Contemplations and Ruminations

(December 17th, 2020) When there are two homes to decorate the fun is amplified. Here are a few pictures of the Christmas tree and the nativity crib in Chennai home and my hometown. The Ajrakh roof Christmas crib The angel tree topper I made last year… it survived all the squashing away. My brother did say, it looked like it was on steroids. Baby Jesus The tree and crib in Chennai Little paper doily angels… and pinecones. Can you see the elephants in front carrying angels… they add a nice Indian vibe. The crib in my hometown Hometown Christmas Tree The warm lights of Christmas The Nativity tree ornament Here’s a look at last year’s decor, Christmas 2019 . Hope everyone is having a wonderful, safe and blessed Christmas season.

(November 10th 2020) I thought I’d jot this down here, a defining fact of the year 2020 before I forget it with the vagaries of time. It’s November now and about three months back, in July, I lost my sense of smell after a mild bout of fever. I have no idea what I (and a few family members) contacted, but we were all down with mild fever that developed into severe cold and cough for the others, but for me there was no cold or cough or even a sniffle, just a complete and abrupt loss of smell. It was disconcerting initially, everybody was scared and they were talking about testing and I vehemently refused cause I wasn’t unduly sick. It’s a given (atleast for me) that hospitals can cause more harm than good if one runs to them for every small ailment or sickness that the body can easily handle. Of course, my fever had gone by then, only the sudden loss of smell was worrying. And I read that such incidents are quite common and one need not panic and run to hospitals that are already ov...

Another year, 2020, how fast the years roll by... the transition from 2019 to 2020 was fun enough, surrounded by family, friends and  an influx of angels. I saw a paper doily angel online and since then this is what I have been making in December, an army of paper doily angels... To be placed in the crib, a t last count there were about 23 angels in the crib in my hometown... Ah, Christmas is fun even though I couldn't get into the whole giddy Christmas mood this year. I don't know why, I kept listening to Winter Song by Fernando Ortega and My Favourite Time of the Year by The Florin Street Band , to get into the high spirited mood of Christmas... and though that helped a bit, everything was kinda subdued and serene. I guess Christmas as a festival just isn't appealing anymore, but Christmas as a time where love comes to stay in the form of family and friends who travel home for the holidays is more meaningful. Christmas is more than the lights on the tree, ...

This picture was taken circa 1990 when the mountain gods (the western ghats) with their gentle song were all we could see everywhere we looked. Check out the mud bound road and the half-saree clad higher secondary students (akkas then)... life was amazing here, it took me years to realise that. Here I am at one of the mountains thirty years later, just soaking in nature and contemplating how far I've come from that little girl who hated this village and couldn't wait to leave. Life always surprises you in the most beautiful of ways when you learn to go with the flow. You may not get the view you were hoping for, but you will be rendered speechless by the view that awaits you, it will be something you never thought could exist and yet here you are... reveling at how the universe has always got your back.   This is one of the pristine beaches back home... the sun on one side, moon on the other.  I sit here typing all this as the rains fall outside while I sip on warm...

The year-end transitions are always the most exciting of times. Family comes down from wherever they are and tickets are booked to travel from one home to another. December is always exciting... and here are a few pictures of 2018 gi ving way to 2019.  The crib in Chennai home... I liked the little waterfalls in the corner and the angel near the falls.  Snowflakes on my door...  Celebrating the spirit of jólabókaflóð... Making wreaths with Jen... Making mulled wine... A Christmas midnight selfie... Haha... dressed up like this pretty angel I fell in love with. Celebrating Christmas with Filter kapi mousse... The crib in Nagercoil... Elephants at the entrance to the crib... A view of baby Jesus... Chocolates... Birthday of the twins... Cauliflower crust pizza... Our new year tradition... spending the last day of the year listening to the waves and playing in the sands that made us. Trying out our photogr...