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!

A evening at Kanchi.....

Clicked at Kanchipuram ~~ The city of temples! I luv the hustle-bustle of the streets surrounding these temples.... The aroma of agarbatthi- camphor, the lady selling the basket of coconut - flowers, the small time vendors selling everything from sweet-meat to bangles to toys....

Pooja Thali

N when in Kanchi, a visit to the silk-loom vendor is a definite item in ternary thou beware before u pick up something there ~~ Its v easy to be fleeced ~ Govt. recognized society are a better bet!

Linking this to SWF

Words.....

Somewhere somebody told me that the people we generally tend to hurt the  are Most probably than not the ones we love the most..... They are typically our easiest available victims be it a unprovoked outburst or a rant!

Well I for one  cant help but nod at this statement... Caue how do I say it ~~ Am a big culprit at it! The victims range from ma sis to ma hubbs with the former being the easiest victim n the latter being a unmovable rock(which only make me go more grrrrrrrrr) .....  Ofcourse in a few hrs(at times mins),conscience starts pricking n I try n make amends(N I suck at saying sorry even if am at the wrong side)....... N then expect peop to behave as if nothing has happ! N Mind u, U cant hold this against me, cause the reason u were chosen as the victim is cause I luv u... Now how screwed up is tht :-D 

Now why this sudden round of confessions?  Well it recently stuck me tht it doesn't feel gr8 to be in the victims shoes.... Despite all attempted efforts of apologies n a v conscious attempt by the 'victimes'to 'Forgive' what will remain at the end of the day (or weeks or months) is the non erasable mark of words tht hurt.....  As somebody said " Choose ur words wisely, words once said cant be taken back"! well easier said than done....

Heres a click tht I think is apt as you do some food for thot....

Masks of Sri Lanka

No points for guessing what topped ma shopping list on the hol to Sri lanka ..... Hands down it was those colorful n vibrant masks! The dance show jus added more fire to the fuel......

It was on this shopping sojourn tht we got this interesting tid-but abt masks and their significance. Supposedly the Masks that are hung outside most srilankan homes, widely fall under one of the five categories:

Peacock Mask: Brings Peace, Harmony and prosperity
Fire Mask:  To subdue enemies and bring friendship and harmony.
Garuda Mask: Brings  Protection (Garuda is a mythical bird)
Snake Mask: : Brings protection from all dangers.
Evil Mask: Keeps away Evil(??)

Thou I wish I could take you on a pictorial walk thru of the masks ~~ I jus cant find them in my archives :-/. So plz do click on those links to hv a glimpse of those masks. The one that I could show you thou is the "Peacock Mask" that I picked up.....

Somebody asked me if we picked it up fo what it signified ~~ All I will say in ans i s"I wish" ~~ This is another of those things where the "Object" chose us rather than vice versa :-D. One hella dumb pots we are .. arent we :-D

Linking this upto ABC Wednesdays (M for Mask), Wordless Wednedays

What happened over the weekend?

 For starters landed in chennai at ma in-laws place for a vacation....

N U  am at ma in-laws place when ~~ no not when am overloaded with work ~~ but far far from it... Am so  vegetated tht at times the prospect of doing dishes seems appealing... Lol! Thnx to ma hubbs granmom **Anti - Jinx** So now you know whom to blame when I put on tht extra tyre..... N ofcourse not to forget the packets-n-packets of choc tht ma FIL is loaded into the fridge cause we are visiting. Seriously, How old does he thionk I am :-D

On another front, went to a indi-blogger meet ~~ The first in terms of meeting bloggers whose blog I hv been on n off visiting ~~ Adithis's mom, sanctifiedspaces ~~ Thnx to Color Deckor Ofcourse! Am glad that their real-life avatars seemed as simple-gracious as their online avatars :) .  Heres a pic tht ma hubs clicked at the event ...  Of a chandelier at Hyat Regency ~~ Supposedly some macro n stuff.....

Linking this upto Color Deckors weekly wrapup

Books Reviews And More.....

Pic COurtesy ~~ Google

One of the initial first-person opinion I heard of "The immortals of Meluha" was from my cousin  ~~ quoting her words ~~ "Shiva is pictured as somebody who smokes Ganja and then lolls around calling Sati pleasantries like "darling" ~~ Now to imagine our Gods indulging in such pastimes seemed letta jus say a little too much for our delicate(!) sensibilities to digest ... Lol!

Now comes in my regular book review confidante ~~ Ma hubbs who letta jus say poo-poohed my sensibilities! He was of the v no-nonsensical opinion that Shiva is hardly  as a jewel adorning, polished(if i may use the word) Gods and so well he "Ganja smoking" avattar cant be v far from reality! So this opinion coupled with rave reviews by him n a couple of co-bloggers set me on the book ...

Pic Courtesy Google

My review... Well all I will say is I couldnt wait for part 2 "Secret of the Nagas" to release! Now now v truly it doesnt hold the attention as much as its precedor did...... But what it does instead is give u some good "Food for thought" ~~ The story of Sati-Kali does drive home the point of "Duality" ~ That good-n-evil are jus two sides of the coin and what you perceive as good may be evil to the other person and vice-versa! lemme not be a spoilsport n reveal the story to u ~~ Trust me bits of it has a  nice nail-biting feel to it...




Speaking of Kali,  heres a click of "Kaali ma" ~~ Clicked at ma MILs place in Chennai.... For all her ferocity isnt there a silent grace n power n love tht exudes from her....

Before wrapping up this review, here is a funny aside of how much the "duality" principle is driven into me.... One of the current books on ma reading list  is Nora Roberts circle trilogy  (The reason I set off on it is cause somebody gifted me tha part 3  of the book :) )~~ The story revolves around the man-vampire struggle to take over the world! Ofcourse no point in guessing that the villain in this piece is the vampire ~~ But but ma Fresh-from-a-dose-of-duality sensibilities was  coming up with jollifications as to why the vampire aint after all evil ... They jus are struggling to survive as much as we humans are :)

Thank You.....

A small family of mummy-daddy.. A house with hardly a dull moment(for well the sisters are more often than not at each others throats :)) .......The soul of that home lay in the gals for despite all the warring there was lotta love topped with the indulgence of a bestowed daddy :).....  The elder one was the geeky kind whose world revolved around her books but the younger one was well jus the other extreme.. Talkative, bubbly, spirited who was happier hi-fing  her daddy during a  cricket match than stepping into the kitchen!

Times flew, wedding bells rang for the elder one ~~ Festive was the spirit at home! But but soon v soon things tuned topsy turvy when the dearest dadu of the girls passed away with no prior intimation whatsoever..... The happy moments came to haunt them!

Life thou has a habit of moving on... The elder daughter got married n moves away to other city.... She gets too engrossed in making pace with all the new happenings in her life....

But in midst of all this the younger one is lost... her spirit is letta say almost dead... her laughter is wiped off! She is now a ghost of her former self...... With her dadu far far off n the elder one too far off to make her presence flet in day-day life.....

Now now behind every dark cloud theres a silver lining aint it ... Th bad times cant lats forever can it? Job takes the litt gal(no more litt thou..) to the city where her sis lives..... The few months that she spends with her sis n jeeju slowly buy surely brings her old spirit back...... She is no more lonely...  No more craving for company.....Her laughter n boisterousness slowly peeps out once again.....

This ma frnds as few of you must hv guessed is no piece of fiction.. Its the story of ma life n yeap the elder gal in the story is yours truly!

So Aint it something I should be thankful for... For the smile, the laughter, the joy, the leg-pulling thts back......

Pictured her is ma sis with her jeeju(read ma hubbs)... Thank You God!

Linking this to Thursday Challenge - "THANKFUL" (Things I am thankful for)

At Sigriya...

The word Sigriya Literally means Lions Rock (In Sinhalese - Lang spoken in Srilanka) and the word "Lions Rock" is no writers imagination .... The rock is literally carved to resemble a Lion!
 I will let the pic do the talking.... Seeing is believing rt....

The history behind is  I should say the story of the downfall of many royals across the continents - The blood bath for the coveted seat!

History apart, this place is no less than a archaeological wonder - after all Unecsco declared it is as the 8th wonder of the world ~~ Come to think of it, a entire palace was recreated on top of a rock! Reaching the top even today is a true test of your physical stamina ~~despite the staircase build around the rock by tourism! Supposedly in yesteryear the soldier would use the flimsy holds on the rock(The grroves u c in the below pic) to get onto the top... Makes me wonder how!!!!

The Grroves u c here is what the soldiers used to climb up the rock!

If u visiting there, make sure you get hold of one of the guides ~~ If not for the know-how about the place  then definitely for the short-cuts they know to reach at the top

Before I close this post heres the pic of  the world famous fresco paintings on Sigriya walls...

Linking this to ABC Wednesday(L for Lions Rock), Wordless wednesday (This post is wordless!)

I am a Woman....

I am a woman, wrapped in chiffon and jewels,
Thin silks and girdle of gold.
I stretch my arms...
The embrace encompasses a universe.
I can control a quiver in my hips,
Tell a thousand stories with my eyes,
Skip with child-like glee
The smile of experience on my lips.
Glide in innocence, endure with age.
Spin like a dervish; undulate in sensuality...
Excite, promise, create, change, tease, mock,
Unveil my passion.
Untiringly seduce the world as I move my body,
For I am a woman...

Lines from the handout given as a part of "HIpnois ~~ The Journey of Belly Dance"! Lines penned for a dancer, But true for many.... Aint it! Heres a  click from that evening.....

Speaking of WOmen n her beauty....Heres a click from ma pooja room.... Isnt she beauty, grace and power personfied....... May she bless you with all that your heat desires..... Hv a blessed Pooja Folks!

SARVAMANGALAMANGALYE
SHIVE SARVATHASAADHIKE,
SHARANYE TRIYAMBAKE GAURI
NARAAYANI NAMOSTUTE.

MEANING
Thou art the all auspicious Shiva (Shakti aspect), the bountiful;
I prostrate myself at Thy feet.
O Triyambaks (Three eyed one), Gauri (the one with a fair complexion, Parvathi) Naraayani.

Edited To add the pic cliked ar one of the Pooja Pandals....

 Linking this to colordeckors weekend wrapup