly on her wall.
Another thing that struck me was the coldness of this woman on receiving the news that her father has expired. I take it that she was a doctor but still it was her father. I would have loved to see you do something more with the moment that she receives the news. I would have to see the very human side of a doctor who after battling courageously for 48 hours snaps to indicate a fragility that is altogether humane, altogether real. Then, the ballerina shattering in a million pieces would have had a more profound effect. It would go beyond merely metaphor to the regions of symbolism.
Great stuff Shirin, but this could have been sublime.

@abbas
I like to write short stuff. Sorry to make it seem rushed.
Okay, and I think I screwed the end. I intended for 'the ballerina' to be the symbol of Avanti, and I think I got that a bit.
But what I actually wanted to depict in the end was ; that Avanti was so upset "she" suddenly and forcefully dropped the ballerina from the table...implying the anger she had within herself for:
a. Not listening to her intuition.
b. For trying to keep her nerves on the phone, when she actually wanted to scream.(The woman was not intended for to be cold, only too well disciplined)
c.For the loss of the man who had thoughfully given her the ballerina.
Guess I was trying for the 'in between the lines' effect...

Nikhil: @ Shirin Nicely written

Amrita: Shirin I found your piece woefully short and abrupt. There were so many undercurrents below the surface of your words, but you did not work hard enough to bring them to the top. I find your piece fascinating in what it could become, not what it already is.

Mukta: Shirin: I liked this a lot. The terse manner of delivery hits the story home. A snapshot of a disturbing incident... I thought the lack of emotion displayed by the girl at the climax was a good move, it gives a little drama, a sense of mystery at her character- although I felt that you could have heightened this by showing a bit more internal talk of the confusing emotions she had for her father. ( I want to interpret it as not just she is too callous or busy to take time out to talk to him, but also maybe that they had a more complex relationship, I saw hints of that , I dont know if you intended this). Again her nononsense attitude towards work is complimented by her lack of display of emotions- too tired or just too hit by everything, she doesnt show her emotions. Good stuff.

Anthropomorphic: Shirin:Crisp. Starts of a bit typically, but ends satisfactorily. I loved the part where the man's heart begins to beat again. Also, need to proofread and eliminate some punctuation errors.

Shirin:
@ everybody who commented:Thanks for sharing your 'pearls of wisdom'.
Hopefully, the next one I write will come off satisfactory to most*
Till then, Cheers.

Votes : 1...yay!

Akshay:
“Handle with care” springs entirely panoplied. It was largely a good work. The plot was appealing. The introduction, the rising action, the falling action and the denouement was given a good shape. The outcome is so much evident. I loved the struggle the protagonist goes through - the internal conflict - which I personally look for and highly prize in every story I read. It is the opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move. The story neatly cuts through the layers to expose the bare face of the environment Avanti is in. Also, the structural aspect - mixing of long with short sentences - did stand for a noticeably good flow. Mostly, it did not seem larger than life, but I wonder why did the ballerina “suddenly” fall? Based on how imaginatively the writers indulged into the central idea - fragility - I think Shirin did an impressive work. I wish if the character of the protagonist could have been revealed better. All in all, I feel it was a good piece (Gosh…Do I envy)

IAW-sensible nonsense..

IAW stands for Indian Amateur Writers. This is a community on orkut of which I've become a member lately.
I think, a procrastinator like me is motivated to write only when topics and deadlines are thrown.
Anyways I want to publish some of my work on my blog, so that I can keep a collection which becomes easy to go through.

The following is my First poem at the IAW community. I'm posting the reviews I got too. I think it'll make for an interesting read. Please add in more reviews as you please.
Topic: Nonsense poetry. (20th june'08)
sensible nonsense..
Give me a hand and I'll give you a tree ,
said the drowning frog to the mystical bee..

Give me your heart and I'll give you a love filled sea ,
deeper than anyone can give to thee..

Give me a sip and I'll let you a bite ,
thats what a rabbit told the snake in fright..

Give me a something and I'll give you a something too..
Is that always to be a rule?

If it were, I'd doubt the notions of my mom ,
for I think she did something selfless, quite out of norm..

She gave me life to live as I please,
which this world has plagued with greed and disease.

Reviews:
The : Shirin- Short and sweet, with lots of sense. Really liked it, but wish it was a little longer.

Amrita: There is an unspoken rule in the community that sms language is not quite de rigeur. That is why I asked you to post your entry again. My fault that I didn't clearly mention that sms language will not be alright even in nonsense poetry. Apologies.

Rohit: Shirin, Short and silly :)

Votes: -x- ...sad, but true.

No Reservations.

India, an independent country since 1947. All indians were to be counted as equal. Although hypocrisy did lay its roots right then. The constitution, to safeguard the weak imposed reservations for them. However, after 60 yrs of imparting this system, only those ppl are being safeguarded who need nothing , coz they got most of everything anyways. They receive the best of education, at the cheapest possible rates and with the simple convenience of a caste certificate.

I, belong to the unfortunate open category. Hence, dreaming of pursuing higher education must remain just that, a dream. The following is the form from the University of Pune, the so called oxford of the east , and most importantly, one of the few campuses offering this course.

University of Pune:

MSc Health Sciences :Health Sciences students learn in addition to basic public health and Epidemiology, skills in the field of health biotechnology (microbiology, immunology, genetics and molecular biology). These students have the training to work in academic or pharmaceutical research institutions. Dietetics offers a student the opportunity to practice as a nutritionist /dietitian in hospitals, clinics, and other health care institutes. Also, private consultancy may require one to be registered.

Legal Reservations:

1. SC--------13 %
2. ST--------7 %
3. DT (A)----3 %
4. NT (B)----2.5 %
5. NT (C)----3.5 %
6. NT (D)----2 %
7. OBC------19 %

Social Reservations: 1] 3% seats are reserved for physically challenged candidates.

Number of Seats available : 20+2 (Sponsored).

University of Mumbai:(Nirmala Niketan)

M.SC. Degree :Foods, Nutrition and Dietetics.

Intake Capacity : 10 Seats
· 50% seats for Christian Minority = 5 seats
· 20% seats for SC/ST/NT/OBC classes = 2 seats (Caste certificate to be attached to the application form)
· 30% seats for Open Category = 3 seats

Where must I go?........ :(

Faux pas...

Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2008 20:38:10 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [FFO] A real History Lesson !!

History Mystery
Have a history teacher explain this---
-- if they can.
Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.

Both Presidents were shot in the head

Now it gets really weird.

Lincoln 's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln .

Both were assassinated by Southerners.

Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson. Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln , was born in 1808. Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln , was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by their three names.

Both names are composed of fifteen letters.

Now hang on to your seat.
Lincoln was shot at the theater named 'Ford.'
Kennedy was shot in a car called ' Lincoln ' made by 'Ford.'

Lincoln was shot in a theater and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse.
Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theater.

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

And here's the kicker...
A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe , Maryland
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe.

Creepy huh? Send this to as many people as you can, cause: Hey, this is one history lesson most people probably will not mind reading!


HOW EVER the above INFORMATION HAS NOT BEEN FOUND TO BE TRUE.
Hey Shirin,
Some notes - after wasting a good number of hours on this at 1 in the morning ... these are the privileges of grad school - and of course it teaches us the *art* of faaltu research ... so i hope you read thru all of it - making it worth my time.
In fact - send it out to all your friends too - that would be super !
a) About being elected a 100 years apart – given the 4 year term of a US president – not so “astonishing”. In fact a cursory survey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ListofPresidents of the United States shows a whole bunch of ‘em a 100 years apart.

b) John Kennedy was born in 1917; Lincoln was born in 1809.

c) Kennedy’s wife had a miscarriage when he was president. Lincoln lost a 12 year old son.
so i don’t know what to make of “Both wives lost their children while living in the White House”

d) Regarding the secretary business – Lincoln had two secretaries, John Nicolay and John Hay. No record of having a Kennedy as secretary.

e) Lincoln was actually shot on Thursday and died on Friday, whereas Kennedy was shot and died on Friday. Shooting in the head would seem to be a preferred mode of assassination, partly because it is so effective. Of course being shot in the foot is also a pretty good choice - so yeah -this is a major coincidence.

f) Booth (Lincoln's killer) was born in Maryland - not exactly a "southern state". also Lee Harvey Oswald lived most of his life in new York - tho' he was born in the south.

g) Wikipedia tells me that J. Wilkes Booth was born in 1838 not 1839.

h) Apparently JFK wasn't a big fan of "civil rights" - in fact he was criticised for not being very active about it. much of what we credit to JFK was actually implemented by LBJ.

i) Regarding the fact that both were known by all three names - i found this on one website - don't know how true it is (fighting unverifiable rumour with unverifiable rumour):"A biography of Booth that I found on the world wide web suggested that he was known as J. Wilkes Booth. A Mr. there also has a theory that killers are often known by their full (three) names -- after the fact."Also " Lee Harvey Oswald actually wasn't known or referred to by 3 names except after death--during his life he was more commonly referred to as Lee Oswald"

j) Regarding "being shot from a warehouse" - there is in fact no definitive explanation of Kennedy's assassination - and is a prime material for conspiracy theories. Here's Wikipedia " Of the 104 ear witnesses in Dealey Plaza who are on record with an opinion as to the direction from which the shots came, 56 (53.8%) thought that they came from the direction of the Texas School Book Depository, 35 (33.7%) thought that they came from the area of the grassy knoll or the Triple Underpass, 8 (7.7%) thought the shots came from a location entirely distinct from the knoll or the Depository, and 5 (4.8%) thought they heard shots from two locations. John Wilkes booth was captured in a barn, not a warehouse.

k) Booth wasn't assassinated before the trial - he was shot while resisting arrest.

l) And here's the kicker: Marilyn Monroe died over one year before Kennedy's assassination. And there is no record of a place called Monroe, Maryland (at least according to the US post office - not that they would know ... but ... :)

Now here are the really AMAZING coincidences that were missed:-
--JFK served in the Navy, Lincoln didn't serve in the military
--JFK was killed with a rifle, Lincoln with a derringer/pistol
--Oswald visited Cuba, Booth never visited Cuba
--JFK had a brother who ran for President and was assassinated, Lincoln had no brother who ran for President who was assassinated
--JFK suffered from Addison's disease, Lincoln did not.
--JFK went to school at Harvard, Lincoln did not
--JFK's VP was from Texas (where he was assassinated), Lincoln's VP (Johnson) was not from the State he was killed in.
-- Lincoln was elected in July while Kennedy was elected in November
-- The two assassinations were 98 years apart in two totally different times
-- Lincoln grew up poor. Kennedy grew up rich.
-- Lincoln's first name had seven letters and was from the Old Testament. Kennedy's first name had four letters and was from the New Testament. Also JFK had a middle name, abe had none.
-- JFK was more commonly referred to by 3 names and Lincoln was not.
-- Lincoln never served in the Senate. Kennedy served in the Senate.
-- Lyndon Johnson was from Texas; Andrew Johnson was from Tennessee.
-- Lincoln was assassinated during his second term as president. Kennedy was assassinated during his first term
-- JFK was a democrat and Lincoln was a republican.
-- JFK's and Abe's names (as well as Andrew Johnson's and LBJ's) do *not* add to up to 15 letters or in fact - any common number.
REASEARCH DONE BY- Mr. F. Janoos.

Time for an end, or a new beginning?

Today, I feel something amiss. No, I didn't have to get up early, dress in a hurry and zoom to a place which had become my new home. I could get up with leisure, enjoy my breakfast, for the first time since, I dunno when. Yes, I did not have college today 'Coz, I no more am an active member of the institution anymore.
I don't like to leave. I hated leaving school. School was such Fun. And now that I look back, college was soo much fUn too. In spite of all the trouble, the subs, the exams , my mind chooses to look and remember only at the fun times. The times when we had passionate discussions abt every topic under the roof, the camaraderie with our profs, the canteen~sad food, great company. I know of ppl waiting to leave, like they were in prison. But not mee. I wish I could stay. Sounds cliched, but this reminds of of Aamir in RDB, saying~ On this side of the line, U make life dance, and on the other side, Life makes everyone dance. And I dont think I'd like to dance.
People tell mee, its not the end. You can always be "in touch" wid everyone. But I tell them, "Its never going to be the same, is it?" They tell mee, its not the end, But I know IT is the end. The end of good carefree times. Now people will expect me to be responsible, for everything I say and do. I'm not some undergraduate. I have no refuge to make mistakes, I feel the walls closing in.
Maybe, Its just a phase in my life,
A passing phase, I'm told,
and I should begin to look at this
As a stepping stone..
Make new friends and remember the old.
But I find this hard to do,
For my heart fails to listen,
and then when old memories return,
I feel my eyes glisten.

Time to ponder...

When was the last time I enjoyed riding / driving on Pune roads...I do not remember....Did I ever?....well, I dont think so...

So I dedicate this post to people who can empathize with my feelings...

Recently taking the car around town, came to me as a rude shock. How dare a women control the steering wheel, in this Man world? It's a forbidden sin, similar to Eve eating her apple. No wonder I was always honked at by strange cheap men...who thought of themselves as rulers of the road kingdom. Yes, I was snarled at with side ward glances, in spite of driving correctly and following traffic rules efficiently. This brought me to horn back...only a futile attempt to be ridiculed from rear-view mirrors...sheeshs!!! I hate transporting. I sometimes wish I could just leave home and reach my destination without making the journey. Ahhh....wishful thinking. And since I am onto wishing, I also wish for men to have some sense...give way to women, ppl ...they live a tough life juggling tough acts responsibly. We deserve some leniency from ur part. We never ask for more...only that the next time some lady is using the reverse gear, be a little more patient , be a gentleman and give her way to go, it wont cost you anything, Trust me on that :)

Of twist, twirl and rock'n'roll...

Recently on being to a friend's 21st birthday party , something dawned on mee.
To people who know mee, I'm not the person who runs to the dance floor when music starts pumping. In fact, I'm usually dragged from my so-called-hiding place . However, for this party, I didn't pretend to be reluctant. I showed true sportsmanship, and walked through uncharted territory on to the dance floor. This party didn't have a DJ-spinning tracks-disc theme, but here there was more of 'jiving'. For the uninitiated (like I was), Jiving is more like the slang version of ball room dancing, but I must add, I terribly enjoyed it. Dancing is FUN people! And now I understand Why!
Not that I'm a pro - like Andy, and neither do I have all the' moves' , but watching pros enjoy dancing got me wondering whether all those 'socials' wherein I always dug-my heels to the floor was the right thing to do. Man, did I miss opportunities to dance? (Can't believe I'm saying this).
Jive is danced to classics like the dancy numbers of the Beetles' 'twist and shout'. (Hope U ppl get the picture)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxvQ6yNGIes
And P.S. Our Jives were nothing like the above video, heheh!!

The benchmark...

I wonder whats the connection with women and age...its but-obvious one will never remain 16 like one may wish to....but turning old never seemed shameful to me, so in short, I never hide my age...or lest, lie about it. Basically, I never have found the need to.
Turning 21, like every normal 20yr-old, has its charm for me. I mean, common, now Im really counted as an adult...hehehe! (P.S. 18 is just a bluff)...Along with kinda-dreading it, I had set up a wish-list 'to-do', before hitting 21. If U ppl know me, U may not find it necessary for me to mention that wish-lists I construct include real tangible stuff, which one can possibly achieve. Not-to-mention stuff which I really want to do...at least before completing 21yrs of living on the 3rd rock from the sun, whereby I would like to start off with a clean slate!
However, not all of my wish list could be completed, I regretfully must add here. I am tempted to boast of my achievements and complain about my failures...but I guess I rather not. For close friends, who know of the grand to-do list, I must admit of not having the credibility of doing what I set out to do, but you all know, I couldn't help any of it, though I wish I could.
So ONLy for this purpose, I wish I could GO back to being 20 once again.....living with the hope that all my secret desires could be fulfilled before hitting the benchmark, where one sails independently, and everything done in their life is totally their choice.

For 30 days and 30 nights...

The nightmare of interning at a hospital:
The day our postings were put up, I was thrilled to find my name on the list saying " Ruby Hall Clinic". Well, its always quite different before the storm, they say. With content I went there, along with six others from our batch, only to find the sick smell of food and phenol lingering around mee, at least all through the first day, or was it the first week?....I don't care to remember. Of all the wards, I had to get the "k" ward...terror in disguise. Along with being the largest among the semiprivate wards, its also the toughest, being the "renal" ward, where people with transplants and kidney failures are usually admitted. For the uninformed, this ward is tough to deal with, esp. if you are an undergraduate nutritionist.
Along with work pressure, death is a common sight, where one has to toughen up to see the patient one has dealt with the previous morning lie dead. Visitors are usually not allowed, for sterile reasons, so there is patient- attendant relationships which are constantly formed and broken. Being there initially, I must add, took something away from me which lay deep down inside. I learnt to look at individuals differently. I started categorizing ppl as -healthy and non-healthy.
After being done with K , for a gruelling week , I was sent to the 'SR4', that being a deluxe ward, with AC -TV-and the works. Here, along with pain, I found money talking. I saw patients being residents there for 3 yrs, I saw relatives hoping for their family member to die, for property sake, I saw an aged couple being looked after a 'bai' with their children minting cash in the States. I saw stuff which toughens people for life ahead. No rosy-tinted pictures, the real deal.
What followed for me was the NTU(Neuro-Trama-Unit), where Road Traffic Accident patients with Head Injuries are admitted. Life there usually dwells around tube feeds and the ones who care willing to give anything just have a look at their loved ones. And I standing in between looking at desperation on one side of the door, and determination to survive on the inside.
When my time there ended, with vivas done, case studies completed and reports submitted, I wondered what else did I gain along with experience in my work field? Did I learn something other than practical therapeutic diet principles....I really hope so!

Valen...shhh

I wonder what makes this day soo IMP? People revolve their lives around this day...whhy?...beats me. Maybe Im a lil' skeptic...maybe its just part of my...ahemahem...charming personality...But truly...I believe I am a romantic. A true romantic...but yet I dont find the sense or reason of celebrating A single day to cherish the one you truly love. Infact, I think its more of a sales gimick...heheh. And No, Im not saying this in a 'the-grapes-are-sour-'kinda way. To the ones disagreeing I only have to say this, Happy Valentine's...spend well ;)
P.S. I dont dissaprove this day because of its western-ness, but only because I find it foolish rejoicing Love only on a particular 14th of feb.

Abt Cricket, Controversy and the Nano...

Reading the papers, now a days, leaves me feeling delighted.Its only once a while one may read about our country, the dormant India, standing against racism and being so united and everything. I never expected this, atleast from us. We, the people who love our foreign counterparts soo dearly, are standing up against them. How cool is that!
I totally agree with the following forward i received in this context:
PLZ FORWARD IT TO ALL THAT ALL SHOULD KNOW THE RULE…
….. BAAD ME KEHANA NAHI, RULES NAHI MALOOM THE...
Hi all,
After watching the test match, I feel some rules have to be incorporated by ICC to give the other teams a perfect clarification
(1) Ricky Ponting – (THE TRULY GENUINE CRICKETER OF THE CRICKET ERA AND WHOSE INTEGRITY SHOULD NOT BE DOUBTED ) should be considered as the FOURTH UMPIRE. As per the new rules, FOURTH UMPIRE decision is final and will over ride any decisions taken by any other umpires. ON-FIELD umpires can seek the assistance of RICKY PONTING even if he is not on the field. This rule is to be made, so that every team should understand the importance of the FOURTH UMPIRE.
(2) While AUSTRALIAN TEAM is bowling, If the ball flies anywhere close to the AUSTRALIAN FIELDER(WITHIN 5 meter distance), the batsman is to be considered OUT irrelevant of whether the catch was taken cleanly or grassed. Any decision for further clarification should be seeked from the FOURTH UMPIRE.
heheh!!

These days, the Nano has created sufficient buzz apart from the cricket controversy. This TATA promise seems to be the solution for the' four-member-two-wheeler' dilemma. Where else but India can be the birth place of such an innovation.{I mean excluding China}. Hope the Nano lives upto the everyone's expectation. The days of the middle-class car dream now may actually be tangible! GO-INDIA!!

"Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies"

The pun...its the ultimate one can use to avoid an embarrassing situation...or to increase the curiosity around a boring topic. By definition, A pun is"A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words."In today's world its usage however is being limited only to funny one liners. But in its heydays, there were "pun users" everywhere. Though I love using them myself...I've found my collection to be quite limited.

Quotations:

"The goodness of the true pun is in the direct ratio of its intolerability." — Edgar Allan Poe.

Puns in the passages of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland', by Lewis Carroll are my favorites though:
“And how many hours a day did you do lessons?” said Alice, in a hurry to change the subject.
“Ten hours the first day,” said the Mock Turtle, “nine the next, and so on.”
“What a curious plan!” exclaimed Alice.
“That's the reason they're called lessons,” the Gryphon remarked: “because they lessen from day to day.”

Some other masterpieces are:

"Not a pun less, not a pun more".

"No pain, No gain. Know pain, know gain".

"I grumbled that I had no shoes, till I saw a man without feet".

And my all timer:
"Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies"

However, I would love to add new ones to my collection, especially eccentric ones. So feel free to comment.
Yours truly.