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September 30, 2007

Cutest photo ever...


captured by yours truly :)

Back home from a whirlwind DC and NYC trip!

September 21, 2007

Relaaaaaaax, am not cool!

I think all of us need a nice, hearty throw-up session once in a while, a sort of emotional purging so we can "letitgooooo" and get on with our lives. I don't know if you noticed, but I think I am done teetering on the edge of insanity; I have official moved over to the "other" side. No, not to Voldemort's camp, silly! I mean just in life, I think it's high time I ack the fact that I am a bit crazy. Although, this does not give you the liberty to do the following:

You may not give me a "girl-over-the-edge" look and say "Relaaaax" in that annoyingly slow and stupid fashion, especially not at social get-togethers. An example might be:

A one-year-old is running around the house, darting under tables and tripping over legs and I watch her with a little bit of anxiety that is probably apparent on my face and then I hear, "Relaaaaax, Ramya, she will be fine". Jeez! I am relaxed, lady! If I relax anymore, I might go into a coma!

This happens quite often with me, maybe, people (mostly women, I wonder why) realize subconsciously that the word "relaaaax" ticks me off and they just want to experiment to see if I would completely lose it!

"The house is one fire!"

"Relaaaaaaaaaaaax"

"@#@$%^%**"

Sometimes, it's as if k has fun watching me become uncomfortable. He does just the things that would make me look like a nervous, over-the-edge, control freak. And then the above mentioned people would go, "Relaaaaaaaax, Ramya".

*~*~*

I have this uncanny super-power (ahem) to observe myself as not-myself :p And I notice I do that more often when am in a mixed social gathering - close friends + not-so-close friends + cool people + not-so-cool people. k, who considers himself cool will do a "cool" act and the not-so-cool people will immediately turn on their "righteousness-radars" and go tsk, tsk. And then the "me" that is watching "me" goes, "Uh oh, social gaffe alert, social gaffe alert!"

In my mind, somehow this will all turn into a big social blunder and k and I will be ostracized and we shall pack our small belongings and walk towards the village...hmm, well, not exactly, but I remember watching that scene in a movie (Thambiku enda ooru?) and that image stayed back with me. k thinks it's stuffy to say the "appropriate" things and do the "deemed-right" acts all the time, he thinks veering off-path once in a while adds spice to monotony. I agree, most times, except when the "not-cool" people go judging and tsk-tsking. I don't know why that bothers me. It does. Probably because I slipped and fell on my head, when I was 3. :p

*~*~*

I also get nervous before we head out on short/long trips. I have sudden mini-panic attacks like "Who will water all the plants?" (That have been ignored largely, all their life, have gotten used to the fact that they will be watered only once a week and have managed to thrive in our house :), "What if a crisis come up at work and they need me?" (Let's see, the last time that happened was...never!), "What if something happens to the house?" (The "something" remains a vague blob in my head, undefined)...k says I am a homing pigeon. Maybe or maybe because I just don't like driving. Especially on long trips. Doesn't matter if am driving or am in the passenger seat. I prefer to take a flight with all it's inherent risks anytime.

*~*~*

So, between the "relaaaaaaaaax" and the "cool-k-doing-cool-things-that-uncool-people-don't-get-that-inturn-makes-me-nervous" (well, there's also the homing-pigeon-routine but grammar and scary images of my English teacher prevent me from sneaking that in :p), I think I am certainly losing it. But people often don't "get" this. I tell k all this and he gives me a concerned look and says, "Do you want to take up yoga?"

!!!

September 13, 2007

Guess!

Lust-laden fire scorches my soul,
As taunting glimpses of your face dissolve in the endless skies;

Destroy, I must, the maya of sinful desire,
Or I pray that I should breathe my last;

Possessed by passion, my body yearns for sacred fulfillment,
Mistress of my desires, do alight to quench my thirst;

My heart ruled by you, my being forever tainted by the beauty of your youth,
Night falls pregnant with passion, dreams leading it into dawn;

My existence shaken by the whirlwind of desires,
Rescue me, Oh Goddess, rescue me!

Taken quite a few liberties with the interpretation. Apologies for the same. L~, this was more difficult that the previous ones, would have been lost without mom's help :p

Not sure if I should drop hints or it's going to be a snap for you guys. It's a Tamil song. That's my first clue :)

Clue2: Setting of the song:


Clue3: Theme of the movie

On love, ego, fidelity, obsession? and how music ties it all together...directed by K.Balachander.

PS - Answer in comments!

September 05, 2007

On Food & Khana & Saapadu!

So, we had a fun long weekend at Smoky mountains - 4 participants of the previous generation and b&p, k&I - needless to say, there were quite a few interesting incidents :)

Highlights:

* Every trip only revolves around one thing - FOOD! k & p~ started planning the menu a month back and the two cars that were driven to Gatlingburg had a greater propotion of food items than people! Our menu for our 2 nights and 3 days stay at the cabin -

  • Sat Evening (Gatlinburg Cabin) - Home-made sandwich with tomatoes, cucumbers - cut just so small, potato slices and seasoning
  • Sun Morning - Poha - made to perfection by k and a pot full of chai
  • Sun Afternoon - Tacos - sour cream, black beans, cheese, salsa and lettuce, Grilled Corn/Pineapple/Tomatoes/Green Peppers
  • Sun Evening - Bhel - made Bombay style by k again.
  • Mon Morning - Chai, fluffy Khari biscuits dipped in chai (yum!)
  • Mon Evening - Olive Garden!
  • In-between our meals, we managed to go on a sky-ride, use the hot-tub and jacuzzi in our cabin, celebrate p~'s birthday, go hiking and play mini-golf!
* Back to work now, and k & I are learning to adjust with the daily stream of comments (some straight-forward, some tongue-in-cheek) on our food habits and life-style in general:

  • "Don't eat old food. Food has most nutrients when eaten fresh" - which translates to cook fresh food for lunch and cook fresh food for dinner! k's mom manages the lunch turn and dinner falls on k and me, which we are managing without major incidents, till now :p
  • "Don't leave vessels in the sink." - which translates to load dish-washer two-three times a day!
  • "What are these old fruits/vegetables/frozen food items doing in the fridge for more than 2 days?" - means buy if you intend to cook/eat it today or tomorrow. Day-after is a stretch!
  • "Too much rush in the morning...." - means, wake up earlier, you sleepy-heads!
  • "Don't waste food! Don't save it for tomorrow!" - means eat it all today or cook to precision - there is no maid to give away all the extra food to!
  • "Too bland", "Too cold", "Too gooey", "Too spicy" vs "Food! Cool, let's eat!"
* But, it's been fun going home to people wanting to see us, who greet us with 26 questions every evening as soon as we step inside the house, who talk to us (and want to) late into the night and have hot and tasty tiffin and lunch ready for us, and listen to our boring lectures about what is healthy/harmful, what rules should be observed in this strange land that they have made their home...

Makes us feel wanted and not so alone, after a long time...solitude is fun, only for a while though before it translates to loneliness...know what I mean?
© Ramya Sethuraman, All Rights Reserved.