Light up the lamps..

Yup, Deepawali time :).

Our Deepawali started off pretty great with the making of the khaara and sihi ereyappas. Once that was done and the hanathes + candles were ready to be lit up, we found out that none of Snugli's zari langas were fitting her anymore :(. Tried loosening some old ones, but nope, last year's dresses are done forever :(. Finally, took out her birthday one and had to loosen the blouse and lengthen the langa for it to fit properly. By that time my back was aching like crazy (my back is still aching as I type this :-p).

Anyways ultimately Snugli was able to wear the langa and pose in it :-D. Then we did pooje to our water heater (neeru tumbso hubba), kept the hanathes outside (sadly its pretty windy and drizzling today, so we had to struggle to keep them lit up, before giving up :-p) and (this is best part) guLumed the ereyappas :-D.




Tomorrow morning is eNNe snaana. I am already tired thinking about oiling and bathing Snugli and putting up with Sri's tantrums before pestering and convincing him to take an oil bath too ;-). But how much ever I crib, I love Deepawali (I know I know I've said it many times already :-D).

I was talking to my parents this morning, when I heard the sound of crackers as background music. I miss the noise, I miss the smell, I miss celebrating with my parents :((. Some day...

BTW will most probably head to the Indian temple tomorrow since they have some cracker-bursting organized (but rains are predicted and the weather already is wintry, so have to see) and hopefully Snugli will get a taste of how it is in India :). Thats about it from me. Happy Deepawali :).

May the festival of lights light up your homes, your hearts and your lives.

Happy Deepawali from all of us :).

ದೀಪಾವಳಿ ಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು

Bande Banthu Deepawali :).

This time's special. Actually every time is, but this is Snugli's first Deepawali. As is the case these days, she enjoyed looking at all the deepa-s we lit and even tasted both the sweet and khara ereyappa. We already completed our enne-snaana. Only thing is that she'll not get to feel the actual spirit of Deepawali, the fireworks, but well..

So you can see that our Deepawali has already started (click to enlarge)..







Has yours? :)

ದೀಪಾವಳಿ ಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು

Mama, Darshu mama!

I'm an aunt to my cousins' kids and numerous friends' kids. But I'll become an actual aunt when Darsh has a kid or Sri's sis Lekha has one. But in that way, Darsh's ahead of me. He's already mama (or mava or uncle) to my Snuggles. Well mama has a birthday today and following the year's trend, here's the chronological pic chart :).




I wanted to title this post "Man to ape" or something similar, but I have already teased Darsh so many times about it that the joke is sorta becoming stale :-D. Sadly, he's all alone this time on his birthday what with mom and dad being here. But well, does a bachelor need a better opportunity than that?? Have fun ;-), Darsh!

Meanwhile, this time I couldn't put up a post on the christmas decorations. I have seen some wonderful decorations over my neighbourhood, but nobody will let a woman who has recently delivered a baby to wander around taking pictures, even if she herself is insane enough to want to :-D. Anyways, maybe next year end..

Wish you all a very happy 2008! May the new year bring tons of laughter and loads of joy your way :). It has already brought me some in advance ;-).

Fall back..

Its almost the end of autumn and no posts on it from me till now? Thats a grave injustice ;-). I hope this post will act like a penalty :-D.

Since mom has been here (and its already more than a month! How time flies!), we have travelled to quite a few places (short trips due to my condition) over the weekends. We had been to Cincinnati once to show her how a "real" downtown looks like, another weekend to Cumberland falls at Corbin and this weekend to Bluelicks battlefield ( a state park nearby). Cincinnati didn't really have any autumn scenes, so I'll be talking about the other 2.

We had been to see the moonbow at Cumberland falls last year. This time though there was a full moon on Friday, 26th October 2007, it was totally cloudy and cold. There was no way a moonbow could be seen. So we decided to skip that and just visit the falls. The main purpose of the visit was to see autumn colours anyways...




The falls looked quite full for this time of the year :). The trees around were looking all pretty (I have to point out that I posted another picture of the same scenery last year).




Autumn obviously means colourful leaves :).




Leaves are pretty whether they are up on trees or down on the ground..




The roads are the prettiest of them all :).




We had also been to Bluelicks battlefield State resort park in the first year I was here for autumn. The place doesn't have anything except various colourful trees :). So we basically had a good time, enjoying the colours again before all the leaves fall off..




The park was full of yellows...



.., pinks, oranges and reds :).




Did I mention about the pretty roads? :).




The fallen leaves are so pretty :).




But what are better are the ones on the trees :).



But soon, sadly all the glory will fade away into empty branches..




But wait, they'll be all back next year same time :-D. And so life goes on...

Meanwhile, tomorrow is the day the lights fill up everyone's heart with joy :). So wish you all a very happy and a prosperous Deepawali :).

Another post on it will be coming up soon (I hope ;-) :-D)..

End of an era :(

I have always been "lucky". Things have usually worked out my way. It probably started way ago in primary school. I was able to join the high school I wanted, later the P.U college I wanted and still later the engineering college I wanted. Though when it came to campus recruitment, I badly wanted to get into Infosys, but didn't and was a bit disappointed then. But again, I got into a pretty good company. Again when I joined, I was to be posted to another city. But it again worked out and I was able to continue to work in Bangalore.

When I got married and later Sri was put into a project here in US, I really thought I would have to resign, but again things worked out (as I wrote in my "Ok now the real deal :)" post) and I was given a transfer. I have been telecommuting here since 1.5 years without any problems. And I have been grateful for the way things were going.

But good times, they say, don't last. Though my L1 work permit/visa is valid till June 2008, each 6 months an extension of my international assignment happens internally in my company. This particular thing has to be approved by a series of managers from my manager to the vice-president of the company (don't ask me why, thats the policy). Till now I thought this would be a mere formality. Maybe I had gotten used to working from home. Maybe I had gotten totally lazy. Maybe I had become complacent. So much that I didn't even bother trying for a job outside though I am being paid in India and my salary is nothing compared to what people get here. I liked working from home at my pace. It was a freedom that I had gotten used to.

Sadly one of the higher managers refused to approve the extension this time. Well, what were my options? Go back to India and work. Since that was not very feasible, what with Sri working here, the only thing to do was to resign. Which I did a couple of days ago. My last day of work will be in the first week of January 2007. What a way for the new year to start eh!!

I admit I was very disappointed. There were times when I was even bitter. But there is nothing I can do about it. There's no way I'll be away from Sri. And its a miracle this whole thing worked out for the past 1.5 years. Atleast I have been working and it has obviously increased my "work experience" factor. So I am grateful for that. My only woe is that had I just been given a hint about this some time back, I would probably have tried for something. But, whats done is done..

Meanwhile, I'm actively looking for jobs. But to do a job in US means acquiring a H1 which is a whole new story altogether (I'll be writing on it some other time). Another plan is to study either MS or MBA. Both require TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) scores and while MS requires a GRE (Graduate Record Examination) score, MBA requires GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) score. And man, are these exams costly :-p. So I wouldn't like to attempt them before I'm well prepared. Which is why I have a plan in place. First want to finish TOEFL and then decide whether to do GRE or GMAT :-D.

I'm not giving up. My major worry is that I'll become redundant and that sitting idle at home will make me kind of useless (I know I can never be that, still I am afraid I will). I remember when I graduated, it was recession time and we were not sure whether the company that had selected us in Campus recruitment would even take us or not. Many companies had absolutely refused to do so. A single walk-in/test from a company meant 1000s of students gathering in the place to attend. My company had postponed the joining date. I remember being very depressed. Because there was literally no hope then. But I joined music classes, visited relatives I hadn't visited for years (due to my studies) and when my company actually made us join, I remember actually being glad for having the break :). Hopefully this will turn out to be the same way.

Somebody (I don't know who) said:

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!

There are many funny versions of this, the latest ones being:

When life gives you lemons, find someone who has vodka and throw a party!

When life gives you lemons, sell them on ebay!

Hehehehe :-D. Anyways I am digressing. My only resolution for the new year, is not to let myself get into negativity. Though I may feel down from time to time, I am going to make myself get back on track and work on achieving a few things I have always wanted to (I have always wanted to do my Masters). Maybe this is for the good. Maybe this is going to make me get up, look around and strive hard to get what I want. Maybe this is going to make things better than they already are. As my dad always says "This is not the end of the world" and it certainly is not :).

Quoting Lee Ann Womack's song "I hope you dance", which is my motto as of now ;-)...

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance

Living might mean taking chances, But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake , But it's worth making

Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out, reconsider

Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance..


Thats my advice to anybody who's reading this post. I hope you dance, people :). Meanwhile wish you a very happy and a prosperous new year :).

Tamasoma Jyothirgamaya..

Asatoma Sadgamaya
Tamasoma Jyothirgamaya
Mruthyorma Amruthangamaya
Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi hi

Translated, it simply means "Lead us from ignorance to truth; From darkness to light; From Death to Eternity; Let peace prevail;".

Why the chant suddenly? The second line "Tamasoma Jyothirgamaya" (From darkness to light), I believe, is the essence of Deepawali. Yes, the festival of lights is back, though may not be with a bang :-p. Atleast not in US :-p.

Before I start off with my rants, first - Wish you all a very happy and prosperous Deepawali :).

This year there's still a tinge of pain that I'm not with my parents during the festival, but its not as much as it was last year. Two days ago I thought I was ok. But yesterday morning as soon as I got up, the first thought was "today is Naraka Chaturdashi and there is no sound of crackers anywhere :(". Later we did the enne shaasthra and again I was reminded of mom doing the shaasthra. Since Darsh wouldn't wake up early, she would wake me up so that I could sit with dad for the shaasthra. I miss it all :(. Shubha has written a post which is as if its coming from my heart as I can relate to it so much and absolutely suits my feelings right now..

Anyways, coming back to Deepawali (as if I was ever away :-p), it all started on Friday with the neerutumbso hubba :). One of the first things I did was to nenesu akki and uddinabele for the traditional Deepawali ereyappa sweet and khaara. Later I made both and they both came out very well (better than the last time and this time the mixer didn't break down ;-) :-D).




The dark brown ones are the sweet and the light ones are the khaara. Next I picked flowers (chrysanthemums of various colours) from our very own garden (a post on it is due next :-D) and made garlands :).




The flowers have been a delight as they have grown extensively and I have been able to use them for Vijayadashami, mainly for ayudha pooja. The car, cycle and even the lawnmower got decorated with flowers :-D. Anyways I'm digressing from the topic :-p.

Meanwhile Sri put oil into the hanathe (mud lamps) that we had got long time back, put baththis and lit them up. We lit lamps and performed pooja for the Gods in our devara mane first :).





The water heater was already full (neeru tumbso kelsa illa :-D), so I decorated it with arshina kumkuma (wanted to get chalks but I forgot :-p) and Sri did pooja to it.






We enjoyed the eateries and that was it for friday. Saturday morning, i.e yesterday, we got up, did enne shaasthra for both of us and had an enne snaana (oil bath) as per tradition. We did take some photos in the evening after the lamp and lights were lit.




If you squint, you'll be able to see the hanathe-s near my feet :-D. And the flowers you see in the garden is a preview of the post to come ;-) :-).




Atleast you can see the hanging lights in this snap :).

Later we went to Louisville temple and had a nice time there. There were hundreds of people there celebrating together and it was really nice :). There were some crackers being lit (both light and noisy ones), so it satisfied a bit of my craving for them, but not completely :(. I so so want to be in India during Deepawali time. Yeah there's lots and lots of noise as well as air pollution, and it might certainly be cruel of me to wish for things like that, but its the atmosphere I've grown up in. The festival air that lurks is so tangible there, the celebration so joyful. I can't help but miss it. Thats one of the reasons, we try to celebrate it as authentic as in India..

But Deepawali will be special to me no matter where I am, as it brought to me Sri. I met him on the third day of Deepawali (its tomorrow) and well, so its a festival close to my heart. So I better be cheerful atleast for that! Ok ok I'm ending my post now with a wish now in Kannada :).

ದೀಪಾವಳಿ ಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು

Dee Deep Deepawali :)

The beautiful day of lights is here :).

Deepawali has always fascinated me. Its one of my favourite festivals, not only because of the fireworks, but because of the lights and the rituals as well. There is a cheerfulness in case of Deepawali more than any other festival or that is what I have noticed in my household. I even used to love taking walks around the colony in the day just to watch kids light up patakhas (or pataki in Kannada). There's a kind of vibrant energy all around. And I used to go upto terrace during the nights and enjoy the rockets lighting up the skies. I love it :).

This year's Deepawali is in a way, a mixture of happiness and sadness for me. Its the same old story. The happiness is obviously in the fact that I have Sri now and am getting to spend it with him. The sadness comes from the fact that had we been in India, this being our first Deepawali after marriage, we'd have spent it with my parents. Its supposed to be very special. Instead, we are spending it here in a country which doesn't even know what the festival is. No one to share the joys with and obviously no walk around the colony to see children playing. No sitting up on the terrace either, the houses don't even have the terrace concept here :-p.

Its been continuously gnashing at my heart. Sri consoles me saying any Deepawali we are in India, we'll celebrate in a big way. The mind understands the logic, we can't fly to India anytime we want and all that, but the heart doesn't. It wants to throw tantrums, make a fuss and somehow be in India. The story is never-ending...

But I haven't actually let my heart bog me down. Yet. Last week we went and bought candles, plain and scented ones. The diyas are available in Indian stores, but rates are atrocious + didn't want to risk diyas, what with wooden houses here. The candles atleast have a glass/metal cover. We obviously can't have fireworks (Neighbours are sure to call 911 immediately, if they hear weird noises :-p), but atleast we saw some in the recent Atlanta trip. I actually said to myself then, this is my Deepawali. Sounds pathetic, I know, but what else can I do?

So, we did do neeru tumbso hubba (water filling festival) yesterday. I drew some decorations in turmetic-kumkum on the water heater and performed the pooja. Later we lighted up all the candles and arranged them in front of the door :). I also had taken recipes from mom for a special Deepawali dish called Ereyappa. There is sweet ereyappa and khaara ereyappa. I made both and they came out pretty well for first attempt ;-). But, while making ereyappa, the poor American mixie couldn't handle my Indian jaggery and the blade's rubber got burnt. Sri's applaudable comment to that was "We did atleast burn something, even though there wasn't any noise" and my retort was "yeah, thank God the mixie didn't explode or something, then really there'd have been a huggggge noise" :-D. We also called up our homes and some of our relatives to wish them all a prosperous Deepawali :).

Today morning woke up early. Deepawali's Naraka Chaturdashi special is enne snaana i.e Oil bath. So did enne shaastra and later had a head bath. Did an aarthi and seeked blessings. That's it. Sri headed to his office and I started my work. Yup, we will be lighting candles for 3 days, but its somehow not the same without the constant noise in the background, without the hustle bustle and without the crackers.

But its still not that bad. Last year, on the third day of Deepawali i.e Bali Padyami, I met Sri. And this Deepawali, we are together. That day I didn't even know whether to say Yes or No. Today, I can't imagine not being with him. This chain of thoughts is enough to bring a smile on my face whenever I feel even a bit down :). So thats how the cheerfulness and the spirit of the festival are maintained.

Mom and Dad, the Deepawali from your side is still baaki to us. Lets carry it over to whichever year we are back in India and then we'll celebrate it really grand :). I know you miss us and I miss you all too, but we'll make it all up when we are together again :).

As for you other people, have a wonderful Deepawali and play safe with firecrackers :).