Pretty much..

For some reason I have not been having an active life. There isn't much happening in my life and I have become lazy.

Yet let me share whatever bit I have been doing. I spotted a shop where they teach to knit, crochet and stitch during one of walks. I joined and it's been a nice thing I did. They don't charge for teaching but you have to buy the supplies from there. Most of all, I got to meet new people. Of course all are females; and it was so astonishing to note that everybody was working, had their careers yet all were working on at least one project - knit, cross stitch or crochet. A few sample careers are a high school teacher, a forensic expert, a multi faceted person who paints, act and decorates, a mechanical engineering student who also teaches maths part time so on. People knit their own sweaters, make baby blankets for new babies, crochet bedspreads and table cloths and other projects for decoration, cross stitched purses or knitted dolls etc. We just chit chat and share stories of our lives. There are many who have migrated to the US at some point of time. So I get to hear about their countries and cultures too. Ad of course, I have learnt the basics of crochet and knitting. My first project was a crocheted cell phone pouch. There is so much to learn though.

The other new thing I tried - home made cake for my husband's birthday - Black forest egg less cake. I tried other dishes too like Kozhkattai for Vinayaka chathurthi, arachivitta sambhar and beans usili. Will update those recipes in my other blog.

What I'm excited about - Trip to India next month for a close relative's wedding. Am all excited to meet everyone back home, indulge in a wide variety of foods, dress up for the wedding events so on. We also started out to shop for India trip but mostly ended up window shopping. Anything and everything is labelled "Made in China" or "Thailand, Pakistan, India". Did not find anything worth the price. As everyone does, will buy chocolates before we leave.

These days my husband gets lost into the series "LOST". I don't follow it so closely but do watch it quite often and get the gist of what I missed from hubby. Earlier I was watching Desperate Housewives and am waiting for the next season to start this weekend. Airtel Super Singer 3 and Neeya Naana keeps me entertained too. Some afternoons, if this site works http://livetvchannelsfree.net , I watch movies telecast in sun tv or just see sun music. We had a great time at the ARR concert and it's the first time I get to see so many Indians flocked in one place.

And if we decide to eat out, it always turns out to be a Thai restaurant ordering Potstickers, Pad Kee Maw with soft tofu and Thai Iced Tea.

That's pretty much what I have been doing.

Have been..

1. Listening to Hello FM(Chennai/Pondy) n Oli(Singapore) radio stations through Wunder Radio app in Iphone. Was delighted to hear Suchi's voice. They also played some instrumentals I could recognise..the classic Chinna chiru kiliyea, Theeradha vilayatu pillai, Mahaganapathim. And lovely songs from the 90's such as from Roja, Bombay, Indian. Apart from Radio, I also listen to fmworldmusic . With its varied channels, I always find some favourite song being played.

2. Reading Joy in the morning by PG Wodehouse and Emma by Jane Austen rented from the local library. Wonderful system here.. no joining fees or rent for books. Everything is free! Only if u miss a book or bring it late, you ought to pay a fine.
The library also has DVDs, audio books etc.

3. Watching old movies such as Agni Natchathiram, Poovellam Ketupar, Thiruda thiruda.

4. Using Logitach Vid than Skype of late for video calling. It doesnt seem to have texting option however.

5. Having Begetarian(thats how the person at the counter says it) Chalupa from Taco Bell and Dominos Crispy Thin crust veg pizza often.

6. Seeing the FIFA craziness catching up on Facebook.

7. Disappointed that Google voice doesn't support sending sms'es anymore.

That's all for now about me.. So what have you been doing?

Mangal Sutra /Thaali

All of us tamilians know the significance of thaali. I just want to share two episodes that happened with my thaali.

First was when we went to Darjeeling trip and visited a friend of my dad's while returning. The lady of the house fed us well with rice, dal, panneer and vegetables.
After food and talk, she wanted to see my mangal sutra. She was fascinated to see it. According to her custom, after marriage she has to wear a particular bangle which her mother in law brings. The mangal sutra is optional. She always wanted to make a thaali like the South Indians. She asked for all the details and even made a drawing of my thaali. I was so excited to see someone who was so fascinated by the South Indian thaali (not the food plate which is also thali..lol).

The next incident happened recently near the swimming pool here. The girl walked to me and said "Your necklace is so beautiful." She was amazed and was looking into it. She was asking if it was gold and she could recognise one pink colour stone as ruby. Then I told her that those are the images of deities. She did not understand much but was keen on knowing which was the man and which the woman. Then she touched it and admired it. Then she said its lovely and told me to put it in and keep it safe.

It surprises me to find people who are so fascinated by our so common thaali. I was also happy to give them a mini-lecture about it.

Sea World

Sea World, San Diego
This place is a few hours drive from home. We drove to this place and upon entering the parking lot, we found out that certain rides and shows were cancelled for the day due to maintenance work. Disappointed, we proceeded however.

First we saw the sea lion. At every feeding point (sea lions, bat ray, dolphin etc) there would be a counter where they sell food for these animals (small fish) which we can buy and feed the animals. We just watched others feed.



We went to see the Bat rays, eels and the stars of the sea. These are our palm sized star fishes in different colours. They look like stones. You can close you fingers ,lift them and place on top of your hand. After about a minute, they cling to your hand. Only then do you realise that they are living creatures. We took one in hand and took pictures. The water was damn freezing and I couldnt hold it until it changed shape. My husband held one for a while and it clung to his hand. But by that time, his palm started freezing. Then we left the star fish back in the pond, washed our hands and moved on. We went into the fresh water aquarium and watched the varied species of fishes.We saw orange coloured beautiful flamingos in the Flamingo Cove.
There was a ride called Shipwreck rapids. It was not so thrilling but an enjoyable one.


We had lunch in a cafe over there. I managed to get a Burger and chocolate drink. My husband got some kind of fish. Then we went to the Shamu show. I thought these to be large dolphins but later realised they were whales and dangerous creatures too. All of these black and white animals have the stage name "Shamu". The show was fantastic and we were amazed at how well these were trained. Unfortunately a few weeks later, one of these whales in a different Sea World location killed it's trainer. We were shocked to hear the news. You can search the net for "Shamu" and will get lot of information. Here is one such link.



We saw a short 4 D movie at the Mission Bay 4 D theatre. It was about Sesame Street titled "Lights, Camera, Imagination". The kids would love it. There was also a play area called as the Bay of Play based on Sesame street characters having rides for kids. We also went to the Shark Encounter, where varieties of shark are found. A lot of information boards are kept around the place having interesting details about sharks.

We then headed to the Penguin Encounter. They really looked like dolls. There was also ride to the Wild Artic. The Beluga Interaction where you can see white whales, polar bears and walruses living in the artificial snow world. I pity them, as why should they be fooled throughout their lives for our entertainment.


There were few other shows we missed because of the specific timings. And one nice ride was not functioning. As it started getting dark, we too started back towards the entrance. We saw a rainbow. I was too happy as I'm seeing one after so long. Overall the trip was informative, not too entertaining. It is mostly for the kids who would have a great time.

Please go through more photos below: http://picasaweb.google.com/tamilarasanramya/SeaWorld#

I - a universe of atoms; an atom in the universe.

The following are the words from Richard P Feynman quoted from the book "What do you care what other people think?" I liked them , so sharing with you.

The imagination of nature is far, far greater than the imagination of man. For instance, how much more remarkable it is for us all to be stuck - half of us upside down - by a mysterious attraction to a spinning ball that has been swinging in space for billions of years.

There are the rushing waves
mountains of molecules
each stupidly minding its own business
trillions apart
yet forming white surf in unison.
Ages on ages
before any eyes could see
year after year
thunderously pounding the shore as now.
For whom, for what?
On a dead planet
with no life to entertain.
Never at rest
tortured by energy
wasted prodigiously by the sun
poured into space.
A mite makes the sea roar.
Deep in the sea
all molecules repeat
the patterns of one another
till complex new ones are formed.
They make others like themselves
and a new dance starts.
Growing in size and complexity
living things
masses of atoms
DNA, protein
dancing a pattern ever more intricate.
Out of the cradle
onto dry land
here it is
standing;
atoms with consciousness;
matter with curiousity.
Stands at the sea,
wonders at wondering : I
a universe of atoms
an atom in the universe.

My school day memories and siblings

While I was talking to my first sister a few days back, she was saying how we became close after we grew up. She even teased me saying she wouldn't ever forget those days when she had to sit behind me while I rode my cycle (a maroon Ladybird) and the numerous occasions when I used to pinch her and shout at her as I rode to school or back home.

I was in my 7th std and she in 2nd std. I had a big bag on my back, she used to sit behind it. Now if I think of it, I feel that she must have been a poor tiny thing trying to find some place in the back seat (there was no seat, just a steel carrier). And she too used to have a bag of her own. She must have been in pain and discomfort too. Then our lunch bags went in to the front basket. Our home was very near by; may be 10 min by cycle, but it seemed forever to reach home due to the luggage and hot weather. I really don't remember why I used to pinch her, but I used to have a very bad temper those days. Probably in the mornings, she must have been late or in the evenings she would'nt adjust and give me enough space. Whatever was the reason, I have to ask her forgiveness for those "loss of temper and pinching her" moments. I was too young; but she was younger than me which I never understood that time.

We also had many days when we used to take the bus or walk home. Those days we used to have "Pepsi Ice" or those honey filled sweets "Thean Mittai". The Pepsi ice was 50 or 75 paise and thaen mittai 5 or 10 paise a piece. We didn't get much pocket money but we used to buy some once a while and relish and also fight as to who had the max.
Those days, there was no aqua guard or can water. Metro water used to be boiled in a vessel at home and then cooled, sometimes filtered and used for drinking. So after a hot day, and riding the cycle with my sister behind me, we would come home to find that the water is still hot. That would be the end of my little patience; I used to shout at my mother for not having cold water ready, and I would be in tears out of anger. The other thing for which I would loose temper was when my mother offered me rice and curry after school instead of tiffin which was my favourite.

Prior to the cycle days, when I was in fifth std, my mom used to come by bus, and pick us both and took us home by bus for a few days after which we learnt to go on our own. Those bus days, our dad used to drop us in the mornings. We had free Govt bus passes.

Somehow, mom never could give us lunch in the morning itself. So she used to come in the lunch break and give us food in those typical lunch bag (plastic moulded coloured baskets with a lunch towel and spoon) or dad would leave the bag with the watchman while he went to office. It was my sister's turn to take the lunch and come to my class(u see I was the elder :)). She used to join us with my friends. I used to blast her some days for being late. (Now I realise she was too small and did not deserve such treatment). She says even to this day that she was never once angry with me for not treating her right those days; she just wondered why akka is behaving that way. But she was a younger kid than us and my friends used to be friendly to her, some used to tease her too. We weren't close then, we were typical siblings.

After a few years, my other sister came to our life and there is this year that I would never forget. The year when we 3 were in the same school. I was in 12th, one in 7th and the last in 1st. I used to drive the TVS 50 by now (junior license), kutti sister in front; she used to stand and the other one behind and all our bags. As usual, mom used to bring lunch, feed the kutti one while we ate(most memorable). We four used to sit on the play ground. (It was the only year when I did not have lunch with my friends). And on teacher's day, I went to both their classes as their teacher. It was a good experience. The 12th stds would act as teachers on that particular day and we had to wear saree.

All my friends will remember my first sis and some my second sis, coz for any information regarding their studies, I would be called. I used to pay their fees as they were too young to handle money.

Later they grew up, got their own cycles, or walked home or took the bus. They had their own lives and similar instances between them. In fact they both are now in the "just siblings" stage. Life will give them more experiences and they both too will someday become more closer to each other as I'm to each of them now. Years have passed by since I left school but the above memories are precious and I cherish them. Now my sisters have grown up and are very close to me. We are not just siblings; we share a special relationship and hope we will continue this forever. Cheers to my sisters!!

Oh, I'm a victim of your sweet talk and good lies!

Those are the lyrics of some song but I felt how apt it is sometimes. How we trust people and treat them as friends but later discover that they do complain, crib and talk behind our backs. I really don't understand this - if they don't like you, why should they try to be sweet and nice to you, trying to catch up with your life. In those moments, we think, oh my God, how sweet the person is, with whom we have shared close times, is trying to be concerned about our lives. And we tend to be true and frank but later we realize that they don't agree with our opinion. It is okay if they do not agree. Each one has a different perspective and has a right to have. But going and telling someone else that our view is wrong or their view is right or complain about us is certainly not sane behaviour.

But we still love and live b'coz we were friends once. We again and again do the same mistake, being frank and feeling warm while talking to such people and feeling hurt when discovering what they talk about us later.

I think you are my friend and Oh, I'm a victim of your sweet talk and good lies!