So December has been really hectic so far, well the actual craziness started with my sister's birthday on November 30th, when the city (Madras) started experiencing torrential rains. We were cooped up inside enjoying the downpour (little did we know that more was in store), taking pictures and getting drenched in the terrace and making merry like kids... the rain always does that, brings out the kid in you. So anyway, the rains continued through the next couple of days and then mayhem took over, the city started fragmenting into islands. It was chaos everywhere, but the stories that kept pouring in about ordinary people pitching in to help the flood affected people shed some sort of light on the whole ordeal. We tried to help by volunteering in church and driving around searching for bread and water to deliver to relief camps. We lost power for a couple of days, and that was another experience hanging out in candlelight; talking, musing and wondering if others were safe (we had difficulty contacting a few friends).
Then the Bombay trip happened, I couldn't make it in time for a cousin's wedding because of the floods (ya ya yasser is awesome). Apparently, Yaseer, my cousin's friend braved the floods and made it in time for the wedding, a fact which was drilled into me by the bridegroom. But I did fly in a few days later and it was amazing, like unbelievably awesome the whole week in Bombay with the cousins. Growing up, me and the siblings used to spend almost every summer vacation with them in Bombay, and now going back there after eight years was like revisiting a part of my childhood. Those days we spent packed like sardines in the living room talking and giggling the night away, it hasn't changed... now more people have been added to the pack (the men we each ended up marrying) and all of them are incredibly cool too. it was a wedding to remember with many 'moments' to cherish and an atrocious amount of selfies that have become the highlight of the week (this Bombay trip deserves a post entirely to itself, will do that next year).
Then the moment we reached home in Nagercoil, we were out again caroling and creating a ruckus with the church gang, We cracked ourselves up over a truth and dare game that went on long into the night. After coming back to the city, the house was being painted and everybody was going crazy with the mess. So because of all the drama that has been happening, there wasn't enough time to set up the tree or assemble the crib, And I couldn't let Christmas pass me by without attempting to make something to remember,
So I set up this little crèche in my room. There was an old Asus laptop box lying around and I had some black chart paper, so sketched the parents and baby Jesus and strung some lights around and stuck a star.
Placed some of the old pine cones here...
Even the tag line of the Asus product seemed to fit in with the theme of the season, 'IN SEARCH OF INCREDIBLE'. The incredible is present in all of us, we just have to search inside ourselves to know it, to live it, to be it.
Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas season and an incredibly exciting year ahead.
Comments
It was a terrible thing, the Chennai floods !
Good post and wishes in advance for a wonderful new year.