Eulogy

Mom and Dad

Iam not sure what it feels like when one becomes a parent ...but if my parents and my sister are any indication , my guess is I will love my child to death .Yes ,I think I will .

Have always heard " What children take from parents , they give. Parents become people who feel more deeply, question more deeply, hurt more deeply, and love more deeply" and believe that to be true in what I have seen ...Parents who love their kids (and I say this because all chidren are not so lucky) are actually as selfless as they come .I have known two such folks all my life and Iam sure so have all of you out there.

Its less than a month before I leave for India and I was missing my mom and my dad.We are 3 siblings and I spent the longest time with the folks , so I like tobelievee that I understand them a tad better (which ofcourse is not true) and have forged a little more of a bond with them.

Being away for almost 4 yrs from them with only one visit in between has suddenly made me so nostalgic and also realise that I was suffering from the"ghar ki murgi daal barabar" syndrome.Distance has ofcourse made the heart grow fonder and I hang to the million-zillion memories that I have of them and always recall how they are so instrumental in the person Iam today.

I once wrote a tribute to my mom and mailed it to her ...She was so touched , she couldnt find the words ..So she took a printout of my mail and has it amongst her treasured belongings .Even today if I sat down and started talking no amount paper would be enough.There's just too much to say .

So, no long letters this time , just a poem for you , ma and dad :-)

I may no longer be that little child who always Wanted another hug or minute with you But I still miss you when we are apart.

I may no longer need your hand for every step I take But I still need your acceptance and support of everything I do.

I may not be that little child who asked For all the things I ever wanted in the world But that's because long ago you taught me How to go after my dreams.

I may no longer be that little child who Looked to you to share every hurt, smile and tear But I still feel like that child whenever I think of you

I'll always love you, Mom and Dad, With the heart of that little child Grown to love you only more

Love & See you both soon ....

Blog this

"Blogs are like a pair of shoes ...everyone sports one "

I read this somewhere a few days and it stuck with me .So as if being an insignificant grain in the sands of time is not bad enough ..this statement just turned up the feeling many notches...

But do I really care ?....I still continue to say what I have to say ...I never wrote to please anybody..just myself .....so who cares if my blog is or isnt the most fashionable out there ...

its just a reflection of me .........and THATS GOOD ENOUGH :-)

Better Late than Never

NRI's dont get to have a say in when they celebrate their festivals .So when they are eventually celebrated (and that too on weekends),everyone who feels homesick is there.Durga Puja was finally celebrated in Seattle today(Dusshera was on 12th)and all days and events were packed into one day -pushpanjali,prasad distribution,lunch,entertainment -antakshari,plays in the evening,music etc etc.

It was a welcome break from my busy and very drab schedule of and working and studying and was a lot of fun .Enjoyed the day while it lasted ..

Here are some pictures :


The pratima


Me..Pensive one moment


smiling the next


Family, freinds ...


and Food complete the picture :-)

Here are my durga puja recipes on Foodies Unite.

http://meenalmehta1.blogspot.com/2005/10/durga-puja-fare.html

Shubho Bijoya and Happy Dusshera everyone:-)

Food blog entry no:5

heres my new food blog entry ....its called Pastalicious ..check it out !

http://meenalmehta1.blogspot.com/2005/10/pastalicious.html

An Indian Wedding in America

Friends, I present to you a picture story from an Indian wedding I attended in California some time back .I had never been to a wedding of folks who have been born and brought up in America and are for all practical purposes American.Aakash and Neena Patel's wedding was an interesting fusion of typical Gujrati-Indian wedding and an American wedding .

 

The Wedding ceremony and some pre wedding ceremonies

I did not have pictures of dandia and garba and dinner on the eve of the wedding .But they were so much fun.It was a day wedding(mostly an American practice)and the pictures are of various ceremonies throughout the day

1)Pooja,ceremonies and dancing at the Groom's camp before he mounted the ghodi and left to marry his beloved.
2)Welcoming Akash -by Neena's mom ,sister, cousins and other relatives
3))Ganesh Poojan
3)Antar Patt & Mangalashtakum- worshipping the five elements (fire, earth, water ,air & light )
4)Neena's Arrival-escorted by her maternal uncles , Neena walked to the wedding alter set by the beautiful backdrop of a flowing stream.
5)Hasta Melap(joing of hands) & Kanyadaan(giving away the daughter)
6)Mangal Phera (the 4 circles) unlike the seven pheras in a typical North Indian wedding.
7)Saptapadi (the seven vows)
8)Mangalsutra ,Sindoor & Exchanging rings
9)Ashirwaad(family blessings)
10)Vidai(Farewell to the daughter)



Reception at Grand Ballroom at the Hyatt Hotel

The reception evening was spectacular and full of anticipation as 500 guests arrived to see Mr.& Mrs. Patel for the first time .There was a stage set for the newly wed couple, their parents and siblings & respective spouses.
The Ball Room was divided into 2 halves ..the groom's and the bride's family and freinds and there were two giant screens on both sides to screen the couples love story .The evening was wonderfully anchored by a Master of cermonies.There were numerous speeches, first dance , the father-daughter and the mother son dance .There was wonderful food and wine and in the end there was dancing , the perfect end to a great evening.



Souvenirs from the Wedding

The wedding souveniers are dandia sticks , a lovely little hand fan ,dainty water bottles with the bride-groom's version of how they met and heart shaped cholcates with compliments from the bride and groom.

Tagged again...23rd and 5th

I was tagged by Aparna ...

something about picking up the 23rd blog entry from the archives, find the 5th sentence and post it:)

Found it funny but what the heck...at 3:20 in the morning , nothign better to do so will do this:P

My 23rd post was called Metamorphosis and here's the fifth sentence .

"I am yet to see a single baby thats not beautiful... black,white,brown,yellow, all adorable ,arriving helpless into the world , making better people out of their parents (for the most part)and others who are close and love them"

Heres a link to that blog entry
http://meenalmehta.blogspot.com/2005/07/meta-morphosis.html

Hmm ..I will tag Gangadhar, Tarun, Paro, Parth and Mohit.

happy bday to you

happy birthday , albiet a month and a day late to my freind who writes a blog under the moniker "sanity starved" .

hope you liked the pedometer and the gulabjamuns:-)