Diwali 2016
October 31st, 2016:
I love this time of the year. Its like Christmas for us Indian lot. Fairy lights and diyas dotted around, people in merry spirits and everything a celebration with new clothes, lots of sweets, smiling faces, colourful rangolis and sparkling lights.
We dolled up our first home this diwali with hope and love for a good year ahead. May Goddess Lakshmi grace her presence and bless us all with prosperity, wealth, and good health.
I love this time of the year. Its like Christmas for us Indian lot. Fairy lights and diyas dotted around, people in merry spirits and everything a celebration with new clothes, lots of sweets, smiling faces, colourful rangolis and sparkling lights.
We dolled up our first home this diwali with hope and love for a good year ahead. May Goddess Lakshmi grace her presence and bless us all with prosperity, wealth, and good health.
That time we went river rowing.
On a windy saturday morning, we set out on a bite sized road trip to the beautiful lucid green Oxford. One hour drive through the scenic winding roads, we kept hoping for a no-rain situation to make the most out of an hour or two of rowing through the canals. Sun was playing peekaboo and when we reached, huge grey clouds crept over us. The autumnal chill had set in and it was getting very windy. Contemplating on the choice of the day and escapade, we decided to take the plunge anyway.
We reached the canal and it was flooded with eager bunches waiting to be punted along or to get their bum in the best boat around. It's always so amusing and entertaining to see people try to get their balance as they try and step in the boat and then break into splits of laughter. I mean, who needs to hire a boat when one can sit on the bank and watch that for a good laugh or two.
It was beautiful. We could have gone for the chauffeured punt but instead, got our adventure hats on and decided to take the oars in our hands. I mean, HIS hands. He did all the rowing while i settled in and steered him through the path.
I'm desperately trying to paint a beautiful picture where we row effortlessly through the gentle waves of the river and everything is magical and musical. But in reality ,we hovered with the boat for half an hour, hit other punts and ducked heads to save our face from branch whiplashes.
Half an hour in, he got the drift. The rhythm caught in and it became easy, calming and we sort of drifted with the ripples.
We were joined by couple of ducks eager to get fed with bread crumbs and two of these beauties who had absolutely no fear whatsoever.
After handing over the boat, we decided to have a peak inside the botanic garden nearby.
There was an indoor rainforest sorts which has been so beautifully maintained. The ginormous cactus soaring through the sky and touching the roofs prove the same.
Also, the photo above is a gentle nudge to myself to go easy on the cheese and tortilla chips.*runs to get the yoga mat*. And also, a memoir of what getting dressed in the dark looks like.
We saw so many unique and interesting plants which left us in wonder. Amazing what nature churns out, a reminder that everything and everyone has a purpose in this world.
The place is my idea of what heaven would look like.
I would like to quote a 90 year old grandma who spotted this the same time as me, "Look at the size of that f*cking pumpkin". I let out a laugh. I love cool grandmas.
We reached a greenhouse which screamed Kerala kalyana mandapam. The smell of jasmine was so overpowering that the malayali in me grinned with joy. Also look, bananas. Ah!
Overall, this place is ideal for a first date. Or an outing with family. Or with friends. Or for an anniversary. Basically it fits the bill for everything if you like lush green countryside with a calm river and couple of ducks to keep you company for an hour or two.
You know, nothing screams romantic more than a ride in the boat with a date. I only wish for more swans and it could easily match up to the scene in ‘Notebook’ . Will surely go again next summer. I love me some lush countryside!
August in doodles.
It's been absolute yonks since I last logged in and documented my random musings. These past few months were HECTIC. I've finally taken out some time for myself and gone back to the same old routine where I come up to my loft with a cup of tea and doodle away to music or a movie. Simple pleasures! There is a lot to be said when it comes to appreciating the smaller and finer details of everyday mundane. Our house is almost done but we are still drowning in to-do lists. So I've decided to slow down a bit, get my blogging mojo back and get rolling.
Here is August in doodles.
Thats me doing a wee bit of gardening while the mister does most of the sweat draining work.
Because paranoid is my surname. Worrying about anything and everything.
Most of August evenings were spent either working on our garden or going to garden centres. Bought more plants than I would ever need. My kind of BONG.
Bake a cake they said. Its therapeutic they said. *Rolls eyes*
We walked through a giant of a park one sunny evening and took in all the calm serenity.
LAUGHS. LOTS OF IT.
Honest to blog.
Sri for many, ammu for some, ellikunj for one and an unknown identity for the rest.
Sri is well chuffed with her life at the moment. She has become more resilient and has learnt to take life at ease.
Sri is well chuffed with her life at the moment. She has become more resilient and has learnt to take life at ease.
Some days she feels like she has the world in her hands, and other days, she feels like the world is caving in on her.
Sri is unsure of a lot of things but has learnt to stand her ground even with people who means the world to her. She has realised that misinterpretation of her intentions is not a flaw in her personality, but a misjudgment of the said people. She can't always help it.
She sees the person who was blocked from her life three years ago, who still manages to pry on her life till date. Yes, she sees you; visiting her blog and checking on her almost everyday. Somedays she laughs at your misery, and other days, she feels sorry for your sad existence.
She still feels dejected over friends who accused her of things she never did. Some days she feels like curling into a ball and crying, and other days, she keeps her head held high.
She manages to find happiness in the smallest things and has realised those things are totally worth it.
She shouldn't feel bad about the ones who left her in draught, without giving her a chance to explain or check facts. But she does, almost every single day. Some days she feels sad, hurt, confused and angry, and other days, all these emotions at once.
She has understood that her biggest blessing is her family and her better half and to never take things for granted; People, good days, good health and balance.
She has grown to love this space and gets extremely agitated when someone tries to sprout similar content from it. She has understood that originality cannot be replicated and she shouldn't be effected by it.
Sri is learning to be kinder each day. Somedays she fails, and other days, she reminds herself that it is in fact the biggest virtue.
This is Sri in 2016; still panics at the slightest imbalance, impatient, fussy and a bit all over the place. Somedays she discovers a new her, and other days, it's the same old, silly she.
You & I.
Dear You,
When we grow old and grey, we will look back at this and think how different our life was. How amazingly magical and wonderfully chaotic it was. How we have changed over time, both physically and as people. How, we are just as dysfunctional and imperfect as any other couple, but what we hold for each other is extremely rare and fresh.
I have had this planned for months; finding and collating video files and making a draft in my head. Can i just mention how difficult it was to find a video with you in it? This one was a mammoth edit but worth the effort. I love how we celebrate the tiniest things and find joy in the mundane. Let's fill our new home with many more amazing memories and endless laughter and keep at it till the very end.
Here is something to look back at and smile, for years to come.
Love,
Me.
Guest blogger : The mister.
After asking and asking and asking for so long, finally I agreed to write a post B-), “BANG!” *gets hit on the head*, ok-ok it was actually me who asked :D
This little post is about my better half, about her good, her bad and her quirky side. The thought of writing a blog post scares me as this piece of text will be there FOREVER even after our existence in this world. For those who don’t know let me introduce her to you *inhales deeply* “Srividya Nambiar Koodali Thazhathu Veetil” AKA Sri with a little heart instead of the dot in ‘i’ , the way she writes her name on every little piece of paper wherever she finds it. She loves her name so much that she writes it everywhere, from a bus ticket to bathroom glass panels and if nothing else is available, my hand! Which also kind of shows her nature of giving attention to detail about things/people she loves. When I say about the things she loves, at times her love and affection goes to extreme violent actions like to name a few,
- Almost murdering a cat by inserting a bangle in its neck in the name of decorating! (don’t worry that cat survived, not sure of the rest).
- Bite marks and nail marks all over my hand (Well to be honest I am kind of immune to it now, and have withdrawal-symptoms if there isn’t any mark). She has few karate chops moves which is used on me from time to time. Basically her loved ones are at risk. Kind of happy that Diya is not here in UK :D
Jokes apart, Sri is very emotionally attached to people, even a slight disconnect will put her down to the rocks, it’s just so much she values the relationship and herself. The most self-respecting personality ever known to me. No, not making it oversentimental, so thats with it.
Jumping on from there, I have to mention this peculiar thing about her. If there is a human being in this world who is ''Solar powered'', it’s her. Yes, she is a Solar powered woman and I did not know that till we got married. During summer(or sunny days) she would have all the energy to turn the world inside out, but on a gloomy day she will mostly be inside the quilt like a kitten with just her eyes out blinking. She will get herself under a quilt, switch on some fairly lights, burn a candle and put some loud music. But again no matter how bright or gloomy the days are, nights are always same! she becomes this hyper active woman while I am running with my reserve power for the day.
With all her summer power draining out in Autumn, probably the best season for her, it’s usually scary as winter approaches. But hey! there comes December. By December she becomes one crazy Santa Claus in the whole town. For the whole of December the house is filled with Fairy lights, Christmas spiced candles, the only thing on TV is the Harry Potter series, the only song I hear is her ‘'Jingle bells Jingle bells’' humm and her only shopping is Christmas decorations or to bake cakes (FINALLY!! something in my favour).
Can’t miss to mention about her midnight meditations and prayers for snow and a white Christmas. I really do wish that one year we get to have a white Christmas. She would probably do a 10,000 feet jump if there is a guarantee for it. Yes she is THAT Crazy about Christmas, especially if it’s going to be white!
I may probably keep rambling on about her for 15 pages, but to keep it short let me just jot down some quick fire facts.
Evening: The one who makes me laugh and smile
Night: The night owl. Not just an owl, probably a cat? A hyper cat? which has taken some 16 shots of coffee?
Morning: Flat on bed. Just for analogy, the same cat which has taken 16 shots of tequila. Only just till she gets her morning cuppa.
Usual attire at home: One of my jumpers all day all week and all month before it wears out completely and then the next one out of my wardrobe .
Recently Skilled: Cooking, of course I am the guinea pig to test expired tin products too.
Phrase usually used: “I’m a Geeeeeenius” with her head lifting upward and her hand praising her. Usually it’s when I come up with some dumb Idea and she comes up with a better one.
Her day time pals: Squidgy the fat Squirrel, Gizmo the (bloody) crocodile and of course her good friends who are always there for her and can’t miss to mention her Amma.
Time most spent: In front of mirrors (not kidding we have 9 mirrors in our new home now).
Personality: Happy with little things. Hyper happy for big things. A bad dream can spoil her whole day. Impatient (almost for everything, even to open a package). Cranky (if hungry or with no less sleep). Gets irritated with my noisy tea slurps. Fussy about food and sleep (yet her favourite t-shirt says “no fuss”!!). A perfect mix of Phoebe and Rachel [Quirky and weird like Phoebe; messy, clumsy and dresses like Rachel] . Sometimes angry like crazy Ross and lovable like Chandler. (Sri doesn’t like the way I pronounce Monica, so no mention of her, and most of the time I am as confused as Joey!!)
Personality: Happy with little things. Hyper happy for big things. A bad dream can spoil her whole day. Impatient (almost for everything, even to open a package). Cranky (if hungry or with no less sleep). Gets irritated with my noisy tea slurps. Fussy about food and sleep (yet her favourite t-shirt says “no fuss”!!). A perfect mix of Phoebe and Rachel [Quirky and weird like Phoebe; messy, clumsy and dresses like Rachel] . Sometimes angry like crazy Ross and lovable like Chandler. (Sri doesn’t like the way I pronounce Monica, so no mention of her, and most of the time I am as confused as Joey!!)
Inherited skills: Art from her Amma(her doodles, paints and her inherent creative mind speaks for itself) and some Karate defensive and attack moves from her Achan.( I have to use pan lids to protect myself during such attacks)
She is always in for crazy acts for fun with me and always ready to run, if caught, as well.
Even this list will go on so let me stop it here.
Despite not being a professional writer or a photographer or a blogger, Sri has grasped it all ( to my surprise she was talking about HTML tags) and she surely does have all the ingredients to be up there as one of the best. This space that she has created with her continuous long hours understanding HTML CSS jargons, just to align the pic 1 cm to left? No wonder it has come out so good and there are some genuine followers too. I admire her perseverance to get it done the right way. If it was me I would rather leave it there 1cm to right rather than spending 8 hours to adjust it. (to be honest, that’s what we do in IT ;))
To the cutest genius I have ever known or there has ever been, thanks for letting me write about you on your space. Though it took a little time to hit the right note and rhythm of life to settle, despite reaching the depths of stress at times, I am happy that we are sailing through all the tides and you are standing by my side. Love you to the moon and the galaxies beyond… and back!
Your number one fan - Prakash :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)