2011 - A review!!

When 2011 came ringing in, I had recorded my wish list here... Today almost at the fag end of the year lets see where it stands!

For starters I hv hardly achieved any in the list.... But well its 2011 and well the number "4" has to bring something in its wake(read up the post to know why)....

So Indeed as I said, 2011 thou dint see me doing a "tick" on any of the items in my wish-list what it instead did was set the machine for the wish list in action... Be it ma sis marriage or ma good news! Now if u ask me thts like more than 60% job done.

N jus so that its indeed recorded ~~ 2011 is the year that saw the item that topped my wish-list for four years come true(no qs plz) and now thts saying something rt :) Of course the xtra time I I got to spend with ma mom-sis was the unexpected bonanza!

Heres hoping that 2012 sees us taking all these things into their logical- happy ending ~~ Fingers crossed! As I type this, I realize that its a BIG ask and me hopes that things jus fall in place.

To a gr8 person.......

Look closely at this n lemme what do you see? Two kids from a rural setup on the way to school? rural empowerment? Right to education? Look more closely do you observe anything else??

Look more closely... Do u notice that only the boy has shoes in his leg while the gal is bare-footed! Imagine walking on the village roads(translates to next-to-nothing) on bare foot :-/.

BTW neither did I notice this until it was pointed out by my FIL... speaks something of the person rt :). Its jus topping on the cake, tht he is a big time advocate of gals ... I tell yea its soopa fun to hv mock fights with ma MIL N her son when I hv him on ma side... lol!

But of course a person like this does deserve a space esp on his bday(Dec 8) here rt..... Join me as I wish him a gr8 year ahead......

Linking this to Color Dekors......

Favouritism!



Pic Courtesy: StarPlus!



Well u always knew tht Favouritism is a bad thing rt! But did you know tht when you  start showing "favouritism",  it always keeps you on the edge n neva lets u sit back n relax! Possibly jus common sense rt.... You wan your fav team to win n not the "May the best team win"!



So why this spl note on favouritism?  Cause the above point jus drove into my mind in last few days.. Its transpires something like this..

I hv been for last few weeks a regular fixture in front on TV when "Master Chef India" gets telecasted (Na na not cause of cooking.. But looking at well laid food is orgy in itself :)). Now in this season among the team of contestants my fav was one Mr. Puneeth ~~ if u hv been following this you'll agree that he isnt really the best of the lot there. But but possibly cause he was this rolly-polly uncle who seemed almost helpless ~~ Something in me rooted fro him(somewhere he reminds me of my daddy :-/). So each episode was more about "Will Puneeth get eliminated" than anything else!

But today post his elimination, for the first time I got to sit back, relax n enjoy the episode and see the best team win :)

The power Of Udhi...

Well the power apart, jus realized that it could be a great beauty accessory(wink)... don belive me? Here hv a look......

Clicked at Mylapore Temple in Chennai....

Udhi is yet another term for Bhasma\Vibuthi ~~ The sacred ash used in religious worship in Hinduism.... You can read more about it here

Linking this to ABC Wednesday (U is for Udhi)

The joy of Doing nothing.....

Hv u eva been on a vacation n felt bogged down with the "to-do" list in the place... I know I am a culprit there! Given this, when peop suggested a hill station which is a stones throw away from B'lore with a promise of "Doing nothing" it seemed promising. So "Yelagiri Hills" it was.....

But but  calling it a "Hill station" may really be a exaggeration.. Its jus a wee  bit cooler than blore but yeap a welcome relief from sultry Chennai!

Second, The possibility of any recreation activity there is next to zero. The only strenuous thing(or rather the only thing) u can abt do is go for a trek up the Swami Malai (The trek is indeed easy, coming from somebody who is nimble footed like me ~~ Its saying something) ! The other v dubious attraction of "Nature Park" is well avoided! The lake there? Hmmm good for a stroll but nothing To write home abt!

Hmm now I know that its not alays the "tourist attractions" that hv people flocking to a hill station... But each place has a USP ~~ Solitude, nature, weather ~~ Yelagiri jus doesn seem to score v great in any of these depts.....

So ma suggestion there if u visiting the place,  Choose a hotel where u hv some foliage to stroll around cause tht may turnout to be the only source of entertainment (apart from the swami malai trek)!

Now Now looks like I hv painted a v sad pic of the place! Its still a place you could do a quick get-away to escape the hustle n bustle of the city, to jus sit back n relax as well even if u chose otherwise the "to-do" list in the place is next to nothing :-D. I am told thou that during some months this place is a haven for para gliding.......

You cans see the other images from yelagiri here

Linking this to My World

Portraits Of India!

That was the exhibition where ma hubs pic was selected n displayed.... A moment to be proud of rt :) The proudest thou seemed his 85+ year old grand ma who despite her age manged to climb up all those stairs to hv a glimpse of her grandsons first exhibition :). N thn had a passer-by read out the entire caption accompanying the pic....

Pouring over her grandsons pic printed in the book released to mark the occasion!



BTW u know whats the wish tht is rt at the top of her wish list now... No not jus to hv a glimpse of her rolu-polu great grandson(!) but hv that news be flashed on every other news channel ala Abh--Ashs child.... LOL!

Now back to the exhibition, it truly captured the "Portraits of India"..... from Leh to Up, From Rajasthan to Maharashtra, from Karnataka to Chennai, from Pondi to Kerala.... From apple-of-the-eyes to orphans, from old men left on the streets to doting grandparents...From Farmers to Tea Masters, From drama artit to Fisherman, From Priest to Naked Nagas, From fortune teller to anti-poachers.... From Kathak to bhartanatyam, from Kathakali to Yakshgana...... From Sindhoor Khela to Pongal... From Namaaz to Sandhya Vandanam.... Truly it was a riot of colors that captured the spirit of India!

Linking this to Color Deckors Weekend Wrapup!

UpCountry Tea!

@ One of the many tea factories in Nuwara Eliya.

Possibly cause Nuwara Eliya is located at a height ~~ on a hill station ~~ they call it "Up Country". And the "Up Country Tea" u bet is the best seller in Srilanka! If you ask me, for the Indian palette the upcountry black tea is a safer bet. Their regular milk-tea jus doesnt hv our "Kick" ~~ Can be a litt too mild for our taste!

But indeed What more can one ask for when you get the air of the mountains and a chance to taste lovely unblended black tea. Its a combination to live for (or die for?? ) :)

Linking this to ABC Wednesday(T is for Tea)

Ha n with this I succesfuly finish the NaBloPoMo... Indeed it was maddening this time esp with the crazy schedule at office... Glad I finished it thou :)

Ice Ice Baby!

The first time you sit in front of a fire place not cause its fancy but cause you are chilled to the bone ~~ Now thts a memory you'll treasure for your life.....

Possibly the only reason why NuwaraEliya and more Importantly Binota Residency will remain special (We figured out later that its not NuwaraEliya which is chilling cold ~~ This hotel we staying in is so positioned that it gets hit by the cold mountain wind n tht explains the freezing temp there!). N ofcourse for ma hubba ~~ no hol is comp if theres no hill station in the iternary!

Linking this to our world

Sizzling....

... Sizzling 5 years tht I met ma hubbs!

To be noted tht its not yet 5 years of marriage but the day marks 5 years of the 'Bride-Seeing' Ceremony.... You can read my 'Jab We Met' story here.  Doesnt it seem a non-consequential day to be remembered n celebrated! But if you ask me... It was this day (22nd of November) 5 years ago tht kickstarted this new phase of my life :). A day to be treasured rt........... N wht betta way to celebrate a 'Sizzling' life than with a 'Sizzler'

@ Kobe in Koramangala - This place gets a Thumbs-Up from my side! Almost lip-smacking!!!

Linking this to Color Deckors.......

Aye Captian!

Almost every other day we met somebody ~at work, among frnds, among colleagues who are well jus toooo big for their shoes n this invariably when they must be jus a step or two above you in the value-chain!

But then you meet somebody, who defines what "Humility" means ~~ Somebody at work whose style of operation can be described only as ~~ "Underplay"! So here hes been working with a minion in the value-chain for the past few weeks (yours truly) and me in my ignorance have been treating him jus as one would yet another peer. Its only by chance that I learn that he is right there at the top in the value chain and all I could do was "Gulp" with surprise at his humility, humbleness!

The topping on the cake thou should be his story of "How I met my Life partner" ~~ Not publishing it here as well its his story to tell....

Somebody, who you would truly want to bow down to and say "Aye Captain" ~~ Its not everyday that you meet a true blue gentleman! Aye Captain!

Happy Bday.....

Sax! Ho yeap the same Sabina Zacharias who keeps popping in v frequently into this blog! Well if you go here and read, you will know tht she is goodness personified. But well well, if u think shes this Miss. Goody-two-shoes, you couldn't be more wronger. Sample her latest FB msg to know what am speaking....

May those who love us love us,

and those who do not love us,

may God turn their hearts,

and if He cannot turn their hearts

may He turn their ankles

that we may know them by their limping ;)))))

She can be this imp and well I guess its tht mixture  which makes her this perfectly lovable n interesting person :). Heres hoping tht this year, she ends up finding the much-awaited professional happiness in her life..... Something which as she keeps saying is "More Than A Job".... This I believe will be the elixir to all her maladies!

Leaving u with the cake tht we baked(ho yes! More of it later thou) to mark the occasion.....

Book Review: Resident Dormitus!



Pic courtesy: Google.

This book came in via Blog Adda's Book review program! Even before I start the review, I should tell u the first thing tht stuck me about this book is the intro of the author on back cover, a part of which read something like this "He has random obsessions which include dropping one-liners, missing deadlines, and an unhealthy emotional attachment to his slippers". Lol! Esp as the first and the last bit reminded of ma hubbs. Ma hubs n his shoes deserve a post in themselves :)

So back to the review, Frankly, I flipped thru the first few pages jus cause  I had to do this review. The book started off jus as yet another of those boring chiklits ~~ couple of disillusioned boys straight out of college n well u can guess the rest of the plot.

But am happy that I dint give up reading it at tht instant...... The way the book took a shape slowly but steadily was indeep a pleasant surprise! A surprising mix of "chiklit" with a v healthy dose of "Gyaan"(The variety tht really doesnt breath down ur neck). It indeed comes as a whiff of fresh air to meet characters who are from larger-than-life but by design n sometimes by chance reach their goals in life...... As a afterthought, this book thou seem to be skimming on the surface does in reality makes u pause n think twice. Here is a piece that you would want to sample to ow what am talking:

"You Know why we construct these walls around our homes" Achet(the hero in the book) is asked by his father. "To Keep unwanted elements at bay" answers Achet trying to humour his father.  But of course the father has the final word -  "And to keep the desired elements within. The trick is to know which is which" - simple lines but thot provoking rt!

Thou to be fair, I wouldnt still rate it as "Must Read" ~~ But if this is somebody’s first attempt at writing, then trust my words, he is author to watch out for!

Book: Resident Dormitus
Author: Vikas Rathi (Yet another IIM Suspect)
Rating - 7\10.

This review is a part of Blog Adda ~~ Book review program! If u ask me, its quite a innovative way to market ur books ~~ reaches the audience without spending a bomb on marketing! Thank You BlogAdda :)

PS: Edited to add this bit this bit tht remained with me even a good week post reading this book ~~ a desc of the IT Crowd. As the author says "The IT crowd can roughly be divided into three groups. The first group consisted of those who were new in their jobs. They thought were smart, except they were not ~~ They were a lethal combination of arrogance and absurdity. The second group consisted of those who had been around for a while. They were either sufficiently numbed or were smart enuf to realize that the minuscule impact they could make on any project. The third group consisted of a minority of employees who had been doing very well, in line with their ambitions. They took every meeting as an opportunity to show how smart they were" ... LOl! A good one rt... no prizes for guessing which group I belong to......

Reflections!

A click By hubs! Captured here for the simplicity yet the elegance tht only nature can eva personify...

The KodiMaram has a Story to Tell tooo......

If u from certain parts of India(esp south), you will realize tht the pic in here is tht of a Kodimaram - you can read about it and it s significance in a temple here.

But whats interesting abt the pic here is tht it wasnt clicked at a temple but instead at a church. Here's  is a closeup of the pole-mast!.

 This I guess must be the influence of the local culture and people on the church! Clicked in a small nondescript town in kerala!

Linked to SWF

One God ~ One Religion!

This is a pic tht adorned (in the theme at least if not a exact replica), not a political office not a govt office but across the walls of bakeries, travel offices, shops and even on the glass panels of public transport in a small town tucked somewhere in the heart of Kerala. A point to note is that these areas are the ones where typically  riots regularly break out in name of religion! Kudos to them!!!!

Linking this to ABC Wednesay(S is for sacred), wordless wednesday

The Stories a Tomb says...

Clicked at a church in Kerala. Jus look at the date of Death in the first few entries to know why this tomb deserves a click....

Linked to MyWorld

The wedding Scene....

A typical marriage (esp if its a arranged marr) will hv a bashful groom n a shy-n-demure bride ...... But times change; Today's bride is a confident and self-assured gal ready to take life heads-on ~~ No more walking down the aisle clinging to her father with her  "Head Bowed Down" ~~ Today she walks in proudly with her head held high and will welcome you with a bright smile, firm handshake n a warm hug!! As for he groom ~~ He's the one with butterflies in his tummy :). This BTW is no fictional description... its straight-off from the wedding we were off to attend this weekend!

Here's wishing this lovely couple a v happy Married Life......

N speaking of the groom ~~ Hes been more of my virtual friend than a real one ~~ strictly speaking this must be one of the first instances we are really "Meeting"! Jus so that its on records, neither of us are known for our "social" skills ~~ So much so that Mr.Groom is almost famous as the "Loner"! But today as I settle back into the hustle-bustle of daily life, it strikes me that at no point over the weekend, did I feel the usual awkwardness of meeting a person for the first time ~~ Not to say that we were speaking eighteen to a dozen but there was none of ths usual "When DoeS this Get Over" Moments" ~~ It was almost as if hes been somebody I hv known for few years now....

Linking this to ColorDeckors weekly stories...

Cause am way this weekend....

In this space, you must hv seen book reviews, hotel reviews, restaurant reviews but one thing if you realized tht I hv rarely posted on is movies... for simple reason tht I don enjoy them as much as food\books\travel.

But cause am away for the weekend with no Internet access(thank god!) and cause I have to schedule a post in next few mins(thnx to Nablopomo) n cause I cant come up with any other viable post here's a movie that I saw in recent times which I think deserves a mention.....

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn. It was possibly the well taken graphics n the 3D effects tht added to the lure. Mind you, this is from somebody who is a self confessed critic of cartoons.. Have never been a fan of the mindless cartoons except say Nancy, Calvin n Hobbes, Dennis the Menace which if you ask me is more 'real to life'... Must be the the very grounded taurean in me speaking!.

Junior Bachans Girl Can be Named...

... 'Phoenix' coz she is rising from Ash... :)))


Courtesy Hubbs! 

Book Review: To kill a Mocking Bird

My rating on the book - Full 5 stars!

This was one book tht was lying around at home for ages - I dismissed it as yet another of those hi-funda book tht ma hubbs devours! But its a book that once you pick up you jus cannot put it down ~~ Not one of those breezy reads thou. This is book tht has to be savoured slowly - page by page. N before you know the country side and the lives of inhabitants there has grown on you. Truly its a book about growing up ~ About making peace with decisions that you make for your conscience thou they may be the most unpopular idea in the society!

A must read is my verdict!

Books... Very Old Books :)

Theme of the Week:

"BOOKS" (Very Old Books, Library, Electronic Books, Piles of Books,...)

When the topic of week said books, my mind was swarmed with images of... what else but books, books n books! It seemed a diff choice to pick up one or two. N then there in the corner I saw these books. Look closely....

These are the books of ma hubbs from his school boy days v longingly n painstakingly preserved by ma FIL in the fond hope tht it will be passed onto his grandchild :) A v personal family heirloom wont u say.....

@Niligiris

A click from the Ooty Toy train ~ Yeap the same tht every tourist who steps into Ooty has to by default hop onto!

Heres my one dollar worth suggestion if you planning to ~~ Make sure you hit the place before the crowd starts pouring in if you intend to enjoy the ride! Else its gona be one big fight to even get onto the train which takes me to the most imp pre-requisite for this trip.  Get a ticket for the first class ~~ the extra peanuts u shell out for it is more than worth the money simply cause the seats are reserved here! So if you don manage to get tickets for it in the first shot(The no. of seats on first class if I remember it rt is a little10!) , don worry jus hang in there for the next round-trip!

The next one dollar tip ~ ooty is no place to go for a one day hurried trip! N if u intend to stay over, you will want to book a place far away from the milling crowd cause on any holiday Ooty is so swarmed that you will get claustrophobic(No kidding)~  I hv been told tht Coonor is a betta bet!

Linking this to ABC Wednesday(R is for Railways - Niligiri Railways) n wordless wednesday

Cakes for you...

Can U guess whats the topping on this pic?

...

here take a closer look

Any  luck? Lemme give u a hint.......This is a click from the small cake I got to celebrate ma litt sis(not so litt anymore!) convocation as she finished her MS (Gulp! Gulp!)........

Still no bells ringing? The topping on tht is supposed to resemble the convocation hat... something like this!

U will not believe as to how non imaginative the people working in these so called top-rung eateries can be.... This one was dished out from Cakewala @ Koramangala in B'lore! I (yea, go ahead roll ur eyes) had to tell them how to get tht topping together....

While am still not happy with what they conjured up, it did serve the purpose of pulling together a small nice surprise for ma sis..... Her expression when she was caught clueless on this was priceless :). At the end of the day thts all matters rt......


Linking this to Color Deckors - weekly stories....

PS: I luv the visual appeal these pics add to the post :)

Monday Blues..

... Well they jus dissapear the moment u land at office. N if u thinking its cause I enjoy ma work n so dono what it means... Ha all I will say is "I Wish!".

The answer is that on an odd day like this I don seem to hv even a min to breathe :(. Heres hoping tht these workaholic days don arrive  too often for my convenience!

Thoosi Gr8 Ho!

This story am relating is well no story but what actually happened on our trip to Hogganekkal.....

As I said it was a rainy day n in attendance were ma hubbs, sis n ma frnd! Now ma mom isnt v agile for her age. Despite that with with all our coaxing she did hop onto the coracle n was indeed wowed by the sight of waterfalls! But the unrelenting rain n the sight of gushing waters had her lose her courage soon...... This landed us all in a true dilemma! Leaving amma alone wasnt an option as the round trip can take a couple of hrs(thou she was more than game for it!) ..... so the million dollar question was who would say back with her....

There stepped in am eva generous frnd who with no fuss offered to give my mom company giving all of us the chance to hv fun for next few hrs....... Given tht shes been to this place once but still the v selfless act of hers is worth a bow rt.....

N this frnd for those who know her is Sabina Zacharias! ... You do drive me up the wall, but its these small acts of urs that continue to surprise me(on afterthought in most cases)

Book Review: Arranged Marriage

My constant grouse wheneva I read short stories is the fact that the characters arent really fully developed! They seem to end jus as they begin n so u rarely get lost in them... U know what am talking of don u!

But one book tht broke this opinion was "Arranged Marriage" by  Chitra Divakarunni! This book has chronicled the chemistry of Indian Marriages like no other...



Hats off to you Chitra Divarakunni! Like I said here you are indeed a amazing writer!

PS: Another book of hers that came in highly recommended was "Mistress of spices" ~~ yeap it dint disappoint but "Palace Of Illusions" and then "Arranged marriage" win hands down if you ask me!

@Vengurla...

Clicked at Vengurla in Maharashtra, India. This stretch of beaches should definitely classify as 'Undisovered Gems of India'.... The beach is clean, wide n v sparsely crowded.... U cant ask for anything more from a beach can u!

Dint get a chance to stay over last time we were there, but theres a MTDC resort right on the beach which am told doesnt really burn a hole in your pocket! Definitely something in my "to-so" list in near
\distant future!

Linking this to friday skies...

@ Sita Eliya!

Pic clicked @ Sita Eliya in Nuwara Eliya, Srilanka . Theres' this temple there, which they claim is where Sita was kept imprisoned. And as the story goes, Hanuman lands there to save her and thts the huge footsteps you see in the Left side of the pic! At a distance from the temple theres this huge boulder which when viewed from a side resembles Hanumans face ~~ A fable possibly ~~ Look at the pic n decide for yourself....

Linking this to thursday challenge - HARD (Rock, Ice, Brick, Steel, Cement,...)

The quintessential Indian Meal....

... is Never complete without a dash of Green chilli, onion smeared with salt n pepper!

N yes there are connoisseurs of good food who swear by this... Ma hubbs being one point in case!

Linking this to ABC Wednesdays (Q is for quintessential )

Hogenakkal ~~ A rainy Affair!

Imagine sailing in a coracle in a valley ~~ A valley of waterfalls ~~ as you are sprayed with the jetting water from all sides.....

Will let  the pics to do more talking......

All these pics were shot @ Hogganekkal!, a few hrs drive from Bangalore

The day I stepped out for this trip it was raining cats n dogs n the downpour jus seemed to increase as the time went by... So much so that we had to stop the coracle in between n use it as a shelter! But on afterthought, the rain proved a blessing in disguise..... No scorching sun (N this place is famed for the heat that can make u go grrr) n more importantly no crowd (Jus a handful of coracles were out tht day as against the 100s tht usually frequent this place)!

The best part of this trip? Hot piping fresh fish fried on the river side... Imagine devouring this as u step out soaking wet :)

Linking this to Myworld tuesday

title n the coracle pic is courtesy sabina zacarias!

Kaash Ye Halwa Hotha!

If you been reading this space, you know tht am foodie. But me in kitchen, now thts a sure shot recipe for disaster :). Tthankfully I hv a sis who as siblings are meant to boosts up my morale ... she almost makes me feel as if am a pro at kitchen.. lol! Now am sure you need no explanations of how gr8 her culinary skills are!!!!!!

Given all this, a dessert she dished out by her(Her First I should add) surely deserves a entry here rt.... So heres presenting to you the sumptuous 'Kasi Halwa'

Do not go by its 'dubious' looks. It was finger-licking yummmm!

The best part of it is its recipe... Custome made for any novice!

1. Grate a white pumpkin and roast it in ghee till it seems to change colors (Which means standing near the gas-stove for a good 15-20 mins!)
2. Now add sugar to it until it dissolves (More hard work! ANother 15 mins! Nobody said making sweets is no-sweat!)
3. N abracadabra! Ur Halwa is ready! Go ahead n garnish it with cashews, dry grapes, pista......

PS: The title is courtesy hubbs, who went chanting 'Kaash Ye Halwa Hotha!' from the time the pumpkins were bought.. LOL!

Linking this to Color Deckors.....

When in Bangalore...

... Make sure you drop in at The Selct BookShop @ Brigade Road. Not as this is a one stop shop for all your books - actually the books there seem all scattered with absolutely no order - but simply cause its a experience in itself!

Forget air conditioned, this place is so cramped with books that you jus hv about enuf place to sit around n browse the books. The best surprise thou lies in meeting the shop owner ~~ A gentleman in his  70s(80s) ~~ his love for books so comes thru! Its not everyday that you meet a man who runs a bookshop not for a profit but well for the passion that he has for books!

Its jus a added bonus that you may end up finding a rare and almost out-of-print books!

Book Review - Dork

One line review ~~ Yet another Chicklit novel, Not worth a read!

The Blushing Bride

Clicked at  BasicHalli, an outdoor kind of retreat near Kanakapura, Karnataka about 70 kms from Bangalore. The name BasicHalli literally means Basic Halli(Village). Go here to read more abt the place....

The pic n title is courtesy  mister hubbs....

Linking it to Skywatch Friday

Creative - Handicap!

I dono if I mentioned this before... I cant for the life of me paint, draw - even a straight line, sing the simplest tune, Dance the easiest steps....  I always wonder if this is cause of some kinda 'Handicap'... Jus like dyslexia was undiscovered for quite a log time, am I suffering from some conditions that yet to be discovered :)
So I look up with aaw (n a bit of J i should add) at anybody who can sing, dance or paint! So next time you see this lady gawking open mouthed at a child dancing away, you know who it is!

The only minute creative(if I may call it that) streak tht I hv displayed till date is been in drawing out flower rangolis (they arent a eye sore at least!) of course with more than a generous help from ma sis. Now doesnt tht explain why u saw a flower rangoli not jus for Onam but again for Diwali... lol!

Linking this to Thursday Challenge - "CREATIVE" (Fine Arts, Crafts, Engineering, Music, Clothing,...)

Portraits Of India

Heres a click by ma hubbs tht was recently picked as one of the winning entries in "Portraits Of India" :) . You can look up the other winning entries here...

Did you observe a common theme running thru these pics... Atleast one out of three seems to be on poverty or old people! I wonder why? ??

Not jus in photos, the dominant theme in books, paintings are more often than not on 'Melanchoy'... Wonder why? Why this preference to romance the sadder aspects of life.... Is it what we as readers, onlookers lap up or is it jus the "I'm Not OK, You're OK" syndrome!


Linking this to ABC Wednesdays ( P is for Portraits Of India)... BTW the intro for 'P'  is done by Mr. Hubbs (ala Pheno)  himself :)

PS: These pics will supposedly be displayed in an exhibition at Chennai... Cant wait for ma hubbs 'first exhibition' :-D

Edited to add: One of the comments I recieved, so v summarized the issue, " It would be wrong to ignore poverty but in a country with so much to celebrate it's a shame it was emphasised so much."

Buddha and Buddhism!

When somebody asks me hows Sri Lanka, My ans invariably is tht its v much like kerala except for the inherent differences that Buddhism has infused..... Buddhism there is a way of life jus as Hinduism is in India! Hers a pictorial walk thru of the diff Buddhist temples tht we hopped into....


The Most Famous Buddhist Temple inb whole of Srilanka - The tooth Temple, Kandy

 Then we reach the ancient Buddhist city ~~ The Dambulla temple which is almost prehistoric.. being built somewhere in the early BCs.... The finesse of the work is worth marvelling at.....

Heres a closeup shot of the sole of the recling buddha ~~ I wish I knew what the figures in there signify....

Signing off with the Buddha that I picked up for ma home when in Srilanka :)

Heres a suggestion for you if you intend to go buddha-shopping in Srilanka ~~ The best bets are the buddhsit centeres or Laksala by Srilanka Handicrafts board

Linking this upto Myworld tuesday and with this I kickstart NaBloPoMo for noevember ... Imagine 500+ bloggers from across the world bloggin everyday for  month... wow huh!

Diwali 2011....

Having exhausted all the 'Lighting up' decor ideas last year, me decided to zero on a 'Flower-Diya' rangoli this time... Easy on time n eyes as well esp with ma sis visiting! I could easily outsource the design picking n color co-ordination to her and with the hubbs around, I know there are some fab pics guaranteed :).At times, I believe, that the pics look much betta than the actual subjects.. This is a perfect point in case ... lol!




 The diya tht you See in the middle is the latest addition  to our diya collection. You can see a closeup of the diya here.

Speaking of Diwali, what should not be missed to add, is the way my mom never ever loses a chance to driver point home! It so happened that while we were out to burst the crackers, we were joined by the kids from neighborhood which  jus added more life to the celebrations! My mom but had to think aloud(loud enuf for me n hubbs to hear!) n exclaim "Dont kids always bring more joy n happiness to our lives" n this was repeated so many times that am sure half the people out there got the msg tooo (rolling ma eyes in resignation).

Linking it to ColorDeckors Weekly Story

Happy Diwali...

Here is wishing you all a happy n safe diwali......

Linking this to Thursday Challenge....

Oil Extraction Anybody?

No No, don run off post reading the heading ~~ I hv not om back from any indistrial visit nor am I gona bore you With some hi-funda oild extractoion proocess! First lemme tell u what gave me this idea for a topic(yea yea this topic of everything) ~~ It was a glass of orange juice tht I was squeezing out!  Yea you heard tht rt...  Read on n lemme know if you think am rt.....

As I was squeezing out this orange  juice, it stuck me tht the process of extracting cocnut oil is so v damn similar ~~ Sachi! Its as simple as desiccating the dry cocnuts , squezing them till the last drop of oil is extracted and then filtering it out  ~~ almost how we extract the fresh fruit juice right See the pics if you don belive me ~~

The actual machine ~~ K k its a wee size bigger than our fruit extractor! The rod u see at the topis the one tht desiccates the dry coconuts

A closer look at the top part of the machine ~~ Desicating the coconut

The bottom half of the machine ~~ The Juice(read oil) tickling out

Filter it and there you hv Your oil ready to use!

So aint I right ~~ Jus replace this mighty machine with your juice extractor ~~ Isnt the mechanism behind the same :)

Pics clicked at Udipi, Karnataka.


Linking this to ABC Wednesday (O ~~ O for Oil (Oil extraction))

Home Of Hope....

Remember this site I linked in sometime back.... Well thanks to her, I managed to not jus cleanup my wardrobe but also meet people at whats rightly called "The Home Of Hope" ~~ A home tht shelters physically and mentally challenged people... NO no, shelter isnt jus the word - each of them there work (in whateva little way they can given their challenges)  to earn their living! You could read up abt them here....  Truly you come out feeling humbled........

If you in blore, make sure you drop in at this place .... if not for anything then to pick up some awesome candles, batiks, mats n smaller knick knacks that they produce.. trust me, you will be awed at their finesse... N mind you all gthis at throw away prices! Now you know where to head to to complete ur Diwali - Christmas shopping! Unfortunately, we dint carry our cam with us..... Hv a mobile click thou of one of the kutti butterfly candles tht I picked up.... Mind you this pic is in no-way a  benchmark of what they hv in stock...

Thanks Vivify Again! I look fwd to the next episode of Joy of Giving :). Heres wishing you all a v Happy Diwali...

Linking it upto color Deckors...

A Family Heir-Loom

In this post written a good two years back, I grieved about not having a hand written letter from my father... Here are those lines from that post....

Today when my dad is no more, all the memories I have are in my heart and may be a few pics that will speak for themselves. Isn’t it sad that my child will never have a chance of knowing him better especially considering what a beautiful writer my dad was........

But what I do have is this souvenir (this plank was stenciled and laminated by him) in which he had engraved the principle that truly governed his life and was a permanent resident at his office table!  Today it deckos my home, at a place where I set my eyes as soon as I wake up in the morn..... My Kitchen window. A good piece of wisdom  to take in as I brew my cup of morn tea rt :)

Click on it to view betta..

Linked to Thursday Challenge.."WRITING & WRITING TOOLS” (Pens, Pencils, Notebooks, Journals, Calligraphy, Graffiti,…)

Of Nagas.....

Clicked at Snake Park in Chennai - Founded by Romulus Whitaker

What intrigued me most abt this pic is the 'Smiley' pic in its hood... This marking is considered to be the symbol of Vishnu... The first time I hv seen Cobra showing the markings n its hood in all glory!

Linking this to ABC wednesday  - N is for Naga (as Cobra is called in parts of India) and Wordless wednesday

From the interioirs of Tamil Nadu.....

Clicks from interiors of Tamil Nadu(India) ... What caught my eyes are the bold colors of the walla n doors of a few houses there....

Candy Pink Walls!



Go Green!



Possibly a v common occurrence in few parts of India, But they deserve a click don they :).

Linking this to OurWorldTuesday and thursday challenge "DOOR" (House, Barn, Gate, Entrance, Cellar, Car,...)

Post Hol Blues :(

Am back from ma vacation at ma in-laws place in Chennai... As usual am amazed at the space they give me n ma hubbs **Ant-Jinx**. No qs asked as to why we hvnt yet give  them the much-dreaded 'Good News' as yet... As I hv said somewhere else in this blog, I cant thank them enuf for it n it makes my respect for them grow in leaps n pounds :). With this vacation was also wrapped in a quick get-away to Yelagiri(More of it later) N Kanchipuram

But fir today, my heart-n-mind refuses to warm upto the daily mundane living........... thou theres some joy in coming back 'home' any day esp when u hv come back with bags full of shopping thnx to ma  in-laws again :) But office... well my heart keeps racing back to last week....Last week this time I was at the beach n today #%%**((&%!@@&

Will leave u for now with one more pic of Kanchi, Do drop in here to read more..... Lemme for now get down n dust my inbox! (Somebody remind me my login password plz...)

For now heres a pic tht will bring in some cheer.....

@ Chennai Snake Park

Pic courtesy Hubbs!

N while at it heres a wonderful site..... quite a innovative way to spread the joy!