Three years since 2008 and three new cities lived – Seoul, Mumbai, Chennai…

…and now moved to Melbourne !!

Different cities, different culture, different people, different encounters…each city brought out something new in me and made me grow more as a person.

Fresh out of college, moving to Seoul was an enriching experience. This city opened my eyes to the world. Though it was a much unknown place, the friendly and courteous people made me feel at home. It was a short and awesome stay there. Many a times now, I have yearned to travel back to this city atleast once and relive those memories.

It was then to Mumbai, the cosmopolitan Indian city, with the hustle and bustle all around all time. This buoyant city with its upbeat people always keeps you on your toes. I experienced both khatta-meetha facets of my life in this city.

And it was then to Namma Chennai. It felt good being back to my own place with dear ones nearby. And the wonderful work in the new company made me upbeat.  But, God! The scorching heat here made me go slain. However, this is the city which gave me everlasting sweet memories hanging around with my special loved one and my family.

And now packed bags and moved to Melbourne! A truly cosmopolitan city it is. The nature in this country is out of the world and these people are known for their hedonistic lifestyle. All these touches you in a good way. Exploring this city is fun and I wish to discover more about me through this city.

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After our marriage, we were trotting between Chennai and Madurai several times a month attending feast after feast with family, relatives and friends (also with an increase in our abdominal girth and weight!...lots of physical activity needs to be put in to reduce them!) and many of them visiting our new home. Everything was a pleasant and a new experience.

Some formalities after marriage were mundane drivel and intolerable for the heck of it, some of them fun. Many things were learnt and experienced from them. All this made us more wiser and mature individuals. Later in life, we would be tad less disappointed for not having experienced them…when else, we would get this special status and honor of newlywed couples! This is the time for bonding, knowing relations, our customs, traditions and their various formalities.  Later we would be sunk in our own world and works that we miss out knowing or experiencing them.

It all ended with our Thalai Deepavali - New dresses, lots of crackers, lots of rich and sweet food and lots of special moments with dear ones. It was the best Diwali ever!

Now all set to pack our bags and move to a new place again…

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Keep your passions burning, or else in days they might fade out and die away. In the turn of events in our life, we might get complacent with what we have at the present that we miss out searching the inner passions and potentials in us. BRING THE INNER CHILD IN YOU OUTSIDE. People may call you crazy and lunatic. But don’t let those words overrule you. Live each day like it’s your last, after all what is life without a sense of purpose.

Passions are strengths. When life becomes stagnant with problems at some stage, it is your passion which will keep you going. Keep exploring and learning every day.

(A small poem written during Acumen – third year cultural event in college)

Nothing is impossible in the world, if you desire

You can soar up high and high, only if you aspire

Imagine being the stars of the never – ending sky

Is your adrenalin pumping and you give a deep sigh

Gird up your loins man

With burning desire and passion, you really can…

You can really cross your way

Having a resolute mind to be desirous come what may

Remember, THERE IS NO DETOUR TO SUCCESS

It’s only by the sweat of your brow

That you can catch the throw

Be trained to overcome any kinds of odds

You can even rule the world bending the rod

You can cross your way

Having a resolute mind to be desirous, come what may

Explore the myth of the impossible

Unravel to the world that everything is possible

Don’t always frown

But be arduous and desirous and have glory’s crown                    

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I am all ears to take ideas, opinions and advices from others, but if they are imposed upon I will be in no mood to take attitude from anyone. This is one life I can live and explore and I don’t wish to live by standards dictated by others. And I hate comparisons in any form.

I am not at all being dogmatic or headstrong. To play the many roles I am expected to in my life – a good daughter, wife, Dil, sister, friend…, I know I need to be flexible and adaptable and a person with an open mind. Only then others will warm up to me.  But I cannot stand on anything that is thrust upon me. I wish to maintain my individuality in any relationship.

Appreciate the good of others but know the REAL YOU and live the way you wish to lead your life. Cast aside all uneasiness and try to be objective and maintain your principles and live by your standards. Good or bad you will be very much contended for having lived your life the way you wanted. 

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Phew….3 months of withdrawal from intellectual pursuits and every minute of it I felt some part of me was terribly missing…I am lost and dead if I keep my thinking caps out…

I think and therefore I am…

I write and therefore I am…

Therefore, I am back to my safe haven…writing…to pour out my suppressed thoughts and emotions and be rest assured that it will not lash me out for my out of the blue thinking

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However cool and prepared you are for your marriage day, the feelings of butterflies in the stomach and the goose bumps you get when your person ties the knot with the kalyanamelam (nadhaswaram) at the background is unexplainable. Even the most rational person will get emotional. Those were the magic moments which transformed my life - a turning point in one’s life with the beginning of a special bond of love.

You don’t realize what is happening around you. Things happen in a jiffy.

Later when I recall those moments, I realize how it was such a blessed and magic moment with every near and dear ones around wishing you a happy life ahead. Those are MOMENTS TO CHERISH :)

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Last one month had been on a whirlwind of activities. I feel grown up, matured and more responsible suddenly. I am enjoying this phase. And this is the phase of my life that I will cherish forever.

Yippeee!! Tomorrow is my long awaited D-Day – the day celebrating the beginning of my happy life together with my special one.

I have experienced a lot of changes in my life but this change/ transition is life changing. Life goals and way of thinking towards life change, but I am all set for all these changes for changes are new births. Lot of memories from my childhood wafts through my mind and I am wondering and getting amazed at these transitions.

GOOD TIMES AHEAD!!

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After a very long long time, I watched five full-length movies this month! Unbelieavable for a person like me who till now didn't have patience to sit and watch a 2-3 hour full movie.

Two of them were ‘I am Sam’ and ‘Life is beautiful’…both Academy award winning movies…both centering on the theme of love…both should be on the must watch list...I am Sam deals with father-daughter affection and Life is beautiful emphasizes the importance of love, family and imagination in sailing through life and conquering its difficulties.

‘I am Sam’ is an American film starring Sean Penn (Sam Dawson) as a father with developmental disability and his seven year old daughter Dakota Fanning (Lucy)…the child is abandoned by her mother after birth…with love, care and with supportive group of people around he raises his child but soon Lucy surpasses his mental ability (Sam has the intellectual capacity of a seven year old only)... Other children tease her for having a "retard" as a father, and she becomes too embarrassed to accept that she is more intellectually advanced than Sam…in preparation for a custody case, a social worker takes Lucy away…how Sam gets his daughter back proving convincingly that he is a loving father despite his handicap is the story…it says that even developmentally challenged people can foster and raise children well…all what a child needs is only love, care and affection.

Life is Beautiful (La Vita e Bella) is an Italian film starring Robert Benigni (who is also the director of the film) as Guido and Nicoletta Braschi as Dora. Guido found the woman of his dreams and he does everything to sweap her off her feat and carry her away. Theirs was a fairy tale of love and romance portrayed convincingly with the help of humour. They later have a son (Giosue). When everything seemed to go their way, the second World War had begun and everyone are taken to Nazi concentration camp. It showcases the stark reality of a Nazi concentration camp. In order to keep up spirits, Guido convinces his son that the camp is just a game in which the first person who gets 1000 points wins a tank. He tries to find Dora. After finding Dora, Guido is caught and shot dead by the Nazi guards. Giosue manages to survive and thinks he has won the game when an American tank arrives to liberate the camp. He is reunited with his mother, not knowing that his father has been killed. When Giosue grows up, he realises his father's sacrifice for his family. The movie convincingly tells the message that humour brightens our life and lightens the miseries that we may overcome through life. Life is beautiful if we know to see the beautiful positive aspects of life.

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The scorching heat here drives me insane and wild

And I wonder when the windy season will arrive

Winds remind me of wind chimes… am so so fascinated by the sounds of wind chimes…wind chimes are so amazing and so beautifully sounding… THE SOOTHING TINKLING SOUND when you tweak it as you walk past…it feels like the wind singing…the mild breeze blowing on your face along with the sound of chimes is such a bliss

Have it anywhere in your house where there is free flow of wind

Could listen to it for hours and feel at peace by the beauty of the sounds they make…they are so magical

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When cooking is done with passion, it is such a pleasure. I enjoy the whole cooking process. I never get tired or bored at it. (Irony is that I’m not a foodie but love experimenting with new dishes for others). I just love experimenting with new dishes and eventually when it turns out to be tasty, edible and much appreciated, the feeling is so special. And smelling the aroma of your dish being cooked is heavenly.

It is an art not rocket science. It’s all in the dexterity and skills of your hands…put all your mind and heart into it and enjoy it heartily with your loved ones.

I haven’t known cooking till college days (except omlette, scrambled egg, maggi, dosa, tea). But the days when I lived outside my home, there was no other option but to cook myself. Also for the fact that I am very health conscious and hate hotel/ outside food, I learnt cooking.

In the initial days, I started experimenting with upma and pongal varieties and slowly the love for cooking started. What I observed is…the more you love cooking, the more you get to know about the various ingredients, vegetables and fruits, the more you get to know about their health benefits, the more conscious and wholesome eating habits you get, the more healthier you are and a healthier family.

Leave aside the fad of eating outside (occasional dining out is no harm)…it is very essential that women know cooking to keep their family healthy…

Cooking is all about getting to share your passion with the ones you love…and when someone enjoys, relishes and appreciates what you made with love the feeling is so special

I have cooked many things, some just by trial and error, while some from recipes (either from mom, books, magazines and even internet). I have experimented with Indian foods and vegetarian items only. Soon I should start experimenting with others also.

Some of my cooking experiments for others…

In my first office, I took my cooking thrice…Rusk Halva; Biryani, kurma, raita; Ven pongal, sambar, egg curry

When I cooked for my mom, sis and bro on their visit to Mumbai…rice, sambar, potato fry, papad, payasam

And recently I cooked for my special one…tomato rice, raita, omlette…raw mango rice and raita

Nothing great but nice memories these are…nice thing is that the dishes didn’t come out as disasters but was much liked by them.

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Writing is an outlet to my already overloaded brain. It is an effective outlet to our deeply seated thoughts and emotions. How long can I remember incidents and aspects of my life and things around me. Hence I write to chronicle them in the passage of time. It is a strong medium to express myself fully. I can reflect upon my thoughts later on. I observe and reflect on things around me and many a times I feel I get thoughts and ideas from nowhere, find meaning where others see none and have the urge to express them in writing. And the satisfaction and elation after you’ve penned down something is enormous.

My first original writing started with a poem (surprisingly!) and over time my writing skills have honed well but is yet to get shaped up to a great extent. I have realized that I can get to think and write something only when I strongly feel within the subject matter/ situation at hand. Otherwise I get short of words and ideas and cannot proceed forward beyond few sentences. I cannot write just for the sake of it. So what I write is what I strongly feel within.

I think and write, therefore I am -> “Cogito et Scribo, Ergo Sum”!

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In this ultra – competitive world, we run a marathon race after name, fame, wealth, fortune and status ignoring the little things which make our life beautiful. Of course, who doesn’t want the above. Even I do. But it is necessary to call it a halt sometimes.

You may have finished running the track. But remember life track runs straight and you cannot revisit parts of your life again. Do make a run but remember to take halts then and then and smell the roses that adorn the sides of the track. Count your blessings. Celebrate life.

Life is not just about work, money and worry. You may have attained your desired throne. Yet some vacuum may be thronging and nagging deep within you. You will then realize that you missed the real sweet small things that truly make up your life…your family, friends, loved ones and the world around you. They make your life complete. Stop and smell the roses before there are no roses at all.

Life goes at a frenetic pace that we don’t sit, idle, relax and observe/ appreciate the beauty and bounty around us. Many a times even I find it hard to just sit and relax. The following excerpts from Wayne Muller’s book Sabbath really opened my eyes…

‘We say this to one another as if our exhaustion were a trophy, our ability to withstand stress a mark of character. The busier we are, the more important we seem to ourselves and, we imagine, to others. To be unavailable to our friends and family, to be unable to find time for the sunset (or even to know the sun has set), to whiz through our obligations without time for a single mindful breath -- this has become the model of a successful life.

Yet the more our life speeds up, the more we feel weary, overwhelmed, lost. Our life and work rarely feel light, pleasant or healing. Instead, as it all piles endlessly upon itself, the whole experience of being alive begins to melt into one enormous obligation.

Because we do not rest, we lose our way. We miss the compass points that show us where to go, the nourishment that gives us succor, the quiet that gives us wisdom.’

REST IS NOT JUST A PSYCHOLOGICAL CONVENIENCE, BUT A SPIRITUAL AND BIOLOGICAL NECESSITY.

So its time to reshuffle our priorities?!

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Just realized my blog is 1 year 2 days old! A lot has happened over the past year…

Dreams chased
Places went
Deeds did
Knowledge gained
Values nurtured
Worries contemplated
Compromises made
Problems solved
Relationships built

Moments of awe are in every moment we live and thrive…there is something to marvel at life always…

LIFE…LIVE IT…CHERISH IT…

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All your life, you might have dreamt of having that big day

But when the day nears you get jitters down the spine…

Actually if you are not getting those butterflies in your stomach, you are not doing something right :) It happens…

But once you muster up courage and let those bottled up butterflies out, you may find them flying high up in the air leading you to the sunny and brighter side of life

And feel blessed and lucky enough to live through these times

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Realized that my blog page is getting stale and dead…so got tempted to post here another short poem (to keep my blog alive) which was written probably in my college 1^st year…

Books are a real treasure,

Explore it; you will get a true pleasure

In times of your leisure.

Books are the best ships

To make a world trip

And to have a world grip.

Books do not betray,

But brings a new ray

Of hope in your way.

So…

Don’t be a book phobic,

Don’t be a book hypo critic.

Do be a book philic.

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Am just thinking if I am not thinking more these days! Being preoccupied with certain works and few transitions are cluttering my mind now…it’s been long time since I read a book or indulged in my favorite hobby…no qualms about it though, since every happening teaches us some important lessons in life…

Need to bring vitality and vigour to my life and my blog soon.

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This was my first brush with poetry…wrote this small poem in my 11^th standard when one of my school teacher asked me to give an article for the school magazine…till then, I never realized I could even write a poetry…really, no one knows when the muse would strike!

NATURE

God’s creation

Enlightens our mind

Heals the blind

Our duty to find

The treasure in it’s mine

And our lives will uphold

The glorious threshold

But…

Unscrupulous men seek gain

By giving it pain

Some do it for their nation’s prosperity

Some for their personal sovereignty

So its time for us to combat

The danger that bombards

Let’s blow the flute

And everyone bear the fruit

Of Nature

To give its unstinted benefits to all creatures

Fortunately, I happen to be in cleantech and sustainability industry now and I earnestly wish I could do something to protect the nature around me.

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Liked these lines from the book 'If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him'.

- A grown up can be no man's disciple.

- " The most important thing that each man must learn is no one can teach him. Once he accepts this disappointment, he will be able to stop depending on the therapist, the guru who turns out to be just another struggling human being."

Destiny is in your hands. Have a fresh, realistic approach towards altering your destiny and accept the responsibility that grows with increased freedom.

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