Whatever.....

It's Onam today. And it is of no consequence to me because we don't celebrate it anyway. No navaratri, diwali etc for us. Somoene in the family passed away. Not that we burst crackers and lose it like other Delhiites do. In fact by 11 pm I have quite had it with an apartment full of smoke and lots of untouched sweets in the fridge. It happens every year.
Last year though when I was in Chennai I almost died in the morning because I heard a loud blast and mini blasts that followed. I woke up and saw this strange mist. Or what looked like mist. Of course when the hell in Chennai would there be any mist. Chennai has everything except winters and water. Anyway I realised sometime later that it was Diwali and then I spent the rest of the morning explaining to my north Indian friends as to why South Indians celebrate diwali in the mornings.
I was told yesterday by someone that my Tamil speaking abilities suck and I'm influenced greatly by northiindia....why? because Diwali for me is lighting diyas and putting rangoli. Well I have come to believe that every festival has a certain charm which is different for everyone.
As for me its a collection of vague yet precious memories. Memories of my grandmother deep frying things in the kitchen. Lots of sweets. New clothes. Onset of my favourite season - winter.
Of my mother dressed in pretty kanjivarams. guests. more sweets. Joint family. Swati and I ending up wearing identical clothes. First cribbing. Then loving the attention. No school. No homework , atleast on Diwali. Then looking forward to christmas, velankani church. Dhananjay's accident. Carols with sneha. All of this and more so I don't care which part of India influenced me more. For me this is what matters, this is what I will live to pass on to my kids. Just the joy of being together. North,south East, west... wherever whenever.

Birthdays and ramblings

Can't remember the last time i was happy on my b'day. cause it's depressing to grow up.but birthday parties were so much fun when we were kids(my bro and i) we used to have such a gr8 time planning every game that we would play and the gifts and the return gifts, the streamers or buntings whatever u call them, the smell of the cake . opening the fridge to see if it really was there, 5 pm friends start coming , dressed up in their birthday best, frills and and pink and the boys in their shorts and they'd sit in groups and that was so silly because just until half an hour ago boys and girls would be just people playing together rolling in the park hide and seek, cheating while counting and then in their birthday best they'd be all quiet and hesitant to speak to each other.same for the girls. and then cake cutting, ice breaking and the madness would resume. little 5 year old minds become all of 5 yrs again. frills and shorts altogether like before. i miss that. i hate growing up where every word u say is scrutinised, read between lines, interpreted....i know cause i do that! chips samosas and sandwiches and jelly. and rasna . i loved watching my mother make rasna. was very fascinated with the colour.how she celebrated my birth. just to make me feel happy to be born. when i hadnt done anything great. just for being her child.for being a part of her.birthdays were fun.growing up was even better.only sometimes i feel i could go on a vacation to childhood.ha wishful thinking.

Wash....rinse....repeat

I wrote a ridiculous mail to Anirudhh. I'am the eternal nag. But this was for his own good. About washing clothes. I'am so sure that if he does not read that mail he will wash the white's with the coloured or vice versa. Washing clothes is an art. This is for those who have not mastered the art of washing. The most therapeutic activity. First take your clothes and segregate them. Ah! you guessed....whites and the coloured. Then take the pure whites. And I mean just plain pure whites. No creams, beiges, brown, lightbrown etc. They come in next. Now that you have segregated them soak them in different buckets with detergent and warm water for half an hour. But if your clothes are grimy and dirty then put them in the machine and rinse them in warm water first. Don't put jeans and whites together. Your whites will turn yellow or some other colour for sure. And always rinse your clothes again. Cause the detergents will give you a rash in unmentionable places.
Undergarments should never be mixed with linen or tee shirts. Socks and undergarments is a strict no no. Wash the 'chads' yourself. That's the point I'm trying to make. But if you must wash them in the machine put them seperately. For the sake of the hygeine God.
Folding bed sheets is another art. As is folding or no.... wait, re folding newspapers after you have read them once or twice or whatever.
Dhananjay are you listening to me???????

Stagnating

I realise that sitting and doing visuals for seniors might get me somewhere like an AP or something like that status. But that's not too much. Nothing is too much if you look at the larger picture of everything. No thing, No one, Not an incident or a dream. Everything loses its importance and you learn to move on. But am going to take my bit from here and go. Have given up on myself many a times before but not this time.
I just read this whole chapter on Knanaite christians. Who came from Syria. Jacobites and Marthomites and the Puthankootukars etc. All very interesting. Won't remember much beacuse the site from where I read it was full of detail.
The arrogance that comes from knowing more is very exciting.
Arrogance is exciting but I think it should be measured. In terms of how much and who with.
Have to run now.