31.12.07

Here we are again!

Happens every year end, this. I sit and wonder, how in the world can one year go by so quickly! And every year is the same. A hearty mixture of laughter and joy and a dash of tears and sorrows. But isnt that the very essence of life? Balance. If not one, then no appreciation for the other.
So many wonderful things happened this year! Unexpected, expected.I learnt that if I wanted to be happy and be filled with joy, I only had to give the same. Wasnt easy, but possible. I learnt that even friendship needs all the ingredients of a relationship - unconditional love, forgiveness and turning a blind eye to faults, but most of all the ability to forget. Again, not easy, but not impossible.
This year taught me, that where there is a will (and lots of love!) there is a way. Even over the Atlantic Ocean! That the embrace of a beloved is worth more than anything else in the world. That a sunset watched with my hand in that of a loved one surpasses even the glory of that dusk! That love is what makes the ride, the journey, call it what you will, worthwhile.
After twenty four years of lousy eating habits, this year, I have finally attained a health conscious consciousness! I count calories in what I eat!! I get off two stops early and walk home! Of course I have the occasional pizza and chips and chocolate, but moderation has a whole new meaning in my list of big words now!
I thought it was impossible, but even this year, I discovered many things about myself. Some quite cool, some not. For me personally, the biggest victory of the year was to accept change. The only constant. And the one thing that we are genetically, emotionally, physically most resistant to. I learnt to align myself to Divine Will. And that makes all the difference.

I know next year will bring greater joys and similar trials. I also know that just like this year, I will face them all next year too!!

I wish you all a wonderful new year!! New year, new challenges, new joys!!

And more blogs!!



God bless!
Ashika

18.10.07

The core of the matter

Many days ago, I saw a woman eat an apple. She bit into that shiny red round miracle and that oh so perfect scrunch, crunch- ripe, yet not yet there, reached my ears, which were, to the dismay of my hungry stomach, placed diagonally beside her. So the pretty (also hungry, I would assume as she was lunatically gorging that apple in an extremely crowded bus) lady bit and gobbled and swallowed. But a small apple lasts only for so long, you see, so in no time at all the apple was over and done with. As per me. Because, where in the world does anyone ever eat the apple 'completely', seeds, stalk and core?

Right there, in front of my eyes.

The lady wouldn't stop with the fresh, edible-y hard part of the apple. She went on to the amazement of me and my roommate, to chew on the core, the seeds and the stalk. We both were giggling and passing comments (as would have any other Indian, ok ok, Tamil girls).

Oh, the curse of being a 'judge'-er of others!

A few days later, happy me, in possession of a similar red miracle, warming a window seat in a similarly crowded bus, similarly gobbled on the apple. Now, I am an ordinary girl, with ordinary eating habits (licking fingers is ordinary)so when I was stuck with a wet-with-the-natural-goodness-of-simple sucrose combined with my saliva - apple core (and about 30 minutes of journey left) I did what you are guessing I did. In went the seeds, the core and the stalk! haha!

And you know what, except for the weird tasting seeds and the slightly bitter stalk, the core wasn't too bad you know.

So just because I don't do it, doesn't mean its wrong. Lesson learnt!

11.10.07

Right here, right now

I reminisce a lot. And it makes me feel like a grand old lady! Owing to this sudden, not so sweet revelation, i decided that I would like to change the course of my blogging, well, for some time at least! I am listing down five things that caught my attention in the past couple of days, now that's quite, 'present', no?!

1. Grow old along with me
Everyday, when I am rushing down the sidewalk, either to uni or to work, I come across this couple. The old man must be at least 85 years old and the lady a few years under that. Every single day, I see them both hand in hand, taking one baby step at a time, each leading the other, each looking out for the other, walk up to the Tesco shop at the end of the street and make their journey back home.

2. Dream girl
I know for sure that my best friend doesn't read my blog, she is that busy! And that gives me the nerve to write this about her! We, for a reason, are having a weird, mildly cold, war (in fact, I don't think she is even aware of it!) . And for the past two days, I have dreamt about her. Just these small things that we used to do together as friends, stick up for each other, be supportive, tease and throw facts on each others faces.

3. Deeply distracting
I was sitting in the seat behind the driver's (in the Lothian, of course), lost in my thoughts, when this pretty girl, a late teen probably, walks into the bus. What caught my attention (or that of those around me) weren't those pair of bright green eyes, but a dress that was so deep (ly) revealing, that me, a member of the same sex as hers, was embarrassed..hehe! I pity the poor men who would have to muster all their will power to be 'gentlemanly'!!

4. Like home
Fall is probably my favorite time of the year, after spring and summer! The way the leaves on the trees turn hues of reds, oranges and yellows gives the whole place an enchanted glow. If you've seen LOTR, you'll remember when Frudo is speared by the ghost kings and is taken to the Elf land to recuperate, remember? Something like that! Anyways, today, I saw this line of autumn trees, partly green, partly yellow, partly orange and for some strange reason, it reminded me of Shanthi Colony! The trees, the eat outs, the snug homes, the bumpy road! (oh no, there I go reminiscing again!)

5. The Great Wall
Though I don't really need a reason to think about K..hehe..after his recent trips to China, every Chinese I see (not a dearth of them here, anywhere for that matter!) gets me thinking about him! So when this young Chinese lady and her Chinese partner got into the bus, I first went off to dreamland and later noticed that the lady had silver bracelets dangling from her cap. Was weird, but cute!

8.10.07

Foreigner!

I still remember that day very clearly. The sun brightly shining down, the sky as blue as it could possibly be and the salty sweet smell of the Bay of Bengal in the air. I was skipping along with my dad's index finger snugly held in my little hands, my floral frock swaying in the wind when I stopped in my tracks, looked at two white women and yelled - FOREIGNERS!! Jumping up and down, with my finger (the index one) pointing to the smiling ladies, I felt like I were in a different world altogether!! That's when my embarassed dad educated me about the nuances of the term 'foreign' and after a whole big lecture on the origin, meaning and usage of the word, when enlightenment failed to dawn on me, he finally said - 'foreigner is just a word, just like they are foreigners to you, you are a foreigner to them.' I don't know what exactly I did, I didnt really care, I WAS A FOREIGNER TOO, but I still remember the look on the tender coconut shop guy, with his sickle in a strike pose and 'elaneer' in hand, grinning at me as I (in my head, thought, wow, I must be so 'fair' too!) revelled in the new found knowledge of being a FOREIGNER!!
To clarify, I have definitely come a long way from thinking that being fair skinned is cool, I am proud of my brown skin (dark brown after a few minutes in the sun!) and don't really want it any other way! But just reminiscing about my innocent days when being a foreigner was being either white or black and nothing in between brings me to understand the ignorance that was me! Now the little girl in me is quite pleased, because, surrounded by the Pentlands, the Highlands and the Scottish people, I am now the odd one out, the 'foreigner'!! And when I see a blond haired, blue eyed girl staring at me (these kids are so weirdly quiet, I miss the brawling, yelling Indian kids!) I will understand!!

18.9.07

What counts.

Why do we do the things we do? Why do we live? laugh? hurt? Why do we appease our conscience? why do we love? Why do we hate? Why do we hold grudges? Why do we value some people more than others? Why are we ready to give up our life for someone, some 'one'? Why do we kiss? why do our gazes lock with that someone? Why can we have everything in our must have list, but can throw it all away if we can spend one more moment with that someone? Why does our heart break? Why do we hold hands? why do we hug and dont want to let go? why do we remember? why do we forget? why do we come together? why do we go apart? why do we hope? why do we sacrifice? why do we forgive? why do we enjoy sunsets? sunrises? why do we share? why do we long for togetherness?

The world around and all in it,
Is God's magnificent love,
The lion, the lamb, the grass and tree,
Even that tiny little dove.
The human heart, no less than a world,
With its valleys and its mounts,
Will shout, will yell, will scream if it must,
That its only love that counts.

14.9.07

Mingle2 - Los Angeles Singles



Came across this on Jolly Rogers' blog, whoo hoo!! Children - Beware!! Haha! The culprit words?! Death and sexy!

So kiddos, read my blog with the folks, yah?! cuz its drop 'dead' 'sexy'!!

31.8.07

Dont Quit.

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow -
You might succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt -
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.


I recently used this poem to lift the drooping spirits of a loved one. It always strikes me that the author is annonymous ( Till the time I learned the meaning of annonymous, I recited this poem as, "Dont Quit, by Mr. Annonymous"...hehehe!!) and I often wonder who that person is, whose burst of verbal wisdom inspires people over the years and circumstances.

Here's to you my persistent friend!!

- me

18.7.07

Smarty pants!

I havent posted in a long long time and it makes me guilty. Guilty, because it means that I have probably gotten into a rut, am not observing enough and am letting dust settle on the knack of seeing big things in small and vice versa. Scary thought! As always, inspiration struck when I was least expecting it!

And as usual it was a Lothian Bus to the rescue!!

The night before last, I was on bus no.11 going back home with my subconcious working hard to alert me when my bus stop came. My conscious was snoozing away in abandon, when suddenly from the corner of my eye I saw a man run at full speed towards the bus from the opposite side of the road. It was almost 9.30 pm and the poor fellow, just like me, was probably wanting to get the heck back home and didnt want to miss this bus. He braved speeding cars and angry honks and throttled full speed towards the bus.

As I was observing the sprinter, I noticed that I wasnt the only one. Just outside my window was a little boy, about 10 years old, chubby cheeks, dimpled chin and an innocent smile doing the same! As our super sonic runner approached the bus, huffing and puffing, with his windblown Ipod headphones, this little boy held out his hand and I lip read - "would you like my day ticket?" And I thought, awww..how sweet!

Now, traveling in a public transport is not cheap at all (oh how I miss the share autos!) Every trip I take in a bus costs £1 and if I need to get a day ticket, it costs £2.50, and even for natives, this is quite an expensive price to pay for travelling in a bus. So usually some nice souls after using their day tickets just pass it on to other folks to save them a buck or two. And this little child giving his ticket up was such a sweet sight! The grateful man held out his hand to accept the ticket(still panting away thanks to his surrreal sprint!).

Since I was still feeling all warm inside about the good souls that still exist 'out there', the transformation was a bit of a shock! The little boys' chubby cheeks dimpled into a mischevious grin and those innocent eyes sparkled bright and he turned from an innocent angel to an impish gnome (yep, Harry Potter effect!) right before my eyes and as quickly as he had held it out to be taken, he pulled the ticket back and said,"Go buy your own, mister!"

Oh the look on the man's face!! He was torn between ( I would assume!) twisting the lads' ears and getting into the bus that was ready to depart! I think sheer desperation drove him into the bus, while the little fella stood outside guffawing and doubling up with laughter! Though my sympathies lay with the deceived man, I couldnt help but secretly laugh at the little boys' prank! I am thinking - s'boring being grown up, maybe a prank or two would lighten life up!!

14.6.07

Decibel drivers!

When I walked into bus no. 18 on my way to work today, I was a bit startled. The driver was yelling something and I unconsciously fought an urge to say "wasn't me!!". After some abstract filtering, I realised that this jolly guy was actually saying HI, HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY?! in an obnoxiously loud voice with a goofy grin! After an "err..fine thanks and yourself?" I settled down in my seat and observed this cheerful driver greet every single person who entered the bus in the same way! It was fun seeing them go through the same, Startle-err - who?-me?-oh-hi, to you too jig!!

Watching this exceptionally loud driver reminded me of a bus journey I had made a few years ago with my dad from a small town in Tamil Nadu called Gingee to an obscure little village. It was a shiny new bus; and when I say shiny, I MEAN IT! Multiple mirrors, glossy Rajinikanth standing near glossier autos, oh sheesh! The works! My eyes began hurting after a while! All was well, well, almost well, because this driver was so DAMN loud that along with my eyes- my ears were hurting too. Apart from obscenities aimed at fellow drivers and supposedly funny remarks meant for the audience (thats us, the passengers) he was humming the slickiest, sauciest, s@*&$~#iest songs composed in tamil film history!!

I knew it was coming - the irritation. I tried, I seriously did, to stop feeling that absolute rage which stems from some unknown eternal pit in the tummy(I was young and restless then!). And then as if he could read my mind, he went quiet. Dead quiet. The bus just ricketed down the typical kaccha roads we have studied about in geography. As the irritation slowly ebbed out, I actually found myself relaxing and enjoying the green rural scenery.

I should have known that this was just the 'calm before the storm'.

The damn driver didnt even give a warning so I could mentally prepare myself for it. A swish and a click. And in a voice as loud as his (accompanied by the driver's) the tape player bellowed" NA READYYYY, NEENGA READY AA??" OH MY GOD!! I was so absolutely shaken and shocked! You know what the best part was? The driver played that song over and over and over again till we reached our destination.

I was too exhausted to fight back. I just slumped in my seat and allowed that damn song, reveberating through the damn speakers, to smother the left life out of me. Come to think of it, the entire bus was a bit zombied off after that! Sheesh!

Oh India, India!

4.6.07

The view from the top!

Yay!!! I finished my exams, at last! Every single time, I mean, like EVERY SINGLE TIME, I come out of the exam hall appreciating and nodding my head at the wisdom of "oh! thats a weight off my shoulders!" More like, mountains off the shoulders!


Euphoric as I am at the moment, celebrating the end of my exams with a 14 hour flat rendevouz with Morpheus, its been quite an uphill climb! Huurrmmpphh...pant...pant! Phew!

Ok, first of all, my concentration span is as good as a goldfish's..! Absolutely pathetic! So, I had to give myself doggie biscuits! Ranged from 'ok doggy, study without wagging your tail for 5 minutes (ok, not always that bad! 10 minutes sometimes..hehe!) you can go out for a walk/listen to a song/dream about someone/get yourself a bite. Worked most of the time! No wonder, dogs are so trainable! Its the doggie bikkis!

Oh, and my appearance!! Scary! Total disregard for anything even remotely connected to aesthetics (even the occasional missed shower! heheeee)!! And how can I forget to mention my messy room..ok ok, I'll fess it up, its not like its always impeccably clean, but you know, extra bits of paper and books along with the usual mess - NOT a pretty sight!

Oh sigh! The war's over, a couple of more to go in August and December! And that would be the battle won! After all that climb -sleepless nights, scary dreams, sandwich, sandwich and more sandwich on the menu, its a great view from up here! Feels good to be back to normal.

If thats possible.

21.4.07

Days gone by.

I think so fondly of those days gone by. When the world was so small. When horizons were so close that you could touch them with your fingertips. When the sun was a squint and a hand stretch away and the moon was a friend of story times. When we slept on bamboo mats outside, watching the stars twinkle and those that didn’t had a sad story, that chitthi would start off as, ‘once upon a time’ and end with, ‘so we must always obey our parents’! And we would fall asleep, cousins after cousins, some still whispering a long heard ghost story, while the rest gently fell asleep, vowing to do their holiday homework as soon as mother asked them to.


The scorching summer heat meant holidays till the eyes could see, shorts and haircuts, cool buttermilk and lots of fun. Rolling discarded tires with the village boys or making our own personal palm cars out of eaten palm fruits. Watching with fascination as those urchins, dusty and darkened by the mud and the sun would catch fishes and dragonflies and show the city dwellers that they were no less! They would gawk with open awe and disbelief as we told them tales of the city and when we spoke in English. They would then test their language prowess with ‘maai, nam ees, Yem. Chinappa.

When for a brief period, mothers and fathers were but a blur, a memory. When brothers and sisters were all who would play hide & seek and lock & key and would climb the tall towers of the village church as quietly as possible. And we watched the world from there. Thaatha and ammatchi became little people. The surly cook with her bent back, blackened by exposure to the sun would look up and swear that tonight she would cook us for dinner as we hooted and called her, ‘sidumoonji’! Oh there, where the tall palm tree was, that’s where is Pondicherry and oh, look to the left, see where the birds are flying? That’s where Bangalore is! And no no, don’t look towards the right, it’s a Wednesday and the spirit of the Rock girl enters whoever stares at that huge boulder which ncidentally begins looking like a girl after constant persuasion and subtle emotional blackmail!

Sunburnt skin and sun kissed hair. We would all skip back home. To our refuge. Mothers, chittis, maamis, atthais and ammatchis sitting around the huge outdoor kitchen. Talking more than cooking while dads, maamas and chittapas seriously discussed boring things like DMK and AIADMK. We would return to the ladies where the conversation was ever more so interesting!

Soon one of the older cousins would call us and say, ‘who wants a story ?!’ and we would rush like little puppies and sit around her! Each one trying to grab her attention, trying to get as close as possible! And she would begin a story, over distant lands. Of fearless men and beautiful women. And our smiles would slowly disappear as the villain made an entry. Of huge mountains and deep valleys. Of curses and spells and goodness and evil. The rice and stew mixed and made into balls and pushed down our agape mouths was not even noticed. And good always triumphed over evil. As always.

And we would sleep. Amidst our gentle snores, the innocently swaying coconut tree became the evil monster. The shadows were ghosts creeping in through the gaps in the doors and the grills in the windows. And one child would begin to whimper and another would begin to wail. And soon there would be a cacophony of voices crying for its respective parent!

We all have come a long way. We’ve grown up. Some memories forgotten, some faded. Some still fresh. Like thaatha gathering me in his arms and kissing me, while I giggled and complained that his army moustache pricked me! Or like Ammatchi coming running from wherever she was, stop at a distance, shield her eyes from the sun and lovingly say, ‘Aasikaaaaa’???!! And smother me with her love! Or like Christy akka and I sharing our own little secrets as she tousled my hair till I slept.

We grow, yet we remain rooted to our early days. We travel far and wide, but remain at home, in our hearts. Promise ourselves that we will never forget what it is to be a child. Then the cares of the world take over. And we forget what we promised not to.

And one fine day, when the sky is overshadowed, pregnant with rain clouds, as we sit on our beds with a cup of tea, far away from home, from those whom we love, they come. The memories. Like a warm blanket on a cold night. To envelope us with a feeling of such goodness and joy. And we go back in time, to days gone by.

And we remember again, what it is to be a child.

13.4.07

Adultecence!

A stole around my neck, hair parted on the side and pulled back on the left, held in place by a hair pin. An off shouldered buckled top that sits precariously on the bend of the shoulder, tottering between sexy (for me) and outrageous (for Indian me)..hehehe!! I stand in front of the mirror looking at myself. I smile as I pose for an invisible camera, wrinkle my eyebrows as I prepare to answer a deeply thoughtful question to a non existent reporter. And then I laugh! I could be twenty four, but in front of that mirror, I was fourteen, all over again. And then the thought struck me. Am I not a teenager? A teenager of the adult years?

I know the child in me would always live. In spite of polluted, angry, resentful, painful, agonized, tearful, regretful and what not experiences, that child, lives on. But, that really is not the point. The point is, remember how, during those teenage years, we could never really understand what we were? Adults or children? I was always confused. When I behaved like a child, I was asked to grow up. And when I pulled myself to my full height and actually behaved like an adult, I was asked to act my age (must make a mental note of never ever torturing my children that way!) I feel in similar circumstances.

Twenty four. Too young to make big decisions. Too old not to start making big decisions. Talk about being oxymoronish!

But, it’s a lot of fun, you know! I am thinking, when I am thirty, I would be like, am I younger or young? Then at thirty five it would be, am I young or about to be more than a youngster and when I am forty – Hey! Life begins at forty!

Ashika




Ps: I think I've completely lost it. I hold my Finance classes responsible for this.

2.3.07

My sister-friend!!!

Sari tucked in, lips pressed, brows furrowed, utter concentration, slim hands moving vigorously over a mammoth blackened cooking vessel, stirring the beginnings of a biryani that will feed at least 30 people (though the number of people actually present would be 15 - but when she cooks, everyone takes second helpings!)

Thats how I remember Christy akka. My sister-friend.

My memories go back to the time when I used to live in Pondicherry, barely 6 or 7. When dad mentioned trips to 'atthai's' house, I used to shiver - with dread! My cousins - the guys- would mercilessly tease me. MERCILESSLY (in caps!) They would call their jobless friends and everyone would join in teasing this girl-who-looked-like-a-boy-because-of-the-haircut-that-her-parents-
religiously-made-her-get. I would start with ignoring it, then I would yell, then I would throw their stuff around and in the end, I would howl! And she would come, give her brothers and the other guys a verbal bash and take me inside the house and let me play with her 'make up sets'!

Then when I was in Delhi, during the summer, when we visited Tamil Nadu, akka would beg mummy to let her take my brother and I for...anything! Could be a movie, could be a trip to the bakers, could be a visit to her hostel (she studied law at Pondicherry Law College). I remember the way she used to introduce me to her friends, "Remember, I told you.....my maama's daughter..Ashi!!!" and they would all go, "ohhhhhhh...so yooooouuuuu are her maama's daughter!" and I would glow! When twenty odd college girls, roughened up in law school talk like that to you, you just shimmer!

Then I came to Chennai. I was a teenager, akka was in her late twenties. I still remember the day she got registered with the Bar Council. I was floating! I was so proud! The first lawyer in the family! My akka! She was practicing law with a firm in Chennai. So, she used to visit often. School, fights, boys, crushes, grades, clothes, hairstyles, fashion, everything - we began to bond. That special bond that comes only at a certain age with certain people. We bonded. We became more than just sisters. We were friends. Best friends.

During family occasions, everyone would chuckle, because they said that akka and I looked alike! I know that she was as proud of me as I was of her! When we were together, we were always together! I couldnt cook for an ant and she could cook for entire families! So, I just stood with her in the kitchen, while she concocted the best sambars, chutneys, chicken fries and anything edibles that I have ever tasted. She cooked, I talked! She loved me, I loved her.

Three days ago, my father called me. After the call, I just sat on the floor. This had to be a joke.

Christy akka could not have died.

But she did.

The most difficult thing about death is how nothing changes. I remember watching the birds and the newly bloomed flowers and saying, how can you sing? how can you bloom? When she is no more? The reality of her death is slowly settling in. Its been 3 days since my akka died. But it feels like its been years. Many years.

She might have gone, but she lives. In my mind, in my memories, in my words.

Her unrestrained laughter, her revolutionary(read: experimental) hairstyles that she would try out on me(!!), her passed on lipsticks, mascaras, clothes and perfumes, her sensational biryani, her companionship, her presence, her gentle kiss, her affectionate hug and so many million little sister-sister things will all be missed.

I love you akka. I miss you. Will always.


-Ashi

23.2.07

The war!

It all started with a smirk.

Well, frankly it all started with the fact that I was planning to buy a bicycle to save me waiting time at the bus stop and I realized that the only spare tyre I knew was around my middle..hehehe!! And I thought - must-go-to-the-gym. That thought has crossed my mind so many times this past 6 months, that it simply bores me to death now. But when apart from physically, when I started to feel sluggish mentally as well, I just knew it was time for action.

So I said to myself, ~ Its hitting the gym time!!! ~ And it smirked. The physical me just smirked! I have had half a year of inactivity, puncuated with just a burst of a week's worth of jogging (stopped that after I started coming back with a blue nose atop a frozen face) but really, the nerve!!

So after accounting revision class today (where my brain was actually comatose) I hit the gym. Oh, the snigger and the subsequent smirks!

First, I couldnt find the gym. The Uni sports centre is absolutely mazey! I went through a dozen squash courts, two table tennis courts, a conditioning suite, the toilets, the showers, a couple of undergrad girls putting mascara on and then FINALLY (!!) the cardiovascular suite! By now, the physical me was doubling up with pretending-to-be-good-laughter, you know, the kind where the person you are laughing at knows you are laughing at her, but then you are watering at your eyes, but trying to keep a straight face while your mouth cant help showing the teeth?? That kind of laughter.

2 kilometers of treadmill (at speed 8 for about 1 km) and 3.5 kms of cycling !! I did it! Went to the gym !! Oh victory is sweet! The victory of will over mind. Was empowering to tell my body to listen to me and not vice versa!!

Aah! First step taken, the journey of a thousand miles begun!

:)))))
Ash

12.2.07

My valentine!


I got an e-valentine card today! Meticulously done in Paintbrush and accompanied with a nice letter over email that explained how he got into a fist fight with a boy who called him and his family bad names in English, Hindi and Malayalam!! My 10 year old neighbour in Chennai, Jithu, found time and inspiration for making me smile and chuckle!!

Thank you Jithu and AJ (the 'in our hearts' means jithu's and ajay's hearts!)

:))))
me!

5.2.07

Culinary adventures

Remember when you were a kid and playing cricket? Facing the meanest bowler to have ever been born on the earth. He(they were usually guys, girls make the sweetest street cricket bowlers ever!) would go back a kilometer, to come running towards the pitch with a velocity you thought belonged only to the leopard, to throw the ball with such vigor and energy that all your senses would say, ....drop the bat....RUN FOR LIFE!!! But of course, you couldn't do that, because then the guys would say, "Aaaah, didnt we tell you, girls cant play cricket??!!!" So you grit your teeth, grip the bat and pray that later in life you find someone who will love you, just the way you were about to become....squashed nose and broken teeth!!

And then, you close your eyes and out of sheer reflex action swing the bat...it makes contact with that meteor ball...and you rattle from head to toe like a tuning fork almost forgetting to whisper a word of thanks for the spared nose and mouth! And then you hear it....applause, cheer, hurrah!! Its a SIX!!!

Victory is sweeter when its unexpected! So is curry!

When I had gone to Fathers John, Laurence and Stefan's house for lunch on Christmas day, they requested me to make the UK famous, Indian 'Curry'. Novice as I am at cooking, but amateur as I am at masking the novice-ness , I made something out of the plethora of spices that the priests had for some unknown reason hoarded up in the kitchen cupboard. They liked it. Phew!

Weeks later, Father Stefan saw me at church and called me aside. "Ashika" he said, " I never paid attention to how you made the curry last time. And I havent stopped thinking about it!!"
Pat pat! Ma would be proud of me!

So, Sush and I, went to Broomhouse to have lunch with the priests this afternoon. They wanted 'authentic' Indian food, so I made, chicken curry and tomato rice (actually the only other things I know how to make apart from omelette and hot water! No, wait! I know how to make sambar too!OHHH! Pat pat!!) And there were guests! (Talk about external examiners!)

Ok, I am not going to go into the details of the whole lunch episode and I am not going to pat myself again (pride cometh before a fall!) but I was a happy lass when the curry and the rice was wiped finish!! And Leo the labrador who usually just gave me a wee glimpse and would trot away, while I ran behind him, today insisted that I give him a tummy rub...I wonder why?! :p!!(oh, btw he ate the rice and curry too!)

Thinking of opening a restaurant in Edinburgh!



Ash

25.1.07

Different Genes!

Its been two weeks since I started volunteering for Salvation Army. I had only heard about them in the many Chicken Soup for the soul books, so out of sheer curiosity I once entered their shop and never looked back!! Because they sold books that otherwise would have been for 20 - 40 pounds for about .5 GBP!! I am a woman and its in my genes to stop and make use of any discount/sale! Hence, everytime I cross the Salvation Army place (its a shame, I know..I've been there so many times, but I still don't know what the place is called!) I end up buying at least one book!

Anyways, since I have'nt exactly been the Queen of Luck with regards to getting a part timer, I thought of at least volunteering. The first day of my volunteering, I am dressed in black trousers, a white shirt and boots - compulsory dress code for the shop. Maggi, the store manager ushers me into the store room - whoaa! The place was filled with all sorts of stuff - clothes, suitcases, shoes, stuffed toys, lingerie (seriously!), books floor to ceiling and I am absolutely not exaggerating! And after showing me the tea pot she introduced me to a lady - my guess was about 50 years- called Somaeya. She was pretty and had the greenest eyeshadow I have ever seen and matching eyes!! So Somaeya got into a rapid - what are you doings, where are you froms etc etc! Within five minutes of being introduced to this lady, I came to know that she was an ex-hippie! Wheee!! She happily recounted tales of her visits to India (yes, I asked her if she was a part of the ISKCON movement- but no she wasnt, said she was too lazy to be involved in spiritual stuff.) and how she spent days smoking hash and doing nothing else!

Anyways, I started sorting out the clothes and hanging them on the shelves after identifying their sizes, it wasnt exactly 'fun' but it was'nt boring either and after I got the hang of it, I was pretty quick at it! After sometime (between which I found out that Somaeya had two cats - an uncle and a nephew- and she loved them to bits and that she had been married once to a person she had had a relationship for seven years and after two days of marraige she walked out :-o) she suddenly asked me,"So Ashaaaika, if you're from India, where are your parents from?" - whaahahahahah?!?!!?!?!!? It took me a second to comprehend what she was asking me and after biting back a 'duh' I said, err...they're from India too.

And then she said something that would make my brother proud (and kind of reiterate what K says as well!) "ohhh, okie..well, you look part malaysian." SIGH! I've grown up with a brother who always said that I had japanese genes because of 'chinky eyes' and 'flat nose' and got that seconded by a best friend( there were very few days when Gaay woildnt point out that I was 'chinky'! And when she wasn't talking about chinkiness, she would...ok, I am not talking about 'that' now!!)

Well, not like I have any problems with looking chinese or malaysian or japanese! But I think of myself as an exotic Indian girl (ok, that was a bit too much!), as a very Indian girl with Indian genes and quite proud of it!

But seriously...a woman who talks to me for a few minutes has a doubt if I am part malaysian- SIGH!

On a more cheerul note(!!) - Clement and Divya - Wish you both a very happy married life! Don't let married life stop you from blogging or posting comments on mine! God bless you both!

18.1.07

Happy Feet!

Thank you Clement for the resourceful pic on ' how to refresh your childhood memories'!! And of course, thank you Sofia and Sushma for torturing me on my sick bed and forcing me to lace up my sneakers because Dr.Sofia (who is not a doctor) and Dr. Sushma (who is also not a doctor) decided that the Happy New Year fever might make me dimmer witted. Hence, it was decided by these honorary docs, that to give my brain an excercise, I must fix those laces! Anyways, despite the fact that I thought I might die of cold, fever and lacing up sneakers, I SURVIVED! And am happily trotting away in the streets of Edinburgh!
So in response to my previous post on 'HELP' - I now have Happy Feet!

6.1.07

When the clock struck 2.....

I am a sound sleeper. I can sleep through any sound , of any nature. Have slept through earthquakes, floods, gales, telephone calls, alarm clocks, kicks, tickles and of course, lectures. But when I dont sleep like I usually do, I know something is terribly wrong. Tonight was one such night. Despite the fact that I had woken up on time (11.00 am :D) and had had a considerably productive day, at 12.00 AM, I was so awake, I thought I had never slept.

12.00 am turned to 12.40 am, which later turned to 1.27 am to 1.50 am. I tried listening to gospel music to Enya to New York nagaram (a personal favorite for all the situational reasons, though it is a bit off the mark considering that New York is nowhere near Fresno and that I am warming my seat in Edinburgh!) but nothing helped. And then, when the clock struck 2....all enlightenment dawned on me...I WAS HUNGRY!!! (Ok, dont ask me what took me two hours to realise that I was hungry! I wont answer you.)

Making a mental meal, I picked up my kitchen keys and walked towards the kitchen, already seeing the spaghetti I had decided to make in all hues and shades of orange and red ( all my dishes are Indianised, be it spaghetti or pasta!) and thinking,"Ash, you must be the craziest girl in the whole world to....well, you must be the craziest girl in the world." Period!

Key in the lock, a twist to the right, a creak and Leonard Horner Hall wouldnt have ever heard nor will.. a scream so loud and in harmony and in two accents, mine and chinese!! lol!! Xi Zhen my cute chinese friend was sitting on the table sorrounded by bread, pasties, soups, chocolate spreads and juice!

"Asshiikha, uu skhaaa meee, I skhaa u" was all she could manage before we both started giggling at the banshee screams we had not known we were capable of! She hadnt been able to sleep and had come to feed the tummy monster as well!! It must have been a funny sight, Ashika, her hair askew, with red spaghetti and a fork along with Xi Zhen again hair askew, with an assortment of dishes and chopsticks! Two girls, in the middle of the night, discussing chinese food and Indian movies, and short concentration spans and sleeping during lectures, while faithfully stuffing our faces!!

We both finished eating some 15 minutes ago! Bade each other good night and I came back to my room secure in the knowledge that I am not as crazy as I had thought I was! Misery and midnight hunger crave company!!

My eyes are starting to droop now, I'll go back to the world of sweet sleep!


Ciao!!
Ash

Agendas and winning

When my children were toddlers, I had a quote stuck on my shelf which read, “When we lose our agendas, everybody wins.” At that time I was j...