Post Christmas Elation and then some

3 days past Christmas and I was going through the pictures on my digital camera....Everyone loved the gifts I got them .So it was all worthwhile and made me happy .
A heightened sense of elation comes from looking at the pictures of my 5 yr old niece..literally lighting up as she saw her gifts and then opened them one by one ..Sometimes with a twinkle in her eye , othertimes a huge big grin and yet others admist peals and peals of laughter from getting something she wanted ..Loved those moments.

What stole my heart was "Nu mashi , thankyou for all the lovely gifts .I love them " She told me this atleast 10 times and I was jolted into knowing that she's now an articulate kid ,not the toothless, wordless infant I once knew .Yes, Time flies .

Look at these pictures and see what I mean :-)


"Wow , I have so many gifts .Oh my Gosh " (these were her exact words)


"Nu Mashi, Pink is my favorite color"


"Mommy , look what I got , a sparkly clock for my room, yay!!"


"Look, I've got wings"


"My (Uma's) stuff"

Those were a lovely few days spent with family.

Now, follow me as I get ready for the last party of the year appropriately called " Goodbye 2005, Welcome 2006". Come join me .The countdown has begun already.

Here comes CHRISTMAS

This is how the Christmas tree is at my place is looking right now.
Presents galore. Hope everyone is having a good holiday season .

And a Merry Christmas to you too :-)

Made

So what does it take to make your day ??

For me it varies...A smile ,a hug ,"an I love you" from people I love, passing all my MBA exams(yipee),understanding & empathy in trying times ,chatting with my best pal, an "I believe in you"or "You can do it "when Iam down and out, perhaps an genuine compliment and a word of appreciation for bone breaking efforts made for someone......All of these double my joy because they are as unexpected as snowfall in July .......

My day is also made with a testimonial when I expect it least , infact when I dont expect it all.

Yesterday I logged onto orkut(an online site where one mostly makes friends from one's area or anyplace around the world) after what seemed an eternity; to ponder on my pointless existence in the online world and wonder how things had changed from last yr when I was so active there.Now I hardly logged on .And staring me right in my face were the following words..

" Meenal - warm and friendly. Has an uncanny ability to connect easily with people. She's a person you wont mind trusting anything with.

Her blog is a must read. She has an amazing ability of writing with a proportion of clarity and emotion that evokes thought while touching you deeply. Sounds a little strange, but sometimes I have found words for my thoughts in her blogs!

And yes, has thrown the most awesome parties I have attended in last few years. Awesome cook :D You do not want to miss her invites! "

A smile appeared on my face , a slight uncertain twitch which soon became an ear to ear grin.

I who have lately started becoming skeptical of making friends in the online world ...This was just what I needed ..........I admit I have met some good people out there.While some are genuine ,a lot fo them are total pseudo intellectuals , brimming with self importance and a notion of superiority waging a war of the words .Mostly my diligence has been rewarded and sometimes its been an exercise in futility .

These words are from a friend who was also skeptical (he thought my attempting to make friends with him was to snag him into some pyramid scheme ) of online friends and I kept telling him that it was possible to meet good people..Today he's a convert and so are a few others of my friends.

Thanks M for restoring my waning faith .It freinds like you , Sudarshan , Sudip , Aparna who I met in cyber space who make me reach out and find good people out there.............. I know once again that its worth it .

THANKYOU for making my day :-)

Rainier, Rainier

I love Mount rainier .At 14,410ft its a humungous natural "fixture" in Washington and what a lovely fixture it is .Covered in pristine white snow it can be daunting,calm,dangerous and breath takingly beautiful, all at the same time .

I see it from my bedroom window and from my living room every day.Now that's what one would call a view .

Here 's the mountain in its different avatars.


Rainier reflected in Tipsoo Lake


The mountain overseeing Tacoma


Rainier as seen from University of Washington


Rainier as seen from one of the trails


Sunset at Rainier

Got answers, Santa ??

"You better watch out , You better not cry ,
You better not howl ,Iam telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town "

One of my favorite Christmas carols , this time I look forward to singing it with my 5 yr old niece . Christmas is around the corner and its time for her to make that trip to the mall and ask Santa some questions ...

Here's what a conversation between her and Santa would sound like

"What if there is no chimney ??"
Santa : If a house does not have a chimney, then I use some of my magic dust to make a chimney appear. Then the chimney disappears as soon as I leave.
"What's your favorite food ?"
Santa:My most favorite are cookies, but I'll eat just about anything that you like and that you leave for me on Christmas Eve.
"How do the reindeer fly?"
Santa :They eat special corn that makes them fly.
" How does Santa get all the toys into the sleigh at one time ?
Santa :Actually, my red toy sack is magical in that it is bottomless and continues to stay full until has made all his deliveries to all the children around the world.
"where do you get your red suit?"
Santa "My wife sews it for me "
"Why is your suit red?"
Santa : SoI wouldnt get lost in the snow.
"Will you always bring what I ask for ?"
Santa : Sometimes Santa thinks that what you ask for may not be the best gift for you, so he may give you something you will enjoy better.
" Do you really read all the letters you get ?"
Santa: Yes, each and every one.
"Well , thankyou Santa, I cant wait to see all the gifts you get me ."
Santa :Why , little one you are welcome .take care and God bless.Be good nowand BIG HUG!!

Santa Claus is coming to town ..HO.HO .HO !!!

Adapted from (www.northpole.com)

Meanwhile ,here's some of my Christmas cooking with a twist http://meenalmehta1.blogspot.com/2005/12/christmas-with-indian-flavor.html

Back to Reality

I am Missing my Country

When the birds are singing early in the morning,
when the sun is rising and shining,when the sky is raining,

(-Farida)

Yes , Iam missing everything back home , good and the bad .

A visit to India goes faster than can I can say POOF .It always ZIP , ZAP and ZOOM .Always time to leave ,just when I was getting reacquainted and comfortable with all things that have changed .When I returned last Monday , I could think nothing but of the terrible back and knee aches I had from the long plane journey .I was really groggy for a while ..I slept straight for I don't know how many hours and then got up in the middle of the night.

It was then that I had the time to register that I was back .The physical pain then turned into something else ...A feeling of emptiness , confusion , melancholia ............A seething pain in the heart , almost palpable. The festivities and joy had turned into silence, the joy de vivre had turned into solitude and loneliness ..the feeling of being uprooted 4 yrs back into a cold , unwelcoming set of circumstances crept back . the Hindi chatter turned into English banter .the direct stares in your face turned to polite dismissal . And then for no reason tears started pouring down my face...I know , women !!(they just like to cry) :-)

I love India but I do not love everything about it.Or should I say just Delhi since that's where I come from .The absolute chaos at the international airport , literally swarms of people and did I say hordes and hordes of cars with no space to accommodate them.The traffic scared the living daylights out of me .The societal setup and the family politics like one of my friend says would take an encyclopedia to explain .(Payal , Iam quoting you here ).

Yes , its lovely to meet family but why does everyone and their grandfather expect you to visit them and then throw a tantrum if you do not give them individual attention for paucity of time and frankly, paucity of any feeling .And then ofcourse , one has to always do what is proper and is approved by society.God help me .I almost pulled out my hair a couple of times .I jsut concentrated on the Tv shows , the movies , the eating out , marvelling at the new hotspots and malls that had come up and the little bit of shopping that I was able to manage

And I felt weird at feeling that way .Because I have lived in India all my life . I have studiedthere , worked there , made lifelong freinds there and have family there .In a hundred lifetimes , I did not know I would feel this kind of frustartion and angst at so many things. but I did . Yeah , sad but true .

Everytime I come back from India , I end up feeling confused about where I belong ....here or there , or maybe nowhere ...and then I tell myself ,its just me , No matter where I go and stay, there will be times where I dont feel like I belong .I just need to find who Iam and thats the only thing thats ever going to work .Its a catch 22 and Iam working at figuring out a happy medium .

Will find that one day .Yes Iam hopeful .

Meanwhile Iam BACK TO life or REALITY as I call it and the daily grind .These trips are strange , they connect you and yet they derail you .Maybe I feel too much , Maybe I need to take it in my stride or maybe I need to take longer vacations than 15 days, so I can return satiated .

Will I ever ?

Picture Perfect

Looks like all of this month is going to be devoted to my india trip..the overflowing stuff from the unpacked suitacses ,sprawled all over the apartment , the dvd's , the pictures , the countless knick-knacks and momentos are all reminders of a 15 day hectic but emotionally charged trip.

As I gravitate to normalcy(read , life after returning) and get over my jet lag and various aches and pains , I browse through the pictures again and again....and AGAIN

here are some of my favorites .

Jagran and mata ki chouki , 15 November


the set up



Mr.Photogrpaher , dont take my picture

Uma ji , jaago..still on US time?



what did you say ?


the singer



Nach Baliye

Sagai , Chunni Charana 17th November afternoon


The lovely Divya


The Dulha with the apple of everyone's eye



Mommy's girls



Mom and dad


Aakhon aakhon mein baat honey do :-)



Us to the newly engaged couple"lagey raho bacchon"



sweets for my sweet bhabhi


Mera mamu rang rangila mein to nachoongi


didi to Uma "beta look up"



Mr. & Mrs.

Dinner, Dance ,Rusna & Gana Ceremony 17th November evening



Mehendi


Mehendi II


The wedding singer


the posse


Mom dancing ..thats a first


Papa singing "ae meri zohrazabin"to ma


yay, kal meri shadi hai



bhangra pa le

Ghadoli 18th November morning


Our house all dressed up


lights, camera, action


Bhabhi with the ghadoli





dance


and some more dance

Sehrabandi, Baraat & Shaadi 18th November Evening



the headgear torture begins



meri behnon, zara prem se


feeding the ghodi



Here I go



Beta soch le , abhi bhi time hai


beta , ab to tera band baj gaya


barati



Dance like there's no tomorrow



the fire spitting bhangra dancers


Divya to Bmm"gotycha"



guys , get ready to sport your plastic smile


the yaya sister-brotherhood


beta , mithai khao



now we are formally a couple


quid pro-quo




and now comes the sad part :(



doli


and no more dancing ....bhabhi has arrived , I need rest :-)


That's all for now..More later .Enjoy and let me know how you found the pictures :-)