Petrichor

I am from a Catholic school & I more or less know the life of Jesus. I've never watched "The ten commandments" during Good Friday or Easter back in India. I can be unpredictable when it comes to such movies. I happened to pick this dvd from the library last week. Wondering how easily I got hold of such a hard-to-get movie, I later realized that it was the Hebrew version. I would not have understood head or tail of it but for the subtitles. It started slow, but I got into it soon enough, probably because, I knew bits & pieces of the story already. On the other hand, the movie put my hubby to sleep after mentioning that I like & watch all "saamy padams" :-) No doubt, the movie was gross & grueling when it came to showing the torture on Jesus. I would gladly throw up on some of those scenes ie., when the Jew soldiers fit a thorned fence on his head, the prior torture scene beating him until the very last crucification. No one deserves such torture f...

We planned to stay back home for Memorial day weekend. A local hike found its way one day! Dipsea trail from Muir Woods to Stinson Beach. RT 10 miles. Photos from the hike:

The time to be happy is now The place to be happy is here And the way to be happy is to make someone happy.... This old song from school just flashed my mind :)

A poem I came across for Mother's day written by a mother. "I love you" - Carl Sandburg I sit here quietly Watching them while they sleep I wonder And my heart is torn How my love for them Grew so strong That I feel breathless It sometimes even hurts Yet I am never tired Of watching their little faces As they sleep. I can see That they are running In their dreams Their legs move Back and forth... Are they on a beach? Or in green grass fields? So what if when I am tired They ruin the room again Are they not the reasons Which makes me forget every pain Oh Lord! Tell me How possibly could I live? Before I was a mother I never knew this bliss. Be thoughtful for your mom always and treat your mother like a princess everyday. That can be the most wonderful gift to your mom.

I have my own reservations about Walmart & their products. I shop selectively though. For a minute, I thought differently. Last saturday, I had to be somewhere & I was late. Only when I entered the car, did I realize I did not have my purse, which had my license(& credit cards & SSN card & Costco card & ATM card & a couple of blank checks)! I had to be somewhere. So, sweet hubby brought along some books(to read while I was gone) to give me a ride, wait there a couple hours before he could pick me up. :-) Half way, I realized I could not concentrate there when I had lost my purse. So, made a U turn home & check & re-check where all I had been. Ran a flash back & soon realized Walmart was my last stop. So, called them. The lady at 'lost & found' was on a break. I was asked to call back in an hour. Knowing my nature, hubby offered to drive there & check out personally, thinking we may give better information about where I ' might...

I am a control freak! Yeah. I like certain things to be done certain way & I push people(a little) to do it that way(a.k.a my way) & I give advice to others not to push their friends/kids. What a hypocrisy! Well! I am not a bad person. I don't want people to do things my way just because I want them to follow my orders, but more because, I think I tend to trust others less than myself. I like my vessels to be in their places, checks deposited on time, Mail-In-Rebates posted on time, clothes in place & worst of it all, I expect all of them to be done just as I am thinking of them, as in, NOW!!! I think that is where the problem is.*sigh* If I place myself in other's shoes, I doubt if I can take my own wishes. I strongly do not believe in New Year resolutions. If I decide not to do something, I will make an honest attempt not to do it. So, here I am, making a conscious attempt to put this habit behind me. I am going to still be clean; just planning to give the other p...

Why do we all get married? I do not want to generalize things here, though. 1. Definitely not to pick on my husband at every oppurtunity. 2. Not to complain that he is not the right person for me. 3. Not to nag about his entire family. 4. Not because my mother wanted me to. 5. Definitely not because I wanted to cook. 6. Not because I wanted to quit my job, leave my parents & come to the US. Coming to think of it, I doubt if I thought of so many things before I got married. But now that I am, I think I can give a couple of reasons why I enjoy 'being married'. 1. To begin a loving family. 2. To grow in love together. 3. To understand. 4. To laugh. 5. To play. 6. To hike together. 7. To learn from each other. 8. To hold hands in silence when things go wrong. 9. In many instances, to just be 'for' each other. When you are on your own & fumble on certain things, a loving voice to say, "its okay, hon" goes a long way. I am so glad 'that' life did ...

I walk to the ocean. I smell the salt humid air. I breathe! The air brushes across my face attempting an air-painting! The Sun is setting into the Pacific. I see: a couple enjoying the setting Sun from their chair looking out for the ocean; a couple trying to get their feet wet in the cold waters; kids showing-off their sand castles to their parents; a family playing 'fetch' with their dog.. The air is cold! In a few moments, the Sun will be gone for the day & fill the sky with twinkling stars for the romance to stay! I, like a million others, am witnessing all of this with a cup of hot chocolate & my hubby. That makes my day. I close my eyes & all this is just a flash. It has been a while since I've done all that. Miss it so much! Maybe, its "Nature's call"! Sometimes, I forget to remind myself to live every moment. When everything seems to go wrong, there is this hope, this tiny happiness that sparks your day! All this, just around the corner. J...

I saw some recent Tamil movies over the weekend & I just could not sit there & watch it in full. Right from Rajini's sunglass, cigarettes style to Vijay's total makeover of the superstar, only the years have passed. The same flour being grinded again & again(& again & again...) I've often heard people say, "When you watch Rajini's movies, you will have to keep your logic outside the theatre". My question is, "apdiyavathu atha pakanuma?"[*kothikirathu ratham, athai adaku, adaku engirathu meesai*] All Indians who watch these movies think themselves to be a superstar when they walk around Spencers until a local Karupayee says, " ayye, moonjiya munna pinna kannadila pathirukiya? Vanthutan kadala poda". Kashta kalam! I was so glad that Bharathiraaja is not active into movies anymore, but last time I went to India, he was on almost all "Vizha's". Don't tell me he is going to get into politics!!![*wits end*] W...

I am done with 2 loads of laundry now(huge load due to laziness). I could not help myself from lying down on those dried warm clothes. I used to do that every saturday(Amma's saree preferable) when I was a kid(other days got school). However hot Chennai got, freshly warm dry clothes really make a good bed. When you are from a tropical place, it stays with you for ever. I don't know if I am sounding really out-of-the-ordinary here. Is it only me having fairy tale days or do others do it too?

My friend told me about this. He knew it from a friend who picked it from a blog :) But check this out; Its real fun. Just go to Google maps & try to find directions from New York, NY to London, England. Go down to step 23. What does it say to you? Think you can do it? Google is ever so thoughtful!

I got free tickets to this movie & we were not sure if we would make it within this weekend. But we found time & we got to watch it at a nearby theatre. I loved the movie. Very inspirational! It reminded some ordinary & important things in life. "People who are the hardest to love, need it the most" - this is from the movie & it brought a smile on my face whenever it was used on the screen. "Happiness is in the journey & not the destination." "Nothing remains the same forever; So enjoy the now." Dan: Where are you? Soc: Here. Dan: What time is it? Soc: Now. Dan: What are you doing? Soc: This. So many of us think about yesterday or tomorrow that we forget the 'now'. By focusing on what we do now & not thinking about what others may think or feel about you, its surprising 'how much' we can do. I later got to know that the movie was inspired from a book by Dan Millman. That would be my next read. Wikipedia brought this ...

Check the news link. This was today's highlight! "People in the US use the road more than anywhere else in the world." That's no news. As a frequent roadtripper, I cannot help feeling guilty about the increase. Why? We hit the road often & contribute to the increasing demand. Every time I see the smog layer when I drive, it kills me. All of this is not going to last very long. Yeah, that's what I feel. California, in all of US ranks high in gasoline prices(that's not news). "California is also isolated from other refining centers in the United States. Because most of California is designated by the federal government as an air quality "non-attainment" area, our gasoline must meet stringent air quality requirements to burn cleanly to protect public health and the environment." Though, I really doubt if we would stop(or reduce) our trips due to the increase in gas prices, I do plead guilty. The least I can do! (God! Bring the gas prices d...

I just noticed that I've been mentioning hubby a lot lately. At one time, it gave me a feeling that I was picturing him like a lazy, crazy guy. Not to be mistaken, please. Hubby dubby is a very sweet guy who cares a heaven lot about me. These are just everyday's blabbering :-)

10 years ago...why 10, until the day I got married, Amma was constantly behind my back telling me to do my things on time, never postpone, keep things in their places, brush your teeth twice a day, don't rush to work, call before you leave work, close after you open anything in the kitchen....trust me, the list is endless. "Amma, give me a break"! I never really thought too much about it, though I should agree that I was getting better with age :-) I wouldn't call it nagging. If I didn't do anything properly, she would tell it again & again & finally end up doing it herself. Ana, ippo, I am at the giving side. I am telling my hubby to do things on time, to keep stuff in the right places etc. How different am I from Amma? Well, I nag!!! Now, I understand how much it means to keep things in place & watch less TV. I wonder now, how Amma managed to tell me & not nag even once! Guess, its a fine line(or not!). I better watch what I am doing from now on....

Television has changed a child from an irresistible force to an immovable object. ~Author Unknown Everytime me & hubby watch a movie, we end up feeling guilty for having wasted time & assume & assure one another that this will not happen again. But when there is a dvd on the shelf, we just watch it, again. Hubby calls it relaxation. Relaxation from me!!! We generally start watching a movie together, but he gets so into the TV/movie that he needs a relaxation from that. I've rarely seen him work with that much focus. One thing I understand is, it is addictive & you end up spending way more time than you have. But we do it, all the same. Guess, its one of the necessary evils! And yeah! Men watch more TV than women. I have a living proof at home :-| A general blah blah post!

...I seldom seem to do :-( I worked so hard for my piano test today. As always, I got nervous & missed a note here & there while playing. Well! My prof sure seems to have experience with such people. He could understand :-) Was a little overjoyed when I knew my marks. For how long? Until he told us the date of the next performance test, a little over a month away! Darn. I will have to start working on 6 new songs. Now, I think. I could not enjoy or relish one moment of my victory, huh? What a pity! Moral: Its good to plan, but not to the extent where I live in the future & not the present!

If you are a Harry Potter fan, I warn you: Do not read any further! I've been a little behind & was eager to catch up with Harry Potter's series. Order of the Phoenix was not heavy only by size, also by contents. Ok, now I am revealing the suspense!!! I can't take it anymore. My head it breaking into pieces already. Sirius gets killed :-( This came as much a shock to me as Harry himself. Probably because of this, I did not like the book very much. So, I borrowed "half-blood prince" from the library thinking this cannot give me a worser news than the previous one. Alas! it did! Dumbledore gets killed in this one :-((( I've been way to upset to do anything today. What next? Maybe as my husband says, probably Rowling will kill Potter in her final book. ugh! The issue here is, I hate what is happening in book now. But cannot stop reading. I've got to know how it ends. Would definitely read "Deathly hallows". Until then, will manage with as muc...

Being a hiker for a while, I've had the opportunity to come across some mighty animals like grasshoppers, spiders, bees & slugs. Of all of these, slugs, specially, banana slug makes me feel "yucky". Well! That's my problem, isn't it. I have looked down on these creatures on the trail & have wondered "why". Well, turns out, as all other creatures, they hold an important job! Never in my wildest dreams would I google for a "banana slug"! Apparently, in reality, I did :-( But seriously, considering their size & speed, they have a very important job & they do it every minute of every day. Next time I see one on a trail, I might not lift my hat, but at least hang around to see what it actually does.

My first try at Panning during our last road trip. On I5 S. Observation: Panning is not as easy as it sounds. Exposure is a major issue. It is not easy to move your camera as much as you think :-( Who the hell found this technique??? grrrr