Love me for a reason...

Been doing a bit of clean-up today... and found some treasures....

Old letters... love letters :D to Prasan...

The letters were incoherent and were nothing more than a babble... but it brought back memories... and smiles... 

that i was in love... truly madly deeply... what a heady feeling... people telling you that you should fall in love, at least once... And here I am in love.... 

Back then, in love and not realising... and now, in love and taking it for granted....

Blessed soul... to fall in love, to know you are in love... and the icing on the cake... to be loved back in return...

Reminds me of one song that I used to hum when I was a teen... and had stayed with me for the rest of these years...

Dont love me for fun girl, 

Lemme be the one girl

Love me for a reason

Let the reason be love :D

Promises made... And kept???

This is unbelievable! My last post was 4.5 yes ago... And I couldn't even remember my own blog address! Oh, the indignity ( to be read in Gordon's voice, Gordon from Thomas & Friends?... Oh btw, that's a major development that has happened in the not so recent past.... I have a 3.5 yr old, train and vehicle obsessed son😁 )...

Okay, I hereby make a solemn pledge... To revive my blog, my writing skills and also record the interesting and frustrating experiences of my life (which is largely spent yelling at my 7 yo and 3 to).. MAA kasam... 

Om Vigneshvaraya namaha🙏

Ha ha ha...

Historically, I have had the reputation of being a crazy dreamer... err, not like the likes of Walt Disney or Leonardo da Vinci.. more like the go-to-sleep, wake-up-with-a-smile-after-a-crazy dream... have taken after my father, I say :) Thankfully I dont remember most of it now.

Anyway, just wanna record last night's (or should i say, this morning's?) events... heard Srishti laughing like crazy and woke up startled... only to hear her say, ''ei, kadhai solla sonna enna da comedy panre"!!! I couldnt control my laughter... and I asked her, "yaaruda kanne"... you know what she said? Monica Aunty and Rachel Aunty!!!

Oh yes, they are the very same, Mon and Rach ;) yippee... my daughter is officially a Friends fan too :D :D :D

Sorry, that's not what this post is about...

Actually, what is this post about? I dont know :D I just wanted to write I guess.

Am laughing now. Purpose served :D

Midnight movie...

Dint like Calvin Klein, sorry Kevin Kline, at first sight… but fell in love with him, gradually… like Meg Ryan… 

It’s just another love story, the typical rom-coms… boy-meets-girl, they don’t get along well, fall in love eventually, without even realising it… 

So, what’s so special about the movie? Was it Meg Ryan’s unpretentiousness and liveliness? Or Calvin Klein, aww, not again, Kevin Kline’s French-tinged English? Or the French setting and the countryscape? May be the simple dialogues and the hint of smile tbrings to your lips? 

Wait, I think I know - the chemistry… “and can’t have you… I want you…. ” and all I could think of was, oh god, just kiss him, kiss him, why don’t u kiss him, you dumb woman!@#

Or may be am just sixteen at heart and haven’t quite gotten cured of my romanticism :D 

Who cares… I loved it! A French Kiss at midnight :)

Break ke baad...

Oooh boy... I should not have called it righters-block... see, four years and not a single post... and its not like I was busy ;) Anyway, lets get started before it gets stopped, again... guess am rusty... but I am planning to be at it... till i get my touch back :) Before I run out of steam, here it is... "I, Meenakshi Subramanian, hereby solemnly declare, I shall keep this one running. For as long as I can write, think, love, laugh and go crazy." Promise. To me. Yours sincerely, Meenakshi M. Subramanian.

Need a window...

To my bulging belly! Wanna see what the lil un is upto... how (s)he takes to my yummy snacks and not-so-yummy tablets! My musical talents and my OCD wid a spotless kitchen counter!

Till death do us apart

Who do you think is the biggest celebrity couple that the world has seen? You are unpardonably not in my league if you think of the Abhi-Ash ‘spectacle’… Brangelina and Saifeena do not count…

Who else? Princess Di was more famous and charming than a placid-looking Prince Charles…
Agreed - the Kennedys were a pretty picture… the Obamas are very charismatic – individually and together…

But if you are Indian, and a Tamizhan, then well – you would cent per cent agree with my choice – No, am not gonna say “my parents”. They can easily qualify, but then, am not conceited enough to think they are celebrities:D

Anyway my vote goes to - Kalki Sadasivam and MS Amma. I have always thought of them as a cute couple – but the more I read, the more charming the couple become!
Am far too inexperienced and lowly to ever comment upon them… but trust me, I have never seen devotion, love and pride reflect more in the eyes of any other woman at the sight of her husband!

May be am old-fashioned when I think its charming the way MS blindly followed the path her husband chartered… or conservative when I say Kalki was the rudder of the ship called MS. But show me one person who has not been charmed by this couple… despite my strong convictions about independence and individuality, i cant deny being fascinated by MS amma's devotion to her husband...

'Made for each other' - sounds like an understatement, eh! :)

Also, check out this site… http://www.msstribute.org/index.php
And let me know IF you did not get goose pimples…

The Whole Six Yards… II

‘My tryst with the ethereal Sari’

Forget the Gandhis and the Rekhas… lets focus on ‘normal people’ who are transformed into women of substance on adorning this six yard enigma… like me!

My experiment with the sari dates back to Std XII (farewell)... and I have felt beautiful in one, everytime...

Yes, even when the first time I wore it outside the safety of Ram Daya and it gave away, most embarassingly, in my school compound! Even when Freida Miss, my 7th grade teacher, draped it up again, in the sidelines of the Middle School block... Even when I had to ride a bike (triples, mind you), climb the stairs, catch a train, walk the 0.5 km distance to MCW, run up three flight of stairs to the auditoriums or even break into an extempore dance to Dola re... Even on the eve of my wedding, perspiring despite the AC room and stripped in front of ten 'helpers'… Even at a swank DB Party at a posh Hyatt and went breathless at the voice of the performer…

Even when I have always been 5 feet and never the 50 kg taj mahal :), I have felt beautiful in the Sari.

And not without good reason, for the mystical sari tactically camouflages the wearer’s flaws while brilliantly flaunting her assets!!! ;)

Agreed, they are not the most convenient for today’s superwoman who has to juggle between her home and office… its quicker to zip up trousers and button up shirts, than pleat saris and pin up pallus but IMHO it is still the most elegant of clothes in the history of mankind (should I say, womankind???) …

I do admit to fantasies of me decked up in that flowing white ball gown with a train or an exquisite kimono with its flying sleeves... but the Sari rules the roost, true to my roots  And I guess most women would agree with me!

My wardrobe comprises of various textures - crisp cottons, chic chiffons, heavenly rubber silks, classy Kanjeevarams, dashing Benares and sleek synthetics; however, the eye-catching Ikkats, aesthetic Pochampallis and bright Bandhinis beckon me to take them home… guess my love affair with the sari shall continue… after all, doesn’t a Sari represent the Indian feminity, like no other attire 

Boy, am glad I am a woman!

Cookers and Packers!

Fact: 'Healthy eating encourages five or six small sized meals as against three king-sized meals'

Yeah, any health conscious dud would tell you that! And I religiously follow it! The only hitch - who will make and pack those 5 (ok only 3 to be packed) meals?

Well, dieticians and nutritionists across the globe might swear by this method... in fact, it is a recommended food chart for every aspiring loser - i mean, weight loser :)

Everyday I carry 4 dabbas to office, in addition to the breakfast I eat at home and the snack/juice I have in the office! One bowl of dal and rice, one bowl of veggies, one bowl of curd (which is already in the process of becoming buttermilk) and a small dabba of nuts/fruits!
And there have been days, when I have been tempted to not carry a bag - just my wallet and cellphone, but my oh my, where will I accomodate that big apple or a pack of multi-grain biscuits? (Boy, am I glad about the big bag trend! )

But I just need more clarity on how this 5 meal system works in a weight loss regimen... does it help by
A. spacing out meals, increasing metabolism and cutting down on hunger pangs and binges OR
B. by increasing the effort of making and packing the meals and thereby burning calories?
(p.s. there are no calorie charts available for packing food - skipping, bathing, even writing finds a mention in the chart!)

Time taken for cooking food - 10 minutes
Time taken for packing food - 15 minutes

Sorry, what was your question? What? Have I lost? Yeah, i have...
I have lost count of my weight :D

Yours heavily,
Meenakshi! :D

The Whole Six Yards… I

‘Sa se sattika se Saree’

An article in The Hindu Metro Plus prompted me to do a quick Google on our desi haute couture – the Sari!

True, much has been said about the timelessness of a Sari and there is not much ‘value add’ that I can bring… but I can’t help but marvel at the grace of this six yard sentiment…

Whether it was Draupadi’s Vastrapaharana or merely a weaver-lover’s day dreams of his doe-eyed - which gave birth to the Sari remains unknown, but the fact remains that we have embraced the Sari in a way no other civilization has held on to its ethnic dress.

Originating from the Prakrit word Sattika or Sanskrit ‘sati’ meaning a piece of cloth, the sari is as old as the Indus Valley Civilization and currently is designed in dimensions of 47X326 inches… Worn over a long skirt and a short blouse, saris are draped to be one of the most sensual of clothes. More importantly, it’s the most suitable garment, given the big busted, pear-shaped Indian frame and the tropical climes of the Indian sub-continent!

Interestingly, blouses (in essence, stitching and tailoring) were unknown in these parts of the world, until the advent of the Mughal Empire! Imagine the men’s merriment - must have had a field day, everyday (or did they grow indifferent?)!!!

I remember reading somewhere that it was not until the early 20th century that the sari got its current draping style! Mind you, there are quite a few draping patterns too – the normal one, the Gujarati ishtyle, the Coorgi version and of course the more filmy ones (remember Asha Parekh and Mumtaz in their fish-like layered saris?)

Silk textures are invariably the Kanjeevaram (prima donna, no doubt), Benares, Tussar, Raw and Mysore; and there are ofc the ubiquitous cottons, the sensual chiffons and crepes! Each suited in particular for a specific frame and occasion!

And how about the designs? Numerous - am just gonna attempt listing down a few… feel free to add more 

1. Chikan – the single strand running stitch originating in UP!
2. Bandhini – the Gujju and Madu tie and dye patterns!
3. Kantha – another running stitch pattern and authentically Bengali
4. Chettinad – the Tam checks and boxes and weave patterns
5. Coimbatore – our Manchester of the South’s own cotton variety
6. Mangalagiri – with its traditional color combinations and borders
7. Ikkat – Orissa’s famous block prints
8. Pochampalli – the Andhra version of the geometrical Ikkat prints
9. Kota, Chanderi, Gadwal, Dharwad etc…

Fine tune the material/texture and the accessories according to the occasion and lo, you have a garment that can never stop being a show stopper, be it at a party or to the office, a wedding or, god forbid, even a funeral!

Guess the biggest and most powerful brand ambassador for saris these days is, well, not an Indian by birth! Yeah, the Italian-born Ms Sonia Gandhi is known all over for her charismatic and yet simplistic style statements!

My all time favourites – the ever so elegant Rajmata Gayatri Devi and of course, the diva of Ind Biz - Chanda Kochhar :D

2009 - The year that was!

That time of the year when people make n no.of 'best of 20**' lists'! Best ten movies of the year, Best ten songs of 2009, 50 most desirable men/women of 2009, Top ten ads of year, Top ten flops of the year, Most ten engrossing media stories of the year.... so on and so forth...
So why should i be left behind... after all, am the all-in-all azhagu rani in this blog!

Ok here goes mine - most 'happened' events of the 2009!
1. Beginning of my real married life with Prasan :)!
2. Prasan's placement with Db and my transfer
3. Our European sojourn - ahem, a second honeymoon...
4. A good news from dear Deeps :)
5. Record no.of movies watched in theatre (by my stds - almost one every 1.5 months :D - including a late night :D)
6. My first ever experiment with scissors and hair :D shhh... this is a secret pls...
7. My culinary experiments on hubby dear - ha ha! Kulfi, vadai, parathas, kozhakattais, usili!
8. Forceful curtailing of my mobility - my pushpak left behind in Chennai - bu hu bu :(
9. Meenu, Gujju saadi and Garba dance - Long live Paati!!!
10. My first year without any major mishap to my cell fone!
11. My second continous year with ample leave balance - historically, have boasted a -ve bal of close to 20 days p.a!
12. My Blog! Yippee - its finally up (am not sure if its really running)
13. Most disastrous year professionally - hardly more than three projects and all of them bombed (mind u, am not to be blamed for any!)!!!

Hmm... decent list i should say - can look back with satisfaction!!!
Hope 2010 promises much better things - a nephew-in-the-waiting, Bhagu's wedding, so on and and so forth... lets see... - after all, yeh dil maange more... :)

Life's Good!

Bought a new LG CTV and a Philips DVD Player on Sunday!
My bday gift from Prasan :D
(Yeah right - I bought 'him' a Washing Machine on his bday and he gets 'me' a TV and DVD on mine... ;) ajab bday gift ki ghazab kahani...)

Welcome!!!

Appa and Amma - welcome :) to unlimited access to internet and therefore to blogs (he he, mine and deepa's, ofc :)).
Clap clap clap - to the net savvy family!!!
Courtesy: Seeru-Deepa and their old PC :)

p.s my European sojourn shall soon find a place in this blog world :)
time constraints for the time being! (Meenu SLOGS from 9.30 am to 8.15 pm everyday in office !!! :'( sob sob sob )

Rathiri... navarathiri...

Navrathri 2009 - One of the most memorable Navrathris :) and in the Maximum City :)
Until this year, my 'navarathiri' centred around Amma, dolls, dhavani-pavadai/pattu sari, paatu problem! But for the last one, the others were fun!

You see, just like TamBram boys have to wear a பூணல், all TamBram gals have to know ஸ ரி க ம ப த நி!!! நம்ம தான் musically impaired ஆச்சே :D... ask Raji! 'எந்தன் நெஞ்சில் நீங்காத தென்றல்' ன்னு பாடினா, அது 'சின்ன சின்ன ஆசை' மாதிரி இருக்கும்!!! Not that I bothered – The maximum repercussion would be had in my valuation in the marriage market... Undervalued and target price cut ;)

Recapitulating, Navrathri 09 was a world apart from my earlier 'Navarathiri's! Mumbai had more to do with colours, sticks, naach-gaana (for a change, not the மருகேளர ஒ ராகவா gaana gharana)... Nights here were noisier and a riot of gaiety and colours – of red and yellow bandhinis and chaniya cholis, clinky metal and shell jewels, dancing garba and dandiya!!! Shaking a leg to Filmi music… in other words, it was disco night (one disco where stags are preferred over couples ;)) with God’s approval (kadavul than enaku nalla budhiya tharanum :D)

So this time, Meenu danced to the tunes of Garba - once in a bright blue lehenga choli and once again in a bright red gujju saadi :)... thank you paati :)

Boy, did I love it! ;)

Sore points - missed Amma and Prasan immensely and never let it show! :(

Meri marzi...

Ever since G's marriage topic came up, ppl have been asking C (yes yes, C - no typo... u see, G and C are best buddies and close family friends... more like twins :) ) - some nudged her subtly - "ponne, ini nee than baaki"; "nee G oda friend thane? unaku eppo?"; bolder ones adviced "intha vayasula pannikama 30 vayasulaya pannika pore?"; the nosey ones - aka 'nalam virumbis' - went a step further "enna ma, yaarayavathu love panraiya??"

C's crime? - she is 26 (ofc she cant help aging every year), successful (read as well educated and employed, good looking, abundantly talented, very idealisticon, on her road to fame...), single (happily so :))! Now you know!

Me thinks, she – in her heart of hearts, has a notion that she would lose her independence after marriage… or may be she hasnt felt any need for a man in her life!

If you ask me (Thats the problem - nobody asks ME! :P ), whats wrong if she wants to stay single and independent…she might think marriage is a curtailment, of sorts and married women might think she is missing out on something big in life… The grass is always greener the other side ('this side', in this case)… As long as she is happy, what more can one possibly ask…

This question has always ravaged my 'not-so-informed' mind – why does the conscious decision of staying single (hey dont let imagination run wild - C hasn’t decided on anything; she is the Que sera sera gal :) these are just my deep-ramblings) prompt so many arguments and judgments??? Coming to think of it - does marriage matter much these days? Only in close knit societies like ours, which attach a pedestal-high importance to marriages and family, would a personal choice of this stature find many naysayers and critics.

But why oh why, should people - women, in particular - not stay single? They hardly have to make major compromises, in terms of career, actions, thought processes, sartorial statements, lifestyle, parents and siblings, finances; you can live life by your own terms… All the world’s your family… You can adopt lovable, adorable kids (though one might not be radical enough to become a biological parent, out of wedlock)!

And, on the contrary, what do these single people choose to compromise? The soothing company of a loving, non-judgmental, impartial, logical and feel-good confidante, play mate and companion (am not accounting for those unlucky married ones, who do not find even a single such characteristic in their life partner)… darling biological kids (lets discount the few who are not so blessed with this God’s own gift!!!)… an extended set of family, that’s ready to do anything for you (we shall again discount in laws who set the daughters-in-law aflame)... more importantly, solid company during their second childhood!!!

I cant unequivocally say family and matrimony are NOT hindrances to non-domestic success. They, of course, come with a lot more responsibility – a woman, for instance, has to take care of two families (her parents’ and her in laws, in addition to her immediate family!) And juggling a task as demanding as this, with careers/other creative pursuits, that are equally if not more demanding, is certainly a tight rope walk!!! Am sure there are scores of women who have done it – Ranjana Kumar, Margaret Alva, Sushma Swaraj, Indra Nooyi, Chanda Kocchar, P.T.Usha, Sharmila Tagore (Sudha Murthy gave up, by her own choice, what could have easily been a flourishing career, for the sake of family; so did Jaya Bachhan)… and there are quite a few who have done it the other way too – JJ, Padma Subramaniam, Rekha, Sushmita Sen (so far)…

Am I being shortsighted, when, from the bottom of my heart, I say, people can be happy – with or without their spouse (I cant and I don’t want to be… thats a different perspective)… after all, you cant miss what you haven’t had/known!!! Dint sanyasis and sadhus find peace and salvation without even a mere thought of matrimonial and domestic bliss?

I dont think am mature or enlightened enough to analyse and bisect the meaning, purpose, goal or objective of marriage... but what i do believe in is happiness! என் சிற்றறிவுக்கு எட்டிய வரை, all that matters at the end of the day, is what appeals to ones own heart – and shall most likely remain to appeal forever!!!

After all, doesnt happiness lies within oneself!!! If you knew of the Bushman tribe, you wouldn’t dispute it!!!

Nalam nalam ariya aaval...

One of the most noteworthy incidents in my life was (wait, am not gonna touch upon poignant, life altering, touching, or even shocking incidents such as my wedding or the glow of pride on my parents' faces at the Delhi Awards Ceremony or my first sight of my niece or the death of a young class teacher or the emotionally packed night repartees wid Deeps) when I, well, snubbed a lady of my neighborhood!!! :) wow... what a cheap thrill... wat a sense of victory adn accomplishment - trust me, even the Gold Medal or the All India First dint feel so good :)...

Thank the intruding and annoying habits of the previous generation (not the madisaar clad madi maamis, but sari draped, cell phone wielding aunties)...
Their dogma in life is that the first wedding anniversary should always be celebrated by the couple with a two-month old kid(my math is impeccable!) - preferably a son... ! Their antenna (read as math) gets worked up all the more if they live in an agrahaaram like mine and get to see such a 'chamathu (maatu)ponnu' like me...
(yuck, i hate the label, but i guess i have earned it unwittingly and now, unwillingly :( )

My fault? I defied traditional 'wisdom' and convention - celebrated my second wedding anniversary alone (not even wid my better half, let alone an infant ;))
Now this lady - we will call her Madam Nalam virumbi - a self appointed moral policewoman, whom i have hardly spoken to once before (well, she has spoken to me on a number of occasions - "emma skirt podara??? decent a chudithar poda koodathu?"... "en ma ipdi kovilla fast a suthare? ponnu madiri medhuva nada" !@#$%!@#...) runs into me at the temple... (with her, i rein in my ready-to-burst-at-its-seams smile)
Namma Nalam virumbi asks me, indignantly - "enna, pullai killai pethukara ennam illaya"!!!

Horror of horrors - something my own mother wouldnt dare ask me - my own athais and maamis wouldnt reproach me... this woman has the GUTS, the self-importance and noseyness to confront me!

Meenu, mustering all her wit (limited stock), rudeness, indifference, arrogance adn local tamil, retorted - "oh, pombalai thaniya pulla pethuka mudiyuma...purushan oor la illama"! கப்பு சிப்பு... அந்த பக்கம் sound e காணோம்...
On second thoughts, i guess I did sound crude ,vulgar and may be even promiscous, but the expression on Nalam virumbi's face - price less :) !!!

A head full of brain..er...mane

Hair - a very intriguing phenomenon and Murphy's close relative:

When I wanted to grow it long - it grew one inch in six months;
And now when I want to keep it styled and 'step'ped - it grows one unruly inch in less than one month!

Nostalgia

Remembered a beautiful song my 7th std. teacher had taught us...
Pls put aside theological sentiment and merely bask in the essence!!!

If I were a butterfly,I'd thank You Lord for giving me wings.
If I were a robin in a tree,I'd thank You Lord that I could sing.
If I were a fish in the sea,I'd wiggle my tail and I'd giggle with glee,
But I just thank You Father for making me, me.

For you gave me a heart and you gave me a smile,
You gave me Jesus and you made me your child,
And I just thank you Father for making me, me.

If I were an elephantI'd thank you Lord, by raising my trunk.
If I were a kangaroo,You know I'd hop right up to you.
If I were an octopus,I'd thank you Lord for my fine looks.
But I just thank you Father for making me, me.

If I were a wiggly worm,I'd thank you Lord that I could squirm.
If I were a fuzzy, wuzzy bear,I'd thank you Lord for my fuzzy, wuzzy hair.
If I were a crocodile,I'd thank you Lord for my great smile.
But I just thank you Lord for making me, me.

And the answer is...

http://www.iqtest.com/prep.html?test=final

Because I have a constant fear of becoming mentally inactive (chaar saal se tho bus Ctrl C Ctrl V karthi aa rahi hoon ;)) and of letting my hare-brain rust away to glory, one fine day I took this IQ Test (Google threw this up first – Tickle seems to have closed down).

What followed was thirteen minutes of suspense and mental anguish (what if my IQ had drastically lowered, after more than 50 golden months of idleness???)

Phew… 121…read as (http://iq-test.learninginfo.org/iq04.htm) Superior to 90% of the population (he he, let me please bask in my moment under the sun; we are merely discussing statistics you see… not actual accomplishments :))

And yeah, pretty much in the same percentile as to what it was four years ago (discovery courtesy – Tickle score mail stored in a near extinct, wiped-from-the-face-of-earth(internet) mail id – checkout_aparna@yahoo.co.in)

Work is when somebody makes u do it!

Have some work am in no mood to do

Deadline in an hour or two!