Nourishing thoughts

I just created and opportunity to see them close and observe. This is the first step to start forming a friendship with this amazing species. Finally our balcony got lucky, to have a bird feeder and a drinking bowl for the birds in the neighbourhood.  I was eagerly waiting and watching to find who shows up first. And here you see  in the picture is our  first lucky visitor. Trust me, its such a lovely sight. There was this small bird similar to a pigeon, with shimmering necks, nuances of grey and black in their feathers, curious eyes, and have to admit that they are doubtless creatures of a certain beauty and glamour. It is like we think we are observing them, but guess its the other way round, only if I could read their minds. "Is it the same thoughts?" I feel inclined to say "talk to me birdie"....

Now before I stop chirping, let me thank Vidya for inspiring me on having a bird feeder in our balcony too...

signing off for now ...coo ...coo  :-)

Scene 1, waiting area of a medical clinic .

I reach 10 minutes early for my 11am appointment. It's a good time pass these days waiting in the lounge as it's so crowded than an airport and you get to see different types of people. " Token No.521, room no.9, starts blinking on the display ". I hunt for my token and I hear my name being called .."Monica, Monica ...voice getting louder and louder"..I get up from my seat and hurry towards room no.9. Yes, I'm Monica. Well ma'am , I have to check your vitals first. Oh ! not again, just the thought of checking my weight pisses me off. Everything seems ok and I 'm back in my seat, a different one this time in between two young couples on either side of me. I have always loved observing people around me. The couple on my left were whispering to each other in Telugu, but the guy was humming a hindi song in bits and pieces. For a second I thought the lyrics of the song were intended at me. well, who cares ! And it was funny the way the couple in my right were pulling each other's legs. All my ears were on them trying to figure out what they were conversing in their language -kannada, I tell you, I had no clue. But yes, usage of few English words here and there in the conversation helped me to understand that the guy was telling his wife something about her nails and that she has not trimmed it in a while. I LOL in my mind and now turn my attention to the left duo. WoW ! Reallly ???? They both were sitting and calculating the last time she got her periods and I had this sudden urge to assist them being an experienced one in this regard. A nurse comes and interrupts them, "You are Sreelatha ? Next is your turn for the scan. Is your bladder full ?". Without letting his wife to respond, the guy asks," can I also b there to see the baby on the screen. ". Aww said my mind, what a moment in their life. They are gonna see their baby for the first time. I said a little prayer in my mind for the baby and the wonderful parents . I felt have known them for years. By then the token number flashed on the display and the lady on my left stood up to leave, she was pulling her husband too to accompany her along to the consulting room. He replies something to her in Kannada and changed his focus back to his mobile and stayed there. I felt like giving him that little push to send him with his wife. what a contrast, one guy wants to join the wife in the scan room. The other is totally not bothered. Token No.521, Room No.12 flashes.....

Glory to six yards of grace !

 

 

 

My love for six yards of grace continue to grow stronger with age. The radiance, vigor and poise generated by this creative piece of cloth is beyond imagination. I owe a zillion thanks to my sissy for making saree draping so easy, its her initial guidance and techniques that has come handy each time I wear one. Every time I wore one, I have dragged many glares and received the best compliments ever. There is no garment more feminine and beautiful than a saree, if you drape it right. And yes, if you have a good shape, saree is the perfect garment to enhance the beautiful curves. why hesitate , stay proud of who you are and celebrate the woman in you in a very Indian attire. Well, this post is a dedicaton to you chechi....Sangeetha, who owns the best collection of sarees ( a personal note :- courier few for your best sister )

 

#saree  #celebratingwomanhood

Back with an omelette note !!!

Back with an omelette note !!

 Never thought an egg could bring back all the fond childhood memories. Well I would say its the unbeatable combination of rice, sambar, yoghurt , coconut chammandi and kondattam(crisps) along with the simple and easily made egg omellete that made it all possible this afternoon. I was just a 5th grader when I started exploring my culinary skills, all thanks to my amma who gave us daughters the liberty to explore and learn and grow independent at such a young age. That too not just in the kitchen but in every aspects of our lives. We three girls at home would come out with three different recipes for an egg omelette. when one dumps in all the chopped onions and green chilly the other would bring out a rare combi of jeera and scraped coconut and the third one makes it really plain and simple with just a pinch of salt. wow ! And all this dramatic cooking experiments happen mostly when amma and acha goes to the native place to attend some family function and we are forced to stay back 'coz of school.

Sorry for not posting a pic ( i know that would have been real toruture ;) , all coz of lack of patience and moreover the irresistible craving to devour . 

well everyone , sorry for the long break. Here am back with a flashback...

More to follow....

lotsa love,

kavitha 

monday morning drama ...

For no specific reason decided to go to the bus stop lil late today whereas everyother day we
reach lil early to enjoy the sun and yes to have a round of chit chat with the bus
stop buddies :-) I was caught up with some interesting conversation that it took me sometime
to realise that I put the wrong uniform for Adi inspite of seeing other kids moving around in PE
uniform. Before I could explain to him an excuse to tell his teacher he was already heading back home to change . Goshhhh....I started to get really nervous and all of sudden i was running fast ....really fast and in record time he was ready in his PE uniform and we got bak to the bus stop right on time.That was one hell of a race ........
how much ever well organised you are , sometimes it happens !
All through the way I was screaming at Adi on top of my
voice ...and am not proud of it ! Feeling terribly guilty now ! Inner voice says "take it easy lady, lighten up !
so sorry my darling :-( ..... have a great day at school honey :--) !!!
Now that I've unburdened myself, I feel so much better-thanks for listening/reading :)

TRULY MAGICAL :--)

woke up wondering how the day is gonna b
my love greeted me with a tight great morning hug
looking at the vast blue sky up above
I started my routine walk with so much hope
wind brushed my hair with gentle care
smiled at me and sang on my ears
my dreams would sure come true
I cant help but smile
it's magical ....beautiful !!!!

Kissing the rain :--)

Rain fell in torrents and,
am lost in thoughts with the swaying trees...

Oh rain god, how do I thank you,
for bringing back the magical feeling...

The cool breeze brushing away my hair,
am amazed at the sight of showers softening verdure...

The rain is back again to purify the heart and the soul,
and am loving the rain drops perform a dance on the roof...

The rhythm of the heart is well blended with the rhythm of falling rain,
We 'll walk together forever, hand in hand, when it is still raining !!!!!!

Yet another day....

Today like any other day started off pretty well with the routine rejuvenating walk and a glass of cold orange drink seemed to give me a whole lot of energy to kick start the day.

While dressing up my sweet li'l pie, as always I came across a lota queries and amazing thoughts.Trust me the best lessons in life and the best ideas you gain from your lil ones. So keep ur eyes and ears open when you are with them. They are amazingly wonderful treasures who can unbelievably inspire you.They have no concept of the right time or the right place. Each moment is an opportunity for them to live life at its fullest. Thank u sweety for the positive vibe you transfer every morning which I very much require.

So far so good. But a friend's mood swing changed the entire high spirit you woke up with and how u started off your day. But when you have experienced a great deal of tensions in life, each additional disturbance is both unbearable and trifling. It's all just a passing shadow of a cloud that moves on, never to stay forever. But it took me time till end of the day to gladly accept and tolerate the whole turbulence.

Well now am back home rewinding the day and would wish to rewrite the script with changes here and there. But there is no going back, thats the way of life.

Life's routines overwhelm us and we forget to live each moment fully...Better late than never....!!!

Wishing you all a goodnite's sleep and wake up to life's many surprises :-)

A Christmas Carol

Well its time for the most universal of festivals...its really a joyous time and no other event make u feel more nostalgic..well, at least for me...Christmas means Scrooge...ie the novel Dickens made a household name. The novel which we first encountered in school, still gives you something to ponder about...I remember the times when we were taught this and how it really felt so close to our hearts...it starts with the Ghost of Christmas Past and takes Scrooge to his boyhood and youth...then comes the Ghost of Christmas Present. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to come, takes Scrooge to future which looks very bleak. In the last act, Scrooge wakes up, a changed man, with joy and love in his heart. A simple tale of transformation of a man...but its a wonderful fairy tale. If you really forgot this, its time to revisit the classic again.

Really dont know nowadays how much meaning the novel can give to our kids. When there are cartoon characters like Ben-1o, who fight aliens and stuff, will the kids be interested in such a tale? But u can really show them the 2009 Disney film by the same name and they will love it. So heres wishing you all A VERY HAPPY X'MAS & A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR!

Tees Maar Khan

Farah Khan is a director following in the steps of Bollywood masala entertainers kings Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra. Her films are great fun and i love them. So fingers crossed for Dec 24th release of her TMK, without her fav. star, SRK. Or shud be ex-fav.star, cos as per the grapevine, the films a parody of SRKs star tantrums. Sirish Kunder, her hubby dear, is an old thorn in SRKs u know..so hes the script writer for the film. Akshay plays an actor and he constantly complaints of back pain and go for surgery to London, ala SRK and also when a Hollywood director comes to see him, make him wait for more than 4 hrs and then rejects. Anil Kapoor gets the role and wins an Oscar. This is what really happened when Danny Boyle approached SRK for Slumdog, except for the Oscar bit for AK. Well, sorry about the gossipping. Love to do that. But the main reason for the film is...u all know. Its the best item number ever choreographed in Indian film industry. The reasons not cos of any great song or choreographer. Its juz that the gal is Kat. Well b4 kids were asking "Dad, Choli ke peeche kya hai" or "Dad, Munni kyom badnam hui". Now they are asking "Dad, Sheela ki jawani kya hai?". The song is nowhere near good as the first 2. But man, does the temp. soar when its Kat doing the number! Guess this one song is gonna carry that film. So folks tayar ho jao for TMK and Kat! And mayb u will also not fail to notice the poor hero!

Turistas

Been thinking about writing some excerpts from an imaginary book am working on. But like most times, persuaded otherwise cos of the news happening around. We read about crimes daily. Still this one caught the eye. It is something most of us have definitely seen in some movie or read about in a book. Anni & Shrien Dewani were on honeymoon in Cape Town, South Africa. They arrived there on Friday and had gone out for dinner on Saturday evening and after dinner caught a taxi and asked the driver to take them to a nightlife hotspot. On the way the car was stopped by armed gunmen, who asked the driver to get out and then they sped with the car, with the couple inside. At midnight the husband was released and he quickly alerted the police and next morning the cab was found with Anni's body inside. The wedding took place just 2 weeks before.

The reason i thought about posting this is cos we all go to new places and get into taxis and drive around in the night. While in Thailand, we even had an incident when we were late and couldn't find our hotel and was at the mercy of the cabbie. But he was a nice guy and took pain in finding the right address. So ensure that you have studied about the place you are visiting. Dont try to explore places yourself without any info from your tour guide. As you might be knowing South Africa has got one of the worst crime rates in the world. But the world cup was conducted quite peacefully mainly cos these crimes happen in poor neighbourhoods. Unfortunately, while exploring a hot spot, the couple had to pass through one of these, and paid a heavy price. The title I borrowed from a movie about tourists in Brazil, who are kidnapped for their organs. But better watch "The Beach", starring Leonardo DiCaprio, which also got the same message, and still visually appealing. Still better, read that book.

127 Hours

Human perseverance sometimes beat all odds...The will power of man to face the toughest challenges never cease to amaze...this is one such story which was in the news seven years back, but back in the limelight cos of the film by Danny Boyle...127 hrs...

Aron Ralston, a Mech. Engg. working at Intel had resigned his job to climb all of Colorado's "fourteeners" or peaks over 14,000 ft. high. In 2003, while he was on a canyoneering trip in Utah, a boulder dislodged, crushing his right forearm and pinning it against the canyon wall. Since he had not told anyone about this trip, he knew no one will be looking for him. Five days he tried to extricate his arm and when they were found futile, carved his name, date of birth and presumed date of death into the canyon wall and videotaped his goodbyes to his family. Then, he did something only a really desperate man would do.....with no hope to survive, he started to cut off his arm...after succeeding with his tool knife, he had then to crawl down the 65 foot canyon wall and hike out....he met some holidaying people and they called for help....In 2005, Ralston became the first person to climb all the mountains in Colorado in winter, solo....his memoir is a best seller and ironically named "Between a Rock and a Hard Place". The film is gonna release soon and stars James Franco, Green Goblin in Spider-Man-3, and as my son says, Peter Parker's friend...its worth a watch juz because of him and Boyle...the trailers are already a big hit...

Another story which is around the same theme is the 33 Chilean miners trapped 700 m underground since August 5th and with no hopes of rescue till December... supplies being send down a hole, not bigger than a lemon and they are waiting for the escape tunnel to be completed....I started this around last month and as u all know, all the 33 miners were rescued yesterday..ie 13th Oct 2010 and in good health...

Still more happening with regard to truth and fiction...Its the story we all have been hearing and its been made into film by one of the best directors around...David Fincher....Well am talking about Social Network, the story of Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg....how the networking site started in a Harvard dormitory became the most happening site with around 500 million users within six yrs and Zuckerberg is a billionaire three times over at the age of 26...Its based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich. So u got 2 great films to watch out for...Social Network is already a blockbuster....Happy viewing....

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MY LUV :)

We have again reached that special day
reserved for just the two of us
Only to realize that the LOVE we have for each other
has never grown old.
Years of memories
some tearful times; some joys immeasurable.
One by one each year flew by
but still they are ours forever.
Here is wishing you everything good
Today and all year through...

LOVE YOU DARLING :-)

Kangaroo care

Its a miracle some are lucky to witness in life...it only proves what we have known always...a mother's touch is indeed divine...Well now to the story......An Australian mother gave birth to twins after a 3hr labour in March..the doc came in and asked the mother did u name him...she told Jamie and the doc told sorry to say Jamie didnt make it. Born at 27 weeks weighing just 2lbs, the doc tried around 20 minutes to revive the baby and then gave him to the parents for saying good-byes. Kate, the mother, then removed the blanket and held him close to her body and started talking to him and cuddling him....after five minutes the baby started moving...but when nurse called doc he didnt turn up and send mid-wife telling its just reflex....after two hours, when the baby was given breast milk in his mom's finger, he started breathing normally. Thats when the doc came and pronounced its a miracle...

Kangaroo care is a technique which is being promoted at an increasing number of hospitals in Australia and is based on skin-to-skin contact between a new-born and a parent or even siblings. The idea behind the technique-which takes its name after the way kangaroos hold their young in a pouch next to their bodies-is that mothers become a human incubator, keeping the baby warm, stimulated and fed. Pre-term and low birth-weight babies treated this way have also been shown to have lower infection rates, less severe illness and improved sleep patterns.

Its a refreshing to read such stories in todays times of natural and man-made disasters and proves still theres goodness around...

Secret of Happiness

Is there a secret? New studies show that happiness comes from enjoying life with minimalist material things. So the first advice they give is learn to live life with only 100 personal things. That means ur wardrobe and toiletries should be reduced to that number. Well for those who think that we dont have that many, dont complain. U shud be already happy. The studies show that people are happier when they spend on experiences than material goods. When u buy a new car, the joy lasts as long as ur neighbour or relative has an inferior model. As soon as they upgrade, u feel inadequate. But with experiences, this comparison is not possible. Like the trip u had to Europe or some exotic Caribbean island. Skeptics telling this is all due to recession and people just dont have money to spend. On a different take, if u have money u can have the costliest desserts in the world. While the Frrozen Haute Chocolate costs a mind-blowing $ 25,000, the opulence sundae costs $1000. The first one needs to be ordered 2 weeks in advance and the latter, 48hrs. See the snaps. Its 24carat edible Swiss gold with 23 carat edible gold leaf. They give an 18 carat golden spoon to eat, which u can take home. So wat u think??Having millions does help or wat?? To learn more about a simple life, visit www.rowdykittens.com.

Facebook and twitter highlight ways popular to quit any job. Most people dream of the day when they can say to their tyrant boss' face to just zip off. But a flight steward became the hero of millions when he quit his job in style. Steven Slater had an argument with a passenger while the flight was taxing and got pissed off. He just went to the airplane intercom called profanities, took 2 beers and then pressed the switch for the emergency inflatable slide and bounced out. Well he got arrested later and was out on bail. Any grand ideas u can imagine to better this one??

To dream or not to dream

The movie "2012" was a visual treat. Roland Emmerich is known for such films and u never know what hes gonna blow up next. Still u knew its juz fiction. Its when such stuff really happens ur really scared. I mean how would you react if u knew that one intersection was fully swallowed in Guatemala or some drivers had a close shave with death when the highway opened up below them???Dont believe??Juz have a look ...

The phenomenon is called "sink holes" and they juz pop up in least suspected areas afer a major storm. The incident where u see the SUV happened when a man-hole collapsed cos of a storm. Well to give u some relief, none of the above incidents had injuries.

The reason these things came to my mind is cos of the debate now raging about a film i saw recently, "Inception". Its about dreams and the hero is a thief skilled in stealing other persons dreams, or u can say meddling with their dreams. The film was like any other ordinary film with some spectacular CGI effects. Was wondering why it took Nolan 10 yrs to make the film. Then came some highly mind-bending reviews. Have read lota reviews, but never such great debate after a film is released. The funny thing is that i thought its really a stupid idea to see a film again to understand it. But this film is really worth a second viewing. You see it is to clear the blur between dream and reality....ie which scenes are real and which are not. The scenes where hero's wife is shown jumping of a hotel room and the scene in a chase when he gets stuck between two walls are classic dream sequences, even though they are shown to be real. The first scene is really strange cos shes sitting on the window ledge opposite their room and hes telling her to come back by waving his hand towards the room, even though this is impossible cos the only way to do that is to jump. These two scenes are the main points of argument to convince us that the whole film is a dream. Reason???Its juz to show that film making is about selling dreams....even the caption for the film is tricky...The scene of the crime is your mind...you decide!

Oops! Got carried away by Inception. But friends....do see it! Films about dreams should be more spell binding. Just thought Nolan could have used stuff like sink-holes and zombies and all to scare us more. Thats where it disappointed me. A black couple also still trying to decide if they are dreaming when their third child turned out to be white, with blue eyes and curly blonde hair. Doctors are as baffled as the parents and doing genetic research to find the reason. The baby's siblings are not amused.

Ugly Ellie

It happens only in US!!A week before, the world's ugliest dog died, aged 17!!When i saw the headline was really curious....Expecting a really ugly dog, was shocked to see a poor old dog...the news confirmed what i feared...it was having cataract in both eyes, only some back teeth and pimples all over the body!!And the most ironic thing was the owner was shown as Florence Nightingale for her efforts in bringing a dog from wilderness into the spotlight!!I mean surely she did the right thing in buying it from the previous owner who had no use for the dog. But why she didnt make Ellie participate in a normal dog show??? If she knew the truth, the dog would have chased the owner with wat remaining teeth she had!!!I mean would they cast a really ugly actress as "ugly Betty"??? Its out of the question!!Maybe am in the minority here....but i really only felt pity for Ellie!!Before i go further, juz wat the owner had to say about this was she really wanted to show that pet owners should not always go for looks...well, that one i agree!!

While we are on pets, some people love to keep pythons and a boa constrictor killed his owner by juz being playful...he juz squeezed his owner's neck, again in US....our Mallika Sherawat was in Cannes with these slithering pets to promte her movie HhiSs, little knowing the pitfalls.....

Last week also saw a small fox climb the stairs of an affluent home in London, walk into the bedroom where nine-month old twins were sleeping in their crib and mauled them. Fortunately the twins' mother heard their screams and arrived in the nick of time. People were of the belief these things happened only in rural places in developing countries.

To end on a good note, a favorite old movie has been remade with a fav. actor...am talking about The Karate Kid....while in school, the movie really was a blockbuster and made me wanna learn karate, but parents forbid. Ralph Macchio and Elizabeth Shue were really cool...so am gonna watch the new version cos it stars Jackie Chan!!Jaden Smith, son of Will Smith, also there. For those of u who missed the original one, dont miss this one!!Story is about a kid being in a new place and falling in love with an elder girl and thus garnering the attention of the local bully. How he learns to fight, with the help of his building janitor and truimphs is the story...

Ignorance is Bliss

To start with a cliche, knowledge is power. But going by the headlines we get nowadays, cant blame if u skip the news altogether. Near misses, major accidents, tornados, tsunamis...oh the list is endless...Turn to ur inbox and forwarded mail is the only thing u get and then u realise, wasnt old fashioned snail mail better??Its the guys who really think all the spam they get is the gospel truth and bring out their own versions that make u scratch ur head...the latest one's that the cause for all recent air crashes was some guy forgetting to turn off his phone...am not contesting the fact that communications get hampered by use of mobile devices...but isnt it a
little far fetched????and why would u put ur name under such a claim and forwarded it to one and all????...well then we got people warning not to eat KFC, dont drink colas, do not use shampoos, dont use hair-bands...well to clarify the last one, it says at least not from China, reason???cos its used condoms they use inside!!! how they get these used condoms by such bulk quantity is a mystery....well then this site claiming to dispel such urban legends says its not used ones u stupid...its juz faulty ones...so at least they agree its condoms....and dont forget the creepy ones....HIV syringes left in cinehall seats pointed towards the approaching bums....rat piss in cans....really do we need this stuff???and wat about those sadistic ones....real life accident pics with guys or gals without arms or legs or even heads from the spot itself, ironically posted by the emergency rescue teams....one guy is still fighting a case cos his daughter's gruesome fatal crash snaps were posted on the web, with taglines like she deserved it...guess by now u agree, rite?Ignorance is indeed bliss....but not all headlines are scary...some add spice....like the one about the Latino banker butted out of her job, cos her male colleagues cudnt handle the hot pants and skirts she wore to work...it happened rite in the Big Apple and none other than Citigroup is invloved....well its being hotly contested by the employer...or the guy who accidently shot his own genitals....apparently he had placed a gun inside his pants...OMG! thats really the pits and indeed scary!

Up In The Air

Fear of flying is something we all have and it never diminishes....in fact the older u get, the more it becomes! The past 2 weeks were not really good for flying and three incidents were notable. The first one was something we all dread of, but it really happened and a plane fell almost 18000 ft, before the pilot could take control. Even thinking about it , gives u the goosebumps!!Thank God, the plane landed safely, albeit injuries to some passengers. One enterprising young chap from Gods Own Country was the cause of fear for passengers of another flight. The flight from Banglore was about to land in Kochi, when the crew and passengers were horrified to see this chap, coming out of the toilet without a single stich of clothing!!Yup!!in his b'day suit!!Apparently he took the ad "king of good times" literally and had a ball before and on the flight. Nobody was able to persuade him to wear clothes and finally after landing, seeing the security force only he complied. The last incident occured on the flight from Heathrow to Cayman Islands.Passengers on the 11 hr flight were told to stop drinking water or eating anything, 2hrs b4 landing. Reason???Well apparently aviation services at Heathrow forgot to empty the tanks and all six toilets were jammed. All were relieved when the flight finally landed(pun intended). Well we dont want to end any topic on heady notes. So hope u dont mind including two minor skirmishes with a major incident. The fact remains we all fear flying, at least I do! Hope u had a nice time.This is your pilot signing off...........

Clash of the Titans

The right to protest is indeed a fundamental right...but shud it be trampling on the right of free movement of others??Its tiring na, hearing pros and cons of hartals and bandhs and still everytime one of those are called or uncalled for, u juz feel depressed! I mean while at school and college, it was really fun....but after that what fun u can have sitting at home and not able to roam about, worried that the next flying object is gonna land on ur windshiled or ur head, depending on mode of transport. Then why is that our so-called leaders resort to such pre-historic means of protest??well its juz for that....u need to be poked and shown ur place to realise that they are protesting for u....and wat u do in return???keep on complaining...so why dont we juz forget about it and move on...well thats when the latest form of protest caught the attention of the media....An young American blogger decided to protest against a cleric's statement that earthquakes are caused by women who dont dress modestly, how, well by asking fellow women to wear dresses showing their cleavage on the 26th. Over 200,000 women joined her and strutted their stuff and lo next thing u know Taiwan is rocked by a massive quake. Well she was shaken, but not stirred. She had called her protest "boobquake" and in protest against that there was another group calling themselves "brainquake"calling on women to show off their résumés, CVs, honors, prizes, and accomplishments. OMG!! so u see there are many ways to protest....juz need to choose the right form.....now those who are in any way offended by the above, dont protest against me...juz sharing protests!!dream on...........