Dear Thatha...

My paternal grandfather

When I heard the news on the 2nd January that you have been taken to the hospital due to chest pain, I wasn't majorly worried. Deep in my heart I knew that you would somehow make it back home like you always have in the past. Little did I know you were tired of fighting...
On the last day(19th of January) when I saw you at the hospital, you couldn't speak, you had absolutely no energy... yet you were smiling, you solved complex math problems and watched cricket. A funny incident comes to my mind as I think back to that day at the hospital..I remember there was a door mat outside the bathroom which wasn't kept properly. You called me, kept pointing that way and I could not for the life of me understand what you were trying to convey. Ammai came to my rescue and said "He wants us to put it in its proper place". And you know,that did not surprise me. You were always a very very systematic and organized person. You kept cleaning up after folks at home, you arranged and rearranged book shelves, you ate your meals at the correct times, you rarely ate out, you never missed your evening walks at the beach.. Gosh I could go on and on. You probably inherited this from your mother(Paati).. you were such a good son to her.

The evergreen couple

You were also a very caring husband... The day of your funeral, the 21st of January also happened to be your wedding anniversary. I am most worried about Ammai. You were so protective of her, you literally held her hand through all these years and she looks so lost without you. I'm afraid she will never be the same person in your absence. But I am glad that she has sons and daughters in law to look after her. They all looked up to you so much and are all hurting inside because you were a very loving father. Proud of all 4 of them too. I'm glad they have inherited good qualities from you.

Brothers! 

Daughters in law! 

As for me, I knew you best as a fun loving grandfather. I couldn't have asked for someone better. I've lived with you as a baby, I've lived with you as a school going kid and I lived with you again while I worked 2 years ago. Things were the same.. You would knock on the door, wake me up, scold me(very gently!) about waking up late, ask me to bathe and pray and get on with my day... I loved all the pampering even as a 25 year old ;-) You had unbelievable patience Thatha.. Nobody could have taught me math/accounts problems as patiently as you did! You were so active till the end.. You wanted to learn how to email, you wanted a Facebook account, you kept wanting to learn and that is so amazing!! Kudos to you.

Happy Days

 I'm happy for you in a lot of ways...thanks to your children, you could visit other countries.. I shall cherish all the lovely memories of our US trip, you had a grand 80th birthday, you took an active part at my wedding(I will always remember how you fished out a suit at the last minute to wear at my reception since it was part of our dress code, such a sport you were!), you witnessed Vishal's poonal function so proudly and most importantly did not suffer too much in your last days. It felt very strange being in your room last night. I could sense your presence all around.. your cell phone, your glasses, everything reminded me of you.. I know you're always going to be around in spirit to guide us. I know you were tired of fighting to live and that's perfectly ok. I'm happy you're in a much happier place. Sleep well dearest Thatha. Love you very much and thanks for all that you've done for us.
Aishu
PS Leaving you with a few family pictures :) 

My going away party, August 2006

He loved family get togethers as is evident from his big smile - 2007 

With a very goofy Thatha at the Niagara :) - May 2008

At the temple in our hometown in Palakkad, Kerala. A trip which I missed out on - Aug 2010

A big gang at Vishal's Poonal function - June 2011

Tagging myself!

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before? 

I managed to keep a “Golu” at home

I traveled to a place I’ve been dreaming of visiting since I was a teen.

Attended a Tam Brahm wedding in Goa!

Watched a beautiful sunset with my hubby. So romantic. 

2.Did you keep your new years resolutions, and will you make more for next?

Can’t remember having made any resolutions. I know I’m too lazy to keep them.

3. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? 

May 29^th 2012 – It’s not every day you get to celebrate your 1^st wedding anniversary J

 4. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I made my family dance to a 2 minute Tamil song at my cousin’s wedding! It was exhausting, let me tell u!

. 5. What was your biggest failure?

Being irregular with my workouts! I am bone lazy, my husband will vouch for that. However, this year was extra bad – could never manage to consistently follow a routine.

6. Did you suffer illness?

I wouldn’t term it as an illness per se; however I do suffer from PCOD. Which means I need to watch what I eat and stay healthy, which is probably why I term #  5 as my biggest failure.

7. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? 

Appalled – our so called rulers of the country. They disgust me. Period!

Depressed - My MIL’s – because of the way she wants to give up on life so easily. I want her to become that strong woman that I have known her to be. I pray for her each day so that she bounces back to life quickly.

8. Where did most of your money go?
Vacations – We did quite a few trips last year. Even though most of them were in and around the South, each trip cost us money in terms of fuel costs, eating out, accommodation in nice places etc.

9. What did you get really, really, really excited about? 

Sne and Dee’s wedding. Our trip to France.

10. What song will always remind you of 2012?

“Oh Baby Girl” from the movie Malaipozhuthin Mayakathile. Will always remember dancing away at Pasha with Mosh and Sne.

11. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?

Sadder – that my smoothened hair has worn out and looks like crap. The problems people have, I tell u :P 

Ok I’m kidding. I don’t know if I am happi(er), but I’m definitely happy at the moment.

12. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Working out. Being more organized. Listening to my husband. Cooking yummy dishes. Keeping in touch with friends.

13. What do you wish you’d done less of? 

Procrastinate. Eating out so much. Being so lazy.

14. Did you fall in love in 2012?

Yes! With my bestie’s baby girl, Rafa. She is absolutely adorable!!

15. What/Who was your greatest musical discovery?

Listening to Kadri Gopalnath’s saxophone during the Margazhi season. I have never sat through an instrumental concert and I’m glad I did. He was brilliant.

On the other extreme, I loved “Gangnam Style” by PSY! J

16. What did you want and get?

I wanted a holiday in France, which I got all thanks to my hubby.

17. What did you want and not get?

My extended family coming together. A new job. Flat abs(who am I kidding!). Smooth, shiny, straight hair.

18. What was your favourite film of this year?

2 movies stand out – English Vinglish and Pizza. Former coz it was such a simple story and one of those movies u can watch with family. The latter because I love horror and mystery and ghosts(even though I’m s#i% scared of them) and this one was brilliant! So good that we screamed in the theatre!

19. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Was very special! Read this for all details – I turned 27.

20. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Getting that perfect, kick ass job cos I feel like I’ve made zero progress with my career.

21. What kept you sane?

Blogging. Reading about others lives and what they go through made my life seem so much less complicated.

22. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.

That family is most important. Come what may, learn to stick it out. Accept and respect each other and not give up. Most importantly, be there for each other always! Gosh, I sound like a Kjo movie! :P

23. Which new places did you visit in 2012? 

Rameshwaram. Dhanushkodi. Paris. Normandy.

24. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Main Pareshaan, Pareshaan from Ishaqzaade coz I spent most of my year worrying about my job!

25. Tag some bloggers you would love to read these answers from.
Tagging my bestie, coz I know she is as jobless as I am and would love to see her write! 

A bad start

I'm sorry. I should have waited and posted something bright and cheery as my first post for 2013. However that pretty much sums up how these couple of weeks have been. Stressful. First, Thatha fell sick. Like "we didn't know if he was going to make it" kinda sick. In fact, K was the only soul who kept telling me to keep the faith. And believe it or not, he was right. There was a turnaround. Touchwood. Praying for his recovery. 

Next, I hear Keith fell sick. You know how close I am to the Haseltines and I was shocked to hear he had a heart attack. Not good. He is stable and doing better but its been a wake up call in terms of the lifestyle changes they have to make etc. Depressing. My bestie has been going through some real crap. I wish things would improve for her. So is my MIL. I pray for her to bounce back to life, just like how I have seen her in 2010. She is going through a lot. I don't know how much more she can handle. I wish I can help.. not sure how though. I hear K's good friend's father is also very very sick, he visited him yesterday. Dunno if he will survive. K's best friend is also sick. He had a surgery last week, thankfully is recovering well and is back home now. So as you can see, I've heard of so many people being sick. Too many hospital visits between K and me. Enough. Its been super stressful just hearing so many people going through health issues. Can good health prevail for all please? 

2-0-1-3..Bring it on!

Gosh where has 2012 gone? Whoosh. So quick! To herald a brand new year that brings with it lots of hope, joy and holds promise, I'm doing a special post - 6 categories under which are listed 6 things- why 6? Coz 2-0-1-3 adds up to what again, silly? :P Alright, here goes..

6 "Awesomatic moments" in 2012 - in no particular order.. 

- Sne and Dee's engagement/wedding - 4 fun filled days with family and friends.. togetherness, fun, laughter, food. Just how a wedding should be. 

- Standing in front of the illuminated Eiffel Tower on a cold, windy evening, gazing up at the night sky - something I've always always dreamt of... 

- Waking up on 29th May 2012 and realizing I've completed one full year of wedded bliss with a man I love to bits! 

- Driving a new baby home.. Our Swift! 

- When my bestie told me she was getting hitched! 

6 songs from 2012 that gave me a real high.. 

- Nenjukulle from Kadal - I can't enough of this. Period. Waiting for the movie. 

- Pareshaan from Ishaqzaade - Lovely voice, awesome music by Amit Trivedi, hum worthy.. 

- The Disco Song from Student of the year - An eternal favorite, remixed really well. The dance steps are mind blowing and a great workout number! 

- Paani Da from Vicky Donor - gotta a very different feel to it.. Ayushmann has done a fab job with the vocals. Very enjoyable. 

- Skyfall - Adele - <3 div="div" nbsp="nbsp">

6 driving rules I will keep up this year 

I can't understand how indifferent people are while driving these days. It's no surprise that everyday we find someone dying. I mean it's as if people don't care! Well I do. I promise to drive safely and follow all rules! 

- Stopping at the red signal.. yes even if it is after 10 pm I don't care, I will stop. 

- Staying on the "slow lane" and let others overtake from the right and NOT FROM THE LEFT. People. It's basic driving rules. I get super pissed when this happens!! 

- Carry my papers correctly - including my license, insurance papers etc - err, ok K knows what I'm talking about! And oh yes, always always will wear my seat belt no matter how late I am!! 

- I will let pedestrians cross even if it means braking sometimes. I've seen that in certain roads, it's almost impossible for them to cross over. Of course this requires discretion because sometimes you see these retards that jump from one side to the other, I will never stop for them. But if I see some old person struggling to cross and if it means stopping for one minute, I will most certainly do it. Why? This is something I would HAVE to do if I was abroad. What stops me from doing this here in my own country?? 

- Not honk unnecessarily! Argh. Especially happens when you're waiting for the signal to turn green.. even before the other side traffic has stopped, the guys behind you start honking as if their dear life depends on it. It annoys the crap outta me!! So I will not honk unless absolutely necessary. 

6 things I will learn this year 

- Learn to click nice pictures in a bad@$$ camera ;) 

- Learn to stitch or knit 

- Learn to cook especially bake - yeah yeah - I have a long way to go.. 

- Learn to tie a saree - Stop laughing. Have a lot of weddings to attend this year! 

- Learn to decorate my house - I know the basics but I have a lot to learn in terms of making a house into a home like changing flowers everyday, dusting frequently and keeping things in order 

- Learn to be organized - Haha! ok I sneaked it in here.. It's almost next to impossible for me but hey I'll try. that's why the new year is special, coz it brings hope! :) 

6 "events" I'm looking forward to in 2013 

- Relaxing in a brand new home.. yes yes, my parents have bought a brand new house and the house warming is in January and I can't wait for it to be done up! 

- My bestie's wedding in February!

- Followed by a trip to Delhi for another wedding.. which means yummy chaat and lots of shopping! 

- A Pune reunion - Meeting Sne and Dee in March! Ashwin too, possibly. Hooray! 

- Possible travel to Hyderabad, a city I've never been to for another wedding! Biryani, chudi bazaar etc etc 

- Watching a Mani Ratnam movie and listening to ARR music on the big screen.. Kadal.. I'm waiting! 

6 wishes I have this brand new year...

- A new job!! All my fingers crossed for this one. 

- To be able to wake up early and walk for 30 minutes. Not a big deal in reality, but so very tough especially the waking up early part. Yawn. 

- My family coming together. A sincere wish for this one. With this comes happiness and cheer.  

- Connecting with my friends from school - You know I've not met so many of them in a long, long time. Will be great to have a reunion of sorts! 

- Good health for all - physically and mentally. 

-  And last but definitely not the least, adding a new person in our lives, maybe? Just saying... but hey...you never know.. stay tuned ;-) 

Here's wishing you guys all good things this new year.. Laugh a lot, be happy and live it up! 

Happy 2013 folks :-) 

Happy Thanksgiving :-)

It's Thanksgiving Day in America. I've been fortunate to have celebrated this holiday each year with family & friends while I was in the US. It's that time of year when the family gets together for a nice, elaborate meal and each one takes turn going over what they are most thankful for, they express gratitude and usher in the holiday aka Christmas season. To me Thanksgiving is synonymous with yummy mashed potatoes and apple pie!! It's kinda like our Diwali where food takes precedence over everything else ;-) So I want to take this opportunity and wish all you wonderful people out there a very Happy Thanksgiving! :-) On that note, I will also do my yearly tradition of penning down the things I'm most thankful for...

1. My dear husband, K - I've been with you for over 1.5 years now. It's been a very interesting journey together. Each day has been a learning yet fun experience. I'm thankful for all the things you've taught me - learning to be patient, being more organized, systematic(ok ok I'm getting there!), not to simply waste time comparing our lives to others etc. I'm also so appreciative of the fact that you have started socializing so well with my family. I know it can be so overwhelming at times yet you have been so patient, so nice and understanding about the whole thing. Couldn't have asked for anybody better to spend the rest of my life with! Thanks to you also for all the lovely trips we've done this year - from Madurai to France...not to mention all the louueee u shower me with - thumbs up!
2. My family - If I have to describe my family, I will simply ask that you watch the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". They're exactly like Toula's family - big, loud, in your face... yet most lovable! I've seen members of my family going through up's and a whole lot of downs.. however, the thing I've learnt is that no matter what, you stand beside them. Whether it is financially or just emotionally. I am most thankful to have learnt this from my parents first and then of course a host of aunts and uncles. I'm most thrilled to see our generation of cousins also sticking together come what may, getting together at all functions and having a real blast! And most importantly, there is no negativity surrounding it - things like jealousy, malicious gossip, greed etc. Of course we talk stuff, we make fun but it's definitely all in good spirit. Something that is so rare these days... Super thankful to be a part of this family!
3. My extended family - I should have included my in laws in the previous post, however I felt like they deserve a special mention in here. They are like parents to me, they treat me like they treat their own daughter, they go out of their way to help us out when we need them. My mother in law is such a darling that each time she cooks something, she will ensure that there is something in the menu that I also love to eat. If she makes methi parathas(yuck) this week, the next week she will ensure she will follow it up with aloo parathas(yum). There is simply no differentiation between me and her son. Let me tell you, that is something so rare. Not all MIL's are like that. Period. And my father in law..what do I say about him? He's like a buddy!! He is funny, loud, mad as a hatter yet so caring,generous and lovable. He will do anything for you, anytime. They are both so large hearted and give us so much space. I can simply go on and on about their positive qualities. So thankful to have them in my life. Touchwood.
4. My friends - All of you in Chennai, Bangalore, Kerala, Bombay, US, China, Canada... whichever part of the globe you are in right now... a big shout out to you... After all, what I am today is because of you. We grew up together, we went to school, college, hung out as colleagues.... you've touched and been there for me at some point in my life and I'm so thankful to you..Movies, parties, sleepovers, shopping, gossip sessions, giggling away together... Life simply has no meaning without my buddies... 3 cheers!
5. My health - I am grateful that I am disease free and in good health. These days we read about so many weird complications and life changing medical conditions. I wake up each morning thankful for my physical and mental well being. I promise to take my health seriously and work out religiously and eat healthy.
6. Other materialistic things - Ok I don't know why I'm including these little things but what's life without them right? My lovely home with all the finest gadgets, my iPhone without which I'm so lost while driving(Google Maps ki jai!), my AC which cools me down and my blanket which then keeps me warm when the room freezes, my car which takes me just about anywhere I want to, Facebook which lets me connect with folks from around the world and helps kill time(!), people like Rahman who create god awesome music...I could go on and on. But I shall stop this insanely long post. Keep smiling and be thankful for who you are :-)

Happiness

Yesterday was a doubly happy day for me. I heard some good news from my bestie that made my heart happy in the morning. I can't reveal too many details in here until everything's official, however I'm elated. The day got better when I heard another piece of very surprising yet happy news from someone in the family. Again, I'm sorry but can't reveal what/when/who. You're probably thinking then why the hell blog about it. But like I said, I was happy. Like tears coming out of my eyes kinda happy. Delighted. Surprised. Thankful. I smiled a lot. I  heart my family and friends. The cherry on the cake was of course watching and listening to ARR on Mtv Unplugged. I heard "Nenjukulle" for the first time. Aaah... ARR + Mani Ratnam combo. Sigh. Was lovely. The rendition was so beautiful. Bliss!
Happy listening guys - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPbUfiMDE8Q

The other woman

She entered his life a few days ago and now she coos "Good Morning" into K's ears everyday... When he desires music, he goes to her and she sings his favorite songs... She's the one he goes to when he's bored.. He plays games with her and passes time... He holds her so tight and watches over her like a baby that it makes me all jealous. He gives her so much attention that he barely listens when I speak, I find myself repeating things over and over again! She's next to him all day and even sleeps right next to him at night... Damn you Samsung Galaxy 3!! I hate you with all my heart.