On Family Reunions

Meeting family members away from home is magickal to say the least...it provides just the right mix of nostalgia, molly-coddling and fun. Whoa! I almost missed mentioning gossip!

I recently traveled to the West coast to meet up with my aunts and umcles...Trips like these are never complete without the much awaited potti-thirakardhu or the gift exchanging galatta :)

Since this is my first time on the coast my aunt made it her business to cram all touristy things in a day! A visit to the Golden Gate Bridge was the top item in the list and was ticked off to everyone's delight and satisfaction with oodles of pictures and souvenirs ;) A quick lunch en route and onward to the Crooked Road aka Lombard Road in downtown SFO...Maneuvering a suburban through the windy road was indeed a skill my cousin brother seems to have mastered! Pier 39 then greeted us with its mix of attractions from roadside drummers gently demanding money to daredevil performers and a fair bit of bored painters and streaming pedestrians thrown in. Wandering through the crowded street with the Alcatraz in the background I sampled a taste of SFO!

On the search for a lost identity

What happens to a woman who decides to leave her successful career behind and takes a huge leap of faith into unknown realms? After the initial excitement of a wedding and migration wears off all that's left of this former career woman is a brittle shell of a once strong personality. At least that is the solace I offer myself whenever distress corners me.

On birthdays and celebrations...

Who would have thought a 32 yr old would be pleasantly surprised at midnite by a bunch of friends with beaming faces and a delicious cake? I certainly didn't! And, that is exactly how it happened!!! Few friends, couple of cousins and my own family threw in a surprise party for me...and the surprises were just beginning to unfold! After a delightful cake-cutting and a cake facial that was thrown in for free...the gang dispersed only to reconvene again for lunch. 

Finding myself holding a huge table for friends who showed up late, I sat pondering over what it was that I had done, that had made a small difference in the lives of ten others...surely I must have done something...however minute it may have been, for why else would a bunch of strapping 24 yr olds want to spend a whole day making me feel special? 

And that, is exactly what they did - made me feel so special that I was overwhelmed each time a surprise showed up! Clutching a beautiful bunch of flowers that was neatly handed over to me post lunch, I realized what a wonderful gift it was the God had given me - a bunch of friends to be treasured and cherished.

On Music and relaxation...

Are you one of those who thought undertaking music lessons help you channelize your passion and thereby provide a certain degree of relaxation...? I was one of them. Ask me now and you might get a vigorous shake of the head indicating the contrary. 

I had no clue that signing up for an hour's class per week to learn a couple of bhajans might lead me to sabhas and kutcheris and nervous breakdowns...Yet, here i am on the threshold of another such stint - fervently hoping to pull it off without numerous mess-ups! So wish me luck and await my ramblings on the event, should I successfully survive the same!!!

Aloha & welcome to my space :)

A good friend of mine has been telling me that I ought to be blogging...after careful consideration and several false-starts later, I've decided to give it a go...Not that I have any earth-shattering observations to make or share...but hey! Thanks for stopping by to read my ramblings...