Tuesday 1 February 2011

Wishing Winter Away




This winter seems to be dragging on with no end in sight.
This is the first winter in 3 years, that I am staying in London all through.

I have to say I was not a big fan(still dragging my feet on this one), but it seems to be growing on me. Finally I have now invested in some cosy woollens.
When I moved to London, it was right in the middle of winter, I experienced weather shock much more than culture shock. Coming from the hot hot Madras to the cold grey London, it has taken me 3 winters to finally understand what winter is in all its glory and gloom.

I used to walk around in my flats/pumps with no socks in the first one. Now, looking back, I dont know how I did it.
I dint even notice it, until I started getting astonishing comments from everyone around me.
Maybe my mind and body were mourning the Madras heat and refusing to acknowledge winter. That is what I would like to think anyway.

My aunt always insisted I had oranges every night to fight away any on coming cold(which I am prone to). That has now become a habit.
I often start to eat something and make it a habit, because I noticed someone enjoying it or their habit made an unconscious impression on me. The most important part of the habit to me is the subtle nuances that each person dresses it up in.

Take the orange for example, my aunt always eats them watching television just after dinner and right before bed; a friend cuts it into quarters and eats it for breakfast; another friend can peel the skin off in one long curly peel and had it for a mid-day snack. I have tried all of it in different phases. I am in the slicing-open-with-a-knife-and-having-it-for-a-snack mode now. The pretty fruit knife sure helps.





Food is about associated memories for me. Each food either reminds me of a person or an incident.
Does this happen to you?

Friday 14 January 2011

Happy Pongal!


Pongal is here!
They say Pongal is a festival to celebrate prosperity. Also, it is our Indian version of the Thanksgiving.

This got me thinking.
What am I thankful for?
What prosperity am I celebrating?

Both these questions led me to this quote from a Grey's Anatomy episode.

"At the end of the day, when it comes down to it, all we really want is to be close to somebody. So this thing where we all keep our distance and pretend not to care about each other, it's usually a load of bull. So we pick and choose who we want to remain close to, and once we've chosen those people, we tend to stick close by. No matter how much we hurt them. The people that are still with you at the end of the day, those are the ones worth keeping. And sure, sometimes close can be too close. But sometimes, that invasion of personal space, it can be exactly what you need." ~ GA S3E10

I am thankful for such beautiful people in my life!
I am also celebrating their presence in my life :)

Happy Pongal!!!

p.s. Pongal is celebrated as Makar Sankranti in North India with their skies filled with kites.
Oh how I wish I could be there to take some colourful pictures of the kites and run down the streets with the children to claim the fallen kites.
Some day....someday....



Sunday 2 January 2011

One winter morning, last year...


Peeping through....

fluttering doors opened.....welcomed in

Why and how.

Caught in the way.....

Well Hello!


Time to say bye for now.





Friday 31 December 2010

Hello! Year 2011


It is nice to finally meet you and blah blah...
Lets get down to business shall we?

Okay. I hope you are going to behave yourself, cos I have given myself permission to be at my worst behaviour this year! (Well even if you dont behave, it is fine!! No pressure)
Yes!!! I am giving myself permission to be naughty, make mistakes, to mess up, to screw up, be a loser, let go of the need to be perfect, let go of all the rights and embrace the wrongs more often and to just BE!!!

Time to be more playful in life. Enough of the seriousness already!
So here is me saying Hello to you!


Friday 24 December 2010

Inspiration for the Uncertain


Lately, I have been experiencing un-certainty in all possible forms, shapes and sizes.
In moments of un-certainty I tend to reach for something, anything certain.
There is a constant struggle to fight away that which is un-certain.

But is there anything that is certain?
Maybe. Maybe not.

Then why fight it? Why fight anything?
When I was looking for some answers and questions in this direction.
I came across this .......

"Living with doubt

... is almost always more profitable than living with certainty.

People don't like doubt, so they pay money and give up opportunities to avoid it.

If you need reassurance, you're giving up quite a bit to get it.

On the other hand, if you can get in the habit of seeking out uncertainty, you'll have developed a great instinct "

~ Seth Godin



Another post on his blog that also caught my attention. Couldnt be more true.

This got my brain juices buzzing.

Buzzing on.................................

Monday 16 August 2010

cook to think



Arundhati Roy, the writer for who I have all the awe and hero-worship for, says ' Sometimes I need to write to think.'
I have been discovering a new side in me lately.
Sometimes I need to cook to think.

Here is what I have been cooking lately.

Friday 30 July 2010

procastination

It has been a year since I last posted.
This, I assume, is what one calls structured procastination ?

I am still waiting for inspiration(?) to find me to continue writing...

I will stop procastinating tomorrow. I promise.