Contemplations and Ruminations

Celebrated Holi yesterday and it was pure madness... random people coming upto you and rubbing colour on your cheeks was a little disconcerting at first, but after a few minutes you get the hang of it and it's crazy fun after that. I've always wanted to be part of the colourful Holi celebrations, like the ones we see in movies and pictures of India... that look so captivating and brimming with energy. This was exactly like that, and despite the rainbow hued aftermath that followed, I know I want to do it all over again next year with better protection, now that I know what to expect. Play mostly with kids and people who give you the good vibe, ignore the rest and go with a bigger crowd. Here's a slideshow of the pictures we took (use the link if the above video doesn't seem to play)...

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...

Chamonix   (shah-mo-nee) is a mountainous town in France situated at the base of the Alps and barely a two hour drive from Geneva. So one weekend we drove down to this beautiful little town, and at first glance we were in love with this place...  First glimpse as you enter Chamonix... The lovely hote l we stayed at...  The dining area at the hotel, ate the best croissant here. Whenever me and Nam went to supermarkets we would always pick up different croissants to eat, some filled with chocolate, others with custard. But the most beautiful croissants we ever had were at this restaurant, delicately flaky burnished exterior coupled with a warm doughy interior.  Entertainment room, with a TV console at one end And a book shelf at the other...  The adjoining bar...   The reception...  The entrance...  View outside the hotel, took this while waiting for the bus.   It was lunch time when we reached, so...

Angel in  my dreams Leaping from her heavenly realm She jumped straight into my sleepless dream My heart spun cartwheels at her angelic grin Her prodding gaze reigned me in The glow on her beautiful face, beckoning Peace so pure, descending Shrouded in a haze of warm sunshine She filled the recesses of my mind Tried to reach her, to make her real She spun around and took off... surreal Like a mermaid slicing through the midnight sky Disappearing slowly as she broke my reverie  A recent dream about an angel prompted this poem. No, I am not psychic like Patrick Jane , just insanely obsessed with Country songs. Which explains why I sometimes feel like I am in Jasper County, enjoying the Georgia rain  (I think its one of the best music videos ever made). Or why I feel like making angels in the snow in Jackson Hole  (one of Tim McGraw's cutest songs). Let's not get started on Heaven by Jake Owen . So anyway, was...

So after our first few hours in the resort , we set off to explore Wayanad and sights like these  were quite common on our drives through this little green paradise.  Our first stop was a local outdoors restaurant where the guys gorged on beef masala and Kerala parotta , needless to say they were in gastronomic heaven. That being taken care off, we started on our way to Banasura dam , which is apparently the second largest earth dam in Asia. Yeah, I know... it's not much to look at, but the cool breeze which comes in from the lake on the other side is refreshing and worth the drive to this place.  We then visited the Meenmutty falls , which is a ten minute trek from the main road. A group of college kids were frolicking around when we got there.  The place is beautiful, water gushing over huge boulders and flowing  gently down stream. We dangled our feet in the cold clean water and whiled away the time till dusk slowly crep...