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Shopping Galore

Now that Christmas is finally over, I could heave a sigh of releif. The past few days felt like the shopping would never end. Just when you think you covered every last person on the list, you still hit the mall for the last minute stocking stuffers. The state of the people you find in the mall makes you wonder whatever happened to that Christmas spirit that we hear of. The whole Christmas thing has been changed to a mere Shopping extravaganza. People scramble for days buying gifts. It all begins right after Thanksgiving, when the year's supposedly biggest shopping event Black Friday happens, the list begins to get checked. Its hard to resist the unbelievable deals that get laid out for grabs. From Toys, Clothes, Electronics, Kitchenware, Home Improvement the list is just endless. Everything that you had in your mind for yourself or your loved one, this might be the best time of the year to get them. There is something in the time, maybe being the end of the year that just incites...
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Rain Fury

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The floods have wrecked a total chaos in the small state of Kerala in the southern tip of India.  Rains in Kerala during monsoon is not a big news as such. But this year it has been much in excess. The Malayalam month of Karkidagam used to be a dreaded month in yester years owing to incessant rain and virtually halting the agricultural activities which used to be a main source of livelihood for many then. Of late this month has given a new look with careful marketing strategies as the Ramayana month and also the month to undergo Ayurvedic treatments which is one of the state’s  major attraction. I have never lived in a long stretch in the state though my native roots belong to the state. My identity and culture belongs to the state. I have always had this strong bond and connection with Kerala. It pains to watch such destruction which is for the first time in my life span to ever occur. Kerala has always been synonymous with lush green locale and a moist tropical parad...
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A Chocolate Lover's Blog

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A Chocolate Lover's Blog Now that Halloween has passed and all the trick or treating candies awaits to be eaten, i try to hide a number of them before reaching the tiny mouth of my daughter. I am just thinking about a time when having so many candies was just a luxury. Growing up in India, with Halloween virtually unheard of in the late eighties and early nineties. My relationship with chocolates and candies were much different than the current times. The first thing that used to come to my mind by the word chocolate was the classic Dairy Milk chocolate bar. It was the most prized chocolate for me at that time. A small bar would cost about Rupees 10 and i remember saving every Rupee i can to just buy this bar. Even buying that would usually mean sharing with my older sister, which i was not particularly happy but had to do it anyway. But we loved it, every bite of it was so cherished. There was a small disappointment and craving each time we complete a bar. Those were the abs...
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The lost art of handwriting

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It's hard not to notice how slowly we have transformed from writing using pen to typing using our keyboards and touchscreens. More and more texts are electronically typed. Rarely do we leave handwritten notes. The other day when i was jotting down quickly on a sticky note did i notice my handwriting in a long time. As a child, having a neat cursive handwriting used to be a norm. We tried hard and took days to perfect cursive writing. I remember when my grandmother used to take out old letters written to her by my grandfather in perfect cursive writing. The writing which i must say, perfectly legible handwriting, which i don't know if the millennials could ever write it. It looked like an art in itself. I was awed. I never mastered cursive writing, but i did write in a clean legible way. On my last trip to India, I found a Cursive writing practice book for kids. I was at once taken back to my memories of tying to learn it and thought it will be wonderful for my child to get ...
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The Unwelcome Guest

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Indian's take pride in serving their guests. "Athiti devo bhva" meaning guest's are equivalent to god , signifying utmost respect and care for the guests who are at your doorstep. The word "Athiti" itself meaning a guest or a person who has come as a surprise or someone visiting you without prior intimation. But hey! think again, i think these kinds of "Athiti" who show up at your doorstep without prior intimation or invitation are almost extinct. I personally don't like to barge into someone's home without them least expecting me. With cellphones around, at least a call or text prior the visit is the norm. But things was different when i was growing up in Chennai. When guests were guests and didn't have make appointments to come see you. A time when there was less judging and more loving. We had friend's or family visiting us and depending on the time of the day, my mother or grandmother usually quickly patch something up fo...
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Parenting Experts

I always wonder what’s with a pregnant woman or a mother with a new born baby makes an expert out of people. Suddenly all these people even strangers at times; become your professional doctor and give you advice on parenting and motherhood. Free advice although widely available it becomes more common especially if you are pregnant or having a small baby. Becoming a mother no doubt was one the most joyous and overwhelming moment in my life. Suddenly you have this young tiny little being who so helpless who relies on you for survival.  Add to that the endless diapers changes, feeding, rocking, crying all this on a rapidly changing post-pregnancy hormone levels and very little sleep. As such adjusting to the new baby is difficult do we receive the free advice, which most of the times is of little help. I wonder instead of free advice people could give a free meal which could have helped more. But yes over these years I have heard all kinds of bizarre to some useful advices. I though...
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Snow Struck

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 If seeing snow reminded you of the song "Yeh Haseen Wadiya" it wasnt all that pleasant for people in Atlanta who were surprised by a snow storm named leon which brought about 2 - 3 inches of snow. on what started to be a normal cold tuesday morning turned for the worse and changed the roads with serpentine array of cars gridlocked not able to move inches for hours. For some the day the didnt end and the ordeal continued to night and even next day morning. In a place where there is little or no snow for years, snow can crippling for the cars which is the lifeline of commute through the city. With no winter tires and no need of any kind of snow chains cars riding on roads on unexpected snow had caused numerous accident upto 1200 reported. For the three years i have lived in Atlanta, luckily i have seen snow all three years. But never did i have to commute through the snowy or icy roads unlike this year. As such Atlanta's traffic is known to be bad especially during ru...
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