Am back after a much needed vacation... Full of new found energy and a lot of plans and resolutions :-)

I was struck by a lot of things during our vacation, this time around... More so than usual... Maybe exploring places on our own and discovering some hidden treasures along the way had a lot to do with it... Or maybe it was the fact that this was the first trip we have taken wherein we relied on our instincts for pretty much a lot of things...

One of the first things to catch my fancy was the colourful flags . . . Of all hues and colours, they were welcoming delegates to events the city was hosting, advertising certain products or simply fluttering from atop a temple or a building... Reminded me of the days when cities would be decked up to welcome their heroes :-)

I have grown up watching my granny and mom conclude their puja everyday, after praying to the 'tulasi' in our backyard... From the lush and abundant tulasi plants in my childhood, to the tulasi which struggles to survive in a pot today, the tradition has remained... What amazed me during my vacation, was the colourful 'kattes' or enclosures [???] built around lush tulasi plants in front of every house :-) Apart from being colourful, the kattes were multi storeyed too... Figurines of Gods, Godesses and serpents being the main figurines on which the tulasi stands tall . . . Maybe that's the secret behind such lush plants too !!

On our way, at a small crossroad we found 2 petty shops with the name 'Sai Tea Stall' and 'Lakshmi Wine Store' which were sharing a wall !! People sure do know which side their bread is buttered on :D

Fragrance . . . A vastly under rated sense . . . The floral fragrance which greeted us on our arrival went a long long way in soothing my anxieties, and set the mood for the wonderful time we had there . . . I should have asked the helpful handyman about the fragrance they used :( Could have been put to some inventive use ;) Well, maybe the next time . . .

Nature... She looks so different in every city... Driving to the night market on the day of our arrival, the nearly full moon was pale silver in an almost starless patch of sky... Returning just before the witching hour, we looked up at the sky and found the moon shaded a delicate gold, and surrounded by a smoky aura... Beauty !!!

The market !!! The sights, sounds and smells, alongwith the vast variety of wares on display, was a shopper's paradise... I was amazed to find all the sellers speaking in fluent English :o I heard better English being spoken there, than at offices, schools, restaurants et al . . . It was both amazing and heartening to see even old women conversing and haggling over the prices with the tourists [who were predominantly foreigners] in good English...

Another fact that left me all agape with surprize was that there were more temples than churches :D U can find a temple in almost every street . . . Churches though, are mainly clustered in and around certain areas... We found a lot of churches abandoned, in bad shape, derelict, overgrown with weeds . . . U name it, and it was there...

And the temples??? Most of the major temples were being renovated, and I did not find even one that looked abandoned . . . :D

Since we were fending for ourselves, we could afford to drive down small seemingly deserted, cul-de-sacs and found museums and churches lined all along :)

A wonderfully noisy cruise, finding a lovely cafe 'Aunty Maria's', shopping at the markets, finding our way to various places on our 'to - be - seen' list [they have wonderful directions prominently displayed], spotting a peacock on our way to see a fort and finding yet another beautiful but sadly abandoned church before it . . . All these and so many more memories were woven . . .

Sunset at the beach . . . A book in hand . . . A cup of tea . . . My man beside me . . . Each of us relaxing and enjoying nature in our own ways . . . And . . . Silence . . . Of being in perfect harmony . . . Of being totally understanding of the needs of the other . . . . . And what could be more perfect for the last evening of our vacation ? ? ?

Bliss !!!

PS: Thanx for having the energy and josh and enthusiasm for the both of us combined . . . For the first leg of a wonderful vacation.....

For a long long long time, I was in a phase where I would always question everything... Everything that would happen to me, that is... And the question in my mind at the end of the day would always be "Why me???"...

It took a lot of growing up for me to stop asking "Why me???"... The questions though have not ceased... And they always always begin with a 'WHY'.....

Why are Sunday night's the shortest always???
Why am I always late the very time that I promise to be on time???
Why are there not enough hours in a day for me to do all that I want to for myself???
Why are there too many long hours in the same day, when I am at work???
Why is the week before your vacation the longest???
Why do we feel so helpless when we are unable to take away a loved one's pain???
Why does the rest of the world always see me in a light different from my own???
Why do people drift apart as they grow older???
Why should we wear 2 rings on each toe, if they are single silver rings???
Why is it that a 27 year old, loving Enid Blyton's books raises eyebrows everywhere???
Why is it that 'well meaning relatives', are almost always never on ur list of people who care for u???
Why do elders frown when I ask them the rationale behind a certain age old practice or tradition???
Why is it that people always ask about the person who is not present at a social gathering, rather than first welcome the ones who have graced the event???
Why can't I find the right clothes or the right anything when I'm in a blue funk??? [Most especially 'clothes' though]
Why do I feel all alone and lost at times, even when I'm surrounded by all the love in the world???

And the list is endless...

I just wish though...

Why can't I find answers to any of these questions of mine . . . ??? . . .

Whenever I'm in a blue funk - which according to those 'in' the know is way too often - there is one sure shot remedy to set me straight... Talking or rather helping a friend gain newer perspectives to whatever it is that's ailing them at that point . . . Weird huh???

But this was what got me thinking a lot of late... About "my friends" . . . Each and every one of them, who have stood by me at one time or the other... Each and every one of them from whom I have learnt valuable life lessons...

And that's when I realized [yet again] that I am truly lucky :-)

Most people count themselves lucky if they have had 'a' friend with whom they can share some of their deepest secrets, and yet others feel blessed to have had someone to lean on in their darkest moment... And here I am, able to count the number of people on whom I have leaned on during so very many times... Am I super lucky or what??? [Touch wood]

Every time in my life that I have felt the need for a listening ear, a strong shoulder, a tight hug, a soft lap . . . I have always found them in multitudes...

I have had friends hearing me crib on n on n on n on, till their ears are nothing but a lil teensy bit of skin hanging around the huge hole drilled there . . . I have had friends hold me tight and give me a big hug when I have found myself in situations where words simply cannot empathise . . . I have cried my heart out on so many of their shoulders... And have found that every single time, I come away the richer . . .

I am not in touch with some of them... I have drifted apart from some others... I am not as close to a few others... I have had more than my fair share of tiffs and outright nasty quarrels...

But, I have also drawn closer to some I had never thought possible... I have rekindled a pleasant friendship with many... I have strengthened some already strong bonds too...

I have also found new friends along the way...

I'd count my lucky stars I would say earlier... Now, it will be 'I'll count my friends'...

FRIENDS - who have each touched me in ways innumerous, and shown me how to be a better individual... who have all taught me valuable lessons which still continue to provide a beacon of light to me... who have helped me live my learnings... who have helped me practice what I preach and believe...

I know a minimum of 1 person for almost every letter of the alphabet [excepting E, F, O, Q, T, W, X, Y, Z; and consider that I do not know any one whose name begins with E, O, Q, T, W, X, Z] who has been there for me at some point or the other in my life . . . If that does not make me lucky, then what will????????? :D

THANK YOU !!! For everything...

Know always that you will be in my thoughts .....

And now when I'm in a blue funk again, I will simply remember to count my 'friends'...

And then I won't feel so sad . . .

The festival of lights is here again... And the most common of the wishes doing the rounds, reads "May the festival of lights dispel the darkness of ignorance...etc etc"... As always... And this gets me wondering...

Should we always wait for this festival of lights to convey this wish to our loved ones??? Is this not an apt wish for a new year, or a birthday??? Darkness - be it the one arising from ignorance or despair or hopelessness or wretchedness - can and should be chased away from our lives at it's very onset... So why then a specific festival alone, to convey this wish??? Is it just because of the symbolism of lighting lamps???

Why are there only specific wishes conveyed on specific ocassions I wonder...

I would wish that I could find a light everyday which would dispel some of the darkness surrounding and within me... I would not wait for the symbolism of Deepavali for this :-) And I would wish all my loved ones the same, not just now but on every special and momentous ocassion in their lives...

A Very Happy Deepavali !!!

Writing has been second nature for as long as I can remember...Be it short stories [which would turn out to be not so short ;)], poems, personalised wishes for friends or any random scribblings... Till date, most of them have been exclusively 'For Your Eyes Only' ...

And it's taken loads of assurances from a lot of friends [all of you know who you are ;)] and almost 2 years of on and off pestering by V, for a space of my own in the blogosphere to become a reality...

Thanks to all of you for playing your roles to perfection in getting me started on this journey... :-)